Recently in FYI Category

There are many things to be thankful for this year, but chief among them, as far as this site is concerned, is the growing B-Side Blog readership over the past year. Thanks for coming back to read, even when my posting schedule has been erratic at best. Also, thanks for recommending the blog to your friends (and if you haven't done that, well, then I'll reserve quiet disdain for you). I am most appreciative!

Hope you all have a safe and fun turkey day. And you can thank IndianJones for the photo above. He insisted that I post something bloody.

Meeshie in 2008

My friend Meeshie is taking part in a very important and good cause next week. No, she's not finding me a benefactor to fund this site. She's participating in the annual bike ride to support MS Research. Last year, I encouraged readers to help support Meeshie and her team, and this year, I'm doing the exact same thing. Multiple sclerosis affects a huge number of people, and hopefully events like this can help us move closer to a cure (why aren't I quite the sincere blogger this morning?). Anyway, here's the formal pitch:

On October 4 the National MS Society's New York City Chapter is hosting its 25th annual Bike MS event where 5,000 individuals will ride their bikes toward a world free of MS. I am joining the movement by participating in Bike MS. You can support me by making a tax-deductible donation to help raise much needed funds for people with multiple sclerosis.

Over 400,000 Americans live with the challenges of multiple sclerosis. This disease brings uncertainty to those living with it and stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn't. Together, we can turn the uncertainty into hope by doing something about MS now.

To donate, click here to support Meeshie or visit bikeMSnyc.org. Please help out Meeshie!

Lest you forget, Big Brother 11 premieres tonight at 8 PM on CBS. That means that on the East Coast, there's t-minus one hour until you surrender your summer to many wonderful, glorious hours in front of the television, watching lunatics scream and fight and battle it out for half million dollars.

So very excited...

For those who don't watch Big Brother, I assure you — it's worth getting into. The rule of thumb is that you need to watch three episodes before you get hooked. Don't worry: they might seem a bit bland or boring at first, but after three shows, you won't be able to turn away. This I promise you.

Also, for those who wish to discuss the live feeds, feel free to join the conversations in the forums. Registering is easy and free! Who doesn't like that?

Tremendous news today: I've launched forums for this site. Now while you wait hours or days for me to post content, you can entertain yourselves with the power of gab in this brand new section. With any luck, it'll actually function a tad bit better than the commenting system.

I've installed the software phpbb, and I'm still learning it a bit; so there might be some light wonkiness at the outset, but fear not, I will do my best to optimize the forums as best I can. I also plan to revamp its look as right now I've only got the generic template going on. Nevertheless, it's up and running and ready to be populated by users and such. Please go in there and talk. There are plenty of categories and forums to explore. Plus, this is only the beginning. More categories will certainly be added, and if you have suggestions on that front, visit "Forum Suggestions" and pass along an idea.

Enjoy!

http://www.bsideblog.com/forums/ (there's also a tab in the menu bar)

Last time when this dumb bitch wrote me an angry email, I got pissed and told her to go away. I also happened to have been very hungry at the time and prone to crankiness. Today comes a new entry in psycho-ville. I think it's clear she didn't read my previous scourge against her, which is why she's come back with this email. I know it comes from a place of love (in some warped, demented kind of way), but now it's just getting funny:

Seriously!!! Just stop!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEEASE JUST FUCKING STOP!!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!!! THIS RE"CRAP" SUCKS!!! All I'm saying is why would you put the recap up and then no pictures??? If MTV didn't post the pictures up yet then wait!!! Don't put a half ass recap up!!! Look maybe you misunderstood the last time but I simply asked you to recap The Hills like you used to!!! Meaning recap from the beginning of the episode to the end along with your funny captions and screencaps in between!!! THE WAY THAT YOU USED TO RECAP THE HILLS!!! The recaps used to be so funny and witty and full of snark!!! I used to laugh so hard at your recaps!!! This is the second week that you just skipped around the episode!!! What are you going to do post the pictures later!!! HOW LAME!!! Just remember you have fans from the Laguna Beach days and beyond and I hope you find the strength to dig up some recaps like that again!!! You don't even blog about the gossip of the people on Laguna Beach, Hills, etc...... Did you know that Kristin is going to be on The Hills for six episodes??? DID YOU!!! [ed. note — this was actually posted on my blog earlier today] When Lauren leaves they're going to bring Kristin in!!! This is what I'm talking about!!! You don't post news like that!!! As far as I'm concerned you don't even deserve to recap The Hills anymore or deserve to breathe the same air as the people on The Hills!!! JUST BRING IT IN YOUR RECAP NEXT TIME!!!

To which I say this:

I don't mind when people are critical of my blog. Heck, my friends pester me about changes I should make all the time. And I understand that you can't please everyone all the time. That being said, I do have a breaking point. This just arrived from a reader who seems a bit displeased with things around here of late:

This recap sucks!!! I have been a fan of your recaps since the Tvgasm days when Laguna Beach Season 1 started. I love this franchise and I like reading your recaps after I watch the episodes. I think this season of The Hills is going to be good like Season 2. Lately it seems like you don't enjoy The Hills as much as you used to. You stopped your recaps during the end of Season 2 and the beginning of 3 which I understood between leaving tvgasm and setting up this blog and I still followed. You didn't recap Newport Harbor, Bromance or the City (fyi these little photocaps or screencaps don't count as a recaps). You have many people who still like your recaps of Laguna and The Hills from back in the day. Maybe if you would recap like that you would have hundreds or a thousand comments like you used to!!! You didn't even recap The Hills Season 4 Finale!!! Don't think I forgot about that!!! All I'm saying is step it up and bring your A GAME or forget it!!! Don't start something so good and don't finish it!!! I truly hope this is the last Hills re"crap" like this!!! I just expected more from you!!!

To which I say, shut the fuck up and go away.

Yay! Anger!

If things look a little different around here, it's because I added a third column to the right of the page. The one sidebar was getting a bit unwieldy, and with limited premium space at the top, too much important stuff was getting shoved too far down (ie. advertising). As a result, I've bumped "Hot Posts" to the right, as well as a few other items. Over the next few days, I may be moving stuff back and forth between the columns; so enjoy the excitement as some of your favorite sidebar features migrate like a pack of Canadian geese in the winter!

Of course, the downside of adding this column is that the blog has grown to be super wide. I really didn't want to sacrifice the main content area's width because I'm a fan of large reading space and big photos. However, please tell me if the right-most sidebar is a) being cut off and b) if this new design is annoying or impeding the functionality of the site for you. According to my stats, the majority of users employs computers with resolutions large enough to accommodate the wider size; so I imagine this shouldn't be too much of a problem (and yes, stats really do track that sort of data!).

While I fool around with things (including new banners), feel free to visit my sponsors as they are what keeps this blog alive!

Thanks for your patience...

Hey everyone. I was just interviewed by Pop Hangover for a segment they're launching called "The Ten Question Quiz." Be sure to check it out and peruse the site, which has all sorts of fun snarky pop culture stuff! Heck, click on some of their ads while you're over there too!

Shillingly yours,

B-Side

• The Ten Question Quiz: Ben from B-Side Blog & TVgasm [Pop Hangover]

Last June, I brought you images of an R2-D2 cake baked by my friend Mark Randazzo (with help from his wife Leslie), and within a few days, the thing had gone viral. Well, now I'm proud to announce that according to Starwars.com — the official Star Wars website of Lucasfilm — Mark and Leslie's cake has been deemed one of the top ten Star Wars things of the year! Yay!

I guess I'll take this time to mention yet again that Mark is a tremendous baker, and if you live in the NYC area, you should definitely, definitely check him out (especially if you're in the hunt for a wedding cake). He's been featured in all sorts of magazines and television shows (Today, Food Network Challenge), and as the R2-D2 cake demonstrates, he's got plenty of talent to spare.

Here's the official website: Mark Joseph Cakes

Happy Thanksgiving from B-Side Blog! Be sure to enjoy plenty of GOOD foodstuffs.

If there's anything I like more than kids getting hurt, it's kids getting a proper education. That's why my ice cold heart melted just a little when B-Side Blog reader Rachel emailed me to let me know that a bunch of her students from a public middle school in Crenshaw just got accepted into several elite private schools in the greater Los Angeles region — all on full ride scholarships. Now Rachel and her fellow teachers are starting a nonprofit to aid these students as they move onwards and upwards in their new schools, which I wholeheartedly commend (if only for the potential real life Gossip Girl implications). Great job, Rachel!

To read more about Rachel's students and their journey thus far, be sure to check out this Los Angeles Times article which ran earlier this week.

Huzzah!

So apparently I may have just started a feud with supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio. Turns out she's the owner of that green dog I posted about earlier.

I still contend that Buddha is one of the stupidest-looking dogs I've ever seen in my life, even if he is/was owned by a supermodel. And let's get one thing straight: he's certainly no ANDREW. However, if Alessandra promises to make sure Buddha is never subject to such ridiculous hues again, I'm willing to forgive and forget.

And again, since I'm not a total bastard, if you find this Shamrock Shake of a dog, call 310 396-4400 or 877-PET-TOTO.

Bike-a-thon!

I don't often encourage readers to engage in charitable causes, but I'm bucking that trend today. My friend Meeshie is participating in the MS Bike Ride this weekend in New York City, an event aimed at raising money for multiple sclerosis research. It's a great and important cause targeting something that affects more people than you may realize. And if you think about it, this site pulls in a few thousand people a day — if everyone donates a few dollars, Meeshie could pull in a hefty sum (and as a bonus, I think that'll get her like a CD player reward or something). So instead of spending a few dollars on a snack and a soda from the vending machine, donate it to Meeshie's team!

To find out how you can contribute, click here.

Oh, and if you want the formal pitch, follow the jump...

Time to blatantly shill: as I mentioned earlier this month, MTV interviewed me for their upcoming launch special for The Hills: Season 4. That program, titled Drama in The Hills: US Weekly Presents the Top 10 Most Memorable Moments Ever, will be premiering Saturday afternoon at 1 PM EST. I'm sure I will only be featured for a grand total of 6.2 seconds (if at all), but hey, something's better than nothing.

To complement the special, I was going to post my own choices for the top ten moments of Hills history, but alas, time is fleeting, and I must be off for morning activities and obligations. Perhaps later today...

Apologies for the lack of posts for the past day and a half. As you can see from this picture, I enjoyed a brief jaunt to Vegas. I should have new Big Brother photocaps up soon, not to mention a few pics from Sin City. Thank you for your patience...

The hype for Mad Men has been out of control, and it's only been augmented by its recent Emmy nomination haul (not to mention my own gushy praise). Still, amidst all the buzz (which kicked up a notch a few months ago with cover stories on Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times Magazine), the show hasn't been terribly easy to find. Sure, it's been released on DVD, and people with On Demand can download episodes, but you'd think with the season two premiere approaching on July 27th, AMC would have been running the season nonstop for the past three weeks to get as many people hooked as possible. But they haven't, which is sort of their loss (I guess they're looking to drive DVD sales).

The good news, however, is that tomorrow (Sunday, July 20th), AMC will be airing the entire season in marathon form, starting at 12 PM EST. It's worth checking out — or at least Tivoing. Thirteen hours will never go by so quickly.

For the full schedule, check out AMC's website here.

This could be you! ANTM winner, Jaslene Gonzalez.

Since it's a well known fact that my readers are the most beautiful and striking readers on the Internets, it should come as no surprise that a "modeling consultant" involved in the casting of America's Next Top Model contacted yours truly about the latest search for Tyra's next crop of beauties. That's right, if you always thought you could work the runway and endure hours of Miss Jay's not-very-funny humor, then this might be the opportunity you've been waiting for. ANTM is casting for its next season, and you could be exactly who they're looking for.

If you want to get into the action, check out the casting notice at Got Cast. And remember, if you make it onto the show, I expect minor props and/or a lock of hair.

FIERCE!

Pic courtesy of Socialite Life

I'm not playing a trick — er, illusion — on you. The long-rumored Arrested Development movie has been confirmed by Jason Bateman. Details are still murky (they're witholding. Look at them, getting off...) but according to The Times, it appears as though the Bluth family is coming to the big screen sometime next year. Now, I won't get too excited, as relying on a British paper for a Hollywood scoop can be a bit perilous; however, the mere prospect of this project becoming a reality gives me a case of the Lucille Austero dizzies.

If you haven't jumped onto the Arrested Development bandwagon yet (C'MON!), it's never too late. HDNet airs the reruns every day, and of course, there are the DVDs. Take it from me, a relatively late convert, the more you watch, the better it gets.

• WHAT A 'FUN, SEXY TIME' FOR US: JASON BATEMAN CONFIRMS 'ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT' MOVIE TO SHOOT NEXT YEAR [Defamer]

Click on the individual badges above to vote.

Apparently I've been nominated for four Blogger's Choice Awards! A very kind person (Pearlblackdragon) put my site up for them, and I'm incredibly grateful. It's an honor JUST to be nominated.

Screw that. I want to win this mo-fo. If you have a heart (whatever that is), you'll vote for me in the following categories. Now, there's a lot of work to do, and a lot of recruiting too. The leading blogs have around 200 votes each, and mine has about, you know, FOUR. So as you can see, I gotta play catchup. MOBILIZE, DEAR PEOPLE. Oh, and one more thing: thanks!

Yes We Can!

(Click on the badges above to vote. Then tell your friends to do the same. Then tell a stranger.)

Well, Big Brother is wrapping up this week, Gossip Girl is coming back, there's a Real Housewives of New York City reunion, American Idol heads into the home stretch, and The Hills... well, it's new. And what am I doing? I'M GOING OUT OF TOWN. Yes, on Thursday, I begin an international odyssey that will take me to Prague and Vienna. I'm incredibly excited for it, and I plan to blog about all things Eastern European in the coming days, but in the meantime, my posting schedule will be all screwed up. I'm already behind on my Big Brother photocaps, and I can guarantee that the Hills recap will be going up late this week as well. Rest assured though that these posts will go up -- just a tad behind schedule. Of course, once I'm abroad, things will get very tricky, but hopefully, I'll be able to check out all necessary TV on the internets (we'll see). Failing that, I'll just write something about beer or schnitzel. Oh, and there most certainly will be a flight blog. How could I resist the international flog?

Thanks in advance for your patience...

Somewhere in Hollywood on Saturday night...

Damn Mondays. It's a beautiful day out here in Los Angeles, and all my friends are working while I sit here in my apartment and twiddle my thumbs. Oh well. Here's to next year!

Great news, Chicken Little fans! The sky is falling! Well, not so much the sky as big, heavy objects in the sky. Turns out that one of our spy satellites up and lost power, which means that at this moment, it's plummeting towards Earth, sure to land on one lucky citizen's head! Don't worry though: even if it avoids hitting a human, it can still damage us as the satellite is embedded with oodles of security secrets! Yay!

So remember: if you're walking along and see a growing shadow around you (à la an anvil over Wyle E. Coyote), be sure to step aside!

• AF General: Spy satellite could hit US [AP via Yahoo! News]