Month: February 2008

Big Brother 9 Episode 1

It’s a new season of Big Brother, and thank God for that because Big Brother 8 sucked pretty bad. The story line (“estranged” 40-year-old father with the mind of a two-year-old and his self centered brat of a daughter who thought everything was nooottt faiirrrrr allegedly got over their own egos and became very close… yeah, I threw up a little bit instead of saying “awww…”) and associated blatant rigging tainted what could have been a good season but just simply was never allowed to get off the ground on its own merits because the producers were just way too in love with the power the America’s Player twist gave them to care about anything else.

Thanks to the writers strike, Big Brother is being given the best time slot it’s ever had. While going up against American Idol the next few weeks isn’t particularly a good thing, this does mark the first time the summer staple has premiered during the regular season. Here’s what we do know. There will be no America’s Player twist this year (yay), and players will be combined into teams with their soulmates (as if) and will do everything together. Beyond that, it’s anybody’s guess. We don’t even know how long the season will run, as that’s something that will probably be decided as time goes by, perhaps dependent upon how well the show does in the ratings. They could rush it and have it done before April, or they could opt to keep it on through mid-May, with twists in the game from double elimination weeks to having the pairs split up after a month.

This is what I’d like to see this year. When the producers rig the show (and they will), I want it to be less obvious. How long do you give me before I’m disappointed?

Julie Chenbot is back with a cast of 16 in Big Brother 9: ‘Til Death Do You Part. All the cast members are allegedly single and looking for love, which they’re apparently going to find on a reality show. It could happen. The houseguests will be combined in teams of two with their Big Brother appointed soulmates, with whom they will do everything together, from voting to sleeping to being evicted.

Everybody’s allowed to enter the house like any other season, but the bedrooms are locked. The seven girls are the first ones to enter, and they’re waiting for the nine guys (one’s gay, one says he’s bi but seems to lean more toward the guys). Sharon and Jacob, who dated on and off for 12 years (uh, he’s 23 now) until he cheated on her, are about to be reunited. Hey, I saw this twist already in season 4. Jen and her boyfriend Ryan are the other twist that we’ve seen already in season 6. They will work together as a team and try to get through undiscovered, and if they do, they win half a million dollars.

Sharon immediately begins telling the women she’s pissed off that her ex is there. If she’s smart, she’ll use it to her advantage. Then again, CBS may just force them to work together.

Matt already wants to sleep with every woman in the house, and probably some of the guys as well. It’s just a question of whether he’s more in love with himself than any of them.

Alex takes a page out of Kail’s book, pretending he doesn’t own a company.

Julie breaks the news to the houseguests, telling them they each have a “perfect match” sitting in the room with them. Then she tells them they’re going to play as teams.

The pairs are:

Alex & Amanda (he’s happy about this)
James & Chelsia (she likes motorbikes, not one being pedaled across country)
Natalie & Matt (he’s happy she’s… breathing)
Jen & Parker (not her boyfriend Ryan)
Joshuah & Neil (there’s a surprise)
Jacob & Sharon (she’s not happy, but he seems okay)

The last two couples are stuck in sleeping bags.

Ryan & Allison
Sheila & Adam (he calls her ma, and she can’t stand him)

Some of the partners are stupid idiots and are immediately trying to put a wedge between themselves and their partners. They better get over it, or their time in the house will be short lived. Sheila says she’s too shallow to be with Adam (at least she’s honest). Sharon’s ready to punch something.

Now that they’ve got the teams, power couple is up for grabs. One member of the couple will be suspended in the air and lowered on the other partner, then they’ll both be hoisted back up. The last ones standing will win power couple. Allison’s not impressed with Ryan’s profuse sweating but doesn’t care and wants to be a team. Sheila quits at 5 minutes because she hates Adam. This is just pathetic. Can’t they just be thrown off the show for being babies? Neil and Joshuah are out at 9 minutes. Amanda and Alex are out at 28 minutes. Sharon and Jacob give up knowing they can’t win, but they worked together pretty well all things considered.

Now that half the teams are out, Julie makes an offer: whoever can bend down and grab a pillow will get $10,000 if they win, a big risk to take. Matt & Natalie aren’t interested, but the others try for it. Not worth the risk because not only will you possibly fall or at least strain yourself, but you also get people thinking “They already have $10,000, so they don’t need to win.” Jen grabs the pillow, as does Chelsia. Allison falls in the process, eliminating her and Ryan. Likewise, Chelsia falls in this effort. Parker & Jen negotiate with Matt & Natalie, promising them safety for the week. Since they have a pillow, Parker & Jen also win $10,000, in addition to being the power couple.

Adam’s hoping he and Sheila get kicked out. I can echo that sentiment.

Parker’s thinking of targeting Ryan & Alison… good luck getting that past Jen.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Big Brother 9 Episode 2, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.

The Biggest Loser 6 Casting Call

Producers are looking for couples for the sixth season of NBC’s The Biggest Loser and will be doing a casting call in 13 cities across the country.

With the exception of Miami’s casting call, which will be held from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., all casting calls will be held at the following locations from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.:

FEBRUARY 16
BOSTON, MA
FELT
533 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111

DALLAS, TX
UPTOWN BAR & GRILL
2523 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75201

CHICAGO
CHICAGO HOME FITNESS
1555 N. Halsted
Chicago, IL 60622

ATLANTA, GA
WILD BILLS
2075 Market Street
Duluth, GA 30096

FEBRUARY 23
NEW YORK CITY, NY
NBC EXPERIENCE STORE
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

NASHVILLE, TN
THE WILD HORSE SALOON
120 2nd Avenue N
Nashville, TN 37201

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
BRICKTOWN BREWERY
1 N. Oklahoma Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

MIAMI
FESTIVAL FLEA MARKET MALL
2900 West Sample Road
Pompano Beach, FL 33073
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

MARCH 1
COLUMBUS, OHIO
BUCKEYE HALL OF FAME CAFÉ
1421 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, OH 43212

SUFFOLK, VA
SUFFOLK FAMILY YMCA
2769 Godwin Blvd.
Suffolk, VA 23434

MARCH 8
LAS VEGAS, NV
Location TBA

MESA
SUPERSTITIONS SPRINGS MALL
6555 E. Southern Avenue
Mesa, AZ 85206

LOS ANGELES
Location TBA

Early Renewals at ABC

With the end of the writers strike close at hand, ABC has announced renewals of the following shows for next season:

Brothers & Sisters
Desperate Housewives
Dirty Sexy Money
Grey’s Anatomy
Lost
Private Practice
Pushing Daisies
Samantha Who?
Ugly Betty

What exactly they’re going to do with these shows is anybody’s guess. They could opt to to have them up and running again by April, or they could simply hold off on them until fall.

The Biggest Loser 6 Announced

NBC has announced that The Biggest Loser will be returning for its sixth season, and it will again be a couples edition. Producers will search for contestants in America’s fattest cities.

Even with competition from American Idol, in no small part due to the now over (pending tomorrow’s vote, which is just a formality) writers’ strike, The Biggest Loser Couples has been one of most successful editions of the franchise.

Prison Break Season 3 Episode 12

After months of waiting, the gang finally broke out of prison in Prison Break Season 3 Episode 11. The episode ended with the power going out, giving them 30 seconds to make a run for it.

Lechero, Bellick, and T-Bag take their sweet time getting out. Michael knows they’ve taken too long and tells the others to wait. Ignoring the warning to stop or be shot, Lechero gets shot (but not killed). Despite this, Michael doesn’t need to go to plan B because he says this is all going according to plan.

Michael knew the generator was going to kick in sooner than 30 seconds. Lincoln tries to call Sucre, but Sucre’s caught and handcuffed.

Bellick spills the plan to the guards and promptly leads them to the tunnel. While their attention is diverted elsewhere, Michael uses the distraction to head out of the tunnel. Just as the guards reach the tunnel, the last of the guys gets out. Shortly thereafter, they realize they’re four inmates short (Scofield, Whistler, Mahone, and McGrady).

By the time the guards figure it out, the guys are already through the fence and running through the jungle. During the mad dash, Whistler falls and injures his ankle, but there’s no way they’re leaving him behind.

They meet up with Lincoln, who says they have what they need. Whatever it is, it’s buried, and they have to dig it up. While this is happening, Whistler warns that the Company’s going to kill all of them after the exchange, and he tries to convince them to just let him go. What they dig up is tanks so they can be invisible (underwater). Of course, they’ve only got four tanks since McGrady was unexpected. McGrady can’t swim anyway, so Scofield offers to share with him. There’s an added wrinkle. The bird book, with the coordinates Susan wants, was dropped in the escape.

Back at Sona, the guards are kicking the crap out of Bellick, who doesn’t know anything because obviously Scofield wasn’t going to trust him with any useful information.

When they get to where they’re going, there is no Sucre waiting for them because he’s still otherwise occupied.

Using dogs, the guards figure out something’s in the sand. They do some digging and find a cooler with shoes in it, so they know exactly where they need to look now.

They see a boat coming up to them, unsure whether it’s friend or foe. It’s not Sucre, but instead McGrady’s father has taken the boat and picks them up.

Meanwhile, the guards are getting tired of beating up Bellick, so they turn their attention to T-Bag, who just happens to be thrown down in the dirt right near the book, which he grabs.

The other four head off together, leaving McGrady to go home with his father. While they’re driving off, they get a phone call from Susan, who’s right near them. The watch Whistler got from Susan is a tracking device, and they know exactly where they are.

They cause one car following them to wipe out. The second one chases them to a dead end, a cabin in the woods, where a shootout ensues. Eventually, Susan shows up to join in, realizing they’re just faking her out (either that or they’re really bad shots, since they only hit the car three times). She barges down the door to find out it’s just sound effects. They’ve all headed out back and got another car.

T-Bag tells the guards “I know less than you do, which is hard considering how dumb you are.” So then they decide to electrocute him. When he sees Sucre, who’s finally been allowed to go, he tells them Sucre knows everything.

Susan calls Lincoln, who’s stopped at an abandoned warehouse. He demands she meet them there, telling her she’s not calling the shots any more.

McGrady and his father are headed straight for a police blockade. We’ll have to find out what happens to him next week.

Sucre plays dumb, but the information about the escaped Fox River prisoners says otherwise.

Mahone says he’s going to leave. Lincoln wants to shoot him as revenge for his father. Michael tries to convince him not to, but the noise from outside (Whistler escaping) is what actually gets him to stop. He’s running pretty fast for a guy with an injured ankle, and he steals a truck and drives off.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Prison Break season 3 episode 13 The Art of the Deal, which airs Monday at 8/7c on Fox.

The Amazing Race Asia 2 Episode 12

With the aid of a fast forward, Adrian & Collin retained their lead in The Amazing Race Asia 2 Episode 11. Paula & Natasha, however, pretty much had no shot at catching up to the rest of the pack following their non-elimination last time, and they were eliminated.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Adrian & Collin (8:10pm)
Second: Rovilson & Marc (10:37pm)
Third: Pamela & Vanessa (10:56pm)
Fourth: Ann & Diane (11:24pm)

Teams must fly to Cape Town, South Africa. Adrian & Collin immediately try to get some Internet access, and the strange thing is that Rovilson & Marc know this strategy yet don’t appear to use it.

First flight (10,700km via London, arriving at 7:50am): Ann & Diane
Second flight (to Frankfurt, where they hope to be able to find a flight): Adrian & Collin, Rovilson & Marc, Pamela & Vanessa

Adrian & Collin were trying too hard to get a better flight instead of taking the sure thing, but in the end, after getting on standby, they are able to get on the same flight as the other teams who are in Frankfurt, which arrives at 5:00am, three hours ahead of Ann & Diane. So it becomes a question of what the hours of operation of the first task are. While it worked out well for the teams who took the gamble, it was a huge risk to take.

When they arrive in Cape Town, teams must travel by taxi to Signal Hill. Rovilson & Marc use one of the best strategies I’ve seen to get a map book: they buy it from the cab driver. Adrian & Collin come up with the same plan. They arrive at 6:13 and have to kill time until the place opens at 8:30. Once it opens, they must drive to the summit of Signal Hill, where they’ll need to search through a bunch of clue boxes until they find the right one, which is made more difficult by being in the foggiest place on earth. For Adrian & Collin and Pamela & Vanessa, though, they must first figure out how to start their cars. Adrian & Collin particularly struggle and eventually have to get assistance from a local. Ann & Diane, likewise, have difficulty. Rovilson & Marc think this is all quite amusing.

From there, teams will head to Killarney Motor Racing Circuit. The team member who performs the road block must race 8 laps around the Killarney race track. The first 4 laps must be done in less than 7.5 minutes, or the team will get a 5 minute penalty.

Road block (in order of arrival): Vanessa, Marc, Collin, Ann

Vanessa and Collin receive a penalty, but Marc does not. There are a few minutes between the teams in the lead. As they’re leaving, Collin & Adrian again need to figure out how to start their car. They’re leaving just as Ann & Diane arrive. All the other teams were smart enough to have the people who normally do the driving drive, but Ann & Diane let Ann drive, who doesn’t drive a manual well. At 9 minutes 18 seconds, she actually does better than Vanessa did, and right around the same time as Collin. With that, it’s safe to assume Ann & Diane are about half an hour behind.

Teams must drive to the township and then go to the Intyatyambo Community Project and paint a marked section of the center, which cares for children age 1-6 living with AIDS, many of whom are orphans or HIV+ themselves. Contained in the clues is a check from Standard Chartered Bank for $5,000, which teams will deliver to the caregivers of the project.

Now that all the signs are in English… the teams are even more lost than they were in places where the signs weren’t in English. Rovilson & Marc miss having an excuse.

It’s a lengthy trek from there. They will take a two hour drive north to the Aquila Park Private Game Reserve. If you get lost going 15 minutes, it’s not such a big deal, but if you get lost going two hours, it could be huge. The next clue is located in the cheetah enclosure.

The detour is a choice between in one end or out the other (yeah, it’s as bad as it sounds, but it provides an opportunity for a lot of puns). In in one end, teams must prepare 100kg of food and feed it to the elephants, meaning they may need to wait because it could take a while to digest. In out the other, teams must clean elephant dung and deliver it to the marked area, which sounds messy but should be quicker.

Out the other: Rovilson & Marc, Collin & Adrian, Pamela & Vanessa, Ann & Diane

Rovilson & Marc know this show. They’ve got nose plugs with them.

Aquila Park Reserve, situated on 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of landscape, is the pitstop for this leg of the race.

First: Rovilson & Marc (win a trip back to South Africa)
Second: Adrian & Collin
Third: Pamela & Vanessa
Fourth: Ann & Diane (eliminated)

It’s back to normal, with Marc & Ro back on top. Wasn’t even dramatic, though, as Ann & Diane, despite having just half an hour gap, had no chance of catching up. The other three teams lucked out it wasn’t one of them after the airport situation. It’s too bad because they are a better team than Pamela & Vanessa. Not that it much matters, since it’s been a two team race all along.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Amazing Race Asia 2 episode 13, where we will find out who the winner is.

The CW Drops WWE Smackdown

What do you do when your network’s becoming more and more invisible as the days go by? Cancel your top rated show, of course. Neither side commented on why WWE Smackdown, which has been on UPN since 1999, is being dropped at the end of the 2007-2008 season. Presumably, they could not come to terms on financial agreements, and despite the high viewership, Smackdown never particularly meshed with what is supposed to be a network targeted at young females (even if it did provide some potential boost for something like Reaper). It’s unclear where Smackdown might end up, but USA Network and MyNetworkTV have been suggested by some.

The Celebrity Apprentice Episode 6

The Celebrity Apprentice Episode 5 turned out to be one of the more entertaining episodes we’ve seen in a while, with Vinny Pastore pissing off everybody by turning on the guys then turning on the girls then turning on the guys then forming his own large circle of one before finally leaving the show by his own request.

Omarosa takes the first opportunity she can to attack the returning team, and she continues to believe she’s the best candidate for the job.

Stephen Baldwin tells Piers Morgan he can’t work with him, despite the fact that the two of them have performed quite well together throughout the entire time (even if they’ve been insulting each other all along). He heads to the boardroom to have a meeting with Donald Trump. Instead of resigning, he takes Trump’s offer to go to the other side. Bad move, Baldwin. The men hate him, and the women aren’t particularly thrilled either. Then he breaks the news that he has a previous engagement and will not be available for the task that day. This makes the women even less happy with him.

When Trump tells the women Stephen’s on their team, Omarosa declines. Trump tells her tough, and they will live with it.

The task is to create a living window featuring Serta mattresses designed by Vera Wang, to be judged on creativity, brand imaging, and entertainment value. Needless to say, Trace Adkins is scared.

Omarosa decides to be the project manager. Unlike the men, they know who the heck Vera Wang is, so they go with a wedding theme. They’re happy Stephen will be on their team now because they need a guy on their team for the wedding theme.

Piers researches that Vera started with bridal success, but has since begun branching out.

The guys go to Vera Wang without any already formed ideas. She tells them her brand has grown to be more than just bridal. She emphasizes romance and says she spends most of her free time on her bed. Trace suggests one of the greatest romances in history where the woman was strong, going back in time to Cleopatra.

The women go in already convinced by a bridal theme, so they don’t really get into other possibilities like the men. They ask a smart question, though, and find out that of the three things, creativity is the most important.

The men’s project manager, Lennox Lewis, insists on having a vote on everything. Piers is unimpressed (and annoyed) by this leadership style.

Marilu is in charge of construction, and the women are upset by how she’s handling it. She does seem a bit more high strung than usual.

Baldwin’s keeping the women waiting.

Nely Galan trusts Omarosa. She can’t believe it either.

Originally, Piers was the one who was vocal about the fact that Lennox isn’t making any decisions. Now, Tito Ortiz and Trace are getting in on the act as well.

Stephen’s back after being gone for the day because he had to speak at a church (you didn’t think he wouldn’t throw that in, did you?). They still want him to get lost.

Vera’s stunned by both displays. It’s unclear which she actually liked best.

Omarosa tells Trump Piers isn’t good at working with people. Pot. Kettle.

The women created the better looking display, and probably one more likely to sell mattresses to women. The men, however, got the idea of creativity and better understood what Vera’s branding goals are. With that, Hydra won the task.

Empresario believe they asked the same question the guys did and got a different response. The judges suggest the wedding theme was way too simple (obvious), not creative, and without entertainment value.

Stephen’s complimentary of the women but says Marilu’s the most questionable. Omarosa agrees, claiming she has difficulty communicating with her.

Omarosa tells Trump she’s bringing Stephen back because he wasn’t there all day. He tells her not to be like Gene. So then she tries to be a chicken and not choose anybody. George doesn’t want to hear it. Listening to Trump, Omarosa brings back Marilu and Nely.

Omarosa blames Nely for not giving her the creative feedback she needed and Marilu for being unable to clearly communicate her thoughts and doesn’t listen.

None of this really matters. Trump’s been dying to fire Nely, and now he’s got his chance. She doesn’t know why he hasn’t gotten over the task where Gene Simmons jumped off a cliff. He doesn’t care. Nely’s fired.

One final note: bring George back. He’s better than the Trump kids.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Celebrity Apprentice Episode 7, which airs Thursday at 9/8c on NBC.