First off, congratulations and a big WOO HOO to Joyce M for getting the answers correct and being picked as this week’s Giveaway Winner! We had a lot entries this week, so thank you all for playing along and enjoying the contest games. For those who want to know if they were in the Bottom Three (and there were alot more than three, y’all) the correct answers were: The Legend MacKinnon, Charm Stone, and Catch Me If You Can. Check back in Monday for next week’s Contest Query!

Okay…Spence and I hunkered down and had a TiVo evening last night. First up was Amazing Phil. Okay, so there is a race involved, too, but was he rocking that red shirt this week or what? And how wrong is it that both BJ and Tyler get to kiss him and I don’t. Unfair, I say. Unfair!

So, it was a good night. A REALLY good night. Ahhhhhhh. I’m still basking in the glow of the ending and having a hard time going back to recap the entire show because I just want to revel and shout from the rooftops….but I’ll refrain. (Warning: I fully intend to shout later. In a really smug, obnoxious way, because, well, if you watched, you already know why.)

Okay, the best part about this leg of the race is that it totally turned the team order upside down FINALLY. And they went to two places my son is dying to go, Rome and Athens. A lot of bunching in the beginning and a few teams took full advantage. YAY!! Ray and Yolanda! They finally get their act together and really race. Even with a few setbacks, including a time penalty at the end for not following directions accurately, they manage to surge ahead. The ones who suffer the most from the bunching up this leg are BJ and Tyler, who, for the first time, don’t navigate so well AND suffer the time penalty, too and it almost costs them the race. I would have been so deeply disappointed had that been the case. They have been such good racers with such positive, fun loving, and joyful spirits, it would have been harsh to see them go from leaders to losers. MoJo hangs in there, much in the same position as usual, right behind the number one and two teams. (Though one and two change a little.) The time penalty given Ray and Yo put them up one into second. (And I loved when Yolanda is all “We lost to MoJo. That just isn’t right.” Cracked me up.

Fran-ken-Barry actually keep their act together for an entire leg that included Fran bungee jumping. I totally felt for her. She was to-the-bone terrified and I worried she’d leap and have a heart attack. To add insult to injury, it was raining and miserable to boot. (As it was for a great deal of this leg.) She definitely won my admiration. Everyone else seemed to make the bungee leap pretty easily and most of the jumpers really enjoyed themselves. It wasn’t quite the stumbling block it’s been in the past. I definitely enjoyed a lot of the team spirit shown between teams. MoJo soothing Fran on their way out, Tyler and BJ helping MoJo figure out which bus to take, etc. etc. Nice to see the teams totally into the race, but never being cut throat about it.

Okay, so there is a fast foward this leg and guess who uses it? Right. The ONE team that doesn’t need it. Eric and Jeremy. They’ve calmed way the heck down and they still irk me. Of course, having taken the FF and getting it, we are blessed with not having to see much of them at all during the entire leg of the race. So there is that. And, I well admit, that given how much the navigating this leg affected the various teams, maybe it was just as well they used it. Still. Ugh. And they win the red carpet ride at the DaVinci Code premiere? These guys? Double ugh. And deep sigh. Because you know they will be totally gross about ogling hot Hollywood babes. Shudder.

Notice I haven’t talked at all about Lake and Michelle. They are the most dysfunctional couple on the race, even though their constant bickering, name calling, cursing and generally spazzing out with each other “works for us” - right, whatever. They also suffer a navigational breakdown and a Lake breakdown that does, ultimately, bring them in last. I KNEW this was going to be a non-elimination leg. Amazing Race is famous for having them when there is a yield or fast forward. At first, I was very relieved, as it looked like the time penalty was going to put BJ and Tyler into last place. But when it didn’t, I could not believe that I finally get my wish…aaaaand the Bickersons are in last place, only to be saved by the very delayed appearance of the NEL. But NO people, NO! Phil cuts them dead. You’re out, go home, game OVER Lake!! It was incredibly awesome! Made my whole week. (Which says what about me I do not know and don’t want to know.)

So BJ/Tyler survive AND Lake/Michelle are OUT. Such a good night, especially after losing the Nerds last week. If this week had been a NEL and it kept L/M in? Och, but that would have been wrong. (And am I the only one who thought maybe the producers just changed their mind mid-leg? I can hear the walkie talkie convo now: “Ixnay on the non-elimination, Phil! Cut em, cut em!” Ah, it was SO sweet.

Of course, that leaves me in a new place on Amazing Race. Five teams left and none of them totally obnoxious and hateful. I love some more than the others, but, to be honest, all of the remaining teams seem to function pretty well together and most function well with other teams, too. I could do without the Frats, but they do race well with each other. Heck, they race well period. I don’t want them to win, but they’re not, well, Lake and Michelle. I kind of like that the remaining teams are All Raaaaaace, but no Screaaaaam at each other. Very refreshing.

Next week is when Killer Fatigue really sets in and they shove them into the Middle East. It’s the deadly combo that usually hits during the India leg, when you combine absolute race fatigue with third world country frustrations and uncomfortable heat conditions. Personally, from the highlights, I’m thinking the Ray/Yolanda meltdown doesn’t prove to be all that big a deal. But I am worried about our BJ. Looks like a good one and better be a non-elim, so I don’t have to worry about anyone. It would be very nice, though, if there is a shake up at the top. We’ve shaken out one of the top tier teams - just not the one I wanted shaken.

Current team order: Frats, MoJo, RayYo, FrankenBarry, Hippies. Personally, I’m pulling for the Hippies and RayYo, altho MoJo and FrankenBarry aren’t bugging me as much. I do want Eric and Jeremy to take a big dive though. That would be the most gratifying. Everyone else has shown their vulnerabilities except them.

On to Survivor where nothing surprising happens and Terry is still an ass. Although in this case, I completely understand why he held on to the idol. I knew when he didn’t use it the past two weeks, that he was going to have to keep it now just to keep himself in the game. No way was he going to give that edge up. So all the drama all night about them trying to get swing votes was a joke and I never fell for it. Still don’t like him. Although I would have been fine with Aras leaving, I’m glad Casaya stuck together. Honestly folks, would you have thought this dysfunctional tribe would have held it togeether this long as a voting block? With not one person caving to paranoia and flipping sides? I love it. Even better will be when they have to start canabalizing themselves. After Aras and Terry go, things would get real interesting. Although I doubt that will be how it shakes out. A shame, because that would be entertaining as hell.

So, Terry is the man to beat. Bruce has phenonmenal art skills (and is it weird we didn’t spend any time with the winners seeing them get their rewards?), it was actually cool to see Courtney do her fire dancing. I liked those pots on the rope thingies. Cirie should be given a very large check for having to play nurse to Shane’s crotch rot, (man, I laughed and laughed as she did. I loved her before, but my love for Cirie knows no bounds now.) Aras and Danielle survive, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, Sally goes home. Sniff! Sorry, Sally!

Now Terry and Aras will duke it out. Shane will entertain me with his Shane-ness. Danielle and Courtney will bug the crap out of me because they can’t help themselves. Bruce will zen out. And Cirie will continue to make the only rational and sane commentary about the entire game. Interesting game, y’all!

Have a great weekend, everyone, and Happy Chocolate Bunny and Jellybean Day! Check in Monday for the next Giveaway Scavenger Hunt.

Tags: Writing by Donna
8 Comments »

It’s spring break here this week, which is the only sane reason I can give for how I ended up at Six Flags with four 16 year old boys for the day. So, to amuse myself, I hung out with Batman…

Then we played on this….which we nicknamed “The Spaghetti.”

And ended the day goofing off with a few other friends…

Mostly, we were just glad we weren’t these people….

And the reason I share this with you, is in explanation of why there won’t be any Amazing Race MAC today. I will do a double header of Phil and Probst tomorrow morning, along with announcing this week’s Giveaway winner! Still time to enter!

But have no fear, there is some MAC today…I did watch the American Idol results show - not happy that we didn’t get to see Queen perform, not even a taped concert performance, nada - but I did enjoy the family clips. So…

I only got one of the bottom three right - I guess America stood by their previous likes and dislikes. I wasn’t surprised, in that respect, with who was in the bottom three. (And I thought only Chris Daughtry was married - but apparently Bucky has a wife, too!) He has such a great spirit. Can’t say he was ever my favorite in terms of singing, but he’s a very enjoyable, likable guy. Wish we’d seen more of his personality like we did last night in the Queen clips. Glad he gets to do the summer tour. Bye, Bucky! I’m sure you’ll be missed in the Contestant Clubhouse.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Tags: Writing by Donna
12 Comments »

So, since some of you forgot to tape, I’m writing this as I watch mine….yes, it’s blow by blow, song by song Idol MAC:

It’s Queen night folks…strap yourself in, it could be a bumpy ride.

Okay, so we get clips of each singer rehearsing with the band, then they sing…

First up…Bucky sings Fat Bottom Girls (love that song!) and it’s the perfect choice for him. He showed a lot more of who he is in the clips with Queen, and actually seemed more comfortable on stage performing tonight than he has been. Surprising. He was flat - a lot - but it was an enjoyable performance that I wasn’t compelled to fast forward through (which is saying a lot with Bucky.)

Ace - well, he manages to piss of a very politic Brian May (an absolute idol of mine. I still have a sketch I did of him in high school art class around here somewhere…) by suggesting he rearrange We Will Rock You, but for a standard that’s been so overdone, he actually puts together an okay performance. It wasn’t groundbreaking, but it was watchable and entertaining…and kind of made me wish Brian hadn’t been such a prig about trying a new arrangement after all. Wow - Paula actually has possibly the most coherent feedback she’s ever given. And I happen to agree. (Was that a pig that just flew past my window?) Randy’s comments are valid, and maybe Simon had a point, if too strongly made, but I enjoyed watching and listening to Ace more than I usually do, so it couldn’t have been that bad, because I’m the queen of the TiVo FF button. And I didn’t use it. (Maybe it’s the past two weeks being so bad that anything sounds good. Or maybe Ace actually brought the pretty for me tonight. Who knows.)

So…two down and I’m still pleasantly stunned…whoda thunk given they couldn’t even do current songs justice, that they’d manage to make this fun? Well, I’m having fun so far anyway. Maybe they need to rock it out more often….

(Squee!!! Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees in the audience!! Hey Mickey, he’s so fine….. Well he used to be. I had such a crush…. God, I’m as old as dirt.)

Oh. My. God. I take it all back. Kellie is doing Bohemian Rhapsody? WHA? (If anyone, I thought maybe Paris or Kat had the voice for it, or maybe even Chris would grind it out.) But KELLIE? In a word? No. The band loves her, because, well, she’s Kellie and really, it’s genetic with her. But yeah…they were kind when they said she had a challenge ahead of her. Okay…I must listen now. If there is no more blog after this point, it’s because I was forced to jump out the window rather than hear this song completely destroyed. (Wasn’t it enough we had to live through Constantine doing this last year? Wasn’t it?)

Okay, I didn’t jump. Rockin Queen outfit. There. I said something nice. And yes, cracked me up when she did her Freddie growl in Simon’s face. Otherwise, it was really….different. But entertaining! Maybe not for the right reasons, but I’m learning not to be picky with this group. And Simon went for it. The in-your-face singing worked. Nice move, Kellie. On paper and off. Very interesting night indeed. I might have to watch that again.

Commerical! I need some ice cream…I’ll be right back.

So, I’m fortified with orange sherbet and vanilla and ready for Chris to Rock Me! Oh, wait, Ace just did that. (I know, I still can’t believe Ace did the rock anthem….) Hmm, what will Chris sing? We Are the Champions maybe?

Chris picks Innuendo, an obscure song that, in fact, Queen never sang live in concert - hello, Chris? Personally, I love the obscure stuff, but America has proven time and time again they don’t vote for songs they don’t know - very risky. Very. So, anyway, Brian and the boys love him and his voice. Off we go! Not bad at all, Chris in his element. But, see the problem with this is, popular or not, it’s not a standard anthem type rock song, and it’s not really accessible to new listeners. Viewers will largely have no idea if he’s doing it justice or not (he does) but…hmm. Makes me nervous. (Hi Camryn!) Wish he’d gone with something known. Would suck to be bottom three with his talent for making a stupid mistake, but it happens all the time. Ayla? Hello? (Are his eyebrows seriously penciled tonight or is it me? Put the pencil down, makeup person. He doesn’t need that kind of help.)

Very funny, Randy, but not really, with the fake out. Aaaaaaand Paula swiftly descends back into total irrationality. But it was nice to see her clear and lucid for that brief, shining moment, wasn’t it? Hold on to that. Simon? Yeah, I tend to agree on the bad song choice. See people? And here I totally, 100% agree with Simon. At the very least, if he wanted to choose a more obscure song, he should have picked a more accessible one. Hope people vote for him despite that. The talent deserved it, even if the song choice didn’t. But didn’t we say that about Mandisa last week?

Kat is up…okay, she looks totally, completely out of her element, bouncing around all over the place. And then Brian very sweetly…totally agrees with me. Fish outta water. Poor Kat. So, smart girl, she sees the band sort of indulgently smiling at her as she mangles rock song Don’t Stop Me Now and switches up to a ballad from the soundtrack of Highlander, Who Wants to Live Forever. Another not well known tune, but possibly a good call (cause she looked really bad trying to be rocker girl, y’all You know it’s bad when Kellie pulls it off more convincingly than you do.) But I’m not crazy about either of the choices. Let’s see how it goes…

It does showcase her lovely voice, but again, no one knows this song. No one is going to care how lovely it is. And it is lovely. Very Star Search but lovely. (Where is Lisa when we need her?) A little shouty, but she does it justice. The judges concur. Still, I don’t think this is going to do her any favors with the voters. And it’s weird, but she looks like she’s a different font size standing next to Ryan. I know, I said font size, but that’s the only way I can describe it. It’s like he’s 10 point Times New Roman and she’s 12 point. THey both look normal individually, but something just isn’t right with the dimensions side by side.

Eliot! He’s looking pretty good with the Van Gogh. I’m liking it. Yay! A song we all know and love again. Somebody to Love. Freddie wrote it inspired by Aretha Franklin. I never knew that. Hunh. And Eliot has never heard the song before? WHA? No! I’m officially older than dirt. Brian doesn’t seem too thrilled. Another “challenge.” Well, Kellie pulled it out. I have faith in Eliot. Don’t let me down now!

Okay, Eliot can’t do Freddie. Just can’t. His pitch is too low. He gives it a go and he sings really well as always, but man, this is impossible for a non-Freddie. Eliot is totally a non-Freddie. But he does give it his all. Randy likes it. Paula loves it. Simon is pretty much where I am on this, but actually kinder than I’d be. Shocking, I know.

Taylor’s turn and he gets We Are the Champions… Hunh. I wouldn’t have picked this one for him. Ever. He’s been so totally off for awhile, I was hoping he gets all spazriffic on us again. I want the old Taylor back. And what do you know, after Brian compliments him, that’s exactly what Taylor says! I’m psychic! But wait! Last second switch up! He changes to Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Even better choice! Woot! Here we go…..

So, explain this to me…he’s all over the stage being his spazrific self and he looks his George Clooney bestest…and yet the song, for me, is strangely flat. And more shouty than singy. I know it’s kinda like that, this song, but…I don’t know. As Randy would say, “I’m just not feelin’ it dawg.” It was the first time I was itching to FF. Last note was the best. Lessee what the judges think… Okay, Randy is feelin it. Paula is whack, but actually funny. Simon…uncalled for, the drunk crack, but yeah, not feelin’ it either. Could be bottom three peeps -but he saved Chris I think.

Paris is the closer. That scares me. So Brian is totally blown away by that huge voice in that cute speaking voice package. And she sounds good to me, too. Hunh. Paris was totally digging it and Brian is in love. So here she is with The Show Must Go On. Whoa! Who is that chick and what did she do with Paris??? Dang, girl. She does a good job with this - it’s a very tough song and she’s so not a rocker, but she does a pretty good imitation of one. And then has this Paris sweet “thank you” to Randy right afterward. That just cracks me completely up. Randy likes, Paula is, well, Paula, and Simon finds it all a little weird. I’ll go for that. It was different.

It’s anybody’s night, people. (Oh, and is it me, or does Ryan look like he has a perfectly matched flak jacket on under his suit jacket? I know it’s a vest, but it looks very bullet-proofy. But considering how snarky he’s being lately, maybe it’s with good reason.)

So…not a train wreck after all, Queen Night. All in all, I’m still pleasantly surprised. It was far more entertaining (in a good way) than I’d ever expected. Looking back over them, I still have to say I found Bucky, Ace, and Kellie more entertaining, if less perfectly voiced, than the later singers. Just me? Maybe. But I was having more fun as a viewer, in general, during the first half than I did during the second.

My bottom three? Hmm. That’s a tough call. Based on tonight alone, and based on the combination of singing and performing, the ones that won me over the least (The FF Final Three) were, Kat, Taylor, and, I’m sorry, Eliot. I know!! I love Eliot and Taylor used to have my love. Top Three in terms of Overall Fun? It makes NO sense, none, but the three I enjoyed the most were the first three. Bucky, Ace, and Kellie. I had more fun watching them than I did for the rest of the show. Middle two are Chris and Paris - both excellent singers, but obscure songs. Had they done something more well known, Ithink they’d easily have been Top Three. Especially Chris. Great voice, mediocre song. Hope he’s not in anyone else’s bottom three.

What do you think?

Tags: Writing by Donna
5 Comments »

I’m glad all you Blog Babes are enjoying the Friday Giveaway challenges. I think they’re fun, too! A lot of you are getting the answer right this week — well done, lassies! — but I’ve definitely stumped a bunch of you, too. Hmmm…..which group are you in? Still have a few days to set the record straight. You don’t want to be in the Friday Giveaway Bottom Three, ye ken?

And I meant to mention this last week but apparently it got lost in the fog…

Yay to Judith, our most recent Giveaway winner. The lovely Swiss Miss has officially made us the International Blog Babes! I’ve had many international winners on my regular website contests…but Judith marks our first international winner here. I think we should all take a short break and enjoy a bit of chocolate (preferably drizzled over ice cream) as we celebrate this momentous occasion.

I know. It’s pathetic, the lengths I go to to rationalize ice cream consumption.

And speaking of regular website contests…check out my homepage next week to see the new contest announcement. This time I’m celebrating the upcoming release (FINALLY!) of NOT SO SNOW WHITE and, seeing as it’s set largely at Wimbledon, part of the grand prize will be a special Wimbldeon tote bag, straight from the Old England Club itself. So give your luck a shot. (I don’t even make you answer any questions. )

So…if it’s Tuesday, it must be American Idol night! This marks Queen Week. Yes, I know. What were they thinking?? I love Queen. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to listen to it again with such joy after tonight. Honestly, it just doesn’t bode well, does it? Maybe they’ll surprise me. Hey, it could happen! They’re due. I have no idea who’ll end up in the bottom three - but I will say that if last week was tailor made for Kellie and Bucky? This week? Is definitely not. Could be interesting, folks!

Place your bets! My guess is Paris, Bucky, or Kat. (We should be so lucky for it to be Ace. But I’m thinking that falsetto might get him through a Freddie Mercury tune intact. Dangit.) Who do you think is going home?

Tags: Writing by Donna
6 Comments »

The end is in sight. Revisions are almost done and, despite all the blood, sweat, and pizza, I am going to miss Glenbuie and its inhabitants. Of course, Donovan is waiting not-so-patiently in the wings…so I do have something to look forward to.

And you have something to look forward to, too! Another Friday Giveaway this week!

Hmm, I’ve had the weekend to ponder this week’s challenge. Of course, I spent most of that time living in Glenbuie, so I thought maybe it would be fun to have a Scotland Challenge this week. I’ve written three full length novels set predominantly in Scotland (not the novellas!) Send me an email at donna@donnakauffman.com with Pick me, lass! in the subject header, and the titles of the three books in the email itself. At the end of the week I will draw a name from the correct entries and the winner gets his or her choice of one of those three books.

Good luck and happy Monday, everyone!

Tags: Writing by Donna
4 Comments »

Deadline hell is often followed by revision hell… Did I actually say I enjoy this? What was I on anyway?

Okay, so it’s Friday and we all know what that means!!! Time to announce this week’s Friday Giveaway winner. Thanks for playing along with the challenge this week, everyone, and so enthusiastically, too. You’re the best Blog Babes (and Blog Studs - sorry Greg!) around! Most of you got it right. A few were tripped up by the fact that one of the heroes for my Glass Slipper series (Shane) also had the last name Morgan…but he’s not one of the brothers, folks, sorry! (And I wasn’t even trying to be sneaky.)

Correct answer was: Jace, Austin, Burke & Tag. And for the bonus book, the women are: Suzannah, Delilah, Kamala, and Maura.

And the winner of the Readers Choice AND a bonus book, is…..drum roll…..Judith H!! Congratulations!! I just need your two book choices (send me one or two back up choices, just in case I’m out of either) and your address — the books will be on their way shortly! I hope you enjoy them.

Tune in Monday for the next Giveaway Challenge!

Okay, what would Friday be without a little Survivor MAC:

So, I should be rooting for La Mina, right? I even like Austin and Sally. Terry is a good guy so I have no idea why I don’t root for him, but something about him has bugged me since Day One. Too arrogant maybe, and a really bad strategist. And, so I find myself rooting for Casaya (as a whole) even though I can’t stand any number of them individually. Yes, partially because my favorite player is on that team. Much Cirie love in this house. But also, I think, it’s because here was La Mina, so big, beautiful, strong, and bold…and OVER and OVER the lost to the Band of Dysfunctional Misfits. So my feeling tends to be…you lose to the dork squad - repeatedly! - you deserve to get Pagong’d! They had plenty of chances and screwed up. So I find myself hard pressed to root for a takeover now that they’re the underdog in the Gitanos tribe. Sorry. (And, honestly, who’d a thunk the Casaya misfits would last this long still voting in a block? I really thought they’d implode immediately after the merge and all go on their own ego spree. Props for sticking with it. Scary but true, down the line, they’re a better team than La Mina, as far as teams go.)

All that said…MAN I was hoping to see Aras’s arrogant “I showed them my awesome skill and amazing wit” behindy go home tonight. Would have loved it. More than Shane going home. Which is saying plenty. Actually, Shane is such a character I don’t mind him sticking around. Don’t want him to win, but I have no problem with Courtney, Aras, and Danielle going home first. I’d like to see Bruce and Cirie stick around though. And sniff…now that Austin is gone, there is no chance for my Fantasy Final Four. Not that there was ever a real hope there anyway.

Now, I know this won’t be popular, but of the remaining players? I’d be happy with a Cirie, Sally, Bruce, and Shane final four. I know, I know, he’s insane. But think of how much more entertaining it will be! I don’t want him to win, but I just like watching him being all blunt and looney. (I laughed when he said, in response to Sally’s “couldn’t finish my bacon” whine - “Gee, that’s a real quality problem you got there.” Funny. Especially since I thought it was very assy of them to come back and show off their bloated bellies.) Whatever the case, I don’t want Aras or Terry in the final four. I think I have a pretty good shot at seeing Aras go…but Terry? I dunno. Anyone that dominant, not to mention possessing the idol, has an obvious shot. Another reason I want him gone.

So…why did he not use it tonight? Because Dani and Bruce wouldn’t commit? (I was actually glad to see them snub him and make him watch as they voted his tribemate off anyway - a tribemate he could have saved, but nooooo. That’s three in a row, starting with Dan.) I think Terry has always been in it for Terry. And it’s a game, I get that. But I get tired of him going on and on about the importance of team when it’s really all about what’s good for Terry. (And Aras? LOVED IT when Cirie called you out on your Amazing Coconut Plan. Ha!)

Next week, eight are left…no non-elimination rounds…who goes home next? (Yo, Sally? Watch your back. Stay strong! She rocked that challenge. I’d hate to see her go.)

Have a great weekend everybody!

Tags: Writing by Donna
10 Comments »

Spoiler alert…don’t read on if you haven’t caught up with your reality show taping…

So, Wednesday became the new Tuesday for reality show viewing, what with AI results show and Amazing Phil, er Race on the same night. What a flaming disappointment that turned out to be. (Except for Phil rocking that red shirt. Nice new haircut, too…) Where was I? Oh, right. America is stupid. Nine contestants left and you really thought Mandisa was the weakest link? Really??? Because, you know, not really.

A show of hands on how many people thought the Ace, Bucky, Kat trio was the bottom three? I actually wasted time worrying they’d send Kat home from the group before either of the two guys. So then they reveal it’s Paris, Mandisa, and Eliot, and I start praying for Eliot, which would mean Paris leaving…and despite the fact that she’s a great singer, as I said yesterday, her personality is wearing on me and I could have handled her leaving. Especially from that threesome. At NO time did it even occur to me that Mandisa was in trouble.

And now they’re leaving the eight remaining to contend with Queen songs??? QUEEN? I love Queen, but my god, wasn’t making them tackle Stevie enough? And shoot, Mandisa was probably one of the ones who could have handled it. You know, I was really enjoying this group, but the past couple of weeks, not so much. And I’m not looking forward to next week either. A shame.

On to Amazing Race…. where I was convinced it HAD to be a non-elimination round. HAD to be. I’m pretty sure my buddies, Lori and Dave, thought so, too. I was crushed, crushed I say, when Phil heartlessly cut them from the race. Boo, Phil, boo. (Like it’s his decision.) I always enjoy this show, every episode. I’m not all that demanding with this show, I just want to see my race. But I will admit that this leg wasn’t all that exciting to me. Not much changed from the order they left to the order they showed up, except Yo and Ray moved up one. And I’m really liking those two alot. I’m rooting for them in a big way. I like BJ and Tyler okay, they’re a joyous duo, not so much the Frats, but I wouldn’t mind a major shake up in the top tier. It’s getting too predictable. I don’t think any previous AR has gone this long with the same two teams dominating the top two spots. Not that I can remember anyway. Especially from the beginning, when there are so many teams.

I would definitely like to see Lake and Michelle meet up with the worst taxi driver in AR history and get hopelessly lost and finally get booted. Fran and Barry can follow them. And the oldsters are actually doing okay, and definitely enjoying themselves…I just don’t find myself loving them. Jo and Mo are racing hard (loved her plaintive looks at cute Italian girls who didn’t reek of fish) but they can round out that bottom three. Oh, wait, that’s American Idol. And look where that got us. Sigh. Oh yeah - what were those things Lake and Michelle were wearing strapped to their chests? Lake (who has a nice bod, damn shame he’s such an ass) looked interesting in his, but my eyes! my eyes! having to stare at Michelle’s boobs strapped around and over that thing. Just say no.

Bye Team Nerd. You will be sorely missed. Have a happy life together.

Reminder! Last day to enter this week’s Friday Giveaway. See Monday’s blog post for all the details.

Tonight, Survivor…let’s hope for a strong reality show rebound, end the week with a bang! Or with Shane self destructing. Whatever.

Tags: Writing by Donna
6 Comments »

I know, no blog post yesterday. What was up with that? Some people lose an hour during daylight savings….I apparently lost an entire day. (It is too fair to blame it on a wrinkle in the universe.) Cool fact: very early this morning at two minutes and three seconds after 1am, there was an interesting phenomenon. At that moment, it was officially 01:02:03 on 04/05/06. I know, I can’t get a blog post done on time, but I managed to come up with that incredibly useful piece of information. Wrinkle in time, I’m telling you.

Okay…American Idol MAC: Country Music Night. 9 Idol Contestants left…who goes home next?

First off, what the hell happened to Kenny Rogers? Whoever that guy was sounded like Kenny, but he sure as heck didn’t look anything like him. Spooky. Secondly, cool to see Chris Rock and Whoopi in the house…but for country music night? Really? Lastly (okay, not really) Simon? If you don’t understand the music genre, then at least try to judge the actual singing content. Ryan? For the most part I like the way you try and keep the judges playing nicely in their little sandbox, but tonight you were almost a bit bitchy. The shadow was working for me, though. So, is the Teri Hatcher thing true? Because, if so, you go Teri, my fellow, single, forty-something sister! In praise of younger men, indeed.

I’m sorry, where was I again? Oh, right. The performances.

The good…

Kellie Pickler. Well, duh. But I liked the song she picked and thought she did a good job with it. I was also glad Ryan addressed the whole is-she-isn’t-she faking the dumb bumpkin thing. I didn’t think so. Nice to give her a chance to say so herself. I still like her. Sue me.

Eliot Yamin. I tend to agree with Simon regarding some relatively boring, safe song choices this week and last, but in terms of the performance, I thought he did a good job. And his looks are growing on me. Tonight I didn’t watch so much as listen (I’m such a multi-tasker) and he was listenable. (Unlike others to be named shortly.)

Chris Daughtry. Again, kinda boring, but he sang it well. I thought he put as much into it as he could. Not a rave, but also listenable.

Yes, believe it or not, Ace Gylenhaal. (I know I just mangled his last name. Sorry, I’m not looking it up. I only Google during business hours.) He actually did a really good job tonight. A few sharp notes, but all in all, really well done. Totally screws up my bottom three predictions, though.

Best of the night for me? Kat McPhee. She brought it, looked good while bringing it, and seemed actually comfortable in her own skin. And she didn’t wear some wacky dominatrix outfit. (And Paris? Just say no to that look, k?)

The passably entertaining….

Paris. Didn’t do much for me, but wasn’t horrible or anything. Just…meh for me.

Mandisa. Girl? You need to find your way back and fast. Again, she sings very well, but the fit was totally off for me tonight. Not bottom three material, but not the Mandisa I loved from earlier in the season. Where did you go?

Yeah, yeah…Bucky. (Notice I totally gave up on the whole last name thing. At least Mandisa made that less embarassing for me.) So…not bad in a general way, but the whole “enunciate” thing from Kenny and then, was it me or could you still not understand one line until the very last one? Just me? Okay then.

And bottom three material….

Taylor, Taylor, Taylor… Dude, what happened? It was like you totally gave up. Did your dog die or something? (And man, if something really bad did happen I will feel like such an unfeeling idiot.) But he totally phoned that in. From Outer Mongolia. Just….nothing there.

So there you have it. Yes, I am fully aware I have only one performer in the bottom three. That’s because I honestly don’t know who else I’d put there. I don’t think it should be Ace or Bucky this week - based on this week anyway - but that means putting Paris and Mandisa there and that’s just not right, either. Well, maybe Paris, but only because she’s wearing on me.

What do you all think? Who’s at risk? Who’s a shoo in to stay? (Besides Kellie.)

Until tomorrow…..(no, really. I promise.)

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Yeah, yeah, Amazing Race talk… But last week I completely forgot to give props to the Hippies for their shout out to the Bowling Moms with their awesome home made t-shirts! Loved it! Sometimes they can be charming.

So, it’s Monday…no, I didn’t get to see cherry blossoms OR the baby panda. Dangit. Life got in the way. Stupid life. Next week is spring break around these parts, so maybe we’ll finagle tickets to see the baby then. If we wait too much longer he won’t look like a baby anymore!

Time to announce this week’s Friday Giveaway. Hmm….. You all did so great last week with the Glass Slipper Godmothers (and the correct answer was Aurora, Vivian, and Mercedes…I should have said that last Friday, sorry!) I thought we should have some fun again this week. SO! This week’s Contest Query is: Name the Morgan Brothers. (I’ll give you a hint - there are four of them.) No particular order is necessary. But! Bonus Book if you can name their lady loves! (First names are fine.)

All you have to do is send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with “I got it!” in the subject line and list the names of the brothers in the email. Winner gets his or her choice from my bookshelf. (See link at right.) If you list the women as well and your name is randomly chosen from the correct entries as our winner this week…you get to pick two books!

Happy hunting!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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