It's still that point on Survivor where there are so many players, it's hard to keep track, but I will say this. Can Coach go home now?

I'm over Coach's schtick -- especially during tribal council, when he said that during the initial episode, he told his tribemates what to do "with his eyes" so that they gathered the correct materials off the truck. And as if he didn't have a big enough case of the icks, he totally reminds me of Mystery from The Pickup Artist. Ick redux.

Poor Jerry. Stinks when an upset stomach gets you kicked out of the game.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Survivor
        

Which three contestants from last night's semifinalists will make it to the Top 12 on American Idol? Only time will tell, but I would be surprised if Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert don't make it. I didn't love Adam, but I know a lot of people did.

Host Ryan Seacrest tell us 25 million votes were cast last night -- then we get a recap of how the contestants got there in the first place. Tonight's group sing is of Ne-Yo's "Closer." Of note: Nick Mitchell looks wildly uncomfortable performing as himself and not Norman Gentle, Jeanine Vailes is wearing eensy jean shorts again, and Jesse mugs for the camera like crazy after the performance.

After the break, it's a recap of last night's show. Been there, blogged that.

Allison Iraheta is called forward first. Hmm. No, fakeout: Then he calls Jesse Langseth forward, then Matt Breitzke. Ryan asks the judges which of these three is going through. Randy says he hopes Allison. Indeed, it is her. She sings "Alone" again and is awesome again. Are we really sure she's only 16? ...

Next, Megan Corkrey and Kris Allen are up, followed by Matt Giraud and Jeanine Vailes. One of them, Ryan says, is in the Top 12. He asks Paula whom she thinks it is. She names everyone but Jeanine. Immediately, Ryan tells Jeanine it's not her, then Matt gets the news it's not him. Kara talks about how awesome Kris was in Hollywood, but it's yet another great performance we didn't get to see, so that stinks for Kris. Kara tells Megan she is "very unique" (bleh), and she and Simon spar about whether she's talking too much. Apparently she is because Ryan butts in to share that Kris Allen is going through to the Top 12.

Apparently they have so much extra time that they reair an Idol retrospective that we've already seen recently. So yes, this show could be a half-hour! Then, a finalist from last  year, Brooke White, comes out to perform her first single. She tells the other contestants to never Google their names. Oh, I disagree. Come read!

After that, Mishavonna Henson, Kai Kalama, Nick Mitchell, Jasmine Murray and Adam Lambert are called forward. Mishavonna, Kai and Jasmine are out. So that leaves Nick and Adam. After the break, Adam is told he is in the Top 12.

So that means: Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta in the Top 12. Allison and Adam were pretty much shoo-ins, but I'm pretty shocked about Kris. I guess other people got over the song choice better than I thought.

What think you?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: American Idol
        

Even though I gave it away last night, why don't we go through the last episode, for old times' sake?

This was the second of a two-part finale, and each was mercifully an hour. We open with the three remaining cheftestants -- Carla, Stefan and Hosea -- having breakfast on the Creole Queen paddleboat in New Orleans, musing about their fates. Carla's nervous, Hosea's overanalyzing, and Stefan's disregarding the two of them. So what's new?

We cut almost immediately to the challenge: Tom and Padma tell the three to cook the best three-course meal of their lives. They'll cook head to head, serve simultaneously, and can use any protein (and, I assume, other ingredients) they like. Tom says dessert is not required, though I wonder if he's underhandedly suggesting it. (Or if there will be a penalty for making it.) The meal will be cooked and served at Commander's Palace.

Out come the sous chefs, and there's a little twist here:

They have two hours to prep before tomorrow's meal, and Hosea and Stefan immediately start fighting over ingredients. Hosea has grabbed all of the foie gras and most (if not all) of the caviar. Stefan is basically trying to rip the foie gras out of his hands, and Hosea offers to split it, but Stefan backs down and gives him one (and throws a snit-fit). This scene totally shows that Stefan is the alpha dog between the two of him. He complains and complains but doesn't know how to actually stand up.

Hosea says, "I'm a flavor junkie" and plans his meal around strong flavors. His ideas aren't firm yet, but he says he wants to do a raw fish course, scallops and foie gras second, and game as the third dish. He says he's going to sleep on it to firm up the menu.

Carla wants to do French comfort food and imagines an immersion of a bouillabaisse (I think that's what she said, though you guys should correct me if wrong, because I have no idea if that actually makes sense or not). Actually, she said a version of the bouillabaisse. :) Casey suggests they sous-vide the sirloin, and Carla agrees. Hosea makes it sound like this is a mistake -- "if it works for her, it's really going to work for her" -- and I have to agree. It doesn't seem very Carla of Carla. Yeah, my alarm bells went off when Casey said, "Girl, sous-vide is so easy. All it is is cooking in a bag." She shouldn't listen to Casey and stick to her simple food. That's what helps her win.

We don't get a whiff yet of what Stefan's working on, besides an attitude, but we do learn his mom was a chef for 42 years. That's cool.

Prep ends, there's a little commercial break moment about voodoo, and they walk into Commander's Palace the next day to find Tom standing in front of a huge (dead) alligator. I am once again glad that I can't smell through my TV. The twist is there will be one more course, an appetizer, and the chefs have to use one of three New Orleans-centric proteins: blue crab, red fish, and alligator. Carla says, "These butterflies are now like bats or something!" and makes an awesome wing-flapping noise. I can't blame her; that alligator is intense.

This is cute: They'll use a king cake to decide who gets to choose proteins -- the person to get the baby will choose their own and then assign the other two. Hosea pulls the babe out of the cake and chooses the red fish for himself, the crab for Carla, and the alligator for Stefan (of course). Stefan hacks right into it, chopping off its tail, and gets to work on a soup. (Ew, ew, ew, ew, EW!)

Stefan says it in a much cruder way, but I have to agree: Hosea seems charmed this episode. But I think it's a good move to give Stefan the alligator, both strategically and to light a fire under his butt. Stefan seemed to get way too comfortable in the last few episodes and needs a poke to get him making some amazing food. This won't be a King? Cakewalk, Stefan. (I slay me!)

Hosea plans to make a griddled corn cake with Creole remoulade and Creole blackfish (as much as i hate to admit it, that sounds really really good), and Carla is freaking about the blue crab shiso soup she's planning. She says the pressure of the hors d'ouevre is distracting her from the rest of the meal, and time is counting down fast. This is not good. (I don't even know if an Asian appetizer jibes with the rest of her French comfort food menu.)

We get their menus:

Hosea is doing a trio of sashimi, scallops and foie gras with pain perdu, and a venison loin with wild mushrooms.

Stefan will make a halibut and salmon carpaccio, squab with braised red cabbage and schupfnudlen (I had to spell that verrrry slowly), and then ice cream and chocolate mousse with vanilla syrup and a banana lollipop. That's a lot of dessert. Everyone has talked about Stefan studying up on desserts before the show, but I think he knows desserts for the same reason I know desserts: He loves to eat them. I can respect that.

Carla is cooking seared snapper with saffron aioli and crouton, sous-vide New York strip steak and potato rod with merlot sauce, then a cheese tart with apple coins and marmalade. She says she wants to focus on the sauces and cook everything fairly simply.

Right away, though, her menu changes. Casey suggests a blue cheese souffle instead of a tart, and while I didn't totally get her reasoning, Carla agrees. I love the idea of finishing with a cheese course; I think that's a nice way to solve the "dessert or not?" question.

We see Stefan freezing the carpaccio so he can slice it thinner, and Marcel comments that he's trying to be supportive, but he wouldn't have done that to such fresh fish. (Marcel and Casey show the two problems with being a good guest sous chef in this competition -- Casey says too much, and Marcel not enough. Though this could all be due to editing, too.)

Dinnertime! Guests include Ti Martin, the proprietor of Commander's Palace, and chefs Hubert Keller, Josh Besh, Rocco DiSpirito and Susan Spicer. (We also later meet jazz legend Branford Marsalis and the Commander's Palace top chef, Tory McPhail.) We also get Toby, Gail, Tom, Padma and ... Fabio? Yep, he's part of the dining and judging, which just confirms that he's got something in the works and needs to keep his profile up. I wonder how the other cheftestants felt about that, though Fabio is quite gracious about their food.

I have a feeling part of this whole parade of New Orleans chefs on the panel is also a way to not-so-subtly advertise to foodies that New Orleans is back. I only wonder about this out loud because it worked for me. Anyone else?

All of the hors d'ouevres go over well: Hosea "nailed it" with his red fish, Stefan's alligator soup in tiny mugs is "fantastic," and Carla's blue crab soup also gets rave reviews.

First course

The cheftestants introduce their dishes, then sprint back to the kitchen to get the next one ready. Besh says Carla's snapper is "really special," and Tom liked the idea, which included a clam and a crouton. Martin says Hosea's didn't pop in her mouth, though it did on the plate. Tom's very critical of Stefan's carpaccio, saying the salmon overpowered the halibut and questioning his freezing of the protein, which made it watery upon melting. The musician has the best compliment of all: He says they cook food like musicians make music. I love that. Actually, Marsalis said he loved being around all these chefs because they talk about food like musicians talk about music. One of the coolest comments of the night, I think.

As for the dishes, I'm a little biased here -- I'm rooting for fellow Howard alum Carla -- but her dish was the only one I thought was appetizing, at least from description and look. Stefan's carpaccio just looked too messy, and Hosea's seemed overly fussy. And, honestly, Carla's looked like it was bordering on too fussy, too.

Second course

The moment arrives almost immediately: Carla's sous-vide(d) sirloin is tough. All the judges who know her say it's not reminiscent of Carla, and this is already enough to take her out of the competition. It's heartbreaking, but it just gets worse. (Foreshadowing alert!)

As one of the judges said, it was missing her soul, her love. It looks like Carla fell down one of the classic "Top Chef" traps -- trying a new technique without testing it. It makes me so sad. Why, Carla, why?

They love Stefan's squab and says it's cooked perfectly and gives a window into who he is as a chef and a person, and Gail says she can't stop eating Hosea's dish. DiSpirito says he's tired of foie gras (!).

I love the blah blah motion Gail makes when DiSpirito says he's tired of foie gras. And Marsalis is quite the firecracker guest: When asked about the foie gras, he says, "Rocco's crazy. I could eat foie gras all day." Love it. Foie gras aside, I had a gut reaction about Hosea's dish. The scallops and foie gras just sounded delicious.

Third course

The moment with Carla is almost immediate, again: Her blue cheese souffle is bubbling and curdling in the oven; she forgot to turn the temperature down. She makes the decision not to serve it, and instead creates a plate out of the apple medallion, a piece of blue cheese, marmalade and a tiny salad. It's a good save, but she's done for.

There's disappointment all around. Carla's disappointed, Gail's disappointed, we're disappointed. This should have been a home run for Carla. I'm inconsolable at this point.

Stefan's dessert is intense: the banana lollipop, stracciatella ice cream, chocolate mousse, vanilla syrup, and a chocolate drizzle. Gail says the whole presentation is outdated, and while I thought they'd be glad he made a dessert -- I know I'd be glad to eat one at that point! -- expectations for Stefan fall a little flat. Tom says it's like "eh," "not a complete thought."

Stefan's dish did look a little dated (Gail said it was from 1992! Hee!) and a bit much, though I would've eaten everything on that plate. He needed to edit and focus on one amazing dessert, rather than a bunch of little things.

Right after that, they get to eat venison! Mmm! Hosea's has chestnut and celery root puree with wild mushrooms, and a nice touch from Richard: carbonated blackberries. I want to eat THOSE for the rest of my life. The judges agree that venison plays to Hosea's strengths.

Hosea's dish is the winner in this round, and as a whole -- even Fabio says so! But, call it whatever you want, he got in easy, with Carla's kitchen meltdown and Stefan's conceptual one. I guess that's the sign of a true Top Chef, the one who can keep it all together when it counts, but I'm disappointed. It's kind of like Blaise's meltdown last season: For once, I'd like to see all of the chefs compete with their A game, and fight it out through the flavors, not the gimmicks.

Judges Table

The judges are effusive with praise for the food Carla made that was truly Carla's food -- her hors d'ouevre and first course. Tom asks why she used the sous-vide technique, and she basically just says she thought Casey had a good idea. "I know about it; I don't do it," Carla says. She also says she let Casey talk her out of her original idea of a cheese tart, though I'm realizing now that the blue cheese souffle could have been a good finish if only it had cooked right, so that's part of what's going on here. Either way, Carla's upset, and so are the judges.

For Hosea's meal, Toby says he loved the red fish appetizer but that there wasn't enough citrus in the raw fish course to bring out the best of the dish. Tom says the apple compote in the second course was a good counterpoint to the foie gras, and Gail says she liked the different components of his meal. Toby argues that the food had one beginning and two middles (no dessert), but Hosea defends his choices, saying he'd rather showcase his work through savory dishes.

It's a smart move, and something Carla should have taken a page from. She says she's her worst critic, and I have to say that moved her to listen to Casey more than she should have. Hosea listened to himself first and ended up with four (mostly) good dishes.

Stefan's food was well-executed, the judges tell him, but Tom dings him on the frozen carpaccio. Stefan shoots back: "Did it taste good or not?" I'm not sure Tom actually answers. (He said it tasted bland, I think that's a no.) The judges agree that the squab was fantastic and that parsnip was a nice touch, and Stefan defends his dessert, saying that a proper menu requires it.

Padma asks all the cheftestants why they should be Top Chef. Stefan says his food has been consistently good, Hosea says "I put a piece of myself out there," and Carla starts to cry, and says, "When I cook my food, it's really delicious. ... There's a lot of heart, there's a lot of flavor. ... Do I think that my food is good? Yes. When I make it? Yes." She's very clear that she knows she should have stuck to her guns, and Stefan gets a little weepy, too, and hugs her. The judges look emotional, as well. We were all pulling for her! She's so darn lovely! (I'm so dang sad for her at this moment. We all know who won at this point. Well, I knew before I watched it this morning, but it's apparent regardless of spoilers.)

They cheftestants head backstage (no stew room here), and the judges almost immediately rule Carla out as Top Chef. The debate is now Stefan -- classically skilled, well-executed, but hit a flat note with his carpaccio and dessert -- or Hosea -- whose progression of courses made sense and was well-balanced. I can't tell who they're leaning toward for a while, and Tom says about Stefan's: "I didn't see any soul there." Toby shoots back: "If we're going to give it to the most soulful, it would be Carla." Ah, so true. Toby's made a lot of sense this episode, and is generally free from overdone metaphors.

The cheftestants come back out, and Tom thanks them. But the winner is Hosea, for a start-to-finish meal that was the best of the three. There's champagne and celebrating and Hosea patting himself on the back (OK, he's allowed), and we see Carla says she's never going to make those mistakes again, she's going to stick to her food. But she says she came to the competition wanting to prove you could compete in a different way -- compete with love. She says she accomplished one of the two things she wanted to accomplish in that sense, then bursts into tears again. Aww, man.

Hosea says beating Stefan was the "icing on the cake." If we're to believe the comment on our last post was really Stefan (and I'm inclined to think it is), they're all buddies and are going skiing in Boulder next month.

Final thoughts: I know I've been grumpy about this throughout the recapping, but this season really disappointed for me, and I'm curious what y'all thought both overall and about the winner. I thought the challenges were mostly contrived, and while I loved Fabio and Carla throughout, they ultimately disappointed in terms of winning. I'm ready to watch some old seasons on marathon!

I'm disappointed, too. I'll stick to my previous comment -- I think this season revealed the great flaw of this show. As Fabio said, it's not cooking, it's rushing. I know that gimmicks and twists and such are what make "good" TV, but for once, I would have liked to see the three of them compete on level playing field, cooking with the first, original challenge: Give us your best dishes. Perhaps we'll just have to do that ourselves, from D.C. (Carla) to Santa Monica (Stefan) to Denver (Hosea). Road trip, anyone?

(Correction: I fixed a misspelling of Marsalis' name in this post. I regret the error. -Mary)

Posted by Mary Hartney at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Top Chef
        

Hosea is the winner of "Top Chef: New York." The judges thought his final three-course meal in New Orleans was solid from start to finish: he started with a trio of raw fish, then served a seared scallop on pain perdu, and finished with a pan-roasted venison.

The judges agreed that Carla was out of the running to win because much of her meal fell flat -- she took her sous chef's suggestions and failed on them. 

Stefan's dessert and frozen carpaccio didn't impress the judges, though they loved his squab.

Come back for a complete recap tomorrow from me and Maryann!

Posted by Mary Hartney at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Top Chef
        

We can only hope that tonight's performers learned something from the disaster that was last week's American Idol and will up their game. (And pick good songs. And sing well. And not lose it on stage.)

I wasn't going to recap all of Ryan Seacrest's banter with the judges, but then Kara DioGuardi says that there are no second chances. Huh, I guess she forgot about: WILD CARD.

Ryan goes over the rules: guy and girl with top votes, plus the other top vote-getter, get through each week. That will take us to nine of the Top 12. Ryan goes on: "Then the remaining positions will be awarded during the wild card show." So they are still being unspecific about the wild card slots, but I'm pretty sure from reading the press release on the Fox site that the remaining three come from the Top 36.

Tonight's 12 performers are: Jasmine Murray, Matt Giraud, Jeanine Vailes, Nick Mitchell, Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, Megan Joy Corkrey, Matt Breitzke, Jesse Langesth, Kai Kalama, Mishavonna Henson and Adam Lambert.

Let's see how they do, shall we?

Jasmine Murray: This 17-year-old says her mom said all last season that Jasmine was going to be on American Idol some day. She's going to sing "Love Song" by Sara Barellies. This is notable because Kara basically told Ann Marie last week that she should have sung this song. Jasmine does all right with it, but she definitely has a number of pitch problems. Randy Jackson says, natch, that it was pitchy all the way through and that it had good and bad moments. He says he doesn't think this was the right song. Kara says it was really all over place, and she lost it in the beginning because she started too low. Paula Abdul says she wants to disagree with the others, but she agrees. She adds that Jasmine clearly tried to make the song her own by interpreting it, but she ended up singing all around it, and it didn't work (which is extremely cogent, for once). Simon Cowell says he is disappointed because she's got a great look and great attitude, but she just doesn't have a great voice. "I think you're a couple of years too early." Oh, and they all go on and on about how commercial she is. I know that is a compliment from this crowd, but it just doesn't sound like it.

Matt Giraud: Matt is the dueling piano player, which I know I needed reminding of, but now I remember his initial audition. He plans to give Coldplay's "Vida la Vida" a soulful twist. He's very heavy on the vibrato -- I don't know if that's on purpose, or nerves, or both. So it's kinda ... odd. For some reason, Kara goes first. She tells him he blew her away at Hollywood week, but not tonight at all: "That song doesn't lend itself to that kind of interpretation." Paula says he was "right up there with my top top top notch," but not so much today, though he did better than his rehearsal. Simon says it was verging on horrible: "You turned into a wannabe pop star in a jerky, uncomfortable way." Randy says he has mad talent, but he should stay away from these simple songs.

So ... are people really buying these performances from the early rounds off iTunes? Just curious.

Jeanine Vailes: Jeanine is a bartender from D.C., and she's going to sing Maroon 5's "This Love." And ... yeah, I don't really know what's going on here. I feel like everyone took from last week that they needed to pick current songs, but no one is choosing songs that suit them. This is pitchy, awkward, lots of weird runs, just not great. And since she's gotten so little screen time until now, I think Jeanine is in trouble. (Also, tiny jean shorts for an audition of this magnitude?) Paula says she has great legs and it's season 8, and then says, "Simon?" Uh, really, that's all you can manage? Also, why are the judges going in a random order every time? It's supposed to be Randy-Paula-Simon! Simon says it was terrible. "Completely the inappropriate song for you, but you do have very nice legs." Randy says he loves Maroon 5, but, "The best part was the end, that it was over." Kara says she is trying to figure out what else about her is pretty and compliments her lips. She says everything about it was wrong and overdone. Jeanine says she had to prove something since she hadn't gotten any screen time. Randy: "It was all pitchy, though. It would have been better if it was in tune." Yikes.

Nick Mitchell: Though he looked like himself and not alter ego Norman Gentle in the intro, when Nick starts his performance, he is alllllll Norman. (Sigh.) He's going to sing "And I am Telling You." Again. He camps it up big time, like nothing we have seen on a live broadcast before. I cannot believe they let this guy through to the live round -- I just can't. But that said, this is by far the most entertaining performance of the evening so far. (I laughed when he name-checked "Doogie" in the middle of the song -- Neil Patrick Harris is in the audience for the second week in a row. He, by the way, looked totally dumbfounded.) They make Simon go first: "I hope I am speaking on behalf of America here when I pray that you do not go through to the next round. ... Why are your mom and dad looking at me like that? I am doing you a favor." Randy says it was one of the most entertaining performances tonight. Hey, Randy, I beat you to that one. Kara says, "At least we remember you. ... You wear the same shirt like Simon every week. (Ha!) ... I don't see you in the music market, but I enjoyed you." Paula says a lot of things, and she finally calls him a true performer, though she's not sure this is the stage for him. I think they made a big mistake sending him through because Nick basically spent the whole time making a mockery of their show. What a weird night.

Allison Iraheta: Allison is yet another teenager this season. She has a really weird awkward conversation about "Idol School," where she has to go to class since she can't go to her school. I just want it to stop so she can get on stage. She's going to sing Heart's "Alone," which is pretty gutsy. Thankfully, she's pretty good, and she seems to be able to blend with the backup singers better than most of the contestants we've seen so far this season. In the intro, the judges said she had raw talent, and she definitely has some raw moments in the performance, but she's still the strongest thus far tonight. Randy says this is a funny show and that she just "blew it out the box ... might be one of the hottest tonight." Kara says, "You're serious. ... From now on, you can be sure that you are great. ... With the right song, you could have a hit on the radio right now." Paula says (GACK) that she could sing the telephone book. Oh, shut up. Seriously, that is the stupidest line ever, and it's had its day on this show too many times. I'm pretty darned sure that "The Telephone Book" would end up in the "crappy song choice" category. *eyeroll* Simon says, "You're the best tonight by a mile. ... What's amazing is you were so boring upstairs with Ryan," but as soon as she started singing, she "turned into a different person."

Kris Allen: We haven't seen much of this guy, but apparently he had a good Hollywood audition, especially when he got to play his guitar. Sounds good, I think. Then he says he's going to sing "Man in the Mirror." Oh, no, I think. So ... his voice is pretty good, but the awkward faces and the awkward dancing make it extremely difficult to watch. Why that song? Why? Kara says the "back half" of the performance was way better than the first, but it still doesn't come close to his Hollywood week. "This was just the wrong song." Paula disagrees completely, saying that he nailed it, and that he was charming and confident. Simon actually agrees with Paula, and she kisses him. Wow, really? "You showed some confidence and personality," he goes on. "You actually gave it a go, and you may have put yourself back in the running." Randy says he always wonders if he can do it without the guitar, and tonight he did. I'm sorry, but I cannot be the only person who thinks about Michael Jackson singing, "I'm looking at the man in the mirror and I'm asking him to make a change," and whose mind goes directly to his plastic surgery problem? I can't hear that song without thinking of that.

Megan Joy Corkrey: Simon said Megan was one of his favorites during the initial rounds. She is charming, it's true. She's going to sing "Girl, Put Your Records On." Her voice is different, and she definitely picked a song that suits it, but it's a little odd at times. And I think her stage fright is manifesting itself into this strange, twisty dance move. Paula says she picked the right song, and she is just gorgeous, and she is interesting and relevant, and she "did everything right." Simon: "You're a funny little thing, aren't you?" He says it started out really well, but she got overexcited and shouty in the second part. "I thought I rocked that part," she says. He says she is relevant and current, but he wished the vocals had been a little better. Randy says she has the same vibe as Adele and Duffy, and she did a nice, nice job. Kara says she is "a package artist" because she has the look and uniqueness. She says with the right song and video, Megan could be viable in this market. So I guess Kara is positioning herself as the judge who can give market-based career advice.

Matt Breitzke: Matt the welder is going to sing Tonic's "If You Could Only See." This is a fakeout kind of thing for me. Sounds like it's going to be a great choice for him, but the performance is rather bland. Simon says he really likes him, but he "absolutely hated that song. So I'm frustrated. ... It was boring, it didn't suit you. ... I wanted you to do well." Randy says the performance was so boring that it didn't show off what he showed at Hollywood. He says it was a cool performance, but it should have been more edgy. Kara says it didn't show any side of him, but that he really can sing, so it was all about song choice. Paula says she knows he put everything into it, but it didn't really show. Matt says he disagrees because he loves the song. Sorry, dude, but the judges are right on this one.

Jesse Langesth: Jesse didn't get a lot of screen time until she had to sing for her life at the end of Hollywood week. She sings "Bette Davis Eyes." Thankfully, she can sing, and she seems pretty comfortable on stage. She's got a smoky tone that calls Duffy and Adele more to mind than Megan did. Randy says he thought it was an "OK performance," but that right now everyone should blow them away, and it wasn't really that exciting. She asks what he would have liked to see her sing. He says it was cool, but it was just a five-note range, and it didn't really show what she can do. Kara says this is her best look, and she was slinky and sexy, but she had some issues with a few notes, but it was still good. Paula says she finds her captivating and has throughout all the auditions. Simon says he disagrees with Paula and that he thinks she is forgettable and that it was "too cool for school," which won't get people on the phone.

Kai Kalama: In his initial audition, we learned that Kai takes care of his mom, and she is here tonight, which he is happy about. He sings "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." His performance is pretty good in terms of the notes, but it doesn't really show off his skills. And at the end, when the vocals are supposed to be really rhythmic, he delivers them kind of oddly. But he ends on a long note that does him a few favors. Kara says she likes him a lot, and says he had some pitch issues, but he still gave it his all. She feels like this was a little old-fashioned. Paula says it's obvious he likes the throwback songs, and he is quite a performer and has chops. Simon says he has heard so many performances like that over the years that it wasn't "distinct" or original or memorable. "It was sort of capable." Randy says it was "just so safe."

Mishavonna Henson: Mishavonna is yet another teen this season. She made it to Hollywood season 7 and worked really hard between then and now to learn as much as possible. She sings Train's "Drops of Jupiter." She seems to have learned a lot because she's pretty great. This is like the opposite of Matt's situation. She said her song, and I thought, "Hmmm, could be trouble." But then she started, and it suited her more than I anticipated. Paula says she's a fan of her voice and she can sing, but the song choice didn't excite her at all. Simon says she is very serious and that even though she's technically a good singer, something left him cold. Randy says it didn't really work for him, and he doesn't love solo singers taking on "band songs." Kara says she wants her to loosen up and that it's hard to see where she fits "in the music industry." Then Paula, who earlier was cracking up for some unknown reason, sneezes or something. Come on, Paula, one more singer. You can do it.

Adam Lambert: Adam is a musical-theater vet who is going to sing "Satisfaction," which he says is by his mother's favorite rock band. He sings it big, that's for sure, but it still felt like something you'd see on stage, not hear on the radio. Paula says she doesn't have words to express that she feels like she was watching an Adam Lambert concert instead of an Idol competition. Simon says parts were excruciatingly bad and parts were brilliant. He says it's going to be a love it or hate it performance. Randy says he loved it and that Adam is one of the most current artists ever on the show, calling him a combination of Steven Tyler, Fall Out Boy and Robert Pattinson. He says he needs to watch out for overdoing it, but it was the bomb. Kara says his vocal technique and ability are unreal. She says he has a crazy range.

So let's see ... who's got a shot of getting to the Top 12? Allison Iraheta for sure. Megan Corkrey probably, even though Jesse's vocals were better. Mishavonna maybe. On the guys' side, Adam's probably got it in the bag. Everyone else (except Nick/Norman) was kind of forgettable.

What do you think? 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: American Idol
        

Baltimore Sun reporter Jill Rosen wrote a story for today's paper about the oversharing nature of Facebook, which you can read here.

The part that stuck out at me was this:

Stefanone, who studies social media, has found a direct link between people's propensity for intimacy in social networking and how much reality TV they watch.

People who watch a lot of reality shows, he's found, spend more time on Facebook, have more network friends, are more "promiscuous" in friending and more prolific in sharing photos of themselves.

"Average people are being cast on these shows and they're quasi-celebrities. They're giving interviews and confessionals, sharing who in North America they've slept with and who they hate," Stefanone says. "On Facebook, people can very easily enact that behavior. To be seen is to exist."

Uh-oh. Does that mean that all of us who watch reality TV are just big attention whores at heart? I mean, I think that everyone who appears on reality TV is, but watching? Well, who knows.

But hey, while we're on the subject, you can follow Reality Check on Twitter at http://twitter.com/realityck and you can become a fan of Reality Check on Facebook here.

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

Wondering how President Obama's 9 p.m. address is going to affect your reality-TV-watching habits? (Yes, we cover the most important news here.)

No American Idol tonight. Twelve of the Top 36 will perform tomorrow night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the results will be Thursday night at 8.

Also, The Biggest Loser will get divided, with half airing at 8 tonight and the second hour at 8 tomorrow night.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Finally got caught up on The Amazing Race last night after working until 1:30 a.m. the night before for the Oscars. Whew!

I didn't think anything would come close to last week's hilarity of rolling 50-pound wheels of cheese, but the contestants unexpectedly having to throw cream pies -- lots and lots of them -- into their teammates' faces during the detour was pretty funny. Funnier even that the other option, which was an obstacle course using a Segway.

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. At the beginning of the episode, the teams had to catch one of two flights to Munich, and brothers Mark and Michael made the first boneheaded move of the episode. Most of the other teams borrowed the cab driver's cell phone and reserved tickets, but M&M didn't and found the earliest flight was sold out. Whoops. Everyone but them and Christie and Jodi made the earlier plane.

For the first task, one teammate had to paraglide, or take a flying leap off a cliff (yes, really). At least that was the idea. When the wind conditions led to a delay, the contestants could decide to run down the mountain (about an hour's journey on foot over gravel). The wind delayed and delayed and delayed so much that everyone chose to run except for Mel, because he was injured.

It might seem like a bad idea to have Mel on that task in the first place, but he really wanted to be an active participant in his team and not leave all the hard stuff for Mike. And it's not like they could tell there was a run-down-the-hill option. Anyway, Mel was terrified he and Mike would have to give up if the wind conditions never changed. He had a little monologue with the camera about how he wasn't going to ask for God's help with this "because God has enough to do" (which continued to solidify his and Mike's place as the team I am rooting hardest for). A while later, things calmed down, and Mel got to take that flying leap, which got him to the bottom of the hill in the middle.

In the meantime, Linda had also decided to take on this tough task so her husband, Steve, wasn't doing all the hard stuff. But when she ran down the hill, she missed a route marker and ended up way, way off track.

For the aforementioned detour, most teams picked the cream pies. It seemed like Margie and Luke had a tough time with it -- Luke interviewed about how he knew it would take forever, but his mom wanted to, so what could he do. And seemed really put out by it, but we didn't get a true indication of how long they were there and how many pies they had to throw to find the one with cherry filling.

Anyway, siblings Tammy and Victor had another good leg, finishing first. But at this point in the race, it's all about who's close to the bottom, not the top.

In the end, it was down to flight attendants Christie and Jodi (who took a very literal-minded view of the last clue) and Linda and Steve, but Linda and Steve couldn't make up their lost ground and got eliminated.

I have to say, I was really touched by their relationship on this week's show. Linda was very worked up that Steve was going to be disappointed with her or mad at her, but he was very comforting toward her and interviewed several times about how much he loved and respected her and couldn't imagine doing the race with anyone else. (Yeah, last week, there was some yelling, but there was surely more pressure and disappointment this episode.) Check out the pep talk he gave her here.

What did you think of the episode?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: The Amazing Race
        

At the beginning of the most recent episode of Hell's Kitchen, the women’s team was lamenting over the loss of Ji. The team members basically pounced on lazy Lacey for her performance up to that point.

After receiving about two hours of sleep, the contestants were taken to a meat-packing plant to prepare for their first challenge.

The hopefuls were responsible for identifying cuts of meat. During the contest, Seth did a terrible job identifying the meat. Lacey also struggled. The men’s team won the challenge. Chef Gordon Ramsay called the women’s performance “pathetic.”

As a result of their victory, the men got a reward of wine tasting and dinner. While the men were taking a private jet to their reward, the women were responsible for unloading huge slabs of beef from trucks into the kitchen.

Some selective editing showed the men sipping on wine, while the women were hacking up beef. Next, the men were shown digging into tender cuts of cooked steak. The women were fed cow liver, hearts, and ears. As a result, the women started vomiting. It was totally gross.

When the men returned, the men rubbed their win in the women's faces, but the women got the last laugh. I’ll get to that in a little bit.

The next day the teams learned that Hell’s Kitchen was turning into a steakhouse. Both teams would each get an opportunity to cook and serve in the restaurant.

The men, who dedicated their effort to Robert because he was supposed to get married on that day, cooked first. The women were responsible for serving.

Charlie screwed up time and time again. He undercooked the shrimp. He also allowed a cloth to catch on fire. Ben starting serving dessert before the main courses was ready. (Heck, the appetizers weren’t even done.) Meanwhile, Lacey messed up orders. Giovanni, who cooks in a steakhouse, served raw steaks, and Ramsay screamed at him. The steaks continued to be returned. Ramsay was incensed.

Meanwhile, Lacey began to forget to take orders.

Seth continued to show that he didn’t know his way around the kitchen. He didn’t know how to fillet beef tenderloin. He completely butchered the expensive piece of meat. (And not in a good way.)
A hypocritical Giovanni remarked that Seth “molested” the meat.

Ramsay threw the wasted meat scraps at Seth and shut down the men, who were not done cooking.

The women then got the opportunity to run the kitchen.

Ramsay’s “favorite” Colleen messed up the salads. Ramsay basically called her worthless. He was seriously trying to break her.

Charlie, who was having trouble in the kitchen, didn't fare much better during dinner service.
Coi messed up when she undercooked shrimp. (Insert yelling from Ramsay.)

Charlie began dropping the customer’s food on their tables.

Andrea cooked  steaks with ease. They were literally flying out of the kitchen. Too bad some of the customers said the steaks weren’t fully cooked. Ramsay surprisingly defended her, and accused the men of trying to sabotage the women.

At the end of the night, Ramsay said that Lacey and Charlie were the worst servers. He then declared the women winners of the dinner service.

LA admitted that she wanted her team to lose so that they could get rid of “dead weight.” (Insert Lacey and Colleen.)

When the men were tasked with coming up with their “bottom two,” they started turning on each other. Giovanni was ticked off at Seth for nominating him.

During the elimination, J said the men nominated Seth and Charlie. Seth objected. He asked Ramsay to poll the men. Ramsay ignored Seth and told the pair to make their case.

Seth – in a seemingly endless speech -- said he wanted to learn more from Ramsay. I guess the neverending speech worked, though: Ramsay kicked out Charlie. He said he didn’t “see it, feel it” from Charlie.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Hell's Kitchen
        

It's Maryann with the next-to-last recap of the Top Chef season, and I'm excited. (Me, too! Hi, Mary here, in italics.) We're in the home stretch, home skillets, and to top it off, we're in New Orleans! Pass the gumbo, a hurricane and some beads! (You don't pass beads, Maryann, you EARN them. Ahem.)

New Orleans cliches aside, we can get down to business: the competition.

The four semi-finalists arrive at the New Orleans airport, Hosea with no luggage to speak of. I think it's a little weird, but what do I know? I guess the kid just packs light. (I think he packed his extra socks inside his sweatshirt hood.) Fabio returns to the scene with a, er, mohawk, and Carla shows off a new 'do too -- she's rocking the sleek and sassy look for extra humid New Orleans. (On another girly note, she must have some fantastic hair skills, because I know I wouldn't be able to keep my hair under control!)

Stefan is the last to emerge on the scene, and it's clear that some things haven't changed in their time together. As they exchange hugs and such, Stefan jokes(?) to Hosea, "Did you learn how to cook?" In the car from the airport, he says he's ready -- he brought a suitcase of gumbo.

Sounds messy. And stinky.

Quickfire Challenge

The four cheftestants roll up on a ginormous plantation. Padma introduces the guest judge, Emeril Lagasse (ho hum, but I guess they had no choice in New Orleans), but Carla is focused on the fact that there are only three tables/cooking stations set up. Carla says she thought maybe they were going to eliminate someone Johnny on the spot.

Not so.

Padma announces that they won't be cooking for the Quickfire. They'll get to sit back and enjoy the food and Southern hospitality. Everyone looks confused and skeptical because surely that's not gonna happen. That's too easy. There's always a twist!

And out comes the twist -- three of them, in fact: Jamie, Jeff and Leah. They are competing in the Quickfire to get BACK in the competition! The bringing back old contestants move isn't much of a twist anymore in reality TV, or even for this season of "Top Chef," but I like how they did it this time. And it's nice to see some of them again, plus Jamie's hair looks cute.

Fabio doesn't like it though, and neither does Hosea. "It's kind of a bummer," he says. "It's not really the math I want right now." I can understand. If I were one of the people who fought to the semi-finals, just to see some punk get a chance to come back for the big game, I'd be a little upset, too. But as a spectator, I'll happily sit back, eat my chocolate cake and watch the fireworks. (You're welcome for the cake. It was my bribe to make you do most of the recapping. It worked!)

Oh yeah -- the challenge? Create a dish with crawfish. They look like bugs, but they're soo delicious. But are these ones still alive? There's a shot of one crawling off the table. Eww.

Leah, who says she was a little upset and bitter about not making it to the semis (Really? I didn't know you cared!), says she's a little nervous because she hasn't worked with crawfish before. Or the dish that she's decided to make -- gumbo. 

Jamie decides on a corn cake topped with all sorts of deliciousness (crawfish, poached egg, greens, crawfish cream sauce) because she thinks gumbo is too cliche. (Take *that* Leah!) Meanwhile, Jeff tries to keep it simple with his crawfish and grits with andouille and beer.

As they cook, Jamie mentions how excited she is to be back, and talks with the other chefs about the holy trinity -- the magical combination of onions, celery and peppers that make Creole food so good. (I have to say that is one good thing about Emeril: He opened up my eyes to the gloriousness of the holy trinity.)

They present their plates, and I want to sop up Jamie's dish with a biscuit. (The photo at left doesn't do it justice.) Leah's gumbo turns out to be a crawfish soup, and she blended the crawfish and andouille, so it's more like a puree? Ew.

Emeril picks Jeff as the best (I thought Jamie was robbed again, but Tom Collichio says that Jamie's food looked better than it tasted), and gives him ... an Emeril cookbook. Is it at least signed? Or perhaps some of Emeril's spice blends are tucked inside. Mmm. Spice.

And the "Top Chef" masterminds throw the real semi-finalists a bone: Jeff has to win the Elimination in order to stay in to the final round.

Emeril sends them off to the hotel to get dressed for dinner at one of his restaurants, Emeril's Delmonico. At the hotel, the four enjoy some champagne and New Orleans swag, then head off to dinner.

At dinner, Fabio says he wants to win because he can use the money to help his mother, who is sick. I heart the funny Italian softee. Carla's a little quiet, because she says she's thinking of her family too -- her husband and stepson.

Meanwhile, Hosea stews over his weird creepy contentious relationship with Stefan. "Stefan always tries to get on my nerves," he says about dinner. Whatever, dude. It is all in your head. (Agreed. Let it go.) "I want the money, I want the title," he says. "I entered it to see if I could win."

And Stefan says a remarkably similar thing: This is not about playing nice, this is about cooking good food and winning. "This is a competition, not a butt-rubbing competition." Odd choice of words, but he's right. I'm still laughing.

Elimination Challenge

The next day, the cheftestants get their marching orders amid the Mardi Gras floats for the Krewe of Orpheus. (On a side note, this is the first time all competition where they get the timing right. The show airs right after Fat Tuesday, so it's timely, and for once, it doesn't seem forced. Like Christmas in July.)

For the elimination, the cheftestants have to make two dishes and one cocktail for 100, all for Orpheus' masquerade ball at the New Orleans Museum of Art. And one of the dishes has to be Creole. Jeff is excited; he says Creole cooking is like soul food to him.

And the prize for this challenge, on top of going to the finals, is ... a new car! A Toyota Venza.

Fabio drools. "My car is a piece of poop, and I can't take it anymore." Everyone else utters similar sentiments, even though it IS a Toyota. A free car is a free car, right? Right! Unless it's a van. What IS that thing?

In the kitchen, the four get to work. Hosea settles on a duck, andouille and chicken gumbo, pecan-crusted catfish (yawn), and a pomegranate and blood orange hurricane with Grand Marnier and rum. Woo, lordy. Hurricanes are delicious and dangerous. Good move: get 'em drunk, then serve your food. Or perhaps a very, very bad move.

Carla decides to make oyster stew, a shrimp and andouille beignet and a non-alcoholic cranberry spritzer. She says she had hoped that the oysters would be shucked already, but they're not! She now has 100 oysters to shuck. Ruh-roh.

Stefan chooses a duck and rabbit gumbo with grits, an apple beignet and a black cherry and rum cocktail for refreshment. Hosea makes a (lame) joke to Jeff -- I don't know if they told you, but you've gotta win this thing -- but Jeff is not impressed. He's focusing on his dishes: Fried oyster with homemade sausage and arugula, a crawfish pot de creme (errr), and a cucumber mojito. Everything has a lot of steps, Jeff says. Danger, Will Robinson. Danger!

Over in Fabio's corner, he's taking a similar approach -- lots of stuff. On top of a sausage and rabbit maque choux with grits and a crawfish and crab stew with homemade casarecci pasta, he's baking muffaletta bread. And for his cocktail: a bell pepper martini. (FYI, maque choux is a Louisiana dish of corn, peppers and onions. A pretty good choice, IMO. Authentic, but not the usual jambalaya/gumbo/beignet.) "I'm a good host," he says. "Let's bring it on." I want to go one of his parties!

Hosea focuses on the roux for his gumbo. Roux, flour and fat cooked together, can make a nice macaroni and cheese amazing when browned a little bit. But when it comes to gumbo, the blacker the better. It's the key to amazing, authentic gumbo, and Hosea is determined to do the roux well.

Meanwhile, Stefan's hanging out, going to get a cigarette, using ready-made sausage. Hosea hates on him as usual -- "Stefan's Achilles heel is that he thinks he's got it in the bag" -- but this time he's right. He's a little too cool. Jeff agrees. "If you're able to go out and take a smoke, you don't deserve to be here," he says.

Tom comes in to check on the cheftestants, asking Fabio if he's cooked Creole before. Fabio says no, but that he studied the "flavor profiles." He's going for a mix of Italian and Creole.

Jeff, on the other hand, shows no worried about the flavors to Tom. He knows the flavors like the back of his hand. And, speaking of not worried, Stefan is chilling as he talks to Tom, who needles him about the apple beignet. In confessional, Stefan says he doesn't know what the big deal is. "Its a [effing] dessert! Jeez!" Touchy, touchy.

Meanwhile, Carla's struggling with the oysters. After his chats, Tom mentions outside the kitchen that Carla simply could have steamed the little buggers open, rather than fighting with them. Oops. Either way, I'm worried. The way the editing is focusing on Carla and her oysters means she's gonna either do very well or very bad. Outside the kitchen, Tom also notices Stefan's laissez faire attitude. "Stefan seems confident, almost cocky," he says.

When they pack up for the museum, Carla's still not done fighting with the oysters, saying she's gonna have to MacGyver those bad boys. Uh-oh. (Or will she MacGruber them?)

At the Museum

In the minutes before opening, Hosea scrambles for extra serving utensils, Jeff borrows some cream from Carla, Fabio makes the cocktail mix FOR his bartender, Carla fights the oysters, and Stefan ... goes for a smoke. Jeez. (He's been smoking all season, but only this episode do the producers and editors choose to make it an issue. That irks me a little.)

Carla explains that she doesn't drink, hence no alcohol in her cocktail. She says she'll stand by her decision, and I admire that. Good for her. I was curious when she announced the drink!

Before the guests arrive, Padma reveals all the judges in a cheezy masquerade reveal. (Dozens -- dozens! -- of women and gay men fainted across the country as Tom pulled off his mask.) But it's made all better when the other female judge removes her mask to reveal GAIL! Gail's back, and I couldn't be happier. I missed her so much, especially when Toby would open his mouth with some over-rehearsed, overwrought line.

We learn that the cheftestants also get bartenders, and there's some interesting dialogue with them; notably, that Fabio refuses to let his do any work -- he wants to be in charge of his red pepper drink. There's also an interesting moment here where everyone is trying to borrow ingredients and tools from Carla, and she says no one has offered to help her with the oysters. "1 second!" Stefan says, but we never see him come over.

As the party goes into full swing, the cheftestants remark on the mood. Carla loves the women's gorgeous dresses, and Fabio says the setting reminds him of an old porno movie. Whaa? Hilarious. It's "Eyes Wide Shut" all up in there!

Jeff, usually Fabio's counterpart in the schmooze, says he doesn't have time to talk, he's so focused on the food. Which is how it's supposed to be, right? Everyone loves the cucumber mojito, and Emeril says Jeff's dishes are "refined." He SO has a man-crush on Jeff. He is a pretty man.

Stefan says he's not going to go home, but the judges aren't so sure. Though his grits are creamy, his gumbo is more like a stew, they say, and it certainly isn't dark enough. Perhaps he should have spent more time smoking the roux and less time smoking the cigarettes?

The judges like Fabio's dishes alright, and give him points for making maque choux. But something's missing, Gail says. "The heat," Emeril responds. That's a cardinal sin in Creole cooking. It's gotta be right spicy.

At Carla's table, the guests are hootie-hooing and snatching up the food. (I thought this was interesting --proof that the diners had seen the show and Carla's description of how she and her husband call to each other.) I can understand why -- her beignet looks freaking tasty, and even her oyster stew, with bacon and scallions, looks good. I don't even like oysters, and I'm considering trying her recipe. When the judges ask her if she's cooked Creole, she says she's cooked Southern. "I have the African-American part, I have the soul part," she says. And, as us soulful folk say, she must've put her foot in the food, because the judges can't say enough good things. "The batter is perfect," Gail says of her beignets. "If you think that is good, wait till you taste her stew," Tom replies. He actually giggles with joy at one point. It's crazy how happy they are with her food! They're losing their minds over it! (I need some explanation, please, on the foot-in-the-food line.)

Meanwhile, Hosea couldn't be happier with his gumbo. "This is the most authentic dish," he says. Annoy-ing. I'm not so sure about the corn muffin he plops in the middle of his gumbo, but he serves it the right way -- with rice, not grits -- and he passes the local test. He's in.

After service, the chefs reflect. Jeff says he thinks New Orleans believes in him, and that it sucks to HAVE to win, but "it's a deal I made with the devil." Hosea says he's worn out and is anxious about the judges' opinion, despite the warm reception by the partygoers. If they go the way of Stefan's opinion, Hosea's out. "I tried Hosea's gumbo," Stefan says. "It sucked. It was nasty." That was just plain mean, and apparently it didn't suck, per the judges' and guests' comments. Hosea tried to chat up Stefan about the night afterward, and he wasn't having any of it.

Judges' Table

Everyone is brought out to the table at once, and Jeff goes first. (Looking for all the world like he's about to throw up on his shoes.) His mojito was the favorite cocktail of the night, Padma says, and Jeff seems pleased. They hand out more compliments, noting the nice texture on his pot de creme (the description of it sounded a lot tastier than my initial thoughts on the dish), and they really liked that he made his own sausage. Jeff puts in a 'ittle dig on Stefan, saying he wouldn't come in half-stepping with someone else's sausage.

Fabio gets a less-than-laudatory critique. They loved that he did the maque choux, and it stood out, but Gail said she wished they could have tasted all the elements of the dish. And where was the heat? The judges say they were looking for a little more -- even in the cocktail, which they thought was too sweet. "The taste didn't deliver what the smell promised," Padma says. Fabio says that sweetness is his Achilles heel.

With Stefan, the run over his gumbo sins again -- no heat, no darkness, no depth. And what's up with the grits with gumbo? And again, where was the heat? The Creole challenge seems to reveal the cracks in the Team Europe armor -- both Fabio and Stefan are panned for the lack of spice and depth in their dishes. Is over-the-top flavor a concept that is hard for the Europeans to understand? Surely not -- at very least, Spanish cuisine doesn't shy away from the spice. What gives? Tom also mentions his lackadaisical attitude, to which Stefan is unapologetic. "I'm 36 years old. If it works out, it works out. If not, fine."

Well, then.

Carla up next, the judges ask her about her stew. She starts to say she was little heavy on the Old Bay, and Emeril's face breaks out in a grin. "There was nothing wrong with it," Tom says. She motions that she's going to stop talking now. OH, WOW! Her critique is a freaking party. Emeril mentions that he was skeptical about the nonalcoholic drink, but was converted once he tasted it. "It was fizzy and delicious and really, really well done," he says. And Gail is all about that beignet. From the "smoking hot" temperature to the tasty shrimp to the "fresh herbal note" at the end. I think it's clear at this point that she made a home run.

Hosea's last, and he sayas he made "classical New Orleans food." I know it's a little mean to nitpick, but I really don't like this guy. He's just annoying. He just reminds me of that whiny kid in school who, despite your best intentions, you just want. to. pluck. And tell him to shut up. But I digress.

He apologizes for the watered-down hurricane, but Emeril says he liked it -- it was the authentic New Orleans experience. (Waiting in line on Bourbon Street, by the time you get your drink, the ice has melted.) (I liked that bit.) And everyone raves about his gumbo because he did it the right way. Emeril says that if he was blindfolded when he tasted Hosea's gumbo, he'd guess it was from any restaurant in New Orleans. That's a huge compliment. Tom also says he initially thought his pecan-crusted catfish, with sweet potato hash and Tabasco beurre blanc, was overcomplicated, but that the flavors worked well together in the end. And, as much as I hate to admit it, his catfish did seem pretty tasty. The beurre blanc is what won me over.

The judges send the cheftestants back to stew, and they mull it over some more. Jeff made some smart choices, Gail said, and is definitely in the top three. More gushing over Carla's dishes ensues, in which one judge says, "her food just seemed to have a certain level of care." "It's the LOVE!" I yelled, perhaps a little too loudly. (I think you woke my neighbors.) Y'all were clowning her about the love a few episodes back, but now you see the power of love. They also gush over Hosea's gumbo -- When will tasteovision become a reality? I wanna try! -- and Emeril marvels that his fish wasn't dried out.

Not surprisingly, Stefan and Fabio are in the bottom. Stefan's gumbo wasn't bad, but wasn't great. And his cocktail was way too small. (It barely filled a third of the cup!) They also get on him about his attitude, but honestly, at this point, I feel that shouldn't be an issue. One man's confident is another man's cocky. Let's just focus on the food. With Fabio, they enjoy the pasta, they enjoy the muffaletta, but it's just not enough. There's something missing, the judges say.

When they bring the cheftestants back out, Emeril announces that there was a clear winner: It's Carla!

She's laughing like a geeky girl, and in confessional, she says, "My husband would be proud, all my friends would be proud of me." She gets teary-eyed. (Me, too.) So sweet.

As a result, Jeff gets kicked off, and Hosea looks disappointed, even though he ends up in the winners' pile. I think he expected to win with that gumbo. Tom then focuses on the split of Team Europe: Fabio is the one cut loose. He takes it in stride.

"If you don't win, I'll kick your ass," Fabio tells Stefan as they embrace. "You have no idea."

I'm sad to see Fabio go. He was good TV. But Stefan clearly deserved to go to the finals, even if the judges were supposed to be judging by only that episode's contest. 

And there may be a happy ending for Fabio anyway. "I'm gonna spend time with my family, I'm gonna cook my ass off," Fabio says in his exit interview. And according to Tom's blog, we haven't seen the last of him.

Posted by Maryann James at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Top Chef
        

On tonight's American Idol, we'll hear the results from last night's semifinal, in which 12 of the Top 36 took to the stage, though many of them fell apart once there.

Host Ryan Seacrest says that 24 million votes were cast last night, "10 million more than this time last season," but is that even a fair comparison? They didn't do a Top 36 last season -- not to mention, I just looked up my entry from this week last season, and he said then that 28 million votes had been cast. Who knows.

Ryan introduces the judges, then asks them how it went last night. Randy Jackson says some people stepped up to the plate and some faltered. Kara DioGuardi says a few people disappointed her, and Ryan asks her to name names. She shouldn't, but she does: "Stevie, Casey, Stephen." Paula Abdul says Simon disappointed her. Simon Cowell is asked to judge Kara's performance last night, and he doesn't really answer.

Montage of last-night-ness, set to "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough." Then it's time for a group sing, Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours." It starts out a little rough, but as they get into it, it gets better. Also, Stevie Wright gets to redeem herself with a long solo note (though it's a little too late).

After the break, Ryan says it was "a very raw show," at which point we relive it yet again. After the montage, Ryan talks with the contestants. Jackie Tohn rates her performance a 90-91 percent. Anoop Desai claims that he isn't nervous until Ryan gets in his face, pretending he is about to give the results. Then he talks to Tatiana del Toro, who says she hopes people kept her dream alive, as she plays with her hair. Stevie Wright says last night was tough, but she's proud she's gotten this far.

It's time for some results. Casey Carlson comes forward. She says very cogently that she probably picked the wrong song, but she has been having the most fun of her life. She finds out she is not the top vote-getter.

Then Stephen Fowler is up, who agrees that he probably picked the wrong song, but as long as they don't think he sounded bad, he's OK. He is "not in the Top 12."

Alexis Grace is next, and she says she doesn't even like watching this part on TV. She is in the Top 12, and she is so excited. So are her parents. I'm relieved! She has to come forward and sing one more time.

Ricky Braddy and Jackie Tohn are called forward together. Ricky is not through, and neither is Jackie.

Then it's Anoop Desai and Michael Sarver. Of these two, going through to the Top 12 is Michael. Huh. He must have a lot of fans out there because last night was not his most shining moment. He is thrilled and says he has been beating himself up all day. Maybe he will do better with the re-sing. Going into commercial, Ryan says that only 20,000 votes separated Michael and Anoop. Ow.

Then there is a commercial for the American Idol Experience attraction. Oh, wait. It's during the show, but it's totally a commercial. (Big shock on this show, right? Pass me a Coca-Cola, please, judges!)

Then, weirdly, Michael Johns and Carly Smithson come out, pretending that they are getting their results. But they keep talking about the Disney attraction. However, Michael Johns notes that his album is coming out soon. The two then sing "The Letter."

Ann Marie Boskovich, Brent Keith and Stevie Wright all stand up and are reminded of what happened last night. None of them are in the Top 12.

That leaves us with Danny Gokey and Tatiana del Toro. Tatiana looks like she is about to pass out, and she tells Ryan she can't talk about how she feels right now. And through to the Top 12 is Danny. Not much of a surprise.

Tatiana freaks out, reservedly. Danny sings "Hero" again. Tatiana cries in the background.

Dear remaining contestants performing in the next two weeks: Please pick better songs. For the love of Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow and Jennifer Lopez.

So, to recap: Danny Gokey, Michael Sarver and Alexis Grace are headed to the Top 12. Interesting. I wouldn't have predicted Michael, but here we are. What do you think? Who do you think has a shot at being a wildcard finalist?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: American Idol
        

Tonight, the first 12 of the 36 semifinalists on American Idol will take to the stage -- live! And sorry, y'all. Jamar Rogers is still not on the list of semifinalists, but he is in the audience. (There was a lot of consternation last week when Jamar got cut.)

Host Ryan Seacrest looks like it's still rehearsal -- he's dressed down in a V-neck sweater and jeans. Judge Randy Jackson says that the contestants "have to be in it to win it tonight." Kara DioGuardi says they "can't let the nerves get to you. ... Just go for it." He then asks her how it is to be at the table, and Paula Abdul inexplicably interjects, "You've been under the table." Um, OK. Asked for her advice: "This is all your dream, right? You've got to hit that center stage and make magic happen in that minute and 20 seconds. And if you don't, look to the right, look to the left, whoever's better, you're going home." Which I think is the opposite of what she meant, but whatever. Simon Cowell discusses that they only have one shot to make it and then digresses to discuss Ryan's hair. *eyeroll*

From each group of 12, the highest female and male vote-getters will go to the finals, as will the next-highest vote-getter. That adds up to nine, and then the final three spots will go to wild-card choices. Whew! That's almost as complicated as the finals on Dancing With the Stars or the rules of a challenge on Survivor.  

Tonight's theme is "Hits of the Billboard Hot 100 Since the Charts Began." What a mouthful. At least, though, it's not hits of the 1930s or something.

Competing in the first group is: Jackie Tohn, Ricky Braddy, Alexis Grace, Brent Keith, Stevie Wright, Anoop Desai, Casey Carlson, Michael Sarver, Ann Marie Boskovich, Stephen Fowler, Tatiana del Toro and Danny Gokey. And all I can think is, dang. There's a little chaff that can be cut here (TATIANA, PLEASE), but some of the strongest folks we've seen so far seem packed into this set of 12. Hmmm. I sense some let's-make-the-wildcard-as-dramatic-as-possible shenanigans. (Added after the show: Perhaps not so much on the "some of the strongest" thing I was thinking before it started.)

Jackie Tohn: Jackie is going to sing "A Little Less Conversation" and hopes "to get Miss Abdul on her feet." I, first of all, am not feeling the Lycra leggings and giant sneakers, but second of all, the performance is just ... weird and gravely and unsettling. Randy says he doesn't know if he was blown away by the vocals, "but it's all good on the entertainment side." Kara says: "You can work a stage, girl!" There's also some talk about her "trousers," and how they are similar to the ones Randy wore in his early Journey days. OK, that's kind of funny, though not a pleasant mental picture. Paula says she got her up dancing, and says that even though it wasn't a perfect performance, "perfect is sometimes boring." Simon says that even though she has a good voice, she "played the clown tonight." He calls the performance "ungainly," which is the exact right word for it. By the way, I just realized that because there are four judges, this is going to take even longer than usual. Backstage, Ryan talks with Jackie's parents. And suddenly, it's even more clear why this will be a two-hour broadcast.

Ricky Braddy: Ricky talks with Ryan about this dramatic decision he had to make about whether he should leave his other job to go to Idol. Also, his mike is totally not working. He left his job, and here he is. Fascinating. He's going to sing "A Song for You" by Leon Russell. He's not bad (except for a couple of the high notes), but he's gotten so little attention up to this point, I don't think he has much of a chance in this set of 12. Randy says, "That's the jump-off season eight, right there!" Kara calls it amazing and effortless. Paula mentions that he wasn't featured in the past three weeks, but she is so glad that America will get to see how talented he is. Simon says he was good, but he's not jumping out of his chair "like these three." He adds that Ricky doesn't have any star quality. (And sorry to be obsessing over the microphones, but the audio seems really shoddy so far. The judges' mikes in particular sound pretty terrible. Oh, and when Ricky goes backstage to talk to Ryan, you can still barely hear him.)

Alexis Grace: Alexis says it is hard to be away from her young daughter every day, but she's dealing. She sings "I've Never Loved a Man" by Aretha Franklin. Big song, and she does pretty well with it, though she gets overwhelmed by the backup singers during the low part of the chorus. Randy says she "found the dirty and found the soul. ... You worked it out!" Kara says, "The genie is out of the bottle with you. ... I love it; I'm diggin' it." Paula says people don't expect at her tender age to have so much passion and confidence, and then she babbles some. Simon, ever on point, says she is the best they've heard so far tonight, though he admits there have only been three. But then he compares her to Kelly Clarkson and calls her "one to watch."

Brent Keith: And amateur hour (at least in terms of production) continues, as Ryan introduces what is supposed to be a clip of Brent, but instead we see a still of Stevie Wright from her first audition. (Even the producers are like, who is this guy? Is he on this show?) Cut back to Ryan who says oops, they are having a tape problem, so he walks downstairs with Ryan, but then the clip is back. Oh, right. He's the one who saw Paula and Kara go under the table during his audition because they were annoyed with Simon. (Which makes that line from earlier make a little more sense. Kind of.) Anyway, he's going to sing "Hicktown." It's pretty meh. Randy says he could see him at a chili cookoff. Huh? He adds that he can see him as a country star. Kara says she thinks he has more in him than they saw tonight, that she didn't see any soul from him. Paula says she can see him as a country artist; "go for more risk." Simon says he had one shot, and he's a nice guy with a nice voice, but he was forgettable. Agreed. Brent backtalks and says country fans won't forget it. Disagreed.

Stevie Wright: Hey, now it's time for the footage of Stevie they tried to show earlier. Stevie says she's been watching the show since she was 9 (ack!) and she is so excited. She sings "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift. And wow, she starts off badly. I don't know if she is nervous or what, but the low part of the beginning of the song is so terrible. She gets a little better when it gets higher, but it's rough. Her voice isn't overtly horrendous, but she really was not ready for this. Like at all. Randy: "That was not hot for me. ... That was really safe." He adds that if that had been her first audition, she wouldn't be in the Top 36. Kara says the song really didn't work for her, and Paula says the low range wasn't working. They all say she has better skills than that. Simon says they are being quite polite and that it was terrible. "The good news is, you got some experience out of this, I guess." But he says she has zero chance of making it to the finals.

Anoop Desai: Anoop says he is choosing songs that he has wanted to hear over the course of previous seasons. He sings "Angel of Mine" by Monica. Huh. That's kind of a weird choice, and though his voice sounds fine, I don't think he's going to make enough of an impression. Which makes me sad because I've really liked him thus far. Randy says it was "an interesting choice for me for you." It's the return of "for me for you," my least favorite phrase. He says he's a fan, but it wasn't a great night. Kara agrees. Paula says America has already connected with him in a large way and that he has a Brian McKnight feel to his voice. Simon asks why he chose that song, and he says because it was the first R&B song he heard on the radio that he wanted to hear over and over. I do agree, though, that he should have done something more interesting. Simon does acknowledge that he has "massive likability."

Casey Carlson: Casey sang "Tattoo" in the finals of Hollywood because Jordin Sparks is her favorite. She sings "Every Little Thing [He] Does is Magic" tonight, and it's weird. Pitchy at times, off tempo here and there? Randy: "Yo ... that was weird. ... Really karaoke. ... The dog was lost." Kara: "Everything about that was wrong." Randy starts singing "Everything about that was wrong" to the tune of "Every Little Thing ..." I crack up. Does that make me a bad person? Kara says no one goes near Police songs, and she would rather see her do a girly anthem. She also calls out the weird dancing and expressions. Paula says Casey is gorgeous, but she didn't think about what she was singing, "and it just didn't work." Simon asks how it's gone, and she says she had fun. Simon says, "The singing was just atrocious, to be honest with you." He says she threw away her opportunity, and Paula starts to talk about her pulling of faces. Then she has to go upstairs and hug everyone. Her mom thinks she did great and loves her dearly. Awww.

Michael Sarver: Everyone's favorite oil-rig roughneck is back. He's going to sing "I Don't Wanna Be." He does OK, but to me, it's a little on the karaoke side, especially with the bouncy dancing. Randy says he can definitely sing, but the first verse "was a little rough." Kara says that's a great crowd-pleaser song, but that wasn't his best performance ever. Paula says she thinks he did a "real good job." (Dear Paula: Can we please use some adverbs this season?) Simon says he partly got through because they like Michael, and that if he gets through tonight, it's because people like him, not because he did a great job tonight. He hopes, though, that America gives him another shot.

Ann Marie Boskovich: She's going to sing "Natural Woman" with her own twist. Ruh-roh. Yeah, she is not fantastic. So far, Alexis Grace is clearly the best of the women. (And someone HAS TO beat Tatiana.) Randy asks her how she thinks she did, and she says she thinks she did pretty good. He says he didn't really get the song choice. Kara says it's been a challenge for her to come out and "lose the demo singer thing" (her other job). She says she would want her to sing something young and fun, like "Love Song" by Sara Barielles. Ann Marie asks, "even though it's not as good?" And things get weird for a minute, even though, hello, we are talking about an Aretha song. Paula says she thinks Ann Marie did better than her previous auditions, which is kind of insulting after everything everyone else said. Simon says it would have been quite good if they were looking for "the best hotel singer in California."

Stephen Fowler: Stephen is the guy who forgot his words and walked off during Hollywood week. He promises he won't do that again. He sings "Rock With You," and he's kind of all over the place. Randy is perplexed by his song choice, and adds that he was pitchy, "right underneath the notes." Kara says she got more from him when he was at the piano and forgot his lyrics. He says he is not 100 percent comfortable with singing without playing. Paula talks for a while, but my cable audio cuts out for a second, and I miss most of what she says. Simon says he almost wishes he had forgotten the lyrics because it was corny and terrible.

Tatiana del Toro: Like you don't remember Tatiana. She giggles, she annoys, sometimes she sings. Strangely, the editors don't jump on the opportunity to show all the annoying footage from the past. Are they trying to recast her? I think it's too late. She says she is going to sing "I Am Saving All of My Love for You." I hope she doesn't sing the words like that since the song is actually "Saving All My Love for You." This is a restrained Tatiana, and it's kind of bizarre. Well, restrained until she pulls a face at the end. What is the deal here? Up until now, she has been getting edited as this over-the-top character. Even at the end of last week's episode, Ryan narrated that they couldn't wait to see what she would bring to the live show. And now it's just oh, she had a little drama with her group during Hollywood week? Are they giving her a kinder edit now because apparently, she is one of the only women in this group who can sing live? Yikes. So, let's see what the judges think. Randy says she had some moments in this song that really impressed him, though the second verse was really weird. Kara says it's like a roller coaster with her and that tonight is "reserved Tatiana" (yes), but she wants to know if she's a character or an artist. Tatiana says she is everything; "it's world music!" Paula says she is one of the most talked-about contestants, and that she is not used to this reserved person. Tatiana says her friends said they were surprised she acted like that during Hollywood week. Simon isn't buying it. He calls her a total drama queen and (wait for it) says he hasn't ever known anyone, except for maybe Paula, who wanted fame so badly. Wow. "You are desperate to be famous!" "Oh, and you aren't," Paula says. Tatiana says she believes in marketing as a business so she is taking the opportunity to market herself. Anyway, he says the music was actually good, but she needs to lose the demure act. They tell her to do the old laugh, but she says her friends say she hasn't ever laughed like that in her life. Even so, the judges' table does the crazy laugh back at her. Hee hee. Ryan asks who is the real Tatiana. She says she is a multifaceted woman, and it's all her. She says she didn't know how she would react to the experience, but now she is being more her relaxed, real self. And she becomes a little more the real Tatiana we've seen before, when she says into the camera, "America, please vote. This is my dream, and it's up to you to keep it alive. Gracias." You can actually hear people in the audience downstairs totally cracking up. And really, who can blame them?

Danny Gokey: He's going to sing Mariah Carey's "Hero." Weird song (theme of the night!), but at least dude can sing! No wonder he is closing the show. Kara goes crazy, screaming "WOO" into her microphone. Randy calls him the redeemer of the night. Kara says he gives them all hope and he was great. Paula: "Two words with a hyphen: "sold-out arenas." Simon says, "back to the real world. ... You are a very good singer. I like you, I'm just not buying the hype right now." I felt somewhere in the middle of those extreme sentiments.

What the heck happened tonight? I was expecting a lot more from this set of 12. It felt like we were in the wayback machine, and it was season one, when the production values and the show budget were lower and the overall talent level (Kelly excepted) wasn't as high because people didn't know what the show was. But weirdly, a lot of these folks did great in the earlier rounds! I don't know. Alexis better have the top woman vote-getter in the bag. That's all I'm saying.

So (more than) enough from me. What say y'all about tonight's show?

(Photo montage of Top 36 by Fox)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: American Idol
        

All right, so let me get this straight. One of the final three in this ridiculous show True Beauty is actually going to take home a six-figure prize? Give me a break!

If you haven't been watching, this show is supposedly the search for "the most beautiful person in America," with the twist that the contestants are being secretly assessed on their inner beauty, by some of the most contrived, ridiculous means possible.

The last three -- Billy, Joel and Julia -- seem nice enough, though frequently quite fake. But basically, one of them is going to win cash for not being mean on camera. Yawn.

The show was semi-amusing at first, but the premise has worn thin, and so have the judgmental expressions on the judges' faces.

That said, I tried to watch The Bachelor last night since the end of the season is nigh, and I just couldn't. I mean, it was on, but I was incapable of concentrating on it. So ... someone got kicked off and had her heart broken. Was it the Most! Shocking! Rose! Ceremony! Ever!? I don't know.

I am disturbed, though, that in the finale in two weeks Jason's son gets dragged into the mix to meet the final two. What kind of lesson is this kid going to take from this experience? As if "Meet Potential Mommy No. 1 and Potential Mommy No. 2" wouldn't be confusing enough if cameras weren't following them around. Yuck.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Bachelor/Bachelorette
        

The Amazing Race 14 got off to quite a start last night -- the teams started out in L.A. and then quickly headed to Switzerland. For the first detour, one member of each team had to do a 70-story (!) bungee jump, which looked even more terrifying than usual since it was right up against a mass of concrete.

But the falling wasn't over. For the second task, the teams had to trudge up a steep, muddy hill with antique racks for carrying cheese, then carry 200 pounds of cheese (in 50-pound wheels) back down the hill. These racks weren't up to the task; as the contestants fell (which just about everyone did), the racks splintered into pieces. Whenever that happened, the wheels of cheese usually got loose too, and then barreled down the hill at an astonishing rate. It didn't look like much fun to do, but watching as people fell and cheese went awry was hilarious. I'm not the only one who thought so; the men gathered at the bottom of the hill to watch were cracking up the whole time. I don't know why it's so funny to watch people fall, but when they don't get hurt, it really is. 

Here's my impression of the teams so far:

Margie and Luke // mother and son: Luke, we quickly learned last night, is deaf and doesn't read lips, so his mother is his link to the world in this particular game. Fortunately, they have a pretty good system of communication (e.g., he runs ahead while holding her hand so he doesn't get so far ahead that she can't reach him since she can't call to him). They ended up finishing in first place.

Amanda and Kris // dating: They've got a little Barbie-and-Ken, uber-positive thing going on, especially compared to some of the other couples.

Brad and Victoria // married: The self-described older couple (he's 52 and she's 47) said at the beginning they aimed to make their age a non-issue since they are in such good shape. So far, so good. Among other things, they were the only team to stay on their feet during the cheese wheel challenge.

Cara and Jaime // former NFL cheerleaders: These two didn't make much of an impression last night, except for when they got delayed finding a cab and got behind. But they made up for lost time.

Christie and Jodi // flight attendants: Jodi claimed at the beginning that their status as travel insiders (because they're flight attendants) would be an advantage. This did not prove to be the case last night; they boarded a train that left earlier but arrived later and got so far behind they almost got eliminated. But they prevailed in a footrace to the finish and made it to the next episode. Maybe we'll see the travel smarts next time.

Jennifer and Preston // dating: On their CBS bio, it says, "as a team, they hope to bring out the best in each other." Unfortunately, that's not exactly what happened. She got frustrated and whiny and he got mean. They lost the footrace to the pit stop by mere seconds and got eliminated. One can't help but wonder if they would have been faster if Jennifer has been running instead of being carried by Preston.

LaKisha and Jennifer // sisters: These former college athletes hope their sports skills help them out on the race. Maybe on future episodes -- they were pretty middle-of-the-pack and didn't get a lot of screen time last night.

Linda and Steve // married: These self-proclaimed "hicks from the sticks" hoped to be underestimated -- turns out they are fairly well traveled. But they had a rough time last night, due mostly to Linda's inability to run. They made it through thanks to some other teams' mistakes, but I fear they aren't long for this game.

Mark and Michael // brothers: These two work as stuntmen, often standing in for children, since they are both 4-foot-9. They were unfazed by the insane bungee jump and did OK with the giant wheels of cheese.

Mel and Mike // father and son: I was out of the loop when I was on leave and never saw the cast announcement for this season of TAR, so I was totally surprised when Mike White showed up as one of the contestants. We interviewed him for the (now-defunct) LIVE section when School of Rock came out, plus I have a soft spot in my heart for anyone who was involved with Freaks & Geeks. Mel and Mike are also both gay, with Mike saying in an interview that that made it easy for him to come out, since his dad had already been there and done that. They finished fourth last night, but Mel was having some muscle pain and not moving very quickly, so that doesn't bode particularly well.

Tammy and Victor // siblings and lawyers: These two had a strong start last night, finishing in second. It was a little weird because Victor kept spouting lines like, "You aren't disappointing me," when a simple "Doing grrr-reat!" would have sufficed. The brother and sister are almost 10 years apart, and Victor said he was going to have to work to not see her as an annoying 3-year-old. Maybe the aforementioned lines were a result of him working really, really hard in that area. But they were thoughtful and strong contestants, so they will probably be around for a while.

What did you think of last night's debut?

(Photo courtesy of CBS)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: The Amazing Race
        

-- Survivor: Tocantins kicked off last night, and I haven't had a chance to write about it until now. It's always tough to get a handle on Survivor in the first couple of episodes because there are so many people. But we did see more of the same: a twist (two people get voted out before it starts -- but psych! They are just missing the hike to camp), a naked guy (Utah cyclist Tyson), a crazy lady (bus driver Sandy), a guy who already thinks he's running the game ("Coach") a total lack of fire-making, a brutal challenge, a puzzle, a blindside (buh-bye, Carolina).

I think it's too early to tell whether it's going to be a good season, but there's definitely some potential. Also, moving to HD last season was a fab idea. That Brazilian landscape looks amazing in high-def!

-- I got a little behind on The Biggest Loser, what with the kid's hospital stay and all, but I finally got all caught up. The ousted contestants who had returned got to weigh in, and their numbers were not all that impressive. When Joelle failed to lose a pound, her fellow competitors voted her out -- and Carla, though they would have preferred to keep her.

This week was emotionally wrenching as usual. First, Kristen and Tara faced off as the final two in yet another endurance challenge (this time with their partners), and this time, Kristen was victorious, winning immunity for her and her mom. Then, at the weigh-in, Kristen was so excited because she was starting at 301 and certain she would finally be dipping into the 200s. Unfortunately, she had an unexpected 2-pound gain (thank goodness for that immunity), and she was really upset.

Bob had been pushing father-and-son team Ron and Mike, but Ron got injured and hasn't been able to work as hard as he'd like. This has put pressure on his son (at 18, the youngest contestant ever on the show), but Mike hadn't been posting big losses. He and Bob had a heart-to-heart, and Mike realized he wasn't eating enough calories to support his hours-long workouts. At long last, Ron and Mike were not below the yellow line, and Mike was thrilled. (Good to see after his breakdown during the last-chance weigh-in.)

At the end of the weigh-in, cousins Dane and Blaine were the bottom team, and one of them would have to leave. Blaine wanted to leave, since he had a newborn at home, but for some reason, the teams went through this big drama of acting like they were going to keep him anyway. In the end, Blaine was voted out and got to go home to see his baby.

Seemed like it went OK for him; he looked good in his several-weeks-later footage.

-- I totally missed Bachelor and True Beauty the past couple of weeks -- did I miss anything good?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Morning, "Top Chef" fans, Mary here, with Maryann in italics. We're nearing the end of the season -- any thoughts as the cheftestants head into the Final Four? I know I'm ready for the competition to whittle down.

Last night's episode opens with the five chefs left -- Hosea, Stefan, Carla, Leah and Fabio -- commenting on Jamie getting the boot last week. I've forgotten her already! Stefan says he's happy to have one more person out of the way, and Leah pensively makes her bed (so tortured) and says she was almost sent home. We get a little background on Leah: She did poorly in college, quit and moved back home to New York, started cooking, then wound up going to culinary school.

Carla also offers a little background: She's a career changer, a former model (!) but started buying cookbooks while modeling (I'm sure her handlers loved that she was reading about heavy cream and butter). She thinks she can be an inspiration to women if she makes it to the Final Four, which is a lovely thought.

Equally lovely: Quickfire Challenge with Wylie Dufresne!

Dufresne, who owns WD~50 in New York, has been on the show before and has made his name using molecular gastronomy, which Hosea explains as "reinventing things, standing food on its head." In my limited past-season knowledge, molecular gastronomy was best shown in Marcel and his pineapple poi. I shall never forget what that looked like as long as I live. (I can't help but think of Marcel and his infinite array of "foams." But as Anthony Bourdain said at Jose Andre's minibar in D.C., most people who say they do molecular gastronomy don't do it well. I think Dufresne is the exception to the rule.)

Padma tells the cheftestants that they are to make something with eggs "that will surprise and delight" Dufresne, as he's famous for his obsession with eggs. He tells them properly cooking eggs is a sign of a good chef, and this is where I pull out my one random piece of foodie trivia -- the folds in a chef's hat are supposed to represent all the ways an egg can be cooked. Cool, no? Store that one away for later; you'll thank me in Trivial Pursuit.

Fabio makes a three-component dish (dear lord, have we not learned from this?): one with a quail egg and buckwheat pancake, one dessert resembling an egg, and then a lychee soup inside an eggshell. "I can please his palate," Fabio says. Dufresne says it's "very clever" but mentions that it's a lot of dessert. I thought it sounded tasty but pretentious. I'm so tired of trios, eggs two ways, etc. Where's the fresh concepts?

Hosea says he'll focus less on molecular gastronomy and instead create a take on Japanese food that includes a sheet of egg white as the wrapping for a salmon-asparagus roll. He also tempura-fries an egg. (Did you catch how he separates eggs? I usually do the eggshell method, but his way, by hand, is more flashy.)

Leah makes a quail egg in potato with caviar and brioche with bacon hollandaise. "Nice, very nice," Dufresne says.

Stefan presents a panna cotta with mango puree inside that breaks like a poached egg. I saw a lot of mango and egg in these dishes. OK, fine, two. But I think Fabio's mango/egg combination seemed tired to the judges after already sampling Stefan's.

Carla says she and molecular gastronomy are "like oil and water" but just wants her game plan to be clever. Using Dr. Seuss as inspiration, she uses spinach to make green eggs with green tomato salsa and jalapeno. Both Padma and Dufresne look pleased and say it's pretty.

A couple notes about the Quickfire: Everyone was running around and stressing, except Carla, who said, "It's like that last mile in a long race; I'm like the tortoise here." We also caught a shot of Hosea dissing her dish off-camera. He sure has sharp words for everyone but himself.

I loved how, at Fabio's presentation, he and Dufresne had a back-and-forth with the air quotes. It's an "egg"? Yes, it's an "egg." So absurd. Also, as the cheftestants are explaining molecular gastronomy, I enjoyed how Leah said it was good to know molecular gastronomy because it's cutting edge. It reminded me of how newspaper folks used to (still do?) talk about the Interwebs. :)

Dufresne has a few more comments for the chefs after he and Padma finish tasting. Fabio, Hosea and Leah are on the bottom, and he says Fabio wasn't really comfortable with breakfast and just danced around cooking with the egg, Hosea's dishes didn't flow with each other, and Leah's potato ravioli was heavy and greasy.

Carla and Stefan are on top, and he tells Carla that "humor is always good in cooking" and tells Stefan, "It was clear to me that your technique is really strong." Carla wins the Quickfire (slow and steady wins the race!) and is promised an advantage in the next round.

The trend in Top Chef this season seems to be simplicity, stepping away from the overly fussy food of the past. I'm glad Carla's simple dish won -- I wonder if the trend toward simple food is like the hemline theory? Harder times, simpler food?

Elimination Challenge

The cheftestants pull knives with names of foodie superstars -- both chefs and authors -- and are told they must cook that person's favorite dish, or what they'd want to be served at their last supper. This starts off a series of strange questions for me, including: Are they to pretend they're on Death Row? Or should they be thinking it's the end of their life in some other way? It's a little morbid, and it's not helped by some strange religious imagery (the way the table is set up) later.

Hosea says the challenge is making him "tingly" and that these are the most important judges they'll ever cook for. Um, what about family? Your spouse? Kids? Someone who's sick? A dinner party? I say "bah" to the famous chefs. Fabio has the right idea when he later says his last meal should be cooked by his grandma, that she taught him everything he knows. 

Fabio's obvious connections to his family -- his grandmother and wife -- are part of what makes him so likable. And I've watched enough Kitchen Nightmares (the original version) to know that cooking from your heart is what makes your food stand out.

Carla: Jacques Pepin, roast squab and fresh peas.
Hosea: Susan Ungaro, shrimp scampi and tomato provencale.
Stefan: Marcus Samuelsson, roasted salmon and spinach.
Leah: Dufresne, eggs Benedict  (I love his last meal choice).
Fabio: Lidia Bastianich, roasted chicken with roasted potatoes and a leafy salad.

Carla's advantage is that she can trade with another chef, but she keeps Pepin. "You think I'm giving up Jacques, no WAY! And he wants peas?! Me and peas are like THIS! ... I think Jacques and I are two peas in a pod." Pure Carla. Love it. (I liked how she crinkled up her face after making the peas in the pod joke. Like, "Get it?! Get it?!" She's so enjoyable.)

They have $300 and 30 minutes to shop, then two hours to prep. At Whole Foods, Fabio and Stefan pretend to run into each other and bond over European butter. Stefan "gets people off their game," Hosea says. Oh, yeah, Hosea? And which people might those be? YOU PERHAPS?! OK then. Just wanted to be clear on that.

Stefan says Hosea hasn't been around the block long enough. "I don't think he has the balls for being a chef. That's it," he says and looks away firmly. Stefan loves making bold statements to see what the reaction is. Mine? He's right about Hosea. So far he keeps complaining about being off his game (well, get it back!) and copying Stefan's work (skinning the eel) and kissing butt to the judges (copying Carla's self-awareness).

They're back in the kitchen the next day, and almost immediately, disaster strikes. Fabio has broken his little finger and lets out a stream of curse words in Italian and English. (I nearly fainted when they showed the shot of his finger.) The medic shows up and splints him, then asks if he wants to go to the hospital. "Hospital? No way, I will chop it off and sear it on the flat top and tomorrow I'll deal with nine fingers," he says to the camera. But back in the kitchen, he's worried. "How the [expletive] I am going to get through this night?" he says. Carla cheers him on: "Fight it out, fight it out, Rocky!"

He struggles to peel potatoes and jokes that he always says he can do this with one hand behind his back but that he didn't mean it literally. You forgot the best quote, Mary -- "I got so many kick in my [butt], sometimes, when I'm in the bathroom, I still poop shoes." (OK, fine, I'm the crass one.) He forges ahead.

Just before service, Tom comes into the kitchen and tells the chefs not to embarrass him. This nearly sends Hosea over the edge, who's been fretting about whether the point of this challenge is to cook the dish exactly or interpret it in some way -- he goes with interpret. I think if he can't figure it out, he should stick to simple.

However, what's funny about his "interpretation" is that he simply adds more butter to his scampi. Whaa?

Leah's dish is first -- the "breakfast" of the meal -- and she thins out her hollandaise just before service. Leah added a small salad to cut the fat of the eggs Benedict, which she serves on challah bread, and says it's surreal to see all the chefs and foodies at the table. (It IS surreal, because they have some weird creepy ethereal lighting going on at the table.) But Dufresne isn't totally happy with his meal -- he says the white of the egg was running and that he wouldn't choose a salad as pat of his last supper. Jacques complains about the thin hollandaise.

Stefan's next, and we see him telling the camera that he can essentially make this dish in his sleep and he thinks he can win this. Before service, Carla comments on his spinach two ways (creamed and sauteed) and remarks it's a bad decision -- we usually don't see indecisiveness out of Stefan, but the cheftestants are a little stumped in trying to make their guests entirely happy.

But -- they're not. The diners are unanimous that the salmon is overcooked, and one says they'd send it back if this were a typical restaurant service. Ungaro remarks, "If he hadn't told us he did two kinds of spinach, I wouldn't have noticed." For the first time, I am worried for Stefan. He has to make it to the Final Four, right? 

Next up: Hosea. He goes in kissing butt and then says he's not there to kiss butt, and this is exactly why I now hate Hosea. Ugh! The diners aren't entirely happy with his shrimp scampi, which he changed up slightly from the more classic dish. Tom asks them all to consider their expectations of the dish, and then think about if he took them in another direction and failed there, or simply made it differently. Tom, always the voice of reason. Except when he's not.

Jaques also complained about the tomato provencale -- he prefers the tomato seared, to get a little caramelization. "He didn't cook from his gut," he said. And one judge notes the lack of garlic in the shrimp scampi. That's essential! It's one thing to twist a dish, but the basic elements should be there.

Fabio, his broken finger and his chicken dish are next. We're shown video of him awkwardly butchering the chicken with a cleaver, and then he comes out to the diners, charming as ever. (He hid his hand during the presentation! Impressive.) The diners seem to unanimously enjoy his chicken, and I must say that that chicken skin looked absolutely perfect. Fabio's been delighted with his dish since it was assigned to him, and it's easy to see he's taken cooking for Bastianich very seriously. "Chicken's awesome," Dufresne says, and I love his easygoing manner. The only downside to Fabio's dish is his small green salad, which someone remarks looks like "airplane food."

Carla's squab is last, and we see her worrying about the temperature of the meat before service, messing with the heat lamps and plating. She says she tried to remain true to what she was told about Pepin and cooked as simply and cleanly as possible. Some of the diners question Pepin's choice of game, but he explains it's an emotional dish for him, one that was tied to celebrations as a child, including his First Communion. As she eats, Ungaro says Carla has made her a convert to squab, and there is some debate over what makes squab overcooked. Tom notes that the younger generation wants the squab slightly undercooked and the older chefs enjoy it more well-done. Pepin gives the ultimate compliment: "I could die happy."

And you can't forget the peas -- everyone raves over her fresh peas cooked with butter and herbs. "The peas are like butter," he says right before he says he could die happy. I think it says something about a cook if they can take a simple dish and make big cooking stars melt at their feet.

Service ends, and the cheftestants head back to the stew room, all looking like they want to drink or throw up. (Or both!) Fabio, talking about his hand (I think), says, "It's Top Chef, not Top P----." Yeah, you're right. They were chatting about whether they could've cooked with a broken finger. Leah says she isn't sure (big surprise) and Carla says she would just roll with it.

Stefan looks especially worried backstage.

Judges Table

Pepin is representing the guests at Judges Table, and all the cheftestants are brought out. They debate her undercooked egg, thick vs. thinness of her hollandaise, the flavor of her hollandaise, and her general technique. I can't say it's looking good for Leah at this point, and I also want to say that I think challah was an odd choice of bread for this.

They decide Stefan's salmon was overdone, spinach two ways was confusing and not distinct, and that cream spread everywhere. Toby also says the potatoes could have been more crispy, and Stefan agrees with most of the criticism.

Pepin says Ungaro wanted the dish to be more traditional and says the tomato was too refined. Hosea counters that he doesn't want to put out anything that looks ugly, and he's silenced with a comment about how taste should be the most important thing.

The judges tell Fabio his chicken was delicious, and he looks relieved but asks about Bastianich specifically: "What did Lidia say about it?" "She was very happy." Fabio's all set -- except for the criticism about his salad. "You got a point there," he says. "I'm going to go back there and shoot myself" he jokes, and Tom cracks up.

Carla's dish was simple and perfect, the judges tell her. She jumps in to say the breasts were overcooked, and Pepin explains the debate over knowing whether the squab was overdone or not. (But, for the record, Jacques thought it was tender and lovely.) He says he was very happy with the fresh peas, and she looks genuinely relieved and happy.

In the stew room, Hosea says they all "got some [expletive] stick" and Stefan says the whole thing was weird. There's a strange moment where Hosea relives all the criticism for each person, and calls Fabio "Airplane Fabio" -- Stefan sticks up for him (I think that's what was happening?) and gets a little aggressive with Hosea.

I dunno. That whole exchange was weird, and it looked to me like Hosea and Stefan were piling on Fabio. (Stefan joking, Hosea, uhhh notsomuch.) However, when exchanges like that don't make sense, then I assume that editing is at fault.

Back at Judges Table, they, too, continue to stew. Tom says Fabio's chicken is "a dish that makes you" and "he would be known for that dish" if he served it at a restaurant. High praise! Tom sticks up for the overcooked salmon being well-seasoned but says he had a problem with the eggs Benedict. Toby says he likes his eggs runny, and they get a little tense with each other over Hosea's shrimp -- Toby says it lacked impact and Tom says he's not going to win for that, but does he deserve to lose for it? Good point.

At this point, at my house, we always call it. I call Hosea as the loser, and my boyfriend says Leah's out. (Maryann didn't come over to watch it, as she was working late. *sniff*) I called it for Leah. I think my personal feelings bled into that view.

The winner is Fabio, and he gets a magnum bottle of Terlato wine and a trip to the Napa vineyard. He's ebullient and hugs his bottle the rest of the show. Well-done, AND with a broken finger!

Carla's also safe, and she's sent backstage with compliments about her peas being "superb." "I feel like I was this tortoise, and I've been picking up speed, and I'm like, see ya! See ya!'" she says.

Before they announced the losers, I couldn't help but think that this is kinda the American way -- Fabio, new immigrant makes good in the U.S.; the underdog, Carla, triumphs; and the hotshot (Stefan) is taken down a few pegs. I actually felt bad for Stefan, because he obviously knows he messed up and doesn't know what to do with himself.

The loser is Leah, and she's not upset in the least, probably because she knows she made it further than she should have. (Harumph!) Hosea says, "I think she should be really proud" of herself, but she says she hasn't shown what she can do and still has more to learn.

We round out the episode with previews of their Final Four cook-offs in New Orleans -- new mohawk haircut for Fabio, Hosea saying the other judges need to see him as a threat, and Carla saying she's not being taken seriously. Bring it!

Posted by Mary Hartney at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Top Chef
        

On last night's American Idol, the remaining contestants sang one last time and 54 of them found out they had made the cut. But they only sort of did, as tonight, we'll learn which 36 actually made it through. (The judges are making one last cut after rewatching the footage of all of them.)

Click here to see photos of the final 36

Instead of going up the elevator and walking down a hall, the contestants will walk through this Hollywood mansion to find out whether they've made it.

First up: Anoop Desai, whose performances I've really enjoyed. He is in!

Von Smith says he is more prepared for them to say no rather than yes. He tells Ryan Seacrest, "This is why I'm alive." Overdramatic, much? Well, that's kind of his thing. He gets crazy-overanalytical in front of the judges, and they finally tell him he has made the cut.

Waitaminutewait, we have to go through two hours of people walking to the judges and getting the news? Come on!

Amateur horror film maker Cody Sheldon is the first person to deal with tonight's twist -- the sing-off. He gets to the judges, and they tell him he has to sing one last song right now. He sings "The Love Remains the Same." Meanwhile, Alex Wagner-Trugman is the other victim, and, of course, these two are friends, so it ups the drama quotient. Side note: Do you think it's distracting having the camera swinging around them during this moment? Alex sings "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." The two friends sit outside and wait briefly, then get called back in. And this dragging out is why this show is two hours tonight. Grrr! Cody gets cut, and Alex makes it through.

Adam Lambert had been accused of being too musical theater, and he's a little worried. But he is through to the finals. Not a shock.

Taylor Vaifanua was called one of the best vocalists in her initial audition, but had a hard time during Hollywood Week. Well, that's what Ryan's narration says, but the clips show her singing well, albeit forgetting her words. And she is in the Top 36.

So are Jasmine Murray, Casey Carlson, Arianna Afsar, Megan Corkery, Mishavonna Henson and Stevie Wright. That wasn't much screen time for the women!

Joanna Pacitti, who caused controversy since she has already had a record deal, apparently forgot her words during nearly every performance of Hollywood week. Even so, the judges decide she deserves another (another) break, so she is a finalist. Or I guess that is semifinalist.

T.K. Hash, Chris Chatman and Reggi Beasley, all of whom we are seeing for the first time, don't make the cut.

Kendall Beard is hoping for the best but very nervous. Though they didn't love her song choices, she makes it anyway.

Jenn Korbee auditioned with her husband, and they hoped to both make it to the show, but he was cut during the group round of Hollywood Week. She stands up and sings "I'm Not Ready to Make Nice." Kristen McNamara is the other half of this sing off, and she figures it out while she waits in the hall and freaks out. She sings a few bars of "I Will Always Love You" with lots of runs that seem very nervous. Kara DioGuardi tells Jenn that was the wrong song choice, and Paula tells Kristen she has an identity crisis and that her look doesn't make sense. Then, all together, talking over one another, they say that it's interesting because if you put them together, you would have one great contestant. Which basically means they are telling Jenn she can't sing and Kristen that she's not cute. Ouch. Anyway, Kristen is through and Jenn is out. Which is weird because I thought Kristen's song choice was odd and oddly delivered and that Jenn did a better job. And Simon says he totally disagrees with the decision.

Alexis Grace will be away from her daughter if she makes it through to the Top 36. She makes it, so I guesss she will find a way to deal.

Scott Macintyre makes it, too. Ryan doesn't try to high-five him this time.

Lil Rounds hopes to make it through to improve her family's situation. The judges drag it out, but she makes it. On her way out, Simon Cowell comments that she is fantastic, "a good, old-fashioned singer."

Felicia Barton, Ashley Hollister and Devon Baldwin all find out they didn't make it. And like with the guys above, it's the first screen time they've gotten.

Frankie Jordan and Jesse Langseth will be in a sing-off, but Jesse hasn't really been on the show much, so I'm guessing Frankie is making it. Frankie is uber-nervous and her performance is not great. (Simon says: "Well, that made it easier for us.") Then Jesse sings, and she sounds better, but Simon tells her it was a horrible song choice. Jesse makes it, but Frankie doesn't. Simon says, "Frankie, if it's any consolation, you wouldn't have won anyway." Then he tells Jesse that, "based on that, you won't either." Yikes. And so much for my predictions.

Shera Lawrence and Derik Lavers find out they aren't making it. They cry.

Allison Iraheta is 16 and worked really hard to make an impression during Hollywood week. And though we have barely seen her thus far, so she's not had a chance to make an impression on viewers, she is in the Top 36.

Danny Gokey is hoping he and his best friend make it through. Randy Jackson asks how he thinks he did, and he says that he thinks he did well under pressure. Simon and Kara ask if he thinks he can be relevant, and he says he thinks he is relevant. Randy welcomes him to Season 8.

Then it's Jamar Rogers' turn (that's the best friend in question). Kara tells him that she isn't sure the risks he took during Hollywood week paid off, but the look on her face totally says, "Psych! You made it!" Except that then she tells him he is not going on to the Top 36. The holding room is mute with shock. So is Danny.

Ricky Braddy, Matt Giraud, Marylander Ju'Not Joyner, Brent Keith and Jorge Nunez all learn that they have made the cut.

Stephen Fowler says he thinks he was doing an excellent job until the final day of Hollywood week, when he lost his lyrics and walked out. He tries to plead his case, but they tell him it's too late. Then they tell him he is in the Top 36. Didn't they say some time during Hollywood week that if you forgot your words, you were out?

Norman Gentle/Nick Mitchell kept trying to decide between his comedic persona or his real persona. He shows up at the judges' table as himself, but he tells them his dream is to perform as his character on the show. Turns out that is what they (not including Simon) want -- Norman is through. Really? Nick says it is unbelievable, and Simon says, yep, it is. I concur.

Jackie Tohn says she thought she did well during Hollywood week. Randy says it's been hard having to say goodbye to some people, but she makes it, and she jumps up and dances and takes her shoes off and sprints out of the room.

Tatiana del Toro is next. Please no. No, OK? Please. I cannot deal with her. She squeals when she comes in the room, and Simon tells her to be quiet and to try to not be annoying. She shows Paula the bracelet from her line that she bought, and Tatiana tells her how she really wanted the ring, but it was sold out and she cried. And Paula comes over and gives her the ring off her finger. Simon gives Paula crap for promoting her jewelry line "on live television." Oh, and Tatiana gets through. Bleh. Well, as they remind us in the clips, she can sing, she just shouldn't be allowed to get near the cameras otherwise. Ryan says they look forward to seeing what she brings to their live shows. Aha. It suddenly makes sense.

Jackie Midkiff and Nathaniel Marshall are best buds, and of course, are thus in a sing-off. Jackie hasn't gotten a ton of screen time, but Nathaniel has -- he was Mr. Drama throughout everything. Now we get his backstory -- he has lived with lots of members of his family because his mother is in prison because of a drug problem. As I am making fun of his outfit, Simon asks him, "What are you wearing?" Jackie sings, and Kara questions why he is in this position because he is good. Nathaniel sings, and then they make him leave and wait. Nathaniel sits by Jackie, crying about how he wants it so bad but doesn't want to take away Jackie's dream. Nathaniel makes the Top 36, but Jackie doesn't. Randy tells Jackie to come back next time. Actually, because of all the drama he created, I hadn't noticed before, but Nathaniel's voice isn't bad.

Probably no one will believe me, but during the first sing-off, I said to my husband that they were totally going to make the oil-rig worker and the welder face off. Guess what is happening after the break?

Jeanine Vailes, Kai Kalama, Anne Marie Boskovich and Kris Allen all learn they are in the Top 36.

Matt Breitzke and Michael Sarver will be facing off in a sing-off. Matt is the welder, and Michael is the oil-rig roughneck. They sing, and they wait. Simon says he likes both of them, but he's not sure either could win. Oh, twisty, they both get through. Awww. That's sweet, but I bet Danny and Jamar are sad.

For the next three weeks, the Top 36 will perform in groups of 12. Looking forward to it! What did you think of the choices for Top 36.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (40)
Categories: American Idol
        

After a truly lackluster cycle -- with the exception of Isis and Sheena -- America's Next Top Model will be back for its 12th season this month. Here's the latest crop of hopefuls. One even hails from Maryland! The new season premieres at 8 p.m. Feb. 25 March 4 (it got bumped a week; thanks for the heads up, nm) on The CW. Click on this link to see the girls!

The cast includes:

Allison, 20, an artist from New Orleans 

Aminat, 21, a student from Union, N.J. 

Celia, 25, from Cynthiana, Ky. 

Fo, 19, a student from Albuquerque 

Isabella, 19, an aspiring model from Barboursville, Va. 

Jessica, 18, a student from Bradenton, Fla. 

Kortnie, 24, a nonprofit organizer from Houston 

London, 18, a student from Arlington, Texas 

Natalie, 19, a student from Palos Verdes, Calif. 

Nijah, 18, an aspiring model from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. 

Sandra, 19, a student from Rockville, Md. 

Tahlia, 18, a student from Phoenix

Teyona, 20, a loss prevention representative from Woodstown, N.J.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

On tonight's American Idol, those left standing in the Hollywood round have one last chance to sing for the judges -- with a band, backup singers and, if they choose, their own instrument. No comments or results until the end of the day.

There are 72 people left, and after their final audition, they will be divided into four rooms. But first there's those auditions.

Adam Lambert and his eyeliner are up first. He sings "Believe" by Cher, but he doesn't sing in a disco way at all. There had been some discussion in previous rounds that he was too musical theater, and while he looks to have tried to tone it down, I'm not sure he did that enough.

Matt Giraud, the dueling piano player who got compared to Elliott Yamin in his first audition, performs with his keyboard -- giving a blues-tinged rendition of "Georgia." He gets a standing O from competitors and the judges.

Jamar Rogers sings "Hey There, Delilah," and he has toned down some of the cheese from his earlier auditions. The judges are impressed, and his best friend, Danny, is too.

Danny Gokey is next, and Paula is totally in his corner, jittering all over the place, as he sings "I Hope You Dance." He's good.

Anoop Desai sings "My Prerogative," and he's great fun; then Jorge Nunez .

Scott Macintyre, who is visually impaired, is most comfortable behind the piano, finally gets to perform that way. He sings "Home."

Kendall Beard (bubbly Texan who was one of the few who got through in Puerto Rico), Stevie Wright (16-year-old named for Stevie Nicks), Lil Rounds (single mom of three) and Kristen McNamara (in one of the total drama groups last week) get a little screentime for their auditions.

Mishavonna Henson got cut on day two of Hollywood Week last season and hopes to make it through this time.

My TV cuts out for a bit, so I miss some of the joke about Tatiana Del Toro. She's the one with the crazy giggle who wouldn't stop singing. She is really, really happy with her performance. She even twirls.

Alexis Grace, Kenny Hoffpauer and Jasmine Murray get a little bit of screen time, with Ryan saying they should be proud of their performances (though none of them was particularly fantastic to my ear).

Nathaniel Marshall does an acoustic version of "Disturbia" over clips of the drama from his time in Hollywood fighting with his group.

Joanna Pacitti (the woman who had a record deal and had created some controversy over whether she was truly an amateur) totally spaces out on her words, which leads to a montage of people, including Casey Carlson and Stephen Fowler, losing their lyrics. Ouch.

I'm not feeling the editing decision to cut back and forth between the end of the evening, when the contestants are sitting in their respective rooms waiting to hear whether they made it and back to the beginning of the day, when the auditions took place. We're supposed to get super worked up when Tatiana gets called out of one room and moved to another. Yawn.

Nick Mitchell, the comedian who has performed as his alter ego Norman Gentle, couldn't decide who to perform as, but he went with his comic side for his final audition. He sings "Georgia," writhing all over the floor.

Ann Marie Boskovich freaks out just before her audition because so many others were singing "I Hope You Dance," but she goes with it anyway.

Ju'Not Joyner, who is from Bowie, Md., the first local I've noticed so far, has been "flying under the radar," according to Ryan Seacrest's narration. He sings a slowed-down version of "Hey There, Delilah," and he's pretty good, especially considering that the judges weren't sure about his star quality in his initial audition, as we see for the first time. It looks like they weren't sure, but then his adorable son came in, and they voted him through to Hollywood.

Kaylan Loyd gets interrupted during her rendition of "If I Ain't Got You" -- Simon just stops her without a word, and afterward, she freaks out.

Leneshe Young is the woman who had been homeless at times and who sang one of the first original songs we've ever heard during her initial audition. She sings Sara Barellies' "Love Song," and she's pretty good, though she is stressed afterward.

Kai Kalama had a pretty rough final audition because his voice was worn out after the crazy week.

Michael Sarver is the oil-rig worker hoping to make it to Idol so he can move on to a safer job for his family.

At long last, it's decision time. Room 2 gets the news first. They do the typical total mess-with-them thing, leading them to believe that they are cut, but they are through. This includes: Michael Sarver, Jasmine Murray, Joanna Pacitti, Kai Kalama, Nathaniel Marshall, Alexis Grace, Casey Carlson, Ariana someone whose last name I don't catch.

The other room hears the celebration and begins to question their chances. India Morrison. Michael Castro, Kaylan Loyd and Leneshe Young get the word that they aren't through.

Then it's time for Room 1. They drag it out again, but this group is going on. It includes Scott Macintyre, Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai, Jamar Rogers, Adam Lambert, Jorge Nunez and Jackie someone (another last name they didn't put on screen earlier for some reason).

So there is one room left, and they've heard two rooms cheer already, so they are stressing out. Tatiana is freaking out. God, she's annoying. But she's moving through. A bunch of people, including Marylander Ju'Not Joyner and comedian Nick Mitchell, are through.

It's not over, though. These last ... however many ... have to make that long walk to the judges' table tomorrow night and find out whether they are among the Top 36. Sounds like some of them are going to have to sing for their survival. Intriguing! See you then!

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: American Idol
        

Tyra Banks is hoping to lure a few more viewers this season by featuring crooners Clay Aiken and Ciara as guest judges on America's Next Top Model.

I say pull out all the stops, Tyra. The show is in desperate need of new life. Last cycle's winner McKey was lackluster to say the least. With that said, I question the addition of Clay Aiken. I mean, seriously? He's not exactly bursting with fashion-forwardness, sex appeal or "true" fame ...

The new season of Top Model premieres at 8 p.m. Feb. 25 on the CW.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: America's Next Top Model
        

A freak accident to Ji resulted in a stay of execution for dead-weight Colleen and Lacey last night on Hell's Kitchen.

The private caterer slipped on something in the kitchen during prep time and injured her ankle. She toughed it out and completed the dinner service, but the pain proved too much and she sacrificed herself. I'll get to that later.

The episode started with a challenge. The contestants had to retrieve and clean as many scallops as possible within a time limit. The contestants split into the men against women. The men won -- barely.

The men were rewarded and went to Catalina Island. The women were punished with prepping for Hell's Kitchen’s first-ever "raw bar." (Basically, they had to shell scallops and shuck oysters.)
Meanwhile, Chef Gordon Ramsay told Robert that he could not fly out on a helicopter to the Catalina Island because he weighed too much. Apparently, the helicopter company’s insurance has a weight restriction. Instead, Robert was allowed to go to the island via a water ferry. To add insult to injury, the ferry ride took so long that when Robert arrived, it was time to return to Hell’s Kitchen. (Ouch!)

Meanwhile, Lacey claimed that she was sick and remained in bed while the the rest of her teammates suffered through their shellfish punishment. She "recovered" just in time to join her teammates six hours into the task. Needless to say, they were pretty disgusted with her.

Later during dinner service, Colleen kept on screwing up in the kitchen. She burned scallops and salmon. Needless to say, Ramsay was beyond incensed. He called Colleen a "stupid cow."

He also told her that she was "robbing people" and that she was a "thief" for charging people at the cooking school that she owns. Ramsay then kicked Colleen out of the kitchen and made her work on the raw bar. She vowed not to let Ramsay "break her."

The two teams were neck and neck throughout dinner service. They were only separated by one table. The men's team squeaked out the victory.

Ramsay charged the women to nominate two teammates for eviction. They chose Colleen and Lacey.

Colleen said that she was committed to the competition. Lacey pointed out that she had to take over for Colleen on the meat station.

Just before Ramsay announced his decision, Ji threw herself on the sword and asked to leave.  Ramsay told her she did "bloody well." He also told her to keep her chef's jacket to represent the good work she did on the show. She received a round of applause from all the contestants as she was wheeled out of the kitchen.

Posted by John-John Williams IV at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Hell's Kitchen
        

The next season of Dancing With the Stars kicks off on March 9, which is a lot sooner than it sounds. The new cast has been announced and includes:

Singer Belinda Carlisle

Comedian and actor David Alan Grier

Singer Jewel

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson

Rapper and plastic surgery fan Lil' Kim

Rodeo champion Ty Murray

Jackass star Steve-O

Access Hollywood anchor Nancy O'Dell

Actress and reality TV star Denise Richards

NFL defensive superstar Lawrence Taylor

Singer Chuck Wicks

"Silicon Valley icon," former Apple designer and onetime Kathy Griffin boyfriend Steve "The Woz" Wozniak

One twist this year is that there will be three couples involved: Jewel will compete against her husband, Ty Murray; Julianne Hough will compete with her boyfriend, Chuck Wicks; and engaged pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff will compete, too.

What do you think of the new cast?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Dancing With the Stars
        

It's Maryann helming the Top Chef ship this week, and I have to warn you -- no photos this week, as the Bravo Web geeks have gotten stingy. No matter -- we don't need no stinking photos! We have the drama! Well, sort of. We at least will have Mary joining us later with her commentary. Here I am!

As usual, we start off with the cheftestants in Chez Chef, the winners and losers reflecting on the previous mission. Stefan says he feels lucky that he got to stay, while his comrade in, er, Europeanness says he feels like poo being at the bottom. The Top Chef editors then show him talking to his wife on the nifty cool phone we're supposed to recognize and go out and buy, but uh, I'm not falling for your advertising tricks.

I love the exchange between him and his wife -- they speak in half-Italian, half English, and when she tells him that everything's going well at the restaurant, he responds, "Every time you say everything's good, I come back and everything's burned down to the ground, you open up a hamburger shack in West Hollywood." Mention of his wife is what turned it around for me with Fabio, and I'm fearful now -- family shots usually mean you're going home in Top Chef video editing school.

Meanwhile, Hosea's patting himself on the back because he's the last American male chef. Merr, you're lame. Meanwhile, Carla's fired up! As she is shown cutting cheese (Hee! I couldn't help myself!), Carla says she's happy in the top six, but she's been underestimated. She's got her eyes on the top four. We are looking forward to seeing her there.

Bring it on.

Quickfire

Into the kitchen. Eric Ripert, Frenchie owner of French-sounding seafood restaurant Le Bernadin, is the Quickfire Challenge guest judge. I like this guy. He's on top of his game and he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. (He also owns this place in D.C.) The judges dig him, too. "He's the god of French chefs," Fabio says. Meanwhile Hosea starts sweating. He says he's nervous not only because Ripert is a good chef, but because he cooks fish. (And Hosea works at a seafood restaurant in Colorado.)

And the challenge, appropriately, is a fish filleting tournament. Excuse me while I yawn and Mary gags. I'm so glad my TV isn't scratch and sniff.

First round: Sardines. "It's a wee little fish!" says Carla in a kinda British accent. Funny.

Hosea struggles, and Leah seems determined to prove herself, since her fish track record isn't so great on the show. However, a minute later, she's already saying, out loud, stuff like, "Oh, my God, I should go home right now. It's tore up." Klassy.

At first judging, Carla keeps it to her usual realness. She doesn't even show hers, she's so ashamed of how it would look against Ripert's beautiful sample sardine. Leah's isn't bad, and Jamie's kinda is, as she admits she's never filleted a sardine in her life.

Fabio passes with flying colors, and he admits he had a lot of practice early in life with sardines (and chopping onions). Hosea tells Ripert his thing is seafood (No! Don't do that!) and that he's not pleased with his performance.

I thought  he was kind of ripping off Carla's thing -- he said almost exactly what she said about her filleting, and was far less genuine.

Leah and Fabio are in the top, Jamie and Carla are out.

Second round: Arctic char. (That is a MASSIVE fish!)

Jamie and Carla watch and giggle on the sidelines as the rest work it out. Well, everyone but Leah. She just gives up. Fabio ends up in the bottom with her for leaving lots of meat with the head. "One Euro down," Hosea says, as he does a competitive (?) kissyface at Stefan. Stefan, not to be one to pass up a flirt of any fashion, responds in kind.

That was a really odd moment. I can't be entirely sure it happened that way.

Hosea has some weird obsessive homoerotic love/hate thing going on with Stefan. The longer he goes uneliminated, the weirder that boy gets. It's true! I still think he's trying to make up for getting too sappy with Leah a couple episodes ago.

Third round: Fresh water eel.

Stefan's eyes light up as Padma informs them that they have to fillet and peel the sucker, which -- by the way -- IS STILL MOVING. Creepyweirdgross. I second the look on Carla's face, which I think could fairly be translated to "Aw hell naw."

"Skinning an eel is like riding a bike," Stefan says, as he's shown nailing the eel to the cutting board to skin it, and filleting that sucker quicker than you can say eelbike. This bit is no contest -- Stefan leaves Hosea in the dust, and after he is crowned the victor, he explains that he grew up eating and preparing eel.

"Just another reason why Europe is so great," Hosea says as he rolls his eyes.

I really didn't get the connection there. Stefan said eel is huge in Germany -- really? Where does it come from? Also, the entire skinning process was incredibly disgusting.

Morning and a meal

The chefs wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, perhaps because they get to have lunch in the private dining room at Le Bernadin!

"Morning, Fabio," Hosea says.

"It's a pleasure to see you instead of my wife," Fabio responds.

At Le Bernadin, they prepare to taste six dishes on Ripert's menu.

First, sourdough-crusted red snapper and tomato-basil consomme. It looks so tasty, as does the brown Frenchie who introduces each dish. Fabio drools over the baked mahi mahi with miso and matsutake mushroom sauce, because the boy loves the mushrooms. He mentions that he's happy to see simple dishes because that's what he does. "No frou frou, not too many components on the plate," he says. And I can't help but think of poor, complicated Jeff. All alone now with his complexes ...

Next up, baked lobster with asparagus and hollandaise. It's so good that Leah just wants to give "cute" Ripert a hug. (Another odd moment. I am beginning to think that men are Leah's weakness, and that this show is not the first time.) Meanwhile, Jamie is unimpressed and bored and uninspired. Hmmm. (I am all of those things, too, but only in relation to her. Also, she could have dressed up a little more for the lunch. Everyone else looked nice!)

Let's move on to dish four -- oil-poached escolar with potato crisps and red wine bernaise. Ripert asks Carla where she's from, and he shares that he started in her hometown -- D.C. -- at the Watergate Hotel. She ate there too, before it closed, when she was in culinary school. "When I was growing up, I wanted to major in theater," Carla says. "But now, this is what I want to be when I grow up. One of his dishes." Hilarious.

Next up, za'atar-spiced monkfish with black garlic. (That was my learning moment of the episode -- I didn't know what it was, and now I want to try it! I also must say that some of these dishes, particularly the snapper, really made me want to give eating fish another shot.) This doesn't seem to be anyone's favorite. And lastly, sauteed black bass with braised celery and serrano ham peppercorn sauce, which isn't Jamie's favorite. She thinks the sauce is weird and doesn't care for celery. I love celery, but I feel Jamie on this one. Big slices of celery just don't look appetizing. Not to mention BRAISED celery. Ew.

Overall, Ripert's food looks delicious, but for all that talk about simplicity, his food still seems too fussy, with all the pouring of sauces and such.

At any rate, when everyone's all happy and full, Tom mentions there's one more course. (I love the "Huh?" look on Hosea's face.) Out come the challenge knives. "I guess there's no dessert," says Fabio. (Have I mentioned how much I love him?)

Le Challenge d'Elimination

Their challenge? They have to re-create the dishes they just ate. And Stefan gets to pick his dish. He wasn't paying attention to the menu, Stefan says. "I was enjoying the food."

He picks the lobster, and Hosea immediately says "I knew it!" in a tight voice. 

"I think it's an easy dish, and he knows it," Hosea says. "It's the easy way out." Whoa Tiger. My Presssshus!

That's what happens when you win the Quickfire and get an advantage! It's what anyone, Hosea included, would have done.

Carla draws the escolar, Hosea the monkfish, Leah the mahi mahi, Fabio, the red snapper, and Jamie gets the black bass, her hated dish. "I don't feel great about cooking the fish, but that's the challenge," she says. At this point, looking at Jamie with her hair and Bermuda shirt all askew, I'm suspicious. I have a feeling she doesn't make it.

They get two hours to prep and practice, a chance for Eric to critique, and then they get 15 minutes each to prepare dishes for the judges.

Carla's nervous about oil-poaching fish for the first time, Fabio's happy, and Jamie ponders how to braise celery and make a sauce with ham. (Good question!) Stefan cooks his lobster and does a nice little play to the camera cleaning the lobster.

Leah mentions she once served as lead fish cook and that she has to show everyone she really knows how to prepare fish. Riiiight.

Meanwhile, Hosea says he's not schooled as a chef and that sometimes it comes to haunt him. (What does that mean? He never went to culinary school?) Like with using za'atar. And Leah, who's had training, is concerned about her miso.

Ripert comes in to critique, and everyone seems to be doing well, especially Carla, who mentions she went to French cooking school and is in her comfort zone with this kind of food. (She really  looks it, too -- methodical, calm, sure of herself.) Well, not everyone. Hosea's still struggling with the amount of spice, and Jamie's absent -- turns out she didn't finish in time for a critique.

Upstairs, (I imagine the dining room is upstairs, but what do I know?) Tom mentions that this experience is enough to scare the chefpants off anybody. (I'm going to start calling you Chefpants, Maryann.) I giggled at chefpants, but I agree with Tom. I initially thought this challenge was lame and inhibited chefs' creativity, but it's really a great test of a chef's palate and fortitude. Not to mention memory!

At service, Fabio worries that his bread is overdone, but he fares well in the dining room. I notice a pattern of overdoneness with him; I wonder if it will eventually come to bite him in the booty. Good observation!

Leah worries worries worries. Her fish isn't done. There's not enough miso in her sauce, so she puts a dab of miso underneath the fish. I'm not a classically trained chef, but even I know that's not a smart move. The judges aren't impressed at all. Tom just tastes ginger, Toby says it's dull, and Ripert's fish is overcooked.

Stefan finishes his dish and hands out the leftover lobster to the chefs. I can haz lobster? The judges note that Stefan's hollandaise is noticeably thicker, but he did mix his by hand, while Ripert's kitchen makes their hollandaise with blenders. In her one line of the evening, Padma says Stefan is dangerously nipping at his heels.

Carla has problems with the heat of her oil, and as she's running around, you can't help but notice the big blue bandage on her hand too. Did she get hurt in the rush? She barely plates her food, but makes it, thanks to her fellow chefs. The judges love it. Tom says it's a difficult dish, and Ripert says he thinks she got it.

There seems to be a lot of camaradie in the chefs who are left -- lots of hugging, kissing (Stefan), helping, advising. With the noted exception of Hosea to Stefan.

Meanwhile, Hosea, The Fish Guy, in case you missed that (I had! Thanks for the clarification), is concerned about the monkfish and his crust. As his dishes go out, he hopes his technique shines through his failures in the dish. No dice. The sauce is close, but the fish is a failure. And Tom lets Ripert know He's The Fish Guy, just in case we've all forgotten from two minutes ago. It's the least precise of the dishes, Tom says.

Ripert seemed VERY surprised to learn that about Hosea. 

With Jamie, she says she feels good about her fish, but her celery isn't soft enough. And she leaves it to cook a little more, the broth over-reduces, and she ends up with salty, overcooked celery. But it's too late now! Time for plates to go! Tom calls the celery a salt lick. Toby says the dish is remarkably poor. And Ripert says the dish isn't that difficult to make. Ruh roh.

Judges' Table

They all toast in the stew room. "Doesn't matter how we do, you rule my world," Fabio says.

Padma then calls Stefan, Fabio and Carla in. Hosea looks like he's about to blow chunks.

The judges first focus on Stefan, who says he loves lobster and knew the ingredients.

"So you found it pretty easy?" Tom asks. Stefan insists that isn't the case. Hmmm. Maybe obsessed Hosea has a point. How hard is it to make lobster, hollandaise and uncooked asparagus? (Again, I have no love for this. It was part of the challenge, and Stefan chose wisely.)

Fabio gets pats on the back all around, and then the judges move to Carla.

Ripert asks about the sauce which wasn't really a bernaise. "It was more like a beurre rouge," she said, and goes into adding butter and other chef-ish thing. Toby looks shocked at the talk of technique and adds that he thought "it was rich, powerful, had some swagger to the dish." If he were to give the dish a name, he says, it would be Pablo Escobar. Ha. Ha.

And the winner is ... CARStefan!

What?! Carla and everyone knew it was her! How did she not win, with the difficulty and figuring out the sauce? I'm mystified. She briefly looks like she got punched in the gut. Meanwhile, Stefan wins Ripert's book, a chance to follow him in the kitchen, and a trip with him to the food and wine festival. Carla seems to take it in stride, so I will be mad for her! She was robbed!

Hosea, Leah and Jamie are then brought out to slaughter. Hosea says he's somewhat surprised he's out for elimination (really?!) but offers excuses -- he hasn't cooked with za'atar.

Leah flubs her defense, and Tom brings up her giving up during Quickfire. Does she really want to be there? She says she does, but it doesn't sound like it. She sounds like a high school kid who got caught smoking behind the gym and is saying all the right things to get out of trouble. Maybe like a certain hometown boy? :)

When it comes to Jamie, she says she's not surprised and details all the things that went wrong. When Padma says she would have sent the dish back -- it did look pretty horrible -- Jamie looks like she's about to cry. 

Back in the stew room, Jamie calls it for her. Leah then pipes up and says it's her. Whatever, girl.

Hosea makes excuses in the stew room while the judges fight between Leah and Jamie. Leah doesn't pay attention, Tom says. Jamie doesn't seem to understand what went wrong, Toby says. Um, did you miss the whole part where she explained what went wrong?

In the end, Jamie gets kicked off, the second bad call of the night! Leah got lucky for the second time in this competition, and I once again wonder why I keep watching.

It definitely should have been Leah. I can't even think of a good reason the producers may have skewed that call -- she's not interesting, she can't cook, she and Hosea are finito, so what's the deal?

Next week: Fabio hurts his hand while the chefs duke it out for the Final Four spots.

Posted by Maryann James at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Top Chef
        

I feel 1) like I say this every season about American Idol, and 2) like I already said it about last night's show. But it's still true: I want to see more singing. More than 100 folks took part in the group auditions, and how many did we really see? A fraction.

Some amazing group performances did get some airtime, but I would have preferred more of them. I would have even rather seen more of the people-falling-apart auditions than so much of the behind-the-scenes drama for the last two groups that performed.

As per usual, the producers oversold the dramatic new changes in the season. I was expecting a lot more from tonight's episode. But what sticks with me are the few clips of excellent singing we were shown, which leaves me wanting more, and not in a good way.

What do you think about tonight's show?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: American Idol
        

First up, thanks to John-John for filling in for me last-minute on Thursday. Have a bit of a family situation going on at the moment. Speaking of which, this won't be the usual minute-by-minute recap because I was watching on the TV in my son's hospital room. (He's going to be fine; we just had to get some tests done unexpectedly, and it's been taking a while.)

Anyway, enought about me and back to tonight's American Idol! Among the much-talked-about changes in this season were the decreased emphasis on bad auditions and the increased emphasis on the Hollywood round. Tonight's episode, though, didn't feel much different from the past Hollywood episodes. For the first part of Hollywood week, the contestants had to sing one song a capella and then either go to the next part or go home. Separating the wheat from the chaff, as it were.

It felt like we didn't get to see that many people actually sing, just a lot of clips of background drama. One thing that was new was that the contestants got to consult with stylists and voice coaches before this round. Did it help any of them? Dunno, we didn't really get enough context to figure that out.

It seems like there were a ton of folks who made it to Hollywood and never got one lick of screen time. I know that happens every season, but I guess the shortened but still packed-with-filler auditions contributed, too.

So, some of the folks who made it through: Bikini Girl (who was rather unrecognizable with her clothes on, hmm), the best friends who included the guy whose wife passed away shortly before his first audition, Rose (the teen who recently lost both of her parents), and quite a few others.

If I recall correctly (but this is with low volume, half-attention and no notes), 104 people made it to the next part, the group auditions. We've been told the group auditions will get a lot more attention, and I hope that's true. The dynamics are always so interesting.

What did you think about tonight's show? Also, is it just me, or is new judge Kara DioGuardi still not really adding much to judges' table? Maybe during the live show. We'll see.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: American Idol