And The Emmy Goes To...

Congratulations to Vincent Irizarry for his Outstanding Supporting Actor Emmy win. Only a few other things worthy of note. Susan Haskill took home the well deserved Leading Actress trophy, Guiding Light and Sesame Street were given very touching, if rushed tributes, and Daytime Confidential was well represented. Everything else was a complete joke. With such a hack, uncaring representation, it's no wonder The Daytime Emmys had trouble finding a home this year. Wouldn't be surprised if it were the last one ever televised. Very bittersweet evening.

Not Guilty!

So, the jury finds Carl innocent in relation to the attempted murder of Rachel. I must say, Carl's lawyer meant business. With every point the prosecution made, a more intelligent rebuttal was waiting. Very impressive! If he can escape attempted murder charges with all the evidence pointing to his guilt, it's highly unlikely Carl will ever pay for any crime he commits. BC residents should watch their step more than ever. I have a feeling revenge is a dish Carl will serve up icy cold.

Cass is an asshole! I can't believe he's angry with Felicia for putting Lucas first. They are husband and wife after all! Oh, that's right. Everyone's supposed to live their lives on Cass' whim. It doesn't matter if you're marriage suffers, you lose a baby, or your trying to protect yourself from a murderer. As long as Cass is happy, it's all good! I hate him more everyday!

Jamie and Marley decide to elope. Jake gets wind of the plan and sets about stopping it. Everything he told Jamie and Marley in order to get them home was true. I admire his perseverance. One problem in all of this. He's started falling for Paulina. Will he finally realize Marley isn't worth his energy? Will Marley realize she wants him just as he and Paulina start building a life together? What kind of factor will Grant play? So many questions...

The Rise And Fall Of WCW

My expectations for this release were very high. The popularity and excellent quality of its predecessor, The Rise And Fall Of ECW, had fans hoping for an equally great product this time around. Sad to say, nearly everything about this set is a disappointment. The documentary itself is rushed and uninspired. Huge periods of history are missing, interviews are lackluster, and key elements are glossed over.

The special features, if they can be called that, are laughable. Totaling all of about 15 minutes, they're not even worth watching. Match selection on the two bonus discs is weak as well. Nothing never-before-seen or even rare, all retreads. I wish the care and attention given to the first set was paid here. It could have, and should have, been amazing.

Candles!

Got these beauties at Walmart the other day. Just $3 for the holders! The candles smell fabulous by the way! Cotton Fresh and Summer Rain.

One Year Ago Today...

I started my journey into the world of blogging one year ago. It's hard for me to find the right words to express how amazing it's been. To finally have a place to be able to share and express opinions about things that matter to me has been incredibly liberating. My heartfelt thanks to those who have come along for the ride. I love you all!

Six Pack

The love affair continues! A cappella sensation Straight No Chaser has just released their new EP, Six Pack. I love it! As was the case with their previous release, Holiday Spirits, vocals are absolutely stunning. Pure joy and fun! Perfect! Get it now!

Summerslam: The Return Of The Dead Man!

We're going to talk about the things that stood out. Firstly, Randy Orton retained the WWE championship. While the match ended in a convoluted, unrealistic manner, it was solid and entertaining until the closing moments. I was pleasantly surprised to see Orton escape defeat. Let's hope he starts relying on ability to win his matches.

CM Punk and Jeff Hardy had the match of the night. Though I went in knowing it would probably be the last we saw of Hardy for a while, there were a couple of times where I wasn't sure what was going to happen. The dive that Jeff took off the top of that ladder was legit one of the craziest things I've ever seen. He's to be applauded for giving it his all before his indefinite hiatus.

While that match definitely gets my nomination for in-ring performance of the night, the last five minutes of the broadcast stole the show. I'd been hearing for quite some time that The Undertaker was going to feud with Punk when he eventually returned. Though I'd been hearing that said return was set to happen somewhere around Survivor Series, my friend Tim was insistent that The Dead Man was going to shock with an appearance at Summerslam. He was right! After CM's hard fought victory, the lights went out, the gong was heard, and The Undertaker emerged from underneath the ring to lay waste to the newly-crowned champion. I can't think of a more intriguing way to end the extravaganza. Interesting developing feud with the potential for greatness. Going to have to start tuning into Smackdown!

Solid show, perfect ending, amazing night!

Macho Madness-The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection

Finally! I've been waiting for a career retrospective of Macho Man Randy Savage for such a long time. This set is awesome! The matches chosen are excellent and the extras are very entertaining. The wedding of Randy and Elizabeth and The Career Ending Match between Randy and The Ultimate Warrior are definite high points. Any wrestling fan would be stupid to not add this to their collection. Sensational!

Quote Of The Moment...

"No one in your life is with you constantly. No one is completely on your side. And though I'd move my world to be with him, still the gap between us is too wide."

-I Know Him So Well-Barbra Streisand

Raw: Rinse And Repeat... And Repeat... And Repeat... And...

First, the good. Freddie Prinze, Jr. was my favorite guest host so far. It's nice to see an actual fan take part and enjoy themselves. Was awesome of him to take that bump from Orton. Evan Bourne and The Miz had a good match. I'm getting more worried by the week. Evan Bourne is to amazing an athlete to be buried in midcard purgatory. He'd be wise to make the best out of anything that happens. Okay, so that wasn't all positive, shoot me.

Degeneration X returned again. I know these guys like top spots and cheap pops, but even they have to realize how old this is getting. Same dialogue, same skits, same, same, same. Just let it die with what little dignity it has left.

For those wondering, the main event was predictable, ridiculous, and doesn't even deserve mention.

Explosions!

Jenna finally sees Matt for the scumbag that he is. Certainly took long enough. I'm happy that she didn't instantly run to Dean. Shows she has character and morals. It's going to be very interesting to see the relationship between Jenna and Dean develop. Oh, and another thing. If Matt is too heartbroken to stay in Bay City and manages to convince Lorna they should run off together, I wouldn't exactly be devastated.

Frankie's near-death experience appears to have put things in prospective for her. I'm really glad that Cass went ballistic on her after finding out about the miscarriage. His doing so may have finally allowed her to see the jackass he really is. I support her decision to keep the pregnancy from him. There was no more room for confusion in her life at that point. She handled everything as best she could at the time. I'm not looking forward to these two reconciling. Blah!

Everyone seems to think they have Carl right where they want him. Something tells me it won't exactly be that cut and dry. Piece of advice for all involved, he very cautious.

Mark Pinter has assumed the role of Grant Harrison. I enjoyed him immensely on All My Children and am anxious to see how he tackles this challenge. Maybe Grant will finally become something more than filler.

Berenstein Bears "B" Book

Big brown

Big brown bear

Big brown bear, blue bull

Big brown bear, blue bull, beautiful baboon

Big brown bear, blue bull, beautiful baboon blowing bubbles

Big brown bear, blue bull, beautiful baboon blowing bubbles biking backwards...

Big brown bear, blue bull, beautiful baboon blowing bubbles biking backwards, bump...

BAM!

Big brown bear, blue bull, beautiful baboon blowing bubbles biking backward, bump black bug's banana boxes...

Big Brown bear, blue bull, beautiful baboon blowing bubbles biking backward, bump black bug's banana boxes and Billy Bunny's breadbasket...

Big brown bear, blue bull, beautiful baboon blowing bubbles biking backward, bump black bug's banana boxes and Billy Bunny's breadbasket and Brother Bob's baseball bus...

Big brown bear, blue bull, beautiful baboon blowing bubbles biking backward, bump black bug's banana boxes and Billy Bunny's breadbasket and Brother Bob's baseball bus and Buster Beagle's banjo-bagpipe-bugle band...

And that's what...

Broke Baby Bird's balloon.

Publicity Plans For Love Is The Answer...

Turns out I may have spoken too soon with my publicity criticism. To get the word about her upcoming release out, Barbra is scheduled to appear on Oprah. Also, her club appearance will be broadcast live on the web. I'm very happy to see an effort being made. Let's hope it translates into sales.

Thanks, Rebecca!

Shout-out to my girl Rebecca for hooking me up with this awesome new layout. I love it! Thanks, darling.

Raw: Practically Unwatchable...

What the hell is this shit with Shawn Michaels? This is the angle that got him to come back early? A chef. Really? I just don't know what to say? We're two weeks away from the second biggest event of the year and there's no positive buzz. I just don't know. Hopefully something will happen to turn things around.

Usually I go on and on about Evan Bourne and Jack Swagger. My high hopes for a feud between the two appear to be crushed. Look at me. I'm so disgusted and disheartened that I can't even put an intelligent thought together. Summerslam is going to be an awesome night even if the PPV itself sucks. Thank God for great friends.

How The Mighty Hath Fallen...

I had never seen anything like TNA when it premiered in June 2002. The innovative, exciting X Division, with death-defying athletes like AJ Styles, Jerry Lynn and Lo-Ki. The entire product delivered from top to bottom. There was no undercard because everything was main event caliber. I still get chills and teary-eyed when I watch the match to crown the first X Division champion. Psychosis, Jerry Lynn, Lo-Ki, and AJ Styles put on one of the greatest matches in the history of the sport. Every Wednesday night was appointment television for me. Pushing such amazing young talent, how could a company go wrong?

Fast-forward seven years. I don't even watch TNA anymore. Somewhere along the line, someone decided it better to take the emphasis off the in-ring product and make poorly written, ill conceived storylines the focal point. It's heartbreaking. I feel cheated. With the birth of this company, fans were promised an alternative to the stale WWE product that focused on athleticism and competition. What happened? Is it right to blame one person or bad decision? I think it's a combination of things that can be remedied fairly easily. Let's hope Dixie Carter follows through with her latest plan to clean things up. Something needs to happen before it's too late.

Awesome Weekend!

I had such a great weekend. Getting to see Stephanie and Arthur on Saturday was definitely the highlight. Anytime they come for a visit is wonderful. I hope it's not a year before we see them again.

My brother makes knives. I've always been interested in seeing the process, but always felt like I'd be in the way or something. I finally decided to check it out a couple of weeks ago. It's fascinating. The time and effort one truly has to dedicate to such a craft is admirable. Great stuff.

Dirty Hands! Dirty Face!

Okay, you got me. I stole the title of my post from a song. This picture was taken after working on the Bobcat with Grandpapa. It's hard pushing all those buttons and digging stuff up. That lollipop is well deserved.

Jeanine Wins!

Congratulations to Jeanine for winning this season of So You Think You Can Dance. Very well deserved. Truthfully though, I wish it were Evan. Anyone is better than Brandon I guess.

Love Is The Answer Cover Art!

No words can describe the beauty of this cover art. Barbra Streisand takes my breath away. Best album cover since Higher Ground. Simply stunning!

Walt Willey Taken Off Contract!

Sorry Jack and Erica fans. With the disappointing news that Walt Willey has been taken off contract, it doesn't seem likely that Jerica will have a happy ending. I can't say I'm surprised with this development. Jackson hasn't had a decent story in years and on-screen time for the character and actor has dwindled dramatically. While I won't miss Jack at all, I feel bad for the people who will. Maybe Erica will finally find someone worthy of her attention.

My DVD Collection Has A New Home!

I've been looking for a decent size storage unit to house my ever-growing DVD collection for a long time. Found this on Walmart.com on clearance and thought it would be perfect. Plenty of room! Should do the job for years to come.

Official: All My Children Relocates To California!

In case you've been living under a rock and don't already know, ABC has officially announced All My Children's move to California. From what I've heard and read, all on-screen contract players will be given the option to stay or go. Why the move? Cheaper production costs, a bigger studio, and the ability to build and house sets permanently. It's certainly going to be an interesting couple of weeks as more details become available. Stay tuned!

Simply Streisand

There couldn't be a better name for this album. Just Barbra, in exquisite voice, accompanied by beautiful instrumentals. Heaven! Comfortable, confident, and in top form, Streisand sings each song perfectly. My Funny Valentine is a masterpiece. While this album is certainly worthy of every bit of praise it receives, it's not my favorite. I can't exactly say why. It's a great listen on an occasional basis and is a must for any Streisand fan.

Lucci/Willey Phased Out? AMC To LA?

Executives in charge at the sinking ship known as All My Children just keep getting smarter by the day. Their latest idea to save AMC? Force leading man Walt Willey out by drastically reducing his airtime, and put the most popular actress in the history of daytime television, Susan Lucci on recurring status in hopes that she'll quit. Why? Easy. It would be much cheaper to produce the show in LA, and what better way to cut costs than to fire two of your most well-paid stars? No, I'm not kidding. Enjoy AMC while you can, people. If this happens, it won't survive.