Random Youtube video I found entertaining

Is it possible that Miss Britney will redeem herself?

So I just caught some of the new promos for the MTV VMA awards with Britney Spears and I am quite hopeful that she is back on track with her life. I think she looks great - fit and everything.

I don't know if she's performing at this year's show, but if she does, I sincerely hope she can make up for last year's disaster.

Promo 1:


Promo 2:

(Watch how Britney squirms from Russell... pretty funny)

I've Got Olympic Fever

I didn't really pay much attention to the events leading up to the Olympics (other than the marathon events) but now that it's here - I'm fully on board!

I thought the opening ceremony was pretty cool. And it was so exciting to see Phelps win his first gold of these games on that 400m medley. I love that little green world record line that was chasing him to the finish - it had me on the edge of my seat! But that picture above - watching Phelps celebrate their win in the 400m relay had me crackin' up. And c'mon France, no more trash talking, OK?

I also watched the men's basketball team beat China so it was interesting to see them play China with Yao Ming. (On a random note, and I know this sounds crazy - does Yao Ming kinda sorta in a really remote way remind you of Tom Brady?) And you know, I'm no Bush fan but I think it is cute to see the President at the various events.

Today I caught some of women's gymnastics. I know they had a lot of out of bound moments during the floor exercise, but I was so fascinated with how they were able to line themselves up so precisely against the lines without looking. Silly, yes.

Anyway, it's now after midnight ... I wish they would air the events on the west coast simultaneously with the east coast. Like they do with the Oscars! It would be awesome to catch all the exciting stuff and be done by 9PM.

iTunes Update: Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Enur

I needed some new tunes for my running mix so I downloaded these three:

Rihanna - Disturbia: Rihanna's my girl - I've downloaded a bunch of songs from her current album ("Please Don't Stop the Music" is still one of my favorites). Rihanna also inspired me to chop off my hair :) I didn't think much of this song at first but it's grown on me after hearing it on the radio multiple times - this is the first time I've seen the video. Kinda weird!




Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up: I heard this on So You Think You Can Dance - it's catchy. By the way, is anyone else surprised that Nicole Scherzinger's solo career didn't really take off?




Enur - Calabria: I got this one from the Target commercial with the two young girls that seem to have a dance battle as they decorate their apartment. FYI - Yahoo Answers has been very helpful in finding the names of songs from commercials.

Holla at cha boy!

Isn't it nice to have Tim Gunn and the rest of the Project Runway gang back?

As for tonight's episode, what there they thinking??? They chose this as the winning design!



Ugh... this would definitely be at the bottom of my list. Although, I love Kenley's (the designer's) personal retro look - she's adorable.

I wanted Leanne to win - I thought she had a nice, classic design that was such a big improvement from last week.




Also, do you think the casting directors went overboard in selecting "characters" for this season? You've got Blayne (I love tanning salons), Suede (I refer to myself in third person), Stella (I love leatha), etc.

Oh no, not another one...

Someone help me - I have just discovered BET's version of "Laguna Beach". Their show is called "Baldwin Hills" and yikes, those kids have drama. There was almost a girl fight at this birthday party and there's this guy Moriah that has all these girls chasing after him, and there's all this playin' going on (some of these girls need to back off a bit, in my opinion)... anyway, I can't add another show to my already bad habit.

It may be summer time but for me, there is still a lot of good, new TV shows on. Off the top of my head, we've got the following:

• America's Best Dance Crew (MTV)
  
• The Closer (TNT)
  
• Jon and Kate plus eight (TLC)
  
• Mad Men (AMC)
  
• My Boys (TBS)
  
• My Life on the D-List (Bravo)
  
• Project Runway (Bravo)
  
• So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)

I just noticed that I have quite a variety of channels there.

Reality show thoughts...

So I know this is old news now, but this is one of the reasons I can't stand these dating shows. The "prize" (aka the Bachelor or Bachelorette) is usually not that great and then the couple rarely stays together once the show stops taping. (Except for you Trista and Ryan - good for you!!!)

Sigh, I don't know why I care... but all those dating shows just bug me.

Meanwhile, the Legally Blonde musical TV show that ended last week was much more satisfying. The winner of that show has now actually debuted in the lead role of Elle Woods on ***Broadway*** last week.

See??? It's for real!!!



By the way, I really liked that show. It wasn't annoying like the "You're the One that I Want" show where they had a competition for the next stars of Grease on Broadway. If you like the behind the scenes of putting a musical together, then you would have enjoyed this one. Plus the musical is really cute and the songs are quite catchy! (A rarity in the newer musicals these days, IMHO.) I'm bummed that I didn't catch the show when it first opened in SF before debuting on Broadway.

ANYWAY - it doesn't matter 'cause the show is over. On a final note, I read in a Playbill article that the three runner ups also got roles in either the Broadway or the national tour production. Two (Lauren, my fave, and Autumn) are Elle understudies and the other one, Rhiannon, plays Elle's friend. THANK GOD because she has a horrible singing voice.

So I think it's cool because the end of the reality show is just the beginning for these young gals - they're on their way to bigger and better things! (NOT like stoopid dating shows)

Run's House

Is this family really this funny? They totally crack me up! Diggy and Russy are so adorable. And the older kids (Vanessa, Angela, JoJo) totally seem to have adopted Run's mannerisms in the way they speak to each other.

Anyway, I really enjoy this show. I think it's my favorite out of the family reality shows (The Osbournes, Hogan Knows Best, Family Jewels, etc.)

Spotted on Saturday...

Location: San Mateo, CA

Thank goodness for my Scooter.

Real World to Samurai Girl

So I meant to post this awhile back but I kept forgetting. But then I saw another commercial for the upcoming Samurai Girl movie so here you go:

Remember Jamie from the Real World - San Diego season?



Her full name is Jamie Chung and I've noticed she's been dabbling in an acting career as I've seen her in both Veronica Mars and Greek (both times playing a snooty college girl, by the way).

But it looks like she's stepped up the game a bit! She's landed the starring role in the upcoming TV movie, Samurai Girl. ABC Family is going hardcore in promoting the movie which doesn't premiere until September.



And next year? She will appear in the feature film, Dragonball.

Itunes Update: Estelle, Chris Brown

Just in case you were interested in what tunes I've been downloading (which probably doesn't really apply to any of you), I'm going to try to post them here.

Today's additions:

Estelle (featuring Kanye West) - American Boy


Chris Brown - Forever

RIP Sarah and No Name...

I'm so sad... my favorite morning show, "Sarah and No Name", is now just "Sarah and TBD."

First, Matty the producer left. The show lost a big chunk of its spunk then. Then it was two weeks of "encores"... and this morning, it was just Sarah! Apparently, the powers that be thought the show was too testerone-charged (even with Matty already gone?) so they let No Name (aka Mike Nelson) go! What are they thinking!?? I loved the chemistry with that whole crew... Sarah, No Name, Hooman (although he bugs from time to time), Matty, Hyphy Mikey... plus the other "characters" like Andrew and Charlene. Thursday game day was always fun because they would just be so stoopid and silly.

So now the hunt is back on for a new co-host. They'll be having on-air auditions like they did when Vinnie left, which is actually when I first started tuning in. The show will definitely be pretty dry for the time being... maybe it's time for me to be a real grown-up and start tuning into NPR like my peers...

SYTYCD Results

Kherington and Gev - really??? Well, Gev was not too much of a shocker (only because all the other guys are so dang awesome!) but for the girls, I actually thought Comfort would go home. If she sticks around for awhile, she could be the Chris March of the season.

Anyway, I'm ready to announce my favorites:

Katee for the girls...


...and Mark for the boys...

... so I was really nervous when he was in the bottom two tonight.

Overall - Katee all the way!


And by the way, I want to see Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe actually perform on stage! I hope they do it for the finale. And not that jibjab nonsense like last season.

SYTYCD: Top Ten

My random thoughts:

• How convenient that Jessica was injured... she was definitely the girl to go this week, dontcha think?
  
• Bollywood, Pas de Deux: Thumbs up / Two Step: Thumbs down
• What's up with Comfort and Twitch? Are they a behind the scenes couple? The bickering rehearsal footage for the smooth waltz was a little suspicious
• Wow, I can't believe how much Mark and Kherington lost their spark with the new partnering... they should have killed that Jamiroquai routine (hello - Center Stage, anyone?) and it fell flat
• Note to self: add "buck" to my urban vocabulary

Overall:

• Round 1: Winner - Chelsie and Gev (Contemporary) / Loser - Kherington and Mark (Two Step)
• Round 2: Winner - Katee and Will (Pas de Deux) / Loser - Kherington and Mark (Jazz)
• Male Solos: Winner - Twitch, Loser - No one, they were all amazing
• Female Solos: Winner - Courtney, Loser - Chelsie
  

More "On-board Entertainment" reviews...

So before I forget, I have one more movie review from my 10 hour flight on Saturday. I only caught one flick this time - for one reason, the movie selection was the same as the way out so my choices were a lot more limited and two, I knew I needed to sleep on this flight if I wanted to have any chance of readjusting to the PST time zone.


Drillbit Taylor: As you may imagine, I was getting pretty desperate when looking for entertainment during dinner service. But you know what? I really enjoyed this movie! OK, yes, it is a classic stupid little boy movie - but let me tell you, it had me laughing out loud on many occasions. I briefly read a review afterward and I guess it's a total rip off of Superbad (btw - I believe Drillbit Taylor was co-written by Seth Rogen) but I've never seen Superbad so it was all new to me. The premise is that these three adorably dorky kids keep getting bullied at school so they hire Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), who unbeknownst to them happens to be a homeless dude, to protect them. In trying to come off as this all-knowing dude, Owen would say the most ridiculous things with such a straight face that it just cracked me up every time. Some examples: he listed "Panda Express" as one of the fancy martial arts tricks that he'll teach them, or he would warn the bullies "This is over now, alright? Abierto!" (funny if you took Spanish), or he would say the army taught him to "Have It Your Way." When one of the kids asked, "Isn't that Burger King?", he paused and then replied, "Where do you think they got it from?"

Anyway - this movie really cracked me up and I'd probably watch it again. The kids were just as hilarious, by the way. I also have to note that I loved the cameo by Adam Baldwin who played the high school bodyguard in the appropriately named 1980 film, "The Bodyguard". Adam now plays another tough guy on the NBC show, "Chuck" - btw, does anyone know if that is coming back?

On a side note, I forgot to mention that I also watched "Be Kind, Rewind" (Jack Black, Mos Def) during the first flight. I sort of watched it as I was really doing work on my laptop at the time but from what I recall, it wasn't anything that great.

Thoughts on last night's TV: Is anyone watching...

Legally Blonde: The Search for the New Elle Woods

Why are they still keeping Rhiannon in the competition??? I just don't understand. Her voice is so screechy and painful to listen to. There is NO WAY she would ever make it as a lead in a Broadway musical doing 8 shows a week. C'mon!

Although I love Autumn's voice and acting ability, I think Bailey is the best overall choice.

The Closer

Yay, it's back! It was so nice to see Brenda back... her relationship with "Fritzie" is so cute...

Step down from DWTS and Broadway

OK, I don't know what movie this is from but this bit by Mario Lopez is pretty funny:




Thanks to The Soup and the always awesome Joel McHale for highlighting this clip.

Envious...

Did you know that in Japan you can watch live TV on your cell phones??? Why can't we have that!?

Why Japan is so cute...

I had to buy some emergency contact solution today so I picked the brand that I was familiar with:



And look what it came with!



Too cute...

(I don't know what I'm going to do with it, though.)

Movies Galore!

One perk of having one day's notice to attend a customer meeting in Japan - lots and lots of movie at your fingertips during the 10+ hour non-stop flight! (Economy, by the way... so I'm just making lemonade out of lemons here...)

Run Fatboy Run: Being a "marathoner" (heehee), I was so excited to find this movie on the list. It was hilarious and I totally recommend it to anyone, even if you don't care about running. It's set in London and is about this dude (Simon Pegg) that decides to run a marathon to try to win back the girl (Thandie Newton) he left at the altar (pregnant!) several years ago. Her new honey is an American (Hank Azaria) who, by the way, has a really funny locker room scene. And surprise, surprise, the film was directed by Ross Gellar!

Cars: I've been behind in my Pixar films - the last one I saw was "The Incredibles". I don't know why I waited to see "Cars" - it was so cute! I'm always impressed with these animators, the characters were just so lovable in the way they were drawn. As usual, I kept picturing the actors behind the voices so it was a little weird to picture Bonnie Hunt and Owen Wilson as a romantic couple, but whatev. And now I have some weird desire to travel Route 66. But I get carsick during long road trips, so that probably won't happen. If you catch the movie, better stay toward the very end - there's a funny bit highlighting how John Ratzenberger (aka Cliff from Cheers) is often utilized in Pixar films. On a side note, I knew Sarah and No Name had bit parts in the movie and it was so cool to hear their roles. No Name did a great job! ("My name is not Chuck!")

21: I actually enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. I found the lead actor, Jim Sturgess, quite likeable and it was cute to see him go from nerdy robot kid to the guy dating the prettiest girl in school. (Kate Bosworth is cute but sickly skinny in this movie.) There were also some fun twists in the movie. I recommend this one as well.

I also tried watching "Smart People" but it was pretty slow, so I ended up napping through it instead. If it's good, let me know.

Vocabulary Upgrade

This weekend, I found myself watching Getting Played while spending time with family. That's how we roll, I guess.

Because of the movie, I would like to start incorporating the following phrases in everyday conversation:

"off the chain"
"Snap!"

Also, when I was at the gym, there were a couple of teenage boys that kept talking about when they were going to "bounce". I'd like to incoporate that, too.

And I fully realize that these are dated phrases, but I guess that's why I think it's even funnier if I start adopting them now.

So anyway, you've all been warned.

I've got to bounce - see ya!

Update: I'd also like to add "Pop Off" to the list thanks to a very amusing meeting between Kathy Griffin and a couple of ladies from "The Bad Girls' Club"

Lovin' Napoleon and Tabitha

I agree with Nigel - Napoleon and Tabitha are a great addition to this season's choreographers. Katee and Joshua are still my favorite couple but my favorite routine tonight was the hip hop routine with Chelsie and Mark.


(The performance starts at around 02:45)

It's another N&T routine that, in some parts, seemed similar to the No Air routine, but I still loved it. It was sick. :)

Six Degrees to America's Best Dance Crew

I once took dance classes from a guy that is now competing on America's Best Dance Crew.

That makes me sort of cool, right???


Please?

Movie reviews: SATC; Definitely, Maybe; College Road Trip

Sex and the City

I finally was able to see this movie and I loved it! I didn't cry as much as I thought I would (based on reviews I've heard/read) but there were definitely some sad and joyful moments that made me a little teary-eyed. I caught the movie with my sister and I'm really glad our parents didn't join us like they normally do. Some of the scenes were a bit of a shocker since I had been watching the watered-down TBS versions for so long. Yes, the movie was a bit long but that was fine by me because I really enjoyed seeing the girls all together again! The fashions were super fun, too, and it was nice to see so many of the old gang (Stanford, Harry, Smith, Big, Steve, Magda, Anthony, etc) again. Jennifer Hudson was a nice addition as well.

I do think the movie poster is a little mis-leading, though. Yes, of course, Carrie is the main character and the movie is from her point of view. But the movie profiles all four of the women who all go through major developments in their own personal lives. The movie poster should have been similar to the photos used with the season DVD sets - all four women should have been included.

On a side note, I spotted a couple of familiar faces in the movie which I later confirmed to be the actors I thought they were. Again - useless information - but just indulge me:

1) "Miranda" of the new generation (girl to the left of SJP) is now competing on MTV's Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods.


2) The girl from the bathroom at the auction is Daphne Rubin-Vega aka Mimi from the original Broadway cast of Rent (both my sister and I spotted this one)


I also got to watch two new movies during my 5 hour flight on Monday.

Definitely, Maybe

This movie was OK... Ryan Reynolds was pretty good and he was surrounded by a pretty solid female cast including Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, and Rachel Weisz. Although, now that I know the ending (i.e. which character is Abigail's mother) - I don't know if I'd watch it again. Kinda slow and boring.



College Road Trip

Surprising, I actually did enjoy this one. Martin Lawrence can be pretty funny and I've always liked Raven Symone from her days on The Cosby Show to all her Disney Channel stuff. But if I'm being really honest, Donny Osmond's cameo scenes killed me! His super peppy cheesy self cracked me up. I'd watch this one again if it's on TV or something.

Top Chef Season Finale

WOOHOO - Stephanie won!!! So glad that Lisa didn't win... she is so obnoxious. I'm sort of bummed that Richard didn't do better, but still - I was rooting for Stephanie all the way. First female Top Chef - woot woot!

And did anyone notice her celebrate at the end of the episode? Her dance of joy looked verrrryyyy similar to my "clogging" dance. Just sayin.

So You Think You Can Dance and other summer shows...

Yay - we're now at the performance part of So You Think You Can Dance (Dance, Dance, Dance...)

I think my favorite routine / couple was Katee and Joshua and their hip hop routine. The first time I watched it I focused on Katee, but when I watched it again, Joshua was just as amazing!

Coming in a close second was Twitch and Kherington - they might be my favorite overall dancers. And I think Twitch will give us the most entertaining solo's if he ever has to "dance for his life". (Although I doubt that will happen - at least not this week.)

The slow waltz was really beautiful although I'm not really drawn to either Susie or Marquis.

Tomorrow brings the return of a couple other fun shows:

My Life on the D-List (Bravo)
My Boys (TBS)

Then next Thursday, we have the return of America's Best Dance Crew (MTV)! I caught the auditions and it should be a fun season. Flips in the house!!!

And according the my recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, Mad Men and The Closer are returning in July - yippee!

Something special about him...

I don't know what it is, but I always get a kick when I see Johnny Depp show up at cheesy award shows, like tonight's MTV Movie Awards. He's just such a cool "A-list" kind of a guy that I would think he would be above it, but no, he's all getting the popcorn award!

The reaction from the crowd was hilarious. I didn't watch the whole show but it looked like he was a surprise guest and probably didn't walk the red carpet or sit in the theater. I think Diablo Cody was practically fanning herself!

Tom Cruise definitely didn't get the same reaction later on.

Anyway, Johnny Depp... definitely still keeps his spot on my Top 5. (Which I will admit that I copied off my sister's Top 5, since he used to be a little too creepy, grungey for me until she showed me the light.)

Lost's Amazing Season Finale

UPDATE:

Found some really interesting, spoilerish interviews - read at your own risk!

Interview with "Michael", Harold Perrineau

Interview with "Ben", Michael Emerson: Part One and Two

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a finale! I'm bummed that we're in summer hiatus (or longer?) but what an awesome two hour send off. Here are some of my thoughts on the show...

Moments Worth Noting:

- When Keamy was chasing Kate and Ben, and then out of nowhere Sayid jumps out and tackles him! I caught myself literally pumping my fist in the air yelling, "Yeah! Yeah! Get him Sayid!!!"

- Sawyer's kiss to Kate before he sacrified himself and jumped off the helicopter so that the others could return to the freighter

- The moment we realize the bomb was detonated. I was cringing and hiding under pillows waiting for the freighter to explode.

- Then finally seeing it explode from the perspective of the helicopter - heartbreaking because moments before we see Sun spot Jin running out onto the deck. Sun's piercing screams - first at the explosion and then when she realizes Jin is gone - gave me shivers.

- Got another classic bitchy Sun scene - this time with Mr. Widmore. Loved it! And it was interesting to hear Mr. Widmore (aka Bradford Meade aka Caleb Nichol) in his native New Zealand accent.

- The long-awaited reunion of Desmond and Penny! So happy for you, brother.

- Well, what do you know, Ben actually moved the island!!!

- At the end, when flash forward Jack breaks into the funeral home and opens that mysterious coffin - when Ben appeared with the soft spoken "Hello Jack", he not only scared the crap out of Jack, he scared the crap out of me!!! (even on the second viewing!)

- We *finally* get the answer to who was in the coffin - plus two other alternative endings


Things to Ponder:

- So somehow John Locke left the island and visits everyone as Jeremy something or other... it'll be interesting to see how all that unfolds.

- Remember when Jack overheard Kate on the phone during a flash forward scene and Kate was planning to meet up with someone - who do you think that was? Locke? Sawyer?

- If things actually happened as they appeared, then both Michael and Jin died in the freighter explosion. However, Hurley later tells Walt that they're all lying to protect those still on the island - including Michael. So maybe they are still alive? (And if so, how would Hurley know that? I guess from his chats with dead people...) Can the island still have special powers over them even though they're not on the island? Didn't Mr. Friendly tell Michael that the island wouldn't let him die?

- What is Sun's positioning with Widmore? She tells him, "As you know, we're not the only ones that left the island." So did Widmore visit that island, too?

- Is Charlotte a product of the Dharma Initiative?

- Why hadn't Sayid visited Hurley in awhile? And where was he taking him now?

- What did Sawyer whisper in Kate's ear before he jumped? "Just do it, freckles." Do what??? Is this the answer?

- I still don't get the theories that explain Christian Shepherd's presence. OK, maybe because I haven't really dug up any. Why did he appear before Michael before the freighter exploded?

- I wonder what happened to the guys (including Faraday) on the zodiac craft in transit from the island to the freighter

- Does Locke become the new Ben back at the island?

- Ben tells Jack that he's heard Jack has been flying on passenger planes hoping that he would crash again. We know Jack just told Kate this - was Ben somehow there listening?

- Locke (or Jeremy) tells Jack that very bad things happen on the island after he left. Uh oh... Even Kate gets a phone call that tells her she needs to return

- We learn from Ben that everyone has to go back to help all their friends still on the island. He mentioned that included Locke. Does that also include Walt then? How is Jack going to convince Kate to go - isn't she stuck there as part of her parole conditions? Plus she had that nightmare of Claire insisting that Kate can't bring Aaron back to the island.

- I feel like next season will be an even darker season - or at least have some darker moments. Hurley is crazy and the Oceanic 6 become more estranged, bad things happen on the island, Nadia is murdered... and isn't Ben focused on killing Penny as revenge for his daughter's murder?


Funny quotes:

"I'm going to keep my eye on you, Shorty." - Rose to Miles

"Hey Kenny Rogers." - Sawyer to Frank

"Dude, I've been having regular conversations with dead people. The last thing I need now is paranoia." - Hurley to Sayid

"You’re getting big, dude." - Hurley to Walt


Other Thoughts...

I quickly reviewed some recaps from TVGuide.com and EW.com and as usual, there was a bunch of stuff I missed or didn't pick up on my own. Here's just a few:

- When Christian tells Michael, "You can go now, Michael." - it may be to indicate that Michael fulfilled his duties and is no longer bound to the island. But that also mean that he is now free to kick the bucket.

- When Ben decides to move the island, he is agreeing to leave the island and then ends up where he found him in that episode earlier this season. He tells Locke to take over as leader of the Others.

- In the season premiere, Hurley told Jack he wished he had stayed with him instead of going with Locke - what was he referring to?


Well, I'm sure there is so much more to discuss but that's what I have for now. Can't wait to hear everyone else's take on the finale.

Lost finale night!

Ooh boy... so excited!

I just have to say... I *love* the scene when Sun tells off her dad and reveals she bought a controlling interest in his company. It was so awesome. Her dad is getting in her face all barky-barky and stuff but she doesn't flinch a bit. The way she delivers the news was so cold and intense ... she kinda scared me!

Go Sun!

Curious about those SYTYCD tickets to Vegas?

... or is just me?

My favorite dance show, So You Think You Can Dance, is back - yay! We start with the audition rounds. If you make it to the next round (similar to Hollywood for American Idol), you get a ticket to Vegas.

Now on Idol, your ticket to Hollywood is some generic looking yellow piece of paper. But on SYTYCD, you get this very legitimate looking old school paper plane ticket. You know, the kind you used to get before the era of e-ticketing.

And I wondered - can you still get generic plane tickets? With no name associated with them? I know, I know, why am I wondering about this??? I can't help it. I like useless info! (See previous post.)

Anyway, on tonight's episode, I actually paused my DVR on a close up of a ticket so that I can examine it.

What did I learn?




IT IS FAKE!



I know, no surprise. But they make it look pretty real. Except that the "ticket" is slightly larger and the airline is "SYTYCD Airlines".


Anyway, you know that mom that brought all her kids to the audition and did sort of a hip hop routine? Is that what I looked like during all those dance recitals that I dragged all my friends and family to???


Eh... don't answer that.

In case you were wondering...

I happened to mention to some friends my excitement that Serena and Dan from Gossip Girl were dating in real life. (Although I am still bummed that the characters broke up in the season finale. *sigh* )

And someone thought that was crazy because he thought Blake Lively (Serena) was much older than Penn Badgley (Dan). Personally, I think they all look pretty young BUT I decided to research it anyway. So here it is - more useless information!

• Serena - Blake Lively, 20, DOB: 25 August 1987 (SEE!!!)
  
• Dan - Penn Badgley, 21, DOB: 1 November 1986
  
• Blair - Leighton Meester, 22, DOB: 9 April 1986
  
• Nate - Chace Crawford, 22, DOB: 18 July 1985
  
• Chuck - Ed Westwick, 20, DOB: 27 June 1987
  
• Jenny - Taylor Momsen, 14, DOB: 26 July 1993

Holy crap! Jenny is only 14? That makes the scene from the pilot when she was being mauled by Chuck even creepier.

Anyway, more comments from the finale:

Fashion-wise, I loved Serena's dress for the wedding, she definitely looked like a model. Blair's look was a little too flowery for me, but I think it worked for her. I *hated* Vanessa's number - Jenny could have done a much better job with that.

Michelle Trachtenberg did a great job with her Georgina role. I keep seeing commercials for her new ABC Family movie where she plays a race car driver and I just think, "oooh... evil race car driver!" I wonder if her character will be back on Gossip Girl.

I'm glad they wrapped up the Lily / Rufus storyline. Rufus is sooooo lame. But I like Lily - she's the only adult character I do like on the show. But watching Rufus serenade her during that 90's concert thing was painful.

What about the ending? Are there new couplings being planned? Nate and Serena, Dan and Vanessa, etc. I think Chuck and Blair should get back together - it's cute! In a weird way...

I heard they might bring back the show this summer - hope so! Until then...

XOXO

Did Def Leppard lip sync last night?

I was pretty surprised to see them on the results show for DWTS... but did they really perform "Pour Some Sugar on Me" live? Because it sounded just like the recording I've been hearing since grade school.

And I *love* DanceCenter! So glad they brought it back this time.

Finally, how the heck is Cristian going to dance next week if his arm needs surgery?

I totally got tricked by those Scarlet ads!

Please tell me I'm not the only one that fell for this. Has anyone else seen those commercials for that Scarlet TV show? They had sort of a teaser campaign going and I thought it was some kind of new Buffy / Alias "girl power" kind of show. And I remember thinking it was weird that I would see the commercials on different networks but they wouldn't say what network the show was on or when it would premiere etc.

One day, the Scarlet TV show ads were all over TVguide.com (one of my fave sites for TV scoop) and I noticed a URL for the show's website: http://www.scarletseries.tv

If you go to the site, it looks sort of legit. Still not much scoop but I didn't give it much more thought.

And then today I see this: LG pushes Scarlet LCD HDTVs with completely unrelated commercial

I WAS TRICKED!

If you go to the fake TV series site, there's a link in the bottom left, "Discover Scarlet's Secret" that takes you to the LG TV site.

Pretty clever, I must say. I'm not going to buy the fancy TV, but I now know the name!

All sorts of nonsense and chaos on last night's DWTS

People make fun of me for watching Dancing with the Stars, but I gotta tell ya - last night's episode was HIGHLY entertaining. Below are the top three items that I thought were worth noting.

1. Scoring

What were the judges smoking last night? I thought they scored Kristi pretty low but I'm assuming they're just scoring her against her previous performances. I was really appalled by their scoring of Shannon Elizabeth's tango. Are they kidding me??? During her performance, I was literally cringing b/c it was so awkward - her lankiness and her frozen facial expression made it look like she was impersonating a mannequin that Derek was tossing around. Carrie Ann called it her best performance to date - WHAT??? Their Viennese waltz is still the best for me.

2. Cristian (as in Cris-ti-AN) gets injured

Live TV... it's good stuff. You could tell something happened during the dance with his arm - it was a nice effort that he tried to keep up but then again, it did end up with Cheryl flat out on the floor. Ouch! Reminds me of when Mark Ballas pulled his arm during his encore performance of the cha-cha with Sabrina last season. Who knew ballroom dancing could be so dangerous!

3. Jason's Paso Doble

I swear the Paso Doble gets the most random song choices. Some are OK - like Drew Lachey's "Thriller" (I think that's what it was) or Mel B's "Free Your Mind". But then you get some random stuff like Joey Fatone's "Star Wars" theme.

Well, they really topped themselves last night with Jason's Paso Doble - danced to ... wait for it... the NFL theme song!!! I understand the connection and I know the performance was good and the scores were high but c'mon.... SO. LAME. Especially the end when Jason had his final pose with his arms in the goal post position. Eeeyikes...

Thoughts from this past week of TV

How I Met Your Mother

To the regular HIMYM viewers - what did you think of the ending? Is it one you were rooting for (as I've read in some blogs) or was it a letdown?

DWTS

So are Shannon and Derek really a couple now? Hello, Mrs. Robinson...

(OK, she's not *that* much older, but it's still kinda weird)

The Hills

That episode was full of awkwardness! But the exciting part was the teaser for next week - Stephen is coming back??? Interesting!

American Idol

I'm bummed that Carly is gone and that Syesha is still in BUT Syesha did give a really good performance last week. And I love all the randomness that Brooke brings! Her re-start was quite entertaining, wasn't it?

The Office

Michael just killed me in this episode. Favorite lines:

"I'm a bank teller." after explaining that Ryan recommends to always tell a woman you work in finance
"Best. Night. Ever." as Dwight and Ryan are passed out in Ryan's studio NYC apartment

Not to mention the peanut butter and calling his mom from the club nonsense

Ugly Betty

Henry? Gio? I'm so torn! And that episode made me hungry for cupcakes.

Grey's Anatomy

Regarding Izzie and all her unjustified tests on Cheech (estimated at $120,000 by the Chief)... I know this is just TV, but would this really fly? In the real world, wouldn't Cheech have to pay for all those tests? That would suck for some poor patient to possibly go into debt because of an overly competitive resident. Last year, my doctor ordered an EKG during my physical exam just to be safe after I mentioned my past fainting tendencies. I went along with it but was a little bummed to get the $100+ bill later. It's not a lot but enough to make me think, hmmm... maybe I didn't really need that test.

(BTW - IMHO, this epsiode overall was a bit of a letdown as a "return from the strike" episode.)

Lost

I didn't really enjoy this episode as much as other ones so it was more of a "plot-mover" episode for me.

Gossip Girl

Had to catch the encore on Sunday since the Monday at 8PM time slot is already double booked with DWTS and HIMYM.

Wow - these girls are serious beeyotches. I didn't think Jenny could recover from the Valentino incident but luckily for her, Nate saved the day! And I like where they are going with this Georgina storyline... very intriguing!

Keepin' up with the Kardashians

Kim with no make-up??? It's true.

DWTS

Looking at Karina's costume... was that supposed to represent a red nighty wrapped in a bed sheet? I mean, they *were* dancing to "Let's Get It On".

Comcast Update

Thursday is a big TV night with my faves 30 Rock and The Office. Even BIGGER starting next week when Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Lost are all back!

This is when I really need a *reliable* DVR.

Tonight - my DVR froze *three* times. Which means I had to unplug it three times. And wait three times for the channels to return, guide to load up, etc. etc. During which nothing was recorded.

* wahhhh *


Update on 4/18: My DVR was wiped clean again. After I re-set all my recordings, too. *sniff, sniff* Will check out TiVo's this weekend...

Dance Attire

I've been watching "Step It Up and Dance" - Bravo's version of the dance competition show. You know, the one hosted by Jessie Spano (who's actually not that bad of a host).

I love professional dancers but I just don't get the clothes they wear when they rehearse. So many layers and stuff! It's not just these guys, I see it all the time - on So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, America's Best Dance Crew, etc.

They have scarves (scarves! I would probably choke myself if I try that), layers of clothes, leg warmers (you know I'm talking about Edyta), knit caps, etc.

Back in my old dance days (heehee), I would get so *hot* during dance class - no way could I deal with all that extra stuff.

Does anyone else find this odd?

Anyway, "Step It Up and Dance" isn't bad. It's no Project Runway and I'm not even quite sure if it's a Top Chef. But they are definitely talented and it's kind of interesting. This episode's challenge had all of them doing a hip hop battle - even the male ballet dancers! Funny.

Eeeeeeeeee!

... is my reaction after watching "The Office". I *love* Jim and Pam. They are just so adorable.

And I loved Kevin's practical joke on Michael when he gave him the number of his friend, "Wendy", as a potential rebound chick.

I Hate Comcast.

You know, I should have known this would happen. I finally try to use the DVR to improve my quality of life (dramatic, yes) and it totally backfires on me!

Here's the deal - I like recording shows on my DVR but most of the time, I watch the show the same day and just use the DVR to fast forward through the commercials. But in the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to be good about limiting my TV watching during the week so that I could go to bed early instead (or catch up on my mags). I watch the important stuff (AI, The Office, etc.) and then just stock-pile my not-really-must-see-TV to save for a rainy day (or weekend).

I've been really good about this that today, I was thinking - wow, I've got a lot of good stuff saved on my DVR - I'll never have to watch live TV ever!

And then it happens. I get home and realize my cable box is frozen. Again. So I unplug, wait, and plug back in like I normally do. Only this time... there are NO DVR listings recorded. This has never happened before!

So I call Comcast, put them on speaker and wait. The Comcast dude explains that they had a virus in their server and that pretty much everyone in the bay area is screwed. Everyone's DVRs are wiped out. Permananently.

Oh, it pains me to think of all the good stuff I had saved:

- The awesome SYTYCD number from Idol Gives Back
- The entire last season of "My Boys"
- Xanadu (which I have on DVD but it's not the same)
- Last night's DWTS that I didn't get to finish
- Last night's AI that I wanted to watch again
- This past weekend's SNL with Ashton Kutcher which I also didn't finish
- A whole bunch of this season's "The Office" and "Jon and Kate plus eight" and "Lost"
- A "What not to wear" from this weekend that I started watching but didn't get to see the big finish!

I had a bunch of other stuff that isn't too painful since I'm sure it will be on again:
- Season Finale of Real Housewives of NYC (but I was hoping to watch it tonight!!!)
- Battlestar Galactica (I was thinking about jumping on the bandwagon)
- Season premiere of Work Out

OMG - I just realized that all my scheduled recordings are gone, too! That means I have to set all of them again??? Wow. What a big cluster-f***.

Did anyone else have this problem or was Mr. Comcast lying to me by saying it wasn't just me?

Random AI Thoughts

David Cook would be really good in the role of Roger in the musical, Rent.

I like Carly, but Kelly Clarkson's version of "Without You" was much better.

Check out this cute video of Brooke White when she was younger.

And I didn't think David Archuleta's performance was that great.


Please, oh please, let it be either Syesha or Kristy Lee that gets the boot this week.

Just a Couple Final IGB Thoughts...

... and then I'm done, I promise!

1. TWO Miley Cyrus performances??? C'mon, that's a little ridiculous.

2. Brad Pitt introducing Daughtry??? What kind of crazy universe is this? (BTW - *loved* the sound lady, who wouldn't want an excuse to touch him???)

OK, I had to get that out of my system. G'night!

P.S. Did the show run over? Because my DVR shut off right after the Daughtry clip.

Idol Gives Back Highlight # 3: Girl Power

Wow, I'm so surprised to see Heart make an appearance considering how many times American Idol contestants have butchered their songs. (Not all the time, though - one example: Carrie Underwood's "Alone") They performed Barracuda" with a special appearance by Miss Fergie! And how about those one armed cartwheels? Kids Incorporated has taught Fergie well.

Anyway - they rocked out! It was amazing. Although, the snarky side of me kept imagining Ann Wilson thinking, "Quit stealing my song, you skinny b*tch!"

Ooh - I just discovered that Carrie actually performed Alone with Heart - check it out here

Next girl power moment - Annie Lennox on the piano. I don't know what song she sang, but it was beautiful just like the rest of her songs.

And I'll throw in Carrie Underwood's performance of "Praying for Time", too. I'm not sure if they announced who did the original but it was bothering me so I googled it. (It was George Michael.)

Idol Gives Back Highlight #2: The Band from TV

Ummm... so what did you think??? I've always been curious to see The Band from TV in action. I knew about James Denton and Greg Grunberg but the Teri Hatcher thing was an interesting surprise. I was sort of impressed with her singing ability, some parts sounded pretty good! Other parts... umm... so how's that acting thing going, Teri?

I was super impressed with Jesse Spencer from House and his violin skills! How cool was that?

OK, back to the show...

Idol Gives Back Highlight #1: Oh, how I've missed you, SYTYCD!

OK, I'm only 5 minutes into the "Idol Gives Back" special and I already know I'll be saving this one on my DVR for awhile. The opening number was amazing!!! I heard the dancers from "So You Think You Can Dance" were going to open, but I didn't know it would be dancers from all the previous seasons! SO. AWESOME.

Plus they danced to one of my current favorite tunes. Rhianna is my girl.

Heck - I might even shell out some money to the cause, it was so good!

HIMYM: Awesome.

I'm starting to really get into How I Met Your Mother - this show is hilarious! I'm surprised there has been talk that this show might not get renewed.

I totally want to be friends with these people! OK, that sounds kind of sad. But it's true! How fun would it be to chill at the bar with Ted, Barney, Marshall, Lily, and Robin. Well, really, I would just want to hang with Barney. He's the kind of guy that I normally hate (you know, total playa!!!) but he is soooo hilarious!

I finally got to watch last Monday's episode today and it was really funny. I loved the part at the end where they did an ode to Doogie Howser by having Barney type his journal with the blue background computer screen. Yes, Barney, you are awesome.

According to the CBS website, you can watch the full episode online by clicking the link above.

Random Dancing thoughts

If I was a "Star" on this show, I think my least desired partner would be Louis Van Amstel. He gives me the heebie geebies. At least he doesn't have that slicked-back ponytail look anymore.

Is anyone else shocked by Adam Carolla and his performances? I mean, they aren't awesome, but they are at least decent. I had him pegged as another Tucker Carlson.

I wonder if the producers and hosts are hoping he is gone soon as he is such a livewire with his comments! Maybe you don't like cheesy ballroom dancing, but it's worth it to laugh at Adam and his zingers.

I'm still a bit scared by Priscilla - I'm definitely never ever doing Botox. (Not that I was ever planning to!) Watch out Laurie! This will be you soon! (Real Housewives of Orange County reference...)

I'll admit it... I've been keepin' up with the Kardashians

Now don't judge me - the show is pretty entertaining! I initially thought the show would revolve around just Kim so I avoided the show at first. I figured it would be like the Paris and Nicole show and I thought they were completely obnoxious. Ok, fine, Nicole did make me laugh every now and then.

Anyway... the Kardashians show is very different. It's cute because it's all about the family. I always enjoy those type of shows because I like to see them in their "real" element, away from all the celebrity stuff. Other good ones: Family Jewels (Gene Simmons), Hogan Knows Best, Run's House, and of course, the original - The Osbournes.

In the show, we actually see more of Kim's sisters, Khloe and Kourtney. They're kind of like Paris and Nicole with the antics they pull. Example - bringing in a homeless man to clean up in their parents bathroom and then dressing him up in their step-dad's clothes.

But my favorite episode is when they focused on their brother, Rob (who seems like a total sweetie) and his relationship with a Cheetah girl! I love them Cheetah Girls so I totally approve and they're very cute together - however getting a tattoo of her full name after three months of dating... eeeyikes!!!

Oh, and guess who their step dad is - Bruce flippin' Jenner! That's another funny part of the show... poor Bruce is so out of place with these crazies.

There are two more kids - Kendall and Kylie. They are the youngins and are the kids of Bruce and Kris Jenner. The other four (Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, and Rob) are the kids of Robert Kardashian, i.e. OJ's lawyer. There are some touching moments about him as you can see that the kids are still struggling with the death of their dad.

Anyway, check it out on E! I don't know when it's on but I just added it to my DVR. They've made the cut. :)

Just give up

This just cracks me up.

I've officially become my mom

... because I caught myself taking notes while watching Suze Orman.

Suze is strictly a DVR show for me. But every now and then I'll pull up an episode in the hopes I'll pick up a new thing or two. Also, the show sort of has a Ricki Lake/Jerry Springer factor for me... that is, you hear these people talk about their really screwed up financial situations, and you think, "Boy, I'm glad I'm not him!"

Anyway, on this episode, Suze had a guest from MorningStar who recommended her top five mutual funds for retirement accounts. Turns out I didn't need to furiously take notes, because they posted them online here.

Happy investing!


P.S. Congratulate me - I finally finished my taxes!!! This year was particularly painful because I unloaded some ESPP shares for the first time. Entering the line by line item for 12 different lots of stocks was making my head go dizzy!

People are evil

At least that's what I learned when I watched the season finale of The Gauntlet last week. Did anyone else happen to catch it? Poor Eric... he's the big guy on the Veterans team. That guy was never going to make it far on the final challenge. First of all, it looked like a crazy hot day in Mexico. Second, the challenge kicked off with a half mile swim to shore. OK, that would pretty much knock me out. Anyway, each team then had to chain themselves to each other and go for a run and do a series of challenges.

Eric was dying once he got out of the water. He could barely put his shoes on. Honestly, from this point on, he looked like he could pass out at any second. Real wobbly and stuff. His teammates just barked at him the whole way. When getting ready for the run, they decided to put him at the end of the chain so they could, and I quote, "drag him".

And that's pretty much what they did and it made me sick. This poor guy is dying, but he's being dragged by a chain around his waist by eight people who are all yelling at him. San Diego Brad was the only one that cared about his health and spoke up for him.

Somehow, they do manage to drag him for a bit until eventually he keels over and um, is flat out on the ground struggling to breathe! His teammates' reaction? "He cost us $30K!" Ugh... so evil. OK, I should clarify - it was really that Ev chick that came across as pure evil with all the whining about the money. But they all looked like a**holes, in my opinion.

On a random note... I was at the gym last night (I KNOW! Crazy, right?) and as I was flipping through the channels while on the elliptical, I saw a commercial for the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice.

That show is still on? News to me...

In Treatment...

... is wicked addicting. So I'm glad this season is ending soon. At least I think it's ending, anyway.

When I first saw the commercials for this show, I thought, "Oh boy - that looks super boring." If you're not familiar with the show, here's the deal:

"In Treatment" is an HBO series starring Gabriel Byrne as a therapist named Paul treating a variety of patients. It's a half hour show that airs every day Monday through Friday. And every episode represents the therapy session between Paul and one of his patients. I usually catch the Wed-Fri shows. Wednesday is Sophie - a pre-teen competitive gymnast who has issues with her dad. Thursday is Jake (aka Knox Overstreet) and Amy (aka Natasha from "Bridget Jones' Diary" or McDreamy's sister) - a couple who is considering divorce. And on Friday, the tables are reversed because Paul then meets with his own therapist, Gina (Dianne Wiest).

Monday and Tuesday is Blair Underwood and Melissa George (not sure which is which) but I never seem to catch those. I know the Melissa George one must be juicy because she plays Laura who develops a thing for Paul and Paul in turn thinks he might be falling for her but he's married with kids plus the whole doctor/patient thing and stuff. The Laura drama usually spills into Paul's Friday session with Gina.

Anyway, it's actually a pretty good series that just sucks you in. I guess I like it because I'm a nosy person and I enjoy prying into people's personal lives. Even if they aren't real. :)

Plus, I've got about five different HBO channels (and now, IN DEMAND - woot woot!) so it seems like there is always an episode on. I actually don't even know what time the shows regularly appear.

So if you have HBO, I recommend. Be nosy like me!

I am fascinated by David Cook

When David Cook began to sing tonight, my first thought was oh no... he's doing the Lionel Richie thing again?

But I really enjoyed his version of Billie Jean. I think his 80's pop-turned-rock interpretations are really amazing - even more creative and enjoyable than the Blake Lewis beatbox stuff that impressed me last year.

I think Chikezie will go home this week. Thoughts anyone?

Thanks Syesha...

... for making me feel like an ancient old fart.

I was half-listening to her intro part and then all of a sudden I hear her say, "I was born in ... blah, blah, blah... on January 2nd, 1987."

1987???

Holy crap, I'm old.

Expanding the Office fanbase!

I recently learned that my sister has never watched "The Office". Outrageous, I know! Turns out that she always wanted to, but didn't want to just jump in the middle. So a few months ago, I loaned my sister my entire DVD collection of "The Office". Yep, my sister was able to discover and enjoy seasons 1 through 3 all together without suffering through those painful "will they or won't they" cliffhangers!

Granted, she has a 9 month old baby (the CUTEST baby in the world, by the way!) so it's not like she can go in audgepodge mode and hibernate for an entire weekend to plow through the DVDs all at once. So it took a couple of months, but she finished them all and she loved them! Yay! We make a good team, I got her hooked on "The Office", she got me hooked on "Jon and Kate plus eight".

I wasn't sure if she would find them funny because the show is kinda quirky plus she's never really been in a stuffy office environment - before full-time momminess, her previous careers included being a social worker and a nursing assistant at a retirement home.

So I busted out laughing when she asked me (with a completely straight face) - "So do offices really have party planning committees???"

Random thought...

Tonight, Jason Castro reminded me a lot of a young John Travolta. You know, from the Grease days.

It's like they read my mind!!!

So thanks to my mom, I've been DVR-ing the Suze Orman show. I caught up on one today and I was thinking, you know, this would be a perfect person to impersonate on SNL. And I'm sitting here watching SNL right now (yes, I'll admit to watching SNL on a Saturday night) and guess what has just popped up??? A Suze Orman sketch!

OK, it just finished. Kristen Wiig did a decent job but I was hoping to see her bust out with a "DENIED! DENIED! You are SOOOOOOOO DENIED!!!" No such luck.

I love seeing how the SNL writers watch the same weird stuff I watch. Amy Poehler's interpretation of Christian "Hot Tranny Mess" Siriano was hilarious.

Maybe there will be a Jon & Kate plus Eight sketch next... :P

Say wha??????

Hello again, everyone! Yes, I've been MIA. Too much traveling and working and not enough sleep.

But anyway, what an amazing episode of Lost tonight! It was another one of those twisty ones, too. Surprising ending, yes, but I'm still a little miffed at the writers for breaking my heart like that. Didn't watch the episode yet? Well, then you better leave now because I want to discuss!

Normally, I don't find the Jin and Sun storylines that interesting, but I really liked the one tonight. We see Sun getting ready to have her baby intercut with scenes of Jin buying a stuffed panda and rushing to get to the hospital. We soon learn - ta da! - that Sun is one of the "Oceanic Six". So of course, I immediately think, cool, now we know Jin and Sun are the last of the Oceanic Six. But then I remember, wait, we already have five - Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, and little baby Aaron. But then maybe the baby doesn't count???

Anyway, cut to Island time. Jin finds out that Sun cheated on him so he gets all mad and won't talk to her. She's scared he's left her. But in the end, Jin has a heart to heart with Rose's husband (can't remember his name) and forgives Sun later and even makes her a nice dinner. It was such a sweet scene! (I even teared a little.) He admits that he was a different man before the crash and that he didn't show her affection and it was that man that drove her to have the affair which is why he forgives her. Then she cries and tells him she loves him, and he loves her, and the baby is really his, and they hug and live happily ever after!

Right?

NO.

Stupid mean writers. Cuz this whole time we're being so happy for the couple and thinking how they made it off the island and are going to have their baby and it was all a big fake-out! Sun had her baby alright - ALONE. I'm still trying to figure out when those Jin scenes were from. I'm guessing before the plane crash since he told the nurse he's only been married for two months. He wasn't bringing the stuffed panda to his wife, he was bringing it to the granddaughter or daughter of some big important client.

ANYWAY - we finally get clued in when we see Sun back at her apartment and Hurley comes to visit her. Hurley gets to meet the little baby girl (so cute! and so little!) and he accompanies Sun to visit Jin *sniff, sniff* at his grave!

Dude, it was so sad. This episode reminded me of the season premiere of Ugly Betty. They showed all these romantic, happy scenes with Hilda and Santos after he was in the store robbery. And then in the final scene, you realized she was in her room all alone in the dark, mourning his death. You cruel TV writers! Playing with my emotions that way!

Anyway, we also got another interesting tidbit. Walt's dad (Michael?) must be Ben's spy on the boat. He actually left the show before I started watching but I had heard rumors his character would return. And it's revealed to Desmond that his nemesis is the owner of the boat as well. Interesting!


Uh-oh, I just made another realization... Sawyer doesn't make it!!!!


(Speaking of Sawyer, I saw the little pop-up ad that mentioned you can get your own Sawyer nickname on abc.com... mine turned out to be Betty. Don't get it.)

Lost played Xanadu! ... and other highlights from last night's TV

Seriously, Hurley is awesome! How funny to hear him pop in that Xanadu tape! Perfect timing for Skater to get their groove on... or at least conspire against Locke.

And yay, we got to see clean cut Jack again! *sigh* What a dreamboat...

But let's get to the most important part of last night's episode of Lost - Kate's last line in the episode, of course! HOLY CRAP!!! Did *not* see that coming... of course, I'll be honest, I'm usually caught off guard on what happens in this show and I LOVE IT! I don't want to spoil anything if you haven't seen the episode yet so highlight the rest of the text in this paragraph to see my thoughts. So does that mean we know who the fifth member of the Oceanic Six is? And at the same time, who it isn't? And BTW - could it be that that character is still stuck on the island and one of the reasons why Jack eventually wants to go back? Or is she just gone for good? Oh, how sad... Anyway, if you-know-who is a member of the Oceanic Six, does that mean the last member is the person in the coffin in the season finale? I'm dying to know who that is! (Word is we'll find out this season, but I have a feeling it won't be until the post-strike episodes.) And how about Jack's testimony at Kate's trial - only eight of them survived the plane crash??? What the ---? And why doesn't he want to see the little one? And aren't they somehow related anyway? I'm sure there's more to discuss but that's all I got for now. EW.com just posted a really great interview with the producers of the show, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof.

So moving on to American Idol... I'm so glad I waited to watch that show on my DVR and not live b/c I pretty much fast forwarded through the whole thing. I'm really annoyed with the producers and their whole theme night thing - not only were the solo performances this week a snooze b/c they couldn't really pick their own style of songs, but how about that group performance??? YUCK! It was so boring! They don't normally do group performances at this point, do they? I guess I just don't like changes. But c'mon, that performance was almost comical. Especially at the end when they all clumsily (is that even a word?) got into their final position and just stood there waiting for the last note so they could finally throw their arms out for the final pose. (You just know Amanda Overmyer was dying inside.)

Chris Sligh, from last season, posts his reviews on EW.com and he made a good point - it's mind-boggling that the judges sat in a room and all agreed that someone like Garret Haley or Luke Menard or Jason Yaeger would be better than Josiah Leming. (I may have messed up those names, but I'm too lazy to double check.) But I hear Josiah is doing well and that Ellen even had him on her show and gave him all these musical instruments and stuff. (But how will all that fit in his car???)

For me, the best part of the show was Paula Abdul's music video. I dug it. It reminded me of the good ole days of Straight Up and Forever Your Girl. I was so happy to see her dance in it - sure, you could tell she couldn't go all out like before but she rocked it. And of course, it was cool to see Randy. I am concerned if they have her perform the song on the show - what is she going to do? Lip sync on a singing competition show? (that she judges???!!!) Anyway, are you paying attention, Britney? You can have your comeback, too! We are dying to see you get your mojo back!

And then finally, we've got America's Best Dance Crew. Yes, Thursday is a busy night for me. This show is amazing. If you miss So You Think You Can Dance and are craving some *real* dancing (not that nonsense on that Dance Wars show), then you've got to check this show out. It's produced by Randy Jackson, hosted by Mario Lopez, and the judges are Shane Sparks, Lil Mama, and JC Chasez (and they're good judges, too). These guys are amazing! Here are my two favorite groups so far:

JabbaWockeez



Kaba Modern



There's also a group that performs on old skool rollerskates!

I thought he looked familiar!

So do you remember the dreadlocked American Idol contestant? OK, me neither because I don't think they really showed him during the audition and Hollywood rounds.


But then when they showed him at the beginning of tonight's American Idol episode, I kept thinking... I've seen him before! And then suddenly it came to me - he was the crush of that girl singer who had her own show on MTV. Of course, I couldn't remember her name, either, so I had to google to get to Cheyenne Kimball.

Jason was her crush and appeared in a few of the episodes. I didn't know he was a musician as well. I just figured he was some random boy from the 'hood.


Anyway, I can now rest easy now and enjoy the boys' performances.

What's up with throwing theme nights in already? Ick! Did they do this last year, too? I'd rather they sing what they want and save the themes for the top 12.

Who I'd like to see come back next week:

• David Cook - I never paid much attention to him before but I really dug this performance
  
• Robbie Carrico - Rockers rule (and in case you were wondering, the pop band he was in was called Boyz N Girlz United and he may or may not have dated Britney Spears when they toured together)
  
• David Archuleta - I don't think he can win but c'mon, he truly is ADORABLE
  
• Jason Castro - Laidback cool
  
• Michael Johns - G'day mate!

Not interested: Jason Yeager (Moon River), Luke Menard, and Garret Haley (Is it horrible that I kind of agreed with Simon on this one? He is kinda creepy looking...)

This post is for my brother

(Let's see if he's even reading this thing...)

Kristi Yamaguchi has joined the cast for the next season of Dancing with the Stars!

I'm actually pretty impressed with the new line-up. It's awesome to see these professional dancers transform these guys into amazing ballroom dancers - so why not do it?

Here's the cast:

Marlee Matlin (Oscar winner)
Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller)
Marissa Janet Winokur (Broadway star- Hairspray)
Adam Carolla (co-host of The Man Show)
Kristi Yamaguchi (Olympic figure skater)
Cristian de la Fuente ("Latin heart throb")
Monica Seles (Tennis champ)
Mario (R&B singer)
Steve Guttenburg (actor)
Jason Taylor (Miami Dolphins NFL)
Shannon Elizabeth (actress)
Priscilla Presley (actress)

It'll be really interesting to see how Marlee performs - it'll be inspiring to see a deaf woman rock to the music! My expectations are pretty high for Kristi, Marissa Janet Winokur, and Mario since those guys are experienced dancers. I have a feeling Penn will bug me.

Out of these guys, the only ones I didn't recongnize are Cristian de la Fuente and Jason Taylor.

BTW, it looks like Julianne Hough's reign will end as supposedly she's partnering with Adam Carolla and I will be SHOCKED if he actually shows some skills on the ballroom. But I'm sure we can count on him for some entertaining sound bites at least.

The new season debuts Monday, March 17th, on ABC at 8PM PST.

More info can be found here.

Ratings systems

This morning I was listening to Alice radio and Hooman and Marcus Osbourne were giving reviews of that new Hayden Christensen movie. One liked it, one didn't but the funny part came at the end when they gave their final reviews. Hooman gave it 1 1/3 Persian carpets (really? it's that granular???) and Marcus gave it four and something thunder claps. And that made me laugh out loud at the randomness of it all.

If I had a ratings system, what would I use? I think I would choose chocolate chip cookies, as in - I give the movie "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" a solid four out of five chocolate chip cookies.

How about you guys, what would you use?

Thoughts on the Top 24

Did you watch tonight's episode of American Idol? If so, let's talk. I still can't get over that Josiah didn't make the finals. He was profiled so much in the past few weeks and had one of the best audition pieces in Hollywood. Too bad he totally choked at the end. And who would have thought Simon would fight for Kyle Ensley (the lovable nerd with crazy hair and tie)?

As for the finalists - there were a lot of them that we hadn't seen much of yet. They're going to have a tough time surviving the weeder rounds.

Here are my thoughts on the ones I do remember:

- Danny Noriega is pretty, isn't he? A little too pretty for my taste. And he seems to be a bit flamboyant when performing. His voice is OK but for me... NEXT!

- Amanda Overmyer (rocker lady) is going to be real interesting if she makes it to the top 12. Imagine her doing country, or disco, or latin! She might be OK but it will be interesting to see if she can change it up

- David Archuleta (the one who had a paralyzed vocal cord) is a cutie but I'm not swooning over him like the judges are

- Carly Smithson (the Irish chick that missed her first time around b/c of visa problems) will be fun to watch. She's a belter that looks like a rocker. Do you think she ate a green lollipop before her final Hollywood audition? Her green tongue frightened me a bit.

- Asia'h Epperson (the one whose Dad passed away) has a nice scratchy voice - it's different and I kinda like it

- Ramiele Malubay - Yeah! Pinay Power! (I'm guessing she's flip, but I don't really know.)

On a random note, I was not digging Paula's 'do in this episode. Unfortunately, because of my relatively new shaggy / grown-out mullet haircut, that's probably how my hair would look if pulled back in a low pony. *sigh*

Here's a TV Guide recap of the finalists if you want a more complete rundown.

Wait, is that it?

Did I miss something? I just spent two hours watching the first Hollywood episode of American Idol and now the judges are ready to select the final 24 already!

What happened to the group performances??? You know, where the kids are forced to work with people they may or may not get along with, stay up all night, learn and harmonize a new song, throw some choreography together, and voila - a recipe for a good ole hot mess. (I'm trying to incorporate Project Runway speak whenever possible.)

I always like how the group performances add to the drama factor which the producers try to carry throughout the rest of the season.

Alas, it looks like there will be no boy bands in the making or wannabe Dreamgirls this year. They added a bunch of other changes instead - like allowing the singers to play their own instrument and they got a band and back up singers for their last solo performance for the judges.

I'm excited - it looks like they got a good bunch of really talented singers that all have unique, cool sounds. So we'll see - final 24 tomorrow!

It's Grammy time!

I caught bits and pieces of the show tonight. Luckily, my sister reminded me about it.

Amy Winehouse seemed to score big tonight. Too bad she wasn't allowed to attend the show in person though...

Regarding the show:

1. The Beatles thing? Um... I didn't quite get it. Then again, I wasn't really watching. But the parts that I did catch left me thinking, what the heck?

2. Kanye almost brought me to tears with his tribute to his mom. So touching...

3. I liked Fergie and John Legend, too - fun collaboration. Just like Rhianna and Time. Or is it The Time? I don't know... but it sure was fun to hear O-E-O-E-O again.

4. Did Beyonce's intro for Tina Turner remind you of Catherine Zeta Jone's performance from Chicago? I'm assuming Chicago inspired it, anyway.

5. Jason Bateman is funny.

Then I missed a big chunk when I went to the grocery. I have it on DVR but don't know if I'll actually go back and review it.

6. Enjoyed the Gershwin piano tribute but really liked the duet between Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli. I might have to copy their CD's that I gave my mom for Christmas last year next time I'm home. (heehee)

7. Amy Winehouse gave a good performance but I was more interested (surprised?) in her reaction to her Grammy win.

8. I feel SOOOOO horrible for admitting this, but my first thought on seeing Jerry Lee Lewis perform was, "He's still alive?!!" BUT my second thought was, "Wow, he's still rockin' it."

9. Herbie Hancock won Album of the Year? OK.


BTW - just caught CBS's commercial for their upcoming premiere of the network-OK'd version of Dexter. I don't have Showtime so I've never seen the show but have always heard a lot of good things about it. I still think the premise is pretty creepy, and honestly even the CBS commercials are a little "eeks!" for me. But I'll try to at least check out the first episode.

Weekly Wrap-up

Some random thoughts from this past week:

1. Did you know about the very contagious sickness called b*itch*ssness that is out there in our community? Oh yeah, it's out there, just ask Diddy about it.

2. I'm really proud of Chris March from Project Runway. He was eliminated in episode 4, brought back on episode 5 (due to Jack's condition), and he's been hanging in there week after week, winning the WWE Diva challenge this week, and now was able to show his collection in Bryant Park during Fashion Week! Good for him.

If you want to see the final collections by the final five designers, Bravo has posted them on their website - you'll see some past participants from America's Next Top Model. Even though all five showed collections, we'll all have to wait and watch the remaining PR episodes to see who are the real finalists.

3. This is actually from a couple of weeks ago, but is fresh in my mind since Bravo airs Project Runway repeats all the time. During the judging for the denim challenge, I loved it when Heidi asks Ricky, "What's up with you?" Finally! It was funny to have someone call him out on all his constant crying and stuff.

4. About Lost... yeah, that's exactly what I am. Flashbacks, flashforwards, four new characters, who's good, who's bad, who's who they say are... egads! It's not *that* bad for me... I'm gettin' it so far. But hopefully it doesn't go to Alias status where the plot's twists and turns throw me into a headspin and I just give up.

I can't resist

Trust me, I hate myself for even caring enough to post this, but I can't resist. I have just a few comments upon viewing Heidi's music video for "Higher":



1. I never really noticed her twins enhancement... until now. Geez, isn't her frame too tiny for those things?
2. I have a feeling Heidi is a really bad dancer
3. Seriously? She really had Spencer film this video? I think Paris did a better version of the whole beach thing

Anyway, I wonder when The Hills will be back? I miss those crazy kids.


P.S. Her "Higher" song isn't *that* bad. I mean, I'm not planning to download it or anything but it's not horrible.

P.P.S. When searching for Paris's music video, I found at least two others - who knew! Was her album popular and I just didn't realize it?

Favorite Superbowl Commercials?

I didn't really pay too much attention to the Superbowl commercials this year - too much chit chatting, playing with kids, snacking (there was even an ice cream sundae bar, people!!!), etc.

I caught the Justin Timberlake pepsi one, and the Vicky's Secret one, plus the trailers for Wanted and Leatherheads... all OK, but none that were phenomenal or anything.

So later I plan to review them all here, but where should I start? What were your faves?

Matt Damon is really cool

Well, I knew he was a bad-ass actor from those Bourne films, but now I am really convinced that Matt Damon is simply a really cool and funny guy. Have you heard about the running joke on the Jimmy Kimmel show where Jimmy ends every show with something like "Apologies to Matt Damon - we ran out of time"? So he does this every night and then eventually Matt Damon actually makes an appearance on his show last year - here's the clip, the actual "interview" is perfect:



So now Jimmy is celebrating his fifth year anniversary with the show so his girlfriend, Sarah Silverman, prepares the following video as his present:



I busted out laughing when I saw this. That's one sense of humor.