Celb Duets

You know how sometimes shows are really good? Then there are the shows that are bad? Then there are the shows that are so bad they’re good? I’m not sure where Celebrity Duets falls. I take that back. I am sure that it wasn’t really good. So it’s somewhere between bad and so bad it’s good. Really hard to say so far.

Some of it was ok. Jai Rodriguez (from Queer Eye) is actually a pretty good singer. And…well…ok, so we’ve got Jai Rodriguez. Hal Sparks was on (you may know Hal Sparks from “I Love the 80s”). And there was the spectacle of the judges, since Little Richard was the “Paula Abdul judge” for the show.

More than anything else, I just wish that Simon Cowell would stop making shows. Stick to Idol and be done with it. Please.

Janelle is the Veto Queen

It’s Christmas in August in the Big Brother house. Which, apparently, means that we get to see Will’s man crush on Neil Patrick Harris play out in person. Wow.

I am still in love with Chilltown (even with the Neil Patrick Harris revelation). They are outsmarting nearly everyone in the game. I don’t know how you couldn’t vote for one of them in the end to win the game. They have played a phenomenal game. That, and they’re just so goofy. Did you see Will when Neil Patrick Harris woke him up? Or when they got the trampoline? Or during the veto competition? Or….

James has lost his Veto King title for good. Janelle is amazing. One minute? Holy cow. No question that she is the ultimate competitor, and that she is far smarter than she lets on.

But in the end, it was Chilltown with all the smarts. Somehow, they convinced Erika to put up Danielle after Janelle won PoV. It was completely the right move – there’s no way that any of them can beat Danielle in the finals. And after Danielle flipped out, well, it was clearly the right choice. And even better is that Erika did the dirty work instead of them.

Danielle will probably go home on Thursday. Of course, I will have to wait until Friday to see it. That’s right, anyone in the Washington DC area will be treated to a meaningless football game played by a team that lost to my team (the almighty New England Patriots) last week 41-0 instead of BB7. Thank you DC CBS affiliate for at least running my show afterwards, even if it is at 2:35 in the morning.

Why I Will No Longer Watch "House Calls"

Now that my internet appears to be working properly, I had the chance to watch “House Calls” (the Big Brother internet talk show) on Friday afternoon. It’s pretty much the same format as the similar shows for Survivor and Amazing Race – a former contestant and a random entertainment insider chat with the recent castoff, talk about the show, and take phone calls. So on Friday, then, James was the guest. He was on for the first 30 minutes, and solidified why he was one of my favorites. It was a funny interview, even with a few awkward moments with the hosts (at one point, Bunky suggested that James slip Howie & Marcellas a few roofies in the sequester house so he could get some peace and quiet). Anyways, after James left, the hosts started talking (emphatically, I might add) about how that was the worst interview ever, and how horrible James was. They talked about how he needed therapy, and was glad to see him leave their set. What was that all about? Aside from the fact that I won’t be watching their show again, I think they both owe James and his family an apology. And I’m shocked that CBS will continue to let them broadcast that sort of show.

Ok, climbing down from my soapbox, and back to tonight’s episode of Big Brother: All Stars. I am still not sure about the whole Erika-Boogie thing. I’m not as sure about their relationship – is it real or just a showmance? And did he really “Lance Showmance” her into not nominating Will? Very interesting.

Speaking of interesting, that was a strange food competition. I did NOT need to see Chicken George in spandex. I don’t even think George’s wife wanted to see him in that outfit. It will be awhile for me to get that image out of my mind, And can you imagine the producers meeting where someone came up with that idea? Wow.

So no real shock that Erika nominated Janelle & George for eviction. Although I think that strategically she shouldn’t have nominated Janelle – she is this season’s Veto Queen. It would have been far better to backdoor her, with the backup plan being to get rid of George. And I love how everyone thinks they have an alliance with Chilltown. When will they all realize that Chilltown is in it for Chilltown?

More on Survivor

Well, I guess I have to believe it now -- I saw the previews for the new season of Survivor, and I guess they really are doing tribes based on race. I'll say it right now - even though it might make good tv, this is a really horrible idea.

On the official website, they now have profiles of the contestants up (http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor13/). It seems like a lot of the contestants have something going on that makes you want to vote for them (sort of like Chad on Vanauatu or Tom on Palau). There also are a few who have tv experience. That's odd. My early picks (based ONLY on reading their profiles)...Becky will be a force - she seems like someone I would like to see win. Least likeable from just their profiles? Billy, Sekou, & Cao Boi. No real reasons, just a hunch. There also appears to be way too many of what we called "dirty white hat boys" in college. If you went to a college with fraternities, you know what I mean. (I'm not throwing stones...I married a fraternity boy...I'm just saying)

James is the Next Houseguest Evicted

After Howie’s eviction on Sunday, tonight’s BB7 show was such a welcome change.

First, we got to see a glimpse of Marcellas & Howie at the sequester house. Clearly I’m not the only one who wanted to see that more than footage of the houseguests lounging in the back yard. I just wish they had played the theme song to “The Odd Couple” in the background.

Second, even though I was bummed to see James go, he was so classy in the way he left. No temper tantrums, no calling out members of his alliance. He just said how it was great to play with the best, and that he got beaten by the best. It seemed like he was even a bit pleased with Will’s message to him. Good for you James. There’s more to life than Big Brother, and when you act like a jerk on national tv, it doesn’t bode well for your “real” life. But when you act like James, it will get you far. It reminds me of how Nick went out on Survivor last season – a class act all the way.

Finally, I was so glad to see Erika win HoH. Even though I hate that it was another stupid trivia challenge, her winning will keep Chilltown safe another week. I’m sure she’ll nominate Janelle…maybe she’ll break her alliance with George and he’ll go up as well. Or maybe she’ll put up Will as a pawn. Should be fun.

Survivor News

CBS has announced the cast for the newest season of Survivor, Survivor: Cook Islands. The big twist this season? Apparently there are 20 castaways, and they will be divided into 4 teams of 5 by race. That's right. There will be a white tribe, black tribe, asian tribe, and hispanic tribe. The word is that Mark Burnett wanted to add this "real life" distinction to the social experiment that is Survivor. Aside from the fact that I won't believe this until I actually see them divided up like this on the first episode, how on earth is Probst going to do this with a straight face? I mean really, will he say "blacks, you're going to tribal council"? Or his inane commentary during the competitions will be "hispanics have a lot of ground to make up!". I just don't buy it. If it is true, though, maybe he'll be more careful than when they did the family edition of The Amazing Race. When the Black family (their name, as well as their race) came in last, Phil was forced to say "Black family, you've been eliminated from the race."

Big Brother Rocks

I know, I am SO behind on my Big Brother blogging. And since we're going out again tonight (it's not every day that my friend Jacob turns 6!), I'll be behind again. Sorry. Now that our internet seems to be back up and running, things should go much more smoothly.

First, Sunday's elimination. It doesn't bother me that Howie went home - way better than losing James or Erika. But it does bother me the way that he left. For those of you who don't know, pretty much the only thing that isn't allowed on any reality show is physical violence. There have been a couple of instances (I think even one on BB) of contestants being kicked off for threatening another player. (keep this in mind for later) So Howie's actions were ridiculous. Chilltown is right - anyone who says they can get through the game without lying is, well, lying.

So another trivia HoH (enough of trivia, please!), and Chilltown was victorious. Boogie won HoH, and Janelle looked MAD. Oh - did you see Erika's reaction to Boogie's win? A little more fuel for the "Erika & Boogie are an item" fire.

I'm not sure about Boogie's nominations. He put up Janelle & James, with the idea that everyone wants Janelle out, and if she wins PoV, James is expendable. And I guess I kind of understand that Janelle is a bigger target than Chilltown - it's good for them to have her around another week or two. But it could come back to bite them in the butt. My first thought was that he should not nominate Janelle - nominate James & Chicken George - so that Janelle wouldn't be eligible for the veto. Then, if the Veto King didn't win (if he did, he could backdoor Janelle) Boogie could use the coup d'etat and overthrow his own nominations. Oh well.

The real drama of the week was the PoV competition. Another trivia game, this time with a physical challenge (sort of) as well. This is where the rule about physical violence comes into play again. At one point in the game, James & Janelle were fighting over the same doll. Janelle got it, and James ended up losing the PoV. James was walking around complaining that Janelle had kicked him/hit him/hurt him. He even showed a tiny little scrape off in the diary room. Yes, it's pitiful that he got his butt kicked by Janelle. But his point was that she hurt him, which should disqualify her. At the very least, I think he was hoping to get to re-do the competition (they've already re-done one this summer, why not another?). It stinks for James that he lost...he's probably going home.

So here's where we stand - James & Chicken George are now up for eviction. Chilltown says they want James gone, but we all know that what they say and what they do are two different things. But I think that the votes for James to go are still there. The only twist - what if Boogie decides to use that darn power after all?

One last thought - the members of the sequester house will be (if things work out as they seem) Howie, Marcellas, & James. I'm not paying for the live feeds, but I would pay to watch that. :)

Why Not

Well, the good news is that Verizon seems to have fixed our DSL. The bad news? As if on cue, our wireless router died. Really. Because, why not?

Twists & Turns on BB7

We all know that I am in love with Chilltown. And that I am totally hooked on BB7. But here’s my big question for the week – who has the time to go and live in the Big Brother house for three months? Seriously? They’re already on day 44 – this seems insane. You know what is also insane? The person who watches the live feeds and types in everything that happens. Really. There is at least one person out there doing this. Check it out if you don’t believe me (http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/TV_Shows/B/BigBrother7/) (click on the chat archives)

Anyways, it was a crazy week in the BB house. As promised, they had to re-do the HoH competition, and, surprise surprise, Janelle won. I was disappointed that everyone competed – they should have just let those who were left in when the buzzers started to malfunction compete. And why is it that the buzzers sucked so much to begin with? This is a major network show – for less than $100 you can buy buzzers online for your classroom. Seriously CBS – what are you doing?

After Janelle won, I would have thought that she would keep Erika safe. After all, she did originally win the HoH, and it would have been a nice move to say something about that and because of it keep her safe. But Janelle nominated Erika & Danielle. Go figure.

A stunning revelation – it seems like there may be a little showmance going on between Boogie & Erika. They’ve shown them kissing a few times, and even Boogie fake proposing to her. It’s also come out that they may have a relationship in real life – those live feed archives said that Will has mentioned that Erika & Boogie have lived together for the last 6 months. Hmmm….

At the PoV competition, the Legion of Doom was in full effect, throwing the competition so that Danielle would win and take herself off the block. It would have been a fantastic plan if James had done a better job acting. Yikes. But even more frightening is that even though it was clear that James threw the competition, Janelle didn’t nominated him to replace Danielle. I had thought that she was smarter than she is letting on, but now I’m just not sure.

So, Marcellas got back-doored by Janelle, and not surprisingly went home on Thursday. I’m not too sad about not seeing him in that bathrobe anymore. And Mike Boogie, who won the Coup D’Etat, wisely didn’t use his power. Chilltown is SO safe for a few more weeks.

Finally, it was prom night, and the houseguests had to figure out who “America” voted for for different superlatives. Turns out that Chicken George has really been paying attention, and ended up winning the HoH. Good for you George! Of course, it’s more of a curse this week as it’s a double eviction week. George had about 8 seconds to decide who to nominate. I’m not sure why, but he put up Erika & James. We’ll see who gets evicted on Sunday’s show. My guess is that unless James wins PoV (and this assumes that there will be a PoV for this eviction), Boogie will use the Coup D’Etat. He can nominate Janelle & Howie, and dismantle the S6 alliance for good. Can’t wait…

We Have a Winner!

After a summer of really fantastic dancing, we have a winner on So You Think You Can Dance?. I'm pretty bummed - not because of the winner, but because now we're stuck with one less watchable show on television.

As you know, we're down to Heidi, Donyelle, Benji, & Travis. And "America" got it right - these really are the best four dancers from the competition. The producers also did a great job of filling out the show with some of the best performances from the season. Each of the top four got to choose their favorite routine, and the judges (or at least some of them) chose favorites as well. I was annoyed with the cheesy voice-overs that each contestant did, but I loved seeing their favorites. Heidi had to feel good that both guys chose a routine with her - she is clearly the best female dancer in the competition. I also loved that I got to see all of my favorites. Although did anyone else notice that the routine that Mary chose was never actually performed on the show? It was an all new routine, just so she could see Dmitry & Natalie dance together. Strange.

Way too early in the show we find out that Heidi & Donyelle have been eliminated. I don't know how anyone could be shocked - if they had told Heidi she won, what would have been the point of the second hour of the show. And even though I love Heidi, I don't think that either of the girls dance up to the level of Travis & Benji.

So we're down to Benji & Travis, or "Tranji," which I still think is the worst nickname ever. Even as they were dancing their hip hop routine together at the end of the show, I kept hoping that they would somehow declare the show a tie. But, of course, someone has to win. And not surprisingly, Benji was crowned America's Favorite Dancer. I'm pretty pleased with myself that I was on the Benji bandwagon from week one, and so excited that someone that I was rooting for actually won. He is going to be great dancing in that Vegas show, and I wouldn't be surprised if Travis gets an offer to dance in it as well (the show is choreographed by Mia Michaels, who, along with being my new favorite choreographer ever, already said she would like to hire Travis). What a great show & a great season - I can't believe I have to wait till next summer to see it again.

DSL Woes

Did you know that the hold "music" for Verizon DSL is not actually music? It's a mix of "calming" nature sounds. I had the pleasure of listening to babbling brooks, birds, and some sort of breeze. Yes, this definitely makes me less likely to yell at someone for not fixing my internet.

I'm in love with Chilltown

I think I may be Chilltown’s biggest fan. Well, at least the biggest fan that’s not a relative. But really, I love Boogie & Will. They are playing such a smart game, and they’re so darn funny.

With Kaysar and James up for nomination, it really didn’t matter to Chilltown who went home. Regardless, they’re safe for another week, probably two. If Kaysar stays, he’s made a deal with Chilltown (and a floater would nominate members of S6). If James stays, the Legion of Doom is intact, and S6 would nominate floaters in retaliation. Really perfect plan.

I wasn’t really surprised that Kaysar was evicted. I WAS surprised how harsh Julie was on him when left the house. The taped messages were pretty rough too – not the best way to spend your birthday. So the Legion of Doom is intact, and no one really knows.

Also last night was the HoH competition. However, we all saw Howie’s buzzer screw up and eliminate him from the competition. Clearly, the producers knew that it was a mistake, and announced today that they would be re-doing the HoH competition and it will air on Sunday. If I were Erika, I wouldn’t be all too pleased – hopefully they will give her some kind of advantage in the second competition.

Finally, they announced a new power – the Coup d’Etat. It’s some sort of crazy power that is kept secret from the players – they will have the ability to overthrow the HoH and replace their nominations. And no one knows that this is the power except the person who has it. Any way you look at it, it’s huge. Here’s hoping to a Chilltown victory.

Last Night of Dancing on So You Think You Can Dance

Back from a mini-vacation to my friends’ wedding, and it’s good to see that my internet connection still stinks. So nice to know that I pay for the privilege of only being able to get online every now and then. Thanks Verizon for fixing that.

Anyways, because of the internet nonsense (and to be fair, Verizon was nice enough to not provide me with phone service for a few days as well), I’m a bit behind on the blogging. Rather than recap (short version – I LOVE Chilltown), let’s just move on to tonight’s finale (well, the last performances) of So You Think You Can Dance?.

“America” got it right with the final four. No surprises, just four dancers who could each win the competition. Fantastic. Tonight they will each dance with the others (three pair dances each), dance a solo, then one last group number. Should be good.

Early on in the evening, Nigel declared that Heidi is the best female partner in the show. I couldn’t agree more. She is a great dancer on her own, but phenomenal dancing with a partner. Her first dance with Travis was crazy – did you see the lifts that they did? Her dance with Benji was also spectacular. I was less impressed with her performance with Donyelle, but that had a lot to do with the choreography. It also had a lot to do with the fact that she usually plays so well off of her male partner, and there wasn’t that type of energy (nor should there have been) with Donyelle.

Speaking of Donyelle, I have been such a fan of hers through the whole show. But I think she was outdanced tonight by the other three. Her first dance, the Viennese waltz with Benji, was really beautiful. The judges didn’t like it, which was surprising. It was a great song choice for them, and a fitting way to end their journey together. They didn’t like her Broadway routine with Heidi either. But her contemporary dance with Travis was amazing. I have become such a fan of Mia’s choreography, and the two of them together were so beautiful to watch.

Somewhere in the middle of the show tonight, I actually laughed out loud. Travis & Benji (or “Tranji” as they want to be known as…a really unfortunate pairing of the names if you ask me…) was dorktastic. Their hip hop routine was perfect for them, and showed why I think that it will be one of them who will win the competition. They are both phenomenal dancers, and are amazing performers. Of course, I don’t really understand why Nigel was asking to see Dmitry’s chest instead of Benji’s…so strange. Aside from the question of why he wants to see anyone’s chest, did you see how remarkable built scrawny Benji was? For those of you who don’t think dancers are athletes – HA.

Getting back to the guys, I’ve been a fan of Benji’s since the beginning of the auditions. And he didn’t disappoint tonight. Even though the judges didn’t like his Viennese waltz, I thought it was beautiful. And he can’t go wrong dancing club salsa with Heidi. But Travis tonight may have won my vote. He started so strong with his disco routine with Heidi. And his contemporary routine with Donyelle was perfect. I think he also had the best solo of the night.

So who will win the competition? That’s a tough call. I think it should be one of the two guys. I’m not even sure who I’m rooting for – too bad they can’t “tie”. Now, who will actually win? This is where the numbers game gets interesting. I think the vote will be very close all around. But I think that in the end Benji will win with Heidi a close second. And all four of them will have great careers in dance ahead of them.

The Top Six Dance...

We’re down to the top six dancers on So You Think You Can Dance, and, unlike on some of those other shows, anyone could win.

The first couple of the night was Natalie & Ivan. Their first dance was just ok – the jive is a hard dance to pull off, especially for a hip hop dancer like Ivan. Natalie was much better than him, although considering that he hasn’t had any formal training, Ivan was pretty darn good. Both of their solos were fantastic. I think I may now be an Ivan fan. And even though the judges didn’t like it, I thought that their contemporary routine was good. I especially liked the choreography, even if the execution wasn’t perfect.

Next up were my favorite couple ever, back together again, Donyelle & Benji. Their broadway routine was great – they are just so perfect together. I liked their hip hop routine too, although not as much as I liked their hip hop from the first week. Benji’s solo was phenomenal. But did you see the sign that was behind Benji after his solo? Some girl was holding up a sign that read “BEN-G!”. Does she not realize that his name is Benji? Yikes. Donyelle’s solo was good too, although she looked like something was wrong at the end.

The couple of the night was definitely Heidi & Travis. They started with the smooth waltz, which was simply beautiful. Their solos were also the best of the night. This is totally inside dance, but the way Travis came out of his turns was amazing. He is a phenomenal dancer. Heidi’s solo was fantastic too. They capped off the night with an Afro-pop routine that was the performance of the show. It was so good I watched it twice (thank you tivo).

So who will be in the final four? That’s tough. Who should be in the final four? Travis & Benji for sure…Heidi & Donyelle for the girls. But who will America vote in? That’s a little trickier. The girls are all really close talent-wise, but I think Heidi and Donyelle have wider fan bases than Natalie. The guys are harder, since Ivan isn’t quite as good as the other two, but I think has more fans than Travis. I noticed that the judges kept talking about him tonight, as if to remind people to vote for him instead of Ivan. Should be an interesting results show to say the least.

My Posts Have Melted

Well, I'm back (I think...). The last few blogs I've tried to post have disappeared...melted perhaps. It's 11:30 am and the heat index here in Northern Virginia is already 102 degrees. This is insane. Anyways, a quick recap...

I'm done with America's Got Talent. Really. And I don't think I'm the only one...the ratings have been steadily declining each week since they started. As soon as the judges decided to pass through the Rappin' Granny, I turned it off. This is what passes for talent in America? I think someone at NBC is confusing talent with halftime shows.

So You Think You Can Dance is coming down to the final weeks, and the cuts this week were tough, at least for the girls. No doubt that it was Ryan's turn to go, but I was surprised that Allison was voted off. Her final solo was amazing...I read that she and Travis danced together before they came to the show, which is why he was part of it. It was so beautiful - best performance of the night for sure.

And then there's Big Brother. Oh BB7...you have sucked me in for good. Thursday Jase was eliminated in a 9-0 vote (no shocker, really), and the S-6 alliance continued their dominance when Janelle won HoH. That's when things got interesting. See, as you know, Will is my favorite player. Ever. And is his playing such a brilliant game. He has sucked Janelle in, and Chilltown is firmly in control. To be honest, it was a good play on Janelle's part to nominate floaters (especially how she got that second floater nomination...brilliant...). The truth of it is that the floaters have the numbers, and as soon as one of them wins HoH, they won't be nominating a floater. So if Chilltown is still in it, a floater could nominate them instead of S-6. But if Will or Boogie goes home, then you know a S-6 member will be evicted instead.

Anyways, last night's episode was great. The wakeup calls were fantastic (although I agree that somewhere, adults took time out of their lives to make them...hmmmm...), and I was stoked when Boogie won. And my favorite part of the entire season is the diary room "phone calls" between Will & Boogie. I nearly fall off the couch laughing every time.

Try to stay cool...and if Verizon can actually keep my DSL working for more than a few hours at a time, I'll post more regularly the rest of the week! :)