Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens

Perhaps on par with winning an Oscar or Emmy or Golden Globe, one of the surest symbols of "making it" is being photographed by Annie Leibovitz. As the famous song by Dr. Hook attests:

But the thrill we've never known
Is the thrill that'll get you when you get your picture
On the cover of the Rolling Stone...

The achievements of Annie Leibovitz include many covers for Rolling Stone--and Vanity Fair and Vogue. Her career has spanned 40 years and her photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono (taken hours before his murder), a very pregnant Demi Moore, Patti Smith and Whoopi Goldberg (to name just a few...) have transcended the celebrity status of the subjects themselves to become iconic images.

Who better to document Leibovitz's life and career than her sister Barbara? Interspersing archival footage with that of present day clips of Leibovitz in action--as well as numerous interviews with colleagues and photo subjects (including Tina Brown, Anna Wintour, Hillary Clinton, Yoko Ono, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger), the film explores the process and passion of one of the world's most celebrated and well-known photographers.

The DVD contains additional interviews discussing the stories behind some of those famous photos, Annie's process and work ethic, and her work in the areas of commercial, fashion and celebrity photography. If you've ever leafed through her self-titled book of photos (I own it!), the documentary is like the book come to life.

In answer to her sister's query of "What is a photographer's life?," Leibovitz responds, "It's just a life...looking through a lens." Check out the DVD to get a peek through the lens of Leibovitz's life and work.

Forget the Chocolate--curl up with a RomCom on V-Day!

Confession time: I am not into chick flicks. Steel Magnolias makes me gag. Terms of Endearment I can't even be bothered to see. And I think Sleepless in Seattle is by far the worst romantic comedy of them all.

But there are some rom-coms that hit the right notes for me. Instead of bemoaning your solitary state on Valentine's Day or spending too much on a fancy dinner out, head over to Blockbuster and curl up with a sweet (but not TOO sweet) movie:

1. The Wedding Singer - This is the sweeter side of Adam Sandler and how can you not love a soundtrack that features originals and covers of David Bowie, Dead or Alive, Culture Club and a cameo by Billy Idol?

2. 50 First Dates - Another Sandler flick again teaming him with the terminally cute Drew Barrymore. This came out at the same time as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and (I know I'll ruffle some feathers here) I think it does a better job of exploring the connection between love and memory.

3. Ever After - Speaking of Drew Barrymore, she played a kick-ass and fiercely independent Cinderella in this unique retelling of the fairy tale classic.

4. Pretty Woman - I have at least two female friends who LOATHE this movie. And I totally get where they're coming from: sugar-coating prostitution into a Pygmalion-styled Cinderella story is a bit of a stretch. But it works for me for one reason: Julia Roberts. She is charisma, she is magic. That smile, that laugh, those big brown eyes.

And seriously--who wouldn't relish the opportunity to have someone who looks like Richard Gere as a sugar daddy? Sure it's formula--but the formula works.

5. The Truth About Cats and Dogs - Janeane Garofalo was so utterly adorable in this flick. I guess I have a thing for underdogs. And actual dogs...

6. 10 Things I Hate About You - This was the late Heath Ledger's break-through film and it also featured a young(er) Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon Levitt. The scene where Ledger serenades Stiles with "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" on the football field is a gem.

7. About a Boy - The real love story in this film is between Hugh Grant's self-absorbed manchild and Nicholas Hoult's geeky young Marcus. No, it's not anything pedophilic--but a belated coming of age story about a man jolted out of his narcissistic existence by a child wise beyond his years:

Christine: Oh, no...it's just I thought you had hidden depths.
Will: No, no, you've always had that wrong about me. I really am this shallow.

This one also features a mortifying song performance. It's brilliant.

8. He Said, She Said - Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth Perkins are great in this battle of the sexes story which ironically was directed by Ken Kwapis who is currently riding high on the success of He's Just Not That Into You. It's one story told twice, from each of the main character's perspective.

9. Roxanne - Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah in a retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac. It's pretty predictable, but still enjoyable.

10. Some Kind of Wonderful - Eric Stolz, Mary Stuart Masterson and Lea Thompson in a John Hughes-penned love triangle where the geek girl gets the guy! This almost makes up for the fact that bland Blaine triumphed over devoted Duckie in Pretty in Pink.

Almost...

Hollie Goes Green

This post comes courtesy of the gorgeous and talented Hollie, who I sent to check out the latest happening at Vert.

Here is her report:

"Organic make-up and skin care is something Stella has been raving about. As an avid reader of her blog, I always thought it sounded good but maybe a bit new age-y for my needs.

I’m a drugstore kinda gal.

But after attending Vert’s Kiss and Make-up event, I’m a convert. Created by Renata Helfman, Vert is the place to go for all natural eco-friendly make-up and skin care products. As we sipped on champagne and snacked on tasty macrobiotic snacks, Renata, a former celebrity make-up artist, offered a step-by-step make-up lesson.

I’ve always found watching people apply make-up a bit like watching a chef prepare a great meal. It’s interesting but not something I could do. But Renata offered so many great tips as she went along I kept thinking, "I can do that!"

One thing I learned was how important it is to prep your skin before you put on any make-up. Before she even got started with the make-over, Renata moisturized her model’s face, using Ren, Vert’s latest offering for skincare. Ren is the latest in bioactive skincare and has no synthetic ingredients. It’s packaging is clean and simple and the products are scientifically tested.

As someone who’s starting to notice fine lines sneak in, finding the best anti-aging creams have become a hobby. While everything in the line looked good, my budget forced me to focus on what’s most important. I’ve been in the market for a new eye cream so I splurged for the lipovector peptide anti-wrinkle eye cream, which contains peptides and natural vitamin A.

I’m planning to replace my current eye cream Clinique Repairwear which, according to Cosmetic Database (another discovery that I can’t believe I didn’t know about), ranks at a 7. Ren was kind enough include a sample of there products including the Multi-mineral Detoxifying Facial Mask, the Rosa Centifola Facial Wash and the Active 7 Radiant Eye Maintenance Gel.

My skin is already thanking me.

Besides praising Ren skincare, Renata stressed that Vert provides a variety of products so that the eco-conscious consumer can mix and match. One item that really stood out and I’ve already added to my wish list is Josie Maran’s Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 30. It’s the perfect substitute for someone like me (lazy) who doesn’t wear foundation every day but wants to look like I do.

Helping out with make over tips was Layla, a make-up artist from Jane Iredale cosmetics. I don’t know how I’ve never heard of this cosmetic line but the products are incredible. I haven’t tried it yet but in my goody bag, is their lengthening mascara and one of their 24-karat bronzer. (Is there anything better than a bronzer with gold flecks in it?)

What stands out about Jane Iredale is that this was one of the first companies to make mineral make-up and it continues to be recommended by dermatologists and plastic surgeons. Those are people I can trust. The other must have item from Jane Iredale is the In Touch Cream blush. It contains real cocoa extract and smells incredible. Normally, I’m not a big fan of scented cosmetics but this was just the right blend.

New cosmetics and skin care is exciting but the best part about the evening was the education I received. The tips from both Renata and Layla were invaluable. I had no idea that the mascara I was using from the drugstore contained such toxic chemicals as well as the damage that my “long lasting” lip color may cause. I had posted on my own blog that I hoped to be more eco-friendly by recycling and driving less, but I realized that I’ve been putting potentially harmful products on my face and body.

Definitely not the place where one should scrimp!

Of course, mineral make-up and “green” skincare is slightly more expensive than drugstore brands but paying that extra bit is worth it if I’m not only looking better but I’m not poisoning using toxic products.

You can check out Vert online to discover all the products I mentioned and so many more.

Thanks again to Stella for letting me discover the wonderful world of Vert. My make-up and skincare routine will never be the same!"

Hollie is a screenwriter, actress, blogger and twin whose pristine porcelain skin is in no need of cosmetics. But if one more person is converted to avoiding toxic chemicals and using healthier and more eco-friendly products, then I have done my job!

Ugly Betty and The Office - The Courtship of Betty's Father and Lecture Circuit pt.2

I have to say, I think last night's episode of Ugly Betty was one of my all-time favorites! What with Willie telling Connor that she loves him, Molly and Daniel and their terminal cuteness, Ignacio hooking up with Elena and the sweetest couple of them all: Daniel and his mom, Claire.

I've been a fan of Judith Light since her time on One Life to Live as Karen Wolek--doctor's wife by day, prostitute by night. Or was it the other way around? Anyway, Light has the most expressive eyes which can well up with tears in the blink of an eye. And when her eyes welled up, so did mine.

I'm such a mush.

With the episode title being The Courtship of Betty's Father, it wasn't hard to see the connection between him and Elena coming. Of course, when Betty catches them making out (nothing more than some passionate kissing thank goodness 'cuz THAT wouldn't have been too cute...), it freaks both her and Hilda out.

Even cuter was Willie getting coaching from Marc on her relationship with Connor. She ends up bird-sitting Connor's parrot while he's on a business trip to London. Unfortunately, Olivia Newton Bird has a nasty habit of squawking "Pretty Molly" over and over. Marc asks Willie why she didn't just offer to water the plants and she replies, "I guess people in love do stupid things." Marc gloats over the admission, but Willie cautions him that "no-one will know that I love Connor outside this office."

Except now Oliva Newton Bird has a new catch-phrase to squawk: "I love Connor." Wilhelmina tries frantically to teach the bird another phrase so that Connor won't know about her feelings. When that doesn't work, she orders Marc to throw the parrot out the window. "But that would be BIRD-er!" Marc gasps. He tells Willie that "Waiting for someone to say I love you first doesn't mean you're more powerful, it just means you're afraid."

I'm really loving Marc this season. Michael Urie is doing a fabulous job!

When Connor returns home, Willie blurts out that she loves him before the bird can. What a great passionate kiss that Connor planted on her!

Daniel is feeling insecure about his relationship with Molly--especially after hearing her reminisce with Connor about their many years and many adventures together. He tries taking her to an exotic Tibetan restaurant in order to forge some memories of their own, but he gets queasy after drinking fermented yak butter tea and rushes to the bathroom. Later, he confesses to Molly that he lacks experience in the relationship longevity department and he's afraid he's going to screw things up. "I won't let you!" Molly tells him and says, "Last night might not have been perfect, but it was memorable."

But the most touching story was Claire's. When Claire is detained for shoplifting at a drugstore, Betty bails her out but expresses her concern to Daniel about his mother. They decide that Claire's erratic behavior is due to her impending 60th birthday and that the remedy is to throw her a surprise party complete with tribute video.

Since Daniel's home movies of his mom consist of her mainly being drunk, Betty decides to interview Claire's friends. But their reminiscences are less than flattering. "She's a fun drunk," says Liz Smith and Claire's other friends. "How's the Claire Witch Project going?" snarks Amanda. In desperation for material, Betty turns her video camera on Claire who shoplifts while they're out. When Betty attempts to stop her, she's the one left holding the bag.

But Claire comes back to explain she was the one who stole the thong. She tells Betty that she's been feeling invisible lately. The store manager releases Betty, but holds Claire. But it's not the police who show up to pick her up, it's Daniel. She starts to apologize for her behavior, but Daniel apologizes to her for not being a good son. And instead of the big surprise party for Claire, Daniel arranges a private little dinner for just the two of them.

Sniffle. Such a sweet moment!

I wonder though: With everyone so happily ever after right now, what kind of soap opera is this anyway?

Part two of Lecture Circuit started with Angela proudly showing off the newest member of her family: a $7k cat. Seems she sold Andy's engagement on E-bay to afford Princess Lady. She shows her office mates her beloved via a nanny-cam. But when one of her lesser cats starts humping her precious feline, she races home to intervene.

But the nanny-cam is still broadcasting and Oscar and Kevin watch in horror as Angela starts cleaning Princess Lady with her tongue. She realizes the nanny-cam was still on when she returns to the office. "I was looking at pictures of food on my computer," Kevin lies. Oscar is traumatized by the sight. "And I'm pretty sure she coughed up a hairball," he says.

Jim and Dwight continue to bumble through planning Kelly's party. When Jim returns to the office, he finds Dwight interrogating Kelly about her stint in juvie. To lighten the mood, he attempts to distract Kelly with the news that he got her cake. When he shows it to her, her response is "I hate it." She asks Jim and Dwight, "What's the theme?" Baffled, they mumble "Birthday...frosting?" "There's always a theme!" insists Kelly as she storms out. "There's always a theme," agrees Phyllis staring at the two disapprovingly.

Dwight and Jim start to bicker and Jim tells Dwight, "Next time I'll let YOU get the cake and I'll get to scream at the birthday girl!" They brainstorm themes for the party and come up with things like beer, fights to the death, cupcakes, charades and horse hunting. Dwight has never had a birthday party, but Jim reminisces about his favorite birthday. His father took him to New York to the Museum of Natural History and afterward bought him a small plastic triceratop.

"You know what's even cooler than a triceratops? Every dinosaur that ever existed." Dwight sneers.

Kelly's birthday consists of gray and brown balloons and a birthday cake with her name misspelled. "What's the Chicklet for?" Jim tells her she can choose an hour of television or an hour-long nap. Kelly is stoked and chooses the nap. Crawling under the conference room table with a blanket and pillow, Kelly giggles, "I'm too excited to sleep!" After an hour, Dwight wakes her up by clanging two garbage lids together.

Michael and Pam arrive in Nashua to get closure, but when they arrive they find Holly is away on an HR retreat. (Damn, I was looking forward to seeing Amy Ryan!) They also find out that she has a boyfriend in the office named A.J.

Poor Michael!

Pam gives him a pep talk so that he will do the presentation. She tells him that everyone will tell Holly how awesome he was. "And she'll move back to Scranton. And her boyfriend will die..." Michael muses hopefully.

But Michael loses it during the seminar and ends up crawling out of the conference. Pam gamely (or lamely) attempts to finish the presentation--but Pam doing Michael is so much worse than Michael doing Michael. "I have a chainsaw!" Pam says brightly.

Michael forlornly walks into Holly's cubicle and snips the arm of the sweater she left hanging on her chair. He sees a file titled "Dear Michael" on her desktop and loads it onto a flashdrive. He tells Pam about it and she tells him that he can't read it because it would be a violation of Holly's privacy. "I could read it," she offers. So Michael scurries out to the car to retrieve his laptop. Pam reads the letter and tells Michael that it's not over--Holly still has feelings for him.

LOST - This Place is Death

Can I call it or what? Charlotte did indeed bite the dust in last night's episode of LOST, right after speaking the line that provided the episode's title. After speaking in Korean to Jin, she warns him "Don't you let them bring her back. This place is death!"

It was mostly an island-centric episode. Although it began with Sun about to blow Ben's head off until Ben told her Jin was still alive. Whoosh! We're on the island with Jin and the shipwrecked Frenchies. He finds out from Danielle that the year is 1988--which understandably freaks him out a bit. The Frenchies are still receiving the numbers transmission and get Jin to lead them to the radio tower.

On the way, Nadine goes missing. I'm thinking to myself, could it be the smoke monster? And then there's a rumbling growl. The Frenchies ask Jin what it is. "Monster," is Jin's reply. Was that the "familiar friend" of which George spoke? Or perhaps was he referring to Christian Shephard? I thought it would be Jacob, but if he was referring to Christian I was still close: Christian is after all an agent for Jacob.

But back to the smoke monster: it regurgitates Nadine. Apparently not a fan of French food. Although it heads for Montand next. Was anyone surprised by that? He was being such a prick, I knew the smoke monster would snatch him next even if he wasn't wearing a red shirt. Even the human chain formed by Jin and the other Frenchies isn't enough to retrieve Montand from the clutches of Smoky and all that's left of him is an arm.

Robert and the others follow Montand into Smoky's lair, but Jin stops Rousseau from following. Then there's a flash and Jin is left alone with a slightly dessicated arm of Montand (that's "bras de Montand" in French...). Jin follows a plume of smoke back to the beach where flies are buzzing around the bodies of Lacombe and Brennan. Rousseau is holding a gun on Robert, accusing him of not being Robert but of being infected by the monster. While Jin watches she shoots him and then turns her gun on Jin.

As Jin runs into the forest to escape Danielle, there's another flash and when it stops he hears a gun cock behind him. But it's not the crazy French woman, but Sawyer! There's a brief and sweet reunion, but immediately Jin asks "Where is Sun?" Sawyer tries to explain the concept of time travel to Jin who gets frustrated due to his limited English. He demands that Miles translate. Looking at Sawyer Miles says, "He's Korean. I'm from Encino." But Charlotte, as we learned last season, speaks Korean and is able to translate for Jin.

As the group continues on to the Orchid, Daniel asks Charlotte if she speaks any other languages. "Just Klingon," she jokes. Then there's a flash, and another flash--and Charlotte collapses. Both Sawyer and Juliet's noses start bleeding. Locke wants to leave Charlotte saying she'll only hold them up, but Daniel refuses to abandon her. (Pretty heartless of Locke given that they're both Geronimo Jackson fans...) Sawyer asks Locke what if the Orchid isn't there when they get there and Charlotte tells them to look for the well.

While the others continue on, Daniel stays with Charlotte. She tells him, "I've been here before." She left the island when she was a little girl and her mother always told her it wasn't real, but that's why she became an anthropologist--to find her way back. When she was little a crazy man scared her by telling her if she ever came back to the island, she would die. "Daniel, I think that man was you!" Daniel tells her he contacted Desmond and told him to find his mother. "She can help us!"

But it's too late for Charlotte.

The others reach the Orchid, but right then another flash occurs and when it's over the Orchid is gone. Locke finds the well and starts to go down into it. Jin tells him not to bring Sun back. He gives Locke his ring to give to Sun and tells him to tell her that he's dead. Locke promises and starts to descend the rope into the well. "Sure you don't want us to lower you down?" Sawyer asks. "Where would be the fun in that?" Locke responds.

Locke's lowering into the well was reminiscent of his entrance into the hatch. Of course another flash comes and John falls to the bottom of the well. When the flash stops, the well is gone for Sawyer, Juliet, Miles and Jin.

But in whatever time frame Locke ended up in, he's injured at the bottom of the well. This is where Christian appears. He tells Locke that HE was supposed to move the island, not Ben. Hmm...so did Ben accidentally dislodge the wheel when he moved the island? Christian tells Locke the wheel slipped off its axis and needs a little push. (It needed more than a "little" push when Ben turned it!) As Locke turns it, Christian calls out "Say hello to my son!"

Of course, Locke has no idea that Christian is Jack's father.

Off the island, Sun agrees to allow Ben to prove that Jin is alive. They drive to the church where Eloise Hawking is doing her calculations (the same Eloise Hawking that Christin told Locke would help them return to the island and apparently Daniel Faraday's mommy), but before they enter Ben pulls out Jin's ring and hands it to Sun. He tells her she has to decide right now if she's going back with them.

Sun say yes.

At that point, Desmond arrives and asks "You're looking for Faraday's mother, too?" They enter the church where Eloise Hawking is not pleased that only 1/3 of the Oceanic Six are there. Ben tells her that this was the best he could do on short notice. (Wondering why Desmond didn't appear to recognize the weird woman who sold him the engagement ring...)

"Let's get started," says Eloise.

For more immersion in LOST, check out the recap at Lostpedia, the screencaps at Dark UFO and Liz Kelly and Jen Chaney's Dueling Analyses on washingtonpost.com

LOST: Oh no! THIS PLACE IS DEATH

For those of you counting down the hours 'til the latest episode of LOST airs tonight, here's George's most recent update:

Hello LOSTies,

Some of you may have thought that last week's "The Little Prince" wasn't what the other episodes had provided. I challenge that. Let's look why:

1) It was Ben, not Carole, that hired Dan Norton to fight Kate on her status of "mother" to Aaron.
2) Kate's address was found in Tony's pocket...so not only was Sayid in trouble of getting killed, so was Kate and Aaron.
3) Sun's got a gun and she's mad as hell. But apparently Ben can prove Jin is alive.

speaking of which...

4) Jin is ALIVE! Found floating on the ocean as he's been time traveling with the rest of the LOSTies.
5) Miles and Juliet now show signs of nosebleed. Daniel asked Miles if he had ever been to the island before. Hmmm...could he be Pierre's baby???

LEAP TRACKER

1) November 1, 2004 - The day the Desmond shed some light on Locke, the night Boone died, and the night Clair gave birth to Aaron. Sawyer seeing the latter up close and hidden. Could the whispers be the future LOSTies hiding from the past LOSTies??
2) 2005 - The beach camp was back, but now ransacked and the remaining 815ers (like Rose and Bernard) having fled. They find a canoe, but not the Zodiac. Once they took the canoe, to go to Orchid, an unknown group began shooting at them.
3) 1988 - Danielle Rousseau and her team (including Brennan, Montand, and Nadine, among others) find Jin in the ocean, which the time traveling crew is looking at the wreckage.

So, let's chat about Ajira Airlines, the logo on the water bottle Sawyer found in the canoe. Juliet is quick to note it's an airliner based in India. You can visit them at http://www.ajiraairways.com.



Thanks to French fans, we are able to translate what is said by Rousseau's team:

---on the raft---

Robert: We never should have followed those damn numbers.
Unknown: It's not my fault, Brennan was at the sonar.
Brennan: If you listened to Montand, he already said the instruments malfunctioned.
Danielle: Man at sea!
Robert: What? I thought we were all there?
Unknown: We are all there! It's not one of ours.
Unknown: Then who is it?
Unknown: Start paddling! Paddle! Paddle, come on!
Unknown: Hurry up, he's going with the current!
Montand: There's only him - no boat, nothing.
Danielle: For the love of God, Brennan, shut up.
Unknown: Bring him aboard! There. He's still breathing.

---on the beach---

Montand: Robert, look, the signal is coming from the island.
Robert: Can you determine the source?
Montand: Of course, look.
Robert: You think the island is inhabited?
Danielle: [To Jin] Are you OK? How are you feeling?
[Jin & Danielle start speaking in English]
Robert: Who is it?
Montand: Who cares who it is. What's he doing here?
Danielle: He says he came on a boat.
Danielle:
[To Montand]
Montand, leave him, he's in shock!
[To Robert]
Do we have water to give him?
[Robert comes back with the water]
Robert: Here.
Danielle: Thanks.

And remember, Robert is Alex's dad and Danielle is a few days from delivering Alex.

Alright....to tonight....and "THIS PLACE IS DEATH"...which means....

Someone dies tonight!!! YAY!!! We haven't had a major character death since Michael and Keamy's deaths in the season finale of last season....bout time...time...hehe...that's such a relative word now on the show.

The episode focuses in on Sun and Jin, on and off the island. Sun and the gun is not having fun but with news about Jin it might make her grin, but first there is a symbol that might circle back this storyline. Will Sun decide to join the O6 and Ben or will her undercover status with Charles Widmore be of more importance. But why will you be watching tonight....better yet....here's why you should....oh come on...I wouldn't tell you flat out...not like you were attending church tonight.

Let's put it this way....a familiar friend will make a wicked visit...and I wouldn't be surprised if it is eye-opening.

I'll just leave you with that....someone dies tonight.....betting starts NOW!

Hmm...who dies tonight? Maybe Charlotte? That nosebleed didn't look so good last episode. As for the familiar friend making a wicked visit, I'm gonna guess Jacob. Or maybe the indestructible Mikhail.

Just five more hours until I find out!

Karaoke: Japanese for "Ear-splittingly Bad Singing"

Actually it means "empty orchestra." But now I have yet another reason to hate it: apparently the past-time of drunken American Idol rejects has a negative side effect worse than an off-key rendition of You Light Up My Life.

Karaoke Rage, according to Brian Raftery of Slate is on the rise:

"One explanation for this uptick in karaoke rage is that karaoke bars bring together several socially combustible elements. Fill a room with 30 or so exhibitionists, ply them with alcohol and wireless microphones, and it's only a matter of time before all the forced interaction results in conflict."

If I were on the jury, I'd acquit.

Heroes - Trust and Blood

Heroes has gotten much darker and edgier for Volume IV. I'm liking it...

Volume I had Sylar and Linderman as the baddies. Volume II was Adam Monroe. Volume III Arthur Petrelli and Volume IV has Nathan taking up Daddy's mantle as the new badass in town.

Oh, and Sylar's still a baddie as well--but with his new-found Daddy issues and a neophyte taken under his wing, it's hard to hate him anymore. It's like a buddy road trip now with the two of them off to find Sylar's dad, but eventually Sylar the mentor will probably slice newbie Luke's head open and steal his microwaving melting power in the next episode or so. (Luke: "You should see what happens around pacemakers!)

Zachary Quinto was pitch perfect in last night's episode. I love the way he delivered this line in response to Agent Simmons (later melted by microwave boy--R.I.P.) taunt: "You gonna torture me in front of them?" Sylar: "No...I'm gonna torture them--in front of you."

After the plane crash in rural Arkansas--which all the kidnapped Heroes survived--government military agents attempt to round up the prisoners. They scatter trying to escape. The M&M team (Matt and Mohinder) is reunited--along with Hiro. Peter and Claire take off, only to be stopped by Noah. Claire bats her big doe eyes at Daddy, who relents and lets Peter go.

Matt goes into a trance and Mohinder and Hiro follow him to a trailer where he breaks in to steal some drawing paper and colored pens.

'Cuz people who have t-shirts that read "Rednecks Make Better Lovers" hanging on a clothes line always have art materials laying around their trailers.

Matt's drawing of the future shows Daphne getting shot, so he heads back to the crash site much to Mohinder's dismay.

The speedster and accelerator (Daphne and Ando) show up at the crash site after Ando traces Hiro's GPS there. Daphne manages to rescue Claire, but the reunion with Matt and company is short-lived when Danko and the goon squad show up and start shooting. Matt manages to use his mind control so that the shooter turns his gun on his own men, but not before Daphne bites the dust--just like in his vision.

Claire is captured by Danko--who is about to put a bullet in the back of her head when he's stopped by Nathan. Danko threatens Nathan who tells him, "We're all replaceable. Some more than others." Noah takes Claire and sends her back home to Costa Verde, but promises to do what he can for the others.

Nathan receives a call from Tracy who wants to negotiate with him. "You don't have anything I want," Nathan coolly tells her. "I have Peter." Tracy counters.

But the meet-up is a set-up with the goon squad prepared to take shots while Peter holds a gun to Nathan's head. Peter absorbs Nathan's flying ability and jets at the last second. (Peter still has the ability to absorb other abilities, but he can only hang on to one at a time.) Nathan tells Noah he knows that he had a clear shot of Peter and thanks him.

Casualties:

Agent Simmons (eh, we didn't like him much anyway...)
A bunch of military goon redshirts
Tracy (captured)
Daphne (killed)

The remaining Heroes: Matt, Mohinder, Ando, Hiro and Peter (No females? Really? What's up with THAT?!!!) regroup in order to plan their next move.

Desperate Housewives - Mama Spent Money When She Had None

As the Prince song goes, "Money changes everything." And money--and the lack thereof--was the issue du jour for last night's episode of Desperate Housewives.

With Bree firmly ensconced in the "Haves" category--along with the newly re-employed Carlos Solis along with Gaby faced off against the "Have nots": Lynette and Tom struggling to stay afloat and Mike and Susan unable to send M.J. to private school.

It was hard to muster up any sympathy for Susan and the private school tuition issue. As a product of the public school system, it's not the worst fate to befall a human being. And one can't imagine the public school district to which Wisteria Lane belongs being disadvantaged. Stealing the pearls that Mike gave Katherine as a gift to hock for M.J.'s tuition? That's ditzy even by Susan Mayer standards. And when said pearls turned out to be $129 fakes, Katherine dealt with the information with humor and grace.

Best line: Lee oohing over the pearls Mike gave Katherine and saying, "He's a keeper. Oh that's right--you didn't keep him, did you?"

Gaby's biggest dilemma is fitting into the dress she wore when Carlos proposed to her for their anniversary. Despite her assertion that she's "one good colonic from being the old me," the dress is still too tight. She cajoles Edie into giving up the secret she told McCluskey of how she lost 5 lbs. in one day. "I got drunk on bourbon and threw up over her lawn!"

But Edie's secret weapon is a hardcore boot camp--so elite you need a referral to get in. She refuses to help Gaby get in until Gaby taunts her. The boot camp is led by an intense Israeli drill sergeant who makes Gaby sign a contract. When Gaby gets nauseous doing crunches, he tells her "You retch on your own time!"

Gaby tries to quit and he tells her, "You can't quit. It's in the contract!" and "When you don't come to boot camp, boot camp comes to you!"

Gaby walks away from her fellow campers only to be chased down by Edie who gives her a piece of her mind.

You go, Edie!

Gaby gives in and rejoins the group and loses some of the attitude and in addition to enough pounds to fit into her dress.

Bob struggles with the knowledge that Dave ratted out Porter. He tells Lee who insists they must tell the Scavos. "No, it'll just get ugly," Bob tells him. "I'm okay with that!" Lee replies. Bob tells Lee that Dave scares him.

He IS pretty creepy...

Seeing Dave sucking up to Tom later, Lee spills the bean about Dave's part in Porter's arrest. Tom shows up at Dave's home and punches him in the face.

You go, Tom!

Dave promises to make things up to Tom and Lynette and Tom tells him, "Lynette doesn't know anything about this. If she did, you'd be dead."

Later Edie asks Dave about his first wife and what was different about the marriages. "Our marriage is more real," Dave tells her. But before Edie can bask in the glow of those words, he continues, "With her it was like a fairy tale. I thought it would last forever...Ours is more real because I know it won't last forever..."

Note to guys everywhere: Honesty is not always the best policy.

But the real money issues were between bitter and jealous Lynette and oblivously unctuous Bree. Tom has to sell his beloved classic Mustang due to the Scavo's financial difficulties--or as Lynette puts it, "Sadly, we can no longer afford Tom's midlife crisis..."

She oozes resentment when she sees Bree's brand new Lexus which comes complete with a refrigerator and self-parking. When Bree realizes Lynette's financial straits, she offers her $20,000. Lynette doesn't want to accept the money for fear that they won't be able to pay it back and it will affect her friendship with Bree.

Then Bree offers it as a gift--no strings attached. Lynette refuses again--but then comes up with the bright idea of making Bree a 15% partner in the restaurant. Bree graciously accepts and to thank her, Lynette plans a party in her honor at the restaurant. In order to boost restaurant attendance, Bree decides instead of a party she'll have her book signing there.

But when Bree finds out that Tom and Lynette are planning on serving pizzas made with one of her recipes, the control freak freaks out. Especially when she sees Lynette using processed parmesan instead of fresh. When Lynette isn't looking, she pitches the pizzas and makes new ones.

Lynette finds the pitched pizzas and calls Bree on it telling her she can't go around changing things without checking with her first. "Well, I can change 15% and I chose the parmesan!" Bree says lightly. This pisses Lynette off even more and she storms off, accidentally backing into Bree's Lexus as she's leaving.

Later she tries to give Bree a check for the damage, but Bree rips it up after she leaves.

So we had Susan being whiny and Lynette being bitchy and Gaby being self-centered. I didn't think Bree was as awful as Lynette was painting her, Edie was her usual feisty self and the lady who came off best in last night's episode was definitely Katherine Mayfair.

Too bad Dave will probably kill her soon...

Zack and Miri Make a Porno on DVD 2/3/09

I saw this in the theater last November, and it's already out on DVD! For those of you who missed it, you can not only catch the Kevin Smith comedy featuring some of the usual suspects, Jay Mewes and Jeff Anderson, plus Apatow alums Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks in the title roles, but a slew of extras on the two-disc special edition.

Indeed, the deleted scenes and outtakes from the movie add up to longer than the actual film! The extras include a de rigueur "Making of" featurette, 43 deleted scenes, webisodes, the panel interview at ComicCon, outtakes, ad-libs and bloopers and Seth vs. Justin: The Battle for Improvisational Supremacy
(Long wins hands down!).

At one point, Rogen and Smith do a spoof with Rogen suggesting Smith let the cameras roll Apatow-style to pick up improvisational genius and Smith insisting that he likes to stick close to the script and that Rogen should be more like Ben Affleck.

Yeah, right.

If you're a Kevin Smith fan, you should see it. If you're a Seth Rogen fan, you should see it. Or if you've got a soft spot for the moppy haired Mac guy, definitely see it. Justin Long, who claims to have taken the role of the gay porn star Brandon St. Randy just to deliver the line "Shut your mouth or I'm gonna fuck it," is by far the most hysterical thing in the movie. Even Smith declared at ComicCon that Long saved the movie.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno is available on DVD--just in time for Valentine's Day! 'Cuz nothing says "I love you" like watching a raunchy romantic comedy together.

25 Things that Irk Me

Mariama tagged me again via Facebook challenging me to reveal 25 Random things about me.

Hmmm...

Thanks to Mariama, I've already posted Ten Things About Me and later Elisabeth challenged me to post another Six Facts.

Most recently I was tagged again and posted yet another Seven Facts about myself.

That's 23--not counting the 50 Things that Make Me Happy.

I think these lists are getting a bit out of hand.

I'm not the only one: Slate is trying to find out who started this crazy meme (Really Slate? There's nothing more pressing to research?) and
even Dan Zak of the Washington Post got caught up in the game.

Since I'm running out of random factoids about moi, I decided to post a list of things that irk me. There is no limit to the things that piss me off! (And no, Random Lists isn't one of them...)

1. hypocrites
2. slamming doors
3. slow people (as in walking, not thinking)
4. people who endanger my physical well-being by not yielding the right-of-way while I'm crossing the street and WAVE at me while doing it
5. SUV drivers who park in compact spaces
6. It's instead of its
7. cheap people
8. child-safety caps
9. dust
10. That irritating bitch who is the voice of the phone trees for Verizon and Blue Cross
11. thoughtless people
12. Meredith Grey
13. Cliques
14. valet parking
15. Sit 'n Sleep commercials
16. not having enough time to read
17. wind
18. selfish people
19. people who honk in traffic jams
20. people who honk instead of getting off their ass and going to the door and knocking
21. people who honk instead of using their cellphone to announce they've arrived
22. leaf blowers
23. car alarms
24. mean people
25. the fact I'm easily irked

Ugly Betty and The Office - Kissed Off and The Lecture Circuit

Oh thank god--Betty finally really that Jesse is an insipid, self-absorbed bore. Who writes really awful lyrics. Of course I had this figured out immediately. Val Emmich is no Gio. Or Henry Grubstick for that matter.

Last night's episode was written by David Grubstick by the way. No, he's not related to Henry (Henry is FICTIONAL, people!)--but his surname was the inspiration for Henry's.

I thought it was cool to see Lauren Vélez aka Lt. Laguerta of Dexter playing the role of Ignacio's nurse Elena. Heck, if she run Miami homicide, you know she can keep Ignacio in line. Of course, they butted heads in the beginning but by the end of episode Ignacio took her comments about his heart to heart.

Matters of the heart figured prominently in the show with things heating up for the love quadrangle. Although Connor's relationship with Wilhelmina is going strong, he is obsessed with finding out who the mystery man holding Molly's hand but cropped out of the Page Six photo is.

He even drags Daniel along on a stakeout of Molly's building. While he's staking out Molly, Wilhelmina and Marc are following him. Daniel convinces Connor to give up his obsession so as not to jeopardize his relationship with Wilhelmina. But Willie has already put two and two together when she spies Molly walking back to her apartment. She gives Connor an ultimatum.

Connor also puts two and two together when he sees the t-shirt Molly gave Daniel that reads "Rich Jerk" (He hates pennies!) and later sees the note with the flowers sent to Molly that's signed "RJ." He slugs Daniel in the boxing ring and stomps off.

With that out of his system, his relatonship with Daniel is back on an even keel and he makes up with Willie. So everything is well

Betty's heart is conflicted with giving up her romantic NYC fantasy in which she cast Jesse in a leading man role. Amanda encourages her to get some closure with Jesse and when he finds out she's moving back home, he invites her for a farewell drink. An evening of drinking and talking ends up with a kiss that leaves Betty confused.

Amanda tries to help Betty decipher Jesse's intentions. She decides that the issue calls for a male point of view. "Okay, I couldn't find a male point of view, but I did find Marc," she announces. Marc asks if maybe Jesse was licking guacamole off of Betty's face. Betty tells him she wasn't eating. "Not eating? This story is getting more and more preposterous!" Marc exclaims. After a weird re-enaction by Amanda and Marc, the conclusion is that Jesse is into Betty. Or that he was drunk off his ass.

Daniel agrees with the latter assumption. "Guys are dogs," he tells Betty. "Maybe he's not like you. Maybe he's a nice guy!" Betty counters. She decides the only way to find out is to confront Jesse. Before knocking on his apartment door, she cautions herself, "Stay cool. No drool..." but her knock on Jesse's door goes unanswered.

When she tries calling him on his cellphone he doesn't answer. Daniel gives her his usual brotherly advice and Betty sets off to tell the "gutless pathetic weasel" off. Jesse admits he's a tool and asks Betty out on a date--threatening to sing lame lyrics unless she accepts. Thankfully (for us) she accepts.

Amanda helps Betty get ready for her date advising her, "Don’t order anything over $15 or you’ll be forced to do anything Jesse says. It used to be more but we are in a recession." Betty's dream date with Jesse quickly turns into a nightmare when Jesse drones on and on and on about himself.

The good news is that Betty gets the closure she needs to move back home. Marc takes over her lease and so the besties become roommate. I'll miss Betty and Amanda, but the combo of Marc and Amanda has way more possibilities for humor. "I'm changing everything!" Marc announces as he makes his entrance. "It's Extreme Makeover: Homo Edition!"

ABC's doing a mini-makeover of its own slotting Samantha Who? and new sitcom In the Motherhood in Ugly Betty's timeslot.

I think I'll be catching up with My Name is Earl until Betty returns.

Part one of The Lecture Circuit kicked off last night with Michael and Pam on the road giving seminars on successful sales techniques. "And we're off like a herd of turtles!" says Michael.

First stop is Utica which makes Pam nervous since it's the branch that Jim's ex Karen manages. When they arrive, they find a very pregnant Karen. Michael immediately asks if the baby is Jim's. But it turns out Karen is happily married and is happy to hear that Jim and Pam are engaged.

Michael's presentation consists of insulting mnemonic techniques and a chainsaw. Karen offers to distill his presentation and send it to her employees via e-mail. "E-mail's not scary," Michael scoffs.

Back at the office, Dwight and Jim deal with their first snafu as the new co-heads of the party planning committee: they forgot Kelly's birthday. They attempt to rectify the situation, but Jim objects to Dwight's decorations of barely inflated brown and gray balloons (I didn't even know balloons came in those colors!). "They match the carpet," Dwight says defensively. He tells Jim that his feelings are hurt. "Fortunately my feelings regenerate at twice the speed of a normal man's." Dwight insists.

Andy decides the best way to deal with his broken heart is to pursue Stanley's latest client. Stanley offers Julia to Andy in return for two of his clients. Andy panicks and asks for advice from Oscar and Creed. Creed tells him, "This is how I got Squeaky Fromme..." advising Andy to kiss her.

Julia is put off by Andy's advances. "We lost the account," the Nard-dog says.

Michael inspired by Pam's closure with Karen, wishes for closure of his own with Holly. And so Pam and Michael head off for Nashua.

Does this mean we get to see Amy Ryan next week? Fingers crossed!

LOST - The Little Prince

For all of us who guessed Jin survived the freighter explosion, last night's episode of LOST provided vindication. What it didn't explain, however, is why Sun blames Ben Linus for Jin's death? She couldn't possibly know what happened in the Orchid with Keamy. If anything, she should be seeking revenge against Widmore, who sent the boat loaded with mercenaries.

The show started with a flashback to the Oceanic Six on Penny's boat and showed us how Kate came to claim Aaron as her own. As depicted by the writers, it was purely selfless. After the loss of Charlie, Boone and Sawyer, Kate couldn't bear to lose Aaron, too. "Sawyer's not dead," Jack tells her. "No, but he's gone," replies Kate.

Jack tells her that he needs to convince the others to lie and asks her if she's with him. "I have always been with you, " she answers.

Flashing forward to the present day, Kate leaves Aaron with Sun as she goes off to talk to the lawyer who sought the blood samples. While she's gone, Sun receives a delivery that contains photos of Ben and Jack and a box of chocolates--with a gun. Now that's a nice Valentine's Day gift!

At the lawyer's, Kate offers to give the blood sample in exchange for being able to speak with the client who hired him. The lawyer says that he doubts his client will agree and that they want to "handle the custody exchange quietly."

At the hospital, Jack is still treating Sayid. He receives a phone call from Hurley who is checking on Sayid's condition from L.A. County lock-up. "Tell Sayid I did exactly what he said," Hurley says to Jack. While Jack is out of the examining room, an orderly enters to give Sayid his meds. But ninja spy Sayid is too quick for the hitman. Sayid's like James Bond, Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne all rolled into one (Ever notice how many super spies have the initials J.B.?).

When Ben and Jack enter the room, they find Sayid going through the tranquilized "orderly's" pockets. He finds a piece of paper with the address 42 Panorama Crest on it. Jack recognizes it as Kate's and calls her to make sure she's okay. He convinces her to let him meet her.

Ben tells him to bring her and Aaron to Long Beach Marina, slip 23 (Is that one of the numbers? Yup, it is...). "We're running out of time," he informs Jack. I wonder where we are in the seventy hour countdown...He and Sayid go to rescue Hurley, while Jack (per usual) chases after Kate.

When Jack finds Kate, she admits to him that "Somebody wants Aaron." The two follow the lawyer to a hotel and the door opens to reveal Claire's mother. After the lawyer leaves, Jack tells Kate to let him talk to Mrs. Littleton. "I can fix this, Kate. I can fix it," he says. Ah, the old familiar "fixing" refrain of St. Jack.

But Claire's mom isn't after Aaron. She doesn't even know he exists. Was anyone surprised that the lawyer worked for Ben, puppetmaster supreme? Kate wasn't--she figured it out as soon as she saw him at the Marina. Meanwhile, Sun is waiting in her car along with Aaron--and a loaded gun.

On the island, as George promised, there were nosebleeds galore. First Charlotte, then Miles and finally Juliet. According to Daniel, the flashes throw off the body's internal clock--like a really bad case of jet lag. He theorizes that duration of exposure is why those who experience it are affected. "I've never been here before two week ago!" scoffs Miles. "Are you sure about that?" asks Daniel.

Hmm...could Miles be the baby we saw in episode one with Dr. Pierre Chang aka Marvin Candle aka Mark Wickmund aka Edgar Halliwax?

At one point, our island sextet flashes back to the night Boone died and Claire gave birth. Nice touch showing us how Kate helped Claire deliver Aaron to reinforce that it was right she raise Aaron off the island.

They make their way back to the beach to retrieve the Zodiac so that they can go back to the Orchid. When they reach the camp, they find the Zodiac missing but a really long canoe-type boat. So they start rowing to the other side of the island.

Sawyer tells Juliet about seeing Kate and Claire during the last flash. "Time travel's a bitch," he says. Right at that moment, they come under attack by gunfire by a group pursuing them in another boat. As they frantically row to escape, there's another flash.

"Thank you, Lord!" cries Sawyer only to retract his gratitude when the new flash lands the group in the midst of a monsoon. "I take that back!" Sawyer yells. When they reach the beach, Charlotte discovers some wreckage. As soon as the question, "Does anyone speak French?" was posed, I knew we would see the return of Rosseau.

Indeed, the shipwrecked expedition was traveling to the island when they came across a man floating in the water. They pull him aboard their raft and start questioning him when they reach land. One of the group, a young pregnant woman, asks Jin's name and tells him hers: Danielle Rosseau.

I'm happy to see Rosseau back and get more insight into her story. Although I'm disappointed that we probably won't be seeing Mira Furlan, but instead the young Rosseau who is being played by Melissa Farman.

Hmm...ever noticed how a lot of actresses playing shipwrecked French scientists have the initials M.F.?

To delve deeper into the mysteries of LOST, check out the recap at Lostpedia, scan the screencaps at Dark UFO and have your mind blown by the theories posed in Liz Kelly and Jen Chaney's Dueling Analyses on washingtonpost.com.

Have a Heart-Smart Valentine's Day!

Roses die and chocolate--well, chocolate can last a bit too long. On the hips that is...

But a nice piece of jewelry can make the perfect Valentine's Day gift. And if you purchase one of the select items from Wendy Culpepper, 15% of the sale will be donated to the American Heart Association.

I like the delicate Daisy Sterling Silver necklace with garnet (my birthstone!) bead shown at the left.

It's a Valentine's present that does double-duty: warming the heart of the recipient and helping to fight heart disease.

LOST: Who can be THE LITTLE PRINCE ?

Here's the latest missive from George to whet your appetite for tonight's episode:

"Hello LOSTies,

How did you enjoy "Jughead". From Desmond and Penny having their first child (Charlie Hume) to Desmond finding Theresa Spenser in a state of time travel (similar to George Minkowski, the communications officer on the freighter). Theresa's sister Abagail would drop another nuclear bomb on us by telling the tale. Daniel tested time on Theresa, causing her to enter this state. Daniel's benefactor, Charles Widmore, is paying for the medical bills to keep her alive in her time-induced coma.

But Widmore would re-surface again both in the future (making sure Penny is okay and giving Desmond, Faraday's mothers address in Los Angeles -- making it impossible not to think of Eloise Hawking) AND in the past an as OTHER! Yes, Widmore was an OTHER on the island...but so was his other friend, Ellie...WAITTTTTT...Ellie? Eloise?? Could Daniel's mom be an OTHER too????? let's compare:



















Let's go to our "Leap Tracker"
1) 1954
2) An unknown time when the camp was not there. This is where Charlotte collapses in Daniel's arms from the nosebleed.

Some other things to remember:
- Richard doesn't take John seriously until he mentions Jacob, though Richard never confirms or denies Jacob's existence.
- John tells Richard to visit him in 2 years when he is born (which he does!)
- Richard tells John the leader is chosen from a young age (hence Richard's test in 1960)
- The others speak Vulgar Latin, a form of Latin that has almost been dead since the 9th century!
- Confirmed the US military came to the island for testing (hence the US military knife Ana-Lucia found in the Arrow probably came from the crew the others killed).
- Funny how the Others killed both the US soldiers and eventually DHARMA...but our LOSTies have killed the majority of their people :)

Okay...on to tonight....

"The Little Prince" will focus around Kate and Aaron and Kate's efforts to protect Aaron from the lawyers who want the DNA test (one of them being the dad from "My So-Called Life"). If you like guns, you will like tonight. If you like time travel and time-space continuum, you will like tonight. If you like weird connections to past events on the show that can provide some answers to the unexplained, you will like tonight. And one of last season's cliffhanger questions will be resolved TONIGHT!! So grab your ring fingers, grab your whole arm, get ready to get down with the sickness and enter the dark territory, good golly grandmommy, go back and see "Do No Harm" from season 1, get ready to journey into another DHARMA station, and have a tissue for the nosebleeds that will come your way tonight...."

I'm "Fabulous"

At least I am according to Marty who gifted me with not just one, but TWO blog awards.

It's almost as good as getting an Oscar!

Okay, not quite--but I'm tickled pink that someone even reads my blog, much less thinks it's worthy of an award.

Heroes - A Clear and Present Danger

After watching three episodes of season five of LOST, Heroes seemed quaintly pedestrian. While the comic book (er, "graphic novel") series can't compete with LOST's dense mythology, it certainly kicked things up a notch with last night's episode.

Nathan has joined forces with Noah to round up all those with abilities. This begs the question: If Nathan is so concerned with people with abilities running around, why isn't he turning himself in?

Instead, he targets (ex?) girlfriend Tracy, who is rounded up by his goon squad at the beginning of the show.

This volume of Heroes apparently takes place several years after the last one ended. Claire is all grown up and choosing colleges. We know she is grown up because she is wearing an obscene amount of makeup. Claire balks at the plans for a "normal" life chosen for her by Nathan, Noah and Angela. She is sure that Sylar is still out there.

She's right.

Thank god the most interesting character on the show survived the fire at Pinehearst. Did we have any doubts about that?

Sylar is in search of his dad and he locates Martin Gray in a dusty old watch repair shop. He asks him, "How does a boy without a father grow up to be a man?" (And all this time we thought Sylar had Mommy issues...) Martin tells him, "You were given to me." Sylar resists the urge to use his laser finger and slice open Martin's head and heads off to find the man who gave him to Martin Gray.

The Sylar donor turns out to be Martin's brother, Samson Gray, taxidermist. Inside the creepy home, he finds all sorts of stuffed animals (not the teddy bear kind), a picture of a young Sylar and snow globes. He also finds Nathan's goons, who unsuccessfully try to subdue him with a taser.

The rest of the Heroes are dispersed around New York City. Peter is working as an EMT. Suresh is driving a taxi. Matt and Daphne are trying to live a normal life as a security guard and messenger. And Hiro has bought an abandoned fire station to serve as a lair for him and supercharged Ando.

Hiro has been reading way too many comic books (er, I mean "graphic novels").

He presents Ando with a spandex uniform, motorcycle and injects him with a tracking chip. Ando takes off on the Ando-cycle and Hiro tracks him to a strip club. "You should be using your powers for good, not to pick up girls!" Hiro admonishes Ando. "The Ando-cycle is a chick magnet," Ando replies.

Claire overhears Nathan scheming with Angela and calls Peter to warn him. She then heads to warn Matt. Matt is busy talking to his turtle. The tribal guy shows up and tells him that he's been chosen to be a prophet and reveal the future.

After killing off Isaac Mendez and the tribal guy, the writers need someone who can paint the future and apparently they given the job to Matt Parkman. If I were Greg Grunberg, I'd be a little worried given the lack of job security that painting prophet has historically had on Heroes.

Claire arrives to warn Matt, but the goons arrive immediately after. With the capture of Matt and Claire, the Nathan and Noah's goon squad have rounded up five of the Heroes including Mohinder (still possessing his super strength), Tracy and Hiro (who remains powerless). And with a Judas-like hug, Nathan betrays Peter to Noah and his taser.

So that brings the total of captives to six and Nathan has them drugged and cuffed and marched onto a plane bound for who knows where. He releases Claire and sends her back home--but she escapes and hitches a ride on the plane where she works to release the other Heroes.

Peter apparently still has the power to absorb other abilities. Touching Mohinder's hand gives him the strength to break from his shackles. While Peter fends off the goon squad, Claire goes to the cockpit where she discovers Noah along with the pilot. Peter absorbs Tracy's deep-freeze abilities and accidentally puts a hole in the side of the plane. As the plane crash lands, Peter struggles to keep from being pulled outside by the centrifugal force.

Kudos to the camerawork and editing of that last scene. It was pretty trippy.

Scorpion Venom?

This commercial for Pepsi Max cracked me up. Although it's billed as "the first diet cola for men," I am now jonesing to try it.

Pepper spray indeed...

The Office - Stress Relief

It's a tough act following the Superbowl--especially a game as exciting as the one between the world champion Steelers (I love saying that...) and the Cardinals. But last night's episode of The Office managed to exceed expectations. Despite being an hour long, the episode was pretty much "chuffa-free."

It also reinforced why I love Steve Carell so much. Sure, he's hysterical as the bumbling Michael Scott--but he's equally fantastic conveying a range of emotions beyond being the slapstick fool.

Dwight causes chaos in the office when he stages an all too realistic fire drill. Oscar tries escaping via an air duct, Michael throws a chair at a window, Kevin throws a chair at the vending machine. Stanley, overcome by excitement, has a heart attack.

The resulting fallout lands Michael and Dwight at corporate, called on the carpet. Dwight defends his actions saying a lot of things don't seem like good ideas at the time--electricity, shampoo... Michael suggests that Dwight be stripped of his title of Safety Officer and be forced to donate a portion of his salary to a cause he doesn't like--such as PETA.

On the ride home, Dwight gloats over getting off so easily and tells Michael he's planning a bomb scare but Michael vetoes that idea. He takes over as Safety Officer because he doesn't want people coming to work afraid that they may die. "That's what a hospital is for," Michael opines.

His first act as Safety Officer: CPR training class. Michael is less than enthused about the instructor, but--as he put it: "You can't the practice dummy unless the instructor comes with it." The poor instructor is baffled when the office segues into a performance of Stayin' Alive from Saturday Night Fever, but such things are normal for the office.

Michael insists that Stanley practice CPR on the dummy since they can't always be there to coddle his heart back into action should it go berserk again. "What are you going to do if you're by yourself when your heart stops?" he asks Stanley.

Michael tries to demonstrate proper CPR method, but the dummy--which is just a torso--gives him pause. "If we come across someone with no arms or legs, do we bother resuscitating them?" he queries the instructor. After being told by the instructor that his delay caused the dummy's death, Michael asks the group what should be done next. "Bury it," Phyllis volunteers but is overridden by Dwight who says the correct answer is to check for a donor card. "We only have minutes to harvest."

Dwight--armed with a knife as usual--cuts off the dummy's face and uses as a mask ala Hannibal Lector. This lands him and Michael back at corporate where Michael explains that this is what we have training for. "Now, Dwight knows not to cut off the face of a real person."

Yeah--I'm sort of doubting that...

With two strikes, Dwight's punishment is to deliver an apology to the office and have the rest of the employees sign it. "I state my regret," he says stiffly. Phyllis objects to the lack of remorse telling him he almost killed Stanley. "Like I filled him with butter and sugar for fifty years and told him not to exercise," scoffs Dwight but no-one will sign his letter.

Michael's next act is to conduct meditation and relaxation exercises, but when Stanley's biofeedback meter goes off every time he approaches, Kevin offers, "Michael, I think YOU'RE what's stressing everyone out."

Michael solution to that is "Honesty, laughter and comedy" in the form of a roast. Oscar says, "I consider myself a good person, but I'm gonna try to make him cry." Michael looks forward to the roast saying, "I hope YouTube comes down to tape this."

Dwight has the roaster "sign in" before the roast, but Phyllis objects when she sees that it's his apology letter his collecting signatures for.

Angela--who claims, "I don't normally enjoy making people laugh"--jumps up to be the first roaster. Meredith tells Michael he's the reason that she drinks, Oscar delivers his roast in Spanish (way to make Michael cry, Oscar...), Pam pings Michael's gulliability claiming that he's supporting 29 Nigerian princesses, Jim pokes fun at Michael's malapropisms like "Spider face." Dwight defends Michael, but after being called an idiot goes off on a rant about how Michael has no family, friends or land.

Michael waves Toby away saying "Friends only." But the best roasting was Andy's song "What I Hate About You" sung to the tune of The Romantics "What I Like About You." With lines like "You're dumber than applesauce" (rhyming with "jerkiest boss") and "Stanley tried to die just to get away," Andy earns big applause for his efforts.

Michael, however, is overcome with the outpouring of animosity and ends up walking out. He goes to a playground and tries to feed the birds whole slices of white bread and texts Pam saying he's taking a "personnel day."

Back at the office, Andy, Jim and Pam watch an illegally downloaded movie featuring Jessica Alba, Jack Black and Cloris Leachman (Were you wondering how the writers would fit the special guest stars in?). The completely ridiculous romance has Andy thinking Jim and Pam are movie geniuses when, in fact, they're not discussing the movie, but the situation between Pam's parents. Says Jim, "50% of marriages end in divorce. So, it was either her parents or mine."

Pam urges Jim to talk to her Dad to help him to work things out with her Mom. Jim reluctantly does so, but the result is that her Dad decides to rent an apartment. Turns out, that Jim talked about how he felt about Pam and how he knew from the start she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and Pam's Dad realized he never felt that way about her Mom.

Such a lovely bittersweet moment!

Dwight manages to trick Phyllis into signing his letter by pretending to have a package delivered to her and having her sign for it. Michael reappears to deliver some zingers to the staff which causes Stanley to laugh hysterically (Leslie David Baker has a great, infectious laugh!) and all is well again in The Office.

Way to Go, Steelers!

Six Superbowl championships--whoohoo!

I know there are at least three other Steelers fans out there who are celebrating tonight...

Green By Nature

These days, "Green" is the new black. It seems like just about everyone is jumping on the natural, organic and eco-friendly bandwagon. You can add Green by Nature to the list, but the all natural bath and body care line has a number things that makes it stand out from the rest.



First, what's NOT included in any of their products:



Parabens
Sulfates
DEA
Petroleum
Propylene glycol
Saccharine
Dioxin
Phthalates

Second, what IS in each product:

Grapefruit seed extract
Shea butter
Pistachio oil
Aloe leaf extract
Rosehip oil
Beeswax

Not only are these ingredients great for your skin, they are bio-renewable so they're good for the environment!

Finally, Green by Nature is 95-99% natural with packaging made with 100% recyclable materials and is a member of 1% For the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donates 1% of their by annual sales to environmental causes. Those are some pretty impressive numbers! Plus Green by Nature doesn't do animal testing.

You can find Green by Nature products at Target.