Weekend Rant – Reality Round Up

There are quite a few reality genre shows on the Watch List, and this past week saw the Season Finale and crowning of Canada’s Favourite Dancer on So you think you can Dance Canada. Congratulations to Tara Jean for taking home the big prize. I was pulling for (and voted a ton for) her fellow competitor, Jayme Rae but glad that one of the girls won this time around. This season was another one filled with great dancers and some fantastic pieces of choreography, and I am ecstatic that it will be back again (soon) and they are already gearing up to start the audition process. We may have also have seen the last Mia Michael creation on a SYTYCD stage for the eminent future, as Mia has moved on to other things. I hope to see more of her work elsewhere.

Continuing is SYTYCD territory, the Top 20 performed on the American version sans my favourite, Billy Bell, who had to drop out due to illness. I am a tad more lukewarm about this crop of dancers and will have to see who catches my eye now that my favourite is gone. I hope he comes back next season. It is still early in the competition and I get more hyped once the herd has been culled down to Top 10 territory.

Battle of the Blades continues to perplex me with the strange voting system used by the Judges, the comments that don’t seem to always fit the performance and the continuing drama of eliminating one of the couples on elimination night after the big Skate Off. It’s all for charity so I try to keep an open mind, but things always feel slightly off balance. I still get a kick watching the Hockey Players figure skating and seeing how comfortable they can be and if they have any actual grace. I am pretty impressed with a lot of the lifts the guys are pulling off and all that strength is good for something.

Survivor is churning out a great season with our über winning Galu tribe dominating the Fao Fao tribe. Russell is turning into the biggest ego that Survivor has ever seen ( the guy is delusional in his perception of the game) and I can hardly wait until the merge and watch all his plans go down the drain. I love it when the merge happens and we get down to individual play and you can really see who the power players are. Let’s just hope the Immunity Idols are played this time around, I always laugh when I see them being hoarded and then their owner gets blindsided. It has happened to the best of players and it would be sweet irony to see that trick played on Russell. Just a thought… I would love to see Erik win it all (I love his tree house), and think he is playing a pretty decent game so far. Besides, he is not so hard on the eyes either.

The Amazing Race continues on it’s trip around the globe, and I love how we see the teams go into meltdown mode and it all hits the fan. Canaan & Mika paid the price for a fear of heights, and it was interesting to see one the other teams, the Globetrotters, break their friendly image and freak Mika out even more until she forfeited her place and quit the Challenge. I don’t think they played dirty (it was a bit mean) as they were waiting in line for her to finish. It was the first time I heard anything about a time limit for starting a Challenge, and they seem to be insisting on the rules this season. It’s always good fun but the Race is getting harder and there only a few teams left. I am hoping for the Gay Brothers, Sam & Dan, to win, but they haven’t been the smartest knives in the drawer so far so that may be just wishful thinking.

Top Chef continues to challenge our Chefs, and unfortunately, one of my favourites, Jennifer, is cracking under pressure and will be eliminated soon if this keeps up. I thought it was a given that one of the brothers would win (Michael or Bryan), but Kevin has been pulling off a lot of wins and feels like the front runner at this time. The Quick fire Challenges are always a ton of fun and I loved our TV dinner themed one this week, even if some of the Chefs completely missed the concept with their creation. There seems to be a lot of tension in the house, and I wondering if it something that they put in the water that keeps everyone on edge like that. I find the gang a tad too harsh on Robin, but I don’t have to spend all my time with her.

Reality Round Up - Crossing the Finish Line

Project Runway has been limping it's way to the finish line this season, and after last week's elimination of Jerrel (and my increasing dislike for Kenley), I am not left with many options for a winner that I actually want to win this season. Sure, I have loved some of the stuff done by Korto, but she has been missing the boat the last couple of weeks and has lost some of my interest. Leanne has been okay and probably has the best chance to win out of the girls just as long as she knows how to edit things down and doesn't get too carried away with all the detailing.I think that this is the first time they have had 3 female designers at the end round and while the variety is interesting, I have not enjoyed that much of this current and probably last season. This is Project Runway and I expect to see no less that one fierce gay guy there at the end.
The point is moot though as it will all be ending this week and after such a tepid season I have the feeling this show will be going the way of the dinosaur unless they get some fresh energy back.

There was just something missing all this season and while I still can't put my finger on exactly what it was, I just know that this season felt off in so many ways.

Top Design has been slightly better this time around and while the competition seems kind of tilted towards a couple of the guys, I was still a little pissed that Nathan didn't get the credit for his design ideas after that wacky Eco-Office switcheroo. I was not sad to see Wizit hit the road, his aesthetic was too bland for this boy and he really didn't take the challenge to heart. The best part of his appearance was his opera singing on the way out but I shed no tears over his departure. Eddie better watch his ass because Nathan is on his way to win the competition. Hopefully Mrs. Shroeder will be leaving soon as she is probably the least talented left in the gang and is continually riding on the coat tails of the other designers.

Paris Hilton's My BFF is turning into the best Guilty Pleasure that I have seen in ages.. and it is due more to those wacky antics of boy-girl Onch than anything else. Onch has got to be the winner because most of those contestants have no personality and as much as I hate Paris, I really think that our dear Onch could fit into her gang and for the love of whatever, I can not stop watching this show. The other girls (and that one terribly bland boy) that are trying to cosy up to Paris are really willing to do almost anything to please their girl (that thought there should be scary enough), but Paris wants them to have blind faith and so far has confronted them with a make over (done by some gay friends and just for Paris, it's her way of seeing how much of a friend you really are and if you trust her) and made the gang go out to party all night to see their endurance level. It has all been too fricking funny so far and you have to wonder what is next, I just know that I almost lost it when Shelly announced that she was *gasp* -- a virgin. Is Paris really the right role model for a girl like this? tsk tsk to be followed for sure.

Reality Round Up - Whole lotta shakin' going on

Dancing with the Stars dominated last week with a huge 3 night event. Thankfully that's not the regular schedule 'cause it's a tad daunting. It's great to see Maks again (and once again he is teamed up with a big powerful woman) and I expect to see him and Misty go pretty far.

I was very surprised with Warren Sapp -- the guy has great rhythm and flow and he was great in his first couple of dances. Lance Bass is doing great, and I am already such a huge fan of his partner Lacey from So you think you can Dance and expect them to go far. They may have to tone down the Contemporary vibe a bit (for Len) but they are hot to watch.

Brooke Burke is great and better than expected. Maurice Green is pretty smooth on the floor and I was pretty sure that Susan Lucci was going to be eliminated this week but she bounced back. Susan looks pretty thin and might have been pushing herself a bit too far. I have never heard a Judge tell a contestant to eat before, so that was kind of weird.

Cody Linley is in that grey zone for me, sure he is young and cute (with huge,huge eyebrows) and all the girls are screaming but I find him a bit green. We'll have to see if Julianne will whip him into shape. Rocco DiSpirito is a sexy chef but not much of a dancer. I was expecting to see him go this week as well and was surprised when it was Ted McGinley that hit the road. Tim has been around forever and he always looks the same, and I think he fell victim to the voting public. I wasn't surprised that Jeff Ross was one of the first eliminated, he looked so out of his element.

Toni Braxton is a bit too drama queen for my taste and I don't understand all the health issues but she looks great. Once she relaxes she has a good shot of going far. Kim Kardashian may have the bod but she doesn't know how to use it . I think that Hedda Lettuce said it best with her big hit " She can't sing., she can't dance. Why's she famous?" and it just reinforces the fact that Kim may have a huge ass and a sex tape but that doesn't make her a performer. Poor Mark, I don't think he will make it to the big Finale this year. His dad Corky (Seriously?) has his hands full with Cloris Leachman. First of all, the apple doesn't fall from the tree when it comes to Mark and Corky. The similarities are astounding and it's kind strange to see Mark and how he will look in a couple of decades. All that aside, Cloris is pure entertainment but she isn't a great dancer. She has had me in tears watching her cosy up to the Judges and trying to bribe them.

She's probably the best reminder of why I love this show, it's just fun and entertaining and light. That is definitely a good thing.

Of course for everything fun going on there has to be that bastard cousin that irks the hell out of you and you still can't get enough. Yes I am talking about you Project Runway, and I am glad this season is wrapping up. Once again this week, there wasn't anything that I really liked being produced this episode. Sure it was a cute challenger, create an outfit for another designer inspired by a musical style, but the final result and guest Judge LL Cool J had me doing another WTF moment. I didn't really see the rapport with having our guest Judge except to mention his upcoming collection, and Kenley was such an irritating shrill that I was almost wishing that she had gone home instead of Suede.I have been wanting Suede gone for weeks (enough with the 3rd person crap) and when it was him aufed this week I felt that it should have been Kenley with the crap she produced. Any designer who has no respect for Tim Gunn doing his rounds needs a good reality check as well, you do not bite the hand that feeds you or you will regret it.

Top Design couldn't live with Shazia's design this week and I was glad she got booted. Bad attitude and poor work ethic don't make a good designer.

I am still finding that too many of the Challenges are a group effort and I want to see more of the individual challenges to see the designers do their own thing and not a compromise. I did love the little meltdown moment with Eddie at the store (how very Martha Stewart, well done grasshopper) and Jeff Lewis was the perfect bitchy guest Judge. His "I thought this show was Top Design and not over the top Design" comment was perfect Jeff. I love how the contestants are starting to fear Margaret Russell and I hope that Kelly Wearstler being back next week will add that extra touch that it seems to be missing when she is not there.

Survivor Gabon started it's first season in HD this week and I am in awe. The show is even better than before and I love the cast this year. I was initially worried that there wasn't going to be a gay contestant, but those fears were quickly cast aside with the introduction of Charlie from NY. Yup, pretty gay and I think his crush on fellow contestant Marcus is very cute. Their team, Kota is going well so far and kicking the collective butt of their opponents Fang. Their location is stunning, it must be a huge trip having the elephants and hippos around (not to mention all the other wildlife) and I was in for more surprise when Ace got most of his Kota team to do some yoga. The contrast of having a centered and happy tribe and the leaderless and losing Fang tribe is astounding, and when they shake things up in a few rounds it will make for some interesting viewing. In the season opener there were 2 Tribal Councils and the first one Eliminated is Michelle from Kota (bad move, she may have been quiet but she was one of the strongest women on that team and physical strength is important at the beginning), and then later Gillian from Kota is the second. Gillian may have been great at moral, but she wasn't physically that strong and seemed to irritate some of her tribe mates.

I am loving it so far and can hardly wait until the next episode.

Tabatha's Salon Takeover impresses me each week as she is given the impossible task of trying to bring order to chaos. Her methods may be too blunt and direct for most of us, but if you can take that part of her with a grain of salt ( I am just full of these old metaphors today, look em up on wikipedia if you don't understand them) and get past all of that she is very brilliant, talented and witty.

Each episode there is the part where she teaches and shows how she works with her clients, and I can see why there is a 3 month waiting list and I can't imagine having a bad hair cut experience with her. Very talented and caring for her clients, and very demanding as a boss and teacher. Just look professional or she will call you some red neck hillbilly.

Speaking of such things.. Outsider's Inn is still one of my Friday night Guilty Pleasures and it is just so ridiculous and fun. The story line this week with Bobby going off to Detroit and taking good old boy Leroy with him was culture shock all over again. The whole thing about our other good old boys and the girls getting into trouble was so badly scripted that you could almost think it's a reality show.

Almost.

I am still so convinced that none of these stars know each other and the small conversation between Maureen and Carnie about going shopping was pretty much the big confirmation of all that. The girls really don't know each other but I like the ridiculous circumstances and county sensibilities.

I don't think Maureen will ever get over the Marsha Brady thing and her biker chick blow out this week was too ridiculous. It was almost like Marsha all over again and I could only roll my eyes with Carnie on that one. I don't know where they are exactly .. but those prison uniforms are pretty scary and cartoon like all at the same time.

I get a pretty heaping helping of CMT just by tuning in for this one show and if this keeps up I will not be able to resist the occasional peek at Redneck Weddings. It just looks too hokey and hillbilly to be true.

The Cho Show finished off it's first season (and hopefully not it's last) and Margaret and crew had me in hysterics.First we get to learn the horrible truth about her haunted vagina in an all too funny episode and then they tied the season up with Margaret getting her very own Day in San Francisco.

Things were so fabulous in this debut season (and I have quite the crush on John the make up artist) that it has moved on to the Top Ten List of this year (more on that later). Margaret has managed to find a great balance between her comedy and life, her family and entourage are great (her assistant Selena is to die for) and she has such a great outlook on life. Besides, have you seen those tattoos of hers? Great stuff all around.

Reality Round Up - Endurance Training

This season of Project Runway is just leaving a bad taste in my mouth, and I am not sure if that is because Suede (please someone, just shoot him) is still on the show or if it is the non stop babbling and drama going on. I honestly lost interest this week and thought that pretty much everyone was bleh about the whole thing. More nattering like this and I will be pulling the plug. I knew things would get worse once Stella left and there is next to no one interesting left to watch.

Maybe my mood will improve next week.

Top Design was okay... but I think I was still in a bad mood from the hour preceding this episode and once I saw that it was a Window Display Challenge with an article of clothing designed by a former contestant on Project Runway I knew I was going to be for a crappy evening.

Aside from Sweet P and Andre (more on that later), the rest of the designers were none of my favorites. Santino is an ass, Jeffrey is just too unkempt (hello? that facial hair is real bad) and I have no fricking idea why the other one keeps showing but, but perennial contestant and reality show whore Daniel (sad excuse for a designer) was there. I honestly don't see why some of these designers are still around except for their ability to augment the drama quotient in the show.

I had forgotten what such a drama queen Andre is ( I still have the fond memories of the 'Where's Andre?" thing with Tim Gunn) and when he has his meltdown over the wicker accessories I was just so disappointed with the entire episode. It was all bad drama left and right and I was hoping it was another double elimination. Finally after it all hit the fan and the dust settled, Big Daddy (his choice of words and not mine) Kerry is sent home ( See you later, decorator!), His partner, Wisit, was quite lucky but it was more Kerry's lack of leadership and decision making that sunk his ship than anything else.

Mrs.Shroder is the one to watch out for, she is pure evil and as usual she came out smelling like roses again. She was most upset about being teamed up with cutie Preston and once again tagged along and did well. I hope she gets Shazia next time around and we can see a complete meltdown that will have to be bleeped to death.

Overall, I didn't really see anything that interesting that was produced... but the Judges were in fine form. I am just worried after seeing the preview for next week with Jeff and the gang from Flipping Out that this will turn into some terrible incestuous relationship with the other Bravo based reality shows. Sure I like a good cross over story, but constantly having guest stars from your other reality shows shows a bit of desperation does it not? It's not necessary to add some more volatile personalities to the mix... keep mixing up the Challenges and make the designers show their skills. That's the reason I watch the show (well maybe for the eye candy as well) and if I don't see relevant challenges then I lose interest pretty quick.

Seeing the casting ad for Make Me a SuperModel Season 2 made my heart jump -- I loved the first season (and Ronny) and hope that this one is as fun and interesting as the first round. Unfortunately my hope is running out for a second season of America's Most smartest Model. There has not been an official announcement from VH1 and it may be gone for good.

The Rachel Zoe Project hasn't been catching enough of my attention (and there is so much to watch) that it has fallen to the wayside and I could really care less. It was an interesting experiment but I would rather have some whacked out show with Paula Abdul instead.Off the Watch List for you Rachel... that's not very trend setting is it?

The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency had an extremely awkward episode this past week, and as usual I have to blame the editing. After all these months (years?) of whining about the editing, it looks like the voice over guy was off and the episode was worse than usual. Not only did it seem like it was forever before there was a commercial, but the dead air time was horrendous. Janice is still trying to play Den Mother and you know this is not going to work out well. I will still be following but I am not finding this season very interesting, it's just too much manufactured drama and it looks like they are having a problem deciding on who to focus on. Isn't some underwear company looking for new models? That usually gets things going.

Reality Round Up - Things go better in Twos

I finally got my wish the other night and the baked one (Blayne) FINALLY got aufed ... it was an interesting and long awaited episode of Project Runway that had me worried that some of the flakes would be back (no such worries, Heidi dismissed that rumor right away); Suede got a good smack down from the Judges ( you have to love that Michael Kors) and Terri learned a hard life lesson about team dynamics.

Although it wasn't that surprising as far as episodes go, any kind of Avant-garde Challenge is almost always interesting to see for the over the top designs. It was interesting to see all of the other designers come back and how they were to use the Zodiac sign of one of the designers as inspiration. It was a treat to see Stella and then I felt damn sorry for her being paired up with Blayne as it was quite the challenge for those two to work together. I think if anyone has different design aesthetics it had to be those two and I don't honestly think that Stella was that impressed with being paired up with the twit. Some of the teams did okay, a couple of them were down right terrible and Terri was just too much of a bitch with Keith. Keith was being quite the douche him self and being all fragile. sigh... there has to be at least one cry baby per year. The team dynamics were all over the place, depending on the prevailing mood of some of the designers. It seems to be more about the drama than the design this season and that should only be part of it.

I know that Kenley was getting on several designer's nerves in the challenge, but I thought she did a great job and was really one of the ones that stood out. I thought it was très Minnie Mouse and it was just missing the ears. Jerrel was great but I didn't think he was that outstanding but he ended being the winner (the Judges are damn hard to read sometimes), Leanne was very interesting (again) and is turning in to a real competitor. I think she is surprising everyone. I was concerned by some of the choices that didn't seem to be really over the top enough to be considered Avant-garde by some of the designers and that meant Korto was disappointing and so was Joe. I honestly don't think that some of the designers understand what the hell Avant-garde means.

I've being ranting for weeks that they need to cull the herd a bit quicker, and we finally got around to Blayne, Terri and Suede being the bottom 3 and we know that 2 are to be eliminated. I honestly did not expect Terri to be given the boot (her ensemble wasn' t that terrible, I think she really pissed of the Judges with her treatment of Keith) and Suede lived to sew for another day. I wonder if he will continue speaking of himself in such the 3rd tense and with such vigor after getting eviscerated by the Judges this week... only time will tell but I think that he is on his last legs.

Top Design continued it's new and improved format with a makeover of a Bunker, those Fallout Shelters that have been around since the 1950's. All of the designers were paired up and had to work their magic on a 12 by 14 foot concrete box that had to be shared by the 2 of them. I loved the little video they played at the beginning showing the old TV ads for Bunkers and wonder if they are making a comeback. It feels almost slight exploitative having this kind of challenge right around September 11th .. but I may be reading more into the challenge than was intended.

It was a very interesting challenge, and it was fascinating to see the different dynamics amongst the teams. The set up is pretty basic in these shelters, and while I don't see amenities like sinks and bathrooms or kitchen areas (how the hell are you supposed to last for months or years in one of these Bunkers is beyond me), it's a great way of testing the designer's talent. Wisit & Nathan are paired up and you know that those 2 are going to get into too much trouble. They are having too much fun which was even more hilarious as you saw other teams in complete meltdown mode. Robert & Jennifer can't seem to find common ground and I dislike Robert more than last week. Kerry is teamed up with Shazia and I am just waiting for a disaster to happen. Natalie & Teresa do a lovely Zen inspired den that need just a bit of editing but was great for the space, and I liked the ceiling effect done by Preston & Odine, although the Judges didn't appreciate their space as much. Wisit & Nathan were the only team to go down to one bed (too funny -- they were very gay about all of it and had the Judges eating out of their hands) and showed some nice creativity.

Our winning team of Eddie (little Mr.Martha Stewart) & Andrea (don't call me Mrs.Shroder) did a nice job (I do have to see that it was pretty obvious that Eddie was the brains behind it all and Mrs.Shroder was hanging on for the ride). I liked the creativity of most of the teams and how they tried to work the space in different ways to create their own spaces. I will say that I was surprised when India eliminated Jennifer (We can't live with your design) and then turned around and eliminated her not supportive partner Robert.

Wow - second episode and a double elimination. You hear that Project Runway? It's better to cull earlier than later... just making a point.

Robert didn't see that one coming and I think that it is just great .. the guy was a complete knob about the whole challenge and that's 2 weeks in a row of being nasty. Good bye and no regrets.

Wipeout has almost finished it's first season, and we were in absolute hysterics this week watching the double episode treat that we got to see this week. Hole in the Wall was checked out, but it's just not as much fun or even half as interesting hearing the guys do their play by play on Wipeout. I have to say that they even did better than Hole in the Wall with their Cookie Cutter part of the Sweeper. The 2 Johns (Henson & Anderson) with supporting co host Jill Wagner make the show as funny as it is by their snarky comments and bad humor. It's a joy to watch and I am happy to know that it will be coming back for a second season. Can we get a Canadian version of this? I would love to play.

Reality Round up - Stick a fork in it - it's done

I was happy that Top Design was coming back to the airwaves after the inaugural season last year. The challenges were interesting enough, and the combination of Todd Oldham (muted but sexy), Jonathan Adler (seriously funny catchphrase man) and Kelly Wearstler (best hair ever on a Judge) with Margaret Russell (she tries so hard to be Nina but will never be) and now new host India Hicks. I think they mentioned that India's father is a great designer at least a million times during the episode, and while it is fun that she has designer in her pedigree... she is more know for being a fashion model. She was a pretty good host though, and I think that Todd works better as the mentor. There was not enough time with Todd this episode and I hope to see more of him in the future challenges.

The new Pop Design Challenge is an interesting concept -- and I have to say that Robert is turning into the biggest douche (so far) in the challenges by throwing his partner Preston under the bus after the first challenge. We all saw how much of a douche he is being and he was damned lucky to not be eliminated this week. Preston was amazing, and our little Martha Stewart boy (Eddie) looks like he might be up for a few challenges and ready to make his mark.

Just from first impressions (and after seeing our designers in action with the 'Impress the best' apartment makeover challenge for the Judges with a budget of $2000), Andrae ,Preston,Nathan and Eddie are on my radar as interesting. Shazia is a train wreck (I can`t believe how error prone that woman is) and Serge is just too young and in to his own thing to care about what the client wants. Robert should get a few of those forks from his shadow box Pop Design Challenge stuck in him for being so two faced and letting his team down.

It was an interesting start -- now to see the games begin and let`s see that Kelly with some wild hair -- that was always a highlight last season.

Project Runway stuck a knife in my heart this week with the aufing of Stella. I loved the challenge to create a look inspired by the fall collection of a fashion icon (and guest Judge) Diane Von Furstenberg. I don't think that Stella has the worst design (Joe was a disaster) and I was really unhappy to see her leave. She is one of the more talented designers and you can't get past her honesty. Stella's final comments? If you don't like her stuff then don't buy it. You will be missed Stella...

As for the Challenge --- Korto and Leanne were on fire as they really got it and created some lovely clothes. Leanne won her second Challenge in a row and is a force to be reckoned with. If some one does not get rid of Suede soon, Suede will be pushed off a building. Suede and the baked one (sigh -- so sad) have got to go, I still don't understand why Blayne is still around after the amount of crap he has produced. Maybe it's the comic relief thing they are looking for but is it really necessary? Don't get me started about the whole stupid Mary Kate thing... I don't agree again this week on their choice of the worst ... this show is really pissing me off this year. Project Runway Canada won't be back until 2009, so it's not like I have much choice.

Reality Bites Back finished off the season with their big spoof of as many reality shows as possible in "American Surv-idoler’s Kitchen". After last week's elimination of Mo at the end to the Amazing Disgrace (astounding spoof on the Amazing Race) it was down to Amy and Theo to win the big prize. Michael Ian Black was as hilarious as ever in his spoofing of reality hosts... and the Survivoresque feeling could not be missed. Best product placement ever in a reality show had to be the McDonald’s Dollar Menu Tree. Each of contestants had to sing at different times (American Idol), make alliances (Survivor), build a Pita Hut (the Kitchen part) before taking part in the final Tribal Council with guest Judges from Big Brother, Survivor and Beauty and the Geek. Theo wins (crap -- I wanted Amy to win) and I hope they can try to do this again... there is too much fodder out there and their level of parody was brilliant.

I have managed to catch up with Outsider's Inn and it's all I could want in a trashy reality show and more. I know the celebrity running a Bed & Breakfast has already been done (Tori & Dean- Inn Love) but the combination of these 3 celebrities and the whole set up is just insane. I cannot believe for 1 minute that Maureen (Marcia) is good friends with Carnie and Bobby. Puhleese! That's just completely nuts -- but the country and redneck feel of the series (I love the support staff) has me hooked. This week's episode with the combination of guest coming to go Bear hunting, the Apple Pie affair and the whole Maureen willing to "take one for the team" was just too much. CMT is turning into one of my Guilty Pleasures with this and Redneck Wedding. Damn, these show are just too funny.

Weekend Rant - Hitting the Finish Line

Even with all the world breaking events happening in the Olympics, some of the TV landscape is changing and this week heralded the season finales of Flipping Out and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List. I was pretty full of Jeff and Co. and didn't really need the Reunion Special to tie things up (at this point I could care less -- I have so lost interest), and Kathy's season, overall, left me feeling luke warm and glad that it was over. Kathy has risen above her so called D List stature and has lost part of her appeal to me. Maybe it's me, but I preferred the Kathy that was willing to go that extra mile for her fans (and gays) and there was too much of her success and fabulous friends this season. I also felt a bit deceived by the whole Woz thing... after Kathy's last relationship problems I was hoping it was something serious and good for her and now it feels like none of it was real. That's probably more of the realization that this season was too scripted and too much in all the wrong ways. It didn't feel as Emmy winning this year -- that is probably what happens when success goes to your head.

The Olympics have been phenomenal so far --- I can't get over how many world records are falling to the wayside this time around and I am very impressed with Michael Phelps and his quest for the most medals. Hot stuff.... and I am still in complete awe watching most of the competitions. The beach volleyball has been incredible and I have been completely addicted to seeing Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor continue their winning streak (105 games) and had one small panic attack the other day when it looked like they were going to lose and they pulled a rabbit out of the hat to win that one. I still can not get over how well they are doing and I have to applaud all the athletes that have been pushing themselves beyond the limits of us mere mortals and doing Olympian feats.

My only complaint is that even with major HD channels, I don't get enough choice or variety as it seems all the networks are playing pretty much the same thing. Can't beat the HD though -- I have never seen so many athletes in so much detail. It's a visual orgy and it makes the competitions even that more interesting. The 3 networks (NBC,CBC and Radio-Canada) are all offering various insights in to Beijing (and China) via special reports, and I have to say that those on Radio-Canada reported by Jean-René Dufort (aka Infoman) have been the funnest of the gang. CBC had Sean Majumder doing his Raj Binder schtick (and not being that terribly amusing -- how I wish it was Rick Mercer doing the reports instead) but have redeemed themselves with the interesting Ying & Yang series by Sook-yin Lee. NBC has been putting out Mary Carillo: Exploring China which has made for some interesting yet strangely odd reports. Mary seems like to ask those silly questions that all of us think, but don't want to articulate because we might look like a special needs case. She has the most fascinating voice and presence about her ... enough to keep my attention and sigh "oh my god" when she makes one of her off the wall comments.

Reality Bites Back was hilarious in last week's Almost American Gladiators, and had me in hysterics in this week's installment of So you think you can Dive? Not only did we get a hilarious spoof of a reality competition show, they threw in a Rose ceremony and a Boardroom scene. It was all hilarious stuff and the parodies are getting better and better each time. This week we had former Olympic gold medal diver Greg Louganis as a Judge, and the free style part of the competition was outstanding. I felt Amy's dive of shame was the most creative and was glad to see her still in the competition. Mo is definitely the sexiest, Theo is trying to play up the good boy character and poor Bert tried his hardest to turn on our Judge but got shot down. After seeing the preview for next week's Hunting with the Stars (which looks like it does includes hunting the stars) I can hardly wait. This looks like one of those rare gems in the reality TV universe.

Reality Round Up - Winning Week

Things got wrapped up this week for this edition of American Gladiators and what a ride this past season has been. Not only have they added tons of new events and gladiators, but the original events are back and the pantheon of Gladiators have been getting their groove on in a serious way.

Crush has become one of our favorites at home, and we are always in complete awe as she decimates competitor after competitor. Not only is she one tough cookie, but drop dead gorgeous and has a certain twinkle in her eye and that sly little grin. She has passed Hellga as our favorite female Gladiator. Don't get us wrong, we love Hellga but find Crush more exciting to watch. We are still waiting for the gender confirmation tests before we give our opinion on Steel. Something just doesn't add up for some reason.

Gender issues aside, the competitions have been great and the finale was a great example of athletes pushing themselves as far as they can go. Seeing all those bangs and bruises all over the competitors brings the reality a bit closer home, and considering that all the finalists were smaller guys and girls, the sheer size difference between the huge hulking gladiators and them was bound to leave a few marks. There have been many a night that we look at how huge the Gladiators are and realize that the are twice the size of us mere mortals. Here's hoping we get even more next year.

Make sure that you don't miss the spoof of American Gladiators (the aptly named Almost American Gladiators) Thursday night on this week's edition of Reality Bites Back on Comedy Central. If it is any where near as brilliant as their other spoofs it will be a real hoot.

I Survived a Japanese Game Show found it's survivor last night, and it was the charming Justin Wood (who reminds me of Joel McHale of The Soup) who survived all the wacky challenges and took home $250,000 for his time. The Japanese certainly have some weird challenges in their game shows and I am almost ashamed to say that I loved the Squishy Squishy challenge last night, which had the finalists collecting Squishy juice in a giant Sumo sponge costume, running an obstacle course and then squeezing the juice out at the end. The Japanese seem to like things that are embarrassing or that seem to mimic bodily functions, or go for the bizarre like the Bug Splatter on Windshield challenge. The show was weird and different and I thought it was an interesting look at Japanese culture and the behind the scenes of one of their most popular shows, Majide. It probably won't be back for another season, but I enjoyed the competition. Hai? Majide!

Reality Round Up - Olympian Speed

Last Comic Standing has been barreling along at breakneck speed for the past couple of weeks. Just when we got down to the funniest people, they have eliminated 3 this week and we will know the winner in next's week finale.

WTF? That means no more elimination games and challenges and the past few episodes they were burning off 2 at a time --which is not a good sign for any show if they are rushing to air your series. I wasn't sure if it was because of that Olympic Deadline ( 8-8-08 if you have missed it) and they want to clear up all their prime time for covering the games ... or was it because the show wasn't a ratings winner (and that's a shame, there are some very funny and talented comedians on the show) or a combination of both.

Anyways -- the point is moot and now that Sean Cullen (the already fairly successful Canadian boy) has been given the boot, my heart lies with the fantastic Iliza Shlesinger! The other finalists are: Marcus, Jim Tavare, Louis Ramey and Jeff Dye. I wasn't surprised that Adam got eliminated but was shocked to see that Ron G killed with the crowd but was finished as well. It was a weird elimination competition.

Marcus has a shot with his great combination of voice work and energy. Jeff has his funny moments, and I love Jim and his great Bass work and Louis played up the good old USA national pride element to his advantage -- but Iliza has won in several eliminations so far and is a real survivor and I think she will make it all the way.

I am not exactly sure why Fox seems to be frightened by the upcoming Olympics, but they too are rushing this round of So you think you can Dance? and I am not liking it. Another week of double eliminations ( I liked it better when the there were single eliminations in the Top Ten) and even though he danced one of the best numbers of the season, Mark was finally eliminated. Umm -- oh yeah -- Chelsie was eliminated too!

Mark & Courtney had danced a wild Jazz number choreographed by Sonya Tayeh (music "The Garden" by Mirah), and if you missed it then you missed a completely sick dance number. I love it when they pull out these great and twisted minds and let them loose, and this season we have seen some great new choreographers in the house. It's a shame we haven't seen Wade Robson this year (and a couple of others seem to be absent as well, right Mr. Shane Sparks?) and with the season wrapping up so quickly it means that we see less numbers with the dancers and miss opportunities to see creativity.

That sucks. One of the things I love about this show is that it has been going places that no other dance show has done and it's great to see real dance. Not just fluff and tricks.

I wasn't really surprised with seeing Chelsie leave. The majority of dancers that are too limited in one specific style don't usually last until the finale in the competition. She did a great job though and needs to be commended on going so far. Courtney is much more rounded over all dancer and that really shows when the dancers do their solos.

Joshua (now braces free), Twitch, Katee and Courtney will be dancing their hearts out next week for the finale as they try to finish it all up before as the Top 4 Dancers. My money is still on Katee to take it all (she has been incredible), but I am not counting out Joshua who has been just as remarkable and even more of a surprise. Here's hoping there are some great choreographers working with our final 4 -- my eyes will be glued to the screen. That's a good show.

Kathy Griffin redeemed herself slightly this week (these things take time) in this week's episode of My Life on the D List as she mocked herself in her struggle to get a Grammy Nomination. The entire photo shoot (and I loved the stuff outside on the bus bench) was hilarious and you can see the fun in self exploitation. We all know that Kathy is an expert in being a media whore and she puts her full talent to work (not to mention a great support team), I will not be surprised if she gets a Grammy nomination.
Kathy's mom is still the grounding force and hidden gem in each episode. Not only is mom getting in good with the gays (watch your ass Kathy --lose the gays and you lose lots of your fan base), but I love her chatting with Kathy and explaining that Kathy can't win a Grammy as Kathy is not musical. I think mom overlooked Kathy's recent piano performances which have been pretty good. I love that mom is becoming a celebrity of her own and got the magazine cover. Her interview and the interaction with our friend from Grandparents.com was adorable.

Watching Team Griffin get in a tizzy with our hyper financial genius Suze Orman was hilarious -- but I am still wondering if Kathy is going to get into trouble with her continual Oprah/Gayle jokes -- I bet she has already been banned from Oprah for life. Pretty damn funny stuff though.

Weekend Rant - Hits and Misses

This week may have seemed to be a shocker for a lot of So you think you can Dance? fans as golden boy Will hit the road, but if you look over his little bio that played during the competitions this week (they were doing individual spotlight stories on each dancer and finding out why they dance) I think it may have given the impression that Will was already very blessed as far as dance life went. The guy had already been given a scholarship with dance Über goddess Debbie Allan, and I think this may have made people less likely to vote for him, as the people does love an underdog. Unfortunately Comfort was let go of this week also (and for her, this was the second and final time) and in her case I think she is being out danced by the other remaining girls.

I guess this means that Debbie Allen will be back as a guest judge soon.

As for this week -- if you didn't see that fantastic Mia Michael's contemporary number with Twitch and Katee you missed a great and original piece of dance using a free standing door as a prop. It was more fantastic stuff and another example of Mia's tortured brilliance. I was still surprised that Mark hung around (must be that underdog syndrome) but glad the Joshua and Twitch live to dance another week. I don't want to jinx things but Twitch and Katee have been great so I hope they make it to the end. This might be the second year in a row that one of the girls takes home the title, which is kind of ironic considering that Katee was so close to being canned in Vegas.

My newest (and getting to be one of my favorite new series) is the wacky spoof of reality shows on Comedy Central called Reality Bites Back. Each week, the team of comedians (including one of my favorites from last year's Last Comic Standing, Amy Schumer) spoof a reality show to hilarious results. So far they have done "Extreme Manipulation: Home Edition" and "Shock of Love" and in upcoming episodes, you'll be treated to "Almost-American Gladiators," "Hunting With the Stars," (too bad it's not Hunting the stars) "So You Think You Can Dive," (which is brilliant) "The Amazing Disgrace," (the best title out of all the spoofs) "The Biggest Chubby” (not what you might think it is..) and what spoof would not be complete if there wasn't a parody of Survivor and American Idol all rolled up together and mixed with a bit of Hell's Kitchen called "American Surv-idoler's Kitchen". Personally I think this has been long overdue and the comedians have been hilarious so far. Michael Ian Black is hilarious as the host -- and you can see how he relishes tearing a strip out of pop culture... and putting in all those awkward pauses.

Project Runway is not hitting it out of the park this season, and I don't know if it's just me, but I am finding the quantity of designers overwhelming at this point. Last week the challenge was interesting (even if the end result was not so) but this week's "Green" challenge left me cold as it was the models choosing the fabric.

Talk about the blond leading the blond -- these girls have no concept on fabric (what?) and I felt as panicked as the designers about having to work with some unknown fabric bought by some ditz.

I am not really following the Judges this year either, as I was not too impressed with Suede's winning design (yawn) and was much more impressed with Kenley and am really starting to warm up to her Vintage vibe. I nearly had kittens when my favorite from last week, Korto, was in danger of being eliminated. I wasn't following her design vibe this week and seriously thought her dress was inside out for part of the show. I think the comment about the model having fins on her ass (courtesy of Michael Kors) spoke volumes in it's self.
My dear Stella (Cheroin) did a nice cocktail dress that was totally her vibe -- and got some good feedback from the Judges. I think she is one of the most vocal of the gang (she knows how to bitch like a real pro) and I have visions of her and Tim butting heads. Let's see the Silver Fox talk his way out of this one.

I think things will get more interesting once more of the Designing herd has been culled (I am all for multiple eliminations at this point) but there is still something different about this season that I can't put my finger on yet.... is Bravo trying to sabotage things with the show leaving to the Lifetime network after this season? Stranger things have happened... it was a shame to see Wesley get aufed this week though, he was cute and a good designer (and Leanne was worse than he was) and I thought his fashion sensibility was cute and modern.

I am still a little miffed about Kathy Griffin and her recent appearance in Montréal (not to mention the snubbing of her gays) so the only comment that I have about this week's episode of My Life on the D List is that Bora Bora was boring and a yawn fest. I prefer my Kathy that rips a new one in the celebrities and is not all about some psycho idiot and a bunch of straight people on some fake gay holiday.
See what happens when you piss of your gays Kathy?
You know how vicious we can be -- snap - snap - snap.

Shear Genius has been putting me on an emotional roller coaster for the past couple of weeks. First there was the much lauded departure of that Dye Job Disaster, Meredith, but it was combined with my favorite, Charlie, wasting his immunity and doing a crappy job. This past week was all about doing a look with a wig (a very difficult challenge as if you make a mistake you can't do anything about it) and Charlie bombed once again. It was also the most emotionally manipulated episode with our models and their terrible Alopecia affliction. We had stylists crying left and right and it was all a bit too much and over the top. You would think that there were people dying but it must be a stylist's biggest fear: bald. That doesn't seem to really phase Charlie and at least he made it through (helmet head and all) but please Judges, Nekisa just has to go, you might have noticed that she is always in the bottom 2. I will be literally having kittens this Wednesday night when it will be the Charlie's Angels reunion episode. Jaclyn Smith is looking as fabulous as ever ..... now if we can only get Farrah Fawcett to join them it would be Sheer Perfection.

Weekend Rant - Reality Round Up

So you think you can Dance continued with eliminations this week and the Top 10 was reduced to the Final 8.

Unfortunately that meant the end of Gev, who in my humble opinion, went way beyond his B Boy roots to be a great competitor on the show. I had Mark pegged for leaving and was quite surprised that Gev had gotten less votes ... I thought the guy was cute and charismatic and had the chance to go far.... anyways buddy, you were a pleasure to watch and it will be fun to see you bust a move later in the season when they bring back the Top 10.

My money is still on Mark to be the next guy to go ... he moves okay but is lacking some of the technique the other dancers have. The way things are developing you might be seeing Debbie Allen's protege, Will , taking home the title this year. The guy is drop dead gorgeous, has incredible technique and is willing to run around mostly naked. I think he will be getting quite a few votes from the boys and girls out there in TV land.
On the girl's side of things, I was happy to see Comfort hang around for another week. Her look in the opening Bollywood number was astounding -- wow -- and I loved the number. At this rate we should start seeing a whole plethora of dance styles by the end of the season and I think it will add some interesting challenges to the competitors. I do find it interesting that if the Judges do not mention the choreographer during their summation of the performance, they didn't really like the work they created. Luckily, there hasn't been that many "bad numbers" so far (a few questionable ones maybe...) and it looks like the dancers are being kept on their toes. Unfortunately for Kherington it's the end of the line, but I was kind of getting bored with her. Courtney & Joshua, Comfort & Twitch and Katee & Will were all outstanding and I expect to see them around for the next while.

Project Runway returned this week with a whole new pack of designers. Not only was it a fun episode, but they brought back one of my favorite challenges from the very first season, the infamous grocery store challenge. Putting a bit of fabulous icing on that cake was the introduction of guest Judge Austin Scarlett and our merry band of designers are sent off with not much money or time to get their supplies.

Now maybe I am getting a tad jaded after several seasons of this show.. but I was getting a frustrated as Tim was with the number of participants who chose tablecloths as their main fabric. I was hoping for some creativity in base materials and only a few of the designers rose to the challenge.Thank god Tim Gunn was around to state the obvious and tell them to more than "make it work", but that they had to step it up also and show their creativity.

There is no way that I can do the show enough justice, and if you want to read the best dirt about all the competitors, you have to read Project Rungay for the absolutely best commentary about all the contestants. If I have a blog idol it is definitely my sisters over there -- they are beyond fierce.

I have thank them up front for their perfect name for one of my favorite competitors of this season, our kind-of-reminds-me-of Cher designer herself, the rock chick Stella. Project Rungay calls her Cheroin and it works for me -- ( I hope you don't mind if I borrow... my first impression of her was that she was Cher on acid ). I love Stella! Cheroin and can hardly wait to see what she will create next. She seemed quite off with her choice of garbage bags, and I just wish that she had gotten her rock ass in gear earlier instead of being all distracted by the whole situation. Cheroin was this close to leaving and I hope she gets it together for the next Challenge.

Do I really need to talk about our (and not half baked but more than over baked) baked one? Seriously -- I have no idea what the Judges were thinking (I do have to say that I do appreciate the level of fear the contestants view Nina with) but did Blayne really survive this week with that disaster he threw together to go down the Runway? Puhleese.... if baked boy is kept around just for the shock factor can he at least do something half interesting?

It goes with out saying that Keith is this year's hunky designer but I was a little disappointed with his choice of tablecloth ... I hope things improve or we might not get to see much of him, or his nipple rings and that would be a shame. That look in his hoodie was hot stuff ....

As for my faves of this week, our winner, Kelli, went out of the box completely and dyed and tinted vacuum bags and burnt coffee filters to make her dress. She did tons of accessorizing and did the most creative job (and most artistic) and clearly deserved the win. She did ... but for me the "eye popper" was the simple, yet impeccable, paper dress made by Korto. She put on this great kale/tomato/pepper trim that was beautiful. She was the only contestant to use living produce and that won lots of admiration. I really like her and her design aesthetic, and she is one of my choices for the finales -- and gets her very fine design up on the blog.

Daniel did a great job with his plastic cup cocktail dress, which was a very creative use of materials. Jennifer did a nice job with her dress made of lipstick and paper towels, and Terri blew me away with her use of macrame and mop heads to braid together her top. Leanne and Joe put some effort into using stuff like candy and pasta for materials but the majority of designers played it too safe for my taste. I think they will be pushed harder next week and am really looking forward to seeing how they will be tested.

Heidi looks as fabulous as ever!

Celebrity Circus finished up the season with all of the Celebrities returning for an encore performance and we got treated to an incredible performance by Judge Aurelia Cats.

Blu Cantrell started the show off by singing one of her hits, and proving once again that she is some bad ass Diva by doing some completely passive spinning on the Cerceau. Yawn, I was happy when that was over with but she does have a lovely voice. Too bad it's such a bad attitude that comes with that package ... you just know that the only way in hell she was going to go back on that stage was if she could do her thing and she played all bitchy walking by Aurelia a;; "in your face". No worries, our Catty Judge got very sweet revenge on all the celebrities by doing the most amazing trapeze act. O M G. That woman knows what she is talking about (and the flexibility -- ouch!) and I think she gained a ton of new found respect from the viewing public and the participants.

It was quite enjoyable to see all the professionals perform again -- there are some very talented people behind the scenes or in supporting roles and it's nice to see them get the credit that they deserve. Those circus folk are sure easy on the eyes ... I look at this as a bit of a warm up for the Olympics next month and we get to see all the gymnasts perform and sit in complete awe.

Janet Evans did another fearless number (that girl has got guts), we caught up with Christopher Knight (who is still recovering from that twice broken arm) and got some nice, behind the scenes of the cable guys. Rachel Hunter came back to do a nice number (cerceau again, but more flattering than the hammock act). After way too many recaps and road to the finale montages we finally get a final performance from the Final 3. Wee Man does his Partner Balance thing, Stacey is flying around in the air as well as Antonio. All of them do nice jobs and it's a highly electric carnival atmosphere. What I don't understand is the pace of the show and the continual Top 3 montages, and before you know it Wee Man is eliminated and it's down to Antonio and Stacey for the trophy. For some reason we don't see any more of the Judges (huh?) and it ends up with Antonio taking home the Wheel of Death Trophy (it's bedazzled to death so it's not that scary). I am not sure if am more impressed with the trophy or that bulge in Antonio's tights ... it's all pretty distracting. After all of the glitter,drama and tights, here's hoping they do another season !

Reality Round Up - The Top Ten Connection

It is already pretty obvious that I am a reality show junkie (my "guilty pleasures" as I like to call them) but I am still selective about which shows I will watch ... and quite often it's the process of getting from the beginning of the show (the auditions of some kind) to the meaty part of the competition (the "thinning the herd") can leave something to be desired. American Idol is probably the best example of this, and because of their need to showcase all the freaks & geeks to the world (in a pretty exploitative manner) that I am really not interested and I get turned off by some shows. Idol did it's self in with me a couple of years ago, and between the inane judging (Paula) and the popularity contest quotient of the competition I just couldn't stand to watch anymore and see real talent be voted off while dimwits went through ... anyways .. that is a rant for another time.

Dance competitions have a different element to them, and I have followed a fair number of them, but have really found that So you think you can Dance? is the benchmark show for the genre. The routines are astounding, the choreographers are mad geniuses, and the competitors are all young, talented and beautiful. What more can you really want?

We finally got past that mid step part of the show, the infamous "thinning the herd", and are now down to the Top Ten who will compete for this year's title. The rounds have been great, but this is the time that I really start cheering for my faves and getting all fired up. I was a little disappointed with the last elimination, as I was pretty sure that Comfort was to stay and Jessica was to hit the road (especially after Mia was so blunt about it the previous night) but Jessica stayed and my dear Comfort was dismissed.

Not for long -- as it was in the news that Comfort was back and Jessica was off due to an injury. I can't say that I feel too bad .. I did really want to see Comfort go further and see how much more she could blossom, she has been really incredible and has such potential. I still think the Judges are being too kind with Will and am eager to see how things develop over the next episodes, the competition will be hot - hot - hot this time around. I just hope we get to see more work by Wade Robson this season.

Last Comic Standing is finally out of the auditions and semi finals and into the competition part. For me, this is when it gets to the best part and you see the comedians put into different zany challenges to prove how funny they are.This year's international selection is a real mix with a couple of Brits, a Canadian (who I thought already had a successful career...), a hysterical guy from India (yes, even comedy is getting out-sourced now) and a whole herd of Americans. This week's challenge with the boxing ring rounds and the Yo' Mama and Hack jokes were too funny, and God's Pottery had me in convulsions with their ability to stay continually in character. I am getting to the point that I wonder if those 2 are for real or what? Too gosh darn funny. God's Pottery rocks!

It's nice and creepy (and gotta love that Thriller music!) that the elimination part of the series is done in the cemetery this time around, and some of the finalists are too wild. Yeah baby sometimes u kill and sometimes u die as a comedian, but you would think that none of them ever watched this show before? How could they not know that their Smack down Confessional was going to be seen by the others? Puhleese ...

We get down to elimination time, and it's the annoying Esther who is put up for elimination, and she chooses God's Pottery and Elisa to compete against in the head to head round. The crappy part of this week is that 2 comedians will be eliminated, and so after this week we lost Esther (most irritating laugh ever) and my favourites, God's Pottery. Here's hoping that God's Pottery(Gideon Lamb and Jeremiah Smallchild) find some other gigs soon, their parody was hilarious and very original. They should be proud that they were the first duo selected for the competition. Elisa rocked in her performance, and certainly deserves to be there. I blame this all on Esther, who chose her competitors. Now we are into the Top Ten and next week they have guest judge Carrot Top to deal with. Yikes!

Project Runway is back this week with the Fifth season. I can hardly wait, it is way up on my list of must see Reality Shows and I am looking forward to seeing what kind of brilliantly twisted characters and challenges they will have this time around. The fact that it is paired up with Shear Genius on the same night, and opposite So you think you can Dance? has me worried. My Wednesday nights are going to finishing late... too much good TV on the same night. Why do all the really good show have to play Wednesday and Thursday night?

I am terrified to watch the new Disney creation starting this Sunday (High School Musical - Get in the Picture) because I think I might get sucked in to the competition too easily. I have enjoyed the films, and if the competition has even the slightest taste of " Show Business Moms & Dads" to it, it will be a done deal and I will not be able to miss an episode. It's not like it will really affect my Sunday night shows as HGTV Design Star and Next Food Network Star have been pretty boring so far.... I am not sure if there are any half decent designers ( Matt seems to be the only one with a real chance to win) and the contestants on Food have been pretty lackluster to date. My choice is still Squinty ( Lisa) to win.... but Adam has shown the most personality so far and has a chance of sneaking in under the radar. Neither competition has me glued to the tube so that is probably not a good sign. At least the competitions are almost over....

Reality Round Up - Are you the one?

The CBC started running the Canuck version of " How do you solve a problem like Maria? " this week, looking for the next lead of the Sound of Music on Broadway. I am a huge fan of the classic film and it is a regular holiday staple here. There are some very big names that are associated with the show such as Andrew Lloyd Webber, Simon Lee, Elaine Overholt and John Barrowman (yes he of Torchwood and Doctor Who fame) as the regular judges.
The hilarious Gavin Crawford (from 22 Minutes) is hosting-- and Gavin does have a completely nonchalant attitude towards the whole thing.My favorite contestants so far are Donna and Katie -- but we'll have to see how things develop as neither are the typical Julie Andrews look. I love the marketing for the show -- the simple M? logo and the catch phrase " Are you Maria?" make the concept sound simpler than it actually is. It looks good so far and has my interest, let's hope that now we are to the " Top Ten" situation and the voting will start that the real contenders step up and show us why they should be Maria.

So you think you can Dance ? has finally passed the selection process and we are now into the partner competition part of the series. I enjoy the competitions (and find that the dancers and choreography are even more difficult than last year), but am still looking forward to when half the herd has been culled and we are down to the final 10. That's when the competition gets really interesting. Is it just me or are the Judges being even more difficult this year? I know the game is up several levels, but I find the Judges too critical. Twitch and Comfort are a couple of my favorite dancers so far. Last week we lost the first couple, and this week it's kind of up in the air after several iffy performances.

Farmer wants a wife pulled a quick one last night and we are down to the final 2 girls, Christa and Brooke. It's funny... they are the 2 that I thought from the beginning matched well with hunky farmer Matt, and my heart has grown big on Christa (who I think has enough spark to keep Matt on his toes) and have gotten so tired of the ever virginal Brooke, who just seems to be trying too hard and not in the right ways. Here's hoping Matt chooses Christa... now in a perfect world I would love to see the gay version of this one...

Tori & Dean: Home sweet Hollywood started up this week and I am glad to see Tori back in the fast lane. I can't believe how pregnant she is (again) and looking forward to seeing if we will find out some of the back story of her return to 90210. Will things ever be cool with Mommy dearest? Dean is getting back in the acting gig and I can't get over how adorable Liam is.