Yeah, I changed the name of the blog. The name “Puff on Pop,” while cute and clever, would only work if I fully committed myself to the online alias of “Puff.” Yeah, it’s been one of my nicknames for awhile that Lexi and my friends in Chicago use, but I could never quite reconcile referring to myself as Puff, if that makes any sense.

At any rate, I shifted things around a little, renaming the blog “Sheer Puffery.” And I’m just going by Kristin now. ‘Cause, you know, that’s my name.

Other than a simple name change, everything else on this blog will stay the same! I will continue posting (or trying to post with some sort of regularity) content about pop culture and whatever else tickles my fancy, and you will continue enjoying it.

So how’s that sound? Good? Good! Glad we got this all sorted out.

It’s clear from the sodia media outlets that I already have and neglect (i.e. my livejournal and this blog) that I don’t really need to add any more. However, don’t think that stopped me from creating an account on Tumblr!

To be fair, I’d created my account several months ago, but wasn’t really sure what to do with it … Or really what the hell Tumblr was. I mean, is it another blogging site? After exploring, perusing, stalking, and seeing how the site work and its users interact, I’ve discovered that it’s not just another blogging platform to further compete with WordPress, Blogger, Livejournal, TypePad, and so on and so forth. To me, it feels like a middle ground between Twitter and full on blogging — posts are still expected to be short and succinct, but there’s no word limit. And there are templates for sharing videos, pictures, quotes, excerpts from chats, music … Not gonna lie, it’s kind of fascinating. Plus, there’s a really cool reblogging feature — if you see a picture or a quote on someone else’s Tumblr, then you just click the “reblog” button and BAM, it’s posted to yours, with credit given to the original poster. It’s GENIUS!

At any rate, the point of this is that I’m posting stuff to my Tumblr with some regularity. It’s become kind of a brain dump, which is nice. No worries, I’m not giving this blog up! I realize I’ve been neglecting it, and keep saying I’m going to post more soon and then promising that THIS TIME I REALLY WILL OKAY BELIEVE ME, but .. Yeah. I’ll get back on the horse.

So without further ado, here’s the link:

She’s Waiting

(That’s the title of the thing … It’s named after one of my favorite Eric Clapton songs. IT FELT RIGHT!)

So there you go! I’ll see y’all soon. :)

I’ve been traveling a lot over the past couple of months, and, as a result, my bedroom has frequently been a complete disaster. I’ve never been the neatest person ever, no matter how hard my mom tried to get me to make my bed every day and not throw clothes on the floor. Lately, though, it’s been a little worse than usual. The other night, fueled by the need to change my sheets/duvet, I decided to pick things up a little bit. In need of some sort of background noise for this mundane, groan-worthy task, I opted for iTunes as opposed to my TV. Out of nowhere, I suddenly knew exactly what I wanted to listen to at that very moment — John Mayer’s Room for Squares (2001), an album I hadn’t listened to from beginning to end in years.

Music has a funny way of taking me back to a time where I listened to a particular artist, song, or album heavily. I get the funny (good) feeling in my stomach, and my brain is in another season and another year and I’m filled with memories, faces, sights, and smells that I’d pushed to the back of my mind to make room for new ones. Room for Squares jogs some very vivid memories — it was one of the only albums I listened to in the summer of 2003, right after I’d graduted from high school.

These days, though, John is just one of those people I can’t quite make a decision on. When I first discovered him, my crush on him was almost all-consuming. What’s not to love about a shaggy-haired boy who writes beautiful songs and plays the hell out of the guitar, right? However, my illusion of who that shaggy-haired boy should have been and the real John Mayer couldn’t be more different. The more I read about him, the more he was in the press, the more Hollywood starlets he dated and dumped, well … My crush on him faded very quickly. He’s one of those people that doesn’t seem to have a filter with what he says, and, therefore, tends to come off as an arrogant prick most of the time. That is definitely not the boy I fell in love with. I’ve always been hesitant to completely write him off as an asshat purely because of his music, namely the aforementioned magic I felt with Room for Squares.

Listening to it again from “No Such Thing” to “St. Patricks Day,” I felt like I got something different about it this time. I’m 24 years old now, the same age he was when the album came out in 2001, and suddenly his lyrics make more sense than they ever did before.

Take “No Such Thing,” for example. This song was all over the radio, and I can’t even begin to think of how many times I’ve listened to it in my life. And yet this verse rings truer to me now than it ever did before:

“Welcome to the real world,” she said to me condescendingly. “Take a seat, take your life, plot it out in black and white.” Well, I never lived the dreams of the prom kings and the drama queens. I’d like to think the best of me is still hiding up my sleeve.

And then there’s “Why Georgia,” which I’m pretty sure is still my favorite song. I don’t know if I’ve ever found a song that captures the “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing with my life” feeling more poignantly than this one.

I rent a room and I fill the spaces with wood in places to make it feel like home. But all I feel’s alone. It might be a quarter life crisis or just a stirring in my soul. Either way, I wonder sometime about the outcome of a still verdictless life. Am I living it right?

It’s one of those things that you can appreciate when you’re younger, but you’ll never fully understand it until you’re there: 24, out of school, in a job that you still aren’t so sure about, up to your eyebrows in debt, still full of all these dreams that you aren’t quite sure how to make happen. I get it, I finally get it. It’s scary as hell, but it’s good to know you’re not alone, right? Even a successful musician felt like this once upon a time.

As far as the man himself (I can’t call him the shaggy-haired boy anymore), I think I’m coming around. Since following him on Twitter, I find that I actually like what he has to say in 140 characters or less. Everybody changes, right? Here’s hoping his douchebaggery is done with and that I don’t have to try so hard to seperate the real JM from the fantasy one who writes this beautiful music.

Aaaand I’m back for part two out of three of my countdown! We’re right in the middle, so I’m not going to waste anytime. But here’s a preview of what I’ve got for you after the jump:

10. Step Up 2 the Streets (2008)

While couples all over the world were wining, dining, and possibly 69ing one another on February 14th, 2008, my roommate Lexi and I were indulging in this fabulous little movie on opening day. Would you believe that the first several showings we tried to see were sold out? The sequel to 2006’s original Step Up, this movie follows Andie, a tough little motherless white chick who is a member of one of the most bad ass dance crews in Baltimore. She’s persuaded by her guardian to try out for Maryland School of the Arts in order to clean up her act (or something), and ends up going, befriending a bunch of other misfits and starting her OWN dance crew. To battle in THE STREETS. Robert Hoffman is in this, and he is SO hot and such an amazing dancer. You know what bothers me, though? Andie continually refers to “the streets” in singularly. She actually says to Chase (Robert Hoffman’s character), “The streets is about respect.” Bzzzuh? Back that grammar train on up, there, sister! They ARE about respect, not is! I realize you’re too cool for school and everything, but you’re going to make me twitch myself to death if you don’t fix that! Sloppy grammar aside, the dancing’s fab, Robert Hoffman is an Adonis, and that’s all there is to it.

9. Fame (1980)

We owned this movie on VHS growing up, and I never watched until my mom made me sometime in high school. “You’ve never seen this?” she asked. I shook my head in response. “You’re going to love it, I promise,” she told me. Well, she was right. Fame follows seven students through all four of their years at the New York High School of Performing Arts. Not only is this a fabulous high school movie, but it also incorporates an awesome scene I love in any movie — impromptu dancing in the street. I mean, think of the “Shake Your Tailfeather” scene from The Blues Brothers, the “Twist & Shout” scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It’s scenes like that that make me wish people in real life could really burst into perfectly choreographed dances in the street. What’s stopping us??

8. Step Up (2006)

The glorious original that spawned the just-as-glorious sequel! Channing Tatum plays a kid from the streets of Baltimore who trashes the Maryland School of the Arts with his boys and gets sentenced to work as a custodian after he gets arrested. Oh yeah, did I mention he’s also an amazing dancer? Nora (Jenna Dewan), an uppity senior at the school, is working on her senior showcase and is stressing out about it. Tyler (Tatum) offers to help her, she ends up accepting, and they end up dancing and falling in luuurrrrrrve, despite coming from opposite sides of the proverbial tracks. Other things happen, but the dancing and the hot sexual tension between Tyler and Nora is the best part. Because, really, Channing Tatum is so hot that it should probably be illegal. *fans self*

7. Rize (2005)

I was back in my hometown (Memphis) one summer a few years ago, when a group of my old high school friends asked me if I wanted to see this movie with me. I had no clue what it was, but went along, anyway. I have to say, I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Rize is a documentary by David LaChapelle that focuses on two similar dancing subcultures in Los Angeles: krumping and clowning. I’d never heard of either before I saw it, but the movie gets your so immersed in the cultures and the communities where this is commonplace that you feel like you’re actually there. There are many in-depth interviews with the dancers, in addition to tons of footage of dance battles. Watching the movie is really an intense experience, and the images LaChapelle captures of these people are beautiful. It comes very highly recommended, and fully deserves the number seven spot on this list.

6. Saturday Night Fever (1977)

The ’70s and ’80s were really big on working-stiff-by-day and dancer-by-night-type movies, weren’t they? SNF falls into that category, but that definitely doesn’t make it any less glorious. John Travolta plays Tony Manero, a young Italian-American living in Brooklyn, who just wants to win the dance contest at 2001 Odyssey, his local disco. He chases after Stephanie, a more affluent girl in Manhattan, and convinces her to be his dance partner. They dance, they fall in love, and John Travolta wears an epic white leisure suit. Really, what else do you need?

Another week, another recurring theme! And the theme still seems to be bitchy girls … What can I say, crazy people are fun (and slightly scary) to watch! So lets move on with this. Here are my favorite moments in TV this week:

The Hills — 5.1 “Don’t Cry on Your Birthday”; 5.2 “Everything Happens for a Reason”

Ugh, yes I still watch this show. And I still complain about it. And yet I still cannot make myself stop watching!! Honestly, everyone I know that watches this show has absolutely no idea why they do. You’ve got us all under your spell, MTV! You damn evil geniuses!

The beginning of the fifth season started with some pretty intense fake drama, though. The saaaaaaame tired story line that’s been played out season after season reared its ugly head again: Lauren vs. Heidi. Except now it’s gotten pitiful, in that Heidi realllly wants to be friends with Lauren, and Lauren is hesitant. They both miss each other and have told each other repeatedly, and yet Heidi still won’t do the smart thing and fucking leave Spencer already and Lauren won’t let go of her grudge because then she wouldn’t have anything to hold over Heidi’s head anymore.

The moment I liked, though, came at the end of the first episode: Heidi’s been freaking out because Spencer just got in a bar fight, and they’re both drunk and emotional. They both end up drunkenly slurring to one another about how much their miss their friendship, and the scene gets an intense climax with both of them hugging and sobbing to one another. Honestly, if my heart weren’t so black, I might have actually teared up, myself. I suspended my disbelief for long enough while watching to buy that it was genuine, and I was touched. I’ll admit, this godforsaken show touched me.

But don’t worry, Lauren effing Conrad managed to ruin it all at the beginning of the second episode. She starts talking shit about Heidi once more and then has the audacity to complain about the swanky surprise birthday party her friends threw her on a private yacht. Way to be an ungrateful asshole, L.C.! Good job!

Pretty Wicked — 1.1 “Mirror Mirror Not on the Wall”; 1.2 “Sell Your Soul”

Oxygen’s been ramming this show down its viewers throats, and, I have to say, I was definitely intrigued when I saw the promo the first time. Since Bad Girls Club just ended (GOD DAMN I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT SEASON OF THAT SHIT SHOW), I needed some more crazy bitch-fighting to take its place in my weekly TV rotation, and this seemed like it would fit the bill. So far, it has.

Apparently the producers lured ten(ish?) mean, bitchy girls to be on this show under the pretenses that it was some sort of “OMG who’s the prettiest princess” reality competition. The competition part is right, but the rest of it was all a sham. See, the show is really about getting these contestants to stop being evil hags and turning them into good people who can actually give back to society. It’s very similar to the show Queen Bees that aired on The N, though I have to say that I liked Queen Bees a little bit more. But that comparison could turn into a whole different post, so I’ll leave it at that.

The girls are just as crazy as I hoped they would be, but it doesn’t get any crazier than Ana. Honestly, I’m fairly positive homegirl is a complete and utter psychotic sociopath. In the first episode, she managed to start a fight about which bed she got, try to coordinate and control an entire party,  and blames everything on her tiny yappy dog. She yells to the other girls, “I DON’T CARE! NOBODY TREATS MY DOG THAT WAY!”

Super crazy … but also super hilarious. I’m excited to see what else this show has to deliver!

America’s Next Top Model — 12.6 “Acting Like a Model”

Let me get straight to the weird shit in this episode: Clay Aiken is in it. No, you’re not hallucinating. I did actually just say that. Clay Aiken is in this episode to the the contestants about acting. I mean, it makes sense, seeing as though he was(/is?) in Spamalot on Broadway, but still … CLAY AIKEN?!

What’s even weirder is that Paulina Porizkova introduces him as a “close, personal friend” of Tyra’s. I’m sorry, but I really have a hard time believing that Clay Aiken and Tyra Banks are besties. I can’t see it! I mean, I suppose one could argue that Tyra is one of those people who just assumes everyone she meets is a “close, personal friend.” Those people exist! One of my friends I grew up with is like that, and it always drove me nuts. She could have met someone once and then five minutes later, “Oh, I love her, she’s my best friend ever!” No, honey, she’s not. You don’t know her like that, and vice-versa. Get with the program! Get your head in the game!

At any rate, I’m getting off track. Tyra and Clay are supposedly BFFs, so take that as you will. The part I both loved and hated about this episode was London winning the challenge. Along with Aminat and Fo, London’s one of my favorite girls, and I was happy that she won the acting challenge. Her prize was $5,000 worth of Joe’s Jeans, which apparently are sweet ass designer jeans. I have this thing where I don’t buy expensive clothes, so I really wouldn’t know. What broke my heart a little thought is that London admitted to struggling with her weight, and assumed she wouldn’t fit into any of the free jeans she got. So instead she gave them away to her roommates. Oh, London! While that was a sweet thing to do, I just knew the fact that the editors included that detail in there meant that London’s weight is going to be an issue in episodes to come. And I do not want to see her go through that and for it to be her ultimate demise. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for her!

It should come as no surprise that there are few things I love more in this world than quality dance movie ….. Okay, so that’s stretching it just a little bit. The point I’m trying to make here is that I love movies involving dance in any way, shape, or form. If it contains any amount of large choreographed dance sequences (PLOT? WHO NEEDS A PLOT?!), I’m sold. I’ve been toying with the idea of making a list of this type for awhile, and finally got inspired to do it thanks to ProBlogger.com’s 31 Days to a Better Blog challenge. Sure, I probably should have finished and posted this on Tuesday like I was supposed to. But hey, better late than never, right?

Due to the sheer size of the list, I’m breaking this up over three days. So today I’m bringing you part one of my top 15 favorite dance movies: numbers 15 through 11. Lets begin the countdown!

15. Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights (2004)

Why yes, the not-as-popular sequel to Dirty Dancing DOES crack my top 15 list of dance movies! I saw this over spring break of my freshman year of college, and both loved and hated it at the same time. Diego Luna is adorable, and the dancing is hot. Romola Garai, despite being gorgeous, acts like a piece of cardboard in this movie. Her line at the very end, when her character and her Latin lover are saying goodbye, is so robotic that it almost ruined the entire movie. “I’M – TAKING – YOU – WITH – ME BEEP BOOP BIP BIP!” … Okay, so maybe that last part’s not exactly accurate, by the stony delivery and awkward pauses between each word are dead on. The acting (and awkward cameo from Patrick Swayze) aside, the dancing is what makes the movie art.

14. Honey (2003)

The alternate title of this movie should have been, “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Ghetto.” Honey, played by another hot-but-wooden actress Jessica Alba, is a young women in New York who just wants to be a successful dancer and choreographer, damn it! And she also wants to help children and clean up her neighborhood and some other things that ultimately aren’t as important as dancing. She and her fly moves catch the attention of a creepy music video director who gives her glitz and glamor and then expects some freakynaughty in return. Oh, but not our Honey! She don’t play like that! She ends up setting up some sort of fundraiser to do raise money for some sort of community center, and in the end she’s beautiful, is loved by everyone, and lives happily ever after with her hot boyfriend Mekhi Pfifer. Yes, so the plot is jank, but Jessica is gorgeous and there’s some really good dance sequences, especially in the club. Plus, Master P’s son Lil Romeo is in it! How can you go wrong there?

13. You Got Served (2004)

Starring the four members of (now-defunct) B2K and Marques Houston (aka Roger from Sister, Sister), this movie is best enjoyed when you fast forward through any part that doesn’t include dancing. The reason it makes it to 13 as opposed to last (or not on the list at all) is because of the dancing. It’s based around battling dance crews in LA, and the dance battles scenes that open and close the movie are sick. Omarion and Marques Houston play David and Elgin, two best friends who lead this epic dance crew that keeps winning battle after battle. They get punked by a bunch of whiteboy dancers from the O.C. (one of which is Rob Hoffman who stars in Step Up 2 the Streets) who steal their moves and win their money in a big battle. Their pride is hurt, they’re in debt, and they start fighting and I think perhaps start dealing with some sort of drug boss? This is where it gets dicey and lame and I just fast forward to more dance scenes. At some point David and Elgin fight because David starts dating Elgin’s younger sister Liyah (played by Jennifer Freeman, easily one of the worst actresses in the history of movies). Whatever, none of that’s really important. All you really need to know is that there’s some amazing break dancing and choreography. Plus, Steve Harvey’s makes several appearances, too. Perfection!

12. Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)

Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why did the third of the Bring It On movies make this list and the first one didn’t?” Don’t get me wrong, I love the first one. It’s definitely a cheesy classic that will always have a special place in my heart. However, it’s more cheerleading and less dancing, which is why I ended up going with this one instead. This installment stars Hayden Panetierre (from Heroes) and Solange Knowles (Beyoncé’s younger sister), and is centers around Britney’s (Panetierre) transfer from rich, white Pacific Vista High School to multi-ethnic, middle-class Crenshaw Heights High School against her will. Why does this movie come in at number 12? It incorporates crumping, a style of street dancing popular around LA, which will be talked about more when I get to number 7.

11. Flashdance (1983)

Finally, an old dance classic that can be agreed on across the board! The dance sequences in this are so iconic, that there’s no way in hell this movie could not have made the list. I mean, where would we be today without the up-close thigh/crotch jogging-in-place close-up shot to the tune of “She’s a Maniac?” The world may never know. Aside from the dancing, though, one part that always cracked me up about this movie is that fact that Alex (played by Jennifer Beals) is a welder by day and a dancer by night. I mean …. what? I guess it proves that she’s tough and yet soft and feminine at the same time, but taking that out of context is really hilarious. It’s truly a great movie and fully deserving of the number eleven spot.

This chilly (in Chicago, at least) Wednesday, I bring you one of my favorite videos of all time: “If” by Janet Jackson.

The song is off of Jackson’s 1993 album janet., which is tied with 1997’s The Velvet Rope as my favorite of her albums. Sadly I don’t have copies of either CD anymore, which I should probably remedy immediately, if not sooner. I just purchased this song on Monday, and it’s most definitely renewing my love affair with Miss Jackson. 80s and 90s Miss Jackson, that is … I don’t know how I feel about her more recent stuff, but that’s neither here nor there.

God, this video … I remember watching MTV for hours after school JUST to see this video. And watching it again all these years later, it still gives me chills. The choreography is mind-blowing, and the entrance she makes when the doors open, the ribbons flow out, and she walks into the room like a BAD ASS is just .. I mean, there aren’t any words. I wish I could have that same effect every time I walk into a room, that’s for sure.

So there you go! Enjoy the video :)

Even though it’s still chilly here in Chicago, it’s finally April. And you know what that means? No, I’m not talking about April showers or Easter. I’m talking about BASEBALL! Today is the first day of the six-month-long baseball season, and I’m SUPER pumped.

In honor of the start of the season, here are the teams I’m going to be rooting for for the next six months. I’ve one from each division of the National League AND one American League team. So here we go!

National League Central: The Houston Astros

They’re my number one! I’ve seen them in Spring Training for the past two years in a row, and I love them no matter how painful each season is. As sad as 2005 was, I’m confident we’ll be able to get back there. And hey, Ed Wade, the Astros’ current general manager, is the same guy who built the Phillies and they took the World Series last year. So just give us some time! Hunter Pence, the right fielder, is by far my favorite player. :)

National League East: The New York Mets

Two words: Carlos Beltran. He used to be an Astro and he is a BEAUTIFUL man. My mom and I saw him during Spring Training this year, and I must have taken dozens of pictures of him at bat. Mmmm … Oh, and they have a great team, too!

National League West: The Los Angeles Dodgers

I was really rooting for the Dodgers to go far into the playoffs last season just so Joe Torre, the Dodgers’ manager, could give a big middle finger to the Yankees’ George Steinbrenner. But hey, there’s always this season, right? Plus, Brad Ausmus and Mark Loretta, both former Astros, are now on the Dodgers. I have to support my former Astros!

American League: The Chicago White Sox

I know I know, I always get the most crazy looks when I tell people I like both the Astros and the White Sox. But hey, 2005 is behind us! And I live on the south side of Chicago, so how can I not like the Sox? They’re clearly far superior to those stupid choke-prone baby bears up north!

This is a tad late, but I did a guest post for another blog recently! The post was at Tiny Thoughts, a lovely blog written by Coop, one of my bestestestest friends in the world.

What was my post, you ask? 6 Steps to a Killer Mix CD. Here’s a little taste:

College is typically a time in a young person’s life filled with intense learning, both academically and personally. After all was said and done in my college tenure, I learned that I can make a bad-ass mix CD. Let me take you on this journey.

I suppose I always had an inkling that I was really good at it. I was in high school in the hey day of the original Napster, and spent more time than I care to think about downloading music and burning it onto CDs. Burned CDs of a certain artist or genre can get old after awhile, which is when I began playing around with some different combinations. I finally came into my own as a mixmaster (if I may be so bold as to call myself that) my last year of college with what I consider to be the pinnacle of my mix CD making career: Sparkly Capes vol. I-III. Sparkly Capes, named for the sparkly, glittery cape I was wearing when I created the iTunes playlist. Nevertheless, the three CDs were brilliant — fun to listen to while driving, doing laundry, cleaning your house after a huge party, studying, designing a website and pulling an all-nighter in the computer lab … They were my Sistene Chapel.

The post continues to the actual steps. But if you want to read it you have to go to her blog! So what are you waiting for? GO! There’s so much wonderful content in addition to my post. :)

Oh woe, how I’ve fallen off my game! My TV viewing habits this week were not their normal stellar selves, sadly. While I only watched three new shows this week (with a fourth sitting on my DVR, waiting to be enjoyed), they all had one thing in common: insane females. That being said, get ready for my favorite moments!

Gossip Girl — 2.20, “The Remains of the J”

The best part of this, or just about any, episode was clearly the Chuck Bass-isms. Now that the weird and annoying Eyes Wide Shut/secret prostitution ring plotline is over and done, everyone’s favorite smarmy asshole (who really has a heart of gold … kind of) can get back to delivering amazing one-liners. And screwing everything in sight (except for Blair).

To set up the aforementioned favorite part, I’ll give you a little back story: there’s more couple-shuffling. Chuck has decided once again that he wants Blair. Blair is still on self-destructive shame spiral due to her rejection from Yale, and isn’t too keen on jumping back into her non-relationship with Chuck (even though THEY BELONG TOGETHER). She instead starts spending time with Nate, her ex-boyfriend and Chuck’s best friend. Nate and Vanessa, meanwhile, are on the outs. Vanessa thinks Nate is only becoming what his controlling Vanderbilt grandfather wants him to be, and wants him to be a free-spirited hipster like her. Nate’s too stoned and too pretty to ever know what’s going on, so I’m not really sure how he functions ever. Blair wants to get back with Nate, Nate wants to be just friends (until he changes his mind at the end of the episode and they make out … But that part pisses me off, so lets just not go there.).

Chuck and Vanessa are pissed about Blair and Nate getting back together, so they start making one of those evil plans that will definitely backfire: they try to make them jealous. Here is the exchange:

Chuck: I came up with several excellent ideas. You just shot them down.
Vanessa: Yeah, because most of them involved leaking the Chuck-Vanessa sex tape on the Internet.
Chuck: We don’t have to leak the tape if you don’t want to.

What was even better was the expression on his face. You win, Bass! Actually, he really does — he and V end up doing the freakynaughty at the end of the episode. Vanessa, you scarlet woman!

America’s Next Top Model — 12.5, “Here’s Your Test”

My favorite moment for this show is short and sweet: SANDRA FINALLY WENT HOME!! YESSS!

Every season has that crazy bitchy girl that stays around for a frustratingly long time, and I was SO afraid that Sandra was going to be one of those. You know, like Jade from Cycle 6, Bianca from Cycle 9, or Dominique from Cycle 10. They’re probably kept around just for the drama they stir up (though I’m sure Tyra would deny this until her dying day), despite any tenuous grasp they might have on actual modeling ability. But PHEW, talk about a sigh of relief when this big sack of crazy was sent home. Now I just have to hope that London, Fo, and Aminat keep kicking ass and that Natalie is the next to go. A girl can dream, right?

Bad Girls Club — Reunion, “Unfinished Business”

I was painfully unaware of the glory of this until my roommate Lexi turned me on to it. If you’ve never seen it, you can probably guess how it works. Like the early seasons of The Real World, the crazy girls who come on this show live in a house together and … Well, that’s it. They don’t have jobs, they just party and cause drama. And it’s SUPER entertaining to watch. And it makes me feel much more sane and normal.

Season 3 just ended, so this week’s episode was a reunion show, hosted by celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton (who I can’t help but love). As expected, old drama was stirred up, and girls continued to shoot their mouths off at one another over … Well, I don’t really know what. My favorite part of the show was a little interchange between Perez and Ailea, one of the cast members. While all of the girls are crazy in their own special ways, Ailea seriously has some issues. It was blatantly obvious how mentally unstable she was in every episode, and it ended up getting her kicked off of the show when she got in a physical fight with another cast member, kicked her in the face, and then gloated about it. During the reunion, Ailea tries to hug Perez, and (as you can see in this clip), he is not having any of it. “It’s one thing to get angry and pull someone’s hair,” he says. “It’s another thing to get angry, pull her hair, kick her, and then GLOAT.” He throws in “I hate you, bitch” and “you’re disgusting, I’m not joking” for good measure, too.