Yes and "Leave It"...

So there was fifteen different versions of the video for this song! Yes, 15.

The differences were minor - the second guy on the left would be turned backwards throughout one video or all of them would be upside down in another - but it was different (slightly) than the others.

And I actually sat through a marathon of them when MTV debuted the videos. Only 14 were shown though - the 15th has never aired. Life just isn't fair.

Anyways, here's one of the fifteen - enjoy...

Starry Night artist links...

VANESSA CARLTON: Her third album is Heroes and Thieves and features her newest hits Hands On Me and Nolita Fairytale.

ANNA NALICK: You can buy Anna's latest song Shine on iTunes. Her second CD will most likely be out in September.

DELTA GOODREM: Her third album is called Delta and features one of my favorite songs right now, In This Life.

FERRAS: His first hit is Hollywood's Not America and can be found on his debut CD Aliens & Rainbows.

Keep checking the Star website - very soon we'll have pictures and video up from Starry Night In The Garden!

The Mole - episode four...

NOOOOOO! I wanted Victoria to win! Now I'm rooting for Nicole to win (although she's also one of my prime suspects to be The Mole).

Something from this episode reminded me a little of an early contestant on The Mole. Mark was so upset about his journal being burned, he almost turned into Patrick from season two. Patrick was the one who went berserk when the journals were exchanged that season. He even went so far as getting his journal back briefly and ripping out certain pages he didn't want anyone else to see.

Bill writes about this incident in his book "Reflections Of The Mole".

Back to this season though. After reading Bill's commentary this week, I'm starting to think he might be right about Paul not being The Mole. Paul really isn't losing much money for the team and that is the goal for The Mole.

But if I was there playing, I'd still be splitting my answers on the test between Paul and Nicole. But I'm really close to putting Nicole as my first choice.

Here's what Bill McDaniel (season 2's Mole) thinks...

Another fun week. I'm enjoying this season. No cerebral games yet, much more action oriented. Maybe this is what they meant when they said they wanted to simplify the season so more folks would understand it. However, I'm still enjoying the episodes thus far. I would like to see some thinking games however.

Who is the Mole? As I have noted many times, the Mole has to sabotage...and has to do so actively, I believe. So, when someone costs money, it's either because they: 1. Are the Mole. 2. Are pretending to be the Mole. 3. Are just physically unable to complete the task. Or, 1 and 3 together, I suppose.

I had a number of people who have told me that Victoria "appeared" to be the Mole. Well, the problem is that she never did any active sabotage. None. If the producers are playing the game...as, well, the way I think it should be played, she could not be the Mole. And, clearly she isn't!

Alex: A good player. Absolutely no sabotage. I don't care how mysterious or controlling you appear to be, if you don't actively sabotage, I do not see you as the Mole. Played well tonight, made money.

Craig: Again, I've had lots of folks say he is the perfect Mole: likeable and apparently above suspicion. The only sabotage he has done is apparently secondary to his physical condition. Losing money by passivity does not a good Mole make. I do not believe he is one. Gutted it out tonight, made money. I can't see him pretending to have hypothermia so he could go to the hospital so he would not have to turn his journal in.

Paul: Continues to be irritating, but continues to play the game well. Is his ability to get under everyone's skin a molish quality? Maybe. He certainly disrupts the game. But, I see no active sabotage. Played well tonight, no money lost. Not the Mole.

Kristen: Did a great job tonight. Played hard, made good money, no apparent sabotage. Based on her performance 2 weeks ago I still have her on my list, but she needs to lose more money before I will pin the Mole hat on her.

Mark: Again, some sabotage in the first 2 weeks, cost some money, and has to remain on the radar. Actually, his anger at losing his journal makes him more suspicious to me, but he cost no money this week, other than leaving 4 bricks to carry the scale. But, that did cost a little money. He has to remain on the mole radar, but as a dim blip at the moment.

The big 2 this week are Nicole and Clay. Clay cost money in both events last week, and again tonight. He carried far fewer bricks up the hill than he could have, 3 fewer than Kristen. While she is Amazon-like, he should be about to carry gold about; after all, he is a lawyer and should be used to that sort of thing. Then, he fought for the exemption, when clearly he had not earned it. Again, a good molish act...both depriving the others of the exemption and disrupting the game some. I'm liking Clay more and more.

Nicole: No one has done more to disrupt the game or attempt to cost money than her. She carried few bricks, but did finish. Her performance at dinner was guaranteed to cost the team money, not make it. Then she really made no effort to try to figure out who had written about her. If she is the Mole she is playing it more obviously than anyone ever has. Absolutely can't discount her, however.

So, this week, Clay and Nicole, in that order, with Mark and Kristen still in the distance!

Bill
The Mole II

Reality show villains...

Last week, Bill (from season 2 of The Mole) posted about how annoying Paul is on the current season of the show. I must admit, Paul annoys me too. I kinda hope I'm wrong about him being the Mole because I'd love to see him leave next week.

But as annoying as Paul is, he's nowhere close to being annoying enough to make the Top 10 Reality TV Villains (from a recent poll TV Guide conducted)...

10: Lisa D'Amato from "America's Next Top Model 5" - I've never seen this show.

9: Ramona Singer from "Real Housewives Of New York City" - I've only occasionally seen this, but I usually turn it off pretty quick. They're all kind of annoying on this show.

8: Wendy Pepper from "Project Runway" - Never seen this show and most likely never will.

7: Spencer Pratt from "The Hills" - I'm surprised he's not higher on this list. Absolutely no one seems to like Spencer.

6: Lisa Fernandes from "Top Chef: Chicago" - I only saw the first half of this season. I'm guessing she turned into a nightmare as the season went on.

5: Trish Schneider from "The Bachelor 5" - There's been so many contestants on all the Bachelor / Bachelorette shows, they all just blend together now.

4: David "Puck" Rainey from "The Real World: San Francisco" - I never saw this season of The Real World. But I did see the promos for it and those alone made it clear this guy was a disgusting mess.

3: Jonny "Fairplay" Dalton from "Survivor: Pearl Islands" - The grandma strategy was brilliant. But based on interviews I've seem of him, he just doesn't seem to be that nice of a person.

2: Jonathan Baker from "The Amazing Race 6" - This guy was insane. He was completely vicious to his wife throughout the game. I think he deserved to be #1 on this list.

1: Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth from "The Apprentice" - She's a fun villain. She makes every show she's on more interesting. When she was eliminated from both The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice, the shows became a lot less interesting.

To the moon...

Chances are, you're probably not going to make it to the moon during your lifetime. But your name can!

And here's the best part - it's FREE.

Log onto NASA's "Send Your Name To The Moon" website before June 27th and enter your name. Your name will then be stamped onto a microchip, installed in a Lunar Reconnaissance spacecraft, and then launched into space around November 24th this year.

Over a million names have been signed up already. Don't let your name be left out!

The Mole - episode three...

Wow, that was a shock last night. I thought Jon (the host) was joking when he said he'd continue with the execution after Ali left the game.

I was actually starting to consider Ali to be a Mole suspect as the episode went on! The producers did a great job shifting my thoughts in that direction.

But I'm still convinced The Mole is either Paul or Nicole. If I was playing the game, that's who I'd split my votes towards in all future tests.

Paul is annoyingly obnoxious, but that could be what the producers wanted. It adds excitement to the show when the annoying person stays until the end.

Nicole seems like a nice person to me. But the death threat to Paul makes me wonder about something - I doubt the producers would be too happy with their Mole going around saying things like that, even if it's just to throw people off their game. But that scene and the aftermath have been the highlight of this season so far!

Then there's Mark. He was acting a little Mole-ish last night. But he seems too genuine about needing the prize money for his family, so I've eliminated him as a suspect.....for now at least.

So I'm staying with Paul and then Nicole. Let's see what Bill McDaniel (season 2's Mole) thinks...

An interesting night! Hmm. 2 gone, 8 to go! Well, we know neither Ali nor Bobby was the Mole, which does not help a lot, inasmuch as I felt there could be no way either was. I'm sorry to lose Ali, however; very beautiful and very nice!

Kristen did nothing to draw suspicion to herself tonight. The luge game seemed too easy; any sabotage would be noticed. I.e., Nicole's apparent flagrant sabotage. Does that increase suspicion toward her? Hard to say. Obvious sabotage means either she is the Mole....or she's not and just wants everyone else to think so. In the first game Craig and Victoria kept talking, along with Clay and Bobby. All money lost. The rest did fine. Did the Mole sabotage this game? Maybe, but I doubt it.

In the second game the only obvious sabotage was from Mark and Clay; it seems to me that the oddest part of that was the Mark appeared quite willing to drop his robe and head out until Clay backed out, then he immediately followed suit.

So, all in all, not a great week for mole sleuthing. My choices thus far: 1. Kristen 2. Mark 3. Nicole 4. Clay 5. Craig.

I do not think Paul is the Mole; in fact, he is so obnoxious that if he is the Mole there might be some real executions before the season is over! Unfortunately he irritates me enough that I don't even enjoy watching when he is on. I absolutely do not believe Alex can be the Mole, nor Victoria. I seriously doubt Craig; minimal sabotage thus far. Clay lost money tonight, but I don't feel he is a real contender. So, I'll stick to my top 3!

Bill
The Mole II

80's Commercials & Promos...

Click on the pictures to see the authentic 80's commercials and promos!

Why did Chef Boyardee ever stop making this? Maybe it'll come back when the new movie is released (the Smurf commercials are about midway through this compilation video).

I can totally understand why Alfonso's book went out of print. Were you the one who actually bought it? I know I wasn't.

I definitely remember Pac-Man cereal, I'm sure I wanted it at the time too, but for some reason never bought it. I did have the Pac-Man trading cards though. That counts for something, right?

And could you possibly ever get a better sitcom block than Mr. Belvedere / Just The Ten Of Us?!

Actually, you could. How about The Charmings / Sledge Hammer! Unfortunately, that block put The Charmings right up against The Cosby Show. Guess which show won?

Since it's Friday The 13th...

Remember this 80's TV show?

It's another not-yet-on-DVD classic. But that will change on September 23rd! Amazon.com is now listing the first season as available for pre-order.

Also coming out in September: Beauty And The Beast - The Complete Series. That's all three seasons (56 episodes) of the 1987 CBS series in one box set. Look for that September 30th.

Dollywood!

I just got back from my road trip to Dollywood. I ended up spending three full days at the park - and if I had more time, I would have gone back again! In fact, I'm already planning another trip for later this year (sorry, Brian, I think I'll need you to fill in again).

You don't have to be a country music fan to love Dollywood. I like the pop country, but not all the twangy stuff. Luckily, Dolly Parton has made sure that Dollywood has a little of everything for everybody - and some amazing rides!

I don't have a digital camera, so no pictures from my trip. To be honest, even if I had one, I wouldn't want to carry it anyways. I'm kind of lazy like that. All I'll carry is some money and my keys - that's more than enough. So I guess it's a written trip report.

I went with a group put together by Dollywood through their website. They arranged for exclusive ride time before and after the park closed plus some walking tours of some of the roller coasters - and the roller coaster sensors. I mention the sensors because one of them on Thunderhead I think now has to be named Tanya in honor of one of my friends who was absolutely obsessed with it for some strange reason (I actually wish I had a video camera for that priceless moment).

So here's some of the highlights of the park...

• Mystery Mine: It's a partially indoor roller coaster with some crazy drops and a moment where the car travels upside down before flipping right side up! We need one of these nearby! If you go on it, notice the birds throughout the ride. There's supposedly over 400 of them featured throughout (yes, it's a very strange & unique ride - and it's all Dolly Parton approved).
  
  
• Thunderhead: A perfect wooden roller coaster. It's fast, it's twisted, and it doesn't slam you all around. It's actually made by GCI, a roller coaster company about four hours away from here in Sunbury, PA. I saw the trains for this ride as they were being built at the factory back in 2003. So obviously, I love this ride even more because of that.
  
  
• Blazing Fury: It's a dark ride, it's sort of a roller coaster, and it's got some surprises to it that you need to ride to see. This year is the 30th anniversary for this ride and it's still phenomenal.
  
  
• River Battle: You ride in boats and shoot water guns at people in the other boats and people walking by the ride. It's a perfect ride for a hot day - which Tennessee gets lots of.
  
  
• Mountain Slidewinder: It's a gigantic water slide that you can ride in your regular clothes. It's kind of like a four or five person bobsled ride with water. Because of the hilly terrain, the slide itself doesn't really leave the ground! So cool.
  
  
• Timber Tower: It's exactly like the Topple Tower that Marineland has. But this ride tips you into gigantic water fountains, soaking you!
  
  
• Dreamland Drive-In: It's not a ride - it's a show. And I actually went to see it - twice (which is saying something since I usually never want to do anything but go on the rides when I'm at an amusement park)! Dollywood arranged special seating for this, so that's what got me there the first time and I'm so happy I went. It's about a diner and the music of the 50's and 60's. And this isn't just performed by kids looking for a summer vacation job. Not even close. These were amazingly talented professionals. I'm sure the guy that played the diner waiter and Bertha (the diner owner) are going to be stars someday. Do not miss this show this year!
  
  
• Dixie Stampede: It's kind of part of Dollywood, but it's not in the park. It's similar to Medieval Times, but with a rodeo-type atmosphere. The food was great and the show was fun. Especially the audience participation stuff - at one point, they had kids helping chickens in a race. Yes, real chickens.
  
  
• Food: Equally as exciting as the rides is the amazing Dollywood food. I tried two of the restaurant buffets while I was there (Miss Lillian's Chicken House for lunch and Aunt Granny's Buffet for breakfast). I now know what grits are (and learned that adding tons of sugar and maple syrup to them is a normal thing). Dollywood also provided an all you can eat lunch buffet on Saturday which was topped off with a Napoleon dessert - this thing was gigantic and is available normally in the bakery near the front of the park.
  
  
• Deep Fried Banana Pudding: This was so cool, I had to mention it on it's own! I love deep fried anything and I love bananas. How much more perfect can you get?! They offer this in a restaurant between the Mystery Mine and Thunderhead. So as I bounced back and forth between those rides, I'd be eating deep fried banana pudding - I imagine this is what it's like in heaven.
  
  

In addition to all that, there's a bunch of other rides (including Dizzy Disk, one of the Disk'O rides I absolutely love), a five-mile train ride into the Smoky Mountains, a million craft stores scattered around, and if you can settle for a cup of water as opposed to a bottle, it's free at various food places throughout the park - not many parks do that! And starting this weekend and going throughout the summer, Creature Adventures starring the Kratt Brothers from Zoboomafoo and VeggieTales Live.

As for the park itself, it's absolutely spotless. You could practically eat off the ground! I didn't, but you almost could it's so clean. Glenda is just one of the awesome employees to thank for that. Actually, all the people working at Dollywood were so nice! It's that southern hospitality thing I think. And I don't think any of them are doing it because it's their job (like at Disney). Here, they truly love their work and it shows.

I have to thank Doreen, Ashley, Mike, Brian, and everyone else in the Group Sales department for making this a truly incredible and unforgettable vacation!

When your day at Dollywood is done, there's Pigeon Forge, the town Dollywood is in. Imagine all the crazy shops and things on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls. Multiply that by fifty - no exaggeration! That's Pigeon Forge. There's indoor skydiving, lots of go-kart tracks and arcades, dinner shows, themed restaurants (Happy Days and Mel's Diner are two I ate at), haunted houses, random amusement park rides scattered all over, and outlet stores everywhere.

One of the crazy things I tried in town was the Zorb. It was featured on Amazing Race, so naturally I had to do it. They offer two ways to ride - as a water ride or with a harness. I wanted to flip upside down while bouncing down the hill, so I went with the harness ride. Wow! Even if you don't do it, go and watch it - this thing was crazy! And so much fun.

Something else I've seen on Amazing Race is ziplining. And starting July 4th, that will be available nearby too! It was killing me that it wasn't ready while I was there, so that's on the wish list for when I go back.

I used Mapquest for the directions and it worked out perfect. Just like Mapquest says, it took a little over eleven hours to get there (not counting some rest breaks - had to stop for the no-bake peanut butter cookies at Sheetz).

If you're thinking of going and are wondering about certain things in the park, e-mail me or call me at the station. I'd love to tell you more about what is now one of my favorite places to go.

The Mole - episode two...

I just got back from my vacation at Dollywood. I'll tell you all about that later.

While I was there, I did manage to see the second episode of The Mole. (By that point in the trip, I was in need of a little rest. The hot weather and the non-stop roller coaster rides totally wiped me out.)

So I'm still thinking the Mole is either Paul or Nicole. And definitely not Bobby - he's trying way too hard to look like he's the Mole.

What does season 2 Mole Bill McDaniel think? Here's his thoughts on episode 2...

Interesting episode. Nicole was quiet...no apparent sabotage at all.

Paul? I seriously doubt it; too in your face, and a good competitor.

Liz..gone.

Clay...nothing other than being one of the 3 to get lost in the pig game. Is that suspicious? I think so.

I could easily suspect one of the three in that trio of Clay, Ali, and Mark. Mark was with Kristen in winning the exemption and costing the team $35K. So, Mark is a definite possibility. Kristen also cost money in both games. In the first, she pushed really hard to win the exemption and lose the money...and appeared willing to take the taxi, thus winning an exemption, losing $35K, and another 5K! In the second game...why in the world would she totally sabotage the effort by pushing Bobby in a wheelbarrow?! Geez!

Bobby? Either the biggest wimp in reality show history...or the Mole. It just seems to me that the mole needs to do something to sabotage other than being totally passive.

Ali? Nah, showing nothing yet.

Alex? Good Spanish, collected lots of pigs...too piggy to be the Mole.

Craig? Again, a nice guy, but total passivity should not be the hallmark of a Mole.

Victoria? Done nothing to bring suspicion on herself.

Conclusion at the end of Episode 2? 1. Kristen. 2. Nicole 3. Mark 4. Bobby (and if he plays the entire season like this and is the Mole...for shame!) 5. Paul

Always interesting!

Bill
The Mole II

Don't forget to check out Bill's website - he'll have additional content up there soon!

Who is The Mole?

These are the players on this season of The Mole.

After the first episode, we know Marcie isn't The Mole. Strangely enough, based on just first impressions, all the other players and a lot of the crew thought she was. Seeing her go was a shock. Read the behind-the-scenes blog here.

After just the first episode, my guess would be either Paul or Nicole to be The Mole. Paul seems way too sure of himself and was taking charge quite a bit in the first episode. Then there's Nicole, who's acting Mole-ish, which could be a smart thing for the Mole to do right away.

As you can tell, I don't think the Mole is just going to sit around and fly under the radar at first (like in the first two seasons). I'm thinking the Mole will be doing something very different this game.

Who's not the Mole? There is no way Bobby is the Mole! He's trying way too hard to look like he's the Mole. And the previews for next week make it look like he's going to try even harder. And I don't think Liz is the Mole either. She'd be too obvious a choice.

So who does season two's Mole (Bill McDaniel) think is this season's Mole? Here's what he wrote to me earlier today...

Nicole, Paul, maybe Bobby (doubt), another old person Liz...could be, but doubtful. No impression of Ali or Kristen yet. The others I've tentatively ruled out.

Bill's choices and mine are dangerously close. Maybe I should have tried to get on this season after all! But more likely, it's just that those are the players the first episode focused on the most.

Bill also went on to say that he's putting together a YouTube video about the show and his book in addition to updating his blog on his website. I'll link to it when it's all up and running.

Ghosts for sale?

This is your chance to own a ghost! In a bottle!!!

A ghost trapper in Florida has decided to bottle the ghosts he catches and sell them online.

Each bottle comes with a dire warning should you decide to break it open. Some of the things that may (or may not) happen...

• Small items moved
• Voices out of nowhere
• The feeling that someone is following you around your home
• Noises in empty rooms
• Phone calls (the ghost could become more annoying than a telemarketer this way)

Or you could just keep the ghost in the bottle so you always know where its at.

It's the perfect graduation or wedding gift! Just $20 at aghostinabottle.com.