Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains Blog Party Post 4/08 Episode

The show is starting in a minute or so. This post will be updated with the major events as they air here on the East Coast. Late tonight, my full review will be posted on TV Squad. But, until then, the real fun is in the comments area right here -- feel free to jump in with your thoughts on the show, everyone is welcome! Survivors ready?

JT found the hidden idol, told only because Amanda caught him.

Heroes won Reward -- a feast. No merge tonight.

Heroes won Immunity!

Coach was voted out.

TV Medical Dramas vs. Real Life Medical Crises

I think we all grew up on television medical dramas of one era or another. When I was really young, the tales of Dr. Kildare and Dr. Ben Casey were huge hits. Over the years, we moved onto ER, Mercy, and Grey's Anatomy. Then there were the ambulance-related shows like Emergency! (remember that one? I had a Randolph Mantooth crush for a bit there) and the paramedic side of Third Watch.

However, no amount of drama or crises we've seen on those shows can compete with some of the real life issues going on today. With the lack of funding, hospitals are shutting down. It happened here in Plainfield, New Jersey, when the only hospital in the city -- Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center shut down to become solely a satellite emergency room. It just happened in lower Manhattan with the announcement that St. Vincent's will go the same route as Muhlenberg.

But it's not only the hospitals in a crisis -- local emergency squads are going under as well. Can you imagine waiting a half-hour for an ambulance in a life-threatening situation? Or, worse yet, not having an ambulance available in a city of 50,000 residents?

I'm stepping a bit away from my usual television or photo-rambling to pass the word that the Plainfield Rescue Squad is having a fund drive ... and these funds are desperately needed to continue their valuable operations. Not to worry, I won't be posting about every cause on earth for y'all. Someone reached out to me on this one and it's something that I feel strongly about. I live here. I'm not elderly, but I'm no spring chicken either. My mother died very young of a heart attack. While I hope my biggest health issues continue to be knee surgery related or "I have a cat on me and I can't get up," I have to be realistic. One day my own life might depend on the local ambulance. As it stands, the lives of others are depending on them daily.

This blog has a mix of local readers and those from across the country. No matter who you are or where you live, if you wish to help the fund drive, here's how:

1. Donations can be mailed to the Plainfield Rescue Squad, 700 West 7th Street, PO Box 707, Plainfield, NJ 07060.
2. You can also drop off donations at The Pillars Bed and Breakfast, 922 Central Ave; Graphix One, 321 Park Ave; and Dairy Queen, 1367 South Ave.
3. Online donations can also be made through Paypal at www.paypal.com , the id is plainfieldrescuesquad@yahoo.com. Go to "Send Money," enter the amount, click "Personal" then "gift" and send.
Donations may be tax deductible. Consult your tax advisor for details.

Lost - "Happily Ever After"

I'm glad I didn't try to write about Lost while watching it last night. I can barely handle it today wide awake and alert. The episode was Desmond-centric, something I thought would be very interesting as he's one of the most intriguing characters on the show. Instead of being entitled "Happily Ever After," it might be construed as "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places."

Most of the episode took place in the sideways world. We found out that Eloise, the mother of Daniel Farragut, is actually Charles Widmore's wife and Daniel is his son. Penny, Desmond's love, is Daniel's half-sister. Desmond, after landing from Australia on Flight 815 was assigned the task of taking Charlie (who had been arrested on the flight for his heroin possession) to do a concert for Mrs. Widmore and her loving son Daniel.

Then all kinds of love connections happened with Charlie (of all people) being the prophet. His drowning hand with "Not Penny's boat" reenacted as he forced Desmond to crash into water. Desmond began his search for true love ... for Penny. Apparently the message is that love is more important than anything else, I guess.

On the island, I was thrown into my own state of confusion by the befuddled Fiber One grocery clerk being in a position of intelligence and authority of some type. I kept expecting him to call his manager to tell them there are no nuts or twigs. Desmond was tested in a killing electromagnetic force and survived as only he could. Widmore has a mission for him. But then Sayid appeared at the end and Desmond went off with him. Oh, now I'm all Lost again! How about you?

My Watership Down theory may still be viable. There was a rabbit.

Talking Lost ...

I won't be getting my Lost post up until tomorrow. I'm totally exhausted and will end up totally lost if I write about the episode while watching it tonight. My apologies ...

The Amazing Race 4/04/10 Episode Blog Party Post

The show is actually starting on time here on the East Coast! As it airs, I'll update this entry with major events including the Pit Stop order and Philimination. My actual show review will be posted late tonight over on TV Squad. But the real fun (and most information) will be right here in the comments area. Everyone is invited to join in with your thoughts!

Pit Stop
1. Jet and Cord -- won a trip to Maui
2. Carol and Brandy
3. Louie and Michael
4. Brent and Caite
5. Dan and Jordan
6. Steve and Allie -- Philiminated