Two Grey's stars reportedly leaving the show

Us Weekly has this exclusive saying that Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight, aka Izzy and George, are leaving Grey's Anatomy. The information comes from James Pickens Jr. who plays the chief on the show. No real details have yet emerged, like when and really why, but I have to admit that I'm not all that surprised. Is anyone crushed by this news?

My take on the Michael Phelps saga - People are always watching

This post is going to be a little off topic since it doesn't really have anything to do with television. But for my Online Journalism class, our professor wants us to write a post about Michael Phelps specifically talking about what it is like to live in a world where every moment of our lives can potentially be captured through technological means. She doesn't want us to sound off about the controversy in general, but instead use it as an example. But for those who didn't see it, there was a great Op-ed in the Globe the other day about this. I agree with most of what is said in here. But back to the topic at hand.

Michael Phelps is a celebrity. He may not have always wanted to be one, but wining god-only-knows how many gold medals forces you into the spotlight. And very often celebrities are followed by paparazzi. But the sad thing is that this was not a case of the paparazzi exploiting their way to get a photo, the picture was snapped by someone at the "party" where the bong hit happened and that person then sold the picture. There are two things at work here and they are on two different levels. First, it just proves that people have to always be careful what they are doing and who is around. Anyone can take a picture and that picture is not something that will easily go away. Also, the Internet, and other such technology, allowed for this picture to spread like wildfire. Within a day of the picture becoming public, everyone had seen it and it was all people were discussing. Without recent technological advancements, who knows whether the picture would have ever been taken or if it would have been seen by as many people.

On a more personal level, I don't usually think about the possibility of people taking my picture or recording my every move, but maybe I should. A few times I have been on the T and thought about how easy it would be for someone sitting across from me to pretend to be talking or playing with their cell phone when really they are taking my picture. But I always wonder what bad could possibly happen from that? I'm not a celebrity so I don't see how much harm can be done.

I did also think about this idea a few days ago. I got a new digital camera for Christmas and in the weeks that have followed I have become the designated photographer for my group of friends. Last night I posted pictures from the weekend on Facebook and all of the friends who I tagged immediately freaked because they said the pictures were unflattering. They then started de-tagging themselves. But then I reminded them that these pictures hold our memories and that some day in the future they will thank me for documenting our crazy party college days. They agreed and kept themselves tagged in a few pictures. But on the other hand, sometimes I see pictures following a crazy weekend and immediately want to delete them or at least disassociate myself from them. You never know who will see the pictures and what kind of judgments these people will pass. I want my online image to reflect my true personality, not the self who danced around like a crazy person some Saturday night. So as you can see, I am torn on this. Are the pictures worth keeping because they hold memories or are they too embarrassing? I don't think this is actually a question that has an answer.

So what are your opinions? Do you think technology is too invasive? When is it taken too far? Do you have any stories to tell based on this "technology is everywhere" idea?

Idina Menzel to guest star on Private Practice

I love Idina Menzel. This is great news. I am excited to explore a storyline with her later in the season. And it is cute that she frequently takes roles with her husband, Taye Diggs.

Dancing with the Stars new cast announced

I have to admit that I really enjoy reality television shows based around dance whether it be Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance or America's Best Dance Crew. I danced competitively most of my childhood and through high school, and I still love dancing.

Well, last night while everyone else was watching the Grammys, ABC announced the new cast for this season of Dancing with the Stars, which starts March 9. Here they are:

Shawn Johnson - gymnast
Belinda Calisle - musician
Steve-O - from Jackass fame
Jewel - singer
Lil Kim - rapper
David Alan Grier - comedian
Chuck Wicks - musician
Gilles Marini - actor
Ty Murray - rodeo cowboy
Nancy O'Dell - television anchor
Denise Richards - actress
Lawrence Taylor - former NFL player
Steve Wozniak - Apple computer co-founder

So what do you think? Any favorites stand out? Who do you think will be cut first?

Also, for more juicy details about the contestants - like, did you know that Jewel and Ty Murray are married - check out the article here.

Spoiler: SNL - Weekend Update is always the highlight

I am going to embed three clips from last night's SNL Weekend Update segment. They are all so funny and some of the funniest parts of the episode.

Mark Spitz skit



Seth Myers' Michael Phelps Really?! skit



Skit of James Harrison from the Steelers



Enjoy and laugh. I know I did.

Spoiler: ER - "You're all here because of this guy"

Let me start this post by saying that I really enjoyed this week's episode. That said, I feel like this season, since it is the last, there are not really any overarching storylines. Instead, the writers are doing all they can to write in plots that allow for old stars to return. This week it was William H. Macy's turn to return to the show. I looked on imdb.com and it looks like he was one of the original cast members.

So here is what happened. An old man, who looks like he has been beaten up, stumbles into the ER. He keeps seeing flashes of a different, older time period. We find out that he used to work at County and that his name is Oliver. The flashes he is having is him seeing the hospital from when he worked there. Morris recognizes the name and says he is a legend; he even helps the doctors who had misdiagnosed a woman with cancer when she really had tuberculosis. Then Macy shows up and tells us that he may have flashes of memory, but he does not talk and "does not interact with the present." He is DNR so they take him off machines and he eventually dies.

If nothing else I bet this episode was fun to film. In Oliver's memory flashes some of the main characters, Sam, Brenner and Morris in particular, were dressed in old style doctor and nurses uniforms and had different hair styles. It was fun to see how much things have changed.

In other happenings, I like Neela and Brenner together. But what is with Lucien? Is he jealous? He is definitely acting strange around Neela.

And how about Sam's storyline. Other than mention of her son, Alex, and his father, there has never been any real discussion about her family life that I can remember. When her sister showed up, I was caught off guard. And then we got to hear some of the details of Sam's life. Apparently, when Sam got pregnant at 15, her mother kicked her out of the house and would not allow Sam to communicate with her younger sister. I wonder if they will pursue this storyline any further in coming episodes.

Well that's it for now. NBC keeps teasing big guest appearances. Who will be next? I'm still watching, I hope you are too.

ER - my thoughts to come later

I will usually write about ER on Thursday nights. But since ABC is playing games with their shows and teasing "crossover events" I spent tonight watching Private Practice instead of ER. Next week I will be doing the same. So come back in a few days for my thoughts on tonight's episode of ER. I DVRed it, so I will watch it when I get a chance and report back then.