Thursday, November 30

Well, It Was Nice While It Lasted

"Russia has agreed to shut down Allofmp3.com and other music sites based in that country that the U.S. government says are offering downloads illegally."

-damn-

Hillary 2008

All I can say to this: good.

"On Fox News last night, the chairman of Iowa's Democratic party said that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is not laying the adequate groundwork for a presidenial campaign in the first caucus state and that many are starting to speculate she may not run if Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) enters the race.

"Said Iowa Democratic Chair Rob Tully: "She's been quiet and, you know, there's a question that we all hear is that she may not get in this if Barack Obama gets in. I have never seen a reaction other than Bill Clinton in terms of the excitement that people have to meet Barack Obama. Some people just wanted to touch him."

"One other possible reason: According to the Quad City Times, former Democratic state party chairman Dave Nagle said he is concerned candidates might eventually choose not to come to Iowa with Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) in the race."

[Source: Political Wire]

D-List

Kathy Griffin will be back in 2007. Now the question is if her free-loading ex-husband will be back, too. Doubtful!

Why is Nicole Kidman the highest paid actress?

My guess: Because she makes dozens and dozens of shitty films each year. Here's a rundown of her "filmes" since she won that Oscar for The Hours. It's obvious grandma Nikki's been smokin' something.

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus - Yeah, I heard this was the suckage.

Bewitched

The Interpreter (okay, so maybe this one wasn't SO Bad, but it made like $3)

Birth - Yeah, I just loved that scene where she takes a bath with that little boy

The Stepford Wives - Easily the lamest "comedy" in quite a while

Cold Mountain - She's supposed to be all homeless but homegirl looks like a super model. Yeah, this movie SUCKED.

The Human Stain

Dogville - Even a dog wouldn't smell this shit

The Mel Gibson and Michael Richards Show

I can't believe ABC is moving forward with this show for Fall 2007.

Real World: Denver

Why am I 29 and still watching the Real World? I dunno, because it's such a gigantic waste of time. But I can't stop! (Help!)

The Real World: Denver takes the most stereotypically Real-World people and puts them in a house together. Surprise, there's a black guy (two of them, actually). Suprise, there's a gay guy (and he's religious... OMG). Surprise, there's a bunch of dumb whores.

But the thing is... when you mix it all together, it's soooo good. The premiere episode was fantastic, but only because the last five minutes where the white fraternity guy hooks up with a second roommate... the SAME NIGHT HE HOOKED UP WITH THE FIRST! The fact that the first hook up has a crush on him indicates that, well, this might be good.

And the second episode was. It delivered on its promise of boring Real-World-types performing the usual dramatic Real-World stuff that you'd expect. And I love it. Especially "the love triangle." And coming soon: the episode where the one black guy that voted for George W. Bush argues with the gay boy about the terrible sins of homosexuality.

Real World: Denver

Why am I 29 and still watching the Real World? I dunno, because it's such a gigantic waste of time. But I can't stop! (Help!)

The Real World: Denver takes the most stereotypically Real-World people and puts them in a house together. Surprise, there's a black guy (two of them, actually). Suprise, there's a gay guy (and he's religious... OMG). Surprise, there's a bunch of dumb whores.

But the thing is... when you mix it all together, it's soooo good. The premiere episode was fantastic, but only because the last five minutes where the white fraternity guy hooks up with a second roommate... the SAME NIGHT HE HOOKED UP WITH THE FIRST! The fact that the first hook up has a crush on him indicates that, well, this might be good.

And the second episode was. It delivered on its promise of boring Real-World-types performing the usual dramatic Real-World stuff that you'd expect. And I love it. Especially "the love triangle." And coming soon: the episode where the one black guy that voted for George W. Bush argues with the gay boy about the terrible sins of homosexuality.

Real World: Denver

Why am I 29 and still watching the Real World? I dunno, because it's such a gigantic waste of time. But I can't stop! (Help!)

The Real World: Denver takes the most stereotypically Real-World people and puts them in a house together. Surprise, there's a black guy (two of them, actually). Suprise, there's a gay guy (and he's religious... OMG). Surprise, there's a bunch of dumb whores.

But the thing is... when you mix it all together, it's soooo good. The premiere episode was fantastic, but only because the last five minutes where the white fraternity guy hooks up with a second roommate... the SAME NIGHT HE HOOKED UP WITH THE FIRST! The fact that the first hook up has a crush on him indicates that, well, this might be good.

And the second episode was. It delivered on its promise of boring Real-World-types performing the usual dramatic Real-World stuff that you'd expect. And I love it. Especially "the love triangle." And coming soon: the episode where the one black guy that voted for George W. Bush argues with the gay boy about the terrible sins of homosexuality.

TomKat Sing

Yesterday's Countdown on MSNBC had a thing about Katie and Tom recording an album together. Apparently everyone was blown away by their wedding-ceremony performance of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" that they've been convinced that releasing a full-length album is a good idea. And by good idea, I mean worst damn idea in the history of "music."

Immortal

Remember Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Neither did I. But I learned that one of its key inspirations was Immortal, one of the few movies to use real actors against a complete world of CGI blue screens. The human actors are few. Most of the other characters look like videogame characters or robots or aliens. (Most of them are those things, I guess.)

Immortal takes place in 2095 in some strange society inhabited by humans, aliens, clones, machines and - yes - Greek Gods. The premise is that one of the gods that created humans comes back to Earth to have a son (Jesus, anyone?). It's almost entirely computer animated and quite a beautiful movie. And you can tell it's not really American (even though it mostly takes place in NYC). In fact, it kind of now reminds me of the Fifth Element, but much more fatalistic and filmed way more realistically.

I think you're not supposed to be sober when you watch this. And I don't recommend watching it sober. It's odd. But strangely hypnotic and intriguing. It's a good late night / rainy day movie. Check it out if it's your thang.

Little Children

Little Children is one heck of a finely crafted movie about a love affair. Great movie. Not an instant classic as I was hoping, but certainly one of the better movies of the year. Kate Winslet is phenomenal. She's gotta be the best working actress, right? Patrick Wilson was also great. Why isn't he in more? The acting, writing and directing were all stellar. The story was unexpectedly touching (I so wanted them to end up together!!), and much more disturbing than its kind of creepy trailer even lets on (but knew they wouldn't within about 3 minutes of the movie). There's a plot that drives the overall story that isn't even mentioned in the trailer, and it's one that will give you the willies.

Oh yeah, I wanted to mention how much I loved the voiceover work. Most movies with voiceovers suck. This one was written like Shakespeare, but also happened to be very modern. At one point, it compares the feeling of isolation/confusion to waking up after being abducted by aliens, but not in a weird Donnie Darko kind of way... more along the lines of American Beauty or something.

Check this out, if not in the theaters then on DVD. And don't let your little children watch.

NBC's New Schedule

Monday
8:00 p.m. Deal or No Deal
9:00 p.m. Heroes
10:00 p.m. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. Dateline (Dec. 26)
9:00 p.m. Law & Order: Criminal Intent
10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. Friday Night Lights (Jan. 10)
9:00 p.m. Deal or No Deal (Jan. 3)
10:00 p.m. Medium

Thursday
8:00 p.m. My Name is Earl
8:30 p.m. The Office
9:00 p.m. Scrubs
9:30 p.m. 30 Rock
10:00 p.m. ER

Friday
8:00 p.m. 1 vs. 100
9:00 p.m. Las Vegas
10:00 p.m. Law & Order

Saturday
8:00 p.m. Dateline (repeat)
9:00 p.m. Drama repeat
10:00 p.m. Drama repeat

Sunday
7:00 p.m. Dateline (Feb. 11)
8:00 p.m. Grease: You’re the One That I Want (Jan. 7; first two weeks will run from 8-9:30 p.m.)
9:00 p.m. The Apprentice (Jan. 7; first two weeks will run from 9:30-11 p.m.)
10:00 p.m. Crossing Jordan (Jan. 21)

Tuesday, November 28

TV Land's Top 100 Catchphrases

How many do you remember saying?

"Aaay" (Fonzie, Happy Days )
"And that's the way it is" (Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News )
"Ask not what your country can do for you ..." (John F. Kennedy)
"Baby, you're the greatest" (Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, The Honeymooners )
"Bam!" (Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Live )
"Book 'em, Danno" (Steve McGarrett, Hawaii Five-O )
"Come on down!" (Johnny Olson, The Price is Right )
"Danger, Will Robinson" (Robot, Lost in Space )
"De plane! De plane!" (Tattoo, Fantasy Island )
"Denny Crane" (Denny Crane, Boston Legal )
"Do you believe in miracles?" (Al Michaels, 1980 Winter Olympics)
"D'oh!" (Homer Simpson, The Simpsons )
"Don't make me angry ..." (David Banner, The Incredible Hulk )
"Dyn-o-mite" (J.J., Good Times )
"Elizabeth, I'm coming!" (Fred Sanford, Sanford and Son )
"Gee, Mrs. Cleaver ..." (Eddie Haskell, Leave it to Beaver )
"God'll get you for that" (Maude, Maude )
"Good grief" (Charlie Brown, Peanuts specials)
"Good night, and good luck" (Edward R. Murrow, See It Now )
"Good night, John Boy" (The Waltons )
"Have you no sense of decency?" (Joseph Welch to Sen. McCarthy)
"Heh heh" (Beavis and Butt-head, Beavis and Butthead )
"Here it is, your moment of Zen" (Jon Stewart, The Daily Show )
"Here's Johnny!" (Ed McMahon, The Tonight Show )
"Hey now!" (Hank Kingsley, The Larry Sanders Show )
"Hey hey hey!" (Dwayne Nelson, What's Happening!! )
"Hey hey hey!" (Fat Albert, Fat Albert )
"Holy (whatever), Batman!" (Robin, Batman )
"Holy crap!" (Frank Barone, Everybody Loves Raymond )
"Homey don't play that!" (Homey the Clown, In Living Color )
"How sweet it is!" (Jackie Gleason, The Jackie Gleason Show )
"How you doin'?" (Joey Tribbiani, Friends )
"I can't believe I ate the whole thing" (Alka Seltzer ad)
I know nothing! (Sgt. Schultz, Hogan's Heroes)
"I love it when a plan comes together" (Hannibal, The A-Team)
"I want my MTV!" (MTV ad)
"I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl ..." (Larry, Newhart)
"I'm not a crook ..." (Richard Nixon)
"I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV" (Vicks Formula 44 ad)
"I'm Rick James, bitch!" (Dave Chappelle as Rick James, Chappelle's Show)
"If it weren't for you meddling kids!" (Various villains, Scooby Doo, Where Are You? )
"Is that your final answer?" (Regis Philbin, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire)
"It keeps going and going and going ..." (Energizer Batteries ad)
"It takes a licking ..." (Timex ad)
"Jane, you ignorant slut" (Dan Aykroyd to Jane Curtin, Saturday Night Live)
"Just one more thing ..." (Columbo, Columbo)
"Let's be careful out there" (Sgt. Esterhaus, Hill Street Blues)
"Let's get ready to rumble!" (Michael Buffer, various sports events)
"Live long and prosper" (Spock, Star Trek)
"Makin' whoopie" (Bob Eubanks, The Newlywed Game)
"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" (Jan Brady, The Brady Bunch)
"Mom always liked you best" (Tommy Smothers, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour)
"Never assume ..." (Felix Unger, The Odd Couple)
"Nip it!" (Barney Fife, The Andy Griffith Show)
"No soup for you!" (The Soup Nazi, Seinfeld)
"Norm!" (Cheers)
"Now cut that out!" (Jack Benny, The Jack Benny Program)
"Oh, my God! They killed Kenny!" (Stan and Kyle, South Park )
"Oh, my nose!" (Marcia Brady, The Brady Bunch )
"One small step for man ..." (Neil Armstrong)
"Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" (Grey Poupon ad)
"Read my lips: No new taxes!" (George H.W. Bush)
"Resistance is futile" (Picard as Borg, Star Trek: The Next Generation )
"Say good night, Gracie" (George Burns, The Burns & Allen Show )
"Schwing!" (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth, Saturday Night Live )
"Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" (Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle)
"Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids" (Trix cereal ad)
"Smile, you're on Candid Camera" (Candid Camera )
"Sock it to me" (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In )
"Space, the final frontier ..." (Capt. Kirk, Star Trek )
"Stifle!" (Archie Bunker, All in the Family )
"Suit up!" (Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother )
"Tastes great! Less filling!" (Miller Lite beer ad)
"Tell me what you don't like about yourself" (Dr. McNamara and Dr. Troy, Nip/Tuck )
"That's hot" (Paris Hilton, The Simple Life )
"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" (Jim McKay, ABC's Wide World of Sports )
"The tribe has spoken" (Jeff Probst, Survivor )
"The truth is out there" (Fox Mulder, The X-Files )
"This is the city ..." (Sgt. Joe Friday, Dragnet )
"Time to make the donuts" (Dunkin' Donuts ad)
"Two thumbs up" (Siskel & Ebert, Siskel & Ebert )
"Up your nose with a rubber hose" (Vinnie Barbarino, Welcome Back, Kotter )
"We are two wild and crazy guys!" (Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd as Czech playboys, Saturday Night Live )
"Welcome to the O.C., bitch" (Luke, The O.C. )
"Well, isn't that special?" (Dana Carvey as the Church Lady, Saturday Night Live )
"We've got a really big show!" (Ed Sullivan, The Ed Sullivan Show )
"Whassup?" (Budweiser ad)
"What you see is what you get!" (Geraldine, The Flip Wilson Show )
"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" (Arnold Drummond, Diff'rent Strokes )
"Where's the beef?" (Wendy's ad)
"Who loves you, baby?" (Kojak, Kojak )
"Would you believe?" (Maxwell Smart, Get Smart )
"Yabba dabba do!" (Fred Flintstone, The Flintstones )
"Yada, yada, yada" (Seinfeld )
"Yeah, that's the ticket" (Jon Lovitz as the pathological liar, Saturday Night Live )
"You eeeediot!" (Ren, Ren & Stimpy )
"You look mahvelous!" (Billy Crystal as Fernando, Saturday Night Live )
"You rang?" (Lurch, The Addams Family )
"You're fired!" (Donald Trump, The Apprentice )
"You've got spunk ..." (Lou Grant, The Mary Taylor Moore Show )

Lost Loose Ends

!!Warning!!

Reading this might take awhile.... only click this link if you have some time to burn. Then again, it's about Lost, so it's definitely worth your time, especially since we've got NINE AND A HALF freaking weeks until the next episode.

Monday, November 27

Hey D! Sound Familiar?

From Jalopnik:
While the target customers for the Honda Civic Si were likely but an idea when Disney's groundbreaking-at-the-time yet now cult classic TRON was made, Honda's Santa Monica based Ad Agency RPA enlisted RBG6 via Nexus London to create a TRON-based ad for the sportiest of stock Civics nonetheless. The ad caught our eye and ear on the TV due to countless hours playing the arcade version of TRON at Elsie's lunch in Harvard square during the early eighties. This gaming of course followed multiple viewings of the then not yet cult classic RCA SelectaVision vinyl VideoDisc version of TRON on a Zenith color TV. Now, if we could just get the Civic Si through those damn grid bugs and light cycles.
linky here

News Of The Bizarre

Did anyone else know this?

Lifted from TMZ:
Van Halen has hired 15-year-old Wolfgang Van Halen -- the son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen and estranged wife Valerie Bertinelli, and nephew of drummer Alex Van Halen -- as the new bassist for the band.

Wolfgang replaces longtime bassist Michael Anthony, who left the band earlier this year. Eddie Van Halen's spokesperson Janie Liszewski tells TMZ that Wolfgang, known as "Wolfie," has already joined his dad and uncle for rehearsals in the studio for a 2007 summer tour. Wolfie played dates with his father during the band's 2004 tour, and the song "316" on 1991's "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge," was named for Wolfie's birth date that same year.

The band is still without a lead singer, despite rumors that David Lee Roth might rejoin.

--hell, i didn't even know Michael Anthony left! and beyond that... what if the VH bro's decide to toss Wolfie when they decide they don't like him anymore? like they did with Roth and Hagar? so many questions... so little time....

Never Saw THIS Coming!

Pam Anderson has filed for divorce from Kid Rock and vice-versa. What the hell is this world coming to?

Survivor

You watching this show??? OMG! One of The Best in a very long time!!!

Here's the EW recap, in all its glory:


It's Thanksgiving, so I am going to start off this column by giving thanks. Giving thanks for my family, thanks for my health, thanks for my limited-edition Planet of the Apes box set that comes in a big monkey head, and thanks for another insanely incredible episode of Survivor. Remember on the Vanuatu Thanksgiving episode two years ago when the all-female alliance turned on Ami and voted her out? This was even better. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb here and call the last three episodes of Cook Islands the best three-episode Survivor run ever. Seriously, the stuff that has gone on the past three weeks in unbelievable. First you had the mutiny. Then you had the underdog Aitu tribe dominating. Then you had the green-bottle double elimination. And now we've been treated to one of the best pure strategy episodes of all time, with Yul slyly getting Jonathan to flip sides yet again by threatening use of the hidden immunity idol. Who would have thunk it a month ago when this season seemed to be running on fumes and there were no heroes or villains to root for? It all culminated at the end tonight when I actually jumped out of my chair and pumped my fist in the air after Nate got voted out — and Nate was the one guy on Raro that I actually liked! In any event, I give thanks. Even though I looked like a major dork.

I give thanks to the members of Rarotonga for giving us this season's token drunk hilarity at the merge booze cruise. First, Adam started puking off the side of the boat, and then every scene Nate appeared in for the next 15 minutes featured him carrying at least one beer. To quote my good friend Bill Murray (actually, we've never met), ''I wanna party with you, Cowboy.''

I give thanks to Adam for simultaneously hitting on both Candice and Parvati, even going so far as to promote the first ever Survivor three-way freeway with the proclamation that ''you can both appreciate me.'' Anyone else in America appreciating Adam right now? Show of hands? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller...?

I give thanks to the word ''hypothetically'' for being used approximately 18,427 times in under an hour.

I give thanks to Yul for being the smartest player to ever play this game (sorry Hatch and Cesternino) and making me look damn good for picking him to win before the game even began. (Trust me, that doesn't happen often.) Figuring out that he might be able to use his possession of the immunity idol to win Jonathan back over to Aitu's side was pure genius. It wasn't like he threw this offer out willy-nilly. He correctly recognized that such a proposal would not work with any other Raro member, and he therefore targeted Jonathan even though the Alan Alda sound-alike had ditched him just a few days earlier. Now the folks from Aitu have gone from a one-person disadvantage to a one-person advantage, and Yul still has the freakin' idol! He gave absolutely nothing away! ( I think Morasca's right. I do have a man crush.)

I give thanks to Jonathan for being so devious and making all of this possible in the first place. His and Candice's jumping ship set all this drama in motion to begin with, and now him flipping back to Aitu only adds more tension. At this point, he just may be one of the most disliked Survivor contestants ever — and that is exactly what this season needed.

I give thanks to the other members of Raro for blindly insisting that there was no possible way Yul could have the immunity idol and deciding to vote for him. If Jonathan, Adam, and Candice all said they didn't have it, who the hell else do they think did? Have they never watched this show?

I give thanks to one of the most tense and unpredictable tribal councils ever. What would happen? Would Yul have to play the hidden immunity idol? Would Jonathan flip? Would he go back and tell the Raro folks to vote off Sundra instead to maintain their advantage? So many possibilities. (And so few correct spellings of Yul's name.)

I give thanks to the new merged tribe name of Aitutonga, because it is actually half-decent.

I give thanks to the advertisement that came on my TV at one point for a local news story on ''pet braces,'' because it made me laugh and almost spit out my Heineken beer. (I'm at my mom's house for the holiday, and unfortunately she is not wise to the ways of Milwaukee's Best. I'm working on it.)

I give thanks to Jonathan and Yul for pointing out that the immunity challenge was not fair to men with bigger feet. It wasn't a huge discrepancy like last season's final-three challenge, where Danielle's lighter frame gave her a clear advantage in not sinking, but it was something that crossed my mind as well. And how much do we love Yul's comment that ''it's kinda why elephants can't run up trees.''

I give thanks to Jeff Probst for showing a pretty damn good sense of humor in informing Ozzy that the ugly-ass immunity idol was indeed ''unisex.'' While we are on the subject of funny quotes, I also give thanks to Parvati for describing Yul as ''Mr. Harvard Yale Stanford Guy,'' and thereby reminding us that she is not, in fact, ''Mrs. Harvard Yale Stanford Girl.''

I most assuredly do not give thanks to another Adam-Candice make-out session. If you knew how smelly and stinky these people are out there, you would be grossed out too.

But lastly, I give thanks to Nate for one of the best parting-thoughts speeches in Survivor history, when he told Jonathan to ''kiss my ass'' and described him as a ''dirty, stinky, whack fruitcake'' (although with the ''Nancy boy'' and now ''fruitcake'' references, he is coming dangerously close to challenging Rudy Boesch for the Ultimate Survivor Homophobe award).

A month ago it looked like we had another Africa-Thailand-Vanuatu-Guatemala on our hands. But all of a sudden, feelings are hurt, heroes are emerging, and villains are everywhere. The only thing missing was the Milwaukee's Best. (Like I said, I'm working on it!)

What do you think? Can you remember any Survivor season that has turned around more than this one? Did Jonathan make the right move in switching back? And who would you pick if you were Adam — Candice or Parvati?

AR Recap

Go read it here

I hate non-elimination rounds. Hate them.

Amazing Race All Star

The Amazing Race 11 will be an all-star race. It “began last week in Miami and will premiere in first-quarter 2007,” according to Variety. (Last week means the week of the 13th.)

The story confirms several cast members, including overexposed assholes Rob and Amber, and this season’s David and Mary. Also on board: Amazing Race 7 winners Joyce and Uchenna, who beat Rob and Amber. Variety also notes that Chip and Kim won’t be participating, although they already made that perfectly clear.

Wednesday, November 22

Sometimes the headlines just write themselves.

I saw this on "IMDB News:"

Hilton Vomits While Attempting To Sing Own Song

Lots O' Lost

OMG!! Good stuff here, kids!

-There are two more deaths planned after [the one hapenning in episode 3.07], both major character deaths. Doc Arzt makes a return this season via flashback. Currently the plan is for the season three finale to be Ben centric.

Episode 3.07: Not In Portland (Juliet-centric)
Airdate: February 7, 2007

- Despite wide-spread rumors, Matthew Fox's character, Jack, will not be shot by Juliet when Lost returns on February 7th. In-fact, Juliet will shoot.... read on if you want to be spoiled... Pickett who is on the verge of killing Sawyer, leaving herself in a precarious position with the others.


Episode 3.08: Title Unknown (Desmond-centric)
Airdate: February 14, 2007

- Sources close to the set insist that Fox is not part of the reunion that takes place in episode eight. Sawyer and Kate, return the beach at the end of the episode.


Episode 3.09: Title Unknown (Jack-centric)
Airdate: February 21, 2007

- Episode nine is the final update on Jack's status. He stayed behind to repair Ben, but will he now get off the island as he was promised or not?
- A wonderful location shoot in downtown Honolulu turned Fort Street Mall near Hawaii Pacific University into Bangkok, Thailand. Two blocks away, the Indigo Restaurant on Nuuanu Avenue played both a tattoo parlor, and a restaurant. All this appears to be for Ep. 3x09, a Jack-centric episode. The night shoot for "Bangkok" was as colorful as any for "LOST," with signs and lights and sexy dancers. Two days of meticulous setup netted ten seconds of footage, in which a mysterious woman in red walks down the crowded street and turns down a narrow alley. Jack follows. According to a camera operator at the restaurant location, the female guest star opposite Matthew Fox was Bai Ling.

Tuesday, November 21

My New Favorite Heading (for today)

Bwah! You MUST click on this link and read this hysterical heading. Maybe it's the ice cream I just ate which is causing me to feel so giddy about it, but, it totally cracked my ass up!

My New Favorite Word

"Premature ebayulation"

Example: buying THREE PlayStation 1's for $1000 each, not realizing you were buying a PS1.

Lost

What do you think of those rumors that Jack will be killed off Lost?

21.8 Million

OSU vs. Michigan had 21.8 million viewers, the largest college football game since 1993. Wow! Go Bucks!

Damn! Now We'll Never Know If OJ Did It!

News Corp. Cancels O.J. Simpson Book and TV Special

Coin Scandal Update

I know y'all been sittin' on the edge of yer seats wantin' to know about this

Monday, November 20

Reality Roundup

From RealityBlurred:


In recent weeks, a few cable networks have announced new reality shows that follow different personalities, from a father and son who perform gastric bypass surgeries to George Foreman grilling. Here’s a round-up of notable, recently announced series:

Bravo has had success with two distinct subgenres of reality TV: competitive series focusing on craft, and docudrama series focusing on different industries and the crazy people within them. Adding a new show to its lineup of the latter, Bravo is planning Welcome to the Parker. The one-hour show is set at the Parker Palm Springs hotel, and Bravo says it “will uncover the lives, relationships and drama of the hotel staff and their guests.” It will air sometime in 2007.

TLC is planning three new reality series. Family Surgeons is “American Chopper meets The Biggest Loser,” according to Variety. It “follows a father-son medical practice specializing in gastric bypass surgeries.” Also coming from TLC: Mind Your Manners follows people as they “undergo etiquette training in preparation for such situations as a first date or a job interview,” while My First Home “chronicles the process of buying a home in today’s climate,” Variety says.
World of Wonder Productions is shopping Viva Hollywood, which follows “Latin telenovela stars” as the come to the US and “struggle to make it big in the U.S. market,” Variety reports.

TV Land has ordered a pilot for Family Foreman, which the network says is “an intimate look inside the remarkable life of former heavyweight boxing champion/multi-million dollar pitchman George Foreman who is a minister to many, and father to ten children.” The network is also planning a six-episode series titled In Celebrity Love Cruise, in which “celebrities take to the high seas to find love in this raucous dating show.” It’s produced by Generate TV, not Bunim-Murray, so, tragically, it’s probably not a return of the FOX series that gave us Toni Ferrari. Finally, TV Land is planning Back to the Grind, which “allows viewers to join celebrated actors as they perform — in the real world — the kind of job their characters did on their respective hit TV series.” Celebs who will appear include Harry Anderson, Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Sherman Hemsley; the series debuts June 6, 2007.


--discuss.

Friday, November 17

PS3 Launch Party

I thought the Playboy Mansion was going to be the party of the year. Boy, was I wrong.

Last night, they closed down part of Hollywood to host a PS3 launch party. It was bad ass. I walked in the venue next to Sinbad! Sinbad! Matt, a friend, played NBA 07: The Life with BARRY BONDS! We had a three minute conversation with KEVIN DILLON about vodka! And boy, did it look like he had a lot of vodka to drink. I played Resistance (I suck at FPS), Motorstorm (awesome awesome game), Gran Tourismo HD, etc. There was a Genji room, an NBA room, a Resistance room, etc. But the best part.... CAMP FREDDY! Dave Navarro, SLASH, Mark McGrath, Scott Weiland, Matt Sorum, the girl from The Donnas, man, that was a good show. And I'm hungover.

Playboy Mansion

I have to say, it was disappointing. Yeah, there were naked chicks in the pool. Yeah, the mansion is huge (we weren't allowed inside). Yeah, the yard is awesome. Big pool, zoo (monkeys! birds! bunnies!), free drinks. But there was nothing to DO! So we just stood there.

However, I had a blast. Because I was at THE PLAYBOY MANSION!

Weeds

Season Three! Summer!

Wednesday, November 15

Have You Heard?


There's a big football game this weekend.

Doesn't mean it's good...

but the Arrested Development creator is exec producing a new show. A new show that sounds a bit intriguing:

"ABC has given a pilot order for a project called The Thick of It, an adaptation of the UK's series on BBC 4. The comedy revolves around the office of a member of Congress, per Hollywood Reporter.  Written by Richard Day, the project is exec produced by Day and Mitchell Hurwitz."

Tuesday, November 14

Things That Bug Me

It's been awhile since I posted a "Bug".

It really pisses me off when someone (*cough* coworker *cough*) asks for my opinion on something and when I give my thoughts, they go to great length to explain WHY they chose to do something the way they did.

Then don't fucking ask my opinion, okay???!!!!

Desperate Housewives

Okay, it's getting better. I was "this close" to watching new Family Guys instead.

Gamers Week

Tonight I am going to the Playboy Mansion to celebrate Gamers Week. Not sure if it's an official holiday, but with the launch of PS3 on Friday and Nintendo Wii on Monday, I guess it's pretty accurate.

I'll tell Hugh hello for everyone.

The Bower Agency

Hopefully they nail the advertising industry a little better than The Dumbest Agency in Desperate Housewives:

"NBC has ordered a script of Split Decision, a property presented at the New York TV Festival this fall, per Variety.  The 30m comedy project is based on a NYC downtown advertising agency who develop campaigns for larger corporate clients. This marks the first time a pilot presented at the Festival has been acquired by a broadcast network.  The project was created by Mary Egan Callahan who will serve as supervising producer; Joe Narcisco wrote the pilot and Bruce Hurwit directed."

Shut Up & Sing

I've always sort of liked the Dixie Chicks, and then they made their politics clear and I liked them even more. With the release of their last album, Taking the Long Way, you can call me a fan. I went to see their new documentary, Shut Up & Sing, and I think I'm in love. They are three extremely talented, funny and outspoken gals. The behind-the-scenes and at-home stuff was great; it really made them look.... regular. And it made it even more pathetic how people turned against them and treated them as traitors. It says a lot about the limits of freedom in this country.

My favorite part was the t-shirt Natalie made and wore after Toby Keith made disparaging comments to them. "F.U.T.K." Soon after she started wearing it, protesters showed up at their concerts with "F.U.D.C." t-shirts. Natalie was asked by the media what she thought of those shirts. Her answer was classic. "I think it's fine if they wear those shirts, but I just want to know why they have a problem with Dick Cheney."

Insatiable

God, I love Showtime. Weeds, Dexter, The L Word, Season 1 of Queer as Folk.... this is the next show that will make me like Showtime even more...

"Showtime's newest project, Insatiable, about four families in a small town where just about everyone has an addiction of some sort, is in the final negotiation stages to bolstered it's cast.  In talks to join the show are Andie MacDowell, Andrea Martin and Lara Flynn Boyle, says Hollywood Reporter.  MacDowell's character is addicting to shopping on e-Bay; Martin's character's husband is a gambling addict; and Boyle's character likes to take things."

Back

...and I'm back.

Friday, November 10

Theories Abound

Head on over to Doc Jensen's EW column and read his theories.

Interesting stuff!

Thursday, November 9

Lost 3.06 Recap

Courtesy of EW:

Lest Sawyer wannabes get the wrong idea, rocks, dirt, and bear droppings all over the ground do not actually put women in the mood. That's a myth. More reflections on Kate-and-Sawyer sexytime, as soon as we examine Florida flashbacks and some flashes of temper.

''I Do,'' the final episode before season 3 goes on hiatus, laid out more of Kate's fugitive past and exposed some of her slip-ups. (Falling in love with a cop? Phoning the marshal who's after you? Use your noggin, Freckles!) Kate's flashbacks in Miami weren't as exciting as the action on the island, but they were full of fun details: her alias, Monica; her happy wedding; taco night; her honeymoon tickets, booked on Oceanic; her negative pregnancy test (hinted at last season during Sun's ''I might be preggers'' scene on the beach); and the drug-laced drink she gave her husband. What's the upshot? This is a woman perpetually torn between fight or flight. In the episode's final moments, Jack illuminated Kate's dual nature by asking her to recall a story he'd told when they first met: In it, Jack had described an attack of acute presurgery fear, and Kate had said her instinct would have been to run, to which Jack had replied, ''You're not running now.'' Juxtapose that with Jack inside the Hydra, screaming into the walkie-talkie, ''Run, Kate! Run!'' while she refused, sobbing and terrified.

For theorists who believe the castaways are on the island for various forms of spiritual resolution, the inner battle of stay vs. go would seem to be the deep-seated issue that Kate is there to work though. Complicating matters is the fact that she's torn between two men. (Don't let a tryst in a polar-bear cage persuade you that Lost's love triangle is over.) Kate recognizes real love when she feels it, as seen in her memories of Kevin the Cop (played by Nathan Fillion of Firefly). Fast-forward to the island, post-abduction: Kate seemed to be struggling with her strong feelings for Sawyer and, I'm convinced, equally strong feelings for Jack. When Juliet marched Kate into Jack's cell (how heartwarming was it to see Dr. Sourpuss' face light up?), it was very telling that all Kate did was weep when he asked if she'd been hurt. I'm guessing she cried not because of what Jack asked her but because she realized he loved her and she dreaded having to eventually choose. On a related note, I sensed the potential for a Juliet-Jack romance dwindling in this episode, with Juliet seeming particularly blank.

I loved seeing Jack flip his lid in the OR and regain control of his situation. When he assaulted an Other in scrubs and demanded contact with Kate, my heart was racing. Tom's priceless expression as he watched Jack's outburst through an observation window was topped only by his hopefully-soon-to-be-infamous line ''Just hand her the damn walkie, Danny!'' Surely, following the hiatus, Jack will stitch up the kidney-sac incision he made (um, ouch), so that Ben can wake up and restore order. That Pickett is wreaking havoc without anyone in charge.

But wait just an intercom-cracklin' minute. Who's really in charge? As Ben's surgery began, hothead Pickett griped, ''Shepard wasn't even on Jacob's list.'' Who's Jacob? What list? One guess is that Jacob is the eye-patch guy introduced last week. Would that make Ben just a haughty underling who reports to head-honcho Jacob? Or is it that Ben the cancer patient has an identical twin named Jacob who wears glasses? Okay, I may be clinging to my twin theory too long, but I find the shots of Ben staring through those Harry Potter specs very ominous, as if something were not quite what it seems.

Back to Freckles and Ford, doing like they do on the Discovery Channel! I thought it was perfect timing in the series — not too soon, not too late. I was, however, a little surprised the new lovers threw that much caution to the wind: A. Kate was obviously not supposed to break out of her cage or into Sawyer's. B. The Others don't wear bells; they walk right up to, and past, the cages anytime they like. C. Sawyer's aware, ever since Ben's violent visit, that the cages are monitored. Then there's the question of how grimy two plane-wrecked people on a humid island have to get before sex is unthinkable. Not that acting like animals in heat, outdoors in broad daylight, can't be hot. But I kept thinking, that must be some powerful attraction to overcome what I can only assume is totally rank jungle stank. (Yes, this is a quirk of mine. I can't stomach the Lord of the Rings films because of how often the characters appear to be in desperate need of baths.)

The important thing is that Kate threw herself at Sawyer and he confessed his love. He's vulnerable to heartbreak; as I said, she's in love with two men. (When Sawyer asked, essentially, whether she loved him, she was mum, kissing him instead, but I'll bet the episode's title is her answer.) I'm not as worried anymore that the Others caged Kate near Sawyer in a dastardly plot to encourage procreation. (Pickett was too eager to shoot him.) What seems more likely now is that Jack was taken hostage for his medical skill, along with two friends to use against him.

Jack's heart broke in the Hydra control room (which was suspiciously empty and full of guns) after he spotted Sawyer snuggling Kate on a security camera. Then, desperate to ''get the hell off this island,'' he consented to operate on Ben. But why, and how, did Alex help free Jack? It would seem Slingshot Sally has a history with Ben, who asked about her moments before surgery. Was she kidnapped from Rousseau and raised by Ben? Alex intrigues me, and I hope we see more of her.

If you're already hating the hiatus, I have a book recommendation to help tide you over. Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake is a terrific novel about scientists who try saving the human race via a secret experiment called the Paradice Project. Sound familiar? The story includes a mysterious humanlike species (who could certainly be considered Others of a sort), a pivotal love triangle, and flashbacks to explain it all.

My wish list for the Feb. 7 episode: Answers to ten old (pre-season 3) questions and five recent questions, plus one new bombshell that blows our minds. To quote Locke's eulogy for Eko, ''Let's hope it's not too long before we find out what the heck it might be.''

What did you think? Will Kate regret sleeping with Sawyer? Will Jack let Ben die? Is Alex a dissenter or a collaborator putting on a performance? Is Juliet a manipulator or a victim? And who is Jacob?

Official Screencap of 2006 Election

Poor, poor Santorum..... how will his kids go on?

Lifted from VH1's Best Week Ever
(check out the one kid.... bwah!)

Wednesday, November 8

LOST 3.06

Episode 3.06: I Do (Kate-centric)
Airdate: November 8, 2006


Michael Emerson reveals: "You're going to find out some cool stuff watching the [fall] finale. There's going to be an unexpected sort of medical crisis, some health issues and some questions about loyalty. Some people are going to be crossing lines and aligning themselves with people you wouldn't have expected."

Kristin from E! spilled that this week Sawyer and Kate will sleep together and that Jack will have a peek at it. Jack will operate on Ben. Only one between Kate and Jack is sincere in his or her intentions and the other does it for personal gain, which will be revealed with a bloody -good cliffhanger twist. We won't know if Ben survived the operation.

Time on Alcatraz will be over in episode 3.06.

Jack makes a decision regarding Ben's offer, Kate feels helpless when it looks like an angry Pickett is going to make good on his threat to kill Sawyer, and Locke discovers a hidden message that may guide him through the next steps of his journey to unlocking the secrets of the island. Guest starring are Kiele Sanchez as Nikki, Rodrigo Santoro as Paulo, M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly, Tania Raymonde as Alex, Michael Bowen as Pickett, Nathan Fillion as Kevin, Eden-Lee Murray as Suzanne, Mark Stitham as minister and Frederic Lane as the marshal.

As many of you have found out, it looks like Kate was married to a character played by Nathan Fillion. Word got out today from a fan who resides in Hawaii (nickname lilahpapaya at Lost-Forum), that the LOST crew was filming at a church and Evangeline Lily was wearing a wedding gown. Later, they filmed a scene with a cop parked outside the church.

General Spoilers
Cuse and Lindelof revealed: We have a very clear plan for this season, and I don't think we'll get back to Michael and Walt's story this season. Harold Perrineau's story is not finished. He is not on the show currently, but I think everybody is very curious to know what happened to Michael and Walt, and we hope to get back to that story. That character is still out there in the Lost universe. I think there are some upcoming episodes — after the break in the spring — that will answer a number of the open questions. We certainly plan to tell the audience this year how Locke got in the wheelchair. We'll be getting a lot more detailed about what happened to Locke, Eko and Desmond following the immediate aftermath of the hatch exploding, imploding or potentially doing something else. We're doing a flashback story where you'll find out how Jack got his tattoos. And we'll begin peeling back layers of who the Others are, how long they've been on the island, what their origins are. That's really the sort of uber-plot of Season 3. "What's the nature of this island? Where is this island?" The overarching mysteries of Lost remain unanswered. But those questions have to remain unanswered until the show ends. [Eko might be back and it] might not necessarily be a flashback episode. [What happened immediately after the hatch exploded] might be a flashback, but we're not going to tell you how that information gets relayed. That island isn't necessarily where [the Others] live. It's not necessarily the same place where we saw those guys in the beginning of the teaser of the season premiere this year. I think that would be a very reasonable explanation as to how Goodwin and Ethan could run from the Others' home camp to the crash site [in about one hour. The guy with the eye patch is going to figure prominently this season.] The fact that the island may have been seen [by the outside world] is pretty much the entire story arc of the second half of the year. There are two bombs being dropped [during the second half of the season], one of which is a character bomb, and that will happen within the first three episodes after the break. And the other is a more significant story bomb, a game-changer, as it were, and that will happen shortly after.

Other Tailies have survived but we don't know where they are. Future episodes will explain what happened to the doctors. Black Rock will be seen in an upcoming episode.

Britney Wises Up...

....dumps K-Fed.

About damn time. Hope she's got an iron-clad prenup. I feel bad for the babies.

Tuesday, November 7

Please Vote!

If you do nothing else today, please take the time to exercise your right to vote. You may think it means nothing, but your vote does count.

I stopped in my little rural precinct this morning, expecting the usual scattering of poll workers and a couple of fellow voters. Much to my surprise there were at least 10 poll workers (normally 4 or 5) and probably 20 voters!! I think I waited about 30 minutes to get on a machine. Normally I walk in, sign my name and saunter over to the booth. Not today, folks. When I left there were easily 50 or more voters waiting in line behind me.

Today it was obvious that people are fed up with the current regime; fed up with the crap and the lies and empty promises.

Today, I sense a change. I pray it will be a good one and that the Democrats fulfill their promises and do the right thing once in office.

Monday, November 6

Since there are already decorations up at the mall...

Christmas Cookie Recipe

In case you need to make Christmas Cookies:
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Turn on the electric mixer...Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar...Beat again.

At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK, try another cup. Just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit off floor... Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who giveshz a sheet. Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

CHERRY MISTMAS

Reunion News

Lifted from Billboard

Mega-selling pop trio Genesis is reuniting with Phil Collins for its first tour with him since the summer of 1992. An official announcement will be made Monday (Nov. 7) in London. Genesis hasn't toured since 1998, during which Ray Wilson replaced Collins on lead vocals alongside principal members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford.

Former frontman Peter Gabriel will not be participating in the reunion with the group he exited in 1975. "Tony, Mike and Phil are rehearsing now," he said in a recent video message on his Web site. "I'm not involved in this round or this year. I haven't ruled out the possibility of doing something in the future, but right now I'm going to focus on my own work."

Also apparently not involved is guitarist Steve Hackett, who played with the band in the Gabriel era but left in 1977.

Scissor Sister Goodness

Click on link tosee video

Is There A Better Show?

Cuz if there is, I wanna know what it is! Last night's episode was a total hoot-fest.
Reality Blurred

Friday, November 3

Whee! This Is Fun!

RNC gets a bunch o' dough from the porn industry? Who knew our right-wing, Christian, holier-than-thou Republicans were so dirrrrrty underneath that squeaky-clean exterior? Well, actually, it ain't lookin' so squeaky-clean anymore is it?

Linky Here

Hippocrate!!

Boy, these Evangelicals got quite a ruse going these days!! Who knew they were so into drugs and gay sex????? First Foley and now this Haggard dude.


Evangelist Ted Haggard admitted Friday that he bought methamphetamine and received a massage from a gay prostitute who claims he was paid for drug-fueled trysts by the outspoken gay marriage opponent.

Haggard resigned Thursday as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and stepped down as leader of his Colorado megachurch while the two groups investigate the allegations.


My favorite part of this whole story? Watching members of his church weep and cry and tell us what an awesome, Christian guy he is. Bunch of stupid sheep, anyhow......

Lost

Finally, an episode worth talking about at the water cooler.

The Office

Painful! And who knew Pam would be the funniest character lately.

Dexter

There will be a season two! Woo!

Thursday, November 2

7 Phases of Owning An iPod

LOVE IT

Please Read

This is the kind of stuff you need to read once in awhile to make you think. Whether or you agree or not with Keith Olbermann's commentary, it's certainly thought-provoking.

Lost 3.05 Recap

Courtesy of EW:

The season 3 pattern continues: This episode, titled ''The Cost of Living,'' answered a few questions (whose tumor?), raised a few questions (who's the eye-patch guy?), and ignored many long-standing questions (how did Yemi and Eko crash on the same island?). When Juliet asked Jack to guess what she had brought him for lunch and he said, ''I'm not big on mysteries,'' I wasn't the only one who chuckled. We've digested a steady diet of them since the pilot aired.

The big mystery that this episode confirmed was whose tumor was on the X-ray: Ben's. I don't get how that jibes with the physical prowess Ben demonstrated in the previous episode, but I'm hoping the answer is coming soon. Once the cancer was out of the bag, Ben played the straightforward card and appealed to Jack's mercy: ''I want you to want to save my life....All I ask is that you consider it.'' And he added: ''Two days after I found out I had a fatal tumor on my spine, a spinal surgeon fell out of the sky.'' If we take that line at face value (dare we?), it indicates that Ben and the Others played no role in the Oceanic crash, as some viewers have speculated.

On to the tantalizing mystery of Eye-Patch Man, who skulked into view on a Pearl station monitor. Is he an Other? Does the glass eye the Tailies found in the Arrow station (in season 2) belong to him? Nikki the newbie had the idea to fire up the additional monitors. Although she still hasn't won me over (I kept wishing Sawyer would drop in and drawl, ''Pipe down, Daisy Duke'') and Paulo's pearl of wisdom about the Pearl's john (''The toilet still works'') sounded random, the episode set them up to become more pivotal characters. Their couplehood definitely seems clearer now; my bet is they were on their honeymoon before 815 crashed.

Here's a Pearl-related question I've had ever since the scene when we first peeked inside. (Cue it up, those of you who own season 2 on DVD.) Entering the Pearl station for the first time, Eko glanced at a ceiling panel that had been torn away to reveal a camera aimed into the hatch. Why was the Pearl, which was designed to monitor other stations, being monitored? (Is Ben's voyeur studio inside Hydra the real spy hub?) There was visible debris — is that from when staffers abandoned the Pearl? Some theorize that the Others are a ''breakaway'' group of Dharma folks — if so, did the breakaway begin when the observers realized they were the observed? Locke's loss of faith inside the Pearl may have merely echoed theirs. Imagine two Dharma minions finding that camera and bailing from the project. (The Pearl T-shirt worn by a skeleton in the polar-bear cave means they might not have gotten far.)

Meanwhile, inside Hydra, Jack — after a field trip to Colleen's funeral — learned that Juliet's feminine wiles had been part of Ben's plan to ''break'' him. (I disagree with Ben that Juliet resembles Jack's ex — Sarah is more physically angular and emotionally one-dimensional.) The episode's best scene was when Juliet stood behind Jack's glass wall and played a movie (To Kill a Mockingbird, she said) that was actually a videotape of silent messages for him. As she earnestly spoke of saving Ben's life (''He's a great man''), Jack glanced at Juliet on the tape, holding up ten handwritten placards instructing him to ignore her speech, informing him that Ben is a dangerous liar, and asking him to let Ben die on the operating table — and make it look like an accident. The most provocative of her cards read, ''Some of us want a change.'' (I hadn't seriously considered that Ben was a cult leader with disgruntled disciples, but I will now.) Stunned, Jack played along. Could it be the birth of an alliance that unites castaways and some of the Others for the greater good? It better not be a trick, if only because Jack is overdue for some momentum. Let's get him out of that aquarium!

Time to don your mourning garb. (White pajamas are all the rage — comfy, if not practical.)

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to remember Mr. Eko, a Nigerian who spent his final days on earth marooned on a tropical island where he was fatally thrashed by a menacing, muscular entity made of black smoke. Eko was a passionate man. He will be remembered (okay, by me, anyway) for his perfect belly button and pretty eyelashes. His stature, and frequent silences, made him the most intimidating of Flight 815's survivors. A formative milestone occurred when, as a young boy, he was kidnapped by gangsters who essentially baptized him into a life of crime (an event that spared his little brother, Yemi, that fate). On the island, Eko displayed a devout religious faith, but in the end, he was unrepentant for his so-called sins. Eko's conscience haunted his final hours. Time and again, his primary survival tactic had been violence; he struggled to reconcile that with his (and others') definition of goodness.

We already knew Eko was mistaken for a priest when soldiers tried stopping his small plane from taking off with smuggled heroin (and Yemi) on board. In new flashbacks, we learned that Eko continued acting on criminal urges — trying to sell the vaccines Yemi had procured and committing murder in Yemi's church. Thanks to a preachy villager telling Eko, ''You owe Yemi one church,'' we now understand why Eko tried building one on the island. I was moved when he knelt before the Yemi apparition and said, ''I did my best.'' Whether we believe that or not, Eko believed it.

I'm ready for my own confession (it's been over two decades since my last confession, yadda yadda): I have theories on just about everything on the island except the smoke monster. None of the explanations I've heard (psychic energy, a ''security'' system) sit right with me. Locke hinted that the monster might be a devious shape shifter; he described ''a very bright light...beautiful'' (to which Eko replied, ''That is not what I saw''). Are certain castaways' visions — Jack seeing his father, Hurley seeing Dave, Eko seeing Yemi — caused by a monster with shape-shifting and mind-reading powers? Are there good and bad monster twins (to fit my twin theme, introduced last week)? Any way you look at Smokey, the monster got Eko but good.

A final lament before I let Eko and his Jesus stick go: I'll miss Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje — his acting was up there with Terry O'Quinn's, Elizabeth Mitchell's, and Michael Emerson's. I guess he was the sacrifice the island demanded.

What do you think? Will Jack let Ben die on the operating table? Is Juliet trustworthy? Will the Pearl play a role in rescuing Kate, Sawyer, and Jack? And who's the Eye-Patch Man?

Wednesday, November 1

LOST 3.05

Episode 3.05: The Cost of Living (Eko-centric)
Airdate: November 1, 2006


A major character (as in a series regular) whose name is not Sawyer will join Boone, Shannon, Ana Lucia and Libby in the big island in the sky. And you're not going to believe who it is.

A delirious Eko wrestles with past demons; some of the castaways go to the Pearl station to find a computer they can use to locate Jack, Kate and Sawyer; Jack does not know who to trust when two of the Others are at odds with each other. Guest starring are Kiele Sanchez as Nikki, Rodrigo Santoro as Paulo, Michael Bowen as Pickett, Adetokumboh MCormack as Yemi, Muna Otaru as Amina, Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Emeka, Jermaine Scooter Smith as Daniel, Michael Robinson as trader, Ariston Green as guard, Lawrence Jones as soldier and Alicia Young as blind woman.

This Eko-centric episode will feature a Nigerian woman named Amadi who is intuitive and strong and has a son, a violent warlord named Azi, and a sweet altar boy named Daniel.

Also, chances are good that we will find out one of the characters is gay. A future episode may possibly reveal Nikki and Paulo's experiences on the island during the time we didn't see them. We will find out who the x-rays belonged to sometime in the next two episodes.