Just In: Russell Brand to host the MTV Awards - AWESOME!

So the BBC just reported that Russell Brand has been named as the host of the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards this September. I am so freaking excited! He's BRILLIANT! I recently had the pleasure of seeing him at The Roxy where he played to a sold out crowd (I was pretty shocked at how many Americans were at the show as he's only known in the US for his small role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.) He's crass, hilarious and pretty damn good looking! If you don't know the first thing about Russell, he's Britain's biggest lothario. who has bedded everyone from Kate Moss to Courtney Love. He's a recovering sex addict so not too much of a surprise there. Thanks to UK Soaps by Post, I have been able to see a few of his specials like Ponderland, which is a mix of a monologue show and clips that explore everything from childhood to science to sport. Other great series of his to check out are RE: Brand, a great seven part series where he welcomes a homeless guy to live with him for a week, takes on his father in the boxing ring and goes on a dirty weekend to the seaside with an old age pensioner, or check out his take of Jack Kerouac's On The Road, where he traces the great beat poet's infamous book. Want a break from the telly for a night, then go to Amazon and pick up his highly acclaimed autobiography, My Booky Wook....

Peace Out: Estelle Getty

Sadly Estelle Getty passed away yesterday at the age of 84. In tribute to her, Lifetime will be hosting a Golden Girls marathon this Saturday..... Peace Out Sophia and thank you for being a friend!

Please excuse the disruption in service

Sorry for the disruption in service, I am currently finishing up a project that has been keeping me a little too busy for my liking but trust me I have much to report on the television front such as Korean mini-series (fascinating stuff, people!), my thoughts on Big Brother 10, ramblings about Flipping Out, Shear Genius, Project Runway 5, Million Dollar Listing and of course my new obsession, The Secret Life of the American Teenager. So stay tuned to this space, we should be back in business in the next few days..... And yes my DVR is almost at capacity..... Don't you just hate it when that happens

Off the Wagon Mike - Big Brother 10

Hi Everyone! My name is Off the Wagon Mike and this is my first post as a guest blogger here on TVholics Anonymous. I'm going to be the official Big Brother guest blogger. I'm not sure if that's something to be proud of, but I'll take it. Now, I've been watching Big Brother since the first season. I hated that first season, but then season 2 came and with it the awesomeness of Dr. Will, and I was hooked. Since then I've watched almost every season. I subscribe to the live feeds, and I watch Big Brother After Dark on Showtime as often as I can. I also frequent many Big Brother fan sites. So I think I'm as big of an expert on this show as one can be.

Now, I was looking forward to this season after watching how atrocious last season was. I listened to the promises of the producers and casting people that this season would go back to the old school roots with a more diverse cast. I will say that this cast is much more diverse and so far I am really digging them. I am just sorry that Brian had to be the first to go. He had a lot of potential to cause some friction in there and he got this group of houseguests to start playing this game early on. Watching the house turn on him and forcing Jerry to put Brian up was great and I hope we can see many more of these turns as this season goes on.

As we go into the second week, we have Jessie,the bodybuilder, as HOH (that's Head of Household for the uninitiated). I couldn't have been less happy with someone like him winning HOH. I am not of a fan of this meathead. The only thing entertaining about him so far is watching him try to think. I don't think his brain moves at the same speed as the rest of us.

Speaking of dumbasses, anyone else notice that Memphis wears a shirt that says Memphis on it? What kind of douchebag wears a shirt that has his made up name on it? Oh yeah, his real name is Bob. No wonder why he changed it to a porn star name. Plus he loves to talk about his modeling days on the feeds. I didn't know there were plus sized male models also.

It's a bit early for me to pick my favorites for the season, and as of right now, I don't really like anyone. Dan, Angie and Steven are my favorites at the moment, but that's probably just because they're the underdogs at the moment. Plus one of them will be going home this week it seems, so I shouldn't get too attached. In terms of villains for the season, there are a lot to choose from. I thought I would love Libra from the pre-show interviews, but she is a controlling bitch. She won't let the people in her alliance talk to the ones on the block. She's paranoid, controlling, and mean. She's starting to remind me of Cappy from Season 6 and that's not a good thing. April, so far seems to be a snotty, whining child. Michelle's a loud annoying whore (or at least a former topless boxer type of who'e). Jerry's a dirty old man, who also has control issues. Jessie's a moron. Memphis is a fat, delusional moron. I don't know why I watch this show. At least I like Keesha and Ollie so far. They both seem to have minds of their own and they're in the house to play.

I'll be back intermittently to talk about the show. And I will include information from the live feeds that haven't been shown on the show yet, so if you don't want to know, don't read my posts. There, you've been warned. Dan and Steven are the nominees this week and the former topless boxer won the POV, so it seems like Dan's a goner.

Just In: The Secret Life of the American Teenager gets extra episodes ordered!!!!!

Fantastic news for those of you who are as transfixed by the uber Christian, Public Service Announcement amalgamation that is ABCFamily's The Secret Life of an American Teenager. Per the Hollywood Reporter, they have just ordered more episodes!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!! I still need to post about last week's episode where the word "smite" was used repeatedly. I'm not 100% sure about this but apart from Davey and Goliath, I don't think I can ever remember the word "smite" being used in a network series.....

WTF: So You Think You Can Dance: PLEASE FIRE THE STYLIST!

So once again I was shaking my head at So You Think You Can Dance last night and their horrid choice of stylists. WTF was with that Flash Gordon circa 1980 kindergarten school play DIY looking top they put poor Twitch in last night???????

It was so HIDEOUS that it distracted me from watching his amazing hip hop routine with Comfort (yup, she's back due to Jessica fracturing some ribs)

I really do think a petition to get the wardrobe and hairdressers fired is in order.....

WTF: The Cleaner (a superhero for junkies???)

I haven't seen the show, The Cleaner, yet, but it looks like A&E has come up with one of the oddest concepts for a new television series that I have seen in some time: a superhero for junkies.... Touted as being"inspired by a true story of a real-life extreme interventionist," the Cleaner was saved from his own addictions by God after the birth of his daughter and has now teamed up with like-minded others to help drug addicts around the world kick their habits.... It seems like the writers took a bunch of episodes of Intervention and mixed them with the basic 12 Steps of AA and NA (lest we forget TVA - had to get a plus in for us TV addicts), throw in some Hall of Justice action and said, "Voila, we have a new show." I might have to check it out. But for the mean time, I am as always following the message boards to see what the peeps are saying about it but as of right now, the jury is still out for me whether or not this could be a new addiction.

Hot Off the DVR: She's Got the Look

TVLand's She's Got the Look has had its finale. Yes, I watched the series. I usually love all of the modeling shows be it America's Next Top Model, Bravo's US version of Make Me a Supermodel, etc. But this new show that searched for the next model over 35 was a shambles. I was hoping for cat fights and pettiness instead I was treated (or would that be mis-treated) to a cross between Top Model and the Starting Over house. It was just so dull. After the second episode, I didn't care who won. Why did I continue to watch, well not only am I an addict but it turns out I have a bit of a masochistic streak as well.

Sure being a woman over 35 myself (barely might I add), I thought it was a clever idea for a show but the women that they recruited were just so boring. Also the "competitions" they went through were a bit out of line with the age of the contestants. Honestly, how many over 35 models have you seen pose nude or fly in the air on a trapeze . That is apart from the big kahunas of modeling like Naomi, Kate, Beverly, Paulina, etc... One moment in the series that really disturbed me was during the battle of the final three, one judge told Bahia that she was too sexy in her photo shoot that was to represent "just being me." I found it to be insulting to insinuate that sex appeal is frowned upon among us over 35's. There was nothing overtly sexual about the photo in the least apart from some cleavage.

As usual the message boards are rife with complaints about who won (apparently Tanya was not the crowd favorite) and about the judges' remarks during eliminations. Finally the cattiness and pettiness, that I was looking for in the show, is alive and well on the internet but honestly, I'm still bored with it all. Another one of my gripes was that this felt like a reality show that should have been on Oxygen or WE or Lifetime, NOT TVLand. Apparently TVLand, which is part of the MTV Networks, is looking to break out into the reality arena (next up, Family Foreman (no, I won't be watching that one at all) and what better demographic to hit up than the over 35's who regularly tune in to get their dose of nostalgia with reruns of I Love Lucy, Sanford and Son and Leave it to Beaver.

Will I be tuning in for the second season? No.... Do I want the hours of my life back that I wasted watching this tripe? Absolutely!

Can Hardly Wait: Project Runway Season 5

Only 32 hours or so until the last Bravo season of Project Runway begins (insert squeals of glee) Now I am of course looking forward to my favorite show returning to the air but sadly, my joy is somewhat filled with trepidation. Why??? Well firstly because I have a bad feeling about this season (there is NO reason why they should come to Los Angeles - it's NOT a fashion mecca and I should know since I am a native) Secondly, there has been a major lack of promotions for it which is very uncharacteristic of Bravo. Thirdly, the bios for the designers just went up yesterday. Normally by now I have picked my favorite just based on looks and their resume. Last year, I picked Christian just based on where he had interned (who would dare to not pick him - Galliano, Westwood, McQueen - those are the big guns right there.) And lastly, Bravo has announced every episode's challenge and special judge. Way to take all the magic out of one of the most popular shows of the last 5 years..... And no for the record, I will not be spoiling the show for myself by reading the episodes.... In the meantime have a look at Jossip for a great explanation of how they are trying to ruin the last legitimate season of this show before it moves to Lifetime and Marie Claire.

So let the games begin and remember "Work it out!"

WTF - So You Think You Can Dance

WTF is all I can say about last night's results show for So You Think You Can Dance!!!! No, not about the performances or even who was booted off but more importantly what the fuck was going on with Cat Deeley's hair?????

If you have any knowledge as to why they let a rabid ferret be her hairstylist, please contact us immediately.

So I ask you which cat below is the real host of SYTYCD???? :)


And yes I agree with Nigel that the bottom two girls should have gone home last night instead of Thayne.

Also where the hell did they find the wardrobe stylists for this show???? Some of the outfits are just horrendous!!!! Poor Will - this week they decided to put him in a white jacket that was two sizes too small for his quickstep routine. Not only did it look like it was painfully tight but it detracted from the performance!



Plus did you know that there apparently is a huge controversy about the inclusion of Katy Perry's performance of "I Kissed a Girl." Per the message boards, this just made the show deserve an R or X rating because don't you know it, millions of viewers will all of a sudden jump out of the closet after hearing this song. People, there's a thing called a remote control - you don't like the song - mute it or don't watch but don't say that the show is promoting children to explore homosexuality. I'm thinking these are the same people who are watching The Secret Life of an American Teenager over on ABCFamily. What next they will boycott the show because some of the dancers are indeed gay (gasp!!!!) I have NO tolerance for this type of hatred!!!! I think a Dear Sir is in order!

Mike TV in the House: American Idol Concert: Live in Concert

Okay……..so one of the joys of being a guest blogger here at TVholics Anonymous (I’ve just decided), is that I’m not limited by the pressures of deadlines, structure, or even subject matter. I’ve been told that I can pop in and contribute whatever I want, however I want, whenever I want.

Now I have to admit, I’m not completely addicted to TV (I know, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem…..well, save your cake, I’m not there yet), but something I am quickly becoming addicted to is getting together with our hostess (my sponsor?) here at TVholics Anonymous and discussing TV, or is it “debating”, or possibly full-on “arguing”. We disagree on almost everything…..in fact, I’ve actually started watching certain shows just to have something to disagree with her about the next day (pardon my syntax). In the near future, hopefully, we will have some lovely “Point/Counterpoint” discussions on the board. Although our discussions will more likely descend into the territory of Dan Ackroyd and Jane Curtain’s Saturday Night Live P/CP debates, with me being the “ignorant slut”.

I have a tendency to focus on the “positive”. I figure there are so many people out there ready to mock and criticize, that I’d like to turn the tables a bit and focus on what really works……which probably makes me the blogging equivalent of the kid you used to beat up on the bus.

So, in celebration of one of my all-time favorite TV shows, I went to the American Idol Concert last night at the Staples Center in LA, sponsored by Pop-Tarts. Now if I were not so positive, I might ask questions like “How does Pop-Tarts have enough money to sponsor a summer tour?” “Why does Fox need a sponsor for this summer tour? Don’t they earn enough money off the indentured-servitude that they put these poor kids through, to begin with?” and “What the fuck does a guy in a foam Pop-Tart costume dancing the Macarena have to do with the concert I came to see and why do I have to watch that for 15 minutes before the show starts??” But I am, so I won’t.

And in discussing the concert, if I weren’t so positive, I might focus on things like the fact that Chikezie still hasn’t seemed to learn his lesson from the show (he performed three songs that no one had ever heard of), that Ramalamadingdong (or what ever her name is) was so clearly out of her league that she made the dancing Pop-Tart look talented, or that Kristie Lee Cook’s pants were so tight that from where I was sitting (in the very back of Staples Center, and about 500 feet up in the air) I could see her camel-toe, or how wonderful it must be to be Syesha and to think that you are so much more than you are. But I won’t. I’ll focus on the positive……..

The way the concert was structured, the singers came out and performed in the order in which they were eliminated. So once we got through the dancing Pop-Tart, Chikezie, and Remulade (or whatever her name is), the lights went down and the show really started. The band started with that incessant three-beat stomp that anyone that’s been to a sporting event knows, and suddenly the whole of Staples Center was stomping and screaming because they knew what was coming. Up from a trap-door lift comes Michael Johns singing “Buddy you’re a boy make a big noise/Playing in the street gonna be a big man some day……” Singing “We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions”, he had the audience on its feet. Watching him flow effortlessly into his bluesy arrangement of “It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right”, and then totally rock out with (as he introduced it) the song that got him kicked off of Idol, “Dream On”….it was clear that his time on Idol was cut WAY too short. I pulled out my iphone and texted a friend saying “Michael Johns should have won!” Which I stuck by, until Carly Smithson came out………..

Now Carly was someone who I was rooting for from the beginning of the competition. I wanted to like her, but watching the show, I never really connected with her. Well, let me tell you, if she had had half the freedom on the show that she had on stage last night, it would have been a whole different American Idol. She was freakin’ amazing. She opened with Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life”, a song, which after seeing every girl on both seasons of ROCK STAR perform, I had promised myself I would never listen to again. Let me tell you, if Carly recorded it, I’d buy it. She was stunning. Standing on a platform high above the band with a wind machine blowing her hair all over the place, the theatrics of the piece were thankfully topped by her powerful vocals. Watching her rock out on that, and then completely own the stage doing Heart’s “Crazy On You” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Drove All Night”, I pulled my iPhone back out and texted “Carly Smithson should have won!”

What became strikingly clear to me watching Michael and Carly, was that once the competition aspect of singing was removed (or maybe just the judges), and these two performers were just allowed do what they do well…….they’re amazing. I just hope someone’s been paying attention because the two of them filled that stadium last night with energy and talent. They should have been in the final four.

The first act ended with Brooke White coming up on another lift from under the stage, playing the piano (in her signature style….barefoot) singing “Let It Be”. Now I know that Brooke had her “aww shucks” moments on the show, and a few flubs, but when she came up singing that song last night with her deep rich voice, I got chills. She was another one that by staying true to who she is, and by doing what she does well, she owned the stage. She had everyone on the edge of their seats during that song. She didn’t need the band, didn’t need lighting, she just needed her voice and her piano, and I could have sat and listened to her do that for hours.

The second act started with Jason Castro. I’d love to comment on this, but I was in line at the concession stand getting a margarita through most of it, but by the sounds of the screaming menopausal women in the stadium, I’d say that he must have looked good at least.

Now, I don’t even really know how to describe what happened next……oh, yes I do, Syesha came out and sang. I had already forgotten about that. She sang Rihanna, Alicia Keys, and Beyonce………like I said, it must be wonderful to be Syesha and to think so highly of yourself. To be fair, I’ll give her this. She has a fine voice. But watching her, I felt like she was still in the competition, and that she had something to prove, whereas the rest of the singers actually seemed to be enjoying themselves, and performing because they love to, not because they wanted to show me how good they are.

David Archuleta……..David Archueta……..David Archuleta. OH MY GOD! Okay, I’ll admit it, David Archuleta was the whole reason I bought the tickets for the concert…..not for me, but as a birthday gift for a friend who has a certain fondness for the young Archuleta, but in the “anonymous” spirit of TVholics Anonymous or TVA for short, I won’t say any more than that. Personally, I loved David Archuleta when this season of Idol first started. I never stopped loving him, but David Cook certainly overtook him, in my opinion. Last night reminded me WHY I loved Archuleta so much. Like Brooke, he came up from under the stage on a lift playing the piano. He sang Robbie Williams' “Angels”…..one of my all-time favorite songs. As big of a geek as this is going to make me sound, he made me cry. He was so good. His range, his tone, everything about him was extraordinary. As he continued his set with OneRepublic’s “Apologize” and Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” (the song that got his Dad kicked off the show), I thought to myself, “I hope that when he releases a CD that he gets to do what he wants……like Josh Groban”, then as if right on cue, he closed with Josh Groban’s “When You Say You Love Me”. I’m going to come back and say a little more about Little David in a minute, but first……….

David Cook! When this season first started, I honestly thought he would be one of the first to go home. When they were in the top 24, David Cook had a night where Simon gave him some negative feedback (shocker) and he responded with what appeared to be such arrogance that I figured he would be gone the next night. Thank God I was wrong! What I truly loved about watching David Cook this year was that as the season went on, we watched his talent grow along with his humility. As his performances became stronger and stronger, he became more and more humble. There were moments during the season where I wondered how much of it was an act, I can honestly say from seeing him perform live, I don’t think any of it was. He was completely relishing every moment up there last night. He opened with his version of “Hello” (the song that clearly put him in the top 12), performed his requisite “The Time of My Life”, dedicated a song to his brother (“My Hero”), and closed with “Billie Jean”……which I have to say, is his song now. I grew up with Michael Jackson, love Chris Cornell, but I have to say, David Cook owns that song now. You’ll never hear it done better.

One of my favorite moments of the night was after David Cook sang “Hello”, he pulled out a video camera, and asked them to bring the house lights up. He then said that he needed to prove to Michael Johns that the audience liked him (David) better, and asked if we could cheer for him for about 45 seconds (which we did) and he video-taped us doing it. He then said he was going to loop that on his laptop and “make sure that Mike Johns sees it”. It was one of those rare moments of pure joy where we got to see for a second how this experience has changed these kids lives forever. A year ago, no one knew their names……now they’re selling out stadiums. It was really a touching moment. (It also made me realize that many of them must be having a blast with each other on the tour)

I said that I was going to come back to Little David…….what struck me about both David Archuleta and David Cook (and many of the others) last night was that as big as this whole phenomenon has become, I was blown away by how self-possessed they both were. When they were performing, they were so rooted and grounded that I forgot that I was watching a 17-year-old and a 25-year-old. This is an experience that could easily sweep you up and make you forget who you are, but they have remained true to themselves and apparently not let it all go to their heads.

If last night’s concert was any indication, I’m going to be buying a lot of CD’s in the next year.

Hot Off the DVR: The Bachelorette Finale

Yes, I got roped in like the rest of America into watching The Bachelorette. I had never actually watched the chick version of the Bachelor until this season. I, personally, was rooting for the bad boy, Graham, not that he was that much of a bad boy but just leery of putting himself out on the line. I HATED Jeremy and Jason. I found Jeremy to be too over the top in his "sincerity," while Jason was just a freaky dad. I honestly believe that if Jason had been chosen Deanna would have learned very quickly that life would be his precious son's way or the highway. It's a given when kids are involved in a new relationship. As for the winner, Jesse, eh, I could take him or leave him. Do I think it was edited to cause speculation, abso-fucking-lutely!

If you really want to see how heated this show has become with its fans, you have to check out the message boards. It's crazy over there at the moment. People it seems hates Deanna, hates the editing that made it look like Jeremy or Jason were going to be the winner and seem to have no faith in Jesse. And how horrible was the host during the special, "After the Final Rose." OMG, could he make Jason feel any worse about the outcome.... Why not just give him a dagger so he could remove the last remnants that remain of his heart. And how phony did Matt and Shayne look???? I recently saw Shayne at a comedy show in Hollywood and not only was she sans Matt but also sans engagement ring, hmmm.......

See you next season!

Coming Soon - Britain's Missing Top Model

Firstly, let me explain I am addicted to British telly. I have it imported from a new shop called UKSoapsbyPost. This addiction started about 14 years ago and hasn't waned in the least. So when my friend recently returned from London she alerted me to a new show that just aired this weekend - Britain's Missing Top Model on BBC Three. And yes I squealed for a split second upon hearing about it. Basically it's much like the normal Top Model shows but with a slight difference - all of the models are disabled be it amputees, paralyzed, deaf, etc.... I think this is FANTASTIC and not just from some morbid point of view. Sure, why can't a model be disabled???? We all witnessed Amanda on Season Three of America's Next Top Model who was legally blind kick some butt on the show. Even now I see her on the cover of the WWD from time to time. And of course, my beloved, Heather from Season 9 who has Asperger's. As of right now, I know nothing more than what I have already said above and frankly I am not in the mood today to read spoilers so I will just have to wait a few more weeks to watch the show as it's easier to get the show in 4 hour chunks than weekly. But what I really want to know is how will they handle the runway if they are in a wheelchair????? So far it's getting rave reviews and ratings, so let's wish it well and stay tuned for a review once my copy arrives!

On a Bender: The Twilight Zone Marathon

You can keep the sun, the block parties, and even the fireworks - the best thing about the 4th of July is that there is always a Twilight Zone Marathon on some channel. This year the honors go to the Sci-Fi Channel. Even as a kid I would stay up all night to watch it back when it was on our local Channel 5 aka KTLA. The show is pure genius and so ahead of its time. What a genius Rod Serling was to have not only created this masterpiece but to have also cast silent film great Buster Keaton, Dennis Hopper, Roddy McDowell not to mention countless others all in the same series. Sure some times the stories were a little hokey but for the most part this show outdid itself in the category of thinking outside the box.

My personal favorite has to be Nick of Time from 1960 starring William Shatner. Basically a young couple's car breaks down in a little town. They stop at a diner to kill some time and there are these great little devil topped jukeboxes on each of the tables. Instead of playing songs, it dispenses a fortune. And sure enough, they all come true but of course they aren't all good news. William Shatner's character, Don Carter, quickly becomes fixated on the fortunes and can't tear himself away from the machine much to his wife's disdain. Pat, his wife, finally makes him see sense and as the machine foretold their car was fixed and they headed out of the eery town of Ridgeview. Just as they leave the table, another young couple intrigued by the fortune telling machine shell out their pennies to get their future. As a kid I was always on the look out for one of these machines whenever we stopped at some far away diner that looked like it could have housed any number of characters from this great series but alas, I never did find one but still you never know maybe one day I'll get lucky.

Of course there are dozens of episodes I could cite as being in my top ten but this isn't a Twilight Zone site. So back to the air conditioned couch I go with drawn curtains to hear that famous theme song steer me into the dark hole that is the Twilight Zone marathon.

Hot Off the DVR: Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal

When I first saw the ad for this new A&E Series, I think I actually squealed with glee!!!! What could be better than a reality show mixed with kids that could have come straight out of the Twilight Zone????

So far I have only caught one episode (this seems like a show best watched in the dark of night under the duvet.) Within seconds I was hooked. The title of this episode was The Ghost of Freddie. Basically we meet three girls: Faith, who is 8, Ahli (11) and Jillian (14). Faith and Jillian are haunted by spirits - Faith has Freddie, the friendly ghost while Jillian is visited also by a young amicable male specter. Both of these girls are also plagued by meaner spirits in the form of Catherine, Freddie's mother, and Emily, Jillian's tormentor. Both girls' families are worried for their children. Faith's parents are extremely skeptical of what she says she is seeing while Jillian's mother was stunned into silence when Jillian asked her if she had a dead sister and it was true.

Ahli, however, is not like our previous two haunted kids. She suffers debilitating migraines when energy in a room becomes too negative. She also sees people's auras. Once again, her parents are troubled about their daughter's suffering. Ahli also eerily drew a picture of the undisclosed location that was used for the retreat that the hosts took the girls to, not to mention she has predicted people's deaths days before they happened and managed to locate where Jillian's mother's body was sick (her chest and knee). Can you say SPOOKY!!!!

Our hosts for the show include Chip Coffey, a psychic expert, and Lisa Miller, Ph.D., a professor of child psychology. As well as a child psychologist Lisa also serves as the president of the Division of Psychology of Religion for the APA. Kudos to the producers for making sure they have all angles covered on the religious front at least from a production standpoint. A quick peruse of the message boards, one quickly can see how people have claimed that this show is breeding satanism and how it is calling out to demons to spread their terror.

One issue that does arise with this show is that it feeds into the stereotypical haunting show. The viewer never gets a scientific reason for what is occurring. Mind you as it's dealing with the paranormal this makes sense but not even to present a case of how it couldn't be possible for these girls to be experiencing what they are is debatable.

Some people have asserted that once again it's just parents trying to find their 15 minutes of fame or even better yet exploit their children. Would we say the same if these kids had a medical infliction or a psychological disorder? I think not. They would be lauded. I am not saying that these children are on the terminal list or anything but they do indeed appear to have psychic ability. Skeptical or not, I was pretty shocked when they verified the historical facts about young Faith's Freddie and Catherine, Ahli's picture of the haunted hotel and Jillian's visions.

Could it all be a hoax? Possibly, but the fear especially in Faith's eyes would make her a sure Oscar contender. The girls did benefit from their foray into reality TV. Faith learned how to banish away Catherine. Ahli was taught how to manage her psychic ability and not take on all of the negative vibes and Jillian laid to rest Emily, who it turned out could have been her mother in a previous life!!!!

Will I be watching this again??? HELL YEAH!!!!! Do I take it with a tiny grain of salt, absolutely!!!! After all this life can't be all, or can it???

Hot off the DVR - The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Can I just say I have now sunk to an all time new low in my TV addiction. Last night saw the premiere of The Secret Life of the American Teenager on Disney owned ABCFamily channel. They had been touting this show on the various entertainment shows like Entertainment Tonight, The Insiders, Access Hollywood all week so I was curious to see just how real it would be. Let's put it this way, this is show is like all of those After School Specials of the 80's got together and had an illegitimate child. It covers all of the stereotypes mixed with a not so subtle Christian agenda. Not to mention it stars John Schneider and Molly Ringwald as some of the main characters' parents along with Jane from Melrose Place aka Josie Bissett. The best way I can find to capture the mood of this show is to say it's the Christian 90210.

Now let's just examine the sordid cast of characters:



Amy - the main character - she plays French horn in the band and while at band camp had a little rendezvous with a drummer and yup, you guessed it after just one (quick and per Amy, "bad" romp in the hay she's preggers!!!!) Her parents make mention that she's the nice girl and even get excited when a boy calls the house asking her to the dance but that's only because she hasn't found the nerve to tell them that she's up the duff. She has the token BFF's, who take the shape of the African American friend who seems to be the voice of reason and another BFF who is ginger and provides kooky solutions to her problem - just don't tell anyone because no one will notice a baby, right??? She has a younger sister, Ashley, who is a goth. Her father at dinner lets her know that Ashley only "dresses like a hooker" because she thinks she is going to have sex which he says will never happen and keeps reiterating how boys like nice girls like dear Amy. Oh little does he know, huh???

Ricky - the baby daddy - From what I can tell he's the super bad boy and I am sure will be selling drugs in future episodes. He seems to be sleeping with the school slut, Adrian and is trying to get his paws on Grace, the school virgin and Christian crusader. He is OBSESSED with sex and we learn that he was sexually abused by his father and is currently being raised by a foster family. Lucky for him, he's in therapy at the moment but the boy has some serious sexual issues.

Ben - the nice guy who just wants to get laid but I have the feeling that he will become not only Amy's boyfriend but also her best friend and defender of her baby. He asks her to the dance after getting some advice from the new school counselor, Mr. Molina. He also joins the band so he can get to know her better. Think Duckie from Pretty in Pink!

Grace - the virgin Mary of the show - she's uber Christian, dates the football star, Jack. She proudly wears her promise ring and is constantly informing Jack that they will not have sex until she is done with medical school (this fact instills terror in Jack and he asks the question we all want to which is "Does oral sex count?" and for the record, yes it does count as sex!) She has a brother, Tom, who has Down's Syndrome. Yes this show has stolen elements from every single successful teen drama since the 80's!!!!! All the boys are after Grace despite knowing that she's not going to put out.




Jack - the football star - He's "Christian." Why did I put it in quotes you might ask. Well, it's because unbeknownst to Grace, Jack is doing Adrian, the hot Latina girl who happens to be also Ricky's "girlfriend." Jack makes my skin crawl. The best line of the show was at the end where they are outside the Fellowship Dance at the church and Jack who has been begging Adrian to sleep with him again, falls to his knees and begs her to pray for forgiveness for what they have done. Adrian's reply, "I don't think you want God' love as much as you want my loving." And yes, inevitably Grace's brother, Tom, sees Adrian macking on Jack and gets his sister (enter cliffhanger for next week's episode!)

Other secondary characters are: Alice, the wise Asian feminist girl who has been studying sex since the 3rd grade and who loves to throw out statistics about teenage sex and pregnancy throughout the show and her sidekick, Henry. Both of whom seem to be Ben's BFF's and give him advice about how to lure the ladies and also to remind him if he should actually ever get lucky, that he needs to wear a condom! Also Mr. Molina, the new counselor, he is one of Ben's advocates as well and gives him love advice and reminds him constantly about condom use.... Are we detecting a trend here. Just waiting for the PSA to air during the commercial breaks.

The message boards are rife with angry Christians who are defending the show by saying that if your kids are asking to record this that you should be wary that more than likely this indicates that they are thinking of having sex in the immediate future. Who knew a religious based teenage drama could act as an aphrodisiac for the puberty stricken masses????? I am sure this show will get the same bad rap that Juno and Jamie Lynn Spears just received about promoting teen pregnancy. When will parents take some responsibility in the raising of their young????

This show can be seen as offensive on SO many levels - a very white based school with the prerequisite minority friends, the fact that abortion is NOT an option to even be discussed, the scary fact that when Amy's friends were asking her about how she got pregnant they eluded to rape but never came out and said it, the constant mention of god in relation to everything and frankly that this show doesn't represent a real teenager's life in the least. I think the only stereotype that wasn't covered last night was the problem of obesity.

Yes there's a lot wrong with this show but it's so addictive. Stay tuned for next week.....