Million Dollar Password - Ep. 101 - Series Premiere
The Bachelorette - Ep. 403
The Mole - Ep. 501 - Season Premiere
Hockey Night in Canada - The Stanley Cup Hockey Playoffs - Game 5 Pittsburgh vs. Detroit
I know I know. I keep ranting about boycotting cheap reality TV stuff that is just blatant filler but I'll excuse it if:
1) the show has the word Project Amazing Survivor Idol Top Dance Geek in it
2) there's a gay contestant in it cause I'm an easy sucker that easily gets taunted by the token presence to entice suckers exactly like me (why I get suckered into Big Brother every damn time)
4) there's going to be lots of male flesh (hence why I actually watched the entire series of America's Most Smartest Model)
3) it's summer (why I get suckered into Big Brother every damn time but goshdarnit I'm going to curb my guilty addiction this year)
Also, I'm sure you're wondering about the hockey thing being listed above there. I now have roommates. Friends that are in between homes and staying for the summer. This includes a straight guy who I have suckered into watching The Bachelorette with me (and probably is even more into the show than I am), but who also wants to see Pittsburgh win. So we watched the last quarter inning period (?) and watched Detroit pass Pittsburgh 3-2, then with less than 5 minutes left, have PIT tie it up! And then they go into overtime. Then 2nd OT. And it goes on. And on. And on. I hate Don Cherry btw. And on. And on. And on. And no one scores. And on. And on. And that's about all the hockey I need to see for the year (or two) again. I did my part in the gay-straight alliance. (Pittsburgh won, ensuring yet another night of hockey).
So The Mole used to have Anderson Cooper as host (I'm making no outing comments here...) and at least has the TV notion of awarding the smartest player as the winner. Yes it was a reality show but it was enjoyable (I'm completely ignoring the celebrity editions though) even though the clues were so convoluted sometimes it didn't actually REALLY make sense, or impossible to guess. It's now back, sans Cooper who has moved on to bigger and better things, but the clues to outlast everyone while guessing the infiltrating mole returns, there's a gay contestant, and it's summer so what else am I going to watch? Plus what other game show ends with a QUIZ to determine the elimination? It's a celebration of nerds!
Meanwhile, Regis Philben is back with ANOTHER game show, Million Dollar Password, this time (surprinsingly) on CBS. Groan.
BUT, they hooked me in with using rotating celebrity guests as the contestants partners in each show, and they hooked me in by using gay or celebrities gays love, sticking Neil Patrick Harris and Rachel Ray in the first episode (and apparently with others like Betty White and Rosie O'Donnell in later episodes). DAMNIT.
It's actually a fun enough game to watch at best, lame at worst, but I think it'll depend on the celebrity. It was fun watching the NPH do really well with the word game, making me love the guy even more. So deserved to be a Hot 100!
I loved Rachel when she does Food Network shows, but her talk show is a little too much cheer and enthusiasm for me. She's fun here in the small dose, though she pales to Neil in Password skills.
Love Betty White. The Golden Girls really was the original Sex and the City girls weren't they?
This week on The Bachelorette, the guys continue to act like doofuses, some try way too hard, and DeAnna makes a bone headed move herself.
Richard gets the first one on one date and he's so perfect, perfectly handsome, perfectly attired, perfectly gentlemanly, that of course, DeAnna feels no attraction to him and he doesn't get a rose, forcing him out on the spot.
Um, let ME marry the high school teacher please.
Meanwhile the other guys go to a ranch and the buffoonish acts continue. Love this show. I think I smack my head and cringe more often than a President Bush speech.
All the guys continue to turn on Jeremy for not being one of the guys and I totally don't see what their problems are with him. Hello! He's trying to get the girl, not be buddies. It's not Boy Meets Boy. I'm not saying that would be bad, it's just not the point here. Doesn't mean I like Jeremy. He could be at least NICE to the other guys and fake a smile or two (seriously, how hard is that?) and I'm not sure I like him during this episode but it's kind of loserish for Ron and the others get so uptight about it all. It's a game. The game of LOVE. There are no rules here! All's fare in love and war. Ron gets confronted with the Jeremy hating by DeAnna and DeAnna isn't really buying his excuse. I've kinda lost my interest in Ron as well this week.
Fred and Graham ambush DeAnna on her one on one time with another dude, and it's embarrassing to see them try so hard that it freaks DeAnna out. Robert plays is perfectly cooly and wins the next rose.
Jason gets the second one on one date later, and he preps up to tell DeAnna about his son, but in the end it was a non-event.
Then the boys and DeAnna go to Ellen so that she can check them out. Ellen sees potential problems with Graham, sees that Jeremy is ready to commit, and loves Fred for his cuteness and gives him the rose. Yay! Fred, though he made that doofus mistake ambushing DeAnna, is still one of my favorites, having a totally cute underdog charm.
I'm still not sold on Twilley and Sean and I'm losing interest for Jeremy and Jesse but I'm liking Brian W., Jason and Fred more and more. I want to like Graham and I do a bit but we still don't really see much of him. DeAnna leaves Paul and Ron without roses which is just as well since they kept spewing boneheaded remarks.
So who's The Mole? Here's their "official" bios, so which one sounds most made up? (though usually the bios are real too... who would work for ABC the most?):
I'll make my random guess at the end. Will they have the mole be the gay guy (Bobby), the black guy? the old lady? the fat one? So far they've gone with the young pretty girl and an old white guy as the Mole in previous seasons. So I'd say this year they pick a young black girl but there are none. And the lone black guy? Too obvious? Or is that what they want us to think? Oh wait, there's Nicole. The Mole is Nicole. Right? Or is that too obvious too? Let the double guessing begin!:
Alex, Age: 31
Occupation: Musician
Haverford, PA
Education: Attended University of Colorado, Boulder
Alex grew up in the suburbs outside Philadelphia. He has been drawn to music his whole life. In high school, he was president of the jazz band and now Alex is an aspiring musician, the lead guitarist for a fledgling rock band. He doesn't want to compromise his aspirations of being a musician, thus he works odd jobs and lives at home with his parents while waiting for his big break. He says he communicates best through his music. He plans on bringing his guitar to help entertain his fellow players with a song he wrote especially for The Mole. His strategy is to be the "nice guy" but he says he can play dirty if he needs to. He learned to speak Spanish from his mother and lived in Costa Rica for five years. He considers himself an expert marksman.
Ali, Age: 24
Occupation: Model
St. Louis, MO
Education: Associate's Degree, St. Louis Community College
Ali is a model, who has worked as a ring girl for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She describes herself as "stunning" and believes her beauty helps her get her way, but also causes people to instantly dismiss her, which she plans on using to her benefit in the game. Ali used to be a wild, party girl. She celebrated her 21st birthday with Motley Crüe in Las Vegas. But now, she treats her body as a temple. She has strong religious beliefs and has settled down with her boyfriend, a UFC fighter. She claims to have a 75% accuracy rate with shotguns and is experienced in fishing. She considers herself ambitious and caring but also forgetful and prone to road rage. Ali plans on using her beauty and brains to outsmart other players.
Bobby, Age: 25
Occupation: Restaurant Manager
Philadelphia, PA
Education: B.A., Penn State
Bobby loves games, competing, and winning, though you may not know it from his low key exterior. He is a hardcore fan of The Mole and used to host Mole watching parties in his basement. He knows the game well and has a solid strategy to form coalitions with less intelligent players that he can lead astray. Being selected as a player on The Mole he feels is him fulfilling a lifelong dream. Being gay, he feels that his "gaydar", the ability to recognize other gay people, will help him read people in the game. Bobby considers himself loveable and generous but also stubborn and vengeful. Bobby used to work as a restaurant manager until recently when his restaurant closed down. Bobby feels that his knowledge of the game guarantees him a spot in the final three players.
Clay, Age: 32
Occupation: Criminal Litigation Attorney
Philadelphia, PA
Education: Law Degree, Howard Law School
Clay is a devoted husband and father of two sons. He likens his household to the Cosby family. He feels that the skills he uses as a criminal trial attorney will closely parallel his strategy in the game. Clay plans on using his argumentative skills to convince others to do what he wants. He is analytical and can easily hide his emotions. He says he will use the same skills he uses in selecting a jury for figuring out who the Mole is. Due to his trial experience, he has developed a keen sense of how to read people from all walks of life. Clay thinks he can outsmart the other players in the game because he is usually smarter than most people. Clay admits he suffers a bit from OCD. He has been known to touch a light switch ten times before he can leave a room.
Craig, Age: 30
Occupation: Graphic Designer
San Diego, CA
Education: B.A. Point Loma Nazarene University
Craig has been overweight his entire life so he developed a sense of humor to make friends. He is a lovable prankster with a big heart, and his magnetic personality has gotten him through life. Craig plans on using his endearing nature and non-threatening appearance to win the players' trust and then manipulate them. Craig knows his physical limitations, but says this can be an asset in the game because everyone will underestimate him. He hopes to surprise everyone with his abilities. Craig has sleep apnea, so he must sleep with a special machine to help him breathe while sleeping. Craig has traveled extensively and worked as a humanitarian disaster relief aide worker in Turkey and Thailand.
Kristen, Age: 35
Occupation: Neuroscientist
Santa Monica, CA
Education: PhD, UCLA
Kristen says that because she is tall, blonde, and beautiful, no one ever thinks she could be a neuroscientist. She is currently conducting research to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease at UCLA. Kristin grew up in an upper-middle class family in the Midwest. Growing up, she showed horses competitively. She also dabbled in modeling. She says, competing her entire life as an equestrian and scientist has made her hone skills that will serve her well in the game. She believes her athleticism, and her naturally strategic mind will also be assets. Kristen feels her best trait is her kindness and her worst trait is that she's a perfectionist.
Liz, Age: 60
Occupation: Retired
Whitefish, MT
Education: Associate's Degree, New Mexico Tech.
Liz has more energy than people half her age. She lives life to the fullest and does not let age stand in her way. She won't hesitate to shock people with her outlandish sense of humor. Liz is a widow. When her husband passed away, she decided to adopt two children and raise them on her own. She has an 18-year-old daughter, a senior in high school, and a 20-year-old son in the army, who recently gave her a grandchild. Her son may be deployed to Iraq at any time. She suffers a bit from an empty nest, so she is eager to have this adventure to bring some excitement into her life. Liz feels that her age will be an asset for her in the game because with age comes wisdom, especially when dealing with younger people.
Marcie, Age: 31
Occupation: Stay-at-home Mom
Corona, CA
Education: High School Graduate, West High, Torrance, CA
Marcie got pregnant in high school and married her high school sweetheart. She is a devoted wife and mother with three sons. Marcie is married to a police officer. By devoting her entire life to raising her family, Marcie has missed out on the opportunity to do something just for herself. But Marcie believes that being a stay-at-home mom is the most important job that anyone can have. Stay-at-home moms are not people that can't do anything else, they just choose to raise their families rather than pursue a career. Playing this game will be her big adventure and an opportunity to prove she is more than "just a mom." She feels that others will underestimate her and she will use that to her advantage. Spanish is her first language and she speaks it fluently.
Mark, Age: 42
Occupation: High School History Teacher/Soccer Coach
Mukwonago, WI
Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
Mark is an extremely competitive high school soccer coach and world history teacher. He plays to win and has no tolerance for whiners. He is a huge fan of The Mole, having seen all the previous seasons. Mark will be very intense and focused about playing the game. His only weakness is his family. Mark and his wife struggled financially when they first married. In order to make life easier Mark put himself through college while working 2 jobs. He can be very emotional about his wife of 18 years and his three children, who he considers his life. Today with another baby on the way, both he and his wife continue to work 2 jobs. Mark says he thrives on competition and being challenged. He says his IQ is 143. His strategy is to figure out an "end game", where he foresees the end of the most advantageous route for himself and does everything in his power to manipulate things towards that result.
Nicole, Age: 33
Occupation: OBGYN Doctor
Chicago, IL
Education: MD, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine
Nicole says she has the ability to be a social chameleon, a skill she's developed by growing up in a lower-middle class, African-American neighborhood, working in a white collar profession, and dealing with a wide range of patients. She says she can be street or professional when she needs to be. She has a strong personality and isn't shy letting her opinions known. She's very proud of being a doctor and has no problem with being considered a diva. She is close with her mother and credits her with her success.
Paul, Age: 29
Occupation: Utility Worker
Yonkers, NY
Education: Attended Pace University
Paul has the accent and demeanor that clearly reveals he's an Italian New Yorker from Yonkers. Paul works 9 to 5 as a machinist for a utility company and as a wedding DJ on the weekends. It is at one of these weddings where he met his wife and his life changed forever. A self-professed, former "pla'ya", he is now a family man who dotes on his family, especially, the love of his life, his 2-year-old daughter. Paul is out going and has a charismatic personality. He feels he has an advantage in the Mole because growing up, his father worked for a spy gadget company and would use the gadgets to spy on his kids. Paul considers confidence, his best trait and his worst trait. He admits and his wife will readily agree that he just doesn't know when to shut up.
Victoria, Age: 26
Occupation: Retail Manager
Bishop, TX
Education: B.A., Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Victoria is a spunky, former pageant girl and cheerleader from a small town in Texas. She once told pageant judges her favorite reality show was "The Mole" because one gets to be deceptive in the game. This did not go over so well on the wholesome pageant judges. Victoria is very close to her family and professes to be a daddy's girl. She admits that her looks and sweet demeanor often gets her what she wants, especially from men. Though people often mistake her for a naïve, small town girl, she admits she can be conniving when she wants to be. She says people usually underestimate her intelligence but she is much more observant and deceptive than she lets on. Victoria considers herself to be very competitive and says she will not hesitate to backstab in the game if she has to. She admits one of her flaws is that she cusses like a sailor.
Let the guessing begin! They have to jump over a waterfall while jumping for a bag of money or paper that has already been determined by one of the players, Marcia. Alex and Ali mess up their jumps, losing their potential $10k each. And so it begins. Did they mess up on purpose? Or just cause they suck?
Paul misses out after old lady Liz, Kristen and Bobby all get it even though Marcie had determined that they had the fake money. Victoria, Craig, and Nicole misses, but Mark does and his money, along with Clay's winning bag, are the only ones with real money (for a total of $20k).
Marcie gets to decide who sleeps inside and out, and Nicole, relegated to the cold outdoors of Chile, refuses and stays indoors by not "sleeping".
Paul and Marcia form a coalition. Apparently Alex and Paul have a coalition that Bobby thinks everyone knows.
Then there's some scavanger/appraisal game on the beach with a wicked looking refillable hour glass.
While I end up confusing myself over who might the Mole, it is fun to think about how I might play the game and what lies might work best.
Okay, so from my very un-educated guess after the first episode and bios, I'm going to guess that the Mole is Nicole. She might be too obvious a pick but maybe it's just perfect that way. My first intention is to go someone playing slightly under the radar, I would say Craig, Victoria or Mark but considering I was completely wrong in the first two seasons even during the final episodes (with 3 players left), I'm not exactly a genius at this game.
Oh, I didn't think it was Marcie for sure but she was "executed" for failing the test. Damnit, my one sure guess and she's no longer in the equation. Now I'm back to square one.
More After the Jump...
I would also like to thank you God for letting Neil actually have a wonderfully baritone voice that is able to pull off the pop ditties in the hysterical musical that spoofs boybands more than it does actual religion, always falling on the very thin line that somehow manages to be funny to both the religious and the non-religious by making fun of some of the customs of devotion rather than devotion itself. 
For someone who hasn't talked to you God since he was forced to in the all boys Catholic high school I attended years ago, I was originally pleasantly surprised at how funny and sarcastic Altar Boyz could be without being controversial in a wholesome laugh-out-loud way.
So God, are you still there?
I wish the musical didn't soften the razor sharpness of the original script and I wish the musical didn't try to make it more emotionally dramatic in sections that were intended, and worked better when they were played with ironic laugh or satirical bite.
I also wish the music and songs were better because to be honest, they would really need to rework almost every song, (ahem) save for the ensemble songs (like "In the Light of God", "Make It True", and "I'm Not The Man I Thought I'd Be") that work half decently (though partially (ahem) saved because of the great cast). In fact, I would almost want to replace the song writers as a whole, since there's a strong story in here with huge potentials that don't seem fulfilled at this point. Considering Altar Boyz can produce 90 minutes of surprisingly witty yet catchy songs, I had large hopes here but it was mostly unfulfilled with songs that seem to end abruptly when characters interject, as if it were trying to be a Sondheim book musical. It doesn't work here. It just sounds like the songs are incomplete.
I WOULD however like to thank God (oh, that's you) for bringing us Aaron Tveit, who plays the role of Dean, the boyfriend of Mary (our beloved lead Celia Keenan-Bolger) who confesses to being gay, which starts off the shenanigans in the script. Aaron Tveit really could be the next big thing in musicals, with a gorgeously handsome face, a gorgeously powerful voice to match, and some surprinsingly springy limber dance moves. Tveit has sort of burst out recently in Next to Normal, Hairspray and the lead in the latest workshop for Catch Me If You Can the Musical (demo with Matthew Morrison and Nathan Lane from the 2005 workshop here) and he has a certain everyman charm. Everyone woman wants him, every man wants to be him (or wants him) but Tveit carries it with a small town aw-shucks charm at the same time as pulling off the cool school jock role which is not as easy to pull off as one would think. I'm in love! (I'll have a Crushworthy post on Aaron Tveit soon!)
It's a uniformly pretty great young cast with a great Celia Keenan-Bolger leading the way. Though some have complained that she plays it too similarly to her The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee role, I never saw her in that so I didn't notice and felt that she was perfect in the role. Mary Faber seemed a bit too old for her character, nemesis Hilary Faye but her voice and acting makes it all work, and Juliana Ashley Hansen as Lana had a certain loveliness to her.
In addition to hotty Aaron Tveit, the cast rounds out other central characters with the adorable Curtis Holbrook as Roland, Hilary's wheelchair bound brother, and Van Hughes as Patrick, the pastor's rebel (for a Christian school at least) son. Curtis was so cute in Xanadu and will temporarily return in July to take over the lead (when Cheyenne Jackson goes to do Damn Yankees) and he may be a small little guy, but he's a bundle of energy and an amazing dancer with a wonderfully Californian-dude type of voice.
Van Hughes is another terrific newcomer and has a nice chemistry with Bolger.
Morgan Weed's Cassandra has a nice authentic sarcastic touch to the overly soft proceedings.
Sadly, Julia Murney feels underused and wasted here as Mary's conflicted mother, and John Dorset has a nice voice but probably plays the pastor/principal a bit too harshly without showing any warmth (fake or otherwise) that would lead us to believe him a loved leader in this Christian community.
So while the songs are mostly a disappointment and the book seems a bit too soft and choppy (though not as choppy as Wicked), Sergio Trujillo's choreography (CBC's Triple Sensation, Jersey Boys) totally (ahem) saves the show during any moment it's on display, usually in the ensemble songs. While they are pretty simplistic and almost cheesy as kids at a Christian community school would dance like, there is a freshness and uniqueness to his moves and I loved watching the talented young cast move to Trujillo's choreography. 
Here's a Video Preview of Saved (though I believe it requires logging in from the free "membership") (UPDATE: Or below in youtube format now), and check out the dancing in "Make It True" with Van Hughes' Patrick singing his anthem (near the end of the clip). There's just something neat about it, or maybe I just like watching Tveit dance. Either or, I loved that moment. It's too bad Curtis Holbrook is in a wheelchair through most of the show because his dancing is also a feast for the eyes.
As it stands now, the musical has so much potential, but the show is really a 2 star musical aided by a 4 star cast, so I'm giving it an even 3 at this point. There's rumours that it will get extended Off-Broadway and there were rumblings about moving it to Broadway but it still needs a lot of help, and after the debacle of Glory Days, we know a pre-mature move could end up in tragedy. And to be honest, I liked Glory Days more than Saved, with better songs and more emotional connections with the characters, but again, let's hope they tweak it because Lord knows (oh, that's you, still listening God?), Saved could be great. 
