Did I tell you guys that I saw Julianne Moore at Starbucks the other day? She's real pretty.

I don't have much to talk about. I'm about to go to another voice lesson, but I don't really want to talk about that.

Rehearsals are great, but I don't really want to talk about that either.

I had a matzah ball soup that I liked today! There's something to talk about. It was at a real Jewish deli owned by real Jewish people instead of a silly Manhattan deli owned by silly non-Jewish people. Matzah ball soup tastes just like chicken noodle soup! Except for those two big mushy dumpling like things in the center that don't taste like much of anything. It was good. Not sure why people get crazy about it, but it was good. And cheap. Maybe that's why people love it so much.

City Sights

I don't have pictures for some of these:

**A woman in a bright pink button down blouse and white dress pants with a large white "Coach" or something of the sort handbag, lying on the ground, face down in the flowers that are sold on the side of the corner mart. She lifts her head, clearly drunk, and tells us over and over how her husband is such a jerk. Her well-to-do husband comes out of the corner store, sees his wife, shakes his head, and exclaims in a heavy New York accent, "What's wrong with you?!?!"

**A man in the back seat of a cab with its window rolled down yells to the driver, "STOP HERE. HERE!!! YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING!!...YES I DO! OH I'LL TELL YOU WHY!!! BECAUSE I'M AN AMERICAN, THAT'S WHY!!!" He gets out of the cab and storms away.

I saw this guy, from the TV show House, crossing the street. Love that show.



And this guy, going into a gym.



This nifty little Smart Car, which I absolutely love.



And as I was shlepping across town for auditions the other day, I caught a glimpse of myself in one of the the shiny windows. It was the first cool day we had, on the windy side, and I forgot that on days like those you need a scarf. I improvised.

Oprah's and Eckhart's New Earth

I thought the last post about Oprah would be the last. I lied unknowingly, but I feel the need for one more post on this subject, and then onto the Catholic Church.

First let me explain what I've decided my response to Oprah should be. I feel it important to think on because already, I've had a Christian woman ask me if I think Eckhart Tolle's book(s) would be beneficial to her life and should she read them. If I remember correctly, Oprah claims her web class membership is in the millions. And furthermore, Oprah has been, to an extent, open about her beliefs to the public, not only open but she tends to share and teach others what she learns. It's our responsibility as Christians to listen, consider, and compare what she shares to what we believe. The problem is, I'm not sure we're very good at listening and considering. What I think we're good at is reacting. Which is very different and usually gets us into trouble.

The non-believing world often sees Christians as close-minded, judgmental, arrogant, dogmatic, and mean-spirited. Some of those accusations we won't ever be able to deny. We are dogmatic. To an extent, we have to be. We do have to exercise judgment and discernment as necessary in defending our faith. But I don't believe we have to be close-minded to do it. I believe we can consider with an open mind the ideas of someone who believes differently. Open-minded doesn't mean foolish. It means being able to listen, consider, understand. We certainly don't have to be arrogant or mean-spirited. When we are presented with views that differ from ours, we don't have to scream and pout and make a fuss. We need to be rational and level-headed. We don't need to be afraid of a differing belief. And we certainly don't need to exclude any person from our lives just because they believe differently than we do.

I don't care one way or another if a Christian watches Oprah or not. It's up to the individual. I like her show. I'll keep watching it.

Oprah calls herself a free-thinking Christian. She believes there are many ways to finding God. To me that sounds as if she believes there are many ways of salvation, and as Christians we believe Christ is the only way of salvation. To say you believe in Christ (to call yourself a Christian) but also believe in multiple ways to God tells me you're confused about what Christianity actually teaches. It tells me you're confused about what the Incarnation and the Son of God's sacrifice actually means. To me, she seems like a powerful woman searching for truth. I sincerely hope she finds it. If I were her, I'd be careful about searching in front of the whole world, and I think one day she might be held accountable for that.... But because she does claim to be a Christian, I can't go any further in discerning what her beliefs are in their totality until we sit down to coffee and talk. Maybe one day. Who knows?

I had actually planned on relaying some of Eckhart Tolle's novel. Why I think his book is not worth reading. Didn't get to it. There might have to be a Part II here.

Schmooze City

Well, fancied friends, I have once and for all been introduced to High Class USA. A night of shmooze is what I attended last night. All for a good cause, mind you. But shmooze, none the less.

My friend invited me as a guest to a benefit for ACD research: a cocktail party with hor d’oeuvers and specialty drinks, a silent and live auction, after party lounge with champagne and desert, and drum roll please, a concert by Kristen Chenoweth. You can imagine my glee when my friend texted me and asked me to attend. Kristen Chenoweth?!?! Oh boy. My friend (who does my hair) was doing Kristen's hair for the event. So I texted back Yes! and she said they'd email me an invitation.

I never received an email invitation, so yesterday I called my friend to get the details and to tell her I didn't receive the invitation. She said they'd send it, but she didn't really believe that they would. Lo and behold, at around 4 PM, I checked my email and what did I find? An invitation attached to an email which read,

Our apologies Amber. We thought you had this information..

You are confirmed for 1 seat for the show. The attached document will give you any information you need. Otherise, please email....

Thanks! We look forward to seeing you tonight!

...Well! Thank you! I graciously accept your apology! I look forward to seeing you tonight, whoever you might be.

And then I realized. I don't really know what ACD is, and if I'm attending a benefit for ACD research I better know what it is, right? So I googled, "What is ACD?" , and here's what I found:

"ACD stands for Automatic Call Distribution. It is a service that enables a call to be placed on hold until an employee is available to take the call."

Surely not. Surely I'm not attending a benefit for telephone technology? So I looked again and found this:

"What is a CD? We are all familiar with a CD, but what exactly is it?"

Hmmm. Not very helpful.

The invitation also said "Broadway concert cocktail attire a must." Ohhhh-kaaaay. Broadway cocktail? What the heck does that mean? I asked my friend, and she didn't know either. I searched my closet and found a black and white dress, or I could go with a red dress.... Geesh. Which one should it be? Seth finally said the red dress might look like I was trying real hard to draw attention to myself, so I went with the black and white dress. It was an excellent choice. I would have looked like the last burning flame amongst the ashes in that red dress. Thank God I didn't wear it.

My friend had to be at the benefit hours early to get Kristin ready, so I arrived alone. In fact, I spent a good bit of the evening alone surrounded by very shmoozy people. I didn't know what to do, except just walk around or stand at the bar. Once I perused the silent auction table and pretended like I had a lot of money. That was fun.... Once I sat next to a woman who looked nice and started talking to her. She was a doctor, and then I found out what ACD was. It's a respiratory disease that babies are born with. Their lungs don't operate properly, and they usually die within 2 months from suffocating.

OK, so not a telephone technology benefit. That was confirmed.

These people were at the party.

Actor Bradley Whitford
Writer/Producer Aaron Sorkin
I didn't talk to those guys.

Actor NiCole Robinson
I talked to her but I think I called her Amy. Dang it.

And finally, the lovely, Kristin Chenoweth.

Who is the epitome of effervescent joy on stage, and wow, what a singer.

I took a picture with Kristen and got her autograph. I told her she was lovely. She told me I looked lovely. I told her the story of how I met some of her relatives on a plane ride to Tulsa, OK. She said she had lots of relatives and had no idea who I was talking about.

I think we could be great friends.

Thank you, Kathy, for a wonderful night!

Oprah: For the last time!

I don't really know how to effectively blog on this subject because to give it the fairest listen possible, we'd be listening for HOURS. And I'm personally getting tired of talking about Oprah on this blog. For some reason it keeps happening. Maybe it's because I have more time on my hands these days, and to be honest, I enjoy her show.

Oprah is leading an online class on Eckhart Tolle's novel, A New Earth. I haven't read the book. I've watched about 45 minutes of the first class online at Oprah.com, to see what all the rigmarole is all about. For me it is a tiresome hour and a half, a little man saying what we already know in obscure but lofty language, giving his keys to spiritual awareness and growth, quoting Jesus as an inspired teacher but not much more than that.

Some of it seems like it could be helpful. Some of it seems very dangerous. I wanted to highlight one part, because I think Christian women (and men, but I know most of you men out there could give a rat's buttooee about Oprah) should be informed, and I also have a question. For women and men.

I'll give a summary of this question posed by a Catholic reader/viewer to Oprah, and then Oprah's answer. But you can listen to it here. Just click on Chapter One and then go to about 21 minutes into the video: (Please do go listen if you have the time.)

Kelly: I'm a Catholic. My husband is Catholic and we've decided to raise our children Catholic. Tolle's book, A New Earth, is opening my eyes to a new way of thinking and form of spirituality that doesn't align with the teaching of Christianity. How do you, Oprah, reconcile this spiritual teaching with your Christian beliefs?

Oprah: Because of my experiences at a Baptist Church in my twenties, I have since opened my mind about the absolute indescribable hugeness of that which we call God. In my journey I began to search for something other than doctrine. I believe Jesus came to show us a Christ consciousness...to show us the way it's done...to show us principals and laws to know that way...in my belief, even as a Christian, I don't believe Jesus came to start Christianity. I am a free thinking Christian and believe other paths lead to God than just Christianity.

Again, please listen to her actual response if you can.

First of all, what does that mean..."I don't believe Jesus came to start Christianity"....huh? I'm seriously asking what she might mean by that. Trying to understand where exactly she's coming from here. Christ consciousness. What do you think that means?

Jesus commands us not to judge one another. When Oprah calls herself a Christian, and then describes Christianity in such an unorthodox way, should a Christian warn others that's she's not a Christian, and is in fact, a false teacher? Is that casting judgement? Is she a false teacher? Is she a Christian? Do I have a right to decide whether or not she's a Christian? What is our Christian responsibility here? Where is the line between judgement and discernment?

I just wanted to eat my cookie.

Check it out.

The Big Giveaway

I like Oprah. I know there are a lot of members of the Christian community who don't like her and think she's New Age. I don't know if she's New Age. She says she's a Christian. I have to believe her.

I like the good she does for humanity. I like that she gives bookoos of her money away to help people. She changes people's lives. She raises awareness. She encourages action. I like that very much. I watch her show often. She has achieved the incredible, and she inspires me to move forward with my goals.

But I'm not sure I like her new show, The Big Giveaway. Something about competitive giving. It doesn't sit quite right in me. Something about giving for all America to see. Giving to win.

It's not only that Jesus' words keep running over in my head.

"1 Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:1-4)

Who knows how much money Oprah, personally, (not Oprah, the T.V. producer), gives away that nobody sees? I don't know. I can't, shouldn't, judge her life for what I see on T.V. I won't.

It was something she said today. And something Simon Cowell said today, on her show, that got me thinking.

Yesterday I heard a sermon by Tim Keller (here we go again...it's just too good, people!), and part of what he said was like this:

When Nicodemus came to Jesus that night, Jesus told him he must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. Meaning that, all those moral, outstanding, upstanding, deeds he did as a Pharisee (for he was a very good, kind Jew) meant nothing in regards to the salvation Jesus offered. Jesus said, that despite all of that, Nicodemus must be born again. A completely new life. Not a life born of flesh from the pain and suffering and blood of his mother in labor, but a life born of the Spirit...born from Jesus' pain and suffering blood of the cross. A life given to him, not something he could produce.

So what is sin, really? In all of Nicodemus' good lifestyle, what was it that kept him from the kingdom of God? It was, and is, man's completely self-centered idea of himself. Of his existence, his worth, his future, his meaning, his esteem. Jesus was saying that nothing Nicodemus did could excuse him from this state of sin. So when we do something good for the self-centered reason of being good, of winning points for the sake of righteousness, of thinking we are wonderful, of thinking we are more loved by God, better, SELF-righteous, we miss the mark. We misunderstand Christ. And we are not one step nearer to the kingdom of God. To God, himself. Because it's CHRIST'S sacrifice that saves us.

SO! Back to Oprah. Her guest today was Simon Cowell, the American Idol guru, and T.V./record producer. He talked about who would win this season. He showed off his new girl that won in Britain, and his ventriliquist that won America's Got Talent, and then he gave $165,000 to a family whose three year old daughter is receiving chemo and radiation for cancer. He wrote a check for $165,000 to pay off their mortgage. Here's the conversation that took place after he gave the money away, in more or less words:

Simon: I feel really good.

Oprah: Yes! Giving Makes You Feel Good!!

Simon: Yeah, I do. I feel really good.

Oprah: Giving Makes You Feel Good! That's the Point!

Simon: It took me forty something years to realize that and I credit you, Oprah, for bringing it to light.

Oprah: Me? When did you first figure it out?

Simon: Today. Today I can say: I'm a guardian angel now.

*****

Giving Makes You Feel Good. That's the point. I'm a guardian angel now.

That bothered me. It seems that the American idea of giving, as stated here on the Oprah show, is meant to give yourself a little boost. To esteem yourself. It's about what you get out of it. After all, doesn't the Bible say, give and it will be given unto you. You reap what you sow. Feeling good is natural, isn't it? Did Jesus feel good when he raised Lazarus from the dead? When he fed the multitudes and healed the sick? When he died on the cross? Or should it feel bad? Should it feel like bearing your cross? Like being crucified with Christ? Like a sacrifice?

Thoughts welcome.

This is Awesome

Direct from Chaotic Hammer. Caption by: The Cachinnator:



"Shaun Groves, Seth Ward, and The Cachinnator Walked into a Bar..."

Nice going, C-ham. And the caption, Cach...right on.

Caution: Proactive Provides Damaging Solutions

This is the stuff I use to wash my face. As you can very well see, Jessica Simpson uses it, too. At least she says she does. At least she makes bazookoos of money saying she does. But, I'm wondering...does it bleach Jessica's eyebrows, too?

A curious phenomenom is occurring on my face. The very top of my eyebrows (usually brown, naturally to match my hair) are turning bleach blond. But it's just the top of my eyebrows. So right now my eyebrows are somewhat two-toned.

I first noticed this about two months ago when talking to Seth. As he pretended to listen to me ramble on about whatever, his focus kept shifting from my eyes to my eyebrows. I finally stopped to ask.

"What are you looking at?"

Seth furrowed his own brow, ultimately perplexed. "Your eyebrows are changing colors."

"My eyebrows are changing colors?"

He studied my eyebrows intensely. "Yeah, just the top."

"What?" I reached for the mirror in my bag. "Oh, weird. Yeah, they're changing colors. Maybe's its the way the sun hits them in New York when I have my sunglasses on." (Hey, it was the best I could come up with.)

I resumed telling my story, but not without intermittent pauses as I waited while Seth sat distracted by my eyebrows.

Then, as I talked to my mom on a recent visit to Oklahoma, she stopped me mid-sentence and moved closer to examine my face.

"Amber, did you know your eyebrows are changing colors?" she asked, quite concerned. Then she laughed.

"OK. This is ridiculous. Yes, I know my eyebrows are changing colors. Is it that bad?"

Later my mom called. She had an idea. What if my facewash that I've been using for the past...oh...6 years or so has been accidentally getting into my eyebrows all this time, and now the effects are showing. And sure enough, as I washed my face that night, I saw that my facewash has been dripping into the top of my eyebrows...for 6 years!

So I'm wondering if Jessica has this problem, too, and what she's doing to remedy it. I don't want to change my facewash. I like it. It works. But I can't go walking around with two-toned eyebrows. Jessica, you're the only one who can help. Save me. What do I do?

Tunesday and Other Things

The posts will most likely be few and far between this week. Crazy rehearsal schedule and stressful last minute details to work out for The Sound of Music.

There's a great discussion still going on here, if anyone wants to jump on board. Baptism required or not required for salvation? Church fathers. Who holds the authority to interpret Scripture? Alot in one thread, really. But if you haven't been following and would like to, go for it.

Staying true to Tunesday, I MUST post this find by my new blogging friend, Shelley. Anyone ever watch Neverending Story? You won't want to miss this. Who knew the tune was sung by this guy? Ha! And if Shelley doesn't mind, and I hope she doesn't because I didn't ask her permission, I'm using her question. What's your favorite part of this video? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours.

Song: The Neverending Story
Artist: Limahl

Embedding is disabled. Click here. Please!!!! Just do it. Click. You won't regret it. I promise.

Ben and His Pants

Seth and I went to the Ben Folds/ John Mayer concert last night. I have since made a deal with myself. I will never again see Ben Folds in concert unless he is headlining AND I have premium seats. I am too big of a fan to be seated miles away on the wet, muddy grass with cigar smoke being blown in my face and into my hair, around people who couldn't give a rat's boohiney about Ben Folds. Nope. Not doing it again. Just wait for the right time and spend the big bucks, I have since said to myself. It's better than watching Ben leave the stage to be followed by Mr. I Love My Guitar Almost As Much As Myself So Sit And Watch Me Play This Solo....Over and Over...In Every Song. And wonder why everyone around me cares so much.

So that's really how I feel about it. It was like this.

Ben Folds

John Mayer

Which, yeah I should have expected but didn't for some reason.

But hey, Ben climbed up and stood on top of the piano. And then dropped his pants. So that was fun. Don't worry, he had boxers on, really long ones. And don't worry, I was too far away to see anything anyway. And don't worry, I wouldn't have wanted to see anything even if I could, and had I been closer I would have shut my eyes and screamed, "Ben, you sinner!" So thank goodness we were so far away, huh?

OK, so I wouldn't have said Ben, you sinner, but I would have definitely closed my eyes and screamed. But seeing as we were miles away I just stood there and laughed with Seth and said, "Oh my gosh! Seth, he's unbuttoning his pants!"

Toxic Fame

What is it with famous people? Why do I care? Why, when I'm in the grocery store, do I furtively glance at US Weekly while standing in the check out line? I was ticked off at Brad for ditching Jen and getting with Angelina. I was irritated at Tom for eating the placenta of his new born child, or however that story goes. I stayed up last night and watched the longest E Hollywood special on Britney Spears just to see why she shaved her head. I didn't get to that part though, because after 2 long hours of staring at her midriff and a jirating rear end, listening to her say,

"Oh my gaw! I mean, like, the media, was just, like oh my gaw, just after me, like every time I turned around." and

"(Gasp) Madonna, she is like, I mean, I never knew what it was like for my fans when they were crying all after me and everything, until I realized how much I worship Madonna." or

"It was just a kiss. That was no big deal. I mean, at first, I was like, you want me to WHAT? And then I was like, it's just acting, I mean, c'mon! And so we just did it. It was totally Madonna's idea. But I watched the play back and thought, 'Hey, that wasn't so bad. That was pretty hot."

I finally turned it off so that my nausea would subside. But I watched it for two whole hours even though the whole time I didn't want to, and the whole time my face was curled up like a dried apricot.

So what is it that makes me care about the lives of these people any more than the lives of anyone else around me? Why is the media so faschinated with them? What's so different about them? It's not their careers really. Is it their wealth, their beauty, the glam? We know their lives aren't perfect. In fact, we're more fascinated when they screw up. Is it just the allure of fame? Of the whole world knowing who you are? Do we all just secretly want to be famous?

Why?

Today's Headlines

Quite a bit of buzz in the news today.

As I'm sure you've all been informed by now, as I was when a "Breaking News" story interrupted my T.V. movie, Honeymoon in Las Vegas, that Paris Hilton is now back in jail. Previously released to house arrest due to medical conditions by the sheriff, a crying Hilton was taken back into custody today and hauled to court, crying the whole way there. Upon being sentenced by the judge to her original sentence, Paris bellowed, "Mom!....It's not right!" and was escorted from the court room in hysterics.

And in other news, Isaiah Washington has officially been fired from ABC's hit show, Grey's Anatomy, for being rude to gay men.

These are the headlines of our day. And as interesting and enticing as they are, we surely can't overlook the story below. When something like this occurrs and is hardly noticed....what is the world coming to?

Michigan Man in Wheelchair Takes Wild Ride

By JAMES PRICHARD, Associated Press Writer

"A 21-year-old man got the ride of a lifetime when his electric wheelchair became lodged in the grille of a semitrailer and was pushed down a highway for several miles at about 50 mph.

Ben Carpenter was unharmed but was taken to a hospital as a precaution. He had been secured to his wheelchair by a seat belt. Carpenter, who has muscular dystrophy, told a television station that he thought he might not make it through the ride.

"I was probably thinking that this is going to keep going and not stop anywhere, 50 or 60 miles somewhere," he told WOOD-TV of Grand Rapids.

Ben Carpenter's father, Donald, told The Associated Press that his son had started to cross at an intersection Wednesday afternoon in Paw Paw, about 140 miles west of Detroit. The light changed to green while his son was in front of a semi, which started moving.

The wheelchair's handles became lodged in the grille, the father said, and the wild ride started.

Motorists called 911 on their cell phones, and a pair of undercover police officers who happened to be nearby saw what was happening. They pulled the truck over and told the disbelieving driver, Donald Carpenter said.

The chair was undamaged except for losing most of the rubber on its wheels, he said.

"It's a very bad story that ended very well," he said. "We're just thrilled that he's still around." "
*******************************************************************************

It's hardly believable and while I shouldn't laugh and have so far refrained from doing so, can't help but gape in wonder at the circumstance.

Dreambores

That is what I am renaming this movie. Dreambores.

I am sadly dissappointed, folks. I seriously thought I would be more impressed. The only award that the academy should have offered this movie was Best Costume Design, or whatever the academy likes to call it. Those girls' costumes were freaking amazing. Wow.

But I am very sorry to say... that this musical was boring. Of the 15 million cazillion songs, I fast forwarded through half of them, because the songs were so dadgum long. And c'mon. If you're going to tell the story of the Supremes and James Brown, and especially if you're going to throw in Jackson 5 look-a-likes, then at least use the real songs! Not some fake crap that sounds like the white man writing it is trying too hard. I know, I know. They probably either couldn't get the rights or it was too expensive or WHATEVER, but seriously. Jersey Boys is doing it on Broadway right now, aren't they? Real songs, real names, all that good stuff? Sherry Baby? Big Girls Don't Cry? Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons?

Yes, Jennifer Hudson was good. She can out sing anyone, and yeah, she knows how to sell a song. But beating out Cate Blanchett for Best Supporting Actress? No. Jennifer sold the same song wrapped in different packages 5 different times. She's mad and she deserves better. We get it. We got it the first time.

Beyonce was actually alot better than I expected. I've seen her in other movies and always thought it was a joke. But I actually liked what she did here, and in some ways, I thought it had more depth than Jennifer's character. And she's just so strikingly beautiful. All those different hair styles and make overs. Very cool.

Now I will say that I think it is extremely hard to make a musical work on film. Musicals are made for the stage. It's almost impossible to make a good movie musical. I think some have pulled it off in the past. Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, and Chicago come to mind. But they all throw you off guard because they have that bust-out-in-song-instead-of-the-spoken-dialogue-you-expected element. It works on stage because...well it's the stage! You've got a freaking orchestra in between the audience and the actors! It just works. But it's hard to do in film. So with that in mind it was well made. It was a good looking film. Lots of glitter. Cool sets.

But unfortunately...boring.

Tunesday: Hide and Seek

When I first heard this song I was blown away. I sure hadn't heard anything like it before, and I still haven't.

Here it is: Hide and Seek
Artist: Imogen Heap.
Album: Speak for Yourself

Happy Listening.

Here's me and Seth at her concert:

And here's that crazy lady, Imogen, singing Hide and Seek, with that crazy instrument whose name I always forget:

Netflix

It fuels our addiction to 24, but on the other hand, saves us a whole heck of alot of money. I highly recommend this nifty little service.



We started using Netflix only two weeks ago, although the company has had a strong go at it for quite a while now. Strong enough to cause Blockbuster the humility of matching the deal or calling it quits. Except with Blockbuster you don't have to wait for it in the mail. You can either use the store or the mail for the same low price...yeah yeah yeah, you've seen the commercials.

But we don't have a Blockbuster near us, only a Hollywood Video, unfortunately, and Hollywood Video's the biggest scam since 60 cents a minute long distance. No one's ever in there when we go, and upon asking the cashier if Netflix is running them out of business, she replied, "Shoo' yeah. I gots me some Net-flix." as she sheepishly grinned and demagnetized our 3 movies at 3 bucks each. That's 9 bucks for only half a season of 24! Yeah, right! Like I'm gonna keep going there when I can get a whole month's worth of movies (that's probably 2 whole 24 seasons, 3 if you're insane) for 15 bucks!

AND, checking the mail has never been so much fun! Today I got Dreamgirls in the mail, and I can't wait to see if Jennifer Hudson deserved that Oscar she got for Best Supporting Actress. (I mean, c'mon, she beat out Cate Blanchett. Really?)

Hooray for Netflix!

The Crack Show

We are addicted to 24. The show. We have 24 marathons. It rocks. We're only on Season 3 so I will not be clicking on the comments link in case any of you think it's funny to tell me what happens in Season 4, 5, or 6.

Season 3 is by far the best. My stomach actually aches from the intensity, and I'm not kidding. Or maybe it's just queasy. Season 3 is about a bio threat. I won't say anymore.

Last night during a 24 marathon date with Seth, I found myself praying for Michelle.

Michelle is a character in the show.

This is getting ridiculous.

If you all watch the show and would like to discuss, feel free. I will not be clicking on the comment link, just so you know.

The Bachelor in Sugar Land, TX

Woah. Woah. Woah.

Fancied friends, I am about to admit to you a little secret that Seth and I share. But it must be revealed so I can share this very weird but exciting circumstance with you.

As of this year, Seth and I now watch.....The Bachelor.

I know, I know. I slap myself every time, but it comes on after Dancing with the Stars, and you know I can't possibly miss THAT. So what do I do when, while glued to the couch dialing the number for my favorite dancing star, The Bachelor shows me scenes from last week's episode. I can't just turn it off! No, no, this stuff is too juicy. It's too catty and ridiculous. I'm watching a sorority house gone utterly maniacal. Girls, girls, girls, crying girls, conniving girls, back-stabbing and malicious girls. And one officer and a gentleman: Andy.

Andy's actually pretty alright. A good guy. Of course, when you consider that he's dating 15, then 8, then 4, now 3 girls at a time, you have to wonder how gentleman-like the guy can be. But, hey, really, and I mean this. He seems like a very sincere guy who took a step of faith to find the woman of his dreams.

So in tonight's episode, Andy goes to each of the 4 girls' hometowns to meet their families. Talk about intense. These girls are all in love with Andy! And all crying about how they're in love with Andy. And then....me! I'm crying! Why am I crying!?!? Because these girls are introducing Andy to their dads, and then one is crying to her dad about how she doesn't want to get hurt, and then HER DAD is crying! Geesh. Reality television, how did we get here? Their pain is my entertainment.

Anyway, that's not my point.

The point is, that as I'm sure you know, one of these 4 girls, Amber, is from Sugar Land, TX. So we're watching, and....Hey! That's the restaurant by our apartment! And then, they're on a playground in a park....and then! They're leaving Amber's apartment, and I say. Seth! That's our apartment complex! The Bachelor was at our apartment complex! Oh my gosh! Wait, lemme check the doors and see if they match up. I run outside and look at our door. Exactly the same, except the number, of course.

Amber lives in my apartment complex!

You should know Amber did not get a rose tonight. She went home, devastated and alone. Poor Amber. Maybe I'll see her soon in my park, and we can have lunch, and we can talk about her roommate and her aunt and her love life. Then maybe I'll tell her that I'm sorry her parents weren't there to meet Andy, just because they didn't agree with Amber being on the show. What a shame. Then maybe I'll tell her how sorry I am that her pain was my entertainment. But then maybe I'll remind her that she signed up to be my entertainment, and ask her why she would do that.

Herbert S. Crotch

Unfortunately, last night, Seth clicked accidentally on the words "Delete Blog" of the wrong blog, and consequently erased the very blog he wished to keep. If you've tried to get to Seth's blog but find yourself re-reading 2006 posts, that's because no one can read his 2007 posts. They're gone. Poof. Vanished. With one click of a mouse.

He's working on restoring them.

In the meantime, a fellow by the name of Herbert Sebastian Crotch has mysteriouly appeared in the blogosphere. Interesting bloke, really. A friend of Seth's that has a few things to say about the way things are. Interesting bloke, that Herb.

See ya Barbs

'Dancing With the Stars' drops Finnessey
By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer
additions by FANCYPANTS
She may have taken the Miss USA title in 2004, but Shandi Finnessey won't be crowned the winner of "Dancing With the Stars." (Back to baton throwing and fighting for world peace, Barbs.)
After ranking in the bottom two last week, Finnessey was eliminated Tuesday from the ABC dance-off. (YESSSS)
The game show host and former beauty queen said that her experience on the show was "amazing" and that working with her professional dance partner, Brian Fortuna, was "great." (how articulate, thank you, Barbs)
"I just hope I didn't disappoint him," she said. (Oh, I'm sure you didn't....)
Despite high marks from the judges, Leeza Gibbons narrowly escaped elimination Tuesday. She and her partner, Tony Dovolani, also placed in the bottom two.
"The elimination is nerve-racking," she said. "It's insane."
Billy Ray Cyrus echoed that sentiment, calling results night "a real freak show." He added that all the dancing he's done has left him with "an achy, breaky butt." (Does it all have to be about Achy Breaky, Billy Ray? Time to move on buddy)
Each week, judges' scores are combined with viewer votes to determine which couple will be eliminated.
Clyde Drexler earned the lowest score - 16 points out of 30 - but was kept afloat by fans. (Sorry, Clyde, but I predict next week will be your last. You're sweet, but sweet's not cuttin it anymore.)
Tuesday's results show also featured performances by Ciara, Josh Groban and the band Survivor, which played its 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger." (Really? And I missed this? Dangit)
Paulina Porizkova has already been eliminated. The remaining celebrity dancers are Gibbons, Cyrus, Drexler, Ian Ziering, Joey Fatone, Laila Ali, John Ratzenberger, Heather Mills and Apolo Anton Ohno. Each will perform the paso doble or the waltz on Monday's show. (Laila and Ian are my top picks from Monday. Laila's still my ultimate favorite. She'll rule this competition. Watch, they'll start breaking all the rules and the judges will score them low for it. It's all rigged. That's what sucks about reality T.V. But I'm a sucker. I admit. Joey from NSYNC is a nah nah. Dancing the tango to the Star Wars theme with a freakin' lightsaber? C-O-R-N-Y. Give me a break. And Heather, another rigged saga. At the last minute she goes to the doctor to get a leg that bounces. Oh the drama. Tune in next Monday, 7 central.)