Jude's Thursday Dish

So, here's some cold Dish for you. Yesterday, our largest issue of the year went to press. I worked twice my hours last month working on it. Everything around me is in shambles, but hey... it's going to be a great issue! So if you see it, pick it up, so I feel like all my hard work went to something (other than just paying our bills).

Since I'm SICK of being on the computer and I need to get back to my life, here's just some quick LUNCH RUSH bits to tide us over.

- Michael Sarver on "American Idol' should be counting his lucky stars he got that far and got to go on tour.  Alexis Grace SO deserved that spot over him.  But Matt Giraud in the bottom two?  Maybe if he didn't look so pissed off all the time, people would vote for him.  He definitely has the talent, just not sure about the personality.  And I have to say.  I'm still TOTALLY digging Adam Lambert.

- So, Madonna is adopting another child from Malawi.  I mean, it's really great, but I have to go off on this tangent that I know I've blogged about before.  Don't you just love how celebs can just drop the big dough and pick up a baby as easy as you or I would get groceries?  But if you're poor and regular folk, you have to go through all the ropes and pay more than you can afford just to open up your home to a child who needs a family.

- Have you seen the new "Where the Wild Things Are" trailer?  When I heard they were doing this movie, I wrote it off, but this trailer looks very cool:

- And finally, quick LOSTapolooza.  Go AWAY if you haven't seen it.  Another STELLAR episode.  I love that the writers appreciate what the fans are thinking and will have the character's say our thoughts.  Like when Hurley was talking about Juliet and Sawyer hooking-up, something to the effect of "Didn't we all see that coming?"  Loved all the turmoil with who I would say is the show's most tragic character, Sayid.  They still had me guessing.  At first, I definitely thought Sayid was there to kill Young Harry Potter -- I mean, Ben -- but when they showed that scene with him an Old Benry that he was trying to change, it really seemed like Sayid thought he was there to reform Young Ben.  I actually tihnk it might be the same as when Benry killed Locke.  He really intended on saving Locke from hanging himself, but then he snapped.  I choose to believe that Sayid was really going to try and help Young Ben, but when he saw Jin's gun and the opportunity came up, he couldn't help but shoot Young Ben because that's really who he is - and he knew he'd be saving GENERATIONS by killing him off.

Young Ben is obviously not dead.  The Island will save him.  But I think it's interesting when Old Benry said to Sayid back in the episode where he was bandaging up his shoulder, "Remember what you did the last time you followed your heart?"  Does Old Benry remember Sayid shooting him when he was 12?  They MUST address all that.  In the future, do these people remember meeting all of these peeps in the 70's?

That's it for this week!

Jude's Thursday Dish

I'm trying to get to this first thing this morning, because I have a full day ahead.  So, on to Dish!

1. SO sad about Natasha Richardson!  John and I said the same thing last night that now Liam Neeson reminds us of his sad widower character in "Love Actually".  I'm not really familiar with a lot of her work except of course, one of my favorite Disney remakes: "The Parent Trap" which she was great in.  I was reading up on her last night and she had a fabulous career as a stage actress too.  Anyway, it just makes me sad that she was so young and her boys are only 12 and 13-ish.

2. I don't know what to make of "American Idol".  It's driving me crazy.  It's feeling like a relative you can't stand, but you can't get rid of.  Of course I'll keep watching.  One thing that drives me crazy, the contestants are so SASSY this season.  Did the producers tell them to talk back more and defend their performances? Either way, it's SO annoying.  Just take your criticism and shut up.  When Ryan asks you your opinion, then answer.  And the judges.  UGH! Simon and Paula.  Get a room already!  Anyway, as much as I liked Alexis Grace's voice, she came off as kind of b----y.  She always acted like she was above everything and I got SO sick of Kara telling her to "dirty" it up.  She did the right thing on Tuesday and I agree with Paula (who surprisingly seems to be the only spot-on judge this season) that she needed to show her vulnerability.  But, her personality didn't pull her through and let's face it, we all know this show has turned into a big personality contest.  So, we've got our top 10 and I have to say, I'm digging Adam Lambert. His performance WAS weird, but he reminds me of all the artists I loved in the 80's.  And whether the judges liked it or not, he was really smart to just turn his country song into his unique style.  I think it's weird there are 7 guys and 3 girls left.  Michael or Scott should go next. I don't like Lil as much as everyone else, but Katie would kill me.  She LOVES Lil.  Danny Gokey has a great voice, but I have a hard time watching him after this (I love EW's Idolatry -- you should add it to your favs): http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid3887239001/bclid3343000001/bctid15404465001

3. I adore "The Office" as much as anyone.  But I have to say, since I've been watching since mid-season 1, it's been getting a little old.  Last Thursday was a HUGE breath of fresh air.  That episode was classic.  I especially loved this part:

4. On Saturday night, we doubled with our friends, Marcy and Brandon.  After dinner, we went to the dollar movie (which is now $1.75 on weekends, guess I can't really call it that).  Our two choices were "Marley and Me" and "Valkyrie".  What a dilemma.  I HATE Tom Cruise, but I didn't want to see a dog die (thanks to my drama) even more.  So, we went to "Valkyrie" (shout out to Melinda and Bruce who were there too!).  It took a few minutes to get past 1.) putting all of Tom Cruise's shenanigans behind me and 2.) why did everyone speak in whatever accent they wanted to?  But, then I was able to delve into the movie.  It was a good film, but I have to say, I was SO bored.  There was just no suspense for me.  Obviously, they didn't assassinate Hitler. Obviously, people who failed at assassinating Hitler would be tried for treason and killed.  If that's a spoiler for you, then sorry... you need a history lesson!  I know there should have been suspense in HOW they got to that point and I guess there was, but for some reason (probably I was tired) it just didn't grab me.  Everyone else seemed to really enjoy it though, so I think I'm in the minority.  A probable good $1 movie show or rental if you're into that kind of thing.

And now LOSTapooloza!

As always, if you haven't watched the show last night, go away!

I love this new Sawyer.  I loved the old Sawyer too, but this new, take charge, Winston Churchill inspired Sawyer is awesome!  It's SO not going to last, but I'll enjoy it while I can.  So before I got to overthinking who that baby was (that's what LOST has done to me, makes me overthink every show now even when there's nothing to look for - conspiracies in "American Idol" anyone?), my first thought was the baby was Ethan.  Juliet's face when she found out was classic.  It mixed sadness (for her friend) and shock (knowing what Ethan's fate would be).  

The show itself was just wryly funny.  Here are castaways dropping in all over and poor LaFleur trying to figure out what to do with them.  I loved Jin's instant reaction to hearing that Sun was there and trying to find the plane.  And there was this part that unless you're a LOST Fangirl like me, you wouldn't have known about.  I recognized that weird glasses guy's name (the one that was paranoid and getting into Jin's face about the Swan) and did a little research.  This is what I found out thanks to Eonline. Way back in the day, we learned that before Desmond shared "the hatch" with Inman (Inman that's soldier guy that was with Sayid then later we saw with Desmond), Inman shared the hatch with Radzinsky.  Who's Radzinsky?  For a long time, all we knew about Radzinsky was that he eventually shot himself in the head and became that smear on the ceiling of the Swan.  But in last night's ep back to 1977, we learned that Radzinsky designed the Swan station hatch in the first place.  We'll obviously get more on that guy in the future.

How trippy was that Sun, Frank and Christian scene?  Totally confused.  And before that, LOVED how Sun is a new bad a-- and took out Ben.  I was hoping she was the one that did it.  And speaking of Ben, it was a great reveal to Sayid to see the young, pubsecent Ben (man, that kid is creepy).  I think that's what the preview is alluding to when Sayid says: "I know why I'm here" or whatever.  He thinks he's back to kill young Ben.  I think he'll wreck havoc on the village,  blowing things up, and that's what will lead Sawyer to get pissed, head butt him, and leave him on his own.  It will ruin Sawyer's security and that's all he wants.

More coming up: spoilers say that there are 2 deaths this season.  I have no idea who they are and I don't want to know.  But it's still driving me crazy and I can't help but speculate.  One is major-ish and the other is major.  Major-ish think Miles, Faraday, Frank, Penny.  Major - well, everyone else is major.  I really doubt it's Locke, Jack, Sawyer, Kate or Ben.  But, I'm worried for Sayid, Hurley, Jin, Sun and Juliet.  Any thoughts on who you think it would be?

That's it for this week!

 

Winter, are we through?

Middle of March and I've been ready for spring since February 15th.  The snow on my lawn has FINALLY melted.  My house faces north, so it takes forever for my lawn to de-thaw. The sunshine is more than welcome for my S.A.D. soul.  So to usher in what I hope is the end of the snow and even though spring doesn't officially start until Wednesday, I wanted to post some pictures of our winter and be done with it!

Disclaimer: Yes, there are no pictures of me... on purpose. Not until I lose some of this winter fat and all the fat from seasons prior!

Katie had two 2nd grade programs.  This was the "Friendship Program" with the kids doing the "Friendship Rap".

Our 2nd annual "Snow Day" trip up to Heber.  We go to John's stepdad's cabin in Heber, sleep-over and the next day, we ride the tractor and pull the homemade sled around the backyard. Here's John driving with my nephew, James.  Katie and Ethan love to hang on the back of the sled and play "Indiana Jones" while they're dragged around the yard.  Lots of fun, but the snow clothes get filthy!

Katie had a field trip at the Hogle Zoo.  It was with the school's art teacher.  They got to go around sketching animals.  That's why I LOVE her school.

Yeah for our Discovery Gateway membership.  The perfect remedy for cold winter days.  Here's Katie and my nephew, Ethan.  We went several times and it never gets old for the kids.

Jude's Thursday Dish

Since all my blog postings are called "Jude's Thursday Dish" lately, I'm wondering if I need to tack on a subtitle or even an episode number like "Jude's Thursday Dish #40" or something. Or a subtitle could be "Jude's Thursday Dish - yes, all she talks about is Lost." Hmmm? Any thoughts?

I only have time for one entry today, so here we go...


1. I've been thinking about this for days and I don't really know where to begin. How can I not dish about the "Big Love" controversy? Yes, I'm going there. Not all of my friends have the same beliefs as I do, but I know they all respect my opinion and don't mind if I go off on church stuff once in a while. :) As you know, I'm a little more liberal about my entertainment than more conservative members of my religion. I fully respect people's right for their freedom of speech, but I'm completely offended by HBO's choice to depict a temple marriage on TV. Just because you have the freedom to DO something, doesn't mean you should. There's something to be said about creating entertainment that's sensitive to its audience. Yes, Mormons watch "Big Love" and Mormons watch "HBO"; we are their audience. Clearly, even though they cite it's important to their plot, they know depicting a sacred temple ordinance would be offensive to active LDS members. It's for certain embittered ex-Mormons are the people advising them in this subject and it's really disappointing they have such little regard for such sensitive matters. I like this quote: “The rituals and the teachings that take place in those we consider to be sacred and not appropriate for public view,” says BYU Associate Dean of Religion Kent Jackson. “Latter-day Saints will find this very disheartening that something like this is taking place.” Jackson says this shows an insensitivity to sacred things. “Good people honor other people’s sense of the sacred.” We're not the only religion, or group for that matter, that holds things sacred. It shows such little regard and tolerance for those of any faith to exploit their beliefs or rituals. Taken out of context, these things give us further reason to be misunderstood. I've been really impressed by the Church's PR department and how they've handled it. Their statements have been really articulate and thought out. I also admire their Christlike attitude of not calling on a ban to HBO or bringing more attention to it. It just goes to show you how "peculiar" we really are. Being"peculiar" used to allude to "oh, they're kind of different", but as the world is getting more and more divided in their beliefs, being "peculiar" is becoming truer to its real definition:
1. Unusual or eccentric; odd.
2. Distinct from all others.
3. Belonging distinctively or primarily to one person, group, or kind; special or unique.

Anyway, the whole thing really disappoints me. I'm not in the group of banning HBO or their programs, mainly because I don't HAVE HBO and all I do is watch "Sex and the City" reruns on TBS. It's probably going to bum these banners out when they realize Tom Hanks produces "Big Love" so if you're going to ban anyone involved in the show, does that mean you have to ban everyone's favorite "Should be a Mormon" actor? 

If any good comes out of it, it's to make you think more about where you'll stand when your beliefs are under fire.  Whatever your beliefs are, now more than ever, you better stand up for them.  Because if you don't, who will?  And as for me, I'll take "peculiar" any day.

Jude's Thursday Dish

I haven't had a lot of time to put into my blog and now, I'm going to have less.  I have a lot of stuff going on right now.  Our biggest issue of the year is coming up for April.  We no longer have a sales manager, so I'm going to have my work cut out for me trying to pitch in.  I'm working on the script for our ward play "The Wizard of Oz" and I'm working on getting donations for the school's fundraiser on April 3rd.  All this on top of my normal life.  So, if my blog is neglected and my house isn't clean, so be it.  I'm just doing the best I can.

Still, I love the Dish, so I can retain SOME normalcy in my life, here's a little Lunch Rush for the week...

-- I'm SO sick of all this Octo-Mom exposure.  It's becoming cruel.  Yeah, I think she's a freak, but leave it alone already.  The worst is that devil-woman Nancy Grace.  She kept replaying that 911 call over and over.  Sure, the lady has too many kids, but she couldn't find one and was understandably upset.  Why mock her for calling for help?

-- I didn't watch "The Bachelor" (I gave up years ago after stupid and (not) Funny Bob). But, I always read the recaps on EW and watched their funny videos "The Doll Bachelor" (if you haven't checked it out, it's pretty comical).  That Jason and the whole Bachelor franchise is going to hell.

-- I feel like I've been watching this season of "American Idol" for a decade.  And we're STILL not at the top 12.  Heaven help me.  I was really irriated that Ju'Not didn't get a Wild Card shot.  He deserved it over Von Smith or Matt Giraud.  Yeah, maybe they impressed more in earlier rounds, but a lot needs to be said about their first performance in front of a live audience and Ju'Not was much better than those too.  Plus Matt Giraud just looks bitter.  On the flip side, very happy for Anoop and Ricky Braddy.  But don't get me started on Tatiana.  Even the judges are ratings whores.

That's all I got for you this week!  Maybe more later...

Early LOSTapolooza!

I can't wait until tomorrow to dish about LOST.  I just have to say I HEART Sawyer.  He is the MAN!  He's become the heart of this show.  While the 06ers have been tormented over the last 3 years, he's been this happy, realized, well-adjusted guy living in the 70's!  And the best part, he's in a good relationship with Juliet!  Of course he's not going to be hanging out, celibate and waiting for Kate.  He's hot and so is Juliet.   They totally have a connection.  He obviously wasn't too heartbroken Kate was gone, because he must've hooked up with Juliet shortly after since she didn't leave on the sub 2 weeks later.  Anyway, I have a complete girl-crush on Juliet.  I've decided 2 things: 1.) Josh Holloway has chemistry with anyone and that's why I can't decide who I want Sawyer with.  2.) Kate doesn't deserve him.  I'd really rather see Jack and Sawyer fighting over Juliet not Kate.  She has too many issues and shouldn't be with anyone right now (I sound like Dr. Phil).  I really don't think Sawyer will just dump Juliet for Kate.  That look at the end wasn't really "I'm not over you" but more "I can't believe you're here."  I don't know what camp I'm in, but I definitely was digging the Sawyer/Juliet coupling tonight!  This show is AWESOME -- they even have us on the edge of our seats re: the romantic pairings -- and never know where it's going!

Burning questions: are Rose & Bernard dead?  How is Richard-wear-too-much-eye-liner-Alpert so young?  Does Juliet like being a car mechanic?  How did Jin call Sawyer when he's in pre cellphone era?  Is Faraday still in the 70's with LaFleur and co. or is he off time travelling? Who else got a little sad when he saw young Charlotte? And anyone else out there thinking that the baby boy born tonight was Jacob?

RETRACTION (3/5): After thinking about it all night and good comments from Katie and Deidra, that baby boy probably isn't Jacob.  The main reason I thought that was in an earlier ep, Horace said he built that cabin for him and the misses.  I was thinking that their baby boy grew up and lived there, becoming Jacob?  But, thinking it over,  Jacob has probably been around forever and part of the Richard Alpert peeps. Now I'm thinking maybe it was Ethan? One other thing, I have to gripe about the stupid promos. Since they showed the reunion at the end, it took all the suspense out of it and we were waiting for that moment the whole time. Then it happened and the show was over. So Lame!

COMING UP: Two weeks until a new LOST?  What will I do?

More dish tomorrow....

What Do YOU Need?

I got this idea from Deidra's blog and thought it was entertaining. In Google, you type in your name and the word needs like "Judy needs" and then post the top 10 results. It's funny how some of these things actually do apply.

1. Judy needs...her morning corree (love the first answer has a typo)

2. Judy needs...to get out of the shelter! (what?)

3. Judy needs....to pay her taxes (that's so true!)

4. Judy needs...her tumor removed. (oh Heavens, let's hope not)

5. (Punch and) Judy needs...counseling. (if we're inserting John for Punch, then sure...why not? Every couple could use a little therapy.)

6. Judy needs...to go to anger management classes (yeah, that probably wouldn't hurt either)

7. Judy needs....a television set (I did, but now I have a fabulous new HDTV!)

8. Judy needs....to learn to become a subservient female (like that will EVER happen)

9. Judy needs...to run for President of the U.S. (or like THAT will ever happen)

10. Judy needs...help for her next charity challenge (how did Google know? I DO! Anyone want to donate something to the Highland Park Arts Silent Auction? Let me know!)

Sooo, what do YOU need?