Happy Valentines Day! I celebrated by thinking warm thoughts of each and every one of you. And pan-frying some chicken livers with caramelized onions and a plum port reduction.
While many were celebrating the start of the Olympics, many others were protesting…well, I’m not exactly sure what the hell they were protesting. I’m sure there was a point to that big gathering in downtown Vancouver the other day but, unfortunately, whatever message those in attendance were attempting to convey was trumped by the violence that broke out, with demonstrators breaking shop windows, vandalizing cars, and assaulting police officers. According to event idiot, I mean organizer, Alissa Westergard-Thorpe, there was some property damage but “the people who committed the damage were not the ones arrested” (http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100213/bc_violenet_protest_100213/20100213/?hub=OttawaHome). Yes, I’m sure that fellow reportedly nabbed wielding a bicycle chain was in the midst of fixing his ride when that crowd spontaneously formed around him. Hope he found his bike! Other poor, misunderstood protesters were no doubt victims of “intellectual profiling”, a practice that targets perfectly innocent imbeciles stupid enough to mask their faces in a crowd peopled by perfectly guilty imbeciles who also happen to be masking their faces. I know, I know. I’m sure they were only wearing masks because their skin is very sensitive and can’t take direct sunlight – and now they have to pay the price. How unfair! Protest idiot, uh, I mean organizer, Alissa Westergard-Thorpe refused to condemn the vandalism. “People can choose the tactics that they like,” she said. According to her, what went down was non-violent because no one was hurt. So, to be clear, in her books destroying public and private property is perfectly acceptable in the name of free speech. Which is good to know. Thus, in the future,sould Ms. Westergard-Thorpe ever find herself the victim of a property crime, she can simply chalk it up to someone’s freedom of expression.
Well, guess all the faux-anarchists and wanna-be rebels can pack up their marbles and return to their self-loathing middle-class existences. Until the next protest they can hijack!
Speaking of the Winter Games – echoing the Olympic spirit of friendship, dignity, and mutual respect, Canada handed Slovakia a humiliating 18-0 ass-kicking in Women’s Hockey. Boy, that makes me proud to be Canadian!
Hey, apparently Canada won its first gold medal on Canadian soil. I believe it was in log-rolling or something.
Reality television is an insidious creation that appeals to the basest of human fascinations, robbing audiences of the opportunity to view far more artistic, intellectually-challenging programming. As a writer and a producer, I am strongly opposed to it. In principle. Having said that – hey, who watched the series premieres of Survivor and The Amazing Race? First off, this latest installment of Survivor may prove to be my favorite yet with some of my favorite past villains (Russell, Boston Rob, Parvati, Randy, Coach and Tyson) pitted against some of my favorite past heroes (Cirie, Amanda, Rupert and James). I’m not at all sure why Coach is in the villain’s camp. While admittedly annoying, he certainly sees himself as a hero and does play the part with astounding earnestness. I don’t know. Maybe I like him because he reminds of my cousin. Also, not sure why Survivor’s number one villain and winner of the very first season of Survivor, Richard Hatch, wasn’t invited to participate. And, speaking of glaring omissions, where’s perennial fan fave Ozzy? Surely he should’ve scored an invite to the heroes’ table?
The Amazing Race, on the other hand, got off to its typically slow start. As always, it takes me a couple of episodes to really get back into the show. Still, the premiere offered up some entertaining instances, my fave being the guy, afraid of heights, who decides to prove his masculinity by tackling the vertigo-inducing high-wire challenge – and failing miserably on all counts. Also, I hope someone remembers to feed those cowboys otherwise I fear they may not be long for this world.
Alas Richard Hatch wasnt allowed to leave his house to participate as he is still uner house arrest!
“Richard Hatch Returns for Survivor 20?
Archa’s claims were seemingly confirmed this week when news broke that Survivor: Borneo winner (and the original reality TV villain) Richard Hatch had been asked (at the end of June) to appear on Survivor 20 as part of a special tenth anniversary season. An invitation letter to Hatch, sent by Survivor Entertainment Group, was released to the public, along with Hatch’s petition to the courts to be released from a halfway house in Pennsylvania in order to participate in the season.
The invitation letter reveals that Survivor 20 will be filming in Samoa for a period of 39 days between August 1 and September 20. This information is not surprising since it had been previously reported that, as a result of budget cuts, seasons 19 and 20 were being filmed back-to-back this summer.
Back in April, Hatch petitioned the court to serve his time in Argentina (where his husband is from), as well as to be allowed to freely travel to make an appearance on Survivor. Thus, it appears that ‘Heroes vs. Villains’ has been in the works for several months now. Hatch’s previous petition was denied, according to the judge, because “Hatch was in need of supervision, including mental health counselling” partly because he had “perjured himself extensively during the trial,” and also because Hatch had yet to pay back $400,000 in back-taxes.
Hatch’s recent petition argued that participating in Survivor 20 “[would] allow him to pay any 2000 and 2001 taxes determined to be due.” The judge, however, still denied the motion. Thus, it appears that Richard Hatch will NOT be appearing on Survivor 20 after all. “
I delint and defur for you and you fix chicken livers without me? And on Valentine’s Day?? I’m hurt.
I admit to never having watched any reality TV – although I can understand why it is so ‘watchable’.
Say hello to the pups for me. I hope that you are all not missing Ms. Brie too much.
Susan
I can’t always tell when you’re kidding, but last I heard Richard Hatch was thrown in jail for tax evasion. Funnily enough, it was because of the money he won on Survivor, which he assumed the network had paid the taxes on.
And don’t be so blind, Joe. Everyone knows the middle class is just a cheap ninth century forgery created by misguided Carolingians. We’re all still dirt-eating peasants, man!
I admit to being a proud fan of Survivor & The Amazing Race.
As for Survivor, I have many favorites! I’m very happy Rupert is back. I noticed many contestants are from Gabon though (Coach/Randy/Sugar/James/JT I think, right). Oh well.
Richard Hatch was invited, but the IRS wouldn’t let him go. They are still punishing him for not paying taxes on the million dollars he won.
The Amazing Race is hard to follow in the beginning, so many different teams and a lot of action. But they got that miss america pageant contestant on! No doubt that’ll be a hoot.
The best part had to be the painting, when that father/daughter team started painting inside somebody’s house and the people just stood there watching, wondering what the hell was going on.
Richard Hatch was invited to participate but couldn’t go because of his at-home confinment sentence (after his jail term was served) due to his tax evasion conviction. He requested to go from the judge, saying it was a “job” for him, but the judge refused it. He said all this in an interview, using the occasion to further voice his innocence of the charge.
I love Amazing Race and am so looking forward to seeing Jeff/Jordan as they were the only thing worth watching in Big Brother. They are really cute together and will be fun to watch. It seems the challenges are really tough so it should be great TV!
I thought your comment about the amazing young man Alexandre Billodau who won the gold medal was insulting. Maybe you were trying to be funny or sarcastic I’m not sure. But this young man worked very hard to get this medal and I think by you saying we won a medal in log rolling or something was not called for. He won the medal in Free Style Moguls . You should read about his bond with his brother it is truly inspiring. I know you are not a fan of having the Olympics in Vancouver but there are many young men and women from all over the world who have worked very hard to get here.
The mob mentality never ceases to amaze… people feel brave if they are anonymous in a crowd, especially masked – for proof see examples of the KKK and internet trolls….
My theory has always been thus: that there is a finite amount of intelligence in the universe, and it has been spread WAY too thinly.
An example would be : reality TV! Although I do like the Amazing Race, mainly for the beautiful scenery and all the wacky cultural stuff they make the contestants do. The Harlem globetrotters pair doing folk dancing, for instance!
I used to watch Survivor, but it seems like the same (non)script over and over with different players. My goal on that show would be to be the first one voted off, so I could live happily in some resort while waiting for everyone else to get eliminated since they have to isolate everybody for the entire amount of time!
Congratulations on Canada’s gold medal. It was not, in fact, log-rolling, but moose wrestling (men’s division).
😉
Lisa
I’m so happy that Canada got it’s first gold medal today. I’m not Canadian, but I was sooo happy when I found out. Congrats to all the Canadians out there!!!
‘Kay Joe, I’m done with the lint thing. I think I got it all…Joe? JOE!
Dang it, did you all go out to dinner without me?
{{grumble}}
Oh, wait. Guess that means I get to poke around the office while you’re gone! Glad I could help with the cleanup!
G’day Joe
Reality TV sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!! Give me a good ol’ action, drama, character driven, well written TV show anytime. Hey I know just the show, well three, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe.
Janet.
Oh yeah
Aussie Aussie Aussie oi oi oi
LOL, men’s moguls, you mean? I’d never even heard of the sport before, but I ended up watching the big win as it was interspersed with pairs figure skating. I felt bad for the Americans who biffed it so bad, they didn’t even score their runs. 🙁
Reality TV sucks.
Also, I love your sarcastic take on the “non-violent events”.
I do have a question for you, how does one deal with crazy shippers who are obsessed to an unhealthy point with the romantic storylines of a TV show? Is it even possible or should one just resort to ignoring them?
The only Reality show I ever watched was “Fear Factor” and I stopped watching the show when they started putting celebritie’s and Playboy Bunnies on and took it away from the average Joe..I have never watched a reality show since.
I wonder if Ozzy isnt in it because of the rudey show he participated in before his first stint on Survivor.
Heck I didn’t look it up , or watch it..
No sirreeeee
(well not in front of my kids)
Congrats to Canada for the GOLD. I thought it was in Salmon throwing?
I usually get homicidal when someone throws out the “C” word when talking about a womanl. However, I admit that the same word came to mind when reading Ms. Westergarde-Thorpe’s statements. I also have come up with the hypothesis that certain people actually get an increase when a lobotomy is performed on them. I would suggest Ms.. W-T as a subject to prove my hypothesis. First, it’s idiotic to allow other groups to hook up with your own demonstration. It dilutes and confuses whatever point you are trying to make. It can lead to the non violent factions being tarred by the actions of the violent ones, who seek out such idiotic patsies. And as you pointed out, any acts against the protesters’ personal property are no longer crimes, but expressions of free speech. And that’s the one place folks like that don’t want to go. There are too many two legged wolves out there for indoor dogs like them to compete against.
Skipped Amazing Race this go round, but Survivor was fun. I’m wondering how the labelling of one group as villians and one as heroes will drive the actions of the players. Certainly it seems the inhibitions of the villians was lowered when it came to causing injuries to the other side. A half dozen more dislocated shoulders, and they have a free run at dominating after the merge.
Couldn’t run the video attached to the article; Canada only came up on the screen. Guess I can find it elsewhere. Do hope you’re enjoying your Olympics enforced hiatus,m and that in between playing host and tour guide you make some progress on that outline we all volunteered to assist you with..
Hey.
The only reality shows I watch are on the Discovery channel. : )
I love Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Now there are so real people working hard for a living. Mike Rowe isn’t bad to watch either. ; )
Joe, thanks for entertaining me this morning,always get a chuckle out of your blog. but livers,,,maybe. Not watching the olympics or your tv shows, did go to the Daytona 500 yesterday and nearly froze it off, especially after the first red flag of way over an hour,,had to get my souvenirs and head for the warmth of the car home, yeah I know true race fan, actually my first ever race and it was great, if it wasn’t so dang (non-typical FL)cold. But congrats to all the drivers and winners for making it thru, and safely… Fun, I would certainly do it again.
Hope you had a wonderful valentines and enjoy your nice clean house. good luck with the comics, ready to read it when you are done.
Bonjour Joe,
comme vous le savez, je suis de Québec. Notre maire et d’autres représentants de la Ville sont présentement chez vous à Vancouver pour voir comment cela se passe. Ils ont l’intention de présenter ( à nouveau ) la candidature de Québec pour les Jeux Olympiques de 2022. (Vous vous souviendrez qu’en 1998 Québec avait perdu la couse au profit de Vancouver pour les Jeux de 2010.)
À mon avis on ne devrait pas dépenser tant d’argent pour tout cela .
Mais j’aimerais savoir ce que vous en pensez.
Compte tenu de votre expérience actuelle comme citoyen de Vancouver, aimez-vous l’expérience des Jeux suffisamment pour conseiller à la Ville de Québec de se porter à nouveau candidate pour les Jeux?
Cao
I admit to watching some reality tv…My favorite is The Amazing Race, I love seeing all the countries and the unusual tasks and Phil….
I do watch Survivor and am missing Ozzy and Ethan, however Ethan is battling leukemia at the moment.
I love the Olympics, but I’ve never had them held near me, so can understand that some people might be disgruntled/annoyed/etc. I choose to ignore the bad and go with the original intention of peaceful competition and support those young men and women who have worked very hard to get there. The majority of the athletes have no hope of winning a medal, but really are there to compete and share in the Olympic dream.
Joe – I find your comments about reality TV somewhat bothersome. The only way they will stop producing that dreck is if people stop watching it. Even if it is your own personal indulgence, please stop shilling for it.
@ Janet – Amen.
On to real unscripted reality TV. Joe, how do you think Mike Martz and Jay Cutler will do together in Chicago?
I think its been mentioned that Hatch is serving some form of sentence (home-confinement or halfway house, whichever).
Ozzie on the other hand is recovering from cancer. They interviewed him and his survivor-alum wife on the preview episode of Survivor a week before the premier. I don’t want to provide any injustice to his condition, so I won’t attempt to give details
I like both Survivor and The Amazing Race but I record everything. Survivor I watched yesterday after the Truck race and I’m going to start The Amazing Race right after I log off here. Still have to sit down with hubby and watch the Daytona 500 too. I love 3 day weekends. Have a good day, Joe!
Hello Joe,
Congratulations to Canada on their first gold medal on home turf. As a former skier myself, I always like to critique every run in the games, and when I saw his run, I said “that’s it, they got it!”. It’s been a long wait, but congrats!
I have to say that I have never been a fan of reality TV, but it is hard to find a good drama. I gave up on House two seasons ago, and this year, I gave up on Heroes and 24. At least Lost got off to a great start, but this is its final season so after this I don’t know what I’ll do…
At least spring training starts soon on the YES network…
Sincerely,
Bryan
We watched the first season of Survivor, and only the first season. We did enjoy it, but after it was over, we understood what it was all about and didn’t feel the impetus to watch the later seasons.
That said, Nomi’s mother called her a few years ago and said, “Do you know of a TV show called Survivor?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Remember that boy Ethan I tutored for his Bar Mitzvah? Apparently he won a million dollars on it.”
As for Amazing Race, Adam-Troy Castro turned us onto the show a few seasons back; we’ve got last night’s sitting on our TiVo.
Joe, you scored so many points with the real anarchists by recognizing that the guys who show up at protests with rocks and masks are not real anarchists. People who truly advocate anarchy usually do so out of a revulsion toward violence that leads to the realization that the greatest source of violence are those with impunity – or did you already know that?
Do you want to know who the guys with rocks are?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S1nHvvkzvA
These guys with rocks have impunity.
Ah, that video I posted didn’t point out the matching boots. That was the funniest part.
See 1:25 on this video for the matching boots.
1:25 on this video
Dear Joe,
I wouldn’t feel too bad about that 18-0 score laid on the Slovak team. In an article I read it talked about the 82-0 shellacing the Slovakian team put on Bulgaria in Olympic qualifying. So you could say that Team Canada showed some restraint.
Are you sure their were protests in Vancover? After all, NBC didn’t broadcast any stories about it, so did it really happen?
Yep, Survivor and Amazing race, always fun. Hubby could survive any Survivor challenge and can actually live off the land, but he’d be out in a hot minute on the social side. He’d do better on the Race, paired with our friend Genius. Hubby has the physical skills and has traveled extensively; Genius is … well, he didn’t give himself that name, but he certainly didn’t say no. That high wire walk? Hubby would have strolled across. His co-workers call him Monkey Man!
Hello!
If the movie doesn’t get a green light to start shooting, is there any chance that you might turn the script into a book and then sell it?
We fans are very anxious and excited for the movies. It’s been very hard to wait that long.
Thanks for your attention
I love Coach. A true hero, warrior and dragonslayer. As for The Amazing Race, I’m happy to see Miss Teen South Carolina off to a great start, proving to the world she’s not as dumb as they think she is.
I have to be honest if I see or hear the words reality & TV in the same sentence I general switch off the TV on the assumption it is just a modern incarnation of a freak show. Anything like that I cringe if I want reality I go to work were we get 3 million visitors a year (London Science Museum) so dealing with them is all the reality I need. I once had to give a potted history of the Apollo space program to a woman who did not even know aman had landed on the moon fortunately I had the Apollo 10 capsule (Charlie Brown) and a replica of Apollo 11’s Eagle lander as visual aids!
So Joe next time you are in London & fancy guided tour drop me a line.
Daffy
OK, I just had to ask you this after seeing the lastest batch of auction items on eBay –
http://bit.ly/czzmjX
“Bi-atch” “Intergalactic Super Wench!”
Seriously, who came up with that?
I think the most interesting thing about Survivor 20 will be “Evil Russell” Why interesting? Because while shows 19 and 20 FILMED in order, 19 didn’t AIR until AFTER 20 had filmed. Which means none of the “Heros and Villains” got to see Russell play. They don’t know that he’s the kind of player that finds 3 immunity idols with no clues. Should make for some good times in the Villains camp …
Burrk! hate valentine day!!! Glad it’s over!!!
@susiekew “I think the most interesting thing about Survivor 20 will be “Evil Russell” Why interesting? Because while shows 19 and 20 FILMED in order, 19 didn’t AIR until AFTER 20 had filmed. Which means none of the “Heros and Villains” got to see Russell play. They don’t know that he’s the kind of player that finds 3 immunity idols with no clues. Should make for some good times in the Villains camp …”
I’ve actually wondering the same thing. I have feeling they probably show the 19 other’s rough cuts of the last season so they could get a feel for him. We’ll know soon enough when he DOES start looking for idols.
@Carl Binder
Not being a reality t.v. person, I totally thought you were talking about Coach Hayden Fox! Though it did briefly flit through my head of Ernie “Coach” Pantusso.
*sigh*
Now if only there were a survivor-like series featuring iconic television characters. Like they used to do for cartoon characters back in the 70’s with shows like Laff-a-lympics. Although it would also be interesting to see if the big networks could pull themselves together again to do a show like BATTLE OF THE NETWORK STARS. And then do spinoffs like BATTLE OF THE DIRECTORS, BATTLE OF THE WRITERS and BATTLE OF THE KEY GRIPS.
people do riots too in Vancouver during special events!!! Do you think it is a Canadian thing :l ❓
it’s my little sister’s birthday today !!! She turns 31 !!!! that will make me ???!!!! this year….. 🙁 😥
The werd thing is that I don’t feel that old. I feel like I did when I was nineteen! ! just know a little bit more and have more life experience.
forgot my “i” in my weird, of course. It felt like yesterday when I was holding my 4 months old cousin in my arm. Now he is in is twenties….. Aging is weird !!!
@Daffydave.I’m with you on the reality and tv front. I break out in a rash and have to be restrained from putting my foot through the TV screen…the news has a similar effect 🙂
Coucou Joseph! ça va bien? Moi oué, très bien 🙂
Lol hier je me plaigné que les US avait le plus de médaille mais en une journée la France est montée au 1er rang des médailles, c’est juste incroyable!!
Oui j’ai vu les manifestations à Vancouver, de toutes façon de nos jours les gens deviennent violent pour un rien =(
..J’ai vraiment plus de nouvelle de votre soeur, que se passe t’il?
Passez une bonne journée!
Gros bisou!
Carl Binder: Do you mean Craig T. Nelson’s Coach? Coach was great! Right up there with WKRP.
… was not trying to make you feel awkward!!! Just realized that if my sister is 31, I will be a year older this year, and will change bracket soon.
….now, isn’t you know who turning 43 this week!!! I really hope he doesn’t read the stuff I write about him !!!
For some reason I feel like my ” you don’t know where I live” situation, allows me to freely express myself 😀
I’m pretty sure the violent protesters were part of the roving gang of anarchists who randomly show up to events in the PNW. No one’s figured out how to predict what events will draw them, but I’m fairly annoyed they decided to show up.
The usual Vancouver protesters are non-violent as long as they have media coverage (and break things to get attention if they’re being ignored). The locals also dress differently — more lululemon (didn’t ya know yoga pants make great protest gear?), nicer shoes, more buttons, fewer patches.
Personally, I don’t see why they don’t do a double leg premiere of The Amazing Race, the next episode is in Chille too, it would make sense instead of subjecting viewers to the same country again.
I loved how one team got the wrong kind of money, like it’s not difficult to ask what currency a country uses and go for that instead.
Apparently they were meant to go to Wulff Castle but it was left on the cutting room floor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wulff_Castle
This is where I mean ^
Joe, you have…failed me. 🙁
I have no interest in the Olympics.
I have no interest in Olympic protests.
I have no interest in reality shows.
Couldn’t you have at least thrown a doggie or dinner pic in there, just for ME??! Or better yet, something pale and long-locked??? 😉
Ya know – just because *you* have failed me doesn’t mean that *I* have failed me – so I present to me something pale, and long-locked:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/komondorTodd.jpg
😀
das
I believe there has been and will be Olympic protestors where ever they are held. Unfortunate. You could solicit them to come help you with your cleaning since they have so much energy they need to get rid of.
I love the Olympics. Especially this year since they are in Vancouver, having visited there twice. In support (tho I would love to be there in person) I have been wearing my XXI Olympic shirt when I am out and about. Also my standard maple leaf Canada shirt. I will be cheering for Canada, right along with USA.
Snakey
@Michael A Burstein
Ethan’s one of my fave Survivor contestants. He’s battling Hodgkin’s disease at the moment. I really hope he beats it.
Chev
Sorry for the incoherence of my earlier post. Just meant to say that lobotomy would improve the um, lady’s IQ considerably. And glass smashing anarchists wouldn’t last too long against certain other borderline groups, like certain types of survivorists. And I do find it interesting that NBC has blacked out coverage of those events. Not that I blame them, but it’s good to see at least the local media is doing their job.
Tila Tequila is on her way to Australia. Can we say we’re closed?
You’re like me. I also don’t give a damn about the Canadian Olympic Team winning a medal, but then I am South African and you’re not.
And Joey – since I NEVER (*coff-coff*) fail you, thought I’d pass this bit of info along…
Marvel is coming out with an ‘Astonishing’ line, supposedly featuring Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert on a Wolverine/ Spider-Man team-up book.
Sounds like fun! 😀
das
There was only one thing that irritated me about Alexandre’s win in the Moguls… the vilifying of Dale Begg-Smith for coming second. I think it’s going a bit far to call him a traitor. What the???? I’ve heard of sore losers, but sore winners??
CONGRATS to Alexandre… he had the best run of the day and I wish him all the best!
As for reality shows… I love Survivor and Amazing Race. Though, I’ve never seen the person who deserves it, win. Evil Russell was FANTASTIC and I wish him all the best in this series.
Ok, I’ve been sucked into the Olympics, again. The opening ceremony made me cry. Alexandre Bilodeau’s win made me cry, and I’m not even Canadian! All the events are so interesting to watch, and I can’t put into words how much I admire all the athlete’s who have worked so hard to get to Vancouver. Beyond all the hype and commercialization, it’s still about the kids. And I can’t stop smiling every time I see them come across a finish line, no matter where they’re from.
Congrats to Canada on their first gold medal on home turf! Rah-rah!
I have been watching/enjoying some of the Olympic coverage and am also enjoying all of the fill in bits NBC has made. They’ve been showcasing the beautiful scenic environs of Vancouver and BC, some tourist stops, like that suspension foot bridge, downtown with cobbled streets, the steam clock, etc. However, every time I see a sweeping view of trees I recall episodes and scenes of SG-1 or Atlantis. I know the actual location areas were probably not the same trees or forests, but they’re close enough for me here in New Jersey 😆
And I can dream, can’t I?
Thanks to das for the German fan Wraith humor links. What a hoot!
2cats
waiting for another 3-4 inches of snow to land on top of the 4 ft. high snow/ice hills in my yard… sigh…:shock:
The only reality show that I got into was Wipe Out ( is that one word??) Why is it so funny to watch someone else fall or get hit???
I like watching the first show of the Biggest Loser and then the last just to see the results, I don’t need the drama in between. I did watch a season or two of the Apprentice, which I actually learned a few things about the dynamics within groups, it was interesting, aside from the added drama.
I have enough drama in my office everyday,when I get home and watch t.v. I want to be taken somewhere else, away from drama. I guess that’s why I like sci fi it’s nothing I encounter on a daily basis and makes me forget reality.
Speaking of laughter, we saw Colin Mocherie and Brad Sherwood at the Improv in WPB, those guys are so talented and quick on their feet. My sides hurt by the end of the night.
Joe,
I was thrilled to see Rupert and James return as heroes, though I was curious to see Cirie there. I guess there is a fine line between people’s perceptions. Coach irritated me, but I agree that he wasn’t a real villian. Not like Johnny Fairplay, who is conspicuously absent.
This was one of the best openings of Survivor ever, I think. With the two injuries during the opening Reward Challenge and the radically different camp experiences (which had me giggling like a school girl in Jason Mamoa’s presence).
I know I’m late but Go Saints! So glad they won. And congrats on your skiing (not sure of what the real title of the even is) gold. GO USA, but I’ll root for my far northern neighbors too.
MaryA.
Joe…you can keep the chicken livers. Yuck. Don’t care for them.
I thought that was a lovely moment when Alexandre Bilodeau won the first home gold in Men’s Moguls for Canada. I’m American….and even I was quite moved. Though….I was quite proud when Hannah Kearney won gold in Women’s Moguls. I even cried at the medal ceremony. In Women’s Hockey…USA kicked China’s ass too…12-1.
@paloosa
Me too! I love the drive and the passion these athletes have. I can’t help but get caught up in the moment.
Survivor and TAR are my two favourite reality shows and I think I’ve seen every season of both, although I’ll admit to a bit of Survivor fatigue the last few seasons. As far as the intro show of this season goes, Rupert still bugs (those crazy eyes!!) and Russell still gets too much air time. I think Coach (Joe, your poor cousin!) wound up in villains because he’s a self-absorbed, non-self aware idjit that although annoying, is great fun to make fun of. The thought of he and Jerri “teaming up” is rather disturbing, but as my mom used to say there’s no point in ruining two households. I feel rather sorry for poor Boston Rob on his tribe. The rest of them appear to be fundamentally stupid. Plus, I never really felt Rob was a “villain” even in his season(s). He tended to speak his mind and play to win, which I will grant some contestants don’t see as the point of the game. I swear some of these people seemed to have thought they signed up for the “Shiny Happy Lets-Make-Friends” game show, and wound up eating rats instead.
I’ve always loved TAR (maybe with the exception of the “Family” edition), and this intro was no exception. Some teams to root against, a few to root for, great locations and challenging tasks. Plus, this season has Jeff and Jordan from last season’s Big Brother, the watching of which I’m somewhat ashamed to admit is a guilty pleasure of mine.
@ 2cats – Glad you enjoyed that link – I watched a few, and just got the giggles over them! It was because of how much fun they were having – just reminded me of some of the silly things I did as a kid, like dressing up as gypsies and roaming the backroads with my girlfriend. Our neighbors must have thought we were nuts! Here’s a pic – we’re more like hippie gypsies…lol…I’m the one with the red/white plaid shirt…and just remember – I was very YOUNG! (And had a wicked mean crush on the Brit gypsy rocker, David Essex… 😛 )
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/gypsies.jpg
Now…stop laughing. 😛
Joe – are you watching the Westminster Dog Show? Some lovely animals so far.
das
I love “Coach.” Craig T. Nelson was also great in the role of another “coach” — in Blades of Glory. That movie makes me laugh so hard and I think about it every time I watch figure skating now.
@MaryA Johnny Fairplay, who is conspicuously absent
I read somewhere that Jeff Probst said the reason Johhny Fairplay wasn’t asked to join the show was that “Survivor needed Villains, not quitters …”
You go, Jeff P!!
French Bulldog! Not nearly as cute as Lulu and Brie…
das
PS: Frenchie won the non-sporting group! Woo!
das
Joe,
Are you watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show?
The French Bulldog won the Non-Sporting group and will compete Tuesday for Best in Show!!
I know this is a bit late, but last night as I passed in front of the television 2 news reports grabbed my attention:
1. Earl Jones, 11 years of prison. HUM! not bad!!!
2. first Canadian gold medal, in mongul skiing. After a quick google search on the discipline, I recall thinking, “not bad for a first category!!!”
Now the nice thing about this first medal , first GOLD medal , is that it was obtained by Alex Bilodeau a MONTREALER from Québec!!! How exciting and very 8)
woke up this morning and realised there was nothing in my fridge 😕 Could have gone to the supermarket but opted for a cheaper option… my mother’s fridge 😀
Once at her place, luckily she was at work, looked for the fish she said she had bought, but couln’t find it.
I don’t think she meant canned tuna fish, or sardines!!! I examined the other options available. Pork, beef, chicken, turkey. Did I mention all these meats are uncooked and frozen !!!!
Just when I was about to leave to buy take out, I took a quick glence at myself in the mirror and decided to go for TURKEY, the frozen one. ….Been working on it for the past hour, now just put it in the oven to give it a nice roasted look. It smells pretty good 😀
Hi Joe!
Happy St. Valentine’s Day from the future! It’s Fat Tuesday for me and thanks for the warm thoughts on VD. We had pizza delivered while watching the latest Harry Potter movie. Nice to spend some time with my sweetie. 🙂
I thought the Olympics opening ceremony was very moving. We DVR’d it and skipped through the commercials and more annoying portions. Loved the First Nations dancers, the “ice floe” and “orcas,” and k.d. lang.
Rock on to all Canadian and US athletes in the Olympics this year! (Though the Chinese were awesome in couple’s figure skating.)
Anarchists and vandals suck. If they had any piece of personal property that they valued and someone destroyed it, I believe they would be quite upset. So why do they think they can destroy someone else’s hard-earned stuff for some selfish “political expression?” Dumbasses. Yes, I said it. Dumbasses.
Not watching Survivor or Amazing Race. Used to say I don’t watch any reality TV, but have been watching Hoarders. Not to mock or feel smug, just to understand why someone would do that and deal with my own “chronic disorganization.”
eddy