My Reality

So Deserving!

2005-05-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in a while, because since I'm back at work, I can discuss my favorite reality shows around the water cooler and no longer need to use this as an outlet.

But I just had to say that I am so happy for Uchenna and Joyce. This was by far the best season finale of Amazing Race ever. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, pressing my knuckles against my mouth in fear that Uchenna and Joyce were going to be eliminated due to the goodness of their hearts in not wanting to stiff the cab driver.

But justice prevailed and they won. I can't think of a more deserving couple. I cried when they were asked what they would do now that they had a million dollars and they said that they could now have a baby. That's just so amazing!

While there are many who disliked Rob and Amber, I was impressed with the way the played. They never fought, were always supportive of each other, just never gave up. Yes, they had a lot of help along the way, but good things happened for other people too. Ron and Kelly won a fabulous prize even when they came in last in a non-elimination round. Uchenna and Joyce had the plane open back up for them on a closed flight, which for anyone who has ever traveled knows, simply does not happen. So I think Rob and Amber played a good game and I'm glad they came in before Ron and Kelly.

I'm sad that the season is over, but excited that I actually get to watch one of the best new non-reality shows this season: House.

Until next time. Possibly the season finale of Survivor, or possibly the Apprentice?

So Disturbing

2005-03-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

Nanny 911

I just can't get over the show that I watched last night. It started off with me being so pissed off at the father of a family with 3 sets of twins. Six kids! Did he help the mom at all? No. He expected her to do everything. And he was so condescending I wanted to hit him.

But the clincher for me, the vision that I can't get out of my head, was the scene where the oldest daughter who was 9 was "playing" with her younger brother, who was about 5 or 6. She had a very large pillow and was holding it over his face and head as he struggled to get free. The cameras kept rolling as he kept struggling. Finally she pulled the pillow off, and you see him, red faced, loudly gasping for air. It was so disturbing. Even more disturbing, he went to tell his mom what happened, and he told her that in addition to holding the pillow over his head, that his sister made him go potty. He had been so scared of suffocating that he peed his pants. While I don't think his mother realized exactly what happened, it was really bad that she didn't make more of a big deal about it with his sister. Even more, I can't believe that the cameras could just continue to roll watching the scene. Would they have continued to roll if he had actually suffocated? I hope not.

New Mark Burnett

2005-03-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

American Idol
The guys sang again last night, and once again, Mario, Bo, and Anwar did an amazing job. I see them going through to the end. I guess Travis decided that he didn't want to be on the show anymore. What else would have possessed him to sing a Bobby Brown song? He was horrible. Just as bad as Constantine and his bad impersonation of Sting. I said that to my husband before Simon said it to him. If constantine doesn't go, it will probably be Anthony. I like him, but he was just too cheesy last night.

The Contender
Once again, Mark Burnett has sucked me in to one of his reality shows. He really does a great job at creating suspense, making you wonder who will be eliminated each week. I was surprised that the underdog won the elimination round, but I do think he needs to watch his cockiness. I think it will come back to haunt him. I felt bad that Manfredo was eliminated. This is definitely his passion, and I did get a little teary when he asked, "What do I do now?" I was a little surprised, though, at how beautiful his wife was. He was the epitomy of what a boxer would look like. And I didn't think it was right to have their little girl at the match. What child wants to see her daddy being hit in the face? And then to have him hold her up close to see his cuts and bruises? What was he thinking.

But I'm definitely in. Especially when it finds its new home on Thursday nights. A triple shot of Mark Burnett (Survivor, Apprentice and Contender), what could be better?

Season Finale (Finally)

2005-03-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

American Idol
Last night, the guys sang again. I just love Mario. I think he may go all the way. My other favorites are Anwar and Bo. I think the guy with the short braids (David?) and Constantine should go this week. Constantine butchered the Black Crows song. And I think he looks like Chris Katain. We don't need Monkey Boy as our next American Idol.

The Bachelorette
It wasn't a surprise to me that she didn't pick either guy to marry. I think the reason she struggled so much on this show was that she knew neither of them were right. If John Paul had had Jerry's face, she would have picked him in a minute. And if Jerry had had John Paul's face, he wouldn't have made it past the second round.

I think they need to stop bringing back contestants from other shows, because I always end up disliking them in the end. I didn't really watch the first Bachelor, but I remember thinking Trista was OK. By the end of her Bachelorette show, I hated her. The same with Bob. And while I didn't hate Meredith, she did kind of bug me by the end. The same goes for Jen. I loved her when she was on the Bachelor with Andrew, but as this show wore on, I couldn't wait for the season to be over. Just something about her grated on my nerves. Maybe it's the way she ends all of her sentences on a high note. Maybe it's the coy way she always looked at her guys (she's too smart for that). Anyway, I'm glad it's over.

By the way, I did feel sorry for both guys. They both seemed to genuinely be hurt at the end. Poor Jerry. He's so shallow. He just couldn't seem to grasp the concept that just because they look good together doesn't mean they're meant for each other.

The 77th Annual Academy Awards

2005-02-28T08:38:00.000-08:00

I have a friend who does amazing recaps of the Academy Awards. She talks about every dress, every speech, every moment of the pre, during and post show. I'm not that good, so I'll just talk about some of the key things that stayed in my memory last night.

While most people thought Laura Linney looked amazing, I thought her dress was hideous. Bad color, bad ruffles. Worse, though, was her hair. My hair looks like that when I brush it after my shower in the morning. Not good. Renee Zellweger also looked bad. I know she colored her hair for a movie she's working on, but she just looked washed out, and waaaaayyy to skinny. And what was the deal with Scarlett Johanssen's hair? There's a cure for hair like that, it's called Frizz-Eaze.

And while I really like her, I didn't really care for Hillary Swank's look either. It looked like her dress was on backwards and her hair was too stark. I like her look at the Golden Globes much better.

Beyonce had way too many diamonds on for my liking. Either pick the earrings or the necklace. Don't all the fashion tips say not to mix too many accessories?

On the other hand, I thought Kate Winslett, Natalie Portman, and Emmy Rossen looked amazing. So beautiful. And even though I don't like them, I thought the team of Selma Hayak and Penelope Cruz were dazzling.

For the men, Leonardo Decaprio and Jamie Foxx looked great. And while I thought his goatee made him look like some Spanish conquistador, I have to say that Johnny Depp will always look good.

While I haven't seen the movie yet, I'm glad that Million Dollar Baby won for best picture, best director, best actress and best supporting actor. Morgan Freeman is always good, and Clint Eastwood is just a legend.

Jamie Foxx's speech was my favorite. He brought me to tears when he talked about his grandmother. I heard him say in an interview that he won't be making any more "Booty Call" type movies anymore. I should say not. That man has talent!

And a few things I noticed about some of our more senior actors. What is Al Pacino's obession with rambling on and on? When he got the Lifetime Achievement award last year, I had to turn the channel because he was so boring. When he was announcing this year's winner, I wanted to do the same. And what happened to Dustin Hoffman? He's usually one of my favorite actors, but I could barely understand him when he was announcing the nominations with Barbara Streisand (who looked a little pregnant in that dress she was wearing).

All in all, it was a pretty good show, as usual. Although, I felt bad for some of the independent film winners, who didn't even get to go up on stage. They had to make their thank-you speeches in the aisle. And I'm not sure I like having all the nominees up on stage. Is that so everyone can see the losers' faces when the winners are announced? I know it saves time, but let the people have their dignity!

A Double Shot of Mark Burnett

2005-02-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

Survivor
Tattoo girl really got in the good graces of her team this week by helping them win the reward challenge. Which was really helpful considering they lost the immunity challenge. On that immunity challenge, Tom, the firefighter pretty much single-handedly won it for his team. He, along with Ian the dolphin trainer, are my favorites to win. I still like looking at John Bob, or whatever the hell his two-word name is, but he had a temper during the reward challenge that really turned me off.

I really thought Kim should have been eliminated, considering she didn't even try to do anything on the immunity challenge, but Ashlee was the one voted off. I guess that's a good thing, because I think my husband was fascinated with her boobs. "Wow, she's very boob endowed," he said the first time he saw her during the reward challenge. "What's she wearing?" he said when he saw her during the immunity challenge. Yes, hon, she has big boobs. But she's gone now.

I did notice something strange last night in Jeff's narrative during the immunity challenge. Tom and Ian went down to open the locker, and Jeff said, "Ian gets the locker open." How did he know that? They were both underwater. I realize how powerful editing can be. He obviously put that part in later. I'm going to have to start watching this show a little more closely.

The Apprentice
Each team had to create a graffiti art ad for Sony Playstation. It was an interesting concept and the artists they chose were amazing. At first, I thought white-bread Magna was going to fail miserably, but they were smart in asking people on the streets in that neighborhood what would appeal to them. Tara, on the Net Worth team, thought she had enough "street cred" to know what would appeal to that neighborhood. Ironically, they thought her ideas were stereotypical and they lost the challenge.

I didn't like how she tried to blame her failure on John (who's my favorite) and Audrey. I'm glad she didn't bring John in, but I think at the last minute, she made it personal and brought in Craig because he said he thought she should be fired. She should have been and she was.

I'm interested to see the big surprise that is supposed to be revealed next week, and what Audrey's big dramatic speech is all about. Good stuff.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Weidersen, Good-bye

2005-02-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

American Idol
So the first four hopefuls were eliminated last night, two guys and two girls. The girls I totally agreed with. I'm not sure why the girl in last place was so bitter about certain people being portrayed as the favorites. She didn't sing well. That's why no one voted for her. I did feel bad for the second to the last girl. I think she can sing, but her nerves got to her.

For the guys, I agreed with Jared, but was really surprised about Judd. I thought he was really fun. But he kind of reminded me of J.P. from last season, who was really fun at first, but then couldn't sing at all. I think Judd can probably sing, but the perception may have been that he was all fun and no talent.

Wife Swap
It's hard for me to fathom that a family can function where the mom blatantly says she doesn't like kids, and retires to her room at 5 p.m. to be served dinner in bed alone. Who would put up with that? And the fact that she called her other family's husband lazy was a laugh. All she did was sit around watching TV while the rest of the family cleaned up around her. At least she realized it at the end and seemed to make changes to become an active part of her family.

I did feel bad about the other mom, and how her daughters didn't realize that they could do anything they wanted, not just stay at home with the kids. While I admire the mom's devotion to her children, her lifestyle is not for everyone, and she should be teaching her kids that. I'm also glad her husband started pitching in more. With five kids, and home schooling, and all of the chores falling on her, it's a wonder she's not dead.

I think the "slave" thing was kind of comical. The lazy mom got offended when the other mom said she treated her boys like slaves, but yet, she said the same thing to the other mom's husband about her. Very ironic.

Now Let's Hear from the Ladies

2005-02-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

American Idol
I have to say that I think this year the men are much better than the ladies. For the most part, I was a little bored with last night's performances, with a few exceptions. I think Nadia is great: she has great style and a wonderful voice and the charisma to carry her far. I also like Jessica, although I think she has much better talent than was portrait in her rendition of Against All Odds. Mikala really bugged me last night, and I agree with Simon that half of America will hate her and half will love her. I think she'll make it through to next week, though. The only other one I really like was Lindsey, who is absolutely beautiful. I think she's a better talent than the other two girls who look like her. She had a pretty boring song last night, but hopefully she'll be able to show her talent next week. (On a side note, I think she resembles Abby a little bit.)

Tonight we'll be able to see who America voted for (I never vote ... I know, I know ...)

A Great Night of TV ... Three Reality Shows in a Row

2005-02-21T23:56:00.000-08:00

American Idol
Tonight all 12 men performed. This season, America votes for all 12, and the two with the lowest scores for the next three weeks are eliminated. While I'm not sure who will be the two lowest, my bets would be the first guy (the Stevie Wonder impersonator) Jared (I only remember his name because of my hatred for the Subway sandwich guy), or the guy with the short braids. I was a little bummed that Anthoney (the tracheotomy) guy didn't do better. But I'm hoping that his past performances will get him through at least to next week where hopefully he'll do better.

My picks for the final two are Anwar (the guy with the long braids)and Mario (the Justin Timberlake/Wilmer Valerama guy). They were both awesome. Although, I do like Bo (the rocker guy), Judd (I can't really describe him except that he had a really fun Elvis type routine) and Scott (the big teddy bear guy), too. I don't like Constantine or the second to last guy who performed. They just seem too cocky for me. I guess we'll find out on Wednesday who gets cut first.

Bachelorette
This was a men tells all episode that I thought was pretty boring. No fun cat-fights like on the women tell all episodes. Even Josh's catty remarks to Fabrice were pretty lame. And why was Andrew there? It's not about him. Who cares that he wants to set the record straight. And you mean to tell me that it was a surprise? If so, how did they have questions from the audience? So contrived and uncalled for.

I may be in the minority here, but I think that Jen, as the season has gone on, has started not to look so great. There's just something that bugs me about her: maybe it's the way that she tends to end her sentences on an upnote, or the way she runs her sentences together. Maybe it's the fact that she actually seems to enjoy kissing John Paul. I don't know. But I'm kind of glad the season is almost over. She'll probably pick Jerry, but I doubt they'll even last as long as she did with Andrew.

SuperNanny
The scary part about this episode is that I saw my nearly three-year-old daughter in the 6-year-old on the show. If my daughter is already acting that way now, what will she be like at 6? Of course, I've learned some new techniques, like allowing her to pout if she wants to, as long as she's not being disrespectful to me. Other than that, it was pretty much the same show we've seen for the past several weeks. I hope there are some newer discipline techniques coming up in future shows.

An All-New Survivor

2005-02-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

Survivor
Yay, Survivor's back. This, along with Amazing Race, has always been one of my all-time favorites. I watched from the very first season and haven't missed a season yet.

This time, all 20 of the teammembers went to one island, and the first man and first woman to get to the beach won the immunity necklace. Each of them then got to start picking their team. I like the way they did it, that instead of the captain picking all of the teammembers, that the person who just got selected got to pick the next person. Unfortunately, there could only be 9 people on each team, so two people got eliminated right away. That would suck to be on Survivor for all of 10 minutes and then be sent home.

During the immunity challenge, they got to select some things to bring back to their camp if they won. The twist was each of these things was heavy. So do you try to bring back a lot of stuff, but risk losing? Or do you take nothing and win, but leave with nothing? The winning team chose to bring fire. But during their trip back to their new camp, the canoe tipped over, causing the fire box to drop rapidly to the bottom of the ocean. So they had nothing.

It's hard to tell who my favorites are at this point, but I like the tall skinny dolphin trainer, the pretty girl who got Jolanda kicked off, and Bobby Jon, the hearthrob of the bunch.

The Apprentice

This week, the teams had to create a mobile service for the people of New York. It consisted of a gulfstream trailer to sit on the city streets. Magna created a mobile spa service, complete with massages and hand treatments. Net Worth created an open casting call. While the casting call idea was certainly original, I initially thought it was a bad idea because I wasn't sure whether starving artists would be willing to pay $25 for an open audition with a casting agent. But they ended up winning the challenge. Their reward was to buy some pearls. I didn't like that reward because pearls are my least favorite gemstone, but they seemed happy.

The southern laywer was the project manager of Magna, and he chose to bring in Michael and Stephanie. She is the most negative person I've seen, but Michael is just creepy. I would have gone running to the police if he'd approached me on the street asking me if I wanted a massage. He was full of excuses and wouldn't stop talking, so Donald gave him the boot. Now I don't have to look at his freaky eyebrows anymore!

Down to 24

2005-02-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

American IdolJust a quick comment about last night's American Idol. Pretty much all of my favorites have been put through, except for the stay-at-home mom who had the "image problem" and the cute Girls Just Wanna Have Fun girl who got cut early on. It seems that most of my favorites now are on the guy's side: Anthony, the guy who had a tracheotomy as a child, Mario, the Justin Timberlake/Wilmer Valderaama guy (I actually think he may win the whole thing), the bigger kid whose dad didn't have faith in him, both of the rocker guys, and the guy with the long braids.

For the girls, I like the nanny from Tampa (Jessica is her name, I think), as well as the three beautiful girls that kind of look alike, except that one has darker hair than the other two.

I'm not sure how next week will work, but you can be sure I'll be watching.

Wife Swap

I actually thought last night's episode was pretty boring, so I don't really have much to comment on except for the fact that the husband who drives the bus needs to get a reality check. Yes, you don't live your life on the whims of a 12-year-old girl, but you do have to make sure that your kids are happy. Driving them across country with only you and your wife as companions is not the way for a child to live.

Quick Recap

2005-02-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

I was kind of tired last night so I don't really have too much to say about the shows last night. Just a quick recap.

Trading Spouses
Pretty uneventful. It's amazing how boring the show is when both wives are pretty amiable and agreeable to make changes. I was actually surprised because I thought Wife #1 was going to be a rich bitch, but she turned out to be pretty nice. And I guess they weren't all that wealthy when you find out they had over $40,000 in credit card debt. I could have really nice things in my house too with that kind of money.

The Bachelorette
Well, it's down to two. Ryan is gone, which isn't surprising. I just didn't see them together, and with the weirdness of his family, you know he was a gonner.

And I have to say this, while I cannot stand John Paul and his collagen lips, and while I think Jerry's looks rival many of the actors who I've had crushes on for years, I think there's something a little too salesy about Jerry. When he was talking about substance and wanting to really get to know Jen, she asked him what he wanted to know about her. His reply: how did she feel about him. Oh, that's really getting to the substance of Jen. And when she asked him why he liked her, all of his answers were basically the way she looked: that she lights up a room, that she's adorable, etc. I just don't think he's into more than that they would make a really cute couple. But I think she needs more than that. But the alternative with John Paul is just yucky (can you tell I'm the mom of a toddler?). Maybe she'll turn them both down. If she really does want to get married, she will.

Next week should be fun with the Bachelor's tell all episode. I wonder what Andrew will have to say.

Supernanny
Once again, Supernanny gave some good tips to control a child. I saw so many similarities to this little boy and my own daughter, especially the many trips up after bed time asking for this and that. And for playing too roughly with his little brother. While we've already been doing some of the things, like the "naughty chair," last night's episode helped me to fine tune some of the things I've been doing, like getting down to her level, and ignoring her when she tries to egg me on by saying mean things. This show's definitely a keeper.

Thank God She's Fired

2005-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

This week, the two teams had to create a commercial for a new "refreshing" Dove soap. Now, when I think of Dove, I think of middle-America, clean-faced women. I don't think of homosexual pornography, which is what the Magna group's commercial was like. What were they thinking? Michael, who did such a bad job last week, tried to tell them it was a bad idea, but they didn't listen. They should have.

Net Worth's commercial could have been good if Kristen, the project leader, had listened to John's idea. He wanted to show marathoners running, and one of them, instead of getting water, gets the new soap, which refreshes him enough to win the race. Kristen didn't get it and had him rubbing the soap on his face and wiping it off with no water. Yuck. Kristen thought that since her boyfriend is a director, that she could direct too. I wonder if Steven Speilberg's wife thinks the same thing.

Mr. Deutch, the king of advertising, hated both commercials, so everyone came to the boardroom. Both project managers had to bring in two people. I told my husband that this brought an interesting twist. Do you talk about how bad the other team did to get one of them fired, or do you talk about how bad one of the people on your own team did to get them fired instead of you. Magna was smart and stuck together as a team. Net Worth fell apart, with Kristen accusing her team, and her team accusing Kristen. Justice prevailed and Kristen was fired.

Alternative Lifestyle

2005-02-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

American Idol

Last night was another good episode as more singers were cut. Some of the groups were awesome, while others just made me cringe. Let me just say, I don't see the appeal of those two twins. They remind me of George from last season, and we all know how I hated him. The good thing is one of them is gone. Let's hope the other one goes next week. I'm also glad Miss "but I'm really good" is gone. If she can't remember the words "Baby, baby, where did our love go" she doesn't deserve to sing at all. And I just have to say one more thing to the parents ... THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU!!!

Wife Swap

Last night had a little twist, as one of the couples was a lesbian couple. Of course, the other household was an extremely conservative Christian household.

So Wife #1 from the Christian household was all about "excellent" parenting. While I admire her belief in proper etiquette and staying at home with her children, if I heard the word "excellent" one more time, I was going to scream. Also, it's pretty easy to be excellent when your husband obviously makes bookoo bucks that allow you to stay at home in your mansion.

Wife #2 (and Wife #3, weird) lived a more liberal lifestyle ... in addition to being a lesbian couple, they pretty much let their little girl do whatever she wanted. I do not understand how an 8-year-old can watch rated R movies. But I had to say that I liked Wife #2. Wife #3, I hated. All she did was sit on her butt all day and order Wife #2 around. I'm glad Wife #1 put her to work so she could see everything that Wife #2 did.

Wife #2 seemed to geniunely care about kids, and wanted the conservative family to have more fun. I think she even bonded with the dad, who seemed to be a pretty good guy at first. He said that even though their religion frowned on homosexuality, that they also taught that you should respect all people.

Apparently his wife didn't keep those same values because she really laid into the lesbian couple at the end. She called them depraved and that they were just "shacking up" that they weren't a family and that they should not be around children. I didn't think that was respectful at all. I really felt bad for Wife #2. Her tears were geniune and her thoughts were totally right on. And the husband, who I thought might actually stick up for Wife #2 said nothing.

Anyway, the positive things that came out of the switch was that Wife #3 actually pitched in more around the house, and they both spent more time with their daughter.

I didn't really see much of a change in the first family. While Wife #1 did pray for the other family, I feel like it was just for the camera.

Season Finale

2005-02-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

Last night was the season finale of the Amazing Race, but I'll talk about American Idol first.

American Idol
While I still don't know anyone's names, a few of my favorites did get sent on to the next round: the blond kid who had a tracheotomy, the boy whose dad said he'd never be anything, the bigger girl who had an amazing Alicia Keys voice, and the cute guy who looks like a cross between Justin Timberlake and Wilmer Valderama. I also like the three rocker guys, who seemed pretty cool. The one person I'm bummed didn't get through was the cute girl who sang Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in the initial auditions. I'm excited to watch tonight to see how the group competitions go. I was glad that the single mother decided to leave. We don't need her drama on the show.

Amazing Race
I don't think I've ever had one of my favorites win this show. While I was OK with Chip and Kim winning last year, they weren't my favorites. I did like Chip and Reichen, the married gay couple with the very hot Reichen, but the year before that, Zack and Flo won. While he was the most patient man alive (similar to Aaron on this show), Flo was the most obnoxious whiny person ever, like Hayden was in this episode, but on every challenge.

Anyway, Kris and John came in second, because they got caught behind a train. I think they could have beat Freddie and Kendra in a foot race, but they never had a chance. Too bad. I was glad that Rebecca and Adam beat out Hayden and Aaron, only because Hayden is just sooooo annoying. Aaron can do so much better than her. Why did he ask her to marry him? Anyway ...

I do have to say that the last task with the keys was the most frustrating one yet. I can't imagine having to do that. I know how hard it is to sometimes get a padlock open when I know which key goes to which lock. I have to give all of them credit. Although I did laugh out loud when Hayden's key broke.

My favorite line of the night? When the host Phil was recapping the season and he said, "And Adam's fear of everything he encountered ..." Awesome.

So the next season starts on March 1. It should be good. I'm anxious to see how Rob and Amber from Survivor do on this show. I'm sure they'll do well. If they can get along on a deserted island with no food for 30 days, they can handle this.

Down to Three

2005-02-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Trading Spouses

I thought last night's episode was rather uneventful. The blonde wife continued to be portrayed as a saint, especially when she was so positive about her new son's artwork and tattooing. The other wife continued to be clueless. Did she really think she bonded with the family? That their friends liked her? What an idiot. I couldn't believe it when she recounted her time with the family's real mom. She made it seem like she was so involved, when in fact, I think she made absolutely no impact on them. The best part was when the "ghostbusters" said that the house had a very loving positive energy and that ghosts typically come out when a bad energy enters the house. I couldn't believe the mom missed out on the fact that the bad energy was her.

The Bachelorette

This week, Jen visited all of the families. John Paul's family was very nice and Jen seemed to take to them well. So despite his collagen lips, I think John Paul may make it to the final two. Sad.

Ryan's family was pretty simple, and tried so hard to be exciting. I think they really turned Jen off, and I was surprised that she kept him around. But of course, she had no romantic feelings for Wendell, so he had to go. That was a bummer, because he was so cool, but I can see where she's coming from. If you don't have that passion, all the coolness in the world won't matter. Not that you can't grow to love someone, but I think you know whether you'll always see someone as just a friend or as more.

Jerry became even more endearing in this episode. I said last time that this episode would either make or break him. It definitely made him. He came into this episode as a hot, smooth guy, and came away as a sensitive, family-oriented, loving man. I loved watching him with his mom, making sure that she understood everything that Jen was saying, and wanting to know what his family thought of her. The only thing that troubles me is that it had been so long since he'd seen them. I don't think he's hurting for money in L.A., so I wonder why he doesn't fly back more often. But that's for Jen to figure out.

Next week looks interesting, with some tense moments in conversation. My prediction is that Ryan will be gone. I think Jerry is here to stay. (By the way, I had a dream about him last night. In my dream, I was married, but Jerry still liked me. Em-Dog was in my dream too. She liked him. But I just wanted him to continue liking me, even though I couldn't have him. So I just dominated the conversation and wouldn't let her talk to him. Of course, she got mad at me, and wouldn't talk to me anymore. Weird. Thankfully, it was just a dream!)

Supernanny

I learned a lot from this episode because we have the same problem getting our daughter to sleep. Good tips about just going in and putting them back to bed. I have the tendency to give into the "I want my Clifford book," "I want my Dora doll," "I want to wear my slippers to bed."

I felt so sorry for poor Jared. He seemed like such a good kid and he kind of got left behind in the wake of his sisters. I hope that the parents really try to make an effort to be more involved with him and stick up for him more often. The dad seemed genuinely upset about how they treated him.

As with the plumber's wife episode, I don't see how someone can work full time at home and still take care of three kids. Especially when the work done at home is done while the dad is away. No wonder these people are tired and cranky. Wait, what's my excuse, I'm tired and cranky and I'm on maternity leave right now. I suck.

On to the Next Round

2005-02-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

American Idol

So I watched the San Francisco episode of the tryouts for American Idol. I can't for the life of me figure out why Nicole didn't make it at least to the judging portion of it. Maybe they didn't show all the good people, but why wouldn't they? The only girl I liked was the one with the big hair. But she wasn't better than Nicole.

The worst part of last night's show? When one guy made it to Hollywood and his mother freaked out. She acted as if she was the one who one. Save the drama for your mama, lady.

Best line of the night? When the guy who was a nanny didn't make it and started swearing outside the audition room. Ryan Seacrest said, "I'm sure he's great with the kids." Awesome.

Anyway ... Next week should be fun with the judging in Hollywood. It looks like several of the "so-so" people are going home, including the one that Paula fought for.

Non-Elimination Round

2005-02-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

American Idol

Since I still don't know the names of most of these people, I just wanted to mention a few people who I'll be following as they do their tryouts in Hollywood. I was very impressed with the blue-haired punk-rock girl. Excellent voice. We'll have to see how her operatic style translates to pop. I also loved the "miracle" boy who had the tracheotomy when he was younger. Such a cutie, great presence, and a wonderful voice. I cried for the guy whose dad said he wouldn't be anything. What a great voice he had. I think even Simon was moved by this kid. I hope he does well. I didn't see what big deal was about the guy that Paula was moved to tears to fight for. I bet he doesn't make it past the next round. I was kind of excited when she said she wanted to quit the show. Do it, Paula! Do it!

Amazing Race

It was no surprise that last night was a non-elimination round. They usually have four teams going into the last episode. But for a minute I was a little worried about Kris and Jon. They just had such bad luck with cab drivers. The best part, though? When Jon called the cabbie "Holmes." I don't think they understand that slang in Shanghai! Another great line last night was when Hellboy told Rebecca to stop calling him honey. So she called him ass instead. Awesome! I thought the rest of the show was pretty uneventful. But next week should be jam-packed with excitement.

The Bachelorette (adendum)

I forgot to say one thing about The Bachelorette the night before last. One of the things that bugs me about the show is the "coming up next" narrative. They try to keep you interested with "the most dramatic rose ceremony yet" lingo. While it usually doesn't live up to its promise, the last episode was worse. They kept alluding to Fabrice's surprise rose ceremony speech. Come on, we all knew he was going to quit. What else would he be doing, professing his love for her? They should have just not said anything and allowed us, the American public, to be shocked and amazed by his departure.

Two and a Half Shows

2005-02-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

I can only talk about half of Supernanny since I fell asleep, exhausted after watching two kids all day while fighting off a cold.

Trading Spouses

For once this one seems like it has one good wife and one bad wife. The bad wife seems to have no redeeming qualities, nothing that the other wife can learn from. Wife #1 is like mother Theresa, adopting children from all ethnicities, teaching love and family togetherness. Her only flaw, I guess, is that she does too much for them. Wife #2 is a loud, obnoxious, lazy woman. She doesn't care about what her kids want, only what she wants for them. She doesn't encourage them to share their feelings and she doesn't help out at home.

Wife #2 proceeded to quickly alienate her new family's friends and neighbors. I think she has an extremely dry sense of humor (what in sparkling wine would be called Brut, which suits her perfectly). At least I hope it's a sense of humor. Otherwise, I can't believe anyone would talk to someone they didn't know the way she talked to her family's friends. The problem is, no one seemed to know she was joking. The kicker for me is that she invited all of these people over to the house on short notice and then didn't even bother to help prepare anything.

Poor Wife #1. She tried to connect with her new family, but no one wants to make an effort to share their feelings or get to know her. She wants so much to help out, and get involved but they won't let her. We'll see how next week goes.

I haven't quite figured out whether the whole ghost thing is real or another "joke" that Wife #2 is pulling with her great sense of humor.

The Bachelorette

Poor Ben. I actually liked him this week. He seemed so sweet. And he was the only guy cut. Well, of course, she would have cut Fabrice if he hadn't quit on his own. But I was bummed that John Paul made the cut and Ben didn't. I'm sure he'll find someone great on the slopes in Colorado.

Wendell is quickly becoming my favorite. While Jerry is still hot, he just seems a little smooth for me. And the way his defenses came up when Jen asked about his family was a little odd. Next week's visit to his family and friends will either make or break him for me (and Jen). Ryan is getting a little better for me too, but I just think he's too young for her.

Next week's episode looks interesting because it seemed like all the family and friends who seemed to be attacking her were from Wendell's side. We'll see.

Supernanny

I fell asleep before she could even create the rules for this family, but I just have to say one thing. That mother needs to worry more about where her sons are and less about what strapless top she's going to wear. It may have been editing, but why did she have three different outfits on in the first day of observation? And why did she not seem to really care that her 3-year-old was walking around with pruning shears in the front yard, where anyone could have taken him? Aaaggghhh.

Trumped

2005-01-28T09:42:00.000-08:00

The Apprentice

First let me say that I wish The Donald would stop staging these ridiculous conversations with his staff. I really don't think he was asking how business was to the manager of that hotel in front of everyone. Just keep with the game and we'll be fine.

So last night's challenge was to renovate two motels on the Jersey Shore. They only had 48 hours to renovate, and I must say that the Net Worth team could moonlight on Trading Spaces. They did a great job in upgrading the rooms. However, Brian the project manager, left a lot to be desired. Who cares about new toilets (as long as you have new toilet seats) when you need beds and a plan to keep the customers happy. Even when John (last week's awesome project manager) tried to give him some advice on how to keep his team working well, Brian just basically told him to go to hell and that he knew what he was doing. Not so much.

Even more annoying, though, was Kristin. First off, is she really a woman? She reminds me of Chynna the wrestler, who I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that she's not a man. I read that Kristin was on a previous reality show called Murder in Small Town X, a reality show that I think my husband and I are the only ones who watched. I don't remember her on that show, but I definitely notice her now. I wish Donald could have fired two people last night, because she deserved to go. My favorite part of last night's show was when she was complaining loudly in the van and her teammates were telling her to stop, to be quiet, to just stop talking. After asking pretty nicely about 10 times, one of the girls got in her face and said, "Shut the F up!!" Awesome!

Magna's team didn't do so great in the renovation department, especially when they made the beds with the plastic still on the mattress. Where do these people come from? They had a great time that night with the guests, although I'm not sure why Danny thinks that they knew how to party because they went to college. There are lots of people who know how to drink and have a good time without going to college. Just ask a majority of high school students!

Verna had a mental breakdown because she couldn't handle the stress of the competition. Oh, Verna, I'm sure managing one of Donald's companies will be stress free, right? Anyway, Donald seemed pleased that she actually went back to the team. Although, I agree with "Ashlee Simpson" that if she couldn't handle a small task of managing customer relations, she needs to go. Maybe next week.

So Net Worth lost because of low customer satisfaction scores, and Brian said he deserved to be fired as project manager. So Donald fired him. No choosing two people to come back in the board room, no major fights about who did what. Just, "Brian, you're fired." Good riddance.

Going to Hollywood

2005-01-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

American Idol

Just a couple of comments on American Idol last night. I loved the girl who sang "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". While I don't think she has the best voice, there's something about her that's fun to watch. I was a little bummed that the guy who sang from the Lion King didn't make it. Like that other girl, there was something fun about him and he could carry a tune. I would have liked to see what else he could do.

I really liked the girl who was a bit larger with no fashion sense. What a voice. At first I got annoyed when Kenny Loggins made a comment about her appearance, especially considering Ruben won before, but I think they realized that and sent her through.

And I'm glad the Muffalato (or whatever the hell his name is) twin made it. I couldn't understand why they didn't make it when they tried out together because I thought they were pretty good and had a good look. We'll see how he cuts it later.

There was one singer, don't remember his name but he was really cute, and a good singer. Kind of looked like Wilmer Valderama from That 70s Show. I think he has a good look and sound so we'll see how he cuts it as well.

Hopefully I'll have more to report when I finally know the names of some of the finalists and we actually have more competitions. Until then, we'll see how San Francisco goes. I'm anxious to see the talent there, especially considering they cut my friend Nicole before she actually could get to the judges. There better be people that are exceptional to make sense of her being cut. Although, I did hear that Clay Aiken was cut four times before he actually made it on.

Oh, Baby

2005-01-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

The Amazing Race

It seems that the common theme in last night's episode was the word baby. "You're doing great, baby," "Come on, baby," "Baby, you're almost there," "Let's go, baby." Every team said one of those lines at least once. It was quite bizarre. I even started calling my husband baby because I got caught up in it.

But I'm a little bummed because my favorite "monkey" team is gone. They even showed a monkey right after they showed Bolo waiting for Lori to get back from her mission. Poor guys. They tried hard, fought harder, and now must go back to their wrestling lives in Florida. It was great knowing ya, I tip my hat to you.

So now I'm rooting for Kris and John all the way. (By the way, can she have a more perfect body?)

Trifecta

2005-01-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

Last night was back-to-back reality TV. I was in heaven!

Trading Spouses
Last night's episode was the last of a two-part series, with Wife #1, the very serious, no-fun-having, gets-sick-on-a-carousel, Tennessee-hating woman from Minnesota, and Wife #1, the not-so-clean, fun-loving smiling woman from Chattanooga.

As usual, Wife #1 continued with her scowl for pretty much the whole show. Heaven forbid the family try to have fun. When the dad and his son tried to play a little with their army men, she would have none of it. She proceed on a political tirade of how playing with army men can lead to his son killing someone when he's 16, and that led to talk about Iraq and the war. She insulted Husband #2 by talking about his son-in-law who was currently fighting in Iraq. "How will you feel if he doesn't come home?" she asked, trying to prove her point. She only proceeded to alienate them. Later in the show, Family #2 tried to smooth things over by apologizing for getting upset with her. Her response? "Thank you." No "I'm sorry, too," no "Oh, no, it was totally inappropriate to say that," nothing.

Meanwhile, Wife #2 is having a blast with Family #1. She has a "fun" party, where friends and family are invited over to (gasp) wear their shoes in the house, play with silly string and have a jello fight. I felt so bad for Daughter #1, who is going to end up like her mom. She had the same scowl and refused to take part in the fun, rolling her eyes at the thought of it. She eventually caved, but was the first to tell her mom when she returned that she didn't wear her shoes in the house.

So it's finally time for them to reveal how they spent the money. Wife #1 spent everything to the last penny: $100 for a lab set, $350 for a scooter, $4.50 for a new pair of socks. Wife #2 spent a lot of it on "fun" things, which of course went over really well with Wife #1. She thought she was being disrespected, and her husband finally told her she was disrespecting him. The show ended with her sitting alone in her immaculate living room, scowling of course.

The Bachelorette
The guys had to play a game of basketball to compete for dates with Jen. They were pretty physical, maybe to make up for their lack of basketball ability. The "shirts" guys one, and John Paul and Fabrice got one-on-one dates. She seems to like John Paul's ambition, but I just can't get over how ugly his mouth is. He made it to the next round, but I hope he gets cut soon. Fabrice started crying because he was so happy on his date. Then in the midst of his tears, he kissed her, a little aggressively. I can't believe she kept him around after that. He totally disgusted me. Especially that he was so mad that he was given the last rose. Fabrice, they don't give them out in order of preference. If they did, the ending would never be a surprise. We'd already know that Jerry has won!

I'm so glad that Josh is gone. He's just such a dork. His helmet-head haircut, and "let's talk about me" personality, were too annoying for words. Keith just wasn't a good fit for her, so it was no surprise that he was cut. I think that Jerry and Wendell are going to be the final two. Wendell is the dark-horse in this game. While not nearly as pretty as Jerry, he just has a cool personality that I'm sure will win some hearts. Ryan, while nice enough, is a little oafish to me, Ben is a little elfish, you already know how I feel about John Paul's lips, and Fabrice is just too French!

Super Nanny
I had already seen much of this episode because this family was featured on Oprah last week. I had started to adopt some of the things that she taught the family, like incorporating a "naughty mat" or in our case, a "naughty chair." I felt so much for the mom in this family, at her frustration for wanting to be a good mom, to do the right things, to raise good kids. I cried along with her as she stood in her kitchen, struggling to figure out the right thing to do. Of course, I feel like my life is a breeze compared to her. She never gets a break. Hopefully they'll keep the schedule so she's not working 24/7 on both the business and her family. Good show. I'll definitely watch again next week.

You're Fired

2005-01-21T08:03:00.000-08:00

So last night premiered the third season of my second-favorite reality show (The Amazing Race being the first).

The Apprentice
This season is kind of interesting in the fact that they have divided the groups between college-educated people and those with only a high school diploma. Is it weird that I'm rooting for the high-school graduates considering I am college-educated? There's just something about certain people who believe that just because they have a degree that they're smarter or better than those who don't. I'm one of the first people in my family to graduate from college (my cousin was actually the first, but we're still the only ones), but I know that my dad, who quit school as a sophomore in high school is much smarter than me in certain aspects of life. Maybe he can't spell very well, but he's got good "street smarts". Which gets me back to the subject of the Apprentice.

The two groups, Magna -- obviously the college-educated group touting their Magna Cum Laude accomplishments -- and Net Worth -- because as a whole, they make three times what the college-educated group does -- had to promote a new hamburger at Burger King. I really liked Net Worth's project manager, John. He ingratiated himself with the Burger King staff by asking who had graduated from college. None of them raised their hands, and he said, "Neither have we!" Nice move, John.

Todd, the project manager of Magna, was everything I hate about the aforementioned college graduates. He was all talk and no action. His comments, "You're doing a great job" while sitting on his ass doing nothing reminded me of a former boss I had many years ago. She was worthless, but would make you think she was busy, letting you do all the grunt work and saying, "Let me know if you need my help" while making it clear that she wasn't going to help you. Danny, the trying-to-be-a-cool-guy-with-a-guitar-but-not-succeeding guy, was just as annoying. He had an idiotic marketing idea and of course the group failed.

But even though his plan was bad, it was Todd who deserved to be fired. As Kendra (who seems to be the smartest one on that team so far) said, even though Danny was unmanageable, it was up to the project leader to manage him. So, Todd is gone.

It seems like it will be another great season. Too soon to judge personalities so far, and I haven't been able to link all the names to the faces yet, but I know that girl on Net Worth, who had a problem with the guy negotiating for a viking hat needs to loosen up. He was having fun and getting the job done at the same time. It doesn't have to be so serious. And the Ashlee Simpson wanna-be on Magna just seems really stupid. We'll see if she really has something to "bring to the table" as college-graduates seem to say!

The Amazing American Idol

2005-01-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

Last night was a pretty good night of television, especially since American Idol is now back on.

American Idol
This season has started off pretty much the same as previous seasons, with the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's a little too early to tell who my favorites are yet, but I had a good time watching, nonetheless. I liked the appearance of Mark McGrath as the celebrity judge, especially when he couldn't stop laughing. As usual, I agreed with most of Simon's picks, and was annoyed with Paula's "expert" opinion on who can and cannot sing. Look in the mirror, Paula. You can't sing!

Amazing Race
I had to flip back and forth on the commercials to American Idol because I cannot miss the Amazing Race. And the best part of last night's show is that the demon has finally been cast out. That's right, Jonathan and Victoria were eliminated. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Jonathan was his typical self, blaming Victoria for things such as the travel agent's computer being down. He showed his true colors when she cut her hand during one of the missions and started screaming, while he ignored her and continued on his challenge. Even Kendra yelling for him to help her didn't enable him to show any compassion. And speaking of Kendra, the one who complained so much about being in a third-world country before, she actually redeemed herself in this episode. She finally saw the kindness of the children in Ethiopia regardless of their economic status. Hayden also redeemed herself of her haughty, demanding nature this week as she was moved by the intensity of the spiritual nature of one of the missions.

But all of that is insignificant because Jonathan and Victoria are gone. I couldn't believe it when Phil asked them whether they felt either of them had let each other down and they said no. You coul have fooled me. Those two definitely deserve each other.

My first real recap

2005-01-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

After a long weekend of no reality shows, I'm happy to report on last night's adventures.

Trading Spouses
Wife #1 and Husband #1 were from Minnesota. She ran a strict household, vacuuming her house several times a day and praying that her daughter's virginity remained intact until she found her soul mate. Wife #2 and Husband #2 were from Chatanooga, Tennessee (clearly the portal to Hades according to Wife #1). She ran a very unstructured household, filled with fun and love, as well as a few flies, ants and remnants of dog poo.

Wife #1 had a problem right away because Husband #1, and his entire family, hugged her when he met her! How rude! She said she had problems with that kind of affection. The horrors! She set to work cleaning the house and making the grandmother feel useless, since it was her job to clean.

Wife #2 felt unwelcome from the beginning because the other family lived in a state of non-emotion, moving silently around the house as they ate, got dressed and left for the day. Very stepford wives-esque.

Family #1 felt that Wife #2 needed some fun in her life so they played a practical joke on her using Daughter #1's prosthetic eye. While she did need to loosen up, even I thought it went to far. Thankfully they didn't show that void of her missing eye on the camera. But their attempts to ride a carousel were even less well-received. Who gets motion sickness on a stationary horse?

When Wife #1 tried to instill the same sense of fun with Family #2, the children rejected it. How sad is it that kids are resistant to having fun? At least the dad tried to "let loose," although in a rather sad way. His way of having fun was throwing a piece of toast on the ground and getting crumbs on the floor. Let's hope next week shows him learning how to have some real fun.

The Bachelorette
This week, she had two group dates and one single date. The single date was with Keith, the welder. He seems really sweet, in a Matt Dillon sort of way, but he just doesn't seem right for her.

The first group date included the gorgeous Jerry, Michael the teacher, Fabrice the French guy, and some other guys I don't really care about. Fabrice actually seemed a little more down to earth and less egotistical than last week, but I don't think he'll go very far. Michael lost points with me when he excitedly talk about how he was a cuddler in bed, which is why he spoons with his dog. Jerry got a nice dance in, proving his romantic side.
The second group date was at a Knick's game. Matt, the firefighter, who had a lot of potential, looked like he was going to have a nervous breakdown just talking to her. Not a good sign. Even worse was when he asked her to sign his ticket stub so that he'd always remember her. And she finally saw Stu's stalker side when he wanted to know everything about her. Too bad he wasn't able to show her how much she was in love with him, as he said he was going to do.

The biggest surprise at the end of the night was when she picked Josh (a smaller surprise was when she picked Ben, who is so elfish). Anyway, Josh's classic line was "You can't even begin to know the depths of me". Maybe your deep self should get a normal haircut. He also said Jen needed a lover and a warrior. What are we, in the middle ages? But she must have picked him for some reason. We'll see in the coming weeks.

On a personal note. I think my husband is in love with Jen. Here are a few of his comments in last night's episode:

Jen: It's so hard because you don't know if the guys are going to like you. (these are paraphrased, but you get the gist).
My husband: Yeah, like who's not going to like her?

Jen is talking to Keith the welder during their date.
My husband: She's too smart for him.

Jen is wearing a Knick's jersey as a dress with high heels.
My husband: She doesn't need to wear that. Why does she need to cheapen herself like that?

Jen in general.
My husband: She's just so down to earth, you know?

Should I be jealous? As long as I have Jerry to drool over each week, I think not!

Not Much to Report

2005-01-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, a toddler who refused to go to bed, and a 7-week-old who chose to have a meltdown at 8 p.m. filled my night. I only caught bits and pieces of Wickedly Perfect, so I don't have much to report. I did learn one thing: when having a dinner party, save some hors d'oevres in case people come late. Although, isn't that just rewarding bad behavior? If you're late, you should miss out. I think people continue to be late because everyone waits for them. Dinner is delayed to wait for that one person, never mind the many who showed up on time. Parties are postponed until that one person can grace you with their presence. Forget about the people who have other things to do, and have to cut their time short because the party was delayed. But anyway, I digress. It didn't seem like there was any real drama to report, so I'll have to try again next week.

I don't think there are any good reality shows on this weekend (there's a cheesy show called The Will with really bad plastic looking people. I caught a glimpse last week and it really looked horrible ... so maybe I'll tune in again!). I'll add some more recaps next week.

The Week's Recap

2005-01-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

My friends say that I'm a reality TV junkie. That I should be a Nielsen family for reality TV. And while I don't watch every reality special that ever airs, I do watch my fair share. My favorite party of reality TV is discussing it with friends. This involves either calling certain people during each commercial break while the show is airing, or recapping it the next day, both with people who watch the show and with people who don't. Many have told me that they don't need to watch because I can keep them informed.

So I decided to start this blog. It won't be an "unofficial fan site of (insert reality TV title here)." No, this will be just general comments about the shows that I watch most. It may also be a commentary of new shows that I try and either like or vow to never watch again.

I wanted to do this on Tuesday, after the airing of the latest Bachelorette. But being the mom of a 32-month-old, and a newly born 7-week old, time got away from me. So I will recap the shows from the past week, and hopefully keep this updated as each show airs.

The Bachelorette
I loved Jen on the Bachelor. She's probably the prettiest, most down-to-earth person that's been on one of these dating shows. So I expected her horde of male suitors to be awesome. To tell you the truth, I was a little disappointed. Most of them seemed like dorks, too egotistical (like Fabrice) or just plain annoying (like A.W. ... by the way, who calls themselves by initials?), or ugly (like A.W.), or just stalker material (can we say Stu?). Two guys stood out as pretty decent, cute, got-it-together guys: Jerry, the art gallery director, and Michael, the teacher. We'll see how they fare in the weeks to come. While Jen did a good job in picking these two, she also picked the aforementioned losers. What was she thinking?

The Next Billionaire
This was the season finale of a show that I watched because Richard Branson is much cooler than Donald Trump. However, the second half aired during my all-time favorite show, The Amazing Race (see comments below), so I didn't watch most of it. I didn't really care who won, to be honest, because both of them were annoying.

The Amazing Race
While it does make for interesting TV, they really need to get rid of Jonathan and Victoria. He has to be the most annoying man I've ever seen on television. His constant criticism of his wife, Victoria, was epitomized in this week's show when he told her that a mistake they made was her fault, saying it over and over until she said, "Why don't you just keep saying it until I kill myself." His reply? "Yeah, you should kill yourself!" What makes her equally annoying is her comment at the beginning of this week's show when she claimed he is "such a great motivator!"

I'm still rooting for Bolo and his wife, the pro wrestlers. While they don't seem like they have a lot of gray matter, they are interesting and less annoying than most. The other team I like are the long-distance dating couple. They are always so positive, not making alliances, not screaming at each other, not playing dirty. So I'd like them to win too. The problem is, since they don't cause a lot of drama, I don't know their names!

I was bummed that Hayden and Aaron weren't eliminated this week. I don't mind Aaron, but Hayden is almost as annoying as Jonathan.

Nanny 911
Yes, the list keeps going. Just a couple of comments on this one. I don't feel so bad that my 32-month is just barely being potty trained ... the little girl on the show was almost 4 and still in diapers! And the mom was so negative. I felt so bad for the little 8-year-old who decorated her room, and the first thing her mom says is "How long are you going to keep that up ... you don't want to scratch the bed." The little girl was crushed.

Wife Swap
There's always a good change that each household adopts in each week's segment, and this was no exception. The difference this week is that both mom's were pretty decent, each in their own way. The annoying one this week was the oldest daughter of the single mom. It was like she was trying out for the part of the troubled teen in some after-school special. She tried so hard to be cool and distant with her constant barrage of f-words, chewing on her tongue-ring, and checking the bun of her hair-sprayed-so-much-it's-crunchy hair.

Tonight is the second installment of Wickedly Perfect, a new show to find the next Martha Stewart. The show holds promise, so we'll see if there is anything to report tomorrow. I'll try to go into more detail than I did here. I just wanted to catch up on the week.