Reality Wrap-up

As you all know, I'm a bit of a reality TV junkie. I have been glued to my favorites in the past few weeks, just waiting to see who would get the mirror ball trophy, the Cover Girl contract, and the Kiss of Death recording contract. So, here's my take on all the outcomes, for anyone who also cares.


America's Next Top Model This will be brief. The doe-eyed blondie really suprised me when she pulled out a good runway walk in the finale. I think they must have chosen her worst walking moments when they were editing the show so we would all be stunned by the fact that she could walk in heels with sass. Tiyana (is that how it's spelled?), who looks a bit alien, or, as the judges put it, "wind in the face," ended up winning it all. Good for her. Her pictures were consistently good, she had a tiny waist and was 7 feet tall. But her walk was BOOOOOORING. Not at all sassy. I am looking forward to the next season, which is short models only (5'7" and under). Why didn't I try out for it? I didn't want to upstage Tyra.

Dancing With The Stars My favorite moments from the finale:

1. The Roast, which made everyone look angry and hurt, because it really wasn't all that funny, and made it awkward for the next little while. Who thought it was a good idea to sit down the finalists and insult them right before their final dance? The comments Geoffrey Ross made to Tom Bergeron fell especially flat. I have never seen Tom look so put out or unjolly.

2. Steve Wozniak's attempt at the worm, AGAIN. He couldn't do it the first time. It was cruel to ask him to repeat himself. And it was much much worse the second time. Poor nerdy man. He is so cheerful about it all, and a bit oblivious, too.

3. The fact that all 3 dancers in the finale were good. I think Shawn Johnson totally redeemed herself in the last 2 weeks. And you know it's going to be a winning freestyle when they rip off their outer costume layer to reveal lots of sequins and fringe. The flashdance thing was fun, if only for the combination of a hot man and catchy music. For me, what I liked about Melissa's was that Tony was doing hip hop, and seems like a pretty laced-up guy. Shawn totally won that round.

The outcome was surprising to me, but after Geoffrey Ross' comment about Melissa coming in 2nd again, I was actually glad that she got 3rd instead of 2nd. I really wanted her to get 1st place so she'd be known as the girl who won DWTS, and not the chick that got dumped on national television. Oh well. She'll be just fine. It would have been nice for Gilles to win so he could be known as the DWTS winner and not Naked Guy from Sex and the City. Oh well. He'll be getting more work now. Shawn Johnson is short and peppy and cute, so good for her.

American Idol So, who do you choose? Super talent or humble folksy guy? The thing is, winning American Idol doesn't mean that much. They get to make an album of songs that were chosen by AI's producer, most of which are cheesy and lame and never make it to the radio. They get the talk show circuit. And they get a really nifty microphone trophy (they were jealous of DWTS). Winning second place means a label will sign you, you can choose your songs or even write them yourself, you still get the talk show circuit, and you are free from Idol forever. Downside: No cool trophy. I think the outcome of this season was actually quite ideal. Kris is somewhat shy, young and humble. He doesn't seem like the type that will put a huge effort into his career by selling himself. So American Idol will do it for him. Adam Lambert is flashy, showy, dramatic, and extremely sure of himself as an artist. He'll get a record deal, record songs that are perfect for his fans, and make a gazillion dollars. They both win. I liked Kris' reaction to his win. He was surprised, humble, and very pleased.

You may have noticed that I don't have a nice long post about the outcome of Biggest Loser. That's because Helen won, and she sent her own daughter home, she was annoying and whiny, and looked like she'd been starving herself to win (haggard and pale). I wanted Mikey to win. Good job to the old guy, Jerry, for destroying the competition at home. That's all I have to say.

Coming up this summer: So You Think You Can Dance and the Bachelorette. Yes!

Getting My Brain's Groove Back

I have a couple of friends whose blogs are always extremely intelligent and witty, and I don't think it's a coincidence that both of them are avid readers (links to their blogs are listed on the right). After my pathetic post about my fuzzy brain, I decided I was going to make an effort to reawaken my rusty brain by following their examples and reading books that require some thought. I love that our library has a website that allows you to find a book and request it from any of the libraries in the county. I think this is pretty standard these days, but I never truly appreciated it until I started dragging two kids into the library, grabbing little hands that were ripping books off the shelves, hauling a heavy baby carrier behind me down narrow aisles of books, only to find that the book that was supposed to be on the shelf was nowhere to be found. It's glorious to walk up to the desk and have all the books my heart desires in 2 minutes. So when I read Jenny's review for "The Little Giant of Aberdeen County," I requested it immediately. While I was on her blog (Red Hot Eyebrows), I scanned through some of her older posts, and requested "Paper Towns" as well, because it sounded intriguing. I'm giving you links to her reviews because they say everything I'd like to, and, although reading these books gave my brain a jump start, I'm still a little sluggish, and Jenny is not.

I am going to tell you what I think of both books, though. Just not in as much depth and detail as Jenny. Starting with "Paper Towns," by John Green. First of all, a warning: this book is about 18-year-old guys that may not share the same standards as other boys you know. In other words, there's a bit of swearing and some less-than-appropriate dialogue that takes place. (Think of Juno.) However, the dialogue is very real and relatable if you can overlook the language. The main characters are band geeks and nerds, so I felt a kinship immediately. The main character is also the narrator of the story, which I enjoy, because it allows you to see inside his head and experience his emotional journey. This novel explores the differences and similarities we share as the human race. It reveals the limitations we put on ourselves and each other by defining ourselves as a "type" (popular, band geek, nerd, jock, jerk). It really left me thinking about how others see me, and how I view myself. Does my behavior reflect who I really am? Do people really know me? And do I really know other people? And ultimately, how do we deal with the challenges we face? See, my brain really got working with this one! And the great thing about this book is that all those questions are wrapped neatly into a fascinating story that keeps you riveted until the last page.

"The Little Giant of Aberdeen County" by Tiffany Baker is actually quite similar underneath the story. Like "Paper Towns," the narrative is in first-person. The narrator is Truly Plaice, a giantess in a small town. She endures persecution by the small-minded (hee hee) people in the town, who only see her as a hulking nuisance that offers nothing to their town. Her sister is the town beauty, which emphasizes Truly's size and ugliness even more. As she gets older and continues to be treated poorly, she harbors resentment and anger deep inside. She has two good friends, who are also outcasts. Each of them deals with what life has dealt them in different ways. The way they each react to their difficult lives made me stop and consider how I react to adversity. Do I become vengeful and bitter? Do I focus on something I love and let criticism roll off my back? Or do I clam up and become eaten up inside, allowing myself to waste away? The characters in this book are complex and real. They all have faults and weaknesses, but each of them has something redeeming in their make-up as well. It's how they cope with the hand life has dealt them that reveals who they really are. I think this is a great book group book. There is a lot to discuss, yet the story moves along well and captivates the reader well. I tore through it because it was so interesting.

It was so refreshing to read books that didn't involve magic wands or elves or mind control. Just good stories with lots to think about. Thanks, Jenny, for mentioning these books. Now I'm going to get onto Rachel K's book reviews and find some more treasures.