Enough with the patterns

So this week on ANTM the pattern I mentioned last week holds true. Two girls were spotlighted at the start of the episode - Janet and Ambreal. At the end, the final two were Janet and Ambreal. Also for those of you keeping score it was yet another ebony & ivory situation. I know that all the girls this season are either black or white, but each episode it always one black girl and one white girl. Never two white girls or two black girls. Not that it matters at all. I am merely pointing out yet another pattern that is going on this cycle.

At first I thought Heather would be one of the bottom two, but then realized she didn't have a "confessional" type chat with the camera. So I knew it couldn't it be her. However, I was a little off put by some of her comments this week. Most episodes she is shown as being very quiet and keeping to herself. This week they showed her being just as catty as all the other girls. She was very vocal about telling each girl what their "problem" was as far as modeling goes.

I would be remiss if I did not comment on Miss J's hair. Last season his schtick was adding ruffles to his clothes each week, so that by the end he looked almost like a chrysanthemum. This cycle it is apparently the size of his fro. Each week at panel all I can hear when I look at him is "ch-ch-ch-chia!" Seriously, he looks like a chia head the way it keeps growing. If we were truly as fabulous as he thinks he is, he wouldn't have to resort to gimmicks. But alas, he isn't and he does. He looks like he should be running around Tara talking about birthin' babies. I don't get it.

I have also been noticing lately that the photo of Tyra shown before each panel looks like the shoot she had the girls do that week. Where is the creativity? I know it must be hard to come up with new ideas for each episode, but Tyra is just copying shoots someone else designed. I would love to see some originality in the shoots.

We'll see if the patterns continue again next week.

Some Photos of Giada

Did a little web surfing and found some awesome photos of Giada. There are no words, so enjoy.

It just Keeps Going and Going and Going

What is up with Weeds this season? It started slow, but then got really good. The last two episodes have been almost painful to watch. Is it just me, or does each episode get shorter and shorter? I thought the great thing able cable series' was that if it is a 30 minute show, you get almost a full 30 minutes as opposed to broadcast stations where a 30 minute show is only 25 minutes. Last night's Weeds, including "Previously on weeds" and "next time on Weeds" was only 25 minutes.

Weeds is not the only show that does this. However on Weeds it feels more annoying because nothing is happening on the show. After 25 minutes, I feel completely unsatisfied. The show is just dragging. I have no clue why they are doing this to us. I don't need lots of action every show, but the stories have got to move a little more quickly. For the past 2 episodes, I have been stunned at the end. At the end I keep thinking, "that can't be it, nothing happened." i am really losing interest in the trials and tribulations of Nancy and the rest of the Agrestic community. If they are trying to show how Nancy is feeling or something, that is a nice gimmick, but this isn't a foreign art film. This is a sitcom. Get things moving.

What is with all these shows now doing the recap and the previews? I don't need that crap. Just show me what is happening this week. If I want to see what happens next week, I will watch it next week. Besides, I am sure I will see promos for the show all week anyway showing me the same trailers, so don't take away my actual viewing time.

Why is She Paid to Speak?

Here is the latest round of hate speech from Ann Coulter. In short, she thinks the world would be better if everyone were Christian and that Jews needs to be perfected. It is truly astounding that she is allowed to speak. How she can say her remarks are not anti-semetic is startling. According to her all Christians believe themselves to be perfected Jews. I can only hope that finally she will be banned from public speaking. I am not in favor of censorship, but when it comes to hate speech, it has no place in a civilized world. Her comments a few months ago regarding gays was brushed off and political punditing. Perhaps now people will really see her for the hate monger she is.

Late Night Chat

One night I was enjoying some really bad late night TV when I saw a commercial for a chat line. It was the standard, "hey meet local guys and gals" type thing, nothing extraordinary. However, one thing caught my eye. Nothing to do with the line being advertised, but rather a scene in the commercial.

Look at the handsets these two are "talking" into. Do you notice anything strange? Look at the bottom of them. Each one has a plug for the cord that would connect it to the base of the phone. They are pretending to be talking on cordless phones. I had to back this up to make sure what I saw was really there, or not there. I thought it was hysterical. I realize it is a low budget commercial, but they could have gotten cheap cordless phones somewhere. They only needed one as each person was filmed separately.

Here is a close up of the phone on the right.






Ah, the wonders of modern technology.

Have To Believe We Are Magic

Private Practice last night was all about magic. Not prestidigitation, but the magical spark between two people.

All the women commiserate over the lack of magic in their lives. Naomi admits she had it with Sam. Unfortunately she is now using cake as a replacement. Cakes provided by Dell whose advice regarding women is, "find out what they want and give it to them." Apparently he has a thing for Naomi. What is truly bothersome is that Addison could have it with Pete as we all know, but she is still stuck in, "I'm a double boarded surgeon" mode and cannot see beyond that. She will sometime, but not yet. Violet could have it with Cooper as well, but she is still stuck on her ex and he needs to grow up.

I do love this show, however, I get tired of the "patient drama mirroring the doctor drama, but the doctors while helping their patients cannot do the same for themselves" situations. It is a good vehicle when subtle and not occurring all the time. Enough already. All the doctors are damaged and it is a case of physician heal thyself. But do we need to be beaten over the head with it? I think not.

A few key moments in last night's show deserve mention. First of all, Addison getting caught in the rain and complaining about how she thought she left that in Seattle. Guess what Addison, you can relocate, but all your "stuff" comes with you. I get tired of seeing her revert back to the same Addison who first came to Seattle Grace. The Addison who left was much more likeable. Super Addison is a bitch and not as interesting.

Next Pete talking to his deceased wife. The power of his statement, "You were a lousy wife and I hated you!" was astounding. We learned that he stayed in a loveless marriage and resents his wife for his choice. Pete is finally ready to let go and face his inner demons. Perhaps Addison's arrival has something to do with this.

Finally, the best line of the show comes from Addison's patient who is not able to have sex with her husband, wants to, but seriously cannot. She comes in saying, "My hoo-hah is broken!" I loved that. Of course at the end, Addison and Pete working together get her working so she and her husband can consummate their marriage and have the full magic.

I am afraid that the Addison-Pete thing may go the way of David Addison and Maddie Hayes. Once they finally get together, the magic of the show will be lost. Hopefully by having other characters around, that won't happen if and when they finally get together. Until then, there will be the constant tension between them that while over used is still fun to watch.

Model Patterns

Once again last night's America's Next Top Model came down to ebony and ivory. This time it was Victoria, the Ivy Leaguer and Saleisha, the model. In the end it was Victoria who was given the boot. Seasoned viewers of the show would have been able to pick out who the final two were going to be within the first few minutes of the show.

I admit that I did not see this pattern, but my genius husband did and pointed it out after the show ended. Each episode begins with one girl making some kind of statement. This week it was Victoria talking about how up until 3 weeks ago, she never considered being a model. That set up the theme for the week - who really wants this. The next scene will be another girl saying how awesome she is and will never be at the bottom. This time it was Saleisha boasting that she will never be in the bottom two. Lo and behold at the end of the show, the bottom two were Victoria and Saleisha. Watch next week, you will see. It is like the beginning of each episode of the original Star Trek. Every show starts with a team beaming down to some planet. The team will be some composition of Kirk, Spock, Bones, Sulu, Chekov and one random crew member. Gee, who is going to get killed? This formulaic approach doesn't detract from the show as a whole, but it would be nice to not have any clue who will be the bottom two each week.

This week was also arguably the best episode of each season - the makeovers. Unfortunately unlike past seasons, no one had a melt down this time. Bianca sort of did, but that was because she had such over processed hair to begin with that they couldn't do anything but shave it off. And you know what? She looked great. She is not totally bald, but her hair is very short. Moreover, they gave her a wig styled like Tyra had initially planned for her. That is totally unfair. Bianca now gets two looks to work with. She should have to have the wig on for every shoot. By allowing her to sometimes wear it and sometimes not, she has an advantage over the other girls. Overall the makeovers were good. I think Chantal looks too much like Mina Suvari though. There was not much variety in the makeovers. Several of the girls now have long blond hair, several have short Liza or Mia hair. Saleisha ended up with a do that makes her look like a throw back to the 70's, almost china dollish. Of course at panel time the judges complained that they couldn't see her eyes in the photo. Hello, her bangs practically cover them. My girl Heather had almost nothing done to her hair. Tyra said it already was model hair. She just got some highlights and a trim.

Going back to the judges comment about Saleisha's eyes, I hate when the criticize something the model had little control over. If they don't like the pose, blame either Jay for setting the pose or Tyra for choosing that particular photo. It's not like the model had any say is what photo was used. If they want to talk about how bad a particular photo or pose is, then leave it up to the model to select the photo for panel. If Tyra picks the photo, then she has no right to say how bad it is. I think Tyra occasionally picks poor photos for some of the girls so they either learn something or get booted. Also, I am tired of them telling the models the photos were uninteresting or something to that effect. Jay directs the shoots. He tells the girls what to do. Sure the girls are supposed to take his direction and then work with it, he is still the one who sets it all up. It is almost like he and Tyra have no contact regarding shoots. Sometimes I feel like what Jay did was great, but it ends up not being what Tyra wants, and then it comes down on the model.

Nevertheless, I still love the show. Despite the formula and the sometimes contradictory actions of the "experts," I am not going to stop watching.

Oh, before I close, guess who I saw on the the street the other day? TYRA!!!! I told you all her talk show is filmed across the street from my apartment. Well the other day I am walking down 7th Ave. and she was walking along 26th St. heading back to her studio. She is stick thin, but my god is she pretty.

Forgive Me

It was pointed out that for someone who wants to meet Giada, there has been very little mention of her lately on my blog. I offer my most sincere apologies to you my loyal readers and even more importantly to Giada. In an effort to rectify that situation, I have a few words on my Goddess.

If you're like me, and I know I am, I am a huge fan of the Food Network. Of course I know when my girl is on. However, the other day while looking at my channel guide I noticed Food Network changed its afternoon lineup. It used to be 4:00PM Paul Deen, 4:30 Giada, 5:00 Ina and 5:30 Sandra Lee (or fat, cleavage, fat, cleavage). However, the new schedule is 4:00 Sandra Lee, 4:30 Giada (they wouldn't dare move her), 5:00 Ina and 5:30 Paula (or a solid hour of cleavage and an hour of fat women). So now rather than her lead in being fat, unhealthy food it is marginally appealing food, tacky tablescapes and of course cocktails. The contrast in going from Sandra to Giada is actually more striking than going from Paula to Giada. Sandra is OK, but she would be much better if tied to either Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller or 30 Minute Meals.

Personally I think there should be an all Giada, all the time channel. Today on the early broadcast of her show she was cooking with her niece. They were making gnocchi (potato pasta dumplings for those of you needing an explanation.) Giada is there cooking away while her niece, bless her heart, was totally lost. You could tell Giada wanted to banish her from the kitchen, but gritted her teeth and worked with it. I gotta say I am not a big fan of when she is cooking with someone else, except maybe her mother or Aunt Raffy. After all, the inspiration for many of dishes came from them. Well more from Raffy as her mother seems rather lost in the kitchen. Anyway, when I tune in to watch Giada, I want to see Giada doing what she does so well. I don't want to watch some bumbling person in the kitchen cooking with her when I should be the one in the kitchen with her. Yes, I admit there is a schmekin of jealousy there. I know I am neither family nor a friend...yet.

But Giada, if you are reading this please let me cook with you. Just one time.

Talk About Wide Bodies

So this week on The Biggest Loser they all went to Jamaica for a week. Can you imagine being on that flight? What if you had to sit between two of the contestants? The plane wasn't the only wide body in the air.

At the resort in Jamaica we got to see Jillian and Jez get into it about drinking. I am stunned that any of the contestants would actually think of this trip as a vacation. It was a test to show them what being back in the real world will be like. In the real world they will be constantly faced with temptations and have to make smart food choices. I would have preferred it if the contestants were not supervised and then confronted with the results of their choices at the weigh in. That Jez was getting into it about wanting to drink says much about who he is. Here is this morbidly obese man on a show to lose weight, but challenging his trainer on drinking alcohol. He is so not learning a damn thing. He does not deserve to be on this show. And, I really want them to stop showing him without a shirt on. It looks like someone let the air out of his body. He will likely be on Dr. 90210 for a full body lift someday.

The Black team won the challenge this week, but at weigh in time, they lost. FINALLY. During the entire weigh in Jillian looked so damn smug. There was palpable tension in the air during the weigh in between Kim and Jillian. So when Kim's Red Team won the weigh in I wanted her to get in Jillian's face about it. Those two are going to have it out soon. I would pay to watch them fight. Unfortunately I think Jillian would probably kill Kim. She is crazy, and crazy always wins.

At elimination, the Black Team ended up sending one of the twins, Jim, home. Huge mistake! Huge! They don't get how to play this game. In the early elimination, you don't want to get rid of the people losing the most weight. You want to keep them around. If you get rid of your bigger losers, you have a better chance of ending up back in the elimination room again. Until you get rid of 2 or 3 people, you keep the bigger losers and get rid of the people losing less weight. Jez should have been the one to go. He has a bad attitude toward the whole process and is not losing much weight. I so want the Black Team to be back in the elimination room again next week.

They Ain't the Waltons

How much do I love the Walkers? They are amazing!

Last night's Brothers & Sisters was great. This show just keeps getting better and better. First I'll cut right to the resolution of the cliff hanger. Justin did not get killed in Iraq. Although that would have been a great way for them to launch into more anti-war moments, he returned home with a serious injury to his knee. Justin needs major physical therapy and was given a nerve block to stem the pain. He refused any pain medication because of his problems with drugs and alcohol. Brave, but insanely stupid. When the block wore off, Justin was in excruciating pain. This is going to make for some big dramatic moments as the season progresses.

To prepare for Justin's return home, Nora studied a book that gave advice on how to welcome home wounded soldiers. Unfortunately, most of what she did only served to upset Justin. There is going to be some serious readjustment for the Walker household with Justin's return.

Rebecca kept a promise she made to Justin before he left for Iraq. She promised that before Justin returned from Iraq, she would tell Sarah that she encouraged Joe to kiss her. Unfortunately she told Sarah too late. Joe had already told Sarah he wanted a divorce and he was back with his ex-wife. Sarah told Rebecca that her news might have helped a few months sooner, but now it was too late. She added that the only reason Rebecca said anything now was to assuage her own guilt, and as Sarah put it, "that is the most selfish reason of all." Rebecca went home to talk to Holly who told her that Joe & Sarah were doomed long before Rebecca entered the picture. Holly also said she was the last person to pass any judgment on Rebecca being tempted to get involved with a married man. After all, had she not been involved with a married man, she would not had Rebecca who would then not have been able to kiss her half-sister's husband.

One of the outstanding moments of the show was Kitty's call into the Rush Limbaugh type radio show host who attacked her family. He called Nora treasonous and passed judgment on Senator McAllister's brother and Kevin dating. The typical conservative diatribe. Unfortunately Kitty was listening to the show with Nora and Kevin. Kitty got off a great speech about how he spun everything to serve his purpose and distorted the truth beyond all recognition. It was a great moment for Kitty and amazing acting for Calista Flockhart. To remedy the damage Kitty & Co. did to his campaign, Kitty booked the Senator on the show. During his time, he said that while he may not always agree with the Walker's it is that disagreement that reminds him that there are more people and positions in this country than his own. That anyone who had problems with differing views should seriously consider whether they actually belong in this country.

This show is awesome!!!! In that one moment, McAlliser, played by conservative Rob Lowe, completely exposed the vocal conservative moment for what it is. Nothing more than people who have problems with anyone not like them. This country is made up of many different opinions and views, so for any one group to chastise anyone who has different opinions is really the one who is truly anti-American.

It is going to be a long wait to see the Walkers again next week.

Secrets, Lies & Key Lime Pies

What a night on Wisteria Lane.

Edie is blackmailing Carlos into marrying her. Hey Edie, if you have to coerce someone into marrying you, you are beyond desperate. You are just sad. Carlos should have just let her hang. The question now is, who was that guy Carlos paid and what did he pay him to do? Is he plotting to have Edie killed? For someone with a prison record, that would be very bad if it backfired on him. Maybe he was paying an accountant to move the money from the Cayman's to a new location where Edie won't find it. I am getting tired of Edie. Enough already. You're a self serving bitch, with no feelings for anyone but yourself. You are a borderline sociopath. They need to get her off the show already.

Gabby was great last night. The scene between her and Lynette in the hospital was fantastic. We saw a side of Gabby never seen before as well as some amazing acting from Eva Longoria. At first I was worried that the Gabby not volunteering to sit with Lynette during chemo would be like when Charlotte didn't offer to loan Carrie money on Sex and the City. However, rather than stemming from fear of losing a friendship, Gabby was simply scared. She didn't want to have to be brave in front of Lynette like she had to be when her father was dying when she was 5. At first we are lead to believe that Gabby doesn't truly consider Lynette a friend. However, the reality is that she probably loves Lynette more than she does Susan or Bree. I think in many ways, Gabby views Lynette as a mother figure as well as a close friend. She is so scared of losing Lynette, that Gabby didn't want to see her in the hospital.

The mystery of Karen's departure and return to Wisteria Lane grows more intriguing. Bree overheard enough last night to learn that Karen is hiding something really big. And not just from the ladies of the lane, but from her own daughter as well (if that really is her daughter). We saw in Susan's flashback (featuring Mary Alice) that Karen's departure was unannounced and seemingly suspect. Karen says she got a last minute job offer in Chicago and the family had to leave immediately. As she is shutting the door, we hear something break inside the house. In the present, Susan asked Karen how the job went and Karen doesn't know what job she is talking about. Susan explains that she meant the one Karen left for and then a light bulb went on for Karen and she gave a lame answer.

The civil fight between Karen and Bree for best homemaker on Wisteria Lane is awesome. Bree has never been challenged on her baking skills before, but now Karen is determined to destroy that. I am hoping for an Alexis-Crystal style fight between these two soon. You can tell Bree wants to beat the crap out of Karen and Karen wants nothing more than to be seen as the new Queen of Wisteria Lane. Where Bree is polite to a fault, Karen gives the impression of being polite, but in realty, she is a cunning bitch - even more than Bree has been in the past.

This season holds a great deal of promise. I hope it continues.

Less Than Model Behavior

The third episode of America's Next Top Model and things continue to get worse. The episode started out with some of the girls practicing their runway walk for one another. Bianca in her little confessional moment admits that she is giving the other girls bad advice so that she can win. If she is so confident that she will win this cycle, as she claims, then there is no need for her to sabotage the other girls. After all, Tyra will see what a great model Bianca is regardless of how well any of the other girls do. Right? Remember Bianca, what comes around goes around. You have to pay your dues before you get to be a Janice Dickinson or Naomi Campbell type diva. Right now you are just an 18 year old girl in a competition. Bianca and Saleisha got into it once again and Bianca quipped, "check your thighs in the mirror." Again, if she is so sure she will win, Bianca has no need to fight with anyone.

When it came for the judges deliberations at the end of the show, they all agreed that Bianca looked angry in her photo. When in front of the panel to discuss her photo, Bianca even said that she was told to focus on one emotion so she chose anger because that is easy for her. Ring! Ring! Clue phone! You need to be able to tap into more than just your anger to be a model.

One of the best lines of the night came from Kimberly from Ocala, Florida. The girls are talking about the photo shoots and how to pose. Kimberly says that she has no experience in front of a camera, but, "basically my dad's been taking pictures of me my whole life." Now, I am sure she didn't mean this in a creepy way, but still it sounds very creepy.

The lesson of the week was how to walk. The girls met up with Miss J in an old mental hospital. He was dressed as a nurse. The girls put on straight jackets and then had to walk for Miss J. He critiqued each of them. Bianca of course thought she rocked it, but she didn't.

The challenge for the week carried over from the lesson. The girls were in a fashion show for designer Colleen Quen. The winner, the girl who Colleen thought did the best job, would be invited to model in Colleen's Paris debut fashion show. Some of the dresses were quite tight so that walking in them was very difficult. Once again, Bianca thought she did great, but the winner was Saleisha. She kicked ass on this one. However, I will say that Heather did an amazing job as well. Bianca was pissed that Saleisha won and in her confessional said that she did a better job than Saleisha. Um, no you didn't. If you had, you would have won. A little humility might help you pumpkin.

For the photo shoot, the girls had to pose while climbing a rock wall. The best moment of this was Saleisha saying, "I gave it my all. I bent over and put my leg up." Damn!

At the judging Miss J looked like Shirley from What's Happening? He was sporting a 70's short fro. I am really over him this season. Enough already. He is a caricature of himself at this point. I don't like that he has a bigger role this season.

The winner this week was Jenah. She took an incredible photo. She had the advantage of having been a rock climbing instructor for 2 years so she was totally at ease during the shoot and she worked it. Second place went to Heather. I think she will go very far in this competition. At the end it was once again Ebony & Ivory. Only this time it wasn't actually Ebony. The bottom two were Bianca and Kimberly. Kimberly was sent home. I am sure that Bianca making for better viewing did not impact the decision at all.

Overall, I think the models this season are the best ones yet. The girls must be paying attention to the prior cycles and learning from them.

Next week is the make over show. YAY!!! Lots of drama will happen.

Sibling Drama

Why Brothers & Sisters didn't win the Emmy for Best Dramatic Series is beyond me. Well, the pity vote for Sopranos explains it. Brothers & Sisters rocks!!! The season premier was incredible. It is hard to believe this is only the second season of the show.

I love that this show has an openly gay man in a committed relationship. Kevin is not the sexless gay man like the Queer Eye guys or even Will Truman. They are not afraid to show two men kiss on this show. Snaps to the writers and producers for doing that. And snaps to Matthew Rhys for his awesome portrayal of Kevin. A straight Welsh actor playing a gay American man. I had no clue he was straight and Welsh. He is amazing. As for his character of Kevin, he is dating his conservative sister's fiance's brother. The best part of that scenario is that it shows conservatives who are willing to go against their party's view of gays. Unlike so many of the conservatives in the real world who are against equal rights despite having gay or lesbian children. Are you paying attention Mr. Cheney?

On the other side of the closet door from Kevin is Uncle Saul Holden, Nora's brother. He is so closeted that he can't even admit to himself that he is gay. A friend from his past appeared last season and again in this season's premier. It is clear that Saul is a big mo, but so terrified to admit it. We don't know if he and this friend had a romantic or physical relationship yet. Hopefully Saul will be more explored this season (no pun intended)

This show pulls no punches when it comes to politics. The anti Iraq war sentiment is very clear. Not an episode goes by with out Nora railing against the war. In the season premier we find her afraid to leave the house in case Justin should call. When we later find out his platoon was attacked by an I.E.D. and we don't know if he is alive Nora, like any mother, collapses. It is no wonder Sally Field won the Emmy. Her portrayal of a soldier's mother is engulfing. You really believe she has a child in the war. So now the big question is whether Justin is alive. The scenes for next week make it look like he died. That would suck. Not only for the Walker family, but also for Dave Annable who plays Justin. To be on the first season of a hit show and then get killed off on the premier of the second season, tough break. But if he is dead, maybe he'll be like the mom on Providence and show up for private talks with his family members.

So far this season is off to a great start. I hope they keep it up. Sunday night is the night for TV.

Not So Deperate Yet

The season premier of Desperate Housewives renewed my love of this show. Last season it was getting boring. I hope they will continue the momentum that started this week.

Will Gabby and Carlos get together, or is Edie's blackmailing going to bind Carlos to her? Knowing the goings on on Wisteria Lane, I am sure something will happen to end Edie's hold on him. If I were Carlos, I would immediately transfer all my cash out of the Cayman account and into a Swiss bank account or something. Just move the damn money and then get away from Edie.

The big mystery this season is Kim Delaney. What is the deal with her daughter. Is that really her daughter? Did her real daughter die and she kidnapped this one and that is why she has no recollection of life on Wisteria Lane? This new neighbor is the best new one so far. I love that she is acting like the queen of the neighborhood even though she was gone for 12 years. I'm sorry, but a 12 year absence makes you the new one when you return. You have lost your right to call Bree, Lynette and Gabby new. She and Bree are sure to butt heads, the tree issue will likely be the least of the conflicts there.

Speaking of Bree, I loved it when she threated the old lady in the department store who wanted to touch her "belly." Why do people feel they have a right to touch a woman's belly when she is pregnant. If you did it any other time, it would be unbelievably inappropriate. Pregnancy should not affect that. You ask permission and if the expectant mom says no, you walk away. Bree should have decked the old bat who wouldn't take "no" for an answer. No means no people.

And speaking of pregnant..SUSAN!!! Holy crap! Didn't see that one coming. What is it with this show and women in their 40's getting pregnant? Admittedly Bree isn't really pregnant, but still... The question now is who is the father, Mike or Ian? Will she even tell Ian she is preggers?

Best scene of the night in my opinion was Lynette throwing up in a strangers purse. Brilliant!