Big Brother HOH Endurance Competition Spoilers - August 16, 2012

Just a quick update tonight on the happenings of Big Brother.  The HOH endurance challenge is underway with the skating challenge.  There were three things to go for with the top prize of course being HOH.  Viewers voted to put $10,000 into play as a distraction for the competitors to go for.  You could also go for safety for the week.  You basically have to pick which one you want to go for cause if you don't get the prize, you're out of luck on going for something else.  Here are your spoilers so don't read any further if you don't want spoilers.  SPOILER ALERT!!!  This has been a rough competition as it usually is with a lot of falls.  Danielle and Ian are taking a beating with falls.  Ashley is hanging in and either walking really slow or crawling.  The first prize to be won was Britney winning safety for the week. The second was Boogie as he won the $10,000.  Shane has taken the HOH by a wide margin. Competition lasted for around an hour and a half.

Big Brother Game Reset & HOH Competition Live Updates - August 2, 2012

We have a brand new game in the Big Brother house after tonight's coaches reset.  America was able to vote on whether to let the coaches get an offer to get back into the game and the vote was yes.  Each coach was allowed to vote on the chance but all it took was one vote for it to happen.  Boogie was the only coach to vote no.  That meant there were three coach votes to get back into the game.  Another twist meant that there was no eviction tonight giving everyone a chance at HOH.  Even outgoing HOH, Shane was allowed to compete.  We have what looks to be a miserable endurance HOH competition tonight.  This will be playing out on the feeds tonight and I will be live updating this post as the competition goes along.  If you do not want to know spoilers of this endurance competition, stop reading this post.

9:10pm.  Live feeds are up and everyone is still in the game.
9:20pm.  Good job Big Brother.  This is hilarious.  Birds just flew overhead and sprayed them.  A couple of minutes later, the whole group got a full spray of foam or something from the front.  They even laughed at it with someone saying, nicely played Big Brother.  LOL.
9:30pm.  Everyone still in it.  Different from recent seasons as usually the first person out is long gone by this point.  Mood is pretty good among all those talking.  Question was just asked to the group on which of the coaches pushed the button.  Janelle is denying that she was one of them that pushed the button.
9:45pm.  Everyone still in this thing.  No one out of it.  I am impressed!  The talk has calmed some now.  Some are really starting to struggle up there.  Won't be surprised to see some start falling off soon.  Complaints of how cold the water is.
10:00pm.  And the birds just returned.  LOL.  This gets intense fast when the water gets going.  Really struggling but impressive that we are an hour into this and NO ONE is out.  Amazing!  Wil is noticeably shaking from the cold water.  Boogie is standing and then sitting down a bunch with his eye patch wear on keeping the water out of his eyes.
10:02pm.  Boogie just bailed out saying "it's been fun guys."  He is the first one out.  One minute later and Jenn jumps off.  So, we've got two people out now.
10:04pm.  Joe is out.
10:15pm.  Lots of stretching and moving going on while the water is off.  Encouragement being yelled from the sidelines from those eliminated.  Only three people eliminated at this point and that is Boogie, Jenn, and Joe.
10:30pm.  Still no changes.  No new eliminations.  This is a powerhouse of a endurance competition.  Best one in many seasons.
10:42pm.  Ashley is out taking a big tumble into the water.  Joe has been talking to Boogie and Jenn about telling secrets so he is already working an angle on the sidelines.
10:45pm.  Dan is out of the competition.  Still in it are Shane, Frank, Wil, Danielle, Britney, Janelle, and Ian.
11:00pm.  We're past the two hour mark.  Nothing has changed.  Still have seven people left in it.  Water has started again.  These houseguests are fighting hard for this HOH.  They're obviously all past the point of exhaustion.
11:07pm.  Frank is out.  He has been struggling for a while and finally fell out.
11:20pm.  Houseguests panicking a bit over what Wil thought might be a wasp but appears to be a moth.  Still have six in this.
11:27pm.  Water is back on again.  Shane is struggling bad.  He is surely going to drop sometime soon. At the two and a half hour mark of this competition.
11:36pm.  Funny moment with Wil and Shane.  Wil was calling out loudly jokingly about working a deal.  LOL.  A few minutes later, Wil and Shane jump off at the same time.  Down to the final four.  Danielle, Britney, Janelle, and Ian.  This has been incredible!
11:40pm.  Janelle is out.  Down to three! Deal making is starting with Britney talking to Ian asking if they are good.  This may wrap up soon when the deal making starts.
11:45pm.  Ian trying to talk to Danielle.  Ian asks if they are good and he'll keep her safe.  Danielle saying she wants to see her family too.  Danielle gives him the same offer of if he drops out.  Here comes a coach motivational speech from Dan to Danielle saying how she has outlasted two Big Brother winners and that she has come too far to make a deal.  Dan says "If you want to win this game, it starts right now.  You don't make a deal.  You set the deal".
11:48pm.  Ian now asking for a motivational speech from Dan and getting one.  Ian, Danielle, and Britney fighting with all they've got.  They're hurting bad!
11:53pm.  Ian accidentally turned and caught his foot on the podium next to him.  He asked if it was a DQ and wanted to make sure of it.  Appears to be no DQ because he is still in it.  We're at the three hour mark!  Ian being told that he is safe.  He says he knows that but he is doing it for his family just like all of them are.
12:00am.  Danielle telling Ian again that he is safe.  He says that he wants to see pictures of his family just like they all do.  Danielle telling Dan that she can't feel her arms.  Britney pretty much said the same thing earlier.  Ian still trying to joke around even as exhausted as he is.  Britney talking to Ian about asking for privacy so they can discuss this situation.
12:05am.  Shane in the storage room talking to some of the other newbies saying his HOH was a waste of time.  Still talk of "am I safe?" from the three but none wanting to jump off cause of wanting to see pics of their families.
12:08am.  Ian asks "I'm safe.  No replacement?  No backdoor?" Danielle and Britney agree saying it over and over that he is safe.  Ian jumps off.  Britney secures her spot from Danielle. Britney jumps off. Danielle is HOH.  Dan runs and pulls Danielle off of the ledge hugging her.  Someone says to Shane give her a kiss for that so Shane comes up and gives her a kiss.  Kudos to Danielle!  I never would have predicted her as the winner.  She fought hard.  Awesome endurance competition.  Over three hours and everyone fought hard.  Can't say enough about the toughness of everyone!  Amazing!

Fab Five Wins Gold, Phelps Becomes Most Decorated Olympian Ever - August 1, 2012

1996 was the year that all of us gymnastics fans remember.  The Magnificent Seven won the team gold in Atlanta and won America's hearts.  The team of Dominique Moceanu, Shannon Miller, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden, Dominique Dawes, and Jaycie Phelps won gold in dramatic fashion and embarked on a media whirlwind tour afterwards.  Flash forward to the present in 2012.  The Fab Five of Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Kyla Ross, and McKayla Maroney won the team gold for the United States.  Move over Magnificent Seven, you've got company.  It was a strong performance for the Fab Five.  The only somewhat struggle for them appeared to be on the uneven bars.  The Russian girls had struggles of their own and were having trouble getting to the finish.  This led to the U.S. just having to be solid on floor exercise.  They were more than solid.  They were strong and had the body language of going out and getting this gold medal.  Gabby, Jordyn, and Aly were strong on floor exercise.  Really strong.  How great was it to see Jordyn, who just a couple of nights ago was in tears, going out there and having fun.  She had the support of her teammates and finished strong.  I thought it was fitting that she was the one that got them rolling on vault.  What a confidence lifter.  Speaking of the vault, how about Maroney's?  My goodness.  That was incredible and I'm still not sure where the judges found errors in that thing.  The reaction of 'what error' was unanimous all across the board from the commentators to the gymnasts watching the competition.  The whole floor exercise rotation felt like a crowning of a champion.  Watching this team go out and finish what many expected them to do and that was win gold.  The crowd was behind them and they won America's hearts.  Congrats to the Fab Five on bringing team gold back to the United States.

Not to be outdone yesterday with Olympic news.  Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian ever winning his 19th medal.  The most ever by an Olympian.  15 of those 19 are gold too.  Just incredible what he has been able to do.  He is still not done as he still has more events to go so he could very well add to that total. 

Dominique Moceanu - Off Balance - Book Review - July 30, 2012

The 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta is something that most people are going to remember.  One of the biggest moments of that Olympic Games was the women's gymnastics team bringing home Olympic gold.  The Georgia Dome roared to life in support of the Magnificent Seven.  Dominique Moceanu, Amanda Borden, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Jaycie Phelps, and Amy Chow put up a huge charge on that final night of competition.  Dominique Moceanu has recently released her new autobiography, Off Balance.  She takes you through that night along with the ups and downs of her career and life in this new book.  I found myself having "the devil went down to Georgia" song playing in my head the whole time that I read the Olympic chapter of her book just remembering that song playing and the Georgia Dome crowd roaring to life in support of her.  Dominique has always been my favorite of that amazing gold medal winning team.  When I heard about this book, there was no doubt that I was excited to pick it up and read it. 

This book is hard to put down because it is a powerful story as you really get an inside look at her journey to her dream.  The big moments but also the bumps in the road and how her dream at times were a nightmare.  The book begins with the story of an amazing surprise in her life.  She receives a letter, documents, and pictures from a sister that she knew nothing about.  Dominique was stunned to say the least over this as she went through the emotions of processing this news.  The book gives us the story of how this all played out in her life with learning of another sister and the introduction into each others lives.  It really is an amazing story and her sister is an absolute inspiration with her life.

Dominique does not shy away from her opinions of her career growing up.  The troubles, the hurdles that she had to jump over, and the odds she faced.  Dominique gives all of us readers a close up look at just what all she battled just to get to the Olympics.  Often times, we just see the pay off with athletes winning in whatever sport but we don't see the journey except maybe in random soundbytes or video packages.  This book takes you through the struggle that she faced to get to her dream.  After the Olympics, we get to see that the hills for her to climb got bigger as she tried to continue in gymnastics after her and the Karoyli's split.  Trying to find another coach and the trouble that it caused not just in her professional life but also in her personal life.  I loved reading about her comeback at the 1998 Goodwill Games which I was very excited about at the time and love to hear what it meant to her in this book. Her personal life became a major struggle not long after with the battle between her and her parents and how it effected her personally and also in her career.  It is a powerful and inspirational story to read about with her overcoming so many struggles and battling back.  The great things that came into her life including the story of meeting and marrying her husband and also becoming a mom.  Also, a comeback into the gymnastics world. 

I highly recommend checking out this book.  Definitely an inspirational story from this Olympic gold medalist.  For more on Dominique, check out her website at: www.dominique-moceanu.com. You can follow Dominique on Twitter, @dmoceanu.  You don't want to miss her tweets during competitions as she gives great insight on what she is seeing.  I look forward to reading her tweets during the rest of the London Olympic Games.

I also have to provide a link for this.  Dominique was very kind to do a Wrap Up Q&A for me for the website back in 2008.  I'm still very thankful to her for doing that and it was a lot of fun!  Check out the Q&A with Dominique from August 2008.
http://www.theentertainmentwrapup.com/2008/08/entertainment-wrap-up-august-15-2008.html

Take care and God bless!!

2012 Summer Olympics Underway In London - July 30, 2012

The London 2012 Olympics are underway and I am loving it.  Just a few days in and there have already been many major stories on the U.S. side of things with the competition.  First off, the opening ceremonies were amazing.  Danny Boyle did a great job getting that done.  I just watched in awe thinking how do you even begin to put something as big as this together.  The big thing that had everyone talking was the scene with Daniel Craig and the Queen jumping from the plane.  The history set up was very well done showing the changes in the country over the many years.  The lighting of the cauldron was good.  It has met with some criticism from tourists wanting to see it but unable to due to it being lit in the middle of the stadium out of public view from outside.  The athletes marching in was said to be faster than most had ever seen.  That is such a great moment seeing the athletes so happy and proud to be there representing their country.  I also laugh at myself getting a geography lesson hearing of countries that I've never heard of before.  Well, probably since the last Olympics anyway.  LOL.  Awesome to see these athletes so excited for their big moment.  Paul McCartney closing it up with a building singing along with him was the perfect ending for an Olympic games in London.  I have been watching a ton of the coverage.  The U.S. women's basketball team got a very competitive game in their opener but pulled out by a wide margin in the 4th quarter of play.  May and Walsh are back at it with beach volleyball and it was a very stressful match to watch including an amazing match point.  The U.S. Women's gymnastics team had their qualifying last night and the big story was the outcome in the individual all around.  Qualifying for it was Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman.  That left reigning world champion, Jordyn Wieber on the outside looking in as the all around rules only allow two competitors from every country.  Women's all around team final will be tomorrow night.  The men's team final is going on right now which I am watching live streaming right now.  Don't worry, no spoilers here!  Speaking of spoilers, wow, it was impossible to avoid the news on Saturday of Michael Phelps not medaling in the swimming.  The news was everywhere including on NBC.  Avoiding spoilers for the Olympics should be an Olympic event cause it is tough!!  Phelps finished in fourth place while Ryan Lochte took the gold.  Phelps has medaled since and Lochte has another medal as the U.S. won silver in 4x100 freestyle relay.  It's a fun time to watch TV right now with the Olympics and it is all over the place to watch.  I find myself watching a lot of sports that are a lot of fun at Olympic level including badminton, table tennis, and fencing.  I just laugh at how I can't change the channel on some of these sports.  Can't take my eyes off of it.  LOL. 

Thoughts on Big Brother 14 Premiere & Spoiler on Nominations - July 13, 2012

My summer TV addiction is underway.  Big Brother 14 had its season premiere last night.  Just thought I would go over some quick thoughts and a little recap of the premiere.  Overall, I liked the premiere.  Definite potential with this cast.  We learned of the coaches twist that has been talked about with four returning houseguests.  To anyone that has been following this news online, the returning houseguests was not a surprise.  The 12 new houseguests entered and then learned that they would be coached this season.  Enter the surprises one by one.  Britney, Janelle, Boogie, and Dan.  Those are the coaches and each of them would get to pick three people.  It went in a school yard style pick.  After the picks were made, Britney's team consisted of Willie, JoJo, and Shane.  Dan's team is Danielle, Jodi, and Kara.  Janelle's team is Wil, Ashley, and Joe.  Boogie's team is Ian, Frank, and Jen.  The first HOH competition was held and the announcement was that the team that finished last would lose a houseguest.  First elimination on the first night.  Britney's team won the competition and Britney was given the right to name who on her team would be HOH.  That was given to Willie.  Dan's team finished last and he voted Jodi out.  Jodi eliminated before the game even really got going.  Wow, there is a twist.  Just some overall thoughts now on different people and different happenings.  My first thought when Britney picked Willie was OH NO!!!  LOL.  I didn't see that being a good pick especially with him already having a target on his back.  Many of the house were already seeing that he was a Hantz although Willie denied it when questioned by a couple of people about it.  Now, he is the first HOH which is going to put an even bigger target on him.  You never want to win the first HOH cause it gives you enemies right off the bat.  I actually thought that Ian and Dan would be a good pick to team up with Ian being a superfan.  Seemed like a good strategy pairing but Ian and Boogie is kind of interesting too.  It's still early to obviously figure out who has the better team.

Now, SPOILER ALERT!!!  If you do not want to know nominations, stop reading now.  The live feeds kicked on late last night after the show was broadcast on the west coast.  Willie has nominated Kara and Frank for eviction.  The veto competition is set to take place very soon as the houseguests are up and ready to go.  Really not optimistic about this pairing of Britney and Willie based on what I've seen so far on the feeds and on Big Brother After Dark last night.  They just can't seem to get on the same page at times.  Ashley has been hurting pretty bad after hurting her back.  She has been in rough shape.  Just waiting on the veto competition now. 

Big Brother 14 Returning Houseguests Confirmed

One more day until Big Brother 14. The past week has been crazy and sometimes just bizarre with rumors flying. Rumors of who was in the house and what was going on. As always, you never know what to believe and the fact of the matter is, don't believe any of it until you see it. However, there were some rumors confirmed overnight. This is a spoiler alert so if you do not want to know the news on the returning houseguests, stop reading this now. Somebody leaked some live feed screen captures overnight which confirmed the four returning houseguests. They are Britney, Janelle, Dan, and Mike Boogie. This has been rumored for several days now so that rumor paid off. So, now we'll have to wait and see how this mentor thing works and what the rules of the game are for them. One day till BB14 and I'm ready for another Big Brother summer.

Big Brother 14 Cast Announced - 12 New Cast Members - 4 Set To Return - July 5, 2012

It's July which means it's almost Big Brother time.  The countdown to the premiere of Big Brother 14 is seven days.  This is a big week as we have seen the house pictures and now we have a cast announcement today.  CBS unveiled the cast earlier today which includes 12 new houseguests with one having a very familiar last name.  There is also word that there will be four returning houseguests but there has no official announcement yet on who that is.  This cast of newbies is a mix of all ages.  Let's get into the biographies of who most of this new cast will include.

JoJo Spatafora - 26 years old.  Bartender from Staten Island, NY.
Kara Monaco - 29 years old. Model from Orlando FL but living in Los Angeles, CA.
Shane Meaney - 26 years old. House flipper from Bennington, VT.
Will Heuser - 24 years old. Marketing consultant from Louisville, KY.
Willie Hantz - 34 years old. Tankerman from Vinton, LA but living in Dayton, TX.
Ashley Iocco - 26 years old. Owner of a Mobile Spray Tanning Company from Pittsburgh, PA but living in West Hollywood, CA.
Danielle Murphree - 23 years old. Nurse from Grant, AL but living in Tuscaloosa, AL.
Frank Eudy - 28 years old. Unemployed from Marion AK but living in Naples, FL.
Ian Terry - 21 years old. Engineering student at Tulane University. Hometown is Pittsburgh, PA but living in New Orleans, LA.
Jenn Arroyo - 37 years old. Musician/former bass player for the female metal group "Kittie" and from Brooklyn, NY.
Jodi Rollins - 42 years old. Restaurant server from Englewood, CO but living in Calipatria, CA.
Joe Arvin - 41 years old. Chef from Lexington, KY but living in Schererville, IN.

It seems like a good mix of people.  There is obviously one name in there that is going to get attention.  See that Hantz last name?  Willie Hantz is Russell Hantz's brother.  Yep, the Hantz crew is now invading Big Brother.  The press release says that the returning houseguests will be "four of the most successful players of all-time playing the game with their own agenda and for their own prize". 

Big Brother airs three nights a week as usual on CBS.  Thursdays at 8pm central time, Sundays at 7pm central time, and Wednesdays at 7pm central time.  Big Brother 14 premieres on Thursday, July 12th at 8pm central time.  The promo for the premiere says we will get "60 captivating minutes, four supersized returns, one game changing shocker".  It isn't Big Brother without the live feeds so head over to SuperPass at superpass.real.com for info on how to sign up for the feeds.

Superman Celebration 2012 - Smallville Q&A Recap With John Glover and Cassidy Freeman - June 9, 2012

Saturday's Superman Celebration was headlined by Smallville.  A packed Metro Tent welcomed Smallville's John Glover (Lionel Luthor) and Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer).  This Q&A was a LOT of fun.  Lots of laugh out loud moments at the comments and answers from them.  The crowd absolutely loved them.  This is the Luthor Celebration was what Cassidy Freeman declared at one point instead of the Superman Celebration.  Loved that line.  They had a lot of fun on stage answering questions and joking around.  You'll be able to tell that just by reading this.  Here are some of the highlights of the Q&A.

Question: Longmire just premiered and premiered big.  Over 4 million viewers and the highest rated new drama and most watched original series in the history of A&E.  How long have you been working on it now?

Cassidy: "We shot the pilot a year ago.  We've been shooting the ten episodes of this season since the beginning of April.  So, I'm still there."

Question: Michael Rosenbaum used to play a lot of jokes on Smallville.  Has he gotten either one of you?

John: "I can't tell those stories.  You'd understand if I were able to tell you why I couldn't tell you.  But he likes to skinny dip.  In hotel pools.  Late, late at night."  (lots of laughs)

Cassidy: "I didn't meet him until we shot the finale.  I don't think I got the same amount of pranksterism from him that dear old dad here did but I also tried to get him a couple of times cause I heard what a prankster that he is."

John: "What he does by those kind of jokes and having fun is that it makes his performance very alive and wonderful.  Working with him because of that sense of humor that he has and that devilish sense, he's a terrific actor.  We had a great time playing together.  And that's what we did, we played with each other." (laughs from the crowd)

Cassidy: "Umm, next question.  Thank you Metropolis!"

John: "They have to wash their minds out with soap.  You people are so filthy minded.  Smallville was a family show. I'm very disappointed in all of you".  (big laughs from the crowd).

Question: You did such a great job of bringing Lionel to life.  You played Lionel from Earth 2.  You had a different sense about you.  Was there anything that you did to differentiate your Earth 2 Lionel from the original Lionel.

John: "I think what it was was my confusion on what I was supposed to be.  You just saw confused actor up there.  I didn't understand the logic of it.  What you saw was....that.  I'm glad I fooled you." (laughs)

Question: You were evil and you were good.  Which was easier and which was more fun?

John: "I never saw myself as evil actually.  Maybe that is what confused people so much.  I tried to look at it as my son, Lex, was not as strong as he needed to be to carry on the lines.  I was giving him tests to make him stronger which was why I gave him the shock treatment.  To make him stronger.  You understand, right?  The one attempt that they made to right Lionel as a good person was when I was in prison.  All of the sudden, they tried to write me good and it didn't work.  It was one of those storylines that occasionally got dropped so it never got finished.  It's because it wasn't working.  It was better when they wrote me bad and I found ways to trick them and be good.  Keep the writers confused.  Confusion is good if you just give into it."

How much creative input did you have in the show?

John: "They came up with all of those wonderful things themselves.  The one thing that I kept telling Miles is when they get rid of me, I think that really Lex should kill me.  Then, he'd have to deal with that for the rest of his life.  I don't know if they were planning that.  That is what indeed they did.  So, I always thought that was my idea.  (laughing)."

Question: Both of your characters were separate characters from the Superman saga and you were free to create these characters.  What was that like?

John: "I could do anything if I wanted.  What upset was when they asked me to shade in my white here in my beard and make it darker.  I thought now wait a minute, older men can be sexy.  So, I did it.  Not happily.  When I came back for that tenth season, I said no.  No more mascara on my beard."

Cassidy: "It was really freeing to play someone that wasn't in the comics or in the mythos.  I think it made her more human and could change her mind more often.  I feel like characters in stories and comics are written are either light or they are dark.  They sort of have to follow that storyline where as Tess could be all over the map."

Question: Were you surprised with the direction of Tess at times?

Cassidy: "I think I was surprised at times but I was also excited about it."

John: "Did they tell you right away that you were my daughter?"

Cassidy: "No."

John: "When did you find that out?"

Cassidy: "Season Ten"

John: "Did that excite you?"

Cassidy: "Yes. They dyed my hair red though."

John: "Did that excite you?"

Cassidy: "Not as much."

John: "We had a very unhealthy father daughter relationship."
(That was a hilarious exchange)

Question: Tess's story arc was one of my favorites especially with her redemption of season ten with helping Clark.  What was your favorite angle that they took with Tess?

Cassidy: "Really great question.  I loved in season eight when I got to go back and where you got to see me in the past with Justin Hartley.  What I loved about season ten was little Lex.  I loved being able to sort of be motherly.  I thought that instinct in her brought out more of her redemption and more of her humanity.  I loved getting to work with those little actors cause I wanted to squeeze their little faces cause they were so cute."

Question: Discussion about stunt work on Smallville.  How much of your own stuff did you do?

Cassidy: "I did do a lot of it cause it is better if you can do it.  The only thing where I had stunt doubles was things where I had to fly through the air and land at a desk that shatters.  Like when Davis back hands me and I go flying across into the wall.  It was fun and we had great stunt coordinators and they made sure everything was safe."

John: "Our stunt people were great.  I watched myself get thrown from balconies.  We had a couple of stunt men that were hurt.  One was hurt very badly.  The cable broke and he fell many stories down.  That was very dangerous.  Schinedy's double once did a thing in the kitchen and went into the end of a cabinet and cut his ear.  Usually they get up, he just laid there."

Cassidy: "I had a stunt girl break her face on the camera on the mat box."

John: "Some of these things are very very dangerous.  There is a lot of attention and they go through all the moves.  When you see a stunt about to happen, it can get really tense on the set."

Question: Was it hard playing Clark in the episode where you traded places?

John: "Yes.  It was.  He did me great.  It was hard for me to be pure and simple and do nothing.  I kept wanting to do things all the time and they told me that Tom doesn't really do anything.  (laughs) He doesn't have to.  That is why he was so wonderful as Clark Kent.  He was this still, wonderful thing.  I was busy.  I call myself a prop-aholic and always look for things to do.  That was the problem that I had.  I surprised myself with how hard it was.  He found all sorts of mannerisms on me to do.  He was great on that episode."

Question: Have you seen any of the other Superman series or comic books?

John: "When I was a kid, I used to watch the original Superman in prime time.  I'm an old guy.  I used to do plays with Chris Reeve up in Williamstown so those were wonderful.  I didn't read the comic book."

Cassidy: "I have two brothers and one of them is actually named Clark.  Isn't that weird?  Yeah, he was really creeped out watching me on Smallville.  Cause I'd be like 'Clark' and he'd be like 'blaaahhhh'.  It was weird for me too.  Tom really liked to make fun of me for that.  My eldest brother, Crispin Freeman, is a voiceover actor for a lot of animation so I will sometimes get inspired by him.  I watched the movies like anyone did but never got into the comic books."

Question: You mentioned your brother Clark.  You guys acted in a movie together.  What got you into wanting to produce?

Cassidy: "We kind of shared the producing thing.  He was more the actor/producer post/producer and dealt with that and I was more the set producer.  I'm sort of a mom in that way.  I like to take care of people.   I knew it was a low budget film.  It was basically a horror film that a friend of ours from college wrote and we got our theatre friends from college together and made a movie in New Hampshire for three weeks named Yellow Brick Road.  I produced so that I could be in control of making sure everyone was fed and safe and taken care of.  It was a lot of fun."

Question: A kid asks if John liked being in Smallville or Gremlins 2 better cause he thought he did a great job in both.

John: "I had a great time doing both of them.  I had to commute to Vancouver to do Smallville.  We shot Gremlins 2 at Warner Brothers which was about 15 minutes from where I lived.  That made a bit of a difference cause Smallville was seven years.  My favorite scene in Gremlins 2 was when I put the gremlin down the paper shredder and got spewed with all that green gremlin gook.  It was a fun movie and I had a fun time doing it."

Question: Asked about the movie Scrooged.

John: "Bill Murray was so generous to work with.  He has a movie coming out soon where he plays Roosevelt so we should all go see that to support Bill Murray.  My friend Elizabeth Wilson is in it and just turned 91 and we should go support Elizabeth Wilson too."

Question: Who was your favorite Smallville guest star to work with?

John: "When Chris Reeve did a couple of episodes when he was in the wheelchair.  I worked with him before his accident and it was amazing to see how spiritual that he had gotten about work and life.  it was quite an eye opening experience.  So, I would say Chris Reeve."

Question: How did you prepare to play Tess in the episode Luthor? What was it like kissing Tom Welling?

Cassidy: "Yeah...yeah.  Sorry, I'm just daydreaming about it.  He's tall.  Very gracious.  It was great kissing Tom Welling.  There is nothing wrong with kissing Tom Welling.  I recommend it to all of you.  I saw Earth 2 Tess as a brat.  I saw her as a rich girl like gossip girl.  Got everything that she wanted and didn't have a good relationship with her dad.  She was a little younger and little less mature was how I tried to play her which is what I hope it came off as that."

Question: Kid asked whether it was better working with Lex or Clark saying every girl in this tent would rather work with Tom.

Cassidy: "That is probably a good bet right there. You'd make your money with that."

John: "You'd have more fun with Lex."  (gets a lot of laughs from the crowd)

Cassidy: "That might be more true actually."

Question: Vampire Diaries question.  What was it like kissing Damon?

Cassidy: "Ladies, I'm not going to lie.  I've got a good job.  (laughing).  Ian is actually a friend of mine so it was very familiar and funny.  The fact that we were in a shower is also interesting.  He's a sweetheart and he's also very gracious.  There is like 85 people watching yelling 'head to the left' and you're like 'I'm having a moment here'.  So, just so you know it is not the most intimate thing in the world but it isn't a bad day at work."

Question: What are your thoughts on the bickering back and forth between you and Lex all through the series?

John:  "Like I say, Michael's Michael and it was fun.  We both realized that sometimes we would repeat ourselves and he found a way cause he is very inventive.  When it was happening especially in the beginning, it could be very infuriating but then I realized, no wait, he knows exactly what he's doing.  We found a way to play.  We had a good time and I miss him."

Favorite Smallville episode:

John: "I was in a 145 episodes.  You remember the one where I had to rescue Martha.  Yeah, that was fun to do.  I don't know if I watched it though.  Was it any good when it was on?  (laughing). That was a lot of fun."

Cassidy: "I liked being a zombie and I liked killing zombies with my samurai sword."

John: "When was this?"

Cassidy: "You weren't there."

John: "This started as a family drama."

Cassidy: "It was so fun.  They were like you are going to be a zombie and your also going to kill zombies and you're going to have to do samurai sword training and I was like 'copy that'.  There was a scene in the hospital when I was becoming a zombie.  Erica and Tom came in and we didn't really talk before the scene and they came into me by the hospital bed.  Erica was going to ask me questions and Tom was like 'just give her a second' and I turn all zombified.  Freak out.  Blackened out teeth.  Screaming and gnashing.  It was pretty narly.  After they yelled cut, Tom was like 'I don't want to do that anymore'.  I think I freaked him out a little bit.  That and there was an episode where Chloe threw the needle in my heart.  She killed me to save me and then saved me to save me.  That was fun too.  I like those episodes."

Some other notes from the Q&A.  Both were presented with Superman of Metropolis awards.  Cassidy Freeman had her phone out getting shots of the crowd under the tent and also did the same under the Superman statue.  Lots of fun with them posing with the statue and just having a lot of fun with it.  Moving all around making sure everyone got their picture.

Just a great time with them on Saturday and I know all of us in attendance thank Cassidy and John for being in Metropolis!

Superman Celebration - Thursday and Friday Happenings - June 9, 2012

The 2012 Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL opened up on Thursday with the opening ceremonies.  Big crowd in attendance for it including the opening skit, a flag dedication in tribute to a long time Celebration fan that is currently serving in the military, and a powerful opening prayer for family of the Celebration.

Friday brought more events including Gerard Christopher (Adventures of Superboy) and John Rockwell (Adventures of Superboy) appearing including a very fun Q&A session in the Metro Tent.  Lots of laughs and a great time.  George Perez, artist and writer, appeared also for a Q&A session.  He was surprised with a birthday cake for his birthday which was on Saturday.  Everyone got Superman of Metropolis awards.

Carrie Underwood Fan Club Party Rocks The Opry In Nashville - June 5, 2012

Nashville is a busy place already this week as the annual CMA Fest takes over the city.  The Grand Ole Opry was the host for a lot of Carrie Underwood fans who were in town for her annual Fan Club Party and also to see her play the Opry stage that night.  I attended the Fan Club Party and it was a great time as always.  Just thought I'd give some thoughts on it and kind of review it as well.  Fun to walk into the Opry and here her new album playing getting us set for the show.  Fans clapping along to "Good Girl" as it played was a sure sign that this was going to be a fun crowd as always.  The show started just after 10am and was hosted by CMT's Evan Farmer.  As he gave the big intro for Carrie, all of us on that end of the Opry could see her having fun backstage with the intro.  She opened up the show singing "Do You Think About Me?" and thanking all the fans for being there for the party for another year.  "Temporary Home" sounded amazing as always and just brought this amazing peace into the Opry listening to this awesome song.  Carrie belted an awesome performance of "Good Girl" which was my first time to hear actually live so I was excited for it.  Before singing it, she announced that it was now the number one song in America and thanked everyone for voting, calling, Facebooking, posting on Twitter, and whatever else.  "One Way Ticket" was a big favorite in the Opry with the fans getting involved with the whistling and hand waving.  Fun atmosphere for that song and Carrie loved it too.  So apparently I am not the only one that is a big fan of the song "Two Black Cadillacs".  When she sang the first words of it, the Opry came to a roar of approval.  She let out a big smile at it too.  I love that song and it sounded great live.  Speaking of another song I really like on her new album, that gets us to "Blown Away".  Before singing it, she said that they were going to experiment an acoustic version of it with us and see how it goes and what the feedback was on it.  After finishing it, it got a big ovation from the crowd.  Yeah, I think that will work just fine!  LOL.  "Jesus Take The Wheel" is always a big crowd pleaser and one that you always wait for.  Carrie finished the music set of the show off with "Before He Cheats" with the crowd singing along near the end.

The set list was this since I know people will be wondering.

Do You Think About Me?

Nobody Ever Told You

Temporary Home

Good Girl

Two Black Cadillacs

Wine After Whiskey

Good In Goodbye

One Way Ticket

Jesus Take The Wheel

Blown Away

Before He Cheats

Evan Farmer returned to the stage for a Q&A session.  It should be pointed out that Carrie talked in between songs quite a bit too interacting with fans which was a lot of fun.  One discussion on hearing about someone's phobias about puppies that she had seen on TV.  It cracked me up with how she told the story.  The Q&A had questions ranging from her fear of pyro due to the Idol finale, her father/daughter wedding dance song of choice, and which could do the other better whether Mike would be a better singer or Carrie would be a better hockey player?  Carrie recorded a happy birthday message via flip cam video.  Her idea was to get everyone to sing happy birthday and then send it to him.  It went really well as you can see here as she has posted the clip on Twitter.

We also got treated to a sneak peek of the new "Blown Away" music video which looks amazing just off of a few clips.  Wow, you could hear the buzz in the Opry over it.  Definitely looked like something out of the movie Twister.  I can't wait to see this thing.  Afterwards, the trivia game got underway.  Fans competing for some big prizes.  These questions were hard.  Either that or I need to brush up on my Carrie trivia.  It was fun. Carrie signed some autographs near the stage after the party concluded.  Everyone upon leaving the Opry got an autographed fan club party poster and a commemorative fan club party t-shirt.  Lots of new "Blown Away" tour merchandise available outside the Opry as well.  I had been wanting to see what the new tour apparel was going to look like and it gets a thumbs up from me.

It was a lot of fun as it always is.  The Opry is such an excellent host for this thing every year.  Such a great and relaxing atmosphere in there.  The weather was perfect this year making the day even more enjoyable.  That is it for today.  Just wanted to post a recap of the party in Nashville.  Have a great day!  Take care and God bless!