Whine & Cheese

MisMatch #1

On a daily basis, I usually head on over to Yahoo to check out news items (ok, usually this is limited to the entertainment section)... and occasionally, there is a photo that doesn't really match, often quite comically so, to the story that is attached to it.  These graphics are not doctored/photo-shopped, etc... and oh, they also tend to be eventually corrected...

But if I catch them in time, I thought I would share them with you... so without further ado, here is my inaugural W&C mismatch:

While a $10 million libel suit related to American Idol is certainly news... I would think the bigger story here is that Elton John is apparently Fantasia Barrino's father!   Now that's interesting on so many fronts (race and sexual orientation immediately pop to mind)... and c'mon Elton do you really need $10 million more?!

(Link: Fantasia's father files libel suit - Yahoo! News)

Monique Coleman Wardrobe Malfunction

My search hit page is always a good indication of what's hot and buzzworthy... in the last 24 hours, these search hits started cropping up:

monique coleman wardrobe malfuntion
monique dancing with the stars wardrobe malfunction
monique ass slip
monique butt slip
monique coleman loses skirt
monique coleman rear end revealed

Of course, I watch Dancing With The Stars... but as with Ms. Jackson, the mother of all wardrobe malfunctions, I didn't have a clue a "malfunction" had occurred...and I certainly had not saved the episode on the TiVo to go be able to go back and review...   

But you know the media would be all over it... so yesterday afternoon, the entertainment program, The Insider, is on... and I get to see what it's all about:

So what happened?  Monique, while doing the jive with partner Louis Van Amstel, kicks up her leg... her heel gets tangled on some of that frilly stuff on her skirt... and when her leg comes down... so does her skirt... whoopsie!  In a post-show interview, Monique mentions that she "felt a draft."

Now it is all fairly innocent, but given the current climate that the very fabric of American society will be torn beyond repair if even the slightest bit of nudity is shown on television I am still surprised that the show is showing it over and over again... the third time around, The Insider provides viewers with the visual assistance of a circle, just in case we missed!

But apparently what is OK at 3:00 in the afternoon, is not OK at 6:30 at night...

By the time Entertainment Tonight rolls around and Mary Hart mercilessly teases us with upcoming un-coverage... Monique's "butt slip" is only given one go-round and the image is blurred... but after all, it is the dinner hour.

tags: dancing with the stars, monique coleman, wardrobe malfunction

Fall 2006 New Show Review #1

Ok, remember when I said that I wasn't going to get too crazy with picking up new shows to watch this fall... well, that isn't quite working.  We did drop Fox Monday night, Prison Break and Vanished, but have picked up waaay more than the two hours we "saved" there.

So here are my thoughts:

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - This was almost a miss, for some reason our TiVo said it couldn't (and didn't) record the premiere episode... didn't realize this until 5 days after it aired... but fortunately we caught it when it was re-broadcast on Bravo.  By far, this was the best of the new shows... I thought the first sequence with Judd Hirsch doing his Network-ish "I'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore" rant was pure brilliance.  It was so good, I think the rest of the episode suffered in comparison.  But still very good... and I think it is quite funny that NBC is airing this when it is a big 'ole indictment on television networks and particularly the Peacock network...

The Class - With the Fox drop, we replaced it with the CBS Monday night comedy line-up... with the exception of Two and a Half Men... just couldn't do that one.  The premise of The Class is simply ridiculous (a 20 year reunion of 3rd graders?)... so once we get beyond that, maybe it'll stand a chance.  But pretty typical sitcom material and, after two episodes, nothing terribly special.  So if this one falls to the curb, I really don't care... though I am enjoying How I Met Your Mother and The New Adventures of Old Christine (just started watching these shows for the first time this season).

Jericho - Picked this one up after Todd thought it seemed interesting... small town dealing with the realization that at least two major American cities have been nuked.  We like the premise, but agreed it could probably be better executed... we'll see how it pans out in the coming weeks and whether it can stand the bigger A-bomb in its path, the Dancing With The Stars results show.

Brothers & Sisters - The new family drama airing after Housewives... this one I thought tried to cram way too much into its first episode (and was re-shot when the mother role was re-cast)... my head was spinning from all the characters and revelations (what was the brother-related event that caused a rift between Calista Flockhart and Sally Field?).  But it is a good cast... plus the brothers side are all pretty easy on the eyes.  Particularly enjoyed Rachel Griffiths, though I don't think she's hiding her Aussie accent as well as she did on Six Feet Under.

So I think that's it.  And before you yell at me that your favorite new show is not on the list... we just don't have time!   Plus, there are still (eeeek!) more new shows to come...

The Nine - the Lost-ish bank robbery drama with 24's Kim Raver and Scott Wolf

30 Rock - Tina Fey's sitcom take on backstage life at an SNL-ish show

Dexter - Showtime's new crime drama starring Six Feet Under's Michael C. Hall as a forensics expert who is also a serial killer of serial killers!

Battlestar Galactica - Ok, not "new" but I'm going to give it a try... I have been reading up and also have "the story so far" re-cap already recorded

... and this is all on top of the other stuff we are already watching (which, frankly was more than enough)!  Yikes!  I really thought I wouldn't do all this again?!

Hi Def Jam

A television post about ... the actual television... not what comes across it on the airwaves!

We are soon to be headed (finally!) into the world of hi-def!

When we first moved in, one of our first splurges was a big-screen television... it was high-definition, but way back then our cable company wasn't even offering the service...

... then they did... but by then our love affair with TiVo had started... and since pretty much everything is watched thru the TiVo it didn't make much sense to get HD since the TiVo couldn't handle it... and while we looked into it, we never seriously considered switching to satellite.

But recently the gap was filled with the introduction of the TiVo Series 3 HD... we ordered it over the weekend and if the tracking is correct... it should arrive on Thursday!

Then the next step will be to have the cable company come over and hook us up.  I am curious to see how much of difference it will be... and thanks to CableCard technology, we'll also be able to do one thing I always wished our standalone TiVos could do... record two programs at the same time (something satellite TiVos and cable company DVRs could always do). So I am excited about that. 

The Series 3 is a whopping 300-hour TiVo... that's at standard quality... it gets whittled down to 32 hours of HD quality recordings.  At the moment, the new TiVo doesn't allow transfers between other TiVos and the computer... but hopefully that'll come around pretty soon... but with the dual-tuner capability (fingers crossed!), we shouldn't really need to do the transferring.

Now, just to resist the temptation to get a new slicker television... we've gazed longingly all the new and schmancy tvs out on the market... and have attempted to figure out all that DLP vs. LCD vs. Plasma pros and cons... if you have anything to chime in about those options, please leave a comment... though, we really don't need any encouragement!

TAR10: Get Outta Mongolia

I am thinking these Monday TAR updates are going to be a little tough... seems like the world comes crashing down work-wise on the first day back... but I'll try my best!

So what the hell was going on in Mongolia last night?  Was there even one team that didn't think they were out of the Race at some point or last night... and things certainly seemed very stressy... usually folks are a little less cranky this early in the Race!   Since the Racers have typically gone around the world in the other direction... perhaps the Asia flights have kicked their butts a bit more than a starting leg to South America or even Europe. 

And what's with all the car problems?  I willing to get the conspiracy theory going that the producers are sabotaging vehicles... 5 of 10 teams had some form of vehicle breakdown... with only David & Mary to blame for their own troubles by getting stuck in the mud.  At least they had some good fortune in their replacement vehicle arriving in a timely manner... how they managed to stay competitive during this portion of the leg I really don't know.

Otherwise, it was not a good episode for the dating couples.  Somehow I am guessing "Mongolia is for Lovers" will be that country's new tourism slogan.  Rob & Kimberly's relationship to another big step forward to its inevitable end... and even Sarah voiced some concerns about her future with Peter... umm, honey you have not exactly been a bundle of joy and happiness either thus far.

I wish they would stop having Duke talk about Lauren ... I want to like this pair... and truthfully they have been one of the better working teams thus far... but the "I am fine with gay folk as long as their not my daughter" stuff just leaves a bit of a bad taste.  I know, I know... we're all set up for the big hug & cry over this when their done with the race.   

But at least Mary likes gays... though I am not sure what David, the other half of "Team Deliverance," thinks of them... and she likes Asians too!   Too bad the Indians and the Muslims didn't stick around... the hard part will be convincing her that not all gay guys like to dance with cheerleaders... a few times I think Tom & Terry probably could have made Carson Kressly come off as a straight guy!   Snap! Snap!

Erwin & Godwin are still a bit of an enigma to me... they don't strike me as trying terribly hard, but so far they haven't really had to.   Tyler & James... ok, I got your whole backstory down pat... not everything you do has to be compared to recovering from drug addiction. 

Lyn & Karlyn are still enjoyable... though I am already detecting some fatigue that likely will get them Philiminated in next leg or two...

So we lost the cheerleaders, Kellie & Jamie...but still have Dustin & Kandice, who want to be the first all-female team to win the Race... umm, maybe next time keep track of your hat!

 

Express Lane: Issue 16

Somerhalder Gets 'Lost' Again - You can't keep a cute man down... or dead... when it comes to 'Lost'... Boone "returns" for an October episode.  (9/22/06)

'Entourage' Keeps Rolling - Vincent Chase & Co. have been picked up by HBO for another/4th season... but news to me, season 3 isn't over yet!  8 more episodes will air in early 2007. (9/20/06)

Daniel Silva talks about his spy hero - We're pretty much hooked on the 'Gabriel Allon' series... if you are looking for a pretty quick read, with a bit more substance than your average thriller/page-turner, give Silva a try. (9/20/06)

"Rachael Ray Show" potentially annoying - I love Rachael...  watch all 4 of her shows on the Food Network, have her cookbooks... but even I was reaching for the mute button on the premiere of her syndicated talk show. (9/19/06)

But First 2006 Edition - TVGasm does it again... the 2nd annual collection of the Chenbot's "But, Firsts" back to back to back to back... (9/12/06)

That'll Do, Jack: James Cromwell Joins '24' - Jack Bauer has a dad?  If so, I was kind of hoping Donald Sutherland would take on the role... but Cromwell will do!  (WARNING: Many Season 6 spoilers in this article). (9/12/06)

tags:  24, james cromwell, julie chen, but first, rachael ray, daniel silva, entourage, ian somerhalder

Hot Davis Cup Action

Davis Cup is underway this weekend... this is the team country-vs.-country men's tennis competition.

This pic caught my eye... act of terrorism?  Nope.  The real reason was just so mind-boggling I included the caption since I doubt you would have believed me if I told you!

But they guys were heating up the court as well...

From left to right...

Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka demonstrates my personally preferred method of wiping sweat from one's brow ...

Novak Djokovic gets some ... ahem... some pretty personal treatment from the trainer...

And, as usual, Rafael Nadal maintains his cool and calm on-court demeanor.

A (Long) Night at the Theater

Another "finally getting around to it" post.  Last Friday night, I went to see the first show of our 2006-07 Broadway Across America season... Dirty Rotten Scoundrels... a quick turn-around from the end of the 2005-06 season when we saw Wicked just a couple of weeks ago.

Not this is not that unusual... we are at the mercy of when shows roll through town... so we can see two shows in one month... or have a 4-month break between shows.  What was a little odd was that there were two "big" shows back-to-back.  Every season, there is one show that is  featured prominent... "last" season it was Wicked, this season it was Scoundrels.   

Now this post really won't end up being a review of Scoundrels... it was pretty good, but if this is the "best" show of the season I think we're in trouble.  What saved the night was that we had the original and Tony (and every major theater award) winner Norbert Leo Butz playing Freddy.  Now this is very rare that we get an original cast member, let alone a Tony winner in a touring production... usually the best we can hope for is a C-list celebrity (Yes, I'm looking at you Molly Ringwald, who we'll see later this season in Sweet Charity). 

But arriving home nearly 3 hours after the showtime, I was trying to figure out (a) if I'm getting old, or (b) I have A.D.D. or (c) Both.  With these "newer" musicals, more often that not I am thinking that they are waaay too long.   Both Wicked and Scoundrels clocked in at around 2 hours and 45 minutes... with the first act of Wicked nearly 2 hours long.  Now, I know some stories need the time (i.e. the "epic" Les Miserables), but with these more recent shows I find myself doing mental editing on the spot... unnecessary numbers and/or subplots that could have been trimmed or removed all together. 

With escalating ticket prices, I am guessings shows are longer so people think they are "getting their money's worth."  I certainly thought the production value of both the shows -- the sets, costumes, etc -- was very high... would I have minded, noticed, cared if the show was 30-45 minutes shorter... heck no!

I think Vegas might have the right idea.  In Sin City, you will rarely see a hotel-casino production that goes beyond 90 minutes.  Now, this is for purely selfish reasons... if people are sitting in a theater they are not putting money in machines, chips on the table, eating at a buffet, or shopping. 

Now some folks think it's sacrilege that Vegas has winnowed down Broadway shows to fit this time constraint...  the Venetian just opened a version of Phantom of the Opera that is nearly half the length of the original production... heck, even the show's name has been reduced to merely Phantom.   But they pulled out all the stops... a stunning theater... a schmancy chandelier... and all the show's "greatest hits" remain.   Sounds good to me.

I hate to think I am turning into a crabby old theater queen... but they are just not "making them like they used to"... and more is certainly not necessarily better.

Gay Card: Lifetime Renewal

For my heterosexual readers, let me explain the phrase "gay card"...

It is the hypothetical "membership club card" for us gay folk.

The phrase "gay card" is most often invoked when we something NOT gay... at that point, it is threatened to be taken away.

For example:
"You don't like Cher, Bette Midler, or Madonna?  Give me your gay card!"
"You watch the Super Bowl for the football and not the commercials?"  Hand it over..."

Based on recent/future concert attendance, I now believe my "gay card" is safe for a lifetime.

Exhibit 1:

Madonna's Confessions Tour back in May.  My gay card was in question. I had never seen the Material Girl in concert.  But c'mon, she never toured within 300 miles of anywhere I lived.  So when she decided to grace the Valley with an appearance this time around, the only way to keep my gay card out of jeopardy was to get tix.

Exhibit 2:

Last month, we had Melissa Etheridge.  An actual gay person!  Now this one gets a bit more complicated.  As a gay male, my attendance was not required... but encouraged... for lesbians, non-attendance would be an automatic gay card surrender.  I am happy to report that did not occur... as every lesbian from Arizona (and surrounding states) were at the show.

Okay... so Madge and Melissa ... a decent gay card renewal rate... maybe a year or two ... but certainly not enough to get me to my retirement years!

So next we move on to two, and until now undisclosed, upcoming concerts...

Exhibit 3:  

As you may know, we're (surprise, surprise... not!) going to Vegas for my birthday.  Once we figured out the actual dates, I looked around for entertainment options.  As luck would have it, we'll be there when Elton John is "filling in" for Celine Dion at the Coliseum at Caesars Palace (we've already seen Celine's show, check!).  We are going on my birthday... which will be a very nice treat... and since it is on a Wednesday (vs. Friday or Saturday night) we got pretty decent seats, too!

Ok... Madonna, Melissa, Elton... the gay card points are piling up... but now we send it into the stratosphere...

I'll give you a hint... "The Prince of Tides" was neither about princes nor tides... discuss!

Exhibit 4:

Oh my frickin' goodness... we are going to see Barbra Streisand on November 16th!

This is just beyond my comprehension.  We've seen a lot of people in concert... and honestly there aren't many (if any!) artists left on my "die happy" concert list.  The one hold-out was Barbra. 

I had pretty much given up that it would ever happen.  Like Madonna, in her many "farewell" appearances she never stopped in Phoenix (reports have it that the last time she performed in Arizona was in the 1970s).  She has done Vegas a couple times in the last decade... but they were usually (always?!)  for New Year's, which is the one time I wouldn't want to be anywhere near Sin City (plus paying $600+/night, minimum 2-3 nights for a hotel room... believe me, I checked).

I am thrilled... I just hope I can keep it together... I might get a little verklempt!

(For that classic SNL Coffee Talk/Linda Richman skit featuring Madonna & Rosanne Barr plus a surprise appearance from Babs herself... it's on You Tube (of course!)... click here).

So I think my gay card is officially safe for the forseeable future...

Now I just have to get over that the cost of all these concerts tickets likely exceeds the GNP for some third-world countries!

Manila Blah-Nik

I certainly can not use jetlag as an excuse... but I am happy to belatedly report that Todd made it home safe and sound on Saturday night... though, I think, the after effects of a 30-hour, 3-leg trip from the Philippines back to the homeland are still lingering.

He managed to dodge a typhoon that was in the general vicinity... and fortunately he was not in Thailand (another recently visited country), where there is a rumored government coup d' etat currently in progress.

As always, he never comes home empty-handed...

Ok, that's just a joke... but I couldn't pass up such a "so bad, it's good" groaner of a little sight gag.