Big Brother 12: End Game

(One of summer’s guilty pleasures for me is the CBS reality series Big Brother. If you haven’t been watching this season, this post will mean nothing to you. Move along; there’s nothing to see here.)

Now that it’s a done deal (although anything can happen in four days, but I’d be very surprised if anything changes) and a Brigade member is going to win the game, my interest level is hovering around “E” (for “Empty”, not “Enzo”). I suppose the eventual winner will “deserve” the $500k, because he lasted longer than the rest of the jury and convinced them to vote for him, but I can’t drum up enough enthusiasm to really care one way or another.

Enzo should be the first of them to go. They all have Final 2 deals with each other, but the Meow Meow hasn’t done anything to justify giving him the $50,000 2nd place money. Other than winning one Veto Comp, what has he done to even earn the money BB’s paid him this summer, other than hanging out at the house? All I remember is him saying “I haven’t started playing this game yet, it’s time to start” several times a day for the past month, bragging about what a tough competitor he is, planning his post-BB future in show biz, taking credit for everything and taking a lot of naps.

I can’t back Lane because of his off-screen personality, which has been well-discussed in various online forums. Look it up, or take my word for it – he’s not a nice guy.  Some have suggested that he makes up a lot of his stories for effect, but I doubt it. I don’t want to say much more, because he’s liable to get 2 or 3 of his good buddies together, hunt me down, beat me up and dance with my girlfriend, and harm my cat just for fun.

I guess that leaves Hayden for me to root for, but I’m not happy about that choice, either. Until the past couple of weeks, he’s spent the summer relaxing with the Brigade, letting others do the dirty work. When Britney was trying to prevent Brendon from winning Veto, Hayden grabbed cash and a Hawaii trip and let Matt take the blame, because he knew he was safe. I suppose that could be considered good gameplay, but not by me. But out of the three of them, he’s worked at winning the competitions to keep himself safe the past couple of weeks, so I guess I have to give him that. If he’s in the Final 2, I can’t imagine him not winning. But like he said last night, he’s going to have to get himself there; nobody’s going to take him. Now that it’s on the line, he’s tough to beat, and winning out the competitions is something that should impress the jury, Brigade or not.

That being said, I doubt I’ll be wasting my time on the feeds during the next ten days, and certainly not after Britney’s gone (hey, you never know what can happen). Especially if CBS blocks Wednesday night’s endurance comp. When it’s just the three of them left in the house, the WBRB bubbles will be more interesting than watching that lot congratulate themselves for a week.

I wouldn’t even bother with the broadcast, except I’m curious about what’s happening in the Jury House. Is Vegas Red still pissed that Brendon’s out of the game? I think that was the reason she went over-the-top with Matt, not just because of the cameras, but because she had to have some outlet for her disappointment that she and her man have no BB money in their future.  If she’s smart (a stretch, I know), she’ll keep her distance from Ragan (especially after he finds out about Matt’s lie); if she tries rubbing it in that he’s out of the game and asks him mockingly what he thinks of Matt now, the Backyard Slapdown will look like the Paris Peace Talks. It will not end well for her.

I’d consider skipping the finale, too, except it’ll be on right after Survivor, so I’ll be sitting there watching CBS anyway. I’m curious to see the reaction when Ragan is revealed as the Saboteur, since everyone’s so sure it’s Matt. I’m wondering if Brendon will actually propose to Vegas on live TV, and what she’ll say to avoid committing without making both of them look like total idiots.

And I guess I’m looking forward to the whole America’s Favorite thing, which Enzo assumes is his. My druthers would be that J Chen will say that, “Oddly enough, nobody cast any votes this year because you’re such a lame group,” but that’s just a fantasy of mine (one of many that involve Julie, but that’s a topic for another time). I know that a lot of people will be voting for Brendon, but I can’t. He’s not my favorite anything. He didn’t play the game for himself (despite what he told Julie; even the last vote he cast was “For Rachel”), he was a poor sport when it came to losing comps, and I don’t want him to have the chance share any of it with Vegas, either. It’ll just postpone the inevitable.  Sorry, Britney haters, but I’ll be voting for her early and often.

Random Thoughts #3

  • Have you been following Big Brother at all? My summer guilty pleasure. I missed the first season, caught most of the second, and have been an addicted viewer since the third (except for the infamous Season 9; I found that cast so vile and disgusting that I didn’t watch past the second week). Just my opinion, of course, but the current season is shaping up to be one of the best. I say that because the people I like are doing well, the people I don’t are gone or self-destructing, and there is no shortage of controversy. Gotta love Reality TV!
  • Hate to see summer end, but love to see football season start! Even if my team is the Cleveland Browns. Only one preseason game in the books, and I’m already thinking, “Oh, well. Maybe next year.” Which, I believe is the Official Motto if the Cleveland Browns’ Fans.
  • Another problem with the end of summer is everyone trying to cram in one last cookoout in a short period of time. I went to two this past weekend, and another is looming before school starts. On top of that, I’m visiting family in Ohio for a few days soon, and the day I hit town, I’m being taken to a sushi bar. I spent three months struggling to lose 15 pounds; in the past 60 days, I’ve gained 10 of them back.
  • I’m a huge, huge fan of Michael Nesmith‘s solo work. Check it out! I particularly like Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma.
  • The “l” on my keyboard has detached itself, and I don’t know how to stick it back on (I have a Dell XPS M2010, if you have any ideas on how to fix this annoyance).
  • That’s all for now. Aren’t you glad you stopped by? I am!

Random Thoughts #2

Ya see, this is why I don’t promote my personal brand and monetize this here blog thing. It’s been over a month since I’ve made any entries. Not that I can’t find anything to write about, it’s making the time to do it that’s my problem.

Anyway, a few random comments to catch things up:

• The computer problem outlined in my last post has been resolved successfully. I did have to install a new hard drive (and, naturally, strip a screw while putting everything back together, which resulted in one of the plastic cosmetic covers sticking up ever so slightly higher than the other). And I did blow $80 on a data recovery program that didn’t work for me (my own damn fault; I didn’t read the program description close enough to notice that it would not work on a striped RAID array). But with a step-back-and-rethink and the help of a wonderful free program called Pandora Recovery, I was able to recover the photos, documents and most of the music I’d lost. And I now have two 500GB external that I back up everything to on a regular basis.

• I loved loved loved the season finale of Lost! I had kept all Season 5 episodes on my TiVo, and went back and rewatched the entire season, and found it quite satisfying (although I’ll miss Elizabeth Mitchell terribly). I have complete confidence in the creative team that the Final Season will cement Lost’s place in TV history as one of the best series ever.

• The 24 season finale, however, seemed oddly disappointing to me. A bit of a let down, really. Don’t get me wrong; bad 24 is shelves above most other dramas, but after 23 rockin’ hours, the ending left me cold. It didn’t rock my world. The Season 7 DVD set was available to buy the next day, though. (Lost? You hear that?)

• Go see Up. After careful reflection, I think it’s my third favorite Pixar film (nothing can replace Buzz and Woody on my list). The story has always been Pixar’s strength, and this one is no exception. It’s a life-affirming message that applies to everyone. Well, everyone except for the young girl sitting a few rows behind me who loudly told her mom that she didn’t want to watch this movie anymore. But I bet by the end of the movie she was glad her mom told her to shut up and watch (or was that just a wishful thought I had?).

• Next gen iPhones are rumored to be available Monday. Still going back and forth as to whether or not I want to take the plunge. OK, you got me. I want to take the plunge.

OK, Loyal Reader. That’s enough for now. I shan’t wait another month to post again. Good bloggers post daily. Let’s see if I can do that.

Random Thoughts #1

Yes, it’s been a while since my last post; I’m sure you all have missed me terribly. Truth is, I’ve been fighting a severe case of Procrastination lately, and have only recently felt recovered enough to attempt to string a few words together into a coherent sentence.

I’m still feeling too weak to attempt an entire post on one subject, so instead I’ll throw out a few disconnected Random Thoughts:

• Only three more new episodes of Lost this season. Then I guess that’s it until, what – January? Thank goodness I’ll have summer and Christmas to distract me while I wait. One thing I’m not looking forward to during the Final Season is the amount of spoilers that will no doubt be floating around. Why can’t folks just enjoy the story as it unfolds?

• I’m seriously considering getting an iPhone when the new ones hit the market this summer. Burning questions: What do I do with my 16GB iTouch? Use the phone strictly as a phone and the iTouch as my .mp3 player? eBay the iTouch? What about all apps I’ve purchased? Can I move them to the phone, or will I have to repurchase?

• I need to do some unfollowing in Twitter. I’m sensing some Superior Attitudege by some Tweeters towards those of us who are using this social media to be…well, sociable. Some seem to think that Twitter should be used exclusively for entrepreneurial networking and selling, I don’t know…stuff. Unless you’re a Social Media Guru or Maven or Whatever, you need not apply. Like every enjoyable activity since kids first starting tossing pie tins back and forth, the money people are looking to make a quick buck on folks having fun. The new buzzword is “Monetize”.

• I started using MySpace, Facebook and Twitter before all of my friends. I guess I could promote myself as a Social Media Pioneer.

• Heh…those last two Thoughts may lose me enough followers that I won’t have to wade through my list looking for cutoffs.

• I am still of the belief that Bluetooth headsets should never be utilized outside of one’s vehicle. If you’re walking around Wal Mart wearing one, people are not looking at you thinking, “There goes someone obviously very important, and leading the pack in cutting-edge technology.”  They’re thinking, “What a douche.” Particularly if you’re walking around with your phone in your hand.

• I’m participating in a weight loss challenge at the MMA school I train at. I’m not leading, but I’m close. I really want a couple of tacos, or a Five Guys burger.

• Speaking of douches, I’m hoping Coach Dragon Slayer gets blindsided sooner than later. Preferably by someone he despises. I don’t care how much Jeff likes him (gotta love Jeff’s blogs, though).

That’ll have to do it for now; I feel another attack of Procrastination coming on. I have to go be apathetic for a while.

“You’re Going To Want That Tooth” (Survivor 3/12 – Spoilers)

Random Thoughts about tonight’s Survivor episode:

Recap shows the story of two strong (HA!) tribes who keep sending Brenden and Taj to Exile Island. I smell the theme of tonight’s episode being set up.

“They made plans to strengthen their alliance”… by including the two wimpiest people in their tribes to work with.

Taj didn’t have a chance to look for the HII, but Brenden found his stuck in the ass of the Tree Mail Idol. Early guess is that Brendan has a chance to give his idol to Taj, but doesn’t. She goes home.

“I’ve never brought such pleasure to a woman before.” Not something you want to admit on national TV. Even in jest. Especially to Eddie George’s wife.

Too much early emphasis on the idol. It must play a huge part in tonight’s show. If not, I’m deleting all this tomorrow.

“Why the sad frown?” “Because everyone feels the need to give me a prostate exam!”

She found it! Forget what I said earlier. Just start reading from here.

Uh oh. Stephen’s playing the “Possession is 9/10ths” rule. Taj is going home tonight, and it’s because he won’t give it up.

That tapir still creeps me out. Might be fun to take to a party, though.

Those Charmin commercials with the bears are just…wrong.

Sierra: “I’m proud of myself. I’ve formed an amazing alliance.” You did? When? Oh, you mean the one that was formed before anybody bothered to tell you about it?

Probst: “Sandy voted out at the last Tribal Council.” Coach:”Only a matter of time.” Pot, meet kettle.

Is someone going to puke? I bet someone pukes. I know I would.

The Charmin Cafe???? OMG. I hope you don’t have to watch bears wipe their asses while you eat.

“A modern toilet and plenty of Charmin.” I don’t know why that literally made me laugh out loud. Jeff, they don’t pay you enough.

I bet Tyson isn’t paying attention to any of this.

Who was it on Big Brother that got spun around, tried to walk, fell down and sliced his head open? Wasn’t it that FBI guy?

Coach is guiding Erinn with his eyes.

Jalapeno wins reward!

Brendan chooses Stephen to go to Exile. Assistant Coach Tyson is suspicious. Doesn’t pay attention at Tribal, but keeps track of who goes to Exile with who.

Pick a trip to Brazil, or to the Survivor Finale. Hmmm. Tough choice.

Product placement the past couple of seasons has been too much. “Got any napkins?” “No, use the Charmin.”

They’re not really more excited about the Charmin than the food, are they? That’s just editing, right? Right?

No, Joe, Taj has not had the opportunity to create a tighter bond with her tribe, but she’s had the opportunity to find the Hidden Immunity Idol. If Stephen gives it to her, of course.

Wait…what’s that? More Charmin? No! Letters from home! I bet Taj gets autographed pictures of Eddie George to hand out to everybody.

Everybody’s getting all weepy about people they haven’t seen for, what…two weeks? I’ll be right back. Martini time.

I’ll bet Taj’s letter from Eddie starts, “You know all my millions that I invested with Madoff?” No wonder she’s crying.

Tyson’s got Brendan figured out! Bastard!

“If we merge, he’s got control of the game. And I’m just a bystander. And I certainly don’t want that to happen.” Too late, Coach. It’s happened.

Coach the Weatherman. And as accurate as the guy on channel 69.

Didn’t anyone tell the CBS graphics guy that Exile is not on an island? Everyone else is just calling it “Exile”.

Stephen is definitely going to keep the HII from Taj.

Spencer isn’t telling Sydney he’s gay. Although she probably already thinks he is because he’s not flirting with her.

The ol’ Ball Launch Immunity Challenge! How boring!

Joe hurt his knee back there, with subtitles. Does this mean he loses the challenge for them later?

JT loses a tooth. He doesn’t care. He’s from the south, where that happens all the time.

Probst wants to stop and find the tooth. Otherwise they have to come up with another catchy title for the episode.

What? They actually found it? And Probst puts it in his pocket? LOL!!

JT says it’s Spencer’s fault. But JT misses the last ball. Ha! Sacrificed that tooth for nothing. Tempura wins immunity! Crap. We’re stuck with Coach for another week.

Shut up, Taj! Stephen’s not going to give up the idol!

Wait…they’re saying she’s next to go. That means it’s Spencer.

Isn’t that the same shirt Probst had on last week? Isn’t he rich or something?

Oops. Jeff called it “Exile Island”.

They never showed Stephen not giving the HII to Taj. That means Spencer’s toast.

WHAT!!!! DAMN YOU, TIVO!!! WHERE’S F’ING TRIBAL COUNCIL???

Never mind.

Jeff’s going to tally the votes.

The 5th person voted out of Survivor:Tocantins: Spencer.

“Spencer, the tribe has spoken.”

TWO WEEKS?!?!?! DAMN YOU, MARCH MADNESS!!!!

“Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This”

Happy Thursday!

I have my Tostitos, my bean dip and my Stewarts Orange and Cream nearby, ready to watch this week’s installment of Survivor: Tocantins. Random Thoughts as the episode unfolds:

  • Did you know that Benjamin Wade was fired from his woman’s soccer coaching position? Seems he told the athletic director at his school that he was going to be gone for a week, but ended up missing school for almost two months, without a note from home. He’s not worried, though, because he’s off to persue a career in Hollywood, because his popularity on Survivor will open doors for him. And why not? It certainly opened doors for…um…you know, that other guy that became famous after Survivor
  • Two hot babes were voted out in the first two weeks of the season. Hope that trend reverses. They don’t have that many to lose.
  • “She just insulted all of our intelligences.” Can that be grammatically correct?
  • Erinn doesn’t know when to stop talking. Just like her parents didn’t know when to stop adding “n”s to her name.
  • What the hell kind of animal is that with the flexible snout they show during the opening? Creepy.
  • In each of his EW.com blogs so far this season, Probst has wisecracked about Sierra marrying a Survivor producer. Think she’s gonna?
  • Oh, yeah…Debbie! Has she done anything noteworthy yet?
  • Jerry’s having problems with the beans. Aren’t beans standard Army-issue grub?
  • “We’re a force to be reckoned with.” As long as there’s not a challenge that involves catching fish with a net.
  • I’d hate to be the caller in one of these challenges. The losing team always blames the callers and votes their ass out.
  • Maestro looks pissed.
  • Brendan and Taj off again to Exile Island. It’s tough enough not to look suspicious without Probst stirring the pot.
  • “Winners always find a way to win. Losers always find a way to lose.” Wonder what his record was when he still had a soccer team to coach? Because his Survivor team sucks.
  • Crap. The Tostitos are already gone. Do I bother making popcorn, or just grab the Fritos?
  • “You’re like my assistant coach.” Aw, that’s swell, Little Buddy! Maybe he’ll let you carry his jacket at the next TC. I wouldn’t let myself get too associated with him, though. No matter what he thinks his standing is, he’s annoying a lot of people. You don’t want to be caught in that backlash.
  • “He loves me.”? “Everyone can see it.”? “Maybe he’ll promote me”? Never mind what I said before. Good luck with all that.
  • I forgot I had some chips and French onion dip. The popcorn and Fritos can wait for Lost.
  • Brenden and Taj choose Stephen and Sierra as their Mini-Me’s.
  • Sandy: “I know I’m a sex kitten this morning. There’s no doubt in my mind.” And the men all remember they have an appointment on the other side of Brazil.
  • Sierra runs like a girl.
  • Erinnnnn – hush! Your mouth is a shovel that’s digging a deeper hole!
  • Jalapao wins! Erinnnnn will be going home, no matter what Jerry thinks.
  • Or not.
  • The owls are not what they seem.
  • Maestro is still pissed. I’m concerned about his blood pressure.
  • “I am so true that existing around people that smile evilly when somebody else is on their knees kills me.” Huh?
  • “To me, it looks like she’s just here to lie and deceive and, you know, get ahead any way she can.” Unlike everyone else in the game, right, Assistant Coach?
  • Brenden finds the HII by lifting up the backside of the skirt and seeing the hole.
  • “I like seeing people cry when you crush their dreams.” I don’t want him to be my assistant coach anymore.
  • Jerry: “I think the leader should be Brenden.” And Maestro’s smile turns upside down. Ha!
  • “I basically told everybody with my eyes what they needed to get.” I think I laughed harder than Erinn did at that.
  • Jerry’s thinking maybe he should have kept his mouth shut.
  • GAH!!!!! UGLY CENTIPEDE!!!!
  • First 2 votes Jerry; Erinn’s smiling smugly. She’s toast.
  • Or not.
  • Poor Maestro. Erinn’s still around, plus nobody wants him to be the leader. Been a tough day.
  • “Jerry, the tribe has spoken.”

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$4 Billion For Teenage Goofiness? Puh-leez!

If you haven’t seen this picture before now, you’ve certainly heard about it. The young lady in the middle of the group finds herself in the middle of another photographic controversy. She is, of course, Miley Cyrus, offspring of Billy Ray, who’s built a mini-empire for herself since she began appearing as Hannah Montana in the Disney Channel’s tv show (and movie and guitar and CDs and sundry other merchandise) of the same name.

The OCA issued a statement that “The photograph of Miley Cyrus and other individuals slanting their eyes currently circulating the Internet is offensive to the Asian Pacific American community and sets a terrible example for her many young fans. This image falls within a long and unfortunate history of people mocking and denigrating individuals of Asian descent…Not only has Miley Cyrus and the other individuals in the photograph encouraged and legitimized the taunting and mocking of people of Asian descent, she has also insulted her many Asian Pacific American fans..” Except, I would guess the APA in the picture. He doesn’t appear to be too annoyed.

Someone who was very annoyed, though, was a Los Angeles woman named Lucie J. Kim who filed a class action suit against Cyrus for $4 billion. Yes, that’s right: $4,000,000,000.00.

Now, after double-checking this with some friends of mine to make sure, I counted a total of seven people in that picture. Why is Miley the only one being sued? Why not sue the lot of them for $28 billion and really make a point? Yes, even the Asian American. He apparently condoned the behavior of his friends, or he would have asked to be Photoshopped out of the offending portrait.

Maybe it’s because they’re not newsworthy? Without Miley in the picture it’s just a bunch of kids goofing around, and nobody, even Kimberly Castro, would give a shit.

I’m still waiting for the ASPCA and PETA to weigh in about the guy holding up the bunny ears behind the other guy’s head. Surely that has to be offensive to rabbits.

But since it’s not Miley holding her fingers up, it’s not worth the quarter to call a lawyer.

Why Probst Thinks We Should Watch Tocantins

Besides being a Lost and 24 dweeb, I’m a big fan of the granddaddy of so-called “reality shows”, Survivor.  I just caught the end of the first season, but I started watching religiously during the second season, and always look forward to the next.

Survivor: Tocatins begins this Thursday, Feb. 12. If you don’t know, host Jeff Probst writes a weekly blog at EW.com following each episode. In the current (Feb.13) edition of Entertainment Weekly, he tells us why we should tune in to the 18th season of the venerable series:

The first thing is CAST, CAST, CAST. (Here’s a tease: “Dragon Slayer” – just wait.) I’m putting my reputation on the line: If you don’t love this cast, I’ll offer to switch EW.com blogging jobs with The Bachelor’s Chris Harrison. And get ready for a BIG TWIST in the first five minutes that has lasting repercussions. Hint: Can you ever change a first impression? We’ll find out. As for THE BLINDSIDE, it is taken to a whole ‘nother level. We set a new record this season. Beastly. And the TERRAIN? High desert, 120 degrees, snakes, injuries, and a stunning river oasis. Exile Island will totally destroy them. Tocatins is so good, it may just crack out top five seasons ever.

If you’re a Survivor fan, you owe it to yourself to check out Jeff’s blog, and writer Dalton Ross’ recaps every Thursday at EW.com.

How “Lost” Will End (My Theory)

This is what we will discover during the last half-hour of the very last episode:

The Losties are the original Others. The Others we’ve been wondering about since Season 1 are their descendants.

I have nothing to back this up, except the time travel concept.  It’s just a hunch.

“Jughead”

Now that I’ve finally seen the episode, a few Random Thoughts:

  • Watching the stream from ABC.com wasn’t half bad. HD quality picture, 30-second commercial breaks…if I didn’t have to wait until Thursdays, I might watch Lost this way every week.
  • I have such a crush on Elizabeth Mitchell.
  • Does Faraday really love Charlotte, or is he just trying to distract her from what he knows is going to happen to her shortly?
  • The woman on the island that Faraday says looks familiar – I’ve seen some hypothesize that it’s his mother, but I must say that if I ran into my own mother 50 years ago, I’m pretty sure I’d recognize her. Of course, much has been made of Faraday’s memory problems. Still, it seems a stretch.
  • Faraday doesn’t seem the type to me to put a girl in a time-traveling coma and skip to the States.
  • Des and Penny named their baby after Charlie. Aww.
  • Speaking of Charlies: young Charlie Widmore on the island! Quite a revelation. How does he know the island better than anyone else, as he claimed? Where did he – as well as Alpert and the rest –  come from?
  • Faraday’s plan is to bury Jughead. Could this somehow be tied to the fertility problems in the island’s future? Could that be the reason for the radiation suits worn around the Swan? Was entering the numbers into the computer every 108 minutes resetting the bomb’s trigger in some way?
  • Now we know why Alpert visited the hospital when Locke was born. When will we find out the meaning of the objects he showed him later in his childhood, and why he was so disappointed when John picked up the knife?

Man, I love this stuff!