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David Zurawik posted today about MTV's plans for a docudrama on Pedro Zamora, the star of The Real World: San Francisco who was an AIDS activist and later died from the disease.
Check out his entry here.
Can you feel the drama? Two dancers are going home on tonight's Dancing With the Stars. Well, I guess that's technically four, as two pairs will be out.
Let's see how it all plays out.
Co-host Samantha Harris is still sick, so she will be resting her voice for most of the night. YAY! I wish it was always that way. Cough.
There is a huge recap of last night, but Carla covered that for us already. (Thanks, Carla!)
Speaking of recaps, the judges want to see Gilles and Cheryl's Argentine tango again. I can't blame them for that! I was saying literally right before the performance yesterday that I thought he was overrated, but this dance proved me wrong.
Some results: Gilles and Cheryl are safe. Lawrence and Edyta are too. The first couple in the bottom three is Holly and Dmitry. Holly's sad, but maybe in the dance-off she won't fall off the stool at first. Except there isn't one this week, so never mind on that.
Then Kevin Randolph performs, as do some of the pros. Kevin, whatever, but the pros kick some tail.
Samantha fails to rest her voice and does an interminable interview with the couples who have gotten some news. Then, more results: Shawn and Mark are safe.
For the Stars of Dance performance, a number of pros perform a number choreographed by Louis Van Amstel, who has paired with stars on previous seasons.
More results: Chuck and Julianne are safe. Steve-O and Lacey are in the bottom three.
Boyz II Men perform.
Results, results: Lil' Kim and Derek are safe, as are Melissa and Tony.
Montage, then more results: Ty and Chelsie are safe. Steve and Karina are on the bottom three, which means David and Kym are safe.
No dance-off tonight. But ... the actual results!
Holly and Dmitry are out.
Steve Wozniak and Karina are also out.
So Steve-O and Lacey are safe.
What do you think about the results? I think these are some good cuts and we can get past the novelty acts and watch more good dancing.
On tonight's American Idol, it's an open kind of theme: The Top 9 can pick any song as long as it's a popular download on iTunes. Hmmm ... interesting. Now we'll see what they're really made of! Or something.
Anoop Desai is first, and he'll be singing "Caught Up" by Usher. It seems like a good idea in theory -- it's more upbeat, and more his style, I guess, but something about it doesn't quite work for me. I feel like he thinks his stage persona is a little stronger than it actually is, and that makes it a tad bit awkward. Vocally, it seems good, though some of the runs are a bit overdone. The audience is behind him 100 percent. Randy Jackson said he "picked up your swagger" and he thought the vocals were good, but the song choice was a little off, so he's torn. Kara DioGuardi says if you pick Usher, you have to do crazy riffs, and she says it feels like "a bunch of frat guys dared you to get up and sing Usher or something." Paula Abdul says he needs to work on his stage presence and "create some signature stabs with the band." Simon Cowell looks as perplexed as I am by that. He says, "It was a complete and utter mess. ... You came over as a wannabe. I didn't see any originality. ... It actually gave me a headache." Ryan gives Anoop a chance to talk back, and that was probably not a good thing. He gets mouthy with Kara about how he wants to be an R&B artist and he disagrees with her. Special guest visitor, my mom, says, "It was boring, Anoop, and I like you." Word.
Megan Joy Corkrey plans to sing "Bob Marley/Lauryn Hill's 'Turn Your Lights Down Low.'" She says she's excited to sing something she absolutely looooooves. While this seems like it suits her voice better, it's just not working for me. I think she's out of her league. But it's way better than "Rockin' Robin"! Kara says, "I really like you, but I think you're in trouble. ... I want to hear Adele, 'Chasing Pavements' ... That part of your range was getting irritating." Paula says at this stage, she needs to "take us by surprise and dig deep to an area that might not be comfortable." Simon says the problem is that the song was boring, indulgent and monotonous and that everything they liked about her is disappearing. Randy says it was like watching paint dry, even though he loves the song. He calls out Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Adele as people whose songs she should be singing.
Danny Gokey is next. He's taking on "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts. It's clear he's chosen the song for the meaning of its lyrics, but he's having trouble vocally. He's uncharacteristically shrieky at times. Paula says she would hit repeat in her car. Simon says they weren't on the same page last week, but this, he believes was his best performance of the competition. Really? Randy says tonight's show starts right here. Kara says he moved everyone emotionally and that she had some goosebumps. (I believe Simon asks her, "Where?" Classy.) Guest mom is with the judges on Danny, so maybe I'm just out of sorts tonight?
Allison Iraheta is busting out the guitar for No Doubt's "Don't Speak," which she says she "grew up listening to." Oh, yes, she is so young. For the first part of the performance, she plays guitar and sings it quietly, and she rocks every second of it. The second part is a little rough, but still good. Randy says she got a little ahead of the beat and talks about the performance, "but, dude, what are you wearing?" Kara says the rock comes out of her no matter what's she's wearing, so she doesn't have to "put all that on yourself." She closes saying it was a good performance, but not her best. Paula is glad to see her guitar and that she has great vocal prowess. Simon says they can't ignore the outfit because it made her seem like a precocious daughter trying to dress and act like a rock star, which overpowered part of the performance. He adds that she shouted the song, but the other judges aren't with him on that.
Scott MacIntyre is going to sing Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are." So I really think Scott is out of his league here, too, though he has some decent moments with the song. But overall, not fab. Kara says he made some smart decisions by picking that song, stripping it down and just singing it from an honest place. She also loves his look, including his big hair. Paula says she is most proud of Scott, "and it has nothing to do with your challenge." She says it was a risk without the orchestra, but it paid off. Simon says this was his best performance so far "by a country mile." Randy calls him one of the best of the night.
Matt Giraud is going to sing The Fray's "You Found Me," the most current song we've heard on Idol in a long time. He's on the keyboard off to the side surrounded (like really close) by audience members who, by the way, can't figure out which beat to clap on. He mixes the song up a little so note-wise it doesn't sound exactly like The Fray, but somehow, his enunciation sounds very, very similar to the original, which is a strange choice. Paula says she appreciates the contemporary choice, but he didn't riff or use his falsetto enough. She says it was a soundalike to the singer. (Hey, I agree with Paula for once.) Simon says he should be happy they don't like him this week since that usually means he's safe. He says it felt put on, especially "the gravel in your voice." He says he should have chosen a great song and done what he did best, it would have worked. Randy says it isn't "you. ... You aren't a rock kind of singer." Kara says he's going back and forth between the rock and R&B sides of pop, and they are confused about what kind of record he would make. That said, she says, he doesn't deserve to go home. Guest mom says she thought he sounded like the lead singer of The Fray, but he still sounded pretty good.
Lil Rounds says she had a hard time picking this week because she's gotten dinged over and over again on song choice. So she's going to sing Celine Dion's "I Surrender." WHAT? The judges want her to be like Mary J. or something, so I think they are going to slaughter her for this choice. The fact that she's off-pitch for part of the song doesn't really help. Big song, but not the right song. Randy says this wouldn't have been his choice for her, but he thinks she did well with it. Kara says she was surprised, too, that Lil was better than she expected when she heard the song choice. Paula says she doesn't want to see an adult contemporary Lil Rounds. Simon says this was her singing to stay in the competition with a safe song, too soft. Ryan asks one of Lil's daughters what she thought about Randy being mean, and she doesn't know what to say. Her other daughter volunteers to go over to him, and she gives him a giant hug. Awwww.
Adam Lambert is next with Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music," which he intends to make current. Hmm. OK. He slows it down some, including the first part of the chorus, and then goes back to regular speed for the rest of the chorus, and he brings back his shriek-rock vibe a few times (Note: Not a plus, as far as I'm concerned, regardless of how technically proficient he might be). The audience goes bananas. Paula says true genius shatters expectations and then she compares him to Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler. Simon says it got rid of some of the karaoke nonsense from earlier in the day. Randy says he was afraid it would be corny, but he is "definitely in the star zone." Adam thanks Ricky Minor and the band for the arrangement. Kara says she can't wait to see what he's going to next every week.
You know, without all that mentor footage, the show goes a lot faster. More than half an hour faster, even. I wish it was always an hour and 25 minutes. Sigh.
Kris Allen says he likes to make old songs current, and he's going to try to do that this week with "Ain't No Sunshine." He says he's trying to create "one of those moments." Also, he's playing piano instead of guitar this week, and he's accompanied by a string section. He does, I have to say, a great job with the song. We'll see what the judges say about his taking on an iconic song. Randy says he's loving him. Kara says she has three words for him: "That is artistry." Paula says he made a 30-year-old song sound new and it was his best performance so far. Simon says it was a good, clever arrangement and agrees it was his best.
So what did you think? Who's in trouble? Who's got it made? Who'd you vote for?
Denise Richards is gone! Hooray!
But Tuesday brings a ... double elimination? Do the producers want to get rid of Steve Wozniak that badly? Now there will be two new dances, the Argentine tango and the lindy hop. The Argentine tango is about passion; lindy hop is similar to the jitterbug -- it's about fun and kicks, according to judge Len Goodman.
Up first are David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson with a lindy hop. Kym is wearing sneakers; that must feel nice compared to those heels the women are usually in! The dance is a good time. Not my fave, but it was pretty well done. Len says it was energetic and fun, but they occasionally lost a bit of the rhythm. It wasn't their best and wasn't their worst. Judge Bruno Tonioli liked seeing him "go for it," but that David lost a bit of the timing and footwork. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba says he's "not the youngest cookie in the bunch," so, like Len, compliments his energy. Scores: 8/7/7 = 22 David sings: "I'm so happyyyyy, Samantha!"
Lil Kim and Derek Hough try an Argentine tango. Derek isn't too familiar with the dance, so he says he has to learn it along with Kim. I think the work pays off. It is so good. The choreography is great. Here's something I never thought would come out of my mouth: Lil Kim looks classy! Bruno says, "That was the tale of a fatal beauty!" Carrie Ann says Lil Kim is the real deal. She says the drama in her body was wonderful, and that her lines were gorgeous. Len was knocked out with the choreography but wasn't knocked out with the sensuality. Bruno, Carrie and I clearly disagree. Scores: 9/8/10 = 27 (It's the first 10 of the season!)
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough are doing the lindy hop. He doesn't get over his fear of flipping over his girlfriend, so instead he leapfrogs over her in a waiter/waitress-themed dance. It's just OK for me; I still think Chuck could just, well, DO MORE. Carrie Ann liked it. However, she wants to see him (hey, I called it!) "go" for it a little more. Len says it was "competent," but that competent will only get Chuck so far. Bruno asks, "Can I have it crispier?" Bruno says it's a bit loose around the edges. Scores: 8/7/7 = 22
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska tango. I don't see much passion; his feet look heavy. Len says it was a difficult dance for someone not from the entertainment world but, hey, he remembered the dance. (Wow, what a compliment, Len!) Bruno totally disagrees. He thought he was menacing and intense, and that the football player portrayed danger. Len says, "He was just walking around." "You need to stalk like a panther!" Len adds. Carrie Ann says they executed the choreography well, but chemistry was lacking. She thinks they did a "good job." Scores: 7/5/7 = 19
Chelsie Hightower and Ty Murray plan to take chances with their lifts. He needs to work on his steps a tad bit, but the couple are so cute. He's gotten way better since his Latin dance in Week 1. Bruno says Ty was skipping and kicking with the "vitality of a young stallion." He says he's improving leaps and bounds (but could make some improvements). Carrie Ann says Chelsie is an incredible teacher. Len says their lindy hop was beyond his expectations. He also said "hot dog" and "darn my britches." Do they come up awkward phrases before the show? Scores: 9/8/8 = 25
Steve "dance for the fans" Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff try the tango. (P.S. I'm typing this on my new aluminum MacBook. Last week, the recap was done on my old iBook. Thanks Steve!) There are two props: a chair and a rose. I think a lot of time is wasted on that chair. Is Steve passionate? No. Awkward? Yes. Menacing? No. Carrie Ann says she loves what he represents, but that the dance felt long. There wasn't much going on. Len says well done for attempting a proper tango, and there was an improvement from last week (but anything over last week would be an improvement). Bruno says the only thing Steve picked up from the slums of Buenos Aires is the "stench." Scores: 4/4/4 = 12 ("We improved 20 percent!" Steve says.)
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani are lindy hopping. Their lifts are strong and fun; she's just flying. The choreography is top notch, too. It's my favorite performance from them so far. Len says they have the potential to go all the way. He says the last lift was a little sticky. Bruno says it was "eye-popping fun." He says they showed the full range of lindy hop steps. Carrie Ann has the two run over and give her high-fives. "Now, I'm impressed!" she says. Scores: 10/9/10 = 29 (The highest score of the competition so far.)
Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin don't want to follow that, I'm sure. During rehearsal, she hurts her back and goes to the doctor. She hasn't damaged anything; she's just going to be in pain. Their Argentine tango is lacking. She falls off the stool in the beginning. There is no passion, and her leg flicks are ... well, I'm sure Bruno will come up with a better adjective than me. He says it started bad, and it kept getting worse. He says her partner did all the work. She needs to be more assertive. Carrie Ann gives her credit for hanging in there, but that she needs more strength. Len thought the routine was fantastic, but she was thinking about it too much. Len sort of sees an improvement. They even get a well done from him. Scores: 5/6/5 = 16
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer try the lindy hop. He dresses as a clown during practice in an effort to loosen up. During the competition, their dance is nowhere near the quality of Melissa and Tony's, but he never gives up. However, he just sort of follows Lacey's lead. Carrie Ann says Steve's had a rough road. He's a little off on his musicality, she says. He's still being led by Lacey. Len says Carrie Ann is right. Bruno says, "This was more hopping mad than lindy hop." He thinks that Steve is overthinking. Scores: 5/5/5 = 15
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke are up next with the Argentine tango. According to my mom, their No. 1 fan is ... my dad. Once again, Gilles puts in a stellar dance. These two finally show off that believable passion that the judges have been looking for all night. I had a feeling this dance would suit Gilles. It's hard and soft, and fast and slow. Len says it was another fantastic performance. He says they showed every element in the dance. Bruno calls him the quintessential Latin lover. Carrie Ann says she can't feel her face. "Am I still here?" she asks. She says she couldn't tell which dancer was the professional and which was the celebrity. Scores: 10/10/10 = 30 (!!!)
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas do the lindy hop in cute little gym outfits. I had a feeling they'd be putting some flips in this routine, but it's almost all tricks. But it's really fun and young, and it's enjoyable to watch. Bruno says it was a spectacular feast of tricks and flips, but that it needed more dancing. Carrie Ann says she's really polished, but that she was a bit heavy on the footwork. She needed to be light on her feet. Len wanted more dancing, too. Score: 8/8/9 = 25
This week, I think Holly and Steve-O are in danger. I'll throw Mr. Wozniak in the mix, too, but we saw what his fans accomplished last week. Sarah will recap the results.
I thought American Idol was on at 9, 8 central. But NO. It started at 8 Eastern time, so I had to make a mad dash (well, drive) home from work, since I had promised Sarah I would recap the results show. Luckily, I have several friends who are fans; I called huge Kris Allen fan Kristine Marino for a big favor: Take AI notes for me till I get in front of my TV? She was happy to oblige:
Ryan Seacrest opens the show by talking to our four judges. He refers to Simon Cowell as Paula Abdul's school mate and asks what was going on with them last night. He said they should get a room. (Carla: Please don't put that image in my head, Mr. Seacrest.) Simon then clarifies that the president did not, in fact, invite him to dinner, and it was only a joke.
And now ... our Idols. The Top 10 sing a medley of Motown hits. They appear to be lip-syncing. It looks pretty cheesy. Then AI Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard sings. There's plenty of sweat on his head, and he's now a married man. (Carla: For me, Studdard and the soon-to-come Stevie Wonder just aren't as exciting as Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson.)
And finally ... we get some results.
Enter me, Carla. Thanks, Kristine!
I turn on the TV as Joss Stone and Smokey Robinson end a duet ("You're the One for Me"). I'm not too upset that I missed that. Kristine, however, adds that she loves Joss, who looked very pretty. She says the performance was a little awkward to watch, but Smokey sounded pretty good. (Apparently, this is a new song from his coming record.)
Next we learn that Allison Iraheta is safe. Good thing I voted for her about 70 times. Anoop Desai is safe ... although it sounds like Ryan is going to say otherwise. Next up is Danny Gokey. He's safe, too. America doesn't agree with Simon! (What a surprise.) It's down to Megan Joy not Corkrey and Scott MacIntyre. The person in trouble tonight is ... Scott!
When asked for input on the three in danger, Randy Jackson says Matt has rocked the mic consistently and doesn't deserve to be here. Simon says Matt and Michael are there because the public doesn't like them that much. Burn. I thought he'd say they were considering saving Matt. How could you not like Matt, America? Scott is told immediately that he is safe.
Next we have a Motown melody from Stevie Wonder. These shows are reallllllly drawn out.
We learn that Michael has the lowest number of votes. No big surprise there. It comes down to "singing for his life." He says: "I have to sing after Stevie! Oh, crap!" After he's done, the judges have NOT "decided" on his fate. Ryan reminds them that another show needs to come on. After a brief huddle, it's again no big surprise that Simon says Michael's rendition of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" can't save him. He's eliminated. Daddy's going home.
What did you think of the results?
Delayed a night because of Tuesday's presidential address, American Idol is finally back tonight. The Top 10 will be taking on the songs of Motown.
Host Ryan Seacrest lets us know that the contestants are over last week's outbreak of flu. Then we talk about how hard it was to let Alexis Grace go and not save her. *yawn* Then he asks Paula Abdul about how she often wants them to step out of their box and what does she expect from them tonight. She says something about challenging their artistic integrity. Can we get to the singing now?
For the young and/or uninformed, we get a little history about Motown (which, by the way, is turning 50 this year). The contestants got to meet Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy when they visited Detroit. The tour also included a tour of historic Studio A.
Smokey rejoined them in L.A. to help them prepare for tonight's performances.
Matt Giraud is up first. He's singing "Let's Get It On" (however, unlike previous Idol contestants, he does not dedicate it to his parents). He starts out at the piano, then stands up and works the stage for the rest of the performance. Strangely, he's dressed like it's business casual day from the waist up. That aside, he does a lovely job with the song, and doing part on piano and part not was a good plan. Randy Jackson says he just proved he's a front-runner. Kara DioGuardi says it was a solid performance and definitely appealed to the women in the audience. Paula says his riffs were tasteful, classy and spot-on. Simon says it was a "brilliant performance" and "cool" except for the part where he came up to the judges' table.
Next is Kris Allen. He's going with "How Sweet It Is," and he's playing guitar himself again. Smokey says he blew him away in rehearsal and told him not to change a thing. He kills it. Dead. In a good way. Kara says it's great that he did it his own way, not like James Taylor or Marvin Gaye. "You did everything right on that performance," she goes on. Paula says he's coming into his own and comfortable on stage. Simon says he's having a good competition and a smart choice. He adds, though, that he needs to believe in himself and add a little swagger. "Even the way you're standing now, you could be at a bus stop." Randy says he's hit his zone and his stride. "It's all good."
Scott MacIntyre is going to slow down "You Can't Hurry Love," and yes, he is going to play piano tonight. Well, he slows it down at first; it gets faster after the first section. Anyway, it's OK, pleasant enough, I suppose, but not exactly ground-breaking. Paula says he brought new life to his performance. Simon says there was a line in the song about how much more can I take. He says his piano playing was all over the place, and it was the wrong song. He ends by calling it "cheap." "You are better than that as an artist. ... That as a standalone performance; I've seen it a million-billion times." Randy agrees that it was "a very hotel kind of performance. ... Nothing great happened with that." Kara says he brought tempo tonight, but she didn't love that he took liberties with the melody and then didn't quite nail it. Ryan asks Paula to rank Scott and the other two guys so far, and she of course totally fails to answer the question. Simon gives her crap, telling her to "answer the question ... answer the question ... answer the question." She gets flustered and goes under the table (prompting inappropriate comments all around) and comes out throwing Crayons and coloring books at Simon because he's so juvenile. Um, yeah. By the way, doing a sight gag when the blind guy is on stage isn't too considerate, Paula.
Megan Joy Corkrey (who seems to have dropped her last name, eyeroll) is going to sing "For Once in My Life." I feel like she is still maybe a little sick and tried to cover by going as loud as possible. Randy says it was a trainwreck for him. He adds that it was too fast for her to show off her voice. He calls it rushed and hectic. Kara says she should have done "My Guy" or something that suited her voice better. Paula says she's stunningly beautiful, which means she isn't going to say nice things about Megan's performance. Yep. She didn't love it. Simon says it was horrible, "and whoever is advising you, I would fire because you are getting some really bad advice. ... I think you could be in serious trouble after that performance." In case you missed it, that's Simon pushing her fans to dial like crazy. (Hey, that's what happened with Woz on DWTS, except I don't think they wanted him to stay.)
Anoop Desai is going with "Ooh Baby Baby." Smokey told him the story of how the song was created during their rehearsal, which Anoop says was amazing. When he first starts, I feel like maybe he's a little too high for his range's comfort. During the middle part, he sounds great, but during the end chorus, it sounds a little uncomfortable again. But he sells the heck out of it. Kara says it's a tough song because it goes from your chest to your head in terms of how you sing it and that he had some great moments, and some not so great, but overall, she was impressed. Paula compliments his phrasing, delivery and falsetto. Simon says it was a great vocal but that he looked half-asleep instead of the serious look he was going for. Randy says next week he needs to turn it back up and bring the good vocals too, and put it all together.
Oh, yeah, Michael Sarver is still on the show. He was sick last week and didn't get to go on the Detroit trip. He's going to sing "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," and he says he's going to "take it to church. ... I mean, sing it off the cuff and have fun with it." He's definitely got more energy than usual, though the end part is supposed to blow us away, and it's kinda bad. Paula says it felt "old Las Vegas loungey." Simon says, "I couldn't wait for it to end. You were screaming and shouting the song. ... You are taking part in this competition, but you have no chance of winning it based on that performance." Randy says the song was too big for him and he made it a little corny because he was trying to do too much. Kara says it's not about singing, but artistry right now, and that wasn't great.
Lil Rounds is taking on "Heat Wave." Smokey says she could sing the phone book. Hate that saying, but somehow when Smokey says it, you can believe it. She sings like she's singing to save her life. She seems a little manic and over-sings it some. Randy says she has mad-crazy vocals, but the front of the song "was a little bit tortured for me. ... I felt like you were rushing through the song. ... You needed a little more space." Kara says she looks great (OK, Paula), but she was the diva everyone was waiting to hear, but she doesn't think Lil nailed it. She adds that they need more from her, some interpretation. Paula disagrees completely, except that she thinks she looks awesome. Simon says she did an authentic tribute to Motown, but he doesn't think it was the right song because it didn't create "a moment" tonight.
Adam Lambert gets really nervous singing "Tracks of My Tears" for Smokey, but Smokey loves it. He goes "unplugged," Ryan says, pointing out the musicians on stage with him. He's all pompadoured out for his slowed-down, smooth performance. He does a lot of falsetto, and some of it is a little rough, but overall, he does a nice job even though it's totally different from his usual screech-rock. Smokey gives him a standing o, and how freaking cool must that be? Kara stands up, too, then: "I've got six words for you: one of the best performances of the night." Um, that's eight words. Paula says he is exciting, and "you are it." Simon: "I'm going to disagree with Kara because it was the best performance of the night." He adds that Adam did the right thing, giving it an original spin. "You tonight really have emerged as a star." Randy says he showed that he really can do anything and showed off everything in his arsenal.
Danny Gokey is going to sing "Get Ready." (When he walks in to talk to Smokey Robinson, I can't help but say, "Smokey and Gokey!") Smokey tells him he needs to sing the end of the verses himself and not leave it for the background singers. Danny says oh yeah, he's so right. But then when he performs it, he doesn't do that at all. I feel like he's singing it really fast, and maybe he just couldn't handle that much speed and the ends of the verses, too. It kind of makes him look bad, though, that he interviews about how he's going to do what Smokey said and then didn't do it. I'm sure we'll hear some explanation, though. Paula says they have to move fast, but he's undeniable and reliable and it was a first-class performance. Simon says it was clumsy and amateurish. Paula says he's nuts. Randy says he has a dope voice, but it wasn't his best performance, but the energy was great. Kara says it was good, not great, but she's still a big Danny fan. I guess because we don't have time, we won't hear why he changed his mind.
Allison Iraheta is going to show off her "little funk side" with "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." How. Is. This. Girl. 16? She does an amazing job, especially with her big closing note. Kara says it's crazy that she is 16 and that she was in the bottom three last week. "You sing like you've been singing for 400 years," she adds. "That is from God. You can't teach that." Paula has a mustache drawn on her by Simon, so Paula can barely get a sentence out. Simon is cracking up about Paula but manages to tell Allison that she was great.
Dunno why they rushed through Gokey's judges' comments. They have so much time left over that Ryan interviews Smokey and Barry afterward.
So what did you think? Who'd you vote for? Did they do Motown proud? I'd say some did, some not so much.
Tonight's Dancing With the Stars results show starts with some montages from last night, but we're here for the, well, results. So let's skip right to that.
First to find out they are safe are Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani. So are Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke, as well as Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas. Lastly, and shockingly, for this set of results, Steve Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff are safe. And Karina screams, she is so shocked, followed by some jumping around and hugging.
I usually skip over Samantha Harris' interview questions on the results show, but I have to record this one for posterity. She asks Woz if he's shocked to be safe, and he says, "I don't think I've ever been so surprised by anything in my life except for when I got served with divorce papers."
More results: Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska are safe, as are David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson and Chuck Willes and Julianne Hough. And: Lil' Kim and Derek Hough.
Next week's dances are the Lindy Hop and the Argentine Tango, which are demonstrated, sort of, by Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas.
Then, it's Hall & Oates ... They perform "Maneater." (Carla, do you recognize them yet?) Seems a little like Hall could have used some more warm-up time before the performance. After the break, it's Adele's turn, with "Chasing Pavements." She sounds amazing.
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer are safe.
Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin are in the bottom two.
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower are safe.
Denise Richards and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are also in the bottom two, so they'll be in the dance-off against Holly and Dmitry.
Holly and Dmitry are first, and they're a little better. Holly especially starts out a lot stronger than last night, and then the wheels kind of fall of again. But overall, it seems better. Len Goodman says she came out hot tonight and partied in the party dance, but he does point out a mistake "going into the running promenades." Bruno Tonioli says she is hot top, middle and bottom, but her timing wasn't fabulous. Carrie Ann Inaba says she brings a party atmosphere every night, and she's glad she kept her foot on the ground to avoid a lift. Scores: 6/6/6, for an 18/30 (a point higher than last night).
Denise and Maks are next. She clomps around a little less, but not much. She really doesn't seem to be enjoying herself at all -- even in backstage footage, which makes it not pleasant to watch her. Bruno says she improved a lot (Really?) from last night. Carrie Ann says she is good under pressure, and she worked on her hands and her presentation. Len says she proved she deserves to stay. Were they watching the same performance I was? Sigh. Scores: 6/7/7, for a 20/30 (it's weird because the scores they show on the screen are 7/7/6, and there's a lot of confusion). Bet they get it figured out during the break, but Carrie Ann is really not amused that Samantha is saying that she picked up the wrong paddle. Really not amused. After the break, Tom says yes, it was a 20/30.
And the eliminated couple is: Denise and Maks. She says she's a huge fan of the show, and at least her daughters like her dancing.
What do you think of the results? I'm OK with them.
OK, that's not news, but this brief from The Onion made me laugh. Hard.
12 dancers! Two hours during which my significant other and my cat will retreat far from the living room TV! Let's get straight to it!
First up are Denise Richards and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During rehearsal, Maks wears a frilly, two-piece pink outfit with fruit on his head a la Chiquita banana lady to get Denise to loosen up, because she is freaking out. A lot. OK, go time. The couple dance a samba to Filter's "Take a Picture," which I think is a weird song choice (I haven't heard that song since 1998 or so). I still think Denise looks ... well, bad. She kind of flops around in her short black outfit and has no rhythm, which is essential. Judge Len Goodman says the samba is the hardest of the Latin dances, and that they did well (REALLY?). Judge Bruno Tonioli says it was flat (yes!). "We are going backwards," he says. "You didn't have the party feel." Judge Carrie Ann Inaba agrees with Bruno (yes!). She says they can tell she's frightened to death. She tells her to work on her "pancake" hands. Well, I'm glad we all got that over with. Scores: 5/6/5 = 16 (out of 30).
Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough (not in a Muppet pelt) complain that everyone thinks he can dance -- but he can't! He grew up on a potato farm! In Smyrna, Del.! This week, they are taking dancing seriously, they say. They do a foxtrot to a country song, and indeed, as promised, Chuck does more dancing than he did in his salsa routine last week. I think parts of it are rather boring, but I really dislike the foxtrot. Bruno says he is a happy that he was in the "driving (driver?) seat (sometimes I can't understand Bruno, even with DVR)." Carrie Ann thinks Chuck showed them that he could be a contender. She liked how they looked in their hold. Len gives some teaching-his-wife-to-drive analogy, which his wife shouldn't be happy about, then says, "It was good, but it's not great yet." Scores: 8/7/8 = 23
(And ... on the results show, Hall & Oates will perform. I am constantly teased at The Sun for not knowing who Hall & Oates were [I thought they were a '70s folk duo -- oops!], so I guess I must tune in.)
Next are Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin. Holly cannot shake and is getting frustrated! Complain, complain, complain. She says D probably wishes he had Jewel back. Aw! She's still not very good, but she's better than Denise. Both girls look like they are concentrating too much, no? Carrie Ann says the dance was kind of rough to watch. She calls Holly's body "disjointed" and says she is being dragged around by her partner. Len says it was "hot at the top, wooden at the bottom," like a match! Hee! Bruno says her feet weren't were going the right way -- but "there's plenty to look at!" And, is it just me, or during the interview when they get the scores (5/6/6 = 17) does Dmitry seem kind of like, yeah Holly's not as good as Jewel?
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer get a second chance. I love how serious this guy is taking his dancing. Lacey goes polar opposite of last week's not-a-salsa and pulls off a traditional foxtrot. Steve-O makes some awkward faces while he dances, though, and I don't think he knows what to do with his hands when he's not in a hold. (Note from SKK: I think he was still in some pain. And after he slid into the stairs feet-first at the very end, I think he injured himself even more.) Len says he had a couple of moments when he lost it, but is pleased he tried to do a proper dance. Bruno says he started well, and then it fell into pieces. "He lost it!" he says. "You rock Steve-O!" someone in th audience yells. Carrie Ann says he's in genuine pain. She respects him for what he did tonight and is sorry he had a rough night. Lacey says he tweaked his ankle and hurt his back again. Will the fans save him again? Scores: 5/5/5 = 15
Lawrence Taylor "doesn't give up golf for nothing," but he likes the samba and will miss the links to get it down. He and Edyta Sliwinska do their best dance yet. Finally, we see that Lawrence can actually move! Bruno says he was light on his feet for a guy of his size. "You can actually do it," he says. "Have more fun with it." Carrie Ann points out his newfound confidence. She says he can probably put in more difficulty next time. Len says he'd like more rhythm coming out of his hips instead of his shoulders. He says he admires his work ethic. Scores: 7/6/7 = 20. (What is wrong with Len? The same score as Denise?!)
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas do a foxtrot. "There is nothing smooth and elegant about Shawn Johnson," she says. How cute is she? Very. Her dance is great; she glides and looks so mature. These Olympic athletes really have an edge, yes? (Speaking of which, we see Kristi Yamaguchi applauding in the audience.) Shawn Johnson for the win. Carrie Ann says she hasn't seen people glide like she just did tonight, adding that it was like they were on ice. Len criticizes their hold a wee bit, but calls it their best dance. Bruno says it was like watching a "beautiful bejeweled hummingbird." Where does he coming up with this stuff? Host Tom Bergeron didn't even understand what he was saying. I hear ya, Tom. Scores: 9/9/9 = 27
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke do the samba for his mom -- in rehearsal. She's proud of her son. In the competition, it's firey and fun. He shakes, shakes, shakes, and then shakes some more. Len says he's a really good dancer, but that it lacked a little bit of rhythm in one of the first sections. He says, however, that he made "a hard dance looks easy." Bruno says he "came out here like a throbbing, red-hot poker!" He says he can raise the heat. Carrie Ann says it was excellent, and that Gilles "brings out something in Cheryl that she hasn't seen in a long time." But I'm kind of bored with Gilles. Is anyone out there crazy about him? Scores: 9/9/9 = 27
David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson dance the foxtrot. David looks a bit hesitant, but, gosh, he kind of blossoms. Much improved from last week, in my opinion. Kym showcases him a lot. Bruno says he took the foxtrot to Broadway. "What a transformation," he says. Carrie Ann says it was nice. She says the choreography was difficult. Len says it was the best dance he's done. Scores: 8/8/8 = 24 David sings, "These are the greatest judges in the worlddddd!" Guess you can't take the comic out of the dancer.
Steve Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff, who were second to last last week, are doing the samba. Steve notes that the samba is a sexy dance and a party dance, and that those things are not like him. That's for sure! But ... he pulls a hamstring. He is in pain, but he doesn't want to drop out. They dance to that Beetlejuice song ... you know the one. Steve is bad. Really bad. He's likable, until the awkward worm he does at the end. (Please, no one do the worm. Ever again. Thanks.) Carrie Ann says he's so adorable, but at some point, the novelty wears off. She says they are in Week 3, and ... well, come on. Len says, "You're supposed to be killing these dances, but these dances are killing you." Bruno says it was the worst he's ever seen. Before the scores, Steve tells a bad joke about Smirnoff. Ugh. Scores: 4/3/3 = 10 (Boos ensue. "I think we deserve less," he jokes. But really, is he being punished for his comments, as Sarah posted last night? Weigh in on our poll here.)
(Before the commercial break, Tom calls Lil' Kim the "Queen B." Does he know what that stands for?!)
Melissa Rycroft aka Deanna lookalike and Tony Dovolani do quite a good foxtrot. It's bouncy and fun. The dance goes well with the music. Len says Melissa has beautiful dance expression, but that she needs to work on her feet a tad. She needs to come off her heel. Bruno says, "Beautiful to look at, easy to love." Carrie Ann says she's great, but that something small is lacking and she can't put her finger on it. She wants to see her challenge herself a little bit more. (Maybe I agree with Carrie, because I don't have much more to say.) Scores: 9/9/9 = 27
Lil' Kim and Derek Hough are doing a samba. She can really shake her hips. There's part toward the end that I think looks a bit sloppy, but otherwise, it is hot. Bruno calls her a "pocket-sized Venus (huh?) with a super-sized sex appeal." He says it wasn't perfect, but she sold it. Carrie Ann says she drew them in, and that she was going for the technique. Len says she has a "bionic booty." Wow. He says he did miss some of the fundamental steps. "Make an old judge happy," he tells Derek. And ... something is popping out of Kim's top. It looks like a ... circular Band-Aid. Whew. (Note from SKK: I think it was a stick-on that was very specifically doing the job it was made for, ahem.) Scores: 8/8/9 = 25
Chelsie Hightower and Ty Murray close the show with the foxtrot. Again, Ty looks more comfortable than he did the first week. There's a fall (Chelsie's), and Ty handles it like a champ. I really like watching these two, don't you? Carrie Ann says Ty is "most improved" by miles. Len says he lacks musicality (Carrie Ann interjects, "No it didn't! I thought it was good!" Len says, "If it wanna get that in my ear, I'll go home and talk to my wife." This is pick on Len's wife night.) He then says it was fantastic and calls him a "hero" for holding her up. Bruno says Chelsie is carving a Fred Astaire from a piece of wood. Scores: 8/8/7 = 23
So, we have a three-way tie at the top. Steve and Karina sit at the bottom with their 10. I'm better at predicting DWTS than my basketball brackets (go UConn!) and will say that the Apple co-founder will be heading home. Perhaps he'll get a higher score in the dance-off?
Guest blogger Carla is handling the full recap of tonight's Dancing With the Stars, but I was watching and just had to mention ... a 10 for Steve Wozniak? (That's a 10/30, not a 10/10.)
I mean, yeah, that samba was bad, but was it that much worse than his previous performances? (He got a 13/30 week one and a 17/30 week two.)
I'm thinking they're still mad about his comments from last week. So much for that "judging them on their dances only" thing.
Not that it wasn't an excruciating dance. Woz is sweet, but ... hip-shaking is not his forte.
On last night's Amazing Race, the teams left the chilly climes of Siberia and headed to India. There was zero flight drama since they all traveled together, but as soon as they landed, the travel drama started.
Right off the bat, the contestants split into three groups. Tammy and Victor got way ahead of everyone, Jodi and Christie got way behind, and everyone else caravaned to the Road Block.
In a bit of what was probably unfair editing, Luke and Margie were shown getting very emotional over the state of poverty they were witnessing, particularly among the children. Then Cara and Jaime were shown getting upset about the level of poverty among the animals. It was all sad, but the juxtaposition wasn't too kind to C&J. (You can see the video here.)
In the Road Block, one team member had to take care of a camel -- schlepping enough water one bucket at a time to make a trough overflow and enough hay one basket at a time to reach a mark on a post.
Tammy and Victor arrived first and cruised right through it, finishing as the caravan of teams was just getting started. Mel handled the task for him and Mike, and he was having a very hard time and getting very far behind. Most of the other teams had finished carting the water and started on the hay, but they failed to notice the baskets and kept using the heavy buckets to transport the hay. Mel used the basket and caught up so fast that he and Mike finished the task in second place. Eventually, a few of the teams caught on and used the baskets, too, but they'd lost so much time it didn't matter. Christie and Jodi got to the task last, but Jodi made up a lot of time, too, since she saw what was going on and used the basket from the start.
In the meantime, Tammy and Victor got to the Detour. One task involved wearing a horse costume and makeup and dancing around in the street with a band for tips, attempting to earn 100 rupees. The other involved bicycling two huge loads of barrels filled with hay through the busy streets, then having to search the hay for a small metal elephant. Tammy and Victor chose the first task (duh) and quickly gathered their rupees and headed for the pit stop, which they got to in first place.
The rest of the teams eventually arrived, and they all went with the costume detour except for Mark and Mike. Honestly, I don't know what they were thinking. The needle-in-a-haystack tasks are so dangerous. Maybe they were worried about dancing for tips and getting enough attention, but they are being followed around by cameras. They were going to get attention no matter what.
They were saved by one thing and one thing only: Because they were saved from elimination last week, Christie and Jodi had a Speed Bump ahead of them, a task that no one else had to do. They had to paint an elephant (a real one!) before a show and then go to the Detour. They completed that and the Detour task quickly, whereas Mark and Mike had a lot of trouble finding the tiny elephant charm amid the barrels of hay. (Shocker!) M&M still made it to the finish line first, but not by much. Phil pointed out C&J as they approached the finish line mat just behind the stuntman brothers.
So that was the end for Christie and Jodi, which doesn't bother me much. They were lucky to have made it this far. Same with Mark and Mike -- only luck has saved them from their mistakes. I don't expect them to make it much longer.
Did you hear that Dennis Rodman melted down on last night's Celebrity Apprentice? Major! Meltdown!
At least according to all the ads on NBC, ads on the Web, Tweets from Annie Duke, etc.
Then when it finally happened, it was weird but not very surprising or interesting.
Anyway, the task this week was to create a "stage show" for a product launch. The product in question was a new video phone system. (I felt kind of bad for the company since it seems like most people who want to talk via video these days probably just use Skype, which is free.)
At the very beginning of the task, when the teams were negotiating which would go first and which second, Dennis wandered over, screamed at Clint Black, ripped off his microphone and walked out. OK, then.
Team Athena was in total chaos during brainstorming. It seemed like someone was always on the phone at the table, interrupting the process. Then Claudia Jordan, who was project manager, and Melissa Rivers had a total communication break down. Melissa was trying to help come up with ideas, but Claudia felt like she was interrupting, and they clashed a lot. Melissa backed down and let Claudia instruct her on what to do. She ended up handling the production of the show, but not any of the creative side. (Which -- spoiler! -- was probably a bad plan.)
Their show was emceed by Joan Rivers (of course) and featured half-filmed and half-live vignettes showing how the phone could be used. It was all pretty cheesy, but Melissa pulled everything together after a truly terrible dress rehearsal.
On the men's side, Brian McKnigt was the project manager and he decided that the best centerpiece of a stage show would be (of course) himself. Dennis Rodman showed up again, but Brian didn't want him to do anything, so he just sat around. It was a little weird because Clint Black has also been performing concerts for decades, but Brian didn't ask for a single bit of input from him. The person who truly came through for Team Kotu, though, was Jesse James, who came up with the plan of filming a soldier using the phone. (Among the main goals of the task was to create an emotional connection with the product.) He drove out to West Point and filmed a guy (I believe they even said he was from Maryland, but I didn't catch his name) pretending to talk to his girfriend back home.
In the boardroom, it turned out the men won, getting 85 percent of the votes from the audience. So Dennis, major meltdown or no, lives to see another episode.
In the boardroom, things got really ugly between Claudia and Melissa, and Claudia definitely came off looking worse. She kept saying that Melissa "claimed" to be a producer, but then when Melissa would try to defend herself, Claudia would jump on her for talking about her experience yet again. The worst was when Claudia used the claiming line in the boardroom, and Melissa said, hey, did you ever watch any of the red-carpet extravaganzas from the Oscars in the past 12 years or so, because she produced those, and Claudia claimed to not be familiar with them. So juvenile.
Trump didn't have much of a choice -- the rest of the team credited Melissa with saving the task -- so Claudia went home.
I don't think she'll be missed much. I'm surprised no one mentioned her disastrous presentation on the Zappos task when trying to determine who should go home.
Those CBS reality shows sure are looking closely at the Baltimore area. Yesterday, there was a casting call for The Amazing Race, and in a couple of weeks -- 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 11 to be exact -- there's one for Survivor.
It's at Antwerpen Hyundai, 6631 Baltimore National Pike in Catonsville. WJZ has more details here.
I headed over to the Harley-Davidson store in Rosedale today to check out the casting call for The Amazing Race. If you were expecting a scene like the one at last week's America's Next Top Model auditions, you would have been sorely disappointed. Whereas there was a near-riot in NYC last weekend after fears of a fire spiraled out of control, today's TAR casting call was relatively sedate.
There was still an undercurrent of nerves running throughout the holding area between two buildings at the Harley location. Would-be contestants lined up -- some reportedly camped overnight -- and were assigned a number. Then they waited until their number was called -- teams of two were called upstairs in sets of 10 for their chance to make a pitch to a camera for up to three minutes.
The first team I met was soon-to-be-married couple Mark Hidalgo and Diana Bennett. They brought their own gnome to the casting call, recalling previous challenges on the show, where contestants had to find "a Travelocity gnome" and carry it with them to the pit stop as part of a task. They gave me the rundown on the proceedings and told me that they didn't have a lot of experience traveling together ("except for to Philly and back"), but they were preparing for their forthcoming honeymoon in Barcelona.
Next, I talked with identical twins Jessica Kirk and Megan Heffen, 28, from Annapolis. Dressed in identical costumes including jerseys labeled "2WINS," they said they were interested in going on the race to get some quality time together since Megan was recently married.
After that, I caught up with Kristin Symes and Eric Masterton-Mott, coworkers at the Baltimore Convention and Visitors Association. They were hoping to be "Team Baltimore," and to promote the city during their time on the race if they were chosen for the show. They said that their team dynamic was interesting because they actually don't work that closely and thus don't know each other that well -- that they would be getting to know each other during the race itself. They mentioned that they kind of offhandedly mentioned at work that they were interested in applying for the show, and their bosses were all for it. "But we had to ask, are we still going to have jobs when we come back?" Masterton-Mott said. Symes added that the casting call had created a lot of buzz throughout the city -- that she heard someone mentioning the audition at her yoga class last night. (Based on the number of emails and comments I received here, as well as the Twitter activity I saw about it, I'd say she is right.)
Daughter and father CoraJo and Eric Spare of North East, Md., who had camp chairs set up in the holding area, said they are big fans of the show. They said they always said they thought they would audition and this seemed to be the best time to try out, since CoraJo is about to graduate from college.
Longtime friends Lori O'Connell, 28, and Ashley Heffernan, 21, from the Eastern Shore, have been interested in being on the show for ages, but this was the first year Ashley was qualified (the age limit for the show is 21 or older). They met when Lori was Ashley's soccer coach in high school and became closer friends and business partners after she graduated. They had already created and submitted a video to the show. "It shows us on the farm, firing an automatic rifle," Lori said. "It can't hurt to apply twice."
Donnie Lewis and John Schramm, both 35, have been friends for 10 years. Lewis said he hoped the dynamic of their friendship -- "black gay man and white straight man" -- would interest producers. He also said Schramm was his secret weapon -- "my personal Rand McNally."
Ex-girlfriends Kisha Coleman and Marvina Greene, from Baltimore, said they had always been interested in applying for the show but figured their jobs would get in the way. But after both got fired last month and they saw the notice of the casting call on the news last night, they decided the time was right. Asked if their breakup was amicable, since they are obviously still willing to spend time together, they said they take it day by day -- "This is a good moment," Greene said. If they make it on the show and win the $1 million prize, "we'll send them a fruit basket," they said of their former employers.
I talked to Caitlin Schultz, 21, and her mother, Susan, 44, of Timonium, while they waited their turn to make their pitch to the cameras. They said their favorite part of the experience so far had been meeting so many new people who were also fans of the show. They were hoping to make the show and take part in some of the challenges where "you can't not look funny, like carrying the cheese."
Suzanne Valaitis, 31, and Sarah Rohde, 30, have been best friends for three years. The Canton residents have traveled extensively together, though Valaitis was worried that her fear of heights might make some of the challenges difficult. Rohde said her biggest challenge would be having to go so long without a hot shower.
Roommates Erik Lofstad, 25, and Brian Wright, 27, were hoping to make the show. Wright said his biggest challenge if he was chosen for the show would be to stay politically correct for the cameras "I would probably get bleeped out a lot," he said). Lofstad said that The Amazing Race, which sends contestants on a tens-of-thousands-of-miles race around the globe, "is not carbon neutral, but I'm cool with that." (And in one of those Smalltimore moments, Wright and Rohde had once been neighbors.)
Stephanie and Howard Reel, who have been married for 30 years and both work at Hopkins, prepared a poem for their audition, which mentioned Hopkins, as well as their grandchildren, who had persuaded them to apply for the show. Avid hikers, the Reels have traveled to New Zealand, Austria, Scotland and more. They said they were ready for the race, too, because they run half-marathons regularly.
I chatted with newlyweds Joel and Colleen Baldwin, on their way out of their audition. The Fells Point residents said they didn't get a lot of feedback after recording their video. They told the story of their engagement -- Colleen kept accidentally foiling Joel's proposal plans -- to show how their very different personalities fit together well. "They just said, 'Hey, have a nice day," Colleen said of the producers. "So either we sucked or they were very straightforward with everyone."
Don Meyers, general manager of the Rosedale store, said at least a couple hundred teams had shown up for auditions and that about 50 people had camped out at the store overnight in 26 degree weather. They hadn't hosted a reality-show audition before, but Meyers said it had been a very positive experience.
I'd love to hear more from any other of you who were there about your experience.A week after Jessica, the model who said she had never been called ugly, was sent packing on America's Next Top Model, early favorite Nijah got the Chanel boot home.
This week started off with Tahila moaning and groaning about her self esteem. A quick call home to her sister seemed to clear that. Whew!
Next, the girls got some runway training with Miss J, and former contestants Bianca “I Got Into A Fight With the Star of Hairspray” Golden and Chantel Jones. I found it really funny that Chantel was brought back to talk to the contestants about runway walks when she had one of the most disastrous runway moments in Top Model history. (She caused a man in stilts to tumble to the ground when her gown tripped him. It cost her the Top Model title.)
Anyhoo, Miss J critiqued each of the contestants and gave them pointers for a later challenge — modeling in a Jill Stuart fashion show.
Natalie, who is a bit of know-it-all, bragged about her strong runway walk. Hate to say it, but she backed it up at the show and was voted best runway walker.
Later, the girls went on a photo shoot while on a NYC Tour Bus. The girls split into groups.
Aminat and Fo dressed as Wall Street power women. They did a really good job — especially Aminat, who had a terrible week last episode. Kortnie and Nijah dressed as artists. They were terrible. Celia and “Sinister” Sandra were nannies. They really looked absolutely fabulous. (Sandra might have a bad attitude, but home girl certainly took a great photo.) London and Allison were suppose to be socialites. (Think Cruel Intentions and Gossip Girl) Allison lamented that she didn’t know how to be a socialite. (Can you say foreshadowing?) Tahlia, Natalie and Teyona were Times Square tourists. Tahlia did a pretty good job. I guess that pep talk from her sister really did the trick.
During the elimination the judges singled out Nijah and Allison, who clearly had the weaker week.
But good old Tyra Banks hinted that Allison was safe when she made a point of mentioning her wide-eyes and overall weirdness.
During her ceremonial hug goodbye, Tyra mentioned something about Nijah not having enough tension in her photos. (Can someone tell me exactly what that means?)
Things are getting a little dicey with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and the folks at Dancing With the Stars.
Tuesday, he reportedly wrote to his Facebook group about how he felt the producers were not being fair in not outright stating that the couples who ended up in a dance-off were actually the bottom two. He said that he felt they were picking the non-homegoing couple just for drama's sake.
But he has since backed down, and with a vengeance. Here's an excerpt of the apology:
I hurt a lot of honest people.
Today, a storm kicked up over my allegations. I started my apologies
but it has to go further than that.The top people of this show, ones responsible for counting audience votes and keeping them honest told me all the specific details of where their numbers came from. More than that, they explained how they can catch onto various forms of manipulation of the system by exactly the methods I had thought out in my head that would work. I was offered an opportunity to see the equipment they use also. You can tell when things are extremely on the level. You can also see why the exact totals cannot be released. That would make it harder to detect fraud. One main way that they detect fraud is when the phone-in votes and text votes and internet votes don't follow each other, percentage-wise. There are other things they look for as well that IT experts would detect as signals of something wrong.
Yes, it's true. There's apparently an American who is more important than American Idol, and it turns out he's the president.
Next Tuesday, President Obama will address the nation, and again (as it did a few weeks ago), this causes a scheduling problem for a number of shows. Here's how it affects the reality TV schedule.
-- American Idol's live performance show moves to Wednesday, and the hourlong results show to Thursday.
-- The Biggest Loser shifts to 9 p.m. and bumps Law & Order: SVU for the night.
So who's going to be the casualty of Grand Ole Opry on tonight's American Idol results show?
Ryan Seacrest introduces the show, saying that more than 31 million votes were cast last night. Then he lets us know Brad Paisley will be performing, as will Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis.
Before that, it's group sing time; they perform "Trouble." And wow, this is some more obvious lip-syncing.
Then it's time for a behind-the-scenes look of what happens after they sign off on results night, including footage of a goodbye dinner for Jasmine and Jorge.
Results time: Danny Gokey is safe, and oh, by the way, the Top 10 makes it to the tour. Lil Rounds gets the fakeout, but she is safe, too, as is Anoop Desai. Allison Iraheta and Michael Sarver stand up together and find out that they are both in the bottom three (after making Michael think he's safe for a minute).
With some of them safe and some not knowing their fate, it's time for a break for Brad Paisley to perform. That's so not nice. So many of them can't possibly enjoy the performance because they don't know whether they're safe.
After that, more results. Scott MacIntyre is safe. Megan Joy Corkrey is, too. Matt Giraud? Safe. Kris Allen is also safe. That leaves Alexis Grace and Adam Lambert. (By the way, while they are dragging it out, Randy mentions that Adam's version of "Ring of Fire" was by Jeff Buckley. Adam, you are no Jeff Buckley. Randy also calls Alexis "Allison" more than once.) Alexis is in the bottom three. Immediately, Ryan lets them know that Allison is safe.
Alexis and Michael have to wait through the break and the performance by Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis to find out which one of them is out, of course. Carrie Underwood looks like she's wearing a Kellie Pickler costume, but girl can sing.
Before they find out the results, Ryan asks Simon if they would consider using the judges' save on either of the bottom two. He said they would consider using it for one of them. That's nice and vague.
Wow. Michael Sarver is safe, so Alexis Grace is out. Unless of course they do use the judges' save. I just can't imagine them using it this soon. Simon says she is the one they were thinking of saving, so it all comes down to this performance. Oh, please. You know they know how they're handling this.
Alexis sings; the judges talk. She ramps things up a bit, but it sounds like her voice is a little worn at times. Simon says they were "kind of unanimous," and they aren't using the save. Alexis is out.
Anybody else think if she hadn't talked back so much last night, she wouldn't be here right now?
What do you think of the results?
By the way, next week's theme is 50 years of Motown.
According to TMZ, Kenley Collins from season 5 of Project Runway (she of the feathered headbands and dissing of Tim Gunn's advice) is in jail on charges of assaulting her ex-fiance with a variety of things, including a laptop and a cat.
Huh. That's ... odd.
Update: Here's more from the NY Post.
I'm sorry to tell you this, but tonight's theme on American Idol is Grand Ole Opry (which will probably be boiled down to country). I think that's really not going to work for some people. But I guess we'll see.
Simon Cowell even sarcastically tells Ryan Seacrest that he loves country music so much, he wishes it was a full week instead of two hours.
Hey, Randy Travis is in the audience! That's because he was the one who invited Carrie Underwood to join the Grand Ole Opry and because he worked with the Top 11 during the past week.
First up is Michael Sarver, who is going to sing a speedy song, Garth Brooks' "Ain't Goin' Down Til the Sun Comes Up," and Randy Travis warns him not to biff the words. He handles it swimmingly, though the manic harmonica player sitting on the stage is a little distracting. Randy Jackson says it was a cool song choice, but he didn't think it showed his vocal capabilities. (Ha, Simon is booing him, like Randy always does to him.) Kara DioGuardi said it didn't have any big notes, but she was impressed he handled all the lyrics. He says he just wanted to have fun. Paula Abdul says it was fun to watch him and that the genre suits him well. Simon says it should have been good, but he couldn't understand a single word he sang. "Country folks did," Michael says. Simon calls is clumsy and karaoke, and then, pressed by Ryan, gives it a "1.2" out of 10.
Allison Iraheta tells Randy Travis she's going to sing Patty Loveless' "Blame It on Your Heart," and he's impressed. He does suggest she skip the little dance she does during her practice with him. It's a good choice for her -- she gives it a rock vibe and kills it. Kara says she could sing the alphabet and sing it well (snore), but adds that she gave the song her own spin, which isn't easy. Paula calls it another rock-solid performance. Then she tells Allison she needs to expand her range and show some vulnerability. (Except you just know that if she did that, she'd get scolded for getting outside of her little rock-grrrl box.) Simon says it was good, though a little bit tuneless at parts. Randy Jackson says he thought it was dope, and her family goes wild.
Kris Allen takes on "To Make You Feel My Love" by Garth Brooks, and Randy Travis tells him that Garth will like it. He sings it, sans guitar, in a very balladeer-ish manner. It's nice, but kind of boring, and his last note, a high one, is off. Paula says she's surprised and that it was an honest, pure and vulnerable performance. She adds that he needs to make sure his low notes are on pitch (and some of the high ones). Simon says he thought it was terrific, that it was a great song choice, and a very controlled performance. "That, in a way, probably is the first time ... when I've really thought you've got a shot at this competition." Randy Jackson says Kris brought out the tender moments. Kara says the song wasn't even country, it was just beautiful.
Lil Rounds talks to Ryan about how she is going to hold back her R&B sound and "honor the country." She sings Martina McBride's "Independence Day." She sings it well, but it is a departure. Randy Jackson says it was ambitious and he wasn't sure at first, but when she hit her "power zone," it was better. He says it was "all right." She says she wanted to show that R&B isn't the only thing that she can sing and that she thought the song was really relevant. Kara says she could have chosen other songs, but she did what she felt, and that's part of being an artist. Paula says she things everything is going right for her tonight. Then she babbles about her voice "piercing through." Simon calls her "Little" and struggles with trying to say "Lil." He says it came across like she had to sing a song at a wedding that she didn't like and that she seemed uncomfortable. See, this is what happens when someone gets out of their box! They get yelled at. (So Allison, don't listen to what Paula said a few minutes ago.) Sigh.
Adam Lambert tells Ryan that this will be a signature performance. He talks with Randy Travis about how he is going to perform "Ring of Fire," based on this cover that has a lot of sitar and a Middle Eastern flair. Randy's not so sure. Adam is. Dear Adam, remember how you were going to rein in the theatricality? Not so much. It might be technically difficult and well done that way, but I didn't find it enjoyable. Kara says it was all a little strange, and she doesn't know what to make of it. She closes, "It was strange, but I kind of liked it." Paula says he is true to who he is as an artist (as in: he stays in his box), and she liked that it reminded her of Kashmir-era Led Zeppelin. Simon: "I think what Randy [Travis] was trying to say was, 'What the hell was that?'" He adds that people are throwing their televisions out the window right now because "it was absolutely indulgent rubbish." Yes, yes it was. Randy Jackson says it was like Nine Inch Nails doing a country song, so it's relevant and current. (Perhaps he was thinking of Johnny Cash's cover of NIN's "Hurt"?) Blah. Randy Travis says he's still speechless.
Scott MacIntyre is going to sing "Wild Angels" by Martina McBride. Randy Travis interviews and says he didn't want to tell him, but he thought it was a bad choice. After working with him, though, he decided he could pull it off -- he suggested Scott speed up the tempo. His piano playing is spot-on, and he does OK once it gets a little faster, but some of his high notes are seriously off. Paula says tonight was another impressive, lovely performance, but she thinks the piano is becoming a crutch and separating him from the audience. "We can move it closer," he says. Hee. She wants him to mix it up. (Don't do it! Stay in your box or they will yell at you.) Simon says she's being stupid, that he's comfortable behind the piano, and so is Elton John. He adds he isn't picking the right songs yet, that really show him off. Randy says he is looking for the "hot, crazy, unbelievable" vocals, but this has been kind of safe. Kara tells him they just want him to up his game a little bit.
Alexis Grace is going to sing Dolly Parton's "Jolene," and Randy Travis says it was a good choice for her -- he doesn't even have any notes for her. She's comfortable with the song, but it was a little pitchy. And Randy Jackson agrees, immediately saying it was pitchy. Kara says she lost her edge a little, and she found it a little flat. Paula says it was more effective than the others said because she showed a different side of her vocals. "I don't care about pitch problems," she says. Hello, it's a singing competition. Simon says it was a little "soundalike," which Alexis doesn't understand. (She keeps talking back and responding to everything. Shhhh! It's time for you to listen!)
Danny Gokey got nervous in front of Randy Travis. He is going to sing "Jesus Take the Wheel," and he messes up a bunch of times during his practice. (Whoever told him to pop his collar on this weird white blazer didn't do him any favors.) He remembers the words and delivers a nice performance, though he loses some notes here and there. Kara wants to talk, but the audience is being too loud. She finally says when he hits his stride, he's like no other, though she says the first half was not great. Paula says if he was always that high up, they would get used to it or something? Anyway, she thought he was brilliant. Simon says he agrees that there should be light and shade, but he doesn't like his outfit -- he says he looks like he is going on a polar expedition. Randy agrees with Kara, saying that he didn't support the verses enough, that they were pitchy.
Anoop Desai says he was nervous about Grand Ole Opry week at first. Randy Travis says he was interested to hear that he's singing "You Were Always on My Mind," but his doubt went away when he heard Anoop singing it. Anoop says he was driven by Simon's comment last week that he didn't deserve to be in the Top 13 after his performance. This is way, way better -- controlled and serious and heartfelt. Nice recovery after "Beat It" last week. Paula: "Anoop is back!" She adds that she is proud of him and his vocals. Simon: "Anoop, you just managed to go from zero to her. That was a good choice of song. In a way, that was one of my favorite performances of the night. ... You definitely deserve to be in the show." Randy Jackson says this is why they wanted him in the show -- because he can really sing. He adds that the arrangement "was dope." Kara says it is hard to take an "untouchable" song and create a personal performance. She says it was the surprise of the night. Ryan asks if he is surprised by the feedback and he says no because he expects the best of himself.
Megan Joy Corkrey sings "I Go Walking After Midnight." Randy Travis wasn't sure at first, but loved her arrangement. He tells her to sing it just like she did in practice. So. I know the judges are in love with her "unique" sound, but to me she just sounds kind of stilted. I just want to ask why she's singing that way and enunciating that way. I don't get it. Her notes are OK, I guess, but I'm not totally enamored. Randy Jackson says he thought it was going to be a trainwreck, but it was really good. Kara says it was the perfect song and the perfect look. She adds that she's a winner because she just got through that song with the flu. Paula says she's been in the hospital and didn't get to do the run-through. Simon says she should have the flu every week because she sounded better this week than last week. Hearing that she has the flu, OK, I definitely cut her some slack, but I still don't get her.
Matt Giraud is going to sing Carrie Underwood's "So Small." As happened a few other times, Randy Travis says he wasn't sure about the choice, but once Matt sang, he liked it a lot. He performs behind the piano, and I guess he changes up the song a bit, but I'm not familiar with the original. Kara says he's an artist and he "worked the dynamics of that song. Amazing. I just love you." Paula struggles over the word authenticity, but she eventually says he pierces through people's hearts. That sounds painful. Simon says he doesn't think he's been given enough credit for his vocals, and that tonight he thinks he outsang Danny. He says he reminds Simon of Michael Buble. Randy Jackson says it was his favorite performance of the night, and that he has it going on since he's gotten compared to Justin Timberlake and Michael Buble.
Who'd you like? Who'd you hate? Any predictions for tomorrow night?
It's the first results show on this season of Dancing With the Stars -- and the first one with a dance-off!
But first, it's Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, along with a swinging performance by some of the pros.
Samantha Harris interviews Steve-O about his injury -- he says he had a really bad idea for the end of the dance, and then he had an even worse idea and ended up in an ambulance. He also adds that Lacey told him not to do it -- which is nice since the judges chastised her about it last night.
Some results! Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska, Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas, Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough and David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson are safe.
After the break, more results! Denise Richards and Maks Chmerkovskiy, Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani, Lil Kim and Derek Hough and Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke are safe.
The Macy's Stars of Dance performance of the evening is by Michael Rooney and is in honor of Broadway. Michael is Mickey's son, and he's in the audience, looking like a proud papa. After the break, Jewel, who was originally supposed to compete on the show until she was injured, performs "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." New pros and So You Think You Can Dance alums Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin perform while she sings, and it's all very lovely.
Then there is a time-filling montage of the stars talking about one another. Chuck Wicks' joke about whether it's bad that he calls Lil' Kim "Little Kim" would have been a lot fresher if Simon Cowell hadn't insisted on calling Lil Rounds "Little" an hour earlier.
Still. More. Results.: Belinda Carlisle and Jonathan Roberts, Lacey Schwimmer and Steve-O, Holly Madison and Dmitry Chaplin, Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower, Steve Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff await their fates. Holly and Dmitry are safe. So are Ty and Chelsie and Steve-O and Lacey. That leaves Belinda and Woz in the dance-off.
The two couples will redo one of their previous performances and get new scores, which will be combined with the previous scores and votes to figure out who will go home.
Belinda and Jonathan redance their salsa, and it starts out better than last night, and then she kind of falls apart halfway through. Len Goodman says she had better hip action, but she made some other mistakes. Bruno Tonioli says she lost her footwork, and it was a shame. Carrie Ann Inaba says her performance level was higher and more enjoyable at first. Scores: 5-6-6, for a 17/30, a point less than last night.
Steve and Karina repeat their quickstep. Bruno says he's not brilliant but is entertaining. Carrie Ann says they were better than last night except for a part in the middle. Len says it wasn't that much of an improvement, but they are fun. Scores: 6-5-6, for a 17/30. Bruno totally turns the blank side toward the camera, and they all laugh, which is made even funnier since they're always so serious during the Telling of the Scores.
And the first couple out is: Belinda and Jonathan. That's not entirely shocking. Steve W. has a lot of fans, and people are charmed by his performances. Belinda was a little cold somehow (though I think it was mostly nerves).
What do you think about the elimination?
Jodi and Christie might just be the luckiest contestants to ever be on The Amazing Race. They are still in it, but it has nothing to do with skill, that's for sure.
Nearly eliminated in several previous legs, they finished last in this past Sunday's episode after going to the wrong location in one of the tasks. And then what happens? It's a nonelimination leg. So we're stuck with them some more. Yuck.
If you hate the cold, this was not the episode for you. In the first task, teams had to either find a Russian bride and transport her to a church, where she would find her groom, or learn to drive a snowplow and navigate it through a training run. (The Jodi-Christie brain trust tried to deliver the bride to the wrong church.)
Speaking of a training run, in the last task, one of the team members had to strip down to his or her skivvies and run 1.4 miles. (They kept calling it a marathon, though, and a marathon is very specifically 26.2 miles, so I felt like they should have chosen a different word. Maybe that's just me, though.) That appeared to be by turns uncomfortable, humiliating, terrible and exhilarating.
Luke and Margie finished first and won a trip to St. Lucia, and Jodi and Christie came in last and then discovered their good fortune. That wasn't a very satisfying ending to the episode to me. What did you think of this week's show?
And don't forget, local readers: There's a casting call for The Amazing Race this Saturday in Baltimore. Read more here.
Carla here, recapping Dancing with the Stars for Sarah. It's Week 2 of the competition, but no one has been eliminated yet (there will be a dance-off on this week's recap show; votes and scores from last week carry over).
We are first told that Steve-O has been injured, which many people already knew. Lacey Schwimmer comes out by herself (in costume) during the introductions, and we'll be learning more later. I'm intrigued! (I haven't kept up with the gossip.)
First up are second-to-last-minute replacement Holly Madison and partner Dmitry Chaplin. The judges were optimistic after seeing her cha cha last week, but I didn't think it was that great. This week's quickstep is much improved. Holly doesn't look as ... wobbly. Judge Len Goodman says the quickstep is a really difficult dance. He says her posture was lacking, but her feet looked pretty good. Bruno Tonlioni says it looked like she was just trying to catch up. He tells her to work on her core. Carrie Ann Inaba says she was like a doll that he was dragging along the floor. Score: 18 (added to their 18 points from last week, their total is 36 out of 60 possible points).
Next up are David Alan Grier and partner Kym Johnson with the salsa. It's an enjoyable performance, but I think that's due to Kym. She is on fire, as always. David's form is sloppy. Bruno says his character was right, his timing was off and his hip action was poor. Carrie Ann says a harder dance isn't always better. She wishes they were driven by the musicality. Len complements the turns, but says there was far too much of Kym and not enough of David. "It wasn't a good dance," he says. David says he has two words for the judges: hope and change. He hopes he dances better, and that the judges change their minds. Hee! Score: 17 Total: 36
Denise Richards and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are up next with a quickstep to "We Go Together" from Grease. I cannot stand Denise Richards. That said, she does a nice job. Her form is more elegant, and she looks more confident. Carrie Ann says that she's much improved over last week. She says her hold was, for the most part, great. Len gives them a "well done" and mentions a little stumble, but is happy. Bruno says there is a good dancer inside Denise just waiting to come out. Score: 21 Total: 39
Belinda "Our Lips are Sealed" Carlisle and Jonathan Roberts dance a salsa. I think it's awful. There's no chemistry between them, and they spend more time apart than together. I didn't see her dance last week (DVR glitch), so maybe she has improved. The judges are certainly nicer than I would have been. Len says they were exuberant and fun, but that her hip action was lacking. Bruno starts dancing his in chair to emphasize timing and rhythm. "You've got to go for it!" he repeats, and Len leans away and host Tom Bergeron takes the Number 1 to Belinda for her to "score" him. Carrie says she found it a bit lacking in grace. Score: 18 Total: 35
Ty Murray (Jewel's husband) and Chelsie Hightower quickstep to Tom Cochrane's "Life is a Highway." I like it! I think he is so cute when he dances. And his posture is stellar. Carrie Ann says she is so proud of him. It was smooth, she says. "You were in charge!" Bruno says. Len says, "Last week a caterpillar; this week a butterfly." He says Ty's rodeo work has helped him strengthen his core, which, in turn, strengthens his dance. Score: 20 Total: 34
Gymnast Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas are doing a salsa. She's a bit stiff but, still, a fabulous dancer. I love the splits she does at the end. Bruno says she's one of the cutest little things he's ever seen. He calls it precise and sharp, but he wants her to be "naughty." Len says it was clean and precise, but he wants her "throw caution to the wind" a bit more. Carrie Ann says she has nothing more to say ... then goes on to say an awful lot. Shawn's my favorite so far this season. Score: 24 Total: 47
Apple's Steve Wozniak (for more about his stint on DWTS, visit The Sun's Apple a Day blog) and Karina Smirnoff dance the quickstep. His foot is injured, which can't make something like the quickstep easy. There's little positive to say about Steve's technique. Len gives Steve a bonus point for choosing a Buddy Holly track (and he has taped glasses!). He likes watching him, but says the dance quality isn't there. Carrie Ann enjoys the performance, too, but tells him to work on his fluidity and endurance. Bruno says Steve is like WALL-E: a bit rusty, but resilient and charming. Score: 17 Total: 30
Julianne Hough and real-life boyfriend Chuck Wicks try to do the salsa "Derek" Hough style, according to Chuck. I feel as if Julianne, in her fringe, Muppet-pelt outfit, is stealing the show and just dancing circles (literally) around Chuck. (FYI: Totally stole the "Muppet pelt" from Sarah on Twitter -- @realityck.) He hardly moves his feet! Bruno says it was a wasted opportunity. "She did all the work!" he says. "We want more dancing," he adds. Len says he's young and energetic, and he didn't perform. Carrie Ann agrees -- he has potential, but it wasn't a true salsa. The judges and I finally agree completely. And ... I can't stop staring at her ugly fringe pants. Score: 20 (Wow. The comments don't reflect the score. I guess the judges and I don't agree!) Total: 40
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska do the quickstep. I think it's a bit bland but, technically, it's way better than last week's performance. They use the stairs nicely, running up them toward the band without missing a beat (sometimes, the use of the stairs, audience, etc. breaks up the flow of the routine). Carrie Ann sings, "That's the way, uh-uh, uh-uh, I like it!" Much improved, she says. Bruno says they covered the floor beautifully. Len says it was difficult choreography and that it was well done. Score: 20 Total: 36
(Side note: Ty and Chelsie; Lawrence and Edyta; and Julianne and Chuck ALL get the SAME score? Really?)
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer are in a tough spot. (Here's the story: He injured his back while doing a front flip at the end of dress rehearsal and landing on his mic pack. He can't take the floor tonight, so we'll be seeing that exact routine -- apparently, that's what the rules stipulate). So, the rehearsal "salsa" is very Steve-O and Lacey. If you watched DWTS last season, you'll know exactly what that means. If you didn't, it means that Lacey choreographed pretty much whatever she wanted and ignored, well, the salsa. Len says he feels bad because the adrenaline pumping during a live performance would have helped. He said he "didn't get it," and he didn't enjoy it. Bruno says Steve-O is appealing, but that this was a "series of unfortunate events." Carrie Ann says it wasn't in the right vein for the the dance, and that she saw promise in Steve-O last week. Score: 14 Total: 31
Lil' Kim, who doesn't even look like Lil' Kim anymore, and Derek Hough do the quickstep. I also missed Kim's routine last week, so I'm excited to see this one. I never thought I'd see her look so classy. It's a fun, well-choreographed dance. Bruno says she "blings" so well; he calls the dance "vivacious." Carrie Ann tells her that she loves how "every ounce of your body is doing the exactly the same thing." Both say she has to work on her hold. The rapper mentions that she didn't want her, um, top revealing anything. Len says there was a lot of quantity, but not a lot of quality (boos ensue). Len says there was virtually no body contact. Score: 23 Total: 44
Last-minute replacement Melissa "way better than Jason Mesnick" Rycroft and Tony Dolovani do the salsa. She smiles so much; she's clearly just so excited to be out there. It's a real salsa, with lots of hip action, so I think the judges are going to love it. (Costume-wise, I can't stand Tony's tank top!) Carrie Ann says, "Finally! A real salsa!" She says it was "slamming." Len says he was "gyrating on the seat." He says it the salsa of the night. Bruno says it was a juicy salsa. He says there was flavor and content. Score: 26 (the first two 9s of the season). Total: 49
Last on the floor are Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke. Their quickstep is danced to "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down, and naturally, we have a green dress and lots of green lighting. I can't complain. They look really good. Precise dancing. Good choreography. I like when a couple uses a nontraditional song without deviating from the dance style. Len says, "This is great." Bruno says there were sparks. Carrie Ann says they are becoming the fan favorite (really?). Score: 27 Total: 51!!!
Who do you think will go home? My money is on Belinda or Steve. Here's hoping for better costumes and a bit more personality from our stars next Monday.
A couple of weeks ago, there was a lot of furor over The Biggest Loser contestant Dane Patterson (pictured at right with his cousin, Blaine Cotter, left) -- in his makeover moment at the end of the show, he was shown running a marathon with his wife, but he hadn't completed the distance, and his time was misstated by producers in a caption. He didn't help matters much when he said he wouldn't give back his finisher's medal.
But he's aiming to address these issues: He'll be competing in the 2009 Country Music Marathon in Nashville on April 25, according to a news release.
In addition, according to the release:
He is welcoming runners to sign up to "Run with Dane" as he challenges himself to the 26.2 mile course on Saturday, April 25th in Nashville, TN. Patterson, who is 27, had planned on running another marathon in April to show that he can complete a race. "I am thrilled to have this opportunity and encourage others runners to come out and join me on the course," says Patterson.
Runners can go to www.cmmarathon.com and sign up to "Run With Dane."
Will this help him recover from all the drama? What do you think?
(Photo courtesy of NBC)
Six people were injured and three were arrested for inciting a riot after chaos broke out at this weekend's auditions for the next season of America's Next Top Model. According to reports, a car fire caused someone to yell fire, which began one wave of chaos, and later yells of "gun" and "bomb" escalated things.
Injuries were not thought to be threatening.
The New York Daily News story is here, and you can see raw video of the event above.
On tonight's American Idol, it's double-elimination time -- and we'll finally learn about this twist that Simon Cowell alluded to last night.
Why does Randy Jackson boo Simon every single episode? No one else is booing during introductions.
So what's the new twist? It's called "the judges' save": From now until the Top 5, the judges can save one contestant from elimination just once. It has to be unanimous, and they can't use it again. The week they use it, no one will be eliminated, and the next week, two people will go home. This is, host Ryan Seacrest says, in response to eliminations such as Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry and Michael Johns.
After that explanation, we get a montage of the contestants moving into a very insane mansion -- bowling alley, pool and more outright excess. Then we're treated to the week's group sing of Jackson 5 hits, which includes, for unknown reasons, a dance break by Danny Gokey complete with pelvic thrusts toward the camera. That was awkward.
Is anyone besides the finalists amused by the commercials they're forced to do? They laugh hysterically; I'm bored.
Then we start with the results:
Michael Sarver is safe. Allison Iraheta is, too. Jasmine Murray is asked to come to the center of the stage and wait. Matt Giraud is asked to stand up, and he starts walking to the center of the stage, but they stop him because he's confused. He's safe. Kris Allen, who is suddenly reminding me of Freddy Rodriguez, and Megan Joy Corkrey are asked to stand up. Kris finds out he is safe, and Megan joins Jasmine on the stage, only to find out that she, Megan, is safe, and Jasmine is going home unless the judges decide to save her.
Jasmine sings the song that got her ousted, "I'll Be There," and closes with a big note just for kicks, and then Randy tells her that no, they are not saving her. Which is not a huge shock -- why would they introduce the twist and then use it right now? She cries, and Ryan talks quietly to her to reassure her that everything is going to be fine and calms her down. Awww. We get our first hearing of this year's buh-bye song, Carrie Underwood's cover of Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home."
Then it's time for Kanye West to perform -- he's doing "Heartless." That was probably Jasmine's only chance to be his opening act.
More results now: Scott MacIntyre is safe. Alexis Grace is, too. Danny Gokey has a lot of different pairs of glasses, and he is also safe. Anoop Desai heads to center stage, and he knew it was coming. Adam Lambert is safe. Jorge Nunez and Lil Rounds are last to learn their fate. Jorge heads to center stage; Lil is safe. Jorge and Anoop have to wait through the break to find out for sure. Well, actually, they have to wait through a performance by Kelly Clarkson. Ryan mentions that a former Idol will be performing every week.
Ryan talks with Kelly for a bit about her new album, which came out yesterday. She performs "My Life Would Suck Without You." I like Kelly, but, um, I think she could have used some help from the show's stylists tonight. She just looks a little bedraggled.
(Side note during the break: These new semi-animated deadpan Comcast commercials are terrible. It's like it's trying to rip off the freecreditreport.com commercials, but why would you want to do that?)
Results time: Ryan says 33 million votes came in and ... finally ... after dragging it out ... that Anoop is safe. That leaves Jorge to sing and then find out for sure if he's going home. (Um, he is.) This new twist is just extra-cruel. (Also kind of mean is that Randy and Simon are totally talking to each other during Jorge's sing-out. Paula is dancing, of course, and holy moly, what is she wearing? Flapper gone wild?) After he sings, Simon doesn't mince words: They aren't saving him.
So, buh-bye, Jorge and Jasmine. You were both pleasant enough, but pretty boring.
What do you think about the ousters? How about the twist?
Last week's Biggest Loser was a total letdown -- dragging out for two hours and culminating in a to-be-continued, so we didn't even see who, if anyone, was going home. I don't want to sit through two hours of Biggest Loser and not see a "transformation moment"!
Anyway, as this week's episode began, it was all down to Mike's weigh-in. If the entire group last more than 77 pounds (an average of 7 pounds each), no one would have to go home. He lost enough, no one went home, and there is no way that was worth a week's wait for the audience. But of course, there was much rejoicing.
For the first challenge, the teams had to do a wall-sit for as long as possible (ouch!) while holding a 6-pound medicine ball (double ouch!). Whoever lasted the longest would choose the matchups for the final weigh-in. Because of course, there was another twist. Instead of percentage of weight loss by team, a black team member and a blue team member would face off, and whoever lost the highest percentage of weight would earn a point for his or her team. Three points would win the weigh-in, and someone would get to sit out. It came down to Mandi and Tara (that Tara is slightly annoying but seemingly unstoppable), and Tara won yet again. She chose all the matchups and decided that she herself would sit out.
For the luxury challenge, the teams had a crazy obstacle course that involved moving 24 medicine balls around an entire health club -- through a pool, up some stairs, under some bars and finally down a basketball court, where the last person had to do squats. Kristin had to sit out for medical issues that weren't explained (she missed the initial challenge, too), so the black team had to sit out two people. For the blue team, Ron was doing the initial leg -- moving the medicine balls through the pool two at a time, and the team never really recovered from how behind they got, though Aubrey almost caught them up. So blue lost its umpteenth challenge in a row and the black team celebrated inappropriately yet again.
Speaking of inappropriate celebrations, the luxury itself was 24 hours at a spa, at which the black team went bananas. You can't fault them for the massages or mani-pedis (can you imagine how sore they are after all these insane workouts?), but at dinner, they went off the rails and never came back. First, shrimp cocktail, which didn't seem that bad, but then Kobe beef sliders, mashed potatoes, filet mignon, etc. OK, one bad meal, you might be thinking, but then out came the double-shots of tequila. Then they went to the bar, and the drinking continued, and Felipe got fries and chicken fingers, and Helen smoked a cigarette. Hedonism everywhere!
Meanwhile, virtuous blue worked out like crazy and made themselves a lovely healthy dinner.
Upon the black team's return to the ranch, Jillian, having been tipped off about all the bad behavior, let everyone have it -- and hard. She had pretty much everyone in tears after getting them all to admit their actions. So then Filipe, who had felt ignored at his last workout on the ranch, waiting for Jillian to work one-on-one with him, but never saying anything to her, lost it. He very bizarrely screamed at her about how she had treated him so badly, but he wouldn't look at her. (You might recall that two weeks ago, when the teams got shuffled, everyone acted like they were being murdered when they switched teams, including when Sione and Filipe moved from Bob's team to Jillian's.) Filipe and Sione then stomped out the door and asked Bob if they could work out with him. He let them, for some reason, and didn't tell them to try to work things out with Jillian, for some reason.
So that made the last chance workout pretty strange -- two black team members working out with their competitors on the blue team.
Then it was time for the weigh-in, and the hits just kept coming. Tara, who wasn't facing off with anyone, lost 0 pounds and cried. Laura gained two pounds, losing her team a point, and cried. Mike, who was too young to partake in the tequila action, lost 8 pounds (which was more than Cathy's loss) and won his team a point. Helen somehow managed to lose more than Ron, which was another point for black. Kristin lost more than Sione, and it was tied. So it was down to Mandi, who had been busting tail all week, working so hard, and Filipe, who had made some bad, bad decisions. Mandi only had to lose four pounds to beat him, but, strangely, and possibly due to all the stress, she gained two pounds. So black team won anyway. Sigh.
You would think this would be the end of the drama, but things got even crazier. Due to the challenge from the week before, Kristin had immunity, and Laura had a vote. Had Laura not had a vote, it was a slam dunk. Kristin, Cathy and Ron have been allies since the beginning, and they decided that Mandi would go home because Aubrey had had to go home at the start of the season. But because Laura got a vote, a tie was possible, which would mean that the entire black team would decide who was going home. They had already decided that they would choose Aubrey, and between Mandi and Aubrey, they decided that it was OK if Aubrey left. So they talked with Laura and agreed to split the vote, so it would be three votes for Cathy and three for Mandi. And indeed, that's what it appeared would happen, but at the last minute, Mandi decided that she didn't think Aubrey was ready to go home, that she needed to be on the ranch, and cast her vote for Ron, meaning that Mandi herself was out. Whew. That was complicated.
What did you think about all the crazy drama and the yelling? It all made me want to root harder for the blue team. I wish Ron would go home so blue would have a chance. I know that's not nice, but he really can't compete at the same level. But I understand why the original Bob team members are sticking together, too.
Hopefully, next week, Filipe and Jillian will hash things out, or else it's going to just be awkward forever.
I was doing a little Wednesday-afternoon quarterbacking, thinking about last night's American Idol, well, the past few weeks actually, specifically about new judge Kara DioGuardi and whether she is adding anything to the show.
And really, I think the answer is no.
Since the live shows started three weeks ago, Kara's been positioning herself as "the industry type." She's always giving feedback about whether someone sounds or looks "commercial" or whether she can figure out what kind of records people would make or whether she can imagine hearing them on the radio.
You can't blame her for trying to differentiate herself among a panel of judges who have developed extremely rigid roles for themselves in the preceeding seven seasons. But the constant talk about a contestant's ability to be marketed kind of takes away from the escapism of American Idol. It's not like we don't all know that it is, at its core, about dollars -- lots of them. But it's much easier to believe that maybe the show is really about making a singer's dream come true when you don't have someone referencing again and again a contestant's salability.
Say what you will about Paula Abdul, who is goofy and frou frou and often nonsensical, but at least she's all about the joy of performance and the joy of music, even if she can't always articulate it.
Plus, four judges really, really makes the show go on too long.
(Photo of Kara DioGuardi by Jack Guy / Fox)
On tonight's American Idol, we'll finally see how these finalists, who have been chosen over the past several weeks, stack up to one another.
The judges get a crazy entry -- since when is there an announcer? Announcer then introduces host Ryan Seacrest. That was a little over-the-top, don'tcha think? I guess they're trying to make us realize that they're on The Big Stage starting this evening.
OK, so the flip side of the addition of the 13th finalist -- Simon Cowell announces that two people will be going home tomorrow. Should've seen that one coming.
Tonight, if you haven't heard, is Michael Jackson night. I thought they wanted the contestants to stay away from iconic artists? Well, they always say that, but it's just an easy out when someone screws up a legendary song.
Lil Rounds is up first. In her bio segment, we meet her husband and three kids and are reminded that their house was destroyed in a tornado. She says she always hears from people that it's not OK that she has three kids and wants to try to make it as a singer. However, she says, "The day you let go of your dreams is the day you let go of your life." She's going to sing "The Way You Make Me Feel." It's definitely the right choice for her -- she has a blast, sings it well, and she's so comfortable on this big stage that the judges have made such a big deal about. I don't know about the white pleated pants, though. Randy Jackson says she put a new spin on his song and says this was a great way to start the show. Kara DioGuardi says everyone is probably nervous now because she was so good. She also adds, "I hope we get to hear you on the radio." (Ms. Industry strikes again.) Paula Abdul gives her props for her outfit and calls her a force to be reckoned with, comparing her falsetto to "angels singing." Simon says he thinks it was a lazy song choice, that the first half was worse than the second, and he hates what she's wearing.
Scott MacIntyre tells us he's been almost completely blind since birth, and his parents say they quickly realized how much he liked sounds and music. He performs "Keep the Faith," and he's in a place he's much more comfortable -- behind the piano. This definitely results in a better performance than we've seen from him before, but the song is fairly cheesy. Kara asks him if he learned the song on piano this week, and he says yes. She says it was a good song choice because it was a great message, and he's true to himself every week. Paula: "Scott, it's really magical seeing your instrument at your fingertips." She says, too, that the songwriter, who is in the audience, must have loved it. Simon says sorry to her because he hated the song choice. Scott says he wanted to be a little artistic. Simon says, "It's fine being artistic, just not on this show. ... I like you, I think you're a good singer, I like the fact that you're playing piano, I just didn't like the song." Randy says the performance was good, but it felt really safe, and he wants to see more sparks from him.
Danny Gokey says music was a way of life in his family -- that they sang about everything, if it was time to learn about something or do something unpleasant (like getting up early for school). He sings "PYT." He dances all over the stage and generally kills it, after the first part, which is not entirely awesome. Even Simon is smiling once he gets into the song. Paula tells him to take it all in as the crowd goes crazy. Paula: "The true mark of an artist is when you can hear somebody even with your eyes closed and know exactly who they are, and you possess that gift along with so many others." Then she says she thinks he's going into the finals. Aren't we in the finals? Simon says the vocals were brilliant and compares him to Michael McDonald. But he says the dancing was hideous. Danny says he loves to sing and dance, but when he puts them together, it's really tough. Randy says he's looking for his range as a performer, and he showed it tonight with the uptempo song. He also liked the singing and dancing. Kara says he has joy on the stage and that he should thank his parents for making him "sing his homework."
Michael Sarver returns to see his oil rig coworkers (dressed in their blue jumpsuits, which reminds me of my Granddaddy, who worked in a refinery for decades) and his family for a bit, but his bio segment is really short. We do learn that he grew up without a dad and thus tries to be as good of a father as possible. He sings "You Are Not Alone." It's kind of a goofy choice, but his vocals make it a lot more obvious why he has made it this far -- he really can sing. Simon says he's not the best singer on this show, but he made up for it with passion and heart. "I just wish we knew what you did for a living," he adds snarkily. Hee. Randy says he's one of the best in this so far tonight. Kara says tonight showed her that he really can sing and that he's serious about this. Paula says he picked a song "that was instinctually perfect for you."
Jasmine Murray is really close with all of her family -- her mother and her sisters are all gorgeous, too. She sings "I'll Be There." She has some rough patches in the middle, but she mostly does a good job with it. Randy says she did a pretty good job with a song that has been done by MJ and Mariah Carey. Kara says she's always on the edge, hoping she can get to those notes, and she did. Paula says she has amazing composure and poise, but some of her moments going into the chorus were flat, but she also had some brilliant moments. Simon says he can't add much, that it was a nice attempt and that she needs to start acting her age a little more and loosen up a bit.
Around this time, a friend of mine posts on Facebook wondering if maybe the show didn't secure the rights to all of MJ's songs because she thinks they sure are picking some boring ones. That's a pretty good point -- I'm also hoping some of the rest of the contestants pick some more fun options.
Kris Allen also grew up with music. The rest of his bio segment is about how it's difficult being apart from his wife of a few months. He brings out his guitar for a performance of "Remember the Time." There, that's a little more upbeat. It's a bit weird, because he's dancing around and playing the guitar, and it doesn't really go together, but somehow he makes it work. Kara says the girls love him, and adds that she's glad to see him out there with his guitar because he performs so well with it, even though he missed a few notes. She also says that people should know that he helped a lot of the other contestants prepare for their performances. Paula says he helped them because no one knows MJ's catalog as well as he does. She also says he was adorable and sexy. Simon says it wasn't really a song that suits the guitar, which made it a little "clumsy." He also says he should have kept the wife hidden for a little while longer (I guess so the girrrrrrllllls won't get jealous and decide not to vote for him). Randy says he liked it, calling the performance "a little Jason Mraz-y" and "a well job done" (note: not a typo).
Allison Iraheta is from an El Salvadorean family, and she frequently sings at a local market. She also says she has wanted to be on Idol since she was 9 (I'm so old), and she was lucky to have parents who gave her what she needed to get there. She sings "Give in to Me," which I am not familiar with. She gives it a very rock vibe, and it works for her. It's unreal that she is 16. In fact, the first thing that Paula says is asking if she is really 16. She says she should keep doing what's she's doing, and her hair looks great. Simon says it was a good performance, and that it's clear who she is and what kind of artist she is. He says she needs to lighten up a little, and she says, "I'm not dark, I'm not like cutting myself." She maybe shouldn't talk on national television. Randy says she's born to do this and can sing anything. Kara says she is distinguishing herself as the rocker girl.
Anoop Desai talks with Ryan about how shocked he was to make the Top 13. He says he wants to bring energy and have some fun. His parents say he was very spoiled as an only child and that he is living the American dream. He says he wants to be an artist who has credibility, recognition and good music. He's taking on "Beat It." He has fun and gets way into the performance, though it seems like he loses some words at one point, but it was hard to tell. Paula and Simon spar about who is supposed to go first. Simon makes Paula go first: "Hi, Anoop. I wasn't prepared for this. OK, when you pick a song, it's your gift to show the world what you got. And according just to me, people, here comes the boo, I don't think that, I think that this song is untouchable, it belongs to the consummate artist and anything else sounds karaoke to me." She's proud that she got a boo. Simon says he thought it was horrible because "there was no aggression, it was all very lightweight, and it looked stupid." Randy says it was the wrong choice because it was very karaoke. Anoop says he hopes he's back next week to show what he has. Kara says he didn't get to do any variations or do any riffs or anything.
Jorge Nunez has a big, energetic family in Puerto Rico. He says they broke apart after his grandpa died, but him being on Idol has brought them back together. He's going to sing "Never Can Say Goodbye." I don't love him, but I think he has a pleasant-enough voice here. Randy says this was a weird choice because "it was a little older-fashioned for you." Kara says he's one of the most emotionally connected people, but he didn't really connect with this song. Paula says she loves him, but she doesn't think he was himself and she asks him why he picked that song. He said he couldn't choose, and finally he went with this one because he thought it fit his voice. "I wasn't going to sing 'Bad' by Michael Jackson," he says. "Well, you kind of did," Simon says. Yikes. I don't know -- I didn't think it was fabulous, but I didn't think it was as bad as the judges made it out to be.
Megan Joy Corkrey, a font analyst, is on the show because her family pushed her into it. She also tells Ryan she's never been on a stage performing except for choir. In her bio, she adds that she tried out for the musicals and solos in choir and never made anything, so she gave up on that and focused on her family. That didn't work out too well, and she's now divorced, but she says her son gives her life meaning. He's staying with her mom, and there's a clip of her talking to him on the phone, saying, "I love you, Bubba," and I, being a ginormous softie, totally tear up since I call my kidlet Bubba a lot of the time, too. Then she cries about being away from him. Sniffle. She sings "Rockin' Robin," which the Jackson 5 covered. Really? Of all the Michael Jackson songs in the universe, she picks this? I mean, it works well with her voice, actually, but what a strange way to go. Kara says she puts her signature on everything she touches, but she would like to see more range from her. Paula says she picked the right song, but she didn't really show her quirkiness as much tonight. Simon says, "We like you ... but what a stupid song choice." He calls it clumsy and awkward. He says if this was the first time the audience had seen her, they would think the judges had lost it by putting her on the show. That's kind of weird because even though it was totally strange, I still thought her voice sounded better than in her last two performances. Randy says the song choice didn't allow her to be herself. Simon then asks Gordon Ramsay, who's in the audience, what he thinks, but we can't hear him. Simon says he doesn't know what he's talking about anyway. (Oh, look. The Brits hate each other. Or something.)
Adam Lambert says he moved to Hollywood right after high school and he's struggled to make it. He says he has a thicker skin from his time in Hollywood and that if he had had this opportunity five years ago, "I probably would have crumbled under the pressure." He sings "Black or White." I know a lot of people really like him, but every time he sings, I feel like I'm watching Grease: You're the One That I Want (that's the show where people tried out for the Broadway musical) all over again. Paula says no one has ever been this comfortable on this stage ever in the history of the show. "Your innate ability to know who you are as an artist and to marry fashion with music as you do that, you've got the whole package and I believe with all my heart we'll see you running all the way to the end in the finals." Simon says that was in a totally different league than anyone else so far tonight. Randy says he is the most current, most right now, and that he could make an album right now and go to the top of the charts. Kara: "What could I say that hasn't already been said?" And that's why we don't need four judges. (*rimshot*) I think he looked comfortable on stage, but I can't imagine hearing that vocal on the radio. I think he's screechy.
Matt Giraud talks about going on family vacations and loving spending time with everyone, especially his dad. He's singing "Human Nature" from behind the piano. He's comfy behind the piano, and I think he does a really good job until it goes to the falsetto at the end. Randy says he had some pitch problems, but he has a Justin Timberlake/Robin Thicke thing going on. They are clearly running out of time, as the judges are concise. Kara says he's talented, Paula says she's blown away, and Simon says it was "meat and potatoes, solid," and all the judges agree with "solid." Sorry you didn't get your full moment in the spotlight this week, Matt, but I guess you pay the price for the show running over this time.
Alexis Grace is going last. She says she grew up around the Memphis blues, and her dad has been a musician for 35 years, too. She sings "Dirty Diana," and it's pretty good if a little manic. Kara says they are happy to have her back and that she's a naughty girl. Paula says it was good, but watch the oversinging. Simon says it was over the top and not as good as she thought it was. Randy says something similar. Then Ryan gives her number and emphasizes that the end of the number is "36," not "13." (This is why.)
I miss a few seconds because the show ran over again, and I wasn't all the way caught up, but they are changing things up tomorrow night, I guess, or maybe next week? Did someone else catch that? Were there details?
Tomorrow night: Kanye, Kelly and results.
So ... what did you think? Who'd you vote for?
Sure, you like watching The Amazing Race, but have you ever thought about being on the show?
There's a casting call in Baltimore on March 21. Check out this page on WJZ, which has all the details including a link to the show application. (They suggest filling out the application before you get there.) You and your potential teammate have to be there.
Let me know if you decide to try out!
It's been crazy this season on Dancing With the Stars, and it hasn't even started yet. Well, it's starting now! You probably heard that Nancy O'Dell and Jewel had to drop out due to injury, and there's been all kinds of mystery about who was going to take their place.
Well, not that much. It was reported today that Holly Madison (from The Girls Next Door) and Melissa Rycroft (just dumped on The Bachelor) would be joining the cast. ABC wouldn't confirm it, but their web site does -- sort of.
First up are Lil' Kim and Derek Hough. She says she first watched the show when she was in prison. Also, she says she's Lil' Kim, but man, she hardly looks like her old self. Upon meeting Derek, she says, "I'm going to look like black Barbie, and he's my Ken." Then she dedicates her performance to the women in the Federal Detention Center. They dance the cha cha to "Nasty Boys," and she seems pretty comfortable on stage, which will put her ahead of some of her competitors, no doubt. Head judge Len Goodman says it was the first night, first dance and overall "first class." Bruno Tonioli says she's "nasty but tasty" and that she works "wonders with that tushy." Carrie Ann Inaba says she was a little shaky, and she needs to not think of it as another style of dance, "but just let it out." Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30.
Next are Belinda Carlisle and Jonathan Roberts. Belinda is from the Go-Gos. She gets off to a rough start because every time they spin, she gets disoriented. Their first dance is the waltz to "What the World Needs Now." She's a touch wobbly, but she's clearly giving it her all. Bruno says her first spin she looked like Julie Andrews, and after that she looked like Cloris Leachman. Whoops. He calls out her heavy footwork. Carrie Ann says it wasn't great, but it certainly wasn't Cloris. She adds that Belinda needs to trust Jonathan and let him lead. Len says they saw some grace and elegance with some moments of awkwardness. Scores: 6-6-5, for a 17/30.
Lawrence Taylor and Edyta Sliwinksa are next. When they first meet, Edyta tells him that football players always do very well, and he says everyone has been telling him that. Their first dance is the cha-cha, which is a little stilted because you can see him counting the steps out loud, and Edyta is clearly leading him. But he's having fun with it, so that's a plus. Carrie Ann asks if he lived up to the legend of other football players on this dance floor, and he says, "Not yet." Len says he had a nice natural, casual approach and it was well done. Bruno says he needs to attack it, to come out and perform. I guess Bruno has decided he is the Simon Cowell this season! Scores: 6-5-5, for a 16/30.
Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer are partnered up. Steve-O says he is on the show to prove that even though he's sober, "I haven't lost my mojo." He says he has "disadvantages for days: I'm very Caucasian." He also mentions his bad balance. They dance the waltz, and they begin with a handstand by Steve-O, which is more elegant than it sounds. Some of his footwork looks a little wonky, but they do a better job than I anticipated. Len says he came out fully commited, and it was not as bad as he thought. Bruno says it was a big pile of slapstick that did make him laugh -- really? I didn't think they were trying to be funny. Carrie Ann says she was oddly mesmerized by the beauty, the weirdness, and the awkwardness. Scores: 6-5-6, for a 17/30.
Gilles Marini, who is pretty much only known for being naked in the Sex and the City movie, is partners with Cheryl Burke, who wants to be three-time champion. Their first dance is the cha-cha. Cheryl says she wants them to make it so sexy that it makes people uncomfortable to watch them, and I don't think they exactly get there. Partly because it seems like Cheryl is dancing twice as hard as Gilles is. Carrie Ann gives them a woo-hoo and says he has great potential. Bruno says he knows how to strut his stuff and that Cheryl "has something to play with this time." Len thinks Gilles pulls off the choreography. Scores: 8-8-8, for a 24/30.
Country star Chuck Wicks is dating Julianne Hough, and they are also partners on the show. They discuss that it's tough to figure out their teaching relationship since they have a pre-existing relationship. They waltz to "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" They look very graceful, especially with his tux's tails, but some of his footwork is kind of spotty, and his shoulders are up around his ears. As they head to the judges, Julianne says she's never seen him this nervous. Bruno says they looked good at times, but at other times, he was trying to chase a whirlwind. Len says it was hectic here and there, but he had good footwork. He adds, though, that his posture was "bizarre." Carrie Ann says he is one of the "most graceful men" they've ever had on the show, but dings them for a slight lift. Scores: 6-7-7, for a 20/30.
Tom Bergeron briefly talks with Jewel and Nancy O'Dell, who won't be dancing.
Jewel's substitute is Holly Madison, who has been a Playboy cover girl and starred on The Girls Next Door. Her partner is Dmitri Chaplin (who along with Chelsie Hightower, who just joined DWTS this season, and Lacey Schwimmer is making me that that So You Think You Can Dance should be renamed So You Think You Can Dance With the Stars -- all three of them are alums of the Fox show). Holly has five days to learn as much as the other dancers hae learned in weeks. She says she doesn't have any dance experience. That would be terrifying! They do the cha-cha to "Just Dance." It's OK, but it's pretty clear she is playing catch-up, and there is a part toward the end where it looks like she gets lost for a bit, but by the end, she's doing the choreography. Well, Dmitri had a lot of fans from his time to SYTYCD, so that should help, too. Len says it wasn't bad and hopefully it was enough to get them through to next week. Carrie Ann says she has a lot of charisma and she went for it. Then she compares her to a newborn deer, hee. Bruno says some of the sections were good, but she lost timing a few times, "but there is hope, my darling." Scores: 6-6-6, for an 18/30.
Nancy's substitute is Melissa Rycroft from The Bachelor, but they aren't dancing yet.
First are Jewel's husband Ty Murray, "king of the cowboys," and Chelsie Hightower, who actually gets to acknowledge that she's from So You Think You Can Dance, unlike Lacey and Dmitri. They are also dancing the cha cha. Well, Chelsie does. Ty tries really, really hard. Bruno says it looked more like an Army drill, and that he got into a "terrible muddle." "There is always next week," he closes. Len says he came out and tried. Carrie Ann, who had her head down on the table when Bruno was talking, says he is a cute cowboy and he attacked the dance. She adds that he let go and had fun. Scores: 5-4-5, for a 14/30.
Next are Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas. During their training, Mark talks to her about connecting with the emotion of the dance, and she says it's tough for her because "in gymnastics, you're taught not to show emotion because emotion is weakness." She's also having trouble because she keeps smiling and giggling, which doesn't work well with the waltz. However, while she might not have dance experience, she obviously has grace and extension and flexibility thanks to gymnastics, and she seems to have gotten her giggly jitters out in rehearsal. Carrie Ann says she was "truly moved." She says she has dynamism. Bruno says it was surprisingly refined for someone so young. He does tell her to watch out for "gymnastic arms." Len says he found it very appealing and that they did a great job. Scores: 8-8-7, for a 23/30.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is partnered with Karina Smirnoff, who says she can bring the sexy side out of any partner. I'm not really sure I want to see that. In rehearsal, he looks hilarious in a giant T-shirt, black socks and black shoes and black shorts. They're doing the cha-cha, which begins with Steve wearing a giant boa for some unknown reason. Oh, Lord, it's so bad. I mean, he's giving it his best shot (and Karina's trying to get them some votes in an outfit that might actually offer the least coverage of any in DWTS history, and you know that's saying something). But no, Woz, I'm sorry. Len says the good news was it held his attention, and he was fascinated. "But overall, it was a disaster." Bruno says it was "like watching a Teletubby going mad." "That's almost a compliment," Woz says. Carrie Ann says he's what this is about, going on a limb and doing something new. "You make us want to cheer for you," she says. He says he had so much fun they're testing him for drugs tomorrow, and then he has to explain that it was a joke. Well, Ty, you might be safe thanks to Woz is all I'm saying. Scores: 5-4-4, for a 13/30.
David Alan Grier and Kym Johnson are partners this season. She says she thought at first, he was in this for a joke but that he is 100 percent serious about doing well. They are doing the waltz this evening. He's working hard to sell it, but it's quite lovely, and it actually looks like David is leading. Bruno says he had some good lines, but when he leaned toward her, his posture was weird. He also says his face was all over the place. Carrie Ann says he needs to keep his face in check so it doesn't distract from his move. Len says he did a commendable job, but he needs to work on keeping his "bum" from sticking out. Scores: 6-7-6, for a 19/30.
A little clarification: Next week, the couples will dance for another set of judges' scores and votes, and on Tuesday, the bottom two will compete in a dance-off. So I guess the judges will choose who goes home. So that means no results show tomorrow. Hooray, I might get to sleep!
Denise Richards is partners with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the bad boy of the ballroom and Karina's fiance. They, too, dance the cha-cha tonight. They do all right, but something seems clunky or off-kilter, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe the judges will help. Carrie Ann says Denise looked terrified, which was weird because she has great potential. Len says she gave it a real shot, but it was all a little bit loose, and it looked like Maks was pulling her around. Bruno says she has it all but she doesn't know what to do with it. Scores: 6-6-6, for 18/30.
Last are Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani. ABC shows the footage of her being dumped again. Tom Bergeron: "Two words, Jason: people skills." She just started training on Saturday morning. Yikes, that's scary. But she apparently has ballet training and a cheerleading background, so that helps. A lot. They do a great job, though she has a smile pasted on her face the whole time like a beauty pageant contestant. Nancy O'Dell risks her meniscus to give a standing ovation. Len says the Bachelor's loss is Dancing With the Stars' gain. He points out her balletic footwork and says she needs to work on it. Bruno says he doesn't know the Bachelor guy, "but he's a LOOOOOSER." Carrie Ann says she has great lines and is a beautiful dancer. She does mention that she needs to have more emotional connection to the dance itself instead of just being happy to be there. During the interview, she points out that she was a Cowboys cheerleader and did ballet when she was younger. Tony says he took all the ballet moves he knew and put waltz around it since they had so little time. Scores: 8-7-8, for a 23/30. Oh, she's not going anywhere for a while. First, she can dance, and even if she couldn't, there's an angry public out there pulling for something good to happen to her after last week's mess.
What did you think of the season debut? Who'd you vote for?
P.S. In case you doubted that all of this was last minute and stressful for the network, check out what ABC's Dancing With the Stars site looked like just before tonight's 8 p.m. premiere. (I promise these are undoctored screen shots I took just before 8):
According to Access Hollywood and this L.A. Times blog entry, Melissa Rycroft is heading to Dancing With the Stars. You might remember Melissa as the woman who "won" this season of The Bachelor -- Jason Mesnick proposed to her at the end of last Monday's finale, then dumped her on the reunion show.
She'll reportedly be subbing in for Nancy O'Dell, who tore her meniscus in her knee. There are also rumors that Holly Madison (from The Girls Next Door) will join the cast, replacing Jewel, who is also severely injured.
None of this has been confirmed by ABC, but we'll see what happens on tonight's premiere (8 p.m.).
Khloe Kardashian is named project manager for Team Athena for tonight's task on Celebrity Apprentice, which involves creating a comic character to draw new customers into the Zappos.com web site. She says she's confused about why she's been named PM. Yes, she says, she has a clothing store, "but I'm not really familiar with online." Well, Khloe, "online" is where your sister Kim's sex tape got leaked and you're only famous because of her. So "online" is pretty much why you are considered famous enough to be on this show.
Team Kotu's PM is Scott Hamilton, who thinks he got the job because he was a voice of reason last task.
When Athena meets with the Zappos representative, they press for details about what appeals to him particularly, and he's pretty nonresponsive. Then he heads to Kotu, and Tom Green wants to know if humor is OK and then goes on a weird diatribe that pretty much ends the meeting.
When it's time to brainstorm on Athena, the women all talk over one another and Khloe doesn't take control at all.
Side question: Could T-Boz look more miserable?
Khloe tries to take control of her team meeting, but of course, Annie Duke jumps in and decides she is going to write the script. Melissa notes that her mom has actually won Emmys for her writing work, and Joan interviews as much.
In the men's room, Dennis starts talking about creating a transvestite character where a guy tries on shoes and clothes at Zappos and goes off on a weird tangent, with help from Tom Green. I don't think that's going to work.
Back at Athena, Annie is trying to work on the script -- and she is wearing SHORTS. WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER? Khloe steps up and says they need to get back on track and create the character first. Just as she is making that point, the editor and artist show up to work on said character.
Claudia Jordan helped them come up the character, and Joan Rivers comes up with the name. When Donald Jr. comes in, Melissa Rivers takes over telling what the character and concept are and then claims them as her own in front of everyone.
Then it's focus-group time. Claudia pitches to them -- and it's all guys, all comic-book fans. A couple of them interview about how weird it is to talk comic characters with a Playboy Playmate (that'd be Brande Roderick). Someone says, "Was that a group of virgins or what?"
On the men's side, the focus group comes in, and Kotu tells all of them all their random (and bad) ideas. "We have a focus group and no focus," Scott Hamilton says. Afterward, they continue working on their concept, but they still don't have anything. More chaos!
The women's team learns that their model won't make it in time, so they decide to have Natalie Gulbis be the one in the costume for the presentation. Joan works with the costume designer, but she's mad that she isn't on the writing team.
The men's team keeps on fighting, and then finally gets an idea, which actually sounds remarkably like the women's idea. Tom talks and talks and finally Scott can't even process him anymore. They name her EEE, for Everything Everywhere Everytime. Or something.
Then the teams meet with their costume designers, but we don't get much time with them.
On Athena, they try to get their presentation written. But Claudia, who is supposed to present the story, has gotten really ill all of a sudden. Annie, of course, would never deign to go home, even if she was totally sick. Oh, sure, whatever.
Kotu works on the presentation, and Tom keeps talking and talking, and Scott just ignores everything he says. Now at this point, he starts questioning the name EEE, which is a fair question but it's a little late. Scott says Tom is his Achilles Heel. Tom is frustrated because he says he's a creative guy, but he doesn't seem to understand that he's been irritating everyone constantly.
The next morning, Scott asks everyone but Clint, Jesse and Brian to just relax while everyone else works on the presentation. But Dennis is there, too, and he's interrupting them while they continue to not have time. Clint Black won't let anyone talk, and everyone else is getting frustrated. Jesse has some really good points -- that they need to have conviction and not say "we think" and that they need to say things in the present tense -- he has obviously been his own sales man for his own products.
At the last minute, Scott asks Tom to be the narrator of their presentation, and he's confused but agrees. He says no one would let him do anything yesterday, and Herschel Walker says he's lying, and they spar for a while but nothing comes of it.
Finally, it's presentation time!
Athena is up first. Claudia Jordan comes forward to do the presentation and introduces Mizz Z (aka Natalie Gulbis). During the part when their storyboards are up, Claudia stumbles and fumbles all over her words. (She says she would give herself a C. That's pretty generous.) It was terrible to watch.
For the men's presentation, Tom narrates and kills it even though their concept wasn't that fabulous. The Zappos representative says he likes that the men focused on the customer but didn't like the focus on the letter E. He says the women's concept got the idea of their company culture and took advantage of the opportunity to own the letter Z, but that they stumbled in the presentation, particularly when their narrator kept saying "Zappo" instead of "Zappos." Yikes.
I still predict the women are going to win it because their concept made more sense overall and didn't have that weird "EEE" thing going on. But that presentation was bad, so who knows.
In the boardroom, Donald starts everything by saying that he is surprised because he heard that Khloe (remember her? Haven't seen her in a while) did a good job. He also says he heard that Scott and Tom didn't get along well. Scott says that the men asked him to be project manager, but no one can remember doing that. Tom says Scott never listened to him, Scott says he derailed them every time. Brian says his team has "seven chiefs," and it was trouble.
Joan says Khloe did a great job, but it took a while for her to take control because they also have a ton of chiefs. Joan says that she was asked to not participate in the script-writing and she and Annie get mad about it. Donald asks whose idea it was, and Melissa says it was her. Khloe says actually the base idea was Claudia's. They ask about Natalie wearing the outfit and how she felt. She says she didn't enjoy it, but she did it for the team. Donald Jr. questions her decision to make that clear in front of the Zappos representative, and she says that probably wasn't the best idea. Donald Sr. asks Brande why she wasn't in the outfit, but she really doesn't get a chance to answer before he starts asking how often she was on the cover of Playboy (answer: once) and then he shares that he tried to pick her up once and failed. She doesn't remember that and says he should have been more obvious. Donald Jr. says, "Oh yes, because he's so shy." Hee hee, score one for Donald Jr.
They look at one another's story boards and note the similarities. Natalie says the EEEs make no sense, when it should be Z. Scott tries to defend it, but Trump interrupts to say that Zappos liked some parts of their presentation. Tom goes back to the EEE situation and says he questioned it and tried to come up with more ideas. They mention Claudia being sick and her teammates say made her go home.
And the winner is: Athena, again. Guess we're stuck with Annie some more. Oh well. Tom and Scott, though, are in trouble.
Then it's boardroom time, Part 2. Scott continues to talk about Tom derailing them and Tom about how he was ignored. Tom says he fought EEE, and Donald asks if that's true. Scott says that Tom fought him every step of the way -- on everything. Herschel is asked who he'd fire, and he says Tom because he was acting up during the task. Brian McKnight says he would fire whoever came up with that name -- he says he was on the costume side, and the costume had a Z, not EEEs. Dennis Rodman says straight up that Scott should be fired. Jesse says he would fire Clint, and Donald is confused. Tom says he understands because Clint was a wrench in the gears and he yelled at everyone. Jesse says he argued with everyone and yelled at everyone, which makes working together difficult. He says he got up and walked away from Clint several times. Clint says he would fire Tom over Scott because he thinks he was "undermining Scott on purpose." Scott has to pick two, he asks two for sure? Donald says he should bring two, and Scott says he knows that means he should bring back two, but only one person should come with him, and that's Tom. Scott says he is bringing Tom and Herschel, the latter so he can be an advocate. Hmmm, interesting.
Trump calls them back in, and Scott says he thinks he made good decisions, dividing Tom away from others. Tom smartly questions would he rather have had him yelling at people like Clint and says that even as he got shut down over and over, he stayed positive. Trump makes Herschel leave since he's not going to be fired. Tom says Scott should be fired because he couldn't control the team. He says he himself could control the team because he knows how to work with people in a creative medium. Then the EEE is brought up again, as is the idea that Clint should have been brought in. All of a sudden, they start talking about how awesome Jesse is, which is random, but bodes well for him later in the show.
After the break, Scott is trying to explain that he wants to raise money for cancer so badly, and Tom speaks up to say that they are both cancer survivors, but Scott cuts him off. It's tough because you know that Tom has been interrupting him nonstop for two days, so Scott is just kind of over it, but because of the topic at hand, it makes Scott look really bad, which Trump pretty much points out. Tom says they are both survivors of testicular cancer, and Tom says, speaking for himself that has a result, he only has one testicle left. Scott doesn't really look like he wants to go into that much detail, but he gamely replies, "Together we're a set!"
Finally, they come back around to the major problem of the day: the name. So, Scott is fired.
Man, that was a LOT of going around in circles to get to what was a pretty obvious conclusion. Did anyone really think Trump was going to overlook that massive branding problem?
In the limo, Scott says he's bitterly disappointed, but he's a positive person, and he's getting back to raising money for cancer, spending time with his family and working on his career.
On tonight's Amazing Race, the teams head out of Transylvania to Siberia, getting a clue that tells them to go to the hydroelectric dam featured on the 10-ruble note.
Amanda and Kris do their pre-leg interview, and Kris says he thinks they are going to win this thing, which makes me immediately think they will be out at the end of this episode.
In the taxi on the way to the airport, Cara and Jaime are looking at the dam and one of them (I can't tell them apart yet, sorry) says, "Some pretty powerful beavers made that dam; must've been females." Um. Yeah. So many comments, so little time.
In a weird moment, Mark and Mike's cab driver says they can use his phone to call the airport, but he ends up calling one of the other cabbies, who thinks the call is for Cara and Jaime, so he hands the phone to them. One of them pretends to be a Lufthansa Airport clerk for a while, and then she hangs up. She said it was pretty mean, but it would have been truly mean if she had led them to believe that they had reservations.
Flights don't make much of a difference because there's only a couple of flights they'll all connect on to get to Siberia, and the dam doesn't open until 8:30 the next morning anyway. The three teams that make the earliest flight -- Mark and Mike, Kisha and Jennifer and Jodi and Christie -- do get in before the rest of the teams, though. The detour is either stacking wood or constructing and installing some shutters.
People seem to think stacking wood sounds easier, but it's a huge pile. Mike and Mark accidentally knock over an existing pile and learn they have to restack that one and finish theirs. Those shutters are looking better all the time, I bet. After the commercial, they decide to head to the other task. Jodi, always so kind, says, "Mark and Mike just got beat by girls." Oh, shut up.
Kisha and Jennifer finish first and learn there is a U-Turn ahead. Phil explains that this season there is a new twist, a "Bilnd U-Turn," where teams can make someone do both tasks, but they don't have to leave their own picture, so no one will know who chose them.
When the next flight arrives, all of the teams chose the stacking task.
Meanwhile, Kisha and Jennifer reach the Roadblock, where one of them has to ride a bobsled and spot several letters, which at the end, they will have to unscramble to form the name Chekhov. Kisha misses a letter and has to go again. Christie gets all the letters but has no clue what the answer could be.
Back at the stacking task, we see Mel and Mike's, Kris and Amanda's and Cara and Jaime's stacks, which look nearly complete, fall. It's like dominoes -- once a couple start to fall, a TON go down. Mel and Mike bail and head to the other task, where Mark and Mike are still wandering around. They stop wandering looking for the house that needs the shutter and decide to make the shutters first.
Margie and Luke finish the stacking task, and Amanda and Kris bail out. Immediately, Tammy and Victor finish, too. But zoinks, Margie and Luke decide to U-turn Amanda and Kris (trying to help out Cara and Jaime).
Kisha figures out Chekhov and she and Jennifer head to the pit stop. Somehow, Christie figures it out, too.
Mel and Mike and Mike and Mark decide to team up -- Mike and Mark will help them assemble, and Mel and Mike will help them find the house.
Christie and Jodi then find the right entrance to the musical theater and finish first. (They win motorcycles.) Kisha and Jen are next, coming in second.
At the bobsled, Tammy and Victor finish quickly, then Margie and Luke are there, with Luke trying to unscramble the letters, but he, too, isn't aware of Chekhov.
Jaime and Cara finish the stacking task, while Luke continues to struggle with Chekhov.
At the shutter task, three teams -- both M&Ms and Amanda and Kris -- are still wandering around looking for the house that needs the shutters.
Tammy and Victor finish third.
Over at the shutters, they are like two houses away from the one they are looking for. Finally Mike W. wanders in the right direction and leads the teams there. Whew, good job, Mike. And finally, at the bobsled, Luke solves the puzzle and they head to the pit stop. They run into Cara and Jaime and tell them where to go.
Everyone finishes the shutters, which means that Amanda and Kris learn they have been U-turned, which means they have to redo the stacking task anyway. That stinks for them.
Margie and Luke learn they are team No. 4, and Jaime and Cara are No. 5.
At the bobsled, Mark and Mike have to go again because they didn't catch all the letters. Meanwhile, Amanda and Kris finish the stacking task. (Sheesh, it's always this manic at this point in the episode because so much is happening. It's tough to keep up.)
In their cab, Amanda and Kris postulate who might have U-turned them. They think Kisha and Jen or "the blondes." And Amanda says that Margie and Luke must have felt so bad for them when they saw the sign. Um, not exactly!
Mel finishes the bobsled and unscrambling quickly, ahead of Mike and Mark. Mark unscrambles the letters easily, and they head to the pit stop.
Mel and Mike are team No. 6.
Amanda and Kris get to the bobsled, and Kris takes on the last task.
Mark and Mike are at the pit stop, but out of money. The offer their watch, but the cabbie has a Rolex. Ha! They offer their jackets, but he doesn't take them. He finally just accepts that they are out of money. They are team No. 7. And it occurs to me that since they were on the first flight, they really messed up this leg of the race. That doesn't bode well for them.
Amanda and Kris finish last, and they are eliminated. Ouch. They probably could have caught up with one of the other teams, though to be fair, they did finish the shutter task last, so they might have been eliminated anyway.
Still, there's sure to be a lot of intrigue about who U-turned them.
What do you think about the U-turn and the results?
On the most recent Hell's Kitchen, the women were rejoicing over Lacey’s transfer to the men’s team. They felt that they would be indestructible without their dead weight. Boy were they wrong. I’ll get to that later.
The chefs went to the Asian market for their first challenge. The teams – men and Lacey against the rest of the women -- had $100 to make three “Asian Fushion” dishes.
While the women were a little more methodical, the men ran around snatching items left and right. Lacey had trouble getting her opinion known. Andrea gave a slew of directions. Both were basically being ignored.
When it came time for the judging, Chef Gordon Ramsay introduced Tanya Steele, an editor, at Epicurious.com. The winning team would have their recipes featured on the Web site. The contestants were extremely excited about the prize.
Carol and Coi made a pomegranate chicken dish. Robert and Danny made Pad Thai with barbecue chicken. The men won the first round. Paula and LA’s Ahi Tuna Tempura went up against Ben and Lacey’s Pan Seared Scallops. The women’s team won the second round. The score was tied. Last, Andrea and Colleen went up against J and Giovanni. The women made Kobe beef sashimi. The men made a…… The men didn’t even know what their dish was called. All J could say was that the meat was beef. (How embarrassing.) Giovanni quickly chipped in that the dish was called beef pizzaiola. Steele, the guest judge, voted in favor of the women, which handed them the overall win.
The women won a day of “Asian influenced” gifts. As their punishment, the men and Lacey had to make homemade fortune cookies. The men also had to decorate the entire Hell’s Kitchen restaurant with origami.
Lacey immediately started to throw a tantrum. She lamented that she was going home because all the other contestants hated her. Blah, blah, blah.
Meanwhile the women went to their prize: fighting while dressed in inflatable Sumo wrestler suits. Chef Ramsay even got dressed in one.
Meanwhile, the men made fortune cookies. Lacey was getting on everyone’s nerves. By the time they moved onto origami, Lacey started to turn a corner. She showed the men how to do origami. For the moment, the men disliked her a little less. Cut to the women, who were doing a sake taste test.
The women returned cocky and refreshed. They got another injection of confidence when Ramsay announced that he was going to include Paula’s tuna dish on the menu for the evening. (Talk about a compliment.)
Ramsay then lobbed compliments on LA and Giovanni for their risotto.
It was at this point that I was beginning to wonder if I was watching the right show. It didn’t take long for Ramsay to get back to his usual grumpy self.
Andrea burned her Wellingtons; Ramsay screamed at her.
J undercooked his Wellington; Ramsay screamed at him.
Robert gave Ramsay some attitude after he kept getting called “Bobby.” Apparently, Robert hates the name. It stems from a bad relationship with his father. (Save it for Dr. Phil.) Anyhoo, Ramsay pounced on him. He called him into the hall. After a brief scolding Ramsay sent Robert back into the kitchen. (Oh yeah, Robert flashed the camera in defiance during a confessional.)
Meanwhile, Ramsay had moved onto his next victim: Andrea. Her cooking times were off and he gave her an earful for slowing up her teammates. Ramsay jumped on J. Then he jumped on Colleen. He had enough. He shut down the kitchen.
Ramsay selected Giovanni and LA to choose a member of the team.
Ramsay and Robert had a closed-door meeting where Robert explained his aversion to being called “Bobby.” Surprisingly, Ramsay seemed sympathetic.
LA chose Andrea. Giovanni chose J.
Ramsay quashed both choices and sent home Colleen. He said that she had five bad consecutive dinner services. On the way out, Ramsay actually praised Colleen for her tenacity.
There are three more spots in this season's American Idol Top 12. Ryan Seacrest introduces the show as if something sacred is about to happen. It's not.
But it should be entertaining!
Lest there be any doubt, the judges will be choosing from tonight's eight competitors which three will round out the Top 12.
First up is Jesse Langseth. She sings "Tell Me Something Good." Paula Abdul is up and dancing almost immediately, but she gets off to a rough start and never really gets her footing in the song. Randy Jackson says it was an interesting song choice, but he doesn't think she sang it that well. "It was just a'ight." Kara DioGuardi says she had some off notes, but she has a great swagger -- like Sascha Fierce coming out. Paula says she's impressed with her tenacity and determination. Simon says she was a lot better than the first time, but he thought the song and performance were "indulgent," that it was all about her.
Matt Giraud is next with "Who's Loving You" from the Jackson 5. He sounds good, but I think this was pretty indulgent, too. Kara says thanks for bringing back the soulful and bluesy Matt. She says it was a little bit over the top at times, but it was still great. Before Paula talks, they cut to the folks upstairs just in time to see a production person arranging Von Smith and (I think) Megan Corkrey just so. Paula says it was a good "zong choice," which is almost what she means to say. "Don't go against what you're great at. ... This is you." Simon says it was "a billion times better than last week," but he hates his outfit and, "I saw bits of Taylor Hicks coming out." Randy says he made everyone scared that he's going to make the Top 12 and have to compete with them. Going into the break, they cut to Megan and Von, who are indeed positioned correctly on the second floor.
Megan Corkrey comes out to sing "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree." I'm not sure what the deal is with this little accent that comes out when she starts singing, but anyway, it's all a little wonky to me. Paula says she looks beautiful and picked a song that fits her personality, but she says nothing about the vocals. Simon says he thinks she's terrific and current and he doesn't get any sort of karaoke vibe from her, and that he likes her even though it wasn't a great vocal. Randy agrees it wasn't the best vocal, but it was a great song in the right range. Kara says they need her because she adds variety. So I guess she's probably making the Top 12 even though they didn't think she sang that well. Am I crazy?
Von Smith sings "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word." He sounds nice, but he's clearly nervous because his hands are totally shaking the whole time. Simon says he is starting to become too earnest and boring. Randy says he had trouble finding his pitch. Kara didn't love the song choice because it got very dark and didn't show off his great vocal ability. Paula, who I just noticed is dressed like one of the Pink Ladies, says when he gets too concerned with the technical details, it obscures his ability. She says basically, he overthought it.
Jasmine Murray takes on "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera. I really expected her to go with a Rihanna song since the judges only mentioned her name like seven times in talking about Jasmine. She does a nice job with it but gets pretty shouty at times, and it's not the energetic song they asked for. Randy says she was way better than last time, though she had some moments. Kara says she's confused because she was expecting to tell her that she should have picked something "pop and commercial" but it turns out she has a big voice. Paula thinks she did a great job. Simon says she deserves more credit and that she probably just put herself back in the running.
Ricky Braddy takes on "Superstition." He's OK but he's going to get dinged for oversinging, I have no doubt. Kara says, "You can sing your butt off, we knew that." She adds that he showed off his personality and did a good job. Paula loves the way he loosened up, but, "you nailed it, and you had fun." Simon says he sounded good, but he thought the performance itself "was a bit clumsy." Randy says the song wasn't right for him and it felt a little self-indulgent.
So I'm assuming it's not just me -- they are being really hard on the guys and over-easy on the women, right? And to think I thought they might pick the best three regardless of whatever gender disparity might ensue.
Tatiana del Toro interviews about how she is in love with everyone. OK. She sings "Saving All My Love for You." Isn't that what she sang last time? Yes, yes it is. And I think she actually did a better job last time, too. She flips out when she's done. Paula says she is all confused. Finally, she says she's not a fan of repeating songs, but she proved in the second half that she can sing. Simon says they have heard her sing this song three times and asks what happens when she makes it to the Top 12 and has to learn new songs. She says she didn't want to fix something that wasn't broken, and he says it wasn't good enough to get her through the first time, so he doesn't get it. Randy says it's confusing, and Kara says it's like "The Adventures of Tatiana," and you never know what to expect. "At least she's not crying and holding her heart," Kara says. "She will," Simon says.
Last is Anoop Desai, who is going to sing "My Prerogative." Yes, he sang it in Hollywood, but we the viewers only saw about 15 seconds of that, so I'm totally OK with the repeat. The cheering is out of control. Simon says it's been a strange night, then calls him an enthusiastic dog. He says it wasn't the best vocal ever, but people really like him. He adds that they have to "cast" the rest of the Top 12 and include some personality. Randy says he did better with this performance, that he's OK with repeating if people slay songs, and he did. Kara says she doesn't usually want to get up and dance, and she wanted to this time. Paula says he is a showman and that he whipped out some "nasty" moves, but that everyone loved his performance. She says he has to pick the right songs. On the way to the break, Anoop says he wants to say to the folks in Chapel Hill that he knows they are having a tough day, "but we're all thinking of Eve." If you don't know what he's talking about (I didn't at first), I think it's the anniversary of the shooting death of the UNC - Chapel Hill student body president, Eve Carson.
All right, I take it back. I think it's going to be Anoop, Jasmine and Megan because I don't think they can overlook Anoop's popularity.
But let's see.
Jasmine is called forward, and yes, she is in the Top 12. Ricky is not. Megan and Tatiana are called forward together, and Tatiana is already almost crying. Paula drags it out, and then finally tells them that Megan is in the Top 12, but Tatiana is not. Tatiana walks up to the judges table and cries, prompting them to tell her that things are not over for her, that she will probably become a famous singer and actress. Huh, interesting.
So then my DVR changes channels because two things were set to record, and Idol is running WAY over. Nice job, guys.
Jesse is not in the Top 12, but Simon reiterates that "you nearly did," which is kind of mean. Von is not through. Matt and Anoop come forward, and Simon tells him that Matt is in the Top 12. He then says to Anoop that they just now decided that it's actually going to be a Top 13.
Super fakeout!
So the Idol Baker's Dozen now includes Anoop Desai, Matt Giraud, Jasmine Murray and Megan Corkrey.
What do you think about that?
(Photo of Anoop Desai: Frank Micelotta/FOX)
According to a release from ABC, Jewel and Nancy O'Dell have had to leave Dancing With the Stars due to injuries.
They will appear on the premiere on Monday but will not perform. Jewel has fractured tibias in both legs, and Nancy O'Dell has a torn meniscus.
Here's more from the release:
"Like most sports, dancing can be a demanding, physical activity. Each participant of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ warrants in contract that they are physically fit enough to participate in the competition. We love and appreciate Nancy and Jewel’s competitive spirit, drive and desire to perform their best. Though we share in their disappointment that they can no longer continue, their physical well-being takes precedent above all else. We thank them both for giving it their all and wish them a quick and full recovery," said Executive Producer Conrad Green.
"When the doctors told me my injuries were so severe that I couldn’t walk, let alone compete, I was devastated that I couldn’t continue the show," said Jewel. "I have every intention of being at ‘Dancing with the Stars’ this season supporting my husband, Ty, and his partner, Chelsie (Hightower). I hope to be back on the show in the future."
"Beyond disappointment doesn't even being to describe how I feel about not being able to continue on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’" said O’Dell. "It has been one of my favorite shows since Season One! But I have torn the meniscus in my knee in two places, which requires surgery. ‘Dancing with the Stars’ was a great experience. I'll miss working with my partner, Tony Dovolani, and all the other wonderful people on the amazing production that is ‘Dancing with the Stars’"
After a pretty lackluster season, America’s Next Top Model came roaring back last night with a fresh crop of beauties vying to stand atop the catwalk.
Last night’s two-hour show was a series of cuts. The top 34 girls in the nation were brought to Las Vegas to be further whittled down to 13. (Talk about downsizing.)
There’s a whole goddess theme for the first round of cuts. Blah, blah, blah. Tyra Banks greets the girls with an entourage of Roman soldiers. (Major cheese!) She tells the girls she was looking for a successor to her throne. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Almost immediately, the claws start to appear. Enter Angelea, the drama queen. The 22-year-old from Buffalo gets into a slight altercation with our hometown girl Sandra! Don’t worry ya’ll, she doesn’t make it into the top 13. The scary thing is that Sandra does. (We learn in the second hour of the show that she’s not all sugar and spice…)
The 21 girls are further cut into the top 13 girls, who wind up moving into the Top Model house in New York City.
The group includes:
Allison, 20, an artist from New Orleans. She’s got haunting eyes. She’s also very strange -- she's obsessed with nose bleeds.
Aminat, 21, a student from Union, N.J. She has a huge Afro and striking African features. She’s also 6’1”.
Celia, 25, from Cynthiana, Ky. She’s the oldest of the contestants. She also says she feels the most beautiful at this time.
Fo, 19, a student from Albuquerque. She calls herself a “Blaxican” because she is of black and Mexican heritage.
Isabella, 19, an aspiring model from Barboursville, Va. She also has epilepsy.
Jessica, 18, a student from Bradenton, Fla. She’s originally from Puerto Rico. She says she’s never been called ugly. Miss J clarifies that she’s never been called ugly to her face.
Kortnie, 24, a nonprofit organizer from Houston. She’s also the lone plus-sized model -- and the former girlfriend of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
London, 18, a student from Arlington, Texas. She is a “street preacher” who goes around the world spreading “the word” of Jesus Christ. (I’m not making this up.)
Natalie, 19, a student from Palos Verdes, Calif. She admits to being from a wealthy family.
Nijah, 18, an aspiring model from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Miss J Alexander says that her skin is flawless.
Sandra, 19, a student from Rockville, Md. She is very confident. She’s also proud of her dark skin.
Tahlia, 18, a student from Phoenix. She is a burn victim who has had 14 surgeries since being injured at 8 months.
Teyona, 20, a loss prevention representative from Woodstown, N.J. She’s a self-professed “Country Girl” with the confidence to boot.
The second half of the two-hour special features the first elimination from the New York City finalists. But first, the girls go to the Empire State Building, where they meet up with Judges Nigel Barker and Paulina Porizkova. They give them the key to the house, which is very swank.
In the house we really begin to see Sandra's nasty side. Celia is given the keys to the house, which means that she gets the first choice of bed in the house. She chooses the same bed that Sandra eyes. Sandra pulls a diva fit about it. She really starts to turn off her competitors. (I predict there is much more to come from “Sinister Sandra.”)
There’s a childhood game theme for the first elimination photo shoot.
Surprise, surprise, Allison is judged the winner for her double-dutch photo. She's got those haunting baby doll eyes, which probably gave her an immediate advantage.
Isabella is the show's first casualty after having a poor showing during her dodgeball photo shoot.
I can’t quiet put my finger on it, but this season of the show feels better. And for some reason, I think that this group of contestants look more like traditional models. Maybe I’m just glad for this small sense of escapism. Whatever it is, I more enthusiastic about this season.
I can't wait for next week's makeover show. It's always one of my favorites! Which model is going to cry? Which model is going to make an about face? We'll have to wait and see next Wednesday.
On my recent maternity leave, I watched a lot of the makeover show What Not to Wear. I mean a lot.
It actually made me think more about my wardrobe and trying to get myself together before going back to work -- I didn't want to look schlumpy or wiped out all the time. (Or, as Julia Roberts would say, "like a mom." *eyeroll*) That's fallen apart a little lately because the kidling isn't sleeping reliably, and because he is too big for the bouncy seat, so it's a little tougher to have my arms free to actually get ready in the mornings.
But this isn't about me, as it turns out. I just stumbled across this story from the Austin American-Statesman that catches up with three women who were made over early last year, one of whom is a writer at the newspaper. There's also a photo gallery here.
My favorite part is the photographic proof that the folks who go on the show do manage to save some of their old favorite pieces of clothing, even if they have to hide them. I always wondered about that.
My friend and former colleague Athima Chansanchai interviewed Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney from The Bachelor, as well as the show's executive producers, Mike Fleiss, about all the drama that's ensued.
I think it sounds like he thinks these interviews are going to vindicate him or make him look better (sheesh, ya know, he was just being honest), but I think they're doing the opposite. What do you think?
It's time again for the American Idol results -- tonight's we'll find out the last three non-wildcard folks getting through to the Top 12.
To kick things off, the group sings Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold." The camerawork and the choreography are so manic that it makes me a little dizzy. They sound decent, though you can't really make out any of the individual voices.
During the interviews before the results begin, we learn that Baltimore's Ju'Not Joyner had his first asthma attack during the rehearsals for the group sing. Scary! He's OK now, though. And he didn't go into details about his shots like last night.
Then, all of a sudden, Ryan calls Lil Rounds forward, and abruptly lets her know that she's through to the Top 12. She sings, and yup, she's still good.
Ryan then calls Arianna Afsar, Taylor Vaifanua, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Kendall Beard and Scott MacIntyre to stand up, telling them that one of them is through to the Top 12, but they have to wait until after the break to find out who it is. My money is on Scott (not literally), but we'll see.
After the break, they are sitting again. Arianna stands up for Ryan's recap of her performance and finds out she is not in the Top 12. Then Taylor goes through the same thing, also finding out the same news. Alex is next -- he is cut, too. Kendall and Scott then both stand up, and they find out that Scott is in the Top 12.
Nathaniel Marshall and Kristen McNamara learn they are both not through, and you can tell by looking at them that they were expecting that. Von Smith and Felicia Barton are next to find out, and it's a no. That leaves Ju'Not Joyner and Jorge Nunez. After a switcheroo, making them think they had to wait out the break, Ryan tells them Jorge is in the Top 12, but he doesn't sing quite yet.
Then it's time for some wildcard news!
All the folks from the Top 36 who didn't make the cut are upstairs waiting for the news. Eight of them will find out that they are making the wildcard round and will get to sing tomorrow night.
Here are the wildcard contenders: Von Smith, Jasmine Murray (and you can totally see Taylor say to Kendall "Jasmine" just before Kara gives her name), Ricky Braddy, Megan Corkrey, Tatiana del Toro (grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr), Matt Giraud, Jesse Langseth and Anoop Desai (yayyyy).
Then Jorge gets to sing his song and close the show.
So ... what do you think about the wildcard choices? I'm irritated but not surprised by the choice of Tatiana and glad to see Anoop make it through. Also, I think Jesse is a good option because she does have a really nice voice (though all her riffing with the judges was a little annoying). I think things could be really interesting tomorrow. I guess there's going to be a gender disparity no matter what, though.
For some reason, there is a part two to The Bachelor: After the Final Rose tonight. Dump someone on TV, follow your heart, drag this out as much as possible, whatevs.
At the beginning, some of the other contestants came out to talk about how they felt about Jason Mesnick unceremoniously dumping his TV fiancee Melissa and asking second-place finisher Molly for a second chance. Some wanted to punch him, and a couple thought he was smart to, you guessed it, follow his heart. Yawn.
Then Molly and Jason came out and sat and giggled all over each other and basically made everyone want to barf (but surely no one more than Melissa, who chose not to attend). She's moving to Seattle. He thinks she's his best friend. *eyeroll*
The only real news tonight is the next Bachelorette (speaking of things that will NOT END): Jillian from this season will be the next one fakely falling for multiple people on national television. Good for her, I guess.
The premiere is May 18. I won't be watching. How about you?
On tonight's American Idol, the last 12 of the Top 36 semifinalists will try to make it to the finals. (See a photo gallery of this set of semifinalists here.) One more time, I will say: Please pick some good songs.
Then host Ryan Seacrest says Simon Cowell has been criticizing song choice (obviously, he's not the only one) and asks him why he hasn't been choosing the songs. He says he's been asking himself that for ages and that some time soon they'll have a Simon's Choice week. Can we call it Simon Says?
Anyway, Von Smith, Taylor Vaifanua, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Arianna Afsar, Ju'Not Joyner (pictured), Kristen McNamara, Nathaniel Marshall, Felicia Barton, Scott MacIntyre, Kendall Beard, Jorge Nunez and Lil Rounds are up tonight.
Let's see how they do:
Von Smith: Von had a bit of a screaming problem in Hollywood week, but got another chance. (And anyone who has seen him on YouTube knows he probably realized he was a little screamy and over the top, right?) Tonight, he's singing "You're All I Need to Get By." He's still pretty shouty, pulling a lot of faces, and has a couple of pitch issues, but he's pretty good. Randy Jackson says it was a hot performance to kick off the show with. He adds that it was better than Hollywood week. Kara DioGuardi says he's coming into his own and listening to Simon's "note" about taking it down a notch. Paula Abdul says: "What I love about you is that it's really hard being first, and this is a memorable first, and America is going to remember you, and what I love so much is you know when to pull back, when to push forward, you're quite the showman and I loved your performance." Simon says he reminds him of Clay Aiken -- that he looks appalling, but he sounded good, and that his voice sounded like Aiken.
Taylor Vaifanua: Utah high school student Taylor is going to sing Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You." The first part of the song is too low for her, and she doesn't sound fab, but she rallies once it gets higher. (However, is she wearing rubber leggings and knee-high boots?) Kara says Taylor has a great voice, but she wants more insight into her personality, including what it's like to go shopping with her (mmmkay?), and that the performance left her a little cold. Paula: "For me, you have a beautiful gift, a beautiful instrument. I'm a little perplexed because we heard you sing this in Hollywood week, and this is a contest and a chance to show us something new, and I just wish you would've taken that chance." Simon says he doesn't get the shopping thing. I totally agree! He says his problem was that he genuinely couldn't remember her -- he calls her performance generic and says she's going to struggle. The music comes up before Randy gets to talk. Ha! He adds that she didn't tell us anything about herself. That's why the music came up -- we already heard that. Yawn! Then there is conversation about the judges' clothing, speaking of yawning.
Alex Wagner-Trugman: Before his performance, Alex tells Ryan he's been reading on the Internet how he is a big dork, so he has been going to the gym and trying to pump up. He sings "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues." So I remember he was pretty funny in his interactions with Simon, and I'm a big geek myself, so I'm pulling for him, but no. This is not good. He's giving a pleasant enough rendition (though I think everyone is a little uncomfortable when he sings the lyrics "rolling like thunder under the covers"), when he tries to crank it up and be a little ... soulful or something? It doesn't work. Paula: "You certainly are the show man. You gave us our money's worth, I just don't know how much money will be spent. ... Alex, you are certainly entertaining. We had fun watching you, we really did. And I'm glad you got to channel your inner rock star on that stage." Simon says, "We had fun watching you, just not listening to you because the ridiculous growling halfway through was just stupid." He also makes fun of him for kicking over the mike stand, which was an accident. "You are like a little hamster trying to be a tiger." Randy says he half-agrees with Simon and that it was crazy and "buck-wild." Kara says, "At least you do you. You're Alex. You're just a fun guy. I mean, the choreography, you can't pay for that!" She also tells him if he comes back to ditch the grrrrrrrrrr. (Lastly, it must be said: His parents are adorable.)
Arianna Afsar: Yet another 17-year-old takes the stage, bringing ABBA to Idol for the first time. She's singing "The Winner Takes It All." Um, so. She sings, and it starts rough, and I keep thinking she'll really get started, and it'll get better, but that doesn't really happen. The last three lines or so, she's OK, finally showing off her chops, but the last note isn't that great, though it is loud. Simon says there was a certain irony to that lyric because it was absolutely terrible in most parts because the song was too big for her. People boo him, but he's completely right. She says she was trying to make the song contemporary, but Simon says she didn't at all. Randy says this is when you want to show the audience what you have, and it wasn't good. Kara says she was a beam of sunshine at her first audition, and this was dark and depressing. Paula: "I'm not going to go as far as that. I think you had some bright moments to the song, ... but I do believe that the song is a little old-fashioned. I appreciate that you took the liberties to change and riff and change the melodies, but a song like ABBA ... it sometimes it's better to just stick to the melody because it's a song full of melody." Yeah.
Ju'Not Joyner: Baltimore-born-and-raised Ju'Not (whom you can read about in this story by Midnight Sun Sam) is next, singing a slowed-down version of "Hey There Delilah." I think this song choice might bite him a little because there was so much furor over Jamar Rogers not making the Top 36, and he made an impression singing this song. Plus, the slowed-down version really doesn't sound that contemporary, though his voice is decent. Randy says it was good that he took this rock song and switched it up, and he liked it. Kara says she liked his spin on the song, calling it smooth and fluid. She says he needs to go for it and let loose next time. Paula asks where his little boy is, but he's with grandma. She goes on: "I was a little hard on Taylor singing the same song in Hollywood. What was great about your performance was you changed up ... you must have heard me saying ... But your liberties that you took paid off. It was a nice vocal." Simon says it was better than he thought it was going to be, but he wishes he had stripped the whole song down. For some reason, Ju'Not starts talking about getting a cortisone shot in the rear. Ryan clarifies that he got the shot for his voice because he was having some asthma issues thanks to all of L.A.'s smog.
Kristen McNamara: Kristen sings "Give Me One Reason." She was the one who was told during Hollywood week that she needed to work on her look, and she's definitely worked toward being cute. Her performance is OK at parts, but her "yeahs" make it seem kind of lounge-singer-esque. Kara says she likes the hair better and tells her she is a great singer, but she can see her doing more of a rocky Kelly Clarkson or Pink song. Paula: "Kristen, when you were in Hollywood, you sang a Kelly Clarkson song, 'Because of You.' That showed the range, range, range of your voice. That's what I was expecting from you." But she says she did show off her range today. Simon says she's been all over the place style-wise, and also a good voice and a bad song choice, so he is puzzled. Randy agrees, and adds that she tried to do too much to it, so it felt kind of karaoke. Why are they so focused on her style? It's kind of odd.
Nathaniel Marshall: Nathaniel agrees that he has been shown to be quite a drama queen, and he wants to show off more of the other facets of his personality. So to quell the drama queen image, he's going to sing "I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)." That'll work! Actually, it's a remarkably bland performance, all things considered. Simon: "Nathaniel, um, I think you probably would. ... Kidding!" He adds that the majority of people will think that was excruciating and uncomfortable, but that at least people will remember him. He says he was a little unfair, maybe, that he is fun. Randy asks about the song, and Nathaniel says he and his mom used to dance around the house singing it. Randy says it just makes it hard for them to figure out what kind of record he would make. Kara says if he wants to be taken seriously, he has to show off a more serious side of himself. But right now, she wants to go to karaoke with him. Simon asks his family how they liked it, and his grandma says she liked it and she is used to his singing. Paula: "Nathaniel, I love ... you know I love you. I loved you in Hollywood week because you were serious, albeit you had your guitar. You sang 'Disturbia,' and I thought that was a bold choice and it made you relevant. ... Here's the thing, this song, it was more like the Boy George version of this song and it takes the coolness factor away. And I love Meatloof ... Meat Loaf, excuse me."
Felicia Barton: Felicia is the one who got cut after Hollywood, but then Joanna Pacitti got disqualified, and Felicia is in. She's singing "No One" by Alicia Keys. And if she was going for sounding distinctive, she should have sung it a little less like Alicia Keys. Paula: "Felicia, isn't it funny how the universe works? You know, all things happen for a reason. You are not only gorgeous outside, your talent, your gift is unbelievable. You know what? I am so glad we brought you back, and I hope we bring you back next week and the week after." Simon says she was proving a point, but his only criticism is that it was too copycat. Randy says she has a little different tone than Alicia, and she should have run with that, but he liked it. Kara says she noticed her for the first time, and she "stepped into it, girl."
Scott MacIntyre: Scott is going to sing Bruce Hornsby's "Mandolin Rain." He has some nice notes, but definitely some rough patches, too. I think he is a lot more comfortable performing with his piano and not alone. Randy says he had some problems with the vocal, but "the parts that were great were really, really great." Kara says he moves mountains when he steps on the stage because he has so much passion for what he's doing. Paula: "Listen, whatever challenges you've faced to get here, I'm just so happy and proud that you've made it. You're a genius at the piano. I can't wait for people to get to hear you play. And we've blessed us all with your gift, and you're one of our finest." Simon says he wasn't crazy about the song, particularly some of the lyrics, but, "you're growing on me, I think because you're starting to believe yourself. ... In a sea of forgettable people, you're the only one I think I'm going to remember." He adds that he thinks Scott is a shoo-in for the next round. And then he asks Ryan for a high-five since he has a stationary target now. (You might recall that Ryan got a lot of crap for trying to give Scott, who is visually impaired, a high five when he got his ticket to Hollywood.)
Kendall Beard: Country-tinged girl Kendall is going to sing "This One's for the Girls" by Martina McBride. She's cute, and it's a sweet song, but she has some trouble with some of the low parts and her big notes at the end. Kara says she had some issues, "there was some flat stuff going on," but she has a great big personality, and hopefully that will work in her favor. Paula says she gets the prize for best outfit, and adds, "I think you did a great job, you're definitely a country artist, and that definitely shows through." Simon says that halfway through, he couldn't wait for it to end because it was "shrilly." Randy says he loves country music and the song choice was good, but it wasn't her best vocal because she "had some nerves jumping off."
Jorge Nunez: He's going to sing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," and he actually nails it. Paula is first: "I am so proud of you, people have no how hard you have worked. When you took our advice, you worked with a dialect coach. You worked so hard and you're fulfilling your dream, and I just want to squeeze you." Simon says he thinks they were wrong to tell him to sing without an accent, and he likes how he sounds. Randy says it's the vocals that matter, and that even though this wasn't perfect, "It was really, really good, dude." Kara says he was born to sing: "That's your gig. You're a singer. It comes from right here to us." She makes him cry, and that makes Paula cry. Ryan asks how he's feeling, and he says when he gets this emotional, he "can't hardly think in English." So he busts out some Spanish. Long and short of it: He's happy.
Lil Rounds: Mom of three Lil is going to sing Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" because she doesn't like being without her kids. She kills it, and I'm pretty sure I know who the top female vote-getter is going to be tomorrow. Simon: "Brilliant. ... I think you have great, great prospects in this competition." Randy agrees that she is one of the best so far this season, and she "kept her swagger on." Kara says she was a powerhouse on day one and continues to be so. Paula: "You are first class, first class my dear. I have a sneaking suspicion we're going to see you for a lot more Lil Rounds."
My money's on Lil getting through tomorrow. Who do you see getting to the Top 12 tomorrow?
(Photo: Michael Becker / Fox)
The 12th cycle of America’s Next Top Model begins tonight! Yay! I’m sure we’ll see the normal dose of Amazon woman – some might even have a little attitude to boot.
Next cycle will most definitely be different. The show is currently casting for Cycle 13, and they have an unusual requirement. They are looking for women 5’7” or shorter. So, essentially the show is looking for America’s Next Top Actress ...
The web is abuzz about a lot of reality TV stuff today.
-- First, of course, is the mess of a Bachelor finale, in which Jason Mesnick proposed to Melissa, then changed his mind, dumped her on TV and asked second-place finisher Molly to give him another chance. Ew. (There's a fair amount of discussion going on about this on my entry from last night. Feel free to jump in there, if you like.)
-- At the end of last week's Biggest Loser, the producers made it look like Dane completed a marathon with his wife -- and in under four hours -- when in fact, he got a ride for three of the miles so there could be footage of him crossing the finish line, so he only did 23, not 26. (And it was closer to six hours, too.) Anyway, Dane says he's keeping his marathon medal even though he didn't do the full race, which has ruffled some features. You can read more here.
-- The folks over at American Idol seemed to be pushing Adam Lambert as the next guy for the tweens to go crazy over, with judge Randy Jackson comparing him to Twilight star Robert Pattison. Well, the Internet being what it is, Vote for the Worst did a little digging and uncovered a bunch of pictures of Adam kissing other guys. Oh noes! What will all the 12-year-old girls think? (Note: Said photos are in said link.)
I'll admit, I haven't been watching much of The Bachelor this season. It's not my favorite show to begin with, but I found it really unsettling that Jason would drag his son into this.
And on tonight's finale, when Ty began to play a bigger role on the show, meeting the final two, Melissa and Molly, it was even worse. At least the way it was edited, Ty met Melissa first and really hit it off with her. Then, later, when he first met Molly, he was standoffish and strange with her. And, hello, of course he was! Don't you think this has all got to be a little weird for an almost-4-year-old? It just makes me uncomfortable.
(Memo to whoever was editing the episode: I couldn't believe it when I saw "Jasons's Brother" under Jason's brother's name. And then it said Jasons's Mother" under his mom's name. HELLO! Inexcusable!)
At one point, Molly went on and on about how she had only shared 99 percent of herself with Jason, and she wanted to share 100 percent, so she gave him this "fairy tale book" that she had made for him. My husband (totally not paying attention), said, "Maybe that's the 1 percent she shouldn't have shared with him." Hee hee.
Then, Deanna (who I guess dumped him last season?) came back to mess with his head some more. She told him she wanted him back, and he basically said thanks for stopping by.
Jason interviewed several times about how he couldn't believe that he was in love with two women and he couldn't believe he was so hurt and about to hurt someone else, which made me wonder what he thought he had signed up for.
Molly was up first to find out the verdict. After the second time he told her she was amazing, I started to think she was dumped. And yep, she was. She said she didn't understand, and I was forced to say to the television: "He is dating someone else, too, and he likes her more. Sorry." As they walked back to the limo, she told him she thought he was making a huge mistake and that she was afraid he was going to end up hurt again. Then, separately, they cried, with Jason especially making a huge dramatic production out of it. I thought the jilted one in the limo was supposed to be the dramatic one. Molly just said, again, that she was shocked and he made a mistake.
As Melissa went to find out Jason's decision, she made some goofy faces at the host first, like she was 12. He told her that he was in love with her, and she freaked out. Then he proposed, and she said yes. How romantic this would all have been, if we didn't know that coming up at 10 p.m. was the most dramatic reunion show ever -- and that we would not believe what happened next. Not a happy ending?
We'll see. (And I will update this post during the reunion show with more details.)
Now, it's time for The Bachelor: After the Final Rose. Drama-drama. Host Chris Harrison says, "What you are about to witness is so dramatic, so emotionally difficult, out of respect for the parties involved, we're keeping this as intimate as possible." He means: no audience.
Jason comes out to talk to Chris, crying already. He says Melissa is amazing, but since it all ended, things have been different, and they know they aren't right for each other. He says they've spent a lot of time together in the six weeks since the proposal was filmed, and now the chemistry is different. Chris asks what Melissa knows, and Jason says she knows that things aren't the same for him. He goes on to say that he can't stop thinking about Molly, even though he has tried to, for everyone's sake. "As soon as she left, I felt like a piece of me was gone." "So you're telling me you're still in love with Molly?" Chris asks. Yep.
Jason tells Chris that he hasn't talked to Molly yet because he was trying to be true to Melissa. Jason says he first needs to talk with Melissa about everything -- to end their relationship. Then he wants to tell Molly how he's really feeling, "and ask her for a shot."
Jason says that Melissa knows what's in his heart, but they still need to talk. So she comes out for the breakup talk, and Chris is sitting there, which is a little awkward, isn't it? He tells her that during the holidays, their chemistry was changing. She says, she doesn't know what to say because she thought things were perfect. She tells him that as soon as he started having doubts, he pulled away instead of trying to work things out. She presses him to tell her what happened, what changed, and for him to be honest.
He tells her that he really did fall for both of them, and he really does still have feelings for Molly. Melissa asks if he has been talking to her, and he says no. She says he chose her, but he doesn't want to fight for her, he doesn't want to try. He says he wishes he could control what he was feeling, he would, but he can't, and she just looks disgusted. He says the worst thing in the world is to live your life with regrets. "You are such a bastard," Melissa mutters under her breath. He goes on to say that he regrets nothing between them. She asks why he put a ring on her finger, and that getting engaged was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and, "You took that from me. ... I am so mad at you." She gives back the ring. Then it's time for a TV timeout, as Chris says it's time to go to break.
After the break, Chris clarifies: So you're breaking this off with Melissa, and you are going to pursue Molly? He says yes. Chris leaves so they can say goodbye. Melissa yells at him about how he should know better since they have been through so much heartbreak, then tells him not to call her. She leaves.
In the limo, Melissa says he didn't want to fight for the relationship or to try, and that it hurts a lot. She says she is not angry, just hurt, that she put up the show of anger so he wouldn't see how much he'd hurt her. She says she always thought she would be a good wife, but she guesses something is wrong with her because she always ends up "on this end" of things at the end of the relationship. She does say she doesn't have any regrets because she knows someday she will understand why this all happened.
When Chris comes back, Jason tells him he never lied to Melissa. Next up: Molly!
After the break, Chris brings out Molly by herself. She's forced to watch the footage of their relationship and breakup. After that, Chris asks if she still has feelings, and she says she thinks so -- that it's weird because he is all over the media and on TV every Monday night. Molly says that the first thing she wants to know is when did he know he liked Melissa more because she needs closure and peace of mind. Chris asks if she ever wonders what if he changed his mind, and she says she wonders that every day. But she says she would need more answers from him if he did show up or call. Oh, don't worry, Molly. He'll be out after the break.
Jason comes out, and they hug. She says he seems nervous, and he says he is. Molly asks him her question from earlier, when did he know he was picking Melissa? He basically says he didn't know and that he was broken, and finally Chris gets him back on track. Jason tells her that he ended things with Melissa "because I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." Molly just looks confused now, and keeps looking at Chris like, "Is this for real?" He asks her for a shot, and she just looks befuddled.
She asks, "But what about Melissa?" Jason says what he did to her was terrible, but he doesn't want to live with regrets, and if he didn't ask her for another chance, he would always regret it. Chris asks if he is still in love with Molly, and he says, "Yeah."
She finally smiles, looks at Chris again and laughs. Chris decides they need a moment, so: TV timeout!
He tells her he was falling for her early on, and he still is. Molly says she is very confused and they still have a lot to talk about. But she admits that her feelings for him never went away. "I think we can see where things go," she says. "This is something I dreamt of, but never expected to hear. ... To hear you say this, I'm so excited about it. There is a piece of me that's confused. I'm blown away right now. There's bigger discussions we need to have. ... I would be lying if I didn't say I was glad this is happening right now."
Jason tells her she is the right person for him, and then the kiss. Bleh.
Jason tells Chris that what's important is that they are following their hearts. That's nice, dude, but what are you going to tell your kid??? Yuck.
Chris wishes them the very best. I kind of don't think a lot of folks agree with him right now. Especially not Melissa.
Chef Gordon Ramsay recruited a bunch of young football players and cheerleaders for this week's challenge on Hell's Kitchen -- breakfast. I'm pretty sure that this was a first on the show.
The 100 kids were hungry, but instead of directing all her attention to the food, Colleen started cheering with the cheerleaders. (Is she serious?) Coi messed up on pancakes, and Seth was lousy on eggs.
The women won the challenge, so the men had to clean up both kitchens and the dining room as punishment, the girls got pampered Beverly Hills style.
After the loss, Ben and Danny almost got into a fight after Ben said that Danny did a bad job during the challenge, and Ben said he could cook circles around Danny. It got really bad. They had to be separated.
Anyhoo, the women headed off to poolside spa treatment, while the men slaved away in the kitchen. The women returned refreshed and enthusiastic, and the men entered the dinner service slightly deflated.
Giovanni got yelled at for not boiling water. Coi got yelled at for pre-cooking spaghetti. Seth was yelled at for overcooking scallops. What a mess!
The men did their best to get Ramsay ticked off at them. J served the butt of the lettuce to a customer. Ramsay threw the salad plate to the ground. Ramsay yelled at Ben because he served lamb chops that were cut too thin. Then Ramsay laid into Danny for not having the garnish ready.
Meanwhile, Colleen was struggling on meats. She didn't know how to cook beef Wellington. Seth wiped his face with the same cloth he wiped a pan. (Yuck!) Coi messed up on the pasta. Ramsay had seen enough. He shut down the kitchen and declared that neither team won the competition.
It was time for the teams to deliberate. Coi and Lacey's names were mentioned for elimination. Ben, Danny, J, and Seth were all up for contention off being eliminated.
The men wound up choosing Seth and Ben for elimination. The women chose Colleen and Lacey.
Ramsay sent home Seth, and then sent Lacey to the men's team.
I can't wait to see how that turns out. I'm predicting major sparks on the men's team. Lacey is most definitely the weakest link.
When I first heard that Donald Trump was forging ahead with a second season of Celebrity Apprentice, I was shocked -- and I thought, "No way I'll watch that." Then I saw the cast list, and I thought, hmmmm, I might have to check it out.
Last night was the debut, and I was more entertained than I would have predicted. The teams are again divided into men and women, and it's a strange brew.
Mostly it was the men's team that got my attention -- I mean seriously, can you imagine Dennis Rodman, Andrew Dice Clay, Herschel Walker, Brian McKnight, Scott Hamilton, Jesse James, Tom Green and Clint Black hanging out in a room together? (Jesse James is the only one I needed an identifier for -- he's from Motorcycle Mania and Monster Garage). Now you don't have to imagine.
The women's team called a little less "whoa" and a little more "who?" to mind: Joan and Melissa Rivers (yeah, yeah, we know them), poker player Annie Duke, LPGA player Natalie Gulbis, Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick, reality star Khloe Kardashian, Deal or No Deal model Claudia Jordan and T-Boz from TLC.
First up, the teams had to choose names and project managers. After a lot of back-and-forth, then men went with Kotu (for Kings of the Universe), which was a little too Survivor. The women chose Athena, citing every single mythical attribute of the goddess (beauty! waging war intelligently!). Herschel was named PM for Kotu, and Joan Rivers for Athena.
The teams then met up with the Donald and learned that their first task was to ... make cupcakes. Ha! A bake sale! How awesomely mundane for these egocentrics.
Of course, since these are celebrities, the bake sale proceeds were for charity, and everyone tried to call in their most generous friends to give outlandish sums for a single cupcake. First, they had to make the cupcakes, though, with some help from an NYC culinary school. Both teams went with vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, but both had issues. The women's chocolate cupcakes sunk, and the men's seemed to be missing the critical ingredient of sugar. Team Athena saved theirs by filling the sunken part with ganache, and Kotu brushed a sugar syrup over theirs, hoping they'd absorb the sugar. I don't know about you, but that first option sounds much more palatable.
Anyway, for the other part of the task, the teams had to decorate their cupcake truck. Jesse James did most of this for Kotu -- he said he takes lots of product shots for his business, so he shot all the guys and created a wrap of all the stars appearing to hold cupcakes. Joan went to the designer assigned to her and created kitchsy signs with sprinkles and cupcake pictures, but no sign of the celebs. Whoops!
Lots of the stars' friends came out to donate, but the real drama was in the team interactions. In the kitchen and on the street, Annie Duke was acting like she was in charge -- and basically irritating the heck out of every member of her team. She grated on Claudia by trying to give her instructions on how to frost a cupcake and on Natalie by reminding everyone that she (Annie) hadn't had anything to do with those disastrous chocolate cupcakes.
On the men's side, Andrew Dice Clay apparently decided not to participate in cooking, but at least managed to come up with something helpful to do -- he headed over to Sirius Radio to promote the event and try to drum up crowds. I'm not really sure why Dennis Rodman even agreed to be on the show. He went off to take a nap during the discussion of team names, went with Dice to the radio station since he wasn't helping, either, and stayed in the van during the task because he was afraid people wouldn't buy cupcakes if he was out on the street.
In the middle of the task, each team had to choose someone to bring one cupcake over to a professional baker, who would decide which was better, giving that team a $15,000 advantage. Melissa, who hadn't been in the kitchen during the discovery that the chocolate ones were kind of mangled, chose a chocolate one, and Dice brought a vanilla one. Of course, we didn't hear the results that soon, though.
At the very end of the task, Tom Green managed to get a $10,000 check delivered from Donny Deutsch. At the same time, Brande sold a flat of cupcakes to a couple of friends for $9,000 and Annie didn't want to give them up. Her point was that they had to exchange cupcakes for donations, so if they ran out of cupcakes, they couldn't accept any more money, and what if another big donor stopped by? But since it was the very end of the task, this didn't really matter anymore, so she just ended up ticking off her teammates more.
I really thought the men had this task in the bag -- they had way more big-name draws that would get random person on the street to drop $20 or more (even on a nasty cupcake). And it originally appeared that they had gotten more big donations. But in the end, the women won the $15,000 bonus with their cupcake, and in addition, sold $61,267 to the men's $49,449. (So if Kotu had won that taste test, they'd have won the task.)
In the boardroom, most of the blame was placed on Dice and Dennis for their total lack of effort, with Tom Green placing some blame on Herschel for not managing them well. But in the end, Dice, Dennis and Herschel went to the boardroom, and Dice, who had sort of threatened to quit -- and who had had some seriously awkward interactions with Trump -- got the boot. That elicited a big shrug from me since it was ridiculously clear the only reason he was there was to promote himself. (I'm sure the same is true of everyone else, but he didn't hide it well.)
Still, I'm glad Dice was on the show for one episode, if only for his bizarre moment of blaming Trump and his people for not providing them with any "bagels or anything" in the suite. That was priceless.
Did you watch? What do you think of the new season?
What a mess it was on tonight's Amazing Race. First, Tammy and Victor got off to a great start, catching a flight far ahead of the rest of the teams, only to have their plane turn around and return to Munich due to a mechanical problem.
Then Brad and Victoria were the only team to choose a route through Amsterdam, which became a problem when they missed their connection, which was the last flight of the night. They got so far behind that there wasn't any way for them to catch up, and yep, they got eliminated.
But Tammy and Victor surely gave them a chance -- in the Road Block in Romania, Tammy overthought the gymnastics task so much that she was the last to finish (except for Brad and Victoria). Then, at the Detour, the siblings chose the vampire-themed task (which involved lugging a coffin down a hill, unlocking and untangling some chains and impaling a bunch of blood-filled frames looking for one with a flag in it). Victor missed the usual red-and-yellow arrow sign and found a tree marked with red and white lines, leading his sister straight up a mountain on the wrong trail for what felt like years. Tammy finally persauded him to turn around, and eventually they completed the task, coming in second-to-last. At the mat, Victor burst into tears, then trying to claim, "I'm not upset!" These two need to just calm down.
Amanda and Kris almost had a major problem, when he misplaced their bag with money and passports during the Detour, but they found it, and all was well.
My favorite team of the moment, Mel and Mike, actually finished first thanks to Amanda and Kris' delay, winning a trip to Costa Rica (one of Mike's favorite places, according to his dad). That was nice, but I don't know how frequently that's going to happen.
It's always kind of a letdown when a team gets irrevocably behind, but I was at least glad it wasn't a team I was emotionally invested in.
What did you think of tonight's episode?
