Live From L.A. - The ABC.com Blog

It's time to wistfully wave goodbye and board my charter jet, for this is my last post for Live from L.A.. 

All things must end, and this little blog-thing is no exception.  I've had a great time immersing myself knee-deep in the world of ABC and have really enjoyed my time here and the chance to chat with y'all.  I particularly liked writing the Dancing with the Stars Live Blog - that was frantically fun. 

I want to thank all the good people at ABC.com who have put up with me over the past year and had to listen to my incessant demands for lobster and champagne.  Most of all, I'd like to thank everyone who stopped by the various blogs I wrote over the past year here at ABC.com.  It's been a great experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Feel free to stop by my humble website The Society for the Advancement of Dave and say hello.

So with that, I bid you adieu!  Take care everybody!

-Dave Campbell

I've been waiting for this to happen.

This week, Bachelor Jason Mesnick bent the rules and sent home three bachelorettes during a tense rose ceremony.  He had three Immunity Roses to hand out during the ceremony, but he only gave away two of them.  That final rose stayed on its silver tray, and Megan (the catty one), Lauren (the bossy one), and Shannon ( the stalker one) were all sent home.

Jason has been on the other side of the rose ceremony before and knows what it feels like to have expectations and dreams crushed under a pair of high heels, so this was a "be cruel to be kind" scenario.  He didn't have strong feelings for the remaining three girls and felt like handing out a rose to one of them would have been leading her on, so he sent all three away.

I've always wondered - when a bachelorette like Nikki gets eliminated on a 2-on-1 date, we get an exit interview inside the limousine as it drives away.  But when the women get eliminated from a Rose Ceremony at this early stage, do they get a limo ride?  The exit interviews are conducted on the beautifully lit grounds of the Bachelor Pad instead of inside the car.  I just have this image of Megan, Lauren, and Shannon all sharing a smelly airport shuttle van after the rose ceremony.

Next week Jason brings the remaining five bachelorettes up to Seattle for a taste of Northwest sunshine (otherwise known as rain).  That's great and everything, but I can't be the only person out there waiting for DeAnna Pappas to show up and throw a monkey wrench into the Bachelor machine.  Her relationship with Jesse, the guy she chose over Jason on The Bachelorette, has imploded, and if the previews were any indication, DeAnna is doubting the wisdom of her decision and wants a second shot at Mr. Mesnick.  Bring on DeAnna!  Bring on the drama!

-DC

Billy had no idea how close he came to being eliminated this week on True Beauty.

The only thing that saved Billy, the hunky vitamin store owner and Chippendales dancer, was CJ, the other contestant who had to face the judges in the Hall of Beauty this week.  This was CJ's third time before the judges - and the show has only been on three weeks.  He may have sweet talked his way out of elimination in weeks past, but this week CJ was finally let go.

Good move on the part of the judges.  Sure, Billy behaved "less beautifully" than CJ this week, but this was CJ's THIRD TIME in the Hall of Beauty.  They couldn't ignore that.

Billy may or may not be introspective enough to realize that he was lucky this time - I suspect not.  Billy is not a bad guy, but he seems profoundly insecure.  The guy is obsessed with the idea of perfection that he has tunnel vision.  It's not that Billy doesn't care about other people, it's just that he's so focused on himself and his unattainable goal of perfection that he doesn't even see them.  Then, when reality doesn't jive with his unrealistic expectations he freaks out.  As a result, the guy is wound as tight as a clock.

I'm hoping that at some point - hopefully on True Beauty - Billy realizes that perfection is an illusion, a mirage that you can see but will forever remain out of reach.  Otherwise I don't think he's ever going to be happy with what is and will constantly be reaching for what could be.  It's going to get harder and harder for Billy as he gets older to maintain that illusion.

I don't fault the guy for his ambition - one should always reach beyond one's grasp - but constantly expecting perfection is the main ingredient in the recipe for Misery Soup.  You can call them protein shakes if you want, Billy.

Wow, that was a load of half-assed psychoanalysis for a guy I've never met, wasn't it?  What do you think?  Am I wrong about Billy?  Will he ever get it?

-DC

I really thought they were going to kill off the organ transplant kid.

They had me going this week on Grey's Anatomy, right up until the point when Chief sweet-talked a grieving widow out of her husband's innards - I thought the organ transplant kid was going to die.

Of course, the doctors had already found a match for the kid's organs, right there in the hospital.  Death row inmate and serial killer William Dunn wanted to donate his guts to the organ transplant kid, but he was slated for execution in five days.  The staff at Seattle Grace had a very simple job:  keep the killer alive so he could be executed.

But Meredith Grey is a morally ambiguous kind of gal, capable of seeing nuance and shades of um, grey in any situation.  In this case, the Hippocratic Oath that all doctors take, in which they swear "never to do deliberate harm to anyone for anyone else's interest" seemed like a barrier to the greater good.  Meredith figured hey, they're going to kill this guy anyway and then his organs will be of no use to anyone, why not help him die in order to save the organ transplant kid's life?

Meredith didn't exactly unplug vital life support from William Dunn, but she did supply him with the information he needed if her wanted to end things.  Basically she told him to bang his damaged head against his bed rail, then looked the other way when he coded.  It was a case of willfull neglect to help a sick kid, but was it the right thing to do?

If you're Derek Shepherd, the answer is an unequivocal "No."  Incensed when he learned what Mererdith was up to, he made her scrub in and assist him as he performed surgery (again) on a man who had killed five women in cold blood.  For Derek, the Hippocratic Oath isn't an abstract idea that can be bent or broken as circumstances dictate - the Oath is his compass star, the moral foundation of his career.  He saved William Dunn - even though Bailey practically begged him not to - and sent him off to death row, robbing the organ transplant kid of a chance at survival.

Brutal!

About when they saved William Dunn I had this creeping feeling that organ transplant kid was doomed, that the producers of Grey's Anatomy were going to underline the episode's moral quandry with a tragic death to prove that yes, adherance to an absolute code has its pitfalls in this nuanced, messy world we live in.  Fortunately, Chief scrounged up some matching organs and the kid left the episode in better shape than he was at the beginning.

The same cannot be said about Mark Sloan and Izzie, who ended up in much worse shape at the end of this week's show.  Mark suffered a terrible coital injury that I can barely contemplate, let alone write about.  Let's just say that the one part of his body that Sloan most associates with was damaged.  I'm anticipating an erectile disfunction storyline in the near future - truly Mark Sloan's worst nightmare.

And Izzie.  She's got a brain tumor, doesn't she?  Why couldn't Dead Denny just come out and TELL HER - is there a rule that ghosts have to be obtuse and speak in riddles?  If Denny is just a persistent hallucination caused by a medical condition, I guess I can understand why he's so Sphinxian, but still, I'd be pretty ticked off with Dead Denny if I were Izzie.

I was very pleased to see Grey and Yang patch things up at the end of the episode.  That shot of Derek waiting in the cold on a bench while Cristina and Meredith talked in his jeep was a nice visual metaphor of their relationship:  sometimes Derek just has to step out of the way of Meredith's relationship with Cristina, a person who understands shades of grey.

-DC

Who knew that turning a giant frozen donkey wheel would have such a profound effect on the Island?

Last season Ben cranked the donkey wheel, moving the entire Island through time and space, in an effort to keep Charles Widmore from finding the Island.  Ben ended up in northern Africa wearing a parka, while the Island ended up who-knows-where.

The problem for the folks on the Island was unique:  Now that Ben turned the donkey wheel, The Island was skipping about in time at random intervals.  This was extremely unsettling for the survivors, who discover that their camp vanished during a time jump.  Why?  Because it hasn't been built yet.  This also means that their food hasn't arrived on the Island yet, so they have nothing to eat.

The only person who seemed to know what was happening was Daniel Farraday, one of the "good" freighter people.  Sawyer, who spent 99% of the episode all sweaty and shirtless, asked for an explanation, and when Daniel wasn't forthcoming with one, he slapped him.  Sawyer is so refreshingly direct, isn't he?  Daniel rubbed his jaw and explained that it was as if they were on a record that was skipping - only this is much more terrifying than having to listen to "La Bamba" over and over.  

During one of the Island's time hops into the past, they found the Hatch, the entrance to the Dharma station that Desmond was once stuck in, doomed to push The Button over and over again.  Time-Displaced Daniel spoke with Past Desmond, who as you will recall is sort of a temporal wild card, immune to the common effects of time travel.  Daniel urged Desmond to remember their conversation and (in the future) to travel to Oxford and look up Daniel's mother.  Her name is...

Time jump.  He never got to finish the sentence.

While the Islanders were ping ponging through time, the Oceanic Six were preparing to find their way back.  Ben had jittery, pill-popping Jack convinced that they all had to return to the Island, even dead Locke.  How did Locke get off the Island, anyway?  And how did he die?  These are questions I have.  Anyway, Kate is the only person who isn't really up to speed on the return trip - she's more interested in protecting her adopted son from mysterious guys who want to blood test her to prove maternity.  I'm sure Kate's heading back with the rest of them, but I bet she doesn't go back of her own free will.

Sayid was in human weapon mode again, setting my expectations for a season full of Sayid Fu.  He dispatched a room of armed goons with a level of efficiency and purpose that you only get from years of practice pummeling people.  I'll bet that one guy really regrets not closing the dishwasher before Sayid showed up.  The goons shot him full of animal tranquilizer darts, but they should have brought Sayid tranquilizer darts instead, because our man from Tehran had more than enough time to eliminate everyone in the room with bare hands and frying pans before the drugs took effect.

Hurley rescued the doped up Sayid but was now a suspect for the murder of the goons.  After some pointers on being a fugitive from a totally dead Anna Lucia, Hurley took Sayid to the only safe place he could think of:  his parents' house.  Unfortunately, it's the first place that the cops and Ben Linus think to look for Hurley, which lead to some complications - Hurley turned himself over to the cops when Ben spooked him.  That will make Ben's goal to return all of the Oceanic Six to the Island a little more difficult.  

I think we're going to see how a resourceful and unscrupulous man like Ben breaks somebody out of jail.  Ben's a big picture guy:  surely he's not going to let a bunch of cops ruin his grand plan.

Baffling, intriguing, funny, gripping, and flat-out weird - it's nice to be LOST again.

-DC

This week we witnessed two of the most awkward kisses in Bachelor history.

Stephanie, the sweet widow and single mom, had a fantastic date with Jason on the beach and at Lego Land.  The producers flew in Stephanie's daughter, who is objectively as cute as a bug's ear, and all three went on a deluxe, day-long playdate.  That explains why Jason took Stephanie to Lego Land, which wouldn't be a premiere romantic destination otherwise.

After their playdate, Stephanie wanted to express her thanks and her more romantic side to Jason at the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party.  She took him out on the patio and made him close his eyes while she kissed him on the cheeks and forehead and whispered her thanks.  Sounds sweet, right?  And it WAS - it's just that Jason looked a little awkward during the whole thing, which kind of killed the mood.  I think Stephanie has a big heart and is very classy, but I don't like her chances.  Nobody wants to see Stephanie get her heart broken again, but I think that's where we're headed.

Nikki's kiss with Jason was, impossibly, even MORE AWKWARD than Stephanie's kiss.

Jason seems attracted to Nikki, but I don't know if the connection is there.  She seems a little tightly wound, doesn't she?  Nikki is a control freak and a mistress of organization who has only had one other real romantic relationship before.  Her nerdiness and lack of experience seem to be working against her this week.  Nikki's one-on-one time with Jason this week was punctuated by uncomfortable pauses and faltering conversation.  She had one chance to make a good impression on Jason before the rose ceremony, and one chance to kiss him...

Nikki went in for the kiss, eye closed, but she was like, forty-five degrees off course.  Luckily Jason had the presence of mind to gently cup Nikki's jaw and guide her in for a successful kiss, but it doesn't make Nikki's near miss kiss any less awkward.

All was not lost, however.  Both Stephanie and Nikki survived their social wipeouts this week and received Immunity Roses.  I think both women are living on borrowed time, though.  They don't have the rapport and chemistry that Jason has with Jillian (pictured), Molly, or even Lauren - unless they do some serious bonding I don't think either woman is going to make it much farther.  What do you think?

-DC

The Drumm family watched their home get demolished by a giant mechanical dinosaur this week... and they liked it.

Ty Pennington and the Extreme Makeover Home Edition crew traveled to Pennsylvania this week to help out the Drumms, a family of modest means with three sons (two of whom are on the autism spectrum) that has dedicated their time and love to the Pen Mar Youth League, a softball program for kids with special needs.  The Drumm family give so much to others yet have so little themselves.  They live in a home with no running water that could be called a shack if one were feeling charitable.  At least, they did live in a shack - until Megasaurus totally devoured it!

The Drumm's youngest son Nathan is a big Godzilla fan, so Ty brought in the next best thing:  Megasaurus, the giant diesel dinosaur that breathes fire and crushes cars at auto shows.  I cannot imagine anything cooler for a little boy to watch than a robotic T-Rex demolishing his house - provided that you got all the pets out ahead of time, of course.  In the incredible new house they built to replace the shack, Nathan's new room is designed like a city with break-apart skyscrapers that he can demolish like Godzilla himself.  Lucky kid.

Nathan's brother Donny also lucked out.  Donny wants to be a Hollywood make-up artist when he grows up, and idolizes Tom Savini, a legendary horror movie make-up artist.  Not only did Donny get a room kitted out with a small fortune in make-up supplies and equipment, but Tom Savini himself made Donny a figurine based on one of the kid's creature designs.  And Savini showed up in person at the house to say hello!  As a horror movie geek, I can truly appreciate how cool it would be to get a visit from Tom Savini - Donny must have been on Cloud 9.

The oldest of the Drumm boys, 17 year old Ben, has aspirations of making the Olympic wrestling team.  His new room reflects those ambitions, and the gym in the huge garage will help him reach his goals.  The whole family will be better able to help others now that they don't have to worry about their living conditions.  Ty and company even dug 500 feet down to give the house a well, so water can flow once again in the Drumm home.

A Megasaurus attack, a new gym, and a visit from make-up effects guru Tom Savini - Ty pretty much covered all the bases this week and made three boys (and their parents) incredibly happy.

-DC

This season of The Bachelor has been cracking me up.  It seems like the producers are exploring the inherent humor in the situation a little more this year and showing a playfulness in how they present the show.  Somehow I think it's easier to embrace the humor with The Bachelor than with The Bachelorette, which is more of a straight-up romance.

In this week's episode, the slow-motion sequence where Jason Mesnick takes off his shirt was priceless.  As the assembled women gaped in awe, Jason slowly peeled off his shirt, unveiling his chiseled torso while majestic music played and angels wept.  Well, there were no weeping angels, but you get the picture.  The scene was presented with a sense of mock grandeur that just cracked me up.  Clearly the production staff had a little fun editing that footage together.

The other hilarious moment on this week took place during a private conversation between Jason and Nikki, who is fond of wearing dresses with plunging necklines that display her - how shall I put this? - her ample charms.  The camera lingered on Nikki's decolletage as Jason said "You have amazing qualities that are... obvious."  That cracked me up.  I'm sure Jason is keeping Nikki around for more than just superficial reasons, but her amazing qualities certainly don't hurt.

I'm looking forward to what other sly bits of humor they're going to sneak into The Bachelor this season.  Reality shows are all about presentation - you can edit and present the footage in any number of ways, and it's nice to see that the producers are having a bit of fun with Jason... and with us.

-DC

It's Thursday, so that means it's time for the Most Unstoppable Night on Television:  the ABC triple header of Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice.

On Ugly Betty tonight, Betty and her sister Hilda clash when Betty is once again torn between her obligation to Mode, the YETI internship, and taking care of her sick dad.  Betty can't catch a break - regardless of how she choses, she has to pay a price.  Speaking of no-win situations, Daniel + Molly and Wilhelmina + Connor try to hide their affairs from one another - we'll see how long THAT lasts.  Swing by the Ugly Betty Live Blog tonight at 8 EST and watch with me!

On Grey's Anatomy, the docs still haven't got rid of the ultra-creepy serial killer that they had to treat after he got stabbed with a sharpened toothbrush in prison.  That guy's up to something - I'm going to be upset if he gets loose and kills somebody.  It could happen...

On Private Practice, Addison finds herself strangely drawn to Wyatt, the cocky doctor from the clinic downstairs.  Don't do it, Addison!  That guy's bad news - I can't believe he hasn't been sued for sexual harassment yet.  Violet divides her time between her casual lover Pete and Sheldon.  Who will she choose?  I'm thinking Pete or "none of the above."

So many questions.  Tune in to the Most Unstoppable Night on Television for the answers.  I'm really going to have to come up with a different name for Thursday nights than that.  No wonder I'm not in marketing...

-DC