How Entertaining Was That?

HUGELY!

The theme for the weekend was the fun involved in watching someone self destruct.

Leading off my discussion of this weekend's TV is Design Star. Was there any doubt that Robb was not going to win?

Actually, yes. I had originally set the book at 1,000:1 for him to win this thing, but after two strong performances back to back, I did start to wonder if I was wrong. Obviously I should not have feared.

I think it must have been the intimidation factor that brought out the worst in Robb. And who wouldn't have been intimidated by having to design Wayne Newton's Las Vegas estate guest house?

Although on technical merit he did not deserve to get his show cancelled last night (that honor belonged to Will), Robb made such a jack-ass out of himself that the judges really had no choice but to can his kiester. I know I shouldn't take pleasure in watching someone totally come unglued, but it was enjoyable to watch because he brought it all on himself. If he replaced a little of his cockiness with a few ounces of composure when the pressure was mounting, he might not have come unglued on national television.

The limousine ride home after the first 8 hours of work were done made for some of the greatest TV ever. Whoever edited that show did a fantastic job. The contrast between the serenity of Will and Todd's ride and the friction of Kim and Robb's was brilliant. All's that was missing was a musical score to give it added effect.

So Robb is gone. And whoever thinks Will has a shot to win is taking prescription medications for life issues. His on-camera narrative of the new space he and Todd had just created can only be summed up by the word "boring". Probably possessing the most gregarious personality of the group, he went totally flat line when he was "hosting" for the camera. Even though his "real" personality is wonderful, I would never watch a show with his "TV personality".

Will has no shot and will without a doubt be the next eliminated. Leaving us with Kim and Todd to choose from to be the next Design Star. It will take a major upset for Kim to win. She is as big an underdog right now as the US Hockey team was in 1980.

The title is Todd's for the taking. It's a 1,000:1 shot that he does not win this thing. I think the only thing that can stop him is either an injury or illness. Or if he decides he doesn't want to win after all and loses on purpose. His TV presentation was good, he is by far the best carpenter, and he is a very creative person. Although he started off with building a weird skateboarding quarter pipe in the living area of the dorm, he has done nothing but shine ever since.

Moving on, I watched Kevin Costner self destruct in the movie "The Postman". It was the first time I'd seen it. I watched this flick for 3 hours and still cannot conclude if this comedic piece of art was intentional or unintentional. I must disagree with the multitude of critics who hated this movie and recommended against watching it. It is hilarious. A must-see. If you are a cinema buff, you have to watch this "masterpiece." The only thing missing from it was "Newman".

It had that coach from "Remember the Titans" in it, so I kept waiting for Denzel Washington to show up with a whistle in his mouth and make everything perfect again.

Finally, I saw the latest episode of "Grand Slam". It's super fascinating to watch these super-nerd game show geniuses start to self destruct under pressure. You can feel the tension in the contestants heads coming to a snapping point, whereupon the concentration is just gone. For the first time in their game show lives, they are coming to the realization that someone may be better than they are.

I believe the person who will win this thing will be a golfer. Because in golf, you have to put the last hole behind you and move on. If you focus on how badly you played that last hole, you're only going to dig yourself a bigger hole on the one you're on. When these guys don't know an answer to something, it really seems to rattle them, like they cannot put it out of their minds.

The matchup I'm waiting to see is Ken Jennings (of Jeopardy fame) against John Carpenter (the first Millionaire winner). It will come in the semifinals if they both win this week.

Tune in same time next weekend.