Las Manilow

Barry Manilow's ruling the Vegas strip as of late. When I was there a few years ago, he had a show at the Hilton, the same place where Elvis broke Vegas attendance records in the '70's. Starting in March, he'll have a new show at Paris. I'm not a huge fan, but Barry's new show, coupled with the reemergence of Pee-Wee Herman, definitely makes me want to visit Sin City again. Here's the only problem: Barry is looking way too much like Odo from Deep Space Nine.*



When the Bear was on Conan last night, I took note that the camera tended to shy away from the close-ups of Mr. Manilow. Seriously, stop the Botox. He also looks uber, UBER skinny, but that's because he forgets how to eat. (That's what he told Conan anyway.) I still want to go see the Manilow-himself. So, who wants to go with me???


*Yes, I reference a Star Trek character in this entry. Don't judge!

Happy 75th!

Elvis would be 75 if he were alive today. I wish he was still around for many reasons. I would've loved to see how his music evolved. I think he would really like all of the different directions music has gone, and I think he would've shown his appreciation and respect for different music genres--such as grunge and hip hop--by collaborating with different artists.

I'm also mad to see what Elvis would've looked like by now. He would've definitely dabbled in plastic surgery. Heck! He did that when he was alive! But, I hope he wouldn't have strayed too far down the plastic path, like Barry Manilow has. (Yikes...Have you seen him lately??? Someone order him to put down the knife.) I'm confident he would've gotten his weight under control, and he would still have some dazzling white teeth (or dentures, as the case may be).

And, Vegas? Yeah, he would definitely be housed in Vegas. I can just imagine him, with sold out shows everynight, and still wowin' the crowd at 75. He might not be moving as much, but I think as Vegas would've gotten bigger, his shows would've gotten bigger, too. If this was the case, I would be happy to go there every year with the Husband.

Wow. Just imagining all of the things that he could've done and the way he might've looked makes me REALLY depressed. :( He could've done SO much for others. His philanthropy while alive was unbelievable, and he could've helped so many other people if he would've lived this long. And, you can bet, he would've been one of the first to send aid to the victims of Katrina, and he would be constantly sending help and encouragement to the troops overseas.

I'm going to end this post with one of my favorite Elvis photos I saw for the first time at Graceland a few years ago. It's Elvis with Cilla, and one of my other favorite entertainers, Tom Jones. I love both of these guys, and I bet they could've taken the country by storm with a doubles tour. Elvis would've headlined, though...obviously. ;)

PLEASE!?!?!?!?!?!?

Click this LINK to put Champaign in the running for a free NKOTB preview of their upcoming DVD, Coming Home. Will we win? Probably not. Should we try? You betcha! Their concert in April of 2009 was absolutely so much fun and fantastic. Bring them back to the Paign for another big show. Let's do it! I'm gonna vote everyday...if I remember. :)

Zane Back on ABC

Well, Billy Zane fans (if there are any of you left out there), someone's making his way back to ABC. "Back to ABC?" you may be asking. Some of you may have forgotten--or never knew--that Mr. Zane did have a stint on my favorite cult series, Twin Peaks back in the early 90's. Billy won't be calling out any more walk offs on ABC's new series the Deep End, though. He plays a law firm partner on a show centering around promising law associates, and are you already asleep? Yeah, cause I am, too. I can't imagine the show getting far, but at least he's on network prime time, instead of a Sci-Fi made for TV movie, with the Iron Chef chairman Mark Dacascos. Other notables in the cast include my favorite Tony award winner with three names, Norbert Leo Butz, and Tina Majorino, of Andre and Big Love fame. (You get extra bonus points if you know about Andre.) The show premieres Thursday, January 21, at 8/7 p.m. Have fun going against NBC sitcoms.

Gone But Not Forgotten

I thought I'd hook up you faithful readers with the cover art for the Doctor Who Specials DVD/Blu-Ray. I know a lot of you will be wanting to purchase it for your own home video libraries ;), so here's the amazon link.

The last two episodes were absolutely amazing, tear jerking poetry, and I can't wait to see them again. I'll just be sure to have more tissues on hand.

Memorable Moments from Tennant's Tenure

The first reviews I've heard from Doctor Who devotees in the UK have been good. I don't really want to watch the final Tennant episode, but it will still be exciting to see his last new episode. I'm trying to avoid all spoilers, websites, and emails with any sort of Time Lord lingo in the subject heading. So, while I'm waiting to watch, let's do some last minute reminiscing.

10 Favorite Tennant Moments(--in no particular order!)

1. K-9 saves the day!
   
2. Cassandra takes over the Doctor's body=hilarious!


3. The Doctor's nifty fifties pompadour in Idiot's Lantern.


4. Meeting Martha in Smith & Jones.


5. The Face of Boe's message...and then discovering who the Face of Boe is (probably).


6. John Simm as the Master--absolutely brilliant.


7. Trying to piece together the Doctor's history with River Song. (They better bring Tennant back for that resolution.)


8. The Doctor and Donna meeting again, and Donna's overexaggerated miming.


9. "No second chances."


10. KYLIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I think that one needs no further explanation.)

Regeneration Complete

Tennant's reign is all over, folks. In the UK, the Doctor's regeneration is complete. Go the official Doctor Who website to check it out. But, if you're like me, you'll wait until tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. to see it on BBC America.

Tennant's Top 10: Part II

Here we goooooooooooooo:

5. Midnight: Simply fantastic. Alien beings that take over and assimilate others and are actually strong enough to take over our hero, the Doctor. One of the freakiest episodes there is, and if you thought kids mimicking you were annoying, after this they'll just be downright scary.

4. Utopia: Everyone wants to be on Doctor Who...even Sir Derek Jacobi. Before the drums can come, you have to watch Professor Yana realize his identity...and then his destiny as the Master.

3. Girl in the Fireplace: Husband said today, "45 minutes of excellent television," while referring to this episode, and I can't agree with him more. The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey are stranded on a space station, the daiquiri is created a 100 years early, and one of the most touching ends in Tennant's run as the Doctor all occur in this episode.

2. Human Nature/Family of Blood: I know I'm cheating to count this two-parter as one episode, but I can never watch just part one without continuing to part two. This one still makes me misty eyed, and for the Doctor to see his life as a regular human, and then to have this taken out of his grasp, is heartbreaking. Even though we want him saving the universe as a Time Lord, to see his human life taken away leaves me miserable. Oh, yeah, and this is the episode when you find out how really bad A the Doctor is: He takes NO prisoners.

1. BLINK: Duh! Of course this is my number one. It is the best episode of Doctor Who, in my opinion, and the Doctor only plays a peripheral role. Time really isn't a strict sequence of events, but a mess of timey wimey/wibbly wobbly stuff. And, after seeing this, if you still look at statues as lifeless, stone creations, give me a call, cause I can't believe you.

There it is, folks. My Tennant Top 10. I do want to give honorable mention to Time Crash, though. This five minute episode made for the BBC fundraiser, Children in Need, has the tenth Doctor crashing into the fifth Doctor in the TARDIS. It is simply wonderful, and you really do believe Tennant when he tells Davison, "You were MY Doctor." Aww.

Tennant's Top 10: Part I

This was no easy task, believe you me. Here, in descending order, are my Top 10 Favorite David Tennant Doctor Who Episodes. Part I will encompass #10-#6.

10. Stolen Earth: Doctor companions, UNITE! Everyone was present and accounted for: Rose, Martha, Donna, Sarah Jane, Captain Jack (AND his Torchwood friends), Mickey & Jackie, and Harriet Jones. (The only one missing was our favorite dog, K-9.) The second part of this two-part finale had some touchy parts (Rose and the alternate Doctor together) and some touching parts (Donna saving the day and then forgetting the Doctor), but seeing all of those companions come together to help was awesome.
9. School Reunion: Giles as a Doctor Who baddy? Excellent! Not only did this episode involve everyone's favorite Watcher and chips which produce genius kids (what an advantage to eating greasy fries, huh?), but it also marked the return of Sarah Jane Smith and K-9...and Mickey helps save the day, too!
8. Doomsday: If you don't tear up when Rose and the Doctor part ways on a beach at the end of this episode, you have no heart...and if you do, it's as black as my brother's. Cybermen and Daleks defeated, Jackie reunited with her dead husband in an alternate universe, and Mickey, again, earning his keep. With all of these good times, the most memorable moment is still the Doctor not getting out those three most important words to Rose in time.
7. Waters of Mars: Some of you may not have seen this yet, because it's one of the Tennant specials which is wrapping up his Doctor career, but let me tell you: It's AMAZING. It will probably move further up the list as time goes by, but since I've only just seen it, I'm putting it in the bottom half...for now. This episode shows how the 10th Doctor is starting to take control of the rules of time, and how this bold, almost arrogant move, can cause lives to be lost.
6. Smith & Jones: Oh, Martha! My favorite companion is introduced in this episode, and in her first, she gets to snog the Doctor. (Harlot.;) Stranded on the moon, the Doctor and his soon-to-be new companion must outsmart the Judoon to get all safely back to earth. The "Christmas Invasion" jammies even reappear.

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye

As if New Year wasn't bad enough with the taking down the Christmas tree (or trees in my case), getting on the scale after the holiday season of butter, cream, and bacon, and going back to work, this year I also have to deal with saying goodbye to "my" doctor, David Tennant.

The first couple of days of 2010 will see David Tennant's last episode of Doctor Who air: tonight in the UK, tomorrow here in the US. To say we're depressed is an understatement. I still feel the guy's got a couple more superb seasons in him, but all good--nay, GREAT--things must come to an end. After all, it's better to end on top than rummaging around on the bottom with equivalent of a Cousin Pam or Lois and Clark wedding.

BBC America is running a three day marathon of all David Tennant episodes that started last night at midnight/11 p.m. (central)and end tomorrow with the broadcast of "The End of Time." Since I don't have BBC America (for shame), I've started my own marathon, here on the flat screen at 10:00 a.m., with the introductory Tennant episode, "Christmas Invasion." I'll be looking back over Tennant's Top Episodes over the next 48 hours, and if you think it's an easy task to narrow down his episodes into a best of list, you're mistaken. Check in frequently for this riveting list between drying your Tennantless induced tears and working off those extra holiday pounds you've packed on.

Oh, yeah, and Happy New Year, hope you had a great Christmas, and my NY res is to post more here and ignore FB more...we'll see how that goes.