What Happened to Lifetime TV?

My old dependable friend Lifetime TV has officially abandoned me.  There used to be a time when I could always look forward to curling up on the couch and catching a suspense filled, sometimes silly, always over the top Lifetime movie.  Through the years I've grown accustomed to such fare as The Betty Broderick Story, Our Mother's Murder, The Book of Ruth, Death of a Cheerleader and we can't forget those good old Moment of Truth movies.  I attempted to watch the Craigslist Killer the other night.  Where do I begin? Let's just say I almost wasted two hours of my life that I could never have gotten back, but I turned after the first half hour.  I remember when Lifetime Sunday's used to be a marathon of non-stop movies that me and my girlfriends loved.  The old Lifetime may not have offered Oscar worthy productions, but at least they kept us entertained. We live in a youth obsessed world and the writers and producers go after that audience.  But Lifetime is supposed to be television for women! These new actors and actresses make me feel as if I'm sitting through one of those never ending junior high school plays. Come on Lifetime TV give us back our old sitcom actresses like Meredith Baxter Birney, Delta Burke and Judith Light.  Heck, at this point I'll even settle for Tori Spelling.

Rating: 2/5 Stars

The Kindle 3G

I am an avid reader, so when the Kindle 3G came out my sister gave it to me as a birthday present.  I had seen the Kindle advertised for some time, but I never wanted one because I like to lay back and read a good old fashioned paper book.  I am now wondering how I ever lived without it.  I love the fact that it downloads very quickly and a Kindle purchase is cheaper than buying a paper book, plus you can download thousands of books.  However, the Kindle is not without problems.  The screen freezes quite often and you have to constantly reboot. As with any electronic product there are always little annoying glitches that the companies really need to iron out before putting these expensive products on the market.  All in all I am pleased with my Kindle 3G and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the joy of reading a good book.

Pros:

• Holds up to 3,500 books
• Easy to use
• Clear screen

Cons:

• Screen freezes very often
• Constantly has to be rebooted

Rating: 4/5 stars

Catchphrase! Non-Electronic Version

Year after year I look for fun games to enjoy with my family and friends on game night.  Everyone grew tired of the same old board games so I decided to look for something fun that both kids and adults could enjoy.  After doing an internet search I found Catchphrase.  This game has been on the market for years but I'd never played it.  I ordered it on Amazon and requested next day shipping so that we could play it for family game night. Boy was I glad I did! Ten of us played the game and we had a ball.  This game is suitable for children and adults alike and everyone had a great time. Someone on your team has to describe to the others what the phrase is, without giving obvious hints. The goal is to keep going until the opposing team is stuck with the timer. Its almost like a more advanced "Hot Potato". The only complaint I have is that the game should offer replacement disks because you end up answering the same questions over and over after playing the game for a long period of time.  If you like a fast moving fun game then Catchphrase is the way to go.

Pros:

•  Loads of fun
•  Very easy

Cons:

•  Needs more disks

Rating: 4/5 stars

Just Dance 2

If you liked the first Just Dance then you'll definitely LOVE Just Dance 2! One of the differences you may notice is that the graphics are MUCH better. They are very high quality and simply breath taking. Just Dance 2 also has much more game modes than it's predecessor. One of the modes that may stick out the most to players is the "Duet" mode. Here you can select a song specifically made for two people to dance to together. In my opinion it is definitely the most fun mode to use. This game also has a "Dance Battle" mode where 1-8 players can battle it out to see who's the best! Let me just say, that this game is truly a W-O-R-K-O-U-T. If you are looking to burn some calories this will do the trick! Luckily, when selecting the song it will tell you the difficulty of the choreography and how much moving it involves (on a scale from 1-3). Another thing I love about this game is that the songs are songs that most people know, so it'll be even more fun to dance to! They also have an option where you can buy more songs in their marketplace. How convenient is that? This game is super fun and will have you movin' and groovin' for hours!

Pros:

• A fun form of exercise
• Excellent graphics
• Great for parties and get togethers
• Dances are easy to follow along to

Cons

• You have to hold your Wii Remote a certain way or you won't get points!

Rating: 5/5 stars!

Sunbeam 700 Watt 0.7 Cubic Feet Microwave

On Thanksgiving morning my microwave decided to conk out. I really couldn't complain because I owned the thing for over nine years. But this was the morning of a major holiday and I had tons of guests coming over dinner. If anyone has had a large group of people come over for dinner, you know that you need microwave to reheat food that is already done, not to mention the late comers have to heat up their meal after  walking in three hours after dinners been served. Anyway I took a quick trip to Target and found a small Sunbeam 700 watt microwave.  It was only $39.99 what did I have to lose? This product is average at best. My biggest complaint is that your food only gets hot in certain spots so you have to continually reheat it. If you want a microwave for small jobs like making popcorn or heating up a muffin this is the way to go, but for anything else I wouldn't recommend it. Spend a couple of more bucks and get a better quality microwave.

Pros:

• Affordable Price
• Lightweight

Cons:

• Uneven heating
• Glass plate pops off while in use

Rating: 3/5 stars

Remington Leopard Printed Straightener

I've been hearing about Remington's flat irons for MONTHS now! My friends always told me about how well theirs worked, and how it apparently was the best thing since sliced bread. Of course I had to find out what all the hype was about and test it out for myself. It goes for $19.99 and can be found at Target. Looking at the price, I thought it would be an absolute steal! After a few months of owning this straightener I found that it took quite a long time to straighten my hair. I would have to run over the same piece almost three times to get it straight! It would also snag sometimes which was a complete pain. In the end, my results were alright. I didn't look completely horrible, but it didn't give me that "fresh out the salon" look I was hoping for. I guess you really do get what you pay for. My advice? Go find something else to spend your $20.00 on because this wasn't even worth the money.

• Pros:
• Salon style swivel cord
• Ceramic plates
• Can be used to make curls
• Lightweight
• Cheap price

Cons:

• No heat setting
• Snagging
• Chips easily
• May not work on all hair types
• Doesn't get hot enough

Rating: 2/5 stars

The Talk on CBS

I'm a huge talk show fan so when I read that CBS was debuting a new talk show featuring Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Leah Remini and Sarah Gilbert called "The Talk" I couldn't wait to see it.  I tuned in for the debut episode on October 18.  The show was so bad that I barely made it through to the end, but I reasoned that this was the first show and the ladies had to get used to each other. The other day I decided to give The Talk another try. What a big mistake that was!  One of the guests was Neil Patrick Harris and the ladies decided to give him a few gifts for his newborn twins.  I could not believe my eyes when Leah Remini tossed the baby bag that Sharon gave Neil across the floor! To call this woman obnoxious and rude is an understatement.  I think she really believes that she is Carrie Heffernen, the character she played on the King of Queens. Holly Robinson Peete is a good fit, Sarah Gilbert who is very quiet would be better behind the scenes, Sharon Osbourne is like the mother of the group, Julie Chen has an icy personality but she is professional, Marissa Jaret Winokur is bubbly as usual. Quite honestly I find this show boring and I won't be tuning in again.  If you want to watch a group of women who talk over each other and never agree on anything I suggest you head on over to the View, at least those ladies are entertaining.

Rating: 2/5 stars