The Next Food Network Star 07; Hell's Kitchen 07; So You Think You Can Dance?

The winner of The Next Food Network Star should be announced by the time of this writing. We'll review this year's series with pics, videos and commentary.

Also, Hell's Kitchen continues and we'll see how the ever-cussing Chef Ramsey is doing with this competition.

Finally, Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" continues on and we have pics and video you'll find nowhere else on the Internet.

Pic of the Day

---

Quote of the Day Classic Quotes by Ruth Benedict (1887-1948) U.S. anthropologist I long to speak out the intense inspiration that comes to me from the lives of strong women. --------------- No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking. ---------------

Web Site Worth the Visit SLEEP QUIZ You might think that sleeping should be a natural thing. Think again. ABOVE WEB SITE HERE

TIDBITS RANDOM TIDBITS on Personal Debt Average household or individual debt (or both) is about $9,300 per household holding at least one credit card. *** The total consumer debt, including home mortgages, exceeds the cumulative U.S. national debt. *** Five billion credit card solicitations are mailed each year nationwide. *** Pay as much as you can... On average, consumers pay to credit card companies about 6 percent of all outstanding balances each month. This includes those who pay off all cards in full each month, as well as those who carry balances forward. *** Total credit card debt in the United States has reached about $665 billion on bank credit cards and about $105 billion on store or gas credit cards. According to the Fed's G19 release, the total is roughly $800 billion. *** Credit Card Fraud Ways to reduce the possibility that you will become a victim include: * Making sure that you're shredding any documents which have your date of birth, social security number, and/or any account number, including your checking or savings account, on them. * Don't keep this information in your wallet, and try to only carry the credit card(s) you plan to use that day. * Make copies of your cards - front and back - and keep them in a safe place with your other important papers so that you have the account numbers and telephone numbers handy should your wallet be stolen. * Consider opting out of pre-approved credit card offers.

 


Big Surprise on The Next Food Network Star 2007



The above pics are from the challenge engaged in by the top three contenders for The Next Food Network Star 2007, a challenge aired on Food Network's Rachel Ray's show. The mood was happy and light at that time. Each contender was charged with preparing a meal and an accompanying presentation and to do so within a five minute period. All finalists, which at that time included Rory, Amy and JAG, did a great job.

Before this Rachel Ray challenge, the final three contenders also met with Food Network's PR people and participated in an XM Satellite radio program called the Ron and Fez show.

The selection committee did have their usual critiques but the complaints and brickbats were minimal. One contender would be sent home, the final three contenders were told, and this tidbit shocked me.

For I thought, erroneously I must suppose, that the evening of 7/15/07 when all of this was taking place, that the winner of The Next Food Network Star would be announced. Rachel Ray did announce during her show that the winner would be announced on the night of 7/22/07, which would be this coming Sunday as of this writing. But I still thought I was hearing things.

So the drama ensued as the selection committee told the three finalists how difficult their decision was and, of course, there had to be a commercial inserted before one was sent home. Upon return to the show, it was announced that Amy would be going home.

I was very surprised as I didn't think JAG would even make it as far as he did and surely I didn't expect that the fellow would be in the top two, maybe even win.

Then the big surprise. For JAG, as it turned out, was a bit of a liar.



Indeed he lied about having attended culinary school and he lied about having served in Afghanistan. My question now is....DIDM'T ANYONE AT FOOD NETWORK CHECK JAG'S CULINARY SCHOOL CLAIMS? I can understand not checking the Afghanistan story but claims of culinary school graduation are directly germane to this contest. Just damn, I could say I graduated from cooking school if no one's going to check it out!

Below is a video of Jag's confession:


So okay, Amy was brought back in and now the top two remaining candidates for The Next Food Network Star 2007 are Amy and Rory. I should think that both Amy and former contender Paul would be angry and Amy is at a great disadvantage. For the winner of this contest will be determined by the viewing audience. I must wonder how the audience's vote will be affected by the events caused by JAG's lies. First, Amy was ELIMINATED. Sure she was called back. But the burden of being eliminated hangs over Amy's head. The viewing audience knows that Amy was deemed not on the level of not only her main opponent now-Rory, but Amy wasn't even considered as good as the lying JAG.

And how about the cutely photogenic Paul? Who knows how he would have fared had JAG not been in the final four contenders?

I've enjoyed this series as I always do, but this thing with JAG certainly casts a pall over whatever the results may be.

Remaining Contenders in Food Network's Next Star 2007 as of this date:

Amy
Rory

My money's on Rory to win.

Links to prior reviews of the Next Food Network Star 2007:
-Food Network Star's web site
-6/3/07-The 2007 Search for the Next Food Network Star Begins
-The Cover of Bon Appetit
-Feeding the NJ Nets Fans
-The Fried Meatloaf Caper
-If You Hate It, Cook It
-Down to the Top Three
JAG's Lies


Hell's Kitchen 2007 Continues to Get More Absurd



I think it was the paintball segment that caused my eyes to glaze. Yes I've enjoyed this series somewhat although by me they could eliminate all the cussing, which adds nothing to the show, and try to tone down the dizzying camera work.

But the paintball episode was just so dumb I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming that producers of a hit cooking reality series would think a paintball segment would add anything to the show.

First, my guess is that mostly women watch this show and women don't normally like such as paintball. But beyond that, paintball?

I continued to watch this episode which aired on 7/16/07 and there were given two fairly reasonable challenges to the remaining six contenders for Hell's Kitchen 2007 to determine who would win a restaurant and become head chef. One challenge was to create a meal from leftovers. The other challenge was to serve a complete menu to the customers of Hell's Kitchen, a menu compiled by the male and the female team.

Now comes one of the many mixed messages of this night. For Julia was mocked for her creation of what Chef Ramsey called "Fish and Chips". Later, Julia came up with a menu item of NY Strip steak and Chef Ramsey praised this rather simple entree all over creation. As a viewer I wanted to smack Chef Ramsey and tell him to make up my mind.



More confusion and stupidity ensued. One of the girls ordered fish of some sort and all they got was a big box of fish skeletons. Bonnie was chastised for not checking the order but damn, I'd sure think a restaurant supplier should know a fish skeleton from a fish filet. I suppose this bit was supposed to be funny but it wasn't.

Later, during the cooking for Hell's Kitchen segment, Chef Ramsey got all upset because the girls weren't talking to each other.

First, no man would ever notice such a thing I'm just sorry. Second, for sure when Ramsey mentioned their lack of communication those girls would have immediately started talking with no stop. They do everything else Chef Ramsey says so why would those girls continue their silent treatment even with the angry chef from Hell yelling at them?

Finally, below a video segment of Chef Ramsey's outrageous chastisement of contender Josh.

I mean I'll give a thousand bucks for every normal person who would claim that this behavior by Chef Ramsey will somehow bring out the best in a person.

This show is just a bit too scripted and dramatized to make it even classifiable as a reality show. Sure, Food Network likely adds some dramatic flair to its reality series, I'm sure they all do. But Hell's Kitchen is almost a caricature of a cooking reality show.

Not that there's anything wrong with this.

But be a bit honest with the viewers, huh. We're not as stupid as you think.

Remaining Contenders for Hell's Kitchen 2007 as of this writing:
Bonnie
Rock
Josh
Jen
Julia

I see Julia as winning this thing.

Links to prior reviews of Hell's Kitchen 2007:
Web site for Hell's Kitchen
Amidst Much Cussing, on 6/4/07 the 2007 Hell's Kitchen Competition Begins
-The Girls Win Everything Including Fileting the Fish
-The Spaghetti Caper
-The Taste Test
-The Saga of the Wedding and the Duck
-Lobsters
Paintball Anyone?

"So You Think You Can Dance" Plows Down to 12 Finalists

Fox claims this reality series is the most watched show of the summer.

Which is likely true as they do keep coming back and the eliminations are slow and steady . If a reality show is a dud the producers tend to speed things up via elimination rounds to get the failure over with.

I enjoy this series as I do like watching these fine young dancers. Sure I'm a limited audience for my husband's idea of torture would be forcing him to watch any dancing show.

Soon the dancers will be down to the top ten and I expect the viewership will heat up.

Below a montage of pics of the dancers.







Eliminated on the night of 7/12/07 were Shauna and Cedric. I have no predictions yet for potential winners of this thing.

A few video segments of the show below.




So the top 12 of the 2007 series of "So You Think You Can Dance" are, as of this writing:

Lauren
Neil
Pasha
Sara
Jaimie
Hok
Anya
Danny
Kameron
Lacey
Sabra
Dominic

Links to prior reviews of So You Think Can Dance 2007:
-The Top 20 for 2007
-Down to Eight
-Jessi Gets Sick and Is Sent Home
Six Couples Left

More TV Reviews HERE
===============



Add POST to Technorati Favorites
=======================

Editorial-Why McCain is REALLY a Dead Contender; a Delaware Politico Chooses Self? Or Conservatives? Self Wins.

TRUE CRIME-Reporter Interviews Stebic Husband in Her Bikini; The Pizza Bomber Killed Himself

Old cases, both solved and unsolved, keep cropping up in this True Crime post.
The Stebic case intrigues in that a reporter was caught prancing around the Stebic house in a bikini while that poor woman is still missing.
And while Mr. Stebic likely enjoyed his bikini-clad reporter friend, he's now been named a "person of interest". Duh.

Phil Spector continues his idiotic trial until everyone tires of him and throws his butt in the slammer.

New this week, a little girl murdered by an illegal immigrant. Why wasn't he deported after his FIRST sex crime?

That pizza bomber story, covered extensively on this Blog, has allegedly been solved. We've got lots on this case including video of Brian Wells' goofy brother.
Relatives ALWAYS swear their loved one didn't do it. Almost always, their loved one DID do it.

Heh.

Finally, some info on embroyo ownership and some funny quotes from actual court cases.

Pic of the Day

---

Quote of the Day "No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one." --Elbert Hubbard ******* "I was getting this bikini wax, and [the waxer] looks at me, and she says, 'This is a lovely area.' And I have to admit I was really taken aback...And then she said, 'Yes, the trees, the houses, the weather.' She was talking about Beverly Hills." - Julia Louis-Dreyfus *******

Web Site Worth the Visit Strange and Unusual Buildings There are many unusual and unique buildings on the planet. Here they are all compiled on one site. With lots of pics! ABOVE WEB SITE HERE

TIDBITS True or False Can you guess which of the following are true and which are false? 1. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning. 2. Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button. 3. A pack-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 years. 4. People do not get sick from cold weather; it's from being indoors a lot more. 5. When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart! 6. Only 7 per cent of the population are lefties. 7. Forty people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute. 8. Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until they are 2-6 years old. 9. The average person over 50 will have spent 5 years waiting in lines. 10. The toothbrush was invented in 1498. 11. The average housefly lives for one month. 12. 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year. 13. A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened. 14. The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute. 15. Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than any other time of day. 16. Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep. 17. The REAL reason ostriches stick their head in the sand is to search for water. 18. The only two animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot. 19. John Travolta turned down the starring roles in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Tootsie." 20. Michael Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina State anthem. 21. In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used in place of the milk. 22. Prince Charles and Prince William NEVER travel on the same airplane, just in case there is a crash. 23. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in 1903 used a tomato can for a carburetor. 24. Most hospitals make money by selling the umbilical cords cut from women who give birth. They are used in vein transplant surgery. 25. Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. They were 7th cousins. 26. If coloring weren't added to Coca-Cola, it would be green. Answers below... They are all TRUE.... Now go back and think about #16!!!

 


Zina Linnik-A Parent's Worst Nightmare

In 1990, Terapon Adhahn was found guilty of raping a 16 year old relative. He pleaded down to a lesser charge of incest and walked free punished only by a demand to attend many months of sexual deviancy counseling. The lovely Mr. Adhahn was in this country illegally.

Zina Linnik was at her home celebrating the Fourth of July with her family. Mr. Adhahn snatched Zina against her will while she screamed for help. Zina's father saw the van that took his daughter. Shortly after, investigators found Adhahn and got a search warrant for his home. Little girl's underwear was found and evidently Adhahn led investigators to Linnik's body.

From KIROTV.com:

TACOMA, Wash. -- Police on Friday named the suspect in the abduction and slaying of a 12-year-old Tacoma girl and said the 42-year-old man is being investigated in connection with other crimes -- locally and in other parts of the country.

Police Chief Don Ramsdell told reporters that Tacoma police "will continue to be diligent to bring the suspect, Terapon Adhahn, to justice" in the slaying of Zina Linnik, who was kidnapped from an alley near her home on July 4.

SO WHY WASN'T THIS FELLOW DEPORTED IN 1990?

That is the question being asked across these fruited plains so very recently after the American people collectively rose and told our congress critters that we want this immigration nonsense straightened out.

No wait. We don't EXPORT our child molesters, goodness. I almost forgot about John Mark Karr who was IMPORTED back into this country by the lies of John Ramsey who wanted to find somebody else to blame the death of his daughter Jonbenet. Patsy Ramsey killed Jonbenet but why let the truth get in the way?

The story of Zina Linnik illustrates just why the people in this country are so sick of this country's method of dealing with the many illegals in our midst. If nothing else we ask yon congress critters and law enforcement authorities, can't we deport the CRIMINALS here illegally?

Zina Linnik was a little girl who should be alive and happy today. Had this country been even slightly serious about dealing with our problems with illegal aliens, Zina WOULD be alive today.

This is what we were talking about yon congress critters. We can't even get child molesters deported if they're here illegally and yet we're supposed to let these blowhards keep passing bandaid laws that will keep them elected.

All the while innocent children meet horrific deaths.

National Guardsman Shoots Wife in Head

The news has been filled this past weekend with the story of Robin Munis who was shot in the head while she sang in a local country-western bar. It is believed the perpetrator was her estranged husband, David Munis, who is a trained sharpshooter.

From Gatewaynet.net:

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Police were searching Sunday for a National Guardsman with sniper training who they suspect shot his wife to death while she sang with a band in a restaurant and bar.

Robin Munis was shot in the head just after midnight Saturday as she sang with the classic rock and country group Ty and the Twisters. Customers of the Old Chicago ran - to a bathroom, a walk-in refrigerator and anywhere else they could find cover - as a black pickup truck drove slowly out of the parking lot, then sped away.

This crime has captivated the True Crime gurus as it is a compelling story. Robin and David have one child, a 5-year old son. Robin has three other children. David Munis is on the run and he has been trained to survive in the wilderness. By all witness accounts that I've heard, David had never shown any proclivity to domestic violence besides a series of harrassing phone calls to Robin.

Whatever the case, the more intriguing thing to come from this, and it's just starting, is the assertion by various pundits that it's THE ARMY'S FAULT!

Oh boy, yon readers, you can't make this stuff up.

Come on, the army took the very kind David Munis and turned him into a killing machine. Or so goes the logic of many TV wise people I've heard speak over the weekend. Before Munis was trained to kill he was a sweet man who wouldn't hurt a fly. Because of the military David Munis can now march the country murdering many citizens for no reason at all.

And if it isn't the military's fault David Munis killed his wife then it's definitely because of post-traumatic stress disorder caused by David's army experience.

It's not like David Munis took a gun and killed his wife with purpose and of his own accord. Sure he used the murdering method most known to him. This is what killers do. Chris Benoit killed his son with a choke-hold, the sort used by wrestlers all the time.

A murderer is a murderer and the ARMY did not make David Munis kill his wife any more than the World Wrestling Entertainment made Chris Benoit kill his wife.

Spector Attorney Testifies in His Trial

Henry Lee, that famed forensics "expert" who helped OJ Simpson go free, actually removed evidence from Phil Spector's home the morning of the investigation into the murder of Lana Clarkson, shot in the head in Spector's home.

Former Spector attorney Sara Caplan was forced to testify to witnessing this removal of evidence. Somebody needs to throw that Henry Lee joke into jail, how about that?

For the dishonest Henry Lee is scheduled to testify that Phil Spector was standing too far from his victim to have shot her. Lee's dishonesty of taking evidence will then be on the record that the jury might look skeptically on his testimony.

From the LAtimes:

A former attorney for Phil Spector avoided jail by testifying for the prosecution Thursday in the music producer's murder trial.

Sara Caplan repeated for the jury her account of watching forensics expert Henry Lee pick up a fingernail-sized object during an inspection of Spector's Alhambra home the night after actress Lana Clarkson's shooting death there.

Phil Spector has the most expensive and dishonest of legal help to get him out of this charge of murder.

Phil Spector is a celebrity. Let's hope that jury doesn't let him go as Hollywood juries tend to do for the celebrated.

Then again, hey, maybe Lana Clarkson DID commit suicide in Spector's home in mid of night. Women do this stuff all the time.

Disorder In The Court...

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
____________________________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
_____________________________________

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-one-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.
________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shitt'in me?
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh.... I was gett'in laid!
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Are you shitt'in me? Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Now whose death do you suppose terminated it?
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Guess.
_____________________________________

ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. Would you like to rephrase that?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? Whatschool did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!
____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh....are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________________

--- And the best for last: ---

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

The Pizza Bomber-Finally the Story Is Revealed

And if ever a True Crime tale was filled with a cast of bumbling unsavory characters with a plan that defies common sense, it is the story of Brian Wells, hapless pizza delivery fellow who was blown up by a bomb strapped to him by a gang of misfits who had some brains in their midst.

I've covered the tragic story of Brian Wells on this Blog and indeed even posted a story about how it all REALLY came down. The main difference between my Blog post and the truth as revealed by federal prosecutors this past week is that my story absolved Brian Wells completely. Only Brian Wells was NOT innocent in his own death no matter how much his brother doth protest too much.

From NCnewsonline:

Former FBI agent Jim Fisher doesn’t understand why federal prosecutors felt it necessary to ruin the reputation of Brian Wells. At a press conference at the Federal Courthouse in Erie Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan accused Wells - the pizza deliveryman who was blown up when a collar bomb strapped to his neck and chest exploded on Aug. 28, 2003 - of being an accomplice in the bank robbery that preceded the explosion. Calling Wells, 46, an “unindicted co-conspirator,” Buchanan alleged the deliveryman participated with Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, Kenneth Barnes and others in planning to rob the PNC Bank on Peach Street in Erie. Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes will be charged with bank robbery

I chanced to watch the melodramatic and breathy Geraldo Rivera's special on Fox News the evening of 7/15/07. I managed to stomach Geraldo for an hour and finally I think I understand this complicated story of Brian Wells and how he came to die so horrifically.

Marjorie Diehl Armstrong must have something that men love. Although to look at her you'd never see it.



But Marjorie Armstrong has been surrounded by various men her entire life and she's somehow convinced them to do criminal and unthinkable things. One local prosecutor stated that several of the fellows in Ms. Armstrong's life managed to end up dead, one shot many times as he slept in Marjorie's bed. It was a group of such devoted fellows who pulled off the bank heist that killed Brian Wells and the plan was so complicated it was almost laughable.

A Mr. Rothstein is now deceased but he too was involved somehow with Marjorie Armstrong. It is believed that the very intelligent and creative Rothstein designed and created the bomb that was affixed around the neck of Brian Wells. That bomb was rather complicated for a homemade thing and it was rigged with several deceiving items that would greatly hamper anyone who tried to remove it. It was Mr. Rothstein who finally got Marjorie Armstrong thrown in jail, this for the death of one of Armstrong's male lovers, a James Rodin. Marjorie asked Rothstein to store Rodin's body in his freezer and like so many of us do to accomodate our friends, Rothstein agreed to put Rodin's body in his freezer.



Eventually Rothstein notified authorities about the body in his freezer and Marjorie Armstrong was arrested for the death of James Rodin. Rodin, it is believed, was going to reveal Armstrong's grand plan to rob the bank.

After getting rid of Rodin, Armstrong recruited yet another player in her scheme, a Kenneth Barnes. It is to Kenneth Barnes that a connection with Brian Wells was established. For it seems that Kenneth Barnes allows a local prostitute to "entertain" customers in his house. It's not known why and as Wells' brother asserts, Brian had his own house so why would he take a prostitute to Barnes' house? Which is a good question, of course. The prostitute testified that she and Brian Wells had used Barnes' house for trysts and by me it's likely true. What would the prostitute get from lying about it? It could be that Barnes has a fine collection of mirrors or sex toys that make his house a great place to go with a prostitute, I'm just throwing it out there.

The prostitute's testimony was used as proof that Wells and Barnes knew each other in some fashion. Brian Wells used Barnes' house for whatever reason and it's logical to assume that he knew Brian Wells.

Kenneth Barnes helped Marjorie Armstrong with the bank robbery plan.

Another player in this story is a Tom Cedrick. It seems that Cedrick was driving along I-79 the day of the robbery and he came upon a car driving frantically the wrong way on the Interstate. One would not likely forget such a shocking thing and Cedrick swears he got a close look at the driver of that vehicle and he knows it was Marjorie Armstrong he saw driving the car.

The plan was as follows: Brian was affixed with a bomb and would rob a local bank. Which Brian Wells did. After getting the cash from the bank, Brian was supposed to go to another location to get directions on how to remove the bomb. Oh yes, the bomb was very real. So why didn't this gang put a fake bomb on Brian? A fake bomb would still have spurred the bank teller to turn over the money.

Except Marjorie and her gang needed to make sure that the bank robber returned the stolen money and with a bomb around your neck you're likely to show up to get the thing diffused. Otherwise Brian Wells could have just went off with his loot and shared none with Armstrong.

Only Brian Wells got caught by the local police. Marjorie Armstrong knew that Brian was caught and she had to real quick head to where Brian was SUPPOSED to go to get his bomb removed. Armstrong desperately wanted to find the note left with the bomb diffusing instructions that Brian don't point police to the locale and implicate Armstrong. It was during this desperate run by Armstrong that witness Cedrick saw her driving the wrong way on the Interstate.

As the world knows, that bomb blew up while Brian wore it and begged the cops to do something to save his life.

Brian's brother was on this Fox show and this guy is living in a real dream world. He swears his brother was an innocent in this crime but Brian Wells was not. Below a short video of Brian's brother, who swears he "knows" his brother and that his brother would never do such a thing. Well don't they all say that?



So here's the thing....Brian Wells was to get a total of $8,702 for his part in the bank robbery. Why that amount is unclear. Several facts point to Brian's guilt in this plot: First, Wells quickly volunteered to deliver that pizza to the strange locale even though the owner of the pizza parlor was about to refuse the delivery due to the isolation of the delivery location. Second, Wells' knowledge of Kenneth Barns by the use of his house does seem to indicate that Wells knew Barnes. The biggest indicator of Wells' guilt is the fact, duh, that he went on in and robbed that bank, yes he did and he could have easily asked for assistance at that time.

Now Brian's brother alleges that Brian was scared and was afraid that if he said anything about the bomb on his neck he feared that it would be set off before it could be diffused. I simply don't buy this. I'm going with my gut here but I believe that if a random pizza delivery guy was affixed with a bomb on his neck against his will, that first chance he or she would be screaming for help. Had Brian told someone in that bank about being forced against his will to wear a bomb I'm quite sure a bomb squad would have been dispatched quickly.

As it was there was a half hour delay in getting a bomb squad on the scene because what on earth were the police supposed to believe? Here they have a bank robber caught in the act with something on his neck he CLAIMS is a bomb.

At any rate, the story of the Pizza Bomber will go down in the annals of True Crime and as these things tend to go, many will believe that Brian Wells was an innocent.

I'm going with the many prosecutors who investigated the case and who had nothing to lose by naming Brian or not. I think the hapless Brian Wells wanted, for once in his life, to get a damn break.

University Honchos Fired for Lying About Student Death

President John Fallon was fired, and Vice President of Student Affairs Jim Vick and Public Safety Director Cindy Hall were fired from the Eastern Michigan University for lying about a student found dead at their school.

From the Chicago Tribune:

The body of the slain student, Laura Dickinson, 22, was discovered Dec. 15 in her dorm room. At the time, university officials told her parents and the media that she died of asphyxiation but that there was no sign of foul play, despite evidence to the contrary.

It was not until another Eastern student, Orange Taylor III, was arrested in late February and charged with murder that her family and students learned she had been raped and killed. Taylor has pleaded not guilty to murder and criminal sexual conduct charges in Dickinson's death, and is scheduled for trial Oct. 15.

According to the linked article President John Fallon disputes his termination and intends to fight back.

Laura Dickinson was raped and killed. This is not a questionable sort of thing is how I see it. For those university officials to call it asphyxiation can not, by all common sense norms, be mistaken with a rape and murder. They deliberately lied. Another student was eventually charged with the crime. A student walking that school free and unsuspected for the lies of university officials who didn't want the bother of public scrutiny.

It will be interesting to hear how John Fallon intends to defend his despicable lies.

Lawsuits Gone Wild

January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin Texas was awarded $780,000.00 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running amuck inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving tyke was Ms. Robertson's son.

June 1998: A 19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000.00 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran his hand over with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice someone was at the wheel of the car whose hubcap he was trying to steal.

October 1998: A Terrence Dickson of Bristol Pennsylvania was exiting a house he finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up, the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, so Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. This upset Mr. Dickson, so he sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of half a million dollars and change.

October 1999: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas was awarded $14,500.00 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced-in yard, as was Mr. Williams. The award was less than sought after because the jury felt the dog may have been provoked by Mr. Williams who, at the time, was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

May 2000: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster Pennsylvania $113,500.00 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her coccyx. The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson threw it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.

December 1997: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the lady's room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000.00 and dental expenses.

Lisa Stebic Update

There's been a lot going on with the Lisa Stebic case, beginning with the not-so-surprising revelation that Lisa's husband, Craig, is now a "person of interest" regarding his missing wife.


From the Chicago Tribune:

Citing the "minimal assistance" of Craig Stebic in finding his missing wife, Lisa, police on Thursday labeled him "a person of interest" in what they now say is a case of foul play.

Plainfield Police Chief Donald Bennett made the announcement at a news conference attended by about a dozen reporters. After the bespectacled chief read from a text and answered three questions posed to him previously, he quickly left the room as one reporter tried to ask if "person of interest" was the same as "suspect."

Lisa Stebic has been missing for almost three months. She has two young children, neither of whom has been allowed to speak freely to police as Craig Stebic will not allow it. Craig and Lisa were allegedly estranged even though the pair lived together as they pursued a divorce.

No one's fooled by that "person of interest" nonsense. It isn't rocket science to figure that Craig Stebic, the last person to see Lisa alive, has been in the crosshairs of investigators. It does look as if the police are walking softly around this guy. I'm thinking the case against him is very fragile and Lisa's body is going to have to be found before he is finally arrested.

Meanwhile we've got an ambitious reporter who donned a bikini and spent some time with the lovely Craig Stebic. The reporter was fired but talk about a total lack of journalistic ethics!


More True Crime Updates HERE
================


Add POST to Technorati Favorites
=======

America's Got Talent; Big Brother 8; American Inventor; The Next Best Thing

A montage of reviews, pics and video snippets of ongoing reality talent shows.

We've got "America's Got Talent" down to the top 20. Also, Big Brother 8 continues on and this might be an interesting series, the jury's still out. Also, The Next Best Thing, an impersonator contest, continues down to the finals.

And then there's the American Inventor and yes we've got pics and video but ALSO, just to keep us informed, I've got pics and a description of the BEST invention of last year.

You'll love it.

Pic of the Day

---

Quote of the Day Classic Quotes by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) English writer Be plain in dress, and sober in your diet. In short, my dear, kiss me and be quiet. --------------- Civility costs nothing, and buys everything. ---------------

Web Site Worth the Visit Geography Test It's time for your U.S. Geography Test ! You must drag and drop all 48 states in the time allotted to be promoted to the 4th grade. Click the webpage below.. Ready.. Begin !. ABOVE WEB PAGE HERE

TIDBITS Friday The 13th Facts-A Few Days Late According to Smithsonian Magazine "fear of the #13 costs American a billion dollars per year in absenteeism, train and plane cancellations, and reduced commerce on the 13th of the month." * Fear of Friday the 13th dates back to Nordic Mythology. Many of their thirteenth Gods met with violent deaths, such as Loki, the trickster. * Ancient Romans regarded the number 13 as a symbol of death, destruction and misfortune. * Lizzy Borden uttered a total of 13 words at her trial. * There were 13 original colonies. * A witches coven consists of 13 members. * Tarot Card number 13 is the Death Card,depicting the Grim Reaper (although it is read as transition or change and not literal death). * Hotels rarely have a room number 13. Usually it is called 12a or 14. Same with floors of buildings and the elevators without a #13 button. Highways sometimes will skip exit 13 altogether also. * There are 13 steps leading to the gallows. * 13 knots in a hangman's noose. * 13 feet which the guillotine blade falls. * The driver of Princess Diana hit pillar #13 at Place de l'Alma when she was killed in Paris, France. * 13 people, Christ and his 12 disciples, were in attendance at the last supper. This is where the Christian belief ties in, making Friday a believed unlucky day, as the crucifixtion occurred on a Friday. * Certain ocean liners will be held in dock until after midnight to appease passenger's fears on Friday the 13th. * British study concluded that even though there were less cars on the road on Friday the 13th (as compared with other Fridays) more accidents were reported. * Trisadekaphobia is the technical name for fear of Friday the 13th. * Apollo 13, 1970, the 13th mission launched from pad #39 (13 x 3), mission was aborted, after an explosion occurred in the fuel cell of their service module. The rocket had left launcing pad at 13:13 CST and the date was April 13th. * Epluribus Unum has 13 letters. * The US Seal has 13 stars, bars, feathers in the eagle's tail, 13 bars in one claw, 13 olive branches in the other. * A "quatrorzieme" is a professional 14th guest hired by the French who had only 13 guests in attendance for dinner, who felt that was unlucky. * A baker's dozen consists of 13 for a reason! So the story goes a witch near Albany, NY demanded 13 items every time she came in to a particular bakery, and one day the old baker could not afford her extra biscuit. She sneered some strange words at the man, and he suffered terrible luck from then on, until he brought her another 13 rolls. After that life was once again easy for the baker and word spread around town.The custom is still sometimes practiced today.

 


The Next Best Thing

This contest featuring a competition for the best impersonator is not over yet. There were 14 semi-finalists and the episode aired on 7/11/07 narrowed them down to five. As I understand it, there is another top five from a different city so there is now at least ten in the finals.

This is an enjoyable series but I'll allow that I've always been fascinated with impersonators. The problem, as I see it, is that the hype to promote this series has been seriously missing.

Below a video of the winning Frank Sinatra Impersonation in song:


The top five on the night reviewed here were impersonators for:
Little Richard
Elvis
Frank Sinatra
Robin Williams
Barbra Streisand

Below, some pics of the impersonators.


American Inventor 2007-Tampa and Houston

This interesting contest continues on and Americans are, if nothing else, ah....inventive.

Improbably inventions submitted on the evening of 7/11/07 included a special mattress with a place to put one's breasts, a mouth cleaner that affixed to one's tongue, a pet jacuzzi, a Lego house, carrots for tanning and a "rocking" lawnmower. Some of these inventions were winners. That lawnmower was cool. The way it worked, the main body of the lawnmower rested in a sort of cradle device. Metallic arms allowed the lawnmower to rock back and forth within the cradle device, making pushing and shoving close to obstacles unnecessary. The Lego house has a long way to go but the concept was that with the advance of non-flammable plastics, the time has come to build REAL houses out of plastic-type Lego blocks.



One alleged invention was called a "pet jacuzzi". Now the concept of a pet jacuzzi is not so ridiculous that Americans won't buy it. Americans shamelessly love their dogs. In fact, I came across another pet bathing device HERE so it's been done. The linked doggy-washing device is nothing more than a fance hose. But that thing presented on this episode of American Inventor was hilarious. It was nought but a plastic box in which we normally store out linens. Only this plastic box had a hole carved out of the lid for the doggy's head. The concept was that you put your dog inside the box, slip the lid over his head and the dog can't move or run off. It was also damn hard to wash the pup in that contraption.

Being a sucker for cute inventions, I perused my house for my own personal nominee for the best invention that I foolishly purchased in the past year. My self-named "lite-brite" invention wins the prize.



The montage above shows how this little gem works. It affixes to anything you want through the miracle of velcro. The best place to stick this thing is a cabinet or cupboard somewhere in your house that needs some more light. Of course you can always run and get the flashlight but the artful placement of these little light things had made my life much better. I even put one directly ON my remote control for the TV.

Since it's held on by velcro the little light can be pulled off whenever needed and put back with a quick push. I've put one under my kitchen cabinet where I keep my kitchen computer's CPU because hey, it's dark in there and once in a while I need to put in or remove a CD or some such. I've also put one inside the door of my bathroom closet and a dresser that opens from the front. If you change your mind they are simple enough to move to a better and more convenient locale.

Below a video of a proposed "squirrel circus".


Links to prior reviews of American Inventor

-Premiere Show
-Lots of toilet inventions 6/27/07
-Hats and a Squirrel Circus

America's Got Talent 07-The Las Vegas Callbacks

So 70 acts got through to Las Vegas but only 20 would be chosen for the finals. The acts fall into two categories-music/variety. The episode featured on 7/10/07 filtered those acts down from 35 to 10 from each category.

I can see where the judges are going here with their eliminations. For "American Idol" has the market on music so the ideal act for "America's Got Talent" would be a variety act or a musical act with a twists. Musical groups do great on this competition.

My personal fave act so far in the musical category is a singing group called the "Glamazons". They are plus-sized gals who can belt out a tune. This is a group perfect for this series. They're different, they're good, and there's plenty of American women what can relate. I thought they looked damn good too.

A video of a Glamazon performance below:


There were a couple of amazing magic acts featured on this night, the best one featured in the video below:


Below is a video of a montage of various acts, some good and some bad.


There is one act that seems to be getting a lot of play so keep an eye out for a solo male singer named Cas Haley. Sometimes these contest shows signal who's going to get some help by the time spent interviewing or featuring a particular act. Cas Haley is a stay-at-home Dad who is nondescript in terms of looks. I've got a pic of him and his young son in the montage below.

So far, keep eyeballs peeled for The Glamazons and Cas Haley.



Links to prior reviews of America's Got Talent 2007:
-NBC's "America's Got Talent" Web Site
-America's Got Talent Premiers 6/5/07
-The 6/19/07 episode
-New York 6/26/06
-First of Las Vegas Callbacks

Big brother 8

Below, a blurb from CBS its mighty self.

"BIG BROTHER 8" HOUSEGUESTS SEND CAROL PACKING

Carol Journey Is the First Houseguest to Officially Be Evicted from the BIG BROTHER 8 House

After being nominated for eviction by Kail Harbick, Carol Journey was evicted last night from the BIG BROTHER 8 House by a vote of 10-1 by her fellow Houseguests, with everyone voting out Carol except Jen (Head of Household and the two eviction nominees do not vote). On Tuesday, Daniele won the Power of Veto, but chose to leave the nominations as they stood, leaving Carol Journey and Amber Siyavus on the chopping block.

During last night's live broadcast, the 21-year-old student from Lawrence, Kan., learned her fate and left the House. After leaving BIG BROTHER 8, Carol was interviewed by Julie Chen about her experience.

Carol was part of the BIG BROTHER 8 enemy twist that will play out throughout the summer and with her eviction, she and her former best friend become the first pair of rivals to be split up this season. Her former best friend, Jessica Hughbanks, remains in the house.

"America's Player," Eric Stein, voted Carol out of the house because viewers voted for him to do so. Each week, the prevailing viewers' vote must be carried out by Stein in order for him to be financially rewarded. Viewers can vote on "America's Player's" next move on CBS.com or via text messaging on a mobile phone.

Each Thursday, the Houseguests compete to become Head of Household. The perks of the position include a luxurious private bedroom and bathroom, along with a plasma screen spy cam to monitor other Houseguests' activities. However, it also includes the responsibility of having to nominate two fellow Houseguests for eviction. On the weeks when there are veto challenges, one of the nominees can be saved from the chopping block if they, or another Houseguest, wins the Power of Veto competition and chooses to save one of the nominees, while giving themselves immunity from nomination. If they choose to use the veto power, the Head of Household must immediately choose another nominee.

After last night's eviction, the houseguests competed in a competition called "Majority Rules" to see who would become the next Head of Household. Jen Johnson, the 23-year-old nanny from Beverly Hills, Calif., won the coveted position.

For more information about the aftermath of Carol's eviction from BIG BROTHER 8, log on to www.CBS.com.

BIG BROTHER 8 is broadcast each week on Sundays (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), Tuesdays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and the live eviction show, hosted by Julie Chen, on Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM live ET/delayed PT).

I'm just not at all sure I like this series. Yes this is the first time I've watched this series and I imagine it's much more entertaining to a younger person than myself.

Below, a short video of the beautiful bodies of the Big Brother contenders.


Older, married people like myself tend to eschew shows featuring buff young bods and hot libidos. Which, so far as I can see, Big Brother does. This show also seems like a reality show soap opera and I've never much like soap operas.

And CBS is struggling to keep this series afloat by adding many new twists and changes to how the game plays out. Now there is featured one contender who is "America's Player". By going to the CBS web site, viewers can vote on how they want America's player to vote or what action they want him or her to take. There is also the addition of an ongoing drama between several of the players from an incident or incidents in their past. This year we have Daniele and her father Dirty Dick as well as estranged homosexual couple Joe and Dustin.



Below a short video of a strained interaction between Dustin and Joe.




And let us please not forget nut case Jen who has a real problem with pictures of herself.

Beginning List of contenders for Big Brother 8:
Jessica
Nick
Eric
Daniele
Dick
Jen
Mike
Kail
Joe
Carol
Amber
Zach
Jameka
Dustin

Remaining Contenders as of this writing:

Jessica
Nick
Eric
Daniele
Dick
Jen
Mike
Kail
Joe
Amber
Zach
Jameka
Dustin

Links to prior reviews of Big Brother 8
-The 2007 Competition Begins
First Eviction


More TV Reviews HERE
===============



Add POST to Technorati Favorites
=======================

Pop Culture-The Band Plays in Antarctica to Save the Planet. Heh.

Here's a Pop Culture update and so far we've got a brave boy who saved his siblings from a rabid fox, a "scantily clad" Muslim woman causes uproar, a band plays in Antarctica, A desperate housewife weds and what? Bart Simpson naked?

This plus more as it happens across the fruited plains and needs my attention.

Pic of the Day

---

Quote of the Day "To tell you the truth, I couldn't pay my next month's rent when I got the part. I was thrilled to have a pilot of my own." - Lynda Carter on Wonder Woman ******* "He was an Every man, disguised as Every woman imbuing his role with a sense of humanity-transforming a character that might just as easily be seen as a clown into one that has become part of our language and our culture." - Larry Gelbart, Producer, Writer and Creator of 'M*A*S*H.' ******* "I used to be able to eat anything and go right to bed. Fried chicken, onion rings, half a bottle of wine. But as you get older, your insides rebel." - Cameron Diaz *******

Web Site Worth the Visit THE FOUR WORD FILM REVIEW Want to check out a movie but don't know if it's any good? Don't have time to read a long, engrossing review? Yeah, me neither! That's why you can cut to the chase at The Four Word Film Review where the feature "Shark Tale" is summed up as "Veggie shark, fishy tale," and "Team America: World Police" is described as "America's heroes strung up." Good reviews, no nonsense. ABOVE SITE HERE

TIDBITS RANDOM TIDBITS ON JACKIE ROBINSON Jackie Robinson was 28 years old when he broke into the Major Leagues, yet he still won the unified Rookie of the Year Award. *** Fifty years after he became the first modern black player, Major League baseball chose his number as the first one to ever retire for every team. *** In 1982, Jackie Robinson became the first Major League Baseball player to appear on a US postage stamp. *** In 1949, Jackie Robinson led the National League in stolen bases and batting average, was named to his first All-Star Game, helped the Brooklyn Dodgers win the pennant by one game, and was named the years Most Valuable Player. *** Shortly before his death, Jackie Robinson was selected to throw out the first pitch at the 1972 World Series, the 25th anniversary of his breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier. *** An outstanding athlete, Jackie Robinson was the first ever four-sport letter winner at UCLA (football, track, basketball and baseball). His accomplishments outside of baseball included leading the Pacific Coast Conference (later the Pac-10) in scoring twice in basketball, becoming the NCAA champion in 1940 in the broad jump (25 feet, 6.5 inches), and achieving All-American status in football.

 


The Religious Police Will Be Here Soon Enough

Whenever the chance should arise I always tell females that happen to be in my surround that what they might consider that charming mode of dress by Muslim females is NOT a choice by those wearing same.

Often I see shocked eyes open wide at the revelation. For I too once thought that Muslim garb of a burqua was a tradition much in the manner that our own Amish and Mennonite community wear purposefully plain clothes of a certain standard. Too many Americans, especially American females, are not aware that women who don't wear a burqua are often beaten and thrown in jail in those lovely freedom-loving countries ruled by Islam on this planet.

For if there's one thing western women understand it's freedom of dress.

If this country ever wanted to get serious about informing Americans how absolutely despotic those Muslim nations are, particularly to their females who can't even drive the public roads in some countries, our leaders would be informing us about the atrocities these people perpetuate.

Oh, and where's all the women's libbers protesting this mistreatment? Oh...one more time, the burqua also quite effectively hides the nightly beatings administered by fine and kind Muslim husbands. Husbands who often have many wives and can divorce a wife by saying "I divorce you" three times.

So below a little view of how these people govern. She sings in a nightclub but check out her top. Dear Lord send that woman to hell immediately!

Not to worry. The religious police are on the job!

From NST.com:

IPOH: How should a Muslim singer dress if she’s singing with a band in clubs?

Singer Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin, 24, posed this question after she was apparently detained by the Perak Religious Department officers at the Rum Jungle Club in Sunway City, near here, last Tuesday.

Young Hero Saves Siblings from Rabid Foxes

I know for a fact that foxes can be aggressive animals and I also know they often have rabies.

In fact, I've simply had to stop walking my dog due to foxes in this area. First, my dog, God bless her, would LOVE to chase that fox come on, what dog doesn't want to go chase a fox? And that fox, often infected with rabies, loves to tease the dog and is often very brazen.

I can't stand the critters is what I'm saying here.

So I totally believe that the fox in the story below was so aggressive and unafraid of humans. That's been my experience with foxes and this unnatural behavior is almost always due to a rabies infection.

From CBSnews.com:

(AP) A 5-year-old boy grabbed a rabid fox by the neck and pinned it to the ground during a family cookout, protecting six other children before his stepfather could kill the animal.

"I wanted to protect my little brother," said Rayshun McDowell, who battled the fox in the front yard of his home Sunday in Kingstown, a town about 50 miles west of Charlotte.

This little boy seems like he has the stuff too many of our congress critters seem to be missing. Some call it courage.

Kook Marries Osama's Son

Well I think she's a kook. According to the hype, however, Osama's new daughter-in-law is a bit of a British sophisticate.

Heh.

I have no attribution for the following quote as it came to me via email. I have, however, verified the information and news of the nuptials of Osama Bin-Laden's son (this is his SECOND wife as these fine Muslim men are allowed many wives) has been widely reported.

British woman says she wed Osama's son
MOULTON, England (AP) — A British woman said Wednesday she has married Omar bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader's fourth son, after they met in Egypt last fall.

Jane Felix-Browne, a 51-year-old grandmother from this village in northwestern England, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that she met bin Laden, 27, while riding a horse near Egypt's Great Pyramid and they married on April 24.

The Times and Sun newspapers, which initially reported the story, said she was in Egypt for medical treatment for multiple sclerosis at the time.

Felix-Browne confirmed that and said she was returning to Egypt this weekend for further treatment. She said she won't meet her husband there but they talk each day via the Internet.

News of the nuptials caused a ripple of excitement in Moulton — a quaint English country village more accustomed to community fairs and dances than international media attention. "It gave me goose bumps when I heard the news," said nursery supervisor Gill Targett, who knew Felix-Browne. "It's all very scary considering what Osama bin Laden has done to so many innocent people. He's still a relation and blood is thicker than water."

Perky Katie Slapping Editors?

First, let the record show that Katie Couric, God bless this vapid woman who CBS keeps trying to ram down our collective throats, is not doing too well in the ratings. Right from the start the common thought was that this woman would fail as the new CBS news anchor.

Now we are to understand that the stress of this failure is so out of hand that the perky one is actually slapping people?

From DrudgeReport.com:

"During the tuberculosis story in June, Couric got angry with news editor Jerry Cipriano for using a word she detested— 'sputum' —and the staff grew tense when she began slapping him 'over and over and over again' on the arm, according to a source familiar with the scene. It had seemed like a joke at first, but it quickly became clear that she wasn’t kidding."

Make no mistake I cannot stand this silly female. Katie Couric should be forced to wear a burqua and live in Saudi Arabia. Then I might respect her a bit as a news personality.

Further, she got mad because a writer used the word SPUTUM, get this, in a story about tuberculosis?

So it would seem she is also an idiot.

Dead Earth Concert Failed All the Way From Antarctica

I sure hoped yon readers caught the many wise entertainers in the recent "Live Earth" concerts organized by the mentally stable Al Gore. But if you did not, you are not alone. It would seem that many billions of us fools out here in la-la land too missed all the joy of watching drugged-out entertaining has-beens lecture us about a natural event that exists in the imaginations of nuts across the planet-global warming.

The band from Antartica was a hoot, however, and in a polite bow to their determination, we mention them here in this humble Blog read by two or three people every other day. These would be the same two or three people who actually watched the Dead Earth concerts. Heh.



From News.com:

NUNATUK, an unknown rock band from Antarctica, is about to become famous.
However brief its moment in the limelight, the group comprising two engineers, a marine biologist, a meteorologist and a polar guide will be watched by millions around the world when it appears as part of the Live Earth concerts on Saturday.
Billed as the “coolest gig in Live Earth”, the outdoor performance at the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Research Station will be pre-recorded and broadcast on the day on television, the internet and possibly at the gigs themselves.

AOL Lawsuit

Well myself has used AOL from the very day it went into business and, indeed, I subscribed to its precursor, a little network known as Quantum Link. I've had the AOL user name PATFISH1@aol.com for almost twenty years and I can't lose it.

So I immediately signed up for the new AOL without charge and honestly I had no problem with the AOL people so I've no complaints there. But according to the news blurb below quite a few paid subscribers had a dickens of a time getting out from under.

From CBSnews:

AP) Averting a looming court battle over how it has been handling the exodus from its Internet dial-up service, AOL has agreed to make it easier for its remaining customers to leave as part of a $3 million settlement with 48 states and the District of Columbia.

I DO, however, have a million complaints about the new AOL free service. Hand to God, if I could I'd go back to actually paying for an email service. Because AOL's free service has so much advertising in the new web site which much be accessed and inside of the email that it regularly totally blows out my computer. And there are three computers in this house and AOL manages to regularly bomb them all out.

Bart Simpson Naked?

We came across this tidbit and we are shocked. The movie managed to keep a PG rating so it can't be all that bad, right?

From the Australian.news:

GOOD news for children of all ages: The Simpsons Movie has been awarded a PG certificate, despite a full-frontal image of a naked, skateboarding Bart.
The first details of the northern summer's most keenly awaited blockbuster emerged after a screening in London of edited highlights that was surrounded by airport-style security.

The invited audience was frisked and forced to surrender mobile phones.

Environmentalism and Christianity are the satirical targets in the big-screen debut of the animated series, which reaches cinemas here on July 27.

Video of the Week

From my husband who regularly surfs the Internet for his favorite bands.

In 1979,the Neighborhoods were the hottest band in Boston,They were young,cute,and they rocked hard.Dont know why they never made it nationally.This clip from a local TV show shows them playing live,which was their forte.Be sure and watch to the end.One can see that modern-day Punkers Green Day spent some time copying these guys.

SITE HERE



"Desperate Housewife" Married

As a fan of this show I was surprised to discover Eva Longoria recently was married.

From Chron.com:

Professional basketball star Tony Parker married Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria at a civil ceremony in Paris on Friday — a prelude to their expected star-studded weekend wedding bash at a lavish and storied chateau.

No doubt the pics of the wedding bash will be sold to a celebrity mag.

Squirrel Spies?

I am not for one nanosecond surprised.

I've often thought that the power of the squirrel-rodent should be harnessed for the greater good.

For humans have YET to design an alleged "squirrel-proof" birdfeeder, no mind the claims. I have seen squirrel-rodents walk tightropes across dangerous gullies to access the bird seed. I've seen them dangle upside down and I've seen them leap distances that defy gravity.

Finally some smart Iranians have managed to use the squirrels as spies.

From KAMANGIR.net:

According to IRNA, the official Islamic Republic news agency, the national Police chief has implicitly verified the news about the confiscation of a number of squirrels, equipped with eavesdropping devices, on the Iranian borders. He has declined to give any more details, but, reportedly, when asked about the confiscation of 14 spy squirrels, he stated, “I have heard about it, but I do not have precise information”. IRNA adds, “These squirrels were equipped by foreign intelligence services, but were captured two weeks ago by the Police”.

No, we're not making this up and further, I am impressed all to hell.

More Gossip/Speculation HERE



Add POST to Technorati Favorites
=======================

TV-Food Network Star Down to Four, Hell's Kitchen Down to Six-More Go Down in This Post

It's down to the top three on "The Next Food Network Star" and there's six left in Hell's Kitchen.

We've got pics and VIDEO you'll find nowhere else on the Internet plus fine reviews of both shows for yon cooking afficiandos.

Pic of the Day

---

Quote of the Day Rodney Dangerfield: -I'm so ugly that my father carries around a picture of the kid who came with his wallet. -When I was born, the doctor came into the waiting room and said to my father, "I'm sorry. We did everything we could, but he pulled through." -I'm so ugly that my mother had morning sickness.....AFTER I was born. -I remember the time that I was kidnapped and they sent a piece of my finger to my father. He said he wanted more proof. - Once when I was lost, I saw a policeman and asked him to help me find my parents. I said to him, "Do you think we'll ever find them?" He said, "I Don't know, kid. There's so many places they can hide." -My wife made me join a bridge club. I jump off next Tuesday. -I'm so ugly that I worked in a pet shop and people kept asking how big I'd get.

Web Site Worth the Visit Prank Site A list of over 1000 practical jokes and pranks that you can play on your friends and family. ABOVE SITE HERE

TIDBITS All About the Volume I was brainstorming for new tip ideas the other day and I got to thinking that we have never done a tip on the basics of your computer's volume controls before. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, go down to your system tray and double click on the little speaker icon (it looks like this: ). A new window will then open that is titled Master Volume. You'll see a bunch of sliders you can move around that help you get the perfect sound for your computer. But, what are you supposed to do with all of those? What do all the terms mean? Well, keep reading and I'll tell you! The first one you'll see is for the Master Volume itself. This is the one that gives you the most sound, depending on how much you want. It will let you know how loud it is by a little "thump" noise, so you can listen for that as well. The next one is Wave. The wave control has to do with any music you may play with special software, such as WaveOut. This one doesn't really affect your direct sound too much. After that comes the SW Synth. First of all, synth stands for synthesizer and this one deals with any synthesizing that has to be done within the software programs you use. This one is important if you're listening to a music CD or playing a game on your computer. The next one is CD/Video In and as you can probably guess, it comes into play with any audio or video files you may play on your PC. Lastly, there are the Line In and Microphone options. These both have to do with the connectors on your actual computer tower. Line In is mainly used for a stereo sound and the Microphone comes into play when you're using a mic along with your computer. Again, each control comes with a slider you can move up or down to get a sound volume you prefer. You can also control the balance of each by using the Balance slider. I personally like to have all mine set in the middle, with the Master Volume just a little bit higher. But either way you like it, you're now in sole control of your computer's volume. Isn't that the best feeling ever?! ~ Erin

 


"The Next Food Network Star" 2007 Down to Top Three

The final FOUR are pictured below.


The final three who will be stars of this year's Food Network Food Network Star finale airing this Sunday night-7/15/07-are JAG, Amy and Rory.

Paul, alas, he of the comical face and wide smile, didn't make it past this round aired on 7/8/07.

This episode of The Next Food Network Star was called the Iron Chef challenge. Following the format of that show, the remaining four contenders were charged with creating three dishes from their "secret ingredient". The competing teams were Amy versus JAG and Rory versus Paul. While the opposing duo were competing with THEIR secret ingredient the two not competing were charged with providing commentary on the activities of the opposing team.

Amy and JAG, for example, had chicken as their secret ingredient. Rory and Paul were charged with narrating the activities of Amy and JAG from the "mini kitchen stadium" set up for the challenge. Alton Brown, much as is done in the real "Iron Chef" asked questions of the narrators.

An added interesting addition to this evening was the return of four contenders from the past to serve as sous chefs to the final four. Returning were Tommy, Mike, Colombe and Adrien.

The special ingredient for Paul and Rory was sea bass.





This was an interesting show in this reality cooking series. I've been very impressed with the Food Network and how this contest is edited and aired. There were two great surprises this week, at least surprises to me. First, Amy did a wonderful job, both with her food preparation and her narration. I've thought right along that Amy had talent and was a good cook. But I tend to look at these contenders as to whether my own fine self would tune in. I never envisioned Amy as a cook on Food Network I would much bother to watch. She's just a bit too "ordinary".

Paul, on the other hand, is wonderfully photogenic and has an engaging smile. Paul, however, did a perfectly terrible job on this evening of the Iron Chef challenge. He was entirely too unprofessional in his narration of food events during the "Iron Chef" challenge and didn't seem like he much cared at all.

Rory messed up her narration a bit too but Rory did prepare some great meals with that sea bass.

JAG? I just don't think JAG is going to win this.

Short video snippets follow that capture the contenders featured in all their glory. Or doom.

Amy's narration below...check out the great job she did.


Paul's narration below....he did a lousy job. At one point he referred to Alton Brown as "Allen".


Rory's narration below....Rory couldn't stop being a flirt.


Remaining Contenders in Food Network's Next Star 2007 as of this date:

JAG
Amy
Rory

My guess as to the finalists in the order listed are:
RORY-WINNER
Amy-second place
JAG-third place

Links to prior reviews of the Next Food Network Star 2007:
Food Network Star's web site
6/3/07-The 2007 Search for the Next Food Network Star Begins
The Cover of Bon Appetit
Feeding the NJ Nets Fans
The Fried Meatloaf Caper
If You Hate It, Cook It
Down to the Top Three


"Hell's Kitchen" 2007-So Fake I Almost Gagged

I can see a group of writers and editors for this series sitting around a table. I imagine the following commentary.

"You know," one editor would wave a pen in the air, "Julia hasn't been screamed at hardly at all by Chef Ramsey."

"Something else," another editor might say, "we need to make Jen sound more professional. It's possible she might win this thing and we've hardly lauded her at all."

"Ramsey was complaining that we need some more drama in the show. A fire in the kitchen he suggests," yet another editor opines.

"We've got another challenge," a breathless editor shouts after running into the room, a bit late for this planning meeting. The eyes of all editors look up. "This week's win is a cover shoot for "In Touch" magazine. Ramsey says he wants to be on the cover with the GIRLS. So we need to write the script so that the girls win. We can add some heightened drama for the guys, give them more face time. But what good is having a professional hair stylist and cosmotologist give the winners of this week's challenge a makeover if it's a bunch of guys?"

And so the episode for the Monday 7/8/07 was written and I don't believe a thing that allegedly happened that night wasn't scripted and rehearsed in advance.



Now I understand that these melodramatic reality shows, even "The Next Food Network Star" have a little drama "encouraged" now and again. These sorts of contests have viewers and if the viewers get bored they tend to move on. But this "Hell's Kitchen" series seems so fake that I'm losing belief in the entire concept of the series.

On this night there were several segments that made no sense at all. One was Chef Ramsey's tirade against Julia. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Below is a short snippet of this rather odd tirade against Julia that yon reader may decide how authentic it looks.



The guys lost the challenge in this episode and their punishment was something nuts like going through trash bags. The girls on the other hand went to that photoshoot for "InTouch" magazine and of course Chef Ramsey wanted to be photographed with a bunch of pretty girls for that magazine's cover. Another weird and out-of-place segment was when Chef Ramsey summoned Rock to come down to that same InTouch studio to fetch even more trash for the guys to go through. Evidently the scene was meant to somehow make Rock jealous but it was a bit too forced for me to believe it.

That alleged fire that Bonnie started also seemed fake and brought nothing to the show. A short video snippet of this event is below that, again, yon reader can decide.


Melissa worked with the guys this week and even keeping her around for another week made no sense. It was a no-brainer that she would be gone soon.

Gordon Ramsey has a new TV series due to premiere this fall I believe. He will be critiquing various restaurants and eateries according to the advance hype. Methinks he and the "Hell's Kitchen" creators are over-doing the drama on this 2007 contest in hopes of attracting viewers for his new series.



Remaining Contenders for Hell's Kitchen 2007 as of this writing:
Bonnie
Rock
Josh
Jen
Julia

I'm not ready to make any predictions of winners for the 2007 Hell's Kitchen series and likely never will. For I'm sure that Chef Ramsey has decided by now who will win and the producers are busy writing the show to make it happen.

Links to prior reviews of Hell's Kitchen 2007:
Web site for Hell's Kitchen
Amidst Much Cussing, on 6/4/07 the 2007 Hell's Kitchen Competition Begins
The Girls Win Everything Including Fileting the Fish
The Spaghetti Caper
The Taste Test
The Saga of the Wedding and the Duck
Lobsters


More TV Reviews HERE
===============



Add POST to Technorati Favorites
=======================