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America's Next Top Model Rundown: Episode 1, "Welcome To Top Model Prep"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:30:48 -0800

So, wow. America's Next Top Model has never been accused of being dull, but Tyra and the gang are clearly not resting on their laurels, as they've gathered one of the most - oh, let's call it "spunky" - groups of girls ever this year. If Wednesday's premiere of the 10th cycle of ANTM is any indication, we are in for a season of extremes. For every impassioned sideways-snapping girl, there is an awkward "I just discovered high heels today" young lady to balance it all out.

These girls haven't even dealt with sharing one phone line while sleep-deprived yet, and already we were treated to a roller coaster of emotions, including some spirited debate over what counts as ghetto, verbal sparring that nearly turned physical, and a large group hug resulting from a strangely timed discussion of female genital mutilation. Does Tyra know how to throw a premiere or what? Be sure to take Bella's ANTM beauty quiz, and to read the rest of my thoughts on what went down last night as 30 girls competed for 13 spots, read more.

I'm still blown away by how Jerry Springer the whole thing was. Ultimately, it was one of the most entertaining premieres of the show's history by far. The only thing that could have made it better was Nigel.

Tyra and co. took the "prep school" theme all the way, complete with a photo shoot for the girls to get their student IDs. Their education in "high fashion" commenced as they posed in Britney Spears get-ups that included knee socks and plaid skirts.
After Tyra, Jay is supposed to be the authority on all things fierce for the show, so you'd kind of expect him to change up his look from time to time. However, each year like clockwork he shows up looking like a more stylin' Jack Frost. I vote for Jay to get a makeover.
One of my favorite parts of the night was the big pep rally out on a football field complete with "cheerleaders," aka contestants from seasons past. Jay announced they were ready to crown the homecoming queen, and the camera immediately cut to girls saying they hoped they'd be the winner. Fools! If there is one rule to surviving ANTM, it's that Tyra is always the queen! She of course busted through a banner in whacked-out make-up and a giant crown. And the crowd goes wild.
The interviews were the same old, same old. A tragic story here, a lap dance there. A serious ick moment occurred when one of the new moms admitted that she was still breast pumping and was drinking her own milk. The judges then raised actual glasses of milk to her in a toast and drank up - ew!
The best interview moment for me came when one contestant informed the judges that she made a tough decision to leave her -wait for it -Impala to compete on the show. She had big plans to "trick it out" but sometimes you have to make these choices in life.
In the final ceremony of the evening, Tyra chose the 13 that will head to New York with her, including two girls named Amy and Aimee. Apparently, she can't have two people with the same name on the show, so she told them to figure that out. According to the CW, we know that one of them is now "Amis." Wow, what a difference.
In what was kind of a mean twist, Tyra then told the girls that actually, she wants 14 girls because 13 is an unlucky number. So the left-over girls had to stop crying and start rejoicing. Then, Tyra quickly chose one more lady, and the rest went back to crying.

You can check out the 14 girls that made the cut over here. Who's ready for NYC?

Photos courtesy of The CW

Treasure Island Music Festival Recap, Part I

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 15:03:32 -0700

I was downright giddy to attend the first-ever Treasure Island Music Festival this weekend, and the two-day event far exceeded my expectations. Of course, there was killer music - with M.I.A. scaling the stage towers and Built to Spill inspiring one dude to headbang - but there was also a Ferris wheel, an arcade full of retro video games, and stunning views of the San Francisco skyline.

The fest was cleverly split into an electronic day - with artists like Thievery Corporation and DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist - followed by a rock day, featuring M. Ward, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Spoon, and Modest Mouse. Each day packed in a total of 14 bands on two different stages with no overlap, so it was easy to get your money's worth and see every artist. YumSugar and I were there taking tons of photos, and we both agreed that the fest was awesome. Tune in tomorrow for a roundup of my favorite shows, and for my initial thoughts and a gallery of the fest in pictures, read more

Considering this was the first year of the TI Fest, I was really impressed with how the organizers pulled everything off; aside from some sound-mixing issues, everything seemed to go very smoothly. More important, I had a blast. Some observations:

The eco-effort paid off. TI Fest set out to be as "green" as possible, with on-site recycling and composting, biodiesel buses to the island, and prizes for people who picked up litter. It was great to see indie-rockers digging through the trash for recyclables, and as a result, the grounds were amazingly clean.

Big trend: babes in headphones. I noticed tons of moms carrying babies outfitted with giant padded headphones to protect their precious ears.

Indie rockers make for less interesting people-watching. Splitting the festival into an electronica day and an indie-rock day definitely affected the crowd. Day one definitely had more of a Burning Man vibe, while Day Two's attendees were better dressed but less fun to watch. One exception: This pair of dudes, one in a "Cougar Bait" tshirt and the other who insisted on standing up and flexing throughout the show.

For the rest of my photos, check out the gallery below. And tune in tomorrow for more highlights!

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"So You Think You Can Dance": The Top 14 Compete

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:29:03 -0700

I've said it every week: This year's crop of "So You Think You Can Dance" dancers is good. Really good. But this week, for the first time, I wondered if their overall goodness is making them a little dull. At this point, I feel like I know what to expect from each pair, and even though I love some of the current partnerships (Sabra/Dominic, Lacey/Kameron), I'm ready for things to be shaken up a little.

Talkative Hairspray director Adam Shankman (whose chatty ways I learned about firsthand when I interviewed him recently - check back tomorrow for that) showed up as this week's guest judge. While his rambling comments often rivaled Mary's for sheer length and goofiness, he also offered one interesting bit of commentary on the subject of Danny. Shankman said Danny acts like he's already been named the winner, and he needs to show some humility to go with his fantastic technique. Curiously, there was just a New York Times story on this very topic, asserting that Danny was too good to be on a "talent show" and shouldn't be considered aloof just because he doesn't stoop to mugging for the camera. For my part, I think Danny might be the best dancer in this competition, but I'm not sure I'm seeing the spark that would make him America's favorite dancer. What do you think?

Meanwhile, in another night of goodness, it's hard to pick favorites. Lauren (or should I say "Misha" - how weird was that?) and Neil impressed me this week, thanks to some awesome Wade Robson jazz choreography. Sabra and Dominic were so hot, they were practically on Cinemax. And I have to give a shoutout to Sara and her new partner Pasha for teaming up so well together and delivering a fun West Coast swing number choreographed by none other than reigning dance champ Benji Schwimmer.

To see which couples I'd put in the bottom - and see a gallery of photos from another night with several questionable costumes - read more

I wouldn't be surprised if Danny and Anya end up in the bottom three tonight, despite how strong and talented they both are. Aside from the Great Danny Debate, I think the two of them are almost too precise in their performances, and this time I didn't feel the same connection between them as I usually do. Hok and Jaimie tried hard to sell their waltz, but they couldn't disguise the fact that Hok looked pretty awkward attempting to glide across the stage. And, honestly, I'd put Cedric and Shauna in the bottom, too; I love Shauna, and I thought Cedric really did his best this week and even made Mary like him, but to me, their mambo seemed slow - and possibly dumbed-down for Cedric's benefit.

What do you think? Who was the best of the night? Who will be in danger at tonight's elimination? And what was up with Sara's outfit of sequined bikini, drapey fabric, and exposed faux-panties?

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Photos courtesy of Fox

"The Office" Recap, Episode 21: "Women's Appreciation"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 13:10:18 -0700

One of my all-time favorite episodes of "The Office" is "Diversity Day," so I couldn't help but revel in "Women's Appreciation," which was like a diversity day for gender issues. It all starts when Phyllis is accosted by a flasher in the parking lot. As Dwight sets out to catch the culprit, Michael aims to make the office a more welcoming environment for women.

After offering some requisite offensive comments, Michael decides to take the women to a more female-friendly environment: the mall. The gals help him with his own female problems, and he takes them shopping at Victoria's Secret.

Tell me your favorite quotes from the episode, and to see some of mine, read more

"The guy was just hanging brain. What's wrong with that? If that’s flashing, then lock me up." - Creed
Toby: "I was at a parent teacher conference."
Michael: "Oh yeah, prove it! Let's see your penis. ... Ok, as that was coming out of my mouth, I knew it was wrong."
"Jan and I have a safe word in case things go too far: foliage." - Michael
"I wish someone had flashed me when i was with Roy, because that would have been the ass kicking of the year." - Pam
"Attention: I am removing all bananas from the kitchen." - Dwight
"If Pam wants to show more cleavage, she should be able to. I encourage that." - Michael

Michael: "When Meredith flashed me at that Christmas party, I nearly vomited."
Meredith: "I don’t remember doing that."
Angela: "What a surprise."
Michael says that celebrities create unrealistic expectations about how real women should look. Gesturing towards Pam, he says: "Even the hot ones aren’t really that skinny."
Andy: "If it were up to me, you ladies would be the fashion models."
Kevin: "Yes, and then the fashion models could come here and work with me."
"If I could menstruate, I wouldn’t have to deal with idiotic calendars anymore." - Dwight
Karen, when Michael announces he's taking the women to the mall: "Frankly, it’s pretty insulting. But I have a lot of stuff I need to return in my car."
"I’m forced to go to the American Girl store and order clothes for large colonial dolls." - Angela, on shopping in kids' stores

"I’m happy sometimes. When we scrap book. Or right towards the end of having sex." - Michael, on his relationship with Jan
Michael: "Wow, I cannot believe this yogurt has no calories!"
Pam: "No one said it has no calories."
"I’m kind of between boyfriends right now, so I don’t really need anything sexy. But I do need some new hand towels, so I figure I can cut up this robe." - Pam, when Michael takes the women shopping at Victoria’s Secret
Andy: "I really appreciate you letting me shadow you today. I really learned a lot."
Dwight: "Natch."

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"The Office" Recap: Episode 19, "The Negotiation"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 10:22:43 -0700

This week's episode of "The Office" focused on courage and heroism, with Dwight defending Jim from Roy with pepper spray and Michael realizing that he could demand a higher salary. There were tons of hilarious moments - I'm particularly tickled by the antagonism between Toby and Michael - so check out my highlights from "The Negotiation" and then tell me: What were your favorite quotes?

"I was lucky Dwight was there. And Roy was lucky that Dwight only used pepper spray, not the nunchucks or throwing stars." - Jim, as Dwight's hidden weapons are revealed
When Jim offers Dwight a gift of thanks, Dwight replies, "Citizens do not accept prizes for being citizens."
"Are you wearing lady clothes?" - Darryl
"No, this is a power suit." – Michael
"Negotiations are all about controlling things, about being in the driver’s seat. And make one tiny mistake, you’re dead. I made one tiny mistake. I wore a woman’s clothes." - Michael

For the rest of the highlights, read more

"When I heard Jim and Pam had kissed, my reaction was to have lots of long talks with Jim about our feelings. Roy just attacked him. I’m not sure which one Jim hated more." –Karen

"Here’s the straight dope, no tricks, no Wikipedia." –Michael, leveling with Darryl about salaries
Michael, on the perks of his job: "Every year I get a $100 gas card. Can't put a price tag on that."
"Hey, I'd rather kill myself." - Michael, after Jan suggests Toby be present for the salary negotiations
Michael, negotiating with Jan: "You give me a good raise, or no more sex.”
He then turns to Toby: “What are you writing, perv ball?"
"This may be the first time that a male subordinate has attempted to get a modest, scheduled raise by threatening to withhold sex from a female superior. It will be a groundbreaking case when it inevitably goes to trial." – Toby
"It was a weird day. I accidentally cross-dressed." –Michael in response to Jan asking him what's wrong
"You know who's a real hero? Hiro from 'Heroes.' Also, Bono." - Dwight, on his office heroics

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"America's Next Top Model" - What's in a Name?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:02:43 -0700

Hair weaves gone horribly wrong, uncomfortable celebrity encounters, bitchy group interventions - now that's the bad reality TV I know and love!

After a pretty boring past few episodes, "America's Next Top Model" returned to top form last night. The girls prove that cleverness is not their strong suit when they're asked to invent new names and personas. Whitney becomes "Whitelle," Sarah inexplicably chooses "Moe," and Dionne somehow ends up winning the challenge when Tyra changes her name to "Brown" instead of the amazingly awkward "Wholahey."

The girls have to take those names - or, as Renee would say, Nayians - to a party in the Hollywood Hills, where Jael annoys the hell out of 50 Cent, who pushes her in the pool. Meanwhile, Renee tells Nicole Richie that Jael is a bitch, and Nicole tells Jael.

Wholahey!!

The best news this week: The judges are finally going to do something about Brittney's weave. Could Brit be getting a "Brit"?!

The photo shoot involves each girl showing off four aspects of her personality, but apparently, Sarah didn't have quite enough, because she went home. To see last night's photos, read more

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"Friday Night Lights" Recap: Episode 20, "Mud Bowl"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:55:29 -0700

Well, "Friday Night Lights" sure knows how to kick us in the stomach, huh? With three episodes left in the season, Jason finally got angry, Lyla finally pushed back, and Smash finally broke down. And that was all before the last few minutes, which mixed euphoric joy with a sad twist I never saw coming.

It's a few days before the game that will decide whether the Panthers go to the state championship and face the team led by Voodoo "tangential plotline" Tatum. Coach spots Jason coaching Matt in an empty field. Buddy has a huge logo for his dealership painted on the stadium (I'm sorry we didn't get to see his reaction to Lyla's smash-up), and Matt finds an envelope full of cash in his locker, which Coach assumes must be Buddy's doing. To see what happens from there, read more

Then everything goes kablooey. Literally. There's a train wreck, and an explosion, and everybody's evacuated from the school. Landry follows Tyra to the library, telling her he can be her "A-team tutor" while waving around Our Bodies, Ourselves. Marry me, Landry. Tyra agrees to meet him Friday night to study, saying "It's a date," and Landry can't believe Tyra said the "d" word.

In the rush of the evacuation, Waverly randomly ends up complaining about Smash to Lyla. Lyla says her boyfriend went to Austin and got a tattoo and now he won't return her calls. Waverly has the cure for their troubles: shooting guns at bottles. Smash later tells Lyla that Waverly's bipolar, and while he's not sure what that means, he's pretty sure she shouldn't be shooting guns.

Coach finds out he can't have a game in Dillon because of the toxic fumes, but he doesn't want to lose home field advantage. He turns down a state-of-the-art stadium and decides to build a field in a cow pasture. Tami wonders where people will park, and then one of the cows walks toward her and Coach notes that even the cows are supportive. I think that was unplanned.

Lyla tells Jason they need to talk, and he snaps back that he's lost everything - his coach, his town's support, his shot at a new sport - so he's got more on his mind than being the perfect boyfriend. Minka Kelly then makes me regret every mean word I've ever said about her acting by throwing a class of water at Jason and delivering this awesome speech: "You want to play rugby? Find another team. You hate this lawsuit so much? Find a way to make it go away. And the next time you want a glass of water, say please."

Waverly yells at Smash for telling Lyla she's bipolar, and Smash tells her that it's not cool for her to stick him with that secret. Meanwhile, the Streets and Coach try to settle the lawsuit, and Jason says maybe he can just write down how much money he wants and be done. Everyone's startled, but they agree.

And really, we're just getting geared up for the big stuff.

The game starts, and it's pouring rain, and it's not looking good for Dillon.

Landry's car won't start, so Tyra's alone at the diner. A guy asks what she's up to, and I think the twist will be that Landry finds her with another guy.

Jason gives Matt advice, and the Panthers tie the game. The refs want to call it off, but the players refuse.

Tyra gets up to leave. The guy tells her to be careful, and I think the twist will be that she wrecks her car. But the guy follows her and shoves her in his truck and tries to rape her, and she fights back and stabs him with the cigarette lighter and slams his hand in the door. He drives off, and she's sobbing and picking up her things when Landry arrives.

Matt scores the winning touchdown, and the Panthers are going to state! Waverly talks to Smash's mom, and Julie tells Matt she'll always love him, and everyone plays in the mud. Coach asks Jason if he's thought about coaching, and Bo asks Riggins if he’s sleeping over again, so I guess the jig is up there. It's all so happy, but I can't celebrate, because Tyra's in the diner, holding Landry's hand and sobbing. That was a bold move, but I think it was powerful. What about you?

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"Friday Night Lights" Recap: Episode 18, "Extended Families"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:02:17 -0800

I’m sure there was a deep theme about biological and emotional families in this episode of "Friday Night Lights", but the more obvious one to me was: Everything Buddy Garrity touches turns to poo. Most of this episode - all of the episodes are now online, by the way - focuses on the aftermath of Buddy’s affair with Tyra’s mom, with a few forays into the worlds of Riggins and Smash. The episode built up slowly, but by the end it was one of my favorites. To hear why, read more

Tyra's mom, who really should have the upper hand after slapping Buddy silly in front of all his rich friends, spends the episode popping pills in bed (I guess they could just recycle scenes from the last time she did that). Lyla drives to Austin, where she learns that instead of pining for her, Jason’s been getting tattoos from cute girls. Buddy, meanwhile, gets kicked out of the house and invites himself to live with the Taylors by showing up on their doorstep, leading to a priceless “what is that thing on our porch?” line from Tami.

Meanwhile, a little neighbor boy befriends Riggins, mostly by talking incessantly about football. (I think that boy needs to marry the silent girl from "Grey's Anatomy." Maybe their children will talk like normal people!) Riggins eventually warms to the kid and ends up having dinner with him and his single mother, and I smell a romance, though so far he's only fixed her gutter.

Waverly, meanwhile, starts acting hyper and horny, demanding she and Smash go skinny-dipping. Her dad asks Smash if he's noticed anything different about Waverly, and Smash says no - I guess it's hard to tell your pastor that his daughter suddenly wants to be naked all the time. But when he asks Waverly what's up, she reveals that she’s decided to stop taking her mood stabilizers, which is much more interesting than where I thought this was going. Smash kind of digs the new Waverly, until he finds her crouched in a corner, crying.

Lyla freaks out about Jason’s tattoo, telling him he’s “permanently messed up” now. (Paralysis? no problem. Ink on the wrist? Dealbreaker!). She can’t hold her own at a rugby party and storms out, telling Jason he's changing, and she's not changing with him. I thought that would really be the end, but Jason gives a sincere profession of his love, capped off by successfully having sex for the first time since the accident. Herc would be proud.

Coach, meanwhile, gets invited to dinner with the TMU athletic director (I guess the earlier call from UT didn't go anywhere?). He and Tami assign Julie to babysit Buddy so he won’t find out, but Julie sneaks away to a party at Tyra's. The highlight of the party is seeing more of Landry’s awkward advances toward Tyra (“I’m in your house right now, with you, and strippers, and, just ... God bless everyone!”), until Tyra’s mom shuffles out of the bedroom and crashes through a plate-glass table.

Julie panics and calls Tami from the hospital, and she ditches dinner to take care of things. Tyra frostily tells Tami that she doesn't need any help from a woman who thinks her daughter is too good to be spending time with the Collettes, and at this moment, I decide Adrienne Palicki and Connie Britton both deserve Emmys. Tami admits she's been blaming Tyra for Julie's wild behavior, but maybe it's just Julie growing up. Tyra backs down, and Tami tells her to come by the guidance office on Monday. Tyra: "What am I, your next project?" Tami: "Absolutely."

Back at the Taylors', Buddy confronts Coach about the meeting with TMU. He found about the meeting by using a pencil to shade over the impressions on a notepad - "just something I learned on 'Magnum P.I.'" Ha. Buddy decides he'd rather take his sorry self to a motel than live with a man who might walk out on the Dillon Panthers, and Coach tells him that, given that he's just cheated on his wife, maybe he has bigger things to worry about. The episode ends with Coach and Tami sitting in silence, mulling a job offer from TMU.

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Recapping the 2007 Oscars in One Handy Post

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:01:13 -0800

Just in case you missed the 2007 Oscars or the endless coverage on BuzzSugar, I've designed a point-by-point recap that will let you relive this year's Oscar excitement in one handy post. Here's everything you need to know about everything that went down.

First, I made some predictions about who would win, which turned out to be about 67 percent accurate. Not too shabby, but not nearly as good as LegallyBlonder, who won our ballot contest. Congrats!
Oh yeah, and here's a full list of Oscar winners.
If you think winning an Oscar is hard, you should try the BuzzSugar Oscar trivia quiz.
I made lots of snap judgments during the ceremony, most of which I don't feel too foolish about now.
The same goes for my post-show rants and raves.
Your favorite Oscars moment? The Jack Black/Will Ferrell musical duet.
Got some more strong opinions? You can still vote in BuzzSugar's Oscar polls galore.
Or, catch up on your Oscar viewing by putting these winners in your Netflix queue.
Helen Mirren and Martin Scorsese gave some damn fine acceptance speeches, and Mirren might even get to have tea with the Queen.
I'm guessing Sharon Stone, who dominated the Razzie awards, isn't invited to the tea.

That pretty much sums up this year's Oscars. My only regret is that I watched the ceremony from my sofa. To see where I wish I could have been instead, read more

That's right. Right there, sandwiched between Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. Sigh. Maybe next year.

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"Grey's Anatomy" Recap: Episode 16, "Drowning on Dry Land"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 10:12:59 -0800

I can only think of two words to describe this week's episode of "Grey's Anatomy," and I think you "Grey's" fans know what they are: Seriously? Seriously??

On the one hand, this was the most obvious direction the story could have taken. On the other, I'm still not convinced I know where it will end. Spoilers ahead, of course, but we can discuss if you read more

So Meredith dies. Maybe. We're not sure. My instinct is to say she's coming back, because that's what happens on TV. She woke up in a flash of light, sandwiched between Dylan and Denny; it seems like a plot device we've seen since television began.

And yet, maybe she's really dead. Right?

If what comes out of this story line is that Meredith's just fine, and her "death" was only a sweeps-week fakeout, I'm going to be disappointed. "Grey's" doesn't need a stunt; it's a better show than that.

But I don't want to project my (possibly premature) disappointment in the whole story onto this episode, because as pure entertainment, it worked for me. It hit at that slightly giddy place people reach during a tragedy: Izzie giggling after she drills into the guy's skull on the boat; George saying Bailey might change her son's middle name to Tupperware or Elvis if he doesn't find their patient's child. We know something big has happened; we see Derek pull Meredith out of the water, limp and blue. But the other doctors don't know that; they're satisfied with their small victories - Izzie and her drill, Alex and the families, Addison and her Jane Doe. Even Cristina's whining about not being able to find Meredith felt poignant - she doesn't know her "person" (remember that from season one?) is in the water.

The action picks up straight from last week. Izzie is about to give up on the man on the ferry (and, essentially, on herself as a doctor), but she decides it's worth another shot. She phones the Chief, who along with Mark talks her through drilling holes in the man's skull. The Chief takes her off probation, which felt both sudden and expected, but it was good to see tough Izzie back.

Alex hits on an effective, though ghastly, way to help the waiting families get information: He takes Polaroids of the patients in surgery - and later of the ones in the morgue - and asks people to identify anyone they recognize. He's cold and detached until he finds the man he thinks is the husband of the Jane Doe he saved; he really wants that story to have a happy ending. Addison, meanwhile, seems to be realizing how alone she is, wondering aloud if anyone would notice if she disappeared - and Alex ultimately says he would.

George tells his patient he's found her son, which is a total lie. Bailey yells at him for again making promises he can't keep, but George says if his lie saves the woman's life, he doesn't mind. In the end, he learns the boy has been in surgery with Callie the whole time.

And then there's Derek. The creepy girl points Derek toward the water, and he pulls his "knight in shining whatever" move by diving in and dragging Meredith out. I loved Derek tonight; he looked so broken as he tried to literally breathe life into Mere. And watching all of the other doctors learn what had happened to Meredith was one of the most powerful parts of the episode - they go from celebrating the lives they’ve saved to crashing in the most spectacular way.

There are some small moments from the end of the episode that will stick with me: Derek getting kicked out of Meredith's room; Addison urgently trying to save the woman who broke up her marriage; Mark squeezing Derek's arm. It didn't matter who'd ruined whose relationship or who was going to be chief; bigger things were happening.

The vulnerable Cristina will stick with me, too; she really wanted to believe there had been a mistake and Meredith was fine, which is the sort of thinking she usually ridicules. I loved Izzie saying that believing in survival is what makes us survive - but her speech lost me when she told George he'd made a mistake in marrying Callie. I think she was having a "life's too short" moment and wanted to make her feelings known. It's in character for Izzie to not realize the timing wasn’t right, but her insensitivity took me out of the moment.

And the moment matters, because while Derek waits in the hall, Meredith's heart starts to fail. And though she seems to be technically still alive, she snaps awake on a cot between Dylan and Denny, who inform her that she is, indeed, dead.

Or is she? Is it a fantasy, a dream, an alternate reality? Could it be real? Your theories, please.