Big Brother 15: Live Feeds into Sunday Evening - July 21

Fun with camera angles?

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Suspicious Sillies:

• Candice told Helen that she thinks Amanda might have faked the tears after the Amanda/Elissa MEOW over the "stripper club" birthday for McCrae.
• When asked, McCrae said he'd like a date night with Amanda for his birthday.
• Didn't they have one of those in Judd's HoH bed last night?
• There are continuous rumblings amongst the girls -- no way will there be any sort of solid decent-sized girl alliance.
• Kaitlin is mad at Howard.
• Elissa is mad at Amanda.
• Kaitlin and Aaryn are warring.
• And Andy just pops up everywhere.
• Judd got released from his solitary confinement.
• He shouted, "Mumble, MUMBLE!" with glee.
• Candice again reminded Howard to be mindful of his social game.
• Judd reminded Aaryn to try to be cool. She said she's learning to keep her mouth shut.
• Yeah, right.
• Amanda is worried about becoming the third nominee.
• Spencer told Amanda that people have been comparing notes and found out she and McCrae have multiple deals going with others in the house.
• Oopsie!
• When Amanda asked him why it's her taking the heat and not McCrae, he told her that it's because she's the leader of the two.
• Candice doesn't want Aaryn in the house.
• Shocker, I know.
• Helen's in for the night on her curfew.
• So she can't weigh in on any of this.
• Andy really really thinks America has the MVP vote this week.
• He's really really right.

Three girls in a hot tub

Not playing the game I hoped for

Howard-a-Day

Gussied up for the photo booth

Big Brother 15: Nominations, Food Comp Show Blog Party - July 21

Ready to party out there, folks? It's time for a blog party -- the water in the pool is just right, drinks will flow and snacks will abound. Opinions are bound to abound, as well! As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news!

However, the real party is in the comments area. Put on your party hats and join on in!

After the recap, they're all worried about the twist Julie promised. Judd's HOH reveal and letter from home. Aw. GinaMarie's lack of proper vocabulary bit was funny. Onto the Howard and Candice relationship.

Have Not time ... three teams, frozen yogurt cafe - disgusting yogurts. The team gaining the most weight from it wins, least weight will be Have Nots. The Have Nots are Andy, Candice, Spencer and Jessie.

Have Not vote is for brussel sprouts and bananas, raisins and ramen, mushrooms and marmalade.

After much pushing for an Aaryn and Howard nomination when he's thinking Kaitlin and GinaMarie, it's time for nominations. Key order: Spencer, Jessie, Elissa, Candice, McCrae, Andy, Helen, Howard, GinaMarie, Amanda.

Aaryn and Kaitlin are on the block. Kaitlin, he doesn't think is going anywhere. Aaryn is a Texas tornado and he doesn't need her twist on words anymore.

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Into Sunday Afternoon - July 20-21

Birthday boy

I know I'm getting this report up a bit late. But, the hamsters slept ... so did I. And, dang, it felt good! Here's what's happened since my last report in that Big Brother House of Wayward Weirdos:

• Helen's curfew punishment dictates that she neither talks, nor gets talked to, from 8pm until morning.
• Judd's solitary punishment isn't in the Have Not room as in previous seasons. He's in the little settee (cockpit this year) room where they had the fortune teller last year, this year the photo booth.
• He's no Dan Gheesling trying to save his game life in there. He kept trying to sleep even though an alarm clock woke him up on a regular basis.
• Y'know, Chicken George's potato clock would have been a lot more quiet!
• Candice reminded GinaMarie that, in the slew of activity, they never had the Nick memorial on Friday night. I was hoping they'd all forget.
• But, in exit interviews, Nick professes to actually having feelings for GinaMarie and is interested.
• Oh my. I called that one wrong!
• They're all still in a quandary over who the MVP is this week.
• Heh.
• Most suspect it's America, but the fact that it's an Elissa nom and she's been voted MVP every week, they're confused.
• I'm not. I suspect Aaryn and Kaitlin (the Mean Girls) were our first two choices and they were nominated by Judd first.
• Spencer told Aaryn everybody wants her out.
• Well, that was so nice of him, wasn't it?
• He told her he'd work with her to try to save her.
• @@
• Andy, of course, ran to Amanda to tell her that Helen told him that she and McCrae can't be trusted.
• I predicted that move!
• Andy is still popping up everywhere at anytime. It's almost frightening how he zeroes in on every bit of game talk in the house.
• There was some sort of power outage in the backyard, forcing them inside but with limited space as Judd's solitary is in the cockpit room.
• Amanda dressed in lingerie while Spencer and Howard became robbers to hold down McCrae for his kinky birthday celebration.
• That all was just a bit out there.
• Elissa got drunk and melancholy. Get it together, girl. You have the PoV!
• She thinks production hates her. I think they like past obnoxious hamsters and their relations way too much.
• Elissa also lit into Amanda about the stripping party for McCrae.
• Amanda cried because Elissa made fun of her.
• Junior high, anyone?
• Andy figured out that America probably voted to nominate Aaryn and Kaitlin and Elissa was a third choice.
• Well, we'll see the fourth choice before long!
• GinaMarie made mean comments about Candice's looks.
• Candice, unlike GinaMarie, was actually Miss (Whatever state, I forgot), one year.
• Amanda and McCrae did the deed AGAIN in Judd's HoH bed.
• Ew.
• Aaryn said she cried the most when told (by Amanda, not the show) that people think she's a racist.
• Hey, her own words brought that down on her!
• Apparently, their bathroom is really rank. Why don't they clean and disinfect it instead of whining about it?
• GinaMarie told Spencer she wants a man to take care of her, more emotionally than financially.
• That doesn't surprise me seeing her reaction to Nick.
• Aaryn claims that, outside the house, she always carries a gun.
• That right there is a call for stricter gun control laws, I say!
• Judd's alarm in his solitary room kept going off. Half the time he slept through it.
• Helen told Elissa she (Elissa) needs to win HoH this week to be safe. Part of Elissa's winning of PoV this week is that she can't play for it next week.
• Candice continued to advise Howard to work more on his social game.
• She makes some good points. Because Howard shuts down and doesn't talk a lot to others, they automatically think he's up to something or sneaky.
• Judd, in solitary, asked the camera (us) if he should turn on McCrae and Amanda.
• I don't know if he should actually turn on them yet, but be very wary.
• Let the rest of the house turn on them, then join in.
• Both Helen and Spencer are turned off by real public displays of attention ... couples hanging all over each other.
• So am I.
• Candice wants a showdown between the Howard vs. Amanda crews once the Mean Girls are out of the house.
• Elissa reminded Candice that Amanda, although there are issues, kept them safe before. But then she admitted that the whole house kept her safe, not just Amanda.
• Aaryn thinks she's wrongfully blamed for anything that goes wrong in the house.
• Heehee!
• Amanda said when she's not in control, her anxiety levels go up.
• Y'think?
• Elissa and Amanda made up for the stripper club fight last night, albeit they're still a bit leery of each other.
• Howard gave McCrae a bible passage for his birthday.
• Judd's still in solitary until the evening.
• Lots more speculation about who the MVP is this week.
• Stop by later for the blog party while the episode airs here on the East Coast! 

Scheming

Oh my, birthday stripper

Birthday robbers holding McCrae down

Judd's solitary room

Howard-a-Day

Off Topic: That Was the (two) Week(s) It Was - July 21, 2013

It's Sunday morning, time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken along the way. This week is actually two weeks worth of photos as I was away last weekend. If you're looking for the Big Brother television show live feeds report, the last one I wrote is here at this link. Another one will be posted later this morning.

Last weekend I went up to Albany, NY, from my NJ home to (a) attend my high school reunion, the first one I've been to out of more than a few decades worth and (b) visit my brother Russ and his wife Debby and have a fantastic reunion with cousins from the Massachusetts, Vermont and New York area -- some of whom I haven't seen since I was a young child. Plus, my niece Carrie, her husband Ryan and my fantastic 1-year old niece Taylor joined us!

Although I've been miserable with the heat we have had here on the East Coast, the memories of this past weekend will long outlast my memories of the heat wave!

My first experience with Megabus was overall good. I'll definitely use them again and will probably visit upstate NY more often. The trip up cost me $5 as it was more popular timing. They work it so at least the first two trips booked on a bus get the $1 price. My ride home cost me a single dollar. Can't beat that with a stick even though that bus ended up being late. It costs twelve times that just to go through the bridge or tunnel!

Because I have so many photos, I'm going to get them started now ...

NYC at 1:09am Monday morning

The problem is that the train I wanted to catch, the last train of the night on my line, left at 1:00am. The trains on other days run later. Oops.

Nipper

This 25 foot tall, four ton replica of the "His Master's voice" RCA dog Nipper is atop what's now a moving and storage warehouse in Albany, New York. Back when it was erected, the building was an RCA dealership. The "new" owners (it's been several years) not only kept Nipper there, but totally refurbished him and have kept him in pristine condition. I loved to look up and see Nipper when I was a child and must admit it was like seeing an old friend to see him last week.

Inside the bloom

You'd think a bee would be on this with all that pollen just sitting there for the taking! Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Big Brother 15: Live Feeds Saturday - MVP nom, PoV - July 20

What's happening?

My, my ... it's been a busy day inside that House of Unhappy Hamsters:

• Spencer and Howard tried to talk Judd into putting McCrae on the block if the veto is used so "Aaryn would owe them one."
• The Amanda pairing with McCrae is putting a growing target on their backs.
• Aaryn guessed it last night; Elissa guessed it today -- America has the MVP vote this week.
• Of course, they really don't know for sure.
• We know, though.
• Jessie complained to Judd that Amanda keeps telling her what to do.
• A lot of people have a problem with Amanda's bossiness.
• Except McCrae, that is.
• When it came time to announce the MVP nomination and the PoV players, we got fish.
• Oh, my! America voted to put up ELISSA as the third nominee!
• She's really not taking it well at all. She went from important Queen Bee to Nominee. (Dig the rhyme!)
• McCrae told Amanda he thinks Elissa got the MVP and nominated herself.
• @@
• Despite my eye roll, that rumor is running rampant through the house still, now many hours later.
• Amanda is sure that America didn't vote because America wouldn't vote her MVP every week, then put her on the block.
• Hey, we're a fickle lot -- expect the unexpected!
• Elissa thinks the MVP must be Aaryn, GinaMarie or Kaitlin.
• Amanda still wants a backdoor Howard plan if someone comes off the block with the veto.
• McCrae nixed it as he's sure the votes wouldn't be there to get Howard out over whichever nominees remain.
• McCrae and Helen were the two players besides nominees and Judd (HoH) to play in the veto comp.
• GinaMarie is all in a tizzy because she thinks Elissa is blaming her for being MVP and nominating her.
• Yeah, like GinaMarie is in the running to be favored by America!
• Elissa wondered if Jeremy picked the MVP nomination.
• @@
• Judd and Helen think the only way they can figure out the MVP is if Elissa comes off the block -- see who the replacement is.
• My personal guess would be GinaMarie or Spencer. Mind you, I could be very wrong.
• Elissa was then sure it was Howard who did it.
• Candice nixed that and insisted it must be Kaitlin.
• This is actually working out quite well on a mystery nomination kind of basis. They're way worked up!
• Elissa's alliance(s) wonder if it might be a test of loyalty.
• Aaryn claims she's not stupid enough to put Elissa on the block.
• It's a kerfuffle!
• A kerfuffle isn't as entertaining as a brouhaha, but better than watching them play chess.
• So, then they played chess. Argh.
• Soon the feeds were blocked for a rather lengthy PoV comp -- it was the reward/punishment one.
• Elissa won the Power of Veto! Now we'll see the next on the list.
• McCrae got $5,000.
• Judd got solitary confinement. Too bad it's not in his HoH room, huh?
• Helen got an 8pm curfew. (Big deal.)
• Amanda's allies are starting to grow weary of her. Helen told Howard that Amanda wants him gone.
• I don't think he's all that surprised. He's been pushing for Amanda to be gone for a good two weeks now.
• GinaMarie is planning on steering clear of Elissa. She thinks that whoever nominated Elissa will pick off those who hang with her.
• Amanda thinks that when Elissa has power she's confident and nice, when she's nervous, she's really nervous.
• But she's no longer as nervous since she won PoV!
• Helen went and told Andy that the house wants McCrae and Amanda out.
• Shh ... it's a secret, Andy.
• She might as well hire a banner plane to spread the news!
• Lots of suspicions abound ... mainly between Amanda and Howard and their closest allies.
• Aaryn and Kaitlin are both super confused.
• I would assume that Elissa is smart enough to take herself off the block.
• Let's see who goes up next!  

Put a shirt on, McCrae

Oopsie, my game is falling apart

Howard-a-Day, bonus Candice