GOOD AND BAD TV

Like most Americans (and the world) I enjoy television as much as the next person!

Heroes, Kid Nation, Brothers and Sisters, and Good Morning America are just some of my favorite guilty pleasures that I watch either daily or weekly! For some that don't know me very well you might not be aware that my all time favorite show is I Love Lucy. Did you know that? I think I can go out on a limb and say that I Love Lucy is also my brothers favorite show of all time too!

Today I just saw a new episode of I Love Lucy and I was so happy! Maybe I should clarfiy, it wasn't a new episode it was just one to me and that coming from me is saying something, I was certain I had seen them all. This episode was about a British admirer/starlette who was extremely fond of Ricky and Lucy wasn't having any of the flirting that was going on. I will save you with the entire detail of the program but Lucy ends up on a horse by the end of the episode which brought me to tears! Another part of the episode that was halarious was when the starlette wanted to get Ricky by himself so she asked permission from Lucy to take him to a luncheon. Lucy said the only way he could go was if she attended also. The British bitch said she would have invited Lucy but she only has a two-seater so she wouldn't know where to put Lucy. Lucy said "Why don't you tie me on the front of the car like a deer?!"

Okay maybe you had to be there to watch it... but it was funny! On the otherhand something I can't stand is bad television and when I was watching Ugly Betty on TV this past Thursday I was sick to my stomach on what bad TV the show is!

As you know the show is supposed to take place in New York City but is filmed almost entirely in Los Angeles. I know that a lot of shows are done this way but in the last few months I have watched as Ugly Betty uses obvious Los Angeles' backdrops, trying to pull them off for New York City clubs. Last season they used the Aston Kutcher invested restaurant "THE GEISHA HOUSE." Maybe I am being too picky since half of the country has no idea what "The Geisha House" is but why should they ruin it for the Los Angeles locals?

This week the show did it again and it made me even more upset because it involved the musical Wicked! All week long the show was advertising that it would be featuring the musid of the Tony Award Winning show and I was so giddy because I love the music of Wicked so much! When I got home they again tried to make the lobby of The Pantages Theatre to be the lobby of the The Gershwin Theatre in Manhattan. Not only did Ugly Betty ruin it for LA residents but they also ruined it for the NYC residents also. I was also excited to see the original cast of Wicked on Ugly Betty, but of course that wasn't going to happen either because the cast was the LA cast!

Again, maybe I am being way too picky but I feel that when a television show has milions of dollars for each episode they should do their best to make a great show that will be impressive 50 years from now just like I Love Lucy!

WHAT ARE YOU?

Have you ever asked yourself the following question: Are you more mentally strong or physically strong?

Tonight when I was watching Kid Nation on CBS they awarded the $20,000 gold star to an eight year old that they described as not necessarily physically strong because of her age but mentally strong because of the way she managed the town store and interacted with the other kids - oh, and it was her ninth birthday too!

Anyway, it got me thinking, sometimes we can be more mentally stronger than physically stronger and the really good people in this world can keep a great balance of both at all times... the few, the proud, the fortunate!

When Sagat was in town he met up with a guy who was physically strong but was mentally week and insecure - that is the most unattractive trait ever in a guy for me and Sagat seemed a bit annoyed by it too. I haven't dated any guys who were insecure about themselves to the point that it was obvious. Of course we all have our weaknesses but I believe it takes a strong person to acknowledge those and then move on, don't lament on them and obsess - there's no point!

I again cried this week at the outstanding job all the kids did. And it amazed me for another week the power of a hug! When was the last time you gave someone a hug and meant it? Hugs are pretty powerful, in fact there are some people that have tried to give hugs to as many people as possible. Infectious and heartwarming, hugs are quite possibly the best gift on earth if done right.

Speaking of infectious and heartwarming, yesterday Annie Lennox came out with her new CD called "Songs of Mass Destruction." One of my favorite songs by the diva is "WHY." I recall her singing this song during the summer time for Live 8 in London, check it out, it certainly gets its message across loud and clear. Oh, her new album is amazing too!

Good night and stay tuned...

SjB

KID NATION: EPISODE DOS

Wow, what a great episode! I was floored by the first ten minutes - killing a chicken? Are you kidding me? I can already hear some parents throughout the country screaming at the TV how horrible that is but I do think it does teach kids where their meat comes from. Is it the end of innocence? Perhaps - but it does give them something to think about!

I feel as if I am these kids parents - I am proud of them all!!!!

I think there were numerous kids that stoodout this week as go-getters.


Michael, the recepient of the $20,000 prize this week has shown so much maturity and strength this week and didn't seem so jaded when told last week that he could get the $20,000 star like Greg did. I was also amazed when he said that his parents deserved the money...these kids are all amazing, truly unselfless and working together as a team!

I have to admit Greg did have stars in his eyes last week, literally, when told that he could be the recepient of the star if he worked hard enough. I am not sure if he grew up this week and pitched in to wash dishes and slaughter the chickens ONLY to win the money but I do think that THIS week he did step up and showed that he is a jack of all trades. The boy made it known this week that he has experience in killing game, and that he knows how to do the basics of plumbing. For a 15 year old kid that is pretty impressive!
By the end of the show when he didn't win he seemed pissed and I can only imagine what he's going to do next week! I am curious to know what would have happened next week if he was the winner of the star. Would he be a slacker for the rest of the show because he already won the money, or would he step up as a team player even more? I guess we will never know!


I admire Emilie for her convictions and then deciding to stay. I can imagine how hard it was to watch that chicken get slaughtered but she did watch it and stuck by her teammates even though she firmly disagreed with their opinions. You Go Girl, I am curious to see if she gets any more comfortable about killing more chickens, it is bound to come up again!


Finally, I think Jared is a cutie and a little comedian waiting to blossom! I enjoy his one-liners and I truly think he is a budding star set to play the next Screech! =)

I can't wait for next week.... I am officially addicted to this show - such a great drama and an easy way to cry!

KID NATION 101

I just finished watching the very first episode of Kid Nation which airs on CBS on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m..

When the buzz of a show that takes 40 kids and drops them off in the middle of the desert for 40 days, left to create and manage a ghost town by themselves got out into the American news so many people were up in arms about it. Child labor laws were questioned, ethics were questioned, and most importantly the buzz of a show that essentially was a SURVIVOR for children created a lot of talk around the water cooler.

When the series debuted last Wednesday thousands of people tuned in to see what the buzz was all about. Many people came out really enjoying the show, while a lot of media outlets condemmed the show and shrugged their shoulders in boredom saying it wasn't compelling enough or that it wasn't done right. I know Ryan Sechrest showed no interest in the show, publicly saying he couldn't watch it, even trying to question and sway Survivor host, Jeff Probst's opinion about it.


Well I watched it and I really enjoyed it. It is ON DEMAND if you want to watch it at www.cbs.com if you are even the slightest curious. I defintely recommend it! Already knowing that a lot of star struck parents sent their kids on the show hoping to turn their children reality experiment into tomorrow's Lindsay Lohan, is sad but there is nothing I can do about that. I would like to think that many of the parents sent their child believing that this show can change the world, change people's views on children and overall it would be a great social experiment.

I tend to be very conservative on what children are exposed to - especially ones that are under the age of 16, and God damn this show has kids from 8 to 15 years old! However in this case I believe this show will do nothing but help them thrive in society and make better human beings out of them. I can admit that I cried throughout the entire show. I was sad for these kids, happy for these kids, and most of all proud of these kids - the youngest especially!

I was sad that Jimmy (above) went home at the end, but he was 8 years old and said he missed his family.


I am happy that Taylor (above) stayed, even though she is a bit of a premadonna, saying that she is a beauty queen! And if you go to her mini-site on CBS.com, sure enough she is!!!I think Sophia (above, the girl who won the $20,0000) was deserving but was acting like a bitch towards the end. I think Michael delivered two effective speeches and he should have gotten it or should get the star (money) next time around.

I was also impressed that the kids chose as their reward the seven additional outhouses rather than a television - that's commendable in my eyes! A TV is nice but the kids needed the extra bathrooms. 40 kids and one bathroom? That's not good at all!

Overall the first episode was amazing and I can't wait to watch the second episode this Wednesday night when they decide whether or not to kill a chicken!

If you guys are loving this show as well let me know, I don't want to feel so alone.
Hmmm, do you think I am too old to try out for Season Two?

xxx

SjB