INTERACTION

Beware that blue buddha - it gets bitchy when it's feeling fat!

Speaking of the DR chair, currently piebald blue and green, did you notice that both Luke S and Sara sat carefully if lopsidedly. on the correct colour eg blue for Sara, green for Luke?
There shoud be a reward for adhering so uncomfortably to the territorial rules!

Working The Room...

Alignments and realignments were the theme of this evening. In brief, Deana is working on Scott and Luke A, Lauren is working everyone, Conor is trying to work the public, Sara is lost, Caroline is feeling fat, Adam is looking for sympathy, and Shievonne has lost the plot.

Adam deserves some sympathy. He made the mistake of trying to apologise to Shievonne for his DR comments last night - now, Shievonne is a harridan, full of repressed rages, who only needs an opening. Ungracious as she is, an apology is a sign of weakness and the signal to attack. And attack she did - poor Adam was blistered by her efforts to score points, tie him in knots with accusations, and guilt trip him for ruining her birthday. She ran on and on and on...in vain he tried to point out that it was BB who engineered the whole situation, in vain he tried to remind her that he had to call it as he saw it...nothing stemmed the torrent of her anger. She made sniffling sounds, as if weeping, but as her concealer didn't run, I think she faked it. Guilt trip, y'know.

Laidback Adam lost his cool when she finally flounced off and threw his tin and spoon on the floor - thus bending the spoon. Then he went and stood on a stool in the garden and gazed upward at the Heavens. Watching for passing pigeons, perchance? Alone and on the peaks of Darien? Resisting the temptation sent by the Devil in the wilderness to murder Shievonne? Whatever. His friends comforted him and soon he was apologising again for frightening Becky and telling everyone that he hadn't come into the house to hurt someone. He meant it too.

Scott and Becky were still not on speaking terms - Scott returned to his old friend Caroline to tell her how Becky made him cry last night. Perhaps the sour indifference on Caroline's face prompted the later reconciliation with Becky. They lay on the bed, painting animal skin patterns on their faces, quite companionably. Becky was not amused, after a brief abscence, to doscover that Deana had taken her face and was painting stripes on Scott's face. Yes, Deana - she is seeking to form alliances. She and Luke A were very chatty all evening, observing the goings on in the house and confiding their thoughts about it all. They are aware that control of the DR will probably mean control of nominations too. They can do the Maths. The situation is not good. There was only one solution - treachery.

Lauren, who I like more and more, skipped off to the DR to be sure that BB had heard Conor discussing nominations, even though she is in his team. Her glee was a delight - payback for all the slights and insults. She is a secret agent in the camp of Conor & Co, and such is their contempt for her that they forget she's there, not realising she reports back to the other side. Tee he! Liking that!
Luke A, in conjunction with Lauren, decided to throw the DR task so that their friends in the Green team would be the ones to nominate. It was not to be - finding the keys to open the box proved to be impossible for Adam, representing the Greens, and Luke A won the task in spiite of himself. But no sooner had the BLue victory been announced, than BB took it away , a punishment for Conor's nomination talk. He had that coming - using a code as obvious as 'D' and 'B' was as stupid as it gets.

Conor threw a massive strop - he has decided to walk; has decided losing the task was a good thing after all because it means he'll be evicted; has decided he doesn't care anyway and he's going to sleep in the bedroom tonight no matter what BB says. If he wasn't so big, I'd say he stropped like a toddler.

Ashleigh, clearly feeling the tension in the house, invited everyone, when the task is finally over, to stand in a circle holding hands and love one another, just for a minute. Has she taken leave of he senses? Conor clearly thought so - his explosive four letter refusal would have dented the spirit of the most determined Mother Theresa.

BB had Conor into the DR to ask him how he had enjoyed his day and was met with a tirade of oaths and curses. Conor is a man of few words - so he just keeps repeating them.

Indeed. And when a love-circle was proposed he probably first thought of something else.

Seriously, I think BB stepped over the mark with the entrapment of Adam. Made it more into a voyeuristic hothouse psychological investigation into human behaviour when taken to extremes of personal interaction rather than a Reality TV game which often borders on that 'hothouse', true, but hopefully doesn't cross the line into deliberate manipulative cruelty.

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MY WEBSITE: www.nemonymous.com

Agreed. There was no point in BB's actions except to stir up trouble for Adam personally. in a house where there is already real malevolence. And there will be a consequence - who will trust the Diary Room now? It was the one place they could talk freely - not any more.

Check Yourself and Wreck Yourself

Conor and Shivonne are up for eviction by a landslide. Just about everyone finds both parties aggressive and intimidating. The best nomination, however, was Scott's when he explained why he was nominating Luke S. He went on for nearly 10 minutes. Have we ever had a year when so many HMs held deep deep grudges against the others?

Both Conor and Shievonne denied they were bothered by the propect of eviction. Shievonne went so far as to plead to go; Conor has promised to break whatever rules he likes - the others visibly flinched.

Bedroom and bathroom facilities were restored to the HMs now that Turf Wars are over. This came as a great relief to Shievonne who spent some time in the DR complaining of cold and hunger and not being able to have a hot shower. She actually said at one point that she was giving up on talking ...if only, if only. Because she never stopped tonight. Like an express train coming at Deana , there she was: accusing; twisting facts; trying to manipulate Deana into not trusting her allies; emotionally blackmailing...oh, dear, the nation's ears must be bleeding tonight! All because she blamed Deana for the fact that she was nominated. She also did that thing with her hands - stabbing the air, pointing, flapping them like bats streaming out of the belfry. But all to no avail. Deana did not give her the drama she wanted. Instead, Shivonne was met with implacable calm and reason (when Deana was allowed to speak at all) and was so distressed by this that she had to go out into the garden to calm herself. Conor made a brief appearance when his name was mentioned and stayed long enough to pour more vile invective on Deana's head. That man needs a psychiatrist.

However, there was some alleviation of misery in that they could all lie on their beds and have hot baths and such. For a short time. Conor, no respecter of rules, decided to talk nominations (in spite of rather desperate pleas from the others not to) and hot water privileges were withdrawn again. Not, as he says himself, that he cares (although his language was rather fruitier).

There was an odd little scene between Sara and Luke A. She was looking for the tobacco and he flared up at her rather unpleasantly, apparently because of the way she looked at him. Later, she sought him out to see what was wrong and he denied utterly being snippy with her. The other night when his team won the secret room task, there was another nasty snippet - he told her 'I shan't ask nicely again.' in a very sharp tone. Now what does he have against Sara,who, as HMs go, is one of the more pleasant ones. Hmmm...one or two HMs have remarked on Luke A's temper but this is the first real hint of it I've noticed.

Scott and Lauren had a nice little task to win a curry for the HMs. They were given a list of proverbs and sayings and had to use one on every HM. They flitted joyfully about the house, imparting the wisdom of the ages to all within earshot, and no one noticed! I wonder if Scott actually knows what 'mickle' and 'muckle' mean? No matter, he delivered the saying with aplomb. Lauren almost had a stumble with the commom puprose/common vision one, hardly surprising in that house of division, but managed it in the end. They also had to engineer a grooup hug at the end of the tassk - veryone joined in, even Conor although he failed to smile one.
Speaking of Scott, he has had a haircut and returned to blonde. He does look a bit like Voldescott!

Adam was to give Lauren a massage. He was nearly undone by the sight of her bare shoulders and the right to rub on her. His face was a picture.

Shievonne, of course, returned to Deana for a second round. She never can let things lie. She carried on in the same vein, this time gabbling to Deana that she is paranoid and can trust no one because no one is her friend. All the time she wove her hands through the air, clicking her finger as if she were making spells or trying to hypnotise Deana. She reminded me ogf the snake (Ka?) in The Jungle Book, the one that hissed 'Trust In Me'.
Shudder - she's a piece of work is Shiv.

In the DR, Shievonne complained mightily about the awful evening she had and the awful Hms and awful Deana. Her hands were again a wonder to behold. She flapped them at BB, threw them up in the air, then from side to side, even circled her own head with them - a magician making magic passes. She said she'll be carried out of the house on a stretcher and duly crossed her arms over her chest to symbolise a corpse. That's done and dusted and cremated, she said.
Shievonne, it's never as bad as that! Really!

In all the years I've been watching and commenting piecemeal on BB seasons, I don't think I've ever thought to compare the DR to a religious Confessional, with a priest (here BB) on the other side of the grille. With Scott's lengthy meticulous pickings out at his thoughts. Shievonne's eschatology described by Marion above. [I coined the word eschairtology recenty, as it happens (HERE in connection with a Reggie Oliver story)!] And I could go on with this analogy!

Like Marion, I have no idea re the unseen backstory of Sara and Luke A.

I think Caroline at one point said that Scott would win this BB season. I'm beginning to think she's right.

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MY WEBSITE: www.nemonymous.com

Shievonne - a mad priestess of Delphi, transported into double tongued prophecy and frantic distress signals in semaphore, by the vapours which seep up through the earth's crust in that place. But she lacks the virtue of Cassandra, which was to be right.

For Scott to win, he must do a little more, I think. He can be very amusing in his affectations but is not prone to stepping out of the shadows.

I'd like the finalists to be Deana, Adam, Scott, Lauren (or possibly Sara who never seems to get nominated).
I'll be satisfied if none of the Caroline crew win, or even make it to the last night.

Wake Up And Smell The Humus

The house was full of whispers tonight, nasty hissing desperate whispers.

Sara is rather desperately trying to establish bessie mates status with Deana. She insists that she is someone Deana can trust (a surprised Scott speculated on when all that happened. I suspect it was when Deana survived eviction yet again) This was in response to Deana's wearied comment that Shiv has turned out to be a backstabber.
Enter on cue, with a roll of drums, Shiv in pacific mood, requesting a private word with Deana. She saw off Sara, accusing her of getting involved when she shouldn't be, and then attacked Deana for playing the victim, for raising her voice, and for nominating her. This is her idea of peacemaking. Hands flying like darting fruit flies, she reiterated her own pain at being distrusted and also Deana's stupidity in believing in the others. 'Wake up and smell the humus' she enjoined her.
She is a female Iago, insisting on the vileness of others to the high minded one. Confused, Deana rejoined Sara, to be reassured that she herself is the trustworthy one.

Adam, laconic as ever, reminded Deana that he had warned her about these sudden friendships - which he did after last week's eviction - people would make up to her, he said, and he was right. Scott and Ash noted the eviction effect too, Ashleigh rather more colourfully than Scott, her language at odds with the sweet daisy chain she had threaded through her hair. How is it that she more resembled a maenad than an innocent country idyll?

Adam delights in Lauren's attentions. She straightened his hair for him tonight and he was obvioulsy thrilled. As he told BB, Lauren is tomboy cute and dolls up well too. Oh, dear, I'm beginning to think he really does like her!
Luke A was pleased to be asked about his hormone injections which are due now. I am wondering if he is setting us up for some big drama as he was at great pains to tell how moody the hormones make him, how lacking in empathy, how very very horny...hmmm... he's going to be all over the place he informed Luke S with relish. I am thinking of the Hulk, the green monster bursting out of the shirt of mild mannered Bruce Banner. Well, would be something new to BB!

HMs had a quiz night with a plethora of prizes to choose from. Spray tan was one, and what a sight they were parading in their underwear and shower caps. Ashleigh cast a bit of a cloud, not wanting to remove her makeup in case anyone saw her without it on - she never goes out without it, she says. Oh, dear - they are a demented bunch this year. Has she forgotten we see her at all times of the day and night, frequently without her slap and always without her charm? She cussed out the Royal Family tonight, for example, because she could not answer the quiz question about what kind of dogs the Queen favours. She was lucky Sara didn't jump her.

Whispers echoed round the house tonight and hung in the dark corners. Deana and Shiv have decided to test Lauren's loyalty - Deana wll say something about Ashleigh and see if Lauren carries it back to her.
Beneath you, Deana, beneath you.

Deana has 'comforted' Caroline with the thought that the public will see the truth. Deana was a High Priestess of Artemis, cool, controlled and passionless. Caroline had expressed her loathing of Luke A. The truth will out, Deana said, calm and sure, nothing will be hidden. Then she left Caroline sunk in thought, a worry frown across her scowling face. Nice one, Deana.

Elsewhere, Becky and Sara are annoyed at Scott his week. Lauren is paranoid because Deana won't speak to her. Deana has told Adam that she's scared of Lauren. Adam thinks that Deana will break away from the Lauren/Scott/Adam alliance. Sara only likes Deana,Becky, and Scott...

It is all very confusing. Time that they all woke up and smelled the humus!

Yes, I forgot Sara is an ultra-Royalist. Ashleigh looks like a frail flower of an innocent abroad, as you imply, Marion, but in nobody else has there been an innocence so subsumed by an inner archetypal Essexisation...and, meanwhile, even I knew that the Queen's dogs are corgis.

I still depend on your reports to set me straight, Marion. Until I read it this morning, I thought last night's show was confusing, mostly inaudible and boring, and I see I was right on the first two but not, retrocausally, on the third!

Conor to go tonight!

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MY WEBSITE: www.nemonymous.com

I will confess that last night was a nightmare to report - I had to watch the opening TWICE to make sense of it - because the show was broken up and bitty, and what with accents and mumblings and turnings away to whisper and general flitting about it was difficult to find something substantial in the snippets. But as Scott is wont to say, 'Many a mickle makes a muckle'. The drama of trust and treachery ran like a dark thread through all the witterings of paranoid HMs. Things are coming together in the house to make something new.
Tonight will be good.

Sorry, the eviction is tomorrow night. Thought it was Friday today when I posted this morning!

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MY WEBSITE: www.nemonymous.com

Comes to us all, Des, sooner or later.
The worst time will be Saturday when we see scenes with an HM who has already been evicted mixed up with that day's highlights.
That's when I lose the plot.

Rebels Without Pause


The shopping task budget will last two days. All sorts of rules will be enforced by Wardens Luke S (elected because he's bossy (this prompted him to ask Conor if he really is bossy); Adam ditto; Luke A because he volunteered. Adam did request that they have a title other than 'warden' as it brings back nightmares to him, but there you go - Warden Adam he was. Watdens were empowered to issue tickets for rule breaks; two rule breaks led to imprisonment and hard labour painting coal white.

Conor and Caroline, rugged individualists both, agreed they didn't give a toss about the rules and ened up in jail very quickly. They soon broke out and painted out 'not' on the 'do not disrespect wardens' board. Luke S merely kept them in prison until they behaved.

Many of the rules involved Health and Safety, such as eating and preparing food with impossibly long tongs (Ashleigh fell foul of this rule twice); or having to wear a seat belt when sitting on the sofa; or donning a protective coverall in dayglo colours when eating - poor Becky had a jumbo sized coverall and still couldn't wriggle into it and zip it up. She finally had to rip the crotch to be able to walk in it - I am sure bB does these things to her on purpose! The required forward rolls to enter the DR also defeated her and she ended up spinning like a top to get in there. How painful it was shortly after to see a lithe Lauren somersault like Springheeled Jack right up to the DR door! Becky must feel suicidal sometimes. Her other comic moment came when Shievonne had been forbidden to talk with her hands and kept forgetting - Becky gave her two oranges rto hold to remind her - for holding , mind, not eating, she said. Guess she has those oranges earmarked.

Lauren was a bit grumpy tonight. Being made to jump on the trampoline while she smoked made her ratty with Adam which earned her a rule break sticker; then when he ate the last of the bacon - well, it was all too much to cope with. She actually punched his arm,; this all led to a reconciliation when he told her he'd give her allthat he had; she said the same but excepted bacon. She does make me laugh sometimes. Adam too, although he's playing a deep game. In conversation with Luke A he again referred to Deana's doubts about Lauren and wondered if Lauren does in fact relate everything they say to the Nasty Squad. However, he laughed his head off when she dressed up in his baggy shirt and did a comic impersoantion of him. Imagine - someone was actually laughing in this year's BB!

Caroline was at her Nikki Graham act again. Her task was to put her hand in three boxes and rummage around for batteries hidden there. hER instructions were to obey BB and ask no questions. Luke A was her supervisor. How she screamed and wailed and wriggled about, apparently having panic attacks at the thought of what might be in the boxes aside from batteries. There were frequent shouts of 'maggots' as she rummaged and then a rule break when she screeched 'WTF was that?' Luke A was remarkably soothing and patient. I kept wishing he'd shove her head in the boxes.

The issue of rule break stickers got frantic when BB gave the Wardens an incentive - the Warden who issued most stickers would be named employee of the week and earn £30 to be spent how they chose when it was shopping time. Luke S's eyes lit up, struck by a vision of protein shakes aplenty. he shared the information with Luke A but did anyone tell Sdam there was a prze?

Conor had a few moments tongiht. When the alarm went off, HMs had to assemble in a safety zone. Conor of course was in the shower and had to assemble in the nude. Quite a physique there - shame about the personality. he also had a task in the DR - he had to answer questions without saying yer or no and not repeat himself. You could tell it was straining his brain, but he did ok. He and Shiv had a game of mock interview with Brian on eviction night. Shiv cuaght the tone of these interviews perfectly. Conor swore a lot and trashed Deana yet again.

THis was a fun evening on the whole - except that Deana and Sara were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps tomorrow...

I have a feeling that one of Lauren and Becky - and their definite personalities, often attractive, often not so - is heading towards winning BB. They both can act disarmingly well in roles beyond themselves. Not that I particularly like either of them!

The avant garde music that Conor elicited from his megaphone was an interesting highlight last night. But I still hope he goes tonight.

All in all it has not been an inspiring bunch of people this season compared to some previous ones, if 'inspiring' is not too strong a word to ever use about this programme! Unless they have new HMs, I can't see that changing.

I am finding the 'warden' task bitty and unsatisfying. Like the HMs themselves. And Sara Long-Legs does not seem to 'grow' as a character at all...

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MY WEBSITE: www.nemonymous.com

I quite like Lauren - her sudden enthusiasms appeal to me somehow. She's better than she was at the startof the series now that she has found her feet.

Becky I cannot be bothered with. Too loud and vulgar for my tastes. And fake as acorn coffee.
Sara is well out of her depth in there. Basically I think she is rather naive and dangerously sincere. She never seems to know what's going on.
I still favour Deana - she's shown ice cold nerve that way she's hung in there in the face of relentless hostility.
Adam is likebalde too.
I haven't settled on my winner yet - but anyone not a member of the Goon Squad will satisfy me really.

I'm hoping it's Conor out tonight but according to the bookies it's going to a close run thing.