Survivor and TAR Blog Pools, Tonight's TV, and a bit of Off Topic

It's that time again! Thanks to members of this blog community, the pools for Survivor and The Amazing Race will once again go on in the comments area. If you didn't participate before, don't worry -- no money or wagering is involved. Those who want to be in the pool just need to speak up and the show contestants are chosen randomly for us to cheer on throughout the season.

ORKmommy is running the Survivor pool and here's who she has listed as in so far:
Terry in CA
Jennasmom
PDX Granny
Laurie
Becky
Dixie
Rbennie
lynn1
Margo
Joyce
meb
dla
Caroline
ORKMommy
Jackie
Sydney
Gayle
Jodie
Sizzie
Donna in AL
Petals
Zoetawny

Margo has volunteered to run the pool for The Amazing Race. So far (I'm adding my name):
Margo
Donna in AL
Meb
Sizzie
Caroline
ORKMommy
Lynn1
Jackie

If you want in, just reply in comments and mention which pool. Or, if you prefer to notify Margo or ORKMommy, they left messages in my last post's comments. I just don't want to put email addresses here on the main page of the blog.

I have a TV dilemma tonight. I want to watch American Idol as they're going to narrow it down to the final 36. Argh! It's two hours tonight! Meanwhile, at 9 PM ET, Lost comes on. What I'll probably do is record the second hour of AI and watch Lost as it airs. Then it's Life on Mars for me. Hopefully either late tonight or tomorrow I'll at least get some commentary up about both Lost and American Idol.

And, now to a bit of off topic. I haven't seen Roofus the Cat for a few days, but I'm sure he's fine. Unfortunately, there was a murder at the station in the wee hours of Sunday morning. An 18-year-old was shot, no one is in custody. The train station I go to daily and the neighborhood surrounding it are safe as I go through both on my way to work and home. I'm friendly with fellow commuters and the shopkeepers in the area. But I wouldn't be there at 2:30 AM. It's a totally different world there at that hour.




Today's musical non sequitur:
When you walk through the garden
You gotta watch your back
Well, I beg your pardon
Walk the straight and narrow track
If you walk with Jesus
He's gonna save your soul
You gotta keep the devil
Way down in the hole
-- "Way Down in the Hole" by Tom Waits

The Amazing Race 14: Meet the Teams, Part Three

Okay, we're down to the last three teams we'll be seeing on the season premiere next Sunday, February 15. You can check out the first two groups of teams I took a look at here and here. Again, I apologize for the slow load time due to all of the videos on the main blog page. If you're having problems with the videos, try using the time link at the bottom of the post which will bring up only that post.



Linda and Steve Cole have been married for 17 years. She's 52, he's 43, and they call Martinsville (Virginia) their home. He's a carpenter while she's a customer service supervisor. I think they're going to be another likable team. But I'm not so sure that they're going to be as well-traveled as many of the other teams. In their favor is that they're huge fans of the show. I think the idea of adventure probably is as much of a lure as the financial prize for the winner. I'd personally love to do the show all the way through just for the fun and excitement.



We have another sibling team with LaKisha and Jennifer Hoffman. LaKisha is 28, lives in the Bronx (NY), and is a program coordinator. Jennifer is 24, lives in Louisville (KY), and is a marketing assistant. Although LaKisha has that "you know what I'm saying" speech pattern which tends to irk me, I like these two. I love that Jennifer said you have to think to be evil and she doesn't like to think that much. I think they're going to be fun to watch, but I'm not sure how well they'll fare on the race itself.



Jennifer Hopka (26) and Preston McCamy (28) are a dating couple from Columbia, South Carolina. She's a student and he's a software engineer. Um, okay. She's a student at 28 ... wonder how the bills get paid? She's pretty, but she's really rubbing me wrong for some reason. I don't know. Perhaps it's the way she kept interrupting him in the clip. I think this might be the couple I boo and it's going to be because of her. Or, I could be totally wrong and my first impression is off.

Survivor Tocantins Castaways Part Three

Welcome to the last group of castaways! Once again, I apologize for the slow-loading pages with all the videos. Once I get the last group in for The Amazing Race, the huge video pages will start to drop off the main page and the blog will load quicker. If things aren't loading right for you, try going by individual post. It seems that the CBS videos are causing a lag time. Parts one and two can be found here and here on the blog. Onto the castaways ...



Spencer Duhm (must have been fun growing up with that last name!) at 19 years old is the youngest castaway ever on the show. He's a gay student from Lakeland, Florida. While he comes across as very mature in his video, I'm not so sure he's my favorite for the win. Yes, he's very poised and seems to have a good head on his shoulders. But I have some sort of nagging doubt about him that I can't explain. I'll have to watch him in action.



Stephen Fishbach, age 29, is a corporate consultant from NYC, NY. When he said he looks like a Muppet, I had to snicker. I'm all too aware of a soul-sucking job and wanting just to go away from it all to write. But has he really paid his dues? I mean ... Yale and only 29. I'm sorry. I don't think the rat race has claimed enough of his soul yet for an early retirement. That aside, if his strategy works as he's planned, he could go far in the game. His thoughts of being eaten are a bit off base. That is unlikely to happen on the show. But could he win? Maybe, but maybe not.



Look! It's SYDNEY! Yay! Blond and into fashion and design ... kind of like our own blog Sydney, eh? This Sydney (Wheeler) is 24 and from Raleigh, North Carolina. I'm kind of liking her. She's a very pretty girl, but she looks like she is made of tough stuff, too. She's a model who's currently living in San Diego and hopefully will be a fine representative of our very own Sydney. She seems to have a good game plan and could do fine physically.



Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George is 37 years old and from Nashville, Tennessee. While the CBS website describes her as a "former pop star," I've never heard of her. She's worried about people finding out who she is and to whom she's married. Um ... to be honest, I've never heard of Sisters With Voices even if they are "Grammy nominated." Nor do I follow football and would have no idea who her husband is -- former NFL running back Eddie George of the Tennessee Titans. Nor have I read her book. Maybe I'm just living under a rock, but I kind of doubt folks are going to be recognizing her as some sort of star. With her delusions of worldwide fame aside, I like her strategy and she made me giggle about living off her stored fat. She could do well in the game.



Tyson Apostol, age 29, is a professional cyclist from Lindon, Utah. The CBS website lists him as the fan favorite so far. I just can't get behind that. His favorite castaway is Johnny Fairplay? Yikes! That would put him at the bottom of my list. I don't think Fairplay played the game well at all and he creeped me out, too! Tyson is in good shape and might do well. But I'm almost hoping not just because he's a Fairplay fan. Ew.

Off TV Topic ... for the most part

I'll be posting the video look at the last group of Survivor Tocantins castaways a bit later today. So, please check back for that. However, as I often seem to do ... it's time to go off topic for a post!

Well, not all the way off topic. I should mention my "TV Shows Off the Beaten Path" column over on CliqueClack TV, right? In yesterday's column I delved into The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. In particular, I'm loving his puppets -- especially when they yodel. Take a peek at the column for another video and my commentary on Craig! Also, on another TV note: A&E is starting the last season of The Sopranos tonight. Since I only have basic cable, I haven't seen the last season. I caught up with the rest of the series over the past summer and I'm looking forward to the finale!



Then there's the local scene. This week included Groundhog's Day. We had conflicting groundhogs, but starting yesterday we're in a warmer weather streak. That Pennsylvania groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter while the two local groundhogs (Essex Ed of NJ and Staten Island Chuck of NYC) predicted an early spring. Chuck also bit Mayor Bloomberg who seemed to deserve it from the video I saw. You don't take food out of the mouth of a huge rodent with massive front teeth! Chuck drew blood even. I suppose I shouldn't be finding it funny, but I do. Bloomberg tried to link Chuck to a terrorist factor, but I think Chuck's probably just a disgruntled taxpayer.



While Roofus the Cat stood me up for our Saturday morning work commute date, I checked out the ornamental kale. Yep, still buried in the snow and not looking quite as pretty and perky as it did in the past.

All I can say is ... was Sylar (Heroes) in New Jersey recently?

I believe I've taken a photo of this dude before. Or, if not, one similar to him. This is what happens when you leave me waiting in one of those little doctor rooms. Yes, I finally went to my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon yesterday. He understands my need to buy some time before the right knee gets replaced. I got a cortisone shot. I'm talking a turkey-baster sized needle o' stuff way down in the knee joint. Ow. But it's working. I can dance again.

Today's musical non sequitur:

Lather was thirty years old today,
They took away all of his toys.
His mother sent newspaper clippings to him,
About his old friends who'd stopped being boys.
-- "Lather" by The Jefferson Airplane

The Amazing Race 14: Meet the Teams, Part Two

Yep, I'm here to take a look at the next group of teams we'll see next Sunday (February 15) on The Amazing Race. You can find the first group's videos and my commentary in my earlier post. Without further ado:



Christie Volkmer (age 37) and Jodi Wincheski (age 40) are flight attendants from Choctaw (Oklahoma) and Houston (Texas) respectively. Y'know, I think I must have personal issues with blond female teams on the show. Thinking back over the teams, none of the all-blond females ever struck me right. I suppose it might be a psychological thing -- with blond being more fun and all that. Heh. But I think I like these two. Here's why: They're a bit older, but not old enough for it to be way too challenging. And, I think they're absolutely right. They're going to have an edge at the airports. Hmm ... I'll have to see them in action, but I think I might be cheering them on!



Ah, the spoilers were right -- there is a deaf racer on a team this season! But, contrary to the rumors, it's a guy, not a woman. Margie and Luke Adams are a mother and son team hailing from Denver, Colorado. She's a clinical research associate while he's a college grad. She's 50 years old. He's 22. She can hear and sign. He's deaf. She never personally aspired to be on the show, he's wanted to do it just biding the time until he hit 21 years of age. From their video clip, I have to say I like them. They seem like nice people. I hope they do well.



Tammy and Victor Jih, age 26 and 35, San Francisco and Los Angeles, are a brother and sister team. They're both lawyers. They're first generation Americans and both went to Harvard Law School. Yeah, they're probably pretty smart. But, aside from that, their video made me smile ... a lot. I don't know what it is about them, but I think they'll be a strong team despite any sibling rivalry. What is it with casting getting so many nice folks? I want someone to sneer at and it's not going to be these two!



Another sibling team is Mark and Michael Munoz. Mark is 48, living in Los Angeles, a jockey and a stuntman. Michael is 51, a stuntman and actor living in Maui, Hawaii. Little did they know that the shaka hand sign they started off their video with would be something President Obama did at the Inaugural Parade, eh? These two are the "little people" from the spoilers, but they're not really little people, per se. They're just short. Although they didn't irk me in their clip, they came across a bit more so-so than some of the other teams so far. They have a lot of strengths for running the race, so they could do just fine. I just hope to see more personality from them.

Stay tuned for the final three teams coming soon!