LOST 5/18 — What They Died For

The Antagonist and the Protagonist

So, we did actually get a few answers tonight, but the roster of characters is getting pretty slim.  Widmore and his sidekick, Zoe, were eliminated by the new bosom buddies, UnLocke and Ben.  Richard was "smoked" (fate unknown) and Miles chose to make a run for it.

Jacob appears one last time to the Candidates, Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sawyer to explain why they have been brought to the Island:  "I brought you here because I made a mistake."  "I chose you because you were like me—you were all alone."  He goes on to explain that they were plucked from less-than-happy lives anyway, so what difference did it make (quit your whining).

Desmond was brought to the Island by Widmore as the "fail safe" because he can withstand the electromatic forces of the Island and that will undoubtedly come in handy at some point.  He has apparently been rescued from the well, but we don't know where he is. 

Jack chooses to take on the responsibility of Keeper of the Island, drinks the magic water, and becomes like Jacob (whatever that is), and the other Candidates are just glad they didn't have to be the Chosen One.

Interesting.  Good thing they extended the finale by half an hour, because they're going to need it.  I'm starting to have a bad feeling about this.......

TWO and a half MEN

There was an official press release on Monday by Charlie Sheen's publicist.  Sheen has agreed to a new, two-year contract.  Rumor was, he was holding out for $2mil per episode, but so far, there has been no comment on the $$ amount of the contract.

So, did you see the show last night?  [Spoiler Alert]  Jake had most of the best lines (Go Nads, Go Nads).  I know it's bathroom humor, but coming from a teenager, it was pretty funny.  Great to see Martin Mull and his Ojai-So High.  Remember "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman?"  Jon Cryer as Alan is becoming way too rehearsed—not spontaneous enough and just not that funny.  He was always the serious one, but I just don't know how they will be able to keep the show fresh for two more years.  The show has already seen its better days.  There is nothing like the reruns.  I've watched them so many times, I have the dialogue memorized, but I still LOL!!

Bringing back some of Charlie's most memorable girl friends was an interesting idea and it worked for me.  ZZ Top in the living room....whoa!!  And Rose, well.........don't we just love Rose to pieces.  I hope they will have Martin Sheen pop in as her father now and then.  Kudos for that brilliant casting.

And all-in-all, even though I had an uncomfortable feeling about the clock, I didn't really expect that particular ending.  Yikes.

TV Schedule 2010-2011 – Cancelled

This is what I have so far:

Trump's Celebrity Apprentice—The Final Two

Most of the comedians have already joked about this topic: 
Why is Celebrity Apprentice two hours long?
 
But the reality of the situation is—they're watching it every week, regardless.  If it was three hours long every week, they would still watch it.

As I said at the beginning of the season, Trump is still good entertainment.  This week, they brought in the original Apprentice, Bill Rancic and my favorite Celebrity Apprentice, Joan Rivers, to interrogate the final four before Trump fired two of them.  

The final two Apprentice contenders are Holly Robinson Peete and our favorite sweetie pie, Bret Michaels.  WOW!!!

So, the two-hour finale is set for next Sunday, May 23, at 9:00pm; in direct competition with the FOUR-HOUR SERIES FINALE EXTRAVAGANZA of LOST that starts at 7:00pm. Whoa—thank goodness for recording devices!!

Now it's anybody's guess.   In my opinion, the reason this show is such a success is because it is convincingly unpredictable.

The producers do give out subtle clues throughout each episode, so you sometimes get an inkling of what might happen, but quite often it is just a "smoke screen" setup and then you're hit with the shocking surprise ending.

Good for them.  I'll be blogging about Celebrity Apprentice and LOST following the finales on May 23.  Thanks for checking in—I appreciate your support!

Where You Live—vs—What You Do

Again, I'm asking myself:  "Where would I rather live?" 

I've previously discussed this topic in my blog, because I have experienced both the "where you live" and the "what you do" scenarios. 

On the one hand, I have moved to another city to do work that I enjoy doing; and on the other, I've taken whatever job was available in the town or city where I was living due to circumstances such as spousal relocations or family obligations.

In my opinion, even though a job can be a large part of one's life, one's living environment seems to have a much greater impact on personal peace of mind.  Quality of life issues can suck the life out of you and if you are putting all of your energy into dealing with no heat and/or no hot water, small living spaces with inadequate storage, crazy people who get in your face and noise pollution beyond reason—you don't have anything left for creativity!!

My creativity wants calm, quiet, and peaceful.  My cats want the same things. 

Sometimes we do have to compromise within reason, but should we?

FlashForward Might Be Cancelled

So far,  ABC has not renewed FlashForward for another season, and it most likely will be cancelled.  I don't think anyone really cares anymore.  I'm hearing zero buzz around the Web—and like I've blogged several times before—it is not holding my interest either.  

We gave it a very fair evaluation.  We gave it plenty of time.  It simmered but never boiled.  There were only two characters that had any real heat—Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport) and Olivia Benford (Sonya Walger).  Even Dominic Monaghan (our beloved Charlie from LOST, and this time playing a fairly dark character), couldn't hold it together all by himself.  Besides, he didn't get nearly enough face time.

I've cut my losses and moved on, but it is still frustrating when you have to accept you've just wasted a lot of time for nothing.  The only cure for this kind of disappointment is, forget about it, get over it, and have a great Summer!!

LOST 5/11 – Across the Sea – Jacob and MIB

I guess WOW is in order for Jacob and his twin the MIB.  Who'd a thunk it, but, here we go again.  New characters and new back stories, as though the series is going to go on forever!!  How in the world are they going to wrap this up?!?!

I saw Evangeline Lilly on Letterman last night and she hinted that the final, final ending will be similar to the way LOST ends each episode—fade to black and leaving us with lots of questions.  Great!  If that happens, there will be fans out for blood.  Could be scary for the series creators.  I'm optimistic they won't do that to us.  It was just a joke.  It was just a joke. It was just a joke. 

She was also on Jimmy Fallon tonight—definitely making the rounds.  Why?  Do they think no one will watch the finale if they don't promote it? 

Everyone is jumping on the fan wagon now that the series is ending.  Jimmy Fallon and "LATE" is awesome, but hey, where was the love during the anxiety years!!  The devotees, were there!!

Okay LOSTies, thanks for reading and good luck with those expectations.

LOST 5/4 – Well, that SUCKED!!

That was just too much!  But as always, it was unpredictable, and that counts for a lot.  I never thought  they would kill off any more of the main characters, but what do I know.  Tonight, we lost, Sayid, Lapidus, and Jin and Sun.

Now, we're down to Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Claire and Desmond—and of course, Whitmore and Flocke.

And—what happened to Miles and Richard, and also Ben?

Two more Tuesday-night episodes and then the 2.5-hour finale (how is that even possible—is it starting early, or ending late?) on Sunday, May 23. 

Tell me this will all be worth it.

I'm holding my breath, and hopefully, I won't drown...........

Summer Sanders

Last night's Celebrity Apprentice was uneventful.  Everyone got along and both groups produced well-performed radio spots for the client.

I was surprised that the client picked the team that "cracked" a joke about their plumbing business, but apparently they thought the spots were livelier or more memorable, and they really liked the voice over done by Bret Michaels.

In the end, Summer Sander's team, was the losing team.  No one seems to like Curtis Stone that much, but I can see why they (the show's producers) didn't want to lose one of the last two men standing, so, Summer was expendable; and since she was the project manager, it was justifiable, and she had to be fired.

Next week, they'll be reorganizing the teams again and Curtis will be transferred to the team where he is least liked.  That should stir things up, unless he produces some phenomenal results for his team.  They will be decorating a room.  That should be interesting!

Calvin Borel Rides to Kentucky Derby Victory on Super Saver

Churchill Downs, May 1, 2010 — I'm not really a big fan of horse racing or any sport that involves animals, but the Kentucky Derby is hard to resist.  I almost always watch it live. 

I've seen several interviews with Calvin Borel, and he has such a heart-tugging back story, you can't help but love the guy.  I was thrilled to see him win again.  Wow!