Only 4 days to go...

The countdown continues on with Seal and Heidi Klum celebrating Halloween...Democratic-Style:

There's only 5 days to go...

and with how serious everything is getting, there's no better way to countdown than with humor.

Recap: Politics

November 4th is nearly here, and as election day approaches, you cannot blink without hearing another story about the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Sadly, most of the stories making headlines are hateful and frightening.

Effigies of Barack Obama being hung from a tree have surfaced at Oregon's George Fox University and University of Kentucky. So much for my generation being the new voice of acceptance. U. of Kentucky's President, Lee Todd said that he was "deeply embarrassed" and announced plans to personally apologize to the Obama family. But unfortunately, the hate doesn't end with the Democrats. At a West Hollywood home, a man "decorated" his house for Halloween using a likeness of Sarah Palin hanging from his roof. However, unlike the other two incidents, the Los Angeles Police Department is not calling this a hate crime.

But the worst of these stories are the legitimate threats from several hate groups against Obama and other innocent people. This past weekend, FBI officials arrested Daniel Cowart and Paul Schlesselman for plotting to assassinate Barack Obama, shoot 88, and behead 14 African-Americans. And as if this couldn't be any worse, the two men were barely men at all...Cowart is 20 and Schlesselman is only 18. Some individuals are fearing that more legitimate threats will be made, but it's probably better just to be thankful these two men were caught in time.

UPDATE:
Today (October 30) there is more controversy in Southern California with Halloween "decorations." A house in Rodando Beach belonging to Lisa Castaneda shows the Democratic Senator over her balcony with a knife to his neck and a sign reading "NObama."

Recap: Celebrity Not-So-Gossip

I first heard that Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were both found murdered in their home on Friday.

Then I hear reports that her nephew, Julian, was missing, but policed hope to find him alive, which could have certainly been a possibility since he was taken from the house in the first place.

However, Monday morning, police found Julian's body in the back seat of an abandoned Suburban.

Now, the police have found a gun that may have been used in the killings near where Julian was found. And along with this, they suspect there may have been two individuals involved in this crime.

Right now, as far as the public knows, Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law, William Balfour, is the only known suspect, and hopefully they have the right man. It would be horrible for this to drag out any longer than it has for Jennifer and her sister's sake.

Recap: Celebrity Gossip

Let's see. In the past few days there has been a lot happening in Hollywood. Here's a quick rundown:

• The Jonas Brothers are going to be in their first movie, "Walter the Farting Dog"
• That is just weird. I'm speechless
  
• LL Cool J ditched Janet Jackson. He was supposed to be the opening act on her upcoming tour.
• Does Janet Jackson still make music? I need to stop watch so much TV and turn on the radio. (Like she would be on it? I'm not convinced)
  
• Jamie Spears' conservatorship over Britney has been made permanent.
• Like forever forever?...hold while I Google...so it's 'indefinite.' Oh well, she seems to be doing good. Keep it up Jamie!
  
• Dancing With the Stars' Julianne Hough is recovering from an appendectomy and Cloris Leachman just got kicked off.
• Double Ouch. OK, I could have done better. But that was just too easy.
  
• Victoria Beckham is the newest face of Emporio Armani's underwear line.
• Congratulations teen boys of America.
  
• Gwen Stefani takes the gold metal for cutest baby!

Prayers for Michael!

Michael Barnes, our fabulous Entertainment Journalism professor (no extra credit required), is have a heart procedure today, and thus will be on house arrest for the next week.

So, pray for him today...and at around 1pm all this coming week (there's never anything good on TV at that time).

We're in The Statesman!

Go buy today's edition of The Austin-American Statesman! My first published feature is in today's version of XL, and each of my classmates have their own House of Torment feature in there as well.

We're even on the cover of the newspaper: "IN XL: St. Edward's Students Get Quite A Fright At The House of Torment"...I am a St. Edward's student...that's me!

But enough excitement, it's time to get back to case studies and a lot of mid-semester work.

Don't read this in a quiet place (People WILL stare at you)...

I was reading one of my classmate's blogs and could not resist sharing this post of hers. But honestly, take the title of my post into consideration. When I read her posting, I was in the library...laughing hysterically and libraries don't really mix. But anyways, check it out.

Archie is Born!

Ok, so it definitely isn't the best name for Amy Pohler's brand new baby boy, but she's a comedian! She can do whatever she wants.

Congrats to Amy and her baby daddy! And little Archie!

ABC Made My Day

ABC had a great day today. More specifically, they gave me four hours of entertainment--the kind of entertainment you really crave when you're sick, pledge to never take off your sweatshirt, and don't move from the couch all day.

The View Goldberg mentioned the started out my day with Joy Behar, once again, taking a jab at Sarah Palin. In the midst of discussing Bristol Palin's plans for both her baby and potential wedding, Whoopi Governor's motto, "drill, baby, drill." Well, that opened the flood gates for Joy to say, "isn't that what got Bristol in trouble in the first place?" You can watch the conversation on YouTube if you want to laugh your way to class like I did.

Later, Oprah had the Olsen twins on her show, and I cannot resist watching the two of them. They were on the show discussing their hectic professional lives and their new book Influence. I'm sure that I am crossing the line between curiosity and creepiness in saying this, but if there really was a channel like The Truman Show, I wish it would be about them. Moving on...

Tonight's new Ugly Betty was funny, as usual, but Lindsay Lohan's appearance made it extra special. Towards the end of the episode, America Ferrera (Betty) pulled down Lindsay Lohan's skirt in the middle of the Mode cafeteria, showing everyone her Hanky Pankys. It was just a nice laugh before getting dramatic and serious in Grey's Anatomy...

Grey's began with all of its primetime soap opera-ness when Callie Torres and Erica Hahn made out and "did it" (as Callie put it) for the first time. Then Meredith Grey dropped a kidney in the middle of the surgery room, which gave way to another quip from Miranda Bailey--"five second rule!"

And the last, but best, thing ABC gave me today was a commercial flashback during Grey's Anatomy. I love you, ABC!

Remember this commercial? Classic.

12 days and counting...

A recent Wall Street Journal and NBC News poll shows that Sarah Palin's approval rate is right where Democrats want it. 47% of those polled said that they view Palin as negative (coincidentally, 47% is the same number of people that saw her as positive in early September).

Now I wouldn't go as far as David Brooks did in calling her a "cancer on the Republican Party," but hopefully this is some sort of indication of who will be elected 12 days from now.

On another note, if you cannot bare to wait until November 4th, early voting has begun. And Google has a great tool to find where you can vote come election day.

"House of Torment" (or "Sugar's Neighbor")

If you're going to Austin's House of Torment anytime soon, don't rely on iPhone, Google Maps, or any other search engine for directions, because you will end up right where my classmates and I did: LOST.

If you want to get there more quickly, follow these directions:

1. Be in the vicinity of Highland Mall (North of 290 and West of 35, if you want to get technical).
2. When you are unsure of yourself, take a few rights and too many lefts.
3. Look up, and you will find that you are, in fact, on Highland Mall Boulevard.
4. Stay confident; you are almost there.
5. Pull into Sugar's Uptown Cabaret and take note of their daily lunch specials.
6. Walk up to the front desk and ask for Kate (she will guide you in the right direction).
7. Kate will tell you House of Torment is right across the street: "See where it says 'Haunted House'?"
8. Don't be alarmed when the other desk girl insists you "might as well stay for (breasts) and (bottoms)" and then proceed to House of Torment.

15 Days Until a New "First"

There's only 15 days left before the biggest presidential election many of us have ever seen. And for most people my age, this is the first election we have ever been eligible to vote in.

But even with that in mind, many people are forgetting that Barack Obama isn't the only person bringing "change." Regardless of whom you vote for, or even if you vote, history is about to be made. The question is, which professors will be adding another chapter into their textbook? African American Studies or Feminist Perspectives?

Really, it's just one more thing to think about. In 15 days, America will have chosen either the first black President or the first woman Vice-President. The First. Ever. And we are here to see it.

All I can say is that I have already taken American Women's History, and I think that textbook is just fine for now (no need to start writing any additions).

How did Sarah Palin do on SNL?

Well, Time Warner Cable's prisoners wouldn't know. Because NBC has been taken off Time Warner's programming, many people missed Sarah Palin's performance on Saturday Night Live.

Although NBC's website does not post entire SNL episodes, sketches from last night's episode can be seen here. And below is the show opener featuring Governor Palin.

Featured Blog Post: The Sartorialist

Scott Schuman's fashion blog, The Sartorialist, features several daily posts of candid pictures and the occasional comment from Schuman. He uses his digital camera to capture "street style" is New York City, Paris, and Milan, but his latest post that caught my eye was from Paris.

The posting titled "On the Street....Jewel Tones, Paris" shows the picture below of two women in Paris wearing bright, vivid colors. I definitely favor the woman on the left, but I love how the two of them seem so coordinated. My friends and I never compliment one other so well.

Awkward moment of the week...

So I was having lunch with my friend, Elyse, today and she was telling me about a very disturbing tradition that she heard about in Spain this summer. It was about gypsies, so at the beginning of her story she said, "people in Spain don't really like gypsies." And then I shouted out without even thinking (in the middle of Ragsdale during lunch time)...

"Duh! No one likes gypsies; they steal stuff!"

I still don't know why I felt the need to blurt this out, but I thought the story may provide everyone with some laughs...

And to all of the hard-working gypsies out there, I apologize.

Project Runway Finale

On Wednesday nights, I usually don't get out of class until 9:40, so I always watch the newest episode of Project Runway when it repeats at 11:00.

But this week was different. I got out of class early and rushed home to watch the season finale of Project Runway. (I thought it came on at 9:00, but really it airs at 8:00.) So at 8:58, when I was finally back at my apartment, I turned the TV to Bravo.

I expected to see the last two minutes of Top Design, but NO! My first glimpse of the the Project Runway finale showed Heidi and Tim hugging Leanne. This was a crushing blow, since I hadn't even seen any of the designers' collections. I'm still recovering...

Don't Tease Us, UsWeekly!

The newest cover of UsWeekly shows Angelina Jolie looking thin and draws you in with the 'secrets' of how she got so skinny after having her twins. You should see the 'before' picture! She's '50 pounds heavier.'

HELLO? It's called giving birth! Who wouldn't lose 50 pounds after popping out two babies?

But wait. Grab a pen, because for her diet, she ate fruits, veggies, and lean meats. Well, that's one for the record books.

So unless you're going to tell me how Nicole Richie eats Doritos and pasta everyday, doesn't workout, and manages to weigh 110 pounds, don't waste my time.

I'm Back...

You may have noticed that my writing has been less than slow this week. I would say it's more of an absolute standstill. Unfortunately I have just had some trouble focusing...

Earlier this week, my South Austin apartment was broken into. But to make matters worse, whoever broke in was still inside my apartment when I got home from class. In the first 30 minutes I was home, I did not move one inch off the couch...until I went to the restroom. While I was in there, I heard someone run out the door (sure enough, both locks were then unlocked...which only meant someone had to have left from the inside).

Now, I may be tough when it comes to my parents or my boyfriend, but knowing someone was hiding in my apartment while I was quietly sitting on the couch watching 7th Heaven...all that bravery ran right out of my apartment with that guy.

But I came to my parent's house in Dallas this weekend for a little vacation and to get my strength back. So, hopefully I can fill you in with what's been going on this past week.

And if you are the one who broke into my house, my cat is still home and she will bite your leg off.

'8' was pushing it, but "17" is just too much

Although some may call me a stalker, I am a self-proclaimed sucker for Jon and Kate plus 8. This reality show on TLC has become cult-like for those who enjoy watching the daily lives of the Gosselin family. Jon and Kate's little ones stress me out almost as much as they make my heart melt! Who doesn't enjoy hearing 8 little half-Korean children fight over who is the most "Ajin" (Asian)? I can hear the awww's from here.

But get real TLC! The brand new show, 17 Kids and Counting, is just out of control. This brand new reality series follows around the Duggars, a conservative Baptist family from Tontitown, Arkansas with 17 children (and one on the way).

I'll let you process that for a second.

Yeah, that's right. One woman. 17 kids: Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Matthew, Joy-Anna, Jeremiah, Jedidiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer.

Of course, it makes good television. I get that. But when you are watching Jon and Kate plus 8, you can truly understand how stressful having 8 children can be; however, when I'm watching 17 Kids and Counting, all I can think about is where is the chaos, the stress, the "Ajin" moments? No family can be that calm and put together. I'll just have to finish the rest of the season and pray for some sort of meltdown.

Sex...with Mom and Dad

The new MTV show Sex...with Mom and Dad is surprisingly not another Parental Control or Next.

The show is based around Loveline's Dr. Drew counseling a sexually-active teen and their parents on opening the lines of communication about sex. After an initial consultation, Dr. Drew gives both the teen and their parents a breakthrough exercise for the conversation to begin. Then the teen meets alone with Dr. Drew and is encouraged to get their partner involved in talking about sex with the parents. Typically, the conclusion of the episode is filled with predictions from both the parents and the teens on how they hope their communication will be beneficial in the long-run.

The entire message of the show is encouragement: Dr. Drew encourages teens and young adults to talk about sex with their parents. So, Sex...with Mom and Dad may not encourage you to pick up the phone and start confessing to your parents, but it is interesting to watch compared to the scripted "jokes" on MTV's Parental Control.

Favorites of Fashion Week, Spring 2009: Milan

The runway shows in Milan were much more difficult to judge than those in New York and London. No one designer stood out as a clear favorite; either the line had great colors and materials, but poor shapes and textures or the line had amazing shapes and texture, but unappealing colors and materials.

So instead of choosing one designer with an outstanding line, I have just decided to choose one look for each of the four characteristics I listed above: texture, color, material, and shape.

I hope to have the results updated tonight. In the mean time, take a look back at the Favorites from New York and London Fashion Week.

Obviously the Glove Does Fit: O.J. Simpson Found Guilty

There isn't a person in the United States who doesn't remember O.J. Simpson being acquitted of murder charges exactly 13 years ago. Well, now Simpson is facing up to life in prison for entirely different charges.

O.J. Simpson was found guilty of kidnapping and a dozen armed robbery charges. Unfortunately, it will be a while until we discover Simpson's true fate; sentencing is set for December 5.

I am speechless, but somewhat thankful to know that the 61-year-old will finally be paying some consequences for breaking the law.

What's Worth Watching: Fall Television, Part 3

Here's the conclusion of what I'll be watching, and what you should be watching for the rest of this fall television season...



Wednesday

• Project Runway (8:00 on Bravo) only has two episodes left of their final season on Bravo. After this, they will be moving to Lifetime, which I see as a devastating move, but I don't want to speak too soon. The final episodes are those in the two-part season finale; there are only four designers left, but it is never too late to start watching Project Runway. "Holla at cha boy!" (I miss Blayne.)


• Top Design (9:00 on Bravo) is, at times, a little slow for me, but fashion definitely comes before interior design in my book. But don't get me wrong! All you have to do is mix Bravo with competition, and you have an entertaining show. Top Design is also great for recording and saving for those slow TV nights.
  
• Real World/Road Rules Challenge (9:00 on MTV) has brand new rules and brand new rules and brand new rules. The game is completely different than any of the other challenges, but if you haven't been watching, you can catch up with full episodes online. Unfortunately, Coral and ** aren't a part of this season, but it's not lacking in drama whatsoever!
  

Thursday

• Ugly Betty (7:00 on ABC) is back and has had more hilarious twists and turns in the first few episodes than I ever expected. If you have not been keeping up with Ugly Betty, you may find the story line somewhat hard to follow (at first), but the comedy will definitely keep you watching.


• Survivor: Gabon (7:00 on CBS) has moved to one of its most surprising location yet, a remote location in Africa with elephants, crocodiles, and a lot of other scary animals. Already within the first two episodes, each tribe has shown great strengths and definite weaknesses, which only makes the show that much more entertaining. It's not too late to get into this, so catch up with episodes online or just jump right in next Wednesday.


• Grey's Anatomy (8:00 on ABC) is a show I would only recommend for those who have enjoyed watching the show in the past. It is witty, at times, but mostly is just filled with relationship, family, and medical drama that newcomers to the show may find confusing and over the top.

Friday

• The Ex-List (8:00 on CBS) is a brand new series starring one of my favorite actresses, Elizabeth Reaser. So far, it has received mostly positive reviews, but I missed the season premier, so I'll save my judgement. The premise is based around Bella Bloom, played by Reaser, who has just been told by a psychic that she has the end of the year to find her true love (which is a man in her past). Unfortunately, she must dig through these men to find the right one or she will end up alone forever. Pros: Elizabeth Reaser is an amazingly talented and witty actress. Cons: The plot is predictable and doesn't lend itself well to additional seasons.

Sarah Palin Does It Again...

Many of the comments that Sarah Palin has been scrutinized for can be directly linked to the fact that she is missing that "think before you speak" gene. But in her interview with Katie Couric last week, a little research and rehearsal could have made this meeting go from painful to just bad.

Initially, I wasn't going to post this video, but I have just read that Katie Couric's ratings seem to be lower than ever, meaning the majority of America didn't see Sarah Palin's interview at all.

You can watch the meeting below. And keep in mind that if a planned interview went this way, think about how the unplanned debate with Joe Biden will go tomorrow...