Monday, January 21, 2008

And We Have a Winner!

Yes! We have a winner!

Blog reader Jennasmom (who was out of town) has won a signed copy of Becky Anderson's novel IN STEREO WHERE AVAILABLE.

I should be finished reading my own copy tonight and get a review posted about the book later this week. If you're looking for a novel which ties in reality show doings and romance, too -- check it out! After all, it was written by an author who's as addicted to reality television shows as much as we are here.

The correct answers are:

1. Who was the first person ever booted on Survivor?
Sonja Christopher

2. RealNetworks has provided the live feeds for Big Brother since the second season. What company supplied the live feeds for the first season?
AOL

3. Which American Idol past contestant is slated to start a run in Broadway's Monty Python's Spamalot beginning January 18th?
Clay Aiken

4. What Amazing Race 5 contestant yelled that his ox was broken, thus giving the title for My OX IS BROKEN, the book?
Colin Guinn (although just Colin was acceptable, even "that jerk Colin" sufficed in one entry)

5. What is the name and real-life occupation of the Survivor contestant who, during the first season of the show, voted others off in alphabetical order?
Sean Kenniff - Neurologist (although doctor, etc. was fine)

Thank you all for entering!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

'The Amazing Race 12' - Season Finale East Coast Updates

Jackie's TV Blog, Amazing Race, TAR

This is it -- the season finale. I think this might be a first for me not really having a team I desperately want to lose in the final three.

As the show airs here in the NYC area, I'll update this post with hugely important goings-on and the final Pit Stop (Finish Line) order. A full review will be posted on TV Squad later tonight. As always, your comments are definitely welcome!

UPDATE: Ron and Chris still in lead. Donald and Nicolas made a drastic mistake and will probably have to backtrack and might blow their chance of winning. They left a bag at the 6th Avenue Outfitters with needed gear inside it.

UPDATE: Ron and Christina still ahead. Nicolas/Donald are just shy of TK/Rachel despite their error.

UPDATE: All three teams in a dead heat at the Roadblock -- one of the toughest ones I've ever seen with the racer using memory and following a set amount of items to represent each leg of the race.

UPDATE: Rachel finished the puzzle first, then Christina finished but TK/Rachel have taken over the lead right now.

TK and Rachel WIN The Amazing Race!

Ronald and Christina come in 2nd, Donald and Nicolas 3rd.

Survivor Micronesia: The Trailer

I was looking for something else on YouTube and came across this. I just had to share.


TV Newsy Bits and Bloggy Bits, Too - Sunday, January 20, 2008

Again, I used layers to show the construction dude in color while the rest in black and white. I took the shot in a subway station (NYC) if it isn't obvious. Clicking on the photo will bring up a larger image.

In Bloggy Newsy Bits -- I'm still awaiting an email from the winner of IN STEREO WHERE AVAILABLE signed by the author. I sent out a second email and if I don't hear back within the week, I'll draw another name. I'm just about finished reading my own copy of the novel and should be posting on it by the end of the week.

In TV Newsy Bits --
  • I'll be putting up an East Coast Update post for the finale of The Amazing Race when it starts here in the NYC area. I know CBS in this area isn't showing the BIG game (NY Giants against Green Bay Packers), but I just turned on the station and they're talking football instead of the news which should be on. Hopefully TAR will start on time.
  • Oh, wait. I guess they're talking another big game -- Patriots win. But if you're in this area, the only game hyped forever has been the Giants.
  • Suzanne Pleshette has died at the age of 70. For some reason, I thought she would be so much older than that. When I was a teenager and she was Bob Newhart's wife, she seemed so adult. I didn't realize she was less than 20 years older than I am. I always enjoyed watching her on television and in movies.
Today's musical non-sequitur:
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone
-- "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day

Thursday, January 17, 2008

A Quick Take on 'The Celebrity Apprentice' - Ep. 3

Before getting into the show -- a winner has been drawn for the book giveaway. I'm waiting on email confirmation to make the announcement. Thanks to all who entered!

And then there's tonight's episode. Yikes. No, Omarosa wasn't as bad as graphic artist Zoetawny's depiction here tonight. Perhaps she had an off day, but she was human.

I don't know what to say. Gene Simmons went aboard the womens' team to act as project manager at Trump's bidding. Now, I think that so far this season, Gene's been the shining star.

Well, tonight the skies went dark with storm clouds and snuffed out the stars, shining and otherwise.

I understood the task -- Kodak wasn't wanting so much to promote themselves as a company. What they wanted to promote was their new printer and the fact that the ink for it is half what it is for other printers. I know exactly where Kodak is coming from. I've been disgusted that new printers sometimes cost very little while the ink cartridges are sky high.

Gene made a few errors. By not going to the meeting with the executives, he didn't realize how much they wanted to push the ink savings, not the company itself. So, he didn't go to the meeting, he had the concept of the promotion wrong, and then he topped it off by standing by his "creative vision" and bringing the wrong people (Omarosa and Jenny) to the boardroom when Trump was giving him Nely on a silver platter for the firing.

Oh, Gene, how could you do it?

Yes, I did think the "It's a Kodak World" slogan is perfect ... if they wanted to promote the company. Yes, the presentation looked so much better than the guys ... but he didn't think ink! ACK. (Of course, had I been the PM, I'd obviously go with a "When you think Kodak, THINK INK" slogan, but I ain't no celebrity.)

Oh, Gene. Oh, Gene. Trump did make the only choice he could as much as he annoys me. And, while it was fun watching Gene Simmons put Trump on the spot, losing Gene on the show just outright stinks.

But he did it to himself.

Sigh. Silly KISSer.