I found another version of the XF trailer!

Watch it before FOX makes them take it down.



Pafetra - video powered by Metacafe

Earth Hour 2008

Earth Hour 2008, originally uploaded by gina64.

We observed Earth Hour tonight, turning off all lights in the house (as well as all non-essential electrical appliances and electronics) for one hour, beginning at 8:00 PM local time.

I decided to take the opportunity to snuggle in bed with a good book and read by candlelight. As you can see, it was pretty damn dark! I managed well enough, as long as I put the book on the edge of the bed and leaned WAY over.

I was just reading this CNN article about the worldwide response to this year's Earth Hour, and this part cracked me up:

Ireland's more than 7,000 pubs elected not to take part, in part because of the risk that Saturday night revelers could end up smashing glasses, falling down stairs or setting themselves on fire with candles.

It's good to know your limitations.

Tulip

Tulip, originally uploaded by gina64.

Busted.

Busted, originally uploaded by gina64.

They totally look like they got caught doing bad things. In reality, they are watching me very closely. They follow me wherever I go and they always know where I am. Like Big Brother.

Believe Again

The X-Files trailer that was shown at the Paley Festival last night!!



ETA: FOX SUCKS.

Earth Hour 2008

Please watch this video and spread the word!

Idol: Top 10 Results

The group sing tonight is Grade A American Cheese. True to form, Ramiele and Kristy Lee Cook stand out as the worst singers. I think KLC's eye makeup weighs more than Ramiele.

The Ford ad, however, was kind of cool.

Auuuggghh! It's Smeagol! And he's making those scary eyes at me!

The Bottom 3: Chikezie, Syesha, Jason

WOW. Jason?? Kristy Lee's song choice was more brilliant than I thought.

Who's going home? Chikezie. Take it Eze, Chikezie. See what I did there?

Next week, Dolly Parton!

Idol: Top 10 Performances

Tonight's theme: Sing a song from the year you were born.

Ramiele - (1987) - "Alone" - Well, it was better than last week, but Carrie Underwood is a tough act to follow on this song. Are her feet glued to the stage? Randy is cranky when he's sick.

Jason - (1987) - "Fragile" - He's back in his element and his voice is much stronger tonight than last week. Great song choice, I think. He's kind of getting drowned out by the band and backup singers.

Syesha - (1987) - "If I Were Your Woman" - Hey, she's from Bridgeport. Sort of cheating there, doing the George Michael cover...but you know what? That was good. Randy's right, this was the best she has sounded yet. She does tend to shriek on the high notes, but she showed some good range. Hmm, I think I saw some of that ego rearing its ugly head again.

Chikezie - (1985) - "If Only For One Night" - Was Chikezie painting his apartment in that jacket today? I'm sorry, Chikezie, but I don't know this song. You do sing it nicely, though. Wow, Randy is in a BAD mood.

Brooke - (1983) - "Every Breath You Take" - Another good performance for her, I thought. Boy her hair looks really pretty on her like that. I really like her voice.

Michael - (1978) - "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions" - Finally, he shows his stuff. And it's Hot. Stuff. He even makes Randy feel better.

Carly - (1983) - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Boy was she a cute little kid or what? She sang it well, but I didn't like it as much as some of the other stuff she's done. I think Simon's right, she seemed to be a little off, a little tense. I hope she's not in the bottom 3 again, because she doesn't deserve to be there.

David A. - (1990) - "You're the Voice" - His mother is Rosie Perez! Oh, enough with the inspirational songs, David! Sheila's opinion: "This is gay!" What the hell is this song? I think I'm having an Up With People flashback. WTF is wrong with Randy tonight? And Paula, too? They LIKE it? Not only was it a gay song, he didn't even sing it that well. Thank you, Simon for bringing us all back down to earth.

Kristy Lee Cookroach - (1984) - "God Bless the USA" - At least she's not wearing a flag. I'm rolling my eyes, but this is her niche and she's singing it well and it will keep her there for another week. She had her sights on her target audience and she hit a bullseye.

David C. - (1982) - "Billie Jean (Chris Cornell cover)" - Oh my God, his baby picture! I am so sorry David but I think that was the only ugly baby I've ever seen in my life! Man! Anyway, that was a brilliant song choice and he can really sing. Well done. One for the books, I think.

This was a much better night than last Tuesday. I think the bottom 3 will be Ramiele, Carly and Chikezie. Ramiele should go home.

This one's for Jeannette.

This one's for Beth.

From the Onion News Network

The Queen's legacy:



The most important issue for the 2008 election:

Buffy!

Hulu has added season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And the crowd went wild. :)

Here's a non-spoilery taste from season 1:

Peeps Show II

The winner of the Washington Post's Peeps Show II has been named. Personally, I prefer The Birds and Plumbing Peep.

More families found dead.

What is going on? Is it my imagination or is the murder of an entire family becoming a growing trend? I just went to CNN and found these two headlines:

Mom, 4 kids found dead in Iowa home

Four Found Dead in NC Condo

Doesn't it seem as though there's a new story like this almost every day?

Easter

Easter Table, originally uploaded by gina64.

Crazy Cute

I'm feeling the need again.

Happy Easter :)

LOST: Episode 4.08 (Discussion)

Meet Kevin Johnson

Michael doesn't inspire me very much, but I have to say that this was a very good episode.

The hour flew by for me, which I think was a reflection of the very good pacing of story. Harold Perrineau did an amazing job conveying Michael's despair. I found myself really feeling sorry for him.

How about Libby?? I knew I recognized her voice. Nice touch having her carrying blankets like she was when Michael killed her.

So Tom is gay! Or, was gay. He did say that Kate wasn't his type. And you can add him to the list of people who could travel to and from the island.

I couldn't believe it when that little flag popped up on the bomb! Benry is the undisputed king of psychological manipulation. Man, that was harsh! Since the flag read "NOT YET", does that mean that Michael will eventually set off the bomb?

Wasn't it nice of that guy to take a really long time to find that wrench so that Michael could tell Sayid and Desmond what he's been doing for the past month?

I really hope that Karl is the one that the promos said would die and that Danielle is only mostly dead. I just don't feel like we've gotten the whole story on her and I like the way she puts Benry in his place. Who do you think shot them? Have the freighter people already arrived? Or did Benry send them into a trap, hoping to kill off his only competition for Alex's affection? Speaking of Alex, she looks like she's been going to the Barracks salon, doesn't she?

Last, but most certainly not least, a brothah in repose:



Woo.

Hulu has movies now, too.

Check it out. Only the titles with the movie reel icon next to them are full-length (as opposed to just a collection of clips). Still pretty neat, though.

Here are a few clips I was just watching.

For some bizarre reason, I like the movie Dodgeball. Maybe it's the brief appearance of the adorable Jason Bateman, or maybe it's the extremely satisfying scene where the vile Ben Stiller almost gets his head taken off with a ball, I dunno. I just like it.



Next, how about some Full Monty?



Simon Pegg's Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite movies. While not as good, Hot Fuzz is still a great movie.



And finally, a little taste of what's to come on July 25:

LOST: Episode 4.06 (Recap)

The Other Woman

Oy. I knew this was going to happen. I didn't want to get so behind on these recaps, but I have, and now I'm sick on top of it. Oy.

This episode was about Juliet, and the title describes her in several ways:: she was the other woman in Harper and Goodwin's marriage; she's the other woman in the Jack/Kate relationship; and she's an "Other" and a woman.

Flashback

Juliet has just recently arrived on the island and is sent to talk to a therapist, something I guess all new arrivees have to do (how often does someone new arrive?). Her therapist's name is Harper and she has some seriously crazy eyebrows and she is a bit hostile. Tom arrives during the session and says that Benry wants to see Juliet. Tom brings Juliet to a house and Benry is standing on the front porch, holding flowers for her. He says that the house is for her and is fully furnished. It even comes with its own opera collection.

Some time later Juliet meets Goodwin when he comes to her lab and needs her to treat his arm, which he says he burned by leaning against a hot transformer in the power station. They chat a little and when Juliet starts getting snarky about Harper, Goodwin reveals that Harper is his wife. Oops. Juliet makes a deal with him: If he doesn't tell Harper what Juliet said about her, she won't tell anyone that he actually has a chemical burn on his arm.

More time has passed and Benry and Juliet are in her lab discussing the pregnancy issue and Benry is totally mooning over her when Goodwin shows up with lunch for Juliet. Awk. Ward. Juliet has a therapy session with Harper later on and Harper tells Juliet that she knows that Juliet has been sleeping with her husband because she has followed them and watched them with her crazy eyebrows. She warns Juliet that they had better stop or there will be consequences, and she doesn't want Goodwin to get hurt. Juliet doesn't understand and Harper and her crazy eyebrows are all "Duh, Benry is totally in love with you and will seriously kill anyone who gets in his way!" Harper tells Juliet it's because she "looks just like her." Like Annie, perhaps?

Juliet and Goodwin go on a date to the beach and they talk about Harper and her crazy eyebrows and chemical burns and power stations and maybe calling off their relationship because of what Benry might do. Goodwin wonders what Benry could possibly do to him? Famous last words, dude.

Next we see Flight 815 break apart in the sky over the island and the scene we've seen before, of Benry sending Ethan and Goodwin (aha!) off to collect information and people from the various sections of the plane. Goodwin is sent off to the tail section, and we all know how well that turned out for him.

While Goodwin is gone, Benry invites Juliet over for a "dinner party", but neglects to tell her that the guest list includes just her and Benry. It's a good thing she brought a couple dozen dinner rolls. Being the Casanova that he is, Benry fixes a romantic HAM dinner. I'm still laughing about that. He's very chipper and just floating around the room, just high on love, when Juliet totally brings him down by asking when Goodwin would be coming back. Benry tells her to quit yapping and eat her ham.

Another day. Juliet is telling Benry about Jack being a spinal surgeon, and isn't that lucky because of his tumor and all, but he doesn't show any excitement. Instead, he tells her he has something to show her. He brings her to the site where Ana Lucia killed Goodwin and shows her his very dead body. Juliet is distraught and accuses Benry of knowing this would happen to Goodwin. She asks him why he would do such a thing and Benry passionately (and creepily) replies, "Because YOUR MINE!" He then coldly tells her to take as much time as she needs to say goodbye to Goodwin and walks back up the hill like a huge NERD.

On the Island

Beach camp. The gang realizes that Daniel and Charlotte are missing, so Jack and Juliet head out to find them. It begins to pour rain as they trek through the jungle. After Jack and Juliet become separated, Juliet hears the whispers. Suddenly, Harper and her crazy eyebrows are standing in front of Juliet. Harper says she has a message for Juliet from Benry: Daniel and Charlotte are on their way to the Tempest power station where they are going to try to release a deadly gas. He wants Juliet to go there and stop them before they kill everyone on the island. In fact, he wants her to kill them. When Juliet asks how it's possible that Benry is able to send her a message through Harper considering Locke is holding him prisoner, Harper says he's exactly where he wants to be. Of course he is! Anyway, Jack shows up and demands to know who Harper is and then the whispers start again. Jack and Juliet look around them to see where they are coming from and when they turn back Harper and her crazy eyebrows are gone. Juliet conveys Harper's message to Jack and he agrees to help Juliet.

On her way back from the totalitarian state of Lockonia, Kate comes across Daniel and Charlotte. Being the criminal mastermind that she is, Kate completely lets her guard down and gets knocked unconscious by Charlotte.

The Barracks. Claire approaches Locke - whose hands are bloody yet again from killing a rabbit - and suggests that she talk to Miles. Locke doesn't like the idea but Claire convinces him that perhaps it's time to try a different approach, Mr. Bloody Hands.

Locke brings a meal of rabbit to Benry who hilariously asks, "This one didn't by any chance have a number on it, did it?" Benry gets all the good lines. Benry starts playing mind games with Locke again and asks to be allowed to stay in one of the houses instead of being locked away in a basement. Locke says that Benry will have to give him information in return.

Locke takes Benry upstairs where Benry opens a wall safe. He takes from it a videotape marked "Red Sox". He pops the tape in and explains to Locke what he is seeing: It's Charles Widmore and he's captured one of Benry's men, who is blindfolded and getting beaten on the tape. Benry says that Widmore owns the freighter and he wants to exploit the island. He takes a folder from the safe and gives it to Locke, saying that it contains all the information he could gather on Widmore. Locke wants to know one more thing: Who is Benry's man on the boat? Benry says he'll tell him but he might want to sit down first. And then they end the scene.

Jungle. Jack and Juliet come across Kate, who is just regaining consciousness. Juliet sneaks off on her own while Jack is tending to Kate.

Juliet reaches the Tempest station and makes her way inside. She finds Daniel in a hazmat suit, frantically typing at a computer. She points her gun at him and tells him to stop what he's doing, but he tells her that he's not trying to release the gas - he's trying to render it inert. Then Charlotte jumps Juliet from behind and they start fighting it out in the background as Daniel keeps typing frantically. There's a computer countdown playing over the scene, too. It's all very suspenseful but for some reason it made me laugh. Danial successful disables the gas and no one dies.

When Charlotte and Juliet exit the Tempest they find Jack and Kate outside. Kate goes back inside with Charlotte to see what the dealio is and Jack stays outside with Juliet. She tells Jack that the freighter people are there to wage war with Benry, and Benry will win and when he does, Jack had better not be anywhere near her because Benry knows how Juliet feels about Jack. They kiss. Jack says that if he wants to, Benry knows where to find him.

Barracks. Hurley and Sawyer are playing horseshoes. Suddenly, they see Benry, merrily trotting along with a pile of clean clothes in his arms. As they stare at him, he smiles and says, "See you at dinner!" and then walks into one of the houses.

Idol: Top 11 Results

I've got a wicked cold and can barely think, so this will be brief.

Ryan announced this season's mentors: Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Neil Diamond. Neil Diamond? Awesome!

The Bottom 3 are Carly, Kristy Lee Cook, Amanda. Wow, Carly? Color me surprised. She makes it to the Top 10, however, and so does...Kristy Lee Cook. Damn, that girl has nine lives.

So, Amanda goes home. She was never going to win, but I was hoping to have her around for a little longer.

The rest of the hour was a complete waste of time, except for seeing Elliott in Africa and his reaction to them naming the new baby boy after him.

Nite.

Idol: Top 11 Performances

It's tunes from the Lennon/McCartney/Beatles songbook again this week. Let's hope they didn't pick all the good songs last week.

Amanda - "Back in the USSR" - It was good, but she's going to have to make a change soon in her repertoire. I'm glad she's showing her personality more, though.

Kristy Lee Cook - "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" - I liked the way it started and she sounded sort of like Lulu. But the low notes are a little rough and the arrangement is a bit weird. Miles better than last week but not great. I want to see her blow Simon. Out of his socks.

David A. - "The Long and Winding Road" - Another one who was better (much) than last week. It did strike me as a bit Broadway-ish. That boy can hold a note.

Michael - "A Day in the Life" - Considering how much production went on with the original recording, I think he did a pretty good job. But it was not a good song choice, even if it was for his friend who died. Dude, you only get this one chance.

Brooke - "Here Comes the Sun" - She just makes me smile, like a flower child or something in her sun-yellow dress. Oh God, Paula just said the same thing. I didn't like it as much as last week.

David C. - "Daytripper" - The rock star image is complete as he tosses a guitar pick out into the crowd. I'm thinking "headtripper" might be a better term for him at this point. He was good, as usual, and he's still my favorite male performer, but he's gotta turn down the smug. A rock 'n roll attitude will only get you so far on this show.

Carly - "Blackbird" - That shirt she's wearing looks so bad on her that it's distracting me from the performance! You know, she really does have a beautiful voice. So far the best performance of the night, I think.

Jason - "Michelle" - I appreciate that you learned French for this, Jason, but I don't like it. This is a classic AI karaoke performance. It's not bad, it's just a cute guy up on stage, pouring on the cute, singing a Beatles song.

Syesha - "Yesterday" - That was her best performance so far, in my eyes. She may be back on my radar. And I think I may be starting to like her - she wasn't "on" like she always is. I like that she admitted that being in the bottom 3 last week was what she needed to shake her up.

Chikezie - "I've Just Seen A Face" - I'm not sure what to think of that. I liked parts of it, but it was really sort of a patchwork of stuff. Like the multiple personalities of Chikezie.

Ramiele - "I Shoulda Known Better" - Yes, Ramiele, you should have. This is horrific. Oh, when will it end?! Wait a minute, WTF was Randy listening to? The judges are way nicer to her than she deserved.

Tonight was lackluster compared with last week and boy did it DRAG. I agree with Simon, that doing another Beatles night a second week in a row may not have been the best idea. I think some of the performers were relying on the popularity and appeal of the songs to make their performance good instead of really making an effort.

Results tomorrow night.

Some Irish Stuff

It being St. Patrick's Day and all.

Let's start it off with the song "The Parting Glass" from the soundtrack of Waking Ned Devine:



Heck, how about the last 10 minutes of the movie?

Next, one of my favorite U2 videos (and songs):



And last, but certainly not least, how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness:



Happy St. Patrick's Day :-)

ETA: What's a post about Irish stuff without a potato song??

Drive Thru Reviews

Stranger Than Fiction - Except for Elf, I'm not a big fan of Will Ferrell movies, mostly because of the whole "one note performance" sort of thing. But this was different for him and I liked it. I have only one gripe: the ending was a cop out. I mean, I understand their point, but I still think it would have been a better movie with a different ending. Sorry for being so cryptic, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

The Good German - I was disappointed in this one. I appreciate the effort to make the film appear to have been made during the time period in which it takes place, but I think overall they failed. It felt incredibly disjointed and George Clooney was barely present in his scenes. I read most of the book and still I was confused by the way they told the story. In fact, I'm pretty sure they made some significant changes. Anyway, I don't recommend it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ireland, 1975., originally uploaded by gina64.

Me and Sheila in Ireland, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, 1975.

Nice dirty kness.

LOST: Episode 4.07 (Discussion)

Ji Yeon

After Desmond's, the episodes centering around Sun and Jin have always been my favorites. I have never been bored while watching them and I have always been moved. Last night's episode was no exception.

I seem to be in a minority of people who did not feel cheapened or unduly manipulated by Jin's flashback. While I can see and understand the controversy, I personally don't have a problem with it. It was a sneaky way to reveal that Sun is one of the Oceanic 6 while Jin is not, and I loved it. Maybe it's because the show can do no wrong in my eyes right now, who knows. I just know that I never felt overly manipulated and maybe that's because this show has been jerking me around for years now!

• So who thinks Jin is actually dead? Me, I'm going to assume that he isn't until I see him take his very last breath. I just can't accept it yet. His tombstone said he died on 9/22/2004, and we all know he didn't die on that day, so here are a couple of scenarios: 1) Jin dies on the island before Sun leaves (maybe in the process of saving her and the baby) and he becomes part of the O-6 cover story or 2) Jin was left behind on the island (maybe they could only take one more person and he told Sun to go in order to protect her and the baby) and he becomes part of the O-6 cover story. Obviously, I prefer option 2. And if he's still alive on the island then we have an amazing reunion episode waiting for us.


• Speaking of the O-6, we have 5 definites, right? Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid and Sun. Are they saying we know them all now? If so, I guess the sixth is Aaron.


• Way to get Jin's attention, Juliet! That was pretty harsh, but I really think she did it because she had no other option. And besides, it worked.


• Was there a particular occasion that prompted Hurley's visit to Sun? The christening? No, wait, they probably aren't christening the baby. Hee. The anniversary of Jin's 'death' then? And why would Hurley say "Good" when Sun said no one else was going to be there?


• Michael as Benry's MOTB was probably the most anti-climactic reveal ever on television! Sayid is just too cool. I'm trying to rememeber - did Desmond ever meet Michael? I don't think he did. I think it's safe to say that Michael slipped that "Don't trust the Captain" note under the door. Now, since he's Benry's man and Benry certainly has an agenda, do we trust the note and not trust the Captain? Or do we not trust the note and trust the Captain? Auugh! I am inclined to believe the Captain, at least for now.


• Riddle me this: How do we reconcile the discovery of the planted wreckage, which contained all 324 people aboard, with the O-6 cover story that Jack told? Shouldn't that mean that there would be 8 less people found on the plane?


• Hey! It's Regina! Hi Regina! You and I have the same na -- Oh, bye Regina. That was very Jacob Marley-ish, don't you think? I wonder what's making them all kill themselves?

This week Desmond has to share his special screencap spotlight with Sayid because, hoo boy, this is nice.

I just noticed that Sayid is a peanut. And Desmond still doesn't see fit to button his shirt. Thank God.

The Lost Recap

This past week was crazy busy and I just did not have time to write up the recap for last week's LOST before tonight's episode. So sorry, but I promise I will have recaps up for last week and tonight before next Thursday.

In the meantime, enjoy the show tonight. And how about a little Desmond to tide us over?



Juliet looks like she's saying, "Isn't he cute?" Yes he is, Juliet. Yes, he is.

Idol: Top 12 Results

The Bottom 3 are: Syesha, Kristy Lee Cook, David Hernandez. As I predicted, thank you very much! And I was right because either I'm really smart or this was totally predictable. Take your pick.

There's a ghastly group sing and a ghastly Ford ad and some ghastly Horton Hears a Who cross-promotion and Katharine McPhee sings George Harrison's "Something" in a semi-ghastly way. The consensus in the thisisgina household is that she sounds much better when she sings softly.

Anyway, it's a real toss-up as to who's going home tonight, they all deserve to go. This week it's David Hernandez's turn. See ya, David.

Til next week.

Hulu Goes Live

In honor of Hulu going live today, here's a selection of the sort of stuff you'll find there (for free but with commercials).







And, of course:



There are plenty more series available, including Battlestar Galactica and a lot of old stuff like The Partridge Family, Lost in Space, Fantasy Island, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels...the list goes on.

Check it out if you haven't already. If you have some trouble with the video loading slowly or skipping, it's probably because of the increased traffic now that they've gone live. Hopefully, that will improve as they work out the kinks.

I love a parade.

03-10-2008 054, originally uploaded by gina64.

The 50th Annual New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade was this past Sunday and a bunch of went down, as usual, after a yummy full Irish breakfast.

While we were lucky to get the monsoons on Saturday, it was still pretty damn cold on parade day. We parked probably a half mile from the parade route and the wind during our walk was so frigid and fierce that I really thought we were all going to be miserable. However, it was a sunny day and we were lucky enough to find a good spot right between two bus shelters where there was absolutely no wind. Yay!

After a couple of hours of bagpipers and fife and drum corps and musket shots (one of the kids with us asked if the marchers were going around in circles), we decided to head to Toad's Place for some corned beef sandwiches, Guinness and music by the Tipperary Knights.

I took some photos, but they didn't come out as nicely as I would have liked, and that's mostly because I don't have a decent zoom lens yet. Here are a few that I liked and you can find the rest here.

Idol: Top 12

Tonight's the first time Idol does the Lennon/McCartney songbook. This could be good. Or a complete train wreck.

Syesha - "Got to Get You Into My Life" - She does a good job but she's just way off my radar. She seems really old-fashioned compared with the rest.

Chikezie - "She's A Woman" - Chikezie RIPS it UP. Now I understand why he's made it this far.

Ramiele - "In My Life" - She really has a beautiful voice. The nicest voice in the bunch, but it was a little too low-key, especially after Chikezie.

Jason - "If I Fell" - He's laid back and groovy and adorable, as usual. I haven' gotten tired of it yet, but I might soon.

Carly - "Come Together" - That was amazing. It's like she was born to sing it.

David C. - "Eleanor Rigby" - Wow. Another amazing performance. He's got stupid hair but he is a Rock Star. Awesome.

Brooke - "Let It Be" - Randy's right, it was a very heartfelt performance. It was perfect, with her at the piano. And she's so likable.

David H. - "I Saw Her Standing There" - Hmm. Completely glossed over the stripper job, I see. He's kind of corny. And I don't think it's the right song for his voice. As Simon would say, this is karaoke. The first really bad performance of the night, I think.

Amanda - "You Can't Do That" - Perfect song choice for her. That's how to sing an old Beatles song and not come across as a total cheese like Hernandez. Very good. She's not a great singer but she brings some life to this competition.

Michael - "Across the Universe" - My favorite performance of his so far. And boy is he pretty.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Eight Days a Week" - Hoo boy. A country version. It's original, if nothing else. And brave. You know who she sounds like? The woman who sang "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden", um...Lynn Anderson! God this song just went on and on.

David A. - "We Can Work It Out" - Oh dear. His first stumble and it was a BIG one. Forgot the words and then couldn't hit some of the big notes. Eesh. He's not going anywhere but that's a major whoops.

I have to say that overall, this was a very good night. Tune in tomorrow night to find out who goes home. If I had my way, it'd be either Syesha, David H. or Kristy Lee.

I can barely stand it.

LOST: Episode 4.06 (Discussion)

The Other Woman

OK, this one? Not quite as thrilling as last week's, but still good. It felt like old times watching it - just a regular, island-based story with hatches and Others and good, old-fashioned flashbacks - except we actually got a decent amount of information. And some pretty good laughs, I have to say.

I only have a couple of negative comments, so I'll get them out of the way first:

• How stupid was Kate? She saw that they were lying about the sat phone being out of battery power, yet she said nothing, demanded to see what's in Daniel's bag, and turned her back on Charlotte. She deserved to be conked on the head.


• That scene in the power station with Daniel and Juliet and Charlotte and the fighting and the typing and the countdown was very suspenseful, yes. Unfortunately, I was completely taken out of the action by two things: 1) there is no way Daniel would have been able to type with those big-ass gloves on and 2) for whatever reason, Juliet and Charlotte's fight made me laugh. That whole scene felt like something out of a 70s action show, like The Bionic Woman or something.

Other than those things, I really enjoyed it. Especially Benry. It was like Revenge of the Nerds meets The Bad Seed. I was pretty sure before this that he had a thing for Juliet but seeing the way he looked at her last night and that whole "BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE" scene, well, it was really disconcerting, to say the least.

He still has the best lines in the show.

"This one didn't by any chance have a number on it, did it?" Bwah!

"See you at dinner!" He really looked SO pleased with himself, didn't he?

I was thinking about how much of what Benry says is the truth, and how much is manipulation, and I think we have to believe most of what he said last night, especially the part about Widmore (yay! I was right!). He needs to give John something concrete in order to win back his trust so he can start messing with his head again. As someone wise once said, " A lie is most convincingly hidden between 2 truths."

Benry cooking that ham dinner was priceless. He was so happy, the poor, deluded tyrant.

Harper is scary. So we had whispers announcing her arrival and departure - do we think she traveled via smoke monster? (whatever that means) Is she still alive? Or was it her dead self? And don't you think Jack should have been a little bit more freaked out when she just disappeared like that?

Why do they keep showing John with blood on his hands? And does Miles still have that grenade in his mouth?

So Juliet loves Jack, who loves Kate (and maybe Juliet, too), who seems to love Jack but is also sleeping with Sawyer, who loves Kate and hates Jack. Why are they making this so complicated?

And one last thing. Check out this image of the map that Charlotte and Daniel were using to get to The Tempest station (click on it):

A few items about the map:

• The Tempest station is just to the right of Daniel's left thumb
• Does "C" stand for Camp? What does the "H" in the bottom right corner stand for?
• My best guess at the note on the bottom right: "8N 33E, FOLLOW THE RIVER TO THE EAST (?) END OF THE [can't read the word] + HEAD DUE EAST (?) TOWARDS THE SMALLER MOUNTAIN RANGE. HELIPAD (?) FOUND JUST NORTH OF MOUNTAINS"
• There's an arrow pointing to a mountain pass at the top of the map, with the note "POSSIBLE PATH THROUGH NORTHERN MOUNTAINS"

What it all means, I don't know, but it seems pretty clear from the map that they're looking for more than just The Tempest.

Idol: Top 16 Results

There were no big surprises last night and I think the people who are in the Top 12 should be there.

OK, here's a question: only the Top 10 go on the tour, right? If so, then why do they make such a big deal out of the Top 12?

Anyway. The bootees:

Luke - I'll miss your pretty face, but not enough that I would want to hear you sing again.
Kady - Of the three interchangeable blondes, only the serial killer is left standing.
Asia'h - You were cute, but you and your apostrophe can go home now.
Danny - I didn't enjoy seeing you look so crushed last night but I can't say I'm sorry to see you go.

Next week: Only two nights!

LOST: Episode 4.05 (Recap)

The Constant

Desmond, Sayid and Frank are flying over the ocean in the helicopter, on the way to the freighter. Desmond pulls the Penny photo out of his pocket and he and Sayid look at it together. Desmond notes that they are flying directly into some seriously frightening storm clouds. Frank tells him to stop being a front-seat flyer as he tries to keep the helicopter on course.

As the helicopter flies through the storm and begins to veer off course, Desmond starts to seriously wig out. Suddenly, *POP*, he flashes to his past. He's in the army again and his commander is rousing the entire barracks in the morning. Except this isn't a normal flashback. Desmond is really there. He tells his commander that he was having a really vivid dream about flying in a helicopter. And speaking of wigging out, this time he has a good short hair wig.

Then *POP*, he's back in the helicopter, but it's the consciousness from his past that has returned and he pretty much flips out. He doesn't know Sayid or Frank and he wants to know what the BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON? He finds the crumpled photo of him and Penny in his pocket and he calms down when he recognizes Penny. Frank lands the chopper on the deck of the freighter.

When they disembark from the helicopter, they're approached by two men (I don't know their names, so let's call them Mutt and Jeff - Mutt's the big one and Jeff's the small one) who ask Frank who Desmond and Sayid are; Frank tells them they're survivors of Flight 815 and Mutt tells him he shouldn't have brought them to the boat. Right on cue, Desmond starts freaking out again, and despite Sayid's objections, Mutt and Jeff take Des down to Sick Bay. On the way, *POP* Desmond jumps back to the army base again, in the middle of yard excerises or calisthenics or whatever they call them in the army. He's very disoriented and when he remembers that he had a photo of Penny in the "dream", he decides to call her and see if she knows what's happening to him.

*POP* Desmond's back on the freighter, in Sick Bay. Mutt and Jeff leave, locking the door behind them. Desmond freaks out. Poor Desmond. Then he hears a voice coming from the other side of the room. It's a man, Fisher Stevens, strapped to a hospital bed and not looking all that healthy, and he asks Desmond if "It's" happening to him, too.

On the beach, Jack and Juliet are with Daniel and Charlotte. Jack is worried about what happened to Sayid and Desmond on the helicopter, while Juliet notices that Daniel and Charlotte don't seem to be worried at all that it's taken the helicopter more than a day to make a 20 minute trip. Daniel says that there's no need to worry because their perception of time on the island is different than the way it moves off-island, and it actually hasn't taken as long as they think for the helicopter to get to the freighter. As long as Frank sticks to the heading he was given, he says, they will be fine. Otherwise, there may be side-effects. Charlotte gives Daniel the evil eye and tells him to shut his yap.

On the boat, Sayid gives his gun to Frank in exchange for use of the sat phone. He calls Jack and tells him that they have made it to the freighter, but Desmond has lost his marbles on the way and doesn't remember anything. They put the phone on speaker and Daniel asks if Desmond was ever exposed to radiation or electromagnetism (hello!). Jack and Juliet both have a "I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" look on their faces. Daniel says that sometimes people coming and going from the island can get "confused", but it's not amnesia.

Sick Bay. Dr. Ecklie comes in and gives Fisher Stevens a sedative and then examines Desmond by shining a pen light in his eyes. *POP* Desmond flashes back to the army base. He calls Penny from a phone booth. Penny is still angry at him for leaving her and joining the army and tells him that she's moving to another house and to not call her anymore.

*POP* We're back in Sick Bay. Sayid and Frank come in and Dr. Ecklie hits the alarm. Sayid gives the sat phone to Desmond so he can talk to Daniel. Daniel asks him what year it is. Desmond says it's 1996. Daniel says yeah, right, Okaaayyy. Where are you now? Desmond says he's at his army base and Daniel tells him that the next time he pops back to 1996 he needs to get on a train and go to Queens College Physics Department at Oxford, where he'll find Daniel teaching. He tells Desmond to tell him to set the machine at 2.342 and use 11 megahertz. He also gives him a secret phrase, just in case 1996 Daniel doesn't believe him. Just then Mutt and Jeff enter Sick Bay and *POP*

1996. Desmond finds Daniel at Oxford. When Daniel doesn't believe his story about time-jumping, he gives him the secret phrase: "I know about Eloise." Daniel takes Desmond to his college office where he introduces him to Eloise, a rat that he's been doing time travel experiments on. He explains to Desmond that he (Daniel) has been exposed to excessive amounts of radiation while running these experiments and he says that the future cannot be changed.. And when asked if Future Daniel remembers this meeting, Desmond replies no. Daniel sets the machine according to his future self's instructions and it's all very mad-scientist-ish and I love it. He activates it and some light glows on Eloise and she starts running through a maze and finishes it without a problem. Daniel is ecstatic because he hasn't taught her how to run the maze. YET. He was planning on showing her in an hour. Daniel sent her consciousness to the future, where she learned the run the maze, and then she came back.

*POP* Sick Bay. Mutt and Jeff take Frank to see the Captain, leaving Desmond and Sayid there. Desmond shines the pen light in his eyes, desperate to return to 1996 when Fisher Stevens wakes up. He tells them he is George Minkowski the former communications guy on the boat. Before "it" started happening to him, he says, there was a call that came in to the boat on a regular basis that his employers told him never to answer. The call was from Penny Widmore.

*POP 1996. Daniel tells Desmond that he was in the future for 75 minutes. Eloise has died of a brain aneurysm, as a result of the time travel. Daniel says that every time Desmond jumps it will become more difficult for him, until he is unable to tell the difference between the present and the past, and he could die like Eloise, unless he finds his "constant": something from his present and his past that he deeply cares about. Time to call Penny! Unfortunately, her number's been disconnected.

*POP* Sick Bay, 2004. Desmond tells Sayid that he has to call Penny. Minkowski says that someone sabotaged the comm room a couple of days ago, but he will show them where it is. Fortunately, someone left the Sick Bay door open. Minkowski, whose nose has started to bleed, remarks that they must have a friend on the boat.

*POP* 1996. Desmond arrives at an auction house. Charles Widmore bids on and wins the First Mate's log from the Black Rock slave ship (cost: 380,000 pounds). Desmond approaches him and like Fonzie, Widmore shows him to his office, the men's room. Desmond asks for Penny's new address and after hurling a few insults at Desmond he finally gives it to him. Widmore leaves and

*POP* we're back in the radio room on the boat. Sayid begins making repairs to the sabotaged equipment while Minkowski gets worse. He explains that he began to have problems when he tried to take a boat to the island. As he talks to Desmond he starts to bleed from his eyes and nose and eventually dies. Desmond sees a wall calendar that says it's December 24, 2004. And then he notices his nose is bleeding.

*POP* 1996. Desmond goes to Penny's flat. She is clearly not happy to see him but he pleads with her to please give him her phone number. He says he knows it sounds crazy, but she has to trust him: He will not call her again until December 24, 2004. He pleads with her. Oh, give him the number, Penny!! She relents and he writes it on his hand and

*POP* Radio room, 2004. The number's not on his hand anymore but he remembers it and Sayid has fixed the phone. It will only work for a short while on the battery. Desmond dials the number and it takes FOREVER, but Penny finally answers the phone, and the hearts of LOST viewers all over the world want to burst right out of their chests. I am too verklempt to describe it and do it justice, so here, just watch and you'll see what I mean:



Desmond has found his constant and he's now "Perfect."

On the beach, Daniel sits and opens his old journal. He finds a hand-written not on one of the pages: "If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant." Daniel smiles.

I still want that on a t-shirt.

Idol: Top 8 Girls

I know this isn't news to anyone, but I still have to say it: Simon is the only person on that show that makes any sense whatsoever. Pauler is clearly a raving lunatic and I think Randy has a box of those refrigerator magnets with phrases on them, like "you got it going on!" or "100 million percent" or "pitchy", that he uses to form the sentences we hear him speak. There is no rhyme or reason - he just shakes that box up, pours the tiles onto the table in front of him and starts shouting out the words that come up.

Asia'h - "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" - Sigh. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, which I suppose is faint praise.

Kady - "Who Wants to Live Forever?" - Apparently not you, Kady.

Amanda - "I Hate Myself For Loving You" - Great song for her, but man she looks miserable! She's either wicked shy or she REALLY doesn't want to be there. I'm going to go with shy for now because I like her. She's not the best singer, you don't have to tell me that, but she's far more interesting than most of the rest of this bunch.

Carly - "I Drove All Night" - This is my favorite Cyndi Lauper song and she did a good job. It was a better fit for her than anything she's sung so far. And boy her mother is gorgeous, huh?

Here's Cyndi's version:



Kristy Lee Cook - "Faithfully" - Not bad, but I'm not sure Journey should be countrified.

Ramiele - "Against All Odds" - She's probably one of the best singers this season, but she keeps making poor song choices. And girl needs to wear lower heels so can do more on stage than just stand in one spot.

Brooke - "Love is a Battlefield" - Easily the best of the night. When she finished singing I said to Sheila that Randy was not going to get it, and true to form, he did not. Thankfully Simon did.

Syesha - "Saving All My Love For You" - I'm still not liking her. And she smiled way too much through that song.

Results show tonight, where 2 more guys and 2 more girls will be sent packing. I think poor, pretty Luke is the only sure thing.

Here comes Peter Cottontail...and this time he's PISSED.

Disapproving Rabbits

Just in time for Easter.

The "Wake Up Cat" is back!

And in case you missed it, here's Simon's Cat making a wake-up call:

Just a reminder that Scientology is some crazy sh*t. In case you forgot.

i09 has a Science vs. Scientology timeline for you.

Sad News

According to the National Enquirer, Patrick Swayze has five weeks to live due to the spread of pancreatic cancer.

Since this bit of breaking news comes from the NE, I'm waiting for confirmation from a more legit news source before I believe it. If, however, he DOES have pancreatic cancer, well, that's not good. Not good at all.

Good luck, Mr. Swayze.

Idol: Top 8 Gays - I mean Guys!

Alright, I'm just going to put this out there and hope I don't offend anyone.

This has got to be the GAYEST season of American Idol. Ever. Or at least the gayest season that I've seen (I was still a staunch opponent of reality TV back when Clay was on the show). The men are either actually gay or if they aren't they are totally singing gay songs!

Alright, yes, I'm exaggerating, and listen, they can be as gay as they wanna be, I say more power to them. I'm just struck by how emasculated they all seem to be. Is it just me? Was it always like this? I miss Bo.

Luke - "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" - See what I mean? That is like the gayest song in the whole history of the world! Dude, that was a HUGE mistake and I don't think your pretty face is going to be enough to save you this week. In fact, it wasn't even powerful enough to keep me from looking away last night.

David A. - "Another Day in Paradise" - Yawn. He does have a nice voice, though.

Danny Noriega - "Tainted Love" - Danny is such a stereotype and he's just all about the attitude. Whatever, girlfriend. You are TMTH, Danny.

David H. - "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" - Yep, a Celine Dion song. I can barely remember it because all I kept thinking about was him doing the Full Monty with a booger in his nose.

Michael Johns - "Don't You Forget About Me" - If that isn't a perfectly ironic song for a singout, I don't know what is. It's just OK. I wish he could be just a little bit better.

David Cook the Word Nerd - "Hello" - Hello! Excellent cover that could be a single. Best of the night.

Jason Castro - "Hallelujah" - Very nice job. Very nice.

Chikezie - "All the (Wo)Man That I Need" - Yep, a Whitney Houston song. You know what he could have sung and been amazing? "At This Moment" by Billy and the Beaters. That came out in the 80s, right? Sigh. Instead he sings a freaking Whitney Houston song. WTF?

Now I want to hear "At This Moment".



Tonight, the ladies. I'm feeling kind of afraid.

Nice.

A Christmas messsage from Danny Noriega (NSFW or kids):



What's next? A David Archuleta sex tape?

"Oh, great. Here comes Dr. Giggles."

Hee!

"My father is my UNCLE!"

God, I could watch these all the live long day.

One of GOB's classic magic tricks.

I volunteer to cut Sawyer's hair!

LOST cast has their burning questions answered:

Jorge Garcia (Hurley): 'Is Ben in the coffin?'
Carlton Cuse: Come on, Jorge!
Damon Lindelof: Seriously! [To Cuse] He's just trying to make sure it's not him. It's process of elimination. The next question is, 'Is it Michael?' [Laughs]
Cuse: Before the end of the year, you will know who's in the coffin.
Lindelof: And Jorge will definitely know before anyone else.

Paris Hilton has a new accessory and the GFY girls are there!

She thought she was getting a stuffed llama: "He's already making me smarter, too. We went to this store that's an ENTIRE room full of BOOKS. It's like this whole side of L.A. I didn't know existed! It's SORT of weird that he doesn't seem to want to sleep with me -- not that I really want to sleep with him, but, like, it's the principle of the thing, and I am NOTHING if not principled (what UP, prison thesaurus!), so I put on my best nude fishnets and virginal dress and everything -- but then he started saying something about abstinence, and I could always use better abs, so I'm gonna hold off and just see where he's going with that."

Why am I not surprised?

This is awesome: "A former job in the life of American Idol finalist David Hernandez may have come back to haunt him, now that the manager of a male strip club in Phoenix says that the 24-year-old performed in the buff at the establishment for three years, ending in September 2007."

He totally dances like a stripper! I was just saying to Sheila last week that I couldn't stand the way he dances. I wonder what his stage name was?

Dick's Cabaret? Really?

Helen Mirren does Top Gear

I want to be Helen Mirren when I grow up.

Seven Words I Thought I'd Never Say.

The new President of Russia is Hot.

Yeah, the election was fixed, but I gotta hand it to Putin - he sure knows how to pick 'em.

BSG so far.

Here's a great 8-minute video that summarizes the first 3 seasons of Battlestar Galactica. If you don't want to be spoiled, DO NOT WATCH.

That's why you don't try to teach a Bluth a lesson.