Wayne Newton

Oh my poor neglected blog ... I've missed you so.

Anyway - is there someone out there who can explain the Wayne Newton phenomenon to me? I just seriously don't get it. The 'Dancing with the Stars' judges seemed starstruck by this particular celebrity and gave his performance some rave reviews. I understand that he's a Vegas legend, but I'm still baffled.

Is There Such a Thing as Too Much TV?

Normally I would have been quick to respond with an emphatic "No!" to this question, but no I begin to wonder if I've been too hasty.

What brought this whole subject up was the baby (of course). The other morning she woke up at 4 am and wouldn't go back to bed. I brought her down to my bed hoping that she'd snuggle up with me and my husband and fall asleep. No such luck. Instead she sat upright in between us chanting -- LOUDLY -- "E.V., E.V., E.V." Which is her toddler talk for TV. When I'd say to her "its night time you are supposed to be sleeping she'd do this cute little shrug at me and say, "Watch E.V.?" Yeah, I'm so proud that she's talking now, but I think that my addiction has created a monster.

She doesn't even watch all that much television. Just in the mornings while Steve is getting her ready for school, she gets a little Sesame Street, and then at night (we get a little "Ninja Warrior" action going on) when I am getting her dinner ready or trying to find a time to go to the little girls room. Stuff like that. She only watches maybe a half hour at daycare when they are vaccuuming at the end of the day. But now she's started scouring through the DVD's in order to find the one - and only one - that she wants to watch: 'Elmo in Grouchland." Then she alternates between her "E.V." chant and her "Melmo" chant until we finally give in and put it on.

I keep jokingly calling her Mike TV, when she stares transfixed when we walk past the televisions in Target, but I guess I shouldn't really be surprised after all. My mother did tell me when I was young and misbehaving that some day I would wind up with a daughter just like me. I guess mom really does know what she's talking about with this one. Sigh.

Degrassi Star Heads to Broadway

Ordinarily I'm against any sort of stunt casting, but my heart did a little flutter when I read this morning that 'Degrassi' star Daniel Clark was joining the cast of 'Spring Awakening.' I love both the show and the musical so much, that it is a wonderful collision for me. I've got no idea if Clark can sing or not, though I presume that he can or he wouldn't have been cast. But I'm pretty hopeful, especially after Jason Tam (aka Shoe from 'Beyond the Break') rocked my world in the new Broadway version of 'A Chorus Line.' Jason had me tearing up and I don't like to get emotional. Not sure what part Clark will be playing, but either way I know that I'll be seeing Spring Awakening again when he joins the cast out of shear curiosity... oh and because I love the show so much. Seriously, if you haven't seen that musical, I whole-heartedly recommend it!

What I've Been Up To

Since you've been asking what I've been working on... here are a couple of my recent interviews and articles.

Les Stroud - aka 'Survivorman' - who was totally cool. He talked all about being bitten by a shark and much, much more. Read all about it here.

Mike Dutz - aka the latest Big Brother loser - who was a little quiet, much like he was in the house. But still nice. Read about him here.

I talked to Jason Priestly yesterday (I know... cool, right?) that'll be posted some time next week, and I've been making my way through the fall pilots. My early favorites are Reaper, Dirty Sexy Money, Gossip Girl, Pushing Daisies and the weirdly entertaining Viva Laughlin. I can't explain it, but Hugh Jackman singing works for me.

That's What She Said!

I know that Eric on 'Big Brother' is a total geek, but seriously, I've got to love anyone who proudly wears a "That's What She Said" T-shirt on national TV. Total bonus points for him.

Bonus points for the freak of nature that is Jenerally Annoying as well. She's beyond obnoxious, but she's kind of found a way to grow on me. She's got some seriously bizarre reality-TV skills... I've got a feeling I'll be talking about her for summers to come. As for Jessica, I still twitch every single time she opens her mouth.

I can't believe that we've already come to the part of the summer where someone has started streaking naked around. Doesn't that usually come much later when they are really bored... oh wait... I just looked at my calendar... it is almost August. When the heck did that happen? Ok then, Zach, all is forgiven... for now.

Is it wrong that I got a little teary-eyed when ranting and raving Evil (Evel?) Dick went over and offered to go to counseling with his daughter. It's just so sweet.

Are we saying that Kail is leaving? Or will she stay around to stir up trouble while poor painter boy Mike is evicted?

You Raise Me Up!

I just got home from seeing Josh Groban. I know he's not my typical music, but I just love him. He's got an amazing voice and he's just a freakin' goofball. He made jokes about Journey, Bon Jovi and his own bad dancing ability. Plus, he was just so nice to all his fans. I had talked to him a few months back for the good old TV Guide. I like to call my brief conversation on the phone with him... 10 minutes in heaven.
Now I'm at my new job and working on some fun new projects. Here's the first thing that I worked on, it is a gallery of the Emmy snubs and surprises. Give it a look if you have a chance.

New Adventure

Yesterday was my last day at TVGuide.com. Such a hard decision to leave and try something new, but I think it will be OK. Now we're off to do some fun kid things with our friends, which is a nice distraction. On Monday, I'll be starting work at AOL in their Television channel. I'm nervous about starting a new place, since it has been so long since I've tried something new and despite my upbeat nature, I get a little nervous around new people. The work will at least be familiar, I'll still be writing and babbling about what's on and all that fun stuff. But for now I'm kind of stuck watching the Little Einsteins and since I am at a hotel without access to Showtime Too, wondering what the heck "Jenius" is getting up to in the Big Brother house. I imagine that it is a nightmare. Can't wait for Sunday... well, maybe I can.