Lost Untangled

Check this out for a sum-up recap of last night's show. It cracks me up!

Jude's Thursday Dish

Not much to talk about, so without further delay...


1. The Oscars. John and I have an annual party where we invite John's family to watch the Oscars and we all vote on who will win. The winner gets a $20 gift card to FYE. My sis-in-law Becky won...AGAIN! Oh well, it was still fun. Critics don't agree with me, but I thought it was one of the more entertaining shows they've done. People criticized it was too stagy and too "Tony Awards" with Hugh Jackman and all the musical numbers. Well, 1.) Hugh Jackman is an excellent song and dance man -- let him do what he's good at. 2.) The comedians try too hard and take up too much time. 3.) Hugh Jackman is hot. So, in my book, it was great. Loved having last year's winner and 4 former acting winners come up and honor each nominee. Really, it IS just a pleasure to be nominated so when you have that opportunity, you deserve more attention for your performance. I'd MUCH rather see people discuss the performance then a clip of the actual performance itself. There were so classic funny bits namely Steve Martin/Tina Fey presenting and that HILARIOUS "Pineapple Express" bit. I also loved they showed clips from ALL the movies of the year or as my bro-in-law the "Blockbusters or Movies People Actually Saw" category. And did anyone watch the credits? They had previews from upcoming movies for 2009. That was cool!

As for the winners, eh. Since I'm not a fan of the "you've been nominated so many times let's give you the award", I wasn't thrilled my fav Kate Winslet won, but it was just like Ricky Gervais predicted in "Extras" -- do a Holocaust movie and win an Oscar! I do love her though and really enjoyed how natural and spontaneous it was that she asked her dad to whistle and turned when she heard him. So cute. Sean Penn is an a--. I thought they weren't supposed to use their acceptance speeches for political grandstanding. So annoying.



2. I've said that I will give my all-time favorite book and their movie adaptations a try. That would be "Pride and Prejudice" which I can't tell you how much I heart it. There are two things coming out that are really going to test this promise. A book called "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" which by the cover alone, looks more than disturbing. Elizabeth and Darcy are trained killers of the undead and the zombies in question are the soldiers camped out near the town. And Elton John is producing a movie called "Pride and Predators" about an alien that goes around killing Austen-like characters. I've tried to be openminded about some of the stuff (which is really hard when you're dealing with sequels that people write about the Darcy's and I can't even get through those). I think Austen would be rolling in her grave (pun intended)!

3. Jerry Seinfeld is coming back to TV: NBC specifically. He's going to executive produce a reality show that "will feature opinionated celebrities, comedians and sports stars who will candidly comment, judge and offer different strategies for real-life couples in the midst of a classic marital dispute." I really wish Seinfeld could've stayed "retired" after the sitcom ended and go into self-imposed exile like Johnny Carson. But, he's too young and of course he's coming back to TV. I just hope they don't overexpose it like they did "Bee Movie".

On to LOSTapolooza!
As always, if you haven't watched last night's ep, then GO AWAY!



Ahhhh! These episodes are FLYING by. I wish we could have 2 hours an episode. Anyway, first point of discussion, Benry or Whidmore? Who's the most EVIL? Last night was really complex, because once again, the show is testing our loyalties. Here comes Whidmore being almost kind to Locke and dare I say it, a little sympathetic? My long-running theory was proven true last night. Benry DID trick Whidmore off the island. The poor guy is just trying to get back to his "birthright" as leader of the Island, right? Well hardly. Both Whidmore and Benry are cold-hearted killers. True, nowadays Whidmore just hires other people to do is dirty work (Keamy - the assassin on the Island who killed Alex), but when Locke first met him back when he was 17, Whidmore turned right around and shot his comrade. It's impossible to trust him, especially when Penny has said the same. I do think he was trying to help Locke out and of course, Benry got involved and ruined everything.

I'm a sucker when they turn on the sympathy, because I was starting to like Autobahn (I know that's not his name, but it's just easier to name him after the German freeway. Sure, he was creepy, but surprisingly interested in Locke. I loved when he saw Walt and said, "Boy's gotten big." No kidding. I took the visit to Helen's grave at face value, but since Lost has made me paranoid and I tend to overthink everything on the show, I'm wondering if Helen really IS dead. Maybe Whidmore and Autobahn set up the grave so Locke wouldn't think he had anything back in the real world to live for. They concocted a fake plane crash for crying out loud, it's not too big of a jump that they'd get a fake gravestone. Maybe Helen will show up one day. Locke deserves a little love.

Speaking of the L word, what's up with Kate? She was really nasty to Locke about not wanting to go back. Who's she expressing love for? Jack? Sawyer? Aaron? Jeremy Bentham coming back to everyone could've last another hour. Sayid didn't even look surprised to see him. More like, "Hey, come hang out with me and let's build some houses for humanity!" I would've liked them to draw that out more.

Back to Walt, the show still has some 'splaining to do! I don't think we'll see the actor again, but I hope that they answer more questions about why Walt was psychic, what happened when he was kidnapped, how he appeared in different places, did he really appear to Locke as a ghost?, etc.

So, the plane landed on the Hydra Island - the one with the cages and that Kate & Sawyer were supposed to be building a runway. Frank and Sun obviously hopped in the boats and took off back to the real island. How did the other ones just disappear?

Another case of AWESOME storytelling. We've known since last MAY that Locke was in a coffin and weren't sure how he'd get there. Up until the last minute of the show last night, we were still on pins and needles wondering how it would happen. So gruesome, but so good! I can't WAIT for the look on Benry's face when he sees that Locke is resurrected. Truly, I think he wanted to save Locke from killing himself. I don't think that was an act. But the info that Jin was alive and that Locke named Eloise Hawking made Benry snap. He must've been planning on working Locke, but when he heard that Eloise was around and could get him back to the Island, he decided Locke knew too much and was disposable. I think that Ben has NO idea that Locke could be resurrected. I bet Eloise tells Ben that he has to try and recreate the original crash as best he could and he needs to have a corpse on the plane, that's why he goes and gets Locke's body. Not that he has any intention of taking him back to be born again (interesting Christian metaphors they've been having lately). Benry killing Locke was SO disturbing, but great set-up for when Locke undoubtedly will pay Benry back in the final season and kill him himself.

Not sure how to wrap my head around this one yet, but what about the canoes and shooting at each other? Juliet, Sawyer and those peeps took one. Are the survivors of the Ajira Airlines in the other shooting at them? I need to rewatch the time travel ep, because I have a feeling that's going to come back as an important plot point. Maybe Juliet and Sawyer time travelled into the middle of the war. So much to think about.

COMING UP:
Sawyer looking as hot as ever taking off his glasses!

That's it for this week!

Jude's Thursday Dish

What a week! I feel like that Hulu commercial Alec Baldwin stars in where the guy's brain is turning soft. And I'd like to credit it all to the great entertainment I've been taking in, but I'm not that lucky. Just so much going on! But, I've still got some Pop Culture love to share. It's all about priorities, right? This is going to be a light version, but I'll post some leftover dish on Monday.

Happy ValenTIMES Day

I've mentioned it before, but Katie has the best way of saying holidays. Valentine's has, and always will be in my book, ValenTIMES day. I want to take this opportunity to send some online love to my two Valentimes: John and Katie. I ADORE you both!

Sort of on topic and sort of off, with the day of love, I'm just in the mood to share you what my top 15 Rom Coms. These are all from the 80's on. There are too many great classics, so I'll do that list another day!

Here they are (in no particular order):

- Bridget Jones' Diary - actually, this might be my favorite ever!

- Love Actually

- When Harry Met Sally

- Working Girl

- Some Kind of Wonderful

- Sleepless in Seattle

- Notting Hill

- You've Got Mail

- Dan in Real Life

- Pretty in Pink/Sixteen Candles (it's a tie)

- While You Were Sleeping

- Return to Me

- Moonstruck

- She's Having A Baby

- The Holiday

Making this list has just inspired me!  I'm going to watch every single one of these movies in the next couple of months.  Anyway, Happy ValenTIMES Day!

Puke Skywalker or Han Solly?

After blogging yesterday and the sad realization that my awesome camera has been in hibernation for almost 2 months, I dusted it off and found these pictures I've been meaning to post forever. Yeah!


Katie loves to play with me. I don't play toys with her as much as I used to, but our latest game has been Polly Pockets/Star Wars. It's the same thing each time. The Pollys are broken up into families. Then two of them, Leah and Polly, own a clothing store. We set up the clothing store (which takes forever, but it's fun) and the Pollys all come to pick out an outfit for the big dance that night. One Polly is named Sharpay and she's our villian who comes in an disses on all of the clothes. Scary.


Katie was just pretending they were dancing with imaginary boys, but I broke out John's vintage Star Wars figure collection. Now, each Polly gets paired up with a Star Wars guy. We haven't figured out any good Brangelina names yet. Any thoughts?

Mark Hamill never was this buff!

Love Darth and Polly dressed as Cinderella. Katie refuses to let him be mean. She says he's an actor just playing a part and he didn't have time to get out of his costume before the dance.

Same goes for the Emperor, but he's got skeevy date rapist written all over him!

This is my favorite. I had a scrapbook kit for the Red Sox and this was a little cloth shirt that totally fits Chewie. He looks like Johnny Damon back in the day with two ladies on each side!

Jude's Thursday Dish

My neglected Blog! I keep saying I'll give it more attention, but I'm having Blog writer's block. I just don't have anything really to share. We haven't gone anywhere. We're not doing anything. It's Winter I tell you. SO over it. I haven't taken my camera out since Christmas. Is a blog like the parable of talents? If it's not tended to, it will whither away? Hmmm. Well, we'll always have POP CULTURE and I have much to dish on!


1. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE that Angelina Jolie wannabe mom of the octuplets. Seriously? Could she be trying ANY harder to be Mrs. Pitt? She denies it, but come on!  With her long dark hair and her mega-lips and her baby collection? Reality check, Lady. A. Angelina is naturally beautiful, you look like you got your lips burned on the stove. B. Angelina has MONEY. Hello? Lots and lots of money to pay for everything and pay for lots of nannies. Now the state gets to pay for you. C. She has a hottie partner to help with all the baby goodness. You, my dear, are not a celebrity. And you don't deserve all those babies. Yes, I'm totally bitter because I'm pregnancy challenged, but COME ON! If I can't rant about this, what CAN I rant about? What she did is just unbelievably irresponsible. I'm not saying anything new. It's been all over the media and I'm sure it's easy to demonize a woman no one knows, but in the infamous words of Amy Poehler and Seth Meyer, "REALLY?!!"

2. I sort of finished "Breaking Dawn." It was TERRIBLE. I skipped about 1/3 of the middle and read the end. I'm sure my Young Women would freak out and say that I didn't give it a chance. Oh Girls, I did. Being an editor, I'm good at getting the gist of something without reading every detail and that was plenty for me. SPOILER ALERT: I've heard a lot of people say they didn't like the book for the implied sex. That didn't bother me. It was the whole freaky-weird relationship between Jacob and Renesmee. Ew. Ew. EW! So he's soulmates with a weird baby girl who's growing too fast? And it's the child of the woman he adored and the man he hates? I kept picturing this scary a-- animatronic woman/child kind of like that creepy dancing baby back from "Ally McBeal." How are they pulling that off in the movie? Anyway, that's just one of the problems I had. Everything worked out TOO perfectly. Bella becoming a vampire was a complete letdown. All that drama leading up from 3 books and none of the consequences. She was like the Mary Sunshine vampire. How dull. I could go on and on. It wasn't just "Breaking Dawn" - I hated the last 3 books. The first was the only redeeming one. Sorry Twilight lovers. I'm not feeling it.


3. We had the pleasant surprise of John's brother and our sister-in-law calling us up on Saturday saying that they'd watch Katie for us so we could go to a movie. That NEVER happens. So, it was my turn to pick and we went to see "He's Just Not That Into You." It was entertaining, but easily forgettable. I really like the Drew Barrymore part, but she was only in the movie for 5 scenes. I would've like to see her more. Ginnifer Goodwin was really the star. John even liked it for the most part. He thought the Jennifer Aniston/Ben Affleck storyline was the most real. But both of us agreed with the movie critic, Richard Roeper, that NONE of these beautiful women would be so desperate. Come on!

4. This is a good segue into my next topic. I've had a cold, so I've actually had the chance to veg and watch a couple of On Demand movies. Unfortunately, there's been a common theme with the 2 I watched and the "Not into You" movie. Adultery. In "He's Just Not That Into You", the worst plotline is the Jennifer Connolly/Bradley Cooper/Scarlett Johannsen triangle. SPOILER ALERT: Cooper cheats with Scarlett. That's disturbing in itself, but being the self proclaimed-openminded-kind-of-liberal-entertainment-junkie that I am, I can handle that. When it's done well. And it's believable. And you understand the reasons and the characters. But this was just weak. The writers "blamed" Jennifer Connolly because she forced Cooper into getting married, they stopped having sex and she was more into renovating her home than into him. Of course he couldn't help but fall into the arms of the curvy (and annoying) Scarlett Johannsen. GAG! What kind of message is that sending women out there? I don't agree with painting men out to be womanizing cheaters; the media is too quick to stereotype men that way. But in this case, in THIS story, that guy was TOTALLY to blame. Ugh.

The next movie I saw was the "The Jane Austen Book Club" which I actually liked. I read the book and since I'm a FREAK over Jane Austen; it was totally up my alley. The other was "The Women" with Meg Ryan -- an AWFUL movie -- and that one I actually paid for On Demand. Nice waste of $4.99. Infidelity was a/the theme in both these films. SPOILER ALERT: each film has a woman who is dumped by their husbands for another woman. Both go through this "awakening" and become better, more interesting women than they were before making their husband's leave the other woman they were with and want to get back together. In the words of Meg Ryan's husband, "I want to get to know you again." It all works out and they reconnect. THAT, my friends, is disturbing. The message I take from this is as long as a divorced woman gets a makeover, a new job, a new outlook, and re-finds herself, then her ex will come crawling back. That's unfair to all divorced women out there. Life rarely works out like that. Women taking that message to heart will have a lot of false hope. And so will their families. And cheating husbands will have yet ANOTHER excuse why they left their wives: you just needed to get your hair straightened, Honey. There was another storyline in "Book Club" that was a little more realistic. A unhappy girl in her 20's (Emily Blunt) who's struggling with her crazy mom who later dies and isn't connecting with her husband. She's tempted by infidelity with a student, but turns away (thanks to the inspiration of "Persuasion") and decides to work on her marriage. It's not just that the moral of that storyline fits well with my beliefs, but it was much more believable.

Instead of a number 5, here's some LUNCH RUSH:

- Enjoyed the Grammy's.  Not that I care at all who wins (except I WAS bummed for Coldplay not winning Album of the year), but the performances were entertaining.  That Katy Perry though.  Madonna you are not.  She needs to learn to dance (and maybe write a song that's not so skanky).

- My niece Ashley's world must be rocked.  She LOVES Chris Brown.   What bugs me about this is that everyone is in an uproar because he beat up another celebrity.  But when celebs hurt their less famous significant other, they seem to turn the other cheek.  Remember Christian Bale in a domestic dispute with his MOTHER and SISTER?  It's not right no matter who it is.

- Edie is leaving "Desperate Housewives" ABC has confirmed.  Her storyline is WAY played out.  But man, Nicolette Sheridan has an amazing body.  I'm just skeeved out she's with Michael Bolton.

- Started watching "Idol" during Hollywood Week.  I'm worried we're going to have another Sanjaya on our hands with some of their final 36 choices.  Tatiana?  The weird Nic/Norman guy?  Come on, Judges.  Pick the best SINGERS, not the ones for ratings only.  And there were a couple of singers who BUTCHERED at Hollywood Week like the girl who forgot her lyrics or the guy that walked out of his audition.  Even if someone doesn't "stand out" in the judges words, they deserve a shot over someone who chokes during auditions.

And now for the goodness: LOSTapolooza!

(As always, go away if you haven't watched last night's episode!)

Last night's episode BLEW my mind.  What I love is that nothing is coincidental at all.  To think that things we learned about back in season 1 are getting backstory now just shows how BRILLIANT Damon/Carlton are.  Sure, things got a little muddied in season 2 and 3, but that's because they didn't have an end date like they wanted and they had to add some filler.  But the core storyline has always been SO thought out and carefully executed that all I can say is DAMN.  I wish I was that kind of storyteller.

My gushing is all about the Jin/Rousseau storyline.  Most shows, or movies for that matter, would've taken Rousseau's history as just a bit of backstory.  But to have Jin travel back in time to WITNESS it firsthand for himself (and the audience) is awesome.  It was disturbing to see the monster get that smug French guy (of course the rude one is going) and oh, that arm!  But to see what started to make them crazy and how Rousseau had to kill them all, really brought the island mythology to life.  And did we really get the real answer on the Monster?  Rousseau has said it before.  Is it really just a security system for the temple?  I'm thinking so, just a little more crazy, mystic one.

Charlotte was never more likable then when she was dying "Turn it up, I love Jeronimo Jackson!"  I've seen that actress interviewed and she's got a ton of personality.  Too bad it never translated to Charlotte's character.  I hope we get more backstory from her.  I thought maybe she was Whidmore or Ben's daughter, but I don't anymore.  I think she's the daughter of that British woman who talked to Faraday back when he was trying to dismantle the atomic bomb. Faraday's time travel history is something I can't wrap my head around.  Why doesn't he remember all this?  Does he go back in time to warn Charlotte to come back or did that really happen in the past? Is he going to break his own "rule" and do a Marty McFly to go back and change history, because he loves Charlotte and wants her to live? I'm thinking she's not gone for good. Oh, and Producers, stop killing all the women. Come on!

Still can't believe anyone trusts Benry!  And if Jack's dad said not to believe him then why is he working with Faraday's mom?  Who's side is that dude on?  Locke getting stuck in the ground was classic Lost.  Poor Sawyer.  He wants to save everyone now.  Loved the bromance reunion between him and Jin.  I can't WAIT to see what they've been up to for the last 3 years.

COMING UP: I don't think Hurley or Sayid are going back to the island yet.  The previews make it look like Hurley is on a plane (eye mask), but I don't think that's happening.  It'll have to take longer to get all of them back, because the producers have said that season 5 is all about WHY they have to go back and HOW they get there.  We're in too early to have them all reunited yet.  And we need to know what Locke has been up to for 3 years and how he became Jeremy freakin' Bentham!

Wow, that's it (and a LOT) for this week!

Jude's Thursday, um... I guess Friday Dish

Well, it may be Friday, but better late than never. But before I dig in, I confess I totally caved. I really have very little will power. Instead of doing the responsible thing and waiting until we could pay the new TV out right, we used our RC Willey card and did the 90 days no payment/no interest and bought a BEAUTIFUL HDTV. We're paying it off with our tax return, so it's not completely irresponsible. Ah, the American way. But I will say, it's TOTALLY worth it. Gorgeous picture. With that and cable, I'm in 7th heaven.

1. Speaking of cable, HELP! I thought once this magical door was opened to me I would have all these great shows to watch, but I'm overwhelmed. Right now, I've mostly just tuned into HGTV. Let me know your suggestions for shows I should DVR.

2. I'm not a fan of Jessica Simpson, but I need to "weigh" in on her recent drama. Ha, ha. That was something my dad would say. I understand the furor. She only gained some weight and no one should be bullied for that. I think it's pretty despicable what the tabloids are saying. And even worse, the other media venues like the entertainment shows and more reputable magazines are defending her, but by posting that picture and talking about it over and over, they are exploiting the situation too. I feel for the girl, but to be devil's advocate, she kind of deserves it. If you're going to cash in on your figure and your sexuality (um, "Dukes of Hazzard" days, anyone?), you're going to have to expect that there will be backlash if you don't stay that way. The bigger problem is this Hollywood machine that puts insane expectations on their stars. Young actresses/singers MUST have killer bodies and if their body changes, they are crucified. Jessica Simpson, among others, have to deal with the consequences for giving in to that lifestyle. For her, the issue is less about the weight and more about her sex appeal. Other actresses her age have gained some pounds and sure, they get crap for it (Jennifer Love Hewitt), but the ones that have already overexploited themselves using their great figure to sell sex always fall a lot harder (Britney Spears). So, I'll get off my soapbox. I don't think Jessica's body looks bad at all (I'd LOVE to look like that), but honestly, that outfit was AWFUL!

And since I don't have a lot of time, here's a new feature called "Lunch Rush."  My quick thoughts on the latest pop culture stuff.

- Michael Phelps, you broke my heart.  Which is more idiotic: smoking the MJ or being in a situation where someone can take a picture of you with a bong?

- I am SO sick of that Rod Blagojevich taking his toupee on tour.  Are we done with him yet?

- "The Office" after the Superbowl was hilarious, but too long.  I'm in the minority, but I'm not a fan of the hour show.  I did like when they'd Supersize it to 40 minutes.  That was perfect.

- Christian Bale has lost hottness points, definitely.  Losing your temper like that on set is extremely not hot.

- "30 Rock" last night was HILARIOUS.  If you can get your hands on a re-run or ON DEMAND it, it's a good one for "30 Rock"virgins to watch and get you into it.

- I'm sludging through "Breaking Dawn" and it's driving me crazy.   But, I'm in this far, I've got to finish.

- I watched the WORST movie on cable the other day "Little Black Book."  It was terrible.  And aneroxic Brittany Murphy was painful to watch.

- I still haven't seen ANY Superbowl commercials.  Which ones are worth seeking out on the Internet?

And now, it's time for LOSTapolooza!

SPOILER ALERT - if you haven't watched Wednesdays show, GO AWAY!

Loved, loved, loved the time travel back to Rousseau.  When I heard the Frenchies speaking on the boat, I KNEW that's where we were.  And when there was a guy on a board, I KNEW it was Jin.  LAAAA!  I love Jin.  I think it's all kinds of awesome that he's been unconscience floating around through time and missing all the drama!  The nosebleeds are freaking me out.  Miles is obviously that creepy Chinese doctor's baby and that's why he's had longer exposure to the island.  Charlotte, on my hunch, is the baby of Benry and his blonde soulmate (remember her?).  I could be totally wrong.  But what about Liar Liar Pants On Fire Faraday?  What happened to the Constant solution?  Don't those nosebleeding peeps just need a constant?  That's what saved Desmond.  And why did the Whidmore boat peeps get nosebleeds when they haven't been exposed to the island that long?  SO CONFUSING.   I loved how emotional Sawyer got after seeing Kate in the recent past.  He's evolving and she's not; he's becoming too good for her.Can't wait for Juliette and Sawyer to do some rebound hooking up!  Back in the real world, that storyline was just eh.  I think it's because it's just laying the groundwork to something bigger, which we totally need, but it wasn't as inclusive as some of the other episodes.  I was jazzed at the end that all the 06ers (minus Hurley, happy in jail and in his HUGE orange jumpsuit) will be together again.  Next week's Sun showdown looks intense. Seriously?  Why are they such idiots to trust Benry...again?  Of course he was behind the lawyer trying to get Aaron.  Of course he had his lawyer entice Claire's mom with the settlement to just further freak out Kate? He only did all that to scare her into running and he'd have a better chance to convince her to return to the island.  Don't they ever learn?  

That's it for this week!

Jude's Thursday Dish

I'm here and have survived yet another deadline. Now I need to spend the next 3 days cleaning up my poor house that has been SO neglected. Cable or cleaning my house? Seriously? I think this weekend we're FINALLY going to get to go see "Benjamin Button". We have seriously attempted 4 times. We're going with our friends, Leslie and Adam, so it's been hard to coordinate and let's face it... find sitters. I'm DYING to see this film.

Okay, so I've decided that since many of you are NOT into "Lost" and I would shower my whole dish with love for the show, for the rest of the season, I'm going to include my thoughts about it AFTER my top 5. I just can't go 4 months without discussing the goodness!


1. This is kind of old news, but with all the other stuff I needed to dish about I felt it still deserved some attention. This is why I HEART George Clooney. He was a struggling actor for years and even though now, he's probably one of the only true "movie stars" still out there, he doesn't blow off his roots. He totally gives props to E/R for making him a star. I haven't watched the show in years, but I just LOVE that he is coming back for a couple of episodes. (Not so happy Susan Sarandon is guesting -- I'm SO over her). I will definitely tune in for some Dr. Ross and Carole redux.

2. The SAG awards came and went. It never occurred to me that now I have cable I could have watched them! Still, it's making the Oscar's Best Actress category more interesting. Lady Streep took home the award for "Doubt", so that kind of leaves the Oscar race wide open considering how the other awards have played out. Kate Winslet won the Golden Globe, Anne Hathaway won the Critics Choice and now, Meryl wins the SAG. Hmmm.

3. So, the Super Bowl is this weekend, which I'm SO not into. I used to, like most everybody else, "watch it for the commercials", but over the last years, it just hasn't been worth it. None of them are that great and you can always catch up on the best ones the next day. I am; however, SO excited about "The Office" AFTER the Super Bowl. Mild spoiler alert: I love that they're downloading an illegal movie starring Jack Black, Jessica Alba and Chloris Leachman. And the best part is that it's kind of a "Harold and Maude" spoof with Chloris stealing Jack from Jessica. How funny is that! Here's a sneak peek of the episode:


4. I usually get into Idol's hot mess of auditions, but I've only watched Florida and have DVRed the SLC one to watch today. Can I just say though from watching Tuesday night that man, those judges BUG! They're becoming caricatures of themselves. They act like they are in middle school and just camp it up. It's so annoying. Best example was Paula pretending to be offended and walking off. Or the time that they all sat on each other's laps and sang along with "Loving You". Simon has lost his edge, Randy seems to be phoning it in, even Paula seems apathetic. I actually kind of like the new judge, but she's falling into that same trap pretending to kiss Paula and flirting with Simon. It is seriously like they're in high school drama class trying to outshine each other. I'm SO ready for Hollywood week.

5. I really must be excited for the "Veronica Mars" movie, because last night, I had a dream I was making out with Logan. Sorry, John! Why am I apologizing? You never read my blog! :)

And now, the premiere of:
Jude's LOSTapolooza
Don't come in if you haven't watched last nights episode and don't want mild spoilers! I used to be a spoiler wh--- and always knew things that would happen. With only 2 seasons left, I'm steering clear from them and just enjoying the rest of this ride.

Last night, I kind of felt like Charlotte. My head reeling. I thought I'd have a nose bleed. But I feel like Doc Jensen on ew.com who said in his last week's recap (and these aren't his exact words), that us loyal viewers are like Hurley's mom. When he explained all the craziness on the island, she said, "I don't understand you, but I believe you." We don't really understand all the time, but we believe in the producers. And in my opinion, I've put a LOT of faith in you, so don't screw it up! By the way, for AWESOME insight and crazy theories on the show, check out his weekly column.

I loved that my favorite couple, Des and Penny, had a cute curly headed baby named Charlie. Awww. I loved even more that one of my LONGTIME predictions seems to be coming true. That Whidmore lived on the island (how cool was that reveal -- and he was just as coldblooded back then!) as an Other and he had a falling out with Ben who took over his control and kicked him off the island and that's why he's so desperate to come back. Love when I'm on the right track! Other big reveals: Faraday is sweet on Charlotte (even though she's SO doomed) and he either deliberately did bad stuff for Whidmore, or because Whidmore's been supporting and funding him for so long, he's just a pawn in the plan? Faraday - good or bad? Wanting Juliet and Sawyer to hook-up, even though Kate and Sawyer will end up together. My question is will the surviving peeps (Miles, Sawyer, Juliet, Faraday, Locke and maybe Charlotte) have 3 years pass before the O6 peeps catch up to them? Or with this time travel will they have only experienced a couple of days while the 06ers have aged? Oooh, all too Sci Fi for me. I really will have a nose bleed.

Coming up: looks like Bad A-- Kate is going to try and kill Benry. Why hasn't someone offed that guy yet? And how trippy that Sawyer sees Kate in the jungle when they obviously time travel to their recent past.

All I Can Say Is "Ugh"

I need advice. And I can't go into too much detail. Basically, my publisher is a procrastinator and I'm a planner. But he's the owner so I really have no say. I spent 13 hours working yesterday. Things could've been put in place earlier and we could have avoided being 5 hours late getting our last files to the printer. Cable saved me last night and bad parenting aside, Katie thought she hit the jackpot getting to watch so much TV.

I'm not going anywhere and I really do love my job, but I obviously need to have the "coming to Jesus" talk with my boss. It's delicate, because it's confronting his work style vs. mine. So, if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Before I prepare to hibernate for most of the day, here's a sneak peak of my darling nephew on the cover. This makes it worth it.

Curse You, Samsung!

So, the good news first. Drumroll please. We FINALLY got cable! I've resisted for SO many years and for SO many reasons. But, this college-aged Comcast sales person showed up on a Saturday after we had a week of grief with Qwest. We also had JUST been talking about how we would need to upgrade our Tivo box when everything goes digital in February. The lucky kid got the easiest sale of his life; we just decided to go for it.

Everything was set-up on Saturday which basically meant the weekend was shot. I, who have had cable before, am more into the DVR (recording two shows at once? Be still my heart!) and the On Demand. But, John was a surfing maniac. And Katie was just happy to have Disney Channel. Now, for the record, I keep telling John he HAS had cable before. We lived in an apartment for 1 1/2 years and we had cable. And when we up at my mom's, we had cable. But he thinks because he's PAYING for it, that means it's his first cable and oh yeah... that he can just watch it ALL the time now.

So, the bad news. Disaster struck last night. We were working on Katie memorizing the 5th Article of Faith for FHE and bribed her with getting to play the Wii for the Family Night activity. But the TV is dead. Dead. Dead. DEAD! This TV is only 2 1/2 years old. It's a nice TV. And it's the TV we do everything on. John, being Mr. Fix It, tore the TV apart and went to Radio Shack at 8:30 p.m. to get some stuff to make it work again, but of course, nothing worked. Then, he spent the rest of the night researching online and I guess a bunch of suckers like us have the same problem as we do. The feedback he found was that many of them spent $300 - $400 to get it fixed and it still didn't work. Lovely.

When bad things like this happen, my first immature thought is always, "What did I do to deserve this?" Not like I don't think bad things should happen to me, it's just I'm a big believer in God given lessons, Karma, the whole nine yards. Was it that we got a Wii for Christmas and then cable? Is this God's way of saying, "Hey. We're in a recession. Stop spending money!" Or is it just dumb Samsung and a crappy TV? Or is it just crazy coincidence? Or like Alanis sings, "Isn't it ironic?" (even though that makes no sense. That is NOT the definition of ironic. Rain on your wedding day? That's just unfortunate. Maybe the song should be "Isn't it unfortunate?" or "Doesn't that just suck?").

There's really no deeper meaning to my TV breaking down. And yes, doesn't that just suck? Fortunately, we have another small TV in our bedroom that we'll just use and suck it up until we can save up to buy another one. I'm always telling Katie to be grateful for what she has, because a lot of people don't have the things she does. Which, by the way, sometimes backfires on me. I was complaining about the car the other day when she said, "You should be grateful because a lot of people don't have cars." Or the best was when we were talking about the nativity scene at Temple Square and she said, "Mary and Joseph were lucky to be in a stable, because other people live on the street." That's when John and I jumped in and said it was NOT okay that they were in a stable and everyone should have made room for them in the inn and so on.

So, I'll take Katie's advice and count my blessings. Hey, I've got cable, a Wii, DVD player and Clearplay. I just have a tiny TV to do it all on.