Palau...

How weird it is to be watching Survivor as just a casual observer again - it's been years since I have done that and I have to say I loved it. SO relieved that I didn't have to try to figure out all those people's names because don't they all look alike? Well, a great deal of them anyway. Except for Wanda. Singing Wanda. Angie might think she has the outcast role all sewn up, but when it was her and Wanda standing there, waiting to be picked, EVERYONE and their mother knew Angie wasn't going anywhere. Who wants Little Miss Sing a Sucky Song on their team, no matter how many tattoos Angie might have? I did enjoy the picking of the teams (especially with each person picking the next person) and ironically, just like the last time that was done, in Thailand, we have a team with all young, buff people in Team Ulong. A team that lost the first challenge and got rid of their leader, too. Not saying I wasn't happy to see Jolanda go, because I was, but at least she was willing to step up and make some decisions. I just can't imagine them doing well - at all. But I know it's still early.

Basically, everyone I like is on Team Koror and that includes Tom (who seriously could be John Slattery's brother), Ian, Janu, Caryn (gotta love the hometown gal) and yes, Coby. I can see why some might not like Coby but I enjoy anyone who starts playing the game from the very first moment. He basically single-handedly got Jonathan eliminated and I know he looks kind of shitty for not picking Angie, but, hey, maybe he liked the idea of having an ally on the other team.

Man, though, when Koror's boat tipped over on the way to the new island - I laughed so hard! It was SO funny. But then I immediately realized the horror of that and remembered Jeff talking about the "heavily weighted" containers. Oops. Hopefully, that container with the flint won't be that hard to retrieve. Heck, it could be good practice for an upcoming challenge - there always seems to be a challenge like that.

Four days until the next Survivor...

Well, it's almost that time again and here is an article about the upcoming season where Jeff Probst makes all kinds of promises that probably won't come true concerning choices and new challenges. But, he confirms something I predicted about the 'three people going home in the first episode' rumor - which is that they pick teams and two people just don't get picked and head home.

Yay!

Tom Cavanagh, who I love from Ed, got a pilot deal with CBS. Not that it means he'll definitely be on TV regularly again, but the show does sound kind of interesting.

Fascinating news story...

This is a pretty neat story about a woman who talks for the first time in 20 years after being seriously injured in a car accident.

Sucky things, though: She thinks she is 22 and that it is the 1980s still. And the drunk driver who did this to her was sentenced to 6 months in jail.

Finale tonight

Don't forget - The Amazing Race finale airs tonight between 9pm and 11pm. I can't wait, although I'm not sure I'll be able to watch it live anyway. (Too much homework!) I will be praying that Kris & Jon win, though. Please let them win!!

More Super Bowl..

Well, I wrote my Inside Pulse column on the Super Bowl - just a bunch of stupid rhetorical questions - and I submitted it last night at like midnight and I guess one of these days it will actually show up on the site. Keep checking, I guess. I don't really understand what the deal is but then again, I can say that about most of the site...

Yawn

That's my take on the Super Bowl. Yawn. Close game, sure, but no surprise ending. Yawn. Commercials were blah. There were a couple that were kind of cute but I'm not sure what people will be talking about tomorrow. P Diddy driving a Pepsi truck? Cedric the Entertainer (aka Ceddy Bear) and his designated driver dance? Guy frozen from driving his Mustang Convertible in the winter? Yawn. Lastly, the half-time show? Yawn. Sorry, Sir Paul, I love your music but I was bored.

The best part is that now that it's over, the Browns have a new head coach and can get started on a new era.

Super Bowl Sunday

In honor of the Super Bowl, I thought it would be funny to share a story from The Onion that talks about how children are still traumatized from last year's Super Bowl halftime show. Enjoy.

Bachelorettes

Apparently, last year's "Bachelorette" Meredith is back on the market after her relationship fizzled with her choice, Ian. It kind of amuses me that this is news-worthy, but okay. Also, I forgot about that runner-up, Matthew, from her season until I read that article. He was C-U-T-E! Cuter than any of the guys on the show this season.

Anyway, as far as this season goes, I wrote my latest episode recap last night and here is the post.

TV Tonight

Tonight, American Idol finally will air its visit to Cleveland, which actually was the first locale for tryouts this season, but had not aired yet.

In other news, I hate to break it to you, but I'm fairly confident that this is a non-elimination round tonight on The Amazing Race. It's kind of a bummer, but at least I won't have to worry about having a panic attack every time someone gets ahead of Kris & Jon.

Death in the family

My great-aunt Thelma passed away over the weekend. She was nearly 90.

Dave's back

David Letterman is back doing new shows this week and will have his first opportunity to pay homage to Johnny Carson. Sure enough, he did. It's an all-Johnny tribute. Done better than Jay's, I'm sure. But I'm biased. Check it out tonight.

Tax Free Week Returns!

One of the coolest things about moving to New York is the tax free week. Starting tomorrow and through Feb 6th is the second of these in the five months I've been here. The article says that this is the last one, though.

Inside Pulse writings...

I have two new articles posted on Inside Pulse: one is my recap of The Bachelorette in which I do a LOT of Fabrice-bashing. Like I have any other choice. And, my regular flagship column is about The Ashlee Simpson Show. Hey, it's no surprise to anyone that I never have any good ideas for that column.

Oscars...

The Oscar nominations were announced today and here they are. I don't think there are any big surprises. Clint Eastwood was nominated for Best Actor, over Paul Giamatti - that was a bit of a surprise, I guess. The Aviator is the big movie of the year, with 11 nominations total. Of course, I haven't seen any of the nominated movies or performances, save Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but there's still time. Ray comes out on video next week.

Couple of interesting television tidbits...

By way of TV Tattle, I learned today that Paige Davis is leaving Trading Spaces in March as they go to a "hostless" format. I'm a little intruiged but I have to say that since I very rarely watch the show anymore, it doesn't really affect me. It does surprise me a little, though, as she has become so synonymous with the show that most people don't even realize she wasn't the only host. I doubt Paige will have any trouble landing on her feet, though. Am I the only one who foresees her helping to host The View while Elisabeth is on maternity leave?

Interesting tidbit #2: In the controversial Desperate Housewives-Monday Night Football promo, Nicollette Sheridan was supposed to seduce John Madden, not Terrell Owens. Ew. And people were offended by what they saw - imagine what they might have seen.

Super Bowl Set

Well, unfortunately, the New England Patriots are heading to yet another Super Bowl under the "genius" of their head coach, Bill Belichik. Needless to say, I'm rooting for their opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have a cuter mascot, anyway. The Super Bowl is February 6. Yes, that means two weeks of hype.

Watching The Apprentice...

They roped me in to the new season, at least so far, even though I told myself I wasn't going to watch. But, I have to say, that I'm already sick to death of the stupid 'book smarts vs. street smarts' hook. The street smarts people seem like a lot better candidates than the book smarts, but that has nothing to do with their education. It's because they are idiots. Not everyone who goes to college is intelligent - I think we all know that. I also don't really like the idea that they are trying to devalue an education. Someone without one might win a reality show, but that doesn't mean that person will be hired at every job. Also, it seems like the majority of the "street smarts" are real estate agents and, last time I checked, you do need some sort of education for that whether it is a college degree or not.

That being said, I was glad to see Todd get booted. He sucked. And, Danny, oy. How annoying is he? And how bad was he with that marketing plan? Of course he's from Cleveland, too, to further bring my hometown down. He graduated from Cleveland State, too, so does that really say a whole lot for his education? I'm not sure. And, doesn't he look like a thin Michael Moore? And his teammate Erin looks like Ashlee Simpson. Stephanie reminds me of Ereka from Season 1, too. On the other team, Tana looks a little like Amy from the first season and Tara looks a little like Omarosa.

Tax Evasion

One of the more surprising news stories of the last couple of days is first Survivor winner Richard Hatch not paying his taxes on his $1 million winnings. Huh? What was he thinking? He won the money on national television with like the biggest television viewing audience of the year watching. Did he think the IRS wouldn't find out? If I worked at the IRS, those reality show winners would be the first people I'd check out.

I'm Back!!

So, I've been a little MIA for the last month or so. I was out of town and did not have regular computer access so I didn't bother to try to post. I kept up with my Inside Pulse duties, though, and here is my latest column. It's about the Golden Globes.