Big Brother 10: 7/16 Live Eviction Live Blogged from the East Coast

Zoetawny made us a Brian graphic!

The show has started here on the East Coast. As it airs I'll be constantly updating this post. To see the latest, refresh your page. Later on tonight my full review/recap of the show will be up over on TV Squad. Please forgive any errors or typos in this entry -- I'm typing as I watch the television.

Julie is wearing a black dress with white wider than spaghetti straps. (I never claimed to be a fashion maven.). There is the promised live audience for the eviction, something new this season. We're in recaps.

Day 9 in the house and Brian, the self-described puppetmaster has had his strings cut, according to Julie. But first, blindsides cannot happen without traitors. Into a B&W recap of Jerry putting Brian on the block.

Dan tells us he's shocked and dumbfounded - My alliance has gone down in flames. Brian talks to Jerry and he tells him who went against him. He told Brian that Ollie was the ringleader. Jerry talks about the no military gear once again and tells Brian he had no choice. Brian thinks he should have just done what he promised. No surprise there. Dan and Brian are both shocked that Ollie flipped.

They confront Ollie. He tells him the whole house did it and he was backed into a corner. He says the numbers were against him and he had to do it. Dan tells us that he wouldn't have broken his word and tells Ollie that, too. Dan thinks April and Ollie orchestrated it all.

Now to showmance -- Ollie and April smooching in bed under the night cams. Ollie is worried about being the guy who falls for the girl and his game suffers. The girls think that Brian and Dan are against them. Brian thinks the girls must be turned against each other.

Brian thinks Steven was loyal and it's a good thing. He thinks he has five votes and Jerry would vote for him in the case of a tie.

Back from commercial, the live audience cheers. Julie says Brian will charm the socks off the others. It's the sock puppet show. Brian's sock made 8000 alliances. Now we're into the bit I recorded and posted. They cut the end out with the Grim Reaper as well as the Libra bit.

Libra and Michelle in the kitchen think Angie is digging a hole for herself hanging out with Brian, Dan, and Steven. Brian is trying to get Memphis on his side. Angier tells us how much fun Brian is. Angie goes to Keesha and tries to convince her. Keesha is already ticked at April. Now last night's cat fight -- MEOW.

Keesha accuses April and the others of talking about her. Michelle calms April and Ollie tries to calm down Keesha. Brian tells Jerry that they were fighting over him staying. Now Renny consoles April. April is still going on about Keesha turning on them.

It's to the room and Julie. She tells them about the live audience, throwback to season one. She asks Jessie he and Renny have buried the hatchet. He fusses "You have to give respect to get respect." Renny is wearing a blue knit outfit which looks like a flapper. Her answer is more mature than Jessie's.

Onto asking Libra about leaving her children to go on the show. She says her family is behind her and it's her choice. Julie leaves them in the living room. Up next is the live vote.

Talking to Jerry in the HOH room ... he's wearing military cap again. Does he regret being put in the position of HOH? Rules say he has to do it, no regrets. Difficult to betray Brian? Again about not wearing military gear. He feels the girls are his angels and they saved him. "I call them Jerry's angels and they seem to like that."

Talking to the nominees -- Renny: On the block now for 7-8 days, initial shock, (this isn't making sense to me), I've monotoned myself a bit. Brian -- First few days some of the best fun I've ever had, also everything here is a game, will just get nastier from here, just a game.

Live voting about to start (votes are to evict):
April votes Brian
Libra votes Brian
Michelle votes Brian
Ollie votes Brian

Into commercial...

Dan votes Renny
Jessie votes Brian
Keesha votes Brian
Memphis votes Brian
Steven votes Brian
Angie votes Brian

9 to 1, Brian is evicted.

He exits well, smiles. Hugs and handshakes all around. His photo goes black and white. Dan looks worried and uncomfortable.

Julie asks Brian what went wrong ... sockpuppet 8000 deals. He says it was too quick and things happened so fast. He tried to play three weeks of game in seven days. Will Dan survive? He said it shows that Dan is someone you can trust.

Goodbye messages -- Keesha - arrogance brought you down. Jerry - odd message. Ollie - apologizes, you were big threat. Steven - will miss you and the laughs. Dan -- like a big brother. Brian thinks Memphis is the most dangerous and underrated player in the house.

Live HOH comp, Be with the In Crowd. Series of questions about housemates, answer how you think the majority will respond.

Who does the majority of the house believe ...

will commisson a life size portrait - Jessie/Brian. It was Jessie, Memphis is out

fashion consultant - April or Renny. April answer. Keesha and Renny out.

Wear nothing but a bikini -- Angie or Keesha. Keesha. Michelle, Dan, and April out

Life story in 50 years more interesting -- Memphis or Dan. Memphis, all right

Sweet dreams honey comp, wore honey best -- Jerry or Jessie. Jessie. Angie out.

Vain enough to think this question is all about them -- Steven or libra. Steven all right

Oops, didn't get 7th question.

Least likely to get divorced -- tiebreaker.

How many total pillows on giant bed.

Ollie -- 550
Jessie -- 200
Libra - 175.

JESSIE has won HOH.

Latest Live Feeds

My latest live feeds report is up over on TV Squad. I'll be returning here to live blog the live eviction show as it airs on the East Coast. Later, I'll have a recap/review of the show up over on TVS. See you in a bit!

Please make sure your neck is shaved for the live show, thank you.

Big Brother 10: Live Feed Into Dawn 7/16

Hmm ... very weird. I'm having image issues with Blogger. Oh, well.

When I last reported, the houseguests were in an outdoor lockdown eating pizza. I'll go from there. Imagine there's a picture of them playing in the yard at night above as that's what should be there! Here's what's been going on in that Big Brother House of Semper Fi and All That Jazz:

• Steven doesn't have too many PC brights about himself for a guy who knows he's on camera all the time. He has already referred to Libra as "the colored girl" and now he's told a racist joke about Mexicans and blacks. He usually refers to homosexuals by derogatory terms even though he's gay. I can see him in Adam's "retard" shoes soon.
• Jerry got his HOH camera and a good time was had by all.
• Angie campaigned to keep Brian. Steven told her they'd need to get Memphis and Michelle with them. (Don't do it, Memphis! I'm not thrilled with you, but Brian would betray you in a second! Don't be a fool.)
• Brian seems resigned to leaving this week. (What happened to those tricks up his sleeve?)
• BB supplied them with alcohol again. They must have a deal with the local liquor store, eh?
• Some of the HG (including Keesha and Jerry) are having miscellaneous internal piping issues. You needed to know that, right?
• Jessie and Memphis have grown pretty tight, maybe the result of knowing they were both targeted by Dan and Brian. Jessie wants Dan to be the next target. He doesn't trust him. (I'm liking Jessie a bit better than I thought I would but I wish he'd wear real shirts and not the ones which show his physique while he fusses that people will worry about his physique.)
• Memphis told Jessie that he thinks Steven should go. (I think Steven made a critical game mistake falling in with Brian and Dan.)
• April got suspicious when Keesha and Libra went into the diary room together.
• The HG played games in the back yard -- a sack race with garbage bags, a three-legged race, etc. As with the sock puppet thing the night before, it was fun to watch them actually having a good time and being creative with their entertainment.
• Renny is getting nervous as the voting draws near. Libra and April have said that Keesha has flipped her vote.
• Steven refused to tell Jessie how he'll be voting, said it was a private vote.
• Jerry says it will all come down to how the house stands.
• The latest brouhaha is between April and Keesha. Meow!
• Ollie tried to calm down April while Libra did the same with April.
• Michelle told Jerry that the fights are because Brian is making everyone paranoid. He's telling everyone he has five votes and making them distrust each other.
  
• Libra is once again ticked at Steven.
• Ollie and April showmance still ongoing but no big action (good).
• Despite the fun times with the games, it all turned to discontent and suspicion. Oh, well. Once the voting goes down tonight it can all start anew on Thursday.
• All are asleep as I post this.
  

Big Brother 10: 7/15 Show Live Blogged from the East Coast

The show has started here on the East Coast. As it airs I'll be constantly updating this post. To see the latest, refresh your page. Later on tonight my full review/recap of the show will be up over on TV Squad. Please forgive any errors or typos in this entry -- I'm typing as I watch the television.

It's recap time! Oh, a betrayal will turn the house upside down! Can you imagine that? Whatever could it be? ;-)

More recap -- now Jerry is telling the why behind his nominations again. Day 2? Not in real life! Jerry mentions Brian promised loyalty to the end. Renny and Jessie don't think they should be on the block. Renny thinks it wasn't a big deal and Jessie blames her. She thinks he's a punk (in the DR).

Jerry is telling the story of Solomon cutting the baby in half? Weird analogy for the situation. Jessie is confused ... he doesn't even know the tale. Renny is walking around saying he's a weasel and she did like him. She claims he's acting like a baby as she pouts at the table. So, she confronts him. Brian is listening and trying not to giggle. She keeps telling him how immature he is and how he walks away. So he walks away.

Brian, Ollie, and Dan make a toast to voting their way this week. I believe that would be Jessie.

Now they're all in the HOH room drinking wine. Renny is still fussing. She confronts Jessie, then apologizes for waking him up. He told her it took her a day and a half to apologize. She calls him a liar. She claims she apologized that night.

Brian tells Michelle and Ollie that Renny will self-destruct at some point. He tries to sway them to vote out Jessie because he's mor of a threat. He gloats in the DR. Now he works on Angie, telling her that Jerry has done everything he's wanted him to do from the start. He works on Steven. He works on Memphis. He's promising them all safety.

Dan, Brian, and Ollie are talking. Brian saved Dan, y'know. He rules the house ... in his mind. No wonder Jerry thinks he's a traitor.

Uh-oh ... looks like the April and Ollie showmance is about to start. Flirty, flirty. Time to pick players for the POV comp - six players. Pulling chips from bag. Jerry pulls Memphis. Renny gets Michelle. Jessie gets April. The host is Angie. They have to put on sleepwear.

The yard is a giant bed with toss pillows -- strange bedfellows. Colored veto bears -- they must find their color, five of them and return them to a jar. They have to squirm through honey to get to the bed. The non-bear pillows are feathers sticking to them. Renny is dragging and not into it at all. Memphis claims the honey is 75 to 80 pounds more than they normally carry. I doubt that.

Now, this isn't looking like Jerry will win. Jessie wins POV! Why was the POV necklace on Jerry's pic in the feeds? Maybe a red herring? Brian thinks he can get Jerry to put up whomever he wants him to in place of Jessie.

Now Brian is telling Jerry Memphis has to go. Jerry seems to play along and tells Brian they'll make Memphis think Renny is going home. He tells Ollie, Renny, the blonds that Memphis is going home. Renny and the blond see right through Brian. Now Keesha tells Angie and Michelle about Brian. A movement is afoot!

Libra is pointing out Ollie's evil side (Brian) to April. She's upset and wants to confront Ollie. Libra asks Ollie point blank if he's with Brian and Dan. He tells them he's not against them. Ollie tells them the Brian/Dan thing was on day one. He says he's loyal to April. Ollie tells them if Brian is playing them all, flip it over.

Ollie tells Memphis that they're going to backdoor him and Brian is behind it all.Libra thinks all nine of them should go to Jerry and tell him about Brian. Lots of scheming to oust cocky Brian. Now they have Jerry there. "Let's start the revolution." Ollie is the spokesman for the group. Poor Jerry.

Jerry thinks they're one huge alliance. They tell him he won't go on the block next week. He's unsure.

The POV box is open and Jessie tells us he will use it. Jerry isn't wearing anything military because he has to go back on his word. Brian is still cocky and thinks Memphis will go on the block. Time for the veto ceremony.

Jessie talks. Rennie says that Jessie made a target of himslf and the situation wouldn't be if he didn't. She doesn't expect him to use it on her. Jessie saves himself. Jessie is uncomfortable. He formed an alliance he wanted to be loyal to the end, but the person had other alliances, eight people came to his room, they chose who they want put up and to leave ... he nominates Brian. Brian looks very pensive. Dan thinks it's a dumfounded thing. Ollie claims credit for it all.

Brian was a mystery, now he's history -- Libra.

Brian gives kudos to whoever orchestrated this but claims he has some tricks up his sleeve.

Latest BB10 Live Feeds and Tonight's BB Blogging

My latest live feeds report is up over on TV Squad. I'll be live blogging tonight's show from here on the East Coast, then writing a review/recap of the show for TVS. And then it will be time for more live feeds!

Uh-oh, I better fix an early dinner. Or take a nap.

Big Brother 10 - Sockpuppet Eviction

Alas, I had to scramble to set up my new BBreloader to record, so I missed recording the beginning of this. But here's what I caught. Beware -- crude language as Memphis, Steven, Angie, Brian, and Dan put on a sock puppet eviction with a twist at the end. My latest live feeds update is below this one.

Big Brother 10: Live Feeds Late Into the Night

They're talking about how weird Renny is and how she gives a shout-out to every race and practically every person in the world. "Here's a shout-out to my peeps at Walgreens!" They think she's very odd.

Here's what's been going on inside that Big Brother House of I Can't Get These Names Straight Yet:

• Keesha and April discussed how they think Dan needs to go. Keesha thinks he could very well win it all and is scared. April thinks Steven should go after Dan.
  
• See, Steven, I warned you not to hang out with Dan!
• Keesha and April were talking about Playboy when Ollie said "classy shouldn't be used in the same sentence with Playboy." At least some home training has stayed with him.
• According to what Ollie said, this week's eviction votes will be live. They're usually taped when so many are still in the house.
• There is now an Ollie, April, Keesha, Michelle, and Libra alliance.
• Renny gave a shout-out to her Asian friends at the nail shop. @@
• Brian is planning to campaign for votes on Tuesday.
• Steven and Libra have cooled down with their disagreements. Steven thought he may have made a mistake going in the house because he doesn't like drama and she told him it may have been her fault.
• Michelle told Jessie that she thinks Steven needs to go because he's into everything and everyone.
• Ollie apologized to Dan (for betraying the alliance).
• This is getting sickening!
• The houseguests want games or cards.
• Jerry isn't apologizing to Brian. "He screwed me."
• BB gave them beer and wine again.
• Jerry thinks that Libra's arrogance will get him in trouble just as his own arrogance did for him.
• Angie cried because Jerry called her a psycho.
• Brian consoled her and actually was very sweet about it.
• Libra told Angie that she didn't think Jerry meant it.
• Jessie and Michelle think Angie is too close with Brian.
• Jerry apologized to Angie for calling her a psycho -- he said he didn't mean it in a bad way. (Yeah, right!)
• Renny cried today too. Hey, maybe Amber will drop by to counsel them!
• Steven plans to do Slopformercials during tomorrow's BBAD.
• Steven made sock puppets, put on a show, and all are giggling now. Well, all of those who are still up.
  

The Closer - 4th Season Premiere Tonight

If you're like me, not into The Mole, there's the season premiere of The Closer tonight at 9 PM ET/PT on TNT. I was lucky enough to receive the first episode in a promotional package from the network. No, I won't divulge the plot, but I was indeed entertained. And now I have something that I enjoy watching on Monday nights. Woohoo for that!

Latest BB10 Live Feeds

I took this screen cap a few minutes ago as they gathered in a bedroom. My latest feeds report is up over on TV Squad. It includes a gallery with screen caps I took in the wee hours and some from this afternoon. They're a talkative house. In a way, I'll be glad when the numbers get down a little.

I'll be posting another report here later tonight after the hamsters do a bit more!

Big Brother 10: Live Feeds Report First Night

After a rough start with volume issues, the feeds kicked off around midnight ET. They've already been in the house for six days, so we've missed quite a bit. Right now I'm still matching names to faces, the voices can still get confusing, and there's way too many people talking at once. But, hey ... it's a new season.

Here's the skinny:

• They've already played the POV comp and had the POV meeting. They haven't talked about the comp itself so I have no clue.
• The POV necklace is on Jerry's picture on the Memory Wall, so he won.
• Aha ... he put BRIAN on the block in place of Jessie from what I can tell in conversations.
• So it's Renny (most likely) and Brian nominated for eviction this week.
• Lots and lots of small talk when they're in larger groups.
• Brian and Dan are still scheming together. Brian seems worried that someone whose vote they thought they had might be flopping -- Keesha.
• Libra only drinks wine, no beer. BB will be giving them wine and beer tonight.
• Brian and Dan think Jerry is easily manipulated by the girls.
• Renny is still the laughing stock of the house. (She does it to herself, odd duck she is.)
• BB is giving them a feast and all are off slop for it.
• Jerry told Dan that Brian betrayed him by not telling him that he had an alliance with Ollie and Dan. He thinks Brian was using him. (Yes, he was!)
• Steven in particular, and others are getting irked at Libra's controlling ways.
• Jerry's CD was a Glenn Miller one.
• Michelle told Angie that Jessie told her he thinks she's (Michelle) a threat.
• Renny keeps changing into new costumes. (She's probably worried about eviction and wants to show all her wigs and costumes!)
• Jerry told a group in the kitchen about how Brian used his military experience to gain his trust then betrayed him. Meanwhile, Brian could overhear the conversation from the bathroom. The plot thickens.
• The HG know Steven is gay. Steven was a bit irked that he had told Libra in confidence and she went on to tell Keesha.
• Their big dinner at midnight ET was chaos -- everyone talking at once.
• Afterwards Steven complained about Libra telling people they shouldn't have both beer and wine. Control, control.
• Memphis bragged that when he was a model, the girls were all over him. @@
• Dan, Brian, and Steven think Libra has gone for power and she must go.
• Libra cried and Jerry and Angie comforted her. She's missing her children and her aging grandmother.

That's it for now. They're still up but nothing major going on.

Big Brother 10 Season Premiere Live Blogged from the East Coast

Zoetawny has made yet another new BB10 blog logo for us ... yay! The show has started here on the East Coast. I'll be constantly updating this entry as it airs and invite everyone to jump in down in the comments section. There may be some typos -- I'm typing as I watch TV. Plus, I'm not too familiar with the houseguests yet. But I'm ready!

Julie Chen is in summer mode with a coral strapless dress ... no winter biker boots for her this time of year! We're in an intro with bits of a house tour and the rules of the game. The outside of the house has been redone with all kinds of flowers and shrubbery. It seems that Julie's bits will be right outside the door. Again, we're told that the game began before they entered the house.

Now they're getting their keys.

They're gathered on the entryway to the house getting the first good look at their competition. Julie tells them they must choose the HOH before anyone moves into the house. They must go on appearance and gut instinct. They cannot vote for themselves. Julie says it will remain a mystery ... for now.

Five enter the house -- April, Dan, Renny, (April tells us she voted Renny HOH). Four more enter the house. The final four enter. April now tells us she's having second thoughts about Renny. Angie also thinks Renny is rude. Keesha tells us she voted Jerry HOH. Now they're all introducing themselves.

Jessie thinks Renny is annoying, too. Dan tells us he'll erase any sins he commits in the house by going to Confession later. Angie is already telling everyone her boobs are real and inviting them to feel them. @@ Renny, who seems to have rubbed many wrong already in the house, thought it was totally inappropriate that Jerry felt Angie's boobs.

Julie's back. She tells us there is more up for grabs in addition to the HOH tonight. They're about to compete in their first competition. "The prize will be a classic." Jessie volunteered to sit out as they need an even number. They have to go to the storage room, get their gear on and meet Julie in the yard. Two upside-down VW bugs, two right side up classic cars. Up for grabs, one of the classic (muscle) cars. Now Jessie is unhappy.

"Bugging Out" - A car race in the sky. The teams must get in one of the VWs, transport gas can to the end. Each time they do it, a team member must leave and not get a chance to win. The teams are also playing for food. Jessie will eat no matter what.

Red team - Renny, Angie, Memphis, Steven, Dan, Michelle, Memphis wins the car and the red team wins food for the week. He chooses the 1969 Camaro.

Julie is ready to reveal the HOH ... 3 votes and second was Renny. With four votes, the first HOH is Jerry. In les than 24 hours he has to nominate two HG for eviction.

Dan thinks he can trust Brian and apporaches him. Now he's working on Ollie. He looked in Ollie's eyes and "saw the blacks of his eyes" and knew he was in with him. The BLACKS of his eyes? @@

Jerry's HOH room -- more happy than most because they voted for him. Photos of his wife. Jerry thinks he has a good chance of staying in the game and playing hard.

In the dark, Renny further annoys people screaming that the door is locked. Her laugh is worse than her voice. In the morning, Jessie complains to her and she tells him to lighten up. She tells us he's a baby. Brian laughs.

They have special music for Renny. The guys are laughing about her. Memphis, Brian, and Dan. Brian and Dan want Jessie and Renny nominated. Brian tries to work on him. Jerry is looking for a committment from Brian in an alliance. Brian tells us he's not all that loyal. Heh. Jerry thinks Dan is a loose cannon. Brian asks that he come in with them. Jerry likes Jessie, but seems to go with Brian's plan to nominate Renny and Jessie.

Noiminations are tough for Jerry. Key order -- Michelle, Angie, Memphis, Libra, April, Brian, Steven, Keesha, Ollie, Dan. Rennie and Jessie are indeed up. Jerry says it was due to the conflict the night before.

Jerry tells us he thinks Jessie and Renny will self-destruct.

I think I'm already liking this better than I liked the start of BB9. But I hope someone knocks Dan down soon.

Big Brother 10 Cast Interview Videos

I have a post in pending over at TV Squad with six of the video interviews by Diane Henry (BB5, BB7) and Jen Johnson. I'm not sure when that will publish. But I think all 13 interviews anywhere at one time will be a bit overwhelming. Without further ado, here are the other seven --

This Week's TV Briefs and Bits o' Life

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

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

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

In Bits o' Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Big Brother 10 Cast in Depth Part 3

Here it is ... my final in depth post introducing the new hamsters we'll be spending a few months ridiculing ... er, watching. I've been doing this alphabetically by first name. If you haven't checked out Part 1 and Part 2, then you're missing most of the house. ;-)

Gee, according to her bio on the CBS website, Michelle is an "East Coast firecracker." Hey, I thought I was one of those! (But then I grew up.) She's currently single and had the nerve to object at her brother's wedding. Now, I can imagine that made her very popular with her brother. Mine would disown me! I get the feeling that Portuguese culture and cooking is important to her as well as sports and running.

Her chances of winning? I just don't know. I'm not getting great vibes from the bio information. If she's the type to actually object when the priest asks if anyone objects, I think we might see fireWORKS in the house, not just a fireCRACKER.

Ollie, Ollie oxen free! (Sorry, had to do that.) Ollie is originally from Des Moines, IA. From his bio, he's the son of a Pentecostal minister and seems to have led quite the straight and decent kind of life. I'm not quite sure he understands the concept of The Brady Bunch as he refers to his family as "the black Brady Bunch." He must be going for squeaky clean rather than the idea of two families coming together as one. On the AOL picture doohickey of the cast, he says he's never had a girlfriend.

All I can think is that this guy is going to find himself a kitten fed to pit bulls. I think he's probably very likable, but he's going to be out of his league with the deception, sneakiness, nastiness and all that other fun stuff going on in the house.


Renny is our other person over 35 on the show. You know, such diversity in ages and all. @@ Her bio on the CBS website makes it sound like she's going to be quite a character. She's a New Orleans socialite into wigs, being the life of the party, hanging out in the French Quarter, and having a ball. She does Elvis, Judy Garland, and Marilyn Monroe impressions. Well, that could be interesting on the feeds.

I have a feeling I'm either going to get a kick out of her or she'll be annoying as all get out. One thing I will say -- I don't think she's going to be a Sheila. I think she might end up being a strong player.


And, finally, the last houseguest for BB10 is Steven, a gay bull rider. Somehow, that seems very appropriate -- a bull rider in the house! According to his bio, graduating from college is what he considers his major accomplishment. (Much better than being proud of leaving home to become a waitress at Hooters, methinks.)

I think I'm going to like this kid. He thinks he'll get along well with the women in the house and has plenty to discuss with the guys, too.

Big Brother 10 Cast in Depth Part 2

Continuing on from my previous cast post, here are the next four houseguests and my take on them!


I don't know. Maybe it's my "not as fit as I should be" persona screaming from within, but I think Jessie may be a turn off for me. As with my impression of Dan, I fear Jessie might want to be a controlling so-an-so. Although I have never been a bodybuilder, it's far easier to be in shape when you're 22. This kid is wet behind his ears -- I hope he's not pushy about the health regime.

Alas, his bio on the CBS site makes it sound like he might be a health guru know-it-all. Uh-oh. Hopefully he just wants to be inspirational. I guess. He does like Hamburger Helper so he might not be a total bodybuilding nut. I'm still a bit concerned that he seems to be so impressed with how much he helps others. Heck, I'd rather see someone who's been to the other side be inspirational rather than some kid who's lifted weights a lot. Geez, Richard Simmons comes to mind. Love him or hate him, he's a fat man gone in shape. What was this kid before bodybuilding? A high school student?

Onto the Daniele Donato doppelganger ... Keesha. Blond, annoying voice, Hooters waitress. According to her bio, she doesn't eat red meat and is a PETA enthusiast. She has all of her career ideals thrown into her Hooters. Ah. but I'm sure if this "blond bombshell" can get her foot in the door to Hollywood, she'd give up those Hooters dreams in a moment.

Her proudest accomplishment is leaving home, moving to California, and making her way with her Hooters job. Yep, that's a truly worthy accomplishment as you face your thirties. @@

According to her bio, Libra isn't a Libra. She was born August 6. What she seems to be is a very politically active Obama supporter and possibly very vocal in her beliefs. I've already mentioned that pushy people aren't my cuppa. If she is indeed of the school of "I'm right and you're wrong and everyone should think my way" -- then she will lose me.

I think she's going to be a bit too political for my liking. Oh, not that I'm totally apathetic when it comes to politics -- I just find it all the same old rhetoric on all sides with folks who are so passionate about the subject. Your mileage may vary.

Memphis the mixologist, eh? I don't think a houseguest can ever get more stereotypical of a reality show contestant than the fake "cool" name and the fancy-schmancy title for "bartender." According to his bio, he is from Tennessee, but not from Memphis. I guess being called "Collierville" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

I'm not overly impressed. Something screams shallow or mimbo (Seinfeldese for male bimbo) about him.

BB10 Gossip and House Tour Video

I didn't bother reporting the pre-announcement cast spoilers this season because they've always been false past seasons. Sure, this season it turned out that one person was spot on before the initial official announcements. So now I'm wondering if his skinny on the first day in the house is good. If you want the probable spoiler, it's right here. I kind of like the fact that Jerry is "one of the cool kids." If it's true, of course.

Well, the decor is definitely better than that funky Alice in Wonderland stuff two seasons back!

Big Brother 10: Cast in Depth Part 1

I apologize for getting to the more in depth looks at the cast later than I had planned. I had several errands I had to run this afternoon and for some odd reason, I get wiped out more easily these days. Oh, yeah ... recuperating from major surgery. Yep, that will wipe a person out!

But I'm here now with the first five BB10 cast members -- alphabetically by first name. Pictures, a bit of bio, links to the official skinny, and my initial impressions. The remainder of the cast members will be completed by tomorrow. And, of course, I want to know your impressions of the new hamsters, too!

Shades of April (BB6) and other hamsters from the past, Angie is yet another pharmaceutical sales rep. I think it must be a BB goal to eventually cast every pharmaceutical rep in the country, don't you? According to her bio on the official CBS website, she's a recently divorced Korean-American tomboy.

She has her Bachelor's degree in advertising and originally hails from Virginia Beach, VA. I kind of like the fact that she's very devoted to her mentally disabled brother. She seems to be bright enough and athletic. I want to like her, but we'll see.

Speaking of April ... here's April version 2.0. Although she's living in Arizona, she's originally from Arlington, Nebraska. According to her bio page, she earned her Bachelor's degree in sports and fitness management from Doane College in Crete, NE. So she now works for a car dealer, go figure. She's the infamous OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) person. I have to admit that might make the feeds a bit interesting at times. Knowing how sloppy the BB houses tend to get, this could be fun!

She likes Froot Loops although CBS spelled it wrong, so she can't be all that bad! She seems to have unrealistically high expectations for a romantic partner so I think she's going to be single for years to come. My personal jury of the mind is out on her. I think she could very well add some real entertainment to the feeds but I'm not too sure I'm going to like her all that much.

Brian believes he's a "guy's guy." His chosen city to live in could run another direction with that claim. Heh. According to his bio, he's originally from Elk Grove, CA. I have no clue where that is! Air Force through and through, he earned his Associate degree from them and served for six years. Kudos to him for that! But will I like him?

It makes me smile to note that in his list of jobs, he's worked as a snowboarder amongst other more lofty positions. He seems very nice guy next door kind of dude. I'm not sure how well he'll do, but I definitely like him better than the extremely conservative guy on the cast, Dan. He seems to respect women.

Oh my. You see, I'm the kind of person with little tolerance for those who judge people rashly for aesthetic reasons or those who are extremely pushy with their religious or political beliefs. I'm the kind of person who thinks everyone has a right to do anything which is legal and while I might not want tattoos or piercing, that's me. You can do what you want with your own self, ain't no skin off my nose. (I always wanted to use that expression in a sentence, woohoo!)

According to his bio, Dan is the exact opposite. He's very conservative with little tolerance for liberals. (I hate the big conservative/liberal brouhaha.) He would have moved out of the country if Hilary Clinton won the presidential race. He thinks vegans are weird tree-huggers. He thinks tattoos are trashy and piercings are for freaks.

About the only good things I see about this guy are: he likes Cheez-Its crackers and Frank Sinatra. I think he's going to be way obnoxious.

Then there's Jerry. Heck, just the fact that he is 75 gives me all kinds of warm fuzzies. On The Early Show today he showed he's pretty darn fit, probably in better shape than I am! I worry that if he lasts a long time, he's going to be a target at the end because anyone up against him in the final two will consider him a huge threat for the vote.

In his bio at the CBS website, it states that he's originally from Wilkes Barre, PA. He's been a diehard BB fan since the show's inception, watching the feeds and even After Dark on ShoToo. He's been married to the same woman for 54 years and keeps himself fit so he can be her caretaker as she has Parkinson's Disease.

I just plain like this guy at a quick take. I hope he does well and that I actually enjoy him when I see him in action.

All images used here are ©CBS.

Big Brother 10 Cast Reveal and Early Show Video

Yep, they're here! I have to say right off the bat that I'm not too impressed with the diversity in casting promised by executive producer Allison Grodner. I have a cast post in pending over at TV Squad (expected to go up before noon ET). I will delve more into the cast here a bit later after I get their photos edited better. The official website is live.

The Early Show segment today was much shorter than in past seasons. Hmm, interesting. But I did find it online and here it is for you!

The Holiday Weekend, TV Briefs and Da Knee

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

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

TV Briefly

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Independence Day!

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend! Zoetawny made this 4th of July logo for us!