American Idol, 11 remaining

So tonight I went out with someone I went to high school (high school!) with and maybe had a little more than half a pitcher of sangria. But worry not--I will blog on.

Amanda Overmeyer, "Back in the USSR." I am really starting to hate her her. Her lower register sucks and she couldn't come close to the range required by this song. She did absolutely nothing for the song. Blech. She really sucked (did I say that already...perhaps too much sangria?). And, as I thought would happen, Simon has started to call Amanda boring for doing the same thing every week, despite praising her for the same crap a couple of weeks ago.

Kristy Lee Cook. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away." Gobo just asked "how is this girl still here? I thought she was kicked off." Alas, no. This was pretty bad, with the bright and happy "Hey!" and then the full rest. As with many Idol contestants, it's like she just doesn't get the song she is singing.

David Archuleta. "The Long and Winding Road." I was going to guess he would be singing "Hey Jude" or "Yesterday," as I guessed last week. But...what's up Idol? Why is he not singing first or last? Oh. "The Long and Winding Road." That should have been a third choice, next to "Hey Jude" or "Yesterday." What can I say? He has a good voice, but...no soul, if that doesn't sound too cheesy. I don't consider pumping a fist close to your side during "emotional" parts of the song to be heartfelt.

Michael Johns. "A Day in the Life." This will be interesting--it's a phenomenal Beatles song, and a difficult one, since it is really two different songs (one by Lennon, one by McCartney). But...I kind of hated it. And he messed up his words too ("having read the book" twice).

Brooke White. "Here Comes the Sun." Another great Beatles song. The shoulder shimmying was a little much, and I do like her better when she has a guitar or piano in front of her, but I still liked her (not as much as in the past few weeks), and definitely preferred her over any of her predecessors. The judges definitely ripped her, at which point Gobo said "poor Brooke." He has decided he likes her, even though he's "not sure she meets the age limit."

David Cook. "Daytripper." Gobo isn't sure David meets the age limit either, for the record. Why does David's guitar say "AC?" Would I know this if I didn't fast forward past the intro segments and the bits where they talk with Ryan? I didn't think this was close to his best performance, but was still pretty decent. (Uh oh, I sounded kind of like Randy!)

Carly Smithson. "Blackbird." Another really great Beatles song, which should be an excellent choice. She did a pretty straight version of the song, which was probably the right choice. She sounded good, although it didn't really move me.

Jason Castro. "My Michelle." I thought he sounded good, but he needs to stay away from the teenybopper choices if he wants to be taken seriously (which is what I think he wants). And I'm a little surprised he chose this, because it is not my favorite Beatles song, and I didn't think it would be his either. It's a little fluffy.

Syesha Mercado. "Yesterday." If she's singing "Yesterday," I'm guessing she will be sitting on the Stool of Seriousness. And she is! But, as much as I have liked Syesha in the past, I just don't think she can do the Beatles (because the past two weeks have been my least favorite of hers). I am definitely not the fan the judges were of this performance--it just felt too embellished.

Chikeze. "I've Just Seen a Face." I really love Chikeze more and more each episode. He made this song a psuedo-country song, and I still really liked it. I didn't think he deserved the extreme criticism of the judges.

Ramiele Mulubay. She is just so awkward on stage. Her voice sounded good, but her performance is just wooden. No matter how great her voice sounds, I can't get past her "dancing" and performance. Maybe she should start sitting on the Stool of Seriousness?

Who will go home: Kristy Lee Cook. It's just time. But if they send Amanda home, I wouldn't cry any tears.

Best of the night: David Cook. And I didn't even like him that much. But it was a pretty mediocre night. Oh, and Chikezie, despite Simon's dislike of the performance.

Happy birthday!

Final four in the Amazing Race, which means the season is almost over. I feel like this season has gone by really quickly. And I loved this episode.

Why? Spoilers ahead! It seemed really fast-paced and most of the teams ran really good legs. There was a little bunching, but not a ton, so if you raced well you could control your own destiny. As for my more specific thoughts:

Ron and Christina ran a great leg. I haven't loved Ron because of the way he treats Christina, but I give him a lot of credit for recognizing his weaknesses and actually trying to improve himself. It was so nice when he said that Christina has helped him to become a better person. And he's right! I have watched this show since season one and I have never seen a contestant grow and change the way Ron has. One gripe--at one point during the race Christina said she and Ron were going to "play mum," and Ron repeated her. Christina is smart and well-educated, so I wonder whether I am wrong here, but "play mum" is not a phrase people use, right? I thought it was "keep mum." But "play mum?" I don't think so.

Ron and Christina's knowledge of Chinese was a nice plus in this leg. Gobo didn't think it was fair that they could actually read the clue at the bottom of the tea cup while the other teams couldn't, but I say that's part of what they bring to the race. Some teams are fast, some are strong, and they happen to be able to read and speak the language one of the clues is written in. Gobo thought it was one thing for them to be able to navigate the country better because of their language skills, but another that the actual clue was written in a language only they understood. Obviously, I don't agree. (Gobo also thought that Ron would have no problems running over the rocks at the detour because he assumed that his feet were "old" and therefore rough and calloused. He was right about that!)

Nick and Don seem just as surprised as everyone else that they are still in this race. I am not big fans of them, but I wouldn't be sad if they win it all for two reasons: they got those tattoos (I would have gone back and completed the leg rather than doing that, surely coming in last), and I'm impressed that Nick has been able to carry Don's bag so much. Gobo pointed out that Nick and Don appear to have packed very lightly, and he's right, but it's still impressive.

TK and Rachel remain my favorite team, and I was happy when I realized that the bunching at the beginning of the leg would help them. But I also liked that the bunching didn't get them all the way there, and they still needed to run a good leg to catch up. (Was I the only one confused about why the teams were sneaking around to try to beat each other to the elevator after waiting for the site to open for two and a half hours? It didn't make sense that they wouldn't all be lined up.) It was obvious at the beginning of the leg that Rachel had completely lost confidence in herself after the previous leg, with her constant concern that they were going the wrong way. But once they caught up to everyone else, you could almost see the confidence come back. It was unclear whether they ended up on the same flight as Nate and Jen and Nick and Don, or if they were on the one that left 15 minutes later, but I suspect it was the former and the show didn't tell us to build the suspense. I loved that they ended up ahead of Jen and Nate in the customs line because Jen and Nate decided to change their money, but it did make me wonder when teams do things like change money. You never see that happen, but it must at some point.

It seems the other racers really have issues with TK's hair, between Jen wanting to pull his dreds out and Nick wanting to shave his beard off. If I were TK, I would sleep very lightly. TK and Rachel obviously ran a really good leg, and I continue to like the addition of the speedbump to the race. It really could make the difference between winning and losing, but it is also surmountable. I was surprised at Rachel's reluctance to drink the hot tea, complaining that it would burn her mouth and she wouldn't be able to taste anything. At this point in the race, would you possibly care about that? Not that it mattered, as they managed what I thought was an impressive second place finish.

And that brings us to Jen and Nate. At the beginning of the episode Jen said they had to race hard and it wouldn't be "nice" Jen and Nate. Were they ever nice Jen and Nate? I must have missed those episodes. There were some classic Nate and Jen moments in this episode. I have trouble believing that Nate thought Thailand and Taiwan are the same place, but it does appear that way (saying he doesn't know much about Taiwan, except that he likes Thai food and has a Thai friend). And then there was Jen's anger at TK and Rachel for catching up. I can understand being frustrated, but she really seemed to take it as a personal affront that TK and Rachel were trying to catch up. That's kind of what the race is about.

What I found most shocking was their choice to take a subway and bus instead of a cab. No matter how congested streets are, taking a subway and then having to switch to a bus is rarely the right choice, and I was really surprised that they went that route. I was even more surprised when they got to the street and couldn't decide whether they should take a cab or a bus. How is a bus EVER faster than a cab? Both vehicles drive, but the bus has the make stops and the cab doesn't. It appeared that there was a designated bus lane, so that could speed things up, but still--the bus makes stops. Unless they were told that the bus' next stop was theirs and that the bus would drop them off as close to their destination as a cab would, why would you possibly choose the bus? The best part, of course, was the fight they had over this "difficult" decision, with Jen telling Nate that he was the "man," and apparently this meant he should be making the decision. Way to fall back on gender stereotypes when it suits you, Jen! I loved the looks on the faces of the bystanders watching them as they fought. They seemed stunned. Classic.

Of course, the end result was Jen and Nate's elimination. Happy birthday, Jen!

It's been so long...an Amazing Race post!

I can't believe I haven't posted about the Amazing Race this entire season. My only excuse is that I have been busy. Sorry (and spoilers ahead).

I have been enjoying this season, although it lacks some of the big personalities of years past. Even the couple everyone hates, Jen and Nate (at least, I assume they are the couple everyone hates) isn't quite as hate-worthy as some couples past (Jonathan and Victoria, anyone?). Of course, that's not to say they aren't annoying. Jen seems incredibly jealous whenever Nate mentions other women, which is understandable considering we know he cheated on her. Regardless, at some point they are going to have to get past the cheating and she is going to need to be more trusting. I wonder how long ago the cheating happened. They really aren't very nice to each other, and I wonder whether they even like each other at all anymore, or if they are just in their relationship out of habit.

I am a big fan of TK and Rachel, mainly because they are so nice to each other. When Rachel messed up, forgetting to take the clue with her, it was obvious T.K. was frustrated. But he didn't scream at her or call her names. They put their annoyance aside and moved on with the race. What a concept! I'm definitely pushing for them as the ultimate victors.

As for our other pairs, I'm not the biggest fan of Nick and Don. Don just annoys me and can you believe that Nick is actually two years older than T.K.? He looks like he's 16! As for Christina and Ron (who sounds exactly like Mr. Wasanasan from King of the Hill), I doubt my opinion that Ron treats his daughter poorly and she seems like a nice person who has been putting up with his behavior for years is a novel one.

Which leaves us with the now-departed Kynt and Vyxsin. First off, I wonder if they have something against vowels. Or maybe a particular affinity to the letter y? Is this a goth thing about which I am unaware? Is the only reason the female half of the team doesn't spell her name "Vyxsyn" is the fact that with an i she can have the word "sin" in her name? And am I the only one out there who doesn't believe they are an actual romantic couple? I know many have questioned Kynt's sexuality, but I wouldn't be surprised if he were straight. Rather, they just don't seem like they are anything but platonic friends to me. I don't think we ever saw them kiss and even when they hugged it was usually a squeeze around the shoulders. It could just be that they aren't into PDA (I'm with them on that), but they really seemed to lack chemistry.

Unfortunately, they also lacked brains in the last leg of the race. I like the new speedbump addition to the race--it seems to be the best punishment for coming in last in a non-elimination leg that they have come up with. It gives the team a bit more control of their own destiny than the 30 minute time charge if you don't come in first, and taking their clothes and money always seemed pretty ineffective. And Kynt and Vyxsin managed to complete their speedbump quickly and even got ahead of Nate and Jen after the speedbump, beating them to the yield.

Which is where the stupidity came in. When Kynt and Vyxsin caught up to Nate and Jen after completing their speedbump they were shocked that they weren't way behind all of the other teams. So when they got to the yield they chose to yield...Don and Nick? Huh? I just don't understand why they thought Don and Nick were behind them. And even if they thought there was a chance that was the case, they acknowledged that they didn't know for certain. So why not yield the team they knew was trailing them?

Of course, Nate and Jen ended up passing them and Kynt and Vyxsin came in last. They were a good team and rarely got annoyed with each other. I thought Kynt leaned on Vyxsin a bit much, but the dynamic worked for them and they didn't seem dysfunctional. But they made a really dumb mistake, and so they deserved to go home.

I can't believe the season has gone by so quickly. Phil mentioned there were two non-elimination legs this race, so I am guessing the next one comes next week. We'll see!

What's Going on with the Amazing Race?

This season of The Amazing Race has really suffered from some poor planning. It started 4 weeks ago with the Sign It v. Navigate It detour in Punta Arenas, where everyone who chose the latter (and even two teams who tried both) finished before the only team to complete the former. Then the same thing happened the next week in Mozambique with the Pamper v. Porter. Obviously, the two choices can't have the exact same degree of difficulty, but it would be nice if they would be close -- even if they require different skills -- so that the difference between winning and losing isn't just having made a lucky guess about which Detour to do.

Then, last week was sort of a disaster with teams ending up more than 12 hours apart just because some teams got on the standby list like a minute before others did. This, in turn, forced the producers to conjure up a transparently phony "storm" to prevent Mirna and Charla from being even farther ahead. I wonder what the deal was there, but it seems like the producers should reserve seats on various flights just to make sure that they don't get so spaced out (like they did with the trip from Ushuaia to Mozambique and tried to do from Zanzibar to Warsaw).

This carried over into this week's first episode. To give the producers credit, if the final two teams had made their connection as planned, they would only have been 2 hours behind the lead team and it would have been a closer leg. Did anyone else get the impression that there was a Road Block in there somewhere that got edited out? If not, it's not clear how Joe and Bill ended up an hour and half behind Eric and Danielle.

With the help of more blatant producer-created bunching, things were back on track with only 4 hours separating the top and bottom teams. I really question the combination of an Intersection, a Fast Forward, and a 4 hour gap, following a non-elimination leg. First, the only interesting thing about a Fast Forward is that you're taking a risk that you can't do it (either because it's too hard or someone else has already done it). But that risk doesn't really exist when you know that you have a 4-hour lead. Second, I just don't see how Joe and Bill could have made up half an hour unless one of the other teams totally screwed up. The only way this could possibly have worked is if the two lead teams decided not to go for the Fast Forward.

All of that being said, this is still some quality television. I've never been a fan of the eating challenges, but that polish sausage one was hilarious. How can you not like the BQs after that? And the armor, although I can't believe they missed the chance to dress Phil up in armor. That would have been awesome.

Go Danny and Oswald and BQs!

Worst Leg Ever

Warning: Amazing Race: All Stars spoilers ahead.

I can barely blog about what happened on the Race last night. In fact, I don't think I can manage more than a few sentences on the subject. It sucked. It really, really sucked. To see Rob and Amber make more mistakes than they made in the first three legs of this race, along with the entire season 7 combined, was upsetting. But to watch them lose to Mirna and Charla in a needle-in-a-haystack challenge was just too depressing. It almost makes me not want to watch. Except that would be insane.

At least they had a good attitude about it.

And I now offically hate Uchenna. What was up with his adoration of Mirna and Charla?? And saying that they beat out Rob and Amber as some sort of karma? Because Mirna and Charla are such nice people and ethical racers? Gag.

From here on out I'm cheering for the Beauty Queens, with a little Cha Cha Cha and Guidos thrown in for good measure.

ETA: I loved that the letter to the Beauty Queens didn't come from Lyn and Karlyn, but rather only Lyn signed it. And I particularly loved the BQ's classification of Karlyn as the "less warm" member of Team 'Bama. Quite the understatement. I was hoping that Emily and Nancy would have drafted the letter to Team Guido (and Nancy could have told them she was hoping they weren't shoving any other old ladies), but Frank's was pretty classic. I thought it was interesting that Margarita didn't sign the letter. I'm guessing that their relationship didn't make it after all. And how could Flo have stopped herself from being snarky in the letter to Teri and Ian? Couldn't she have at least told Ian to try his best not to be an Ugly American during the competition?

The last mistake I would ever make...

[Amazing Race: All Stars spoilers ahead]

...would be failing to give the credit card security code to someone when they will be ordering for me online. But that's exactly what three teams did on the most recent episode of the Race. Anyone who ever orders anything online knows you need to provide the three-digit security code on the back of the card (or the four-digit code on the front of an Am Ex) to complete your order. So why didn't Eric and Danielle, Terri and Ian or Team Cha Cha Cha provide the code to Uchenna and Joyce? Am I supposed to believe Danielle has never ordered anything online? Because I would have thought that would be her one potential contribution to this team. And surely Cha Cha Cha have done so. Ridiculous. At least the Guidos knew the code was needed. Of course, when they gave the code to Joyce, you would think perhaps she would have asked the other teams for their codes. It might have been a strategy move, but with Joyce, I don't think it was. I think she's just clueless.

Danielle is truly dead weight on her team. Has she contributed anything yet? I thought that the fish task was incredibly upsetting (those poor fish!), but she was such a baby about it. And she is the only female racer who acts that way, other than Mirna. I knew Amber wouldn't be a baby about it. Or the BQs. Or Teri. Or Mary. However, Dave decided to take the task, which I suspected would be a bad idea. But I was wrong. He sucked it up ad went quickly, although not as quickly as the BQ (I couldn't figure out which was doing the task).

Although Mary isn't a wimp, she is horrible in many other ways. The whole "being friends" thing is so old, particularly when she gets hurt and cries about it. Enough already! And she always screams at Dave, like when she yelled at him to keep driving when he (correctly) thought they had gone too far.

Of course, Mary's stupidity and "friendliness" is what ultimately did her team in this week. Well, that and their bad driving and directional skills. When they finished rafting (which Mary really seemed to work hard at) they knew the next stop was a pit stop. So when they saw Charla and Mirna frantically searching their car for their keys, why did Mary say anything? Why not just get in the car and drive? Charla and Mirna probably would have continued to search that car and their bodies for another twenty minutes before they decided to go to the tent to find the keys. But Mary told them the keys were in the tent, ensuring they would immediately go there and cutting down the time advantage they had over the cousins. Of course, they should have still beaten Charla and Mirna to the pit stop, but I guess they must have done something wrong in finding it, which is why Charla and Mirna were able to beat them. But at that point, David and Mary deserved to be eliminated. Good riddance.

Team Guido ran a horrendous leg this time. They were on the first flight out, but fell really far behind. Not good at all. I hope they pick it up. And I also hope that they start getting a little meaner. I don't like these nice Guidos as much!

Running a great leg, of course, were Rob and Amber. Although we did see Rob get lost, which basically never happens, they still managed to finish first. Again. I also thought that Uchenna and Joyce ran a decent leg. Sure they got lost, but only once and not for long. And Dustin and Kandace recovered well after missing their clue and having to go back and get it.

As for next week, I can only hope for a Charla and Mirna elimination. I don't enjoy watching them--they just stress me out. I can't stand their hypocrisy. And Charla has become absolutely ridiculous. She always seemed sane next to Mirna, but now she is truly just as bad.

The lone junkette

I fear this will be a sad week in the blogosphere for Pop Culture Junkette. Bailey and Holt are on a very extended vacation, although they have been making a valiant effort to post from time-to-time. Wilder hasn't posted in over a month. And Isaac is on vacation this week as well. Which means you all are stuck with a whole lot of Red Fraggle.

And any reader of this blog had to expect Red Fraggle's first post of this week would be about The Amazing Race All Stars, right? Here goes (spoilers ahead).

Going into this Race, I knew I would be cheering for Rob and Amber and the Beauty Queens. I love that both teams were strong racers and that they actually respect each other as teammates. I would love to see Rob and Amber win, since I still think they were totally robbed in season seven (and were so dominant that season), but I would love to see the Beauty Queens win it all as the first female team. Although I thought one of the racers (I can't remember who) had a great point when they said they expected the season ten teams would get worn down more quickly, since they basically went from one race directly into another.

Of course, on the other side of that coin are Kevin and Drew. Sure, it's been about five years since they last raced. And they weren't all that physically fit back in 2001. But didn't they at least try to get in shape a little bit before this race? It doesn't seem so. The fact that one of them (Drew, I think; I always have trouble telling them apart) was outrun by a midget is quite a testament to his physical preparation for the Race.

There were some interesting changes in some of the teams. Rob telling the shuttle bus driver to stop for Team Cha Cha Cha at the airport? Unheard of (particularly when all of the other teams were telling their drivers to keep going)! David and Mary doing respectably? Shocking!

It was also nice to see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Uchenna and Joyce? Confused and lost! Mirna? Face full of make-up and hair falling in tumbling waves. Ian? Stupid hat and obnoxious attitude. Rob and Amber? First place throughout almost the entire leg (and wearing red again).

I was sad that we didn't see more of the Guidos, and I thought that Eric and Dani did really well, ending up on the last bus (four teams left on a 7 a.m. bus, four on a 7:15 and three on a 7:30) but still coming into the pit stop in fourth place. It must be strange for Eric, who was almost never out of the top two spots throughout season nine, to find himself so far behind so quickly. But they had a nice recovery. Of course, I was saddest to see Jon-Vito and Jill go. I was so shocked when I learned they weren't still together, and I was hoping we would get to see them grow close through the Race. But it does sound as if they both think they might want to get back together. They are so nice, one can't help but root for them.

In all, it was an okay episode, but I was expecting more excitement to start. I do still have high hopes for the season as a whole. And remember--be sure to set your DVR to end the recording an hour after the scheduled time because the Race was again pushed off by a sporting event running too long earlier in the night.

A Very Special Day

Guess what today is?  The first birthday of this here blog. Yay!  Happy blogiversary!

Holt and I are in Thailand. There is not much to report on the pop culture front. In Phuket, we were able to catch a couple of old episodes of The Amazing Race. It was the season with Rob and Amber, and I rekindled my love for the brothers Brian and Greg, just in time to see them eliminated. We also learned that apparently Asia got to see the episodes of "Kidnapped" that were never shown in America, which doesn't seem fair.

Manchester United is mysteriously popular here. They announced while we were boarding our flight from Phuket to Bangkok today that Thai Air Asia is the official airline of Man U. And Holt saw a door for sale with the Man U logo carved in it.  What's up with that Thailand?

I'm now in my extremely awesome hotel room in Bangkok (it has a hammock and sand), watching a bizarre looking sport called Kabaddi, which looks sort of like Red Rover.

The Amazing Race All Stars: the teams are announced

The Amazing Race has finally announced all of the teams that will be competing in their All-Star edition. Looks like earlier reports that Colin and Christie would be returning were false, which is disappointing: they were a really strong team, so despite how annoying they were, it would have been nice to see them return.

The teams:
Team Guido (I am most excited about this)
Kevin and Drew (if you have the Guidos, you have to have Kevin and Drew as well)
Team Cha Cha Cha (I know my friend "Willis Jackson" will be thrilled)
Jon-Vito and Jill (unfortunately, they broke up as a couple in real life)
Teri and Ian (the classic Ugly Americans, I'm disappointed they made it)
Charla and Mirna (I'm excited to see how many incredibly difficult challenges Mirna will force Charla to do while she sits around and complains)
Rob and Amber (I still think that, along with Eric and Jeremy, they ran the best race from start-to-finish, and I actually like them)
Uchenna and Joyce (they are the only champions to make the cut, and I think they are a horrible choice, as they were probably the weakest team to ever win)
David and Mary (totally undeserving)
Beauty Queens (I was hoping they would make it--I would love to see them win it all)
Eric the Frat Guy and Dani, one half of the blondes from Long Island, both from season ten (this is the only "new" team, in that they had other partners when they first ran the race--they are now dating and I think it should be interesting)

The season starts on February 18. I am most disappointed that the Mormon Sisters won't be competing, but I am still incredibly excited.

I can't help myself!

It looks like Rob and Amber's new reality show, Against the Odds, will be premiering in a week. In it, Rob and Amber head to Las Vegas where Rob will become a professional poker player. (As a side note, doesn't Amber look odd and not at all Amber-like in the photo on Fox's website?)

It sounds pretty crappy, and it is on Fox Reality (which I'm not even sure I get), but I don't think I'll be able to resist. I really couldn't stand Rob or Amber on their respective Survivor series, and I was pretty indifferent to them in Survivor: All Stars, but I loved them on The Amazing Race.

Speaking of, shouldn't the Amazing Race All-Stars season be starting up really soon? Can't wait!

The final pit stop on a race around the world

Spoilers ahead

When the competitors on The Amazing Race learned their final pit stop would be in Garrison, NY, I found it funny. I had just been in Garrison a few hours earlier, at a family party. But when Phil said it would be at St. Basil's Academy, my jaw literally dropped. Although I grew up only a few minutes from St. Basil's, almost no one where I am from has ever even heard of it. And it was the final pit stop on a race around the world?!

I am very familiar with St. Basil's. It is a boarding school for underprivileged children of Greek descent in Garrison, NY. Three of my cousins attended St. Basil's through the eighth grade and my grandmother worked (and for a time, lived) there as a dorm supervisor.

There is also a Greek Orthodox church on the grounds, which my family goes to every year for Easter services (and sometimes midnight mass on Christmas). As I said to Gobo, if we were in the final three on the Race last night, we would have totally won because I would have had zero problems getting us to Garrison. It was particularly cool when the cabbies were talking about directions and I knew whether they were going in the right direction (they were).

A few other thoughts on last night's race:

I was surprised to feel this way, but I was sad that (Kar)lyn didn't make that final plane. They didn't even get their chance to really compete for the prize. It was impressive that they were the first female team to complete the race, although "making history" might have been a bit of an overstatement.

Rob's fixation on not being able to skydive was incredibly annoying. Here's a thought: when you get home, sign up for a tandem skydive, and just do it. You can find companies that take you out in almost any city and it isn't that expensive. It's not like Rob missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity there. So just shut up.

I found the sewing challenge interesting, although it was unsurprising that two people who are often fitted and probably watch seamstresses do their work regularly and two moms who probably sew a good deal beat out Rob and Kimberly, who probably have very little experience with a needle and thread. I do think Rob and Kimberly would have been faster had Kimberly allowed Rob to help, but obviously she thought it was easier to do it her way. James and Tyler's reaction to finishing first ("we're models!") and Rob's reaction when Kimberly was shocked that they finished ("they're models!") was the most comedic moment of the night.

So much of this final leg of the Race came down to flights. I will never understand how (Kar)lyn passed Rob and Kimberly when their flight got into Paris an hour and a half later. Sure, Orly may be closer to the city than Charles de Gaulle, but it isn't that much closer. Of course, (Kar)lyn's travel inexperience was apparent when they returned to Orly to get an international flight and found out that de Gaulle was the way to go. Most travelers who have been to France know that de Gaulle is the international airport. And in the end, it might have been that mistake that cost them the ability to compete in New York, as they were the last team to get to the airport, the last on the waiting list, and the only team not to make the flight. Having said that, I do wonder how much pull the producers of the Race had in getting James and Tyler on that final flight. Had Rob and Kimberly been the only team to make it, the entire final leg of the race, from NYC to St. Basil's, would have been very anti-climactic.

I also think that this is the first time a long-distance run has ever really factored into the final leg(s) of the race. Running two miles from Times Square to Union Station isn't that easy, and it struck me that I had never seen teams do something similar in the past.

I know a lot of people thought that the final episode was boring, but I didn't. I was totally stressed the entire time, and the St. Basil's inclusion completely made my day. I hear that All-Stars will be premiering in February (I was so sad they didn't show any scenes from it at the end of the episode). I am so happy I only have to wait two months!

The Amazing Race All Stars: the dream becomes reality

Six months ago I posted about my dream for The Amazing Race All Stars, and lamented the fact that host Phil Keoghan had stated he didn't think it would happen for a long time. I guess Phil is just a big kidder, because it turns out that filming for an all star version of the Race has already begun!

And what's better are that the few teams mentioned as participating were already on my list of ideal teams to watch--specifically, Rob and Amber (arguably the best team to ever race) and Colin and Christie (incredibly strong competitors, although incredibly annoying) are confirmed as competitors.

Also great news: Jonathan and Victoria (The Most Annoying Team Ever) will not be joining us. Chip and Kim, season five winners, weren't invited back either, and although I liked them as a team, they didn't make my top 12 list (they weren't even among my three runner-ups), so I'm not crying. BJ and Tyler, the winners from last season, also didn't make the cut, but that doesn't bother me. They did make my top 12 list, but that was based on the fact that they finished in either first or second place (with the Frats, Eric and Jeremy, finishing right next to them) in basically every leg of the race. I'm definitely not sad that they weren't included, although I will be sad if Eric and Jeremy didn't make the cut.

One disappointing fact: David and Mary, aka Team Kentucky (the coal miner and his wife) from the current season, will be competing. I find it unfortunate, because they were a very weak team. I guess they were chosen because they were considered fan favorites, although I thought Mary was kind of annoying, and assumed others did as well. And if they think they are going to be able to make an alliance on All Stars with teams who will wait around for them to finish every task, as they did this season with the hapless Cho Brothers, I would recommend think again.

I hope that CBS releases some real information on who the All Star competitors are. For those too lazy to read my original post on the subject, my choices were:
1. Rob and Amber (season 7)
2. Eric and Jeremy (season 9)
3. Colin and Christie (season 5)
4. Team Guido (Bill and Joe) (season 1)
5. Kevin and Drew (the original frats) (season 1)
6. Emily and Nancy (season 1)
7. Lena and Kristy (The Mormon Sisters) (season 6)
8. Flo and Zach (season 3)
9. BJ and Tyler (season 9)
10. Rob and Brennan (season 1)
11. Danny and Oswald (Team Cha Cha Cha) (season 2)
12. Blake and Paige (season 2)

Alternates
The Bowling Moms (Karen and Linda) (season 5)
Jill and John-Vito (season 3)
Tara and Will (season 2)

ETA: It gets better!!!!! According to this article, Joe and Bill (Team Guido!) will be competing, as will Jon-Vito and Jill. Not on my list, but competing, are Charla and Mirna (the little person and her pushy cousin--I was close to putting them on my wishlist, so I'm happy about this) and season 7 winners Uchenna and Joyce (I think they were the weakest team to ever win the Race, and they lacked charisma, so I'm not thrilled about their inclusion, but I'm not surprised, since Uchenna is now listed as a producer of the Race). I'm really hoping that they include season 1's Kevin and Drew--Team Guido definitely needs a foil. And it looks like Rob and Brennan (season 1 winners) won't be included, which makes me even more hopeful that Kevin and Drew will be. Rob and Brennan made my list, but only because I thought there would be some sense of loyalty in including the first winners of the Race. However, much like Chip and Kim and Uchenna and Joyce, they lacked charisma and I can definitely do without them.

Sexism and racism on The Amazing Race

Just some quick thoughts on the Race, after watching last night's episode (spoilers ahead).

Every team has professed some level of dislike for the Beauty Queens. The Addicts don't seem to have as much animosity toward them as Rob and Kimberly and (Kar)lyn, but it is clear no one likes them. And the hatred really seems out of proportion with anything the Queens have done. Let's think about their transgressions up until this point.

Sure, they haven't aligned themselves with any other team. But until recently, neither had the Addicts or Rob and Kimberly. They run their own race and are super-competitive. But so what? It's a race: they should be really competitive. And even if not all teams chose to play that way (see The Cho Bros.), surely one can't be annoyed when a team decides they really want to win the race, right? Have they sabotaged any other teams? No. Have they lied to anyone? Not that I can remember? Have they broken any Race rules? Nope. In fact, I can't think of anything they have done while running the Race that is even questionable. So what gives?

I chalk a lot of it up to sexism. The Beauty Queens know they are a really strong team, and they don't make a secret of it. They are very confident. They are totally unapologetic about wanting to win not only the whole Race, but every leg that they can. If they were a male team, I think that no one would bat an eyelash. In fact, they would be applauded for being good racers. But coming from two blonde beauty pageant winners, the other teams decide their confidence is cockiness and their competitiveness is in some way nasty, and they are therefore vilified.

Of course, I'm rooting for them to win the whole thing. It's great seeing a team of two women excel in the Race. Sure, (Kar)lyn have also gotten this far and are also women, but they have run a very different race than the Beauty Queens. The Queens haven't ridden on anyone's coattails. They haven't expected other teams to help them. They haven't exhibited (Kar)lyn's passive-aggressive behavior (i.e., complaining when the Cho Bros. stopped to ask for directions sixteen times, but not attempting to get their own directions). And they aren't hypocrites. For the first half of last night's episode, (Kar)lyn went on about how they wanted to yeild the Beauty Queens. But when the Queens beat them to the mat and yeiled (Kar)lyn, (Kar)lyn complained about how it showed "poor character" when the Queens yeilded them. Oh, and unlike (Kar)lyn, the Beauty Queens don't think a higher power wants them in the race. So I'm definitely not cheering for (Kar)lyn.

I admit that I wouldn't be sad if the Addicts won the whole thing either, but it would be great to see two women win. However, the Beauty Queens do have one habit I really don't like. They call (Kar)lyn "The Sistahs." Whenever they do, I cringe. It just sounds very racist. And I wonder what they are thinking when they do this. They know they are going to be shown on television. And they must know how racist they sound. And yet they continue to do this. Bailey thinks that it is possible (Kar)lyn has called themselves "the sistahs" off-camera, and the Beauty Queens are merely copying them. I hope Bailey is right, because I do lose a little love for the Beauty Queens every time they use the term.

Finally, some props to (Kar)lyn for running a really strong leg. They were in first at one point, which was the first time in the entire race they had been the first team to get a clue. In fact, they have been bottom-dwellers for so long that Rob and Kimberly assumed that the Beauty Queens had been the first team to get to the clue, never even considering the possibility that (Kar)lyn could have done so. And they also managed to get past being yeilded and end up in second place. Good for them. But I hope they go home next week.

Two episodes left. I'm very excited! I'm hoping that the Beauty Queens manage to overcome the potential 30 minute penalty, and that James doesn't continue being the weaker Addict (he was the only competitor who had trouble getting a flag in yesterday's challenge, and just always seems to struggle, much to Tyler's chagrin).

There should really be a rule against this

I was reading Us Weekly (the actual magazine, not the blog), and it looks like Jonathan and Victoria, the Most Obnoxious Couple Ever from The Amazing Race, have had a baby.

I really pity this child. And as if being stuck with these annoying, loud, dysfunctional and potentially abusive people as her parents isn't enough, they have named the child Trease Alynette.

Poor, poor baby.

Amazing Race

I've been meaning to post about this week's episode of The Amazing Race. A few quick points:

1. Didn't Phil look super cute in his khaki shirt in Chennai?

2. I'm so happy that they have changed the rule about what happens if you come in last in a non-elimination leg. No longer will we be forced to watch people begging in impoverished countries or throwing on all of their clothes as they run to the finish line. Not only was this not good television, but I can't think of a time that it mattered. There is almost always a bunching point near the beginning of a leg, which lets people collect money and catch up to other teams. And the lack of stuff never mattered, especially since they always seem to supply them clothing for the cold-weather destinations.

And the new penalty has the potential of making the ending of the next leg pretty interesting, unless Dave and Mary stay at the back of the pack.

3. If given a choice between wrangling a crocodile and putting rice flour in an elaborate pattern, who in their right minds would choose the latter? Sure, you don't know how far it's going to be and all that, but croc-wrangling!

4. I get tired of all of the drama about whether people should tell each other about their flight plans. It's not a question of right or wrong because (a) it's a race and (b) it's not selfish not to share, because doing so has an equal chance of hurting you -- you could just as easily be on the worse flight, and you're forgoing the chance to find out. Given that, no one should be all indignant when other teams don't want to share, and -- equally -- it's stupid to be all coy about it; just say "We're not telling."

5. I sort of like Tyler and James. They seem to have really dry sense of humor, and so far they have not shown the arrogance that we've seen from a lot of the alpha male teams in the past. Although I could do with a little less recovery talk.

Insensitivity on a reality show?

Who would have thought?

Last night, one of the challenges on The Amazing Race led the participants to the "Hanoi Hilton"--where Vietnam POWs were held and tortured. And it really struck me as wrong that the teams were running around the place, searching frantically for their clue, when it was a place of such misery for so many people.

The Cho Bros. actually did take some time to pay their respects, as it were. And I don't blame the other teams for not doing so--they were racing, after all. But the whole situation just left me feeling a little unsettled, and I wondered why the challenge couldn't have just been in another place. I know that in the past, the Race has informed teams when they couldn't run or shout in a particular place (usually because it has religious significance). I can understand not wanting to do that here, but if that were the case, couldn't they have just skipped it all together?

Did anyone else feel unsettled when watching this last night?

If you were going to compete on the Amazing Race...

wouldn't you learn to drive a manual transmission? I mean, really, right? It's the one thing you know you are going to have to do while racing. And every season some team screws up and can't drive its car. So you would think that after watching the same fate befall the team who can't drive a manual season after season would really ensure that every new team knows how to do this at the start of the Race. But every single season, someone messes it up. Again. (You know there are spoilers ahead.)

Who messed it up this season? Cheerleaders and theology students Jamie and Kellie. (And wouldn't it just have to be Kellie with an "ie?" Of course it would.) In episode one, the very first thing they did was have trouble with getting their car into gear. And so why am I surprised that they are gone this week? I guess because (Kar)Lyn (yes, the team name for the single moms is from here on out "(Kar)Lyn"--I don't know how I failed to notice this last week and instead called them "Team Alabama") seemed liked more likely candidates for elimination because of their level of physical fitness.

I won't mourn the loss of the cheerleaders. We can do without another ignorant, ditzy, street-dumb female duo. And their elimination makes Miss America stand out more. Not that they needed it--Miss America really showed that it could be a team to be reckoned with as the Race goes on. In fact, the only female team that has ever seemed as competant on the Race was the unfortunate Mormon sisters, Lena and Kristy. But Lena and Kristy were robbed of their chance, so hopefully we will get to see Miss America kick some ass. They are officially my favorite team. They can handle the physicality of the game, make smart choices and don't say anything offensive. Maybe that whole "Miss America is the biggest scholarship for women" thing means that some of the women are actually intelligent and deserving. Who knew?

There were definitely things I didn't like so much this week. Both of the straight couples suck (and (Kar)Lyn seemed pretty mean to others--I hate that). Rob and Kimberly just fight all of the time, capped off by Rob telling Kimberly he didn't want to hear her talk anymore. And Peter of Peter and Sarah really grosses me out. He's bossy and stressful, and he does things that seem demeaning to Sarah, including trying to get people to donate money if Sarah ran around with her fake leg and limp. I understand wanting to get extra spending money, and Gobo pointed out that Sarah seems really comfortable with her disability, so it probably doesn't meant anything to her. But it still made me a little queasy. Interestingly, it seems that, unlike almost every other woman coupled with a bullying man, she is wising up and doesn't want to deal with him much anymore. So at least there's that.

Peter and Sarah did finish in first, but I have trouble forgiving the horrible choice Peter made at the detour. After deciding to take the bundling challenge they got through half of the challenge (pulling the cloth off of the hut) and then Peter just decided he couldn't knot them up properly. He didn't try to knot them up. He didn't look closely at a knot that had already been made, or tried to unknot it to figure out how it was tied. Nope, he just decided, halfway through the challenge, that he couldn't do it and they had to bail and pick the other option. If you truly believe you can't complete a challenge, fine. But if you bail after completing half of it, you had better really be sure that you can't finish the challenge, otherwise you have wasted a huge amount of time. In Peter and Sarah's case, they wasted a huge amount of time. After getting to the second challenge (which involved making animals go where you want them to--always tough), Peter decided that, miracle-of-miracles, he could tie those knots after all. Hate.

But the quitting that annoyed me even more was that on the part of the cheerleaders. Sure, they knew they were last. And yeah, they probably figured this wasn't a non-elimination leg. But isn't there a pride in completing your task? They may have been shooting arrows for hours, but watching them give up and walk to the mat was really disappointing. I would like to think that the competitors respect the Race and have more of a competitive drive than to quit. The only other team to quit were the brother/restaurant owners Marshall and Lance from season 5, and even though one of them was hurt, I was still unforgiving. So the twitty cheerleaders really had no excuse not to finish.

The Race is on!

Ah. The Amazing Race is back. All is well in the world. I can't believe we are now in Season 10 (although I guess Season 9 if we pretend that The Amazing Race: Family Edition didn't happen, which is something we all want to do). Just some disjointed thoughts on the first episode (spoilers ahead). I tried to organize my thoughts by team.

First, as Holt pointed out to me last night, this had to be the most difficult first leg of the Race ever. Sending them to China at the outset? Making them climb up the Great Wall?! Usually the first few legs are a little easier, and a little closer to home. Not this time. Then again, Phil did say there would be major twists and turns this season.

The teams:
The Three-Legged Racers (or Team Tripod, as Gobo calls them): Yes, I know we are probably going to hell for making up these names for the team of two triathletes, one of whom only has one leg. Oh well. During their opening interview I thought they seemed like a really sweet team of two people deciding to bite the bullet and take a chance on love, corny as it sounds. But as the episode progressed, I started seeing disturbing shades of Ian, Jonathan, Ray and every controlling man who has come before in Steve (the male, two-legged member of the team). To be fair, he didn't put Sarah down at all and did support her when she had a hard time climbing the wall. But when they were trying to deal with strategy-type decisions, he got rude and clearly didn't want to hear her input. A bad sign so early on, but I'll write it off as first-day jitters and hope things improve. I think the biggest question on our minds right now (mine and Gobo's) is whether Sarah can get a replacement leg, since hers is now leaking hydrolic fluid. I wonder what the Race rules are for that.

I thought it was interesting that they are using her disability to do things like pre-board. I don't blame them--you need to take the advantages you can in this game. But did Myrna and Charla pull that card? I don't remember ever seeing it. I would have thought they would have tried. I wonder whether the disabled community is going to be annoyed with Sarah for using her handicap to her advantage when she doesn't actually need the special help, or whether they will just be proud that she is able to do so much with her disability. Or whether they won't care at all.

The Teams with Bad Nicknames (Team Karma, The Cho Bros) For those who didn't watch, Team Karma was a team made up of an Indian married couple. Did they really have to call themselves Team Karma? Really? I would like to think if I (a Greek Fraggle) were to join a team with another Greek we wouldn't call ourselves Team Opa. Of course, Team Karma's karma must have been pretty bad, since we will no longer be seeing them. Which wasn't a surprise--the first thing Gobo and I said when we saw them was "they will not last long." And they didn't.

The Cho Bros, on the other hand, are still around. They are brothers, and I assume their last name is Cho. So yeah, it kind of rhymes. But does that mean they have to put the team name on the back of their jackets? It's so dorkily unnecessary. But unlike last year's nerds, David and Lori, they don't seem to be celebrating their dorkiness and taking part in dorkdom with tongue in cheek. Not good.

Then we have the Muslims from Cleveland. Gobo, who is also from Cleveland, immediately decided they were his favorite team. In their first interview they said that because they are observant, they would find their five minutes a day to pray (they didn't mention doing so five times a day, but I have to imagine that would go with the territory). I was really waiting for the day when they were in a huge rush to the mat and had to choose between prayer and elimination. Unfortunately, that day will never come, as they were ousted when there wasn't even a pit stop. Ouch. When they were eliminated they said that their elimination just goes to show that we don't have control over anything, that only the Creator does. Um, yeah. If they are talking about the creator of the show, that is. Poor Gobo has to choose a new favorite team.

This Year's Fighting Couple. Every year there has to be a couple who just cannot get along. This year, the award goes to dating couple Rob and Kimberly. They are definitely going to be the annoying bickersons of the Race. There's really not much more to say about them.

The Cheerleaders and Miss America. Gobo was very disturbed by these two teams, because he didn't know how he was going to tell them apart. Luckily for viewers, Miss America is comprised of two blondes, while the cheerleaders have one blonde and one brunette. It's the subtle distinctions that matter. And I'm really upset that the Miss America contestants are not wearing their sashes and tiaras. Doesn't the pageant have rules about these things? Of the two teams, Miss America appears more impressive, not only because they didn't ask whether Muslims believe in Buddha (that was the cheerleaders, showing a level of ignorance even Kendra didn't reach), but also because they were really fast with the brick-laying.

Team Alabama is compised of two African-American single mothers. My first thought on seeing them last night was that they would be the first to be eliminated, because they just don't look as fit as the other teams. I was wrong, although they did have a lot of trouble with the climb up the Great Wall. Which, of course, made me so proud of them when they made it up. My favorite thing about Team Alabama is that they already hate the Three-legged Racers for jumping ahead in the boaring line because of Sarah's disability. You need some conflict to keep things interesting!

I was also proud of the Coal Miner's Wife when she made it up the wall. The most shocking thing about Coal Miner's Wife is that she is only 30 years old. Disturbingly, Coal Miner and Wife are another team where the man is dominant in the relationship. Haven't we seen enough of these on the Race? Too much of this dynamic just gets old after awhile.

Most impressive up the wall was Lesbian Lauren, who seemed to scramble up there really quickly, although her dad struggled. There's not much to say about them, other than the fact that her father openly cried when he thought about his daughter being a lesbian in his opening interview. Which was just...a little weird. She has been out for years. Is the pain still so raw that he cries about it on national television?

Next we have the "Boyfriends." I don't know why the Race has to refer to them as "Boyfriends." All of the other dating couples are just "dating." Couldn't they do that for Boyfriends as well? The viewer can easily see that they are both boys, so "dating" would allow us to know that they are, in fact, boyfriends. But no matter. I don't think Boyfriends will be with us for long--they are no Team Guido or Team Cha Cha Cha.

Speaking of gay, we have the current first place team, the Druggie Models. My big question is whether they are gay or straight? I'm leaning toward gay. They kind of reminded me, looks-wise, of the Frats from last year. But I loved, loved, loved the photos the Race ran of them back in their druggie days, with the nitrous tank next to one of them. Classic. They were pretty impressive, and I kind of liked them, although it would be great to finally see an all-female team win the Race. Just once. Is that so much to ask?

Fall TV Preview: Sunday

It's an exciting time of year in pop culture land -- just one month until the fall TV season starts. It's time to think about programming the TiVo. Here's a preview of the Sunday schedule (new shows in bold):

7 pm: America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC); 60 Minutes (CBS); Sunday Night Football (NBC); Everybody Hates Chris (CW)

7:30 pm: All of Us (CW)

8 pm: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC); Amazing Race (CBS); The Simpsons (FOX); Girlfriends (CW)

8:30 pm: American Dad (FOX); The Game (CW)

9 pm: Desperate Housewives (ABC); Cold Case (CBS); Family Guy (Fox); America's Next Top Model repeat (CW)

9:30 pm: The War at Home (Fox)

10 pm: Brothers and Sisters (ABC); Without a Trace (CBS); The Wire (HBO)

This one's a no brainer for me: The Amazing Race and The Wire are two of my favorite shows. I will also check out Brothers and Sisters, which has an all-star cast, featuring Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Ron Rifkin, Balthazar Getty, and Rachel Griffiths, among others, but has been in the news lately for casting changes and losing its show-runner.

Nothing else really appeals to me. Maybe I'll finally give Everbody Hates Chris a try. I've never been much of a fan of prime-time football, because I like games that end before midnight. But NBC has some potentially great games in the first month of the season -- Indianapolis v. NY Giants (Peyton v. Eli) on Sept. 10, Washington v. Dallas on Sept. 17, Denver v. New England on Sept. 24, and Chicago v. Seattle on Oct. 1 -- and they get their pick of the best games starting Nov. 12. Plus the kickoff has been pushed from 9 pm to 8 pm. So, you never know.

What will you be watching?

The summertime blues

Or, as South Park so eloquently put it, summer sucks. At least it does when you're a working adult. You've got slim pickings when it comes to new programing on television; rather than the three month vacation you enjoyed in your youth, you don't even get three weeks--hell, you're lucky if you take three days and drag it into a week by tacking on the unexpected four-day Fourth of July holiday; the "songs of summer," aka tunes by the likes of Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson, are repeated on the radio ad nauseum; celebrity gossip is so slow that Us Weekly has nothing better to put on their cover than a story about Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn's "engagement" more than a month after first breaking the news; and although the weather is good, you're stuck in the office.

But now...the end is in sight. Weeds airs its season premiere tomorrow. Prison Break returns next week (sure, I don't watch, but I get to see the commercials for something new!). And I saw some ads for The Amazing Race!

Is it sad that all of my excitement is dependent on the new television season? Sure. But this is my life. Things are definitely looking up.