Thursday, February 07, 2008

Survivor 16: Micronesia -- East Coast Update - Season Premiere

jackie's tv blog, survivor

The show has started here on the East Coast. As it airs, major happenings will be updated here in this entry. My full review of the episode is now posted on TV Squad.

This new graphic is the work of Zoetawny ... way cool!

Please check back here and, as always, feel free to voice your thoughts in the comments!

So far, Yau-Man shoved JOnny Fairplay aside to get an immunity idol. Heh.

No Reward Challenge -- fans win the first Immunity Challenge and get flint. Thanks to Yau-Man, the faves already have fire, but they'll lose a person tonight.

Jonny Fairplay was voted out unanimously and smiling. Interesting.

Survivors Ready? Jeff on 'The Early Show' and Tonight's Plan

Okay, now's the time the blogging gets scary for me. At 8 PM, Survivor 16: Micronesia premieres. At 9 PM, Celebrity Apprentice and a new Lost are up against each other. What's a blogger to do?

Since I'm under contract with a deadline to write the Survivor episode review for TV Squad, that's a priority. I will open a post here with East Coast Updates for the premiere -- boot and anything really important will be posted as the show airs in the NYC area. Then I have to get to writing it up for TVS.

Since Lost really needs my full attention, I will be recording it and posting my review tomorrow evening (tonight if I'm awake enough to get it done, but I don't think time will cooperate).

So, as I write the Survivor episode up for TVS, I'll have Celebrity Apprentice on in the background so that I can post an update on the firing for blog readers here. I don't have to watch watch that show as I do with Lost. I apologize in advance for the late Lost, but I do have to get up early for work in the morning and the show has to be watched carefully or you miss something.

If you missed Jeff Probst (who still really doesn't like Jonny Fairplay) on today's The Early Show, here's the video:


Wednesday, February 06, 2008

'American Idol 7' - The Final Audition Show (yay)

Jackie's TV Blog, American Idol
I'm not finding the auditions this season as interesting as they were for me in seasons past. So i'm glad they're drawing to a close.

Right now there's a girl named Amy on the stage. She's good, but I don't think she's all that special.

Another voice from God church singer, Tiffany, is up next. I have bad vibes as they mock her intro with church music. Well, she yell-sings well enough.

Relationships betwixt contestants is the theme now ... a love triangle set to the theme from Three's Company. Twins Chris and Cory Lane, two of the love triangle, think they're some sort of rap moguls or suburban Eminems with no talent. They think they're white Brittenum twins. Blech.

Ah, but the girl of the trio comes in with an adorable puppy. Ashley is blonde and talks like Kellie Pickler. As a matter of fact, she reminds me of Kellie if Kellie couldn't sing. She doesn't make it at all -- Simon says that it was excruciating. She took her dog and skipped on out.

Caedin Lee McKinney is singing now. She has a big voice, but ... Simon thinks she's more theatrical than recording. Paula and Randy okay her, Simon nixes her. It's onto Hollywood.

A very pretty plus-sized model type is coming in -- she's from Hoboken and sang the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden. Very nice. Joanne defintitely could be a contender. Randy and Paula push her through while Simon says no. I disagree with Simon on rhia one.

Blonde Alesha (sp) Stelzl is on. Make her stop, please. Anyone who thinks they're beautiful and curls her eyebrows in public should be banned. No go for her. Simon called it dreadful and painful. Uh-oh, they told her to go learn a Dolly Parton song and return.

She learns "Islands in the Stream" and returns. Let's see. It's not as bad as first time around, for sure. I can't see her winning anything with it, but Randy and Paula push her through. @@

Weird audition times ahead. A stripping heavy girl and a potty-mouthed rocker. Then it's Jay Smoove. He thinks he's a;; that and he can do push ups. His real name is Joshua Moreland and he has his own song and pixie dust. Very odd, thankfully not scary. Simon sweeps up the pixie dust, but doesn't know how to use the broom.

It's a Simon is losing his mind segment. From where they are to names, he's lost it all. I'm glad he's not going for trying my name. A contestant from last year is back, Chikezie Ezie is up, Simon wanted to kill him last year but I don't remember him. He doesn't have a bad voice at all, but I can't see him being a huge star. But he makes it through to Hollywood.

Danny Noriega folded under pressure last year, but he's back. He could get the young girls in his camp I'm sure. He goes for the Tina Turner version of "Proud Mary." Randy loved the audition. All three judges say yes. Actually, he's someone I could see attracting an audience -- the Snajaya fans will love him and he has more talent.

So, the auditions are over.

Yay.

It's onto Hollywood next week. 164 made it through and instruments and drama are around the bend.

Video of Today's 'Big Brother 9' Intro on 'The Early Show'

Here's the video of today's The Early Show Big Brother 9 segment.



The photo gallery of the new house is on the official website, too! I like the firepit!

CBS Official 'Big Brother 9' Website Has Arrived

Yes, the reveal took place on The Early Show and the official CBS website is up and running with images and bios for the new hamsters!

I'm not all that keen on t
he soulmates theme and the almost all white and in their 20s cast, but bring it on! I apologize for the repeat of the pictures, but since more information is out and about, I want to give you my take on them and hope to hear what you think of the latest cast.

Here's my quick take on the cast:

Adam -- Oh, although listed as from Florida, we have a Jersey boy here. He has to have some kind of smarts (although being intelligent isn't always a winning trait in the BB house) -- he has a master's degree in fashion design/marketing.

According to his bio, he's close to his mother and likes aggressive women. I'm sure a shrink could have some fun with that, eh? He supposedly talks a big game with women and considers himself a Casanova type. Oh, great!

He thinks himself stylish and trendy. He also boasts his own clothing label (which is totally unknown to the masses at this time). I don't know how thrilled I am with Adam so far.

Amanda -- I wasn't aware that there's a Winona, Minnesota. It kind of has a ring to it, kind of rolls off the tongue. Oh, she's a legal contract specialist for a large health care company. With impending knee surgery, I'm all too familiar with health care issues -- but maybe she'll spill some of the red tape beans!

She's the one on The Early Show who t
hought she would stun folks with her good looks and they wouldn't realize she's smart, too. I'm generally not one to base anything on looks, but she brought it up first. I don't think she's a stunningly beautiful woman.

Then again, she has two cats. So, that's in her favor. My jury is out on her.

Alex -- Okay, here's my local yokel as I'm not far outside of Staten Island, NY. If memory serves from watching The Early Show this morning, he has the accent. (I don't have the local NYC/NJ accent, thankfully.)

He has a rather unusual upbringing. He was raised by his single mother, his father came into his life while he was in high school, then he lost his father on 9/11. He's working on his second master's degree, so the kid ain't no dummy.

His favorite movie is The Wedding Crashers. Hmmm ... it's an all right choice to watch, but favorite? He says he's a true romantic looking for the right girl, so he's not one planned for a gay coupling on the show. Too bad he's still a child!

Allison -- Ack, an Allison on Big Brother! Bad flashbacks! Bad flashbacks! At least she doesn't spell it with one "L" and she's a brunette. But, still. I would like to call a moratorium on women named Allison on the show. Alison's voice on the feeds still shrieks through my head!

So far, this is a well-schooled cast with all having at least a bachelor's degree, far better than some casts in the past with drifters and ne'er-do-wells. Oh, wait. She has the same job as April on BB6 -- pharmaceutical sales rep!

Supposedly guys like her, women hate her, she's a well-traveled person to whom people gravitate as she captures the attention in any room. Uh-huh, we'll see.

Chelsia -- Not the average spelling of the name and it's going to be tough to keep from typo-ing Chelsea. I will try my best. She doesn't have her degree yet, but is expected to study in Austria in the fall, so the winter BB is perfect timing for her. Will a half-million help with her college loans?

Aw, she has a cat named Pugsley.
How cute is that? I'm not too entranced by his music choices (Tool and Marilyn Manson), but her TV show and movie choices are decent.

She's a tattooed and pierced kind of woman. She claims she's had EVERYTHING pierced. Ouch. She likes older men (and they won't be all that much older with this cast) and wants to sell Harleys. She might be very interesting to watch.

Jacob -- An ex-Marine (some of the cast may be looking for a few good men), Jacob attended elementary schools in both San Diego and Japan before settling in Maryland, then North Carolina. The guy apparently gets around, eh?

He's apparently still a bit smitten with his ex-girlfriend although he's trying to move on. It's hard to move on when he has a tattoo of a symbol she made, though.

He thinks he's funny, ener
getic, and caring. Although he's not really striking me as the epitome of a BB winner, I think this kid might do well. Something is telling me he'll get along fairly well with the other houseguests and, if he does, he could go a long way in the show.

James -- Now, here's the ultimate drifter, perhaps ne'er-do-well, for the show! He's definitely the odd duck and his appearance on The Early Show brought back memories of the Joe hype last season. "Oh, I'm so crazy and funny! Look at me! Look at me!"

He's
a high school graduate bicycling across the country with absolutely no money. He says he learned to get attention by being different. Ah, yes ... an obvious attention-seeker. He wore costumes to school when it wasn't Halloween and was known as the "school freak."

He might be entertaining to watch in the house, but I get the feeling that he might be incredibly annoying and over the top for the other houseguests. He was once engaged to an older woman, so he might be targeted to be the soulmate to Sheila.

Jen -- A typical career for the reality television generation, she's a bartender. She's a fun and crazy party girl who's bounced from one relationship to the next. Perfect fodder for the BB scandals!

She has a teaching degree and claims it's a job she loves and misses. I'm not too sure whether being on BB9 will enamor her with educational institutions. I guess it depends on how wild and crazy she is.


She thinks she's beautiful and boast tattoos and piercings. Her favorite activities include shopping and tanning. Now, perhaps it's wrong for me to judge her before I get to know her on the feeds, but ... can you say bimbo?

Joshuah -- I hope he's called Josh as I know I'll spell the name wrong and lose the "h." He's good-looking. He's gay. Why am I not surprised?

Before coming out he played high school football and had longterm
relationships with women. His family has never forgiven him for sleeping with his sister's cheerleading coach thus ruining her cheerleading career -- the scandal which brought him out of the closet.

He's an exhibitionist (which should be great for the feeds), considers himself a bi-sexual, and doesn't care what others think of him. The latter could be the kiss of death on the show if he's too off-putting to the other houseguests. He's scared of snakes and believe they're the spawn of Satan. Hmmm ...

Matt -- He's an only child whose father died when he was nine. He's close to his mother. He thinks he's the "ultimate competitor" and was on Couples' Fear Factor three years ago (losing).

He has a Boston ac
cent, and a "ripped body." He also thinks he's the "biggest liar/sweet talker that America will ever meet." Like several other houseguests this season, he has tattoos and a turtle. (Where are these HG getting all the turtles and why? This is like the third or fourth one with a turtle or turtles. Is there a movement going on that I don't know about?)

He's a New England Patriots fan. Bwahahaha! I hope he got the news while in sequester! I think he might think too much of his keen abilities to play the game of Big Brother.

Natalie -- A religious bikini barista who carries her Bible wherever she goes. Well, well, well ... yeah, I find that a bit incongruous, don't you?

She can make any coffee drink imaginable, I like that. She does it
in a bikini. That I could do without, but it could be just me. Sex and coffee isn't quite the same as sex and candy, eh?

She doesn't have a turtle, but has two cats and a Jack Russel terrier. What do these folks do with their pets for three months? She seems to think she's too sexy for her shirt, so sexy. I don't know. I realize there's a market for sex, but I'm not so keen on her thrusting her chest at me. She wants to open a mermaid art store. Okay ...

Neil -- Another good-looking gay guy. While he's studied criminology, criminal justice, political science, and business management, he hasn't earned a degree. (I recall my days of wanting to be a professional student, but you can't make a good living at it!)

He's close to his mother and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a modeling and acting career -- perfect aspirations for a future reality television "star," huh?

He's athletic and thinks he's loyal, outgoing, and energetic. Ho-hum. Another pretty face, methinks. Let's see if he has any pizzazz in the house!

Parker -- Oh, my. That hair. He's definitely not the man to sit behind in the movie theater! Parker's the only person of color in this rather bland and colorless BB house. That actually might work in his favor dependent on his personality.

Oh! Oh! He's a member of the TMZ paparazzi -- a proper paparazzo kind of guy if there is such a thing. I can see TMZ having fun with this during the season -- one of their homeboys in the house.


He's proud of losing 45 pounds (kudos to him) and thinks he's inappropriate, unpredictable, and authentic. While it seems like another cry for attention, I guess that's the sort of people who actually go into the house. I think he might be interesting to watch on those late cold winter nights.

Ryan -- What's this? Another professional student? 27 and still studying for his bachelors in economics and business. Maybe I'm old school, but it seems that age should be out in the business world, not still pursuing an undergraduate degree. A masters or doctorate, yeah. But ...!

Another center of attention kind of guy, Ryan thinks he's loud, stubborn, opinionated, and sometimes a troublemaker. Well, if he goes overboard with that persona, I can see the other houseguests quickly throwing him under the bus after Dick's win last season.

He has a pit bull and he's the second HG with a September 16 birthdate. Hmmm, does it mean something? I don't know.

Sharon -- A military brat who considers herself spirited, lively, feisty, and dramatic yet sweet. Well, that's a lot going on for her, I guess.

She's currently single, but has had a 12 year on and off relationship. 12 years?!?! Dang, she was 11 when she started the relationship! What kind of relationship can you have when you're 11? Wait, I might not want to know.

She also thinks she's loud and over the top. Yes, apparently another one who enjoys the attention spotlight. she has two cats and a dog. Her favorite activities are talking (yes, so she says), drama, and tanning. She's blonde. Oh, I don't mean anything by that. I'm just sayin', that's all.

Sheila -- The sole "older" person on the show. She's 45 and none of the other houseguests have even hit 30 yet. She's not quite representative of the over 40 crowd at large, though.

She's a former Penthouse Playmate of the Year and lived with Bob Guccione in his 35-million-dollar home for ten years in the 80s. She had the high life, although that seems past news these days.

She says she has a temper and yells and cries when she's angry -- always good live feeds drama fodder. She stands up to those who try to intimidate her and shows a good front even when she's scared on the inside.

How will she fit in with the children in the house? I guess we'll see soon.