Whine & Cheese

Express Lane: Issue 48

'Brothers & Sisters' Star Comes Out - Coming out stories are always good, but have to admit I would have been more surprised if Luke Macfarlane (Kevin's BF Scotty) had announced he was straight. (4/16/08)

Does TiVo Predict 'Idol' cast-offs? - If rewinding or fast-forwarding is correlated to the voting, David A is in great shape and Syesha maybe be waving goodbye tonight.  Update:  Wrong!  Michael Johns went home in arguably the first "shocker" elimination of the season. (4/10/08)

Joey Fatone, Mel B. to Co-host TLC Show - The DWTS alums set to head a show that sounds like 'Idol' meets 'The Office.'  (4/7/08)

'Idol' Download Rankings Appear On iTunes - It's the second time the "to remain anonymous" sales rankings have leaked... and once again it is good news for the guys ... David A, Michael, David C, and Jason were the highest pre-orders for Dolly week. (4/4/08)

Mariah Carey surpasses Elvis in No. 1s - Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this one of the signs of the apocalypse? (4/2/08)

"Rent" Extension - Due to high ticket demand, the Broadway hit gets one more season of love as closing night shifts from June 1 to September 7. (3/26/08)

It's War: B vs C

Yeah, as embarrassed as I may be... I have to admit that I've been watching this one.   But if you've been around here long enough, you probably would have guessed that already... but it's not that it's just a battle between a man and a woman... it's about finding the right person... the promise of tomorrow...

Oh, wait... I think I might be causing some confusion... it's not Barack vs. Clinton... and while I did watch too much Super Duper Tuesday coverage last night, what I'm talking about is...

Dance War:  Bruno vs. Carrie Ann!

Why I'm still watching, I can't really tell you. 

Being a quite genuine fan of Dancing With The Stars, you couldn't blame me for giving this show a try as two of judges from that show try to finding that combination of a dancing and singing superstar... in other words, the reality show wannabe love-child of  American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance?

The result... pretty much a mess.  My guess is that the people who are very good singers or very good dancers and... this one is an important one... want to subject themselves to a reality TV show... are headed over to the Fox network's ratings behemoths, rather than what amounts to "filler" as we wait for Bruno and Carrie Ann to get back to their real reality TV jobs.

Now, I am not saying that these kids are not talented... and even though the 12 finalists were whittled down from thousands, for the most part their singing/dancing skills should be able to land them a job on a cruise ship or a musical... though not Broadway, more like a non-lead role in a touring production (maybe).  Ouchie! 

The show is partially to blame.  By placing them in and competing as groups, the participants have been zapped of their individuality.  No choice/participation in the songs or choreography (that are often uninspired)... so we're not seeing what got them to the finals in the first place... their style of singing and freestyle dancing. 

Even stranger, the winning team gets a recording contract and rumors of a tour with a "major recording artist"... but I fail to see how a group of 4-6 people (starting with 6 members each, Team Bruno has suffered the first two losses of the season) is going to find success as what amounts to a song and dance troupe.

But it has its eye candy (pictured above, Lacey is flanked by Wholesome/Mormon boy Zack and "Doncha wish your boyfriend was hot like me (and knows it)... Doncha!" Phillip)... and our household is always smitten with host Drew Lachey.

On a total sidenote, while searching for the above picture, I stumbled upon "news" that Zack (the guy in the red tank-top above) was the man formerly engaged to DWTS's Julianne Hough.  The two were set to be married in August 2007, but broke things off shortly after Hough's first season on DWTS, starting rumors that she was romantically linked to, then dancing partner, Apolo Anton Ohno.  So that helps to explains, Julianne being in the audience this past week... but also calls into question how much of "discovery" Zack was during the audition process (pure speculation!).

My absolute favorite moment of the show occurs immediately following the awesomely cheesy song/dance opening group number... the arrival of Bruno and Carrie Ann!

The lights go down,  the stage dramatically backlit, the runway model thumping music starts... as the shadowy profiles of Bruno and Carrie Ann emerge...

They hit their spot, turn-away from each other... big spotlight... and POSE!!

Classic!!   

Hmmm... maybe Barack and Hillary should give it a try before their next debate! 

Clash of the Choirs

It should come as no surprise that we are watching Clash of the Choirs.

I will just toss aside any modicum of political correctness and reiterate my belief that inside every gay man there is a big, black, and beautiful woman wanting to come out... and there is nothing better about a choir than a big, black, and beautiful woman... so committing ourselves to this holiday "event"... and only for 4 nights... was pretty much a no-brainer.

For those of you not watching, the premise is five musical talents recruiting and leading a choir of 20 people from their home town... the public will vote out a choir each night and the winner earns $250k for a hometown charity. 

As viewers, we are forced to choose among charitable organizations for intensive care units for babies, food shelters, battered women, people left homeless by natural disasters.  Yikes!  And if that isn't enough, each choir had personal stories meant to tug at your heartstrings (to varying degrees of success).   Here are the choirs and my thoughts (in order of performance):

Team Nick Lachey
Hometown:  Cincinnati
Song: "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield
Sad Choir Story:  Father and Daughter choir members with wife/Mom going through cancer treatments
Verdict:  Surprisingly enough, the song works great -- quite uplifting and spiritual which was never the vibe I got while listening to the original... and c'mon how darn cute was Nick leading the choir... with that smile that could melt away any ice storm.

Team Kelly Rowland
Hometown:  Houston
Song: "Freedom" by George Michael
Sad Choir Story:  Weepy Hurricane Katrina refugee with a singing voice that has likely sent Simon Cowell to an early grave
Verdict:  After being surprised by Nick's choir's interpretation I was less impressed with "Freedom" as a choir choice.

Team Michael Bolton
Hometown:  New Haven
Song: "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
Sad Choir Story:  Formerly abused woman... and while not sad, a very cute old lady to win us over (in the post performance interview, the host asked her if singing made her feel "youthful" and she heard it as "useful" and answered it that way!)
Verdict:  Another song that didn't quite make a good choir transition... but my main quibble here was that the performance basically felt like a lead singer with a back-up group of 19 people.  While the lead guy was quite good, it's Clash of the Choirs ... not Clash of the Singer Too Old to Be on American Idol.

Team Blake Shelton
Hometown:  Oklahoma City
Song: "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane (thought I'm guessing these days some folks think it's by Rascal Flatts)
Sad Choir Story:  Multiple military service men... and a pair of hunky brothers, ultimately separated as there was only one spot left in the choir for that singing voice type.
Verdict:  While at least the other celebs were faking it, country singer Shelton was amusing in his "I don't know what the hell I'm doing?" approach to the choir.  But whatever he did (or didn't do) worked... this song took on a spiritual quality when belted out by the choir.

Team Patti LaBelle
Hometown:  Philadelphia
Song: "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" by ???
Sad Choir Story:  Not much... a woman who lost 140 lbs?
Verdict:  Labelle... excuse me, Miss Patti... had, by far, the best bumper piece, providing the laugh out loud moments of the night... giggling under her fabulous hat at the bad auditions and rolling her eyes and yelling at people to stop singing "Lady Marmalade."   But c'mon, did you think for a milli-second that Miss Patti would NOT have a kick-ass choir?!!   

My order of finish:
1st - Choir Miss Patti
2nd - Choir Shelton
3rd - Choir Lachey
4th - Choir Rowland
5th - Choir Bolton

Express Lane: Issue 38

This week in Celebrity Drunk Driving: 48 Days in Jail for '24' Star Sutherland and Ex-'Lost' Star Rodriguez Gets 6 months. (10/11/07)

Lindsay Lohan says rehab was `sobering' - Ummm...  "pardon the pun"? (10/9/07)

`Sopranos' regulars join `Chicago' cast - 'Janice' (as Mama Morton) and 'Big Pussy' (as Roxie's husband Amos) are the latest to sign up for what is increasingly the stunt casting musical of all-time! (10/9/07)

Broadway 'Rent' Gets New Mark and Roger - Here's a switch!  Saw both these guys the last time 'Rent' came through town on the national tour.  Congrats to Broadway debutantes, Declan and Harley... well deserved! (10/4/07)

Paula Abdul refused to do more 'Hey Paula!' which she says was "disturbing"; wants a child - I agree with the first half (it was pretty much 'trainwreck'), but not so sure about that second half. (10/1/07)

Joey Fitone?

Shockingly enough we watched The Singing Bee on NBC... granted a day late, but still... and we'll give the Fox version, Don't Forget The Lyrics, as well.  Definitely a fun, fluffy, frothy summer-time show.

But how about a shout-out to Bee host, Joey Fatone?!   

Often the butt of ... okay let's face it, pretty darn applicable... jokes about his last name during and after his n'Sync days... Joey started to drop the pounds during his stint on last season's Dancing With The Stars... but boy, he's looking even fitter than he did at the end of Dancing!

Joey: Before & After

Dare I say, he's giving his ex-bandmates a bit of a run now in the hottie department.

Love Means Nothing

... in tennis.

But, starting next week, will (former?) tennis player Mark Philippoussis find love on the NBC summer reality show Age of Love?   This age-oriented dating show will have the 30-year old Australian choose between ladies in their 40's (Cougars!) and their 20's (Kittens!).  Oy!  So why do I even bring this up?

Well, let me tell you about my Mark Philippoussis story....

(That black box below was for a video that never loaded... )

Back in the mid 90s I got to live out one of my fantasies... I was a tennis journalist/photographer for a little online magazine created by some of my online tennis buddies.  It was the early days of the Web and it was quite the thing to be an "online only" entity... most of the time I spent  explaining to folks how I worked for a magazine that you couldn't hold in your hands.

On the side, in this new online age I also created a tennis stat page for one of my favorite players at the time, Monica Seles.  This was before either tour had their own websites and it was a place for people to come as I presented win-loss records, head to heads, etc.  Since I had some success with that I decided to do a similar page for a male player.  Since I didn't want to try and do all the research (actually going to the library and looking up match results!) I had to do with Seles, I decided to go with a newer player... and yes, you guessed it... it was a teenage-ish Mark Philippoussis.   The page was just on-court stats, no homo lusting... though I will certainly admit that his looks didn't hurt when I was deciding on a player.

Here's the story... I'll try to make it brief.  I am at our local tournament, I request an interview with Mark via the tour's media person... get it and given a time and place.  Having chatted with some other journalists about my stat page, word gets back to Mark's "people"... as the "next big thing" player he already has a sizable entourage.  While I am waiting for him, Mark's coach sends over his 6-ish year old daughter to tell me "Mark can't talk to you"... WTF??? This is how they handle things by have a little girl do their dirty work??  I eventually track down his "manager" (or he tracks me down)... and starts to grill me about the webpage... what's on it, why did I start it... and we get to the point "who gave you permission to use his name"... and other legal-actiony threats.  So much for providing free publicity or a public service for their player, which I told them as much!

Anyhow... long story short... I travel to the next tournament, a pretty prestigious tournament in the California desert and try to go about my business and do my best to dodge these people.  Ultimately, the manager tracks me down and apologizes for the misunderstanding.  I guess this is nice and I should feel vindicated... but at this point, any enthusiasm has soured ... I pull the web page shortly thereafter and that's my Mark Philippoussis story.

In all honesty, I doubt Philippoussis ever knew about any of this... these coddlers were far too protective I am guessing to have him worry about much of anything.  While he did go on to some success, making the finals of 2003 Wimbledon and the 1998 US Open... he probably is thought to be one of those players who never reached his potential... chronic injuries played a part, but the distractions of fame and fortune and an alleged love of fast cars (and the ladies?) likely didn't help either... worse yet, tennis "next big thing" ended up being his countryman Lleyton Hewitt, who rose to the #1 ranking as well as winning a couple of Slams.

So while I harbor no ill will towards the guy, I am still mildly amused by this dip into a reality dating show... and particularly the way they promote him above...

With his combination of stunning good looks, success, and charm tennis superstar Mark Philippoussis may very well be the most eligible bachelor in America.

Mama always said "if you don't have something nice to say..." ... so I will just bite my tongue on most of those descriptors... but I'll still tune in for at least the premiere, if for anything else to see "hunky fan favorite" and host, Mark Consuelos (aka Mr. Kelly Ripa).

They're The Ones That I Want

Well, may that's going a bit too far... and perhaps I should not even admit to still watching NBC's reality competition show, Grease: You're The One That I Want, but here are my picks:

Max, you are Danny. Laura, you are Sandy.

I am a bit surprised that Max is my ultimate Danny pick.  I always thought, if anything, he was more of a Kenickie type... but he has grown on me over the weeks.  I had favored "Wholesome Danny" Derek for much of the series, but he has been fading of late and was sent packing last night.  Max's competition is "Hot Danny" Austin.  While Austin is quite competent (having had actual professional stage experience), there is just something about him that doesn't quite fit the role... a tad too "pretty"... many sense perhaps too.. ahem... light in the loafers... as a romantic leading man, but Todd suggested last night that he's too robotic and I think that's it... no soul and when he does it feels like he's trying to hard.  Max, while certainly not a traditional choice by any stretch, really is a natural performer (and okay, it does help that he's homegrown... living just across the highway from us).

Unlike Max, Laura has been my Sandy from the start... though I'll admit an initial (but short-lived) mental blind spot in thinking that Sandy had to be blonde.  Having one of the better voice amongst the gals put Laura high on my list, but it didn't take long to figure out she has the perfect personality (or acting ability) mix to be Sandy... mostly innocent, but enough to pull off the sexy transformation in the end.  While Laura's competition Ashley certain looks like a Sandy, she has come across to me as more of a "Mean Girls"/cool girl clique.. and that's just not Sandy.

The final voting pleas were just hilarious... well unintentionally s... it was a "can you top this?" sob story extravaganza!  Ashley had "oh, I'm not jealous anymore" (yeah, right) kinda white-trashy sister whine about not being able to afford a plane ticket to LA to see the show (voila! "fans" pay for her to be in the audience last night),  Laura postponed her wedding due to her success on the show, Austin recalled his transformation for chubby 10-year old to 30-year old hunk who needs to land a lead role before it's too late, and Max tearfully shared his battle with Bell's Palsy which, as a youngster, paralyzed half his face.  Oh, the drama!

So, we'll see who lands the lead roles of Grease on next Sunday's finale.  The three judges picked Max and Laura as well, so it may be all anticlimactic... but whatever the result, I do not think anyone should plan on clearing shelf space for some Tonys.

Grease Is The Nerd

A bit under the weather today (sidenote:  when exactly are we over the weather?!).  While not having contact with the outside world may seem like one of drawbacks of working from home, one of the good things is that you tend to get sick less often.  But every so often, it does happen.  On Saturday, I had that little nasal tickle/itch... by the nasal passages got a bit more angry with stuffiness and face "hurt"... and this morning, getting out of bed, was the head "glug, glug, glug."  Now at mid-morning, gravity is kicking in... so things are a tad better (though certainly not prettier).

However, before entering the fog of Expectorant Land last night, it was time for the first Danny and Sandy elimination on Grease: You're The One That I Want.  Even without any drugs in my system, I was pretty hysterical for the last few minutes of the show. 

First, I should back up just a bit.  For lack of a better word last week's first live performance show was, for lack of a better word, bad.  The height being the assigning of silly nicknames to each finalist... dubbed such things as "Emotional Sandy" or "Bellhop Danny" or "Spiritual Sandy."  Without even a hint of tongue in cheek, the hosts refer to them finalists by these names.  To the left, host Billy Bush (did he really call guest judge Sir Andrew Lloyd... World Wide Webber?)  is pictured with two of the front-running Dannys... "Hot Danny" (Austin, red shirt) and "Wholesome Danny" (Derek, my personal favorite).

There's tons of other stuff (i.e. overall production value) that make this show pale in comparison to the king of this genre, American Idol (some of which I discussed in a past entry), but last night there was an "upgrade" of sorts, I found the show so bad, it was good... a theater-reality show geekfest train-wreck of a show!

As with many of these reality talent shows, the public make the eliminations.  This show heavily publicized this "You pick the leads for the Broadway revival of Grease!"  Well, not exactly. In a "surprise twist," we learned the judges would make the elimination amongst the the bottom 2 vote-getting Dannys and Sandys and have to compete in ... drumroll please... a sing-off!   To make a long story short, the two lowest vote getters were "saved"... which was actually okay, since sympathy votes would have kept in the couple that really did deserve to go.

The fun started with the sing off.  Th four eliminees stood in a line and took turns singing the appropriately worded "Tears On My Pillow."  Based on this performance, the judges made the decision  (though the pretty much 'fessed up to being more influenced by personal favorites and past performances). 

Humiliating fun, but little did I know what lied ahead.  The two "saved" contestants had to perform their song for this week's voting... which seemed pretty mean given that they were just told that America hated, or worse were indifferent about them.... but then, then the pièce de résistance!

Taking a cue from Idol, the two eliminated contestants had to sing for us "one last time."  But unlike Idol, they don't reprise the song and performance that America voted them out judges hated. 

The eliminated Danny, huddled by the surviving Dannys, had to sing the Grease song "Oh Sandy." With his puppy-dog eyes, he told the viewers that "we hurt him real bad" and finally our outgoing 'lil Zuko wondered "why, oh, why"... cut to Ed,  convulsive laughter. 

But we ain't done yet... off to stage right, where the remaining Sandys similarly circle "Sad Sandy"... who must now eke out the plaintive version of "Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee" (you know, in the movie, right before "Sweet Sandy" turns to "Slutty Sandy").... "there's something more than what you see" she warbles ... and then dissolves into tears as her fellow Sandys serenade that "you must start anew" ... by this time, I am nearly in tears myself (granted my tears are 180 degrees from Sad Sandy)... and I wave to the TV screen as they reach the song's last line... "Goodbye to Sandra Dee." 

Oh boy, I just hope they do this every week!

Not So Electrifyin'

My advice to Grease: You're The One That I Want... You better shape up!

Holy "Look at me I'm Sandra Dee!"

The problem: this show does not even try (in the least!) to stray from the American Idol play book... and unfortunately it does pretty much everything worse.  It just gave me a whole new respect for American Idol.  Idol has been one of my guilty pleasures, it looks like Shakespeare compared to... well...umm... Grease!

First, the judges... the all too familiar judging triumvirate (apparently Schoolhouse Rock was right, 3 really is the magic number!) of two men and one woman... and a complete and utter snore.  And Billy Bush makes me re-examine my theory that Ryan Seacrest perhaps does have an iota of talent beyond good hair and white teeth.  Did Billy Bush really compliment himself on his own good hair?!

Beyond the "on camera" talent, kudos as well to the Idol editors who are at least able to create coherent "back stories" for the contestants.  It was an A.D.D. dream (or nightmare!) last night as we jumped from contestant to contestant... an totally uneven balance of "Sandys" to "Dannys"... seeing someone in the "dance" and not the sing (or vice versa).  When it got around to the eliminations it was hard to care ... or even figure out if we had seen the person before?!    And I have a suspicion folks around the water coolers this morning won't be uttering the tagline... "You're the one that we want.... to go to Grease academy!"

Lastly, the talent wasn't exactly poodle-skirt shaking either. Often Idol wanna-bes are criticized for being "too Broadway"... but those voices didn't seem to show up here.  And dare I suggest, the whole one-hour practice "dance" audition is just a convenient way for the producers to weed out the non-Caucasian, weight and "looks"-challenged before it gets around to a public vote.  Me thinks the new millennium Danny and Sandy will not be terribly different from their predecessors.

All that said, I will likely continue watching.  I am sure it will get "shape up" when it gets around to the finalists.  We just have to suffer through the next couple of weeks... and sitting through "Hopelessly Devoted To You" about 87 more times.

tags:  you're the one that i want, grease

You're The One That I Want

If you are around my age, you are probably a big fan of the movie Grease. 

Heck, years later in college we would have drunken spirited sing-alongs to Summer Lovin', Hopelessly Devoted To You, Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee... (hmmm... maybe that's why none of my friends were "surprised" when I came out...)... and of course, You're The One That I Want.

Well, that last song is now giving its name to yet another reality, talent, singing competition coming to your television and TiVO box... as America votes in the next Danny and Sandy for a Broadway revival of Grease.

Needless to say, I am all over this one!   

So, while I wouldn't be doing a special blog entry just to promote another reality show (okay, I probably would)... this promo commercial was just too much fun not to share (and especially since a lot of us don't watch commercials anymore!)....

I haven't heard about judges (I assume there will be judges... and three of them!)... but c'mon they HAVE to get Olivia Newton John?!

Are you going to be watching?

UPDATE:  Well, the official NBC website is now online... unfortunately no Olivia... the trio of judges will be Jim Jacobs, David Ian, and Kathleen Marshall.

tags:  the one that i want,  grease

Sexual Healing

Our TiVo has been remarkably empty of late... as I type, there is only 1.5 hours worth of unwatched programs... and a remarkable 115+ suggestions. That's just not normal.  But I guess that'll be coming to an end, it was a bit of a shock to see Prison Break pop up already -- I am guessing one of the earliest fall debuts on Monday, August 21st.

One program that is on the TiVo is the 3rd episode of Showtime's new reality series Sexual Healing.

Ok, I'll admit my reason for giving the show a tryout was not quite "educational"... but after seeing the first two episodes, it has been just that and quite fascinating too (this ain't HBO's Real Sex, that's for sure). 

Each episode features couples in therapy with "world renowned sex educator and therapist" (and quite attractive and very fashionable!) Dr. Laura Berman.   I think it takes a lot of courage for a couple to go to therapy period.  To put themselves on television is just beyond my comprehension... add in cameras in the bedroom and occasional nudity... well, that's just off the charts.  Though again, despite all this the show avoids having a tawdry, exploitive or titillating feel to it. 

In the last episode we watched, there was this pretty attractive guy (with a cute ass... sorry, serious intention or not, if you put it out there I'm lookin') who... ummm... let's say... wasn't lasting very long.  His outspoken girlfriend wasn't very happy about that (understandable)... but when she quite vocally tacks on that she's used to having... ahem... "bigger" men... all together now... "Houston, we have a problem." 

The gal thinks they are going in to solve his problem, but the therapy unveils that there is more work on her end... including some serious control issues and a sad and abusive sexual past.  Somehow they get through this with some degree of success, though the show is wise enough to not feel the need to tie everything up, in this instance and others, with an "all's well now" neat and tidy bow.

So definitely a nice little summer suprise show... no shocker that all the featured couples have been heterosexual, though the opening sequence does feature a gay couple... so we'll shall see.

And all this reminds me that I should download Marvin Gaye's song "Sexual Healing" from iTunes... no, the show does not use it as its theme song.

tags:  sexual healing, showtime

30 Days: Outsourcing

So did you catch the second episode of Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days?  I am going to keep on asking... anyone, anyone (Bueller, Bueller..)?

Thanks to TiVo this Wednesday night show is a Monday one for us... so, once again, if you missed this one you are out of luck until the series repeats (which I assume it'll probably do at some point).

This episode was all about outsourcing... as a 37-year old guy who lost his job to outsourcing moves to Bangalore, India for a month to see where his job (and millions of other American jobs) has been re-located and also to land a job for himself.  This episode wasn't quite as riveting as the immigration one... but I think it was more educational than confrontational.   But it was still very interesting...

As with last week's "Armida," my attention shifted from the "guinea pig" to the secondary "character" of Suni.  We all know about the impact of outsourcing on Americans, but it was interesting to explore how outsourcing, and the "wealth" and opportunity it brings, is affecting Indian culture and traditions. (I put wealth in quotes, since I am guessing most viewers would find the living conditions of "middle-class" India to be pretty unacceptable).

The very first time I see Suni on the screen I say aloud "she doesn't look very happy."  Moments later this is more than confirmed.  Suni lives with husband Ravi's family... and, as is still the tradition, it is an arranged marriage.  Suni is expected to take care of her husband and his family... and she does dutifully wait on them like a servant.  But soon we learn that Suni is studying to get a job in a call center (a prestigious Bangalore gig)... Ravi is not too happy about this... and some of the neanderthal-ish stuff that comes out of his mouth made my jaw drop.  But this is just the way it is... and the way it has been for a very, very (very!) long time.

The role of the Indian young woman has shifted from 50's "white-picket fence America" to 70's "feminist movement America" just within the span of a couple of years.  While this is no surprise, it wasn't an aspect/impact of outsourcing I had given much (any!) thought to.  When we Suni outside the house (in a very comical moment, she says to her American houseguest "what's up dude"), she is a totally different person... like a weight has been lifted off of her.  At show's end, we learn Suni has been hired.  Now she'll have two jobs... at the call center and still as the traditional caretaker. 

It was very encouraging... you had to feel happy for Suni's ambition and success... but you were still left with a feeling it is going to be a very hard road for her... and that she won't quite have the life she dreams of... but perhaps her daughter (or grand-daughter) will!

Next week... I think we are headed back for some confrontation... as an atheist moves in with an evangelical Christian family... for 30 Days.

30 Days: Immigration

So did you catch the first episode of Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days like I asked? ;-)

Well, if you didn't you missed a pretty compelling hour of televion on the issue of immigration (in the first run of the series, the episode is not yet scheduled to repeat).  The premise for last week's episode (just got to it last night!) was a Minuteman (and Cuban legal immigrant) moving in with an illegal immigrant family of seven living in Los Angeles (two of the five children were born in the U.S.).

The show definitely has a liberal/left bent... so, of course, the Minuteman (Frank) was the "bad" guy in this little social experiment... and personality-wise, being kind of jerk didn't lend much sympathy to his cause in the opening segments of the show (i.e., turning a high school graduation celebration into a heated debated about immigration). 

But, as the show (and days) progressed there was a noticeable change in Frank... shockingly enough, the immigrant family were "real people" ... very family-oriented, hard working, and quite pleasant.  However, the major momentum shift occurred when Frank visited their extended family back in Mexico.  Here Frank (along with us viewers) saw the poverty-stricken conditions that caused the Gonzalez (a pseudonym to protect their identities) family to seek a better life in America.  That "better" life being a $15,000 income and a tiny 500 square foot apartment in LA. 

The show was filled with heartbreaking moments... the mom recycling cans and cartons to save up for Christmas gifts for her children (she received $5 which brought her tally up to $38 for the year), their inability to visit/see their family (even on their deathbeds) for the very likely fear that they would not be able to get back into the country... and the "star" of the episodes, 17-year old "Armida" who so eloquently quizzed Frank on his stance... and her strong desire to have the American dream and be the first member of her family to attend college.

That said, it wasn't an hour of the pollyanna pro-immigration... any reasonable person (and I am including myself) certainly couldn't find fault/disagree with all of Frank's beliefs.  The show started very "black and white" and left everyone (the participants, viewers) feeling very "grey."  There has to be some middle-ground solution... not amnesty or "ship them all back where they came from."  What that solution is... or how the heck we'll ever get there, I really don't know. 

Somewhat embarassingly, I don't know what it takes to gain U.S. citizenship. I am guessing the barriers are so high that is why that would-be immigrants see the illegal route as the only viable alternative... but I also understand, there have to be some limitations/restrictions as well... and/or countries that have so many people who want to leave have to figure out a way to improve living/working conditions (again, easier said than done) for their citizens.

It was a very emotional end to the show.  Frank was sad about leaving the Gonzalezes and you sensed really had sincere empathy for their predicament... and the Mom cried as she hugged Frank goodbye... the man who 30 days prior told her, pretty much to her face, that she needed to be shipped back to Mexico...  and dare I say, that many folks sitting in the comfort of their homes also had a lump in their throats... this viewer certainly did.

BBC Shipwrecked: Episode 1

Ok, I don't plan on blogging about every episode of BBC America's Shipwrecked, but I just thought I'd give you a little taste of what you're missing...

Nice scenery... huh?  I'm hooked.

Okay, we'll get to the eye candy in just a bit (and there was plenty of it!)... but first a little about the show.  As I mentioned in my teaser post about the show, it is kind of seemed like it would be a rip-off of Survivor.  But besides being stranded in the middle of nowhere, there are not many other similiarities.  Shipwrecked is definitely more sociological that survivor-ish.  The teams have been given supplies (for shelter and food) and there are no head-to-head competitions per se... no one is getting voted off the island... all of them are there for 5 months (take that Survivor and your measly 39 days!).  What they do need to do is attract new strandees (one every week) to their island ... the island/team with the most members at the end of the game will split prize money of 700,000 British pounds (approx 1.3 million $US).  So you see the challenge... more people (the goal) = less money.

The premiere episode introduced us to the two teams of five members... the first new strandee arrived near the end of the episode, that person will visit each island and pick a team in next week's episode.

So here are the boys:

These are the "Tiger" boys... you saw their backs above... and here we have Crawford and Chris... for you Survivor fans, these two are clearly the Alpha males.  They immediately took to building a shelter (and fairly well), but have already started to annoy their 3 fellow Tigers... Chris B. is bisexual (and self-announced horny) and has predictably gravitated to the gals, Katie (fresh from an all-girls boarding school) and Charlie (token lesbian, but pretty fun so far).  They have not taken too kindly to Crawford & Chris bossing them around and assigning them cooking duties and menial tasks like weaving palm fronds for the roof of their structure.

The "Shark" men...:

... are John and Geoff.  This team is clearly more dysfunctional than the Tigers.  John and Geoff are not quite the handymen that C&C are and by episodes end they had yet to make any significant progress on the shelter.  John is unlike any Survivor contestant I have every seen... running around in Izod-ish shirt and collar and preppy-ish shorts... but this is BBC America after all!  Geoff suffers from ADHD and is the main "personality challenge" on either island.  The team is rounded out by 3 gals... Niff, who has tried (unsuccessfully so) to establish herself as the leader... Laura, a pretty gal who has yet to make an impression on me... and Lou, the break-out gal of the first episode... a brassy, blue-collar gal who hasn't quite figured out these "middle class" compatriots.

So definitely a fun show... and I have to admit just hearing them talk just made me smile... just imagine those Survivor verbal smackdowns with British accents... it is really quite charming!

If you want to catch the show... you have to do it on Wednesdays... unlike some other shows on basic/extended cable, this does NOT re-air on other/multiple days during the week.... on our cable system, the first episode aired a 6pm, 9pm, and 1am... and that's it, until a next week's new episode. 

I'll leave you with more Crawford and Chris... after the jump...

TiVo Must: 30 Days

Ok, get thee to you DVRs immediately and set up a Seaons Pass for...

Morgan Spurlock's FX series 30 Days.

This was one of my favorite programs of last summer (last year!) and I was thrilled to see that it was coming back for another go-round.  It is a fascinating look at clashing cultures... where folks live their lives with their polar opposites... or Spurlock does a "walk a mile in my shoes" look at the under-belly of American Society.

This summer's six episode run looks to be as interesting as last year's:

Immigration - A minute-man lives with an illegal immigrant family.

Outsourcing - A man who lost his job to out-sourcing visits Bangalore, India.

Atheist - A female atheist lives in household of evangelical Christians.

New Age - An overworked, over-extended father enters the world of "new age" hoping to reduce stress and seek inner peace.

Abortion - A staunchly pro-choice feminist (who has had an abortion) moves in to a Christian, pro-life maternity home.

Jail - Living life on minimum-wage last year, Morgan Spurlock puts himself in jail... experiencing life in a 10 by 8 foot cell.

Episodes are occasionally tied-up with a bow (a little too nice and neat) by the end of the hour, but it is still presented in a very entertaining and high palatable manner.

The premiere episode is this Wednesday (July 26th) at 10 pm EST/PST... and repeats air throughout the week.

Trust me... good stuff... and some "reality" that you can be proud of!

TiVo Tryout: Shipwrecked

Despite not planning to watch a whole lot of summer programming, we still have our fair share of it.  Of course, Big Brother: All Stars is dominating our schedule with 3 hours/week... but things will lighten up a bit as Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D-List finishes up this week and Last Comic Standing is down to the final 5 and audience voting. 

So browsing next week's TV Guide, this show caught my eye... BBC America's Shipwrecked.

Ok, the accompanying picture caught my eye... not this exact one below, but you get the idea...

I think the guy on the right is happy to see me!

Now, I know what you are thinking... a British knock-off of Survivor and you're basically correct (though I am pretty sure Survivor was a knock-off of maybe this show or something similar)... heck even if it was exactly the same, I would give it a shot just to listen to the British accents... but it is a bit different:

In this new reality competition series, two groups of 18-23 year-old castaways are left stranded, divided across two islands in the Aitutaki Atoll in the South Pacific. Each week a new castaway arrives. The two island tribes try to woo the new castaway to join their tribe. The island with the most inhabitants at the end wins a huge cash prize to be divided among the group. The trick is to have the most tribe members, but not so many as to divide the cash prize too many ways.

So we'll see how it goes... but young, shirtless men are a good start.  As you can see, it debuts next Wednesday July 26th... and repeats multiple times on BBC America.

There are two more of my returning favorites from last summer coming up... one next week and the other in August... so stay tuned and get those DVRs fired up!

Ice Ice Baby

Just in case you thought I was dropping the reality television ball... have no fear, I have been watching Skating With Celebrities on Fox.   After falling behind, I have finally caught up on all the episodes...

And let me say I am in love lust have renewed my admiration for...

No, no, no... not Jillian Booberie (though I admit, by a mile, this is her most tolerable television appearance ever!)... but for her professional parter, John Zimmerman.  Now, I usually don't go for redheads, but as you can see, it is quite wise to never to say never.  I remember John from his amateur and Olympic days... and he is still looking mighty fine at age 32.  Unfortunately for those of you looking for more risque shots (myself included), good luck finding them!  The best I could come up with was the see-thru shirt and the open shirt modeling shot.

Surprisingly enough, the show is not the train wreck (literally or figuratively) that I expected.  Not that I am saying it is good by any stretch... but it is quite cheesy... so that is where I find my affection for the show.

The show gets no artistic merits for its panel of judges... we all know how it works... boy, girl, boy... with the old curmudgeon, the nice (or should I say the "nice and easy") gal (Dorothy Hamill, who at age 49, really needs to avoid the plunging neckline top she sported in episode three), and the mild or wild flamboyant guy. 

It is a perk-fest of Olympic proportions in the hosting department between Scott Hamilton and Summer Sanders (pictured above)... though Scott definitely gets way more excited about nearly anything and everything than his skate-less co-host.  Their height difference just cracks me up every time, even on a pair of skates Summer still towers over Scotty... let's just call 'em the Sonny & Cher of the skating world.

Finally, I take comfort that Kurt Browning has lost his hair.  I was never blessed with a head of hair like he had in that upper picture... but it is gone, gone, gone.  I still think he is attractive, but it is mildly disturbing that he now looks like Scott's younger brother.

Situation: Desperate for a Comedy

Have been meaning to get around to writing about Situation: Comedy. 

This is the Bravo reality/docu series that is, if thrown out in a "pitch meeting," best described as a Project Greenlight but for a tv sitcom instead of a movie. 

I have caught the first 3 episodes thus far.  Over 10,000 scripts were sent in... and in super fast fashion, 10 finalists were narrowed down to 5... and then down to 2 by the end of the second episode.  Our Matt Damon/Ben Affleck "sponsors" for Situation: Comedy are Will & Grace's Sean Hayes and his producing partner Todd Milliner (second from the right in the above picture).  At least Sean and particularly Todd are a bit more around/involved than A-Listers Matt & Ben.

I am enjoying the series thus far... but I am a sucker for "the process."  I like seeing how things get made or even an interview with an author talking about how they go about creating and writing a novel.  So this has been interesting... although many of the situations here are similiar to Project Greenlight: tight deadlines, limited budgets, compromising artistic "vision," outsiders not understanding how the "system" works, etc.

And oh... it is gay, gay, gay, gay, gay!  Now we don't know for sure (Hayes has never officially come out has he?!) but I am fairly confident that many of the industry people (from the producers to the casting agents) are family members.  Who needs LOGO?!  And the show even has a good fag hag in executive producer Maxine (rightmost in the above pic)... really enjoy her... just very honest, direct, smart & funny... you know how we love a woman like that!

I guess I should get around to talking about the scripts huh?  Well, honestly neither are shows that I ultimately think I would watch or enjoy.  "Stephen's Life" is about a cocky little boy (older than his years) who rules over his family, while the "The Sperm Donor" is about a woman who, along with her 13-year old daughter, track down the title character.  So, pretty ehh for me.

But as I said, for me this show is about the journey, not the destination.  Heck, I have yet to see any of the Project Greenlight films either!  It will be interesting to see if the "winner" makes it onto the network... recently I read that NBC was/is scrambling to fast-track a sitcom for the upcoming fall season.  So while the sitcom may not dead, it appears to be on life-support these days... and these Situation: Comedy finalists certainly do not seem to improving the prognosis.

Sidenote:  I know there has been a bit of a drought in the Fine Wine department of late. I was considering adding S: C's Todd Milliner to the roster, he is actually quite cute on the show... but apparently one of those guys who do not photograph as well.  So just wanted to let you know that I am thinking about new additions!

An Average Joe "Wins"

Since I ended up blogging about it more than I thought I would, I guess I should do one last entry about Average Joe 4.

The final 2 guys, "average" Nathan and "hunk" Rocky, battled it out to ultimately win Anna's love... well, kind of.  But before she made the big decision, we were treated to more shots of Tahiti/French Polynesian.  Once again, we were able to re-live one of our more memorable moments from our vacation... as Anna and Nathan took a jeep tour through the pineapple plantations of Moorea and enjoyed the views from atop Magic Mountain.  Here are pics, including my very own from atop Magic Mountain:

For much of finale hour we were presented with the positive and negatives about each guy.  Nathan can use words with multiple syllables, but Rocky is really handsome.  Anna's Mom prefers Nathan, but Rocky is so hunky.  Nathan is a really nice guy, but ah the chemistry with Rocky.  Nathan likes independent films too, but I really like making out with Rocky.  Rocky has been unfaithful in the past, but look at him!

So what happens?  Anna tearfully bids goodbye to Rocky on the dock... he goes back to the jeep and cries... not very well I must add... Rock if you wanna be an actor you are going to have to do a much better job than that!   

And finally an Average Joe "wins"... but not exactly a resounding victory... Anna babbles on about her past relationships not working out because she was never "friends first" ... and now she would like to try that out and "get to know" Nathan better.  So not quite a "Take me to bed or lose me forever" moment.

So my conspiracy theory is that the fix was in (I know, this never happens on reality tv!)... which was only further solidified during the final montage where all the guys from all 3 seasons of AJ were thanked for their participation... so, in a not so subtle way, it was NBC's way of saying "we're not doing this show again!"... so let's have the under-dog finally win.

AJ4: Tahiti Ta-Ta

Anna had to narrow down the field to the Final 2 last night on Average Joe 4.  As I have been advertising since the show debuted, tonight's episode was a special one for us since the final cut would be made in Tahiti.  So we were very much looking forward to seeing the islands we fell in love with in late May.

Surprisingly enough it wasn't too terribly painful to watch.  Since coming back to "reality," I have noted that my stomach has sunk seeing anything related to French Polynesia.  But I guess I have turned the corner, I was able to watch everything and look back on our trip and all we did/saw with some fondness.  It was fun to see Anna and the guys be just as amazed by these islands... and we could surely relate to the "I don't want this to end" kind of moments.  It is certainly a special place to be with your special loved one.

Much of the show appeared to be filmed on the main island of Tahiti (we only saw the airport during our stay)... but the show did venture over to the next door island of Moorea. And we were quite excited to see that Anna and Nathan's jet-ski adventure started off at the hotel we stayed at... the Intercontinental Beachcomber Resort on Moorea!  So we walked the same dock and beach as Anna... and these are the very waters they cruised on:

Another date with "hunk" Josh also appeared to take place around our hotel.  We had to laugh when Anna said they were shuttled off to their own private island... we got the "private" line too... and granted while you certainly felt like you had your own space, I am sure hundreds and hundreds of tourists have been on the private island since we were there!

But anyway back to the show... and the results... I only got the final pairing half right!

I correctly predicted that "hunk" Josh would be eliminated... granted I didn't have any real basis for it other than I didn't really remember much about him.  I was thinking I might be wrong as Anna's date with her ultimate "hunk" finalist Rocky did not seem to go all that well.  But it was the 'ole bait-and-switch, Anna said she had more of a spark with Rocky (translation: the sex is going to be a LOT hotter!).  Josh was left in tears.  I laughed.

I also correctly predicted Arthur being the final elimination of the evening... Arthur seems to be a nice and genuine guy... but being a bit older and divorced (and okay, quite "average" looking) he never really stood a chance snagging Anna... and she pretty much said it herself when she euphemistically said they were in "different places."

Alas, my own personal favorite "Joe" Josh (boy there are a lot of Joshes!) was also sent packing.  While I thought his final date with Anna went pretty well, I have to agree with Anna's take that he reeked of desperation... more than once thanking her for picking him and taking him on the trip.  Anna wasn't looking for an "I'm not worthy" boyfriend and, in the end, I can't really blame her for cutting him loose.

So the final "Average Joe" is Nathan... an eliminated "Joe" who received one of the make-overs and won out over the other re-made "Joes" to get the last spot on the flight to Tahiti.  Again, I should have known better... the whole tag of this season was the make-overs, so really is it any surprise that one of these guys made the Final 2?  Nope. 

Will the Joe jinx come to an end?  Will the third time be the charm?  Will a beauty find love with an Average Joe... something that has yet to happen in the show's fairly brief history?  My guess is no... unless the producers convince Anna otherwise!

We find out tonight!  Yes, no week-long wait for the finale... with the show not doing terribly well in the ratings looks like NBC is trying to burn this series off ASAP!

Fire Up The TiVos

New shows continue to roll out this summer... and with Queer As Folk and Six Feet Under ending their runs in August, we'll need some new shows, right?!  Here are a slew of shows on my radar, so get those TiVos ready to go... and heck, you really want to be "in the know" when I start blogging about them, right?! 

Situation: Comedy (Bravo) - premieres this coming Tuesday (July 26th) - Pretty much a Project Greenlight for sitcoms with Sean Hayes (and producing partner Todd Milliner) at the helm. The television audience will vote for the winner.

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Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Bravo) - premieres Wednesday August 3rd - I really get a kick out of Kathy... so this unscripted series should be fun.  The website describes the show as "an insider's look at the indignities and encounters that can only happen when one is a well-known and under-appreciated comic doing what it takes to make a living."  Prior to the series debut, Bravo will air a her new stand-up show called: Kathy Griffin... Is Not Nicole Kidman.

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Battle of the Network Reality Stars (Bravo) - premieres Wednesday, August 17th - Speaking of D-listers! Or should we create an E-list category...or at least adjust the "15 minutes of fame" for inflation?  This, of course (if you are old enough to remember!), is a reincarnation of the beloved specials from the 1970s which featured teams from the 3 major networks (remember those days?). Here is the list of participants for the 6-week series:

Chip & Kim and Charla & Myrna - "The Amazing Race"
Nikki McKibbin and Ryan Starr - "American Idol"
Brittany Brower - "Americas Next Top Model,"
Heidi Bressler and Bradford Cohen - "The Apprentice"
Adam Mesh - "Average Joe"
Tina "Fabulous" Panas - "The Bachelor"
Will Kirby and Mike "Boogie" Malin - "Big Brother"
Evan Marriott - "Joe Millionaire"
Matt Kennedy Gould - "The Joe Schmo Show"
Wendy Pepper - "Project Runway"
Coral Smith and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin - "The Real World"
Theo Gantt - "Road Rules"
Duncan Nutter - "Showbiz Moms & Dads"
Richard Hatch and Susan Hawk - "Survivor"
Rachel Love Frasier - "The Swan" 
Valerie Penso - "Temptation Island"

On the sidelines, Omarosa ("The Apprentice"), Bob Guiney ("The Bachelor") and Trishelle Cannatella ("The Real World") will act as reporters with Mike Adamle (NBC Sports and "American Gladiators") as the show's main host.

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Weeds (Showtime) - premieres Sunday August 7th (though will air on Mondays starting on the 8th) - Love, love, love Mary Louise Parker who plays a suburban mom who resorts to selling weed to support her family after her husband unexpectedly dies.  Also features, Elizabeth Perkins, and Kevin Nealon.  Looking over the cast list, it appears Justin Kirk ("Angels in America") may be playin' MLP's ill-fated hubby.  UPDATE: Just read that Justin Kirk will be MLP's brother-in-law... so not a dead person!

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Finally (!!),  if you watched Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days on FX... you may have caught a very funny commercial (if you didn't whip thru it on TiVo) for a new sitcom called Starved. The sitcom debuts on Thursday, August 4th and is paired with another sitcom called It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia... promos for both shows are available here... let's just hope both shows are as funny as these preview clips!

Average Joe 4: Final Face-Off Looms

We are getting down the final episodes of Average Joe 4... have to say I have become a little smitten with our gal Anna and one of the Joes, so I am a bit more interested in the end result than I would have guessed.  Next week, they head off to Tahiti (more on that later) to narrow the field down to the Final 2 guys.

Last night, recreated one of my favorite moments from the original Average Joe... where our damsel was put into heavy make-up and allowed to spy on the guys.  Little did the guys know that their red-headed honey was transformed into their brunette and mildly dumpy waitress for the evening.

Hearts were broken as our Anna dissolved into tears as one the hunks she was "saving" for later... fell into the trap and started making out/groping of one of the decoy ladies sent to tempt the guys on their "boys night out."   

As expected, the Joes all behaved themselves, not giving the gals in the slutty outfits nary a second look... and instead spent much of their time professing their love for the lovely Anna.  Of course, the BIG payoff was when the "waitress" arrived to the elimination round... where Anna pulled off her face and unveiled the sting operation.  Still loved it.

My favorite Joe from the beginning, Josh, is still alive in the competition.  He finally had his first date with Anna and it all seemed to go very well.  He was a bit awkward at times and didn't quite get into the full-on kissing that Anna seemed to share with some of the other guys... but all in all, I think Josh did alright.  I think he will be the last Joe standing as I don't see him getting much competition from his "average" counterpart, Arthur.  In classic reality tv fashion, Arthur seems well primed to be the final heart-breaker of an elimination.   

 

So who do I think will be Josh's "hunk" opponent in the final 2?  My best guess is that it will be Rocky (pictured to the left), who, despite his gag-inducing name, really did manage to set himself apart from the rest of the jerks as Anna's very first "hunk" date. And honestly, I really don't have much recollection about his counterpart, Josh, a hunky blond from California.  Also, I would guess it helps that Rocky splits his time between LA and Vegas (Anna's hometown), where he works as <ugh!> a bartender and model.  And heck, it appears that he has the looks and works out every now and then.

As I alluded to earlier, Anna will make her final 2 selections in Tahiti (although the brief snip looked like it might have been Bora Bora).  The coming attractions for next week's episode made our stomachs sink.  Not unlike Anna watching her hunk make out with another girl, it is hard for us not to get jealous when we see someone else heading off to French Polynesia. I really do/did have a physical reaction to it!  It really does hurt just a bit!  So even if you do not watch AJ, maybe check in on next week's episode and see why we have fallen in love with this amazing place.

Also, next week, the "made over" Joes return... not sure what impact that will have (guessing not all that much).

Weirdo Joe?

For some reason we decided to watch Average Joe 4: The Joes Strike Back.  I really do not know why.  We did watch the first series where the lovely Melena chose pretty boy Jason over lovable Adam... but we have not watched any of the follow-ups... ok, backtrack just a bit...  I did catch the last half hour of AJ2 (?) finale where infamously the guy dumped the gal because she had previously dated Fabio.  But that's it... I promise!

I know this does NOTHING to dispel the rumors that we watch every reality show out there!  Just for the record, we are NOT watching: The Scholar, Hell's Kitchen, Beauty and the Geek, The Cut, or I Want To Be A Hilton.  So there!

And likewise, we don't get into the make-over shows... have not watched (or watch) the Extreme Makeovers or the more tawdry The Swan... so that wasn't really the appeal either here (in this edition the "kicker" is some of the rejected "Joes" coming back into the mix after physical/mental makeovers).

So I guess it was just a timing issue and a chance to re-visit a show that we haven't seen in a couple of years.  Unbelievably they found a woman without a clue of how the "game" works (or at least willing to pretend she doesn't)... but I have to say, with a few exceptions, the new crop of Joes are more weird/quirky than anything that I would call "average."   But I guess the definition has to change ... average = boring or nondescript does not make for good (or more appropriately "so bad, it's good") television

What cracked me up is that they pretty much did a review of the entire series (not sure how many weeks its running) in the first 5 minutes.  From the introduction of the Joes, to the arrival of the "hunks," to the return of the re-made Joes, to the big finale location... which, of all places, will take place in Tahiti!  We pretty much cringed when we saw those aerial shots of the trademark overwater bungalows. 

So I guess we are dialed in until the finale... at minimum, just to longingly recall memories from our vacation.

Don't Leave Me This Way? Why Not!?!

Don't have much time today for a whole lot of mindless chatter (did I just call W&C mindless chatter?!?)... whole bunch of not terribly fun work-related stuff that is keeping me on my toes!

But I can't let that day go by without saying THELMA HOUSTON ROCKS!  On a particularly baaad episode of Hit Me Baby One More Time last night... Thelma made me forget for a minute it made me forget that this show is all about the has-beens!  And isn't there another singer out there with the last name of Houston?  Hmmm... remind me...

Thelma pretty much had at "mmmm... mmmm... mmmm...." oh, that's the hummed opening bars of her classic hit "Don't Leave Me This Way" (you didn't recognize it?!).

I was always a big fan of the song ... what self-respecting gay man isn't... but seeing her perform it live just brought it to a whole new level of LOVE. IT.  It made me think Vonzell Solomon had real balls to cover it on American Idol!  And kudos for Thelma also for doing a sizzling cover version of Alicia Keys "Fallin'" this is a song that many, many fail at and Houston hit it out of the ballpark as well!

And did she look great or what?! 59 years old!

It was definitely a week to foam at the mouth over older black women singers... we finally got around to watching the finale of NBC's Las Vegas and were thrilled to see/hear Gladys Knight do a couple of tunes on the show... but don't get me started on Gladys...  I might just start breaking out into Pips moves and going "Woo! Woo!" to strains of "Midnight Train To Georgia" running through my head.   And folks that ain't too pretty!

Have a great weekend! 

What I Am (Will Be) Watching On Bravo

Since I did a post about the NBC shows that we watch, thought I would do one for its sister network, Bravo... or maybe I should call it NBC's gay brother network.

Haven't been watching Bravo all that much of late... the latest round of Celebrity Poker Showdown is done, this is the show where 90% of the celebrities play No Limit Texas Hold 'Em very, very badly. 

TiVo still records Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (thanks to TiVO auto-recording wishlist: QUEER), but these days I watch an episode in about 20 minutes... skip through most of it... just get to me the made-over room and man...  and none of Jai's gag-worthy (pun not really intended) "life" philosophizing.  Although, the show may get a much needed boost when the guys hit the road and tackle the straight men of Texas.  And besides Kyan is looking pretty good in a cowboy hat... though not looking forward to hearing about the "products" that can help out "hat head."

So what am I watching?  Well, after some indecision, I finally got around to the first two episodes of the third go-round of Project Greenlight a chance.  We watched the first two season on HBO.  Geesh!  They should really stop doing this show... within an episode and a half it is evident that this is going to be the biggest trainwreck of them all (which is really saying something since the first two films arrived in theaters pretty much DOA).  Much to the dismay of the celeb series "creators," Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the decision was made to not do the traditional low budget independent film, but a more "commercially viable" horror film. 

Problem is the script they chose would cost a minimum of $20 million to shoot "as is" - they cut it down to around $5-6 million early on... now the studio (Dimension Films) is asking for a $1-2 million budget.  Why chose it in the first place?  Then, they get the writers all hyped up (so much so that they go out and get agents by the 2nd episode!) and then tell them in an early meeting that their script is seriously "flawed" and that they will have to pretty much gut it to fit the budget.

But believe it or not that is not the biggest problem. They chose this very artsy 50-year old-ish director.  He does appear to be very talented... but when it comes to communicating he is just painful to watch.  Timid, intimidated by the "big wigs, often unable to get out a sentence when he does try... but one thing he is not shy about is his desire to cast 4 major roles in the film with his own family and friends, most who have limited or no acting experience.  Oy!  This is very bad...  No spoilers please... I hear you can find some by looking up the film over at imdb.com ... but I'd rather not know.

Okay... back to other Bravo shows... I am looking forward to Showdog Moms & Dads, which premieres next Wednesday, March 30th.  As the title suggests, it is a reality show following folks as they navigate through what seems to be the very eccentric world of dog shows. I am hoping that this will be a "real" version of Best in Show, but I should probably taper my expectation... though I have a suspicion that "truth" may be stranger than fiction.

Off in the future, there are a couple of more shows coming up (though no start dates announced).  First, I can hardly believe they are doing BlowOut 2 - the show that follows the egocentric "master" hair stylist Jonathan as he attempts to be open and maintain a salon in Beverly Hills.  I admit to watching the first season, but it was just painful to watch most of the time (though I managed to "struggle" through it all somehow...haha). 

More looking forward to Kathy Griffin: Life on the D-List - a series that will follow around the comedian as she does her stand-up act and other public appearances.  Just love the snarkiness of Ms. Griffin who does not hesitate to bring the might down and celebrate her own life at the bottom of the celebrity food chain.  Finally, there is Situation: Comedy - another reality/documentary show that will follow the development of a sitcom from an original script submissions... through production... and ultimately the airing of a real pilot episode.  Will & Grace's Sean Hayes is one of the driving forces behind this one.

American Casino: The Last Word

Well it is time to put to rest one of the most searched for topics on this blog: The death of Michael Tata on The Discovery Channel's American Casino.

In the past couple of days, I have received multiple comments from friends of Michael accusing me of starting rumors or misrepresenting him. That was never my intention. I am a fan of the show and of the "character" we came to learn about on the show. As a fan, I thought I was doing some sort of public service by tracking down information surrounding his untimely death. Michael obviously touched a cord in people as I would guess thousands of people came to this site to find out more information. I provided that in an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Where I dipped into trouble was in the comment section of one post, where people speculated about Michael's personal life outside the show. Again just trying to be helpful and informative... I addressed the possible reasons for the speculation. I did not start a rumor or by any means imply that I was in the know -- this is a blog called Whine & Cheese -- hardly to be mistaken with the Associated Press or Reuters.

With that said, I will maintain only posts about Michael Tata's death that directly refer to other sources of information surrounding the cause of death. I am removing any editorializing, deleting all comments (where the issues really began), and not allowing any further comments to be accepted on these posts.. they will be for information purposely only period.

Likewise, Michael's co-worker, Ninya Perna, has also been a popular topic here. Like Michael, there seems to be an endless demand for information about Ninya. Here again, I was told I got the facts wrong. Again good intentions gone awry - based on information that I tracked down - which was very difficult to find - I found where Ninya started work as a hotel clerk at a certain hotel... I made the leap that was the hotel she met up with Tata. I admit this was an assumption and I should not have posted it... I removed that tidbit from my "list" -- and whatever remains of that post is taken directly from other sources (interviews, newspaper articles, etc). As with the above post, I am deleting and closing comments (most of which people were inappropriately addressing Ninya herself)

I stand by my good intentions that were behind each and every post about Michael and Ninya

The "just the facts" posts remain:
Death of Michael Tata: Accidental Overdose
and
The 411 on Ninya Perna

Life in the Fishbowl

For the most part, I don't spend much time worrying about what happened to the folks who have appeared on reality shows. Sure I don't mind seeing them on a talk show or the occasional "where are they now" feature, but for the most part their 15 minutes are up.. hopefully they are back to their "normal" life.. and for me... I am usually onto the latest crew. Well that is not always the case...

I have blogged about TheFishBowl.com a few times. This is the website where ex-reality "stars" gather and talk about their lives, talk about the latest reality shows, and bicker among each other (like the latest additions from BB5). I am a bit curious about the site name... usually "living in a fishbowl" is considered a negative thing... the inference being that one's life is constantly and uncontrollably watched and scrutinized by others. All these folks did it once when they chose to be on reality television and they are doing it again via their participation in the website (where they call each other "fish" no less). I dare say that most of them probably could have returned to their "normal" lives and returned to some degree of privacy. But I guess the point is that they don't want that...

Is there still that much of a demand from the public for information about them? Having tasted a snippet of pseudo-celebritydom have they become so addicted to it that they can't go back to a private life? Having gone into the shows as future lawyers, engineers, etc... is life as an ex-reality "star" easier or more fulfilling? Are they actually making a living? Is there just some group-think mentality when you get a bunch of people together who have gone through a similar experience?

I am sure the motives vary from person to person. I mean it seems like a fun idea, but it is hard to muster up a lot of respect when one recent articles was subtitled: "promoting calendars by drinking, tanning and schmoozing!" Ah, life in L.A. (where it seems most of them now call home)? Here is a taste of some other articles:

L.A. Traffic ­ Another Kind of Reality!
Getting Hooked on Skin Rejuvenation
Playing "The Price is Right Live" in Atlantic City
Shooting a Magazine Cover
Emmy Events with Ex-boyfriend Jason - Part I
"Wife Swap" ­ My New Favorite Pastime!
Turning 25 ­ Exciting and Amazing!
Help Me Pick My Hollywood Head-Shot!
Travel Weekend Turns into Travel Month!

One of my "favorite" articles was one entitled "Using the Baja Fresh Card to the Limit!" - in this one an ex-MTV Real Worlder was given a Baja Fresh pass as a thank you for being part of a charity dodgeball tournament (yes, you read right "charity dodgeball") for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (btw, the author couldn't even spell Glaser correctly). She quotes that the card "allowed me and 5 friends to eat a free meal, with drinks included, once a day, for a year."

So what did she do? Went to Baja Fresh EVERY day - with a group of 5 always in tow and tried to max out $$ on menu items -- the "best" they did was a 1-day tally of $74.82 worth of food. She proudly boasted that she "saved" $18,000 over the year. She ended the post " I guess no one believed that people who were on television and did charity work would actually bring 6 people for free meals every day. Well, we proved them wrong, didn't we?"

Nice "charity" work huh? I think any iota of goodwill was pretty much wiped out. Why not take a few meals over to a homeless shelter? Or how much would the Glaser Foundation have been thrilled with an $18k donation (or for companies like Baja Fresh to sponsor again, which they apparently did not ... hmmm, I wonder why)? Finally... I go to Baja Fresh myself...and like it... but how the heck can you eat it every day?

Now this was somewhat of an atypical entry -- not all the "fishes" come across as self-centered, "what's in it for me," attention-hungry $*%#$s, but reality television fans... I think we have created some monsters... or some huge psychiatrist bills down the road!

Death of Michael Tata: Accidental Overdose

We finally have answers (well, sort of) regarding the death of Michael Tata, the 33-year old executive who was featured on the reality-based series American Casino:

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports today:

Michael Tata, a Station Casinos executive found dead last month at his Henderson home, died from an overdose of alcohol and the potent painkiller fentanyl, according to autopsy and toxicology results from the Clark County coroner's office. The agency classified the 33-year-old's death as accidental. Coroner Mike Murphy said medical confidentiality laws prohibit him from discussing the drug levels detected in Tata's system. Murphy said he also could not comment on whether a doctor had written Tata a prescription for fentanyl, an opium-based drug that is more potent than morphine and heroin and commonly used by chronic pain sufferers and cancer patients.

The article went on to say regarding the drug:

Doctors advise patients not to drink alcohol when using fentanyl, noting such a combination may lead to breathing problems or a dangerously low heart rate.

The episode dealing with Tata's death is scheduled to air on The Discovery Channel on October 1st.

Here is a link to today's article in the LV Review-Journal:
Autopsy shows painkiller, alcohol cause of Tata's death

COMMENTS CLOSED: This post is for information purposes only.

Las Vegas Reality: A Winner & Loser

Some quick updates about the two reality series centering around Las Vegas casinos.

Regarding American Casino, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the "first season" of the show will continue in Late September:

An episode dealing with the death of Green Valley Ranch executive Michael Tata has been delayed until later this fall. Calls for an explanation to the show's executive producer, Craig Piligian, were not returned Wednesday. Tata, 33, the vice president of hotel operations at the property, was found dead at his residence July 6. Meantime, Assistant Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg said Wednesday his office is awaiting toxicology results to determine the cause of death. Eight of the original 13 episodes have aired, but no shows will be aired in August because of "Shark Week" programming and then the Olympics. The reality show will return Sept. 3, with repeat shows. The next new show will air Sept. 24.

The newspaper reported earlier that 18 new episodes have been ordered. The ratings have been good, including a reported 50 percent ratings jump among viewers 25 to 54.

The news is not as good for the Mark Burnett/Fox series The Casino. Starting this week, the network will air the series twice a week (Sunday and Monday nights) in order to "burn off" the remaining episodes. The finale (and presumably the last ever episode) will air on August 29th.

The 411 on Ninya Perna

I continue to be swamped with search hits regarding the death of Michael Tata, arguably the most popular "character" on The Discovery Channel's reality series American Casino. However, the "oil" to his "vinegar" mostly certainly is Ninya Perna, Green Valley Ranch's Hotel Manager.

I have also received quite a number of hits about Ninya (though for the person who searched for "sex with Ninya Perna, I can not help you out with that one) - so I thought it was time to put together a little entry devoted to the spunky Ninya. From beauty pageant past to toying with bible school to life in Sin City... here is what I uncovered:

* Full name Ninya Mae Perna - born March 23, 1973 (in New York) - she is 5' 8" tall
* First entered a beauty pageant at age 3
* Won Little Miss Texas title at age 6 and little Miss Central Texas a year later
* Family decided to stop entering childhood pageants
* Graduate high school in Venice, FL
* Moved to Las Vegas in 1991 and resumed pageant career
* Named Miss Clark County in 1994 and 1995
* Named Miss Nevada USA in 1997 (Voted "Miss Congeniality" in the state pageant)
* Did not place as one of the semi-finalists in the national competition
* At the time was a front-desk clerk at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino
* At the time, planned to attend a Bible college in Ohio and get a degree in biblical studies
* "Lured away" by Tata to join Green Valley Ranch when it opened in 4Q 2001
* Best thing about her job: "everything"
* Worst thing about her job: "the pay"

A couple of links:

American Casino Bios (including Ninya)

A picture of Ninya from the swimsuit competition and story - 1997 Miss USA pageant

COMMENTS CLOSED: This post for information purposes only. Also check out the GVR American Casino Home Page for more information.