October 4, 2009

Since I didn't really write anything throughout the week, we'll call this one my Sunday Night TV Week in Review.

Hell's Kitchen
I've had a tough time getting into it this season, and I think it's because I can't stand Whoopi...oops, I mean Tennile. All she does is holler in fale-dramatic monotone at the camera in her interviews. It's cringe-inducing. I expect Ariel and Kevin to be in the final two.

Top Chef
I'm really enjoying the Las Vegas themed season, and the chefs are all very charismatic and likeable. My favourites this season are Kevin, Brian, and Jen, who I think I have a little bit of a crush on...and who I'm picking to win the whole thing.
Saturday Night Live
I thought Ryan Reynolds was a pretty funny host, and the guest spots were pretty entertainin. Scarlett Johanssen in the Porcelain Fountain commercial was pretty funny, as was Elijah Wood in the Andy Samberg Digital Short. But nothing compared to the unexpected Lady Gaga-Madonna catfight (yes, it was really them) in the Deep House Dish sketch. And I must admit, I did enjoy the Celebrity Family Feud sketch. Jason Sudekis' Richard Dawson impression was surprisingly accurate, but leave it to SNL to leave nothing sacred and poke fun at the MacKenzie Phillips/John Phillips relationship. It was awkward and hilarious all at once. I was quite surprised with how much I enjoyed Lady Gaga's performances...it certainly is a spectacle when she performs live.
Survivor
Everyone is talking about how Russell is this season's big villain, but he's nothing compared to how ignorant and crass Ben was. I'm glad he's gone, and that he got his verbal comeuppance at Tribal Council from Jaison. I always provide a link to Jeff Probst's blog at EW.com, as well as Dalton Ross and Josh Wolk's video series Survivor Talk, but make sure you watch this week's episode of Survivor Talk where they interview Ben. If you couldn't believe how he acted on the show, you won't even believe the things he said to Dalton and Jeff.

Amazing Race
First of all, at the beginning of the episode, I was already pining for last week's awesome "Eat The Wasabiiiii" sound effect, but alas, we had to move on in Vietnam. I liked the idea of a moving pit stop, as the boat moved down the river to an unknown location.

Marcy reminded me of an older version of Liz Lemon, Tina Fey's character on 30 Rock. It's a shame I won't have any more episodes to see if that was a fair comparison, as she and her archery-lovin' boyfriend got the boot this week after they tried to randomly assemble Vietnamese letters into a word without asking for help (?????).

Did Brian and Ericka really refer to themselves as "Team Zebra" as they linked their hands together? Really? That's the card you want to play? What's next, when they have to go into the rainforest, we're going to hear how Brian will excel at the challenge because he has "Jungle Fever"? Come on...

Ok, we're only two weeks into this season, and this team of Lance and Keri is turning out to be spectacular. First, this 'wicked smahht' Boston lawyer and his fiancé just assume that they're in Ho Chi Minh City when they leave the detour, when everyone else correctly interpreted the clue that they had to travel there. Then, when the retrieved the bullet clue from the water dragon, they were the only ones who didn't figure out that the clue was inside. Wicked Smahhht my ass!
When they were travelling with the animal on the dolly, and he let go of his red balloon, I love how he just left it in the middle of the road he was crossing while he went back to get another balloon. Stay classy Lance...this is why foreigners hate Americans. And how insincere was his 'apology' to her in the cab. This was the exact wording after he was told he keeps yelling at her, "Well, if that's the case, then I guess I'm sorry."

And I'm not sure what was more disconcerting: watching him tear apart a VCR with his bare hands, or listening to her keep yelling "Use the Hammaaaahh" is that Boston accent. Once again, they finished near the end, second last, and he still gave an "Oh yeah, baby" (but no throat slash), and a lame analogy about how he's a lion and lions stalk their prey from behind. Keep dropping behind, Mr. Lion...and watch the gazelles and Team Zebra run off into the sunset.

Until next week...

July 24, 2009

- Big Brother this week was pretty dramatic, but at the end of the day, it was all pretty predictable. We knew Laura was going to be evicted because Ronnie knew that she was on to him, which is too bad, because it seems like she was the only one in the house with a brain. Russell is a freak, and works on intimidation, don’t we all love people like that? It won’t be long before Mr. Roid Rage is gone, and that should be dramatic. For someone who says he is a BB enthusiast and strategist, Ronnie is one of the dumbest players I’ve ever seen. He just kept telling lies for the sake of telling them, with no reason for them. Eventually, he was bound to get caught. The scene in the backyard was pretty spectacular, though, when it became even more obvious to everyone that he had no defense. I like Natalie’s move to throw the extra vote the other way, it’s a good way to keep suspicion alive.

- The new season of Hell’s Kitchen debuted last week, and now I have two TV shows to watch this summer! This show is truly a guilty pleasure for me, like dollar stores and McDonald’s breakfast. I recognize it for the fluff it is, but I can’t stop watching, even though every new season just gets more over-the-top and away from ‘reality’. The scripted and dramatized elements are so transparent, and Gordon Ramsay’s outrageous behaviour has become unbelievable. I say that because I watch his original shows, The F Word and Kitchen Nightmares (BBC version, not FOX), which show him as he really is, firm and aggressive, but not a raging lunatic. The Fox-ization of Gordon Ramsay is quite disappointing to say the least. The worst part of the show for me, is the overly dramatic voice-overs on the show, on the “most amazing”, “most unbelievable” episodes ever, or how Chef Ramsay will do something he’s never done before! (He’s never served a shrimp cocktail…really?) All the dramatic lead-ins to the commercials, and recaps when they get back from commercial…it’s all filler. It’s a 30-minute show stretched into an hour! But who are we kidding…I’ll still watch. Pretty cool that the prize this season is the job in Whistler.

- I’m contemplating a big step. As many of you know, I’m a big Coke drinker, and I’m considering a switch. It’s been recommended to me that I would like Coke Zero, and wouldn’t really tell the difference. I’ve tried it a couple of times, and did not like it at all. However, I’ve had a few friends tell me recently that if I tried it for a while, I would definitely like it. So, going on this advice from people I trust, I think I’m going to give it a try for a week minimum, possibly two, and see what happens. No Coke, just Coke Zero. August 1 is the target date. Wish me luck.

- For any of you who are on Twitter, I’m now on Twitter as well. I don’t plan on updating that often, I just joined to follow some people primarily, but if you’re interested, feel free to add me at www.twitter.com/seanfurfaro. I know, I know…so original.

- The wedding video I posted yesterday has been a massive hit. I’m glad you all enjoyed it as much as I thought you would. I’ve seen at least six people link to it on Facebook after seeing it on here, and now I see that it has 800,000 additional hits on YouTube since yesterday. Thanks to Jimmy Traina at Hot Clicks, who featured it yesterday.

- As of today, I’m on vacation until August 3rd. Lucas and I have a big week planned, with trips to Canada’s Wonderland and The Toronto Zoo, as well as some movies, golfing, and fishing on the schedule. Should be a great week…I’m really looking forward to it!

May 11, 2009

My god, with all the TV shows hitting their season finales in the coming week, the content for this blog is about to plummet! I hope you all like hearing about poker, because the only new TV shows starting this summer are new seasons of Big Brother and Top Chef Masters. But here’s the rundown on the previous week’s shows.

Hell’s Kitchen

I really hate the faux drama of anything on Fox. And the fact that 20 minutes of TV gets stretched out to an hour, especially with Hell’s Kitchen. And to once again drag out the season finale over two weeks is just excruciating. There’s no need to manufacture any sort of extension to the inevitable. Just give Paula the job now, and air a re-run of World’s Most Dangerous Car Chases or something equally ridiculous.

Survivor

Debbie was weird…and a little bit crazy…and not so bright. I mean, honestly, what middle school principal can’t grasp the concept of $20 increments?!? I wasn’t a fan of her, so I’m glad she’s gone, but the plan to NOT eliminate Coach is certainly making for some great TV. The ‘loved ones’ episode of Survivor is always a total cheese-fest, and this was no difference, but the fact that Coach’s ‘loved one’ was his Assistant Coach is just too funny. I can’t see a scenario that doesn’t have Taj, Stephen, and J.T. in the finale. Stephen should win.

Amazing Race

I always hate that the finale is only one hour, a regular episode, with no reunion afterwards. This year’s edition would have definitely made for some fireworks. I’m not disappointed that Tammy and Victor won, but I am quite happy that Luke and Margie did NOT win, especially after getting to the final roadblock so far ahead of the other team, and then Luke blowing the final challenge. What a gratuitous way to get everyone into skimpy bikinis in the final Roadblock, huh? Carrying a dead, seasoned pig down the beach for a luau. And as smokin’ as the Hottie cheerleaders looked, how brutal is it that all I could think of is how awesome that pig would taste once it was roasted?!

Lost (Jenn and Jeff - safe to read)

The finale is this Wednesday, with a one-hour recap show at 8:00, and then the two-hour finale at 9:00. WNP is that night, and there’s no chance I’m not going to wait until Thursday to watch it, so it is going to be a late night, and I’m going to be exhausted on Thursday! I’m looking forward to it, as the Lost finales are consistently the best episodes of the year, and while I have a suspicion about what is going to happen, I hope I’m wrong, because I want to be surprised.

And now, time to rant…

Celebrity Apprentice

I’m disgusted that Joan Rivers won. Absolutely disgusted. And before any of you jump on me for being angry that ‘the poker player’ didn’t win, hear me out. In all the previous incarnation of The Apprentice (Celebrity or otherwise), I’ve felt that the right choice was made in terms of who got hired. In last year’s Celebrity Apprentice, I absolutely hated Piers Morgan throughout the entire season. He was a pompous and arrogant, but at the end of the day, he did the best job, and deserved to win, regardless of how much I couldn’t stand him. Up until this point in the past seasons, Trump (for all of his faults) still fettered through all of the crap to pick the best person.

But this season, the fix was in. And people who know me and read here know that I generally don’t buy into conspiracy theories. But all season long, it was a love-fest for Joan, regardless of how she behaved. She was this comedy legend who got a free pass to act in the most reprehensible manner, all because Trump loved her. And then she turned on the waterworks to paint her charity as more deserving than any others, so why even have the challenges to begin with? If you’re just going to give the prize to the oldest contestant with the most stamina, who is the most passionate about her charity, then why even go through the façade of having the tasks? I guess you couldn’t fit all of the Kodak, All, Right Guard, and Chicken of the Sea product placements, then.

It was an obvious dramatic setup of good vs. evil, with the plan being all along to have the ‘good’ side win, but I still can’t fathom how Joan Rivers is the ‘good’ in this equation. Last year’s Piers vs. Trace finale was good vs. evil as well, but the perceived ‘evil’ side still won, and justly so. But I guess in these scary economic times, NBC viewers needed a happy ending. (my apologies to anyone who just threw up in their mouth at the thought of ‘Joan Rivers’ and ‘Happy Ending’ being grouped together. ) I wasn’t a Joan-hater before this show, but I’ve definitely lost all respect for her as an entertainer, and a person.

Like her or not, Annie was a consistent winner, and carried herself professionally in the boardroom at all times. She was a tireless fund-raiser, and a smart and efficient project manager, as well as being a hard worker for others. Joan was a malcontent who lost with regularity and complained about everything, personally attacking anyone and anything that she didn’t agree with. And in an infantile and offensive manner. I couldn’t believe that her behaviour was tolerated. Any competent prospective employer would have fired her on the spot. She barked at anyone who interrupted her, but then wouldn’t let anyone answer their own questions, instead talking overtop of them and insulting them again.

How on earth can someone behave in that manner in front of a prospective employer, then have a tantrum and quit because their daughter was fired (reverse nepotism?), then return, continue to insult co-workers, use racist comments to describe others, have no respect for business adversaries, and then be rewarded? It makes no sense.

And it’s not because I like Annie Duke, and because she’s a poker player. Joan Rivers could have been up against Chad Kroeger or Geddy Lee, and I still would have been equally as disgusted that she won.

What a farce. I’ll never watch future editions of The Apprentice again. And I hope viewers do the same since it’s so transparently obvious that the process is irrelevant.

February 5, 2009

- One thing I remembered from January that I hadn't mentioned yet was the Baseball Hall of Fame elections. Rickey Henderson was clearly a no-brainer (get your head around that statement!), but I'm thrilled that Jim Rice finally got into the Hall of Fame. It is truly well deserved, he should have been voted in a long time ago.
- For those of you who guessed at the Concert trivia question, there were some good guesses, some bad guesses, and some downright insulting guesses (Bel Biv Devoe...really?), but here are your answers: Duran Duran (obvious, since that's what spawned the question), Foo Fighters (very easy, a number of you got this one), Sarah McLachlan (6 times), and Live (4 times). Thanks for playing along.
- Last night was my return to the WNP game after 3 weeks off since I was announcing basketball games. 21 players and 5 rebuys, it was a big game. With 9 players left, I was above average stack with no takeouts yet, but then I busted all 8 of the other players to win and notch 8 takeouts. It was a nice win after 3 weeks off. Dennis and I went heads up at the end, and since he beat me last time we were heads up, now we're 50/50.

JENN - STOP READING

- I didn't enjoy Lost last night as much as the first 3 episodes, but on it's own it was probably pretty good. It's just that after 3 mind-blowing episodes...well, it's a pretty tough act to follow. I wasn't that shocked by the reveal that Jin is still alive, but it will be interesting to see what effect his interaction with Rousseau's crew in 1988 will have.
- The links are active now on the sidebar on the left for those of you that want to check out the recaps. Also, check out http://darkufo.blogspot.com as well. There is a contributor named Vozzek69 that always writes some great recaps as well. Today he had a great theory on the whispers/apparitions on the Island.

JENN - YOU CAN CONTINUE READING NOW

- I'm excited for a new season of Hell's Kitchen. The premiere was pretty good.
- Waterloo vs. Guelph this weekend at Guelph. Should be interesting with all the Waterloo regulars at the game and me announcing for Guelph now.
- I recently discovered the show Chef School on Food Network and I highly recommend it. It's about students training at the Stratford Chef School.
- I watched The Wrestler the other night on DVD (sssh...don't tell anyone) and I really enjoyed it. Mickey Rourke was great, and I have a newfound appreciation for Marisa Tomei. Seriously, anyone who has seen it, can you believe she's 45 years old?!