11.30.2006

I see London, I see France, I see Britney's...oh, dear.

Company offers to make Britney's knickers: "A lingerie company is offering to make Britney Spears underwear after reports the singer has 'gone commando' in a public fashion."

Have you seen the photos? Be warned, they are absolutely Not Safe For Work. They are also highly embarrassing and cringeworthy. What in the world was going through her mind? I'm sorry, there is no way she didn't know that her skirt was hiked up to her armpits. Even her new buddy Paris knew better and tried to keep her from getting out of the car by holding her legs together. Paris! Showing some decorum! You know your life is spinning out of control if Paris Hilton appears demure when standing next to you.

Way to start a new post-Fed life and career, Britney.

PS Here's an ABCNews article about the "panty-less menace". Seems all this coochie-flashing is intentional. I have no words. Look at the picture accompanying the article. Yipe!

11.29.2006

Thrilla on the Hilla



I know that this is no way to run a government, but wouldn't it be awesome to see maybe Nancy Pelosi and Trent Lott go mano-a-mano on the podium while the rest of Congress got caught up in a free-for-all? Just once is all I ask.

It's time to play the music.


Rockefeller Center, NYC., originally uploaded by gina64.

It's time to light the lights.

The Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center will be lit tonight and you can watch the festivities on NBC at 8:00 PM (or if you're local like we are you can tune to the NY NBC affiliate and get a jump on things at 7:00 PM). The tree, by the way, comes from Ridgefield, CT, just a couple of towns over from where I work.

There will be all sorts of stars singing holiday favorites - Christina Aguilera, Sting, Sara McLaughlan - but the one that has me most interested is my old buddy Taylor Hicks. I thought he fell off the face of the earth, and after that horrifying Ford ad, his disappearance might not have been such a bad thing. But I know he can sing, so I'm thinking I'll probably check him out tonight and see how he's doing.

I'm really starting to feel the need to get back into the city, especially this time of year. And now that I have so many friends/family who live there - 2 friends in Manhattan, a cousin in Brooklyn and another cousin on 5th - there's really no excuse for me to not visit more often.

11.28.2006

A Charlie Brown Christmas



It's on tonight, at 8:00 PM, on ABC.

The king of all snugglers in his new polar bear sweater

Marty knows how to bring the cute.

Sun Worshipper


Sun Worshipper, originally uploaded by gina64.

Mickey does love the sun.

Family


Family, originally uploaded by gina64.

The boys on the bed.


The boys on the bed., originally uploaded by gina64.

Mmmm.


Mmmm., originally uploaded by gina64.

I cooked the bird and I must say it tasted divine.

11.27.2006

All we are saying...

...is give Peace a chance: "A homeowners association in southwestern Colorado has threatened to fine a resident $25 a day until she removes a Christmas wreath with a peace sign that some say is an anti-Iraq war protest or a symbol of Satan."

Someone please tell me how this



can be considered inappropriate at Christmastime, a time where we wish for peace on earth and goodwill toward man? Astounding.

Big Rock Head


, originally uploaded by gina64.

This was a statue in Waterfront Park in North Vancouver. I just like his face.

Heading home.


Heading home., originally uploaded by gina64.

Another photo from thr Vancouver trip, this was taken on the ferry on the way back from our day on Vancouver Island.

"Q"


Lonsdale Quay Market, originally uploaded by gina64.

This wasn't taken this weekend, but is among a few photos from my trip to Vancouver this summer that I never got around to posting at Flickr.

This is the sign at the Lonsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver.

Drive Thru Reviews

The Matador - I've had this Netflix DVD at home for over 2 months and I'm sorry that it took me so long to get around to watching it. It works well as a dark comedy, a mystery and even as a sort of love story, in the platonic sense, of course. Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear have great chemistry.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - Tommy Lee Jones won for Best Actor at Cannes for his potrayal of Pete Perkins in this wonderful movie about friendship, loyalty and redemption. He also did a fine job of directing it. See it if you get the chance.

It was the tryptophan, I swear.

I spent the entire weekend in a turkey coma and that's why I've been neglecting you. Honest.

Actually, I had an extremely stressful 2 weeks prior to Thanksgiving and the 4-day holiday was a much needed opportunity to decompress. The stress culminated in a couple of meetings on Wednesday and then *poof*, it was done (and all's well that ends well). Wednesday night and Thursday were spent cooking Thanksgiving dinner and the rest was spent either eating, sleeping or watching TV. I did manage to take a couple of nice, long walks over the weekend and clean my mother's apartment, so it wasn't a total slug-fest. I took some pictures, too, and I'll be uploading them later on tonight.

So anyway, I'm back and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, whatever it is you got yourself up to. And yes, that LOST recap is coming, and may even get done before the show returns in February!

11.22.2006

On what would have been his 66th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Daddy. We miss you.

11.20.2006

FOX comes to its senses.

O.J. Simpson book, TV special canceled: "'I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project,' said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. 'We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.'"

So please don't sue us.

TV Talk

First thing first: Sincere apologies for the lateness of the LOST fall season finale recap. Those recaps take me about 4-5 hours to complete and I just haven't had the opportunity or the time to devote to it. But I won't let it fall through the cracks and I will have it posted here some time this week. Really. I swear.

On to other things...Battlestar Galactica continues to be one of the most thought-provoking and entertaining shows on TV. And I'm still amazed that I am the only person I know who watches it! Let's try this: If you are someone that I know and you watch BSG, please tell me so. Don't be embarrassed or ashamed, I won't tell anyone, I promise. I would love to be able to talk to someone about it.

Sheila and I watched VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s on Saturday night and it was totally awesome. No really, it was. I usually hate those "list" shows and so-called "experts/comics" they bring in to comment on the list items, but it was fun to try to figure out where our favorites would land and oh the memories they brought back! And most of those memories revolved around Toad's Place, a New Haven landmark where I spent many of my college nights. Ah, those were the salad days.

The "Final Act" of Prime Suspect aired last night on Masterpiece Theater and it was so very good. It was a bittersweet and fitting ending to the series. I had heard that the writers had originally wanted to kill Tennison off but Mirren objected. Thank God. What they gave us was heartbreaking enough. And if you haven't seen any of the Prime Suspect series, well, you know what I'm going to say. It's on DVD, alright?

Don't forget, there's a new episode of Heroes on tonight!

Take it to the bridge, Jean Luc!



Seen at shouldveaskedme - thanks, Mike!

11.15.2006

And you think OJ is classy?

K-Fed Communicates With Britney Through Shower Door

No, I am not shitting you. Ladies, look out!

"If I Did It"

O.J.'s latest: 'If I Did It, Here's How It Happened': "'O.J. Simpson, in his own words, tells for the first time how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes,' the network said in a statement. 'In the two-part event, Simpson describes how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade.'"

Does anyone besides me think this is the height of absurdity? How much of an attention whore is this man?? "I am 100% innocent. I didn't do it...but if I did this is how I would murder my wife." No one can tell me that this man is not batshit crazy because no one in their right mind would do something like this. No one.

Spaceballs.


Princess Leia and Mini-Darth, originally uploaded by gina64.

He looks taller onscreen, doesn't he?

Zachary and Hannah as Darth Vader and Princess Leia, this Halloween. Unfortunately, a moment later Vader killed the Princess and quashed the rebellion. (Zachary's idea)

11.14.2006

Seven Minutes to Midnight



Heroes was good again last night.

1. I really like Charlie, the new Hero who was introduced last night only to be claimed as the next Sylar victim. And I really hope that Hiro is successful in traveling back in time to save her - she is far more interesting than the achingly dull Mohinder. He is gorgeous but God is he BORING. How appropriate that he's being harassed by someone in his sleep.

2. The interrogation of Nuclear Ted was cool, but I could care less about Matt's marriage and wife. I also thought the suspension thing was handled sort of clumsily - Audrey was overreacting to something that in the end went nowhere. They should never have mentioned it. Unless it becomes important that he's out of work for a month with no pay, which is possible, I suppose. Any ideas what those marks are on Ted's and Matt's necks? I thought at first that they were part of the hero symbol we've been seeing, but they looked different last night.

3. It's so awesome the way this show, while keeping things secret, still manages to hand out so much information every week. From last night I would assume now that Mr. Bennett is actually a good guy, or at least he seemed that way to me. Willing to go to whatever lengths to achieve his goal, yes, but I think his ultimate goal is not the destruction of the heroes, like I thought it was. I'm not sure what his goal is yet, but I don't think it's bad. It seems as though Matt's and Ted's abilities were heightened after their abduction by Bennett and the Haitian, not diminished. Also, if Isaac's new painting will help Mr. Bennett prevent Claire's death at the hands of Sylar, then I wonder what's on the painting that Linderman has? And what do you think Eden's power is? Is she like Pusher?

4. One more question: How did Hiro and Ando end up in Midland, TX if they are trying to get from Las Vegas to New York City? I guess they're taking the scenic route.

5. Oops, one more: What's the significance of the title?

11.13.2006

Brought to you by the word "irrelevant".





"Grace" in THE OTHERSYou're one tightly wound babe. Time to open all your curtains and let some light in. Once you're eyes have adjusted you could even try leaving the house. Forgive yourself and move on, already!
Take this quiz!







Def Spam Jam

Spam poetry I received this morning:

Smoked six packs a day.

eight spider bites and hair loss,
A kid who sat in front of me
and there won't be no more tests.
so the teachers cannot write.
I wasted through the night.
We have torn up all the math books
Rocky Mountain spotted fever,
There won't be no more homework
I think that's pretty cool.
I had nosebleeds, measles, heat rash,
I did a lousy job.
I felt it on my ear.
I'm sure my heart will break.
They said, "Today's St. Patrick's Day
with some very painful sneezing,
We have broken all the blackboards
School is closed now, what's it to ya?
I feel so very guilty.
malaria and toothaches,
I think that's pretty cool.
And when he's done I give him
I felt it on my ear.
I think that's pretty cool.

11.10.2006

From the Funyun.

Frito-Lay Angrily Introduces Line Of Healthy Snacks: "Oh, they're definitely going in the vending machines,' Carey said. 'Everyone's going to share in this misery, not just a handful of Naderites with spastic colons or loser kids with no taste buds whose parents want them to grow up to be boring milquetoasts afraid to have any fun. And don't think we haven't forgotten you either, office workers on snack breaks and anyone who wants to serve a big bowl of disappointment at a cocktail party.' "

Hee!

Tennison Says Goodbye

The final act of the Prime Suspect series (no. 7) will air in 2 parts on PBS' Masterpiece Theater starting this Sunday night. Helen Mirren plays Detective Tennison for the very last time, and if you're a fan of hers, you won't want to miss it.

(Warning: the article linked above is pretty damn spoilery, considering this is a murder mystery series, so beware!)

"You know you're in trouble when you've ceded the moral high ground to a drug-dealing prostitute."

11.08.2006

What a week.

First Britney finally scrapes that piece of human poop off the bottom of her shoe, then the Democrats win back Congress, and now Rumsfeld is actually stepping down!

It's only Wednesday. Imagine what the rest of the week will bring!

Autumn


Autumn, originally uploaded by gina64.

The mums are dying and I noticed this morning that the pumpkin is squishy, so I figured I'd better get a picture before it was too late.

Our (former) Congresswoman


Our (former) Congresswoman, originally uploaded by gina64.

Immature? Of course.

Funny? Hell yeah!

LibERty or DEAth


LibERty or DEAth, originally uploaded by gina64.

This was hanging in the hallway outside the Tinker School gym, where I voted yesterday. There's so much about it that I love - the intermittent caps, the cryptic language - but I mostly love the drawing. Nice job, Michael F., whoever you are!

Vote Joe


Vote Joe, originally uploaded by gina64.

Congratulations, Senator Lieberman.

11.07.2006

Juicy Gossip!!

Britney Spears Files for Divorce: "As for money, sources tell TMZ the couple, who married in Oct. 2004, has an iron-clad prenup. Not surprisingly, Spears is waiving her right to spousal support. She's also asking the judge to make each party pay their own attorney's fees. "

Bye-bye manpris!!

Goodbye, Mr. Eko.



The Cost of Living

This week we start out with a flashback of the young Eko and Yemi, breaking into a storage shed to steal food (the actor who plays Eko as a boy is perfect). Every Catholic child's nightmare of a nun catches them and brings them into the village church to confess. Eko argues that he stole to feed Yemi and he shouldn't have to confess, but the militant nun says that hunger is no excuse and demands that he confess.

Island: It's night, and Eko is lying unconscious in a hut on the beach, with Sayid, Hurley and Charlie looking over him. His rest is uneasy and he's clearly dreaming. He's been like this for a couple of days, since John rescued him from the polar bear. His dream is basically an abbreviated version an old flashback, when Eko had Yemi outfit him as a priest and help him to smuggle the Virgin Mary Heroin out of the country. It's also when Yemi was killed.

Through the dream he hears someone tell him to wake up. He opens his eyes and sees Yemi sitting in the hut with him, holding a lit cigarette lighter. Sayid, Charlie and Hurley have left. Yemi tells him, "It is time to confess, to be judged, brother. I will be waiting. You know where to find me." Suddenly, the hut is on fire and Yemi is gone. Charlie pulls Eko to safety, as Eko mumbles, "My brother, my brother..." Locke runs up to the fire, asks Charlie where Eko is, and when Charlie points to where he left him, Eko is gone.

Jack's Cell. He's doing chin-ups. You know, I'm so lazy - I would totally be sleeping. Anyway, Benry comes in, wearing a very cultish white tunic top and white pants, and he appears to be carrying another set of the same clothes. He asks Jack to join him for a walk and tells him to put the shirt on. As he walks to the door, Jack asks him, "Does it hurt?" He tells Benry he knows about the spinal tumor, and that he doesn't have long to live. Benry plays it cool, but his face clearly says, "Oh, shit."



Benry tells Jack that he has no idea what he's talking about.

Jack follows Benry down to a beach where Others are gathered, all in white, for Colleen's Viking-style funeral pyre. Benry goes down to the group, telling Jack to stay where he is. Juliet then joins the group (stopping briefly to tell Jack she hates funerals), and as they light the pyre a song begins to play over the loudspeaker behind Jack. I'm not sure what song it is, but it's reminiscent of an old Patsy Cline song. Benry, still shaken up, asks Juliet why she showed Jack his x-rays and she tells him that she didn't tell Jack they were Benry's - but obviously Benry has by his reaction.

It's daylight now, so I assume it's the next day. Locke, Desmond and Sayid are on the beach, brainstorming on the Jack/Sawyer/Kate rescue mission. Locke wants to go to the Pearl Station to use the computer there to contact the Others. Charlie and Hurley come up to the group and say they've looked but they can't find Eko. When Charlie tells Locke that Eko mentioned his brother right before he disappeared, Locke deduces that Eko is heading in the same direction as them. (if you remember, the plane that carried Yemi's body crashed right near the Pearl Station)

Eko's in a world of hurt, wandering deliriously through the jungle. He collapses into a flashback: this one picks up right where the dream one left off, with Eko dressed as a priest and being returned to the village church after the shootout at the airfield. He is mistaken for a new priest by everyone, including a young woman who works at the clinic and her son Daniel, an altar boy. He says he is there to replace Yemi, who was called away suddenly. While in the church, he picks up Yemi's old bible and finds a worn black and white photograph of him and Yemi together as boys. I almost cry.

Back in the jungle, Eko awakens and as he's dragging himself upright, a puff of black smoke flits across the background, accompanied by the chittering sound. He starts walking again and is suddenly confronted by 3 African men, all covered in blood, one missing an arm. Eko takes the machete from one of them and is about to strike a man who is on his knees, begging for mercy, when the man turns into Daniel in his altar boy outfit. Daniel puts his finger on his lips, shushes Eko, and tells him to "Confess." Eko drops the machete and they all disappear.

Beach Camp Kitchen. Locke announces to the group assembled that they (him, Sayid and Desmond) are heading to the Pearl Station to try to use the computer there to find Jack/Kate/Sawyer and invites anyone who wants to to come along. Hurley comments that Jack used to do that sort of stuff alone, to which Locke replies, "I'm not Jack." The new girl and new guy decide to join the group. I don't think anyone has spoken their names on the show yet, but since I know them, for the sake of my sanity I'm going to use them - Nikki and Paolo.

As they are filling bottles of water, Locke tells Desmond that Eko's plane crashed right near the Pearl Station, so they can kill 2 birds with one stone. Desmond cracks wise that it's quite the coincidence. Locke tells him not to mistake coincidence for fate. Now that's the fate-loving Locke I've missed so much!

Eko finds a stream and falls down to drink. And flashback. Eko and Daniel are in the church when they hear machine gun fire outside. They go out to see armed thugs drive up in a pickup truck. Their leader steps out of the truck and I'll be damned if he doesn't look like P.Diddy. Diddy asks for Father Yemi, and Eko asks who's asking for him. The clinic woman explains to Eko that when vaccine shipments come in, the clinic keeps 20% and the rest gets handed over to Diddy, "in exchange for protection." The current shipment has not yet arrived. Diddy says that he hopes Father Eko will honor the agreement, but Eko says he is not afraid of him. So Diddy pulls out a pistol and shoots and kills some poor woman standing nearby. He tells Eko he will be back in a few days for the vaccine.

Back at the stream, Eko nurses his wounds. He hears that chittering sound and sees in the water's reflection the shadow of the smoke monster right behind him. He turns around quickly, but it pulls out of sight as Locke and his group approach on the opposite bank.

Juliet enters Jack's cell with lunch. She's carrying one of those dishes that I've only ever seen in cartoons, the kind with the silver dome on top that's usually lifted to reveal Tom or Jerry or someone with an apple in his mouth. Juliet lifts this dome to reveal a cheeseburger and fries. They flirt back and forth a little bit until Benry comes in. He wants to talk to Jack privately and Juliet leaves. As Jack eats the burger, Benry tells him how they had a wonderful plan to "break him", to get him to trust them, especially since they hoped he would become "invested" because Juliet looks so much like his ex-wife, Sarah. They wanted him to want to save Benry's life, but it's too late for that now, now that Jack has figured out that Benry's dying. All Benry can do now is ask Jack to think about it. As he's leaving the cell, Benry asks Jack if he believes in God. When Jack throws the question back at him, Benry says that 2 days after finding out he had a fatal tumor on his spine, a spinal surgeon falls from the sky, and "If that's not proof of God, I don't know what is." Ah, don't mistake coincidence for fate, Benry.

Locke, Eko, et al are all walking to the Pearl Station/plane crash site, and Locke innocently asks Eko if he's looking for Yemi. Eko freaks and puts a knife to Locke's throat, telling him to never speak Yemi's name again. Because it triggers flashbacks, apparently: Eko is at the village clinic, asking the young woman about the timing of the vaccine shipment, about the black market, etc. She warns him not to go behind Diddy's back. Next we see Eko, dressed in civvies, meeting a man at a roadside bar to talk about some vaccine he wants to sell.

Our group has reached the crash site. Locke and Eko go to the plane and the others head down into the Pearl Station hatch. As they remove the rocks that were placed in front of the plane door, Locke asks Eko what he saw when confronted by the smoke monster. He explains to Eko that he saw the same thing, a "very bright light", and it was beautiful. Eko tells him that is not what he saw. They roll the boulder away from the doorway and find that Yemi's body is not there (*cough* resurrection *cough*). Dismayed, Eko pulls out the old photo of him and Yemi, sits down and tells Locke that he will wait there while Locke goes down the hatch with the others. Locke gives him Yemi's crucifix, which he had found last episode.

FB. Eko is in church, dressed as a priest and looking up at the crucifix on the wall when Diddy and his thugs walk in behind him. They have found out that Eko is trying to steal the vaccine himself and as punishment they are going to cut his hands off with a machete. Before they can, Eko attacks them, taking the machete and using it to kill all of them, including cutting off one of their arms. These were the men that Eko saw in the jungle earlier. He walks out of the church, covered in blood and carrying the machete, and the villagers look at him in horror.

Pearl Station. Nikki is watching the Pearl DHARMA film while Locke and Sayid work on the computers. After Sayid figures out that the computers are not networked, Nikki wonders if any of the 6 video monitors is connected to any of the other stations. Just then a toilet flushes and Paolo comes out of a small room, closing the door behind him, thankfully. Heh! Sayid gets one of the video feeds to work, and it seems to show a room with one of those antiquated computer systems with reel-to-reel tape. As they peer at the image onscreen, a man with a black eye patch comes into view, his creepy face filling the screen.



He reaches his hand up, covers the lens and the screen goes blank. John smiles and says, "I guess he'll be expecting us." I think you're setting yourself up for another huge disappointment, John...

Jack's Cell. Juliet enters the room that's on the other side of the plexiglass divider and explains to Jack that she's brought a movie ("To Kill a Mockingbird") for him to watch. He doesn't want to watch but she insists and pops in a tape, saying she'll keep the sound turned down. As the movie begins, she tells Jack that she's sorry for bringing him there and for everything that's been done to him and his friends. He looks down at the TV, and it's not "To Kill a Mockingbird" showing but a video of Juliet holding up a board with the message, "Ignore everything I'm saying."



As she continues to tell Jack about how great a man Benry is and how his life is worth saving, on the video she is doing the Bob Dylan thing and flipping cards with these mesages on them:

Ben is a liar.
And he is very dangerous
Some of us want a change
But it has to look like an accident
It has to look like we tried to save him
And that's up to you, Jack
It's a complicated surgery. None one would ever know
And I would protect you
Now tell me to turn off the movie.
He tells her to turn off the movie. Juliet takes the tape and as she leaves she asks Jack to think about what she's said.
Flashback. Daniel is sweeping the church and as Eko walks out with his suitcase, he asks Eko if he is a bad man. Eko replies, "Only God knows." As the full vaccine order is delievered to the clinic, the young woman asks Eko if he expects her to be grateful. She says that someone will take Diddy's place and it will start all over again. Men are boarding up the church, since Eko has defiled it. She tells him that he will be judged for what he has done, and that he owes Yemi a church. Aha.
Eko sits by the plane wreck. Yemi appears to him and starts to walk away. Eko follows him to a beautiful clearing. Yemi asks him if he is ready, and Eko says yes. As he holds out the crucifix for Yemi to take, Eko says, "I ask for no forgiveness, Father, for I have not sinned. I have only done what I needed to do to survive." Yemi does not look happy at this development. Eko goes on to say that he is not sorry for killing a man to save his brother's life when he was a boy - in fact he's proud of it. He gets on his knees in front of Yemi and says that he did not ask for the life he was given, but he did the best he could. Cleary very unhappy, Yemi says to him, "You speak to me as if I were your brother," and walks away. Really confused (join the club, Eko!), Eko runs after him, demanding to know who (or what?) he is. The smoke monster reappears then, and grabs Eko, lifting him high in the air, throwing him against trees, beating him horribly and finally dropping him onto his face from a great height. It's horrible to watch.
The group from the Pearl hears something and runs out to investigate. The smoke monster has retreated by the time they reach Eko, who is dying. Locke cradles poor Eko's head, Eko whispers something in Locke's ear and then he dies. Damn. A brief scene of Eko and Yemi as boys is shown. They are walking arm in arm, together, again.
Sayid asks Locke what Eko said to him. He said, "we're next." Dun-dun-dun-DUN!!
Wednesday night: The Fall Season Finale!

Nothing to Hide

A few thought on last night's "Heroes" episode:

1. I had been on the fence about Micah - he's very cute, but on TV, cute can very quickly get on my nerves. Well, after last night, I think Micah is the coolest little pay-phone-fixin', bad-Mommy-recognizin' little super-hero boy there is. The cherry on top: If I close my eyes he sounds just like my niece, Hannah.

2. Speaking of the Bad Mommy, "Jessica" is a really lame name for her. It just makes me think of Murder, She Wrote. Something really bitchy-glamorous like Alexis or women's prison scary like Louise or Margo would have been better.

3. I was a little bored with the Petrellis last night. I still can barely stand Peter - I just don't think he's that great an actor, and his hair drives me crazy - and evil or not, I love Nathan. Any ideas as to why Nathan would tell Peter that Linderman wouldn't cough up the painting when it was clear from his phone call with Linderman that he did?

4. We have a new Hero in Radiation Man (Ted Sprague). I wonder what connection he has to the upcoming nuking of NYC? I think he accidentally caused his wife's cancer.

5. What do you think those two dashes were on Matt and Radiation Man's skin? I think they're part of the symbol we've been seeing all along (and Jessica's tattoo), but why don't they have the complete symbol? Is it because they haven't learned to control their powers?

6. I hope Jessica stays as Jessica. She's far more interesting than Niki.

This is definitely turning into the best new show this season.

What's in a name?

Trial opens for N.C. wife accused of killing husband, scattering his remains along parkway: "They eventually found her four days later, wrapped in a blanket and lying in a crawl space under a neighbor's shed, appearing 'disheveled.' She was taken to a local hospital, where police later served her with a warrant for the murder of her 48-year-old husband."

Adding to the gruesomeness of this story: The couple's last name is Gash.

11.06.2006

I spent the weekend with Wes Craven.

Well, not the weekend, just a few hours on Saturday night. "Scream" was on one of the pay channels and then I watched "Red Eye" on demand.

We've all seen Scream a bunch of times so I won't go there, but I did want to mention how much I enjoyed Red Eye. It was a clever, fast-paced (1 hr 25 min!) thriller that had me on the edge of my seat for most of it. Cillian Murphy is perfect as the charming creep and Rachel McAdams is a much better actress than I would have thought (as well as being really stunningly beautiful). I highly recommend it (and it's rated PG-13 so some of you can probably watch it with your kids).

Vote.

Please do your part and cast your vote tomorrow. I haven't been this revved up about politics since the last national election, and even though my heart was broken then, I'm going to hope for a real change this time.

If you're still on the fence about who to vote for, you might want to read "Inside the Worst Congress Ever". It's a long read but it's worth it.

Throw the bums out, I say.

11.03.2006

Halloween wears a puppy out.


Halloween wears a puppy out., originally uploaded by gina64.

Thomas the Lion.


Thomas the Lion, originally uploaded by gina64.

My nephew.

Any more kids coming, Marty?


Any more kids coming, Marty?, originally uploaded by gina64.

Marty secures the perimeter on Halloween night.

Kanye West doesn't care about European people.

Astounded that he didn't win the award for Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Video Awards, Kanye West dragged his enormous ego onstage, walked in front of the actual winners and told the audience that the award means nothing unless he wins it.

Uh, yeah, why don't you go back to saving the world or healing the sick or bringing joy and meaning to us all, or whatever it is you think you do, Kanye, and let the poor little French guys enjoy their award.

Click here to see the video at MTV.

God is in the details.



Take a moment to check out this awe-inspiring gallery of the Hubble Telescope's Top 100 Images. Gives me goosebumps.


(thanks, bunchofnerds)

Methinks he doth protest too much.

Evangelical leader resigns over sex scandal: "Mike Jones, who said he was a male escort, told KUSA on Wednesday he had had a three-year sexual 'business relationship' with Haggard."

I love how, at the end of the article, Jerry Falwell wastes absolutely no time in distancing himself from Haggard.

Dude, being gay isn't catchy.

11.02.2006

Fan-fuggin-tastic.

J Fug: "He is the teeeeny pequenito stick of celery in my giant Bloody Mary and he LOVES when I say that because it gets him all hot and bothered and he has to go suck on a tomato for two hours, which is what he usually does when he gets excited.

Heroes Auction

Beginning November 6th, you can place bids for autographed Heroes drawings, in an auction to benefit Pediatric Epilepsy Project. PEP was founded by Greg Grunberg, who plays Matt Parkman on the show, and has a son with epilepsy.

Check it out.

More bad '24' news.

First they hire the crummy Powers Boothe to play the VP, and now Eddie Izzard quits after one day of filming.

Crap.

11.01.2006

No man is an island.



Every Man For Himself

We open with Desmond on the beach in all his handsomeness, watching Claire. He tells her she's got a problem with her roof and that she should move a ways down the beach while he fixes it for her. Charlie gets all insecure (and wouldn't you in the presence of Desmond's Scottish awesomeness?) and tells Des that the roof is fine and if it wasn't he could fix it himself. He was just recently building a church with Eko before he exploded, after all. Alright, that was kind of cute. Desmond says OK and walks off.

Jack's cell. Juliet comes in with some food for him. Jack wants to know why he's being held there. He plays Juliet against Benry, implying that Benry is really the one in charge and Juliet just has to follow his orders. Juliet says that isn't true, that they all come to decisions together. Just then Benry barges in, saying, "Juliet! I need you. The sub (the sub!?) is back, we have a situation. Come with me now." Hmm, I think I know who's in charge here.

And sub?? What sub?!

People are running through the jungle, carrying a body on a stretcher. It's Colleen (not Connie, as I incorrectly called her) and she's in bad shape. So they brought Colleen back to the Hydra Station from the sailboat in a submarine? Why would they need to do that?

Danny (aka Pickett, and not Denny, as I incorrectly called him) comes to the zoo to collect Sawyer and Kate for another day at the quarry. But Danny gets an urgent call on his radio about Colleen. The Others rush through the cage area with Colleen, Danny joins them, and Sawyer and Kate see her. Kate asks Sawyer what happened, and he said "We happened." He tells her they just got their ticket out of there (and even after watching this twice I'm not sure what one thing has to do with the other). He starts playing with his Rube Goldberg food contraption, dumping water on the ground. He gets it all set up and tells Kate that when someone comes to get him, they'll step in the water, he'll hit the food button and trigger the electric shock, the Other will fall down from the jolt, Sawyer will grab the keys and they'll both escape. Kate's impressed, but she asks, "What about Jack?" Sawyer says they don't where he is or if he's even alive. It's every man for himself.

Flashbacking. Sawyer's in prison and he's rockin' the Samurai look. He asks about a fight he sees taking place and someone tells him that it's the new guy, Munson, and rumor is that he stole $10 million and they never found the money. They guy also says that the Warden keeps breaking up the Munson fights, to protect the guy and get on his good side, maybe get hold of some of that money some day. Later, Sawyer in on trash duty in the sewing shop, which is where Munson works. Sawyers tells Munson that the Warden is only being nice to him (breaking up the fights, giving him a cushy job) so that he can get his own hands on the money. He tells Munson that next the Warden will somehow turn his wife against him.

Zoo. Benry approaches Sawyer's cage, clearly upset. Blink, Benry, blink! But he stops short of the puddle in front the of the cage door. He asks Sawyer how much he weighs, how old he is and Sawyer tells him(180, 35). Benry steps closer, in the puddle, and opens the cage door. Sawyer grabs Benry and kicks the food button, but nothing happens. He tries again and again nothing happens. He looks at Benry, who cooly says to him, "We turned it off." (the "asshole" is implied there) and then BAM! Benry opens a can of whoopass on Sawyer, tossing him around the cage until he passes out. Is Benry super strong, like Ethan was?

As Sawyer comes to, strapped to a table somewhere, we hear Tom's voice: "...two days since the sky turned purple, we're blind, all our comms are down, I can't get them up again. Colleen's in critical cond --" Benry interrupts to say "Juliet's taking care of it." Sawyer's awake now, and he's wondering what the hell is going on. Someone named Jason gives him something to bite down on, "for the pain", as another guy whips out a big ass hypodermic needle and holds it over Sawyer's naked chest. And in one of the best moments of the episode, Benry looks away and says, "God, I hate needles."

In his cell, Jack can hear Sawyer struggling and yelling over the "broken" intercom speaker on his wall.

Back with Sawyer, and Jason and the other guy argue over how to stick the needle in Sawyer ("over the sternum, in the sternum, like in the --" the what? the movie? Pulp Fiction?), and all the while Sawyer is freaking out. Jason (or is it the other guy?) shakily holds the needle up above Sawyer and counts, "1, 2, ..." Cut to black.

Beach. The new guy is using the golf clubs to hit small, green fruits into the ocean. Desmond approaches and asks if he can borrow a club. New guy tells him to take the 5 iron, he never uses it. "That way, if you die going off into the jungle doing whatever it is you're doing, I won't have to go after it." Nice. Being Scottish (and awesome), Desmond give the jerk a golfing tip before walking away with the 5 iron.

Sawyer is waking up, still strapped to the table, but now he has a bandaid and a small, bloody piece of gauze taped to his chest. Benry and gang come in and Benry places a cage on Sawyer's chest. Inside the cage is a little bunny with the number "8" painted on its back. Benry picks up the cage and starts really rattling it, yelling, "Come on! Come on! Move it! Move it!" until the poor rabbit collapses in a heap. There's a joke in there somewhere about a personal trainer, but since I've never had one... Anyway, in the second best moment of the episode, Sawyer asks, "Did you just kill that bunny?" Benry tells him that the rabbit had a pacemaker in its chest, and when it got too excited, the pacemaker would send a jolt to its heart, causing it to explode. He tells Sawyer that they put a pacemaker in his chest, too, and the same thing will happen to him if he does things that will cause his heart rate to elevate, things like fighting and escaping. Benry gives him a watch that will beep when his heart rate gets to within 15 beats of kaboom. Sawyer asks him why he doesn't just kill him, and Benry replies, "Because we're not killers, James." And if you tell Kate anything, they'll put one in her, too.

Sawyer's returned to his cage. Tom gives him and Kate each a bucket and sponge to wash up with, and to Kate he also gives a change of clothes. (I still don't get the dress thing) Kate asks Sawyer what happened, but he tells her they just wanted to ask him more questions. His heart rate increases as he peeks at her changing her clothes, so he pours the bucket of water over his head to calm himself down.

Flashbacking. Sawyer's in the prison visiting area, watching Munson and his wife, clearly arguing. Munson and Sawyer exchange meaningful glances ("see? I told you so" "yeah, I guess you did). Sawyer's visitor comes to sit the f*ck down and who the f*ck should it be but f*ckin' Joanie Stubbs from Deadwood! She's Sawyer's girlfriend from the season 2 episode The Long Con. I can't remember her name, so we'll call her Joanie. Joanie pressed charges against Sawyer for what he did to her in The Long Con, and that's why he's in prison now. He asks her what she wants and she shows him a photo of a beautiful little baby and tells him that her name is Clementine and she is Sawyer's daughter. Joanie and the baby are living in Albequerque and she wants Sawyer to write the baby a letter. But Sawyer wants nothing to do with any of it - "I ain't got no daughter" - and walks away from her.

Zoo. Sawyer nervously checks his heart rate as he sits in his cage. Kate says she's noticed that the bars at the top of her cage are further apart and she thinks she can get through them. He tells her not to do it yet, to chill out.

Jack hears more incomprehensible chatter over the intercom and then Juliet comes in, wearing bloodstained scrubs. Jack demands to know what they're doing to Sawyer, but Juliet says it's not Sawyer's blood and she needs his help.

Zoo. A very loud siren/alarm starts going off, like an air raid siren, and then we see Juliet and some Others leading Jack, who has a bag over his head, across the compound. Kate and Sawyer yell Jack's name, and Jack stops momentarily but they keep moving him along. They bring him inside a building somewhere else at the station, and remove the bag from his head. Benry's there (and so are Tom and Danny), and he aks Juliet if she's lost her mind: "This is not why --" What was he going to say? "This is not why we brought him here?", perhaps? Juliet cuts him off, saying Jack's a doctor and he can help save Colleen. As Jack and Juliet scrub up, Jack sees x-rays on the wall. Juliet tells him they are not Colleen's.

Jack and Juliet work on Colleen but are unable to save her life. The crash cart and paddles aren't working and Jack's efforts at CPR fail. All the while, Benry, Danny and Tom are watching from a glass-enclosed observation room above.

Danny's not happy, not at all (Colleen was his wife), and he goes after Sawyer. He drags him out of his cage and beats the ever loving crap out of him. With each punch, he asks Kate if she loves him. Finally, Kate relents, crying, saying "Yes! I love him!" Danny stops and walks away, telling someone to lock Sawyer back up.

FB. Sawyer reads Of Mice and Men. Munson approaches, tells him he was right about the Warden, his wife, etc., and he wants Sawyer to move the money for him. Sawyer tells him that that's why you never get attached, because once you care, that's when they can come at ya."

Zoo. Sawyer nurses his wounds and Kate, despite Sawyer's protests, climbs out of her cage through the bars at the top, like a little monkey. She goes to his cage and wants to know what they did to him that has made him so scared? (It has started to rain, which becomes significant a little later on, I think) He tells her that she has to go and leave him there. She wants to know why he didn't fight back when Danny was beating him. He says, "If you really love me, go." She replies, "I only said that so he'd stop hitting you." Oh, that's cold. She walks back to her cage and climbs back in. He repeats to her that she should just go, that "it's every man for himself", but she just looks at him and says, "Live together, die alone." (which was the title of the season 2 finale)

Benry is watching all of this on his video monitors. Tom reminds him that Danny wants to kill Sawyer, but Benry says that Danny can wait. Tom asks if he should bring Jack back, but Benry says no, he wants him to sit with her (Colleen's body) a little longer.

Jack is handcuffed to the table upon which Colleen's body lies. Juliet comes in and apologizes for the handcuffs. She tells Jack that she's a fertility doctor and she's not used to death. She says she should have come for Jack sooner, but he says that it wouldn't have made a difference. She asks if he's just saying that to make her feel better and he says, "I don't care about making you feel better." Zing! She goes to un-handcuff him and he grabs her arm and pull her closer and you could cut the UST with a knife, the air is so thick with it. He asks her whose x-rays those were - he knows they're the spinal x-rays of a man about 40 years old, and that the person has a tumor on his spine. Since Jack just happens to be a spinal surgeon, he wonders who it is they've brought him here to see.

Beach. Desmond has stuck a tall pole in the sand near Claire's shelter, tied a golf club to the top of it, and run a wire from the club down into the ground. Ah, a lightning rod. He's chatting with Hurley when a thunderclap rings out and it starts to pour rain (is this the storm we saw earlier at the zoo?). As Charlie, Claire and Aaron huddle in their shelter, lightning crashes down near them, striking the lightning rod that Desmond just built. Charlie realizes that Desmond somehow knew that their shelter was going to get hit by lightning. (I'm really liking this storyline, btw)

Zoo. Benry wakes Sawyer up early in the morning and tells him they're going to go for a walk.

Flashbacking. Sawyer's taken by guards to a building somewhere on the prison grounds. The Warden is waiting inside for him, along with an agent from the Treasury Department. Turns out, it was all a setup, a con, to find out where Munson had hidden the $10 million. Sawyer tells them where Munson hid the money, and the Warden tells him that as agreed, the last 6 years of his sentence would be commuted. The Agent asks him how he wants his "commission", and Sawyer tells him to open a new account in a bank in Albequerque, in the name of Clementine Phillips, and to make sure she never knows where the money came from. Aw.

As Benry, Sawyer and some Others hike up a hillside, Benry tells Sawyer that it's not too much further, that there's something up there he wants him to see. Benry tells him that there is no pacemaker in his chest, that his heart is not going to explode: "The only thing we put into you is doubt." He then pulls the bunny, alive and well, out of his man-purse and explains to Sawyer that the bunny didn't die, they just gave him a sedagive - I mean a sedative. Sawyer punches Benry in the face, but B stays cool as a cucumber.

They walk a little further, to a cliff. Sawyer cannot believe his eyes as he looks out over the ocean and sees another island.



Benry tells him that he's looking at "your island" and that the island he's standing on is like Alcatraz and there's no way he can escape, there's nowhere to run.

(Now I know why they needed a sub to get Colleen back and why the rain hit the beach so much later in the timeline)

He tells Sawyer, "We did all this because the only way to gain a con man's respect is to con him. We're a lot better." Benry says the funny thing, though, is that it wasn't the pacemaker that kept him in line, it was when they threatened Kate: "You work so hard to make her think you don't care, you don't need her." But no man is an island, Sawyer.

Next week: The island grows restless!!