"Bring Back My Child" - Dr. Phil

Last night my roommate and I were flipping through channels when we came across Dr. Phil from 8:00-9:00 p.m. I hadn't watched Dr. Phil in a long time so I got excited - HaHa! This episode featured parents whose child or children were taken away from them by their spouses, and they haven't seen them in years.

In one case, two brothers fled the country with their wives' children (three young sons) and the wives have not been heard from their families since. The wives said their husbands acted suspicious near the time of the incident, but they did not expect them to kidnap the kids. The wives continue to reach out desperately to contact their children, but they have no leads except that the kids might be in a foreign country where their husbands were born.

Another guest was a man named David whose wife, Bruna, left the country (to Brazil) with their 4-year-old son, Sean. David has not seen Sean in over four years. Tragically, he learned that Bruna passed away in Brazil. Now, Sean is being raised by his stepfather and the government is doing nothing to bring the boy back to the U.S. David is battling the Brazilian government, but nothing has come of it.

Finally, a mother named Cecilia fled with her daughter, Sephri, because she thought her child was being sexually abused by her husband. They were on the road for two months trying to leave the U.S. when they were caught by police near Canada. The police relinquished custody to the father (finding no evidence of abuse) while Cecilia was wanted for a felony. Now, she still believes she did the right thing, and she only gets two supervised hours a week to spend with Sephri.

Go see what I'm talking about!

Twilight

*Photo courtesy of wildaboutmovies.com
Let me start off by saying that going to see Twilight was one of the best decisions I have ever made..haha! Even though I had to wait in line for over two hours, it was worth it. In fact, I enjoyed watching it so much that I have already gone to see it twice, and it only came out yesterday. I must admit that I have not yet read the books, but after seeing this movie, I definitely put that on my "to do" list. Robert Pattinson, who played Edward Cullen, did a fantastic job with his character and he was absolutely gorgeous. The movie is romantic and suspenseful; just the way I like it! So, I invite all people - young and old - to check it out :) I would discuss more about it, but I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

MTV'S TRL Finale!

It's a television show we have watched since childhood. We have grown up with it. It's how we have seen the top music videos of our time. Well, it's all over now. After a 10-year run, TRL has ended.

On Sunday's special TRL finale on MTV, many past guests and celebrities stopped by for live performances and interviews. Even the Backstreet Boys reunited to perform one of their first hit singles! Beyonce performed "If I Were A Boy." Christina Aguilera was interviewed via satellite. 50 Cent showed up, along with Nelly, Hilary Duff, Taylor Swift, and Justin Timberlake. The show featured the top 10 music videos of all time; coming in at number one was Britney Spear's "Baby, Hit Me One More Time."

Also on the finale episode, past VJ's including Carson Daly and Hilarie Burton (who plays Peyton on One Tree Hill) helped host.

The show counted down the top 10 TRL moments from 1998-2008. One of them was when Justin Timberlake met Halle Berry for the first time. Another was when Mariah Carey surprised Carson Daly on live television without him knowing what was happening.

Overall, the finale was an emotional reflection of the past. I remember watching TRL in middle school, and I'm sure many of you do too. What are your thoughts about it ending? the finale?

Just A Reminder..

*credit to onetreehillweb.net for the picture from their photo gallery!

Something interesting I thought I would share with everyone is that the episode of One Tree Hill airing on Monday, Nov. 17, is going to be quite different from any one I've ever seen before.

This episode is written by Chad Michael Murray (who plays Lucas on the show). From the spoilers I have read and the pictures I have seen, it is going to be AMAZING!

I don't know how they managed to pull it off, but this episode will be set around the 1920s. So even if you are not an OTH fan, you should definitely check it out if you are into vintage clothing and that era. Everyone looks gorgeous in the pictures and I can't wait to see how this episode plays out. So watch a little of it and see for yourself!

Even Fairytale Characters Would Be Jealous

Hello friends! Sorry I've been away so long, but I haven't been feeling well lately and I had to write three papers last weekend.

On a brighter note, a new episode of One Tree Hill comes on tonight at 9:00 p.m. on the CW. Unfortunately, I am going to have to miss this episode (the first time i've ever missed an episode!) because I will be studying relentlessly for a political science exam tomorrow :( Hopefully, I will find it online somewhere soon though.

I read that tonight's episode is supposed to be great, and the band Angels and Airwaves and Kate Voegele are performing in person on the show! So, if anyone does get to watch it, please drop me a comment and let me know what you thought about it! Again, I am extremely sad I am going to miss it!

I also know many bloggers are probably tired of me only blogging about One Tree Hill recently, so I am going to start blogging about other television shows soon as well. I did catch an episode of My Super Sweet 16 today, but I don't really consider that "blog-worthy" haha.

Sympathy for the Devil

You guessed it, it's time for another One Tree Hill recap for the week!

Julian, Lucas' movie producer, asks him to write the script but Lucas struggles when deciding if he should write the scene involving the tragic shooting death of his Uncle Keith; eventually he writes it. He also discovers a picture of Peyton and Julian from their past; Peyton has yet to tell Lucas she was once in love with Julian.

Brooke is still dealing with raising a troublesome 15-year-old foster child named Sam. Sam gives Jamie an economics lesson that teaches him to charge money for snacks on the playground.

Nathan is playing slamball and his team has made it to the semi-finals. He is doing great but in a scary turn of events, an opponent knocks him trough a glass divider; he is fine and is able to walk away. However, he finally decides his family comes first, gives up slamball and walks away from the championship.

Owen is trying to win back Brooke by showing up at her door every day with gifts. Eventually, he quits because he realizes he doesn't deserve to be led on and Brooke feels bad for doing it. In the end, Brooke decides it would be best to stay single because of her commitment to watch over Sam.

On another note, OTH has just been granted an extended season this year! Yay!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE TOMORROW :)

Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe

I've got another quick recap on tonight's One Tree Hill:

Nathan made the slamball team and is playing on the same team as Owen. His previous back problem does not seem to be a real problem (yet) but Haley is still worried about it. Everyone except Lucas comes out to watch the game and Mouth interviews him.

In the meantime, Gigi (Mouth's former high school girlfriend) is back in town and is his intern at work. She constantly flirts with him, which is bothering his current girlfriend Millicent.

Brooke does not know what to do with her empty clothing store but she just finished making Peyton's wedding dress. Owen is trying to win her back with Nathan's help.

Sam (the foster child living with Brooke) is still creating havoc. She threw a party in Brooke's store late one night without Brooke's permission and took Jamie, whom Brooke was babysitting, with her. The store got trashed and Peyton's wedding dress was ruined from spraypaint. Brooke is furious and Sam apologizes.

Haley takes Jamie to Quentin's grave so he could talk to him. She also works on her music.

Peyton takes a trip to watch her older brother Derrick get a medal at a Marines Corp program. They hadn't seen each other in a couple years but she promises to use her music connections in order to put on a concert for him and his Marine buddies.

Lucas is hesitant when a man named Julian comes into town. Julian expresses his interest in making Lucas' book into a novel. After all Lucas' friends and agent push him to go through with the deal, Lucas signs the contract. However, in the end we discover Peyton has a history with Julian that Lucas is unaware of...

One Life To Live

I am thrilled to say I have actually found time over Fall Break to sit down and watch television!

Although basically I have been watching all the episodes of One Life To Live that I have missed (on TIVO) over the past couple of weeks.

Yes, OLTL is a soap opera, but this show has some great storylines. To be honest, I used to absolutely hate soap operas. OLTL is the only one I watch.

Multiple storylines are going on at one time during an episode, but they are very easy to follow and really interesting. Some of the current storylines include a beloved character in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound, a pregnant 16-year-old girl and her three teenage friends, a woman with a split personality hiding her twin sister and her sister's boyfriend in the basement, and other crazy situations.

Check it out at 2 p.m. every Monday through Friday if you are looking for some excitement!

Choosing My Own Way of Life

Here's a quick recap of tonight's fantastic episode of One Tree Hill:

Mick, an older musician recording in Peyton's studio, finally reveals he is her father. Unfortunately, after Peyton finds him drunk and passed out in her studio one morning, she decides to let him go. Peyton is upset that Mick couldn't tell her the truth from the beginning and she wants to know why she was given up as a child.

Lucas begins his first day of book signing in Omaha with a new editor. The turnout is poor (he only signed two books) and his editor explains that the rest of his tour is cancelled. However, Mouth, who recently moved to Omaha for a broadcasting job, spends the day with Lucas. Later, they both decide love is the most important part of their lives and they both return to Tree Hill.

Brooke is making progress after handing over the rights to her clothing store to Victoria. Her assistant Millicent helps her recuperate. Brooke also tells Peyton the truth about being attacked.

Haley is struggling to connect with one of her new students, a freshman named Samantha. However, Haley learns that Sam's disruptive behavior stems from being a foster child with an unstable past. She offers to help Sam but she refuses the advice. Haley mentions to Brooke that she should seek adopting Sam. At first Brooke says "no", but after reflecting on her childhood, Brooke offers Sam a room in her house to stay.

Nathan gets called to tryout for slamball and play on a team with Owen (the bartender Brooke was romantically linked to last season). Nathan feels uncertain about playing at first because of his back injury, but after talking it over with Haley, she tells him to go through with it.

Skills and Deb are still together and making things awkward for the Scott family. The relationship is annoying Nathan because one of his best friends is dating his mother. However, Nathan's son Jamie thinks it's cool..HaHa.

After four years, Dan still feels the guilt of murdering his brother, Keith. Deb, his ex-wife pretty much tells him he's scum and Nathan tells him that he and Lucas hate him.

The next new episode premieres next Monday at 9 on the CW!

Heroes

Hey everyone! I do not have time right now to critique a show (because I have not had time to watch a full tv show in days), but I would like to mention a show that I think is definitely worth watching.

Heroes is currently into its third season and it is still fantastic! It's about all different types of people with supernatural powers and the ultimate goal is for these people to come together in order to save the world.

This show follows the backgrounds of these characters and the journeys they are taking to conquer the world. In the mean time, they are battling an evil man named Sylar along with other enemies.

Now I know many of you may be thinking this is not the type of show you would be interested in, but please take my word for it that it's worth giving a chance. To me, the show is not cheesy or weird. It's drama-filled and exciting; I have not been bored with an episode yet!

Heroes comes on Monday nights at 9:00.

Paris Hilton's My New BFF

Seriously...are there really people out there who want to be best friends with Paris Hilton? And people are actually participating in a reality show to do it? LAME!

To be honest, I could only stand watching 20 mintues of this show before I had to turn it off.

This new MTV show features around 20 possible BFF's who must complete challenges to prove they will do anything in order to become Hilton's BFF.

In the episode I saw, she had all the contestants line up in an airport hanger and she told them that in order for them to hang out with her, they must look the part. Hilton made them all get makeovers, change their hairstyles and wear more fashionable clothing.

Not trying to sound too harsh but, I think my IQ dropped a little after watching this.

Obviously, money does not buy you happiness, or in this case, friends.

If you would like to see this show for yourself, go here .

You've Dug Your Own Grave, Now Lie In It

Tonight's episode of One Tree Hill was nothing short of suspenseful!
Here's a recap:

Lucas prepares for his next book signing by flying to a meeting with his editor (also his ex-fiance named Lindsey..awkward) about his tour. This is where Lindsey learns that Lucas is getting married to Peyton. Lindsey says her final "goodbye".

Peyton is working in her recording studio with an older musician named Mick. Interestingly, it is hinted at that Mick is her real father, whom she has never met. We'll see where this goes...(Oh and Peyton asks Brooke to design her wedding dress)

Brooke sees a psychiatrist and talks about the problems she has been having with her mother and her clothing company. Brooke's assistant, Millicent (who had recently moved to Nebraska), returns and offers to be Brooke's assistant again if Brooke is willing to start up a new business.

Nathan gets an unexpected call from an NBA agent who wants him to have an interview with the manager of a basketball team. Nathan is under the impression that he is going to be recruited as a player but, when he arrives he learns that the manager wants to hire him as a manager. Nathan is surprised and crushed by the news because he still has dreams of becoming an NBA player.

Haley gets a call from Dan's hospice nurse who informs her that Dan only has hours left to live. Because of this, Haley drives her son, Jamie, to see his grandfather one last time. However, it turns out that the "hospice nurse" is really Nanny Carrie who is still keeping Dan as a hostage. She uses the hospice excuse as a reason for Haley to bring Jamie to this location in order to kidnap him. When Haley gets there, she makes Jamie wait in the car. As Haley enters and sees Dan bound in a bed, Nanny Carrie hits Haley in the back of the head which knocks her out. Then Nanny Carrie runs outside to get Jamie but he escapes into a nearby corn field. An intense chase begins but somehow Haley regains consciousness, makes it outside and grabs Jamie. They run back to the car with Nanny Carrie following close behind when Deb comes out of nowhere and smashes Nanny Carrie in the face with a glass wine bottle. However, after some time passes as they compose themselves, Nanny Carrie awakens, grabs an ax and lunges toward Haley. At that moment, Dan makes it out onto the front porch of the house and shoots Nanny Carrie in the chest before she is able to cause any harm to Haley.

Stay tuned to One Tree Hill by watching it every Monday at 9 p.m. on the CW!
(The next new episode comes on October 13th)

The Island

I have barely found any time to just sit down and watch a television show lately, but today I did get to see another MTV show called The Island.

The Island is the name of this year's Real World/Road Rules Challenge. I have been a fan of this show ever since The Gaunlet, The Inferno and The Battle of the Sexes has been around. What this show does is takes around 20 previous Real World cast members and Road Rules Challengers and lets them compete for a chance to win thousands of dollars (this year the prize money is $300,000).

On the show, everyone must compete in mental and physical challenges and face-offs against each other in order to not be eliminated. Alliances are made, arguments erupt, and friendships are made and broken.

Although this show is definitely full of drama, it keeps my attention and leaves me wanting to see more. So I guess it's doing its job, right?

Check it out!

Busted

Last night I got bored, so I decided to watch a mini-marathon of a new MTV show called "Busted". Basically, it's like a more lame version of "Cops". It documents real cases of young adults (under 25) running into problems with the law.

You should watch this show, it is ridiculous!

In each episode they feature three people, it shows video footage of the crime they committed, and the arresting officer also explains what happened and tells what the person got charged with.

The interesting thing was that no one ever really got into trouble!

In one episode I watched, a young man got caught for having marijuana in his car, but the officer let him go.

In another episode, a police officer nabbed an underage man with the possession of alcohol, but the officer let him go because he said the young man was cooperative.

I watched at least three episodes and hardly anyone got punished.

No wonder the world is getting worse; people get away with everything!

How are people going to learn their lesson if they always get off the hook? Not punishing people for their crimes also puts innocent lives in danger.

I guess the saying "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time" isn't really effective anymore, considering that in today's society committing a crime means you get another chance.

To watch a full episode or to learn more information about the show, go here .

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.

Tonight I cried harder then I have in months.

The reason?

One Tree Hill's third episode of its sixth season aired tonight, and it was emotionally draining. The show opens as each main character hears the news of the murder of Quentin Fields (Robbie Jones), a star of the Tree Hill High School varsity basketball team. Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray), Nathan Scott (James Lafferty), and Skills (Antwon Tanner) were his basketball coaches and friends. They each deal with his loss their own way. Lucas is shocked but remains strong as he tells Quentin's teammates about his untimely death. Nathan is sad because his friendship with Quentin was growing, and he was helping Nathan recuperate after a serious injury. Skills is devastated the most, however. He was planning on telling Quentin at the next practice how proud he is of his progress, but now realizes he will never get the chance.

Haley James Scott (Bethany Joy Galeotti), wife of Nathan, is also depressed about his passing. She was his high school English teacher, and she turned him from being a bully into a respectable and likable young man.

Haley's 5-year-old son, James Lucas Scott (Jackson Brundage), was a great friend of Quentin's who played around with him at basketball practice. It is heartbreaking to watch Nathan and Haley try to explain to him Quentin is gone. Jamie also befriends Quentin's younger brother at the visitation.

In the meantime, though, Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush) is still coping with being recently assaulted and robbed at her clothing store, Clothes Over Bros. She suspects Victoria, her mother (who Brooke recently fired), is responsible for the mugging.

Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton), who recently got engaged to Lucas, tries to console him about the loss of Quentin. She also gets in an argument with Brooke, her best friend and housemate, and is told to hand over her key and move out. Brooke apologizes for her attitude toward Peyton, and things are resolved later in the episode.

Finally, Dan Scott (Paul Johansson) is still being held hostage by crazy Nanny Carrie (Tori DeVito). Neither of his two sons, Lucas or Nathan, are concerned about his whereabouts. Nanny Carrie plans on abducting Haley and Nathan's son again to make it look as though Dan, an ex-murderer, has done it. It is also revealed that she has a dead son, which could explain her irrational motif.

The end of the show is marked by Quentin's funeral. All of the main characters are present, except for Dan of course. The last moments of this episode are phenomenal and touching. Haley and Nathan's son places a red cape with a purple "Q" (for Quentin) over his coffin. Before his death, Jamie had asked his mother to help him make it for Quentin because Quentin jokingly said he wanted one like Jamie's.

Overall, this episode truly expresses what matters in life. It tells how life is too short to fight or bicker about little things. Appreciate the life you have and live it to the fullest.

Oh and the music featured in this episode is amazing (like it always is)!

For more information on this episode, the show, or the cast, I recommend this site!

Where Were You?

I'll never forget where I was when I heard the news.

I was a seventh grader in world geography class. My teacher was Mrs. Altman, and we were studying the Middle East and other countries in the region on Sept. 11, 2001.

The principal didn't want us to find out what happened during school, but that was inevitable. The news broke all over school. Teachers were emotional, some of the older kids were upset, but my classmates and I were mostly confused. We didn't grasp the gravity of the situation at first, but when it was broadcast all over the television and radio, we knew that something was seriously wrong.

Going home that day was the worst part. I can still remember the look on my mom's face as I walked over to get in the car after school.

The next couple weeks were kind of a blur to me now, but I'll still never forget where I was when I heard the news.

Things will never be the same.

Happy Birthday

Today was my suitemate's birthday [Happy Birthday Samantha!]. However, I think I was more excited about it than she was. I don't know about you, but I love birthdays! They are the one day out of the year when everything is supposed to be about the existence of you! Thinking about them, I decided birthdays are either underrated or overrated in America today. People either act on their birthday as if it is any other day, or they go to the extreme in celebrating. I, on the other hand, look at the occasion differently. To me, birthdays mean reflecting over the last year, reminding myself how much I've grown and changed, and looking forward to what the next year will bring. Finally, I thank God I'm alive. I love life and all the opportunities it has to offer. So the next time you have a birthday, I recommend acknowledging it and celebrating everything you've accomplished! Take advantage of it and be grateful you have been given another day :)

Oh So True

The 2 brilliant journalists...
HaHa->


While I was patiently waiting in line for one of Thomson's dinner "creations" the other night, my suitemate, who is also a pre-journalism major, and I were discussing how much we enjoy being nosy. We were sharing recent gossip when we came to the conclusion of how cool it must be to be a journalist. Not only are journalists supposed to be nosy and figure out what's going on before everyone else, but they are encourgaed to do so and they get paid for doing it! That is how we determined that we are definitely pursuing the right career path.

"If I care what people think about what I say and do, then I wouldn't be a journalist." -Jessica Pickens

Inspiration

"Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering." -Ida Scott Taylor

What It Means

At 1:00 am on Tuesday, September 2, 2008, I sat down at my desk to create this blog. I didn't really know what to expect or what I was doing exactly because the most in depth blogging I've ever done has been trivial myspace blogging (which is quite sad for a pre-journalism major I might add). As I was almost on the last step of creating my blog, I realized that I hadn't given any thought as to what I would possibly name it. To any other "normal" person this task wouldn't seem like a big deal, but to someone who spends 30 minutes at Wal-Mart picking out which brand of mascara to buy, this was a big decision. It's not that I was focusing on naming it something really catchy or something that rhymed, but I wanted the name of my first blog to have meaning behind it. I had many good ideas, but the right one just wasn't coming to me. Almost 3 hours later I was still undecided, so I thought of one of my favorite things in the world, the television show One Tree Hill. To me, this TV show is not just another pre-teen drama-filled show like so many others out there. The storylines, morality, voiceovers, and quotes of the show deeply inspire me in ways that people will never understand. That's when it hit me! The promo used on the CW channel for the 6th season premiere of One Tree Hill (which was tonight) was "Every great story has a beginning". From the minute that I first thought about it, I knew that that would be the name of my very first blog.

So why did I choose this?

Well, as a student studying mass communication when I heard the word "story", I instantly thought about writing, news, and other journalistic topics. Obviously, it was the first word that caught my attention. Secondly, I believed in the truth behind the statement. It can be used literally like describing the process of producing a great novel. It can be used figuratively as in illustrating the "story" behind a couple's relationship, or even depicting the "story" of what's in a photograph. More importantly, however, the statement could be describing me.

One day in the (hopefully) immediate future, I anticipate on reaching a noble and respected status as a photo-journalist or editor. I could be the next "big" thing.

My life is the story.
This is the beginning.
I'm going to make it great.