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Anti-Bullying Week: A Yakster’s Personal Account

Throughout the week, in accordance with our Anti-Bullying initiatives, we will be featuring stories from our very own members in our YakkityYaks forum. These stories are volunteered from people who call our website their internet home and it is just another example of our personal feel and family attitude we pride ourselves in.

That, however, is not the focus of this week. Many, if not all, of these stories don’t need an introduction. They each have a very special message that will speak to us in different ways.

Just a reminder, the stories are unedited and real truths. We have only changed the names of those involved to protect their identities.

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My son, Brandon, who is 11, has always had it fairly easy in school. He’s always been an honor student and is friends with everyone. I wouldn’t consider him to be “popular,” because he has friends in all of the cliques and really doesn’t fit in to just one. He likes it that way, because he likes all different kinds of people.

When he was five years old, he was a very bright kid…he still is. It seemed that everything that he would learn in kindergarten were things that he already knew—thanks to his sister, Emily, who is just one year older than him. She would come home from school and tell him everything she learned and he instantly picked it up. So, we had him tested by the state to see if was a candidate to skip kindergarten and move on to first grade. He aced the test, so we decided to put him in first grade with his sister. We were concerned about how things would work out socially since he was a year younger than all of his classmates, but he fit right in and had absolutely no problems with any of the students.

Last year was the first time that Brandon saw first hand a division in his classmates. He and Emily were in sixth grade and they went to the middle school. Until that time, all of the kids, regardless of race were friends with each other. However, at middle school his Mexican friends wouldn’t talk to him (or any other non-Mexican kids) and developed their own clique. The year before, Brandon’s best friend was one of the kids who no longer talked to him. Since he was a year younger, he was much smaller than the other sixth graders (and would have been considered small even if he had been in the fifth grade). He was immediately targeted by his ex-friend and their clique. It started out relatively harmless. They would stand near him and talk in Spanish making it obvious that they were talking about him. As he has been taught, he ignored them thinking they would stop. When they didn’t get a reaction out of him, they moved on to shoving his books out of his hands in the hallway. After a week or so of not getting a reaction, it escalated to them punching him, usually in the arm or the back. Because he is so small, he knew that he was better off ignoring them. One day he came home with a red, puffy eye, so I asked him what happened. He kept telling me it was nothing, so I asked Emily. She convinced him to come clean with me about everything that had been going on. It was at the time that I found out about everything they had been doing to him along with spitting in his face. He had been dealing with that for nearly a month and never let me know what was going on. I was heartbroken to find out that my son had been going to school every day and facing these kids and was so afraid of what they would do to him that he never told me.

The next day I was at the school in the principal’s office to tell him what Brandon had been going through. He appeared to be just as upset as I was that he had no idea this had been happening. After I left, he called Brandon into the office to get his side of it and to get the names of the kids who had been bullying him. After watching the video, every student who had bullied Brandon in any way (from shoving his books out of his hand to spitting on him) was suspended for 10 days. Every student who stood by and encouraged the bullying was suspended for 5 days.

Thankfully when they all returned to school, the bullying completely stopped. Brandon is now in 7th grade and was on the football team with a few of the kids in that clique and they get along very well. They aren’t friends during school, but they work together as a team on the field.

I feel so sad and fortunate at the same time. Sad because he dealt with that every day for so long and fortunate because the end result could have been so much worse.

Thanks for reading my story.

-YY Member, Kristin

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Anti-Bullying Week: “I had to invest all my trust in myself…”

All this week, YakkityYaks will be joining with past and present Reality TV stars and fans just like you in honor of Anti-Bullying Week. We will be featuring stories from Reality TV personalities, members in our YakkityYaks forum, and fans from Twitter and Facebook. In an effort to join forces and increase awareness, we encourage you to share these stories with your friends and family and encourage continuous efforts to make a difference! We all are capable and we just hope that this motivates and encourages each and every one of us to take a stand and put a stop to bullying once and for all. YakkityYaks, don’t talk smack!

Read on below for two personal accounts from fans on Twitter who felt so moved to submit their own personal and touching stories, in addition to all of our other coverage today. Names have been changed to protect identities, but the stories are straight from the heart and unedited.

If you are interested in participating in our anti-bullying initiative by sharing your story, please contact JDMontgomery@yakkityyaks.com or ShellyBB13@me.com (Big Brother’s Shelly). Each and every story can bring about great change.

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A Victim of Bullying

Hi there. Saw the tweet about calling for stories, so here goes mine.

It’s been nearly ten years, but I still remember the day vividly. For years, I had been teased on a daily basis at school. It started off because of my eagerness to learn and my good grades. ‘Egghead,’ ‘nerd,’ ‘teacher’s pet.’ Then it became my weight. ‘Humpty Dumpty,’ ‘big gut.’ Then once I started junior high, kids started picking up on the fact that I might be gay. Heck, they figured it out before I did. But the things they’d say, whether it be sly sarcastic jokes or outright name calling, took a daily toll on me.

At its worst, I would be heckled and teased for hours on end, especially during agriculture class, something I didn’t have an interest in but which was mandated by the school. The other guys in the class would take our textbooks and find every picture in the book that featured any aspect of male animal genitalia and ask what I would do with them. These questions would follow me down the halls, into other classes. I would complain and beg for action from any teacher who would listen. I turned to the school counselor and asked for help.

The day in question, I was in agriculture class again. The lewd questions continued. The heckling got louder and louder until finally I slammed down my books and high-tailed it right out of the classroom. I went out to find the school counselor. Coincidentally, she was coming out to see me. “We want to have a little meeting,” she said, and she led me into the superintendent’s office. The counselor shut the door behind her, joining me in a small office with her, the super, and the high school principal. This is good, I thought. They’re going to tell me what they plan to do to stop this.

Not so.

Over the course of nearly two hours, I was subjected to interrogation from all three of them, asking me to try and pinpoint what it was about me that made the other guys make fun of me. They highlighted my ‘effeminate tendencies,’ my lack of interest in sports, and explicitly told me that I brought all the teasing upon myself. They asked me if I loved myself. The superintendent looked me straight in the eyes after I told her yes, and said “I don’t believe you.”

They then began to tell me they thought I might try to “Columbine” my school, highlighting the then recent one-year anniversary of that school shooting, and advised me that they recommended I seek professional help.

My trust in adults was broken at that moment, at least those in charge of that school. I had no defense, no backup. There was literally no one I could turn to who could do anything, or would do anything, to help me. I was faced with a choice: do I prove everyone right? Do I hurt other people or myself because that’s what these people expected of me, or do I continue on the way I was, relying on nothing but my own future?

I chose the latter. I had to force myself to wake up every morning with the objective of getting through it, promising myself that I would eventually get away from that place and never look back. I focused harder on my grades, graduated, moved on to college, and today I have a very nice, well-paying job and a very loving boyfriend of two years. (Our anniversary was Monday the 7th).

I had to invest all my trust in myself. I knew who I was and trusted that would carry me through in life. And it has.

-C. E.

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A Bully’s Personal Account

Hey,

I guess you kind of know me. I hate telling my story. Because in my story I was the bully. Now, I’m only 16 but I know what I did was wrong. And I regret it 100%.

I live in Philadelphia, a place where almost no one is like the next. I’m not a kid with money but I had it so much better than most. There was a girl named Marie who rode my bus, and she had a lot less. I used to tell her some awful things. Call her names. And once it even got physical. She moved after 6th grade and she was easily forgotten. This year, she moved back and I noticed her at my school. She was always avoiding me. Then one day I approached her at lunch, and I told her how sorry and wrong I was. There’s not a day I don’t think about how much hurt and pain I put her through. I hate myself for that. Now Marie and I have join the school club S.U.R.E for peace. I’m on the strong, growing team of Anti-bullying activists.

Thank you for reading my story.

-S.D.

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Anti-Bullying Week: YakkityYaks, Don’t Talk Smack!

Tomorrow, November 14th, is the start of Anti-Bullying Week 2011. The theme for this year’s initiative is “Stop and think. Words can hurt.” And that is exactly what we hope to get across throughout our many exciting events planned for this week.

In conjunction with some familiar Reality TV personalities, the Yak will be bringing you a number of special features throughout the week detailing countless accounts relating to bullying. We’ll be hearing from people who have been bullied in the past, are being bullied now, or even from bullies themselves. We’ll hear from parents of the bullied and those who work in the educational system. We’ll hear directly from fans of many reality TV personalities and we’ll hear from some of the most memorable reality TV stars, as well. The amount of support and stories that we have already received have been overwhelming and extremely touching. If this is any indication of what this week might bring, prepare to be changed and want to push for change!

Keep an eye out on YakkityYaks.com all week for all of these special reports and publications that we’ll be bringing you throughout the next 5 days. We would like to point out that this movement doesn’t stop after Friday. This is just a way to encourage people to get involved and stay involved.

Not only will we be providing stories and personal accounts for all kinds of people, we will be providing you with ways to counter bullying, suggestions on how to talk with your children regarding bullying, as well as ways to support some great causes out there looking to put a STOP to bullying as a whole.

So, stay tuned, tell your friends. This has already begun to change us and we hope it will do the same for you.

If you would like to participate in this initiative, please email us at JDMontgomery@YakkityYaks.com. We will change the names of those involved to protect identities and submissions can be kept anonymous if you prefer. We have a very special surprise planned for those who submit stories. Details to come … Let’s just say that your favorite reality TV personality might play a role.

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The Sing Off’s Delilah: “… sharing a special message through music”

This week on NBC’s The Sing-Off, judges Sara Bareilles, Shawn Stockman, and Ben Folds made a tough decision and eliminated all-female group, Delilah, from the competition. After making it past Round 1 with their memorable performance of Bruno Mars’s “Grenade,” Delilah knew they had to work hard to build upon the judge’s critiques and come back a new group in future rounds! While nearly escaping elimination, Delilah knew they had to prove themselves week after week. Unfortunately, in a crop of six highly talented groups, Delilah found themselves eliminated. Earlier this week, YakkityYaks had the pleasure to participate in a media call with Hannah Juliano from Delilah. Read on to find out the story behind the group, plans for the future, and more!

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Talking About Their Hardest Challenge As a Group
Hannah, Delilah: Well, a lot of the groups on the show primarily do a genre and they are really strong in a genre, you know, say like hip hop or in jazz or in electronic type of music. And the basis of our whole group was that we not only were, you know, adapting to all these genres, all these challenges every week, but we also were just all female. It was commented on a lot obviously because it was our biggest challenge. We don’t have a natural low end like the groups that have guys do because our – physically our voices aren’t as low. So it was a huge challenge for us every week to not only reinvent these songs and represent them in a way that was true to us and, you know, as musicians and as women, but to really get around the struggle of not having that natural low end. I think that we really rose to the challenge every week. We dug deep every single week to try and beat that.

On The Judges’ Best Advice
Hannah, Delilah: Gosh, they said a lot of things. The shows are pre-filmed so a lot of the commentary was given to us. They would really talk to us a lot in the live shows so some of it didn’t really make the cut in the shows, but I do specifically remember when Ben Folds told us that when we’re making ourselves happy, we’re making everybody else happy. That was one week that it clicked for us that we were trying so hard to please ourselves and the judges and what we thought the audience was going to want and we weren’t really listening to ourselves. When we started to sing from our hearts, that’s really when everything clicked. Sara said the same thing the next week. She said that, you know, just when we tap into that true very emotional, feminine spirit that we all have and are very true to that then we were the most successful.

Thoughts On The Comments From Rock/Country Night
Hannah, Delilah: I was actually really scared about how they were going to turn out because we thought they were so awesome and so strong, we felt so connected to them both, and then they were both judged kind of harshly, so I didn’t really know what everybody else had heard. I didn’t know if it was different from what we had heard or what we had thought about it. But I am so, so happy about how they both turned out. We really were just singing from our hearts on both of the songs. Both of them were a struggle. You know, we really, really had to dig deep that week, especially on the country song. We had to rearrange that song about ten times and our last version of it was finally done. Even that day of filming we were still working on it and changing it. So listening back on it and watching the performances, I think they’re really both beautiful and, like I said, we were just singing our hearts out. And as far as pitch issues or energy issues in the first song go, I don’t know. It’s different when you’re in the group. I feel like I have a bias because I feel so strongly connected to them in the first place, but I can see what they were talking about as far as the energy issues in “Dream On” where we peaked early. And the pitch issues in “If I Die Young,” I don’t think they were as dramatic as the judges had made it seem. But when it comes down to it it’s the top six in the competition and any kind of mistake is a big deal because everybody is so talented and so perfect. So…it definitely was a blow to us though.

On What The Future Holds For Delilah
Hannah, Delilah: We are so excited and so motivated. We really just liked being on the show and it turned into something much bigger and much more special than we would have ever imagined and all of us continue to talk every single day. We unfortunately are all split up across the country right now. You know, we’re all from different places, so none of us are together save maybe two people at a time in different cities, but we are planning on continuing. Of course we want to kind of see if some offers roll in and we’re kind of waiting for all of that, but really want to do an album, tour and stay together and really continue to share this special thing that is Delilah that we found.

On Delilah’s Favorite Performance
Hannah, Delilah: Oh my gosh. Probably – oh gosh, I don’t know. Probably “Grenade” and Alicia Keys. They both were ones that just clicked and so it wasn’t as much of a struggle to perfect the song as it was or it wasn’t much of a struggle to really beat the song and try and outsmart it to really give a great performance as it was just perfecting something that kind of was great from the start. You know, a lot of our songs sprouted from us having to deconstruct it and find how to make it work for us and both of those songs just kind of naturally worked for us. And they were both just a joy.

On Which Judge Delilah Connected Most With
Hannah, Delilah: I’m going to say probably Shawn. I feel like he got our platform most of the time. We have a pretty special relationship and very different with each of the judges. With Sara being the only girl, we always felt like she was rooting for us. All of them were always rooting for us really. But there was something special about Shawn. Every time he commented on us, we always felt a special kinship with him and you can’t see it on a lot on the TV. They don’t show it, but he was always pointing to us and saying, “I’m so proud of you.” He was always encouraging us especially when we were struggling in the Guilty Pleasure week. After we had been saved the second time, he looked at us and said, “Come on, I know you can do it, ladies.” Like, I don’t know, we just – I specifically felt something with Shawn. I’m sure each of the girls have different opinions, but that’s just my standpoint. We loved all the judges so much. They were always so great to us.

On Staying Positive As A Group
Hannah, Delilah: Well, the group is really special. And we didn’t really know how special it was until we were in it, you know, because we formed for the show. So it was all very quick and we were finding our identity in real-time on the show, so that’s what I think is really interesting about the group. It kind of changes from what we thought we were going to be on the show to what we actually ended up being and what we felt a connection with. I think being in the bottom two the first time was a big shock to us because we had come out of the gate so strong in our first two songs. So after that we thought, well I don’t know. There was always a very, very positive energy about us and we were all so so close, truly a sisterhood, so we were always constantly lifting each other up. I guess our strategy was just letting it all go and remembering what it’s all about and that’s about the music and connecting to it and sharing a message with the audience. So whenever we would just kind of breath and relax and try and forget about the judges then the challenges and the competition, it really seemed to click for us. You know, we would get back to that special place of just sharing a special message through music.

On Keeping Up With Delilah
Hannah, Delilah: Oh gosh, fans can find us everywhere. We are constantly online. We love checking up on the YouTube videos and answering fans there. We’re all on Twitter. We all have individual Twitters and then the actual group’s Twitter is @singdelilah. We’ve got a Facebook fan page. We’re working on getting a Web site and all that kind of fun stuff to make it kind of centralized outside of Facebook and Twitter. But we are all over the Internet. We are constantly answering fans and saying hello and thank you and spreading the love because just can’t get enough. We love them all so much.

On Who They’d Like To See Win It All
Hannah, Delilah: Afro-Blue. We have a really, really strong connection with them. They became some of our best friends. Both Afro-Blue and Pentatonix, I would say. Those two groups, we got especially close with. They’re just so talented and I love everything they do. So those are my people I’m rooting for. But, you know, obviously they’re all our best friends and we love them all.

It was so hard being in the bottom with Afro-Blue. We just – we couldn’t believe. You can see it when we all just rushed to each other and hugged each other. I don’t know if the fans really get how non-competition-like it is for the groups. We don’t even understand that it’s a competition. It’s weird to us that there’s a winner because we get so close and we truly, truly support each other in every single performance. So to be pitted against some of your newly found best friends is just heart wrenching and we – you can’t understand it, it’s so strange. So that was really hard. All of us are going, gosh, that was even worse watching it than it was being there.

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Brett Ratner Steps Down as Oscars Producer

Amid recent controversy surrounding some anti-gay remarks, Brett Ratner has stepped down from producer of the 2012 Academy Awards. At a recent screening of his new movie, Tower Heist, Ratner used an anti-gay slur and later made graphic remarks regarding his sex life on The Howard Stern Show. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak expressed support for Ratner, but labeled his comments as “inappropriate…dumb and insensitive.” Even with the support. Ratner felt it necessary to step down and leave his post. Earlier today, Sherak released a statement acknowledging Ratner’s choice. “He did the right thing for the Academy and for himself. Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We all hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent.”

It’s still unclear as to who will replace Ratner as producer of one of the biggest award shows of the season. The question is … will Eddie Murphy resign, after being hand picked by Ratner as the show’s host?

You can read Ratner’s official statement below.

The Oscars are set to take place on February 26 from the Nokia Theater in LA.

“

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few days, I’ve gotten a well-deserved earful from many of the people I admire most in this industry expressing their outrage and disappointment over the hurtful and stupid things I said in a number of recent media appearances. To them, and to everyone I’ve hurt and offended, I’d like to apologize publicly and unreservedly.
As difficult as the last few days have been for me, they cannot compare to the experience of any young man or woman who has been the target of offensive slurs or derogatory comments. And they pale in comparison to what any gay, lesbian, or transgender individual must deal with as they confront the many inequalities that continue to plague our world.
So many artists and craftspeople in our business are members of the LGBT community, and it pains me deeply that I may have hurt them. I should have known this all along, but at least I know it now: words do matter. Having love in your heart doesn’t count for much if what comes out of your mouth is ugly and bigoted. With this in mind, and to all those who understandably feel that apologies are not enough, please know that I will be taking real action over the coming weeks and months in an effort to do everything I can both professionally and personally to help stamp out the kind of thoughtless bigotry I’ve so foolishly perpetuated.

As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents.

I am grateful to GLAAD for engaging me in a dialogue about what we can do together to increase awareness of the important and troubling issues this episode has raised and I look forward to working with them. I am incredibly lucky to have a career in this business that I love with all of my heart and to be able to work alongside so many of my heroes. I deeply regret my actions and I am determined to learn from this experience.

Sincerely, Brett Ratner

“

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The Mystery Behind Big Brother’s Fortune Teller

Just who is Madame Broella?

It has been nearly a month and a half since Rachel Reilly took away the grand prize of $500,000 as the winner of Big Brother 13, but many fans are still discussing, investigating, and debating the identity behind the house’s iconic figure, the fortune teller? Ever since the Fortune Teller surfaced on Twitter shortly before the start of Big Brother 13, rumors have been swirling as to the identity of @BBFortuneTeller.

Before we delve any further, I’d like to point out that the theories and opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the writer or staff at YakkityYaks. We have done our best to compile various opinions as we scour the internet and are bound to miss a few. This piece is meant to be for fun and in no way definitive about the identity of the Big Brother Fortune Teller. We’d also like to thank our exclusive Twitter sleuth, @pj_williamson, a self-proclaimed Big Brother and TV fanatic, for many of the investigative findings below.

A few key and popular theories exist about who the FT really is. Fans all over social networking sites and fan message boards (such as YY) have speculated that Madame Broella is indeed a member of production who has taken to social media sites like Twitter to give Big Brother fans just one more thing to obsess about in addition to the game. Other fans believe that a previous houseguest (popular or unpopular) from Big Brother’s past came up with a sick joke to mess with Big Brother fans. Even further, some fans believe that multiple houseguests are on a “rotation” in using the now infamous Twitter handle. The latter seems to be the most dominant and popular theory at this time.

Supporting the producer/insider theory, avid (and maybe even obsessed) “Fortunate Followers” will remember that the @BBFortuneTeller handle was able to tweet some information regarding the house and houseguests before news was made public. However, that doesn’t completely defend that theory because it is possible that previous houseguests may be privy to such information. So basically we’re back at square one.

As the season went on, it appeared that not only did the FT seem to have some inside scoop, but she (or he?) was willing to sporadically send out clues regarding it’s identity. The clue giving has continued on to this day, as fans continue to investigate this mystery. First up, the FT’s twitter description previously included “#TeamAlumni = #TeamBox.” As we mentioned, it has been believed for some time that the person behind the FT was a previous housguest, hence team alumni (or previous houseguest) = team box (or person inside the box, aka person in control of the FT). However, is there more to this clue that what we see on the surface? In the past week, the FT has released not one but TWO anagrams with the first being “OctoberThirtyFirst.” After much deliberation, the jury is still out on how to decipher this. The names Robert and Eric can be pulled out in two different deciphers (but then not much can be done with the other letters). Robert Roman appeared on BB4, but there’s not much more to go from there. However, Eric Stein was America’s Player on BB8, so … The second anagram was “Never Doubt Broella” and the FT let us know “Ellen” was the first world. Since “Ellen8million” was a trending topic that day, we are led to believe this does not signal any clue as to the identity of the FT. So, let us move on. We want to know if you’ve come up with any other ways to decipher these anagrams.

As we begin yet another week, the Fortune Teller ominously teased her Fortunate Followers regarding a #ManicMonday. Just what is Manic Monday and what does it have to with this Big Brother mystery? It’s clear now that #ManicMonday dealt with a new “Treasure Hunt” in collaboration with @MichelleBB10. As to what the hunt entails and what its reward will be, well, that’s anybody’s guess.

Additionally, the FT uses the term “EyE” rather than “I” with its random capitalization. It is more than likely that the “EyE” may simply refer to a.) The BB eye, b.) The CBS eye or c.) A fortuneteller’s all-seeing eye or even d) all of the above.

Even so, the story behind the Fortune Teller isn’t all fun and games. There was a point in time where fans seemed to get frustrated with Madame Broella and speculation grew that the identity of the tweeter was nothing more than a fan messing around and having fun with obsessed Big Brother fanatics. It was also even speculated that a major Big Brother blog and message board might be behind this social experiment. Some angry tweets were thrown her way, but it’s pretty obvious that the FT can handle angry tweets. She did live in the house with some interesting folk, after all. Plus, she’s probably still flattered with Shelly’s compliments from inside the house. These such theories didn’t hold much weight anyways and weren’t focused on as much by many Big Brother fans, but they did exist and we feel as if they should be pointed out as a reminder.

If there’s one thing EyE know, it’s that this Twitter handle, whether real or experimental, has made waves in social networking with one of the summer’s biggest reality shows. EyE think this could and will open doors for Big Brother next summer … the question is, my personal Fortunate Followers, just who is Madame Crystal Broella?

To follow along the speculation, join in our FORUMS and be sure to follow the Yak on Twitter and Facebook. Of course, don’t forget that you can follow Madame Broella on Twitter as well, so you’re not left in the dark on this mysterious yet enjoyable mystery. EyE know U won’t regRET it!

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The Yak’s Interview with Survivor’s Christine Shields

Today the Yak had the opportunity to interview Christine Shields Markoski, the 39 year old teacher and Mom from Merrick, NY. Christine valued her 19 days on Survivor although she spent the majority of it alone on Redemption Island. Christine’s fans have dubbed her a “warrior” due to her ability to win 5 straight duels before being ousted by Ozzy prior to the tribal merge. Christine was the first person to be voted out of her Upolu tribe.

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The Yak: Christine, congratulations on winning so many duels. You spent so much time on Redemption Island can you tell us how you handled that?

Christine: I tried to keep busy. I had a hard time for a while. I started thinking about my family; my husband, my children, so that was difficult. I sewed my clothes with fishing line. I fished and hunted for food. I journaled and wrote “Redemption Island Sucks!” out of seashells on the beach. (laughs). i picked fresh flowers every day to spruce things up.

The Yak: When Ozzy came to Redemption Island did you buy his story about Cochran and the idol?

Christine: Well yes, it was totally plausible. This is Survivor and being blindsided is nothing new to Ozzy. Who would be asked to be voted off to come to Redemption Island? From what the previous castaways had told me it didn’t surprise me about Cochran?

The Yak: After seeing what Cochran did, if you had beaten Ozzy in the duel would you have stayed with Upolu and would you have taken the chance of picking rocks at Tribal Council?

Christine: I think I would have stayed with Upolu for a little bit and then maybe switched. I wouldn’t be comfortable picking a rock to decide my fate after all that time I spent on Redemption Island.

The Yak: Did you have the opportunity to look for the idol when you knew you were a target in your tribe?

Christine: I did look for the idol as you could see it was unsuccessful, but yes, I did look for it.

The Yak: Do you think you made yourself an early target with Coach by calling him a temporary player:

Christine: I think he took that comment and ran with it. I was calling him out on all his baloney. He said, “she’s calling me lazy and I’m doing a disappearing act, etc.” Stacey and I didn’t listen to his stories. We were not enthralled by his stories.

The Yak: Christine if you hadn’t been voted off your tribe how would you have reacted to Coach’s mandatory prayers and being told to get on your knees.

Christine: It would not have been good. If Coach had grabbed my arm and told me to get on my knees and pray it would not have been a pretty sight! I find it extremely offensive! You do not ever tell anyone that they should pray or not pray!! No, that wouldn’t have happened. That would have been a problem!

The Yak: All of the castaways that we’ve interviewed have stated that they wanted you to win after spending time with you on Redemption Island. Do you have any favorites?

Christine: Oh that’s so nice. I learned something valuable with every single person. I respected and cared for everyone that came through Redemption Island. Of course, I have to say I had so much fun with Stacey. I told her I’m going to write a book called “Staceyisms”. We just laughed so much and drank our coconut milk. It was like having a slumber party. I love the stuff she comes up with like calling Coach “ChuckytheCheese!”

The Yak: Since you were so highly regarded by the others do you think that you would have had a shot at winning if you returned to the game?

Christine: I absolutely would have had a shot at winning. Each person that came through gave me snippets of information that was happening in their tribes so I really felt like I knew what was going on in both tribes.

The Yak: Would you ever see yourself being friends with Coach?

Christine: No, he was my biggest rival. If I had returned to the game he would still be my biggest rival. Everyone else there I respected as a human being. I found Coach arrogant and omnipotent. He acts like he’s King Farouk, like everyone should bow down to him. I don’t see us being BFF’s anytime soon.

The Yak: In one episode during a Redemption Island Duel it looked like you flipped the bird to an Upolu tribe member, Rick specifically. Did you?

Christine: (laughing) I did give someone the finger but it wasn’t Rick.

The Yak: Who did you flip off?

Christine: Jeff! (laughs) This is what happened. I had been on Redemption Island for some time so I missed my manicure appointment lol. My fingernails were really dirty. Jeff Probst made a comment that my fingernails were filthy so I put my middle finger up and said, “Which finger Jeff, this one?” So i basically flipped him off! When my kids watched it they said “Mom, you can’t do that!”. I said, “No, YOU can’t do that!”

The Yak: Jeff Probst said that you were becoming a legitimate force to be reckoned with at some point. You responded that you’ve always been a force to be reckoned with. Tell us about that.

Christine: I’ve always been a very strong personality. I don’t back down from challenges. I say what I think. My mother said she never had to worry about me being bullied or standing up for myself. I’ve always had self-confidence.

The Yak: Would you consider doing Survivor again?

Christine: Absolutely, I’d like to play the Social game this time.

The Yak: Are you going to call Coach “Coach” at the finale, or are you going to call him Benjamin?

Christine: (laughing) I think I’m going to call him “Benjie!”

The Yak: Why Benjie?

Christine: Because he will absolutely despise that name even worse than Benjamin! (laughing)

The Yak: Who do you want to win? Not Coach I imagine.

Christine: Actually if Coach won it would validate me. It would mean that he should have been a temporary player and one of us could have been sitting there.

I think Dawn, she’s strong and she’s a mom, we have that in common.
Or Cochran, he’s been hanging in there and going through a lot.

The Yak: Thank you Christine! You are definitely a force to be reckoned with and we look forward to seeing you again on Survivor! Many Survivor fans are pushing CBS for a season of castaways that got voted off before the merge.

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So what did you think of what Christine had to say? What do you think about the way this season’s Survivor is going all together? Let us know below, then come on in and join us is the forum HERE for all the chat about your favorite shows!

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‘Survivor:’ The Yak Chats with Stacey and A Surprise Guest

Hey Survivor fans! YakkityYaks got a pleasant surprise when interviewing Stacey Powell, our latest Survivor castoff. Jeff Probst decided to stop by for a chat and a TOUT! Jeff was riddled with questions regarding the last episodes “pulled pork” challenge as well as his observations and opinions on several survivors from this season.

Jeff said that initially the “challenge guys,” the people who set up the challenges, had left the pigs fully intact on the spit. They included the head, the feet, the tails, every part of the pig. Jeff said considering that this was going to be viewed at 8:00 p.m. he thought it was just too disturbing and he couldn’t approve it. He said after they trimmed the pigs, they slapped some BBQ sauce on them and put cameras inside the baskets for a more graphic view. He said that fan response to this challenge was HUGE!

The Yak: Jeff, at the end of the challenge Ozzy had the entire pig in his mouth. Do you think this resulted in his jaw being dislocated?”

Jeff Probst: Absolutely! In fact, Ozzy made a case to the producers that he had the entire pig in his mouth when time was called, he wanted to know why he wasn’t allowed to place the entire pig in the basket. I don’t know why, it was just a production call.”

Jeff described Ozzy as an amazing player, fantastic in challenges but lacking the social awareness that is needed in his camp to keep tabs on what is really going on. Jeff said that Boston Rob, who stopped by last night, said you can think you are NOT going home, but you can never let them see that you think you might. It’s all about awareness, who’s talking to who, etc. Jeff said that Boston Rob was one of few people from Survivor that he considers a close friend.

Jeff was asked why Cochrane is still in the game. Jeff replied “Because he hasn’t been voted out. Not a lippy answer but that’s the game right there. He’s withstood the storm so far.” Jeff went on to describe Cochrane as someone who, with his albino legs and weak physical appearance, could make a compelling argument in the end to win Survivor.

Jeff talked about Stacey and said that it is extremely difficult to be a minority in Survivor. He said that Stacey has an amazing personality and that her redemption island speech alone was not in any way scripted. He said if that had been turned in as an audition tape she would have been cast immediately. Jeff loved her character, said she was incredibly aware of what was going on and she knew too much. Therefore her tribe had to vote her out. He said that Stacey and Semhar just didn’t fit in. He said Survivor can become homogenized and it’s difficult when you have nothing in common with others. He did say that he could see no one other than Semhar to be the first voted from her tribe. He said that Stacey is definitely one of a kind. We got the impression that Stacey may someday be asked back on Survivor.

Jeff answered questions regarding his own observations and ratings of the players. Jeff said that his initial impressions of the Survivors are just about as accurate as anyone else’s. He said he doesn’t have a better intuition than the normal fan of who is going to win.

Jeff then asked if anyone is interested in the new social media experiment – Tout. Jeff said that the interview was being “touted.” Touting is similar to tweeting, however it is in video format. You can take a 15 second video and post it or MSN to others, etc. Jeff is interested in all social media and is experimenting with Tout. The Yak was able to go to Jeff’s tout and watch the interview after it occurred!

Thank you Jeff Probst for the surprise interview! Your time is appreciated!

Interview with Stacey Powell

Stacey is a 44 year old mortician from Texas. She lost the Redemption Island duel to her friend Christine.

Q: Stacey, how glad were you that you didn’t have to compete in the pig challenge?

Stacey: I’m a southern girl and and I love me some pork! I would have eaten that pig and loved it!

Q: Stacey, why did Coach rub you the wrong way?

Stacey: Benjamin? You mean Benjamin? He came in to our tribe and played his little games and told his little stories and I wasn’t buying any of it. In the meantime he was controlling, lazy and greedy. He’d go on and on about his loyalty trip and I just got tired of listening to him while the others just ate it up and idolized him. The younger group held on to his every word. Edna was like a child around him hanging on to his coattails. He didn’t want anyone wandering off looking for the immunity idol; he watched everybody. When he wanted to look for the immunity idol everyone just let him wander off by himself because he said he was meditating. No, I never meditated with Benjamin!

Q: Stacey how did you feel about Brandon, and do you think he should have disclosed his relation to Russell Hantz earlier in the game?

Stacey: Brandon was OK. I didn’t think that Brandon had to disclose his relation to Russell at all. Brandon was not playing for Russell he’s playing for himself. He was ok, I didn’t have any problems with Brandon.

Q: How was Redemption Island with Christine?

Stacey: Oh, it was girl’s night out! We drank coconut juice and water and just talked and talked. She’s just a wonderful, caring person and I want her to win the game.

Q: When you watched the episode that depicted you walking right by the idol clue what did you think?

Stacey: Oh I was so mad I just about killed myself! I was right there and I missed it!!

The Yak: Stacey, if you had the opportunity to do Survivor again would you and if so, would you change your strategy?

Stacey: I’d be back like the roadrunner! Yes, I’d love to do Survivor again. I would definitely change my social game. I would play so differently inside the game.

The Yak: Stacey, you did so well in the weight challenge. Was survivor harder or easier, the same or different than you imagined?

Stacey: I can survive. The conditions are harsh, but I had no problem with that. It was so different than I imagined. I had no idea the social game would be so difficult. I met Christine and we hit it off and I didn’t really think far enough ahead to making alliances, etc. Benjamin immediately started the game playing and social workings. To see it on TV is one thing, being there is so much more difficult.

Q: How did you come to apply for survivor.

Stacey: I wasn’t really a big Survivor fan. I watched a few seasons. We had open casting here and I decided to apply I said “I’m gonna do this!”

Stacey was great fun to talk with as she has an exhuberant personality and a great sense of humor. She, like other ex-survivors, says it was a profound, exciting experience for her that taught her many lessons that she carries on throughout her daily life. When the Yak told her that she was one of the best “eye-rollers” ever, she laughed and said “Wait until I start my finger pointing!!” She thinks her expressiveness is why she was selected to compete on Survivor. That and telling it like it is. She certainly, like Jeff said, is one of a kind.

Thank you Stacey! Best of luck to you!

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The Sing Off’s Sonos: “If [music] makes you happy, it’s doing its job”

Last night on NBC’s The Sing-Off, judges Sara Bareilles, Shawn Stockman, and Ben Folds made a tough decision and eliminated Award-winning Sonos from the competition. After making it past Round 1 with their performance of Chris Issac’s “Wicked Game,” Sonos knew they had to work hard to build upon the judge’s critiques and come back a new group in the next round! Unfortunately, in a crop of highly talented groups, Sonos found themselves eliminated. Even with their awards from the A Cappella Recording awards and the A Cappella community awards, Sonos wasn’t able to wow the judges enough to stick around. Earlier today, YakkityYaks had the pleasure to chat with Chris Harrison from Sonos. Read on to find out the story behind the name, plans for the future, just what those effects pedals really are and what’s up next for the latest talented group to be eliminated!

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The Yak: Hey Chris, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. We’re happy to talk to you but not happy at the same time. {laughs}

Chris, Sonos: {laughs} Haha, ya. Thanks, and no problem.

The Yak: So, let’s start with the name Sonos. Can you tell us a little bit about where that came from?

Chris, Sonos: Sure. It actually comes from a book I saw one day in the library. Before we even became a group, I had been in the library and this green and orange book popped out at me on the shelf. The name of the book was Sonos. So, being the nerd that I am, I went and opened to book since the title intrigued me. Well, the book was written in French. I don’t speak French, so that just made it more mysterious. When I got home, I googled “sonos” and didn’t find anything about the book I picked up, but I did find a Greek meaning of the word, which related to sound. I thought that was cool and the name can be flipped around without changing it’s spelling. So when it came time to pick a name for our newly formed group, I threw it out there and everyone dug it. We really like the mystery and meaning behind the name.

The Yak: Wow, that’s really cool. What a good message to encourage kids to go the library. Look at where you ended up from picking up a book. {laughs}

Chris, Sonos: {laughs} Ya. Never thought of it that way. Haha

The Yak: So did you know that Sara Bareilles was going to be a judge before you auditioned or was that a total coincidence that you two had worked together in the past?

Chris, Sonos: No, we agreed to do the show and then several weeks later they announced that Sara would be the replacement judge. I kinda laughed about it. It makes sense with her a cappella background and the community loves her music.

The Yak: How did you find being on the other side to where she was judging you instead of working with you on stage?

Chris, Sonos: It was surreal. It was kinda funny and strange because it’s someone I know. But at the same time it’s someone’s opinion I really respect. In college we sang in an a cappella group together at UCLA and she has an ear and a brain for this kinda stuff, so I really enjoyed it.

The Yak: Did you guys get a chance to be mentored by the judges or were the critiques and feedback all that you had to go off of to better yourselves in the competition?

Chris, Sonos: No, there was no mentoring sessions. The only time we ever interacted with the judges at all was when we sang for them and heard their comments. That was all the exposure we got.

The Yak: How does that affect your planning on what you’re singing for the week and how you’ll approach it?

Chris, Sonos: Well, when we performed Wicked Games in our first episode, the feedback was really helpful. It was things we already knew coming on the show, like putting away our effects pedals. We have five voices, three female and one beat boxing leaves out a low end. That was our primary concern in the first place and well, they figured out that was our primary problem. {laughs} So it forced us to be more creative in our process on the show.

The Yak: Now you brought up the effects pedals, but a lot of people are questioning why audition or sign on for a show like this when you can’t use the effects pedals if they’re one of your strengths in making music.

Chris, Sonos: Well initially, we were informed they weren’t going to be a problem and that we could use them. When we first had conversations about auditioning, we were being encouraged to do it exactly as our own live show as we’re used to. They were very supportive about what we were making and the way that we make it. At our actual audition, we used our pedals and they liked it. After discussions the network was having with themselves, they decided it would be a little too unfamiliar for the audience to see 16 groups singing and one of them comes out with these boxes on the floor and the sound is different. It’d be confusing, they thought. It wouldn’t look quite right with no explanation. It was put to us that we think you’re wonderful but if you could put them down when you’re on the show, you’re welcome to be a part of it. You know, when a band or lead singer puts down their guitar and does a stripped version of the song, you don’t get the full effect as they intended it, but you get a piece of it. If that’s something you like, you’ll go look into something they do as a full band and we thought that’s what we’d do. If you decided to search for us on the internet, you’d see what we actually do. From the get go, we didn’t think of the show as a competition. We knew we were fish out of water on the show and we didn’t think we’d win. We thought it’d be a good opportunity to showcase what we do. We were honored to be invited.

The Yak: It was our pleasure to listen to you guys! So is there a song you wanted to do that would help share your story?

Chris, Sonos: I feel like “I Want You Back” did that as much as possible. It’s one of our signature songs. It sounds relatively close to how we sound in our live show. That drastic type of reworking of the songs is what we do to set ourselves apart and gets people thinking “wow that’s weird. I kinda like it.” I’m trying to think … Hmmm … The song we were planning on doing for the guilty pleasure episode was “Video Killed the Radio Star,” and our friends at Pentatonix went ahead and did that one that week and gave us a shout out. It was kinda sweet.

The Yak: You mentioned being happy performing “I Want You Back,” but ironically it may have led to your elimination. {laughs} Was there an internal struggle among the group to perform it as your signature performance vs infusing the familiar tune the judges said they missed?

Chris, Sonos: {laughs} Good one. We personally didn’t struggle at on. We’re grateful the show exists; it’s healthy for the a cappella world. In a round about way, we’re an a cappella group even if we use random pedals on the floor. In the context of the show, we knew either we’d be drowned out by the sheer size or energy level of the other groups. The approach of the show is Top 40 Pop songs that everyone will know, which makes perfect sense because it’s a TV show for everyone, so we’re this group who does quiet, weird, strange reinventions of lesser known songs. We’re kind of like the boutique band of a cappella. The likelihood of us sitting here and thriving isn’t great. but isn’t it nice that they opted to take a shot and hear what we had to say. I think we’re much more satisfied that we said what we had to say the way we had to say it. We just had to leave things behind and appeal to the competition.

The Yak: Can you talk more about the effects pedals actually? A lot of people may not know they play a role in the evolution of a cappella this day in age.

Chris, Sonos: Oh, absolutely. I’d be more than happy to. The philosophy in the beginning in using them was, as you know coming from a nerdy recording mixing engineer, when any group makes a record, in almost every situation, they are inplementing effects like this. They’re implementing an octave pedal for the bass, letting the guy sing bass reaching the depths and hit notes the human voice can’t hit. That gives it the lower end that’s strong and sturdy as rock records. In the chorus, you splash background with a delay, something to add to the texture of the sound. You really flush it out and give recording more highs, lows and extra richness. I was doing that with my livelihood until we put the group together. I knew how to take this level of production to a live show, so I wanted to do just that. There’s no point in not doing that. If you sing badly, its not gonna hide that if it’s affected. For the first year, I think it was very difficult for the group to listen and tune and blend the way a group that’s completely a cappella would. But we pushed through and did it and it’s an essential part of our live show. The things we use in our live show, the things we were naked without, was the octave pedal. It takes the incoming note and lowers it one octave. In our case, it allows the women to sing bass. In our live shows, in “I Want You Back,” Kathy sings bass with an octave pedal. She’s a fantastic alto to begin with. She’s probably our best bass actually. {laughs} Another key pedal we had to leave behind was a loop station. That really helps when you have 5 people. In certain songs, it loops 2 bars per beat. You would do vocal percussion for 5 seconds or something, kick the pedal twice and it’ll play back what was just done in time. You can sing over it, so you can sing a second male part in our case with Ben. You can turn it on and off depending on the section. That really helped us to have more voices handy. Without that, it’s like wow, we’re just 5 people.

The Yak: Thanks for elaborating on that. As a musician, that was really cool to hear. I’m sure others will enjoy that. Are you rooting for anyone in particular?

Chris, Sonos: We feel a kinship with Pentatonix. We gravitated to them early, as they’re in our bracket. Scott, the tall blond guy, went to school and sang in the same a cappella group as Rachel in our group, so there’s a brother/sisterhood there. We’re really impressed with them. They’re not only the sweetest & most fun, wacky kids on the show. They’re a blast. They’re very impressive and they’re all about reworking song too. They do really drastic reworking of songs they cover and they’re really good at it.

The Yak: What’s next for you guys?

Chris, Sonos: When we left, we went right back to work. We’re in Seattle right now for our tour. We were in Alaska just last week. Tomorrow we’ll be in Idaho then moving on to Athens, Georgia, I think. We’re working on a record with all original songs. We’re about half way through that now. It’s really fun writing original songs. It feels a little trailblazery. There are certainly some, but there aren’t a whole bunch of bands making records of just original songs.

The Yak: When can we expect a release?

Chris, Sonos: We’re in the middle now. Should we get to 12 songs and we see its taken a turn to the left and its now of this fiber, we need interstitials. We need to write, it almost feels like a concept album. Let’s take it that much further and fill in the spaces there. Our hope is to finish principle recording later this year. Hopefully very early next year.

The Yak: With The Sing Off bringing a cappella to focus in America, do you have any advice for groups or aspiring singers/songwriters?

Chris, Sonos: Ya, I think if you love it enough and you’re thinking about it all the time, do it and love it and don’t worry about criticism. Take the constructive aspects and interpret that. If it makes you happy, it [music] is doing its job.

The Yak: If The Sing Off did a season of all stars would you guys consider doing it?

Chris, Sonos: If they invited us back. We’d be honored.

The Yak: We can only hope then.

Chris, Sonos: Thanks man. It was nice talking to you.

The Yak:Thanks, Chris. Same to you. Good luck!

If you want to keep up on all things Sonos, you can keep up with them on their website, http://sonosings.com/.

The Sing-Off airs Mondays at 8pm EST on NBC. Next week, the brackets merge and the Top 10 take a shot at advancing. Two groups will be eliminated!

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Big Brother Victory House: Meet the Cast!

The Big Brother fun at YakkityYaks doesn’t end when the hit CBS summer reality series closes its door. This weekend, YakkityYaks is proud to be the exclusive sponsor of Big Brother Victory House! Big Brother Victory House–named after the location’s former party nickname–is a scaled down, North Carolina-based reality game that will see the likes of twenty people compete in a house cut off from the outside world. With no cell phones, no televisions, no music and no Internet access, these houseguests will encounter the nearest thing possible to a stay in the real Big Brother house.

This will be Big Brother Victory House’s ninth season, and it will feature several of the game’s most notorious players from the past, alongside partners with whom they share dynamic relationships in the “real world.” This crop of dynamic duos range from relatives to coworkers, and from romantic partners to life-long friends, but despite how close they are, they will ultimately have to face off against one another.

Like CBS’s Big Brother, fans may watch a 24/7 live feed broadcast from inside the Big Brother Victory House compound. Viewers may choose between two cams, and they may also chat about the game with other viewers.

Read on below for houseguest bios and vote for who you think will walk away victorious on our poll! (Duos listed from left to right in reference to the picture below.) Don’t forget the LIVE 24/7 feeds are available at Big Brother Victory House!

Alan & Jon
LIFELONG BEST FRIENDS

Alan: A server and college student of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His favorite sport is tennis, and he is inspired by Barack Obama and Andre Agassi.

Jon: A New Jersey native who describes himself as self-actualized, motivating and unique. He enjoys sky diving and plans to use that love of adventure to excel in competitions.

Anna & Skyler
FRIENDS

Anna: A manager of a four diamond hotel, she is no stranger to diplomacy. She plans to make only one reservation in the house, however, and it’s for herself.

Skyler: Describing himself as kind, loyal and charismatic, this former runner-up hopes to finally win. He sums up his strategy in one word: “Slaychel.”

Jessica & Steph B
LIFELONG BEST FRIENDS

Jessica: This former cosmetologist and current server possesses a quick wit and sharp tongue, but plans to not show her cards.

Steph B: A hospitality leader in the restaurant industry, this Washington DC resident has never met a stranger, and plans to use her social skills to take home the gold.

JaLisa & Micah
COWORERS

Jalisa: A proud member of the National Guard, she describes herself as straight to the point. Working with her partner, she hopes to demolish the competition.

Micah: Being a huge enthusiast of the game and show, this former third-place finisher and aspiring politician hopes to use his communications skills to finally make it to the final two.

Shelbi & Peter
COWORKERS

Shelbi: Free-spirited and artistic, this young server firmly believes that “life isn’t about finding yourself; it’s about creating yourself.” She plans to make unexpected alliances to keep a target off her back.

Peter: This sever knows how to have a good time, but he isn’t planning on an experience of just fun and games. He is ready to destroy those who stand in between himself and the grand prize.

Jeremy & Caroline
ROOMMATES

Jeremy: This Illinois native describes himself as clumsy, loud, and optimistic. A former runner-up to the game, he says his strategy to take home the gold is to only look out for himself but to keep his eyes wide open.

Caroline: A magna cum laude graduate of theatre, this newcomer proudly proclaims that she has met the love of her life. She proudly proclaims she is inspired by her mother, and wants to play the game as trustworthy as possible.

Maxx & Kayla
FRIENDS

Maxx: A server and student of entertainment technology, this single (“but not for long”) guy describes himself as funny and wild, and he plans to “take no mercy.”

Kayla: She describes herself as ninety fiesty and fabulous pounds of fun. Leaving a long-term boyfriend behind, Kayla will do anything to win. She jokes that her strategy is simple: Get rich or die trying.

Chad & Brantley
ROOMMATES

Chad: He is a dean’s list art student with a morbid sense of humor and a vast horror film collection. Being an athletic person, Chad plans to lie low to avoid being seen as a threat.

Brantley: A former winner of the game, he plans to utilize his original winning formula: act like he’s just having a good time so people do not find him as a threat. He is a senior associate for a high-end retailer.

Chris & Stephanie M
COWORKERS

Chris: A former news correspondent and current freelance writer, this former winner will use his brains and charm to take him to the finish line once again.

Stephanie M: An evening news producer who prides herself on her morals, which she believes is instilled by her mother–a woman of Chinese descent.

Michelle & Ryan
FRIENDS

Michelle: A loud and proud feminist, this pharmacy technician will use her logic and lovable nature to excel in the game. She is an avid ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Harry Potter’ fan.

Ryan: Describing himself as dependable, loyal and competitive, this staffing coordinator and former runner-up to the game hopes to win by aligning with strong players and having them do the dirty work.