Get Up Now!

I don't watch the Bad Girls Club but I ran across this YouTube video when finding out that one of the girls was going to be on the new season of Celebrity Fit Club. Rumor has it that Whitney's former King of R&B is going to be on the show as well. If the video is any indication, CFC is one not to be missed. Imagine her having to go without some chicken wings. The craziness will ensue. Till my next blog....enjoy!

Taj, Oh My Gaj!

Okay there's no such thing as gaj but thought it sounded cute. Hemingway I've been enjoying this latest season of Survivor. It's the first season of Survivor I've watched straight through since Survivor Fiji and one of my favorite winners ever, Earl Cole. But the show has been a hit or miss for me. Actually I wouldn't have even bothered to watch this season had I not noted that R&B singing sensation Taj Johnson-George was a contestant on the show. I mostly watched to see how far she would go and wouldn't you know it, she managed to make it to Final 4. I admit I'm rooting for her to win, even though she has some surmountable odds. I mean, she's never won an immunity and winning one, especially if she makes Final 3 will likely be critical to her making Final 2. Then there's that whole married to hottie Eddie George thing that could bite her in the ass if she makes Final 2. Either way I'm definitely going to be glued on Sunday night to watch the conclusion of Survivor Tocatins.


Incidentally seeing Taj....and T-Boz actually (I stopped watching Celebrity Apprentice after Trump made up a bogus excuse to fire her) have made me feen for some old school TLC and SWV. I'll always be an En Vogue fan first and foremost but SWV and TLC were also doing their thing in the mid-90's.

I saw this rare clip of an episode of New York Undercover (anybody remember that show) where SWV sings Switch's There'll Never Be. Taj sings part of the song, which isn't as much of a shock since she did sing solo occasionally on her earlier songs but wouldn't you know LeeLee actually sang a few bars. And in the few seconds she sings, she's cutting it up. It's a shame that Coko was given 90% of the lead, even though there's no doubt that Coko has a very unique voice. But it would've been nice if they evened out the song duties a bit.

Here's the video for you all to see. I'll let you guys be the judge.

Hey, It's Me...Remember Me?

*LOL*...Eugene used to utter those words to me whenever I overextended myself to certain people. There were times when every time I see someone, I felt compelled to say hi, even if the other person could care less to be bothered. Hemingway...

Miss me? Anyone even notice I was gone. That's me....Mr. Cellophane. Mr. Cellophane. Shoulda been my name. Mr. Cellophane. Cause you can look right through me. Walk right by me...and never know I'm there. Hmm...I could so be The Mole. Like I think Clay Cauley is. He's so under the radar. I so could do that. I bet he's the Mole. Hopefully the fools at ABC won't yank it off the air before I find out if I'm right. Unfortunately the ratings haven't been all that great for the show. Though I'm not sure what idiot thought it was smart to put the show at 10PM EST on a Monday after the dreck that's currently called The Bachelor(ette).

I didn't think The Mole would ever see the light of day after the bastards at ABC canned it four years back. But thanks to the uncertain writer's strike and some behind the scenes magic, The Mole has managed to make its way back to TV. Needless to say I've been really happy to see it since I still think The Mole's the best reality TV show out there.

Rock has a thing for the new host Jon Kelley. He says that he's his "one allowance" if he had to step out of the relationship. Personally he doesn't do anything for me. Then again my current "one allowance" is Terry Crews, a guy on a totally different spectrum. I saw Crews on White Chicks this past weekend and damn was he exuding sexuality.

Speaking of relationships, Rock and I are having a bit of a rough spot. Same issues keep creeping back in. Control issues primarily. I don't feel like talking about it anymore. The relationship's limping along but I feel like we're both dancing around ultimately calling it quits. It's like that classic Gladys Knight song 'Neither One Of Us'. We'll see.

In happier news, Tasha mentioned that she's in the market for a new home. I was so happy when she told me the news. I know the biggest reason my parents have held on to the old house we grew up in was due to Tasha still living there. The neighborhood they are in is unfortunately on its last legs. Drug dealers are on the block selling their poison a few houses down and the police aren't doing a damn thing about it. I'd swear the police are in on it. It's a bit of a sham actually since it'll only be a matter of time before the 'white folks' start moving back into the city. But basically they want the remaining folks on the block to kill each other or move out. Besides being a homeowner will give Tasha a good taste of independence and responsibility that she needs. The market is definitely in her favor as there's a lot of homeowners desperate to unload their homes. So she could be closing on a house before the end of the month.

Speaking of which, I found myself visiting Detroit two weekends in a row. Originally I was planning to take week off from work but due to work being a mother (don't even want to talk about that...*LOL*), I was only able to take a couple days here and there. The first weekend I was in Detroit, I primarily came to watch Tasha take part in Race For The Cure. I didn't get to see her walk but I met her at the end of the route. She later treated me to dinner at Famous Dave's.

The following weekend I went to Detroit primarily for my parents. My sisters and I helped my folks celebrate their wedding anniversary. To find out what we did to celebrate, look for all the letters in my entry that are highlighted in red and put them together.

Hemingway till next time.

Kill To Live

This entry is about to go into some dark gray territory. Just warning everyone in advance in case you get squeamish.

I've been loving this show Criminal Minds on CBS. It's a weekly crime show (like we don't have enough of those) that focuses on a group of profilers that work in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. They basically are called on to find killers (who they term on the show as "unsubs" - unknown subjects) before they kill again. They do this by analyzing the clues and helping the local police narrow down a suspect via what they call a profile. This profile goes over the unsubs likely personality traits, such as did they grow up in an abusive home, are they attention seekers, etc., etc. By narrowing down the suspects, they eventually hone in on an unsub or two that fits the profile.

The show's angle of focusing on the profiling team's job actually is what makes the show unique from all the other crime shows (CSI 1, CSI 2, CSI 3...*LOL*) out there. Of course it doesn't hurt that they have a fairly attractive cast, including Mr Caliente himself Shemar Moore.

I didn't find out about the show until it's 3rd season, which it's currently in and thanks to the writer's strike ending (YAY!) should soon resume. The episode that hooked me in focused on a couple of disturbed unsubs (like they all aren't...*LOL*) who killed whole families in their homes by using the "I hit this cat and need to use your phone" ruse. They targeted families in restaurants that may have been having a minor spat. They would watch their routine for a while and then strike. First they would remove the porch light so that the victims couldn't see who was at the door. Then they would use a cell phone jammer to kill all communication on phones. The killers would poison the kids first and then torture and kill the parents. One of the killers worked at an animal shelter, which gave him access to the poor kitties. It ended up the unsubs were killing the kids to spare them from what they perceived as "child abuse" and torture and kill the tormenters. Of course both unsubs came from an abusive foster parent, who the team ended up having to save since the unsubs ultimately targeted that parent.

That episode disturbed me on so many levels. On the lowest level, I had no idea that cell phone jammers even existed. I'll admit there are some folks that can be annoying while on their phones that I wouldn't mind having their signal jammed. But it's scary if those jammers fall into the wrong hands as it did in this episode since your phone (it affected the house phones as well) would be useless and you wouldn't be able to call for help. On a higher level, it was crazy seeing how anyone could be in danger of being targeted by an unsub simply by getting into a routine. It also was scary how even being with a group of people doesn't guarantee your safety.




The show freaked me out but nonetheless that particular episode got me hooked. Thanks to Blockbuster Online, I was able to rent Seasons 1 and 2 to watch past episodes. I'm currently working my way through Season 2.

This leads me to my latest entry. I watched this episode last night where basically the unsub of the week kidnapped three teenage girls from this small town where football is king. The girls were trapped in the unsubs cellar and weren't given any food or water for days. Basically the unsub gave the girls an ultimatum. They had to choose who among them would die so that the other two could live. At first none of the girls considered it but as the days went by, eventually they started turning against each other. "Vocal Girl" wanted to sacrifice "Sick Girl" because she was sick. "Quiet Girl" didn't want to kill anyone and questioned if the unsub would really let them go if they killed one of their own. "Sick Girl" mulled with "Quiet Girl" that she knew "Vocal Girl" wanted to kill her. When "Vocal Girl" finally shouted to the unsub that they made a choice, he threw down a couple of hammers. Yep...if the two girls wanted to live, they had to kill the third girl themselves. And yup, one girl did get killed by another. Then the unsub did as promised and released the other two (after psychologically scarring them).

So Hemingway that episode made me imagine myself being in that situation with two close friends. Would I conspire to kill one of them in order to live? Hell would I wind up being the one getting killed. Ultimately would one of us sacrifice themselves so that the others live? It's a tough situation that I definitely hope not to find myself in.

No way could I do a profiler job. But it's intriguing enough to watch on TV.

Punk's Bitch

I caught a repeat of the premiere episode of I Love New York 2. I tell you, VH1 really is milking this franchise for all it's worth. I just can't turn away from this scripted hot mess. I was d definitely curious about this round's batch of men. Just like the last batch, there's a lot of unsavory types. But there's a couple gems in the bunch...at least looks wise. Hemingway here's a group picture of the entire cast courtesy of VH1's website.

I already have a few favorites in this batch. Again...it's just their looks. These guys are the ones that I circled. The guy in blue who was given the nickname Champion by Miss New York's demon Mama was eliminated in Episode 1. Hopefully he was able to escape the clutches of demon Mama since she clearly had her talons set on getting that hunk of a man.

Fortunately three of my favorites are still in the running. Buddha reminds me of Debo from Ice Cube's Friday movie series. He doesn't do much for me face wise but his body is out of sight. From the previews that were shown, I can look forward to swooning over him. Knock Out is a bit cuter, though again I'm loving his perfect teeth and biceps. Yum. But the guy I'm really drooling over this season is Punk. Believe it or not, he actually is a graduate of Harvard Law School and worked at a prestigious law firm before they fired him. He also resides (probably not currently) in the Chicago area. Again his face is give or take. But he by far has the best body out of all the men in this round. There's even a YouTube of him working out at the gym that I'm sure will get more hits as his notoriety on the show increases.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Whooping AgentOrange

Things are heating up once again on ABC's The View (aka The Shrews). Actually it doesn't seem like a day goes by without not hearing some blurb over what was said on the show. I'm still amazed that this daily trainwreck is still on the air. Then again Rosie's brief tenure on The Shrews raised ratings as folks couldn't wait to see who Rosie laid it into. Rosie and the dumb one (that would be the Survivor twit) even had heated words related to the Iraq war that eventually contributed to Rosie telling The Shrews to fuck off as she rode into the sunset.

Here's footage of that heated exchange.



I don't watch the show regularly but I get my daily fix on the antics of the show from my favorite TV board. Some posters on that board have resorted to calling the twit AgentOrange due to her orange-like skin. Visiting that board and reading the snark is almost as addicting as A4A.

But Hemingway today Whoopi (the new moderator of the Shrews) laid it into the Survivor twit on her generic views on abortion among other topics. Why they don't fire that twit is beyond my comprehension. Who am I kidding? It's all about ratings and the twit nonsensical rantings I'm sure they feel contribute to the ratings. I'm just glad Whoopi laid it on her. I was wondering when the next feud would come.

Here's an article on the exchange (until I can find a link on YouTube....*LOL*).

The jury's still out on the other new kid of the block Sherri Shepherd who some think of as the second coming of Star Jones. She herself has had a rocky start with some of her comments, including one where she thought the earth was flat. Some has argued she hasn't contributed much to the discussions other than corny one-liners. It'll be interesting to see if that changes.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Funny Apples Part III

Okay....I'm going to have to wrap up my New York tales with a quickness. Relative quickness. You know how I type. It's going on almost a month and I may want to blog about something else. In case you need to catch up, here's Day 1 and Day 2.

Actually before I hit New York, I must say I've been impressed with this Half & Half website that was put up by the show's killer CBS Studios. They have numerous pictures of the cast, episode guides for all four seasons, and a schedule for when those episodes appear on syndication. They even have clips from select episodes. I'm not sure how long the site's been up but I must admit I'm impressed with the detail behind it. Of course it doesn't make up for its cancellation but at least I can see episodes (hopefully they're not cut up too bad) again.

So Hemingway Day 3 started just like Day 2 did. We hit the subways. Our destination this time was Coney Island. Rock wanted a lot of this trip to be all about me since I've never been to the Big Apple. Coney Island was the one place that Rock totally desired to go see. Our driver that picked us up at the airport among other folks Rock's talked to warned that Coney Island was run down. Rock himself heard rumors that Coney Island would close at the end of 2007 season, which made seeing it all the more important.

So we took the long, long ride to Coney Island. We got there and it was as Rock's detractors told us it would be. We walked around and enjoyed the surroundings anyway. It almost reminded me of a smaller scale Venice Beach or Boardwalk. If Coney Island were to close, I could totally see some developer or two buying up the land and putting up high rises or condos there. I would think they'd definitely want to take advantage of the ocean front. We wound up capping our short visit to Coney Island with a stop at Nathan's Famous. We shared some fries that were to die for.

Soldier and I were trying to schedule a time to meet today as well. We came up with the possibility of meeting after our visit to Coney's. Unfortunately that didn't work out. Neither did the other times we suggested for Day 3. Sigh.

So Hemingway while making our way back to Manhattan, Rock had a caffeine attack. He just had to have a cafe latte at Starbuck's. So we stopped at the one near our hotel. Rock wound up not really liking it. I think they rushed his order since it was such a crowd at the tiny Starbuck's.

We chilled at the hotel for about an hour before heading out to the nearby Empire State Building. On route to the Empire, we wound up randomly stopping at this movie poster store. The workers there were really nice to us as Rock made his selections. I mostly window shopped. *LOL*. They put Rock's posters in a giant movie tub so instead of lugging the tub to Empire State, we decided to take it back to the room.

So now we're off to Empire State Building. The journey to get inside the building was annoying. The staff there was pimping item after item that supposedly would make the tour more enjoyable. For an extra fee, you could even pay to bypass the long, long lines. I couldn't help but wonder if they got a commission each time they sold an item. So eventually we get to the top floor. I have to admit it was really cool seeing everything from up above. We even got a view of our hotel building.

So that's that. Didn't I say I was going to make this quick? Guess I lied.

After Empire State, we made our way to Barneys of New York in New York. Rock really wanted to go there and do some shopping. He particularly was on the prowl for a certain set of loafers he saw advertised in the Chicago Tribune. He didn't find those loafers but he found a snooty salesman that assumed that both of us were just window shopping. But his snooty ass lost a sale when Rock wound up buying a pair of pricey sandals from another salesperson. Actually had Rock not bought something, I may have bought something just to show him.

So Barneys is like six or seven stories, right? So Hemingway Rock wanted to check out some of the men's clothing up there. I followed him and both of us were scoffing at some of the prices. $2500 for a leather bomber, $275 for some faded t-shirt, $425 for a dress shirt (I think it was Armani...*LOL*). A black (gay) salesman came up and asked if we needed help. Rock started this conversation with him and eventually both of them were going on and on. I didn't think I was doing the 'you better stay away from my man' stare, but apparently Rock insists that I did. I think I may have been more annoyed that the conversation was going on longer than normal and I wasn't really part of it but just standing off to the side.

Okay...fast forwarding a bit. Rock wound up calling an old friend of his that lives in New York and wanting to see if he wanted to hang out with us. The friend did. Rock and Stoney met up and they immediately were one-upping each other in witty satire. It was a bit hilarious listening in as we were walking up and down Manhattan.

We wound up hanging out in the gay part of town....Greenwich Village I believe. We hit a couple bars and a hip-hop club. The highlight of the evening was my getting hit on by an older dude. Rock and Stoney were at the bar getting drinks while I stood off to the side waiting for them. I happen to spot a basket of condoms at the table and decided to grab two. (I didn't want to look like a slut like they treat you at the health clinics and grab two dozen...*LOL*) So after I grab them and discreetly put them in my pocket, I feel someone's hand lightly grab my wrist. I look up thinking it's Rock but it's the guy. We chat a bit and I casually mention that I'm with Rock. He doesn't seem to get the hint until Rock himself finally comes by and places himself strategically between us. I did feel a little sorry for the guy as he tried covering up and later talking about his dead lover.

Overall Stoney showed Rock and me a good time that night and I got to see some of the gay life in New York. New York has some hotties in the house. After stopping at a late night greasy spoon at some point, we wind up getting back to the hotel after 2AM. So ends Day 3.

I woke up on the final day with the worst heartburn and a bit of an upset stomach. It took Rock and I a bit longer to get ready. Luckily both of us had the foresight to pack mostly earlier Day 3 so we didn't have much to pack. Rock wanted to go to the gift shop and get some last minute souvenirs. I was still feeling a bit off so I stayed in the room.

Eugene called me moments later and we were chatting it up while catching each other up on our respective weekend's. I forget about how Eugene's weekend was...*LOL*.

Soldier and I also talked that morning. He was actually on his way to the hotel and wanted to meet Rock and I for breakfast. I couldn't believe it. Even though I didn't harp on it much in my entries, I was excited that Soldier and I were finally going to meet. We've gotten to know each other over time and it was just nice putting a face to a voice. Most of you know what a cool guy he is. Meeting Soldier in a way was like meeting other New York bloggers since he's met most of the New York crowd.

So the highlight of our meeting actually took place after breakfast. Rock excused himself earlier so Soldier and I could talk "blog stuff". We do that and as we're leaving the hotel diner and walking back towards the lobby, Soldier fills me in on a little secret.

When I first headed down to meet Soldier, I noticed that an older lady was sitting at the table with him. The fact that she sat with him threw me off from identifying him initially because I was under the impression that he was coming by himself. So Hemingway he does eventually come up and introduces himself to me. I noticed after we introduced ourselves, he went back to the older lady. It made me think that maybe she was a relative or something that came along for the ride. But I thought nothing of it, despite the fact that she didn't join the three of us for breakfast.

Okay...build up done. So Hemingway Soldier confides in me that the lady (who was actually a stranger) asked him to ask me if I would take a shower with her for $20. I know I was looking good, but damn. Of course I would've never done anything like that, though if it was some hot guy, I may have to stutter a 'no'...*LOL*. But $20 in New York wouldn't even get you a decent lunch. She was a bit behind the times on the going rate there. Needless to say, it was a funny way to end my meeting with Soldier.

On that note, Rock and I checked out and eventually made our way back to the airport. I felt a bit ill (I think I had a stomach virus or something) on route but otherwise the flight back was uneventful. And that in a nutshell (yeah right) was my trip to New York. The End.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Little Boy Happy

It's been a long wait for me but among the population of releases for next Tuesday is Season 2 of Soul Food. To say I've been looking forward to this release would be the understatement of the year. I had my first official glimpse of Soul Food when Season 1 was released on DVD so many years back. I want to say April 2003.

I had heard of the groundbreaking drama series on Showtime when it first aired. But I was too cheap to get the channel and didn't really know anybody that well that had it and would want to watch it. So I would only hear snippets of what was going on.

So longer story short, I pre-ordered the first season DVD and watched all the episodes within three or four days. I got my older sister Tasha hooked on it too when she came to visit me over the 2003/2004 New Year holiday. It was how we rung in the New Year. I didn't even mind watching it again as I got excited seeing my sister's reactions to the episodes.

So you know as soon as I get my pre-ordered Season 2 DVD of Soul Food next week, that it's on.

I was even reminded of one of the episodes last weekend. The episode in question was titled Little Girl Blue. The main focus of the episode was Teri's upcoming promotion to senior partner of her law firm Green & Norris, where she's been a faithful employee for over 5 years. In a memorable series of sequences, she's over at the resident nightclub Groove Theory hobnobbing with the upper crust set that included Green and Norris. While Teri's doing this, Canadian jazz singer Molly Johnson is singing a jazzy tune called My Oh My. That tune along with Nicole's acting really sold the scene for me. Of course that episode started with Teri's highest of high moments and progressed to her hitting her lowest of lows. Nicole Ari Parker worked it that episode.

Hemingway Rock and I went to our first evening social function as a couple this past weekend. It was a slightly snazzy affair that his closest friends go to every year. The crowd was predominantly lesbian with a few gays floating around. Rock and I were arm-in-arm as he was going around introducing folks to me.

As I watched Rock work the crowd (both up close and from a distance), I couldn't help but flash back to that particular episode. We even had a jazz singer that was entertaining us with her music. I later wowed Rock with my skills doing the Cuban slide (my 1st time doing it). I even won a painting I bid on in a silent auction held that night.

Rock and I were the doting pair. We had quite a few PDA's, public displays of affection. It wasn't even like I planned on it but it just felt natural. I imagine we were the talk of the night. Plus Rock couldn't stop complimenting me on how handsome I looked.

The compliments on my style continued Sunday as we spent half the day together having breakfast, then reading the paper at Starbuck's (the coffee shop not my long ago date) and finally chilling at my crib. He even complimented me well into Monday and expressed how he felt like that weekend was a bit of a turning point in our relationship. He wants us to do more outings like that and wants to make an effort to meet my other friends.

Things are progressing nicely as we hit month nine.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Hottie... Edie...WTF!!!!!!!!

Say it isn't so?













If Nicolette Sheridan is really leaving Desperate Housewives, she certainly went with a bang.













Then there's Hottie. The loveable nut case got kicked out of Charm School, which isn't all that charming. The show won't be the same without her crazy antics.

That is all.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Fly Free Sanjaya!

I feel for poor Sanjaya.
Yeah yeah yeah! I went there. With all the big news breaking out....Imus's racist remarks while discussing the women's basketball team in Rutger's, the recent massacre at Virginia Tech (Eugene did his undergrad degree there and recognized one person being interviewed in one of the numerous coverage stories), and of course the continuing loss of life from the war in Iraq, I hone in on Sanjaya's recent boot on American Idol.

I didn't watch Idol Wednesday night instead having a standing appointment bowling. It was finals week and our team was playing for 1st place (again...well the new team I was on). We won. Woo hoo!

But back to Sanjaya. I will admit that he wasn't the best singer by a long shot. I think he knew it too. I imagine even though the contestants are all shielded from the public eye for the most part during the competition, Sanjaya had to catch wind of all the criticism he's been receiving. I know how hard it is for me to handle adversity so I couldn't imagine how a 17 year old was handling it.

Obviously American Idol is all about the almighty dollar. They clearly know that Sanjaya had no business even being in the top twelve. Yet the judges ultimately picked him. Correct me if I'm wrong on that because I usually don't follow Idol (and if I do, I follow it idly...heh) until it's down to the final 12. And then they bitch and moan (well mostly Simon...*LOL*) when he survived week after week and picked off the more talented singers. It's like if you don't think he's talented, why pick him in the first place?

American Idol does this on purpose for ratings. Even if Sanjaya's in on the joke, I imagine it must've been taxing on him. So I'm glad that he got voted off finally, not because of his lack of talent, but just for the sense of relief I'm sure he'll have. Funny thing, though. Sanjaya will do fine after this show. I'm sure he'll have a record deal when all's said and done.

Love him or hate him, he's definitely left an impression.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Unexpected Heights

While browsing a local gay adult site, I was perusing profiles of various members. I came across one member who looked strangely familiar to me. It wasn't so much seeing the familiar face that shocked me. I've seen enough familiar faces from time to time on the site. It was the particular face that threw me briefly for a loop.

Shocked isn't even a good word. Let's just say it was unexpected. The profile in question belonged to a former boss's boss at my current job. Fobobo actually was one of the guys that interviewed me way back when. Since he was highest on the food chain, I had a feeling that I would really have to impress him in order to be considered. Then again former co-worker/friend Stan would argue that I was kissing butt regardless.

Nonetheless since Sally told me when I first came out to her that "everybody knows" about me, a part of me couldn't help wondering in light of my discovery, whether Fobobo had an inkling about me. If he did, I wonder if it played a role in my being hired (aside from kissing everyone's butt extra hard...and actually having the skill sets required...*LOL*) I mean way back when I was in deep denial and never did anything to fuel those latent fires.

In the last year or so, I've run into Fobobo on and off while walking around the office and we're always cordial (though not conversational) to each other. So that's cool. I wonder if he knows about me now if he didn't back then. Regardless of that fact, though, it's safe to say our secrets are safe with each other. For now.

Speaking of work, I'm so not feeling it anymore. But I'm pressing on. No need to complain right now.

Let's move on to happier topics...

In TV news, I don't know if anyone that reads my blog watches Heroes, but this past Monday's episode titled "The Company Man" rocked hard. This was the one where a lot of questions were answered about HRG and whether he really cared for poor cheerleader Claire or not. The whole episode was so smooth and seamless and I nearly cried at the end when HRG "sacrificed" himself to keep Claire from being captured by his organization. And the previews for next week....SIMONE is alive! Well maybe. Some argue it could be a figment of Peter's imagination. Regardless of if it is or not, I'm so there next week.

As for I Love New York, they're down to the final five. It's no surprise to me that Chance is still in the running for New York's affections. Luckily the poor man's Nick Lachey (12-Pack) and Tango are still in the running since they're pretty much my eye candy for the season. But I have a feeling based on the previews that 12-Pack's time is about to be up. Next monday episode is the one where the old girlfriends of the guys are bought in and 12-Pack's ex-gf tells New York that 12-Pack worked in a gay bar. So of course you know that won't go well with New York. I can't wait to catch it.

I've been catching up with Taye Diggs' dead series DayBreak on-line. Unfortunately the bastards at ABC have been holding the series finale hostage. If it weren't for Desperate Housewives (which is marginally better this season) Lost, and this new show on ABC Family that I'm totally digging called Lincoln Heights, I would dump ABC in a heartbeat.

Desperate Housewives, Lost, yeah do a google. But Lincoln Heights, which is about a black middle class family that moves back to a police officer's old neighborhood has proven itself to be quite the hit. It's a bit contrived at times (then again what show isn't) but the acting within the family overall is phenomenal. It's nice seeing a black couple working through their issues and being in a long term marriage. Plus it's always a treat seeing Russell Hornsby shirtless. And any show who employs James Black for an episode is tops in my book. I really hope it's doing good in the ratings department so it comes back next season.

Hemingway I need to eat dinner and get ready for the gym. Till next post.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Cruised or Profiled?

Check this out.

Last night I went to AMC located inside a local surburban mall to meet Sally to catch Stomp The Yard. The movie personally wouldn't be my first choice. But Sally wanted to see it for the eye candy factor. So that's what we agreed to see. The movie was cute and I admit I was pleasantly surprised seeing the lovely Valarie Pettiford in a decent role. It was cool seeing her get work since she's underutilized by Hollywood. I also saw this hottie Laz Alonzo playing a frat guy. Even the thuggish main character who I'm normally not attracted to won me over when he went shirtless. It was cute. Contrived but cute.

But what happened before the movie is the reason for this entry.

Sally and I planned to meet there at 6:30 PM after work. She was running late because she went to work out and wouldn't get there until 7:15. So that gave me a full 45 minutes to kill. After purchasing my movie ticket, I went to Macy's to do some window shopping. I didn't see anything interesting except for some socks. I went to pay for them and was served by this jolly gay white man who was fakingly grinning. I wanted to tell him that I wasn't that pressed for a smile so don't waste his energy. But I didn't.

So I left Macy's and was walking around the mall. I needed to find a restroom and didn't want to go inside the theatre until Sally got there. I walked around looking for a restroom and as I'm walking, I see a white guy dressed like mall security walking down some nearby stairs. I walked past the stairs as he was making his way down, continuing my journey to the restroom. I go inside the restroom and during mid-piss (sorry...*LOL*), I noticed that he's walking in the restroom as well.

I didn't think much of him until I started washing my hands. He went over to a sink further away from me and divided by a wall. I purposely slowed down a bit when drying my hands to see if he would eventually walk away. He didn't. I sort of shook my head in disgust and walked out of the bathroom. I purposely stood in front of a mall directory display for five minutes waiting to see if he'd walk by. He didn't. I briefly turned around and saw him standing a yard or so away from me pretending to be looking elsewhere.

I started walking and saw from the back of my eye that he started walking too. I immediately dug for my cell phone and dialed Sally. I parked my ass on a plush chair between a couple of stores and bitched about my situation. I immediately was under the assumption that mall security was targeting me because I was shopping while black.

While chatting with Sally, I turned my head and as if to confirm my suspicions, I saw him walking not far from me. He then crossed over and strategically stood several feet in front of me, again pretending to look everywhere else but at me. I was livid but at the same time nonconfrontational. I sat there for another ten minutes before he eventually walked away.

What was that all about? Was I being followed because I was black? There weren't any other black folks within my vicinity so it made me wonder. Plus I've had past experiences where it was made obvious that I was being watched.

I went to the mall's website last night after getting back from my movie and was all set to email a complaint to the main site. Unfortunately the stupid site had a form set up so they didn't show their actual email address. I spoke to Rock about it and he thought I should wait until morning to send it in case I thought of anything else.

I spoke to Eugene this morning and based on the information I gave him, he concluded that I was being cruised by the guy. He said that since I first saw the guy half way across the mall coming the opposite direction of Macy's that it wasn't Macy's related. I didn't think it was either. At least I didn't notice anyone following me outside of Macy's. Eugene then said that the reason he followed me into the bathroom was to see if I would initiate conversation with him. The guy he said wouldn't risk his job going after me without any proof of wrongdoing. He then said that I was sending the guy mixed signals. When I gave him a semi-dirty look, he thought I wasn't interested. But then when I stopped by the directory sign and didn't move for five minutes, he wondered if I was interested. But he would have more to lose by risking it so he just followed hoping I would make a move towards him. Then when I sat down he thought I might be interested again until I talked on the cell phone. Then he just gave up.

So what do you guys think? Was I being cruised or profiled?

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Stiffed Like Wood

Heartbreaker (Remix) - Mariah Carey f. Missy and Da Brat

[Mariah]
Verse 1
Boy your love's so good
I don't wanna let go
No no
I should
I can't leave you alone
'Cause your soul is haunting me
Caught up in the midst of you
And I cannot resist
At all

Boy if I do
The things you want me to
The way I used to do
Would you love me baby
Holding me fellin me
Is what you know to break my heart

Refrain
Heartbreaker you've got the best of me
But I just keep on comin' back incessantly
Oh why did you have to run your game on me
I should have known right from the start
You'd go and break my heart

Give me some real love,
Need someone to give me some real love,
Need someone to give me some real love,
Need someone to give me some real love

[Da Brat]
rap
If Da Brat gave a fuck about a nigger
My heart would be broke
Should have know you were star struck when I left you so
I gave you my heart and you broke it again
I'm a fool when you smile at me I'm convinced
I get caught up in you when I just can't resist
I know you lie to me
It just drives me nuts
This one kiss could persuade me to believe your bluffs
You set it up impressin me with gifts and rings
I wish love was dollars cuz money ain't a thing
Cuz when I think of MC blew the party
I got a ready to play somebody
Is that tell me you
Is that for each member of my crew
With that I'm gonna heartbreak you
Now you flat on your back
You really don't know
So I'd advise you not to trust me yo

[Missy Elliot:]
rap
Baby, I'm the real thang
So what ya got me sweatin you consistantly baby
Baby, I got the good thing
So why you makin love to me you crazy baby

I like the way he used to spank me
He used to lie me on my back take that
He used to have me in the sac legs back?
But now he be buggin lately
Hey boy why you actin stinky
I keep it stiff like wood baby
So if you wanna keep a good lady
You need to stop with all the heart breaking

Funny how much I prefer the remix over the original. I actually bought her Heartbreaker CD and the remix song is the only one I listen to. The lack of decent songs turned me off to Mariah forever....until she became Mimi.

So Hemingway VH1spot has Episode 1 of I Love New York online. So you know I watched it. I got a glimpse of the only fine guy in the bunch and New York nicknamed him Wood. His nickname reminded me of Heartbreaker and Missy's rap where she says she keeps it stiff like wood baby.

I Love New York is a hot mess. As a fan of New York's crazy antics, I'm totally looking forward to having my own front seat to this trainwreck. Lots of people were too, judging by the various message boards and blogs dedicated to all that is Flavor of Love. Based on photos of the 20 men that were leaked out, I was predicting that the one hottie would go far in the show.

Boy was I wrong! He got eliminated in the first ceremony. His downfall was admitting that he was on another reality tv show. It was a show Mr. Randy Ritchwood actually won called Mr. Romance. This show, which premiered on Oxygen in 2005, is ten kinds of cheese. You don't believe me. Check out the clips within Oxygen's Mr. Romance site. Cheesy. Then again Oxygen shows are all about the cheese. Except for The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency show. Season 2 begins January 10th. I'm so there.

But Hemingway...back to Mr. Wood.

I believe he won the honor of being featured on the cover of a future romance novel as well as other stuff. He admitted to New York to also be on a "talk show" he called Elimidate! Heh...anyone who watches reality TV knows that Elimidate! is the furthest thing from a talk show. Well there is banal banter for a few minutes that I suppose can loosely be called conversation. But a talk show...he needed to pull it out the other ear.

I suppose since Wood (the nickname New York gave him) is a fine chunk of man, he figured that he would get a pass based on his looks. And I have to admit, if I were New York, I would've waited until the half way mark before dumping him. He actually resembles Boris Kodjoe a bit. But he was definitely full of shit. But it's not like the rest of those man hoes are sincere. What's the big deal about being on too many reality tv shows anyway...this show included brings New York's reality tv count to three. Hypocrisy 101 if you ask me.

I mean, she kept "Mr. We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off To Have A Good Time cause I made other people billions with my ideas but was stupid enough not to be rich myself" guy over Wood. She kept bootleg fake preacher toting Anwar over Wood. She kept a hoodrat she nicknamed Chance over him. Oh wait...actually Chance could be her shining armor and speculation is he'll probably make final 3 at minimum.

Damn her for dropping my one piece of eye candy. Guess I'll have to settle for the Nick Lachey look alike. Nick Lachey does have a banging body and wasn't shy showing it off Episode 1. Or I can always check out Wood's nudes (where he gives new meaning to keeping it stiff like wood, baby), courtesy of FlavorofLoveBlogspot. He's Mr. Romance, alright.

I'll still watch the rest of the season. I mean, New York's Mom (if she really is that) steals the show already. I have a feeling she may be getting her a piece of man for herself. As for Chamo, New York's gay assistant, you just know he'll be caught making out with one of the guys. Fun mindless times indeed.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

NY State Of Mind

I'm so pysched...New York is back in the motherfucking house. Check out New York and her 20 men. The pink dude sitting to her left I assume is the equivalent to Flav's Big Rick except he's gay. Actually half the dudes competing for New York's love look gay. Then again, New York's personality is so abrasive it naturally does attract gay guys. I mean, that's pretty much my fascination with her...*LOL*. Yeah right...



Let's see...there's a Nick Lachey wanna-be in the left with a banging body actually. There's Sisqo on the far right near the back. Anwar from VH1's Kept in the cap leaning behind Nick Lachey. Then there's the "you don't have to take your clothes off to have a good time" guy (and please let this dude keep his clothes on...ewww) showing off his bling with Suge Knight to his left and the only fine ass dude in the whole bunch in dead center to his right.

He's so fine...I had to crop his picture from the group. Why the hell he would be on a show like this competing for the likes of NY is beyond me? Oh who am I kidding? They're all wannabe famewhores. Whatever it takes to have their fifteen minutes of fame. I have a feeling he makes it pretty far in the fake competition unless the other dudes succeed in getting him kicked out.

And I wonder what symbol of New York would each surviving guy get. Would it be an ashtray in dedication of her binge cigarette habit? How about a piece of her weave?

Either way since I lost so much of my brain cells watching Flavor of Love...I figure I might as well lose some more on this show when it premieres in January.

p.s....I know I've been doing a lot of TV talk lately and actually I might've been spammed by someone that said they wanted me to watch all eight parts of Sleeper Cell: Terror in America to blog about here since I heard nothing further from dude....but whatever. (Sorry for the run-on.)

Hemingway I promise to talk more about my life. Actually Eugene's coming to town this weekend and I'm hoping he'll get to meet FordRock. FordRock also wants Eugene to meet his friend, who he says is his version of Eugene. That should be interesting. I'll be sure to tell all about it if things kick off.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Tatum Tantrums

Since UPN and WB merged together last September, the new silly station CW took over the WB spot. I never really paid attention to what would happen to those stations that carried UPN. That changed my last visit to Detroit. My first night there, my Mom was telling me about some soap operas on this new network. Desire was the name of one of the shows. The other one being called Fashion House. The common theme shared by both shows is that they feature in their cast older white women bent on tormenting everyone around them. The network is mynetworkTV and I sat through an episode of each. All I could do was crack up as I tried to make sense of the storylines. Neither show really hooked me, though. The latter did have the sexy underutilized black (aren't they all) actor James Black. Then again it wasn't like I watched more than one episode of that dreck.

While home in Detroit for Thanksgiving, I sat with my Mom enduring another couple episodes of the shows. She really got hooked on both big time. I learned that both shows were coming to an end. (As of this writing, both Desire and Fashion House are no more.) But I was not to fear. Two new soap operas would be taking its place. Of the two, the one that actually had the catchier promo was that one called Wicked Wicked Games. It stars Tatum O'Neal, who they tout as an Academy Award winner (although it happened when she was like eight...so that was many moons ago). In reading her bio, apparently she dated Michael Jackson (or as the tabloids call him now...Wacko Jacko) in the 70s and says in her autobiography that his single 'She's Out Of My Life' was loosely based on her. Interesting stuff.

Hemingway her character Blythe is a bitter divorcee who is seeking revenge against her ex. The preview shown on TV was crazy. And Tatum plays the character so over the top that I actually may be interested in following the show. The preview shows her punching some lady and then talking to a confidant all nonchalant about how the lady was just standing there one minute and the next minute 'Pow' while showing Tatum punching the lady's lights out. But I'm trying to resist as I don't want to get caught up in a daily soap opera. Isn't my life enough of one?

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Fetishizing Money

So did anyone watch this past Monday's episode of Deal or No Deal? It was this guy from Arkansas that was apparently dubbed as an entrepeneur? But he was living in the basement of his sister and brother-in-law's house. Anyway he came across as gullible and annoying and by the end of the night walked out with $10 after turning down a high of $218,000. His sister I could tell was livid as all hell as she kept telling dude to take deal after deal and dude kept pushing his luck till it ran out. Worse yet her husband kept telling him to keep going. I know girlfriend was ready to smack both of them after that show ended.

I bet if Eugene had seen that episode, he would've witnessed one of the realest family relationships on the show (at least once dude won $10). When I was in Boston the weekend before, we were watching an episode of the popular NBC gameshow.

Eugene started going into one of his imfamous rants about society. He pointed out how family members that were on the show were probably hating on a given contestant until said contestant made it on the show. He ranted how the husband of a recent contestant probably had countless affairs behind his wife's back yet called her 'the love of his life' when being introduced on the show. How a woman would shout 'she's my bestest friend in the entire world' when just the day before the contestant may have backstabbed her.

His point was that the extended families were only saying things in the hopes that they get a cut of the money in the event a player wins big. In theory, he's probably right. All families do have their own issues so in likelihood there probably were conflicts taking place prior to them being on the show.

He also said that TV shows like Deal or No Deal encourages what he calls the 'fetishizing of money' at no cost. Basically the show puts the idea that money is the answer to everyone's problems. Who cares if Billy Bob was sleeping with the contestant's sister. There's no love lost because they can get some money and is encouraging kids to aspire to be on a game show for some easy money.

His ranted about the lack of interest a lot of his students have in trying to learn about societial issues instead focusing on making a quick buck. He feels shows such as these contribute to this phenomenon.

Eugene was to me being a bit extreme and seemed to rebuff my suggestions that maybe not everybody falls into that same belief. When he gets into his rants, he makes valid points but he tends to not see things from the other side of the coin. It's like he's basically saying it's his way or the highway.

The way I see it (and I may go into a digression...but umm I do that often...*LOL*) is that most folks I know don't want to spend the rest of their lives doing menial tasks with little pay and always having to struggle to make ends meet. Even those like me who are making decent wages don't want to always have the stress and aggravation said jobs give. Of course there are those who thrive on said stress. And of course most folks probably won't think to apply on Deal or No Deal but people will look for ways to try and get ahead.

While money shouldn't be the end all, be all of things, the accumulation of wealth is one way folks can try and better their lot in life. And I believe that unfortunately everybody can't be extremely wealthy and there will be a need for folks that do the menial jobs. If Deal or No Deal provides some sort of escapism for folks, then I don't see the harm (though the show is contributing to the dumbing of America...but that's yet another side rant that can come out of this debate).

Besides most folks I know wouldn't want to air their dirty secrets to all of America so even if family members do hate each other in real life, they'll likely keep the hate on the low until the cameras stop rolling.

But nonetheless he does bring an interesting point to the table. And I like the way the word fetishizing sounds so freaky. But maybe it's just cause I'm a freak.

Monday, November 13, 2006

E TV

I haven't been talking much about my viewing habits this fall season. But I have been hooked on a few shows over the months.

First and foremost, Flavor of Love 2. That's more of a guilty pleasure. I mean it's embarrassing to admit that I even watched that chunk fest. Yeah it's over. Flav wound up picking the big booty girl from Detroit who can be seen here and here. Such a role model...:-)

So has Flava Flav found love. The answer is no. After the reunion aired, there were already rumors that they had broken up. Too bad so sad.

My fave girl New York was back in the mother fucking house by the half-way point and managed to be a two time loser to Flav. But alas it won't be the last we hear of New York. She has her own show on VH-1 called "I Love NY" that's premiering in January. That oughta be fun. I'm so there.

I've gotten hooked on new shows Heroes on NBC and The Nine on ABC. The former is about a group of ordinary people who discover that they have extraordinary superpowers. Apparently they have to use those powers to "save the world". I'm surprised how the show managed to reel me in as I'm not really a comic book superhero reader.

The Nine follows the lives of 9 individuals following being stuck in a bank robbery for over 2 days. The writing seems pretty tight, though the ratings don't seem to be all that great. In fact, I'm almost fearing it'll be cancelled before the season is out. That would be a shame.

Of course I still watch Lost and Desperate Housewives (damn wasn't the "Bang" episode last week stellar?)

One show that I haven't been following but may watch this Tuesday is Dancing With The Stars. I was mainly turned off by the host Tom Bergeron. But I keep seeing hotties Joey Lawrence (sigh...I miss Half & Half), Emmitt Smith, and Mario Lopez flashing on my TV screen and recently on the cover of TV Guide (that was a hot cover). I think I'll put up with the corny & annoying Bergeron for one evening. There's more than enough eye candy to keep me interested and there's always the mute button.

Happy TV surfing.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

I Hate CW

I had a really bad feeling about the fate of Half & Half since I first heard about the merging of UPN and WB. Stacey-Deanne's blog entry with her opinions about the merger pretty much mirrored what I was feeling. CW ended up dumping Half & Half from the new roster.

Out of the eight current black UPN comedies in circulation, only three were chosen to move to CW. The first was Everybody Hates Chris. That one was sort of a no-brainer considering the high praise the series had gotten during its debut season. It had one of UPN highest ratings when it first premiered. The show is pretty funny (at least the few times I've seen it since I was usually bowling that night). The buzz since the merger news hit was the EHC was safe. Just about every single article citing the stupid merger mentioned them in the fall line-up.

The second series to survive was Girlfriends. Despite the uneven writing over the last couple seasons(Seasons 1 - 3 remain IMHO the strongest seasons), it did seem logical that the network would renew Girlfriends. I will give GFs a tiny bit of credit. Their season finale was actually very good, even though it seemed to knock Joan way too much. I mean, forgive a sister for deciding to look out for #1 after years of being taken advantage of time and time again by her so-called girlfriends. But whatever, GF is safe for another year.

The third UPN series to survive is All Of Us. Other than the association with Will Smith (of Fresh Prince Fame) and Jada Pinkett (of A Different World fame), I'm at a loss as to why this show was picked up another season. I don't know. I guess I'm cynical but I really couldn't get into this show at all.

I'm equally disturbed that the network decided to renew 7th Heaven for half a season. That show has been crap for many years. But like a cockroach, the shit survived again.

I don't know if I'm going to watch the CW at all. I'm really disappointed that they chose to dump Half & Half after they've had their strongest season yet. I guess if there is a bright side to this whole debacle, Half & Half is IMHO ending on a strong note. It's definitely better to be remembered as an overall solid series rather than having a few strong seasons and then experiencing a slow decline. My only hope is that the show gets released on DVD. But I don't think I'm holding my breath for that one. I'll miss seeing my weekly dose of Phyllis and BDD going at it. I'll always remember their Mother's Day duets, which were an annual treat.

Fuck CW!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Is The Chase On?

Mona had a really tough choice to make during the season finale of Half & Half. Her ex-boyfriend Lorenzo managed to creep his way back into her life and caused the break-up of her relationship with Chase. So Mona handled the break-up badly, lashing out on family and friends at the job. She finally reined in her feelings and even went to a therapist that wasn't her Mom, but relapsed a bit when Chase was still hanging out with the family.

Her therapist suggested Mona date both Lorenzo and Chase to decide which guy she wanted. So things were going good on that front. I mean, hello, two hot brothers competing for her affection. Sigh...if only I were that lucky. I can't even get one to show any half-way interest in me. But Hemingway...

So after all the fun she had, both guys forced her to make a choice. She went back and forth, not getting much help from the family, until finally with advice from her Dad to listen to her heart, she made her selection. Of course, she didn't say who that selection was.

Assuming the new CW isn't stupid, we'll know her choice in September.

So who do you think Mona should choose?

Should she get with this? ---->

<---- Or should she get with that? I know I'd choose Chase because Chase is where it's at? It's no contest really. Chase totally was making my insides warm when he first appeared on the show. Lorenzo's hot too but he didn't really do it for me.

I hope we get to see the choice Mona made.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Reality Junkie

Hi. My name is E and I have a problem. I'm addicted to reality TV. It started out innocent enough. A Survivor episode here, The Mole episode there. (Awwww...I miss The Mole. That was my show damn it!) I've come to the realization that 80% of my viewing habits involves some element of reality TV.

Let's take earlier this year. VH1, a station I hardly watched much in the past, premiered two reality TV shows that put the focus on objectifying males. Needless to see, I became VH1's bitch! I'm talking about Kept and Strip Search. Of the two shows, Kept was actually the more interesting one. The concept behind the show was that Jerry Hall was on this quest to find her "kept" man, a job with unclear expectations as was seen when she ultimately chose the most uncouth & unkept man of all, Seth. A friend of mine who I debated on this (yeah the things I debate about...*LOL*) told me that her choice of Seth made sense because despite his unorthodox behavior, he was the only one that made her laugh & got the real Jerry to come out. I saw his point, maybe, but why go through all those bullshit exercises saying that a kept man must do this and must do that if she winds up picking someone who didn't even try on most of his tasks. Tasks that were deemed things a "kept" man is supposed to do. I had a mad crush on Devonric & if it were me, he would've been the one I chose. I mean...look at him:

Ok fine. I suppose he may not have been the most articulate person in the group. And yes, CONVERSATE is not a word...*LOL*. But I'm sure with some polishing and such, he'd have been perfect.

Or maybe it was my wishful thinking...*LOL*. I love ya anyway D, even though you don't know me from Adam.

You'd think a show titled Strip Search would be interesting. But it wound up being the most boring dreck created. Yet I couldn't look away. It was like one of those train wrecks that you can't help but watch. The mistakes were plenty. They spent two episodes focusing on the selection process Billy and some chick I can't remember had regarding potential strippers. Who freaking cares? Then it seemed like they picked guys for the drama factor. It was hilarious hearing some of these guys act like stripping for a living was their biggest dream ever. Plus these guys were so melodramatic, you'd think you were in a sorority. Billy's reasons for eliminating guys was so bogus. For example, two of the guys he dropped because of their kid issues. Basically the guys expressed how much they missed them (although hello, it's not like you'll never see them again. Get a grip...*LOL*). The thing is Billy knew they had family so to use that as an excuse to kick them off was stupid. Gah...but glued to my TV I was through it all so they must've done something right...*LOL*.

Then just as those two series were ending. VH1 threw a triple punch with Surreal Life 5, Hogan Knows Best, and Celebrity Fit Club 2. Fortunately Hogan's show wasn't that compelling to me but I got sucked into SL5 and CFC2. My favorites on CFC2 were Victoria Jackson & Toccara of America's Next Top Model fame. The latter looked hotter and hotter as the weeks went by. It was cool seeing her sashaying across the walkway like it was a runway. The show, of course, added its own elements of drama. I guess they do whatever it takes to reel viewers in.

Then there's SL5. I knew it'd be crazy when they included nutjobs Janice Dickinson (another ANTM alum and claims to be the world's first supermodel) and Omarosa (Apprentice 1 reject.). Toss in Balki from Perfect Strangers and Jose Conseco and you have the makings for nutty TV. Since Surreal Life moved to VH1, the series has an annoying habit of showing only 5-10 minutes of new footage while airing the same ol' crap they already shown at least two or three times. They're milking it for all it's worth, which actually when it comes right down to it, ain't worth much.

To make things worse, Apprentice is back. But it's not one version but two. What's a reality junkie to do? Watch them both I guess. Along with America's Next Top Model. Good grief. Talk about reality overload. Maybe it's about time I focus on my reality...:-)