Bye, Bye... Miss American Idol

It was announced today that the next season of American Idol, the 15th season, will be it's last. It is the end of an American institution, to be sure, but I think we can all agree it is time to put this one out of its misery. First debuted on Fox in June 2002, American Idol created a sensation from the moment the first episode aired. 

American Idol once was a national obsession. Years ago, myself and several other bloggers would write re-caps and enjoy handicapping every minute of the Cinderella story played out in real time. I used to LOVE to watch Idol every week and root for my favorite talent to win. It was a family affair, as we would all gather together to enjoy the excitement of Idol. It was magic, watching everyday people become singing sensations each week. Thorough it's tenure, Idol has produced two bonafide recording stars; Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Then a string of 11 almost stars, some more forgettable than others. American Idol introduced us to Simon Cowell, the celebrity judge we all love to fear. If Simon said something, one was hardpressed to forget it and his advice helped launch the careers of many aspiring stars. 

The judges, they became like family. A cuckoo, crazy family with a stern father (Simon), a beautiful but dizzy mother (Paula), a groovy big brother (Randy), and the voice of reason. (Ryan) Then they got too famous...the judges almost became the focus more than the talent. There was fighting within producing staff...it was documented that the franchises marquee talent-Simon Cowell- wasn't happy and was looking elsewhere. Then Paula left and then Simon left and no matter who they replaced them with Idol was never the same without Simon.

Is that when Idol jumped the shark? 

Possibly, but my guess is it jumped the shark some where in between Season 4 and Season 8. Too many talented folks elimated early-conspiracy theories abound-and America's favorite show never quite rebounded. The hand writing was on the wall, yet it soldiered on, banking on America's belief in the dream. They bled that franchise for every dollar it was worth and they weren't smart enough to stop the bleeding. They hired new celebrity judges-big names with big followings-they changed the format countless times, yet Idol never delivered the goods after Season 4. They never delivered another true American Idol. 

In the end, we enjoyed it for what it was worth-but nobody like a guest who overstayed their welcome. 

Bye bye American Idol. Your time has come.

I Was Just Thinking...

• About the whole Bruce Jenner thing....I think he's finally being true to himself and possibly trying to use his celebrity to do some good. Great for him, but right now I can't help feeling bad for Kris Jenner. I know what you're thinking...she's a money monger who will do anything-including treating her husband like a dog on a TV camera for ratings-but I gotta think this whole "I'm really a woman" thing sorta rocked her calculated world. Sources say she knew from the beginning of their relationship, but he certainly put on a good show for many years. They had two children of their own and raised six kids together. 23 years is a heck of a long time to put on a show. I get it when she says "I have these memories of this life, and I feel sometimes like it doesn't exist." All I can say is I get it. When someone you think you know turns out to be someone you don't know at all, it literally shakes your entire foundation. I think the media has been unfair to her. What's she supposed to say, besides voicing her support?

• About A Rod hitting his 660 th career home run tying Willie Mays at Fenway Park a few days ago. It came amid boos-and virtually no fanfare. Not even a mention of the milestone on the outfield board-a screen notorious for broadcasting even the slightest minutia during a game. The Yankees have stated that they will NOT pay the contractual $6 million dollar bonus they agreed to when he reached this milestone before he was suspended for drugs. Is it fair? Is it right? Facts are what they are...Rodriguez tested positive for performance enhancing drugs a year ago and was suspended for the entirety of last season, leaving an asterisk on his name in the record books forever. This one may get ugly, as the players union says it will step in on behalf of ARod, but I think the Yankees have the upper hand here. ARod did the crime, now he's gotta do the time. ARod*

• About how I have been sick almost the entire month of April. I got one horrid cold right on top of another horrid cold. I'm thinking WTF? Then it dawns on me. Allergies? Yes, it very well could be allergies. I've never been bothered by allergies before but I'm thinking this is quite possibly the culprit. Allergies + stress = horrible combination.

• About how my favorite TV series, "Nurse Jackie" is back! Edie Falco is such a great actor, and the entire cast is phenomenal. This is Season 7 and I have yet to miss one episode!! Jackie has let her drug use ruin most of her life,  but the things that she does to stay relevant are horrible and dangerous, yet I can't stop watching this whole ride! With the beauty of On Demand, you can catch up with ever crazy, depraved thing that Jackie has done. I highly recommend it. 

• About how Spring has finally arrived! When I see that groundhog...I'm gonna ring his neck!

When Did The Flip Phones Flip Flop?

So lately I've been binge watching "Breaking Bad" on Netflix. It's quite possibly my favorite TV series of all time, but I've noticed a curious fact while watching.

Everyone on the show has a flip phone...

So I thought about this for a second and I realized that not only do they have flip phones on this show but NO ONE texts each other. In fact, I am currently on the very last season of the 5 season blockbuster and so far there has been only one text message read in context to the plot and it was on Season 5 circa 2013. I then looked back at the air dates of each of the seasons and I started to understand the flip phone thing a bit better. The Pilot episode first aired in January 2008 and the series then progresses over the next 5 years to it's final episode that aired on Sept 29th 2013. The iPhone didn't launch till 2007 and it revolutionized the mobile device industry over the next few years.                    

So then I got to thinking...where are the "smart phones"on the show? Where are the iPhones and why aren't the cast constantly checking their emails and Facebook updates on their phones during the episodes? Why are they not texting each other incessantly like we all do now? I had to think about it. Not even in the later episodes dating 2011 and later, does the phone become a central part of the plot?

When did the "smart phone" revolution start? There's no question that we are now a mobile device driven society. Do you check your email on you cell phone? Do you use a social media site on your cell phone? If you answered yes to both of those questions then you are a living, breathing adult that functions in the world today. Even my dad, just this morning, texted me something important. So much a part of our everyday society today that 48% of all online sales come from a mobile device.

So I gotta ask again? When exactly did the smart phone revolution take over?

Monday Minutia

• Saw a post on FB that cracked me right up. It said, "If Mondays were shoes, they'd be Crocs"

• And on that note, the funniest thing I ever saw on Twitter was a tweet from a dude who said, "Whoever just left me a voice mail, could you send me a text and let me know if I should listen to it?" 

• So all the weather people here are foaming at the mouth over the fact that we need 2" more of snow to break the record for the snowiest winter ever. I'm thinking, really? Tell that to the thousands of us here dealing with ice dam damage and seasonal depression..

• I'm almost finished with the 3rd season of "Breaking Bad". Why did I never watch this show when everyone was telling me I had to? I'm now obsessed! This is the greatest thing on television! I love the whole dynamic between Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston. And Aaron Paul's, " Yo, where's my money?...Bitch!" Interesting to note: "Breaking Bad" is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Highest Rated TV Series.

• The Boston Herald reported that My Tommy is thinking that after he retires from football, he may go the Hollywood way, via an acting career. I say whatever My Tommy is selling...I'm buying.

Sheer perfection...I'd pay to watch him recite the alphabet.

You Go Girlfriend!!

A self proclaimed "Bravo-phile", it has been well documented here that my TV almost exclusively broadcasts the Bravo network when I find myself in front of it. So it should be no surprise that while on my recent 15 day-unauthorized vacation, that suddenly I had some rare personal time on my hands. Thank God for my iPad, because actually sharing the family room TV with my family can get very tricky. Since I needed to catch up on what all my favorite Housewives were doing, I downloaded the GENIUS Bravo ap and discovered my entire guilty-pleasure-viewing world at my finger tips!

It was within that world that I decided to start watching Bravo's first scripted series "Girlfriends Guide to Divorce". The show is promoted constantly during the Real Housewives franchise and stars Girlfriend Lisa Edelstein as Abby McCarthy, an acclaimed self-help author and family guru who lives in LA. Edelstein is a brilliant choice considering I loved her as the long suffering girlfriend of curmudgeonly doctor House of the 2004 long-running TV series bearing the same name. "Girlfriends" was one of my best binge watches to date. Season 1 is comprised of 13 interesting episodes.

Now before you say anything negative, let me clarify a few things:

• I am EXACTLY the demo Bravo wants; over 40, educated, self employed career woman who is divorced with two children. Safe to say the show speaks to me.
• Abby McCarthy (Lisa Edelstein) and I are nearly the same age and living somewhat the same life-not really-but I am sympathetic to her character and the parallels are numerous. 
• Add marriage, divorce, sex, money, fashion, family and powerful women and I'm in.
• The series first premiered on my birthday. Need I say more?

To those who say that Bravo and it's reality TV franchises are partly responsible for the "dumbing down of America", I say here is a smart and sexy, scripted show that just may teach us a thing or two. 

It's powerful. It's funny and compelling while being heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. And if you've ever been through a rough patch in your life or have a girlfriend who has, it manages to mirror your own personal story only with better fashions and better scripts. It's also one of the best season finale episodes I've watched in a long time. You don't have to be a girlfriend to watch it either, I think the story lines are compelling enough for anyone watching to find a relatable angle. 

Bravo, Bravo! Thanks for giving us finally Girlfriends we can depend on. 

Hollywood's Golden Girl

I like this lady. There is something about her that draws me in.

Maybe its because she strikes me as the kind of person who just doesn't give a sh*t.
Maybe it's because she's interesting and beautiful and has always been on the outer cusp of Hollywood-like she's been there all along-but not quite.
Maybe it's because she looks and acts like she knows exactly who she is.
And maybe because she just kicked everyone's ass this awards season.

Patricia Arquette is boss lady. The thing is, she always has been. Most recently as TV's The Medium, which had a 6 year run, and up next CSI:Cyber, it's safe to say she has been quietly succeeding in the complicated maze of the acting world. One of a family of Hollywood types-her famous siblings, Rosanna, Richmond, Alexis and David, are well known themselves for various reasons-acting being the common denominator. But there's something about Patricia, and Patricia right now.

I'm not talking about her Oscar acceptance speech either, although that just adds another dimension to her appeal. I'm talking about how she carries herself. She's every woman. She's feminine and relatable because she possesses an elegant beauty that can't be found in a hair and makeup room. She is a beautiful woman, of that there is no doubt, but she is a beautiful woman on what appears to be her own terms. She doesn't conform to Hollywood standards and she doesn't have to. She set the bar for herself and it works for her.

If she's selling, I'm buying. I read that she was strongly considered for the Dorothy Boyd character in "Jerry Maguire" so to Patricia I will say this, you had me at hello.....

When TV Is Good, It is Very Very Good And When It is Bad It Is Horrid

I found myself in the unusual position of being home last night on the sofa at 7 PM. What a joy, I thought, I can catch up on all my TV. I watch lots of things and since On Demand and Netflix have rocked my TV viewing world I find that binge watching at my leisure is pure heaven.

But last night...

Well, I have to tell you that last night I watched an hour of the best television I have seen in a long time.

A long time.

To be specific, I watched more that an hour of TV last night, but the second hour was incredible. I first watched HBO's "The Newsroom" which is written and created by Aaron Sorkin. In my humble opinion Sorkin is the KING and someone whom meeting/working with would be on my bucket list. That being said, last night "The Newsroom" was really good. I'm only sorry that this is the last season, after an only three season run. But what I saw next just about killed me.

Next on my queue was Showtime's "Homeland". It is one of my favorite shows for various reasons but last night. It. Blew. Me. Away. Never a show to disappoint, there was something so special about the latest episode that I can only describe how it hit me.

I crumbled up in a ball.
And I squished my blanket in my face to shield me from the events taking place in front of me.
And my heart was beating like crazy.
"Holy sh*t, holy sh*t, holy sh*t" I kept repeating to myself, the drama almost too intense to handle.
I even talked/shouted to the TV, yet I was frozen in place.
And just when I thought I could hardly take one more second...
It threw in a curve ball so intriguing that it left me panting for more.

I love it when that happens.

If you're a fan and you saw it I'm sure you will agree. I can hardly wait for the next episode. I have so many questions and I'm fully invested in the show at this point. And that's exactly what they set out to do.

Bravo Showtime. Well done.

The Best Penis Wins!

So my BFFITWWW (My BFF in the whole wide world) are texting one morning last month about how Josh Elliot was leaving GMA!!??

We were pissed.

The following conversation took place on Monday, March 31, 2014

MY BFFITWWW: "Our boyfriend Josh is leaving gma" "Going to nbc sports station or something"

CANDY: "I saw that this morning! I hate it when they shake up gma"

MY BFFITWWW: "I know I'm still not over loosing sam champion and now George is the only penis-they need to bring in another man to off set."

CANDY: "I AGREE (insert emojis here of smiley face laughing so hard it's crying)

Then-on Wed April 2, 2014:

CANDY: "(I sent a link to the news story that Michael Strahan was in talks to join GMA) Now that's a good penis!!"

MY BFFITWWW: "Ooooohhhhhh that is great news!!! I love him!"

CANDY: "Yup..he's sassy."

Today April 23rd, 2014 Mr. Michael Strahan debuted on GMA!!
The best penis won! I couldn't be happier because I'm a huge Michael Strahan fan. As you can see HERE.

Thanks GMA, we needed some fine testosterone to compliment George the straight man and we think you chose just the right one!

Let The Sunshine In

• With such a warm and gorgeous, sunny Saturday, I was struck by how many of us were "amazed" by the warm weather. It has been so cold here for so long that we forgot what good weather felt like....

• Frick and Frack spent the weekend together in NYC. Yes, I know they are old enough to handle it without Mama and the fact that I called and texted them both six thousand times has nothing to do with the fact that they ignored 90 percent of those calls and texts. Does it?

• Busy week for me. I have one of the biggest days ever at The Candy Bar on Wednesday..,wish me luck!

• I can hardly believe it has been a year since the Boston Marathon bombings. This week the news media of the world will descend on our fair city to tell the amazing stories of the victims and survivors. I pray God will keep the city safe and watch over us as we commemorate the tragic events of last year. I personally believe that this year's Boston Marathon will probably be one of the safest places in the world to be during the race. 

• I baked two incredible pies for Easter yesterday. Jus sayin...

• Looking forward to seeing "The Other Woman". Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Brooklyn Decker all team up to bring down Leslie Mann's cheating husband. I have a personal interest in infidelity since I have experienced it first hand. Cheating men are scum and deserve everything bad that happens to them because karma is a bitch and you don't want to piss off a bitch who is pissed off. I love it when Hollywood dramatizes the sweet vindication!

• Nurse Jackie on Showtime is BACK....speaking of bitches who you don't want to piss off..

Boston You're My Home

Recently my new favorite TV pastime has been Netflix. My favorite is "House of Cards" starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Juicy, edgy, evil and down right horrid is the best way to describe Kevin Spacey's "Frank Underwood" character. During the Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, Spacey came out to present an award in character. He began his speech in his best 'Frank Underwood', much to the crowd's delight.

I had mentioned to my BFF that I loved Spacey and the Netflix series and the next day she sent me this:

Cuddles and love to Kevin and Boston! You are much more the man than Frank Underwood could ever be.

I Was Just Thinking...

So have you heard about this thing?

It's called a SlingBox and I'm thinking about purchasing one. Slingbox works with placeshifting technology. Placeshifting technology allows you to watch your own, paid for programming from anywhere in the world using your laptop, pc or smartphone. Sounds cool huh?

Using Slingbox software, users can, get this: view live and recorded content, pause, record, fast forward and DVR all of their favorite recording from wherever they are IN THE WORLD! It even works in the same household, which gets rid of the need for a second cable box and or subscription.

I like it! My Guy will love it! He's a technology freak and this thing is an amazing piece of incredible technology. It turns any computer, tablet or smartphone into a second TV, with your own programming at your fingertips. So what's the catch?

It's pricey..

There are two models:
Slingbox 350- $179.00-which gives you pretty much all you would need, delivering your paid for programming in HD.

Slingbox 500-$299.00- which does all that and allows you to add and archive your own videos and photos.

As a Father's Day gift, this thing is going to be a huge hit! And I'm thinking My Guy will have an absolute field day playing with this thing. I should probably get the 500-
Do any of you own one of these?
What do you think of it?

Help me out here-
Which one should I get bloggers??

He's Bringing Sexy Back

I'm sorry but sexy is sexy is sexy is sexy.

So today I'm sayin' "Hey hey" to Michael Stray. That would be Michael Strahan, the retired NFL football star who is now Kelly Ripa's permanent co-host on the morning talk show"Live with Kelly and Michael".

I like Michael enough. He is extremely affable, articulate and as co host a great addition to morning TV. But here's the thing: I hardly ever watch that show. I just so happened to catch it the other day when the TV was left on and I saw the video above, live.

It stopped me dead in my tracks.
Dead sexy.

Sorry fellas, the dude got game and I'm a sucker for a big strong man. Mama likey, and I now see Mr. Strahan in a completely different light.

And he's looking good.

Now don't get me wrong, I won't be lusting after him cuz there's only one man that makes my heart go pitter patter for real (and his name is NOT Tommy). No thanks, I'm all set in the sexy man department. All I'm saying is sexy is sexy is sexy.

And Damn! if Michael Strahan ain't sexy.