I have had great respect for Donald Trump.  I have an even greater respect for him now.  Last week, there was an intervention for Dennis Rodman.  I am going to have to look it up what has happened with him since the start of the show.  This week, Donald Trump fired Khloe Kardashian because she had to miss time from the tasks because she had a DUI and he did not want someone like that working for him, even in this aspect.  He didn’t want Khloe’s charity to take the hit, so he donated $20,000 to her charity even though he fired her.  I really have a new respect for him.

Posted under Current Affairs, Television

Now I don’t know if these things really ran, but I LOVE them.  With all the "I’m Norm, I’m Al, I’m Brian, I’m Tim, I’m John, I’m Barack…and I approve this message" that we are being bombarded with, these are GREAT. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtAHhu_Mli4

And then also, I want to talk about books.  As you all may know, I’m an AVID TV watcher, but I’m also an AVID book reader.  (I’ve always been laughed at…You can often find me curled up on my sofa with the TV going and a book in my hand.)  I read all sorts of books.  Tom Clancy, John Grisham, Michael Crichton, the Harry Potter series, the Series of Unfortunate Events, Malcolm Gladwell, To Kill A Mockingbird, Sleepers, Dave Pelzer…are all a few of my favorite authors, series, books…

But one of my all-time favorite authors is Dee Henderson.  She has written two series of books and a few others.  I am currently reading my way through the True Devotion series again.  Her books are just like comfort books.  They just make me feel better reading them.  The True Devotion series is about a bunch of Seals.  (And I can’t tell you how excited I was when I got to go to Coronado and actually saw Hotel Del Coranado, a hotel mentioned in some of the books take place.)  They are romance books, but they have that action sequence to them that even appeals to guys.  And they have a great take on religion and God.  If you just want a comfort book, read any of the True Devotion series.  They can stand alone or be read as a series.  They are GREAT!

As for tonight’s TV watching, I’m not looking forward to, but am going to watch CSI.  Grissom (William Peterson) is leaving the show.  They are using Warrick’s death (or maybe he didn’t die, you never know with TV shows) as a way for him to leave.  So there will be lots of turmoil and angst.  Not looking forward to it…

I’m also taping Life From Mars or whatever that show is called.  The one where the cop gets sent back to the 70s.  Should be…interesting…  I’ll let you know what I find out.

Posted under Books, Current Affairs, Television

FOX 47 Idol is back.  We’re in Winona tonight, Mason City on Thursday, and Rochester next Tuesday.  Go to the website for more details.

So for today’s blog, we have…

the top websites I tend to visit that you may or may not know about…

Snopes.com – The Urban Legend Reference Page  -  This page is seriously cool.  Anything you have questions about…those stinking chain e-mails you get.  Anything.  It’s great!

Eeggs.com – Easter eggs in DVDs, software, movies, music, and more!  -  An easter egg is a hidden feature that most people don’t know about in DVDs, software, etc…  The coolest one I found was in Monsters, Inc.  If you click a paper airplane on one of the menu screens, it leads to this feature on this paper airplane contest the creators of Monsters, Inc. had.  The animators, the tech people, everyone.  Trying to get an airplane to fly the longest.  It was funny to see some of the creations.

IMDB.net – The Internet Movie Database – Questioning who that actress who guest starred in that tv show last night???  Find out here.  Every actress, every actor, every movie, every TV show, everything you can think of.  It’s all right here.

Alright…I must depart.  Idol auditions are calling!

Posted under Current Affairs

As I’ve said, I LOVE the 4th.  This year was no exception.  Stewartville knows how to have a 4th of July celebration.  From the arts in the park to the parade to the fireworks, it was AWESOME!!!

And hey, I even got to shake Joe Franken’s hand (Al Franken’s son). 

I didn’t lose my voice, but I tried my hardest.  We screamed for EVERY float like they were the last float left on earth.  It was great.  Seeing the people smiling and laughing as we hooted and hollered.

Anyways, I love the 4th.  I hope you all enjoyed your 4th, too.

Posted under Current Affairs

Okay, now I have to say that I’m from Stewartville and have never really been big on Rochesterfest.  When I worked at the Clinic, I went down to eat for lunch.  When I worked at the parking ramps, it sucked.  Now, I work at the TV station.  It’s fun.

What I’m actually writing about here is Friday night’s band.  Next 2 Nothing.  I gotta tell ya up front that my brother, Chris, is in the band, so I may be biased.  They performed well on Friday and I think the crowd seemed to like it.  The singer guy (I forget his name…sorry!!!) he works well with the crowd.  The people listening were singing and dancing.  I was in the back of the crowd and heck, I was even singing.  (By the way, my voice stinks…)  But I think it turned out well.

The 4th of July is on Friday and with that brings the parade in Stewartville.  I LOVE STEWARTVILLE’S PARADE!!!  If anyone wants to find me, just listen for the loud cheering section near the end of the parade.

Posted under Current Affairs

I would like to introduce for the next two posts, a guest author, Laura Janvrin.  Why are the writers striking?  How will it affect MY TV viewing?  She’ll let you know.  If you have any comments, or questions, I will make sure Laura gets them.

Thanks for taking the time, Laura!!!

The writers strike struck fear in the hearts of TV viewers everywhere.  What chaos will Dr. House reek?  Will Michael be able to escape on Prison Break?  What about Jack Bauer’s 7th day of terrorist havoc on 24?

Will America have to wait for its next idol?

Why are the writers doing this to us, their adoring public?

For those of you who want to 411 on the strike and what this means for your favorite shows, here’s a quick rundown:

The Players:

Two unions are striking: Writers Guild of America, East (WGAe) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAw).  These unions represent the writers of film, television, radio, and new media.

On the other side of the negotiating table is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).  They represent America’s film and TV industries.

The Issues:

There are two major issues.

1.  Home Video Market

In 1985, the WGA negotiated for a percentage of the money made from VHS sales.  It was less than .5%.  This deal was never changed when DVDs became the mainstream, even though DVDs are cheaper to make.

2.  New Media

In the digital age, the entertainment industry has exploded on the Internet, offering full downloads from sites such as iTunes and Amazon.com and video streaming, programs that you can view on your computer or phone but aren’t saved.  Though the entertainment industry makes money in this market, writers are excluded from this completely.

Now the thing we all want to know: what will this do to our shows?

Stay tuned for the next post: TV Without Writers: How Long Will My Shows Live?

Posted under Current Affairs, Film, Television