Just stuff ...

... Wanted to get a few things off my chest ...

*Other than the Washington Redskins, the two teams that I hate the most happen to be in Super Bowl XLV on Sunday. Ugh. Steelers vs. Packers. Really?

Several people have asked me who I think will win or who I want to win. I DON'T CARE. I've told these people that I'll only be watching for the commercials this year. Seriously, I have no vested interest in this game, and that's the first time I can ever remember saying that about the Super Bowl.

I mean, it is the biggest game of the year, right? Gazillions of people will be watching, but I'll bet a good portion of them only want to see the commercials too.

OK, OK. I guess if I had to pick ... Steelers 17, Packers 13.

But you didn't read that here.

*So the biggest blizzard in like 40 years hits everywhere else in the country but the Washington, D.C. area. I mean come on! How many storms are we going to miss this year? Maybe last week's thundersnow disaster is all we're going to get this year.

My sister Cheryl in Des Moines was saying they were going to get 10-15 inches. This picture at left is outside her house last night. The Chicago area got something like 30 inches and had winds of more than 50 mph. They were comparing it to the blizzard of 1967, which I remember as I was 7 years old. But if last week's clusterf*ck is an indication, a storm like that around here would shut this area down for days.

After going four days last year with 40 inches on the ground, no power for 4 days and having to listen to the Super Bowl on the radio, I'd say Ed and I can handle it.

Bring it on.

*Can't wait for the next versions of Survivor and The Amazing Race. They both have redemption themes this season, with some people I've loved to hate back to try and win. Survivor is back Feb. 16. TAR returns Feb. 20. Should be fun.

*This stuff going on in Egypt and the Middle East is crazy. Very reminiscent of the Berlin Wall going down. President Hosni Mubarek says he won't run for office again. But that's not enough for the protesters. Let's just hope the violence, which has gotten a bit worse around Cairo today, doesn't get out of hand. And here's hoping that U.S. citizens in Egypt are able to return home safely.

Plucked out of the air ...

... The theme of this blog is random thoughts, so that's what I'll give you today.

*Packers fans rank right up there with Steelers, Redskins and Cowboys as possibly the most obnoxious in the NFL. Like I said in a previous post, crown their asses already. It'll be nice to see all those Cheeseheads crawl back into their holes when the Bears knock Aaron Rodgers on his ass Sunday. (If the Bears lose, I take all that back. Except the part about those four teams' fans being obnoxious.)

*Speaking of Dennis Green (from above), please enjoy this compilation of wig outs.



*Yay! Russell and Rob are going to be on Survivor: Redemption Island. Two of the most hated/loved competitors to ever be on the show. I can't wait. It starts Feb. 16. The Amazing Race starts up again Feb. 20.

*I gotta work out today. Shoulders & Arms. Gotta find the motivation. One good thing though -- I'm into Round 3, Week 2 of the P90X program and the soreness is already starting to go away. I should be able to find my motivation from the softball pictures below. Yup. That'll do it.

Update: Workout complete!

Back to the blogosphere ...

... Well, I've decided to start blogging again. I think it will help me as I get cranking on Round 3 of P90X.

I'll still have my usual commentary on a lot of other stuff going on in the world too -- like Chicago sports (Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks and a bit of Bulls, NO White Sox) -- movies and reality TV (can't wait for new episodes of The Amazing Race and Survivor: Redemption Island).

So away we go. P90X for today is: Legs and back.

The Amazing Survivor Race

Good news on both fronts: GC is gone from Survivor: Gabon and the blondes are gone from The Amazing Race.

GC deserved to go. And it tells you how much his tribe mates wanted him gone when they could have voted out Sugar, who has the immunity idol found on Exile Island. They even talked about backdooring Sugar, but in the end, they got rid of a cancer that quit on his team several times.

As for the blondes, Marissa and Brooke: If it's possible, you set the blonde nation back another 20 years. After finding out they were going to Auckland, New Zealand, Marisa wondered if the people there will like blondes as her cohort Brooke noted that they probably already have blondes in that country, since they’re not, like, rare or anything. As Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchors Seth and Amy would say, "Really!"

But the best line of the night came from Dallas, when he was talking about his mom Toni having to deal with the natives during a Roadblock on Mount Eden. One team member had to choose an image of a tattoo worn by Maori warriors and match it to the face of an actual warrior. Dallas said he hoped the Maori don’t “eat his mom.” Now that's funny.

In the end, Ken and Tina took one of two Fast Forwards this season: Go directly to the Auckland Skytower, the tallest building in the Southern hemisphere at 1,076 feet, climb to the top and “pick up a friend," which happened to be a Travelocity Roaming Gnome! The gnome got them a trip to Rio. Bitches.

A bonus: With Phil on the mat in his native New Zealand was his dad, John!

Next week: Sarah's Terence (what a wuss) gets pulled over by the cops -- a traffic violation or hair crimes? Also, Kelly and Christy get nasty, making fun of Dallas’ hair and calling him Teen Wolf. Now there's an '80s reference we didn't need.

Philliminated Marisa and Brooke photo courtesy CBS

The Amazing Survivor Race

Why don't people read clues? Geez, with $1 million on the line, I'm reading everything, letter-by-letter.

Leave it to the nerds on The Amazing Race, a couple of guys who I thought were a lot smarter than that, to not read a very important clue -- use your legs not a cab -- and were eliminated in last week's episode that was filmed mostly in Bolivia. Maybe they really do live in the basement of the science building.

So who do I root for now? The Frat Boys? They don't seem to have an elevator that goes to the top floor either. I guess mother and son Toni and Dallas, who finished second, are the ones to root for now. I can't stand the blondes, Terrence & Sarah or Ken & Tina.

It's definite a very good season, despite my early disappointments with the eliminations. Can't wait for Sunday.

As for Survivor, the teams were redrawn and Jacquie ended up being voted out. Charlie, Marcus and Matty are my favorites -- it doesn't hurt that they are easy on the eyes -- and Randy is so obnoxious as to be likeable. But only to a point. He's a smart one and shouldn't be underestimated.

Tonight's episode looks interesting -- somebody disappears before a challenge. Hopefully it's GC. I don't want him hurt, just out of the competition.

Until next time ...

Nerds (Mark & Bill) photo courtesy CBS

The Amazing Survivor Race

And so they return, two of my favorite reality TV shows, Survivor and The Amazing Race.

First Survivor, which for the first time is being filmed in HD. Africa never looked so beautiful. Remember that on this show attitude, smarts and athleticism will get you everywhere. Which is why we said goodbye to Michelle (bad attitude) and Gillian (no athleticism at all) on opening night.

My favorites? Gay-boy Charlie of course, and his BFF Marcus. Physics teacher Bob seems to be quite a hoot, and though Randy is depressing, he knows how to to play the game. None of the chicks really float my boat, but you have to admit that anybody named Sugar has to be kind of fun. And I think she is and will be.

As for the best show on TV, The Amazing Race: Beekeepers/hippies Anita and Arthur we heardly knew ye. From Los Angeles to Brazil was as far as they made it, faltering at the Detour.

Their choices: Hard Way Up or Soft Way Down. Teams could either climb a stone staircase on their hands and knees (ouch) and be asked a mystery question at the top, or teams can choose to climb down a cargo net attached to a building that’s 240 feet down. Every team chooses the cargo net but the frats, Andrew and Dan. They preferred to wreck their knees by climbing the stairs, and they got the question at the top wrong: how many stairs were there? Back to the bottom, where they have to reclimb.

So back to the beehives with ye Anita and Arthur after taking a looooong time to climb the Soft Way Down.

My favorites here? The frat boys and the nerds, Mark and Bill. I can already tell I'm not going to like the Southern Belles (Marissa and Brooke -- why do we have to have dumb blondes on every TAR? But I digress). The Tina half of Ken and Tina is already annoying, too. And the brother/sister duo of Nick and Starr are just a little too touchy-feely for me.

So away we go. See you next week.

Anita and Arthur photo courtesy CBS

I told you so ...

... So Dan, the 24-year-old Catholic school teacher, becomes the first winner in Big Brother history to win with a unanimous vote (Memphis never stood a chance, especially after the Q&A session). And he deserved it.

The jury members finally got off their high horses and realized they were beaten by the best player in the game. It took a while, but good for them.

And hey, how about the greeting 75-year-old Jerry got when he showed up at the Jury House? They may have been in California, but it sure looked like they were in northern Canada. In the middle of a winter blizzard.

So another season of Big Brother is over. If The Amazing Race and Survivor weren't starting next week, I'm sure I'd be going into reality TV withdrawal.

While it's well known how much I'd love to be on TAR, BB would be my second choice. I love Survivor, and all the contestants on that show deserve a pat on the back. I just couldn't handle the bugs.

Or the lack of a fan. I'd never sleep.

Reality TV returns ...

... I know. It never went away. But some of my favorites are about to be back, or will be shortly.

*Big Brother returns next Sunday, July 13.
*My all-time favorite, The Amazing Race, is back on Sept. 28 with its 13th edition.
*And Survivor kicks off the fall TV season on Sept. 22 with its latest edition in Gabon, Africa.

Can't wait for The Amazing Race especially, but September is still a ways away. Big Brother will do just fine holding down the fort until then...

Reality rewind

I know it's a little late, but I gotta give my two cents worth:

Survivor: Ugh. How Parvati ended up winning what had been a fairly exciting season is beyond me. No more All-Star stuff. Let's hope this next trip to Africa is a good one.

Big Brother: Ugh again. Adam? ADAM???

American Idol: Well, we knew a David would win. I just wanted it to be Archuleta, not Cook. Though he is good, as was the season.

And now, we're only a couple of months away from the return of The Amazing Race, which rumor has it, just completed filming season 13 in Portland, Ore. Season 14 follows next spring.

Can't wait.

Reality TV update

It's been awhile, hasn't it?

Big Brother is down to the final four (Ryan, Sheila, Sharon and Adam), Ozzie was eliminated from Survivor (stupidly, he didn't use the immunity idol), and American Idol is down to the final six after Kristy Lee Cook was voted off last week.

We'll keep this short and sweet with my predictions:

Big Brother: Adam is voted off this week after losing the POV, leaving Ryan, Sheila and Sharon in the final three. I predict Ryan will win.

Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites has been pretty good. With Ozzie being backdoored last week, the women are definitely in charge. Cirie seems to be running things (I really don't like her). If James can hang on a couple of weeks, I think he has a shot. But watch out for Cirie. She's devious.

American Idol: David Archuleta, David Cook or Carly Smithson will win. My pick remains David Archuleta. He's just so damn cute.

Until next time ...

Ryan photo courtesy CBS

Big Survivor Brother Idol

My perspective on the week in Reality Television:

*Well, Joshuah is gone from the Big Brother house, but our favorite gay housemate went out with class, unlike some people who have left. But how Sheila keeps slipping by without getting nominated is beyond me. She is so two-faced -- just ask James. And will somebody please tell Natalie to just not talk? Ever?

*Is it just me or are the guys SOOO much better than the girls this year on American Idol? David Archuleta, David Cook and Michael Johns are head and shoulders above anything the girls have to offer, though I do like Carly Smithson. Bye, bye Ramiele.

*After a week off, Survivor returns tonight. And it looks as if the injuries continue, if you believe the previews. Seems to me this season of Survivor, while a good one, has a bunch of wimps playing the game (not counting the injured players of course). Maybe it's just me.

Til next week ...

Joshuah photo courtesy CBS

Big Idol Survivor Brother

*I will start by saying that I was very disappointed cutie boy/male stripper David Hernandez was voted off of American Idol last week. What was America thinking by keeping Kristy Lee Cook? Her bad Dolly Parton take on the Beatles' Eight Days a Week was like listening to somebody scratching their fingernails on a chalk board.

Oh well. I guess David's past really did come back to bite him in the ass, so to speak.

Favorite David Archuleta had another forgettable night, forgetting the words to We Can Work It Out. And I have to say that Carly Smithson might be my favorite now.

*James is back in the house on Big Brother after having been voted off 10 minutes before. After America voted to have Alex possibly return to the house, the Houseguests voted instead to bring back what they already know best, and that would be the freak with the pink mohawk. The Head of Household competition went well into the night, so tonight's episode should be a good one.

*Chet's gone from Survivor, which is probably a good thing. I have to say that in all the years I've been watching Survivor, he's the first that I thought just didn't belong. He was hurt, true, but he just seemed out of place and didn't perform very well in challenges.

Jonathan Penner is gone too, and that's just too bad. He had an injury that had gotten infected, and in fact had to have surgery when he left the show to clean the infection and possibly avoid losing his leg and even his life. I think he had a good chance of winning.

My favorite continues to be Ozzie. But Oz, here's some advice -- don't get too comfortable, and don't get too full of yourself or you could be the next voted off.

Jonathan Penner photo courtesy CBS

Big American Survivor Idol Brother

Joel, you didn't see it coming. But boy was it nice to see you get stabbed in the back and voted off of Survivor last night.

The Fans vs. Favorites theme is gone now, with both teams split up with 4 of each team. Joel was first pissed off because he ended up being Chet's teammate again. It didn't help matters when they were paired up in the reward challenge either. I kind of liked him until he turned into a bully, dragging Chet around like a rag doll on an obstacle course just to get a little meat in his belly. Then his campaign to get Chet voted out just pissed everybody else off.
Adios amigo.

On American Idol, David Archuleta wasn't as good as last week, but he's still my favorite. But watch out for David Cook. His rendition of Lionel Richie's Hello on Tuesday night caught the eye of Richie himself: "I'm putting that song out there tomorrow myself with David on it. That is a smash record that David did the other night. I couldn't believe it ... David just played it as If it was his song from the beginning as if there was no Lionel Richie involved ... he just killed it." Watch it here.

I do believe the right people were voted off. The guys are much better this year, and even better now that Wham! wannabe Luke is gone. And gay boy Danny Noriega. Danny boy, if you weren't so flamboyant I probably would have liked you a lot better. Girl, you need to butch it up a little.
As for Kady and Asia'h, the girls were, as Simon Cowell said, "forgettable."

Finally, Big Brother 9 just got a lot more interesting too. It's now one-on-one after they split up the couples. As Allison and Ryan were heading out the door after being voted off, the siren went off in the house and Julie announced the new format to everybody. And then announced that the house would be voting live to evict either Allison or Ryan. The words everybody hates to hear came out of Julie's mouth: "By a vote of 6-0, Allison, you have been voted out of the Big Brother house." Buh-bye.

Danny Noriega photo courtesy Fox

Reality TV review

My life doesn't totally revolve around reality television, but a lot of people might think so. And there's not even an Amazing Race to talk about. Oh well.

Big Brother 9: Bye-bye Alison and Ryan. Although I think HOH Joshuah overreacted to Alison's fake lesbian story, I do think it's time for her to go. But why Joshuah hasn't had the same reaction to Sheila is interesting. Oh well. It's been nice knowing ya.

Survivor Micronesia: Mikey B. just got too big for his britches, so he, too, is on the outside looking in. Ozzy continues to amaze. He is probably the best athlete ever on Survivor. He must have held his breath under water five minutes in the immunity challenge, and he found the hidden immunity idol on Exile Island. Is Kathryn just an idiot? Three times on EI, and she comes up with nothing. Ozzy is there for five minutes, finds the idol and carves a fake one for anyone who might find it on a subsequent trip. He learned a lot from the Yau-Man.

American Idol: So far I think the right people have been voted out -- no big surprises so far. David Archuleta is my favorite until somebody else proves to be better. Final 16 competition begins with the guys tonight.

There you have it. The week in reality TV in a nutshell.

Ozzy photo courtesy CBS

I should do this for a living ...

Reality TV update

I'm so glad Jen is gone from Big Brother 9. I feel a little bad for Parker, but Jen did nothing but stir up trouble while she was there.

Now with pink-mohawk James and Chelsia in charge, who gets evicted this week will be interesting. They promised Matt and Natalie that they wouldn't be put up, but if you know anything about Big Brother, don't believe a word anybody says.

And James, nice tattoos. I have three myself. But CBS obviously doesn't like what two of them depict, because they shaded over them at every opportunity Sunday. Click here to see what they say. And James -- if your secret on your gay porn past is revealed, look out.

As for Survivor, Yau-Man, we hardly knew ye. The long-time favorite was voted out at the last tribal council. Too bad. For a small guy, he was pretty smart and pretty physical. The others should have been worried because if he had found the hidden immunity idol, he'd have coasted to the final, again.

Until next week ...

James and Chelsia photo courtesy CBS

Survivor, Big Brother updates

Hmmm. Watched Big Brother 9 last night and no mention of Neil's departure. Ed says they just haven't caught up with what was already filmed. Though there was a lot less of him and Joshuah on Sunday night. A lot less. I guess Julie Chen will fill us in on the live version Thursday.

In the meantime, what an idiot Jen is. Telling everybody in the house that she and Ryan came into the house as boyfriend/girlfriend pretty much sealed her fate. Even if she wins the Power of Veto on Tuesday, Ryan and Sheila will be voted off. And that's too bad because everybody's finding out that Sheila's not the bad guy in all this.

As for Survivor, the favorites got a bit of revenge by winning immunity this week. Fan Mary was voted off in a blindsided vote that really targeted her strongest alliance, Mikey B, who thought he was running the show. Welcome to Survivor, Mikey B.

And I'm telling you, watch out for Ozzy. He may be the best athlete Survivor has ever had. And it doesn't hurt that he's cute.

And why is there a picture of James from Big Brother? (courtesy CBS)? Nothing in particular. He just makes me laugh.

Reality TV overload

So the latest installment of Survivor began last week, Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites. It's set in Micronesia (Palau). Looks like it's going to be pretty good.

A lot of big egos on the favorites side, so I was glad to see them get their asses handed to them by the favorites in the first episode. And I was also glad to see Johnny Fairplay, he of the dead grandmother who really wasn't, getting his butt voted out first. Whether or not he was lying about not being into it because of a pregnant girlfriend at home or not, I'm just glad he's gone.

Ozzy, Yau-Man and James are my picks to click on the favorites side. Erik and gay man Chet appear to be the interesting ones on the fans side. The first fan that needs to go? Kathleen, who when she greeted Chet last week said something to the effect of "I've never met a gay man before." Come on honey, there's probably one in your family right now. And the previews don't look too good for her next week anyway.

Tomorrow is the beginning of Big Brother 9. Can't wait for that either. Julie Chen promises lots of twists and turns in this one, including people being paired up before they go in the house. They'll be doing everything together, including sleeping and getting voted off. Should be interesting. Two gays are on the show too. Did I say it should be interesting?

Ozzy photo courtesy CBS

Where have I been???

Umm, away? Hell I don't know. I just know I haven't blogged since Sept. 30, 2007. Good God, that was last year!

A lot has happened since then, and maybe that's why I just haven't had the desire. First and foremost, the Cubs were 3 and done in the playoffs. To the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bastards.

The Bears' season just ended, though on a good note, with a 33-25 win over the New Orleans Saints (take that JW or whatever the hell your name is now). But by winning their final two games they actually screwed themselves a little bit. Now instead of fifth or sixth pick in the draft they get No. 14. Please, if you are reading this, DRAFT A QUARTERBACK WHO CAN ACTUALLY WIN IN CHICAGO. PICK A RUNNING BACK WHO ISN'T CEDRIC BENSON. Sorry. Had to vent.

My sister Sue is OK I guess. She had her lung cancer surgery and then proceeded to start smoking again. She seems to think that since they cut part of her lung out that all the cancer is gone. Sure. And I'm going to win Powerball this week too.

She does like the doctor she's currently seeing, though, and he may be just the one to change her mind about chemotherapy. We'll see.

In reality TV land, Survivor: China has come and gone, with Todd, our little cutie mormon gay flight attendant walking away with the million bucks. He deserved it. Kid Nation is also over and probably won't be back. I liked it, but it raised a lot of concern over child labor laws and such. Pshaw.

And last but not least, we're down to the final four on The Amazing Race 12: Grandpa Don & Nick, Nate & Jen (please let them lose this week, please, please, please), Ron & Christina (Asian father and daughter -- he really treats her like crap), and the hippies, Rachel & TK.

I'm pulling for the hippies and grandpa & Nick. It's been a great year so far. Too bad the Goths are one. They were pretty funny.

Alfred E. Newman courtesy MAD Magazine

Reality TV update

So now it's Survivor: China and Kid Nation.

The Chicken Man and the pro wrestling chick are gone from Survivor, which is probably best. Though the Chicken Man would have been pretty entertaining if he had remained. The other chick was just annoying.

This season's cutie is Todd, a 22-year-old Mormon gay flight attendant. His parents must be proud (note the sarcasm). He's smart and should go far.

As for KN, not sure what all the hub bub was about. Child labor, uncaring parents, blah, blah, blah.

This is probably the best thing that has and ever will happen to these kids. It's tough, but I think they are getting a lot more out of it than just a $20,000 gold star.

I guess we'll find out soon enough. When does Amazing Race 12 start???

Todd photo courtesy CBS

Trying to catch up

*OK, the local D.C. weather people are already scaring everybody to get to the grocery stores as quickly as possible to snatch up all the milk, bread and toilet paper available; schools I'm sure are already getting ready to close. A snowstorm that could bring "significant accumulations" to the area is forecast for Tuesday. Um, "significant accumulations" around here is 6 inches or more. Been to Oswego, N.Y., lately? I'll bet they could tell you a lot about "significant accumulations." About 7 feet worth. Talk about needing all the milk, bread and toilet paper you can find. I never understood why people around here freaked out at the grocery store. Now if I lived in upstate New York I could understand it. Check out this Associated Press photo from www.usatoday.com:

*Didn't get a chance to blog on Friday. Survivor: Fiji looks like it's going to be pretty good. Like my sister said, there are already a couple of people to dislike, but I'll give them more time. I watched it after work Thursday night, then before I had a chance to think about it, deleted it from the DVR. I knew immediately what a Dora move that was. Ed didn't get to see it because he was watching Ugly Betty. Can you say ooops?

*Been back in the gym every day this week. I wasn't going to go today, but after talking to Ed, I think I probably will head that way. We don't really have anything planned as of yet, so off I go.