Here we are yet again -- time for the Top 10 women to perform on American Idol. Looks like Fort Meade's Lakisha Jones will be going third. I'll post after she sings and then update with the rest of the show afterward. Here we go!

Gina Glocksen is up first. She dedicates her song to her boyfriend, Joe. She's singing "Alone" by Heart. The background singer is not doing her any favors -- I can't tell whether it's Gina or the background person making that harmony kind of a mess. I didn't love it at the beginning, but harmonies notwithstanding, she pulled it together at the end. Randy says it was a good song choice for her. He also didn't love the beginning (but he does give Charlotte the backup singer credit for helping), but says it came together in the middle. Paula points out that Carrie Underwood sang this song two seasons ago and then says Gina did an excellent job. Simon agrees with the song choice but that the vocals felt forced at the end. But he says he is confused about who she is, that he thought she was edgier than this.

In the red room, Ryan chats with Alaina and Lakisha. He tells Lakisha she's showing some leg and it's sexy. He says she's created some media buzz in the past week (should I feel guilty about that?), and she says she hasn't really been paying attention. She tells Ryan she is nervous, and he says she isn't showing it all. Alaina says she hopes she does her song justice.

Alaina Alexander dedicates her performance to her mom. Her mom cries in the audience over the sweet words in her dedication. She sings "I'm Not Ready to Make Nice" from the Dixie Chicks. She doesn't sound in tune to me for most of the song. Randy: "Well, God, uh, listen ... the first couple of bars were good. ... It was a mess for me." Paula says it's a hard song to sing, but that her pitch was off some, but not as bad as Randy said. Simon says, "It was like Randy taking part in 100-meter sprint, i.e., three quarters of the way through the race, he would run out of steam. ... That's what happened. ... In the middle part of the song, you lost it." Paula: "You're still adorable."

Lakisha Jones is dedicating her performance to her almost-90-year-old grandmother Ruth, who came out to New York to see her perform. "My grandmother is in love -- L-U-V -- with Ryan Seacrest. ... Get ready, this is for you, we're going on a train ride." She sings "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight. She is excellent yet again -- and we got to see more of her personality in her interview. Randy says, "That was hot. ... It started kinda rough, but you turned that around like that." Paula: "Remember, you're Lakisha. ... I loved it, and I love you." Simon: "Interesting dance at the end. ... You are a phenomenally good singer. I don't think it was as good as last week because I don't think you came out with that 'I'm going to prove a point' that you did last week. I think at this stage you can afford to believe that you're going to be a big star, and you've got to start acting like a big star now. Can I be honest with you? ... I don't like the outfit; I found it distracting. ... But I think you are, as I said, a phenomenal singer." Ryan and Simon discuss the color of her shirt.

Melinda Doolittle is next, and she dedicates her performance to two of her closest friends. She says she calls them her "Gayles" (as in Oprah and Gayle). She sings "My Funny Valentine." She does an amazing job. Paula gives her a standing ovation. Randy: "We got a competition going on here. ... That was unbelievable. ... You are the one to beat, so you're up there, you and Lakisha [he makes boxing motions]." Paula says it was just astounding and "out of this world." Simon says, "That was incredible. I think for me, the, without question, the best vocal of the competition so far. What I like about you -- we've had some precocious little monsters on this show [um, who's doing was that?] with very little talent and enormous egos -- ... what I like about you is, you don't know how good you are, and I don't think you're someone who would change if you did well. I think this is part of your appeal. It was a fantastic performance." Ryan asks Simon for names of the precocious little monsters. Randy names Simon. Simon says that was rude.

Ryan talks with Antonella Barba. She says she thinks she picked a better song and have more fun. She dedicates the song to her brother Vincenzo, who plays guitar, and she respects his musical skills and his support means a lot. She sings Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me." Her mom sings along in the audience. The first two-thirds, she doesn't seem to be singing the song that I know as "Because You Loved Me." The end sounds somewhat familiar. Eh. Randy says the song was completely wrong for her and that her pitch was all over the place. "I wish I could sing like Celine, too, but I can't. It just didn't work." Paula says she made "leaps and bounds from last week." Simon says "most of the vocals just weren't good enough. I thought you were worse that last week." Antonella says she is going to listen to Paula's criticism because "Simon was wrong about Jennifer Hudson, so." Sorry to be the one to break this to you, but you, Antonella, are no Jennifer Hudson. Simon says, "Let me be absolutely clear. We put Jennifer Hudson on to American Idol. The American public voted her out. OK. I didn't kick Jennifer Hudson out."

Jordin Sparks dedicates her performance to her younger brother, too. She cries talking about him. Awwww. She sings "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera. She has a little trouble on the lowest parts, but shines on parts of the rest of it. She starts crying as soon as she finishes singing. Randy says she chose a really good song. He says she had some pitchy moments, but where she is at 17 years old today is unbelievable and that he is impressed by her even though it wasn't her best. Paula says she is "infectious." She doesn't mean it like that. She adds that she is brilliant and talented and is going to be around for a long time. Simon says it wasn't her best, but compared to a lot of other people, it was "excellent."

Stephanie Edwards tells Ryan the atmosphere is friendly and not catty. She claims it's not competitive, but Simon doesn't buy it. She says she is going to try to perform the song with as much heart and soul as she can. She dedicates her performance to her parents because they pushed her to audition. She sings "Dangerously in Love," from Destiny's Child. She has a couple of rough patches, but she closes strongly. Randy says she proved that she could sing her "face off," but that it was a little too much like Beyonce at parts. Paula says something about Beyonce that I don't really get. Simon says he agrees with Paula, that she is coming out, putting her mark down and that "it was a terrific performance."

Ryan says Leslie Hunt is up next with Nina Simone. Wait, so, last week Aretha was too big for her, so she's taking on Nina Simone? She dedicates her song to her late grandpa. She sings "Feeling Good" (which AJ sang yesterday). She even works in a little scatting. Randy says it was good to see her back to her jazzy roots, but that it was pitchy. Paula says she is back in her element. Simon says the bit at the end (the scatting) sounded like Paula talking. (His impression of this is fairly hilarious but has so few words that I can't exactly type it.) He says he's kidding. He says the problem is that he just got "whacked" by three big voices before her. Paula makes an ice cream analogy. Simon unfortunately runs with it. That's all of note.

Haley Scarnato dedicates her performance to her fiance, Bobby. She and her giant spiral curls sing "Queen of the Night," and I unfortunately start giggling. I don't know, I guess it was better than last week, but it didn't stand out for me that much. Randy says she had a good a time, but that it bugs him that the song has more background parts than main parts ("That's why she chose it," Simon says.) "It wasn't great for me, though. Vocally, it just wasn't on point." Paula says it was more her having fun and better than last week. Simon says it was an "A" for effort, but it was "a little bit manic verging on insane at one point." Vocally, he says, she came out badly because it's always a risk doing a Whitney song. He says she is one of the vulnerable girls this evening. She cries.

Sabrina Sloan is last. She dedicates her performance to her grandmother. She sings "All the Man That I Need." (She is not dedicating the lyrics to her grandma; she just wants to make her happy.) She is also tackling Whitney, but better. Randy says she had some moments when she lost touch with the pitch, but that she had a big old voice. Paula calls her a big contender in the competition. Simon says it was good, but not to confuse power with shouting and that she was just on the edge of doing that. He also tells her she should have steered clear of Whitney. He says he preferred her last week, but she will be back next week.

The pre-vote recap of the performance reminds me how loud Gina was, how boring Alaina was, how good Lakisha was, how polished Melinda was, how off Antonella was, how emotional Jordin was, how on-point Stephanie was, how low Leslie was, how generic Haley was and, well, I didn't get the recap of Sabrina, but she was only a couple of minutes ago, so I didn't need reminding. She was good.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: American Idol, Maryland reality contestants
        

• Victoria Beckham (formerly known as Posh Spice, now known as that wife of soccer star David Beckham, a woman who refuses to smile in public because it's not a flattering look -- can't remember where exactly I heard that rumor, but I digress) will have her move to the U.S. covered in a reality show. Joy.
• Vincent Pastore from The Sopranos has dropped out of the new season of Dancing With the Stars, citing lack of physical fitness.
• This Associated Press story notes that Taylor Hicks might be the first American Idol winner to not break 1 million units in sales in a debut. Where is your Soul Patrol now?
• Top Design judge Margaret Russell is apparently taking a lot of heat from cat owners about her line: "You can't just design a room around a cat." Hey, I adore cats, but I totally agree. It's not like she recommended stapling felines to a wall as art pieces or something. Get a grip, people!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: American Idol, Dancing With the Stars
        

Here is The Sun's profile today of American Idol contestant Lakisha Jones and her friends and fans in Maryland. Check it out!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The men are up again on American Idol. One can only hope they will put on a better show than last Tuesday's lackluster two hours.

Ryan Seacrest starts things off by saying congratulations to Jennifer Hudson on her Oscar win. Jeff Foxworthy approves and claps from the audience. (He is there to draw attention to his game show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? Which I always want to follow with, "Well, are ya, punk?") Ryan says this week, the contestants have been asked to dedicate their performances to someone who's inspired them.

Phil Stacey is up first. He dedicates his performance to "Navy Band Southeast," his military unit. It turns out his MOS (that's job title in military-speak) is actually singer. He sings "I Ain't Missing You." He starts out a little off (as per usual) but warms up and gets a lot better in the parts of the song he has to belt. Randy says it was "hot." Paula talks up his tone and says she could hear him on the radio. Simon says he isn't "jumping out of my chair." He says he's popular and nice but not unique -- but he does agree that the end of the song was pretty strong. When Simon brings up likability, Simon tells him not to worry about it because he will definitely be back next week.

In the Red Room, Ryan asks Sundance Head what the buzz over the weekend was. He says, "For me to be less crappy." AJ says the judges were fair, and now they have "a chance to redeem ourselves."

Jared Cotter says he is taking on Marvin Gaye since Simon told him to be more adventurous. He dedicates his performance to his mom and his dad, his mom because she told him to go to the auditions, and his dad because he's why he is into music. Which is sweet, but he's singing "Let's Get It on." (I suspect -- I hope -- they picked and then were told about the whole dedication thing.) He is markedly better than last week, way more energetic, and having a great time playing to the cameras. Randy says he wasn't sure if he took chances, but he loved the part where Jared groped his face during the song. (Simon to Randy: "You're actually funny.") Paula tells him he's a good-looking guy, but, "That's the kind of song where you don't have to push ... well, no pun intended." Then she gets really embarrassed. Simon takes over and says, "I'm glad that you made the attempt, but it did remind me of the Love Boat. ... It was a bit corny at parts." "That would have been a GREAT Love Boat," Jared replies. Hee! Everyone is on a roll! Ryan skeeves everyone out, saying, "And the things we've all done to that song ... Yeeeeah." Too much information alert!

Here is Paula after her accidental double-entendre:

AJ Tabaldo also dedicates his song to his parents. He sings "Feeling Good." Think he's going for a fresh start, with a song about it being "a new dawn ... a new day"? He gives a good performance, but I'm still not sure I will remember it in a few hours. Randy says it was better than last week, that he "proved that he's got skills." Paula tells him he has a "real real real real real good voice," and that he's refreshing. Simon says it was "nearly very good," that he stood out, that he looked "strangely comfortable" on stage. He tells Ryan he was outside his comfort zone, but he tried to listen to what they said last week and mold his performance to that.

Sanjaya Malakar dedicates his performance to his grandpa, who passed away when Sanjaya was 5. He sings "Steppin' Out With My Baby," wearing a dapper hat (and his grandpa's wedding ring). His performance seems really quiet somehow, until his last couple of notes. Randy says he's a nice kid and that he likes him, but that it was really weird; "This was not good," he says. Paula says he sang on pitch, and that he has an old soul, but that the song was a little old for him, since he's 17. Simon says, "It was like some ghastly lunch where after lunch, your parents have asked the children to dress up and sing. ... It came over as very weak, a little weird. ... In fact, halfway through the song, you were whispering." He says he wanted to celebrate the great years of music, especially since he was dedicating it to his grandfather.

Chris Sligh tells Ryan he thinks he has picked the right song. His performance is dedicated to his wife. Wow, I didn't realize he was married. He says she has been supportive of him through everything. He sings "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne. This dedication makes much more sense lyrically than the others thus far: "I've been saved by a woman ... She's good to me now." It's a little off-pitch at times but full of feeling, and he continues to appear completely not nervous. Randy says the song shows off his big voice and his skills. Paula also liked that and that the dedication to his wife was sweet. She does point out he was off-pitch at times, and that he was getting ahead of the music occasionally, but closes with, "You're real awesome." Simon says, "Tonight, you were a very good singer." He says he was a little worried at first that he'd dedicated a song called "Trouble" to his wife, "but the lyric kind of made sense." Ryan points out that Taylor sang this song last season, but Chris said he was glad to have the chance to sing it a little differently.

Nick Pedro dedicates his song to his girlfriend. He says this will be "the ultimate Valentine" since they had to be apart on Valentine's Day. He sings "Fever." At the beginning, the drummer gives a more animated performance than Nick does. It's a little all over the place for my tastes. Randy says, "It's cool that everyone has done so much better than last week," but he's returned to his roots and it was good, that this "is the Nick that we love." Paula praises his tone and tells him to go for it. Simon says, "I thought it was good, but when you're going to attempt to pull a song like that off, it's all about charisma, and you lacked charisma. ... I thought the drummer was quite good, though." (Apparently, Simon and I are on the same wavelength this evening.)

Tossing it to a commercial, Ryan says we can expect some "Virtual Insanity" from Blake Lewis. My immediate reaction: This could either be totally amazing or impossibly bad. Here's hoping for the former. In the red room, Ryan asks what watching the women perform meant for Blake. He says it showed him he needed to "step up my game a little bit, a little meaning a lot." He dedicates his performance to his parents. He sings -- and does a little beatboxing break in the middle, too -- and does right by Jamiroquai. Randy tells him it's good to see him return to form, he loved the beatboxing and the scatting and the falsetto. Paula says he made a smart choice, and "way to go." Simon disagrees: "I like you ... I thought the first part was completely copycat, the second part, you showed some originality, and the third part of the song, your tuning went. ... I was very disappointed this week." When Randy and Paula get all worked up about it, he says, "Sorry for having an opinion! ... I will bow to the god of Paula Abdul; I won't have an opinion!" Ha! I don't agree with him about Blake's performance, but that was comedy gold, as they say.

Back in the red room (I guess they are running short today), Chris Richardson tells Ryan he's going to be singing "Geek in the Pink." (I squeal about Jason Mraz being sung; my husband probably rolls his eyes, but they're glued to World of Warcraft, so it's hard to tell.) But first, Brandon Rogers is up. He is dedicating his song to his grandmother. He sings "Time After Time." In his interview, he expressed worry about the song being too slow, but that the lyrics were too fitting, so he was going for it anyway. It's sweet, but not uber-memorable. (But his mom is crying in the audience. Awww.) Randy says he liked the sentiment, but that the song didn't do enough for him vocally. Brandon says he was trying to put his heart into the song and that he didn't feel like it needed anything extra. Paula says she felt his heart and that he didn't have to oversing. Simon says he loves grandmas, but, "It's a singing competition. You have got to come out here, Brandon, and do what four or five of these girls did last week and make a wow impact." Brandon wishes happy birthday to his dad. Simon goes, "By the way, it's my mum's birthday ... in November. ... And I like puppies." Methinks Simon isn't the most sentimental dude around.

Chris Richardson is also dedicating his performance to his grandma. As was already mentioned in the red room, he's singing Jason Mraz's "Geek in the Pink." He still looks really nervous to me, though he doesn't sound that nervous. Randy says that "Chris is in it to win it. ... I even think that was hotter than the original, dawg." (Gonna have to disagree with that one.) Paula asks about him dedicating that song to his grandma. Chris says she wanted a country song, but she loves to dance, so he had to go upbeat. Simon says, "For me, best tonight, by a mile." Really? I hate it when I have a total disconnect with every single one of the judges. So, with the magic of Tivo, I listen to it again, without watching this time, and yeah, I guess his vocals were pretty good. I just really don't think he looks comfortable on stage, and that definitely affects my response to a performance.

Sundance Head is last. He dedicates his performance to his 2.5-month-old son Levi. He tears up when talking about being away from his son. He sings "Mustang Sally." He is clearly bringing back the bluesy side the judges were lamenting his having lost last week. (He's bringing bluesy back. [Sorry.]) Randy: "What a difference a week makes. Welcome back, Sundance." He says he wants to thank America for keeping him around another week. Paula tells him he needs to bring it like that every week. Simon says he's glad this Sundance is back, but let's not get too carried away, and that he thinks he can do even better. Ryan puts a photo of little Levi with a Sundance goatee drawn on it, saying he's been gone for a while.

I think Brandon, AJ and Nick might be in trouble on Thursday. I would say Sanjaya, too, but he was in the top four last week, so his fan base is probably going to carry him another week at least. Blake, both Chrises and Sundance were pretty great in my estimation, but I especially loved Blake. I don't necessarily want to see beatboxing every week, but it worked for him tonight. Phil and Jared are in the middle for me. But I'm not voting! Who are you voting for?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: American Idol
        

If you read last week that American Idol contestant Antonella Barba was the most-searched name of the week on some Internet search engines (higher even than a melting-down Britney Spears) and wondered why, here is part of the answer. Racy pictures of her (including some new ones that her best friend claims are not her and are doctored) are appearing all over the Web. (Side note: Said best friend, Amanda Coluccio, who also auditioned for the show, is claiming that the show made her look bad and is totally fake. Well, of course, they use the footage they have to make the most compelling story, but they only work with what they are given. But that's all I am going to say about that.)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: American Idol
        

I promised to write about Survivor on Thursday, whoops! All in all, it wasn't that eventful. Ravu kept losing -- including a reward challenge that Sylvia was completely useless in and an immunity challenge at which it appeared to some people that Anthony had given up. (The former had a slip-n-slide quality to it that looked pretty fun. That latter was a gross food challenge, and in his defense, it was pretty clear that Anthony was going to lose his round. I wouldn't necessarily have gobbled down as much pig snout as I could, either.)

(Side note: I'm watching the pre-Oscars coverage on E!, and I just saw Former Vice President Al Gore and Former First Lady Tipper Gore standing around waiting to talk to ... Ryan Seacrest. That was a little surreal. Ha! Ryan asked Gore who should play him in a movie, and he said William Hung. Nice American Idol reference, Al! Also, WHAT is Jennifer Hudson wearing on her shoulders??)

So Sylvia was sent to Exile Island and got more clues about where the immunity idol could be, and after she got back, she started trying to dig around camp for it.

About the only screen time Moto got was when Gary was having a shortness of breath issue and the medics came. Seriously, what do we know about the personalities on Moto? Hardly a thing -- I guess the down side of winning all the time is that there isn't much drama, so a lot of the footage ends up on the cutting-room floor.

The other major thing that happened was that Michelle got a fire started for Ravu. She was about the only person in the history of the show who has gotten a fire going without flint.

In the pre-tribal-council scrambling, it appears most of the tribe is leaning toward Sylvia. Then Mookie talks about being angry about Anthony's performance and persuades others to vote for him. Rita doesn't seem to like where things are going and says she won't be going along with the tribe.

When the votes came in, it was a pretty even split between Anthony and Sylvia (except for Rita's vote for Earl), with Sylvia going home. Thankfully. She was bossy and unhelpful in challenges -- not a good combination.

Here's hoping the fire begets water, which begets more energy for Ravu, so they can stop losing all the time.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 6:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: American Idol, Survivor
        

Remember Paris Bennett from last season of American Idol, the tiny girl with the big voice and the crazy outfits? She is performing at the Chesapeake Arts Center at 8 p.m. on March 3. Tickets are $28-$35. Call 410-636-6597 or go to chesapeakearts.org.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Four are going to be out on tonight's American Idol. I think we will lose some of the chaff, some of the totally unmemorable performers.

Ryan Seacrest reports more than 32 million votes were cast. He also says that the celeb coaches this season are Diana Ross, Jon Bon Jovi, Jennifer Lopez (hopefully to coach them on marketing and not singing), Gwen Stefani, Tony Bennett, Martina McBride, Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits and Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees.

Oh, I had almost forgotten how totally cheese-tastic these group sings can be. Where else can you see 24 people singing Tears for Fears' "Sowing the Seeds of Love"? With choreographed snapping, too? (Lakisha-Jones-watch note: She gets the final solo, anchoring this performance the night after anchoring the women's first performance show.)

Now begins the process where we find out excruciatingly slowly who is safe and who is in danger of going home and finally -- eventually -- who is going home.

Brandon Rogers is safe. Sundance Head is safe. Chris Richardson is safe. Nick Pedro is safe. Blake Lewis is safe.

Paul Kim is out. I'm actually shocked -- he didn't have a great night Tuesday, but I thought his initial audition was amazing. It always seems to add insult to injury that they make them re-sing the song that got them voted out after they learn the news. Anyway, Paul sings "Careless Whisper" again, and it isn't that great. 

Ryan brings down the back row of the women. Jordin Sparks is safe. Stephanie Edwards is safe. Sabrina Sloan is safe. Leslie Hunt is safe. Melinda Doolittle is safe. Antonella Barba is safe.

Ryan asks Amy Krebs to come forward from the second row and promptly tells her she is out. She asks (half-jokingly) if she can sing another song -- see, I wasn't that off-base! Ryan says sorry, but the band wants to play last night's song. So she has to go out singing "I can't make you love me if you don't ... don't patronize me ... here in the dark, in these final hours ..." Sometimes song choice is also important in terms of what can happen when the lyrics get taken out of context. She cries.

Here comes Season 3 winner Fantasia, with Quincy Jones in the audience. She announces that she is going to be starring in The Color Purple on Broadway, produced by Jones. He starts talking about it, and Ryan COMPLETELY interrupts him and brings it back to Fantasia. He is seriously in the middle of sentence. Whoops. She sings and gets a standing ovation from the judges and the audience.

(Side note: Verizon commercial with the weightlifters? The one talking to the camera appears to be Silas Gaither from Survivor: Africa.)

The women are in the hot seat again. Haley Scarnato is safe. Lakisha Jones is safe! Gina Glocksen appears to already be crying, but she is safe. It's down to Nicole Tranquillo and Alaina Alexander.

Nicole Tranquillo is out. She says she had a lot of fun and that she made some great friends. Paula tells her she is a brilliant vocalist. She sings (ow) "Stay" again. The judges talk about song choice incessantly, but I think this song just doesn't work for her at all. But we are listening to it again.

Chris Sligh is safe. Phil Stacey is safe. Jared Coter is safe. AJ Tabaldo is safe. Ryan tells Sanjaya Malakar and Rudy Cardenas that one of them is among the top four guys and one is out.

Rudy Cardenas is out. Paula says she is sad and that people didn't get who Rudy was.

Now it's the montage of the four eliminated contestants' time on the show. Instead of Daniel Powter's "Bad Day," they are playing Chris Daughtry's "Home." Pardon, I mean just Daughtry.

Rudy closes out with "Free Ride."

I'll be back later to talk Survivor, but first I've got to see if Meredith is going to make it on Grey's Anatomy!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Now, the 12 top women on American Idol -- including Fort Meade's Lakisha Jones -- perform for viewer votes.

First, we will revisit the guys' performances from last night. Ryan says that "Simon set the bar very high." No, Simon was being honest about how lackluster the performances were. Here's hoping 1) it was nerves and 2) that the women do better tonight.

Looks like Lakisha is closing the show this evening -- that's a good sign for her. It seems like they usually pick a strong contestant to anchor the show. Ryan gives the judges a tough time for telling them to take risks and then complain that their performances were too risky. What? If anything, they were mostly told it was too safe. Simon says he think the guys let themselves down last night, that no performances were that memorable.

Stephanie Edwards is 19 and from Savannah, Ga., and auditioned in Memphis. She says she wouldn't be here if her parents hadn't encouraged her so much. She sings "How Come You Don't Call Me." I'm glad her parents encouraged her -- she does pretty darned well. Randy says, "That set it off." He says it was a little off-pitch, but the conviction was there. Paula says she is a star and gave a great performance. Simon says she was a million times better than any of the guys' performance and it was her best performance so far, and that it looked like she came out and said, "I want to win American Idol."

Amy Krebs  says she is a little nervous but ready to get on the stage. She is 22 and from Seattle. She sings Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," and to my untutored ear, she sounds a little flat here and there. Randy says it was pretty middle of the road and kind of boring. Paula says she lost her bluesy edge. Simon says he still can't remember her, that she has the personality of a candle when she sings. Huh? Paula says she will stand out because she has it in her. Simon says even her outfit and her hair and everything is forgettable.

Leslie Hunt is a 24 year old dog-walker from Chicago. She says getting this far has been a boost of confidence she really needed. She sings Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman." Randy says he was hoping for definite greatness, but he thought the song was a little too big for her, and that it was just OK. Paula says she thinks she did a great job, but that she should watch the songs she picks. Simon says it wasn't great and that she looks a little embarrassed and ungainly when she's performing. (He brings up the dog-walking thing, but it's really peripheral.) Ryan says he actually understand Simon. Oh, darn it. Randy calls out the "dawg pound," aka, the guys. I hate that.

Sabrina Sloan is 27 and from Studio City, Calif. She says she is a professional singer. Hmmm, I didn't think pros could do AI. She says for her, song choice is always key. She sings "I Never Loved a  Man the Way I Love You." She has a little trouble harmonizing but is otherwise pretty good. Randy says they finally have a competition and that she is the one to beat. Paula gives her a standing ovation. Simon says she proved the difference between "taking part and having a desire to win." (Didn't he just say that about Stephanie?)

Antonella Barba is a 20-year-old student (at D.C.'s Catholic University) who tried out with her best friend. She sings "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing," which amuses me since Sabrina just went on about not wanting to do a ballad because she's watched five seasons of the show and knows ballads don't always go over. Randy asks what she's going to say, and she says that he could maybe see her nerves? He said it was "pitchy" and really not great. Paula pulls out the "amazingly beautiful girl" line, and that this song didn't suit her that well. Simon says: "The good news is, you're attractive. The bad news is, it didn't work." He says he thinks the song seriously damaged her chances of staying another week because the song was too big. She asks what she can do better. Simon says pick a pop song because that song ate her up.

Jordin Sparks, who is 17, is up next. In her audition, Simon told her she was too sugary sweet. She sings Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason." Parts of it seem a little too low for her comfortable range, but she takes it higher at the end to get out of that problem. Randy says she should challenge herself because he doesn't know if there is any song too big for her. Paula says she agrees, that it was a great song selection. Which is the opposite of what Randy said, but whatever. Simon says he thinks she should push herself and she'll surprise a few people in the competition.

Nicole Tranquillo is 20 and from Warnersville, Pa. She is a voice major and says she thrives on being super busy. She says her favorite part of the competition was the group performance. She sings, and I'm not going to try to guess the title. She's a little screamy and screechy for a lot of it, and her dad, in the audience, has no rhythm, but it's cute. Randy chuckles and says it was a little bit of the Chaka Khan version, a little of the Erykah Badu version, and that it didn't work for him at all. Paula says she doesn't know how many people can hit the notes she just hit, and she says it was out of this world. Simon says it was indulgent, aggressive and looked unnatural and fake. Randy adds that it was the wrong vibe.

Haley Scarnato is 24 and from San Antonio, Texas. She tells Ryan going later the night is good because it inspires you. She sings Celine Dion's "All Coming Back to Me Now." Is that the right choice to prove you aren't too cabaret, which Simon said in her first audition? Randy says she brought it in Hollywood, but that this was OK, even though it was a good choice for her "Broadway-ish" voice. Paula says she did a nice job, but she was hoping for a different song since she sang it in Hollywood. Simon said it was like being at a reasonably good hotel and that's the last song of the evening, and that she sounded too old and too boring. Randy and Paula both said, "yeah," at Simon's comment that it was a little boring.

Melinda Doolittle, the former backup singer, also tackles some Aretha. She says that at this time last year, she was thinking she was going to try to become a backup singer on AI. She sings "Since You Been Gone," and not to be all Paula on you, but she owns it. Randy says she "blew it out the box." Paula says she is a front-runner and a firecracker. Simon says a lot of people have come up with little talent and a lot of arrogance, and she is the opposite, great talent with little confidence, and that she is amazing.

Alaina Alexander says she is sensitive and passionate, not emotional, but apparently she cried a lot during her audition process. She is 24 from Redlands, Calif. She sings "Brass in Pocket." Randy says it wasn't really great and that she didn't really do anything with the song. Paula says she didn't go for it or put her oomph into it. Simon says, "You kept singing that line 'I'm special,' and it really wasn't." He says there wasn't a wow factor. He adds, "You are going to be relying on your looks tonight." She says, "Nice." Simon asks Ryan if he is trying to date this girl after he asks the judges what she can do better. Clearly, he is trying to fill some time. It's his job! Helloooo!

Gina Glocksen is a dental assistant who made it to Hollywood season five and got cut the last day. She sings "All by Myself." She hits the chorus, and her mom starts bawling in the front row. Dude, I don't really like that song, and I got goosebumps. Randy says she got it even though he wasn't sure at first. Paula agrees. Simon says he doesn't think she quite nailed the big note, but we'll see.

Lastly is our local girl, Lakisha Jones. She says she is from Flint, Mich., but she currently lives in Maryland, so we're still claiming her. She sings "And I'm Telling You," which former Idol Jennifer Hudson sings in Dreamgirls. It's a big, big, big song, but she's got it. And there are the goosebumps again. Randy says, "Let me just say something to you right now: I do love you. You remind me of one of my favorite singers, Karen Clark Sheer. You laid it out on that stage. Jennifer Hudson, watch out!" Paula: "Lakisha, you have so much to be proud of. ... This is where you belong honey, this is where you belong." Simon: "Just to correct someone earlier, that's the right note. I am very tempted to say to 23 other people, 'Book your plane tickets home.' Well, I'm sorry, that was in a different league." I think they liked her! Ryan asks how she is feeling, and she says nervous, though she didn't show it at all. He asks about her daughter, and she says it's her birthday, turning 4 today.

Ryan asks if there wasn't the 50-50 split for the finals, how many guys would Randy put through to the finals. He says based on the past two nights, about four guys and eight girls because "the girls blew it out the box." Paula says she is proud of everyone and that some people will sleep well. Simon says there were three or four people who were in a different league and that Lakisha has "thrown down the gauntlet; I like that."

I think the women were mostly way, way better than the guys. Lakisha was amazing, as were Melinda, Sabrina and Stephanie. It will be interesting to see who goes home.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

Remember Trista and Ryan Sutter? She came in second on the first Bachelor, and then she was the title character in the first season of The Bachelorette, on which she met Ryan. Then they got married on a TV special, too, featuring lots and lots and lots of pink, and are so far the only pairing from the series to still be together. Today, they announced that they are expecting a baby. Awww, how sweet.

People's web site has the details.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Bachelor/Bachelorette
        

ABC has officially announced the new cast of Dancing With the Stars, which premieres March 19. The contenders are:

• Laila Ali, daughter of the boxer and a retired boxer herself.
• Billy Ray Cyrus, onetime country music star and current star of Disney's Hannah Montana with his daughter, Miley.
• Heather Mills, U.N. goodwill ambassador and soon-to-be-ex-wife of Paul McCartney. (Not sure how that latter situation will affect her potential fan base.)
• Clyde Drexler, former NBA star.
• Joey Fatone of N'SYNC, currently also pursuing an acting career.
• Shandi Finnessey, former Miss USA and current host on the Game Show Network.
• Leeza Gibbons, talk show host and entertainment show anchor.
• Paulina Porizkova, former supermodel.
• Ian Ziering, of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame.
• Vincent Pastore, famously killed off of The Sopranos, and recently on Celebrity Fit Club 4.
• Apolo Anton Ohno, Olympic speed skater, (and whose name, my friend Erika points out, you just know is going to have judge Bruno Tonioli saying, "Ohno? Oh, YES!" at some point.)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

Tonight, for two hours, the Top 12 male semifinalists perform on American Idol. Well, two hours total. Probably a lot of filler in there.

Yep, we're starting with a montage of "how they got here." This doesn't necessarily constitute filler, seeing as how some of these guys haven't had any screen time yet.

Rudy Cardenas is a "professional musician," but there isn't any elaboration. We see that Simon wasn't impressed by him in his initial audition. He comes out to sing "Free Ride," which calls to mind some car commercial or another. (I hope not one of the corporate sponsors, because that would be a new low in ... uh, synergy?) Randy says he started the season off and got the party started, but that it was really corny. Paula and her bangs say he started off "fantastic," and that no one has started out a season so lively and uptempo. ("We have, actually," says Simon.) Simon says the performance proves why he hasn't been enthusiastic about Rudy -- that he hasn't seen anything unique from him. Rudy tells Ryan he hopes to change Simon's mind.

Ryan talks with the guys in the red room. Chris Sligh says the buzz tonight has been about all the guys "looking pretty."

Brandon Rogers is a 29-year-old background singer. He says he felt like he was on the bubble in Hollywood and that he gathered himself for his final performance there. He sings "Rock With You." Randy says it was a little pitchy and that he doesn't need to do so much with the song. Paula seconds Randy. Simon says he's a good performer, but that this was a safe song, and that he has to come out and "make an impact." "What I'm basically saying is, you're better than that," Simon closes. He tells Ryan he knew he would be nervous, so he chose a song he felt comfortable with, no matter how shaky he got.

Sundance Head has a great name, and he had a fantastic initial audition. He's a 28-year-old machine-shop worker. He says he thinks the only reason he is through is because he had a great first audition because he doesn't think he did a very good job during Hollywood week. He sings "Nights in White Satin." It seems like a lot of the guys are having trouble figuring how much to play to the camera and when to play to the audience. Eh, they will figure it out soon enough. Randy says he loved him initially because of his bluesy thing, which he seems to have abandoned. He says he doesn't think he was on pitch the whole song. Wow, Randy is more harsh this season. Even Paula says he was all over the place and picked the wrong song. Simon says tonight, he was like "dad at a wedding." Ryan asks Sundance what he would do differently with his arms if he had it to do over again. Paula says she knows and rubs her hands all over her chest (uh, above the area where it would have been problematic). It really seems like she is making an inside joke about something during auditions, but undoubtedly this will be interpreted as her craziness. (Not that she hasn't been extra-zany in the past. But I digress.)

Paul Kim impressed the judges at his first audition. He's 25 and from California and says he was surprised during the auditions because it seemed like Simon didn't like him, but he gave him a yes anyway. He is the guy who is always barefoot on stage. He sings "Careless Whisper." Randy says the song started pitchy and weird, but then it got a lot better, except for the falsetto because he missed the note. (Hey, that's exactly what I was thinking.) He says he still likes his potential. Paula asks him if he is a little nervous. She says he oversang the song, but she hopes he still gets through. Simon says Paula was rude. Simon tells Paul he should put on his shoes, that it's too much, that it's a "singing competition." He says it was an ordinary copy of George Michael and that he didn't wow them.

Simon says he thinks the competitors tried harder earlier in the auditions and that now they are playing it safe.

Chris Richardson is 22 and from Chesapeake, Va. He performed in New York and was compared to Justin Timberlake. He says his dad gets to live the rock n roll dream vicariously through him. He sings "I Don't Wanna Be." It starts way, way, way cheesy, and he is clearly terrified. It gets a little better. Randy says he feels like the show just started -- he says it wasn't perfect, but he had fun and made it his own. (Hilariously, he calls it an Edwin McCain song, and Simon corrects him that it's a Gavin DeGraw song. Whoops!) Paula says she liked the arrangement and that it was fun watching his  dad dance on the upbeat while he danced on the downbeat. Simon: "I'm sorry to sound negative tonight ... I thought your voice sounded very small in that song, I thought it was a bad vocal, although I like you, and I think the girls are going to vote for you." I'm with Simon.

Nick Pedro is next. He's the guy who made it to Hollywood last year and bowed out after losing his lyrics. He sings "Now and Forever" by Richard Marx. Yawn. Randy asks how his nerves are. He says it was better. Randy says it wasn't good, that it was boring and pitchy. Paula says they didn't feel the magic from his first audition. Simon says he didn't think it was that bad, actually. He says he's nervous and lost his spark a little bit, but that he didn't think his voice sounded that bad. Ryan busts out a "Vote for Pedro" joke, but at least acknowledges that Nick's probably heard that one before.

Blake Lewis, the beatboxer, is next. He's 25 and from Seattle. He says he knows it's a singing show and that being in the Top 24 feels "amazing, exclamation point." He sings Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know." His parents (I think) very cutely are singing along in the front row. Randy says he is shocked he came out with a Keane song but that he dug it, despite some pitchy problems. Paula says she is proud of him because his choice was unexpected and that his vocals were spot-on with no pitchiness (I'm going go with Randy on this one), and, "you were cool." Simon says it wasn't the best vocal he's ever heard in his life, but that he was the first person who came out and sounded like he was from 2007, and that he was 100 percent right to come out and not beatbox and that he was by far the best performance this evening.

Sanjaya Malakar is next. He is 17 and from Seattle. He talks about being sad his sister was cut during Hollywood week, but that he wants to win it for her. He sings "Knocks Me Off of My Feet." Randy says it was tough for him to tackle a Stevie song and that it was "really bad." Paula says she wished more personality came through. Simon says it's ironic that the most repeated line was "I don't want to bore this with you" and that it was dull. He says he appreciates his honesty and that he knows he can do better.

Chris Sligh is the funny dude who told them in his first audition that he wanted to win to make David Hasselhoff cry. Oh yeah, and he can sing. He is 28 from Greenville, S.C., and auditioned in Birmingham. He says his strengths are strategy and song choice, and that he likes everyone, but in reality only one of them is going to be left at the end singing "Do I Make You Proud." Heh. He sings a song called "Typical." Randy says he was rushing a little bit, but it was all good because his voice was on point. Paula says he had a great time and everyone else did. Simon agrees his humor has gotten him this far. He says he is a fantastic personality, but he felt like he was at some "student gig," that he really is struggling tonight to figure things out, that he doesn't think it was an incredible vocal performance. Chris takes a dig at Simon, saying Simon doesn't like him just because he doesn't sing like Il Divo or the Teletubbies, and things get weird for a minute.

Jared Cotter is next. He tells Ryan he can handle it downstairs on stage because he is tough and from New York. He's 25 and a former waiter. He (rightly) says that America hasn't seen him much as of yet, and he is (smartly and completely non-bitterly) looking at it as a clean slate. He sings "Back at One." Randy says it was pretty good, but he didn't like the ending. Paula says he likes him better with more uptempo songs. Simon says it was unadventurous and that he sounded a bit nasal (which I said during the performance to my husband, so I disagree with the boos that comment brought on). He adds that he needs to take a few more risks.

AJ Tabaldo is 22 and from Santa Maria, Calif. This is his fifth attempt trying out for the show. He sings "Never Too Much." Randy says he looked like he was having a blast and that vocally it was pretty good. Paula says, "You can definitely sing," and that he needs to go for it a little more. Simon says, "It was good, nothing great, nothing terrible," but he calls it "a little bit theme park." He says to be a little more daring, and that maybe he's better than he originally thought.

Phil Stacey is last to sing. He is 29, from Florida, and an active-duty sailor (and he didn't try out in his uniform! Good show!). He missed the birth of his daughter when his wife went into labor early, the night before auditions. He says he worked really hard between the initial audition and Hollywood to improve. He sings "I Could Not Ask for More." Just like in his first audition, his start is baaaaaaaaaaaad. But he gets better in the chorus. Thankfully. Randy says it started badly, but that he gets the best vocal of the night. Paula says he opened up in the chorus. Simon says the beginning was monstrous and that it got better after that, but not the best of the evening. Phil says he 100 percent agrees with Simon and that he knows he has a lot of work to do.

Ryan asks Simon why he is being so negative. He says he is being honest and he doesn't believe in patronizing the audience and that he isn't going to lie to people.

Tomorrow, it's the women's turn.

Overall, I think that was a little rough. It was the first live show, so you have to cut people some slack, but ... it seems like it's been better in the semis before. I think Simon was right on when he said people were trying to play it safe with their song choices. For all the guff Ryan was giving Randy at the beginning about being harsh, I found him to be a lot more on the mark, which is more helpful to the viewers and the contestants than Paula's gushing. What do you think?

P.S. Thanks to the people who have corrected my song titles. Since the show doesn't bother to tell us what they are singing, I try to do a lyrics search and make my best guess, but it looks like I didn't do that great of a job last night. Sorry about that!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: American Idol
        

As I have watched the past two episodes of Grease: You're the One That I Want, I've started to wonder whether this is really such a good idea. The skills it takes to play to a theater are almost the opposite of the skills it takes to play to the television camera, so it is a little odd to see these overwrought faces in closeup. (And if you ever wondered what American Idol judge Simon Cowell meant when he dismissed someone's singing as "too Broadway," now you know: e-nun-ci-a-tion!)

I guess it's still pretty fun, and I can't really argue with the people sent home last night (Jason and Juliana). But there are still eight competitors left, and the songs from the musical are already wearing on me. It's only going to get worse, right?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Grease: You're the one That I Want
        

Well, I live-blogged this whole episode of Amazing Race, and then my connection timed out, and my whole post is gone. So, what do I remember?

The teams start off in Miami and head for Ecuador. From there, they have to find a clue at the Plaza del San Francisco, then find a restaurant, where they are given numbers. They eat and spend the night on cots outside near the restaurant, then leave in three waves the next morning, based on their number. They drive to a national park, and the first detour is between Wrangle It and Recover It. Wrangle It involves some cowboys lassoing a wild horse, and then the team has to clip its hooves and its tail. Recover It ... well, it's not worth mentioning since no one does it -- Rob and Amber give it a shot, but give up quickly when they realize part of it involves finding a button in a field.

Rob and Amber finish first, and she has a choice moment of telling the cameras that there isn't really anyone they are really interested in racing against, but she thinks all the teams want to race against them.

The usual airport chaos strikes again at the beginning, and some of the teams still haven't learned that just because a flight leaves earlier doesn't mean it lands earlier.

At the first clue in Ecuador, Drew fell down hard and first feared he had separated his shoulder, but he appeared to get over it, though he looked in not great shape by the time he and Kevin made it to the pit stop (in next to last place).

Rob and Oswald were definitely helped by their Spanish skills during this episode, though Rob's abilities were much more cursory. Charla and Mirna and John Vito and Jill both learned that you have to choose your helpers carefully -- both were led in wrong directions, John Vito and Jill to the point that they couldn't catch up and were eventually eliminated.

Oswald and Danny were second, Teri and Ian third, Eric and Danielle fourth, and after that, I start to forget. Charla and Mirna were in eighth and David and Mary directly behind, with David and Mary telling them at the mat how big of fans they were. And Jill and John Vito finish last, and they are very disappointed, but they say how nice it is to be together again and that maybe they can take their relationship back to a past-a-friendship level. I didn't watch their season, but they seem like really nice people and tough competitors, and I'm sad to see them out so fast.

Next week, it looks like Rob and Amber cause some consternation (on purpose) when the other teams can't find them at the airport.

Sorry for the convoluted post. It made much more sense when it was written as things were happening on screen. I (re-)learned: Save, save, save!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: The Amazing Race
        

If you thought Britney Spears' existence was chaotic on her reality show of that name with her and soon-to-be-ex-husband Kevin Federline, this week might have proved you wrong. There are vague reports of a short stint in rehab, but nothing confirmed. What is known for sure is that she showed up at a salon Friday night and shaved off all her hair herself, captured through the salon's glass window. Soon after, she went to a tattoo parlor and got a "small and dainty" pair of lips on her wrist and possibly another one as well. These sound like the kind of decisions that one would regret in the harsh light of day.

Certainly she's going through a rough time -- and because of her fame, she's going through almost every moment of it in the public eye. Most people get to have their moments of being a total disaster without cameras following them around. Here's hoping she finds some place to get some peace and quiet and can work everything out.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

No, Grey's Anatomy isn't even remotely reality TV, but it sure felt real last night watching all of Meredith's friends and coworkers hover around, trying to save her life and hoping for the  best. So the big question is ... is Meredith dead?

There had been a lot of buzz about a major character being killed off in this three-episode sweeps arc, but can they kill off the title character? That just seems insane. GA is an ensemble show, to be sure, but Meredith is at its center, and it feels like a major mistake to even be thinking about getting rid of her (even though, at the height of her whiny-ness last season, one might occasionally have hoped for a break from her). On the other hand, if they bring her back through warming blankets and a warm-saline infusion or whatever else, it's going to feel like a major cop-out because of how many times it's been done on every other medical show -- certainly ER and probably even Doogie Howser, M.D.

We still have another episode to see how it all plays out, but my nerves are still all a-jangle, and I'm not sure I will be satisfied with either outcome. I adore this show, but I don't like where it's perched at the moment. What do you think?

P.S. For the creator's take, see the show's writers' blog, but she can't say much yet because the third episode of the arc has yet to air.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Things that jumped out at me during the second episode of Survivor: Fiji:

• There are still so many people, I can't keep them straight. That will change soon enough.
• Ravu is so desperate for water (it's day four, after all) that they are licking leaves with condensation on them. Ow.
• Moto, on the other hand, is living it up with hammocks, pillows, silverware, a shower!
• Lisi seems like she could be on the verge of being really annoying with her cartoon voices and sometimes-exuberant attitude.
• When oh when will people learn to build a fire before they get on the show? You would be the HERO!
• This is some of the worst dehydration I've ever seen on this show, on the Ravu tribe.
• Boo is having a rough time -- he first poked his eyeball, and then axed himself through the hand and into the knee. Then the hammock falls apart underneath him. It's starting to feel like one of those Scooby-Doo cursed-island episodes or something.
• Sylvia joins Ravu and has more energy than about anybody. (Super surreptitious Yau Man peeked into her bag to see if she had the immunity idol.) She feels like she's on the edge of the tribe, and bossing them around isn't really going to help.
• Dreamz talks about being homeless and how being on Survivor is definitely easier. He tells his tribe that some people at home are watching and are jealous because the Survivors have more food than they have in their refrigerators. Most of them are incredulous.
• Erica finds a beautiful pineapple ... bush? for her starving tribe. They are so happy. Earl says they're getting married now. Heh.
• Is that a spinal column on the immunity idol thingy?
• I love that Jeff Probst uses terms like "puzzle pole" when describing challenges as if that is a daily-use kind of phrase.
• Poor Ravu -- the tribe was ahead for the entire challenge, and then lost it on the puzzle (pole). Moto chooses Earl out to Exile Island, and he claims if he sees sea snakes, he'll eat 'em.
• At Exile Island, Earl predicts Sylvia will be going home. But at Ravu, Rocky and Mookie talk about how Erica was freaking out during the challenge when people wouldn't listen to her during the challenge. They tell Anthony they want to switch to Erica instead of Sylvia, and he isn't sure.
• Why is Sylvia wearing her buff perched on her head like that?
• Anthony thinks it will be crazy if it ends up splitting 50-50 for Sylvia and Erica.
• I can't believe the tribe's boat flooded so badly right before tribal (or at least, so it seemed).
• In tribal, they kind of try to tell Sylvia that she needs to back off the bossiness. She responds by saying she is surprised and that in the morning she thinks they should assign a leader.
• Jeff explains the new rules with the hidden immunity idol, including that you have to play the idol before the votes are read and after they are cast.
• Erica looks bemused by the votes for her, but just peeved when she realizes the majority is against her.
• It's sad when Exile Island is actually a step up -- there is fire there, after all.
• Erica is shocked to be going home. But she is second out nonetheless.

Forget fire, I want to know about water. More specifically, if someone is going to find Meredith in the water on Grey's Anatomy now! Darn these three-part episodes!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Survivor
        

If you watched the "My Grammy Moment" winner Robyn Troup sing with T.I. and Justin Timberlake on Sunday's Grammy show and thought she looked familiar, you are right. Robyn was shown getting cut from American Idol on Tuesday night's show. I think she recovered from that rejection all right.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: American Idol
        

The final 40 on American Idol are going to be trimmed down to 24 semifinalists this evening. Why they didn't just do this cut last night, I'm not sure. But here we are!

Sanjaya Malakar: As you might recall, his sister got trimmed in last night's cuts. They tell him he'll need to call on her for more support because he is in.

Anna Kearns: She is the really tall woman who auditioned in Seattle. She is out, and she can't believe it because she thinks she is unique.

Bernard Williams: He auditioned in Birmingham, and he is cut. The other contestants are shocked.

Eric Davis and Tammy Gosnell are out. Don't remember him, but I liked her.

Melinda Doolittle: She is the background singer who is trying to get comfortable with the spotlight. Simon messes with her and finally tells her she is "no longer a backup singer."

Brendan Rogers: He is the L.A. backup singer, and he also makes it in.

Gina Glocksen: She got cut in Hollywood in season five and had to work with Perla the Superstah last night. She cries. But she is in!

Jimmy McNeal and Errick Johnson get cut. Paula even tells Errick he "almost made it." Well, that's comforting.

Haley Scarnato gets through even after getting the "you're pretty" comment from Paula, which is usually a no.

Philip Stacy: The guy who missed the birth of his daughter for auditions is very nervous. He makes it.

Chris Sligh: The curly-haired jokester impressed during Hollywood. Simon says he was among the most popular, but not the best singer. He's through anyway.

Blake Lewis: The beatboxer makes the cut.

Thomas Lowe: He was in Chris and Blake's group, but doesn't make it.

Rudy Cardenas: He was the last member of this foursome, and he makes it, too.

Paul Kim: He shares that he will always be barefoot -- and he has lucky drawers. That's TMI on the latter. Paula says it's a split decision, and she's "really sorry" because, hardy-har-har, he's going to be seeing a lot more of the judges. (This is about the sixth time someone has busted out this line in the first half-hour.)

Jordin Sparks: Randy says she was a bright spot in Seattle and kind of fell apart in Hollywood. But she makes it.

Olivia Quiba-Hurst, Tatiana McConnico, Monique Vieras are all cut.

Tommy Daniels: He is distracting himself by hanging out with Antonella Barba, but it's not his time yet.

A.J. Tabaldo: This was his fifth time auditioning, and he makes it this time.

Stephanie Edwards: Simon says, "You haven't ... failed. You've made it." Mean!

Leslie Hunt: She looks SO nervous (including in her audition footage), but she makes it.

Nicholas/Nick Pedro: He bowed out in a previous season and was hoping this was his chance. It is.

Alaina Alexander: Randy asks her about her Hollywood week and how she thinks it went. She is wavery-voiced and so nervous and she is through.

Chris Richardson: He is through, and that's all we see of him.

Sabrina Sloan: "We have decided not to exclude you," says Simon.

Jerome Chism: He is out.

Joelle James: She is out.

Matthew Buckstein: The singing cowboy is out (again). (I'd lose the hat.)

Princess Johnson: Cut.

Lakisha Jones: Our Fort Meade girl is up next. She says she is nervous. Simon asks if she has done well. She says she hopes she has made them proud and that if she doesn't make it through, she will take care of her daughter and go back to the bank. "I am sorry to tell you, sweetheart, you are going to be seeing a lot of us," says Simon. He calls her back to tell her she is a great singer. Ryan hugs her on her way out of the elevator. And hurrah! We still have our local contestant!

Nicole Tranquillo: She makes the cut.

Jared Cotter: He also makes the cut.

Amy Krebs: She says, "That last day was the funnest day." Despite the grammar, she is in.

Marisa Rhodes and Antonella Barba head upstairs to see who is making the cut. They wish each other luck on the way up the elevator. Antonella makes it, but Marisa does not. Paula says Marisa is very talented. She cries. She says she wasn't expecting it and "nobody was."

Sundance Head and Tommy Daniels are the last two to find out the results. Sundance is in, Tommy is out. In the elevator, Tommy congratulates Sundance and Sundance says he's the best one to be in the final two with. Tommy leaves.

The show us the final 24 one at a time, and as usual, they make them dance. WHY MUST THEY MAKE THEM DANCE?

Next week, the voting begins.   

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: American Idol, Maryland reality contestants
        

A friend and I had discussed today that the big twist on the finale of Beauty and the Geek 3 was going to be that the voted-out teams would decide which of the final two teams would win. When I saw that prediction had come true, I knew Megan and Scooter were going to win over Nate and CeCe/Cecille. I couldn't have imagined the drama that would come along with it, though. I hoped that somewhere along the line, CeCe would realize that she had learned something from her experience on the show, about being confident in her intelligence level or about meeting friends and having meaningful relationships with people outside your usual circle of people. But I didn't expect that she would turn so hateful toward the experience. At different times through tonight's finale, she said she didn't like any of "those people," that her real friends in L.A. would probably laugh at everyone in the whole house, that if anyone in the house changed "because of some nerdy guys" then they were just ridiculous.

So, right. Not a single thing learned.

But I was still shocked when Nate realized that she had learned nothing in the experience and that if his team won, she would think it was OK to not try to be a better person. (His point being that everyone should always be trying to better themselves.) When he started telling the "jury" that they shouldn't vote for his team because then CeCe would think it was all right to continue on the same path, I was flabbergasted. So those shocks kind of overcame the lack of shock at the eventual revelation that Scooter and Megan were indeed the winners.

Expect more drama next Wednesday when there is a reunion show including behind-the-scenes footage. Will CeCe have had an epiphany since the end of filming, or will she just be furious that Nate actually campaigned against them? I, for one, can't wait to see.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Beauty and the Geek
        

Yay, we're done with the horrible part of American Idol and on to the part where people can actually sing! Well, at least in theory. Certainly some of the 172 people who made it to Hollywood are going to be bad, and certainly some good people are going to not make the trim down to 24, so there will still be heartbreak and all that drama, too. So here we go.

Ryan Seacrest introduces us to the evening with the reminder that Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Chris Daughtry are "powerhouses in the music industry." Well, at least for the moment. This whole phenomenon hasn't been around long enough to prove whether any of the Idols have career-long staying power. Nearly twice as many women as men made it this far, but it's going to be trimmed down to 12 guys and 12 girls, so the cuts are going to be rougher on the female side.

Each woman gets 30 seconds to wow the judges on stage, but with no feedback until all six have gone.

Jory Steinberg is up first in her Paula-esque outfit, followed quickly by the rest of her group of six. They are all cut, and the pressure mounts.

Perla Meneses believes she is a superstar already, for unknown reasons. Army reservist Rachel Jenkins sings next. Perla makes it through (along with someone whose name we aren't given), but Rachel is not. Simon lectures Perla that at the moment, she is personality over talent (which is why I would have cut her from the beginning, but what do I know?). They both cry.

Bailey Brown, the small-town Texas girl, is next. She makes it, along with two girls from her group. Ashlyn Karr (who got a second chance in San Antonio) is cut, as is Porcelana (the girl who trained like Rocky), and so is Sarah Burgess (the girl who lied to her parents about going to the first round of auditions). Nicole Turner has been battling with her mom all day about what she should sing. She sings "Ain't No Way," her mom's choice, but then she is cut. So of course, she blames it on the song, not the voice. Her mom goes out to talk to the judges, but Simon says it wasn't the song. She finally leaves.

Fifty-seven women are cut in the first day's auditions.

The guys are up the next day.

Brian Miller, who made it to Hollywood last season, is up first. Jarrod Fowler, the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan Idol winner and Navy guy, sings next. Matt Sato (show choir kid whose parents didn't come to the auditions with him) just wants to be loved (yes, he basically says that). Matt makes it through (along with zany Chris), but Jarrod doesn't. Jarrod says it was a great experience and wouldn't trade it for anything. Matt cries, and tells us his mother never says she loves him, either. (Earlier he pointed out that she hardly ever hugs him.) Now it's getting a little awkward.

That's all they are going to show us of the guys, but 34 make it through.

After the break, it's time for the group auditions. The practices are always so uber-dramatic. Fun!

The teams break themselves into a group of four, and the group must choose a song from one of nine. Matt Sato is having a rough time finding a group to join up with. Another Matt, the tall one of the singing cowboys from last season, is among the people who turn down Matt S.

Bailey Brown is stuck between best friends whose names I am forgetting.

Perla's group is having issues with her lack of ability to harmonize.

Bailey Brown's group is doing better, except that they don't know the lyrics. Amanda leaves to go flirt with the boys.

Perla and Gina's group is still having trouble with Perla's lack of ability to harmonize.

As it begins, Simon tells everyone: DO NOT FORGET YOUR WORDS. Yeah, nerves and less than 24 hours to prepare aren't a combination that's going to let that be well heeded.

Matt Sato forgets his words and gets sent home.

Perla and Gina's group is up, and the drama continues. Perla gets cut, but the rest of the group is through.

Chris Sligh, Rudy Cardenas, Blake Lewis and Thomas Lowe's group actually has it down and gets some help from Blake's beatboxing. They all get through.

Sundance Head is worried after a lackluster first day and hopes the group sing goes better. He makes it through, but the girls he sang with do not. He is shocked and doesn't think he should have made it.

Bailey, Amanda and Antonella are up. Bailey blanks big time, and then Amanda does, too. Bailey is out, and she is upset. She had been saying earlier in the day that she needed to work on her lyrics some more, but Amanda wasn't interested. This makes Amanda look particularly horrible when she says she got through because "God likes good people," implying that Bailey isn't a good person? What the heck? Bailey tries to confront them, but Amanda says they weren't flirting, that it's a job interview that they take seriously (cut to footage from the previous evening of her flirting). Memo to Amanda: You sing through your nose, and you aren't very nice.

Thirty-six more were cut at the end of group day, trimming down to 56. Sixteen more will be cut before the end of the episode. The contestants are divided into three rooms. Twenty are in room one, and they are through. Room two also makes the cut. Room three already knows what's up because they heard the celebrating in the other two rooms. Antonella realizes her friend didn't make it through, and Sanjaya realizes his sister didn't make it, but those two did.

Tomorrow, this final 40 will be cut to 24, most likely in an episode full of waiting on benches, waiting in elevators and then talking to the judges and finding out their fate.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: American Idol
        

At first, I wasn't really sure about the casting on this season of Beauty and the Geek. A couple of the geeks seemed to clean up a little too well, and some of the beauties seemed uninterested in anything besides tanning and possibly winning some money. Over the course of the show, though, it appears that everyone has grown and learned a lot about themselves.

Except for CeCe.

She is fixated on winning the money. She doesn't think she has anything to learn or change about her life. She wants to marry someone rich and hot and not have to work. She still thinks her best feature is her pout.

Ick.

Sure, last season, some of the teams were put off by eventual winner Cher, who also desperately wanted to win the money, but it was more about not having to work three jobs anymore and possibly going to med school at some point.

But CeCe is all about the shallowest of aspirations, and unlike her fellow teammates, she doesn't seem to have come to the realization that there is more to life. It's kind of disgusting. And I hate to say it, but if she plans to live her entire life based on her looks, she is going to be sadly disappointed when the sun damage she's inflicting on herself catches up with her and she's left with wrinkles, hair bleached into total destruction and the inability to hold a meaningful conversation.

So, as much as I like CeCe's partner, Nate, I'm rooting for Scooter and Megan to win this thing on Wednesday. I still wish it could be Mario and Nadia in the finale instead of Nate and CeCe, but there's no going back now, right?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Beauty and the Geek
        

Local Apprentice candidate Aaron (of Columbia, Md., but currently in Fredericksburg, Va.) is no longer up for the job. He was sent packing at the end of last night's episode, which didn't paint him in a particularly positive light.

Though Aaron got his team out of its losing streak, in the task last night, marketing a limited edition Sue Bee honey, he appeared to have faltered. The team only lost the task by $70, but he was often shown standing around or deferring to others. Once they got to the boardroom after the loss, Trump fixated on the fact that he hadn't spoken up much when representing his team in the previous week's boardroom. Though everyone agreed that he is a super nice guy, he never really stood a chance after that.

On the other hand, the other team's project manager, Aimee, went on a rampage asking tough questions in the boardroom, when she'd actually been so weak as a leader that her team expected to lose. But since the weakness wasn't shown in front of Trump, she might still be OK.

Only time will tell.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants, The Apprentice
        

Soon, it will be time for the first elimination on Grease: You're the One That I Want. But first they do a group sing of "Summer Lovin'."

Joining the panel of judges tonight is Andrew Lloyd Weber.

It appears the two bottom Dannys and Sandys will have to perform in a "sing-off." So that makes it sound like the judges will choose who is actually going home.

Kevin, Derrick, Chad and Austin step forward and are safe. Max is told he is safe, which leaves Matt and Jason (star of Altar Boyz) in the bottom two. Ashley Anderson, Ashley Spencer, Laura and Kathleen are called forward, and they are told that one is in the sing-off. It's Ashley Anderson, and the other three are safe. Allie (the youngest of the women) is the other person in the bottom two.

Max Crumm got his hair cut to look more like Danny. Laura Osnes sang "Jesus Christ Superstar" for Weber, and he was impressed. They are up first to sing live. Max sings "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." Laura performs "Superstar," as she had earlier. They're both pretty darned on point. Andrew Lloyd Weber loved both of them, but he tells Max to open his eyes more. He says Laura did amazingly well with a complex song. Kathleen tells Max to show a little more swagger, and says Laura blew her away. David Ian agrees.

Derek Keeling and Ashley Spencer are the next to tackle live songs. In the intro footage, Derek talks about his song being very dance-oriented and the preparation that requires. Ashley Spencer says in the intro that she is having a rough time this week, but she's ready. Derek sings "Footloose," and Ashley sings "Take That Look off Your Face" from "Tell Me on a Sunday." Kathleen says Derek had the stamina to get through the song, and that Ashley went for the emotion of the song. Andrew Lloyd Weber says they were both good, too. David says Ashley could have turned up the anger a bit.

Kevin Greene and Juliana Hansen are up next. Kevin sings "Burning Love" and Juliana sings "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." David says he still has some concerns -- that Kevin wasn't all over the backup dancers enough and that Juliana looks great but that he is lacking an emotional connection. Andrew Lloyd Weber says that Kevin didn't make the song his own and that Juliana did a great job. Kathleen says Kevin needs to find his inner showoff and that she wants to see Juliana bring out her wild side.

All the contestants come out for a group performance of "The Phantom of the Opera." These group sings go much, much better than the ones on American Idol, I have to say.

Billy Bush calls Andrew Lloyd Weber "the world wide Weber" and makes me hate him (Billy Bush, that is) a little bit more. Ick.

Chad Doreck is excited to perform in front of Weber while fighting the flu. Kate Rockwell needs to connect with the material a little more, Weber says, but her voice is great. They are next to sing live. Chad sings "My Eyes Adore You," and Kate sings "Buenos Aires." Weber says he doesn't feel right judging Chad's singing, what with the whole flu thing. He asks Kate if she'll invest in his new show, based on something on her Web site. Jim says they both did well. Kathleen and David agree.

Austin Miller and Kathleen Monteleone are next, with him singing "Ease on Down the Road," her singing "Memories." Kathleen the judge says Austin did a great physical performance and that Kathleen the contestant did a lovely, emotional performance of the most difficult song of the evening. David Ian says Austin's performance was the best Danny performance of the evening and that he'd like to see a younger side of Kathleen next week.

I get irritated by Kathleen's "Spiritual Sandy" moments every week because she is the only contestant who gets to talk during the live show, which seems pretty unfair. But maybe that's just me.

It's time for the sing-off, and the bottom four will sing "Tears on My Pillow." Jason is up first, then Matt, who is working hard on his emoting." Allie is next, then Ashley. Matt and Ashley have definitely improved in the past two weeks, but now it's up to the judges. David says they're saving Jason because "Broadway is no place for beginners." And they're saving Allie because they have no idea why she was in the bottom two. So both of the wildcard contestants are out, as they should have been from the beginning.

Jason Celaya has to perform almost immediately, and he sings "That'll be the Day." David says they made the right choice saving him tonight, but that it needs to get a lot better to keep him out of the bottom two next week. Kathleen wants him to strip away some of the artifice. Andrew says he improved since the rehearsal, big time.

Allie Schulz gets a commercial break to get ready, and she sings "I Don't Know How to Love Him." Kathleen says she needs to let people see her vulnerability a little more, which Jim and David agree. Andrew says during their work together, she was one of the best actresses, but that she should draw on the expert help as much as possible to get further.

Panel's favorites: David says Austin and Laura; Kathleen says Derek and Kathleen; Jim says Max and Laura; Andrew says Derek and Laura. Looks like Laura changed some minds this week.

Matt and Ashley Anderson get their final chance to sing, with some help from the rest of the contestants.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Grease: You're the one That I Want
        

Catching up, here's the recap of Wednesday night's American Idol, supposedly the "best of the best" and the "worst of the worst." Oh, wait. Make that "the best of the rest."

They say to get noticed, "the look" is important.

Christa Fazzino in Birmingham is a unique person (her words) who cares about fashion. A lot. She sings, and it's pretty, uh, unique and odd. On her way out she says, "I can do this." Paula changes her mind and says yes. Simon and Randy say no still. It's a no.

In Memphis, Tami Gosnell, a pedicab driver in Denver, goes with basic black and jeans. She sings "Whipping Post." Simon loves her, says she is different, that she reminds him of stars from the 1960s and has a terrific voice. Paula and Randy love her, too. It's a yes!

The next tip is to seek inspiration.

Paul Kim came to the auditions to show people that not all Asian singers are like William Hung. He is right -- he sings "If I Ever Fall in Love," and he is goooood. Randy says he's excellent. Olivia Newton-John (what city was she in again?) says yes, and Paula loves his tone. Simon says he's through.

Jack Odanovich is inspired by Bo Bice's a capella performance, but he doesn't sound like it. At all. Simon says "you are incredibly, if I may say, deluded."

The next lesson is to be persistent, showing a bunch of repeat auditioners.

Gina Glocksen is one of the repeaters. She says she is in love with Simon. She sings "Black Velvet." Simon says it was a good audition, and that she has soul -- and taste. Randy says he likes her voice, but not that she likes Simon. He says yes. Paula says yes, too. She gets to hug Simon.

Montage of Simon lovahs, Randy haters and Paula fanatics.

Edward Sanchez is a one of the latter. He sings "Donna" for Paula. Which he shouldn't have done. He's just psyched to have gotten a Paula hug.

Lesson 4: Don't audition in a group.

The Frisco Carhops audition together. The first one (Heather Rennie) says she wanted to audition because she is American; she sings pretty well. Ashley sings "Angel" and is OK. Ebony Jointer sings a little Whitney, and she's a little better than the other two, or a different league, as Simon says. They are asked if they are all friends, and they say yes, and Simon goes, "WERE!" Heather gets a no. Ashley gets yes from Randy and Olivia. Paula says don't wear too much makeup, and Ashley says it's OK because it's "motherly advice," and Paula says that was the wrong thing to say, but they all laugh, so it's all right. Ebony gets all yeses. So Ebony and Ashley get through, but Heather doesn't. Ow.

Ryan mentions the songwriting competition and then there's a montage of bad original songs.

William Emil Samland, aka Wes, calls himself a visionary. (Or was that Ryan? I've lost track.) He sings an original composition and he flails around, and it's just bad. Wait, now there's stomping. This doesn't improve things. Simon asks how he thinks he did. He says he did great because it was real and he feels the music inside of him. Randy says well, at least you got it all out. It's a no.

The next lesson is to not dance. PLEASE DO NOT DANCE.

Alex Nazario dances and shows off his flexibility to the judges. He sings "Making Love Out of Nothing at All," almost entirely in scary falsetto. Simon says the whole thing was a nightmare, and that his singing was bad. He asks if he "has the voice to sing." Simon says no. Paula says no, but "you're a good person." It's a no.

The next lesson is in clarity, featuring a montage of bad enunciation, etc.

Lakisha Jones -- from Fort Meade, Md., we have our local competitor, y'all! -- is mom to a 3-year-old daughter who is with her. She sings "Think" and burns it down! Simon loves her and calls her a "good, old-fashioned belter." Paula: "Brilliant." She is through! She cries, and so does her daughter.

Starting Tuesday, they are in Hollywood. 172 people made the cut, but only 24 total will make it through. DRAMA!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: American Idol
        

In the paper at the end of last month, I wrote:

It amuses me to no end that the producers of Grease: You’re the One That I Want! are trying to ramp up the drama by suggesting that the musical could fail if the wrong Danny and Sandy are chosen for the Broadway cast. Clearly, they’ve worked hard to end up with 12 viable options for the public to vote on (starting on tomorrow’s show at 8 p.m. on NBC). But all the hand-wringing looks silly now that we know that $1.3 million in tickets were sold for the Broadway production in the first two days they were available this month. I think they’re going to be all right.

The next episode, the producers brought back two people who had been cut -- Ashley Anderson and Matt Nolan -- as wild card contestants. And, since it turns out that cutting these two the first time was the right thing to do, now the producers might actually have a problem. Ashley and Matt are adorable and personable, but at this point way too nervous (her) and way too inexperienced (him) to anchor a Broadway show. But "America" (as all these shows like to term the voting base) just lurrrrrrrves to vote for the underdog (witness Kevin Covais on American Idol), regardless of whether it makes sense. If either Matt or Ashley makes it to the end, the all the dramatic hand-wringing might be justified. But only because of a situation that the producers themselves created, so don't feel too sorry for them.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Grease: You're the one That I Want
        

Wondering why Survivor started with an odd number of players (19) last night? It appears that the 20th player, Melissa McNulty, withdrew from the show the night before the competition began due to overwhelming panic attacks. TV Guide has more details.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Survivor
        

It has been mere weeks since the last Survivor ended, yet here we are again, this time from Fiji.

What's different so far: There are 19 castaways, they have no information and there are two hidden immunity idols. They get off the boat, realize Jeff Probst isn't going to be dividing them up into tribes and start exploring. They find their water, a cave, a banana tree.

There seem to be an undue number of nicknames in the first two seasons: James is "Rocky," the cheerleading coach is "Dreamz," not sure if Yau Man is a given name.

Speaking of Yau Man, he tells Cassandra he is from Borneo and used to the vegetation, and he's adept at getting coconuts open. He's hoping that will help keep him being the token "old dude voted off early." (My words, not his, exactly.)

A box is dropped off for them, but they can't figure out how to open it. Rocky and Edgard beat it with rocks, but Yau-Man comes over and drops it on a corner and opens it right up. They get a map and a bunch of directions that tell them how to find some supplies and to build a bunch of different things. It's clearly their first challenge, but it seems to take a while to sink in.

They find the supplies -- including food and a toilet seat -- and start bringing it back to the beach. Erica astutely realizes that a curveball is coming. Sylvia the architect looks at the "site plan" and figures out where everything should go. She starts giving a lot of orders, in possibly the most annoying intonation ever. (Also, "askew means 'not orthogonal"? It's CROOKED!) Plotting starts almost immediately during the building -- as people pair off to get supplies. They don't get things done before sunset -- and a storm -- sneak up on them.

Yau Man gets called the Professor of this Gilligan's Island. They get their shelter set up, get food, etc. etc., and people start getting worried.

Dreamz says he was homeless for a while and doesn't find scrounging to be the worst thing in the world. He says he is playful to make sure people know he is there. But he goes off when people are trying to sleep -- asking people's nationality and keeping everyone awake, not a great combination. Rocky brings him outside to talk to him, and they start yelling at each other, which doesn't help with the sleeping thing.

Finally, they meet Jeff on Day 3. Alex says Sylvia stepped up to help figure out the shelter. The team agrees that she stepped up to be the leader. Jeff brings her up and tells her to divide the people into two tribes. She divides them as follows (pardon any misspellings):

MOTO: Cassandra, Lillana, Stacy, Lisi, Dreamz, Boo, Gary, Alex, Edguardo

RAVU: Michelle, Erica, Rita, Jessica, Rocky/Boston/James, Earl, Yau Man, Anthony, Mookie

Sylvia is not in a tribe but gets sent to Exile Island, along with thousands of sea snakes. She will rejoin the game when someone gets voted out of another tribe.

The challenge: Two people on a chariot will be pulled by the rest of the tribe while they grab bags of puzzle pieces. There are three puzzles that give numbers to a combination wheel, that if you get it right, you get a knife to cut a rope and release a flag.

Winning tribe gets to stay on the fancy beach, a housewarming gift and immunity. Losers will go to a new beach with one pot and one machete -- and tribal council.

In the middle of the challenge, Rocky appears to signal to one of the guys on the other team that the third number is 22. Why would he do that? Anyway, Moto wins.

Ravu gets a map to its new beach, where they'll get to prep for tribal council. I predict the tribe is going to gang up on Jessica for seeming to struggle with the puzzle. That is based on next-to-nothing.

In good-life-ville, Moto sees their couch, dishes, hammocks, candlesticks, forks and spoons and a shower and celebrates.

On Exile Island, Sylvia realizes Jeff was not even remotely exaggerating about the sea snakes. She gets the clue to the hidden immunity idol and realizes it's at camp, not at Exile Island.

Ravu hits its new camp and decides that it's gorgeous. Except Erica is really pissed off and tells everyone. But she's already allied with Rocky and Jess. They talk about who to aim for. But a bunch of other people decide to take out Jessica because she failed at her puzzle. Erica tells Rocky that Jessica is in trouble, and they both agree not to write down her name, but it seems like the rest of the tribe is unified against her. (Well, they had to pick someone. Failing at the immunity challenge is among the best reasons to focus on a person.)

At tribal, the contestants go through the "fire is your life" deal with Probst. Yau Man says he is worried, but he hopes he is safe. Mookie says his vote is based on whether the person who gets voted out can be replaced by Sylvia. Rocky James says it's going to be a surprise because everyone is vulnerable. Jessica says she would be very surprised if it's her because she has been working so hard and conveniently forgets the whole puzzle issue.

The first four votes are for four different people, which I'm sure had Jeff wondering whether anyone talked to anyone else at all. But Jessica is out, and, as she said, she is surprised. That first-day alliance didn't get her that far.

Jessica says she guesses if she was going to get backstabbed, it might as well be right at the beginning.

As for me, time for Grey's Anatomy!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Survivor
        

The Associated Press, CNN and others are reporting that Anna Nicole Smith, who starred in The Anna Nicole Show in 2002, died today. She was found unresponsive in a Miami hotel room, rushed to a hospital, and her lawyer announced a bit ago that she had died. Circumstances are murky at the moment, but it's sad no matter what.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Just got a sales pitch on a thing called Trump Institute, and if you care about such things, last season's Apprentice winner Sean Yazbeck and the previous winner Randal Pinkett will be giving presentations. They're at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor Feb. 17, Sheraton Columbia Hotel Feb. 18 and Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel in Towson Feb. 19. See trumpinstitute.com for more info.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Local appearances, The Apprentice
        

The last round of American Idol auditions are in San Antonio (in my home state of Texas, which in the first two minutes has already been subjected to the same stereotypes as all the other audition cities).

Billy Idol/Ozzy wannabe Brian Kyrish, who says he is an aggressive performer, is up first. He says he won a mock AI competition. He starts with "Rebel Yell" -- with the yelling that would come with that song title. Paula asks him if it hurts to scream. It's a no. He "sings" a ballad to Ryan, but, uh, it still would have been a no.

Haley Scarnato has been a wedding band singe age 15. She seems to know that not everyone makes it -- she doesn't have that "I'm so totally awesome, AMERICA" thing going on, which is positive. She sings "I Can't Make You Love Me," but her voice works wonders on the judges. Paula gives her props for voice control. OK, I misjudged, Randy thought it was OK, but that was all. Simon says she looks good and sounds good, but isn't unique. But he says she deserves a second chance, and they all agree, and she is through.

Jasmine Holland's mom and friends/sisters are convinced she's going to win it. She sings, but she's nervous as heck and pretty nasally. Randy and Simon just chuckle at her. I hate it when they do that. Paula says she doesn't seem to want to be there and she seems sad. Jasmine says it's because they are being rude, and though she was pretty bad, she's also right about the snickering. On her way out the door, she starts heckling Randy about how he hasn't actually done anything in the music biz since she never heard of him before AI. She cries about their rudeness. Her mom says Simon "needs to go back to British."

Baylie Brown is from the teensy town of Krum, Texas. She gets the "cameras visiting her at home" treatment, so she's either going to make it or be spectacularly bad. She claims to be a city girl trapped in a small town. She sings "Stronger," and she has a sweet voice with a little twang. Simon says she is one of the girls "who is born to be a pop star," that her look and her personality are amazing and her voice isn't great, but probably will be in two or three years' time. He also says she is "commercial with a capital C," and she asks if that is good. They says yes, and then, they say yes again. She is through.

Now it's a montage of people choosing the wrong door. Which, why not UNLOCK BOTH DOORS? This is so stupid, and only serves to humiliate people more. At least there were clips of Paula and Simon having door issues, too.

Two cousins are up next. They say they are unemployed and have no other source of income, so everything is riding on AI. That sounds like sound financial strategy to me! William Green goes in first. He bellows "Amazing Grace" with no actual notes. Randy and Paula laugh and laugh the whole time. Why not just stop him? They say it was neverending, and he kind of laughs. They say no, but he says his cousin is better. He says, "Now I'm going to walk out there and talk some trash, but that's just for the cameras." They laugh. He yells on his way out, and it's pretty funny. Akron Watson sings "A Change Is Gonna Come." His cousin is right -- he is better. Simon says he is good singer but has no charisma. He sings another song and tries to be more engaging. Simon changes his tune and says yes, Paula says yes, and he is through!

Montage of bad.

Bluesy singer Sandie Chavez says she has experience and actually sang for the mayor of Houston. She says she is going to sing "Black Velvet," but slaughter is more accurate. She doesn't enunciate whatsoever. Nor does she sing any notes that are related to the actual song. Simon says it was "literally like some language I've never heard in my life." He asks her if it was serious, and she cries. She says she is sorry, and Paula tells her she doesn't have to apologize for that, and Simon goes, "Well, she does a bit," and I literally almost spit tea all over my laptop. They seem to like her and feel bad for her, but they say no.

Ashlyn Carr says she was beaten up in high school for having a good voice. She sings "Feelin' Good." Paula says, "Interesting." Randy says he is confused. Paula tells her she needs to watch herself in the mirror so she stops making weird vocal expressions. She cries. Paula says she is a rare talent, but has to pass. Simon says he thinks they made a mistake, and they decide to bring her back in. She sings "Inseparable" keeping the facial expressions (which I missed the first time because I was typing) at bay a little more. Simon says she has some bad habits, much worse than she knows, but that they are looking for someone unique and that she is too good to pass up on. Randy changes his vote to yes. Paula says she needs to work on her habits and to work on it before Hollywood. So, she is through.

Jacob Tutor is next, and we've already seen clips of yelling about hating the judges, so yeah. This isn't going to go well. He says Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose are his influences. He sings some intense lyrics, and they say it's a no. He curses at all the judges but still loves Ryan. OK, then. Moving on.

Jimmy McNeal sings "Cupid." Simon says, "You're like a little fun Ruben, aren't you." Randy says definite yes, Paula says "uh-huh," and Simon says he's through. His family is thrilled. There is a little girl there, not sure the relation, and when Jimmy tells her he got through to Hollywood, she replies, "SO?" Heh.

22 from San Antone are through.

Tomorrow night is some of the "best" auditions, but clearly the "worst of the worst" are part of the equation, too.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: American Idol