Make Me a SuperModel - Final Four

Make Me a SuperModel has been the latest "Guilty Pleasure" that I have been watching (as usual on Bravo, probably the gayest TV station in the universe), and been enjoying the competition, the beautiful people and the amazing photo shoots that they have been doing each week. After a couple of months of competition (in real time no less) we are finally down to the Final Four and after this week's Reunion Episode, we will know who wins come next Thursday.

Ben has improved greatly since day 1, and from his last photo you would never know he was small town middle America, your kind of "good old boy"... he has been getting some good looks off in the past few rounds and is rocking that body.... but we all know that he was kept around due to his "awkward sexual tension" and "bromance" with fellow contestant (and roomie) Ronnie. The crush that Ronnie has on Ben and the way they support each other has been really cute and kept both of them in the game. This is Bravo after all ..... and you know that the viewing public is made up of lots of gay men and single women.

Ronnie has been my favorite contestant in the competition since day 1. Besides being beautiful, openly gay and very smart (in that sexy kind of way), he has the most haunting eyes that jump out in his photos, and he has pulled off some very incredible photos during the competition. Ronnie works hard, is rumored to be the best kisser of all the guys and is liked pretty much by everyone. His infatuation with Ben was adorable .... and played up quite a bit in the show. Not much of a surprise since we all know Bravo's target audience.

It was great to finally see a very positive gay role model in the fashion industry that wasn't all drama (like our friends at the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency) or stupid as a post (like the gang at America's Most Smartest Model).

All of the competitors who went all the way will have some dynamite photos in their portfolios after having the chance to work with some of the biggest names in photography.

Holly is the last girl standing... which again isn't that big of a surprise considering our viewing public once again... of course most of the girls were eliminated in the beginning to keep the guys around (and at one point there were 2 girls left and almost all of the guys). Although you can't tell by this photo, she usually has this great pixie cut or short bob hair style and has taken some great photos over the season.

Holly also has this huge southern drawl and has gone on a rant a couple of times about things like " Squirrel gravy" and freaked the boys out with Turtle soup... she is fricking hilarious and has this great hillbilly side that balances out the tension that seems to go with modeling.Probably one of the greatest things about her is her whole body image concept and the fact that she is not a "twiggy" model, and couldn't care less. She knows that kind of pressure will always be around and she couldn't give a crap and that makes her a huge winner in my books. I think she has a pretty good chance of winning (if Ronnie doesn't) and I hope she realizes that just by being the last girl she has already accomplished quite a bit.

Perry is the last of our Four, and in all honesty I have never found him that interesting. He is a tall, good looking guy, but I find that in the majority of his photos (and catwalks), he is always the same and not really my kind of guy. His final photo shoot pulled him out of his box (quite a bit) and he got an interesting photo off, but he still doesn't do it for me.

There was a ton of manufactured drama with him and his (ex)girlfriend and some crap about Britney Spears and the National Enquirer and I really couldn't care. All of that is so last week and it really doesn't mean anything.

Perry is the favorite of one of the judges, Tyson (yes the Tyson .... and that seems slightly inappropriate in that "Paula Abdul judging and boinking the boys on American Idol " kind of way. I really hope that it isn't him that wins as he has been that interesting or remarkable... yet he is still around and the majority of the other models don't even really like him.
Hopefully that is how it ends... we'll see on Thursday!

Weekend Rant - What was that all about?

Jericho went back to square one this week with the town going all revolution on the the new government. There was even a brief (and some how completely inexplicable) appearance of Jake's mom (Pamela Reed) and the impending threat of another nuclear explosion. All this and one episode left and the clock is ticking.... personally I hope they blow everything up and it ends once and for all. I was not impressed with the second season, and sorry "Jericho nuts", but if you really wanted the show to succeed you would have tuned in.... no whining about it's time slot, if you are a fan then you make time or record it...

Pussycat Dolls presents Girlicious continued it's season with the remaining girls being sexy and singing some of that good old time Rock & Roll.. some more drama and it appears that that my least favorite girl, Natalie, has a melt down and and death in the family (grandma), and as much as I don't like her I still have to have some sympathy. I still don't want her to win and hope her time is up soon.
There was more bitchy cat fights, a scream down in the kitchen and Jenna "threatening" to leave the show. When all was said and done, my fave, Ilisa gets eliminated and Jenna is almost dismissed, but since that would seems maybe odd that both the "bigger" girls got offed the same week, they keep whiner Jenna and let Jamie go.... all stupid choices... but then again does this show really "choose" the winning group or is it just another vanity project for Robin Antin? I am not expecting Girlicious to be some huge interesting group or anything...

Dancing with the Stars - Season Premiere

This round of Dancing with the Stars got off in fine form with a pretty eclectic group of "celebrities" hitting the dance floor. The debut was divided into 2 nights, first the men and then the women.

The guys started things off pretty well. Penn Jillette (from Penn & Teller) self describes himself as " Bigfoot" (which is not so far from the truth as he is a pretty big guy), but I liked the way he played things up and added his own little flair. Not a " going to the finals" kind of performance but a good presentation. I'd love to see if he could bring some wacky illusions to his performances and hope that he sticks around for a few weeks... bad news is that his score was pretty bad so it's up to the voting public. Time will tell...

Jason Taylor (the football guy) is one fine looking man.... and moved pretty good on the dance floor. I think that football players have to have good footwork so it may explain why Jason (and earlier contender Emmett Smith) have done well. Jason seems more metro sexual than Emmett and every so light on his feet (lol) yet so comfortable with his sexuality... as he keeps saying... who cares? He looks good and moves well so has my attention... and the judges seemed to like him also so he should go far.

Cristián de la Fuente is a sexy looking Latino TV and film star, but unfortunately is from Chile (and as he says they are better known for their wine and sea bass than their dancers), and has to cha cha his butt off and gets a decent score. He knows how to work the audience and has a certain charm to him so he should be around for a bit.

Adam Corolla was a disaster waiting to happen. The guy is a so out of his element it's incredible... and he got the poorest score of the evening (it seems that 5 was the lowest mark and that 9 ended up being the highest) with 3 fives and was kind of pissy with the judges. I don't think that is the way to go and he'll probably be the first voted out of the guys. Some one has to go and better him than some one who actually seems like they want to be there...

Mario (no last name) was hot hot hot... our little R&B singer can shake his groove thing like no one's business and he looked great. Good chemistry with his partner, great presence and amazing posture, he really looked at home and comfortable in front of the audience. He was my favorite guy and got the best score out of the guys with 3 eights.

Steve Guttenberg did the final dance for the guys and did a nice job. He loves being on the show ( I wonder is that because there is not much work Steve?) and seems honestly interested in being on such a "family oriented show" as he calls it. Family friendly I guess... just don't take the costumes seriously boys and girls.....

So that was night one..... the level of performance is pretty good for round one and it looks like our ladies have their work cut out for them.

Shannon Elizabeth (the chick from the American Pie films) starts things off. Shannon is young and has legs for days... but doesn't look comfortable or in her element at all. The judges give her a nominal score and tell her to practice and to keep wearing the short skirts. (what?) It looks like our tomboy is probably around for a few more weeks.

Monica Seles is/was an amazing tennis player, but once again this is another contestant that seems to out of their own element. We have 3 different athletes in this round, and Monica seems to have the greatest difficulty (and it's cruel to say but she looked like a drag queen in that outfit- yeesh!) and doesn't seem to hit the mark at all. She gets that dreaded triple 5 score and is probably the first woman voted off. I won't be surprised if it happens...

Marissa Jaret Winokur was the complete opposite of the previous performer. Our Broadway girl (star of Hairspray) may be not the typical shape, but the girl has oomph for days! She was the most radiant, energetic and contagious of all the women and got a good score. Once she works more on content (and she can do it), she'll do much better. I hope to see her around for awhile, and would love to see her go all the way to the finale.

Priscilla Presley was the shock of the night.... I was originally gasping every time they put her on screen because she has had some pretty major work done (and probably emptied a few Botox factories) and has *ahem* such limited facial expressions that I was really worried about her being able to move... and perform on stage. She shocked everyone there, got a standing ovation, and blew the crowd on their asses with a lovely foxtrot. They matched the top score of the guys (triple 8s) and I can not believe the woman is 62 years old.... and did the death drop in her first dance.... OMG.

Kristi Yamaguchi has lots of experience being a Gold medal Figure Skater, so I figured that she would do well in the competition since there are a few common elements. Not only did she do a beautiful, elegant dance, but she raised the bar even higher and got triple 9s for her work. Well done... and unless the voting goes wacky she should be in there for the long haul. It probably doesn't hurt that she has the ultra cute Mark Ballas as her partner...... good thing Kristi is married with kids so Sabrina (from last season) doesn't have to worry about her bf dancing with another woman.

Marlee Matlin was the final contestant of the evening, and over all the most remarkable. Well know for being a deaf actress who went far in Hollywood (and done some amazing work), I thought it was a very interesting challenge for some one who can't hear the music to go and dance in a competition. She did an amazing job and surprised most of us (I think), and I really do have to applaud Dancing with the Stars for letting people with all kinds of different physical handicaps (challenges for you politically correct people) participate. Not every show does that ( I did notice it in Last Comic Standing already) and it's a nice, inclusive thing to see.

That's round one..... now to wait for next Tuesday to see who leaves (my bets are Monica and Adam) and I am looking forward to seeing more competition....I do miss Maks though... and don't think the new "Mambo King" is a decent substitute..... come back Maks!

Lost - Ji Yeon

This week we learned the identity of another of the Oceanic Six, and in a cleverly woven tale of birth(s), we met Ji Yeon, daughter of Sun and Jin.

Sun is another one of the Oceanic Six, and by the end of our story we learn that Jin is dead and buried... so something drastic is going to (has already) happen(ed) and it appears that we know five of the six. My count is Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley and Sun. I didn't count Aaron (Claire's baby) as he wasn't really a passenger on Oceanic Flight 815 but could probably be looked at as a survivor... I didn't see anything posted on the ABC website saying that all had been revealed just that Sun was the latest one revealed and I am wondering if the other member will be revealed next week before the break in new episodes...?

The episode this week was another outstanding one, and every time there is an episode that highlights Sun and Jin I get chills. Yunjin Kim is an outstanding actress and emotes across the screen is ways you can't really describe but have to feel in the moment. Not only was she keeping my attention in the flash-forward and impending birth, but in the present day "on the island" she was kicking butt with her confrontation with Juliet and her rupture with Jin.

I still wish that there was more Lost each week (2 hours would be great) and that we had the time to get more into all of the characters and subplots and their different methods of coming to terms with redemption. There seems to be some common threads and I am signed on until the end of this ride as I really want to know more of what/might/could happen.

It was great that Michael finally popped up.... now the question is how long has been gone for? Why is he on the freighter? Where's Walt? ( I think he is still on the island and that is why Michael is back) and as usual so many questions and so little time...

Survivor: Micronesia - Rough Breaks

It was a rough week for poor Jonathan, who after being banged around pretty hard last week (and getting stitches), ends up getting a nasty infection in his wound and has no choice but to leave for medical care. It's one of those events that you can't do anything about, and heartbreaking when you see how much someone wants to play.

Get well Jonathan, and who knows? Maybe you'll have another chance to play again in the future.

Jonathan did manage to help his team to victory in the Reward Challenge before being sent home, and the Challenge was interesting (build a blockade in a time limit and then have to break through the blockade created by your opponent), and their team made quick time of the blockade built by the other team and won a cool reward; the visit of a couple of local fisherman who will show them how to live off the land.

Meanwhile back with the rest of the players.... things have gotten more complicated for our "new" tribes as losing Jonathan has limited his tribe and now James is complaining that it is " just him and and a bunch of girls" (it looks like James and his harem). Once the visitors arrive and show them a few tricks (the crab traps are very cool) and they get a ton of food for dinner.

In the mean time, his fellow player Jason is off on Exile Island with Chet the drama queen. Jason looks for the hidden Immunity Idol while Chet "rests" and actually finds the decoy idol left by Ozzy. Jason is beside himself with this accomplishment and it's hard to tell if he really believes he has the idol or if he is playing along, knowing that he has found a decoy.

Once we finally get down to the Elimination Challenge, it's a question of strength and tactics, and Jame and his team power through with an unconventional method of doing the challenge (it's about using a couple of different stepping poles to help teammates cross to a platform in the water, and Jame's team move their teammate and the pole together instead of making steps), and it means that someone is leaving from Ozzy's team. There is some discussion about trying to get rid of Ozzy, but Chet has asked to leave as his foot is swollen and he can't deal with it.

Personally I found that Chet just wimped out from Day 1. I am still trying to figure out how the hell he got chosen out of all the Fans to play, as he never seemed really into the game from the beginning, and wasn't even willing to go all the way and try to play harder. I am just glad the Ozzy didn't blindsided and eliminated (it seems to be a going thing this season) and still have hopes for him going all the way. Ami has been playing very well (and more subtly than some of the other players) and I hope that she can go far. There seems to be a growing consensus that Cirie is dangerous and that she needs to go.... and I am eager to see how all of that will play out. Things keep shifting around quickly and it's hard to keep track of all the players but it still seems that the Favorites are the dominant force in the game.

That Wacky Schedule - Dealing with the 2007 - 2008 Season

The whole viewing schedule is going back and forth with shows stopping, pausing, starting or continuing their seasons now that the strike is over.

It's been hard to keep track of all the shows, and thankfully I found the Futon Critic who gives me all dirt on when and where some of my favorites are coming back.

Dancing with the Stars, Big Bang Theory, and Smallville are returning later this month and then I can hardly wait for April when shows like Desperate Housewives, Bones, Supernatural and Samantha Who? are back on the air. Curiously a few shows are missing and it's not really a surprise that Bionic Woman is in limbo, I don't think that they are planning on bringing it back with all the bad press and reviews, and it's not like it didn't deserve it.

This season may be strange and short but there have been some good stories coming out and some great new shows. It's too bad stuff like Pushing Daisies and Heroes has been held for next season, but I'll take what I can get.

Weekend Rant -- Going for Broke

Jericho grabbed some points with me this week as the story line developed a bit more, we saw a couple of characters that haven't been around much this time around and our deaf character (Bonnie) made the ultimate sacrifice this week and looks like she is becoming a martyr for Jericho.

The developing storyline (which took too long for me, they should have tried to make things roll quicker with their limited amount of episodes) grabbed my attention and I suddenly was interested (once again) with the town of Jericho and their struggles to survive in this "Brave New World".

Unfortunately I think it was a little too late and I doubt we will see anymore episodes after the final 3... which might be too bad...

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Pussycat Dolls present Girlicious is the kind of bitch fest that I can really appreciate and has turned into one of those "Guilty Pleasures" that I can stop watching... as usual I am cheering for Ilisa (the tall redhead that doesn't fit the same breast-enhanced mold that most of the other bimbos came from) who is the under dog, but is more real and talented than some of the Britney wanna-bees. Their little group competitions each week are fun to watch and there has been some great stuff so far.

I have developed a strong dislike of Natalie who thinks she is " all that" and the sure fire winner. The thing that kills me is that winning is for a spot in a group of 3, and if you can't play nice with others I don't think that you will win ... after all talent and the right slutty look isn't the only thing that they want... you have to be a team player. ( Mind you anyone else remember Destiny's Child ?)

Pussycat Dolls CEO Robin Antin looks like one tough bitch to please or is that because her face is so tight she always has the same expression? Does it really matter?

Project Runway - Finale

So after all of the hoopla last week and deciding between Chris and Rami as the last designer to present at Fashion Week (and I was disappointed that Chris didn't make it to the finale, I mean anyone that has the gall to use human hair as trim has certainly got more vision than our draping queen...), we finally get down to the last hour of this season, the big Runway show, guest judge Victoria Beckham and some closure to this cycle.

I can't say that I am completely happy with this season.. maybe it was some of the awkward breaks but I wasn't feeling the energy or excitement that I usually do when it comes to the big finale.

I wasn't thrilled that Christian was the big winner either, I felt his collection was too repetitive, too black and not user friendly (for lack of a better description). Is anyone really going to wear all those puffy sleeves and pilgrim inspired collars and hats?
yeesh... I still haven't figured out what all the hoopla was with Christian over all and am not sure if it's because he was " so fierce" about the competition or his personal style. Anyways it didn't really do it for me...

Although I wasn't initially thrilled that Rami was rounding out the final 3, I was pretty impressed with what he put together and thought that this outfit (at right) was one of the nicest things that he had put together all season. The weaving was extraordinary and as usual his draping was impeccable. His collection started slow, but when it got the "evening gown" part it hit the roof and he really showed his strengths.
Jillian pulled together some nice stuff as well, and her look was reminiscent of the art inspiration challenge. I like most of her pieces but was slightly confused by the little Roman dresses that were shown. She blew me away with some of the detailing that she did and I can see her stuff being worn by tons of women.
I honestly thought that either her or Rami would win, but in the end the judges decided that her collection wasn't enough and she was the first eliminated, thus leaving it between Christian and Rami.
Of course there was no surprise that the judges went with the fan favorite and although not wearable (by most women) it oozed the creativity that they wanted and Christian can now add something else to his fierce resume. I just hope the next season flows a bit better...

Survivor: Micronesia - Ozzy is a god

If any player is making some power moves right now, it has to be Ozzy with his determination, great physical skill, tactics and sneakiness. The guy ruled in the last episode and gave me even more reasons to have such a crush on him.

Things were still pretty tense after eliminating Yau-Man and the next day Eliza is feeling sick (and got some grief from Ozzy and James who regret voting off Yau and keeping her) and there is lots of bitching with Cirie and the way she is trying to manipulate things.
We get around to the Reward Challenge and Ozzy wins it for his team in record time. He uses this great strategy of moving multiple coconuts through the underwater cage and makes it quick and easy for the rest of his team. The Fans try to keep up (to no avail) and get soundly beaten and the Favorites walk away with chickens and eggs. Ozzy decides to go to Exile Island with Kathy and continues his winning streak with making quick work of finding the Immunity Idol. Kathy may think Ozzy is a god, but doesn't see him find the Idol, and Ozzy pays homage to Yau-Man and leaves a false idol in it's place. It looks like our sea-god is keeping things to himself and knows it's a good idea to protect himself.

We get to the Immunity Challenge and once again the Favorites rule and easily defeat their foes. At the Fan's camp there are lots of them looking at Chet as the prime target to get rid of, until Tracy steps in and manipulates the hell out of Joel and gets him to target Mikey. The way she shamed him into taking action and playing alpha male was great, and I hope she sticks around for awhile. It does appear that there is a bit of a power shift at the Fan's camp, and there are some of them that are shocked when Mikey is sent home (he didn't see that one coming) and Chet lives to see another day. Whether or not he uses this to his advantage is another question, as he doesn't seem able to deal with being there and his time is probably limited.