12 Wins in a Row!

The most important reality news of the night (ok, the most important for me at least) is my Boston Red Sox. With a spectacular play by Coco Crisp in the 8^th (and, of course, my uncle’s favorite joke…if Coco is named MVP, will he be on the cover of a Wheaties box?), and a couple of home runs, they won their TWELVTH STRAIGHT GAME. That’s right – 12 straight. They also tied the major league record for consecutive error-less games. Oh, I am so happy. And thanks to the power of tivo, I did also catch the results show for So You Think You Can Dance?.

I’m not sure which I hate more, the large group songs on Idol or the large group dance numbers on this show. Tonight’s looked like the halftime show at a college basketball game. These are such good dancers – why do they make them do this?

I could have done without the schmaltz about Ivan’s father calling him at 6 am. Did Nigel just say that that call made the program worthwhile? Oh come on.

So our bottom three tonight are Ben & Ashlee, Jessica & Jaymz, and Dmitry & Aleksandra. I don’t think that Aleksandra’s solo can save her – the judges were so harsh on her for the past two weeks. But I think the solos for the guys will really matter; it’s a much harder choice.

The solos were good tonight. We got to see a side of both Ashlee & Ben that we haven’t gotten to see yet – I don’t think they’ll go home tonight. Jessica and Jaymz each did a good solo as well, although it was hard to tell if Jaymz meant to go off the stage at the end or not. It also seemed like Jaymz was pretty much resigned to the fact he might be leaving. Aleksandra & Dmitry rounded out the solos nicely. I really appreciated how nice Dmitry was about Aleksandra, especially after how he acted towards his previous partner.

Another note about this show versus Idol – even though I don’t think that the solos make much of a difference in the judge’s decisions, it rounds the show out much nicer than just the naked cruelty of Idol.

As expected, Aleksandra was cut, but not before Nigel apologized for his harsh words last night. Of course, he made up for that niceness quickly while yelling at Ben and Jaymz. I guess I understand where he was coming from, but there was bound to be a better way to say it. In the end, Ben got cut, which was a little surprising. So next week Dmitry will try out partner number three with Ashlee. Oh dear.

So You Think You Can Dance?

Another night of dancing, and I’m getting more and more into So You Think You Can Dance?. I can’t believe I didn’t watch this show last summer.

Ashlee & Ben started the show with a hip hop routine. I liked it…the choreography was a lot lighter than some of the other hip hop we’ve seen, which suited Ben a lot better. Of course, I doubt that anyone will top the hip hop of Benji & Donyelle from week 1; they’ve set the bar so high I don’t think anyone can top it.

Heidi & Ryan were next with a hot Cuban rumba. The choreography was amazing, and was tough – it is SO hard to dance to music like that with no melody. They were amazing…such a change from last week! I can’t imagine that they’ll be in the bottom three this week.

New partners Aleksandra & Dmitry did a really good job with the waltz. It seemed like Dmitry is really happy to be with a new partner, and the two of them look good together. I don’t agree with the judges’ criticism – it seemed a bit harsh. I’m not sure how the voting will go – they might be safe even with the comments from the judges.

Ivan & Allison pulled the Argentine tango, another dance style I’ve never heard of. And watching Ivan during rehearsals in his sneakers, I wasn’t too optimistic. But it was a lot better than their last attempt at Latin dancing, though – Ivan has come a long way in a short amount of time. It was a good performance – they’ll be safe for sure.

Donyelle & Benji got stuck with pop jazz (which just seems like they made up, doesn’t it?), but continued to show why they’re the couple to beat. They’re just so good together. I hated the hair on both of them, but I loved watching them dance. They have great chemistry, and they’re two of the strongest dancers in the competition.

Natalie & Musa also have phenomenal chemistry. But they pulled quick step for this week. The judges didn’t like it that much, but I thought it was fun. Who knew that Musa could dance like that? :)

Jessica & Jaymz were next with a contemporary routine. As a dancer, this was my favorite style to dance, and it seemed like they were excited at first to pull it. But the transition from ballet to contemporary is hard, and it wasn’t made easier by the low expectations from their choreographer (although I understood what they were all saying about “competition dancers”…it’s a whole different style, and competition dancers generally aren’t that great). I loved the choreography, and they exceeded expectations by far. It was really enjoyable to watch them dance.

Finally, we capped off the show with Travis & Martha. They were the second hip hop routine of the night (which, again, makes no sense that there are two hip hop routines each week). I hated Martha’s outfit, but their dancing was really good. I think that some of the judges’ criticism was based on the choreography. And I was glad that Travis pointed out that he’s a contemporary dancer; Musa got so much praise for going out of his comfort zone, while no one seems to notice about him.

So who do I think will be in the bottom three? I agree with Nigel – it’s much harder this week. The only two I would be shocked to see in the bottom are Benji & Donyelle. I know, I know, avoiding the question. My bottom three would be Ben & Ashlee, Aleksandra & Dmitry, and Natalie & Musa. And it might be the end of the road for Ben & Ashlee.

Since When is Juggling a Talent?

You know, I heard not-so-great things about the premiere of America’s Got Talent. But still, I was kind of bummed that I missed it. I mean, with Regis AND David Hasseloff, how could you go wrong? So thank goodness that NBC had the good sense to re-run the premiere tonight. Thank goodness indeed.

Now, the concept itself has done before – it’s a cross between American Idol and the gong show. They use the same format as Idol (3 judges, one cute girl, one Brit…) and with buzzers if they’re really bad. And with the “talent” it seems like a much larger version of Letterman’s stupid human tricks. But I LOVE stupid human tricks. And I’ve got to say, I actually enjoyed the show.

Some of the acts were actually really good. But we also had to sit through the grand master of the nose flute. And the impersonator (whose qualification, apparently, is that he can hear the voices). And the “shadow dancers” (also known as “the woman with the goat”). Although I did appreciate the balloon Regis.

The judging criteria are also considerably looser than on any of the other Simon Cowell shows out there. Somehow, acts like the horn guy and the senior citizen stripper made it through (and seriously, why was Hasseloff so interested in Bernie the Stripper?). But the judges were quite entertaining – I liked the interaction between the three of them, especially the moments when they leaned over and hit each other’s buzzers.

The editing on the show was horrific. Why did we have so much Regis? Did we really need to see him pull four acts at a time out of the audience? It made the show move really slowly. Since Simon Cowell is producing this (after all, the official title is Simon Cowell’s America’s Got Talent…really…), he should know better. One of the reasons that Idol works so well is that there is minimal Seacrest. There should also be minimal Regis.

Anyways, I’ll probably tune in next week. That is, unless, the Red Sox are on at the same time.

We're Down to 8...

It’s time for results on So You Think You Can Dance?, and while Cat Deeley (the host) doesn’t drag it out like Ryan Seacrest, there’s still the element of naked cruelty. And there’s the added element of the fact that the bottom three has to dance again for the judges. What fun.

Aleksandra & Jason, Dmitry & Joy, and Heidi & Ryan were in the bottom three. No real surprises, even though I thought that Ivan & Allison would be there instead of Heidi & Ryan (but they weren’t great either). So they’ll all be dancing solos later in the show.

Before we get to the solos, a question about the girls. Why are so many of them convinced that essentially dancing in their underwear is a good idea? I’m shocked how many of them are pretty much just dancing in bras and boy shorts. It just doesn’t seem comfortable (wouldn’t you be worried about keeping covered up?), and it’s not even that attractive. Hmmmm.

Anyways, the solos were good again this week. Of course, we learned last week that the solos don’t make a whole lot of difference in the voting. I especially liked Heidi’s solo – she’s a LOT better than she showed yesterday.

A quick break to watch Rhianna lip sync while the judges ponder who should go home. I’m lucky that I mostly listened to her performance instead of watching it.

So, after the judges deliberated, it’s Joy and Jason that are going home. I think that the judges got it right out of the six that they had to choose from. And Aleksandra & Dmitry are now partners (question answered…), which should be interesting, since they will be working together for the first time, while all the others will be on their third week with their partners. Oh well…I guess this is what happens when you’re in the bottom three!

Master of Champions

The latest entry into the summer reality replacement show contest is Master of Champions. Each week “champions” in obscure fields (unicycle riding, drift racing, “unique talents”…) compete head to head, then the audience votes which one should be the medalist. A panel of “champions” ties the whole thing together by giving their opinions, then awarding the title of “master of champions” to one of the medalists at the end of the show.

I’ll tell you, this show definitely falls into the category of “so bad it’s good” television. The whole thing is ridiculous. Really ridiculous. But, honestly, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. There’s something captivating about watching drift racers grate cheese with their cars, or extreme unicyclists on an obstacle course. That, and everyone on the show takes it really really seriously. There’s play-by-play, bio videos, scoring…it’s as if someone thinks that these are real skills. And who knew that there was such a thing as the world unicycle champion?

Tonight’s master of champions? Princess Elayne, a 14-year old contortionist who shot a bow and arrow. With her feet. Blindfolded. I’ll admit, it was pretty impressive. So she’s now on the “Wall of Masters,” whatever that means. Nothing like being silly just to be silly.

Treasure Hunters Searching in Vain for Watchable Television

I was warned. Really. In The Washington Post on Saturday, a review ran of the new show Treasure Hunters. In fact, Tom Shales’ exact words were: “Fortunately, typical viewers are armed with a necessity of their own: the marvelous, wonderful channel-changer, with which they can effortlessly transport themselves to a location preferable to "Treasure Hunters" -- specifically, any channel not airing it.” Yikes.

Within a few minutes, I could see why. Aside from the fact that the beginning of the show played like an infomercial (really, do we need to know which website they will be using on their laptops?), the quality of the show was terrible. I could have done a better job hosting. Heck, you could have done a better job.

I so wanted to like the show – the whole idea of solving clues and hunting for treasure sounds interesting. But it turns out to just be a low-rate version of The Amazing Race. So 25 minutes in (that’s right, I gave it 25 minutes), I gave up. Now, to put this into perspective, I watched the entire season of Unan1mous earlier this year, and watched Paradise Hotel with a passion. Twice (they re-ran it on Fox Reality…go figure…). I guess Tom Shales was right.

A Hot Night on So You Think You Can Dance?

It’s week two of competition on So You Think You Can Dance?, and it’s already starting to get interesting. New this week – a clip of each couple pulling their style out of a hat, which answers the question of how the styles are assigned. And with that randomness comes some interesting dancing.

Martha & Travis started the show off by krumping. I had never really seen krumping before, and while it’s not my thing, you could tell it was really hard. They did a great job with really tough choreography – I was impressed.

Jamyz & Jessica were next with the foxtrot. They were very clear about how un-excited they were with their dance style, but it was so beautiful. They danced smoothly together; hopefully it will be enough to keep them out of the bottom three.

Part of pulling a style at random is that sometimes you get very very lucky. But even with that lucky draw, you have to dance the routine. So Ivan, (a hip hop dancer, remember) & Allison had hip hop, but didn’t capitalize on that selection. It was just really flat, and there were parts where they weren’t dancing together. Compared to the hip hop routines from last week, it just wasn’t nearly as good.

Joy & Dmitry weren’t much better with their samba. Joy clearly was tentative in her dancing, and might have even missed a few of the step combinations. I agree with Mia – it wasn’t very good at all.

Natalie & Musa turned the show around with their contemporary routine. It ROCKED. The choreography was excellent, and they dance so well together.

Heidi & Ryan were this week’s choreography victims. And since they had the same choreographer that did Natalie & Musa’s routine, I’m not sure what happened. They danced fine for what they had, but they’ll likely be in the bottom three.

Ben & Ashlee were much better this week. Even though they weren’t sure about the style, the choreography suited them more than the cheesy 80s dance they had last week. I agree with Nigel that just because you don’t like the style of dance doesn’t mean the dancers weren’t good. For American Jive, they did a good job.

Aleksandra & Jason were the second hip hop routine of the night (and, once again, why are there two hip hop routines, but not two of any other style?), and once again a hip hop dancer (Jason) pulled his own style. They did fine with it – I liked them better than Allison & Ivan, but I guess that’s not really saying much. I think that the hip hop choreographers tonight also weren’t as exciting as last week’s, and choreography makes a HUGE difference. And, unlike on American Idol where the singers control their song selection, the dancers have no control over the choreography.

Benji & Donyelle finished the show off with the cha cha. They’re one of my favorite couples, and they didn’t disappoint tonight. They made it clear that they are both phenomenal dancers, and are likely the couple to beat. I also liked Nigel’s comments to Donyelle at the end. Weight is a HUGE issue in the dancing community, where eating disorders are as common as sore toes. It’s about time that people recognize that fabulous dancers don’t have to be a size 0.

So who will be in the bottom three? That’s tough, since it’s not just dancing, it’s personality as well. (and I didn’t do such a good job predicting last week!) I think it will probably be Allison & Ivan, Joy & Dmitry, and Aleksandra & Jason. And who will go home? Sigh…Joy just wasn’t good at all, but I think it will be Allison & Ivan, since it would be their second week in a row in the bottom three. But you never know…

First Round of Cuts on So You Think You Can Dance

I really thought I knew who would be in the bottom three tonight on So You Think You Can Dance?. Between my dance knowledge and ridiculous number of hours logged watching reality tv, I thought I had a lock on this one. But clearly I am new to the show, and new to how the voting works – I only got one of the bottom three couples (Ivan & Allison) correct. Go figure.

So the bottom three have to dance solos to determine who will go home. But the time that they have to dance is so short – I don’t know how you would even prepare for that.

All of the girls were good – I don’t think that they were the bottom three girls. Erin was good, as was Allison. Allison really showed that Ivan was the weak link in that couple – she is a lot better than her dance with him showed. Jessica was really good too. I think that Erin will probably be going home, based mostly on her performance with Stanislav.

On the guys side, I really liked Stanislav. I don’t know why he and Erin were in the bottom three anyways, and I think he’ll be ok. Ivan, though, I don’t think will be as lucky. He’s a good hip hop dancer, but not at all versatile. And from his 30 second solo, I think that he knows that he’s going home. Especially with the performance that Jaymz turned in – it was really fabulous.

So the judges take a few moments backstage to decide who to elimante while we get to hear Nelly Furtado (and thank goodness for tivo…I hate that song…way too much like Shakira’s song with Wyclef…).So after the break, the judges come back to eliminate two dancers. Erin is eliminated first…no big surprise. Then, the unthinkable – my tivo ended. Why oh why Fox would you run over? Sigh…thanks to the internet, apparently Stanislav was cut, which makes no sense to me since Ivan was so terrible (get it? Ivan the terrible?). And I guess my question of what happens to the couples who lose their partners goes unanswered for another week.

So You Think You Can Dance?

So far, the only “summer” show worth watching is So You Think You Can Dance?. (I tried to watch Gameshow Marathon, I really did...it was just SO bad. And not so bad it was good; just SO bad.) I watched all of the early auditions on tivo (great fun to watch bad dancers!), and tonight was the first night of competition for votes. I didn’t watch the show last summer, so this was my first look at the show. And as a former dancer (that’s right, I used to dance…even thought about making it a career) this is a great show.

The first part of the show (the early auditions) were a lot like those on American Idol – contestants performed for the judges, hoping to get a ticket to Vegas. Then there was “Vegas Week,” where each day dancers were taught different routines, and slowly cut down to the 10 best girls and 10 best guys. Now, the contestants have been paired up as couples, and they will compete as a couple each week. Each couple was taught choreography (with lots of different styles of dance), and performed them tonight. America votes (just like Idol), but with this show, the bottom three couples then perform solos for the judges, and the judges decide which girl and which guy go home. I assume that the dancers who lost their partners then become a couple (or maybe they eliminate the entire couple?), but I’m fuzzy on that part for sure! Confused yet? I sure am, but so far this is just as good as Idol, but without the bad singing. Fantastic.

Before we start talking about the show though, a word about the contestants. And not about their dancing – they’re all excellent dancers. No, my question is about their names. Who decided that they should spell their names the way the do? Is this something that they have come up with because they’re on television? Or do we have a generation of kids out there that have plain names with ridiculous spellings? Like Jaymz. Or Aleksandra, What is going on?

The first couple was Benji and Donyelle doing an amazing hip hop routine. Sure, they’re the first couple, but I think they’re definitely early favorites. I actually liked them both a lot in the audition rounds, especially Benji. The judges loved them too; they’ll probably sail through the next few rounds.

After Benji and Donyelle, Ivan and Allison were a huge let down. Their club salsa routine just wasn’t very good. Well, to be fair, Ivan wasn’t very good. Allison was MUCH better than he was; Ivan was just a prop. They’ll be in the bottom three for sure.

Next up was Jason and Aleksandra doing a contemporary routine. That style is SO hard, and they did a good job with it – actually, a much better job than I would have thought.

Jaymz and Jessica were next with 70s disco. Overall, they did a good job. Some parts seemed a bit slow, but I think that was the choreography, not the dancers.

I really liked Stanislav during the audition round. But his partner was cut in the final round, so he’s now dancing the paso doble with Erin. For what it was, it was ok…Stanislav was much better than Erin. She’s lucky that he was good enough to probably get them through to another week!

One of the things I like about the show is that each couple has a different style of dance. That is, except for Dmitry and Joy. For whatever reason, they also danced a hip hop routine. They were good (especially considering Dmitry is a ballroom dancer), but not nearly as good as Benji and Donyelle; because they were the only two couples to dance the same style, they will inevitably be compared to each other. I don’t know how that happened, but it wasn’t really fair; I hope they make it through to next week.

Ryan wins the most obnoxious dancer award for tonight. First, he was complaining because Heidi wasn’t the girl he wanted as his partner (which was just stupid…did you see how Heidi danced in the auditions?). Then it turns out that for all that attitude, Ryan just wasn’t a very good dancer. They’ll be joining Ivan and Allison in the bottom three.

The third couple in the bottom three? Probably Ben and Ashlee. Which is really a shame, because Ben was one of my favorites from the auditions. But they got an 80s routine, and not a very good one at that. Nigel thought it was juvenile, and it was, but that was the choreography, not the dancers. In all fairness they struggled with the lifts, but I don’t understand why the choreographer didn’t take some of them out when it was obvious how they would be done.

Not anywhere near the bottom three was Travis and Martha. Their broadway routine was one of the best of the night (although I could have done without Martha’s outfit). They both made a hard routine look so easy, and they were so enjoyable to watch. A top couple for sure.

Finally we had Musa and Natalie. Musa is such an amazing street dancer, so a mambo was quite the challenge. But they did surprisingly good – I was shocked at how well Musa rose to the occasion. And Natalie was smoking – they’ll make it through on the strength of her hips alone.

So even though I’m not quite sure how the elimination process works, I think that America will put Ivan & Allison, Ryan & Heidi, and Ben & Ashlee will be in the bottom three. And if I were going to vote it would be for Benji & Donyelle – their performance held up through the entire show.

Sean is HIRED!

I’m back from some time away, and I was wrong – there was one last season finale before the official end of the season – last night’s finale of The Apprentice. And even though it was a good episode, if you didn’t figure out who was going to win, then I don’t think reality tv is for you.

So it’s down to Lee and Sean, and their first task is to choose their teams. And this is where we know exactly who will win. Sean picked a dream team – Tammy, Tarek, and Andrea, while Lee chose…well…Lenny, Pepi, and Roxanne. And when they got their tasks in the boardroom, Carolyn had what might have been the best line of the season as she asked “who was the guy on the end?” That’s right, they barely even remembered who Pepi was. And Trump followed up with “Pepi, you’re fired…did I say that?”. Fantastic.

Sean’s task with the Barenaked Ladies was great. I am a huge BNL fan, and it seemed like Sean was really on top of things. Even with Andrea’s trip to the doctor (what was that all about), things were running really smoothly. I really like Sean’s enthusiasm for pretty much everything, but especially for Tammy. As they say on Friends, he is such the smitten kitten.

Over at Lee’s task, a celebrity hockey tournament, it’s utter chaos. Lenny is worthless – in fact, I think he was making more work than he was doing. Lee was in way over his head. Which makes me wonder how he got as far as he did…how did he win that many times as project manager? Strange. And they shot some great footage of Jason Priestly wandering around and Jaime Pressly showing that her character on My Name is Earl isn’t much of a stretch. (“get it together little Apprentice boy”…yikes) The event itself seemed to run alright (although the auction didn’t seem to raise nearly as much money as it should have), but Lee’s failure to meet Trump was ridiculous. As Trump said, “they never learn…”.

So going into the final boardroom, it seemed pretty straight forward that Sean was going to win. What I did think was interesting was that the fired contestants were pretty evenly split about who they thought should win. Of course, Trump has watched all the footage, so no surprise that Sean is the one who is hired. (or that he says that he and Tammy will get married) And I LOVED how excited Sean was – that enthusiasm is what’s going to make him a good apprentice.

One final note…did anyone else notice how Trump ended the show too early so they had five minutes to play the theme song on an endless loop? What was that all about? If they really had an extra five minutes, I would have loved to have heard from some of the other contestants (like the reunion show that they do on Survivor).

So, Sean is the next apprentice, and will stay in New York instead of heading out to Hawaii. He must really like Trump to turn that down!

And now I think we’re really at the summer replacements. So far I’ve tivo’d a couple…more on that later this week!

Soul Patrol!

We’re finally at the end of American Idol…did time fly or what? Anyways, since they’re going to drag this out for two hours, well…who knows what they’ll do until the results at 9:55…

Of course, we’ll have a bunch of group songs. I guess this is why I shouldn’t go sing the AI tour…I can barely sit through these while on my couch. The first one wasn’t too bad (although what were they thinking dressing Mandisa like that?) But the guys all dressed in black singing? Thank goodness for the fast forward button on my tivo. The girls weren’t much better…this is exactly the type of “you can see it on any cruise ship” entertainment that Simon always complains about. The Burt Bacharach medley was even more cruise ship-esque. Ugh.

Apparently we’ll also have some awkward duets as well. Paris singing with Al Jarreau was actually pretty good, but then again, we always knew she was a good singer. And Chris singing with Live was excellent – I would so buy that CD! (yeah, it might just work out best for Chris that he didn’t end up winning after all…) But Katharine and Meatloaf? I just can’t believe that when Katharine sat down with the producers to decide who she wanted to sing with, her first response was “oooh! How about Meatloaf?!?”.(and how sad is it that she sounded better…actually a LOT better…than Meatloaf?) It picked back up with Elliott & Mary J. Blige (another single I would actually buy), but did Toni Braxton not understand the words of “In the Ghetto”? Her performance certainly was inappropriate at best. And what was the point of the Prince performance?

How about some running bits? “Puck ‘n’ Pickler!”How can you go wrong! (seriously, can you imagine the guy pitching this one in the production meeting?) Kellie eats snails! Kellie faces live lobster! Comedy genius!

And some Golden Idol awards! Sure, it’s a different way to show all those hideous audition tapes again. But what would make these people show back up on stage when they know that they are being made fun of? Of course the moment with the Clay Aiken wannabe was worth watching…I guess he really didn’t know that Clay would be there. And aside from the fact that I don’t like his new look, he sounded really good (and I loved that it seemed like the producers really dropped the wannabe’s mic out so we could only hear Clay…thank you…)

And who can forget some airtime for Carrie Underwood? She sounded good, but just pointed out the fact that I really don’t like country music.

Finally, a duet with Katharine and Taylor, which they really should have done more of. They sound really good together. But, alas, still no results. This is the point I’m actually starting to panic. I watched the finale on tivo (thanks to the Red Sox…go Sox!), and they didn’t start the duet until 9:55. 9:55! Oh, how I feel for those of you who were sitting through this live! With one minute to spare, Ryan actually share the results (but not before sharing how many votes were cast and introducing the accountant…oh, I’m really checking my watch…). And no surprise, Taylor is the winner. Soul Patrol!

So, overall, this was a really good season. The show got crazy ratings each week, and somehow there is still a sizeable pool of undiscovered talent out there. And I think that a few of this season’s contestants have an actual shot of being successful in the music industry (Taylor, Katharine, Chris, Paris, Elliott…). And don’t forget that Ace is rumored to be mulling over an offer to pose in Playgirl. Yikes.

This also is the end of this season’s run of reality shows. Of course, any day now the “summer replacement” shows will start. And while they usually aren’t as good as the “regular” shows, let’s not forget that the very first season of Survivor was shown the summer of 2000. So I’ll still be around for the summer, but definitely waiting for the fall!

The Final Two Sing on American Idol

It’s the last night of singing on American Idol, and we have one of the better showdowns in the show’s history. I mean, did anyone really think that Justin, Diana, or Bo would win? Do you even remember who Justin and Diana were? That’s what I thought. So tonight’s contest between Katharine and Taylor will be one of the best – two really good singers with very different styles. This should be good…

Katharine started off with “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” which was a great choice. It’s upbeat, and she sounded great. I was also glad to see that she didn’t do that ridiculous dancing on her knees this time. The judges weren’t blown away, but I don’t think they’re ever blown away by Katharine.

I’m not really sure how Taylor’s first song, “Living for the City,” went. I was so focused on that purple velvet jacket. I just couldn’t stop staring at it. The judges loved it – clearly the hypnotic jacket wasn’t such a problem for them. (ok, so Simon noticed it…)

Katharine’s second song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” was beautiful. I just wish that she had done something a little different with it. She did the same sitting down thing, the same basic performance. Of course, the fact that her monitor didn’t work makes her performance a bit more impressive

Taylor’s second performance, “Levon,” was good, but not nearly as good as Katharine’s. Randy even thought it was “pitchy.” I’ve been watching the show for years, and I still don’t know what pitchy means. But I agree with Simon – it’s a tie game.

Finally, they each sang what would be their first singles. In the past, each one sang the same original song, which was great in that you could actually compare the two performances. And haven’t they usually sung more than one original song? (rather than choosing their favorites from the season ) Katharine’s song started out really good. But it sounded like in the middle she oversang it a bit. I agree with Randy that the song wasn’t great, but that’s not her fault – those songs are chosen for them. Taylor’s original song wasn’t great either. He had the same problem as Katharine – the singer was much better than the song. The judges seemed to like his better than Katharine's...I'm not sure why. To me it still seems like a dead heat.

So, tomorrow night we’ll have results…which, of course, will be dragged out over an excruciating two hours. (and, of course, will compete with Red Sox-Yankees for my attention…oh how I love my tivo…) I think that this will be close, like Clay-Ruben in season two. And I think that they might do the same thing they did that season, and release the two singles the same time (essentially saying that the show was a tie). In the end, I think it will be Taylor who wins, but in the long run Katharine who will be more successful. (what a prediction!!)

A Week of Recaps...

So, I know that I am way behind on my blogging. No real reason other than the fact that there have been lots of Red Sox games on tv the past week, so I watched nearly all of the reality shows later on tivo. Come on – the Sox are in first place and just pounded the Yankees last night. It really doesn’t get better than that. So a few thoughts from the last week…

American Idol was rather anti-climatic as Elliott was finally voted off. It’s a shame really, since he has such an amazing voice. They really dragged out the results show, with all the footage of the top three’s visits home. In all that though, I felt really bad for Katharine. I know she lives in LA, but it seemed like no one really did anything for her. (especially compared to the hoopla surrounding Elliott & Taylor) And Ryan tried something new to drag out the results, giving the percentage of votes that each of the three contestants got. It was close, but no one should really be surprised that it was Elliott that went home. And even though I think that Chris should be in the finals, a Katharine-Taylor showdown will be pretty darn good.

The finale of The Amazing Race was fantastic. The hippies started with a definite advantage with the leg in Japan (who knew that they spoke Japanese?), and it really helped as they did the amusement park task (which, by the way, was amazing…I love coasters, but I don’t think I could have done that!). Even though Ray and Yolanda caught up at the airport, they had no money. I also loved that the race ended where it started – who saw that coming? Oh – just in case you were wondering where they all got the snow gear (because all of a sudden, the two teams who had no clothes or money were wearing parkas and snow pants), the teams are provided with snow gear from the producers (thank you Brennan for the info…Brennan, of course, won AR1). And the final roadblock was fantastic…it can’t always come down to luck! I was rooting for the frats, but I’m glad that the hippies won. They always had such a positive attitude, and really seemed to soak up the cultures of each place they went. It was a really fantastic season.

Finally, there was yesterday’s episode of The Apprentice. It’s been a good season, but the editing lately has been disappointing. It was clear early on that the girls were going to lose, and I was even thinking before they went to the boardroom that Trump might fire them both. Even though both teams asked the employees what they wanted, the guys actually listened to what the employees had to say. It seemed like Allie knew what she wanted to design, and was going to use that regardless of what the employees wanted. Culottes? Puffy sleeves? Does Allie live in the 80s? And Roxanne was right – she was unprofessional towards their designer…she didn’t even call him by the right name! So, no surprise that the boys won (although I was kind of surprised by how bad the girls’ designs were), and I wasn’t surprised to see Trump fire them both. It sets up a really good final next week – Lee and Sean are so different, it will be interesting to see how they both handle the final task (and what will happen if Sean is able to put Tammy on his team). There’s also some sort of element of audience voting this season…this might just be the sign that The Apprentice has jumped the shark. Back to baseball…

Top Three Sing on American Idol

After the controversy of last week on American Idol, I would have thought that this week’s show would have started with some sort of mention of the mayhem. Even just an acknowledgment that everyone has been talking about it, or a statement that the voting system worked fine – that they checked it out and everything. But there was nothing, which was kind of strange.

Speaking of last week, did anyone but me catch Chris Daughtry on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this morning? Oh my goodness. It was phenomenal. If you live somewhere that re-runs the show, make sure you see it. He played the guitar (and, by the way, he’s an amazing guitar player) and sang “Wanted: Dead or Alive.” I would pay to see that performance live. Really. Just that one song. Wow.

Tonight’s show featured three songs for each contestant – one chosen by legendary producer Clive Davis, one chosen by the judges, and one chosen by the contestant. With all these songs, there won’t be any time for banter…thank goodness.

Elliott kicked off the show with his Clive Davis song choice, “Open Arms.” Davis said he wanted Elliott to try a rock song, but that’s not really a rock song. It sounded pretty good…I think that the fact that this was the first song of three will really help him.

Paula chose “What You Won’t Do For Love” for Elliott’s second song. It was a good choice...definitely an “Elliott” kind of song. His final song, “I Believe to My Soul” was an odd choice. He sang it really well though, and I think his performances built through the night.

Katharine’s Clive Davis song was “I Believe I Can Fly,” which sounded like it was a tough choice…the song is so overplayed. She did put her own twist on it, and I’m sure that singing the song in that dress (hello cleavage!) didn’t hurt either. I didn’t understand Randy’s criticism of her song choice, and I was glad that Katharine talked back a bit about it. Even Simon recognized that she couldn’t do anything about the song choice, and she did a good job with what she had to sing. Simon chose Katharine’s second song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” It was a beautiful version, especially the a capella part in the beginning. That might win her the competition. Katharine’s final song was an older song, “I Aint Got Nothing But the Blues.” I don’t think anything will top her last song, but it was still really good. I just get so annoyed with the judges – it seems like Katharine can’t win with them. But I think that she’ll make it through on the strength of her second song.

Clive Davis’s final song choice was for Taylor – “Dancing in the Dark.” (and can I interject an important question – what was Davis drinking when he chose these songs?)

It was a decent rendition, made rather strange by him doing the Courtney Cox – Bruce Springsteen dance with Paula. Randy chose “You Are So Beautiful” for Taylor’s second song, which was really a fantastic choice. He did a great job with it – he might have just stamped his ticket to the final. His final song was classic Taylor, “Try a Little Tenderness.” It was a great performance – he was really in the zone.

After last week, I’m done trying to vote (I did try to vote for Chris for a couple of hours and never got through…go figure). But I think that it will be Taylor and Katharine in the final next week. And you just know that Simon is sweating it out realizing that he quite possibly will have to market a Taylor Hicks album.

Down to the Final Four on The Apprentice

This was a confusing episode of The Apprentice. With only five contestants left, we’re getting down the nitty gritty. So you would think that the remaining five would be fighting tooth and nail to get to the final four.

The task itself was practically the same task as all the others – a sales and marketing task. I understand that it’s all about sponsors and product placement. But every task is the same. I can’t believe that sales ability is the only thing that Trump really wants in his apprentice.

Over on the boys team (Gold Rush? Who cares…) they were really smart about the signage, or so it seemed. For some reason, the guy they hired couldn’t deliver the signs when he said he would. I hope that they didn’t pay the guy – it almost ended up costing them in the end. But you just knew that they would pull out the win in the end when they started talking about the Walmart price tags everywhere. Because everyone loves a good Walmart ad.

So what were the girls doing? Well, poor Tammy was trying to pull together the task, and Roxanne and Allie wanted nothing to do with it. This is where I got confused. When they all got into the boardroom, why did Trump accept the constant eye rolling (or, as they called it, eyebrow raising) from Roxanne and Allie? Bill saw it, and Allie seems to do it all the time – you always see her giving those looks to Trump. I think Trump should have fired them both. And I really thought that he would, considering his piece of “business advice” at the beginning of the show was about traitors. But Tammy took the fall, and Allie and Roxanne survived another week.

So next week is the final four, and some sort of promise of audience voting this season. Oh boy…

Aras Wins Survivor: Exile Island

What a great season of Survivor. And what a fitting ending – a member of each of the original four tribes in the final four, and someone who was really deserving winning it all. Definitely the best show on television.

We started the finale with Danielle and Cirie’s battle to make fire. First, when did they implement the rule that a tie would go to an individual challenge? In early seasons, a tie was decided by votes cast in previous tribal councils. There was also the “pull a rock” tie breaker on several seasons. I hated the rock pulling thing, but I like going to previous votes cast before an individual challenge. It would have meant that Danielle was gone – she had several votes cast against her, while I don’t think Cirie did. Anyways, it was a good challenge – for a few moments I really thought that Cirie had it. But in the end Danielle won, and Cirie was the next one out of the tribe. Cirie leaving the game was huge for everyone – I think that she was the one person who could have beat each and every member of the tribe in the final vote.

I’m not sure if I liked the twist of having a final reward challenge that would potentially give the winner an edge in the final immunity challenge. It was a great challenge though – I love the challenges that combine mental and physical like that. Of course, it’s true what Aras said afterwards – yes, it’s a physical advantage to have that food and cot, but it can be a psychological disadvantage because now everyone expects you to win.

Oh – can I just say how much I hated Terry coming back from tribal council and showing off his hidden immunity idol? I don’t think that was a very classy move. Not that Terry has been classy through the whole thing. So many times he was a sore loser – I don’t know why that has been glossed over in the Terry-love-fest that happened on the reunion show and the talk shows this morning.

Anyways, after the requisite rite of passage tribute to their “fallen comrades,” we get to the final immunity challenge. And it was hard. The final challenge is always about endurance, and this one added the element of balance. I really thought that they would make it farther than they did, but I guess it was a LOT harder than it looked! I also thought that Aras would do better than he did with his yoga background. And what was up with Jeff counting down the minute between platforms? At the second change, Jeff kept giving time updates that seemed to give Terry way more time than he really had. Aras commented on that today on Survivor Live…it seemed that those last 10 seconds were a lot longer than 10! Aras also confirmed that even if Danielle hadn’t given him the nod to jump off, there was no way he would have won. Danielle was in the zone, and made Red Sox fans proud!

I wonder how close Danielle really was to taking Terry to the final two? I think she may be the first Survivor to ever actually sit down with pen and paper and write out the voting scenarios for each choice. She made the right choice…she had to know that she didn’t have the votes to beat Terry. It would be much closer if she chose Aras. I don’t even know how Terry could be surprised. Those Casaya members stuck together throughout.

How can I not mention Aras on the rocks? What was he thinking walking on the wet rocks after having champagne? And Danielle seemed so helpless. It looked like she just stood there for a minute or two before she fully realized what had happened. But I did love when she asked the medical team to drug him up!

It was a good final tribal council – just enough people who were still angry to make it interesting. I laughed out loud when Shane started talking. I understand that he was still angry, but the best part was when he talked about his alliance with Aras. Did he say that he swore on his son while Aras swore on his yoga? Really? Can you swear on a hobby? Who knew? It was clear why Cirie knew to get rid of Courtney – she would have been a dream to sit next to in the final two. And I liked Terry’s comment as he voted for Aras – “I’m just so used to writing your name down…”

In the end, I was glad to see Aras win. He played the game hard and he was kind and honest throughout. Yes, he had to lie when he voted out Shane, but that might have been the only time. He was strategic throughout, and really deserved to win. I think he’ll do good things with the money (outside of those goofy hats he’s selling…of course, if you made me one for the Red Sox…). Anxiously awaiting the fall and Survivor: Cook Island...

Somebody Call a Whambulence!

Another phenomenal episode tonight of Survivor: Exile Island. Of course, that is until the whole “to be continued” thing. I feel so used…

Regardless of what happens, I truly believe that Terry will be in the final two. I also believe that there is no way he can win. After watching his behavior tonight, there’s no way he can beat Cirie, Danielle, or Aras in the final. So either he’ll win the final immunity challenge outright, or whoever does will take him because they know that they can beat him. And why am I so sure of this? Well, first was his reaction when they returned from tribal council. Cirie dropped her torch in his way and he lost it. Sure, they are all tired and hungry, but there’s no excuse for treating her like that. Then there’s the reward challenge. Oh the reward challenge. It was a tough challenge – did you see the sweat pouring off of them? But the best part was Aras, uttering one of the best lines in Survivor history – “somebody call a whambulence, Terry’s crying on the course!” Perfection. And Terry was really whining about it – way to be a good loser.

This was one of the first episodes I can remember where the editing of the show was so telling. When Cirie was excited to make fire, you just knew that that was going to come into play later in the show. I was just hoping that it would come into play at the immunity challenge. It was a good challenge though – I was screaming on my couch for Aras to get it in gear! I’m just so sick of Terry and his attitude. Thank goodness Aras finally pulled it out in the end!

Speaking of Terry, no shocker that he didn’t actually give Danielle the idol. He didn’t give it to Nick, or Austin, or Sally – why would he give it to Danielle? And I he had given it to Nick at that first tribal council, the entire game would have changed. But while Terry is very strong physically, his mental game play is horrendous.

So we’re stuck with a stupid “to be continued” to find out whether Danielle or Cirie can make fire first. And only one episode left…oh Survivor, why do you taunt me?

It's Finally Over on Unan1mous

For the last time I wasted another chunk of my time on Unan1mous. Thank goodness that it’s finally over.

So, a few thoughts…first, someone in editing should get an award for “best stretching of time in a reality show.” They stretched very little footage into weeks worth of television. Kudos to you.

Second, did anyone else do the math on the whole “lose a dollar a second” thing? At $1 per second, they lost $86,400 a day. Which, by the way, makes no sense that they were told that it would be their last vote since by morning the money would be gone. Anyways, at $86,400 a day, they were down there for less than 10 days. The way that they were acting you would have thought that they had been there for months.

Finally, the contestants kept giving advice for the next people to play the game. Are they really going to make another season of this show? Please…no…

So Tarah walked away with some money and they all got to leave the bunker. And now get 30 minutes a week of my life back.

A Real Shocker on American Idol

You know how last night I said I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the final four on American Idol went home tonight? Well, I was wrong. I am shocked at tonight’s results. I did not see that one coming.

First, there’s a lot of filler about the Idols’ trip to Graceland. And the most interesting part of it was how Priscilla Presley looks. I couldn’t tell if she’s had work done or naturally looks really young (or both) but I was shocked at how good she looked. Of course we have a Ford commercial. Which, by the way, may have been the worst so far – they didn’t even pretend to sing on this one. (although I do love anything with Kermit in it…) And the cheesy group song was especially cheesy tonight as they each got to play “lead singer” and “backup singer” for each other. Ugh.

This is where it got really weird. Idol producers love to show celebrities who are there because they are fans. Most of them have their kids with them, but not Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell. Not only are they huge fans, Rebecca somehow got to make a request…and Taylor actually sang for her. Very very strange.

So we finally get some results – Ryan groups Elliott & Taylor and Chris & Katharine. And even though most people predicted Chris & Katharine to be the final two, it’s Elliott & Taylor that are safe. At this point you can just read it all over Katharine’s face that she knows she’s going home. Add to that Simon’s prediction that it was it for her, and, well, she didn’t look to good. So it was genuine shock on her face when Ryan announced that Chris was going home. I just don’t get it. And no, I didn’t vote, but not for lack of trying – I couldn’t get through as long as I tried. The only upside is that of the four, Chris can probably best have a hit CD on his own; the others really need the show to launch their careers.

So no Chris next week, but the final three…only two episodes of this left…what will I do with my time after that?

Elvis Lives on American Idol

As promised last week, the American Idol contestants were whisked away to Graceland to prepare for, that’s right, Elvis night. You heard me, Elvis night. Oh dear.

Taylor’s first choice, “Jailhouse Rock,” may have been his best song choice of the competition. It was perfect for him, and he did a great job singing it. He was back to being crazy (but not too crazy…no lying down on the stage tonight…), and he was really entertaining. He set the bar for tonight’s show very high – good for him. I didn’t understand Simon’s criticism. Of course it was a bad Elvis impersonation – that’s what they’ve asked all of the contestants to do tonight. I’m not sure I totally agree with the judges about his second song. It was good, but I don’t think it was the best.

Chris isn’t the only one who loves “Suspicious Minds.” And it was a great choice for him. I loved it. (I know, I know, I always love him…what do you want from me?) Even Simon liked it – that’s fantastic. His second performance wasn’t quite as good. And he did the whole “Bo-Bice-carry-the-mic-stand-around” thing, which bugs me. But it was definitely good enough to get him through to the next round. Well, at least I hope so…

Elliott’s first song was a really obscure choice. So his song just sounded good – not like he was doing Elvis. I think that how good Elliott is sometimes gets lost in the shuffle – he is really really good. His second performance was even better than the first. And I agree with Simon – he came into tonight as the underdog, and showed tonight why he deserves to continue on.

Oh Katharine. She may be the best overall singer left in the competition. But tonight’s theme was really rough for her. Her first song was, well, strange. People are always talking about her personality (or lack thereof), so it was odd to see her dancing around. It was ok vocally; I agree with Simon that she is lucky that she has two songs tonight. Of course, that’s what he said last week, and she ended up in the top two, so we know she can handle this position. Of course, that was when she got to choose that second song. (which, by the way, is getting all sorts of radio play since Katharine covered it last week…). Tonight it was just more Elvis. And while it was a good performance, it certainly wasn’t her best.

This may be the first top four where there’s no clear winner and loser. They’re all so good…it’s almost a shame that they’re up against each other. Any one of them could have beaten Fantasia or Carrie (sorry Fantasia and Carrie…but have you heard these four??). I have no prediction for the top three, and I wouldn’t be surprised with any combination at the top. And since I haven’t been able to get through for the past few weeks, guess it’s all up to you America. Vote well.