Friday, July 31, 2009

Welcome Baby Jack!

Jennie Penny and Christmas Steve welcomed my nephew, Jack William, this morning. We're so relieved he's here safe and sound!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Jude's Thursday Dish #39

I'm waiting on my publisher to upload some final pages for me to proof for our August issue. Perfect time to blog. Let's Dish!




1. I have been like a giddy little Fan Girl with all the good "Lost" news coming out of Comic Con. If you're a fan, go here (ew.com) for all the great coverage. But here's a sum-up of the good stuff. SPOILER ALERT if you're a spoiler-phobe, but more like TEASES really.

Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof (the "Lost" Gurus -- and no, J.J. Abrams should not get the credit. These two are the MEN who do it all) did a panel and revealed these AWESOME teases:

- Suggested the timeline was changed by Juliet banging on the H-Bomb. They illustrated the possibility by showing spoof commercials of Hurley endorsing Mr. Cluck's and America's Most Wanted hunt for a still-at-large Kate. I've been thinking the plane never crashed, but the peeps that were touched by Jacob (Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Locke, Hurley, Jin, Sun and Sayid) will be have the memories of what happened WHEN the plan crashed and be called back to the Island to help Jacob.

- Juliet and Faraday will appear in Season 6!!!! Elizabeth Mitchell was interviewed and said she feels like the fans brought Juliet back, because they were so crushed by the season finale (that would be me, bawling like a BABY!). I think we'll see Juliet living her old life, never even coming to the Island to begin with, (in the new time line), but perhaps the people who were touched by Jacob will remember the alternate history. Meaning, Sawyer will have these memories of being with Juliet, but she will never remember knowing him at all. That will open it up so that she only "appears" and can be free to go do her "V" show. Leaving Sawyer open to shack up with Kate (BOO!). Whatever the reasoning, I just hope that means Juliet is alive!

- We'll get Guyliner Richard's backstory. I think he came to the Island on the Black Rock.

- We won't be getting more Dharma Initiative focus. That was really focused on in Season 5. Each of the seasons mirror another. 2 & 5 were very Dharma focused. 3 & 4 were very Ben/Whidmore and the time travel focused. 1 & 6 will mirror each other being more about jungle adventure, redemption, emotional ressonance and asscence of discovery. This was deliberate and makes me VERY happy. I loved season 1 and can't wait to get back to that in season 6.

- Jacob has never assumed the identity of someone else dead (i.e. Christian, Claire). And I'm thinking that the Dark Dude (Jacob's enemy) didn't either. The only person he did that too was Locke since he was the Loophole.

- Directly from EW: "In an attempt to prove that they (Carlton & Damon) haven't been writing the series on the fly, the producers locked the final page of the series finale script in a box, and said that the box would be opend on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the night that the series finale airs. When Josh Holloway (Sawyer) came on the stage, he tasers Lindelof and forced Cuse to open the box. Michael Emerson (Benry) did a dramatic reading of the page, which turned out to be... a scene from Heroes."

- Not in the panel, but promoting another show, Ian Somerhalder (Boone) said he is appearing in season 6. I really am thinking my new timeline theory is right!

- There's also some good pictures and videos to check out. My favorite is when Michael Ausiello from EW interviews Richard, Ben and Hurley. He asks them who Kate should end up with and Michael Emerson (Benry) deadpans that she should just find a new guy, because she ruins everyone she's with. Nestor Carbonell (Richard) suggests she ruin him. Freckles + Guyliner living in a tree...

Not related to Comic Con, but Matthew Fox (Jack) was interviewed at a TV convention in Monte Carlo and he revealed some teases/spoilers. He said the Locke and Jack would have a final showdown, so I'm hoping somehow Locke isn't really dead.

Late Night Addition (11:54 p.m. on Thursday): Charlie will be back for 3 episodes!!!!

Sigh... I can't believe I have to wait until January!


2. Anyone out there "Saved By the Bell" fans? I watched it mostly because my younger sibs, Jimmy and Jennie, were OBSESSED with it. But I fully admit. I loved it. They are having their 20 year anniversary and are on the cover of the new People magazine (minus Screech who is probably off making more sex tapes. Ew!). They all look amazing. They haven't aged at all. And Mario Lopez really is a hottie.

It all started when Jimmy Fallon (a huge fan) pushed a reunion for the 20th anniversary. He started getting cast members to agree starting with Mr. Belding, who of course agreed, because what else is he doing? There was an amusing appearance of Mark Paul Gosselaar AS Zack Morris promoting MPG's legal drama. My favorite part was when the band Zack Attack performed. MPG looks EXACTLY the same. Check it out here:

Another funny bit has come out from Tiffany Thiessen (minus the Amber) who is the only person that hasn't committed to Jimmy Fallon's reunion. I think this is all tongue and cheek and she'll definitely show up. Can't wait!!!



Oooh, pages are up. I'm sure there's a lot more to Dish on, but that's it for this week!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Norm Abram Has Nothing On John

I've been waiting to post pictures of our new bathroom until it was 100% done, but who am I kidding? Nothing at my house ever is complete. We're at about 90% with just a few loose ends. First, I have to say John ROCKS. With the help of our brother-in-law, Christmas Steve, he sledge hammered the ORIGINAL tub (85 freakin' years-old -- it's been resurfaced, but you can imagine how awful it was.) He replaced it with a new cast iron tub. He tore out the original flooring and replaced it with something similar. It was a beast, because it was the small hexagonal tiles and even though they were in sheets, they kept popping up. The only thing I really did was design, shop, help paint and boss him around. I'm married to a saint.

The rest of the house, unfortunately, is in complete shambles. I must be insane, because we started painting the living room. It's just the bathroom was so shiny and happy and pretty and lovely that I couldn't stand my drab living room being next to it. John was not happy, but again... he's a saint.

So, right now the bathroom is our sanctuary. It's the only clean room in the house. I just go in there and sit on the side of the tub just to have some peace. I heard this brilliant idea that works well for insomniacs like me. You put dimmers on your bathroom lights and keep them down low, so if you have to go into the bathroom at night, you're not disturbed by the harsh lights. We love it. Now we just keep the dimmers whenever the light is on, so it's just really relaxing.

We're taking August off of home improvements and actually paying attention to the yard for a change, but I'm hoping starting in the fall, we'll have a shiny, happy house to match the bathroom.

Here is the before and after. The pics don't do it justice. The lighting isn't good and it's hard to get a good shot, but you'll get the point. We made some changes to the bathroom when we moved in the house in 2000 (it was bright turquoise and the shower tile actually sunk into the wall when you pushed it since there was so much water damage). Those were necessities. This remodel really makes a world of difference.




BEFORE: Dingy floor circa 1925, GHETTO tub, tiny wall sink, dumb mirror and cabinet, ho-hum light fixture. Nice color, but definitely wanted something more serene and grown-up.


AFTER: New floor still in the same style of the 20's bungalow, nice pedestal sink, great new mirror and cabinet, awesome light fixture. Atmosphere blue paint color because I wanted to bring the sky in. New bath mat, towels and shower curtain (it's hard to tell but it's got different color blue stripes). The only thing we kept was the shower tile that John put in when we moved into the house in 2000. With a good grout cleaning, it will look brand new. Tip: never use Restoration Hardware paint. The stuff we got must've been sitting on the shelves for years and it just ran like water down the walls. We took it to John's 2nd home, Home Depot, and they matched it perfectly with a terrific Behr paint.

Now, I just need to get a cool picture to hang over the towel rack!


Monday, July 27, 2009

Those Annoying Facebook Quizzes

Everytime I login to Facebook, I'm bombarded with quiz requests and results like "How bitchy are you?" or "What modern bombshell are you most like?" I'm curious about the results, but I don't really want to bug everyone with the answers. So I found www.blogthings.com where I can do it in my own privacy for fun. I found out I'm most like Carrie on "Sex and the City" and should name my boobs "Trinidad" and "Tobago". Great time waster -- check it out!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Leftovers: New Trailers

To make up for my lame dish yesterday, here are 2 trailers that I'm excited about. "Couples Retreat" boasts an EXCELLENT cast: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Kristen Bell (my dear Veronica herself), Jason Bateman (my dear Michael Bluth), Kristin Davis (my dear Charlotte) and more. And "Alice in Wonderland" looks awesome.



Thursday, July 23, 2009

Jude's Thursday Dish #38

Today for the Dish -- you're getting the Lunch Rush. Partly because I'm really busy, but also -- it's been a slow pop culture week. So let's get to it...

-- Ugh, Sarah Palin. That woman has become a train wreck. I just need to watch Tina Fey on SNL reruns and think of happier days.

-- Johnny Depp's dream role is to play Carol Channing. I love when Johnny plays freaky, but that just might be the role that puts me over the edge.

-- If you've read my blog for a while, you know I've been off the R's since June 2007 when John and I were at "Knocked Up" and a friend from our ward, Bonnie (who ironically we now home/visit teach) came in on a date and sat next to us. Enough to scare me straight. I did fall off the wagon once and see "Sex and the City" which was TOTALLY worth it. Anyway, I was very tempted by "The Ugly Truth" because I HEART Gerard Butler. Thankfully for my resolution, the movie is getting terrible reviews. If anyone goes and sees it, let me know how it is.

-- I took John to the Gallivan Center to see "Vertigo" on Monday. Definitely got me in the mood to see more. If you like Hitchcock and in the mood to discover a hidden gem, check out "Strangers on a Train."

Well, that was lame. ;) That's it for this week!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Happy Birthday, Baby Jack


Monday, July 20, 2009

Mortimer Family Reunion 2009

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Happy Birthday To A Great Husband

My dear husband spent his birthday today with my crazy family (sorry to offend any family members reading this, but let's face it -- collectively, we are pretty crazy) at our Mortimer Family Reunion. We spent 4 + hours at Boondocks. Even though he did NOT want to do Laser Tag, he did. When we had the family talent show, even when he did NOT want to be in a skit, he did. He mediated an argument Katie and I were having on the way home. And now he's off to the store getting me cold medicine. What a trooper! I love you, John -- you're the best.


I wish I had time to do some creative picture thing like last year, but see that birthday entry for an AWESOME look back of John in pics ;)

Friday, July 17, 2009

Jude's Thursday Dish #39

Well, this Dish is being served up late, but there's still plenty of good stuff to dig in to!


1. Harry Potter! Yes, I've been waiting for what feels like an eternity for this movie. And of course it was never going to live up to the book or my expectations. I've always said the movies are basically the Harry Potter cliffnotes -- or Harry Potter - Lite. I knew that going in already, but still, I left disappointed. I won't share anything spoiler-y in here unless you are one of the rare few that haven't read the book and still want to see the movie. Also, if you haven't seen it yet and don't want to read anything negative about it, I suggest you read on. I know that when I read someone's negative critique before seeing a movie, I go in prejudiced looking for the said flaws.

But I'll start off with the good stuff!

- Daniel Radcliffe has really improved his acting over the years. In this film, he gets to showcase his comic chops.
- Jim Broadbent is PERFECT for Professor Slughorn. I HEART that actor. Bridget Jones, Moulin Rouge, to name a few. He doesn't exactly look like I thought the character would (pudgier, etc.) but his acting is spot on. FUN FACT: speaking of Bridget, I like that both her parents are in this film: Dad as Professor Slughorn, Mom as Madame Pomfrey.
- The Weasley twins' joke shop was awesome. If they are still doing that Harry Potter theme park in Florida, they HAVE to include that.
- Dumbledore & Harry finding the Horcrux was better than I imagined when I read it. They did an excellent job on that scene.
- I really like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. My sis & bro-in-law don't like him and say he's not as fun/silly/charming as Richard Harris was, but I think Michael Gambon plays him more stern and see the seriousness of the situation and I like that. But, he's still amusing. Love the line he says about Lavendar: "Oh to be young and to feel love's keen sting." Plus, I think it's amusing that he admitted that he (nor Alan Rickman, nor Ralph Fiennes) hasn't cracked open one of the Potter books. He sees "no point" because he says he's going off the interpretation of the screenwriter.

The stuff that bugged/disappointed (SKIP THIS if you haven't seen it):

- That girl that plays Ginny Weasley is terrible. Ginny is so much more interesting in the books. Get her in some acting classes, Stat!
- What happened to Ginny and Ron's amazing first kiss? Remember, he's been in detention and Ginny fills in as Seeker. They win the Quidditch game and when he shows up at the victory party, they start kissing in front of everyone -- even a dismayed Ron. Stupid, stupid, stupid choice to leave that out!
- Wasn't crazy about the casting of Draco's mom. And I've never liked the girl who plays Tonks. You know who should've gotten that role? Anna Friel. She was in "Pushing Daisies." I read that she is living with/dating Lupin in real life and her dream role was to play Tonks. She would've been awesome.


- I know that the film has a darker tone, but I miss some of the whimsy from the earlier films. Especially movie 3 with that director, Alfonso Cuaron. One of the things I love most about Hogwarts is the talking and moving portraits, and the ghosts flying around. There was none of that in this movie. Blah.
- Was that Burning Burrow scene in the book?
- I feel like this in every movie, but Snape needs more screen time.
- Those are all silly complaints, but my biggest issue in the film was they wasted WAY too much time focusing on the teen romances which short changed the action at the end. Movie 4 had a really good balance. There was the underlying romantic theme and the dance, but enough focus and time to really give you the emotional and powerful impact of the action scenes. I felt like they basically ran out of time and the showdown at Hogwarts was sacrificed. Again, I don't remember the book completely, but I recall a lot more fighting and action when the Death Eaters show up and the whole Snape/Harry confrontation. Plus, was really disappointed by the Half-Blood Prince reveal. There was no explanation as to how he got that name. They were really light on the Horcrux explanations too.

Basically, I felt like the movie would've been a lot better had they toned down the romance, pumped up the whimsy, and focused more on the mystery/action, especially in the finale. Still, it was a good movie. I just wish it had been better.


2. I Netflixed the most random movie. It's a Michelle Pfeiffer/Paul Rudd romantic-comedy that was supposed to come out in 2007, but had this crazy drama with the producer and went straight to DVD. I can't decide if I like it or not. There's this really weird distraction of Tracy Ullman playing Mother Nature and popping up all the time to rant about getting old and mating, but the other stuff is actually good. Pfeiffer and Rudd have really good chemistry and I like the relationship between the mom and daughter. One completely bogus bit of casting: Jon Lovitz as Pfeiffer's ex husband who left here for a younger woman. Like that would happen. So, if you are totally in the mood to check something out for curiosity's sake, rent: "I Could Never Be Your Woman."


3. Why can't I go to Comic Con? This is my new Fangirl dream. It's held every year in San Diego and is said to have a greater impact on movies, TV, Pop Culture, etc. than any of the other festivals or events out there. Basically, it was just a little event for comic book enthusiasts, but it's turned into the mecca for all Fanboys/girls out there. They are showing clips for "Iron Man 2" and the new Tim Burton "Alice in Wonderland." Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are breaking their "radio silence" and going to discuss "Lost" season 5 finale and season 6. GAH!

Anyway, I was looking for clips, but couldn't find anything. I did come across this cool-but-in-a-I-can't-believe-someone-spent-this-much-time-kind-of-thing Lego trailer of the first "Iron Man" that is really amusing. Check it out:



3. Emmy nominations came out yesterday. Another reason I love Thursdays! Nominations I was excited about: "Lost" finally, and deservedly, back in the Emmy race again as Best Drama, Michael Emerson as Benry in "Lost" -- please give it to him already!, the supporting cast of "30 Rock" with Tracy, Jenna and Kenneth all getting nods -- definitely deserved, Jemaine Clement in "Flight of the Conchords" -- except I kind of feel bad for the other guy. SO pissed that Elizabeth Mitchell got snubbed for her work as Juliet on "Lost"; she is AMAZING. BOO!!!


4. I'm totally watching "Dance Your Ass Off" on Oxygen! It's kind of terrible, but totally motivates me to dance...er, exercise my OWN ass off. The judges are lame. And why do all of this shows have to have the British guy? Anyway, the judging is biased and totally random -- they aren't consistent at all and never judge on technique, because well... they are fat people. We should just be happy that they are off their butts dancing, right? You don't really get to see any of the behind the stage stuff on how each of them are doing on their dieting, etc. They show a little, but not enough to make it interesting like on "The Biggest Loser." This last episode was painful. It was pole dancing. The poor girl who got voted off basically got the boot because she was insecure and felt unsexy. Um, hello? I don't care what kind of body you have. Most of us would feel that way. There was a guy from Orem that got booted, so now I'm kind of rooting for this boy from SLC. There's a couple of decent dancers that may get my allegance, but we'll see. Anyway, it's great Treadmill TV.


5. They have announced they are making a 3rd Bridget Jones movie. NOOOO! Renee Zellweger is signed on. Please don't do this! You're killing my favorite movie with sequels!!!

That's it for this week!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Jude's Thursday Dish #38

I'm watching my nephew, Mitchell, this morning and going to Lagoon this afternoon, so today's Dish is going to have to be brief -- with one topic: The M.J. memorial.



The M.J. memorial. Woah -- where to start? I know the media has been going on and on about how classy it was, but I thought it was pretty bizarre. Fitting for M.J. to be sure. There were definitely touching, sincere moments, but so much of it was spectacle. It's strange to review a memorial service like it was a tv show, movie or concert, but really... that's what it was like and deserves to be critiqued as such. Here are some memorable (and not so) moments:
  1. Paris speaking about her dad was heartwrenching. It was nice to see her family physically protecting her and comforting her in that moment. But the cynic in me has to wonder if she really wanted to do it. I heard Janet was supposed to talk, but then she encouraged Paris to speak. If the girl wanted to, then great - she deserves a forum, but if the family pushed her into it, then shame on them.
  2. Brooke Shields seems genuinely sad and her tribute was nice. I was channel surfing and stopped on that stupid Bill O'Reilly show where they had a Body Language Expert analyzing people. It was SO lame. The lady was picking apart Brooke's speech to see if she was sincere or not. Like she'd be performing at something like that. Honestly, people need to get a life.
  3. "We are the World" and "Heal the World" were touching, but I would've LOVED if they had gotten some of the original peeps to sing that.
  4. The real emotion that came from his brothers, even Usher, really humanized M.J. and made you remember that through all the craziness, he was just like everyone else.
  5. Those dancers surrounding Jennifer Hudson were SO random. Who choreographed that thing? Talk about distracting.
  6. Couldn't Joe have spit out his gum? Come on!
  7. And let's not get started about the service costing L.A. $1.4 million.
Al Sharpton's comments were interesting. I'm sure that's what his children needed to hear their dad wasn't strange. One thing I find curious though. M.J. did SO much for the Civil Rights movement, especially bridging the gap between all races and making it possible for the music industry to be multi-colored. But how do people feel now when in the last 20 years, he showed the whole world he didn't want to be black. He lightened his face, got a white person's nose, and had his surrogate(s) give him white children. Didn't he turn away from his race and culture? Or was that his way of continuing his life of duplicity? He was black, but he was white. He wanted to be the most popular star in the world, but craved his privacy. He was a grown man, but acted like a child. He was shy in private, but a confident powerhouse on stage. He was male, but feminine. He had an aggressive sexuality in his music and on stage (grabbing his crotch, for one), but in private... well, he was never convicted, but it was obvious he had inappropriate relationships with young boys. I tend to think it was all part of his master plan. He really wanted to prove that we all are the same and capable of having dark and light characteristics. Maybe he was truly trying to be the ultimately ambiguous person.

That's it for this week!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Tween Alert


John and I let Katie have our I-Pod Nano that we never use. I love this picture, because she's wearing make-up (for fun) and she's wearing a shirt with Sleeping Beauty princesses all over it. And she's jamming to the "Mary Poppins"musical soundtrack of all things. I guess my little girl isn't growing up too fast. She's just getting her feet wet. Isn't that what being a Tween is all about?

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Happy "Four July"


On the 4th (or the "Four July" as Katie used to call it), we just partied all day. Here are some photo highlights:

Annual parade up at my parents' ward.

Cute nephew Mitchell at the parade.

Bailey exhausted after the parade.

Papa Jim (my dad) greeting us at the end.

What could have been a really cute picture.

Ward program (before the breakfast) with my mom's 4 piano performance of "Stars and Stripes." You can't see my mom, but my sis, Jennie, is at the upfront right piano.

Swimming at my parents' house. John's siblings and kids also came up for some pool time & BBQ.

Back to my mother-in-law's old house (we're getting it ready to sell).
The group playing Bacci ball.
(nephew Alex at the bottom, Brandon, Doug & Beck -- my in-laws)

Katie and my nephews, Ethan & James

Ethan, James, Alex & Katie

Doug & Beck's latest addition, cute Will

The two July birthday boys: John and James.
We had cake and presents and some really bad singing.

Alex was ecstatic about the fireworks

Playing with the ISO on my camera (that's for you, Amelia)

"Circle of Fire" which we'll REALLY miss when the house is sold. The neighbors bring enough fireworks that there are several ground fireworks going on all at once, sparklers everywhere -- and illegal ones going on in the sky. It lasts non-stop for 2 hours.
The kids absolutely adore it. It makes the 4th for us.

One very worn-out family.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Jude's Thursday Dish #37

Week 2 of the resurrection of my blog! And the best part, MORE DISH! So, let's get right to it!


1. Michael, Michael, Michael. The coverage is like watching a train wreck. You can't turn away. I could fill many posts with what's come about all week, but here are just the top things that come to mind first:
  • Joe Jackson is a tool. Not that we didn't know that before, but who uses a press conference about the death of his son to plug his new record company? Serves him right for getting the boot out of his will.
  • All the back and forth drama about whether or not MJ or Debbie Rowe are the biological parents to Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket. Latest reports are saying MJ definitely was NOT the bio-dad, but Debbie Rowe was the bio-mom and not just a surrogate for the first two kids. Blanket is rumored to have been bought on the black market.
  • Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have to get in on the action. As well as ever other possible celebrity who ever said "Hello" to MJ. My favorite was Gladys Knight on CNN giving an LDS spin to MJ having to atone for his sins on the other side.
  • All MJ's past & present employees coming up with all their stories about him and his drug use. Like this surprises us? And what's up with that crazy doctor? Waiting 30 minutes to call 911? And I'm 7 years away from being a doctor, but even I know CPR doesn't work on a bed.
  • And can we forget the Filipino inmate's tribute to Michael?
2. But it's not just MJ. Billy Mays and Karl Malden died this week. There were some less famous people who died - Molly Sudgen from one of my dad's favorite BBC shows "Are You Being Served?" and a character actor I grew up loving Harvey Presnel who played the Johnny Brown in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." Jennie and I LOVED that movie. He's been in a ton of movies, but you probably wouldn't recognize his name. He was in "Patch Adams," "Fargo,"Face/Off," "Evan Almighty" and "Old School" to name a few.

And fake Internet rumors have been wildly spread that celebs like George Clooney, Natalie Portman, Jeff Goldblum, Rick Astley, Harrison Ford, Miley Cyrus, Liza Minelli and Britney Spears kicked the bucket shortly after MJ and Farrah's deaths. Reportedly, some Hollywood insiders and friends of George Clooney were really upset by the news and called his publicist. Jeff Goldblum supposedly fell to his death off a cliff while filming in New Zealand. Seriously, people need to get a life. Or the people who believe it need to get their online news from reputable sources.

3. This was news last week, but I didn't blog about it yet. What about this news that the Academy Awards will now have 10 Best Picture nominees? That was how it was done in the 30's and 40's. Some people are criticizing the change, but I say bring it on! The Oscars have becoming too elitist. There are a lot of Oscar worthy movies out there that don't get the attention they should. If "Beauty and the Beast" was nominated for an Oscar, wouldn't one of the fabulous Pixar movies deserve a nod? But in the past, there were just too many of the hoity-toity films to ever recognize that excellent comedies, animation and action films. If they had done this last year, undoubtedly "The Dark Knight" would have been nominated. Yes, that movie scarred me but it was extremely well made. So, I'm excited. It may make the nominees fun to root for again. The Academy is definitely try to spice it up. They also invited several hot and young Hollywood actors to join in and now they can vote. This includes: Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, James Franco, Jane Lynch (who I LOVE), Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and others. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.

4. TV Scoop for Fall (since I couldn't care less about any of the summer offerings). Have you seen those awesome ABC promos? Take a few minutes and check them out. They're great! (BTW, the Charlie appearance is intriguing. Some say it's because he may be back on "Lost" and others say he's going to be in the new series "Fast Forward." ABC is teasing us either way.)




5. There's been some big casting news on some of the shows. Drea de Matteo from "The Sopranos" is basically replacing the Edie-type character on "Desperate Housewives." Hilary Duff (ugh) is going to "Gossip Girl" but fortunately only for a multi-episode arc. And this is old news, but T.R. Knight is leaving "Grey's Anatomy." And really, they are going to bring "Scrubs" back after ending the series? It's supposedly going to be like "AfterMASH" and they are having the docs still on the show be teachers. STOP. NOW. PLEASE!

That's it for this week!

Patriotic Pooch