NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs-Stanley Cup Finals (Results)

Stanley Cup Finals

#1 Vancouver vs. #3 Boston

Pick:Boston in 6
Results: 4-3 Boston

AHL Calder Cup Playoffs-Calder Cup Finals (Results)

Binghamton vs. Houston

Pick: Houston in 6
Results: 4-2 Binghamton

Future of This Blog: Open Letter

382 days and 303 posts ago I opened this blog with an idea. Inspired by the writers of Entertainment Weekly and other bloggers, I'd write my own pop culture blog. When it started, I was honsetly looking for something to do to kill time at work. It turned out to be alot of fun, and within a few months I started getting alot of hits. This success went to my head and I started to add more shows than ever. The problem ended up being that I'm one person, I'm a busy man with a wife and a son and I started to realize I can't handle doing this anymore.

After the spring television season ended, I had two choices.

#1, finishing keeping track of Tough Enough and The Voice and the hockey playoffs and take the summer off and recoop and refresh and come back in the fall when/if football season starts.

#2, finish up the playoffs, and then be done with this blog.

After much though, I am taking option #2. It's time to put this blog on the backburnner. It's time to enjoy TV as a viewer not a reviewer. It'll be nice to watch TV and not take notes on performances and whatnot.

So after the Calder Cup and Stanley Cup Finals are over, those will be my last posts.

If you are a regular reader, thank you. If you aren't, thank you anyway.

This has been alot of fun and a crazy last year. It's been a experience and a life lesson learned.

Thank you for taking time to read this. It means alot.

So for the last time (well just about),
I'm signing out.
---Blake

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs-Stanley Cup Finals (Pick)

Stanley Cup Finals

#1 Vancouver vs. #3 Boston

Pick:Boston in 6

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs-Conference Finals (Results)

Eastern Conference

#3 Boston  vs. #5 Tampa Bay

Pick: Boston in 6

Results: 4-3 Boston

Western Conference

#1 Vancouver  vs. #2 San Jose

Pick: Vancouver in 6

Results: 4-1 Vancouver

American Idol Finale: And the winner is...

Live from my IPod Touch, the final Idol of season 10.


Top 13-Born This Way
It was great to see everyone back and will take any version that is not the original Gaga version.

James & Judas Priest
Whoa! Never ever in a million years would I have ever imagined seeing Priest on the Idol stage. Totally incredible!

Jacob, Kurt Franklin & Gladys Knight-I Smile
Okay it's official I know too many musical genres! This is what Jacob should've sounded like all season! Wow. Bonus points for the dedications to all the local tragedies.

Casey & Jack Black-Fat Bottom Girls
This was great! The likenesses are so scary! Plus I think people forget Jack can sing. This was sooooo much fun!

Idol Girls & Beyonce- Medley
This proves the girls are ALOT better than where they ended up in the elimination order. This was awesome!

Haley & Tony Bennett
Okay what the hell? He's still got it but he couldn't get that smile off his face. Very good.

Niama, Karen, Ashton, Thia, Lil Jon and TLC
Holy random musical acts! It was great to hear Waterfalls.

Scotty & Tim McGraw-Live Like You're Dying
Whoa! Never saw this duet coming! I want this on my mp3 player! Scotty, I want to see you on the Opry stage sooner than later. 

Top 13 Guys and Tom Jones
Didn't expect that at all. Random but alot of fun. Bonus points on the Carlton dance.

Ford Music Video
Whenever You Remember
Very sweet video. 

Lauren & Carrie Underwood-Before He Cheats
Carrie and Carrie Jr. everybody!! All jokes aside, this was great. Only thing is that Lauren is WAY too young to sing this song with enough passion.

The Results:
The Winner Is...
Scotty!!!
And sealed with a kiss from Lauren...

Glee: Grand Finale on Broadway (5/24/11)

What a huge night. For the first time in Glee history, this episode was 90% out of it's Ohio based homebase. New Directions went to New York for Nationals! When you realize how much of a dream it is for a musical artist of any kind to be in New York, you realize this is going to be a special episode. There's alot of music tonight so let's get into it... (btw this is my 300th entry in this blog!)

New Directions-New York, New York
This shouldn't count. Most people won't count it. But I can't not just mention it because I love this song. It was corny, it was cheesy, but it was still cool. B

Brittney, Puck and Artie-My Cup

Okay back in the Regionals episode I included all the songs from the song making process. This one is no different. It's stupid but it has to be mentioned. C+

New Directions-I Love New York/New York, New York

This was an awesome song. It was fun and like a little tour of New York. It was also just nice to relax on a night like this and just have a little fun. B+

Will-Still Got Tonight
This was a song off of Matthew Morrison's new album and I actually liked it. It made me want to listen to the whole album. Plus the performance was totally kickass! It was like seeing him in his element. B+

Puck, Sam, Artie and Mike-Bella Notte

Finn got Rachel to go out on a "professional date" but in reality he was setting up something from those classic romantic comedies. (I love that the guys suggested this to him btw, it shows how close they have all gotten.) So when Finn and Rachel were walking around the corner, straight out of a corny love movie, the four guys sang this Lady and the Tramp classic. It was really romantic and just really sweet. The singing was amazing and bonus points for the Disney song. Extra credit to the Glee writers for NOT have Finn and Rachel kiss, it made sense and even made it more real. A

Rachel and Kurt-For Good

Live from the Wicked stage, Rachel and Kurt sang the closing number from the show. I got total chills during this. It was just like watching them in their element and an amazing moment. No other words can truly describe how great this was. A+

(There was an all girl choir that sang Yeah!, they never mentioned who they were and why we should care about them, except that ND were in the audience watching them, so I'm not going to rate it.)

Vocal Adrenaline-As Long As You're There

The reigning champs came out to sing, but there was alot more to it. Sunshine led the group. But the important part came before the performance. Rachel actually talked to Sunshine in the bathroom, told her that she was jealous and that she's a great singer. Then in the crowd, Rachel actually "make things right" by helping Sunshine through her solo. It was a great moment, it showed that Rachel doesn't just think of herself. A

Rachel and Finn-Pretending

New Directions is now up. Our favorite power couple started us off with an emotionally charged duet that actually led to a show stopping epic kiss. The song was amazing, as usual from these two and just fun to see their storyline come full circle this season. A

New Directions-Light Up The World

And now the full group number. While I have to get used to the song, it was a very fun electric performance. I also liked that EVERYONE got a time to shine, sing and dance in this song on stage. Just a great way to finish off the music portion of the night. A+

Well ND didn't win. Then didn't even place. The Rachel/Finn kiss actually dropped them all the way down to 12th (top 10 advance). But the show didn't end a bad note, nor did it end on a song. The show ended with one last look at our couple, Kurt/Blaine, Rachel/Finn, Will/Emma, Brittany/Santana and even a new surprise couple of Mercedes/Sam. 

That's it for season two of Glee. It's been a wild ride and a long season. It's had it ups and downs, but there's nothing else I would have expected or wanted. See you next fall!

Dancing with the Stars: And the Mirror Ball Goes To... (5/24/11)

After ten weeks of competition, it all comes down to this. One last round, then we have a winner.

Favorite Dance

Chelsea/Mark
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Judge's Score: 30 (89)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: The Harry Potter tribute was even better this time than last. Well done!

Kristie/Maksim
Dance: Cha-Cha-Cha
Judge's Score: 30 (84)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: First dance was vastly improved and impressive. Loved everything
about it. Amazing!

Hines/Kym
Dance: Paso Doble
Judge's Score: 30 (89)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: What else can be said? These two are incredible! An amazing finish!

After that they combined the judges scores over the last two nights and all the fan votes from the Monday night.

Third Place: Chelsea/Mark

Okay honestly I didn't expect that one. Kristie/Maks really got alot of votes from the fans for them not to finish third.

Top 2:
Kristie/Maks
Hines/Kym

Winner:
Hines/Kym

Like I said last night, it was a tough choice but the right couple won in the end. What a season!

American Idol: The Country Filled Finale (5/24/11)

Ladies & Gentlemen, this is the finale. Three rounds, two original songs and one of the toughest finales ever.

Round 1: Favorite Performance of the Season

Scotty
Song: Gone
Watching him sing this makes me smile. Even better than the first time.
Rating (out of 5): *****

Lauren
Song: Flat on The Floor
Alot of fun big time. They are not going to make this easy are they? Very awesome!
Rating (out of 5): *****

Round 2: Celebrity Picks

Scotty
Picked By: George Straight
Song: Check Yes or No
You can't teach that kind of storytelling technique. He is going to be a country star for years to come. Well done again!
Rating (out of 5): *****

Lauren
Picked By: Carrie Underwood
Song: Maybe It Was Memphis
Simply beautiful. I really enjoyed that. Well done for a girl who had some voice problems coming into the show.
Rating (out of 5): *****

Round 3: Their First Single (Original Song)

Scotty
Song: I Love You This Big
This was a perfect song for him. Perfect story. This will be a mega hit win or loss.
Rating (out of 5): *****

Lauren
Song: Like My Mother Does
Ladies and gentlemen your new Mother's Day song. Totally amazing!
Rating (out of 5): *****

Well I have no idea who's going to win. Honestly I don't. We can't lose either way, but I'm going to give the edge to Scotty. I don't really know why, just because.

AHL Calder Cup Playoffs-Calder Cup Finals (Pick)

Binghamton vs. Houston

Pick: Houston in 6

AHL Calder Cup Playoffs-Conference Finals (Results)

Eastern Conference

Charlotte vs. Binghamton

Pick: Charlotte in 6

Results: 4-0 Binghamton

Western Conference

Hamilton vs. Houston

Pick: Houston in 6

Results:4-3 Houston

Glee Top 10 (Season 2)

Last year on the morning of the final Glee episode of season one, I made a Top 10 list of the best songs of the season.  So since this is the season two finale, I'd do the same thing. So in a season filled with theme episodes, it's been a very up and down year for the music. With that being said...

10. Forget You (Holly and New Directions)
The original verison of this song might just be one of favorite songs in the last year. But when it got performed on the show, it brought it to a different level and brought the show up with a new modern feel. It was well done and has been on my MP3 player ever since.

9. Welcome Christmas (New Directions)
If there is one thing that is difficult to do is to make a Christmas special different and interseting. If that doesn't work, borrowing one of the most famous stories works too. That's what Glee did. They did their version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, which turned into a combo of the original cartoon and the Jim Carey movie. This song ended up not being on their Christmas CD, but it turned into the best song of the entire show. It was the best Christmas song I had heard it years. It was the first time the group had sung as a real choir. So beautiful.

8. Thriller/Heads Will Roll (New Directions and The Football Players)
When you get the honor to have your show air after the Super Bowl, you have to go all out, that's just what Glee did. After a wild show, full of really good storylines, we get this performance. The halftime show for the high school football championship game. Besides being a great song, the performance was very entertaining.

7. Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch-A Me (Emma)
During a up and down Rocky Horror episode, there was one performance that stood out. Watching Emma sing this song to Shue might have been one of the hottest moments of the whole season. On top of the song, every female in America was jealous of her for getting Will topless and dancing on him.

6. Raise Your Glass (The Warblers)
There had to be one Warblers song on this list. They were such a HUGE part of the season this year, especially Blaine and Kurt's relationship. This was the song they sung at Regionals and for me was their best sung and well performed performance of the season.

5. Take Me or Leave Me (Rachel and Mercades)
Just based on the fact that these two are by far the best singers on the show, this was the first time they actual got a chance to truly duet together. It was the second ever Diva-Off and the best female performace of the season by far.

4. Just The Way You Are (Finn)
This might have been one of the weirdest song selections on paper, but in context it was one of the best. By the song, it would seem this song was sung to Rachel, but in fact it was sung to Kurt after their parents got married. It was first real big heartfelt moment of the season.

3. Pure Imagination (New Directions)

So how did one of the last songs of the season make this list? Mainly because it was of the most impactful. This might be the turning point of the series, not just the season. It was sung at Sue's sister's funeral, that New Directions put together, and was sung over a great video montage of Jean's life. It hit Sue so hard and for the first time she stopped hating Will and ND.

2. I Wanna Hold Your Hand (Kurt)

Okay, this might be the best solo of the series so far. When Kurt's father ended up int he hospital, assumingly on his deathbed, Kurt decided to dedicate this song to his dad. If you watched this performance and didn't get emotional, you don't have a heart.

1. Loser Like Me (New Directions)
Noting that I have yet to hear any of the songs for tonight's show, this is the best song of the season by far. It was the first original group song ever, it was catchy and is a song that more people can relate to than any on the show in the past. This performance is the anthem of this show, and told the story of the series up to this point. It's also the song that won Regionals for them.

That's that. Yes I left out some great performances, and not everyone is going to agree with this list, but hey you can't please everyone right?

Celebrity Apprentice: And The Winner Is..... (5/22/11)



Who wouldn't want to walk down
the street with these guys?

After two months, Sunday night we got to the finale of Celebrity Apprentice.

Part of me wants to talk about the challenge, talk about the returning stars, the song and especially the finish.

I'll take it step by step.

The Video
Jon's video was funnier and overall better than Marlee's. I just didn't enjoy the placement of Geoffrey Holder, maybe I'm just too young to appreciate it. I thought getting Dee Snider was bigger.

The Can
I thought it was pretty close. But I really like Jon's but honestly you couldn't go wrong either way.

The Presentation/Event
Well I gotta say that Marlee's event was more personal and organized. I really enjoyed the Harlem Globetrotters. Jon and Star both messed up with Def Leppard's rider and started the show too early. To Jon's credit I give him credit for breaking out the gutiar and performing to kill time. That was a great display.

Extra
Despite this NOT being a fundraising challenge, Jon actually made over $260,000 because some big time friends decided to donate. No one is crazy enough to say no to this money.

Then came a moment that I didn't expect. Jon wrote a song called For The Kids. So in a reality tv competition first, the two competitors actually performed together. Jon sang, Marlee signed and then if it couldn't get anymore heart-wrenching and amazing, they were helped by the Deaf Choir of New York. It was probably one of the most amazing moments I've ever experienced and it left me speechless.

Then came the big moment. It was tough, no one ever said it wasn't going to be. This might have been the toughest choice. But in the end, the right person won, Jon Rich was named Celebrity Apprentice.

Top 10 Gary Busey Lines:

I couldn't resist one last Gary Busey sub-section. In honor of the finale, and the fact that Gary did return for the finale, I am making this countdown:

#10 "A righteous truth, A-R-T is the defination of art. Because you need heart for the art and the art brings the heart."

#9 "What we did better is what we did on the day of the task."-Gary
"What do you mean?"-Donald
"It means we did better on that day,"-Gary.

#8 "Like freedom, Facing Real Exciting Energy Developing Out Miracles."

#7 "I know nothing's free but my heart to your heart is free."

#6 "I think they should be used to be looked at to be usable."

#5 "Pizza makes you put on your clothes like you're a fish"

#4 "The team I have, everyone is like a different color of the rainbow."

#3 "Where the pepperoni lands that where the miracle will happen!"

#2 "There were no mistakes made. If there was a mistake made, it was to understand that a mistake is a gift so you just brush it away and achieve it in another way."

#1 "It's like having the best ingredients in the world to make the best cake you can make. It's gonna come out tomorrow, it's gonna be warm and fluffy and put a drop, put a scoop of chocolate or vanilla ice cream on that cake, it'll melt, and oh yi-yi-yi, it'll be fun to eat!"

Well that's it for this season. I gotta say this has been a fun ride, even though it has been tough to keep up with this show in here. The season just ended and I already can't wait till next season!

Tough Enough: Talk The Talk (5/23/11)

Well this week Tough Enough was about charisma. In the wrestling world, despite what TNA thinks, you have to be entertaining and the one way to do that, outside and inside the ring, is with good or great charisma.

There were two stages of competition.

First the competitors had to lead a tour on a bus on Hollywood Boulevard. Bill had brough Pysch's James Roday to help judge the competition. I'll summarize this whole thing by saying that everyone seemed very uncomfortable, especially Christina and Andy, except for Jeremiah. He shined and was the star of this challenge.

Then at the gym was the big challenge. First they got to wrestle with Stone Cold's special guest, The Rock. Yes I wrote that right, Rock actually got in the ring and wrestled around with the rookies. It was actually a pleasure to watch. Then afterward, instead of leaving, he stuck around to help Stone Cold, Bill and Trish judge the contestants as they cut promos on Bill. I will say that all the guys did a good job, AJ though stood out with the best promo of the night, Christina was by far the worst.

Then it came down to elimination time.

Bottom 3

• Christina
• AJ
• Andy

Well this wasn't a big surprise. What was a HUGE surprise was Andy breaking down and blowing up on Stone Cold. It's EXACTLY what he wanted. Austin finally lit the fire under Andy's ass and he was given one last chance.

Eliminated: AJ and Christina

Well that's that. We are now down to three men. This should be fun.

Dancing with the Stars: The Finale! (5/23/11)

It's finale week on DWTS and that means a big two part event. Last night the remaining three couple performed two of their three dances, including the dance I have been looking forward to, the round that is the hardest to review, the freestyle. Let's get into it.

Judge Selection

Chelsea/Mark
Dance: Samba
Judge Mentor: Carrie Ann
Judge's Score: 29
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Wow that was great! I loved how in sync they were with the lyrics with their movements. Well done!

Kristie/Maksim
Dance: Samba
Judge Mentor: Bruno
Judge's Score: 27
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Okay this is getting tough! This was amazing and sexy! How is she doing it?

Hines/Kym
Dance: Quickstep
Judge Mentor: Len
Judge's Score: 29
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Okay the song choice was awesome and the dance was amazing. What else can I say?

Freestyle Round

Chelsea/Mark
Judge's Score: 30 (59)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: From the bike to the shoes that was insane!!!!! Wow! I can't believe it! Amazing!

Kristie/Maksim
Judge's Score: 27 (54)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Not as good I expected. But very well done. I give Kristie extra points for the cartwheel, that was awesome.

Hines/Kym
Judge's Score: 30 (59)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: The halftime show! I enjoyed that alot! That was well worth the wait! Amazing!

After part one, it's a dead heat between Chelsea and Mark & Hines and Kym. I have no idea what's going to happen tonight.

The Voice: Battle Rounds Get More Intense (5/17/11)

Round Two! I am really loving the battle round!

Coach: Cee Lo (guest mentor Monica)
Battle: Tje Austin vs. Naika
Song: Closer
Thoughts: That was really good. I honestly didn't like Ty on this song. Nika's personality struck the audience better. He stole it in my opinion.
Winner: Naika

Coach: Blake (guest mentor Reba)
Battle: Jared Blake vs. Elenowen
Song: Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Thoughts: Really weird to see duo vs. solo in a battle. Not sure who I wanted to actually advance.
Winner: Jared

Coach: Adam (guest mentor Adam Blackstone)
Battle: Angela Wolff vs. Javier Colon
Song: Stand By Me
Thoughts: First of all, Angela is really pretty but I was rooting on Javier in this one. He needs it more. They both did alright, I expected better. Javier won it for me.
Winner: Javier

Coach: Christina (guest mentor Sia Furler)
Battle: Beverly McCleellan vs. Justin Grennan
Song: Teenage Wasteland
Thoughts: Holy shit! Battle of the night! They both did amazing and played the crowd amazingly. Couldn't ask for anything better. I don't know who to pick.
Winner: Beverly

I really love this concept! Let's goto week three, it's only going to get more fun!

American Idol: And then there were two... (5/19/11)

After 11 weeks, three emotionally charged home trip videos, and more singing and voting than ever before in Idol history, we have our finalists for season 10...

Scotty and Lauren!

Haley finally got sent home and sang one last time.

Next week I am looking forward to this. It'll be the closest vote in years I know it.

American Idol: Triple Threat (5/18/11)

Last night American Idol was down to the top three. Well because it was Mandy's birthday and we had friends over we didn't take our normal notes or tweet like we normally do during the show. So that format is obviously out the window. Instead I will do my best to talk about the top three, performances and the people itself and who I think NEEDS this show to be successful and who doesn't.

First of all Scotty. Every week I say the same thing, how is he this good this young? The fact is he's no where near his prime and he's a better singer than most of the new artists currently on country radio. While last night he seemed a bit off, that just means that his fans are going to try harder to get him to the finale. He's simply amazing and will see a life on the Opry stage before the end of this year win or loss. He has the attraction to the girls and guys, even non country guys, love him. He's by far the most well liked Idol in a long long time.

Now onto the youngest person left, the beautiful Lauren. I really want her to be older so I don't feel so creepy saying that. At 16, she has found a way to be pop country. He's got an incredible voice and great range. The only problem that I've seen all season is she's still so scared on that stage. You would think she's been doing this for three months now she'd be 100% used to performing in front of this crowd. Last night I think she wrote her ticket to finals singing Band Perry's If I Die Young, a song I don't like at all, but she did it better than they ever did.

Finally, Haley. Seriously, this is one of the most puzzling semi-finalists in a long time. I mean she's good, but she's not great. She doesn't belong at this level. Last night for me, she was trying to be tough and came off over her head, tried to be sexy and came off creepy and tried to live up to beating out James and looked over her head. It might seem I'm being mean and a little biased to the country duo, but she didn't even belong in Top 5 let along the Top 3. I've been saying that for months now. I just hope she realizes that if by some chance she makes it to the finale, she's going to lose because all the young votes will either goto Scotty or Lauren.

The finale SHOULD be Scotty vs. Lauren. The youngest final ever. They are most consistent this season and the most deserving at this point.

If there's ever a time that the vote should be "rigged", FOX should make sure that this is the finale next week.

Celebrity Apprentice: Final Two and 7UP (5/15/11)

Sunday night's show started with four celebrities, by the time we were 40 minutes in, we were officially down to two. 

The show started with Trump bringing in past winners, Piers Morgan, Joan Rivers and Bret Michaels, for the traditional interview session with the final four, Jon Rich, Lil Jon, Marlee Matlin and Meatloaf. When all was said and done, Trump fired Lil Jon and Meatloaf and we were on our way with the much anticipated third round of Jon vs. Marlee.

That being said here was the challenge. They had to make a campaign, video, can and box and the new 7UP retro. One would take the 70s and the Harlem Globetrotters and the other would get the 80s and Def Leppard. Trump gave Marlee the pick of which decade to take and she surprising took the 70s, a decision in my opinion that will haunt her.

Then Trump, in fairness, told Jon he could draft first, from the six celebrities that were brought back, and he of course took Lil Jon but to another massive surprise Marlee DIDN'T take Star Jones and took Meatloaf. 

The teams turned out like this:

Team Jon: Lil Jon, Star Jones and Mark McGrath

Team Marlee: Meatloaf, Richard Hatch and Layton Jackson (who they can't seem to get rid of this season)

From this point I pretty much said that Jon has it in the bag, he get the decade he wanted, the musical act and the better team. Then he ended up pulling out another card, getting Dee Snider, who was performing on Broadway in Rock of Ages, to come in and doing the commercial and then put on KISS makeup for a transformation in post-production. A major unreal coo.

Marlee got a hold of Geoffrey Holder to help with their commercial but then he called and said there was some legal issue and that set Meatloaf off. Speaking of Meatloaf, I want to know why he was obsessed with their box looking like a boom box, BOOM BOX WEREN'T POPULAR IN THE 70S! They became big in the 80s. The only real highlight was watching Meatloaf screaming at the camera for his spot in the commercial which was hysterical. 

So now I gotta say it looks like Jon is on the way to victory in next week's finale. The only thing I worry about is him playing hardball with the Def Leppard manager. If that gets worked out and the show goes on as planned, I see no reason why Jon can't win this, which is ashame because I have been rooting on Marlee all season. I just think all things are going so positive for Jon at this point, it's his to lose.

Tough Enough: Injury Prone (5/16/11)

Normally when I write about this I would spend time talking about the show, especially since it started off with such promise with the show being about creativity. In this weeks' case about the silly video game challenge that I enjoyed and the dinner out with the Divas. But unfortunately this episode was totally marred by freak injuries. With those injuries two favorites went home and  the field was suddenly down to four.

First was Martin who had a very freak injury. He was actually simply getting out of the ring and stepped down on his angle wrong and then boom he was down and in alot of pain. When he went down I was shocked. In the promos leading up they said injuries were taking a toll but I never expected it to hit the main top dog in the cast. He went to the hospital and when he returned to the gym he informed Stone Cold, the coaches and the rest of the cast that he wasn't cleared to go and had to stop with the competition. What followed was a great moment. Stone Cold took him into his office and after a talk, he told him to put his belt up on the wall, because he's not leave because he's not tough enough, he's leaving because he can't go anymore.

So after he leaves, we get into the skills challenge. It was a challenge to see how creative they could all be in the ring, the one key was that they had to perform at least one move off the top rope. Well first up where Christina and A.J. Things were going really good till Christina went to the top rope to hit a cross-body, AJ wasn't positioned right and Christina landed wrong and her knee went out. My jaw hit the ground and I was actually yelling "No! This can't be happening!" at the TV. Stone Cold and Bill were also both in shock.

As Christina was taken away in the ambulance, Stone Cold announced that the rest of the guys had the rest of the day off and there would be no other eliminations that night.

With three episodes left, and four competitors left, things should really get interesting fast especially since it almost feels like the field has been reset for the first time all season.

Dancing with the Stars: Karate Kid's Final Bow (5/17/11)

Last night was the next to last results show of the DWTS season. I even watched the first special freestyle hour. I never get sick of watch Drew and Cheryl dancing to Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy. All things considered the results were pretty obvious.

In Danger
Kristie/Maksim
Ralph/Karina

Elimination
Ralph/Karina

Next week it's the finals. It should be an amazing night, especially since I look forward to the freestyle performances every year.

Glee: The Road of Tears Leads to Greatness (5/17/11)

Last night's Glee was the defination of a perfect episode of a dramaedy and it showed alot about why people are so drawn to this show. I'll admit, going in, I was afraid it was going to be last season's Funk episode that preluded the finale where it just felt like a rest stop before getting to the big finale and not that big a deal. This week it seems they learned their lesson and gave us one of the best episodes of the season.

Sue was being extra bitchy when the show started, she actually figured out how to reroute New Directions' flight to New York by sending them to Libya and then kicks Becky, who has pretty much been her partner in crime all season, off the Cherrios. When push comes to shove we find out that her sister, who had been in the hospital for years, had passed away the day before and she was very on edge. That being said, she took her anger out on everyone till Will got to her and then broke the news to the glee club which leads to Finn and Kurt to make a deal with her that they would help with the funeral and help her clean out Jean's (her sister) hospital room.

Meanwhile, Will also hired Jesse to be a consultant and convinced him to hold auditions for the lead for nationals.

That's a pretty good setup, let's get to the music, especially since there isn't a whole lot to really talk about, which in this case is not a bad thing...

Santana-Back to Black
Since Jesse, apparently, took a class on reality television judging, these audition were done like mock Idol style, which in reality was hysterical. I though that Santana killed this song big time and was on major fire on stage. It seems, in a way of pretty much making sure Rachel got the lead, Jesse told her that she was too boring and didn't pull off the song. Yeah right. A

Kurt-Some People
This was awesome. Kurt doesn't get to sing that much anymore, so to hear him belt this out was amazing. Nice range and just stunning dramatic effect. Jesse, of course, didn't think he should be singing girly songs. Kurt said it perfectly, his bread and butter is girly songs. A

Mercedes-Try a Little Tenderness
Hands down one of the best solos of the season. Amazing. Sometimes you really do forget how great a singer she is. Jesse said she was lazy and she almost got off the stage and punched him out. To be honest he totally deserved it at this point. A+

Rachel-My Man
I'll admit, this was incredible. She totally killed this song, it was dramatic, it told a story and showed what she is truly thinking about, Finn. Even though I think Jesse thought she was singing about him. Of course Jesse loved it and he wanted her to get the lead. Will said he was going to hold off till the end of the week. A+

New Directions-Pure Imagination
I never get emotional when watching TV anymore. I never have a moment where I want to cry because something just stirs up inside of me. But this funeral scene did that for me. Sue's speech, said though Will, was just simply incredible. You just felt it, especially since Sue couldn't keep it together and who can blame her? This performance was unreal to say the least. It was inspired by Jean's favorite movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and was simply of the best performances in the history of the show. By the end, Sue was holding Will's hand and thanked the glee club for this moment. I also would like to thank them. A+

After that song, the show actually picked up to set up next week. Finn broke up with Quinn and then decided to pursure Rachel only to see her kissing Jesse. Sue told Will that she was done toturing the glee club and confessed that she messed with the tickets to New York. But then the biggest surprise of the night came when Terri actually gave Will first class tickets for the glee club to get to New York as an apology and goodbye.

All things said and done, it's time to get to New York and to Nationals. Bring it on! I'm ready for this!

Dancing With the Stars: The Semifinals (5/16/11)

This week was the semifinals and after 14 dances, I'm exhausted. Yes I said 14 DANCES. Insane night, but definately alot of fun. Let's get right into it.

Ralph/Karina
Dance: Argentine Tango
Judge's Score: 25
My Rating: 4
Thoughts: Sore knee and all, this was well done. Perfect no. The beginning felt straight out of West Side Story which is not a bad thing.

Kristie/Maksim
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Judge's Score: 27
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Very elegant. I really enjoyed that. It was what deserves to be in the semifinals.

Chelsea/Mark
Dance: Argentine Tango
Judge's Score: 28
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Very elegant and professional. It's almost like she's the pro too. Well done.

Hines/Kym
Dance: Argentine Tango
Judge's Score: 30
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: First of all after that fall and injury, I thought Kym was done. That being said that dance was great. It was crisp and clean and really emotional.

Ralph/Karina
Dance: Samba
Judge's Score: 23 (48)
My Rating: 3
Thoughts: What the hell was that? I know he's got a bad wheel but that doesn't equal a bad gimmick and bad dance. They also danced too slow for their music. Wow how the mighty have fallen.

Kristie/Maksim
Dance: Paso Doble
Judge's Score: 27 (54)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Well this was well done. I really enjoyed that. Nothing bad to say.

Chelsea/Mark
Dance: Rumba
Judge's Score: 30 (58)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: I swear there are times that I have to remind myself that Chelsea isn't a pro. This is one of those times. So amazing to watch.

Hines/Kym
Dance: Salsa
Judge's Score: 30 (60)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Wow. Totally awesome. Do they have an off switch? I think I finally have my final two. Amazing.

Winner Takes All Cha-Cha

You know after I watched this and I had no idea how to review this or even rate it so I'm not going to. I will at least explain it. The four couples went head to head doing a cha-cha according to the way they were ranked after the first two rounds. Then the judges would pick a winner from those parings and then when it came down to final two couples, they would have the commerical break to put together another cha-cha and then go head to head. Then the winner would get 15 additional points to their score. Confused? So was I till it actually played out.

Heat 1
Ralph/Karina (4th) vs. Hines/Kym (1st)
Winner-Hines/Kym 3-0

Heat 2
Kristie/Maks (3rd) vs. Chelsea/Mark (2nd)
Winner-Chelsea/Mark 2-1

Finals
Chelsea/Mark vs. Hines/Kim

Worst Coin Toss Ever
Hines said tails, the coin lands heads yet there was confusion who won the toss. Really?

Winner-Chelsea/Mark-15 (73)

They did all that in four minutes? Holy shit! Didn't see that coming.

Will Go Home: Ralph/Karina
Could Go Home: Kristie/Maks

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs-Conference Finals (Picks)

Eastern Conference

#3 Boston  vs. #5 Tampa Bay
Pick: Boston in 6

Western Conference

#1 Vancouver  vs. #2 San Jose
Pick: Vancouver in 6

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs-Semifinals (Results)

Eastern Conference

#1 Washington  vs. #5 Tampa Bay
Pick: Washington in 7
Results: Tampa Bay 4-0

#2 Philadelphia vs. #3 Boston
Pick: Philadelphia in 6
Results: Boston 4-0

Western Conference

#1 Vancouver  vs. #5 Nashville
Pick: Nashville in 6
Results: Vancouver 4-2

#2 San Jose vs. #3 Detroit 
Pick: San Jose in 7
Results: San Jose 4-3

American Idol: Guys vs. Girls (5/12/11)

Last night it was time to say goodbye to one more Idol and get down to 3. Before that though it was a battle of the sexes in duets.

Scotty and James-Start A Band
Excellent song and a lot of fun. Nice to see James step out of his rock comfort zone.

Haley & Lauren-Gunpowder and Lead
Is it country night? Loved this performance! Very intense!

Results
Lauren- Safe

Ford Commercial
Fireflies
Very awesome! Looked like fun!

What the hell happened to Jordin? She looks and sounds like everyone now. Very disappointed.

Results 
Haley safe

I am shocked! Totally shocked! 

Results 
Scotty-Safe!
James-Eliminated

Wow. Right to the end this results show is shocking. Simply amazing. 

So final three going home in style:
Scotty, Lauren and Haley

Let's bring it on!

American Idol: Journey Home (5/11/11)

It's really hard to believe we've hit the final four. This week was split up into two rounds, first round was songs that inspire them, the second was songs by Leiber and Stoller which I would have appreciated a better explaination for the younger audiences, but they were too obsessed with the guest mentor Lady Gaga to do that. That being said let's get into the show...

James
Song: Don't Stop Believin
Blake: Loved the stage presence. Really good performance for him. I really enjoyed it. Might have been one of his best.
Rating (out of 5): *****
Mandy: James rocked the Journey song, but then again I don't think I can hate anyone doing that song. Great job with a great song.

Haley
Song: The Earth Song
Blake: This was alright. She's done better and right now she really feels like the weak link on this show in this group.
Rating (out of 5): ****
Mandy: Haley, don't sing a song about saving Earth while wearing leather. And you inspired me alright, to want to jump off a bridge..

Scotty
Song: Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)
Blake: Could you pull at the heartstrings anymore? Amazing. Thank you for singing this song. Just thank you.
Rating (out of 5): *****
Mandy: Scotty knows how to play the crowd's heartstrings. Amazing rendition of a song America needed. He's got a country soul.

Lauren
Song: Anyway
Blake: Whoa! This one touched home for her and you can tell in her voice. Amazing.
Rating (out of 5): *****
Mandy: Lauren looked amazing and sounded even better. One of my favorite Idol performances of all time. Martina would be proud.

Haley
Song: I (Who Have Nothing)
Blake: The full orchestra was a bit much for me. Too dramatic for me and way too much screaming. Seemed like she was trying way too hard.
Rating (out of 5): ***
Mandy: Good song for Haley, but too theatrical for my taste. It was great, but I think her lights are on Broadway, not the Idol stage.

Scotty
Song: Young Blood
Blake: We now return you to concert Scotty. For real I felt like we walked into one of his concerts and this time I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Hysterical but I'm a little speechless.
Rating (out of 5): ****
Mandy: Scotty's facial expressions distracted me more than anything, but it was good. He doesn't need the show but the show needs him.

Lauren
Song: Trouble
Blake: Fiesty! Totally completely opposite of her wholesome side that we're used to. I enjoyed it. It was alot of fun.
Rating (out of 5): ****
Mandy: Not Lauren's best, but not her worst. She's not evil and Gaga's not a role model, but she did loosen uo. Get her on the radio.

James
Song: Love Potion #9
Blake: That was well done and a perfect ending for this round. Take notes Haley, that's how you end a song with high notes without screaming!
Rating (out of 5): ****
Mandy: James is too much. It's Love Potion #9, not friggin' Enter Sandman. Why does he get all the effects? Ozfest, yes. Idol, no.

Should Go Home: Haley
Will Go Home: Haley

The Voice: Let the Battles Begin! (5/10/11)

The teams are set, it's now time for the battle round. What is the battle round? I'll explain.

The four coaches have four teams of eight. At this point the coaches must pit their team against each other in duets and then eliminate someone after the duet. When the battle rounds are over, which it seems like in four weeks, each coach will only have teams of four. The really cool part about the battles are that the duets are in a ring ala boxing and wrestling. Now that we are all on the same page, let the battle rounds begin!

Coach: Christina (guest mentor Sia Furler)
Battle: Frenchie Davis vs. Tarralyn Ramsey
Song: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Thoughts: Is it bad I was kinda bored this song? The performances were alright I guess. Maybe it's the fact that I'm very over this song. These two hit all the notes and even maybe oversung it a little.
Winner: Frenchie

Coach: Blake (guest mentor Reba)
Battle: Tyler Robinson vs. Patrick Thomas
Song: Burning Love
Thoughts: It's funny if Scotty on Idol didn't sing an Elvis song a few weeks back, I wouldn't have put Elvis and country together. But this was actually good. Good choice for these guys. Both guys actually deserved to move on in my opinion.
Winner: Patrick

Coach: Adam (guest mentor Adam Blackstone)
Battle: Tim Mahoney vs. Casey Weston
Song: Leather and Lace
Thoughts: I honestly didn't know the name of this song but knew what it was it was really good. The first girl vs. guy battle, actually really wasn't, especially since Adam thought Tim was a girl when he auditioned. That being said, really good performance for both of them. Didn't make it that hard though in my opinion.
Winner: Casey

Coach: Cee Lo (guest mentor Monica)
Battle: Vicci Martinez vs. Niki Dawson
Song: F***** Perfect
Thoughts: This was the best duet of the night by far. Well done by the ladies on a song that all ladies around the world seem to love and relate to. This was a tough choice and he really couldn't go wrong either way in my view.
Winner: Vicci

That's in for week one of the battles, I'm looking forward to week two.

Dancing With the Stars: Road to the Semifinals (5/10/11)



This is DanceCenter!
Is it bad I enjoy this every season?


 For the first time in three weeks I actually got to enjoy the DWTS results show on Tuesday night right after Glee. On this night we had performances by Michael Bolton and Adele (refer to my Glee review for a rant on her song) and my personal favorite moment the return of DanceCenter. But onto the results...

In Danger...
Ralph/Karina
Romeo/Chelsie

This is the first week that I was dead on on the bottom two.

The results....
Romeo/Chelsie

I'm not sure why anyone is SHOCKED by this. It's not that big a shocker. People felt bad for Ralph and wanted to give him another shot and it was Romeo's time to go. It's semifinals time next week with three dances. I'm looking forward to it.

AHL Calder Cup Playoffs-Conference Finals (Picks)

Eastern Conference
Charlotte vs. Binghamton
Pick: Charlotte in 6

Western Conference
Hamilton vs. Houston
Pick: Houston in 6

The Glee Prom (5/10/11)

Last night was prom night. To be honest I wasn't sure how this night was going to roll. In the past in shows I have watched prom or dance episodes have either been really good or really cliche. I was hoping that Glee, the show that has been breaking rules since the beginning, would find their own route. What we got was very interseting. Throughout the first half of the show you literally had different perspectives of the anticipation of prom. The second half they gave us one of the most fun but insane proms ever.

Just to set things up, Principal Figgins asked Will to have the Glee Club sing at prom in exchange for money that will help them get to Nationals. He honestly couldn't say no to that.

Let's get into the music and I will get into everything else...

Rachel and Jesse-Rollin in the Deep
Yes you saw that, Jesse St. James is back. He surprised Rachel when she started singing this song in the gym. (Let me say real fast, as much as I love this song, we can now stop having this song on EVERY show, it was also sung by Adele on DWTS later this very same night. Enough already!) The performance was really good. I forgot how awesome the chemistry is between them. What gave this alot of extra points was the fact it was done without music, something completely different on this show. The only background were the people setting up the stage behind them. Totally stood out. A

Artie-Isn't She Lovely
This was Artie's apology to Brittany and also his way of asking her to prom. I thought it was one the cutest moments on this show ever. It was cute just with Artie but when Puck and Sam came in with the gutairs and Finn started playing drums on random stuff in the back of the classroom, it was made epic. This is the stuff musicals are made of. Then again I give the Glee crew credit for not going to the predictable route with this. She said no and everyone's hearts sank with Artie's. A

New Directions-Friday
Now onto the prom songs. This song is a major youtube senstation and is really a terrible song. After hearing it I thought two things, #1 I'm so glad I never heard the original version and #2 even Glee couldn't make this terrible song good, even gleeinized. For a prom dance song it was awesome, but by itself it was awful. So somewhere in between I guess. B-

Rachel-Jar of Hearts
This song surprised me. Not your typical prom song but did lead to alot of cute moment especailly Mercedes getting asked to dance by Sam. Possible love connection? Doubt it but it made a great moment. The question does lie who is Rachel truly singing to, Finn or Jesse? Well done. B+

Blaine-I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You
I really had to look this one up, I didn't know this song and am shocked that's the full title of the song. The performance was just fun. It also setup the possibly of Blaine joining ND down the road one day. DURING the song though, Finn really showed his jealous side and got into Jesse's face when he was dancing close and kissing Rachel and they came to blows and got thrown out of prom. This really upset Quinn because her king got booted. B+

Dancing Queen
Not really sure who was singing this because everyone was somewhere on the dance floor during this song. This song was the king-queen dance song. That's sounds weird if the king wasn't Karofsky and the queen wasn't Kurt. Yes I said Kurt. This was supossed to get to Kurt, instead it led to Karofsky running away and Kurt dancing with Blaine. Adorable. Before all this though there was rapid fire scenes from the losing queens. Santana complained to Brittany who pretty told her to come out and be herself and people would like her. In the case of what seems like high school television tradition of something happening in the ladies' room, Quinn blamed Rachel for her losing and slapped her. Great moment. Oh yeah the song. Great version, I just wish I knew who sang it. A

That's that. Two episodes left. Next week apparently someone dies, should be interseting. Two weeks away from nationals. The season is almost over.

AHL Calder Cup Playoffs-Division Finals (Results)

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
A1 Portland vs. E5 Binghamton
Pick: Portland in 6
Results: Binghamton 4-2

East Division
E1 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. E3 Charlotte
Pick: Charlotte in 6
Results: Charlotte 4-2

Western Conference

North Division
N1 Hamilton vs. N3 Manitoba
Pick: Hamiton in 6
Results: Hamilton 4-3

West Division
W1 Milwaukee vs. W2 Houston
Pick: Milwaukee in 7
Results: Houston 4-3

Tough Enough: Double Elimination (5/9/11)

This week's show as about focus and made for a very interseting show.

As a wrestling fan I truly enough this episode. Most of the show was actually in the ring. There's not a whole lot to say about this week because it was so much wrestling. This week Andy really stood out in the ring but is still super green but isn't that the whole point of this show to mold a green wrestler and turned him into a superstar?

The only real crazy moment of note was John Morrison guest starring along side an insane climbing course. It was one of the toughest challenges on reality TV in a long time hands down. Poor Eric stood no chance in this thing and got stuck twice. It was sad really.

In a really tough and challenging skills challenge, Luke regained his top spot.

The other item of note was that Ivelisse was still dealing with her leg injury from last week and it showed big time. I do give her credit for really trying to compete.

Bottom 3

• A.J.
• Eric
• Ivelisse

Eric and Ivelisse I expected big time, but A.J. I think that was meant as a wake up call.

Eliminated: Ivelisse and Eric

Stone Cold had to let Invelisse go or she was going to hurt herself. Eric was so out of shape that he should have gone home weeks ago. No major surprises or disappointments here this week at all.

Celebrity Apprentice: Team Changes, Comedy and OnStar (5/8/11)

This week was a jam packed three hour marathon show. Alot happened and alot changed. I've been trying to figure out how to sort this out since there were two seperate tasks. So I will just sort is out this way:

Teams to start show:
Team Backbone: Jon Rich, Lil Jon, Latoya Jackson, NeNe Leakes
Team A.S.A.P: Star Jones, Marlee Matlin, Meatloaf

Well NeNe got swapped over to Backbone to get her away from Star and that really pissed her off and she ended up quitting before she even got to officially join her team.

In this first challenge of the night, the teams had to recruit comedians and then put together a comedy show. This also was a fundraising challenge so the winning PM would get all the money raised for their charity.

Team A.S.A.P.-Winning Team
Project Manager: Meatloaf
In my opinion I wasn't rooting on the team, I was rooting on Meat. He got really emotional about gambling all the money that he raised for his charity and risking it all. So much that Jon Rich told him that if his team lost that he would personally match the money they raised (which ended up being $102,000). Alas Meat's team won and he got close to $190,000 for his charity which actually made everyone happy.


Team Backbone-Losing Team

Project Manager: Latoya Jackson
Well despite Jon Rich being able to get Jimmy Fallon to help on the show (and even wrote a fun song), they still didn't raise enough money to win. Latoya ended up being fired, literally a day after getting a second chance, mainly because she didn't raise enough money and was the PM. It was the right decision.

Teams now:
Team Backbone: Jon Rich, Lil Jon
Team A.S.A.P: Star Jones, Marlee Matlin, Meatloaf

The second challenge was to make a new promotional video for OnStar.

Team Backbone-Winning Team

Project Manager: Jon Rich
Why am I not surprised that the two of them won this? They had the better video. They showed off the project, emphasized the point of what they were advertising and even included special effects. The Jons are amazing together as a duo. They both deserve to be here.

Team A.S.A.P.-Losing Team
Project Manager: Marlee Matlin
This video was kind dull and boring especially since it was so short. The fact that they included a terrible cliche cop donut job sold it for me. What I didn't expect was the massive arguement between Meat and Star. The two of them went at it and it was entertaining to watch. When the smoke settled and Trump got down to the problem at hand, it was deemed that Star really couldn't get along with people so thus then she was fired.

Going into next week's show I am very happy with the final four, I have no real problem with anyone winning, but I am indeed rooting on Jon Rich.

Dancing With the Stars: Instant Dance Party (5/9/11)

This week is one of my favorite and the most unpredictable nights of the season. There's two dances and one is the instant dance. If you forgot from last season the instant dance is simply this, they practice the dance BUT they don't get the music till after their first dance of the night, leaving them a half hour max to get the dance done. This show last year lead to major standouts...that being said on to this year's show.

Chelsea/Mark
Dance: Waltz
Judge's Score: 29
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Beautiful! Might have been the performance of the whole season for any couple.

Hines/Kym
Dance: Foxtrot
Judge's Score: 28
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Super cheesy but super entertaining! This has to be the hottest start of the season for this show. Well done!

Romeo/Chelsie
Dance: Tango
Judge's Score: 27
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Very intense! Might be their best fast paced dance so far.

Ralph/Karina
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Judge's Score: 25
My Rating: 4
Thoughts: Wow. You can never tell that Ralph has an injured leg. 100% professional! Very well done!

\Kristie/Maksim
Dance: Argentine Tango
Judge's Score: 28
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Kristie looked like the pro out there with some of those moves. Not perfect but well done.

Instant Dance

Chelsea/Mark
Dance: Salsa
Judge's Score: 26 (55)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Might have been their hottest dance. Seriously they just showed they CAN win this thing. Amazing!

Hines/Kym
Dance: Jive
Judge's Score: 26 (54)
My Rating: 4
Thoughts: Not that great to be honest. I wanted better.

Romeo/Chelsie
Dance: Salsa
Judge's Score: 25 (52)
My Rating: 4.5
Thoughts: Was about to say best instant dance of the night till he got visibly lost in the middle. Other than that good.

Ralph/Karina
Dance: Cha Cha Cha
Judge's Score: 21 (46)
My Rating: 4
Thoughts: The ultimate instant dance. No prep at all before tonight due to his leg. That being said well done. He didn't do that good but wow what can you expect from his after everything he dealt with?

Kristie/Maksim
Dance: Salsa
Judge's Score: 25 (53)
My Rating: 4.5
Thoughts: A little slower than I expected but otherwise good. This was a crazy round for sure.

Should Go Home: Kristie/Maksim
Could Go Home: Ralph/Karina

American Idol: And We're Down To Four (5/5/11)

Tonight it was definitely a fun night to go with the Wednesday theme.

The now belonged to J-Lo (with Pitbull) and Lady A singing their latest hit and new song respectively.

The then went to the top 5 who sang a good reditition of Happy Together, the Turtles classic.

And also, as a side note, Lauren won the Gordon Ramsey hosted American Idol Hell's Kicthen. No I'm not making that up.

But when it came to results time, Ryan was up to his old tricks. He seperated the Idols in pairs, James/Haley and Lauren/Jacob. See where this is going? Then he told Scotty he was safe and asked him to choose which side to go on and that trio would be safe and the others would be the bottom two. Well after Scotty refused, Ryan gave him a little push and made our...

Bottom 2:
Jacob and Lauren

Me and Mandy were yelling and screaming for Lauren to be safe and then finally we said goodie to...

Jacob

This man I've had in my bottom list for WEEKS now and he's finally gone. Took long enough America.

American Idol:Now & Then Rollercoaster (5/4/11)

It's hard to believe it's Top 5 week. The season is almost over! This is where things get interseting and rough. The theme this week was Now and Then. Also they sing twice and Sheryl Crow was their guest mentor. So on with the show... 

James
Song: Closer To the Edge
Blake: Started off really weak n my opinion. There were some really terrible high notes near the end. Not that good at all for me.
Rating (out of 5): ***
Mandy: James was okay for me. He will be great in rock, but I don't listen to enough of that kind of music to really appreciate it.

Jacob
Song: No Air
Blake: It was alright. Not "great". Too tough for him. Rough start to the night so far.
Rating (out of 5): ***
Mandy: Jacob confused me. What is he trying to be? Obviously not both Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown, I hope. Definitely not for me.

Lauren
Song: Flat on the Floor
Blake: Very sassy! Loved the fiddle and the playing to the crowd. This might have been her best performance of the season.
Rating (out of 5): ****
Mandy: Lauren is only 15! I have to keep reminding myself that because that was amazing! Carrie, watch out...you have some competition!

Scotty
Song: Gone
Blake: Well done! Our country people are going strong! A lot of energy of just entertaining. Loved all the facial expressions and hand motions. He played the crowd so well.
Rating (out of 5): *****
Mandy: Scotty and Lauren need to get together and have cute little country babies. He was awesome. Put him on the radio NOW America!

Haley
Song: You And I
Blake: So an unreleased  Gaga song eh? Could have fooled me. This was really good for her. Very energetic and she really hit the notes in the end.
Rating (out of 5): ****
Mandy: I really liked Haley tonight. I liked the song and I like the fact she was real and not over the top and overly sexy.

James
Song: Without You
Blake: Very great! Wow. Totally different side of him. Totally unexpected. Didn't realize he had a family. He was amazing during this one.
Rating (out of 5): *****
Mandy: This is the James I love. More of this and less of pomp and circumstance. It was the first time we saw his reason and soul.

Jacob
Song: Love Hurts
Blake: Can I have Sheryl's version of the song? This wasn't good at all. At least in my opinion. I didn't like it, it seemed very forced and it's time to say goodbye.
Rating (out of 5): **1/2
Mandy: I am sick of Jacob's bag of tricks. Who are you? I just don't get him as an artist. It wasn't a high note, it was screeching.

Lauren
Song: Unchained Melody
Blake: Very nice. This was beautiful. Vey low key and point on. 
Rating (out of 5): *****
Mandy: Lauren looked flawless and sounded the same. She showed a vulnerability that was adorable. I really think she can take it.

Scotty
Song: Always On My Mind
Blake: Tonight Scotty had just sailed into concert mode. There is no better way to put it. This was so well done it almost felt like he's already won the show.
Rating (out of 5): *****
Mandy: Scotty, Scotty, Scotty. Beautiful song. I think he can win too. Can they both win? And again with the cute country babies.

Haley
Song: House of the Rising Sun
Blake: Beautiful beginning. This was fantastic for her. Very good way to go out for the night.
Rating (out of 5): ****
Mandy: Wow Haley! Way to step up your game. My problem with her is I have no idea where she would fit into mainstream music nowadays.

Should Go Home: Jacob
Will Go Home: Jacob

The Glee Rumor Mill (5/3/11)

Well last night rumors were spreading and our DVR missed the first ten minutes of the show.

That being said last night they based the show around the classic album Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. The major problem I had going into this night to start is the fact that I'm not a fan of single artist theme nights. No matter who it is. That's not what this show is about. Plus so far the only artist they honored correctly without completely screwing up the pace and tone of the show was Madonna. While this episode wasn't as bad as the Britney Spears episode, not much can be that bad, this kinda bored me. Other than Britney and Artie breaking up and the big Sam and his family are homeless after his father lost his job reveal, what actually happened last night? For me it seemed like filler show to get us to the big prom and nationals episodes the next two weeks. That being said let's get into the music...

April & Will-Dreams
This is the one song that was in the first ten minutes of the show that didn't dvr last night. I had a feeling there was something missing because the whole show made no sense without seeing this. It set up the whole show. I caught the song on youtube this morning, and yeah it makes sense now, not that the performance was that good. I don't know why but as much as I love Kristin Chenoweth, she hasn't really sang a good song on this show at all. I know I'll get hell for saying that but it's true. Maybe it's her character. But every song seems the same she's always flirting with Will, no matter what. It loses something after awhile. This was not a good performance. Even though it was one of the songs I actually knew. C

Artie-Never Going Back Again
I love Artie, but it's a combination of the fact that I didn't know this song and it was hard to hear the words. Then I got distracted by Puck randomly walking behind him with a gutiar. I know this is a musical and we are supossed to suspend belief on stuff like this, but it was too random even for me. One thing I did like was the visual of all the other guys playing gutiars on the stage with Artie in the middle singing. He got his moment and that was cool. B-

Santana-Songbird
This is perfect xample of a song that I didn't know but the person singing it sang it so well it didn't matter. This was well done. It even won over Brittany's heart to a point. This was so sweet and it showed a completely different side of Santana than we're used to. She is a hopeless romantic deep down and she really loves Brittany. A

Finn and Quinn-I Don't Wanna Know
How do you resolve a fight on Glee? Sing it out! It's worked many times in past with friends, why not try it with relationships? Maybe it was me but I don't really like them singing together. Not the greatest chemistry which they should have. It just doesn't work for me at all. This was a fun song though, just didn't sound great at all. B

Rachel-Go Your Own Way
Ah finally another song I actually know! This was really good. Further proof why she is one of the best singers on this show. She had the attitude to pull this song off. It didn't feel fake or forced. It set up alot of storyline with her singing to Finn (who was playing drums on the song) right in front of Quinn. This blew me away big time. A

Sam and New Directions-Don't Stop
When the music started on this song I was so excited. I'm a MAJOR fan of this song. Always have been. A VERY fitting song to end this show, especially sing Sam was singing to his brother and sister and then it turned into ND signing to the three of them. This was a well done performance and it showed how you share the lead of a song. It was a case where you didn't need just one lead singer. A+

The show definately finished stronger than it started. Next week is prom as the season is coming to very quick close. So close to nationals and it's only going to get more interseting.

Dancing with the Stars: Quick Elimination Lookin (5/4/11)

For whatever reason our DVR was totally acting up last night. So I didn't see the show last night at all. So let's just look at who got eliminated.

In Danger...
Kendra/Louis
Chelsea/Mark

Very surprised to see Chelsea and Mark in danger to be honest. Kendra and Louis doesn't shock all that much. Kinda thought that Romeo would be here.

The results....
Kendra/Louis

Well there ya go. No big loss or deal in my book. Other outlets are making it into a bigger deal than it is in my opinion.

Dancing with the Stars: Special Guests Galore (5/2/11)

This week was the popular team dance night On top of that there were special guest instructors and a guest judge who are legends in the business. That being said we get right into it....

The group dances were pretty even so I'm not going to comment on them like I normally would. They were more fantastic in their own ways and even got the same score.

Chelsea/Mark, Ralph/Karina, Romeo/Chelsie
Dance: Cha-Cha
Song: Born This Way
Judge's Score: 30

Hines/Kym, Kendra/Louis, Kristie/Maksim
Dance: Cha-Cha
Song: We R Who We R
Judge's Score: 30

Onto the core of the show. Their judges score will be combined with the group dance and I will list those scores as we go through.

Chelsea/Mark
Dance: Quickstep
Judge's Score: 34 (64)
My Rating: 4.5
Thoughts: Very dark for them. Loved it. Very cool. She can be evil.

Kendra/LouisDance: Tango
Judge's Score: 31 (61)
My Rating: 3.5
Thoughts: This was by far the hardest dance they have all season. I know that was done by design but it just didn't work for me. Too slow and seemed like she was thinking WAY too much.

Kristie/Maksim
Dance: Jive
Judge's Score: 30 (60)
My Rating: 4
Thoughts: #1, Kristie made ALOT of women jealous by kissing Max at the beginning of this dance. #2, too much acting at the beginning for my tastes. BUT once they picked up the pace it was really good.

Ralph/Karina
Dance: Quickstep
Judge's Score: 36 (66)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: They are back! This was really fantastic! Loved the gimmick and loved when they went into the crowd. This was so awesome. It's about time too. I was getting worried about them.

Hines/Kym
Dance: Tango
Judge's Score: 36 (66)
My Rating: 5
Thoughts: Very traditional. I liked that. Traditional music and pace. Seriously Hines can steal this show if he keeps up this pace. Very well done.

Romeo/Chelsie
Dance: Samba
Judge's Score: 30 (60)
My Rating: 3.5
Thoughts: With that campfire I can see why they went last. I actually expected better from these two. He seemed like he was trying too hard but she looked amazing. So I'm torn.

Should Go Home: Romeo/Chelsie
Could Go Home: Kristie/Maksim