Okay, I know AIM lists are somewhat irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but I have several comments to make about this list of 100 Celebs under 25 that AIM shoves in my face when I log in. First of all, I don't think I know who 40% of those people are. That makes me feel old, but I also don't know how that happened. I read ONTD pretty obsessively (well not so much lately since it broke live journal...) and I still don't know who a lot of those people are.

As for Gossip Girl stars, Ed Westwick > Penn Badgley, Taylor Momsen and Chace Crawford. Why is he so low on the list? I mean if you talk purely star status, I believe the list is about right as it stands, but then why is Daniel Radcliffe lower than Jamie Lynn Spears? Don't tell me she got bonus points for being a pregnant teen. Or actually, why is he lower than Brody Jenner for that matter? Back to Gossip Girl, I guess Blake Lively is the bigger star than Leighton Meester, but I would have had it the other way around on the list.

I was actually surprised that Mandy Moore got #20 on the list. She's actually been slightly irrelevant this last year. Kind of. She did release Wild Hope, but for as good as it was I don't think it was that popular. She's cutting it close, though, so she better enjoy it while she can. Evan Rachel Wood is above Emma Watson? Really? I'm surprised Robert Pattison, given all the OMGTWILIGHT madness that we've had to endure the last year, is only #40. He's actually lower than Heidi Montag. I guess the Twilight spot went to Kristin Stewart, who somehow cracked #10. Also, Heidi > Audrina. Just saying. Fine, I admit that it wasn't surprising that Megan Fox hit the top 10, but I think she's really gross. She's like a trashy version of Angelina Jolie. Like, not even a trashy now Angelina Jolie. A trashy pre-do gooder era Jolie. Keira Knightly is below Ashlee Simpson. Ashlee Simpson is only still relevant because ... I don't know how she's still relevant. I thought her last album tanked. Finally, I have nothing against Hilary Duff, but how did she get #1? The only thing I can think of is that she's been getting press for that NBC show she's set to do. Otherwise...

That's about it. I didn't mean to write this much about that silly list.

They've announced the Coachella lineup for this year and I really, really, really, really want to go. The one big downer was that the rumor that David Bowie was going to be there turned out to be false. By far, the most amazing day appears to be Friday. I think that $100 ticket for the day pass is worth it JUST for Paul McCartney, in my opinion and then you sprinkle in this slew of other amazing acts...AHH! I want to go. Saturday's is almost as amazing. If it wasn't so close to finals I would try to find some way to make it to one of those days. Sunday's got a great line-up as well, but not as omgineedtogetthererightnow as Friday/Saturday. For me, at least. But I will not be going this year, as usual, especially since it's harder to get there now that I'm in Northern California. :(

I was supposed to go see The Dark Knight with Gina and Jamie at 3:30, but I've been really tired the last few days, been feeling like sickness might be coming my way soon, and I'm way behind in work. Jamie also had some problem with her refrigerator again, so the plan got scrapped. For now, at least. Tomorrow's still up in the air.

For Moot Court, we have to attend one of moot court team's practices. I judged today. It kind of made that whole process seem just a little intense, but it looks kind of fun. I think I know that that above anything else I need to teach myself how to talk slowly, but it looks like it can be done. My torts professor was judging as well. It was nice to see her again.

Anyway, I guess I've got a lot of work to do now.

I don't feel like I got anything useful accomplished today. Because I was so tired last night, I decided to take it easy today. I had signed up last week to help out with a KALSA funraiser, so I went to that from 12-1. We sold japchae, bap, and kimchi. It was pretty good japchae too. I ended up not going to GAAP after that. Even though GAAP is a very good break from studying all the time, I figured I could use the two hours to either catch up or take it easy today, so I did just that.

I spent most of the day trying to get through enviro law reading for tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'm finished yet, actually. We're supposed to be going over Assignment 4 tomorrow, but he said to start on Assignment 5. I read half of Assignment 5. I don't know. We'll see.

I didn't know there was still more Idol tonight, but I ended up watching it because all of my regularly scheduled NBC shows for Thursday night were reruns. This was disappointing as last week's episode of 30 Rock has to have been one of the best episodes of that show. Idol was the same, except there was some uber hippy earth child contestant that I liked.

I dragged myself to the gym today. Tried to get in some more research for Moot Court. That's about it. I think I'm going to try to get some ConLaw reading done.

Today was a pretty long day. It's my long day of classes since I have Moot Court in the evening. It actually doesn't feel like it's as long as it was last semester. I think it's because I have Property for two hours instead of Civil Procedure. Much, much, much more interesting class. Anyway, I think I'm just tired. I've been doing a lot of homework this week and last weekend. I thought I was going to have time to start on next week's reading this week, but I'm seeing now that this is not going to happen. Nope.

Idol was okay tonight. I think they're finally done with auditions, but I switched to Lost too soon to find out for sure. There were some really good voices tonight.

Lost was more interesting. I don't know where to begin. They need to go back to the whole flash back thing. I miss that format, but I guess there's something intense about to go down, so they don't have time for that.

You know what the best part of this episode was? There. Was. No. Jack. In fact, there was no Kate either. It was GLORIOUS.

There was a lot of Faraday in this episode, and I'm coming up with some new theories on him. I think creepy old lady (Mrs. Hawkins, I think is her name) is Faraday's mom. Either that, or the woman who kept on trying to kill him is his mom. Farraday did keep looking at her because he said something about her looked familiar. Also, we've now established that not only does Charles Widmore know Faraday's mom, but he also used to live on the island. He was one of the O.G. Others, apparently. It would make sense that their acquaintance goes back to this time. It could be that Faraday's mom is both creepy old lady and O.G Other. This would explain why creepy old lady knows so much about the island and what's going to happen if they don't go back.

Also, I love Juliette. She's so much cooler than Kate. I love her tongue-in-cheek jokes about "the Others."

I'm glad someone finally asked the question that we've all been dying to know for the last few seasons regarding Richard's age. Apparently he's been the leader of the Others at his current age since the 1950s (at least). I also find it interesting that Locke apparently recruited himself as an Other.

I think the last comments I wanted to make on Lost had to do with Desmond/Penny. One, or both, of them is going to die this season and that makes me very sad. Neither of them actually want to be caught up in this whole scandal and even Charles is trying to get them to stop their silly meddling. Considering Charles is supposed to be the bad guy in this (or is he? When are we getting his flash back episode?), I'm wondering if he actually cares about what happens to Desmond. Then again, Desmond is with his daughter and he can't be that cold hearted. Even Caleb Nichol wasn't. Also, notice Desmond's kid is named after Charlie?

Oh, one last thing. Daniel Dae Kim's name is still appearing in the credits and he has yet to reappear this season. I'm still convinced he's not dead, but it looks like he's for sure coming back in some form (flashback, Hurley crazy, jinsactuallyalive) this season.

Idol was really lame tonight. There were a few entertaining moments, but it was boring overall. I hope this is the last week of auditions. They drag it out way too long.

I watched two movies tonight while getting work done. First was Hellboy. I actually thought this movie looked stupid when it first came out. Pan's Labyrinth is what really convinced me to watch it in the end. The movie definitely wasn't what I expected and I actually kind of liked it. Then, in light of Project Watch 2009 Oscar Nominated movies, I watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I think I've seen one Woody Allen movie and really didn't like it, so I wasn't too excited about this one. I did really enjoy Jarvier Bardem in No Country for Old Men and it takes place in Spain, so I gave it a try. It was cute. ScarJo's kind of a blah actress, but I thought everyone else did a good job. That's about it.

Other than that, I've had a relatively productive night in terms of getting work done. I finished Thursday's Constitutional Law reading. Finished the assignments for Moot Court that I have to turn in tomorrow and emailed them (we have to turn in an electronic copy of whatever we do). Now I'm just briefing cases that I looked up for Moot Court. Pretty good deal. I chose a pretty cool topic. Identity theft.

I actually did all of this week's Contracts assignments over the weekend. It really just happened because we're way behind in class, but whatever. And I'm semi on top of things in Enviro Law. Because of this I can 1) get a head start on next weeks' assignments; 2) take a breath; and 3) start actually doing job search stuff. I actually have to do that. In an effort to give myself a kick in the butt, I scheduled an appointment with the Career Office for next week. Also am going to do the Alumni Mentorship Program, where they pair you up with an alumni. I scheduled a meeting to go over that stuff too. What that means is that I really actually need to start doing this stuff. I've been doing bits of research here and there. It's not like I've been doing nothing.

..Speaking of doing nothing, I should get back to work.

I talked about that Britney song a couple of posts ago, but here's Fox News's take on it, just for the lulz. My other thought on this matter is that I did not catch the profanity until I read that it was there. I probably would have caught it eventually, but it's only as obvious as they're saying if you're listening for it. Maybe I just have lame observation skills, though. I don't know, here's the song.

Speaking of music, apparently Scarlett Johansson covered Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye" for the movie, He's Not that into You. I tried to look for it on YouTube to link it, but maybe it's better you didn't listen to it. Her voice isn't that bad, actually. I remember being incredibly unimpressed when I heard the single from the album she released last year. It's just a bad cover of a good song. It's streaming on Stereogum if you're that interested. If you want a good cover, TV on the Radio released a very good cover of David Bowie's "Heroes."

Also, the Bird and the Bee album, Ray Guns are Not Just the Future, was released today. It's soooo good. It's the Daily Download on Amazon today, so it's also relatively cheap.

And since I seem to like to talk about Josh Schwartz shows, apparently I missed the news that Scott Bakula is going to be playing Chuck and Ellie's dad on Chuck. I actually read about that during Contracts and I almost gasped out loud. It's good that I didn't. I'm not sure how I would explain that. Anyway, I am beyond excited about that. Not too keen on the fact that Monday's episode is going to be in 3D (people really need to stop trying to make that happen and let it remain a Disneyland novelty), but I am beyond excited. Seriously, this show's already has Tony Hale on it (who I hope they don't get rid of like they did with Masouka from Dexter). They could add someone like Lee Pace as Chuck and Ellie's long lost brother and the show would have amassed quite the collection of actors from my favorite canceled shows.

In other news, I just got back from volunteering at GAAP. I volunteer twice a week now. I like this more. I felt like I got nothing done coming in once a week on Monday mornings. Not that I do much more now since it's a lot slower on the afternoons, but it's nice to be there more than once a week. I only volunteer for like 40 minutes on Tuesdays, though, so it goes by quickly. There were fewer people in this afternoon than there usually are, so I spent all of that time making sure that all the files were in alphabetical order. Better than nothing I suppose.

There was no new Gossip Girl tonight. It was the rerun of the episode where Chuck finds out that Lily and Rufus have a kid. I don't know which one. I didn't watch it. Listened to Gianni's radio show instead. I also watched this ridiculous new reality show on ABC called True Beauty. I tried to stop watching several times, but it's one of those train wrecks where you just can't look away.

Anyway, I guess they're really going through with that Gossip Girl spin-off. I was kind of excited about it at first because Lily van der Woodson's one of the more interesting characters on the show. It really just looks like a disaster in the making. I'll probably end up watching the first episode just because, but I really don't know why they have to make it. You already know what's going to happen to Lily and as interesting as Lily and Rufus's fling in Monteceito might really be, it's also something that they could cover just as easily in a series of flash backs (maybe I just watch too much Lost). Whatever. They're the ones losing money over this right?

I completed Book #6 in my quest to read 50 books in 2009. #6 was Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. The book was okay. The show is a lot better, in my opinion. The Dexter storyline isn't quite the same without Michael C. Hall narrating everything and the music. The characters weren't as exciting. Masouka's not nearly as quirky and weird. Angel is not important at all, which is a pity because he's definitely one of the cooler characters on the show. Also, LaGuerda in the book was shallow and obnoxious. She was cold in the first season of the show, but at least they portrayed her as a strong character. Dexter only kills a couple of people and the build up to the revelation of the Ice Truck Killer was lame. There are very few Harry flashbacks. Deb whined the whole time (Oh wait, she kind of does that on the show). The only thing that I thought was interesting was how Dexter started to think that he was the Ice Truck Killer. I don't know. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn't end up comparing it to the show the entire time. My two cents, anyway. I think the next book I'm going to read is some book by Anthony Bourdain. Don't remember the title.

Today Obama made the decision to have the EPA reconsider the decision to allow states to set their own stricter limits on auto emissions. Bush rejected this, which was why our governor sued the EPA and Bush admin a couple of years ago. It's up to the EPA at this point, I guess, but I'm excited. This is a definitely a step in the right decision.

I also wanted to record this epic moment on my last.fm profile page before it changed:

I got back from Department of Eagles show at the Cafe Du Nord about thirty minutes ago. It's very rare that I get back from shows this early. Part of the reason is that I don't have to make that drive back from LA to Irvine, which at 12-3 am feels like it takes forever. The other reason was that it was an early show. Yeah, the band is playing two shows tonight, one that was scheduled to start at 7 and another that was scheduled to start at 10. That must be tiring. I'm not going to lie, though. It is nice to be done early and to (in theory) be able to actually get work done after. That's the theory. It also meant that I didn't have to brave the Tenderloin that late. Surprisingly, though, the UN Plaza is empty at night. Who knew?

Dinah got into the city around 6:30-ish. I met her at the Civic Center Station and we took Muni over to the Cafe du Nord. I'm so happy that I've finally managed to make it to that venue, by the way. Not only is it absolutely adorable (it kind of reminded me of the Hotel Cafe), but I have missed so many Miggs shows that happened to have been at this venue. Granted, I was in Southern California for many of those shows, but still. A lot of their big shows happened there. It's also incredibly easy to get there by MUNI. The Church station drops you off about a half of a block away. Good to know for future reference.

There was a line in front of the venue. Since it was almost seven by the time that we got there and the show started at seven, we assumed that the line was for the late show. Turns out it wasn't. In good concert fashion, the show had not started yet. We got in. The guy at the front fumbled through the chart for a while when Dinah showed him the slip that she was on the guest list. Almost thought it was a hoax for a second and we'd be left out in the cold without Department of Eagles tickets. We got it, though. No ticket stubs, unfort., but whatever. It wasn't that crowded when we got in. We were actually able to get semi-decent spots (maybe 5-6 people back). We waited around for about 30 minutes and the first band went up.

You're going to have to excuse the few photos I took. The venue doesn't seem to take well to flash photography, so when one person takes a picture with flash, it blinds everyone. Combine that with the fact that I'm already semi-self conscious when it comes to using flash at shows, and you get uber blurry pictures. Some of them are actually quite a trip, but everyone still turns out to be giant red blobs.




The first band was called The Cave Singers. I don't know what I was expecting from them, but they turned out to be amazing. I think I was almost more impressed by their performance than by Department of Eagles (not that I didn't like their performance). I really liked the lead singer's voice. They even used a keytar-like instrument, a tamborine (I LOVE it when bands bring out tamborines), and a washboard. Yeah, a washboard. I really liked these guys. They didn't sell any albums at the table, but I liked them so much that instead of buying the Coconut Records album that I had just decided I was going to buy tonight, I bought their album. It does not disappoint.

They finished their set a little after 8 and the Department of Eagles started setting up. That process took a lot less time than I had expected. I think it just felt long because I was dying of thirst and stuffiness by that time.



They eventually got up and started performing. The lead singer, whose name I do not know, started alone and played a song on the banjo. Now I've got this sudden urge to learn how to play the banjo. The first song that the band played together was "In Ear Park." I actually don't know many of the titles of their songs. I don't know many of the titles of a lot of songs now because I have the music playing in the background and don't pay attention to the track names. Where was I even going with that? Oh, I think it was that I only knew the name of this song and "No One Does It Like You." Beyond that, it was "hey it's that song I like from the album!"

Their set was pretty good. Very mellow. The audience was also mellow. Apart from some random pushy people, there weren't any especially obnoxious people in the crowd. I like it that way. There were a lot of awkward moments between songs. They reminded us of this comic, actually.



I also really liked the lead singer's voice live. It was so good.

All in all, it was a great show. Hopefully this is going to be a good kick start to my efforts to get out more this semester. Not that I'm going to stop studying, but I think I spent an excessive amount of time locked up in my room last semester. I need to get out of the Tenderloin every once in a while, that's for sure.

I am hoping to see the Lovemakers in San Jose in a couple of weeks, but that's not confirmed yet. If I don't go home that week and see them, I kind of want to see The Bird and the Bee at the Independent. There are a handful of other bands that I'm hoping to see this semester. One is confirmed. I'm going to see the Fleet Foxes in April! Dinah got the tickets. Going to the Filmore show because the Palace of the Fine Arts one apparently sold out. I don't care. I'm going to see the Fleet Foxes!! I'm beyond excited.

That's it. Back to homework.

The last few days have been pretty gloomy-looking after the beautiful weather that we had over MLK weekend. It's even been raining. As much as I grumble about it when I'm outside, I'm glad it's raining. We're in a drought. We need the water. Because it's raining and because I'm a busy law student who's trying to keep up with an intense workload this semester, I've spent the better part of the last couple of days couped up in this building. At some point today, I decided that I wanted to get out of the Tower for a while. Packed up my baby laptop, my moot court research binder, and locked myself up in library for an hour and a half. Exciting, my life is. The plus is that I'm slowly making my way through all this homework. I'm almost done with Tuesday's assignments and hope to finish half of Wednesday's tonight (hope being the key word here).

I did watch my two Netflix movies. Chinatown and Pan's Labyrinth. As you might see, the initial weekend plan to watch one Oscar nominated movie this weekend kind of fell through. I got caught up in my work this morning my plan was to catch a matinee so it would be cheaper. Anyway, what really made me scratch this plan is that Dinah ended up winning tickets to that Department of Eagles show tomorrow night at the Cafe du Nord. I can stop sulking about being unable to go. I'm trying to be extra productive right now to make up for that. Anyway, I thought Chinatown was pretty good. I got kind of confused because I wasn't paying attention since I was way into the Enviro Law reading at the time (kind of fitting in a way). Watched Pans Labyrinth this morning and loved it, except I did not expect the movie to be so depressing. The music was so pretty. I don't know why they didn't win the Oscar for Original Score that year. I want to see the Hellboy movies now.

That's about it for now. After I finish briefing this case for Contracts I might go to the gym. It depends. I went four days so far this week and if I don't go today, I'll go tomorrow for sure. If I'm good, I might end up trying to see a movie this weekend after all, but I doubt it. Also, the weather right now calls for some ramen, but I've got to weed through leftovers and stuff first. Maybe tomorrow.

From the moment I heard the song, I knew this was coming. People had already been complaining about it when Circus came out, but it looks like it's becoming a bigger issue now that it's her next single. The Parents' Television Council is apparently complaining about the release of this song on the radio. If you say listen to the song or say "If you seek Amy" at the right speed and with the right inflection, you can see why.

I think it's brilliant, actually, and I've never used the word "brilliant" in reference to something that has to do with Britney Spears. Britney's generated a lot of controversy and provides constant fodder for not only tabloids, but legitimate news sources around the world. Over the last few years, these stories very rarely have actually had to do with her music. I have no idea what goes on in Britney's head. I don't think I want to know. If I were a famous artist, though, I imagine I'd be relieved that people for once were talking about my music and not the amount of Starbucks I consume.

Now that people are complaining about this "scandalous" song, people are obviously going to want to hear it. In either case, the additional attention this press coverage is going to bring the song makes me happy, actually. In my opinion, it's the best song off of Circus.

The fourteen-year-old in me hates me for liking any song off of a Britney Spears album. I have never thought she had a great voice. I still don't. Nevertheless, I've warmed up to her over the past few years. I kind of liked Toxic and a handful of other songs, but the turning point was the night that Britney shaved her hair. As I spent hours reading ONTD's coverage, I realized that I actually missed the old Britney. It doesn't help that Blackout was really good (and under appreciated). I think the moment I listened to that album was the point of no return, unfortunately.

In all honesty, though, "If You Seek Amy" is pretty tame when you compare it to a lot of the music out there. Yeah, there's a bad word hidden in the lyrics of the song, but she only spells it out. She never actually says it. The rest of the song is no racier than songs like "Slave 4 U."

In other music news, Animal Collective's new album is even better on the second run. I'm loving this album so far. Also, might be seeing Fleet Foxes in April. It depends on if we can get tickets. I'm crossing my fingers.

I've been going back and forth over a very tough decision the last couple of days. I wasn't sure if I should download the new Animal Collective album. It's not that I didn't want it. I've been hearing so much about it. People have been raving about it. It was more of a money issue. I had just purchased the new Andrew Bird CD and Coconut Records also had an album out on Tuesday. I am trying not to spend a ridiculous amount of money on music. I'm going to buy a hard copy of Davy (the new Coconut Records album) the next time I go to Rasputin or Amoeba.

In the end, I got it because I listened to a couple of the tracks that were streaming on Rhapsody and loved them. I was going to buy the album sooner or later, so I didn't want to deprive myself.

I am listening to it right now instead of sleeping. I think I made the right choice. It is fantastic so far.

Oscar Nominations

I guess it's that time of year again, isn't it? I always look forward to the announcement of the Oscar Nominations so I can see them spell out all the great movies that I have yet to see. I want to make an effort to see more of the movies before the Academy Awards roll around, so I guess I can make it another good project of mine for now. Problem is that I can't Netflix these movies because I've seen all the ones that are out on DVD already (actually it looks like a couple of the Documentaries have already been released).

On the whole, I think I could have called a lot of these nominations based on the buzz I've heard. Meryl Streep's nominated again. Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married, which I thought just looked like Angst the Movie, but might have to check out. Angelina and Brad are both nominated, how cute. I could go through the who list, but that seems unnecessary.

I knew The Dark Knight was not going to get the Best Picture Nomination since it's a comic book movie and all, but I was still disappointed to see it missing from the list. The movie was amazing. Critics loved it. I don't get why it didn't make it on the list. Are they just being snobs? Whatever. Heath Ledger was nominated for Best Supporting Actor as everyone expected. It happens to be the anniversary of his death (and Roe v. Wade). Time's gone by quickly, hasn't it? I remember being in the Greenpeace office when someone heard someone in the other news say that he had passed away. I didn't believe her until I got confirmation from ONTD. No go for Chris Nolan for director.

Kate Winslet is nominated for her role in The Reader. I haven't actually seen the movie, but can I just say that they need to give her an Oscar already? This is her sixth nomination. She's clearly doing something right. Show her some love Academy!! Likewise, I feel like Leonardo DiCaprio needs to get one too. I was kind of hoping that with Revolutionary Road out this year (which I think only got one nomination), Kate and Leo would both be nominated. Oh well. :(

Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire got the most nominations, I think. I loved Slumdog, though it looks like there's been some huge backlash against the film lately. I would like to see Benjamin Button, but I don't know if I have the time to sit through a movie that long.

Also, Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder? I loved that movie. He was definitely one of the highlights of it (along with Tom Cruise). I'd heard buzz about a nomination, but I didn't actually believe him. I'd be rooting for him if I didn't want it to go to Heath.

What movies have I seen? The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, In Bruges (which I think is nominated for Original Screenplay), WALL-E, Kung Fu Panda, Tropic Thunder, Iron Man (Sound Editing). I think that's it.

How embarassing. I also think it says something about me that the category in which I've seen the most films has been Animated Features. Honestly though. I loved Kung Fu Panda and Bolt looked cute, but why even nominate them? I don't think they have anything against WALL-E.

Since I didn't win free tickets to the Department of Eagles show (that suddenly sold out on me) this weekend, I might try to catch up.

Loooooost Premiere

So, American Idol was disappointing tonight. We had good singers and bad singers. Speaking of Idol though, you can download one of Sanjaya’s tracks for free on Amazon. I was expecting terrible lulz out of it, but it was actually very mediocre. That’s disappointing. Kind of like tonight’s episode (Idol, not Lost). On to Lost.

Apparently this episode is actually 2 episodes (Because You Left and The Lie) squished into one. Since the plan is 16 episodes a season, does this mean that we only get 15 nights of Lost this season or are we getting two make up episodes since last season was cut short due to the Writers’ Strike? I think I read that we got make up episodes, but I’m not sure if I dreamt that.

So I was squeeing about the new episode since they showed clips from last season. We start with an alarm going off at …wait for it… 8:15. Who’d have guessed? They show the face of some woman we’ve never seen before, but don’t show the face of the man. Turns out it’s a flashback that goes back to the guy in all of the Dharma initiative videos. What a surprise. That whole beginning scene is kind of confusing. They’re in the Orchid and some guy wants to open up the thing that Benry used to leave the island last season. Apparently if you unlock it, the island will start time traveling. To prove the point, we get to see our first glimpse of someone we actually recognize – Farraday – who, as usual, looks confused and awkward. Someone with a bloody nose is dying. I guess that whatever power the Orchid holds explains why people like Desmond have been time traveling. I wonder why it’s only affected certain people so far.

Has Michael Emerson won anything for the show yet? He’s seriously brilliant on this show. I was actually surprised by the episode tonight. There was an amazing lack of Jackface. Definitely no jears. Granted, this was not a Jack-centered episode (thank god!), so I guess there was not enough screen time for jears.

Actually, it’s been so long since I’ve seen the season 4 finale that I don’t remember how they filmed it. I don't remember it focusing on one character. These episodes did not either. Therefore, we had two hours of the writers finding every possible way to mess with our minds. Speaking of which, are they ever going to tell us what the deal was with that giant four-toed statue? I. Really. Would. Like. To. Know. Anyway, I hope we return to our 1-2 character flash back/flash forwards after this.

Apparently whatever Benry did during the season finale has caused everyone on the island to start time traveling. I felt like I was watching a trippy episode of Quantum Leap (much like the Lee Harvey Oswald episode).

Sawyer spent most of the episode shirtless. He kept on bugging people for a shirt, but to satiate the crazy Sawyer fans, the writers did not give him one until the episode was almost over. I guess Lost can’t get enough of the gratuitous shirtless Sawyer moments.Are Sawyer and Juliette going to happen this season? I know Sawyer is ohsoinlove with Kate, but Juliette and Sawyer are significantly cooler than Jack and Kate. Plus, pairing the doctor/doctor and the con/con is so much more boring than two pairs of doctor/cons. Anyone agree?

Speaking of which, I have two questions. Since I got the 4^th season on DVD for a Christmas gift from Crasher, I actually meant to rewatch the season. I watched The Constant since that’s probably one of the best episodes of Lost. I’ve also seen Ji Yeon twice since the season finished (once in French, actually). That’s it. Point being, I don't remember all of the details of the last season. First question, is this really the first time that Farraday and Sawyer are meeting? Was it because he was in the suburbs of the island for most of the season or something? Oh, right. He had JUST met Miles for the first time towards the end of the season. It all makes sense now kind of. I thought it was hilarious when Sawyer slapped Farraday. I’m glad that he’s going back to his old crabby and grouchy self. Second question, since when were Charlotte and Farraday an item? Was I just clueless about this whole thing?

I get the impression that this next episode (which I think is going to be Desmond-centric) is where we’re going to see Desmond return the favor and act as a constant. I’m not sure if he’s JUST going to be Farraday’s constant or if he’s going to be everyone’s constant. I was happy to see Penny and Desmond together this episode. I’m enjoying every moment of Desmond’s happiness right now. It certainly cannot last long, especially since Penny’s father is in the middle of some epic battle with Ben Linus.

Also, I love when they introduce random and obnoxious 815 survivors because you know it means they’re about to die. Today’s random and obnoxious 815 survivor went by the name of Neil. He whined about how Bernard the dentist could not start a fire. I guess they were so spoiled that everyone forgot this important skill. I think he complained about the boar that Miles just kind of brought back no questions asked. And then he got hit by a flaming arrow. Amazing. Seriously. Who shot these flaming arrows anyway? That’s what I want to know.

A lot of this episode seemed to be a trip down memory lane for Lost fans. We see the drug plane crash land. You’d think that after the Boone experience, Locke wouldn’t be so keen on climbing up to the plane, but he does. He ends up running into Ethan, who actually almost kills him. Ethan’s kind of shown up here and there since he died in Season One.

We also see that Richard guy again. I guess he never really died, but he still disappears for long periods of time. This guy confuses the hell out of me for such a minor character. He never seems to age and is EVERYWHERE. I want to know how or why this can happen. Are they going to show more of him this season? He’s also got this insane wealth of knowledge about the island. For example, how does he know that Locke’s going to have to die to save the island? My thought is that he might be able to time travel without the inconvenience of death. I thought he was Jacob for a while, but I don’t think that’s true. I mean, he takes orders from Ben and apparently “real” Jacob won’t even talk to him. Whatever. I hope they spend some time this or next season explaining him.

The reappearance that surprised me was actually Ana Lucia. I did not expect to see her again. For a moment I thought that Hurley was time traveling like the people on the island. Then, I remembered that he’s been seeing dead people. There was kind of a Harry-Dexter moment there as she gave Hurley hints on how to avoid being caught by the police. I was touched, really.

Speaking of the Hurley story line, more Sayid action sequences. Please.

Apparently Hurley’s just been DYING to tell someone that they lied about being the only survivors of the Oceanic plane crash. In about 2 minutes, he sums up the entire series thus far to his mom. If I were in her shoes, I would have sent him right back to the mental hospital he escaped from with Sayid. She believes him, although she admits what us Lost fans have been thinking for years – that we don’t get it.

Sayid, who we saw last season worked for Ben, tells Hurley not to believe him at all costs. Thus, at the end of the episode where Ben, being amazingly creepy guy he is, shows up at Hurley’s house and tells him that Hurley’s going to be safe with him. Whatever Hurley thought Ben’s intentions were must have been absolutely terrible, though. He went to the police and embraced the four murder charges that he’s been wrongfully accused of (Sayid’s fault, of course) so that he can get away. I don’t know I might have just taken my chances with Ben.

Sun, like Charles Whidmore, wants Ben dead. I was actually expecting her to have a vendetta against Jack. Ben makes more sense. I don’t know what Whidmore would care about Jack save for the fact that he spent a significant amount of time on the island. Kate later has a heart-to-heart with Sun, where she tells him to watch over Aaron at all costs and forgives her for throwing her back into the helicopter before the giant ship blew up. I’m still not convinced Jin’s dead. I’m not sure where he’d be. He has to show up at least as a Hurley hallucination, right?

Speaking of Kate, why does she have such a lame phone? She got like a gajillion dollars from that settlement with Oceanic Airlines and it’s 2007/2008. She needs to get with the times. Come on!

And I’ll end with my thoughts on Benry. I have no idea what he’s up to. Somehow, he’s keeping DeadLockeBentham in a freezer at some butcher that seems to be in cahoots with him. Are we supposed to know who this Jill person is by the way? And why the name change? Is this a reference to the fact that Bentham’s body was preserved and on display at a university after his death or are we going to see a change in Locke’s philosophies over the course of this season? I’m not sure what was up with the creepy old lady at the end. It took a while for it to dawn on me that this was the same woman who, two seasons ago, told Desmond that he could not/should not buy a ring for Penny because he couldn’t change the past. I guess this means that she’s a real person and not some figment of Desmond’s imagination. I’m curious to know how she’s going to play into the storyline this season.

That’s about it. Not the strongest Lost season premiere, but it unleashed a number of questions that we can only hope they pretend to answer over the course of this season. I ended the episode more confused about the show than when it started. Sounds about right. Welcome back, Lost!

American Idol - SF Auditions

I should be reading for Moot Court, but procrastination is so much better.

I watched American Idol tonight and the auditions were in San Francisco. I think I even saw my building, but they showed those SF shots so fast that I probably just imagined it. Did you know that Katherine McPhee auditioned in San Francisco? Whatever happened to her? Scratch that, actually. I don't want to know. I think the more important question is what happened to Taylor Hicks? He seems to be the bane of Idol's existence. I don't think there are any pictures of him in those little Idol winner collages.

Anyway, speaking of former Idol contestants, apparently the amazing Sanjaya released this gem today. I have no idea what the actual music sounds like that, but with a cover like that, it MUST be a winner, right? Speaking of new releases, check out Andrew Bird's Noble Beast. It also came out today. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I'm going to say that it's better than the Sanjaya album. In all seriousness, though, the album's pretty amazing.

Back to Idol. Being that the auditions are in San Francisco, which is also the auditioning place of the infamous William Hung (isn't he a teacher now or something?), I'm pretty sure they showed more weirdos than anything else. The talent tonight was generally lacking. There were only a few people that I liked. I felt like they skimmed through most of the talented people people in order to showcase SF's finest. At some point they try to compare the Summer of Love to Idol's SF auditions. Because that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Idol auditions.

Speaking of weird things that happened at the auditions, someone really got married in line for the auditions? To each their own I guess...

I really did not like that Tatiana girl who started off the episode. Yeah, she had a half-way decent voice, but her laugh made me ill. I'm sure she's not going to last long on the show (but then again, you'd have thought Sanjaya would have been dropped a lot earlier). I don't even know why Kara let her through. She didn't like her voice. Oh well.

Some guy auditioned wearing some obnoxiously amazing plaid jacket. He wasn't that good, but I loved the jacket. I thought that Jesus guy was an okay singer, but I felt like he was only let through because they brought his kids out to hear what the judges had to say. He's not going to make it past Hollywood week, so I don't know why they're bringing the kids' hopes up, but I guess it would have also been sad to tell them that their dad isn't going through to their face.

I was hoping that the Rubix cube kid was going to be a good singer, mostly because he seemed like he'd be a fun contestant. I was wrong. Also, he was kind of slow with the Rubix cube compared to some people I know. Of course, I'm one to talk. The only time I've ever "solved" one of those was when Gianni solved it to the last two moves and then let me finish it. Save this project for my bucket list, I guess?

I thought Akila was amusing for the first five minutes. Anyone who learns how to sing from the Internet generally is. She actually wasn't as bad as I expected, but they really dragged on her audition. I was bored by the end.

I liked that Adam kid. He kind of reminded me of someone and I decided something about him (not sure what exactly because it's not necessarily the looks) reminds me of a scenester version of Oliver from the OC. Don't ask me why. Anyway, he's got musical theater training and was in Wicked. Bonus points with me and it would be fun if he he makes it to the Top 12 and they attempt the musical week again. He probably should not have auditioned with Bohemian Rhapsody and he was a little theatrical, but I think he was fun. Doubt he'll make it to Top 12 though.

They ended with Kai. I think he may already be my favorite. He seemed like a genuinely all around nice guy. I imagine that he's going to sing songs that are similar to what Jason sang last season, but that just may be because of the music they were playing in the background while they introduced him. And the hair. I thought he had a nice voice though. Hope he makes it through Hollywood.

That's all I really have to say about tonight's episode. Not sure if I'm going to be able to watch tomorrow's episode as Lost takes precedence, but it'll be another slew of auditions. I'm ready for the Hollywood drama, to be honest.

Gossip Girl: 2x16 - You've Got Yale

I wasn't going to post about last night's Gossip Girl, mostly because I had forgotten about a lot of it when I did start the blog, but I actually really enjoyed it and, therefore, wanted to put in my two cents. Ever since the episode where Bart Bass died, we've been going back and forth in very Chuck-centric episodes. Don't get me wrong though, I think Chuck is my favorite character on the show (and Ed Westwick can act circles around the other kids), but I was growing tired of the mopey and self-destructive Chuck.

What I have enjoyed about the last few episodes has been Chuck's uncle, Jack. I almost forgot his name. I refer to him as Quinn because of his character on Dexter. On the whole, I have to admit that I like Desmond Harrington a lot more on Gossip Girl. I hope they do something more with his character on Dexter next season. I felt like they built him up to be more intriguing than he turned out to be this past season. I almost thought he was the skinner for a while. He just kind of fizzled towards the end, in my opinion. He's spiced things up a lot more as Jack Bass, that's for sure.

Also, for the amount of Lily that we saw this episode, it was actually refreshing for her storyline to not be centered around her relationship with Rufus. This says a lot considering that I thought some of the best moments of the first season had to do with their relationship.

Chuck has returned to his scheming self. He's trying to find a way to frame his uncle for some scandal so that he can get the company back. After failing in his initial attempts, he enlists Lily's help. You can tell Kelly Rutherford is pregnant because most of the shots of her these past few episodes have been from the shoulders up. The dress she wore at the opera was also pretty loose. You could see that she was showing a little at one moment too. Anyway, Lily and Chuck work out all these schemes to try to get the company back to Chuck. I think Lily largely does this with the hope that Chuck's going to forgive her and come back. I found his list of plans amusing, like the fact that he bought Anthrax. I also loved that Lily's concern with the plan for Jack to die in a plane crash was that the Bass jet was very expensive. Lily's solution ends up being to adopt Chuck (I guess that's why she wasn't his guardian in the first place?), which means that she controls the company until Chuck turns 18.

Jack attacks Lily in the powder room, but is stopped by Chuck and security guards. I suppose that's the end of the Jack story, then. Chuck decides to move back in with the van der Woodsens.

For the most part, we go back to school. Blair regains her title as Queen Bee at Constance. All is good with the world. The episode centers around Yale acceptance letters (which seem remarkably early, did ALL the students apply for early acceptance or something?). Actually, we find out that they're not as much acceptance letters as they are acceptance text messages. I know it's been a while since I applied to college, but they certainly didn't do that at the law school level. I don't even know if I'd like having something that big come in the form of a text message.

Blair gets a bulldog from her dad and his boyfriend because they assume she's getting into Yale. You've known since the beginning of the season that she wasn't getting into Yale. At least, not at first. Obviously being waitlisted would drag out the drama for longer than an acceptance or even a rejection. Serena and Dan, however, do make it in. Serena, not so much for her academics, but for her current celebrity status. What I found stupid was that Blair, for all her intelligence, ONLY applied to Yale. She knew things were kind of shakey earlier in the year, so I don't know why she would assume that she was in. She is conveniently on the top of the waitlist, and can go in if someone (who you know will be Serena) gives up her spot. She does and Blair is in. You know this is far to easy, but what can you do.

In this episode, we also get the infamous teacher that they've been talking about in the gossip world for quite some time. I think I've heard rumors of her being linked to Chuck, Dan, AND Nate. Nate, by now, is far to smitten with Vanessa (who we have the displeasure of seeing this episode), so we know it's not going to be him. I don't think that Chuck goes to school anymore. By process of elimination that leaves Dan. And this teacher seems Dan's type. Things are shakey between Dan and Serena again anyway (when are they not?). He's upset that she wants to go to Brown and turned down Yale.

Actually, though, the Nate-Vanessa scenes weren't that bad this episode. They were kind of cute to be honest. This will be short-lived, I know.

Anyway, new teacher gives Blair a B and she spends the episode scheming to exact revenge. That's Blair being Blair, I guess. She even goes through with the plan AFTER she knows she's getting into Yale. Definitely spells out bad trouble for her, and now her admission into the school is on the rocks because of a detention. I didn't know those Ivys were that particular about the academic record. Then again, I didn't apply to those Ivys for undergrad, so I wouldn't actually know.

I don't know. I thought this episode was better than the last few episodes. I am glad that they have been showing more of Eric recently. I feel like he's one of the more underappreciated characters on the show. Jenny no longer grates on my nerves, but that could be because they've been showing less of her.

That's about it. I should stop procrastinating.

That first post last night did really show where my priorities lie. The evening before Obama gets inaugurated and I'm talking about the season premiere of Lost being a momentous occasion of this week.

Barack Obama is now, as I type and after stumbling a bit through his oath (though the latter wasn't actually his fault), officially our president! It feels like November 4 was forever ago and that we've waited so long for this moment.

About 8(ish) years ago, I saw our (now) former president get sworn in. My high school went on a trip to Washington for the occassion. Of course it was crowded, but it was not nearly as packed as it looks on television right now. It's incredible how far back the crowds go. It must be amazing to be over there right now too. I also noticed that the weather looks nice over there (though maybe it's a trick of the TV). When I went, the weather was absolutely terrible.

Obama's speech so far has been amazing. I was just telling Monica that our president is one fierce guy. Being the eco-geek that I am, I'm also quite happy that he mentioned climate change several times (making sure to note that it's backed by science). I never thought he wouldn't as it was one of his big platforms during the campaign. Wow, though, what an good speech though. I mean it was kind of a somber wake up call, but it was still quite inspiring. He's an amazing speaker.

I'm just absolutely thrilled right now I do not have to add "elect" when I refer to him as president. He's our president now. I know there's been grumbling on both sides of the political sphere by now. People afraid that the world is going to end under his office. People afraid that he's not going to live up to the promises that he made before November 4 (but what president has done that?). I hope everyone set that aside if only for one day and took in this momentous occasion. Tomorrow we can recommence our speculations of what he can or can't accomplish while in office.

Anyway, I woke up pretty late. I meant to start watching at 8:30. I think I turned on the television around that time (or at least early enough to see Bush and Cheney walk in), but I drifted in and out of sleep for a while. Didn't actually wake up until Rick Warren took the stage. Since I am still curious what went through Obama's mind when he chose him to say the opening prayer, I actually expected a lot worse from that opening. It wasn't that bad.

That's about all I have to say right now. Bush is leaving Washington by helicopter right now. I'm elated that Obama's our president now. Have a great day everyone.

New Post

Starting a new blog. Just going to talk about whatever. Just wanted to put a first post up. Might post about American Idol's episode tomorrow, but I kind of want to kick it off with the Season 5 premiere of Lost. Wooooooo so excited.