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The Amazing Race: Dude, where's my cab?

adriennj — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:22:36 -0500

In truth, it was a smart move, not nice, but what the gay brothers did to the Americas was in the realm of gamesmanship rather than villainy.

But those brothers are just so annoying, aren't they?

Perpetual leg winners Meghan & Cheyne leave first, getting the clue that sends the teams to Prague to the town square where they have to figure out that a praga is a vintage car. The guy in the praga will give them the next clue.

When the gay brothers hear they are going to Prague, one of them wonders if they speak Spanish there. The other calls Prague a country. So they're annoying and dim.

The gay brothers are still talking about the Globetrotters as enemies because of the foot race from last week, in which the GTs felt one of the brothers deliberately knocked down Flight Time. The GTs, however, say they are cool with the brothers now. So the brothers are annoying, dim and petty.

The Americas say they will watch the fighting and just be nice and sneak in. Of course, this is Mr. America talking because we know Miss America is not all that interested in being nice.

At the airport, all the teams will get on the same flight. Meghan & Cheyne head for a computer and find out what a praga is. Meghan decides that they should tell the other teams that a praga is a hat or something else ridiculous o throw them off. As she discusses this with Cheyne, Mr. America notes that Meghan just isn't trustworthy. The plan falls apart anyway when the GTs go to a computer and find out what a praga is as well.

The teams get off the flight and scramble for cabs, except for the Americas. Mr. America was told on the flight that the fastest way to get to the square was by shuttle and subway. Miss America says she hopes he's making the right decision, which seems reason enough to not take the risk because you know if it doesn't pay off Mr. America will get major attitude.

Meghan & Cheyne get to the square first with the gay brothers right behind them. The gay brothers see them running to the car; they won't have to wander around trying to figure out what a praga is.

The clue sends them to an outdoor adventure center.

Meanwhile, things are looking bad for Mr. America; the shuttle is stuck in a line of traffic. They jump out and catch a cab. Mr. America admits it was a risk that didn't pay off; he won't blame the person that gave him bad advice nor his wife. Miss America stops him to point out that it was his decision. She will blame someone. She will blame him. We tried to tell you, Mr. America.

The outdoor adventure center clue leads to a detour. Fast & Furious involves a rough ride down a rafting course. As the teams goes down the course, they must grab a clue from a line above them. If they flip before they get the clue, they have to start again.

Slow and steady involves scaling a line course that's about two stories above the water. The clue is on a ribbon at the end of the course.

Meghan & Cheyne and the GTs take slow and steady; the gay brothers choose fast and furious.

The Americas are still looking for the praga.

The gay brothers get in the raft. They fuss. They flip.

The Americas find the praga.

Big Easy is having a hard time on the line. He's so heavy he's practically in the water. Flight Time, on the other hand, zips by Meghan & Cheyne.

The gay brothers get in the raft a second time. They fuss. They flip.

Flight Time gets to the end of the line and gets the clue. Now he must wait for Big (and heavy) Easy.

The line worker asks Flight Time to descend from the platform. Flight Time is moving slow; he's tired from pulling himself across the line. But Cheyne accuses him of being slow on purpose to give Big Easy time to finish and slow Meghan & Cheyne's departure. Cheyne's accusation gives Flight Time a good idea; he'll go down slow on purpose so that Big Easy will have time to finish and he can slow Meghan & Cheyne's departure.

On the ground, Flight Time lets Meghan know that he does not appreciate Cheyne's accusation. But, uh, thanks for the idea.

The gay brothers begin their third attempt by fussing.

Meghan & Cheyne are first to leave with the clue which is in Czech; they must figure out that it's the name of a theater.

The gay brothers see Meghan & Cheyne and then the GTs leaving. They flip again.

The Americas arrive at the adventure zone and ask their taxi to wait.

The gay brothers switch to the slow and steady detour. The Americas do slow and steady as well.

Over Cheyne's objections, Meghan invites the GTs to go to the next clue with them. The GTs were going to follow them anyway because they were right behind them but we think Meghan feels guilty because of Flight Time's annoyance at Cheyne's accusation.

They are about to get on a train to the destination where Cheyne spots a cab. He calls Meghan and demands they bail and leave the GTs. Meghan thinks he's being rude. Cheyne thinks Meghan is being ridiculous.

The GTs get on the train and Flight Time calls Cheyne an ass. From the train they can see the gay brothers scaling the line.

Miss America is trying to scale the line and she does not appreciate her husband's advice on how best to do it. Don't make her come off that line and sock you, Mr. America.

In the cab, Cheyne is unapologetic about snagging the cab. Meghan points out that he could have done it more politely because the GTs are the type to get motivated when they are pissed off. This makes Cheyne think.

Still Cheyne & Meghan arrive at the theater first and get the road block. One member of the team has to search the opera house for a tiny mandolin and bring it to the opera singer portraying Don Giovanni to get the next clue.

Cheyne heads out into the opera house rows and rooms and finds what is not a tiny instrument; he brings it to Don Giovanni who laughs and says no.

On the subway, Big Easy hopes to catch up to Cheyne and stick it to him, just as Meghan predicted.

At the opera house, Cheyne picks up another not-tiny instrument.

The gay brothers finish on the line first. They ask the Americas waiting cab driver about the clue and find out it's a theater. Then they offer him extra money to go with them and leave the Americas.

Mr. America sees they are trying to steal the cab and tells his wife. Her reaction: Oh hell no!

But alas, the cabbie says hell yes and leaves with the gay brothers.

It's on, says Miss America.

By now, the GTs have arrived and Flight Time waits with Meghan. He decides to accompany the opera singer with a little ballet. He's quite graceful.

In another cab, Mr. America insists that deep down the gay brothers feel guilty for stealing their cab. Miss America is not as certain. It's clear that Mr. America is more Miss America-like than Miss America. Can't you see him asking for world peace too?

At the opera house, Flight Time sings an opera about the temporarily missing Big Easy.

Unfortunately, there will be no revenge for the GTs. Cheyne finds the tiny instrument first. Yet, Big Easy is actually glad because he was tired of hearing Meghan yell Cheyne 50,000 times.

Meghan & Cheyne get the clue; it sends them to the pit stop at the Prague castle. They arrive first and get a trip to Hawaii.

The gay brothers are next to find the tiny instrument. When they are leaving for the pit stop, they pass the Americas. They admit to avoiding eye contact with Mr. America. Let's see that makes them annoying, dim, petty and cowardly.

It's a race between the GTs and the gay brothers. The gay brothers make it to the pit stop first. At the pit stop, Big Easy embraces the brothers and tells Phil there's some tension with other teams because 'somebody" stole a cab. The brothers are not amused at being exposed.

Miss America finally finds a tiny mandolin and they head for the pit stop. They are last but it's the second non-elimination.

Mr. America says he believes that the race can be won by playing fair. Miss America says nothing.

Were there any SNL highlights last night?

brookecain — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:08:34 -0500

Last night's SNL fell into the "not bad" category for me. Not as strong as the Taylor Swift show two weeks ago, but light years better than the January Jones show last week.

Host Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a solid job. He was enthusiastic and showed versatility, he just wasn't all that funny. His opening bit recreating Donald O'Connor's famous "Make 'Em Laugh" song and dance number from "Singing in the Rain" was ambitious, but became pretty manic by the end.

Another highlight: musical guest Dave Matthews did a really funny and spookily dead on impression of Ozzy Osbourne.

But my favorite sketch is one I almost missed because it came at the very end. Gordon-Levitt played John Cusack's Lloyd Dobler from "Say Anything," standing in a trenchcoat with Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" blasting over his head. The funny part was Jason Sudeikis as the annoying neighbor who keeps needling Dobler, eventually bringing out his own boombox blasting Phil Collins (for a Genesis reunion).

Watch the sketch below:

Chapel Hill novelist interviewed on UNC-TV

brookecain — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:15:00 -0500

Chapel Hill author Kate Betterton will discuss her novel "Where the Lake Becomes the River" today on "NC Bookwatch" on UNC-TV.

Betterton's book is about an artist in Mississippi who passes up college to care for her mother, and finds herself taking a chance that lands her in the middle of the Civil Rights movement and in the middle of an unexpected romance.

Betterton won the 2008 Novello Literary Award for "Where the Lake Becomes the River."

"NC Bookwatch" airs at 5pm on UNC-TV.

What to Watch on Sunday: JFK specials and one last Seinfeld reunion

brookecain — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:45:00 -0500

The Simpsons (8pm, Fox) - Jonah Hill lends voice to a legendary prankster from Springfield Elementary who at age 19, shows Bart that he hasn't outgrown his mischievous ways.

Did the Mob Kill JFK? (8pm, Discovery) - On the 46th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination, Discovery has two specials looking at his death. First, an examination of evidence suggesting a mob connection to the shooting, and then at 9pm, "JFK: The Ruby Connection" looks at motives of Jack Ruby in his murder of Lee Harvey Oswald.

American Music Awards (8pm, ABC) - Performers include Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Carrie Underwood, Jay-Z, and many more. Michael Jackson is posthumously nominated for five awards.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (9pm, HBO) - In the one-hour seventh season finale, Larry misses out on time with Cheryl to do a favor related to the "Seinfeld" reunion.

The Oprah Effect (10pm, CNBC) - A look at how Oprah Winfrey can turn entrepreneurs into millionaires.

What to Watch on Saturday: Flashback to Dave Matthews and Pearl Jam

brookecain — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0500

48 Hours Mystery (9pm, CBS) - Saturday night is typically a night of network repeats, but 48 Hours has two new back-to-back episodes. The first show is about a con artist who assumes several identities in order to gain admission to Ivy League schools; the second episode is about the murder of a Phoenix art dealer whose Las Vegas showgirl ex-wife is the main suspect in his death.

Saturday Night Live (11:30, NBC) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("3rd Rock from the Sun" kid actor turned movie star) is the guest host. Dave Matthews Band is the musical guest.

Austin City Limits (12midnight, UNC-TV) - Keep your 90s groove going with Pearl Jam, who plays classic songs and songs from their 2009 album "Backspacer."

NC woman walks away from million dollar question

brookecain — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:04:36 -0500

The Concord woman who had a shot at one million dollars on today's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" by correctly answering one question, walked away from the question even though she knew the answer.

Jehan Shamsid-Deen was asked the following: "A rare example of the word that rhymes with 'orange,' the Blorenge is a what? A: River in Ireland, B: Forest in Scotland, C: Mountain in Wales, D: Desert in Australia."

Do you know the answer?

Jehan, who describes herself "proud to be a nerd," immediately eliminated Australia and was leaning toward C: Mountain in Wales. But she wasn't sure. So in the end she walked away with $250,000, making Sam Murray the $1 million winner.

And the whole time she was right. The answer was C: Mountain in Wales.

Oprah's teary goodbye

adriennj — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:15:43 -0500

Here's an excerpt from today's Oprah show, where she explains why she made her decision to walk away from her network show in 18 months:

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcchicago.com/video.

The Office recap: Limos are for closers

LJPerez — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:20:37 -0500

There's a great line by Michael Scott at the end of Thursday night's episode, as he, Oscar, Andy and Dwight are sprinting out of the Dunder-Mifflin shareholders' meeting to steal a limo from a company executive.

Anyone who has suffered through this recession working for — or getting laid off by — a company top-heavy with senior management and short on survival strategies had to cheer Michael's explanation for claiming a fat cat's ride back to Scranton.

"Limos are for people who make the company money, not lose millions and have no plan," Michael says.

I can think of at least a few real-world parallels to cite here from the newspaper industry, but I think I'll pull an Oscar and keep my mouth shut. I don't want to tempt the boss to move my cubicle into a coat closet with no Internet service.

As inconsistent as this show has become, when The Office still works, Michael Scott can careen from buffoon to truth-teller and back in one episode. He's still a boob who rehearses his wave and twirl after the company invites him, as the sole branch manager turning a profit, to New York City for the shareholders' meeting.

It never occurs to Michael, who brings along his Scranton posse of Andy, Dwight and Oscar to New York in the limo the cash-strapped company sent for him, that he shouldn't whisper questions into his live microphone about Dunder-Mifflin going bankrupt. And sure, his desperate need to win over the angry shareholders leads him to promise them a 45-day plan to fix the company and go carbon-neutral.

"Day 45, company saved. Day 44, go! What do we got?" Michael asks the company executives during break in the meeting.

But when Dunder-Mifflin's CEO belittles Michael and demands "Where's the off button on this moron?" Michael morphs into Michael Moore. (Or at least into a better-dressed version armed with the pride that comes with winning 17 'Dundee' awards.)

"You're the moron," Michael fires back.

The room is full of overpaid, overfed company executives who have never known the glory of the Scranton branch's annual employee awards, doled out in the back room of a Chili's, and they don't want to hear Michael's pep talk. Dunder-Mufflin's CEO, unaccustomed to being called a moron, tells CFO David Wallace that Michael's backtalk has earned him a bus ride back to Scranton, forget the limo.

But he wasn't counting on Michael snaking a limo from outside the hotel, and as the Scranton crew pulls away, a stock ticker flashing outside shows that Dunder Mifflin's stock — DMI, or "Dummies, Morons and Idiots, because that's what you'd have to be to own it," according to Oscar — is down almost another 7 points.

Back in Scranton, Jim is flexing his co-manager muscles in an attempt to prove to his colleagues that he is too the boss. Apparently he strikes so little fear in them that Phyllis doesn't think twice about taking a two-hour lunch with her husband Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration and then admitting to Jim that she's a little tipsy.

When he discovers that Ryan has been undermining his authority by telling everyone that Jim doesn't have as much power as Michael, Jim moves Ryan into the coat closet for some solitary confinement. With that subtle move, everyone else in the office snaps back to work.

Now that's management.

Project Runway: She's in... but did she cheat?

sadialatifi — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:12:28 -0500

Collections from Irina, Carol Hannah and Althea

Last night's finale saw major sniffles, a minor meltdown from Tim, a made-up runway show and maybe some cheating? (It was also brought to you by the letter 'M', apparently.)
Carol Hannah relapses, and the first part of the episode is spent watching her retch and cry. I feel bad but let's move along, you know? Tim's meltdown is built-up but he's really just mad because everybody's behind the day of the runway show.
I won't recap the entire episode, but here's what you need to know about Bryant Park:
In actuality, Lifetime and Bravo were still battling over the rights to Project Runway when the show in Bryant Park took place. That means the designers never actually got to introduce their collections or walk down with their models (they couldn't spoil the top three because the show was nowhere close to being aired by then.) All of those segments were taped before the real runway show, which explains the shoddy editing work. I would've preferred to see the "real thing" and hear about some of the production drama. From what I have read, Heidi was also very upset for the designers themselves because they couldn't stand by their work and get recognized.
Irina's all-black collection is an homage to New York, remember? She had to re-do her t-shirts because of the Coney Island images on her shirts weren't hers last week. So what does Irina do? She creates a t-shirt that plagiarizes New York magazine's "Reasons to Love New York" issue. It is dumbfounding to me, as a former New York magazine intern and New Yorker. It is NOT that hard to come up with your reasons to love New York. Not hard at all.
But her work is polished, even though the idea of the "warrior woman" battling New York isn't novel, Michael says. Heidi would like to own several of the pieces in the collection, and Nina wishes there was some more color.
Carol Hannah's collection (inspired by Duke) has great color, draping and tailoring but the pieces don't really tell a narrative. The judges say that the collection isn't cohesive, even though the individual looks are beautiful. I have to agree - I love Carol Hannah's dresses but I don't really see how they all fit together - except in their use of draping, which wasn't enough to tie them all together.
Althea's combination has a lot of pieces, which is impressive, but I didn't really buy her "futuristic" concept. Neither did the judges. If she was going for the future, she should've pushed the envelope a bit more and done some different styling on her models. Leather does not equal future. The clothes were attractive, though, and Michael was impressed that she designed sportswear. Her last three looks were a bit off and belonged to a different show. Althea's downfall is that she tries to "hit too many notes," as Heidi said, at once.
In the end, Althea has the best "connection to the streets" and Carol Hannah has impeccable tailoring - but neither of their collections told a tale on the runway.
Irina, unsurprisingly, takes the top title. Her helmets were a good way to unify an all-black collection and her t-shirts lightened the ominous pieces. The show actually taped such a long time ago that it's doubtful anything will come out of her using someone else's words.
And that closes out a mediocre finale. While I appreciate runways of wearable looks, it was sort of sad to not see a more ambitious designer this season who could dabble in high fashion like Christian Siriano.
Season 7 - back in New York - starts in January; woo-hoo!

Screening tonight for TV show filmed in Apex

brookecain — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

The feature film version of a children's television show filmed in Apex will be screened tonight as part of the town's Peak City Film Festival.

The "Rusty Bucket Kids Club" is an educational program about a group of kids who form an adventure club to explore their town, then find a magical portal which transports them back in time to meet famous figures from American history.

The beloved former WRAL anchor Charlie Gaddy makes an appearance on the program, as does WRAL's Mark Roberts. The show stars local young actors Roxanna and John Coleman Demers.

Production on the show wrapped earlier this month and producers hope the series will begin airing locally in February. So far there's no indication as to which local station might broadcast it, but considering the involvement of Gaddy and Roberts, you have to think Capital Broadcasting Company wants a shot.

For tickets to tonight's premiere, visit the Rusty Buckets Kids Club ticket site.

What to Watch on Friday: Mr. Monk gets his badge

brookecain — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0500

Law & Order (8pm, NBC) - An elderly man is forced to defend his store from an armed robber, but Lupo and Bernard suspect an ulterior motive.

Ghost Whisperer (8pm, CBS) - Melinda worries about Aiden when he's befriended by the ghost of a little girl who died with leukemia.

Monk (9pm, USA) - Monk is finally reinstated to the San Francisco police force, and his first case, tracking down a serial killer, is more challenging than he anticipated. We see the return of Trudy tonight (Brooke Adams) and the show has promised us resolution on her murder, so expect developments on that. After this, only two episodes left.

20/20 (10pm, ABC) - Another day, another Sarah Palin interview.

Q&A: Yes, that Jerry Mathers coming to Apex

lchavez — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Jerry Mathers has been a working actor since age 2 — a cool 59 years. But in between starring as the "The Beav" on the iconic sitcom "Leave it to Beaver" and starring on Broadway in "Hairspray" in 2007, Mathers played high school football, earned a philosophy degree, served in the Air Force National Guard, worked in banking, real estate and health advocacy and owned commercial property and a catering business.

The last few months, Mathers has been traveling throughout the U.S. on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance bus to raise awareness about diabetes, cancer, heart disease and asthma.

He will be in Apex on Friday to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Peak City Film Festival, which features the family entertainment that Mathers has been involved with his entire acting career.

Q: So why did you agree to come out to Apex for the Peak City Film Festival and accept the lifetime achievement award?

A: I know John (Demers, executive producer of the film festival). I worked on a movie with him (Will to Power) in North Carolna.

Q: I'm sure you get asked to a lot of events like this so why this film festival? Did it have anything to do with the family TV element?

A: Obviously that would be one of the things that drew me to it. John told me it was family friendly. It's one of those things; obviously I could be working all the time if I wanted to do something (that wasn't family friendly). Basically TV these days is a lot of reality shows. Honestly, I don't watch much because it isn't very interesting. ...

"Leave it to Beaver" Is the longest running scripted show on TV; it has been running somewhere for 52 years. It's a show you can watch together and adults will relate, kids will relate, even teens will relate to Wally. My youngest is 23. TV these days, it's embarrassing to sit there and watch a show and it's stuff you may not want your kids to see or know.

Q: What are you up to now?

A: I just filmed the Time-Life 60s Explosion [infomercial]. I'm traveling with Partnership for Prescription Assistance to give uninsured and underinsured people, who are struggling, the medication for chronic diseases they need for free or almost free. ... I was also at SAS (in Cary) a few weeks ago and did a satellite meeting where they introduced 200 new medications.

I have diabetes so I was specifically interested in two of the meds.

(Mathers talks about his health advocacy work in Tuesday's Life section of The N&O.)

Q: You have a Philosophy degree from the University of California in Berkeley. What would you be doing without the notoriety of being a child TV star?

A: Actually I paid for college with my "Leave it to Beaver" money. I probably would have been an attorney. At Cal, the leading majors in law school were history, English and philosophy. You do a lot of briefs and a lot of writing.

I had invested the money and was living off the dividends to put myself through school. The manager at the bank I was working at at the time told me, "Hey, you could spend three years in law school or the day you get out you can come and work in my management program and learn all you need to know about business. I thought about it and it sounded like a pretty good deal. After college, I worked at the bank for two or three years. Then I worked as a loan officer. Then I realized I was approving all these loans for people in real estate who were working on commission and making more money than I was on salary so I went into commercial real estate.

Q: You stopped working as an actor during that time?

A: Mostly until I worked with Tony again. Tony Dow (who played Wally on "Leave it to Beaver") had always worked as an actor. I walked away at 13 to go to high school and play sports (football, track, swimming). I went back to acting after college after I learned about banking, loans, and business.

Then Tony and I did one play that sold out in Kansas City for 18 months. New York and Hollywood saw that and said, well if they're that popular doing something that has nothing to do with "Leave it to Beaver" we should do a remake. Then I tried to retire and put on all that weight.

Q: You seemed to have weathered that middle period after being a kid actor just fine. Others have not. Was there a hard part for you?

A: It wasn't hard at all. I had been working since I was two years old. I loved going to the studio. I did "Leave it to Beaver" for six years. We did 39 episodes per year. We'd do four weeks of PR in New York and two weeks in Chicago then come back and take a break then start back again. I had a wonderful time doing it. But I had a private tutor so I was not around other kids. Even the school scenes, which we did maybe once every three or four shows, we'd do those in one or two days.

At the end of the series, the studio came to my Dad and said, "We have a movie and a series we'd like Jerry to do." My dad asked me what I wanted to do. At that time, a lot of kid actors were supporting their families. My dad was principal of the largest school in the Los Angeles Unified School District and later retired as a superintendent. I didn't have that worry.

I said, "No. I want to go to regular school. I want to play sports." Then when I graduated from college, I had three choices. I could get drafted, enlist or go to Canada. So the next six years I was in the Air Force National Guard. I didn't really have any time to get into trouble.

I did work in between all those times. I did all sorts of other shows like "Batman" and "My Three Sons" but only during the summer. People would try to hire me during the school year and I'd say, "No I have to go to football practice or I can't play."

Q: I don't know how to ask this question. I guess I want to ask you to look at your acting career and tell me what part makes you most proud?

A: I think I am most proud of going to Broadway (doing Hairspray at the Neil Simon Theater) even though I have had the longest running show in television history. Very few people get to perform on Broadway. I was doing standing room only shows and it was a musical. The plays I'd done before that were mostly dramas and comedies. Musicals are very hard. They're the hardest kind. ...

If you had asked me two or three years ago, I'd have said I'd never go for Broadway. Maybe I'd do a comedy, not a musical. They were doing 75 and 80 percent of capacity before I came and 90 percent while I was there. I was playing Wilbur (Tracy Turnblad's father) and I think he has one of the best songs ("Timeless to Me") in the whole show.

It's something I'm very, very proud of because it was a real challenge. The last song, "You Can't Stop the Beat" lasts 14 minutes and I'm on stage for 12 of it. There are 35 performers and dancers on stage and every second beat you're doing some cheerleading move and if you're one beat off you throw everyone off. That's pressure.

My agent had called me and said, "Hey let's go to New York to see this show." And I said, "OK, sure." Then he said, "One catch, you have to audition." And I said, "What do you mean?" He said, "Well at least you can say you auditioned for a Broadway show." I said, "OK." And he said, "There's just one other little thing." By that time I was laughing. Turns out it was a regular audition with Broadway veterans. If he'd say, go try out for a musical, I would have said I can't do it. I had a band in high school but it was like a garage band playing rock and roll.

I had nothing to lose so I'm very, very proud of that. Broadway is only like 200 years old so not many actors have trampled those floorboards. I hate to say it it's a very elite group of actors. That's the nice thing about where I am. A lot of actors are poor; they have to do things to pay the bills. I'm lucky enough not to be in that position right now. Knock on wood, I won't be.

North Carolina woman could win $1 million today on "Millionaire" game show

brookecain — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

A North Carolina woman has an excellent shot at winning $1 million today when she competes against one other finalist in the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Million Dollar Tournament of Ten."

Jehan Shamsid-Deen of Concord will go up against Sam Murray of Philadelphia on today's show, which airs at 12:30pm on ABC (WTVD locally). Murray is the tournament leader, but Jehan can take the prize if she answers her final question correctly. Believe it or not, her million dollar question is "rhymes with orange" related. If she misses her question or chooses not to answer, Sam Murray is the $1 million winner.

Jehan works as an officer for a non-profit in Concord. She is the top seed in the Tournament as well as the top "Millionaire" winner this season. She won $250,000 on the show just last month.

Oprah to quit in 2011

adriennj — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:04:27 -0500

Broadcasting and Cable is reporting that Oprah Winfrey will end her long-running talk show after her 25th season draws to a close in 2011. She'll make an announcement on the air Friday.

Actually, WABC (the New York ABC owned station) was the first to report the news on its web site, then Harpo Productions, Oprah's company, confirmed it.

Oprah apparently won't say what's next but she is starting her own cable network with Discovery; OWN will replace Discovery Health Network.

Blogger Nikki Finke reported recently that Oprah would move her talk show to OWN.

Auditions this weekend for "the new face of CW22"

brookecain — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:15:00 -0500

CW22 is holding auditions this weekend for someone to represent "the new face of CW22."

The local station is seeking a TV personality who can reach out to the youth market through social media networks and also through appearances at special events and on television.

Could that be you? Auditions will be held in the music recital hall at Peace College from 10am to 4pm Saturday, November 21. For eligibility rules and more info, check out their website.

Canceled: Jon & Kate Plus Eight (Thank goodness!)

adriennj — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:46:29 -0500

Well, it's about time.

It's certainly not a surprise that TLC has announced that it's ending "Jon & Kate Plus Eight," its little show that became a hit and then a sideshow as Jon & Kate Gosselin's marriage unraveled and the two decided to play their anger out on TV.

The series finale will air Monday at 9 p.m.

The last show will feature the parents on separate outings with their children. Jon will take them to a fire station near their home; Kate will take them to a local dairy farm. Then the two will reflect on all that's happened and what the future might hold.

You might remember that, in September, the show was going to become "Kate Plus Eight" but Jon put a stop to it by; he decided he didn't want his kids on TV anymore. The Associated Press reports that while Kate won't get that show, a TLC spokesperson said that "We are focusing on the launch of Kate's new series in early spring."

"Cake Boss" will take the "Jon & Kate" time slot.

Since the "we're divorcing" episode pulled in more than 10 million viewers, the show's ratings have dropped to less than a million viewers. So, will you watch this last episode of "Jon & Kate Plus Eight" or do you just not care?

Top Chef: In the end, taste is king

sadialatifi — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0500

Last night saw, perhaps, Top Chef's most difficult challenge: the remaining five challengers had to participate in a shortened version of Bocuse d'Or, an international "Food Olympics" for chefs. (That's really all I know about it, admittedly, so Wikipedia away!)
Each competitor had to prepare an elaborate, technically impressive platter of a protein and two creative, intricately-presented garnishes for a panel of 12 judges.
You could tell that it was a doozy of a challenge - because everyone made mistakes:
Coming from a much-needed Quickfire win (Padma said "Welcome back"), Jennifer gained back some of her confidence and her win allowed her 30 extra minutes to prepare her platter, a salmon and caviar dish. Everything tasted good - except for the undercooked salmon. The platter was visually intriguing, Padma said, but the whole vision of the dish wasn't well thought-out.
The Volt Bros. also made some surprising mistakes. I was expecting one of them to win the challenge because this time around, elaborate, uber-fancy technique seemed to be the most important factor. Bryan's dish was largely successful - the panel of Very Important Judges were impressed with his skills - but he undercooked the lamb! (Also, how good did that orzo au grain look?)
Michael's salmon dish was supposed to be "Mediterranean" but the mix of cous cous, cauliflower, chickpeas and crab didn't really work for the judges. The platter looked good but there was "a total lack of harmony" in composition. His salmon was perfect, though, but one of the Very Important Judges had a bone in his fish. Yikes.
Eli's lamb was undercooked and imprecise.
Kevin seemed to be having a real off day. He looked seriously unkempt during the whole episode. His lamb loin was delicious but was a little "elementary," judges said. This is where I thought Kevin was going to be docked for his lack of technical skill, something the Volt. Bros proudly acknowledge every episode. (Wow, they're jerks.)
But but but - Kevin STILL wins. I'm shocked. He gets $30,000 and will represent the USA int the 2011 Bocuse d'Or challenge.
I guess, in the end, taste is king. I thought for sure that Bryan would win, but the undercooked lamb was damning.
Eli left, which I thought made a lot of sense because he's given a real uneven performance this season. That leaves Jennifer, Volt Bros. and Kevin.
The next episode will see them out of Las Vegas and somewhat more well-rested for the Top Chef finals. Now that Jennifer is back on her game, I'm not sure I can easily say she'll be the next to leave. But I still think it'll happen. From the looks of it, judging is going to be tough!

Uncanceled: NBC's "Trauma" revived

brookecain — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:08:01 -0500

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that NBC is reversing its earlier decision not to renew the freshman medical series "Trauma."

The site says sources at NBC have told them that NBC is not only producing all 13 episodes from their original order, but that they plan to order more.

So far, there has been no confirmation from NBC.

A recent increase in ratings was cited as the reason for the network's reversal. There's some interesting speculation on that ratings theory here at TVByTheNumbers.

Happy Birthday Rocky & Bullwinkle!

adriennj — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:39:26 -0500

Fifty years ago today, ABC debuted the show featuring our favorite animated moose and squirrel, Rocky & Bullwinkle.

Or more formally, Rocket J. Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose.

Remember?

Bullwinkle: Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.
Rocky: Again?

Created by Jay Ward, the cartoon was a witty, pun-riddled parody of Cold War politics. The best friends lived in Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, and did battle with the incompetent Russian-accented agents (they were from the country of Pottsylvania) little trench coated Boris Badenov and the shapely Natasha Fatale; their bosses were Mr. Big and Fearless Leader.

Some quick trivia: Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, gave Bart, Homer and Grandpa the middle initial "J" in a tribute to Jay Ward.

It's also the anniversary of the Dudley Doright (who was banned in Canada because they didn't like the incompetent Mountie portrayal) and Peabody and Sherman, the time traveling genius dog and his boy assistant, and Aesop and Son of the Fractured Fairytales.

Join the celebration by click on the image at right to see a short clip of Peabody and Sherman coming to visit the Tar Heel state.

Then watch a full episode of Rocky & Bullwinkle shorts and laugh.

So You Think You Can Dance: Results show

adriennj — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:07:36 -0500

Guest blogger Lenni G. wraps up the week:

The show opened with a terrific group dance choreographed by Wade and Amanda Robson. And the music (Imogen Heap doing AHA!) was a perfect match for the routine. Nice Wade and Amanda, really nice.

Nigel, when asked for his opinion about the previous night's competition, said he enjoyed it and that the show was "back on track" apparently in his mind, due to the tough love he showed just about everyone last week. If you say so, Nigel, then it must be true. I am so LOL.

Dancers deemed safe for next week were Ashleigh and Jakob, Ellenore and Ryan, Noelle and Russell, and Kathryn and Legacy. That meant that Karen, Channing and Mollee for the girls, Kevin, Victor and Nathan for the boys, would be dancing for their lives. After the solos, described by Nigel as "mostly better" than last week, the judges went backstage to make their decisions. They ended up being unanimous on their choices for the Bye Bye Train, giving tickets to Channing (not enough personality to go with her superior technique) and Kevin (never really comfortable outside his own style of Hip Hop).

So, starting next week, each couple will do two dances and there will be a new partnership of Karen (Latin specialty) and Victor (Contemporary specialty). The Top Ten will be established and America will finally have total control.

Yes, Nigel, WE will have total control of the results and I can promise you, WE will be fabulous. And one last thing Nigel - it was US who saved Mollee and Nathan last week so you and Mary and Adam could gush all over them this week.

As I said, WE are and will be fabulous.

What to Watch on Thursday: Significant character death on "The Mentalist"

brookecain — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0500

Community (8pm, NBC) - YES. We're looking at a Señor Chang-heavy night on "Community," when Jeff befriends our favorite Asian Spanish teacher and then begins receiving special perks.

Bones (8pm, Fox) - Booth's grandfather (Ralph Waite) moves out of a nursing home and in with Booth, and immediately begins meddling in his personal life and with cases.

Parks & Recreation (8:30pm, NBC) - Leslie + Ron + hunting trip = hilarity. We hope.

Grey's Anatomy (9pm, ABC) - I know there are a lot of "Grey's" haters out there, but there were some juicy developments on last week's show. I'm very concerned about The Chief (right). That development breaks my heart, but also explains a lot.

The Mentalist (10pm, CBS) - I can't for the life of me remember where I read this, but word on the street is that at least one significant character from the show will be killed tonight at the hands of Patrick Jane's nemesis, Red John. The CBS synopsis says the team investigates a death "in the office."

Makeovers and romance on The Biggest Loser Ranch

brookecain — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:51:55 -0500

Our Biggest Loser correspondent, The N&O's Michelle Aldrich, gives us her recap of last night's show.

Host Alison announces right off the bat that this is makeover week and immediately introduces Tim Gunn from (Project Runway) and Tabatha Coffey (Tabatha’s Salon Takeover). The contestants will be at The Four Seasons for hair, makeup and wardrobe, and will then have to give a speech describing their Biggest Loser Journey to a live audience of 300 people.

If there is one word that is increasingly uttered/abused each season, it would be JOURNEY. If we were to play Biggest Loser Bingo, JOURNEY would be the center square. Biggest Loser Drinking Game? JOURNEY would have me slurring my words faster than you can say Jennie-O-Turkey. Sigh.

Allen: looks great and is smiling bigger than we’ve ever seen him. Before he goes onstage, Tim reveals his darling wife and daughter. Much weeping and hugging.

Danny: Why did they have to dye his hair? He looks good anyway. The wife and kids meet him backstage: his overweight daughter who can’t be more than eight years old (so sad) is excited to see how great her Dad looks and can’t wait to start her “own journey.” Ack. Listen up America – if YOU’RE fat, you’re likely making your KIDS fat. Danny has said repeatedly that he needs to be on the Biggest Loser for his family, in more ways than one.

Rudy: They shaved off his beard! Why Tabatha, why? His wife and kids are darling and don’t appear to share his weight issues. In his speech he shares that weight gain started in adolescence as his teenage sister died of leukemia. The camera shows Jillian’s visible surprise at this revelation.

Amanda: Looks cute and is greeted by her Mom.

Rebecca: Looks fab, even though I liked her hair better before, and is met by her skinny sister.

Liz: Now looking much younger than her 49-years, to the delight of her husband and daughter. Her speech is the best: this sassy, Southern grandma delivers a message that so many will recognize: “You cannot be everything to everybody and not take care of yourself.”

Ok, contestants … back to the ranch.

The week’s challenge has them “making it over” a canyon, from 200 feet in the air, and the prize is a 2-week vacation with their family at the new Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge in St. Ridge, Utah.

Liz is freaking out (lots of comical screaming) but manages to complete the challenge with her eyes closed! They all look a bit silly with the cameras on their helmets. And Rudy wins handily.

Enormous banners with their “before” pictures are stripped away to reveal updated photos in their makeover attire. Because they “made it over.” Oh you clever, Biggest Loser producers with your theme concepts.

Back at the ranch kitchen, Bob is concerned that Allen failed to win another challenge. Allen feels that by proving himself to be such a formidable competitor early in the season, he needs to dial it back and minimize the target on his back. Bob has mixed feelings about gameplay, so he segues to plug Ziploc bags.

In the gym for the Last Chance Workout, Jillian’s beating on Rudy. She’s really cranky that he didn’t share the story of losing his sister to cancer. I’m a little mystified: on the one hand, Jillian is definitely of the suck-it-up-and-get-over-it school, but digging through the baggage of food/weight issues allows her to show her softer/deeper side. Good for Rudy, for surviving Jillian’s-Oprah-ness!

Time for the weigh-in!

Danny = 12 (bringing his total to 126 lbs on the ranch – he lost a Jillian!)
Rudy = 16 (he’s now lost 134 – more than ANY other contestant on the ranch!)
Allen = 5 (uhoh!)
Rebecca = 3 (starts crying)
Liz = 3 (dang!)
Amanda = 9 (WTH! This is her biggest loss EVER. She’s never lost more than 5-6 lbs in a week before)

Elimination comes down to Rebecca vs. Liz. We know Amanda will stick w/Rebecca and Danny w/Liz. Rebecca quickly asks to talk with Allen and Rudy privately – she knows they’re the swing votes. As they leave the room, Allen tells Liz, “You need to get some fight. Period.”

A sobbing Rebecca pleads that since she’s never fallen below the yellow line, she deserves a second chance. Eeesh …. Meanwhile, Danny’s been urging Liz to heed Allen’s order. And she does! Her argument isn’t more compelling than Rebecca’s, but we’ll see how the big guys vote.

They sent Rebecca home. Rudy revealed that while he respected her as a competitor and liked her as a friend, he didn’t trust her! Me neither Rudy, not after all the weeks she spent spellbound at the feet of Daniel from Willow Springs! (Rebecca announced last night on The Jay Leno Show that she and Daniel are in love)

The follow-up video shows a warm reception for Rebecca back in Des Moines. She runs her first half-marathon! And says that “her dream is to open a gym for overweight children.” Nice. She will definitely be a contender for the at-home prize!

Next week’s episode will have a segment following up on contestants from previous seasons. Should go nicely with a slice of pumpkin pie …

Which VoltBro wins in Top Chef fist fight? Answer and win dvds.

brookecain — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:09:35 -0500

There's no denying that the Voltaggio Brothers on the current season of "Top Chef" are talented.

They are also pretty arrogant, and at any given moment, act like they want to beat the crap out of each other.

Tell us who you think would win in a fist fight between Bryan and Michael (and why) and we'll give someone a copy of Season 5 of "Top Chef" on dvd. Suitable for regifting! You can post here or email me. Beatdown entries taken till noon (EST) Thursday (November 19).

"Top Chef" airs tonight on Bravo at 10pm. Go Kevin.

A better 'Lost' poster

lchavez — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:35:04 -0500

Here's another version of the Lost poster for the final season on ABC.

Check out Josh Holloway rocking the eyeliner. (Maybe not. I might be a tad vengeful after everyone gave Nestor Carbonell the business for being Cuban last year.)

And is that? Could it be? Well, hello Ian Somerhalder. Last time I saw you, Boone, you were dead.

And check out Sayid (Naveen Andrews). My man!

I like seeing all the old faces from S1 and S2 in this poster. (I avoid spoilers at all costs so if I sound uninformed on this end, I am. I NEED to be surprised. It's my raison d'etre.) If it means Lindelof/Abrams have stopped poking my perpetual Lost wound and stopped introducing new characters, I can sleep soundly tonight.

'Lost' gets new poster for final season

lchavez — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:43:58 -0500

Funny. The new Lost poster kinda looks like the others. Thanks, ABC.

This totally reminds me of how the ACC retooled its own logo when it went from 9 to 12 schools five years ago. All they did was add more dots on a bigger map. Snazzy.

A quarter to the first HWTV-head who can ID everyone in the photo.

Dancing with the Stars: A surprising elimination (plus newsflash: we're getting old)

brookecain — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:42:59 -0500

Once again, the Happiness bloggers elected (begged) my mom to be our Dancing with the Stars correspondent. After each show, she calls me with her report...

Sure, last night's "Dancing with the Stars" had a sort of surprising elimination, but the most shocking part of the show to me was hearing that the Bee Gees are celebrating their 50th Anniversary. As soon as I find my walker, I'm going to check the chifferobe for my 8-tracks and see if that can be right. Holy Moly, it's true.

Well, here's the recap from my mom.

"They did the review like they usually do, and they chose Mya's salsa as the dance they wanted to see again. Len said it was 'Tutti frutti booty' because she was shaking her booty a lot.

"They had several guests. First was Leona Lewis. I didn't know who she was but I actually liked her. I liked her song. Then they had Alicia Keys, I guess she was good but it wasn't my thing. Is that what they call pop? And then the Bee Gees. It's their 50th anniversary." 50? Really? "You might want to check that out." Oh, I did.

"I think the song they sang was 'You Should Be Dancing." They had the professionals dance and then they brought Melissa [Rycroft] back. They said 'by popular demand' but I can't imagine who that was. And then there was a group, I don't know whether they were 'The Italians' or if the song they sang was 'The Italians' but the song they sang was from the movie 'Nine.' They were pretty good." ('Be Italian' by Fergie)

"Joanna Krupa (right) was eliminated. I was surprised. That just goes to show you what the fans can do for you. I just hope the fans aren't so supportive that they have Donny Osmond win. I like him but he doesn't deserve to win, Mya deserves to win. She's the best."

So now in the finale we'll have Donny Osmond, Kelly Osbourne, and Mya. Should be a no-brainer, but we'll see how America votes! Check back next week for more.

So You Think You Can Dance: Noelle's feet don't fail her

adriennj — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:51:31 -0500

Our guest blogger Lenni G. gives her take on last night's show:

Finally, a happy, almost totally positive, night of dance with host Cat Deeley channeling her inner "Balloon Girl" in dazzling and crinkled aluminum foil. And our Sanford gal Noelle Marsh had another good night!

Starting the evening off were Ashleigh and Jakob with another phenomenal Hip-Hop routine from my favs, "Nappy Tabs," dancing to Jason DeRulo's smash hit, "Whatcha Say." All three of the judges were universal in their praise for the choreography as well as the dancers. I so agree with Nigel that Ashleigh has grown faster than anyone knew she could and that this couple is definitely Top 10 material.

Next up were Karen and Kevin with a Broadway number from Spencer Liff. Unfortunately, this routine just didn't quite work for the judges or for me. Kevin really was not very good, though his shoes were very sparkly. Karen was a bit better but, as Nigel said, her sexy, smoldering style didn't fit the music and theme of "If you could see me now" from "Sweet Charity." Props to Nigel for his restrained criticism of these two after his rants of last week.

Local girl Noelle and Russell drew the dreaded Fox Trot choreographed by new guy, Eddie Simon. As you will recall, Russell did his first Fox Trot with choreographer, Melanie, while Noelle recovered from her injury. I always take Mary's comments the most seriously when it's a ballroom dance cuz she's the diva of ballroom. She thought Russell was totally effortless in a dance that is so far away from his natural style of crumping. And, she thought Noelle was "absolutely gorgeous and elegant," and praised her for her exquisite footwork. WTG Homey!

On to Channing and Victor who did a Tyce Diorio Jazz routine about "two curious, eclectic blackbirds coming out to play." Alrighty then! Channing got higher marks from the judges than Victor, though I think the choice of music ("Blackbird" from Bobby McFerrin) was probably the reason the couple did not dazzle. I know there are other versions of this song that have a more defined beat and punch. And I loved Channing's comment that she really "stepped outside the cage" in this performance.

Kathryn and Legacy followed with a Tony Meredith Paso Doble about an admiral and his concubine. Judges thought Kathryn killed it, played it just right, was all the little vixen, and just plain magnificent. Legacy got major warmth from the judges for his work ethic (he even dances/practices with his shadow), his huge improvement in stamina, along with the coveted "Woohoo" from Mary for having the "fire." And the choreography was great.

Routine of the night was next with Ellenore and Ryan doing a Contemporary number from former contestant, Travis Wall, about a couple reuniting after 10 years apart. Finally, for the first time this season, I had to reach for the tissues! As Adam said, this season of SYTYCD "kicked in just now." Other comments from the judges included - perfect blend, star quality, perfect timing, magical, brilliant routine, memorable, best of the night. My favorite, however, was Nigel's comment to Ellenore that she is the "sharpest tool in the box." As Mary said, this is the feeling you get walking in tall cotton and oh, would I love to do that walkin' with Ryan.

Finishing up the evening were Mollee and Nathan who selected a Pop Jazz routine from "commando" choreographer, Laurieann Gibson. I thought these two would be total toast when Laurieann got through with them but, no, they actually survived and thrived with her tough love regimen. Mollee was still cute but in a rugged, "I am women, hear me roar,"kind of way. And, in what can only be described as a lightly veiled apology, Nigel told Nathan that he felt he was a most talented young man and that's why he's staying on his back. In fact, he feels Nathan has the potential to be the best ever, but only if he continues to mature in the competition. Not sure I agree with the "best ever" thingie, Nigel, but did like your reasoned approach this week.

Agree with the judges that Karen and Kevin are in danger after last night. Would also have to think that Channing and Victor, and Noelle and Russell might also be in the bottom three just cuz there have to be two more couples to make the bottom three. Be sure to watch the results tonight at 9.

What to Watch on Wednesday: Olivia suspected of murder on L&O:SVU

brookecain — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0500

New Adventures of Old Christine (8pm, CBS) - Jennifer Grey guest stars to date Richard, who is played by Clark Gregg and who is Grey's husband in real life. Confused? Dave Foley is back as Richard's friend who keeps trying to date Christine.

Glee (9pm, Fox) - Shuster divides the glee club into couples for a ballad, which is great till someone gets sick. Another bad idea: Finn has dinner with Quinn's parents.

Law & Order: SVU (9pm, NBC) - DNA evidence identifies Benson (Mariska Hargitay) as the prime suspect in the murder of a biker gang dude. While Munch and Finn investigate the case, Stabler (Chris Meloni) works to prove her innocence.

Top Chef (10pm, Bravo) - The remaining chefs take part in an extremely difficult cooking contest established by French chef Paul Bocuse. Bocuse's son Jerome, who is also a chef, serves as a guest judge along with Thomas Keller. A lot of other famous chefs also appear. Whatever -- we just want to see if this is the night Jen has her breakdown and what kind of assy thing Mike Volt says about our Kevin.

Also worth mentioning: Robin Roberts interviews Janet Jackson tonight at 10pm on ABC, Noelle Marsh of Sanford continues to shine on So You Think You Can Dance (8pm, Fox) and Modern Family (9pm, ABC) is always funny.

'Lost' teaser - ABC wants me to punch myself

lchavez — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

I was egregiously tardy getting to this for the HWTV crowd but ABC finally came through with a teaser for the final season of Lost.

I forgot all about it for days and days until last night when I was Googling Foxy. (Matthew Fox, a.k.a. Jack Shephard, a.k.a Why Do People Call Me Foxy? That's My Dad's Nickname.)

No premiere date yet. But in this totally inadequate, completely unacceptable trailer for Lost's victory lap, we do see Dr. Cry Now Smile Later getting in a line about "destiny" while bleeding, sort of, from the head.

Ahhh, yes. Color me happy ... for now.

How I Met Your Mother: The Lorenzo Von Matterhorn

LJPerez — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:11:42 -0500

For too long, the Lorenzos of this world have suffered the stain inflicted on our regal name by Lorenzo "Hot or Not" Llamas. Thank you, Barney Stinson, for restoring pride and dignity to our name.

Because, as Monday night's episode of "How I Met Your Mother" shows us, nothing seals the deal on a one-night stand faster than masquerading as Lorenzo Von Matterhorn, reclusive billionaire and failed recipient of male reduction surgery.

After last week's breakup, Barney and Robin choose different paths in moving on.

Predictably, Barney goes back to his loverboy ways, aiming to sleep with every woman in New York City, including a previously underappreciated demographic: the MILTSWANCAs. A MILTSWANCA, as Ted is quick to decipher, is a "Mother I'd Like To Sleep With And Never Call Again." (It's hard to think of another sitcom in recent years that's come up with so many immediately useful slang words.)

Robin, on the other hand, declares that she is throwing herself into work and is swearing off dating. Her public vow to focus exclusively on her career prompts knowing eye rolls from Ted and Marshall, who predict that she will find her true love, now that she's no longer looking for him.

As far as subplots go, Ted and Marshall's nonstop teasing of Robin pays off with Ted and Barney's ex presumably meeting the man of her dreams at the end of the episode, when Robin meets her new TV co-anchor. More importantly, it allows the show's two strongest actors, Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, to take center stage as an angry Lily grows disgusted with Barney's shenanigans.

No one can spit out, "You son of a [rhymes with snitch]" like Hannigan, although NPH is a close second.

Plus, we get a montage of all the pickup gimmicks that Barney plucks from his fabled "Playbook." There's the "Don't Drink That," where Barney convinces a hottie at MacLaren's that unwitting accomplice Ted slipped something in her drink, the "Mrs. Stinsfire," where Barney borrows Robin Williams' costume from "Mrs. Doubtfire" to masquerade as the new house mom for some slutty Kappas, and, of course, "The Lorenzo Von Matterhorn."

With some basic knowledge of Web site design, Barney boasts, he launches a series of faux online sites for his latest conquest to check on her smart phone after he introduces himself with an unforgettable, and utterly awesome, name.

Who wouldn't want to go out with Lorenzo Von Matterhorn after reading about his balloon trip to the North Pole on an Explorers Club Web site? And if that doesn't close the deal, how about a Google search that sends a curious female to "Extremities Quarterly" and a report on Lorenzo Von Matterhorn learning that reduction surgery is not an option for the legendary girth below the belt?

But Barney draws Lily's ire when he accidentally pulls a Matterhorn on the school teacher friend she had been saving for sad sack Ted. As a consolation to Ted, though, he takes a page from Barney's Playbook and pulls off "The Ted," where he gets a pity hook-up by sharing that his fiancee left him at the altar.

So Lily gets an actress friend of hers to hook up with Barney and steal the fabled Playbook, thinking this would put an end to Barney's costumed shenanigans. Too bad that her plan only helped Barney set her up in a mind game of Keyser Soze proportions.

When Barney dons a scuba suit and plants himself in a corner booth of MacLaren's, Lily jumps in and tells his blonde target to pay no mind to the skinny man with a can of Pringles jammed down the front of his Neoprene body suit. But then Barney pretends to break down in front of the gang, confessing that all these elaborate pickup schemes were just a manifestation of his deep-seated insecurities and the pain he's feeling after his breakup with Robin.

Lily takes pity and encourages the now skeptical blonde to go out with Barney. As scuba Barney and the blonde leave the bar together, Lily receives a text from him, telling her to look under the table at MacLaren's. Underneath, she finds a torn-out page from The Playbook, describing in detail how to get Lily to take pity on scuba Barney and help him close the deal on his latest conquest.

Truly, Lorenzo Von Matterhorn is the master.

Dancing with the Stars: The end of the line for Donny Osmond?

brookecain — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Once again, the Happiness bloggers elected (begged) my mom to be our Dancing with the Stars correspondent. After each show, she calls me with her report...

The competition is down to four couples now, featuring Donny Osmond, Joanna Krupa, Kelly Osbourne, and Mya. And in last night's show, each couple had to perform three dances.

Keep reading for the recap and speculation on who may be leaving tonight.

"First up was Donny and Kym and they were doing a Tango. Gilles Marini came back to help Donny. Gilles told Donny the way to make it really good was to make everyone uncomfortable, meaning to be very sexy. Donny did not do one thing he said. It was not good. Donny knew he did badly but it is what it is. He only got 21. Then they did the Samba. He did a good job on that, much better, and got a 26. Third dance was the knockoff dance and they got to choose the song and dance. They chose the Jitterbug. He did really well with that.

"They did a little history on everyone, how they stated out when they were little and about their families. They did one on Donny and of course, everyone knows Donny's history.

"The next one was Joanna and Derek. Brooke Burke, who danced with Derek before, came and helped them out in rehearsal. Their first dance was the Viennese Waltz. It was very pretty and graceful and she did a good job on that. They got a 27. Second dance was Cha-Cha-Cha, I thought it was just okay. I just don't like the way her feet move when she's trying to do something that takes a lot of movement with her feet, but they gave her a 27. Third dance was the Samba. That's the one where she shakes and shimmies a lot and of course they loved it, so she got another 27.

"Her history was interesting. She was from Communist Poland and she was a little girl when she and her mother came over. It was interesting how they made a go of it.

"Next, Kelly and Louis did the Rumba as their first dance. Everyone did a bit of a solo in their first dance, or were supposed to. Kelly did a little solo in her Rumba and I thought she was so good. I think she is just cute and that she did a great job. She got a 24. Second dance was a Quick Step and she did a great job with that and she got a 27. Her knockoff dance was the Cha-Cha. She did well with that too, and got another 27.

"All three dancers did well, but sometimes you were thinking they were going to mess up and you were holding your breath while they danced. Then there was Mya...

"Mya and Dmetris did the Waltz as their first dance, and it was absolutely beautiful. They scored a 28 on that. Then they did the Salsa, and that was unbelievable and they got a perfect score of 30 on that, and her knockoff dance was the Cha-Cha and they were also good with that. Len said the only thing he could find wrong with it was that it didn't go on long enough. They got a 29. Carrie Ann kept her from getting a 30. When Mya dances you know it's going to be good. Whether she'll win the whole thing or not will depend on the fans. But she's by far the best dancer. She looks like a professional out there.

"I guess the person who should go home tonight if you judge by dancing alone would probably be Donny, but I don't know whether his fans will allow that or not."

What to Watch on Tuesday: Heather Locklear returns to awful Melrose Place

brookecain — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0500

Merry Madagascar (8pm, NBC) - And here we go with the first major network prime time Christmas special, more than a week before Thanksgiving. It has Carl Reiner so I'm cutting it some slack.

Biggest Loser (8:30pm, NBC) - Tim Gunn ("Project Runway") and Tabatha Coffey ("Tabatha's Salon Takeover") are on hand to makeover the remaining contestants.

Melrose Place (9pm, CW) - Amanda Woodward is back, beaches! And she promptly fires half the staff at the WPK Agency, including Caleb. So what do you think, can Heather Locklear (right) save this awful show?

John Mayer Live from the Beacon Theater (9pm, Fuse) - It's your favorite breathy-voiced singer-songwriter in a live show from Beacon Theater in New York. You are cordially invited to tweet about your viewing experience using #mayoronfuse and you could see your tweet live on TV during the show (and if you're on Twitter, you better be following us @WarmTV!). Fuse is channel 133 on Time Warner Cable, 339 on DirecTV, or DISH 158.

NCIS: Los Angeles (9pm, CBS) - A murdered marine leads to a volatile militia group and a stolen missile. Unfortunately, the team has to work without Hetty, who is testifying in D.C.

Sarah Palin chats with Oprah

adriennj — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:56:15 -0500

There weren't any great bombshells in today's Oprah's interview with Sarah Palin.

Indeed both seemed to be trying to be particularly careful, and in Palin's case, guarded; Oprah, perhaps, because she had supported Palin's opponent and Palin, perhaps, because she didn't want to give too much away and undermine her book sales.

It was a very mannerly and cordial interview, which makes for not-great TV, but it wasn't undignified either and that's OK too.

Oprah's introduction was simple: "You've been waiting, I've been waiting and she is finally here."

And then Oprah brought up the snubbing incident, when folks were saying Oprah was snubbing Sarah Palin by not inviting her on the show during the campaign. Oprah explained that since she was publicly endorsing a candidate, she'd made the decision to not have any candidates on her show. Palin said she barely knew about the "controversy" until a few weeks ago.

Palin talked about her vetting process by the McCain camp, saying that they found out her daughter Bristol was pregnant before anyone outside the family knew. She said she thought that the worse thing that would get out about her was that she got a D in school once.

When Bristol's pregnancy made the news, Palin said that the McCain camp wrote the happy grandparents response; she rewrote it, feeling that the pregnancy was an opportunity to get to 'realism' in American life and send a message to young people. But without her knowledge, the McCain handlers released the first response.

Palin said she was surprised that the haters took such advantage and would not leave her kids alone. She said she admired when Obama looked a reporter in the eye and said his kids were off limits. She didn't get that privilege, she said.

Oprah brought up the fact that candidate Obama, in one instance, said Palin's kids were off limit and pressed a bit until Palin said that she admired Obama's defense of her childrens' privacy.

There was a missed opportunity here, I think. I would have liked to hear more about how Bristol's pregnancy changed Palin's thinking, if it did so. The media focused on her daughter's condition, in part, because of Palin's stance on abstinence education. Did it occur to Palin that her daughter's pregnancy would be embarrassing or her stance questioned in that light? And is she still a strong proponent of abstinence education?

Palin talked about how controlling the McCain camp was; she was even told what to eat. (Oprah mentioned the Atkins diet, but Palin didn't elaborate.) That led to the clothes controversy; Oprah said it must have been fun at least at first to have an entire wardrobe already picked for you. Palin said it was more helpful in a practical way; she doesn't like to shop and she wouldn't have to worry about wardrobe. She said that the McCain folk heavily scripted her, although she took the blame for saying things she didn't believe since , at the end of the day, she was the candidate. But she pointed out that when she was candid or honest to a reporter (like when she said she wished they didn't pull out of Michigan), she was told that she was going rogue.

I would have loved to know what she said that she didn't really want to.

On the Katie Couric interview, she said the interview was supposed to be light-hearted, a look at a working mom, raising a teen. One was scheduled and then when they got to know one another, there would be more. Instead, she said she felt Couric had a partisan agenda, not a political one, but a goal of making sure none of Palin's mistakes went unnoticed. She said Joe Biden had done an interview with Couric and made mistakes and they were just overlooked.

Oddly, the campaign nor Palin, saw the Couric interview (which even Palin says she knew was bad) as a seminal moment in the campaign. Palin seemed particularly peeved at Couric's question about what magazines and books Palin read to stay informed on issues. She said she took the question as condescending, as if Couric was asking some hick "Do you read? and "How do you stay in touch with the real world?"

At one point, Palin derisively refers to Couric as "the perky one." Oprah confirms that she's talking about Couric, then lets Palin know that she's pretty perky too. Palin says she put the transcript of the Couric interview in the book so that people could see Couric's agenda; she said Couric asked her 12 times about her position on abortion even though Palin believes she answered it the first time.

On abortion, Palin apparently writes about being alone in New Orleans pregnant with Trig and not really considering abortion, but coming to an understanding about why women would go down that road. Those thoughts, she said, only solidified her anti-abortion position in the end.

On the subject of Levi Johnston, Palin went into "bless his heart" mode, not wanting to blast him, yet blasting him nonetheless. She said that because of her grandchild, the Oprah show was not the place to discuss the things Levi has said. Then she told us she'd heard he now goes by the name Ricky Hollywood and call his actions "heartbreaking."

She said she will leave Bristol and Levi to work things out, then she said he never lived with Bristol and since that is a lie, all else he's said is questionable. Oprah asks if she's aware of what he's said, then runs down the entire list. Palin said he's a teen and doesn't realize the consequences of what he's doing and that he's pursuing a porn life. When pressed on the Thanksgiving question, she said he has an open invite.

Oprah asked how with five children, one with special needs, she would have managed being VP; she prefaced the question by acknowledging that a man wouldn't be asked that, but that women, in 9 out of 10 cases, take care of the kids when both parties work. Palin said there is equality in her marriage with Todd, and she acknowledged that you can have everything, although not all at once. It's about making choices about what's right at the appropriate time.

Oprah said that even after reading her book, she still didn't know why Palin resigned as governor of Alaska. Palin said what she's said before: that she wasn't going to run again and that she felt the state was being hampered with her being there and always having to fight haters. (Or ethical violations.)

She wouldn't confirm a run in the future ("You don't need a title to make a difference)" and rather than answer whether there's a talk show in the future, she told O she has nothing to worry about because she's the queen of talk and was an inspiration when she was a stay at home mom and is an inspiration to many.

One last superficial note: both ladies were rocking the big hair.

Wanda Sykes has had "enough" of NC Rep Virginia Foxx

brookecain — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:06:40 -0500

When NC Rep. Virginia Foxx talks about health care, comedian and talk show host Wanda Sykes hears "Enough is enough!" Foxx got called out on "The Wanda Sykes Show" Saturday night for her comments against health care reform, with Sykes likening Foxx's remarks to made-up movie lines.

Sykes spent nearly her entire monologue on the health care debate, and near the end of the monologue she named a couple of Republicans in Congress who are fighting the legislation. She singled out Rep. Steve King (Iowa) and Rep. Pete Hoekstra (Michigan), and then Foxx.

Sykes quoted Foxx as saying that health care reform is more dangerous than any terrorist, then offered this:

"Now come on, that sounds like something from a Harrison Ford movie," Sykes said. "That just shows you how much money they are being paid by insurance lobbies. Nobody says crazy stuff like that for real. That's made up! You get paid to play a role like that. When they say stuff like that, you know what I hear? 'Enough is enough! I have had it with these [blanketyblanking] snakes on this [blanketyblanking] plane!' That's what I hear. It's crazy. They're movie lines."

The blanketyblanking snakes are, of course, from the Samuel L. Jackson classic, "Snakes on a Plane."

You can watch the whole "Wanda Sykes Show" (or just the monologue) at the show's website. "The Wanda Sykes Show" is a new talk show which airs on Saturday nights at 11pm on Fox.

What to Watch on Monday: Lady Gaga on "Gossip Girl"

brookecain — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0500

House (8pm, Fox) - House regains his license to practice medicine and begins forming his "dream team" at the same time he's helping a porn star suffering from eye pain.

The Prisoner (8pm, AMC) - The third and fourth installments of AMC's retelling of the 1960s cult TV hit.

Gossip Girl (9pm, CW) - Blair impresses her classmates by getting Lady Gaga (right) to sing at a private concert. Gaga (I call her Gaga) performs her new single, "Bad Romance" dressed in red sequined gown with a 35-foot chiffon train.

Big Bang Theory (9:30pm, CBS) - All the guys go camping except for Sheldon, so when Penny injures her arm, Sheldon has to take care of her.

Jay Leno Show (10pm, NBC) - Tonight Jay has the lycanthropic half of Tay-Squared on.

Charlotte newlywed studies at Bravo's "Chef Academy"

adriennj — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0500

Bravo’s latest entry to its line up of mouth-watering reality shows is “Chef Academy,” which follows Michelin-winning French chef Jean Christophe Novelli, who comes to Venice, California to start a culinary institute.

And when it premieres tonight at 11, among the 9 students he seeks to teach and train is Carissa Loughhead St. Aubin, a Charlotte newlywed who says she’s ‘nauseous with excitement’ to see the first episode.

The show is a little different than “Top Chef” or “Hell’s Kitchen,” or the other do-or-die elimination food shows. On this show, students get three chances to fail before they flunk out of the school. But while Novelli, a prankster who reveals a deep love of the TV character “Columbo,” isn’t the cussing tyrant that is Gordon Ramsay, St. Aubin says he’s not a pushover either.

“Novelli is tough. He has this silent stare that will make you sweat in your chef whites,” she says. “And he’s hard to read. You can’t tell if he’s going to tell you this is the best or is he’s going to throw your food in the trash.”

Still, Carissa must have learned a few things. When we caught up with her she was adding some light to a gloomy overcast day by making bacon eclairs.

Carissa wasn't always a foodie; "I had my food awakening later in life," she says. (She just turned 27, but was 25 when the show taped.) That awakening came, in part, in the name of love; her very honest, now mother-in-law told Carissa she would never get the family diamond if she didn't know how to cook.

That sent Carissa on a self-described "culinary rampage." Among other things, she auditioned for "Hell's Kitchen," but didn't make the cut. The casting agents remembered her when "Chef's Academy" came up.

"I think I did much better," Carissa says of missing "Hell's Kitchen." "I'm not good at getting yelled at. I'm a delicate flower."

Ramsay would have surely annihilated her for a mistake she makes on the first episode of "Chef Academy": she serves Novelli a dish with a hair in it.

"Oh my goodness, it was the most embarrassed I've ever been in my life," she says. "And then when I called my fiance he said 'But that's the best part of the dish.'"

Along with Carissa, the show features a diverse group of characters. (Wait until you meet Suzanne, the Orange County, CA mom; wait till you see Emmanuel, the French guy.)

"You can not make up these characters," says Carissa. "We were all from such different backgrounds, yet we had so much fun. I think it's because sharing food is a really personal experience." She says there were a few people she didn't get along with, but "I tried not to sip the haterade."

We won't know whether she graduated from "Chef Academy" until the show's finale, but Carissa must have learned something. "Entertaining is a blast," she says of life post-show. "I have a knowledge of the basics and that has given me confidence. I'm not daunted by any ingredient."

Another telltale sign: she's been put in charge of Thanksgiving. "My mother handed over the oven mitts. She says she's happy she has one daughter who can cook."

Yet she's managed to avoid the obvious pitfall of cooking well: gaining weight. "My husband and I are known for being 'oinky'," she says. "You don't want to go to the buffet with us. We look at items for price per protein. People always ask why we have not massively grown. We splurge, but we get out a lot. We walk the dogs a lot. My husband just had a cholesterol check and I can report that he's extremely healthy."

For tonight's premiere, Carissa's husband Jason surprised her with a viewing party at Charlotte's Common House. "I feel like a VIP. I'm more important than Monday Night Football."

"I'm looking forward to it, but I'm wondering if I should hide in the bathroom."

Nah, you're fine Carissa.

The Amazing Race: Getting a rise out of the brothers

adriennj — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:09:57 -0500

That's a double double entrendre.

Because you can take that headline to refer to the emotion that the Globetrotters drew from Sam & Dan, the gay brothers.

Now if I had put: The brothers let it all hang out, well, that would be different.

We still have five teams in Sweden because of the non-elimination round. The next stop is to take a ferry to Estonia, get to the city of Tallinn and figure out how to open the door at the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Black Heads.

The Globetrotters get to leave first, but as it turns out that doesn't matter since the first ferry leaves at 5 in the evening and it's 2 a.m. Everybody will be in the same boat. (HA!)

Meanwhile, we learn that the Globetrotters want a big lead to get away from the gay brothers, who they think are tough competitors. They seemed offended at the way the brothers yelled and cursed at each other last week, and believe that behavior make them unworthy of a first-place finish.

Of course, it's right back at ya from the brothers. It's odd that the teams are so focused on one other when Meghan & Cheyne have been placing first most of the time.

We also learn that the Americas aren't concerned that they haven't won a leg of the race yet. Miss America didn't win any preliminaries and yet she won the crown. Pageant life offers many lessons to live by. Miss America, by the way, is wearing knee socks with her shorts today.

Pink hair dad tells us that he was concerned about his son seeing his flaws during the Race, but he's pleased to know that even though his son has seen said flaws, pink hair son still accepts his dad. Dad, I hate to tell you, but once you hit puberty, all you see are your parents' flaws.

On the ferry, pink hair son tells us he's put on his black bandanna to indicate to the other teams that they mean business. Bold statements like that typically foreshadow doom on the Race.

Meghan & Cheyne are the first in a cab once all are off the ferry; the Globetrotters are last.

Meghan & Cheyne and the gay brothers arrive together at the door; as the Americas close in, they open the door, rush in and close it.

Time for a roadblock: one of the team members must go into the dungeon with the Black Heads and find a candelabra with a room number attached to it. They go to that room and find what appears to be a blank scroll. They have to figure out that holding the scroll to the light will reveal the clue.

Pink hair son & dad arrive at the door and get their speed bump, the penalty for almost being eliminated last week. They are to find a sauna bus, strip down and take a sauna with locals for 5 minutes.

This is no sweat (HA!) for the two because being Minnesotans and of Nordic descent, they LOVE the sauna. Dad starts singing a sauna song. There's a blond beauty sitting next to pink hair son; he can't even look at her, showing that beneath his punk pink hair he's a geek. Dad starts a business plan to launch sauna buses in Minnesota; pink hair son suggests adding a keg.

Meanwhile, the Globetrotters catch up to the Americas; Miss America opens the door and the four go in. Flight Time finds the room pretty quickly but he thinks the blank scroll requires a crayon rubbing to give up the clue.

Cheyne, smart as usual, instantly holds it up to the light. Soon the rest of them figure it out too. Later, Big Easy tells Flight Time he "bigheaded it" in reference to figuring the clue, a nice term for overthinking, I'd say.

Post sauna, pink hair son & dad arrive at the Black Head door and get in and the son does the roadblock. He reads the clue, but there's a problem: he doesn't know what a candelabra is, he can't even pronounce it. He walks around asking the Black Heads if they are "can dle LUHBRAS." They look at him, amused at his ignorance, as are we.

Finally, pink hair son calms down, takes a breath, and realizes the word 'candle' is in can dle LUHBRAS and so he looks for a candle. And there is one in front of him, in a candelabra, with a number.

Cheyne & Meghan get the clue for the detour first. Surf involves playing volleyball in a muddy bog. Teams must get 5 points to get the next clue.

Sling means using a slingshot to shoot radishes at a moose target. Hitting the target releases a table full of cabbages and the next clue.

As the Americas, Cheyne & Meghan, the gay brothers and the Globetrotters search for cabs to get to the detour, Miss America takes her hubby to task for not angling Cheyne & Meghan out of their cab. She says she'll keep her eyes on her man, she's capable of playing dirtier than he is. That just doesn't surprise us.

Pink hair son has the blank clue scroll, and redeems the Globetrotter Flight Time's bigheadedness by trying to rub it with a crayon too. Or does that make them both numbskulls?

A cab battle ends with the Globetrotters and the gay brothers sharing a cab. It's an uneasy ride.

Pink hair son & dad figure out the clue and head for the tower for the clue to the detour, but they are on the wrong side of the tower. They are too stressed to see the clue box is just a few feet in front of them.

In the cabs to the detour, we learn that the teams can play volleyball in their underwear. We also learn that Miss America can't do it in her underwear because she's wearing a thong. This does not surprise us.

As Meghan & Cheyne vie for their five points, the Globetrotters, gay brothers and Americas arrive at the bogs locale, but can't find the marked path leading to the tasks. By the time they do, Meghan & Cheyne get their five points and the clue to the pit stop. It's nearby and they get first place again. They seem underwhelmed by their first place prize: a red cedar sauna. Maybe it's because they're int heir 20s and probably live in apartments.

The other teams find the marked path and run. The Globetrotters and gay brothers get to the volleyball courts first. Since there are only two courts, the Americas would have to wait so they go to the slingshot task instead.

The gay brothers note that the male Estonian volleyball players are hotties in their Speedos. This apparently gets them a little too excited because as they play the Race blurs their crotches. Man, those brothers do everything together!

The gay brothers and the Globetrotters both have trouble with the volleyball mud. Big Easy, at one point, gets stuck and can't move. But he still manages to get a point.

In the end, the Globetrotters get to five points first. There's a blurry booty shot as Flight Time crawls out of the mud.

But the gay brothers finish shortly after and the Globetrotters have gone the wrong way to the pit stop. They figure that out quickly and decide to run the gay brothers down. It seems that they will pass them, but then Flight Time falls hard. The gay brothers come in second; the Globetrotters third.

Phil notes that Big Easy's expression doesn't look so easy going. The Trotters think the gay brothers threw an elbow. The gay brothers deny this. Big Easy says he didn't know those kind of tactics were in play and now that he does, he'll use his really big elbows in the future. Phil does not jump in and say, Hey that's not how we do things on the Race, so apparently, throwing elbows is OK.

The gay brothers' mouths say 'what are they going to do, knock us down?.' but their blank and wide-eyed expressions says 'Oh no, they are going to knock us down!'

It's down to the Americas and pink hair son & dad, who are on their way to the sling shot. But Mr. America hits the target. They're fourth.

We watch pink hair son Matt and his father Gary finish the task as we listen to their farewell statements. After Phil tells them they are eliminated, dad gets emotional; he's bonded with his son in a way he's never done before.

Pink hair Matt says he never wants to see a candelabra again. And he pronounces it correctly.

Now we know for sure. Betty Draper is not funny.

brookecain — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:20:00 -0500

After last week's surprisingly funny "Saturday Night Live" with guest host Taylor Swift, I was cautiously optimistic about last night's show with host January Jones, who is pitch-perfect as Betty Draper on AMC's "Mad Men."

But now we all know Jones needs to stick to drama, especially when performing live. Jones was stiff and unfunny in all of her live sketches, occasionally unable even to read her cue cards without fumbling. To be fair, at least half the problem (as usual) was the writing.

Jones was funny in one digital short sketch, which played off her famous Betty Draper role. The bit was cleverly written and comfortable 1960s territory for Jones.

Watch Jones guide you through how to host the perfect cocktail party:

Also jarring, SNL replaced the Michaela Watkins "Hoda" with a Jenny Slate "Hoda" in their "Kathie Lee and Hoda" skit. Kristin Wiig's "Kathie Lee" is the star of this sketch, but watching Slate do "Hoda" made me miss Watkins for the first real time this season.

Sanford's SYTYCD contestant is feeling the love

adriennj — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0500

It was a good week for Sanford's Noelle Marsh. The "So You Think You Can Dance" contestant won raves for her Afro-jazz number, and sailed through to the next round.

It was a nice change from her shaky start. It began with an injury that almost put her out of the competition and then a hip-hop number that the judges very much disliked.

Still, she says, she wouldn't have missed her time on the show thus far. "More than anything, it's been rewarding. To see everything I've worked for pay off, I feel blessed. I'm trying to live every last minute."

The injury, Noelle says, was a combination of strained muscles and a pulled hamstring. 'I couldn't straighten my knee for a while, but I pushed through it. It doesn't hurt so much anymore."

What does sting a bit, she says, is the judging. When she watched the show in past seasons, Noelle says she always wondered why the dancers were crying, why they got so emotional. Now she knows.

"It's completely different than when I viewed it," she says. 'You feel the pressure. It's your dream on the line. And they work us day and night."

One of the biggest challenges of the show is that it requires you to dance out of your comfort zone. Noelle's specialty is contemporary. She says her biggest fears, in terms of dance style, are hip hop ("I glad I got that out of the way. It didn't go so well.") and ballroom. "I've never danced any form of ballroom so it will be a struggle. But I'm a hard worker."

Good thing. Judge Nigel Lythgoe was particular harsh in his criticisms on the last show, unsatisfied, it seemed, by the groups' efforts.

"He was a little tough," Noelle says. "[Last season] was the most diverse group of dancers. He knows what we have to live up to. And with us being the first group during a fall season, it adds that much more pressure. He was doing it for our benefit and I think you'll see people stepping up."

Another tough break was the departure of Noelle's friend Ariana Debose. The two studied for two years together at the CC & Co. Dance Complex in Raleigh, and became good friends, says Noelle. "It was really hard to see her go. But she's so strong and she always makes the best out of everything."

Meanwhile, the Sanford native has gained strength from hometown support.

"It's so crazy. All my friends are texting me and sending me emails. The whole town is backing me up. It's great to have that love, to see that people really do care. It's unlike anything I've felt before."

What to Watch on Sunday: A Big Mac with a side of Jack the Ripper

brookecain — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:45:00 -0500

The Prisoner (8pm, AMC) - An ambitious retelling of the 1960s cult hit, starring Jim Caviezel as an amnesiac held in a weird village where the inhabitants are known only by numbers. Caviezel plays Six, and Ian McKellan stars as Two, the village's leader. "The Prisoner" is a six-part (six-hour) mini-series, with two episodes tonight, two episodes Monday night, and the final two episodes on Tuesday. Maybe check out a couple of reviews before you decide if you want to commit.

Big Mac: Inside the McDonald's Empire / Coca-Cola: The Real Story Behind the Real Thing (8pm, CNBC) - Get yourself a Big Mac Extra Value Meal with a Coke and settle in for a junk food TV marathon that will fascinate you and make you hate yourself at the same time. But seriously, I have seen this McDonalds special and it's pretty fascinating.

Jack the Ripper in America (9pm, Discovery) - There's evidence to suggest that Jack the Ripper killed victims in America? Really? These guys check it out.

Brothers & Sisters (10pm, ABC) - Gilles Marini and Jon Tenney are still around, which is reason enough to watch.

What to Watch on Saturday: January Jones and Black Eyed Peas on SNL

brookecain — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:45:00 -0500

Everything She Ever Wanted (8pm, LMN) - Lifetime Movie Network's adaptation of this Ann Rule book is something else. Adrienne calls it "maybe the best Lifetime Movie ever!" Read her full review and tune in (tonight is part one of two parts). Stars Gina Gershon.

Wanda Sykes Show (11pm, Fox) - As of Friday night, Wanda's website had no info about her guests this week. We're watching anyway and hoping it's better than last week's spotty debut.

Saturday Night Live (11:30pm, NBC) - Last week's solid show makes me hopeful. Tonight's guest host is January Jones (right), who plays the cold-as-ice Betty Draper on "Mad Men." Musical guest, Black Eyed Peas. Sounds promising. Don't let me down, SNL.

Austin City Limits (12:30, UNC-TV) - Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel perform songs from their 2009 album, "Willie and the Wheel."

"Everything She Ever Wanted": Best Lifetime movie ever?!?

adriennj — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

I know. I know. There are so many to choose from.

But if you loved that classic "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story" (and part two, "Her Final Fury") "Ann Rule's Everything She Ever Wanted" (Lifetime Movie Network, 8 tonight; Sunday at 8 p.m.) is the movie for you.

While you could argue that Betty B. was mildly justified for her murderous rage, Pat Allanson (played by Botox-y Gina Gershon) is just deliciously sociopathic.

She's your basic Southern Belle seductress, a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. The story begins as Pat gets set to marry Tom (Ryan McPartlin), who is 7 years her junior.

You can tell she's crazy right away. Her theme for the wedding is "Gone With the Wind" and she insists that not only all her guests dress up, but that her fiance wear a fake Rhett Butler mustache.

Tom's wealthy father Walter (the always welcome Victor Garber) doesn't approve of the marriage; it seems Pat is the town ho, and Tom started seeing her before he was divorced from his first wife, with whom he has two children.

Pat's Scarlett O'Hara obsession keeps growing after the wedding; she spots a house (an estate, really) for sale, her "Tara." The only thing is they can't really afford it. Tom knows that, but Pat won't take no for an answer. So she wiggles her hips and jumps his bones. The next thing you know, they're throwing a housewarming.

But then Tom loses his job and things get really bad. Tom and Walter are on the outs, partly because of an "incident" between Pat and Walter. Actually 'on the outs 'is mild -- they are at war. Pat and Tom are on the verge of losing the house they named Glennwood, after Pat's deceased brother.

Yet, losing the house isn't an option, as far as Pat's concerned. And that's when all heck breaks loose.

By the time we get to the end of part one, three people are dead (the last scene is especially creepy). Part Two starts off a little slower because it's kind of a restart, but when it gets going, it's choice viewing too.

Gina Gershon doesn't have those Meredith Birney acting chops, but she's played enough vamps to do fine as a honey-tongued seductress . She does this blank look that definitely says "uh oh, run for your life."

My only quibble is that it ends rather abruptly.

Still, it's one of those Lifetime movies that make you laugh even while you are watching pure evil-- a little campy and a lot of fun.

Watch it this weekend, but trust me, you'll be watching it for years to come.

Win a "Top Chef" DVD!!!

adriennj — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:11:26 -0500

As we near the "Top Chef" finale and reflect on this season's wealth of strong personalities (aka "crazy people"), we're thinking how much we'd love to see some of the soapy drama going on behind the scenes in Las Vegas.

You can help us fantasize by sending your own plot summary for a Lifetime-style movie starring the angry, competitive Voltaggio Brothers, the verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown Jen, the much-despised motormouth Robin (always in our hearts!), and Kevin the kindly king of pork. You can even throw in Padma and Tom if you like.

But remember, Lifetime movies are full of drama and outrageous twists, and the plot idea should also somehow involve food.

The most creative idea wins season 5 of "Top Chef New York" on DVD (the one with Fabio, Stefan and Carla). Extras include cooking demos and extended interviews.

You can be brief, but be creative! Email your ideas to adrienne.johnson@newsobserver.com by noon Wednesday, Nov. 18.

We'll post the winning entry here on the blog.

Clay Aiken calls Wake school board "selfish idiots"

brookecain — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:44:00 -0500

Get ready to rumble, Claymates.

Your Clay Aiken is taking on the Wake County School Board, so that means you are taking on the school board, too! You gotta have Clay's back, right?

The "American Idol" runner-up called the newly-elected board members "selfish idiots" on his blog recently (and apparently also called Carrie Prejean a "dumbass"). So go ahead and start your internet campaigns!

Click over to read all the details on the N&O news side.

Larry David's true ethnicity revealed on "Lopez Tonight"

brookecain — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:33:50 -0500

This is so funny to me, but then just about everything Larry David does cracks me up. Larry went on "Lopez Tonight" (which he seems to regret) and agreed to a DNA test to determine his true ethnicity (which he also regrets). The results from host George Lopez are surprising and hilarious (Lopez swears it's for real).

Ever think you'd see Larry David truly speechless? Well, here you go:

What to Watch on Friday: See "Wait Wait" on "Late Late"

brookecain — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0500

Medium (9pm, CBS) - In an episode directed by David Arquette, Ariel (left) has a new boyfriend and Allison thinks he's a murderer. Meanwhile, Bridgette gets in trouble for posting troubling videos of a man on the internet. Kids today...

Monk (9pm, USA) - Monk must figure out who is trying to ruin Captain Stottlemeyer's wedding (to Virginia Madsen). Carol Kane also guest stars.

Mo'Nique Show (11 pm, BET) - A reunion of the cast of the CW sitcom "The Game."

Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (1am, CBS) - Craig's guests tonight are crooner/actor Harry Connick Jr. and author Peter Sagal. I hope that's the same Peter Sagal as the Peter Sagal host (right) of NPR's "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" show. And I hope he brings Carl Kassell.

Project Runway: Duke inspires designer, also: why isn't this season over yet?

sadialatifi — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:46:21 -0500

Wait, this isn't the last episode of the worst season of Project Runway? Sigh. Fine.

The three finalists have spent several weeks work on a 12-outfit runway show with a $9,000 budget.

Tim visits each designer at their home and offers his critiques on their in-process collection.

He starts with Carol Hannah, who has moved from Charleston to Huntington, New York for some inexplicable reason. A nice surprise for us down here: Carol Hannah says she was inspired by the architecture at Duke University when she visited with her friend. That's kind of cool, right?

Her clothes look pretty good, and she's finally designed pants and shorts to round her our usual repertoire of pretty dresses. Tim likes some of these but worries other pieces are matronly. Afterward, Tim helps make biscuits with Carol Hannah's family, which is sort of adorable.

Tim then visits Irina on the Upper East Side. Irina is inspired by Coney Island, where she grew up, and she plans for her collection to be an homage to New York City. I've got to say that her boyfriend tees are pretty nice looking. Tim isn't too keen on some of the fur choices but says she's taking admirable risks. We learn more about Irina and her family, who are from the Republic of Georgia. It was nice to see a bit of the more human Irina, as brief as it was.

Lastly, Tim visits Althea in Dayton, Ohio and loves her knits. But not the "Wild West' purple dress which is, again, too matronly. (Matron-like is the most popular criticism on this show.)

Everyone's pumped moving forward, though as a regular viewer of the show, it was disappointing to see such mundane collections. Christian Siriano really was cutting edge and even Chris March's use of human hair in his clothing was at least something to talk about if not terribly appealing. These clothes were attractive but uninteresting.

And then, the first brief moment of drama. Tim calls Irina to tell her the images of Coney Island on her t-shirts are trademarked by another artist and she must use a different design. How did Irina not realize she couldn't use someone else's designs on her shirts? I'm glad she got caught.
The moment of panic seems brief, though, and Irina decides she'll hand-paint her own birds and ferris wheel.

We're finally at Fashion Week and Carol Hannah is missing, leaving the two sorta-enemies alone with plenty of awkward tension and lame allusions to copying one another's designs. Turns out that Carol Hannah has got a killer stomach virus, Tim says, and won't be able to join the others right away.
This is a real bummer (Carol Hannah is my favorite) but the other ladies think this might work to their advantage. She does show up the next day, looking frail as ever.

Tim visits the collections, warns Althea that some of her pieces are "borderline Hillary Clinton."
Irina's entire collection is black, which also draws criticism from Tim and Nina, who also stops to visit with Michael a few days before the show.

Tim, Heidi, Nina and Michael all visit the designers before the runway show to offer critiques - an unprecedented move that leads me to believe that everyone knew the collections weren't where they needed to be before the runway show. Nobody's that good, period.

We leave the penultimate episode with a few cliffhangers: the designers must create a thirteenth look (this is supposed to be a shock, but c'mon, they do this every time - and always bring back some of the runners-up to help) on the fly and from the look of next week's preview, Carol Hannah might be really, really sick.

But don't worry, Carol Hannah! (And everyone.) After next week, it'll all be over.

A first look at Sarah Palin on Oprah

adriennj — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:55:48 -0500

Sarah Palin's book "Going Rogue" looks to be a big hit and in it she's talking about everything: Katie Couric (reports say Palin only did the interview because she was told Couric was insecure), the issues with the McCain campaign and almost son-in-law Levi Johnston.

But you need not wait to read the book. On Monday, her taped interview with Oprah Winfrey airs.

Here's a preview:

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcchicago.com/video.

Biggest Loser Daniel: "I don't want to lose weight now and lose at life later"

adriennj — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:44:48 -0500

Daniel Wright's second appearance on "The Biggest Loser" may have been more emotional than the first.

The Willow Spring man (he's just 20) was the heaviest contestant in the show's history, weighing 454 pounds. At that first finale weigh-in, he was down 142 pounds to 312.

When he was eliminated this week, Daniel had lost another 56 pounds on the show, but better, he gained a lot of insight. During the second chances season, he struggled to lose weight, partly he says, because he wasn't sure he deserved a second chance.

"I was struggling internally," he says. "I was dealing with whether I should be there. By week 8 or 9 I figured out I shouldn't think that way."

In particular, Daniel figured out that while he was dealing with the mechanics of weight loss -- diet and exercise -- he hadn't tackled the issues behind his weight gain. Returning to the show helped him face his problem with binge eating.

"I'd known I was struggling before the show and I had sought help. That was the first time I stopped gaining weight," he says. "But when I got on the show I told myself I was doing OK. During the second season, I had to learn to have enough trust to analyze myself."

Binge eating is just about feeling a lack of control. "It can be a response to anything in life. It's a coping mechanism. I find I have some environmental triggers. I can go to some rooms in my mother's house and feel it." Oddly, energy bars, any food in bar form, he says, are also a trigger.

Because Daniel's so focused on dealing with his personal issues, winning the $100,000 for biggest weight loss percentage off the ranch, isn't a focus. "I realize I'm never going to be a champion of weight loss," he says. "Listen, Erik Chopin was on the show and he lost more than 200 pounds, but he never dealt with his issues and he went back up. I don't want to lose weight now and then lose in life later."

Daniel aims to be a youth pastor and his weight loss journey, he says, has also affected his faith walk. "There are parts of Christianity that tend to have a bit of self-deprecation or a kind of self-loathing.

"We have to know that if God gave his Son for us, we have value and worth. There's love and acceptance there. I learned I can love myself. I love God best when I love myself."

On the physical level, Daniel says he works out about three hours a day, two hours of cardio and an hour of strength training. And recently he ran in Raleigh's City of Oak half marathon.

"We started 16 minutes late," he says, laughing. "And then we got lost. So we ended up running 15 and a half miles. Our watch time was 2:50, but our official time was over 3 hours."

He's working part-time and living life, he says. And he has a girlfriend that he says he might introduce on the Biggest Loser finale. "I'm not sure, I'm keeping it under wraps."

OK, but at that half marathon, one of his running partners was fellow Biggest Loser contestant Rebecca Meyer. Is she the lady in his life?

"I can't say," Daniel says.

Leno jokes about grade-selling NC school

brookecain — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:32:20 -0500

Warm TV readers know that for us, watching "The Jay Leno Show" is cruel and unsual punishment.

So we missed it last night when Leno cracked jokes about the Goldsboro, N.C. school which tried to raise money by selling grades to students. Leno called it his "Outrage of the Week."

Luckily, our friends over at Under the Dome are loyal Leno fans and caught the segment for you to check out. There's even video.