I got Tickets to BoA @ MTV in NYC Dec. 3rd. Wanna Go?!

I just was given word that I won tickets to see BoA at MTV next week in NYC. I'd like to go but I'd need to a) get there b) find somewhere to sleep.

I you live in the New York Area and are a BoA fan... comment me! There's a really, really good chance I might have to give these tickets away to someone who can make the trip.

:(

Edit: Tickets have been given away to a lucky TamaRant reader. I hope they have fun.

The Aneurysm Pops for Eli Stone - ABC Set to Cancel Eli Mid Season

Trade mag Variety is reporting that the Alphabet network is set on canceling Eli Stone mid season.

The sophomore year of any show is always its toughest, and while I've been immensely pleased by the writing and wit present in Eli Stone, it looks like that wasn't enough.

Was NO ONE reading my live blogs? Come ON guys!

I think ABC's decision to move Eli to Tuesdays was part of the problem. It isn't a Tuesday show. It's a Sunday show.

Eli was the kind of thoughtful humor with a positive, uplifting message that fit well with Sunday. It's a great way to end the weekend. Well, it was.

I'm really sad that ABC isn't choosing to shuffle it to another time slot and finish out the season. I think it would have lifted very quickly in the ratings. But what do I know? I just watch TV, I don't actually have any say in it.

If you couldn't tell, I'm very disappointed with ABC's decision. My thoughts and thank yous go out to the entire cast, crew and writing staff. You all were wonderful in your respective roles and you brought a slice of joy to my life a little bit each week. Also, you reignited George Michael's career - and that's impressive!

I'm not sure what hope I can offer to other Eli fans. If anyone knows of any campaigns or plots to save Eli - leave 'em in comments!!

Eli Stone Live Blog! I'm back and I'm excited!

After last week's internet debacle and then migraine sucktastic, I'm recovering and I'm back this week for the Eli Stone Live Blog! See you here at 10pm EST and refresh often!


10:12
Starting off, a delivery boy is dropping off food and giving Patti a hard time about paying for it. Looks like she's going to have to take it out of petty cash. And while Patti is taking care of the eats, Eli is addressing the staff; now cut in fourths. Meanwhile P&K is winning the client and staff war and Maggie, who joined with P&K to keep away from Eli due to her now confessed (last week) feelings for Eli, is not impressed with their fratboy-we're-winning party. Matt Dowd is leading the charge.

While Patti and Eli are checking out a client whose business could keep Westhersby and Stone afloat, Eli has a vision and the file spontaneously combusts. Eli then fire extinguishes Jordan.

Both Eli and Jordan go to visit the almost-client-of-the-week, at his son's swim meet. The almost-client is a philanthropist who is trying to grow a Marijuana as a clinical trial for his son's MS.

Next, Eli has a long awaited musical number vision - with Jordan Wethersby singing the lead. There is fire and long-legged women dancing around Jordan. The end of the vision is Eli staring at a building engulfed in flames.

10:22
Back from break, Patti is asking Keith, the firm's best criminal defense attorney, to help her daughter with her DUI case. Keith finds out she's incredibly beautiful; I'm betting she's trouble.

In the next room, Taylor is freaking out about the effects her pop addiction will have on her unborn baby (last week) and Dowd (the unknowing daddy) shows up for lunch. He makes cracks about how's she's glowing and how "the girls look - wow." She laughs it off and asks him to help her find the leak who's helping to steal clients from the new W&S firm. She almost lets slip her baby news - and Matt's too offended and too clueless to notice.

In a client-of-the-week meeting, they're talking drugs. After, Eli has a vision in an elevator. It's a lot scarier than the Dragon one from last season; the elevator is falling and lands in a burning biofirm. And, if that's not scary enough, the building looks like it's going to explode. Post vision, Eli makes a "watch your step here" joke to the client-of-the-week.

10:33
Back from commercial, Eli is conferring with Dr. Chen. Dr. Chen suggests that fire can be a symbol for the Divine - a la burning bush. Eli notes that all his recent visions end in poof! flames! so it's more likely the going-to-hell symbol. It seems God does not want Eli to go through with this case. In the next scene, we're left wondering what evil trait the client-of-the-week is hiding while we watch Eli convincingly trash-talk in court.

At the DA's office Keith gets Patti's daughter off with the serious smooth talking he's known for, and afterwords Keith (in what I assume is Patti's real grand scheme) asks her out. She says yes.

Lunch time is Maggie and Dowd at P&K where they chat about Taylor and the lawyer spy.

Back in Eli's library-office, the client-of-the-week's son visits Eli and we're let into the fact that our swimmer doesn't really want the pot, all he wants is to swim. His dad doesn't get to him while he swimming. He doesn't want to be in the clinical trial. He doesn't want his dad to control his life. As we go to commercial, Eli is trying to understand where the client and the visions are leading him and the audience has more of a hint regarding the evil factor Eli might be facing.

10:44
Turns out, Patti is not happy that Keith asked her daughter out to dinner. She puts the butter knife down - eventually.

In court, the client-of-the-week is lying on the stand and Eli knows it. While Eli tries to "help" his client NOT purger himself Jordan tries to get things on track and the Judge suggests a recess. In recess, the client-of-the-week threatens Eli's brother, Nate's job. Our client-of-the-week is the largest donor at the hospital and the biggest ass.

Next, Keith's date with Patti's daughter, Angela, is going really, really well. I was half expecting Patti to jump out of the bushes during the goodnight kiss.

10:55
In the first scene of the last quarter of the show, Maggie visits Eli. She shows up with the name of the leak. If Maggie doesn't come back to W&S I'm really going to miss the chemistry that these two have; it's what made the show in season one and it's the ONE thing missing in season two.

In court, Eli saves and slam dunks a win. Lawyer smooth talk. When Eli tells the son to confess to the father, he doesn't. My eureka bell went off. In Eli's vision with the elevator, there was a manlike figure sitting on the roof of the facility. My guess is that swimmer-son set the fire and wants to go down with it.

In a shocking twist, Patti tells Keith that Angela had a good time, just before Keith gets a call about Angela's blood work from the DUI having traces of cocaine in it.

10:58
In a sweet moment, Eli gives the leak a second chance and Jordan realizes that you get more when you're sweet about it.

Eli visits Dr. Chen and they're chatting about which way the vision-phone goes.

In the last moments of the show, swimmer-son visits Eli at his flat begging to be emancipated. I'm glad there aren't any burning buildings - IN THIS EPISODE!

Preview Time!
Two weeks from tonight - Eli fights for Swimmer-son's emancipation. If I'm not mistaken, that's the first continuation story we've had with the same clients-of-the-week(s).

Migraine Update: It's back!

I've learned that I'm experiencing cluster migraines. Guess who woke up dizzy and falling over? Me. I've hardly done anything except hang out on my couch and watch I Love Lucy reruns.

I'm working from home this afternoon. I'm glad that we're able to do that sometimes.

10 Awesome things (and a note)

I apologize for being absent and for not updating both the Eli Live Blog and the 10 Awesome Things. This week was one of those insane weeks where I stayed away from the internets. Before I knew it, the weekend was here and I had one hell-of-a headache. A three day long with the dizzies headache.

This headache was not on the 10 Awesome Things list. It knocked me right out.


So without further ado, here are this week's 10 Awesome Things

10. Went to see 007 with friend and regular blog reader Justin. We went to a matinee and ate popcorn from a High School Musical bucket.

9. Choosing which health plan to go with for the 2009 work year. Actually, that's not awesome. The awesome part being happy that I don't have to think about it anymore.

8. Grocery shopping. I stuck to my list. Got everything I needed in under 40 minutes and have been eating well all week. I haven't eaten out and the effects have been enjoyable.

7. Making spinach and feta pizza - from scratch. Not only was it delicious it was good for me too! Thanks SparkPeople for the recipe.

6. Hung out a lot with my brother. He's a cool bloke and his friends throw one hell of a birthday party. (See #1)

5. My mom came over Sunday night for some TeeVee and food. I liked it.

4. Got lunch with my friend Melinda. We chatted over coffee. I don't see her enough.

3. At the publication of the post, finally stopped being dizzy. Only took three days.

2. Finding out that BoA is making a try for US market share. This means, that she's coming out with an English CD! I mean, I love her Japanese and Korean stuff, but a BoA CD in my own language is exciting!

1. Going to my brother's birthday party last weekend. There was a large quantity of jell-o made with vodka. I was a good girl, but it was delicious.

Eli Stone Live Blog - And We're Back!

Tonight we're resuming the live blog for Eli Stone. Stop back here 9pm EST for all the fun TamaRantiness!

EDIT! My internet was out the ENTIRE SHOW! So I'm sorry for that, because I had quite a few people looking here, and hitting refresh.

For everyone - I'll have a [hopefully] hilarious recap up later today.

BoA - Bring on America!

This is a long, long time coming. A moment for which I have been waiting a long, long time. BoA is pushing for the US Market.

BoA. Who is she? I've written about her on TamaRant before, so I'll sum it up by saying she's the biggest female pop star in all of Asia. Fluent in Korean, Japanese and English she preforms in all three. However, for the most part she's been shy about pushing the English speaking world - until now!

Market Watch is reporting that early 2009 BoA's debut English album is to be released.

If the whole thing is anything like her new single "Eat You Up," released late October, BoA will do in America what she's been able to accomplish in Asia.
To get the ball rolling, BoA will preform from Japan during the YouTube Live event and is planning (smartly) on leading with the new song.

After hearing it, watching it, and seeing some of the promotional photography supporting the single, I do have some concerns. BoA, don't let America eat you up.

The new song is catchy. Brittney Spears catchy. That's the problem. The thing I've always respected BoA for is being one above Brittney in every possible way. BoA can actually sing. Amazingly well. I've already wrote about the BoA vs. Brittney in the past, but bottom line is that I don't think this new single really represents BoA. It's being marketed as a dance mix. It's computerized and over produced. It doesn't highlight what makes BoA - BoA.

I like it. But it's not nearly as good as "Lose Your Mind"

While I don't think BoA will have a problem in the US market, I do think her marketing people and the planners are going to miss the mark a bit. People unfamiliar with her will see her as a Brittney copy - and she is not. Her US promo photos also seem to be leaning more towards the slutty. I've always liked that BoA dresses tastefully. Hollywood will try to vamp her up and she'll loose the innocent quality that makes her so lovable.

I detest Brittney because, to me, her only talent is sex. Can Brittney sing without music or without autotune? Can she sing and dance? Without lipping it? We all know the answer to that is "no." However Brittney makes herself, and a lot of other people, lots of money by selling the image that she's the girl-next-door on overdrive.

That's not BoA. It's not BoA partly because she's from a part of the world where the cultural perceptions of "sexy" is more akin to modesty.

I'm excited for what she's going to do next - but I really hope she's not looking to Brittney as the guide. Brittney's recent comeback will not last, while BoA has the talent to be timeless.

I sincerely hope BoA sticks to her roots.


What do you guys think? Leave it in comments!

New Weekly Feature - 10 Awesome Things!

Wherein I count down the 10 Awesome Things that happened this week


Ready. Set. Here we go!

10: Monday; I resisted eating things I shouldn't and did all my errands on my lunch.

9: Wednesday; My friend Jermaine came back from France which is still cool even though he didn't get me my book.

8: John Green's Paper Towns is still on the New York Times' Best Sellers List.

7: Wednesday; I went to the dentist and was told my teeth are amazingly healthy. Thanks Crest toothpaste!

6: Thursday; I exchanged a series of secret text messages with my friend Erin that cracked me up the entire day.

5: I acquired more Twitter friends. I'll never understand why this excites me, but it does.

4: Friday; I paid $25 to fill up my gas tank.

3: Friday; I had lunch with Jermaine and got to hear all about his trip to France.

2: Tuesday; when I went to vote there was no line.

1: Tuesday; Barak Obama was made President Elect of the United States of America.

What awesome things happened to you this week? Did you see a flying pig? Was there no line when you voted? Leave it in comments!

Glückwünsche Obama!

I didn't watch the fancy speeches last night, I waited until projections came in on California and then I went to bed.

Obama, in an electoral votes landslide, (popular vote was really, really close) is now the President Elect of the United States of America.

The next four years will hopefully begin to change, for the better, not only how Americans live but how the rest of the world sees us.

I spend a lot of my online time talking to, and getting to know, people in Europe and Australia. I've made some awesome friends through the internets, and it's amazing to hear how they see the country I grew up in.

I hope that good changes will start to turn things around in our economy. I live in the worst economic state - Michigan.

So congratulations Mr. Obama. Don't f*ck it up.

*Photo from charlotteobserver.com

Go Vote!

Today is what makes living in America worth something. Your right to vote. If you're registered go out and vote. If you're not, SHAME ON YOU! You don't get to complain the next four years if you don't like it - because how did you help?!

Voting is your American duty. It does count and it does matter. Who you vote for and why is your own business, but that's what makes this day so great! You get to have an opinion and you get to put it on record.

It's not just presidential elections that matter, it's proposals, congress persons, and judges.

Know the issues. Read the fine print. Double check your math. THEN VOTE!

Let me know your voting experiences and predictions in comments! Were the lines long? Did they kick you off the phone? Did they make you remove your candidate's button? Were you in and out in under five? Lots of young people? Lots of old people? Did you carpool? Absentee?

Halloween

It's November and now is a good a time as any to reflect on how I spent Halloween this year.

This year was yet another reminder to why I effectively loath all things Halloween. Well, that's not totally true. It's a well known fact I enjoy vampires and their myths. It's a well known fact I enjoy pumpkins and their spices. It's a well known fact I enjoy candy - chocolate specifically. It's a well known fact I enjoy carving things with knives. It's a well known fact I enjoy witches and wizards. It's a well known fact I enjoy ruby (or silver) slippers. Past that, I hate Halloween.

This year, I slapped on a pink wig, pink and black fish-net stalkings, and some red star earrings and headed out on the town with some of my friends. (20 Points if you can guess what 80s cartoon character I went as.) One of my friends played the part of a Dark Angel. Another, a Sexy Corrections officer. And still one more, a Masqued Beauty. We headed to one of our town's premier clubbing environments - got in free because the dark angel is friends with the ENTIRE staff (and another of our friends is a go-go dancer there) - and were treated to a very devilishly annoying night.

It was so crowded I could taste other people's sweat. That is a health violation if ever there was one. But the costumes I was exposed to were a range as colourful as the rainbow.

One girl wore her underwear, but she should have just come naked. I could see through the lace right down to her g-string. Where is her mother?! More importantly, I hope she gets paid for the photos that'll eventually end up on Facebook.

I saw 8 men in Speedoes and swimming goggles. They were Michael Phelps - but did I really need to see all that skin? Or body hair? I saw some very, very slutty Dorthys on their way to Oz. And let me not forget one unbelievably slutty Rainbowbrite. There was one Hermionie who needed to stop touching wizard's wands. Additionally, I saw lots and lots of men who will never get dates again, because of the blowup dolls they brought. And lastly, I saw one Co. Sanders who looked just like the chicken bucket he carried - I award him best costume of the night.

The thing that aggravates me the most about Halloween is the lack of respect people have for others. Apparently, the moment you put on a costume you're allowed to touch people in ways your mama would slap you for doing. Here's an example - while my friends and I were standing in the lobby area, taking a break from dancing, I kept feeling someone hit me on my butt. Hard. At first, I thought maybe it was my friend, the Dark Angel, but it wasn't. Then I turned around and saw a guy who I thought was the culprit, but it turns out he was an accomplice by standing between me and the offending guy effectively hiding the hitter - who, if I had had my way, would never procreate.

Had the Dark Angel not said something and stepped in, I would have kicked the offender, who was dressed as a corpse bride, in his genitals - with such force my hopes for his never-children would have been true. However, sadly, it didn't come to that.

There are a slew of other reasons why I'm anti-Halloween, but the utter disregard for your neighbour ranks top on the list.

Next Halloween, it's Vampire Merlot and some Harry Potter for me. You're welcome to join me, but leave your slutty costumes and your blowup dolls at home.