I know I'm been lacking in the posting department this week. I managed to catch a cold earlier this week and it is just now starting to go away. Since I've been sick, I haven't been doing a whole lot worth discussing. I've been putting off watching the final episode of HanaKimi. I'll be sure to watch it soon so the review can go up next week. There will probably be a few more music posts in the next couple of days. And I will probably have some sort of an announcement coming up soonish. Until then, please bear with me and my stuffy nose. I will resume posting as soon as I can breathe properly.
Bionic Woman
For the past couple of days, my husband and I have been catching up on the new Bionic Woman episodes on the official website. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from it. I actually thought that Katee Sackhoff's character would just be a throw-away for the first episode. On the contrary, her character is rather important. I can't say I was a huge fan of the original series. I caught a few episodes in reruns but it wasn't anything spectacular for me. Maybe it's because the main character was a hot blonde chick which, even as a kid, I knew was unattainable for me. (On the other hand, I totally believed that I could be the beautiful brunette Wonder Woman when I grew up.) So, on a personal level, I feel a bit more in touch with the new Jaime Sommers. She works as a bartender, she's taking care of her little sister, she's smart and beautiful and normal. She could easily be your next door neighbor and you would never know it.
The bionics are a bit more believable too. While in 1976, Jaime got her implants after a sky-diving accident, new~Jaime got her implants after a car accident. Not only are the circumstances based more in reality, the show has also gotten rid of the trademark "Jaime is using her bionics" sound. I did miss that a little at first but after awhile, you realize how ridiculous it would have sounded if they kept the sound effect.
About the storyline. It isn't too horribly bad. I've watched the first three episodes so I'm not terribly far through the series but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. There are some things that I think the organization/Jonas would do differently but it's possible that there are things that will be revealed later on that will explain some of his decisions. I like how they are handling a lot of the female characters. Especially Sarah, Jaime and Becca. I kinda wish they would throw Ruth out a window and forget she ever existed but I suppose she has an overall purpose in the organization.
I really think people wrote this off before ever watching an episode. They figured it would be a terrible remake of a cheesy 70s show. I really hope that the show doesn't prove me wrong by turning awful for the rest of the series.
America's Most Smartest Model - Episode 3
It's Monday again! Does everyone know what that means? America's Most Smartest Model was on last night! Yay! Tempers are flaring this week. Andre is still screaming at...well, pretty much anyone who will stick around to listen to him scream. Personally? I wouldn't ever sit in the same room as the man. Walk away, people! It is a valid option! Daniel was the main combatant against Andre in this episode. It's really a wonder that these people don't lose their voices from screaming at each other and Andre.
Yes, Jesse is still "fat." I'm not sure why Mary Alice thinks that a person can lose five pounds overnight. She keeps harping on the fact that poor Jesse doesn't have washboard abs. There isn't a whole lot he can do about that at this point. He's working out every morning and watching what he eats. Well, he was until the first competition where the models had to eat Twinkies and chocolate cake if they answered a question wrong. Speaking of which....COME ON, you can't answer "Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?" Did you not finish junior high or something? You were supposed to be one of the smarter models, Jesse.
As I said, in the first competition of the night, the models had to answer some basic trivia questions such as "Who shot John F. Kennedy?" If they answered correctly, they got to eat a healthy food and a more difficult follow-up question. If they answered the follow-up correctly, they could give their junk food to another model to eat. If they answered their first question incorrectly, they had to eat their junk food. (If the follow-up was incorrectly answered, nothing happened.) Andre got some payback in this round. Three of the models gave him their chocolate cake after answering their questions correctly. Yes, he had to eat THREE pieces of chocolate cake in one standing. Poor stupid Mandy Lynn answered her question wrong then refused to finish her cake claiming she was full and it was too sweet. So she got herself disqualified for the second competition of the day.
The second competition revolved around exercising. Gilad, a fitness guru, used this to pick one of the models to host his next group of fitness videos. Some of the models didn't even try. It was pretty sad. In the end, it came down to Australian~Rachael and Brett. I thought Rachael kicked Brett's ass but Brett ended up getting picked by Gilad. That gave him immunity from being kicked from the show. I kinda think Gilad just wanted to pick the guy over the girl. Luckily Rachael was a good sport and didn't throw a fit or anything.
Since Mandy Lynn was disqualified for the second competition, she didn't have to be there. She even got a package from Mary Alice containing hair dye so she could dye her hair instead. Mandy Lynn decided to play the trooper and go exercise with everyone anyway. About ten minutes into the exercising, Mandy Lynn decided it was too difficult for her and she'd go inside to figure out how to dye her hair. Somehow, she managed to not screw the whole thing up. Her hair actually came out pretty nice. Though it sounds like Mandy Lynn hates it. I think she really does want to be a porn star but she doesn't want to SAY it on national television.
Here is where I usually tell you that I won't reveal who got kicked off but I'm changing things up a bit this week. The three on the chopping block this week were Jesse (because he's fat, duh), Mandy Lynn (because she's dumber than a brick) and American~Rachel (because she's weak since she's too thin? what?). Rachel was taken off the block so it was down to Jesse and Mandy Lynn. Jesse is given another chance to miraculously lose weight overnight and Mandy Lynn is given the big boot. I find it absolutely hysterical that the judges waited until AFTER she dyed her hair to kick her off. It was almost like "Yeah, you did what we said but you still suck." Absolutely amazing.
Now we will get down to the real competition. American~Rachel is still pretty stupid so I imagine that she'll be gone in the next couple of weeks. Knowing how Mary Alice is, Jesse will be the next to get kicked off since it's impossible to lose love handles overnight. If it was possible, I think there would be a lot less "fat" people walking around. (Please note that we are using the model's definition of "fat," where you are obese if you weigh over 110 pounds.) I will miss Mandy Lynn but not her fake boobs, porn star hair and annoying laugh. She was entertaining while she lasted.
Game review: Forgotten Riddles - The Mayan Princess
Forgotten Riddles - The Mayan Princess is an awesome new take on the hidden object genre of casual games. Instead of just giving you a list of objects to search for, they give you a list of riddles. Each solution is an object in the room. Some of the riddles are really easy but some do make you think a bit. There is a storyline behind the game. You are an archaeologist researching the history of the royal Mayan family. Each level reveals new clues about the life of the Princess and her father.
I loved this game. I think that anyone who enjoys hidden object games but is looking for a little bit more from their entertainment would have a lot of fun. The riddles aren't ridiculously difficult and this is coming from someone who generally sucks at riddles. A+ from me all the way!
Game review: Carrie the Caregiver 2
I haven't played a lot of games lately. For the most part, there hasn't been anything I've found interesting. Then I decided to give Carrie the Caregiver 2: Preschool a try. I played the first Carrie the Caregiver game a long time ago. It was OK but nothing spectacular. I was hoping the second would change that. Our nursing school graduate, Carrie, has decided to try teaching preschool. It is your duty to remind the kids what they are supposed to do (paint a picture), give them supplies to use, wipe any runny noses, hang their artwork on the wall and clean up their supplies. Things can get a little hectic when the kids start getting demanding.
I didn't like this game nearly as much as the first one. While this is supposed to be a preschool setting, Carrie ends up doing everything except the actual painting for the kids. By the time the kids reach this age, they are old enough to get their own paintbrushes and clean up their own messes. However, Carrie is still doing these tasks. It would be nice if the game treated the kids more like real kids. Instead of having Carrie be a servant to the kids, change the game a little so you have to click on the kids for them to get some of their own things. There would still be plenty of things for Carrie to do: hanging the kids' pictures on the wall, helping the kids that are a little slower than others, getting the paint ready for the kids, among other things. I definitely think that would have made the game a lot better.
J-actor mini-bio: Itoh Misaki
Name: Itoh Masaki (Itou Masaki/Ito Masaki)
Real Name: Anzai Tomoko
Birthday: 5/26/77
Height: 5'7" (171cm)
Where do I know her from? Densha Otoko, Gokusen, Taiho Shichauzo (You're Under Arrest), Maison Ikkoku (live action drama), Ju-on: The Grudge
Tell me some more! Besides acting and modeling, Misaki is qualified to teach kindergarten. She also has a license to be a social welfare officer. Despite it being rather uncommon for Japanese celebrities, Misaki has drivers license as well.
What is your opinion of her? At this point in time, I've only seen a couple of her series. She seems to do well playing a "typical" quiet Japanese woman. I have yet to see her in a role where she breaks the rules or is more forceful with her feelings. It would be interesting to see her try out some different types of characters.
Music review: They Might Be Giants - Hearing Aid
Artist: They Might Be Giants
Members: John Linnell and John Flansburgh
Album: Flood
Release date: 1/5/90
Lyrics: Frosty the supervisor Lives by himself Sometimes I feel sorry for him Usually I can't
I've turned off my hearing aid Don't say the electric chair's not good enough For king-lazy-bones like myself
More coffee for me boss 'Cause I'm not as messed up as I want to be
I've turned off my hearing aid Don't say the electric chair's not good enough For king-lazy-bones like myself
Because Because About the song: Flood is one of my favorite albums. All of the songs on it are catchy and completely insane. So we have Hearing Aid. It's a very basic song about a worker (most likely an office worker) who hates his job and his boss so he just stops trying. The music for it is rather repetitive and the lyrics are sung in an almost bored voice. This isn't a great song. It isn't even the best song on the album but it is still an interesting song.
Ashop Commerce
If you have an online business where you are selling products, you really need a good ecommerce software package. Your customers will find it easier to use your online store if you have a shopping cart on your site. Not only will it be easier to navigate your website but it will be easier for your customers to keep track of their purchases as well. I can't count the number of times I have clicked on a product more than once, forgetting that I already did. With some good shopping cart software, your customers will be able to re-read their list of purchases to make sure that they aren't buying something twice or that they accidentally clicked on the wrong item. There have been a lot of times that I have passed by an online store because they didn't have a shopping cart. It is inconvenient to have to fill out an order form to fax or email in before figuring how how the payment will be made. Ecommerce software would be the best way to make sure that your customers can easily purchase things from your online store.
This post is sponsored
America's Most Smartest Model - Episode 2
Oh, this is definitely my new crack. I wasn't planning on writing about this every week but the models are just begging me to make fun of them. So it looks like I have a new weekly feature on my hands. America's Most Smartest Model - When Will They Ditch Mandy Lynn? This week the models were put into boy/girl pairs. For their first challenge, the models had a Jeopardy!-inspired game show where they would win items for their second challenge, a photo shoot. No one knew who Jackie Kennedy's designer was and I think it was American!Rachel that thought that Napoleon's last name was 'Pierre.' Amazingly, it was Mandy Lynn who answered that question correctly. In the end, it was Pickle and Australian!Rachel that got the most stuff for their shoot. Poor Jesse, who keeps getting picked on for being heavier than the other models, and Erika got nothing more than some body paint and a bed.
For the second round, the teams got to use their l33t model skillz. The only things they could use were the things they won in the first round. If you didn't win any makeup, then you got no makeup. It definitely made things a little more interesting. There was a professional photographer there to help them and he helped Mary Alice choose the best picture from the lot. In my opinion, Jesse and Erika should have done more with their body paint. There are SO many things they could have done but they barely did anything. Needless to say, their picture ended up on the bottom of the pile. Despite a late-night blow-out, Andre and Lisa managed to wrangle their differences into an amazing picture. Alas, Mary Alice didn't like the "violence" portrayed in the picture, choosing Pickle and Australian!Rachel as the winners of the round.
While I won't tell you who got kicked off, I will let you know that, somehow, Mandy Lynn is still around. I think that Mary Alice, who seems to make most of the decisions about who gets to stay, knows that Mandy Lynn is the one bringing in the ratings. She's the reason people will watch. It's unfortunate because she doesn't BELONG on the show. Yes, she had big (probably fake) boobs but she is a total airhead. (In the knowledge round, she said that GOP stood for Governor of Presidents!) This is supposed to be about being smart and pretty. I hope that Mandy Lynn gets kicked off soon. I'll continue to watch after she's gone. Sadly, I think she'll make it way farther than she should. OK, she's already made it way farther than she should. Hopefully she'll get kicked off next week.
Jmovie review: Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru
Title: Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru
Also known as: I'm in love with my little sister
Release date: 1/20/07
Genre: Romantic Drama
Cast: Matsumoto Jun, Eikura Nana, Yuuta Hiraoka, Komatsu Ayaka
Plot: Yori (Matsumoto Jun) is in love with his twin sister, Iku (Eikura Nana). He tries to forget Iku by sleeping with his classmate Tomoka. Now the twins need to choose between their forbidden love and a normal life.
What is good: The dialog isn't too bad.
What is bad: The extraordinarily long dramatic pauses.
Overall rating: C-
Overall: I knew little about this movie when I turned it on. I knew it was about incest between twins and that it starred MatsuJun and Komatsu Ayaka so I expected a decent dramatic movie. Sadly, I was mistaken. This movie is filled with extremely long dramatic pauses. All of the characters take a good 5 - 7 minutes to spit out one line of what they want to say to each other. Eikura wasn't very interesting as Iku but that may be a problem with the character and not the actress. I suppose if you are a fan of MatsuJun, you'll want to watch this movie. Just don't expect anything wonderful from it.