Team Melissa lives to cheer another day!

All of us on Team Melissa have a new place to cheer!

Due to a last-minute injury to one of the celebrity contestants on Dancing with the Stars, ABC has filled the gap with...who else...our favorite spurned bachelorette Melissa!

I'm sure this was a HUGE peace offering from ABC (not to mention the fact that they got to show that embarrassing dump reel a few more times) and although I can see how there may be some exploitation involved, I'm just glad we get to see more of Melissa!

She got two days to train and rehearse for the first competition, and she pulled off a gorgeous waltz to "Moon River" that made the most of her ballet training and cheerleader agility, with plenty of perfectly executed developpes, port de bras, and attitude pirouettes. I even cried a little at the end of the dance when she broke into a huge smile and her partner, Tony Dovolani, kissed her on the forehead! Why have I not been watching this show??!!!



I'm sure it'll be nice for her to get some objective critique and fan support from week to week instead of wondering if she's going to get a rose/engagement ring. I hope she makes it past the first round of votes! Go Team Melissa!!!

fire up the grill, get out the mustard, and put on your boots!

I'm ba-aaack!

OK, so this is the first REAL blog post I've had time to post in a while. And I know all the drama has been discussed all week, but I'm gonna go ahead and give you my personal reflections on the Bachelor's final two episodes.

*Melissa gets her "meet Ty" date with Jason and the little munchkin. Mel and Ty are VERY cute together. Thanks to her impressive stockpile of silly jokes, Ty takes to Melissa like a fish to water.

*Melissa seems to get what being a step-mom will be about: it's not about babysitting.

*Mel meets the parents, brothers, and sister, who all give her a really hard time about the fact that her parents wouldn't meet Jason on the show. And Jason doesn't do anything to try to make this easier for her; instead he says his favorite phrase: "It really sucked that I didn't get to meet Melissa's parents." Honestly, though, I get it. There's no way I could get engaged without my parents first meeting my intended. But there's also no way I could get engaged on a reality show.

*Did anyone notice how at dinner, Jason's family and Melissa all were seated on one side of the table...just like in a play! Or the "Last Supper!" I'm sure it was for the cameras, but it looked super-awkward.

*Ty loves Melissa.

*Dad loves Melissa.

*Now it's Molly's turn. She shows up with her usual raccoon make-up on. I don't dislike her, it's just that I'm on Team Melissa, and I think Molly needs to get a new look between the eyeshadow and ponytails.

*Ty hates Molly.

*Molly goes to meet the family; we can tell she's gonna hit it out of the park, especially with all this parent talk...her parents love Jason, Jason loved her parents. Jason's family is just drooling hearing about all this parental interaction.

*Does anyone else think Jason's sister looks like Claire Danes as Beth in Little Women? Why don't I have that movie on DVD?

*Jason has a heart-to-heart with Mom. He sounds infatuated with Molly. "Momma, what should I dooooo?" Mom tells Jason that marriage is "not always a bed of roses." Then she throws a wink to the on-scene producer as if to say, "You're welcome, ABC. That one's on the house."

*I feel like Jason's siblings are trying to talk him into picking Molly. Jason, stop talking to them and leave!

*Meanwhile, back at the ranch...or...New Zealand resort...Melissa calls her folks and asks if they'd be willing to talk to Jason on the phone and they agree.

*Mel's last date with Jason. She hops out of the car and slams the door with a cute little expression on her face that says, "Dammit I'm cute!" I love it.

*Melissa and Jason enjoy a wet n' wild cruise on a boat named "Cool Change" which I think is a shout-out to Little River Band.

*Now it's Molly's turn, and she's taking charge! Only her umbrella keeps turning inside out and ruining her plan to paint a picture for Jason of how good she would look in rainy Seattle.

*Umbrella hates Molly.

*Molly reveals to Jason her plan to take over the date. "Because I'm a winner," she says, just like Anna Sophia Robb's Violet in Charlie in the Chocolate Factory.

*Molly gets in her bikini and gives Jason a "sensual massage" (please read this out loud in your best Austin Powers voice, because that's how I'm saying it). I had to cover my eyes AND the screen here. I could not watch it.

*But wait, there's more! Molly makes stir-fry and then sits down with Jason to show him something she made for him...A SCRAPBOOK!!! This girl did her homework and knows that Jason loves crafting, especially for last dates before the final rose ceremony. She points out a very special scrap of paper: "This is the actual piece of paper I wrote my song on." Then in her head she finishes this sentence: "So we can sell that on E-Bay and set up a trust fund for Ty."

*Jason is now all alone in his deliberation suite. And uh-oh, there's a knock on the door. It's DEANNA!!! Poor, poor Jason. He is so confused and clearly uncomfortable when she demands a hug out of him. Deanna mentions that she feels more comfortable around Jason than she does around any other man she knows. Really? Because I'm pretty sure you two haven't been talking.

*Deanna first attempts to ask for another chance with Jason without appearing to be begging. And Jason has to swallow very hard to keep from laughing in her face.

*OK, so no more chances at stealing the show and a little more publicity. No matter. Deanna switches games and instead plays the role of the Ghost of Girlfriends Past, telling Jason to choose the safe person, not the wild card. Because she chose the wild card, and pissed off her parents, and then got bored, realized she hated snow and snowboarding, as well as Jesse's Quiksilver wardrobe.

*After Deanna leaves, the jeweler shows up to show Jason some sparkly rings. I always love this part of the show because it's kind of our final reminder of how ridiculous the concept of this show is: "Here is your very beautiful but limited selection of choices. You can't go outside and go looking on your own; you can only choose from what we've picked out and brought here for you. And whatever you end up choosing, you're expected to stick with for the rest of your life." Right? Every time we get to this part of the show, I'm like, "well that's not fair! He should get to go ring shopping on his own and pick something he really likes instead of having to pick from the handful of rings ABC picked out for him. Ohhhhh wait..."

*Molly arrives first to be proposed to. I always wonder if the limo drivers are rooting for a certain girl. Do you think they pick favorites? Place bets? Is Molly aware of any other way to wear her hair other than in a ponytail?!!!

*Molly keeps whispering to everyone. Is that what she does when she's nervous?

*Jason keeps saying "amazing." I think we know what that means...she's getting dumped.

*Jason delivers what I am convinced is a required ABC-mandated line: "I'm in love with someone else." Why do they always say that?! Everyone knows who "someone else" is!!!

*Molly tries to remember what Dad said ("no crying") and chokes 'em back while telling Jason she thinks he's making a mistake. The words that will go down in infamy in his mind.

*This goodbye is way too long. Keep this up, Jason, and you're gonna make her think you've changed your mind, or that you're punking her.

*After putting Molly in the car, Jason has an emotional breakdown. Ohp! Here's that famous balcony scene!

*Melissa shows up, and I think she looks like she's expecting to get dumped. She's already got a stiff upper lip. Poor girl.

*When she sees Jason, Mel does her signature jump n' hug, and almost does her signature move of wrapping her legs around him, but then remembers she's in a formal dress.

*When Jason proposes, I LOVE it that she turns around and screams! This girl has managed to stay very genuine in front of all the cameras. Then she gets down on her knees to join Jason and says, "You wanna marry me?!" Aww...what a beautiful happy ending! Now let's stay tuned to see how ABC ruins it.

*Final footage is of Melissa and Jason playing with Ty and jumping in to the pool with all their nice clothes on. A beautiful little family. But I realize there's another whole hour of "after the rose" drama coming up. I feel like I'm about to have my soul crushed.

*Ok, this "After the Rose" happened six weeks after the proposal, to put things in perspective. So they've been "together" for a month and a half...which is almost as long as they've known each other. And most of that time, they don't get to see each other, because they have to keep the relationship a secret. So...you know, just to put things in terms of reality here.

*Jason looks BAD. He tells Chris Harrison that he's still in love with Molly. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

*Chris tries his hardest to convince us to stay on Jason's side with this. But it's not happening for Team Melissa. We're all thinking right now that Jason is a chump.

*Melissa comes out and I think it looks like she knows this isn't going to be good. She's been dumped a few times before, if you remember. When he tells her he feels like things are different with them and that he's still in love with Molly, she said what we're all thinking: "You're such a bastard."

*What did they GIVE Jason before he came out here? He's so uncharacteristically calm and void of emotion. Sedagive, anyone?!!

*Mel gives back the ring and storms off of the set. The cameras stay on Jason, who we can tell is trying very hard to squeeze out some tears, but he can't. The guy who cries through most of his entire season can't muster up a damn tear for this. He obviously doesn't care. And that makes me glad he dumped her now instead of later.

*And now, here comes No-Tears Molly! She looks like she's adjusted pretty well to life after the Bachelor. Apparently she's also been introduced to headbands. No ponytail today!

*Chris is really trying to set this up, asking Molly if she wishes Jason would change his mind and take her back. She has to know something is going on. Do they give these folks a reason why there's no audience? That has to at least tip them off that this isn't a typical "After the Rose" taping.

*Jason declares his love for Molly, seemingly minutes after dumping his former fiancee, Melissa. And after a couple obligatory phrases like "we still need to talk some things out," Molly starts sucking face with Jason, happy that she's the winner. And most of us are pissed. But here's the thing -- if this were a movie, and the guy broke up with his fiancee whom he didn't love and immediately went to find the true girl of his dreams and they kissed right then and there, we'd all be cheering. But when you try to put that in the context of real life, it just looks trashy. Also, I'm sure that in the movie, we would all kind of hate the fiancee, which would justify in our minds the "true love's kiss" at the end of the show. But you can't hate Melissa. It's just not possible.

*I don't feel like there's much to talk about in the Tuesday night special episode. Melissa is doing fine on her own, Molly and Jason are happy together, Stephanie agrees with what Jason did, Naomi is mad at Jason for hurting her girl Mel, and Kari is apparently one of our favorite bachelorettes of this season? The REAL news is that Chris Harrison announces who the next season's Bachelorette is, and we all cheer and applaud when we find out it's Jillian!!! She comes out on stage and talks about it a little bit, and looks very classy, and we all smile in anticipation of watching her sort out the mustards from the ketchups and sauerkrauts starting in May! We also all vow to wear boots with everything in support of our new favorite Bachelorette...wait, we didn't all decide on that? OK, nevermind.

OK, that's it! In other news, Children of Eden is off to a great start, and tonight my parents are coming and so it the local play critic who will write our review in the local paper. That makes me a little nervous, although the nice thing this time is that I don't have a main role so I don't think I have to worry about being personally picked on in the review...mostly I just want the show, our director, and the very sweet and talented leading ladies and gentlemen to get a good review tonight.

I'll let you know how it turns out! Until then!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (The Bachelor Final Rose)

Uh...what the WHAT?!!

I was going to go through and give my thoughts on everything...but now I just feel like, what's the point?

Maybe I'll do it later. Holy moley. Right now I am just...in shock. Even though I think we all knew it was coming.

Please make sure to check out my favorite recaps to see what they have to say. Especially Chris Harrion's blog. I think we're all gonna want to hear what he has to say.

OK, until later!

The Bachelor..."I thought I had the cat in the beg!"

My thoughts on this week's special "women tell all" episode of The Bachelor...

1. I forgot about half of these girls existed until they showed up on this episode. Wow!

2. "Where are they now" segment: I love how Chris Harrison reminds us that Trista and Ryan aren't the ONLY successful couple, but the producers obviously had to go waaaay back in the Rolodex to find another couple that was still together. 4 years back, to be precise. And they haven't even been together this whole time; they dated, broke up for a year, and then got back together. And why do you think it worked this time? Probably because they had more to base their relationship on than 7 weeks of on-camera dates while competing for each other's attention. But I did really like what Ryan said about his and Trista's relationship and why it works: they don't put any pressure on it to be a fairy tale; they just treat it like a relationship. Notice, that also has nothing to do with the Disney-subsidiary magic of meeting on an ABC reality show. Oh, also I am glad Trista is on Team Melissa too! Yay!

3. I have to admit I'm a little sad that Fred is taken. I was kind of hoping he was still floating around Chicago single somewhere...but his girl Noelle is adorable and they are obviously very perfect for each other. We got to see a whole lotta adorable Windy City b-roll of the two of them in cute hats and scarves and mittens and big puffy coats...so glad to see good ol' Fred is happy!

4. Well, Jesse has MOVED ON! Deanna who?!

5. I loved the huge welcome cheers Stephanie and Jillian got! Yeah girls!

6. Are the girls all sitting in martini glasses?!

7. I forgot about how much of a brat Natalie was! Way to go Chris for calling her OUT.

8. Poor Jillian. She thought she had the cat in the "beg" (aww, cute Canadian accent) and so did we. She totally made up for her ugly pink dress and boots with this green dress; very cute! And her final hot dog diagnosis on Jason: 70% mustard, 30% ketchup. Yup. And WOAH...is Jillian going to be the next Bachelorette?!! Does this play into the whole "dramatic final episode" thing?!! Is this just a question to throw us girls off the scent of how this is all gonna shake down??? Am I using waaay to much punctuation?!?!:;"...?

Yeah, probably.

Jillian was very cool with Jason, which I respect, but she also called him out on what the rest of us were thinking: if you're just not in love, you're just not in love. Don't make other excuses for it.

9. This episode definitely did NOT need to be 2 hours.

10. Kinda sad we didn't get to check in with Lisa, who left the show because her grandma was sick. But I'm probably the only one who remembers her anyway.

Next week is all the REAL action! Until then, you know where to find all my favorite recaps.

I'm going to bed.

I want to go to there.

"I just wish I could start a relationship about 12 years in where you don’t really have to try anymore and you can just sit around together and goof on TV shows and go to bed without anybody trying any funny business."
~Liz Lemon, 30 Rock

So this weekend I went out to lunch with a couple of friends from the Children of Eden, which was really fun. Firstly, it was nice because it's a rare occurance that I get to spend time like that with people my actual age. And secondly, because we all get along so well and share a sense of humor. (Back me up on this, Sara.) But one of the coolest things about the day was this...the guy in our group is married and is obviously very happy about it. And it's not one of those sickening newly-wed things that some people my age have; it's a three-year-old marriage that, while still new when compared to marriages like our parents', has been broken in a little bit. And it's clear that he has found that person who really makes him happy. And just listening to him talk about his marriage and talk to his wife on the phone, I was like...jealous. Of a married person! For being married! That almost never happens to me.

He told us about how they're really at the point where they just enjoy going home to hang out with each other, and sit around drinking beer and watching TV together. And that just sounded...really good to me!

Or as my hero Liz Lemon would say, "I want to go to there."

Here's the thing -- I am still not ready to do the whole dating thing...the asking/being asked out, the first few slightly uncomfortable dates, forking over more and more of my time to someone else, the obligation of talking on the phone (ughhhh) every day, and having to "check in" all the time (blech). Now, I realize that if a relationship was really worth it to me, I probably wouldn't feel obligated to go through that process, but rather be excited about it. And that's how I know I need to stay on the bench for now. And I also realize that I have to go through all the dating, time-sacrificing, phone calls, and so on, in order to get the sweatpants and the beer on the couch with the TV. But sometimes I just wish I could skip all the weird stuff and just get to the good stuff!!!

It's not possible, I know. But I'm just saying. It would be nice.

And speaking of instant relationships...who's excited for tomorrow's episode of The Bachelor? The women are gonna tell all and personally I just can't wait to see poor ol' Shannon! Plus I think we're gonna see some of our favorite ghosts of bachelors past! Should be fun.

Until then!

The Bachelor Week 7: Time to Choose a Team!

I'm officially stating my choice.

I'm on Team Melissa! I feel like she is a bit of an underdog after the whole hometown date fiasco. And we all know what a champ Molly is...after all, her mom and and dad have taught her throughout her whole life that she's a winner. But Melissa has never disappointed me through this whole game and I think I'd rather see her getting engaged to Jason in the end.

Who do you want to see get the final rose? And who's excited for the "Women Tell All" episode next week?! Remember how much fun this show used to be with all these catty, crazy, coo-coo ladies running around the mansion?! I know I miss those days. I just can't wait to get Sha-Nay-Nay back! I've really missed her. Plus, apparently ABC got tired of dragging the 2.5 successful Bachelor couples into the final few episodes, and decided to spice up the "Where Are They Now" segment by showing us where they ALL were last night! All I know is, poor science teacher from Deanna's season looks like he's in over his head.

And I'm still not convinced that Deanna is coming back to ask for a second chance with Jason. I think she's coming to tell him not to propose because she made a mistake in trying to find a husband on national TV. Would ABC let her do that? Yes, if it gets them the sweeps ratings they know they're going to get.

And what's with all the "most dramatic ever" labels on every single thing this season? Last night was supposed to be the "most dramatic rose ceremony ever." Why? Because he's a nice guy and actually cares about all of these girls, and they're actually all nice people too and aren't backstabbing each other to the camera? I feel like everything this season has been called the "most dramatic ever" without much warrant. So when they tell me that the "after the rose" episode was so dramatic and emotionally difficult that they taped it in the most intimate setting possible, I have my doubts. But I'm still extremely curious.

OK, that's all for me! Time for bed. Recaps by the best in the biz:
Lincee
Chris
Beyond Reality

The Bachelor Week 6: Home Sweet Hometown!

I'm keeping this short because I'm sick and I need to get to sleep, so I shouldn't stay up very late past my bedtime!

Hometown Date Week! I think they always make these dates look like bigger disasters in the promos than what they actually are in the episode. But some things were just as bad as advertised this season.

Jillian - Oh, Canada!
First, I love Canada. And I love how proud Canadians are of their country. So I was extremely glad to see Jillian's family greet Jason like an Olympic champion and wrap him in a big Canadian flag! I also got a kick out of their accents, especially when they said the word "again." It seemed like Jason got along really well with everyone, and Jillian was able to be herself, which is very cool.

Molly - Michigan WASPs
Jason meets Molly at the Country Club for a round of golf, bringing back memories of their first meeting. Molly is really pushing the WASP look, in an argyle sweater and hot pink polo with popped collar. Wowie. Then you meet the rest of her family, all of them in sweaters as well, and we find out that Molly's mom either is or wants to be a child psychologist because she does several tests to evaluate Jason including wearing different hats, drawing a picture, and a Rorshach test. Just kidding about the last one, but I was half-expecting her to try that next.

Naomi - Cali Crazy
Naomi meets Jason dressed as a cowgirl, which he mentions several times. They meet up with Naomi's mom, who has taken a page out of Michael Scott's book of crazy and wants to hold a funeral for a bird. Jason is assigned the "honor" of giving a eulogy. The ONLY other place this would happen would be on The Office. We see what may have been a big reason for Naomi's folks splitting up; Dad is a Judeo-Christian and Mom is an adult Indigo. You can tell from Dad's conversation with Jason that he's worried about his daughter being equally yoked. And I think it's very interesting that Naomi later says she wishes she would've talked to Jason about her religious beliefs before this point. Ya think?!!! Get with the program, sister! You think you're "in love" with someone and you haven't even talked about this?! Well, Mom is equally as passionate about her beliefs, and I had to look up what it means to be an "Indigo" because I didn't really get her explanation. According to New Age beliefs, Indigo children are kids who have an indigo-colored aura and are of a higher level of human evolution; they may have paranormal abilities like ESP. Huh. Mom believes Naomi is an indigo child.

I just wonder how I would've turned out if I had been raised in this kind of spiritual environment?

Melissa - Texas...Friends in Low Places
Mel drops the bomb on Jason that her parents don't want to be on TV, so he'll be hanging out with all of Melissa's married friends instead. Mom and Dad just aren't comfortable with all the "publicness"...which, by the way, is not a word, and if they were gonna show that clip ten times, they could've at least let her have a do-over using "publicity" instead of the word she made up.

I'm sorry, but don't you think ABC could've arranged for the parents to meet Jason off-camera and then just film the friends stuff for the episode? What's really going on here?

I do have to say that Mel's friends seemed like really good people to have around; they are obviously very supportive of her and I would imagine they are just as hard on her boyfriends as any parent would be! But they also said they'd never met Melissa's family, which I again thought was fishy.

I think Jason knows something is up too.

Rose Ceremony
Woah, is that a big room or what?!!

The roses go to Molly, Jillian, and Melissa. Naomi goes home, telling the limo cameras that she's done with having a romantic life after this heartbreaking experience.

Next week Jason takes the girls to New Zealand! And oh, yes, the big D herself is coming back to spend a little time with Jason. They show a clip of him saying, "Well, what brings you to New Zealand?" Don't you just hope she says she was in the neighborhood? That's what all stalker-ex girlfriends do, right? We know Shannon would! I miss her.

OK, time for bed. Until later!

The Bachelor Week 3...Surprise, Surprise!

OK, it took me forever to watch this episode, so this is gonna be kind of a random-thought recap.

~ How much do you love Stephanie? What an amazing lady! It was so precious to see her surprised by her little girl and to see Jason in tears! :) I have a thing for guys who can cry like that. I loved the Lego rose, too...wow, what a special date!

Group Date: "Rub the Man Down!" as the sailors say...or wait, that was Erica.

~ I will say it was cool to see something that could potentially be a trashy, "let's all skip to second-base" date actually be treated with a lot of respect and meaning. And especially by Megan, who is so deep (just ask her).

~Megan tells Jason she's been a little down since she got here because she loves helping people and being a non-profit role model, and going 10 days without helping people has been really hard on her...because no one has appreciated her, thanked God for her, or thanked her. Is it just me, or is serving others supposed to be about...well...others?

~Erica's trashin' on Megan again. That is getting old.

~Poor Nikki and her awkward silence! Pageant Patty did not get a high score in the interview portion this round. She seems like a really good person; I just wish she'd loosen up and relax.

~Melissa is just too adorable! She is obviously very comfortable with Jason even when she is feeling insecure. And her faces reacting to what's going on with the other girls crack me up! She has to be genuine because she doesn't mask a single facial expression. I'm pulling for her in the top four, along with Stephanie.

~And Jillian. She seems so stinkin cool. Poor Nikki is choking on her words and Jillian is like, "Let's see who can jump the highest on this Austin Powers-inspired mattress!" Jillian is like the girl I would want to actually be friends with, and if I got a rose and she didn't, I'd be like, "Here, girl, take my rose and write me letters! I'll be rooting you on from home!"

~Poor Sha-Nay-Nay does not have a good group date. I think the more I see of her the more I like her, despite the fact that she comes off as a little desperate. And crazy?

Natalie's One-on-One: Material Girl

~Natalie is running super-late, leaving poor Jason in the lioness den with the other ladies. I love what Melissa says, "You have to wait till later in the relationship to do that." As a girl who is constantly running, shall we say, "fashionably late," I do know that a guy has to really love you to wait around while you change shoes seven times. And so far the only guy who loves me that much is my dad. So good point, Mel.

~Natalie has an annoying habit that I call the "extension pull," where she sort of constantly gathers her hair up and puts it to one side really carefully like she has extensions that are going to come out if she pulls too hard. If you want it all on one side, put it in a side pony, for goodness' sake!

~Jason enjoys having some serious arm candy for a swanky night out in Vegas, but wants to dig deeper into Nat's personality. And here's what he gets: "I heart bears. Wait, what were we talking about? Don't stereotype me just because I'm gorgeous and love to party." Fun, but not enough for Jason to build a marriage on. And when Material Girl doesn't get what she wants (for probably the second or third time in her entire life), she gets sooo mad. My thoughts: "This is gonna be one heck of a Diary of the Departed." She finally says what, unfortunately, I might have stereotyped her to say: "I am hot. And guys would literally kill to be with me. And he's just Jason. What am I supposed to do, swoon? Ew. What is wrong with him?"

~When Natalie doesn't come back, the girls are almost as surprised as Natalie. And they have a party to celebrate.

Rose Ceremony: More Kisses!

~Poor, perfection-crazed Nikki finally gets her kiss, which she all but ruins by trying to talk and laugh in the middle of it. Relax, Max!!!

~I think it's cool to see a Bachelor who has been through the show's process before and can really relate to the girls on that level.

~Molly reminds me of a friend of mine. She is really cute and freckly and tomboyish, so other girls tend to underestimate her. But put her in a strapless dress and heels and she's got it going on, and she will surprise you with how sophisticated and elegant she can be!

~Jason tells Molly about Natalie's last words, so Molly relays to the other girls that Nat may have dropped some names in the anger of the moment. Megan is quick to show, once again, how much more mature she is: "I would've bowed out gracefully."

~Poor Sha-Nay-Nay is so stressed out and upset. Megan criticizes her for this, but I think it was actually good to see the real Shannon other than her Jason Trivia knowlege! She's growing on me.

~Stephanie finally gets her kiss too! And she totally plays it Mr. Darcy style! Nice!

~Lauren rats out Megan and Erica, the "two drama queens of the house." But she does so at Jason's request. Megan eavesdrops, probably thanks to an eagle-eyed PA tipping her off. Poor Jason is really confused by all this lady drama, and Chris Harrison helps him out by forcing some honesty out of the girls. This turns into the Megan and Lauren show, until Shannon throws up. :( Then Jason hands out the roses to...

Molly (yay!)
Lauren (not a surprise, but I'm neutral about her)
Melissa (woo!)
Naomi (meh)
Shannon (aww poor thing. Glad she got a rose.)
Nikki (glad for her, but I hope she'll continue to loosen up)
and...dun dun dun...Megan!!! GASP!!! The music gets so loud at this point that I can't even hear what her reaction is. Erica and Kari go home. It will be interesting to see how Megan does without Erica antagonizing her...but I still feel like she'll be trouble.

And next week...Jason doesn't give away the final rose?! What's that about? And more importantly, when the heck is Deanna gonna show up at Jason's doorstep?!

OK, as always, the folks who do it better than me:
Lincee
Chris
and Beyond Reality:


Until later!

The Bachelor Week 2!

Another 2-hour episode...good lord!

OK, so here's my little crew I'm cheering for after seeing this episode:
Jillian - I really like her. She seems very much herself around Jason and doesn't seem like she's trying too hard.
Lauren - I like her too, but she is a smidge high maintenance. We'll see.
Melissa - Awww! Yeah, she's still adorable.
Stephanie - I. Love. Her. So sweet and genuine.
Nikki - She seems like she's pretty cool, and a lot more mature than many of the other girls.
Molly - I know she's a little bit of a schemer, but I can't help rooting for her.

Surprise Pool Party and Impromptu One-on-One Date

I'm glad Shannon has a new nickname: "Sha-Nay-Nay." The girl is crazy. Throwing ice = lame. And I don't think she has an internal monologue; it's like everything that crosses her mind, then crosses her lips.

I loved that Nikki was coaching poor, sweet Stephanie on how to steal Jason away from Natalie! The poor thing is so gentle, she wouldn't hurt a bug, much less a blonde. I think Jason was probably impressed by her tact in not breaking up his conversation to take him away.

I think Jason is doing a really good job of getting to know the girls on his own terms. I loved that he surprised them at the pool; I think he really wants to get to know them in a more relaxed setting, without them being all dressed up and made up. I thought it was hilarious that the girls were freaking out because they had no make-up and ponytails! He seems very at ease and seems to genuinely want them to have a good time, unlike Deanna, who threw a fit when no one was paying attention to her (remember that from last season?!!).

He picks Jillian for an impromptu one-on-one, which makes Lauren totally jealous. Until she thinks about how frantic she would be... "I mean, she didn't have very much time to get ready. I would be freaking out, and I don't know what I'd do with my hair. I'd have to wear it curly. No, I'd have to put it in a ponytail!!! Ok, I'm glad it wasn't me."

Lauren is pretty high-maintenance and Jason is picking up on this. I think he's looking for someone who can roll with the punches, which is probably a lot of what being a step-parent is about. We all know how high-maintenance Deanna was, and I hope Jason steers clear of that this season.

Jason's date with Jillian is at Disney Hall, which you may remember from the movie Get Smart. Very cool. And inside is Robin Thicke with a full band, singing for just the two of them! (How awkward would that be to be up there performing with a full set for just two people who were dancing/watching/smootching the whole time?)

Melissa gets to go on the other one-on-one date. At first I'm worried that she's going to turn into a brat and not have a good date, but when Jason feeds her the oyster and she obviously hates it, and then admits that she thought it was gross, I was back to cheering for our little cheerleader! She is just too cute. And then the Good Year Magic 8 Ball Blimp came by to answer some questions. And Melissa asked some good ones, including "Will I get a rose?" and "Will I get a kiss?" And as Jason knows from personal practice, when it comes to kissing...ask and you shall receive. Well played, Melissa. Or, as she would say, "Nicely done."

Group Date

Jason takes the girls shopping (aww!) and then it's back to the pool so he can hang out with the ladies in their bikinis and show off his wonderfully sculpted torso again. Molly gets a rose on this date after showing Jason her "secret talent," which is kissing, and also showing her goofy side by coordinating a synchronized swimming dance with Sharon and Kari.

Molly is slick; you have to hand it to her. I know the other girls got mad at her for the "secret talent" thing and for spending time with him when she'd already gotten a rose, but I think she knows that if you play too nice, you go home, and she's showing Jason that she's there for a reason.

Naomi told Jason that she'd be his friend no matter what. I had to ask myself if she was seriously asking to be put in the Friend Zone. Then to get him to kiss her, the line she used was, "Do friends kiss?" Sigh...yes, Naomi, sometimes friends DO kiss. That's called a friend with benefits. And that's not the same thing as a fiancee.

Erica says something to Jason about having certain standards that he needs to meet...or something like that. I didn't really get what she was saying. Then she tells the camera that it's hard for her to see Jason with the other girls, because she was cheated on in her last relationship and that's why it ended. "She was 52," she says.

Wait, did I hear that right? I had to rewind and play it again. "She was 52." Yup! That is what she said. So Erica's last boyfriend was either stolen by a senior citizen woman, or her last boyfriend WAS a senior citizen woman. I'm still not clear on that.

Raquel pulled kind of a creeper move by climbing into Jason's car and waiting after he dropped the other girls off after the group date. (Does anyone remember when one of the guys...Twilley, I think...did this to Deanna? I do, and I think it was equally awkward this time around.)

On to the Rose Ceremony...

Megan...kinda sucks. Nothing is working out for her. First the fake elimination rose, then she doesn't get a date, and then Molly pops by with her rose in the middle of Jason's conversation with her and takes him away (and is it just me, or did Jason look relieved?). That led to a completely pointless fight between her and Erica. And to put a cherry on top of her Bachelor Disaster Sundae, she decides to find out more about the mysterious Stephanie and "what her deal is."

"So, we haven't gotten to know much about you, " she starts out in her nervous, abrasive manner. "What happened with your ex?"

Then Stephanie, the angel of this cast of contenders, tells this beautiful, tragic story about how her husband died in a plane crash. And then she shows her poise and grace by turning the conversation's focus back to Jason instead of keeping everyone's sympathetic attention on her. This woman is too sweet to be on reality TV.

Lisa tells Jason she has to leave the show because her grandma is terminally sick with cancer. Boo. I was really hoping we'd get to see more of her. And wow, the girls don't even try to act like they feel bad for her. "One less girl for me to worry about!" they all said. Geez!

Nikki tells Jason she is worried some of the girls are not there for the right reasons, or aren't prepared to settle down and be a mom. There's always one in the bunch, folks. Someone who is ready to sell out their fellow competitors because they care about the Bachelor so much (or the Bachelorette; it happens with the guys too). I like Nikki, but I think it's always a dangerous move to try to turn the object of your desire against other contestants. I'm just worried someone's gonna put gum in her hair while she's sleeping.

At the end of the night, Jason only has to eliminate two girls because Lisa left voluntarily. The roses go to:
Megan (booo.)
Nikki (duh.)
Lauren (again, duh.)
Naomi (not quite in the Friend Zone yet.)
Stephanie (YESSSSS!!! with arm pump.)
Kari
Natalie
Sha-Nay-Nay
Melissa (one-on-one date)
Jillian (on-on-one date)
Molly (group date rose)
Erica - (booo...and she does this whole trashy thing where she goes, "Stop doing this to me!" because he called her name last, and she makes him put his hand on her chest so he can feel her rapidly pulsating heart.)

Sharon is sent home to find a new job, since she gave up her old one to be on the show. Oops. Raquel salsas into the sunset, snuffing our hopes for an international hometown date. Oh well.

Next Week...
We'll get to see an amazing one-on-one date with Stephanie as she is surprised by a visit from her darling little girl! I think I caught Jason crying during their reunion, but we'll just have to see.

Oh, at the end of the show, they played a clip of Stephanie's numerous bags of luggage and (of course) she let all of the girls try on and borrow anything they wanted to. Is this lady for real?!

I can't wait for Deanna to come back. When do you think that will happen?!!

Supplemental Reading...
Lincee (for the funniest recaps on the planet)
Chris (for those of you who, like me, are fascinated by what happens behind the scenes of a reality show...and this is also a hilarious read!)

And of course the ladies who go Beyond Reality...see what they have to say this week:

first impressions (bachelor week 1)

OK, I'll try not to go on too long about this, but WOW, what a great season premiere! I actually had to take notes!

The Girls

Jillian
I like her. She seems cute and genuine, and her dress was gorgeous! She has invented a personality test based on hot dog condiments, which she used on Jason. She found out that he's a "mustard guy," which means he's the kind of guy you want to settle down with. I'll have to test out this theory in the future.
I was glad she got a rose.

Stacia
I liked her too. She is a cute, single mom but I don't think she really got to talk to Jason a whole lot, so we didn't learn much about her.
I was sad she didn't get a rose.

Dominique
Oh my goodness, so adorable! She looks like my friend Caitlin C. (aka real-life Disney Princess) and has the personality of a D.P. as well. And when she talks, it's like a mix of Sarah Palin and Kirsten Dunst's character in Drop Dead Gorgeous.
She didn't get a rose, which is too bad because she would've made for some funny TV.

Nikki
OK, I got it wrong...Stephanie is not the Pageant Patty; NIKKI is! They went to her house and shot b-roll of her cleaning house in her "Miss Illinois" sash and letting her niece wear her crown. In last night's episode, she scored well in evening gown and interview, garnering her the first impression rose.
We'll see.

Jackie
She's kind of the sad girl of the bunch; apparently she's been engaged, broken it off, married, divorced, and now she's a wedding planner.
She didn't get a rose and was actually really mad about it. But what's that they say? "Always the wedding planner, never the bride?" No, that's not it...

Stephanie
Not Pageant Patty but a smidge Stepford-ish. That being said, I love her. She is a really sweet lady and her older age gives her an advantage among the other girls, as she's mature and truly sweet about meeting people, not old and bitter. But we'll get to Megan in a bit.
She got a rose, yayyyy!!!

Naomi
She looks like Eva Mendes' cousin who also gets hired to do Eva's stand-in stuff in movies. A little rough around the edges, but should be entertaining.
She got a rose.

Megan
Oh lord. I'm scared of her. She seems to play the Mom Card a LOT. She does it to get closer to Jason, to bond with the few other single moms in the crowd, and to belittle her cuter, younger, friendlier competition. She got a rose "courtesy of the other women" and we will talk about that soon. She has a potty mouth. Ty is going to learn LOTS of new things from her!

Lisa (a.k.a. Suri)
I like to call her Suri, because I think she looks, sounds, and so far acts like Suri from Whatever Hollywood (she's the one all the way on the right and sometimes she writes me emails! She's the coolest!) So far, Lisa/Suri is cool too, which is good because I don't want someone with my name turning out to be a spazz.
She got a rose. (Yesssss!)

Lauren
It's Lauren's birthday. She makes Jason guess how old she is while almost bouncing out of her dress. Then Jason brings her a birthday cake, but she thinks it's going ot be the first impression rose, so she tells the camera, "I'm obviously getting the rose, duh!" It would've been a pretty embarrassing birthday for Lauren, but at the end of the night...
She did get a rose.

Melissa
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Awww! She is so stinkin cute.
Yay, she got a rose!

Sharon
She quit her job to be on the show. So far, it's paid off.
She got a rose.

Natalie
She looks like she's gonna be one of those girls who looks like she's thinking, "I'm hotter than you so you know I'm going to be better than you at life" but she was so nervous when she met Jason that it was endearing! And like me, she doesn't have TV.
She got a rose. Yay!

Treasure
Not the free spirit I thought she was -- at least I don't think so, because we didn't learn anything about her except that "Treasure" is not her stage name. I think it would've been funny if she'd have followed up with, "Actually, my stage name is Pat." Or you know, something really boring.
Treasure did not get a rose.

Raquel
Cue the Latin music. Literally, every time she walked into the room, spoke, walked out of the room, or was mentioned anywhere around the room, they started playing her theme music.
She got a rose.

Molly
A straight-shooting Midwesterner. I like her so far.
She got a rose.

Erica
Ehhh...let's just say formal occasions are not her strongest suit.
But she did get a rose.

Nicole (also wanting to be called Nikki)
Although not the nut job I was afraid she'd be, she did wear an orange dress (and black shoes...what?!) because orange is Ty's favorite color. But Ty wasn't there and he certainly wasn't handing out roses, so...
She didn't get a rose. Sigh...so long, Janice.

Renee
She looked and sounded about 10 years younger than she was, but she (not Treasure) turned out to be the free spirit, saying her vision board had said she was meant to be with Jason. And the thing about vision boards is, everything you put on it comes true.
Except for the one time when she went on The Bachelor and didn't get a rose.

Emily
She looks as scary on TV as she does in her picture. She is like Scary Barbie (which is what my sisters and I called Space Barbie because she looked scary).
She did not get a rose, so it's back to Seattle...Jason's hometown. Yup.

Julie
Cute, teaches first grade. That's about all we got out of that.
No rose.

Ann
Meehhhh...who?
No rose.

Shannon
ABC has already gotten us to think of her as The Stalker. In the opening sequence, she's running on a treadmill and says, "I'm coming for you, Jason!" Whaaaat.
Then there's the infamous MyStalk conversation. But I think Jason was won over when she got out of the limo with her fake hillbilly teeth in, and it didn't matter that she was a stalker because she was a funny stalker.
And she got a stalker. I mean, a rose.

Shelby
She reminded me of a news anchor; she has the perfect hair and face for it, and she seemed to be conducting interviews with everyone.
She didn't get a rose. But I think the Early Show should hire her to replace Julie Chen.

Kari
Good thing she wrote and read aloud a poem for Jason, because that's all I remembered about her.
She got a rose.

The Twist
They borrowed a wooden box off of the set of Lost and told the girls they had to vote on a girl they thought should leave the house. I wonder if they just thought the girls just weren't being catty enough and some production assistant said, "I know, let's go Survivor on these biotches!" Anyway, the award for Biggest Bitch went to Megan (surprise surprise). But then the girls found out she was actually winning a rose, not a trip back home. That announcement was followed by Megan calling the rest of the girls @#$**&##@s (I don't even know what she called them, they had to bleep and fuzz so much of it out) and then went up for a super-classy rose awarding...
"Megan, will you please accept this rose?"
"Yes, I'd be happy to!" (Stink eye to the rest of the gals.)

That, along with the rest of the bleeps and fuzzies used to cover whatever was coming out of Megan's mouth the rest of the time, was enough to make her a shoo-in for Ty's new mom, no doubt.

OK, that's it for week one. But the sneak peek into the rest of the season was insane, because guess who's coming back...

DEANNA!!!

That's right, just like Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and Hillary Clinton, SHE IS BACK. You just can't keep a good girl down. Or...something like that. Yes, Deanna comes back, apparently to ask for a second chance, and the girls. Are. Mad!!!

I love reality TV! :)

Remember, check out Lincee (linked on the right), or if you don't like reading recaps, watch these girls (they are hilarious!)



Enjoy! And please tell me your thoughts on the season premiere!

The ABCs of my TV viewing habits

OK, if you for any reason follow my Twitter, you may know that I'm currently trying to catch up on the last season (or so) of Scrubs. Why? Well, (1) because I kind of stopped watching it a year or so ago, and even then I was about a season behind, and (2) I just got new inspiration for catching up with it because now that NBC has dropped it, its distributor ABC is picking it up to run the 8th (and possibly final) season this year! And I'm going to need something to fill the void since another of my favorite shows on ABC, Pushing Daisies, is getting cancelled. PD is just one of those shows that is too good for TV, unfortunately.

Anyway, so today I got about halfway through Season 6 of Scrubs, and as sad as this sounds, it's kind of like talking to an old friend...there are all of these characters and running jokes and things that I had forgotten about, and it's just so nice to see all of them again! This show literally makes me laugh out loud frequently. And the episode "My Musical" guest-starring the girl from Avenue Q actually made me cry a little bit. Lol.

But anyway, tonight...as I'm typing this...is the season premiere of The Bachelor, which I am so excited to watch in the morning :) And this season is like, the ultimate payoff for me because Brad Womack's season of The Bachelor was the first one I watched faithfully all the way through. Then the runner-up from that show was the next Bachelorette, Deanna, and of course I watched that all the way through as well. And now they are making history by taking Deanna's runner-up, Jason, and putting him in as the next Bachelor! And he's a single dad, which is also a first for the series. So I have the full back-up story on this dude, the girl who dumped him, and the guy who dumped her!

It's going to be a wacky ride.

And for any of you who'd like to ride along, please feel free to leave your comments and check back because I will probably be discussing the show every week. You are also going to want to check out Lincee's postings...her blog is the ultimate study guide for all things Bachelor -- she does hilarious recaps every Tuesday after each episode, as well as keeps us updated on the "where are they now's" of past Bachelors and Bachelorettes. In fact, go check her out now because she's already made her picks for the final four (who needs March Madness when you've got this show, seriously?! Kidding.)

And I'm not going to make my predictions yet, but I have browsed the list of bachelorette candidates, and here are some girls I think we should be looking out for:

Emily - This girl's bio says she's 23, but I have a hard time believing that. Which isn't to say I think she's a liar...just a truth-stretcher. She does live in Seattle, same as Jason. Which makes me wonder...why did she have to go on a national TV show to meet him? You don't think a little MySpace action would've been enough to get that set up?

Erica - Is it just me, or is this one of the only girls on the roster who looks like a real person? That alone has me cheering for her. Watch, she probably got eliminated tonight.

Megan - a.k.a. Deanna 2.0. This is who everyone seems to have picked as the front-runner. I think she looks a smidge scary, like she might have that same "I'm about to go Hollwood" gleam in her eye as her original version. Just sayin'.

Melissa - Awww! Right? I just think she looks like she could be Ty's mom. Or Jason's sister. Which could be creepy. But still...awww!

Nicole - I'm just gonna call it right now and say I think this girl is gonna be one of the crazies. I don't know why...maybe just because she looks like Janice from Friends?

Raquel - I'm cheering for her just because she's from Brazil and that would be a sweet hometown date.

Renee - one of the oldest in the group, she is one of the only bachelorettes capable of "robbing the cradle" where Jason is concerned (he is 32). How will all these 23-24-25-year-olds measure up to her? We'll just have to see...

Shannon - poor girl. I'm guessing she went home tonight (see the Bachelor "sneak peek" promo where she goes all stalker on Jason), but if she doesn't, she will be one to watch! She has done her homework and already knows everything there is to know about our Bachelor, his son, his brother, and apparently everyone else attached to him on MySpace. You gotta admire a good researcher.

Stephanie - Gaack! Did someone say Pageant Patty? Here's why I want to watch her: she's 34 (so, also a cradle-robber), a single mom, and she looks the same age as Emily. And I want to know how all of that is possible.

And finally, everyone's favorite - Treasure! - a single mom from Salt Like City, I peg her as a free spirit because of her lack of make-up, her big earrings, and...her name. So I think she'll be an interesting one to watch as well.

OK, that's it for me. Check back in tomorrow to see if I was right about any of these girls. And make sure to read Lincee's blog! Trust me, she makes it worth watching the whole season.

Gotta go wash dishes as part of my commitment to my New Year's resolutions.

Until later! :)

ooh! one more thing!

I just wanted to say really quick that the countdown is ON for the next season of The Bachelor, and this time I will actually watch it all the way through (usually I only watch The Bachelorette; I always seem to forget about The Bachelor and then realize it's happening about two episodes from the season finale). But not THIS time, because this season is special for two reasons:

1) The Bachelor is Jason from Deanna Pappas' Bachelorette season, so this is the first time a Bachelor season will spin off from a Bachelorette season.

2) Jason is a dad! He has a little boy, so all these ladies are signing onto the show knowing that they're not only dating a bachelor, they're also dating a kindergartener. And of course, I'm sure there will be a LOT of contrary opinions from child psychology and parenting experts, discussing whether this is harmful for the kid, or whether it's a healthy process for him to get to meet all of these ladies and help his dad pick a new mom...is this season gonna be good or what?! (OK, I love reality TV a little too much lol.)

And in preparation for the January premiere, I have added the best Bachelor Recap Blog ever to my links here on my blog, so if you are following along this season, you will know where to find it. This girl writes the most hilarious recaps after every episode; it just makes the season that much more fun to watch unfold!

OK, that's it, for real!

huh!

I was just looking at the CBS promos for tomorrow morning and realized that I haven't watched a SINGLE episode of Big Brother this summer! Not one! I guess that's because I have a life now.

In other news, I just got this crazy idea today that I might try to relocate to California for my next job. Keep in mind that I won't be going ANYWHERE for at least another year...I still have 14 months on my contract. But I'm just saying, this time next year I'll probably be looking for another producing job, hopefully in a bigger market. And mostly I've been thinking Chicago or Indianapolis (and I barely have the guts to think about New York)...but today I starting thinking, why not somewhere on the West Coast? OK, it's just a thought. Not like I'm gonna pack up my bags and move out any time soon. Just saying.

OK, back to work! My morning meteorologist's last day is today and then she's taking a new job up north. Boo. But we want to have a great last show for her, so I better get crackin'!

Reality, Reviews, and Randomness

I haven't posted anything lately, and I don't really have anything in particular that I wanted to blog about, so this is gonna be pretty random.

Firstly, let's do a little reality recap.

The Bachelorette
I know, right??? That was over so long ago, but I need to dish about it one last time! I had a feeling DeAnna would pick Jesse just because she always seems to do what we wouldn't expect her to. And I think it's funny that she keeps saying how important her family is to her, because I'm pretty sure she picked the guy her family liked least out of the final two. I mean, Papa Pappas didn't exactly look brimming over with joy when they announced their wedding plans on national network television. It will be interesting to see what happens.

And of course the part of the special "Where Are They Now" episode that made my jaw drop was the very, very end of the show, where we see good ol' Brad Womack (who DeAnna seems to have forgiven because now she realizes there is no way you can go on this show and NOT make someone feel they have been led on) sitting in a recliner in what I guess is supposed to be his bach pad, eating a sandwich and watching TV. Cut to an over-the-shoulder shot of what's on the TV (a teeny little flatscreen--we know Brad's REAL bach pad would have one much bigger), and it's DeAnna, self-proclaimed happiest woman in the world, getting engaged and having all her dreams come true. Cut to commercial. WHAAAAAAT. How would they ever get Brad, who they've been bashing all season, to agree to shooting that? Well, I found out that they didn't. This article explains where the sandwich-eating footage came from and how it was originally supposed to be used. Annnnd that's why they make you sign your life away to be one one of these shows. So they can humiliate you later, and you can't do a thing about it.

Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods
I think in our heart of hearts, we all knew from the beginning that Southern belle Bailey would nab the role of Elle by the end of the show. And I really, really feel for Autumn; how much does it suck to be told by the director of a Broadway show that you have the best voice of anyone in the entire competition, and then NOT get cast? I guess that's why that industry is so tough. Just having a kick-ass voice isn't enough to get you a show. But the cool part is how awesome it must have been to perform three Broadway numbers on a Broadway stage for your family. Whether you end up winning or not, that's still awesome. Although it would be much more awesome if you won so Mom and Dad could see you do the whole show.

And Bailey debuted this week! If you visit the show's site, you can see a video of her recording "So Much Better," which is now available on iTunes. And typical of Bailey, the song sounds a little too perfect. But I mean, she's good. I can't hold a note as long as she does at the end of that song, that's for sure! I just think when Bailey talks she has this sort of animated Disney princess quality that's a little less believable than Laura Bell Bundy's quick, quippy raspiness (which I didn't particularly like either...I guess I just wish they could put Reese Witherspoon onstage instead; I'm just a die-hard for the movie version). I'm trying to find a review of Bailey's first performance, but I haven't had any luck.

Speaking of reviews...

We got one for HSM in the Journal and Courier. I guess it was good considering who wrote it--apparently the guy has it in for our director and our Miss Darbus, and both of them knew that--but luckily Cody, Issa, and I were described as "notable" performers, and the rest of the young cast was spared from any of Mr. Jaeger's snarky remarks. I've never been reviewed for doing a show before; it was kinda weird. But I think the important thing is that no one really cares what's in the review; they care more about what friends, family, and respected theatre patrons have to say. And all of THEIR reviews were pretty good. I know the 12-and-under crowd was happy with it anyway!

What else is new? Oh! I am helping a friend of mine who coaches the Twin Lakes color guard. He needed a "movement technition"...basically someone to help teach the girls better dance technique, and asked me if I'd do it. Now, I have never been in color guard, so I know I am going to learn a LOT. So far the girls are doing great; they have been working really hard and picking things up quickly. But I'm sure after a couple of weeks my novelty will wear off and they will stop liking me...lol I just remember that you always liked a new coach or director for like a week and then you stopped thinking they were fun. So I'm just kind of waiting for that to happen! They call me "Miss Stanforth," which is really weird but I guess I'll just have to get used to it. Meanwhile, I'm just worried about whether I'm teaching them the right things in the right way. I've just never really coached anything, and I like it, but I just worry about doing a good job. I am, however, totally excited to get to go watch them at football games and competitions! In high school I had a lot of friends who were in marching band and I was always fascinated about how they got everyone to move into those formations and everything, so I'm stoked to get to see it from the other side.

Lastly, people are leaving!!! :(

My on-stage brother (he played Ryan to my Sharpay) is now gone. He's doing a grad school/dorm director program in Illinois and he left Tuesday. We really bonded and I do actually feel like he's my brother, and I miss him a metric ton. And the weirdest part is, I don't talk to him every day now, and so I feel like it's been ages since we've spoken! I did get to talk to him Wednesday night and I was already going "It's so good to hear your voice!" Geez, I sound like my parents! But I am sure he is super-busy getting ready for the school year to start and for all of the undergrads to get there! Everyone else from the HSM group is still in town, but now we're all leaving on vacations, so we're not doing the "big group" activities so much anymore. In a way, though, it's nice because I'm getting more one-on-one time with people and getting to know them better, which is very awesome. I think we're going to try for one more big group day/night before the rest of the kids head off to IU and Butler and wherever else. And then, I know the Purdue kids will still be in town, but I also know their schedules will fill up, and they'll get back in the swing of things with their college friends and roommates, and I won't see them as much, so I'm trying to treasure moments with them now too. Although, it sounds like we will all see each other at tailgates on game days, which will be SO much fun! So that will be good. Also, one of my friends from the station is leaving for a new job in Oklahoma, and although I know it's going to be great for her, I am bummed that she won't be around anymore. The thing that stinks about TV is that people come and go very quickly. Thank God for Facebook!!!

Well, this is getting longer and longer, so I guess I'll just stop here before I think of something else to talk about!

Until later!
lis

he knew

Graham knew he was going home this week.

I just finished watching the newest episode of the Bachelorette, and was it a good one or WHAT! The stakes are much higher, with four guys left, each taking Deanna home to meet their families.

All of the hometown visits went unbelievably well, except for Graham's. First all was fine, as Graham finally got to relax with Deanna and be in his own environment, and she was excited that he was more talkative. But you could see that Deanna was in major puppy love...she was practically wagging her tail when she got out of the car to meet him. After the conversation with Graham's mom, though, reality kicked in and Deanna could see that Graham still was a long way from the super-attentive, totally committed person she was hoping for in a husband. Then they left the house and sat on that bench in the woods and you could just tell...he wasn't there. And here is my theory:

Graham wasn't into the show. He wasn't into bunking with a bunch of other guys and dating the same girl as all of them. He wasn't into the cameras. And he wasn't into falling all over himself to keep Deanna's attention. And I respect that. I said before that Graham seems like a real person, and what is he doing on this show? I think this episode proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. My theory is that he got quiet on that bench because (a) he's a quiet guy and (b) all those cameras were around and he realized, this is what the deal is until they get ENGAGED. They will never truly be alone with each other in the moment until after this show is over, and by then it will be proposal time! And he's probably not ready for that. Then when she starts trying to pick his brain (which I would've done too, I admit), he realized, this is what the deal is until she DIES! Deanna will never be content with Graham handling things internally; she'll just insist that he's "running away." And he knew in that moment, I think, that it wasn't going to work.

And when he showed up to the rose ceremony in jeans, I KNEW that he knew he was headed right back out that door again.

The scene on the bench broke my heart, but only because I know what it's like telling someone goodbye when you know it's absolutely the right thing to do even though you think you want to keep him around so badly. And I'm not a big Deanna fan, but I was kind of "proud" of her for putting Graham in that limo. They weren't for each other, which was clear, but she wanted him to be The Guy so badly that it was hard to admit it wasn't the right thing. I've definitely been there, and I know that while she was second-guessing herself in that moment, she'll look back at that now and be glad she let him go. I may be projecting a little bit. Yeah, I think I am. But I also really think that's what went on there.

And the way Graham turned away from her, obviously crying...that was a sure sign that he wasn't at that point where she wanted him to be, if he couldn't cry in front of her. That's just not who he is...or maybe she's just not that person for him to feel like he can cry in front of, hence another sign that it was over. But you could see in his face that he knew he had blown his chance. And then the NOTE!!! OMG...I think he had that note ready because he knew he was going home. And I honestly felt for both of them at that point because I think they both wanted it to work out, but just knew down in the bottom of their hearts that it wasn't going to pan out. She held out her hand to walk him to the car, he didn't take it. He held out the note to her, and she didn't take THAT. He sets it on the bench. And then he says, "This is for you to read ONLY. Not for some show..." AGGGGHHH!!! Does that not seal it? This guy was not ready to let his guard down and let his feelings out in front of a girl, in front of a camera! And then his brimming tears and that subtle shake of his head as he drove away...ohhhh it just broke my heart. It was like watching a real break-up. Maybe it's just because I'm PMSing. But GEEZ!!!

Oh, and I can't WAIT to see next week's episod when they go on the exotic dates. Jesse totally sold me when they showed what happened when she gave him the card for the fantasy suite. (In case you don't know how this gameshow works, the "exotic" dates end with the possibility of Deanna inviting the guy to stay with her in the fantasy suite overnight, rather than stay in their own separate rooms.) So they preview Jason, who I love, who starts reading the card and stops mid-sentence, throws the card to the side and says, "Yeah!!!" (Which is cute.) And then they show Jesse, who reads the card and says, "I don't know if I can do this until after I've met your father." YES YES YEEEEESSSSSS!!!! This guy is A+ Excellent quality! (Just not physically attractive to me personally.) But oh WOW, has that ever happened in the history of this show??! This guy won't make it past next week, but I love him and I think he has proven time and time again that he is the ultimate in chivalry. Any girl would be lucky to marry this kid.

OK, the pool is calling. Oh, and WTF, MTV? Thanks for not posting last night's episode of "The Search for Elle Woods!" Luckily, they did post the audition sequences and I think Lauren and Rhiannon did exceptionally well. Pleeeeeaaase tell me Celina went home. No, don't tell me. I can wait till Thursday when they post the episode. I didn't buy Cassie's performance either...I think she'd be better in a goofy, comedic supporting role than as a leading lady. Plus, she has some serious pitch/hearing issues. And Bailey did the song like a clone of Laura Bell Bundy :-P Boo...she sounded good though. OK, I'm done talking about this because I'm going to the pool!!! Bye!

reality check

***Disclaimer! I started writing this on Thursday and I kept dozing off, so I had to finish it tonight, seeing as Monday night is just around the corner and I don't want to get behind!***


Wow, I actually haven't blogged yet this week. It's Thursday! I'm so excited! OK, I feel the need to recap my two current reality obsessions.

The Bachelorette

I'm gonna save the you the trouble of pretending to be entertained by my comments when everything I have to say wouldn't compare to Lincee, queen of the Bachelor recap blog domain. It was a killer episode, but I'll just leave it to the pro.

Moving on...

The Search for Elle Woods
First of all, can I just say that I know at LEAST 10 girls that I could put on this show who would be more talented than this bunch? With a few exceptions. I think a few of them are really tough. But most of the time, I feel like I'm watching high school theatre.

We get a flashback of the last episode, in which Nikki Snelson of the LB Broadway cast dropped lines on the girls, and Cassie O. was sent home. Then we see what's going to happen...and it can be summed up with one fitting word: Da-RAMA!

The girls are starting to realize after the first of the top ten left, it became clear that this is truly a competition...not just musical theatre camp.

The two remaining of the "bottom three" return. Everyone is glad to see Lindsay, but less thrilled about stage poodle Cassie S. Cassie observes to the camera that Lindsay got way more hugs than she did, followed by, "Oh, it is ON!!!"

Oh. My. Gosh.

I would also like to point out at this point that all these girls are wearing matching LB sweats. What? They are wearing these stinking things all the time. It's like the only time they AREN'T instructed specifically on what to wear is when they receive their cryptic "call sheets."

Speaking of the call sheet, it sends them to a gym where they meet their vocal coach for some exercise/singing rehearsal. This is actually a pretty awesome way to show how talented some of these girls are. I mean, I can hardly carry a conversation on a spin bike, much less belt a song. So, props to these girls...except Cassie S. Who, by the way, the producer has decided to hate on this episode. I don't mind, if you don't. She is the ONLY person who is vocally all over the place with her pitch...like, is this even real? And then cut to Cassie confessing to the camera that she is sooo impressed with how good she was.

Hayley Duff comes in to help the vocal coach announce the winner of the workout/singing session. Lauren wins for fierce belting, and she picks Cassie S. to share the prize with her in an effort to show friendship to the girl everyone hates...how Elle of her! Cassie is pissed to be picked out of "pity." The reward is "a mani-pedi" with Orfeh, who plays Paulette in LB on B'way.

The girls make good use of their time by asking Orfeh for advice. Orfeh makes good use of OUR time by attempting to dig into the dirt on what goes on inside the house. Cassie tells the camera how stupid it is that everyone says they get along in the house. Here's what I know about girls---the ones who say we're all getting along are the ones who are trying to create a positive atmosphere. The ones who say it's catty are the ones who are making it catty.

The girls say goodbye and Cassie tells Orfeh to "watch the nails" like she and O. are best buds. Ugh...

The tension is high when Lauren and Cassie get back. Everyone is jealous of their mani-pedi treatments. Emma tells us how unhelpful it would've been for her to meet a Broadway star because she grew up in a Broadway family. "Whatever." Many of the girls express to the camera that Emma should've won. Too bad she wouldn't have cared about the reward.

Next morning, the call sheet arrives just in time to give the girls a big pink panic attack because they only have a half-hour to get ready for their call time. Some girls brag about how quickly they can get ready in the morning.

The girls show up at the rehearsal studio to find out they will not only be learning Elle's part for the audition song, "Omigod," but they will also learn the chorus parts to perform for each other's auditions. Vocal dude notices how much the girl half-ass it when they're not singing Elle's part, and predicts some serious "biotchery" in the house.

The girls head back to the loft where they decide to run the piece and give everyone a chance to run it as Elle. Flashback to elementary recesses when my little friends and I would "take turns" singing songs from Disney movies...and it was the same thing. Everyone wants to sing the princess part. No one wants to be Aladdin, or the Beast, or Sabastian, or Zazu. We see the girls dwindle away, until finally it's Cassie's turn and Bailey decides to rest her voice...along with three other girls who aren't called out for not participating.

The girls are soooo nervous for the auditions. I would be, too. They each go through the piece with "local actress" Nicole who plays the shop girl's part.

Haylie Duff keeps saying "at least" one of the girls will go home after the audition...hmm?

Autumn goes first. I kind of love this girl...she cracks me up in her little camera confessionals. She is good; she messes up the words, but she totally covers herself. She is much older than most of the other girls, and her maturity puts her on a whole different level than the other girls competitively. She's not even worried about whether people hug her or not. Poodle, please!

Rhiannon is next. She is so adorable, but so young in contrast to Autumn that it makes me have a hard time believing her as a college grad. The judges think she is a "joyologist." Cue Molly Shannon, anyone? "I love it I love it I love it!!!"

And I would like to mention at this point that Cassie S. can be spotted "giving 100%" for all the other girls in the background...but I know what this is. She's not being helpful and selfless. She's trying to be noticed. We used to have a girl in the PMO Kid's Choir who was always overdoing everything, including her reactions to other people's solo parts, in an attempt to keep all eyes on her. It's not helpful. It's a-freaking-nnoying, and she needs to cut it out. But that's why we love to hate her, right?

Anyway, on with the auditions. Bailey is too Disney. Emma is too harsh. Natalie does pretty stinkin' well...we see a pleased smile from Bernie. Cassie S. does a good job...and then the judges put her on the spot: "Do you think you should go home?" She makes the brilliant move to say she thinks other girls should go before her. The judges ask for names, and she cops out by saying she wants to say a name but not on a personal level. Then the judges ask a question written down by the producers of the MTV reality show..."Do you think other girls weren't supporting you when you practiced in the house last night?" Of course, Cassie tells the truth and the girls backstage get pissed and coin the title of this episode: "Omigod, She Threw Us Under the Bus!"

Back to the auditions! Lindsay gives a high school theatre-level performance. Lauren starts every phrase of her song with an "H." Celina is too sexy. And scary. And mean. Seriously, what is she DOING here?!

The judges give Celina some criticism and then she cries to the camera about being talked down to and not being treated like a person. Um...welcome to show business?

The judges do their deliberating and then Haylie brings the girls out to tell them FOUR of them will go to the casting office today...dun dun dun. The List of girls who are safe for the week are Autumn, Bailey, Rhiannon, Natalie, and...Cassie!

WHA????!!!!

OMG, are all the girls pissed or WHAT! Celina, Lindsay, Emma, and Lauren all head to the casting office. But the best part is the "photo finish" moment when Cassie walks into the dressing room, revealing Bailey's reaction when she walks in. Total shock and horror...Priceless.

The judges do their best to deliver the lines written by the MTV producer in as natural a form as possible. "You're here today because your auditions didn't soar." "Your dream of becoming Elle Woods may be over."

After giving their criticisms to the girls, the judges tell Emma they want to see more colors. They tell Celina she has potential. They tell Lauren she is wasting their time. They tell Lindsay she's cut.

Lindsay has a great exiting speech to the camera. She is hopeful for a career on Broadway in the future. It's ok, Lindsay, I don't know why they sent you home and kept Celina either!

OK, that's it. I'm ready for the next installment! And I can't wait to see Bachelorette hometown visits this week! :)

Until then!
Lis

reality recap

I didn't have time earlier to rant about my two current reality shows, so I'm gonna do that now before I have to go to work.

The Search for Elle Woods

Quick recap: We're down to 10 girls in the running for the role of Elle Woods on Broadway. I still can't get over how ludacris this concept is. But that's ok...that's entertainment!

Today it's all about the acting; the girls have a workshop with an acting coach and a reading partner, where they read a scene from the show between Emmett and Elle. They each get pointers. Just like in ANTM, the acting coach picks a "winner" who he thinks was the most impressive in the workshop. He picks Bailey, who is able to cast off her thick southern accent while reading the scene. Bailey gets to pick a friend (Lindsay) and they together go enjoy their reward, which is meeting and working with Nikki Snelson, one of the stars of the Broadway show. The girls also find out that Nikki will be doing the audition scene with them later for the judges, so Bailey and Lindsay have a serious leg-up on the rest of the girls.

First, let me say...I love Bailey. She looks the part, and she has a lot of the warmth and friendliness that the character of Elle Woods is known for. I think Lindsey is also perfect for the part, but needs to step up her game a little bit or she'll be cut.

In this episode, we get to see the loft where the gals are living together during the show. Of course, everything is pink, and there is a piano and a barre (like the girls are gonna do some rond des jambs before bed???). So the girls spend the rest of the day at their loft rehearsing the scene they have to have memorized for the elimination audition later.

At the auditions, the judges ask Nikki to purposely drop a line to see how the girls do in a "think on your feet" situation. This to me seems a little cruel, but whatever. Most of the girls don't get what's going on and we are treated to hours and hours of awkward silence. But a few of the girls go for it and save the scene. The one who, in my opinion, does the best job, is Autumn, who until that point I wasn't too sure about. But she really stepped it up and so now I'm rooting for her.

Seven of the girls are put on "the list" and told they are safe for this week. Three are left, and Hayley Duff (the host) tells them the judges were disappointed in them and wanted to see them in the CASTING OFFICE!!!! Dun dun dun!!!

The two Cassies and Lindsay go to the casting office, where each of the girls' portraits are hanging on the wall. A true BB fan, I know what this is! A memory wall! And I say, "I guarantee the little light turns off over the picture of the girl that gets cut!"

The judges tell Lindsay she needs to step up her game because she totally looks the part but isn't being very impressive. They tell Cassie S. that she needs to cut the crap and show them something genuine. This is soooo ture. Cassie S. told us in Episode One that she is from a performing family, and it's so evident. She's a total show dog; everything is spot-on, but way too refined. She's like a little stage robot. Ugh...she bugs me.

I don't even remember what they told Cassie O...I just knew she was going home. She doesn't look the part, or...anything. I think they said she had the best voice there but that was it, so they cut her and (I knew it!!) the little light over her headshot clicked off.

Next week, we see the girls working on the dress shop scene of the opening number, "Omigod!" and we see Cassie S. being a little stage snot...what fun! I have it in for Celina...I don't know for the life of me why she's on this show. So I'm probably gonna hope she goes home.

The Bachelorette

Deanna, what is WRONG with you??! She got rid of two of my favorite guys, Brian and Fred. I was especially upset to see Fred go, because he just kept showing what a terrific guy he is. I seriously may look him up in Chicago. No, just kidding. Maybe. Brian never really stood a chance, but at the same time, I don't think Deanna made any real effort to get to know him. I guess he's headed back to Texas to coach his high school football guys...sigh. And what the hell is Twilley still doing there??!

OK, here is the part I don't get. Yah, maybe she did the right thing by getting rid of Fred rather than leading him on, but what IS it about Twilley that is keeping him around? I would have definitely said goodbye to Twilley before letting Fred go! Also, poor Fred got the rug pulled from under him because he went on the two-on-one date with Robert and saw Deanna send Robert home, so he KNEW he was getting the rose and staying safe and in the house for another week. Then Deanna came back and totally put him in the Friend Zone. Aggh!!! But it was good in a way because Fred was sooo sweet and gracious about it, and he didn't cry or act awkward about it. And he didn't say anything bitter or stupid. You can tell, too, from what the other guys said about him that he was a great guy.

Robert, on the other hand, acted like a little girl, which is exactly what I am convinced he is, and wouldn't even look Deanna in the eye when she told him goodbye. Then he slouched all over the back seat of his limo and whined about everything, and then a tear rolled down his cheek and he TOTALLY turned his face to the camera to make sure they got that. Get a clue, guy. You asked to kiss her, and she gave you the dodge. You think you can sing, and you pop your collars, and your hair is so 90s. You give me d-chills. Goodbye!!!

Um, also I have mucho respect for Graham, who Deanna pulled aside during a group date for a make-out session and he was soooo not having it because he didn't just want to be one of a bunch...or whatever he said. Basically, she's all over him and he's like, "Chill, lady, I know I'm hot, but if you're just keeping me around as man candy, forget it." He seems like an actual real person to me. Why is he on this show?!

At least Jason is still there. Single-dad Jason is either going to the final two, or going home next week. He WILL make out with Deanna, and totally did when she came home from dumping Fred and Robert and he was the only guy left in the mansion. So I think she will keep him around to cuddle with and then decide at the final two that she doesn't want to be Ty's mommy just yet and send him home. OR she will continue to surprise all of us and get rid of the good guys, keeping her focus on Jeremy and Graham. I think Jeremy will be one of the final two, and I think Graham will as well if Jason doesn't make the cut next week.

OK, that's out of my system. Time to get ready for work! Until later!

Happy Birthday, Blog!

My blog is one year old today! Happy birthday, Blog!!! :)

Things are going great. I'm having a blast with HSM rehearsals and making lots of friends. People there are so friendly, talented, and fun! I know this summer will go so fast.

I watched the premiere of MTV's "The Search for Elle Woods." That's right, they are casting the lead in a Broadway show using a cable reality TV show. I know. But it is entertaining, and I think it will be a good way to give people a closer look at musical theatre. But so many of the girls on that show are SOOOO full of themselves. Here are some things they actually SAID on camera:

"I would say on a scale of one to ten, my voice is...a ten." (PS, the girl who said this didn't make the top ten cut.)
"I love the sound of my voice. I love hearing it, I love how it feels...It's like heaven."
"I feel like I really zen with Elle Woods." (What???)
"I think Elle Woods and I are like twin sisters but with different hair color."

OK, so that should be a blast to watch, and I'm sure I'll learn a lot about auditioning and what it really takes to get on Broadway. Besides getting cast in a reality TV show.

Also, the Bachelorette had yet ANOTHER 2-hour episode last night...they are really moving these guys through! I only lost one of the guys I liked--Richard, the science teacher. But I think it was a good decision for Deanna to make; they were both talking a lot about feeling chemistry between them, and she obviously wasn't feeling it (by the way, did NOBODY at ABC pick up on that pun, with him being a science teacher??!! Get on the ball, people! I was expecting some cheesy line about "chemistry with the science teacher" but not once did I hear it!). It was so awkward when he was trying to find a way to plant a kiss on her and "brushed her hair out of her face" when her hair was in a ponytail and her bangs were back, which equals no hair actually IN her face...I almost couldn't watch, I felt so bad for him because it was so obviously awkward. Almost as awkward as when Deanna stopped their Cinderella pumpkin carriage in the middle of a street in LA to LITERLLY kick Richard to the curb. A taxi was there to pick him up, and I was like, "How do they do this, do they have like walkie-talkies so they know where they are and can call the cab to pick him up?" Creepy.

Single-dad Jason did much better on his one on one date. He finally told Deanna about his son Ty and she was very receptive to it. What I loved was how much he could be himself now that the most important thing in his life was out in the open. And what was so great was that a fantastic exchange followed--Jason asked Deanna about her mom, and she really opened up about the actual experience of losing her mom and how it's affected her personality. Then she said no one she dated had ever wanted to know about her mom. What? Whatever, as long as that means Jason gets to stay! The next great part was when they were both feeling the mutual attraction in the observatory and he asked her if he could kiss her. I LOVED that. I think there is something so sweet about a guy asking to kiss you because A) it's polite and respectful, B) it eliminates that uncomfortable, awkward, and potentially disastrous effect of trying to just "feel out" the right moment, and C) if a guy asks, it's a lot more likely (in my opinion) that the girl will be like, "Aww sure, what the hell?" because she doesn't feel pressured. Deanna does a really great thing later and gives Jason a certificate that says she's had a star named after Ty. Jason is so visibly touched that I almost cried watching this. And Deanna played it super-smart and sensitive here because this could go one of two ways--he doesn't make it to the end but has this great thing to take back to his son, OR they get married and have this great story to tell Ty about what happened when they started dating. Besides that they met on national television. Ok, anyway...

Fred got a rose when they went to see Ellen, which I was so pumped about! Ellen had some surprisingly mature and insightful advise for Deanna about the boys. I was so glad she kind of pulled Fred out of the background, because he seems like such a sweetie and I feel like he's getting lost in the shuffle, and he has yet to have any true one-on-one time with Deanna...there's always another guy around.

I was glad Brian made it back, because I haven't seen really any one-on-one interaction with him and Deanna yet either, but I like him from what I've seen.

I'm soooo glad that Mister Older and Wiser, Guy's Guy, Motivational Speaker Ron didn't get a rose this week. I love how he gave HIMSELF a motivational speech on his way back to his barber shop down by the river: "Deanna didn't reject me; she chose other guys." Also known as, she rejected you. He and Deanna has this talk before the rose ceremony that was like...

Deanna - We always talk in depth and serious and I want to have fun with you. So tell me something fun about you.
Ron - Where do I even begin? Everything about me is fun. Long pause, looooong, smug stare from Ron.

I would've been like. "Ok, so...go. Like what? What's fun? This isn't fun."

Also, Canada Paul went home. Frankly, I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did. Twilly continued to surprise America by winning another rose and living to tell another long-winded, pointless story. (I shouldn't make fun of him; my stories tend to be of the same quality.)

Jesse is growing on me more and more, and I think he's really playing it smart. He shows up dressed weird, acting wild and crazy, and we're all like "no way." But I guarantee ABC was like, "Deanna, if you keep this guy around for a week or two, we'll give you a helicopter ride." And then we find out that this guy is actually pretty cool and a little bit of a sweetie-pie, and that he looks like when the Beast turns into the Prince in Beauty and the Beast...surprisingly handsome. THEN he shows up this week in a very nice suit and tie. Now that we already love his personality, he's showing us that he can be a gentleman and dress to impress so we don't have to be embarrassed in public with him. (I'm using the royal "We" to include Deanna and all of us watching.) So, go Jesse!

OK, I think that is all I've got. I just thought my blog deserved a nice big blog entry on its birthday! I can't believe it's been a year!

Until later!

chick picks

Well, the Office, 30 Rock, and Dorm Life have all wrapped up for the season, leaving a little void in my life for something to watch, predict, and be entertained by from week to week. So I've picked up a couple of very girly watching habits in the meantime!

First, there's the Bachelorette. I've never been a faithful watcher of this show before, but last year I got into the Bachelor (the Brad Womack season) for one reason and one reason only---a couple of the girls I work with watch the show and in order to be included in their conversations about it, I had to actually watch it too. It turned out to be quite a memorable season as the finale ended with not one but TWO big rejections and ZERO proposals. The final two girls, Jenny and DeAnna, seemed to be amazing people; Jenny a sweet, warm, fun-loving gal and DeAnna a time-tested hardship survivor who knew what she wanted in life. Brad told them both goodbye.

I was actually interested in watching this season of the Bachelorette because I knew it'd be one of these two girls, and I was intrigued to see how they'd pick one over the other to star in the show. Well, ironically enough, Jenny eliminated herself because she ended up getting engaged! Leaving DeAnna the chance to have 25 guys from all over the U.S. fight over her on national television.

I am not a huge fan of the idea of going on network TV to find the love of your life, but it's fun to watch other people do it. That being said, DeAnna is the perfect person for this task because she really seems to know exactly what she wants in life and in love, so maybe this won't be as daunting a task for her as it would be for others. It's also WAY fun to see the different dynamic of having guys competing versus girls.

So far we are two episodes in, and though there is one guy I liked who didn't make it past the premiere (the oyster farmer), after watching last night's episode I'm glad to report that all my favorites got a rose and are safe for another week! I especially like Richard the science teacher, Brian the high school football coach, Fred from Chicago, who has a Jason Bateman head of hair and sounds like a Blues Brothers Dan Aykroyd (which in my book equals adorable), Jason the single dad, Graham the hot Southern kid, and Jesse the goofy snowboarder. I also think it was fair of DeAnna to give obnoxious Twilley another chance simply because he made a huge effort to show her a quieter, more serious side of him. I'm glad Eric the presumptuous Greek went home, and though I'm sure Ryan the football player is a great guy, I was getting annoyed by him mentioning that he's still a virgin like...every time he spoke. I think it's tough for Christians because we aren't supposed to be ashamed of our beliefs, but if we act like this guy and rub them in people's faces, we look like toolboxes. So I'm glad he went home. All that being said, I'm loving the show!

The best part of the show so far, though was during the premiere when Jenny came back to help DeAnna weed out the initial batch of guys. The two girls are standing there in the backyard, one with 25 guys falling over her and the other with a HUGE rock on her finger, and Jenny says something to the effect of, "I think we're doing a lot better for ourselves." Pretty cool.

OK, the other thing I'm watching...and this is to fill the void left by the hilarious mockumentary web series Dorm Life...is Whatever Hollywood.com, a site made by three girls (two sisters and one sister-friend) who are all aspiring showbiz folks--a host/producer, a singer/songwriter, and an actress (she's the McCleary sis who gets married via nautical-themed vows at the beginning of Wedding Crashers!!! Watch it!) who all live in L.A. and are trying to make it, but meanwhile have launched this adorable site where they make funny little short videos. It reminds me of me and my two best gals from college OR me and my two sisters, so I am totally diggin' it with new videos every Wednesday.

OK, gotta hit the showers and grab a bite to eat before heading off to song-and-dance land!

Until later!