'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update - May 3 - Reward, Exile

Boo won Reward. As runners-up, Dreamz and Yau-Man will accompany him on a helicopter trip, then raft ride down the Amazon. Boo also received a mysterious package which could be an advantage at the next Immunity Challenge.

Boo chose to send Earl to Exile Island.

Tonight's 'Survivor' Blogging - 5/03/07

I'll be posting important events as they occur in East Coast Update entries - Reward, Exile, Immunity and the boot.

Late tonight, I'll be posting a full review/recap. Please stop back!

'Lost' - "The Brig"

Yes, Lost remains back! Tonight's episode was creepy, mysterious, violent, mind-boggling and more. Although the writers have often said that there is no Heaven, Hell, Purgatory reasoning behind the island, they seem to want viewers to think Purgatory (or Limbo) could be a possibility.

Huh. The writers must have studied Ben's mind games, eh? They seem to want to play them with us. It certainly looks like John Locke is coming along in the mind games case study.

The episode was Locke-centric, but the flashback sequences only dated back to when Locke discovered his father (from the "magic box") and the Others subsequently deserted the Barracks.

The Flashbacks
Ben and Locke are in the room where Locke's father ("Cooper") is secured to a chair. Ben told Locke that he brought him here. He as in John Locke, that is. He also warned him not to get too close. Kind of Hannibal Lechter, Cooper bit John as he tried to untie his gag. Cooper said, "Don't you know where we are?"

But then Ben took Locke away from Cooper, saying that they're leaving. They're going to a "new place, an old place actually." Locke is invited and given the chance to say goodbye to the captive Kate.

3 Days Ago - The Others, including Locke are set up in tents. Ben was listening to the tape from Juliet as Locke enters his tent. He let Locke listen and told him they would take the pregnant women, but no one would get hurt.

Ah, Ben can walk with the aid of a walking stick. He told Locke that he thinks he (Locke) cured him. Then he told him that he's "not ready." Ben claimed that Locke is still crippled by the memories of his father. That's why Locke "brought" Cooper to the island. The magic box is just a metaphor. Ben told Locke that he must make a commitment, a gesture of free will... he must kill his father.

Ben set up a grand display for the Others. "It's time," he told Locke. Cooper was tied to a tree and all were invited to watch Locke kill him. But, Locke just couldn't do it. Ben called him a sad pathetic man, then told the gathered crowd, "He's not who we thought he was."

Locke was crushed, disappointed in himself.

2 Days Ago - Locke sat on a hill overlooking the camp. He took the bandage off of his hand only to find his recent Cooper-bite wound was completely healed.

He was approached by an Other, Richard. Now, I think this was all set up by Ben, but here's what happened... Richard told Locke that Ben had known that he couldn't kill his father and was just determined to embarrass him.

But, if he could now walk after his broken spine and consequent paralysis, he was indeed very special. Richard said Ben was playing with novelties like the pregnancy issues when there are more important happenings, real cases. However, his father must die. Richard handed Locke Sawyer's file and suggests "someone else" kill Cooper, then all would be fine.

Then Ben and the Others packed up the camp. Ben told Locke that they were leaving and he wouldn't be going with them. "Is this to put me in my place? I'm not special enough? Everyone makes mistakes," Locke protested. Ben told him that they would leave a clear trail for him, but he wasn't welcome unless he was carrying his father's dead body.

On the Island
Kate and Sawyer are still shacking up (surprised?). Sawyer packed a gun (why?) to go water some bushes when he happened upon Hurley and Jin. They were obviously spooked by his presence, but I guess nature's call was stronger.

As Sawyer did his thing, Locke came out of the bushes at him. Of course, they all know that Locke had defected. But Locke gave Sawyer a cockamamie story about how he didn't join the Others... he infiltrated them. For a con man, Sawyer, though leery of Locke's story, Sawyer's not too bright. He believed him to a point when Locke claimed to have kidnapped Ben.

Locke told Sawyer he wanted him to kill Ben, but Sawyer said that he would bring him back to the camp instead. He also told Sawyer about the contents of his file -- the fact he killed a man in Sydney, he was a con man, his father killed his mother then himself. Eep. Locke told Sawyer that when he hears what Ben has to say, he'll have no trouble killing him.

They approached an old slave ship in the woods, overgrown with weeds and on land. Locke told Sawyer that Ben was in the brig. Inside the ship there were the skeletons of slaves and plenty of old dynamite.

Sawyer could hear muffled, muzzled human noises and headed to a door. But once inside, Locke slammed the door leaving Sawyer inside with "Ben" chained to a pole with a burlap bag on his head.

Sawyer ripped off the bag to reveal Cooper, not Ben at all. (Who couldn't see that coming?) He pummeled the door, cursing out Locke. Meanwhile, outside the door, Locke had a visitor to the ship (the Black Rock). Rousseau arrived for some dynamite. Hmm. Neither seemed all that surprised to see each other.

When Sawyer released Cooper's gag, once again Cooper hinted they were in Hell. He told Sawyer his son wasn't crippled, he was dead... as are all the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815. He told him that he (Cooper) had been hit from behind while driving in Tallahassee. As he was loaded in the ambulance, the paramedic had an odd smile, he received an IV, then all went black. He woke up on the island. But he's sure it's not an island and that he's dead, gone to Hell.

When Sawyer found out that Cooper was a con man, he asked him if he ever pulled a con in Jasper. As Cooper bragged about a $38 grand scheme, Sawyer realized that Cooper (then posing as a Mr. Sawyer - the one that Sawyer took the name over and sought revenge) was the one responsible for the death of his parents. He gave Cooper the letter he had written. Cooper laughed and ripped it up. Sawyer went into a rage and killed him, choking him with the chain which bound him to the pipe. Only then did Locke unlock the door and let him out.

"Thank you," Locke said to him. Sawyer was upset, vomiting over what he had done. Locke then told him that he could go back to camp. "He ruined your life and mine." He told Sawyer that he didn't infiltrate the Others, he was on his own journey. He advised him that Juliet was a mole and gave him the recorder she had left for Ben. "In three days, there will be a raid and they will take any pregnant women. You must warn the camp." When Sawyer asked him if he had been paralyzed, Locke told him, "Not anymore."

While all of this was going on, the rescued helicopter pilot, Naomi, was being hidden in a tent by Desmond, Hurley, and Jin. None of them trust Jack to help, but they needed someone to give medical attention to her.

Hurley approached Sayid who was digging (what?) and brought him into their confidence. Sayid questioned Naomi who told him about the plane crash of Flight 815 off the coast of Bali. All of the bodies of the passengers were recovered. She told him that she was hired to find Desmond, not the flight victims. She was hired by Penny, Desmond's wealthy woman. She also claimed the helicopter took off from a freighter 80 miles away. But her radio to contact the freighter was broken. Sayid seems convinced that Naomi's lying. No one actually saw the helicopter, did they? Nope.

Hurley and Sayid were trying to fix the radio when Kate happened upon them. They told her about Naomi, but told her not to tell anyone.

So, what does she do? She runs off to tell Jack about Naomi. Jack was with Juliet and was adamant that anything to be said to him could be said in front of her. Kate hesitated, then spilled the beans. Argh!

What happened next was odd. Juliet told Jack that "he should tell them." Tell them what, I asked my TV set? "We should tell her," Juliet said once again.

"No, not yet," replied Jack.

LOST [thunk]

Tell her what? I want to know!

All in all, a very intriguing episode, don't you think?

'American Idol 6' - May 2 Results Show - East Coast Update

The show is starting here, Ryan is clean-shaven. I'll be updating this blog entry with events as the show airs East Coast time. Please use the American Idol label/category on this entry or the sidebar to return here.

Ryan's talking to the judges now about last night. Robin Thicke and Bon Jovi will both be on the show. Ryan and Simon have already quibbled.

Reuben Studdard is promoting the Idol Aid cause, but not singing. He's shed some weight from what little we could see.

Now they're recapping last week's Idol Gives Back special. No results yet, no Bon Jovi performance yet. Ryan was right when he said they're "stretching" this show to an hour.

Robin Thicke is performing now. I guess he's popular, but I'm just not feelin' it, dawg. Falsetto and a wannabe mustache.

A very toned-down Fantasia just plugged Idol Aid much the way Reuben did. We're into commercial now and supposedly the first goodbye will happen... when?

After the break.

The Idol Ford video commercial was sung to "Paint it Black." Thankfully better than Gina sang it.

RESULTS UPDATE - Melinda, Phil and LaKisha to join Ryan. Two week total over 135 million votes. Melinda is safe. LaKisha is safe. PHIL STACEY is leaving tonight. He's going "Down in a Blaze of Glory."

RESULTS UPDATE - Jordin is safe. Joining Phil in leaving will be either Blake or Chris. I hope it's Chris, but it hasn't been announced yet and we're in break. Ryan sat Jordin down quickly because he "messed with her enough last week."

Bon Jovi, the "guys from New Jersey," are performing now. They did "(You Want to) Make a Memory" and Jon's pleased with the contestants.

Taylor Hicks is pushing Idol Aid now. We're in break and, guess when the final result will be announced?

RESULTS UPDATE -- Chris Richardson is going home.

So, it's goodbye to both Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson tonight. Gee, I called that one. I had predicted Chris and either Phil or LaKisha.

Whatever Will I Watch Tonight? - Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Yikes, can you tell it's May Sweeps? So many new episodes are on that it's going to keep me recording and watching all evening!

The two shows I must watch live are the American Idol 6 Results Show (which I'll live-blog major events including who's going home in an East Coast Update entry) and Lost (which I'll take photos and notes during, but won't post a full review/recap until early tomorrow evening - dang having to work for a living).

If you're West Coast or just want to talk about the events of tonight's American Idol on the East Coast, drop back tonight after 9 PM EDT. The show will feature a live Bon Jovi performance and two contestants are going home. We can have a little wingding right here on the blog to either celebrate or commiserate over the events!

Also on the TV schedule for the evening:

• 8 PM ET/PT -- A new Jericho episode on CBS, new Thank God You're Here on NBC, new Bones on FOX, new episodes of According to Jim and Notes From the Underbelly on ABC, new America's Next Top Model on CW. I'd like to check out Notes as I get a kick out of Barry Sonnenfeld, but I don't care for According to Jim at all. I've lost touch with Jericho since its hiatus, so I'll probably watch Bones -- a show you don't have to watch weekly to understand the story. Maybe I'll tape Notes to check it out.
• 9 PM ET/PT -- A new Criminal Minds episode on CBS, new Crossing Jordan on NBC, American Idol 6 hour-long results show on FOX, last week's Lost episode ("D.O.C.") on ABC, a new One Tree Hill on CW. You know what I'll be watching (AI), but what will I record for later viewing? Criminal Minds.
• 10 PM ET/PT -- A new C.S.I.: NY episode on CBS, new Medium on NBC, and a new Lost on ABC. It's Lost for me hands-down for the live watch, C.S.I.: NY for the recording. If this is the Medium they were promoting, it boasts Jason Priestly this week.

What will you be watching and recording tonight?