It's easy to find James annoying because frankly he's annoying to look at. It isn't only his mohawk or the fact that he's dyed his meager strip of hair red, or pink, but it's mostly that bow tie tattoo that he's etched just below his clavicle that makes my skin crawl. Each time I see it I squirm.

By David W. Taylor (Email The Author)
Reality Reel Media
04.01.08

Tattooing choices are obviously very subjective. One man's proud-as-a-peacock tattoo is another man's grotesque eyesore...but since many tattoos are very public affairs and are meant to openly parade their owner's personal fetishes, one could safely suggest that their application is, say, narcissistic in nature. So, it's not so much a permanent record for the tattooee but mainly a billboard for them to garner reactions — whether favorable or not — and to somehow festoon their own flagging egos.

But enough of that...James' choice of personal adornment is indeed odd: A counterculture punkish mohawk coupled with a bow tie caricature that reminds one of string-tie worn by a riverboat gambler or a particularly winsome sheriff back in the cowboy-Indian frontier.

To me it's just a sloppy, icky, layout. Like mold on a piece of bread. But it is what it is and you can make of it what you will...obviously some of America has a regard for James: they would rather go "into battle" with him rather than Ryan, though in some respects that isn't saying much. My quick impression of Ryan is that he's just a big dude who likes to gobble food.

And besides my aversion to James' personal grooming tics I haven't had much in the way of admiration for his strategic play either. He seemed ready to throw everyone under the bus — including his lone ally and spicy love interest, Chelsia — and James did go back on his very authentic word to Natalie about not "putting up" her beloved Matt. He has no cred.

He is the bohemian wanderer (via a bicycle) who seems to be always thinking solely about his own hide and about his own revenge rather than playing with a community mentality. It's nice to see Natalie win HOH because you know she's also scheming with Matt and her immediate coterie in mind — there's a tangible melodrama in the air that makes the plot intriguing. With James it's merely revenge for self; a weekly tit for tat.

Yet it was in the latest installment of Big Brother 9 that I began to feel empathy for James — a little flutter in my heart — because he finally felt all alone in the House. He can't sleep and sulks in the courtyard because he now second guesses his abject abandonment of Chelsia. He could have been sacrificial but instead he was merely a greedy television toady like everyone else. Well, everyone except Natalie.

He recently claims, after all, he was never in the Big Brother game for the money? So, naturally, if you're not playing for the money, or for love (like Natalie), or for the team (like Sharon), you are playing for your own lust for power. And it can get a bit lonely up there...

Even Chelsia felt James' cold calculation. After being eliminated and while getting debriefed by Julie Chen, Chelsia was asked about her potential relationship with James. There were a few awkward moments of downcast glances before Chelsia said she would have to watch tapes of the show before making assumptions of where things stood between them. She suspects James may have been dismissive of their bond. This is James' legacy.

Well, we caught Evel Dick sneaking into the House and pounding some pans together, and breaking one, to wake up the current cast. He soon became the Bob Barker of the Veto Competition and this mold he didn't fit too well. His barbed comments seem stilted and the loss of spontaneity of his past sweet trashings made him seem just a passing curious figure. He was there and then, boom, he was gone — slipping out like a fading shadow.

The best part of the whole shenanigans was seeing people like Adam, Natalie and Shelia get off on seeing this infamous Big Brother celebrity stroll through their midst...Maybe not realizing that many of them are becoming celebrities in their own right. It was an interesting dynamic, as always, in the Reality TV phenomena and a testament to the surreal effect of the camera.

I'm becoming more and more a huge fan of Natalie. What an angel! Love, commitment, integrity, intelligence, heart, compassion, smiles, laughter, fun. And always with her bosom exposed and skimpy skirts floating upward. Pigtails and gaiety! Her big saucer eyes full of light...full of life. No fear. Spinning and stuck on a disco ball and flirting with a queazy sickness for a man of her dreams. For her soulmate. And still fighting for him and not letting anyone get in her way. And dressed for sex. What a woman.

And there's a lot of God in the House this Season. We had the Bible Buddies; and now Natalie, if you can believe it, is touting the Big Man Upstairs. Again, she's too good to be true. Matt's crazy. He should marry this girl like yesterday. She's one in a million. One day Matt will be kicking himself silly. Hey Natalie... call me...