'The Amazing Race 10' East Coast Update 11/05 - Pit Stop Arrival/Philimination

This was the order to the Pit Stop:

1. Dustin/Kandice - Won a trip to Hawaii
2. Tyler/James
3. Rob/Kimberly
4. Erwin/Godwin
5. David/Mary - Had to wait 30 minutes as they were marked for elimination
6. Lyn/Karlyn - Arrived ten minutes into Kentucky's penalty and knocked them out of the race.

David and Mary, marked for elimination twice, were eliminated.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.

Tonight's 'Amazing Race' Blogging Schedule

Due to a football delay, The Amazing Race is just starting now in the NYC area. Expect an East Coast Update about 9:30 PM ET and a full review/recap will be posted late tonight.

Stop on back and visit!

Sneak Peek: TBS's 'My Boys' to Premiere November 28

Baseball and sex have been tied together in the ways of adolescent boys since the dawn of time (well, perhaps not quite that long) as they attempted to make it to second base, or even to third base. We know they didn't mean in the ballpark!

And, who could forget the play-by-play in the song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf? We know that wasn't really about baseball, either.

Taking that ball and running with it is the new original comedy show My Boys from TBS, the Very Funny cable television network. Set to premiere Tuesday night, November 28th at 10 PM ET/PT, I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at a handful of episodes and I'm here to report back on them.

The premise of the show is relatively simple to explain. PJ Franklin, played by Jordana Spiro, is a sportswriter in Chicago. She's in a male-dominated field and, not only that, has a male-dominated field of friends. Oh, yes, she does have one good female friend, Stephanie, played by Kellee Stewart. But her boys are near and dear to her heart. She works amongst the boys, plays cards with the boys, goes out with the boys, and often tends to be considered one of the boys by her boys. I've worked in a male-dominated field and know that feeling all too well. Sometimes you want to shout, "Hey! I'm woman! Roar!" but most of the time, it's great fun just to be friends with the guys.

Although it's easy to draw comparisons with Friends or Sex and the City, this show isn't really all that much like either. Urban settings, a focus on relationships and twenty-somethings are the common grounds between the shows. I think fans of both shows will enjoy My Boys.

I found it a fun little romp through the lives of the characters and their dating trials, tribulations, and the friendship shared by PJ and her boys. I particularly enjoy all the different ways the character of PJ ties in baseball with sex and relationships in the voiceovers which are featured in each episode. Just when I thought she'd have to run out of analogies, she'd spring a new one on me.

Certainly not sexually explicit, I feel My Boys will do well with the late-teens through thirty-something demographic. It's a delightful light-hearted comedic departure from the crime and drama shows in its late evening time slot. And, of course, I want to know just how many relationships/sex analogies there are to sports out there. That's a creative challenge all on its own!

The cast includes Jordana Spiro, Jim Gaffigan, Kyle Howard, Reid Scott, Michael Bunin, Jamie Kaler, and Kellee Stewart. The Executive Producers are Jamie Tarses, Gavin Polone, and Betsy Thomas. The show will air Tuesday evenings at 10 PM ET/PT on TBS. For more information about the show, you can check out the official My Boys website.

TV Newsy Bits - November 3, 2006

It's Friday! Does that mean that Friday Night Lights was on? Of course not, that's now a Tuesday show or Sunday or Wednesday.

Sigh. I watched Meerkat Manor's latest episode earlier tonight. I like the show, but was already saddened a week or so back when news reports revealed that Shakespeare is indeed dead. (Silly, not William Shakespeare... Meerkat Shakespeare!) And now little Blossom. At least she didn't just vanish and not get any sort of mention like Shakespeare did. Rest in peace, little Blossom.

Adding to my ways I don't want to die: I don't want to be eaten.

Are you a fan of The Class? The first episode or two didn't really snag me in, but I've been growing more comfortable with the show as of late. BuddyTV has an interview up with David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, the show's creators. Here's an excerpt:

How did you guys come up with the idea for The Class?

Jeffrey: We were actually cleaning out our basement (laughs) and we found a big box of old photographs that had belonged to David and we were looking through them and they were a whole bunch of pictures from his old 3rd grade class…

David: And we were looking at one of those pictures that has all the different pictures of all the little kids, and Jeffrey said to me, don’t you wonder who all these kids are today? I mean, they're all in the picture and they’re all 8 year olds with smiling faces and now they’re all in their late 40’s, and it’s like, “Who did they turn into and who’s happy?” And that basically turned into what the show became which sort of asks the question, “OK, who were you in 3rd grade and who are you now, and who gets to be happy?”

Oh, my. I'm trying to think back to the person I was in third grade. That was the year of my first eyeglasses and, if memory serves, the year I started reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books. I was going to be a child crime-solver, yes I was. Happy? Hmmm... that answer would have to go into different levels for different aspects. When I was in third grade, I didn't realize that life has its complications. I'm not a perky person. But, that doesn't mean I'm not happy.

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• All New Episodes of "The OC" to Air Wednesday and Thursday
• Prison Break Preview Clips For November 6th
• Oh! If you liked the season premiere of C.S.I. this year, the mystery continues with the in-depth promo for this week's show. And, on another note, what's with them continuing all the health problems for Grissom? He went through the deaf bit and now migraines?

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - Ep. 7 -or- "Peanut Butter Love"

Thirteen are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

After last week's entire recap show, we saw an extended recap of the previous week. They must think our memories fail us, eh?

The show opened with the Aitu tribe on Day 16 and with JessFlicka feeling blindsided by the vote to boot Cao Boi in the last Tribal Council. "No one ever tells me anything, fuss, fuss." And, of course, she was saying it all in front of Nathan, the kidnapped Raro member spending some time with the Aitu tribe. Not too cool; Nathan was all but taking notes and the other tribe members caught onto issues with her loose lips, as well.

In strategy talks at the tribe (most not around Nathan), it looks like the tribe members are having trouble trusting Jonathan. Fueled mainly by JessFlicka, but even his alliance members (Yul, Becky, Candice) expressed increasing doubts about him.

In the tree mail, the castaways received a Survivor's Catalogue and were instructed to pick two items. If they win Reward, they will receive the chosen items and the opportunity to send a member of the opposing tribe to Exile Island. The hidden Immunity Idol was found long ago by Yul and, while only Becky and Yul know it, the rest are pretty sure someone has it.

On Raro, Brad was pushing for potatoes as they'd stay fresh longer than bread, the item which the rest wanted. Peanut butter was a hit for both tribes and chosen without argument. No one listened to him, so their choice was bread and peanut butter. Aitu, on the other hand, went along Brad's school of thought and chose potatoes and peanut butter. There were spices, sewing kits and more in the catalogue, but the peanut butter had cast its spell.

The Reward Challenge had the tribe members grabbing a club, swimming a distance, climbing to a platform, and then jumping off swinging the club at a wooden box to break it. A key within the box then falls in the water. They must dive down and retrieve it, then return to shore. Then it's repeated by others. The keys open chests to puzzle pieces and the tribe who completes the puzzle first wins.

It was very rigorous, especially diving down to retrieve the key. The girls, in particular, were spent. Although Aitu had Nathan (a good swimmer) through the challenge, they didn't quite trust him and had to sit a member out. So, he sat. For Raro, Brad wanted to do the puzzle solving instead of the physical part of the challenge. Oops, Raro lost. Aitu chose Adam to be the Exile Island exile.

Back at the Raro camp, they were all up in arms about Brad choosing to put together the puzzle. Nathan, in a confessional spot, called him "puzzle boy" and "such a Nancy boy." Ouch. Then Nathan went fishing and providing so the women could rest.

Adam didn't even search for the Immunity Idol on Exile Island. A nasty storm moved in and he spent the night huddled in the broken hull of the abandoned ship on the island.

Returning to Aitu, the tribe members awakened to Ozzy carrying a bird he had caught in his hands. Although Jonathan was a bit reluctant, it was decided that the bird was food. They seemed very respectful about it, but I'm sure that someone will be upset. I couldn't kill a bird unless I was starving, but Yul can. Finger-licking good!

Ozzy's "Jungle Boy" abilities continue and the tribe members appreciate them more and more. Ozzy himself seems to have changed a bit and I don't see that huge chip on his shoulder he was carrying in the past. Oh, yeah, there's still a chip on his shoulder, but he's wise enough to put it in his pocket when talking to the others.

The Immunity Challenge had tribe members building a staircase with logs of ascending heights. Once built, they had to climb them to a ramp, take a zipline across the water, and retrieve a bag of puzzle pieces. (Have I mentioned how much I love ziplines? I do, I really do.) Another puzzle? They're having way too many puzzles this season, methinks.

In a shocking conclusion to the challenge, Raro actually won. Yes, you heard me right. Raro won something. So, they're safe until the next Tribal Council and Aitu must lose a member.

Once again, the discussion was regarding trust issues with Jonathan and flaky issues with JessFlicka. Ozzy thought he was pretty safe this time around. He called it right. At the Tribal Council, despite editing to make it look like Jonathan would leave, it was JessFlicka. All votes except for her own vote (Jonathan) were for her exit. Another performance artist bites the dust.
I had some major issues with the editing of tonight's episode. Perhaps I've just watched the show too long or something. But I could tell that Aitu would go to Tribal Council because they focused much too much on the tribe discussing the vote while nary a mention of it from the Raro camp.

I also knew the vote was almost unanimous when they showed JessFlicka's vote for Jonathan first. I didn't have to see any more votes. I recognized the handwriting and knew that since they showed her casting the vote for him and then pulled that vote first, it had to be the only one for him.

I'm not all that sorry to see her go, although she's strong in challenges. If I had to hear how "left out" she was one more time again, I was planning to sneer at her. I'm liking Ozzy and Nathan more each week, while waning my cheering on of Jonathan. I'm ambivalent about Adam and most of the women. Yul is still the one I like for the win.

I think I want to see more sneakiness. I need more. It's Survivor, right?

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update - 11/02 - Tribal Council

JessFlicka was voted out.

Her own vote for Jonathan was the only vote not for her.

A full recap/review will be posted later tonight, stop on back!

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update - 11/02 - Immunity

Are you sitting down?

Go sit down.

Raro won Immunity.

'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - East Coast Update - 11/02 - Reward

Aitu won reward - potatoes and peanut butter chosen from a catalogue.

They chose Adam from Raro to go to Exile Island.

Tonight's 'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' Blogging Schedule

Tonight's show will begin shortly here in the Northeast. As important events occur (Reward, Immunity, Boot), I'll zap up a quick East Coast Update. Later this evening, I'll post a full review/recap.

Remember, you may need to refresh the page or use the November Archive link in the right sidebar of the main page to bring up the most current entry.

Also, don't forget there are discussion posts for those readers who enjoy 'Desperate Housewives', 'Grey's Anatomy', and 'The Bachelor' and 'Nip/Tuck'

Survivors ready?

'Lost' - "The Cost of Living"

The action is getting fast and furious as Lost aired its next to last episode until winter. What is the cost of living? Well, it seems that death is the cost of living, at least on the island.

Oh, and I really think there's only one island despite what we saw last week. I believe Ben showed Sawyer some sort of illusion. Had there been another island that close, how could they have not seen it?

Back to the island and the latest about those kooky fun-loving castaways and their demons...

This episode mainly centered around Eko, in flashbacks and on the island in the present. Last season, we saw a bit of Eko's backstory. Remember, his brother Yemi apparently died in a plane crash of some drug smugglers. When he found the plane on the island, Eko kept the cross that caused the smugglers to think Yemi had been himself. Oh, perhaps you had to be there. Anyway, the flashbacks told more of the story of Yemi, Eko, a bit of their childhood, and the violence which ultimately would be the cost of living.

The show opened with an Eko/Yemi childhood bit in which Eko stole food and was admonished to apologize. "You have sinned." He thought he did what he had to do; he was hungry, he ate something.

Cut back to the "now" on the island, Eko's still in grave condition from the hatch blast and Charlie, Hurley, and Sayid are concerned about him. Drifting in and out of consciousness, he has his own flashbacks to the drug running and his brother Yemi appears onto him. Yemi told him it's time to confess, time to be judged. Uh-oh. That doesn't sound so good and I don't think a Jesus stick is going to help him.

Eko came to only briefly enough to mention his brother to Charlie, then he vanished without a trace from the camp. Locke, meanwhile, wanted to gather a group to head to the Pearl Station (hatch) in hopes of finding a clue which would help them find Jack, Sawyer, and Kate who are still in the clutches of the Others. Desmond thought the computers there could communicate with other computers. While others (not THE others) wanted to find Eko, Locke said that he'd be going to the same place. Locke knew Eko would head to where the drug plane crashed right near the Pearl Station. So, two birds, one stone, and all that. "Don't mistake coincidence for fate," warned Locke.

In Eko's Flashback Sequences
After the initial childhood sequence, they focused on Eko after he "took over" for Yemi at his village. Yes, as the "new priest." An altar boy saw him washing his hands in the holy water and Eko told him he was "washing away his sins." Right then and there the kid had to know he wasn't the real deal.

The armed militia men with whom Yemi had a deal to give most of the vaccine supplies in return for protection came around and Eko refused to deal with them. To prove their seriousness (and ruthlessness), they shot a village woman just to make their point.

When the militia thugs returned after the vaccine shipment arrived, Eko still refused to deal with him. Lead Thug said that he was superstitious and couldn't kill a man of God. Thus, he was going to cut off his hands instead. Eko fought back and (seemingly) killed the men. "You do not know who I am," he said.

The last flashback sequence was Eko preparing to go to London as Yemi was set to do. The locals were boarding up the church. The altar boy's mother warned Eko to repent and to start making his peace now.

On the Island With Jack and the Others
Jack got a personal invite from Ben to Colleen's funeral (the one Sun shot). He wasn't told he was going to a funeral, but he did get a nifty gauzy-white flowing shirt. He started asking Ben questions about his health and the tumor in the x-ray he had seen. Ben played dumb and said he felt fine, didn't know what Jack was talking about. Sure, Ben.

The funeral itself was different from your basic funeral. Colleen's body was on a raft set out to sea, then set afire. And, all the while, tinny loudpeakers played a song which I know that I know, but can't place. It's an older jazz/blues tune about an aching heart and holding someone tight. I guess I'll have to wait for the website with Lost Music to reveal it. (It's driving me crazy!)

At the funeral, we found out that the spine tumor x-ray is indeed Ben's. He told Juliet that she wasn't supposed to tell Jack about it.

After returning to the dry dolphin tank he's called home since being captured by the Others, Jack was visited by Juliet bearing a cheeseburger. Ben arrived and wanted to speak alone with Jack citing doctor/patient confidentiality. He told Jack about some plan they had to "break" him, get him to want to do the surgery and so on. He mentioned that Juliet resembles Jack's ex-wife. Then he claimed he wanted Jack to want to save his life. He asked, "Do you believe in God? I do. Two days after the tumor was found, a spinal surgeon falls out of the sky."

After Ben left, Juliet went back in to the dolphin tank, this time bearing a video she claimed was To Kill a Mockingbird. But, it definitely wasn't. Jack said he didn't want to watch, yet she insisted on putting it on and leaving the volume off. Hidden from the closed-circuit monitors and microphones, the video itself was a series of messages to Jack. Juliet held up a series of signs which said that Ben was evil, a liar, very dangerous and that some on the island want a change. They want Jack to do the surgery and for Ben to unfortunately die. After all, it's a serious surgery with complications. No one would know. She told him it was up to him. He didn't commit.

The Pearl Station Hatch and Eko on the Island
As Eko headed to the hatch and drug plane crash site, we got glimpses of the black smoke wisps. Oh, no! When he saw a huge smoke more-than-a-wisp, all of a sudden it went away and there was Locke, new dude Paulo, Sayid, and the rest of the party heading to the Pearl Station. Later, Eko would ask Locke what he saw. Locke saw a beautiful bright light. "That's not what I saw," said Eko. Me, neither!

While the rest of the party headed down the hatch, Eko remained above. Down in the hatch, new gal Nikki gave them the idea to try to get the other monitors in the bank going. Nothing was on them until... eep! A man with an eye-patch looked into a camera, then blocked it. Yay, a new mystery! (I say with sarcasm.)

Yemi once again appeared to Eko. Yemi told him he's ready to hear his confession. Eko followed him to a stunningly gorgeous spot where he showed Yemi the cross necklace. When Yemi asked him if he was ready, Eko told him he asked for no forgiveness. He didn't sin. He did what he had to do to survive. "When I was a young boy, I killed a man to save my brother. I didn't not ask for this life. It was given to me and I've done the best I can."

Yemi just turned to him and said, "As if I were your brother."

Eko shouted, "Who are you?" Then the smoke monster grew, snagged and dragged him. The folks in the hatch heard a ruckus and found Eko dying in the woods. He whispered something to John Locke, then died.

What did he say? Well, John said he said, "You're next." Yikes!

Answers? Questions?

• An answer - We now know the tumor x-ray subject is indeed Ben
• A question - Yemi indicated that he wasn't Eko's brother. So I have to think that he's not really Yemi?
• A question - Why did that smoke monster look like an elephant snagging Eko? Was that just my impression or did others see the resemblance?
• A question - Wasn't there a glass eye found in one of the hatches at one point? Is it Patch-Eyed Man's eye?
• A question - I don't think that Jack will botch a surgery to appease Juliet, but what if Juliet gains control of the Others?
• A question - What if the whole Juliet asking Jack (secretly) to off Ben is part of Ben's plan to "test" Jack?
• A question - Why did one of my digital shots taken during the episode superimpose Jack over Juliet (see above)? Was it coincidence or fate? It wasn't on the screen. Oh, don't tell me it was just shutter lag!

As usual, there are more questions than there are answers. They think just because they're Lost, we should be, too.

TV Newsy Bits - October 31, 2006

Boo! It's Halloween! If you haven't checked it out, take a peek at the previous entry for some of graphic artist Zoetawny's scary work. After sharing my train ride home with the folks heading into Manhattan for the big costume parade in the village, I'm inside comfy and cozy watching Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Huh. Liza Minelli is the guest star. It's a take-off on the JonBenet Ramsey case.

In other television news, news sources indicate that Studio 60 may or may not be canceled. Yep, it's a ball of confusion. With last night's episode pre-empted, news on the Internet indicated cancellation. Yet, the latest news coming from the Los Angeles Times, says that more scripts have been ordered.

In articles I read last night, it was said that the show was being canceled mainly due to low ratings and a high overhead due to the salaries the stars commanded. Now, in the latest, NBC is saying that FOX started the rumors. I don't know. I'm just reporting what I read. Maybe their people will call my people and clear it all up or something. But, I thought show fans might appreciate the better news that's out there today.

And, for fans of the show - John Goodman Guest Stars Next Week on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Scary TV Newsy Bits - October 30, 2006

Bwahahahaha! Graphic artist Zoetawny made me a cool, yet scary, Halloween tag for the blog!

Let's see... what else is scary? Oh, I know! I was channel-flipping yesterday and came upon the Stephen King movie The Shining, the one with Jack Nicholson. I've seen it before, but never in Spanish! I watched the "Here's Johnny!" scene and the kid in his "redrum" mode which really doesn't translate well into Spanish. Now, that was scary!

• For those who enjoy the ghouls and goblins, as well as blood and gore, AMC (cable) is running the gamut of scary movies tomorrow. Eek, what's that hockey mask?
• BRAVO (also cable) has a two-hour block of Even Scarier Movie Moments running from 8 PM to 10 PM ET/PT.
• A Ghost Visits Melinda & Jim's Camping Trip Next Week on "Ghost Whisperer"
• A Exorcism Leads to a Disappearance Next Week on "Without a Trace"
• "Lost" Stars Kept in the Dark

'The Amazing Race 10' - Ep. 7 -or- "The Six Pack Hangs Back"

Six teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

The operative word "next" is indeed the operative word this time. But, you can't depend on that being the case. It used to be that there were huge hints whether a leg was a non-elimination or not. Instead of "next," we'd hear "tonight." In the last clue before the Pit Stop, instead of "may be eliminated," we'd get "will be eliminated." It's a gentler and kinder world, but the non-elimination legs don't always come at the right time for the right team of racers. Unless, of course, they hail from Kentucky in The Amazing Race 10.

Now, remember, thanks to the Cho Brothers and the Fast Forward, David and Mary were the first arrive in the last Pit Stop in Kuwait. David and Mary had to arrive first as they were marked for elimination and would have to wait out a 30 minute penalty if they didn't come in first at the Pit Stop. Why was that? Well, it's because they arrived last in the leg before and lucked out with it being a non-Philimination leg.

So, David and Mary were the first to depart the Pit Stop with a good three-hour lead over the next team. Will they be able to maintain their standing or will they fall back with the pack?

As it happens, their lead only led them to a bunching point. Common, a bit too common, that's when all the teams end up together due to circumstances. This particular circumstance was an airport flight to Mauritius. Despite the Beauty Queens (Dustin and Kandice) thinking that the travel agents were clueless and turning down more than a few tickets for the flight; despite a thorny snit betwixt the Boy Ex-Addict Models (Tyler and James) and the Alabama Moms (Lyn and Karlyn)... all the teams ended up on the same flight. At least the snit was entertaining as the Boy Toys mocked the Surly Moms.

A worthwhile quote from the snit - Either Lyn or Karlyn to the Boys: "Live with that on your conscious!" Um. Okay. As long as it's not on my conscience.

The alliance between the ChoBros (Erwin and Godwin), Kentucky (David and Mary), and Alabama (Lyn and Karlyn) continues to strengthen. They've dubbed themselves (or have been dubbed by the other teams) as the Six Pack. I've never seen major alliances work or even be attempted on this show in the past. I guess we'll see how this one pans out.

Of the alliance, the strongest team is the Chos. I hope the two weaker teams, probably the weakest competitively in the race, won't bring them down. I really enjoy David and Mary, but they're making it by the skin of their teeth each leg. Lyn and Karlyn are placing okay, but both are very out of shape for any physical doings. Tyler and James think that the Chos want to bring weaker teams to the Final Three so they can win. Meanwhile, the Chos claim that, as an alliance, they can be stronger than those who fend for themselves.

From that point, the teams were told their next clue would be in their vehicles. It was a model boat. It didn't take any of the teams too long to figure out that the model must have a real-life counterpart somewhere on the island. Lyn and Karlyn didn't wait for Kentucky like the ChoBros did. They didn't think it made any sense for all the teams in the Six Pack to be behind. Ah, so they're in an alliance when it suits themselves, eh? I got it!

Once the teams found the real-life schooner in the bay, they had to swim out to it, retrieve a clue, then swim back to shore. That bodes well if you can swim, of course. Neither David or Mary are strong swimmers. Apparently, from what they said, even though David was thrown in a lake to learn how to swim when he was a child, they're both a bit leery of swimming. The Boy Toys, even after getting very lost (again) turned out to be very strong swimmers and this was their chance to get a leg up on the leg. I snickered when I saw Kimberly swims better than Rob.

That clue directed them to find the post office at Case Noyale, so the teams were happy for dry land. Of course, we had the usual teams getting lost, Tyler and James are constants in that regard. "We didn't go the wrong way. We just took a wrong turn." "That's going the wrong way!" Rob and Kimberly had a blow-up brouhaha of two as Rob couldn't get it in gear. His car, that is. But, the kicker this time was that Kandice and Dustin really crunched their car right into the vehicle ahead of them. I'm surprised nothing was said at the Pit Stop later on about the crash. It was entirely their fault.

The clue at the post office was a Detour, a choice between two tasks tied in with the region's economy. Both team members take part in a Detour. They could choose from Salt or Sea. In Salt, the teams had to find a salt shaker with a clue in huge piles of salt. A play on the old "needle in a haystack," most teams initially went for this task. They kept finding salt shakers, but they were filled with salt or pepper, nary a clue to be found.


All the teams ended up heading to the second task, Sea, which was Dustin and Kandice's original choice. In Sea, teams sailed to an island, followed a map to find sails and a mast, installed them on a boat, then sailed back. David and Mary were the last to give up on Salt, but their Six Pack saved them shouting when they found the masts. The map wasn't clear at all. Needless to say, Tyler and James got very lost.

From the Detour, it was immediately to the Pit Stop with no Roadblock this week. I found that a bit odd. I'm not sure what filled up the hour. While the scenery in Mauritius was stunning, the show left me a bit bewildered tonight. It seemed to be missing something and that was the adrenalin rush which accompanies the Roadblock. And, I suppose, the hour was filled up with the Six Pack alliance and reactions to it. Give me action, guys. If I want alliances, I'll rewatch Survivor.

The arrival order of the teams at the Pit Stop at the Château de Bel Ombre:

1. Dustin and Kandice - Each won a motor scooter. Phil said they could take a rider or a date, but was speechless when one asked him for a date. "Um..."
2. Tyler and James - How can they get so lost so much and still place so well? If they had a sense of direction, they'd be three days ahead of the rest.
3. Rob and Kimberly - They placed well, but they are not getting along well. I predict implosion soon.
4. Erwin and Godwin - My favorites, but they really have to start concentrating on their own race.
5. Lyn and Karlyn - I'm admiring how hard they're working and I bet their children are thrilled, but I think they're the least nice of the Six Pack. I swear that they'd push the ChoBros out of the way if things got close enough to do so. I know they like them, but these women have a nasty edge to them.
6. David and Mary - Last, but saved by a non-Philimination leg once again - the second in a period of three weeks. I like them. I'm getting a kick out of them. I know the non-elimination legs are pre-determined, but I find it hard to believe two such legs are so close together and the same team saved both times. Once again, they're marked for elimination and must come in first on the next leg or face a 30 minute penalty. As much as I enjoy watching them, I hope the ChoBros don't put their own race in jeopardy to save them again.

This wasn't my favorite episode. I want my adrenalin pumping and tonight's episode just didn't do that for me.

'The Amazing Race 10' East Coast Update - Arrival Order And...

They did it again.

The arrival at the Pit Stop went down like this:
1. Dustin/Kandice - Each won a motor scooter
2. Tyler/James
3. Rob/Kimberly
4. Erwin/Godwin
5. Lyn/Karlyn
6. David/Mary

It was a non-Philimination leg and once again David and Mary are marked for elimination. If they don't come in first on the next leg, they must endure a 30 minute penalty at the Pit Stop.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight, stop on back!

Tonight's 'Amazing Race' Blogging

The show just started here in the NYC area. Football, of course. I'll post the Philimination around 9:20 PM ET in an East Coast update. Later, a full recap/review will be posted. Stop on back!

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, October 28, 2006

It's rainy and windy here in the Northeast, so it's a perfect day to rent movies, stay inside and quaff hot chocolate! And, of course, remember to set the clocks back an hour tonight. Spring forward and fall back, y'know.

What kind of TV related newsy bits have I found peeking around this morning on the Internet? Well, here ya go:

• If your heart is set on marrying Simon Cowell, don't fear - Simon Cowell Rules Out "Ridiculous" Marriage
• Reichen Lehmkuhl, Lance Bass's new love and past Amazing Race winner, claims he's receiving threats from exposing his experiences in the service - Former Amazing Race Winner Receives "Serious Threats" Over Book
• Preview for "House" on FOX November 1st
• I found this article - The Cho Brothers Almost Walk On Water - an interesting read. The ChoBros rule!
• RNO transcribed the most recent Insider video from The Amazing Race in this article.
• Extreme Makeover yanked, Lost sets its hiatus return date in this newsy bit.

Sneak Peek: TBS New Series '10 Items or Less'

Turner Broadcasting's cable station TBS has undergone programming changes since its incarnation back in 1976, going from the "The SuperStation" to the "Very Funny" station. Or, perhaps it's the Very Funny SuperStation.

Ah, but the question is...

How funny is it?

The station airs a stock group of syndicated sitcom series which have a track record for being Very Funny. And, come November, they'll be offering a new original series airing late-nights, geared for the adult market and, promising to be Very Funny.

I was lucky enough to secure a sneak peek at the first two episodes of 10 Items or Less, set to premiere November 27 at 11 PM ET/PT.

This series is the brainchild of creators and executive producers Nancy Hower, Robert Hickey, and John Lehr (who also stars in the show). It's not quite the typical sitcom as they're using a "loosely-scripted" format and depending on the cast for improvisation to make it Very Funny.

Does it work? Let me just go into the premise a bit before I answer that question...

Leslie Pool, played by John Lehr, is a rather unsuccessful businessman in New York City who takes it upon himself to run his deceased father's grocery store (dubbed Greens & Grains) back in his hometown in Ohio. Greens & Grains is a small independent grocery with a handful of quirky employees and a very competitive super grocery chain store right across the street - the Super Value Mart. The show is actually filmed in a real supermarket with real customers coming and going. And, it's "loosely-scripted" which means that while they have a detailed outline for each show, the actors don't work by script. They're given a general idea of where the episode wants to go and they're encouraged to improvise.

So, a lot of this show's success will depend on the comedic quick thinking of the cast. Does it work with the cast at hand? I think it does on the whole. These grocery employees are indeed "out there" but I myself have worked in stores over the years. Dang, some of these character-types do exist. I swear they do. Yeah, they may be exaggerated to a point, but they're out there. They really are. And, the actors in the series seem to be into character and thinking on their feet for the most part.

My personal favorite character interaction in the two episodes I saw was that between Christopher Liam Moore as Richard and Greg Davis Jr., as Buck. Buck's a bagger who, when offered a move up the ladder to cashier, sees the dollar signs and the big bucks in the esteemed cashier role. Richard is the current cashier, a very particular and rather persnickety individual. He feels threatened by Buck's aspiration to be a cashier, yet strangely drawn to following Buck's lead at times. Together, I find these two characters to be a hoot. (Yes, Very Funny.)

Overall, I think this series probably isn't going to take over the world, but it will attract an audience, especially in the 11 PM time slot when much of the programming is on the serious side. I had a few chortles and at least one guffaw while watching it - and I like to guffaw. I don't do it often enough.

One thing I think took a bit away from the show was the shakiness of the camera during rather still-focused shots. I'm a reality TV buff and I'm used to that sort of camera work, albeit I'm obviously a bit ignorant about the correct technical jargon for it. But, darn it, stop wiggling so much when focused on one character for a few moments! It detracts from the scene on hand.

The series will air Monday nights at 11 PM ET/PT on TBS starting November 27th. The cast includes John Lehr, Jennifer Elise Cox, Robert Clendenin, Greg Davis Jr., Chris Payne Gilbert, Kirsten Gronfield, Christopher Liam Moore, and Roberta Valderrama.

Tonight's 'Survivor 13: Cook Islands' - 10/26

Tonight's show isn't a real episode. It's that mid-season recap with some new material thrown in. It's likely I won't blog about the show itself unless there's some fantastically amazing new material we haven't previously seen.

Of course, if you want to comment about the show's happenings here, go for it. I'll be listening and probably comment a bit myself. But I doubt an actual entry, per se. There will be no East Coast Updates as there won't really be any action.

Enjoy the show!

'Lost' - "Every Man For Himself"

Graphic artist Zoetawny made me another new tag! Cool. Now I can rotate them! (She rocks, y'know.)

I swear I'm getting just a tad more lost each week watching Lost, aren't you? Perhaps I was doing better when I knew a bit less, the days of pushing the button, a strange French woman, and mysterious hatches. I really can't figure the Others out at all. They keep claiming they're not evil and the show has shown us evil in the "good" people stranded on the island.

I can't help but think of Benjamin Limus (whom I used to think of as Henry Gale) as being almost the persona of evil. Michael Emerson, who plays the role, is perfect for the part and he can creep me out with a single glance. How can he be on the side of Good? I just don't see it.

Tonight's episode had no polar bears running amok and didn't really answer any of our past questions, per se. Did it bring up a few new questions? Well, of course. It's Lost, after all.

The show opened up on the camp where Desmond's character is getting even a bit more quirky. He told Claire that she should move the baby down the beach as he needed to fix her shelter roof. Charlie, jealous and jumpy dude that he is, balked and Desmond seemed to give up on the idea. But, he didn't give up.

Instead, he asked the still-not-officially-introduced character Paulo for a golf club. He rigged it to a wooden pole and thus, he saved the world as easy as pushing a button. Okay, it actually acted as a lightning rod and took a blow that supposedly would have struck Claire's shelter. How did he know a storm would hit so suddenly? And, more importantly, how did he know lightning would strike right there? I haven't a clue. I said he's growing more quirky.

The majority of the show focused on the captives - Jack, Sawyer, and Kate. In flashback sequences this week, Sawyer's past was expanded upon. Again, the flashback sequences were interspersed with the "now" and they both tied in together in theme. I'm separating them here so I don't get dizzy jumping back and forth from past to present.

Sawyer in Flashbacks
The flashbacks focused on Sawyer's prison days. He was a tough guy (of course) and had problems with the prison warden. Or, so he claimed to a new prisoner who seemed to be abused by the inmates and receiving special privileges from the warden. That guy stole ten million dollars, yet said he didn't do it. The warden and other prisoners were sure he did it and hid the money.

In one sequence, both Sawyer and the other prisoner (Munson?) were visited by women. Munson's woman was blackmailing him and Sawyer's woman was the girlfriend whom he swindled and the reason he was in jail. She showed him a baby picture and claimed it was his daughter, Clementine. That explains why he's sung the song before. He denied being the father.

He grew closer with Munson after the visit and, dang, the con man conned the other con man. Munson told him where the ten million dollars was hidden and asked him to relocate it for him.

It turns out it was all a Get Out of Jail Free Card played by Sawyer. He was working for the Feds and the prison warden in a deal to get a hefty commission and leave a free man. He asked that his take, er... commission be put in a fund for Clementine with no way she could find out who gave her the money.

The "Now" on the Island
They've occupied Jack with cartoons, but that just isn't doing the trick. The Others continue to keep Jack separate in the dolphin cage while Sawyer and Kate are in the bear cages, as well as working together on the chain gang. Jack tried to stir up a problem with Juliet by accusing her of being Benjamin's pawn. She denied that Benjamin was the leader.

It was all interrupted by Benjamin himself bursting in. He needed Juliet to attend to Danny's girl (as Sawyer called her), Coleen -- the one who was shot by Sun in the episode before last. Juliet is their only doctor. Meanwhile, Sawyer and Kate see Cole being carried on the stretcher. Sawyer chalks it up to a point for their side and says it's a ticket out of there. I don't really understand his reasoning, but that's okay. I'm lost, of course.

Sawyer came up with a plan to use the food/water/music button in his cage to create a puddle of water and electrocute the next Other who came to the cage. Well, that happened to be Benjamin who beat Sawyer's butt. Sawyer previously said none of the men really knew how to fight. But tonight he found that Benjamin can wipe the floor with him without raising a sweat.

For his attempt against Ben, Sawyer was taken by the others and awakened strapped to a table, then knocked out with a huge needle of something. When he awakened after his surgery of some sort, Ben went bananas shaking a rabbit in a cage until it supposedly died. He told Sawyer that he had implanted pacemakers in both the rabbit and him. If the heart beat goes over a certain rate, the pacemaker would explode and kill him as it did the rabbit. EEK! He gave Sawyer a watch-like heart monitor. As his allowed excited rate is 140 beats per minute, a warning alarm triggers at 125 and he'd need to rest. It was to keep him from attacking others or escaping and he wasn't to tell Kate. Okay.

Meanwhile, Juliet, against the wishes of her Other buddies, wanted Jack to try to save the gunshot victim. They set off alarms to cover any voices, put a hood over his head, and led him by the cages with Kate and Sawyer. They called him, they knew it was him. But he couldn't hear them over the alarms.

He also couldn't save Coleen. She died despite his efforts. So, Danny the Other, went out and beat Sawyer to a pulp just because. All the time he was beating him, Sawyer couldn't fight back because he didn't want the pacemaker to blow up. Also, Danny kept shouting to Kate, "Do you love him? Do you love him?" Finally, when she said she did, he stopped.

But, you must remember, they say they're the Good Guys.

Sawyer, with his macho man image, claimed that Danny "hit like a girl." Kate realized she could fit through the bars at the top of her bear cage and wanted to escape. It worked. She got out and was stunned when Sawyer refused to go with her. He told her that it's "every man for himself" and that she should leave him behind. We know it's the pacemaker-bomb bit, but Kate didn't have a clue. She climbed back in her cage probably figuring she now knows how to get out.

But, she won't escape because that Evil Benjamin was at his bank of monitors watching every moment of it!

Then I got more lost with the next events. Benjamin and his henchment took Sawyer for a long walk up a hill which triggered his monitor. Sawyer thought they were trying to kill him, so did I. Then Ben showed him that the dead rabbit is still alive, said it was only sedated, and that neither Sawyer nor the rabbit had pacemakers. Conning the con man. Of course, that ties in with the flashback sequences. Benjamin says he's a better con man. I say he's just evil personafied.

Then they walked to a cliff which overlooked where the Oceanic 815 crash victims were. I just can't get the significance of that scene at all. To me, all it showed was that there are two separate islands in close proximity in an otherwise wide open sea. Did I miss something?

Back at the Others, Jack had noticed an x-ray of a man's spine as he attended to the gunshot victim. He grilled Juliet about it saying that a tumor on the spine is obvious and that person was in danger. That spine is Benjamin's.

Just one real question for me this week. Why was the rabbit labeled with an 8? It's one of the Lost recurring numbers, but...!

Oh, I'm still Lost. Will I ever be Found?

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, October 23, 2006

Tonight was Heroes night for me once again. I'm hooked. I'm not quite sure how long the premise will be able to be dragged out, though. If they save the world from the one NYC blast, is it over? Or will they "see" more problems and keep saving the world? Now that the ones with the powers are starting to meet up, I'm enjoying the show even more.

And, of course, my favorite character on the show is Hiro, played by Masi Oka. I found an interesting interview with him at Q&A with Masi Oka - if you enjoy the show, check out the interview!

In other stuff:

• Survivor's Cao Boi's local paper had an online write-up about him. Loved or hated on 'Survivor,' Cao Boi still loved at home - Roanoke.com
• 'Lost' Losing its Audience?
• Both Cristina and Cao Boi are scheduled to be on Letterman tonight. I'll be watching!

What did you watch tonight?