So, it’s kind of depressing a little, not having another Adam spectacle to look forward to next week. I’ve been spoiled, lo these many months. It’s like the let down after you come home from vacation and have to get back to real life.

I made do with the first audition show of So You Think You Can Dance, and the best part? Hi Cat Deeley!! I heart her and how great she is with the contestants. Wouldn’t she have been great with the Idol contestants? She might have even made Gokey palatable to me. Just sayin.

So, it’s all love seeing her. The judges….eh. I’m used to Nigel, rather immune to Mary (my mute button finger is fast on the trigger after a season of Pauler) and love/hate the “fill the third seat” judges. NappyTabs I enjoyed. Thunderdome Queen, not as much. Wow.

Lots of good auditions. Interesting, though the lyrical gang is already looking samey-samey to me. Except the “bird” one, the circus baby? Really loved that. And Katie’s roommate from last season, Natalie.

Like the Asian Locker, liked the tap dancing dude. I thought the youngest-of-14-kids brothers were interesting, but boy they were….close. Maybe babies of 14 kid families are just like that for survival purposes. And yet….

All in all, a decent first session. Also loved the news that there will be another season immediately following this one in the fall. Yay!

What did you think? Who did you love? Who not so much? It’s time to DISH….right after I announce this week’s Free Stuff winner. I took it easy on you this week. And the winner is? Laura!! Send along title ideas (in case I’m out of your first one) and an address.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend. Pack a cooler…and a good book! I’ll see you all back here on Tuesday.

And now? It is time to DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So…at least JT won. Other than that, I’m 0 for 2. It’s interesting, because in the case of both DWTS and American Idol, and Survivor, too, actually, I liked all the finalists, so there was no “wrong” answer for me. Until, you know, there was. JT wins Survivor and it feels very right. Then Shawn wins DWTS and I realize, yeah, I like her, but that doesn’t feel so right. Same with last night. I adore Kris, and I even think the outcome suits both contestants with the best possible chance moving forward. And yet? Didn’t feel right. Just sort of seemed like Adam should have had his moment bathed in the glory he earned. Kinda.

Still, I’m happy for Kris. Happy for the family. Even happy for Adam as now he doesn’t have to record a song he should never be caught dead singing in public and certainly has created enough of a spectacle for himself that if he can’t make something from that, then he doesn’t deserve to anyway. So…it’s all good.

Except I was disappointed anyway. And I didn’t think I would be. Not as much as I was.

What didn’t disappoint me was the finale show. A bloated two hours and so I expected it to drag along. Instead it flew by with a guest list that just kept getting more amazing. Now, not all the performances were good ones (I am SO sorry Steve Martin. Wow. Will you ever forgive American Idol? That was so….not right.) But enough of them were to make the show purely entertaining.

Things I loved: Nick Mitchell. One last time. Kara killing on Whitney and getting the Best.Smackdown.Ever, while even making some dough for charity. Kris and Keith. Show of hands who thinks maybe Arkansas Kris might want to flavor flav up his music a bit on the country side, because that was good stuff. Alison and Cyndi Lauper. Totally made of win.

But most fantastic? Watching Adam get to play in the sandbox with Kiss. And Queen. The former was just pure fun for this 70’s and 80’s girl. But Queen, that was nostalgic bordering on poignant. Did you see the look on Brian May’s face listening to Adam do Freddie? I would pay to see those two do a few sets. Wow. RIP Freddie, and how cool was that, huh? I know you loved it. Eeriespookycool.

Loved the camaraderie between the final two, purely positive and very sincere. Loved Kris’s total unpreparedness to be the winner, love Adam’s total joy for his pal. It was an evening made of win. And for that, I applaud all of it.

But still….

What say you all? DISH!!

Tonight begins my fave dance show ever, which doesn’t quite take the edge off the fact that I don’t get to see what Adam does next week, or any week afterward any longer…but certainly doesn’t hurt. Bring on the auditions!!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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I should just tell you right off the bat that you might as well join me in the shallow end of the pool as that is where I’ll be residing during this recap. And, when they get to Kara’s song? Boy are you gonna thank me. Just sayin.

So, American Idol, the final two sing, and do their fan base proud. I can’t imagine anyone changing ponies at this point in the race, but given I like both of these guys, it made for a very enjoyable night. Well, 2/3 of one anyway. Can’t blame the contestants for that, though, can we? (Kara.)

Adam does Mad World in a trenchcoat and a face that will haunt dreams. In a very good way. Loved it then, loved it now. Plus trench coat equals massive win on my Shallow End of Pool scale. Hottt. (And I don’t even get the whole Twilight vampire thing. At all. But he could make me want to try.)

Kris does Ain’tNo Sunshine and it’s finale-good, my friends. So it won’t find it’s way onto my iPod playlist, but I really loved how he performed it. My fave of the year from him.

Round 1 - a draw for me. Well, that’s a lie. Trenchcoat trumps piano. Sorry. Really, there’s room down here. Join us.

Next Adam does Change is Gonna Come and this was his highlight tonight. l loved the song, loved the arrangement, but…why yes, mostly I loved the suit. Seriously, the boy knows costuming. This shocks no one, but brings me great joy. Plus the singing. Made of win, again, that guy.

Kris gets What’s Going On, and goes on with it. Nice, acoustic-y arrangment, totally in his wheelhouse and very enjoyable in a get-up-and-get-a-snack-while-listening-to-it-in-the-background kind of way. Of course, if that shirt had been a bit more snug, so would have my seat been on my couch. Just sayin. We have adult beverages with umbrellas down at our end of the pool. And care little about anything but the eye candy.

But the ear candy was pretty darn good too through two rounds. I gave both squarely to Adam, though concede that Kris gave it a pure run in Round 1.

Then they got to Round 3. And the predictably crapstastic song that is the coronation single. Only this year we race past craptastic right into a giant wall of epic fail that tops all the Inside My Heaven’s that have dared tried to fail before it. Wow. Kara. Shame on you.

However, show of hands on how many breathed a MASSIVE sigh of relief, after being forced to endure the first chorus of that dreck, that Gokey was not on stage tonight. I know! Although….maybe he’d have won and then he’d have to record that crap. Hmm……..

But I tuned out the moment the camera panned down anyway. Because, honestly, who listens to crap when you can look at snakeskin pants? Snakeskin. Pants. Seriously. If they won’t let him tinker with the crapfest of fail, then pull out the distraction that is snakeskin pants.

Snakeskin. Pants.

That + Trench Coat? Plus, good singing. And umbrella drinks. Possibly 2/3 of the best finale ever.

How will it end? I’d still say Adam, but given who won DWTS this evening, who the hell knows? At least I’d be more forgiving of a Kris win, because then we could cash in a Kris Koupon (I know…awwww) and he’d have to sing that crap again AND record it for his first single, leaving Adam to fly to Mars and come back with music we’ve never even heard of before. But then Melissa came in third and Gilles had 1% less fans, and Shawn wins Dancing With the Stars, dogs and cats, living together, mountains being climbed, hurricanes turning into journeys and roads endlessly traveling somewhere….and I have no idea. But though I liked all three DWTS finalists, they got all three slots wrong in my book. Sorry, Gilles.

Still…rewind. Mad World. Trench Coat. Change is Gonna Come. Snakeskin. Pants. All in all, not a bad evening.

Also, you can keep your pansy umbrella drinks as it turns out. This calls for the hard stuff. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream all around!

Now it’s your turn. Who wins? Are your ears still bleeding from hurricane mountain treks off journeys into life, sung in one giant long sentence in a key that shouldn’t be allowed to stay on the scale, while never taking a single breath? Mine, too. What did you think of the Shawn win?

And - favorite new commercials? The ABC shows all under one roof. Most especially when Rob Lowe crushes Ty Pennington’s megaphone thingie. Enough with that. Ha. Great campaign heading into the off season.

But what is this is the season for? DISH!!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Could it have happened? Could I have reached Reality Show Burnout? I don’t know. I do know that while last night was entertaining, in a dancing with the stars kind of way, it was almost like watching an exhibition at this point. Nothing new here. Everyone did exactly what you thought they were going to do. I wasn’t bored, exactly, but I wasn’t wowed.

The team paso doble was fun. I thought Cheryl and Gilles were the most effective. All three free style dances were decently choreographed and performed, but, like the judges, I want MORE DANCING and less trick-to-trick-to-trick. If it’s all tricks, then they don’t stand out and grab our attention. The well placed trick works much better. Of the three, I guess I liked Cheryl and Gilles’s best. I thought Shawn and Mark were just frantic and whatever it was Shawn was wearing…she should never don again. And Tony and Melissa totally missed the mark going homeboy street with a classically trained elegant dancer like Melissa.

So…who will win? Oh, I think Gilles has it this year. I like all three finalists, so even an “upset” win by either of the other two won’t disappoint. Mostly, I just wish I cared more.

What I do care about is getting to see Adam Lambert sing for me one last time. I will be tuned in, and for that? I am excited.

But now? DISH! Who did the paso best? Did Stoner Music Dude take up costume design this week? Whose free style did you love? Or not so much? Who should win? Who WILL win? Tag. You’re it!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, I watched the rest of Survivor back to back to, well, back, plus reunion, and the only surprise and disappointment for me was that Stephen and JT didn’t hold up with Jalapao three until the final three. Not that it makes a huge diff that they sent Taj home fourth instead of third, but still…I’d have liked to see them hang tight that one last round. Just seemed unnecessary and wow, Eriinn, because is cannot be said enough SHUT UP. Who knew she was so annoying? I did know she was totally undeserving of having anything to do with being in the final anything. Three, five, eight, whatever. What the hell was she doing there?

Anyway, it was all moot as JT does stick to his word where Stephen is concerned, Stephen falls completely and totally apart at the both the penultimate tribal and the one that matters as well…leaving JT to sweep the field with a 7-0 vote. Deserved. Well deserved.

The reunion was notable mostly for the lack of drama and the seeming affability of everyone who was there. Coach still managed to be Coach with his whole lie detector test blindside of Probst, but otherwise? Painless, really. Probst was in rare form and it was over before my finger got too twitchy on the fast forward button. I was happy Sierra made it into the fan fave final three, but totally not surprised that JT swept that one, too.

Next up in the fall? Survivor Samoa! I’m so there.

Also? Big Brother is back this summer in all its sleazefest glory. Time and casting will tell if I’m desperate enough to watch. Mostly I’m psyched for the AI and DWTS finale’s and the launch of So You Think You Can Dance. Woot! Also? Still enjoying Fashion Show, darling.

And now, the winner of last week’s free stuff contest? You had to guess who would win Survivor, and given it wasn’t exactly a long shot victory, a lot of you got it right. But there can only be one winner, and that blog babe is? “Lovesthemets” - come out, come out, whoever you are! Let me know what titles you’re interested in (send a few in case I’m out of your first choice) along with an address, and, well, a name and I’ll ship it out to ya! Books to previous winnners are going out this week - thanks for your patience!

Now, for this week, no guessing required, just send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with “Is it MY TURN YET???” in the subject line. I’ll pick a name from all the entrants, winner announced right here on Friday. Tune in!

But right this very second? Time to DISH! Were you happy with a JT win? Did you just want Stephen to shut up? Were you pissed off for Taj? Do you still want to have Eddie George’s babies? Now’s the the time to spill, and this is the place to do it!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So…I’m the only one on the planet who hasn’t actually seen the Ouster of Danny, but it is sitting on my DVR, awaiting me in all its lovely glory when I’m allowed to surface from Deadline Hell. Or, you know, get some sleep.

Then, tonight, we add in Survivor, Fashion House, AND the two hour finale of Grey’s Anatomy (!!!!) and I’m just sayin’ right now that I won’t be home to enjoy or blog any of it until sometime late Friday. Or Saturday. Ish.

So, there is possibly a fun Weekend Mighty MAC blog in your future…followed by the Survivor Finale wrap up and free stuff winner announcement to follow on Monday.

Wish me luck, and I will hopefully resurface this weekend.

And America? YOU ROCK!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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On Dancing With The Stars, there was some fun stuff, but in the end, no surprises. Our Guy Ty went home, as he should, leaving Shawn, Melissa, and Gilles in the finals next week. All is good.

In the Other Fun Stuff category, I kinda liked that Raphael Saadiq guy. Not so much the inane dancers he had, but that whole throwback vibe and the way he worked that skinny suit I enjoyed a great deal.

Also fun, was watching the competing wanna-be pros dance with some of the current pros. It was the first time we got to see two of our pros work it on a competition level with another pro when there was something on line and not just an exhibitiion dance. And while both Kym and Maks stepped up, and both wanna-be’s choreo’d great routines, wow, on the wild fun that was Maks and Anna. Almost too frenzied, but man, you can’t deny the energy that swept the room when they hit the floor. I was stunned to hear she was only 21. (Although it explains her kind of goofy immature personality.) And you really get, standing between Maks and Kym, just how much of an Amazon she is. I think she’d be good with the fill-in-the-blank male athlete that enters the line up every season. I was all set to vote for Mayo, but there was no doubt who won that showdown last night. Sorry, Tall Boy!

Was not all surprised to see the Hough-lets in the Macy’s You Design It Dance, but it was a pleasant surprise to see Lacey in there. Way to turn things around. Liked the costumes, too. Dance was a lot about stage performance and not much about dancing, but it was still fun.

All in all, a pretty entertaining hour.

I think the fnale will be one of the best they’ve had. Clearly Gilles is the frontrunner and I fully expect him to win. But I am looking forward to the final showdown - will be entertaining, for sure!

On to American Idol Final Three. We get glimpses of the three during their hometown visit. I guess we get more of that tonight in the results show. Wonder if they’ll show the now-famous clip of Danny inexplicably singing Billie Jean rather than something he’s actually sung during the season…and then forgetting the lyrics. Alot.

As for last night, our final three sang one judge selected song, and one personally chosen song.

From Randy/Kara, Kris got Apologize and for himself, he chose Kanye’s Heartless. He did okay with the first, but he rocked the second one big time. One of my fave performances of the night. Hard to contrast against the range of bombast that the other two deliver, but I think that one showed that he deserved to be there.

Paula chose Terence Trent D’arby for Danny, which….just say no to scatting with a sax. It was very Cruise King for me, but, as always, he did a Danny Job with it. He chose (wait for it) Cocker’s You Are So Beautiful. He sang it beautifully and I’m sure his fans were dialing before he was halfway in. Me? Wow, I can do without hearing that song ever again.

Simon gave Adam U2’s One, which was both good and typical OTT Adam. It wasn’t a “moment” song for him, but, as he does, he sang the daylights out of it. Maybe too much out of it, but still, if you loved him before, you’ll love him now. He chose Aerosmith’s Cryin (which is okay, but I heard he was angling for Purple Rain. That? Would have been a moment song.) Cryin is much like Cocker for me, so I wasn’t prepared to like it, and again, Adam did an Adam job with it, which is to say he sang the hell out of it and then some. The back up singer, on the other hand, needed to step WAY the heck off. (There is a “back” in backup for a reason.) Wow. Way to ruin a chorus on a guy who really doesn’t need backup in the first place.

So, all in all, if you loved Danny, you still do. If you loved Adam, ditto. Their voter base didn’t change based on last night. Kris, however, has all those lovely Alison fans that he can scoop up. I think they will go to him or Adam, so it remains to be seen if he can unseat either of the other two. There certainly wasn’t anything more he could have done, he was as Kris as he gets. In the end, I don’t think we’ll see the upset, but….I’ll be tuning in tonight, just to find out.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest. You have until Sunday night this time. Check out Monday’s post for all the details.

Right this very second? DISH! Who will win DWTS? Who goes to the final two on Idol? And how many hats will Merlin wear tomorrow night on Fashion Show?

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Yikes, talk about a bloated show. My jeans felt tight just watching. Thirty minutes in and the only dance was a pro latin demonstration. (And I do like the pros dancing on competition night, not just results night, but show of hands on who thought it was odd, given all the pros they could have recruited, for them to use Chelsie, who is still competing and has, you know, other things to do?)

So, each of the four remaining teams has to do both a latin and ballroom round again. I could have done without the entire season-in-review opening of the show, but I did enjoy the “where did they come from” tapes for pretty much all of the contestants. Especially Ty’s. Just when you think you can’t love him any more….aww, sure you can!

Speaking of Ty and Chelsie…I was glad he talked about being kept on the show by fans, over the more skilled dancer, Kim, and how hard he was working to show them he deserved it. A good guy, and classy, too. I think one of the reasons he is still around, is because, despite not being the best dancer, by far, and owning his short comings, they also don’t go the cheap route and play him off as a joke, either. He has his cute moments in a routine, but he’s sincerely trying to do the dance, each and every time.

Kudos to Chelsie’s choreo for making him look as good as possible. Loved her Maid Marian look in their fox trot and she was all kinds of hot tamale in their samba. While I realize that everyone is ready for him to take his bow, it honestly wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he stays over Shawn and makes it to the finals. Never underestimate the power of being a good guy. I think, in part, given the strife we’re all dealing with day to day, we’re a little hungry for a hero, and he’s filling that role quite nicely. Even if it is just on a dancing show.

Melissa and Tony get the first slot in both rounds and I think they were harshed on pretty badly by the judges. Especially given the tongue bath other contestants (Gille) received. Not that those were undeserved, but wow, judges. I liked both of their dances. I found her costume for the second a little distracting, and they gave them a hard time for not “popping” the routine more, but holy moly the music was so slow, I’m not sure what else they could have done? Lighten up, Carrie Ann. And Len. And Bruno. All of them were quite testy last night.

Shawn and Mark were a lot of fun in that Argentine Tango, despite Shawn once again being dressed in a less than flattering costume. She pulled off the mood and Mark did choreo as best as he could around her obvious youth in such a mature dance. I liked the music and the precision, so that was fun for me, despite the distraction with the costume. Their second dance was a little too Marie Osmondy for me and I do agree that Shawn kind of lost energy as it progressed. Opens the door for Ty, I think, despite the still obvious difference in their skill level.

Finally, we have Cheryl and Gilles. Who got a perfect 60 last night. I liked their waltz, liked the simplicity and toned down elegance of it, despite Cheryl being swathed in a sea of ermine-trimmed white that made her look like a matronly snow queen. But, while I thought their latin routine was smoldering, I don’t know that I was as blown away as the judges. Maybe I’m just used to them now and it was more or less expected, but I wasn’t transfixed. Except, possibly, but the worry that Cheryl’s girls were going to make a sudden surprise showing right there on the dance floor. Another less than flattering and very distracting costume. Gille, on the other hand…looked just fiiine.

So, it’s anyone’s game. I think a Gille/Melissa final two would be the most warranted. I’m enjoying Melissa, but mostly I am thrilled to see Tony get some respect on the show (even from me) and want to see him make the final two. I think a lot of long time fans feel the same way. Question is whether we’ll see Shawn or Ty with them.

And yes, Shawn has better skillz, but to be honest with you, for entertainment purposes, for me anyway, she and Ty are about even. I find her kind of samey samey, too. So…what have you done, America? I guess we’ll find out tonight.

Also tonight? American Idol, final three baby. Judges choice, personal choice, and hometown vid packages. Where Adam has an almost-streaker, and Danny forgets the words to his song. For a long…..long time. Will they show it? And why in the world did he pick Billie Jean to sing to the hometown crowd, instead of, oh, I don’t know, ANYthing he actually sung on the show? Who knows. But thank God for gospel backup singers. A lot. Or not, depending on what amuses you.

Have fun….and DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, finale night on Amazing Race. We have Margie/Luke, Victor/Tammy, and The Gingers, Jamie/Cara, battling it out.

Good final leg. I didn’t mind the airport pile up in the beginning, as it sent them all out onto the course, as it were, at the same time. And it stayed fairly tight most of the time, without there ever being an immeasureable lead by any one team. Margie/Luke moved out to an early lead with the first challenge, but the other two teams closed the gap. Traffic issues and Taxi Karma finally biting Jamie on the ass, gave Luke a comfortable lead going into the final “find things from the entire race and put them in order” challenge.

He appeared to be rocking it, but fell miserably apart on the last two items. Victor kept his cool (but not his pants!!) and managed to move ahead. And, for all the Ugly American behavior Jamie exhibited pretty much every second of actual race time, she did return the help that Luke gave her so they could both finally finish the last challenge. Doesn’t make up for much, but it was nice to see.

Also - while I know that we were all absolutely loving the smackdown the “I’m not your personal concierge” taxi dispatcher gave to Jamie, personally, if I hire a taxi and am PAYING them to get me somewhere, and the guy they hire doesn’t know where places are, then yes, taxi dispatcher, you or someone who works for your company IS responsible for figuring it out. That’s what I’m paying you for. You can get as pissy as you want, but it’s the driver you hired, not the passenger, who is at fault here. So, shut up, taxi dispatcher, and give the dang directions already. (However…calling the police? For directions? Shame on you, Jamie! Like they’ve got nothing better to do than help you win money. Any amount of money. Wow.)

In the end, Victor and Tammy hit the final amazing bathmat first and I am very glad to see a team who so enjoyed the amazing adventure they went on, win. It was clear this was very far out of step with how they have conducted their lives, which is, I’m sure partly cultural, partly academic, and partly just them. So kudos to you for stepping out of your world and racing around the actual one for a few weeks.

Team Ginger come in second, with Team Margie/Luke rolling in last. And, though my love for them waned as the race progressed, I hope that Luke, especially, is happy that he completed the entire race. If showing the world that having a hearing loss isn’t a diasbling factor in how a person can face the world, well then, he surely proved that. And Team Ginger…whatever. Am thankful you were not representing as the first all female team to win. Sorry, Cara. You, I’d have clapped for.

So…another season fini! Now we face the encroaching finales of DWTS and American Idol next week, and Survivor this week. Woot!! (And Grey’s Anatomy, too!) Thank goodness we have Fashion Show and So You Think You Can Dance to rely on to get us through the summer. And has anyone heard whether they’re going to subject us to a summer season of Big Brother yet? Enquiring minds…

And yes, it’s another Free Stuff week. Only this week we gotta play Who Wins Survivor. Which means the winner won’t be announced until right here, a week from today. BUT! That gives you more days to enter. You have until Sunday night at 8pm EST to email me at donna@donnakauffman.com and tell me who wins it all. Is it going to be Coach, Erinn, JT, Stephan, or Taj? Just put “I know who slayed the last dragon!” in the subject line. Winner gets a free book of choice from my website bookshelf. Good luck!!

And now? DISH! Who are your picks for DWTS? For American Idol? And will Meredith and Derek tie the knot their way this Thursday? So many questions….

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, no, Coach didn’t go home last night. Again. But it was marginally satisfying watching the light attempt to dawn on him that not only isn’t he in charge of this game, but he’s been in delusional hell for…well, if we’re getting real, apparently for a lot longer than he’s been in Brazil. This go around. I mean…we all know that between tribal council, where he watched Debbie get all but unanimously voted off (with Deb and Coach being the only ones not to vote for her) that he will somehow come up with a way that this was all in his master plan anyhow.

Which makes it very, very easy for JT and Stephen to, AGAIN, spin their betrayal as an act of benevolent kindness. I can hear it now. “Well, Coach, Debbie came to each of us and asked to betray you and form a new alliance together and vote you out, which, you can see, she tried to do. So we had to send her home to protect you and our warrior alliance. And we didn’t tell you because we knew you’d promised never to vote for her and we couldn’t compromise your integrity.”

Yeah. He’ll eat that right up.

What I ate up? Was watching Taj win the final auction and getting the call from home. Then, even so way much better, realizing her husband was actually waiting for her back in camp. I’m glad her Exile “sacrifice” served the greater good of the whole tribe and they all got to see their loved ones, and Coach got to see his….assistant coach. Yeah. You heard me.

Also? I want to have Eddie George’s babies. That is all.

(Taj….one lu-huuucky woman.)

And next week should be fun. Don’t screw things up, Erinn!

Even almost more fun? Was watching Son of Project Runway last night on Bravo. Called The Fashion House, featuring Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly (Destiny’s Child) Rowland, it’s a weird hybrid of Project Runway and Top Chef and I totally adore it.

The production values, on the surface, make it seem a little low rent. Until you consider the actual garment district in NYC and the fact that they show these things in tents. So, in effect, there was a lot more real in this reality show. Up to and including a very (and quite surprising) high level of judging talent and opportunity for the contestants. (About whom I’ll get to in a moment.) Apparently when the host is a famous designer (as oppposed to a famous clothes hangar - sorry Heidi!) you have actual clout when it comes to getting your contestants works looked at.

To that end, they actually have a real runway showdown at the end of each episode. Including an audience made up of very heavy hitters that can actually do something for these designers, win or lose. So they’re all winning (or, sadly, crushing their career chances) every single week. Not just at the end. I was wowed. AND, judging the boot every week? Fern Mallis - maven and director of NY Fashion Week. You don’t get much more influtential than that. And it’s also cool, on a personal level, to get to see more of the woman behind the legend.

I love Issac as mentor and living proof of what the contestants are trying to achieve. Which means they kind of have to shut up and take his criticisms. And Isaac don’t pull no punches, y’all. LOVE. HIM.
Kelly, on the other hand, comes off more like snarky rich bitch because…well, that’s all she essentially is in this particular venue. But it’s still somewhat snarkalicious and so I forgive. For now.

So, Host: Check. Judges: Triple Check. Putting the real in reality? Check. Contestants: Well……

Honestly, it’s a you have to see it to believe it kind of thing. Because Merlin? There simply are no words. But wow, the hats. And…everything. Reco aka Dy-no-mite Guy is already on my last nerve what with the lisp and all…which sucks because I like his work. Mostly I’m pegging the Asian Siriano to take it all, but we’ll see. he’s definitely left of center in aesthetic, which might not always be as good a thing as it was last night. Plus, not huge in personality.

Some huge personalities - aka New Grad Navy Girl and Pink Striped Hair girl, seriously have to leave asap as they have already worked my last nerve on Episode One. At least Pink Stripe got the dressing down she so richly deserved. New Grad got a mild slap from Isaac, so there is hope more will follow. And that it will be gratifyingly harsh. Yes, she’s that annoying. Already.

Jonny D went home, which only sucked because while his dress was atroche, (/Siriano) loved his personal work and might have been fun. Wish they’d sent Pink Stripe out, but he def deserved it over her in this case. Just think the overall talent might have been better with him. Ah well….

It very much fills the gaping hole left by PR. It only lacks a good Tim. Which Kelly will never be. Except Isaac is like both a better Heidi and a Tim all roilled into one. So I am happy.

Now…free stuff time! Alls ya had to do was email me, and many of ya did. But only one Blog Babe gets the spoils…and that would be? Donna S! (Lucky name!) Contact me with titles you want (in case I’m out of your first choice) and an address and I’ll get it shipped!

In the meantime, Happy Mother’s Day to Blog Babe Mom’s everywhere. Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.

So…now? We DISH! Who goes home next on Survivor? Who do you want to see in the final two? Who would be the easiest person to beat in the final two? (And before you say Coach, remember, the jury is all Timbira so far….) Also…would you actually wear anything that Merlin designed? Or, you know, even be seen with him in public? Bitches? And are grey satin harem pants THE must have item in your closet this summer? Plus, did you die when the lingerie designer described himself as the Panty Christ? HA! This show just gives and it gives. Blogging heaven, and we’re only one week in. LOVE. IT.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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