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I rock!  That’s just in case you didn’t already know.  I came home yesterday from a long day at work to find out that my hard work reading paid off this weekend and I earned a 2nd place prize with the 48 Hour Reading Challenge!

There were approximately 40 participants this weekend who read thousands upon thousands of pages.  One impressive participant read 6479 pages.  Can you imagine?  She rocks too!

Bibliophile, the reader of 6479 pages, who slept like 5 hours this whole weekend, spent her 48 hours reading series books, including  Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series. 

Jen Robinson and I both read 11 books, but I think I didn’t count my time as accurately so it might be less than 30 hours that I read, but we live and we learn.  Completing this challenge has revved Jen up to where she might do a 24 hour challenge once a month.

Becky of Becky’s Book Reviews announced on her site a YA Romance Reading Challenge that starts July 1 and ends February 28, 2009.  That’s way longer than 48 hours so sign up and fall in love with books again.  Becky also participated this weekend with the challenge and read a book by one of childhood faves, Lois Lowry. 

To check out all of the participants’ blogs, visit Mother Reader and hop away.  I’m sure once you’re done reading and skimming blogs, you’ll find new blogs and books to read.

This is the week of the season finale.  We look forward to May every year because of May Sweeps, but with the writers strike last year, the season was shorter and the season finales came faster.

Sunday, I was slightly wowed by the makeovers in New Orleans on Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition, but I can’t help but think that will 18 builders and crews, why not make over more than 2 buildings? Especially in New Orleans, have 18 buildings. Build a recreation center or after school facility. A library. But overall, nicely done. I think for me, anything that improves New Orleans, is a win win for me. I would have loved it if one whole season was nothing but an extreme makeover along the Gulf Coast. Ratings might suffer, but if we really are committed to rebuilding along the Gulf Coast, ratings do not and should not matter. But I’m not in charge and Ty Pennington did not ask me so c’est la vie.

But Desperate Housewives? Wow at all that Catherine’s been through, but I cheered inside when the other housewives rallied to her side. 

Kayla became so evil that it almost made me sick to my stomach as I suppressed my own rage on Lynette’s behalf. Rachel Fox, the actress who plays Kayla,  is very good at giving evil.

I don’t like the name Maynard and surely Susan and Mike could have compromised and named him Conner Maynard Delfino.

Now, that five years later jump that they threw at us was very unexpected and seems like it will rev the show up for many twists and turns.  Another blog Televisionista knew about the 5 year jump in April but I discovered it after the episode was shown.  The blogger has some great questions and possibilities for life on Wisteria Lane in 2013.

In Charlotte, just as Susan walked in the door, our TV screens went black. Booooooooo WSOC TV. Thank God for www.abc.com where I was able to catch those last 13 seconds. USA Today offers a look at what’s in store for Desperate Housewives next season including that Marc Cherry does not plan to be around past season 7. What’s cool is he would like to take it back to the year before Mary Alice kills herself, a DH prequel, if you will. We’ll get more of Mary Alice, Paul, Zach and Rex.

I surely was amused to see how far Gabby has fallen down the All That Totem Pole. I just wished that when Carlos fell down the steps the other night that his sight was restored. It’ll be interesting to see Gabby deal with less than perfect beauty wise daughters will impact her and her storyline. I was really glad not to see her in anything shiny yesterday. Cotton looks good on her.

Now, let’s think about something for a second. Extreme Makeover gets 2 hour season finale. Desperate Housewives gets the same. Ditto for Grey’s Anatomy.

Yet, I only get 60 minutes minus commercials for Ugly Betty. Boooooooooooooooo!

I’m not ready to say goodbye to Ugly Betty and the gang yet. Last week’s episode was wonderful now that Wilhemina and Mark are back at Mode. Loved them getting off the elevator in matching colors last week. Glad to see real drama and tension return to Mode. Look forward to what season 3 brings.

Judith Light is one of my favorite characters especially when she’s maternal to Betty. I want them to bring Yoga (Lorraine Touissant) back as her sidekick as she made the show fun as well.

Now tomorrow’s season finale looks intense with Henry proposing, Gio asking Betty to go to Rio (Gio Rio, lol) and Daniel’s child who looks a bit Latino.

The blog Televisionary reveals that guest star Lindsey Lohan won’t just be in the season finale this week, but she will also be back next season. Seems she used to be a classmate of Betty’s who used to be mean to Betty a la Amanda. Will be interesting to see how this all pans out this week as well as next season.

I’m looking forward to the return of both of these shows in September.  The possibilities of life on Wisteria Lane and at Mode magazine are endless, but I’ll be tuned in for every minute.

This is the week of the sequel.  Monday, I treated you to the cover of Just Be.  Yesterday, I discussed my excitement about the release of Midnight:  A Gangster Love Story by Sister Souljah.  Today I discuss movie sequels coming out this year.

A month from today, the long-awaited, much anticipated big screen version of Sex and the City opens in theaters around the country.  Sex and the City  began as a book by Candace Bushnell, author of Lipstick Jungle which became a TV show in November 2007.

I’m not sure if Sex and the City  is actually a sequel, but since it is based on a book and happens four years after the TV series ended, it qualifies for this week’s blog.

I have a confession to make first.  I never saw the TV series.  Not even on TBS.  I didn’t have HBO the whole time it was on that channel, but seeing the movie previews has me excited to check it out.  So I think I will rent all of the seasons and watch them as time allows and then see the movie.  

Women around the country are going to flood this movie much like men will when Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones, and Iron Man come out this year.  I know groups of women who are going to don their fancy dresses, expensive shoes and head out in packs with their girlfriends to catch up with Samantha, Carrie, and the other two women. 

Visit the Sex and the City Movie blog for posts dedicated to keeping you in the know about the movie. 

On August 8^th, a week after my birthday, head to your local theater to catch The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.  Last year, I read the first three books in the series and was hoping that the sequel would be about book 2, but it’s not.  It will skip to the last book in the series Forever in Blue:  The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood.

When I read the first three books, I discovered the differences between the book and movie.  I won’t spoil them for you to allow you the chance to read the books for yourself.  They’re well worth the read and give you a better sense of Carmen, Bridget, Lena, and Tibby.  I will say though that interesting things happen to all of them so I am looking forward to how the movie sequel captures all that has happened to them in books 2, 3, and 4 to be the final result on the big screen.

Visit Random House for details about the movie, its soundtrack and other fun stuff. 

According to IMDB.com, High School Musical 3 comes out in October 2008.  I still have not seen the first two movies, but I have no doubt that Disney will allow me to see both many times before October 24^th when HSM3 hits the TV screens.  Oh wait, per IMDB, HSM3 will debut on the big screen. 

IMDB.com is such a wealth of information for me today.  For all of the Harry Potter fans, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out November 21, 2008. 

So there you have it, four great sequels to check out this year.  I think it’s totally wonderful that three of the four are based on books.  If you didn’t know, now you know!  Happy movie watching and book reading!