Movie Review-Australia

While away on my working trip to Los Angeles, I finally found time to see a movie. At home, I am always too busy to sit still for the required 3 hours or so of movie time. I was staying at the Hilton LAX, which I might add is a really nice hotel on Century Blvd., only 5 minutes from the airport. I always judge a hotel by how comfortable the beds and pillows are and I love, love, love a bed that is dress in a sheet duvet on the bed rather than bedspreads which was the case here. The bed and pillows were divine however, what would have been a comfortable night rest on these heavenly pillows was ruined by the clank, clank, clank of the ice machine. Unfortunately my room was right across from the ice machine and unfortunately this hotel uses metal ice buckets. The sound of the ice cubes hitting that metal bucket in the middle of the night was deafening, which answers one of the most intriguing questions of the universe. Do people really get ice in the middle of the night? Yes they do!

A nice perk to this hotel, being stranded without a car, was that a shuttle to Manhattan Beach was provided, where it was that I saw the movie, Australia.

I am seldom moved to see movies, what with the cost of the movie, popcorn and soda will set you back a small fortune. I always sneek my water bottle and snacks with me. I've seen whole families buy hot dogs, drinks and snacks at the show, which gives dinner and a movie a whole new meaning. But Australia was one movie I wanted to see, no matter that I had to hunt down the theater in an area unknown to myself and walk two giant blocks away from the mall and the shuttle drop. After lunching on Baja Fresh, I found the 19 screen theater down the street just in time to catch the 2:25 matinee although it was already 2:40 when I got in, screen blackening to the opening scene. I couldn't have planned it better.

Australia was everything I had hoped it would be. A big epic drama, with romance, drama, suspense and bittersweet tenderness. I have read some reviews of the movie criticizing it's false grandeur and unreal history, for heavens sake, it's for entertainment value not a history lesson! The boy wonder, an unknown Brandon Walters as Nullah, with his singular most poetic line of the entire movie, "I will sing you to me" was mesmerizing, whose wide doe eyes enveloped you with a sense of wonder and innocents. I thought Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah was perfect in her role of aristocrat gone down under and Hugh Jackman, well there's a reason why he's People's sexiest man of the year. One word, WOW! And ladies, hold on to your seat with that scene of him showering in the outback, as my daughter would ask, "Do you think he's yummy?" Yes dear, he's way more than yummy!

To all the movie critics that might pan this movie, for it's lack of acting and accuracy, I say, Crikey mate, it's damn well great entertainment and if I wanted a history lesson or Shakespearean acting then I would see some Henry James movie. But this movie represents what movies used to be in the genre of Gone with the Wind or the likes of Pearl Harbor. I miss movies like this, I miss the sweeping scenes, the romance wishing I were the Nicole Kidman character being swept up in the arms of the Drover and leaving me with the affects of the movie long after I have left the theater. This movie should definitely be seen on the wide screen, so pay the money, buy the popcorn and soda and settle in for a great story.-Single D

Survivor Gabon-Bob In Charge

After that last tribal, Kenny is feeling like Professor Bob made a fool out of him with that whole fake idol thing. Kenny really plays the part of poor me really well. In exchange for comforting Kenny, Bob promises that if he wins the next immunity challenge he will give the idol to Kenny. Either he's a fool or a real game player. Is it my imagination or is Suzi flourishing in the jungle? It's amazing how much weight Kenny has lost but Suzi is still round and plump. For the reward challenge, need we say anything here, except that once again Professor Bob proves he's a force to be reckoned with at age 57. Bob wins a trip to a gorilla habitat, lunch and a shower and he takes along Crystal (because she has yet to win something) and Kenny. For all of Crystal's title of Olympic winner, she sucks at challenges. I liked the muu muus they were given to wear. Back at camp, Matty is trying to woo Sugar over to his side and it looked like she would remain steadfast to her alliance of Crystal and Kenny until Crystal makes the mistake of getting on Matty's case for no apparent reason. Cut to Sugar crying over injustice to an underdog. Sugar sure cries a lot. Again Bob wins the immunity challenge. Kenny is practically begging Bob to give him the immunity but Bob's answer to this is that he's not a target, therefore gracefully bowing out of his promise to give him the immunity. Amazing how Bob comes out smelling like roses in this maneuvering. Since Bob has the immunity, this spoils Kenny and Crystals' to get rid of the biggest threat this season. At tribal, Sugar knows that this will be the last chance to play the idol, so voting comes down to a three-three split between Matty and Crystal. Before the votes were read, Jeff does the whole speech thing about the idol and Sugar casually gives it to Matty, thereby cancelling his votes and in a turn around, Crystal is voted off. One thing about Crystal's departure, this is the first time during this whole thing, she displayed grace and sincerity. Seems like Bob and Sugar are poised to go all the way and surely if this happens, it will be interesting to see who becomes the biggest game player of all time.-Single D

Amazing Race-Finale

I had been out of town when the finale of Amazing Race was on, so I taped it, thinking that probably some website headline would spoil it for me. Well, that didn't happen, so I did manage to watch it with some hopes that the "horseshoe up the butt team" (in Ken's words) wouldn't win. But of course that was not to be. They were this season's strongest team with a good race for their money made by Ken and Tina. The final challenge of linking clues with various route markers, detours, pit stops was on your seat riveting. What made this whole episode get on my nerves was Tina's incessant complaining. Come on, take that darn helmet off. Didn't she just drive you crazy with her helmet doing that walking the log challenge? And Ken, he was just so patient with her. Of course we knew the Cinderella team of Andrew and Dan wouldn't make for a compelling race to the finish. The sloppy team managed once again to get a taxi that didn't know his way around Portland, Ore. Hey, it's America! It's not like Portland is that big. Good idea for Andrew to call the visitor bureau for that information, needless to say tho, they just couldn't keep up with the two strongest team. They just kept plugging away like Colombo and Inspector Clouseau with their third place finish. In the end, Nick and Starr win the money, but I think Tina was the biggest winner in this race, with Ken asking her again to marry him and giving her a ring. Hey Ken, one word RUN! -Single D

Survivor Gabon-Operation Fake Idol 2

Well, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Quiet Professor Bob is playing the game. His true colors revealed themselves starting with his anger at Sugar laughing at Randy when he played the fake idol during tribal for all of America to see, making him the biggest Survivor jackass of all time. Lighten up Bob, that was good TV! I think Bob must have been feeling the guilt and so was angry with himself for putting Randy in that laughable situation. Did I miss the part when delicate Sugar put Bob in a stranglehold and made him give the fake idol to Randy? I think not, Bob is the smartest one there and he knew exactly what he was doing, so suck it up Bob. It was funny!

The reward challenge is the seeing relatives cry fest. Didn't gamer boy, Kenny look like he was really trying to squeeze some water out of those eyes when he saw his sister? Say it with me, crocodile tears! We knew that anything involving puzzles, Bob would win, which he did and enjoyed an afternoon with his wife and pizza. Me, I would have enjoyed the pizza more. The producers are such wimps and everyone else gets the visit with their relatives. Matty becomes the biggest softest marshmallow on the planet and gets all mushy over his girlfriend and proposes to her in the jungles of Africa. Hey, that will make a good story to tell the grand kids one day.

Clever and crafty Bob hatches operation fake idol 2 with Corinne and makes another fake idol. I'm wondering exactly where in the jungle Bob finds all those wooden beads to fashion a fake idol from? The Gabon bead store? He tells Kenny, whose head is now so big it can barely balance on top of his scrawny body, that when the idol was thrown in the ocean by Marcus, he really hid it on the beach and now he has it. If anyone buys that story, I have a bridge I'd like to sell. Kenny fell for it, making him the biggest dummy in Survivor history. He tells Crystal that Bob has the idol and that they will be voting Matty out.

The immunity challenge is lobbing balls on to a target. Again, Bob proves his skills and wins the immunity. The old Fang tribe is voting Corinne out with unbeknownst to Crystal becoming the swing vote. Again, another great twist at tribal, whether Crystal would vote Matty out. When Jeff asked if anyone had the idol, Kenny was practically saying out loud to Corinne to play the idol and when she didn't, Kenny knew he had been duped. Thankfully, Crystal voted Corinne and the queen of mean took her walk of shame. Corinne is forgetting that this is just a game as she venemously spews hate toward those who are left becoming this season's Sue Hawk! -Single D

Amazing Race-No Money, No Passports, No Third Place Finish-Bye to Toni & Dallas

First to leave: Toni & Dallas

Followed by Ken & Tina

Nick & Starr

with Frat boys bringing up the rear and having to catch up after their imposed speed bump. I was almost certain the race for the final three would be the first three teams to leave, with dumb and dumber packing their bags, but that was not to be. It seemed like all teams almost leave at the same time as they all make it to the submarine together. The clue is to race to the park of Fallen Monuments and make a statue count. I knew it when Toni and Dallas arrived and mom told Dallas to do it, I was like why would she let him do it? It seemed like it should have been her turn to do the road block. But like the dutiful son that Dallas is, he didn't disagree with her-huge mistake MOM! First of all, it sounded way to complicated for Dallas's huge hair brain. Of course, Nick didn't have any problems with this road block, in fact the luck Gods were with Nick and Starr this leg of the race.

Not having a smooth time of it was Tina, screeching her way through Moscow. I need a hoodie, I'm going to catch my death, Ken give me your hoodie! I don't think I heard Ken utter one complete sentence during this entire episode. Just Tina screeching in the background. No wonder Ken divorced her! I thought it was funny when Nick and Starr stole Ken and Tina's cab who had the only GPS device in all of Moscow.

I wasn't understanding how it was raining on all the other teams, but where the Frat boys were it was sunny, maybe they were in Southern Russia?

When Dallas finished counting the statues of course he had the wrong number and if it wasn't for Tina giving him the right number, he might have given the wrong number each time and wouldn't have lost their passports and money which eventually cost them the game. So from here on it was semi anti-climatic. Of course frat boys do their speed bump with little flair, although Dan still can't dance a Cassock dance. Yes, you do dance that bad!

No matter, how the edits of this leg, it didn't build any suspense for me. I knew Toni and Dallas were the last. I'm not getting why they just didn't follow the rules and begged for cab money in the first place. They might have made it and you know darn well, their passports were retrieved out of that cab because Mom was not that concerned. I have to give her snaps tho, she remained the calm Mother. I would have been the hysterical Mother, am the hysterical Mother.

I was hoping against hope that maybe four teams would race to the finish, but that was not to be. So bye to Toni and Dallas, they went further that I thought they would. But the team that made the final three by default, the so called "Cinderella team", I would have never guess they would have made it that far. I would laugh my butt off if they did win it, but my money is on Nick and Starr. Next I'm thinking it's on to Alaska, because can't you see Alaska from Russia?-Single D

Amazing Race-March to Russia

Only four teams left: 9:21 pm-Nick and Starr 10:47 Dallas and Toni 11:17-Ken and Tina 12:41 Dan and Andrew All board the same flight to Moscow, Russia with Dan and Andrew at the airport buying shoes because they stupidly left their shoes at the costume store. They looked really silly walking around the airport in the hotel slippers! Laurel and Hardy, Barney and Andy, Miss Piggy and Kermit, who would be Miss Piggy? I'm thinking Andrew? Arriving in Russia they catch cabs to a monastery where they will receive their next clue, however, taking cabs in Russia looks daunting and worst than Almaty. The detour is boots or borscht. Marching in military boots or serving borscht to a military army of 75. Nick and Starr for the first time have bad luck in catching the cabs from Hell. All teams chose boots and Dallas and Toni make it to the detour first, with Tina and Ken on their heels. Tina looked right at home in that military garb, that suited her militaristic style of traveling. Andrew for some reason doesn't know how to wrap cloth around his feet and both decide to do the borscht which they remove their uniforms only to find out that they needed to stay dressed. So once back in the uniforms they decide might as well do the march. Now come on, Dan can't march. At first I'm like, he's got to be kidding. No one is that uncoordinated! Wrong, Dan is. He can't march to save his life. Even the Russian army were having a good laugh. At work we were all marching like Dan, with Jeffie making the perfect Dan impression. What a klutz, Dan not Jeff! Andrew and Dan then decide to do the ladling of borscht, because that doesn't require coordination. Meanwhile, Nick and Starr have finally arrived to the detour and Starr tells her cab driver to take a hike since he got them lost in Russia. Of course when they finish their detour there isn't a cab to be found anywhere. Not a good leg for these two, but you knew their luck would have to run out sometime. Next challenge is to load 50, 50lb sacks of flour into a bakery. Looked like back breaking work, but Dallas insist on carrying two sacks at a time. I was so glad Dallas and Toni made it to the pit stop first. Next to check in were Ken and Tina with Nick and Starr making up a lot of time ahead of the bumbling idiots of Dumb and Dumber who finishes last, but were saved by a non-elimination round. My guess for the race to the finish, Nick and Starr and Tina and Ken. I really would like Dallas and Toni to win, but I just don't think they are fast enough, but maybe they will have the Luck Gods on their side.-Single D

Survivor-Gabon-Cookies and Venom and False Idols

Ok folks, was this not the best episode ever! We were buzzing at work about how crazy good it was. And Randy enough with the cookies already, as Sugar said, it's just cookies! This episode was the auction reward challenge, pitting bidding Survivors against each other for food. Randy wins the first item for bid which was beer and peanuts. Randy strikes me as a beer and peanuts kind of guy so that was appropriate. Kenny bids on the next which is a piece of paper that says send someone to exile island and take their money, so he sends Bob to exile again. Poor Bob! Next, Susie bids on a soak in a tub. At first that looked great, but having to soak in front of the gang and crew wouldn't necessarily be relaxing. She gets in, I assume sans clothes and soaks for all of 5 minutes. I think she got out quickly because she was uncomfortable washing her pits in front of America. Matty bids and wins the big plate of spaghetti and wine which he desperately needed since he is so thin he makes me look fat. And the whole cookie incident was brought on when Jeff brings out a plate of cookies and says it's for sale for 20.00 but it's for the tribe. Randy immediately jumps in and gives the money over and brings the plate for everyone to take a cookie, but at first Sugar says no, but then says I will give it to Matty. This ticks Randy off and he says no, it's for you. The very last cookie he asks Sugar again and this time Sugar takes it and gives it to Matty, which enrages Randy. Is there anything that doesn't enrage Randy? Back at camp Randy is on a rampage against Sugar and the whole cookie incident. Sugar keeps rolling her eyes and says, geez it's just cookies! Randy hatches a plan with Corinne, to incite the camp against him which I'm sure is not going to take much since everyone already hates him. When Bob comes back, Corinne is to sweet talk Bob into giving Randy the idol and thus save him from tribal. One major thing wrong with this plan, Bob doesn't have a real idol, only the fake one he made from resin and beads. On exile, Bob decides to get in touch with his African experience and enjoy the beauty of Africa. The immunity challenge was a maze of setting up pieces of wood to create a domino effect to win the immunity. In the final three, Corinne, Kenny and Matty, I was like holding my breath to see whose domino's would finish first. Kenny's gamer boy intellect leads him to win victory and all was well in Survivor world.

At camp Bob tells Sugar that he doesn't have the idol but made a fake one. Sugar says wouldn't it be funny if you gave that idol to Randy and he'd play it at tribal thinking it was a real one. For all of Sugar's blondness, she's not some dumb cookie. She's actually pretty smart and the way she handles people with that dumb blond personality people are like putty in her hands. I really didn't think Bob would spin a lie to Randy and Corinne, but I was amazed when Corinne asked if he found the idol and he kinda said yes in an off handed manner.

At tribal the cookie drama was still being bantered around with Sugar saying get over it!Everyone is pretty much done with Randy and his antics. During the vote, Crystal talks so loudly to the camera, everyone could hear her say, I'm so done with him since day one. Alrighty let's really tell everyone how you feel. I was laughing. When Jeff asked if anyone had the idol and would like to play it, a smug Randy turns over the resin beaded thing to Jeff. Corinne and Randy both had that smug look of triumph, but Sugar and Crystal could hardly contain their laughter behind their hands. They looked like school girls getting one over on their teacher. When Jeff declared it a fake, you know those girls wanted to laugh hysterically. I was howling on my couch, my daughter commenting, gee mom, you're so weird! Well, I guess you had to be there. I loved, loved, loved him getting blindsided, it was like a double blindside with the fake idol and all. And when he was eliminated, Randy's looks were spewing fire. Hell hath......Can't wait to see what he says at Ponderosa.-Single D

Reality Check-Traffic Tickets

Several months ago I got a speeding ticket. Ok, I was distracted,rushing to my daughter's orthodontist and then planning on leaving town for a week in San Diego. Who wouldn't be distracted? Which led me to think of my other tickets, not that there have been that many, which I could probably count on one hand since I drive more like "Driving Miss Daisy". I'm the person on the highway doing the speed limit! When we lived in Denver, I got almost two tickets there. I say almost, since one of the them I was stopped by the po-po for having out of state plates on my Subaru Outback. It just so happened, my timing was perfection! that I had gone to the DMV that day to register my car (from California) and received my new plates. I threw those in the back seat, when on University Ave there was a flashing red light in my rear view mirror. What, is that for me? Yep it was. He pulls me over, "Do you know your plates are expired and out of state?" I'm like, "well, dud, like I'm from California" (well, I really didn't use those words exactly). Yes sir. "Do you live in Denver?" Yes sir. "How long have you lived here?" Here I lie, about 2 months, (really more like 6 months). "Do you know it's illegal not to register your car when residing in this state?" But sir, I have my plates! Oh, where are they? In the back seat, because I just got them today, I remark happily. Po-po is not pleased at all! (I think that ticket was a hefty fine). So he says to me, put them on. I'm like what? Put them on! I say I don't have a screw driver. Guess what he says? "Use a nickle". Yep you heard me, use a nickle. Not a quarter, not a dime, not even a penny, use a nickle! Oh how those three words are burned into my brain to this very day! Use a nickle! So I get out of my car, now it's about 25 chilly degrees outside and it's getting dark. I take my plates, use a nickle to pry off the old ones (do you know how hard it is to unscrew a screw with a nickle?!) and put on the new ones, this taking about 20 minutes because I'll be darn if he didn't sit in that warm po-po car of his watching me do this. I think he secretly enjoyed seeing me suffer. I should have reported him! The one ticket I did get was one of the photo tickets, again on University Ave (I should have avoided that street altogether!). All of sudden I see this flash, but, I thought nothing of it. A couple of weeks later, I get in the mail a photo of me driving in my car, my passenger's face (my husband) blurred out like I was having some sort of secret affair. I thought I looked pretty good for a black and white photo, although I had this quizzical look on my face (what was that flashing light?). Well that good black and white photo which wasn't suitable for framing cost me $300.00! My very first ticket was in Oakland when I was really green around the ears. The four of us had gone out to dinner at a place called the "Gingerbread House" in Oakland. This restaurant only had two seatings for dinner. The four of us enjoyed the 9:00 seating, ate Cajun food and my friends had several bottles of wine between them. Leaving the restaurant and me unfamiliar with Oakland trying to find the freeway to get back to San Francisco, I saw the freeway entrance, but I was in the wrong lane to turn so instead I went straight for a half block and made a u-turn. So what if it was a little deserted street and I was going the wrong way down a one way street, what was the harm in that at midnight? Well, when I got to the corner to make the right turn onto the freeway, there was the po-po lying in wait. He followed me onto the freeway for 5 miles, surely waiting for me to drive like some drunk reckless person. When he finally pulled me over, shining the light in my eyes and sniffing the inside of my VW, he asked me if I had been drinking, to which I tersely said, No! He made me follow his flashlight with my eyes, which I guess it was some sort of sobriety test which I passed. He asked me what we were doing and I said I was trying to find the freeway back to SF, to which, after he wrote me the ticket said, would you like me to escort you to the freeway? I'm like yeah, deflated, defeated, and suddenly that Gingerbread House food giving me a terrible upset stomach! So when I got that ticket the other day, with my daughter strapped in the back seat, the police said he clocked me at 54 mph in a 35 zone, asking me for my license and registration of which I couldn't get my glove box opened, it was a new Saturn Vue which had a faulty glove box lock, the po-po said in his most generous sounding voice, of course after running my plates and seeing what a good little citizen I have been, said that he was going to reduce it to a parking ticket. A parking ticket I queried? Yes, it would act like a parking ticket and I will reduce your speed to 45 mph also. Somehow my mind could not wrap around the words speeding and parking. Those two words just didn't jive in my head. After he gave me my ticket and I resumed driving, this time 35 mph, my daughter's voice came through the fog, gee mom, I felt like crying! When I told my husband that I got a speeding/parking ticket, he's like what does that mean and why didn't you tell him who you work for, maybe he would have cut you some professional courtesy? First of all, being stopped like that is not an everyday occurrence for me, so I really didn't have my wits about me and besides he threw me off by throwing out words like parking. When I got my ticket, I was hoping it would be of the parking fines and not the speeding fines. Not! So the other day when I was leaving my house, lo and behold, there in front of my subdivision, was a motorcycle cop lying in wait. I'm like OMG, they're in my own neighborhood, my own backyard and where the speed limit is only 25 mph. 25 mph! Only wheelchairs and skateboarders go that slow! It's unnatural for cars to go 25 mph I whine to my husband and daughter! It's just not fair, not fair I think to myself, going 25 mph, still feeling the sting from paying $200.00!-Single D

Top Chef - Premier

The talent pool for Top Chef has exceeded itself once again or so it seems. Most of the contestants own their own restaurant or are a executive chef at one. There is one student. So everyone is making friends and having a good time when Padama and Chef Tom announce the quick fire challenge. They have to peel apples with a knife. The quick fire is done in three rounds and the one left standing is going home. The second round is chopping the apples while the third round is to cook the apples. One contestant slices his thumb and bleeds all over his apples but luck for him, he peeled them good and didn't have to continue. The two bottom people both make salads. Nothing wrong with salads but come on, this is your first impression with the judges! It doesn't work for Lauren and her spinach salad gets her a ticket home with Stefan winning immunity. At the house, personalities are emerging with Stefan and Fabio thinking they are superior. Check the ego at the door guys it usually goes before the fall.

In the elimination challenge, the chefs are paired up to go head to head and get an area of NYC to get their inspiration, China Town, Little Italy, etc. It seemed like one person from every twosome didn't know how to cook in that particular area. The shopping was funny, the one person who didn't know what they were doing would follow the other to get some clue. Back in the kitchen, Jeff was running around like a chicken, well you know, and not getting anything done. Everyone else was trying to get in the swing of things since they really aren't used to competing. I thought sure Eugene was going to win since he didn't know how to cook Indian food but came up with, apparently, is their national dish of lamb with basmati rice and tzatziki with tandoori glaze (yes I cheated and looked it up). But it was not to be and Stefan wins with his lamb chop paired with beef skewers, sounds plain by comparison. Pour student, Patrick, who had so much trouble with his black rice noodles didn't impress the judges and was told to pack his knives and go. Double D

Ghost Adventures - West Palm Beach, FL

The jury is still out on this show. I've been so spoiled by Ghost Hunters that I expect all investigators to be like them. These guys seem to be afraid of their own shadows, yell at each other and say 'dude' so much that I think they have forgotten each others names. Their gimmick is getting "locked down" in the property they investigate, which really didn't help much since in one episode since they got so scared they jumped out of a second floor window! Ok, I've had my say, so without further ado, it's on to West Palm Beach, Florida and the Riddle house.

The Riddle house was once used as a funeral parlor then became a private residence. It is now part of a village called Yesteryear Village. They did not go into detail about this Yesteryear Village and I thought it was a retirement village until I saw the placards in front of each building. Reports here are that unattended ladders get moved, knocked over or just plain disappear. A man hung himself in the attic using a ladder which seems to explain the ladder thing. People have been hit by objects and had their hair pulled. American flags also get moved or disappear. Zak get a psychic, Shiela, to go through the house. Shiela does not have knowledge of the house but gets the name of the man who hung himself, Joseph, and why he hung himself. They go into the attic where Shiela describes Joseph and says that he will be a problem for the team because he doesn't like men.

Lock down gets underway and Zak starts provoking Joseph right away. He leaves a wooden board at the top of the steps for Joseph to throw. It doesn't take long and the board comes down a few stairs. Zak continues to talk a big game in the attic. After provoking the spirit in the attic, Zak leaves poor Aaron up there by himself. What did Aaron ever do to you Zak?! Aaron is clearly scared to death but tries talking to Joseph and gets more and more nervous to the extent that he closes his eyes while he asks his questions. I guess that's like pulling the covers over your head. Downstairs, Zak & Nick hear a loud noise in the kitchen. Zak goes in like gangbusters demanding to know who made that noise, not likely he will get an answer. They didn't find the source of the noise but a flag, which was leaning in a corner in another room, falls across a doorway. Back in the attic, Aaron keeps chastising himself for asking Joseph stupid questions. He hears a noise behind him and that was all she wrote! He runs screaming from the attic. After reviewing the tape, you can clearly see a bird cage fall over behind Aaron. This team doesn't do any review, you have to catch that as they go, if there is anything. Like I said, I'll watch again, maybe because there really isn't anything on Friday night. If they could just tone down saying 'dude' so much.........Double D

Paranormal State

I came across this show about a group of students interested in the paranormal who conduct investigations. This particular case claims to have horses that die under unusual circumstances and shadows are also seen. The students bring in psychic "Chip" who says whatever is there is in the woods. So it's off to the woods where they find a horse down but, it's only resting so no problem. Psychic Chip still insists that there is something in the woods. The team turns to Native Americans to see if there is a connection. The Indians say there is a spirit that runs through the land and does whatever it wants (gee doesn't that sound familiar). Someone suggests burning tobacco and playing Native American music to arouse the spirits. They all gather around the fire with the Native American music playing, one man says he feels cold, clammy, light headed and weak. Sounds like the flu to me. After the feel good session, the team gets back to work by asking the now supposedly aroused spirits to make a noise or make something move. Apparently this was a 4 day investigation but the spirits were not cooperating and the only thing caught on tape was a chair that moved on it's own. Sorry kids, this show was extremely boring and I won't be watching. Double D

Ghost Hunters - Topsfield, MA

J&G go it alone in this episode of a private residence where the owner claims to be held down while cats walk across her chest (don't ask me, I just report what I hear) as well as doors that won't open (could be locked, did you think of that?), giggling and a creepy attic (what old house doesn't have one of those?). Gee, am I sounding cynical on this one? J&G gave Steve and Tango the night off so they go wireless with hand held cameras as well as stationary cameras. They go into the master bedroom and hear footsteps coming from the attic. Jason taps on the ceiling and gets a tap in return, twice. Grant tells the spirit you can do better than that and the bedroom door slams shut. They then go to the living room and dare the spirits to do something to make them leave. The first time, a coat hanger falls on the floor, they persist and the coat hanger flies at Jason. Except for the bedroom door slamming shut, nothing was caught on video or audio. Jason tells the owner whatever is going on is trying to make it's presence known and it's not anything to be afraid of. I don't know about that, that coat hanger seemed pretty angry! Double D

Ghost Hunters - Live!

It was another Halloween spent with the TAPS team at Fort Delaware. If you have been reading my blog on this, Fort Delaware was where the team saw the figure on thermal cam walk into a hallway, turn around and walk back. Real creepy stuff! This episode was live (on the east coast anyway) on Halloween. I was handing out candy while watching the TV and what self respecting Ghost Hunters fan would I be if I wasn't watching along on the computer as well! The team had a command central set up where fans could send in email questions as well as a "panic button" to press if fans saw something on the cameras via computer. One person emailed that she had seen a pair of disembodied legs crossing the courtyard. Not that it can't happen, but I'm thinking she may have had a bit too much witches brew while watching the show. I only say that because if there was something of that sort caught on tape, J&G usually show it. Speaking of the dynamic duo, they start off the investigation in the tunnels where they saw the figure from before. As they are walking around, you can clearly hear someone say, "you're not supposed to be here", maybe the spirits thought they should be home trick or treating. Next they go to the officer's quarters and hear footsteps and also get responses when Grant makes knocking sounds. They then go to the dungeon where Grant's jacket is clearly seen getting tugged by unseen hands. That was pretty wild when they played it back you could so see it! Just when you get over that, it happens a second time! Grant has the willies now and I can't say that I blame him since it gave me a chill, especially that second time. Steve and Tango go in the dungeon and end up playing with a bat which is kind of strange since Steve is afraid of anything except ghosts. They start getting high EMF readings but debunk them after finding bad wiring. Joe & Kris G along with special guest The Miz of ECW (whoever he is and whatever that is) are in the kitchen where The Miz (couldn't he use his real name for this?) gets bored and starts to provoke the spirits. It doesn't look like it works until Kris gets her jacket pulled (turned out she brushed up against something). There was not a lot of evidence this time, except Grant's jacket and the voice, but still a pretty good show. Jason does pronounce Fort Delaware haunted. Double D

Amazing Race-Bye to Terence and Sarah

First to depart are Nick and Starr at 10:14 pm on their way to Borat country of Kazakhstan.

10:24-Toni and Dallas

10:43- Terence and Sarah

Next to leave Ken and Tina

and lastly at 12:00-Frat boys, Andrew and Dan, gee are they still in it?

Teams are on three different flights with Andrew and Dan alone on the third flight with their only hope of catching up is that at their destination, the teams will have to spend the night and wait for their next challenge to open which is exactly what happens in Kazakhstan. All the teams meet at a chicken factory to look for the golden egg, except for Nick and Starr and Terence and Sarah who vie for the fast forward. Little do they know that they will have to eat a local dish of sheep's butt, yummy! Back at the chicken farm, teams have to look for one of seven golden eggs among 30,000 chickens. One thing I have to say, Kazakhstanian chickens look much happier than American chickens. Happy chickens come from Kazakhstan! Tina, who else? finds the golden egg the first. That team is like a pack of pit bulls, they keep fighting back. Next it's Toni and Dallas. After they find the egg, they have to take a crane truck to find the Mongol Warrior. It seems the crane truck driver doesn't know where to go and the Frat boys drive around Almaty like tourist on a sightseeing mission. Back at the fast forward, we knew Nick and Starr would wolf down that delicious dish in no time. I was so hoping Starr would puke. When Terence saw that it was meat and he's a vegetarian, why didn't they leave right then? They wasted so much time not eating and heaving that they should have left as soon as they saw what it was. I knew Terence the weakling would not be able to do it. Weak! After several lame attempts to swallow sheep's butt (boy my daughter better not complain about her dinners or I might have to make that dish for her, which looked like slimy, slithery, gelatinous, chewy yuck in gravy), Sarah and Terence finally leave the fast forward after Nick and Starr slurp down the dish and win. The next stop is to the Mongol Warrior whose falcon delivers their next clue which is either to act like fools, by dressing up in a cow costume or play like fools, playing instruments for money. Everyone chose wisely by dressing up like fools. Dallas had a little too much fun being the cow, I think he secretly liked that his mother was the cow's rear. Tina made poor Ken the butt of cow of course and plowed straight away her cow head on crooked. When Dallas and Toni made the milk stand, at least Dallas got it right by reading the clue at the bottom of the milk glass, unlike Tina drinking the milk and then didn't read the clue on the bottom of the glass nor did they follow instructions but instead changed their cow outfits, only to find out that they needed to be in costume when they delivered themselves to the butcher. They made some pretty silly mistakes for a team that seemed more savvy than most. Meanwhile, still lost in Almaty, Frat boys are trying to find someone that speaks English. What language do they speak in Kazakhstan? The entire time Frat boys bicker between themselves, like Shrek and Donkey, Tom and Jerry, Frick and Frack, Chip and Dale. Unfortunately for Terence and Sarah going up against Nick and Starr for the fast forward, didn't have a chance to make up time, no matter that the Frat boys goofed by taking a taxi to the pitstop when they were supposed to walk. Terence and Sarah are eliminated but in the end, all is well, as Terence says where ever life takes him, he'll take Visa, I'm mean Sarah! Aw how sweet now, I think there is a sheep's butt dish with Terence's name on it.-Single D

Reality Check-Tuscan Chicken Thighs and Giada's Polenta

Since we have to watch our budget when we go grocery shopping, I have been cooking a lot with chicken thighs and besides, my daughter only likes dark meat. This recipe is simple and quick and a great Sunday dinner.

For the marinade:

4 large cloves of garlic chopped and put in a bowl

1 sprig of rosemary, which I get from my garden, but I make sure I only use the top of the rosemary plant, since I'm sure Henry the chihuahua has peed on the bottom of the plant. Take leaves off stem and roughly chop

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

the juice on one lemon a couple of pinches of Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

whisk in 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil

pour over chicken and let marinade for an hour

put in oven at 350 for about 1 hour or until done

A perfect companion dish for this chicken is Everyday Italian's chef, Giada Delaurentis's easy polenta recipe:

2 cups of salted (1 teaspoon) water-bring to a boil

stir in 2 tablespoons of butter (she just uses 1, but I think it needs two)

stir in 1 cup of cornmeal (yellow or white, I used white)

continue stirring and cook for about 3-5 minutes, usually when it is starting to get stiff, I remove from heat and quickly spread out in butter 9x11 dish. Let cool slightly and cut into squares.

Put polenta on plate and add chicken with the sauce over the the polenta.

Sheer heaven! I lick my plate every time and my daughter loves it!-Single D