http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/07/julie-chen-blogs-big-brother-season-11-premiere.html

Jul 17, 2009, 01:42 AM | by Julie Chen

I
can't believe we are in our 11th season and 10th year! Over the years,
Big Brother has almost become synonymous with summer at CBS. We have a
saying now: "If it's summer...it's Big Brother!" It has become like a
familiar friend you look forward to seeing every summer. A guilty
pleasure where you're allowed to love, hate, and judge total strangers
being real and human. I think we all see a bit of either ourselves or
people we know (love ‘em or hate ‘em!) in all of the Houseguests.

EW
asked if I would start my weekly Big Brother blog with an overview of
random topics encompassing my perspective on many things Big Brother.
So, here goes…

But first (wink), let’s talk about the elephant
in the EW blog room…The Chenbot! I was horrified when my best friend
from college first told me about my Big Brother nickname. But, there
was a side of me that kind of also got it right away. When I played
dumb and asked her to explain it...it was exactly what I expected to
hear. Then I was kind of embarrassed and yet unsure how to feel or
react. (Chenbot was hurt...does this mean the Chenbot has
emotions!?!?!). But, when I told my agent to get some sympathy, he made
a funny remark in a robot-like voice and said something
like...”Oh-yeah-you-did-not-know?” And he e-mailed me a link where
someone edited together all my "But firsts…" (You know who you are, Ben
Mandelker!) from the live shows and I laughed my head off. I WAS the
Chenbot. Each delivery was EXACTLY the same -- different hairdos,
different outfits...same damn robotic delivery with precision and zero
emotion. That's when I said to myself, "Can I blame em? I AM the
Chenbot!" The Beatles' lyrics of "I am the Walrus" went through my head
but I substituted in Chenbot.

Folks have also expressed interest
in my wardrobe. For Big Brother, I try for something more "primetime"
looking...and not so business suit-like... which is what I tend to wear
in the mornings for “The Early Show.” Big Brother is my chance to wear
some sleeveless things since it's summer time and a primetime show. I
also try to have fun with some more glamorous outfits...and things that
are fashion-forward. Hosting while pregnant has been fine so far but,
with the season coinciding with my last trimester, finding the right
clothes has been a challenge. I’m due October 4 (which is about 2 weeks
after our finale). I have a beautiful tent dress ready for that show!
I'm not trying to hide it. I told Allison Grodner (one of the EP’s) and
the director, Jim Tanker, that I am more than fine with them shooting
the show the same way they always have been, which has plenty of wide
and full body shots, and it's up to them if they want to make any
changes.

I’m often asked how I stay informed of the Houseguests
and the events in the BB House. Well, thanks to our handy, dandy daily
"Hot Sheets," watching ALL the shows (which I LOVE), watching Big
Brother After Dark on Showtime Too when I can (although, I probably
should be sleeping) and talking to the producers in our weekly script
meetings, I really try to make the effort. The "Hot Sheets" are really
key, though. They are daily logs of what is going on in the house. One
person each summer is designated to watch the Houseguests and log all
the highlights of what's currently happening. These are my Big Brother
cliff notes that hit all the major points and events. I’m usually on a
plane every three or four days during the summer to do both jobs (Big
Brother and The Early Show), so that’s perfect catch-up time. But, now
with the pregnancy, I've had to slow it down and will have to stop
traveling completely sometime in August due to doctor's orders!

What
do you think of the new twist? Personally, I’m a huge fan of it because
that's what Big Brother always boils down to in the end...behaving like
you did in high school. There are cliques, there are fights, there are
romances, and there is often betrayal. Big Brother tests how mature or
immature some of us can be...it's not always pretty, but it's pretty
fun to watch.

Which brings us to Jessie from Season 10 and the
fact that he’s back. This has certainly caused quite a stir both inside
and outside the house…and I love that! A lot of people have e-mailed or
commented to me saying "Oh no, Jessie's back?!?!?" To me, that's a
great response because it shows he was memorable and interesting to
watch. If people said "Who's back??? I don't remember him/her…" -- that
would be disastrous. The most interesting people to watch are the ones
who are not beloved by all. People have also asked about the reactions
of the former Houseguests who were vying to get back in the BB House.
During last week’s premiere, we also brought back Brian from Season 10,
Jessica from Season 8 and Cowboy from Season 5. As we now know, Jessie
made it back in the house (and turned red with excitement when he
realized he was going back in... I thought his muscles were going to
explode). Cowboy seemed pretty sad that he didn't get his chance at
redemption...I felt bad for him. Especially since he made it to the
final two but didn't win BB 5. Brian and Jessica seemed to take it well
and were good sports.

So, last night was our first live eviction
and Braden was sent packing. Despite all the drama in the house, he did
make an impressive effort to turn things around and almost pulled it
off. But, Ronnie’s last minute flip back to his original alliance with
the Athletes created a tie vote which resulted in Jessie, the current
HOH, making the final decision. Each week, we usually decide by
committee what topics to discuss with each evictee. It's usually the
same questions people are asking at home of the Houseguests...like
"What made you do this...and what made you do that????" And, "What were
you thinking???" But we have to be careful, if they are jury members,
not to give anything away that they shouldn't be privy to. This season,
I asked my executive producers to please tell the Houseguests that I am
expecting so they’re not surprised when they get evicted and see my big
belly. They typically only see my head and shoulders on their monitor
in the living room when I speak to them. I didn't want the evicted
Houseguests to come out of the BB House and be caught off guard and
make my pregnancy a talking point...like "What???" Or,
"Congratulations!!!" I want the live shows to stay focused on them and
their experience in the house.

A few thoughts on some of this
season’s Big Brother Houseguests…but first...I don't think there have
been this many fights and outbursts so early in our BB history! Yikes!
Russell vs. Jeff. Natalie vs. Jeff. Braden vs. Kevin. Jordan vs. Lydia.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. Having said that, so far I think Lydia
is playing it well...almost too well there for awhile, in that people
were catching on that she is a serious threat. She needed to be a
little disruptive...just enough so people could start to see her as
having flaws and not as a threat...and, she certainly delivered after
being saved by Russell at the POV Ceremony. (Side note: How gross was
the POV Competition, “Pop Goes The Veto” – gotta hand it to
production…ICK!). She obviously took a page from Evil Dick's gameplay
book or Will from Chilltown. Give ‘em just a little of herself to hate
on and she'll be safer. (Although, I’m not sure she planned her
outburst. There seemed to be a lot of genuine emotion behind it and
Jordan didn’t know what hit her!) Casey is playing it well, too,
although a lot of the other Houseguests commented early on that he came
on a bit strong trying to play the “Don’t vote off the old guy!” card.
He’s 41, for Pete’s sake…hardly about to claim senior citizen status!
But, he finally got away from that and is playing it right and saving
the juicy comments for the Diary Room instead of his housemates' faces.
Then again, this season is changing by the hour, so who knows what’s
going to happen tomorrow?! Who are your favorites? Who’s proving the
most shocking and unexpected?

So, that’s it for my first ever
Big Brother blog. Looking forward to reading your thoughts. (Who knows
-- could end up being another useful means to keep current with the
Houseguests and events this season!) Leave questions on the comment
boards and I’ll do my best to answer what I can each week!

That was a great read! Thanks Flower!

Thanks flower..

I've never been a Julie fan.

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/07/julie-chen-blogs-big-brother-season-11-elimination-2.html

WOW! I don’t know about you, but I have mental whiplash trying to keep up with all of this week’s events in the Big Brother house. I thought about a monster recap, but so many websites already do that (thank you, BB
viewers and fans!), so I’ll go in a different direction. More
observations and some recaps, but I'm also including actual quotes said
by the Houseguests over the past week...example:

CHIMA on RELATIONSHIPS: "Never leave a relationship without a handbag."

What can I say...that statement is so off the charts that it made me
laugh. Okay, overall, let’s face it...the clock was ticking on the
amount of time it was going to take for Ronnie’s House of Cards to fall
apart.

It was nice to see Big Brother 10 winner, Dan, back again
to host the “Have/Have Not” Competition. I’m told he’s still living in
Michigan and has been very responsible with his winnings. He’s looking
at possible real estate opportunities, hoping to support their local
economy...good for him! Regarding the competition, when Casey and Chima
won the opportunity to screen the upcoming feature film, “The Ugly
Truth,” I think the baby kicked when I saw all those sweets and could
only imagine the sugar high those two must have been on! Personally, I
haven't had any unusual cravings during my current pregnancy, but I
think that's because I've always had a healthy appetite, and now is no
different. Seeing those sweets, however, DID make me want a jumbo pack
of red Twizzlers and a giant box of Milk Duds with an ice cold glass of
skim milk.




Ronnie certainly laid the majority of his cards down after
nominating Laura and Jeff for eviction. But, it didn’t take long for
two members of Ronnie’s current alliance, Lydia and Russell, to have
their own screaming match, which then caused some to petition to
backdoor Russell. (PING!) But, Natalie and Jessie appealed to Ronnie
and Casey became the new replacement target (PONG!) That is, until
Jordan jumped in and went after Ronnie for playing both sides of the
house. Ronnie considered her “dead to me,” and decided she’d be the
replacement nomination, if necessary (PING!). Just before the Veto
Competition, Ronnie’s back to being excited about back-dooring Russell
(PONG!). Meantime, after it’s determined who will play for the POV,
Jessie, Natalie, and Jeff (yes, you read that right!) briefly met in
the red room where they reached an understanding that Casey and Laura
must not win...HUH? Jeff was conspiring with Jessie and Natalie? I
guess it makes sense since they are still the Athletes’ Clique, but
that was unexpected, to say the least! Anyhow, Jeff won and took
himself off the block. Despite Ronnie’s desire to backdoor Russell, he
apparently hadn’t gotten over the blowout with Jordan, so she ended up
on the block (PING!).

JEFF to JORDAN: “I’m trying to carry you. You are getting heavy.”
JORDAN on RONNIE: “He is a rat.”JORDAN on naming the Great Lakes: “Is there a bay or something?”

It’s hardly far from over, but, first...for those who are wondering
about Lydia’s sudden change of appearance (no makeup and sports
shorts/T-shirts)...she lost a bet with Natalie after a game of pool and
had to dress in Natalie’s clothes and go without make-up for a day or
so. Lydia, a professional makeup artist, was unhappy about it, to say
the least! This, too, did not go without its own drama. Natalie was
upset that the other girls were in her face about not being “girlie”
enough, which caused certain tension amongst themselves.

LYDIA: “C’mon, Shrimpy Shrimp, we’re gonna get you in skirts and heels by the end of this!”

NATALIE: “Uh...no.”

Back to the game, the biggest blowout came when Russell and
Laura confronted Ronnie for being a liar. After another dizzying round
of confrontations, a light bulb went off within the entire house and
everyone finally realized the extent of Ronnie’s lies. All of a sudden,
the Houseguests, sans Ronnie, became sunshine and smiles when they
realized that Ronnie was the source of all their problems
(PONG!)...everything from misunderstandings, shortage of food, clogged
toilets and the brief power outage in the house...it’s all Ronnie’s
fault!!

Ronnie then spent the better part of two days barricaded in his
palatial HOH room...alone (well, unless he had to come out to go to the
Diary Room and Russell was there to follow him around as he berated him
until Ronnie could once again hide behind closed doors...but was that
just an act? (Lydia’s the first to think so!!!).

Oh, then there’s Jessie, who snuck up to Ronnie’s HOH room at one point and told him to lay low...they have his back...but, do they??? (PING!)

CASEY on RONNIE: “I’m a hustler and he hustled me.”

MICHELE: “I’m seriously scared for my sanity. I have no idea what’s real anymore.”

As the hours unfold, Ronnie’s clearly The Plague of the BB House. Or is he???
Some of the Houseguests have begun to lick the wounds inflicted by the
master gamer, Ronnie, and have started to rethink their strategy
(PONG!).

Jessie winning the Head of Household competition is going to make
for one heckuva week in the BIG BROTHER House. If he doesn't nominate
Ronnie he'll have a lot of explaining to do to the others and will risk
putting a target on his own back. Jessie still seems to want to work in
secret with Ronnie...but now that he's HOH, he's got to play this hand
carefully. Can’t wait to see what unfolds this week!!!

The live HOH competitions are always a challenge. We always have to
"expect the unexpected" and plan for all the "what ifs"...from
technical difficulties to an electronic game breaking
down/malfunctioning...to freak accidents...all while watching the clock
and realizing we MUST be fair AND have a winner before the clock
strikes 9. Yikes.

READER QUESTIONS:

When will you be back on Iron Chef: America?

I don't think I'll be on Iron Chef America for a little while. They
tape in September typically and always in NY...and I'll be in LA
finishing up Big Brother and be getting ready to deliver
baby! Plus I think with my food restrictions due to my pregnancy, I
probably would be a tough judge to have on the show. But once I've
delivered...I'll be ready to try it all!

Do you and Allison condone cheating on this show?

One reader was "really disturbed by hearing Jessie and them plan on
cheating in the next HOH competition." We certainly do NOT condone
cheating on the show. That's why we're Big Brother. We're always watching.

How come you didn’t take down Braden for calling you a derogatory name?

First, I didn't know at the time if it was true. Second, even if it
was, it's not relevant to the game. The interview should be about how
that houseguest played the game and how he/she played with others in
the house. But when I did a 12 minute interview with Braden for the CBS
website, I did ask him who is the most important woman in his life and
what would she say about his behavior in the house? His response was
very telling. He said his mother was the most important woman in his
life but that he also doesn't speak to her much. That was enough to
satisfy my curiosity on IF he had used a derogatory word against women
to refer to me and the WHY part? It didn't even matter. His response
made me feel sadness for him.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/07/31/julie-chen-blogs-big-brother-season-11-elimination-3/


Jul 31
2009
07:58 AM ET

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Julie Chen blogs 'Big Brother': Season 11, elimination #3


by Julie Chen

Categories: 'Big Brother', About Last Night, Reality TV, Television, Things That Are Awesome!


Well, if Casey had to go, he sure went out with guns a’blazin’! But first…
After Jessie won HOH again last week, I couldn’t help but laugh when
he started pulling the House Guests into his HOH Room, one at a time,
to interrogate…uh, I mean, question each one about their motives and
game play. Although many viewers have their issues with Jessie, you
have to admit this is good stuff and the boards keep talking about him,
so there’s something to be said about that! Speaking of…Jessie,
Natalie, and Lydia? Talk amongst yourselves… I’m not even going to
begin to speculate on that!
Lydia: “When I’m watching
Jessie sleeping sometimes, he moves or smiles or his face has
expressions – maybe he’s dreaming of unicorns…maybe he’s thinking about
me. That would be nice.”
FUN FACT:
HAVE/HAVE NOT COMPETITION: “Keg Racer”
We used 75 gallons of suds.
There were 75 hanging foam ice cubes.
How many of you caught the complete “Truth or Dare” game play on the
live feeds? Well, for those of you who missed it, here’s the breakdown
of pranks. The House Guests, obviously looking to pass the time,
started challenging each other. Natalie was dared to moon Lydia as she
exited the Diary Room. When Lydia emerged, she was less than thrilled
to be greeted by Natalie’s derriere. Ronnie was then dared to hug Casey
(personally, this one made me a little nervous knowing how upset Casey
is with him…but Casey, visibly annoyed by the whole thing, kept his
cool, although he did let others know he did not want to be part of
anything Ronnie ever again). Back to the game, Kevin was dared to slip
into bed with Jessie, who was napping in the HOH suite. Kevin gingerly
crawled into bed and cuddled with him. Natalie then woke Jessie up and
he became irritated that his slumber was interrupted. The game
continued as Russell licked whipped cream off of Chima’s neck, while
Chima licked honey off of Russell’s finger. Hmm…yet another budding
romance or mere game play? Talk amongst yourselves!
Chima: “I can’t believe you said I’m pretentious. I don’t try to pretend to be somebody I’m not.”
FUN FACT:
POWER OF VETO COMPETITION: “When Pigs Fly”
There were 7,000 gallons of mud in the pit.
There were three 10-point truffles in the mud pit.
Huge props to Casey for being a good sport. At the Power of Veto
Competition, he thinks he’s won a trip to the Bahamas as Natalie pulls
out the card, only to realize he’s won the privilege of wearing a
banana suit for a week.
Russell to Casey (as he’s eating a banana while wearing his banana suit): “Don’t you feel bad eating your own kind?”
Casey: “It’s cana-banana-lism.”
A couple of days later, Casey the Banana Man then finds out he’s the
actual target for eviction. At that point, he could have thrown in the
towel and refused to wear the banana suit, but he didn’t and that makes
him ultra-cool in my book. And it was hilarious to see him moping
around the house in that thing.
Casey on his fate in the Big Brother House: “Dead banana walking, man.”
Kudos to Casey for keeping his sense of humor.
As I announced in tonight’s live eviction show, the cliques are now
official dissolved and the House Guests are on their own. In addition,
it is time for YOU to vote on which House Guest will receive the “Power
of the Coup d’Etat.” The winning House Guest can only use this power
once during a two week period, and only the person that receives the
power will know it until they choose to reveal it themselves. The
winner of the “Coup d’Etat” will have the ability to overthrow the
Head-of-Household and replace the nominations right before one of the
two live show votes that will take place between now and August 13. You
can vote via www.CBS.com/BigBrother or text the number of their
selection to 81818. Votes will be accepted until 11:59 pm PT Tuesday,
August 4, 2009.
That’s it for this week…I need to go lay down…the Head of Household Competition made me dizzy!
VIEWER QUESTIONS:
Do you have to monitor the outdoors 24/7 to prevent people from
throwing items into the backyard? It certainly doesn’t look like it
would be very difficult to sneak up on the east side and throwing
something over the wall.
The House Guests are in a secure area and guarded 24/7!!
Don’t you think there should be restrictions on how many people can
be in the HOH room and for how long? I think it would be much more
interesting if HOH could only have 1 guest at a time, and an overnight
guest if they choose but force the HOH to mingle with EVERYONE in the
house instead of hiding.
No, I don’t think we should put restrictions on how many people
can be in the HOH room and for how long…this is how and where some of
the best strategizing gets done. The HOH earns the right to hold court
up there in whatever manner he or she wants. If the HOH chooses NOT to
mingle with the others in the rest of the house…hopefully, the others
will remember this behavior and act accordingly when the time is right.

Thanks for these Flower !

Julie's newest blog...
http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/08/14/julie-chen-blogs-big-brother/

Thanks WB

She oughta let Jun write her blogs.

You should scroll down and watch the Jesse interview. No big shakes but it was pretty good. The interviewer laughed at the shirt he chose to wear and Jesse didn't seem too happy about it. He claims that there was no medic that looked at Nat after their roughhousing, and that he was unaware of the love triangle Although he did say that Lydia would come to him at night and then go trash him to Kevin and that's why Kevin disliked Jesse.

He wants to be in the WWE.

Maybe you don't have to watch since I told you the highlights