Sunday, May 13, 2007

It's Prom Pants! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - May 14-18, 2007

Late Show with David Letterman Have you got your prom pants? After all, 'tis the season.

Um... if you're in school, that is. If you're not, then it's just a bit odd that you have prom pants. But, who am I to tell you how to live your life?

However, if you are in school, I see on the official show website, they're looking for interns! Gee, where was that opportunity back when I was in college? I would have loved to work with the writers! Okay, back when I was in school, Letterman was barely out of school himself, but that's beside the point. Too bad they don't allow "students of life" to take part in the internships. But, of course, they'd have to pay enough to live on. They do make it clear - "Please note once again that YOU MUST BE ENROLLED IN COLLEGE to be eligible to participate in our program." Once again, I'll note it. Hey, wait... they didn't say "currently" enrolled, did they? It's a loophole!

Here's the guest list (along with a bit of my opinion on said guests) for the show this week:
  • Monday, May 14: Mike Meyers promoting Shrek the Third and America Ferrara of Ugly Betty. Eh. All in all, it doesn't sound like a bad show, but it ain't no Jack Hanna!
  • Tuesday, May 15: Don Rickles promoting his book Rickles' Book: A Memoir and Michael Imperioli of The Sopranos. The musical guest is Wilco (latest CD is Sky Blue Sky). Masi Oka (Hiro from Heroes) will do the Top Ten List. Well, Masi Oka is a must for me to watch, but I'm not so keen on Rickles. I find him a bit mean-spirited and way out of step with today's world.
  • Wednesday, May 16: Ricky Gervais, Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Mavis Staples (CD is We'll Never Turn Back) and the Top Ten List with Bob Barker. It's Bob Barker's 50th TV Anniversary this week. Has television been around that long? Heh.
  • Thursday, May 17: Kid Scientists, Luke Wilson promoting The Wendell Baker Story, Rufus Wainwright (CD is Release the Stars) and a Top Ten List with Homer Simpson. Now, this sounds fun. I always get a kick out of the kids and the way Dave interacts with them. He's a nut! I wonder if I stand out in the street on 53rd, perhaps I can watch Homer Simpson arrive? Maybe get his autograph?
  • Friday, May 18: Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), Jonah Hill (Knocked Up - although I don't think he himself is in that state) and musical guest Elvis Costello promoting not one, but two CDs - The Best of Elvis Costello: The First Ten Years and Rock and Roll Music. Elvis Costello usually puts on a good show. I love the new Lexus commercials featuring him. Beethoven's music has the same effect on him as it does on me. Alas, I don't listen to Beethoven in my Lexus, though.

So, there's your week of Pants!

Saturday, May 12, 2007

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, May 12, 2007

Jackie's TV Newsy Bits It's Saturday, the day before the Survivor 14: Fiji finale and reunion show! That will start at 8 PM EDT with the reunion show starting at 10 PM EDT.

Due to the length of the finale and the hour that everything wraps up (plus the fact I have to get up early for work on Monday morning), I'm thinking of doing a live-blogging report as the show airs here. Chances are I won't have time to snag, crop, and get images in the entry, but it would be up at a reasonable hour. Heck, live on East Coast time.

I still have a day to decide, eh?

In other TV Newsy Bits:

  • The most recent episode of Lost has fans buzzing about Jacob. In the scene at Jacob's abode, things went so quickly that it was hard to see if Jacob exists or not. But, the Lost Easter Eggs blog has some of the frames of Jacob.
  • Reality News Online has both a transcript of Stacy (recent Survivor boot) on The Early Show and an interview of their very own with her. In the interview, she gives us a different look at Alex, but really seems to admire Yau-Man. She said she doesn't think she deliberately tipped him off to use the Idol.
  • Reality TV World has an interview with LaKisha Jones, ousted this week on American Idol. She claims she knew on Tuesday that she would be voted off because she lost her voice. Now, I was a supporter of hers early on, but I think it was her time lost voice or not. I don't think she'll ever have to be a bank teller again and has a lot of doors open now.
  • Whoa! Spoilers are out and about regarding The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman. Check them out here and here, but only if you really want the spoilers. Eep. Someone has a big mouth!
  • In more Lost news, there will be a special next Thursday, May 17. "Lost: The Answers" will be hosted by the executive directors of the series and will explain some of the... well, the answers! Celebrity Spider has the skinny on it.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - Ep. 13 -or- "Go, Yau, go, Yau!"

Here's your big excitement in the reality television genre. Yup, right here with Survivor! The alliance of six is at the point where they have to start picking off their own to outwit, outplay, and outlast.

Six are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

The show opened (after the inevitable recap of last week's events) on Day 34 at the Bula Bula camp.

Boo thinks he's going to be a target, rightfully thought. So, he's setting up an eavesdropping spot by the water well. Perfect! He can hide in there and see if anyone's talking about voting him out.

Well, it's too bad that while he was setting up his hiding spot, the other castaways were all back at camp talking about... you got it... voting Boo out next. They know he's strong in challenges and he's a bit of a wild card, too.

Tree mail came with hints of the Reward Challenge and the tribe automatically knew it was the yearly car prize. Of course, with the car prize comes the Survivor car winner curse -- in the history of the show, the winner of the car has never won the million dollar prize at the end. Dreamz went on and on about how much he wanted the car. He doesn't have one and he believes it would truly change his life.
Cargo Net Crawl in Reward Challenge
It turned out that the prize wasn't a car, per se. It was a 2008 Ford truck. The tribe was split into two teams of three and tied together. Then they had to go over a series of see-saws, climb a cargo net crawl doohickey, find their buried hatchet and cut their rope. The winning three would take part in delivering needed school supplies to a local school, using the new truck of course. The winning three then had to compete against each other for the truck win.

The teams were Orange - Yau-Man, Boo, Stacy and Green - Dreamz, Earl, Cassandra. Yau-Man held his team back as he kept falling on the see-saw. Balance while walking just isn't his thing, I guess. But his team made up time in the cargo net crawl, then dug up their hatchet first. So, Orange won the first round for taking the supplies to the school.

In the second round, a hatchet toss, the first round winners had to throw a hatchet at a target. The first one to cut through the two ropes on the target won the car. And, it was Yau-Man!
Yau-Man Chan
In a surprise move, he decided to make a public deal with Dreamz. Dreamz wanted that truck so bad and Yau-Man, thinking on his feet better than he can balance on them, offered to give Dreamz the truck.

The hitch was that if they made it to the final four, Dreamz would have to give him Immunity if he won it. Dreamz jumped on the chance for the truck without even thinking it through. Had he thought it through, I think he probably would have taken the truck and his chances anyway. He wants that truck!

Then, continuing the surprises, Yau-Man sent himself to Exile Island. Later, on the island, he gave his reasons behind that to us. He thought Earl had been sent there too much and Cassandra wouldn't be able to handle it. He also explained to us that while a bit of giving the truck to Dreamz was because he thought it was a good deed, it was more strategy. He also mentioned his trust in Earl again and planned to share the latest clue with him. The clue indicated pine tree this time.

The reward shared by Boo, Stacy, and Dreamz seemed to really touch them. The children needed the supplies. The teachers even got a fully-loaded mobile office. It was one of those heart-warming do-good warm fuzzies all around rewards.

It took him a while, but Dreamz realized he was tricked by Yau-Man. He still thinks it was great for him to give him the car and he gave his word he'd give him the Immunity at that point if he won it. How to get out of it? Get Yau-Man out before that point. That way, he'd keep his word and the truck that went with it.

Earl poked around looking for the Idol based on the clues he and Boo got during their Exile Island stays. Dreamz worked on trying to get Cassandra to understand Yau-Man has to go first, then Boo. Cassandra is more worried about Boo.

At the Immunity Challenge, we got to see something different once again. Yay for no puzzles each and every week! It's Rounds which seems to be the keyword as of late. This was another challenge with rounds. In the first round, the castaways had to stand on a platform where there was a ball on a rope. They had to throw the ball into a hoop to bring down a balance beam. The next round had them on a perch using a grappling hook to get a buoy.

Dreamz, Yau-Man, Earl, and Boo made it through the first round. The final round was between Yau-Man and Boo. Boo, knowing he pretty much has to win Immunity to stay in the game, gave it his all and won Immunity.
Earl Finds the Hidden Idol
Boo noticed that his win seemed to stir up the others and he thought they'd have to go to Plan B. Earl and Yau-Man didn't have time to think about Plan B. They had an Idol to find. Yau-Man stayed at the camp while Earl searched. Sure enough, Earl found it in a pine tree!

The scheming went on in camp with Dreamz trying to get everyone to vote Yau-Man while Earl and Yau-Man thought Stacy was the target. Stacy, without a doubt, bought the plan easily. She knew she would be the target as they couldn't vote for Boo to go.

Cassandra was a harder sell. She tried to think the situation through. If it backfired, she would make enemies of both Earl and Yau-Man. Was it a chance she was willing to take?

Yau-Man, smart dude that he is, was getting bad vibes. He told Earl, but Earl didn't think anything was going on. After all, he had talked to Dreamz, Cassandra and Boo. The plan was for a Stacy vote. No need to worry, right?

Then came Tribal Council. As Jeff asked questions, Loose Lips Sink Ships and Stacys, Stacy said she thought it would be a split vote and the game would get harder. Both Yau-Man and Earl jumped a bit to hear that.
Bye-bye Stacy
After Jeff tallied the votes, but before he read them, he once again said that if someone had the hidden Idol and wanted to use it, now was the time. Although it may have been editing, it seemed like forever before Yau-Man pulled out the Idol to save himself.

Sure enough, Yau-Man and Earl were the only ones to vote for Stacy. Everyone else voted for Yau-Man thinking he'd be confident that he was safe and not use the Idol. Had Stacy not mentioned the split vote, he wouldn't have used it. Stacy sent herself home.

The finale and reunion should be really interesting Sunday, huh?

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - May 10 - East Coast Update - Voted Out

Yau-Man saved his butt with the hidden Immunity Idol and Stacy was voted out.

Stop back later for a full review/recap!

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - May 10 - East Coast Update - Immunity

Boo won Immunity.