DVD Dish: Extraordinary Measures

I'm helping my friend, Tim, get the word out about his brother's documentary, Extraordinary Measures, which is now available on DVD (watch the movie trailer below). Here's a description of the 2007 film by Travis Sutton:

"My greatest fear in life was having a handicapped child," says Laraine Sutton as she reflects on the birth of her seventh son, Thad, who was born with a severe birth defect that would render him dependent upon full-time care for his entire life. "As a family, we were faced with a decision--we could either pull together or fall apart," adds Trent (brother #6). So begins this journey through the life of one family as they navigate the challenges and joys associated with raising a child who has multiple handicaps. "I think Thad brought into our lives a sense of purpose...because we were forced to do things we had never done before," continues Laraine. But could these experiences prepare the family to face the uncertainty and fear brought on by another crisis, 30 years later, when Tom (Laraine's husband) suffers a sudden heart attack which causes significant brain damage?

To purchase a DVD of Extraordinary Measures, please click here.

Love Is Finally All Around on DVD

First the good news. Actually it's FANTABULOUS news!!! Seasons 5, 6 and 7 of The Mary Tyler Moore Show are finally being released on DVD on May 5. Are you as excited as I am about this? Well, unfortunately, there's a slight catch--hence, the bad news.

The remaining three seasons of the show are being released as part of a Complete Series set, which means that you must also purchase the first four seasons as well--even if you previously bought them years ago--like I did. Grrrr, this does not make me a happy camper. I mean, come on, why can't they just release the last few seasons as a box set? Of course, I already know the answer to that question: Because they're money-hungry bastards. $179.98 is what we'll be coughing up if we want the whole Mary Richards experience (hopefully it will be a little cheaper on Amazon or Deep Discount).

So there you have it--the good, the bad and the ugly. And who knows, maybe things will change between now and May, and Fox Home Entertainment will rethink their Mary strategy and release single season sets in addition to their complete one. We can only hope and pray. Otherwise, people, we better start saving our pennies and eating in more often. I don't know about you, but I gotta have my Mary. All of her.

Dish of the Day #75: Vote for your Favorite

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day will be featured, and beginning today you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week in the sidebar poll.

I have to apologize for last week's poll--I screwed up the numbering. Dish #67 and Dish #68 were switched around. Sorry, I'll try not to let it happen ever again. As for the results, Dish #70 was the big winner with 36.6% of the 101 votes cast. I guess guys in eyeglasses are a turn-on for many. Battling for second and third place were #67 (27.7%) and #66 (24.8%), followed by #68 (5.9%) and #69 (5.0%).

Online Surveys & Market Research

Let's Get 'Lost': Too Much Light

Last night's episode of Lost was Desmond-centric, meaning it focused mainly on the handsome Desmond Hume (I don't usually find beards that appealing, but on actor Henry Ian Cusick, his looks very nice--and his Scottish accent doesn't hurt either). I was surprised to learn that Desmond's true love, Penny, was pregnant--and she gave birth to a boy named Charlie (how sweet) in the first few minutes of the show. Of course, that was three years ago, and in the present day, Desmond has taken his family to Oxford per Daniel's request in order to help save the people still on the island. He tried to track down Daniel's mother, but instead he found the sick girl whom Daniel abandoned--and whom Penny's evil father, Charles Widmore, is now paying the medical expenses for. The man also funded Daniel's research for many years. After learning all this information, Desmond confronted Widmore, who gave him the address of Daniel's mother in Los Angeles--but warned him not to get involved with any of this dangerous intrigue. Of course, if Desmond listened to the guy, there wouldn't be any show to watch--but I'm hoping nothing bad will happen to Mr. Hume and his family.

Meanwhile, on the island, Daniel finally admitted his love for Charlotte, who was greatly affected by the flashes of light that caused them to travel through time. Suffering from headaches, dizziness, a bloody nose and double vision, the poor girl appeared to have died in Daniel's arms at the end of the episode. Then again, maybe she didn't (I just read online that she survives, so we'll just have to wait and see).

The most surprising revelation was when Locke learned from Richard, the sexy leader of the Others, that the year was 1954--and one of the bad guys on the island back then was a young Charles Widmore. Very interesting. Also, a few of the Others seemed to already know Daniel, who must have traveled back in time before . . . I think (I don't have all the dots connected yet). Unfortunately, another flash of light occurred before Richard could tell Locke how to get off the island--and all the folks of 1954 disappeared, leaving the regular cast alone again.

Since Jack, Kate, Hurley, Ben and Sun are favorite characters of mine, I was a bit disappointed that none of them were in last night's episode. But I guess there are only so many people and plots that can be figured in to each show. Hopefully next week I'll get me some Matthew Fox.

As for the results of my recent Lost poll, asking who your favorite character is, I wasn't surprised by the winner. Out of 63 votes cast, Jack was Mr. Popularity with 28.6%, while John Locke received no votes to end up in last place. I also found it interesting that Sun and Juliet both have more fans than Kate. Here's how everyone fared:

Sawyer 12.7%
Sayid, Sun and Juliet 11.1%
Desmond and Kate 7.9%
Hurley and Ben 4.8%

Dish of the Day #74

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day will be featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Nip/Tuck Me: Rappin' with Hot Coco

Why Jennifer Coolidge doesn't have her own TV show is a mystery to me. Someone please give this talented and funny lady a TV playground to have fun in. She steals every movie and show that she's in. And on last night's wild Nip/Tuck, Coolidge proved herself once again to be a first-rate comedienne as her crazy character, actress Candy Richards, paid a return visit to Troy/McNamara to have the doctors give her African-American features. You see Candy now goes by "Hot Coco" since she believes herself to be black, and she wants a big Beyoncé ass ("more junk in the trunk") for her new rap/hip-hop video, "Yo Stank", which was the hilarious highlight of the episode. I guess you have to see it to truly appreciate its funky humor, so watch the YouTube clip below.

Besides Coolidge's guest appearance, Nip/Tuck also featured one of its most graphic scenes ever when a woman whom Christian met in a breast cancer support group--and whom he, of course, slept with--walked into the lobby of his office and proceeded to cut off one of her breasts with an electric carving knife. YIKES! I about fell out of my chair during this unexpected--and disgusting--twist. The show certainly knows how to push its drama to the extreme. But the disturbing scene did work for me as I believed her deeply troubled character could do something like that.

And there were still a few more surprises in last night's show: bad girl Eden (played by 90210's AnnaLynne McCord) briefly showed up again after her mother and Julia's lover, Olivia (Portia de Rossi), died while undergoing a facelift. The girl revealed to a shocked Julia and Sean that Olivia--and not her--was the one who shot Julia in the head while intoxicated (she apparently thought her girlfriend was an intruder). Guiltridden over this, Olivia began taking antidepressants, which led to her going into cardiac arrest during surgery. But didn't Eden poison Julia last season? I guess with Julia's memory loss and Olivia's death, the wicked girl is in the clear about her past crime. So after tossing her mother's ashes on Julia and Sean, Eden must've hightailed it back to Budapest to do more porn films. It's too bad she couldn't stick around longer as I enjoyed her psycho character last season.

The episode ended with one last shocker: Christian and Liz are now a couple. Hard to believe, isn't it? But during a wonderfully written scene between them, I was able to understand how this unlikely pair could come together--so to speak. They get each other--and they care for each other. Liz is still a lesbian, but she loves Christian--and his cock, which has mystical powers (according to him). I don't know if their relationship will last, but it will be interesting to see how it progresses.

So that was last night's show, which has definitely regained its outrageous mojo while still offering some touching moments of serious drama. It's a nice mix--just the way I like my Nip/Tuck.

Angela Lansbury is feeling groovy

This clip is from Angela Lansbury's 1988 video. Enjoy!

Dish of the Day #73

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day will be featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

P.S. In case you haven't noticed, this is "Bare Ass" week. I thought it would help warm things up on a cold winter's day.

More Drama and Shoulder Pads on DVD

It's true, folks, Season 4 (1983-84) of Dynasty is coming out on DVD on April 7. Unfortunately, it's only the first half of the season (14 episodes), which I find irritating. I'm not a fan of this Volume 1/Volume 2 crap, but I understand the reasoning behind it--money, of course (they make more with two DVD sets instead of only one). Oh well, I'm not going to complain too loudly--at least they're still releasing the series.

To refresh your memories of the show's fourth season, Alexis' future husband, the handsome Dex Dexter (Michael Nader), is introduced, and Krystle and Blake remarry since their first marriage wasn't legal because she never got a divorce from hubby #1, the hunky tennis pro. So get ready for more drama, more Joan, more shoulder pads--I can't wait!

Dish of the Day #72

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day will be featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Barbara Walters vs. The Cuckoo Wizard of Oz

If Governor Rod Blagojevich's pathetic appearance on The View today didn't convince America that this man is mentally ill and living in a crazy fantasy world, then I don't know what will. The guy is an unfunny joke and a continued source of great embarrassment for the people of Illinois (including myself). I wasn't that impressed with the second half of his interview with The View ladies, in which they allowed him to ramble on forever--but it was amusing to see Joy Behar mess up his hair and ask him to do his impression of Richard "I'm not a criminal" Nixon (he refused). However, Barbara Walters' earlier one-on-one with the idiot was quite good as she asked him some tough questions. My two favorite parts were when she revealed that his wife's family - especially his father-in-law - are not too crazy about him (this is an understatement - Patti Blagojevich's father HATES Rod) and when she listed a few humiliating facts about him: that he only has a 7% approval rating as governor, that Mayor Daley of Chicago recently said he was "cuckoo", and that the Lt. Governor has compared him to the Wizard of Oz. Barbara then went on to ask Rod: "For the sake of the state and for your own dignity, wouldn't it be better if you resigned?" Of course, he did not agree with this. The man has no dignity left to lose. The sooner he's impeached, the better. And I hear there's a radio station that's already offered him a job, where he can talk out his ass as much as he wants . . . at least until he goes to prison.

Groovy Movies #19: It's a bitch sortin' out our . . .

"We just finished watching Thelma and Louise, and we're pissed!" - Noleta

"Now if you'll PLEASE excuse me...I have a show to do" - Brother Boy

I never get tired of watching Sordid Lives, a hilarious black comedy about white trash. It's one of those films that I can watch over and over again and still laugh as hard as I did the first time I saw it in the movie theater. For those of you who aren't familiar with this groovy movie (which I've noticed is frequently listed as a favorite flick on the Facebook pages of my gay friends), Sordid Lives is about three generations of the Ingram family who reunite for their matriarch's funeral in a small Texas town.

Besides Del Shores' fabulous screenplay, the excellent cast is the main reason the movie has been embraced by the LGBT community. Whenever you cast Olivia Newton-John as a hard-drinking lesbian singer, the boys--and the girls--in the band will worship your film. Add in hunky Kirk Geiger's naked portrayal of a closeted young man coming to terms with his sexuality, Delta Burke reminding us why we loved her as Suzanne Sugarbaker, Leslie Jordan as Brother Boy (the best Tammy Wynette impersonator I've ever seen), Beth Grant's "I am trying' to quit smokin'!" Sissy, the wonderful Bonnie Bedelia (whom I've loved ever since 1970's Lovers and Other Strangers--and is the aunt of Macaulay Culkin) and Sarah Hunley's tipsy Juanita, and you've got yourself a gut-busting comedy.

Last summer the saga of Sordid Lives continued when it became a TV series on LOGO with most of the original film cast. New additions were Caroline Rhea, who replaced Delta, and Jason Dottley (Del Shores' cute husband), who took over Geiger's role. And since the show is a prequel to the movie, one of my favorite Golden Girls, the delightful Rue McClanahan, was cast as matriarch Peggy Ingram.

So if you're looking for a film to get you giggling on a cold winter's night, check out Sordid Lives. And Mr. Geiger's nude scene will definitely help warm you up.

Dish of the Day #71

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day will be featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Groovy Guy: Neil Diamond

Today is Neil Diamond's 68th birthday. Having seen him in concert three times (most recently last summer), I find it hard to believe the guy is as old as my parents and still dancing around the stage like he's 30--and, more importantly, that his singing voice still sounds like he's 30. If you enjoy his music, you should definitely see him perform live if you ever get the chance. The man knows knows how to bring a crowd to its feet--especially the older ladies, who LOVE him. However, last summer I was pleased to see many young (under 40) people in the audience as well as a few other "family" members besides my partner and I. I guess EVERYONE adores Mr. Diamond, who always gives his fans what they came for--a concert of almost every hit song of his career. And I hope he will continue to entertain us for many years to come.

Here are 10 Groovy Facts about Neil Leslie Diamond:

1) While growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he attended Erasmus Hall High School, where he sang in the 100-member school choir with classmate Barbra Streisand. They would not formally meet until over 20 years later.

2) In 1958, Diamond attended New York University on a fencing scholarship and entered its pre-med program to become a doctor. But he dropped out at the end of his junior year when a music publishing company offered him $50 a week to write songs.

3) Prior to the April 1966 release of "Solitary Man" (his first single as a recording artist), Diamond considered using a stage name--either "Noah Kaminsky" or "Eice Chary"--before sticking with his birth name (I think he made the right choice).

4) He played himself--a rock singer--on the October 7, 1967, episode of TV's Mannix.

5) Diamond wrote his 1969 hit, "Sweet Caroline", for Caroline Kennedy after seeing the eleven-year-old girl on the cover of Life magazine. And in 2007, he sang the song to her at her 50th birthday celebration.

6) In 1970, he introduced British rock star Elton John in his first stateside appearance at Hollywood's Trobadour nightclub.

7) His soundtrack to the 1973 film, Jonathan Livingston Seagull (which earned him a Grammy Award), grossed more than the movie, which was a box-office failure.

8) He turned down the lead role in Bob Fosse's 1974 film, Lenny, and he screen-tested for Robert De Niro's role in Martin Scorsese's 1976 movie, Taxi Driver.

9) For his screen acting debut in 1980's The Jazz Singer, Diamond became the first ever "winner" of a Worst Actor Razzie Award. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance.

10) He's the father-in-law of actress Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks, Dirty Sexy Money), who married his son Jesse in 2000.

And, finally, a few more interesting facts about the man: As of 2002, he was ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart. And as of May 2005, he had sold 160 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S. I think that's pretty amazing. I leave you now with his wonderful music and a personal quote:

"This is my job. Someone much greater than me gave me that job. He said, 'You, you with that stupid look on your face--go out and sing until I tell you to stop.' I haven't heard the word yet so I'm just going to keep doing it."

Does anyone still wear a hat?

Aretha let me borrow her hat for a recent party. She's such a nice lady.

And I want to thank Dean for the groovy pic!

Soap Dish: A Fond Farewell to John and Marlena

John Black and Marlena Evans got married again today--for the fourth time. Then they left their friends and family in Salem and moved to Switzerland, where he will hopefully recover from his severe paralysis (the poor guy can't move his arms or legs). So one of daytime television's best-loved soap supercouples finally got their happy ending after 23 years of tormented drama. Unfortunately, the two actors playing them--Drake Hogestyn and Deidre Hall--are now looking for work after being fired due to budget cuts in these hard economic times.

I'm not a regular viewer of NBC's Days of Our Lives, but I've watched it occasionally over the years (both my mother and grandmother were once big fans of the show). I remember Doug and Julie's rocky romance back in the 1970s, and I tuned in in 2003 when Marlena was revealed to be the Salem Stalker. So I'm familiar with the soap and Deidre Hall's Dr. Marlena Evans, who became one of its most popular characters after she first appeared way back on June 21, 1976. Then in 1986, Drake Hogestyn was cast as the mysterious John Black, whom everyone thought was really Marlena's husband, Roman Brady, with extensive plastic surgery. It eventually turned out that he wasn't Roman, but Marlena didn't care--she had found her true love. The couple was married four times--first in 1986 (when she and "Roman" renewed their wedding vows), then in 1999, 2006 and finally today. With all this history between them, you would think DOOL would want to keep them around forever. But I guess for financial reasons the couple had to go--along with Hogestyn and Hall's large salaries. It will be interesting to see how the show fares without them--and if its unhappy fans will continue to watch without their "Jarlena" or "Jolena" (short for John and Marlena).

Having tuned in yesterday and today, I can report that DOOL is in pretty good shape story-wise. The most interesting plotline is that of Marlena's pregnant daughter, Sami, who is in a witness protection program and hiding out in a convent. She doesn't want her ex-husband EJ's evil father, Stefano DiMera (who's been reported dead ELEVEN times since his first appearance in 1982), to get his hands on her unborn child. However, EJ's new girlfriend, Nicole (played with delicious bitchiness by Arianne Zuker), has just learned that Sami is carrying his baby (EJ doesn't know this), and she is not happy to say the least. Nicole apparently hates Sami, since she enjoys calling her nasty names like "overly fertile bitch" and "Sister Mary Slut". Also, Nicole, who recently miscarried EJ's baby, is pretending to still be pregnant, which leads me to believe that the devious dame might just try to get her hands on Sami's baby and pass it off as her own. I just betcha she will. Wait and see.

I was also pleased to see some very nice eye candy on the show--especially the hairy-chested hunk, Daniel (played by the charismatic Shawn Christian) and the handsome EJ (James Scott), whose British accent only adds to his appeal. I did find it interesting to see two former actors from Passions (an NBC soap that ended last year) playing new characters on DOOL--Galen Gering as Rafe, an FBI agent assigned to protect Sami, and Eric Martsolf as John's son, Brady Black. Both are good actors--and easy on the eyes--so I'm not surprised that another soap quickly snapped them up.

But the main story on the show was obviously John and Marlena's, and they received an appropriately sweet send-off. After being attacked by a crazy lady with a syringe of poison, John--who lost his memory a year ago--became paralyzed. However, he finally remembered his and Marlena's past together after she--and a few flashbacks from their much younger days--helped him regain those missing parts of his life. John then proposed to "Doc" (his pet name for Marlena), and they exchanged wedding vows in his hospital room. The final scene ended with the couple kissing--and I assume next week Salem will be all abuzz about their sudden departure to an overseas facility that specializes in medical cases like John's. I commend the soap's writers for giving Hogestyn and Hall a proper farewell that paid tribute to them and their many years of drama together. Hopefully their devoted fans feel the same way. And who knows--maybe in a year John and Marlena will return home to Salem--with much smaller salaries, of course.

The Naked Truth About Gay Porn

If 410 pages of juicy pics of hot men and their bodily fluids sounds like a good time, you might want to check out Owen Keehnen's new book, Ultimate Starz, which is the third volume in his series of revealing interviews with gay porn superstars. Oh sure, you've seen their naked bodies from every possible angle (you were watching Hung Country for Young Men just last night, admit it), but now in Ultimate Starz, you'll get the inside dish on your favorite top--and bottom--XXX fantasies and discover who they really are.

In his interviews with over 50 of the biggest names in porn, including Francesco D'Macho, Matt Cole, Ty Hudson, Derrick Hanson and Tyler Saint, Keehnen takes you behind the scenes of the industry with sordid tales of on-set antics, off-set insanity and, of course, sex tips and tricks. You'll even find out who calls his mom when he gets home from filming to tell her all about the day's shoot (what a good son). So fasten your seatbelts, boys, this is one bumpy read!

Keehnen's Ultimate Starz as well as his first two books, Starz and More Starz, are all available on Amazon. To purchase, please click here.

Dish of the Day #70: Vote for your Favorite

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day will be featured, and beginning today you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week in the sidebar poll.

Dish #61 was the big winner last week with 33.6% of the 116 votes cast. Runner-up was Dish #65 with 20.7%, and #62 and #63 tied for third place with 18.1%. And last--but certainly not least--was #64 with 9.5%.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Gay boyfriend, I don't really care that you are queer

I guess I'm a bit behind in the times as I only discovered the fabulous Hazzards this morning on Facebook. A few friends posted their music video, "Gay Boyfriend", and with a catchy title like that how could I resist taking a peek. And, of course, I loved it!

The Hazzards are New York's baddest ukulele group (based in Brooklyn), but they were originally just a two-girl duo, Sydney Maresca and Anne Harris, who called themselves The Ukes of Hazzard. In early 2003 their video of "Gay Boyfriend" was released and became a cult hit. It was produced by the talented Ryan McFaul, whose other work is featured on his website, Ryantown. And in November 2003 the dance remix of "Gay Boyfriend" debuted at #67 on the UK singles charts (you can watch both versions below, but I personally prefer the simpler original).

The Hazzards have now expanded into a five-piece band (adding drums, bass and even a harp to the mix), but they're still making groovy music, such as "Always" (a prom period song) and "Shut Up and Make Out" (both are below). For more information about them, click here for their website.

Let's Get 'Lost': I See Tom Cruise's Cousin

I almost called this post, "Please Don't Chop Off Juliet's Hand", because it was such a scary moment. And before I go any further, my weekly Lost posts will be chock full of SPOILERS--just so you know. The whirling dervish time-traveling drama of island intrigue returned for its fifth season last night with a two-hour "premiere event". Was it worth the wait? Oh, most definitely.

I guess I'll begin with Juliet's hand:

"Cut off her hand!"
"No! Wait! Wait!"
"Off with her hand!"
"Hold your horses!"
"Chop off her hand!"
"Not so fast, mister!"
"Oh, I've been stabbed!"

Well, the scene went something like that. Sawyer and Juliet were captured by these strange guys, and their leader ordered another one to cut off poor Juliet's hand--but Sawyer kept interrupting the proceedings (thank God). Finally, Locke came to the rescue, and they all escaped. I thought it was the most nerve-wracking plot development of the evening--especially since I adore Juliet and would hate to see her lose a hand.

As for Tom Cruise's cousin, actor William Mapother, he briefly returned as the creepy Ethan, who was killed off a few seasons ago. According to Daniel Faraday--the expert physicist--the island is like a record on a turntable that is now skipping due to Ben releasing an energy source in the Orchid Station in last season's finale. Apparently everyone on the island is now moving back and forth through time whenever there's a flash of light. Got that? I think I understand. And I really like Jeremy Davies, who plays Daniel, but I fear that his lady love, Charlotte, might be checking out soon due to her mysterious nosebleeds. Back to Ethan--he shot Locke in the leg after one of these time warps. But, fortunately, for Locke's sake, another flash of light caused the creep to disappear before he could kill him (he didn't remember Locke because they hadn't met yet).

Ethan wasn't the only dead person to show up last night. I about fell out of my chair when I saw the smiling face of Ana-Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez, who's looking very lovely these days). She popped up in a bizarre but funny scene with Hurley to offer him a few words of wisdom from the great beyond ("Libby says hi" was my favorite line of the episode, referring to another deceased character).

So I guess I should briefly explain the main storyline(s) of Lost--for those of you who might be "lost" by this post: The wonderful Fionnula Flanagan returned as the mysterious Ms. Hawking, who appeared to Desmond last season. She seems to be the mastermind, who is now ordering Ben to round up the Oceanic 6 within 70 hours to return to the island or else everyone will die. Hurley, however, would rather go to jail than go anywhere with Ben, which he proved by giving himself up to police after he was mistakenly accused of killing three people (Sayid was the actual killer). Meanwhile, someone wanted blood samples from Kate and Claire's son, Aaron, in order to prove their true relationship, but she took the boy and ran off. I think the evil Charles Widmore (played with nasty delight by Alan Dale, whom I still miss on Ugly Betty) is behind this since he knows the truth about the Oceanic 6 and what really happened on the island. Three years have passed since the six "survivors" were rescued and the island disappeared in a flash of light. Desmond and his pretty Penny will probably be separated again in the near future as Daniel was somehow able to communicate with the man through his haunted dreams, so now Desmond is going to Oxford to find Daniel's mother--and I'm sure he will end up back on the island to save his friends. And John Locke is really dead (in the present day)--and Ben is planning to take his body back to the island. In a very intriguing scene, the sexy Richard (played by the very sexy Nestor Carbonell--see photo) showed up to get the bullet out of Locke's leg and to tell him to convince the Oceanic 6 to return to the island. However, there's a catch--Locke must die in order to get them to come back. Okay, so now we know that Locke will somehow get off the island and meet his maker. As for our handsome hero, Jack, who cleaned up real nice once he shaved off his Grizzly Adams beard, he didn't have a whole lot to do in the season debut--but Matthew Fox sure looks good in a tie.

A few other random observations:

Best Use of Music: Lost is known for featuring music in the opening scene of an episode, and last night Dr. Marvin Candle (the Dharma Orientation filmstrip guy) put on a record of Willie Nelson's "Shotgun Willie", which, of course, skipped (cue symbolism). Other memorable song selections from past seasons were The Mamas and the Papas' "Make Your Own Kind of Music" to introduce Desmond and Petula Clark's "Downtown" for Juliet's first appearance.

Best Bitch: Yunjin Kim as Sun, whose scene with Kate about her husband's death was uncomfortably well-written. The actress is really getting to shine now.

Who The Hell Is He?: The annoying Neil, who apparently was one of the island survivors. I wasn't sad to see him go.

Scariest Scene: Besides Juliet's hand-chopping, I thought the unexpected shooting of fiery arrows was frightening--but neat to watch.

Coolest Parents: Hurley's Dad and Mom (Cheech Marin and Lillian Hurst). I thought the nicest scene of the episode was between Hurley and his mother when she said she believed his crazy story about the island.

I think that about covers everything. I give Lost's season premiere a solid A for Ana-Lucia's surprise cameo, for amazing writing and performances, and for allowing Juliet to keep her hand.

LuPWNed! (The Patti LuPone Audience Freakout Mix)

I blogged all about Patti LuPone last week, but this new video of her tickles me pink. I just had to post it. In case you're not in the theatrical loop, Ms. LuPone recently stopped a performance of the Broadway musical, Gypsy, while singing her big eleven o'clock number, "Rose's Turn", in order to get a member of the audience thrown out who was taking photographs. Of course, someone made a bootleg audio tape of her wild rant, which ended up on YouTube. And now Randy of The Randy Show has created a clever Patti video of his own as well as a fabulous new word:

LuPwn (lü-pōn) v. (from the English "own" and the Italian "LuPone") 1. To give an untouchable theatrical performance ("Shirley, you totes LuPwned in Hairspray") 2. To be on the receiving end of an act in a theatrical setting that could be considered ridiculous by others; to be diva'd out on ("looks like you just got LuPwned by Kristin Chen, Tim")

Got 'Milk'? The Oscars Do

The nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were announced this morning, and there were quite a few surprises. I was most pleased that Milk received eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Sean Penn) and Best Supporting Actor (Josh Brolin), after it was pretty much dissed by the Golden Globes. However, I do think it's the year of Slumdog Millionaire, which has momentum on its side--and deservedly so. I was also happy to see Penelope Cruz receive a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but I'm disappointed that Woody didn't get one for Best Original Screenplay (I think Frozen River--a surprise favorite of the Academy--bumped him out of contention). I've always liked actress Melissa Leo, so it was very nice to see her performance in Frozen River recognized with a Best Actress nomination. I'm also thrilled for actors Richard Jenkins, who received a Best Actor nomination for The Visitor (he was so wonderful as the deceased father on Six Feet Under), and Michael Shannon, who got a Best Supporting Actor nod for Revolutionary Road (he began acting here in Chicago many years ago).

The Glaring Omissions category: The Dark Knight and Revolutionary Road for Best Picture (the latter's commercial is on television 24/7--and I definitely want to see it more than the nominated The Reader), and Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road (I'm surprised that her performance in The Reader was nominated instead of this heavily-promoted one--but I think she'll still win).

So be sure to tune in to the Oscars on Sunday, February 22. Below are all the nominations (the bolded ones are my predictions to win).

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Richard Jenkins in The Visitor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn in Milk
Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Josh Brolin in Milk
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Kate Winslet in The Reader

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams in Doubt
Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis in Doubt
Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
Doubt Written by John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon Screenplay by Peter Morgan
The Reader Screenplay by David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frozen River Written by Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky Written by Mike Leigh
In Bruges Written by Martin McDonagh
Milk Written by Dustin Lance Black
WALL-E Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon; Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button David Fincher
Frost/Nixon Ron Howard
Milk Gus Van Sant
The Reader Stephen Daldry
Slumdog Millionaire Danny Boyle

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
The Baader Meinhof Complex Germany
The Class France
Departures Japan
Revanche Austria
Waltz with Bashir Israel

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Alexandre Desplat
Defiance James Newton Howard
Milk Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire A.R. Rahman
WALL-E Thomas Newman

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
"Down to Earth" from WALL-E Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; Lyrics by Peter Gabriel
"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire Music by A.R. Rahman; Lyrics by Gulzar
"O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire Music and Lyrics by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Dish of the Day #69

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day will be featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Who is your favorite 'Lost' character?

In honor of tonight's fifth season debut of Lost, I want to know who your favorite character is in a new sidebar poll. Sorry, no Claire (who will return in the sixth season), Jin (who appears to be dead--but I don't think he is), Charlie (or any other deceased character), or Vincent the Dog. I'll post a review of the two-hour premiere tomorrow. Enjoy the show!

Dish of the Day #68

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day will be featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Hello, Gorgeous!

We've been waiting for you, President Obama.

For eight, long years.

It seemed like an eternity.

But the Worst President Ever (at least in my lifetime) has skedaddled back to Texas, and now America has a brand new First Family. I'm so happy today. And, yes, I'll admit I shed a few tears while watching all the pomp and circumstance on TV. I got a bit verklempt when I saw the sea of excited faces and waving flags that stretched from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. And later I was a little choked up as Barack and Michelle walked down Pennsylvania Avenue together. They do make such a nice couple. Here are a few other observations from this historic day:

My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Ted Kennedy, who suffered a seizure during the Inaugural lunch. It sounds like he's going to be okay.

I found it very interesting to learn that at Coretta Scott King's funeral in early 2006, Ethel Kennedy leaned over to Obama and whispered: "The torch is being passed to you."

Barack does have an inside connection with Mother Nature when it comes to the weather. It's a bit chilly in D.C. today, but no snow or rain and lots of sunshine.

Michelle looks fabulous in yellow, but I don't care much for her gown's long bow, which blew around in the wind. And I love Jill Biden's bright red coat and dark go-go boots. And then there's Laura Bush, looking plain and gray as usual.

Barack was his usual self as well--calm, cool and collected--before the Inauguration ceremony. I hope he continues this way as President.

Joe Biden is having the time of his life and loving every moment of it.

Bush's glum expression of "Is this over yet? I want out of here" didn't change until he was about ready to get on the helicopter and out of Dodge. But when every speech slaps you and your horrible administration in the face by declaring that America is now ready to lead once again--in the right way--I guess I'd be miserable, too.

The recipe page for the Inaugural luncheon was the most visited one on the Inaugural website.

Very weak applause and a few boos for Rick Warren, whose opening prayer was fine. I still think Obama made a big mistake in choosing the guy, but I understand why he did. Our new President was just being "inclusive"--and sometimes he's going to include people whom many of us cannot stand.

Very few folks could wear a funky hat like Aretha Franklin's, but she pulled it off.

Poor Jill Biden had to hold that enormous Bible, while Michelle got off easy with the tiny Lincoln Bible.

At first I thought Obama was a bit nervous during his Oath of Office, but it turns out Chief Justice John Roberts is the one who messed up the 35-word oath.

Hillary looks great in blue, and lavender is a good color for Nancy Pelosi.

Poor Dick, stuck in a wheelchair with a bad back. Good riddance to bad trash.

The Obamas showed what classy people they are by escorting the Bushes to their helicopter to say goodbye. A very gracious moment.

I didn't realize Obama is left-handed until he signed the nomination documents.

Raum Emanuel got to sit next to Cindy McCain at lunch. Who did he piss off?

I liked the Rosa Parks bus in the parade.

Cutest guys of the day: Obama's Chinese American brother-in-law and the Secret Service guy with the maroon scarf and blue tie. And it's always nice to see Joe Biden's handsome sons, Beau and Hunter.

Quirky revelation of the day: Rachel Maddow was once a bicycle messenger in D.C.

And, finally, I hope the Obamas and Bidens get to sleep in tomorrow after such a whirlwind day.

I look forward to the next four--or possibly eight--years with a hopeful heart. President Obama has a helluva lot to clean up after Bush's reign, and it will take time and many tough decisions to get America back on track. But I have faith that he will be able to achieve many great things during his presidency. Today, however, is for celebrating this new era of optimism and change--and as I type this, I'm reminded of an old Ray Stevens song from 1970:

"Everything is Beautiful"

Arrivederci, Baby!

Don't let the door hit you in the ass--and be sure to take that evil Dick with you.

Dish of the Day #67: Help Matthew Strip and Win!

Today's Dish of the Day is Matthew, a Facebook friend who's participating in Chicago Takes Off, a burlesque fundraising event for our city's longest standing, peer-led HIV/AIDS organization, Test Positive Aware Network. He is one of the bartenders (from the groovy Mary's Attic) competing in "Bar-lesque" (great title!), an online strip-fundraiser component of the main event. As he raises more money, Matthew will undress at the official Bar-lesque website (http://www.chicagotakesoff.org/Bar-lesque.html).

Matthew, who's 29 and single, says that he's no Dish of the Day, but he hopes he rates "as more than just an appetizer." I have to disagree with the modest boy--he's definitely Dish material. So if you want to help Matthew get naked and become Chicago's sexiest bar staff person, you can sponsor him with a donation by clicking here.

Chicago Takes Off--hosted by the fabulous Miss Coco Peru--will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2009, at the Park West. For tickets, click here.

Should I Stay or Should I Go, Damon?

I did consider for a moment making my friend, Damon, a Dish of the Day (he's cute enough, don't you think?). But then I thought that might embarrass him, so instead I'm just going to blog about him and his new book, Absolutely Should-less: The Secret to Living the Stress-Free Life You Deserve. Damon is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in New York, and his self-help book is about recognizing, understanding and eliminating the destructive "shoulds" in your life that keep you from feeling good about yourself (i.e. I should lose weight, I should make more money, etc.). He's also a contributor as a Soap Shrink for the soap opera website, Marlena De Lacroix, which recently featured a review of his book (click here to read it).

Damon is, of course, busy promoting Absolutely Should-less, which brought him to Chicago this weekend for an appearance on the fabulous GLBT podcast, Feast of Fools, with its hosts, real-life gay couple Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion. Their show is a sassy chatfest of odd news, social trends and celebrity interviews--with folks like Damon, who was their guest last night. In the YouTube clip below, Fernós and Felion ask Damon to watch and comment on an odd (to say the least) video called "One Guy One Cup", which apparently is all the rage on the Internet. Personally, I have no desire to see a man put a glass up his butt and have it break inside of him. Just doesn't sound like my cup of tea, so don't worry, I won't post it on here. However, I found Damon's reaction to it quite amusing--but I think glass in the ass is a definite should not.

For more information on Damon and his book, go to his Absolutely Should-less website. You can also buy his book on Amazon. And to listen to Damon's Feast of Fools podcast, click here.