Last night’s Survivor Nicaragua was a typical Survivor series. Once before they had the “old people” vs. the “young people” so this series isn’t anything unique. What made it unique was that Jimmy Johnson is one of the survivors.

It was interesting how he told his group that he was there to help them win the million dollars because he knows that no one would vote for him.

What a twist of using great psychological means to keep him on the show. Maybe what he said was true, but he is a great coach and knows how to motivate people as well as keep his job. At least he led his group to vote out the “goat lady.” She seemed a little strange, but frankly anyone over the age of 50 who goes on that show is pretty strange to do so in the first place.

Also, if they keep showing Jimmy Johnson complaining about being tired, cold and hungry, I’m going to throw a pillow at the TV. What did he expect, a five star hotel stay? We “old” people have more aches and pains and he should just get used to it and deal with it.

Can’t wait until the “youngsters” start picking each other off.

Until later,

Linda

This month Undercover Boss returns with four new undercover boss segments. Top bosses from NASCAR, DirecTV, Chiquita and Great Wolf Resorts will see if they can do the work that their people do every day.

I hope that this season doesn’t get lame like last season with weepy stories .But when you have real people there will be weepy stories. I would love to see the boss fire someone who is a real screw up and make a commitment to evolve their company to more people oriented and better customer service than bottom line profits

Set your DVRs to Sunday nights starting September 26^th and I’ll comment on the series as it goes along.

Also, Survivor Nicaragua starts on September 15^th a Wednesday night. This series will go from Thursday to Wednesday night this season. Can’t wait to see how long Jimmy Johnson can survive. Heck he won’t have any hair spray, maybe he got a buzz cut before this season?

I’ll be watching, how about you?

Until later,

Linda

It’s official, here are the names of the new twelve cast members for Season 11 Dancing with the Stars.

The men – David Hasselhoff, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from Jersey Shore, Kurt Warner, former NFL quarterback, Michael Bolton the singer I think he’s cut off his long hair now, Rick Fox, former NBA player and Kyle Massey from “That’s so Raven”.

The women – Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin’s daughter, Audrina Patridge, The Hills, Florence Henderson, how old is she?, Brandy Norwood, singer, Margaret Cho, from Drop Dead Diva, and Jennifer Grey, Dirty Dancing.

The professional dancers with the stars will be announced soon. I wonder which male star Cheryl will be teamed up with?

The season starts on September 20^th, so get your dancing shoes on to watch another season of Dancing with the Stars.

Until later,

Linda

Did you see last night’s Deadliest Catch episode. This was the episode where the beloved Captain Phil Harris passed away. What a sad episode it was. At first they were saying how well he was doing and then a had a turn for the worse. You could tell, he was not doing well and that he was getting weaker and weaker.

It’s a shame that at a young age 5o – something when he passed away. He did live a full life and it seems that he was burning the candle at both ends. He loved Harley motorcycles and he lived in a trailer and had a cleaning lady clean up the place. What a wild life he must have had.

The series now has “After the Catch” immediately following Deadliest Catch episode. This gives you the “rest of the story” about the series.

Set your DVR’s to Tuesday nites for both “Deadliest Catch” and “After the Catch. This year’s episodes are very good.

Until later,

Linda

Last night’s final on Dancing with the Stars was what I expected. The judges were gushing over Nicole Scherzinger and singing praises to Evan Lysacek and Erin Andrews. Unfortunately, Erin was eliminated and the final competition was between Nicole and Evan. Once again, the judges clearly showed their favorite star and at the end, Nicole Scherzinger and Derek won the Mirror Ball Trophy. I think this is Derek’s second or third trophy in ten years. He is a great choreographer and a great teacher.

I knew that the judges clearly had their favorite in Nicole when Evan took second place in the Argentine Tango and only 28 points for his Quick Step. Nicole was ranked number 1 in the Tango and received a perfect score of 30 for her Jive. I thought it was high energy and lots of fun but I didn’t think it had a “wow” effect for me. Congratulations Nicole and Derek, a new season starts again on September 20^th.

The college dance off was fun to watch and I agree with the judges that Utah Valley University performed the best. They were also awarded a College Mirror Ball Trophy.

Did you see the sexy dances of Niecy Nash and Pamela Anderson? Pamela was lowered onto the dance floor on a swing and was wriggling around on the floor with three guy dancers. Once again, I don’t know if Pamela was acting but at the end of the dance she seemed really spacey – like she was drunk.  Most of the stars of the series performed short dances but the one that was just awful was Kate Gosselin. She said that she and Tony wanted to have some fun with the dance. I thought it was lame. Well maybe she had fun but it wasn’t fun to watch. She of course pitched her upcoming series and I won’t watch it.

Maybe next season the judges will keep their favoritism to themselves and judge the stars on their merits.

Until later,

Linda

Last night’s performances were fantastic. But I see who the judges really like. The gave both the ladies high scores for their dances and claimed they weren’t all that impressed with Evan’s performances.

I disagree. What a great dancer Evan is. He has grace, style and is very entertaining. His technical work is excellent and he has a good connection with Anna. So why did the judges score Evan lower than the ladies? Because they want a woman to win this season. After all they had more ladies dancing than guys. The odds are just there.

Erin Andrews has come a long way in Dancing with the Stars. She is enjoying her dance performances and looks terrific. But, she just doesn’t have that entertainer appeal to me.

 Nicole Scherzinger is also awesome. Derek has choreographed some excellent dances but they seem too theatrical and not technical enough for me. She has the highest scores of any stars in all the seasons of Dancing with the Stars. A clear indication that the judges love her, but I guess I’m just too critical and demand more from her.

So who will win tonight? My heart wants Evan to win but my mind says probably Nicole will win. We’ll just have to see what the viewers think about all of this. Their votes count for only half the scores from last night’s dances. There are two more dances tonight with only the judges’ votes counting.

Until later,

Linda

Tonight’s show clearly showed that all the stars were nervous. I’m glad they announced that Evan Lysacek will be dancing in the finals next week. He and Anna performed their Paso Dobla and it was great. Nicole Scherzinger also will be in the finals. This was a no brainer. I think everyone knew this. What a great final it will be showcasing a showdown of superstars.

But who else was going to join them. As I said in my earlier blog, I wanted to see Erin Andrews return to give the final a twist. I got my wish and she is the third star to be in the final.

Chad Ochocinco was eliminated. He just didn’t quite have the same type of polish that Erin has. In next week’s final, the stars will be dancing four dances. A big job but I know all of them can do it. Good luck to them all.

I was shocked to see Miley Cirrus. I know she is all grown up, but oh my gosh, she looked too grown up in a sort of way you would dress up a ten year old for Halloween. Too much makeup for my taste and the dancers around her were dressed weirdly, like characters from Narnia. Was her song, “Can’t be Tamed” a preview of what we might expect from her in the future?

I really enjoyed seeing the group college dancers from Utah Valley University perform the Cha Cha Cha. They did great! Hope the make it into the finals next week.

Until later,

Linda

What an exciting and fantastic semi-final on Dancing with the Stars. All the stars brought it all to the dance floor and were excellent. The most improved was Chad Ochocinco with this Waltz. His Samba left much to be desired. His overall score was 52 out of 60.

Erin Andrews keeps amazing me with her dancing skills. I loved her Viennese Waltz although she was a bit shaky. She redeemed herself with the Paso Dobla. It was powerful and great to watch. Her overall score was 56.

The two very best dancers in this competition went head to head. Evan Lysachek and Nicole Scherzinger. Nicole was fantastic dancing the Argentine Tango, despite that Derek’s neck was hurting they did a great job and earned 30 points. Her Tango made Carrie Anne cry because she thought it so beautiful. Hey Carrie Anne, there’s no crying from the judges on Dancing with the Stars! Nicole’s second dance the Cha Cha Cha was hot, hot, hot! She’s a great dancer and competitor. Her overall score was 59.

Tonight Evan Lysacek brought out  his personality, his emotions and feelings came out in both of his dances. His Fox Trot was fun to watch. He was smiling and enjoying himself, he must have been thinking about his nephew, what a cutey he is. His Paso Dobla was tremendous. He was powerful, artistic and Anna brought out the very best in him. I loved the vampire idea with this dance and it worked marvelously. His overall score was also 59.

Now the choice of who will be the final competitors next week. Chad’s dancing has come a long way but not enough to make the finals. Erin must stay; she is getting better and better each week and can compete with the Nicole and Evan.

Until later,

Linda

Last night’s Results Show was fun to watch. The dance group of college students was awesome and I enjoyed watching them. The Kenny Mayn, Len Goodwin and Jerry Rice segments had their funny moments. So why was Jerry Rice wearing that blonde wig? He seemed to have more humor than Mayn did. I liked it when he said that not all the jewelry that Chad Ochocinco was giving Cheryl compared to his three Super Bowl rings.

Unfortunately, Niecy Nash was eliminated last night. I will miss her humor and her showing off her “jiggly” parts. She was a fun star to watch. No real drama with her, she just worked hard and did her dancing thing.

Next week is the semi-finals. Chad Ochocinco (I don’t understand why he made it this far), Erin Andrews (you go girl, keep working hard), Nicole Scherzinger (she better watch out, now the real competition begins) and Evan Lysacek (my guy that is going to ramp up his dancing and sprint to the finish) will be competing next week.

Good luck to all.

Until later,

Linda

Last night’s Dancing with the Stars showed that all the stars were ready to compete. However, I think that there are at least three stars that should be in next week’s semi-finals. I know that four are going to the semi-finals but three stars have the potential to make the finals a real competition.

My pick is Evan Lysacek, Nicole Scherzinger and Erin Andrews. As for Chad Ochocinco and Niecy Nash they are entertaining to watch but just don’t have what it takes to win the Mirror Ball Trophy.

The dances last night showed that some of the pros are excellent teachers. Cheryl has done a great job with Chad but he still doesn’t have the pizzazz to go all the way. Niecy is a great performer and Louis has done a good job, but she lacks a lot of the technicality needed. I like her a lot, but she’s not a competitor for the final.

What can I say about Evan, Nicole and Erin? They have mastered the dances by showing that they have the ability to do the technical as well as the performance aspect of each dance. Sure, Evan doesn’t show much emotion. Many competitive ice skaters as well as gymnast have been taught not to show emotion. But you can’t fault Evan for that. He is a master in his dancing. Erin has come a long way and I really love watching her dance with Maks. Nicole is very talented and Derek has put together some great routines.

My prediction of who will be eliminated – it’s a toss up between Chad and NIecy. I would rather see Chad eliminated. Let’s give Niecy one more week to entertain us.

Until later,

Linda