New Survivor Cast

The cast of Survivor: Vanuatu was revealed today on the Web and The Early Show. They will have 18 contestants again (just like All-Stars), although it seems like there are only two tribes this time. Early impressions: There seem to be a lot of men with a military-type background. My early favorite is the very cute Brady. His bio says he is an FBI agent. Plus, his mom is currently attending a Jesuit college in Ohio for her master's degree in theology. That could be my alma mater! Chad is impressive - he's a cancer survivor and amputee. There is another Ohioan in the mix too - Chris. None of the women particularly stand out to me but, somehow, I had a feeling that when I was planning my move to Syracuse there would be a contestant from that area and I was right! Eliza attends Syracuse University. Go gal! Maybe I'll see you on campus!

More Competition for NetFlix

According to this TV Barn link, Blockbuster has started its own DVD online rental service apparently, to compete against similar programs from NetFlix and Wal-Mart. For $19.99 a month, you can have up to three DVDs out at a time. Everything is done by mail and there are no late fees. When you return one movie, they send you the next one on your list. I definitely love the idea and convenience of these services, but $19.99 is still a bit hefty for the amount of video rentals I make. I got my brother and sister-in-law a gift certificate for a lesser-known service called GreenCine. It claims it offers more independent and rare titles than its competitors.

Praise for Probst

As a HUGE Jeff Probst fan and one of the few people who actually knew who he was prior to his Survivor hosting gig, I was happy to see an article that praises him. Well, actually, this article (via TV Barn) praises Bryant Gumbel's appearance on Live! With Regis and Kelly more than it praises Jeff Probst's appearance but it does give Jeff some kudos as well (even before today's guest-hosting appearance) and I agree! Jeff is really good when he guest hosts with Kelly Ripa and today was no different. Kelly got him to try to break a world record for push-ups in a minute. The record was something like 132 and Jeff managed around 85, which is quite impressive. All the subsequent guests were quite amazed as well. I'm not so sure that Jeff would be great for his own talk show, like the article suggests, but should Regis ever retire, I think Jeff would be an excellent replacement. Well, now that I think about it, Jeff would be better than Tony Danza and he got his own show.

Oh, and surprise surprise but Jeff got injured during the latest Survivor filming in Vanuatu. He pretty much injures himself every season. This time, he foolishly tried to open a coconut with a machete. Go figure - he cut his hand.

Bye Bye Pizza Guys

Finally, the so-called 'pizza brothers' were eliminated from The Amazing Race this week. It makes me glad because I hated them, but they were so miserable in the end with Marshall's bad knees that I almost started to feel sorry for them. Regardless, Phil called them out as the first team to ever quit by not making it to the pit stop.

In other news: I'm really loving Chip and Kim now. They seemed to have such joy when they were crossing the Nile and, next week, they apparently really bond with the natives, which I think is great. They are definitely the team I'm rooting for... I'm glad the Bowling Moms were able to get some money and stay in the game for the time being. They are likeable. I DESPISE Christie and Colin even more than ever. They are just such jerks, I think. What was their big deal with Charla and Mirna "stealing" the cab? Colin came running over screaming and swearing at them like a lunatic. Then, he told the camera that he wasn't really worried since their bags were still in the cab and they hadn't paid the driver - but if that was the case, why all the yelling? Actions speak louder than words, Colin. Also, Christie saying they had some "audacity" and were "rude" is a little extreme. I'm not quite clear on what is so wrong about jumping into an empty cab. Heck, if they were smart and less hotheaded, they would have let the cousins take off in the cab to waste some time and money. Who knows where they might have ended up? I think Mirna made some astute observations about the Colin & Christie relationship. Anyway, it's a really hateful team that makes Charla and Mirna seem like heroines.

Comment on This...

Thanks to HaloScan, I have updated and improved my comments section so I hope that people will actually leave comments now! No need to register or anything and they will be easier to read because a separate window pops up. Slowly but surely I'm working on this site.

Last Comic

Well, I did what I said I would do and watched Last Comic Standing and voted for the person who I thought was funniest tonight. That person was... John Heffron again. I'm sorry - I like him. I like the other two guys, too, and won't be bummed if either wins. Interesting fact: John's new wife is named Sherry! Although, apparently, she goes by 'Rie' so either that is her middle name or a weird nickname adapted from the second-half of her first name. Maybe people should start calling me "Rie." Anyway, nosy ole me looked them up on The Knot and they really did get married recently. Here is their registry from Bed Bath & Beyond. My question is: did anyone go to the wedding? Practically nothing was bought off of that registry.

And, did anyone catch the commercials for Last Comic Standing 3, where the casts from the first two seasons face off? Brilliant! Really brilliant. No contest, though, in my opinion. The second season cast, as a whole, was much funnier than the first season cast.

Quite a Parlay

Mark Mercer, the total Howard Stern fanatic who has run MarksFriggin.com for years, with complete recaps from each day's Howard Stern radio show, has parlayed his gift of reporting on Playboy evaluations and porn star visits (not to mention very thorough celebrity interviews) into a gig on the official Howard Stern Web site. He just does the same thing he always did, only in an official capacity. Anyway, I think that totally rocks. If I could similarly parlay my Survivor recaps into a gig at CBS.com, I would be very very excited!

Warning

Just wanted to let all you readers (har har...) know that I am moving this week and therefore my posting will be sporadic at best. Once I am settled in my new locale, I promise to be a better poster than ever - unless, of course, I get bogged down with homework!

Thursday TV Round-up

Big Brother: Bye Bye Scott! I was glad to see him go, but I sort of even felt sorry for him at the end there, as he talked to Julie. He was a little shell-shocked, wasn't he? It's amazing how one's ego evaporates after eviction! The Adria-Natalie twist reveal was great. I loved how shocked everyone was and even Adria played along like she had no idea what was coming. I'm glad everyone in their alliance was thrilled and excited and not angry and bitter. Although I'm guessing once they have time to think about it, they will realize it isn't good to have twins playing the game like that. Bur, first, there are bigger fish to fry (like Jase). I totally guessed Nakomis would win the HOH competition, since she's sort of a quiet watcher. I guess that means that Michael will get to see what his father looks like, too, assuming she gets a picture of her family. The best part was after Marvin, Michael, Jase and Drew all got eliminated from HOH on the same question and the others knew they won regardless.

Last Comic Standing: I think the right three comics were chosen and I really am not sure who I am going to vote for next week. Now that I found out John is married, I've lost interest in him. (Ha ha) Gary and Alonzo have both made me laugh quite a bit, so I think I may alter my voting strategy for next week and actually judge them based on their routine next week. We'll see - but 2 hours? Are they joking?

Celebrity Poker Showdown: I can't believe another tournament is almost over. Seth Meyers really impressed me and I kind of hope he wins next week. I'm glad they didn't spoil it this time, like they did last time - showing Maura Tierney playing in the championship game before her other game was decided.

She'll Be an Apprentice After All

From TV Tattle comes this story about Tony Danza hiring the former Apprentice contestant Ereka as his sidekick for his upcoming talk show. I've pretty much moaned about Tony Danza getting his own talk show to anyone who will listen, but I'm not sure if this makes me more or even less interested. At least Ereka got a talk show before the heinous Omarosa. She was the one Omarosa claimed was racist, if you remember...

Amazing Egypt

I got a chance to watch The Amazing Race this evening and I thought the scenery in Egypt was so beautiful. Beyond that, I HATE that Colin & Christie are so far ahead, but I'm thinking there is still plenty of time left for everyone to get bunched up together again. I was glad to see that the Fast Forward is still in existence, although I'm not sure that I like there only being two during the whole game. At least it is no longer something that can be counted on to pull yourself ahead. I really didn't get why Colin & Christie used it to increase their lead - I feel like it was a waste. But what I found more amazing was that no one else tried to use it. All those teams were bunched up, so it would have made sense for one of the teams to consider using it - like the gimpy Marshall and Lance, maybe. I was fully expecting one of those scenes where some team does the activity and then finds out that another team has already been given the Fast Forward. I also really liked the new twist that the 'Bowling Moms' got stuck with: although they finished in last place, they were not eliminated but instead had all their money taken away. It's sort of deserving, considering they are basically getting a second chance at survival. There should be some sort of punishment. It's too bad it happened to the 'Bowling Moms,' though, because I find them one of the few likeable teams. I'm really starting to like Chip and Kim, too. Last week, I started to warm up to Chip after he downed that caviar with no problems and this week, it was so nice of him to help out both Brandon and the twins.

Reality Roundup

Again, I did not yet watch The Amazing Race and therefore cannot comment on it, but I watched most of the other two.

Big Brother: Like it was any surprise that Jase won the power of veto and saved himself. He truly is the devil. Of course, stupid DIANE could have eliminated him from the competition if she wasn't so STUPID! Whatever - I just hope Scott goes then. It would have been classic to see Scott win the power of veto and save Jase, though, like he talked about, and THEN see Scott go. Why is Jase such an ass, though? He attacked Diane verbally last week for showing some excitement and hugging Nakomis after her win last week but when he wins, he screams and shouts and points and gets in everyone's face. Hypocrite.

Last Comic Standing: This is who I want to win. I voted for him 9 times online last night, which is a lot of effort for me! I want the person to win who made me laugh the most times throughout the season, so I actually didn't even watch most of the routines last night. One routine should not a comic make. I'm still annoyed Jay London was picked as the wildcard - someone please tell me what is funny about him (other than the way he looks).

Tons of William Hung Wannabes

The American Idol 4 auditions started, well, today actually. People could start lining up yesterday, though, so madness ensued in downtown Cleveland. Approximately 15,000 to 20,000 people showed up, which is a record for any audition city ever. Our city likes to brag about any record it breaks, even if it involves the number of crazies wanting to be on TV. I'll be interested to see if the people interviewed in this article actually make it. I like the girl who is 26 and says she could finally try out because they raised the age limit. Umm, wasn't she 25 last year and therefore eligible? (LaToya was 25.) And 24 the year before and therefore eligible? And 23 the first year and therefore eligible?

Good Interview

I really enjoyed Bill Clinton's interview on The Late Show last night. Here is a pretty good recap of it. The man is clearly intelligent, well-spoken and has a bit of a sense of humor, too. I don't understand why people hate him just because of his extracurricular activities. Most people have no idea what others are doing extracurricularly. Anyway, I really think Letterman shines in interviews like that, too. He asks good, well-informed questions and seems genuinely interested in the answers - unlike during some of his celebrity interviews.

More Chances for Reality Shows

This article from the LA Times (via TV Barn) is kind of interesting in that it dissects how reality shows are given a much bigger chance of survival than scripted shows are given. For instance, shows like Karen Sisco and Wonderfalls lasted only a few episodes, yet Big Brother is back for its 5th season. It's all true and the reasons are pretty obvious: reality shows are cheaper to produce; reality shows usually run for a lot fewer episodes. It is kind of a wonder that Big Brother is back for a fifth season - I say that to myself almost every time I watch it. The thing with that show is that it was smart enough to get started and build a bit of an audience before all the other networks started debuting new shows in the summer. I'm sure it wouldn't do as well in the fall or spring if it was on a network schedule.

Corbin Bernsen?

I got my issue of ABC Soaps in Depth today and I cannot believe that Corbin Bernsen is coming on to General Hospital to play Carly's father. See for yourself about half-way down this page. Corbin Bernsen? Is that supposed to be some sort of coup? I mean, Corbin Bernsen pretty much will do anything for money, won't he? Did anyone see Celebrity Mole Yucatan? Or Celebrity Mole Hawaii? Why does that make me feel like my soap has really gone down hill? In brighter news, the new issue of TV Guide says that General Hospital is going to have a mystery where major characters will actually die - in contrast to the Days of Our Lives serial killer storyline where the "dead" characters were all found on some island somewhere. The options are so exciting to me! I love when soaps might unexpectedly kill off some characters! I'm guessing the "major" characters getting the axe on General Hospital will include Mac Scorpio, Mary Bishop, maybe Sage Alcazar, maybe Mike Corbin and probably newly returned Heather Webber. In other words, characters we can do without. Don't expect Sonny to go anywhere.

Big Brother Justice

Phew! How great was it to see Diane win Head of Household after 9 1/2 hours of pushing down that button? And, better than that, she did the right thing by putting up the two idiots, Jase and Scott. Hopefully one of them will be eliminated this week, even though the Power of Veto is still out there for the taking. They can't both win it! I think we are soon going to see the Four Horsemen turn on each other.

I never posted after Thursday's episode to cheer the dismissal of Holly. Thank God she is gone! She was so annoying. And, now Scott and Jase are free to be together because I really think that is what is going on there. Although, when you think about it, that was the stupidest decision ever - to get rid of someone on their side like that. Really stupid. How classic was it when Holly saw the Adria/Natalie twist? I don't think she even understood it. I almost wish that Natalie wouldn't come into the house for a few more weeks, to see more reactions like that.

Interesting Campaign Strategy

The Cleveland Browns training camp received a surprise visit from President Bush today. In town to help kickoff the International Children's Games, President Bush sure is making some smart campaign moves targeting those undecided voters in our key state of Ohio. First, he targets children from all the nations of the world (high voter turnout from among that group, I think) and then he hits up a professional football team's training camp, where the average salary is something like $800,000. So, I'm guessing most of them were already big fans of Bush anyway. I'll tell you one thing - that picture of Bush and Butch is enough to make me wish I had a dartboard.

Mirna and Schmirna Survive Another Week

Well, I'm not sure what to say about this week's The Amazing Race. I could care less about Bob and Joyce leaving. Bye! I was glad to see Chip inhale that caviar and grab first place with his wife, just as he was starting to get on my nerves. Good for them! Back on my good side. Those beauty queens were certainly annoying about the caviar, but they and their scary boyfriends are annoying pretty much the whole time. Is it that hard to eat caviar, by the way? At least it wasn't like cow testicles or pig intestines or some other disgusting food that gets eaten on other reality shows. The self-described fat pizza brothers aren't doing too well on the eating challenges, surprisingly. One would think that would be something they are good at. I really enjoyed how miserable the person who ate all that caviar looked at the pit stop. Phil could obviously tell which person had done all the eating. And what to say about Charla and Mirna. I know lots of people hate them, like my mother and the people in this article, but I am constantly changing my mind about them. One minute I'm annoyed that Charla is lying about needing to see a doctor to get on the waiting list for a flight and the next minute I'm laughing and cheering that they arrive in Frankfurt first. One minute I'm annoyed that Mirna is interrupting Colin's conversation with the bus station guy and the next minute I'm rooting for them to hurry up and block five goals. Very, very weird this love-hate relationship for them.

Rocco's on 22nd Closes

According to this article from the New York Post (via TV Tattle), The Restaurant is closing at the end of August. Poor, poor Rocco. Obviously, he'll have more time to make television appearances and to write more cookbooks this way so I'm not sure he should be too upset. Plus, I'm assuming Union Square or whatever his other restaurant is called is still open.

Convention, Day 2

I found Teresa's speech a little long and hard to pay attention to, but she made some good points: primarily, that it's okay for women to have opinions and instead of being called 'opinionated' should just be called 'smart' and 'well-informed'. Amen sista! I found it annoying that many of the male pundits afterward claim she won't attract the "Middle America" women - that the average US woman will be put off by her. Also interesting is that all of the female pundits seemed to disagree strongly with the know-it-all men. Hmm, I wonder who has a better idea on what women might think.

And, I'm sorry, but I think I found my future husband last night. Is it wrong that as Chris Heinz was introducing his mother, I was looking for a wedding ring? What a cutie. Add him to my crush list.

Heh - I Knew Big Brother Would Think of Something

I'm fairly positive that Adria is going to be eliminated this week, now that she is on the block, but I was wondering what CBS was going to do about their big twin twist, since she wouldn't be lasting long enough to bring both of them in the house. Well, I just saw the commercial that says that if Adria is evicted, her twin moves in! I kind of figured that would happen because there must be enough time alotted in the season to take into account both twin evictions were they both to come in the house. If they were both eliminated, the show would be left with an extra week in their season. ANYTHING they have to do to get rid of those Four Horsemen A-Holes is fine by me, fair or not. That Jase has REALLY got to go and I HOPE that one of the "good" people gets Head of Household this week or I will really stop watching.

Democratic National Convention

I posted about this yesterday but for some reason, it never hit the server. Republican interference perhaps?! Anyway, I didn't feel like re-typing it all. I was interested to see President Clinton's speech and wow, I liked it. I think it was a very good speech and most of the pundits seemed to agree. You can see or read it via this link on the official Democratic National Convention site. Tonight, I'm interested to hear Ron Reagan's speech. When even his eulogy to his father had some biting comments directed at President Bush, you have to wonder what his speech at the Democratic Convention is going to be like. Teresa Heinz Kerry speaks tonight, too. Unfortunately, for those of you without cable, your only option for watching is PBS.

Seacrest Out for Good

Apparently, On Air with Ryan Seacrest has been cancelled (according to this via TV Barn) - another talk show down the drain. As far as the other recently cancelled talk shows go (Living it Up! With Ali & Jack, The Wayne Brady Show), I would say Ryan's was one of the better. He had a nice mix of celebrities, gossip and music and didn't try to entertain us with stupid comedy and monologues. Or his own singing. Plus, he got lots of fans involved. But, oh well. It's not like he's hurting for a job. New daytime talk shows seem to rarely last more than a year nowadays anyway, at least on the major networks. It will be interesting to see how Tony Danza and Jane Pauley do this fall.

Speaking of my book club...

The choice for our next book club, which meets August 11th, is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I know I read this book way back in 1996 around the time it came out but I don't remember the slightest thing about it. So, whatever that tells you about the book. At least it's an easy read as I prepare to make my big move out-of-state... Oh, and there is the movie that is in theaters, too.

Jesus, Mary & Da Vinci

According to this ABC press release (via TV Barn), the network plans to re-air its special investigating the controversy surrounding The Da Vinci Code next week. I may actually tune in because I missed it the first time and have since read the book for my book club. Of course, I did read about it here at the time of our book club. I also have seen a similar special on The National Geographic Channel. Interesting.

Lance Makes it Six

Lance Armstrong won his sixth Tour de France today - an amazing accomplishment! No one has ever won six before. Apparently, Lance hasn't decided yet whether or not he will come back to try for a seventh win in 2005. It was an especially impressive run during that last time trial, in my opinion. But, one question: Is he even divorced yet?

Maybe This Time Holly Will Go

On Big Brother 5, the annoying Holly is once again up for eviction. Let's hope this time that her game boyfriend Jase doesn't save her again, should he win the Power of Veto. I find it incredibly amusing that they all seem to think she is this clever mastermind manipulating them all. I mean, they DO live with her right? I wouldn't doubt that she has actress ambitions but come on, all that stupid ditziness is not fake. Also of note, idiot Scott seems to think it is a smart move to lie to everyone and make them all think he is loaded and drives an Escalade and doesn't need the money. Well, did it occur to him that all those stories gives everyone else more ammunition to vote him out? Duh! No one wants to award $500,000 to someone who is already rich!

I might have to switch soaps...

Survivor hunk and Schick Quattro spokesperson Colby is coming to the soaps! TV Barn printed this press release from CBS Daytime that tells of Colby Donaldson hitting The Young & The Restless on Aug. 25th. I guess it's only a one-day thing. Too bad.

No Joan & Melissa!

According to this article (via TV Tattle), Joan and Melissa Rivers won't be able to do their thing at the Emmy red carpet this year, thanks to an exclusive contract between E! (the network they left) and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. At first I was a little perturbed because I enjoy Joan and Melissa, but, honestly, I just love red carpet coverage and I know E! is still going to have it, with or without Joan and Melissa.

Reality Roundup

For starters, I haven't had a chance to watch The Amazing Race yet. I planned on watching it this morning but our new Adelphia DVR/cable box was broken or something so there goes all the things saved on the hard drive...

I did watch Last Comic Standing and Big Brother, however. All I have to say about Big Brother is that I cannot stand that Scott and I cannot believe that Holly got saved. Ick ick ick. As far as Last Comic Standing goes, those people in the focus group were too funny and boy, did they take their job seriously. They must have been really well-paid for that because I remember once I got picked for one of those surveys at the mall where I had to watch a movie screener over and over and over and over and over again and it was all I could do to make it through. I just said the stupidest things about the movie promo so they would LET ME LEAVE!! But they wouldn't let me leave! And I think I got a measly $5 for it. It was seriously a hellacious experience. I'm glad Corey was the one to leave, not that I don't like him, but out of the three I think he was the least funniest. I guess he will be my pick for the wildcard next week, though, if someone has to come back. I'm sure they are just doing that to drag out the successful season. As far as I'm concerned, just move forward. What they should do is continue the face-to-face competitions until there are only three (instead of five) left and then let America vote on the top three.

25 Best Sports Movies

I started to get into these ESPN shows that are a part of the network's 25th anniversary. I saw some of the episode that ranked the 25 Most Outrageous Characters. Mike Tyson was tops - no surprise there. This one counts down the 25 best sports movies over the last 25 years. And, again, they got it right with the top spot - Hoosiers. No contest. That movie is awesome. I disagree with some of the other rankings, though. Seabiscuit should be higher - that was a fantastic movie. Jerry Maguire should be much lower (although I must admit that I have never seen most of the movie) - because I don't even consider that a real sports movie. And, although I admit to being biased, Major League deserves higher than #14. At least the fans put it higher. Speaking of the fans vs. the "experts" - it's interesting what a discrepancy there is between "Rudy." I'd definitely put it higher than #24.

The Homework Never Ends

I finally got my project finished for my big summer class on Friday - phew! - but now I have to get moving on reading the next book club book - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Book Club meets on Wednesday night. I started the book yesterday and honestly, am not really enjoying it. However, I am about halfway done already. I also found a cool site that is basically on online version of Cliffs Notes. For now, it is helping me understand what I have read so far but, if need be, it might help me finish the book much quickly!!

Another Anniversary

Today is my parents' wedding anniversary!  They have been together for 34 years. Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!

I'm Still Too Old - And I Still Can't Sing

American Idol has decided to raise the age limit for Season 4. Now contestants can be up to 28 years old, which apparently is 2 yrs more than before, although I thought the age limit was 25 before. They did not raise it on the lower end, however, despite all of Simon's grumblings about people (like Diana) being too young. That article also mentions that tryouts start here in Cleveland on August 4. Yay! Ryan, Paula, Randy and Simon are coming to Cleveland!!

See ya Mike!

So I was bad and watched Big Brother tonight instead of working on my big final project for school, but I wanted to see this whole twin thing play out finally, so I procrastinated. And, wow, how lame. So, Adria and her twin, Natalie, are sneaking in and out of the house. What's the point? If they make it five weeks, they will both get to stay in the house as individuals at that point. Sure, and then, in the sixth week, one of them will be targeted to go and in the seventh week, the other one will be targeted to go. Big deal. I don't see how in the world someone would let two twins stay in the house. Heck, most of them are questioning letting Michael and Jennifer stay as brother and sister and they've only known each other for a few days! Also, what happens if they ARE found out? It simply stops and one of them (presumably Adria) gets to stay? Honestly, I kind of am surprised that Diane hasn't figured it out since she seems to be so buddy-buddy with Adria. AND, she's a twin herself so you would think she would notice subtle differences between people. Those chicks must be good. Then again, why would you be looking for trouble from your ally?

That being said, with Marvin as HOH, I'm guessing he will probably stick with the plan of the "Four Horsemen" and will put up Adriatalie and/or Diane. Maybe not, though, because I imagine he wouldn't mind being alpha male and keeping some of those nice-looking ladies around. He's a bit of a wildcard. And, by the way, in my opinion, I would have saved Mike's ass, made him totally indebted to me and put up one of those gals this week. Then, I'd add someone else to my stable and have one less opponent. But that's just me - I'm not a cocky jerk thinking I've got the game in the bag after week one. Certainly those four idiots can count (maybe not...) and can realize that just because they are a solid four doesn't give them an advantage. There are 8 others out there, after all.

Happy Birthday Brian!

Today is my big brother's birthday! Happy Birthday to him. He is turning one year older than me.

Brian shares a birthday with such famous people as 90210'er Brian Austin Green (another Brian!), comedian Eddie Griffin (who I've seen in person!! He's way shorter than my brother, by the way.), former Felicity actors Scott Foley (cute!) and Amanda Foreman, One Life to Live old fogey Phil Carey, and three big-time politicians: Barry Goldwater, Jesse Ventura and Ohio's own favorite senator George Voinovich. Yay!

Emmy Nominations

The Emmy nominations were announced this morning and here is a complete list. It's a lot of the same as always, I think, with a few notable surprises, if you can call it that. For instance, I can't believe Will & Grace is up for Best Comedy this year. I thought it was horrible this year. And all those critics must be so thrilled that Arrested Development got some nominations. I'm 'eh' about it - take it or leave it. I think I'm most surprised about John Ritter's nomination - not so much that he wasn't a funny guy, but he was only in like three episodes before his unfortunate passing. But you kind of know he's going to be a shoo-in, don't you think? Maybe not. I'm glad that Kristin Davis was finally nominated for supporting actress for Sex & the City, although I find it a little annoying that three of the slots in that category are from that show. I'm sure that will be a place to sit when all those bickering ladies have to sit together. I hope she or Cynthia wins and not Kim. I'm glad Sean Hayes was nominated, as usual. He's the only thing I still love about Will & Grace. Well, and Eric. But too bad the storylines are so lame. Yay for Victor Garber. And Matt LeBlanc. (And Drea De Matteo, too - suddenly Joey has some credibility!) And I'm really thrilled with Amber Tamblyn's nomination. Go Amber! Also, good call on the Reality-Competition nominees. Those probably are the five best reality shows on the air: American Idol, The Amazing Race, Last Comic Standing, The Apprentice and Survivor. Oh well, can't wait. Sept. 19th.

Go All-Stars

Today is Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. Surprisingly, my hometown team, the Cleveland Indians, have FIVE players in the game. That is the second-most of any team. You would think that we were in first place or something. Anyway, go AL! They had six runs in the first inning off of Roger Clemens so it looks good!

Last Comic Standing Spoiler??

In this week's TV Guide (the one that starts with the listings for July 18), there is an article about Last Comic Standing where they have six contestants tell us why we should vote for them. Well, currently, there are 7 people. So, I'm wondering if the person not in the article is the person who goes home tonight! I hope because it's this person. And I don't think that person is funny.

I Love the 90s

VH-1 is debuting some new programs this week, not the least of which is I Love the 90s, their latest attempt to capitalize off the success of the I Love the 80s (which was followed by I Love the 70s and I Love the 80s Strikes Back - neither of which was as great as the original). I can't wait to catch them all but, unfortunately, I'm a little busy this week with my final project for the class I'm taking, so I'll have to watch them later. I'm not sure if the 90s will be as fun to watch as the 80s because it sort of lacks that "Oh yeah! I remember that!!" excitement. After all, 1999 was only 5 years ago.

Another new show is A2Z, which sounds like an interesting, mindless thing to tune into when you might be looking for something to watch. The only bad thing about this show is that Ant is involved in this, since I saw him promoting it on Dennis Miller last week. However, checking out its site, it seems you can get all the interesting tidbits about the chosen celebrity without having to even watch the program!

One Year and Still Together!

Happy Anniversary to my brother and his wife as they celebrate one year as husband and wife today! Congratulations Brian & Melissa!

Welcome to the World, Jake!

Congratulations to my friends Melanie and Nathan, who became proud parents of Jacob Harrison today. I'm very happy for them!!!

Out of Town

Just a short note to let everyone know I'm going out of town for a few days and will probably not be checking in... I will be taking a laptop but whether or not the Internet access will be working is always questionable. Not to mention that I might not have any spare time. I have 2 1/2 days to check out about 60 apartments!

Reality Roundup

Normally, I would give a much more detailed discussion of the big night in reality programming that was last night, but I'm so crazy busy right now that I am only going to touch on them all...

First up, Last Comic Standing. Yay! Ant got squashed! I was happy to see him go. I think Gary is funnier, not to mention that Ant was kind of annoying with the whole alliance thing. I think he was lying at the end when he said he wasn't the one pulling the strings. Who else would it be?


Next, Big Brother. Or, should I say, Big "Half" Brother? I have to say they have sucked me in, so far. It was interesting to see Michael realize that Jennifer (or Nicademus or whatever she calls herself - and I think it's funny that CBS isn't backing her and has her on their site as 'Jennifer') was his half-sister. I expected there to be more drama around it than there was. I mean, she has a unique last name and how many people have fathers with half a foot that they lost in Vietnam? Those are some pretty unique characteristics. It took him all of three seconds to realize they shared a father. It really is fascinating to me, though, especially to hear them both talk so differently about this man who is their father. I still hope Jennifer is eliminated first, because I want to see what kind of stuff CBS will pull to keep her in the game to keep up the drama.

Finally, The Amazing Race. It was exciting, as always, and there are some early leaders for Most Disliked Team. I can't stand Marshall & Lance and both of the Christie/Brandon/Colin/Nicole groups. Those two girls are seriously indistinguishable without their boyfriends. I am not a big fan of Bob & Joyce so far. I don't mind the twins, although they should open their eyes a bit. And Chip & Kim seem cool. I was happy to see them get way ahead (although their stupid mistake hurt them). And, surprise of all surprises, Alison didn't bother me too much. Yet. Finally, I found Mirna pretty irritating. I mean, why does she have to hold Charla's hand everywhere they go and then tell us, in the next breath, that this woman is so strong and amazing and can do anything? I think Charla should have found a different partner! Oh, and last but not least. How gross was that injury of Jim's? I laughed at first when I saw the people hit the deck at the start but 25 stitches is no laughing matter! Everytime I see that pair, I can't stop thinking that Marsha is a dead-ringer for Debra Messing.

CBS Reality Shows

Tonight are the premieres of the two big CBS reality shows: Big Brother and The Amazing Race. Every year I say I'm not going to watch Big Brother because it's annoying, but every year I get sucked in to those idiots and end up watching it pretty religiously. This year, there is a big "twist" where two of the people are related but do not know it. I'm not sure how CBS plans for this to work out, but I hope one of the two gets eliminated early before a big reveal. The Amazing Race is a completely different story because I LOVE that show. I cannot WAIT!!

Product Review: Crest Whitestrips

I'd been pondering the usage of one of those tooth whitening products for some time but only decided to go ahead and purchase one after it was marked down and put on the clearance rack at my local Target. With a coupon and the marked down price, it came to like $4, which is a really good deal. Not only that, but it came packaged with a tube of toothpaste, which is why it was on clearance, I assume. Big packaging, limited space. So, I bought and tried Crest Night Effects.

Verdict: Waste of money. I don't think my teeth were particularly yellow or brown or discolored at all before using the product, but after using the product, they certainly weren't noticeably whiter either. On top of that, there was barely enough of the product to cover my teeth. The package comes with 14 individual packets and 14 little applicator brushes. Obviously, you are supposed to use one package a night for 14 straight nights. You put it on after you brush your teeth before bed and keep it on all night. Fine. Well, some of the packets had enough cream to cover most of my teeth, but some of the packets only had enough to cover like 4 teeth. Not one packet covered all my teeth. Oh, it might be useful to know that I only have 24 teeth, too, unlike the average adult who has 32 teeth. So, if the product can't cover my 24 teeth, those of you with the normal number of teeth will really struggle. I always started with the same teeth so my top front teeth did get the full 14-day allotment without the result. The brush is kind of difficult to use, too, because the cream stuff tends to stick to it and not come off on my teeth. Once you put it on, it makes your teeth feel pretty grimy, which didn't bother me but I know might bother some. It didn't have a bad taste or anything, at least, and seemed to brush off very easily in the morning. Anyway, bottom line, like I said: waste of money.

Holiday or Not?

Hope everyone had a Happy Independence Day! We spent most of today wondering if it was a holiday or not. For instance: No Mail = Holiday. Day Off of Work = Holiday. Banks closed = Holiday. Mall open regular hours = Not holiday. Grocery Store closed = Holiday. Garbage pickup = Not holiday. But, see, we just assumed that the mall would be closing early and that the garbage would not be picked up. We were wrong. While it doesn't really hurt us to have a few extra hours to shop, it does kind of suck to have garbage stinking up the house for an extra week. Oops.

Celebrity Poker Showdown Finale

Another enjoyable episode. Did anyone else notice that the players were eliminated in the same order that their episodes aired?

40 Greatest Reality TV Moments

Has anyone caught this show that's been playing on VH-1? I've seen bits and pieces, but really, it's better to just check out the list on the Web if you, like me, are curious at the ranking but don't have the patience to sit through two hours of programming. I agree with some of them, especially the top two. I mean, seriously, Justin Timberlake's Punk'd episode is a high that the show has not reached again, in my opinion. (Too bad it aired in like the very first episode.) And Sue Hawk's speech was seriously awesome. But, number three is stupid. And I don't even want to talk about number four or number five. As memorable as William Hung is, does he deserve the number four spot? Ditto Omarosa. I have only seen one episode of Cheaters, but boy, if the host got STABBED during an episode, I should think it should get a higher ranking. And ditto Stephen's slap of Irene from Real World: Seattle. That deserves to be higher than the Joe Millionaire and Average Joe: Hawaii finale reveals just on sheer reality importance alone. Honestly, there should be a lot more Real World moments on the list anyway.

Last but not Least

Being the last day in June, today will be the last birthday I acknowledge. Well, not the last birthday but the last of my promise to deliver one for every day in June. Anyway, Happy Birthday Fantasia Barrino, this year's American Idol winner. Fantasia (who apparently has dropped her last name a la Cher and Madonna) turns 20 today. What I'm assuming is a great birthday present for her, her newly released single has hit #1 on the charts!

Goodbye Todd!

On Last Comic Standing, I was so glad to see Todd Glass go. He has annoyed me from the beginning. I'm not so sure that Tammy's set was any funnier but at least she isn't as annoying a person. Ant was pretty funny on the tour bus - not funny ha ha but funny in that he killed the competition. He was totally right in not trying his stupid stand-up act with those people and pretending to actually give a tour. Plus, he told his celebrity home lies with such conviction! Now the next person I want to go is Jay London.

That'll Be The Day

Here it is, the second last day in June, and I searched far and wide for a birthday to honor. Good thing the month ends tomorrow because this is getting to be harder and harder as the month goes on. Finally, I chose to wish a Happy Birthday to Gary Busey, who turns 60 today. A wacky guy but proficient actor.

Ti-Faux

Yay! My parents just got a Ti-Faux, aka the DVR from Adelphia. I am way too excited about it, especially since I won't be living here in about a month and should probably contain my joy. They even chose to install it in the family room instead of their bedroom, which both benefits me yet also surprises me greatly. I have already programmed our first "season pass" for Last Comic Standing. Hopefully I won't become too addicted in one month and will be able to subscribe (cheaply) in my new home in Syracuse!

Jason's Birthday

Okay, so Jason is only the character he plays, but today is the birthday of Steve Burton, who plays Jason (Quartermaine) Morgan on General Hospital. A definite cutie, Steve grew up in Cleveland. Yay! Although he ultimately graduated from Beverly Hills High School, if you remember my June 8 post re: Kelli Williams' birthday.

Spider-Man

My birthday has come and gone now but we still have a few more days of June so I might as well end the month with the birthday listings. So, Happy Birthday Tobey Maguire! Tobey's movie, Spider-Man 2, opens on Wednesday and I'm sure it will do phenomenally. It's gotten some very good reviews.

My Big Day!

Happy Birthday to ME! Today is finally my birthday after a month of build up. Yay! Here are some of the famous people I proudly share a birthday with: New York Yankee Derek Jeter, the hilarious Sean Hayes, newly engaged soap opera star Rebecca Budig, and newly retired football star and soon-to-be CBS Sports broadcaster Shannon Sharpe.

Celebrity Poker Showdown

Another enjoyable episode last night, but I found it a little disappointing that they showed us who won early in the episode during the commercial for next week's show. Since next week is the championship game, we already knew Rosario Dawson, Dule Hill, Michael Ian Black and Lauren Graham were going to be playing. However, in the commercial, we clearly saw Maura Tierney playing too - thus spoiling the outcome of last night's show.

Oh, in related news, I think I now officially have a crush on James Blake. What a cutie!

Gotta Have Faith

Today is George Michael's birthday! George was apparently named Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou way back on June 25, 1963, on the day of his birth. Here is his official Web site, which features lots of exclusives.

Hello to the Newest Cavalier!

Assuming no trade is made, I want to welcome the newest Cleveland Cavalier - Luke Jackson. According to this article from the Indianapolis Star, Cleveland is keeping him despite the Pacers really wanting him. He's kinda cute. Hope you like Cleveland.

Another ER Birthday

You might remember earlier this month when we were a little overrun by ER cast member birthdays (some former cast members, too...). Well, we have yet another today: Sherry Stringfield turns 37. That's pretty cool that her birthday is two days before mine. I have a natural affinity to other people named 'Sherry' anyway - regardless of how they spell it - and now our birthdays are close too. Kismet.

Idol Wannabe on Soap

In the breaking news department, One Life to Live has cast Matthew Metzger, from the top 32 of American Idol, in the role of Duke Buchanan. How exciting for him. And he's a local guy so that is extra cool. Of course, I think he looks a lot like Jason Guy, who was on Big Brother a couple of years ago, so I hope that doesn't distract me once he joins the show.

Birthday Girls

Today, Selma Blair turns 32. I have never really liked her all that much, but she is just 3 days older than me, so hey. Plus, she is from Detroit and could very well have gone to high school with someone I know (or knew in college). She is also a newlywed, having recently married Ahmet Zappa.

A really amazing woman who was born today (although she is now deceased) is Wilma Rudolph. She was an Olympian and this tells her really inspiring story.

Last Call

Only a year younger than me, today is Carson Daly's 31st birthday. If I'm awake at 1:30 am and I want to watch something mindless, his talk show is a good choice.

Shocking Celebrity Gossip

I think it probably comes as no surprise to anyone who has seen pictures of her lately, but Mary-Kate Olsen has apparently gone into a rehab clinic to treat aneroxia. There were some pictures of her at the premiere of her movie, New York Minute, that were seriously scary. I'm just glad she stopped denying it.

Book Club Cookbook

I came across this cookbook at the library today. It offers recipe choices that match the books you might read at your book club. It's a cute idea, although our current selection, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, is not included. A few of our previous choices are listed, however.

Garage Sale Wrap-Up

Just wanted to let you guys know that our garage sale ended and I would call it a success. Sure, we have a fair share of items left over but we did manage to sell ALL of our big ticket items. We hadn't sold the organ when the sale ended, but someone called and bought it today, so my parents are just thrilled.

Making comparisons to our garage sale from last August, it was weird how different the clientele was. I mean, last year we sold a lot of books and a lot of glasses and dishware. This year, we sold almost NO books and very little glasses and dishware. There really seems to be no rhyme or reason to it all. Another thing that didn't sell too well was Christmas items, even though a few garage sale "experts" claimed that Christmas decorations were a good bet.

Anyway, we here are glad it's over. Now we just have to donate most of it.

Birthday Licks

Today, Juliette Lewis, an Oscar-nominated actress and lead singer of The Licks, turns 31. This is a pretty thorough Web site from some fans of hers. I've always kind of liked her, except for the Scientology thing.

In weird birthday news, today is also the birthday of Family Ties parents Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter (Birney). Both were born the exact same day in the exact same year. Kinda weird. Family Ties was a big June birthday show actually, because Michael J. Fox was born in this month, too, and part-time castmembers Tracy Pollan, Courteney Cox and Scott Valentine were also born in June.

Weekend Birthdays

Straight Up! On Saturday, the best female American Idol judge, Paula Abdul, turned 42 years old. And, on Sunday, Nicole Kidman, who is currently starring in The Stepford Wives , turned 37.

In the 'only days older than Cheri' department, actresses Robin Tunney and Poppy Montgomery (from Without a Trace) celebrated their 32nd birthdays on Saturday, while one of my favorite former Survivor contestants and NYPD police officer, Ken Stafford, turned 32 on Sunday.

Day Two Garage Sale Report

Well, another day of our garage sale has passed with only one more day to go. Today was nowhere near as busy as yesterday and moneywise, we did approximately one-third as much. But, overall, it wasn't bad. We heard of another garage sale that had TWO customers today. We did much better than that. Notoriously, Fridays are less successful garage sale days - at least around here. Many people skip Fridays altogether, although it seems a little silly to me if you have your garage all set up and ready to go to skip a day. Strangely, although it was slow, the day seemed to go a lot faster. No real funny stories, either, except two young teenage boys (well, they were at least 16 since they were driving) bought our ugly chair/couch combo. They just live down the street and were going to walk them down the street, which would have been a funny sight. My father offered to give them a ride in his borrowed-from-work truck so they lucked out.

You Say It's Your Birthday...

It's Paul McCartney's birthday, too. Don't think I need to say anything about that talented man. He's 62 today. My favorite Beatles song is easily "Yesterday." What's yours?

Day One Garage Sale Report

My family started a garage sale today. It's been a lot of preparation work, which kind of sucks because really, who knows how much to charge for crap you no longer want? For an indecisive person, this is quite the chore. But the worst part is sitting there watching strangers sort through that junk determining whether 25 cents is too much to spend for something you once spent 25 bucks on. My favorite customers (using that term loosely) are the ones who slow down and gawk as they drive by the house but then before turning into the driveway, they seemingly suddenly change their mind and speed away right quick. Makes me wonder what the heck they saw in that glimpse to make them want to get the hell away as fast as possible. My mother's theory is they see our old Spanish-style couch and chair, circa 1970, which features a lovely yellow and red paisley-like upholstery. Lovely. Regardless, I'd say we had a pretty successful first day. It didn't seem extremely busy but it was pretty steady and we sold some big-ticket items. The weather was good, for the most part. It downpoured for about 3 minutes where we scrambled to protect some items (like the electric organ) but then the sun came out and proceeded to burn the hell out of me for the second half of the day. Yes, as someone who typically avoids long periods of exposure to the sun, I forgot to put on sunscreen and will probably be beet red tomorrow. I can already feel a little sting on my neck and upper legs. Well, I guess it saves me the trouble of having to put on self-tanner.

One thing that is not selling at all, despite assurances that such things are in high demand from garage sale afficianados my mother knows, is Christmas decorations. We go a little overboard at Christmastime and my mom decided to downsize a bit so we have quite a bit for sale. Well, this brought out the best comment of the day. One elderly couple browsed through our items and the wife remarked that we must be moving and that was why we had so many items for sale. Her husband joked that obviously we were moving to a place without Christmas since we were selling our decorations. Cute. Funny. And, perhaps you had to be there.

Venus, the Tennis Goddess

Today is Venus Williams' birthday. She is my favorite Williams sister, for reasons unbeknownst to me. If you check out this Web site, you will see that although she is ranked higher than her sister in singles, she is actually seeded lower than Serena at Wimbledon. Interesting. Something about Serena being the defending champion...

American Idol Birthdays

Today, Diana DeGarmo, the American Idol runner-up this year, turns 17. Interestingly enough, Fantasia's birthday is in June, also.

Beastie Boys

Did anyone catch the Beastie Boys performance on Letterman? It was very cool. They started off outside and walked down the sidewalks as the camera rolled in front of them and then worked their way down the street, through a side door and into the studio finally, where they emerged onstage. It was pretty cool. (Maybe they walked down from the MTV Studios because the Web site says they were on MTV at 11:30 also.) Plus, I liked their song, too, and I haven't really liked any rap song since... well, maybe since "Sabotage." It did seem like the guys were a little out of breath after all that walking, though, but I guess that is to be expected. I mean, they are in their 30s right?

Happy Birthday Melissa!

Today is my sister-in-law's birthday! I hope she has a good day and hope all her birthday wishes come true, even if she is not happy with the number of years old she is today!

Tennis Ace

Happy Birthday to Steffi Graf, or is it now Stefanie, as her Web site says? I mean, I'm sure it was always Stefanie but she went by Steffi before. Anyway, she is a tennis player extraordinaire and wife to still-playing Andre Agassi. Whatever happened to the two of them playing mixed doubles, anyway? I know last year she was pregnant and couldn't do it but maybe she is doing it this year? I admit I haven't watched any tennis yet this year. Wimbledon is just about to start up, though. Yay!

Busy Busy

Just wanted to apologize in advance because this is a BUSY week for me, so I probably won't be online much. I try to make time when I can, though, so no fretting. And I'll definitely continue to at least post birthdays.

I am SO stupid.

I had plans to attend my college reunion tonight. Only thing, my college reunion is next weekend. Somewhere in the onslaught of brochures, pamphlets and notcards they have sent me in the last six months, I got the notion (incorrect notion, I might add) that the reunion was this weekend. So, it's been written down on my calendar for months - for the wrong weekend. So tonight I head out there and am totally stumped as to why there are only about 8 cars in the entire campus parking lot. Duh. At least it was only a matter of driving to the other side of town and not flying in from somewhere else in the country. (Never mind that I had to borrow a car since mine is currently out of commission.) And it wasn't really a wasted trip because I did have to head out to that area to buy a gift for a party tomorrow, but still... I am SO stupid. I am an idiot.

Weekend Birthdays

So I skipped a day. Sue me. Even Entertainment Tonight gives the weekend birthdays in one episode. So, on Saturday, let's stop and say Happy Birthday to George Bush. Not the current President. His father. The one who is responsible for creating the current President. The one who got "choked up" at President Reagan's funeral service (which I actually think is kind of nice). Anyway, this George Bush turns 80 on Saturday.

On Sunday, one of the most talked about birthdays in Hollywood occurs. That of the Olsen Twins! Yes, folks, Mary-Kate and Ashley turn 18 finally. Their Web site seems a non-stop ad for all things Olsen Twins. Great.

Other People Have Crushes

I've clued you all into a few of my celebrity crushes, so for today's birthday, I thought I'd clue you all into a friend's crush... Happy Birthday Joshua Jackson!

Lawyers Have Birthdays Too

In honor of ten years since the O.J. Simpson fiasco, I thought it would be good to call out someone associated with that mess. So, Happy Birthday F. Lee Bailey! The famed attorney turns 71 today. One of Bailey's early famous cases was, of course, the Dr. Sam Sheppard trial, which was fictionalized into "The Fugitive." Where the Sheppard murder took place is probably not even 5 miles away from where I live and grew up, so it's always kind of interested me. The 50th anniversary of that spectacle is coming up in a few weeks, too. That link provides an excellent overview of the Sam & Marilyn Sheppard story.

Sexiest Man Alive

The current 'Sexiest Man Alive' is celebrating a birthday today. Happy Birthday JOHNNY DEPP! Johnny is by far one of my favorite actors. Coincidentally or not, Johnny also starred in one of my favorite movies of all-time: Edward Scissorhands.

In other birthday news, ER alum Gloria Reuben also celebrates a birthday today. She turns 40. I just thought I'd mention her since two other ER castmembers have had birthdays in the five days or so. Back in the day, George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle and the crew must have gone broke buying presents for all their co-workers at the same time. Of course, I know what it's like to have a summer birthday and most likely their birthdays got ignored completely since they took place during the off-season.

The Amazing Race 5

I've been keeping an eye out for the cast list announcement for the new season of The Amazing Race and today it was posted! The Amazing Race is definitely one of my favorite shows, reality or not, because there's none of that voting out drama. Quite simply, whoever is last to arrive is eliminated for that week. Along the way you get beautiful scenic views, interpersonal drama, and exciting stunts.

Looking at this cast, it's hard to make any predictions. A lot of people know Alison from last year's Big Brother. Besides the fact that she was annoying, it doesn't really seem fair that she should get to be on two money-making reality shows when you know there are thousands of people out there who applied and would have had just as good a story. The team of Charla/Mirna looks interesting because Charla has some dwarfism. I've seen her on the commercials and surely, she will be inspiring to watch. Beyond that, there are pretty twins, a father and daughter, a 50+ dating couple, a 40+ married couple with kids, a set of brothers, two best friends and a bunch of dating couples.

The show doesn't start until July 6, so mark your calendars!

Reality Show Premieres

I really enjoyed Last Comic Standing last summer, even though the result was less then spectacular, with Dat Phan winning. It's kind of like John Stevens winning American Idol - a nice guy and an okay performer, but definitely not the most talented person out there. But, the show was still entertaining along the way. There's nothing like seeing insecure comedians living together, competing in challenges they could care less about and hoping to win in the end. The first two episodes (airing tonight and tomorrow) are along the lines of the first episodes of American Idol, with lots of auditions. Bad comedy isn't nearly as entertaining as bad singing, though.

The second new show debuting tonight is Blow Out on Bravo. It tells the story of a stylist opening a new salon in Beverly Hills. Basically, it's The Restaurant for salons and it's even by the same people. I've always been fascinated by the way salons operate so I'm definitely going to tune in tonight to see how it goes.

Television Birthdays

Today is a popular birthday for people who have been on television. Julianna Margolies from ER fame turns 38. David Sutcliffe, who played Rory's father on Gilmore Girls and recently starred in the sitcom I'm With Her, turns 35. Kelli Williams, who spent years on The Practice and will be on this fall's Medical Investigation, turns 34. What's interesting, if you follow that link and read her mini biography... she was discovered after she played Juliet in her high school production of Romeo & Juliet. Playing Romeo was one of my favorites, Steve Burton! And, finally, Mark Feuerstein from Good Morning Miami, turns 33.

Someone who hasn't been on television but who is still celebrating a birthday today is my friend Melanie's father, Gary. Happy Birthday to you!

Big Sale

Bath and Body Works has started their big semi-annual sale, which has meant big savings for me in the past. I haven't had a chance to go check out what they have this year yet but I definitely will!

Did you hear?

Jennifer Lopez has married for a third time. Like this is news to anyone, but, still, I am quite fascinated by it all. First of all, clearly Marc Anthony has carried some sort of torch for her all these years, after they originally dated in 1999. How does he explain this to his kids when they are grown? "Well, I only was with Mommy because I couldn't have J.Lo. But then she was suddenly available so I left Mommy in the dust to get back to my true love." But, the other thing that I find fascinating is that Jennifer seems to be able to have longer relationships when she just dates someone. I mean, her first marriage lasted like a year and the second lasted about ten months. Yet, she was with Puff Daddy for like 2 years or so and nearly that long with Ben Affleck as well, I think. Obviously, that marriage certificate that she wants so badly is the downfall to the relationships! It makes you think that the entire time she was with P. Diddy and Ben she kept pressuring them to get married, too. Ben succumbed enough to buy the ring and plan it, but was smart enough to pull out at the last minute. P. Diddy just went and pulled out a gun in front of her to scare her away. Hee hee. Anyway, here are some pictures of the big event. Just click on the photo and a window will pop up with 21 photos. Thanks to Gossiplist for the link.

Musical Birthday

There are some famous musicians born today! Prince, Dave Navarro, Dean Martin and Tom Jones all celebrate birthdays today. Well, Dean Martin is deceased, but you know what I mean. I guess if you want your child to have some musical talent, you should try to have them born on June 7th.

Soap Box

I'm a big ABC soap opera fan and I will, from time to time, want to comment on my shows. Since I'm barely keeping tabs on what's going on with All My Children and seem to be fast-forwarding through more of One Life to Live than I am actually watching, this rant will be all about General Hospital.

One: Ric and Alexis? Brilliant pairing. I love these two actors together. Their bantering, their teasing, their competitiveness - hysterical. The only problem I have with this is where is it going? Ric is clearly working Alexis as part of his vendetta against Sonny, like he wants to get close to baby Kristina so he can rub it in Sonny's face that he has some control over Sonny's daughter? Whatever it is, I just don't see it lasting long. If Elizabeth couldn't be manipulated by Ric and saw his true nature, how are we supposed to believe that Alexis won't? Alexis has many issues but naivete is not one of them. I just don't buy it. I'd like to have someone be able to help Ric get past that vendetta and maybe it could be Alexis, but I'm not convinced that's where the writers are headed. Alexis has had her own share of family vendettas to deal with so she has experience to help Ric get past his if they wanted to go there. Regardless, I'm going to continue tuning in to that storyline.

Two: Mary, Emily, Nikolas, "Connor," whatever... Who cares? (Although I do love the way Alcazar keeps giving "Connor" lame missions that will either get him killed or get him to find the truth about who he is.) My real question with this storyline is why the heck does Lucky not have a woman? Okay, so I readily admit I have a bit of a crush on Greg Vaughan so I'm biased, but once you get past his unfortunate name and the creepy tattoo that covers half his back, can't anyone see how CUTE he is? That Summer thing last year was a joke and he gets one kiss with Emily before she runs for the hills? I just don't get it.

Three: Courtney and Jax. Another cute couple and a couple I actually was rooting for from the time the two of them had scenes together when Courtney first hit town. But why rush it with this stupid bet? We all know Jax is going to win. But I'm sure he'll donate the money anyway. Why couldn't they just work together, slowly get to know each other and eventually fall in love? I still am annoyed about how we got no buildup to the Courtney and Jason romance. Speaking of the two of them, however, I have the perfect way to get these two back together, if anyone is listening. It involves a car accident, a blow to the head and Jason waking up as his old self again, with no recollection of Sonny or the mob or the code or any of that crap that led Courtney to leave him in the first place. How cute would that be?

Sunday Night Television Viewing

There actually are a few things on television tonight, depending on what one might like. The Tony Awards are on CBS, for fans of Broadway and fans of Hugh Jackman, who is hosting. I love a good awards show so I might tune in for some of it.

For sports fans, there is Game 1 of the NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers. Normally, I love basketball but I just haven't been able to get into the playoffs this year. I pick the Lakers in six games.

There is also The Sopranos season finale, which is a show I know a lot of people watch. (Not me, though.) Oh, and today's birthday comes courtesy of The Sopranos, too. Happy Birthday Max Casella! Some people may remember Max as Doogie Howser's best friend, Vinnie, but Max is now on The Sopranos. And he turns 37 today.

Fans of history and war might enjoy Tom Brokaw's look at the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day on a special Dateline NBC.

What I will probably be watching, however, is Love Rules, the new original ABC Family movie. Since I love romantic comedies, I like to catch all of their new movies, even though some (This Time Around, See Jane Date) are better than others (Celeste in the City, Beautiful Girl).

Smarty Jones Dumbfounded

I find these big horseraces like the Belmont Stakes pretty exciting, especially when there is someone to root for like Smarty Jones, who was trying for the Triple Crown. It was a really good race and Birdstone deserved to win. What was sort of sad to me, though, was everyone from the winning team, including the jockey, the trainer, and especially the owner apologizing, like this article shows, for having their horse win and denying everyone the opportunity of seeing a Triple Crown winner. They have nothing to apologize for!

Funky Bunch

Happy Birthday Marky Mark Wahlberg! Who knew he had an official Web site? I guess, really, who doesn't have a Web site these days? But, anyway, I don't see any mention of Mark's singing career on his Web site - not even in the biography section. But there are quite a few pictures of him without his shirt in the photography section. Not complaining, but it does remind me of something that the two of us have in common that no one knows about me... Anyway, Happy 33rd, Mark.

The Apprentice on DVD

Surprisingly soon (August 24th), the first season of The Apprentice is coming to DVD. One of the cool extra features in the packaging is a voice chip of Donald Trump saying "You're Fired" when you open the lid. Cool, like I said, but probably not enough to make me buy it.

Noah Wyle

Happy 33rd Birthday Noah Wyle! Sorry I haven't watched ER regularly in years but I'm sure I'd still like you on it.

Celebrity Poker Showdown (Spoiler Alert)

Television has been kind of lame the last couple of weeks with the end of the regular season but this gem is one enjoyable thing to watch. And tonight's episode was great! Dule Hill was seriously probably the luckiest player ever but I'm glad he won. He's so cute and I won't be disappointed to see him play again. Next week, the previews say one person is eliminated on the very first hand. I wonder who it is. I kind of hope it's Norm MacDonald because I find his drollness pretty irritating. Plus, I know he's a big gambler and I could believe he goes all in right off the bat.

Birthday 360

Today, I wish a Happy Birthday to one of my secret crushes: Anderson Cooper. I find him so cute, clever and amusing, whether he is gay or not. Hope you had a good day. I very well might be working at CNN with you next year if things go as planned after I get my Masters Degree so perhaps I will meet you and we can make each other laugh then.

Immunized

I have to get an MMR vaccine today as I prepare for graduate school. Oww! Since I don't have any doctor's records of getting these shots as a child (which I did get), I have to get them again. One today and one in about a month. I'm not worried about the actual shot (shots don't bother me) but I am a little worried about possible side effects. Just a little. I'm more worried about not being able to start school on time if I'm not immunized, though. I hope they don't check into it too closely.

Today's B-Day

Happy Birthday Wayne Brady! I hope you enjoy your 32nd birthday. I'm sorry your talk show was cancelled. It certainly wasn't the worst talk show on the air, but, then again, I wouldn't say it was the best either. At least you won some Emmy awards during your run. Have a good birthday, Wayne.

June Birthdays

Now that we are in June, we are in my birthday month. Yay! Since I've always had a bit of an affinity to other people who have June birthdays, I thought a good way to celebrate my birthday month would be to wish someone else a happy birthday each day. Since I don't really know many regular people born this month, I'm basically going to be calling out celebrities. And I'll probably try to find celebrities who are close to my own age. So, today, June 1st, I say Happy Birthday Alanis Morissette! Alanis actually starts the U.S. portion of her summer tour here in Cleveland this summer so that's cool! Not that I'll be in town to go, though.