TV Newsy Bits - Sunday, April 1, 2007

In huge television news, I'm talking huge news here... tonight's Amazing Race 11: All Stars will be airing on time here in the NYC viewing area! For the first time in weeks, there aren't any sports and all is running as per the schedule. It's a two-hour episode slated to start at 8 PM EDT. I'll blog East Coast Updates as events air here and a full review/recap should be posted late tonight.

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• Former WCBS 2 news anchor then reporter Reid Lamberty can now be seen anchoring FOX 5 Weekend News. I guess that's the cornfield for many. There have still been no Roz Abrams sightings. The Gothamist found a source which hints that Maurice DuBois might be wished to the cornfield and replaced with Chris Wragge on the early news show. And, long time a-coming... Sue Simmons has finally left the WNBC 5 PM broadcast. Now if she would leave the 6 and 11! I like her as much as as I do Roz Abrams. That's not saying much. Hey, who needs local news when you have such great drama?
• Is American Idol's Sanjaya being supported only by the Fanjayas? Or, is there a more evil plot in the works? Check out the skinny on the Howard Stern angle and VoteForTheWorst.com in this AOL article. Thanks, DLA for the heads up!
• AOL's American Idol feature page also has some very cool things like exit interviews with those voted off and, if you check under the recaps tab... you'll even see this blog listed under Best of the Web (scroll all the way down on the left). You don't need to be an AOL Member to access any of the content there.
• The lone woman on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, Shauntay Henderson, was caught last night just prior to America's Most Wanted's featured segment on her. The show still has a good record. I never know any of the people, though. That, of course, can be looked upon as a good thing indeed.

What? Prior Pants Again? - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - April 2-6, 2007

Yep, it's a week of repeats ahead of us on the Late Show with David Letterman. Now, I don't know why he didn't just take his vacation during the March Madness time when he was preempted more than a few nights of the week.

My normal gripe about the repeats still stands -- the shows chosen are much too recent. But, does Dave ever listen to me? Does he care that I'd love to see shows a few years old during repeats? Um, for some reason I doubt I'm high on his list of advisors.

Here's the skinny on the week ahead:

• Monday, April 2: Stupid Human Tricks, Jake Gyllenhaal (Zodiac), Brand New (CD is The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me).
• Tuesday, April 3: Ventriloquist Jim Barber & Seville, Sienna Miller (Factory Girl), NAS (CD is Hip Hop is Dead).
• Wednesday, April 4: Paula Abdul (American Idol), Bernie Mac promoting Pride, Joss Stone (new CD is Introducing Joss Stone).
• Thursday, April 5: John Travolta (Wild Hogs), shark attack survivor Eric Nerhus, a performance by Broadway's Spring Awakening cast.
• Friday, April 6: Richard Gere promoting The Hoax, an odd and creepy food segment with Gene Rurka, the Explorers Club Chef. Music guest is Aqualung (CD is Memory Man).

Dang, I swear a few of these just showed a couple of weeks ago! Older stuff; I want old repeats if I get repeats! Do you hear me, Mr. Letterman?

Probably not. At least I know I'll get more rest this week by going to bed a bit earlier.

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, March 31, 2007

I'm finally feeling better after a bout with a stomach bug. Phew! It took a few days.

In TV Newsy Bits I found out and about the web:

• The Survivor Fever site has a transcription of Rocky's appearance on The Early Show. Rocky, of course, is the beloved (heh) most recent castaway on Survivor 14: Fiji.
• Can't get enough Rocky? Reality News Online also has an interview with him.
• According to Celebrity Spider, Dancing With the Stars Heather Mills is terrified of the jive. Will those bets pay off?
• TVGuide.com has an interesting interview with Michael Emerson, concentrating on the Lost character he plays... Ben. I think he does a tremendous job in the role.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - Ep. 7 -or- "Yow, Yau-Man!"

Nothing fluff about this episode, that's for sure!

Twelve are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

The show opened on Day 17 at the Ravu camp as Tribe Testosterone awaited the arrival of Lisi from Exile Island. Alex and Edgardo think she'll be loyal to them and all are worried about her state of mind because she seemed ready to quit went sent away.

Over at Moto, it's also a numbers game. Earl wants to change the power as it stands three Old Moto and three New Moto. What could tip the scale? The hidden Immunity Idol, of course. Both Yau-Man and Earl have clues to the location of the Idol in the camp and Yau-Man is all but positive he knows the exact location. They agree to work together. Earl led the others off to find the boat (yeah, right) as Yau-Man started digging.

And... he found it! It's a carved turtle on a string. He kissed it. He fondled it. He danced with it. he talked to it. Then he quickly covered the evidence of digging. In confessional, he said that Earl is an honorable and trusted man. He thought of not telling him, but feels Earl would be loyal. They would share the Idol. If one needs it, one has it. He told Earl on the sly and Earl seems to think Yau-Man's trustworthy, too.

The Reward Challenge consisted of three huge flammable targets for each tribe, thusly labeled even. Each tribe member would take a turn trying to sling a flameball-doohickey (technical term) from a scoop-thingie at the targets. (Aren't you glad to have a pro here to explain such things with the correct terminology?)

The reward itself would be a seaplane trip to a Fijian game arcade, complete with hot dogs and beer. The winning tribe would also send a member from the losing tribe to Exile Island. Tribe Testosterone Plus One, er... Ravu, won Reward and chose to send Earl to Exile Island. This would mark the first challenge of any type that Ravu has won. But, was it worth the win? We'll see!

So, there it was. Day 18 on Exile Island. Make that Earl's Island, tourists welcome and a beautiful ocean view. Yes, Earl was quite at home there as he imagined it to be his own place, even drawing "Earl's Island" quite artistically in the sand. He didn't bother to look for a clue, just relaxed and caught shellfish to eat.

Perhaps Ravu would have been better off if sent to Exile Island. Most were cramming two or more hot dogs in a roll and making pigs of themselves. Rocky annoyed them all by mocking their stomachaches later when they were sick. He wasn't sick because he didn't overdo the food. I guess he can think sometimes, eh?

Back at Moto, Boo thinks they need to step up the game and win the Immunity Challenge. After all, it's the first time he's lost any challenge. He automatically decides that if someone has to be voted off, it would have to be Yau-Man because he's the weakest on a physical level.

But Yau-Man certainly isn't weak on a thinking-ahead level. While the girls were sleeping and Boo otherwise occupied, Yau-Man made a fake Immunity Idol out of a coconut half. He painted a little face on it and tagged it I.I., for Immunity Idol. He wrapped it up and buried it where he had found the real one, but not as deep. I loved it! It could have ramifications if someone finds it and tries to use it at a Tribal Council. Now, that would be great!

The Immunity Challenge had tribe members blindfolded as one member was a caller directing them one at a time. The blindfolded tribe member had a Fijian war club which had to be used to break a hanging skull, sort of like a piñata. Not quite a piñata as it was a small and a skull, but the same concept.

Once the skull was broken, a bundle of tiles would fall out. The tribe member had to drop the bundle at a table, then return to his fellow members, all the while still blindfolded. This sort of challenge always makes for some good bruises as folks crash into things. It also makes for some lost souls. Boo doesn't know his left from his right? Eep! I hope it was only the stress of the moment.

They could switch callers and Lisi was switched out very quickly for Moto. Even though Michelle jumped right off the platform while bouncing about, she remained in there a long time. Then Boo decided to take over. He could have cost them the challenge as he first couldn't see, then froze. But, in the end, it was Moto hitting the puzzle-solving first and Moto laying out the two words for the puzzle -- Cannibal Isles. Moto has now won every Immunity Challenge so far this season, albeit with different tribe members in the mix.

Day 19 in Ravu reveals a fairly solid front against Rocky. Edgardo and Alex tend to call the shots for the tribe. They think that Lisi will be more loyal to them as she has no one else. And, no one really seems to trust Rocky at all. He's a loose cannon in the game.

Lisi decided to tell Alex and Edgardo the clues she knew for the hidden Immunity Idol and dug around. They didn't show her finding it, and I don't think she did. Remember how Dreamz was an enemy of Rocky? Well, now it seems that Dreamz may be the only one in camp that has a bit of understanding and empathy for the guy. Even Mookie, Rocky's buddy from the original Ravu, knows he's a problem child.

Alex, Edgardo, Lisi, and Dreamz decided that Rocky should go. Dreamz would actually prefer Lisi going, but seems to go along with the plan. But he told Mookie the plans when the rest didn't want him to know. They wanted Rocky and Mookie to think Lisi was the target.

Mookie understood the reasoning behind the Rocky vote, but told Dreamz that he promised Rocky he'd never vote for him. So he would vote a wild-card, meaningless vote. Mookie thought the physical bit (all strong guys) certainly wasn't winning, so it was time for another angle.

At the Tribal Council, it looked like Rocky was a bit worried, but still felt he was safe. He was certainly a lot more calm than he was at last week's Tribal Council. In the end, he was blindsided -- not as bad as some who never had an inkling they'd be voted off, but surprised.

The vote was unanimous with the exception of Rocky and Mookie's votes for Lisi. The closing scene during the credits showed him in some sort of Neanderthal scream, then he said how angry he was and they better not need his vote.

Yes, Rocky is the first member of the jury.

I'm glad he's gone and I even liked Lisi a bit better when she's surrounded by men. But the winner of the night for me was Yau-Man. What a hoot! I think he and Earl are a good alliance indeed.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update - 3/29 - Voted Off

Rocky was voted off and is the first member of the jury.

A full review/recap will be posted late tonight. Stop pn back and let's talk!

Yau-Man is a hoot.