So You Think You Can Dance is taking over the world!
First Lacey Schwimmer, Dmitry Chaplin and Chelsie Hightower infiltrated Dancing with the Stars, Travis Wall returned triumphantly as a choreographer on the show, Kherington Payne got cast in the remake of Fame and Neil Haskell showed up Off-Broadway in Altar Boyz and on Broadway in 9 to 5. Now Season 4's Will Wingfield will be the new "Graffiti Pete" in In the Heights!
I saw Will, who was egregriously kicked off in the Top 8 of SYTYCD two seasons ago, this summer at City Center Encore's The Wiz, where he played the head monkey. Though he didn't have much to do, he danced fabulously, and certainly had more energy than star Ashanti. I mean...
Also coming to the Great White Way this fall is Season 3 runner-up Danny Tidwell, who will be a featured dancer in Memphis. Love!
Now we just gotta find a place for Katee Sheean and Janette Manrara!
30 Kasım 2012 Cuma
SYTYCD's Will Wingfield Joins Broadway's "In The Heights"
Idol Thoughts Interviews So You Think You Can Dance's Nigel Lythgoe
I just got off the phone with Nigel Lythgoe, and here's a few nuggets of information he shared about Season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance:
-Because of scheduling issues, the season finale episode will feature the Top 6, instead of the usual Top 4. This was to avoid starting with a "Top 18". By my estimations, this would put the finale on December 16, 2009.
-Adam Shankman joining the show does not mean the end of guest judges -- in fact, Jennifer Lopez, a big fan of the show, has expressed interest in joining the panel, and Nigel still hopes to get Paula Abdul from time to time.
-If the show is not successful in the fall Nigel expects it will return to the summer -- he can't imagine Fox would throw the baby out with the bathwater.
-Nigel thinks this past season was booooooooooooring, and though the dancers were technically adept, he thought they were seriously lacking in personality.
-He thinks Danny Tidwell is the best dancer the show has had, and thinks Travis Wall was a better dancer than Benji Schwimmer, and, in this past season, Brandon was a better dancer than Jeanine.
Episode 2 of the new season of SYTYCD airs tonight!
Listen to a Clip of American Idol champ Kris Allen's New Single "Live Like We're Dying"
I'm a big Kris Allen fan. Big. And I couldn't be more excited that the 23-second clip below of his rumored new single "Live Like We're Dying" sounds AWESOME. Like, One Republic meets Jason Mraz AWESOME. It's a cover of a song by a band called The Scripts, but since no one's ever heard of them, or the song, who the heck cares? The song is (have I mentioned?) AWESOME!
Listen below and let me know what you think.
Tonight's the Night
Tomorrow I will pick up my supplies at St. Vinny's and give a try.
Oh and I loved the Austin/Sorrino show. It has a lot of heart ... and quirkiness!
Off to St Vinny's------>
St Vinny's is located in a nearby whistlestop with a population of 300 or so residents. I wasn't sure exactly what I would find. Here's a pic of my booty: (hey its up there...oh well)I found faux fur in a champagne color, lots of silk scarves, a silver guitar, embossed red leaves, a bundle of workables.I did buy 2 dolls, a Barbie and a Ken, because finding my huge box of vintage Barbies would be a Herculean task. (They are somewhere in a bevy of 40 or so moving boxes I have yet to put away.)Now I'm ready.
29 Kasım 2012 Perşembe
SYTYCD's Will Wingfield Joins Broadway's "In The Heights"
So You Think You Can Dance is taking over the world!
First Lacey Schwimmer, Dmitry Chaplin and Chelsie Hightower infiltrated Dancing with the Stars, Travis Wall returned triumphantly as a choreographer on the show, Kherington Payne got cast in the remake of Fame and Neil Haskell showed up Off-Broadway in Altar Boyz and on Broadway in 9 to 5. Now Season 4's Will Wingfield will be the new "Graffiti Pete" in In the Heights!
I saw Will, who was egregriously kicked off in the Top 8 of SYTYCD two seasons ago, this summer at City Center Encore's The Wiz, where he played the head monkey. Though he didn't have much to do, he danced fabulously, and certainly had more energy than star Ashanti. I mean...
Also coming to the Great White Way this fall is Season 3 runner-up Danny Tidwell, who will be a featured dancer in Memphis. Love!
Now we just gotta find a place for Katee Sheean and Janette Manrara!
Idol Thoughts Interviews So You Think You Can Dance's Nigel Lythgoe
I just got off the phone with Nigel Lythgoe, and here's a few nuggets of information he shared about Season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance:
-Because of scheduling issues, the season finale episode will feature the Top 6, instead of the usual Top 4. This was to avoid starting with a "Top 18". By my estimations, this would put the finale on December 16, 2009.
-Adam Shankman joining the show does not mean the end of guest judges -- in fact, Jennifer Lopez, a big fan of the show, has expressed interest in joining the panel, and Nigel still hopes to get Paula Abdul from time to time.
-If the show is not successful in the fall Nigel expects it will return to the summer -- he can't imagine Fox would throw the baby out with the bathwater.
-Nigel thinks this past season was booooooooooooring, and though the dancers were technically adept, he thought they were seriously lacking in personality.
-He thinks Danny Tidwell is the best dancer the show has had, and thinks Travis Wall was a better dancer than Benji Schwimmer, and, in this past season, Brandon was a better dancer than Jeanine.
Episode 2 of the new season of SYTYCD airs tonight!
Listen to a Clip of American Idol champ Kris Allen's New Single "Live Like We're Dying"
I'm a big Kris Allen fan. Big. And I couldn't be more excited that the 23-second clip below of his rumored new single "Live Like We're Dying" sounds AWESOME. Like, One Republic meets Jason Mraz AWESOME. It's a cover of a song by a band called The Scripts, but since no one's ever heard of them, or the song, who the heck cares? The song is (have I mentioned?) AWESOME!
Listen below and let me know what you think.
Tonight's the Night
Tomorrow I will pick up my supplies at St. Vinny's and give a try.
Oh and I loved the Austin/Sorrino show. It has a lot of heart ... and quirkiness!
Off to St Vinny's------>
St Vinny's is located in a nearby whistlestop with a population of 300 or so residents. I wasn't sure exactly what I would find. Here's a pic of my booty: (hey its up there...oh well)I found faux fur in a champagne color, lots of silk scarves, a silver guitar, embossed red leaves, a bundle of workables.I did buy 2 dolls, a Barbie and a Ken, because finding my huge box of vintage Barbies would be a Herculean task. (They are somewhere in a bevy of 40 or so moving boxes I have yet to put away.)Now I'm ready.
28 Kasım 2012 Çarşamba
Ok, I'll Say It -- The New Judges Save/Sing-For-Your-Life Is Icky!
As if it wasn't bad enough that America voted off the talented and lovely Alexis Grace on last night's American Idol, leaving the far less talented Michael Sarver in the competition and on the tour, the poor girl wasn't even allowed to exit the show with dignity. Instead, she was forced to "sing for her life," while the judges decided whether or not she was worthy of using their "save" on.
Gross!!!!!
Now, I can't say I disagree with the judges' choice not to use the save, but forcing Alexis to desperately make her case, just moments after being told she received the fewest amount of votes in the Top 11, was just wrong. What happened to the lovely send-off video and kind words from the judges? Gone. Instead, she had to plead her case to the judges via the very song they said they don't think she should have chosen, and then listen to Simon tell her "You were good, but not good enough."
I repeat -- gross!!
There's got to be a better way for the end of the show to go down, right? Right????
X-Factor's Danyl Johnson - Bisexual?
I'm more interested in a quote he gave to London's The Mirror, in which he declares he dates both women and men, and says, "I don’t like to conform or be put into one box or another and if I’m honest all the judges are good-looking. If I like someone’s personality it doesn’t really matter what they look like or what sex they are."
Looks like Adam Lambert is not the only singing contestant who likes the fellas!
Gay, straight, bisexual -- do you love this guy? And is he the next Susan Boyle? Let me know your thoughts.
Idol Thoughts www.americanidolamericanidol.blogspot.com
SYTYCD's Will Wingfield Joins Broadway's "In The Heights"
So You Think You Can Dance is taking over the world!
First Lacey Schwimmer, Dmitry Chaplin and Chelsie Hightower infiltrated Dancing with the Stars, Travis Wall returned triumphantly as a choreographer on the show, Kherington Payne got cast in the remake of Fame and Neil Haskell showed up Off-Broadway in Altar Boyz and on Broadway in 9 to 5. Now Season 4's Will Wingfield will be the new "Graffiti Pete" in In the Heights!
I saw Will, who was egregriously kicked off in the Top 8 of SYTYCD two seasons ago, this summer at City Center Encore's The Wiz, where he played the head monkey. Though he didn't have much to do, he danced fabulously, and certainly had more energy than star Ashanti. I mean...
Also coming to the Great White Way this fall is Season 3 runner-up Danny Tidwell, who will be a featured dancer in Memphis. Love!
Now we just gotta find a place for Katee Sheean and Janette Manrara!
Idol Thoughts Interviews So You Think You Can Dance's Nigel Lythgoe
I just got off the phone with Nigel Lythgoe, and here's a few nuggets of information he shared about Season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance:
-Because of scheduling issues, the season finale episode will feature the Top 6, instead of the usual Top 4. This was to avoid starting with a "Top 18". By my estimations, this would put the finale on December 16, 2009.
-Adam Shankman joining the show does not mean the end of guest judges -- in fact, Jennifer Lopez, a big fan of the show, has expressed interest in joining the panel, and Nigel still hopes to get Paula Abdul from time to time.
-If the show is not successful in the fall Nigel expects it will return to the summer -- he can't imagine Fox would throw the baby out with the bathwater.
-Nigel thinks this past season was booooooooooooring, and though the dancers were technically adept, he thought they were seriously lacking in personality.
-He thinks Danny Tidwell is the best dancer the show has had, and thinks Travis Wall was a better dancer than Benji Schwimmer, and, in this past season, Brandon was a better dancer than Jeanine.
Episode 2 of the new season of SYTYCD airs tonight!
Listen to a Clip of American Idol champ Kris Allen's New Single "Live Like We're Dying"
I'm a big Kris Allen fan. Big. And I couldn't be more excited that the 23-second clip below of his rumored new single "Live Like We're Dying" sounds AWESOME. Like, One Republic meets Jason Mraz AWESOME. It's a cover of a song by a band called The Scripts, but since no one's ever heard of them, or the song, who the heck cares? The song is (have I mentioned?) AWESOME!
Listen below and let me know what you think.
27 Kasım 2012 Salı
Fearing election loss, the Obama administration rushed to "develop explicit rules for the targeted killing of terrorists by unmanned drones."
That means that the President was fine with the lack of rules/standards/procedures to confine his own power.
Mr. Obama and his advisers are still debating whether remote-control killing should be a measure of last resort against imminent threats to the United States, or a more flexible tool, available to help allied governments attack their enemies or to prevent militants from controlling territory.Why are they still working on it? I imagine that every attempt to put the rules in writing and to cover everything they've already done (and want to keep doing) ends up with something they can't justify explicitly saying.
In an interview with Mark Bowden for a new book on the killing of Osama bin Laden, “The Finish,” Mr. Obama said that “creating a legal structure, processes, with oversight checks on how we use unmanned weapons, is going to be a challenge for me and my successors for some time to come.”Tempting no-mess remoteness. That sounds like a much bigger theme... like the overarching theme of the Obama administration.
The president expressed wariness of the powerful temptation drones pose to policy makers. “There’s a remoteness to it that makes it tempting to think that somehow we can, without any mess on our hands, solve vexing security problems,” he said.
Prof "assaulted by employees of a McDonald’s in Paris who objected to his wearing a cyborg-style eyepiece while eating dinner with his family."
What do you think? Should the restaurant be required to leave him alone, though his looks upset the other customers? Should we get used to the future with its “computerized vision systems"? Or should we preserve our instincts about dangers?
This — from the man's blog — may seem irrelevant, but it affected me:
On the evening of 2012 July 1st, my wife and children and I went to McDonalds at 140, Avenue Champs Elysees, Paris, France, after a day of sightseeing (8 museums and other landmark sights, as part of a boat cruise package)....Is this the right way to be in Paris? Obviously not, but freedom matters, and I'd like the French to care about freedom.
We ordered two Ranch Wraps, one burger, and one mango McFlurry....
"The Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research at Humboldt State University plans to sponsor scholarly lectures..."
If DOMA is unconstitutional, what kind of past employee benefits will need to be paid?
... Christopher Nathan, 39, of San Francisco, a law clerk for U.S. Magistrate Maria Elena James, sought [health insurance] coverage for his spouse, Thomas Alexander, 40.... [H]e was turned down by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts because the 1996 law bars federal recognition of same-sex unions.
In April, Chief U.S. District Judge James Ware said the denial violated the federal court's rules against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender, and ordered the court to reimburse Nathan for the costs of buying private insurance.
The Judicial Council, the final authority in the administrative review process, went a step further in this week's order and said DOMA has been held unconstitutional by a San Francisco federal judge in another employee's case. The three-judge panel ordered the court [that is, his employer] to determine how much it owes Nathan and then pay him within 10 days.
"Time honors Sandra Fluke as 'Person of the Year' finalist."
In the post-Citizens United era, Sheldon Adelson became the public face of what critics cast as a plutocrat class trying to buy U.S. elections. But it's not clear how much the conservative casino magnate got for his money — other than a heap of bad press.Time's perspective is obviously liberal, but within that perspective, it's quite a concession to say that Citizens United hasn't been a horror show.
Anyway, Time made an effort to amass an interesting list of people who made the news for different reasons or who represent different cultural and demographic sectors. There's E.L. James and Jay-Z and Psy. Did they "influence the news" (Time's stated standard)? The real problem here is that it seems that Barack Obama is the necessary choice for 2012, and that's simply too boring.
And in fact, he is not winning in the readers poll. The readers have decisively chosen Malala Yousafzai. She has the least negative votes ("no way") and is coming in 3d on positive votes ("definitely"). Ahead of her on the positive list are Mohamed Morsy and — I guess the vote-for-the-worst crowd is out in force — Kim Jong Un. Malala Yousafzai is the face in the gallery that makes your heart zing. I clicked through the whole thing without feeling like hitting a definitely/no way button until I got to her. I still didn't vote, of course. (My female heart is well-defended against the outreached arms of commercial media.)
Sandra Fluke's no votes far exceed yes votes — 24,809/9,356 — but I would guess that outrage from the Breitbart crowd will now skew the vote. I don't know which way, but for Time, traffic is traffic and it will experience a nice boost from the inclusion of Fluke. The "Person of the Year" event — and this post gets my "annual nonsense" tag — is a nice commercial gambit for Time. So:
26 Kasım 2012 Pazartesi
74 conservative bloggers answer the question "Which of the following candidates would you most prefer to see as the GOP’s 2016 candidate?
Chris Christie is down at #10, with only 2 votes — including mine — and he's #1 on the list of who would you least like.
In 2008, the least wanted candidates for bloggers were…John McCain and Ron Paul.
In 2012, the least wanted candidates for bloggers were…Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
So, going by those results, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush would have to be considered the early favorites for 2016 based on the fact that conservative bloggers don’t want either of them as a nominee.
Justin Bieber Gets Tackled at Macy's
Heidi Klum Poses Nude for Lifetime's Project Runway
Heidi Klum stripped down to promote the ninth season of Project Runway. In this ad for the Lifetime reality show, she wears nothing but a teeny pink tie that's been cut in half, with Tim Gunn's awesome catchphrase Make it work emblazoned on her arm. "This is definitely sexier than past campaigns we've done for Project Runway," Klum said in a statement. "I guess you could say 'Hans and Franz' are celebrating Season 9!"
Tonight's the Night
Tomorrow I will pick up my supplies at St. Vinny's and give a try.
Oh and I loved the Austin/Sorrino show. It has a lot of heart ... and quirkiness!
Off to St Vinny's------>
St Vinny's is located in a nearby whistlestop with a population of 300 or so residents. I wasn't sure exactly what I would find. Here's a pic of my booty: (hey its up there...oh well)I found faux fur in a champagne color, lots of silk scarves, a silver guitar, embossed red leaves, a bundle of workables.I did buy 2 dolls, a Barbie and a Ken, because finding my huge box of vintage Barbies would be a Herculean task. (They are somewhere in a bevy of 40 or so moving boxes I have yet to put away.)Now I'm ready.
25 Kasım 2012 Pazar
SYTYCD's Will Wingfield Joins Broadway's "In The Heights"
So You Think You Can Dance is taking over the world!
First Lacey Schwimmer, Dmitry Chaplin and Chelsie Hightower infiltrated Dancing with the Stars, Travis Wall returned triumphantly as a choreographer on the show, Kherington Payne got cast in the remake of Fame and Neil Haskell showed up Off-Broadway in Altar Boyz and on Broadway in 9 to 5. Now Season 4's Will Wingfield will be the new "Graffiti Pete" in In the Heights!
I saw Will, who was egregriously kicked off in the Top 8 of SYTYCD two seasons ago, this summer at City Center Encore's The Wiz, where he played the head monkey. Though he didn't have much to do, he danced fabulously, and certainly had more energy than star Ashanti. I mean...
Also coming to the Great White Way this fall is Season 3 runner-up Danny Tidwell, who will be a featured dancer in Memphis. Love!
Now we just gotta find a place for Katee Sheean and Janette Manrara!
Idol Thoughts Interviews So You Think You Can Dance's Nigel Lythgoe
I just got off the phone with Nigel Lythgoe, and here's a few nuggets of information he shared about Season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance:
-Because of scheduling issues, the season finale episode will feature the Top 6, instead of the usual Top 4. This was to avoid starting with a "Top 18". By my estimations, this would put the finale on December 16, 2009.
-Adam Shankman joining the show does not mean the end of guest judges -- in fact, Jennifer Lopez, a big fan of the show, has expressed interest in joining the panel, and Nigel still hopes to get Paula Abdul from time to time.
-If the show is not successful in the fall Nigel expects it will return to the summer -- he can't imagine Fox would throw the baby out with the bathwater.
-Nigel thinks this past season was booooooooooooring, and though the dancers were technically adept, he thought they were seriously lacking in personality.
-He thinks Danny Tidwell is the best dancer the show has had, and thinks Travis Wall was a better dancer than Benji Schwimmer, and, in this past season, Brandon was a better dancer than Jeanine.
Episode 2 of the new season of SYTYCD airs tonight!
Listen to a Clip of American Idol champ Kris Allen's New Single "Live Like We're Dying"
I'm a big Kris Allen fan. Big. And I couldn't be more excited that the 23-second clip below of his rumored new single "Live Like We're Dying" sounds AWESOME. Like, One Republic meets Jason Mraz AWESOME. It's a cover of a song by a band called The Scripts, but since no one's ever heard of them, or the song, who the heck cares? The song is (have I mentioned?) AWESOME!
Listen below and let me know what you think.
Tonight's the Night
Tomorrow I will pick up my supplies at St. Vinny's and give a try.
Oh and I loved the Austin/Sorrino show. It has a lot of heart ... and quirkiness!
Off to St Vinny's------>
St Vinny's is located in a nearby whistlestop with a population of 300 or so residents. I wasn't sure exactly what I would find. Here's a pic of my booty: (hey its up there...oh well)I found faux fur in a champagne color, lots of silk scarves, a silver guitar, embossed red leaves, a bundle of workables.I did buy 2 dolls, a Barbie and a Ken, because finding my huge box of vintage Barbies would be a Herculean task. (They are somewhere in a bevy of 40 or so moving boxes I have yet to put away.)Now I'm ready.
24 Kasım 2012 Cumartesi
SYTYCD's Will Wingfield Joins Broadway's "In The Heights"
So You Think You Can Dance is taking over the world!
First Lacey Schwimmer, Dmitry Chaplin and Chelsie Hightower infiltrated Dancing with the Stars, Travis Wall returned triumphantly as a choreographer on the show, Kherington Payne got cast in the remake of Fame and Neil Haskell showed up Off-Broadway in Altar Boyz and on Broadway in 9 to 5. Now Season 4's Will Wingfield will be the new "Graffiti Pete" in In the Heights!
I saw Will, who was egregriously kicked off in the Top 8 of SYTYCD two seasons ago, this summer at City Center Encore's The Wiz, where he played the head monkey. Though he didn't have much to do, he danced fabulously, and certainly had more energy than star Ashanti. I mean...
Also coming to the Great White Way this fall is Season 3 runner-up Danny Tidwell, who will be a featured dancer in Memphis. Love!
Now we just gotta find a place for Katee Sheean and Janette Manrara!
Idol Thoughts Interviews So You Think You Can Dance's Nigel Lythgoe
I just got off the phone with Nigel Lythgoe, and here's a few nuggets of information he shared about Season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance:
-Because of scheduling issues, the season finale episode will feature the Top 6, instead of the usual Top 4. This was to avoid starting with a "Top 18". By my estimations, this would put the finale on December 16, 2009.
-Adam Shankman joining the show does not mean the end of guest judges -- in fact, Jennifer Lopez, a big fan of the show, has expressed interest in joining the panel, and Nigel still hopes to get Paula Abdul from time to time.
-If the show is not successful in the fall Nigel expects it will return to the summer -- he can't imagine Fox would throw the baby out with the bathwater.
-Nigel thinks this past season was booooooooooooring, and though the dancers were technically adept, he thought they were seriously lacking in personality.
-He thinks Danny Tidwell is the best dancer the show has had, and thinks Travis Wall was a better dancer than Benji Schwimmer, and, in this past season, Brandon was a better dancer than Jeanine.
Episode 2 of the new season of SYTYCD airs tonight!
Listen to a Clip of American Idol champ Kris Allen's New Single "Live Like We're Dying"
I'm a big Kris Allen fan. Big. And I couldn't be more excited that the 23-second clip below of his rumored new single "Live Like We're Dying" sounds AWESOME. Like, One Republic meets Jason Mraz AWESOME. It's a cover of a song by a band called The Scripts, but since no one's ever heard of them, or the song, who the heck cares? The song is (have I mentioned?) AWESOME!
Listen below and let me know what you think.
Tonight's the Night
Tomorrow I will pick up my supplies at St. Vinny's and give a try.
Oh and I loved the Austin/Sorrino show. It has a lot of heart ... and quirkiness!
Off to St Vinny's------>
St Vinny's is located in a nearby whistlestop with a population of 300 or so residents. I wasn't sure exactly what I would find. Here's a pic of my booty: (hey its up there...oh well)I found faux fur in a champagne color, lots of silk scarves, a silver guitar, embossed red leaves, a bundle of workables.I did buy 2 dolls, a Barbie and a Ken, because finding my huge box of vintage Barbies would be a Herculean task. (They are somewhere in a bevy of 40 or so moving boxes I have yet to put away.)Now I'm ready.
23 Kasım 2012 Cuma
Four's a Crowd: The Bachelorette Recap
 |
| Is this trip to Chicago really necessary? |
Can we all just call this episode what it was? The slow andinevitable death march to Chris’s demise.
I mean, last week, we actually thought she might pick John(sorry, I mean “Wolf”)—a man who hadapproximately 10 lines of dialogue the entire season—over Chris.
Somehow, Chris squeaked out a rose, but it was obviously touch and go.Even Chris’s family seemed to know he was he about to bekicked in the kielbasa. “Let him down gently,” they all seemed to be telling Emily.“We know he’s kinda sweaty and creepy and desperate but, by God, he’s also ourson.”
Speaking of which, what was Creepy Chris’s Creepiest Momentof the Show ™ for you?Was it when Emily snuck up behind him in town square and hedidn’t so much as FLINCH? (Replicant?)
Or was it when he said, “You make me feel crazy good”—as his eyes nervouslydarted about, apparently searching for a weapon?
I will say this: “On a scale from 1 to Polish, we’re Polish”was wygranie! (That’s “winning” inPolish.)
 |
| Lech Walesa WISHES he was this Polish |
So now we’ve got these three guys left and I JUST CAN’TCHOOSE!Has the Bachelorette ever done some sort of polygamy theme?A happy ending where you get a ring, you get a ring, you ALL get a ring!!!
At one point, I speculated that the hunky banana Sean wasthe man for Emily. It seemed a no brainer. But I must say, I’m beginning to have my doubts—partlybecause her hometown visit to him was sobizarre. I mean, I don’t know about you, but when I have a guest, Ilike to make them as UNCOMFORTABLE as humanly possible. Break out the whoopeecushions, the fake poo, and the dog vomit—it's time to freak out the house guest!
First, there was Sean’s little “I live at home” prank, which,I suppose was meant to show Emily his light-hearted, fun-loving side, butactually seemed kind of aggressive. Like, “You may hold all the cards on theshow, but not at MY house you don’t!”And the disturbing thing is, the entire Sean family was inon it.They went so far as to decorate a whole room, like one of those horrible Febrezecommercials where they blindfold people and take them to rat-infestedhellholes.
 |
| "Make yourself uncomfortable" |
Then later, in case you missed it, Sean’s dad acted outthis elaborate charade of taking a foil-covered, steamed armadillo out of theoven. “This is Sean’s favorite dish,” dad said.Emily, with that pageant-ready smile of hers, managed tosqueak out a chipper “Well, if it’s Sean’s favorite, then I guess I’ll try it!”And then the whole Sean family collapsed into a fit ofmalicious giggles. Fucked. Up.
The other thing about Sean? (Other than the fact that if he were a Native American, his tribe name would be “He Who Runs Down Street Yelling Bachelorette’s Name”): Emily keeps talking about how perfect he is, but I don’t actually believe it.She’s been crushing on Jef since day 1.And she and Arie have off-the-charts chemistry.But with Sean it’s like, “Wow. Sean is totally perfect. . .zzzzzzz”I’m just not sure it’s really there.
Okay, next wehave Jef (yes, I realize I’m going out of order. . . this is MY order ofelimination at this point.)
Just as I suspected, Jef’s whole hipster thing is a charade.He’s really a good ol’ boy who shoots guns (albeit “in skinny jeans” as Emilynoted) and rides ATVs.
As for his parents, they are still MIA. In fact, did anyone else notice that when Jef said, “Myparents are in South Carolina DOING CHARITY WORK” it was totally overdubbed inpost production, possibly by a member of the crew who does a mean Jefimpression? OMG, what do you think he actually said: “My parents are in SouthCarolina overseeing the ritualistic slaughter of goats?”(I’m more and more convinced that Jef is a member of a cult,especially when his niece and nephew were climbing all over Emily’s lap, seemingly desperate: “Get me out of this place, PLEASE!” I thought I saw oneof the little tykes mouth.)
And then, sigh, Jef read Emily the sweetest love letter. Itactually made me cry. But at the same time, have you noticed that Jef can’tseem to profess his love while making eye contact? It’s either through amarionette or with his face buried in a letter.Man up, Bob’s Big Boy.
Finally, Arie—my new frontrunner. I agree with Emily that Arie looked “stupid hot” in hisleather race car jacket.And she always acts so excited to see him and can’t seem tokeep her hands off him.
I loved when Arie’s mom took Emily aside and told her shehad seen “a few” episodes of Emily’s season of The Bachelor (translation: DVRedthat shit and watched every episode twice.) Then she said, in her brokenEnglish, “Normally, when you are the one who be proposed to, you’re not beingthe Bachelorette.”Ha. Laughing forever over that.
So there ya have it folks. Sean, Jef, or Arie.Three men: Three guaranteed fantasy suites (use protection, kids!) . . .and thenwhat?
I'm totally unspoiled myself. So only ABC executives, Chris Harrison, Emily, her future “fiancée” and you—yeah,you, spoiler whore!—know for sure.
Hugh've Been Snubbed
Steve Nash is a great basketball player. I don't mean to take anything away from the guy. But in the years that Nash won his MVP (2005 and 2006), it was widely acknowledged that Kobe Bryant was the best basketball player on the planet. As such, the award will always be seen as a glitch, a failure of the system in some way. An oversight.
Such it is, I think, with Hugh Laurie's missing Emmy for House.
This is on my mind, obviously, because the Emmy nominations were announced yesterday and, for the first time in six years, Laurie wasn't among them. I don't think he necessarily deserved one for Season 8—it was, at best, a lazy, disjointed season of House (one sensed that everyone involved had a foot out of the door) and, at worst (as when the character House made crude comments to a woman getting a breast exam) it was downright offensive.
But with House, Hugh Laurie has created one of the most compelling, funny, sexy, dark, and indelible characters in the history of television.
In this analogy, Laurie is Kobe and, alas, James Spader is Steve Nash. It's not that Spader, who won the Emmy in 2005 and 2007, when Hugh Laurie was doing some of his best work, is not a good actor. Of course he is. But his Alan Shore (who?) was hardly an iconic character. He did not create a global phenomenon through the sheer force of his charisma and talent. And 10 years from now, who the hell will even remember The Practice? (Hell, I forgot it halfway through that sentence.)
It's almost impossible to quantify the brilliance of Laurie in House. There are the technical difficulties, of course—the limp, the pitch-perfect American accent. But mostly there is the incredible richness and complexity of the character. A less confident actor might've tried to soften some of the more unsavory aspects of House's personality. But Laurie trusted his audience, trusted his own abilities to allow House's humanity to shine through despite his seeming misanthropy. (Can any actor convey more longing and hurt with a single glance?)
This is all the more remarkable when you look at Hugh Laurie's body of work. The day I realized that the brooding, darkly hilarious House was Stuart Little's dorky, knock-kneed dad, well—suffice it to say, if I'd been drinking, a massive spit-take would've occurred.
No, just because Hugh Laurie—who became famous in his native England for, among other things, doing pun-filled sketch comedy with his partner Stephen Fry and for playing a lovable buffoon in the BBC's Jeeves and Wooster—has amazing powers of transformation, that doesn't mean he deserved the Emmy. But it's a testament to what a brilliant actor he is—to his uncanny ability to lose himself completely in a role. (Even Laurie's voice was different when he played House—it was growlier, deeper than his plummy British tones).
Anyway, I'm sad that Hugh Laurie never won his deserved Emmy for House (but certainly glad he racked up all those Golden Globes and SAGs) and I'll miss him more than I can say on my TV screen every week. But history will remember the remarkable character he created. And that's his greatest reward.
In the meantime, I'm catching Hugh Laurie and his Copper Bottom Band at Ram's Head Live! in Annapolis in September. Among all his other gifts (did I mention that he's a director and a talented novelist, too?) the guy is an absolute killer blues musician. Maybe a Grammy is in his future?
Love Means Never Having to Say You're Arie: The Bachelorette Finale recap
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| Still Life With Confused Bachelorette |
Arie or Jef? Jef or Arie?
Emily has already thrown out theguy she wants to date (Sean) and has narrowed it down the guy she wants to, er,have carnal knowledge of (Arie) and theone she wants marry (Jef). But WHO will she choose??
Luckily for her, Emily’s family isready to step up to the plate by expressing a clear and decisive preference. Ornot.
Basically, the whole family wascrushing hard on Jef—and his Dudley-Do-Right manners and soothing voice and“edgy Mormon” (oxymoron alert!) ways. “I don’t even know why we’re goingthrough the action of even seeing someone else today,” Emily’s father sniffed,before Arie’s visit.But then Arie showed up—lookinglike sex on a stick, babbling nervously (which Emily’s brother took forconversational “smoothness”) and wielding that adorable box of crumpledroses—and they were all SO CONFUSED. “After talking to Arie, I’mconfused,” said Emily’s dad.
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| Totally useless |
So thanks for that.
Emily staggered away from familyday in a tailspin, literally wailing in agony, Nancy Kerrigan style.Why? Why? Why can’t she have twonice things?
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| If Bill Paxton can do it, why can't I? |
But a key issue emerged here—anissue perhaps more important than love or sex or “Little Ricki” ("babalu!"): Emily doesn’twant to be the “girl who gets engaged 15 times.”First of all, is there a girl who gets engaged 15 times? Because I’venever heard of her. And if she exists, she’s a rarity, not a cautionary cliche. Second of all, if you’re trying toavoid the hasty, irresponsible, more-likely-to-fail-than-a-Paul-Reiser-sitcom engagement, maybe being The Bachelorette is not the wisest choice.
That being said, Emily kept using acurious word to describe her choice of Jef: "confident." She said she had more“confidence” in him. Not that she loved him more, or thought that he was hotter,smarter, or better husband material than Arie. Just that she had moreconfidence that they would stay together in the long haul. In other words, Jef is the lessrisky proposition.
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| "Non-threatening" |
On the other hand, maybe it wassimply a matter of good timing. Maybe if Arie had gone first—maybe if it had been Arie angling forprivate time with Ricki, Arie frolicking with Ricki by the pool—he’d be the bigwinner and Jef would be the one doing a drive-by journal drop on Emily’sdoorstep. Hard to say.
An aside: I understand that Emilyis protective of Ricki—I even admire it. But it really is okay to introduce yourchild to people they may only meet once. It’s not like Ricki’s world was goingto be irrevocably rocked and ruined because she met Arie one time and he abandoned her. (By that logic, she should avoid all waiters,busboys, and lifeguards in Curacao—because what if Ricki gets dangerouslyattached to any of them?) I dunno. Maybe that’s just me.
Anyway, once Emily had made up hermind that Jef was the one for her, she did the right thing—a thing I’msurprised more Bachelorettes don’t do, considering the humiliation factor ofgetting down on one knee to a woman who’s about to reject you (yeah, I’m givin' you the stinkeye, Ashley)—she decided to break up with Arie.
But first she shared her feelingswith Chris Harrison in a little portion of the show I like to call “filler.”(But wouldn’t it have been funny if she’d introduced Chris Harrison to Ricki?).
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| Chris Harrison's "concerned" face |
What followed had to be the mostpainful breakup in the history of reality TV, right? I mean, I’ve had personal breakups that were less painful.There was Arie, all happy-go-luckyand making his stupid little love potion with that weird shaman lady and goingon and on about how in love he was and how he couldn’t wait to get married andstart his new life with Emily and Ricki.
“That moment when Emily looks inmy eyes and she can express how she feels is going to be so good,” he says. “Tohear the words is going to be amazing.
Ahhhhh, can’t look! But MUST!
So then Emily comes, and she’scrying and he’s consoling her—not for asecond possibly thinking she could be crying because she’s about to dump hisass—and then the rug totally gets pulled out from under him.
Denial is a fascinating thing,huh?In this case, the depths of Arie’s denial werepretty intense. Not only was he in denial thatEmily was breaking up with him. He was in denial over the reason why. As we find out in the most dramaticAfter the Final Rose evah (!!!), it didn’t even occur to Arie that Emily was dumpinghim because she had chosen Jef! (GeeArie, you’re on a reality show where a woman has to pick among suitors. She's narrowed it down to two. She dumps you. Do the math. On Jef’s behalf, I’m slightlyinsulted that he was so gobsmacked by this concept.)
So there’s some slight suspenseabout whether or not Emily will accept Jef’s proposal—she does, after all, notwant to become yet another engaged-15-times statistic—but Jef looks so cute in hislittle hipster engagement suit and that rock is blingtastic and he says somepretty words (that he may not have stolen this time from the Book of Mormon) soshe says yes.“Passions” will have to be bridledno longer, bitches!
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| A dress that refuses to be shown up by a 4-carat ring |
Seriously, does Emily even knowthat Jef’s a Mormon? Isn't that a conversation that maybe they should’ve had—right between “role playing with marionettes is fun!” and “you get me like no one else”? Because Mormonism is a pretty "bigdeal." And he’s obviously not like some fallen, half-assing-it Mormon—he’s aquoting the Book of Mormon, going on Mormon retreats to Africa kind of Mormon. But I’m sure it’ll all work outfine. Because denial is awesome. And Jefand Emily are pretty. And la, la, la, I can’t hear you. They live happily everafter.
Tonight's the Night
Tomorrow I will pick up my supplies at St. Vinny's and give a try.
Oh and I loved the Austin/Sorrino show. It has a lot of heart ... and quirkiness!
Off to St Vinny's------>
St Vinny's is located in a nearby whistlestop with a population of 300 or so residents. I wasn't sure exactly what I would find. Here's a pic of my booty: (hey its up there...oh well)I found faux fur in a champagne color, lots of silk scarves, a silver guitar, embossed red leaves, a bundle of workables.I did buy 2 dolls, a Barbie and a Ken, because finding my huge box of vintage Barbies would be a Herculean task. (They are somewhere in a bevy of 40 or so moving boxes I have yet to put away.)Now I'm ready.
22 Kasım 2012 Perşembe
Tonight's the Night
Tomorrow I will pick up my supplies at St. Vinny's and give a try.
Oh and I loved the Austin/Sorrino show. It has a lot of heart ... and quirkiness!
Off to St Vinny's------>
St Vinny's is located in a nearby whistlestop with a population of 300 or so residents. I wasn't sure exactly what I would find. Here's a pic of my booty: (hey its up there...oh well)I found faux fur in a champagne color, lots of silk scarves, a silver guitar, embossed red leaves, a bundle of workables.I did buy 2 dolls, a Barbie and a Ken, because finding my huge box of vintage Barbies would be a Herculean task. (They are somewhere in a bevy of 40 or so moving boxes I have yet to put away.)Now I'm ready.
Four's a Crowd: The Bachelorette Recap
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| Is this trip to Chicago really necessary? |
Can we all just call this episode what it was? The slow andinevitable death march to Chris’s demise.
I mean, last week, we actually thought she might pick John(sorry, I mean “Wolf”)—a man who hadapproximately 10 lines of dialogue the entire season—over Chris.
Somehow, Chris squeaked out a rose, but it was obviously touch and go.Even Chris’s family seemed to know he was he about to bekicked in the kielbasa. “Let him down gently,” they all seemed to be telling Emily.“We know he’s kinda sweaty and creepy and desperate but, by God, he’s also ourson.”
Speaking of which, what was Creepy Chris’s Creepiest Momentof the Show ™ for you?Was it when Emily snuck up behind him in town square and hedidn’t so much as FLINCH? (Replicant?)
Or was it when he said, “You make me feel crazy good”—as his eyes nervouslydarted about, apparently searching for a weapon?
I will say this: “On a scale from 1 to Polish, we’re Polish”was wygranie! (That’s “winning” inPolish.)
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| Lech Walesa WISHES he was this Polish |
So now we’ve got these three guys left and I JUST CAN’TCHOOSE!Has the Bachelorette ever done some sort of polygamy theme?A happy ending where you get a ring, you get a ring, you ALL get a ring!!!
At one point, I speculated that the hunky banana Sean wasthe man for Emily. It seemed a no brainer. But I must say, I’m beginning to have my doubts—partlybecause her hometown visit to him was sobizarre. I mean, I don’t know about you, but when I have a guest, Ilike to make them as UNCOMFORTABLE as humanly possible. Break out the whoopeecushions, the fake poo, and the dog vomit—it's time to freak out the house guest!
First, there was Sean’s little “I live at home” prank, which,I suppose was meant to show Emily his light-hearted, fun-loving side, butactually seemed kind of aggressive. Like, “You may hold all the cards on theshow, but not at MY house you don’t!”And the disturbing thing is, the entire Sean family was inon it.They went so far as to decorate a whole room, like one of those horrible Febrezecommercials where they blindfold people and take them to rat-infestedhellholes.
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| "Make yourself uncomfortable" |
Then later, in case you missed it, Sean’s dad acted outthis elaborate charade of taking a foil-covered, steamed armadillo out of theoven. “This is Sean’s favorite dish,” dad said.Emily, with that pageant-ready smile of hers, managed tosqueak out a chipper “Well, if it’s Sean’s favorite, then I guess I’ll try it!”And then the whole Sean family collapsed into a fit ofmalicious giggles. Fucked. Up.
The other thing about Sean? (Other than the fact that if he were a Native American, his tribe name would be “He Who Runs Down Street Yelling Bachelorette’s Name”): Emily keeps talking about how perfect he is, but I don’t actually believe it.She’s been crushing on Jef since day 1.And she and Arie have off-the-charts chemistry.But with Sean it’s like, “Wow. Sean is totally perfect. . .zzzzzzz”I’m just not sure it’s really there.
Okay, next wehave Jef (yes, I realize I’m going out of order. . . this is MY order ofelimination at this point.)
Just as I suspected, Jef’s whole hipster thing is a charade.He’s really a good ol’ boy who shoots guns (albeit “in skinny jeans” as Emilynoted) and rides ATVs.
As for his parents, they are still MIA. In fact, did anyone else notice that when Jef said, “Myparents are in South Carolina DOING CHARITY WORK” it was totally overdubbed inpost production, possibly by a member of the crew who does a mean Jefimpression? OMG, what do you think he actually said: “My parents are in SouthCarolina overseeing the ritualistic slaughter of goats?”(I’m more and more convinced that Jef is a member of a cult,especially when his niece and nephew were climbing all over Emily’s lap, seemingly desperate: “Get me out of this place, PLEASE!” I thought I saw oneof the little tykes mouth.)
And then, sigh, Jef read Emily the sweetest love letter. Itactually made me cry. But at the same time, have you noticed that Jef can’tseem to profess his love while making eye contact? It’s either through amarionette or with his face buried in a letter.Man up, Bob’s Big Boy.
Finally, Arie—my new frontrunner. I agree with Emily that Arie looked “stupid hot” in hisleather race car jacket.And she always acts so excited to see him and can’t seem tokeep her hands off him.
I loved when Arie’s mom took Emily aside and told her shehad seen “a few” episodes of Emily’s season of The Bachelor (translation: DVRedthat shit and watched every episode twice.) Then she said, in her brokenEnglish, “Normally, when you are the one who be proposed to, you’re not beingthe Bachelorette.”Ha. Laughing forever over that.
So there ya have it folks. Sean, Jef, or Arie.Three men: Three guaranteed fantasy suites (use protection, kids!) . . .and thenwhat?
I'm totally unspoiled myself. So only ABC executives, Chris Harrison, Emily, her future “fiancée” and you—yeah,you, spoiler whore!—know for sure.