Reminder: Bonnie Hunt Ultimate Quiz Prize Giveaway Ends Tomorrow

This is an older photo I took and messed with. He's not waiting for the subway train -- he's waiting for you to enter my Ultimate Bonnie Hunt Quiz Prize Giveaway! So far I have over a dozen correct entries in the punch bowl and, if you haven't entered already, you have until midnight ET tomorrow to get in the running!

The Big Bang Theory Review

I actually took this photo of fall foliage in my neighborhood a season or two back, but it's fitting for today. Brrr ... it's chilly!

My TBBT review is up over on CliqueClack TV if you want to take a peek!

NEW 2008 Dancing With the Stars Discussion - Part 2

Here's your NEW place to discuss the new season. The official website for the show is located right here. I received comments that there were too many comments on the original post, so spread the word there's a new one!

'Prison Break' Blog Discussion Post

Here's your place to gather and discuss Prison Break. I don't watch the show, but I do read the comments! You can get here via the link in the sidebar. Prison Break airs on Mondays at 9 PM ET/PT on FOX and the official show website is right here.

Blog Announcements and Stuff

This is another flowers photo I took with the illustration mode on my older Pentax digital camera last week.

You may wonder why I called you all here. Well, I didn't really physically call y'all, but you know what I mean. A longtime member of this blog community, Sharon, has been experiencing extreme health issues. As a result, a group of folks got together to try to help her out. With no health insurance and hospital/doctor bills, it's probably cash Sharon needs the most. If you wish to contribute, please send an email to laurie1109@yahoo.com with the word "donation" in the subject header. She can give you more details. We're all praying for her.

In other news, I have a new Reality TV Newsy Bits post up on CliqueClack TV and my Amazing Race review is aboard TV Squad. Hmm ... interesting ... someone at CliqueClack decided to change the name of Newsy Bits to "Reality Clack." Nice of them to ask me.

In yet other news, I have to go for another Doppler test next week to check the status of my DVT and check for any new ones. I don't mind the test as it's actually kind of cool -- sort of like an ultrasound for pregnancies, but the veins have all kinds of audio. What I'm not too thrilled about is that they're out of my insurance network. But I've already paid my out of network deductible (the day after my surgery when the clot was discovered and I was all doped up). So it's not as bad as it could be.

Tonight I'll be reviewing The Big Bang Theory for CliqueClack TV. I think I'm going to drop trying to live-blog Heroes here as it's hard to pay attention to the show and you really have to. Maybe I'll put a post up around the time it airs so folks can talk in commercials, then fill it in with some of the major goings-on afterwards. I'll face the same quandary with Lost once it returns. Both shows are very hard to blog because there's so much happening in each episode.

The Amazing Race - 10/05 Show

Argh, it's no surprise, but the show is delayed here in the NYC area due to football. Once it starts, this entry will be updated with major events and perhaps a random thought or two as it airs. Meanwhile, enjoy Zoetawny's new TAR graphic and cheer on your team in the comments!

Finally it started here, 8:30 PM ET.

Okay, I deem both Terence and Tina utterly annoying.

I feel bad for Sarah, but don't mind that Terence didn't follow the signs to the taxi. Kelly and Christy digging for a container on the Beach It is a hoot!

Pit Stop Order
1. Ken and Tina - Each won an off-road vehicle
2. Mark and Bill
3. Terence and Sarah
4. Aja and Ty
5. Toni and Dallas
6. Nick and Starr
7. Kelly and Christy
8. Andrew and Dan
9. Marisa and Brooke
10. Anthony and Stephanie - Philiminated

What I've Been Up To

No, I didn't go into the city today. This is a photo I took when I was at the Feast of San Gennaro a few weeks back. I edited it to have the hard-working NYPD guys in color and the background black and white.

What I have been doing isn't nearly as much fun. I've been going through this blog, uploading image files to a Photobucket account (it was easier than getting them to show from my web host), and then redoing the HTML coding on hundreds of pages of this blog. All of the animated images have to be moved. But if you want to take a cool trip down memory lane for Zoetawny's blog contributions, check out my Photobucket album. Right now I'm nowhere near done -- for one, I still have BB8 to get through!

I also wrote this post for CliqueClack TV and I'll be back for The Amazing Race a bit later.

Looking at 'The Ex List'

I watched The Ex List last night and found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would. Now, I can't really say it's going to be on my "must see, never miss" list. But thankfully, it's not one of those shows which you end up totally lost if you miss an episode. The premise is that this young woman went to a fortune teller who told her that she's already met her true love during previous dating. If she doesn't find him within a year, she will never find her true love again.

So she has to go back over all the men she's dated in the past to try to find the right one. She's obviously had more of a social life than I have. The series wouldn't last long with the men in my past and I know none of them were Mr. Right!

All in all, I found the show entertaining and nice light fluff kind of stuff for the rather barren wastelands of Friday night television. Did you watch it?

Stuff and Some TV Stuff, too

Nope, this isn't a television image. I took my older Pentax digital camera with me yesterday as I went to the vampires for my weekly blood draw. It has a filter in it for illustration photos and I really like the effect. You can click on the photo to enlarge it. So here are some fall flowers for everyone!

If you haven't kept up with the comments, blog reader Sharon has been located and has been having some severe health issues. Sydney is acting as a go-between and is the one who finally found her. Kudos to Sydney!

I got the bad news that AOL is closing Hometown, the FTP space for members, and all AOL Journals. I'm looking into relocating the content of a few of my older blogs. But the more immediate problem is that I've been using my AOL FTP space for all of the animated Zoetawny graphics as Blogger won't support GIF files. The shutdown is scheduled for November 1st. I've already backed up my files to an external hard drive but have to figure out how to get them actually showing on a new web host I have. But this news means I'll have to go back through all of the posts to change the image addresses. So we might have some missing graphics and I apologize in advance. Plus, folks using any of my AOL Journals or the web pages I made with AOL to get here will have problems after November 1.

I want thank all of the commenters discussing the VP debate for being respectful to others. I was wondering how the Survivor episode generated that much discussion! (Especially with no exposed bananas!)

I have new posts up over on both TV Squad and CliqueClack TV if you're moved to take a peek.

Don't forget to enter my Bonnie Hunt Giveaway if you haven't already done so. I've decided to give a bit of leeway in the movie counts as there seem to be discrepancies. I have lots of names already sitting in the punch bowl for the drawing and I'd like even more!

Let's see ... tonight's TV ... hmm. For me, Friday nights are almost like a night off from writing. I might try out The Ex List tonight and will probably watch Life although I've missed most of that series. How about you?

Survivor Gabon - 10/02 Show

Okay, Survivor fans and those in the pool ... the show has started here on the East Coast. I won't be live-blogging it per se, but I will update this on and off with important events and/or some thoughts of mine. As always, everyone is welcome to chat it up in comments!

Wow, that rewards challenge was brutal ... and Fang actually won! They're sending Sugar to Exile Island.

That seems to be the wrong choice ... she's found four clues and has it!

Yikes, Fang won Immunity!

Paloma is out, Sugar didn't use her (and Ace's evidently) idol.

Big Bonnie Hunt Giveaway and Ultimate Bonnie Hunt Quiz

No, I'm not giving Bonnie Hunt away. Why not? Well, I don't think I can. She doesn't know me and would probably be miffed if she had to adjust to a new lifestyle. She'd most likely give me what-for for lousing up her life! Giving her away is probably illegal or something, too.

But I like Bonnie Hunt. Oh, I don't know her personally, mind you. It's her personality I enjoy and that's what shines on her talk show. Here's a little video example:




But you want to know what I'm giving away, how this all came about and how you can win, right? Well, I was contacted by the PR folks from the show due to my previous post about Bonnie. They're the ones who are giving the prize -- a Bonnie Hunt Show mug and sweatshirt. You can click on the image to enlarge it. But I get to decide exactly HOW I'm going to award it. So it's the ...

ULTIMATE BONNIE HUNT QUIZ!

Now, I'm not a Bonnie Hunt expert even though I've enjoyed her so much over the years. The answers to these questions can easily be found in an Internet search.

I will be tossing all entries with the correct answers in my punch bowl, close my eyes and draw one. Don't worry -- the punch bowl will be dry. I want to have fun with this and not a soggy mess. The deadline for entries will be a week from today -- Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at midnight. I will contact the winner for details, so please don't leave any personally identifying information here on the blog. The prize will be awarded by M80, a PR firm out of Los Angeles.

Please do NOT post the answers here in the blog comments -- email them to jackiestvblog@gmail.com with the subject header of Bonnie Hunt Contest so I can watch for them.

Here we go ... are you ready?

1. In what HBO movie did Bonnie share the billing with Mekhi Phifer?

2. How many times has Bonnie been married?

3. What was Bonnie's occupation before her show business career took off?

4. In what movie did Bonnie Hunt make her acting debut?

5. Who was the co-executive producer of two sitcoms of Bonnie's -- The Building and The Bonnie Hunt Show (not to be confused with the current talk show and later retitled simply Bonnie)?

6. How many siblings does Bonnie have?

7. Is Bonnie Hunt related to Helen Hunt?

8. What famous improvisational comedy troupe did Bonnie join in 1986?

9. How many movies has Bonnie appeared in, not including voice work?

10. What is Bonnie's zodiac sign?

11. What character in the 2006 animated movie Cars was Bonnie's voice?

12. What kind of pest recently infiltrated Bonnie's home?

There you go, folks. Remember -- do not answer the questions in the comments area, send them to the email address I listed above.

TV and Writing, Writing and TV

This is a Manhattan subway shot I took a few weeks ago, messed with a bit with my editing software. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to mention some of the writing I've been doing.

Last night over at TV Squad, I had a Survivor article posted. The comments are interesting (speaking of bananas). ;-)

Although I'm still with TV Squad, I'm pleased to announce that I'm also writing for a new venue -- CliqueClack. That site is having its "grand opening" today. The articles I write there are unique to CliqueClack and can be found at my author link on the site. But do check out the whole site! A bit later today another post is due to er ... post. I hope I see you there!

Keep tuned here, too. I have an exciting (well, not like skydiving or going off to Paris exciting) contest with a prize coming up just for you guys!

The Amazing Race - Mosquito Net Scenes and Final Words

The CBS websites are really putting in more video clips than they've done in previous seasons. I was looking around today and found more clips on their site than what comprised the actual show! So, I couldn't help but to share a few with you. While I liked Anita and Arthur, they are a bit "out there" for this show. I can't help but wonder if CBS made them wear the tie-dyed outfits. I'm adding Dallas and Toni to my "hope they do well" list. They're the mother and son. I'm definitely not too keen on the blonds.

OFF TOPIC: We Interrupt This Blog

There I was ... innocently watching and blogging Heroes. All of a sudden I heard a huge crash. I left my Heroes dangling, called 911, and headed outside. Oh, yes. I put my camera in my pocket. Mind you, I live in a 30 MPH zone -- a city street with parked cars on either side.


These are the driver and passengers of the overturned Jeep which hit all the cars.

Shhh ... I wasn't back 300 feet.

I'm out of order here. The overturned Jeep is on the flatbed and that's red car #1-- her back axle is smashed, the car is probably totaled. The car parked behind her was hit, too. That one got by with scrapes and a destroyed hubcap.


This is car #3 on the right with the overturned Jeep on the left. Car #3 had been innocently parked with its nose to the right ... and not on the lawn.


The Jeep on its side and car #3 again. The front end of that car is all crunched, too.

Lieutenants dress funny here.

This is car #4. Car #3 pushed in its back end about ten inches and its nose is under a second (parked) Jeep.

This is car #4's nose under the Jeep which was parked in front of it.

Six vehicles, four of them totaled. When they righted the overturned Jeep, beer bottles were all over the ground falling through the broken windows. The driver was arrested for drunk driving. There were five people in the Jeep. The neighbors here pulled them all out. Other than minor bumps, no one was hurt.

Ah, but an odd man on the street carrying a bottle in bag and reeking of alcohol claimed he saw it all. According to him, someone came out of the driveway across the street, bottomed out on the slight hill in the driveway, then went out of control. According to him, he hit three other cars going the other direction, then sideswiped the Jeep causing him to lose control.

I don't know. It could have happened that way. It's just a good thing no one got hurt. And, if the Jeep driver was drunk, his reactions are off.

But I wouldn't advise parking on my street.

Heroes ... Tonight's Show Live-Blogged

Yes, it's Monday and it's Heroes time! As the show airs, I'll be updating this post as much as I can. Please feel free to join in down in the comments!

It's creeping me out that Mrs. Petrelli is cuddling her adopted son, Sylar. She calls in Bridgette who can see everything an object has ever touched. Dhe's going to "feed" Sylar.

Jessica/Tracy/Whoever finds that she can burn through a rose stem with her finger. Nathan approaches the fake Peter (future) and demands to see his real brother. He got a message saying that Peter broke out of Level Five..

Meanwhile Peter and Marlo (oops, wrong show - he played Marlo on The Wire) are doing a bank robbery?

Back at Primatech -- HRG returns only to get scolded by Mrs. Petrelli. He says he wants to get all the escapees. She introduces him to his new partner ... Sylar.

Back at the Bennet's house -- Claire's mother is there to protect them, but she isn't allowed to smoke in the house. Claire has decided that she's going to leave school. She thinks she should be out there helping her father fight the criminals. Her biological mother insists she goes to school.

Primatech -- Noah is reluctant to work with Sylar. Mrs. P. says Gabriel has just been misunderstood.

Ando and Hiro - Still going after the speed girl Daphne. He wants his formula back. She's already sold his father's half. She called Hiro Pikachu. Heehee. Uh-oh she's slow. Hiro's powers aren't working either. Ah, it's because the Haitian is there!

Claire tells her bio mother about how she wants to fight the bad guys. She's hoping that her mother can teach her how to fight.

Nathan -- meets up with Tracy/Niki ... whoever. She has the video of the sex with Nathan, yet she insists she's not her. Nathan isn't all that convinced.

Back to the bank -- Police are arriving Yikes, ex-Marlo (didn't get his hero name), has a plan. He called the police, ripped the heart out of one of the robbers who threatened him, and wants the cops to get Noah there.

Parkman is still walking the desert. The man with him painted a painting which told him everything he knows about Parkman. He painted it when he was a boy.

Oh, Sylar has a suit on. He questions if she's his real mother. She says he was born with powers which made him the way he is. They get the report on the bank robbery in Poughkeepsie. Mrs. P tells Nathan that Peter's in the body of Jesse.

Ando and Hiro -- In a movie theater. The fast girl is there. She told Ando he's Robin to Hiro's Batman. They're upset that Daphne is looking for the formula for money.

Back to the desert and more paintings ... Parkman's entire life. The future has changed and Parkman with the baby painting is no longer. Sure enough, the guy has Isaac eyes when he paints!

In the bank -- "Peter" says he doesn't want to go back. The ex-Marlo realizes he's not Jesse and flings him across the room.

Sylar and Noah -- Noah tells Sylar that she's playing them. Noah tells him that they're not partners, he's in charge. But Sylar goes forward into some kind of FBI guy persona and wins his heart. Well, maybe not his heart.

Peter tells the other robbers he was put in the body against his will. They beat him.

Noah is donning a vest to go in the bank. Sylar is actually acting human. Noah doesn't want him going in the bank to "use that buffet" in there -- the powers.

Hmm ... Tracy (?) is at a casket with pictures of Micah/Niki and Niki in the coffin. New Orleans. Micah realizes she's not his mother. He asks her if she's special and has a super power. He tells her he can talk to machines. Both she and his mother were born in the same hospital, same time, same doctor.

Hiro tried a ploy to get the briefcase (with the formula?) from the Haitian. He accidentally knocked him down the stairs. Powers are back -- Daphne whizzes by them and grabs it.

Back to the bank -- Noah is facing Knox (ex-Marlo!) and Knox isn't pleased. Jesse/Peter finds his powers. First everything blows, then all freezes. Future Peter arrives to save Jesse-bodied Peter. They vanish together. Uh-oh ... now the real Jesse has Noah!

Claire and bio-mom are going into a warehouse of some kind where the mom is going to teach her how to fight. The beginning is survival. Claire says she wants to learn to fight.

In the bank, Syalr has arrived to save Noah from Knox and Jesse. It looks like a new partnership is forming between Noah and Sylar.

Claire tells her Mom she's indestructible. The mother mentions suffocation. Claire is having problems. The bio-Mom is telling her it's her mind. She feels trapped. Her body won't stop the bad guys. Claire screams that she wants to hurt them ... and then goes free.

Bank -- Sylar let Knox escape. He goes for Jesse ... I guess the partnership isn't too cool. He does his thing to Jesse while Noah is trapped watching him through glass.

Claire and bio-Mom are talking. You have to learn how to save yourself before you save the world. Aw, they

Desert --

Yikes ... big car crash outside here. Later!

Amazing Race Review is up on TV Squad

My review of the season premiere of The Amazing Race is now up on TV Squad. I hope folks take a gander.

As long as I don't get goosed.

The Amazing Race 13 Season Premiere

Yes! I mean ... no! It's not on here on the East Coast as it's delayed by football. Once it starts, while I won't actually be live-blogging the entire show, I'll be updating this post regularly with my thoughts on the happenings and critical events. Of course, everyone is welcome to do the same in the comments area!

Until the show starts, we'll just have to admire Zoetawny's cool new graphic.

8:15 PM and we're getting started here in the NYC area.

Okay, they're going to Brazil leaving from Los Angeles. Out of my own geekiness, I'd like to see the comic book guys do well.

Lots of teams off to a bad start -- marked counter means just that. Duh. At least my comic book guys were #1 on the first flight!

Even though the first flight was delayed, they still had an hour and a half lead over the second flight.

In the Detour I was thinking they should count the steps. After all, what else could the question be?

Pit Stop order so far:
1. Nick and Star - won a trip to Belize
2. Ken and Tina
3. Terence and Sarah
4. Mark and Bill
5. Kelly and Christy
6. Toni and Dallas
7. Andrew and Dan
8. Aja and Ty
9. Anthony and Stephanie
10. Marisa and Brooke
11. Anita and Arthur

Alas, the hippies Anita and Arthur were Philiminated. Once my show review goes live at TV Squad, I'll post the link!

Survivor Gabon: The Jeff Probst Blog

Nah, paying Jeff Probst to blog here on my blog isn't quite in my budget. But he is blogging his thoughts on each episode at ew.com on their PopWatch blog. Since I can't get him here for you (my apologies, but I'm sure you don't expect him here, right?), I can do the next best thing ... spread the word about the blog he is doing and share some excerpts for discussion.

Regarding the Fang tribe, Jeff said:

• It's not the last time they'll make questionable choices either.

• The mismatched tribes continue to haunt Fang. I kept reminding them, "Quit complaining. You did it to yourselves." I like being a pain in the ass.

• They're all afraid to do anything and coming from a place of fear is never a good idea.

Regarding some of the castaways, Jeff said:

• Actions speak louder than words. Marcus and G.C., good for you. Hope that first episode immunity really pays off for you 'cause it may cost you later.

• Randy getting injured was a nice bonus for episode 1. Anytime there is an injury, along with blood or stitches, it's usually good for the show. Randy is going to be a star if he can last long enough. Everything he says cracks me up. I also think most of it is heartfelt. He's mean as an alley cat, and trust me they're mean.

• But nobody can touch Corinne on the Bitch meter. I only feel comfortable saying this because Corinne told it to me in person ... In her favor, Corinne plays the game hard, she knows how important alliances are, and if she forms a good one she could be around for a while.

• Not sure what happened to Michelle's attitude. I had her picked as a favorite in my preshow picks. Yes. A favorite. Something happened and her zeal disappeared.

• At the first tribal council, G.C. reluctantly accepted the leadership position. The question is how long will he last and how effective will he be? I would have never chosen him as my leader. This is the guy that raced ahead to get immunity for himself. It is a sign.

• Over at Kota, Ace is cracking me up. I love him!

• Sugar cries a lot. Just warning you. But I think you're going to like her. Maybe even root for her.

• Marcus is getting a lot of love from everybody. They love his leadership, they love that he's a doctor, and they love how calm he is. He drove us nuts as producers because he was telling everybody to act rationally! What?! What are you doing? Quit ruining Survivor, dude. Marcus is waaaay too good for this game.

• Dan's visit to Exile Island tells you everything you need to know about Dan. He's lovable and extremely well-intentioned but he overthinks everything. He's Hamlet.

• I actually liked Gillian quite a bit during casting. But once the show started, Gillian...you became a little annoying. You simply talked too much without saying anything substantive. You were a cheerleader, and let's face it, cheerleaders are…well, annoying. We hated to see you go, but if you hadn't been voted out, we may have removed you ourselves.

Jeff also said that the idol on Exile Island is relatively easy to find. He said that next week Fang needs a win and Sugar needs a Kleenex. Uh-oh for those on the Sugar pick in Orkmommy's pool!

Survivor Review up on TV Squad

I want to thank everyone for the fun evening on the Survivor post here! What a great bunch we are, aren't we? My sympathies to those who ended up with Gillian and Michelle in Orkmommy's pool. I see I have Charlie. I don't think he's going to win it, but I think he's in a good bunch with Marcus, Jacquie, and Corinne. If they do get Bob in there, that's going to be the alliance to watch.

Overall, I'm most impressed with Bob. Heck, I even like the bowtie.

My Survivor premiere review is up over on TV Squad. They almost weren't going to cover it this season, so I hope you can all take a gander at it. I'd appreciate it!

Survivor Gabon Premiere

Yes, Zoetawny has made a new and nifty graphic for the blog! I have said she rocks, right? I won't be live-blogging every detail of the two-hour show(s) tonight, but I will keep the blog updated with major events and stray thoughts about the show. Everyone is welcome to visit in comments! Survivors ready?

Interesting start -- I felt bad for Gillian struggling up the hill, but I was shocked that Crystal had trouble! Kudos to Matty for helping them. My Charlie (in Orkmommy's pool) lied about being a lawyer, as did the doctor lie about being a doctor. Crystal didn't mention the gold medal in the Olympics for track and field ... had she done so, she would have been humiliated. Kota is definitely a stronger tribe than Fang.

Kota has huts! So does Fang!

First injury on the first night -- Randy cut his head on a branch and needed stitches. Great start ... not even in a challenge! He's not quitting though and it was a definite cut, not really a bump to the head. He should be fine.

Kota won Immunity and fire. Fang goes to Tribal Council and one is going home tonight. Too bad Danny has individual immunity from the first challenge for his tribe. He sat and did nothing while the others were digging for their puzzle pieces. I don't think it looks too good for Gillian. Alas, she's more annoying than I thought she would be. Weak and annoying, she will make a good target for them at TC.

Tribal Council -- 5 votes Michelle, 1 vote Gillian. Enough for Michelle to go. I was wrong about the annoying factor for Gillian. Michelle is out because she's such a "Negative Nancy." GC (Danny) was voted leader of the tribe, albeit a bit reluctantly.

Randy is irking me. Heck, GC I'm not too thrilled with, but he's trying to lead. Hopefully Randy will follow his own plan and shut up, let others crash and burn. As long as the "shut up" part is done, I'll be happy.

Kota wins their second immunity and reward (fishing gear). At least this time Fang was close. Kota chose to send Dan to Exile Island.

Dan had no luck finding the idol and it looks like Gillian is the likely target again although she wants to get a movement afoot to get rid of the weakest young person (Ken).

Hmmm ... Fang is worried Dan has the hidden Idol and now he's targeted along with Gillian. Will she squeak through again?

Tribal Council - Gillian is out. Five votes for her and one (hers) for Ken. Enough to boot her.