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.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
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.
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.
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
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
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
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