Weekend Rant -- Playing Catch Up

Top Design finished up season 2 ... and while I am glad that Nathan won (and he really did, he was the most creative and interesting designer), I was still surprised by how many people thought that Preston should have won. The online voting showed him with a clear majority and I think the voting public was more taken with his pretty boy looks and muscles than his content. Preston was big and pretty and not that much more than that.

I even liked Ondine more than his stuff -- her style is more inviting and warm. Of course it all comes down to personal likes and dislikes and she hit all the right notes. I thought it was interesting that our remaining three got paired up with some of the previous designers and Mr Martha Stewart was very funny with his attitude towards working with Preston. Yes Eddie, very professional to leave the phone off to the side and ignore Preston. Too funny. Still.. when it came time to chose our winner our Judges looked at the big picture and chose Nathan for his creativity and ability to put his personal touch in to things. Great work.

I think I will miss the very mannish India Hicks and her over the top accent from each episode and we'll see if there is a season 3. If they do.. make sure your wacky judges are there every week please... things are always so much more interesting when Kelly Werstler is there.

I finally caught up with the insanity of this season's Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (slash House) and I was pretty upset with how things rolled around this season. Janice's spying wasn't done to our advantage, there wasn't enough real work happening and the drama drama drama with the models could only be topped by Janice.

It must be part of the in grained personality of a supermodel (take Tyra Banks as another example) that everything has to be the end of the universe and I could not believe the disdain and disgust that Janice has for (the horror of .... dum dum dum) Plus Size Models.

Give me a fracking break. Yes Janice, we know that you are all high fashion (and have the mouth of a trucker to back that one back up) and are probably responsible for more girls having an eating disorder than you can count, but her reaction to Nathan's idea and her treatment of the Models was disgusting. There are ways of getting your opinion across with out looking like a complete asshole and Janice had no idea on how to do that. The only thing that I can really say is that if I thought Janice had any redeeming qualities at all that is no longer the case.

Anyways.... to make a long story short (and the reason I skipped the show for a few weeks and watched the final four episodes in one shot the other day), everything changes again. Yup, end of season with Janice is always a big change, like end of season with Tori and Dean is always about another house and/or probably a new house. Janice has decided to go High Fashion (her dream for the Agency, impossible to do in LA as they are not high fashion enough for our supermodelista) and is off to New York with Crystal in tow and maybe a few other models. JP is now a manager and will be helping out with things. Most of the interesting models were ignored this season and I am waiting for the spin off with JP and the LA division. Of course watching Janice have a meltdown and take NYC with her will be another thing all together and I will more than likely not able to resist sneaking a peek.

Stylista is boring me to pieces and I think that Nice Blonde Girl, who got eliminated this week, should really look a some fulfilling career that will not suck the life out of you. She was too nice for the competition and if that is a downfall, then I don't see her having many problems in life.

Other than that... the one with the huge rack is still not playing well with others and some how I feel may be the dark horse to win the competition. She is winning a few points with Anne Slowey and may get some kind of an advantage by being noticed. Our Rich Spoiled Girl has it out for the Diva and that may take both of them out of the equation. The challenge of having to do the Birthday party for Anne's devil child niece was an fun twist, but the behaviour of the contestants stilll makes me question where this show is trying to go.

Smallville hit one out of the park this week with Bloodlines, and we got to see the rescue and return of Kara, Lois in the Phantom Zone and then being possessed by Faora (wife of Zod) let Erica stretch her acting chops more and she did a great job. I honestly hope the people upstairs (hello DC and Warner Bros) take notice and think about her for the next film... she makes a dynamite Lois and has pretty good range of character.

I loved the story development, more information about our mysterious and hunky Paramedic and his miraculous recoveries and invulnerabilities, more about Chloe-Brainiac and her tapping more and more into that big computer in her head, more fun and games with Green Arrow and his interest in Tessmacher and just more overall adventure and fun and games. I am getting an itching to see Clark going more heroic and hoping to see more guest stars soon. The various story lines are getting very interesting and sooner or later it has to hit the fan with Brainiac. I am beginning to think that they are running out of excuses to keep up the old mantra of " no flights, no tights" for this series when all the signs are pointing that way. It was fitting that Clark and Kara were dressed similar at the end (with their natural penchant for primary colours) and that Kara is off to search for Kandor. If things follow the comic books at all, Kandor was shrunken and put in a bottle by Brainiac, so it may be a way to get Kara back as a guest star again.

My highlight of the week was the return of Bones after some time off during baseball season. It's harder to keep up with series that keep bumping on and off the schedule and it's a tad frustrating at times. I don' t usually have any problems getting back on board with the gang on Bones, and this week's episode The Skull in the Sculpture, was like old times with a fascinating mystery, more intern issues, Angelica's interesting past, and the return of my favorite, Prosecutor Caroline Julian. As usual, it was a fascinating story and I am really enjoying the beat of the season. Less interruptions in the viewing schedule would be appreciated Fox.

The characters are fascinating and we are getting some interesting development with the gang at the Jeffersonian and I still say that there is some kind of connection between Gormogon and Sweets... and with Daisy (irritating intern who had to go) in the picture as some kind of love interest to Sweets I think we may have a new apprentice and some danger later this season. There is something about the storyline that is not finished yet and there is more to come.

My biggest shock of the week was the departure of Marcus on Survivor Gabon. Poor Marcus, he threw away the chance to have immunity at the beginning of the episode and then thought he was invincible with his majority of tribe mates. It seems like most of the best players get blindsided in this game and I am going to hate to see poor Charlie's face when he sees that Marcus is gone. The game is getting vicious and if and when the merge happens it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Mixing the teams up once again was a nice move and unexpected, and it's not playing out as any of them predicated. Crystal is turning into the biggest pain in the ass at the moment and I am amazed at how much of a wimp she is at the competitions. At the rate we are going I think that Sugar may take it all, she seems to be playing the smartest out of the gang. I have to give a big shout out to Bob, who impressed the hell out of me at the Immunity Challenge with his balancing act. The guy was an amazing example of mind over matter.

Weekend Rant - The Week in Review

The past week was one of those ups and downs one on the tube. A few things were great, there was some real crap and I even discovered a new show that has been picked up on the schedule.

The Amazing Race is starting to pick up steam and the challenges are as interesting as always, but I know I will be way more in to the competition once we get down to the final few teams. I like our travelling around this week to Cambodia and the temples were astounding and beautiful. I am not surprised that our long distance couple, Aja & Ty, didn't catch up, they just had too much of a time deficit and didn't have much of a chance. I am still routing for our brother and sister team of Nick & Starr and I hope they kick our frustrated divorcees off the Race soon. Kelly & Christy have to go. We don't get to see enough Dallas.

Heroes rocked my world this week with a fantastic episode. Lots of plot twists and turns and it's getting really hard to tell who is good and who is bad. Lots of grey area in this show, but I am really enjoying seeing more Elle, and loved the flight scene with Claire. The blonde squad is pretty damn tough.

Momma Petrelli is one dangerous lady (even in a coma) and her influence with Gabriel (Sylar) seems to be stretching further than things appear. Peter's miraculous survival after being thrown out the window a few stories up was just a tad too convenient. I am really digging the direction of the series this year and as some plot lines get tied up (Maya), others are being opened up and it's an intriguing story.

I can hardly wait to see what kind of Dream walk Hiro goes on and I have the distinct impression he is going to run into Mama Petrelli, she seems to be off in the dream realm and this better be the time when Hiro starts going bad ass superhero and being the Hiro we saw in season 1. Maybe I am just dreaming.. to could be that timeline and alternate Hiro no longer exists in the current time space continuum. The bad news is that we skip a week due to the election, and of course just when things were getting really interesting.

Dancing with the Stars made me happy and sad this week with Lance rising to number one position (yippee!) and my beloved Cloris being let go. Guest Judge Michael Flatley was quite the bore, and I wasn't sure if his appearance was only PR for his upcoming show (interesting and yes he is talented but there is still something smarmy about him I don't like). His scoring certainly threw the curve off this week. I thought Bruno was going to have a conniption.

Congrats to Lance & Lacey for their great Jive and dethroning Brooke from her pedestal. I thought that even though she was suffering, Brooke did an amazing job and that her Rumba was very hot. I still think that the "stick with boobs" (Susan Lucci) should go and Maurice & Cheryl are not far behind. It's a shame that Julianna is having surgery as it may affect Cody's performance, and he has really grown on me over the past couple of weeks. Warren is still a force to be reckoned with and at this rate should be Top 3 if Cody isn't. I will miss Cloris and her wacky antics, but we all knew that she was going to have to leave eventually and she lasted much longer than expected. She deserved all the standing ovations that she got and she certainly added an interesting element to the competition. I bet you she will be hanging around in the audience for the next few weeks and stirring up some trouble.

Top Design started the finale.. and thankfully little Mr Martha Stewart was eliminated and will not be in the last part of the finale. My pick is still Nathan to win, and I can hardly wait to see how these condos finish up. Hopefully Kelly Wearstler will be there for the final judgement, I am getting tired of Bravo sending Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis to fill in as nothing can replace Kelly and that wacky energy she brings. I think she has a real job elsewhere and is always busy, or just can't really give a damn like most of us who are just watching to see how it ends as a matter of principal rather than actual interest. It'll all be over this week.. finally.

Smallville flirted with the idea of Clark being a superhero and Jimmy almost discovering the big secret about our farm boy. Since we no longer have the same creative team as the previous seasons... are we finally going to see more of a transition and some actual flying, costume and Superman? I hope so... I am really digging the new beat, Lois and Jimmy, the Green Arrow and the whole Metropolis thing. Tessmacher is still boring me to pieces but Chloe-Brainiac is starting to amp things up and it may get very interesting. Time for Clark to man up and start being a hero.

Supernatural killed me last week with their Fright episode and Dean's killer air guitar to Eye of the Tiger at the end of the episode (damn that boy is sexy and funny), was the highlight of last week. This week's Halloween episode was damn scary, and between the razors in the candy, the risks of bobbing for apples and the very old traditions of Samhain there were several shudder moments. The presence of a couple of scary angels that aren't afraid to smite a town to save the world managed to up the anty even more and things were very tense between our boys. It's an interesting dynamic with having one of the brothers influenced by angels and the other demons and it has a very Cain & Abel feel to it. My hope is always that over the long haul the boys will win their fight against evil. Lilith is turning into quite the threat. This show is still the highlight of the week and I can hardly wait until the next episode.

CSI is still one of the best shows on TV and I am really digging the new CSI Riley Adams and like her character and the way she fits in with the team. I still remember Lauren Lee Smith from Mutant X and glad to see her still flexing her acting chops. She has my interest and the stories are as still gripping as ever. I still dread the idea of Grissom leaving and know that it will have a profound impact on the rest of the team.

I no longer have any interest in seeing if any of those vapid twits on Paris Hilton's My New BFF get to be in Paris' posse. All I can say is no Onch means no interest so TTYN Paris. Thankfully I came to my senses this week and have more tolerance or patience for such a bunch of dribble.

Stylista is still attracting enough of my attention to give it one more episode, but this week's episode and all the drama was too much. The only good thing was seeing the bitch fight between the Diva and Rich Spoiled Girl. Anxiety boy had to go (and after that meltdown do you really think that he had a hope in hell of being there for another week?) and Geeky Gay Guy is probably not far behind with his major frack up of the week. Big Girl got her TreSemmé moment but I don't expect to see her around for much longer. Maybe we can luck out and get a double elimination next week as this herd needs some serious culling. If there were not those few minutes of brilliance with Anne Slowey each episode it would already be dropped off the Watch List, the cast is so immature for a prize of this magnitude and I just wish they would grow up and prove themselves.

Finally, I was presently surprised with the 2 hour premiere of Legend of the Seeker. I miss the good old days of Hercules and Xena and this seems to fit in quite nicely with those kinds of shows. There is nothing like some good sword and sorcery stories and I like the hunky Seeker (Richard Cypher) and his friend Kahlan, who is of an ancient order of magical women known as Confessors and the wacky wizard Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander. The origin story had some nice special effects, a decent storyline and some fun magic. There has to be something said for the great costumes and it's nice to see a series being filmed in New Zealand again. I will definitely be checking it out for the next while to see where it goes.

Weekend Rant - Reality Madness

This week was full of some great stuff, some boring stuff and unfortunately some heart breaking stuff. My love affair with Paris Hilton's My New BFF took a nasty turn with the girls pulling out all the stops (and their claws) and deciding on who was the "fakest" with help of guest gossip queen Perez Hilton. Unfortunately it meant that Onch and Corrie were put up on the chopping block (I could not understand why that bitchy and nasty Natasha was not there instead after her huge freak out at the commercial challenge) and then Paris decided that Onch was too fake and had to go.

I am pretty much sure that I am way over this series now... there is no one interesting left to see except for a bunch of bitchy girls that I could care less about, but in a strange twist the girls seemed upset that Onch left. Stupid decision Paris ---seriously, it was a really stupid decision. At least she didn't give him a TTYN so maybe there is a silver lining somewhere in this whole debacle.

Stylista started this week, and if the first episode is any indication of how things will play out I am a bit disappointed but a couple of things were interesting enough that I will be completely hooked with in a couple of weeks. Anne Slowey is all that I expected and more, and the way she had the contestants shaking in their boots (literally and figuratively) at their first challenge was priceless. Anne knows her business and has a "Do not fuck with me" vibe that makes me wonder why she didn't eliminate more than one contestant this week. If there was ever a tougher or bitchier boss out there I have yet to see her. All of the stuff with her and her interactions with the contestants was interesting enough, but I am disappointed with the Layout challenge of the first episode and I wonder about the level of talent with some of these contestants. The 2 teams that blew it (and they did big time) showed a high school level layout scheme with poor colour choices and bad design ideas. I am not sure that some of these contestants were chosen by talent level or by personality.

I could care less about names at this moment, but Rich Spoiled Girl is a complete bitch that will either win or be pushed under a bus by one of the other contestants. I find the contestants pretty juvenile and their lack of professionalism is a tad tiresome. All the drama around the one with the huge rack was over done and little geeky gay guy better watch his ass before he says another inappropriate thing and gets it handed to him. I was not surprised that Scarecrow and the Big Girl were put up for elimination, and although Anne was gentle with our Big Girl this week but her time is limited. Image counts in this industry and as much as she wants to be there it isn't a sitcom and she will be shown the door soon. Bye Scarecrow, we never even had the chance to get to know you.

Top Design is still boring me to tears, and little Mr Martha Stewart was such a knob this week that I hope he gets booted next week. Preston is still rehashing the same things over and over (everything seems to be designed for a hotel lobby), Nathan is still blowing my mind each week with his out of the box and organic design sensibilities (and he is still my favorite to win), but this week I really loved the room put together by Ondine that appealed to my own personal style. I loved how she put all the knick knacks from traveling and gave the room an earthy feel and I felt that she incorporated the lighting fixture well into her room. The judges didn't feel that way and hated her room and she would have left if Mrs. Shroeder wasn't homesick and decided to leave the competition.

What???

I don't understand how silly people can be sometimes, but I have been waiting weeks for her to leave as she was really just so out of her element. She did a decent job with the challenge but she still needs more confidence, training and practice to go further along this career path. It was too much of a cop out for me and I was really disappointed that the judges gave her the choice (which she had to hum and haw about for a good commercial break) to stay or go. She wants to go? Fine, just let her go and that's it.

Thank god there are only 2 episodes left. I am not sure if I am interested in a season 3 at this point.

The Amazing Race had more outstanding visual moments again this week with their arrival in New Zealand (complete with Phil's dad -- meeting him was a cute moment) and more conflict between our bitchy divorcees Kelly & Christy and the brother and sister team of Nick & Star. All this drama is a waste of energy and maybe the teams don't realize it, but they are falling behind and need to concentrate on the Race and not on the other teams.

There are still lots of teams and the Race gets more exciting for me when we get down to the last 6 Teams and the stakes get higher. I did like that the first Fast Forward of the season was played, as it starts to divide the pack (although there do seem to be a lot of equalizer flights -- it doesn't matter if you show up early you all leave on the same flight). There does seem to be a lot of tension with some of the teams so I am expecting more meltdowns at a faster pace this season and we'll have to see how far this tension will push some of the teams. The teams that I like and am cheering for are: Toni & Dallas, Nick & Starr and Ken & Tina. The teams that I don't think will go far and I don't really care are : Andrew & Dan and Aja & Ty. The teams that I hope lose ( yes I know it sounds harsh but I don't like them) are: Terence & Sarah ( get out Sarah while you can -- Terence is way too needy and you are just enabling him) and Kelly & Christy. Yes ladies, I know that you both had bad relationships that ended in divorce but you can stop punishing the world for that. Very bad energy those two.

The tattoos on the Maori warriors was a trip of a challenge (wild stuff) and I laughed as the poor blonde Southern Belles got frightened silly trying to do the challenge and unfortunately were eliminated at the end of this leg of the Race. They did manage to get a hug out of Phil's Dad so I guess things weren't a complete loss.

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.

Shear Genius - The Final Cut

It was Finale night last night on Shear Genius ... and I am unhappy to say that our lazy eyed lesbian Dee won the big prize. I was really pulling for Charlie ( I honestly think that he is the biggest talent there) and was disappointed that the Judges were overlooking his styling talent compared to Dee, who seemed to have a small advantage with guest Judge Sally Hershberger (same lesbian sensibilities maybe?)

All the whining aside, it was a great challenge (taking a woman through 4 stages/ages of life and having to do the 4 models in 3 hours was a daunting task) and it made the stylists push themselves as hard and fast as they could go. I still think that Charlie looked the most polished and finished at the end but I am not one of the Judges. It was nice to see that our southern girl Daniel, won fan favorite (such a chatter bug that one and I missed seeing him in the Finale) and I will honestly say that I will miss Rene and his `Hi Hi` greeting each round.

Next week we are getting around to the premiere of the second season of Top Design that looks great (the first season was fun, here`s hoping this one goes well) and the cast looks interesting. More fun stuff is around the corner as slowly but surely the new show are coming on to the schedule.

Congrats to Dee ... you beat Charlie and that was no easy task...