Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

Gordon Ramsay sure knows how to stir the pot.

Ramsay, the chef with a temper only Naomi Campbell could love, chose not to eliminate any contestants this episode. This move was pretty problematic given the fact that the two “ego-bruised” contestants – Louross and Christina – put up for elimination got to return to their teammates after nearly getting the boot. (It’s the equivalent of putting a witness in the same jail cell with a defendant after damning testimony. The two aren’t going to start painting each other’s fingernails…)

Louross got sent to the slaughter after struggling on the meat station during dinner service. (He couldn’t cook a steak to save his life!) Christina couldn’t handle desserts. (Her soufflés were horrendous!)

The two cooks had their stay in Hell extended by the premature departure of Vanessa, who burned her hand in the last episode. Vanessa struggled with her injury at the beginning of this week’s episode. She later told Ramsay that she wanted to remove herself from the competition. (Dumb, dumb, dumb!)

Anywho, this week was all about gourmet pizzas. 

The contestants were charged with dreaming up a pizza worthy of commanding big bucks. (Before the challenge, Ramsay displayed one of his $200 pizzas: a white truffle, caramelized onion masterpiece served in his London restaurant.)

Ramsay challenged each team to create a pizza using gourmet ingredients. 

The women chose Jen’s pizza – herb crust, sliced prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, fried basil and balsamic vinegar -- to represent their team.

The men chose Ben’s pizza: chanterelle mushrooms, duck confit, caramelized onions and a cream sauce.

Ramsay chose the women’s team. Ben didn’t do his pizza any favors when Ramsay tasted grit on the mushrooms. (Ben, how hard is it to clean a mushroom?)

The women were rewarded with a trip to Square One restaurant in Santa Barbara.

The guys had to prep for the night’s dinner service. Louross actually started to cry during the prepping, which got on Ben's last nerve. In fact, Ben called Louross a whiny-ass, punk “rhymes with witch.” (It was essentially a precursor to the elimination round. Ben was totally gunning for Louross.)

During the dinner competition, Roxann screwed up on the vegetable station. Her mashed potatoes were so bad that Ramsay spit out her food. (Matt can totally relate to that.)

Roxann’s failure wasn’t enough to put her up on the chopping block. The women decided to sacrifice Christina instead. (Ramsay asked the women if they nominated Christina because they were intimidated by her. I’m pretty sure he thought that Roxann should have been sent home.)

Next week promises to be filled with an extra helping of drama. The contestants will have to serve dinner at a sweet 16 party. More important, a new chef will be introduced to Hell’s Kitchen. 

It appears to be a woman. Maybe it’s a contestant from a past season. Could it be Julia, the loveable Waffle House cook, from last season? (Ramsay said he wanted her to return to the show after she got culinary training.) What about Melissa, the divisive terror, from last year? 

What do you think?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

On tonight's American Idol, we'll learn who the final four are. And, I'm sure, hear some explanation for Paula's seeing into the future moment last night when she started evaluating Jason's second song when he'd only sung once thus far. (Here's the story that's been making the rounds today.)

Host Ryan Seacrest says he's still out of breath from last night's show because of its fast pace and that more than 45 million votes were cast.

First up: The group sing, a tribute to Neil Diamond.

Ryan stops in the audience to talk to Idol alums Constantine Maroulis and Gina Glocksen so they can pimp their Fox Reality show. Then, after his blabbing about how they like to pay tribute to former Idol contestants, he walks right past Ace Young without saying a single word. Ouch.

Time to address that Paula issue from last night, sort of: He says, "The rumors, they're not true, and she's part of our family." Well, that clears that up!

Results time: Jason Castro comes forward and finds out that he's safe. David Archuleta is next, and he's safe, too.

Throwing it to commercial, Ryan says the theme next week is "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." Now that sounds promising!

Next, here's an extended preview for the next season of So You Think You Can Dance, which I am seriously looking forward to and which premieres May 22. (I covered the first round of auditions in D.C. a few months back. Check out a video here, if you want.)

More results: David Cook hits the stage and he's safe, so that leaves a bottom two last two of Brooke White and Syesha Mercado. (Update: As several commenters have pointed out, Ryan never actually used the words "bottom two," so it's possible someone else had fewer votes.)

But they have to wait it out, first through a performance by Natasha Bedingfield (including a kiss for David Archuleta), viewer calls (including a question from Tara Miller, who was Simon's first kiss when they were 9) and a performance by Neil Diamond (including an appearance by his mother, who is in the audience).

Back to the results, and Brooke is already crying. And by the way, Brooke is going home.

She is kind of a disaster, she's crying so much, but she gives her final sing her best try (until my DVR cuts off -- one of these days the show will end on time).

I'm really surprised Jason wasn't in the bottom two, but not at all surprised to see Brooke out. She's a sweet girl, but this was getting harder and harder for her, I think. How do you feel about the results? (Or about how the show chose to deal with Paula's gaffe last night, for that matter?)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: American Idol
        

Despite what all the gossip blogs were saying, Cristian de la Fuente, who was injured last night on Dancing With the Stars, is here for tonight's live show.

During the recap from last night, Cheryl Burke interviews that she heard a crack and thought her dress had ripped or something, and then realized the noise had been from Cristian's arm.

Reprisal time: Len Goodman says they want to see Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska's quickstep.

Results: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe.

In case you ever wondered if they taped some of this stuff, the supposed backstage promo of Def Leppard and the pros who will be dancing with them includes Cheryl Burke and Karina Smirnoff, but then during the transition to commercial, which returns back to the stage, Cheryl and Karina are on stage with their partners. Whoa.

Then, it's "DanceCenter" with Jerry Rice, Kenny Mayne and Len Goodman.

Then DWtS tries to out-hip Idol and succeeds by about two decades with a "performance" of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard, though it's some of the saddest lip-syncing I've ever seen, since it sounds like they are just playing the CD.

More "DanceCenter."

Results again: Mario and Karina Smirnoff are safe. (Whew, says Baltimore.)

Def Leppard's back for another performance, this one of a song from the band's new album, which came out today. Woo.

Results: Everyone looks really solemn except for Shannon Elizabeth, who is grinning. After the break, Tom and Samathan talk to Cristian. He says he ruptured the tendon of his bicep. Even so, he found out a few minutes ago that his doctor said he can delay the surgery and stay on the show if the voters have agreed to let him stay. Cristian and Cheryl are indeed safe, Tom reveals. In the bottom two: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani. Safe: Jason and Edyta. Bottom two: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough.

Going home: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough. She says the show has been amazing, and she's made friends for life. Derek says she's been a great partner and she's "a big dork, but I love that."

They dance; she cries.

What do you think about the results?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Tonight on American Idol, the finalists are taking on the songs of Neil Diamond. Wait, it gets better. Each one will sing two songs. Don't get overwhelmed by the hipness!

The contestants won't hear judges' comments until after both performances.

Jason Castro gives an acoustic guitar performance of "Forever in Blue Jeans." It's nice, but the usual -- sounds like exactly what it is, an acoustic performance of an old-fashioned song.

David Cook gives Neil Diamond goosebumps with his practice performance of "I'm Alive," which is not a super-well-known song. He rocks out, and it's his usual, too, but nothing really memorable.

Brooke White sings "I'm a Believer" for her first song. I get that she's trying to have fun, but ... how can you hear this song without thinking of the Monkees?

They are rushing through the performances, and in case you can't tell, it's pretty lame so far. And it's odd without the breaks for the judges to talk.

David Archuleta starts off with "Sweet Caroline" (dun-dun-dun!). Are we surprised he does pretty well with it? He's sweet and goofy; the song is sweet and goofy. It's a perfect match. Modern? No. Pleasant? Sure.

Syesha Mercado sings "Hello Again." It's nice, she's good, probably won't hear it on the radio any time soon.

After round one, Randy Jackson tells Jason he was "OK," says David Cook was "in the zone," Brooke was "a little karaoke," David A. was "the bomb" and Syesha was "in the zone, too." Paula Abdul says Jason's lower register was nice and then starts talking about his second song, which he hasn't even sung yet. She says, "I thought you sang twice." Simon sums it up: "Jason, forgettable, David Cook, just above average, Brooke, a nightmare, David Archuleta, amateurish, Syesha, I thought it was old-fashioned."

Here's hoping round two is more fun ...

Jason's back with "September Morn," and it's pretty bad. Randy says, "That was just another OK whatever performance for me." Paula says he took "the same liberty with each song," and he is being safe. Simon says they don't recognize him because he hasn't made any attempt to make the songs his own.

David Cook performs "All I Really Need is You." And ... it's a David Cook take on the song -- he turns it into a rock ballad. Randy says he "rocked the house tonight." Paula says she's proud of him, and that she feels like she is already looking at the American Idol. Simon says he thought the first song was "OK" and the second song was "brilliant." "You actually made it feel like that song was written this year. ... Well done."

Brooke sings "I Am, I Said" while in front of the piano. Remember all those previews of AI that ran during the Super Bowl with Brooke performing during Hollywood Week? She's basically in the exact same place now as then, only maybe a little bit more nervous. But also, I think her singer-songwriter-ly vibe isn't served by these darned themes. It's harder to make an older song sound modern when your sound isn't edgy to start with, you know? Randy says she did a nice job. Paula says she connected with the audience and that this really worked. Simon says he really, really hated the first song, but that "this is the Brooke we like. ... It wasn't incredible, but it was a million times better than the first song."

And immediately, here's David Archuleta with "America." (Of course.) Vocally, it's pretty great and shows off his strengths. Randy calls it "another good performance." Paula says this was the perfect song for him. Simon says, "That was a smart choice of song, that was clever. ... It was absolutely the right choice, check-check-check."

Syehsa closes the show with "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime." And that's a good choice, too, because it's upbeat and infectious, and she turns it into kind of a girl-group song, which is fun. Randy says she is finally realizing who she is. Paula calls Syesha Brooke and says that she loved the vulnerable side she showed in the first song, and that in the second song ... she liked it. But I don't know how she said it. Simon says it's pretty chaotic and strange tonight. But he says that tonight she showed she is a good actress/singer, but he thinks she might be in trouble tonight because he doesn't think she had a memorable second song like some of the others. Yes, this really is a strange night.

My regular readers know I hate filler, but it really was tough for them to cram 10 performances into one hour, and it made the whole show strange. That said, I think this was one of the worst themes the contestants have had to deal with. I'm so over this season and the weird themes!

Who do you think is in danger of going home? I'm going to say Jason and Brooke again even though that didn't remotely come to pass last week.

(Photo by Michael Becker / Fox)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: American Idol
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants have to take on two dances -- one Latin and one ballroom.

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are doing the tango and the rumba this week. In the intro, Marissa says she is mixing up the two and she's afraid she's going to go out there and "do the rumbango!" The tango is their first performance, and the theatricality of it really suits Marissa. Also, she seems to have grasped the precision of the dance's steps; it's great. Judge Len Goodman says their expectations are still high even though they are doing two dances. He sums up: "Three words: your best dance." Bruno Tonioli says they had "drama, passion and a hint of disdain." Carrie Ann Inaba says something has come out of her and that it was "a wonderful performance" that showed a new side of her. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke prepare for the Viennese waltz and the samba. In another weird moment, in the intro, Cheryl says that the Viennese waltz should be like him dancing with his daughter, and then there is footage of him getting a pep talk from his little girl. But for the performance, Cristian and Cheryl dance to "I'll Make Love to You." Um, OK. But back to the dance. It's romantic and flowy (and points to the wardrobe people for Cheryl's dress, which complements their movements). Bruno calls him "South America's Clark Gable" and says they had great movement. Carrie Ann says he's found "new fluidity," but that they lacked just a hair of energy. Len says the dance had a bit of romance, but it lacked content. Scores: 8-8-9, for a 25/30.

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas prepare for the Viennese waltz and the cha-cha, with the waltz being their first dance. It's a sweet performance, and the choreography uses Kristi's skating ability to their advantage with some great spins and some moves that really emphasize her lines. Carrie Ann says they really showed a lot of emotion, but she also says that Kristi's turns were off. Shows what I know! Len didn't like the intro and thought it went on for too long. Bruno says he thought it worked and that she played the part very well. He also agrees that the turns were off, though. Scores: 9-8-9, for a 26/30.

Mario and Karina Smirnoff are doing foxtrot and mambo (and he's also learning the choreography for his new music video). Their first dance is the foxtrot, which he was quite worried about, but the practice seems to have paid off, as their dance seems to have the flow and the precision required of it, while still being energetic and snappy. Len says Mario dances with real maturity and accepted the criticism from last week very well. He adds, though, that it wasn't the most elegant performance, but still a nice job. Bruno says he brings youthful vitality to everything he does -- but he says the foxtrot requires a lot of control and he wasn't quite there, but he's always great to watch. Carrie Ann gives him credit for difficult routines and says that he needs to be less loose in the joints for these more controlled dances. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough take on the mambo and tango this week. They plan to channel their aggression from last week into their tango performance, and they seem to accomplish that. There's a lot of anger and passion. Bruno says, "The tango is a bitch of a dance to master, and I'm happy to say, this was fascinating. You were like a silent-movie vamp." Carrie Ann: "Your best dance yet, by far." Len thought it was aggressive and a job well done. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are doing the quickstep and the paso doble. Their quickstep starts with him jumping off the stage over Edyta's head and just gets faster (and perhaps just a tad manic at times) from there. At the end, he grabs Len's papers and throws them all over the floor before flying back over to Edyta, doing a handstand and landing on top of her on the dance floor. Carrie Ann says, "That was great, it was larger than life," and she says everything else was "fantastic." Len says the football guys are are a tenacious bunch, and that with performances like that, he is in the finale. Bruno calls it the performance of the night. Scores: 10-9-10, for a 29/30.

And now, the Latin round:

Marissa and Tony are back with the rumba. And it's romantic and whatnot, but I find it kind of boring. Bruno says the rumba is the woman's dance, and he saw "a woman in full bloom." He says, "it was nice." Carrie Ann says she thought it was beautiful, fluid and great. Len says she acted the part, but she didn't have much hip action. Also, "it was all a tad careful." Scores: 9-8-8, for a 25/30 and a combined 52/60.

Moving right along, Cristian and Cheryl are next with the samba. They get off to a great start, showing why this is the party dance and definitely not lacking in hip action. But toward the end, Cristian pulls a muscle in his arm, and it pretty much stops him in his tracks. He keeps trying to push through it, but he can't quite do it. Tom asks the judges how they handle an injury, and Carrie Ann clarifies that they judge up until the point when the injury occurs. She says he was there through the whole dance for Cheryl. Len says it was brave of him to keep going, and Bruno says he hopes Cristian is coming back. Scores: 7-7-7, 21/30, for a total of 46/60.

Kristi and Mark take on the cha-cha. Their dance is speedy and fun, but it's a weird change of pace after the subdued atmosphere surrounding Cristian's injury. Not for the crowd, though. Len says he liked the middle, but not really the beginning or the end. Bruno says, "Get rid of the cobwebs, Len." He says he loved it. Carrie Ann gives Kristi "three snaps up" for the hip-hop edge to the choreography. (Which, by the way, Len, what did you expect when they were assigned a Rihanna song?) Scores: 10-8-10, for a 28/30 and a total of 54/60.

Mario and Karina return for the mambo. This is much more their style and comfort zone. The performance is exuberant and sexy and fun. Bruno says the devil was in Mario's hips and agrees that this is his "comfort zone." Carrie Ann says they set the place on fire, though she points out one moment where they were out of sync. Len says: "Wild, wacky and wonderful!" (I love when they are succinct like that.) Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30, for a 51/60.

Tom says Cristian has left to go to the hospital to get his arm checked out.

Shannon and Derek then take to the floor for the mambo. They have a lot of fun, especially at the end, when Shannon throws herself on the judges' table and Derek jumps atop the table, too. But it still seems a little off to me. Carrie Ann says she doesn't know what to say -- the attack was fantastic, but some of her lines are still awkward. Len says she has a "bionic bum," but she had some awkward moments. Bruno agrees that she shook her hips like crazy, but she still was kind of gangly at times. Backstage, she reveals to Samantha that she was wearing a fake bum to give her a little extra to work with. Their scores: 24/30, for a total of 51/60.

Jason and Edyta do the paso doble, amusingly enough, to the Monday Night Football theme song. They are wearing Miami Dolphins colors, and he's got the stripes painted under his eyes like in a football game. I actually have to watch the dance twice because I'm so distracted by all the football accoutrements that I couldn't really pay attention to the performance. And it seems pretty good, though I don't particularly think that song lends itself to the paso. (And, also amusingly, the dance ends with Jason throwing his arms up in a "touchdown!" stance.) Len says he came out with attack, and that there was a bit too much posing, "but when you've got a body like yours and mine," you can't help it. Bruno calls Jason master and commander and "a winner." Carrie Ann says it was unconventional but they sold it. But, she also calls them out for a lift. Scores: 9-8-9, for a 26/30 and a total of 55/60.

Well, that was all very dramatic. Hopefully Cristian is OK. What did you think of the evening's dances?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

By a 6-to-1 vote, Adam is the winner of Big Brother 9.

Not the most scintillating finale I've ever seen, especially after the jury questions, in which Ryan proved to be unbelievably inarticulate.

The other news of the finale was the winner of the "favorite juror" prize: James. (Meanly, Julie Chen also made sure to tell Sheila that she came in second place, a distinction that brings her a prize of $0.)

So it's all over.  Yay!

What do you think about the winner?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Big Brother
        

So last week on Survivor, Ozzy held onto his hidden immunity idol that everyone knew he had and then got voted out, right?

And then this week, Jason gets sent to Exile Island, where the idol has been rehidden, and he finds it, and he knows that he almost got voted out last week, but he doesn't play it? Are you kidding? He's in this season because he's a fan, so it's not like he's not familiar with the game. And, uh, he was there last week when the exact same fate befell Ozzy, who had much better standing in the tribe than Jason did. Dumb dumb dumb.

But entertaining!

So it seems the women are now running this game. Too bad they're playing like middle-schoolers. I can't stand Parvati, and Natalie and Alexis don't do much for me, either.

If I were Amanda, I would team up with James and Erik and try to convince Cirie that she is obviously No. 4 in that mean-girls alliance and form a foursome to take out those three.

It's definitely been interesting the past couple of episodes. Certainly more than I expected it to be, since early on it seemed like the fans were going to go down in flames.

Have you been watching? What's your take?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Survivor
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

I have to admit that this is totally my guilty pleasure reality television show. It has the cat fights and backstabbing of Big Brother, the beauty of America’s Next Top Model, the vocals of American Idol and the moves of So You Think You Can Dance. What’s not to love?

The second season of the show The Pussycat Dolls Present Girlicious has been good to the last pop, drop and lock.

The contestants have been much stronger this year and the drama has been on high for the majority of the season. 

Last week, the judges threw everyone for a loop when they did not eliminate any of the contestants, which set up five girls vying for three spots. (Or so we thought ...)

I suspected that the judges were going to have a hard time whittling down the five contestants. (The girls were very strong contenders.) Turns out I was right. They picked four! (I’ll get back to that later.)

The odd woman out was Charlye. Her attitude got in the way of her making the group. Week after week, she was a very strong competitor. But it was her distain for Natalie and Chrystina that did her in. She completely shot herself in the foot when she told judges Robin Antin, founder of The Pussycat Dolls, and Ron Fair, chairman of Geffen Records, about her beef with her two rivals. She also said she planned to go to school if she did not make the group. (Wrong again!) Meanwhile the other girls expressed loads of enthusiasm. Tiffanie almost needed to be restrained because of all her excitement. Chrystina and Natalie totally played the game and avoided discussions about any drama that occurred off-stage.

After their interviews with the judges, the girls had two last chances to strut their stuff.
First, as a group, they had to perform Kool and the Gang’s “Ladies Night.” Next, each girl was assigned a solo.

Charlye had to sing Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” Tiffanie tackled Aretha Franklin’s "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." Natalie sang Nelly Furtado’s “Say it Right.” Nicohle performed “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” by En Vogue. Chrystina had to sing Heart’s “What About Love.”

All the girls did a pretty good job. No one forgot their lyrics. No one completely messed up their song and started over. (I’m still heated about this week’s American Idol!) So it basically came down to personality. Charlye couldn’t get along with two of the girls. She had to go.

Girlicious is definitely an attempt to keep up with Danity Kane. The show totally takes a few pages from MTV’s Making the Band. But, unlike MTB, I got the feeling that Antin legitimately wants to keep her talent. (Remember how Puffy humiliated then discarded the group Da Band?) She routinely shed tears when contestants were eliminated from her show. I think it made for more of a connection with the viewers. Granted it’s kind of hard to take the show seriously with all the over-the-top plastic surgery Antin and third judge Lil’ Kim received over the years. If you look past that, the show is guilty-pleasure worthy.

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about this season. I was a fan of the first season where Antin scoured the country looking for a new member of her hit group The Pussycat Dolls. (I know she was steaming that Asia’s decided to opt for a solo career instead of joining the group.)  I initially thought this group was going to be a joke. I mean, what kind of name is Girlicious?

Silly name or not, I think that Antin has a good thing going with these girls. The members are pretty, they sound decent for today’s singing standards. And they are diverse. I think most girls can see a girl who looks like them in this group.

I wonder if a third season is in the works? Will Antin attempt to add another member to the Pussycat Dolls? Or will she simply base a reality show based on the way the girls from Girlicious mesh?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 6:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Big Brother 9 finale is in a little over an hour and ... yawwwwn. Seriously, Ryan or Adam? I don't really care one whit.

A friend of mine who keeps up with the live feeds said, though, that they didn't know they were going to get questioned by the jury. That is hilarious -- where have they been? So it might be worth it to tune in tonight for that particular shock.

What do you think about this final two? Reader Rich chimed in on a previous entry:

I do not really care who wins either, between Adam and Ryan. I do not even think there will be much venom. It will be boring. The producers could choose from millions of people, but this cast had an all-white(except for one brother) cast. And he was kicked out early. No Asians, no older people, just a lot of annoying fat white folks (i.e Adam and Ryan and Josh.)

No joke -- this was the most homogenous cast ever. And that soulmate thing really worked out, eh?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 6:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Big Brother
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

Mistakes are gonna cost the contestants this far into the competition on America's Next Top Model. Lauren found out the hard way. She was absolutely dreadful last night, and it resulted in her being sent home.

The girls were in Rome, and while many of them hit the ground running, Lauren continued to work against herself by exhibiting extreme social awkwardness. First, she demonstrated her horrendous runway walk during a go-see. Surprise, surprise! Her Frankenstein walk did not impress the designer.

Anya, on the other hand, won the go-see and received a designer dress as her reward. Not too bad for the Hawaiian, who has been pretty solid.

Fatima also was wonderful. She excelled in almost every aspect of last night’s episode. The designer loved her at the go-see. Later, she delivered the best performance of the day shooting a Covergirl commercial, which required the contestants to speak Italian. She was simply amazing.

The judges agreed:
 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

The American Idol tour dates have been announced, and the Top 10 will be stopping at Verizon Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on May 17 through Ticketmaster. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: American Idol
        

It's cutting time once again on American Idol -- well, in about an hour anyway.

First up, the final six perform "All I Ask of You" with this week's mentor, Andrew Lloyd Webber. After the montage from last night, host Ryan Seacrest talks to Webber about the competition. Among other things, they discuss the fact that Brooke stopped her performance and started over, and Webber says it happens to the best of people in the theater, and that he felt for her because she was "flawless" in dress rehearsal. He also says that Jason made the most curious song choice he'd ever heard. He's a weird guy but pretty funny.

Next, there's a statement from President and Mrs. Bush about "Idol Gives Back," which raised more than $65 million.

Results time. There are stools of danger (only two, though) and the safety couch once again. Ryan calls David Cook and David Archuleta forward to find out their fates. Ryan asks Simon about Archuleta's performance, but he has a mouthful of food, so he's vaguely incomprehensible (and actually kind of embarrassed). They are both safe.

Ryan drops the bomb that next week's mentor is Neil Diamond. Come on, really? I guess I probably could have figured that out by process of elimination. But can these contestants please sing something from even the late 1990s? Early 2000s?

Next, there's a look at the Idols who are starring on Broadway. (Clay Aiken is in Spam-a-Lot right now, and Tamyra Gray is in Rent.)

Then Leona Lewis performs "Bleeding Love." (Simon discovered her on his show The X Factor, in case you didn't know.)

Back to results: Syesha Mercado and Brooke White come out from backstage. Brooke says she followed her instinct last night and she didn't know what else to do. She also apologizes for interrupting the judges in the past and says that last night, she decided to just listen. Brooke is safe, and Syesha is in the bottom two.

(Aside to Paula's stylist: Please stop mistreating her chest and find her clothing that fits!)

Carly Smithson and Jason Castro are last to find out what's up. Jason is safe, and Carly is in the bottom two.

Wow, OK. So the folks who did the best job last night are in the bottom two. Interesting. At least we get to hear reprisals that are good.

Going home is Carly Smithson. Too bad she didn't decide to let go and have fun earlier. Sad. Although she handles it with possibly the best attitude ever.

What do you think about the results?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: American Idol
        

She survived five consecutive trips to the block (not that Block, Baltimore readers), but even a secret alliance could not get Sharon into the final three.

Ryan went on a roll, winning HOH, nominating Sheila and Sharon for eviction and winning Power of Veto. He could basically choose the outcome of the game, and I thought he would probably take Sharon off the block, which would make Adam the replacement nominee. Then Sharon would take out either Sheila or Adam, depending on what Ryan wanted. But so much for their secret alliance -- Ryan left the nominations the same, and Adam voted to evict Sharon.

Even though she was surpprised, Sharon handled the eviction with a little more maturity than Natalie, who seemed to think that God had ordained that she would win and was just flabbergasted that the tide had turned against her.

After that, the three-part final HOH competition started -- we should see the results tonight, and then one last eviction will leave us with the final two.

Who are rooting for, if anyone? I'm not really excited about any of these last three, which I guess means I won't mind too much when the venom starts flowing on the finale next week. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Big Brother
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

With Gordon Ramsay at the helm, last night's family-themed Hell's Kitchen made the Walker family from ABC's Brothers & Sisters look normal.

The episode picked up from last week’s elimination. Ramsay was still launching verbal assaults on some of the hopefuls who messed up. Ben – the chef who undercooked the salmon last week – still had Ramsay steaming.

“I got myself a chewing,” Ben on his way back to the contestants' home.

Just when the chefs were getting ready for bed, Ramsay announced that they needed to come back to the kitchen and clean it up. Corey – the petty chef who had her elimination nominations vetoed by Ramsay a few weeks back – further annoyed her teammates when she simply left them to clean.

The next day, Ramsay announced that the night’s dinner service would have a family theme. In preparation for the night's meal, Ramsay told the two teams – toward the beginning of the season the contestants are always split by gender – that they needed to make as much fresh pasta as possible in 20 minutes.

Who knew that making spaghetti could be so nerve-racking? It was actually a lot harder than it sounds. Each team had to form, cut, and flour fresh spaghetti. The pasta had to meet Ramsay’s standards, meaning it had to be perfectly formed.

The girls won and Jen emerged as the leader of the group. She kept them motivated by keeping them on task and shouting words of encouragement.

As their reward, the girls got to go to the Santa Monica Pier Amusement Park in a Hummer limo. Meanwhile, the guys were mad at Craig,  who messed up -- again. Their punishment involved them prepping the night’s dinner service for both teams.

Poor Ben literally had to shovel horse crap. (Remember, it was family night. There was a mini amusement park, with pony rides, set up outside the restaurant.)

Ramsay said the menu was the easiest in the history of the show. And while pasta, chicken wings, hamburgers, potato skins, onion rings and chowder might not sound too hard, it gave some contestants a world of trouble.

Vanessa seemed like she was crying from the beginning of the episode. Her ego had already suffered a huge blow last week when she faltered — again. This week, Vanessa wanted to redeem herself. There was no such luck when disaster struck on her appetizer station.

The girls were getting into a good rhythm until Vanessa started a small stove fire and burned herself. Understandably, the tears started flowing as Vanessa received medical attention for her burn. She was subsequently taken to the hospital. (At the end of the episode, she returned and informed her teammates that she was going to visit a plastic surgeon because of her injuries.) With or without Vanessa, the women excelled.

The men, on the other hand, stumbled big time. Matt -- who always looks like he is going to cry -- served up raw, bloody chicken wings. Later, he overcooked hamburgers. (Talk about Goldilocks and the three bears …)

At one point, the guys – Ben and Bobby -- started congratulating themselves. Ramsay screamed at them for their premature celebration. He then informed them that the girls were in fact serving more meals. As the men began to scramble to keep up, Craig screwed up the pasta. He got orders wrong, he refused help from other contestants, and at one point he yelled at Ramsay. (Big mistake!)

“It was embarrassing,” Ramsay told the men after their debacle.

Ramsay honed in on Ben.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have quit your day job so early,” Ramsay said to Ben.

Ramsay selected Bobby as the best male competitor. He was charged with selecting the two teammates for elimination, and he went with Craig and Matt.

“He’s like a broken compass in the kitchen,” Bobby said of Craig. “No mater what station he’s in, he’s lost.”

Ramsay threw another curve ball when he announced that he was going to add Ben to the mix of possible departees.

“I am really seriously disappointed with you,” he said to Ben. “I’d be embarrassed if I were in your shoes.” Ben vowed to do better: “I’m going to give you 100 percent,” he said.

“I’m going to give you 125 percent,” Matt countered.

“I don’t know percentages, but I’ll do better than that,” Craig pitifully chipped in. (Can you believe this guy?)

Ramsay wasn’t buying it. He sent Craig packing.

“Craig was a bad cook with an even worse attitude,” Ramsay said.

Ramsay had a few words for Matt and Ben.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's time again for eliminations on Dancing With the Stars, and it could be a surprise since so many people stepped up their scores and a couple of others faltered.

Here's the rundown on the evening's activities:

* Reprised dance? The country-and-western group performance, of course.

* Ashlee Simpson sings, and some pros (including Artem from So You Think You Can Dance) accompany her on the dance floor.

* Results: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe. Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez, however, are in the bottom two.

* Backstage, Shannon and Derek apologize for their heated comments after last night's show about how the critiques were unfair (Shannon) and that the judges were giving 9s and 10s to people doing "heel-leads" and ridiculous arm movements (Derek).

* Then there's a performance by some of the dancers from Riverdance.

* The junior competition continues with the 13 and younger category. Brandon and Brittany dance the cha-cha, and Austin and Liza dance the samba. The judges choose Brandon and Brittany to go forward.

* Montage of what it's like for the judges.

* More results: Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are safe, and so are Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke (so yay, we are saved from Len showing his bum in the supermarket, which he said he would do if Cristian was in the bottom two).

* After a break, more results: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe. Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are also safe, leaving Mario and Karina Smirnoff in the bottom two.

* And ousted from the competition are: Marlee and Fabian.

What do you think of the results? I'm sad for Marlee, though not shocked since she did have a rough couple of weeks. Still, I thought her fan base might pull her through. But I'm glad Mario is still in it -- he's been getting better and better, and of course, he is our hometown contestant.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Ah, yes, it's going to be another hip, cutting-edge and totally current episode of American Idol -- the night's mentor is Broadway icon Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the top six will be taking on his compositions.

Judge Randy Jackson says this is probably going to be the toughest night of the season because the songs are not easy. Ryan asks Simon Cowell how the contestants can overcome a criticism he's thrown at them before -- well, not this group -- that of sounding "too Broadway" if Broadway is actually the theme. Simon says they've got to sound "memorable but also contemporary."

Syesha Mercado sings "One Rock and Roll Too Many" from Starlight Express for Webber, and she's excited to show off some personality. Let's not forget, this girl has an acting background, and tonight, it shows. She has personality and sells the story of the song. Not sure whether she pulled off the "contemporary" vibe that Simon requested, but that seems like a tall order for everyone. Randy says this is her element and her "best performance to date right there." Paula Abdul says "this is a big part of your love." Simon says it was "very sexy. ... I think this was one of your strongest performances so far. You showed masses of personality we haven't seen before."

Jason Castro sings "Memory" for Webber and surprises him because he says he never expected to hear the song sung by a guy with dreadlocks. (I'm surprised because I would have put money on Archuleta or Brooke White singing this one.) Webber explains that the song is sung by an ancient cat, but he's not sure that Jason quite understood. He tells Jason that he has to let himself go more than he ever has in any song. He is really nervous, and the low parts are pretty rough. He just seems very closed off from the audience instead of connecting with them. Randy says vocally it was a little bit of a trainwreck. Paula says she thinks most people are used to hearing this by a female balladeer, but it was still a wise choice for him. What? Simon says it felt to him -- and probably to Jason -- like the longest two minutes of his life. He says Jason seemed miserable throughout and, "it was a struggle."

Brooke White's choice is "You Must Love Me" from the Evita movie. Webber: "I don't think that girl had a clue what that song was about." So he explains the meaning of all of it to her, and she sings it again for him, and he declares it "terrific." She starts her performance and she stops -- STOPS -- and makes the band start over, too. Wow, no, that is not OK. Is it me, or is she getting more and more nervous as the season goes on? Randy says for him this was not great, but he did like that she listened to Andrew Lloyd Webber. Paula pauses and takes a long time to finally tell her: "You must never start and stop." But she does like that Brooke didn't overact the performance. Simon says this is why he loves live TV -- "I mean, it was so dramatic." But he says she became so tense trying to remember the song that it became quite uncomfortable. Pressed by Ryan, Simon does say that he would have done the same thing in her shoes.

David Archuleta takes on "Think of Me," which Webber says is a song "written for a diva, written for a girl" and that he couldn't imagine how it would sound. Webber tells him to open his eyes when he's singing to keep the connection with the audience. Well, who would have thought that little Archuleta would be the one to put a modern twist on one of these songs? But somehow, it does sound like a pop song. Huh. Randy says it was the bomb and, "This boy's the one to beat." Paula calls it absolutely perfect. Simon says he thought it was "pleasant and one of his weakest live-show performances," calling it forgettable. Oh, please. I haven't been his No. 1 fan or anything, but so far, I think David Archuleta is the first person to do exactly what Simon said at the beginning and make his song sound at least somewhat "contemporary."

Carly Smithson starts out singing "All I Ask of You" from Phantom, and Webber stops her and says she should go with her other choice, "Superstar." And yeah, dude knows what he's talking about because Carly rocks it out and shows off her big voice and even shows some personality. Plus, she seems to have lost some of that uptight vibe she's had for some previous performances. Randy says he doesn't know whether this was her best performance, but, "It was definitely good." Paula says she loved it and thought it was unexpected. Simon says, "Other than the fact that it got a little bit shouty in the middle, it was one of my favorite performances of the night."

David Cook is taking on "Music of the Night," which Webber says is one of the most sensual songs he's ever written, and that if David really gets into, "maybe he'll pull it off." He performs, and I really don't think his voice has enough depth for this song. Maybe I've heard the soundtrack too many times, but he's a little too quiet with it except for one big note in the middle, and the rock-ballad note he pulled at the end was just kind of annoying after such a traditional take on the rest of the song. Randy says it was an amazing vocal and calls it "another molten hot bomb." Paula says it proves he's well-rounded as an artist, and she thought it was fantastic. Simon says he made the most of it, but it wasn't his style. Still, "you were good," he closes.

So, what think you? I think Brooke and Jason are in some dire trouble after that. But please, next week can these kids sing something current? Is that really too much to ask?

(Photo of final six with Andrew Lloyd Webber by Michael Becker / Fox)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: American Idol
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

He yells, curses, throws food and makes grown men cry. Gordon Ramsay is definitely a contender for the jerk of the year award. (Though I personally find him funny…)

One Reality Check blog visitor the other day raised concerns that Ramsay has opened himself up for a “serious harassment suit.”

I did a little digging and found this article from a publication in Wales that used Ramsay to illustrate a point about bullying and harassment in the workplace.

This article from a publication in Sydney reveals that lawmakers there are debating whether to censor shows like Hell’s Kitchen because of Ramsay’s potty mouth.  

One lawmaker said that Ramsay used the “f-word” 80 times in an episode of his spin-off show Kitchen Nightmares and used the “c-word” twice in another. (I assure you that these were surely directed at someone.)

I have to add that these lawmakers also found issue with Big Brother, The Sopranos and Sex and the City.
 
What do you think? Some may argue that Ramsay is hamming it up for the television cameras. But, technically Ramsay is the boss and these chefs are potential employees. Should he face some type of repercussions for his actions?

In the meantime, let's watch tonight’s episode after American Idol on Fox. I’m sure Ramsay will chew the head off of at least one contestant/employee …

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

It's a night of two dances -- first each couple has to take on a dance they haven't tried before, and then there will be a big group country-and-western number.

Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska take on the cha-cha for the first time this season. In their preparations, they focus a lot on judge Len Goodman's comment last week that Jason didn't dance enough -- that too often he was just kind of there while Edyta danced around him. That is not a problem in this performance, which is fun and kicky and has way more hip action than most cha-chas I remember on this show. Len says this week definitely had enough content and that they captured the flavor of the dance, though his heart went out to Jason a couple of times when he could tell Jason was counting, but still, he calls it a "marvelous job." Bruno Tonioli says Jason always seems heroic, but they showed much more personality this week. He does agree that the missteps were a problem. Carrie Ann Inaba says Jason needs to work harder to keep his arms in check and to dance bigger. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough prepare to dance the rumba, and Shannon is concerned since she had a rough time last week. Speaking of last week, several of the contestants had trouble with the rumba last Monday, mostly because its slow speed revealed a lot of flaws. I think it largely worked for Shannon tonight and let her really extend her long limbs more gracefully. But let's see what the pros think. Bruno says they had a lot of romantic interplay, but that they had the cardinal sin of the rumba: no hip action. Carrie Ann says she needs to go beyond her potential and that she has "the ability to make great shapes, you just have to sustain them." Len says he loved the start and that they were "all over each other like a rash." Despite the lack of hip action and moments that lacked fluidity, he says they did a good job. Co-host Samantha Harris asks them just how close they have become (referring to the steamy photos of them on the beach that recently surfaced). Derek says they were on the beach practicing and in character and that was all. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez try to get a new start after last week's stumbles. They are doing the mambo, which is Fabian's favorite dance. It's an improvement over last week, but there are still a couple of moments of stiffness -- maybe she still doesn't quite trust herself after last week? Carrie Ann pulls a Paula Abdul and starts by saying that Marlee looks amazing. She adds that every week she tries to put herself in Marlee's position and imagine what it's like for her and that this week, she was especially worried because the mambo relies so much on the connection to the music. Carrie Ann says it didn't really work out for them because in parts they really seemed to be forcing it. Len says she has proved that the only limitations she has are the ones she puts on herself -- "I thought you did a great job, but you looked uncomfortable throughout." Bruno says timing is crucial in the mambo and she lost it a few times, but, "what you do here is a plus for the show." Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke were in the bottom two couples last week, and they are hoping to have a comeback with the foxtrot. He's aiming to be as graceful as Fred Astaire, and while I don't think anyone is going to catch up with Fred anytime soon, they still put on a nice, smooth performance. Len: "If you're in the bottom two tomorrow, I'll show my bum in the supermarket." I will stay far, far away from that store. "That was your best dance." Bruno: "OK, picture go," he says of Len's comment. "... Cristian at his dashing best! ... Your footwork tonight was excellent; you obviously paid a lot of attention to it, and it showed." Carrie Ann says there is a fine line between being rigid and being refined, and that tonight he was absolutely refined. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani get refined for the Viennese waltz. It's a sweet, flowy performance, and despite fears about all the spins, she handles it. Bruno says it's light and frothy and that she kept her head as she took on some difficult moves. "I liked it, very good." Carrie Ann says she loved it and Marissa showed a whole new side of herself. Len says she came out like a true princess and with true elegance. Scores: 9-8-9, for a 26/30, and her best scores ever. Marissa freaks out.

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas take on the super-fast jive. As usual, they do a spot-on job and give a fun performance (Mark complete with Buddy Holly glasses for a 50s vibe). Carrie Ann gives them a standing O. Carrie Ann: "Hell yeah! That is what I'm talking about. ... I think that was my favorite dance this season so far." Len says it was like a buffet, and, "It was absolutely great." Bruno says, "This absolutely was top-notch high-definition entertainment." He adds that it was his favorite dance of the season so far, too. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30, the first perfect score.

After the break, what the heck? Paula Abdul is in the audience. Maybe that's why Carrie Ann was channeling her earlier.

Mario and Karina Smirnoff are last, with the rumba. During the preparations, he calls his little brother back in Baltimore to get some tips on some dance moves. His brother is 6, so it's adorable. He says he's trying to be a good role model for his brother and that he is dedicating his dance to him. Which is a little weird when it turns out he and Karina are doing a very, very sexy performance to "Let's Get It On." But it's not like Mario could control which week the producers would decide to visit his family in Baltimore for footage, so let's get back to the dance. Hawt! Len says he doesn't particularly want them to actually get it on in the ballroom. "Listen, you did a good job." Bruno interrupts and says, "You're starting to get all crusty and stiffy again." Um, OK. Len says the rumba is the story of a developing romance, not the story of "a strumpet and a gigolo." He says he liked it but thought that the characterization was too raunchy for him. Bruno says it was fabulous: "It was grace, savage, primeval." He gets censored at one point (or else my audio dropped out), so I don't know what else he said. Carrie Ann: "That was better than good sex. That was just ridiculously good, but there was a lift, and I'm going to dock you for it." Scores: 9-9-10, for a 28/30, their best score so far, and second place for the night.

That leaves the group country dance. It's fun, but a whole lotta chaos, too. Tom points out that for sports fan, this was probably the only chance to see Jason Taylor in a Cowboys uniform. Tee hee!

What did you think of the night's performances? I'm glad to see our hometown contestant getting better by the week, though a little disturbed at the commentary his performance inspired in the judges. Kristi, of course, was fantastic as usual, and it was nice to see so many couples getting their highest scores yet.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

Guest blogger John-John IV Williams reports:

Fatima, who is not a U.S. citizen, was stressing because she lost her travel documents and was afraid that she would be eliminated from the competition when the contestants packed up and headed abroad for the remainder of the season.

The travel documents wound up being the least of Fatima’s troubles this episode. I’ll get back to that a little later.

Judge Paulina Porizkova made a quick house call and talked to the girls about the best ways to showcase themselves. This totally foreshadowed to what was going to happen a little later in the episode.

Lauren cut her finger when she was chopping onions while attempting to make potato pancakes. She cut off a small piece of her finger. (Maybe next time she’ll realize that models don’t eat, and she won’t have that problem next time.)

The girls took to the “green carpet” for an event sponsored by 7Up. The party was the perfect place for the girls to demonstrate their communication skills.

Dominique did not know the name of the designer who made her dress. (FYI Dominique, it’s Jay Godfrey.) “Finger-less” Lauren said she should win because she could kick the [deleted] out of the rest of the girls. The girls had the challenge of mingling with guests.

And guess what? Anya won! Guess that Hawaiian surfer girl accent didn’t get in the way of her wowing people. As a reward, she was given a photo shoot with 7Up. She also got a $10,000 check from 7Up.

While Fatima was chasing after her travel documents, she missed this week’s photo shoot, which required the girls to pose while trying to board a private jet. Tyra informed Fatima that she would be evaluated on her body of work. The rest of the girls would be judged on their photo shoot.

Katarzyna: The girl was fabulous. With her new hairstyle she totally reminded me of Helena Christensen. Tyra said there was definitely some poise and some conceit in Katarzyna’s photo, which was great for the jet-setting model shoot.

Lauren: Nigel said she looked stunning. “It was a great shoot for you,” he added.
 
Dominique: The judges also raved about her picture. “I think you nailed it for the first time,” Nigel said.

Stacy-Ann: She didn’t have a great photo shoot. She also got ripped for her “fake” behavior at the mix-and-mingle party. “It seemed like you were presenting,” Nigel told her.
 
Whitney: Mr. Jay said her shot was “so pageanty.” (That’s not a good thing.) Nigel also said Whitney was fake during the mixer.
 
Anya: “You stole the show,” Mr. Jay said about her photo.
 
In the end the judges sent Stacy-Ann home. It was so sad. She was one of the sweetest girls on the show. But her body of work was much weaker than Fatima’s, according to Tyra.
 
The top six were immediately whisked off to Italy, where they will likely spend the remainder of the season.
 
All right, fashionista fans, who are your picks? We’re down to six contestants, and no one has emerged as  the clear cut winner.

Stacy-Ann did the best in the Go Sees a couple episodes back. But, she was given the boot. Anya has taken wonderful pictures. But I still can’t picture her as the winner. Fatima has the look, but can she get her act together? First unshaven underarms during a photo shoot. Now this travel document mix-up. Are the judges sick of her excuses?

And where do I begin with Dominique? Her pictures are getting stronger. But, so is her personality. (Not a good thing. She’s way too confrontational.) Lauren looked really good this week. She did a good job schmoozing with the crowd at the 7UP party. Maybe there is top model potential hidden under all that awkwardness.

Katarzyna “baby Helena” is a force. This last photo shoot was pretty darn good.

I think Whitney is going to falter. I’m sick of her talking about being a plus-sized model. She’s not the prettiest plus-sized model the show has ever had. Toccara from Cycle 3 would have put her to shame. Plus, Whitney’s attitude stinks.

Who do you think will win this thing?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Two weeks ago, when Ami was voted out on Survivor instead of Erik (the first time a "favorite" left when a "fan" could have been voted out), it was pretty surprising.

Last week, when Eliza was sent packing, thinking she might have a hidden immunity idol, it wasn't as surprising as the producers would have liked it to be.

But tonight? Yeah, tonight was a surprise.

For the reward challenge, they divided into two teams of four, with Cirie sent to Exile Island. The team of Ozzy, Jason, Erik and Amanda won and enjoyed a feast with native Micronesians.

Upon their return to the beach, Ozzy went on and on about how awesome the food was and totally failed to read his teammates, who were not wanting to hear it.

The immunity challenge required the contestants to stand on a log with one arm above their heads connected to a big bucket of water. If they dropped their arm, the water spilled, and they were out.

It didn't take long for Jeff Probst to come tempt them with food items. Cirie and Erik jumped down at the same time for a bowl of candy. Then Jeff came out with milk and a cookie. Alexis kind of twitched in excitement and knocked over her bucket. Since she hadn't made an actual deal with Jeff, she didn't get the cookie. Then James noted, "Wow, that sucks," and immediately accidentally knocked over his bucket, so he didn't get food either. Ozzy jumped down for donuts.

Amanda, Jason and Parvati made it five hours, but then Amanda left because she had to go to the bathroom. Jeff came out with a giant plate of pizza, beer, cookies, donuts and candy and said that if anyone got down, they could share it with everyone else.

Jason made what appeared to be a very boneheaded deal and stepped down for a "guarantee" that the others wouldn't vote for her, but most of them literally had their fingers crossed behind their backs.

Back at camp, Parvati, Cirie, Alexis and Natalie discussed teaming up with Jason and voting out Ozzy while they could still blindside him. I thought, yeah, sure, this will never happen. This will just be the red herring strategy.

At tribal council, Jeff asked whether they all really thought that Ozzy had the (real) hidden idol. They all basically said yes. Jeff asked Jason whether he really thought he made a good deal, and James said that sometimes people might just want a donut and won't keep their word. So when it was time to vote, it looked like Jason was out.

The votes were cast, and Ozzy did not play the immunity idol, and whoops, when the votes came in, it turned out that strategy did come to pass, and Ozzy was out.

Now that was a surprise! Just ask Ozzy, who said that he hated everyone in his alliance who voted against him and didn't give them credit for outplaying him. Maybe some time on the jury will solve that.

(Photo of Ozzy courtesy of CBS)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Survivor
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

Jason, the sexist pig, was sent packing last night on Hell’s Kitchen.

Good riddance! He always had something sexist to say about the other female contestants. I guess the women got the last laugh …

The episode started off with a challenge that surely gave PETA members a temporary heart attack. Gordon Ramsay held a meat cleaver to the neck of a live chicken, which made the contestants think that they were going to have to kill a live chicken for the first challenge of the episode. (I have to admit, I wasn't too thrilled about this possibility as I watched the episode while eating dinner.)

It turned out it was all a ruse. Ramsay let the poor little chicken go. Instead, Ramsay made the contestants take a whole (dead) chicken and cut it into eight perfect pieces. Each person had five minutes to complete the assignment.

The women did a great job, scoring 44 out of a possible 48 points. The guys struggled after pint-sized Craig scored two out of eight points. The guys lost and were sent out into a hot field to pick peppers for their punishment.

The guys were so mad! Matt – the chef who made Ramsay vomit in the season opener – had a temper tantrum while throwing shoes and clothes around his room. Ben was adamant that Craig should be sent home.

The men’s struggles continued during the dinner challenge.

Jason, who was working on desserts, was kicked out of the kitchen by Ramsay after he failed to correctly rattle off the dessert menu. Louross, who is a little firecracker, urged Jason to come back to the kitchen and get back in Ramsay’s good graces. Jason reluctantly returned just to be faced with the same menu challenge. He failed, again. This time he said he was ready to go home. Ramsay persuaded him to stay, which was kind of funny because of what Ramsay did to Jason later. 

The food service was horrible — again.

During the food service, Vanessa started a small pan fire. Ramsay screamed about that. Ramsay truly flipped his lid when he discovered that Ben’s “cooked” salmon was in fact raw. Ramsay chose Christina and Petrozza as the strongest contestants from the two teams. He gave each the opportunity to chose a member of their team for elimination.

Many expected Christina to pay Corey back for putting her on the block the week before. Instead, Christina chose Vanessa for her piss-poor performance with the meat. Petrozza picked Jason for essentially weighing down the men’s team.

Ramsay told Vanessa: “Talking to you is like talking to a refrigeration unit. You’re stone cold.”

He saved this gem for Jason: “You move like a tortoise giving birth.”

Ramsay tossed Jason out because he gave up. Jason actually took the boot in stride. He said he was going to go to a bar and get drunk. (Maybe he should head straight to culinary school. He had no skills.)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

They jump right in with the music on tonight's American Idol results show -- the remaining seven come out to sing Mariah Carey's "One Sweet Day."

After a montage from last night, it's right to the results, sort of: Jason Castro comes out from backstage, and he has to start a group to Ryan's left. None of this safety couches and danger stools, I guess. David Cook is next, and he has to start a group to Ryan's right. Carly Smithson comes out smiling, and she joins Jason. Kristy Lee Cook joins David Cook.

So ... that revealed nothing.

But before we learn more, Elliott Yamin comes out to sing "Free." Aww, I miss Elliott -- he was always interesting and fun and so glad to be there on his season. He has "We Miss You, Mom" on his hand, and it turns out his mom, who was so adorable on the show, passed away within the past couple of days. He says it's his first time on stage without her being in the audience. That's terrible. Here is a little more information -- she passed away on April 2. Condolences to Elliott.

Back to the results: Syesha Mercado joins Jason and Carly. Brooke White is next, and she's told to join David and Kristy.

Still not that illuminating.

David Archuleta is stuck backstage wondering what is going on while Ryan takes viewer calls.

And he has to keep waiting (though he gets to come out on stage) while Mariah Carey comes out to perform. For the record, Miss Mimi has a Beadazzled microphone and stand. Because she is 9 years old. Also, her song is really, really long, and I'm not even waiting to find out whether I'm in the bottom three.

Finally, David Archuleta gets to come on stage, and Ryan tells him he is safe. Then Ryan makes David Cook and Syesha switch places and says one group is safe and one is the bottom three. Ryan makes David Archuleta join the group he thinks is safe. But instead, David sits down in the middle of the stage. Finally, the rest of the safe group, which, as it turns out, is David Cook, Carly Smithson and Jason Castro, comes to him.

So that leaves a bottom three of: Kristy, Brooke and Syesha. Syehsa is safe, as is Brooke.

So farewell, Kristy Lee Cook. For her sing-out, she, oddly, sits on the judges' table and sings directly to Simon for the first part of the song. Well, OK, then!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: American Idol
        

Last night on Big Brother, Adam won the veto, and HOH Sheila put Natalie up as the replacement nominee. Sheila and Sharon were sure Natalie was going to be backdoored. But then Adam and Ryan (the only vote-casters) seemed to be having second thoughts.

On tonight's episode, that was borne out when the guys called a house meeting to lay all the stuff they'd been hearing on the table. They blindsided Natalie with the "meeting" while she was in the middle of dyeing her hair. She claimed her loyalties were with the men, and Sheila was shocked. But the guys were convinced -- and it looked pretty obvious that Sharon was toast and Natalie was sticking around.

The jury house footage was interesting -- James, upon his arrival, blamed his eviction on Chelsia's negative departure from the house. I doubt that's true, but Chelsia did not take it well. But once he said he didn't care about the money and was glad he met her, they were fine. Ah, showmance!

When the votes were cast on the live show, I was shocked: Ryan voted for Natalie and Adam voted for Sharon. I guess they decided it made the most sense to put it in Sheila's hands, which actually wasn't a bad plan. After the break, Sheila evicted Natalie, who looked betrayed and cried.

During the HOH competition, the final question was, "There is still a pre-existing relationship in the house." The answer was fact, but a helpful graphic came up on screen: "(the guinea pigs)." In a tie-breaker, Ryan won the HOH over Sharon. I'm sure the houseguests are going to be driving themselves crazy trying to figure out who that pre-existing relationship is.

Next week: final three and the final HOH competition. We're in the home stretch, folks!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Big Brother
        

I haven't been able to keep up with The Biggest Loser because of the crazy Idol-Dancing With the Stars schedule.

But I hear a woman was the big winner for the first time last night. Read more here.

Did you see? How was the finale?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: The Biggest Loser
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

Last week’s America's Next Top Model was a complete waste of time. New programming was put on a back burner and the dreaded recap episode filled the void.

I learned that Marvita likes to: walk around naked, play the guitar, and give massages. Yawn!! Who cares? Marvita was kicked off the show a few episodes ago.

God, please, can we have a little more excitement this week? Tonight’s preview shows Fatima dealing with some sort of “legal” troubles. It also shows Lauren cutting her finger during a kitchen accident. (I was most disturbed by Lauren’s storyline. A model should not be in the kitchen trying to eat any food! What was she thinking? It’s criminal!)

Let’s catch up after tonight’s episode …

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Lutherville native Greg Plitt made his debut in the third-season premiere of Work Out last night. (Find a video preview and a link to an interview with him here.)

He admitted in the story that the show is all about the drama (real drama? manufactured drama?), but it was still pretty surprising to see him, as the new guy, in the first episode:

* Taking off his shirt during his first training session with a client

* Butting heads with gym owner (and star of the show) Jackie Warner over the new staff uniforms (which she designed herself).

* Showing up late to a party with coworkers -- and bringing a client as a date.

Off to a good start, dude.

And a little note for reality-TV synergy fans: How weird was it to see Sarah Kozer from Joe Millionaire again? (She was training in the gym.) Like it's not already weird enough to see Rebecca from The Amazing Race on this show!

What did you think of the premiere?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

Somebody's going home tonight on Dancing With the Stars, and there are a lot of options after all the leader-board shuffling.

Here's how everything went down:

* The reprised dance of the evening is Kristi and Mark's rumba, which I can't really argue with.

* Ozomatli (I forgot how many people are in that band!) performs, and a whole ton of the pros come out to dance.

* Results: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe, and Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are in the bottom two.

* The Dancing With the Stars Junior competition continues with the 10 and younger group.

* Host Tom Bergeron has a TelePrompTer problem and pitches it to results instead of a montage of what show day is like.

* Now it's time for those results: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe.

* James Blunt performs, accompanied by some pros.

* More results: Mario and Karina Smirnoff are safe, as are Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani. Then a break, then, more results. Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe, as are Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez, leaving Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel in the bottom two.

* And the ejected couple is: Priscilla and Louis. Not the biggest surprise after being in the bottom two last week.

What do you think of the results?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

Host Ryan Seacrest opens tonight's American Idol by reminding voters that Michael Johns got sent home because people assumed he was safe. He doesn't address how rude he was to Michael in his departure. Figures.

Mariah Carey is the evening's mentor. Immediately, I wonder if the contestants will have to sing her songs. If so, they're in trouble -- almost every time a singer takes on Mariah, Whitney or Celine, the judges eviscerate them. I don't know if I can take a whole hour of that!

Heh, as soon as I finish typing that, Ryan asks the judges about that very issue. Randy Jackson says they just have to be themselves and not to try to compare to the original.

David Archuleta is the first contestant to hit the stage tonight. He practices "When You Believe" with Mariah, who suggests he try out his falsetto a little during the song. He takes her suggestion (of course) for his performance, which is perfectly pleasant and shows off his best feature -- his tone -- to good effect. Randy Jackson says he was a little worried about tonight because of guys singing girl's songs, but, "That was the bomb, baby!" Paula Abdul says Mariah must be happy to hear his interpretation of the song. Simon Cowell says he just knew that David would choose this song, though he doesn't think "we're in for a lot of laughs tonight." But, he adds, "You performed that very well." Ryan says sometimes David is so nervous on performance night that he doesn't even eat, but David says he did manage to eat. Whew! Otherwise, all the motherly types will be trying to feed him at every turn.

Carly Smithson tells Ryan that it's been very boring since Michael Johns left last week and that "it's just not the same without him." Mariah tells Carly that she was looking forward to meeting her, and how cool would that be? Carly's taking on "Without You." Her performance is nice, and I don't think she will be called a copycat since her huskier voice sounds very different from Mariah's. There are a few weird notes at the beginning, which might have been her changing it up to "make it her own," but it didn't quite work for me. Randy says he likes that she challenged herself with this song, but that she needs to believe in herself starting from the beginning. Paula likes the restraint she showed at the beginning of the chorus. Simon says he really wanted to hear her sing this song -- but he doesn't think she quite pulled it off, but he thinks she's capable of it. He ends by calling it "an OK version."

Syesha Mercado chooses "Vanishing," which Mariah loves. She gives Syesha some pointers on making it her own for her performance. She sings a lot of runs and big notes, most of which works, but she loses it for a bit in the middle, one of the quieter bits. But people probably won't remember that part since that was before the big notes. Randy says he was worried that she took on (yet another) big, challenging song, but that overall she did a good job with it, "all things considered." Paula says this choice was extremely smart because not many people know it as well, so she won't be compared to her as much. Simon says again, technically, "it was very good indeed, but I'm not sure at this point in the competition I would choose a song not many people know."

On the way to break, Ryan asks Simon how it's going so far, and he says David is stealing the show so far.

Brooke White tells Ryan she missed her sister's wedding because they film the mentor part of the show on the weekends. She sings "Hero" for Mariah, who says she originally wrote the song for Gloria Estefan. Mariah tells her to sing it how she feels in the moment. She is much more comfortable back behind the piano, that's for sure, but I think she's a little nervous because she seems to be rushing it a little. In the close shots, I think for sure that she's nervous because she appears to be shaking, but it's still good. Randy says he was in it until the bridge, where she pitched it up a little (as Mariah had suggested) and that she lost her confidence toward the end. Paula says says she had a few off notes, but it was still good, and brave to take it on unplugged. But she does mention the speed issue. Simon says he doesn't think she had much choice to do besides what she did. He compares it to getting a hamburger without the meat because the part in the middle was missing. Then the judges argue over the hamburger analogy. Can we wrap this up before my DVR cuts off again?

Kristy Lee Cook sings "Forever," which Mariah says she sang well and "could be a hit for you." Her performance is pretty good, especially in the bigger notes. A lot of people are crediting her staying around with Vote for the Worst, but here's the thing. She's actually showing some improvement during the season. A lot of the other contestants started out strong and ... are in the same place now as they were when the season began. Maybe that's the real aftermath of having so many people who had past experience (and record deals) make the finals. Although, yes, Kristy was one of them, but would you have guessed that during Beatles week? Anyway, let's toss it to the judges. Randy: "I didn't think that was like amazing ... but I've got to tell you, you've definitely started stepping up." Paula says she is a smart girl because she is getting better every week; "Oh, my God, I'm like blown away." Simon says he didn't give her chills, but "you managed with what you could. ... It just wasn't great."

David Cook surprises Mariah by taking on "Always Be My Baby," but she likes his arrangement, calling it "haunting." (And if it's not his arrangement, certainly someone will correct us shortly in the comments.) There's not a lot that would have really worked for him this theme week, but he worked with what he had and does something different. Randy says that more than anyone else on the show, David is ready to make an album. He says he hasn't stood up for anyone yet, but he does now. Paula says that could be in a movie soundtrack right now, and "maybe it will." Simon says it was like "coming out of karaoke hell into a breath of fresh air. It was original, it was daring, it stood out by a mile." David cries. I'm feeling that every-so-often break with the judges because I thought it was nice, but I wouldn't put it on repeat on my iPod or anything. Oh, well.

Jason Castro closes the show with "I Don't Want to Cry." It sounds like a completely different song, but in a good way. It's mellow and cool and a nice listen. Randy didn't really love it and says he felt like he was "at a weird beach luau." Paula says she would like to be at that luau listening all night long. Simon agrees with Paula, but he liked his take on it. He adds: "The guys have completely won the night."

Do you agree with Simon on that? I think he's probably right, but also, like he said at the beginning, the guys had an advantage because most of the songs would have to be changed up a little, and they'd sound different from a guy's perspective no matter what.

(Photo by Michael Becker / Fox)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: American Idol
        

No shock to see James ousted last Wednesday -- he was right that the whole house had turned against him.

I'm hoping for a surprise this week, though. Sheila's nominated Adam and Sharon with the goal of back-dooring Natalie, whom, finally, people are starting to not trust. For all her "Team Christ" talk, she really has been playing both sides and being remarkably delusional and self-righteous while doing so. Of course, many a plan set forth on a Sunday night has fallen to pieces before the next show, so who knows.

Random question for you Big Brother After Dark and live-feed watchers. I got a call from a reader who regularly watches BBAD and said that night before last, Adam was telling a story about how his grandfather escaped from a concentration camp in Poland, when he reportedly said something anti-Semitic about Jews being "put in a hole." I looked around at a couple of live-feed recap sites and didn't see anything, but if you saw this or saw reference to it somewhere else, drop me a comment or an email. I'm just curious. The caller went on to say that the producers didn't cut away or call him to the diary room or do any of the other things they usually do when problematic subjects come up.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Big Brother
        

Lutherville native Greg Plitt joins the cast of Work Out as the newest trainer in Jackie Warner's gym in L.A. Greg talked to reporter Meredith Cohn for today's story.

Check out a clip from the show above. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Maryland reality contestants
        

It's Latin night on Dancing With the Stars, which means the couples will be taking on the samba and the rumba. (Also, it's the halfway point, woo.)

Mario and Karina Smirnoff are up first, hoping to impress Len Goodman with their samba. In the interview, he says he feels the judges are wanting to see something special from him and he doesn't think he's given it to them yet. In the lead-in footage, Mario visits Stevie Wonder for some inspiration, after which he says, "I've got my swagger back." That's no lie -- there's all kinds of hip action going on, and they seem to be having fun again, which is good. Len Goodman says: "This dance suited you. It's got a freedom about it, it's a party dance. You came out with gay abandon. Great hip action you had throughout the dance. ... Work on your footwork a little more, but ... best dance so far!" Bruno Tonioli tells him: "If your hips could talk, we'd be censored tonight. ... Quite classic. ... I loved it." Carrie Ann Inaba says they got to the point and danced, and it was great. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30, their best score yet.

Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel are next, with the rumba. They start with a slow walk, and then Priscilla, who turns 63 next month, does the splits. I am not kidding. Their performance is very sensual, and Priscilla sells the drama with her acting skills, as usual. Bruno says she plays her part well every week, but, "the problem is, the rumba being so slow, it reveals some faults." He says she pushed a little too far this week, but the performance was good. Carrie Ann agrees that she was going for so much technique that she was dancing in her head instead of flowing naturally. Len says her footwork was disappointing, and the other two get mad that he doesn't give them credit for the difficulty level. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani were thrilled by their success last week, and they hope to have as much success with their samba. Their performance is fun, with a boatload of shoulder shimmying, and they are totally psyched at the end. It's cute. And the audience goes wiiiiild. Carrie Ann says she was working it and that this was her best routine by far, but her musicality was off a little at the beginning. Len liked the mix of steps, and "more bounce to the ounce than I've ever seen." Bruno says she had more shakes than a cocktail bar, and once she started, there was no stopping her. Scores: 8-8-8, 24/30.

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke hope to ramp up the romance in their rumba. I feel kind of bad for the couples doing the rumba because the samba is so much fun and so full of energy that it makes the rumba seem a little bit dull. But anyway, they seem to capture a sense of romance in their dance. Len says it was "competent but not fantastic. ... It wasn't gruesome to watch." He adds that Cristian handled his arms correctly. Bruno says they had great chemistry, but that again, the walks expose the flaws, but still, the performance was OK. Carrie Ann disagrees, saying that the chemistry wasn't there, but that he needs to work on sustaining his movement. Scores: 7-8-8, for a 23/30.

Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez work hard because the samba has such reliance on the beat. Their performance seems a little off somehow, and I don't necessarily think it has anything to do with the rhythm. A couple of moves toward the beginning seem really stilted and awkward, but it gets better as it goes along. Bruno says it was hot and sexy, and that she is so determined. He says she did lose the timing at times and stumbled a couple of times, but she's still an inspiration. Carrie Ann says she stumbled a couple of times, but after that she pulled it back together. Len says there is so much going on with the samba and that, considering she couldn't hear the music, she did a great job. Scores: 7-7-8, for a 22/30.

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas develop alter egos to deal with the awkardness of the rumba, which Mark calls "a vertical expression of a horizontal desire." As usual, any awkwardness Kristy might have felt during practice is invisible during the performance, which is spot-on and lovely and sexy. Carrie Ann says she took a risk and that she worried they had hit a plateau. She adds the Kristi might have sacrificed some of her movements to communicate emotion, but it was a good call. Len: "Three words: Fab. U. Lous." Bruno calls her Kristi Yummilicious and says they showed true artistry. Scores: 9-10-10, for another 29/30.

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are next. Tom points out that Derek spent part of today in the hospital with food poisoning, and they are hoping that doesn't present a problem this evening. (Side note: It irritates me when Derek wears his hair all bowl-cut like that because I'm reminded alternately of Ricky Schroder in Silver Spoons or Fisher-Price Little People. Call me crazy.) It's another performance where, had they not told us of all the drama, I doubt people would have suspected something was the matter. It's another fun party dance, I guess. Len says, as good as that was, it wasn't good enough and didn't have enough hip action. (Shannon, by the way, can hardly breathe.) Bruno tells her, "You have to come out and shake those maracas." He says maybe the choreography was too hard. Carrie Ann says usually she goes for it, regardless of whether it looks awkward, and this time, she didn't really go for it. Scores: 8-8-7, for a 23/30, which the audience doesn't like.   

That leaves Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska as the final couple of the evening, with the rumba. Their dance is remarkably passionate and lovely, with a couple of Edyta's trademark weird moves (a standing vertical split?). Bruno says he looked like a love god and wonders how he can be so light and so big at the same time. Carrie Ann says they have crazy chemistry and that it was great, but when his arms are down, he doesn't seem to know what to do with them. Len says he doesn't like the "clever" poses because Jason is just standing there, but that he liked it, and that Jason just looked like a "proper bloke having a dance." Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.

What did you think about the performances tonight?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

After last night's "Idol Gives Back" special, tonight it's back to competition -- and some results -- on American Idol.

Even though the special went quite a bit beyond its scheduled 2.5 hours, I suspect a lot of tonight's filler will be the stuff that didn't make the cut last night.

The first filler, though, is a montage of the stuff that didmake the cut last night.

Ryan Seacrest announces that more than $60 million was raised last night. (You can donate here. You can read about how the show had lower ratings than last year's "Idol Gives Back" but raised more funds here.)

The first trimmed bit inflicted upon us is a bunch of celebrities lip-syncing "I'm a Believer."

Then, results, based on the more than 31 million votes cast Tuesday: Brooke White comes forward and says part of why she was so emotional after her performance was because her sister is getting married Saturday and she probably won't be there. But then she freaks about about making assumptions and being presumptuous, but Ryan tells her she's safe. David Cook tells Ryan he thinks it could go either way, but he, too, is safe. David Archuleta is also safe.

At this point, I start to wonder whether commenter Bucky is right with his prediction that no one is going home this week.

After the break, there's more footage from Forest Whitaker and his wife's visit to Angola.

Then Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown come out to sing "No Air." Afterward, some of "Jordin's fans" come on the stage with her awards for 1 million downloads of "No Air" and "Tattoo" and a half-million downloads of her album.

Results again: Jason Castro comes out from backstage, and he finds out he is safe. Kristy Lee Cook is next, and she is safe. This leaves a bottom three of Syesha Mercado, Carly Smithson and Michael Johns. So that was kind of a mean fakeout -- making them (and me) think that maybe there wouldn't be an elimination this week.

Then there is a message from Bono and his organization One. This is followed by messages from Hillary Clinton, John McCain (who makes a "votes actually count" joke) and Barack Obama. Worst transition ever: Ryan says, "Three of America's top politicians there, and here we have American Idol's bottom three contestants." Oy.

And the last man standing is Michael Johns, and Ryan says he has the lowest number of votes, which elicits boos from the audience. Then, to add insult to injury, Ryan says, "Last year on Idol Gives Back week, we didn't eliminate anyone." Not so this week. Wow, that was jerky.

Michael says he is surprised because he enjoyed singing "Dream On," but it's not a bad song to go out on. Then we get his exit montage. I'm pretty shocked -- Tuesday was a rough night for lots of people, and Michael was far from the worst. What do you think?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (61)
Categories: American Idol
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

Gordon Ramsay shocked all the contestants in this week’s Hell’s Kitchen when he overruled Corey’s two picks – Jen and Christina -- for elimination.

Ramsay instead sent Sharon packing. He said he didn’t “believe in” her.

“Two services and you haven’t convinced me that you can cook,” Ramsay chided her.

He later added: “Sharon showed great attention to details. Unfortunately it was to her makeup.”

You have probably gathered that Ramsay doesn’t mince words. He also isn’t about to hand an incompetent cook the keys to his kitchen. (The winner of the competition will be the executive chef of one of Ramsay’s Los Angeles restaurants.)

Anywho, the episode started with the men and women facing off in a fish-cutting contest. The two teams had to cut perfect six-ounce fillets from a whole halibut. The competition was extremely close, but the men won in a tie-breaker. As a result, the women had to prep the entire food service for the restaurant challenge. The men were rewarded with lobster and champagne aboard a yacht.

During the dinner competition the men won – barely. Both teams were bad. So bad that Ramsay closed the kitchen early because he was so disgusted by their performances.

He was annoyed with Petrozza, who could not memorize the menu items for the life of him. Ramsay kicked him out of the kitchen repeatedly until he could rattle off the menu offerings. Jason topped it off by serving raw fish. But the guys were able to send out more meals than the girls who were off most of the night.

Sharon was terrible. She kept on incorrectly cooking food, which in turn slowed up Christina. Rosann had difficulties giving the kitchen food orders in a timely manner while completing her matre’d duties. Corey excelled during the dinner service, which earned her the right to put up two of her teammates for elimination.

I think Corey got clouded with pettiness. Jen made a few comments about Corey losing the halibut challenge, which annoyed Corey to the point of her nominating Jen for elimination. Corey said that she nominated Christina for strategic reasons.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Tonight, Idol is all about raising money for poverty issues since it's "Idol Gives Back" night. (The results show airs tomorrow night.)

I'm not live-blogging the whole thing (which I made the mistake of doing last year), but here are the things that jumped out at me, leaning hard on the entertainment portion of the evening:

• For the opening segment, the AI finalists sang Rihanna's "Please Don't Stop the Music" while finalists from the past several seasons of So You Think You Can Dance performed. This brought up a couple of issues. First, that's by far the most current song the Idols have sung all this season, and huh, it had so much more energy! What a surprise! Not to mention, now I can't wait until SYTYCD returns next month.
• Why is Teri Hatcher singing? Save this for karaoke night, darling.
• I am pained by the Miley Cyrus-Billy Crystal bit.
• Oooh, I was so excited when Heart came out to perform. Why did Fergie have to come out too? Bleh.
• As of about 9 p.m., more than $8 million had been raised. Sure can't be snarky about that.
• Sarah Silverman seemed like a bad fit for this show, but she didn't say anything too awful.
• 9:30: Nearly $22 million raised.
• By the way, if you want to donate to the cause, go here.
• The Top 8's group sing of "Seasons of Love" from Rent was nice, but the mikes seemed all uneven for the first part of the song. Twas a little odd.
• Robin Williams is not really funny. At least not lately.
• So the bit with Brad Pitt, where his mike didn't work, and the tech had to come out and hook him back up, and she said, "I just wanted an excuse to touch him"? Set up or amusing improv? Will the world ever know?
• Did they have a projected number of dollars raised at the end of the show? My recording cut off. Again.

So here's hoping they raised a ton of money. But I can't imagine that too many viewers watched that whole 2.5 hours of fund-raising. And I feel bad for anyone who tuned in because a favorite celebrity was going to be on, only to have them appear on screen for 15 seconds.

Did you watch? What did you think?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: American Idol
        

Dancing With the Stars jumps right in to the show tonight, introducing Sheryl Crow to performing "All I Wanna Do" within seconds of the show starting.

But we can't avoid filler forever. After that, it's time for a montage from last night. Strangely, the judges' choice for a reprisal this evening is Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough's paso doble, unicycle and all. 

At last, some results: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe, as are Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. 

A new addition to the results show is a kids' ballroom competition. Daniela (age 8) and Aaron (9) dance the samba to "Under the Sea," and seriously, how could that not be entirely adorable? Len Goodman says he was "bitterly disappointed" because the performance was too short and he would have liked to see more dancing. Bruno says the audience wanted to join in. Carrie Ann says Daniela was a firecracker, and it was great when Aaron cracked a smile. Their competition is Rashell (age 8) and a different Aaron (also 8). They dance the paso doble, and it, too, is so cute. Bruno says they are small, but they sold the heck out of the performance. Carrie Ann says it was great, dramatic and dynamic. Len found it sharp, precise and a great job. The judges choose Aaron and Rashell as the couple that will return to perform another week.

The results have to wait a little longer because Sheryl Crow is back to sing another song. I think it must be pretty strange for the guest singers on this show because the audience responds heavily to the dancers who accompany them and not that much to the musical performance, which must be unusual. The next segment, as it turns out, shows what it's like behind the scenes when the pros prepare for the dances with the guest singers, and the guests seem pretty impressed by the pros' moves.

More results: Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez are safe, but that's all we get. After yet another break, they're back. Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are safe, as are Mario and Karina Smirnoff (who look gobsmacked and thrilled).

Another break, then more results: Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel are in the bottom two, Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are safe. Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are in the bottom two, leaving Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani as the final safe couple.

Ousted are Adam and Julianne, which, it's about time. He jokes, of course, but he does tell the audience that they should embrace that which frightens them and go get some new, great experiences. Aww, the feel-good quotient of that closing statement was almost Guttenberg-esque. Who would've thought?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

On tonight's American Idol, the Top 8 take to the stage, and the theme is "inspirational songs" to tie in with tomorrow night's "Idol Gives Back" special. Maybe we will hear some somewhat recent songs, since every theme thus far has left the contestants singing nothing like you'd hear on any pop station today. By the way, no results tomorrow; that's put off until Thursday, so there's even more AI this week. Oh, goody.

Michael Johns is the first up, and his choice for the night is Aerosmith's "Dream On." He performs with a paisley scarf around his neck, which is a nice nod to Steven Tyler's love of tying scarves on the mike stand. His performance is on point and pretty entertaining, though I don't know that I would have gone for the falsetto scream (were I to possess falsetto) as the closer. But he gets the audience pumped. Judge Randy Jackson says this was a "pretty good song choice, but it had some pitch problems. ... I don't buy you are anyway as an Aerosmith. That's not the singer you are to me." Michael says he had to sing this song because living in America and being on this show is his dream come true. Paula Abdul says she couldn't disagree more and that it was a perfect song choice. "And the high notes you hit, I think my chihuahuas are going to come join you on stage," she adds, though she means it in a nice way. Simon Cowell says, "I thought it was a very good performance. ... I thought it was a little big wannabe-ish, so I didn't like it as much as last week."

Syesha Mercado talks with Ryan Seacrest about missing Ramiele, who had been her roommate since Hollywood Week. Her song choice for this week is "I Believe" by Fantasia. She kicks it on the high notes, but the whole beginning part, which requires a little more finesse, is pretty rough. She also goes for a possibly-too-much high note. Randy gives her credit for "taking on another tiger this week." He says it was "just OK." Paula says not many people can take on songs like that, and that Syesha flipped it a little and made it her own, closing by saying, "This is one of your most shining nights." Simon says technically, Syesha sang it very well, but "what it lacked was that big wave of emotion. ... I actually want to find out who you are all about."

Jason Castro is going to take on "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," as done by "Brother Iz," I assume meaning Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. Jason plays the ukulele and sings, and it's pleasant, but I don't really feel there's that much depth to his performance this week. The audience does not agree with me. Neither does Randy, who calls it "blazing, molten hot" and the best so far of the night. Paula says, "Honest to God, it was the perfect song, and I love that version." Simon says the first time he heard that version, he wasn't sure, but the second time, "loved it; third time: fantastic." I liked the uke playing, and the strings coming in from the band, but personally, I didn't think this was his strongest vocal.

Kristy Lee Cook is going to sing "Anyway" by Martina McBride. She has the same issue as Syesha -- the big notes are actually strong, but the quieter ones are kind of off. Still, this is probably the best she's done in a while. Randy says she had some "pitch moments," but he loved it. Paula tells him to leave the pitch moments alone, and says she outdid herself: "This was your best by far. ... Excellent." Simon says, "With a choice this broad, you have a chance to show who you are as an artist, and I think you did very well indeed." He adds that she looks like a star tonight. Paula says that she sang "unbelievably." Simon says, "It wasn't unbelievable; it was good." 

David Cook says he's singing "Innocent" by his favorite band, Our Lady Peace. And I really think it doesn't work out that well for him at all. The song has some pitch changes that work just fine for the lead singer of Our Lady Peace, but they don't translate well in this performance. Also, David closes singing at the judges' table and then flashes his hand, which says "give back," to the camera at the end. OK, Bono. It's just a little much. Randy says he's a big fan of his, but, "I'm not sure this was one of your strongest weeks. I didn't really get it." Paula disagrees, saying this week is "no exception" to his previous strong performances. "You are it. ... And I believe in you so much." Simon says, "I didn't like this performance very much at all. I think it was a teensy weensy bit pompous. ... It just wasn't anywhere near the past two weeks." Paula says it was nice to have the message written on his hand, and Simon agrees that that was nice.

Carly Smithson is taking on Queen's "The Show Must Go On."  Her vocals are pretty strong, but she kind of glosses over "the" in "the show must go on" every time during the chorus, so it feels a little Tarzan-ish. "Me Carly. You audience. SHOW MUST GO ON." It's distracting! Randy says it started out good, got pitchy in the middle and ended up "OK." Paula (who really, really needs to find a stylist who will dress her in things that actually fit her top half) says Carly's voice is, as always, "pretty perfect," but, "I didn't feel engaged with you." Simon says she looks good, but he thought the song choice was "unusual," and that she oversang it and lost control of the song, which came across as angry, which kind of works against the night's theme.

David Archuleta says he had a hard time choosing an inspirational song since he loves so many of them so much. But, he says, he decided on "Angels." He performs while playing the piano, and sells it big-time during the big notes. Randy says he loved it when David stopped playing and sang some runs, and that that was his best moment of the season. Paula says it was "fantastic." Simon says it was the best song choice of the night so far, even though it's not a hit here. He says even though it was a great performance, it was not his strongest vocal, but he's just nit-picking, and David is going to "sail through."

Brooke White is going to sing Carole King's "You've Got a Friend," off of Tapestry (and also made famous by James Taylor). While this seems like a slam-dunk choice for her, she seems kind of tentative or nervous or something. Randy says it wasn't her best performance, but it was "OK." Paula says her sister used to play this song again and again, and "you're definitive and I love you." All-rightly. Simon says it was "a pleasant walk in the park. ... Was it original? No. Was it pleasant? Yes. Thank you."

So who's in trouble? I don't even know anymore. I was on a different wavelength than the judges for a while there. I suspect, despite the nice vocals, Carly might be in the bottom three after not really connecting with the audience. What do you think? Who's going to head to the stools on Thursday? 

(Photo of AI Top 8 by Michael Becker / Fox)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: American Idol
        

On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the contestants will take on the Viennese waltz or the paso doble in an attempt to impress the judges and the viewers.

First on the floor are Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas, who have been the top scorers with a 27/30 for three weeks running. They are among the couples doing the paso doble, so she will have the opportunity to bring the emotions that the judges wanted to see from her last week during the tango. They dance to "Blue Monday," and the choreography has, as it should, a very aggressive, sharp feel. Head judge Len Goodman says, "You can't dance bad, as far as I'm concerned. ... My slight criticism would be that every dance has a slight sameness to it." Ah, the hazards of consistency! Judge Bruno Tonioli says she was "Jezebel out there." Judge Carrie Ann Inaba says Kristi and Mark have set the standard this season and are forcing everyone else to work even harder. Scores: 10-9-10, for a 29/30, which includes the first 10s of the season.

Priscilla Presley and  Louis van Amstel work on the delicate movements of the Viennese waltz by going roller skating. Go figure. Their performance is very flowy and romantic, but lots of it seems to depend on Priscillia swishing her skirt around with her hands, and that's kind of distracting to me. Bruno says, "It was like watching a scene from The Merry Widow. ... Great interpretation." He adds that she needs to watch the line of her neck. Carrie Ann says she creates lots of drama with her facial expression, "but I feel that your balance was just a bit off, and unfortunately, I think there was a lift." Len: "It had elegance, it had flow across the floor. ... I've got to drop a point because you did a lift, and lifts are forbidden." Scores: 7-7-8, for a 22/30. 

Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are next. Adam is wearing a crazy fake mustache, and host Tom Bergeron points out that last week, he managed to insult his partner, the wardrobe department and two entire faiths. Adams says in the pre-performance segment that he is now "in it not to lose it." They start the dance with Adam on a unicycle. Well, that's something I don't think we'll be seeing from the other contestants. Despite the silly start, their dance is actually fairly dramatic and entertaining. I think Adam's improving just a bit, and Julianne is getting better at playing to his strengths in the choreography. Carrie Ann: "It was smooth, it was dramatic, and your turns were fantastic ... and then you got off the unicycle." She gives them an A for creativity. Len says Adam is such a lovable character that people want him to do well, but unfortunately, he's not much of a dancer. Bruno says he is the classic example of genius and insanity going hand in hand. Scores: 6-7-6, for a 19/30.

Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez are concerned during practice that all the turns in the Viennese waltz will present a problem since Marlee's deafness affects her balance at times. But they work through it. My inexpert eye doesn't notice any balance issues, and they handle the turns and the speed with their usual grace. Len: "I thought it was very, very good. ... It was poignant." He does mention that she needs to work on her head during holds occasionally. Bruno says she always interprets the music beautifully, and he doesn't know how she does it, but it was great. He does, however, also mention the posture. Carrie Ann says the performance moved her to tears. "You truly touched me, and for that, I am grateful." Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

Mario and Karina Smirnoff hope to rebound from "bitterly disappointing" Len last week with this week's paso doble. They go for aggression, and masculinity, and sharpness -- and Karina throws a couple of tricks in there, too, including a crazy flip at the end. Mario looks pretty thrilled when it's over. Bruno: "It is Mario the conqueror, all guns blazing, full of attack. ... You had a very strong Spanish flavor to it, which is very difficult. I liked it very much." Carrie Ann says this week was an improvement over last week, and it was clear that he had spent more hours in the practice room. She does say he has a few awkward moments to keep an eye on. Len says he admired his spirit, but, "You've got one style of dance, and it's sort of wild." Bruno interrupts: "It's powerful. The boy works his ass [off] out there." Back to Len: "I want you to do good. I'm telling you: Work on the styling a little bit more." Backstage, Mario says Len keeps him on his toes, and he's trying to make this his No. 1 priority. Scores: 8-7-9, for a 24/30.

Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska prepare for the Viennese waltz and try to improve his chivalry and get rid of his (totally contrived) locker-room attitude during the practice footage. Their performance is lovely and seems to get at the fundamentals of the dance. Also, I buy Jason as the one leading this performance, which doesn't always happen with the guys dancing with the female professionals. Carrie Ann says, "That was beautiful. ... I love that you guys added a very seductive angle that took it right over the top." She also points out that he stumbled at one point during the performance, "but I'm going to forgive you." Len says, "That was a wow of a waltz." Bruno: "You manage to make the Viennese waltz sexy, sensuous, erotic." Then he compares it to an exotic swan's mating ritual. Ahh, Bruno. Scores: 10-9-10, for the second 29/30 for the evening. Dang, I guess they are forgiving him for the stumble.

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke prepare for the paso doble, and she is very hard on him in practice. For their performance, they are, first of all, both wearing smaller costumes than anyone else tonight, and secondly, said costumes seem to be patent leather or plastic or something, which gives the whole thing a strange kind of dominatrix feel. But the dance itself is good, strong, entertaining, etc. Len says he loved the passion and the drama and the intensity, though he doesn't necessarily think they conquered the (very strong) music. Bruno says Cristian had "the pride and the power of the biggest bull in the arena." Carrie Ann says they did keep up with the music, but adds that Cristian should watch his expression when he's out of the hold because he looks a little panicked at times. Scores: 9-8-9, for a 26/30.

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough had a tough week -- Derek got injured during a practice, so Shannon spent most of her practice time with Jonathan Roberts. I think, had we not known that, viewers wouldn't have guessed there'd been an issue. Their Viennese waltz is romantic and sweet -- and without the appearance of injury. Bruno says, "The hot babe has graduated into a class act. ... It was like spring!" Carrie Ann says she is comfortable in her body, so she lets her body find its own movement, and it was beautiful. Len says, "It's the best dance I've seen tonight." Oooh, is a 30 in the future? Scores: 9-10-9, for a 28/30. So no 30, but that would be Len's first 10 of the season, and Shannon's first, too.

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are the final pair of the evening. In practice, Tony says he's stepping up the choreography, which ... it's about time! They work the emotion of the dance, and these are the most complex steps Marissa's had to work with so far. Carrie Ann: "Guess what: I thought it was fantastic." Len says at last, the true Marissa is coming out; "well done!" Bruno says she took risks and was a strong performer; "that is the way to go." Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.

I can't disagree with the judges' top choices: Jason and Kristi, or bottom, Adam. What do you think about tonight's performances?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

I watch fitness reality shows to get inspired to work out more and to see people's transformations.

But last season on Celebrity Fit Club, Dustin Diamond (aka Screech on Saved by the Bell) made the show all about him and his drama and his bad relationship with trainer Harvey Walden IV.

And for some reason, the casting folks brought him back again for this season's second chancers vs. newbies, so he and his cloud of craziness are sucking all the enjoyment out of yet another season.

I'm over it -- and about ready to never watch the show again. Can they just kick him off once and for all instead of letting him come back again and again? Please?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 6:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Celebrity Fit Club
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

Claire’s departure this week on America’s Next Top Model proves fast the mighty fall. After winning numerous challenges this season, Claire was kicked to the curb. We’ll get back to her in a minute …

This week, the girls went on Go-Sees, which are where models meet with designers for the equivalent of an interview. The models show off their portfolios, show off their signature runway walks, and model some clothes.

This year the models split into two teams for their Go-Sees. Claire, Dominique, Stacy-Ann and Whitney were on Team 1. Anya, Fatima, Lauren, and Katarzyna were on Team 2.

The show gave a huge plug to Sprint when they provided each team with a Sprint GPS phone. (How many models does it take to operate a GPS phone? A whole heck of a lot, I'd say, after watching this episode. Some of these girls were having some serious difficulties navigating their way through NYC.)

Anywho, the teams went on their Go-Sees, and Team 1 excelled.

Stacy-Ann got the most positive reception from the designers. She booked the most jobs, and won the challenge. Whitney got mixed reviews. One designer said that Whitney – a size 10 -- was too big to do runway for her company.

Lauren was pretty bad during the Go-Sees. Her horrendous walk continued to be her downfall.

Later in the episode, the girls went to a photo shoot that required them to pose in a shallow pool of water on top of an elevated piece of sheer plastic. The photographer shot each contestant from the ground. It was simply stunning.

Fatima, Anya, Katarzyna and Whitney took gorgeous photos. Stacy-Ann and Dominique were also decent.

Claire and Lauren took the weakest photos. Lauren didn’t leave much of an impression. And Claire hurt her neck during the photo shoot when she dove into the puddle of water despite being forewarned.

To add insult to injury, the judges decided to give Claire the boot this week. Trya said that Claire only had a "single shot," meaning that she could only take one type of photo. I was sure that Lauren was going to be sent home, but the judges saw otherwise.

I thought Claire had a legitimate shot at taking the title. She started off really strong, but had been slipping toward the end.

Do you think Claire got an unfair boot? Who is your pick to win this cycle?

 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Baltimore R&B star and Dancing With the Stars contestant Mario chatted with TV critic David Zurawik earlier this week about almost getting eliminated from the show. Check out the interview here.

His tango with partner Karina Smirnoff, which you can watch above, was not well-received by the judges, but viewer votes kept them in the mix. 

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

Sounds like Ellen DeGeneres has backed out as co-host of "Idol Gives Back," Wednesday's Idol production that aims to raise money for hunger issues.

Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe says she had "personal production pressure," which caused the decision.

Read more here. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: American Idol
        

Did I miss the part where Joshuah played an honorable, truthful Big Brother game? I seem to recall a lot of screaming, a lot of lying, selling out his best friend in the house on the last episode and more, so his holier-than-thou exit speech last night was just dumb.

Even his mother, in interview footage, was like, "Uh, I don't think I raised him to talk to people that way, so I realllllly hope it's strategy."

So despite all of Joshuah's maneuvering in Tuesday's episode, Natalie told Sharon about his plot against her, and the tides turned again, and yes, Joshuah was evicted.

In an HOH competition with scintillating questions about things like how many pillows are in the BB house, Adam won the title for the second time. He's allied with a lot of the folks who are left, so I don't think he has a ton of options when it comes to nominees. Perhaps he'll have to turn on someone!

We'll see on Sunday. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Big Brother
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

Like an old monster movie, Hell’s Kitchen opened with a camera snaking through the set of the show. Eerie music was then paired with clips of host Gordon Ramsay verbally ripping apart last years contestants. Finally the camera rested on Ramsay, who was standing atop a swiveling floor.

“The dark lord reigns again,” the ominous voice of the announcer boomed as Ramsay appeared in and out of the darkness as lightning flashed.

It might seem a bit overdone, but Ramsay is the ultimate bad boy. He has the uncanny ability to strike fear in most people. He’s made plenty of men and women sweat and cry. This season will be no different. A minute-long clip of teasers for the new season of Hell’s Kitchen showed Ramsay cursing out, screaming at and belittling contestants. (How I’ve missed this show.)

Some might think Ramsay is mean. I think he’s simply protecting his investment. (The winner of this year’s show will win $250,000 and the position of executive chef of one of Ramsay’s restaurants in Los Angeles. )

Ramsay got right down to business during the premiere of the fourth season. He challenged contestants to make their “signature dish” in 45 minutes or less. For the most part, the contestants did terribly. Then Ramsay broke them into two teams — men against the women. The women kicked butt and the men had to send someone home.

Here's a breakdown of each of the contestants, as well as how they fared in episode one:

* Ben Caylor, 29, an electrician and former chef from Charlotte, N.C. (He wasn’t on camera enough to get a good sense of his abilities. Pretty forgettable so far.)

* Louis Petrozza, 47, a catering director from Charlotte, N.C. (Cooked a dry hen in a pumpkin. Ramsay hated it.)

* Matt Sigel, 35, a sous chef from Pine Hill, N.J.  (Made a horrendous meal of venison and diver scallops, caviar, lime zest, capers and white chocolate. Ramsay literally vomited in a garbage can after eating it.)

* Craig Schneider, 30, a sous chef from Coram, N.Y. (Wore a tall chef hat to compensate for his lack of height. Ramsay told him never to wear the hat again or he “would shove it up his butt sideways.” )  

* Jason Underwood, 29, a sous chef from Las Vegas. (Ramsay told him that his pasta dish tasted like it was poured out of a tin can.)  

* Christina Machamer, 25, a culinary student from St. Louis, Mo. (Ramsay was unimpressed with her cooking.)

* Corey Earling, 25, a private chef from Brooklyn, N.Y.  (Ramsay called her dish plain and boring.)

* Jennifer Gavin, 24, a line cook from Chicago. (Ramsay didn’t like her risotto during the individual challenge, but she got her act together for the group restaurant challenge when he praised her cooking.)

* Rosann Fama, 33, a receptionist and former cook from Staten Island, N.Y. (Ramsay liked her spicy mussel soup. She stepped in as the leader of the women’s group after Vanessa failed to take charge in the kitchen.)

* Sharon Stewart, 31, a room service chef from Las Vegas. (Some of the other contestants think she is a bit ditzy. I think they have a point.)

* Shayna Zodoka, 28, owner of a catering company from Buffalo, N.Y. (Didn’t do that well in the restaurant group challenge.)

* Vanessa Gunnell, 31, a line cook from Bozeman, Mont. (Ramsay loved her pan-seared halibut; she fumbled a bit during the group restaurant challenge.)

* Bobby Anderson, 37, an executive chef from Niagara Falls, N.Y.  (Calls himself the “Black Gordon Ramsay.” Very arrogant; hasn’t shown that he has the goods to back up the gab. He completely stunk as the leader of the men’s team during the restaurant challenge. Was placed in the bottom two by Louross.)

* Louross Edralin, 24, a hotel cook from Las Vegas. (Emerged as a leader during the group challenge where Ramsay asked him to take over for a failing Bobby.)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Tonight on American Idol, the Top 9 will become the Top 8.

Right off the bat, the group sing starts, and it's Dolly Parton's "9 to 5." They have a fun time with it, but it always surprises me that the contestants -- especially the rock dudes -- get through these goofy choreographed numbers without looking like they want to hurt someone.

After a montage, the drawn-out results begin. Michael Johns comes out first, and Ryan tells him he's safe. David Archuleta is next and safe. Carly Smithson gets the fake-out from Ryan and then finds out she is safe.

Then it's the viewer-question segment. It's not that exciting, trust me.

The evening's country theme continues with a performance by the Clark Brothers. And for the car commercial the contestants are forced to do, the song is, I kid you not, "It's Tricky."

Why are we here again? Ah, yes, results. David Cook is called forward, and Ryan asks him about his trip to the hospital last night. He had a spike in blood pressure, but all is well. Also, he's safe. Ramiele Malubay is next, and she is in the bottom three. Kristy Lee Cook is next, and she has brought a note to mark her bottom-three stool. She's right; she is also in the bottom three.

After catching up with some of the Nashville-living Idol contestants, results again. Syesha Mercado is safe. Brooke White and Jason Castro are the last ones standing, waiting for results. Jason is safe, and Brooke is in the bottom three.

Kristy, Ramiele and Brooke come to center stage (and wow, Ramiele is tiny compared to those two in height) for no reason because it's time for another break.

After an "Idol Gives Back" segment, Dolly Parton hits the stage to sing "Jesus and Gravity."

Ryan puts the judges on the hot seat and asks who is out. Randy guesses Ramiele, and Simon only says it won't be Brooke (who is crying). And Brooke is indeed safe. Also, Kristy is safe, and Ramiele is out.

I don't think many folks will quibble with that one.

Ramiele, who is crying, manages to reprise her performance from last night. What do you think about the results?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: American Idol
        

Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports:

In the past two weeks we’ve learned that: It was time for both Marvita and Amy to go home; Fatima does not shave her underarms (a definite no-no); Claire has a mean streak; Dominique and Whitney are drama queens; and there is not a clear-cut favorite.

This is truly the first season of Top Model that has left me without a “wow factor” contestant.

Claire had been taking great photos until last week’s photo shoot. (She was really bad; and her personality appeared to change for the worst.)

Katarzyna does not seem like she is capable of shaking lose the cheap, trashy look that the judges keep commenting about.

Stacy-Ann has demonstrated that she only possesses a couple of poses.

Anya has been good. The judges love her – especially Tyra. But, I predict that she will struggle when it comes down to the spokesmodel challenges. (I can barely understand half the things she says.)

Keep catwalking!

P.S. Check out this clip of Dominique, Claire, Lauren and Whitney getting into a verbal jab fest:

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

Last night's Big Brother was actually pretty interesting.

Poor James was seemingly undone by the departure of Chelsia and was feeling pretty bad, so Sheila gave him a pep talk about how he should get his head back in the game. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, she was talking with Natalie and others about how they had to get rid of James, and when someone suggested he might be able to overhear, she said she didn't care.

He did overhear, and he went on a screaming crying rampage at her. But it was really difficult to take him seriously since he was not wearing pants.

Realizing the whole house was (still) against him, James focused again on the POV competition. When that came around, he won his third consecutive veto and infuriated the rest of the house.

Joshuah realized that Sharon was going to go on the block with him, and that he would most likely get voted out, and then: more tears. He cried and Sharon cried, and even Sheila cried. 

Then another very Big Brother moment: Sharon ran to the bathroom to cry, and Sheila ran to comfort her. They talked about how sad it was that Joshuah would be leaving, but that he was such a good person, and he wants this win for Sharon, and lots of other nice, stoic things about awesome he is. Meanwhile, Joshuah pulled himself together and went upstairs to cut a deal with Natalie, telling her he would have her back for two weeks if she voted Sharon out instead. Meanwhile, Sharon and Sheila cried. Then Joshuah ran around and secured the two votes he needs -- Ryan and James.

Cold! But oh-so-BB. 

Of course between then and tonight's live eviction, things could change. But it made for good TV last night.  

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Big Brother
        

Someone's going home on tonight's Dancing With the Stars. But first, there's 59 minutes of other stuff. So let's get to it.

After a montage from last night, head judge Len Goodman announces the reprise dance of the evening, which is actually kind of amusing: They want to see Steve Guttenberg dance with Jonathan Roberts, who trained Steve for most of the dance since his wife, Anna Trebunskaya, was ill for most of the week. Steve has a little trouble keeping his intense face on because he wants to laugh, but that was different and kind of fun.

(Some) results time: Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas are safe. Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are, too. Everyone else has to wait.

After a break, Kylie Minogue performs her new single while men in glittery suits dance around her.

Results again: Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel and Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani are safe.

Then a funnier-than-expected April Fools' bit about the stars' unexpected hobbies. (Jason loves building ships in bottles! Marissa lives to surf! Kristi wins hot-dog-eating competitions!)

Next, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre performs a selection from Revelations, which is pretty awesome.

After a break, Kylie returns to sing "Can't Get You Out of My Head," while Julianne Hough and Mark Ballas dance.

More results: Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska and Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez. After a break, more info. Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke are safe, and Cheryl is excited. Also safe: Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough.

This leaves Mario and Karina Smirnoff and Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya (although they are not necessarily the bottom two, we are told).

The couple that is out is Steve and Anna, and Mario's Baltimore fans breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. (Whew.)

How do you feel about the results? I'm not shocked about Steve, and I'm relieved that Mario and Marissa are safe. Feel-good Steve was starting to drive me crazy.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Celebreality, Dancing With the Stars, Maryland reality contestants
        

It's time for the Top 9 to take the stage with some guidance from mentor Dolly Parton on tonight's American Idol. (I'll just skip right over host Ryan Seacrest's lame April Fools' joke.)

Dolly meets with the contestants and says she hasn't been on the show before because she doesn't want to be critical. We've seen that some of the best mentors in past seasons are those who can be constructive -- perhaps Dolly will be one of them? Time will tell.

Brooke White is first, and she practices "Jolene" with Dolly, who finds her take on the song very honest. For her performance, Brooke sits on the stage with her guitar, a fiddler, a backup singer and a guy playing a drummish-type instrument. (No, I'm not a musician -- how did you ever guess?) The simple arrangement works nicely with the simplicity of the song, but as far as Brooke's performance goes, it's not much new from her. Judge Randy Jackson says this music suits her voice, but he didn't think it was "a stellar performance. ... It was all right." Paula Abdul says she is consistent, and, "You are who you are." She appreciates Brooke's emotional connection to the music. Simon Cowell says he feels like the performance was entirely lacking in emotion and that she looked like she was busking.

David Cook talks with Ryan Seacrest about how he's chosen arrangements of his songs. He says he's been looking around online, which allows him to name-check those bands whose arrangements he has performed in recent weeks. He tells Ryan that his song tonight is Dolly Parton's "Little Sparrow," and the arrangement is his own. In the practice session, Dolly loves his arrangement and praises his voice. His performance is more spare than usual -- not acoustic or anything, but fewer of the rock-star trappings of some past ones. It's a nice approach to the song, and one that feels like it still relates to the original. Not to mention, he handled the high notes better than I would have expected. Randy says he likes the arrangement, and also appreciated that David went into his falsetto range. Paula says she likes his haircut. Also, she goes on, she enjoyed hearing this song from a man's perspective. Simon says he made a song about sparrows good, so, "Congratulations."

Ramiele Malubay says she was very starstruck meeting with Dolly, who says that Ramiele's small size won't stop her from doing big things. Perhaps not, but the performance is pretty boring, and I expect the judges to pull out their favorite word: "pitchy." Randy: "I wasn't jumping up and down, but I wasn't mad at you, either." Randy gets mad? Paula says she is proud of her because she had fun and connected with the audience. Simon: "Look, we're not going to remember that in 10 years, are we? ... It was cute, you sang it quite well; overall it was forgettable." Simon doesn't say anything about "pitchy," but he does go with the old "cruise-ship" chestnut.

Ryan Seacrest shows Jason Castro some of his fan mail, specifically a bunch of postcards from one woman. He practices "Travelin' Through" with Dolly, and she thinks it's a natural choice for him. His performance is nice, but not particularly exciting. Randy says it started rough, but he got it together in the end, and, "I started believing you." Paula says she thinks it was one of his strongest, most confident performances. Simon says, "This is the point where I lose my season pass to Dollywood. I didn't like that at all. It sounded actually like the same song from before. I don't think you sang it particularly well." Paula and Randy balk.

Carly Smithson works on "Here You Come Again," and Dolly thinks she "killed it" in practice. In performance, too, I'd say. I mean, none of these are the most energetic songs, but this one really suits Carly's voice. Randy: "I do believe that will probably be one of the better performances of the night. Good job." Paula calls her glorious. Simon: "I thought it was good; I didn't think it was great. ... I also think you need to have a word with whoever is dressing you." He says at this point, she should start looking like a star, and he isn't seeing that "progression."

David Archuleta sings "Smoky Mountain Memories" for Dolly, and she tries desperately not to cry. He sings in his usual, clear voice, and, like I said with Jason, it was nice, but not particularly exciting. Randy says: "David Archuleta is back, and I stand corrected. That was the best performance of the night." Paula says he is glorious, and Simon says he is "absolutely on the money." So it's one of those nights where I'm not on the same page as the judges. I don't think it was bad, just not enthralling.

Kristy Lee Cook sings "The Coat of Many Colors," and Dolly thinks Kristy felt the song and made it her own. She sings most of the song sitting on the edge of the stage, and it seems like it's affecting her breathing or something. She's kind of rushing through the song. But this week's theme suits her, and she does a decent job, but I'm still pretty bored. Randy says: "This is definitely your wheelhouse." Paula says she looks stunning, and, "This was your best performance." Simon says last week was her best performance, and this was "pleasant but forgettable." I think most of the performances tonight have been "pleasant but forgettable." For some reason, Kristy Lee blows kisses at Simon.

Syesha Mercado takes on "I Will Always Love You," and Dolly thinks it's a nice combination of Dolly's and Whitney's approaches. And yeah, Dolly's not wrong. This is the performance of the night, I think. Randy: "You took on the biggest tiger of the night, and I think you did pretty good. ... It was all right." Paula says she looks gorgeous, "and let's talk about your voice. Your voice has, when you are in that, it's like a velvety tone to your voice, it's your ..." OK, she likes it. Simon says you forget what a great songwriter Dolly Parton is because this is one of the best pop songs of all time. He says the beginning part was great, but the second part paled in comparison to the Whitney version, so he doesn't think it helped her much. Really? This was one of the first performances of the night that wasn't mostly boring, at least to me.

Michael Johns tells Dolly that she was his first concert in 1986, and he's a little starstruck. He sings "It's All Wrong, But All Right." He's definitely feeling the song and its emotion, but I think for only 90 seconds of it he could have varied it a little more because it gets a little repetitive. But his voice sounds good. Randy says he brings it up a notch every week; "blazing hot performance." What does Simon think? Too bad because the show went over, and my DVR cut off. Sigh.

So what of Dolly Parton night? She is a great songwriter, but I think these kids could have done with some more instruction on how to approach her songs in a new way. She mostly told everyone that they were "just great," which didn't lead to the most interesting performances.

The ones that stand out for me are Syesha and David Cook. And I think Ramiele could be in danger tomorrow.

What do you think?  

(Photo by Michael Becker / Fox)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: American Idol
        

Gordon Ramsay is back and ready to sling out a fresh order of affronts as a new season of Hell’s Kitchen begins tonight on Fox.

I can’t wait to see how this year’s contestants fare against Ramsay’s hilarious verbal gut punches. Will they be able to master a risotto or the kiss of death: beef Wellington?

Who will be this year’s Rahman "Rock" Harper? (That'd be last year’s winner, who used to be a chef at B. Smith’s in Washington.)

Tune in tonight after American Idol.

-- from guest blogger John-John Williams IV

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)