Dancing With the Stars 2009 Blog Talk

Yes, it's a new season of Dancing With the Stars! This is YOUR place for discussion about the show with friends. Grab your comfy chair, bring snacks and beverages ... and, most of all ... have a good time. Oh -- there is a dance floor over there if you want to practice your moves, too.

The show's official website is here, but the real action is right here in comments!

The Amazing Race - "It Was Like a Caravan of Fools - Ep.4

So, does the new Zoetawny logo for us rock or what? Tonight we travel to Siberia and the promos are promising us a "blind" U-Turn. Uh-oh!

Make yourself comfy in the comments areas, but remember to share your snacks and beverages! This post will be updated with major events and my full review of the episode will be posted later over on TV Squad. Enjoy!

Don't forget ... if you watch Celebrity Apprentice, we have a blog discussion post for the show right here! I won't be catching it live tonight, not the first hour at least. But you're all invited to share your thoughts on the show!

On with tonight's TAR!

Whoa! Pit Stop
1. Christie and Jodi - each won a motorcycle
2. Kisha and Jen
3. Tammy and Victor
4. Margie and Luke
5. Jaime and Cara
6. Mel and Mike
7. Mark and Michael
8. Amanda and Kris -- Philiminated

TV Doings This Week

Yikes! What a TV week ahead of us, starting tonight! Before I get into some of my viewing plans, just a quick mention on the photo. I took this one a while back as the stereo sign lined up nicely with the double "stereo" lamp post. I liked the way it turned out messing around with a photo editor above. The original shot is at the bottom of the post and was taken in North Plainfield, NJ. And, no. That has nothing to do with television.

Sunday: Argh. I have to write up two shows tonight -- The Amazing Race for TV Squad and Cold Case for CliqueClack TV. Barring any sports delays, TAR begins at 8 PM ET and my other shows schedule is clear. Good. Then comes 9 PM ET -- Cold Case starts, but there's also a two-hour Celebrity Apprentice starting at 9 PM. Waah! I know CA will be available online tomorrow and rerun on Saturday night, but I'd really rather watch that than CC! Throw into the mix that A&E has a Sopranos episode I want to see on at 10 PM (repeated at 11) -- what a night I have!

So, my plan is: Get my Reality Clack column for CliqueClack TV out of the way this afternoon except for the TAR bit. Watch TAR with a post going here as is my standard. Take notes on TAR and Cold Case as they air. I'll write up both reviews at 10 PM, hopefully to be done by 11 PM so I can catch the second airing of The Sopranos episode. As I write, I'll have the second hour of Celebrity Apprentice on in the background. I guess I can catch up with the first hour online. Sunday nights didn't used to be this complicated!

Monday: In the 8 PM (ET) prime time hour, I'll watch The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. I will have to write up a review of TBBT for CliqueClack TV. But I probably won't do that until after I've watched Heroes. My 10 PM hour has lots of possibilities for background as I write -- Saving Grace on TNT or maybe the new Animal Cops Phoenix on Animal Planet.

But then, later on, I have to absolutely positively see Letterman! He has two (not one, but TWO) of my all-time favorite guests on! First, Jack Hanna and animals. Those segments are priceless. Not only are the animals always fantastic, but I love the banter between Jack and Dave. Then, he also has Russell Brand on. That guy's a trip to a delightfully quirky place.

Tuesday: Ah, a relatively easy TV night. Two hours of American Idol, then I want to catch Trust Me (which I haven't seen) on TNT. Letterman has Stupid Pet Tricks, always a must see segment for me.

Wednesday: I plan to check out the new cooking reality show, The Chopping Block, on NBC in the 8 PM hour. Then it's American Idol and Criminal Minds on during the second hour. I'll record CM. LOST is a repeat. Even though I know it's going to be canceled, since they promise answers at the end of the season, I'm sticking with Life on Mars in the 10 PM hour. Letterman has on Tom Brokaw, another guest I enjoy. So I'm staying up.

Thursday: Gee, I think I'll watch Survivor for a change! Heh. Of course, I'll be writing that episode up for TV Squad. I see Bones is also a new episode running up against Survivor, but I'll catch it on the FOX website. In the second hour of the night, I'll probably catch Hell's Kitchen ... a show I've been keeping up with on the FOX website for the most part this season.

Friday: I sleep. Er, I watch shows I've recorded or shows on the Internet. Or, I catch up with my Bonnie Hunts recorded all week. Or I read. I sometimes catch Wife Swap. I'm not proud.

What are your TV plans for the week?

Today's musical non sequitur:
If there’s music we can use it
We need to dance.
We don’t have that time
For psychological romance
No romance
No romance
No romance for me mama
Come on baby tell me what’s the word.
Ah – word up.
-- "Word Up" by Cameo

Survivor: Why Taj Voted for Joe and Off Topic, too!

My, it was nothing all that nefarious at all. Taj wasn't trying to plant a seed of suspicion or create a rift in the tribe. Apparently, she just didn't want Sandy voted out unanimously yet didn't want to create issues by voting for Sydney. I guess she knew no one else would be voting for Joe and it was pretty much a throwaway vote.



I love it that CBS is making their video clips embeddable once again. They had stopped that capability last season. In watching this clip of the voting, it's obvious that although she could get on the nerves of others with her quirks, they liked Sandy. They really did.

Onto some off topic photos ...

We've had a weird weather week here. It started off with near blizzard conditions and arctic temperatures at the beginning of the week and we're going to be near 70 degrees now over the weekend. I hope it was winter's last hurrah! Due to snow on the roofs, I haven't seen Roofus the Cat yet this week. The ornamental kale is just sad right now.

Like in Mad About You when Paul Reiser tried to film the wind for Yoko Ono, I found it hard to just photograph COLD. What to do? What to do? Well, I had to create my own photo op -- it's called a stale croissant and a bunch of seagulls. Enjoy! You can click on the images to bring them up larger in a new window.


Gee, they always look so clean and white against the blue sky while flying.


Bulletin: The economy is so bad in New Jersey that bread lines have been forming all over the state.

"I've got my piece of the pie (croissant) and if you try to take it from me, I can be outright evil. Don't come near me! Where's that Coach dude? I can peck him if you give me more bread!"

American Idol Bulletin

For the first time ever, just as Anoop thought he was gone ... they're going for a top thirteen!

The top thirteen are:

Danny Gokey
Michael Sarver
Alexis Grace
Adam Lambert
Allison Iraheta
Kris Allen
Jorge Nunez
Lil Rounds
Scott McIntyre

Added in the Wild Card tonight:

Jasmine Murray
Megan Joy Corkrey
Matt Giraud
Anoop Desai

And ... poor Tatiana broke down when she didn't make it. A real shocker there, eh?