I know that not everybody celebrates the same things I do, and I know it's a bit un-PC to intentionally wish people greetings for holidays they don't observe... but I don't care. This time of year brings me much joy and I have an overwhelming need to share my glee on this most special of occasions:





In a related I couldn't make this shit up if I tried story, a recent survey just revealed that 20% of British children aged 5 to 7 think that Christmas is when we celebrate the birthday of Simon Cowell. Way to go, British kids! Thumbs up!




(True fact: I have never been more in love with the world than when I read that. So many wrongs all coming together to make the MOST AMAZING right. It takes your breath away.)



Have a good one!

Anyone who's finished the new A Song of Ice and Fire book: does book 5 have any discussion or clues about who Jon Snow's mother was?

I think I have a decent working theory as to his origins that I want to discuss with people, but I'm not sure if I should hold off until I get to book 5 (currently doing a series reread and only on #2 right now, so it'd be a while) to avoid getting completely jossed by the new canon.

Thoughts?

ETA: speculation and spoilers in comments

Previously, Ryan Seacrest went to some auditions, made it through Hollywood Week with Extra! Bonus! Vegas Day, and got us through the semifinals and the first round with the finalists. Now let's look at the next four episodes in which Ryan takes us from 12 hopefuls all the way down to, um, 11 hopefuls.


( Episode 18 - Ryan Seacrest and the Top 12 )


( Episode 19 - Ryan Seacrest Sends One of 12 Home )


( Episode 20 - Ryan Seacrest and the Top 11 )


( Episode 21 - Ryan Seacrest Fails to Send Anyone Home )

The season 10 hopefuls drop from 24 down to 12. Ryan Seacrest is on the scene to walk us through it. Ryan?


( Episode 13 - Ryan Seacrest and the Top 12 Guys )


( Episode 14 - Ryan Seacrest and the Top 12 Girls )


( Episode 15 - Nothing Happens )


( Episode 16 - Ryan Seacrest and the Top 13 )


( Episode 17 - Ryan Seacrest Sends the First of 13 Packing )

When we last saw our intrepid field agent Ryan Seacrest, he was darting around the country, comforting America's youth as their dreams were crushed, dancing with their mothers and bantering with their fathers. Let's see what our plucky young star does next!


( Episode 8 - Ryan Seacrest in Hollywood Week: Sudden Death Round )


( Episode 9 - Ryan Seacrest (Not) in Hollywood Week: Group Round )


( Episode 10 - Ryan Seacrest in Hollywood Week: Solo Round )


( Episode 11 - Ryan goes to Vegas to Help Simon House Hunt and Idol Decides They Might As Well Shoot an Episode While He's There )


( Episode 12 - Ryan Seacrest and the Top 24 )

So American Idol's back. And they changed some judges or something? I dunno, I wasn't really paying attention and nobody was really speculating that much.

Kidding.

( Ryan Gets New Coworkers )


Okay, that's the summer's drama covered. Let's start playing catch up with this season and see what our "I'm not small, I'm fun-sized!" host has been up to, shall we? Here are the audition eps.


( Episode 1 – Ryan Goes to New Jersey )


( Episode 2 - Ryan Goes to New Orleans )


( Episode 3 - Ryan Goes to Milwaukee )


( Episode 4 - Ryan Goes to Nashville )


( Episode 5 - Ryan Goes to Austin )


( Episode 6 - Ryan Goes Home to LA )


( Episode 7 - Ryan Goes to San Francisco )


Next stop: Hollywood.

What shows have had "everybody stops reaching REM sleep and starts to go crazy" episodes?

The only one I can think of is TNG's Night Terrors ep ("eyes in the dark" "one moon circles"), which I never liked, but I'm positive that I've seen that plot around other places. At least, I think I'm sure. It seems like the kind of staple every sci fi show would turn to at some point.

What am I forgetting?

Things Ryan Seacrest said today:

after discussing how apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping you alert and energized in the morning...

Ellen (co host): "Whatever it is that you usually do in the morning, if you just substitute it with an apple..."

Ryan: "I-- Listen, honestly, I do love apples. Now I love the sensation, the feeling of something warm trickling down the back of my tongue and going toward the threshold of my esophagus and rolling inside my stomach and settling. I mean, that's part of my morning routine."

Ellen: "Yeah, you tried to give it up once too."

Ryan: "Well, I gave it up for a little while."

Ellen: "Mmm hmm."

Ryan: "I'm back on it. But maybe apples are the solution. Apples remind me of sex."

Ellen: "Why? How?"

Ryan: "They're invigorating when you get to the middle of them. And afterwards I get a little tired. Honestly. I need a little nappypoo."

Ok, Canadian 6 Degrees folks, help me out.

I was deciding which Canadian movie I wanted to watch for a belated Canada Day celebration and was on the imdb page for Breakfast With Scot and then decided that I wanted something more drama than comedy and was picking between Wilby Wonderful and Whole New Thing. And then I thought that I'd just navigate to those movies via links because how hard can it be to get from one group of Canadian actors to another group of Canadian actors, right? Turns out: hard. I couldn't do it without going through two American shows which seems like the most ridiculous thing ever when there's a handful of prolific Canadian actors on either end.

Here's what I finally got:

Breakfast with Scot -> Megan Follows -> Robson Arms -> Zak Santiago -> Caprica -> Pam Malcomson -> Deadwood -> Molly Parker -> Twitch City -> CKR and Dan MacIvor -> Wilby Wonderful and Whole New Thing

I'm missing something super obvious, aren't I?

How else can Breakfast with Scot be linked to any of the usual suspects in Canadian actor bingo? Tom Cavanaugh and Megan Follows have really never acted with 6 degrees people?

It was 8 years ago today American Idol premiered and Ryan and Simon -- love 'em or hate 'em -- took their first step in becoming the pop cultural icons they are now.

Simon expected the show to get pulled off the air within 3 or 4 weeks. He was very, very wrong.

And now: pic spam of the guys from their very first episode. ( wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee )

So, Simon Cowell's American Idol finale happened.

( spoilers on every aspect of tonight's ep except the singing and the winning, because those parts are pretty irrelevant to me )

Ok, so I started following and then watching American Idol this season because I wanted the few-hours warning to prepare for the llaras-consoling in the event of an Adam Lambert-boot (and then I became ridiculously obsessed with Ryan Seacrest *draws hearts around his name*) and now that's all been turned on its head because she's the one talking me down from from rage-filled rants about the outcome (whichever way it ends up going) and all the crap that is gonna follow the reveal.

For the handful that are interested (and because it's not fair that dani be the only one forced to endure my ranting)...

( no actual spoilers or discussion of the final performances, just speculation on the results and the fallout )

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friends-locked journal, sorry.

comment if you think you should be added.