Survivor Gabon: Week 5

Finally! A really good episode this season. It really needed an episode like this one. The strategy part of the game rose a bit and there was actual drama in the immunity challenge and tribal council.

I think it was a real good thing for Ace & Matty to form something. They both are in awful positions, and I don't know if much will change going into the merge. There was something about it though that you didn't quite believe. I almost predict something where Ace turns his back on Matty...Matty gets voted off...and while part of the jury he will glare menacingly at Ace until he is voted out. I think Matty has the most heart of a competitor that I have seen in a long time, but I just don't quite think that the brains are there.

I always like the reward challenge that they used where the contestants have to catch each other. It looks sooo exhausting and I can't imagine trying to do that with as little food Fang has had. You can tell that it didn't quite go as long as similar challenges have in the past. It was a true testament of how little food that Fang has.

What an amazing immunity challenge! Overall, I really don't like anybody on the Fang tribe, but I was rooting for them so much to win! How brilliant of Matty & Kenny to climb over those obstacles (I can't believe I used the word brilliant with these two). I'll get back to Kenny boy in a second. But alas, the team fell apart at the end. As said in the previous email, I hate it when there is a tribe that consistently looses, but at least they brought some drama back to the camp. I really didn't know what was going on for a while and why in the world Sugar would tell Kenny about the hidden immunity idol!

I'll break here to talk about Ken. You can tell he is a smart guy, but he is taken his "gamer" title far too seriously and there are times he just needs to sit back. Every time he needs to make a big decision, it's an awful one. That's my opinion at least.

There was a lot of drama at tribal council with everybody seeming to throw everybody under the bus, but they were really smart to get rid of Kelly. She kind of sealed her fate by what she said, if others had any doubt at all, but if they want to win any sort of challenge at all, she probably was the best one to go.

Like I said earlier, I really had fun with this one. It finally kind of felt like a Survivor episode and it had a great tease for the next episode. It's a smart move to make both tribes figure out who to vote out. Fang was probably going to have to vote somebody off anyway, and let Kota finally feel what's it like to scramble. And who has the immunity idol exactly? Ace or Sugar? So confusing.... which I really like.

So, did you like this episode like I did? Is Crystal too emotional and a disappointment in the challenges? What do you think about Randy? Do you love to hate him, or just hate him?

Survivor: Week 4

The thing that I hate most about Survivor is the episode we now get at least once in a season, the obligatory, "I miss home and I want to leave the game. It's tougher than I thought it was." It just puts a downer on the episode. You knew this was going to happen sooner than later with G.C., I'm just glad that their tribe had the right mind to vote him out. They were giving him a lot of air time, which usually signals a quick departure (Anthony from Fiji Islands comes to mind). This kind of makes me worry about Ace a bit. He was about as productive as Kelly on those challenges. I'm sorry Jan about your quick departure. Usually everybody usually seems to have at least one going into the merge. You can blame Kelly for picking the names, ha ha.

I thought the challenges were really good this episode. You have to give credit to the producers for really utilizing the hills of the Gabon terrain. I really liked the immunity challenge. I don't like Randy, but he is really stepping up on these challenges. His call out to Ace to freeze was pretty classic and smart. We'll see what he does in the immunity challenges. The reward challenge was a really good one, although I was a little surprised that Kota pulled out with Charlie striking out more than Babe Ruth (did you enjoy my sports knowledge being thrown in there?)

Dan really should record himself and hear himself speak. His little ra ra speech wasn't really fooling anybody and Susie better speak up before a leopard mistakes her for a dead carcass. Also, I decided to never get on Crystal's bad side and that I don't care how cool that elephant looked, I wouldn't have paddled close to it. Did you see that elephant's evil eye? (What great alliteration!)

Beside the little drama of finding Sugar's hidden immunity idol (does anybody else think that she looks like the girl from Can't Hardly Wait and Six Feet Under?), it was a so so episode, but this season is getting all the uninteresting people out early, so hopefully it'll get really good when the merge happens.

That's all for me, and be careful for those pineapples and shields in this world, they really can hurt your head!

Survivor Gabon: Weeks 1 -3

Hey guys: If you know me at all, you know that I love Survivor. A while back, my friend Kelly & I started to make predictions each season and now we have reigned in our families and friends. At the end of each season, the winner gets a trophy (with a look very suitable for the show). Each week I write a summary of the episode and email the updated list. If you were at all interested in the show, I thought you might be interested in reading this. As always, let me know what you think!

Finally, I caught up! I bet you were probably wondering where I have been... or maybe not. I don't think there is any possible way to write about each episode. Well, there would, but I know the likelihood of you all reading it completely would be very slim. So, my overall reaction...

I'm a little underwhelmed by this season. You can definitely tell it won't be like last season, really what could live up to that one? The Gabon landscape is proving to be kinda dulling. The cast really has nowhere to wander and without a huge body of water, it really makes a difference. Besides the occasional shots where they go to a gorilla or something like that, I don't think there are a lot of tell tale signs that they are in Africa. All that said, it looks AMAZING
in HD! It really brings a lot to the show that was already excelling in its cinematography.

I just really don't like the cast that much this year. The good thing is that it seems like most of the useless people have left first (except for this past episode, more on that later). You can
tell that it will get a little bit more interesting later on the show with some of the strong personalities that exist, but nothing bugs me more than people who seem clueless about the game of Survivor. Most of the older "red" tribe pretty much fits that category. You think
by now that people would catch on to the fact that you need to make a 4 person alliance right away, like Marcus, Charlie, Jacquie and Corinne did.

I've never like it when one tribe seems significantly stronger than the other. The producers saw this early on, but even with the mix up, it seems like it's going to stay the same way. I really blame this on Ken when he chose Kelly because "he felt sorry for her" (let's cry for the cheerleader who all of a sudden doesn't have a football player by her side) and because "she's hot." Thanks Ken for ruining the next couple of episodes before the merge. You know
it's bad when the tease for next week is "GC goes missing!"

Another thing is the leadership issue. I could rant on this one for a while too, but I'll restrain myself. I understand why nobody wanted to step up, but I was really disappointed in Dan, Matty or Crystal for not stepping up. You have to be willing to change your game plan in Survivor, and if you don't, you won't win.

Everybody kind of saw Gillian's departure coming quick, and Paloma and Michelle seemed to be the same person with their wining, except with different skin tones, but I really felt bad for Jacquie. It always seems like a really good player (and person) gets booted
early. I thought they were stupid to keep Kelly and I think that will come back to haunt them. Jacquie would have been really loyal to the group (until the merge probably). I know I'm complaining a bit because my pick got voted off, but with the loss from both the Cowboys and Sooners, it seemed a little bit fitting.

I was thrilled to get Jacquie because I thought she would take it all the way, but since that's not happening... who do I think will? I think Corinne. She was so smart to pull Bob in as a fifth, and will now be the fourth because of the swap. I really have no doubt that we'll see those four in the merge or even at the end. Corinne seemed to pride herself on being pretty ruthless, so I think she has the possibility to really shake things up towards the end of the game.

And before I leave, two more thoughts on the contestants. Matty seems like an awesome guy, but one of the most air-headed ones I have seen. He has the ability to have people follow him and he doesn't realize it. He could've saved Jacquie with a little bit more talking. Instead he let Ken make the decision, so sad...

I also hate Randy. I bet most of you do also. He complains solely to complain. It's not even a hate/love thing that you can have with some players like Jonny Fairplay, where it's at least entertaining. I don't think he adds anything to the show. I think he complains to the camera more than he does in person and he really has no strategy.

Ok, so about that novel thing.... ha ha.

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts. Besides Whitney, I haven't really heard what other think. Am I the only one who thinks it's a little dull so far? Who do you love/hate?

The Express

It’s hard for me to approach inspirational sports movies sometimes. Not that they aren’t good or entertaining… it’s just that they can be very predictable and formulaic. It’s hard for me to get excited about seeing something in which I don’t think I’ll see anything new. That said, the formulas that are used are good ones. Like many of its predecessors, The Express does not fail the motto, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I left the theater inspired, entertained and a little misty-eyed… just like the last time I saw a “based on a true story” sports film.

The Express tells the story of Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious honor given to a collegiate football player. Don’t worry; this doesn’t give anything away, for it’s the slogan for most of the marketing. The film is not so much about how Ernie Davis gets to this accomplishment, but in the relationship between him and the Syracuse head coach, Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid). Through their championship run together, they help one another understand that football can be an ultimate goal for more than just prestige and success.

It’s hard not to be cynical about this film because it’s very entertaining with messages and lessons that are hard to find in your normal day T.V. programming. Yet, I was yearning for a bit more realism from the themes of racism and the sheer pressure that lied on Davis’ shoulders. The dialogue was just a little too crisp at times where everybody seemed to talk in heavy allegories versus real-world conversation. Although there are a lot of the same sport movie clichés (the teammate that changes his ways, the wise-cracking buddy, over-the-top slow motion hits), the movie never crosses the line and its heart makes you overlook these components.

It’s a good thing that the two main actors don’t mind doing all the heavy lifting, because most of the supporting roles are pushed into the background. Rob Brown does a great job of carrying the movie, no pun intended. This relatively unknown face makes you root for him because he is just a good guy with the right intentions, not so much because he is trying to overcome great odds. As a big sports fan, it was refreshing to see portrayals of athletes in a time where games meant more than just a paycheck. Dennis Quaid’s gruffness and scowl gets a little old at times, but he is proving more and more that he can be a marquee name.

The Express is rated PG for some language at times, football violence and a scene that might raise curiosity from younger viewers. It has a little bit more of a rawness to it being under the Universal banner instead of the Disney one we have become accustomed to, but this one is still great for any family to go to. If you are moved at all by this type of movie, you’ll love it. It didn’t really bring anything new to the table, but most audiences won’t even notice. How can you argue against an inspirational film, especially one that happens to release during a low point in our nation’s economy? Even the cynics of cynics can’t argue against that. I give The Express 3.5 out of 5 cheap shots.