TV Show and Tell: America's Next Top Model—All Stars

I don't watch a lot of television, so the shows that I do tune in to, I do so with dedication (obsession). Aside from True Blood and RuPaul's Drag Race, another show I love love LOVE is America's Next Top Model!!! The newest season is bound to bring a whole lotta drama, fashion, fierceness and smizing as it'll be the series' first—

 

ALL STAR CAST!!!

This season, 14 of our favorite (and most detested) girls from the series' past 16 cycles will have another chance at becoming America's Next Top Model.

They are:

ALEXANDRIA

Surfer Chic.

Alexandria Everett 

22 / 5'10" / Newport Beach, California

Cycle 16 /  4th Place / Cycle Winner: Brittani

I'm gonna be honest, Alexandria is fierce. BUT her attitude stinks. She is more than capable of producing gorgeous high fashion shots, but her inability to play well with others leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth. Still—she'll probably make it far in this cycle.

ALLISON

Lolita Chic.

Allison Harvard

22 / 5'10" / New Orleans, Louisiana

Cycle 12 / Runner-up / Cycle Winner: Teyona

With an affinity for blood (nosebleeds in particular), Allison is definitely one of the stranger beans in the bunch—which is why I like her. She has proven her versatility in her own cycle, but I am uncertain if the uniqueness of her look (those eyes are insane) still possess the novelty that carried her to the finals of cycle 12. I'm hoping she'll make it at least halfway.

ANGELEA

Ghetto Chic.

Angelea Preston

25 / 5'11" / Buffalo, New York

Cycle 14 / 3rd Place / Cycle Winner: Krista

I have a love-hate relationship with Angelea. On the one hand I love her never-give-up-do-what-it-takes underdog determination, but on the other hand, she's kind of mean and a bully. Her ability to produce some high-fashion expensive-looking shots served her well in her season. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of her this time around, too.

BIANCA

Strumpet Chic.

Bianca Golden

22 / 5'11" / Queens, New York

Cycle 9 / 4th Place / Cycle Winner: Saleisha

Oh, Bianca. With her, it's definitely a hate-hate relationship.  She's mean and spiteful and bitter. I'll admit she is the most improved of her season, with a well-deserved 4th placing, but her penchant for provoking and picking on the other girls (particularly, Lisa, Heather and Chantal) makes her utterly undesirable. I mean, you'd want to root for her, but she is just so evil. I wouldn't miss her if she were eliminated first.

BRE

Headache Chic.

Bre Scullark

26 / 5'8" / Harlem, New York

Cycle 5 / 3rd Place / Cycle Winner: Nicole

Bre has the same air as Yaya of cycle three. She possesses a false sense of maturity and sophistication (i.e. she thinks she's better than everyone else) and I wouldn't mind if she didn't make it too far this cycle.

BRITTANY

Class Clown Chic.

Brittany Brower

29 / 5'11" / Tallahassee, Florida

Cycle 4 / 4th Place / Cycle Winner: Naima

I am unsure about how Brittany will fare this cycle. Don't get me wrong, I really like her look and most especially her fun-loving attitude. However, that same devil-may-care sensibility was what got her kicked off her cycle (Translation: lack of focus/unprofessional) along with a BS comment that she "lost her spark". Pull it together B!

CAMILLE

Betchy Chic.

Camille McDonald

33 / 5'10" / New Rochelle, New York

Cycle 2 / 5th Place / Cycle Winner: Yoanna

I don't remember much of cycle two, but i do remember that Camille was your typical Queen B (as in Betch.) She was confrontational and demeaning. Judging from this draggedy picture, I think she was cast to stir up some trouble in the model house and not for her modeling potential.

DOMINIQUE

W.T.F. Chic.

Dominique Reighard

26 / 5'9" / Columbus, Ohio

Cycle 10 / 4th Place / Cycle Winner: Whitney (EEW!)

Despite her general unpredictability, one thing is for sure about this mouthy model: Dominique loves Dominique. Deemed most improved in her season (I agree), but also slightly inconsistent, Dominique could soar towards a top rank or crash and burn. I mean, that picture...? Duh-raggg queeeen!

ISIS

Tranny Chic.

Isis King

25 / 5'7" / New York, New York

Cycle 11 / 10th Place / Cycle Winner: McKey

Probably the most controversial contestant in ANTM history, Isis is the first and only Trans- contestant. With remarkable grace, she handled herself well against the cruelty and ignorance from some of the girls in her season. After losing her nerve, she was eliminated early. Back after finally having her SRS, I hope Isis has found a renewed confidence and lives up to the potential that Tyra saw in her in the first place. You go sister! (Yes, I'm a Tranny too! AND PROUD!)

KAYLA

LGBTChic.

Kayla Ferrel

20 / 5'9" / Rockford, Illinois

Cycle 15 / 3rd Place / Cycle Winner: Ann

An immediate favorite, Kayla proved that she has what it takes to make it far. Whether bleach blonde, red or brunette, Kayla has the bone structure, fierceness and commitment to make it work. I honestly think she was robbed during her cycle. I hope she makes it to the end this time around.

LAURA

Bumpkin Chic.

Laura Kirkpatrick

21 / 5'7" / Stanford, Kentucky

Cycle 13 (Petite) / Runner-up / Cycle Winner: Nicole

Undeniably charming, Laura not only warmed our hearts with her country bumpkin sweetness, but she sizzled in front of the camera with the versatility and professionalism of a seasoned pro. Definitely talented, I am curious to see if her All-American girl-next-door looks could measure up to her taller and more high fashion competitors.

LISA

Carwash Chic.

Lisa D'Amato

29 / 5'9" / Los Angeles, California

Cycle 5 / 6th Place / Cycle Winner: Nicole

I have a feeling Lisa was included in this season not just for 'entertainment value', but also as a sacrificial lamb. I mean, with 14 contestants, 13 have to be axed right? ANTM execs probably thought about pooling the fiercest of the fierce, but unfortunately were unable to do so. After a stint on Celebrity Rehab, and compared to the other girls who live, breathe and not-so-much eat modeling, I don't think Lisa has the same focus to make it to the top. Prove me wrong, grrl.

SHANNON

(Ex) Virginal Chic.

Shannon Stewart

27 / 5'10" / Franklin, Ohio

Cycle 1 / Runner-up / Cycle Winner: Adrianne

A top model pioneer, Shannon is most-remembered for her line "If you don't stand up for something, then you'll fall for anything," when she refused to pose nude. Judging from the picture, she is still clearly in tip-top shape. I hope that being a top model 'pioneer' (i.e. guinea pig) doesn't hurt her chances against the girls who have appeared later during a more developed stage of the series. I mean, as Tyra often says at the beginning of each cycle, the competition is getting fiercer and fiercer. If we follow this logic, then that would make Shannon the least fierce right?

SHEENA

Hoochie Chic.

Sheena Satana 

24 / 5'10" / Honolulu, Hawai'i

Cycle 11 / 6th Place / Cycle Winner: McKey

Sheena's another contestant I'm biased towards: Yellow Fever! But throughout cycle 11, she showed me that my affinity for her was well-placed. She is fun, spunky, and most importantly a kind-hearted and gentle soul. However, to be honest, I never thought her pictures were as 'high-fashion' as her peers and with a Vogue Italia spread awaiting this cycle's winner, I'll admit: I'm worried.

Geo's Picks:

The Top Model franchise has provided its viewers with some of the most beautiful and most memorable contestants. The fourteen models competing this cycle should represent the fiercest of the fierce. Honestly, I can't agree. There are some really fierce girls in the running, but others are lambs being lead to the slaughter. I feel like some of these girls are cast more as 'characters' as opposed to their being 'models'.

I'd like to present a gallery of girls I could see, and would have loved to have seen, stomping and strutting this cycle.

Like I said, there are many memorable girls, but for the sake of keeping this list as short as I can, I decided not to include girls who I simply 'liked', but aren't as 'strong'. I didn't include girls who had a lot of potential but were super mean and pissed me off either.  The girls in the list are the non-winners who with more time (which by now they all had) could in fact stand a chance at bringing the title home.

The bigger pictures are my top picks, smaller ones I'd still consider. Click any to enlarge! =)

Adrianne Curry / Cycle 1 / Winner. Yeah, she won, but her career went downhill fast. I would've loved to see her show us that she still got the stuff... or maybe she really just doesn't any more...

AJ Stewart / Cycle 7 / 9th Place / Winner: Caridee. She didn't make it too far, but come on, look at her - she is fieeeeerce. Eliminated after one bad picture.

Alexandra Underwood / Cycle 14 / 3rd Place / Winner: Krista. My favorite plus-sized contestant. Gorgeous gorgeous girl.

Amanda Swafford / Cycle 3 / 3rd / Eva. Look at those eyes! And to think she has a degenerative eye disease. Consistently strong performance during her season.

April Wilkner / Cycle 2 / 4th / Yoanna. The strongest and most successful Asian-American contestant in the show's history. Gor-Jus!

Chantal Jones / Cycle 9 / Runner-Up / Saleisha. I really think she deserved to win over Saleisha.

Claire Unabia / Cycle 10 / 8th / Whitney (Eew). Definitely a case of premature elimination. Luckily, she is currently part of the Manila fashion scene.

Ebony Morgan / Cycle 9 / 9th / Saleisha. Ebony clearly had raw potential, during her run on cycle 9, she was either emotionally or psychologically unprepared and quit the show.

Felicia Provost / Cycle 8 / 10th / Jaslene. Eliminated a bit too soon and was not able to demonstrate just how much potential she had.

Heather Kuzmich / Cycle 9 / 5th / Saleisha. Underdog with a classic beauty and natural ability. One of my faves. Oh PS. she has Asperger's Disorder which she overcame to compete and go far in cycle nine.

Jade Cole / Cycle 6 / 3rd / Danielle. Funny story: Jade was actually approached to be a part of this cycle. She declined stating the contract offered to her was 'bogus'. She would've made a colorful addition to the cast, she's quite "analystic".

 

Jaeda Young / Cycle 7 / 6th / Caridee. Didn't quite know how to model her fabulous face during her run in season seven. Would've loved to have seen her again.

Jane Randall / Cycle 15 / 3rd / Ann. A late bloomer in the cycle, she blossomed a little too late. Would've been great to see whether she's blossomed even more over the past year.

Jenah Doucette / Cycle 9 / 3rd / Saleisha. Takes amazing photographs but looked kinda raggedy in person, would've been great to see her pose her little tail off again, plus she's got some attitude, too.

Jessica Serfaty / Cycle 14 / 5th / Krista. Although she was out-shined during her cycle, Jessica is clearly a natural. With a drive to improve and raw talent, would've been great to see this sweetheart do her thang once more.

Joanie Dodds / Cycle 6 / Runner-Up / Danielle. I think at the time of the competition she and Danielle were head-to-head, but I'll admit that Danielle may have had a bit more raw potential than her. In the personality department though, this charmer sure has Danielle beat.

Kahlen Rondot / Cycle 4 / Runner-Up / Naima. Kahlen was not just a super sweet girl, but she brought it as a fierce mow-del as well. Although I liked Naima, I wouldn't have been upset if Kahlen took the title home.

Katarzyna Dolinska / Cycle 10 / 5th / Whitney (EEEEW). With her gorgeously delicate Eastern European features I was shocked to see her eliminated, but probably not as shocked and appalled to see Whitney win the whole thing. Katarzyna's got the last laugh though as she is reportedly the most successful post-ANTM model.

Kendal Brown / Cycle 15 / 8th / Ann. Born to be a model, but at the time didn't have the necessary skills. Would've been great to see if she's acquired some since season 15.

Lauren Brie Harding / Cycle 11 / 8th Place / McKey. With a consistently strong performance throughout the first half of her season, Lauren Brie was wrongfully sent home after producing one bad shot.

Lisa Jackson / Cycle 9 / 7th / Saleisha. Towering over the competition at a staggering 6'1" and armed with an appealing racial ambiguity, Lisa possesses one of the strongest and most fine-featured faces in ANTM history. What she did lack at the time was self-confidence (a trait that seems to be shared by most of ANTM's taller contestants).

Marjorie Conrad / Cycle 11 / 4th / McKey. Quirky to a fault, this girl is haute couture.

Michelle Deighton / Cycle 4 / 6th / Naima. This statuesque beauty is the consummate professional. Modeling through a flesh-eating bacteria attack on her face (like, for real), Mrs. Johnny Fairplay could have been a force to be reckoned with.

Michelle Babin / Cycle 7 / 5th / Caridee. Although Amanda was the more passionate of the twins, Michelle clearly had more natural talent. As Tyra said, if the Twins were merged into one that would produce an extremely successful model—or their positives and negatives would've cancelled out and have produced a really mediocre one... Either way, Michelle was supah good.

Mollie Sue Steenis-Gondi / Cycle 6 / 9th / Danielle. One of ANTM's biggest mistakes was to eliminate Mollie Sue very early on in her season. As the 'real' fashion world proved the judges wrong, Mollie Sue is one of the most successful of ANTM's alluring alumnae.

Nnenna Agba / Cycle 6 / 6th Place / Danielle. At times inspiring, at times boring and at time annoying, one things is for sure, this African beauty sure can take a strong photo.

Nik Pace / Cycle 5 / Runner-Up / Nicole. Nik is another ANTM hopeful who was robbed of the title.

Norelle Van Herk / Cycle 3 / 5th / Eva. Extremely photogenic, Norelle's strengths before the camera were weighed down by her shortcomings on the runway. Things must've changed because she has also had a successful career modeling in Japan and Hong Kong after Top Model.

Ren Vokes / Cycle 14 / 11th / Krista. Handpicked by Tyra, I was rooting for Ren the second I saw her tatted-up gorgeous self. Not only did Ren look like a model, she acted and moved like one too, that is until the competition got to her (which was really early in the season). I would have love love LOVED to see her redeem herself.

Rhianna Atwood / Cycle 15 / 11th / Ann. One of the most endearing (and stylish) contestants on ANTM, I feel like she was eliminated due to her similarity to Ann. Having two remarkably tall, shy, and different quirky girls on the same season made each of them less remarkably tall, shy, different and quirky.

Samantha Potter / Cycle 11 / Runner-Up / McKey. I mean, come on. Look at this girl.

Tatianna Kern / Cycle 14 / 9th / Krista. Another girl whose elimination was justified by a BS reason. She consistently brought it. Period.

The prizes awaiting the winner of this season include a spread in Vogue Italia, a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, a fashion campaign with Express and a chance to be a correspondent on Extra.

We've seen these girls flourish, stumble, and grow in their respective seasons. We've also seen them get eliminated. We've fallen in love (or hated) them and the things that they can do and represent. I'm curious not only to see whether they've grown post-ANTM, but also to see how they handle themselves within the all-star group.

America's Next Top Model season 17 is scheduled to premiere on September 14th on the CW Network.

Yeah, that's this Wednesday.

Believe you me, I am soooo tuning in.

Images From:

http://www.homorazzi.com/article/antm-cycle-17-official-cast-photos-model-pics-spoilers-model-portfolio/

http://ablogaboutthings.com/2011/08/see-first-shots-of-antm-all-stars.html
http://big-i-love-antm.blogspot.com/ 
http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f52/mollie-sue-gondi-54538.html

Little Things 8: Of Journals, Transcontinental Connectedness and Rules to Live By

It's been understood that there's an uncanny connectedness between the Beets. As you know, one of our own, my Twin, has spread her wings and embarked on an adventure in a far away land with the love of her life, we'll call him, um, Iron Man.

So, with an ocean between us (T3, Beets and myself in Manila, and Twin in Toronto), the Beets utilize every means of communication to stay in touch—our medium of choice: BBM.

Sometime last week:

It was late at night (in Manila) and from another city on a different continent (Toronto), Twin sends the Beets a picture through BBM.

5:35 pm in a bookstore in Toronto.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I rushed into my room and sent the Beets this picture:

5:36 am on my bookshelf in Manila.

Ready for another link in the connection? This journal was given to me several years ago by BEETS!

Imagine:

Three years ago, on a trip abroad, Beets came across this journal and thought of me. She gave me the journal. Enamored by the message on the cover, I actually used the journal (and still do!). Three years later, present day, across the Pacific, across the Canadian landmass, the same journal catches Twin's eye and inspires her to send the Beets a picture—unaware that its own twin was lounging on my shelf.

Conn.ec.ted.ness.



I decided to go through my old journal and reminisce about the silliness of being young. With a smile and slight shake of my head, I opened the journal to its first page:

"live with intention. I am a journal and my name is Carrie Bradshaw."

Yes. It's a bit silly but I do tend to name all my belongings. As you may already know, my laptop's name is Darla, my car's name is Jibby (I'm driving again, BTdubs, and Jibby's on the mend), and so my journal's name is Carrie Bradshaw. I feel like naming my things makes me appreciate them more. I get affected when they're damaged, worried when they're lost, and feel proud when they out-perform my expectations.

And the names really stick.

In college, Darla got a bug and I had to take her to the IT people. My roommates would ask, "How's Darla feeling?", or "When's Darla coming home?" When she got better they would ask "Can I see Darla for a sec?" (they needed to borrow her), or "Can you take Darla with you to rehearsals?"

It got to the point where I named shoes. Not combined pairs—each shoe had a name.
Me to roommate: "Hey Zak, I can't decide. Beyoncé and GaGa are fierce, but Rihanna and Steggo are super comfy."
Zak: "Beyoncé and GaGa. Definitely. Although I do like Rihanna and Steggo... They're fierce too."
Me: "You're so fired."


Sorry, I digress. Back to Carrie.


As I flipped through pages of names, feelings, daydreams and experiences, I happened across my own list of rules to live by (albeit slightly less wholesome than the list of rules on the cover):

De-skankify your life.

The instructions on Carrie's cover have always been my approach on living life even before she was given to me. Those rules are exactly how I want to live my life for myself. I'm very much a carpe-diem-live-like-there's-no-tomorrow-appreciate-the-now type of soul. I'm an optimistic realist (I'm a walking paradox): hope for the best, plan for the worst.

Now, when it comes to living with and amongst others, I felt like the rules had to be a little bit more specific. The golden rule is my mantra: "do unto others as you would have others do unto you"; live and let live. After reviewing countless case studies (friends' relationships) and my own experimentation (trial and a lot of error), I came up with the set of rules above.

However, after a little more trial and even more error, I think that a few amendments should be made to this list.

"Do not make the first move"—it would totally suck if this rule was followed by the other party involved as well—you'll end up nowhere—fast. I'll be honest, I'm still working out the kinks on this one.

Now for the line:

"Flirtation with any of the above is totally acceptable", I have written an addendum that reads as follows:

Note on note on sidenote: Practice with caution.




It's funny because rules have never really been my thing. They can be appealed, changed, rewritten, bent and broken. They're effective until they aren't. Nothing is absolutely absolute (Is this statement a rule?).

Instead, I see them as temporary, extremely reliable guides—not hard and fast, but pretty darn solid. And as far as guides go, I find the following super kadooper useful:

Live with intention.

Walk to the edge.

Listen hard.

Practice wellness.

Play with abandon.

Laugh.

Choose with no regret.

Continue to learn.

Appreciate your friends.

Do what you love.

Live as if this is all there is.

How can one go wrong?




<3

WTW?! : Ventosa—the Massage Aftermath

I love getting massages.

In the past few years, the home-service salon/spa industry really boomed here in Manila. You no longer have to leave your home to avail of  a massage, mani-pedi, haircut, body scrub or a wax (but I'm not sure if they wax you down there...). My parents and I, as well as friends and relatives have all become suki (regulars) to our own home-service providers. We each have our favorite therapists, a list of back-ups and a list of never-again's (I'm talking about you MJ...).

Last week, Saturday afternoon, I was hired to write a pretty extensive literature review on a subject I knew absolutely nothing about. Oh, and it was due in four days. I had about six months to work on my college lit review. The lit review for this proposal was intended for an actual real-world, real-results study. Needless to say, I spent the next four days either hunched over, staring at Darla (my laptop) or poring over text books, practical guides and manuals on Internal Auditing (soooo random, right?!).

Wednesday morning came, the paper was passed, a meeting with the client was attended and I finally got a full night's sleep.

Thursday morning. My neck, shoulders and upper back reminded me of the strain and heartless torture I put them through by stiffening up and making me almost unable to move. I thought to myself:

I.need.a.massage.

STAT.

I called the service, set an appointment with Ellen (Love her! I sometimes call her Big Bertha in my head cos she's large and in charge, and supah strong!) and went about my day (and by went about my day, I really mean sat in a chair and moped because I couldn't move!).

At 8:30, Ellen came and started to set up. What I didn't mention is that every time Ellen would come over, she'd recommend trying a Ventosa massage. Ventosa is a type of cupping therapy procedure. Basically, the therapist puts little jars with heated air on your back. As the air cools, it contracts and forms a suction effect. It is said to increase blood flow and induce relaxation.

So yeah, Ellen came and started to set up her jars and oils as I lay face-down on my mattress. Ellen started to explain that the massage would come first, then the Ventosa therapy. I absent-mindedly replied "Sure.Great. Yay.Pleasestart." Soon enough, Ellen started her pressing and kneading.

I was asleep in minutes.

I did wake up right when she was about to start the actual cupping. She heated up and placed about a dozen jars on my back let them do their thing, and repeated the process.

It felt just as I expected, like a dozen vacuum cleaners had attached themselves to my skin—strangely pleasant, but no more "relaxing" than a regular massage. 

When the two-hour session was done, Ellen started to pack up. As she did so she said, "Oh, you have a bunch of marks on your back". I thought to myself, Well, Ellen is a therapist so physical conditions are an everyday topic for her. But that was a bit tactless, I don't have backne.

A bit nonplussed, I thanked her, paid for the service and walked her to the door. I then walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed. In the bathroom, I found this:

Well, at least now I know what to do if ever I wanna dress up like a pepperoni pizza for Halloween...

Oh.

Marks.

Now I get it.

To be completely honest, I can't really tell if the Ventosa massage was any better than the usual massages I get from Ellen, what I do know is that it costs twice as much, and it leaves marks. To be fair, the stiffness in my neck, shoulders and upper back is significantly reduced.

So. Now that I've tried the much-anticipated Ventosa massage, would I try it again in the future?

Doubtful.

=s

TV Show and Tell: True Blood, Season 4, Episode 10

Before we begin, let me just say:

It's September?! When did that happen!?

Okay.

Let's go.

So, the episodes leading up to this point have had some in-your-face highs, a few wtf lows, and a whole lotta I-could-care-less moments in between. BUT. The heat is soooo on. It's gotten really good.

—and I have a feeling it's gonna get even better.

Read on.

Episode nine ends with Marntonia and Roy causing havoc on the Vampire Tolerance event.

That'll do, Roy. That'll do.

She brought along our good friend, Eric:

Cheeeese!

—and made some new ones, too. The vampire sheriffs of Louisiana.

Now playing for the other team: Sheriffs Duprez, Blackburn and Kirsh.

After ordering the vamps to terrorize the humans in attendance, Marntonia commands them to "kill the King." This puts our King—Bill—and Nan on the defense. It's refreshing to see Nan really get her fang on.

Suit jacket, pearls, fangs and blood. Total Class.

Bill, on the other hand, was indisposed.

But you took my lunch money yesterday! =(

Always the boyscout, Bill came prepared. He pulls out a gun and shoots Eric, Duprez and Kirsch with silver bullets. Being the oldest strongest vampire in Lousiana, Eric heals immediately and resumes his mission of killing Bill.

Oh, and Sookie was there too. After her initial (futile) attempts at screaming and pleading with Eric, she done and got her fae on.

Shazaaam!

Since nobody really advertises Sookie's super-secret super-heritage, just about everybody was shocked. Particularly:

WTF?! - Roy. OMGOMGOMG!!! - Marntonia

Aw HELL no! - Nan.

Sookie's fairie light magic not only breaks Marntonia's necromancy on Eric, but it also lifts the spell that took away Eric's memory. Which means Eric'll probably hang up the denim and go back to leather. =D

Feeling a break in her spell connection, Marntonia starts to doubt her objectives. More specifically, Antonia is troubled by the collateral damage: the injury and probable deaths of dozens of innocent humans.

That is, like, so sad—I mean, Ayayay.

Speaking of collateral damage, let's check in with the sheriffs, shall we?

Blackburn: Staked by Nan.

No, Nan! Not the PENCIL!!!

Kirsch and Duprez: Still under Marntonia's control.

...and this is where I keep my spare vamipres...

No longer under Marntonia's spell, Eric, along with Bill, turns his attention to Marntonia. In a wave of her arms, Marntonia quickly escapes with Roy, Kirsch and Duprez in tow.

You have to admit, Nan's PR skills and damage control is pretty impressive. One minute she's opening up a can of true death on a vampire sheriff, and the next she's thinking about "image", and then after that she warmly goes into the crowd of survivors informing them that she is a certified and caring first responder.

Meanwhile...

At Bill's House—

Jessica is nonplussed by Jason's pleas of glamouring. He wants to forget what happened between them. She tells him it sucks for her to hear that, and asks who's supposed to make her forget? Awww Jess.

Humans... UGH.

Jessica is POed and leaves Jason to sulk while she finds a human to feed on.

Inside the mansion, Bill confronts Nan about her agenda, and after they argue, he reveals his agenda, and then they argue again. Bill's agenda: to eliminate Marnie by blowing up the Moon Goddess Emporium.

Oh Nan, don't give me those sad puppy dog eyes. Betch.

Downstairs, Sookie and Eric awkwardly talk about how he has his memory back.

Let's see who can move that bottle with their mind.

Fortunately, the drama was broken (added to) when Pam enters and is tearfully reunited with her maker at last.

"Well...thanks," - Pam to Sookie.

Bill comes down from his office and informs Sookie, Eric and Pam of his plans to blow up the coven-house. Sookie is distressed—Tara and a number of humans are still trapped there, Eric is indifferent, and Pam "is sooo in".

Speaking of Tara, I'd like to present this season's surprisingly enjoyable tandem: Tara and Holly:

Say what now?

In Shifter News:

I'll admit I was never a fan of Tommy Mickens, but it sure was sad to see him go.

"You were the best part of my life," - Tommy to Sam. ='(

Sam and Alcide grieve over Tommy's body.

And while Alcide is busy consoling Sam, Debbie is doing "this".

Bow-Wow Chica Wow Wow! Debbie and Marcus wanna make some puppies!

And by "this", I mean Marcus.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING...

At Casa de Bellefleur:

Terry and Arlene stage an intervention.

Terry and Arlene are upset with Andy for not just being hooked on V, but for bringing V into the house with their two small children. Terry's solution was to take Andy to:

Fort Bellefleur.

The cousins do a lot of posturing, talking, I-got-it-worse-than-you-ing, tin-can-shooting, rooting and tooting. And some of this:

Rollin' in the hay.

After their little tussle Andy promises that he'll stay clean. Hmmm... I guess we'll see.

At the Moon Goddess Emporium:

We see a crack in the Marnie-Antonia union.
Antonia's spirit exits Marnie's body to tell her of her reservations. She says that in her life she was a healer, she only turned to necromancy to control death, to protect her village from illness. Seeing the lives of the innocent harmed was not part of her plan.

Marnie, on the other hand, turns out to be more in control than we thought. She has hated the vampires from the start and the human lives lost against her war against the vamps is a small price she is more than willing to pay. Finally, Marnie manages to convince Antonia to finish what they started and the two fuse into one once more.

Betch, you craaazy!

I know, right?!?!

OK, fine... Let's do this. Open up.

At King Bill's Mansion:

Another sleepover! Yay!

Cozy.

Aside from Nan, Bill and Jessica had more houseguests:

Don't you have a futon or something?

"I don't care what happens, as long as I get to kill sh!t!!!" - Jess, huwhatta darlin'.

Eeew!!! Someone farted!

One happy fang-mily.

On Days of Our Human Lives:

Jason is shocked to see Hoyt at his doorstep. Reluctantly, he invites him in.

Distance on so many levels.

After his awkward encounter with Hoyt, Jason goes over to Sookie's house for some foodums. While he enjoyed his bacon, eggs and orange juice, Sookie asks for his help. Reluctantly, he agrees.

They go to Lafayette's house where they convince Laffy and Jesus to help them rescue Tara before the Louisiana vamps go and blow up the Moon Goddess Emporium to smithereens.

We shoulda' brought egss... and toilet paper...

They decide that Jesus would be the best suited to go in and speak to Marnie (thinking that she's helpless, unaware that it's really she who is calling the shots now). He gets about halfway to the front door when this happens:

Magical Protection?! Whould' thunk?

Inside, some trouble's a brewin'. Marntonia senses the perimeter breach and goes to investigate. Sensing a crack in Marntonia's concentration, Ebony and Ivory cast a spell of their own:

LightasafeatherstiffasaboardLightasafeatherstiffasaboard...

Marntonia confronts Jesus outside of the Moon Godd...MGE and tells him that in order for her to trust him, he must cross the protective barrier. He complies and this happens:

Oh, BTdubs, I have a Demon Guide.

Super impressed, Marntonia welcomes Jesus back into the fold. Jesus finally discovers Marnie's true inclinations and warns Sookie via telepathy. At this point, the spell that Salt and Pepper cast is complete and the protective barrier around the MGE is lifted. Holly and Tara make a mad dash for the exit. Seeing the two, Sookie, Laffy and Jason run to meet them. However, Marntonia is too quick for them and—

ZAP!

Marntonia (re)captures not only Holly and Tara, but Sookie and Lafayette as well, leaving poor Jason alone, confused and wishing he were somewhere else.

Episode ten ends with what I feel is the coolest and most anticipation-inducing cliffhangers yet:

The Vamp Assault on the Moon Goddess Emporium:

Now THAT is one badass group of mothereffin' fangers!

I really really hope that the following episodes will be kadooper action-packed, and not just five minutes of fighting, then lots of re-grouping, bickering, and drama-mongering. Let's see some fangs, and speed and blood and dead witches!

I mean, come on, most of the supers (well, the interesting ones at least) and the humans with abilities are going to be in the same building. This has got be big.

I.

CAN'T.

WAIT.


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Images, as usual, are screen grabs.

Pensieve: Stay Tuned!

So I've been MIA since Friday, both from blogging and from the real world (the Beets can attest to this) because I had been given a totally random project. I've been hired to write a report on Internal Auditing. So me, right? Not. Très random—I know.

Anyway, rest assured that a bunch of posts have been brewing in my head. Watch out for titles like (in no particular order): Rules to Live By; Speaking of Beets...; True Blood Season 4, Episode 10 (PS. So goood!); A Baby Vamp's Baby Blog; the Sims Social— Procrastinationsville; and Hummus, More Like Yummus! among others.

Note that I may not actually end up using these titles... But they're swimming in my head right now.

I just need to submit this dang project tomorrow (or hopefully within the next few hours) and will get to blojjing right away.

So, yeah.

Stay tuned!

Oh... even if I've been a total hermit, here are a couple of persona highlights from the VMA's.

Jay - Z's baby came IN Beyoncé. Beyoncé came as Scary Spice.

Lady GaGa came as a man: Jo Calderone.

Nicki Minaj came as Lady GaGa.

And little Justin Bieber came as Elton John. And just like Elton, the Biebs is a "snake charmer." Boo-YAH!

TTFN!!!

<3

Images From:

http://blog.jokeroo.com/2011/08/29/mtv-vmas-beyonce-jay-z-celebrate-baby-news-backstage/

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/205410/20110829/lady-gaga-vma-2011-outfit-drag-man-joe-calderone-britney-spears-kiss.htm

http://www.temptalia.com/nicki-minaj-2011-mtv-vmas-makeup-dress-photos

http://thejustinbiebershrine.com/2011/08/justin-bieber-snake-charmer-at-2011-mtv-vma-red-carpet.html