Britney Turns The Tables

Hahaha. Nice...

Britney Spears gave the paparazzi a dose of their own medicine by bringing a video camera to a Mexican restaurant in Burbank, California.

For more of these pics (and more of Britney Spears), please click here.

I wonder what she'd do with the video, though. Show it to her kids?

Also, I'm not digging her outfit. Or at least, the boots. I guess, as long as her private parts aren't being seen, it's all right.

Joey Fatone Offers Britney Spears A Way Out

This is nice. Somebody actually is extending help to Britney Spears.

As you know, JC Chasez is my favourite *NSYNC-er. Sadly, he may have nice words to say about Britney, but he hasn't offered her a helping hand. At least the way Joey has.

It's nice, because it's refreshing to know that someone still cares enough for Britney to offer help. While everyone else is (justifiably or otherwise) bashing her for her actions and behaviour Joey Fatone is actually expressing a desire to do something. Joey is a good guy, that's why.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the only obstacle for Britney's healing is Britney herself.

She's been to rehab and it didn't help. I thought she'd change her partying and crazy ways when she had a child; she didn't. Post-partum depression, however, is different and something to be concerned about. Anyway, when she filed for divorce, I thought she'd attempt to change her life other than ditching K-Fed. Not to mention that she's fighting with her mother, who may not be Mom of the Year but is still her mother.

I think Britney needs tough love. She needs someone tough and firm, but caring enough to let her understand the effects of her behaviour and actions.

She also needs those who still care about her to pray for her. We should pray that God will change her heart and turn her life around. She needs it.

I hope Joey and his family pray for her. And I also hope that Britney doesn't ruin Joey's life.

Evangeline Lilly Quitting LOST?

No, Evie, no!!!

I saw an article in the celebrity gossip page of the free daily about Evangeline Lilly, the stunning Canadian and LOST actress. It said that she and Dominic Monaghan, whose character was killed off in last season's finale, are going through a rough patch in their relationship. It is reportedly stressful keeping up their relationship with Evie filming season four in Oahu and Dom "exploring new horizons" in Los Angeles. Ananova.com reported that Dom promises to fly out to Oahu to see her every few weeks "because she's the love of his life" - which, I think, is very romantic. But, apparently, "things have hit a rough patch." Unfortunately, for us LOST and Kate fans anyway, Evie may quit LOST to save their relationship.

Well, long-distance relationships are difficult indeed to maintain. (Theoretically, at least, because I've never had one.) I've heard that long-distance relationships between two celebrities are even more difficult. Especially if you've been used to being with and working with the love of your life for three years. Then, boom, his character is killed off, while hers stays in the show until the remainder of the series.

I don't know if Darlton will let her quit LOST if she asked for it. Kate's story arc isn't complete. Also, the fact that she was in the rattlesnake-in-the-mailbox scene in "Through The Looking Glass" indicates her story arc may not be complete until the end of the series.

As romantic and brave as it is to sacrifice a great show like LOST for love, I hope Evie has enough professionalism to finish her character's run in the show.

I hope this rumour isn't true. But if it is, on behalf of all her fans, I'll say...

NO, EVIE, NO!!!

My Only Wish This Year

I know, I know. September is only ending. I still have to get through Thanksgiving and Halloween (which I don't celebrate anyway).

But I want to say it now... Just so it's clear...

That there are only two material things I'd like to get this Christmas.

This...

(A given for any LOST fan.)

And this...


Now, I only have to convince my sister to buy this 80 GB iPod Classic for me.

DocArzt's "Highway to Hawaii Raffle"

I'm a big fan of DocArzt of The Tailsection, one of the best LOST fan sites. Well, any LOST fan is great in my books anyway. But having a day job at BuddyTV.com, having a family, and maintaining a LOST fan site at the same time is incredible in my books.

Anyway, DocArzt was invited to visit the LOST set as a guest of the LOST crew. That's freakin' fantastic, right? Unfortunately, he and his family is spending a lot of money for his oldest son's stay in a development disabilities program, he won't be financially ready for the Oahu trip.

So he's having a raffle/fundraiser titled "Highway to Hawaii Raffle." Here's how it works, straight from his article:

For a minimum donation of $1.00 you will receive an entry. Each $5.00 donated on top of the first dollar will get you an additional entry. On October 10th we will publish the complete list of everybody’s number of entries for download. The list will be printed, cut into strips, and on October 15th, via live streaming video on the BuddyTV chat appliance, I will draw 10 names from a fishbowl. The winners will be announced live, and published on the website

Entrants will not be named, every entrant will be assigned a number and will be contacted through email with that number.

Winners will provide DocArzt with head shots, which will be blown to life-size, printed out, and attached on sticks. If the LOST cast and crew allow him to take photographs of cast members and/or LOST shooting locations, he will try his darnedest to include the winners' head shots in the photos. They might not let him, though. But he'll try anyway.

For more information, please click here or the photo for the article.

Clicking the Pay Pal logo at the bottom of the article will bring you to this:

Just follow the instructions and then you'll be sent an e-mail confirmation. Voila! You're all done.

I did it in less then five minutes, at work, just before my boss came in. (Hehe.)

And now you can also help for free! Just follow the links on the original article.

Donated? Done?

Awesome!

LOST 2007 Emmy Nominations: Primetime Emmy Update

"Expect the worst, but hope for the best."

I don't know who said this, but I think that person is a freaking genius.

Days before the 2007 Primetime Emmy statuettes were handed out, TV critics and bloggers have touted the just-ended mafia series The Sopranos as the drama series that would sweep the awards in the drama category.

So today, I watched "Through The Looking Glass" online, and then the "Pilot Parts 1 & 2" and the season one finale "Exodus Parts 1 & 2" on DVD. I didn't even watch the ceremonies.

Just to recap, LOST went zero-for-two at the Creative Emmys last week. The following were LOST's nominations for the Primetime Emmys:

Outstanding Directing For A Drama for Jack Bender's direction of "Through The Looking Glass"

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series for Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse's writing of the same episode

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for Michael Emerson's portrayal of Benjamin Linus and for Terry O'Quinn's portrayal of John Locke

As predicted (by everyone else), Alan Taylor won the directing statuette for The Sopranos. Also, David Chase won the writing award for The Sopranos' series finale.

The Sopranos also took the Outstanding Drama Series award that LOST was snubbed for. I'm pretty sure Darlton are consoling themselves with the fact that a worthy series won the best drama series award. If Boston Legal won, then we'd all be so pissed off.

The beautiful thing about tonight is that LOST won one award. It was a long time coming too.

Terry O'Quinn, our beloved John Locke, took home the Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series award!!!

Way to go, Terry! Woo hoo!!!

He was nominated in the same category with Naveen Andrews in the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards, but lost to William Shatner of Boston Legal. Such is an example of the injustice in this world.

Although injustice and unfairness in the entertainment industry is very common, the Lord still rewards those who deserve accolades when they deserve it.

LOST may have been snubbed in the outstanding drama series category, but Terry O'Quinn's exemplary acting has finally been recognised.

Congratulations, Terry!

LOST Moving to Mondays?

DocArzt from The Tail Section wrote about a rumour going around that ABC is moving LOST to Mondays at 8 PM EST. I'm guessing, it's actually 8/7 Central.

Monday? So, Wednesday isn't going to be the best day ever?

Not that I don't like it. CSI: Miami is also on Mondays at 10 PM. Which means two of my favourite shows are on the same night. Matthew Fox, Josh Holloway, and Adam Rodriguez on Monday nights? Now, who's going to dislike that?

Also, Heroes is on Mondays at 9 PM, as well as 24. Apparently, Prison Break is on the rumoured timeslot on Fox, so its ratings may suffer especially from those who love LOST than any other show on Mondays. They may TiVo Prison Break and watch LOST instead. Hah!

Anyway, is ABC trying to avoid American Idol and go head-to-head with Prison Break instead?

Also, why eight o'clock? ABC doesn't want LOST to battle with Heroes? There are Heroes fans who are also LOST fans. Personally, I prefer to watch LOST at 9 PM, because the big TV is all mine during that time.

According to DocArzt, nothing is set in stone yet. It's just a rumour. DocArzt wrote the word "rumor" six times - yes, I counted them. That's more than enough to prove that nothing is definite until winter.

Not Just Retail Therapy

Many of us women go on shopping trips when we're upset, heartbroken, or sad. It's like an escape to us. We buy clothes, shoes, accessories, electronic gadgets, books, music, and/or movies. The idea of going to a shopping centre, entering a store, browsing through the sales rack or the new-arrivals rack, picking one item or two (heck, more than two), bringing the purchase to the cash register, and paying for it gives us a kind of thrill that men feel when they play or watch sports.

My sister is like that. When she's upset, she either goes for a long walk or goes to Home Sense or Pier 1 Imports. More often than not, she goes shopping for herself, her kids, or some other people. Although she's already paying two mortgages (owning two houses is never fun), she still makes a noticeable dent in her bank account that, in turn, makes her husband grumpy.

I think my sister (and I) inherited this shopaholic gene from our mother. Our dear mom didn't have lots of expensive escape back in Manila. Unfortunately, the first time she got really pissed off at us, she decided to escape to Morgan City, Louisiana, USA where my brother was. She was there for quite a few months. Whenever I talked to her, she complained about her favourite child. About a year after she came back she got dangerously upset at us, so she purchased a plane ticket to the Philippines. When we dropped her off at the Vancouver International Airport, my brother-in-law quipped that upsetting the women in my family is very expensive.

Well, I am my mother's daughter.

When I'm pissed off or depressed, I go to any of the local malls, usually to Chapters/Coles and HMV. Now that I've embraced online shopping, I buy my books/music/movies from Amazon.ca or Chapters.Indigo.ca. I downloaded iMesh and subscribed to Y! Music Unlimited so I could download songs faster and pay for them for less. (Yes, that's right: I pay for my music, unless I'm desperate for a particular song. When it becomes available, I buy it and then delete the bootleg version.)

But, now, I'm taking this expensive escape to a different level.

I'm actually thinking of purchasing my own place. A condo, to be specific.

I've always been someone who prefers owning things rather than borrowing them or renting them. If you can own it, why rent it?

Yes, I was born into a culture wherein an adult child can only leave the family home once he or she is married. (Even married adult children stay in the family home, but it's only because of exorbitant rent on sub par apartments.) But I am now living in North America where it's more than normal - expected - for a recent high school graduate to move out of the family home to go to college/university or to work.

Here's the deal: I have a difficult mother and sometimes difficult sister. Maybe it's in our genes - and after all, my mother's blood runs in our veins - but a cold war between any two of the three women is not uncommon. It's not easy to live with my mother. Which is why the idea of buying my own place crossed my mind in the first place.

Why a condo, and not a house or a townhouse? Well, first of all, it's only going to be me and perhaps a dog. I know my mother would want to live with me, but I don't, so it's just me. Also, I don't have a green thumb and I'm lazy so I wouldn't bother and I'll just pay for the maintenance of the condo complex front lawn. Lastly, I want to learn how to live on my own, because if I'm going to be eternally single, I'd need to get used to being alone.

I'm not in a hurry though. I'm still saving up money and trying to make up my mind about what I really want. Plus, I really need to learn how to cook and how to not dislike cleaning the bathroom. Most importantly, I'm waiting on the Big Guy Upstairs, sort-of like a divine sign that my condo-living dream coincides with His will for me.

It's funny because I listed a "Wanted: Condo" kind-of thing on Facebook Marketplace, and someone contacted me about it. We exchanged messages and she asked me what I'm looking for. I told her that I want at least a 2-bed/bath condo that's close to transit and located in either Burnaby or New Westminster, BC. She added me to her mailing list and now I get several e-mails with active listings everyday. (See? Facebook works!) Now, I have an unofficial real estate agent!

I know it's expensive, especially with the housing boom in the Greater Vancouver area these days. The 2010 Winter Olympics made it even more expensive as developers, Realtors, etc., all want to cash in before, during, and after the Olympics.

Besides, I want this new place of mine to be a permanent thing. It's not like retail therapy where one buys something to feel better, something impulsive and fleeting. This idea has crossed my mind for quite some time, but I'm only getting serious about it now.

If only God can grant me a generous dose of patience.

LOST 2007 Emmy Nominations: Creative Arts Emmy Update

The Creative Arts Emmy® statuettes were handed out in Los Angeles yesterday, September 8th.

As you can recall, LOST is nominated in the following Creative Arts categories:

Outstanding Single-camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series

Unfortunately, LOST, well, lost in both categories. The single-camera picture editing award went to the Showtime show Dexter, while the sound editing award went to 24.

Let's just hope I'll have happier LOST news next week when the Primetime Emmy statuettes are handed out.

100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME

TIME Magazine has just released their list of 100 best TV shows of all-time.

The list includes 24, The Cosby Show, American Idol, Arrested Development, The Simpsons, Friends, Deadwood, Felicity, Freaks and Geeks, I Love Lucy, M*A*S*H, The Office, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Roots, Saturday Night Live, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

According to TIME Magazine's TV critic, James Poniewozik, he "polled friends and colleagues, read other lists and spent days watching DVDs and going to the Paley Center for Media to re-evaluate shows I hadn't seen in decades." He also set some guidelines:

—It's My List... which means that it's unavoidably subjective, indefensible and shaped by my experience. I included British shows, for instance, but not many, and generally those that got wide exposure on American TV. Because I'm American, and we're like that.

—... But It's Not All About Me. This list is not just about what I like or have fond memories of, or it would include Man vs. Beast and Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp. Like any critic, I relied not just on my gut but on aesthetic priorities. (Important: voice, originality, ideas, character and influence. Not so important: social conscience, moral values, educational content. I sincerely hope that no one over 5 watches TV to improve him or herself.)

—No Grading on A Curve. There are shows that have been handicapped because they had to deal with restrictive broadcast standards, because the medium was new, because they had to get a bigger audience than boutique cable shows, and so on. This is not fair. It is also not my problem. I aimed to make a list of the 100 best TV shows, not the 100 best shows "considering what they had to put up with," "for their time" or "if you like that sort of thing."

—Spread It Around. Is The Price Is Right objectively equal to The Sopranos? Of course not. But TV would not be TV without game shows�and talk shows, and sports, and soaps, and videos and even commercials. TV should be smart, but TV should also be dumb. So while I judged each show on its merits, I also stepped back, looked at the list, and tried to give an overview of what TV is and has been: fiction and non, daytime and primetime, highbrow and low, broadcast and cable.

—It's Not a Popularity Contest. This list features huge hits and commercial disasters. Some great shows have big universal themes and wide appeal; others have small audiences, not because people are stupid, but because they have themes (say, inside-show-business satire) that only so many people care about. I don't believe that the people are always wrong (or I'd never have picked American Idol), but if I put shows on the list simply because a lot of other people would, I might just as well have thrown together Nielsen's top 100 and gotten the whole thing done in an hour.

—Two Shows, One Slot. Where two shows with the same creators or talent had similar themes, milieus, characters or narrative styles, I generally picked one. So: Monty Python but no Fawlty Towers; Cheers but no Frasier; Seinfeld but no Curb Your Enthusiasm; The Bob Newhart Show but no Newhart; My So-Called Life but no thirtysomething. I did include both versions of The Office because they were different achievements (the American is the better series, Ricky Gervais' the better performance), but also because—all together now!—it's my list.

—The One-Year Rule: I considered only shows that debuted before 2006, to see if they held up beyond one season or (if they lasted a year or less) if they have held up over time. Sorry, Friday Night Lights.

There is one other show in this list of 100 best TV shows of all-time that shocked and delighted me...

The article for this TV show includes this very nice statement: "[I]t's a fine show on the level of character and writing, but what makes it a classic is that it's the finest interactive game ever to appear in your living room once a week."

Very nice, ain't it?

It also says this about this particular show: "[This show] proves that millions of people will support a difficult, intelligent, even frustrating story—as long as you blow the right kind of smoke at them."

Get it? Get it? Get it?

LOST!

There's no ranking whatsoever. But I was so, so happy when I saw The Tailsection headline about this TIME Magazine list.

On behalf of the creators, executive producers, cast and crew of LOST, I thank you, James Poniewozik, for choosing our beloved show as one of the best TV shows of all time. To me, LOST is the best TV show ever, and I thank you for recognising that.

Congrats to all of us who love LOST!