Monday, March 12, 2012

'Bachelor' finale recap: Before, During and After the Final Rose

We start our three-hour "Bachelor" extravaganza with "Before the After the Rose." This is usually referred to as "the finale," but now that everyone who has been in a grocery check-out aisle in the last three months knows who wins, it is all really just two hours of fluff leading to the "After the Final Rose" reunion. ABC dusts off the old "Bachelor" finale music, and we're on our way. Tonight, Ben must choose between two. Cut to Lindzi leaning against a railing with a cup of coffee, smiling -- not too big, just enough, yes, like that. Cut to Courtney petting a cat. Cue meow sound effect. Cut to Ben with suitcase. End with the ubiquitous David Grey song. Lindzi meets Ben's mom and sister first. She is so nervous that she keeps dropping utensils at dinner. Mom asks what she sees in Ben. "He's, like, one of those people you just don't want to stop talking to? It's hard to find that? It's amazing? I love the person he is?" Ben's sister, Julia, asks Lindzi a few questions about how she feels about Ben, but once that is out of the way, she is ready to gossip about Courtney. Lindzi won't say much, other than,"We're just really different?" Ben reconvenes with his mom, who is wearing a cardigan almost identical to his, and sister, who needs to find a new phrase for "red flag." She stresses to Ben that she sees many red flags with Courtney not getting along with the girls. Also, she is not enthusiastic about having a model for a sister-in-law. But lo and behold! Someone trade out sister Julia's red flag for a white flag. She surrenders to Courtney's nice act. She is won over because Courtney seems sweet, and she "will never know what happened in that house with the other girls." Nope, she will never ever know. No way to ever possibly know what happened on that set, I mean, in the house. Ben and Lindzi go skiing (not in bikinis this time). Later, back at her place, she tells Ben she hides behind humor, but now wants to let Ben in, blah blah, same old. She tells him she loves him with a confused shrug. Ben does the mountain thing with Courtney, too. They talk about feelings. Courtney gives Ben a photo album and love letter back at the hotel. "That was really nice," he responds. "That's great," he says when she tells him she loves him. Just what every woman wants to hear. Montage time. Ben loves Courtney because she is adventurous and mysterious. He loves Lindzi because she is always smiling and has a glow about her. (That's not a glow, that's cheap bronzer.) Now, the time has come for the women to stand on balconies before heading inside the hotel to do their hair and makeup while their voiceovers talk about how much they love Ben with retirement home piano playing in the background. Next, Ben's turn to lean over a balcony and talk about hurdles and his decision being the right one as an ominous black bird flies overhead and apparently distracts the camera man. Oh hey, Neil Lane! Engagement ring shopping time with our favorite celebrity jeweler, Neil Lane. Love this guy, he is just so shameless. Both women seem to be channeling "Harry Potter" with their final rose ceremony dresses. Courtney does a long, black dress with black opera-length gloves and a white cape, while Lindzi wears a black dress covered in feathers and a green, velvet cape. (Yes, a green, velvet cape.) The moment of truth comes. Except for that one time they fooled us, we know the person who gets out of the limo/helicopter/boat first is getting the ax. And, drum roll please, Lindzi steps out of the helicopter. Chris takes her cape and sends her to her fate. Ben tells her he has fallen in love with her, but ... her face drops ... he is more in love with someone else. She does her signature shrug, but this time the shrug doesn't indicate love, it indicates unhappiness and disappointment. She tells him she is mad at herself and that if things don't work out to call her. So, perhaps the shrug indicated desperation. Ben stalls with Courtney, talking about their journey for awhile. She gets a suspenseful "but." But, he told himself he wouldn't get down on one knee unless he thought it was forever. And she is his forever. She giggle cries. He flashes the Neil Lane rock and proposes. She says, "Yes." And they promise to love each other forever, or at least until he sees her threaten to "verbal assault and rip the hair out of the other women's heads" on national TV. Now, for the good stuff. As Chris Harrison so aptly puts it, "Just minutes ago, Ben Flajnik did what millions of viewers across the country hoped he wouldn't do, he proposed marriage to Courtney." Ben starts off saying that he still loves Courtney and that the Courtney he saw on the show "isn't the Courtney I know." So, watching the show has been difficult for him. Those moments lead to them "not talking for awhile -- essentially breaking up." The studio audience gasps. Chris Harrison asks for clarification. They didn't talk for a few weeks so Ben could reassess. Chris asks about the tabloid photos of him with another woman (ahem, three other women). Ben swears on his father's grave that he hasn't kissed or hooked up with another woman. He says they are friends from San Francisco, or perhaps they are old photos. Ben insists, "If you look at those photos, I'm not even kissing those women in those photos." OK, which is it? They are your friends, they are old photos or you deny that the kissing photos exist? He says Courtney was upset, but she gets it and trusts him. (She gets it? What exactly does she get?) And she even goes to try on wedding dresses the day the kissing photos were released to divert attention from the "Ben is cheating" stories. Chris responds "You guys are really weird. You're very strange." Courtney comes out to boos. She reveals that their break happened the week before Valentine's Day, and Ben "didn't even send carnations." She spent days in bed crying. "He was supportive initially, and then he abandoned me. There is some trust that has been lost." Courtney still considers them a couple. Show host/ supportive friend/ therapist Chris isn't buying it. "It still sounds like there is a lot of pain." They bring back out Ben, whose hair, by the way, is at an all-time terrible. Ben keeps insisting that they are in a good place, and that they are both "low-drama people." Chris digs a little deeper. Can Courtney really trust Ben to stand by her when the going gets tough? Courtney doesn't think so. The proposal is replayed, and the couple tears up. Ben asserts that he still feels the same way. And Chris gets all ring bearer and pulls out the Neil Lane sparkler. Ben slides it back on, and Chris wishes them the best. Ashley and JP are back. No Lindzi? Ashley says she can relate to Ben and Courtney's troubles, because "people called me ugly, they called me stupid. They were really hard on me." Not really the same thing, Ashley, but thanks for trying. Ashley and JP are happy, living in New York and getting married within the year. Chris offers to get ordained and marry them. (Seriously, Chris, please do that.) And they all lived dysfunctionally ever after.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/tvblog/bachelor_finale_recap_before_during_n1MX8VAheszBXPzQN7YO4L#ixzz1oyItnyIi
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Make-G-Partition-Available-on-Xbox-With-Hard-Drive-Larger-Than-137-Gig

How to Make G Partition Available on Xbox With Hard Drive Larger Than 137 Gig

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Have a 320 gig hard drive and don't know how to make use of the rest? Here is how to make a G partition.

Steps

  1. Load up UnleashX if it is not your dashboard.
  2. Go to system, settings, Storage, then enable drive G.
  3. Go back to the main screen(just press B over and over till the screen stops changing).
  4. Go to File explorer and the G partition should show up with 0MB available, highlight it and press the white button and scroll down till you see Format Drive. XBox might lock up for about 10 seconds but then should say it was formatted.
  5. Drop a file. If you are using Xbox Media Center(XBMC) you need to drop a file of some sort in the partition while still in UnleashX first. Then it will work.

Warnings

  • Softmodding can be dangerous and so can swapping hard drives and will void your warranty, do it at your own risk

Things You'll Need

  • Softmodded Xbox
  • Hard drive larger than the XBox 8 gig and larger than 137gig(the F partition usually takes that up and adding G would be pointless)

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make G Partition Available on Xbox With Hard Drive Larger Than 137 Gig. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Prevent-Your-Xbox-360-from-Overheating

How to Prevent Your Xbox 360 from Overheating

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
This will save you a lot of trouble in the future by just following these easy steps. It doesn't take much to prevent your Xbox 360 console from overheating.

Steps

  1. Move your Xbox 360 console if it is currently in an enclosed area. This will let the air cirulate freely.
  2. Make sure the Xbox has enough space to successfully run without a lot of heating occurring.
  3. If using an inter-cooler that snaps onto the back, remove it. It only makes more problems for yourself.
  4. If possible to find an inter-cooler you are sure of that works, by all means get one, it will help.
  5. Avoid placing it in high areas.
  6. Use air-conditioning, or get a mounted fan to blow cool air on it. This prevents a build-up of hot air around the vents, which is what causes over-heating.
  7. Don't keep it on something that will trap and absorb heat. Carpet is notorious for this. Keep it on varnished wood or glass, which is slightly raised off the ground.

Tips

  • Some inter-coolers will only heat your Xbox even more. For example: the original NYKO inter-cooler is not a great selection, but the new inter-cooler EX seems to avoid the melting issues the original one had.
  • Do these steps as soon as possible before it is too late. There is no determining when your Xbox will overheat and be damaged.
  • Keep the Xbox clear of any walking paths that people may come across.

Warnings

  • Better to be safe than sorry, as once your Xbox has overheated you will be without one for about three to four weeks.
  • DO NOT purchase the original Nyko Inter-cooler, as this particular inter-cooler melts the power socket. However, the Inter-cooler EX with a METAL power interface seems to avoid this melting issue. See IGN Review (http://gear.ign.com/articles/796/796951p1.html).

Things You'll Need

  • Decent amount of open space.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Prevent Your Xbox 360 from Overheating. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Repair your xbox 360

How to Do the Xbox 360 Towel Trick

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
One day, you may be playing your perfectly fine Xbox 360 when it suddenly freezes. When you reboot the system, it gives you 3 flashing red lights in the front. This means your 360 has encountered a hardware problem. If you don't want to return your console to Microsoft right away, you can do this "towel trick."

Steps

  1. Make sure your Xbox 360 actually has the 3 red lights, also known as the Red Rings of Death (RROD)
  2. Get enough towels to cover the whole system up.
  3. Remove everything from the 360, including hard drives, wired controllers, games, etc, EXCEPT for the power supply.
  4. Wrap your Xbox 360 with the towels.
  5. While wrapped, plug your 360's power supply into a wall socket and turn it on. You'll get your usual RROD. Let it run for 15-20 minutes.
  6. Afterwards, turn the Xbox 360 off and let it cool for 20 minutes
  7. Plug everything back in and turn it on again. It should work.

Tips

  • When heating your 360, keep a close eye on it, just in case it might overheat too badly.
  • A fire extinguisher would be nice if you feel the need you might want to use it. (Make sure it's for electrical fires)

Warnings

  • While this may solve the problem, it might only last a few more hours before showing the RROD again. In this case, call Microsoft (1-800-4-MY-XBOX) to place a repair order. This may take 3-4 weeks, but the repair is free if you have the RROD problem if you're still under warranty.

Things You'll Need

  • An Xbox 360 with the Red Rings of Death (3 flashing red lights on the front)
  • 3 towels
  • 45-60 minutes to waste
  • Optional: A fire extinguisher for electrical fires

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Do the Xbox 360 Towel Trick. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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How -to-Set-Up-an-Xbox

How to Set Up an Xbox

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Have you just bought a used Xbox, and it is missing its instruction manual? You have never played one before, and don't know how to set it up? This article will show you how to set up an Xbox.

Steps

  1. Place your console wherever you want. Make sure it is close to your TV, so the cables don't stretch.
  2. Take the INPUT end of the AV cable, and place it in the AUDIO VIDEO INPUT/OUTPUT slot on the back of the console. Take the other end and place each part in the appropriate colour-coded jack on the back of your TV.
  3. Take the Power Cable, and place the correct end in the AC INPUT on the back of the console.
  4. Take your Ethernet Cable (optional), and place it in the LAN Adapter slot on the back of the console. The other end must connect to a phone line.
  5. Plug the controller into SLOT 1 on the front of the console.
  6. Press the EJECT button. This will both turn on the console, and open the disc tray. Put the appropriate disc onto the disc tray, and press EJECT again.
  7. Now play your games!

Tips

  • When turning on the console, scroll down to SETTINGS. In there you can input all the required details like day/month/year, audio and video settings, etc.
  • If your TV does not support the AV Cable, included with your console should be a SCART adapter. Use this to connect to your TV.
  • If the AV cable is incorrectly inserted to the back of the Xbox, an orange light will flash.
  • If the console does not turn on, the AV cable is either broken or incorrectly inserted.

Warnings

  • Never handle electrical equipment with wet hands.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Set Up an Xbox. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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