Friday, October 31, 2008

My Favorite Horror Flicks

Afterall the trick or treaters have absconded with all your candy, tonight's the perfect night to curl up with a great horror movie! Here's some suggestions which happen to be my all-time favorite fright flicks. Please, go and rent them, nothing ruins good horror like a commercial break!
Honorable Mentions:

Motel Hell - not actually a scary movie, but just for fun. I mean you have to love a film that's tag line is "It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters!"
Nightbreed - I love Clive Barker's horror/fantasy flick about the dead residents of Midian. Are they the real monsters or are we?
The Lost Boys - my all-time fave vampire film. Yes, it's sooo '80s, but Keifer Sutherland as the vamps scary leader ranks right up there with Dracula. And long before Buffy, there were the Frog brothers vampire hunters. You have to love a vampire flick with the two Coreys, right. Tag line "Party All Night, Sleep All Day, Live Forever. It's Fun to be a Vampire."

keifer sutherland Pictures, Images and Photos
Before he was Jack Bauer ... (2nd from left)
The Descent
- I explained this one earlier this week. It's got one of those I-almost-crapped-my-pants moments. Just pure horror. Scary in more ways than one. I mean, who wouldn't be scared trapped in a cave, trying to find an alternate way out. Then throw in the freaks who live there - I just gave myself a chill ...
Dog Soldiers - I blogged about this one last week too. And, hopefully, you already watched it, because I'll tell you now that this is the absolute best Werewolf movie ever. With the best werewolves I've ever seen on screen. Take a look and decide for yourself ...

Dog Soldiers Pictures, Images and Photos

OK, now on to my Top 10 Horror Flicks list:


10. House of 1,000 Corpses -- Rob Zombie's directorial debut features my favorite scary scenario. You're out in the middle of nowhere, with no one to help or no way to escape and there is a murderous family of freaks that wants nothing more than to torture and kill you! Not to mention a psycho named Otis, a serial killer called Dr. Satan and the craziest clown to ever hit the silver screen - Captain Spaulding "S- - t the Bed!"
Captain Spaulding Pictures, Images and Photos
Creepy Captain

9. Halloween - John Carpenter's masterpiece of the macabre. I mean, really, before this did you ever worry about walking the streets on Halloween night? Michael Myers as the killer w/o a conscience is absolutely horrifying. Tag line "The Night He Came Home."

8. Pumpkinhead - Yeah, I know, the title's a little silly. But anyone who's ever seen this flick says the same thing - the scariest demon monster ever!! Horror pro Lance Henricksen's Ed Harley conjures up this demon from the grave to avenge the accidental death of his son by a bunch of vacationing adolescents. But Pumpkinhead, himself, is the real star. The scene where he tracks the teens down in the abandoned church ... I just scared myself again. A true nightmare!
Pumpkinhead Pictures, Images and Photos
Hello Pumpkinhead


7. The Stepford Wives (1975) - You may have seen the 2004 Nicole Kidman remake of this flick, which turned it into a farce. However, the original, which I just recently rewatched, still scares me. Move to the quaint little town of Stepford and you'll never be the same! First your husband will join the local Men's Association and little by little, your lady friends and neighbors will start to change in inexplicable ways and it's only a matter of time till they get to you!

6. Rosemary's Baby - A remake is already set for a 2010 release, but you still have plenty of time to see the 1968 original. Starring Mia Farrow as a young newlywed who moves to New York City with her husband, an actor. They befriend the strange, elderly couple next door and her husband, presumably makes a deal with the devil ... to further his acting career. What a chump! Before she realizes it, she's pregnant with the spawn of hell ... sounds funny, but this is a truly chilling flick.

5. Alien - Tag line "In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream." Director Ridley Scott successfully brought us the first horror flick set in space in 1979 and introduced us to the first feminist heroin, Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. I was just a kid when I saw this flick on cable and seriously couldn't sleep well for a week. Like Pumpkinhead, Scott also introduced us to one truly chilling alien creature - and those retractable jaws, I just got goosebumps!
Alien 1979 Pictures, Images and Photos
Scariest Alien Ever!

4. Jaws - and speaking of jaws ... let's revisit the film that put Steven Spielberg on the map. Traditionally, I don't think of this flick at Halloween. I always watch it around Memorial Day Weekend. It's become as much a right of summer as going to the beach (of course, we won't dare go in the water). When it was originally released in 1975, studio execs actually worried that people would get sick in the aisles. And it didn't disappoint.
Jaws is officially the first film to ever make $100 million domestically, thus becoming the first ever summer blockbuster. It's success prompted studios to take summer movie-goers seriously, as in seriously willing to spend money at the movies. And last year AFI made the shark in Jaws (Bruce, as Steven dubbed him, after his lawyer) the No. 1 Villain in film history. Darth Vader came in second!
jaws Pictures, Images and Photos
Oops, wrong Jaws, just testing you!

3. Phantasm - Tag line "If this one doesn't scare you, you're already dead." Something's going on at the Morningside Mortuary and if you can stick around long enough, you'll be sorry you found out what. This 1979 horror film made an instant star out of Angus Grimm, who portrayed the infamous Tall Man. Trust me, after seeing this flick, you'll never look at a flying silver ball the same way again.
phantasm Pictures, Images and Photos
The Tall Man & his Little Silver Ball

2. Poltergeist - If you've been reading this blog, then you already know my feelings on this one. My all time favorite ghost story, produced by Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper, revolves around a little girl who goes missing inside her house. The first time I ever saw this film, at home on cable, my father snuck into the room and threw a tennis ball into my friend's lap at a pivotal moment in the film. Our screams almost shattered the windows. Watch this one and try to sleep with the lights off.

1. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - I know, you probably already saw the 2004 remake and thought, "that was pretty scary, but not great." That's how I felt too. I only watched the original about five years ago, and can I just say that after years of devouring horror flicks, this truly frightened me! Same scenario as my No. 10 movie, only shot so gritty that it feels real. "Based on a True Story," TCM used the real crimes committed by Ed Gein for inspiration. In reality Gein only killed 2 people, but he saved their bones, skins and some organs as a way to covet them. There are a few films about Gein, but they're not really scary - this is the one to watch. Fave shot: The infamous Leatherface chasing Sally thru the woods, chainsaw in hand, as she screams and screams and screams and the chainsaw revs and revs and revs. Favorite part: When that annoying jerk Franklin gets it right the stomach. C'mon he was asking for it thru the whole film!
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Pictures, Images and Photos
Leatherface


OK, so you're asking yourself - What about the Exorcist? Well I didn't include it because it's the easy choice that tops everyone's list, and to tell the truth, I really wasn't scared. (I'm Catholic, I've been thru worse.) To me, TCM is scarier because it really could happen ...

More info on any of these flicks can be found on the Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com
Have a Spooky Halloween - just don't scare yourselves too much!

Labels: , , , , , , ,

Survivor Recap

Day 19: The Fang tribe is starving and to top it all off, Crystal spills what's left of their remaining rice. She picks up as much as she can and refuses to eat with the others, figuring she spilled her share. The tribe's still not working together and Ace thinks Crystal's the next lamb to the slaughter.
Over at Kota,Day 20 dawns with Dan feeling insecure, again. He offers himself up to Corinne, Charlie and Marcus, figuring their the strongest alliance, but his desperate attempt does nothing to win them over.
survivor 6
Both tribes compete in an "Elephant Egg" challenge, with each trying to knock the "egg" out of their competitors hands. It's easily won by Kota and they depart on a helicopter ride to a picnic site. Sugar is exiled again. Matty tells the others he wants to get rid of her. Matty tries to convince Ace to get the idol from Sugar, Ace defends her, claiming that Crystal's the one who should go (I couldn't agree more, by the way).
At their picnic, the members of Kota get letters from home - crying ensues. I'm always amazed when this happens each season. I mean, really, do these "survivors" think they'll never see their loved ones again??
Back at Fang, Crystal expresses her resentment towards Ace, "The way that he is manipulating Matty ... he's the devil and he has to go."
Things change at the Immunity Challenge, when Jeff states that each tribe will be voting a member out at Council. However, individual immunity is up for grabs for the first time this season .... Hmmm can the merge be far behind?
The challenge is log rolling, as in standing on a floating log with another contestant and trying to knock each other off by rolling it with their feet. Who saw this coming --- Physics teacher Bob won a log rolling contest in college. However, it's not enough to get him immunity. It all comes down to Ace and Marcus and Marcus wins, leading Ace to ask Sugar for her idol.
At Fang's Tribal Council, Matty attacks Crystal for spilling the rice. Ace and Crystal go at it over this incident and Crystal shouts that she resents her tribe members for not saving any rice for her to eat (even though she repeatedly refused it, remember). In the end, Sugar decided to keep the idol for herself and faux-Brit Ace gets the boot. (Anyone else notice how his accent has disappeared?)
survivor ace
Ace, the Tribe has spoken
Before Kota's Tribal Council, Dan starts really losing it, hedging himself into the conversation with the original Kota members about who they're getting rid of. Randy gets himself in as a replacement for Bob in their Final 4 and Suzy tells Corinne she'd vote for her. Corinne tells the others she hates Suzy and wants her gone. Things weren't looking too well for Suzy, however, it was worse for Dan and he was the one sent packing.
survivor dan
Hey Dan, now you can go home to your girlfriend!

Up next week: Randy apparently goes nuts, announcing that he's the King of Gabon!

Have a great weekend!

Labels:

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Congrats Phillies! Was there anything else on TV last night?

world series Pictures, Images and Photos
Yay!!! Phinally!! It's over and the Phillies won the World Series!!! Thus ending any prime time network programming for the rest of the night. Even I, who I don't consider a big baseball fan, watched last night! Hell, there were fireworks going off in my neighborhood as soon as the final out was made!
And then, who could go to sleep ... everyone here and I'm sure wherever you are in the Philadelphia area, is totally sleep deprived this morning. Not like we haven't been ever since the start of the World Series ... maybe now, or at least after tomorrow's parade, we can all get back to our regular sleep schedules. (How many of you are planning on calling in sick tomorrow?)
Anyway, it's great to see a sporting world title come our way again! Congrats to all!

Elsewhere on TV last night, the only thing I caught was the repeat of South Park's Pandemic 2 - Startled at midnight. It was pretty funny, better than last week's Part 1. It was a continuation of the Peruvian Flute Band storyline, which ended last week with a very Cloverfield-like monster attack on the small town of South Park.
Randy Marsh caught all the action on his held-hand camera, which turned out to be giant guinea pigs. A rather good effect, the producers cut in live action of guinea pigs into South Park's signature cut-out animation style.
Anyway, this week's episode was hilarious in showing just how many Halloween-style costumes are available for guinea pigs. Wish I could have found a photo to show you, but take my word for it, you haven't laughed till you've seen a Guineasaurus Rex!
Luckily, the episode reruns tonight at 10 p.m. For info or to watch online visit http://www.southparkstudios.com/

OK, on to tonight's lineup - and it starts with another intriguing episode of Survivor: Gabon on CBS at 8 p.m. Remember tonight each tribe will be voting off a castaway ... will it be Ace's turn to leave? Or perhaps they will finally flush out Sugar's immunity idol.
For info visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/


At 9 p.m. the Winchester bros will be hunting more demons on the CW's Supernatural, just in time for Halloween. While celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay will be scaring another restaurant crew on Fox's Kitchen Nightmares. Another murder, another case for CSI on CBS. And over at Seattle Grace on ABC, the sexy doctors of Grey's Anatomy will be hemming and hawing over who to sleep with as usual.


Of course, all bets are off at 10 p.m. when VH1 presents episode 2 of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Entertainment Tonight already showed a preview clip and it looks like Gary Busey's had it with his rehab trip. Looks like a bit of a meltdown is coming ...For info visit http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/Celebrity_rehab_2_with_dr_drew/series.jhtml?source=globalnav

constantine Pictures, Images and Photos

Constantine
Halloween Horror Watch: With Mischief Night looming, there's plenty on TV tonight to satisfy your urge to be scared starting with Constantine at 8 p.m. on AMC. A cop (Rachel Weisz) tangles with demons and angels when she probes her twin's death with a man (Keanu Reeves) who has literally been to Hell and back. A stylized supernatural thriller with great graphics.


Encore presents Tales from the Crypt presents Demon Knight also at 8 p.m. This horror flick turned out better than it should have with great performances by Titanic's Billy Zane and the early work of Jada Pinkett-Smith. If you can get it, this flick is definitely a trick and a treat!


And the Sci-Fi channel presents a mini-thon of its new show Real Exorcist from 8-11 p.m. This show features, just as the title suggests, "real" exorcisms of "real" people. I haven't seen it before, but who knows, it could be fun.


Coming tomorrow: Survivor Recap, of course, and a list of my all-time favorite horror films!

Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Game 5, again, Dancing with the Stars results, Halloween Horror Watch

The Reign Delay continues ... but, with any hope, it'll be over tonight! World Series Game 5 is set to resume on Fox around 8:37 p.m., starting in the bottom of the sixth with the Phillies at bat, score 2-2. Let's end this thing!!!

Cloris Leachman Pictures, Images and Photos
Cloris with partner Corky Ballas
In other news, fan fave Cloris Leachman was the unlucky contestant on Dancing with the Stars last night. Well, I guess she wasn't fan favorite afterall, not getting enoug votes to keep her there. Cloris added some much needed comedy to the show and will be missed. But don't cry for her just yet.

It seems that prior to her Dancing gig, old pal Mel Brooks thought that at 81, Cloris was too old to reprise her role in the Broadway production of his Young Frankenstein. The NY Post is reporting today that Brooks has since changed his mind after watching the octagenarian shuffle on the dance floor and thinks she may just still have the stamina for the production. For now, Cloris is fielding many offers, including one from director Quentin Tarantino for a part in Inglorious Bastards, and will hold court as Grand Marshall of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year's Day.
Pro-dancer Julianne Hough, who I blogged yesterday was havig her appendix removed, has come clean on her real condition - endometriosis, with a ruptured cyst on her ovary. According to her personal blog, her appendix is still being removed.
Julianne Hough Pictures, Images and Photos
"They want to clean out the cysts and take out my appendix, too, because later on it can be affected by the cysts. They're doin it laproscopically through my belly button so I won't have a scar. They say it's three of four days of recovery. I'm thinking more like a week."

Wishing a speedy recovery to her. In the meantime her partner, the oh-so-cute Cody Linley will dance with Edyta Sliwinska.

Celebrities remaining in competition include Brooke Burke, Lance Bass, Warren Sapp, Maurice Greene and Susan Lucci.

For more Dancing with the Stars info visit http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pn=index

south park Pictures, Images and Photos
Other than the big game tonight, Comedy Central will present another new episode of South Park at 10 p.m. In Pandemic 2 - The Startling, the boys are lost in the Andes Mountains where they discover the startling secret behind the attack of the giant guinea pigs. They now have the power to rescue their town and the rest of the world from the onslaught, btu the head of Homeland Security stands firmly in their way.

Meanwhile, Randy bravely documents the destruction (a la Cloverfield) while trying to save his family! For more info visit http://www.southparkstudios.com/


If you were lucky enough to make it thru the season finale of Greek last night over on ABC Family, you got to see two sort of new scenes from the upcoming vampire flick Twilight. The first one aired around 8:35 and featured the cafeteria scene with the apple-catch, an homage to the book's cover, and the "theories" exchange between Edward and Bella.
Twilight Pictures, Images and Photos
The second was the same clip that aired during last week's Scream Awards on Spike. It was yet another rehash of the ballet studio/vampire fight scene between Edward, Bella and James that serves as the film's climax. The clips can be viewed here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMjyytZzT44 and here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2Te_5iQdow

Enjoy!


Halloween Horror Watch: It's all on AMC tonight, starting at 6 pm with Jeepers Creepers. I've menioned this flick before. It's a pretty good horror flick, with the Creeper being sufficiently creepy.

At 8 pm it's back to Camp Crystal Lake for Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. I'm not sure exactly which one this is, seeing how they all look alike. But you can expect more of the same.

At 10 pm the 2003 remake of Willard airs. Starring Crispen Glover as an outsider who befriends a huge pack of rats that do his evil bidding, it features a lot of CG (computer-generated) rats, that unfortunately, don't look to real. For a real fright, make it a point to watch the original from 1971. Now that was creepy!

willard and k.brandt Pictures, Images and Photos

Willard now, and then

And ending up the evening at midnight is another showing of Stephen King's demon car classic Christine. For info on AMC's horrorfest lineup visit ...


Blast From The Past: Remember when you "wanted your MTV" and got it with lots of music videos? Well, the world's premiere "music" channel has launched a new website that promises to host the biggest collection of music videos in one place on the 'net.Although it's still in the testing stage, you can visit
www.mtvmusic.com and check it out.

Labels: , , , , , ,

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

World Series blues, Twilight news

OK, enough with the World Series already!!! Game 5 ended abruptly last night when MLB decided the rain and wind was effecting the play too much ... so here we go again. It's still iffy if it will be resumed tonight and judging by the way its pouring right now (about 10:30 a.m.), with no hope of letting up anytime soon, I doubt it.
Anyway, the Phillies are starting to take their toll on my coworkers. Everybody's a little bleary-eyed this morning, even though the game was called early enough. Someone yawned a bit ago and muttered "Damn Phillies" ... I mean, we're soooo close. Maybe it'll all be over tonight and, after celebrating, we can all get back to our boring sleep schedules.
In the event that tonight's game is postponed, Fox is offering up a repeat of Fringe (it's the creepy speedy baby-delivery one) at 9 p.m. However, House (at 8 p.m.) is still supposed to be a new episode. Check The Mercury's home page, http://www.pottsmerc.com/, after 4 p.m. to see if the big game is back on!
it's the great pumpkin charlie brown Pictures, Images and Photos
Over on ABC, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown celebrates Halloween at 8 p.m., following by the Dancing with the Stars results show at 9 p.m. Don't look for pro-dance sweetie Julianne Hough tonight. She's currently having her appendix removed. Her partner, Cody Linley, will dance with another pro from the show until Hough is well enough to return - probably next week.

Those filthy rich "ladies" will be stirring up more trouble at 10 p.m. on Bravo's Real Housewives of Atlanta.

bella and edward
Twilight's Edward & Bella/ABC Family tonight
However, game or no game, I'll be firmly planted in front of the tube at 9 p.m. tonight for the finale of ABC Family's Greek. No, I've never before seen an episode, but tonight's finale will feature 2, yes 2, special sneak peaks of never-before-seen-footage from the upcoming vampire flick Twilight! And you all know how much I'm anticipating this one ...
The clips will be personally introduced by the film's stars, yes, girls, you know who I mean - Kristen Stewart (Bella) and the oh-so-hot Robert Pattinson (Edward)! Don't miss your chance to get bitten ...

Halloween Horror Watch: The Sci-Fi Channel offers up a modern classic in Freddy vs. Jason at 7 p.m. This flick is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it's still awesome to actually see two horror superstars mixing it up against each other - Freddy, as in Nightmare on Elm Street's child molesting Krueger, and Jason, as in the-Pride-of-Camp-Crystal-Lake-Voorhees. I must admit, Jason's the reason I never go camping ...

Freddy and Jason Pictures, Images and Photos

Jason and Freddy duke it out

And speaking of Freddy, his real life creator Robert Englund has a new one out on DVD today. Costarring sexy Jenna Jameson, Zombie Strippers revolves around a secret government re-animation chemo-virus which gets released in a - wait for it - strip club! How original (can you believe this flick was made by Sony?)! You can see the trailer here http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/zombiestrippers/

zombie strippers Pictures, Images and Photos

Also bowing on DVD today is Brendan Fraser in the remake of Jules Verne's classic Journey to the Center of the Earth. The story centers on a science professor whose radical theories have completeloy tarnished his reputation. While backpacking across Iceland with his nephew Sean, the two explorers find a cave that leads them deep down into the bowels of the planet ... watch the trailer here http://www.journey3dmovie.com/


Hey, speaking of movies involving caves ... another Halloween fave of mine is the recent horror flick The Descent. It's one of those, I-was-so-scared-I-almost-crapped-my-pants movies! Sure, the creatures encountered in the deep caverns are horrible, but the worst for me was when Sarah becomes stuck in that long narrow shaft and starts to panic - never considered myself claustrophobic before, but that did it for me. View the trailer here http://www.thedescentfilm.com/
guess the movie Pictures, Images and Photos
Descent Creature

TV News: Sunday's season finale of Mad Men (I'm halfway thru it) garnered 1.7 million viewers. That's up 30 percent from last week's 1.4 million. Still not stellar numbers and the show still hasn't been renewed for Season 3.


And finally, say good-bye to CBS' The Ex List. The hour-long comedy about a woman searching for true love among her ex-boyfriends has been pulled from the network lineup. After only four episodes, the show had slumped to only 5.5 million viewers.
carlisle and esme cullen Pictures, Images and Photos
Dr. Carlisle & Esme Cullen
Don't feel too bad for star Elizabeth Reeser, though. She'll next been seen on the big screen as Esme, the matriarch of the vampire Cullen family in Twilight. After that, there's at least 2 more vamp sequels in the works. It all depends on the box office, and judging by all the chat on the Internet, this flick's gonna be huge!
View the latest Twilight trailer here http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

Labels: , , , , , ,

Monday, October 27, 2008

Weekend Wrap

2008 World Series Pictures, Images and Photos
Well there's no mistaking that tonight's all about The Phillies and Game 5 of the World Series. This could be it folks, so I'm not going to go into whatever else may be on TV, will any of you be watching anything else?

Hope you all had a great weekend, here's a few of my highlights:
Jense Ackles 07 Pictures, Images and Photos
I'm still catching up on things I taped last week, but my fave so far was Thursday's episode of Supernatural. The Winchester boys battled a ghost demon that had infected Dean and was threatening to scare him to death if they couldn't find a way to destroy it. Of course, they did and the bros will get to kill more demons in future episodes. However, what made this ep great was a short clip at the end of Jensen Ackles (Dean) lip-synching Survivor's Eye of the Tiger ... watch it here and enjoy http://www.movieweb.com/video/V08JQZ3x2ozAt5

On Friday night, AMC hosted a 30th Anniversary Special airing of John Carpenter's classic Halloween. Wow, where did the time go?Anyway, helping Michael Myers scare the bejesus out of you was original cast member PJ Soles (Linda), who gave up some trivia tidbits along with horror meister Rob Zombie. Zombie as you might remember, directed a "new" version of Halloween last year. Not as good as the original, but a gem nonetheless. It's available on DVD.

jon hamm Pictures, Images and Photos
Jon Hamm/Don Draper
I watched Saturday Night Live this weekend, mostly because the handsome Jon Hamm was the guest host. Hamm was there to promote the season finale of AMC's Mad Men, which aired last night (taped it, didn't watch it yet, but I heard it was awesome!).
Anyway, the show actually had some pretty funny moments, which, of course, included a send-up of Mad Men. Stopping by to help out were the real Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss) and Roger Sterling (John Slattery). I especially appreciated Don Draper's Guide to Picking Up Women. Both can be seen here http://www.hulu.com/watch/40973/saturday-night-live-a-holes-pitch-meeting

I saw Saw V this weekend too. As usual, it had me squirming in my seat (oh the torture scenes)! I can definitely recommend this flick to any fans of the Jigsaw franchise. While not as good as the first (none of them are), it was just as gripping as the other sequels, with more insight into our favorite puzzling killer (actually Jigsaw doesn't really "kill" anybody, they always have a choice). However, if you haven't seen any of the others, don't bother, it would be too confusing.
And in case you were wondering, Saw VI is definitely in the works. Over on VH1, there's another horrible reality show called Scream Queens and the prize has something to do with a part in Saw VI.

Last night on the Amazing Race, the contestants raced from New Zealand to Cambodia without too much fanfare. Bro/Sis Nick & Starr came in first at the Pit Stop and long distance dating couple Aja & Ty were the unlucky last place finishers. The only real interesting thing that happened was that Terence & Sarah were pulled over for speeding to the airport. Terence got a ticket, and we were told by Phil at the end of the show that it will cost them a 30-minute penalty at the start of the next leg.
Amazing Race Aja Ty
Bye-Bye Aja & Ty
Next week's show, however, looks pretty good. Starr and Dallas get close, while Ken finally loses it on Tina! For info or to watch visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/

Over on HBO the vampires of Bon Temps were back to business as usual. When we last left True Blood, town vigilantes burned down the home of some of Bill's vampire pals, and Sookie assumed Bill was with them. Turns out Bill was just sleeping in the dirt and emerged in the middle of the night, naked, to re-connect with Sookie again ... Sookie's crazy bro Jason is hooked up with some mystery chick who indulges in his passion for V (vampire blood, which provides some kind of halucinogenic effect on humans).
Eric Northman Pictures, Images and Photos
Vamp Sheriff Eric
Luckily for me, the episode ended up at Fangtasia with Eric, who Bill tells us is the Sheriff of the vampire ward, using Sookie's mind-reading powers to help find who's been stealing from the vamps. Can't wait till next week.
http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/

And on Wisteria Lane, the Desperate Housewives gave us a little insight into what has been going on for the past five years (this season jumped ahead five years for the viewers). The best one, I have to say, is Gabby's story! It was hilarious, I love the way she shoves Carlos around. We didn't really find out too much, I guess it's way to early in the season for that!For info or to watch visit http://abc.go.com/primetime/desperate/index?pn=index

TV News: The NY Post today confirms that Bravo is indeed working on its own Project Runway copycat. Speculation started last week after an ad popped up on craigslist looking for fashion designer contestants. The show is tentatively titled Fashion House and is still in the working stages.
In the meantime, www.nypost.com also reports that the original Project Runway just wrapped preliminary competition in Los Angeles. The finalists have been sent home to create their collections to be filmed during Fashion Week at Bryant Park in February.
However, there have been some changes ... apparently show judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia are hardly in the show. More time has been devoted to guest judges as Rebecca Romijn, Eva Longoria and Lindsay Lohan. Also, fabric store Mood has been replaced. It seems that the LA store was too far from the shooting sites, so producers put a fake Mood storefront on another fabric store and shot there instead.
Before you get all bent out of shape, keep this in mind, with the current court order stopping the sale of Project Runway to Lifetime, who knows if we'll ever see this season?

Labels: , , , , , , ,

Friday, October 24, 2008

Survivor & Celeb Rehab recaps, Weekend Watch

OK, the Phillies lost last night 4-2. They still have 5 chances to win, so take tonight off and relax!
And now, what you've really been waiting for, my Survivor Gabon Recap: Last night saw the sixth castaway voted off and what a whirlwind of wheeling and dealing that led up to it!

The show started off with the defeated Fang tribe returning from tribal council, and Ace contemplating who he's going to lure into an alliance.
The next morning, the Kota tribe spent their time worrying about how much food Dan is eating ... hey, how 'bout keeping Dan strong to win challenges? Kota's in far better shape with food than the poor saps at Fang, who are down to about six days worth of rice left.
survivor ace and matty
Ace & Matty conspire
In the meantime, Ace and Matty get together to talk strategy and decide to form an alliance to the Final Four, with Matty bring Ken along and Ace, Sugar. So Ace approaches Sugar and let's her know that he's pretty sure everyone knows she has the Immunity Idol. Sly Ace convinces her to give him the Idol for "safe keeping," so nobody else steals it. Stupidly, Sugar gives it to him, saying, "Ace is kind of a snake, but he's my snake, and I'm glad to have him."
On to the Reward Challenge, this time for an assortment of pastries, coffee and tea. The two tribes were charged with carrying a 200-lb. fake snake around a track, trying to catch the other tribe. First tribe to touch another tribe's member, wins reward. This was going to be good, remember Fang's Crystal is an Olympic medal winner in track!
survivor snake challenge
As the competition lumbers on, Ace and Matty tell Sugar and Ken to drop out since they are dragging everyone down. Kelly is the next to go and then, are you ready for this, Crystal drops out! Yes, the Olympic track medalist couldn't even finish the challenge! You've got to be kidding me!
All the while Kota is gaining on Fang, and Ace tells Matty that he cannot take all of the extra weight with only the two of them. Kota easily wins the challenge and the food, causing Crystal to break down in tears. "Whaa, whaa, whaa," Randy torments from the Kota tribe.
Kota chooses to send Sugar back to Exile Island again (no problem for her, she gets to eat all the fruit she wants while there).
Crystal becomes paranoid that everyone thinks she is weak for crying. Kota catches a turtle for dinner. And tribe members are tethered in twos for the Immunity Challenge, which is easily won by the well-fed Kota. Thereby sending Fang back to Tribal Council again.'
Now it really gets interesting. Ace wants to get rid of Kelly. Matty tells Ace its time to lose Sugar and flush out the Idol. Ace assures him the Idol won't be played (because Ace has it). Crystal wants Sugar to go as well, but Matty talks her out of it. Ken confronts Matty and tells him Ace is not trustworthy. Matty confesses his pact with Ace to Ken. Ken is freaking out and goes to Sugar for hope. Sugar tells Ken that she gave the Idol to Ace. Ken is floored and warns Sugar that Ace is a snake (who can't seem to keep his faux-Brit accent lately), and is convinced he is manipulating her to get what he (Ace) wants. After this, Sugar decides to get the idol back and tells Ace she took it back just in case she needs it and didn't want him to think someone else had taken it. Ace remains confident.
At Tribal Council, Crystal calls out both Ace and Kelly. Ace for working alone to assemble the flagpole at the Immunity Challenge. Kelly for saying Crystal's tears showed weakness. Kelly snaps at Ace for siding with Crystal, bringing him to yell at Kelly. Crystal votes for Kelly and gives "the finger" while casting her ballot. Kelly is voted out 5-1. Bye-Bye Kelly.Two castaways will be voted out next week. For info or to watch visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/
survivor kelly

Another great episode of Survivor, but that wasn't the best thing on last night. Over on VH1, Season 2 of Celebrity Rehab kicked off with a bang! Gary Busey arrived to "participate" and pass on his own rehab wisdom to the "patients." Little did Busey know that Dr. Drew had more plans for him. It seems that crazy Gary, who claims to be sober for 13 years, but still medicinally smokes pot, is actually a patient - who could've guessed that?
Gary Busey Pictures, Images and Photos
Crazy Gary
Even model/actress Amber Smith saw the writing on that wall -- "He's crazier than I am."
The episode centered around everyone's arrival at the Pasadena treatment center and their back stories. But perhaps the most disturbing of all (at least for me), was former Guns 'N Roses drummer Steven Adler, who had to be detoxed before even going to rehab. Adler was kicked out of GNR - I mean, really, how bad to you have to be to have the members of GNR throw you out? He sunk into drugs and alcohol and had a stroke - a stroke!! -- that left him in a coma for 5 days. His speech is greatly affected and it's just a sad, sad sight. But hopefully the show will do him some good.
STEVEN ADLER Pictures, Images and Photos
Adler, in his better days ...
And let's not even talk about police brutality victim Rodney King ... what a waste! Apparently that settlement he got from the LAPD didn't do any good for him at all. He spent it all on booze. He spends his days drunk and "working" with his childhood friends towing cars (and throwing up out of the tow-truck, that was a real treat, thanks VH1).
But at least by the end of the show Season 1 star Jeff Conaway had showed up to help everyone out - not! Conaway is no better off than before. It's really sad to see his back story, what a cutie he used to be. I think this show is a perfect way to teach your family NOT to do drugs - just look what it's done for these people.
My personal fave part was when Adler and Conaway were watching King play pool at the rehab. Conaway said something like "isn't that Rodney King from the police beating?" To which Adler replied, "No I think he's a basketball player." Hilarious!
Celebrity Rehab 2 will repeat most of this weekend on VH1 or you could just watch it here ...
http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/Celebrity_rehab_2_with_dr_drew/series.jhtml?source=globalnav


Weekend Watch: Nothing out of the norm for me this weekend, however I do plan to watch the new Hulk on DVD. Coworkers have raved about it. I'll be watching the usual - My Big Redneck Wedding on CMT, Graham Norton and Skins on BBC America, True Blood and Entourage on HBO and Dexter and Californication on Showtime (have 3 eps of Dexter to catch up on).
But being just two weeks before Halloween, networks are bringing out their best in horror. AMC treats us to the original Halloween at 8 p.m. tonight.
Saturday night Sci-Fi presents The Ferryman at 9 p.m. Saw this one earlier this year. Starts out great, but delves into familiar territory by the end.
Save yourselves for Sunday night, when ABC Family serves up Poltergeist at 9 p.m. (my all time fave ghost story). I can't promise it will still be as scary on the "family" channel, you might be better renting it on DVD.
And you can also venture out to play a game with Saw V at your local theater.

movie Pictures, Images and Photos
And if you're looking to rent, check out Feast! A little-known independent horror flick that hit DVD last year, this product from Bravo's Project Greenlight is a huge Halloween Treat! Before Project Runway, there was Project Greenlight. Produced by the Weinstein Co. and hosted by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, this reality show followed the production of an independent movie picked by the two actors.
Season 2 was all about Feast, a horror flick featuring performances by Henry Rollins, Silent Jay (Jason Mewes), Balthazar Getty and a brief appearance by McSteamy himself, Eric Dane.
The tag line on this flick reads "They're Hungry, You're Dinner." The plot revolves around a group of people trapped inside a seedy little desert bar, trying to survive while monsters pick them off one by one. Sounds familiar, but you haven't seen one done like this before. Among all the carnage is a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor and pop up editorials projecting each victims chances of surviving. And really, anything with Henry Rollins can't be bad right? Check out more here http://www.feast-movie.com/


Have a spooky weekend!

Labels: , ,

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Congrats to the Phillies on winning Game 1 of the World Series (3-2)! Game 2 bows tonight at 8 p.m. on Fox. 1 down, 3 to go, turned the blog red today in honor of ...
phillies Pictures, Images and Photos

OK everyone - it's Survivor Thursday!! Tonight, big surprise, another castaway gets voted out of the show ... but wait, CBS has been promoing all week that there could possibly be "the biggest blunder in Survivor history!"
C'mon, even bigger than ice cream-scooper Erik last season. Remember, Eric was duped into giving up the Immunity Idol to a female contestant (I don't remember her name), and then voted off at Tribal Council. Even James (previously dubbed the Dumbest Survivor for his past blunders) said, "Damn!"
Dumbest Survivor Ever Pictures, Images and Photos
James passing the hat to Erik
According to the preview, it looks like faux-Brit Ace may convince Sugar to give up her Immunity Idol, now that everyone knows she has it. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER, give up Immunity for any price!! Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Survivor airs at 8 p.m.
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/

Over on ABC at the same time, the tramptastic Lindsay Lohan makes her debut on Ugly Betty, a a former high school rival of Betty's. And according to the NY Post, Lohan was such a disaster while filming, that her six-episode arc has been cut short. Interesting ...

supernatural Pictures, Images and Photos
Hot Demon Fighters Sam & Dean
On the CW at 9 p.m. demon-fighting bros Sam and Dean (Supernatural) are on the chase after something that it frightening people to death.

high school musical 3 Pictures, Images and Photos
And, if you just can't wait for tomorrow and High School Musical 3: Senior Year, you can relive the summer in between on the Disney Channel at 8 p.m. with High School Musical 2. Those kids are just so cute ... http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/highschoolmusical3/

celebrity rehab Pictures, Images and Photos
Other than Survivor, the highlight of my evening has to be VH1's premiere episode of Celebrity Rehab 2 at 10 p.m. Yes, Dr. Drew's back with an almost all-new cast of "celebrity" junkies trying to get straight, or just jump start their failing careers with a stint on TV.
This season features model/actress Amber Smith (who?), former American Idol contestant Nicki McKibbin (I sort of remember her), Sean Stewart - son of Rod, Guns 'N Roses Steven Adler, ultimate '80 video vixen (Whitesnake's) Tawny Kitaen (and former OJ girlfriend), Rodney "Can't We All Just Get Along" King and, it-wouldn't-be-Celeb-Rehab-without-him, that good ole trainwreck Jeff Conaway!
Jeff Conaway Rehab Pictures, Images and Photos
Trainwreck Conaway!
Also on hand, just to "help" is recovering addict and nut-job Gary Busey, who claims to be all cleaned up - you be the judge. For more info visit
http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/Celebrity_rehab_2_with_dr_drew/series.jhtml?source=globalnav

Halloween Horror Watch: Tonight Philadelphia 17 offers up A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 at 8 p.m. Definitely the weakest in the franchise.

But the Sci-Fi channel must've been reading my blog and is airing Saw I and II back-to-back beginning at 6:30 p.m. tonight. If you haven't already, check it out. However I must warn you die-hard gore fans, most of the best scenes will be cut out. It's better to rent the DVD. I strongly urge anyone planning to see Saw V this weekend, to watch the others first. There's a lot of recurring characters, and it could be quite confusing. Enjoy! http://saw5.com/agegate.html

saw doll Pictures, Images and Photos
Just for fun - the evil puppet doll from Saw - almost as scary as the clown doll from Poltergeist!

Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

World Series, Stylista, The Strangers ...

Although I'm not a baseball fan, I can't let the fact slide (pun intended) that the World Series kicks off tonight on Fox at 8 p.m., featuring our very own Philadelphia Phillies! The Phils battle the Tampa Bay Rays on their home turf, Tropicana Field, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Go Team!!
world series Pictures, Images and Photos

Maybe I'll actually check a little of the game before heading over to the CW for the 9 p.m. premiere of the show that's supposed to fill the void left by Project Runway - Stylista. Although I wasn't initially planning on watching this reality contestant show, all I've read this morning are good reviews about it. The show revolves around Elle editor Anne Slowey and contestants vying for a spot as her assistant. Sound familiar (Devil Wears Prada)? I'm sure there will be plenty of nasty moments, probably more between the contestants, than with Slowey. Just enough to get us thru till Nov. 12 when Top Chef returns to Bravo ... For info visit http://www.cwtv.com/shows/stylista
PS - Elle is where my fave Project Runway nasty, Nina Garcia, used to be fashion director. Garcia now gives her wicked opinions over at Marie Claire and is styling her own show for Bravo set to air next spring.
stylista
Contestants and Slowey, Stylista

10 O'Clock Dilemma: Here we go again, 10 p.m. Wednesday is beginning to look like rush hour for me. On ABC, it's another dastardly episode of Dirty Sexy Money, while over on NBC, the ladies of Lipstick Jungle will be tackling all things business.
My first choice is definitely another all new episode of South Park on Comedy Central. Tonight, while the world struggles to contain the latest global epidemic, the boys find a way to make money from it in "Pandemic."
And thank God FX has the sense to re-air Sons of Anarchy immediately following its all new debut (10 p.m.) at 11 p.m. At least I get one break.

george lucas
George Lucas, Ruler of the Universe!
Last night's Scream Awards provided lots of entertainment for your buck. Unlike the long and drawn out Oscars, Grammys and Emmys, this show packed celebrities, sketches, premiere clips and fun into only two short hours!Topping it off at the end was a special Comic Con Achievement Award presented to none other than George Lucas himself.
The 501 Stormtrooper Brigade was in full empire mode as they made their way thru the audience to the stage, flanking on both sides, prior to Lucas' entrance. Handed the award by presenter and huge Star Wars fan, Samuel L. Jackson, Lucas raised it in the air and said, "At last the universe is mine!"
Director Tim Burton was honored with a special award as well and descended from a hot air balloon over the audience to the stage. I'm sure Spike TV will air this show again this weekend. It's worth checking out if you can. Here's a link to a great LA Times blog entry regarding the show http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/10/scream-2008-awa.html
For the official site visit http://www.spike.com/network/spike

OK, so I did manage to watch The Strangers last night on DVD. Not impressed.
Sorry, it started out pretty good, and got spooky fast, but in the end, it was just another run-of-mill slasher flick. Run time is only 86 minutes, so at least it wasn't a colossal waste of time.
Just a few suggestions on DVD that took this same scenario and did it much better:
Wolf Creek - Australian film about friends driving cross-country who encounter the wrong guy. Best line, "Head on a stick!"
Them - French film (with subtitles) that had to be the catalyst for The Strangers, but it is done so much better.
High Tension - Another French film (you can deal with the subtitles for this one). Scared the crap out of me! Never saw the end coming ...
Calvaire - More French - poor guy breaks down on an old country road and is "saved" by a good samaritan whose not what he seems ... thinks the man he rescued is his wife who left him and tortures her for it.
Dog Soldiers - I give this flick my highest marks. British soldiers lost in the woods come across an abandoned farmhouse and decide to shack up for the night, only to find that the home's dwellers are not exactly human. I don't want to give it away, but this film is at the top of my list for this particular monster genre.
Frailty - kind of a thinking man's horror film. Bill Paxton wrote and starred in this thriller, revolving around two brothers whose father thinks Angels are speaking to him, telling him to kill Demons ... only the Demons are real people. There's also an awesome twist at the end! A definite fave.
And the scariest film known to "man"kind - Deliverance. Not exactly your traditional horror, but chilling nonetheless ...
And of course, this list wouldn't be complete without my all-time scariest horror movie - the original 1973 Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This film totally disturbed me, how about you?
For more info on these films visit www.imdb.com

Saw V Pictures, Images and Photos
I think I'll spend the rest of the week rewatching the Saw saga - only two more days till Saw V! If you're a horror fan and have never watched Saw, do yourself a favor and rent it. The first Saw flick is brilliant on a level with the Morgan Freeman-Brad Pitt thriller Seven.
Yes, Saw did delve into sequel Hell, but I must admit, I've enjoyed them all - though not as much as the first. I'll be checking out the new one this weekend - Saw on the big screen is a must in my book!

BTW - Toni Braxton was the unlucky contestant on Dancing with the Stars last night. Bye-Bye Toni.

Labels: , , , , ,

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Scream Awards 2008

Spike TV Scream Awards Pictures, Images and Photos

Being October and this close to Halloween, it's only appropriate that Spike TV is honoring the best in horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres tonight at 9 p.m. with the Scream Awards 2008.
Nominees were chosen by storytellers including Wes Craven, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Frank Miller, Eli Roth, Guillermo Del Toro, Heroes creator Tim Kring and vampire novelist Stephenie Meyer (Twilight).
Leading the pack, by no surprise, is The Dark Knight with 21 nominations. Iron Man, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Cloverfield, The Incredible Hulk and Wanted also garnered multiple noms. Fans voted online to determine the winners.
the dark knight! Pictures, Images and Photos
Some of the oddball categories include "Holy S-t Scene of the Year" and "Most Memorable Mulitlation." Spotted on the red carpet were attendees Liv Tyler, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Billy Corgan, Wes Craven, Stan Lee and Ron Perlman, to name a few.
Presented from the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, this 2-hour shockstravaganza will also feature the requisite never-before-seen clips from upcoming genre films Watchmen, Friday The 13th, and, the reason I'll be watching, Twilight.
For more info visit http://www.spike.com/event/scream

Over on ABC tonight, we get an extra hour (just what we need) of Dancing With the Stars. The recap show takes over the 8 p.m. time slot, followed by the results show at 9 p.m. For those of you who can't get enough ... http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pn=index

And at 10 p.m. Eli Stone gets enticed by a sexy singing visit from Mrs. Cruise herself, Katie Holmes. I hope she checked with the Scientologists to get permission before her sizzling performance! What would Suri say?
katie holmes eli Pictures, Images and Photos

Fox presents another new and confusing episode of Fringe at 9 p.m. I totally missed last week's and haven't had a chance to look it up online yet. Here we go, it's only October and I'm already way behind ... http://www.fox.com/fringe/

Real Wives of Atlanta
Atlanta's Wives
And in case you wanted to catch up ... Bravo is delivering all 3 episodes of the Real Housewives of Atlanta beginning at 8 p.m. tonight. The new ep bows at 10 p.m. and is titled "Who's Your Poppa?" Perhaps a reference to self-proclaimed black-girl-in-a-white-girl's-body Kim's benefactor Big Poppa, who so far refuses to appear on air. Afterall, she just spent $18,000 of his hard-earned cash on her daughter's birthday party last week (that ep airs at 9 p.m.). Visit http://www.bravotv.com/Real_Housewives_Of_Atlanta/season/1/index.php

Finally, if you could just kick yourself for missing the premiere of NBC's Crusoe last Friday night, you get a reprieve ... it re-airs at 11 p.m. on USA.

good movie Pictures, Images and Photos
The Strangers
Halloween Horror Watch: Hopefully before the Scream Awards I'll get a chance to indulge my horror vice. I'm expecting The Strangers (out on DVD today) to be waiting in my mailbox when I get home tonight (love ya Netflix). I meant to see this one in the theaters, but you know, sometimes life gets in the way.
It features Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as a couple pondering their relationship while visiting an isolated vacation home. Overnight, they are terrorized by three "strangers."
Horror flicks like this are always my faves! There's nothing worse than being out in the middle of nowhere (a la Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and having some freaks show up on your doorstep! I'll let you know if this one makes the cut (pun intended) ...But in case you can't wait till tomorrow, follow this link to the trailer http://www.thestrangers.net/

Labels: , , , , ,