Tonight's 'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' Blogging

The show is starting on time here in the NYC area... yay! So, I'll be posting an East Coast Update with the finish order and elimination by 9 PM EDT. Later on this evening, I'll post a full review/recap.

Puff Up the Pants! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - April 23-27, 2007

Ah, it's finally really spring here in the New York City area. It's the perfect time to go stand by the Hello Deli and watch the guests come and go from the show, and perhaps even a bit of tomfoolery on 53rd Street.

Oh, but I probably won't. I've done it before, though. It's fun, but be warned... no offense to Rupert, but the Hello Deli is a bit of a teensy deli dive.

Here's the guest list for this week:

• Monday, April 23: Sanjaya Malakar (American Idol recently booted contestant in case you're living under a rock) will present the Top Ten list, Brian Williams (MSNBC), and Steven Wright whose latest DVD is When the Leaves Blow Away. I'll most certainly be watching this one. I have to see if Sanjaya can get the words right when they're on a cue card and I've been a Steven Wright fan for a few decades... or so.
• Tuesday, April 24: Ex-Frasier co-star David Hyde Pierce who's currently starring in Broadway's Curtains, and Corinne Bailey Rae (CD is Live in London & New York.)
• Wednesday, April 25: Nicholas Cage promoting Next, Barry Sonnenfeld (Notes From the Underbelly - which I really have to check out, but haven't done so yet), musical group The Fratellis whose latest CD is Costello Music.
• Thursday, April 26: Oh, this one may be the winner of the week for me -- Steve Martin, David Cota & AJ the Parakeet, and a performance by Tony Trischka, Steve Martin & Bela Fleck (CD is Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular). Of course, I'm in it for the parakeet. Heh. No, I'm a big Steve Martin fan and love the banjo-playing. But, then again, maybe the parakeet will dance to the music! After all, the parakeet can golf... so I'm sure he can dance.
• Friday, April 27: Frank Caliendo as George W. Bush (which I'd prefer to watch than George W. Bush as George W. Bush), Andy Dick whose CD is Do Your Shows Always Suck? (Yes, they do, Andy. It's you, it's not me.) Jarvis Cocker whose CD is Jarvis is the musical guest.

It looks like a good week of late night entertainment and a good bit of silliness, as well. After all, there can never be too much silliness in the world today

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, April 21, 2007

Although the TV has been good, this is one week that will be good to put behind us. Flooding still affects many of my friends and co-workers with some still not able to return to their homes. The horrible tragedy at Virginia Tech reminds us of what horrors can happen in today's world. Even though I focus on escape -- television shows -- it's a real world in which I live... and sometimes not such a pretty one.

Ah, but there was a monumental moment in television this week -- Sanjaya's off of American Idol! Here are today's TV Newsy Bits:

• What? Sanjaya Malakar's gone, right? He's more present than ever at the moment. On Monday night he's slated to deliver the Top Ten List on The Late Show with David Letterman. And, he's given us all "something to talk about" as the articles and interviews pile up.
• Sunday night at 10 PM ET/PT we'll see the only one-hour long season finale of the rather lackluster The Apprentice: L.A. -- if I were a betting woman, my money would be on James. But the Final Four aren't that impressive at all to me.
• On Monday night, Heroes returns! Woohoo!
• The most recent Survivor castoff, Edgardo, went the interview route. His The Early Show appearance is transcribed by Reality News Online. RNO also has an interview with Edgardo online. Huh... we're not seeing the booted stand in the Hello Deli this season. What's up with that?

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - Ep. 10 -or- "Dreamz Plays Both Teams... Not Very Well"

I've come to the conclusion that they should all band together to vote out Dreamz next. He plays both sides which, if done well and with sneakiness, works. But when no one trusts you, you're the lone wolf. And you're a dangerous wild card often a step out of step in the game.

Nine are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

The show opened on Night 24 at the Bula Bula camp. Mookie's mad about the vote. He thinks that Dreamz gave the power right back to Alex. Dreamz rationale for voting for Michelle last week, given to us in a confessional segment, still makes no sense. "I voted for her because she said she didn't know me. If she hadn't said that, she'd still be here." Um... okay.

Making it obvious that there is no real trust, Alex told Mookie that a different member of the Four Horsemen (Alex, Mookie, Edgardo, Dreamz) should hold the found hidden Idol each day. Well, he may have left Dreamz out of that equation. He did. I guess it's the Three Horseman and the Guy They Don't Trust.

In a confessional, Earl told us he was upset about Michelle being voted out. It "flipped the script" for him. He likened it to a chess game when you're down a few important pieces and have to rethink your strategy. The man is playing a thinking man's game. He doesn't think he can trust Dreamz, but thinks they may need him.

The Rewards Challenge was the Big Reveal one for the season. The castaways had to answer questions about their fellow tribemates in private, then guess the answers of the majority. Those who were right then got a chance to smash a tower of another tribemate. Each person had three towers. So, tribemates got to find out what others think of them, plus who wants whom out of the game. In the end, it was Stacy taking the personal blow, but she reacted better than a few in the past.

Here are the questions and majority answers:
1. Who do you trust with your life? Earl
2. Who is least likely to be invited to a family dinner? Boo
3. Who has the largest sense of entitlement? Alex
4. Who would you want to be stranded on a desert island with? Yau-Man
5. Who don't you want to see after the show ends? Stacy
6. Who smells the worst? Dreamz
7. Who mistakenly thinks he/she controls the game? Alex
8. Who wasted the greatest opportunity? Stacy
9. Who has shown the most athletic surprise? Yau-Man

Stacy was the first one knocked out with Boo, Cassandra, and Yau-Man taking her down immediately. The rest of the tower-smashing went along alliance lines or revenge until only Cassandra remained. She won Reward and sent Mookie off to Exile Island.

Reward was a luxury yacht trip with food and beverages. She got to choose three other to go with her. She first chose Dreamz, then Boo. She told us she chose them to work on them for the alliance. She chose Yau-Man last because she thought he deserved it.

Over on Exile Island, Mookie was steaming. He's mad at Cassandra and makes a personal vow to get her voted out, then her alliance one by one. He thinks Earl has the hidden Idol from their camp. But on the yacht, Cassandra and Yau-Man are doing their best to brainwash Boo and Dreamz. It looks like Boo's better for them than Dreamz. Neither Cassandra or Yau-Man feel they can trust Dreamz. They're both good people-readers. Heck, I don't know if Dreamz can even trust himself!

Then it all goes awry. Dreamz told Alex he's in danger as per what he's heard. Earl just happens upon them catching Dreamz spilling beans. Cassandra and Earl confront Dreamz away from Alex. Dreamz played the same "you don't trust me" card he played with the Four Horseman alliance. No, Dreamz. No one trusts you because you're playing both sides and proving you can't be trusted!

Then he did it. Dreamz betrayed the Four Horsemen to Cassandra and Earl. He told them Mookie had the hidden Idol from their camp. What is this guy thinking? Yau-Man told us in confessional that everything will now have to be rethinked.

No time for thinking when there's an Immunity Challenge to be endured! Yes, it was endurance this time around. It's the first individual Immunity Challenge of the season. The castaways had to stand in a frame using only their arms and feet.

The hitch was that each half-hour, they'd take a step down. The foot-holds grew increasingly smaller with each step down with the lowest being less than a quarter-inch wide. Cassandra fell almost right out of the competition. Edgardo gone, Earl out, Mookie, Alex, Dreamz... leaving it contest between Yau-Man, Boo, and Stacy.

I personally think that this challenge was actually better for those who weighed the least and may have the smallest feet. And, I'm sure those two would be Yau-Man and Stacy. Boo had to be hanging in with sheer determination.

In the end, Yau-Man won and looked like he could last another hour or two.

Day 27 at the camp found Dreamz doing more double-dogging backstabbing on both sides. Mookie is still determined to get rid of Cassandra and thinks Earl has the Idol. Yau-Man talked to Stacy and won her over. He told her she wouldn't be alone voting for Alex, but please don't vote for Earl. Stacy, thinking smarter than Dreamz, thinks she'd do better with the Cassandra, Earl, Boo, and Yau-Man alliance and decides she'll vote out Alex.

Dreamz went to Mookie and told him that he thought Earl and company knew he had the idol and they were planning to vote out Alex. So, Alex convinced Mookie to give him the Idol so he could save himself with it although Mookie was reluctant to give it up.

Then Dreamz saw Mookie pass Alex the Idol and ran to Earl and company to tell them. So, they switched their plan. Without telling Dreamz (because he can't be trusted!), they decided they would all vote for Edgardo and get him out by surprise. It was actually Stacy's suggestion. It looks like she is going to be valuable to her new alliance. She thinks.

At the Tribal Council, that's pretty much how it all went down. After the votes were cast, but before they were read, Alex used the Idol to save himself. So any votes for him wouldn't count. But there were no votes for him. Alex, Edgardo, and Mookie voted for Cassandra. Dreamz was a whack-vote again -- he voted Mookie. (I just can't get his thought process or lack thereof.) The other five all voted for Edgardo.

"Edgardo, the tribe has spoken."

Well, I'm glad that a hidden Immunity Idol has finally been used. And, I like the thinking game of the Earl, Yau-Man, Cassandra, Stacy alliance. Yeah, I know Boo's in there, but I see him as more of a follower. It's too bad that Edgardo paid the ultimate game sacrifice when the target was originally Alex or Mookie, but it was a good move. Another interesting development is that the Idol will be re-hidden and new clues will be set.

Your thoughts?

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update - 4/19 - Voted Out

Twisty and turny and a mis-used Idol... Edgardo is voted out.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.