Friday, October 3, 2008

Survivor-Gabon-Po Paloma

Ok can I say one thing about GC. I was really rooting for the kid, but he brought his ghetto self to Gabon, instead of his survivor self. At first I knew where he was coming from not wanting to be the leader and all, but to act like he just doesn't give a damn about anyone else really puts a big target on his back. He needs to lay low, especially since he's about as useful as Gillian was on the challenges.
The reward challenge is to have one from each tribe hold on to a pole for dear life while the opposite tribe try to pull them off and drag them to the finish line. I thought for sure the Fong tribe would lose again especially when GC gave up trying to pry Ace off the pole. Who could blame him though. Looked like Ace was striking his yoga pose and in a state of meditation during the whole thing while holding on with an iron grip. Round two Ace chooses Paloma to pole sit. I wonder what his motivation was for that since she weighs all of 90 pounds? Crystal and Randy attack her with single minded determination and easily removed her from her post. Round three Fong is finally using it's brain choosing Crystal and Matty to do the pulling. If GC would have been up there, they surely would have lost. It was a much needed victory for the Fong tribe and took little time deciding who to send to exile island why Sugar of course. Ok, I'm thinking Sugar is your typical Bimbo, but I have to take back everything bad I thought about her. While on exile island, she manages to battle ants, forge through the woods, dig in a sandy crater and wade through scary water to eventually find the hidden immunity idol. Good job, now if she can only keep that to herself.
The immunity challenge involved a slip slide. Hey, lately it seems the slip slide is popular with reality show challenges. There was a slip slide challenge on the Biggest Loser. Ok let's be honest, seeing fat people propel down a long slip slide was hysterical. Weight times mass equals alot of speed, so when they propelled themselves down they were going so fast I thought they were going to land on the freeway below!
The survivor slip slide challenge was not that funny and again the Fong tribe finds themselves behind Kota. Surely, the nutty professor could figure out the riddle to solve the code, but the gamer managed to come from behind and crack the code first. Good job. I really did want Kota to go to tribal council, they need to be humbled. Of course Sugar couldn't keep the secret that she found the hidden idol to Ace. Poor little Paloma, she didn't take the course on how to make friends and keep yourself off the block lesson and was snuffed out at Tribal Council. -
Single D

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Project Runway-And Then There Were Four

Kenley is still griping about how Leanne sabotaged her outfit on the runway. Oh come on, there's just no making a silk purse out of a cow's ear. Leanne is about as modelish as an elephant in a tutu. Not to mention that the outfit itself was so hideous. Tim takes the designers on a field trip to the New York's Botanical Gardens for their next challenge, an evening gown inspired by nature. Everyone gets a camera to snap pictures for their inspiration. I'm wondering do they get to keep the camera? I love free things! On their shopping trip to Mood, Kenley forgets her tulle, aw shucks. Back at the studio, Kenley realizes that she doesn't have her tulle. I am momentarily happy with that misfortune. Why is it during these shows, we want the divas to suffer? Jerrell and Korto are like, she's not getting mine! Well hey, this is a contest after all. I was greatly disappointed when Tim said she could go back to Mood and retrieve her lost bag. Dang! I was hoping Tim would say sorry, hollatchaboy. I pretty much thought all the dresses sucked. When Jerrell was buying his fabric at Mood, I'm like thinking those fabric pieces don't go together. The colors were awful. His dress looked like it was going to fall down off the model. Korto's dress was a total disappointment. Looked like slices of cantaloupe. Leanne's soft purple dress was the best one, but once again a stray swag of dark blue fabric was pooping out the back. Kenley again is just so over the top about her dress, thinking that it matches the photo of the flowers. Hello? Her dress resembled everything but botanical. Let see a few words come to mind, like reptilian, the shedding of snake skin, mermaid, dolphin, lobster tail name a few. When Heidi said to Kenley that it wasn't very elegant, Kenley shoots back that she wasn't going for elegant. Kenley would contradict anything anyone would say. If Heidi said it was beautiful, Kenley would say it's crap that I was going for. Come on, I wanted a cat fight! I wanted Heidi to get up out of that director's seat and slap Kenley silly. Heidi should have let loose on her. Meanwhile, Kenley feels the heat of being ostracized from the group especially when the judges asked each one who they wanted with them at Bryant Park and everyone excluded Kenley. Waaa, everyone hates me, no one loves me! Get a clue. She says that has happened all her life, well duh, maybe it's the way you come off, like your sh*t doesn't stink and holier than thou attitude! In the final analysis, the judges opted to keep the four of them with one being eliminated before Bryant Park like last year when lovable Chris March was eliminated then. It will be interesting to see Kenley's collection of I Love Lucy outfits. Well we can only hope that Jerrell, Korto and Leanne step up their game and out do the princess of conceit. -Single D

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Reality Check-Real recipes

As an avid foodie from way back when, when we used to own our own cafe in San Francisco to now just being the plain mom in the kitchen and loyal Food Network fan, there are many recipes that I have tested and tried out on my unsuspecting family and friends. And it is here that I will try occasionally to share these successful and not so successful dishes. Life would have been so much easier back when with the advent of real cooking shows and food network websites. Last year I was given a cookbook for Christmas. I love it but I was a little baffled by it. Do they still publish cookbooks? It was Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook which I love, but with the proliferation of recipe websites, who needs cookbooks? I have to admit, I love looking at the pictures, but in reality, I still head for the computer for many recipes. I still have my favorite cookbooks in my repertoire, like Martha Stewart's cookbooks and the standard, Fannie Farmer with a couple of Wolfgang Puck's thrown in. Mostly, I have tossed many cookbooks out.
One of my favorite chicken recipes comes from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. You can so tell she loves her food! Lucky husband Jeffery, he comes home on the weekends to her cooking. Ina is my favorite Food Network chef who got her start by being friends with Martha Stewart. Hum, I wonder if they're still friends? Anyway, this is an easy recipe, make the marinade in the morning and let the chicken marinade in it all day, then for dinner cook it up. Everyone will think you slaved all day! Just a small disclaimer-I do tend to just throw the ingredients together-so some times the portions might be a smidgen off, but that's the spontaneous cook in me. For me it's not a science, it's just real cooking.
Indonesian Chicken:
I usually use a 2lb package of chicken thighs (my daughter only likes dark meat)
For the marinade:
Pour 1 cup of honey and 3/4 cup of soy sauce (I use light) into a sauce pan-heat until honey is liquefied-remove from heat
Add 8 to 10 cloves of garlic chopped finely
Grate one or two toes of fresh ginger root (you know how ginger looks like toes in the grocery store?) into pan.
Place chicken in baking pan and pour marinade over chicken. Let marinade for at least 4 hours in fridge.
Preheat oven to 350, pour off some of the marinade in a small bowl for basting, cook chicken until done around 45 minutes brushing sauce over chicken.
The picture of the dish above looks much drier (from Food Network), my chicken usually comes out brown with lots of delicious sauce.
Serve with rice and vegetables-chow bella!
Single D

Monday, September 29, 2008

Ghost Hunters - Buffalo, NY

The Buffalo Central Terminal in, where else, Buffalo, NY is the site of this week's investigation. Closed in 1979, the terminal is currently undergoing renovations. The are alot of reports of activity here including a phantom water cooler with people standing around. It's nice to know we can carry on our water cooler talks in the after life! The head of the building committee, Tracy, gives the team a tour. I have only one thing to say to Tracy, foundation garments! You know you are going to be on national TV wouldn't you wear a bra? Tracy tells the TAPS team that a man named Tony Fidely (not sure about the spelling of the last name) who loved the place so much that he bought it and lived in an apartment on the 3rd floor until he died.
Back to the investigation. It's a cloudy rainy night which makes the terminal that much creepier. On the 3rd floor, J & G hear voices and footsteps. They set up the thermal camera and a tape recorder leave both to catch whatever they can. They come back a little later to investigate Tony's apartment and they hear a voice which was also audible on TV then Jason sees a shadow and both think it's not friendly. They then go into a room off the main concourse to do EVP and K2 work and find themselves "chatting" with a woman who is waiting for someone to arrive by train. Apparently she thinks it's the 1940's. She's been waiting a long time!
Steve and Tango do EVP work in the rotunda room. I liked how Tango tried to dust off one of the steps before he sat down. I don't think it helped. Meanwhile, J & G are watching the monitors when they hear a man yell from the vicinity of the set up thermal cam and recorder. Grant runs to get the tape and hears an eerie voice saying "go home".
During the review, the team hears the "go home" voice loud and clear. They also pick up another voice saying what appears to be "bring back the girls". Maybe they are hanging around that water cooler. They also pick up a figure on the thermal cam in the area of the water cooler.
J & G tell Tracy there seems to be a great deal of paranormal activity in the terminal but stop short of saying it is haunted. I'm going to visit the water cooler now. Double D

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Amazing Race-Premiere

Amazing Race by far is my favorite reality show. Not a lot of drama or backstabbing, I just love the traveling part of it. I love to travel and I live vicariously though the teams . Even the theme music to Amazing Race gets my blood racing. Yes, I know my life is so dull! I think some travel agency should create trips & stunts that mimic the race's route and if I had enough money, I would definitely sign up. I would love to do the show, but I'm afraid that we would be casted as the token old team :( and you know what usually happens to them, like in last night's premiere.
Last night's opener did not fail, as it caught me up the moment Phil said safe racing and the teams hopped into their Mercedes Benz. From the beginning I am rooting for the mother son team, Toni and Dallas. I'm a sap for grown children that are close to their mamas and he seems like such a nice young man. I'm wondering if he likes older, fat, neurotic women? Have I got a sister-in-law for him! At the airport, why did brother and sister, Aja and Ty who were the front runners get in a line that wasn't marked like the clue said? Listen here, read the clue and follow the directions. That is one thing that will trip you up every time, or getting lost or a cabbie that doesn't know where he's going. Haven't you learned anything? Six teams manage to catch the first plane out to Salvador Brazil with Aja and Ty getting on board. And another thing, why did Nick and Starr create an alliance with divorced couple Tina and Ken? Seems like creating an alliance would be like adding dead weight or extra baggage to your load. Although Nick and Starr did finish first, maybe Ken and Tina should stick with them. My guess is that Ken and Tina will be the team to hate this season, we'll see!
The first challenge, Barista of old school, was pretty tame. I'm wondering how the bees got in front of the mother son team? At the end of the challenge, each team got a rest stop, camping under mosquito netting. The hippy bee keepers were probably feeling right at home there. Terence of newly dating Terence and Sarah, seems a bit needy as he got all bent when Sarah was socializing at camp. She needs to talk to me not make friends! Ah Sarah, I would rethink the relationship! Besides she doesn't need him, she speaks Portuguese!
The next day challenges were either to scale down cargo netting or climb up stairs on hands and knees to the cathedral. I'm wondering if that Escudaria do Passo Church was the model used for the one in Macao? And any challenge involving the words scale down or climb up, er, I'm thinking climb down! I just knew the question to the nerds that were the only team to climb up would be how many steps there were. Why didn't they count? I was counting and I wasn't even there. The double picture is the one we took in Macao, Hong Kong. Yep that's Andy on the stairs and he didn't even climb it on his hands and knees.
In the end, the beekeepers didn't get the honey as they slowly walked up to the pit stop and were the first to be eliminated. When my daughter came in the room she said, yuck, what's up with all that hair? I'm like ya, I know, just a massive swirl of grey hair, but it was all so appropriate what with that grey hair, tie dye and Oregon beekeepers stuff, truly a match made in hippy heaven. -Single D

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Survivor-Gabon-Premiere

First of all let me say that Gabon Africa looks totally awesome, different from the Survivor Africa that my favorite good guy Ethan won. That survivor was a hot, dry and dusty experience. Gabon is lush, green, tropical and beautiful. This one will definitely go on my bucket list. And best of all, they already have huts made for them. The only thing they needed was to figure out the latrine situation, do they really poop in the ground and wipe themselves with leaves? Already there is one tribe in trouble. I thought when Jeff asked for the two oldest survivors to step up and pick their teams, that Gillian, being the seasoned woman would be wise and pick from the handsome display of male physique. But no, she picks women, it's like Michelle said, the dumbest people in the world. The first challenge is to sprint up a hill which we know are going to separate the weak from the strong. I definitely thought Ms. Olympic sprinter would have no trouble climbing up that hill, but she blamed her 10lb tennis and dress. I concluded right there and then that Fong's women were totally pathetic. When Jeff said Fong, it sounded like thong, maybe that's the African version? Kota on the other hand has the dream team, with old geezer Bob as the patriarch making benches out of twigs. All Gillian could suggest was to gather elephant dung and pick out the seeds to eat it. Ah, ask that about 3 days in when people are starting to get hungry, then maybe elephant dung will sound tasty. The Geek and the Skank on Fong's team immediately bond as good little outcast usually do, while Marcus, resident physician, and Charlie, token gay boy, strike an immediate friendship. I'm think Charlie probably is hoping to convert Marcus to the boy's team, but Marcus says, it may be Eden, but this is not Adam and Adam.
On the first evening, Randy, mister pessimistic photog, on Fong's tribe hits his noggin a bloody gusher. He asks Gillian for some nurse's aid, which she counters that she can't see. The night vision camera shows him bleeding profusely so they call in the Survivor Medics. Once again, nothing like jungle surgery in the wild.
Fong manages to lose two challenges because they just plain gave up. The first survivor to take the walk of shame was Michelle, whose very words come back to haunt her, playing with the dumbest survivors. In this case, the tribe votes Michelle off, a strong women and the first one up the hill to keep Gillian, the resident Pollyanna den mother. The second challenge the winning Kota tribe sends the lawyer, Dan to exile island. Instead of choosing the comfort, Dan chooses the clue to find the hidden immunity idol. He should have chosen comfort, because he sucked at figuring the clue.
So this two hour premiere in a nutshell:
Fong tribe sucks
GC nominated leader
GC abdicates his leadership
Michelle voted out
Gamer boy sad
Charlie in love with Marcus
Marcus in love with himself
Dan the lawyer not too smart
Gillian voted out. Fong tribe in trouble.
-Single D

Friday, September 26, 2008

Gone Country 2-Bach Rocks Gone Country

In the previous episode Chris makes a fool of himself when JR ask him why he wants to be the next Gone Country music star. Chris makes the incoherent statement that it's ironic he asked that since he does have a studio and could make music anytime. JR lights into him saying that if he has a studio then why is he here? Later Chris throws himself at the mercy of JR, sobbing hysterically (not really) telling him he wants it because he's a washed up has been ex-boy band member and that when he walks down the street know one knows him, waaaaa! For the final episode, Sebastian still wants to do more than one song since he did write three. He's moping around like a wounded hound dog while all the others, with the exception of Sean are practicing their songs. Here we see Lorenzo singing in the pool, that man's in good shape, isn't he like 60 years old? I mean Falcon Crest wasn't that decades ago? Mikalah is practicing her enunciation . I think she needs the help of Henry Higgins, the rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain. Germaine is practicing at the piano with the flames. And Chris is off crying somewhere. At the Wild Horse Saloon, Sebastian is hogging all the rehearsal time much to the disgusted looks of the others. For the show, JR brings everyone's family to the show much to the surprise of the contestants. Lorenzo's three little girls are adorable, tiny petite Shane Llamas in the making. Sean Young's two boys are there and all I could think of is I hope she doesn't make a fool of herself, forgetting the lyrics and all. First on stage is Chris and once again he puts his boot in his mouth by saying that walking in JR's boots is uncomfortable. JR on stage doesn't know quite how to respond to that and everyone backstage is cringing. Sean did managed to get through her entire song without having to stop the band and start over. That was left for Mikalah to do. Mikalah totally bombed. She was so nervous, stops the band to start over, touches JR's cowboy hat (taboo I guess in the cowboy world) and brings a little girl on stage during her song, then leaves her. Where was that child's mama? It was a total disaster which Sean and everyone couldn't bear to watch. It was just plain embarrassing and just showed her terrible lack of experience. She's not that tough as she appears to be. I think Sean looked great in that bolero jacket, but the hair was a little dykish. Sebastian after much internal debate decides to do the ballad song which wins the audience over. The cast was holding their collective breath to see if Sebastian would be the rebel and do two songs. Come on Sebastian, be the rebel! But he stuck to the rules and just sang the one song which was wise for him because in the end, JR tells the cast that it was a dead heat between two contestants, Sebastian and Germaine. I totally thought that Chris was going to win, or at least hoping that he would win another chance at fame, but I guess JR was not having any of it. Boy, JR comes off being a real tough cookie, hard, conceited, cold and calculating, but he's still yummy in a weird sort of masochistic way. So in the end, JR pointed the finger to Sebastian as the winner of season 2. I guess he really could do country, he's got that it factor which Chris is lacking. The women love that long hair and bad boy persona. I'm just wondering if he really will do the country thing, because where in the world is Enrique Iglesisa from last season?-Single D

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Project Runway-Musically Inspired

Leanne's stealing of Jerrell's model was all in vain, as the models this week were the designers themselves. They have to design an outfit to for a specific musical genre. Kenley of all persons has to do hip hop, which she blatantly shows us she knows nothing about. But there's no telling Kenley that she doesn't know thing one about hip hop. The girl is always right and brilliant at least in her own mind. She's like I'm going to design high waisted jeans, picks up a floral fabric for the top and a tiny leather jacket. Ok to me that screamed 80's! When Tim came in and told Kenley he wasn't understanding her outfit, she practically told him that he didn't know what he was talking about, because she knows way more about hip hop than he does. I'm sure the exchange between Tim and Kenley was much longer, because finally Tim tells Kenley that he doesn't appreciate her sarcasm! This must have been the first time in PR history that we got to see the ever elegant Tim Gunn on the brink of losing his temper. Go Tim! It was so bad, that the voting text on the commercial was do you think Kenley was mean to Tim! Well, yeah! Will someone hit her over her Lucy Ricardo, I'm stuck in the 50's head!
Korto, on the other hand, was not having any of it and the entire time looked like she would rather have a root canal than design a punk star outfit. I think she just didn't want to create an outfit for one of her own competitors, in this case Suede, which was perfect in my opinion. She did manage to pull out of her own funk after trying on the outfit that Leanne was making for her to channel the country music diva, Dolly Parton. Korto's moment of brilliance was splashing bleach over those jeans which really spoke to the punker fashion, a little over wrought, but nonetheless, ended up winning her the judges favorite.
Suede's rocker dude outfit was too tame for the judges and they said that it just looked like the everyday Jerrell. I'm wondering why does Jerrell dress like an orphaned street urchin? Jerrell did brilliantly to create 50's Kenley into a brunette Kenley Spears with his rhinestone fishnet mini dress. Maybe Kenley Spears seduced the guest judge LL Cool J in voting to keep her over sad Suede and his ever bright rainbow hair.
In the end, I'm sure we were all hoping that the ego inflated Kenley would get das boot, but once again, PR decided to keep the diva and toss the designer, in this case Suede to the curb. Maybe Suede should have defended himself up a blue streak, instead of looking like a sad Boy George's chubby cousin. In the end, Kenley's red mommy dearest lipstick mouth survives another round. Does she deserve to go to Bryant Park, heck no! But Spolier here by Double D, she said they refer to the Bryant Park fashion show as the girls from Project Runway, does this mean the only man standing Jerrell gets the auf next week and Kenley stays? Was that why all the tears on next week's preview was all about? Heavens!-Single D

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Survivor - Preview

Yes, I can admit that I'm a Survivor fan. Maybe it's Jeff Probst, maybe because it's like Big Brother without bathrooms. Who knows, so when I saw the TV Guide channel (of all things) had a preview, I was front row center.
Our cutie pie Jeff offers up his take on who he thinks will last and who will not. Pavarti, winner of Fans vs Faves, was the hostess for the show. Kudos to her for winning but go back to spending that cool million because she was terrible! You could SO tell she was reading off of cue cards, no inflection, no emotion, come on girl you lived it! Make us feel it! Anyway, here are a few insights and stats for your enjoyment.
Exile Island this go around offers either a clue to the hidden immunity idol or a comfort. Gabon wanted Survivor to film there because they are trying to boost their tourism. The tribal counsel area was built based on local huts. The doors were acquired from the locals after some negotiations. Jeff didn't say what was negotiated, maybe a walk on part in "Survivor, the Movie". Be sure and check out the hut doors at tribal, they are pretty cool. The snuffer Jeff uses this season is an elephant head with the trunk as the handle. Apparently he gets to test it out to make sure it "snuffs" on the first try. Gee, if it doesn't snuff, does the player get to stay?
Here is a sneak peek at some of the players:
Jacque, a medical device salesperson, is 25 but looks 35 possible because of her working life. Jeff thinks she will do pretty good and may be a threat.
Charlie is a corporate attorney who has watched every Survivor. We know how well that works. Those are usually the ones who get an early reality check and over or under play. Jeff thinks he'll be one to watch if he can get into a good alliance.
Professional video gamer, Ken, feels video games have prepared him for Survivor. Just remember Ken, there is no reset button. He is Jeff's favorite, not to win necessarily. He just looks like that stray dog you want to adopt.
Michelle the 24 year old boxer is one that Jeff sees going out early.
Salesman Ace, is an early leader according to Jeff. We all know how that usually turns out when someone dominates too early. "The tribe has spoken!"
Jessica aka Sugar, is an actress and a pin up model. Didn't pin ups go out with World War II? Doesn't matter, Jeff thinks she's an early out too.
Doctor Marcus was voted Cosmopolitan's most eligible bachelor for 2008. More eye candy! Listening to him, it sounds like he is more interested in getting a something, something than in winning. Brown chicken, brown cow! (It's a joke, some of you will get it).
Jeff seems to have found some eye candy of his own in Kelly. He just hopes she sticks around for a while.
Matty is the son of actor James Whitmore and grandson of Audra Lindley (Mrs. Roper from Three's Company). Sounds like he was a trust fund baby who lost it all. Jeff thinks he - could - go - all - the - way!
Corine quit her job to be on Survivor and looks to be the bitch of this season.
That's a quick look at some of this seasons survivors. Just make sure to tune in to check out the tribal counsel set in HD. Double D

The Pest in the Garden

The other day when I was doing my treadmill outside on my patio, in my beautiful garden, looking at the hummingbirds and roses, feeling in a zen like state, a scampering thing caught my eye. There I spied scurrying across the garden toward the bird feeder was a grey mouse. Yikes! I quickly called to my daughter to come out and see it. She's like what? I said a mouse! She came out excitedly, gee I've never seen a mouse. I said yes you have. She says no. What about Tom and Jerry? Yeah but that's animated. What about Stuart Little or the mice of Mousehunt with Nathan Lane? But those aren't real mice she exclaims!
Living in the desert of Las Vegas, you have to reconcile living with pest of all kinds. Like the day I was in my den, when I noticed a mass movement of black crawling across the carpet. With chilling horror it was an army of winged ants! I had never seen ants with wing, let alone hundreds of them on some intense mission to invade my house. Someone said that they could be carpenter ants, maybe from my old bookcase. Or the day I saw a roach so big it was the size of a small car. Roaches plain and simple give me the willies. They always remind me of that Dean Koontz book Whispers and the sound of whispers which were the roaches crawling. Chills! I've had to stop feeding the birds in the summer because of the attraction for the roaches. Nothing like sitting in the garden at night watching the social habits of roaches communing with each other!
This summer the main insect of annoyance was ants. One day in the pantry there were thousands of invading ants living the high life. There were ants in the pantry and ants in the bathroom going after the mouthwash and ants in the hummingbird feeder. I yelled at my husband to call the exterminator. The exterminator put these liquid vials of poison and said that it would get worse before it gets better. Well it never did get better. Thank God, I had the secret Chinese weapon, the chalk! Yes you heard me, Chinese chalk. A little known secret weapon against ants that I found one day in Chinatown San Francisco, when I had an invasion of ants doing the death march into my freezer of all places. A sage withered Chinese man in an herbal shop told me to buy the chalk, and proceeded to tell me which store to buy it in. Many many years later, I still have that same piece of chalk in it's original slender box of orange and yellow with Chinese writing on it with a picture of a bug. That chalk has been the answer to the menacing hoards of invading ants. Just outline the places you want the ants to be verboten and they vanish almost instantly. Who knows what's in it, I always use gloves and treat it like it is nuclear waste. Never know with these Chinese products, but I swear by it!
Well, back to the problem at hand, so when I saw the mouse scurrying past me I knew there must be a family of them nearby, because where there is one, there are many. I called the dogs hoping they might flush out that grey creature, but Henry was too interested in barking at the neighbor's lawn mower and Hazel didn't want anything to do with being outside. Me, I waited outside with my broom in hand until it got dark and my husband got mad, so the next voice that could be heard throughout the neighborhood was me yelling to my husband, call Dr. Death, the pest exterminator, this was going to be too big for the chalk!-Single D

Monday, September 22, 2008

Dancing with the Stars

My daughter piped up the other day and said that she has to watch Dancing with the Stars. I'm like why? She barely watches American Idol, except for the audition parts in which she laughs hysterically and tries to mimic the auditions. Her interest in Dancing is to watch somebody named Cody Lindley, (some Hannah Montana personality) dance. Apparently she thinks he's cute, although she will never admit it, saying only that her friend Vanessa thinks he's cute. She thought by the way, that he danced pretty good but hated his slicked back hair. Hair is a big thing for tweeners. I thought he was pretty good, a little wooden, but he does have one of the better teachers, Julianna Hough, she's so cute, hate her!
Cutie chef Rocco DiSpirito was totally yummy but he's better behind a stove, Rocco, you can come cook for me anytime! The funniest moment of the entire evening was 82 year old Cloris Leachman. She's 82 years old and danced like an 82 year old, leaving her walker behind and baring cleavage and all, letting Len Goodman to comment, mind your cleavage. Ok, no one wants to see cleavage that old. Cloris needs more dancing lessons especially to lose that I'll have another martini belly. I have to give her snaps tho, it takes courage to do that, but I guess at her age who cares. Now where's my Lark!
I thought the best team was Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer (of So You Think You Can Dance fame). Lacey, not your traditional ballroom dancer injected a much needed fresh approach to the stale dance routines. Len, step into the 21st Century, you old man! Another team to watch, Brooke Burke and Derek Hough. I know the reason why most people will be watching them, but I do have to comment that Brooke's body is amazing. She's got to be a clone, an experiment in the body perfect, not to mention that she's coordinated to boot!
And then there's everyone's favorite soap star, Susan Lucci. She looked like a little doll, so tiny and perfect, too bad Mattel didn't make her arms and legs bendable.-Single D

Ghost Hunters - Spirit Boy

The TAPS team heads to the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI. Apparently this is a hot spot for school field trips and our TAPS leaders Jason & Grant had gone there when they were but wee lads in school. Now they are back for a different kind of field trip. Slater Mill was built in 1793 and was the first successful water driven mill. The mill employed children to work on the machines because they were small enough to crawl in to make repairs. Because of this practice, children were injured and killed. Some of the reports here include machines operating on their own, feelings of being watched, full body apparitions and assorted sounds.
J & G have the best experience of the night. They start out in the water wheel room where they debunk the water wheel operating on it's own by seeing that when the river level rises, it comes into a door which is supposed to keep the water out but instead diverts the water into the wheel causing it to turn. They decide to do EVP work and use the K2 meter. They actually start a conversation with a spirit. By asking yes & no questions (and getting the spirit to light up the K2 meter) they find out they are speaking with a 9 year old boy who works in the mill and lives nearby. The temperature drops 8 degrees while they are talking to the boy.
J & G then go into another part of the mill only to discover the boy has followed them. Jason asks if he is lonely and gets a yes reply so Jason invites him to come home with him to his 5 kids. Jason then says he better text the wife to expect a guest.
After discussing whether or not Tango is growing a goatee, Steve and Tango get to work analyzing the tapes. They find audio of the boy shouting hello in response to Grant asking him to yell really loud. They also hear him saying his name as Edward or Edgar. That was a pretty good show and we find out later that Jason is not experiencing any difference at home after inviting Edward/Edgar home. Then again, he has 5 kids, who could tell?
The next stop is the Pettibone Tavern in Simsbury, CT. Built in 1780 there are reports of full body apparitions and a legend that a woman named Abigail was beheaded by her husband after he caught her cheating on him. Let that be a lesson ladies, don't get caught!
J & G go into the ladies room, the scene of the supposed beheading and don't experience anything except a toilet looking like it has wings.
Kris & Tango, also coming up empty, get bored and decide to check out an old phone booth and get stuck inside.
After doing some research, it was found that no one had been murdered in the house and that no one named Abigail had ever lived there. It seems the tavern may have been looking for some publicity. Double D

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Project Runway-Grad models

Well, imagine my surprise when last night's episode, I see Suede amongst the designers. I'm like huh? According to my last post on Project Runway, which I have committed to memory, I had him aufted by the lady Heidi. So what happened? Am I exhibiting the signs of early dementia? Heaven forbid! Did I mistake's Blayne's horrible leather bounded, muslin wrapped, blue red post mortem outfit as Suede's? Donna thinks not. Did I enter some kind of twilight zone time warp? Nope not that exciting. Just plain and simple, I was falling asleep. Yes, three seconds here, five minutes there and before you know it, I have written down in my groggy handwriting what I thought was a continual stream of consciousness was in fact only the remnants of the inside of my eye lids. Here I am frantically searching the web to see who was eliminated last week, yep, Blayne! Somehow I really knew that, because in my unconscious state, I had the thought that the pairing with Stella was the kiss of death for Blayne. Somehow filtering through my sleep induce stupor I heard the words of Michael Kors saying that Suede was not that important to be talking about himself in third person and it was there that I promptly nodded off. Sorry folks!
Well, back on track and needless to say, I am not happy that Kenley is still ever present. It seems with every week, her ego gets more and more inflated. This week Tim is like, we have special guests this week. Out walks an assortment of women (to be polite) or as Leanne said, I hope we don't have to make old lady dresses. Actually no, it's outfits for their newly graduated daughters. I guess the producers really wanted your average garden variety mother daughter team. Not a beauty among them. I cracked up when Jerrell said he was wondering who was going to get the head of lettuce, in other words the mother from H--- and that was Leanne's as her mother made all sorts of complaints at the dress Leanne made. What's special about this dress, blah, blah, blah...Mostly I thought every single outfit was horrible. Obviously they can't design something for the average woman. Weren't they supposed to make them over and take them from plain Jane to super sophicate? I didn't see one make over that made me go wow. Kenley managed to turn her bleach banged daughter into a mini-me replica of Kenley. I hated that outfit, yet week after week, the judges are loving her creations, which inflates that head of hers. Korto outfit would have been better if it were longer, since the young lady had the legs of a football player, well she did! And Leanne had to make another bed jacket to go over her dress, which the judges said the dress looked better without the jacket..hint, hint!
But it was Joe with his safe over done creation of a business suit gone wrong that the judges hated and was aufed and much to my irritation, Kenley laughing like one of the mean girls at the judges scathing comments to Joe. Now was that nice? Kenley, once cool and offbeat needs to be taken down. Will someone stuff that feather barrette down her throat! Oh, snaps to Jerrell for making the only outfit that looked wearable and winning a spot in Elle mag. Hey what was that on his head, a dead crow?-Single D

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Winner of Big Brother-Season 10

No surprises here, the winner and all time ultimate player in Big Brother history, Dan, school teacher and prime mover in the house. A landslide vote could not deny his superior game playing as each of the evicted houseguest concurred. Great game playing Dan! I loved it when Brian and Steven called out Michelle, Jerry and Ollie's emotional personal outburst against Dan and Keesha. Keesha stilled looked pissed when the Q & A was going on, but I think the bandaid of $25,000 as America's favorite houseguest will ease the pain.
Good season even with the boring moments.-Single D

Gone Country-Season 2-Outsiders Inn-and My Redneck Wedding

I guess Gone Country was hoping it could repeat last season's successful and semi amusing premise of turning someone with little or no talent into a country star. JR is still trying to get the contestants into the true meaning of country, by having them sing in a pen (prison), smashing cars and chasing after greased pigs, which by the way Jermaine Jackson refuses to do. He doesn't do pork, touch pork or eat pork. And I think he doesn't like to get down and dirty either. But one thing Jermaine does, is see dead people and is afraid of the dark. Yep, ya heard me, dead people from the 1800's. Weird. And they called Michael Jackson weird! The rest of the cast is pretty much a yawner. We all know Sean Young can't remember lyrics or sing a lick, but she sure can smash up stock cars, go Sean! Mikahla looks like she should be on the cover of Playboy, how did she go from sweet (American Idol) to looking like an experienced bunny? And for the rest, with the exception of Sebastian sound like muzak in an elevator. Now I must say a few words for the lamest show on CMT, Outsiders Inn, based on the trio from the previous season of Gone Country, your friends and mine, Maureen McCormick, Carney Wilson and that lovable drunk, Bobby Brown. The premise, Maureen decides to run a hillbilly Bed and Breakfast Inn called, Pigeon Manor and decides to calls her two BFF's Carney Wilson and Bobby Brown. Carney will cook (she cooks?) and Bobby, what shall he do? Oh yeah, he'll be the Entertainment Director, what is this Love Boat? Ok, I'll bite, sounds like it could be fun. Wrong! Come on, it could have been funny if it was not some over done, over wrought road kill. Do we need stuff like, the trio guest judging a local talent show, but the entire time Carney is lifting her ass because she has a bad case of hemmoroids which gets worst as her temper gets meaner and then she tells one contestant to keep his day job, only to find out the next day when visiting the doc for some hemmoroid remedy that the doctor is the dejected would be singer from the night before? Planned, fake and staged. Not funny. Or the one where they book an animal convention, where a man brings his goat with him for a little one on one time in the honeymoon suite. Or the redneck honeymooners wanting green jello in their bath tub, but Carney and Maureen end up in it, with Carney farting of course! It could be funny but the whole thing speaks of the contrived and staged like a really bad sitcom. The whole idea is a mess of goats, free loading hillbillies, Carney baking apple pies, Bobby sweating while hunting bears and Maureen riding on a tractor in a cut too low, red Scarlett O'Hara dress. Sorry, I pass. Ya, Ya, so I did watch more than one episode! The one thing that did astonish and amazed me was the one episode of My Redneck Wedding I did watched. Are there really people like that? The bride, an ample swell of a girl, marrying Billy Bob, a skinny toothless wonder. Why is it that the bride is always fat and the groom is always skinny? The bride gets ready, she does her hair, but wears not a lick of make-up and boy she needs it. When she's all gussied up, she hops on the wagon that is being pulled by the tractor lawn mower that takes her to the local community center to get herself hitched. After the ceremony, it's all outside for a monster truck rally in the mud with the newly hitched bride and groom gettin all down and dirty. Hee Haw!-Single D