The Package returns to the hospital.

And hopefully this time she'll stay for a while.

In case you don't know, Britney Spears took a highly publicized trip to Crazytown over the past few days, the itinerary of which included no sleep, multiple trips to the all-night Rite-Aid, curbside crying and transparent halter tops. (I'm not including any links or photos here because, believe it or not, I think she's been exploited enough. I honestly think she's too far gone at this point to know when she's being exploited - as opposed to when she used to do it herself).

I will, however, direct you to Defamer where you can find last night's events - coined "Gurney Gate 2.0" by them - distilled down into a nifty little timeline.

Boo is not amused.

Boo, originally uploaded by gina64.

If cuteness could kill, you'd be dead now.

I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille.

I'm ready for my closeup., originally uploaded by gina64.

LOST, LOST and more LOST.

Here's a bunch of stuff to help you get excited about tomorrow night's season premiere of LOST (like you needed my help!).

First, and I'm just making it under the wire with this, ABC is airing an "enhanced" version of the season 3 finale tonight from 9-11. It'll feature pop-up video like text messages with information about the story and characters. It's been so long since season 3 ended, I bet we could all use the refresher!

I came across a couple of articles I thought might interest you. First is a New York Times article about tonight's enhanced version of the finale; and the other one is Tim Goodman's column at the San Francisco Chronicle. Tim speaks glowingly of tomorrow's season premiere without spoiling anything.

I totally geeked out and made these LOST Fish biscuits this weekend, which I will feast on while watching the show tomorrow. Remember the fish biscuit that Sawyer was eating when he was locked up in the polar bear cage oh so long ago? Well, this recipe recreates them, without the fishy taste, of course.













Don't forget about Find815.com, too! Have you been playing? I've gotten about a third of the way through and I'm enjoying it.

And finally, watch it one more time - the season 4 trailer:

Did you know?

That Ryan Seacrest co-hosted a 90s/kiddie version of American Gladiators?



Awesome.

PS3, here I come.

TV.com: Exclusive look: Lost video game: "As far as gameplay goes, gamers should think PC-classic Myst more than fast-twitch shoot-'em-ups like Gears of War or Halo. In fact, Pollack told us that Lindelof and Cuse count Myst as one of their major influences on the show, a fact that had eluded us previously but is so obvious in hindsight. Lost: Via Domus is a return to the adventure genre riddled with puzzle elements, with an emphasis on exploration rather than running and gunning. In fact, it's pretty much the only way the producers would agree to make it, according to Pollack."

I know I am bombarding you with LOST-related posts, but it really can't be helped. It's all I've been thinking about!

Anyway, this sounds like it's exactly the kind of game that I love and that may be enough to push me to PS3.

Only 3 days, 6 hours and 32 minutes left.

Best seat in the house

Best seat in the house, originally uploaded by gina64.

LOST: The Video Game

It'll be released next month on XBox and PS3. Will this be what gets me to buy a PS3 system?

Watch the trailer here.

Correction: It seems I was wrong and there will also be a PS2 version. I think. If you know anything about it, let me know!

Holy Crap.

Heath Ledger was found dead in a New York apartment today, apparently from a drug overdose.

Holy crap.

Update: So far they are calling it an accidental death, until the toxicology reports come back from the autopsy. I read this morning that he had pneumonia. Maybe the combination of that and the sleeping pills are what caused his death?

Whatever the cause, it's a very sad situation. Defamer has been keeping tabs on the situation, if you're interested.

Update 2: The House Next Door has links to some remembrances.

Jerry O'Connell is now, officially, awesome.

LOST

It's almost here! The season premiere of LOST is on Thursday, January 31, just a little over a week away, and I thought I'd post a few "new" LOST-related sites that could help you fill the time between now and then as well as keep you sated while you wait.




The first is LOST Missing Pieces. Remember those "mobisodes" they talked about last year? Well, that's what these are, and I really enjoyed them. There are ten episodes that are about 3 minutes long that look at character interactions that we haven't seen before and fill in some gaps, going all the way back to the crash. In case you're wondering if they're worth watching: they show Michael make his deal to get off the island, more evidence of Walt's special ability, Juliet tell Jack why she came back to the beach with him, Michael and Sun getting close with each other...really great stuff.





The other site I wanted to tell you about is Find815.com, a flash/alternate reality game, sort of - or maybe it's just an interactive web-based story - where you follow the story of a guy who worked for Oceanic Air and whose girlfriend died in the crash. At the start of the story, you find out that he's been fired for bad-mouthing Oceanic and has signed up on a salvage ship that is looking for the Black Rock, which, btw, was captained by Magnus Hanso when it shipwrecked so long ago...and that's just from clicking on the picture of the laptop. You can find related information at FlyOceanicAir.com.

Ticklish

Ticklish, originally uploaded by gina64.

Lunch break with Uncle Tommy

Lunch break with Uncle Tommy, originally uploaded by gina64.

Hannah was in a tournament this past weekend with her ODP (Olympic Development Program) team. The place was packed so we had to carve out an area on the floor to eat lunch.

Her team did very well, winning every game they played and coming in first place :).

Well done, Hannah!

Nigella Bites

Nigella Bites, originally uploaded by gina64.

I spent yesterday morning working on a technical problem with my laptop while watching Nigella on the Food Network. I made headway but didn't completely resolve the computer issue; but it was nice to snuggle in with some comfort TV on such a frigid January morning.

Kiefer done with jail.

Kiefer Sutherland got of jail today after serving all 48 days of his sentence, and with nary a complaint.

"The actor was also sentenced to five years probation, and must complete an 18-month alcohol education program and attend weekly therapy sessions for six months."

I hope he's able to stay on the right track now.

Fangirl Moment

OhmyGodthefirstofficialphotoofMulderandScullyfromthenewX-Filesmovie!!OhmyGod!

Sorry. I can't help it.






















ETA: I just found another one!

TV Talk

So, yeah, I've been watching (well, half-watching, really) American Idol. There have been a couple of notable moments, but nothing that I want to blog about. And I haven't seen anyone yet that's caught my eye. I guess I really just don't care. I will probably watch it casually, but I don't think I'll be blogging about it, sorry. My attitude may change over time, but for now, that's the dealio.

I also caved and started up again with The Biggest Loser, and the new season features teams of couples of all shapes and sizes. Well, actually, they're pretty much all the same shape, but they come in many varieties, I should say: Married, divorced, brothers, mother and son, mother and daughter, and best friends. As a result of the couples dynamic (Dynamic Duo?), the drama is through the roof, and it's awesome. I was so happy to see the White team go this week. That Neill was a big old cry-baby. My favorite team is Orange, the mother and son pair of Jackie and Dan.

And I started another reality show this week (this writers' strike is killing me): Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. If you're expecting The Surreal Life, don't watch this show. It's not very funny. In fact, it's pretty depressing. But it's fascinating, too. Jeff Conaway is a MESS. You know you've got a serious problem when you stand next to Daniel Baldwin and he makes you look bad. And I didn't know that Jessica Sierra's mother died of a drug overdose on the day she auditioned for American Idol. The second episode is on tonight, at 10:00 on VH1, if you want to check it out.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that Dr. Drew is cute.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that I finally watched the Extras Christmas Special on HBO, and I really liked it, especially the way it ended. There were the usual celebrity cameos, my favorites of which were these:

Well then, she deserved it.

In Trial, Defense Casts Slain Girl, 7, as a Terror:

"Nixzmary Brown may have been only 7 years old when she died, battered and starved, in her family’s Brooklyn apartment two years ago. She may have weighed only 36 pounds — the same as a healthy child half her age.

But for all that, a lawyer for her stepfather told jurors on Wednesday at the opening of his murder trial, Nixzmary was a force of destruction who terrorized her five younger siblings. What’s more, he said, she refused to be disciplined, slipping the ropes that bound her to the chair in her room, just out of reach of the litter box she was forced to use as a toilet.

“She was a little Houdini,” said the lawyer, Jeffrey T. Schwartz.

Nixzmary needed to be corrected, Mr. Schwartz said, and on the last night of her life, after she helped herself to a forbidden container of yogurt, her stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, administered a beating."

I don't know who is more vile - the man who tortured her and helped beat her to death or the worm who is defending him. I mean, really? Is he serious? That's the defense his lawyer is presenting, that a 7-year-old little girl was so dangerous and difficult to control that she needed to be starved, beaten, chained up and forced to use a litter box?

I know it's pretty crowded down there, but this dude is not going to have trouble finding a spot in the special Hell for lawyers. In fact, I bet they can't wait for him to get down there.

Just LOOK at the Crazy in his eyes.

I have never heard anyone talk for so long but say absolutely nothing.

It's not easy to make it all the way through - I almost gave up about a third of the way through - but please try to get to the end. It's worth it.

It's Baaa-aaack.

Season 7 of American Idol begins tonight and I really don't want to watch it.

I don't want to listen to Ryan and Simon bitch at each every episode and make those uncomfortable gay jokes.

I don't want to get my hopes up for anyone during the audition rounds because they will invariably NOT be chosen to continue to Hollywood.

I don't want to sit and watch the auditions of what are quite frankly mentally ill and sometimes mentally retarded people who are featured on the show simply so that we can make fun of them.

I don't want to see clowns like Sanjaya Malakar stay on the show week after week while better (actual) singers are eliminated.

I don't want to hear another butchered version of a Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey song for as long as I live.

I don't want to hear "Dawg", "That was da bomb" or anything else Randy says ever again for as long as I live, either.

But will I be strong enough to stay away, especially now that there is almost no new scripted content on TV? Alan Sepinwall writes about changes that the producers are promising to make on the show this season, but will it be enough to bring me back?

And the big question: If I do end up watching it, do I want to devote a great deal of time blogging about it?

I can't decide!

Cool Things

OK, I thought of another year end list. This will be the last one, I promise.

I was admiring my new camera and thinking about how lucky I was to be able to get such cool stuff for myself when I realized that I actually had a pretty good year as far as cool things go.

Eight Cool Things That Made My Life Easier And/Or More Enjoyable In 2007


1. iPod Nano - Yep, I finally got one and my yard work experience has been completely transformed. And if I remember correctly, it's also great for the treadmill. Which brings me to...

2. ...the treadmill. Sheila got a nice Nordic Trac in the summer and I was really doing well, using it 3 or 4 times a week, and feeling better. Then my attention was diverted a few months ago and I haven't been on it since. I've been saying every day for the past week that I have got to get back on it, but I haven't done it yet. Maybe tonight...

3. A new laptop. Technically, I bought it in December of 2006, but I certainly reaped its benefits throughout the year. It absolutely transformed my ability to blog about TV. And if I find a recipe online that I like, I don't have to print it out - just bring the computer into the kitchen.

4. My new TV, a 40" Sony Bravia HDTV. So, so pretty.










5. The DVR. Pausing live TV, setting a 'season pass'...if something makes it easier to watch TV, I'm all for it.

6. My new car, a 2007 Honda CRV. I loved my Ford Ranger, but after 9 years of driving a rear-wheel drive pickup truck in the snow, the AWD CRV is an absolute dream. And it's pretty, too.










7. Our new kitchen. A pleasure to cook in and with that new hole in the wall, I don't have to miss any TV!










8. Finally, I want to mention a cool thing I discovered last year that I didn't have to spend any money on (damn, I spent a lot of money last year!): Actually, it's two things. Hulu and Joost brought television to the Internet in a real, usable way. Very cool.

H

HONDA, originally uploaded by gina64.

"'Sixth Sense' actress has first child"

Sixth Sense actress???

They couldn't come up with a more recent movie that Toni Collette has been in? Like, oh, I don't know, Little Miss Sunshine, perhaps? Or even About a Boy?

I had totally forgotten that she was in The Sixth Sense.

BFF

376 Days Left

My sister got me the Bad President Countdown Calendar for Christmas and, surprise surprise, I love it. It's a page-a-day calendar that includes photos (not too many, thankfully), historical information and quotes from commentators and entertainers, as well as from the man himself.

Since the Writers' strike has left me bereft of content (how sad is that?!) and I'm not feeling all that creative, I thought I'd share some of my favorite quotes so far (the countdown began on September 20).

First, a few brilliant nuggets from the world of late-night TV:

"President Bush met with the president of South Korea. Things got off the an awkward start when President Bush asked, "Are you from the good Korea or the bad Korea?"

~ Conan O'Brien, June 2005

"Did you see the speech? President Bush spoke from Jackson Square in New Orleans. It wasn't his first choice for a backdrop, but the water wasn't quite deep enough for the aircraft carrier."

~ Bill Maher, September 2005

"It's been reported that, in the event of an emergency situation with North Korea, the U.S. is prepared to send 70 percent of the Marine Corps to the region. According to President Bush this will still allow us to send another 70 percent to Iran and keep our other 70 percent in Iraq."

~ Tina Fey, February 2005

And finally, a few words from the Commander in Chief himself:

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with woman all across this country."

Poplar Bluff, Missouri, September 6, 2004

"I always jest to people, the Oval Office is the kind of place where people stand outside, they're getting ready to come in and tell me what for, and they walk in and get overwhelmed in the atmoshphere, and they say, man, you're looking pretty."

Washington, DC, November 4, 2004

"This very week in 1989, there were protests in East Berlin and Leipzig. By the end of that year, every communist dictatorship in Central America had collapsed."

The 20th Anniversary of the National Endowment for Democracy, Washington, DC, November 6, 2003

"I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president."

As quoted by Bob Woodward in The Washington Post, November 20, 2002

God, 376 days feels like forever!

Weekend at Bernies III: The Golden Years

Corpse Wheeled to Check-Cashing Store Leads to 2 Arrests: "Their sidewalk procession had already attracted the stares of passers-by who were startled by the sight of the body flopping from side to side as the two men tried to prop it up, the police said. The late Mr. Cintron was dressed in a faded black T-shirt and blue-and-white sneakers. His pants were pulled up part of the way, and his midsection was covered by a jacket, the police said. While the two men were inside the check-cashing office, a small crowd had gathered around the chair. A detective, Travis Rapp, eating a late lunch at a nearby Empanada Mama saw the crowd and notified the Midtown North station house."

Well that was a nail-biter!

New York Times: Clinton Is Victor, Turning Back Obama; McCain Also Triumphs

I'm still not sure who I'm supporting, Clinton or Obama, but I am happy that we have an actual race. Things get really interesting when they have to really work for it.

I'm a registered Independent who is really deep down a Democrat who likes to keep her options open, but I don't think I could ever vote for John McCain. Even if I agreed with him on policy, there's just something too scarily unpredictable about him, like at any moment he could just lose it and tell a reporter to "F*ck off and get out of my face!"

While I think that would be a highly entertaining bit of news, I don't think that's the best quality to have in a President.

Guess who got a new camera?

01-15-2008 027, originally uploaded by gina64.

That would be me. You are looking at the proud new owner of a Canon Digital Rebel XTi!

I have a lot to learn and I'm looking forward to it. I love my old Kodak, but it's 4 years old and only 4MP (the Canon is 10.1 MP!) and I honestly feel as if I've outgrown it. The Canon is expensive, but I feel like I make good use of a camera and will definitely get my money's worth.

I took the photo above last Friday night, in our dark living room and with no flash. It could be clearer, but it's not bad. I also took this one, which I like:



I'm so excited!

That's one way to knock your sister out of the headlines.

( AP Photo)

Britney Spears hospitalized: "Police initially said Spears was taken to a hospital for tests to see if she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs and for a psychological evaluation after the situation at her home, but Officer April Harding said Friday she could not confirm that or other reports that Spears was hospitalized for mental evaluation."

I am going to be honest and admit to laughing out loud when I read this this morning. And I suppose there is still a part of me that is laughing at the absurdity of it all; but now it feels like she’s gone beyond being a train wreck that’s fun to watch. Now there are bodies strewn everywhere in the wreckage and I’m feeling like I have to look away.

Well, maybe it's a little fun to watch.

But think of the children! Those poor babies.

What's a caucus?

Iowa caucuses 101: Arcane rules have huge impact on outcome:

"Supporters of candidates making up less than 15 percent of the vote in a particular precinct will have the option of making their vote count by voting in the second tally for a 'viable' candidate -- one that got at least 15 percent of the vote on the first tally.

It is particularly interesting to watch what happens between the first and second tallies at the Iowa Democratic caucuses, as viable candidate camps vie for the votes of the unviable. It's one of the few times in American politics where voters directly interact with each other.

During the 'persuasion' time in between tallies, the precinct captain for the viable candidates sends a person over to each group that failed to meet the threshold to convince them to support their candidate. Once everyone has decided where to vote, a second tally is taken, and the results are then sent to Democratic state party headquarters -- not electronically but via ordinary mail."

I am so not a politics person. I look up the meaning of "caucus" every 4 years because I completley forget what the heck it is by the time the next one rolls around. I read stuff like that and my brain just shuts down and I start looking for something shiny to stare at.

Let's wallow in cuteness, shall we?

The chatty cats have been translated into humanese:



Stacking books is very tiring:



Frenchie + Baby Pug =

How to pick out a puppy.

See that calm one sitting in the middle of the picture for the first two-thirds of the video? That's the one you want.

Ew.

Milo Ventimiglia & Hayden Panettiere Are an Item: "Having previously denied a relationship, the two Heroes stars are now considered an item."

I'm sorry, that's creepy.

Big Deal

Female contestant emerges as favorite in Ultimate Couch Potato competition: "'I'm real proud of her,' said her mother, Linda Wagenblast, 53. 'She has the drive - that's her personality.'"

See now, in my day, sitting on a couch for hours watching TV was indicative of a lack of drive.

I was born in the wrong era.

Aaaahhh, Geek Out!

"Oceanic Airways Announces Its Return to the Airways"

Battlestar Galactica Propaganda Posters

Futurama moves to Comedy Central starting tonight at 8:00 PM