This Week's TV Briefs and Bits o' Life

Waiting to board the Hot Tamale Train on So You Think You Can Fly.

Television has been a bit stagnant for me this week. But here's a few things which made an impression on me one way or another:

• Although I was a bit irked that The Late Show with David Letterman is in repeats again this week, one show made it all worth while. Y'see, Jack Hanna is my all time favorite Letterman guest. Back on May 14, the day I was having my surgery, he was scheduled on the show. I forgot to tape it and was in no shape to watch anything that night in the hospital. Lo and behold, Monday's show was a repeat of that show! Woohoo! I found it very interesting that Jack Hanna had mentioned surgery on his knee and a blood clot. I feel akin to the guy.
• America's Got Talent - Eh, another week. Once I'm a bit more in action I'm going to have to film some of the street acts in Manhattan for uploading on YouTube.
• The First 48 - Since I don't have to rise early for work these days, I'm loving how A&E schedules the episodes late into the night for repeats after their primetime debut. I've definitely gotten myself hooked on the show and find myself watching consecutive hours almost into the dawn as long as I haven't previously seen the episodes.
• So You Think You Can Dance - Yes! About time Comfort got the boot! And, of the three guys in the bottom three it had to be Thayne's time to go. I really think if he didn't have that huge smile on his face so much I would have liked him more. But Will is easily the most talented dancer on the show and, well, Twitch is Twitch. I loved his solo, but as I have said before -- he's my sentimental favorite on the show. It'll be interesting when they switch the partners up.
  
• I'm still digging (heh) Mad About You when I find it on TV Land at all kinds of odd hours. Thankfully the baby hasn't arrived yet in any of the episodes I've caught.
• America's Greatest Dog - Cute mindless fluff of a show. I like the dogs, but some of those owners are whacked. My cat liked swatting the dogs on the TV screen.
• Hopkins - This reminds me of the ER Trauma shows on the Discovery Health channel. Hey, maybe they'll show a knee replacement!
  

In Bits o' Life

On Thursday I actually walked to the train station, accompanied by my cane of course. It's about a six block walk, perhaps a bit short of a half-mile. I stopped in at the shops I used to frequent on my work commute, saw friends I haven't seen in a while, and enjoyed the gorgeous summer day. It was in the high 80s, sunny, but no humidity at all and breezes galore.

Once at the train station I didn't see Roofus, but he might have other cat things to do. I looked for him, though.

I did all of this because I was en route to have my blood drawn (for my INR levels for the Coumadin) at LabCorp in the next town over. I've been using the county para-transit, but they were so undependable the week before that I decided to give the walk a try. It was a very pleasant time indeed. Well, except for the needle part, of course. Sigh ... I'm actually getting used to needles. That can't be a good thing.

After the blood draw I hopped the train further east one stop, getting out in Westfield where I could catch the NYC/Dunellen bus which would let me off directly across the street from my apartment. Ah, but I had time to stop in Starbucks for an icy beverage between the train and the bus! Thanks to a blog reader, I have a Starbucks card and it hit the spot.

As for my health -- the knee itself seems to be doing fine. Unfortunately, I've developed a severe pain in my calf where the blood clot is/was. According to the doctor's office, the clot won't move but it's adhered itself on the wall of the vein and the pain I'm feeling could very well happen on and off the rest of my life. Here I thought it dissolved, but it's only resolved -- a big difference. As long as my Coumadin levels are monitored and my INR is in line, I shouldn't develop any new clots. On a side note, that woman who died in the waiting room at a psychiatric hospital in the city died from blood clots. Scary stuff. But mine is under control and I just have pain and tired issues remaining at this time.

Today is the big "free" Bon Jovi concert in Central Park. No, I'm not going. But in honor of New Jersey's native son, I'm playing my Slippery When Wet CD as I write this. It's the only Bon Jovi I own.

Whoops! The bird will never catch the Hot Tamale Train on this track!

Today's musical non-sequitur:
You're a loaded gun
There's nowhere to run
No one can save me
The damage is done

Shot through the heart
and you're to blame
You give love a bad name
I play my part and you play your game
You give love a bad name.
-- "You Give Love a Bad Name" - Bon Jovi

Big Brother 10 Cast in Depth Part 3

Here it is ... my final in depth post introducing the new hamsters we'll be spending a few months ridiculing ... er, watching. I've been doing this alphabetically by first name. If you haven't checked out Part 1 and Part 2, then you're missing most of the house. ;-)

Gee, according to her bio on the CBS website, Michelle is an "East Coast firecracker." Hey, I thought I was one of those! (But then I grew up.) She's currently single and had the nerve to object at her brother's wedding. Now, I can imagine that made her very popular with her brother. Mine would disown me! I get the feeling that Portuguese culture and cooking is important to her as well as sports and running.

Her chances of winning? I just don't know. I'm not getting great vibes from the bio information. If she's the type to actually object when the priest asks if anyone objects, I think we might see fireWORKS in the house, not just a fireCRACKER.

Ollie, Ollie oxen free! (Sorry, had to do that.) Ollie is originally from Des Moines, IA. From his bio, he's the son of a Pentecostal minister and seems to have led quite the straight and decent kind of life. I'm not quite sure he understands the concept of The Brady Bunch as he refers to his family as "the black Brady Bunch." He must be going for squeaky clean rather than the idea of two families coming together as one. On the AOL picture doohickey of the cast, he says he's never had a girlfriend.

All I can think is that this guy is going to find himself a kitten fed to pit bulls. I think he's probably very likable, but he's going to be out of his league with the deception, sneakiness, nastiness and all that other fun stuff going on in the house.


Renny is our other person over 35 on the show. You know, such diversity in ages and all. @@ Her bio on the CBS website makes it sound like she's going to be quite a character. She's a New Orleans socialite into wigs, being the life of the party, hanging out in the French Quarter, and having a ball. She does Elvis, Judy Garland, and Marilyn Monroe impressions. Well, that could be interesting on the feeds.

I have a feeling I'm either going to get a kick out of her or she'll be annoying as all get out. One thing I will say -- I don't think she's going to be a Sheila. I think she might end up being a strong player.


And, finally, the last houseguest for BB10 is Steven, a gay bull rider. Somehow, that seems very appropriate -- a bull rider in the house! According to his bio, graduating from college is what he considers his major accomplishment. (Much better than being proud of leaving home to become a waitress at Hooters, methinks.)

I think I'm going to like this kid. He thinks he'll get along well with the women in the house and has plenty to discuss with the guys, too.

Big Brother 10 Cast in Depth Part 2

Continuing on from my previous cast post, here are the next four houseguests and my take on them!


I don't know. Maybe it's my "not as fit as I should be" persona screaming from within, but I think Jessie may be a turn off for me. As with my impression of Dan, I fear Jessie might want to be a controlling so-an-so. Although I have never been a bodybuilder, it's far easier to be in shape when you're 22. This kid is wet behind his ears -- I hope he's not pushy about the health regime.

Alas, his bio on the CBS site makes it sound like he might be a health guru know-it-all. Uh-oh. Hopefully he just wants to be inspirational. I guess. He does like Hamburger Helper so he might not be a total bodybuilding nut. I'm still a bit concerned that he seems to be so impressed with how much he helps others. Heck, I'd rather see someone who's been to the other side be inspirational rather than some kid who's lifted weights a lot. Geez, Richard Simmons comes to mind. Love him or hate him, he's a fat man gone in shape. What was this kid before bodybuilding? A high school student?

Onto the Daniele Donato doppelganger ... Keesha. Blond, annoying voice, Hooters waitress. According to her bio, she doesn't eat red meat and is a PETA enthusiast. She has all of her career ideals thrown into her Hooters. Ah. but I'm sure if this "blond bombshell" can get her foot in the door to Hollywood, she'd give up those Hooters dreams in a moment.

Her proudest accomplishment is leaving home, moving to California, and making her way with her Hooters job. Yep, that's a truly worthy accomplishment as you face your thirties. @@

According to her bio, Libra isn't a Libra. She was born August 6. What she seems to be is a very politically active Obama supporter and possibly very vocal in her beliefs. I've already mentioned that pushy people aren't my cuppa. If she is indeed of the school of "I'm right and you're wrong and everyone should think my way" -- then she will lose me.

I think she's going to be a bit too political for my liking. Oh, not that I'm totally apathetic when it comes to politics -- I just find it all the same old rhetoric on all sides with folks who are so passionate about the subject. Your mileage may vary.

Memphis the mixologist, eh? I don't think a houseguest can ever get more stereotypical of a reality show contestant than the fake "cool" name and the fancy-schmancy title for "bartender." According to his bio, he is from Tennessee, but not from Memphis. I guess being called "Collierville" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

I'm not overly impressed. Something screams shallow or mimbo (Seinfeldese for male bimbo) about him.

BB10 Gossip and House Tour Video

I didn't bother reporting the pre-announcement cast spoilers this season because they've always been false past seasons. Sure, this season it turned out that one person was spot on before the initial official announcements. So now I'm wondering if his skinny on the first day in the house is good. If you want the probable spoiler, it's right here. I kind of like the fact that Jerry is "one of the cool kids." If it's true, of course.

Well, the decor is definitely better than that funky Alice in Wonderland stuff two seasons back!

Big Brother 10: Cast in Depth Part 1

I apologize for getting to the more in depth looks at the cast later than I had planned. I had several errands I had to run this afternoon and for some odd reason, I get wiped out more easily these days. Oh, yeah ... recuperating from major surgery. Yep, that will wipe a person out!

But I'm here now with the first five BB10 cast members -- alphabetically by first name. Pictures, a bit of bio, links to the official skinny, and my initial impressions. The remainder of the cast members will be completed by tomorrow. And, of course, I want to know your impressions of the new hamsters, too!

Shades of April (BB6) and other hamsters from the past, Angie is yet another pharmaceutical sales rep. I think it must be a BB goal to eventually cast every pharmaceutical rep in the country, don't you? According to her bio on the official CBS website, she's a recently divorced Korean-American tomboy.

She has her Bachelor's degree in advertising and originally hails from Virginia Beach, VA. I kind of like the fact that she's very devoted to her mentally disabled brother. She seems to be bright enough and athletic. I want to like her, but we'll see.

Speaking of April ... here's April version 2.0. Although she's living in Arizona, she's originally from Arlington, Nebraska. According to her bio page, she earned her Bachelor's degree in sports and fitness management from Doane College in Crete, NE. So she now works for a car dealer, go figure. She's the infamous OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) person. I have to admit that might make the feeds a bit interesting at times. Knowing how sloppy the BB houses tend to get, this could be fun!

She likes Froot Loops although CBS spelled it wrong, so she can't be all that bad! She seems to have unrealistically high expectations for a romantic partner so I think she's going to be single for years to come. My personal jury of the mind is out on her. I think she could very well add some real entertainment to the feeds but I'm not too sure I'm going to like her all that much.

Brian believes he's a "guy's guy." His chosen city to live in could run another direction with that claim. Heh. According to his bio, he's originally from Elk Grove, CA. I have no clue where that is! Air Force through and through, he earned his Associate degree from them and served for six years. Kudos to him for that! But will I like him?

It makes me smile to note that in his list of jobs, he's worked as a snowboarder amongst other more lofty positions. He seems very nice guy next door kind of dude. I'm not sure how well he'll do, but I definitely like him better than the extremely conservative guy on the cast, Dan. He seems to respect women.

Oh my. You see, I'm the kind of person with little tolerance for those who judge people rashly for aesthetic reasons or those who are extremely pushy with their religious or political beliefs. I'm the kind of person who thinks everyone has a right to do anything which is legal and while I might not want tattoos or piercing, that's me. You can do what you want with your own self, ain't no skin off my nose. (I always wanted to use that expression in a sentence, woohoo!)

According to his bio, Dan is the exact opposite. He's very conservative with little tolerance for liberals. (I hate the big conservative/liberal brouhaha.) He would have moved out of the country if Hilary Clinton won the presidential race. He thinks vegans are weird tree-huggers. He thinks tattoos are trashy and piercings are for freaks.

About the only good things I see about this guy are: he likes Cheez-Its crackers and Frank Sinatra. I think he's going to be way obnoxious.

Then there's Jerry. Heck, just the fact that he is 75 gives me all kinds of warm fuzzies. On The Early Show today he showed he's pretty darn fit, probably in better shape than I am! I worry that if he lasts a long time, he's going to be a target at the end because anyone up against him in the final two will consider him a huge threat for the vote.

In his bio at the CBS website, it states that he's originally from Wilkes Barre, PA. He's been a diehard BB fan since the show's inception, watching the feeds and even After Dark on ShoToo. He's been married to the same woman for 54 years and keeps himself fit so he can be her caretaker as she has Parkinson's Disease.

I just plain like this guy at a quick take. I hope he does well and that I actually enjoy him when I see him in action.

All images used here are ©CBS.