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Who would have thought? Susan Boyle, who garnered worldwide fame after her tryout on Britain's Got Talent, came in second place in the talent show's finale.
The Associated Press has a little bit more -- and a great lead: "She dreamed a dream -- and it almost came true."
I'll try to track down a video in a bit.
Entertainment Weekly's "Idolatry" writer Michael Slezak has a great video interview with American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert.
Last night's So You Think You Can Dance featured auditions from Miami and Memphis, but the big story was the family connections.
In Miami, we saw a set of identical twins who kept trying to claim that they always spoke in unison (but failing in their interview) dance badly and completely out of sync. Embarassing!
Megan Kinney, an 18-year-old dancer from Annapolis, performed and easily made it through straight to Vegas in the Miami round. Later, in the Memphis round, her sister Caitlin, 21 and also from Annapolis, auditioned, saying she was hoping to get through and dance with her sister because they hadn't danced together in years. Her audition was also fabulous, and she told the judges that she had only been dancing for five years, but she had done gymnastics before that. She also made it straight to Vegas.
And Maryland, we have our locals to root for! I predicted, though, that when they make the cut to the Top 20, they are going to take it down to the two of them, and only one is going to get through. They do love doing that (witness last year's best friends and roommates)!
But Megan and Caitlin aren't the only siblings who could get broken up in that particular way.
Evan Kasprzak made the Top 40 last season, but got cut before the Top 20. Last night, he did a fun classic jazz number that evoked the 1940s. His brother Ryan, danced tap "with Whoopie cushion accompaniment," and won praise from the judges for his technique and "use of prop." They both got tickets to Vegas.
Twins Lauren and Lydia Garrett, 19 and from Dallas, tried out together. The judges liked them, but found one to have better technique and extension and the other to be a good performer. They were sent to choreography, but made it to Vegas.
All that family stuff aside, the star of the evening was guest judge Tyce DiOrio, whose expressions and comments during the auditions -- especially the bad ones -- were hysterical! He was killing it last night.
ABC's Wipeout is making a stop at the Harbor next Thursday (June 4), and contestants 18 or older can try out the "Log Roll" or the "Sucker Punch Wall" obstacle courses.
The event runs 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. June 4 at McKeldin Square (at the intersection of Light and Pratt streets across from the Light Street Pavilion).
Thinking about taking on the challenge? Let us know!
(Photo of Sucker Punch wall courtesy of ABC)
The New York Times has an interesting story about the American Idol finale week. Seems a couple of AT&T representatives attended a couple of the finale parties in winner Kris Allen's home state of Arkansas and helped people cast text votes with demo phones. These votes were also free of the usual charge that text voters would pay from their own phones.
Read about the controversy here.
According to Bravo TV's Twitter feed, Real Housewives of D.C. is in development.
Holy. Moly.
Once I finish getting through all these Jon & Kate comments, I will see if I can track down more information.
UPDATE: Here is a little bit more from a press release from Bravo:
"We're tapping personalities who are among Washington D.C.'s influential players, cultural connoisseurs, fashion sophisticates and philanthropic leaders - the people who rub elbows with the most prominent people in the country and easily move in the city's diverse political and social circles," said [Frances Berwick, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Bravo Media].
A place for power and politics, Bravo is scouting the D.C. area to identify the city's alluring and discriminating residents, those women who have their pulse on the most important cultural events, political galas, gallery openings and fundraisers in Washington society. These leading members of D.C. society are in the know and comfortable discussing everything from the economy to high fashion. They are the talk of the town in the most powerful city in the world.
When I was on maternity leave last year, I watched a lot of Jon & Kate Plus 8. I mean, a lot. It was on multiple times a day, and watching Kate Gosselin handle eight kids made me feel a lot better about being able to handle my (one) newborn baby boy.
But as it got to be more and more about the stuff they were given and the trips they got for free and less about actual family life, I watched less and less. (Not to mention, as my son got older and the weather got a little cooler, we went out a lot more.)
So I've been watching all the drama about Jon and Kate over the past few weeks with a mixture of emotions. But overall, I have to say I'm not that surprised. Especially as the show became less about the challenges of family life (and their particular situation) and more about freebies and consumption, people were bound to get jealous, upset, frustrated and so on, and in the current media age, that kind of backlash tends to equal constant hounding. And if that constant hounding uncovered a lot about the Gosselins that they wanted to keep quiet, well, at some point when you open your life up to the public that much, you lose control over what is public and what is private.
That brings us to tonight's season opener of the fifth season of Jon & Kate Plus 8. I'm sure when they started filming, they didn't expect the current situation to have developed, but here we are. Instead of talking about the trouble with having six kids in preschool or whatever, the challenge presented at the top of tonight's premiere is: Now the paparazzi are following us around, and boy, does that ever suck.
First off, let's just say: Jon looks disgusted and frustrated to even be there while he's talking about the tabloid reports. He straight-up says that he has not cheated on Kate and that he doesn't care whether anyone believes him because he knows the truth. Jon says that one day he is going to have to explain himself to his children. (Um yeah, let's say NOW. You are on TELEVISION talking about it.) He also says he wants to apologize to his family for his actions, that it was "wrong place, wrong time," and he didn't realize the ramifications. Kate says she thinks there is a lot of resentment right now because Jon is at home, and she is traveling, and though he has help, it's still difficult. She adds, too, though, that he is not totally happy with her right now, so he is glad that she is traveling, so it's complicated.
So here Kate is verbatim: "Have I been hard on him over the last almost 10 years we've been married? Absolutely. I would never deny that. You have it on tape! ... Have I pushed him to this? I don't think I have. ... This is very difficult; I have a lot of anger. ... This is not where we were supposed to be. ... He's made some very poor decisions, and you know, we all have to live with them."
They are being very oblique about what "this" is. Jon has just said that he hasn't cheated, but he made bad decisions, but they aren't going into detail. It would be so much clearer if they would just say their version of what happened. This is just more complicated than it needs to be. It's not like they aren't used to sharing the details of their lives, you know? We saw Jon's hair-transplant surgery as it happened, and Kate recovering from her tummy tuck, and the kids going through potty training. Most of that was probably too much information, but now we aren't quite getting enough.
So then the show goes back to its usual tone, turning its attention to the sextuplets' fifth birthday party. Kate takes the kids to pick out party decorations by herself, "because Jon decided he needed a weekend off." Once they get to the party shop, we hear Kate tell the kids, "Unbuckle before we open the car; the paparazzi are coming after us." Subtle! And how about that, there are a bunch of long-lens-carrying photogs hanging out outside the party-supply store. Kate sounds remarkably bizarre when she says they must not call then paparazzi and that she has the kids refer to them as "p people" because she doesn't want them to go to school talking about how the paparazzi were following them around. But, uh, she just used the word, and, YOU ARE ON TELEVISION AND IN MAGAZINES TALKING ABOUT IT. How does she think the classmates are not going to know about this?
After the break, Kate talks about her nationwide book tour. She says she is grateful to the fans, whereas in the past, she found them kind of annoying and in the way. Now, she says, she's appreciative of them, "even the naysayers." Then she talks about how Jon has changed his tune on fans and now he just wants to get out. Jon says now their lives have become a business, and it's odd. He is asked how it would be if he were the one traveling, and he says, he can't write, so that won't happen, plus some people think he can't even breathe right. Kate says the traveling is hard, but her kids are happy, healthy, safe and loved, so all is well, even though one of the kids called her the babysitter's name the other day.
By the way, if I haven't mentioned it, Jon and Kate are getting interviewed separately. They're on the same chair as usual, just at different times. Jon's just sitting on his usual side, with Kate's side empty. Kate is surrounded by colorful pillows and sitting in the middle.
Kate talks about how she is doing the party by herself, and how Mady and Cara have stepped up more and more to help when she is alone. "They're really going into that big-sister role, which is nice," she says. It's also just a little messed up if your 8-year-old kids have to help play the role of parent, but maybe that's just me.
On party day, they get a late start on decorating at the park because they had to split up to stay away from, you guessed it, the paparazzi. I mean, the "p people." They are having a little bit of trouble because there bugs everywhere.
Do you have to bring six presents to sextuplets' birthday parties? The whole class and the teachers are invited, and Jon (who is there, as it turns out; he just didn't help set up) and Kate like watching which kids are friends with whom. At the party, Kate and Jon pretty much ignore each other and don't talk to each other at all. Awkward. Then when they do interact, it's Kate giving Jon orders. And the paparazzi manages to find the party anyway, but they seem to stay back.
How awkward are the J&K+8 promos during the commercials about how they are just "everyday people"? Pretty darned.
At this point, my audio starts cutting out here and there, so I miss some things here and there.
Pinatas are violent, though. We do learn that.
After the break, Jon and Kate are together in the interview chair. "What's the status," they are asked. They say they don't know. Kate says she does everything because of her kids and for her kids. Jon says he is here for the kids, too. Asked again what the future holds, Kate says, "I can only speak for myself. I am here." Jon, "I'm here for my kids." Cut away from the pair of them. Kate (solo) is asked if the birthday party was bittersweet, and she tears up and says she was thinking it could be their last family picture, so it was important to do, and that she was thinking back five years ago. She says that parents of multiples have "like triple the divorce rate and thinking we were going to beat that." "Very swiftly, we turned into two different people, and it's just hard. ... But generally speaking, we at least physically pulled it off." Jon says it was good for the kids to see their parents together, and they will always pull together for their kids. He adds, though, that everything else is between him and Kate.
The episode closes with footage of the whole family having a cookout.
Jon voiceovers, "You know if you can be friends and get along, whether you're married or not married, they can see that the relationship is important, and we can come together for them, that's good for them." Kate voiceovers that none of this is their fault and that the important thing is to do the best that they can for the kids.
Well, can I just say that I hope they have discussed all these issues with the kids, because otherwise it's going to be very horrible for them to have it all out in public like this? I just feel for the kids the most, and it seems like the best thing for the kids would be to stop dragging their lives through the public eye, especially right now. Even if the younger kids don't get it right now, in the future, they will be watching these episodes and picking apart their parents' relationship, regardless of where it goes from here. That's not good.
Did you watch? What did you think?
Not so surprisingly, Susan Boyle won the first semifinal round of Britain's Got Talent. EW.com has a more detailed recap, but here's a video of her performance of "Memory" from Cats:
I am so excited that So You Think You Can Dance is back! So!
Tonight's premiere features auditions in Brooklyn.
The first auditioner is Gabi Rojas, who was raised in the circus and suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Despite her pain, she moves gorgeously around the stage and is just stunning. Nigel Lythgoe says he would be surprised if she's not in the Top 20 and that hers was one of the best auditions he's ever seen in five seasons, a perfect blend of technique and performance. Mary Murphy gives one of her patented screams of joy. Tabitha compares her to a bird, saying she "landed and made our day."She's headed to Vegas, of course.
Then we're introduced to "The Mutation," a pair of guys (named Storyboard and Hobgoblin) who do "joint-tortion," or so they say. For their audition, though, it's a little slow to get started, and then they start moving more freakishly and closer and closer to the judges, who are squicked out but entertained. Nigel thinks they would be great for Dawn of the Dead: The Musical. The judges can't quite figure out what to make of these guys, but they decide to send them to the choreography round.
Next we see a couple doing ballroom, and it's a little awkward. The auditioner is Katherine Leach, and she keeps doing these little supposedly sexy moves that are a little off-putting. She calls her self "Crazy Kate," and says she is just crazy about dancing. Mary tells her she isn't strong enough and she finds out she is not going to have to quit her job.
Peter Sabatino from Philadelphia is a tap-dancer who presents quite a picture in his tap shoes, white athletic socks and long basketball shorts. Nigel compares him to a tap-dancing boxer. Peter says he does a little bit of everything, and they are impressed. He thinks they are sending him to choreography, but nope, it's Vegas for Peter.
Tiffany Geigel has spinal-thoracic dysplasia, which her doctors thought would kill her when she was days old. Now she is 23, and despite her condition, which affected the growth of her spine, she is quite an amazing dancer. She explains it to Nigel that she has fewer vertebrae that normal, so her body is "stuffed" into a smaller space, though her arms and legs are fine. Nigel gives her some constructive criticism regarding her leg extension and placement of her hands. He adds that she is brave and an inspiration. She says she didn't expect to make it, but she really wanted to make a point.
Maksim Kapitannikov dances the cha-cha with Faina, who was on a previous season of the show. Nigel liked that he didn't have grimaces or fakeness with his face, though he didn't like the winks. Mary says he was a great partner, had great presence. Napoleon and Tabitha agree, and Maksim heads to choreography.
After that showing, we see clips of a few people whose fab auditions get them sent straight to Vegas.
Nobuya Nagahama gets a goofball edit, making fun of the huge list of dance styles he says he can do, but it turns out he can move, with some comedy. Nigel says he was a good locker, but he isn't sure how he would do at other styles. They want to see him in the choreography round to see what else he can do.
In choreography, Lauren Gottlieb from season three, gives them some combinations that mix a number of different styles. The contestants have 30 minutes to learn the combinations before they dance for the judges. Before that came around, The Mutants decide to hit the road.
Maksim makes it to Vegas, as do a ton of others. Nobuya is among them, and he is psyched. 27 total are headed to the next round from Brooklyn day 1.
On day two, Arielle Taylor wants to go out there and be fierce. She says she made it to Vegas previously, but she was still in high school and not really ready. Now she thinks she is, though. I think she's right. She is heading there again.
Then it's time for the obligatory dorky ballroom couple who think they're sexy. (We sort of had that already, so I guess it a significant obligation tonight.) Thomas Miller and Amanda Clark say they are going to do "balero," which is all about emotion and connection. He says that he is the six-time national men's baton-twirling champion, so, natch, he's a performer. Their performance is awkward, and the judges try to contain their laughter but don't do such a good job. Nigel says it was ungainly, and Mary says this was novice-level dancing and not good. It's a unanimous no.
Then we get a montage of badness.
We recover from the montage thanks to a killer cha cha from Nina Estrina and Igor Zabrodin. They end with an absolutely phenomenal spin sequence. Nigel says Nina could put on wet clothes and spin dry them. He loved them, and Mary says that was the longest "pot-stir" she has ever, ever seen. Nina says she's took two years to learn that trick. Tabitha and Napoleon loved them, too. They are headed to choreography.
Kellen Stancil auditions with an umbrella, dancing with it open and closed. It sounds goofy, but somehow it works. Mary asks him right off the bat what the umbrella represents, and he starts crying and says he lost his aunt recently, and she always supported his dancing. Tabitha says his performance was meaningful and moving. Nigel gives him a ticket to Vegas. I love it when that happens; it makes people so happy!
Chimezie Nwosu (that's Chim-uh-ZAY, lest there be any doubt) dances to a remix of traffic sounds. Nigel mispronounces his name again and tells him he thought it was a lot of fun, but it wasn't enough to get him to the next round. Napoloeon didn't think there was a lot of "meat" to the choreography, but he thinks he has potential. He's on to choreography.
Igor makes it to Vegas, but Nina does not. Chimezie, however, does. That makes 14 from day two who make the cut.
The next audition city is Denver.
Kayla Rodomski has been dancing since the first time she say Singin' in the Rain, thanks to sacrifices by her mom and grandparents to help pay for classes. She does a contemporary routine to "Blackbird," and it's really engaging and intriguing. Nigel says she "brought it" and had great angles. Mary and Sonya Tayeh loved it, too.
Then we're treated to a montage of goodness, featuring Sonya's overwhelmingly positive reactions.
Misha Belfer and Mitchel Kibel are a same-sex ballroom-dancing couple who have been dancing together for eight months. Mitch says he is straight and Misha is gay, and he was just looking for every opportunity to dance. The judges aren't sure what to make of them, and then the slip and fall, which doesn't help. Nigel says it was a little like watching Will Ferrell in Blades of Glory. He say they would probably alienate a lot of the show's audience, and that even though they have the guys dance together in the finals, it wasn't "in each other's arms." He says he doesn't think he liked it, but he thought their dancing was strong. Mary was confused about who was leading and who was following. They said they switched roles on purpose. She says their technique was a little off. They aren't done yet, though: They're headed to choreography.
Mitch doesn't make the cut, and neither does Misha. But 11 others do.
The next day, Allison Moist is dressed I guess sort of like a Wookiee and does a dance with light sabers. Then she tells them she is actually dressed as a lion. Nigel asks if she really wants to be a professional dancer, and she says yes. Mary says there wasn't any dancing to speak of. (On a side note: Why is Mary wearing a kids' cowboy costume?)
Montage of no, including a woman ballroom dancing with a giant puppet.
Elias and Enoch Holloway are the youngest of 14 kids, and they are into pop-locking. Enoch is only 16, so he isn't really trying out, just helping out in the audition. I was expecting this to be tragic, but they actually weren't bad. Nigel and Mary think it was very entertaining and "cute." Sonya says she can see him doing dance commercials. Elias is headed to the choreography round.
Brandon Bryant went to Vegas last year, and almost made it to the Top 20 (they took Gev instead). Natalie Reid was the roommate of Katee and it was down to the two of them, but the judges picked Katee. They are both hoping to have better luck this year. Natalie is first, and she brings out so much joy on stage. Sonya LOVES her, saying, "Everything was so right. ... That movement was so real, so sincere. I just get chills, and I don't want it to end. ... I pray that you make it all the way through. You're something to see." Mary says she is so proud of her and that she loved the organic nature of her movement. Nigel says she hopes none of her flatmates are going to take her place this year. Natalie says last year motivated her to work and push the limits. She's going to Vegas. "No fakeout here," Mary says. Brandon is next, and he has so much strength and power that he reduces Mary to tears. "I have the greatest job in the whole world to get to witness something like that," she says. "If you don't make it to the Top 20, I'll just die this year." Nigel thought it was beautifully danced and hopes that he brings more personality with him to the Vegas round. He says he's already seen exponential growth since last year.
There's still one last choreography round, though. Elias doesn't make it, though they say he should come back after he has more training. Eight more dancers got their tickets, so 19 made it from Denver.
Next week: Miami and Memphis.
Have I said this yet? SO glad this show is back.
By the way, there is going to be a fall season this year, and auditions start next week.
(Photo: Glenn Watson / Fox)
Kara DioGuardi might be a good songwriter most of the time, but the winner's single that she co-wrote for American Idol, "No Boundaries," is truly bad. But this is hardly the worst of them. Every season, the winner of American Idol is saddled with some supposedly meaningful song that references they fact that they just won, and it's SO cheeseball. If Idol is supposed to be about finding a modern, relevant artist, why is the first song always so terrible? Why don't they hire someone who does interesting music to come up with something? Weigh in on what single was the worst (and if you need your memory refreshed, you can see all the lyrics from the previous singles after the jump.
Season 8: Kris Allen, "No Boundaries"
Seconds hours so many days
You know what you want but how long can you wait
Every moment lasts forever if you feel you’ve lost your way
What if your chances are already gone
Started believing that I could be wrong
But you give me one good reason
to fight and never walk away
Coz hear I am — still holding on!
Every step you climb another mountain
Every breath it's harder to believe
You’ll make it through the pain
Weather the hurricane
To get to that one thing
When you think the road is going nowhere
Just when you’ve almost gave up on your dreams
Then take it by the hand and show you that you can
You can go higher
You can go deeper
There are no boundaries
Above and beneath you
Break every rule coz there’s nothing between you
and your dreams
Every step you climb another mountain
Every breath it's harder to believe
Here's a look at some of the lyrics from the past Idol winners' first songs:
Season 7: David Cook, "The Time of My Life":
I’ve been waiting for my dreams Season 6: Jordin Sparks, "This is My Now": There was a time I packed my dreams away. Season 5: Taylor Hicks, "Do I Make You Proud" I've never been This is what we dream about I guess I’ve learned Season 4: Carrie Underwood, "Inside Your Heaven" I've been down I wanna be inside your heaven When we touch, when we love And I wanna be inside your heaven Season 3: Fantasia, "I Believe" Have you ever reached a rainbow's end I can see it in the stars across the sky When you look out in the distance Season 2: Ruben Studdard, "Flying Without Wings" Everybody's looking for that something Season 1: Kelly Clarkson, "A Moment Like This" Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me Everything changes For a moment like this
To turn into something
I could believe in
And looking for that
Magic rainbow
On the horizon
I couldn’t see it
Until I let go
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn
Now I’m coming alive
Body and soul
And feelin’ my world start to turn
And I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time
To be more than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life
Holding onto things that vanished
Into the air
Left me in pieces
But now I’m rising from the ashes
Finding my wings
And all that I needed
Was there all along
Within my reach
As close as the beat of my heart
and I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time ...
Living in a shell, hiding from myself
There was a time when I was so afraid
I thought I'd reached the end,
But baby that was then
I am made of more than my yesterdays
This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment
As I look around
I can't believe the love I see
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubt
That was then, this is my now
I have to decide,
Was I gonna play it safe.
Or look somewhere deep inside,
Try to turn the tide,
And find the strength to take that step of faith
This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment
As I look around
I can't believe the love I see
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubt ...
The one to raise my hand
That was not me
And now that's who I am
Because of you
I am standing tall
My heart is full
Of endless gratitude
You were the one
The one to guide me through
Now I can see
And I believe
It's only just beginning
But the only question with me now
Is do I make you proud
Stronger than I've ever been now
Never been afraid of standing out
Do I make you proud
To question is to grow,
That you still have faith,
Is all I need to know,
I’ve learned to love,
Myself in spite of me,
And I’ve learned to
Walk on the road I believe. ...
Now I'm blessed
I felt a revelation coming around
I guess its right, it's so amazing
Every time I see you I'm alive
You're all I've got
You lift me up
The sun and the moonlight
All my dreams are in your eyes
Take me to the place you cry from
Where the storm blows your way
I wanna be the earth that holds you
Every bit of air you're breathin' in
A soothin' wind
I wanna be inside your heaven
The stars light up
The wrong becomes undone
Naturally, my soul surrenders
The sun and the moonlight
All my dreams are in your eyes
Take me to the place you cry from
Where the storm blows you away
And I wanna be the earth that holds you
Every bit of air you're breathing in
A soothing wind
I wanna be inside your heaven ...
And did you find your pot of gold
Ever catch a shooting star
And tell me how high did you soar
Ever felt like you were dreaming
Just to find that you're awake
And the magic that surrounds you
Can lift you up and guide you on your way
Dreamt a hundred thousand dreams before
Now I finally realize
You see I've waited all my life for this moment to arrive
And finally, I believe
You see it never was that far ...
One thing that makes it all complete
You'll find it in the strangest places
Places you never knew it could be
Some find it in the faces of their children
Some find it in their lover's eyes
Who can deny the joy it brings
When you find that special thing
You're flying without wings
Some find it sharing in every morning
Some in their solitary lives
You'll find it in the works of others
A simple line can make you laugh or cry
You'll find it in the deepest friendships
The kind you cherish all your lives
And when you know how much that means
You have found that special thing
You're flying without wings
So impossible as they may seem
You've got to fight for every dream
'Cuz who's to know which one you let go
Would have made you complete
...
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this
But beauty remains
Something so tender
I can't explain
Well I maybe dreamin'
But 'till I awake
Can we make this dream last forever
And I'll cherish all the love we share
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this
Some people search forever,
For that one special kiss ...
So who's it going to be? Kris Allen? Adam Lambert?
One of these two is going to win American Idol tonight. Well, eventually.
Host Ryan Seacrest tells us that nearly 100 million votes were cast last night and that for the season, more than 640 million votes have been cast. Then he introduces the judges, starting with Randy Jackson and a montage of his most annoying (to me) phrase: "for me for you." Then it's Kara DioGuardi's turn, and a montage of her most annoying thing, calling everyone "sweetie" or "honey," which she kind of stopped after the audition rounds, thankfully. Paula Abdul's montage is her using big words, sometimes correctly, sometimes not. And Simon Cowell gets a montage of clips of him saying, "What?"
Then, both dressed head-to-toe in angelic white, the finalists hit the stage and get reports from their hometown.
Then, the Top 13 (all dressed in white, too), hit the stage for a cheese-tastic rendition of Pink's "So What." The side-stepping choreography and the singing the end part in the round (a la "Row Row Row Your Boat") really brings it to a new level of goofy.
Next up is a performance by David Cook, who is surely thrilled he doesn't have to do those silly group performances anymore. He sings "Permanent," which sounds like it's based on his experience recently losing his brother. Ryan talks with him about it later, and David says that after the show tonight, the performance will be up on iTunes and all proceeds will benefit cancer research.
In a change of tone and subject, Ryan starts the "Golden Idol Awards" portion of the show, which gives fake awards to auditioners who humiliated themselves earlier this season. Nice.
The first category is for "outstanding male," and once Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle is named, you know who's going to win, so that he can come out and do his "And I am Telling You" schtick again. Sure enough ...
After that, Lil Rounds and Queen Latifah duet on "Through the Rain." Then, it's Jason Mraz (*swoon*), singing "I'm Yours" with Alexis Grace and Anoop Desai at first, then a bunch of the finalists join them on stage, too.
Then we get to revisit Kris' journey on Idol, from his first audition in which he said that a lot of people are probably better than him, which put Simon off, to the current moment. This serves as an introduction to Kris' duet with Keith Urban on "Kiss a Girl." Did he do much country this season? Seems like an odd duet choice to me, but they sound good.
The performances continue unabated after the break with the female finalists taking on Fergie's "Glamorous." Speaking of Fergie, she then joins them on stage to sing "Big Girls Don't Cry." Then the rest of the Black Eyed Peas come out to sing perform "Boom Boom Pow." One, I agree with what @zap2itrick said on Twitter about HD not being Fergie's friend. Two, Fergie apparently forgets about how she's supposed to skip some lyrics, and they cut away to the Idol logo for a few seconds. Three, someone really should have told Megan Joy to not dance in the audience. That was awkward.
Back to the Golden Idols, this one for "best attitude." Katrina Darrell (aka Bikini Girl) is the winner, and she has some new, uh, assets. Ha, in fact, here's what Ryan says: "I would ask you what's new, but I think I know." She heads out on stage after accepting her award and sings for a few minutes, but then Kara DioGuardi comes out to join her -- and shuts her down. Yeah, Kara was better. She's also wearing a bikini, but it's hidden under her dress, sort of. Ryan says they bet Kara a bunch of money that she wouldn't do this, but she did, for charity. OK, that was kind of funny. But I still don't like Kara that much.
Allison Iraheta then gets to perform "Time After Time" with Cyndi Lauper.
Ryan checks in with the parents of the finalists (they're proud, they're happy, duh), and then introduces Danny Gokey, singing "Hello," after which Lionel Richie joins him for "Just Go," which Lionel usually sings with Akon. Gokey's so similar to Akon! But they aren't done yet; then it's time for "All Night Long."
Then, the finalists -- remember them? -- get some screen time again. Adam gets his "journey to Idol" clip show, which introduces another Adam performance. He comes out in an insane outfit with like metal wing/shoulder pad things and sings "Beth," at which point Kiss joins him on stage for a medley. Once they join him, his bizarre outfit looks positively understated. OK, that was pretty fun. I would still like to see the results pretty soon.
Ryan introduces Santana next, and Matt Giraud joins him for a few bars of "Black Magic Woman." Then the other finalists all come out for "Smooth" -- and too much awkward dancing.
After the Ford commercial, there's footage of David Cook surprising Kris and Adam with cars. Not too shabby.
Then, random, Michael Sarver, Megan Joy and ... Steve Martin?? Playing the banjo? What the ... heck? Turns out Steve wrote the song, called "Pretty Flowers," and it's on his new album. There is a lot wrong with this. I don't even know where to begin.
The dudes hit the stage after the break and sing "Do You Think I'm Sexy." Rod Stewart joins them and sings "Maggie May." I crack up hysterically because it sounds like the crowd goes crazy after he sings, "I really should be back at school." You know how people cheer like maniacs when bands call out their city name at concerts? "OMG, he said Baltimore? Yeeeeeeeeeeahhhhhhhh!" It just seemed like the kids in the front were like, "School! I go to school! Yeeeeeeeaaaahhhh!" Sorry, that was a little labored, but it made me laugh and distracted me from how rough ole Rod looks, so there you go.
More "Golden Idols," this time for outstanding female. You know it's going to be Tatiana, right? Yep, she's a nominee, and the winner, too. They do a joke (I think) about how they have to take a break, and she's not allowed to sing, but she manages to anyway, while being chased around the stage. Heh?
Then it's Kris and Adam -- yay, the finalists! the reason we are here! -- out to duet on "We Are the Champions." There's also Queen, a choir and the rest of the finalists on that big stage. Then another abrupt break. This really has been a choppy, though eventful, finale, don't you think?
Before the results, Ryan asks Simon what he wants to say to Kris and Adam. He says that he doesn't usually mean this (hee), but he thinks they are both brilliant and should be proud of themselves.
At long last, it is finally results time. The winner is Kris Allen!
Hey, Adam Lambert lovers, at least he doesn't have to put that horrendous single on his first album. This is probably going to work out better for him anyway in that regard.
Kris says it feels good, "but Adam deserves this." He also gets a trophy, which is new. Kris is so flabbergasted that he can barely talk. And speaking of that horrible song, Kris has to sing "No Boundaries" again, but at least they start him in a better key than last night.
So that's interesting. I think there was a bit of a backlash because the show was so pro-Adam all season. You know American voters love an underdog!
(Photo by Frank Micelotta / FOX)
Let's be frank: Each season, I basically get through Dancing With the Stars instead of particularly enjoying it.
When it comes to reality-TV dance shows, the best, as far as I am concerned, is So You Think You Can Dance. I love seeing people who do have a dance background challenge themselves in new situations, and it's got a more modern edge than DWTS. (Particularly since they use artists' original musical tracks instead of interpretations by the same band for every performance.)
Any other fans out there? What's your favorite SYTYCD moment?
One of my favorite performances ever was Neil and Sabra's jazz dance to "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," which was choreographed by Mandy Moore. I can't count how many times I've watched it.
(Photo: Contestants perform a ballroom routine at the New York auditions for So You Think You Can Dance. Glenn Watson / Fox)
Sorry, y'all ... we've got two hours before we find out who is winning this season of Dancing With the Stars.
It's filled with musical performances (Lady GaGa -- she is everywhere), highlights from the entire season (totally covered that already), announcement of the winner of the competition naming one of the pros who will perform next season, a roast by Jeffrey Ross, performances by the ousted contestants and more.
For the pros competition, the winner is Anna, who will appear on the next show.
During Ross' roast, he points out (rightly) that the stars who made it into the finale make it so the show should be called Dancing With the Vaguely Familiar. The rest of the roast is fairly uncomfortable, especially when he proposes to Melissa and says, "Wouldn't it be ironic if she came in second on this show, too?" Yeowch.
An hour and 20 minutes in, the finalists come out to dance.
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas are up first, reprising their cha-cha-cha to "PYT." It's very cute and energetic yet again, and seems to have some more details this go-round. Head judge Len Goodman says her only problem this season has been lack of performance, but not tonight. Bruno Tonioli says she is getting hotter by the day. Carrie Ann Inaba says they have been underestimating her, and that the past three weeks, she's powered her way into the finals, and rightly so. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30. (Tonight's scores will be combined with last night's viewer votes and scores.) That gives them an 88/90 total across the two nights.
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani redo their samba with more energy and panache. Bruno says it was more appetizing on second helpings, and he wants thirds, fourths and fifths. Carrie Ann says she has been Tony's muse and done a fabulous job. Len says she has style, elegance, rhythm and performance. He says the samba was fantastic. Scores: 10-10-10, for an 86/90 across the two nights.
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke perform their Argentine tango, which remains full of drama and amazing to watch. Carrie Ann says Gilles is a very special performer because he brings such artistry to his dances. Len says these two have brought them the most pleasure to watch. Bruno calls the dance an "Argentine triumph"; he loved it. Scores: 10-10-10, for a total 88/90 for the two nights.
Eventually, we will find out who is going to win this thing. But first, it's Lady GaGa again (though I am thinking more along the lines of, "GAH, will this EVER be OVER?"
FINALLY, some results: The third-place finisher is Melissa and Tony.
Host Tom Bergeron says this is the closest finish ever, with less than 1 percent difference between the first- and second-place finishers with all the scores and votes combined.
The winner is: Shawn and Mark, which makes Gilles and Cheryl the runners-up.
Shawn and Mark are stunned. Gilles tells Samantha that he is so happy for Shawn and thanks everyone, including his wife, for all their support.
Then Tom hands the trophy to Shawn, and the screaming begins.
So what do you think about the finish? I thought Shawn's been pretty consistent -- and improving, too.
At the top of American Idol tonight, host Ryan Seacrest lays it out for us: It's the acoustic rocker vs. the glam-rocker, Conway vs. California, the guy next door vs. the guyliner.
So it's either Kris Allen or Adam Lambert winning this thing tomorrow night. First we have to see how they do tonight, though.
To determine the order, there was a coin toss last week; Kris won and has opted to go last. (Good call.) Tonight, the final two will be singing their favorite performance from the season, a song from creator Simon Fuller and the winner's single (co-written by Kara DioGuardi). He also warns us ahead of time that even though it's scheduled to go for two hours, it's probably going to go long, "so set your DVRs appropriately." Fox could also set the schedule appropriately so that the DVRs knew it was going to run long, but whatevs. We've talked about that enough this season.
Adam Lambert is up first. In an interview, his parents say he wouldn't sleep through the night and would scream (cue footage of his shrieking a high note) every night. He adds that he was talkative and active and loud as a kid, "kind of like I am now." His reprise is "Mad World." Another good call. This was surely the performance that made me stop being irritated by him and really listen to his voice. (Said irritation has come and gone on and off since then.) He nails it again. Randy Jackson: "This is it, we're down to the wire. I love that you're singing something you sang during the season." Uhh, Randy? That's what they have to do: revisit a favorite song from the season. Anyway he gives him an "A+ for Adam." Kara DioGuardi is glad he picked that performance because it shows off his artistry and changed up the game for everyone else. Paula Abdul says she is unbelievably proud of him after his long journey and tells him to bask in his moment. Simon Cowell thinks, maybe because of the long coat, it was a little too theatrical, a little Phantom of the Opera.
Kris Allen says he didn't like to sing in front of his family when he was a kid because he was shy. His reprise is "Ain't No Sunshine," which he sang for "popular download week" back in March. He's on the piano again, but no string section on stage with him (they're with the band), and he does a lovely job again. Randy says he loves that he can tell what kind of artist he will be and that he saves the best for last -- that this was awesome. Kara says he creates an intimate bond with everyone in the audience, which is so hard to do. Paula says he "awakens the spirit" in all of them. Simon says they need to remember that it's a competition. He says that last week, he wasn't sure America made the right choice, but he takes that all back after his performance. Pressed by Ryan to call who won the first round, Simon gives it to Kris.
Adam's second song is "Change is Gonna Come." That's a pretty soulful choice for Adam, and he definitely puts his all into it, showing that he can handle it. But for me, this is one of those times that the calculatedness of his performance means that I don't connect emotionally with him. This doesn't mean he doesn't hit the notes; he absolutely does. And it doesn't mean that I don't think he ever totally connects emotionally with a song; he absolutely did with "Mad World." Randy says he can sing his face off, and "that was unbelievable." Kara thinks it was his best performance and interpretation of a song in the entire competition. Paula says it was the best she has ever heard him sing "ever ever ever ever ever." She adds that he is going to be iconic. Simon says, "You are 100 percent back in the game."
Kris takes on "What's Goin' On?" He's on guitar, and on stage with him are a bongo drummer, and another percussionist and a bass player. I like the vibe of the performance, and he has some fabulous moments, but he does miss couple of notes here and there. Randy says this is "a real-life duel competition." He thought it was a little "light" for this big room. Kara says he has been true to himself from day one, and she likes that Simon Fuller picked a socially conscious song for him. Paula says he tore it up and made Marvin Gaye proud. Simon says, "It was like three friends in their bedroom strumming along to Marvin Gaye." He thought it was too laid-back. And round two, Simon says, goes to Adam "a million percent."
Lastly, Adam sings the season single, "No Boundaries." Despite being co-written by Kara, the single is predictably cheesy, about climbing another mountain, taking people by the hand, and so on and so forth. Why does the winning single have to be all, "Hey, look, it's a message about how I won something." Randy says he can sing the phone book, but this was not his favorite, adding that it was a little pitchy. Kara says she is moved and proud for him to sing her song. Paula says she is proud and that adjectives can't express what he has brought to this season. She says he can sing whatever he wants, and she will be in line. Simon says he isn't going to judge the song, he's going to judge Adam. He says that he believes they have found a worldwide star in Adam.
Kris has to sing about the climbing of mountains etc., too, after the break. I was thinking this song would suit Kris more, but he has a rough go of it. Among other things, he appears to totally botch a line, singing it a verse early. He also has some pitch issues here and there. I wish he'd kept it simple and gone with less bombast for this one. Randy says he should be proud of what he has accomplished so far, though he thinks maybe the key was too high at first and he couldn't hear himself in the monitor or something. Kara says she doesn't want him to be judged on that song, agreeing that it was too high. She says she hopes people vote on the season. Paula says he should take it in, and that she thinks it's been a compelling finale. Simon says his highlight tonight was the first song, but that overall, Kris has come very far from his first audition and that he deserves to be in the finale.
Then, what? After the closing time for the show, Carrie Underwood comes out to sing "Home Sweet Home."
So who did the best tonight? I think Adam probably performed better, but at this point it just comes down to taste. Did anything happen tonight to change who you were going to vote for? I'd guess not. At this point, it's probably down to whoever's fans can dial faster and more often. What do you think?
(Photo by Michael Becker / Fox)
So I finally got to watch Thursday and Sunday's episodes of Survivor: Tocantins.
There was much rejoicing in my household when we saw Coach get the boot. (Though we did dig how much fun the music editors had with him in his episode.)
There was much less rejoicing when we got to the part in the finale where Stephen and J.T. overthought again and ditched their longtime ally Taj in favor of Erinn. (Yawn.) But at least Erinn didn't make it to the final two. That would have been truly unsatisfying. Sad that Stephen didn't garner a single vote at tribal council, but I think he was sunk when he admitted that he probably would have taken Erinn with him to the final two.
Still, a final two of Stephen and J.T. was a good ending. Who would have predicted that at the time of the merge?
Regarding the reunion, all I can say is, lie-detector test or no, I still don't believe Coach's stories. Not to mention the fact that he did lie in the game. Augh. Also, why did he suddenly have a New England accent tonight? Always a mystery wrapped in an enigma, that Coach.
Considering how much I didn't care about this season for the first half, it sure ended up being really addictive and engaging toward the end. What do you think about the result? Or the season as a whole?
Hey, guys ... sorry I have been so out-of-pocket. I was traveling for the past week and -- who knew this even happened anymore -- didn't watch any TV and had little Internet access. But I'm getting ready to catch up on Thursday and Sunday's Survivor episodes and will be back to report.
In other news, who do you think is going to win American Idol? I can't believe the finale is this week already.
It's the last week of Dancing With the Stars. Three stars, two dancers and one last chance to impress, says host Tom Bergeron. The couples will dance the paso doble side by side, then do what the program tells us is the long-awaited freestyle dance.
The dancers come out in their paso outfits, and I immediately regret eating cold pizza and a granola bar instead of going to the gym. I like to think that if I danced eight hours a day, I could look as awesome as Melissa Rycroft.
Next, judge Len Goodman, in a limo, calls judges Bruno Tonioli (by the pool) and Carrie Ann Inaba (eating at a restaurant) and summons them to go help the contestants. Such a cheesy introduction. Bruno tells Shawn Johnson to dance like a champion. Yes, that would be a good idea. Carrie Ann tries to get Melissa to be more aggressive and less balletlike. Len is amusing when he does the paso with Gilles Marini. The couples then rehearse in a room together, and they watch one another like hawks.
The group paso doble is choreographed to Pink's "So What." Really? I think it is an odd choice. Len says it's difficult to produce a paso to contemporary music (I called that one!). He says Shawn and Mark's paso was a lot more exciting than her last. He says Melissa had a slight mistake, but that it was much more convincing than her last. He says Gilles' dance wasn't hectic this time. Bruno calls each couple splendid or some such word. He compares Shawn to a serial killer. He says Melissa's confidence has grown. He says Gilles is self-assured. Carrie Ann says it has been her favorite season, and all three are great dancers. She continues by saying that watching them side by side, however, points out weaknesses and strengths. Shawn doesn't have as much of an emotional commitment as the others, Carrie Ann says, but her precision is stellar. Melissa nailed it, she says, and Gilles delivered perfection. So, Shawn's the only one with a weakness?
Shawn and Mark get 9/9/10 for a 28. Melissa and Tony get 10/9/10 for a 29. Gilles and Cheryl get 10/10/10 for a perfect 30. Host Samantha Harris awkwardly interviews Gilles.
Shawn and Mark will dance their freestyle first. During their rehersal, Season 4 winner Apollo Anton Ohno visits to offer his opinion and motivate the fellow Olympian. He mentions that no Olympian has made it to the finals and not won the show. "No pressure!" she says.
They start their dance ot Basement Jaxx's "Do Your Thing" with white masks a la Jabbawockeez. They strip their outfits and jump into a frantic dance. There are a lot of tricks, and it's youthful and fun. The energy is high. Bruno screams that Shawn is going for gold and, that, in addition to the moves, she really performed it. Carrie Ann says it was exactly what she wanted to see: energetic and precise. Len liked the speed and everything else Carrie Ann liked. "I loved it," he says sweetly. They get three 10s and are thrilled. Bruno even shouts "11!"Melissa says she's going for the viewers' votes in the freestyle. She and Tony are trying some tricks in rehearsal, and she accidentally bops him in the face. Tony says it's the most physical dance he's ever choreographed. No visit from a former winner for them. C&C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" was awful in the 1990s, and it is still awful now, so I'm not sure why they choose the music. Plus, the dance isn't a good as Shawn and Mark's. Carrie Ann says it went from lift to lift, and that the choreography seemed a bit disjointed. Len said it wasn't his cup of tea, and that he would have liked to see something more elegant rather than cheerleader-y. Bruno says Carrie Ann was right, and it wasn't perfect. But he says, hey, you brought back the running man! Tom is optimistic, saying it was a crowd-pleaser. The scores are 9/9/9 for a 27.
Gilles and Cheryl practice, and his shoulder is in pain. He calls a doctor to help him out. Cheryl tries to draw out all of his charisma. The two dance to "What a Feeling" from Flashdance. It's just OK for me; it's not a show-stealer. The cameras cut away to the judges' faces during the performance -- and, hey, they look happy. Len says it's apparent to him that Bruno's a real dancer. Bruno says the performance was great, but that he wanted more dancing. Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno. She found it to be a weird choice. The scores are 9/10/9 for a 28.
The couples will dance for judges' scores one more time tomorrow, but their fate is 50 percent in the viewers' hands (or so ABC says). Vote and come back tomorrow for Sarah Kickler Kelber's recap!
Soccer player Ethan Zohn, who outwitted, outlasted and outplayed his fellow castaways to win Survivor: Africa, has cancer, reports People.com.
People says Zohn, 35, learned he has rare CD20-positive Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It says he began chemotherapy last Friday.
"There's really only one outcome," he tells People, "and that's to win."
His longtime girlfriend Jenna Morasca, who won Survivor: The Amazon, tells People: "I will fight with every fabric of my being to get him through this."
Both Zohn and Morasca lost parents to cancer, People reports.
Read more here.
Photo of Ethan Zohn: Associated Press
John-John reports on the America's Next Top Model finale:
Aminat, Allison, and Teyona began the episode reflecting on their rise through the competition.
The girls had to tackle the kiss of death -- the Covergirl commercial.
Aminat was up first. She did an all right job after some pointers from Jay Manuel.
Allison was next. She was a little nervous, and it showed the first run through, but she wound up doing a good job.
Teyona was last. The pressure got to her. She was the only contestant to cry on set. Despite her breakdown, she got her composure back for the photo shoot.
Later that night, Teyona got down on herself because of her performance.
The next day the three girls found out that the top two would compete for the title in a Rosa Cha fashion show.
Teyona's commercial was first. She really fumbled. She started to cry in front of the judges. She quickly recovered with her photo, and the judges gushed over it.
Allison was next. The judges said Allison was "OK." The judges also liked her photo.
Aminat was next. The judges liked her commercial the best, but her photo was the weakest.
The first finalist was Allison. The second finalist was ... Teyona.
Aminat said she would continue to work at modeling.
Next, Allison and Teyona went to a photo shoot for Seventeen Magazine.
The next day the girls went to the fashion show. Allison and Teyona looked the best that they had during the entire season.
The fashion show was pretty entertaining. The third and final walk was extremely comical. The girls were covered in something that resembled mud or oil. They slid across the floor on their stomach. It was very sexual. At one point Teyona's weave fell out. She didn't sweat it. She twirled her weave through the air and worked with it.
After the girls got cleaned up, and Teyona reattached her hair, the judges critiqued their entire body of work.
Tyra remarked that the two were neck and neck. (I have to admit that I didn't hear much of a difference between the judges critiques.
Teyona won! Allison was very gracious. She congratulated Teyona.
What do you think of the results?
Tonight's American Idol opens with a big ad for the sequel to Night at the Museum. Eventually, after the bit featuring Ben Stiller and other stars from the film, the show starts.
But what we really want to know is who is going to next week's finale. Host Ryan Seacrest says more than 88 million votes came on and only 1 million votes separated the top two. But it's going to be a lot more show before we find out who that is.
After the weekly Ford ad, Alicia Keys comes out on the stage to talk about Keep Children Alive, an organization she works with. Then, a young man from Rwanda comes out and performs the song "I'm the World's Greatest."
Danny Gokey is called to the stage from backstage in what is supposed to be a results segment. Isn't it a little early for that? He talks with Ryan about his hometown visit to Milwaukee and seeing his best bud Jamar again. We see clips, then Ryan recounts his performances last night. Of course, it is too soon, and Danny is sent to the couch.
Kris Allen talks about his visit to Conway, Ark. Whoa, there were a LOT of people out there for him. Crazy. Then more clips, more recounting, more getting sent to the couch.
The former Idol performer this week is Jordin Sparks. She seems a little off tonight. Mostly, though, we just want those results.
Adam Lambert comes out to talk about his visit home in San Diego, show some clips and listen to Ryan recount the judges' comments from last night and get sent over to the couch. Hmm ... this seems familiar.
Before we find out anything, though, Katy Perry is going to perform. She is wearing a version of an Elvis costume, and the cape is embroidered with Adam Lambert's name. Huh. She sings her newest single, "Waking Up in Vegas."
FINALLY, results time. The first person going to the finals is Kris Allen. Simon looks surprised at first, and Paula screams with joy. The other person in the final two is Adam Lambert, so it seems Danny Gokey is out. Is this an upset? Some might say so, but I'm not that surprised.
What do you think?
Here's a quick -- and I do mean quick -- video chat with the winners of this season of The Amazing Race:
Well, that was an unsatisfying conclusion.
I finally caught up on The Biggest Loser three-hour finale after watching American Idol, and I have to say: Bleh.
First, we learned that the last member of the final three, voted on by the viewing public, was Mike, who won out over his dad, Ron.
Then, the contestants who had been sent home weighed in, vying for a $100,000 prize. I would have guessed that Nicole might have taken it, based on her short stint back at the ranch. But the winner was 64-year-old Jerry, who lost more than half his weight.
Finally, it was down to Mike, Helen and Tara. If I were a betting woman, I would have put money on Tara or Mike. Tara won 12 challenges and set a record for the amount of weight lost by a woman on the Biggest Loser campus, and Mike set the record for the amount of weight lost by anyone on campus.
But then here came Helen (left), who was one of the lightest contestants to start with. But she managed to whittle herself down to 117 pounds, which frankly looked like it might have been a little bit too little. Mike and Tara were close, but not close enough.
I'm still irritated with Helen for forcing her daughter, Shanon, to go home. And she never mentioned her daughter again after that, did she? Yuck. I'm a sucker for a good makeover story, especially a life makeover like on The Biggest Loser, but not this one.
What do you think about the finale?
Photo courtesy of NBC
I'm ready to find out who the final three will be on Dancing With the Stars. I learned my lesson (don't assume!) last week, when I was certain that Chelsie Hightower and Ty Murray would get the boot.
After a fun performance by Raphael Saadiq, there's a quick recap of last night's performance, which you can read about here on Reality Check, and Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas redance the Argentine tango, the judges' favorite performance Monday night.
Reigning champ Brooke Burke and former champs Helio Castroneves and Drew Lachey discuss the Top 4. (Check out those links to see them dance!) Brooke wants to see Melissa Rycroft "dirty it up a bit." Helio says, "Wow!" Gilles Marini can dance! They all say Ty has a lot of heart. They want driven Shawn to relax a bit.
Next up is our pick-the-next-star dance off. The winner will be teamed up with a celebrity next season. I'm disappointed that Afton DelGrosso is gone. Boo America for not voting for her. Mayo Alanen is dancing the cha cha and tango with Kym Johnson. Mayo is choreographing the dance (as will Anna Demidova for her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy). I cannot get over how gosh darn tall Mayo is. Judge Len Goodman says their tango showed the world just what he likes about ballroom dancing. Judge Bruno Tonlioli says they used their partner to their best advantage. Carrie Ann Inaba said the choreography was impressive and traditional, but that she wanted to see more personality.
Anna and Maks do a quickstep. (They break the hold!) It's quite bubbly. Bruno says it was lightning fast and radiant. Carrie Ann says any celebrity would be lucky to have her as a partner. Len says even though she's only 21, she is elegant and mature. The edge goes to Anna, I say.
After a quick interview with Ty and Gilles, Lacey Schwimmer, Julianne and Derek Hough, and Mark, chosen by viewers, dance the quickstep, chosen by viewers, in costumes, chosen by viewers, to music, chosen by viewers. It's OK. Kind of gimmicky. There are tables and trumpets. Thanks, Macy's Stars of Dance.
Mayo and Kym are back with their cha cha. Carrie Ann says Mayo is a great dancer, but she wonders if he'll be versatile enough if picked for Dancing With the Stars. Len says he's a great choreographer, but the tango was superior to the cha cha. Bruno says they went disco, which was a risk but, unfortunately, that risk didn't pay off. Host Samantha Harris says he got the judges' wrath.
Anna and Maks do a samba. It is awesome. OK, Marylanders, vote for Anna! Len says the competition is about the four-week process, and she's been strong since Week 1. Bruno says, among other things, that she's incredible. Carrie Ann says she wants to see more of Anna. The winner will be revealed in next week's finale.
Chris Harrison, host of The Bachelor/Bachelorette, is in the audience. His show returns next week. Will it ever die?
And ... yes ... finally. The first two couples in the finals are Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke and Shawn and Mark. After the commercial break, the judges talk about how great Ty and Melissa have been. "We have to get to the business of the evening right now," says host Tom Bergeron.
Who's going home? Ty and Chelsie. "I've got a whole new respect for what these guys do," he says. "Trying to teach me to dance is like trying to teach a blind guy to paint." He says he just tries to remember the steps. What a cutie.
On tonight's American Idol, the Top 3 will visit their hometowns and perform a personal selection and a choice from the judges. Also, host Ryan Seacrest points out that tonight is the show's 300th episode.
First up is Danny Gokey. While on the radio in Milwaukee, he gets a text from Paula Abdul telling him that her choice for him is Terence Trent D'Arby's "Dance Little Sister." It's a pretty soulful song, and Danny gets into it, but he's pretty shouty throughout most of the performance. Randy Jackson says he liked his hoarse tone and that he started it off right. Kara DioGuardi says she liked the song choice because it kept his voice in its "money" place. But she found the dancing a little too "gyratey." Not going to argue with that here! Paula: "I'm a choreographer, and I think you did really good!" Simon Cowell reminds them it's a singing show, "not that funny little dancing show next door." But then he agrees that the dancing was weird, and didn't much like the singing along with the sax in the middle.
Kris Allen finds out during his hometown visit that his song choice -- from Randy and Kara -- is "Apologize" by OneRepublic. Ooh, this is a nice pick for his voice. Also, it's more well-known than Paula's choice, which is one of those things that seems to work in singers' favor on this show more often than not. He does a pretty straight-up version of the song, especially at the beginning and the end, but in the middle, he takes some liberties with it that I think are a good move -- otherwise, he would definitely get accused of sounding karaoke. Randy says right now it's about who is going to win and that this song shows who Kris could be in the music business. Kara says it was "a competent performance," and at this point he needs to hit it out of the park. She wanted him to interpret the song a little more and take more chances. Paula says the song choice was good, but she is proud of him, though she points out a loud bum note. Simon says Kara's comment is a cop out, that she can't choose a song for him and then get mad at him for doing the song. Kara yells back at him about how she can't talk to her about interpreting songs. Simon says if they wanted Kris to do something with the arrangement, they had a responsibility to tell him. Randy and Kara say they didn't know they were allowed to help with the arrangement.
Adam Lambert was in San Diego when he learned that Simon wanted him to sing "One" by U2 because he loves the song. So during Kris' segment, Simon made a big deal about how he helped with the arrangement. He shouldn't have because this arrangement is terrible! I feel like it somehow strips the life and the subtlety out of the song -- and I'm not a fan of Adam's shouty part in the middle, either. Randy says Adam is in the zone, and the vocals were great, but he didn't love the departures from the melody. Kara says Adam is an amazing strategist and that he just proved that he can change up a song and "make it unbelievable." Paula says he's made her life miserable because she is sitting by a gloating Simon. Paula: "It was one brilliant song, one superb performance and one American Idol that I'm staring at right now." Simon says he sounds biased, but it was a brilliant song choice and a brilliant performance. (In case you missed it, Simon said on Oprah Monday that he thinks Adam is going to win; Susan Boyle was there, too.)
There has been a lot of tussling among the judges this evening, and the end result is that Simon has Paula and Kara's makeup all over his white T-shirt.
Before the second round, Carrie Underwood appears in a segment about progress that's been made in Africa thanks to the efforts of "Idol Gives Back."
Danny's second song, his own choice, is "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. He does a very low-key and understated arrangement of the song. Toward the end, he steps up with some power notes, and that's a good thing -- it saves it from being boring. Randy says it is an amazing song, and that he showed he can "really, really, really sing." Kara says, "Everything you didn't do in the first performance, you just did. That. Was. Stunning." Paula says he infused his own thing into the song; "you nailed it." Simon says he loved the song, but he wouldn't have done the same arrangement. "I would call that a vocal master class," he closes nonetheless.
Kris says his song choice was pretty easy for him, and he's going to sing "Heartless" by Kanye West. And this one is definitely his own interpretation -- he's singing it just him and the guitar. It's really unexpected and nice. Not perfect, but definitely entertaining. Randy says tonight is going to be a tough night for voters. He adds that he likes this version better than The Fray's or Kanye's versions. Kara wants to know why he didn't do that with "Apologize." She says it was brave, brilliant and perfect. Paula says he's the bravest artist because he sang a song about Simon Cowell. Zing! She commends him on the performance. Simon says he thought the first choice was lame, and he had written Kris out of the competition, but this performance changed everything.
Adam is closing the show (again!) with Aerosmith's "Cryin'." The backup singer does not sound good and needs to stop. Adam sounds pretty good anyway, though I felt like the whole thing was a little manic and all over the place. He hits all the notes he goes for, though. Randy says he is one of the best they have ever had on the stage, most charismatic and biggest, brightest stars. Kara wants to know how he hits those notes and still talks the next day. She says it was amazing and they will see him at the final. Paula says if Steven Tyler was a mentor, he wouldn't have anything to add. She says she is sure they will be seeing him next week. Simon says he isn't going to "suck up" as much as the other three. He says it's very easy to assume he's going to sail through, and they shouldn't -- they should vote because Adam deserves to be there. Adam handles the adulation well, telling Ryan that he thought Kris and Danny did a great job last night, and he thinks it's an honor to be in their company. That was pretty classy.
So who did you vote for? Who do you think is going to the finals next week?
Photo by Ray Mickshaw / FOX
Tonight's Dancing With the Stars gets off to a quick start with a professional group dance to "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" The contestants will be taking on a ballroom dance and a Latin dance; we'll see how it all goes down.
Before Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani dance, they relive way too many moments from the season. Then Samantha Harris interviews them. If they have this much time to fill, maybe it should have been a half-hour shorter. Actually, it turns out they are reliving moments and talking to everyone before any of the performances. Yuck. Let's get this started already!
Half an hour in, it's finally time for the dances. Melissa and Tony are doing the cha-cha and the quickstep tonight, the quickstep first. In rehearsal, they work really hard on Melissa's feet because head judge Len Goodman has not been a fan. I'm no expert, but to me, Melissa and Tony looked amazing -- peppy and precise and entertaining, and ending with a great spin (but not a lift). Len says he loved the musicality and that her feet looked amazing. Bruno Tonioli says he thought it was "very, very good" but not as exhilarating as it could have been. Carrie Ann Inaba agrees, saying it was nice and pretty, but "not connected to your soul." I disagree -- I thought they looked like they were having a great time. Scores: 9-10-9, for a 28/30.
Gilles Marini and Chery Burke are up second, with the waltz. Their performance is flowy and romantic, quite lovely. Bruno: "Wow! That is how you start a race for the final!" He also compares Gilles to a matinee idol. Carrie Ann says people watch dancing because it takes them to a world of fantasy, and this did that. Len says, "I am giving you a sitting-down standing ovation." Scores: 10-10-10.
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas are doing the Argentine tango for their first performance, and they were concerned about their ability to pull off the lifts during rehearsal. They do just fine with the lifts during the dance, and though much of it is crisp and powerful, there are a few moments of wobbliness as well. I think they wouldn't be as noticeable, but because the dance is so precise, it makes the off moments more obvious. Carrie Ann says she sometimes worries whether Shawn will be able to handle the emotional heft of the dance, but she totally did. Len says she danced with maturity and intensity and that it was honestly her best dance. Bruno calls her "Catherine Zeta-Shawn." So maybe I am the wobbly one? Scores: 10-10-10, for a 30/30.
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower start out with the Viennese waltz. He usually excels more in the ballroom rounds, but you can tell how hard he is trying, and he just oesn't have the smoothness that this dance requires, especially when he is holding Chelsie during some of the turns. Len says no one has worked harder or tried as hard as Ty has this season. He says there were some "issues" here and there, but overall, "well done." Bruno says he understand why people love him, but the Viennese waltz is supposed to be smooth, and this was not. Carrie Ann says he was struggling tonight, and the judges start fighting with one another. Sorry, Len; the others are right: Ty wasn't that good, even though he did try hard. Scores: 8-9-8, for a 25/30. (Um, 9? No. That is just crazy.)
Before the Latin round, we get clips about where the contestants come from and their families.
Melissa and Tony have the cha-cha for their second dance. It's very fun and cute, though I could do without the Timberlake hats. Bruno says he loves his cha-cha "full thrust and full on" and that he thinks at times this wasn't totally full of energy. He says for the finals, they need to maintain the energy. Carrie Ann congratulates her on taking the criticism from the first dance and applying it, saying that she showed more personality and emotion. But she agrees with Bruno about the inconsistency of energy and "size of step." Len says he like it but not as much as he was hoping to. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 55/60 total.
Gilles and Cheryl do the salsa for the second round. They've got energy and lots of hip action. Carrie Ann says this was Gilles at his best and that she wants to see him in the finals. Len says he is almost speechless and that he wishes he had an 11 paddle. Bruno: "Lil Kim is alive and well and she's hiding in your pants!" Hahahaha! Sometimes, I love Bruno. He adds that Gilles deserves to be in the final. Scores: 10-10-10, for a 60/60.
Shawn and Mark dance the jive for round two, in adorable polka dots. Their dance is fun and fast, and they end at the judges' table, holding up sparkly "10" paddles. Len says it was fast, full of feeling, but "too much messing about dancing going on." He wanted to see more tradition, less slapstick. Bruno says he likes when she goes wild, and she sold it 110 percent. Carrie Ann says she lost a little steam and got a little heavy toward the end, but she still enjoyed it. Scores: 9-8-9, for a total 56/60. So wait. Len gave Shawn a lower score than Ty? That is bananas!
Ty and Chelsie have the samba for the last dane of the night. He has basically no hip action (except for one booty-shaking moment), and that's OK -- it's way less awkward than last week. He does pull off the samba rolls, though. Bruno says Ty has resilience and determination, though he occasionally looked like he was dancing on a tightrope. Carrie Ann votes him MVP of season eight. Len says he's Arthur Murray in ballroom and "Murray in a hurry" in Latin. Scores: 8-7-8, for a 23/30 and a total 48/60.
What do you think about tonight's semifinal? I think Ty is a sweetheart and definitely most improved, but I think he needs to go home before the final. Such a limb I am going out on!
Spoiler alert: If you don't want to know who won on tonight's finale of The Amazing Race, stop reading.
OK.
Was it just me, or was tonight's finale pretty anti-climactic? The three final teams -- mother and son Margie and Luke, brother and sister Victor and Tammy and friends and former cheerleaders Cara and Jaime -- all caught the same flight from Beijing to Maui, so no one had a time advantage of any kind.
Once in Maui, the teams had to season a 140-pound pig and carry it on a pole 200 yards, then prepare it for roasting for a luau. This proved to be more difficult than it sounds, with Tammy and Cara in particular having trouble, dropping the pig repeatedly and getting behind.
The Road Block was the usual that we see in the finale, requiring the person to remember minutiae from the race and what leg things happened on. Margie and Luke got there first, and Luke, who had been prepping for this challenge since the beginning, jumped right in. He had to sort through hundreds of surfboards with icons on them and find the 11 with icons relevant to the different legs in the race. He got a huge head start, and for a while it looked like he and Margie might be out of there before another team even arrived.
Jaime and Cara and Tammy and Victor finished up and headed to the Road Block, but J&C ended up with a bad cab driver -- first he took them to the wrong surfboard fence, then his contact at base refused to help them figure out what street they were looking for (though she rightfully pointed out she was not their "personal concierge"), then he almost ran out of gas.
At the Road Block, Victor made quick work of the challenge, while Luke got stymied at the end. He had everything but 10 and 11 right, but he chose a random board for 10 and then kept picking the wrong things for 11. At one point, he had the icon for 10 in the 11 spot and then tossed it off to the side when he found out he was still wrong. Victor managed to finish ahead of Luke, and he and Tammy read their clue, which pointed them to their final destination -- the finish line.
Jaime and Cara, meanwhile, had finally arrived, and after a lot of kvetching at the beginning about how stupid all the icons were, Jaime caught up and had all but the first one. Finally, she and Luke decided to work together. He pointed out the one she was missing, and she helped him, too.
But it was too late -- Tammy and Victor were already at the finish and learning they had won the $1 million prize. Luke beat himself up a lot, but Margie told him repeatedly how proud she was of him. So then it was over.
It seemed like the pacing was really odd, though. Even with the problems carrying the pig and solving the riddles at the Road Block, the finale wasn't very dramatic, and it kind of came to a crashing halt out of nowhere. Maybe it was because I wasn't very invested in any of the teams that were left, but maybe not. It wasn't the most satisfying TAR finale ever.
But at least Jaime didn't win.
First off, sorry I am behind on this. The rest of my job at The Sun has been keeping me pretty busy the past week.
Anyway, how about that Survivor on Thursday? I'm afraid that Coach is a little too close to the finals for my taste.
But seriously, how sad/funny was it that his "loved one" was his assistant coach (for the job he no longer holds)? And that the best part about seeing this guy (besides telling him how "they" call him Dragonslayer) was having him help pop Coach's back? Yikes.
I was much more moved by the interactions between the other contestants and their (actual) loved ones. Taj was hilarious when she was sobbing and then suddenly realized her husband had said in the video she won the right to see, "See you back at camp!" Seeing Stephen break down around his brother just made you realize how completely out of his element he is and how much of a front he must have up in order to get through each day.
Speaking of Stephen, I loved seeing him come from behind in the immunity challenge. They had to dig holes to drag themselves under a bar, run across a balance beam and then watch this rotating puzzle and memorize a series of mathematical symbols. Then, they had to go back and, remembering the symbols in order, put them on a board and solve an equation. All the others had to go back and forth several times to get all the pluses and minuses, but Stephen managed to recall them in one trip and won despite having seemingly had no chance to win.
I was disappointed that they decided to take out Debbie rather than Coach, but her scheming (promising to take JT and Stephen to give up immunity and go home from the final three) made them nervous enough to get her out now.
That leaves us with another week of International Shelter of Delusions, but what can we do? They have to get him out before the final, though, just so we can see Coach's jury question!
Guest blogger John-John Williams IV reports on this week's America's Next Top Model:
A week after the girls went on go-sees in Brazil, the remaining four contestants learned to samba to help them move their bodies with confidence.
Judge Paulina Porizkova met with the girls and gave them a little feedback and pointers. She was especially hard on Celia, which was a sign of things to come. Paulina told Celia that she was extremely old to start a career in modeling and that she appeared desperate. (Ouch!)
Paulina was very impressed with Aminat during the practice. Allison was terrible. And Teyona danced like she had two left feet.
The next day, the girls went to a rooftop to compete in a samba challenge. The winner was awarded $7,000 worth of jewels.
It appeared that Aminat would continue the momentum she built from the practice. But Celia came through and won the challenge. Aminat was disappointed that she lost and that Celia chose to take Allison along with her to reap the jewelry prize.
The next morning, the girls went into the jungle for their photo shoot with Tyra Banks, who was their photographer. The girls were dressed like birds, and they posed while perched in nests. All four girls appeared to have fairly strong shoots. They all vibed well with Tyra and didn't show that many nerves. (I knew that it would be tight during judging. I was right.)
The judges essentially gushed over all the contestants. There really weren't many negative points that the judges could find with the remaining four's photographs. (And of course none of the judges were going to attack the photographs because Queen Tyra took each of them.)
Anyhoo, Allison was picked to have the strongest photograph. An emotional Teyona was next. The bottom two was composed of Celia and Aminat.
Tyra said that Aminat struggled to pose in the light. She said that Celia's age was an issue. (I knew Celia was in trouble when Judge Miss Jay Alexander called her "America's Next Top Mother." Ouch!!!) In the end, Celia was picked to leave. Tyra told her that she could be a fashion editor or a stylist for Paulina. (Gee thanks. That's a nice slap in the face if I've ever seen one.)
Who's going to the semifinal after rock night on American Idol? We shall see.
Host Ryan Seacrest says 64 million votes were cast, more than any other non-final week.
In non-results news, No Doubt, Daughtry and Paula Abdul are all performing this evening. But first, after they shill for Ford, the Top 4 perform with Slash.
During the conversations before the results, Danny Gokey reveals that he originally really thought he hit that last note in "Dream On," but that watching it back, he laughed the whole time because it was so, so awful. Then Allison Iraheta talks about her talking-back moment, and the audio cuts out for a second -- did she swear? Seems like maybe.
Paula Abdul is performing on the Idol stage for the first time. By which I mean that she is dancing. There isn't any real singing going on, that is for sure. There is when No Doubt comes out to do "Just a Girl," though. Why is Gwen Stefani doing pushups? Also, she has the same problem that Jamie Foxx had last week and when she throws the mic out to the audience for a response, they ... don't.
Finally, we get some results: Ryan recounts the judges' impressions from last night without telling anyone anything for a while. Kris Allen is safe -- and shocked.
Next, Daughtry performs its newest single, and Chris Daughtry relives his surprise ouster from AI back in the day. It was terrible, but he rebounded, as you may have noticed.
Results again: Adam Lambert is safe, too. So is Danny Gokey, so that means Allison Iraheta is going home. Awww, man ... on rock week? She was amazing last night. But at least we get to relive it when she sings "Crybaby" again.
It's almost time for this season of The Biggset Loser to wrap up, and last night, we discovered who two of the top three will be.
The remaining four contestants went home and spent 30 days trying to get back to normal life and still maintain their new, healthy lifestyles, but they found it challenging. Also, soon after arriving at home, they learned they would have 26 days' notice to take part in a marathon. (Yes, a full marathon, and yes, that's 26.2 miles by definition. Is there more irksome of a question for a marathoner than, "How long of a marathon are you doing?" Well, maybe, "Did you win?" But I digress ...)
Tara retained total control over her workout schedule, but her personal life was in chaos. Helen tried to be Superwoman and wasn't enjoying a single moment at home. Mike was so wrapped up in getting his brother, Max, to work out that he wasn't focusing on himself, and he was using his brother as a target for his own pain. Ron was also worrying about his sons instead of himself and getting distracted. Thankfully, their trainers came to visit and talked some sense into them.
The final four reconvened for the marathon, and it was a wrenching experience. Mike injured his hip shortly before, so he had to walk it, which he wasn't happy about. Tara, Helen, Mike and Ron were visited by friends, family and former contestants along the route and got a lot of support that way. Tara finished in under five hours and Helen in under six. Mike was closer to nine, but the real heart-render was Ron. He had to stop and receive medical attention a few times, but Ron toughed it out and finished the whole 26.2 miles with tears from everyone.
At the weigh-in, the numbers weren't as amazing as they had been on the ranch, of course. Tara, Mike and Ron each lost 10 pounds and Helen lost 7. That put Tara and Helen through to the finals automatically and left father and son facing off for the last spot, based on viewer votes.
I'm hoping for the best for everyone, but I have to say that Helen's situation started to really bother me after a while, especially when counterpointed with Ron and Mike. Helen opted to send her daughter home several episodes ago, and her daughter hasn't had nearly the success that Helen did. In all the footage from their time at home, Helen didn't even speak of her daughter and the progress that she has (or hasn't?) made, and to me, it ended up making her look really, really selfish. Is that just me?
Who are you rooting for in the final?
I should have reported this earlier, but the regular day's work kept me on my toes. Seems Paula Abdul is going to sing her new single tomorrow night on American Idol, and in advance of that, she's coming clean about her former addiction to painkillers.
Despite what many have speculated, she says she was never on Idol under the influence.
You can read the New York Post's article here.
Live from Hollywood ... Dancing With the Stars, and I predict Chelsie Hightower and Ty Murray will go home. But before that, we gotta whole lotta results show to get through. First up, Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani repeat their smashing samba, which earned a perfect score of 30 Monday.
After a recap of the performances, which I hope you read about here on Reality Check, Jamie Cullem performs "I Get a Kick Out of You." You can check him out here. I like his version of Pharrell's Frontin'. Some pros do a quickstep to the uptempo song.
Next up, we get DanceCenter, a spoof on SportsCenter, which is always on on ESPN (Go Boston Red Sox!). Kenny Mayne is joined by judge Len Goodman and Jerry Rice. They discuss the dancers, and ... snooze. I'm not sure what they're telling us in these "key statistics" that we haven't already heard. Len looks especially tan, and the segment is a bit too long. I begin to fast forward on the DVR.
Now let's get to some results ...
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke are the first couple through to the semi-finals. No surprise there! My dad is probably excited.
Now ... more DanceCenter. Really?
The Macy's Stars of Dance performance is to Coldplay's "Viva la Vida." The dance is done in and around a large metal and Plexiglas-like star that rotates.
Now, our potential DWTS pros will dance with past contestants as part of the pick-the-next-contestant competition. It's down to three possibilities. First, Afton DelGrosso and Cody Linley dance the samba to Wyclef's "Dance Like This." Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie." I think Afton is fabulous. Len says she makes Cody "less wooden," and judge Bruno Tonlioli says she helped Cody sell himself. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba thinks Afton would bring a nice, youthful energy. (Vote for Afton with the correct number! They put up the wrong on at first.)
The next couple safe are Melissa and Tony.
Now, potential DWTS pro Mayo Alanen, who will dance with Lisa Rinna, is up. The height difference is interesting. He's 6 feet 3, she's 5 feet 6. Lisa makes an analogy to ... well, something a bit more personal than dancing. They do a quickstep to Katrina and the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine." Bruno says Mayo knows how to work it and makes the most out of a situation. Carrie Ann says they sometimes got out of control. Len says they pushed the boundaries. He gives them a "well done."
Anna Demidova and Maurice Greene will do the tango. He picks the dance because he hasn't done it before. I'm really impressed with Maurice. Carrie Ann calls the traditional routine great. Len says Anna brought the most out of her celebrity. Bruno calls her a miracle worker; he says Maurice has never danced better.
The next current couple safe are Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas. (Cheer!)
After a commercial break, we learn Lil' Kim and Derek Hough are ... going home! WHAT? I'm in shock. With several good finishes, it's not deserved. Don't get me wrong; Ty is fabulous. He's really grown. But Kim is the better dancer. (I can see how Ty's charm appeals to the fans.)
Lil' Kim mentions she has brought different viewers to the show, then Tom mentions it was a shock when he announced her name, and that he doesn't think he's offending Ty by saying that. Chelsie is nodding. Derek talks about how much he loved working with his partner.
Goodbye, Queen B! (I'm pretty sure DWTS still thinks that's "bee." Wrong!)
On tonight's American Idol, the four finalists are going to rock. Well, they're going to try, with help from mentor Slash.
First off, host Ryan Seacrest says it's been a dramatic day. There was an accident on set (sounds like everyone is OK), but one of the columns is askew, and the contestants never got a true dress rehearsal. He adds that the singers will also sing duets this evening. Interesting!
Adam Lambert is first, and he's taking on Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." In the critique, Slash tells him to ramp down his improvisation during the high notes. Well, if there has ever been a theme that suits Adam's strengths, it's this one. And Led Zep is a good choice for Mr. Theatrical because he is awesome tonight. Judge Randy Jackson says he was a rock star tonight and not Broadway at all. Kara DioGuardi calls him a rock god and says he better make a classic rock record. Paula Abdul credits the band and says he was a "Whole Lotta Perfect." Simon Cowell says the performance was a little understated. "Teasing!" He adds that it was amazing, and the problem is that no one can top it.
Allison Iraheta says she went with Adam to his "hair girl" to prepare for tonight -- she's got some red and purple. Slash suggests that Allison go with "Crybaby" of the choices she brings to him; he also wants her to go "full out" at performance time. Slash doesn't lead her wrong -- she sounds fab (so glad she made it to rock week) and not soundalike at all. Randy says he didn't love the song choice because it didn't have much melody. (He's crazy.) Kara says Janis was the right choice for her, but "Piece of My Heart" would have been better. She also says she seemed nervous, but wants to add that she has a lot of personality on stage. Paula says she should get the role of Janis in any biopic. Simon things she's transformed and did a great vocal, but he does think it was soundalike.
The first duet of the night is Kris Allen and Danny Gokey with Styx's "Renegade." Cool. I love this song. However, I think it was a little too much for them -- they sound great singing together, not great apart. Randy says the harmonies were "on blast." Kara says it's weird watching them singing "Renegade" because they are so sweet and agrees that the harmony was the best part. Paula says it was powerful and compelling. Simon says Danny was better than Kris and doesn't say anything else.
After that, Kris has his solo. He is doing the Beatles' "Come Together." He plays guitar along with the band, and his voice sounds a lot better than the solo parts in the duet. It's a big song, and he seems a tad overwhelmed, but he plugs on through it. Randy says he appreciates him picking a song that complements his personality, adding that the vocals here OK, but he really loved what Kris did on the guitar. Kara says he's the softer side of rock and that this wasn't a great performance. Paula says she loved his artistic delivery and that he put his signature on it. Simon says it was like eating ice for lunch because it leaves you with nothing to remember otherwise.
Danny is going to sing "Dream On." Slash says he picked a great song, and his only worry is making sure that Danny carries off the scream at the end. I think Danny's a little nervous beacuse the beginning is a little rugged, then he gets a lot better, and the scream? Well, he really tried. Randy says this isn't Danny's genre, and though it wasn't perfect, he gives him an A-plus for effort. Kara says he added some swagger, but she thinks he took it too far. She says she sees him doing more "early Aerosmith, "like 'Cryin'' or 'Crazy.'" I think she's a little confused since "Dream On" is from 1973, and "Crazy" is from 1994. But she appreciates that he took a risk and tried to give more edge. Paula says it wasn't her favorite, but she's still a fan. Simon agrees with everyone, but adds that the last note "was like watching a horror movie." He finishes up saying that he thinks Danny is going to be safe.
The final song of the night is Adam and Allison's duet, Foghat's "Slow Ride." They don't have a lot of harmonies, but they are having a good time, and they both sound strong and in their element. Randy says they are the rock stars in the house. Kara calls them rock god and rock goddess and pushed each other to be better. Paula calls them a perfect marriage and says they should do a duet on their album. Simon says they won the battle of the duets and that Adam might have given Allison a chance to stay in the competition.
David Zurawik over at Z on TV interviewed Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan about a race of a different sort -- a 40-day, 3,500-mile bike tour that is set to take him to Baltimore on Wednesday. Best of all, you can meet Phil at White Marsh Mall. Find out the details and read about his thoughts on two of the final three teams here.
Photo courtesy of L.A. Times
On tonight's Dancing With the Stars, the remaining contenders take on two dances -- as well as a solo during their Latin round.
The show kicks off with a group dance starring six pros.
The first performance of the evening is the quickstep by Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas. Their dance is fun and quirky and full of attitude, but strangely, it's also to "You Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me" from Aladdin, featuring all kinds of wacky voices and accents. (That movie, by the way, came out in 1992, same year as Shawn was born. I am old.) Head judge Len Goodman calls the dance fun, carefree and full of personality. Len says the rules of the quickstep state that you must stay in hold for the middle part of the dance, and they broke hold. Bruno Tonioli says he came out and "danced like Sporty Spice." Carrie Ann Inaba says tonight was her best dance ever, but she has to take a point of for breaking the rules. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.
Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower have the Argentine tango for their first dance. And boy, does this dance form play to his strengths. He gets to show off his power, and Chelsie's choreography is sharp and dramatic. Bruno says Ty won't let anyone down with his strength and determination, but at times the dance needs a little more subtlety. Carrie Ann commends them on how far they have come. Len says they captured the flavor and essence of the dance, even though Ty is not a natural performer or actor. Scores: 8-9-8, for a 25/30.
Lil Kim and Derek Hough have the waltz for the ballroom round. Their waltz is smooth and romantic, though sometimes a tad slow. Carrie Ann says Kim has to extend her hands more and had some missteps. Len says the waltz is a challenging dance, but he was still shocked by the quality of that dance. Bruno says, "You tried to be a lady, but you're more comfortable being a tramp. I mean it in a nice way!" Heh. 8-9-8, for a 25/30.
Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke hope to retake the top spot with their foxtrot. They dance to "Fever" and deliver a performance with a lot of style, but to me, not a ton of pop. Len says the performance was musical and had a great feeling, but he had to straighten his legs more to do the dance properly. Bruno says as a performance, it was "in a class of its own." Carrie Ann says Len is crazy and that this dance should take them right to the semifinal. Scores: 10-9-10, for a 29/30.
Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani dance the Viennese waltz. It's very balletic, and, danced to "Angel," angelic, too. Bruno says it was beautiful and romantic and he says "balletic," too, but I typed it first. Carrie Ann says she didn't have quite the range of motion. Bruno says she did a great job and he loved it, except he is still not a big fan of her feet. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30.
Another pro group performance is next, showcasing the Latin styles.
Shawn and Mark have the paso doble for the Latin round, and they are a little worried about Shawn showing off an intense side. She pulls it off pretty well, though, but the song choice ("Gotta Get Through This") is a little peppy for the paso. Carrie Ann: "You delivered the drama; you nailed it." Len liked her solo and her crisp turns, though he didn't find it "overexciting." Bruno says she showed off her killer instinct and was focused "like a guided missile," which leads her to run over and hug him. Scores: 10-9-10, for a 29/30 and a 56/60.
Ty and Chelsie are doing the rumba this week, and Ty's laments about being worried he can't do it seem a lot more real that everyone else's similar worries. Oh, poor Ty. His hip action is very stiff, and he seems so uncomfortable. Amusingly, he dances his solo, with LOTS of hip action, right at his wife, Jewel. But he sure did try. Len says it was charming and sweet, but not good. Bruno says he is likeable but they can't confuse likeability with ability. Carrie Ann says she wishes she could score him on what he's learned and how far he's come, but she can't. Scores: 7-7-7, for a 21/30 and a 46/60.
Lil Kim and Derek are excited for the salsa for the second round. As well they should be -- it is awesome and fun, and has some entertaining and well-done tricks. Bruno just sings to them: "You spin my head right round right round, when you get down!" He says she is in her element, but she had one misstep at the beginning. Then, strangely, the sound cuts out for a minute, and the video goes to the audience just sitting there. Did the queen bee say a naughty word? I can't quite tell exactly what happened. Carrie Ann she's never seen a booty shake like that in the history of the show, but she thinks it got a little out of control. Len says she and salsa go together like "Spotted Dick and custard ... it's absolutely delicious." (Samantha Harris should never, ever say "brang it" ever again. Ever.) Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30 and a total 52/60.
Gilles and Cheryl are also doing the rumba, and that seems a little unfair to Ty! It's romantic and well done and whatnot, but it gets a little ... overt when they roll over each other on the floor, especially since their song is "Sexual Healing." Carrie Ann says they delivered, but she thought the beginning was odd, especially the part where he looked like he was moonwalking. Agreed. Len thought it was good, except for the beginning and the rolling on the floor. Bruno says it started like a scene from Showgirl and ended like Ravaged by the Savage. Scores: 9-9-9, for a 27/30, and a total 56/60.
Melissa and Tony have the samba for their second dance. It's a party, that's for sure! For the second half of the dance, Melissa is on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction, but it seems like she's OK. But at the end, just before the judges start talking, she is flipping out, and you can hear her say to Tony: "Oh my goooood! My boob came out!" Len says they 100 percent should be in the semifinal next week. Bruno says their samba had "everyone anyone could possibly want." Carrie Ann says she feels compelled to point out the flaws: "Take the week off! Flawless!" Scores; 10-10-10, for a 30/30 and a total 57/60.
What do you think about tonight's performances? I have to agree that Ty should go before the semifinal, even though he is a total sweetheart. The other four are just in another league in terms of dance ability.
... totally contrived. Annie Duke and Joan Rivers are the Celebrity: Apprentice Top 2? Really? Joan Rivers who walked off set last week?
You know the only reason she is back and in the finals is because they think having the two people who hate each other the most square off will cause the most drama. And it probably will cause drama, but will it be watchable? I guess we'll see next week during the (ugh) three-hour finale.
I really think Jesse James should have been in the final two. I don't care that he didn't force his wife's Hollywood friends to give money during the fund-raisers; I just think he's really capable and interesting and hard-working. I'm down with low-key (last week's rant at Clint Black excepted).
I'm just really afraid that Annie Duke is going to win, and then her head might straight-up explode with self-importance. Did you see how excited she was about beating Clint in the jingle-writing competition? I mean, she deserved to be happy, but she would not get over it, and she would not give anyone any credit. (Like, say, the MUSICIAN who worked it out with her. Grr.)
This has been a really annoying season, but we're this close to the end, so I guess I will stick it out.
What did you think about the episode?
Is Jen ever, ever going to forgive herself for that, uh, pre-pit-stop pit stop?
Let's go back to the beginning, though. As you might recall, at the end of last week's episode, Cara and Jaime finished first finally only to discover that the leg wasn't actually over. Doh!
For the first task, the teams had to choose between donning full opera costume and makeup and taking orders for five diners in Mandarin Chinese and properly passing them on to a chef, then delivering the right dishes to the right diners.
While all the other teams chose the opera task, Victor and Tammy, who speak Mandarin, chose the waiter task. Even with knowledge of the language, it took them two tries to get it right, so that was not an easy challenge.
After that, they headed on foot to the next clue, which also featured a U-Turn. Victor and Tammy decided to U-Turn Kisha and Jen, which meant they would have to do the other task as well before they could proceed.
Margie and Luke and Kisha and Jen got through the opera makeup task rather quickly, but Cara and Jaime didn't. In their haste, the just communicated to their cab driver that they needed to go to the opera, and he took them to the National Opera building instead of the Beijing Opera building.
However, everyone seemed to have trouble finding the clue box, which was actually right by the opera task.
Tammy and Victor were first to the next task, which required one teammate to eat a plateful of fried street food -- including starfish, grasshoppers, beetle larvae and more. Victor powered through, though, and they learned that they were headed to the Birds' Nest from the Beijing Olympics for the pit stop. They came in first and won a trip to the Galapagos Islands.
Margie and Luke found the clue quite a bit before the remaining teams and got to the street-food task fairly easily. Margie chowed down, and she and Luke got to the Birds' Nest in second.
Kisha and Jen finally found the clue and headed out to do the second task. In the meantime, Jaime said a lot of choice things about how much she hated China and yelled at Cara for being negative. Hmmm. Cara, who has handled Jaime way better than Jaime deserves, even gestured at the cameraman, like, "Seriously? Can you believe she just said that?"
Cara and Jaime got so far behind that Kisha and Jen managed to finish their extra task and get to the street-food task first. Jen ate the food in fairly small bites with lots of water (this will be important later). Cara came in and just plowed through the nasty fare like it was a plate of nachos or something and made up a lot of ground. Kisha and Jen got out first, but not by much.
Jen had had so much water while trying to eat all that food that she was in desperate need of a bathroom. So desperate, in fact, that she paused at a portable toilet once they got to the Birds' Nest.
And unfortunately, Cara and Jaime actually got to the mat first as a result. Phil told Kisha and Jen that it was mere seconds between the two teams (though we didn't see Cara and Jaime at the mat, so I'm guessing he meant minutes).
How horrible would that be? They were thisclose to the final three! Ugh.
So that leaves Tammy and Victor, Margie and Luke and Cara and Jaime headed into the final.
Looks like it could be pretty close, but my favorite scene from next week was Jaime yelling at their cab driver in Hawaii, who was talking to someone on his cell phone. Whoever that someone is says, "You need to tell your people that I am not their personal concierge." Whoever that someone is has just become my hero.
According to People.com, American Idol winner David Cook announced today in Washington, D.C., that his brother, Adam, passed away on Saturday after a long fight against brain cancer.
David was serving as the grand marshal for the Race for Hope 5K and also particpated in the race.
"I actually lost my brother yesterday to a brain tumor and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now," Cook, 26, said.
Read the full story at the link above and a video from the event at the top of the page.
