MP3 Madness, iTunes free downloads this week! Lots of Free TV, and more!

Check out iTunes this weekend for a lot of free TV... episodes of Parenthood, Trinity, Rules of Engagement, and a kids' show called Mrs. P Presents. The first three look like mostly comedy (with Trinity throwing in some drama... it's from Showtime, which might be an indicator, ha) and the last one features retellings of fairy tales. (I had hoped it was a new reincarnation of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, but sadly it doesn't appear so after all) The Truth in Motion: The US Ski Team's Road to Vancouver documentary is also still available.

There's also music downloads from Vita Chambers, Holiday Shores, Fedro, and a music video from Lighthouse, if any of those strike your fancy.

And in other news, please excuse my 10-day absence... I spent the time scrambling to get caught up in all the various arenas of my life, and I think I'm almost on top of things again. Hopefully. For a while anyhow. ;P I'll be back soon with more music freebies and my thoughts on Alice in Wonderland, so stay tuned!!
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LOST: Jacob's Lighthouse, Jack's Son, and Other Things We Never Saw Coming

I think we all know by now that the Lost writers aren't above pulling a new main character out of nowhere whenever it suits their purposes (um, JACOB), but whoever would have guessed that the focus of the no-crash reality this episode would be Jack's heretofore non-existent pre-teen son?? Honestly, no one can really predict what is going to happen next with this show, because there just aren't any rules... which is part of why it's fun I think -- how it keeps defying our expectations week after week.

But yeah, Jack's son David is some kind of musical genius. Not to get all Biblical-allusion-y on everybody, but may I just point out that the Biblical David was a shepherd, and an amazing musician? I have to think that it's a fake-out-clue -- something the writers are hoping people will catch and make a big deal of, but that has NOTHING to do with anything important -- but its still kinda fun. Any guesses on who's David's mom? I actually had completely forgotten that Jack had been married before the original crash (to that chick Sarah) but I suppose it could be her. I'm hoping its somebody from the island though, just because that would be entertaining. Naturally, everybody on the message boards are guessing that it's either Kate or Juliet, but it's definitely not Kate, unless "out of town" is a just a really uber nice euphemism for "permanently on the run and wanted for murder." But even if that were the case, he'd be living with Jack and not just still visiting a few times a month, so we're safe scratching that one. Juliet is a possibility though. Apparently there were photos in David's house as Jack went up to his room that showed a blonde woman, but I didn't see them at all -- anybody catch enough of a glimpse to have any thoughts on who it might have been?

Oh, and can we just pause a moment to laugh heartily at the thought of any modern day kid, living in LA, conveniently owning an actual physical answering machine, that he keeps in his room no less? BAHAHAHAHAHAH.

Now, about Claire... will somebody please buy the poor crazy child a Baby Alive? I mean, that would still be creepy, but not as creepy as the weird little hybrid corpse that she's reading bedtime stories to now. And don't get me started on her "friend!" I wonder how she rationalizes him looking like John, but not being John? Presumably they were "friends" before he started looking like John? In which case I'd be really curious to know what he looked like before... Is the actor who played him for like 3 minutes on the beach at the end of last season permanently out of work, or will that face be returning to the show? I kind of want to see more of him.

The biggest "wtf" of the evening was definitely stumbling out onto the lighthouse... pretty slick! I'm bummed that the mirror smashing came so soon though -- I had really liked the mirror theories bouncing around, that people in the LA reality were catching glimpses of their Island selves in mirrors, and that the two realities would collide in the scene where we saw Jack break the mirror. But alas, no. That was merely Jack being a petulent child. "What, something I don't understand??? I MUST DESTROY IT!!!" And, to my great displeasure, it does indeed seem that he has another mission. We heard it out of the mouth of Jacob himself, Jack has "something he's got to do." Again.

Any ideas on whether turning the lighthouse really was supposed to be a signal bringing someone else to the island like Hurley thought? Or was it just solely designed to throw Jack into one of those volatile moods of his so that he gets all existential and messianic on us?

Of course, another part of the expedition to the lighthouse was apparently to evacuate the last two Candidates from the temple, since it appears Jin is going to be forced to lead Smoky and Claire in for an ambush through the back way... but that leads me wondering, why doesn't Psuedo-Locke already know about the "hole in the wall" entrance? Since we saw the Smoke Monster actually appear from that hole, and drag Rousseau's companions down into it, back during the flashes, it doesn't make sense that he would suddenly not be aware of it any more.

WHICH leads me actually to a huge idea I got from an awesome post by Chris over at hobotrashcan.com. What if both Jacob AND Shadow Dude can take the form of the smoke monster?? To me it makes a lot of sense, just because I've never understood why occasionally the Smoke Monster would choose NOT to kill people (Eko and Locke) and then other times would decide to kill them after all (poor Ecko), and everybody else unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity too. This theory would also fit if it appears that Shadow Dude was unaware of the "back door" to the temple. Just a thought, but definitely one worth pondering!

My favorite idea from the forum: The names and numbers on the roof of the cave actually belongs to Smoky/Pseudo-Locke. The list of names and numbers that belong to Jacob are the ones in the lighthouse. People are emphasizing the "dark" cave and "light" house, which sounds pretty good to me. Apparently those with DVRs and the power to stop the screen at their command also say that the names that are scratched out are different, and that Kate IS on the lighthouse wheel list. *cue the Twilight Zone music*

I think my favorite quote was when Hurley refers to Jacob as coming and going "kinda like Obi-Wan Kenobi." But then of course, I pretty much love it every time they reference Star Wars, so other folks will probably disagree with me. And I'm freehanding that "quote," so if anybody with one of them magical DVR things wants to correct me on the exact wording, that'd be cool. ;)

I loved this episode... what about y'all?? Thoughts, opinions, theories? I want to hear!! We only have weeks left before the show is departed from us for forever, so let's make the most of it! And if anybody else wants to sign my petition demanding a follow-up Lost spin-off, be sure to let me know that too. ;P
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LOST!! "The Substitute" -- New Information about Jacob, the Smoke Monster Shapeshifter, and other mind-blowingness...

If only my professors were also Lost fans, they would kindly assign us less homework for Wednesdays, so as to give me more time to watch and then analyze the show... but no such luck.

So, let's go over this brief-like, and I'll probably post again later with lots of links to all my favorite folks who are funnier and/or smarter then me. (Though I'll pretend that that's only the case because they have more time on their hands at the moment. Gotta save face somehow...)

Lots of interesting bits and pieces filtering through to us this episode about Jacob and The Shadow Shapeshifter Dude! The thing I feel like we have to really keep in mind with all of it though, is that "filtering" bit -- it's all coming to us filtered through The Shadow Man in this episode. Our new information includes:
  • Shadow Dude's shapeshifting days are over (per Ilana, who seemed pretty confident), yet he can still morph into the smoke monster at will.
  • Jacob had everyone's names carved into the roof of his cave. Any opinions on whether that cave "lies in the shadow of the statue"?
  • Jacob was "protecting" the island, and wants somebody to take over for him. Which reminds me of Willy Wonka to be perfectly honest.
  • Shadow Man claims that Jacob was manipulating and controlling everyone to bring them to the island. My one problem with that is that I think it was implied that he brought John Locke back to life after he was thrown out of the window; that isn't so much manipulation as it is straight miracle. What makes this even more interesting to me, is that at least in the case of Locke, Jacob brought life, and Shadow Man brought death, through orchestrating his death during the flashes when the island was skipping through time. (Cuz correct me if I'm wrong, but the Locke who stepped in and instructed Richard with the whole "John, you're gonna have to die" thing, was actually Psuedo-Locke, and not real Locke at all)
  • Shadow Man is definitely not the ultimate authority on the island, even with Jacob gone. He seemed genuinely unnerved when he saw the child in the forest. Ok, question here, in that first glimpse of the little blonde boy, does it look like his hands are bleeding? You know, like... stigmata?? If so, I feel like that points to him being Jr. Jacob. Thoughts?
  • Shadow Man claims to have been human once upon a time, and that he is trapped and just wants to be free. He needs Sawyer to do this... just like he needed Ben to kill Jacob. For being so destructive, when you come down to it he's actually kind of helpless.
  • As symbolized by the scale and the dark and light rocks, Shadow Man and Jacob balanced each other out, like yin and yang, but Shadow Man believes he's eliminated Jacob from the equation.
  • Ilana collects Jacob's ashes. Ashes -> phoenix?? Significant perhaps? Or maybe she just wanted to scatter them somewhere... but I'd guess there's more to it then that.
My best prediction:
Jacob isn't guarding the island from the world... he's guarding the world from the island. Let's be honest, from smoke monster to mysterious destructive energy, from skipping through time and wreaking havoc on people's brains, to folks who apparently have the power to revive the dead and/or assume their shape, there's a lot on the island to be protected from.

Ideas & Points I like from the Lost forum:
  • Sawyer is pulling a long-con on Shadow Man, and will be the one who defeats him in the end.
  • Shephard's number was 23 -- Psalm 23 is the famous "The Lord is my shephard" psalm...
  • Richard is no longer immortal now that Jacob is dead.
I'll probably post again later with links, extra ideas, etc. :) Let me know your thoughts!!
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MP3 Madness! Free-and-Legal iTunes downloads: Easton Corbin, Mariah Carey, lots of Olympics clips and more!

This week iTunes is featuring a pretty nice range of genres for free download... which, among other things, may or may not be code for "eek, country!" Just kidding, Country Fans, just kidding...

Here's the scoop!
  • Easton Corbin with "A Little More Country Then That" -- I don't consider myself qualified to comment on country (I plead the 5th) but this one has great ratings, so it's definitely worth checking out!
  • Jets Overhead with "Heading for Nowhere" -- easy listening, gentle, likable pop.
  • Mariah Carey with "Up Out My Face" (this one's the music video of the week) -- I find the video for this one mildly confusing (what's with the funky subtitles popping up at random times?) but it also has fantabulous ratings so I'm obviously the only one who doesn't love it.
  • ChocQuibTown with "De Donde Vengo Yo" -- I think this is my favorite. I have a weakness for Spanish hip-hop (aka reggaeton), so this one is pretty much headed to the top of my playlist as we speak...
There's also a bunch of Olympic themed clips right now, including a Figure Skating Glossary and "How to Take a Slapshot," so if you're feelin' the winter-sports vibe I imagine you'll want to take the opportunity to brush up on your skilz and terminology.

These downloads are guaranteed available for the next week, so get 'em while you can, and keep your eyes peeled for more MP3 freebies throughout the week!

That last part is code for "if you haven't already, you should subscribe to my blog via email or RSS right about now!!" ;)
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MP3 Madness: New Angels and Airwaves album free!

Is the download you're looking for no longer available?  :(  Free-and-legal tracks are often offered only temporarily, so I'm sorry if you have missed the window for this one.  Look to the right to subscribe via email, feed reader, blogloving, twitter, etc, and I'll make sure that you never miss out on free music again!

Oh wow, Angels and Airwaves is offering their whole new album Love for free download! According to the site:

"This album is free for you. If you like it and want to put some money towards it, we would be grateful for your support. In fact, as our way of saying thanks, we'll give you an exclusive song remixed by Mark Hoppus of blink-182! If you don't want - or aren't able - to contribute, then please accept the album free of charge."

If you're unfamiliar with Angels and Airwaves, it's an alternative rock group that began as a solo project spearheaded by blink-182's guitarist/vocalist after that band broke up. Their song "The Adventure" was a pretty popular single a while back. I'm looking forward to checking out their new album! Definitely an awesome freebie...
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Adventures in the Land of Surveys: Opinion Outpost

Surveys are a great way to thwart boredom and earn a little cash while you're at it, and I consider Opinion Outpost one of the best. Their good points are:
  • A reliable, professional privacy policy,
  • a very navigable site,
  • frequent surveys,
  • a fair points-award system (longer surveys give you more points, etc)
  • accurate pre-survey estimates on how long each one will take to complete
  • sweepstakes entries or instant-win gameplays as a "consolation prize"when you don't qualify for a survey
  • an option to instantly redeem your credit for Amazon giftcodes at any point past 500 points ($5). They'll also send you a check if you prefer that.
It really does add up quick! There are all kinds of topics for the surveys too, everything from toothpaste to cellphones, from politics to movies. Movies are my favorite... getting paid to watch a preview and tell what I think, or critique a movie poster and choose my favorite out of six options? Um, sure, I can do that for you... Since signing up with them almost exactly five months ago I've earned $41 in Amazon codes, and that's even with several month-long lapses where I wasn't trying to qualify for any of their surveys.

So yeah, check them out! You might just find that you've hit a goldmine with Opinion Outpost, cowboy hat and all. ;P (confused? haha check out the site and then you can come back and hit me for making dumb wannabe-puns)

A tip before you start signing up for surveys... definitely create yourself a new email account specifically for that purpose. Its just easier to keep them all in one place and stay organized that way, and avoid cluttering up your main inbox.

Disclosure: These are referral links. If you have a survey site you like, feel free to send me your referral link in return and I'll check it out!
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Free LOST Goodies... Valentines and bingo!

Awww just in time for the big, sugary, pink-and-red celebration of love and commercialism: LOST Valentines!! You can choose lovey-dovey, satirical messages from Sun, Jack, even Sayid and Desmond (apparently Kate, Sawyer, and Ben will be added soon too). But my favorite so far is Locke's:

Bahaha! So, do tell, which one would you choose for your sweetheart??

Also really entertaining is the Lost Bingo that Sci Fi Wire came up with for the premiere... It's AWESOME. Even if you're like me and would be too busy bouncing around in your chair and keeping up a running commentary on the events of the episode to be able to add Bingo into the mix, you'll still enjoy reading through them. From "Kate kisses Sawyer" to "Kate Kisses Jack" to "Someone is Cryptic When they Should Be Direct" and "Vincent!" I think they managed to cover most of the bases.

So there you go... a little fun at the expense of our favorite TV obsession. After all, Lost pretty much reinvented TV cliche as we know it. Might as well celebrate the fact!! ;)
4

LOST Befuddlement, aka Claire Rousseau?? and zombie Sayid needs killing.


So, y'all remember last week when I said I was kind of disappointed?

I take it back.

Last week was awesome. I loved last week. It's this week I'm disappointed in. ;P

Just kidding, but seriously... Sayid's "resurrection" turned out to not be quite what it had seemed, despite Jacob insisting that he just HAD to get better... maybe it needed to happen not in the "we have to save Sayid!!" way, but in the "this will trigger a chain of events that must take place for some other purpose" sort of way.

I did enjoy seeing the post-crash Claire in LA, and her and Kate's little unfolding friendship there... like I said, we love this show because of the web of interwoven lives. If they want to keep us engaged in this parallel universe, they need to start weaving.

Really, nothing happened this episode besides that... and... the appearance of the blond reincarnation of Rousseau!! Complete with rock traps, indiscriminate bulls-eye shooting, and no doubt a "what did they do with my child??" complex. Despite this weird history-repeating-itself thing, I'm overjoyed to see Claire! I hold out hope for her still, despite the Other-Others (I'm going to start calling them the Barefoot Others) claiming that she had become infected with evil that destroyed her entirely. I guess we'll just wait and see now won't we...

Which reminds me, do we think it's safe to assume that the Barefoot Others are the ones who stole the children in the first season?

And last but not least, did Jack seriously not cough up that pill? Are we supposed to believe that he's poisoned now? I was watching the episode with my pal Gretchen, and she and I both thought he had spit it out until Barefoot Others were giving him tea and looking worried. So are we supposed to be afraid for his life or something? I'm actually more afraid that he'll end up NOT dying, in some kind of "oh wow, you're the Chosen One!!" way -- I'm kind of sick of Jack having missions.

I'm trying to remember if I've forgotten anything... the only other thing I remember being struck by is that during the whole time Nasty Barefoot Other was bitching at Kate, all I could do was think, "Hey look, it's the guy from Always Sunny in Philadelphia!" and feel mildly entertained by the association. Which I don't think is what they were going for...

So anybody want to fill me in on all the massive amazing symbolism I totally missed? Please please, point out something that will make me less inclined to go picket the Lost writers' houses with Stop Disappointing Me signs.

And don't get me wrong, I still love Lost. I'm just griping in the way that an old grandmother might gripe because she expected her grandson to be president, and he's only running for mayor. But hey, I still totally believe he could be suddenly elected president at any moment... and hopefully one week from tonight. ;P


For the next few weeks, my demands are as follows:
  • Sawyer discovers something good to live for. A message in a bottle from Juliet if needs be... I'm really not picky at this point.
  • Claire sits down and has an emotionally satisfying, hopefully redemptive chat with Jin, and does NOT go scurrying off into the jungle, to disappear for another four or five episodes.
  • Jin is reunited with Sun. They gaze soulfully into one another's eyes, and all of America tears up a little.
  • We see Daniel Faraday. It can be in the parallel universe... I just miss him.
  • Jack dies. Or doesn't die, because the "poison" turns out to be magic dust that turns him into Jacob. Hey, if he has to be the Chosen One again, let's make it good...
  • Kate finds a NEW love interest. I vote Zen Master Yoda back in Shangri La, just because that would be hilarious... (an idea also suggested independently over at Green Jello, so by the Great Minds principle you KNOW it has merit)
  • And last but not least, Ben realizes that having killed Jacob he's also capable of killing Pseudo-Locke, so he goes ahead and offs him and solves that little problem once and for all.
  • Richard gives everybody the magic elixir of eternal life, and they all live happily ever after.
Writers, that's your assignment. Please get on it. Kthxbye.

EDIT: If you still haven't gotten your Lost fix for the week, be sure to check out the Lost Valentines and Bingo! Toooo funny. ;)

EDIT AGAIN: OMG, if you like Lost you HAVE to go read the recap over at Kisatrtle's Kreative Korner... I laughed so hard!! And believe me, funny enough to make me use caps, bold, and exclamation points all in one sentence is pretty dang funny.
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MP3 Madness: free Sia, ShinyToy Guns, and CSS!

Awesome! Lincoln is offering for free download the four songs they're currently featuring in their ads, including Sia's "Under the Milky Way," and ShinyToy Guns' "Major Tom" and "Burnin' For You." I already knew I liked Sia, but I was pleasantly surprised by ShinyToy Guns -- these are well-worth picking up! "Major Tom" has dreamy overtones a la Sia, but in a Ladytron-electronica kind of way, and "Burnin' For You" is pretty much as up-tempo and catchy as they come. Fun!

Make sure to vote for which song you'd like to see featured in their ads next... maybe we'll get that free eventually too! ;P
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Do-Gooding the Broke Way: "Join My Village" Opportunity

Oh wow, I love this! General Mills has pledged to donate up to $500,000 towards fighting poverty in Malawi with an online program called Join My Village -- they're empowering women and girls in 75 different villages to be able to support themselves and their families. I think this is by far the coolest "click to donate" opportunity I've seen... General Mills isn't just looking for a way to bribe people into visiting their site, they're actually seeking to raise awareness regarding global poverty and put a face on what all too often is just a blur of awful numbers.

Check it out -- by simply creating a profile and clicking around to explore the stories of real-life women or answer trivia questions about Malawai, you can "unlock" as much as $5 a day towards the cause. Most similar fundraisers donate just pennies per click, so I respect that they're willing to follow through with their commitment in a meaningful way. General Mills and their team members have "raised" $171,889.02 so far, and if people get active I'm sure we can prod them on to their goal in no time. I joined team Kaisi and answered a few trivia questions, and voila! $5 closer to the goal in only a matter of a few minutes. I also have newly acquired knowledge about Malawai now! Did you know that it's located in Southeast Africa, is a multi-party democracy, and that the largest religion there is Protestantism? Yeah, I didn't either. ;P I'm looking forward to learning more through this program though! So hurry right now before you forget, come over and join my village!

Even when you're flat broke, you can still help out others! Donating your time is of course the most valuable thing you can do, but if you're short on cash and on time, then here are some other ways to "do good" right here and now. :)
This post is part of Work's for Me Wednesday, over at We're THAT Family. Be sure to check it out for more great tips, ideas, and short-cuts!
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MP3 Madness: Amazon Must-Haves, aka free-&-legal tunes from Au Revoir Simone, the Lovell Sisters, and a full album of rock!

Have y'all picked up on the fact that I'm going to be doing my MP3 Madness posts a bit different from now on? What with school, work, trying to figure out a wedding, still have a life, AND get to sleep occasionally, I just don't have time for the kind of long all-encompassing posts that I prefer to write. So prepare yourself for more "telegraphs from the battlefield" type missives, that will hopefully still keep us all up-to-date on what's free, legal, and awesome in the music world.

Today I'm highlighting a few freebies from Amazon, starting with an Au Revoir Simone track that I may or may not have already mentioned before. I refuse to check, just because I love them enough to mention them twice if that's how it's gotta be. ;P The song is "Shadows" from the album Still Night, Still Light from last year. They're among my indie-rock favorites, and I think pretty much anybody would find their music enjoyable... or so my biased opinion goes anyhow.

There's also two free tracks from the Lovell Sisters -- "Time to Grow" and "In My Time of Dyin.'" I somehow managed to not know the history of that last song, but it's apparently a blues stand-by that was covered by Led Zeppelin at some point, and gets a fresh, bluegrass treatment here. If you enjoyed the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack you'll probably like these.

One I wasn't planning on mentioning but just stumbled across while I was downloading the Lovell Sisters' tracks is the song "Way to Here" by Gypsy Tailwind. Anybody know this group?? As soon as I get some extra time (HA) I'm going to have to try to do some researching, because this free track is good. It's another folk/bluegrass type, but with some really nice male/female vocal interplay (also known as a duet, but that somehow didn't express it for me).

Then we've got a whole album (11 tracks!) called Great City, from an alternative rock group named Revere. I'm still listening through this one, but I like it a lot so far -- if you like more hard rock stuff then this one is for you. Edit: Aha! I have it now.. I was trying and trying to remember who they reminded me of. I think they remind me of My Chemical Romance, if that helps you imagine their sound...

Ok, gotta make myself stop... that's all for now, but if you haven't already you should consider subscribing via email or RSS so that you won't miss a single update! I promise to keep your iPod slammin' and jammin'. Um yea, I just made that up. But you get the idea. ;)
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Try World's Best Cat Litter for FREE!!

So sorry this offer is no longer available!  However they do offer coupons fairly regularly to people on their mailing list, and sometimes on coupons.com as well.  :)  Subscribe to the right to follow me, and I'll keep you updated in the future if the rebate ever becomes available again!

Oh sweet, World's Best Cat Litter has a "Try Me Free" rebate offer available on their website right now!  Looks like the offer will be good all through 2011.  This litter is the only kind that I use (or rather, my cats....OBVI! ;P), due to the fact that it's made out of corn and is thus much more sustainable, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly then most cat litters. It's also dust-free, clumping, flushable, and does a remarkable job hiding odors given that it's all-natural. When I first started using it I thought the name was just entertaining hubris, but after a bit I had to admit that it's pretty accurate... so far as I can tell, they really are the world's best cat litter.

It does tend to be pricey, about $10 for a 7 lb bag, which makes this offer even more awesome. I have to say too, that it might be worth it to use the "contact us" form on the website and try to hint your way into some coupons -- I recently contacted them to let them know how much I loved the product, and they emailed me a link to a $2 off coupon. (Edit: Also, while you're at it make sure to check out this post for the "scoop" - ahaha I'm hilarious - on where to find an internet printable coupon for $3/1 bag of litter) In the past I've combined manufacturer's coupons like that with $/$$ coupons (like Pet Supermarket's "$2 off a purchase of $10" coupon that you can find fairly regularly in the Sunday paper) to get a pretty good deal on it even from a Frugalista's point of view.

Other "green" cat litter products I've heard of include Yesterday's News (made out of recycled newspaper), Feline Pine (made out of wooden pellets that sort of melt into sawdust... I used that one for a while but didn't love it), and Swheat Scoop (made out of wheat). I recommend World's Best Cat Litter from personal experience, but would love to hear opinions if anybody else has tried any of the others!

Disclosure: Not an affiliate... I just like their stuff. ;)
3

MP3 Madness!! aka, free stuff worth snagging from iTunes (lotsa TV!)

This week there's some fun music freebies on iTunes, courtesy of V.V. Brown, Millionyoung, Tokio Hotel, and Avenida 6... my favorite being V.V.'s R&B tinged "Shark in the Water." There's also a ton of free TV, including the pilots of fashion reality show Kell on Earth, quirky kid's show Kick Buttowski Suburban Daredevil (um yea, you read that right...), Battlestar Galactica spin-off Caprica, and internet-favorite The Guild. Gamers and Dr Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog fans, that last one is for you!

There's also the first two episodes of The Deep End, what looks like a quite entertaining show about young attorneys... I can't decide if they're trying to be the Grey's Anatomy of the legal world, or Scrubs, or maybe some kind of combination of the two. Can I get comments from anybody who has actually seen it? And will somebody please please help me think where I know the dark-haired actress from??

Last but definitely not least, a cool freebie this month is one of the first televised interviews with Martin Luther King Jr, from 1957. You can also find a sweet music video to the She & Him song "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" labeled as a (500) Days of Summer podcast. I <3 She & Him, and the choreography is really fun too.

All these should be available until Tuesday, which is when iTunes normally swaps them out, so grab anything you want now! And stay tuned for more MP3 Madness over the weekend.
1

Lost, the Beginning of the End... and the beginning of the disappointment??

Ok let's be honest... anybody else annoyed?

1. After investing 20 precious minutes in digging a woman out of a hole, DON'T YOU DARE LET HER DIE ONCE WE GET HER OUT OF THAT HOLE!! I mean, c'mon. There's suspense, and then there's emotional manipulation, and then there's just freaking WASTING TIME. Lost writers, just go ahead and admit it, you have no idea how you're going to fill up the next season, do you? Otherwise why would you be killing time like this?

2. Having it both ways is just cheating, y'all. Are they going to have parallel universes during the whole season? Will the finale culminate in the characters coming face to face with themselves? And let's be honest, the losties just aren't as compelling on their own. It's the web of intertwined lives that we're obsessed with, not their own little lives and worries. We've seen Kate play escape artist plenty of times now, and Sawyer the jackass just doesn't hold the same allure. We're over it.

3. I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!! I totally called it that Locke was merely a manifestation of the smoke monster. Though really at this point I can't remember whether that was already accepted fact at the end of last season, so my gloating might be uncalled for...

4. I thought Shannon was going to be back in this season? Or could they not get her actress interested after all? Because right now I'm trying to come up with all kinds of interpretations as to where she is, and if it was just a real-life scheduling conflict then I don't want to waste my time wondering.

5. Aw Claire, I'm so happy to see you....! But Lord only knows why Charlie is trying to kill himself all the sudden, the pre-wreck Charlie we were introduced to on the beach originally gave NO indication of being even a little blue. I mean, beyond the level "oh, well, this is a crappy day..." that is completely justified when you're sitting on a beach because your plane wrecked and you're stuck on a freaky island.

6. Juliet, you almost made me cry again. Why on earth did they bother bringing Sayid back and not you? I'm nowhere near enough invested in him to be blown away by his recovery.

7. Speaking of dead people coming back to life, anybody have any opinions about whether Jacob being dead is the same thing as humans being dead? The pseudo-Locke guy is obviously not alive in the strictest sense of the word, and doesn't even need a body to exist. Jacob seems cut from the same cloth.

8. Reference from pseudo-Locke about returning home sounded awfully Mount Olympus-y to me.

9. Sigh, so what we thought was the temple was actually a wall? And beyond this wall is Shangri-La? Color me disgruntled.

10. Richard in chains? Is this some kind of reference to the slave ship? If it hadn't looked so 17th century I would start guessing that it was a more ancient slave ship, like, you know, Greek days. Or Egyptian, that would work too...

Best quote of the evening was from Hurley: "Aw man, that's gross."

I'm expecting better things from next week -- hopefully the premiere gave the writers enough new material to work with that they can start coughing up some answers. But I'm still happy Lost is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm just going to need a lot of Dharma beer to get me through future episodes if things don't start improving kinda quick-like.

What did the rest of you think? Did I miss something mind-blowing that would have made the whole two hours utterly amazing and transformative, or was I right in feeling a little exasperated? And did anybody else laugh at the fact that there are now THREE different Locke's bouncing around??

This picture pretty much sums up how I feel at the moment lol:

*EDIT I just read over at Rocks in My Dryer that people are saying that perhaps Sayid is the new manifestation of Jacob, a la Locke being the manifestation of Bad-Dude, and I really like that idea... especially with the way his arms were spread like a cross when they brought him out of the water. I thought as I watched that it seemed an awful lot like resurrection symbolism, so it could work out nicely if Jacob really is borrowing his body now... thoughts?
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Free Right At Home Giftpack, & other free goodies!

Oooh this literally JUST went up on the site so hopefully we have a good chance of being one of the first 10,000... jump over to the Right at Home site to request a free Island Getaway Fragrance Giftpack.

Yogi tea has a fun freebie right now too; you can send a personalized e-card to a friend and Yogi will send them samples of two teas of your choice! I got samples from Yogi once last year and loved them, so I was extra excited to see this one.

You can also print a coupon for $1/1 Starbucks bottled frappucino drinks, which makes it pretty close to free when there's a sale...

And last but not least, you can also request free samples of Cream of Wheat and Splenda Flavors for Coffee right now too!

Have fun with the party in your mailbox!! :)
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