My Last Bachelor

Yup. That's it. Kaput. Done. The End.

This was by far, the worst season of The Bachelor ever. Ironically, Travis is probably the best bachelor the show has ever had. In real life. But as a tv reality show bachelor, he sucks.

Rumor has it that the producers found him and had to convince him to be on the show. Let that be a lesson for them. ABC, find people who actually want to be there. It's the only way you're going to get a show that is halfway entertaining. I think poor Travis thought 6 weeks in Paris would be fun and a great escape from his harried schedule as an ER resident. But the joke was on him. It only took 2 shows before he began to look uncomfortable and sound stilted. It was like watching an animal stuck in a trap that he couldn't even chew his way out of.

And shame on ABC for using Moana as a ratings tool. Sure, no one forced the girl to be there and her self-inflicted victim routine got old, but she's a real live person with real feelings. Watching her crash and burn last night was beyond unpleasant. It was painful.

In the end, it did work out for Travis. He narrowed his selection down to 2 women who couldn't be more different. Sarah was the sun and Moana was the moon. Sarah was peace and joy, laughter and comfort. Moana was excitement and danger and drama. And Travis is definitely not a drama kind of guy, so he picked Sarah.

And speaking of drama, could the producers not have prepped Travis a little better with his final speech to Sarah? Not only wasn't it romantic, it was choppy and awkward. Sort of like his "Are you a sexual person?" speech. But I'm afraid what we saw last night was the real Travis. A gorgeous, intelligent, super nice guy who can't string 3 words together. In real life, a super catch. In TV reality world, a boring dud.


I wish the producers didn't feel the need to give us "high drama" or to fool us with their crappy editing. I don't want to see people hurt or made fun of. I want to see a romance. Which is why from now on, I'll just stick to reading them.

Okay, I give up. I'm hooked!

Poor George. Was there anything more painful to watch than that awful love scene (if you could call it that) between him and Meredith on Grey's Anatomy tonight?

What was Meredith- or as I like to call her- Lizard Face (because, sorry, she's looks like a reptile with weird eyes to me) thinking??? Did she not know she was going to break George's heart? Of course she did! Her "I didn't know I didn't want to sleep wih you until we did it" crap was the lamest excuse I've ever heard. She and Dr. McDreamy deserve each other. He's another one that makes me reach for the blue emesis bag (that's vomit bag for those of you not in the profession) He needs to shit or get off the pot. His "let's meet by accident every morning and be friends" thing is almost as bad as her idea of sleeping with George. Wrong, People!!

Okay, now that I've vented a bit, I will take my crow with a little salt and ketchup please. I've been avoiding this show like the plague. I really don't like medical shows. But Mel (all knowing and wise one) and Erin (all knowing and wise one II) are huge fans of the show, along with just about everyone else I know. So I figure, hey, if you can't beat em, join em.

And they are absolutely right. Grey's Anatomy is one of the best new shows on TV.

Now, if we can just get George and that spunky Dr. Torres together...

Napoleon had his Waterloo...and so did I

Unfortunately, it came in the form of Round 3 of the American Title II Contest. But there are still 4 fantastic writers battling it out to be this year's winner. Two of them, Gina Black and Michele Young are RWA Online chapter mates of mine. All 4 ladies have great dialogue scenes featured in this round, so don't forget to vote. Go to www.americantitle2.com by March 5. This round is crucial and every vote is important!

As I've said before, this contest has been a wonderful learning tool for me. I'd like to thank everyone who voted and lent me such unconditional support--my fellow RWA Online chapter mates, my family, friends and especially all the wonderful people who work in Labor and Delivery at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. You rock!

Two Weddings and a Funeral

No, it's not the name of a new Hugh Grant movie. Although I wish he'd make another flic soon. I need my Hugh fix!

On Sunday, my aunt died. She will be sorely missed, but she lived a long, full life. The last time I was in Miami was for a wedding. We've had 2 family weddings in the past 2 years and last Wednesday we had a funeral. As sad as a funeral is, there is also an upside to them. They reconnect us with family and friends. They bring us back to our roots. They remind us how precious life is and that we have to savor every minute we have with those we love.

So, now I'm barely back from Miami (an 8 hour trip from Tallahassee-- Florida is a very long state) and I'm headed back on the road again. I was supposed to be in Gatlinburg yesterday with my writing buddies, aka- Mel, Pam, Angie and Lisa. We've rented a cabin in the Smoky Mountains and we're going to write our butts off (ha!) . As much as I hate the thought of getting back in that car for another long drive, I'm also excited. I need to see my friends again and I need to refocus on my writing.

I won't have internet access till I get back, but don't forget that Round 4 of the American Title Contest starts Monday, Feb 20. The 4 remaining finalists are all awesome and I can't wait to read all the dialogue scenes. Go to www.americantitle2 to vote!

The SuperBowl commercial that never was

Any one else disappointed in the commercials during the SuperBowl? For me at least, the commercials are the best part. Now, don't get me wrong. I love football. College football, that is. But professional football, outside of the Tampa Bay Bucs, leaves me cold. By halftime I was convinced there wasn't any more creativity left in NY advertising. I mean, is a revolving fridge full of beer the best they can come up with? Then I found out about the banned Xbox commercial. My son showed it to me. Here it is:

http://microsoft.blognewschannel.com/index.php/archives/2005/11/22/banned-xbox-360-ad-best-ad-ever/

Is it violent? Well, yes, I guess it is. But there's no weapons (that you can see), no blood shed, and no one is injured or dies. But it's also fun, innovative and one of the best commercials I've seen in a long time.

I just don't get it. Maybe I'm jaded or maybe my idea of violence is off. I mean, one of my favorite movies of all time is Unforgiven, yet Silence of the Lambs makes me physically ill. Maybe the reason I don't get it is because this commercial reminds me of the way little boys used to play on the playground while I was growing up... before little boys started bringing automatic weapons to school. Maybe this new generation is just too impressionable for make believe. In which case, I guess Micorsoft's call not to air the commercial was a good one and a responsible one from a legal standpoint. But it still makes me sad.

Round 3 Voting is over

and I can't tell if I made it to the next round of the American Title II contest until February 20th, so stay tuned.

But doesn't my book look nice? LOL! This is from a fun website that my fellow RWA Online chaptermate Terri Garey recommended. Terri has her first book coming out this year titled "Dead Girls are Easy". It promises to be a fantastic book and I can't wait to read it.

Thank you to my friends and family for all the wonderful support you've given me through this contest. It means a lot to me!

Only 2 more days left to vote!

Voting for Round 3 of the American Title II Contest ends tomorrow. If you haven't voted yet, then please do so! Go to www.americantitle2.com or you can go to webmaster@romantictimes.com and place my title THE WAR BRIDE in the subject line.

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful support!