LOST: Episode 3-18

"D.O.C"

OK, what's with all of these good episodes? This one had its share of LOST's patented shocker moments, which I loved, but I think what made "D.O.C." a great episode is the emotional weight it carried. And I think that's true of almost all of the Sun/Jin episodes, which are some of my favorites. The actors share a great chemistry and for some reason the episodes which feature them always seem to be thematically tight and well-written.

That was quite the bomb that Naomi (the parachutist) dropped at the end there, huh? No survivors of flight 815? That could mean anything at this point - "fake" wreckage was found with no bodies/dead bodies, the real wreckage was found with the real dead bodies and our cast is in Purgatory, or she's a big fat liar - and so I hope they start to provide some explanation sooner, rather than later. What's with the different languages she could speak? Where did she think she was landing/crashing? According to Lostpedia, and contrary to what Mikhail told Desmond, she did not say "thank you" - she said, "I am not alone". Who is she with? Why would Mikhail lie? I'm telling ya, he knew about her and the helicopter...

And speaking of Mikhail!! WTF? Wasn't he just dead? Did he fake his death somehow? Was he only "mostly dead"? Did the island heal him? Did he just happen to stumble upon Desmond, etc., or did he come running when the flare went off? Was he expecting to find Naomi? Did he (and by association, the Others) know that Naomi was coming? He's certainly hiding something. (no kidding, gina) Did anyone else (besides Holly) notice that he was grabbing his coveralls when he was running from Jin when they first chased him? What was that all about?

I'm liking Juliet more every week, and I was so happy to hear her say "I hate you" to Benry, even though the tape recorder was shut off. I'm looking forward to the day when she tells him to his face but for now, it's enough to know that she's doing his bidding reluctantly.

Sun is so beautiful, isn't she? "D.O.C." stands for date of conception, and if Juliet is to be believed, and I do believe her, Sun's baby was conceived after the crash, 53 days ago. This means the baby is Jin's, and not from her affair with the bald hotel guy. The scene where Sun finds out that the baby is Jin's was amazing. She is stuck in the middle of her own Catch-22: If she conceived before she got to the island, the baby would not be Jin's but she would survive; but if the baby was conceived on the island, and was Jin's (as she hoped), then neither mother nor child would survive the pregnancy. As the flashback so beautifully illustrated, Sun's deep love for Jin drives her to protect him from shame and hurt to the point that she is filled with joy at hearing the news that the Jin is the father, even thought it means that she has perhaps only two months to live (no!).

OK, the elephant in the room: Why hasn't anyone raised the issue of abortion? I know it's a touchy subject, but it really should be addressed one way or another. Can they save the lives of the mothers by terminating the pregnancy? Or is it already too late for them once they have concieved?

I understand, on the surface of things, why Jack would be asking Sun so mysteriously about how she was feeling - he knows about the pregnant women dying and he's concerned for Sun but doesn't want her to know he's concerned - but I'm still getting a weird vibe from him. I swear he's not himself and is operating under some weird Other mojo.

If the island increases the male sperm count by so much, do you think Kate could be pregnant after her unprotected trysts with Sawyer? Juliet mentioned in her recorded message to Benry that she was working on getting samples from the other women, including Austin.

Hey, check this out...from Lostpedia's recap: "Sun goes to her father's office. As she approaches her father in a meeting, one of his men is reporting that they have not yet received the fake construction permit. Mr. Paik comments that the Hanso Foundation is upset because the Paik Heavy Industries did not provide them with some equipment. That wasn't translated onscreen was it? If it was, I totally missed it! I won't speculate too much on what a connection between Sun's father and Hanso could mean since in all likelihood this is just a fun Easter Egg the writers planted for us to find.

And finally, the hottest Scottish/Peruvian castaway on the island:

Just Because.

A post about this week's episode will be up soon.

This is what Joy looks like.

Stephen Hawking Floats in Zero Gravity, free of his wheelchair for the first time in almost 40 years. How cool is that?

Idol Gives Back: Top 6 Results and Telethon

I'm going to skip the recap this week. I just can't be critical or cynical after seeing so much real sadness. But I will make a couple of comments.

(Oh, and no one was eliminated, "in the spirit of things", but this Tuesday's votes will be added to next week's and 2 contestants will be going)

1. The Celine/Elvis thing was technically amazing and, well, amazingly freaky.



And I'm going to contradict myself here and be cynical on this one thing: The money they spent putting that together could have been much better spent. How many mosquito nets would that have translated into?

2. I thought the best performance of the night was Kelly Clarkson with Jeff Beck.



She was incredible! Doesn't it look like she and Jeff Beck had never met until that moment? I'll be downloading that song, for sure (You can download it at iTunes and the money goes to Idol Gives Back).

3. We got Bono! At last! For 2 minutes at the end!



4. And the funniest part of the night:



I think that the concept of Idol Gives Back is a good one, but the execution was a bit clumsy. It was a weird mix to have the telethon draped over the frame of a results show. It should be a separate event, imo.

If you'd like to make a donation to Idol Gives Back - a donation to help in the fights against AIDS, malaria and hunger in Africa and poverty, hunger and illiteracy in the U.S. - please go here. And see if there's anything at iTunes that you'd like to download!

Hugh Grant Beans Photographer.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I wonder, is there such a thing as "beanhab"?

Idol Top 6: Performances

It's Night 1 of "Idol Gives Back"

Ryan says tonight's mentor is BONO! and in keeping with the theme, they'll be singing "Inspirational songs".

Chris - "Change the World"...Eric Claption. (hey! where's Bono?) It's a good song choice, and he tones down the nasally stuff in the beginning, but it starts to go off somewhere around the middle. It's going to be difficult to be too critical on a night like this, though, and the judges are nice. And he looks very cute in his suit jacket.

Melinda - "There Will Come a Day"..Faith Hill. (hey! where's Bono?) She is just unbelievable. I've never heard this song, but she almost made me cry. And she looks great.

Blake - "Imagine"...John Lennon. (still no Bono - they must be saving him for tomorrow night) It must be a special night - Blake's wearing jeans and not old man pants! Well, that was nice. He basically sang it note for note, but I agree with Paula, it's a simple song that should be sung simply. I don't think that was enough to pull him out of the Bottom 3, though.

Lakisha - "I Believe".. Fantasia. She was good. Better, certainly, than the judges thought she was. Still Bottom 3, I think.

Phil - "The Change"..Garth Brooks. Hey - It's the Addams' Fam-il-y! He stays in the country genre and it works for him, again. Nicely sung, especially if you don't look at him.

Jordin - "You'll Never Walk Alone"...She's wearing a beautiful dress and it's a beautiful performance. Not quite as earth-shatteringly good as Randy seems to think, but good enough to put her in the lead, I think. Especially with how emotional she was at the end.

They all did very well, which was good, because it would have sucked if the judges had to be mean on a night when they were trying so desperately to be nice.

I'll say the Bottom 3 will be Chris, Lakisha and Blake, and Chris and Lakisha are in a dead heat when it comes to getting booted off.

I'm going out to dinner tonight and I'm not sure when I'll be home, so I may be watching it tomorrow night. Tonight's results show is the 2-hour telethon show, from 8:00 - 10:00.

I'll let you know what's what tomorrow.

Heroes: ".07%"

They're back!

I'm totally jazzed about there being a prior generation (for lack of a better word) of Heroes that most likely include Linderman, Hiro's father and Mrs. Petrelli. I can't wait to find out more about them: What are their powers? How many of them are there? What went wrong? It's interesting that Linderman's gift is healing, a gift that could really make a positive change in people's lives, yet he is so obviously evil. I wonder to what purpose he's actually used it? Healing his henchman after a big tussle?

I knew that Peter wasn't going to die, and I was just waiting for Claire to pull that piece of glass out of his head, but I have to say that I really liked the scene where Nathan comes into the room and sees his body. See, he's not all bad. He does seem to have taken Linderman up on his proposal, though, doesn't he?

Speaking of Linderman's proposal, what do you think he wants Micah for? Fixing voting machines, perhaps?

When Mohinder knocked on the Petrelli's door with Peter's body and I saw that cab in the background I couldn't believe he brought the body in a TAXI! Then I remembered that his father, Suresh, was working as a cab driver when he was killed so it's probably his car. Whew.

Poor Isaac. Actually, I don't feel that badly for him, since he was never a favorite of mine, but it still sucks to be crucified to the floor with paintbrushes and then have the top of your head cut off and your brain removed. I'm glad he completed an entire edition of his comic book before dying because I'd really miss his paintings. Do you think he sent it to his publisher? If so, will it be published before the bomb goes off so Hiro can see it? I'm dying to know how came to figure out how to kill Sylar.

The Bennett/Parkman/Ted escape was cool and now they're all headed to NYC, too. Any ideas on what the "tracking system" is? It was neat seeing them sitting in the same diner where Hiro met Charlie. Poor Charlie.

Here's a question I read at another blog, and it's something I don't like to think about: Why is Future Hiro always alone? Where's Future Ando?

And on a shallow note: Peter actually looked hot with that hair off of his face. Well done, Sylar!

Next week takes place completely in the future. Awesome!

When does your favorite show begin its new season?

Or has it been cancelled?

The Futon Critic has a handy guide that will help you answer just those questions.

TV Talk

24 - This season hasn't packed the punch that last season did (I really miss the Logans and Aaron), but it has had its moments. One of the more disgusting moments took place Monday night, when the Veep kissed his assistant Lisa Miller; how could something so dispassionate (Old Granite Face never changed his expression) be SO skeevy? Good God. I am so over the little soap opera going on between Chloe/Morris/Milo and Nadia/Milo/Doyle - those stories had better pay off in the long run in a relevant way. Like, Milo dying by getting shot during the struggle to take the gun that Morris was going to use to shoot himself with. Like that. On the other hand, I can't get enough of Karen and Bill Buchanan - if he's really gone, I will not be happy. At all. I hope next week he gets Kiefer's message on his home phone and decides to go rogue with him to take down Cheng. Preferably while wearing a t-shirt and jeans. And finally, the manpurse is back!

I'm not ready to break up with Jack, but I thought this was cute.


Futurama - I'm WAY late to the party, but I'm getting addicted to the reruns on the Cartoon Network - it's so good!!

Doo Wop

04-16-2007 012, originally uploaded by gina64.

Don't Forget!

"Heroes" returns tonight, at 9:00 P.M. on NBC!!

LOST: Episode 3-17

OK, I have a dilemma: Which picture of Desmond do I use? And how many? Oh, I should have such a problem every week!

Let's go with this one (for starters).



Catch-22

Please don't take my delay in posting as a sign of apathy toward this episode. I thought it was very good. In fact, I think this current batch of episodes is by far some of the best stuff this show has done. It was sort of getting to be something of an obligation to watch - now, I cannot WAIT to watch it!

Desmond

I think it's been pretty firmly established through flashbacks that Desmond has "cowardly" tendencies (I can't bring myself to call him a coward, I'm sorry). Here's a question for you: Which would have been more cowardly - letting Charlie die or saving his life? Like Abraham, Desmond was being asked to sacrifice someone. But who was he supposed to sacrifice, Charlie or Penny? I mean, either way he made a sacrifice: Charlie's life for Penny, or Penny for Charlie's life. I'm glad he chose Charlie's life, but was it a "wise" (or un-cowardly) choice?

Did anyone else see Mrs. Hawking in the photo with the Abbott?

You remember Mrs. Hawking right? From Desmond's time travel episode? Seeing her in the photo made me wonder if it was no accident that the Abbott was the one to find Desmond passed out in the gutter. Have they (whoever "they" may be) been steering him to the Island all along? Oh, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the Abbey is associated with the Widmores, who are connected to DHARMA.

Penny to the Rescue

It's nice to see that Penny hasn't given up Desmond for lost. As for who the girl who landed on the island is, I know only two things: her name is Naomi and she knows Desmond. Oh, and she probably speaks Portugese, since she was carrying a copy of Catch-22 in Portugese ("Ardil-22"). This fits in nicely with what we last saw of Penny, which was two Portugese men calling her to tell her that they found the EM signal.

Re: Naomi - It can be no coincidence that there are women named Naomi (parachutist) and Ruth (Desmond's first ex-fiance) in this episode. By all appearances, they are completely unrelated, but Naomi and Ruth share a special bond in the bible:

"Ruth is rightly remembered for her pledge of total devotion and loyalty to Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17). Ruth clung to Naomi even at the cost of renouncing her people and her gods in favor of Naomi’s people, the Israelites, and Naomi’s God, Yahweh: "Your people will be my people and your God my God" (verse 16). The totality of this commitment is emphasized by its terseness (merely four words long in the Hebrew: ‘amekh ‘ami we’lohaikh ’elohai, which literally means "your people my people; your God my God"). Yet Ruth extended her commitment still further, beyond death itself: "Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried" (verse 17)."

Of course, I have no idea if any of this means anything. Were they just tossing around biblical references because the story involved Desmond's stay at a monastery? I don't know. I'm just sayin'.

Camping

I thought Hurley's pretense of a camping trip to get Jin to come along with him and Desmond and Charlie was sort of silly. Aren't they all camping every day, living on a beach in tents, sitting around campfires? Now, if Hurley had suggested they were going to stay at the Others resort, with soft, cushy beds, running water, indoor plumbing and refrigeration, now that's an enticement.

I'll let the weak camping excuse pass, however, because it was all worth it just to see Jin telling his campfire ghost story.



Back at the Beach

Not much really happened. Kate is still mooning over Jack. I was really hoping that she was over him. I'm happy, though, that at least Sawyer is aware of what's going on. And he's being surprisingly mature about things. For him.

I'm really beginning to believe that Jack was somehow programmed or brainwashed during his time with the Others. He's way too complacent, don't you think?

So what do you think is going on with Desmond? Was Naomi sent by Penny? Or was she sent by Ruth? (Nah. I don't think so) Will Charlie die before the season ends?

The boys spent Earth Day at the park.

The boys, originally uploaded by gina64.

Veniero Panicceria

Veniero Panicceria, originally uploaded by gina64.

Italian bakery on East 11th Street. Everything looked SO good, but I was too full from dinner!

"Gardenlike View Inside"

"Gardenlike View Inside", originally uploaded by gina64.

Or so says the sign outside the Milon Restaurant.

They have interesting gardens in India. ;)

Welcome to Milon

Welcome to Milon, originally uploaded by gina64.

The Indian restaurant Milon (on the left) that we went to on Saturday night. You wanna talk about atmosphere - check out the previous photo. The food is good and ridiculously inexpensive (under $60 for five (5!) people) and the show they put on for a customer's birthday has to be seen to be believed. Great place.

Lunch Atop a Skyscraper Closeup

Lunch Atop a Skyscraper Closeup, originally uploaded by gina64.

This is a closeup of a larger sculpture that I believe was based on the famous "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper" photo. The Sculpture was mounted on the back of a pickup truck. I took a photos but quickly stopped after I saw the "Donations for photos" sign.

Giant Flip-Flop Mural

04-16-2007 004, originally uploaded by gina64.

I believe this is on the corner of Prince and Mulberry. I think.

New York Photos

04-16-2007 001, originally uploaded by gina64.

I spent last weekend visiting friends in NYC, who live just north of Little Italy (NoLita) and as usual, I took a bunch of photos. I didn't take as many as I would have liked to, however, since we picked the weekend with the worst Spring weather in like a millenium, and spent much of it inside Jill and Colleen's tiny (but lovely!) apartments, eating, watching movies, playing cards and drying out from the drenching Nor'easter rains.

The next few posts contain some of my favorite pictures from the weekend. To see them all, go here (they're at the end of the set).

Idol Top 7: Results

Another hour of fluff, so here are the highlights:

1. Simon sets the record straight about the eye-roll during Chris' shout-out to Virginia Tech, which, honestly, I completely missed (the eye-roll, not the shout-out). I'm sure Chris really wanted to hear all of that again!

2. Antonio Banderas is still muy caliente, but I'm thinking he needs to do something different with his hair. Wash it, perhaps?

3. Martina McBride has a cute kid. Ryan's lucky he got his microphone back.

4. I was never so happy to be so wrong with my Bottom 3 prediction! The lowest vote-getters this week were Lakisha, Blake and Sanjaya. I left a comment in my previous Idol post right before last night's show, saying I had a feeling that Sanjaya's number was up, but in my heart of hearts, I didn't actually believe it could really happen. Thank you, America, for making my dream come true.

Next Week: Idol Gives Back.

I refuse to watch.

I feel compelled to comment on the latest developments in the Virginia Tech shooting. I'm sure many of you won't agree with me, but I feel very strongly about this.

I think that NBC, and in turn the other news outlets, have made a grave and colossal mistake by airing the video and images they received from Cho. They are giving him the notoriety that he so clearly desired. They’ve created a “hero” (or “martyr”, which is how he referred to Klebold and Harris in his video) for the next messed up kid who wants to make a name for himself by setting a new mass murder record.

I refuse to watch.

Idol Top 7: Performances

It's country night, and I predict at least one Keith Urban song and one Rascal Flatts song. And some serious crashing and burning. Ryan starts things out with a condolence message to those involved in the Virginia Tech tragedy. It's awkward, but necessary.

Martina McBride is our guest coach this week. Let's see how she did.

Phil - "Where the Blacktop Ends", Keith Urban - ding! ding! - He really is shaped like a pear, isn't he? This is a good song choice for him. Wow, Phil is a country singer - who knew?!

Jordin - "Broken Wing", Martina McBride...Wow again. She can really sell a song, surprising for someone so young.

(Oh, EW. That Smeagol-y Constantine is in the audience doing his creepy thing, STILL)

Sanjaya - "Something to Talk About", Bonnie Raitt. God, we're back to the old Sanjaya, listless and flat and pitchy and completely lacking any rhythm and stupid and a COMPLETE WASTE OF MY FREAKING TIME.

Sorry.

Lakisha - "Jesus Take the Wheel", Carrie Underwood...It's weird to hear her singing a country song, I agree, but I don't think it was as bad as the judges said. Besides, it's not that great a song. However, I do think she has a problem in the personality department. She needs to smile more.

Chris - "Mayberry", Rascal Flatts - ding! ding! I knew it!...And I just knew he was going to sing one of their songs. I don't like the way that guys sings, either. This should have been a better fit. He hits a couple of really bad notes, and overall it sort of stunk. I think the judges have finally figured out that Chris can't sing. You seem like a nice guy, Chris, but I'm sorry, you just can't sing.

Melinda - "Trouble is a Woman", Julie Reeves...Martina tells Melinda that she's so good it won't matter that no one knows the song and for maybe the first time on American Idol, she's right. She looks pretty and young and she's the best of the night. Easily.

Blake - (did he just point at the socks in his pants?), "When the Stars Go Blue", Tim McGraw...It's very 80s-like, isn't it? In fact, most of his performances remind of 80s British music. He looks like he's really struggling, but it's pretty good. I've never heard the song and truth be told, I can't imagine Tim McGraw singing it, but I guess that's good for Blake.

Not too much crashing and burning, and that's a good thing.

So, I'll predict that tonight's Bottom 3 will be Phil, Chris and Lakisha. I think Phil will live to see another week and Chris and Lakisha will be the bottom 2.

Xtreme Pug Skydiving. For real.

The real victim in the Duke Rape Case

We watched this at Jill's this weekend and I thought it deserved to be shared.

I think we can all use a little laughing baby right about now.

God is in the details.

LOST: Episode 3:16

"One of Us"

I LOVED this episode. I know I've complained many times about the addition of new, unnecessary characters to the story, but I just can't complain about Juliet and Benry. As characters, they are fascinating and the actors are incredible.

Juliet - What in the world is she up to?! I never trust her completely, but she was totally winning me over last night. She had me crying when she saw her sister on the video feed from Miami, for crying out loud! But I should have known better. That final scene of her with Benry in the wheelchair was amazing. I was nodding my head even while I was "Oh-my-God"-ing.

Actually, I think she's playing both sides right now (or at least I hope she is). It's pretty clear to me that her motivation for doing just about everything is finding a way off of the island. Perhaps she struck another deal with Benry? She could be doing Benry's bidding in the hope that he still has access to a way home.

While we don't know exactly what she's up to, we did get a lot of information about her:

She and Benry were not in a romantic relationship prior to the plane crash, as I thought;
She and Goodwin were. Weirdly enough, I think I was more grossed out by Goodwin in the bed than I would have been by seeing Benry;
She dragged Kate into the jungle and handcuffed herself to her last week;
She was not kidnapped by Mittelos but voluntarily drank the drugged OJ so she would be unconscious for the trip to the island;
She was brought to the island to research and treat the problem of pregnant island women dying after their immune system turns on the fetus, and she doesn't seem to have solved the problem yet;
She and Ethan were responsible for the Claire abduction and injections and, if you believe Juliet, for saving Claire's and Aaron's lives. So maybe she has solved the problem? Or perhaps the women die only if the child is conceived on the island?

Quick Thoughts

• Will Claire have to continue receiving injections, or was this a one-off and the injection Juliet gave her negated the effect of the implant (in effect "shutting it off")?
• Worst line of the night: "She's under my protection." Oh, give me a break.
• The sign on the wall behind Juliet when she drinks the OJ reads "HERARAT Airlines". "Herarat" is an anagram for "Earhart". Hee.
• Whether or not Juliet is evil, she was right about Sayid and Sawyer.
• Benry and Juliet's visit to Mikhail's station was one of my favorites scenes this year, between Benry's snarky remarks on the way in and Juliet's reaction to seeing her sister alive.
• At first I wondered who the "Richard" was in Miami that Benry was talking to about the video feed, but I looked it up today and he's Richard Alpert, the guy who recruited Juliet.
• The mark on the tree where Juliet found the medicine bag is very similar to the mark on Juliet's back.
• I enjoyed Kate and Sawyer's reunion on the beach. I never really cared about all the love triangle stuff before, but now I think they belong together.
• Benry told Juliet he would see her in a week. Season finale, perhaps?

And now for your weekly dose of the Desmond:

Idol Top 8: Results

It took an hour to tell us who was going home, so there was a LOT of fluff. Some highlights:

1. I thought they all sounded really good on the group song ("Bailamos"?). It's too bad it's a night too late.

2. They showed a clip of Simon in Africa, talking about the benefits of a "School in a Box", and the kids he was with had made chalk drawings of him and one of the kids gave Simon man-boobs. That was probably the funniest thing I've ever seen on this show.

3. Jennifer Lopez performed and I thought she was the best guest performer so far this year, and considering I couldn't understand a single word she was singing, that says a lot. And she seems really cool.

4. The Bottom 3: Phil, Haley and Chris, as predicted. Not surprisingly, Chris is sent back to the bleachers right away and it's down to our 2 Bottom 3 veterans, Phil and Haley. Phil rises from the grave once more as Haley is sent packing. As she works the crowd during her singout, she sings the line "Scratch, scratch!" right in Phil's wife's face. Meow!

Next week they're goin' country with Martina McBride.

"WHO KILLED KENNY??"

I missed it (damn!), but apparently South Park did a satire of 24 recently. The producers of 24 liked it so much, they sent the South Park guys a suitcase nuke!

You can see the photos here. That is so cool.

Drive Thru Reviews

Casino Royale - One of the best Bond movies. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Daniel Craig may have surpassed Connery as the hottest Bond. First Sanjaya, now this. My world is in chaos! Anyway, the movie is very good and he is just...



...I'm sorry, where was I?

Happy Feet - Penguins. Singing and dancing baby penguins. How could it not be good?

TV Talk

The Sopranos - "Is this it?" Carmela set the tone for the final 9 episodes when the cops came banging on their door in the opening scene of Sunday night's episode. I really enjoyed the tone of the episode and the almost overbearing sense of dread that hung over everything. The story seems to be coming full circle, with Tony proving himself to be much more like his vindictive mother Livia than he would ever care to admit. So far, so good.

24 - I thought Monday night's episode was one of the best of the season (with the exception of the ridiculous Milo/Nadia/Ricky shenanigans). Jack was a BAD ASS, wasn't he?! I'm very glad that the nuke storyline has been wrapped up. What I want to see now: A follow-up on the Logans (are we really done with them?), Jack's father, Bill and Karen in the same room again, Wayne Palmer kicking the bucket, Milo killed in the process of being revealed as a mole and Jack and Audrey reunited. Is that too much to ask for?

POM Tea

Pomegranate Blackberry Black Tea. I just discovered it today, and I LOVE it!

Bonus: it comes in nifty keepsake glasses.

Idol Top 8: Performances

Tonight is Latin night and J Lo is our guest coach.

(the camera pans the audience and there's Nathan Fillion! He's in the new FOX show "Drive". Oh and there's Mickey Dolenz but I don't really care about him. Show Nathan again!)

Jennifer Lopez is right when she says that the key to Latin music is the passion. Let's see if any of these people have any...

Melinda - "Sway"...I don't know this song. She sings it well, of course, but it's a little old-fashioned. She's wearing a very flattering dress and the wig looks good on her. Maybe they finally found a look for her.

Lakisha - "Conga"...This is one of my least favorites songs. In fact, it wouldn't bother me if I never had to listen to Gloria Estefan or Miami Sound Machine ever again in my life, so Lakisha's got one strike against her already. She's a better singer than Estefan (who isn't?), but...she seems disconnected, and it wasn't as "performed" as it should have been.

Chris - "Smooth"... It's a good, contemporary song choice, but he sort of massacred it, didn't he? Gosh that was bad. The judges, however, love him. What do I know?

Haley - "Turn the Beat Around"...Another Estefan song and it's brutal. She's got her hot pants on again. Smart girl. You know, I don't think I've ever seen anyone as white as Haley.

Phil - "Maria, Maria"...I can't really think of anything to say about it. It's...Phil.

Jordin - "Rhythm is Gonna Get You"...Oh my GOD, Estefan again. Again I'm not "feeling" it. I was actually kind of bored. Is it because I don't like Gloria Estefan music? I don't think she can sing and maybe Jordin sounds flat because she's trying to sound like her?

These people are about as passionate as Mr. Rogers.

Blake - "Need to Know"...OK, I was hoping one of them was going to sing this song tonight. He is definitely the best so far tonight. By a MILE. Sheila thinks he has socks in his pants. I think she may be right.

"The embodiment of Latin passion" - "Besame Mucho"...I can't believe this. He's actually making me interested in what he's singing. He actually sounds, well, good. He even looks kind of cute. Excuse me, I need to go slap myself.

Jennifer Lopez was an awesome coach, but they all pretty much sucked the life out of the songs they sang. Bad night. Muy bad.

Bottom 3: Phil, Haley and ? Chris, maybe? Or perhaps we'll have a shocker and Lakisha will be in the Bottom 3? Tune in tonight to find out.

Zachary

He still looks like a little baby sometimes., originally uploaded by gina64.

Staring back at his sister.

Hannah

Hannah, originally uploaded by gina64.

She's getting so grown up.

LOST: Episode 3-15

Left Behind

Oh, I'm so late with this...so what did you all think? I thought it was another solid episode. I really enjoyed the focus on the women of the show, and I think they should do that more often.

Kate Flashback

I was never all that interested in Kate's backstory, but this flashback held my interest. Is it my imagination or was there some serious chemistry between Cassidy and Kate? A couple of times - in the bar, in the car, in the motel room - I honestly thought they were going to go in that direction. I think perhaps my subconscious mind was imposing Joanie Stubbs on the Cassidy character or something. Either that, or I've been watching too much Bad Girls.

Kate and Juliet

I'm not sure I understand how they really ended up handcuffed together. I believe it was implied that Juliet lied about the handcuffs, that she was the one who cuffed them together so that she wouldn't be left behind. Am I right? So the Others dumped them both in the same spot, but Juliet woke before Kate? Hmm. Still doesn't feel right. And Juliet was also lying about not knowing about the monster. She may not know exactly what it is, but she was aware of it and knew that the fence would keep it out.

Locke

What in the name of Alvar Hanso is going on with him? I'm assuming we're going to get an episode that will explain what transpired between Locke and Benry between him seeing his father bound and gagged in that room and him telling Kate he was leaving with the Others and that they were all disappointed in her. Nothing Locke does anymore surprises me, and I don't find it out of character for him to be seduced by a cultish figure like Benry, especially considering Locke's "special" connection with the island, but I do think we need to have some explanation.

Jack

He was awfully cold to Kate, don't you think? I have such a hard time understanding him, I really do. His emotional responses (or lack thereof) rarely make any sense to me. Maybe that's why he's not a favorite character. Here's a question: Why not take over Otherville? Why go back to the beach? Not only would Otherville provide housing, electricity, running water and recreational pursuits, but it has a sonic fence surrounding it that could keep out the monster and the Others and Juliet can probably change the code! I'll be interested in seeing what items they decide to bring back to the beach.

You know, unlike everyone else on the island (so far), Kate does not have a daddy issue, like I though - she in fact has a mommy issue, and Jack seems to be the stand in for her mother, the person she looks to for approval and acceptance, and from whom she rarely receives it. When she apologized to Jack, she was doing what she couldn't do for her mother.

Monster

That was some scary stuff with the monster, huh? Here's another question: why can't it go over the fence? I think it's because it originates and gets its power from the ground and I don't think the monster can separate itself from it.

Sawyer and Hurley

The beach stuff was just alright. I really want Sawyer to grow as a character, and I'm thinking they're starting in that direction, but I guess I just thought it was kind of ham-handed the way they did it. It should have been more organic, instead of Hurley deciding that Sawyer should be their leader. And kissing up to people and pretending to like them is not growth, imo. Also, why go to such an extent when Jack is coming back to the beach? To set up a conflict? Why not have Sawyer slowly grow into a leader of the group while Jack is gone then? It just didn't make sense to me. Hopefully, it will.

Desmond

His appearance this week was brief, yet oh so yummy. Since we were bereft of a Desmond photo last week, I give you two this week.

A little bit of Spring.

Happy Easter, originally uploaded by gina64.

Contrary to the calendar, Spring has not sprung around here. It was 26 degrees out this morning! I just want to stop heating the house and open the windows, get some fresh air inside.

We do, however, have a little bit of Spring inside the house with these very pretty tulips that Mary gave us for Easter.

I hope all of you who celebrate it had a nice Easter weekend. And Happy Passover to my Jewish friends!

Idol Top 9: Results

Ryan splits the 9 into 3 groups of 3:

Top 3: Jordin, Melinda and Lakisha
Middle 3: Blake, Chris and some kid whose name I've forgotten
Bottom 3: Haley, Gina and Phil

The B3 are the same as the ones I (and pretty much everyone else who watches) picked. We won't find out who's going, however, until after Tony Bennett sings. But Tony's not singing because he's sick. Michael Buble is a last minute replacement and I hope that's the reason why he sucked so badly. Damn! If he wasn't drunk, I'd like to know what his excuse was. And the Antonella joke? Not funny.

As I look at the Bottom 3, I wonder what the hell does Gina have on? I mean, I really want to know what that is. Is it all one piece or is the middle brown section separate? The stylists this year suck like Michael Buble. Anyway. I'm thinking Phil must be getting used to being in the Bottom 3 by now.

At last, Ryan tells us that... Gina is going home. Wow, what a shame. She seemed to be the one who wanted it the most and while I know she wasn't going to win the thing, I was still rooting for her to stay in for as long as possible. I really feel bad for her. What a perfect sing out. I think this is the first time I felt like crying when someone was voted off.

Next week, J. Lo is the mentor, and that makes me very afraid.

Behind the Death of Starbuck

La Times: "At first, the producers wanted to deceive the whole 'Battlestar Galactica' production, including the cast, into thinking that Sackhoff was really leaving. 'They said, 'We're not telling anyone,' ' she recounted. ' 'We're not telling the entire crew. The entire cast. Some of the writers aren't even going to know.' I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me!' '"

Baby Bunnies!

Who knew that watching baby bunnies run around a room like that would be so mesmerizing?

TV Talk

Today's TV Talk is quite literally that - talk about a TV. A new TV. That I just bought for myself:



A Sony Bravia 40" LCD HD Television. :-)

I love it.

More Le Swag

Le Swag, originally uploaded by gina64.

More goodies from Paris, from Sheila. The tin contains delicious madeleines from Fauchon; the pastel eggs are chocolates from Laduree and the cup contains rocher chocolates, also from Laduree.

See the cigarette lighter in the middle? Jeannette gave me that (thanks, Jeannette!). When you open the top, the Eiffel Tower lights up with bright, flashing colored LED lights. And when I say bright, I mean BRIGHT. When I'm outside having a cigarette at night, I have completely cup the lighter or it looks like the cops are parked outside the house!

I wonder if she came out smelling like a rose?

Falling woman saved by pile of...: "A Chinese woman survived a plunge from a sixth-floor balcony thanks to a convenient pile of excrement which broke her fall, local media said."

*gag*

This Just In.

Iran president to free UK sailors: "'The British government sent a letter to our Foreign Ministry and said it would not happen again. Of course, our decision had nothing to do with the letter. It's a decision made by our government to give a gift to the people of Britain,' Ahmadinejad said in answer to a reporter's question."

Calmer heads have prevailed, I see. That's a good thing.

In a world where...

Hey, it's that movie trailer guy: "He walked over to introduce himself to Ian McShane, star of the HBO drama 'Deadwood.' But before LaFontaine could open his mouth, McShane smiled, dropped his voice to a timbre that seemed a cross between Darth Vader and Dirty Harry, and intoned: 'IN A WORLD ...'"

More than you ever thought you'd know about Don LaFontaine, the movie trailer guy.

Drive-Thru Review

Slither - Quite possible the grossest movie I have ever seen! Blood-red alien slugs, people eating rotten flesh...and that's not the half of it! Yet, I really liked it. I was repulsed, yes, but it was also very scary, very suspenseful and very funny. And Nathan Fillion is in it, so, it's was a given that I was going to like it.

Idol Top 9: Performances

It's Tony Bennett night. Pop culture-wise, he's not all that relevant, I know, but I really like the way he sings. It'll be interesting to see who, if anyone, crashes and burns with this style of music.

Blake - "Mack the Knife"...Vocally it's good, but the feeling isn't there. It's a little too smooth and not dangerous enough. And he's dressed like my high school Earth Science teacher, Mr. Mayell.

(Ah, my favorite commercial, the Diet Coke ad with Judy Garland singing "What'll I Do?" I can relate!)

Phil - "Night and Day"...Wow, I didn't think he could sing that well. And wow, I don't agree with the judges at all, I thought he did a really good job (especially if you closed your eyes). He's breaking out in a flop sweat, though. He must be low on brains.

Melinda - "I Got Rhythm"...She is just amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

Chris - "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"... Once again, he gets the performance part down pat, and he's adorable, and he wasn't too nasally. And I still don't think he can sing.

Jordin - "On a Clear Day"...Very nice. She really is unbelievably composed for a 17-year-old. Bad pants, though.

Gina - "Smile"...(Aw, Tony's crying!)...She does a very pretty job with the song. I don't like it as much as last week, but it was strong enough to keep her in the competition. Hey, what's wrong with her right eye? It looks like her eyelashes stuck together!

Sanjaya - "Cheek to Cheek"...Hey, it's Tony Montana! Say hallo to my leetle friend!

Haley - "Ain't Misbehavin'"... How is it that she's got this incredible body, yet no matter how hard she tries she just isn't all that sexy, even singing this song? "Pageanty" is right, Simon.

Lakisha - "Stormy Weather"...Hmm. She's good, of course, but I'm not sure I like this version of the song. Isn't it supposed to be more subdued and "torchy" and sultry?

My guess for tonight's Bottom 3: Phil, Haley and Gina. It could be any of those going home.

Happy April Fool's Day from TeeVee.Org

TeeVee.Org continues its annual April Fool's tradition with a New York Times takeoff.



Nicely done!

Le Swag

Le Swag, originally uploaded by gina64.

Chocolate from Paris. Lucky me!