The Vampire Diaries - Tuesday 28th Feb 2012

***Spoilers Alert***

YES!  The show with the most amount of hot guys ever is back on our screens, people!!  (This is going by UK time...the US have been lucky enough to have had it back for a few weeks now)

Well, Damon Salvatore has certainly been missed, but did anyone else notice that he was looking a little...shall we say, healthier(?) in last night's episode?  His skin is usually quite pale, but last night he looked a bit like Dougal from Father Ted when Mrs Doyle does his make-up in the episode "A Song for Europe".

Anyway, back to the topic in hand...The Vampire Diaries certainly knows how to hook everyone into the life of Mystic Falls.  There is always something going on, and it always finishes with a cliff-hanger.  It's so rare that a show does this...and does it well... and TVD does not get enough recognition for its writing!

Last night's episode in a nutshell:

Poor Tyler has been brain-washed and it is only a matter of time before he causes mass destruction.  He was close to getting Jeremy killed, on Klaus's orders.  Good old Alaric took the fall though - what a hero.

Elena is still looking too beautiful.

Stefan is hoarding Klaus's family (in coffins) in the house that is haunted by the witches.  However, Bonnie has seen something in her dreams that means that those babies aren't going anywhere soon...but they may be opened.

Elena gave Klaus Rebecca - who she stabbed with the dagger in order to save the gang - but he put the knife back in her...something tells me he is cooking up a storm!

Jeremy has been "compelled" to go and live somewhere else.  For his own safety.  I'm guessing he'll be back though.  They always come back!

And finally, Damon told Elena that he could not carrying on "wanting what he wants" (Elena) as he feels guilty because Stefan still has his humanity somewhere within him.  However, he professed that if he was going to feel guilty, he should have something to feel guilty about.

And that's when it happened!!  The kiss that we have all been waiting for.  The kiss that has been brewing up inside of them for so long that the chemistry between Elena and Damon was off the chart.

The Kiss:

Electrifying!!!!

Playing It Straight - The Result

***Spoilers Alert***

So, the final of Playing It Straight has arrived...and everyone was curious to know whether or not Cara picked the straight man as the winner, leaving both able to walk away with £25k.

So, did she do it??

First of all, Cara and the boys received the dreaded visit from Jameela, who informed Cara that "at least" one of the boys left was straight...and "at least" one of the boys was gay.  This, of course, did not make things any easier for poor Cara.

Then, we saw Cara have to pick one of the last remaining four boys to leave the Hacienda.  It was a cruel twist in the form of four envelopes that each invited the boys on a date with Cara...except envelope number 4, which saw the chosen boy get sent back home to England.  That boy was....

Danny.  "But before you go, I have to know...are you gay or are you straight?" - He was gay.  Cheeky!  But, out of the last four, he was definitely the gayest.

Cara was not happy.

So, after the dates, Cara still felt none the wiser.  Out of Sam, Sven and Dean, she had to send someone home before picking the winner out of the final two.

Sam was invited up onto the step...Cara sent him packing.  That's when she found out whether or not she made the right decision...and she had done!!  Sam, just like his twin brother, was gay.  After this revelation, he was told to "just go!" and off he went.

Again, Cara was not happy...

So, two boys left.  Sven - the most boisterous out of everyone in the group, and deemed "too straight to be straight", and Dean - who had developed a bromance with - previously outed - Danny.

And the winner is...

Dean!  Cara chose Dean as the straight man.  And what did he turn out to be?

Straight!!  They won!  Well, this had to be the first time anyone saw Cara crack a smile since the competition began.  But being £25k richer would certainly put a smile on anyone's face.  There was much picking up and swinging around done while both Dean and Cara cheered.

As for Sven...who was stood there waiting to confess whether or not he was gay or straight and confirm whether Cara would have still won, or lost if she had picked him...he made his way to the top of the steps and looked Cara in those beadies of hers.

He offered the same suspense that Cara did each week while he waited to hear if he would be staying/leaving the Hacienda.

And what was he?

Gay!!!  Yes - that boisterous little beast turned out to be gay!  What a player.  Luckily for him (and his marbles) though, Cara was too happy with her recent win to really care anymore.

Out of the remaining four boys, Cara picked the only one that was straight as the winner!

Very good - well done!  Now roll on the next series...

Playing It Straight - The Name of the Game

Did you ever see the previous season of this show? June Sarpong was the hostess and the girl in Cara's position ended up choosing a gay man. She was furious with him - saying he had lied and conned her all this time. Which, yes, I agree is true, but that's the name of the game!! It's called PLAYING IT STRAIGHT! That's what he was there to do.

June was just as horrid to the guy too when it came out that he had...come out. (Teeheehee - a little pun there for you) She was giving him dirty looks, shaking her head, didn't speak to him.  She went right down in my estimation after that. Surely she should be impartial!?

Anyway, my point about this last part is that Cara, from the current series (see previous blog) seems to be going the same way. She clearly does not have any emotional attachment to the remaining boys (or any of the previous ones) so she is clearly in it for the money now. However, she keeps telling the boys that she will be really angry if they turn out to be gay. In other words, she'll be bitter that they played a better game than she did and she doesn't want to go home empty handed. Greed!

Jameela Jamil (the hostess of this year's show) should not react like June did...I'll be very disappointed if she does, and expect to see a blog expressing that...!

Playing It Straight

***Spoilers Alert***

Have you seen this programme?  It's hilarious!

Cara, the girl searching for her perfect partner...and £25k...is trying to seek the straight men within a mixed bag of straight and gay men.

I should mention at this point that if Cara picks a straight man in the final showdown to share the £50k pot with, they share the money ( £25k each for anyone not feeling mathematical today).  HOWEVER, if she chooses a gay man at the end, he walks away with the whole pot!  That's right, he gets twice as much for fooling her, and she walks away with nothing!

She started off doing quite well and sent a few gay men packing from the Hacienda where they are all staying.  Now, she seems to be firing directly at the straight men...you can't blame her though; most of them are very camp.

Each week (although I imagine it's days in reality) we see Cara sending the boys on a variety of tasks where they have to prove their heterosexuality!  This is where it gets tricky though.  Some of the gay men are so buff and manly that they conceal their homosexuality very well.

I love that though, as it proves that people should not stereotype.  I've been on Cara's side many a time believing that the person she has sent home is gay and he is straight, and vice versa.

Anyway, so at the moment we are left with four men: Sam, Danny, Dean and Sven.

It's so hard to call!  But here is what I think:

Sam: Gay/Straight - Hard to tell as his twin brother, Ben, who was eliminated last night, was gay and I'm unsure of whether or not both twins are gay.  According to my friend, it's common for both twins to be gay.  So, that's why I'm undecided on Sam.

Danny: Gay - I would be surprised if he is straight.  He's the only one out of the four that I'm adamant about their sexuality.

Dean: Straight - Part of me does want to say gay...and I'm very tempted to change my prediction...but I think he does genuinely care about Cara, so I don't think he would want to hurt her.  I'd be surprised if he has been conning her all along.

Sven: Straight - As it stands, and possibly has done for a while, he is the straightest man in the Hacienda.  He is so boisterous and pig-headed that I'd be shocked if he is gay.  However, he has said many a time to Cara that he doesn't fancy her and he is solely there for the money.  Is £25k enough or is he double-bluffing and going for the £50k??  It's very hard to tell.

Now, even if you don't really care about the competition, you should definitely just watch this programme for the narration of Alan Carr.  Oh my Goodness, he is absolutely hilarious!!!  I have actually been laughing out loud (lolling!) from his comments about the boys.  Comedy Gold.

Come And Praise

Does anyone else remember the 'Come and Praise' books at primary school??

Oh, how much fun we used to have singing the hymns from the books.  There are only a few that I can think of from the top of my head, and I'm not too familiar with the titles either...but who else remembers the following:

1. Dance, dance, wherever you may be.  I am the Lord of the Dance said he, and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, and I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.  I believe this was called "Lord of the Dance" but I could be wrong...Nowadays, I just associate it with Michael Flatley!?

2. Oh I mustn't forget!  No I mustn't forget...to say a great big thank you, no I mustn't forget.  No idea what this bad boy was called - but what a song!  This was my brother's favourite.

3. He's got the whole world in his hands, he's got the whole world in his hands... That could go on for a while, but you get the jist!

4. Now, I don't remember the rest of this next song, only the beginning.  Nowadays, when I sing it, I seem to go into a different song halfway through...you'll see what I mean: If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning, I'd hammer in the evening, all over this land...but you've gotta have money, a whole lotta spending money, you've gotta have patience and money, to do it right, child.  Close, but no ciggy!

Right, that's all I can remember of the hymns.  The only other thing I remember is the book itself.  It was a blue book with a bunch of creepy looking kids on the front.  They did not look like they wanted to come and praise with us at all... no, they actually looked as if they wanted to kill us instead.

I've attached a picture, which I found on Google, for you to see what I mean...

Do you remember 'Come and Praise' from your Primary School days?  If so, I'd love to know your experiences and what hymns you remember...!

I would also like to know your thoughts on the yobbos from the book...?

Skins - Series 6

Ah, once again I have been drawn into the world of the Skins characters; but, just like before...once they've hooked me in, the producers/writers decide to confuse me with the rollercoaster storylines.

I think most of you know (who have seen the latest series) who I am talking about...

Yes!  Frankie!!

When we saw Franks at the start of Season 5 we were introduced to a quirky outcast.  Brilliant!  I loved how awkward she was and not just some pretentious teenager who acted like they owned the place. 

However!!  Now, she seems to have gone a little slutty promiscuous and all the boys are falling in love with her, even though most of them have never really spoken to her before.  (I'm talking about Matty at the end of last season, and now his brother...whose name I have forgotten...Nick?  I think it's Nick...)

Anyway; needless to say, I was baffled!  Was you??

I know a character has been killed off in each alternate series (we lost Chris in Season 2 and Freddie in Season 4) so nothing seems to shock anymore, but Grace's death really came as a surprise!  I was not expecting it...I think mainly because I was too wrapped up in the sweet relationship between her and Rich.

I thought the episode where Grace died was done beautifully.  I'm sure my ice-cold heart tried its hardest to beat out a tear when I realised what was going on.  Poor Rich.

Off the topic: Does anyone else think Rich looks quite cute with short hair?  Or do you prefer it longer?

I'm not going to ponder too much over the characters in the show, but what I will mention is the relationship that is brewing between Mini and Alo.  I love how different they are but keep ending up together!  Electric!!

Katy Perry and Russell Brand

It was so sad to see that Katy Perry and Russell Brand are getting divorced.  There seems to be a worldwide commiseration for their split.

However, on the bright side, when Katy Perry breaks up with someone, she knocks out a great tune that makes every girl know that they don't need a man to be the best that they can be.

First, we had 'Circle The Drain', and now we have 'Part of Me'.

Here are links to both of the songs:

Listen to these and you'll be feeling confident enough to not rely on boys/men!  She's like the modern day Alanis Morrisette... OK, not quite!

Enjoy!!



Him & Her

If you have not seen this BBC3 comedy yet, I advise you to do so.  It's a delight!

Basically, Steve and Becky (aka Him & Her) live like slobs in a dingy little flat that looks as if it has never been cleaned.  However, they very much love each other and that's all that matters.  Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani are perfect as the benefit-claiming couple as they bounce off each other so naturally.

The comedy is amped up with the assistance from Dan (the socially awkward neighbour from upstairs), Laura (Becky's romanticist sister) and Paul (Laura's fiance/hot-headed adulterer).

This is one of those shows that you can watch over and over again and still find something new to laugh at.  It's brilliant to see another show use such a small space in a number of ways.  It's a very clever thing to do and can only be achieved by the most observant comedy writers (think Craig Cash and Caroline Aherne with The Royle Family).

If there is one thing I ask of you, it's to watch this programme!  It's a realistic view of romance in the modern world, and you will find yourself pointing at certain character traits and comparing them to your own.

Truly wonderful!

TOWIE

It's taken me a while, but I've finally gotten into TOWIE!

This came about when I decided to sign-up to Netflix through the PS3.  They have offered me a month's free trial (allowing me to cancel my membership at any time before the trial runs out, without charge) so when I had a night free, I decided to watch some of The Only Way is Essex and see what the fuss is all about.

Well, just like with Laguna Beach, The Hills and Made in Chelsea, I am now hooked by all the drama.  in the past couple of weeks I have managed to watch all three seasons so am up to date enough to watch Season 4.

I must say, the characters do not seem as bitchy as they do in the other dramality programmes, but there is certainly an ample amount of drama to contend with so it's not too bad.  The only person that I'm not too struck on is Lauren Goodger.  I am trying my hardest to like her but she's the only one that seems to go out of her way to stir things up.  Does anyone else feel that way?

Amy Childs is possibly my favourite from the first two seasons.  She's as daft as a brush (to put it politely) but she's very sweet.  And as the show has continued, I would have to say (out of the girls) my favourite is Chloe Sims.  She's adorable!!  To look at, she is a walking Barbie doll, but there really is a sweetheart underneath all the plastic.  Gemma Collins is also a sweetie, and I love her relationship with the Twins.

Kirk was very annoying.  Was it just me who was cringing whenever he was "flirting" with girls?

Now, I have to say it, and I have been advised that this is very wrong...but I have to admit that I have the hots for Arg!!  He is so cute and cuddly.  Do you agree that this is wrong...??

Right, well, I've somewhat brought you up to speed with my thoughts on TOWIE!  I'm now off to get a vajazzle...

OK, maybe not!

It's oh so quiet...

Sorry all, I've been a tad quiet lately.

In a nutshell, I've been a bit busy with my new house.  Settling in has taken a while and I still don't really feel like I've moved out yet - it, bizarrely, seems like an extended holiday with Rob.  Lolzibobs.

In addition to settling in, we had Christmas, then I had uni assignments due in, and then I started back at uni...and guess what...they gave us more assignments!  Eek!

I shall try and make time to blog though now that I've rekindled my love for you all

Loula Love xoxo