First, I'd like to thank graphic artist Zoetawny for the Thanksgiving-themed graphic! Another will be coming up later tonight!
I want to thank all the readers who visit, comment, and created a community around this blog. I know I've gone through some changes this year with the paid writing job, but I'm so thankful that the readers keep coming here. Y'all rock, y'know!
I hope everyone is spending the holiday with loved ones and fine food. I guess you can even watch football -- I know I won't be watching any games. I won't be going into the city for the parade, but it's a great day here to do so.
A bit later today, an "I'm thankful for" post will be put up over on TV Squad. I wrote it sometime back, but it should go up around 10 AM today if memory serves. Since it's TV Squad, it's about what I'm thankful for regarding television. You'll recognize the image -- I edited out the meat market and left just the inflatable turkey from the photo I posted here a while ago. The posts from all the bloggers there have been going on since Monday. Several used my turkey, so I guess it came out well. I am thankful that TVS gave me my first professional blogging job and the folks at AOL TV supported getting me aboard. Now I'm still working on making it a career! ;-)
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
The weather here has been cold, wet, gloomy, rainy and even a bit snowy. I haven't seen Roofus the cat since Saturday, but the roof isn't a good place during this kind of weather. I'm sure he's taken refuge, most likely in that condemned building. This photo is the side of an old warehouse or factory. I guess it's Lugo's parking spot, but I call it the Lugo building.
Here are today's TV Newsy Bits:
- Frank TV, the new late night show on TBS makes its debut tonight at 11 PM ET/PT in most viewing areas. Frank is impressionist Frank Caliendo and he's definitely got the "skillz." I watched my screener and was pleasantly surprised at how many impressions he can actually do. His George W. Bush is just about perfect. With the late night shows in repeats due to the writers strike, it's the perfect time to give this show a shot -- every Tuesday at 11, be there or be square.
- I want to thank commenter Joy for her excellent recap of The Bachelor for other blog readers (in the discussion post for the show). And, yes ... that's how I do it. I sit and take notes.
- Donald Trump's new Celebrity Apprentice will premiere on January 3rd. The last season was so unpopular, I guess he had to turn to a list of Z list celebs. I don't know many of these people -- Omarosa (made famous for being on The Apprentice, say what?), Marilu Henner (okay, I remember her from Taxi with Tony Danza a few decades ago), Carol Alt, softball player Jennie Finch, Piers Morgan (judge from America's Got Talent), Gene Simmons from Kiss, Vincent Pastore (Sopranos), Stephen Baldwin, Nely Galan (ex-president of Telemundo television network), Trace Adkins (country music star), Nadia Comaneci (Olympics star), Tiffany Fallon (Playboy's Playmate of the Year), boxer Lennox Louis, and ultimate fighting champion Tito Ortiz. Um. Okay.
- I wrote a TV Squad feature on my seven favorite cop shows. If you click on my name from there, it brings up all the entries I've made. I've been doing some real exciting ones such as CBS news staffers authorize a strike in addition to reviews and features.
Today's music non-sequitur:
Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and his fate is still unlearned. He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston. He's the man who never returned.
-- M.T.A. - as sung by The Kingston Trio
Well. Now, this was an episode, wasn't it? Oh, not that I understood exactly everything which went down tonight, but ... wow. Without further ado, here's the skinny as I know it:
The Bennets in CA
HRG decided they have to move, run, hide ... whatever. Claire has decided that he's a liar because he abducted West. She told him she hates him. She 
refused to leave with the family until Mom Bennet (Butler) stepped in.
Claire tried to apologize to West by writing SORRY with rocks on the ground below his regular flight route. He met her there, but isn't sure whether she lied to him and was in on some sinister plot to get him or what. "Spy girl, the jig is up." (Maybe the writers shouldn't return with lines like that!)
Meanwhile, at home HRG told his wife that he did indeed abduct West at the age of 12 -- to save the world, of course. He realized that West is probably the only one who can find Claire. So he puts in a call to Mohinder Suresh to use Molly to find him, then goes out the door ... only to be swooped up by a flying West.
Upon landing, they wrestle. HRG admits to West that Claire knew nothing and since she lied to him about West, she obviously cared for him (West). HRG decided he'd force West to tell Claire to leave with them for her own safety.
Then his cell phone rang ...
Mohinder, Elle, and Bob to CA
Bob convinced Mohinder (where is his mind) Suresh that they needed Claire's blood to save Nikki ... and that they had to take HRG out. Uh-oh. Mohinder was reluctant, but Bob gave him a new hitwoman partner -- Elle, his daughter. Like with Peter, Elle was all over Mohinder. "He's adorable, can I keep him?" Blech. Mohinder demanded they try it his way first with no violence.
Oh, back to the phone ringing ... it was Mohinder calling supposedly from NYC saying Molly located West. Now, HRG was with West, so he knew something was up.
As this was happening, Bob was at the school posing as a school board official. He interviewed Claire about the drunken cheerleader, then kidnapped her.
Oh, but the tables were turned once again! HRG teamed up with West. It turns out HRG and Elle know each other well. While HRG was talking to Mohinder accusing him of "going native" and being indoctrinated by the Company, Elle started towards him. Wham! West flew smack into her, then HRG shot her in the arm and took her captive.
Daughter for daughter trade was on. First, Bob took some of Claire's blood. I'll finish the rest of that story at the end. Let's go to ...
Matt Parkman, Molly, Mrs. Petrelli in NYC
Matt has discovered how to use his powers to read minds to actually instill thoughts in them. First he experimented with Molly -- making her eat her cereal. Then he did it with his sergeant -- giving him another talk with Angela Petrelli.
Then he used it on Mrs. Angela Petrelli herself despite her knowing about the power and trying to resist. Matt wanted to know who killed Kaito Nakamura -- she told him it was Adam. She said he did it for revenge for being held for thirty years. She also said that as the power to regenerate and heal is used, the aging process stops. Adam is 400 years old.
Matt also wanted to know who the woman in the group photo was, but she refused to tell him. Her nose started to bleed and she said she had to keep that one secret because she had promised her. "If you force me, you're not like your father. You ARE your father." The post it note he had on the photo read Victoria Pratt for her name.
Hiro, Ando, and Kaito Nakamura
Hiro cannot accept his father's death. Ando told him he can't change it. So Hiro teleports himself to the roof of the DeVeaux Building just before it happened. He teleported himself and his father 17 years back to his mother's funeral, meeting up once again with his younger self.
His father, Lt. Sulu, er ... Kaito, is proud of him. But when Hiro told him that he was going to die, his father said it couldn't be changed. Hiro, after sentimental funeral for Mom stuff, teleports them both back to NYC.
Once back on the roof, he witnessed the discussion between Kaito and Mrs. Petrelli, then as the hoodie-wearing killer attacked, Hiro stopped time. He told a frozen in place Ando that he couldn't change the future, but he can see who killed his father. He lifted the hoodie ... Takezo Kensei, AKA Adam. "I never thought it would be you."
Then there was a rather extended bit about him refusing to say eulogy at his father's funeral as when he followed his lessons he still lived, yada-yada-yada. (Yes, I stole those yadas.)
Back to CA and the HRG vs. Bob showdown
Bob released Claire and HRG released Elle. West had been told to immediately fly Claire out of danger. He did, but Elle nailed them with an electric bolt, knocking them out of the sky. West landed atop Claire, thus saving his life.
HRG turned to Bob, aiming his gun. "If you die, the Company dies." But before he could shoot (he hesitated a really long time for an ex-Company dude), Mohinder shot him in the eye just like in the Isaac Mendez prophetic painting. Oh, no! I was liking HRG!
But, he's not dead even though Claire thinks he is -- West flew her away and stayed as she broke the news to her mother.
Bob took HRG. He gave him a transfusion with Claire's blood and the eye bullet hole healed before his very eyes. He was on a bed in a cell-room at the Company, it appeared.
He woke up startled. Then he declared, "I'm home!"
Wow.
Mohinder has got to go. He's whacked as of late. Maybe Elle will accidentally electrocute him.
There were no Wonder Twins this chapter. Good.
It's past 8 PM, do you know where your TAR is? What? Delayed by football once again?
Argh.
Graphic arteest Zoetawny made this TAR street for me. I feel like I'm gonna snagged by the cops for driving over the double yellow line. In CT, that offense is "failure to drive right." I always thought it could just be called "driving wrong." Thanks for the graphic, Zoetawny!
In other TAR news, I wrote a TV Squad entry about my hypothetical "if I were to do it" application for the next season.
Once the show starts here in the NYC area, this entry will be updated with the major happenings as they air. All comments are welcome -- I love to read your thoughts about the show.
UPDATE 8:20 PM ET -- The show has started, yay.
They're on the way to Ouagadougou. Yes, they are.
Once in Bingo, the roadblock is milking camels, then leading four camels to the next clue. Priceless!
Detour wasn't exciting, but was cool anyway. They could teach or learn ten words either to students (teach) or in the native language (learn). Phil said MAY be eliminated, so we'll see if the non-elims exist.
Pit Stop order:
1. Azaria and Hendekea - won a trip to Bermuda
Abunch of teams arrived almost at once. I have to review my tape, but I think this was the order...
2. TK/Rachel
3. Nathan/Jennifer
4. Kynt/Vixsyn
5. Ron and Christina
Then ...
6. Donald and Nicholas
7. Shana and Jennifer
8. Lorena and Jason
9. Marianna and Julia -- eliminated.
My full review of the show is over on TV Squad.
Some tree fungi in the autumn afternoon sun. No, it wasn't me who took that bite out. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is coming up on us later this week. They're talking a wintry mix of wet snow and rain for tonight. As long as my home is warm, I'm okay with it. My knee isn't thrilled, but what can you do?
Here are today's TV Newsy Bits:
- This first one isn't really a TV newsy bit, although the restaurant has been featured on TV news shows for its $25,000 (yes, you read that right) dessert sprinkled with gold dust -- Serendipity 3 in Manhattan has been closed down by the health department for one live mouse, a dead mouse, mouse droppings, and over 100 live cockroaches. No, I have never been there. I love chocolate and desserts, but don't want to take out a mortgage to have them.
- Tyler Perry's House of Payne returns with new episodes on TBS December 5.
- RealityWanted.net has an interview with Frosti, the latest castaway booted on Survivor 15: China. While he mentions getting by the age restriction, he doesn't mention how he did it. I still wonder why a 20-year-old got on when the rules are 21. I guess we'll never know.
- In that article, there's a link to Frosti's MySpace page. Hmmm... he saves the world? From that page, you can pages of find other Survivor castaways including Jean-Robert. Well, you might not want Jean-Robert's page, I guess.
- Oh, no! Save the dolphins, arrest a cheerleader! Actress Hayden Panettiere, Claire on Heroes, has an arrest warrant out for her issued by police in Japan. Why? Her efforts to save the dolphins.
- American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee is now engaged. Maybe that's why she hasn't been so noticeable on the airwaves as of late.
Today's music non-sequitur:
Goodnight moonlight ladies,
Rockabye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are
The colors I choose
Won't you let me go down
In my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby James.
-- "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor
