Holy Cow Good TV Night : Sarah Conner Chronicles & Heroes

Not going to post any real spoilers on here, but I just want to say... amazing.

Two shows full of twists and turns, who knows who is good and who is bad, plus some super good acting on the side!



(I loved seeing both Summer Glau and Zacchary Quinto get a chance to show us some of their acting chops)

I love Monday.

Off to watch How I Met Your Mother.

Yay for a New Season - Amazing Race! 9/28/08

Let me start off by saying that I really dislike when sports interfere with my shows. At least I am watching it live, so I can extend the end time accordingly.

Moving on, let's meet the teams:

Toni & Dallas - mother and son from Northern CA. She's a single mom, and has been his whole life.

Nick & Star - siblings from NY and TX. They look plastic.

Ken & Tina - separated husband and wife from Tampa, FL. He was a professional football player and he cheated on her.

Aja & Ty - dating long distance. They are cute, and claim that their distance means that they don't take their time together for granted.

Marissa & Brooke - Southern Belles. They claim to like to shop and bake cupcakes, both of which should really help them in the race.

Andrew & Dan - Fraternity brothers from Phoenix, AZ. They sound like stereotypical frat boys, and I predict ogling at Marissa and Brooke.

Anthony & Stephanie - dating 4 years, from LA. She says she wants to get married soon, or they are done.

Anita & Barker - married bee keepers. This is the obligatory old couple and look like old hippies.

Kelly & Kristy - recently divorced friends from TX. Could be tough.

Terrance & Sarah - newly dating from NYC. They are cute, and I hope they do well.

Mark & Bill - Best friends from San Diego. They are self-confessed comic book geeks. Hmmm.

They meet Phil, and he tells them that their first clues are on top of their bags next to the marked cars. There are 11 legs and 8 eliminations.

They are heading to Salvador, Brazil, on one of two allowed flights. And they are off! Initially, everyone seems to be doing well. Anita & Barker admit that others might see them as old hippies, but that's not true. We'll see about that. There's lots of love between the couples. Aja & Ty get a major break by (mis?)using the car pool lane, and they get in first, but get messed up in the wrong line. There is some more confusion when teams have to search for marked lines, but people seem to get it figured out pretty quickly.

On the first flight out and due to arrive 3 hours earlier than the second flight are:

Mark & Bill, Ken & Tina, Nick & Star, Terrance & Sarah, Aja & Ty, and Kelly & Kristy.

On the second flight are:

Toni & Dallas, Andrew & Dan, Anita & Barker, Marissa & Brooke and Anthony & Stephanie.

Once they get to Salvador, Brazil, they have to make their way to a sandwich shop, and get their first mission.

Typically, the first flight was delayed en route to Salvador, but they still got their about 1 1/2 hours ahead of the other flight.

The first mission is to become an old school barista - where they have to wheel a cart with lots of stuff on it through cobbled streets to deliver to a predetermined spot to get their next clue.

Mark & Bill arrive first and tie a coat around their merchedise to keep it from falling off. Terrance & Sara are doing well - it seems she speaks Portugese, but she seemed to be giving directions to him in Portugese, so that's not good. They arrived first, and go the next clue, followed by Mark & Bill, then Star & Nick, and then Ken & Tina.

They have to travel to a Brazilian military base and sleep under mosquito tenting overnight, signing up for one of three departure times the next morning - 9 AM, 9:30 AM, and 9:45 AM. Terrance & Sarah got their first, followed by Nick & Star, then Mark & Bill, then Ken & Tina. They all got 9 AM times. Aja & Ty got a 9:30 time.

The second flight arrived, and Kelly & Kristy and Andrew & Dan got their tickets to the next clue first, then Anita & Barker, and then Dallas & Toni, followed by Anthony & Stephanie, and finally Marissa & Brooke. Kelly & Kristy and Andrew & Dan snag 9:30 times. Everyone else gets 9:45 AM times.

The next morning, they hav to go to Pelorinho, the historic center of Salvador, by taxi. There is some crazy competition for taxis. Ken whips out a whistle to get a taxi to stop for them, and I am annoyed by him. I am also annoyed by Sarah & Terrance, because he seems to have started nit-picking her already.

The first Detour is Hard Way Up or Soft Way Down. Teams must choose between Hard Way Up - crawling up a giant stone staircase on their hands and knees and have to answer a mystery question. If they are wrong, they have to start the climb all over again - and Soft Way Down - taking a giant outdoor elevator and then scaling down a cargo net all the way to the ground, 240 feet below. Only three teams can be on the cargo net at the same time.

I would take the Soft Way Down. Everyone seems to be choosing that one, too. Nick & Star got there first, but Terrance & Sarah went up the wrong way, and had to start over. Ken & Tina (who Nick & Star have dubbed Mom & Dad) are second on the cargo net.

Nick & Star get down first, followed by Ken & Tina and then Mark & Bill.

They are all headed to the pit stop next.

Terrance & Sarah passed Mark & Bill, and Terrance complained that Sarah was talking while climbing. Seriously. He is already annoying me.

Nick & Star get to the Pit stop first and win a trip to Belize. Nice.

The frat boys chose the Hard Way Up. We'll see how that goes. I always feel badly when the production team goes to all the trouble of arranging a Detour only to have no one choose the option, so I'm glad that the Frat Boys did the Hard Way Up. It looked like hell, so I think the others chose better. The mystery question is How many steps had they climbed, and they get it wrong and have to start over. Oops. At least they got it right the second time.

Marissa & Brooke come in second to last, but Anita & Barker are sent packing back to their bees.

Next week, Terrance looks like he's getting pissy about the loose alliance between Nick & Star and Ken & Tina. And Sarah's just hurt that they didn't talk to her. Ok, so she's annoying me, too.

It's too early for me to choose favorites, but I have some un-favorites. That would be Ken & Tina and Terrance & Sarah.

Your thoughts?

Yay for a New Season - Survivor: Gabon

Survivor: Gabon. In HD. It's fantastic.

The Survivors were dropped with nothing but their street clothes. Most of the Survivors have decent enough street clothes to be useful and practical. Except Paloma and Crystal. Immediately, some of my first impressions are confirmed. I do not like Corrine at all, judging from her first confessional, all about how she plans on just being a flaming bitch. Nice strategy.

Starting it off, Gillian and Bob are the tribal elders, and this just means that they get to pick the first people on the tribes. They can choose either man or woman, based on what the people said about themselves. For instance, Crystal did not divulge her Olympic Medal winning past, just said that she is a mom. So, they have to go on what the people revealed about themselves. It's a typical school-yard pick.

Bob got first pick (granted by a rousing Rock, Paper, Scissors win), and chose Ace as his first pick (or, Baldie, if you prefer). Gillian chose Crystal. Ace then chose Sugar, stating that every photographer needs a model. Right. Good thinking, there, Ace. Crystal's choice was Susie, which seemed an odd choice, because Susie doesn't exactly strike me as a strong player. Crystal explained her decision by saying that moms need to stick together. Sugar then chose Marcus, and Susie chose Matty. Marcus' choice was Charlie, followed by Matty choosing Randy. Charlie chose Paloma, and Randy chose Dan. Paloma chose Kelly, and Dan chose GC. Kelly chose "the other blonde" based soley hair color. That would be Jacquie. GC's choice is Ken. Jacquie chose Corrine, leaving Michelle as the last one picked. She is bitter and angry about being the last one picked, but doesn't quite throw a tantrum. She looks like she wants to, though.

The Red Tribe is Fang (pronounced Fong), and the Yellow Tribe is Kota. Again, the breakdown goes like this:

Fang Tribe:
Gillian, Crystal, Susie, Matty, Randy, Dan, GC, Ken, Michelle.

Kota Tribe:
Bob, Ace, Sugar, Marcus, Charlie, Paloma, Kelly, Jacquie, Corrine.

Directly after the buffs are donned, it's challenge time with two individual immunities up for grabs. The first person from each tribe to the top of a big hill (after running a grueling course) gets immunity at the first tribal council. Also at the top are necessities to get camp made, and in addition, the first entire tribe to the top gets a couple bags of food - corn and beans.

Matty and Dan turned back to help out some of the lagging tribe members, as GC and Marcus took off for individual immunity. Marcus won the Idol from Kota, and GC got it from Fang. Michelle (last picked) got up to the top of the hill third. Kota won the extra food, and Matty took up the rear, literally, pushing Gillian's rear up the hill. Crystal and her ill-chosen dress had a hard time getting up the hill, too. Fang was very far behind. Not boding well.

Each tribe got a map to their camp and started off in search of their new homes.

African Jungle = instantly more interesting than African desert. Just saying.

Kota got to their camp first, and they have a lake, a couple huts (which need roof help.) Bob instantly hopped up on the roof to fix the huts up. Everyone else cheered for Bob and fell for him instantly. He made a bench out of twigs and sticks and vine. Go Bob (aka Yau v 2.0)

Also, I may be crazy, but Bob looks like an older version of Bill Nye the Science Guy...



In any case, Bob is all kinds of awesome right off the bat. His reason for being so gung ho? "I'm from Maine, we just do things like this. If I don't know how to do something, I grab a book and figure it out." I instantly adore him.






Over to Fang finding their camp, and Gillian gives them all a pep talk, and ends it with a war cry of Bukali! (apparently a word in some African language meaning "Fierce"). She also wasted no time in telling others that elephant dung burns well, and gathered some happily. Everyone else is totally not into the poop. She tells the tribe that you can eat seeds in elephant dung, and also you can squeeze water out of it. No one is that desperate yet. Ken then went out and found some termites and offered one up to Michelle to eat as the first one, in an odd mating ritual. It was, according to him, a Queen Termite, and she happily popped it in her mouth, and I admire her spunk.

Kota has issues figuring out how where and how to dig their latrine. Ace pompously explains how the Roman Legions dug their latrines, and then spent some confessional time congratulating himself on being super awesome. Charlie and Marcus get into an alliance pretty quickly, deciding that they can let Ace take the lead for a while, but they are onto the fact that it's his game plan. Charlie has a mad crush on Marcus, and Marcus says (in confessional) "I can appreciate that Charlie is an attractive guy, and smart, and I think he is attracted to me, but that's not how I roll. This may be Eden, but there aren't two Adams here." I am liking Marcus.

Fang hears things that go bump in the night. Like elephants. Randy went to go look, and got himself whacked in the head with a sharp stick on the hut. It was bleeding pretty badly, but they didn't have fire, and couldn't see how bad it was. Gillian (a nurse) was asked to take a look, but she couldn't see anything, so they called medical. That has to be some sort of record. The Medical team hops right in and he requires some stitches and a big funky bandage on his head.

The next morning, the breakfast is grasshoppers and crickets. Michelle of 0% body fat is freezing because they have no fire yet. This is why they should at least recruit people with some padding for the show. She laments that she feels like she is stuck on the tribe with "dorks", and the other tribe is full of "smart beautiful people."

Time for Tree Mail. The Challenge is a combined Immunity/Reward Challenge, for fire. Pre-challenge, Ace led the Kota tribe in some group yoga. Most of the group was into it, but Bob and Paloma sat out. Paloma declared that doing yoga in the jungle would just make her laugh out loud. Hmm.

Challenge: 6 tribe members are belted together to go through an obstacle course to go dig up some puzzle pieces, which they then have to run to the remaining three people who have to solve the puzzle. Winner gets to skip Tribal and gets fire making supplies. Loser, well... Tribal.

For Kota, Paloma, Sugar and Bob are the puzzle solvers. For Fang, it's Gillian, Susie, and Bandaged Head Randy.

Probst reassures them all that the first leg is through a "leech filled swamp." They don't seem to notice or care, and I didn't see any leeches. The race is neck and neck. When they get to digging, some people start tossing dirt at the other tribe's pit for good measure. Kota finds all of their bags before Fang can get their first bag out. Bob was excited to do a puzzle, because he said it was like being in the classroom. Gillian cheered wildly for her team, and Randy picked on her accent (which is a lovely South African accent, so he needs to shut it), and Fang finally got their bag out, but only just as Kota finished solving their puzzle. Not. Even. Close.

Back at camp, Fang tried to keep their spirits up. They decided that they were failing because they didn't have a leader. No one stepped up as leader, though. There was talk of booting Michelle because she has a bad attitude. Randy wants to get rid of Gillian, calling her worthless. Ken and Michelle also think that getting rid of Gillian would be good, but Ken tells Michelle that he thinks that she is in danger, and she says that would only confirm her idea that the tribe is full of morons. She says she has a really hard time pretending to like people when she doesn't. We'll see how this plays out.

It's Tribal time (In HD, baby. It is so beautiful).

Probst asked Dan how he thought they did at the challenge, and when Dan says "We did ok," Probst says they are in denial. Michelle makes no friends by calling people out for taking breaks and not digging with all their hearts. Other people got pissed at her, but she is kind of right (though she could have come off a little less confrontational). Probst asked someone to step up as a leader, and GC said that they need to decide on someone, and then is not happy when they all decide that he then should be the leader. A reluctant leader is chosen. Michelle defends her abilities at being strong in challenges, bringing up her great show in the first challenge. Gillian hopes that people saw past her horrible performance on the first challenge and keep her.

Vote time!

Someone spelled Michelle as Mishell. That's different. However you spell it, Michelle is out. I am sad, because I think she had potential. If she had been picked on the other tribe, it might have gone better. If she had checked the attitude, it might also have gone better.

The remainder of the tribe gets to keep their fire and gets flint. The question remains - will GC be a good leader, or sacrificial lamb? Back at camp, the new leader is called upon to start a fire with their new flint, and he does a good job. As far as I could tell, he didn't use elephant dung as kindling.

The next morning, Kota gets their fire going. Charlie ponders why Marcus is not more popular with the ladies, (because he'd totally tap that) and then goes off in a boat and further declares his love for Marcus. I mean, of course, his alliance with Marcus. Marcus wants to bring Jacquie into the fold. Charlie wants Corrine. I wish they wouldn't bring in Corrine because I don't like her. They decide to get to know Corrine before making any decisions. Marcus dubs this the Onion Alliance. Because it has layers. Like an onion.

Over on Fang, GC tries his hand at leading and delegating. He gets a lot of blank stares and unhappy looking people, but they went to work. Randy gets upset when GC wants to use clean water versus lake water to make rice, because you'd have to boil it twice. I would also use the clean water. In confessional, Randy says his plan is to let other people mess up and crash and burn.

Kota's Onion alliance is beginning to form, and Corrine says she is tight with Jacquie. They want a peripheral extra person, and Corinne wants Bob. They kind of want to keep Bob in the outside of the alliance, so we'll see how that works. Would that make him onion skin?

GC began washing clothes before dawn and gradually everyone woke up, and Gillian complained that people got up too early. GC said he was awoken by the monstrous snoring from others in the tribe, and got defensive and didn't want to be a leader any more. He renounced his leadership. Dan declines leadership because he doesn't think his management style is good (but confesses that he would like the be a silent leader.) Nothing is decided.

There is another challenge coming up, and looks like it's for fishing equipment and immunity. Fang painted their faces with charcoal and looked pretty fierce. Or stupid. Your decision.

Challenge Time Again: They have to push large boulders through gates, retrieving keys along the way, to unlock chains barring the final gate, and they have to get their boulder settled into it's ending spot. The winning tribe gets to send one person from the other team to Exile. As an extra person, Paloma sits the challenge out.

Kota got their first keys with Bob balancing up on top of the boulder, and Ken did the balancing act to get the first key for Fang. It was even at the second keys, and Bob got the knot undone first. The final gate was covered with locked chains, and Kota got the locks undone first, but was followed shortly by Fang. It was a tight race, but Kota won it.

Jeff gives Fang props for putting up a good fight, but handed the spoils of the win to Kota, who chose Dan to go to Exile. He'll be back in time for Tribal.

Happy Kota returns to camp with their fishing gear, and do a little dance. They waste no time in catching some fish for dinner.

Dan took the trek to Exile Island, and got a choice between a clue and comfort. Wisely, he chose the clue. The clue is "Across the lake you see so well, there lies a sandy crater. The object hidden in it's floor will surely help you later." He spent some time looking in the lake, and digging in the dirt, but couldn't find the crater. It was shown to us by the camera crew so of course it looked easy enough, but I'm sure it was much harder than it looked. He was locked out of the hut and spent the night defeated by a clue.

Fang is now looking to get rid of Gillian. Crystal says that she is not even going to walk up to vote, but is just going to declare her vote out loud. Susie and Gillian want to get rid of Ken. Though I want to love her (and her accent!), Gillian is a total weak link.

In an impressive move, Randy caniballized his glasses and made a fishing hook, and GC donated his shoe laces to make a fishing line. The ladies went out to find worms, and Ken and GC went off fishing. Ken caught the first one, and it was happiness. They caught a few fish (though smaller than Kota's take), it was enough to make them happy.

Dan returned from Exile, and GC thought that he was acting weirdly enough to maybe have found the idol. I think it was Dan's plan to act strangely (that, or Exile really got to him). Randy thinks he just had an odd night. The target has migrated a bit to Dan. How will this one play out?

Back to Tribal.

Probst is surprised to see GC's rejection of leadership. Randy said that the problem is that they are a group of 8 individuals, and they are not cohesive. Crystal says that they don't really need a leader for everyday camp life, it's the challenges that they need the strategy for. I would tend to agree. Probst is impressed with their ingenuity at MacGyvering a fish hook. I am too. That was a good show. I didn't expect it from Randy.





Vote time:

Gillian is the second person out, with a vote thrown in for Ken, from Gillian, and I think that was the best move for the tribe. She was an interesting character, but just not strong enough.

Happiness is a new season of Survivor. I am not hating the "villians" Corrine and Randy yet as much as I expect to, but I think they are just quiet because there is so much going on and they have so many people to show, there isn't much for them to bitch about yet. We'll see how that goes. Charlie is like a much more flamboyant Todd. Looking forward to seeing how that goes.

Your thoughts?

Project Runway: 9/24/08

Since they didn't work with their own models last week, and eliminated two designers, three of the models are out this week. Kenley chose Joe's old model, and Leanne switched to Suede's model, which made Suede pissy. It's part of the competition, and he needs to get over it.

Tim reveals that the designers will be designing for each other. Suede will be designing for Jerell. Kenley will be designing for Leanne, Korto for Suede, Jerell for Kenley, and Leanne for Korto. They must each create a look for their client inspired by a specific musical genre. Cool.

Kenley's genre is pop, and it sent her into a fit of nervous giggles. She thinks pop is cheesy. I think she is cheesy. Jerell wants to make her "Kenley Spears."

Suede's genre is punk. Korto is nervous. Suede had some interesting ideas. Korto told him to come to her with any concerns before Tim comes around so that she doesn't have to kick his ass.

Korto's genre is country. She is not thrilled. While they were brainstorming, Kenley tried to barge in and take their time and whined and annoyed me some more.

Leanne's genre is, hilariously enough, hip hop. Designed by Kenley. That's right. Leanne had a funny rhyme/rap attempt. "Yo, Kenley's gonna make an outfit for me, she'd better not make it look like it's from 1950." She even attempted to it with rapper attitude. She failed miserably, but she tried, and it was cute.

Jerell's genre is rock and roll. Suede is worried about doing something dated.

Shopping was interesting. Kenley chose a typical Kenley floral looking pattern and when Tim questioned it, she claimed that it is totally hip hop because it's grafitti. Keep up the delusion, Kenley.

Korto got a little into genre and started singing and line dancing (terribly). Kenley was nervous about Jerell's outfit, and burst into a fit of giggling. I thought it looked pretty hot. Enter Tim, who urged Jerell to add "the right more." He worried that Leanne was being too subtle, and she didn't want to get too costumey. Korto's look was not punk enough for Tim yet. Suede's outfit was kind of boring to Tim, and urged Suede to work on all the details. I think it looks dreadful so far, so I think that Tim was being kind. Kenley talked back to Tim and whined that she didn't want to make Leanne look stupid. Kenley cannot take criticism, and it made Tim really upset, telling her that she needs to drop the sarcasm and the attitude. Go Tim. Kenley then declared that she knows way more about hip hop than Tim (in her confessional) and further declared that she just was going to ignore him. *sigh* I am so done with her.

Tim could hardly hold in his laughter when he saw how the designers were decked out for the show.

I'm right with him.

Runway Time!

(with guest judge LL Cool J)

Leanne's Design: Korto looked as country as Korto could be.

Jerell's Design: Awesome. In order to make Kenley pop, he did some genius work.

Kenley's Design: Kenley claimed that Leanne was not selling the outfit and that was the problem. Right. Because the hideous shirt, the too-tight, too-high waisted pants, and the ridiculous jewelry had nothing to do with the failure of the outfit. Nothing at all. I guess I can see where Kenley sees the Alicia Keys vibe in that outfit, but seeing as Alicia Keys' bad style is veyr often featured on Go Fug Yourself, I don't think that was a wise direction to go in. Plus, as Jerell said, Alicia Keys is more R & B than hip hop. The crotch on the pants were ridiculous.

Korto's Design: The punk was awesome, and Suede sold it. Jerell continues to impress me.

Suede's Design: The vest looked like it was taped together, and the shirt was ridiculous. I guess the pants were ok, but... really?

The judges loved Korto's design for Suede, and they actually liked Suede's vest. Surprising. They thought the pants were too subtle and there was no oomph to the outfit. Jerell's sexified Kenley outfit was very well received. It made Kenley giggle. Heidi (queen of undergarments) wanted more breastage support. Michael called it sexy, but not vulgar. Heidi called Kenley's supposed hip hop jeans the least flattering pants she had ever seen. Kenley whined that she wanted it to look fashion forward, and complained that she didn't have enough time to make it look luxury. Nina said that everyone had time constraints and yet Kenley is the only one who had problems to the extent. Leanne's skirt got good marks, but not really country enough.

Jerell and Korto got really high marks for their looks. Michael called Suede's look "Rock and roll going to the grocery store." LL Cool J accused Kenley of making Mom Jeans. Ugh. He also said that Leanne's look for Korto looked like a waitress at a theme park. Double ouch.

Korto is the winner this week, and I'll bet it was close between her and Jerell. She did a wonderful job, though, and the detail of the bleaching was awesome. Jerell is safe, too, of course. Leanne is also safe. The aufing is between Kenley and Suede.

I'll bet this one was a close call, too. But, being in the bottom for three weeks in a row, Suede is out. Astrid won't miss Suede. It was kind of amusing seeing him leave in full punk regalia.

Looks like Kenley is going to do some more whining next week, this time directing her ire at Heidi. Please let her be aufed next. I can. not. take. her. anymore.

New Show Alert: Knight Rider

I don't know if anyone watched the movie that was on last season, but the new show started tonight. We haven't watched it yet, but we are excited about it.

I have seen some less than favorable reviews, and I just have to say... have these reviewers ever seen the original Knight Rider? It was cheesy and Hoff-ridden, for heaven's sake. That's why it was so fantastic.

We'll be watching it just to see if they kept the theme song (which would be wise), and I think that Val Kilmer is a nice choice for the voice of KITT.

Thoughts?

Pondering: The Biggest Loser: Families

Is this show going to be 2 hours every week again this season? At the beginning I guess I can see it, because there are a lot of people, but in later weeks? Last year, it just got painful in the end.

Also, I just want to say, this episode was sponsored in part by Ziploc Zip n' Steam bags, and I have used those things. They are pretty cool. Still, I find the over the top product placement really distracting after a while... it reminds me of this - from Return of the Killer Tomatoes, one of my favorite bad movies ever. Watch the clip, and you'll understand.

Week 2 is always killer (tomatoes) on this show... their bodies don't know what they are trying to do and get confused. It's always sad.

Yay for a New Season - How I Met Your Mother

It's a busy night on our tv....

Thank goodness I can dvr two things at the same time.

I'll have to catch the Dancing with the Stars premiere and this week's episode of Sara Conner Chronicles online.

Don't you just love technology?

Yay for more Barney!!!

I am prepared to suit up.


Edited to add: Just finished watching it, and could Barney be any cuter and more Barney? I love his little smile at Robin on the news. Also, I don't know that I could be with a person who didn't like Star Wars... as it is, I made my now husband watch the entire old BBC series of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy very early on in our relationship, and I'll admit, it was a litmus test of sorts.

Obviously, he liked it. We've been together almost 16 years....

Yay for a New Season - Heroes!

Woooooooo!!!!

That is all.

Project Runway: 9/17/08

Suede's little blue mohawk was flat in the morning at the apartment, and it was kind of sad. Kenley vows to stay true to her whiny self, judges be damned. Don't know if that's a winning strategy.

Instead of their slick little models, some frumpy looking older women walk onto the runway to join Heidi. They are relieved that they don't have to design for the frumpy older women, but instead for their recently graduated from college daughters. They are there for a post-graduation head to toe makeover.

Anna's mom looks like she should have been in the drag queen challenge (sorry, had to say it. That woman has a manly voice), and Anna will be paired with Kenley. She's kind of funky, so it might work. Korto will be working with Megan. Joe's got Laura, and Leanne will be with Hollie, leaving Suede with Avital and Jerrell with Caitlin.

They have 30 minutes with their clients (and their moms) to plan, and then $100 at Mood.

It is immediately more difficult for most of the designers to make designs that will make both the moms and the daughters happy. This ought to be interesting.

I dream of fabric shopping at Mood. *sigh* Joanne's Fabric has nothing on that place.

As each of the designers talks about their designs, they reveal their own first jobs. Poor Jerrell worked at McDonald's. After a while working, the clients came back in to have fittings. I feel sorry for Leanne, who's clients do not like her design at all. Suede is reluctant to make pants and plans on selling his dress to his photographer to be client. Joe is making a very conventional looking women's suit, so we'll see if he can turn something more exciting out from that.

The next morning, the clients come in for a second fitting. This time, it's just the girls, and that went much more smoothly for the designers. Making one person happy is a whole lot easier than two people. Leanne's changes were well received. Suede's dress is also well received and Suede doesn't have to make pants.

Enter Tim, along with Jeanie, the lead stylist for the Tresemme hair salon. It is announced that the winning look this week is going to be in Elle magazine! That's impressive. The hair and makeup makeovers begin.

Tim worries about Suede's pockets and sleeves not being on the same level on each side. Joe's design is worrisome as not relevant to the graphic design field, and he says he doesn't really care, and I am concerned for him. Tim thinks that Jerrell's look is stunning. Kenley refuses to listen to Tim and leaves tulle hanging out of the bottom of her dress on purpose because she "never changes anything for Tim." Hmmm. Let's see how this works out for her.

Back at the apartments, Kenley and the other girls think that Suede is going home this week. Kenley thinks he is unable to incorporate his aesthetic into the different designs, and that makes him a bad designer. Whereas Kenley just makes the dress she wants to make using her own aesthetic regardless of challenge.

Runway time!

Joining Michael and Heidi and Nina this week is Cynthia Rowley, designer.

Joe's Outfit: The pinstripes in the skirt did not look good with the shirt's wider stripes, in my opinion, and the shirt looked kind of ill fitting, or she just had a really bad bra. The jacket did not look modern in any way, and the pocket square was weird. Her hair looked great, though.

Leanne's Outfit: The dress is super cute, and the jacket is really neat, too. Her hair looked great. Some of the elements of the jacket I didn't quite get, but they were interesting.

Jerrell's Outfit: Amazing. His model's hair looked wonderful, and the dress was funky and beautiful while still being wearable, and i liked the cardigan, too. Nice job, Jerrell.

Korto's Outfit: I love love love the dress. The jacket, not so much. It looked kind of weird to me. I wasn't too keen on the cut they gave her model's hair, either. I didn't think it really suited her face shape. Still, I love the dress with every fiber of my being, so I can forgive the other things.

Suede's Outit: Interesting. Her hair was much darker and it looked good on her. The dress was quite cute, but I didn't love the jacket. The flouncy cuffs were a bit odd.

Kenley's Outfit: The dress was definitely Kenley and I think that her client liked it. I just think it's more of the same from Kenley, and I wish she had gotten someone else to work with that would have required her to stretch a little.

Heidi called Kenley on finding a mini-me and getting to dress someone just like herself. The judges can't criticize her. Joe's suit was criticized for being cliche, and Kenley couldn't keep in her juvenille giggles. Korto's client loves the outfit, and the judges like it a lot, including the jacket. The judges don't like Leanne's jacket, and are not sure if the dress is practical. Jerrell's outfit was absolutely lauded for everything. Because it is so perfect, I will not discuss the strange feathered thing that died on top of Jerrell's head. Suede's "gratuitous jacket" was questioned, and the judges had a lot of problems with his whole look.

Jerrell, Kenley, and Korto are in the top. The bottom three (Suede, Leanne, and Joe) were criticized for being dated and frumpy. I agree with that. Jerrell is utterly and deservedly the winner this week. I still forgive him that dead bird on his head. Leanne is safe from the bottom three and I am happy. It's between Joe and Suede to go, and I think it is the right bottom two. Joe is aufed this week, and though I wanted to love him, I just can't fault them for getting rid of him this week. It was a really awful look. Suede's was bad, but Joe's was worse.

The tragic thing about Jerrell's win is that his look is featured in Elle with Caitlyn, with that hideous dead bird on his head. I can no longer forgive it.

Next week, more Kenley putting down my man Tim, who in previews tells her to cut the sarcasm and facetiousness, and then she says "What does Tim know anyway?" I really hope she is next to go.

Something to like: Fringe

Ok, very trivial here, but I'm digging the way that they do titles on Fringe. They have them rendered in 3-D with shadowing, floating over the scene. It's really neat.

The crazy scientist doctor Walter is hilarious and disturbing at the same time. At first I thought the actor was The Smoking Man from X-Files, but I checked on IMDB and I was mistaken.

It may be a mixture of X-Files and Alias and Lost mythology, but I like all of those shows, so I am ok with that for the most part.

The Biggest Loser: Families - 9/16/08

It's a 2 hour premiere, and the first half hour was all intro and hype. Bob is training husband and wife teams, and Jillian is training parent and child teams. I won't go into details about each team here, but there's a lot of work to be done.

(As said before, I probably won't go as in depth with this show's blogging.)

Finally, to the initial weigh ins!

Parent and Child Teams

Pink Team: Renee and Michelle - 509 lbs
Yellow Team: Jerry and Coleen - 598 lbs
Purple Team: Amy and Shellay - 455 lbs
Grey Team: Tom and LT - 671 lbs

Husband and Wife Teams

Red Team: Amy and Phil - 560 lbs
Green Team: Stacey and Adam - 561 lbs
Brown Team: Brady and Vicky - 587 lbs
Orange Team: Heba and Ed - 629 lbs

Let the work begin!

To see the way that the contestants fall apart in the first workout always amazes me, especially looking back at the end when they are all buff and amazing. There are tears and breakdowns and imagined injuries. Jillian told Tom "We can do this my way, or my way mad, so let's go." Kick butt, Jillian. Bob tells his teams that they can rest at the finale, so it's time to go. Jerry fell off the treadmill and Jillian booted his ass back up there, telling him that the only way he is getting off it again is if he dies on it. She's just a ray of sunshine.

This is the stuff of good tv.

Time for the meet the dr reality check for Jerry.

He's just a mess. Dr. Jawbones tells him that he has all of the danger signs of everything awful, and actually tells Jillian that he is not allowed to work out more than 30 minutes a day (at least for now). Yipes. If he can stick around, I think this show could just be saving his life.

Their first Challenge has all sorts of prizes up for grabs - Immunity, Money, and Extra Vote, Visits home... and a 2 lb penalty. They have to hike over one mile in heat to grab banners corresponding to the prizes that were dropped from crop planes. Tom and Jerry are out of the challenge for health reasons, so their kids are on their own.

Brady is the first to start yelling at his wife (who seemed to be hyperventilating). Ed dragged Heba up the hill. That was pretty cool. Adam and Stacey got separated, and that sucked.

Coleen got up the hill all by herself first, and I was so proud of her. She got immunity and saved her dad for the week.

Stacey and Adam got a massage and time alone.

Heba and Ed grabbed the $5000.

LT grabbed the extra vote for him and his dad

Renee and Michelle got a phone call

Amy and Phil got the visit home (doesn't it seem early to be hankering for a visit home? Just saying.)

Amy and Shellay got second to last and I missed what prize they got.

Brady and Vicky came in last and were saddled with the 2 lb penalty.

After a meal, there was some product placement (which this show does so well) for The BodyBugg by 24 hour fitness. It actually looks like a pretty neat tool - worn on the arm, it keeps track of calories burned, and then Jillian showed contestants how to log their food for the day and check their energy expenditure and intake to see how much weight they might be on track for losing. Pretty cool. It's $200 on the 24 hour Fitness Website, and that's not too bad.

Time for Dr. Jawbone to show the contestants what's going on inside their body.

Amy got to see how her extra abdominal weight AND smoking is effecting her lungs. Yuck. Her Biological Age based on her health issues is not her actual 26, but a whopping 47. That's scary.

The daughter of the pink team got to see how her heart is being strangled by fat, and her Biological Age is not 26, but 41. Again, yipes.

Vicky's Biological age is not 38, but 48. Cue montage to cute kids.

Dr. Jawbone had a bunch of other scary realities to the contestants, and then it was back to the gym. Amy came close to quitting and Jillian did some hollering.

And it is weigh in time!

Parent and Child Teams

Yellow Team: Jerry and Coleen - Down 27 lbs- And Jerry could hardly work out. Excellent
Pink Team: Renee and Michelle - Down 31 lbs(-6.09%)
Grey Team: Tom and LT - Down 42 lbs (-6.26%)
Purple Team: Amy and Shellay - Down 29 lbs (-6.37%)

Husband and Wife Teams

Orange Team: Heba and Ed - Down 29 lbs (-4.61%)
Red Team: Amy and Phil - Down 39 lbs (-6.96%)
Green Team: Stacey and Adam - Down 28 lbs (-4.99%)
Brown Team: Brady and Vicky - Down 47 lbs (+ 2 lb penalty) (-7.67%) Wooooooow!

The green team and the orange team (both on Bob's side) are in the bottom tonight.

Let the drama of the decision begin. This is my least favorite part of the show.

Stacey and Adam, the Green Team, are sent home (helped by Tom and LT's double votes). Their at home transformation was amazing. Stacey is down to 175 lbs, and Adam is down to 286 lbs. They both look wonderful.

Good season starter. Thoughts?

De ja view: The Mentalist vs. Psych

So, I haven't seen the new CBS Show The Mentalist yet - and I don't plan on it. Not only does it conflict with other shows I am planning on watching, but I already am in love with a show about a very observant guy who pretends to be a psychic to help cops solve crimes. It's called Psych. Sure, the season may be ending, but I don't need to watch a dramatic version of one of the funniest shows on television.

Maybe I'll be missing out on a really great show. I don't know. I tend not to like the dramatic cop style shows, especially on CBS. Keep your CSI: Anaheim.

I'll keep my hilarious laugh out loud Psych time.


Thank you.

Project Runway: 9/10/08

The pre-challenge segment included Suede relating about his dream in which they all had to make sweetheart neckline dresses out of chiffon and poptarts. That's interesting.



Someone asked him if he had been drinking before going to bed.

Heidi is looking fab, and Leanne didn't switch models, so Kendel's trashbag wearing days are over. Enter "special guests" - the eliminated designers! The designers still in the game have to work with one of the eliminated designers to create an avant garde design. The look has to be inspired by the astrological sign of one of the members of the team. (I italicized the sign they are using for each team)

Korto is Aquarius, and is paired with Kelly, a cancer.

Kenley is Aquarius, and is paired with Scorpio Wesley.

Joe is Aries, working with Sagitarius Daniel.

Leanne is Libra, working with Emily, a Scorpio.

Blayne is a Libra, and is saddled with Scorpio Stella.

Terri is Sagitarius, paired with Keith, a Leo.

Jerrell is a Sagitarius, working with Jennifer, a Taurus

Suede is a Sagitarius, working with Jerry, a Libra.

They have 2 days, 30 minutes to plan (with the help of astrological sign dossiers). They have 30 minutes, and $250 at Mood.

Can I just say, Keith is a bitch and I don't miss him.

Leanne keeps rolling her eyes at Kenley. I would probably roll my eyes at Kenley, too, but she should try to be a little more subtle.

Tim visits, and Blayne again attempted to make him Holla at Your Boy, to which Tim answered "Do it to it." Go Tim. Don't let that wannabe catch phrase happen. Tim is worried at Jerell's fabric choice, and Leanne's exoskelaton dress is intruiging. He tells Kenley there is a fine line between Avant Garde and Costume, and Kenley swears her design will be super fabulous, I don't know about that. Terri and Keith are not working well together, and Tim is concerned. Keith only speaks up when Tim is around. How annoying.

Note from Heidi - They are showcasing their designs at a special show at the Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History and two designers will be eliminated! And they don't have until midnight, they have until 8 PM.

Everyone is busting ass. Except for Terri and Keith, who are standing around staring at each other and not doing much. When they have an hour left before the party, Tim says that the models AND the designers have to be prepared for the party.

Oh, and no more immunity. Ever.

Kenley is insanely overconfident.

The "special guests" at the party are previous finalists and winners from past seasons. The past designers get to pick the winner, but it won't be revealed until the runway the next day.

Heidi has an issue with ther placement of boobs on Kenley's dress. If someone is going to know something about bust support or lack thereof, it's the Victoria's Secret model. Kenley thinks that she's talking nonsense. She says that Blayne's design looks like old women's panties in color. Blayne (wearing a ridiculous headband) tells her to think outside of the box.

The next day, they have a runway show, and they have some time to fiddle with their designs before going out. Kenley padded her model's chest so that the boobs were better for Heidi. In Kenley's defense, her model is pretty flat chested. Stella got to pound some grommets into leatha. Ah, good times. Suede was really really sad that two people are going home tonight. Keith took a nap.

Runway time!

Michael Kors, Nina Garcia (yay, she's back), and Francisco Costa (a designer) are the judges with Heidi tonight.
Blayne's Outfit: It looked like a Barbie closet exploded on the arm of an Ancient Roman woman, ad she decided to tie it on with leather. Really? Quite dreadful. Can he just go now?
Kenley's Outfit: She looks like something out of Alice in Wonderland. It's a mishmosh of a lot of dreadful. Wow. Hideously giant bulbous arms, and no editing.

Terri's Outfit: Miles better without the fur. The dress is slinky and not pants, ad the color she added really adds a lot to the outfit. The model's styling is spot on. Love it. I don't know about the slimy look of the red, though.
Korto's Outfit: Very water-inspired, and that's nice. Lots of great colors - deep blues and purples. Very flowy. I don't know how avante garde it is.

Joe's Outfit: Much better made. The skirt was fantastic, with lots of layers of reds and oranges and yellows, and the bodice was ok. I'm not sure about the fit of it, and was there exposed skin on her stomache? Hmmm. I love the skirt, though.

Jerell's Outfit: What the hell was he thinking with the fabric? It just didn't work.

Leanne's Outfit: I love the exoskelaton and the underdress. Lovely. Not that I'd wear it, but it's quite beautiful and different.

Suede's Outfit: Yawn. It's nice, but it doesn't look avante garde to me. It looks a little lumpy, and the pants are satin and show all sorts of wrinkles.

Korto, Jerell, Leanne, and Joe are among the top. Who will win? We have to wait until after the ouster to find out.

Terri, Blayne, Suede, and Kenley are in the bottom. That's about right.

Blayne attempted to talk up his design and his idea, but Nina said that it looked like a one-legged monster, and Heidi called it not pretty. Michael says it looks like she is pooping fabric. So not good.

Terri is berated for not being able to work with anyone, and Michael called it very costumey and said she looked like Voodoo Princess in Hell. Terri is shocked at the bad reviews.
Kenley again can't shut up long enough to listen to her critique. Michael says it looks like stuff he's seen, and that it looks Dolce on the bottom, and she snips back "I don't look at collections." She is shocked that they hate her design and say Nina says that she thinks that Kenley did what she wanted to do and completely disregarded the challenge.

Suede talked about himself in third person way too much. Nina and Heidi call it safe and not avante garde. I would agree. Michael says "It's not the 'I need to make this and put it in the department store challenge.'"

In judging, Michael finally spoke about Suede's talking about Suede in third person, and said it was a lot of self delusion. Bingo.

Time for the winner. It's Jerell! I don't know about that. I thought it was a mess. Oh well. Goes how much I know.

Kenley and her bitchy attitude are safe. Finally, Blayne is out. I just have to say, that's fantastilicious. I will not Holla at Your Boy, you idiot. Goodbye. Suede and his self delusion are safe, and Terri is out in the one week she didn't make a pantsuit. I think she was doomed by her inability to work with Keith.

Edited to add: How come I've never read the blogs on Bravo before? For your reading pleasure - Tim's Blog and Michael Kors' blog! I'm so totally in love with Tim Gunn.

Please still read my blog, too. I need the love.

Survivor Gabon: Preview

My DVR picked this preview up and I thought it was on CBS (Sorry, Ed), but it was actually on the TV Guide Network.

A couple neat things that I learned.

There is an "Exile Island" this season still, and the person sent there will have a choice of a clue to find immunity, or comfort, like an apple and some pillows. Probst said "I hope that someone is dumb enough to get a chance at Immunity, which will keep them in the game, and they choose an apple." He is sadistic sometimes.

The Rock Climbing Granny is wonderful in the preview. She's from South Africa originally, so she has that awesome accent. I love the South African accent.

I love to see Probst's original views on the castaways. It's always neat.

Michelle is a real cutie, and she's a boxer, which is neat. She moved to Hawaii and got married (and is now divorced) at a young age. I have a friend who has the same story. Minus the boxing.

Ace is still on the fence for me, but he seems really annoying.

Jessica "Sugar" said that she is going to act stupid. She said that she isn't planning on telling people that she is an actor, because then people will always think she is lying to them. She thinks she is there for comic relief, because she's really not physical. I don't think she'll last long.

The preview showed this season's Tribal Council, and it is beautiful. The snuffer is in the shape of an elephant head, and that is awesome. Probst just looks like he has so much fun with his job.

Crystal is the Olympic Gold Medalist, and she is not planning on telling anyone that little tidbit. She says "If anything, I'm going to lie and say that I'm a basketball player." She's 6'3". That's insane. I could like her.
Marcus seems like an ass, and Probst boldly said "Marcus is not going to win."

Kelly is adorable, and Probst calls her the "Hot Chick of the Season," and I hope she is more than that.

Matty is the trust fund boy who piddled it all away.

Corrine said that she never thinks about people's feelings before saying anything. I don't know if I can handle her for long. If she wins, she wants to get the money in $1 bills, fill a giant tank, and do the backstroke. Yeah, good luck with that.

There is some background of what happens behind the scenes. They shoot about 2500 hours of footage per season. Producers and small crews basically live on the beach with the castaways. Their shooting ratio is 300:1 - for every minute you see, there is 300 minutes you didn't. Each episode takes about 4 weeks to edit. That's crazy. I like seeing that type of information.

This season, there were issues getting supplies to the set, and they said that because this season is in HD, they had to pay a little more attention to detail - "So you don't see the duct tape that you couldn't see before." I can't wait.

Randy is the guy who I hope is out first. He's a wedding videographer, and I can't imagine hiring him to videotape something pleasant. He said he's had tens of thousands of dollars of therapy, which has made him realize that he needs to just keep his distance.

Paloma is pretty uber religious, and Jeff is worried that she is going to fade away. She is so beautiful, though.

Bob is the attempt at Yau Man v.2.0. I really want him to do well. He's adorable. He plans on staying under the radar.

Susie has a tshirt with a picture of her kid on it. I don't know about that.

Dan is a wildcard. Jeff said "He appears to have it all together and appears to be a smart guy, but when I listen to him, I'm not so sure." Ha ha.

They ended the preview with a look at the first immunity challenge, and it looks like a killer one.

Who's excited???

Watch This Show: Fringe

If for no other reason than there is a character named Astrid.

Tee Hee.

That never happens.

No, seriously. It's an X-Filesish show. Pretty neat in the pilot. Interesting cinematography, good acting. I think there might be Rambaldi devices at work somewhere. And/or Dharma could be behind some of the weirdness.

A cow in a basement lab at Harvard.

Yes, a cow.

Give it a chance.

Fox. 9PM on Tuesdays.

Yay for a New Season: Sarah Conner Chronicles

Here's one of the shows that I watch and am thrilled to see back for a second season, but I won't be blogging about it regularly. Just wanted to get the word out in case you missed it, it's coming back tonight. 8 PM. Fox. Let the rejoicing begin.

Yay for a New Season - Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares!

I'm not going play by play for this one, but I am so happy to see it back. For the premiere, Ramsey is revisiting 6 restaurants he worked his magic on last season to see if his changes stuck. I am happy to see this Where Are They Now. I always wonder what happens after the cameras stop rolling.

Finn McCool's has done well for themselves, and managed to make it through the owner's heart attack and they are making money. The chef is happy and is doing a fantastic job. They did a good job at listening and applying what was suggested.

The Old Stone Mill was a mess before Ramsey's intervention, and they have improved incredibly since. They are up over 25% now. That's awesome. The chef is happy and confident, and it's looking good. Another good job.

The Mixing Bowl made such a great transformation under Ramsey's watchful eye. Did they keep it up? They did indeed! They are selling out every night! They need more seats! It's doing wonderfully. Everyone is happy and smiling. See what happens when you listen to Ramsey?

Dillons was the strange Indian/non-Indian bug haven in Manhattan before Ramsey showed up. Ramsey renamed it Purnima Dillons Restaurant, which was a more Indian name, and installed a new authentic Indian chef. After they spent some time on their own, they claim to be proud of what they are doing. Their new Indian chef, Vikas, is amazing, and has become a "visionary" of the restaurant. How nice. The restaurant and kitchen are gorgeous and emmaculately clean. They have done a great job, and there is one head chef who can thank Ramsey for his job. I guess he was good before, but now he is working at a very sucessful restaurant and he can be proud.

Campania was a mess last time, with surley chefs and waitstaff who didn't help the restaurant at all. Post-transformation, it is a total success. They continue to serve on the smaller plates that Ramsey brought in, and Ramsey got their meatballs declared the Best Meatball in their bourough (maybe in NJ, I couldn't hear). It was great. Ramsey actually brought some of the meatballs home with him.

Finally, on to Peter's, the family run restaurant with the gangsta wannabe. Peter was so annoying - buying himself a suit instead of buying a stove and the like. Now, it's another success story. They have a new (calm) head chef, and that is awesome. The whole thing is doing very well.

Say what you will about his tactics, but Ramsey is effective, it seems.

And coming up in the season - more gross and dangerous kitchens. I can't wait to see how it goes from here!

Project Runway: 9/3/08

Heidi is very sparkly tonight. That woman is just gorgeous. Leanne sticks with her model, so no drama there. Tim gets a rare appearance on the runway, and he announces that they get to design for a fashion legend. Leanne is happy not to be designing for Tim. Blayne wants the legend to be Mary-Kate Olsen. I don't think so honey. He also expressed his dream to marry Mary-Kate. Also don't know about that one, honey. Keep dreaming. Instead, they get to design for Diane von Furstenberg. Kenley burst into tears (of joy). Their challenge is to create a look for her fall collection based on the movie A Foreign Affair. They get to visit her sample room and use some of her fabrics. The winning look will be produced and sold to American Express cardholders, and part of the proceeds will go to CFDA.

In the sample room, everyone is doing a great job and having fun picking out fabrics. Stella again whines for help. Tim tells her to work it out, pretty much, and Kenley tosses the fabric at her.

In the work room, they each get to look through the look book, and almost everyone is doing three pieces, except for Kenley, who opts for a dress. Suede used some more annoying third person and I tuned him out. Blayne went black instead of neon, and Terri whipped up another pair of pants. That girl makes beautiful pants, but she seems to be redoing the same thing over and over. Korto starts to get catty. Jerell's outfit could be nice if it looks anything like his drawing. Joe's looks really neat and unique. Leanne admits that she has never been out of the country, and has had no foreign affairs, but thinks it would be fun to be a spy. Suede fears that Suede's blue hair would give him away.

Enter Tim! He questioned Suede's vest shape, and calls Leanne's dress phenomenal (and I agree) - though he thought her jacket was floppy. Joe's dress and hooded shawl is interesting, and Tim wants him to work it out. Korto's dress has a pop of yellow that Tim worries looks like a bra strap. Stella's fabric looked like it had some leatha in it, and she didn't have anything cohesive yet, and said that the judges didn't like her design last week because they were clueless. He liked Kenley's sillhouette, but said that it could go either way with her only having one piece. Kenley cried (again). Her voice is truly annoying me. Stella lamented that Diane is not rock and roll, so might not understand her design.

Crunch time at Parson's! Everyone is scrambling except for Kenley, and everyone is sewing their models into their outfits and furiously sewing their final bits. Sadly, Joe's deisign looked like a mess upon quick glance, and Stella might be done.

Runway time!

Fern Malace is filling in for Nina this week, along with Heidi, Michael, and Diane von F.

Joe's Outfit: It was better than it looked in the workroom, but the front flap and buttons looked crooked, and I don't get the theme from it much.

Leanne's Outfit: The dress is truly gorgeous, but I hate the lump of grey jacket she felt obliged to throw on top of it. The gown, though, is impressive.

Terri's Outfit: Pretty nice, but it just looks like everything else she has done. I wanted her model to take off the jacket so I could see the blouse.

Jerrel's Outfit: The electric blue belt and the jaunty little hat don't fit the rest of the outfit, but other than that, it isn't bad. Not as good as I expected it to be, though.

Korto's Outfit: I love her fabric, and the yellow works where she ended up putting it, down in a kick pleat type thing. In the top, it did look a little like bra straps.

Blayne's Outfit: What the heck was he making? Poofy pantaloons? Not only is the idiot wearing what looks like leftover fabric wrapped around his little addled head, but he made pantaloons. The jacket is interesting, and the shirt doesn't go.

Suede's Outfit: It's nothing really special. I don't know why one would wear a vest with a pretty dress like hat, and it did manage to make his skinny model look a bit hippy - not a good thing.

Stella's Outfit: The pants are nice, and the vest on top was something. I don't know that I was digging it, though.

Kenley's Outfit: The dress was really pretty. Nice job, Kenley.

Terri, Jerell, and Blayne are the middle of the roaders this week. Boo for pantaloons!

Korto is in the top, and her outfit gets good marks. The jacket was very very nice. Joe's outfit is not well made and not cohesive. The skirt didn't match up, the belt didn't match up. Just not good. Kenley pat herself on the back, and talked over Heidi when she was trying to critique her. Diane liked the dress, but Kenley needed to shut the heck up. The other judges liked it. Stella's outfit was badly tailored, and the cape was not a 40's cape, it was called a "dracula cape". Not good. Leanne's outfit (even the jacket) was well received. They loved the ruffles on the back. Suede's outfit was called unflattering with a superfluous slit in back. The herringbone didn't go at all, and Michael says it looked like the model got dressed in the dark. Ouch.

Korto is safe, and not the winner. Leanne is the winner, and I am thrilled. Her dress was simply and utterly astounding. The jacket I was not thrilled with, but I guess it was a look. Kenley is safe, and I wonder if she was on her way to cry some more. Suede's design was not bad enough to get Suede booted this week. So, it's down to Stella and Joe. The trash bag didn't do her in, but Diane von Furstenberg did. Stella's out. I won't miss her. Joe needs to step it up and get his act together on the hems. Stella pretty much said F-you to the whole Project Runway experience. "If you like my designs, com buy it, if not, keep walking." She will be happy to get back to all Leatha all the Time.

Can't wait for next week! (And sorry if I am a bit off this week, I have a little cold)

Survivor Gabon: The Cast and First Thoughts

Just a few more weeks until the next version of Survivor kicks off with a 2 hour premiere - in HD no less! The cast list has been released, and Zap2it has a nice photo gallery. If you click on each of the names, it will link to their profile on the CBS website.

Name: Ace Gordon
Age: 27
Hometown: Naples, Florida
Occupation: Fashion photographer

My thoughts: He was raised in London, so he's got an accent, and that could be cool, but he also proclaims what a flirt he is on his bio, and that could get annoying real fast. It's a fine line between charming and irritating, and I will have to see which side of that line he falls on when the show starts. His bio also states that he had a "privileged" upbringing, and that right there sounds arrogant to me. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but he's not a favorite right off the bat.

Name: Robert "Bob" Crowley
Age: 58
Hometown: Portland, Maine
Occupation: Physics teacher

My thoughts: How cute! They are trying to recreate the Yau Man phenomenon! According to his bio, he considers himself a cross between Indiana Jones and Robinson Crusoe. Hope that doesn't mean that he is afraid of snakes and needs a manservant. He could be very interesting to watch, and has a lot of experience in different situations. If he can handle the physical part of the game, he could be one to watch.

Name: Charlie Herschel
Age: 29
Hometown: New York City
Occupation: Lawyer

My thoughts: He's a marathoner, so the physical game might be not so tough on him, and he's also a lawyer, so he might be able to conive his way through the mental parts. He's also an Ivy Leaguer, so he is probably pretty smart. Is he the Todd of this season?

Name: Corinne Kaplan
Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles
Occupation: Pharmaceutical Sales Rep

My thoughts: A self-described bitch? She seems to be my usual least favorite type of player. Her bio descibes her as a catty former sorority girl, and she sounds like she is straight from central casting. I wonder what her employer thinks when reading that she is in it all for the money? The way the bio sounds, it seems that she means her job AND the game. We'll see. I hope that she twists her ankle and we don't have to be subjected to her for too long. I know my brother will disagree, because she is pretty.

Name: Crystal Cox
Age: 29
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Occupation: Former Olympic athlete

My thoughts: How better to tie into the Olympics than to have a former Olympian on board? She looks like a strong, tough, and nice woman - she works as a childcare teacher when not competing. That's pretty cool. She could be well-rounded and interesting. Wonder if her tribemates will recognize her? She is probably one to watch.

Name: Dan Kay
Age: 32
Hometown: Boston
Occupation: Lawyer

My thoughts: Another lawyer? His name is Dan Kay. I almost with he went by Danny. Almost. He's got a sob story childhood, with a disabled father and full-time working mother supporting them all. He was a high school football star. He recently took a hiatis from work and sold some property to focus on the little things in life. He could go either way. I could love him, or he could be a pompous ass. We'll see.

Name: Danny "GC" Brown
Age: 26
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Occupation: Maintenance man

My thoughts: I hope that having someone from Oregon on doesn't lessen my brother's eventual chances of getting on the show. He's going to apply soon. On to GC. He has survived being homeless, and he works as a maintenance man for an apartment complex. That could prepare him for putting up with a lot of the stuff he is going to hear about from his fellow tribemates. He could be one to watch, if he doesn't fizzle out quickly.

Name: Gillian Larson
Age: 61
Hometown: Temecula, California
Occupation: Retired nurse

My thoughts: This tough chickie has applied to Survivor 15 times! That's persistance! Her bio claims that she is very active - mountain climbing and the like - and I would enjoy seeing an older woman kicking some butt on this show. She has been married to her husband for 37 years, so I worry about the emotional isolation for her. I have hopes for her.

Name: Jacquie Berg
Age: 25
Hometown: Santa Barbara, California
Occupation: Medical device sales rep

My thoughts: Another real beauty, it'll be interesting to see how she plays in contrast to Corrine. She describes herself as sweet and enthusiastic, and I instantly like her more than Miss Bitch. She's got some possibilities. Did I mention that she's gorgeous?

Name: Jessica "Sugar" Kiper
Age: 29
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Occupation: Pin-up model

My thoughts: Wonder what she will look like after her make-up has all worn off and she is forced to go au naturel. If she is as spunky as her bio promises, she could be some fun. If she is really just in it to get her face on tv and get some exposure, I don't have high hopes for her. I'll reserve judgement until I see how willing she is to get dirty.

Name: Kelly Czarnecki
Age: 22
Hometown: Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Occupation: Retail sales

My thoughts: Yet another little hottie, she could be more than she appears. She has 3 brothers, and that could be enough to make a girl strong and tough. Wonder how her "denim expertise" is going to serve her in a situation where clothing is limited. She claims to be a leader. We'll see how she comes across.

Name: Ken Hoang
Age: 22
Hometown: Westminster, California
Occupation: Professional gamer

My thoughts: Ah, the Professional Gamer. Maybe his uber-strong thumbs will help him in challenges involving holding onto ropes. He did climb Mt. Fuji at 20, but who knows if he will be strong enough for Survivor? I kind of want to root for him, but I don't know how fruitful that will be.

Name: Marcus Lehman
Age: 28
Hometown: Atlanta
Occupation: Doctor

My thoughts: He was named Georgia's hottest bachelor by Cosmo in 2006. He's still a resident, and I wonder how he got time off to play Survivor. He could be good, but he could also be really cocky. I smell a potential hook-up between him and one of the young hotties. He seems the type.

Name: Matty Whitmore
Age: 29
Hometown: Pacific Palisades, California
Occupation: Personal trainer

My thoughts: Matty? Really? I don't think that I can like him - he got an inheritance at 18 and partied it all away. That's just stupid. He could surprise me, and maybe he has learned enough from past mistakes to be a decent player. But, dude. His dog's name is Dink. I don't know if I can like a guy who does that to a dog.

Name: Michelle Chase
Age: 24
Hometown: Los Angeles
Occupation: Music producer

My thoughts: She's just adorable. She was married and divorced by 19, and she describes herself as bodacious and hard core. She might be one to watch. She's also a triathelete. That could be very good for the game.

Name: Paloma Soto-Castillo
Age: 24
Hometown: Downey, California
Occupation: Student

My thoughts: They didn't pick any plain looking girls this year, did they? Another gorgeous girl, her parents were missionaries, and she moved to Kenya all by herself and lived among the natives for three months. That's pretty bad ass. She wants to open an orphanage in Kenya with any winnings from Survivor. Noble. She might be one to watch. She's used to roughing it.

Name: Randy Bailey
Age: 49
Hometown: Eagle Rock, Missouri
Occupation: Wedding Videographer

My thoughts: This guy looks like a grade A jackass. He calls himself a bully who likes to pick on inferior people. Yeah, that'll make him popular around camp. He's competed in triathalonsa and Ironman triathalons, so he ought to be strong and have endurance, but that can't make up for being a complete jerk.

Name: Susie Smith
Age: 47
Hometown: Charles City, Iowa
Occupation: Hairdresser

My thoughts: She might be interesting to watch. She is the child of Mexican immigrant field crop workers, and she currently teaches ESL to K-8 kids and also works as a hairdresser. She's been married for 25 years, so again, the social isolation might be tough for her. She might be a very neat character. We'll see.

So, your thoughts?

My vote for first out, sight unseen = Randy
My vote for winner, sight unseen = Paloma