Friday, December 26, 2008

Wrap Up Flashback - The 2007 Superman Celebration - Metropolis, IL - June 9, 2007 - Helen Slater, Jerry Maren, Noel Neill

On to the 29th Annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis. I attended the Celebration and had a good time. Bummer of the show was that Erica Durance from Smallville wasn't there as, according to the Celebration's message board, she had to cancel earlier in the week due to an illness and the doctors not allowing her to fly. Good size crowd but not as big as in past years especially last year when Michael Rosenbaum was there. It was packed last year. Beautiful weather for this thing too. Some of the best weather that I can remember. I usually leave hot and sun burnt but not today. The celebrities in attendance were Helen Slater who played Super Girl in the Super Girl movie, Noel Neill who played Lois Lane in the Adventures of Superman series and also the first lady of Metropolis, and Jerry Maren who played Mole Man in one of the original Superman movies but is most famously known to me and many others as one of the Lollipop Guild in The Wizard Of Oz. Seeing Jerry Maren was just great!! I got to see a part of movie history seeing someone that was actually in The Wizard Of Oz. I mostly know Helen Slater from Legend Of Billie Jean as I've never seen Super Girl. Noel Neill is always a pleasure to see. She is a class act for sure. She got a standing ovation when she was introduced. All three of them were a lot of fun at the Q&A. Maren was also joined by his wife, Elizabeth, who has done quite a bit of work in the entertainment industry as well. Awards were handed out at the end of the Q&A. Jerry Maren was given a Superman of Metropolis Award. Helen Slater was given a Supergirl award as they said that they believe that she is the first Supergirl to appear at the Celebration. They added that they are running out of things for Noel Neill to give to her. They announced that next year that the Noel Neill statue would be unveiled at the 30th Superman Celebration as they had found out that next year will be the 60th anniversary of Noel playing Lois Lane and with it being the 30th anniversary show that next year is the perfect year to unveil it. The Q&A went for about 45 minutes or so.

Here are some of the quotes from the Q&A session that I typed up.


Helen Slater:

How much time do you estimate that you were attached to wires during the filming of Super Girl and were you afraid of heights?
"When I was learning to fly to make the movie, I spent a lot of time in the wires. I would say probably 3 or 4 months of training getting in shape. I was in the wires for 2 months of it, everyday, for 2 or 3 hours. I wasn't scared in the beginning cause they only raised me 3 or 4 feet. I do remember the first time that I was raised 40 or 50 feet and being very nervous. I think because I was 18, I was able to do it. I remember singing Hello Dolly to myself quietly as they were raising me up. Having to do the first somersault from that high up was scary. Singing helped. (laughing) The flying sequences were usually done in 2 to 3 days for each line sequence."

Did you do much research with the comic books or watch the original show to help with the role of Supergirl?
"I was telling Noel how much I loved that series as a little girl growing up. I loved the Superman movies too as I was 16 or 17 around when 1 & 2 came out. I wasn't as familiar with the comic books. I now have a daughter and she has gotten into the Supergirl comics. Now, I've kind of traced it back. It's great."

Is Super Girl your signature movie role?
"It opened doors for me. I always feel very grateful and lucky that I was able to fill that part. "

What was it like to work with Peter O'Toole?
"A fan last night said that they could watch Peter read the phone book and it would be entertaining and I agree. In the Phantom Zone, I have a memory and I think it is in the film. He was in the phantom zone and the wind was blowing and he was using his whole body (to physically portray it) and I'm just kind of like walking through the Phantom Zone and the wind is blowing through my hair. I look at it now and I smile thinking he had the wisdom to use his whole body acting like it was rough. I wish the director had said "can you come up to Peter O'Toole's level there? You look like you're in the mall". (laughing) I had a great time with him. "

What was it like to work with Michael J. Fox on The Secret Of My Success? What kind of guy was he?
"He was just a really fun, joking guy. He set a great example and treated everyone equally like you should do but many actors don't. He was kind to everyone and I had a great time working with him."

What was it like meeting Christopher Reeve?
"Fantastic. I met him when the premiere of Superman 3 was happening and we were filming Supergirl. When I met Chris, we became friends and we were back in New York City one night around Central Park West sitting on a park bench. All the sudden there were these fire engines zooming by like there was something big going on but we didn't know what it was and it was loud with three fire engines flying by. Chris turned to me and said "here we are, Superman and Supergirl and we can't do a darn thing."

Was there ever any talk of putting you and Christopher Reeve together?
"I think there originally was a plan for Chris to be in the Supergirl movie. Then, something happened. I don't know if it was a time commitment or another movie. He was supposed to be in it but then they changed that."

Were there anymore Supergirl movies planned?
"There were. I think because it wasn't a commercial success that they just decided not to do it."

Would you be interested in playing the role of Super Girl again if you were asked?
"(Laughing) Oh my gosh, I'm 43!!!. (Pauses) Sure. (Laughing)."
Moderator: The costume has changed somewhat since you were Supergirl. What do you think of the new Super Girl costume?
Not everyone has seen it so Slater brings up a fan that is dressed with the new Super Girl costume which consists of a skirt and half top.
Moderator: Would you want to wear that costume?
Slater: "Oh gosh no!"

A fan asks: Do you think they'll do a sequel to your Supergirl movie?
"I think if they do it, if they're smart, they'll revamp it and find a great story to tell."
The fan replies: Well, I hope they get you to play the part cause you're super fine.
She replies: "Aww, thank you. (laughing) My hunch is though that they didn't find a strong enough story that captures girls' imaginations. It's very complicated, a supergirl movie as successful as it was overseas."

Moderator: With the success of Smallville, could they do like something like that show and tweak Supergirl to where it could work?
"I hope they would. Especially with the success of the TV show Heroes with figuring out a way to hybrid Superman and Supergirl with real life into a small town life. I think it would be great. "

What did you like about doing The Legend Of Billie Jean?
"I had a great time doing that movie and it was kind of a modern day Joan of Arc story also kind of a superhero story oddly enough. Memories of all of us kids working together and working in Corpus Christi, Texas which is a beautiful part of the country. The shocking part of all of it was having to cut off all my hair halfway through the movie. I remember people working on the movie thinking that I didn't look good at all without the hair. I remember the guy in the catering truck as I came up to get my lunch going "ooooohhhh" (with bad look on his face)."


Noel Neill:

Noel was asked what she thought of the Hollywoodland movie and the portrayal of George Reeves.
"I'm going to watch my words and keep my mouth shut for a change. (crowd cheers her on to talk about it. LOL). Of course George is so hard to duplicate. We love George very much. There were a lot of things in the picture that weren't true. At the end, they left the two versions of what happened to George up to you on what happened to him. They allowed the viewer to pick and choose what they thought happened. They still don't really know what happened. Except that he didn't commit suicide." (She has been very vocal about that every year that I've been there).

Would you have liked to have seen more of a romance between Superman and Lois in the original series?
"I didn't think it was going to go anywhere. The thing is that Kelloggs had a big investment with the New York office of our show. They wanted to keep it for the kids. They said we're selling cereal for the children and we don't want any love and this and that and the other thing. I know that in the first movie with Chris that they married supposedly, Lois and Superman. The idea really tanked as far as the public was concerned. They should stay away from that. Until this last one where she had a child." (crowd laughs).

What was your favorite episode of the show?
"I have a couple of them. One I liked was the Tomb of Zaharan . I liked the wig I wore and tried to buy it from them but couldn't. The one that I dreamt that I married Clark Kent and found out that they were one of the same. That was my favorite one."

Did you realize what kind of impact that this show was going to have?
"No, we didn't think so at the time. One funny story at the time was that Jack's agent said to Jack that he had a job for him for 12 or 13 weeks. Jack said well I really want to go to New York to act. His agent said Jack, just do the show, do the 15 weeks, take the money and go back to New York. No one will ever see this show. (laughing). Now, here we are."


Jerry Maren:

What were your memories of working with George Reeves?
"I didn't work with him very much but he was a nice man. "

What was your most fondest memories of The Wizard Of Oz?
Jerry: "Meeting Judy Garland. She was a lovely little lady. She was an angel. That was all there was to it. "
Elizabeth: "You were in love with her."
Jerry: "Well maybe. Everyone was in love with her. Are you kidding? I had to stand in line. (crowd is cracking up laughing) She was always busy. When she was done with a scene, they used to grab her and take her to school as she had to have her schooling. That was the most important thing in those days. They had two people that grabbed her right away to school. (Continuing on with the question) Meeting 124 other little people."

In The Wizard Of Oz, how long did it take you to get that song the Lollipop Guild down pat?
"It took me two minutes. It's all the same words." (lots of laughs and applause).

Do you have any idea of how much of the original cast is living?
"There are only 9 munchkin people left out of 124. We've outlived all of them."


Miscellaneous Questions For Everyone:

Question for Helen and Noel: Would you consider taking a cameo on Smallville?
Slater: "Oh gosh. That would be great. That's a great show."
Neill: "They always say they'd love to have me but haven't called." (laughing).

Question for the whole group. If you could have any super power, what would it be?
Elizabeth Maren: "X-Ray Vision."
Jerry Maren: "She was ready, wasn't she?" (commenting on his wife's quick answer). "I'd like to get the daily double from every race track in one day."
Slater: "I'd like to be able to fly."
Neill: "I'd probably be somebody that owned the darn show. "


After the Q&A finished, I roamed around checking out the festivities and other events happening. I watched an impressive BMX biking performance. Lots of tricks and all. Checked out the Super Museum which was packed with people.

Overall, a really good time. The show definitely needed a Smallville presence but life happens. With next year being the 30th anniversary show, I fully expect them to have a big lineup. Take care and God bless!!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Entertainment Wrap Up - December 18, 2008 - Big Bang Theory, HIMYM, Favorite Christmas Songs, Meredith Andrews, Chuck, & More

Some Smallville news to start the Wrap Up for tonight.

The CW has released a new promo for Smallville showing what we can expect when the show returns with new episodes on January 15th. This just made me want January 15th to get here even faster now to see where the story is going.


The plan for now apparently is for Lost to air straight through this season with no interruptions. This season and next season will be 17 episodes in length which is longer than the original plan. That is to make up for the episodes that didn’t happen last season due to the WGA strike. We’ll have to see if things work out for it to straight through to the season finale in May.

I loved the Christmas episode of The Big Bang Theory. The gift exchanging between Penny and Sheldon was hilarious stuff especially the payoff scene at the end of the episode. Penny revealed that she had gotten a gift for Sheldon which sent him into a meltdown cause he felt obligated to get her something. Sheldon took the guys gift shopping for Penny but didn’t know what to get her to even up whatever she got him. His plan was to bring all sorts of gifts at all different price levels home so he would be able to compare what she had gotten him. His plan was to open her present, excuse himself, and go look up the value online. He would then give her the one with the equal value and return the rest for a full refund. Her present was a napkin which had a personalized autograph from Leonard Nimoy. He had been at the restaurant and she got his autograph for Sheldon. This sent Sheldon into a hilarious shock of a meltdown especially when he learned that it also had Nimoy’s DNA on it as well due to him using the napkin. Sheldon returned and gave her all the things that he had bougnt saying it still didn’t even up. He then went and uncomfortably gave her a hug. It was great stuff. I also loved the scene with Leonard confronting Penny over her dating a guy that is smarter than he is. Penny’s reason to Leonard on why they couldn’t work out was that he was too smart for her. So, Leonard was frustrated to see her hit it off with someone smarter but he was also a very built guy which had him not looking like a regular scientist. Things went bad when Penny had realized that the guy had a wife as well along with Penny being his new girlfriend. It ended up with a really nice moment between Penny and Leonard where she kissed him on the cheek. The on again off again romance of theirs may be my favorite on TV right now. It is so fun and I cheer for them a lot.

What would happen if Barney finally met Ted’s sister, Heather? Well, Ted didn’t want to find out and constantly hid her from Barney being the protective brother. His reasoning was that he tried to protect his sister from guys like Barney. The trust issue of Ted towards his sister ended up being solved in the end as she and Barney set Ted up on his distrust. My favorite part of the episode was Marshall and Robin at the Minnesota sports hang out. The story was that Robin gets homesick a lot around Christmas and misses Canada. She wasn’t big on the New York guys so Marshall took her to his hangout which had guys more like she wanted to hang around. Marshall eventually got jealous when Robin fit in a little too well along with her lying about being Canadian (which would automatically get you thrown out due to their dislike of Canadians). Marshall finally busted her on her lies cause he couldn’t take her getting too much attention anymore. She was kicked out but went out with a very pro Canadian rant to the bar. Marshall felt bad over what he had done and made up for it by taking Robin to another bar that was all about Canada. She felt right at home but the laugh out loud moment for the episode was at the end. Marshall sang karaoke and knew what he was going to sing. He broke into “Let’s Go To The Mall” as Robin hid her face at the bar. That was of course the song that she was popular for in Canada when she was a pop star in case you forgot. Great stuff. Loved this episode.

Speaking of How I Met Your Mother. What does Barney want for Christmas? Check out Barney’s Christmas list at :
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/community/barney_blog/index.php

Movie box office numbers for last weekend. 1. The Day The Earth Stood Still - $30.4 million. 2. Four Christmases - $13 million. 3. Twilight - $7.9 million. 4. Bolt - $7.4 million. 5. Australia - $4.1 million. 6. Quantum Of Solace - $3.7 million. 7. Nothing Like The Holidays - $3.5 million. 8. Madagascar Escape 2 Africa - $3.1 million. 9. Milk - $2.5 million. 10. Transporter 3 - $2.3 million.

Strong episode of Chuck this week that revolved around a hostage situation at the Buy More. It turned out to all be a way to find out where the intersect was. Chuck revealed that it was him to help protect his sister who had been thrown into this hostage situation as well. We found out what length that Sarah would go to protect Chuck and that was shooting the guy in question. Chuck saw the incident take place but she later lied to him about how she had arrested the guy instead. It is going to be interesting to see how their relationship goes after this major turn.

How much would you pay for Luke Skywalker’s light saber used in the first couple of Star Wars movies? Well, it recently sold at a Hollywood memorabilia auction for $240,000. WOW. The droid helmet of C-3PO went for $120,000. The auction apparently sold about $3.5 million worth of merchandise. That included Marlon Brando’s costume from the Superman movie which went for $72,000.

This volume of Heroes ended up on Monday night. The general opinion among me and my friends that I watched it with was just “ehhh”. We liked last week’s episode a lot more than this week’s wrap up episode. They sure have disposed of some characters over the last few weeks and it continued this week. Let’s get real. Sylar isn’t gone. He shall return. Pinehearst is no more after being destroyed by Claire’s mom which also took her out as well. The formula was destroyed. Ando now has powers. Nathan and Peter continue to be at odds and the start of the next volume has Nathan working a deal with the President about all the people that have abilities. The previews for the new episodes show all the Heroes being hunted down one by one. Heroes returns on Monday, February 2nd.

I saw both Gremlins movies on TV last weekend on AMC. I can’t remember the last time that I saw those on TV. It has been so long since I’ve seen them that I didn’t even realize that was John Glover that was in the sequel. I always remembered how great that character was but didn’t know the actor’s name at the time. One line cracked me up with him after he had his encounter with his first gremlin while one guy tried to convince him that maybe it was a bug. He replied with “those are some big bugs”. That brought back a lot of memories seeing those movies on TV.

I recently bought Meredith Andrews CD entitled The Invitation. Meredith is a Christian music artist and recently just released this album. She has an incredible voice and has so many inspirational songs on the album. I found out about her when I was listening to the radio last weekend and heard her song, “You Invite Me In”. I started thinking that she sounded like a singer that I would probably like. I found her website and listened to more of her music. Yeah, it didn’t take long for me to be hooked. I bought the CD the next day. Favorite songs on the album include the song I already mentioned along with “You’re Not Alone” and “Show Me What It Means”. Check out Meredith's website at: http://www.meredithandrews.com/
Very inspirational music!!!

To no surprise, The Dark Knight is selling very well on DVD. It is doing very well on Blu-ray. I read one article that said that the Blu-ray version of the movie had already sold over one million copies.

Don’t forget that the Joss Whedon hit, Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, is released tomorrow on DVD. Head over to Amazon.com to pick yours up.

With it being time for Christmas, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite Christmas songs. These are in no particular order. I've got a wide variety of favorites. Some are classics while some are more modern. Actually, I’ll go ahead and name a top five in no order and then name my other favorites.
1. Wonderful Christmastime – Paul McCartney
2. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – U2
3. Rockin Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
4. Do They Know It's Christmas? – Band Aid
5. Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms

Other favorites include:
Christmas Time – Christina Aguilera
Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
Happy Christmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon
Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
White Christmas – Bing Crosby
Jingle Bell Rock – Hall & Oates
Sleigh Ride – Debbie Gibson
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Bruce Springsteen
Carol of the Bells – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Deck The Halls – Mannehim Steamroller
All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys
2,000 Miles - Pretenders
Do You Hear What I Hear? – Carrie Underwood

What is my favorite Christmas movie of all time? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I have to watch it every year. It's tradition. I found it kind of funny speaking about songs and movies cause I've heard a song used in this movie a ton over the holidays so far. I'm talking about the song that they play during the fantasy pool scene when Clark is looking out of the window. I always thought how I rarely ever hear that song besides in that movie but I heard it for almost five days straight on the radio this year.

A couple of classic cartoons are now available on Hulu. He-Man and The Masters of The Universe along with The Adventures of Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids are now up for viewing on the site. Classic stuff there.

Speaking of movies on DVD, Mamma Mia! is getting a ton of promotion with its DVD release. It seems like I see a promo for it during every commercial break. I haven’t seen it but I know the movie is very popular for sure. The DVD was released this week and if you haven’t picked it up yet, I got an email to give all of you a sneak peak at the DVD with this bonus video. Hope you enjoy!!
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=oiFinmXi9n4

TV on DVD releases for Tuesday, December 23rd. Very slow week with TV on DVD as there is only one release. Voltron: Defender Of The Universe (Collection 6).

TV Line Of The Week: From The Big Bang Theory.
“I can grow my own Leonard Nimoy. “ - Sheldon after realizing that he had the DNA of Leonard Nimoy.

You Tube Video Of The Week: The great finish to this week’s episode of The Big Bang Theory. Keep in mind that Sheldon was just given this napkin that Penny had autographed by Leonard Nimoy.


That is it for this week. Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!! Stay safe and have a great time!! Take care and God bless!!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

And The Winner Of Survivor Gabon Is......

"Survivor Gabon: Earth's Last Eden" Finale And Reunion - Show
The Survivor Gabon finale is done and it was a wild finish to a wild season. The episode almost had what would have been a complete stunner for a winner. Going into this episode, we had a final five of Matty, Bob, Sugar, Susie, and Kenny. The plan was to either vote out Kenny or Susie after the first immunity challenge. Bob won yet another immunity challenge. Kenny was working things continuing to push about his not getting the immunity given to him by Bob while Kenny was also aligning with Sugar. The decision was made to vote out Kenny seeing him as a bigger threat over Susie. So, Kenny is voted out leaving the final four. We got the usual remembering moment of the other cast members as the final four went to their last challenge. I always think that is a cool thing to do and you can show off the scenery more with that. The immunity challenge had them having to build a house of cards that reached ten foot tall. However, there was a time limit of thirty minutes. If the time limit was reached, the person with the highest stack would win immunity. I would be so terrible at this challenge was all I could think. Ha ha. Actually, who knows? I might be pretty decent at balancing stuff like that. I was wondering if anyone was going to take my strategy that I had while watching it. If the time limit was getting close and I was in the lead, I’d just stay where I was until some others caught up to me. Susie had that strategy as well which I thought was smart. Bob struggled throughout. Sugar and Matty were right in there with Susie. Sugar’s house fell late in the time limit. Matty was not able to catch up to Susie either and Susie won immunity. She was getting concerned wondering whether to keep building or to just stay where she was. This messed everything up for the other three as the plan had been to vote out Susie. Susie started rubbing people wrong with her comments of how shocked that she was to win. Bob was seemingly gone as they didn’t want to go against him in the end game. However, a plan was done to have a tie vote letting Bob and Matty go at it in a last challenge. That tribal council had Bob taking on Matty in a fire building challenge. Anyone have a flashback of watching the girls unable to get any kind of fire going on the Cook Islands finale? Ha ha. Bob was able to get a strong fire going and won the challenge putting him in the final three. When Bob won that challenge, I said immediately that he had just won the million dollars with that win. Later on, I wasn’t feeling so secure about my comment when I thought the jury vote wasn’t as secure as I thought. The final three tribal council of Bob, Sugar, and Susie took place. The jury questioning was one of the harshest that I’ve seen over the run of the series. It was so harsh that I actually felt uncomfortable at times watching it. I’m not going to spend much time on Corinne but her comment to Sugar ranks right up there as the most classless thing that I’ve heard in jury questioning. I get that your feelings are charged up when it comes to the jury stuff but there was no reason to get that personal. Just a low, low shot. This is also where I also throw in the usual “it’s a game” comment. I never like personal stuff being brought into a game and this was the worst that I’ve heard on Survivor. She got a lot of boos on the reunion show which I’m sure was fueled over what she said on the jury. Kenny’s questioning had me thinking two different feelings. One was that I was annoyed that he was still mad over not being given immunity. Bob’s answer was perfect with him just pointing out once again that Kenny was turning on him. The second feeling was that I felt bad for him after he talked of how hurt he was over Sugar turning on him. I was surprised that Matty was as angry as he seemed to be. Randy was what I thought it would be. I thought everyone did pretty well with answering questions. Sugar didn’t back down which she couldn’t really do anyway cause she knew she had made a lot of enemies on the jury. Bob had more critics on the jury than I expected. I figured that Susie would take a lot of criticism from the jury and did take quite a bit. The voting goes very different than what I thought. Earlier in the day, I had made a prediction of a Bob, Sugar, Susie finish ranking from 1st to 3rd. I figured that they would take Susie to the final to have a better chance at the million with them seeing her as a weaker player. However, things went very different. Susie and Bob had three votes a piece going into the last vote!! I was stunned as was everyone there including Jeff Probst. The last vote goes to Bob and he wins the million dollars. Sugar doesn’t get one vote which did surprise me. She made a lot of huge moves in this game and deserved to at least finish second. I was wanting to see Sugar get that last vote to find out the question I’ve always wanted to know. What happens if there is a tie vote? I’ve never heard what the answer is to that. Randy was one of the votes for Bob and appeared to be the wild card vote.

The reunion show showed that there were still a lot of hurt feelings over stuff that had happened. Randy was talked to by Jeff over his antics on the show. The crowd seemed to really like Randy although they booed Corinnne heavily. I said early on this season that I liked Randy on the show cause he was a good personality for it. You need someone to stir things up. The stuff with Crystal was funny where she talked about getting calls from her other Olympic gold medal friends questioning her on how bad she was physically on the show in competitions. Everyone did get asked a question which is something that I always pay attention to cause I feel bad for the cast members that don’t get asked much. Funny stuff with Kenny where he said that his downfall was that he got too arrogant in the game. I did agree with this as I thought Kenny was a very good player this season but he just got too big of a head at the end. It can happen for sure in this game. The fan vote was revealed with who won the $100,000. Bob added to his winning money getting the most votes. Second place went to Sugar followed by Matty in third place.

What a wild season this was!! This was one of the most unpredictable seasons ever of Survivor. This season provided some of the most memorable moments ever with a lot of great and different personalities. Sugar has become one of my favorite Survivor cast members ever. Just a very strong season overall and a very fun finale. This season definitely kept you guessing. Looking forward to the next season already. So, there you go. My thoughts on the Survivor Gabon finale. Take care and God bless!!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

The Entertainment Wrap Up - December 11, 2008 - Amazing Race Finale, Survivor Finale This Sunday, Heroes, Storm Chasers Finale, Golden Globes, & More

The finish line has been crossed on this season’s Amazing Race and the team to cross it first was Nick and Starr. The finale had a very fun race between Nick & Starr and Ken & Tina. All the teams were even at the airport when they arrived at their final destination, Portland, OR. Dan and Andrew fell behind early and were never able to get close again. This left it to the other two teams to battle it out. The teams battled with a detour which consisted of them having to balance across a log high up above the ground to grab their clue. The next task had them taking a ride down a zip line off of a bridge. Ken and Tina were able to take advantage of Nick and Starr’s cab driver missing the road to the bridge. They got to a task that involved them having to remember their history of what they had done on the race. Nick and Starr were able to catch up and tie things up about halfway through the ten clues. It was neck and neck the rest of the way. Nick and Starr were able to finish the task first which ended with a painfully dramatic wait on whether their light would come on saying that they were right. The teams passed one another on the way to the Portland Building for their next clue. It is funny to see the panic that ensues when you see one team go another way than what you’re going. I would panic too cause you know someone is messed up. Nick and Starr arrived first and made their way to the Alder Street cart pod. After getting the next clue, they found a local who helped telling them that the clue involved Voodoo Doughnuts. Ken and Tina remained not far behind them. It came down to a taxi ride but neither team could get a taxi very easily. Ken offered a customer $50 to give up his cab. Both teams finally got on their way and they had a very stressful ride to the finish line. Nick and Starr went across the finish line first to win the million dollars. Ken and Tina were not far behind finishing in second place. Dan and Andrew finished in third place. Exciting finale and I am happy with the results as I’ve pulled for Nick and Starr throughout. They were an excellent balance as a team. It was very clear in the finale. Nick is a very calming effect on Starr not letting her get panicked. He was constantly checking on her making sure she was all right in this last leg. They just work really well together. Ken and Tina made the decision to put their rings back on for the first time since their separation. Nice moment there. Dan and Andrew were the underdogs throughout and overcame the odds to finish third. Funny comment when they were completely honest that they got beat by two more superior teams. Fun season of The Amazing Race and it appears that the next season of the Race will begin very soon based on what I’ve read. Congrats to Nick and Starr for the win!!!!

Here is a very wild tie between Smallville and Heroes. John Glover is set to guest star on Heroes and will play the father of Sylar. WOW. Glover played Lionel Luthor, father of Lex Luthor, on Smallville if you didn't know. I really look forward to seeing John Glover on Heroes. He will be a great addition cause he is an incredible actor.

NBC has figured out a way to keep Jay Leno with the network. It is pretty clear that Leno had all the leverage in the negotiations. I just don’t think that NBC could allow Leno to get away and compete on another network. He has made it clear that he was happy to give Conan the spot on The Tonight Show but that he wasn’t ready to retire yet. NBC’s solution is to give Leno five nights a week in primetime at 9pm central time. The format appears to be very similar to what he does on The Tonight Show with it being a variety kind of deal.

I loved this week’s episode of Heroes!! Ok, so my being in denial is over. I cannot believe that they killed off Elle. There has been talk of how the show has too many Heroes on it and that there was likely going to have to be some killed off. Yeah, let’s kill off Kristen Bell’s character??!! She’s one of the strongest actresses on the show so kill her character off?? Yeah, I’m not a happy camper. However, the rest of the episode was great. Hiro and Claire ended up back in time whe Claire was given to Noah as a baby. This was great stuff to watch with Claire talking to her mom and holding herself as a baby. I’m thinking that it had all kinds of possibilities of becoming a major paradox. All I could think was “whatever you do, don’t drop yourself”. Ha ha. She also talked to Noah as well who saw right through her story of being the niece of a neighbor. Hiro was also around his family talking to his mom, dad, and to himself. He was still in his ten year old self but he and Claire figured out the plan. His mom was a healer so she could heal him so he’d be his adult self again. Claire’s plan was to make sure that she was not given the “catalyst” and talked Noah into not answering the phone which would have set it all up. Hiro decided to take it himself. He talked to his mom and revealed the truth of who he was. It was a really cool moment seeing the two of them talk and then him being healed. She also gave him the “catalyst” before she passed away. Hiro and Claire reunited but were joined by Arthur. He took the “catalyst” away from Hiro and then left him hanging off of a pole on a building. Sylar was back on his evil mission after disposing of Elle. Wow, talk about an uninvited birthday party guest!! That was pure evil coming out of him. Parkman, Daphne, and Ando were able to track down the much talked about unfinished story of Issac’s comic to tell the future of Hiro. I loved Daphne tracking the messenger down after he had sped off with the sketchbook. Funny stuff. They found out that Hiro was stuck back in time. The big ending had the Petrelli showdown. Arthur thought he had the advantage until Peter showed up with the Haitian. Powers eliminated until the Haitian couldn’t hold Arthur’s powers off any longer. The gun was shot but the bullet spun in mid air. Sylar showed up and said that Peter wasn’t a killer. Sylar was though and sent the bullet on into Arthur which killed him. We then got a glimpse of just how powerful this army of soldiers with powers is going to be.

What a season finale of Storm Chasers. I was sitting up on the edge of my seat for the last half of the episode. The last chase day of the season had the teams in the middle of some intense thunderstorms. Good results all around for the teams. The video footage was just incredible that everyone had. One storm produced multiple tornadoes right next to each other as teams tried to intercept. Reed and his crew were able to intercept a tornado and deploy their probe, that shoots high definition video, right in the path of it. They had an intense few seconds as they backed away screaming as the tornado was crossing right in front of them. Seeing their excitement over the probe intercepting it was great to see!! Very exciting and the footage that they got was very impressive. The DOW crew were chasing the same storm. They were working hard to get themselves an intercept including the TIV. Sean and The TIV crew were right in the mix of it being in all kinds of major debris. They got some amazing footage of the craziness going on around them. Sean didn’t get the shot that he wanted for his movie but he got some great footage and got him an intercept to close the season. So, the season is over for Storm Chasers. I have become completely obsessed with this show this season. I’m already looking forward to new episodes!!

Down to the final five on Survivor with the finale set for Sunday night. Really fun episode tonight that continued to tie in with the happenings of last week. Kenny and Crystal had counted on the immunity idol of Bob’s being real and wanting Corinne to use it. That didn’t happen. Kenny was a major target from Matty over what had almost happened to him. Kenny went to Bob saying that this play of Bob and Corinne’s had messed up his game. Kenny ended up getting an offer from Bob to give him immunity if he won it in this next challenge. The reward challenge took place and was won by Bob. He was able to take two people with him on it and chose Kenny and Crystal. He was also able to send someone to exile island which turned out to be Susie. The reward had them taking a helicopter ride over the jungle and going to eat a feast. They also got to learn about Africa’s Eden which is a project set to help out gorillas. They were able to hang out with the gorillas up close. During this trip, the terms of the agreement of Kenny and Bob over immunity changed. Kenny wanted immunity on the next challenge as well if Bob wasn’t able to win this upcoming one. Kenny wanted to make the call on whether he was given immunity or not which Bob agreed to do. Things changed very quickly when they got back to camp. Matty had been very vocal about him having his name written down previously and was still unhappy about it knowing that he was done if he didn’t win immunity. Crystal then called out Matty to the point where people weren’t even sure what she was calling him about. This got Sugar’s wheels in motion. Sugar went to Matty upset over how he was being treated by them. She said that she would try and get Bob and Susie to vote with them to save Matty. The immunity challenge is won by Bob. Four challenges in a row that have been won by Bob. Kenny immediately goes to Crystal saying that his plan is for Bob to give him immunity and then they blindside him and vote him out. Kenny then started working Bob talking of how nervous that he was about this vote and Bob said that Kenny had nothing to worry about. The deal was made that Bob would give Kenny immunity if he felt that Kenny was in trouble. There is your key term in the agreement right there folks. Kenny goes back and tells the others of his plan to vote out Bob. Sugar goes and tells Bob what Kenny’s plan is but he is unsure on whether to trust her. The plan then goes into motion to turn and vote out Crystal. This brings us to tribal council. Bob and Kenny talked to Jeff about the deal that they had made. Bob said that he was not going to give immunity to Kenny cause he was secure that Kenny was safe. Sugar wore the immunity idol and this was the last tribal council that she could use it. I figured that she would use it but instead she gave it to Matty. That wiped out the votes that he got which were two for sure. It appeared that he did end up being the target. Crystal gets the votes and is voted out of the game. Wow, fun game play in this episode and this season overall. The finale is Sunday night and should be a lot of fun. We’re down to Matty, Sugar, Bob, Kenny, and Susie. I’m really not sure who is going to win this thing. I’m pulling for Sugar!!!! She has been a major force in this game. I can’t wait to see the finale.

Movie box office numbers for last weekend. 1. Four Christmases - $16.7 million. 2. Twilight - $13 million. 3. Bolt - $9.7 million. 4. Australia - $7 million. 5. Quantum Of Solace - $6.7 million. 6. Madagascar Escape 2 Africa - $5 million. 7. Transporter 3 - $4.6 million. 8. Punisher: War Zone - $4.2 million. 9. Cadillac Records - $3.4 million. 10. Role Models - $2.5 million.

The Big Bang Theory once again had another highest rating ever this week with over 10 million viewers. How I Met Your Mother continues to be strong too doing its biggest number since the Britney Spears guest role. I’m looking forward to the Christmas episode of The Big Bang Theory this coming Monday. The previews look funny.

This week’s episode of Chuck had a very special guest star, a Delorean. The Delorean didn’t have a lot of air time in the episode but ended up playing a big part. The basic idea was that Morgan was going to move in with Anna. The money that Morgan borrows from Devon was supposed to be a way to get his life going with the apartment. Well, Morgan ends up at a crossroads when a Delorean shows up for sale at the Buy More. Morgan buys it including getting himself a custom license plate that says DEMORGAN. There were some Back To The Future references in the episode of course which I loved. Too bad that they didn’t get some of the music in that episode such as Huey Lewis. Funny moment at the end when all the drama with the car is settled but another temptation is sitting in front of Morgan, The General Lee. Funny stuff. The episode mostly focused on the story of Sarah and her dad which was really good as well.

If you somehow didn’t know, The Dark Knight was released on DVD this week. I still haven’t seen it but continue to hear great things about it. I plan on checking it out soon for sure.

The Golden Globe nominations have been announced. Some definite talk online over The Dark Knight getting barely any kind of recognition. Heath Ledger got his nomination which was very expected. I can't wait to see him in the role of The Joker. As usual, I've seen very few of the movies that are nominated or have even heard of them. The TV side of things looks like business as usual with the usual ones getting nominations. Very nice to see Neil Patrick Harris get nominated for How I Met Your Mother. He really is incredible on that show. Here are some of the categories and their nominees.
Best Motion Picture - Drama: Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Slumdog Millionaire.
Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy: Burn After Reading, Happy-Go-Lucky, Mamma Mia!, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, In Bruges.
Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture - Drama: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Meryl Streep (Doubt), Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long), Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road), Angelina Jolie (Changeling).
Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture - Drama: Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road), Sean Penn (Milk), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon).
Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy: Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!), Emma Thompson (Last Chance Harvey), Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky), Frances McDormand (Burn After Reading).
Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy: Javier Bardem (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges), James Franco (Pineapple Express), Colin Farrell (In Bruges).
Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture: Amy Adams (Doubt), Viola Davis (Doubt), Kate Winslet (The Reader), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona).
Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Ralph Fiennes (The Duchess), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt).
Best Director In A Motion Picture: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), David Fincher (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button), Stephen Daldry (The Reader).
Best Screenplay In A Motion Picture: John Patrick Shanley (Doubt), Eric Roth (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button), David Hare (The Reader), Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire), Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon).
Best Animated Feature Film: Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, WALL-E.
Best Television Series - Drama: Dexter, House, Mad Men, True Blood, In Treatment.
Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy: 30 Rock, The Office, Weeds, Entourage, Californication.
Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series - Drama: Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters), Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU), Anna Paquin (True Blood), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), January Jones (Mad Men).
Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series - Drama: Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Hugh Laurie (House), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors), Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment).
Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy: Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Debra Messing (The Starter Wife), Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty).
Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Kevin Connolly (Entourage), Steve Carell (The Office), David Duchovny (Californication), Tony Shalhoub (Monk).
Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Mini-Series, Or Motion Picture Made For Television: Judi Dench (Cranford), Laura Linney (John Adams), Catherine Keener (An American Crime), Shirley MacLaine (Coco Chanel), Susan Sarandon (Bernard and Doris).
Best Performance By An Actor In A Mini-Series, Or Motion Picture Made For Television: Ralph Fiennes (Bernard and Doris), Paul Giamatti (John Adams), Kiefer Sutherland (24: Redemption), Tom Wilkinson (Recount), Kevin Spacey (Recount).
Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series, Or Motion Picture Made For Television: Eileen Atkins (Cranford), Dianne Wiest (In Treatment), Melissa George (In Treatment), Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters), Laura Dern (Recount).
Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series, Or Motion Picture Made For Television: Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Denis Leary (Recount) Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Blair Underwood (In Treatment), Tom Wilkinson (John Adams).

ABC’s new show Fast Forward is going to have a bit of Lost to it. Sonya Walger, who plays Penny on Lost, will have a lead role on the new show. The story of this show is a science experiment that goes wrong. Everyone passes out for a couple of minutes and gets a flash of their future. Everyone must deal with what they saw in their vision and how it effects their life. The concept of the show sounds like it could be very good. I will have to check this show out when it premieres.

Whitney Duncan now has a UStream channel. You can check it out at this link. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/whits-whit-live
If you haven’t checked it out, I got to talk to Whitney Duncan back about a month ago for a Wrap Up Q&A. Here is the link to check it out as well.
http://entertainmentwrapup.blogspot.com/2008/11/wrap-up-q-with-whitney-duncan-november.html

If you were in Nashville this past weekend at the Carrie Underwood concert, there is a chance that you saw some other American Idol alum in attendance as well. There are fan reports that have many people running into Kellie Pickler and Katharine McPhee as they roamed around the building.

It was fun to see Amy Poehler’s surprise return to SNL this past Saturday night. She appeared as Hilary Clinton in the opening sketch.

I was flipping around the channels over the weekend and found Can’t Buy Me Love on E. I ended up watching the last half of it. I still love that movie.

TV on DVD releases for Tuesday, December 16th. Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Volume Six), Ice Road Truckers (Season Two), Petticoat Junction (Season One), Transformers: Energon (Ultimate Collection).

TV Lines Of The Week:
From The Amazing Race
“Thank God that guy likes doughnuts”. Starr after they got a tip from a local about what their clue meant sending them to a doughnut place.

From Storm Chasers:
“BACK UP!!!!” - Reed screaming as the vehicle backs up with a tornado crossing the road right in front of them.

You Tube Video Of The Week: Chloe Sullivan Tribute Video. I found this video recently on You Tube when I was watching some TV tribute videos. Incredible editing on this video tribute to Smallville’s very own Chloe Sullivan. I’m just blown away at the talent that people have with these TV tribute videos.

Wishing each and every one of you a great weekend. Take care and God bless!!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Entertainment Wrap Up - December 4, 2008 - No More Kristen Bell??!!, Dr. Horrible, Lost, Amazing Race, Survivor, Grammys, & More

The Amazing Race finale is this Sunday night and we are down to three teams in the running for the win. Nick & Starr, Ken & Tina, and Dan & Andrew. This last Sunday’s episode itself revolved around a huge mistake by Dallas. Dallas left the passports and all their money in a cab. That left them with no money to travel with for that leg of the race. They had to beg for money from people to keep trying to complete the task. They did as good as they could with it but were eliminated. It never is a good sign when Phil comes looking for you instead of waiting for you to arrive at the pit stop. That was when he eliminated them. Nick and Starr return to first place on this leg of the race followed by Dan and Andrew in second place. In third was Ken and Tina. I think Dan and Andrew may have had the oddest run to a final three ever for a team. They have had so many things go wrong for them but here they are in the finale. Nick and Starr have been very strong throughout. Ken and Tina have been right there in the mix in the top 3 or 4 most of the race. Here are my predictions on how it will turn out this Sunday. Nick and Starr win the race followed by Ken and Tina in second and Dan and Andrew finishing third.

Tonight’s Survivor saw Bob and Corinne try a play to keep themselves in the game a while longer. Bob was upset over how people rubbed things in Randy’s face about the fake idol. The reward challenge had major perks to win and that was a message from home. All of the tribe was shown a little bit of their video message from home. The tribe was split into three on three with each team having to go through a swamp of sorts to get their wheel pieces. When they got the pieces, they had to make it all work. Crystal and Susie were captains based on a random draw and got to choose their teams. Crystal, Bob, and Sugar were able to come from behind and defeat Susie, Bob, and Matty. That moved the winning team of three into the final round where each had to solve a puzzle. Bob finished the puzzle and won the challenge easily. He got private time where he watched the video message on the phone from his wife. She then said to hang on for a second and she surprised him by being there in person. It was a really fun surprise. Bob got to bring her back to camp but a bigger surprise awaited the rest as they also brought the loved ones of everyone else’s as well. A couple of really good moments with Matty proposing to his girlfriend and her accepting. Sugar and her sister sprinkled some of the ashes of their father which was sad for sure. Then, it was back to the game play. Bob and Corinne work on a plan to work the fake immunity idol once again. The plan was to say that Marcus actually did have the immunity idol that was thrown away and that Bob was the only one that knew where it was. Bob would once again make a fake idol. Bob and Corinne realized that it was a little chance that this would work but tried anyway. The immunity challenge consisted of answering questions to gain shots at a target. Each would throw a ball at a target below them and the one closest to the center would win immunity. Bob was right on with this one as he got the lead on his first throw. His second throw was even closer to the center. Bob wins immunity and the plan for him and Corinne was on. Corinne told Kenny the story about the idol. Bob told Crystal the story and showed her the fake idol. Kenny and Crystal then debated on what to do. The plan for them was to put in the votes for Matty but try to flush out the idol as well. A win, win situation for them. The fake idol was not used of course and the votes had Corinne going home on a 4-3 vote. I’ve got to give them credit for trying.

Joss Whedon has commented over at Whedonesque.com about the upcoming Dr. Horrible DVD which is released on December 19th on Amazon.com. "Well, my turkey (or, in some cases, tofurkey) stuffed friends, we literally just put the finishing touches on the disc. Is it worth fifteen hard-earned dollars? Absolutely. In fact, I can say without reservation that the Dr. Horrible DVD is worth $15.23 EASILY. More, if your dollars weren’t the hard-earned kind, just the kind you have lying around in your mom’s purse. God knows WE’VE worked hard to earn ‘em. “Commentary! The Musical” is the most painstaking and exhausting piece of whimsey I have ever mistaken for a good idea. It has nearly twice as much music as Dr. Horrible itself — since you can’t really talk that much during a commentary musical or it sounds like a regular commentary. (Which we also have, with the stars and writers, plus making-of’s, ELE applications, and a few items left lying around by a notorious Bunny…) I can say without hesitation that I hesitate to say it’s great. And by great I mean ridiculous. It’s sophmoric, solopsistic, silly and the most fun I’ve had being exhausted since the fabled Mushortio itself. And everyone sings beautifullly. Which enrages me. I a little bit hate my friends now. The listed street date is, by the way, a little later than we’d expected — I’m hoping Amazon is just playing it safe and we can beat that date. More on that as we learn it. Expect a twittering sensation. Finally, I just want to say “thank you” to everybody who has supported this venture. We’ve been able to pay our crew and all our bills, which means a lot. What means more is proving that completely independent ventures can muscle their way through the blizzard of big-budget behemoths. (A blizzard of behemoths? Back to writing school, alliteration-junkie!) All that rhetoric about the future of entertainment that flew about during the Strike is still entirely true. We need to find our own way of producing entertainment. A lot of people are watching Dr. Horrible to see if it’s any kind of model — way more people than I expected — and it means everything to me to help pave the way for artists to start working and making a living from the ground up. There are a couple of real pioneers in this that I know personally: Felicia Day, I’m thrilled to say, and choreographer Chris Elam are both looking far ahead in terms of monetization and interactivity. Me, I’m more like Jimmy Stewart in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, but at least I’m out there. Thanks, he finally summed up, to you. My story has become tiresome! But wait till you hear the songs. Did we cover “silly”…?" http://whedonesque.com/comments/18243#270186
If you are a Joss fan, you need to check out Dr. Horrible. I reviewed this several months back and LOVED it. There will be a lot of extras on the set which will be fun to watch.

After reading all that, I had to watch Dr. Horrible again. After that? Yep, I had to watch the Buffy musical, Once More With Feeling, again which makes a watch count of no telling how many for me.

The season finale of Storm Chasers is this Sunday night on Discovery Channel. It looks like a very wild finale that has the teams chasing storms on the last chasing day of the season. The last several episodes have had the teams chasing some very dangerous storms and have actually been chased by storms as well.

As a huge Kristen Bell fan, I’m more than a little concerned over watching the end of this week’s Heroes. Elle is likely gone but I’m in major denial over it. Still holding on to that little, tiny, microscopic bit of hope that she will return. Yeah, I’m reaching but I don’t want to lose Kristen Bell from my TV. The eclipse ended this week just in the right amount of time for many of the Heroes. That was the seeming demise of Elle by Sylar. Claire was able to return after being declared dead. Daphne returned to her speedy self. Peter and Nathan survived Haiti with the Haitian. Some of the best stuff though revolved around Hiro in the comic book store with Seth Green and Breckin Meyer. I thought that stuff was written perfect where you had them all talking about the comic book telling the future of Hiro. Green and Meyer’s characters keep talking about things like they are discussing the comic story but yet it has turned into real life for them. It was great stuff.

With Pushing Daisies likely on its way out, there is talk that Bryan Fuller might be returning to work on the staff of Heroes. Fuller was with the show in season one and the addition of him would be big.

NBC has announced their plans for midseason. Medium will be returning on February 2nd. The new volume of Heroes called “Fugitives” will also premiere that night along with the 3D episode of Chuck. The Celebrity Apprentice will return on March 1st and it appears that they are going to be doing two hour episodes each Sunday night. Wow, didn’t expect that. The Office will get the coveted post Super Bowl slot as there will be an hour long episode of The Office following Super Bowl XLIII on February 1st. The series finale of ER will be two hours and will air on March 12th. It appears that Knight Rider will be wrapping up on February 25th.

ABC has also announced its midseason plans. The obvious attention is on the return of Lost which will be on January 21st with a 3 hour night. ABC is going to air last season’s last three episodes of Lost on January 14th as a way to build up to the premiere. Scrubs will have its network premiere on January 6th. The next season of Dancing With The Stars will premiere on March 9th. The much talked about premiere of Cupid will be on March 24th. Samantha Who? will be back with new episodes on January 12th. The new season of The Bachelor will premiere on January 5th. Nathan Fillion’s new show Castle will premiere on March 9th. The Unusuals will premiere on April 8th which stars Amber Tamblyn , Harold Perrineau, and Adam Goldberg.

Season four of Lost hits stores this Tuesday on DVD. Plenty of extras to be had on the set including Bloopers, Lost Flashbacks, Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentaries, Oceanic Airlines Safety Guide, Lost On Location, and plenty more.

Speaking of Lost, I am just terrified to watch any of these previews of the new season cause I’m afraid I will get too much information of spoilers.

Movie box office numbers for last weekend. 1. Four Christmases - $31 million. 2. Bolt - $26.5 million. 3. Twilight - $26.3 million. 4. Quantum Of Solace - $18.8 million. 5. Australia - $14.8 million. 6. Madagascar Escape 2 Africa - $14.2 million. 7. Transporter 3 - $12 million. 8. Role Models - $5.2 million. 9. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas - $1.6 million. 10. Milk - $1.4 million.

The Grammy Award nominees have been announced. Here are some of the nominees.
Record of the Year:
“Chasing Pavements” – Adele
“Viva La Vida” – Coldplay
“Bleeding Love” – Leona Lewis
“Paper Planes” – M.I.A.
“Please Read The Letter” – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Album of the Year:
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends – Coldplay
The Carter III – Lil Wayne
Year Of The Gentleman – Ne-Yo
Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
In Rainbows – Radiohead

Song of the Year:
“American Boy” – Estelle featuring Kanye West
“Chasing Pavements” – Adele
“I’m Yours” – Jason Mraz
“Love Song” – Sara Bareilles
“Viva La Vida” - Coldplay

Best New Artist:
Adele
Duffy
Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan

Best Female Country Vocal Performance:
“For These Times” – Martina McBride
“What I Cannot Change” – LeAnn Rimes
“Last Name” – Carrie Underwood
“Last Call” – Lee Ann Womack
“This Is Me You’re Talking To” – Trisha Yearwood

Best Male Country Vocal Performance:
“You’re Gonna Miss This” – Trace Adkins
“In Color” – Jamey Johnson
“Just Got Started Lovin’ You” – James Otto
“Letter To Me” – Brad Paisley
“Troubadour” – George Strait

Gloriana has a free song download available on their website now. You can head over to their website at http://www.gloriana.com to download their version of “Silent Night”. While you’re there, you can listen to their new song “Wild At Heart”.

I haven’t had a chance to type about this yet but I watched the Crossroads show on CMT with Def Leppard and Taylor Swift. This was a lot of fun. They performed together with them each singing each other’s songs. I really loved “Photograph” and “Hysteria”. The Crossroads idea is a fun one getting different artists together on the same stage to combine styles.

If you want to vote for your favorites for the 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards, the voting is underway. I’m obviously supporting my favorites which you can see on the side of the page. Here is the link to cast your votes: http://www.pcavote.com/pca/index.jsp

TV on DVD releases for Tuesday, December 9th. Deadwood (Full Series), Gunsmoke (Season Three – Volume One), Happy Days (Season Four), Lost (Season Four), McLeod’s Daughters (Season Seven), Rawhide (Season Three – Volume Two), The Wire (Full Series).

TV Line Of The Week: From Heroes.
“Best day ever”. - Seth Green, as Sam, after he watched Hiro teleport out of the comic book store.

You Tube Video Of The Week: Nobody’s Watching Lost.




That is it for this edition of the Wrap Up. Have a great weekend!! Take care and God bless!!

Big Brother Over The Top - Week One Thoughts

I hope many of you have floated over to Big Brother Over The Top like I have.  Tonight, we will be one week into this game and this new plat...