Cheater Cheater

So who’s the dude with the girlfriend? That’s the question thats the focus of Episode 4 of The Bachelorette.

BACHELORETTE WATCH Yes, thats right people, I’m back on the watch. Couldn’t stay away any longer. I’ve totally exhausted my Gossip Girl crave

who's the douchebag with a girl back home?

(too wrapped up chasing each episode back to back and then waking up zombified to run after the kids to post anything, but I shall in retrospect once I get my act together again this week).

I HEART KIPTYN Ep4  started off with such a nice 1 on 1 date with Kiptyn. He’s awesome. Forget Jillian, I am falling in love with Kiptyn! It was a simple date. Grocery shopping, walking around like a couple (an old couple who feed pigeons), then back to her place for a home-cooked meal. I remember doing that with my now husband. It was bliss. You’d think slaving over a hotstove would be very unglam, but not so, you get lots of time to bond over a potentially revealing activity – cooking reveals so many personality traits, seriously!~

I was ready to marry Kiptyn by the end of that date.

OOPS THERE ARE OTHER GUYS And then came the group date and I remembered ooh still got other guys! Making my heart flutter too are Jake (super sweet and cute pilot guy), Ed (he and his looks are seriously growing on me after last ep’s building scaling date) and Jesse (reminds me of Chris O’Donnell).

THE GUYS I DON’T REALLY CARE FOR I also remembered there are

1. Wes, AGAIN, you are SLIMY. GO HOME. Your song SUCKS. You will NEVER in your lifetime amount to anything anywhere near Keith Urban.
2. Juan, you are so FAKE. My gut is you’re more interested in looking for a ‘wife’ than you are in Jillian the person, so go home.
3. And last but not least, David the guy whose right eye blinks independently from his left…it was scary initially to see that (like some kind of tick), but now its just annoying. Plus, you are SO disrespectful to EVERYONE, including the Bachelorette herself …so don’t ask WHY, just GO HOME.

CHEATER CHEATER Throughout the episode, they keep trailing that the guys keep hinting that someone in the group actually has a girlfriend at home, that some guys aren’t there for the ‘right’ reasons.

FINALLY someone rats out the asshole that has a girl back home. Spoiler alert *stop reading now if you don’t want to find out*

The squealer : Tanner The Feet Lover (still ews me out every time I think of it)

The rat : Wes ( i knew it!!!! can anyone spell J-E-R-K?)

I hate that guy. I’ve said from the very beginning he looks sleazy, slimy and sneaky and has shifty eyes – and his song SUCKS! What is wrong with Jillian that she can’t see it? AIYOH <– for lack of a better word to express my frustration!

SIDETRACK Oooh, Ellen is on right now as I’m typing this. She has got Melissa Miller and Miranda Kerr on her show (if you don’t know, they are SUPER HOT Victoria’s Secret models). They came out with their wings on.  HILARIOUS –> Ellen is sending them out to get George Clooney’s attention cos she’s trying to get him on her show! I love Ellen – she’s hilarious – anyone read her book – My Point And I Do Have One <– hilarious (ok said that one time too many!)

MAN-UP Anyway, back to Jillian’s predicament. She confronts the men and asks that whoever has a gf to step forward and she waits.

And they wait. They all wait for a response…

I mean HELLO ARE YOU FREAKING DREAMING? WHO in their right mind would step up (or ‘man up’ to quote host Chris Harrison) and admit they aren’t here for the right reasons on (inter)national tv? I say just let the tabloids do their dirty work (since producers obviously din do theirs lor)!

Anyway, she got rid of some of the guys I didnt like, and still kept one or two of the annoying ones. Hope she smarts up by the end of Ep 5. The trailer promises more drama – I see Jillian crying in a lift saying she got her heart broken.

SIGH But what I can’t wait to watch are the amazing dates they always go on and enjoy the ‘date’ and the ‘romance’ vicariously 🙂 I still smile like an idiot whenever I watch the dates.

Am just like any other girl who wants to be romanced and swept off her feet right?

Xoxo, S.

Ep 1 Summer in the Hamptons

Summer Kind of Wonderful (actual episode title)

Just when you think it can’t get any better, it does. That’s my opinion thus far of Season 2 after watching just 3 episodes. But I’ll keep it to ep1 in this post, just cos its easier to track the posts by ep.

RECAP So, the first episode of season 2 begins with a recap of what happened last season, and boy, watching that lil recap made me realize how powerpacked last season was, every castmember got fleshed out, there were breakups, makeups, murder, lies (lots of this) and scheming, guerilla fashion shows(awesome move Jenny!) drugs, alcohol and murder, just to name a few highlights.

And after a (school) year of drama, our favourite Upper Eastsiders head out to the Hamptons. Its pretty much the same faces you see in Manhattan, except instead of Manolos and Birkins, its tennis whites and floppy hats. Yep, summer’s here! (cue Sheryl Crow: I’m, I’m gonna soak up the sun…)

Everyone’s basically spending their summer licking their wounds and trying to recover from an eventful year. Dan’s back in Manhattan interning as a writer’s assistant, but mostly sleeping around to keep his mind ofF Serena. Serena is in the Hamptons flying solo without him or BFF Blair. Nate is doing a Jesse Metcalfe in Desperate Housewives having an affair with an older woman – ‘Mrs Robinson’ is played by the gorgeous Madchen Amick  loved her since her Twin Peaks days!)

Jenny is working her tail off interning at Eleanor Waldorf’s Atelier, while her father Rufus tours the country with his rock band over the summer.

(notice how the Humphreys are working in the summer, versus their friends’ ‘vacations’ off the island?)

Chuck Bass is pretending to enjoy the ladies fawning all over him, while inside, he’s actually all torn up about standing Blair up on their supposed trip to Tuscany. And what about Queen B? Well, she’s on her way back from Europe, and we can all bet she has a big score to settle with Mr Bass.

Ok, enough of the 4-11. Here’s what I loved from this episode…

HIGHLIGHTS Blair got the best lines/phrases in this episode. My top choices are… ‘Mother-Chucker’ and ‘Chuck Bass-tard’! Who comes up with these? Two thumbs up! (And she says it with such a straight face!)

Another thing I really enjoyed was seeing the characters outside of New York City, in a different environment. It was all trees and greenery, posh manicured lawns, sun, sea and sand. And of course, the fashion had to match the location. Instead of the usual school uniform and overcoats, it was nice to see the guys in shorts and polos (and sweater vests while playing croquet! I mean, what person not in Alice in Wonderland plays croquet?). It was quite surreal, like they were transported to Dawson’s Creek, only a more expensive version.

The White Party was also a nice touch. Everyone dressed in white added to the surreal feeling.

LOVING CHUCK BASS My favourite character has got to be Chuck Bass. Here’s a guy everyone loves to hate. In my humble opinion, he’s also quite ‘poor thing lah’. He has major daddy issues and he overcompensates for the lack of attention by being all puffed up and suave and nonchalant when actually inside he just wants someone to love and approve of him. All very text book – psych 101.

The guy playing him, is a Brit. Ed Westwick is doing a bang-up job playing Chuck, and as if you didn’t already know, he’s dating Jessica Szohr who plays Vanessa (Dan’s BFF) on the show (she’s totally smokin’ hot too! Can anyone say girl crush?)

BLAIR + CHUCK = BLUCK? The thing I love about Chuck is his faux nonchalance. At 16, he’s trying really hard to radiate the Bass power. (yea, can you believe these people are supposed to be 16??)  Also, the way he manipulates everyone (and vice versa sometimes) is one of the real draws of the show for me. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy watching him and Blair try to get the one thing they cannot have – each other – its sadistic how they play tease and retreat!

Do check out Blair’s new toyboy for the season, he’s not what he seems, and I don’t just mean accents.

Ep 2 in the next post!

XOXO, s.

xoxo, i’m hooked…

So, it’s been a little quiet here on my end. And I’ll tell you why.
It’s because I’ve been holed up with a couple of Upper Eastsiders whose antics and intrigues are turning me into a zombie (been watching back to back episodes…why? BECAUSE I CAN – hello, thank you mio TV! On demand, any time, ALL THE TIME! Woo hoo! (even better now that the season has ended and I have the ENTIRE season at my beck and call – how did I not discover it sooner? Bachelorette – you’ll just have to wait til I’m done with Manhattan’s elite!)

Thus to unzombify myself, this is a much needed blog break (and also a good chance to talk about this awesome guilty pleasure).

Just to be clear – everyone knows I’m waxing lyrical about Gossip Girl right?
Hello…keyword : Upper Eastsiders….

The very beautiful cast of Gossip Girl

OK, to the uninitiated, Gossip Girl is the new O.C. but waaaaay better. It’s like The O.C. (cue exceptionally good looking cast, playing rich kids with lower income outsiders joining the circle), meets 90210 (everyone hooks up with everyone at least once), meets Sex & the City (it is set in New York! And everyone drinks and hooks up with everyone in posh digs despite being teenagers) and a little bit of Desperate Housewives thrown in for good measure (cue just as dysfunctional parents who are also hooking up with each other).

But that’s not what makes the show great. It’s the writing. The dialogue is sharp, spot-on and pacey. The storylines are smart (although sometimes predictable) yet with enough heart. The characters are flawed but believable, and oh so rich and beautiful, you just can’t help but want to watch them. The show really draws you in with the crazy scheming (because thats what you do in high society when your tongue is tied by decorum and political correctness), back-stabbing, social climbing, bitching and beautiful perfect people who have the craziest problems. And you thought regular high school was bad, wait til you join a Manhattan private school (like we could get in :P)

Oh and don’t even get me started on the music – i love the music on this show! It makes the show very current, relevant (as Kara DioGuardi likes to say) and hip 🙂

But lets cut to the chase shall we? Lets talk episodes in the next post!

Xoxo, S.

ps. I have to give a shout-out to my gal Lainey who recommended I get mio TV installed (she heard about my tv drought). Girl, its definitely filled the void and there ain’t no goin’ back girlfriend! “Dude, I’m in paradise!” said the tv junkie 

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

2 AWESOME Individual Dates…

Scaling down the side of 100-storey buidling in downtown LA does not a perfect date make  in my book. But for adrenaline junkie Jillian, that wasn’t even enough, they scaled (more like slid across on a wire and ropes) ACROSS TO ANOTHER BUILDING. I mean HELLO, seriously?! Props to her date for not chickening out.  But I guess being suspended like hundreds of feet up in the air over Los Angeles together kind of creates a bond, Jillian looked like she thoroughly enjoyed the company – and I totally agreed with her pick.

From L-R : Reid, Ed, David (alpha male yuck!) and Robby (Best Kisser Award!)

Growing on me this week are Ed, Reid and Robby. Still favourites are Jake, Kiptyn and Jesse.  And I’m still hating on Juan and Wes. You can now add psycho jealous Dave to the list (the guy who was literally speechless when he first met her …who knew he’d be this possessive Alpha Male? I swear, he was so pissed at whatever that his eyes almost popped out of his head <– Jillian, please…seriously rethink this one!).

The second individual date involved a car museum (ok only la – this is the point where male viewers realise hey she’s a pretty cool chick, she likes cars!) and a Ferrari (so very cool, love it!)

The group date was with 11 guys (count ’em, E-LE-VEN..siao!).  And the invite card said The Good, The Bad & The Ugly..

One of the guys had this to say which I thought was spot-on : “It’s good cos I get to go on a date with Jillian;  it’s bad cos there are 11 other guys on that date and it’s sure to get ugly with so many guys involved.

11 cowboys and a very purrty cowgirl, yee haw!

Well, the date itself was quite unique (as usual), with all the guys having to ‘act’ in a western with Jillian (who got to play multiple parts), but it was all just an excuse for her to suck face with as many of them as possible.  Look out for a little bromancing ala Brokeback Mountain (the two guys who had those roles were really good sports about it, kudos to you guys!).

Jillian learning her lines, probably smiling to herself cos she gets to kiss almost every guy on today's date!

I have to say, this Bachelorette is not afraid to be seen kissing every other guy (at almost every oppportunity, there was a lot of kissing action goin’ on cos the guys each wanted to give her a memorable kiss – Robby its in da bag boy!) on national TV (maybe its cos she’s Canadian?), but hey, whatever floats your boat and gets you that much closer to finding your man (power to ya Sista!).

Tanner P is the guy with the foot fetish (whom I also say looks really gay)...the fetish thing is seriously icking me out!

Whats comin’ up on Episode 4…

oh, and if you’re following the show like me, check out the official site for this season at abc.com. They have the tag-on trailers that promote the upcoming episode, sneak peeks, messages from the guys that got jilted (really sour grapes!) and it just makes you want to watch the next episode that much more!

Next week, 3 guys apparently have girlfriends back home – tsk tsk!

Note to said girlfriends : dump ’em pronto. They’re makin’ a fool of you on national tv sucking face with Jillian. (i have officially reached the limit on number of time i can say ‘suck face’)

Note to Jillian : dump ’em pronto, they’re wasting your time,  bring back previously more deserving guys (if they are willing to give you a 2nd chance)

xoxo, S

Let the games begin!

Let the games begin!

See that nose? At this angle she looks pretty good. I LURVE those earrings! I want them - thats the main reason why I posted this pic - someone, anyone, love me and get me them earrings!

In Episode 2, all the dating begins! Woo hoo!  I love this part! (well duh, that’s essentially what this show is, date after date after fabulous amazing date!) I swear, every girl must want to be the Bachelorette…who wouldn’t? You get to make out with so many guys and don’t have to feel guilty about it, cos all the guys know there are other guys. And at the end of the day, YOU get to pick the guy you want. (And a free whopper of a diamond ring too if you accept his proposal! Woot!)

Anyway, this season, the guys don’t get to stay in the mansion with Jillian, or in any mansion for that matter. They’re hothoused in a little bunker. The beds are like seriously narrow and just like 5 inches apart from each other. But they all look very neat and nicely done up. I can’t imagine sleeping in a place like that though, one guy snores and the rest don’t get any sleep!

But not for long, guys who win challenges (and roses) may get to move in with Jillian at the mansion.

There’s a cool ‘Amazing Race’ style challenge, complete with clues and flags along the way, that is thrown at one group of guys while they are shirtless and sunbathing, so its eye candy all the way as they jump into cars and race off topless! Again, their competitive nature comes out and I love watching them bitch about each other! While in groups of two, one guy comments, ‘I’m the brains behind this mission. Wait, I’m the ONLY brain on this mission’, bitchy much?

Jill chillin' out just before she kicks start a sexy pool party for the first group date! Shirtless guys are a-comin'!

There is only ONE individual date and that date is awesome. Imagine being serenaded by a Grammy-winning superstar while you have a whole nightclub all to yourself? (ok, NOT Kanye West) (OR Christina Aguilera) (you’ll have to watch and see for yourself, cos I am NOT being Spoiler Girl, not this time).

This show always has the most amazing dates. Its always well-planned, usually very romantic, or if group dates, very unique and out-of-the-box (and boxers sometimes! Haha! Watch and see for yourself). Producers really have the formula for great dates down-pat, plus creating situations that are great for TV. I hear one big industry secret is to liquor ‘em up so that the words come out!  🙂

Jillian havin' a laugh with Simon, the Englishman from Yorkshire who offered to make her tea, and Matthue, a quiet down-home country boy from one of them southern states (can't remember which :P)

All that aside, I think Jillian has got to be the coolest, most unpretentious Bachelorette. I look at her and compare her with Trista and Meredith and she’s just so much more likeable. I truly hope she finds what she’s looking for. The trailer showing what iss coming up for the rest of the season promises a lot more drama, some guys apparently aren’t single and have girlfriends back home and there are shots of Jillian crying..oh very very dramatic. I can’t wait!

Ep 3 just cannot come any sooner! HURRY UP LAH!

xoxo, S

Will You Accept This Rose?

Jillian looking gorgeous

Will You Accept This Rose? (yea-huh, I’d be stupid not to)

To be honest, I haven’t been watching  The Bachelorette (or The Bachelor) for that matter ever since Channel 5 stopped airing it after I think Season 2 (and season 5 for Bachelor). I was sorely disappointed because I actually love both franchises. Its just something about the intense way in which the bachelorette/bachelor gets to fall in love.

I mean, in what other alternate universe do you get to have your pick out of 25 members of the opposite sex? (then again if something like that ever happened to me, and I’m saying this cos I know it WON’T (chances of it happening are as remote as if Zachary Quinto became my BFF overnight, and Joe Jonas added 10yrs to his age so I won’t be a paedophile for liking him), I’d probably die of all the attention served up that very first night!)

Well this season’s Bachelorette certainly didn’t buckle under the pressure. (sigh, I have to say, watching the opening sequences of the show was like ‘coming home’ in a way…The Bachelor (and later on Bachelorette) were part of that first batch of reality shows I really enjoyed (before too many flooded the air)…so I was really excited to immerse myself in it again. And I have to say Bachelorette 5 is certainly delivering.

The Bachelorette herself, Jillian (who is Canadian by the way, isn’t it great that American producers and would-be suitors don’t mind this?), is vivacious, funny and knows what she wants. Also, from shots of future eps, we can see she’s pretty sporty and game to try anything, which makes her pretty cool. She’s not drop dead gorgeous, nor does she have a perfect figure (she’s quite skinny). Her teeth are crooked (although very white! Must have had some brightening done before the show right? Right??) and her nose is huge (director take note, profile shots not favourable), but she has moments. I’m sure she’s one of those people whose looks grow on you. Her personality and genuine smile however are totally endearing and will win you over in a heartbeat. She is warm and open from the get-go. I like how she asks the guys about their preferred hotdog toppings to check compatibility 🙂

The original Bachelorette Trista here with husband Ryan whom she met on the show in 2003, still happily married, now with two kids, Max, 2, and Blakesley, almost 2 months.

She was top 3 in the previous season of The Bachelor and then got dumped. Oh well, another man’s poison…Worked out well for Trista Rehn (oops Sutter now), who got dumped by the first Bachelor right at the very end. She then met and married the man of her dreams (and got a free wedding to boot courtesy of ABC) on that very first season Bachelorette. They now have two kids!

The 2-hr premiere did not disappoint, from the get-go, the guys are competitive (read : kiasu). There are some I just CANNOT stand – Julien the restaurateur..anyone know the meaning of ‘khiam pak face?’ (for those who don’t understand hokkien, it’s a face you just wanna slap!), Juan (producers..are you sure he isn’t gay, also this guy comes with Mommy issues – Jill! Watch out girl!) and Wes the country singer – he’s got shifty eyes – gives me the feeling he’s not there for Jill, perhaps to plug his career? (then again, could be the producers messin’ with my mind cos what we see is what they edit – ah heck who cares, I love the show anyway!)

(clockwise from left) Jake, Kiptyn, Juan, Jesse, Julien

My faves are (I tend to rack up faves as the show moves on and you get to know these guys better) – Jake the pilot, Kiptyn the surfer dude, Jesse the winemaker! Jake especially, he is so genuine and earnest, he just melts your heart.

During the limo drop off scenes, where Jill first meets each and every one of the 25 guys, I caught myself smiling like an idiot at the TV as I watched the men fall all over themselves trying to make a good first impression. There’s even one guy, who was literally speechless when he saw her, you could hear the imaginary crickets chirping! Hilarious!

I was also smiling because it’s so nice to watch people meet and fall in love. With each guy that stepped out of the limo, I would catch my breath and think, ‘Oh, will this guy be The One?’ It’s like every girl’s dream scenario, meeting Prince Charming. Plus, the show is given this surreal fairy tale treatment with the lighting and the music, how not to fall in love?

And I was also watching Jill, to see if she’d betray any extra emotion. She didn’t of course (or maybe it was edited out). I was also looking at how dirty the hem of her long white dress was getting. Seriously, it sloshing about in dirty rainwater as she moved about and it was ugh grey. When one guy swept her off her feet I thought oh no, that train is gonna whip him with some dirty rain water if he keeps swinging her around.

Jill getting swept off her feet, unfortunately you can't see the sloshy grey train of her dress!

This is the first time in Bachelorette history (granted I didn’t watch seasons 3 and 4) that I’ve seen the guys pull up in fives. Previously they would come individually (or so it seemed), but this time, you could hear the 5 guys wolf-whisting and wowing as they pull up into the driveway and catch their first breathtaking glimpse of The Bachelorette – just thought that was a nice touch. They still get out of the limo one by one though, of course.

Getting to know Jill

Once all the guys are settled in, its time to mingle and I have to say, these guys are super competitive. Unlike previous seasons of the show where everyone kinda left it to the ‘hostess’ to move around (and then whinge and whine if they didn’t get enough airtime with her), these guys actively sought her out and swept her away (and in some cases literally). And of course there is the typical male banter of my biceps are bigger than yours, what do you do for a living again? So funny.

Right before the first Rose Ceremony, the host, Chris, springs a surprise twist on everyone – I shall not say what that is here or I’ll be named Spoiler Girl. But suffice it to say, awesome move producers, it really upped the stakes! 10 guys are sent packing at the end of the evening, and out of those 10 guys, I really thought she should have kept one of them – very cute and I thought quite suitable for her, but I guess she didn’t think so, perhaps she didn’t get to spend enough time with him for him to make an impression. Ooh, better yet, bring him back later as a twist or a replacement for some guy who can’t continue due to a snake bite (oh wait, that was Joe on Survivor Tocantins!)…just bring him back somehow!

Onward to episode two!

xoxo, S