Taylor Swift - Speak Now - Album Review, Lady Antebellum Returns To Milwaukee Gas Station For A Free Concert - October 28, 2010

Taylor Swift's new album was released this week. I have gotten a chance to listen to it and it is really good. I think it is her best album yet. Taylor's writing has always been her strong point with her being able to take events of her life and turn them into song. She has said that there are some songs that take her a while to write while others come together quickly. This album has a great mix of music to it. So many catchy songs that will get in your head. One song that grabbed me immediately is Haunted. The sound to it is so unique from the rest of the album right at the beginning of it. Just great background music to it. Long Live is also a favorite. I don't know what songs that she will pick off of this album as singles but she has a lot of songs that will be hits if they are chosen. I was four songs into the album and was already thinking this is really good. If you like her other stuff, you'll like this album too. I still think this is her best album yet.

I read a story about Lady Antebellum last week that I found to be a really fun story. Then, they posted a video of it this week. Three years ago, Lady Antebellum was still an unknown working their way up. They played a gig at a gas station in Milwaukee, WI with the radio station for the opening of deer season. If you watch the video, they are playing for an audience of about 15 people that are there eating. Recently, Lady Antebellum returned to the scene of this performance and they had a LOT more people there than 15. They performed a free concert for the crowd there. Fun story and I really like this group a lot. Here is the video from the event:

Hollywood Treasure Debuts Tonight On Syfy, Online Auction - October 27, 2010

I got this info to pass along to you. A new show debuts tonight on Syfy called Hollywood Treasure. This reality show follows Joe Maddalena who deals with showbiz and pop culture memorabilia. He is the owner of Profiles in History which recently did the Lost auction and the upcoming Hollywood auction including many Back To The Future items which will have me glued to the computer as to what the bidding gets up to. The show will debut tonight on Syfy at 9pm central time with back to back episodes. To tie into the premiere of Hollywood Treasure, Syfy is teaming up with KaBoom! for auctions of lots involving several Syfy shows. These auctions will continue for seven weeks with a new one each week of course. Net proceeds raised will go to KaBoom! which is a national non-profit organization with a goal of having a great place for kids to play within walking distance of every child in America. Tonight's auction will be a Battlestar Galactica experience package which includes a trip to see the Battlestar Galactica exhibit at the Seattle Science Museum including exclusive access to the ship featured at the exhibit. You'll also get a Blu-ray of the full Battle Galactica series as well.

Upcoming auctions include:

Week 2 (11/3-11/9): Trip to Comic-Con 2011. Winner stays at the Solomar Hotel, receives passes to the convention center and gets two tickets to Syfy's exclusive party.

Week 3 (11/10-11/16): From Stargate Universe, a Kino and remote prop, along with a season one DVD set, poster and script signed by the cast.

Week 4 (11/17-11/23): From Caprica, a screen-worn dress worn by Alessandra Torresani, and a season one DVD set and script signed by the cast.

Week 5 (11/24-11/30): Pegged to the Hollywood Treasure marathon airing Wednesday, November 24, a trip for two to see Broadway's Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark, as well as a meet and greet with the cast.

Week 6 (12/1-12/7): From Warehouse 13, a Farnsworth Communicator, and a season one DVD and script signed by the cast.

Week 7 (12/8-12/14): From Ghost Hunters, an all-expense paid weekend to Jason and Grant's haunted bed and breakfast and a ghost hunting kit.

For more info on Hollywood Treasure and the auctions, here is the link to check it out:

http://www.syfy.com/hollywoodtreasure

To learn more about KaBoom!, check out:

http://www.kaboom.org

Back To The Future 25th Anniversary DVD In Stores Today - October 26, 2010

Today is the day that Back To The Future fans have been waiting for. The big Blu-ray and DVD release. The release also falls on the day of the 25th anniversary of the movie. I still can't believe it has been 25 years since the movie was released. I am thankful to have seen all three of the movies in the theaters in their original run. I am completely jealous of the people that are getting to go and see the movie in theaters again over the last several days. Definitely a bummer that we have no AMC theaters in the area. There is a big press tour going on with the release which is and has been fun to keep track of. If you aren't familiar with what all is on the new DVD release, here they are.

Tales From The Future - Six part retrospective documentary featuring all new interviews with the cast and crew.

The Physics of Back To The Future - Dr. Michio Kaku discusses the reality of time travel.

16 deleted scenes including optional commentary by producer, Bob Gale.

Michael J. Fox Q&A - Fox discusses filming all three movies.

Archival Featurettes:

The Making Of Back To The Future Parts I, II, and III

Making The Trilogy: Chapters 1, 2, 3

Back To The Future Night

The Secrets of the Back To The Future Trilogy

Behind The Scenes:

Never Before Seen Nuclear Test Site Ending Storyboard Sequence

Original Makeup Tests

Outtakes

Production Design

Storyboarding

Designing The Delorean

Designing Time Travel

Hoverboard Test

Evolution of Visual Effects Shots

Designing the Town of Hill Valley

Designing the Campaign

Photo Galleries

Music Videos (The Power Of Love) and (Doubleback)

Q&A Commentaries with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale.

Features Commentaries with Bob Gale and Neil Canton

Back To The Future: The Ride

And more extras.

The Blu-ray release has exclusives including: U-Control (Setups and Payoffs: see how key scenes are connected throughout the trilogy), Storyboard comparison (compare key scenes in the movie with the original storyboards), and a trivia track (get inside trivia and facts while you watch the movies). I'll have a review up soon of the set and am really looking forward to watching it. The cast was on The Today Show this morning and here is a video of it.

Halloween At One Tree Hill, Survivor Eliminates Two, Regis and Kelly Halloween Special - October 22, 2010

This week's One Tree Hill was a Halloween themed episode. One thing that One Tree Hill doesn't do is a lot of holiday themed shows like this so this was fun to see. The show opened with a big time horror nightmare sequence of Quinn's. When I was watching this scene, I was thinking that the cast probably had a really fun time making it. It was something different from anything else I've seen on the show. Quinn and Clay continue to try and move on from the shooting including Quinn still having fear going on from it. Nathan continuing to move on from basketball and enjoying a fun night out with Jamie trick or treating with his friends. That was a fun little story for the show and the Harry Potter costumes were well done. I had one thing that popped into my head while watching Jamie and Chuck's interaction and flashing back with the passing of Barbara Billingsley this week. They remind me of Beaver and Larry on Leave It To Beaver. Larry was always coming up with stuff and daring Beaver on things which would get him into trouble. Chuck is a definite modern day version of that character cause you just know nothing good is going to result from Chuck's plans. LOL. It is fun when things get turned around on Chuck. Brooke met Jullian's mom and the two started to hit it off after a rocky meeting. I can already see that this relationship is not going to go well with Brooke having to fight for control. It looks like Haley has met her help line caller who was the talented singer at the club. Don't forget the fun that was seeing the high five of Jullian's. Really enjoyed the episode a lot.

This week's Survivor had two castaways going home. One was Kelly B which was disappointing to me. She was probably my favorite so far this season. She seems to be one of the few nice ones this season. LOL. Strong competitor too. Kelly was a target of Naonka's from early on in the game. Why? Nobody still has yet to figure it out. This plan was moved about by Brenda to get two things accomplished. Set up a tie vote and make Marty nervous. Get him to use the idol and get it flushed out. Then, vote Kelly out. Well, she was one of two with her plan. Kelly did go home after the revote on the tie. Marty did not use the idol. We definitely are setting up for a showdown between Marty and Brenda. I've been watching Brenda over the last few weeks a little closer and she is going to be, and already is, a force in this game. I think the others are starting to see that as well. If they don't, Marty is about to make sure that they do. In the other tribe, Yve was sent home. It came down as a deal to either vote out Dan who isn't doing as well at challenges and struggling physically or vote out Yve who they felt was a big threat in the game. The threat was voted out.

Next week is the big annual Live With Regis and Kelly Halloween show. They are promoting it as "Reality Bites Again. Chomped From The Headlines". Over 30 different costumes. This show is always great every year. Tune in next Friday, October 29 and check your local listings for air times.

Team Coco Running Live Camera For 24 Hours, Chuck Gets Renewed, Storm Chasers - October 20, 2010

Team Coco is running a live camera online for 24 hours. The camera started up at noon central time on Wednesday afternoon. This is of course the Conan O'Brien team and a very fun way to continue the promotion of the new show set to premiere on TBS. They have the camera set up in the stairwell of the building of their headquarters. Random stuff just keeps going on around it. You'll see people going up and down the stairs of course with some playing to the camera and some not. However, this afternoon saw an appearance by a dancing taco. Later, there was a Taco Bell restaurant costume that came through. Hello product placement. Two people showed up playing ping pong at one point and there have been acting scenes played out. If you're a Yankees fan, you could get updates on the game as you watched the webcam as a woman kept coming to the camera with a note that had the score on it. We have seen a quick appearance by George Lopez and Dog The Bounty Hunter as they snuck down the stairs stealing some stuff. LOL. Conan and Andy made an appearance as well disrupting a poetry reading. It really is fun to watch cause it is like a feeling of watching an improv show with not knowing what is coming next. The live cam will be going for over 12 more hours as I type this. Check it out at: http://www.teamcoco.com/live

Hey Chuck fans. Great news as NBC has picked up the show for the full season. The show has been excellent this season!!

Tonight's Storm Chasers on Discovery Channel showed that horrible other side of storm chasing. The tragedy side of it. Yazoo City, MS was hit by a massive tornado and the TVN crew was right in the mix of it. After the radar went down, the tornado got away from them and crossed paths in front of them. That left them driving right into the damage path. It was awful and they turned from chasers into helping with the effort to help people. It really showed the dangers of what was going on with houses destroyed and them having to dodge power lines to even get to people. Just a dangerous and horrible situation. They were able to help one guy who suffered from a spinal cord injury. I hope that maybe they have some sort of way on updating us on that guy's condition cause I'd really like to know how he is doing with months having passed since then. The other chasers were watching the radar and Reed's website to see what was occurring in Mississippi as they were chasing up in Illinois and Missouri. Kudos to the TVN crew for helping with the horrible tragedy. It was a scary and horrible situation and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone there.

Remembering Barbara Billingsley and Tom Bosley - October 20, 2010

Two sad passings this week in the world of TV. Barbara Billingsley and Tom Bosley passed away. Billingsley played the role of June Cleaver on Leave It To Beaver. The role became an iconic one and one that she was great in playing. She was that ultimate TV mom that everyone loved. She would be that tough mom when she had to be to keep the kids in line but also keeping Ward in line as well. The show has lived on all these years later and it is a show that I still love. I find myself still watching it from time to time if I see it on. It has always been such an enjoyable and family fun show. Billingsley was 94.

Bosley is most known for his role as Mr. Cunningham on Happy Days. Like Leave It To Beaver, Happy Days was another iconic show that saw these characters become pop culture legend. When you think TV dads, he is always going to show up on the list of all time favorites. The show launched such characters as the Fonz and of course the Cunninghams. Bosley was so great on that show and just that great dad that people admired as they watched the show over many generations of TV. Bosley was 83 and passed away from heart failure as he had also been battling lung cancer. When I learned of the news of Bosley, it was this feeling of how wild that it was that two of the biggest TV parents of all time passed away within days of each other. Both left a huge stamp on the world of TV and are not going to be forgotten.

Smallville 200th Episode Thoughts - October 15, 2010

The past, present, and future all tied into one episode. Not just any episode but the 200th episode. What an episode and what a season so far!! Smallville is getting closer to finishing and there is no doubt that they are going out with a bang. The scene was set for the Smallville high school reunion complete with flashbacks of earlier seasons including Lana and Chloe. I loved Clark roaming around and seeing various moments of his high school days such as when he bumped into Lana in the front of the school and Chloe showing Clark the wall of weird. Lois talked Clark into returning to Smallville High and got a hero's welcome. Good comedy with Lois returning as well with her being annoyed that no one remembered her in high school. She was enrolled for 23 days and showed up for 5 of those days. LOL. Clark got an unexpected visitor in Brainiac. This visit wasn't a bad one as it was Brainiac from the future who is now a part of the Legion complete with the ring. He took Clark on a journey of his past helping him get past the darkness that filled him since his dad passed away. He basically told him that he can't keep blaming himself and dwelling on it. That is the darkness that we have been told about this season. It has been holding Clark back. Clark did end up in the future and saw what things were like. He was with Lois and she had been told his secret. Clark was Superman and on the front page of the papers. Clark avoided the Back To The Future paradox even after bumping into his "other self". Future Clark was expecting him because he knew of the events from his past. Both were able to make saves at the same time with future Clark stopping a nuclear incident while the other Clark saved Lois. Brainiac caught up to him in the future and Clark was now able to move on. He was able to see that he could have what he wanted in his life which included Lois. What about Oliver? Brainiac showed Clark just how much that Oliver did count on him being around even though Oliver tries to hide it. Clark showed up to support him in his network interview which is likely going to be a bonding type moment with them getting on the same page now. The new crew at The Torch got a message that appeared to be from Chloe acknowledging their work with carrying on her tradition. They did have the wall of weird all stored in a digital format. Clark gave a farewell to his dad at the gravesite and it served as that time to move on moment. Just a great episode all around. Powerful and brought out a ton of emotions from viewers. It let us reflect on the past, see what is happening currently and giving a glimpse of what to expect for the rest of the season, and then seeing what the future looks like as well. James Marsters was awesome in returning in his Brainiac role. Great episode. I don't know what else to say. Only bummer was not seeing some of the others get to share in the reunion such as Chloe or even Pete. However, the focus of it was on Clark and also on Lois. This episode is going to stand as the turning point of Clark getting back on track and that was what the important part of it was.

Survivor Thoughts, 30 Rock Goes Live Tonight, 90210, - October 14, 2010

Last night's Survivor had a major mixup on the game. I always love when the ones that think they have it all figured out suddenly get that reality check. Marty was riding high with his game play being in that leadership role and then it was all mixed up. The tribes were switched and the younger and older tribes are no more. After a random draw, Brenda and Holly were declared captains and were able to pick from the other tribe on who they wanted. Brenda chose Jane, Marty, and Jill to bring over to La Flor. Anybody else always think Sawyer when they hear the name La Flor? Yes, still having Lost withdrawal. Back to Survivor. Holly chooses Ben, Chase, Alina, and Naonka for Espada. The first challenge between the new tribes was a reward challenge which was won in a close one by Espada. So, what did we learn about the differences in the tribes? The younger crew was absolutely not used to all the rules and routines that the older crew had come up with. The funny thing was that some of the older crew loved learning that the younger crew didn't have set plans on what they did every day. LOL. At Espada's camp, Tyrone started rubbing people wrong when he started setting down the plans of what they did every day and the rules that went along with it. He also clashed with them on decisions including whether to eat the chicken. He didn't want to but was outvoted. When they were eating, the others weren't happy when they saw that he ended up eating the most out of all of them. Naonka had a major breakdown after the weather and conditions got to be too much for her. Espada ends up losing the immunity challenge and it appeared that Naonka would go home. She was ready to go home and seemed to expect it. The tribe had something else in mind and that was blindsiding Tyrone and sending him home instead. So, the tribe took a chance. I never know what to think about sending a stronger competitor home instead of sending one home that is done and just ready to go home. One of those "don't you need to keep the tribe stronger" kind of moments. We'll see how it plays out for Espada though. The medallion is now out of the game which I'm happy about happening. I felt it just made the challenges boring.

Tonight is the live 30 Rock episode. They will be doing two live shows performing for both parts of the country depending on time zones. Tune in tonight at 7:30pm central time on NBC. The episode should increase ratings with people curious to see how it all turns out.

This week's 90210 was a good episode. Just had a nice pacing to it. The pacing of it led me to believe that this plan by Silver to frame the teacher was not going to end well. I just had this feeling of that this is not going to wrap up in a quick after thought in the last few minutes of the show. Silver and crew went too far overboard with the plan and got caught. Dixon avoided a major health scare but messed up his relationship in the process. I have learned one thing about Dixon over this series run. This character always makes bad decisions. He breaks up with Ivy BEFORE he even knows anything. However, I do think it needs to be outlawed that doctors have calls made to you to say "hey, we need you to come in" but not giving any results over the phone. Just leaves you on it to go stir crazy for a night to only be told you're ok. Anyway, I couldn't think of many good decisions that Dixon has made over the three seasons. I liked the stuff with Annie and her mom dealing with the money situation. Good episode overall.

Thoughts On The Storm Chasers Premiere - October 13, 2010

The new season of Storm Chasers is underway and the teams are already out in the mix of it. By the looks of next week's episode, the TVN crew is too much in the mix of it as they head toward Yazoo City, MS. This first episode focused a lot on what occurred last season with the problems between Reed and Joel. They decided to team back up this season but are still not seeing eye to eye on everything including on what storms to chase. I like that the show really doesn't show any favoritism to anyone. They let each person give their side of the view and you pick your side on who you think is right. The two started not getting along again as the decision turned to whether to go to Mississippi and do an all night drive. The advantage was that there were some major storms likely to be happening. The disadvantage was that there were some major storms likely to be happening in bad terrain including lots of trees and also dealing with this after a full night's worth of driving. The TIV crew is having some communication issues. Josh is back at it this season as he is needing a better shot from inside a tornado. Josh decided to make some changes to his team including taking Byron out of the TIV and letting Matt sit in his place. Byron definitely saw it is a demotion while Josh's call was to have Matt in there so they could communicate better. You may remember that they had a lot of communication problems last season with their radios going out during the storms. However, Matt and Sean are already clashing on what storms to go after and their approach to intercepting these tornadoes. Josh also now has another IMAX team following the TIV getting different camera angles so Sean is directing two different vehicles now. The TWISTEX crew with Tim in charge is continuing to do what they do. They just get the job done. He showed off some of his new equipment to Sean which looked really cool. I like Tim. He just really uses his head and knows what storms to go after and which ones to not attempt. He stays level headed and gets a lot of data collected from tornadoes. There is still some major tension between the TVN and TIV crews over the similarities of the TIV and the Dominator. Like I said earlier, the show let both Sean and Reed give their point of views on it and let it stay at that. Next week's episode looks very intense and also very sad where you see that human side of the tragedy of these horrible storms. The Yazoo City tornado will be covered and the TVN crew is looking like they're going to be possibly the first on the scene to help.

Storm Chasers Premieres Tonight - October 13, 2010

The new season of Storm Chasers premieres tonight on Discovery Channel at 9pm central time. The finale that aired last season was incredible TV to watch with Sean finally getting his big camera shot from inside a tornado, the TVN crew got a little too close when intercepting their tornado, and the TWISTEX team was right there doing great work as well. Sean had battled for years to try and get that shot to finish his movie and it was exciting TV to see it finally happening for him. The new season will follow the same teams although the previews tease of changes. Based on the video that has been shown so far, it looks like another wild season of TV is set for Storm Chasers. Be sure to tune into the one of the most addicting and adrenaline pumping shows on TV. Here is a preview video of it.

One Tree Hill & Life Unexpected Crossover Event Tonight, BB12's Britney Debuts On Super Pass, & More - October 12, 2010

Tonight is the big CW crossover event. One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected cross worlds. On Life Unexpected, the radio station will be hosting a concert. In that concert will be none other than Haley and Gia from One Tree Hill. If there are some OTH fans that haven't checked out Life Unexpected, hopefully this will give them a chance to check out the show. I've really enjoyed Life Unexpected and am glad that it is back for another season. It's a good story and cast. The cast really takes me back to my WB viewing days of the past and that is a good thing. The fans do so great with getting the word out about this show and I hope to see it grow and grow. I'm curious to see what happens on One Tree Hill from here. Nathan announced to Haley that he was done with basketball. The decision was not only because of his deteriorating back but also the fact that he isn't being able to know his son like he wants. He learned from Julian that Jamie is great at baseball. Brooke learned that her mom had basically worked a deal where Brooke keeps the company but all the investors lose everything they had put into it. After getting a visit from one of those investors, Brooke was looking to overturn it and give back all she could to them since she knew how badly they had been wronged. Quinn and Clay continue their recovery as she was released from the hospital but he is still in there. Haley was looking to give back to others after fighting her depression by helping at a crisis hotline. Tune in tonight at 7pm central time on The CW for One Tree Hill followed by Haley and Gia invading Life Unexpected at 8pm.

If you're a Super Pass subscriber and still have your membership active after the end of Big Brother 12, tune in tonight at 5pm central time for Britney's first show. I'll be tuning in for sure.

DVR's have really changed the landscape of TV. Many choose to record shows and watch them at their convenience as opposed to live TV. When you see the live ratings for a show, many wait to see if they get a boost from the DVR numbers. The DVR ratings have been released for the new fall season. Hawaii Five-O and Grey's Anatomy led the way with the biggest boost. It seems like several of the new shows did well in the DVR numbers which does include the new NBC show, The Event. New shows jumping doesn't surprise me. I would likely do the same thing with new shows and record them for later to see if they're any good. Once again, several regular CW shows jumped as well including The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural which had good increases. The CW shows have seen significant jumps in the last year when DVR numbers get added in. The Big Bang Theory, Chuck, Survivor, How I Met Your Mother, and Glee were also among more of the big increase in viewers.

TV on DVD releases for today. First, another re-release of the Buffy and Angel box sets. If you haven't gotten them, what are you waiting for? Staying with the Joss Whedon theme, the second and final season of Dollhouse is out on DVD and Blu-ray today. Other releases include: C.S.I. Miami (Season Eight), Ghost Whisperer (Season Five), The Tudors (Season Four).

Laura Vandervoort Returns To Smallville For "Supergirl" Episode & A Preview Of Episode 200 - October 11, 2010

Laura Vandervoort made her awaited return to Smallville on Friday night's episode which was fittingly enough titled, "Supergirl". A really fun episode and I thought Laura was awesome in it. She had her full red and blue colors going on. Kara had this confidence to her that I don't think we've really seen in that character. Yeah, Kara still had her moments that drive Clark crazy such as saving the crowd at the beginning of the episode and fully showing her identity as a hero. She seemed to be the one that was having to show Clark some things that he wasn't realizing. That leads to her talking of how he still is unable to fly. That gets us to the training scene of him taking off but then stalling as he got way up in the air. He crashes back down to Earth landing in the barn. Hilarious scene. She also had to inform Clark of how Jor-El had disowned him and that Jor-El was now relying on her to stop this big bad that is coming. Saying the words big bad reminds me of the Buffy days and puts a smile on my face. The story of the episode also focused around Gordon Godfrey, played by Michael Daingerfield, who had written a book about how the super heroes are super menaces. He was of course overtaken by this dark smoke that arrived at the beginning of the episode which led to the book and the media blitz. He had a lot of plans including him planning to out Oliver as being the Green Arrow. That put Lois on the case to help protect Oliver including her framing Gordon in a club. Lois ends up not realizing what she is up against with Gordon. Kara and Clark make the save. The ending of the episode was one that will get people talking with Oliver deciding that it was time to come out of the shadows. He revealed to the press that he was the Green Arrow. Very good twist. This season has been awesome so far and if you're not watching it, you're really missing out. This Friday will be the big 200th episode of the show. What a landmark for Smallville to reach 200 episodes. It looks like it will be a lot of fun with them playing off of the show's past with the high school reunion. TV Guide has this exclusive trailer of the 200th episode. Really looking forward to it!!

Miranda Lambert Rocks The CFSB Center In Murray, KY - October 8, 2010

Miranda Lambert brought her Revolution tour to the campus of Murray State University last night in Murray, KY. The CFSB Center played host to the concert and it was a packed house. If the building wasn't sold out, it was as close as it could be. A big crowd was into the concert from beginning to end. Josh Kelley opened up the show and got the show off to a fun start. The crowd really enjoyed him and he went through a lot of his new music while also adding in some older stuff as well. Eric Church took the stage after him and performed for around an hour. I am not as familiar with Eric Church so a lot of his music was new to me. Definitely a rocker sound to his music mixed in with the country sound. Miranda Lambert walked on stage around 9:00pm to a very lively crowd. She opened up with her new single, "Only Prettier" and then right into Kerosene. Kerosene is one of my favorite songs of hers and the background on the stage looked great with the song. "Famous In A Small Town" got a Murray and Kentucky touch to it having Murray signs put up in the background on the screen to give it that nice personal touch for the Murray crowd. "Dead Flowers" is a favorite song of mine and it just has one of those addicting beats to it from the beginning. She slowed it down even more with "More Like Her" with her walking out and sitting on the walkway and singing a lot of it with the spotlight on her. It looked really good. One surprise of the night was her cover of "Rock N Roll Hoochie Coo". I was not expecting it and she did stepped up big doing it. That was one of my favorite performances of the night. Speaking of favorites of the night, that gets me to "The House That Built Me". This is one of my favorite songs of hers and it sounded awesome. It sounded great at Nashville Rising back in the summer and it did at Murray too. At one point, she stopped singing and let the crowd pick it up for her. They were singing it loud and didn't miss a beat. Miranda loved it too. She started to wrap the show up with her big hit "White Liar" which was a big crowd pleaser getting everyone up on their feet. Fun moment at the end with her pausing before finishing the last lyric. She then picked out a guy in the audience and pointed saying "white liar" finishing the song. She did do an encore coming back out in her own sports jersey. Fun show and the crowd was really into it. There were a lot of her songs that I wasn't as familiar with that are off of her Revolution album but I know all of her hits. Miranda definitely has that mix of country and rock with her show. Miranda's personality really showed in this concert and it really connected with the crowd. She was showing off that engagement ring too from Blake Shelton. She left the Murray crowd very happy with their Friday night at the CFSB Center.

Chuck, Survivor, Monica and David, Will Wright Project - October 8, 2010

This week's Chuck had a lot of reunions going on. Well, one being that Chuck and Sarah had to deal with some of their past nemesis. Steve Austin and Nicole Richie returned and stirred up trouble. That wasn't the only guest stars though as Stacy Keibler also was in this episode. Austin and Keibler worked together in WWE and they got a fight scene against one another which was fun. So, Nicole's character kept getting at Sarah and bugging her with her relationship insecurities. The writers are doing a really good job of having Chuck and Sarah going through their relationship troubles courtesy of a good spy story. I loved the story of the video game at the Buy More. Basically, the big video game release was happening for Spy Attack. Big party for the release only for the store to get a few copies which is way less than the amount of people in line. This let Big Mike have his return to the store which was great to help Morgan. That story didn't end like I thought it would. When Jeffster started acting the game moves out, I thought that the real life spy drama that was going on on the roof would end up in the store looking like a video game reenactment deal made for the crowd. That would please them for the time being but it ended with Big Mike taking on Stone Cold. I loved it!! Big teaser at the end involving the wedding ring. I don't expect anything to come of it if I had to guess.

This week's Survivor continued the trend of the power struggle going on with the older tribe. Jimmy T continued to gain attention with him wanting to have a chance to show his leadership. When it comes to leadership, Marty has made it clear that he wants himself to have it. After another loss for the older tribe, Jimmy T was voted out. It looks like Marty's comfort of how the game is going for him is going to end next week with the previews showing a merge.

I got two pieces of info to pass along to you. The first is the latest HBO documentary entitled Monica and David which airs on October 14th at 7pm central time on HBO. The documentary follows the story of a married couple living with Down syndrome. It shows their wedding and also the challenges that they have to face as they start their life together. The documentary won the Best Documentary Feature award at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

The second piece of info is about a new Truman Show like bit of TV entertainment. Will Wright, who is behind The Sims games, is now producing TV. Bar Karma is a series where the viewers are in control which is being developed by Current TV. Here is what the press release says on how the show will work:

Step 1 - Joining - Viewers will log on to "Current TV's Creation Studios" at www.current.com/barkarma through their computers and mobile devices and join the online community.

Step 2 - Creating - Viewers will submit potential story idea on an ongoing basis. Each week the show producers will provide the viewing community with a rough outline for the upcoming episode. Viewers will then have the ability to create various storyboards of unlimited plot possibilities.

Step 3 - Voting - Viewers will browse, comment and merge various ideas for the episode. Final proposals will then be reviewed and voted on.

Step 4 - Producing - After the final storyboard is selected by the community, Hecht and Worldwide Biggies will adapt, shoot, produce, and edit the winning storyline into a 30 minute television episode.

Bar Karma will premiere on Current TV in early 2011.

Reality Rescue - Fund Raising Event Set For October 9, 2010

Want to attend a great event and see your favorite reality stars while helping a great cause? Reality Rescue will be taking place on Saturday, October 9 in Glen Allen, Virginia. It will take place at James River Cellars Winery. Money will be raised for Angel Dog Rescue, Inc. and Heavenly Hounds. Shows such as Survivor, The Amazing Race, Big Brother, and more will be represented at the event. There are all sorts of ticket options available based on how much that you want to do at the event. Huge lineup of reality stars so check out the link to see the full lineup.

http://realityrescuefestival.webs.com/

NBA 2K11 Hits The Shelves - October 5, 2010

Today is a big day for NBA fans, Jordan and Bulls fans, and sports game fans. Today is the release for NBA 2K11 on the major systems including PS3, XBox 360, PC, and PS2. Well, except for the Wii which apparently has been delayed until October 19th. It's nice of them to not let that bit of info really get out there until today but what can you do? Anyway, there has been a ton of hype on this game and the reviews have been very good for it. Michael Jordan has been put on a video game for the first time in around a decade. You can also play with classic teams as well including the Bulls, Celtics, Lakers, Knicks, Pistons, and more. The game also has what is called the Jordan Challenge. You have to do what Jordan did in those games and you will unlock features in the NBA 2K11 game. I've seen video of the 92 Finals game and it looks awesome. Incredible detail in it. Here are the games that you are able to play in and just thought I'd share some memories along with it. I also have your goals of what you need to do to accomplish the challenge.

The Arrival - April 20, 1986 - 1986 Playoffs - Game 2 at Boston
Score 63+ points and shoot 50%+ from the field
This is the game that really put Jordan on the map in Boston Garden. Larry Bird was in awe of what he watched. The Bulls were up against a monster with that Celtics team but Michael Jordan made sure that people were paying attention to him and what was yet to come. Incredible 63 point performance.

69 Points - March 28, 1990 in Cleveland
Score 69+ points, shoot 50%+ from the field, win the game.
This is Jordan's highest scoring game and he did it in Cleveland. Just one of the major frustrations that he gave the Cavs over the years.

Shootout - 1990 - Regular season vs. Dominique and the Hawks
Outscore Dominique, Hold Dominique under 25 points, win the game.
Jordan vs. Dominique. This was always a showdown when these two hit the court against each other. They loved to compete and try to one up one another. Each always brought their "A" game. Everyone always talks about their dunk contest showdowns but don't forget about the amazing scoring exhibitions that they had against one another.

Bad Boys - May 26, 1990 - Game 3 Eastern Finals vs. Detroit - 47 points
Score 47+ points, win the game
Jordan vs. Detroit. This was still in 1990 so the Bulls were still one year away from getting past Detroit. This is a prime example of what players and teams should strive for now. Keep fighting against these teams. The Bulls were eliminated several years in a row by Detroit but the Bulls kept getting that experience. They learned from those mistakes. This series in 1990 was a physical battle as it always was against the Bad Boys of Detroit. One of the great rivalries in NBA history.

1991 NBA Finals vs. Lakers
Average 31.0+ points, shoot 55%+ from the field, win the series
After the sweep and Detroit walking off the court not shaking hands, the Bulls moved on to the 1991 Finals to face Magic and the Lakers. This was the ultimate NBA matchup. Jordan against Magic. I'll never forget watching this series. I had cheered the Bulls for so many years and would be bummed watching them get past Detroit. They get to the next level and took off from there. The Bulls would win this series 4-1 wrapping up the championship in Los Angeles. Jordan stepped up huge and the switch hands layup has made highlight reels for almost 20 years now. Pippen stepped up huge and was put on Magic for defense. The Bulls would finally win their first championship and me and all the Bulls fans were excited to say the least.

The Shrug - Game 1 of 1992 NBA Finals
Score 35+ points in the first half, Make 6+ three's in the first half, hold Drexler under 20 points, win the game
Talk about another game with a highlight reel of it. Jordan lights up Portland for 35 points in the first half including a HOT three point shooting exhibition of six three's hit. That finished with the shrug. The Bulls made a huge statement in this game that they were ready to go back to back.

Double Nickel - March 28, 1995 at New York
Score 55+ points, shoot 55%+ form the field, win the game
After Jordan's stint in baseball, he returned to the NBA. Jordan was working his way back into shape and all of us Bulls fans were thrilled to see the man back in uniform. Jordan had some early struggles in his return but this game really showed that he was back. Lighting up MSG for 55 points. The winning play wasn't even a shot from him as he passed to Wennington for the dunk to seal the game for the Bulls. Incredible performance in New York.

Father's Day Victory - June 16, 1996 - Bulls win 4th title
Score 22+ points, get 9+ rebounds, win the game
After Jordan's retirement in 1993, there was wonder of if the Bulls would reach championship status again. Jordan returned, Pippen continued to grow, and Rodman filled that rebounding spot that had been trouble for the Bulls in 1995 after Horace Grant left for Orlando. The Bulls won their 6th championship this night and it culminated the 72-10 season setting the mark for the most wins for a team in NBA history. Who can forget the emotion of seeing Jordan crying on the locker room floor after the game as he won on Father's Day?

The Flu Game - June 11, 1997 - 1997 Finals - Game 5
Score 38+points, get 7+ rebounds, win the game
This was the game that had all of us Bulls fans worried. A tied series with Jordan battling serious flu symptoms. Add into the fact that this game was in Utah. This is still the gutsiest performances that I've ever seen. He can barely stand at points of the game and you can just see the misery on his face as he sits on the bench. Yet, Jordan scores 38 points including the game sealing three pointer. Then, there is the classic shot of Pippen carrying Jordan off the court to the bench. This game would send the Bulls back to Chicago with a 3-2 lead and the Bulls would win Game 6 to clinch their fifth title.

Michael's Last Dance - June 14, 1998 - 1998 Finals - Game 6
Score 45+ points, get 4+ steals, win the game
Game 5 of this series was a really bizarre emotion from me. Game 5 had the Bulls up 3-1 in the series with the game in Chicago. They could seal it on their home court. There was this strange happy but sad emotion. The Bulls were introduced to the home crowd and you knew that this was the last time. The team would be broken up after the season and everyone had confirmed it. Yep, the Jerrys decided that breaking up the team would be better than say, I don't know, winning another championship. Ahh, the days of frustration of Bulls fans when we all were in awe of the decision making of the organization. Game 5 was a moment of that we were saying farewell despite going for that sixth championship. What was a sad 'don't let this end' kind of moment turned into something completely different when they lost Game 5. Game 6 in Utah got the game faces back on of everyone that this series has to be won tonight to not let Utah force a Game 7 at the Delta Center. Pippen gutted through dealing with a very hurt back. Another sign that this series did not need to go another game. Jordan put the exclamation point on it with 45 points and the storybook ending of a game winning jumper to seal the sixth championship. It was a bittersweet ending and the team would be broken up over the next several months.

Now, NBA 2K11 has brought back the fun for this Bulls fan. Being able to play with the classic Bulls teams going against the current NBA or against those classic teams that we either loved or loved to boo. I just can't decide to run with the 92 or 96 Bulls against the current league. The reviews are great of the game so far and I look forward to checking it out.

Chuck, Amazing Race, Cancellations, & More - October 4, 2010

Hey NBC, it would be really nice if you'd help promote Chuck. It is on your network after all. Just saying. Last week's episode was a fun one and I'm enjoying this season. Jeffster returned to the new Buy More after Morgan realized that the store ran a little too efficient. Make that way too efficient for it to be the Buy More. The old crew was recruited and brought back after a talk with the General who saw things his way. The General even rewarded Morgan with the promotion to store manager. Why hadn't Sarah unpacked yet at Chuck's? She finally did but the end of the episode definitely showed that she has issues especially with marriage. Her eyes definitely lit in a bad way when Chuck even mentioned the word marriage. The two of them working through their issue while on task was a lot of fun. Tonight's episode features the return of Steve Austin and Nicole Richie. Chuck and Sarah had quite the battle with them in their previous run ins. Stacy Keibler also guest stars on tonight's episode. Episode three of Chuck tonight on NBC at 7pm central time.

Last night's Amazing Race had the annual trip watching the teams sweat it out while their cab drivers made driving moves that would make anyone pass out. Line of the show goes to the one team who said "I want my mom" while watching their driver fly through traffic. Did you see the two cabs that forced a third lane? WOW. Brook and Claire finished first on this leg of the race and are looking like a tough team early on in the race. Remember where they finished last week despite Claire taking a watermelon to the face!! Andie and Jenna were eliminated which was a bummer for me. I liked that team and was pulling for them.

Two casualties already for the new fall season. Lone Star was cancelled by Fox and then ABC cancelled My Generation. I've said this before and I'll say it again. I really don't watch many new shows until they've gotten off of the ground. I've seen networks push shows hard to get you to tune in only to cancel it after one or two episodes. Fox has been the one to get me the most on that. I'd still love to know how Reunion was going to turn out. Anyway, this is how TV is now. If you don't perform right out of the gate, there won't be any patience for you to build an audience.

TV on DVD releases for Tuesday, October 5. All In The Family (Season Seven), Ally McBeal (Season Three - Five), Bones (Season Five), Cake Boss (Season Two), Medium (Season Six), Survivor Africa (Amazon.com Exclusive DVD Release), Survivor Marquesas (Amazon.com Exclusive DVD Release).