Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Project (RED)

I was recently thinking about society and what is going on in our own country and throughout the world. I love Project (RED); it was created by U2 frontman Bono and Bobby Shriver the chairman of DATA. The following is a list of companies that participate in it:

The GAP
Motorola
American Express
Emporio Armani
Converse
Apple
Hallmark

These companies have special products, and for each one sold a percentage of the sale goes toward the Global Fund and helps women and children affected by HIV/ AIDS in Africa.

Now of course our problems are more widespread than this, everyone knows and understands that, but we have to start somewhere. Think about joining Project (RED), and making a difference. I did. I think it is better than standing or sitting around and hoping for things to change; it is actually helping things to change.

http://www.joinred.com/ - You can join Project (RED), read what it's all about, and read the latest Project (RED) news on this website.

I wrote a poem incorporating some of the words that the Gap uses on their t-shirts for Project (RED), it's personal, but I thought I'd share.

You would think that people would be tired of the way things are, tired that 38.6 million people have HIV.

But on a Friday night most guys and girls are just thinking about whether or not they scored or if they will.

Guys and girls go out and get hammered and do things they regret, having casual and sometimes unprotected sex because socially we accept.

People want to be desired, I say this factually, but that doesn't mean we can't promote monogamy.

And I am bored with that behavior, and I remain shocked and surprised that half of all the new people that have AIDS are under the age of 25.

AIDS and HIV are not only epidemics that we all have to be aware of and endure; however, most do not even hear about the campaigns against the genocide and the message to "Save Darfur".

When we feel wired and have a lot of energy we should use it and do something to help feed the one in seven people who go to sleep hungry.

If we all shared, let's think about this economically, this is not about charity, it's all about equality.

We need to learn the fact that each like should be treasured, how we respect ourselves and each other's lives is how it's measured.

Get inspired, dare to dream, be a contributor to society, don't just take, you would be amazed what a difference ONE can make.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Update: American Idol................ Now What?

This is breaking news: It was earlier reported that Carrie Underwood was dating Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo. However, she has set the record straight on various news and talk shows while promoting her new album. Underwood says that she and Romo are best friends, and that their small town upbringings and quick rise to fame is one of the reasons that they relate so much to one another. She also remarked that they are both focused on their careers right now.

The new man that Underwood has been spotted with is Gossip Girl cutie Chace Crawford (you all remember that he plays Nate). According to "People Magazine" the two have been spotted at Manhatten nightclub Marquee ( http://www.marqueeny.com/ ), Gramercy Park Hotel's trendy Rose Bar ( http://www.gramercyparkhotel.com/bars.html ), and Justin Timberlake's restaurant Southern Hospitality ( http://southernhospitalitybbq.com/ ).

Crawford even accompanied Underwood to her appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly on Wednesday October 24th where he watched her perform, this also according to "People Magazine". His Gossip Girl costar Blake Lively (Serena), who was also appearing on the show, was supposedly surprised to see him there.

Stay tuned!

Red Sox Romp Rockies

It is more than clear that after last night's 10-5 win the Red Sox must still be riding a "Rocky Mountain high". Everyone in the lineup got in on the action last night (including starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka) led by major league rookies Jacoby Ellsbury in the number one batting spot and Rookie of the Year candidate Dustin Pedroia in the number two batting spot. The dynamic duo combined for seven hits, three runs, and four RBI's; Francona made history with the two last night making them the first rookies to bat one and two in a World Series lineup, and the fact that he did it willingly is just icing on the cake.

Josh Fogg got into trouble in the third inning when Ellsbury doubled to left field; the inning would later end with the Sox scoring 6 runs on 7 hits and running through their entire batting order. Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Lowell, Varitek, and Lugo all scored, even Daisuke singled (scoring Lowell and Varitek) saying, "I'm a confident hitter [and], I love hitting". The controversial part of the inning came when Manny Ramirez was thrown out at home plate after being intentionally walked. Some, including Ramirez, thought he was safe; to be honest, from many angles he appeared to be safe, I guess we'll never really know.

It is also important to note that offense was not the only order of the night for the Sox. The team also made some spectacular defensive plays including a play by Daisuke in the first inning that trapped his former teammate from Japan Kaz Matsui from getting to second base. Julio Lugo made crazy plays in back to back innings; in the fifth inning he backhanded a ball in the hole and fired it to Mike Lowell for an ending inning force out at third base (the hit definitely would have scored a run if Lugo wouldn't have fielded the play). In the sixth, Lugo made a perfect play when he leapt into the cool thin air and brought a line drive hit by Jeff Baker back to the ground and into his glove. "That might have saved the game right there, Lugo's play, I didn't think he had a chance. That ball looked liked it kept rising. He got up there, and I think we were all pumped up when he came down with it," said Mike Lowell. By the end of the sixth, the Rockies had climbed within one run of leveling the score (6-5 Sox), but the Sox weren't done yet.

At the top of the eighth with Julio Lugo on base after being walked and Crisp on base after singling to center, Ellsbury again came up with a double scoring Lugo. Then it was Pedroia's turn, he also doubled this time scoring Crisp and the quick footed Ellsbury. The Sox made their score double digits in the ninth when Varitek made a sac fly to center scoring Mike Lowell who had earlier, in a very gutsy move, stolen third base.

The Sox will send Jon Lester to the mound tonight, 14 months after being diagnosed with cancer, in the hopes that he will help the Sox do something that has only been done once by an American League team in the 103 years of World Series history: sweep (The only other team that has done it by the way is the New York Yankees in the 1998-1999 season. Yankees take note: the man at the helm was Joe Torre!). Of being ahead three games to none Captain Jason Varitek siad, "We have to continue to stay focused, .......... try and outplay our opponent." Irony of all ironies, he said the same thing when the Sox were down three games to one to the Indians.

Monday, October 22, 2007

American Idol................ Now What?

Season 5 (2006)

Winner: Taylor Hicks- http://www.taylorhicks.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/taylorhicks , released his album Taylor Hicks in 2006 following his win. He has also written a memoir on his life titled "Heart Full of Soul" which was released in the summer of 2007.

Runner Up: Katharine McPhee- http://www.katharinemcphee.com/ and http://myspace.com/katharinemcphee , released her debut album Katharine McPhee on January 30, 2007. Ms. McPhee has enjoyed success not only as a singer, but as a model and actress. She guest starred on Ugly Betty as herself, and will make her motion picture debut as a pregnant hippie in the indie comedy I Know What Boys Like in 2008. She will have the starring role in another indie movie titled The Last Caller scheduled for a 2009 release; She also has a role in a movie called Success ready for release in 2008.

3rd: Elliott Yamin- http://www.myspace.com/elliottyamin , released his debut album Elliott Yamin on March 20, 2007 with great success from critics and fans alike. His Christmas cd, Sounds of the Season is available now only at Target. Yamin's single "Wait for You" is still climbing the charts while he is touring the country and world promoting his album. He enlisted Jose "Sway" Penala (another contestant from season 5) to be one of his back up singers for the tour.

4th: Chris Daughtry- http://www.daughtryofficial.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/daughtry , and his group Daughtry released their debut album, Daughtry on November 21, 2006. After only five weeks, the album sold over one million copies becoming the most successful selling debut rock album of all time. The group toured over the summer of 2007 with Canadian group Nickelback. Daughtry is also nominated for three American Music Awards for Favorite Album, Adult Contemporary Artist, and Favorite Breakthrough; they will also perform their hit "Home" at the awards which will air on Sunday November 18th.

5th: Paris Bennett- http://www.msparisbennett.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/parisbennett , released her debut album Princess P in May of 2007. Her record label is 306 Entertainment owned by Paul Jones her uncle.

6th: Kellie Pickler- http://www.kelliepickler.com/site.php and http://www.myspace.com/kelliepickler , released her debut album Small Town Girl on October 31, 2006. She is nominated this year for the Horizon Award at the Country Music Awards where she will also perform her new single "I Wonder". Kellie is also in talks with 20th Century FOX to star in her own sitcom.

7th: Ace Young- http://www.myspace.com/aceyoung , has not released an album yet, but did help writing Chris Daughtry's debut album. Young is hoping to put his own album out in 2008 and is supposedly producing it as well.

8th: Bucky Covington- http://buckycovington.musiccitynetworks.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/buckycovington , released his debut album Bucky Covington in April of 2007. He is currently on tour with Jason Michael Carroll another new male country artist through the end of 2007.

9th: Mandisa- http://www.mandisaofficial.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/mandisa , released her debut album True Beauty in July 2007 and it was number one on the Christian charts, the first time ever a new female artist has held that position. Mandisa will release her album Christmas Joy in a couple of weeks. She will be touring in January with fellow Idol contestant George Huff, and in January 2008 she will be featured in the Winter Jam tour with other Christian artists.

10th: Lisa Tucker- http://www.myspace.com/lisatucker , is currently at work on an album but also has many other projects in the works. There is a TV series called "Born in the USA" and 19 Entertainment has a hand in its development, and she is also signed up for a movie called "The Hustle" which you can check out here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119186/ .

Red Sox Earn World Series Trip!

Call them the American League Champions, the Comeback Kids; The BoSox made magic yet again in Fenway Park in late October last night, and it is not a moment any Sox fan will forget anytime soon. The Red Sox staged a comeback winning the series after the Indians lead three games to one. Sox fans did not stop believing and apparently neither did the team winning definitively last night 11-2. Matsuzaka pitched for 5 innings allowing only two runs from six hits; "I thought he pitched his heart out. Those were some tough innings. He gave us what we needed," Francona said of Daisuke.

Rookie Dustin Pedroia was a big part of last night's win, "The season is almost over we were down 3-1, you get that sense of urgency, nobody wanted to go home, nobody wanted to say goodbye to each other. Once we got that win in Cleveland, we started to believe." Pedroia hit a homerun, his first of the postseason, and doubled with the bases loaded, arguably the most important hit of the night giving the sox a lead of 5-2. The Indians did have a chance to threaten, but Kenny Lofton was held at third by the third base coach Joel Skinner. Casey Blake then grounded into a double play that ended the inning.

An inning later it was again Pedroia who this time hit a three run double. Okajima, who pitched in the sixth and seventh inning also contributed in a big way getting six outs. Jonathan Papelbon then came on in the eighth with two on base and no outs and retired the next three batters; he also pitched the ninth inning to put the finishing touches on the game.

"It's a great feeling just to go out there and play so well. Just to win here at home....... was unbelieveable. A lot of people doubted us, but we didn't doubt ourselves," said first baseman Kevin Youkilis who batted .500 in the series and had three homeruns and seven RBIs.

Coco Crisp helped to officially clinch the ALCS for the Sox after he made a brilliant catch in the triangle area of right center field.

General Manager Theo Epstein said of the upcoming opponent, "The Rockies are on a magical run and we are going to have our hands full. We're going to try and represent the American League the best we can. We haven't grown up any since '04. That's part of what keeps these guys so good. It keeps us all loose and we never stop believing."

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

American Idol................ Now What?

Season 4 (2005)

Winner: Carrie Underwood- http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/carrieunderwood , has released one album Some Hearts in 2005 and is about to release her second album Carnival Ride on October 23, 2007. Ms. Underwood is the most successful American Idol winner and contestant to date selling 6 million copies of Some Hearts in the U.S. alone (the album also has been the best selling female country album of 2005, 2006, and 2007 and has had every single she has released be a number 1). Her awards have been numerous including, but not limited to, two Grammys, eight Billboards, four Country Music Television Awards, five Academy of Country Music Awards, two Country Music Association Awards (CMAs), one American Music Award (AMA), and two People's Choice Awards. She is also nominated for four CMAs and three AMAs this year. Ms. Underwood reportedly dates Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

Runner Up: Bo Bice- http://www.bobice.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/bobice , released his debut album The Real Thing in 2005 and will also release his second album on October 23, 2007 (the same day as Carrie Underwood) titled See the Light. Mr. Bice married his longtime girlfriend Caroline Fisher in 2005 and his son Aidan was born later that year. Ben Stiller also invited Bo to sing the song "Blades of Glory" for his movie of the same name in 2007.

3rd: Vonzell Solomon- http://www.officialbabyv.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/officialbabyv , her demo CD, My Struggle, surfaced on itunes in 2007. There has been talk that Ms. Solomon is working on a full length album. She will make her acting debut in the movie "Still Green" to be released in December 2007; the movie is receiving critical acclaim on the independent circuit.

4th: Anthony Fedorov- http://www.myspace.com/anthonyfedorovmusic , continues to tour with other American Idol contestants, but has not released an album.

5th: Scott Savol- http://www.scottsavolonline.com/ , says on his website that he is hoping to release an album in 2008, and is doing a show on a cruise line.

6th: Constantine Maroulis- http://www.myspace.com/constantinemaroulis , has not slowed down since American Idol, he released his debut cd "Constantine" this past summer on an indie label. He has a recurring role on CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful where ironically he plays a rockstar. Maroulis has done lots of Broadway shows since Idol including Rent in 2003, The Wedding Singer in 2006, and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris in 2007 (where he is currently appearing at the Zipper Theater off Broadway). His single "Everybody Loves" has been featured on The Bold and the Beautiful.

7th: Anwar Robinson- http://www.anwarmusic.com/ , is currently playing the role of Tom Collins in the national and international tour of Rent through at least the end of 2007.

8th: Nadia Turner- http://www.nadiaturner.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/nadiaturner , is currently putting the finishing touches on her debut album, Standing on Love (there is no word on exactly when it will be released, I will post a date as soon as I find one).

9th: Nikko Smith- http://www.myspace.com/nikkostl , performs for private events, but has yet to really break into the music business and release a full length album. He is signed to an indie record label.

10th: Jessica Sierra- http://www.myspace.com/jessicasierramusic , currently is not signed to a record label and performs for private events. She dated fellow Idol contestant Nikko Smith for some time but later confirmed that the two had broken up. She is currently featured on a "Toys R Us" compilation cd.

11th: Mikalah Gordon- http://www.myspace.com/mikalahagordon and http://mikalah-gordon.org/ , Ms. Gordon will be appearing on an episode of "The Unit" on October 30, 2007 on CBS, and hopes to continue acting. She survived a robbery at gunpoint in 2006 in her hometown of Las Vegas in which police said she was lucky to be alive.

12: Lindsay Cardinale- http://myspace.com/lindseycardinale , is currently at work in Nashville with producer Paul Jackson on her debut album.

Monday, October 8, 2007

cleaning your clothes the new fashioned way?

On another night out with a group of my friends, we began discussing our college days. Now college kids have been back in school for a solid six weeks now, so they are settling in to a routine of some sorts hopefully as well as feeling overwhelmed and busy. Some students, especially the ones who also work (I worked) are so busy that they find it difficult to do certain things like.............. cook dinner, do laundry, and have a social life. Of course, we talked about how college kids have this notorious association with Ramen noodles, come on, they're 8 for a $1.00, why wouldn't students buy them. Students will also do things like go to Applebee's for half price appetizer night and fill up on nachos, boneless buffalo wings, and mozzarella sticks. Then there are the bars students go to that offer $1.00 drafts and $5.00 appetizers kind of like an "all you can drink and all you can eat" affair. The most strange thing I heard that night was from a friend who told me that she knew a student who used to "febreze" their clothing instead of washing their clothing. Ok, now I have heard of washing your clothing and then "febrezing", but for goodness sakes, not just "febrezing". I want to state just for the record how much I love febreze, it smells good, but it is not laundry detergent, and I am sure the lovely people who make febreze would agree with that and encourage people not to "febreze wash" their clothes. As for being so busy that a student cannot balance a social life I will discuss this in another entry as well as tell you how it only gets worse after you graduate from college and cite examples.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

American Idol................ Now What?

Season 3 (2004)

Winner: Fantasia Barrino- http://www.fantasiabarrinoofficial.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/fantasiabarrino , has released two albums Free Yourself (2004) and Fantasia (2006). Her first single, "I Believe" was the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S. accoridng to Billboard, she has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and has won three Billboard Awards and one NAACP Award. In 2005, Ms. Barrino revealed that she was functionally illiterate and went on to play herself in the TV movie Life is not a Fairy Tale, based on her life. Fantasia announced on the Oprah Winfrey Show in Feb. 2007 that she would star as Celie in the broadway musical The Color Purple where she has garnered critical praise.

Runner Up: Diana Degarmo- http://www.myspace.com/dianadegarmo , released her debut album Blue Skys in 2004 and is currently at work on a new album. She starred on Broadway in Hairspray as Penny Pingleton from Feb. 2006- May 2006 and then again from Sept. 2006- Feb. 2007.

3rd: Jasmine Trias- http://www.jasminetrias.net/ and http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=14714856 , released two albums, both titled Jasmine Trias in 2005 (one in the U.S. and one in the Philippines; the album from the Philippines was repackaged and re-released in 2006 with additional songs). She performed for a couple of months in 2007 on the Las Vegas Strip at the Flamingo as part of the "Society of Seven". Ms. Trias hopes to release her second U.S. album in 2008.

4th: Latoya London- http://www.myspace.com/latoyalondon , released her only album, so far, Love & Life in 2005. Ms. London is currently a member of the touring cast of the broadway show, "The Color Purple" playing the part of Nettie.

5th: George Huff- http://www.wordrecords.com/georgehuff/ and http://www.myspace.com/georgehuff , has released two albums, My Christmas (2004) and Miracles (2005). In 2005, Mr. Huff, a New Orleans native had his home damaged in Hurricane Katrina. He will be performing with other Idol contestant Mandisa in the show "Christmas on Main Street" in Salinas, California throughout the month of December 2007.

6th: John Stevens- is currently a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass.

7th: Jennifer Hudson- http://www.myspace.com/jenniferhudson Ms. Hudson is an Oscar Winner (2007) for Best Supporting Actress for her performance of Effie in the movie "Dreamgirls". Simply stated, she has won a pluthera of awards including the following awards, Golden Globe, Screen Actor's Guild (SAG), NAACP, BAFTA, Soul Train, and two BET's.
She will play Carrie Bradshaw's assistant in the upcoming "Sex in the City" movie, and is in talks to star as Aretha Franklin in a movie. In 2008, Ms. Hudson will be releasing her debut album and starring in the movie Winged Creatures with Forrest Whitaker.

8th: Jon Peter Lewis- http://www.myspace.com/jonpeterlewis , released his debut album Stories from Hollywood in 2006. He is currently doing a Border's music tour.

9th: Camile Velasco- http://www.myspace.com/camilevelasco and http://www.camile-velasco.com/ , is currently working on a debut album.

10th: Amy Adams- is currently married and has a son who was born in 2005.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Gossip Girl Rules!

After only three episodes I find myself addicted to "Gossip Girl"; I watch every week and not only do I turn up the TV but I cannot take my eyes off the screen. The series is based on a series of books by the same name, and brought to us by executive producer Josh Schwartz of "The O.C." fame.

The show is about priviledged teens from Manhatten's Upper East Side, some spoiled brats and some grateful for second chances, and the few who yearn to be a part of their worlds and receive their opportunities. The main character is Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) who has just returned home from boarding school to be at the side of her younger brother Eric (Connor Paolo) who attempted suicide (Please note that thoughout the show: Gossip Girl informs everyone via text message or her website of Serena and all her latest happenings). Serena has changed from party girl to sophisticated young woman with goals.

Her used to be best friend is Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) who is bent on revenge because Serena slept with her easy on the eyes boyfriend Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) before she left for boarding school. Blair is determined not to be second to Serena anymore whether it involves Nate, school, the social scene, or anything else for that matter. Nate is dealing with his own issues, he still harbors serious feelings for Serena and is confused with how to deal with all the expectations his father has for him.

Then there is the troublemaker, Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), a spoiled brat who is always tempting Nate and Blaire to do wrong and pushing his enemies to the brink of madness.

The two outsiders in this world are Dan and Jenny Humphrey (Penn Badgley and Taylor Momsen), the brother and sister team who come from a middle class family. Their dad Rufus (Matthew Settle) is a part of a rock band and a art gallery owner, and he has a history with Serena's mom, Lily (Kelly Rutherford) a socialite.

Dan and Serena meet and he is quite taken by the intelligent beauty who also shows an interest in him and asks him out on a date. Chuck takes things with Jenny too far at the "kiss on the lips" party and Dan and Serena come to her rescue (Chuck makes Dan his enemy). Many people are going to complicate Dan and Serena's relationship (I will explore this in another post).

The young actors in this series are brilliant and right on point. Their lines are delivered with a clever conviction that makes them believable as people. I am already attached to certain characters, for example, my heart sunk for Serena when Blaire told Dan in front of Serena that she slept with Blaire's boyfriend Nate. Dan walked out on Serena at Blaire's brunch and said she was just like everyone else.

The music for the series is hot with everything from Vivaldi to The Killers to Joss Stone to Rooney to Justin Timberlake to Rihanna to Fergie to newcomers like The Bravery and that's just a starting list, bleieve me. The writing is tight, mature and seriously believeable without being over the top with dashes of comic relief in between. "Gossip Girl" is a diamond in the rough, more priceless because it's rare and original. If you aren't watching it yet, you must tune in, you won't be sorry; it's a hit.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

American Idol................ Now What?

Season 2 (2003)

Winner: Ruben Studdard- http://www.rubenstuddard.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/rubenstuddard , has released three albums: Soulful (2003), I Need An Angel (2004), and The Return (2006). He was nominated for a Grammy Award and has won an NCAAP Award for best new artist in 2004.

Runner Up: Clay Aiken- http://www.clayaiken.com/ , has released three albums: Measure of a Man (2003), Merry Christmas With Love (2004), and A Thousand Different Ways (2006). Aiken has won an American Music Award and three Billboard Music Awards.

3rd: Kimberley Locke- http://www.kimberleylockeweb.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/kimberleylocke , has released two albums One Love (2004) and Based on a True Story (2007). Her holiday album Christmas will be released on November 6, 2007. She has teamed with General Mills to help find a cure for breast cancer (you can help too by checking out one of her websites!) and she is also losing weight with the Jenny Craig program. Ms. Locke will be touring through the fall and continuing her work as a plus size model.

4th: Joshua Gracin- http://www.joshgracin.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/joshgracin , has one album so far, his debut Josh Gracin from 2004; he has an album slated for release at some point this year or early next year titled All About Y'all. Josh is married to his wife Ann Marie and has three kids; Briana, Landon, and Gabriella.

5th: Trenyce Cobbins- http://www.myspace.com/trenyceonline , has yet to release an album and is currently unsigned to a record label. She has performed in her own show at the Sahara in Las Vegas. Currently Ms. Cobbins is touring with the broadway show "Mama's Sweet Potato Pie" (also starring Boris Kodjoe, Sherman Hemsley, and Ginuwine). She is also a member of "Soul Kittens Cabaret" along with Syleena Johnson, Angie Stone, Tatyana Ali, Kenya Moore, and Monifah started by Nicci Gilbert (former member of Brownstone).

6th: Carmen Rasmusen- http://www.carmenrasmusen.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/carmenrasmusenofficial , decided to take Simon's advice and become a country/ bluegrass singer. She is signed to an indie record label and released her debut album, Nothing' Like the Summer this past summer (2007).

7th: Kimberly Caldwell- http://www.kimberlycaldwell.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/kimberlycaldwellofficial , is currently at work on her debut album and has already released the first single "Who Will You Run To". She is a correspondent and cohost on the TV Guide Network's "Reality Chat", "Idol Chat", and "Idol Tonight". Ms. Caldwell also models for designer Michael Antonio.

8th: Rickey Smith- ?

9th: Corey Clark- Most remember Corey Clark as the contestant who was disqualified from American Idol and claims to have had an affair with judge Paula Abdul. His first and only album thus far, Corey Clark, was released in 2005 and received minimal airplay and press.

10th: Julia Demato- Julia is remembered as the sweet cosmetologist and hairstylist who made it to the top ten on idol, but following her fifteen minutes of fame things turned sour. In 2005, Julia was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine and driving while intoxicated upon failure of a field sobriety test.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Are we still desperate for Desperate Housewives?

Desperate Housewives premiered its 4th season last night and my question going into it was, am I still desperate to watch the housewives? Let's brielfy recap where "Housewives" left off last season: Susan and Mike finally tied the knot, Lynette found out she has cancer, Bree faked a pregnancy to cover up her daughter Danielle's pregnancy (Danielle meanwhile is away at boarding school), Gabi married Victor who was using her but Carlos wanted her back, and Edie took desperate measures to get Carlos back.

There is a new desperate housewife in town, her name is Catherine Mayfair (played by Dana Delaney); Bree does not like her at all (the funny part will be seeing who is more uptight and more into keeping up appearances). Catherine has a history on Wisteria Lane, she lived there before and moved away. Along with Catherine comes her husband Adam (a gynecologist) and her daughter Dylan (Dylan used to be best friends with Susan's daughter Julie).

First off, Edie is not dead; everyone thought she was a goner last season, but she is fine. Edie is also back to her old tricks again she is willing to do pretty much anything to keep Carlos (lie, cheat, scheme anyone?) even attempt her own suicide; Edie actually set it up so Carlos would think she cannot live without him.

Susan continues to be a spaz about life even though he is married to Mike. She goes to the gynocologist (who just happens to be Adam Mayfair played by Nathan Fillion) and he thinks that she is premenopausal especially when she complains of night sweats (he diagnoses them as hot flashes). Later, Susan and Mike discuss the prospect of having kids and Mike says he doesn't want kids (Susan is thinking she does want kids). Adam later tells Susan she is not premenopausal but pregnant, cue Mike hugging Susan and saying he couldn't he happier.

Lynette has lost her hair and is now wearing a wig, but has not told any of her friends about her cancer. Tom encourages her to tell everyone because she has too much to juggle and cannot handle it because of her illness. Finally when PTA reponsibilites become too much to bear Lynette takes off her wig revealing to everyone at Catherine's "welcome to the neighborhood party" that she has cancer.

Bree is continuing to fake a pregnancy and she also has it out for Catherine. She thinks by having this child it will give her a chance to make things right after messing up with Danielle.

Gabi and Carlos argue about whether or not to have an affair or run away and have a full fledged relationship.

For the most part, I thought this was a great episode. I am really not particularly interested in Catherine; I think her character is really flat thus far, maybe that will change. I am more interested in what happened to her daughter Dylan, why doesn't she remember being friends with Julie? What happened at their house on Wisteria Lane to make them move away? And what happened when they were gone? There are interesting stories to tell there. Also, I love this whole triangle forming between Gabi, Carlos, and Edie, and it will heat up when John (the lawn boy) comes back and tells Gabi his marriage is a sham and he wants her back! It will be interesting to see Susan pregnant, and how will she and Mike be as parents? Lynette may also have her hands full with her mother living in her house and trying to take over the household because she is pretty bossy, look for her to eventually kick her out. Is her potential relationship with Rick (played by Jason Gedrick) over? I think not. "TV Squad" says Bree's daughter Danielle will give birth to a baby boy. Overall though, I give the premiere a: B.