Color me unimpressed

Am I the only one who is a bit disappointed in Project Runway this season? Like, maybe they decided to cast for drama instead of talent? I swear, I am SO sick of listening to contestants bitch and moan about how misunderstood they are. Ugh! The last two weeks of whining have just made me so irritable. In fact, I was beyond disgusted to have to even look at Keith's face again last night. That guy sucks beyond belief. I can't believe they brought all those people back. I never really get it when they do stuff like that. I mean, you have all these people who've been booted, some of whom have GOT to still be bitter (ahem, Keith), and they have zero incentive for helping their partner! I would probably say screw you and take a nap too.

Also, is anyone else starting to hate Kenley as much as I do? I really liked her after the first episode or two, but man is she irritating now! Between the annoyingly fake laugh and the general overconfidence and refusal to accept criticism, she's fallen far and fast in my book. And I've hated the last few outfits she's made too. Last week, I was stunned when she ended up in the top two. And last night...blech.

I was also a little surprised that Jerel won last night. I didn't care much for his outfit. I guess I'm just not in sync with the judges this season. I was glad to see Blayne go, and a little surprised that Suede escaped the axe. I liked Terri, but I have to admit that after one of the other contestants pointed out that she was sort of a one-trick pony, the charm started to wear off.

So now we're finally down to a more interesting and manageable six contestants. Again, not hugely impressed with any of them. I do like Leanne quite a bit after she got over her early missteps (and ditched the fugly glasses). And Jerel, while inconsistent, seems to be a pretty solid contender as well. But everyone else...meh.

The Cho Show

Late last night I caught what I think was the first episode of Margaret Cho's new show on VH1. I remember reading a while back that she was going to have a show, but frankly, I kind of abandoned VH1's whole "celebreality" lineup a few months ago and forgot all about it. I'm normally all for trashy tv, but I've had more than my fill of Bret Michaels, "New York," rehab and whatever other dreck they've been throwing on.

I've always been a huge fan of Margaret Cho, even during and after her awful awful sitcom, but I kind of stopped hearing about her for a while. I think there was a rehab stint or something? Anyways, next time I saw her, she's all super svelte and has all these crazy tats! (If you want to see a crazy and slightly disturbing picture, check out the link in #3 on this site, found through Pajiba)

But I was pleasantly surprised by The Cho Show. It reminds me a little bit of Kathy Griffin's Bravo show, but not quite so desperate or mean-spirited. Not that I don't like My Life on the D List, but it gets a little old. Cho's show is a little bit over the top as well (her personal assistant is a glammed-out little person, she considers going to an awards show in body paint only), but then I would expect no less. And somehow, Cho is just generally less grating on my nerves. I also really like actually seeing her interact with her parents since I always wondered how accepting they were of her performances, among other things. But it's kind of tender to see that while they clearly think she's nutty, they just kind of roll with it, even when she makes fun of them and threatens to put them in a home.

I'm adding a season pass to my DVR. I believe new eps are on Thursday nights, but of course VH1 also reruns them ad nauseum.

Where to begin

I keep meaning to write about the new season of Project Runway, but it's almost too overwhelming during these early episodes. I can't remember anyone's name, especially now that they start with 16 contestants! But now that we're down to a sort of reasonable number, I'm going to do my best. Although I will preface with saying that I was sort of bummed that the Asian guy was the first one "Auf'd." Why is it always the Asian dude that turns out to be embarrassing? Dammit.

So we're only 3 episodes in, there are already 3 people I cannot stand. I'm sure it won't take rocket science to figure out who they are.

#1. Guy who keeps referring to himself in the third person. I'm sorry, was there EVER a point in time when this was considered funny or cool? T pointed out that despite the idiocy of it, it does effectively draw attention to yourself. So congratulations Suede, you win the prize for having having an asinine schtick to match your asinine name. I could almost over look it if he were 17, but he's freaking 37! I'm all the more pained by the fact that he appears to actually be talented, so we may have to endure this for a while. Bleh.

#2. Old chick who thinks she's still rockin.' From the first episode, she's done nothing but whine. Her cause is also hurt by the fact that she is annoying just to look at. What the heck is up with the dots of eyeliner under her eyes? Scary.

#3. Guy who thinks it's clever to add "licious" to everything. Um, yeah, not funny. It's not even original dude. Just sad, really.

Onto tonight's episode. Was I the only one who was shocked/horrified by the outcome? I honestly thought that Kenley's outfit was hideous. I mean, I guess it was well-made, but the colors made my head hurt. I wasn't a big fan of Terri's either, but I guess the whole 80s aesthetic is in now. I can't believe that Leanne didn't win though. Hers was so gorgeous!

I was also pretty surprised that Emily was eliminated. Her dress was definitely not great, but it wasn't nearly as hideous as Jennifer or Keith's! I'm usually pretty good at calling it on who's going to be booted, and I was way off this time.

So the frontrunners so far seem to be Kenley, Kelli and (sigh) Suede. The talent (and ego) levels seem to be very high again this season, so I suppose anything can happen.

Oh, one last thing. What the hell happened to Sandra Bernhard's face? She looked like she was so botoxed that she could barely manage a smile. Bleah!

Gotta love Sesame Street

I will say that one nice thing about having a kid is getting back in touch with some of the things that I loved as a child. Like most people in my age group, I have very fond memories of watching Sesame Street. E is still a little young to really understand it (or any TV, for that matter), but we watch it together on occasion. It's changed quite a bit over the years (Elmo seems to have taken over), but every so often there's still some really good gems in there. I've never been a huge REM fan, but I had to giggle when I saw this the other day:



And this one, I didn't see this when it aired, but it was on Pajiba today and I couldn't resist:



Last, but not least, I have to add this gem that T sent me a while back. I honestly cannot believe that they let him jam out with like, a 10-piece band, but they did and it is the pinnacle of awesomeness:

Just noticed this

From Yahoo Most Popular - because you know, that's where all the hard-hitting news is:
I guess Jessica is out due to injury and Comfort is back in.

It'll be interesting to see what happens this week now, especially since I never thought Jessica was that strong a performer anyways. But I also doubt that Comfort will make the most of her reprieve.

No big surprises

It's taken me a while to catch up since we were out of town all last week, but I ended up watching last week's and this week's SYTYCD pretty much back to back. It's all starting to get a bit predictable now. After we watched last week's, where Kourtni & Matt were eliminated (meh - good riddance, tall freaks), I immediately turned to T and said, "Buh-bye Comfort & Thayne" because it was so SO obvious that they were going to be cut next. I mean, they were decent, but let's face it, they were also just both way out of their league compared to the remaining 10, some on a level of talent, but others on a charisma/personality level.

But all that being said, I have to say, it's starting to irk me how the judges really stump more for some couples over others. More than a few times this season, I've thought that a dance was really kind of sucky and tired, but then the judges come out fawning all over how wonderful it is. I hate to sound like one of those lame-o conspiracy types, but it really does seem odd how certain couples would just get hammered every week no matter how good the routine seemed to my amateur eyes.

Also, am I the only one who wants to punch Mary Murphy in the face? I know being loud and annoying is like, her schtick, but damn, she's really taking it to a whole new level this year. And since when did the "hot tamale train" become some sort of marketable catch phrase. It cracks me up when she shakes her head, all sad and serious, and says, "I'm sorry, I just can't put you on the train this week." It's not frickin' Sophie's Choice woman. I feel like the Queen Bee chick from Mean Girls and saying "Stop saying 'fetch!' It's just not going to happen!" No one is going to be buying "Hot Tamale Train" t-shirts, Mary Murphy. Just give it up. It was only moderately funny for one season. Now it's just sad.

Total side note, but how scary has her eye makeup has been the past couple weeks? In case you missed it, she's had this crazy shimmery white eyeliner all around her eyes. T said she looked like an alien. I wish I could find a picture.

But to get back to the top 10 remaining, I think Will is the obvious favorite, especially considering how much the judges kiss his ass. Jessica has clearly been riding his coattails, and once they switch to individual voting, I bet she'll sink like a rock. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she's off next week. Also, has anyone else noticed how all the remaining girls are all perky & cute, girl-next-door types? Hmmm...suspicious.

For the girls, I think Chelsie is the frontrunner. I like Courtney a lot too, but I don't think she's as strong a dancer. I think she benefits a lot from good chemistry with Gev. For some reason Katee rubs me the wrong way, so I'm having a hard time rooting for her, even though as a rule, I always root for the Asians. ;) Still, her Bollywood routine this week was pretty awesome.

Boys: I'm still rooting for Twitch, but he's starting to be a little too cheesy for me. I've always really liked Mark, but I don't think he can win the whole thing. The quirkiness that attracts me probably repels too many others. And I'll admit, Will's crazy six-pack did make a strong impression the last couple weeks. If they keep having him dance shirtless, he's a cinch for the female vote (ooh, wish I had a pic of that too).

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