Survivor: Cagayan - Brawn vs Brains vs Beauty: Sad Skeletor

Now that my show is over & life has returned to as next to normal as I can get it, Kai & I are back for these last 2 episodes of Survivor.  This Wednesday during the finale, I will be live-tweeting with Kai, & also attempting to LEGO meme live-tweet the live-tweeters.  It's all very ambitious.  I dream big.

While I was away from recapping, Survivor got sexy:

Kai had some interesting thoughts:

"I wonder what @JeffProbst thinks watching this. He probably has the time of his life. In a hot tub." #Survivor #thingsKaiSays
— Lisa Ferreira (@MomOfKai) May 8, 2014

and after Spencer called children "little monsters", he quickly dropped from Kai's #1 spot.

"I wish those 'Little Monsters' would come running out of the forest & take that necklace away from him." #Survivor #thingsKaiSays
— Lisa Ferreira (@MomOfKai) May 8, 2014

Kai's comments in this recap are in red, as always.  Before watching this episode with him, I told him he was going to like it.

"Why?  Do they talk about lambos?"

...close, Kai.  Close.

With Tasha freshly voted out, Spencer is left without any allies, & puts all his hope on his belief that he's "playing [Survivor] with people who understand it so little."  Kass states that she'd like to go to the end with Tony because he's annoyed so many people.

"Well, he is a cop.  He does have to be obnoxious sometimes."

The Reward Challenge involves rolling around in mud, & then filling a bucket with that mud, to win pizza with all the fixin's delivered right to camp.  Tony wins, despite having no hair to help transport the mud.

Probst says "Everybody knows pizza delivered to home for one is kind of pathetic" & I'll BRB after I cancel my order.  Tony chooses Trish to join him in his reward.

As they enjoy, Tony asks, "How do you beat a helicopter delivering your pizza?"

Thank you for not questioning this strange request, @AriFerarri.

And just for @ChannonSarah...

Tony tells Kass he knows she was going to blindside him, thanks to Woo, but he wants to go to the end with her anyway.  Kass decides that if she's going to sit next to Tony at the end, she needs to stir up trouble & make him as unlikeable as possible.

Kai is still stuck on the @peppermintfatty hashtag he read over my shoulder last week.

"I like #Kasshole better."

Kass tells Woo that Tony told her what he said to Tony & Tony blows up at her & takes back his Final 3 deal with her.  Tony then talks llama & I've never been more bummed that I just don't have the time to make a LEGO llama for this recap, so just look at this one:

More info here.

Kass & Spencer try to pull Woo in again.  Spencer asks Woo if he has any thoughts.

While Woo thinks out loud, we see Tony getting some water.

"What's he drinking out of?  A golf club?"

Kass suggests taking out Trish, so Tony loses one of his options for a goat.  Trish overhears, & is not happy.

The Immunity Challenge consists of unbraiding rope, unlocking rungs, building ladders, and a slide puzzle. Without balls or poles involved in any way, can Probst get an innuendo in there?  Yes, he can.  Probst takes the opportunity to bring #SEXYSURVIVOR back during the ladder-building portion.

Tony is the first to get to the slide puzzle, but has great difficulty.  Spencer catches up.

Spencer wins Immunity.  Kai is unimpressed.

"Booooooooo."

As soon as they get back to camp, Trish lays into Kass.

Trish says "You turn around with that big, ugly, shit-eating grin on your face..."  Of course, "shit" is bleeped out, & for the next 2 minutes, it's:

"What was that word, Mom?  "What"-eating face?  You can tell me.  I like finding out new things to say.  Like Kasshole.  But I won't say this one.  So what was it?  The B word?  The F word?  Tell me."

Kass later says, "She looked like frickin' Skeletor, with her big blue eyes popping out, & her skeleton finger waving in my face."

Everyone wants Woo to make a decision, & as much as I really like Woo, he's not very good at that.
It's a lot of "What do I do?" before Tribal Council.

At Tribal, Kass says "Trish railed into me like a frickin' wild skeleton blue-eyed banshee", & I really, really hope Trish sends Kass this for her birthday:

Probsts asks Kass to repeat that, & Kass says she doesn't know what she just said, & my twitter feed is glorious for a moment, thanks to these beautiful people whom you most definitely should be following:

These guys. <3 #Survivor @peppermintfatty @lashtweets @spooloflies pic.twitter.com/KId5BQSFqa
— Lisa Ferreira (@MomOfKai) May 15, 2014

Tony plays his Hidden Immunity Idol, & puts his Special Idol around his neck, lying that he'll use it next week, even though it's void after this Tribal Council.  Probst never calls him out on it.  So not only does Tony not give Trish one of his idols, he votes for her along with everyone else.  Trish is voted out.

The finale is this Wednesday, which seems totally weird.  I asked Kai who he'd like to see win, & he said:

"Survivor is like hockey - I'm on my second picks for both.  Because Boston is gone now & Spencer just sucks now.  So go Chicago & go Woo."

Don't forget that this Wednesday, I will be live-tweeting with Kai, & LEGO-meme-live-tweeting the live-tweeters, so if you're not doing so already, follow me on twitter (@MomofKai), as well as all the wonderful live-tweeters I'll be live-tweeting, & like this blog's Facebook page!

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The Confectionery - 21

These are the things that I think are great.

BINDERS FULL OF WOMEN MEMES

In the most recent Presidential debate, Mitt Romney proclaimed "We took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. I went to a number of women's groups and said: ‘Can you help us find folks,’ and they brought us whole binders full of women.”  Who could have known that the internet would have exploded as it did?  I give you the very best Binders of Women memes.

 

 

COMMUNITY

The 4th season of Community was set to premiere on October 19.  NBC decided to push it back, & the show released this video to help upset viewers understand.  NBC Britta'd it.

MY LITTLE PONY MEETS STAR WARS

Artist Sheena Henderson has transformed My Little Pony figures into characters from Star Wars, & they are fantastic.

They are available at her etsy shop, & she also takes commissions, so I'm not too concerned about the lack of an Admiral Ackbar (he would make an awesome My Little Pony, wouldn't he?).  The detail is impressive, & while Slave Leia is my favourite, the Lando Calrissian really makes me giggle.

 

THE GREATEST EVENT IN TELEVISION HISTORY

Adult Swim had been promoting this "event" for awhile...all that was known was that it starred Jon Hamm & Adam Scott, & it was being hailed as The Greatest Event In Television History.  A friend sent me the video, which turned out to be a behind-the-scenes special on the shot-by-shot recreation of the opening of Simon & Simon, which ran from 1981-1989.  Hosted by Jeff Probst, & featuring many cameos, it is a hilarious mockumentary on this ridiculous project that turned out amazingly well.  You can watch the 15 minute special at adultswim.com, but only if you login through your service provider (unavailable in Canada).  It's no longer available on YouTube (although there are poor quality recordings of the special as it aired on TV), but here's a side-by-side comparison of the original Simon & Simon opening, & the Hamm/Scott recreation.  If the full video ever shows up again, this post will be updated to include its awesomeness.
*UPDATE: It's available again!  The video is below the side-by-side.

THE SADNESS OF PAIN AU CHOCOLAT

...but...but...you're bread with chocolate!  Why are you so sad?             :(

E.T. AUDITION

The audition Henry Thomas gave for the part of Elliott has recently shown up all over the place.  And now I'm crying & have to watch E.T. again.

Those were my favourite sweets of the past week.  Come back next week for more goodies!


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Canadian Playlist

As it's Thanksgiving Monday, I thought I'd do something other than a Confectionery post this week.  Instead, I'm sharing a CanCon playlist...that's Canadian Content, to non-Canucks.  So I'm sharing some of my favourite Canadian artists - some I'm sure you've heard of, but there are also genuine hidden treasures here.

SLOAN

One day after school, the Coax Me video came on MuchMusic & I was hooked.  4 guys from Halifax, looking & sounding like they had traveled to 1994 from an earlier time.  I don't think I can choose just one song from any of these artists, so I'm going with 2.  For Sloan, I give you the Coax Me video, & their most recent, Unkind.  Sloan is currently on a Twice Removed tour, playing that iconic album front-to-back, & I CANNOT WAIT.

CITY & COLOUR

City & Colour is the stage name that Dallas Green started using when he performed his solo material, which was much more mellow than his work with Alexisonfire (also great, although screaming is not my thing):

City & Colour is the perfect music for relaxing - it's soothing & intense at the same time.  Here are Save Your Scissors, from Sometimes, & a live version of Fragile Bird, which is incredible.

SARAH HARMER

I want to listen to Sarah Harmer when I'm driving, when I'm cooking, when I'm working...she's pretty great.  Here are Pendulums & Silver Road from All of Our Names.

THE TRAGICALLY HIP

While I've never been a Hip superfan, you really can't get more Canadian than a band with a lead singer named Gord.  They are great at what they do, & I know I'm in the minority, so I'm sharing my favourite Hip song, Bobcaygeon, & their most popular, New Orleans is Sinking.  I will say that the one time I saw The Hip live, it was really impressive, hence the live version.

SARAH SLEAN

I discovered Sarah Slean with the kind of happy accident that Napster sometimes provided - My Invitation was incorrectly labelled as a Sarah Harmer song.  I fell in love with Sarah's voice & waited impatiently for Night Bugs to be released & have bought every album & seen every local show since.  The first song is Pilgrim, because who doesn't love a haunting song with the first line "A little blood & vomit on the car seat, & a tooth is sitting in my lap"?  The second is a gorgeous piece featuring an orchestra, The Cosmic Ballet.

ROYAL WOOD

I first saw Royal Wood live, when he opened for Sarah Slean at the Danforth Music Hall.  He sat down at a piano & did a jazzy version of the Oompa Loompa song & it was amazing.

The first real Royal song is Juliet - one of the most beautiful videos I've ever seen, to match an equally beautiful song, from A Good Enough Day.  I wish there was an official video or a good quality live version of the second song, because it is my favourite from The Waiting, Birds on a Sunday.  Just gorgeous.

BARENAKED LADIES

Originally dismissed as a novelty band with their If I Had ($1,000,000) hit, BNL has always been an extremely underrated band.  Ed began writing my favourite BNL song Am I The Only One? (from Maybe You Should Drive) for his future wife, but after his brother passed away in a motorcycle accident, the song was changed for him.  Heart-wrenching, & I love this intimate version. The second song is their cover of Bruce Cockburn's Lovers in a Dangerous Time, with the video taking us through Scarborough in the early 90s.

MOXY FRUVOUS

Another band considered gimmicky, Moxy Fruvous was a favourite amongst my friends.  Harmonies, songs about war & Canadian politics & authors.  Love them.   Here are Stuck in the 90s & King of Spain, both from Bargainville.

COLIN JAMES

Both his rock/pop work & his Big Band work are worth checking out., but Colin James made a name for himself with the blues.  Here are 2 of my favourites, Just Came Back & Limelight. 

GREAT BIG SEA

Being of Newfoundland heritage, I can't possibly compile a CanCon playlist without Great Big Sea.  You would think that a band playing a mix of original & traditional Newfoundland folk songs shouldn't be so popular, but you've probably never seen them live.  It is true pub music, so pour yourself a beer & sing along to Mari-Mac, & Lukey from Up...& just because, a bonus video of their kick-ass, super-speed version of R.E.M.'s It's The End of The World As We Know It (& I Feel Fine).

BLUE RODEO

So Canadian.  So good.  I think I would believe anything Jim Cuddy told me, he's so genuine.  Here are 2 of my favourites, 5 Days in May & Bad Timing, both from the brilliant Five Days in July.

RUSH

Subdivisions & Limelight.  That is all.

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Accordion Locations

During a 1989 family vacation in Newfoundland, my parents videotaped my Great Uncle Leo playing his accordion.  Here are all the different locations & angles they utilized:

The corner of a room!

The corner of a different room!  I know it's a different room because...

...this floor is carpeted & needed the foot-tapping boards brought along.

With the Atlantic Ocean in the background!

Greenery in the background!

A dam (?) in the background!

On a car, with the ocean, greenery, the dam (?), & me in an acid-washed jean jacket in the background!

In a chair, next to me & my Mom!

From this angle!

And that angle!

In front of a house, with his audience behind him!

After watching this hour of footage, 2 things became clear: My Great Uncle Leo could really play that accordion...& he was a really, really good sport.

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Michael Stipe & Mario Batali: BFFs

"His image is uniquely his.  He doesn't look like anyone else, he doesn't behave like anyone else, he doesn't dance like anyone else, he doesn't sing like anyone else. ...His incredible softness as a real person is something that is a constant source of joy for me."

 -Mario Batali on Michael Stipe

"The thing about Mario is that he has such enthusiasm for everything, & I'm really a very, very happy person, & I'm always the glass half-full guy.  I'm like a 6 year old, & Mario is like a 6 year old.  And so that enthusiasm for life & that ability to see beyond the things that are really bad or wrong, & find something good, is really what draws me to him as a friend...as a very dear friend."

-Michael Stipe on Mario Batali

I don't know why this friendship seems so unlikely - maybe their starkly opposite appearances, maybe the different paths in life both have taken - but it makes me smile.  I learned about this friendship in a very round-about way.

You can get there from here.

I've written of my love for R.E.M. before, specifically my reaction to their breakup.  I recently devoured this fantastic R.E.M. magazine by the makers of Uncut, a publication from the UK.  My husband gave it to me on my birthday, & I looked forward to reading a retrospective of R.E.M.  Having read countless R.E.M. books & interviews, I certainly didn't expect to learn anything new from it, but there are a lot of new (to me) tidbits here.  For instance, I did not know that the "yeah"s in "Man on the Moon" were a cheeky attempt to surpass the number of "yeah"s in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", did you?  This 148 page magazine delivers an incredibly in-depth look at the 30 year career of one of my favourite bands, with essays on every album, rare photos, & UK interviews I have never seen before.

It's hard to remember pop culture media before the internet was in every home.  No Google search for instant gratification; I had to buy Rolling Stone & SPIN to read interviews.  No YouTube to find Much Music or MTV appearances; I recorded them on VHS tapes & watched them back with fuzzy audio & blurry lines.  That's if I happened to catch it when it was on TV, with no tweets to announce upcoming appearances, tour dates or magazine covers.  I had to physically check the stores, looking for Stipe on the covers.  Hard times, indeed.  I still have a binder full of these well-read articles, complete with reinforcements for the punched holes.  The only UK magazine I had access to was a Q magazine with a cover proclaiming R.E.M. the "best act in the world today", & I only have that because I bought it in London.

I took a souvenir.

One of the interviews in the Uncut R.E.M. magazine is from a 1993 issue of Melody Maker.  Mat Smith's article begins backstage at the MTV Awards where R.E.M. is about to play for the first time in 9 months.  Here is an excerpt from the article, as R.E.M. takes the stage with "Everybody Hurts":

"[Stipe] emphasises the 'Oh, hang on' as if it means so much to him, a cry for a lover not to slip away, a suicide to think again.  A plea for contact when only loneliness and death stare back, haunted and inevitable.  I've never felt such a sense of love and sheer, focused care coming from a rock singer.

As the song builds, within it, a latent, controlled turmoil threatens to bubble over.  All of a sudden, Stipe signals a halt with one hand.  The stiff upper lip is resumed, the song fades, the click track halts, but the sentiments stirred survive in all those present.  Then, a movement to the right, a garbled jangle of electric chaos and we're into some kind of pile-driving, sure-footed funk that James Brown would shoot his wife for.  Then the realisation dawns, this is the funk version of "Drive" that Buck was talking about earlier.

Stipe is suddenly enlivened, exhumed, like a mania has descended on him.  He can't keep still, arms aloft like some cheap '70s go-go dancer.  The transition is absolute.  From sheer desperation to sheer control. ...If you could bottle the grin Peter sneaked [Stipe] at one point, you'd be a millionaire overnight.  All of them are beaming.  My heart is about to burst."

I don't know about you, but as soon as I read that, I had to watch that performance again.  I know I have it taped on a VHS labelled Videos #3 or something, but I don't have to live like a heathen in the early 90s anymore.  The transition to "Drive" begins around the 5:17 mark, & it is seamless.

I'm sure you know what happened next; I became sucked into hours of R.E.M. YouTube videos.  Eventually, I happened upon a documentary on Michael Stipe that I didn't even know existed.  Filmed in 2005, Stipe is featured alongside chef Mario Batali for The Sundance Channel's Iconoclast series.  It is well worth a watch - Michael Stipe eating dinner is more captivating than most things on YouTube.  And that's ignoring the fact that Stipe will always be my #1 celebrity crush (as if you could ever ignore his perfect combo of sweet + sexy, calm + passion, intellect + dry humour, but I digress).  When asked what viewers would find fascinating about him, Stipe says "Maybe that I'm pretty normal" & he is absolutely correct.  Stipe eating dinner, going to the market on a moped, preparing a meal, shopping for gifts, going to a concert as a fan...it's like seeing your 3rd grade teacher at the mall for the first time. 

The documentary also reveals that blue is totally Michael's colour.  Enjoy.

"The friendship that Mario & I have is pretty particular & pretty great, & the thing that nobody's really figured out is that it's really because he loves music so much, & I love food so much, & it's just as simple as that."

-Michael Stipe

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The Confectionery - 8 - SDCC

These are the things that I think are great.  So great that I want to sing about them.

My favourite things of the week all come courtesy of Comic-Con.  Every year it sounds amazing, & every year I wish I had gone.  One day, I will get there.  It is written.

Not just a mecca for hardcore comic book readers & gamers anymore, there is probably something at Comic-Con for everyone.  If you don't care about The Hobbit (?!?!?), you might like to see a panel with creators & stars of The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, True Blood, Community, Twilight, or Kevin Smith.  No?  Maybe play the new Tomb Raider game?  Check out the art of Tim Burton?  LEGO?  The Mattel display featuring Greyskull?

Who doesn't like Greyskull?

 If all else fails, there's this:

Hundreds of thousands of fans descend on Comic-Con every year, & it's more mainstream than ever. The media still call Joss Whedon a "cult favourite"...yet he is behind the 3rd biggest movie of all time, co-wrote Toy Story, & has created shows with mass appeal.  We are all embracing our nerdiness like never before, because really, everyone is nerdy about something they love, right?  Whether comic books, film, TV, video games, music, food, sports, science, beer, architecture, the octopus, foreign policy...when you love something, you obsess over it.  The thirst for more knowledge never goes away.

Comic-Con...I will forever want to be there, & here are a few examples of why it is such a shiny shindig.  Before I get started, let's be honest - if you read my Confectionery blogs, you know of my love for Firefly.  So I'll get most of the non-Firefly stuff out of the way first, because there's a lot of Firefly love here.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR.

It's hard to tell if this is Robert Downey Jr. appearing at Comic-Con for Iron Man 3, or Tony Stark appearing at a Stark Expo.  Whichever guy this is, I WANT TO GO TO THERE.

Later, he crashes an Iron Man Costume Contest for kids.  Super cool, super cute.  Watch & imagine how star-struck all those hidden faces must be.

THE HOBBIT

The Hobbit panel previewed 12 minutes of The Hobbit to rave reviews, & also featured an adorable surprise guest, Elijah Wood.  Watching this, I realize I am now in love with Richard Armitage's voice. At 12:13, just try to keep yourself from sighing.

Also, the first LEGO set based on the upcoming Hobbit movies was revealed at Comic-Con.  Unlike the darker Helm's Deep, & Shelob Attacks sets under the Lord of the Rings title, this set features an adorable Bag End, with characters Gandalf, Dwalin, Bombur, Bofur, Balin & Bilbo.

You can see more photos here, including detailed shots of Middle-earth maps on the ground behind the hobbit hole.

THE WALKING DEAD ESCAPE

San Diego's Petco Park was transformed for Comic-Con into "a ballpark infested with zombies where you will climb, crawl, hide & slide your way to safety".  To add to the realness, the zombie makeup was done by the creative team behind The Walking Dead.  Check it out:

I am a huge fan of both the graphic novels & AMC series, & I can say without a doubt that I would never do this.  I don't do haunted houses - I can't even handle anyone following me up the stairs.  I'm confident that if I had attempted this obstacle course, someone would have found me curled up in a garbage can, sobbing, on the last day.  You do not want me on your zombie apocalypse team, unless you plan to use me as bait.  I can't argue with that logic.

ZACHARY LEVI'S NERD HQ

Zachary Levi understands the power of fans.  When his series Chuck was threatened with cancellation in 2009, fans took it upon themselves to not only write letters, but purchase sandwiches in a campaign for Subway sponsorship.  Watch this video of Zachary Levi leading Chuck fans in a mass exodus to a Subway shop to save Chuck.  It worked.

Last year, The Nerd Machine (a company founded by Zachary Levi) launched a separate event in San Diego at the same time Comic-Con was on.  The idea was to host small panels, Q&As, gaming events & parties on a more intimate scale than Comic-Con.  All proceeds go to Operation Smile, & last year $40,000 was raised.  This year it was on track to make $100,000 (no figures have been released as of now).  It is an amazing grass-roots event that this year had fans tweeting about being at a Nerd HQ dance party, sandwiched between Felicia Day & Joss Whedon.  Panels included Dr. Who, Damon Lindelof, Twilight, Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Seth Green, & Zac himself.  Of course, the one I will embed is the wonderful Joss Whedon panel. 

All other panels can be viewed at break.com, & you can read great blogs about the Nerd HQ experience here.

JOSS WHEDON WAKES UP FANS

At 3am Friday morning, fans who were camped out overnight to get into the Firefly 10th Anniversary panel were awakened by Joss Whedon.  Joss went down the line to see everyone who was there, taking photos & signing autographs for the people who love Firefly as much as he does.  How can you not love this man? 

You can read an in-depth blog by someone who was there here.

FIREFLY 10th ANNIVERSARY PANEL

If you've never seen Firefly, maybe you don't understand the big deal around this gathering for a 14 episode series that's been off the air for a decade.  Firefly was treated poorly by FOX - episodes were aired out of order, timeslots were changed abruptly - & it was cancelled after 11 episodes had aired.  The fans rallied & eventually Firefly was resurrected in the form of a movie, Serenity.  Firefly & Serenity continue to have a massive fan base, & if you have yet to watch this phenomenal series, please do so.

The panel itself was both hilarious & touching, & at times deeply emotional.  Much has been said about the love between the cast & crew of Firefly, & it is apparent that this is still true, 10 years later.  Firefly meant a great deal to everyone. The Science Channel will be airing a TV special about this reunion on November 11th.

The entire panel is worth watching, but here are a few highlights:

At the 16:47 mark, Adam Baldwin explains the origins of the infamous Jayne hat, likening it to "a birthday cake in a wasteland".
At the 24:23 mark, watch the hilarious mugging of Nathan Fillion when Joss gets sidetracked before answering "Why was Nathan the perfect captain for the Serenity?", & then watch as he can't contain his emotions when Joss finally answers.
At the 43:10 mark, Nathan delivers a beautiful sentiment about the ending of the show.
At the 47:48 mark, Joss is overcome when asked "What do the fans mean to you?"  Virtually everyone on the panel is in tears along with him as a standing ovation cheers him on.  He finally ends with a touching tribute to the fans & damnit, I'm crying again.

If that's not enough Firefly Comic-Con coverage for you, the post-panel press conference is just as entertaining & moving. Here it is, split into 3 parts.

As Nathan said, "When Firefly died, I thought it was the worst thing that could possibly happen.  And what I realize now, 10 years later, looking out onto this room, is that the worst thing that could have happened is if it had stayed dead.  That it died, is ok."

And as Joss said, "Can everyone tweet that I said that?  I don't want him to have the best."



Those were my favourite internet sweets of the past week.  Come back next week for more goodies!


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