Hey all!

It's been a really long time since I've posted a message on my blog. I have been battling a virus which wiped me of my energy and I have been out of work on a medical leave since 5/7/2008. I have been laying on my couch for 5 weeks trying to recuperate, and I am about 90% recovered. I will need another month or so for rest and exercise before I am back to 100 percent.

The most upsetting part of being out of commission for weeks is that I missed tennis tournaments in May and will not be able to participate in tournaments in June. I am looking to get back into things in July but I need to practice because I haven't touch my racket in 5 weeks. I played this past Sunday and I was winded during the 10 minutes warm-up. I had to take several breaks during the 1.5 hour session so I only player for about 40 minutes. It was good to be back on the court and hitting balls after being laid up for weeks -- but I have lost some of my game. I will be using June to regain my fitness and tennis form.

I am finally back at work, and it is good to be back. I like going to work because it gives me a sense of structure and it allows me to plan the rest of my day. And besides, you can only watch so much television before it because kind of boring. But, I was able to watch a number of things while being on my couch for weeks:

- The Simpsons (Seasons 16, 17, 18 ,19)
- American Dad (Seasons 2-3)
- The Secret Diary of a Call Girl (UK Version, but now being shown in the US on Showtime)
- Code Monkeys (Season 1)
- Australia's Next Top Model (Season 4, eps 1-7)
- French Open Live Coverage

So I had somethings to keep my occupied.

Things are getting back to normal so I should resume normal postings next week.

Did you miss me?

Labels: drama, health, television

I was, again, watching the Today Show and they showed some lowhighlights from the Republican debates last night when I noticed some different with John McCain.


Why is this skin on his neck pulled so tight? You can see that this skin is being pulled in some way. Is he trying to compete with the chiseled jaw of Mitt Romney?


I think so.

Cut to earlier that same day when Rudy (boo) Guiliani (BOO!) endorsed John McCain for the Republican candidate:


See the prominent jowls and the fat trying to escape from his shirt collar? He must bought some industrial strength Duck Tape to hold all that down for the debates.

I remember a time when I used to like John McCain. At that time he was a Republican who often broke from his party and was more "liberal". That all changed with him visiting Jerry Falwell's Liberty University to appear more "conservative" to get the Evangelical vote.

Do we really need any more reason to dislike him? Oh, here's another.

Labels: election 08, john mccain, Random, television

I was watching the Today Show yesterday morning before work, and I saw this ad for Chris Matthews show on MSNBC:



I knew it looked familiar but I couldn't place where I have seen it before. It took about a minute, but I figured it out:


How lazy is NBC's graphic department for using the same logo template?

I would love to see Hilary and Barack battle it out against American Gladiators for the Democratic nomination. But not with the new gladiators. I want the old school American Gladiators with name names like Malibu, Lace, and Nitro.

They should totally consider doing this in November to determine the next president. Think of the ratings! If it comes down to Hilary and McCain, I got my money on Hilary. She had about 40 lbs and 5 inches on him.

Labels: Random, television

Is Kit making fun of Heidi during the opening credits? Probably not since Heidi was clearly added later in post-production. She too busy having "naked time" with Seal and her pups.

The episode starts out with "Sweet P" mourning the loss of Chris. If someone casually overheard this conversation, you would think he was dead and not voted out of a reality TV show. There are more serious things to think about "Sweet P", like the bangs:


You look younger with the hair away from your face.

The Challenge:

Create a new look for everyday women using their old clothes
The models for this challenge were women who lost a significant amount of weight, as explained by Heidi:

"The clothes they are wearing were their favorite outfits before their transformation."
Bullcrap. There is a woman in a wedding dress, and you are saying that is her favorite outfit? Is this what she wears when she runs to the market to pickup some milk or to have lunch with a friend? I sense the producers had a hand in this. All the other woman at a least 2 pieces of casual clothing, and this woman has a wedding dress? I smell a fix.

Heidi pulls from the "magic bag o' buttons" and Steven got paired up with thewoman wearing the wedding dress. He is so screwed, and he knew it.

I wonder how many expletives are going through his mind at this moment?
While Steve was crapping his pants, Kevin, for a straight man, showed his very gayest hand wave:


But he was quickly outdone by Ricky:


He claimed it was done for design research for his model since they are about the same size. Make it work, Ms. Ricky. He ended the tear drought,


so I will cut him some slack.


As you may know by know, Jack had to leave the competition because of a medical condition. He began to develop a MRSA, which he has had before, which could become very serious if left untreated. His leaving was quite dramatic with tear from everyone (except Kevin) but I didn't feel much. Maybe because I knew he was going that I didn't allow myself to attach to him. He stated that this illness is not HIV/AIDS related at all and that anyone to could get. At least we have this to remember him by:


Adios, Jack. But like a flamboyant Pheonix rising from the gay ashes of fashion,


Chris is reborn, and the redemption can begin.

The results:

Winner: Christian, Auf'd: Steven, My Fav: Christian
Steven was in a futile attempt to save himself from elimination. During judging he was told that his garment looked like a French maid uniform, but I think that was the look he was after. He told the hairstylist to make his model look "French". And for all we know his model could be a French maid.

When Steven was being auf'd, I saw this:


He looks pretty good in this picture. The light and shadows makes him look a bit David Beckham-esque. Your dry wit will be missed.

Did anyone see how Jillian totally cheated?


The dress she made was create from all new fabric and only a fraction of the model's old pant for the piping. Steven used more original material than she did. What was the point of the brief if you don't have to adhere to it? But his garment was a big mess and "slapped together with glue and a prayer." So ultimately, the judges' decision was justified.

I am very happy to report that my show is no longer broken. This episode was the best of the whole season thus far. The Tim Gunn I loved from previous seasons return and made me laugh:

"I have more bad decisions at 3 o'clock in the morning than I can list."
I will leave you with Michael Kors sharing one of his bad 3 o'clock in the morning decisions:

"I went to a bar last night and met this guy... "


" ... and he left after breakfast."

Fin.
______________________

Ricky Cry Tally: 9

Labels: project runway, project runway 4, television

This recap will be short and sweet because I wasn't feeling too inspired to write because this episode was such a bore.

With that said, let's start off on something positive:


Kevin should be required not to wear a shirt.

Something else positive:


Jack set the mood for the episode by stealing Ricky's model. You know he has been planning this coup since working with Ricky in episode 2. Ricky was not happy, but did not cry. Damn it!

The Challenge:


The designers were asked to pair up with one another and we have these four groups of three:


Christian has official become annoying. His overconfidence, his fixation on designing jackets, his camera-whoring .... looking at him try to steal camera time from Kit:


If you notice Project Runway is using him extensively to narrate this season. I am not sure whether no one else was outwardly bitchy during filmin, or they are foreshadowing that he is in the finals. In any case, I am growing tired of Christian.

Victorya, "...I didn't even know you were a bitch." (to quote Eva Pigford Marcille - ANTM Season 3).


The would have never guess Victorya was like this. She seemed like a sweet girl when she won in episode 2 with Kevin. Unless there were somethings intentionally cut out that episode in preparation for this one. Where did this shrew of a woman come from? During their sketching time she said she didn't want to be the leader, only to say the following Ricky:

"...I, in fact wanted to ask you, why did you want to be team leader?...I didn't take [team leader] because I like that fact that someone stepped up to the plate. But I excpeted that person to fulfill those responsibilities."

Which elicited a major eyeroll from Ricky:


And from me as well while I sat and watched on my couch.

Guest judge:


Donna Karen, who looks lovely, and actually gave useful critiques to the designers during judging.

Results:

Winner: Jillian, Auf'd: Chris, My Fav: Kit
I feel bad Chris. You knew he leaving after he said this:

"A lot of people have me in a pigeon-hole. There's Chris with a 10 foot wig, and a big, giant costume made out of like 200 yards of fabric. But as the group leader, I finally got a chance to show that I can design anything just as good as anyone else in the room."
He sealed his fate when he decided to be come the team leader. Have people ever this or any other reality show before, you never want to be the leader of team. The leader most always gets kicked off when losing a challenge. His choice of shoulder pads didn't help, either. Victoria Beckham rocked some shoulder pads this past June at the UK Glamour Awards where she accepted "Woman of the Year."


I think shoulder pads are coming back, if not,


Patricia Fields totally hates Kim Catrall. (sidenote: Have you seen the new Sex and the City movie trailer?)

Ricky did not increase his cry count and my surplus of tears is running low because of it. I need nourishment, Ricky.

Other than that, this episode was pretty boring. I hope things pick up next week, or else it will be a long season.


I know how you feel, Kevin. I am falling asleep as well.

Labels: project runway, project runway 4, television

Episode 3: Fashion Giant

So how do I begin this recap? I know:


How about some shirtless Kevin. You're welcome!

This episode of Project Runway was kind of dull because the challenge was about menswear. Heidi lauded this challenge as a first for project runway, but I don't understand why. Yes, it is the first time they worked with male models, but this is not the first time the designers worked with menswear or had males walk down the runway. Let me refresh your memories:


The Challenge:

Design a menswear outfit for Tiki Barber
The build up was kind of a let down, but I was nice to see the designers work out of their comfort zone. The special guest was Tiki Barber, which explains the menwear angle of this episode. So we go from "pop culture and fashion icon" Sarah Jessica Parker to a football player who is now a correspondent for the Today Show? Since Bravo and NBC are both NBC Universal companies that this is just corporate synergy at work. It may not be a bad idea to cross-promote consider when Tim announced Tiki Barber the only person who recognized who he was was Kevin.


Probably because he is a NY Giants fan ... and straight. From the look on Victorya's face, she got an eyeful of Tiki and liked what she saw:


But she may want to watch her back:


Ginny Barber may destroy her. I am just sayin'. According to Christian:

"... I love Asians. Asians are fierce!"
I think he meant "fierce" in the Tyra Banks American's Next Top Model sense, and not that in the menacingly wild or savage way. But whatever he says is always subject to interpretation.

Okay, let's talk about Jack. I didn't want to lead with this I thought it would off-putting but needs to be mentioned. But the shirtless picture may make the transition a bit smoother:


In the beginning of the episode, it has finally been revealed on the show that Jack is HIV positive. It hard to tell if everyone on the show knows, but it probably safe to assume that his roommates know because he seems pretty open with his pill taking. This is the first HIV positive designer on Project Runway, but not it's not a first for a Bravo reality show. John from Top Desgin was the first HIV positive contestant that I am aware of (correct me if I am wrong), and if you've know the spoilers, then you know then end up with similar fates.

In a weird juxtaposition, Jack is shown carrying Christian in a handbag.


Maybe the producers and/or Jack want to show the audience that he is still a strong, virile guy, despite his HIV. Or maybe Christian just lazy.


I think it probably a little of both.

There was a bit of drama while at Parsons. Jack asked Tim whether he could take his shorts off ... and before he could finish Tim instinctively said he could. Okay, that didn't happen, but with the right editing it could. Jack want to take off his shorts to use them as a pattern. He did,


and several people then wanted to borrow his pattern to design their pants. I don't see a problem with this considering that Vincent did the same thing during season 2:

still from season 3 coming soon
Rami was not pleased, and in an act of defiance, he flaunted the pants he made with the use of draping.

"And they aren't trace from a pattern, like some other pants. I am not accusing anyone ... I am just saying some did."

That side-eye is vicious, y'all.

Now it's time for a melange of male models:



The models are pretty obedient. They are told to take of their clothes and they offer no resistance.

Even while being fisted
The designers where were assigned male models, but for some reason they were not given their measurements. I think the producers of the show were just being sadistic by withholding this information. The stress of it caused Jillian to get all verklempt:


Back at their apartments, they are all trying to find ways to deal with the stress:


I guess the guys don't deal with stress as well as the women:

PMA = Positive Mental Attitude
This reaks of the new age-y-ness that is Elisa.

The results:

Winner: Jack, Auf'd: Carmen, My fav: Kevin
I really don't understand how Jack won this challenge. This shirt with the front and pocket stripes on the bias, just looks strange to me. I liked Kevin's pieces but the look is too young for a TV anchor, so I understand why he didn't win. Tiki mentioned that the look was "avant-garde", which is I guess something you can't have when hosting hour 12 of the Today Show.

The most shocking moment:


Ricky only cried once! In a hat that he stole from Colonial Williamsburg:


He only cried out of relief after avoiding being auf'd by Heidi for a mess of an outfit. Now, Ricky -- don't go all dry eyes on me because I use your tears as sustenance. I wouldn't have the energy to do these recaps if weren't for the tears that copiously flow from your eyes. Luckily, I have built up a surplus. But Ricky, you must promise me two things:

1) Cry at least twice per episode.
2) Never wear those manpris again:


They cause me physical pain, and Nina Garcia does not approve.


You know you messed up when Nina is giving you the "head shake of disapproval" and "the middle finger" combo.

And for no reason at all, I give you this:


Kevin channeling his inner Wolverine. Why are all the good men straight or Republican senators?
___

Ricky Cry tally: 7

Labels: project runway, project runway 4, television

Let's start this recap off on a total shallow note:


Kevin is totally doing it for me. And now lets follow it up on a happy note:


Well, it not exactly a happy moment, but it somehow brings a smile to face. It is only five minutes into the second episode and Ricky has already started the waterworks. My buddy Marius thinks that he is over emotional because he is way to in touch to his limbic system. I say that the girl just can't control himself. When you are 1 of 13 kids, crying is probably an effective tool to get attention. It's either that, or you end up marrying someone 30 years older like Celine Dion.

Anyway ... onto the very special guest who is a fashion and pop icon. I had several ideas on whom it may be: Cher, Cate Blanchett, ....


... Sarah Jessica Parker. I always thought that the SJP would be the mostly likely choice because she lives in NYC, has her own fashion line and she has a lot of time on her hands considering that she is not really in demand in the movie industry. She was recently just name the "Unsexiest Woman" by Maxim magazine. Ouch ... but at least she is getting some publicity out of it.

When the designers find out who the special guest is, the gays had a fit:


It is hard to determined which person has the gayest expression, but I will have to vote for Jack. He had the gay gasp routine down cold.

I decided to leave out Ricky's crying fit because the girl cries at the drop of a hat.


Crying isn't inherently gay... but Chris, on the other hand:


Totally gay. Chris stated that he was motivated to moved to NYC because of watching Sex and the City. I loved the show as well ...

Yes I own the entire series on DVD. Don't judge me!
... really loved the show, but I never entertained the idea of moving to NYC for numerous reasons. But I digress.

FYI: Jack is an extra in the upcoming Sex and the City movie. I wonder if SJP liked Jack so much during their brief encounter on Project Runway that she offered him a cameo in the film. It would be a good way to extend his 15 minutes of fame. Another good way ...

source: queerty.com
... naked pictures of yourself on the Internet. If the PR spoilers are true, he may need a sex tape out by the end of the year to prolong his fame window.

The Challenge:

Create a two-piece look for Bitten
Pretty sketches:

Collage of sketches
Ricky so wanted to be chosen for the chosen for the challenge that he did what he does best:


Cry. He is crying more than Sally Field on Brothers and Sisters. But the difference is that I actually like to see Sally Field cry -- Ricky, not so much. His tears were not in vain as he was one of the seven designers chosen, along with: Elisa, Rami, Victorya, Marion, Christian, and Kit.

The twist is that is team challenged anyone had to pick a partner. This is were Carmen started to showed that she can be too eager. Rami was trying to decide between Carmen and Jillian, and guess he saw this:

Jillian = seductive, Carmen = manic
The choice became obvious -- and he chose Jillian [editor's note: if you are using Firefox the animated image may move too fast. Try IE or Safari. I trying to resolve the issue.]. From the look that Jillian is giving Rami, I can tell that she has used that looked before on other men. It's so effective that I mailed my wallet to her.

It seems that Carmen didn't learn the art of subtlety after being past over by Rami when she tried to beat her name in SJP's head.


Unsurprisingly, she was not chosen. Also, why "Webber like the baller"? Why not "Webber like Andrew Lloyd"? I am pretty sure the SJP would remember someone who works on Broadway over a basketball player Chris Webber, who is famously known for his timeout debacle during the 1993 NCAA Finals. Is that reference too butch for this recap? Mae culpa.

My second favorite moment is when "Sweet P" was saddled with Elisa and her crazy ways when she was picked last for the challenge. In order to work harmoniously with Elisa, "Sweet P" offered this advice:


I am not sure if Elisa took this as a subtle come on, but how else would you explain this:


Her excuse is that she was spit marking the fabric, because, like, everyone does that. Oh ... she really was spit marking the fabric?!?


Would it be easier to use chalk instead of going down on fellow designer?

Ricky freakin' cries again because it is "awesome" that SJP picked his design.


When does he ever not cry? He strikes me as the type of guy who would remain completely stone-face in a tragic situation when tears are usually the appropriate response.

Results:

Winner: Victorya, Auf'd: Marion, My fav: Ricky
I know that I have and will continue to give Ricky grief about his crying, but I really liked his dress. I think the neckline and bust line of the dress made it too complicated for SJP's clothing line. It was too intricate for the under $20 price point. Cut and cry, Ricky. Cut and cry.

SJP has a great knowledge of fashion and is able to tell Christian that his outfit was crap, but in a way that is constructive. This is what SJP told Christian after the other judges told him they hated his 80's inspired look:

"It has a stronger color, and it is little bit short. It is more severe in person than it was on paper."
I will give Christian some slack since he was born in 1986. SJP also gave the boy a bit of hope when she thought that Christian's piece would fit her Bitten fall line, if it were longer and not as snug. And I have to agree. When your skinny model looks fat in your creation, then you should head back to the drawing board.

Astute Observation by Heidi Klum:

"I have to say, I don't get it at all. It's like out of the basement. It looks dirty -- it looks like a rag to me. (referring to Marion's auf'd design)"
Does she know any real fashion-y words? Just fake it, Heidi. Just throw random things into your critiques like: on the bias, cross stitch, tailoring ... etc. You are so adorable that you can turn bullshit into mash potatoes (line stolen from Rich). And besides, nothing is ever dirty in fashion. The proper word is: vintage.

Next on project runway ... Ricky will most likely cry.

I will end this post on a high note:


Using Kevin as bookends for this post ... I will be devastated when he leaves the show. He is perfectly imperfect, with the beard. I am sensing that underneath the beard may not be as pretty. You've been warned, Kevin.

---
Ricky cry tally: 6

Labels: project runway, project runway 4, television

I am not sure how about feel about these people. Just for the eye-candy, I am very interested in Kevin and Rami (see below). There hasn't been any eye candy on Project Runway -- well, for me anyways -- since PR1's Robert.

Everyone seems to be okay, not sure if there will be any drama, but we will get to know them all better when the season premieres November 14th, 2007 on Bravo. Mark you calendars.

I will be doing weekly posts regarding the episodes. They won't be full recaps of the show, but just my thoughts of the episodes. Take a look here of my past work.

I can't tell you how much I've missed this show. Project Catwalk couldn't fill Project Runway's Christian Louboutins.

Project Runway 4 Bios via Bravo

Labels: project runway, television

Venus Williams third outfit was this all black which was worn last week during her night match against Alona Bondarenko. This has been my favorite outfit she has debuted during the US Open. The has been a lot of black being worn during night matches. Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams were the other players to wear black during their night matches.


The fourth outfit was similar to her second, but in a different color combination. The second was white/pewter and the fourth is white/teal which was worn during her quarter-final match against Jelena Jankovic. I like this ensemble but I am starting to think the shorts are a bit too short. I think I there was almost a wardrobe malfunction in the nether region. But I like the look overall.

Venus plays her semi-final match tonight against Justin Henin (BOO! HISS!!), and I am hoping she will be debuting a new outfit. Maybe an all white version of the third outfit?

Tune into CBS tonight to find out.

photo sources: AP Images, Getting Images, TSF

Labels: andy roddick, fashion, maria sharapova, roger federer, serena williams, television, tennis, us open 2007, venus williams

I am alive and well, just have been really busy with a bunch of things. I will give a brief rundown of what I have done since I last posted.

Parties: Pool party, House-warming party, Tennis viewing parties
Going to the Movies: The Bourne Ultimatum, A Death at a Funeral, Hairspray
Watch TV shows on DVD: House, M.D - Season 2, Footballers' Wives - Season 1

I have been also working a tennis tournament website which required me to build a online registration system using PHP and MySQL. It has been a while since I've coded so it took a bit of time but it is finally up and running.

Speaking of tennis, I had a tournament August 10-12 and I ended up placing 2nd. I lost to a guy that beat me once before. His style of play frustrates me which causes me to commit a lot of unforced errors. I have 4 tournaments scheduled between now and December, so I have tighten up my game so I can end my 3.0 career on a high note before I move up to 3.5 in January.

I return to regular posting this week and hopefully finish my Road Trip 2007 posts. In order to finish them, they will be shorter with less detail. I will just get to the good stuff.

So I am fine (for those who were worried) and doing well.

I may have a new crush developing but I am not quite sure if there is any interested on his part. There is something keeping me from exploring it further: he's in the military. This guy invited me and a select few to a pre-Labor Day BBQ. So I will test out the waters.

Labels: dvd, footballers' wives, house, movies, television, tennis

Congratulations, Miss Venus Williams, on your fourth Wimbledon title!


I just take great pleasure that she won Wimbledon this year because it will hopefully boost her confidence, and amongst my friends, I was the only person who picked her to win. Most picked either Justine Henin or Serena Williams to win, but after I saw Venus play at the French Open I knew she could win Wimbledon. She has to body meant for grass. She is tall, long-limbed, athletic and has so much power on her ground strokes.


She has that same joy from when she won two years ago.


Congrats again on the win ... and for landing your new boyfriend Hank Kuehne. Well done. Hope to see you around Dallas sometime.

And I saved the best for last ...


... Roger Federer.

It was a scary match but he pulled it together during the 5th set to win he 5th straight Wimbledon title, which tied the record held by Bjorn Borg. I could gush all day about this man but I will just post a few pictures.

With my favorite umpire, Carlos Ramos of Portugal.
Bonus Hotness



[photo sources: Tennis Week, Tennis Magazine, AP, Yahoo! Sports]

Labels: roger federer, television, tennis, venus williams, wimbledon

Last night, I finished the entire first season of House on DVD. This show has been in my Netflix queue for a couple of months and I finally made time to watch the show.

I remember being asked if I watched this show my by best-friend's mother in 2004. When I told her that I wasn't a viewer, she was adamant that I watch the show because their entire family was hooked on it. I wasn't really interested in watching, so I didn't ... until this past February when I happened to catch an episode while flipping through the channels. One episode lead to three, and I was now hooked.

The show to me seems to be a mix of ER, CSI, and Scrubs. It's dramatic with scenes of doctors trying to save the lives of patients; it's investigative when diagnosing illness with splashy 3-D effects; and it is humorous. I think the humor of the show is the key component that makes it work. Without it, it was just be another doctor show.

If you have seen it the show, I you must rent it. The show is so good that I have already added a season pass on my TiVo.

Labels: dvd, house, television

I forgot my ID card for my company's parking garage so after work I had to go to the parking attendant and fill out a form so I could out. After I said hello the attendant asked if I ever watched a show on Lifetime called Army Wives. I told her no, because it is on Lifetime and I don't watch television for women -- I only thought that last part. She proceeded to tell me that I looked exactly like one of the stars of the show. She told me I should check it out and see for myself.

When I got home I logged onto the website for the show, and saw this:


He is not a bad looking guy, but I know I don't look like him. The only similarity that we have is that our faces are kind of round. Other than, we have nothing in common. I recognize the actor, Sterling K. Brown, from a show that used to air on FX called Starved. A show about anorexia and bulimia ... yes, it was a comedy.


For those who know me, does this guy look like me? I know my abs are more defined, so overlook that minor detail.

Labels: celebrity, people, Random, television

The Office


Like a lot of season finales, you have to sit through a bunch of crap until the last five minutes when a big reveal pulls you back in. For The Office, it was Jim realizing how he felt about Pam and asked her out on a date. They have been building this tension up for the last three seasons and they kissed for the finale of season 2. But could the coupling of Jim and Pam be happening a bit too soon? I think by series finale of The Office, they will breakup at least once before getting married. I will stick around for the next season to see how this progresses. But I don't think I will make through season 4 unless they alter the Michael character.


It is hard to believe that a guy this clueless can function in "normal" society. There have been glimpses of him being good at his job, but not enough to make him competent at managing others. Season 1 he was more awkward and trying to fit in with everyone; now he is just dominating and boorish. Maybe I have been spoiled by the original UK version of the show which made David Brent (who the Michael character is based upon) as a multi-dimensional character. Yes, he could be rude and make people uncomfortable but David Brent seemed remorseful afterwards because he realized what he did may have been rude. I don't know if it just Ricky Gervais' acting and writing abilities or just the British sensibilities of the show.

If Michael isn't reigned in a bit in the upcoming season, I may just have to stop watching.

Heroes

I may be in the minority, but I didn't think the finale to heroes was all that great. I stopped watching in February, but realized that I put too much time into this show to not see it through to the finale. I watch the seven episodes I missed the weekend before the finale and I feel that I wasted my time. The "Five Years Later" episode was by far the best episode of season one. Why couldn't that be the finale?


I mean, the final battle between Peter and Sylar was so lame. No powers were used and it was just Peter punching Sylar, with a little help from Nikki with a parking meter, until Sylar is stabbed by Hiro.


Sylar has all these powers, yet he stands there and watches Hiro run about 15 feet with a sword, and just stands there while it plunges into his chest. Really?


Sylar is dead(?) and Peter loses his ability to control his powers. Claire is suppose to kill him before he goes nuclear, but Nathan comes to save the day flies him up the atmosphere where is explodes.

Why couldn't Peter do this on his own? Can he not use more than one power at the same time? I am sure that Nathan did not perish during this and most likely flew away before Peter exploded. And Peter can regenerate, so I probably fine as well. Hiro on the other hand is in ancient Japan:


Is Sylar dead, or was he taken and eaten by someone more powerful than him? I guess we have to tune into volume 2 to find out.


I will watch next season to season exactly what happens, but I have a feeling that I will tune out by episode 5. There were far too many characters in this show to follow and too many episodes for this season. I there were 15 tight episodes instead of 23, I wouldn't have gotten bored and tuned out half way through. Hopefully they will work all the kinks out before the next season because this think this show has a lot of potential. My suggestion: get rid of most of this cast (keeping Hiro, Claire, and Peter) and introduce a new Heroes each season.

But that is just my opinion.

Brothers & Sisters


I thought the finale was done really well. It was kind of sad, but not a total downer. It was very fitting how they ended with the family having fun in the pool. The first episode ended with the father/husband having a heart attack and falling into the pool before dying, so its one of those full circle finales.


The most interesting moment of episode was the revelation about Saul. Saul was informed that his friend, Milo Peterman, whom he hadn't spoken to in years was coming to Kitty's (Calista Flockheart) engagement party. Before it was explicitly said, I knew Milo had some kind of romantic affair with Saul. How did I know?: Saul referred to Milo's ex-wife as a "bitch" (which is totally gay), Milo talk about their trip to the Florida Keys (homo central), and Milo asked if Saul was still a "bachelor." Milo came out to Saul, who unfortunately turned down his advances, claiming that he put his time with Milo in the past. Hopefully this will be explored further in the next season.


I think this was one of the best new show of the season. I didn't watch it when it first premiered. It was only when someone I know recommended the show I started to watch. Any show that can get Sally Field to cry at least once per episode is must see viewing. Add in a mistress, an illegitimate child, a junky Iraq war soldier, a philandering husband, and gayness ... and it is a hit show.

If you haven't seen the show, check it out on ABC.com and watch the second season when it debuts in the fall.

Law and Order: SVU


The season 8 finale was the continuation of a storyline from season 7. Darius, played Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, murdered a woman and her child because he perceived the mother to be a terrible parent. It was revealed that his aunt, Detective Fin's (Ice T) ex-wife Teresa, played by Lisa Gay Hamilton, was actually his mother. It was a secret the family kept hidden for years. As payback, Darius was going to publicly humiliate them during his trial. Got all that? ... good.


Star "I'm a lawyer, who is also married to a gay man" Jones Reynolds and Nancy "Crazy Eyes and Bad Hair" Grace made guest appearances.


A lot of stuff was revealed: Teresa was raped by her father and forced to have Darius, Elliott's daughter was re-arrested after she was freed from jail for DUI he used his status as a cop to free her, Olivia was taking in for questioning after she help aid and abed her half-brother who was being investigated as a serial rapist. A lot o stuff happened this season.

This was the best moment of the episode:


She is the wife of Elliott Stabler, and just by this look alone I knew what was going to happen. I was like, "OMG, she is pregnant!" And she was. So any guys with wives or girlfriends ... if they come to your job unannounced with this look on their face, they're pregnant. Or they could be leaving you for someone else. Either way, it is not good news.


The next season should be interesting because they are adding a new character, Detective Chester Lake, played by Adam Beach. I didn't like him when he did a guest starring episode this past season, but maybe I will warm up to him.

The 2006-2007 TV season was pretty good overall.

I added a few new shows to the regular television viewing schedule: 30 Rock (NBC), Dexter (Showtime), Ugly Betty (ABC), and The View (ABC).

I also lost a few shows this season: The View (because Rosie left early), Desperate Housewives (ABC), Smallville (CW) and Lost (ABC).

I am looking forward to see The Bionic Woman (NBC) during the 2007 - 2008 and the return of Project Runway (Bravo). All the show are in reruns because it is summer, so I guess I will be spending more time outside instead of sitting on my couch.

Yeah right! Big Brother is starting in July, so I will be glued to the show and all of the Internet gossip surrounding it. But unfortunately, there will be no Kaysar.


He was a stupid Big Brother contestant, but he sure was great eye candy.

Labels: big brother, brothers and sisters, heroes, law and order: svu, television, the office, ugly betty

I will start with the most recent finale considering that it is on the minds of people who love or hate it. And from what I have been reading, most people hated the Sunday's finale. I convinced myself that there would be multiple whackings for the finale, because the second to last episode set this possible ending.

To be honest, I didn't see how it ended until the morning after because my TiVo cut out 5 minutes early. After screaming "NOOO!!" before what I thought would be the whacking of Tony and/or his family, I recorded the encore presentation of the finale. When I finally saw it, I got worried that my TiVo crapped out again when the screen faded to black ... but then were credits. And, the end. At first I didn't know what to think, but after some thought I feel that the show ended perfectly.


I am still reeling from the murder (assisted suicide?) of Chris Moltisonti. But I will eventually get over it.

I wish I were more eloquent, but I noticed how everyone seemed to evolve and devolve back to their normal selves by the end of the finale:


Carmela: to crying over a defective house she built with her dad might collapse and kill a young family, to feeling content to continue her real estate endeavors with house that might be toxic and has a funny smell.


AJ: from a bratty, spoiled kid ... to all emo after the breakup of Latina girlfriend Blanca (which was funny because no one really liked that he was dating a non-Italian, yet her name was literally 'white') ... back to a more grown-up spoiled, (slightly less) bratty kid with an underage girlfriend. I guess the cures to depression are statutory rape and a new BMW.


Tony: To a man who found enlightenment twice about his life in "sanitation" (while in a coma and then while high on peyote) is now back to looking over his shoulder to see who might be a threat to him or the family.


After all his years in therapy with Dr. Melfi he has finally realized how messed up he actually is and starts to how he and Janice are so much alike. Which he hates. Even more so after Carmela told him that the "Soprano curse" is the reason why AJ is so messed up, because no one in her family has mental issues.

Meadow: Who? She was barely in this season. All I remember of her is that she can't parallel park. And I can related because I can't either.

I have seen worse season finales -- the finales for Friends, Queer As Folk, Will and Grace, and The Practice come to mind -- and I feel this one was top notch. It didn't neatly wrap everything up with a bow and it allowed the characters to continue to live on like it was any other day. There was no big event that altered their lives, thereby changing the core of who they are.

I think the sudden fade to black was meant to cause panic among the viewers and to have them have a moment to reflect on how caught up in the life of characters on a TV show. The easy way out was to have an all out battle and see who would be the last Boss left to rule the families. There are more things to life than blood and violence. For example: onion rings.


Onion rings ... some people love them, and some hate them.

Onion Rings = The Sopranos Finale

Labels: sopranos, television, tivo

I had a tennis tournament in Richardson, Texas, which lasted from this past Friday and ended Sunday. My first round match I had to play someone I know from my tennis club. For some reason I was nervous about playing him, even though I am undefeated against him. I ended up beating him 6-0, 6-1. After that, I began to calm down and was more relaxed in my other rounds. I ended up winning the tournament.


I should have won the tournament considering that it was in Richardson and tennis courts were on Syracuse drive. I mean, really. It was like I ordained to win this tournament. My final round I won 6-4, 6-3. It was so humid outside that you could wring sweat from my dri-fit shirt. But in the end I pulled out another win.

I have another tournament coming weekend and I decided to play a level higher. Mostly because I have some friends how are playing in the same tournament who are in the same level as I am, but I don't want to play them because I can definitely beat them and I want them to get far in the tournament. I've been criticized by people saying I should play in a higher level, but it comes from those I've beaten. So I am not sure how to process their suggestion. I have been beaten in two tournament so far this year, so I am not beating everyone, which suggests that I am in the correct division.

Sour grapes, maybe? I don't know ... moving on.

This past weekend were the French Open Finals.


As I predicted, Justine Henin won the Women's final against Ana Ivanovic. The match could have been good if Ana didn't get nervous. But it ended up being a total bore.


And, sadly, Rafael Nadal beat my boyfriend Roger Federer for the second straight French Open final. It looked like he was on the verge of tears because this was the third year that Nadal denied him his place in tennis history.


Don't fret, Roger, there is always next year. Focus on winning your 5th Wimbledon title.

Rafael Nadal, Gustavo Kuerten, Roger Federer
It was good to see Gustavo Kuerten at the tournament. He has been plagued with hip problems for a couple of years so ranking has fallen. I hope to see him back in action soon.


GUGA!!!!

Edited: Take a look at this frisky woman touching Nadal's butt after the French Open


By the pimp hand her husband is displaying, he wasn't happy about her copping a feel.

[photo credits: Yahoo! Sports, AFP, Getty Images]

Labels: awards, television, tennis, youtube

Since I was seriously addicted to Big Brother UK last year, I was excited to when BBUK 8 started a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, the big twist year turned me off.

The big twist ... all female house mates.

I am sorry, but women on reality shows are not fun to watch. They never seems to band together and it ultimately becomes their undoing. Too much catty drama for me. One male house mate will enter the house soon and it will surely cause all the girls fight over him.

Another reason I won't be watching is due to the new layout of the house. The refrigerator is in the backyard and the oven is in the main sleeping quarters. Huh? I guess that is ... interesting?

Oh well. I guess I have to get my Big Brother fix when the US version starts on July 5, 2007.

Labels: big brother, television

I have been in a battle with my cable company, Charter Communications, for several weeks now. Actually, I have been battling with them for about a year now for a variety of issues with my service. My most recent battle is regarding the cablecards that are installed in my HD TiVo.

On May 8th I got Digital/HD service added to my account, and I wanted to have the installer check my line to make sure that my signals were good. He refused because the picture at the time was clear, but I made him sign that he didn't check the signal on my work order. After the installer left, my digital and HD channels cut in and out. I eventually got rid of Charter's HD DVR and I got two cablecards installed on May 15th and I was still having an issue where most of my digital and HD channels were not coming in. I was told by the installed that it takes 24-48 hours for the channels to download to the cablecards. That didn't make any sense to me but I let the install off the hook.

48 hours later, I was still having a issue with my cable.

I had them come back on May 18th between 11am and 2pm, and they didn't show it until 2:40pm. They reactivated my cablecards, so I thought, and my service returned and I asked them to check my signals to make sure they were okay. I was pissed with them because they showed up late, messed up the initial installation, and made me return to my office late after working from home for a couple of hours. I just wanted them gone so they forgot to check the signal. Made an emergency appointment for the next day.

May 19th: Charter never showed for the appointment. Totally annoyed, I called and had to deal with their inept customer service staff who knew absolutely nothing about cablecards. After spinning my wheels for about an hour, I had to make another appointment. I wasn't going to take more time off of work so I made it for the following Saturday.

May 26th: Charter never showed for the appointment schedule between 8am-11am. I called and they send a message to the installer and they were supposed to call me within an hour. They never did.

I meet up with a friend for lunch and came back home around 2:30pm. Called Charter to let them know their installer never show up. They gave me a $25 missed appointment credit (which I didn't receive last time two times) and spoke with the installers dispatching office. They were scheduled to come up withing 1.5 hours.

I fell asleep on the couch with my (loud) cordless phone near my head. I woke up around 4:20pm and did not receive any calls from Charter. Their policy is to call you when they are on their way ... but they never called. I called Charter to let them know that the installer never called me for the appointment, but was told that the installer came at 4:16pm without calling. I was livid. They made another appointment for me for the following Monday between 1-5pm. I took it ... but I wasn't happy about it.

May 28th: Around 11:30am I heard a knock at my door. I thought it might be my neighbour because I listening to music on my desktop computer at a high volume. It wasn't ... it was actually the Charter installer 1.5 hours early for my appointment. Luckily I was home or else I would have missed another appointment. Once again, they didn't not call before showing up for the appointment.

One of my cablecards was swapped out but it wasn't pairing with systems. The installer tried to blame my Monster power filter/surge protector for the problem before I had to set him straight and let him know the problems were associated with the device. I asked him to check my signal, but the installed tried to tell me that the signal was fine and a booster was recently added to the main line to improve the signal. I adamantly asked him to check my signal because it has been an issue for at least two years. It was the reason why I couldn't get a cable modem in my apartment. He wasn't happy but he went to his truck, got his equipment, checked the signal, and lo and behold ... my signal completely out of range.

I asked the installer if he could fix the problem, but he said he couldn't. Not only did he not have the equipment to do so, I was told that it possible couldn't be fixed because I lived in a apartment. Ummm ... what? I have been paying a home wiring maintenance fee (which covers repairs to faulty wiring) for 1.5 years and now I was being told that I can't have maintenance on my wires? How does that make any sense?

After taking a look at existing wiring, he called his HQ and they scheduled an in-house installer to rewire my apartment June 2nd. They should be able to run a new line from the main box to my apartment, which should solve all my problems. I just have to get approval from the apartment managers.

Hopefully, everything goes as planned because the Roland Garros-French Open has started and I don't want my tennis coverage interrupted.

Labels: customer service, drama, television, tennis, tivo

Ugh. I have been feeling like crap for the past couple of days.

It all started this past Wednesday when I felt a bit of a tickle in the back my throat. I reach for my stash of Ricola I have in my office drawer and hoped for the best. But, that wasn't enough. Thursday morning I felt about the same, but Thursday night I could not breathe because I was so congested. I managed to get about 5 hours a sleep before I had to be at work on at 6:45am Friday. Before work I made a detour at Wal-Mart to get some Kleenex and Theraflu to drink to help alleviate some of my symptoms. My sneezing, coughing and nose-blowing lasted throughout the day until I got off work at 7:45pm. I was trying to get better as fast as possible because I had a tennis tournament the next day.

Saturday morning, and I felt a lot better than the previous day and I thought I was on the mend. I played two rounds of my USTA tournament round-robin and I won the tournament.


Yay, for me!

I returned home with my trophy in hand feeling good about 2nd win this year. I hit the couch and I began to feel weak and had chills throughout my body. The Greek wanted to take me out to dinner but I knew that I wasn't going to be well enough to do that. I went to the bathroom and turned up the hot water in the shower to full blast to create my own personal steam room. It worked ... but a little too well as it caused the paint on the walls to bubble. 15 minutes steam and a shower and I was still feeling the chills. I got my comforter, a mini-trashcan, and a box of tissue and parked my self on the couch.

I ended up watching the last 7 episodes of Heroes and they were interesting (I am now all caught up to see the season finale airing tonight). I watched Saturday Night Live, hosted by Zach Braff before heading to be in a Nyquil induced coma.

Sunday I was feeling even worst. I skipped Sunday morning tennis because I was feeling so lousy and made my way back to the couch to see the Hamburg Masters Final on The Tennis Channel.


My Federer finally beat Nadal on Clay after two years and five tries. This should give him that extra boost of confidence for the French Open.

Around 3pm I realized that I to finish a project for work. I tried to do this remotely but someone changed the standard password for a couple training PC that needed to be configured. I drove hazily to work and finished the project in about 30 minutes. I was out of Nyquil so I made a stop at the Wal-Mart. Along with my Nyquil, I bought Vicks Vaporub and humidifier. I get to the self-check out station and scan my Nyquil only to receive a message stating that I needed customer assistance. Apparently, you now have to be 18 years of age to purchase a variety of cold products because people make a drug called Cheese from it. It has caused a number of deaths in the Dallas area (story).

I returned home, covered my chest with Vicks, and fired up humidifier. I finally started to feel better because the air was no longer dry. I've been meaning to get a humidifier for months now, like this one. But the $9 humidifier, which doesn't look as nice, did the trick.

Today I work from home most of the day before coming into the office around 2pm. The is A/C vent right above my cube and it is made me feel miserable. Luckily I was only in for a couple of hours, and I brought a hooded sweatshirt to keep me warm.

But enough about me. How was your weekend?

Labels: drama, television, tennis

So another season of America's Next Top Model (ANTM) has ended, and we have another winner who will never be a real model. Congratulations, Jaslene! I must admit that I didn't watch this past cycle of girls, because I was completely turned off by last cycle's winner CariDee. Melrose got robbed! I have been keeping up with the show by reading Rich's ANTM recaps at FourFour.

For me, the last great cycle of ANTM was cycle 3 when Eva won. I really wanted Yaya to win, but I was happy with Eva winning the final since she took great pictures. But this is when the show jumped the shark. I predicted the winner of cycle 4, but overall it was an alright season. For that point on the show before more and more unwatchable.

It is clear that Tyra(nt) isn't looking for girls who can actually model, but for girls with issues (or babies) that can be exploited for good television. For Tyra, it is about the journey to becoming America's Next Top Model, and not the fact the most of the winner don't have careers after the show. In the land down under it is totally the opposite.

Australia's Next Top Model (AusNTM) are looking for girls who can actually be models ... for reals. If you are too short, not thin enough, or not pretty enough ... then you won't even make it past the compulsory rounds. AusNTM: Series 3 is looking for haute couture models, and not just a spokesperson for cheap cosmetics (read: CoverGirl). They have real photo shoots that could actually go in fashion magazine, and are actually learning about the business of modeling with by people in the business. The show had the editor of Vogue (Australia) magazine give critiques and advice to the contestants.

My favorite is Alice:


Look at her work the runway:


She is a bit too thin, but she is working on trying to gain weight. If she were on ANTM there would be an episode where she is confronted by someone because she is alleged to have an eating disorder, which would lead to a one-on-one with Tyra. On AusNTM why have fitness instructors and nutritionists to help the girls lead health lifestyles.

Until America's Next Top Model has girls on the show that can work in the industry, I will not be tuning in.

Labels: american's next top model, australia's next top model, television

Last week I found out that Charter Cable finally added The Tennis Channel to their current lineup, and I immediately called to get this service. Along with The Tennis Channel, I decided to get the HD DVR package ... just because. After the installer came and left, but not before lecturing me that my Monster surge protector/line filter was waste of money, I indulged in the HD goodness. Then I remembered why I got rid of the HD DVR last year ... interface totally sucks compared to TiVo. The next day I end up getting the TiVo Series 3 HD Media Recorder from Amazon.com.


I hooked it up to my cheap $9 antenna that I got from Radio Shack last year and set it to record Law & Order and Saturday Night Live in HD before heading to Austin, TX for the weekend. When I returned home, I was blown away by the quality of the recordings. I usually download shows in HD off the Internet because I couldn't record them ... but never again.

I had Charter Cable at my apartment yesterday to install two CableCards in my TiVo (which only cost $1.50 per card to lease) in order to receive the HD and Digital cable channels. As of right now, its not working because the installer can't read and gave HQ the wrong information to activate my CableCards. I will have to call today and fix the issue because I am missing a lot of good tennis matches.

So far it is economical because if I kept the Charter HD DVR my bill would increased by $37. With the HD TiVo box, my bill is $15 cheaper and I get more services. Over the life of the box it will eventually pay for itself.

Hopefully but tomorrow everything will be straightened out and I can veg out on my couch this weekend watching television. But I have a tennis tournament so, I don't know if it will be possible unless I lose ... and I am trying to avoid that.

Labels: gadgets, television, tivo

This past Saturday I decided to do my part for Earth Day. To save energy I slept until noon, and spent the rest of the day on the couch watching the last 4 episodes of the 11 part series Planet Earth. Since I don't have the Discovery Channel -- damn you Charter Cable -- I downloaded all 11 episodes from the Interwebs. I watched parts 1 through 7 the week before so watched to finish.

During the Rain Forest episode, they showed different Birds of Paradise. Like this one:


I didn't look like a Bird of Paradise because lacked color and/or ornamentation ... until I saw this:


Freaky, huh? When courting a female forms this shape with its plumage and hops around slapping the ground with its rear feathers. It looks like one of those things from the Zoloft adverts.


Or the inverse of the "Dangerous Pills" from the 1983 Long Island Regional Poison Control Council PSA (source).


If I ever saw any of these things out on the street, I would definitely need to take some Zoloft.

Labels: Random, television

Since I moved to Dallas I haven't had BET because Charter Cable chooses not to carrier it in my area. When I had BET I was really missing much because the majority of the programs the have are crap. The last good show they had was Video Soul with Donnie Simpson ... and ended in 1997.

I was browsing my favorite blogs when I saw GuyTVBlog posted a recap of a fight that occurred on the BET reality show College Hill: Virgin Islands. I haven't seen this show since cast member Peaches "assaulted" fellow housemate Jon in the second season. Jon was a jerk and totally deserved what he got, in my opinion. Anyway ... this recent fight was over the top and I am kind of mad at BET for showing/promoting this incident.

If you go to the College Hill website on BET.com, this is what you see:

edit: BET has since pulled this image off the website
I was interested in seeing what led up the fight, only to be disappointed by this:


BET + ads for chicken = not the smartest way to avoid stereotypes.

The fight was crazy considering that the people involved in the fight weren't apart of the initial conflict. After the girl fight was broken up, the girl in initiated the fight wound up with a bloody face:


Fighting on television is not new in the post Jerry Springer era, so the slapped (pun intended) on PSA against violence just seemed false to me. The PSA:

Hi. Where the cast of College Hill Season 4. After through that experience we learn a valuable lesson. Eventhough culturally we have different background, we are all the same in the end. Try not to let your emotion get the best of you and to see the situation from the other person's point of view.

Don't let words escalate to the point of disagreement. [What the hell does this even mean? It is not possible to be civil discussion where both parties have opposing views?] We all recognized our role in this situation. When faced with friends fighting, it is best to defuse the situation and not fuel.

Retaliation and anger is never the way to solve problems. Give yourself an opportunity to think before you react. [Yeah, you should that about that before the bloodshed caused by a taking a shoe to the face multiple time] For more information on College Hill Season 4 ... go to BET.com.

My entire issue with BET is that they are trying to have it both ways. I think if your want to show an unedited fight which resulted in bloodshed, while promoting your reality show using that fight ... then you can't really have PSA stating how violence is not the answer. You can't be both the Jerry Springer Show and the Ricki Lake Show at the same time. When a fight broke out on the Ricki Lake Show the footage of the said fight was never shown but in its place was a PSA stating how violence isn't the answer.

First BET: Uncut, now this?!?

I don't know. Am I the only one that feels that BET acted irresponsibly? Or am I being overly sensitive?

Labels: