Culturally Preconditioned

A pretty okay episode, so I’m going to get right into this. Teams started off from Salamon Tower somewhere in Hungary from the last pitstop. In the order of departure, Adrian and Colin (5:08 am), Marc and Rovilson (5:35 am), Pamela and Vanessa (6:51 am), Ann and Diane (7:01 am), Paula and Natasha (8:01 am). Teams had to drive into the city and find The Little Princess (which turns out to be a statue) on a promenade somewhere. Both Adrian/Colin and Marc/Rovilson reach their first clue at almost the same time - and the clue informs that there is a Fast Forward.

Both teams opt to do the Fast Forward, which is to count the vertical bars on the Elizabeth Bridge. It was a pretty suspenseful task since both teams were neck and neck with that one. Using the belt to count the bars quicker was a nice idea, unfortunately their execution was not. I could be wrong, but it seemed like they counted the bars at both ends of the belt - twice. Oh well.. sucks to be them. Anyway, this task provided us with a valuable lesson. Vandalism is A-okay on this race. Yay! Colin and Adrian won the Fast Forward (both teams did it twice) and headed on to the next pitstop - the Freedom Monument (the Acitidale). This leg must’ve been exhausting for them since it must’ve taken them about 120 minutes to complete the entire race.

Marc and Rovilson lost about an hour for failing the First Forward. An hour is a far cry from what got Ernie and Jeena screwed in TARA1. Poor things. Anyway, the remaining teams next had to go to Buda Castle, where a Roadblock awaits them. The roadblock is for one of them to search through the darkened labyrinth to find their clue in a specific treasure box (yeah, the millions of candles surrounding the particular box sure didn’t make things obvious, now, did it?). Once they get the clue, they needed to head to Margaret Island, also known as the Rabbit Island.

Once there, teams had to ride a pedicab and search for the island’s symbol (a stuffed bunny rabbit) and bring it back to the person handing out the clue. At one point, three teams were doing this task concurrently - Marc/Rovilson, Pam/Vanessa, Ann/Diane. Once they delivered the bunny rabbit, they get the clue which tells them to head to Hero Square. And Caution : Yield Ahead.

Seriously now, is it any surprise that Marc/Rovilson were going to yield Ann/Diane? Well I’m not. In fact, I think it was a really good strategic move. Unfortunately, wanting to maintain their ‘good guys’ image, they just won’t outright admit that they wanted the Moms gone because they can easily beat Pam/Vanessa and Paula/Natasha in the Final Three. Oh well. So the Moms were yield and Diane got pissed. Again. LOL. I’m actually loving it when we see this side of the racers.. there is nothing fake about it. Hell I woulda been pissed too, regardless who did the yielding if I was in her position.

After the Yield, it was a detour between (1) Say It - where teams had to pronounce the names of 14 Hungarian icons. I have a feeling this task was tailor-made for Aurelia. LOL. Can you imagine her trying to pronounce zee names? (2) Play It - where teams had to solve a Rubik’s cube puzzle. I thought this would be tough (although I used to be able to in under three minutes in 1996) - until I heard, it was to be solved one side at a time. Lame. Both challenges would’ve taken no more than 10-15 minutes to complete. After the detour, all teams head to the next pitstop. In the order of the arrivals at the pitstop :

1. Colin and Adrian - I was quick to almost denounce this team ‘useless’ if they had lost the Fast Forward to Marc and Rovilson . But luckily for them, they didn’t. Congrats, boys!
2. Marc and Rovilson - Aside from being ‘politically correct’ behind their yielding, they were actually tolerable this episode. I find their rabid fans a lot more intolerable than them at this stage of the race.
3. Pam and Vanessa - They were pretty competent this episode. What I like about this team is the bickering between the sisters. It’s real and it shows.
4. Ann and Diane - I still think this team will surprise us in the following episode. I love Diane getting prissy about getting yield. Do I feel bad for them? Sure.. but it’s not as if we didn’t see that one coming.
5. Paula and Natasha - I’m still amazed that they maintained their cheery attitude all the way to the end. Just like the Beauty Queens. Except the Beauty Queens probably didn’t get the producers to bend the rules and give them a two-hour head start so that they are able to bunch up with the rest of the teams 2 episodes ago. I’m not questioning the integrity of the show.. I just find it funny that they weren’t able to guise this up better. LOL.

I’m kinda glad that the show is coming to an end.. because Survivor Micronesia and Big Brother starts next week! And OMFG LOST SEASON 4 WILL BE PREMIERING TOMORROW! SQqqquuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

In case you missed it, the casting calls have started for The Amazing Race Asia 3.. and don’t forget to check my TIPS ON BEING CHOSEN FOR TARA3 post. It’s choke full of precious information that will give you secrets as to what McKay is looking for.

Sorry for the late update. I’m working on the Europe shift this week, so I had to settle for the midnight rerun of the show. Teams started off in Prague and had to get on a train to Budapest, Hungary. The first four teams are all within an hour of each other, with Paula and Natasha trailing 4 hours behind. You would think there would be bunching again at the train station, but surprisingly enough, only one team took the risk on an earlier, non-direct route to Budapest. Luckily for Colin and Adrian, the risk paid off as they were the first ones to arrive.

Once in Budapest, they had to self drive on brand.new.Suzuki.Swifts (WHATTTT???? No CHEVROLETs????) to Magyar farm which is located 20km out of Budapest. Once there, teams are greeted with a Detour, between (1) Pitch - where they had to load a cart full of hay, or (2) Pull - where they had to milk a goat. All of the teams did the Pitch detour which seemed slightly easier than Pull. Ann and Diane did the Pull detour, but switched it after their goats would not cooperate. Pam and Vanessa were the only ones who completed the Pull detour (I was waiting for a similar “there’s nooooo millkkkk” Lorena-worthy meltdown, but was severely disappointed). Believe it or not, the placings at this point in time was (1) Adrian/Colin (2) Paula/Natasha (3) Ann/Diane (4) Marc/Rovilson (5) Pam/Vanessa
Next was a Roadblock, where they had to go through several fiying fox and the Fun Extreme Canopy thingy. A slight twist to this roadblock is, at each flying fox ’stop’ (there were several), they are shown a particular number, and they had to add all the numbers at the different stops, and tally up the sum at the end to receive their clue. I have to say, this is one of the more exciting and fun challenges in the past couple of episodes. There was an interesting shift in the team’s position at this point in time. Several teams had miscalculations and Ann and Diane were penalized (somewhat unfairly, I must say) for slightly delaying the other teams, so they lost their 2nd place lead. Boo!

They were next given a clue to find the Hercules Fountain which can be seen on the back of a Hungarian currency note. They needed to figure out that the Fountain was in a Palace somewhere. The next clue leads directs them to the pitstop at the Salamon Tower. Some drama here when teams did not get to the pitstop via the designated path/gate - which reminds me of the first ever episode of TARA1 (Zab and Joe Jer would’ve gotten first.. le sigh). In the order of their arrival at the pitstop :

1. Adrian and Colin - Finally. Glad the boys got into first place for a change.
2. Marc and Rovilson - I thought nothing would’ve topped off the lame pole dancing thingy. How fucking wrong was I? There are just no words for their ‘SURPRISE!’ skit at the pitstop. Lawak bangsat to the max. Anyone who classify that as ‘having a sense of humour’… well.. to each his own. But seriously.. lawak bangang + bangsat to the power of infinity gila babas.
3. Pam and Vanessa - I heart them for using the words “titties” and “bitch” on national tv. Like I said over at Sucks, I laughed when Pam said “I don’t know why you’re crying like a craazy bitch” to Vanessa at the pitstop. And also the fact that they acknowledged that the jokes that they make (”I am hungary”) are lame.
4. Ann and Diane - They really could’ve made it to second place, but alas, that was not to be. Seriously, if I was in Diane’s place.. I would be ultra pissed at my team mate the entire leg. Meh, at least they weren’t eliminated
5. Paula and Natasha - These two ditzys (sp?) really remind me of the Beauty Queens. They seem to be having fun, but I have no clue as to how they fell from 3rd place to 5th. This is a non-elimination leg again (why do I feel like this show has been going on since forever?) and they need to get into 1st place next week, or incur a 30-minute penalty. Meh, I don’t care. I just don’t like about their little ‘alliance’ talk at the end

It was a decent episode.. but still wasn’t enough to save this season from becoming the worst.season.in.a.TAR.franchise.ever.

oh and ps. [channelling MrsG] Allan looked fucking hot in that body hugging T [/chanelling MrsG]. LOL

Here are some tips that will guarantee to getting picked for the third season!!!

1. Be a self-confessed Asian version of <<name obnoxious reality show contestants from the US counterparts>> (Romber has already been taken, so feel free to be the next Asian Goths, the Asian Lesbian Ministers, the Asian Hippies, the Asian Jonathon & Victoria etc etc etc). Must make sure your team do not actually have the capabilities to do what you say that you would do. Walking the walk is totally unnecessary.
2. Make sure you are currently dating someone famous, local celebrities are preferable. As long as you’ve got hot physiques, it will totally compensate you for being the boringest team ever.
3. Make sure you are willing to bend over, abandon plans with your original partner and go with a new team member that has been predetermined by the casting department.
4. Make sure you have an out of the world, telenovella-like historical background. You should also be prepared to come up with an impromptu “We got Allenminated from the Amazing Race” song when you get last to the pitstop.
5. You must be able to scream your lungs out for no apparent reason, at all times. Also be prepared to air your dirty laundry in the public after the show is over. Posting revealing pictures are not endorsed, but it has been known to happen. Also, you must be prepared to threaten viewers that do not like you by arranging real life fistfights so you can beat the shit out of those fans.
6. Make sure you are celebrities in your own right, and have ZERO Asian slang, because God forbid, viewers will only accept racers with perfect English
7. Make sure you at least come from a well known family, preferably with a national celebrity as a sibling.
8. Make sure you have your own gimmick (think Juggling Grandpas, Yodellling Parents and the likes). You must be solely focused on tasks so the editors will be able to manipulate and edit you as the villains should the show become totally predictable.
9. A physically impaired partner would be an added bonus because we embrace diversity. If the US can have little people, people with bionic legs running the legs, etc etc.. then we can do it too!
10. You must be able to come up with fancy quips that will tickle the humour of adolescents and the like. Witty one liners are a must. Additional props and costumes (fake toupees, hats, moustaches) are encouraged. Also we prefer it if teams would talk directly into camera 95% of the time, while carefully and painstakingly ENUNCIATING every word, so that viewers will not miss the joke. Teams should be able to act convincingly in dull situations, to have the viewers into believing otherwise. Pole dancers are highly encouraged to apply. Teams should provide as much golden moments to the editors so that these footages may be used to portray a feel good ending to the franchise.
11. If you don’t get picked this season, try again next time (although you can bet your ass we’re not going to give your next application a second look).

So.. are any of you offended? Or in tears? LOL. Good luck to all who’s applying next season. You’re going to fucking need it.

ps. some of you racers are really cool folks, and I’m sure you won’t take my harsh and scathing comments to heart. The sarcasm is mostly directed to the excellent casting department over at AXN.

Okay.. so I kept telling myself prior to this that I would be okay with any of the three teams winning this season. Ron & Christina - for working out their differences and strong perseverence (on Christina’s part). TK & Rachel - for their positive approach in the game and never giving up. Don & Nick - for being the ultimate underdogs and defied all odds to reach the Final Three. Bla bla bla… but I have to admit that my heart sank a little… Okay.. A LOT.. when Rachel’s clue was the first to pop up during the final roadblock. Christina and Ron were doing so.very.good! Urgh.. such bad luck.

That said, all in all, that was an excellent episode. Riveting stuff almost all the way to the end. I’m not being sarcastic at all, unlike my comments for a certain other show. The producers have outdone themselves.. and even though this is not the best.season.ever, I still think it is one of the best so far. Congrats TK & Rachel for winning the race. Congrats Grandpa for being the oldest person to make it onto the race. Congrats Ron & Christina for kicking some major ass throughout the race.

TAR12 >>>>>>> used tampons > turds >> 2 girls 1 cup >>> more steaming pile of shit >>>> TARA2

Speaking of TARA2, someone posted a really disturbing picture of a certain team member at Sucks. Holy shit. I know we Sucksters have a really bad reputation for all things rude and crude, but we DO draw a line at posting … mmm disturbing photos. Sick sick sick. And if the source was to believed.. well.. I simply have no words (for once).

*in shock*

ps. don’t bother going there. The thread has been taken care off appropriately, thank goodness.

Before I start ranting, I just gotta say.. the new JJ Abrams movie Cloverfield kicks ass. I don’t care what the holier-than-thou critics say (they’re just trying to be different, I know.. I’ve been in those shoes), I personally think it’s a great movie. I don’t, however, think that it is the BEST.MOVIE.EVER like some people claim (Sorry, Joe.. you know I still love ya.. LOL). But it is easily one of the better flicks I’ve seen for the past couple of months, and won’t be surprised if it ends up in my final Top 10 Movies 2008 (oh shit.. I’ve yet to come up with my 2007 list yet). JJ Abrams is the shiznits. From Felicity to Alias to Lost and now to this.. he is da man! oh speaking in which, I’ll be indulging in my Lost 3 DVDs in a few days.. to prepare myself for the 4th season - which is scheduled to start at the end of this month.

Okay, back to The Not So Amazing Race Asia 2. You know people usually skip the early part of the show, and just catch the final 10 minutes to know who gets in what place and who gets eliminated? Well, an advice to everyone watching for the rest of this season. You should actually skip the final 10 minutes and watch the early part of the show. That is only because the placings does not change yet once again, ladies and gentlemen. I really do hope Mr Marc Nelson and Mr Rovilson Fernandez will continue getting 1st place in all legs, and winning this race!!!!111!! Zero suspense, zero competition, zero excitement. And the producers only have themselves to blame for this. Bravo.

In this episode, teams started off from their last pitstop (I can’t for the life of me remember where the fuck it was, because I was pissed the pole dancing thingy was included in the brilliant recap). Teams had to travel to Prague using the trains. Surprisingly teams weren’t bunched up on the train ride (3 separate trains). Once there, they need to climb up the Observatory Tower in Petrin Hill and count the number of steps to get their next clue. All teams did well except for Paula & Natasha which made them fall to 5th place.

Next they had to get a clue on Strelecky Island (OMG OMG OMG!!!) , get into a rowboat and navigate their way to the next clue using a compass. The next clue directs them to Prague Castle where there’s an Intersection. For Intersections, teams had to pair up with another team to complete their tasks. Adrian & Colin teamed up with Marc & Roviltwat. Ann and Diane teamed up with Pam & Vanessa. Poor Natasha and Paula, who were so adamant about screwing the moms, got the short end of the stick and had to wait 5 hours for the trailing team, Terri & Henry to arrive.

Teams needed to go to the Ice Hockey Arena and shoot 12 goals. Once that’s done, a detour between (1) Snap - where they had to find 3 historical monuments and take pictures using Sony Cybershot cameras, or (2) Roll - where they had to roll two generic-brand (not Sony, Standard Chartered, Caltex, Chevrolet or Bintan Lagoon Resort) beer kegs to some destination. Once the task is over, they are released from their Intersection and are allowed to continue their race individually (ie not paired up with the other team).

The next task is to perform a 10 meter pool dive. *yawnsies* although it did look painful when Vanessa and Paula did it (they both bled, somewhat). And holy shit, Vanessa seemed to have a temporary memory loss. Hang on, did I say temporary? Hmm it would’ve made more sense if she’s still having it, if the stories about her dating Roviltwat is true. But oh well. But in all seriousness.. that was something scary. If my team mate were to start rambling like that, I probably would’ve (1) bitchslapped some sense into her, or (2) freak the fuck out myself. Most likely, it will be the latter. Thank goodness she got over that though. Urgh enough of this shit.. pitstop.. order of their arrival :

1. Marc & Roviltwat - yay! first place again!!! ASIAN PRIDE!!! OHMIGOD BEST TEAM EVERRERRRRRRRSS!!!#!@#1`
2. Adrian & Colin - YAY! 2nd place again.. i wish they’d gotten 1stplace but who am i kidding.. Twat and Turd is unbeatable!!!
3. Ann & Diane - yay!! 3rd place again… i wish they’d gotten 2nd place but who am i kidding.. we all know you’re getting screwed by the editors for your downfall soon (probably won’t even make it to Final 3). Yay editors!
4. Pam & Vanessa - yay! 4th place again.. i wish they’d gotten 3rd place but who am i kidding.. i mean really, who am i kidding? yay!
5. Paula & Natasha - yay! 5th place again.. i wish they were eliminated instead but who am i kidding.. the producers are absolutely loving this static placement.. so we all must love it too! as long as there’s some kind of record say.. the same team getting 1st place 7 times in a row .. or wait for it… the same team getting last place three times in a row.
6. Terri & Henry - yay! 6th place again… I must thank Terri for supplying me with some of her happy pills this week. OMGYAY! THIS IS THE MOST RIVETING SHOW ON TELEVISION EVER AND YOU ARE ALL BITTER CUNTS IF YOU STILL THINK THIS SHOW SUCKS BECAUSE MARC & ROVILSHIT (ASIAN PRIDE!!!!1!1!) IS GETTING FIRST PLACE AGAIN.. THEY ARE FUCKING UNBEATABLE OMFG YOU HATERS CAN ALL EAT SHIT AND DIE.. LOLZZZ I THINK IT’S SO FUNNY THAT YOU GUYS ARE HATING THIS SEASON.. BECAUSE IT’S THE BEST SEASON EVER!!

*sheds a single happy tear*

Found a little gem posted at the AXN forum :

“I’d rather be locked in a room with a thousand TWoP Mirna haters and have Miss Alki torture me with a blunt pencil, than be stuck with those AXN twats. ”
- izad, (who happens to be a fellow Asian)

this statement comes from Sucks, i have read this since i’m also a poster there… for me it’s really an insult for us because they are underestimating us..

http://survivorsucks.yuku.com/topic/22512/t/TAR-Asia-2–team-s-SEETHING-HATE-THREAD-Episode-8-Spoiler.html?page=10

link ^

People can be sooo terribly sensy these days. Sorry, but that made me laugh. It really did. But have you seen the state of that forum lately? I’ve bashed the admins, the posters, the blind supporters and what nots and even McKay himself, think I will be bothered by that little comment? Think again.

Let’s put it this way.. I do not post to be LIKED and LOVED. I post stuff that most of us think in our heads anyway.. I just say it (or rather post it) out loud. These rampant idiots still seem to think I dislike Marc & Roviltwat because they are mactors. WRONG. Aurelia is a mactor, and I loved her. I hate them because of the constant camera-mugging. If it’s genuinely funny, I can deal with it. But they’ve churned out nothing but lame, scripted dialogues. How fucking DARE I say such things and go against the flow? Forgive me for having a mind of my own. FORGIVE ME FOR NOT STICKING WITH THE ASIAN PEEPS AND BOW DOWN TO TWAT AND TWATTERS! WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!! I SHOULD PUT TO DEATH FOR TREASON! yeah right.. dumbasses. LOL

Seriously, just go and see the state of that forum.. it is a little scary.

Anyway, as for TAR12.. omg yay! That was the perfect birthday gift for Jenn! I couldn’t imagine a better outcome for last night’s episode. Sure Jenn and Nate may be entertaining to watch, but if they get in the Final 3 with two ‘weaker’ teams, they would need to fuck it up really bad, to NOT win. And them winning is really like a slap to the face.. it’s like a reward for being the bitchiest, whiniest, self entitled cunt on tv.

Who do I want to win? I can be happy with any of them winning. TK and Rachel might be boring, but they seem to be enjoying the race. I still can’t quite feel the love for Ron but Christina winning would be awesome. And having the grandson/granddad team win would be the ultimate underdog story. So yay! If only the Goths were in the Final 3, it would be the best Final 3 since Charla & Mirna, Dustin & Kandice and Danny & Oswald in The Amazing Race All Star

I’m not listening! I’m not listening!!!!

In case you live under a rock, or perhaps work for The Star variety section, you probably would know by now that there will be no glitz and glam for this year’s Golden Globe awards because of the annoying Writer’s Strike thingy. The results were announced recently, and I have to say that I am VERY pleased with some of the results this year. Results, as taken taken from Variety.com

MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
“American Gangster”, “Atonement”, “Eastern Promises”, “The Great Debaters” , “Michael Clayton” , “No Country For Old Men” , “There Will Be Blood” - Can’t say that I’ve seen any of the above-mentioned movies, nor do I have the interest to. WINNER: “Atonement”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Cate Blanchett - “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”, Julie Christie - “Away From Her”,
Jodie Foster - “The Brave One”, Angelina Jolie - “A Mighty Heart”, Keira Knightley - “Atonement” - An interesting group of nominees : I’ve always loved Cate Blanchett’s performance but I’ve yet to see her in the sequel to Elizabeth. Jodie Foster.. how can you not love her. Keira bores me in all the movies she’s in. And the day Angelina Jolie wins a Golden Globe, will be the day Madonna wins an Oscar. WINNER: Julie Christie - “Away From Her”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
George Clooney - “Michael Clayton”, Daniel Day-Lewis - “There Will Be Blood”, James McAvoy - “Atonement”, Viggo Mortensen - “Eastern Promises”, Denzel Washington - “American Gangster” - Meh. If you’ve seen Clooney and Washington act, you’ve seen all of their movies. Kinda like Pacino or DeNiro or Jim Carrey. WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis - “There Will Be Blood”

MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
“Across The Universe”, “Charlie Wilson’s War”, “Hairspray”, “Juno”, “Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” - I would seriously gouge someone’s eye out if the overrated Hairspray won this category. Looking forward to watching Juno - cause the buzz it’s created has been nothing but huge. And the trailer for Sweeney Todd looks aaaawesome! WINNER: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

FILM CATEGORIES

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams - “Enchanted”, Nikki Blonsky - “Hairspray”, Helena Bonham Carter - “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, Marion Cotillard - “La Vie En Rose”, Ellen Page - “Juno” - I personally think the nominees in this category overshadows the nominees in its counterpart in the drama category. WINNER: Marion Cotillard - “La Vie en rose” - I am so overjoyed over her win, because she was really spectacular in her role. So glad I caught this movie last June!

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Johnny Depp - “Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, Ryan Gosling - “Lars And The Real Girl”, Tom Hanks - “Charlie Wilson’s War” , Philip Seymour Hoffman - “The Savages”, John C. Reilly - “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” - I’m kind of surprised that Tom Hanks is nominated in this category.. perhaps I might make an effort to watch Charlie Wilson’s War. But knowing Depp’s track record, is it to anyone’s surprise that he wins yet again? - WINNER: Johnny Depp - “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“Bee Movie”, “Ratatouille”, “The Simpsons Movie” - There only one clear winner here, don’t you think? - WINNER: “Ratatouille”

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days” (Romania), “The Diving Bell And The Butterfly” (France and USA), “The Kite Runner” (USA), “Lust, Caution” (Taiwan), “Persepolis” (France) - Haven’t seen any of the films, including the over-publicised Lust, Caution.. but I can’t wait to watch The Kite Runner and Persepolis - WINNER: “The Diving Bell And The Butterfly” (France And USA)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Cate Blanchett - “I’m Not There”, Julia Roberts - “Charlie Wilson’s War”, Saoirse Ronan - “Atonement”, Amy Ryan - “Gone Baby Gone”, Tilda Swinton - “Michael Clayton” - I love Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. Not so much Julia Roberts - WINNER: Cate Blanchett - “I’m Not There”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Casey Affleck - “The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford”, Javier Bardem - “No Country For Old Men”, Philip Seymour Hoffman - “Charlie Wilson’s War”, John Travolta - “Hairspray”, Tom Wilkinson - “Michael Clayton” - I’m super glad Travolta didn’t win this. Haven’t seen Bardem in this movie, but I liked him in his other movie. I thought Casey Affleck was going to win this given how much spotlight has been focused on him lately. - WINNER: Javier Bardem - “No Country For Old Men”

DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE
Tim Burton - “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - “No Country For Old Men”, Julian Schnabel - “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly”, Ridley Scott - “American Gangster”, Joe Wright - “Atonement” - Kinda surprised Tim Burton was nominated by this. But even more surprised by the actual winner - WINNER: Julian Schnabel - “The Diving Bell And The Butterfly”

SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE
Diablo Cody - “Juno”, Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - “No Country For Old Men”, Christopher Hampton - “Atonement”, Ronald Harwood - “The Diving Bell And The Butterfly”, Aaron Sorkin - “Charlie Wilson’s War” - The Coen brothers, really? - WINNER: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - “No Country For Old Men”

ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE
Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Vedder - “Into The Wild”, Clint Eastwood - “Grace Is Gone”, Alberto Iglesias - “The Kite Runner”, Dario Marianelli - “Atonement”, Howard Shore - “Eastern Promises” - no comment - WINNER: Dario Marianelli - “Atonement”

ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE
“Despedida” from “Love In The Time Of Cholera” - Music By: Shakira, Antonio Pinto, Lyrics By: Shakira, “Grace Is Gone” from “Grace Is Gone” - Music By: Clint Eastwood, Lyrics By: Carole Bayer Sager, “Guaranteed” from “Into The Wild” - Music & Lyrics By : Eddie Vedder, “That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted”- Music By: Alan Menken, Lyrics By: Stephen Schwartz , “Walk Hard” from “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” - Music & Lyrics by: Marshall Crenshaw, John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, Kasdan - omg I miss Pearl Jam - WINNER: “Guaranteed” from “Into The Wild” - Music & Lyrics By: Eddie Vedder

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
“Big Love” (HBO), “Damages” (Fx Networks), “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC), “House” (Fox), “Mad Men” (Amc), “The Tudors” (Showtime) - I REAAAALLY want to start watching The Tudors but never found the time to download the show. Whatever it is, I am so glad House didn’t win this.. and even more fucking ECSTATIC that Grey’s lost. If you’re a Grey’s fan. STAY.AWAY.FROM.ME. - WINNER: “Mad Men” (Amc) - Lionsgate Television

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Patricia Arquette- “Medium”, Glenn Close - “Damages”, Minnie Driver - “The Riches”, Edie Falco - “The Sopranos”, Sally Field - “Brothers & Sisters”, Holly Hunter - “Saving Grace”, Kyra Sedgwick - “The Closer” - Should I start watching Damages on Astro? Hmm I don’t think so. - WINNER: Glenn Close - “Damages”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Michael C. Hall - “Dexter”, Jon Hamm - “Mad Men”, Hugh Laurie - “House”, Jonathan Rhys Meyers - “The Tudors”, Bill Paxton - “Big Love” - Boo to Michael C Hall not winning. Yay to Hugh Laurie not winning. - WINNER: Jon Hamm - “Mad Men”

TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
“30 Rock” (NBC), “Californication” (Showtime), “Entourage” (HBO), “Extras” (HBO), “Pushing Daisies” (ABC) - I love all the nominees in this category, except Pushing Daisies. I could’ve sworn this show has been cancelled years ago - WINNER: “Extras” (HBO) - BBC And HBO Entertainment

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES -COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Christina Applegate - “Samantha Who?”, America Ferrera - “Ugly Betty”, Tina Fey - “30 Rock”, Anna Friel - “Pushing Daisies”,Mary-Louise Parker - “Weeds” - Even though I love Ugly Betty more than I do 30 Rock, they right nominee won, IMO - WINNER: Tina Fey - “30 Rock”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin - “30 Rock”, Steve Carell - “The Office”, David Duchovny - “Californication”, Ricky Gervais - “Extras”, Lee Pace - “Pushing Daisies” - Tough call cause they are all so brilliant in their roles (except Pushing Daisies), but I’m really glad Duchovny won this one, because the show is totally underrated. I’m so glad I stuck by this show when it first aired a couple of months ago - WINNER: David Duchovny - “Californication”

MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
“Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee” (HBO), “The Company” (TNT), “Five Days” (HBO), “Longford” (HBO), “The State Within” (BBC America) - no comment - WINNER: “Longford” (HBO)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Bryce Dallas Howard - “As You Like It”, Debra Messing - “The Starter Wife”, Queen Latifah - “Life Support”, Sissy Spacek - “Pictures Of Hollis Woods”, Ruth Wilson - “Jane Eyre” (”Masterpiece Theatre”) - so glad Debra Messing didn’t win this one.. over acting much? - WINNER: Queen Latifah - “Life Support”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Adam Beach - “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee”, Ernest Borgnine - “A Grandpa For Christmas”, Jim Broadbent - “Longford”, Jason Isaacs - “The State Within”, James Nesbitt - “Jekyll” - no comment - WINNER: Jim Broadbent - “Longford”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Rose Byrne - “Damages”, Rachel Griffiths - “Brothers & Sisters”, Katherine Heigl - “Grey’s Anatomy”, Samantha Mortin - “Longford”, Anna Paquin - “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee”, Jaime Pressly - “My Name Is Earl” - Rachel Griffith.. I love her to bits.. but her role in this show is beneath her - WINNER: Samantha Morton - “Longford”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Ted Danson - “Damages”, Kevin Dillon - “Entourage”, Jeremy Piven - “Entourage”, Andy Serkis - “Longford”, William Shatner - “Boston Legal”, Donald Sutherland - “Dirty Sexy Money” - I wanted Donald Sutherland to win this one so bad, but I could live with Jeremy Piven winning this again. He’s a really good, underrated actor, IMO - WINNER: Jeremy Piven - “Entourage”

A much, much boring episode. I am thankful that American Idol, Survivor and Big Brother will be starting soon in a couple of weeks. The last pitstop was in Seoul, Korea. And for the first time ever, it was disclosed that teams had an XXX amount of money for this particular leg of the race. It remains unclear as to why they disclosed that fact in this particular episode, since the editors were solely focusing on the annoying camerawhores trying to get extra cash with the shitty pole dance thingy, as opposed to focusing on how the team with ZERO cash earned the cash that they needed instead. Seriously, it’s bad enough that the fake, forced dialogue “oh i know what we should do” took place, it’s even worst when the editors think that it would entertain viewers.

Aaanyway, rant aside, teams had to travel to Frankfurt which caught most teams by surprise since it will be the first visit outside of Asia for this franchise. Interesting airport drama (but not much) and teams ended up taking 4 separate flights to Frankfurt. Once in Germany, they receive a clue to get on a train to Prague in Czech. Hmmm. Aside from being able to boast that they visited XXX more countries this time around, I don’t see the point of the producers using Frankfurt as a destination (most probably because a gazillion flights go to Frankfurt daily). I mean, even Singapore and HK had minor challenges in place. Geez.

Once in Prague, they had to search for a clue on a Holey Statue (seriously, worst ‘cryptic’ clue ever since Girl On A Swing clue in New Zealand last year) at Charles Bridge. The next clue is over at a little puppet shop on Karlova Street, which leads them to Kinsky Palace near the Old Town Square. A roadblock awaits them next - rescuing a damsel in distress in a full metal armour. *le sigh*

bla bla bla they had to get on a train to Beroun town, drive to the town square, find a person holding a NOKIA phone with their pictures on it, watch videos on the nokia in awe, head to the next detour. The next detour is between (1) Bow - hit targets using crossbows (2) Blow - cut a design into crystal glass. After the detour, teams head to Karlstejn Castle which is the next pitstop. In order of arrival at the pitstop (And this is not a spoiler.. but this really looks like how the placements will stay all the way to the finale… zzzzzZZzzz) :

1. Marc & Roviltwat - they hit a new level of shittiness this episode. what the hell was the point in the whole dancing for money thingy? Just.. just stop it.
2. Adrian & Collin - hope these boys will up their ante soon, for the sake of everyone else who’s sick and tired of the predictable dominance of those two asshats.
3. Anne & Diane - Was it just me or did Anne really say “girls are good at Blowing” ? Hmm anyway, good to see them getting into third place as well. If I had to choose between Anne & Diane and the other two female/female teams, I’d choose them to go into the Final Three - cause I just don’t think they’re easily distracted by the boys.
4. Paula & Natasha - They seem fun, but I don’t think they have what it takes to be in the Final Three.
5. Pam & Vanessa - ditto
6. Terri & Henry - thanking my lucky stars there wasn’t a single confessional from Terri. By the way, is this the first back-to-back ‘predetermined’ non-elimination leg in the history of TAR? Oh well.. don’t get me started on this ‘predetermined’ bullshit. Cause that’s what it is. BS. Man, can this season get any more suckier that this?

Happy New Year, everyone! I’m still in mourning over the Goths’ elimination on The Amazing Race 12. Actually, I missed the show on New Year’s eve.. but some asshole over on the AXN forum had read the play-by-play and posted “THE GOTHS ARE ELIMINATED” as a thread title in the forum in the afternoon, even though the episode hasn’t aired yet in the US. And the mods there didn’t do shit about it. They did however warned posters to go easy on Terri and Henry over at that board. What retards (the board admins). I’m so glad we have the dictator Idoit Admins over at the Sucks forum. They are ruthless, but they get their jobs done. I don’t know, is it just me, or does local message boards suck ass? I mean the level of idiocy in the posts is one thing (case in point, Malaysian Idol forum, One in A Million forum, Akademi Fantatsia forum, Cari forum etc), the level of adminship too is pretty appalling. They could learn a thing or two from ‘proper message boards’ like Sucks or even TWoP (for the love of Mirna, please don’t quote me on that). I mean, there is a ginormous mentality gap between these boards. Sarcasm, for one thing, is certainly lost on them. The ability to poke fun and laugh at themselves is even more impossible to find than tubgirl’s G-spot. Hang on.. where the fuck am I going with this? Oh yeah, the amazing race asia.

Teams set off from Busan, Korea where they had to drive themselves to Anseong-Si City. I think this may be the first time teams are shown having great difficulty driving on the other side of the road. I know I probably would’ve had a tough time too. They had to drive themselves to Seoil Farm where there’s a Roadblock - to search for their clue underneath 1,500 soybean tempayans. There was also a bonus clue where one lucky team would get a $50 bonus from Standard Chartered. Aisehmen.. kalau nak letak product placement pun, letak la $500 ke. $1000 ke.. ciput nak mampos. Anyway I don’t really see a point announcing this bonus, since in TARA2, they never disclosed how many moolahs each team gets at the beginning of the leg (unlike the original TAR).

Once done, they had to drive to Woncheon Resoirt in Suwon where they had to paddle a duckie float to get to their next clue. It may be tiring for the racers, but it sure was mind numbingly boring to watch for the viewers. They next had to drive themselves to the Korean Folk Village where they are faced with a detour between (1) Too Ho - where teams had to toss 3 bamboo sticks into a container from 4.5 meters away, or (2) Too Heavy - where teams had to deliver 30 logs using a Korean Jingei.. or was it Jigei? Upon completing the detour, teams had to drive themselves to the next pitstop at the Olympic Park in Korea. In the order of their arrival at the pitstop :

1. Marc & Roviltwat - I still find their little quips revolting but surprisingly they are not as annoying this week. Perhaps the editors are toning them down, to soften the blow when they win yet another leg next?? If that happens, then just fuck me. Fuck me raw with a serrated knife, now.
2. Adrian & Colin - Yay! These guys almost kicked M&R’s asses. They did really well during this leg of the race, only to lose their placements a couple of times due to bad directions/driving. Please guys, at this rate, you are my only hope to put those two idjits above you in their proper place.
3. Pam & Vanessa - Loving the Chong sisters still (despite finding out one of them is probably dating Roviltwat). Notice how they always elongate the final syllable of the final word in their sentences when they’re frustrated? LOL so damn Malaysian oooooooone.(Personally I loved it when one of them said DAMN LAHH). I would take this accent over exagerrated non-Asian dialects that we’re getting on this show (yeah you know who they are). But what the fuck was up with the blaming game? Just stop it already.. stop harping on the fact that you lost your lead. Fortunately their head was still in the game. I was overjoyed when they actually gained back their 3rd placing after fucking up badly with their driving.
4. Ann & Diane - I’m starting to get why certain teams are annoyed with this team. The way that they just brushed off Paula & Natasha when they bumped into each other was simply ugly. I mean, what the hell was up with the cold shoulder? I mean, I get this is a race, and every team for themselves yada yada yada.. but would a simple “hello” or “whats up” hurt?? Diane has posted at Sucks (if that is really her), explaining that they were too focused on the race, but come on! Urgh! I’m disappointed, but at least they managed to improve their placement this week. I always think the way to approach this race is to be friends with everyone. And, you know, backstab them when it really matters. LOL
5. Paula & Natasha - I love the fact that these two were able to laugh at themselves over the whole ‘2 seconds too late to realize that the float was still tied to the dock’ incident. They seem to be enjoying themselves. Reminds me of Aubrey and Jacq from TARA1. Only more competent. (I have to stop reminding myself that they are Team Thailand.. cause that will only make me weep for reminding me of Andy & Laura - future runner-up winners of TARA All Star)
6. Terri & Henry - I’m too fucking tired to rant over this lost case. She STILL doesn’t seem to get it, even after Henry’s tearful confessional (which was totally wasted on her). I mean, I like sassy women. In small doses. I like when women give some of their attitude. In small doses. She does remind me of Foxxy Love from Drawn Together (best character ever). In small doses. But this is just all too much. Blame Henry for being wimpy. Blame Terri having too much balls. Blame the editors for making them look bad. Whatever. I’m just glad I don’t know anyone like her in my real life. Like I said, she stopped being entertaining around Episode 2. Whether she’s still on the race or not, like the expressions on her face when Alan mentioned it was a non-elimination leg, I simply do.not.give.a.flying.fuck.anymore.