Up In The Air

I finally got the chance to see Up in the Air, and it didn't disappoint. It's not exactly my top film of the year, but it was quirky, funny, tragic, and all-around lovely.

George Clooney is great in it, playing a man who lays people off for a living. He's also the world's most efficient traveler, something I aspire to be. It's really the perfect movie to close out this first decade - both because of the economic times we're in and the realities of air travel. I think it actually makes quite a nice movie to summarize the early-2000's.

Clooney is a man with no emotional ties who comes to realize the value of having them. It's kind of tragic what he's missed out on, and how long it took him to realize he was missing people in his life. But I got the message of "better late than never" - what's the saying? "It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"? This movie makes me buy into that crap.

But amongst the lonely tragedy that is this guy's life, there are cute moments and he has a great impact on a young co-worker. I think their relationship in the film is really lovely. At one point, it looks as though Clooney's character, his girlfriend (A woman close to his age! Shocker! For once they don't put Clooney with the 20-something!), and the co-worker make up this adorable little family. I really enjoyed the part of the movie where they were all together, the girl learning from this "other generation."

I like the movie because the ending and some of the things that happen are up to interpretation - you can see it as positive, or as negative. I was in a good mood, so I saw a message of positivity and hope, but my normal cynical self can easily argue the other side as well.

The Real World: DC

I'm watching this season of The Real World solely because it's taking place in Washington, DC. I'm more interested in the background than the people.

Let's meet the roommates:

Ashley and Mike - they're actually excited to be in DC for good reasons - history, politics, etc. I love them already.

Andrew - cute in a goofy, floppy-haired kind of way - too bad he's not gay. He's already in love with Emily, who is from a religious cult.

Callie - wants to be a photographer and is cute because she's curvy.

Ty - the hot brother from Baltimore. Well, he didn't have to go far, did he? My sister warned me he was hot. Yep. He is. And he's all adopted and vulnerable too. Hottest guy since Alton.

Erika and Josh - both want to be singers. Josh is a typical ugly Philly dirtbag.

ARE THERE NO GAY PEOPLE HERE!? (I still stand by my initial impression that Andrew's gay though.) Emily claims to be bi. Halfway through the episode, my prayers are answered - MIKE IS BI-SEXUAL!!!! THANK YOU!!! HOT! He just got 100% hotter in my eyes and I'm giddy as hell. I eagerly anticipate a Mike/Andrew hook-up.

They live in my dream DC house, only the decor is... interesting. The rooms are decorated with patriotic colors and portraits of presidents, and there's an Oval Office-esque room. Lame.

There's a lot of religious discussion; it's actually shockingly interesting! And luckily they appear to be drinking while having it, so things get a bit out of hand and verbally violent. YAY! And then - the next day - they talk things out rationally. This can't possibly continue. Ashley and Ty decide they won't get along though, so I look forward to more fights from them.

I Need Sherlock Holmes To Solve A Mystery

And that mystery is: Why didn't I like this movie more?

It had British accents, it had mystery, it had a very cool style to it, it had those fabulous olden times fashions, and it had Robert Downey, Jr. playing a smart, oddball character. This should be enough, and yet somehow it wasn't.

I know it wasn't Jude Law's fault. I hate that man normally and he didn't bother me as Watson. It's like all of the pieces were there - and it was certainly entertaining enough - but it wasn't the fabulous film I was hoping for. It's like it had action and humor, but not enough to make me go "Wow."

At least it was very, very gay. Seriously, Sherlock Holmes is in love with Watson in this movie. It's adorable.

The Japanese Always Have To Outdo Us

Thanks to Bobby Z for the holiday shopping tip. I present: the Japanese version of a Snuggie. It's a sleeping bag with legs. And no pee hole, as far as I can tell. It's actually worse than a Snuggie - shouldn't it have arms too? And if it did, wouldn't it then just be a snowsuit?

My feet are cold just looking at this thing....

Best. Children's Show. Ever.

Nope, Nothing Strange Happening There At All

Brittany Murphy's husband is perfectly normal too.

The Things I Learn On Facebook

R.I.P. Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy died early this morning after she went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived, multiple sources tell TMZ.

She was 32.

A 911 call was made at 8:00 AM from a home in Los Angeles that is listed as belonging to her husband, Simon Monjack, the Los Angeles City Fire Department tells TMZ.

We're told Murphy was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

It's perfectly normal for a 32 year old woman to die of cardiac arrest. In Los Angeles.

Avatar

Avatar was one of those movies I saw because I felt like I had to see it. It's got so much hype, it's gotten awards, it's the Most Expensive Movie Ever -- I have to see what all the fuss is about. But I can't say I was excited to see it. Let's face it - the movie is about Big Blue Cats.

And it's hard to see beyond those Big Blue Cats. However, there were definitely times when they felt real. The movie is breathtaking and groundbreaking and gorgeous. At first it's like, oooooh look - the horses have 6 legs, and the Big Blue Cats ride on neon pterodactyls, and the forest looks like everything is bathed in black light. But eventually you do get immersed in the world that's been created, and it seems less like an animated film and more like a real place.

The story is very simplistic and straight-forward. And the alien culture is all hippie-dippy, with its belief that all living things are intertwined. The movie really starts off in the middle of everything, and the plot is a wee bit confusing if you think about it too much. So instead focus on the pretty, pretty alien planet. And pretty, pretty Sam Worthington.

I think the best thing I can say about this movie is that it wasn't a complete waste of time. I mean, I could have been completely restless and bored during those 2 1/2 plus hours, but I wasn't. Just as it started to feel too long, there was a pretty epic battle scene that sucked me in.

It really is a lovely film. Not the best movie I've ever seen - and I don't feel the need to see it again - but it was good. I saw it in 3D too, which I'd recommend. The 3-D wasn't gimmicky at all.

The Iron Man 2 Trailer Just Got Pwned

There, I said it. RELEASE THE KRAKEN!

Clash of the Titans trailer - ho!

SYTYCD: Results: FINALE

It's the So You Think You Can Dance finale which means it's that time of year when I threaten to renounce my American citizenship and move to Canada (the horror!) if things go wrong.

We get some guest judges tonight: Lil C, Tyce, and Debbie Allen. Nice to finally have some different faces. Cat looks fabulous, but then I notice the serious metal around her neck. It probably weighs 6 pounds.

We got the usual "best of" routines picked by the judges. Kevin, Legacy, and Russell performed their fabulous hip hop routine. Amazing. We got Jakob and Ellenore's great Sonya routine. The tappers. *snooze* Then Ashleigh and Ryan performed their own ballroom routine and I was just like, OMG they could cure cancer and I wouldn't care. I'd still hate them. They just annoy the piss out of me and always will.

We also got Kathryn and Jakob (sense a pattern?) from last night; Nathan and Mollee's Bollywood; Legacy and Ellenore's crazy good Travis Wall routine; Noelle and Russell's amazing African Jazz routine; what I thought was an average routine by the Contemporary dancers; Russell (sense a pattern?) and Kathryn's hip hop from last night.

SHOCKING NEWS! As the dancers are brought out onto the stage for the first time, there's a delay. Russell is being helped out by Ryan because he "busted" his leg!! And he's crying about it! When did he have time to hurt himself and it must be bad! I feel so awful. Maybe he was crying more out of disappointment though and not pain. Because they had to show the tapes of the African Jazz performance and the second Hip Hop performance. Poor Noelle - didn't get to return to the spotlight.

Here's how they placed:

6. Ryan. Yes!
5. Ashleigh. The evening is going just as I planned. Fabulous.
4. Ellenore. I'm fine with that based on last night's performances.
3. Kathryn. Agree. It's hard for me to believe she's that same girl who would get all high-pitched and weepy. She turned out to be a great dancer.

At this point, I'm really fine with whatever way the guys fall - I'm so happy!!

2. Jakob
1. Russell!!!!

Honestly, I'm probably actually happier that Russell won. Jakob is amazing and will get a job with a troupe no problem and will have a fabulous career. Russell is the diamond in the rough who got to prove that a crumper can learn different styles. He needs it more. I'm happy!

Iron Man 2 Trailer

Many thanks to KP for the heads-up -- I was in a meeting all afternoon and haven't had the time to check up on the ol' Google Reader yet. But who needs Reader when you have sisters?

After one watch, I thought the trailer was a little slow-going. But Whiplash looks cool. And then the end is really good - including a peek at Don Cheadle's War Machine.

SYTYCD: Performances: FINALE

OK what? Two problems up front:

1. I don't like having 6 dancers in the finale. More dancers means more vote-splitting and I worry some wild card is going to win this thing.

2. A one hour performance finale? Really!? It's been 2 hours of performances all along, but when the finale comes around they cut it to one hour? I mean, I thought 2 hours was too long all along, but for the finale I just assumed I was in for 2 hours, and I had come to terms with it.

As it turns out, it just means the judging gets edited down, we only get couples dances and no solos and we don't get the behind-the-scenes rehearsal/choreography stuff.

At least Cat looks gorgeous in her red one-shouldered dress. Let's get to the performances.

1. Kathryn & Ryan - Samba. He's shirtless, I'm gagging. It's good, and there's this amazing lift/throw-onto-Ryan's back at the end. But he's half nude and writhing so I'm grossed out.

2. Ellenore & Jakob (My Powerhouse Couple)- Broadway. It hurts to watch him. HURTS. He's so flexible and his extensions are amazing. That split? Those jumps and kicks? I could watch them dance together all day long.

3. Ashleigh & Russell - Lyrical Jazz. This is the couple we never got to see. OMG. It was gorgeous. They were amazing and I totally got chills and teared up on this. Holy crap. He was amazing and she made me a believer too. But really it's all about Russell - he's a crumper dammit!!! He made the judges cry.

4. Ellenore and Ryan - Jazz. It was this really odd robotic routine. So it didn't seem very dance-y for me. There wasn't anything to get swept away in.

5. Ashleigh & Jakob - Foxtrot. It was fine. Kind of a standard foxtrot, not too exciting.

6. Ellenore & Russell - Paso Doble. OH SNAP! It's insane. Just intense and hot and insane.

7. Kathryn & Jakob - Contemporary. INSANITY! They are so good together. It was so good and everyone was on their feet. They're just brilliant and it was absolutely one of the best performances. Guh.

8. Ashleigh & Ryan - Contemporary. Gag. The married couple. At least it didn't end with a hardcore makeout. They did cry though. It was lovely, but the gimmickiness of it was too much for my cynical heart.

9. Kathryn & Russell - Hip Hop. OH MY GOD! It was incredible. Just amazing. He was dancing with her on his shoulders, it was just fun and fabulous and some nice, classic Tabitha & Napoleon. Good stuff, man.

MUST WIN: Jakob. Or Russell. Can we have 2 winners please?

I'D BE MORE THAN OK IF THEY WON: Ellenore and Kathryn. Especially Kathryn - she was amazing tonight.

KILL ME IF THEY WIN: Ryan and Ashleigh. For real.

Some Golden Globes Nominations Make Me Bitter

Or rather the lack thereof.

Nothing for Fringe and especially nothing for John Noble.

Kiss my ass, Hollywood Foreign Press! Dr. Walter Bishop > Dr. House.

Some Golden Globes Nominations Make Me Giddy

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
AVATAR (Oh god, I'm going to have to see it, aren't I?)
THE HURT LOCKER
PRECIOUS (I'm sure it's good, but you couldn't pay me to be that depressed. Sorry.)
UP IN THE AIR (Can't wait to see)
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell, DISTRICT 9
Mark Boal, THE HURT LOCKER
Nancy Meyers, IT'S COMPLICATED
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, UP IN THE AIR
Quentin Tarantino, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Christoph Waltz, INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (There should be no one else nominated. Period.)

The Ruins: Finale

It's kind of gay for guys to be throwing balls at each other's bare asses and dripping hot wax on each other, right? It's HELLA gay, right? Well then, Evan, Johnny, and Kenny are gay for each other. As Evan says, "It's a lot more fun to do it than take it, isn't it?"

It's the Epic Battle of Sarah & KellyAnne vs. Susie & Evan & Kenny & Derrick & Johnny. But most of the episode is filled with the usual Kenny vs. Sarah and Johnny vs. Susie.

First leg: eat bugs and balls. Or something. Sarah and KellyAnne pwned that, running away to the next leg while Johnny's puking away.

There are too many cooks in the kitchen on the Champions team when they have to work on a puzzle. Sarah and KellyAnne pwn that one too.

Third leg: crawling through a mud pit. That's not so awful. At this point, the boys throw Susie over their back so they can walk faster carrying her.

After some slow balancing by KellyAnne, they're basically even. The next leg is a puzzle, so it just comes down to "brain power" and focus. On a show like this, Susie has the most of those, and the Champions finish that leg first.

Winner: Champions. The team of 2 had a decent chance, what with the puzzles, but in the end 2 girls get beaten by 4 guys plus Susie. Go figure.

Worst. Rules. Ever. I assume they'll try to make the teams even next time....

Fringe Rules My Life

Freak of the Week: A dude recalls memories whilst simultaneously having bits of his brain removed. It looks like shrimp. I'm never eating shrimp again. There are exposed brains and the general nastiness one has come to expect with Fringe.

The dude is in a mental hospital, and the Team heads there to investigate. This of course means more cuteness from Walter, who tells the security guard "I'm sane." Of course you are, Walter. Of course you are.

When reviewing the security tapes, Olivia recognizes the guy who had broken in to perform the shrimp surgery. He's one of those frozen heads that were stolen from earlier this season, all thawed out and attached to a body.

Now that the shrimpy part of his brain is missing, the insane patient is no longer insane. The Team tracks down similar patients - people crazy for like 14 years and then magically cured. Turns out they had had bits of transplanted brain tissue, which is what Mr. Head was removing. He's basically trying to reassemble someone's brain, which had been broken down into pieces and stored in other people's brains. That's awesome!!

Peter finds a surgical scar on Walter's head, and they think he once had a piece of foreign brain removed from him. Walter goes in for an MRI - and requires a lot of Valium (because he has a high tolerance, natch). AND IT TURNS OUT IT WAS PIECES OF WALTER'S BRAIN THAT WERE IMPLANTED IN THE OTHER PEOPLE!!! AWESOME!

The brain pieces removed were memories. Mr. Head kidnaps a recovering Walter so that he can recreate the memories in their original brain. Of course. Pacey is going to be bitter!!!

Luckily, after getting lost last week, Walter had implanted a tracking device in his neck, and so Peter and Olivia follow it. Unluckily, Mr. Head must have found it, because they find it in a bloody public restroom sink. This is the part where Pacey gets bitter, kicking in a bathroom door like the manly man he is.

Mr. Head needs Walter to remember how he built the door to the Other Universe. We got some cool hints about the Other Universe too - something called "the blight" that killed grass and trees. Mr. Head gets the information he needs (off-screen) just before Olivia and Peter come storming in. As they're escaping, Olivia gets two nice head shots on Mr. Head's henchmen. Nice kills, girl! (She's working a fierce braid tonight too.)

Olivia nabs Mr. Head, but he has a failsafe to ensure his escape - he injected something into Walter and if he doesn't get the antidote in 4 minutes, Walter will die. Olivia has a choice - Mr. Head or Walter Bishop. YOU HAD BETTER PICK WALTER BISHOP, HARLOT!! She does. Because she is awesome.

So Mr. Head saves Walter's life, but then gets away in the process. That son of a bitch.

In the end, Walter recalls that his memories were taken by William Bell - for safekeeping, so he would be the only one who would know how to open the door to the Other Universe.

Walter's Food Thing of the Week: Chicken wings! When he awakens from his near-death state, he has a massive headache... and a sudden craving for chicken wings. That's my Walter.

This Week's Code: PORTAL.

Top Chef: Finale

Come on, Kevin!!!

Final Challenge: Cook a three course meal. First course - use everything in the box you're given (fish, crab, lemons, and squash included). Second - cook anything you want with anything in the kitchen. Third - you must make dessert.

Then the chefs draw knives randomly to get their sous chefs from among all of the former contestants. Ugh. Random!? Kevin gets Preeti and Ash. DAGGER! Brian lucked out with Jennifer and Ashley. Michael gets Eli (he's good as a sous chef) and some chick I can barely remember.

Kevin's pretty bitter about his assistants, and I don't know that I've ever seen him mad. Poor guy.

Their mothers stop by for a visit on the morning of the competition. Of course, that's only to drive home the point that Bryan and Michael are brothers. But Kevin's mom is adorable and gives him a nice pep talk.

The chefs are given a last-minute addition to their challenge - create an extra course (to serve as the first course) inspired by your childhood/mothers. Kevin makes fried chicken skin. Of course he does. Luckily, it's pretty much used as a garnish.

For their main dishes, Kevin made pork (duh), Bryan made venison, and Michael made squab.

Kevin's dessert has chocolate bacon mousse and bacon brittle. Yes! YESYESYES! Go Kevin!

You couldn't tell who was going to win going by the judges' reactions at the table - there were negative and positive for all of them.

Kevin had a bad day so he didn't win. Sadness. I'll blame Preeti for this. I will be avenged!!

Top Chef: Michael. It came down to The Brothers. Wow, that was kind of surprising. I never really noticed that he was all that good, and he beat his brother. I guess I'll have to check out his restaurant. But I'm going to Kevin's first!

I Need To STFU

I just noticed that my prior post was Post #2001. Cool. BRB. Watching Top Chef.

SYTYCD: Results

Tonight, Cat's earrings are the distraction - long, bright blue things. I'm hoping Ryan and Ashleigh leave, but this week is traditionally the week for surprise eliminations. So we'll see.

The other distraction? That Jakob comes out for the eliminations wearing boxer briefs and a turtleneck. Like, if he popped a boner, the world would know. And he's standing with 3 guys who are fully dressed in jeans. It's weird. Maybe he didn't have time to put on pants?

Bottom Two Guys: Legacy. OK. Ryan. THANK YOU, JESUS! I was so afraid it was going to be Jakob. What a relief. Jakob and Russell in the finale!! Thank GOD!

Bottom Two Girls: Ellenore. Boo, but expected. Mollee. OK, there's your Shock of the Night. Ashleigh skates through even though she didn't perform!? That's bull. America stinks.

Bye-bye:

Mollee. THANK YOU! I mean, I feel bad because Mollee's crying and really upset, and yet at least Ellenore is in the finale. Mollee wouldn't have a chance of winning.

Legacy. Damn. Yes, I'm bitter that Ryan and Ashleigh both made it. Legacy made it really far and was really amazing, but I suppose he wouldn't have won either.

Let's go Jakob and Russell!

SYTYCD: Performances

Ashleigh doesn't come out in the introduction of the 8 dancers and I'm all WTF!? Is she injured? Yep. She comes out with her arm in a sling because she dislocated her shoulder earlier in the day. She wants to dance, but the doctors won't clear her. That stinks for whoever is paired up with her. They still bring her out so she can get some votes. I hope she doesn't.

Cat is wearing a gold lamé shorts-suit. She's amazing. Always. I truly don't know what there is left for her to wear.

1. Kathryn and Ryan. They're the blandest couple left.

A) Disco. It had crazy lifts, since that's all he's good for. His rhinestoned pants distracted (and blinded) me. I just have a problem with him, and they're very cheeseball and whitebread. It was just a'ight for me, dawg.

B) Cha Cha. It's a great routine, with all kinds of crazy lifts and footwork. Considering how dull they are, it was great and I loved it. Ryan had a long-sleeved shirt on, which helped, though it kept coming all open in the front. Gag.

2. Mollee and Jakob. Mollee, get away from my man.

A) Viennese Waltz. It was really great. Jakob just drives me crazy, he's so good. And he always brings his partners to another level, so she was great too. Jakob's just so amazing. I'm in love.

B) Broadway. They both have very gymnastic abilities, and they were great. But damn he really does amaze me -- his extensions, his huge movements, guh. Love him.

3. Ellenore and Legacy.

A) Contemporary by Travis Wall. It was this cool, tightly-choreographed, hard-hitting dance. Lots of throwing themselves around. Very cool for both of their styles.

B) Hip Hop by Tabitha & Napoleon. It was a cool, quirky routine that really fit their styles, once again. It didn't seem that hard though, or at least not as hard at their previous routine. I like this couple. The judges crapped all over the choreography, it was funny.

4. Not-Ashleigh and Russell. Russell gets screwed on partners AGAIN!? How unfair. And I really think they would have been a good couple in these styles. I only like Ashleigh when she's paired with a dude I like.

A) Hip Hop by Shane Sparks. Russell dances with Shane's assistant on this one. And I play the "Fat or Pregnant?" game with the assistant. Seriously. Why is Russell always paired with the big girls? He was great, of course, but it's always a bit off-putting when people are paired with another person at the last minute. I feel bad and it's the main focus, instead of the dancing. People better vote for Russell!!

B) Bollywood. This assistant is way hotter. It was a great, high-energy routine, as the Bollywood routines always are. The chick was amazing and Russell was great too, he had such great positive energy. It looked really hard. Is it wrong to say that Russell's good at ethnic-type dancing? He's good at the ethnic dancing.

Russell did his solo dressed as Santa Claus. Epic. I love you, Russell.

The Ruins

We pick up at The Ruins with Susie v. Kimberly. It's insane - they have to wrestle a rope out of each other's hands in the rain no less, Susie is picking Kim up and slamming her on the ground - it's brutal.

Bye-bye: Kimberly. And then Dunbar follows.

So it's 4 dudes and Susie left for the Champions and 3 chicks for the Challengers. Johnny wants to throw the next challenge so they can force Susie to go up against KellyAnne. He wants Casey to stay for the final challenge. He's an ass. What is he so afraid of? He says the Challengers will be stronger without Casey. Which, OK, granted, but there will only be TWO OF THEM. And they will have VAGINAS! I'm pretty sure your big, strong balls can take them down, Johnny.

So although Johnny throws his part of the challenge, the other boys do not, and they end up winning. Plus it helped that Casey DQ'd herself because she didn't feel like finishing. That Casey sure is a winner. TJ don't like quitters.

The Ruins: Susie chooses to go against Casey. And of course she wins.

Bye-bye: Casey. She's always high, isn't she? I don't think it's all a Dumb Blonde Thing. I think she's high.

So the finale challenge is going to be:

Challengers: Sarah and KellyAnne
Champions: Susie and Evan and Kenny and Derrick and Johnny.

Yeah, that's fair. Pretty good rule-making, MTV!

Feeling Kinda Sunday

Yeah, I'm feeling better....

Belgian Beef and Beer Stew


Herbed Asiago Rolls

Regular old chocolate chip cookies

Top Chef

The Final Four gather in Napa Valley in the Fall and it's gorgeous.

Quickfire: Cook on the moving Napa Valley Wine Train, using grapes. Michael wins, and wins a Prius. Bryan looks bitter. I just recently realized how utterly humorless Bryan is.

Elimination Challenge: Make 2 dishes for 150 people - one vegetarian, one with a protein, both 100% local.

Bryan makes Goat Cheese Ravioli with squash puree, which is totally close to what he served us. Yeah, those goat cheese ravioli were killer. He makes short ribs too. I would murder someone for some short ribs right now. (I'm just getting over being sick which means I'm ravenous.)

Kevin makes amazing food once again. Pumpkin polenta, roasted carrots, braised beef, I'm all over it. This turkey burger I just ate ain't cutting it.

They're all really good - it's a strong Final Four. But someone has to leave.

Winner: Bryan.

Bye-bye: Jennifer. Damn. An all-male finale. We're still guaranteed some bitchiness though, as The Brothers have to go up against each other.

GO KEVIN! Or Bryan. But, you know, mostly KEVIN!

Fringe

Freak of the Week: Boston's Chinatown. A guy's stomach hurts. Great. That never ends well on this show. Sure enough, some creature starts to come out of his mouth and nose. Yay for a monster episode!

The team finds a bunch of dead bodies from a Chinese ship run aground. And of course they find a buttload of disgusting organisms as well. I do love it when this show gets gross.

The worms contain something that strengthens immune systems, and the team traces the order (because apparently there's a black market for everything, including Immune System Worms) to a mother whose son has an immunodeficiency disorder.

Walter's Food of the Week: He mentioned a hot dog, but he was really too busy self-actualizing. Poor Walter just wants to be independent, but then when he gets lost, he tries calling Peter but can't remember the number. I just can't take it when Walter looks so lost. Luckily, a nice Chinese lady helps him out, and eventually they get through to Peter.

Peter busts into the Creepy Chinese Worm Factory alone, as only Peter would do, and doesn't have much luck taking down the big guys. He almost has a worm forced down his throat, but luckily Olivia and Broyles bust in just in time.

Walter stabs me through the heart once gain, crying when he finds out Astrid was attacked in the lab. They are too cute together - in a grandpa/granddaughter kind of way, of course. Then, as he often does, Walter simultaneously breaks my heart and makes me laugh when he implants a tracking device into his neck, so that he doesn't have to worry about getting lost again.

This Week's Code: HIDDEN.

Fringe: Thank God For Delayed Viewing Options

I'm sick with whatever brand of flu is currently circulating. There is no way I'll be able to watch Fringe tonight, which is a big indication that I'm almost dead.

But in the meantime, I wanted to give a Fringe-night shout-out to the folks who watch the show every week, eating Walter's food obsession from the week before. They've started a site here: Fringe Party. They also have a really cool glyph tool that geeks me out. Naturally, my cube at work now has my name and the glyph of my name underneath.

Enjoy your cherry cough syrup milkshakes, guys! I will be having the cough syrup sans ice cream tonight.

SYTYCD: Results

I LOL'd at Cat as soon as she came on screen. Bed hair, red lipstick, AND a flesh-colored bustier!? Oh Cat, how I love you.

Bottom Two Girls: Noelle and Kathryn. I have a hard time telling them apart.

Bottom Two Guys: Ryan and Nathan.

Can't argue with this bottom four, really.

The guest dance performance was by this troupe called the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. It's going to be some kind of web series, but these dancers were UNREAL. Very cool. Snoop Dogg was the musical guest, and I actually watched it - because Dominick and Hok were among the dancers. YAY!

Bye-bye: Noelle and Nathan. Let's face it - they weren't going to win this thing. At least they left before a really good one (JAKOB!). Nathan sure started out strong and fell off quickly. Thank god the 10 year olds couldn't get through last night!

SYTYCD: Performances

Cat is wearing a simple black dress - simple for her, meaning there is some huge black feather duster on the top.

1. Noelle and Ryan

A) Hip hop by Tabitha & Napoleon. Maybe it's because there was no build-up to it, no rehearsals shown, and they just started it abruptly, but it seemed weird to me. It was good, but I guess I apparently want some of that dumb rehearsal footage after all.

B) Smooth Waltz. Pretty good, kind of dull. I'm hard to please tonight.

2. Ashleigh and Legacy

A) Contemporary, but with a crazy hard edge to it. You know what it is? Without the rehearsal footage and discussion with choreographers, I don't know what the point of some of this is. So it was hard to figure out the style and what was going on. It was cool though and looked really hard - an athletic collection of crazy moves.

B) Hip hop by Dave Scott. It was a weird kind of Dracula routine, but it was a'ight. I have a hard time admitting I like Ashleigh, but I liked her. The judges hammered them for it - but it was mostly the choreographer's damn fault.

3. Kathryn and Nathan

A) Broadway. It was fine. I officially like her, but he still bothers me.

B) Rumba. I found it dull - she's good, but Nathan's so dour and blah. The judges didn't love it, and of course the audience of 10 year old girls booed.

4. Ellenore and Jakob. That's a powerhouse couple right there.

A) Quickstep. It was pretty damn amazing, probably the best Quickstep I've seen - it's always the kiss of death on this show. But they're such good dancers that I liked it.

B) Contemporary by Sonya. Now that's a match made in heaven - Ellenore and Sonya both have quirky styles. Hell, with Jakob's awesomeness, it's a Threesome Made in heaven. I love Sonya. Where does she always get this great music from? It was perfect and cool and amazing. Goosebumps!! The judges were out of their minds for it too.

5. Mollee and Russell. Ew. Don't want her with him.

A) Lyrical Jazz by Mandy Moore. It was great, and had a couple cool tricky components. And she seemed to be dancing "older" to me. It's actually not a bad pairing, I'll admit it.

B) Jive. It was fast-paced and well done. Yeah, this pairing is fun and good.

Everyone got to do a featured solo tonight too, which is only notable for one reason -- Russell crumping! And also Ryan performed to "Rock You Like a Hurricane" - yes, it's official - he's a freaking male stripper.

My Own Top Chef Experience

When Bryan Voltaggio was first introduced on this season of Top Chef, my first thought was "WTF!? He works in Frederick, Maryland!?" Having lived more than 10 years in Maryland, "Fredneck" isn't exactly what I would consider the poshest place for a world class dining experience. Luckily, I was wrong, as I got to experience VOLT last Saturday.

Though we didn't have the 21-course table IN the kitchen (due to a "restaurant error"), we had the next best thing - the 6-course meal with a view of the kitchen.

I have posted the food porn on my little food website if you're interested in seeing it - link here.

Family Post FAIL

It has come to my attention that I suck on updating lately. And that some people just want to see more pictures of their "adorable" kid. (P.S. I blame Facebook -it's much easier.)

I traveled to Pennsylvania a few weeks back to indulge in some age-inappropriate fun and eat (or get eaten by) babies.



Charles is too gorgeous - look at her eyes!


Best. Picture. Ever.




BABIES!!!!!!!!!