The game, as usual, was a lopsided contest of little interest to anyone who wasn’t a Buccaneer or Raiders fan. The officiating, as usual, was spotty with some poor calls. But since the Raiders only decided to actually bother to play hard for a quarter or so, it didn’t matter. U2’s half time show last year is going to be hard to beat, and this year’s sure didn’t. A couple of years ago we had N’Synch singing along with Aerosmith for a delightfully bizarre spectacle, this year we got blah. OK, Shania tried her darnedest with those dominatrix boots, but a Gwen Stefani – Sting duet in 2003 is bland indeed. Sadly, the commercials were unusually poor with only a few good ones, no great ones, and plenty of dull ones. At least some of the ones during the dot com craze were spectacularly awful; this time around, the bad ones didn’t even emit a decent stink. I’d rather get an unintentional laugh than a shrug.
Archive for category TV
The Superbowl Misnamed Again
Jan 28
Trading Spaces: Live Reveal
Jan 22
In typical fashion, before I get to the live reveal, I have a few comments about the other Trading Spaces episode that aired before the live reveal show, which I’ll get to first, just to build suspense. And before I tackle that, I’ll just mention that I’m just now getting around to blogging about a show that aired 4 days ago. I know this is the internet with its own faster time, but I’m not one to get up from the couch and run upstairs to the computer immediately following a TV show. Unless, of course, I’m going to play Civilization III or Diablo II.
Early in this season, my wife and I wondered if Hildi was still on the show. Every episode, we’d turn to each other after the designers were announced and say “still no Hildi”. And since the claim was that Kia and Edward were replacing Laurie on maternity leave, maybe, just maybe, they were also replacing Hildi. No such luck. We’ve now had a steady diet of Hildi – including the London show with the awful Handy Andy. Too bad she didn’t stay behind, but she’s back. She continues her signature of wacky wall coverings – straw, records, flowers, and now wine bottle labels. NO MAS, NO MAS HILDI. She took a pretty good kitchen and turned it into the black hole of Calcutta. Laurie was her usual good self, but what was the deal with that top? Yeah, I always dress up in some expensive shirt with long dangling sleeves and no shoulders to do home improvement projects. My wife thought she was tired of being a Mom and wanted to be elegant Laurie again. And this was another episode where they get done and you say to yourself, what cost a thousand bucks in those rooms?
OK, now the Live Reveal. First off the kiss. I get quite a few hits (for me, anyway) on this site from search engines of people looking for the sexual orientation of various cast members, and Doug Wilson is one of the people often inquired about. I have no idea, and I try not to speculate, but after the kiss between Hildi and Doug, well, let me just leave it at that. I thought given the time pressure, the designers would try to keep it simple. Hah, shows what I know. I wonder if they kept to a thousand a room budget on this one. I think they both decided to go for very bold designs to spark some reaction during the live reveal. Doug continues to use Venetian Plaster. He must know how to do it right, or is expecting a different effect, because the time I did it, well, you can paint right over it and we did get a refund. Maybe the secret’s in the wax. He pulled the design from Doug’s cliche’s — browns, blues, chrome, and striking. I hate to say it, I did kind of like the room.
I was surprised by the celebrity cameos. Even if Trading Spaces is a hit, it still is a hit on a cable network, and it shows with the celebrities. Having Robin Leach was perfect and since he was first, a real surprise. Penn and Teller were good, the Elvis impersonator was OK, and Rita Rudner was terrible. What was the point – did she live in the neighborhood?
Hildi, Hildi, Hildi. Well, I’m glad the room wasn’t a bedroom, or you couldn’t sleep at night. She bought a print (in London, of course) of Escher meets Mr. Psychedelic and then tried to make the room match. She actually did a good job, so if you think a physchedelic Escher living room (minus the stream running up a waterfall) is good, you’d like the room. (Kia would have tried to add the stream running up a waterfall, despite her failure with the pyramid fountain). Doing it live actually worked, even if it was a gimmick. Both sets up homeowners, despite their bug eyed initial reactions, claimed to like the rooms. The reveals seemed to go on for longer than usual, and it was nice to see Doug, Hildi, and Amy Wynn run out at the end. I think we were all secretly hoping for a good cry or hissy fit, but had to settle for jokes about stripper poles and cries of “look, a mottled purple ceiling!”
Amazing Race 3 – The End
Dec 19
The Race is over, and Flo and Zach won. After Zach carried Flo, not letting her quit in the second to last leg, she should give him all the money. I suppose one of the things I like about the show is how its about people in pressure situations. And Flo crumpled like a cheap suit whenever the going got tough, while Zach not only had to deal with the situation, but with a crybaby five year old in a woman’s body. You have to wonder what Flo thinks when watching the show – does she cringe right along with us? Hopefully my wife will tape the interview on the Morning Show so I can clutter up my mind with more trivia, oops I mean find closure on the whole sorry spectacle.
It would have been nice if Ken and Gerard had won, as they seemed to be a couple of nice guys; I would have been OK with Terry and Ian who, to my amazement, got better and nicer as the race went on. It ground down some of the teams (see Flo), but Terry and Ian seemed to get stronger and nicer as the race went on. Yes, they had annoying tics (hey Ian, just once couldn’t you have put on your reading glasses and read the clue?), but he did stop wearing that goofy hat, he cut back on the yelling and bellowing, he did the road blocks instead of making Terry do them, and they did far better than any other married couple on the show — the marrieds have had a pretty dismal performance record. Instead, we got uber-geek Zach — the headband and light was even more annoying than Ian’s goofy hat — and crybaby Flo (an even odder couple than Oscar and Felix). The race isn’t always to the swift blah blah blah life isn’t fair yada yada yada there’s always next season.
I like all the home improvement shows in part because I’d like to improve my house into a mansion, but I don’t have the money so I’m contented to do so vicariously through TV strangers. I like to travel, so it’s fun to watch a show with all the travel in it that Amazing Race has. The contestants have all the stress, I actually get to enjoy the sights and sounds, but unfortunately they get the experience (and the money).
The race part is fun, but lets face it, there is a huge element of luck to it. Often elimination or victory comes down to the taxi driver, or the helpful stranger on the street. The format constantly levels the playing field as the participants bunch at airports or locations that have set operating hours. It makes for good TV as no lead is permanent; really it isn’t one big race, but thirteen separate ones. That’s enough analysis – it’s only a TV show.
Penultimate Amazing Race 3
Dec 12
I’ll have to put up with Flo’s yelling and complaining for another 2 hours. Why couldn’t Zach still be stuck in the line at customs? Why couldn’t John Vito and Jill have made it this far? There was a couple that knew the value of silence. Is it just me, or are Terry and Ian arguing less as the race goes on? Maybe they are too tired or something, but they seem to be working much better together – Ian’s actually stepping up to do the road blocks and such. Since Terry showed us her paper undies, they’ve been a whole different team. My wife for some strange reason was bummed that the twins got eliminated. That leave me with Ken and Gerard, the other brothers, to root for. Actually, with Aaron and Ariane gone, the only person I can’t root for is Flo. Next week, the the grand finale.
The Amazing Race 11/26
Nov 28
We watched the Amazing Race right after getting home from Harry Potter. It was one of the better episodes, as the teams were bunched together the whole time, and it went to a couple of places my wife and I have been – the Rheinfalls, and Grindelwald. Before kids, we had the opportunity to take a tour in Europe, and we did. We started in London, crossed the channel to Belgium, took a cruise down the Rhine river, visited the Rheinfalls, spent a couple of days in Lucerne, got off the bus and spent a week in Interlaken, Switzerland, got back on the bus and went to Paris, returned to London and flew home. So it was a lot of fun to see the teams at the Rheinfalls, get our photo album out, and show the kids that their parents did some fun things when they were young. The first day in Interlaken we went to the Jungfraujoch which is a railway station on top of the Jungfrau, the mountain two over from the Eiger. On the train ride up, you stop and look out a window in the Eiger. Here is a picture of the two Murphy Fearless Leaders atop the observatory atop the Jungfrau:
After we went up the Jungfrau, we came back down to Grindalwald, which sits at the foot of the Eiger, and spent a delightful afternoon. It was neat to see the contestants running through Grindalwald, and when they were going down the main street all crowded with shops, it brought back happy memories. As the contestants ran past, I recognized the hotel where we sat out on the terrace and ate soup while relaxing and admiring the view; they surely went past the little shop where I bought the deer leather dress shoes. One thing the show hasn’t portrayed is how unstandardized the plumbing is in Europe. By that I mean in the US, when it’s time to flush, the handle is obvious and located in the same spot every time. In Europe, the handle was rarely obvious and never in the same place twice. More than once I had to walk away from an unflushed urinal because I couldn’t figure out how to flush it. It’s the simple things in life.
OK, time for a snarky comment – what’s Flo thinking? She’s annoying, whiny, complaining, Zach puts up with her for no apparent reason, but Drew gets her all hot? Honey, you’ll see the difference the first time you come between Drew and his mirror.
Trading Spaces, Again
Oct 15
Trading Spaces may have left town, but I can still see it every Saturday night, or via tape delay Sunday afternoon. This week’s episodes provided a double helping of Doug, with sides of Frank and Kia. Doug does great theme rooms that are often impractical. This time, both rooms were great, and practical too. In the White Room, the HOs (Home Owners) wanted a brighter living room. And boy, did they get one – everything, including the brick fireplace and ceiling fans, was painted white. Some artwork, a mirror, and brightly colored pillows on the new white sofas were the only non-white elements. I really liked the look, but I wouldn’t illuminate that room too strongly for fear of snow blindness.
The other room Doug turned a family room into a cozy lodge room. They Venetian plastered the walls, which we paid close attention to since we’re wanting to do it in our bathroom and stairway. When Doug asked the HOs helping him what they wanted to see in the room, they replied “Does it matter?” They’ve obviously seen Doug before. Later though, they kept complaining, especially about putting the top coat on the plaster. Doug finally told them that they could stop if they wanted, but he was putting the top coat on with or without them because he thought it was worth it. He also had Amy Wynn build this gorgeous rough hewn armoire (not four words I normally put together).
Frank took a cluttered, mishmash of a country room and turned it into a slightly less cluttered, mishmash of a country room with much nicer pieces. And Kia — ugh! — the HO’s (both sets even) had it right when they said it looked like a graveyard. She wanted a bed of flowers, so she covered an astroturf “coverlet” with cheap plastic flowers for the bed. The room was repainted in bright (some might say vibrant, I would say garish) colors, she threw in a swing and a brightly painted doll house, and managed to achieve a psychedelic graveyard, an effect not much in demand these days. The HO said she loved it (her friend was silent), showing that there is no accounting for taste.
The fate of Kia will tell us about the direction of Trading Spaces. She’s done two amazingly awful designs. If she stays on the show, the producers are indicating they want more train wrecks. If she leaves, it means they want design quality.
Survivor Thailand, Episode 4
Oct 11
Yea! – Ghandia got voted off. I thought she should have been the first. I follow the simple rule that if you screw up and cause the team to lose a challenge, you should be the one to go. Simple, safe, effective. In the first immunity challenge, her team had a lead going into the puzzle she had to solve. Well, she freaked, and Jed (Jed!) beat her easily, so in my simple world she should have walked the plank, not the preacher man. Who cares if he rubbed people the wrong way – the first part of survivor is all about winning the challenges, period. And Ghandia didn’t just lose challenges, she was the center of dissension and divisiveness for her team, she was an “it’s all about me” person. They had their chance two weeks ago, but they threw out throw up girl instead.
And the whole Ghandia/Ted controversy should have ended when she accepted his apology. If what he did was inexcusable, she should have said so, and if she had second thoughts later, she should have gone to Ted first about them. But no, she had to start playing the second phase of the game before the first was finished, and after accepting his apology, started stabbing him in the back with the girls. She turned it into girls vs. guys for their team.
So long Ghandia, and I’m sure you’re team thanks your for all the help.
The lameness continues. Doug Wilson was interviewed this morning on local radio station different from Frank. I didn’t get to hear too much of it, but they had listeners call in and ask questions. When I tuned in, the caller must have accused him of laziness, because he was talking about how the show is entertainment, and while all the staff are competent at what they do, you play a role on it. He said do your really think I sat around in that Adirondack chair for two days, telling the home owners what to do? He also said that he has to spend most of the first day winning the home owners over so that we can have lots of fun the second day. The hosts said they originally were supposed to have Paige Davis on, but that they were happy Doug made it because he was so much fun.
I also came across the safari room homeowner’s site. Enjoy.
How lame am I?
I’m so lame I call my wife from the gas station to tell her Frank is going to be on the radio in 20 minutes. I’m so lame I sit in my car listening to an interview with Frank Bielec in the parking lot at work. Frank is one of the designers on Trading Spaces, which is in town filming three episodes that should air in November. They filmed in O’Fallon, they are currently filming in Kirkwood (my hometown), and then they will film at Scott AFB (on the Illinois side of the river). Several weeks ago I was telling my mother about the show (my parents don’t get cable) and she said a lady at her beauty salon was going to be on the show. At the time, I was yeah, right Mom. I still can’t believe Kirkwood is going to be on the show (and I hate it when she’s right). A coworker of my wife said she ran into Ty at Schnuck’s (the number 1 grocery chain in St. Louis) over the weekend.
A local TV news channel even did a feature about the show – unfortunately I missed it. I didn’t realize it, but they get a lot of fans hanging out during the show. Frank said they don’t mind because they are quiet during the outdoor filming. According to the interviewer, Ty took his shirt off when filming in Kirkwood the other day and ladies poured out of their mini-vans for a closer look. Frank joked that while Ty only has six-pack abs, he has the whole case. When asked about his own house, Frank says his wife does all the decorating and that the walls are all white, or shades of white. He finds it very soothing. In response to a question about how to get on, Frank mentioned requirements about parking and electrical capacity etc. , and John Ulett said in that case the Unibomber shack wouldn’t be on, to which Frank replied “I’d like to see what Doug would do with that!”
Trading Spaces
Oct 6
We watched Trading Spaces last night – yeah, what an exciting life we lead. They were a couple of good episodes, and new too (that always helps in a TV show). In the first one Doug was Doug and had an over-the-top redesign of a small bedroom as “the Safari room” — going for the feel of an tropical hut. Zebra striped walls, palm trees, bamboo ceiling grid and headboard, and a scavenged wood table. When his team objected, Doug gave a vintage Doug response: why bother complaining when you are only going to lose the argument. At the reveal, the wife said she didn’t know whether to kiss Doug, or hit him. Apparently, she made up her mind as they redid the room themselves pronto, removing all trace of Doug, and if you’re quick you can go buy the stuff on ebay. Frank, however, wasn’t Frank as he didn’t do country and he didn’t write anything on the walls. It was actually a pretty good job, with a very cool ceiling painted to look like a kid’s imagination of the night sky. He even put up a new ceiling fan (replacing a bare bulb), and when Ty broke it with his drill, I was worried for Frank’s blood pressure. Apparently Ty went a bought another with his own money to replace it.
The second episode had two great designs, one with the new designer Edward, and the other with old standby and fan favorite Vern. Edward turned a nightmarish floral master bedroom into a really great looking master bedroom, and putting beading up at the wall ceiling joint is now clearly an Edward custom. (I’d go on, but the redesign cannot adequately be described in words, by me at any rate. Not that it was indescribably good, just that I lack the proper vocabulary.) Not to be outdone, Vern redid a completely blah room into a fantastic boy’s bedroom with the theme of planes, trains, and automobiles. He went with blue on blue colors, suspended a working railroad track and a motorcycle swing from the ceiling, added a working stoplight to the wall, stenciled and hung toy airplanes from the ceiling, and built a race car bed complete with matching bedding, and a storage bin in the shape of the hood of the car with working headlights and matching racing stripes. The room wasn’t just outstanding for a kid — grown men would kill for a bedroom like that (not that they would get it if they were married, though).
