Celebrity Apprentice

Putting my feelings about Donald Trump aside, I have been enjoying Celebrity Apprentice. Was sad to see Cyndi Lauper leave last night. She is a true artist and has been hilarious to watch. Loved her fighting for 'the gays' as she put it.

Editing is an interesting thing, Cyndi came across as lovable and sweet even at times she was far from it. Holly Robinson Peete however, came across as queen of the bitches, again, even when she was not. The rivalry between these two women has been a theme the producers certainly played up. Cyndi is quite honest in her feelings about it, I think Holly 'taking the high' road comes across as quite false. It was evident from the get go Holly was jealous of the attention Cyndi got. She went out of her way to belittle her and resented the fact that Cyndi's talent as a singer and artist were taken more seriously than her own.

This show and it's editing have made me love Cyndi and her passion even more. Despite what I said above, it also has given me respect for Peete, whom I never really knew before the show. I like Sharon Osbourne quite a bit less, and have gone from laughing at Bret Michaels and his tears to actually seeing him as a caring and talented artist. I think Curtis Stone has it locked up but we shall see. One thing the editing cannot do however is make Donald Trump look any less like a tool.

Just my thoughts.






And...it gives me an excuse to add a little Curtis Stone to FH.





Curtis in 'Surfing the Menu'

Just Because: Eddie Cibrian

Just Because...Eddie Cibrian is not a favorite of the country music community...

The Magic that is Joel Brooks

There are not too many actors with a resume quite like that of Joel Brooks. Beginning in the 70's on Ryan's Hope and Three's Company. Working steadily through the 80's on Mash, Dallas, Soap, Taxi, Alice, The Facts of Life and of course My Sister Sam. Sailed through the 90's in Good Grief with Michael Keaton, L.A Law, Lois & Clark, Ally McBeal, Beverly Hills 90210 and into the 2000's in Six Feet Under, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Closer, The Big Bang Theory and most recently on The Mentalist. Quite a list, well that is just the beginning those shows were some of the most familiar, but they only scratch the surface of this talented mans career. Check out Joel's IMDB page for the full list.




Below: Joel with Pam Dawber and the cast of 'My Sister Sam'




I think I first discovered the magic of Joel Brooks in about 1984 or 1985. I was 9 or 10 and remember seeing Joel as Charlotte Rae's son on an episode of 'The Facts Of Life'. I remember thinking there was something special about this guy from the second he appeared on screen. From then on, each week I looked for him in tv and movies. This was pre the Internet, and I am not sure if you all remember, but back then you used to have to closely read the tv guide and look for actors that you liked. TV guide used to list guest stars for tv shows. Joel was frequently on that list.



Below: Joel in 'Dallas' 1981.


Two Things over the past month had me thinking again about Joel. Firstly I watched and posted about 'Circuit' not to long ago. Joel had a small role in the flick. In addition I have written a bit about my admiration for the acting talent of Beth Maitland. I recently listened to a radio interview on Brandon's Buzz (great radio show btw if your a tv fan) with both Beth and Joel. Joel and Beth have begun a company called Auditions LA. Auditions LA's focus is assisting and teaching young actors on how to be successful in auditions. You can check out that interview HERE:

Below: Joel and 'Auditions' partner Beth Maitland.


Below: Joel and Loretta Swit from Mash


Joel's biography on Auditions LA says:

'Joel Brooks got his training in the New York theatre. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and with Uta Hagen and went on to work at Playwrites Horizons, New York Shakespeare Festival, and The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Festival among many other venues.'

It goes on to again list Joel's many tv appearances. What it does not say, or what I have yet to read is the acclaim this man so richly deserves. Joel to my knowledge has not won an Emmy, but hopefully that will be an oversight corrected soon. Joel is not just a character actor, Joel Brooks is one of this countries finest character actors, playing a diverse array of roles for close to 5 decades. If Wikipedia had just one face to put by Character actor, it should be that of Joel Brooks. You can learn a bit more about this great man at his official website HERE:

Joel Brooks: An Actor I Love.

Below: Joel with Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal.

Falling In Love Again: Josh Charles

My love affair with actor Josh Charles began in 1989 when as a teen I saw a movie that for many had great significance, 'Dead Poets Society'. Though Carpe diem (seize the day) certainly got over used, I cannot deny the power of that statement and the movie at the time.

Since 1989 I my crush has gone from warm to hot through 'Threesome', 'Sports Night' and 'Four Brothers'. Over the past year it got hot again with Josh's appearance on 'In Treatment'. With Josh now a regular on 'The Good Wife' it is as strong as ever.

If you are not watching 'The Good Wife' you have to ask yourself why. Firstly it is a great concept, putting a new spin on the courtroom drama. Secondly it is fully stacked with amazing actors from Josh and the main cast through supporting players Joe Morton, Alan Cumming. Archie Panjabi is also a standout playing a great role. Also, since it is filmed in New York you will see many familiar faces from the New York stage. Superb acting and directing are just the icing on the cake. It is no wonder Entertainment Weekly named 'The Good Wife' televisions best new show.

Josh Charles has been mainly working on television the past few years but besides his extensive movie career, Josh has an extensive theatre background. Josh appears to take great care in choosing roles both on stage and on film. This has resulted in some outstanding performances. Hopefully the 'The Good Wife' will stick around for awhile so I don't need any more breaks from my Love for actor Josh Charles.






Below: Josh with the cast of 'Dead Poets Society' (1989)



Below: With Miss Piggy in 'Muppets From Space' (1999).



Below: In 'Sports Night' with Peter Krause and Felicity Huffman.



Below: Josh in 'The Good Wife'

Below: With Julianna Margulies and Christine Baranski.


Below: With Julianna Margulies.

OH NO 90210

I have avoided all things Melrose and 90210. They...quite frankly suck. But...my man Greg Vaughan and his most heavenly chest is joining 90210. Whats a man to do?

Scene of The Day: Mike Erwin in 'Dexter' Finding Freebo

Mike Erwin is one of those young actors who has been acting for close to a decade, yet still has not gotten a role yet to gain him richly deserved attention. You might know Mike for his roles on 'Jack and Bobby' or 'Everwood' but he has had some interesting roles in some great projects.

One of the most notable was as Drug lord and all around scumbag Freebo on the first two episodes of season 3 of Dexter. Mike certainly had his death coming and how wonderful of the producers to give us a scene featuring his adorable back end before Freebo meets his ultimate end. Now bring on Season 4 on DVD!




Dexter: Finding Freebo
Original Air Date:5 October 2008 (Season 3, Episode 2)

Rudy Reyes

Fitness trainer, actor, motivational speaker, tri-athlete, military/combat technical consultant, and illustrator are all words that can be put in front of the name Rudy Reyes. Some of you may know Rudy for playing himself on the HBO series Generation Kill. There is so much more to Rudy. Learning about Rudy and his early life only makes his accomplishments that much more incredible. You can find out more about Rudy HERE: or check out his official website HERE:





Rudy in 'Generation Kill'





Special thanks to Braxnis!

Just Because: Chace Crawford in Miami

Just Because Socialite Life has some great pics of Chance enjoying the view from his balcony in Miami.