Blogging about Barbara Walters’ Most Fascinating People of 2008 special got me thinking … so here’s my 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009. Heads up – they’re all entertainment-related, because that’s where my main interests lie. So no politicians, sports figures, big thinkers, heck, some of them aren’t even real people – just great characters. Anyway, here’s who fascinated me this year!

10. The Elfman – If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably already figured out that I actually know the enigma known as The Elfman. And though I’ll NEVER reveal his secret identity, he never ceases to fascinate me. (I just realized both those sentences kinda read like Austin Powers’ "Allow myself to introduce myself." Pardon me.)
Whether it’s his passion for Blue Oyster Cult and really, really bad cinema, his love of reality TV and Sally Field, or his witty comments on this blog, I’ll always consider myself lucky to know him. Thanks Elfman!

Bruce Wayne

Tony Stark
9. A tie between The Dark Night/Bruce Wayne and Ironman/Tony Stark. Though I’ve only just met Tony this year, I’ve known Bruce most of my life. What’s not to love about these guys – I mean, they’re both handsome, very intelligent, rich, powerful, mysterious and in their spare time fight crime. And they’re both dark and brooding too. It’d be the perfect relationship for me – go ahead guys, save the world, I’ll just stay here at the mansion spending your money! Yeah baby!


8. James Lipton. The host of Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio makes this list for his fascinating autobiography "Inside, Inside," where he divulges that early on in his life, while living as a young man in Paris he was a meck – which is French slang loosely translated as pimp. Yeah, you read that right – pimp! For one prostitute in particular, who was a good friend, he would help set her up on "dates." Say it ain’t so James!
He also reveals that in addition to schooling and interviewing talent, he can pirouette, fly airplanes, compose Broadway musicals, star in Guiding Light, and produce Bob Hope TV specials. Plus he’s run away with gypsies in Greece -- a truly fascinating person indeed!


7. Dan Radcliffe. The star of Harry Potter makes my list not because of his body-baring role on Broadway in Equus, but because of the intriguing interview he gave Details magazine this past fall. In it, the 19-year-old revealed losing his virginity at 16 to his then 23-year-old girlfriend!! Yeah, that completely blew my mind … think about that the next time you watch Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire!


6. Jeff Lewis. The obsessively compulsive star of Bravo’s Flipping Out, Lewis fascinates me to no end. I could and have literally watched him for hours, usually trying to figure out those surgically enhanced lips. Well, I don’t know for sure, but they have to be right?
Jeff’s rants and hissy fits are what makes reality TV great, whether he’s scolding his Nicaraguan maid Zoila, firing then rehiring his staff or explaining exactly how hot his Starbuck’s coffee must be (120 degrees, BTW). Can’t wait for next season.


5. Stephenie Meyer. The 36-year-old Mormon mother of two who had a dream one night about a boy and girl in a meadow discussing how much he wanted to kill her, and decided to write it down. Fortunately for us, as her dream became the hugely successful vampire saga abou love and angst Twilight. Though I only discovered the books last August, they quickly consumed most of my time. Not since Harry Potter have I devoured books so fast, and I've turned many friends and coworkers on to the series. They all have the same reaction -- "I just couldn't put it down." "I told you," I reply.
Thanks Stephenie – now get back to writing the next one, Midnight Sun!


4. Capt. Jack Harkness. Who, you say? Early this year I was lucky enough to discover what was the No. 1 show on BBC America, a sci-fi thriller called Torchwood. Capt. Harkness, as played by the extremely handsome and talented John Barrowman, is the leader of this secret agency that polices aliens that come thru the rift in time in Cardiff, England. I’d liken it to Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets the X-Files. Did I mention that Torchwood’s a spin-off of another hugely successful British sci-fi series – Dr. Who?
Dr. Who just narrowly missed making this list. Both series come with the appropriate amount of cheesiness, but Torchwood’s darker and more adult-oriented. If sci-fi’s your thing, check it out.


3. The cast of LOST. This is a no-brainer right? I mean, who on television has been more intriguing this year? I can’t remember another show that had me thinking so much … and not just me, I’ve had huge, in depth discussions with complete strangers over LOST theories. What other show can you think of that would pull out all the stops and make an entire island disappear. Who’s Jacob? How did Locke die? Did everyone on the ship really die? Why is Claire with Christian in that cabin -- is she dead? And what’s the deal with Richard? What do the polar bears have to do with anything? Will Ben kill Penelope? Will the Oceanic 6 go back? And where the hell’s the island? Hopefully, we’ll all get some answers on Jan. 21 when it returns to ABC.


2. Robert Pattinson. C’mon, you all had to know he’d make my list. Not since Leonardo DiCaprio went down with the Titanic have I been so captivated by a handsome, young actor. And boy is he young … only 22. Being cast as the lead in the movie adaptation of Twilight literally turned him into a overnight star. A brief mall tour of Hot Topic stores turned 14-year-old girls ravenous, showing up by the thousands. And most of their mothers were there too.
But it's not just about Twilight, he's quite the musician as well, playing piano and guitar; possesses smooth vocals; writes songs and scripts, and, of course, there's that irresistable British accent. It's no wonder most of us have no problem with his hobo-style of dress and messy, unwashed hair. I think we'd even be forgiving if we found out he really was a vampire ...
Most of the time, I'm a closet fan (those around me aren't aware of my problem), and luckily I’ve stumbled upon a wonderful support group online of other similarly-aged women who’ve become just as taken with the British wonder. Fortunately for him, we’re all content to keep it amongst ourselves and not turn stalker. It’s all led to a fun cyber-friendship with these great ladies from around the world! Thanks Rob.

So, if I think he’s so wonderful, why isn’t he No. 1 you might ask? Well, that space is reserved for the only "person" I found even more fascinating than Pattinson this year …

1. Edward Cullen. Of course, Pattinson is to Edward what Dan Radcliffe is to Harry Potter. Edward Cullen arrives on page 22 of Twilight and that's exactly when you'll forget about whatever else you were going to do that day ... that week ... that month, or however long it takes you to finish all four books!

What girl could resist a guy whose old-school gentleman, graceful, wealthy, hangs on every word she says, is totally devoted to her forever (and I do mean forever) and is described quite often as being unbearably beautiful? Yes, there's always a down-side and his is that he happens to be a 108-year-old vampire trapped in a 17-year-old's body. Or is it?
Yes, it seems that vampires and their lifestyle prove to be incredibly sexy. You know, the ultimate bad-boy, who just might slip and kill you in the heat of passion. One who could offer you eternal life as well. There is an upside to being immortal. Afterall, he's super-strong, incredibly fast, very intelligent (has had a LOT of time to study), doesn't need to eat, doesn't sleep, won't ever age, doesn't even need to use the bathroom, and to top it off, he glitters in the sunlight!
Did I mention the unbearably beautiful part? Sorry, I'm just spacing out over here ... hmmmm
To put it bluntly -- Fascinating!

Well, this post is getting waaaay too long, so wrapping-up here's a few who almost made my Top 10:
The aforementioned Dr. Who (David Tennant). Yes, I was a fan of the original, but I really enjoy the updated version. I'd love to climb in the Tardis and travel the universe with the handsome Doctor!
Big Bang Theory's Sheldon. Every now and then, I gotta get my Geek on and OCD Sheldon is my fix!
Heath Ledger's Joker. Another great bad boy, he's the fan favorite villain to Batman, and the late Ledger brought him justice. Never thought anyone would outdo Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's Batman, but he managed to.
The girls of Sex & the City. Loved the show, loved the movie. Samantha, Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte will always be dear friends of mine.
The Cloverfield Monster. Fascinating because after all this time (the flick came out in January) I still haven't been able to find a decent picture of it! Enough already, WTH is it???

What are your thoughts? Hit the comments and let me know your most fascinating person of 2008. Gotta go, Survivor's coming on ...

Last night’s Top Chef was ruined for me when Kathie Lee Gifford showed up!!! AAAHHHH! I can’t stand that woman!
Fortunately it wasn’t until near the end, so I got to enjoy the first 40 minutes or so.The chefs were tasked to createa breakfrast amuse-bouche for the Quick Fire Challenge, which was judged by Padma and celebrity chef Rocci DiSpirito (Fabio’s a big fan – no, not that Fabio, the contestant on Top Chef, whose quickly become the fan fave).
Amuse-Bouche – another on of those cool terms I’ve picked up watching this show. It refers to a culinary bite-sized starter (appetizer per se). Some chefs had trouble limiting their offerings to bite-size while others hit the mark perfectly. Leah was chosen the winner, gaining immunity for the Elimination Challenge.
This week’s Elimination Challenged gave the chefs $100 and 30 minutes to shop for ingredients to come up with a 2 ½ minute television presentation creating an original dish.
Fabio went right for the tuna and asked to cut it himself. Eugene and Hosea followed suit cutting their own fish. Eugene for sushi and Hosea for a tuna dish. Melissa, Leah and Jeff went for shrimp. Jamie and Ariane went for salads (salads? Usually the kiss of death on this show). Jamie a frise salad and Ariane a beef steak salad.
Daniel conjured up a ginger soy steak. Leah chose to sear some duck, while Carla and Stefan decided to dish out some soup (tortilla and minestrone, respectively. Alex was the lone holdout for some dessert – choosing to make crème brulee. Fabio immediately thought this was a mistake, due to the time constrictions (they were only given one hour to prepare).
All chefs got an opportunity to make a live presentation for the judges, who were amused when Daniel smoked out the studio. Disappoints wer Jamie, Leah, Alex and Carla, while judges were impressed with Fabio, whom Rocco called “A dream guest,” and Ariane, whose presentation was “perfect.”
Melissa, Alex and Jamie made the bottom three, while Ariane, Fabio and Jeff were chosen to go to the Today Show and present their dishes to the female hosts. This is where Kathie Lee showed up – Ugghh! – and proceeded to spit out Jeff’s shrimp dish. Kathie Lee, as usual, always has to be the center of attention.
In the end, the Top Chef judges chose Ariane as the winner and she received Rocco’s book and some culinary tools. She also got to do a segment on this morning’s Today Show, but I forgot to watch, anybody else see it? I’m sure we can find it on Youtube.
As foretold by Fabio, Alex’s crème brulee proved to be his undoing and he was sent to pack his knives and go … now he can devote all his time to his upcoming wedding. Good luck Alex.Just wanted to add that I’m totally luvin’ Fabio!! He’s definitely the break-out star of the group so far. What do you think? Who’s your fave?
Top Chef repeats tonight on Bravo at 8 p.m.Next week the contestants get to cook for judge Gail Simmon’s bridal shower.

Tonight on CBS at 8 p.m. is an all new episode of Survivor: Gabon! And from the looks of the previews, this is the episode where the family members are brought in. It's getting pretty nasty, can't wait to watch!

And WTH is going on over at Seattle Grace? Find out tonight at 9 on ABC with a new ep of Grey’s Anatomy. According to show creator Shonda Rimes, the Izzy-Denny storyline is leading to a conclusion we’ll never see coming, and it doesn’t involve Denny being there to take Izzy to the other side (remember, Denny a ghost, he died 2 seasons ago). Personally, I hope they keep him around awhile, I love Jeffrey Dean Morgan and have really enjoyed his return, no matter how ridiculous …

JD Morgan, nice

After Grey’s, at 10 p.m. stay tuned to find out who Barbara Walters finds the Most Fascinating People of 2009. Guests will include Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Sarah Palin, Tina Fey, Miley Cyrus, Thomas Beatie and Frank Langella. At the end of the show, she’ll reveal who the No. 1 Most Fascinating Person is …. I’d put my money on Barack Obama, an easy guess.



In Other News: According to today’s NY Post, Real Housewife of Atlanta and troublemaker NeNe Leakes and her husband Gregory have been evicted from the five-bedroom house they were living in when the show was being made. The couple is said to owe more than $6,200 in back rent from an owner who lived overseas, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. When asked by the paper where she was living now, NeNe replied via email: “It’s none of your business.”

Naughty NeNe

The Office has been granted that oh-so-important spot after the Superbowl on NBC Feb. 1.

Showtime has renewed David Duchovny’s hysterical Californication for a third season. You can expect it in late 2009.


And totally off the TV topic, but I have to give a shout out – J.K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter and the richest woman in the UK, is releasing a new book today.

“Tales of Beedle the Bard” hits the bookshelves with raving applause. It’s a book of tales from the wizarding world, including “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” which figured prominently in Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the best-selling book series in the world (over 400 million copies in 67 languages).
I’ll be picking up a copy!

Congratulations everyone! We've made it thru Fall Sweeps ... now on to Christmas TV repeat time. Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and went out and contributed to the failing economy on Black Friday. Once again, sorry to have left anyone hanging over the holiday weekend, just couldn't bring myself to blog when there was plenty of other stuff to do.

Top Chef judges Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi sample some food with Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl
For those of you who missed Wednesday night's excellent episode of Top Chef, it repeats tonight on Bravo at 10 p.m. For those of you that watched or managed to catch it on the many repeats this past weekend, let's discuss!
Special guest judges the Foo Fighters made for a particularly interesting ep. The Foos were brought in for the elimination challenge which consisted of contestants breaking into 2 teams and cooking a Thanksgiving feast for the band and their entourage before their concert. The winning team got to go to the show while the losers had to do all the clean-up. The catch, no kitchen. Everything was set up outside the arena with just microwaves and toaster ovens. How fun is it to make a turkey in a toaster oven? I couldn't tell you from experience, but apparently Arianne did an excellent job.
Team Sexy Pants went on to win and had a great time at the show. Team Cougars failed miserably with dessert and got stuck with the clean-up. Danny gave the finger to the winning team after the concert. (Nice, Danny)
At Judges Table, Arianne was complimented on her supreme turkey, Eugene got congrats on his pork dish and Carla and Alex were deemed safe too. Daniel's undercooked potatoes put him on the chopping block, along with Jeff, who tried to do too much and Richard, whose s'mores were "disappointing."
Disappointing enough to get him sent home. Bye-Bye Richard.
I will miss the token gay guy who had the BIG crush on top judge Tom Colicchio. What did you think?
Top Chef offers up a new episode, featuring cooking on the Today Show, Wednesday at 10 p.m. For more info visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/best_of/index.php

On last night's Amazing Race, the final four teams raced for a spot in next week's finale. So we're down to separated couple Ken & Tina, mother/son Toni & Dallas, siblings Nick & Starr (who I think are a shoe-in to win it all) and Frat boys Andrew & Dan (how have they made it this far?). And, as has become the norm this season, mistakes abounded.
Dallas couldn't differentiate between Stalin and Lenin (Tina helped him out and immediately regretted it). But that was nothing compared to what he did later ... leaving his bag in the taxi with his team's money and passports! Ken & Tina ran to the Pit Stop without first getting their clue. They had seen Andrew & Dan running and just followed them, causing Phil to send them back to get their clue before they could be checked in. Toni & Dallas and Andrew & Dan raced to the woman with the Shetland pony within seconds of each other, but neither team received their clue from her.
Nick & Starr easily came in first, followed by Andrew & Dan and Ken & Tina, all solidifying their place in the finale. Having to beg for cab fare on the street cost Toni & Dallas precious time, and it must have been a LOT of time, because Phil actually went to them to let them know they had been eliminated. For more info visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/

Sorry to see Dallas & Toni go ...

I know this is long overdue, so bear with me or just skip to the next subject. Those of you who tuned in Thanksgiving night to Survivor got what was to be expected ... the oh-so-boring catch-up show. The one where CBS says you'll see never-before-seen clips, but you never learn anything new.
However, I still haven't blogged about the great episode from the week before! If you haven't seen it, it's worth it to go to the website and watch.
Day 28 started out with Bob telling Sugar he made a fake immunity idol ... WTH? Why would you tell Sugar that, she has the real idol, afterall. This episode also featured the fan-fave Reward Auction, which generally consists of contestants getting a certain amount of money and then getting to bid on various food items. Randy won a plate of cookies and gave everyone one. Sugar refused, and Randy insisted she take the last one, which she promptly gave to Matty. Randy said Sugar could kiss his ass.
Matty, Sugar, Ken and Crystal conspired to get rid of Bob first, then Randy and Corinne. Randy wants Suzie gone 'cause she flipped and voted for Marcus, saying "The hell with her."
Crystal called Randy "a troll."Amazingly, Ken won immunity at a Domino challenge. Feeling desperate, Randy schemed to get the "fake" idol from Bob to save himself. Sugar said, "Randy is an ass and I loathe him," then told Bob to give Randy the fake idol just to make even more an ass of him.
The Cookie Controversy came up at Tribal Council. Crystal is still very angry with Randy. At the vote, Corinne cast Suzie saying, "Payback's a bitch." Sugar voted Randy, saying "Randy's a disgusting old chauvenistic, alcoholic bigot." Randy said, "Suzie, this vote is not strategic, it's personal." And, as expected, Crystal voted for Randy. Before the votes were read, Randy brought the fake idol into play and was told by Jeff that it was fake and would not count, causing an uproar of laughter from his tribmates.

Bye-Bye Randy
Randy left with his tail between his legs ... saying "The Hell with these freaking people!"
An all new Survivor airs this Thursday on CBS at 8 p.m. To watch last week's episode visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/

Tonight, Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, stops by for a sit down with James Lipton on Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio at 8 p.m. Can't wait to see this. You have to admit, there's just something about those Brits! I mean, just the fact that this kid is still so together, after being cast as the most famous boy-wizard in literary history at the tender age of 10, and he hasn't gone all Lohan on us, is pretty amazing.

Lipton chats up Harry Potter
And as long as we're on the subject ... ABC Family will be airing the first four Harry Potter movies this coming weekend, during which there will be exclusive sneak peeks of next July's Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince. Tune in.
Sorry, I couldn't resist ...
Harry Potter, then


And now


And now on to the Christmas Shows: ABC celebrates the season tonight with Shrek the Halls at 8, followed by the original animated Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Not to be outdone, ABC Family will air the live-action, Jim Carrey-starring movie of the same name at 8 p.m.

Sorry, I find this guy creepier than any horror movie I've ever seen ... I find this film unwatchable, literally, I walked out of the theater! And that's the only film I can remember ever walking out of! I'm sure some of you like it, but I'd rather watch The English Patient on a loop than suffer thru this!
I'll take my Grinch animated, please!

And get used to it ... 'tis the season for all your favorite and not-so-favorite Christmas show repeats. If it's not your thing, use this time wisely to get caught up on all those summer movies you missed. They'll all be hitting the DVD shelves before the end of the year.
The CW's Supernatural will be back Jan. 15. And my fave sexy surgeons return to FX Jan. 6 with the remaining eight eps of last season's Nip/Tuck!

I watched Will Smith's Hancock and Vince Vaughn's Fred Claus this weekend. Fred Claus is the usual ... nothing new here, but Vaughn's entertaining. I enjoyed it.
Hancock, I have to admit was a disappointment. It's one of those movies where we already saw all the good parts in the preview. It starts out fine, then tries to become a serious, emotional flick halfway thru ... I wasn't feeling it.

Cheers!

OK, I must apologize, and really, there's no excuse, but I'm totally losing it over the Twilight Mania. This film just can't open soon enough!! It's occupying all my free time. I was off yesterday for my birthday and spent the majority of the day on the computer, watching videos of cast interviews (OK, I'll admit it, mostly of star Robert Pattinson), and then spent last night trying to watch streaming video of the live premiere in Los Angeles, which was just as insane as RPattz' appearance in King of Prussia last week. The live feed was craptastic by the way ...
In case you missed it and are interested, it's all over youtube. I won't bother posting any links here. Anyway, my apologies again, to anyone who took my advice and watched MTV's Spoilers last Friday night. I'm sure you were as disappointed as I was. It was promo-ed as a Twilight Special, with 15 minutes of footage from the movie. Actually it was 15 minutes of footage from upcoming movies - including the Wayans' latest Dance Movie, The Watchmen, and I can't remember the rest, with only a short new scene from Twilight.

Bella and her vamp, Edward
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you've probably heard of this "little" movie, based on a best-selling book series, about a 17-yr.-old girl who falls in love with a unbearably gorgeous vampire. Unlike True Blood, which could sometimes make Jenna Jamison blush, Twilight's romance is sexually tame, to say the least. The couple in question can never get too close, or the vampire's natural instincts might kick in and he'll kill her. Still, it's the romance that has set its fans on fire, not to mention the visually perfect Edward Cullen, played by British actor Robert Pattinson. The film has been offered up as the new Harry Potter, and Pattinson, oddly enough, is best known for bringing tragic Cedric Diggory to life onscreen in Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire. Poor Cedric was the first big character to be killed off in the wildly popular books.

Poor Cedric
Twilight, the original book in the series, was released in the summer of 2005. The series gained strong recognition when the third edition, Eclipse, knocked Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows out of the No. 1 spot on the NY Times Best Seller list after only 2 1/2 weeks. I only discovered it while on vacation last August. I finished the first book in a day and by the end of the week, had devoured the other three (and these aren't short books, we're talking 500-750 pgs.). So began my obsession ... all hopefully culminating this Friday when the film opens nationwide. I took the day off, originally to see Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince, which was supposed to open that day (while Twilight was originally opening Dec. 12). Going to see Harry on opening is a tradition between my sister and myself, since we both read the Potter series at the same time.
Anyway, for some reason (execs say it's not because of Twilight) Warner Bros. moved Harry to next July, and Summit Entertainment saw a great opportunity to open Twilight sooner and in more theaters, making it the most anticipated movie of the holiday season. Only time and box office results will tell if it lives up to the hype and if the sequels (already in pre-production) will be made.
In the meantime, Twilight's so huge that South Park will be parodying it on this week's episode Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central.
If you still need more info on Twilight visit http://www.twilightthemovie.com/
The author, Mormon housewife Stephenie Meyer, also has a great Twilight website, visit http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/


OK, I'll try to keep my Twilight fixation in check and get on to other things. Like the other "big" movie opening this weekend ... only this one can be viewed from the comfort of home.
Yes, that's right, I'm talking about Fox's 24: Redemption! Jack's back and in a big way Sunday night at 8 p.m. when he takes on terrorists in Africa.

It's been nearly 18 months since we've seen Keifer Sutherland's popular character save the world, and Fox is hoping fans haven't forgotten. Last season's 24 was a victim of the infamous writers' strike and had to be pushed back to January 2009. 24: Redemption is kind of a bridge between Seasons 6 and 7 (Jan. 11). I like to think of it as an appetizer for us 24 devotees, and all the ladies who need their Jack Bauer fix!
For those of you who haven't discovered this clever, if far-fetched show, yet, 24 is told in "real time," with each episode representing one hour of a day in the life of CTU agent (though not anymore) Jack Bauer gone horribly wrong. Fans know, when this guy has a bad day, he REALLY has a BAD DAY!!
Why I love Jack Bauer:
He literally saves the world, in 24 hours - every time!
He can do anything with a cell phone! Like literally, rule the world if he wanted to!
He never goes to the bathroom -- ever!
He always gets thru to the President, no matter where, 'cuz he always gets cell reception!
He was a devoted friend to President Palmer, the coolest, sexiest TV prez we've ever had!
He takes care of his fellow agents - Chloe, especially!
He still loves Audrey, although he seemingly kissed her good-bye last season!
He never needs to eat!
He has that sexy, gruff voice that always says, "Mr. President, this is Jack Bauer!"
Last season, he survived a nuclear blast!
And the No. 1 reason I love Jack Bauer:

Hell, he died a few seasons back, got his heart shocked back to life, and was up and running after the terrorists in a matter of minutes!

For more info on 24: Redemption visit http://www.fox.com/24/trailer/

Just a reminder, tonight's episode of The Biggest Loser: Families looks like a doosy! It airs from 8-10 pm on NBC.
Bravo's Real Housewives of Atlanta Series Finale bows at 10 p.m.
Tropic Thunder arrives on DVD today. Go rent it, you'll have a great laugh. It's the one with Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and a really, really tan Robert Downey Jr. starring as "actors" making a war film in the jungles of Asia, only to find themselves stuck in a real war situation. The principals are all hilarious, however, it's Tom Cruise's role as the studio head that will leave you rolling on the floor!

Black, Stiller, and yes, that's Downey on the right!
You can view the trailer here http://www.tropicthunder.com/

Also out on DVD today is the animated Wall-E and the teen chick flick Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Haven't seen either (but I am planning to), so can't really comment.

Later.

So this morning, all we could talk about was last night's season premiere of CSI on CBS. And by all, I mean, all my die-hard Survivor fans. Usually Thursday morning starts out with the greeting, "What did you think of Survivor last night?"
However, today we could not ignore the heart-breaking CSI episode fittingly titled "For Warrick."

Grisson holds his dying friend

For those of you who missed it, CSI, formerly television's number one rated show (it's still in the Top 10) began its ninth season with the death of one of its own. Last May's season eight finale ended with the shocking shooting of investigator Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) by Undersheriff McKeen. The show opened last night with a very brief recap, followed by CSI leader Gil Grissom (William Peterson) hearing the "officer down" call and being the first to find Warrick slumped over the steering wheel of his car. Racked with emotion, the usually reserved Grissom pulled his colleague from the car. Warrick, still alive, gasped and spat blood, while Grissom begged him to hang on. All the while McKeen hovered over them, stating that he had seen and briefly chased the shooter till he lost him.
Warrick died in Grissom's arms and the episode was a tear-jerker from that point on. As reaction spread throughout the department, even Capt. Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) grieved (he wasn't Warrick's biggest fan). But perhaps the worst was Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), since she truly loved Warrick and had always hoped for a closer relationship. As predicted by fans, former CSI team member (who departed last season) and Grissom love interest, Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) returned to comfort her friends. Anyway, while still grieving, the team made it their first priority to find Warrick's killer and low-and-behold, by the end of the episode, McKeen was tracked down by the department, specifically CSI team member Nick Stokes (George Eads), who held him at gun point in a tense moment, before discharging his weapon into the ground, "missing" his intended target.
McKeen was taken into custody and the episode ended with a VERY moving memorial service for Warrick Brown. To watch or for more info, visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi/

After proper respects were paid by my colleagues to Warrick, talk turned to Survivor: Gabon.
Yes, the show started out with Fang's Randy complaining about the rice again! Randy's made it well known that he is worried about his tribe eating too much ...
As I foretold yesterday, the tribes were shaken up last night. Seemingly called together for a reward challenge, tribe members were told to rank their members in order of importance to the tribe's survival. Here's how it went:
Kota: Marcus, Ace, Bob, Charlie, Jacquie, Corinne, Sugar and Kelly.
Fang: Matty, Dan, Randy, Crystal (who was very insulted being ranked 4th), Ken, GC and Suzie.

Survivors ranked
Then Jeff said the magic words - "Drop your buffs!" (Buffs are the tube-like piece of clothing all Survivors are required to have on their bodies at all times, identifying which tribe you belong to.)Taking the two top ranked tribe members, Marcus for Kota and Matty for Fang, Jeff instructed them each to pick a member from the other tribe to form their new tribe. Each newly picked member then got to pick another new member from the next tribe and so on.
Here's how they ended up:
New Kota: Marcus, Charlie, Dan, Randy, Corinne, Suzie and Bob.
New Fang: Matty, Ace, Crystal, Jacquie, Ken, Kelly and GC.
Since no one picked Sugar, she was sent to Exile Island (remember, Sugar already has the Immunity Idol) and would return to whichever tribe lost the immunity challenge and had to vote off a member. Thus evening out the tribes once again.
Randy, of course, started out already paranoid with his new tribe. He's worried since the original Kota members outnumber the new Kota's. And rightly so, we've all seen this before. The original members stick together and one-by-one pick off the "new" members from the rival tribe.
Fang lost their second immunity challenge in a row and, proving the all the stupid Fang members are still there, they decide to base their vote on whether or not Sugar has the Idol. We know she does, but they don't. In the end, the former Fang members stick together and vote out Jacquie, 5-2. To watch this episode or for more info visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/

Bye-Bye Jacquie

Weekend Watch: Umm, let's see, I still haven't watched the Sci-Fi channel premiere of Sanctuary yet, and the second episode airs tonight at 10 p.m. Same for Cartoon Network's Star Wars: Clone Wars, airing their next ep at 9 p.m. Oh, the guilt, I feel like I'm really letting George Lucas down. Boy, am I getting waaaay behind!

Sign of the Apocolypse: Over on ABC tonight at 10 p.m. is the new season of 20/20 and just guess what this once prestigious news show is promoting?Yes, folks, Britney Spears will debut her new video for "Womanizer" on what was once Barbara Walters turf. What would Hugh Downs say ...

And in case you haven't read the books or seen any of the movies yet, Disney Channel will be broadcasting the original Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at 9 p.m. I guess you can probably tell since I'm mentioning it here - I love this movie!
Yes, I've read all the books, the first four before this movie came out, but I still love to watch it. It's good for the whole family - not too many like that anymore.

Harry Potter, age 11
Remember when Harry was this little and cute?

Harry Potter, age 19
Times have changed!

You're on your own for Saturday night, there's nothing on the schedule that interests me at all. I guess that means DVD night!

Sunday is, of course, Hell Night! There's just too much on! But I'll be watching the Amazing Race on CBS at 8, followed by HBO's True Blood and Entourage at 9 and 10, respectively. I still haven't caught up on last week's Dexter (9 pm, Showtime) and at 10 pm another new episode dawns for David Duchovny's Californication. Fortunately, Showtime is gratuitous enough to repeat the episode immediately after at 10:30 pm.

Yes, I'll continue to tape Desperate Housewives (ABC, 9pm), because I don't want to be left out of the loop at work. However, VH1 is throwing a new show into the mix at the same time ... and it's one I know I just can't resist ... Rock of Love Charm School, hosted by Sharon Osbourne.
Bringing the best of the best (or should I say the skankiest of the skanks) from Brett Michael's dating show Rock of Love, this promises to be a real schlockfest! And in case you miss it, VH1's gracious enough to air it all week long - I usually catch up with these type shows when they repeat Sunday mornings. It's a great way to start the day ...

And in other Desperate Housewives news: Eonline reports that for November sweeps Fairview will be hit by a massive fire, and some characters won't survive. First the tornado and now this, you'd better think twice about moving onto Wisteria Lane.


FX has given the green light to a second season of my fave new show Sons of Anarchy (I told you it was good)! Variety reports that the network has ordered 13 new episodes of the outlaw show. Another FX hit, The Riches, however, has been cancelled.

Halloween Horror Watch: Tune in tonight to TNT for a double dose of the supernatural. Final Destination, a teen slasher flick that was better than most, begins at 8 pm. The plot revolves around some students who "cheated" death early on and now death is individually finishing the job. The beginning of this film portrays one of the most realistic plane crashes I've ever seen in film, worth checking out.
Afterwards at 10 pm is Underworld, a goth-style vampire flick with great special effects, revolving around the eternal war between vampires and lykens (werewolves). Very stylish, think Matrix with vamps and wolves.


Saturday night brings the granddaddy of slasher films John Carpenter's superb Halloween to the Independent Film Channel at 9 pm. This great flick opened the floodgates on all teen-slasher-horror to come after, the good and the bad, and also spawned a franchise that grew to ridiculous proportions, even bringing back heroine Lori Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) 20 years later for Halloween: H20. Not to mention a remake last year, directed by Rob Zombie, giving us a little more insight to chiller-killer Michael Myers.
Despite what you might think about the silly sequels, you have to admit that the original is one of the scariest movies of all time! "The Night He Came Home" ... not bad for a guy in a William Shatner mask!

Michael Myers

And IFC offers up another Halloween treat Sunday night at 9:30 pm with Jeepers Creepers. Yes, it's another teen-slasher flick, but I have to admit, the Creeper gives me nightmares!
Have a scary weekend!

The Creeper!