Down to 9 - American Idol Results 3/26/08

Paula is blue and bridesmaidy instead of glittery tonight. That's a relief. I was afraid she was morphing into a robot.

After another plug for the Write a Cheesy Song contest, the group sing went into a rendition of "Back to Where We Started From," beginning with Jason running on stage like a puppet cut loose of his strings suddenly. There were some strange flying chest bumps that passed for dancing. Both Brooke and Kristy have returned to their wavy ways, and I much prefer it. The whole group sing could have just as well have been a rousing version of "We Go Together."

Following that, there was a little "How the songs get on iTunes" section, and that made me happy, actually. I was pleased to learn that the iTunes downloadables are full length songs. That makes me actually want to download a couple (mostly David Cook. . .)

The Sofa of Safety and the Stools of Doom have returned. Chikezie Ezie Listening is up first, and he is in the bottom 3. Not surprised. Brooke is up next in her very turquoise pants. She is again given the chance to be wishy washy about the criticism given her last night, before she is sent to the sofa. Carly is up next, and addresses the tabloid story that she is pregnant (she's not), and then she is safe.

The Ford Commercial is a pretty neat one. Singing "I Want You to Want Me," the hopefuls appear on various items, like cds, concert posters, and t-shirts. Clever.

David A. is up next, and with no ceremony, Ryan dispatches him to the Safety Sofa. Oh well. David Cook is given compliments on last night's performance from Chris Cornell himself, via Ryan, and is blessedly safe. Syesha is in the Bottom 3, joining the lonely Chikezie Ezie Listening. Michael Johns is also safe.

And it's time for Viewer Call Ins, again. Why? Why? Why? Starting out with an awkward proposition for Chikezie Ezie Listening (who is back on the sofa for the segment, but don't get comfy), this section continues to add absolutely nothing of value to the show. Nothing.

I like the trend they've got going on with previous finalists singing on the Results show. It kind of goes to show, even if you don't win, you could be successful in the music business. I like Kimberly Locke, she looks fantastic, and I have her first album, it's nice. I don't listen to it a ton, but I do enjoy it when I listen to it. I think, oddly enough, that some of my favorite songs of hers are from the American Idol Christmas CD. She has a fantastic voice for Christmas songs. I'm not sure I was digging the ball gown she had on tonight, she could have gone with something much more hip and trendy, but she sounded very good. Like Carly wished she sounded. She could have opened her eyes a bit more, she sang half the song with them closed.

Ramiele is up next and she is safe! That's a surprise. Jason and Kristy Lee Cook are up next. America was obviously patriotic, and Jason rounds out the bottom 3. Pretty much not shocking. Jason needs to kick it up a notch, that's the sure thing, but he is also removed from the bottom as soon as he was put there.

So, it's down to Syesha the Unmemorable and Chikezie Ezie Listening. Deservedly after last night's performance, Syesha is safe and Chikezie is celebrated home. Go sing bluegrass, Chikezie.

Apparently next week is Dolly Parton. That ought to be interesting. I am not a big fan of country, but Dolly is fun.

American Idol: Top 10 - Songs from their birth years

This theme is also known as "Songs Guaranteed to Make You Feel Old." At least if you (like me) are older than these Idol contestants. If I was a contestant, I could sing Dancing Queen by Abba or Tonight's the Night by Rod Stewart. Given my own preferences and heritage, I'd be going with the Swedes. And since it is really difficult to sing four part harmony by yourself, I would probably be going down in a blaze of glory.

The show begins with Seacrest emerging from the opening doors like Bob Barker. Paula is super sparkly again, with strange demi-gloves. I'm sensing a theme here.

Top 10, Come on Down!!!!

Is it my imagination that Jason Castro's pants looked skin colored? I had to rewind to make sure he wasn't going sans pants. Thankfully, my eyes deceived me.


Ramiele Malubay (1987: Alone - Heart) Her outfit is highly unfortunate, the high waisted shorts were odd with the Flashdance inspired shirt. She was a little off key in places, and the back up singers out sung her on the chorus. I do think it was one of her better performances, but I don't know if it will be enough to save her. I think maybe she should have sung Shake Your Love by Debbie Gibson. That might have been fun. I am glad that Simon called out Randy for the weird intonation. Ramiele has been sick (apparently laryngitis), so maybe she'll get some sympathy.

Jason Castro (1987: Fragile - Sting) Jason was an adorable baby. My goodness. He's rocking the guitar again tonight (and thankfully, he's much better than he was as a kid). I have never heard this song before, and it's nice. He made some seriously weird facial movements while singing, but I can forgive him that for a wonderful performance. That fit him quite well, and he broke out the foreign language again. At least this time, it was Spanish. I think that Simon mistakes Jason's low key attitude for not caring. I liked it.

Syesha Mercado (1987: If I Were Your Woman - Stephanie Mills) Another 1987!! I wish that Syesha would never do the baby cry again, it's seriously creepy. I have never heard this song before, but it was good! Again, I thought that the back up singers tried to overpower the main act. This I think was possibly Syesha's best performance to date. She owned the stage, it was beautiful. I wanted her to go home a couple weeks ago, but I will remember this one.

Chikezie Ezie Listening (1985: If Only For One Night - Luther Vandross) Reclaiming the Ezie Listening title with ease, I am further convinced that Chikezie could have a career in Bluegrass. He has a great voice, his tone is nice, but I am constantly bored by this song. And then he was talking back to Simon. Never a good idea. He might as well have been singing We Are the World, that was from 1985. It would have been fun to hear him sing Raspberry Beret by Prince. He could have made that fun.

Brooke White (1983: Every Breath You Take - The Police) Whoah now, she f'd up the beginning. That's no good, but at least she fixed it. What is good is that Brooke is behind the piano again and is no longer flailing around. Her hair is pretty bad, I like her better with her waves. After the horribly botched beginning, she pulled it back and did a good job. She is, however, beginning to bore me. Paula's bejeweled gloves are distracting to me. I also think that Brooke with the piano alone would have been better, but can she do anything upbeat without looking drugged off her mind? I would have loved to hear her sing Sweet Dreams by The Eurythmics. That would have been awesome.

Michael Johns (1979: We Are the Champions - Queen) Unfortunately, he sounded rather screechy in the beginning. Once he got into the song, he did much better. The thing about Freddy Mercury is that even when he was going full voice, he never sounded like he was screaming. If you are going to sing a Queen song, you have to do it without yelling. And of course, because I didn't love it, the judges do. I love Michael, but I like it better when he is singing, instead of hollering at me. He did own the stage, I'll give him that, but I think he could have done a more musical performance.

Carly Smithson (1983: Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler) Carly's mom looks a little like Lucy Lawless. (And therefore, Carly looks a little like her, too) She's gorgeous. Carly is much better off without the giant glasses she had as a young child. I think that this song is a superb choice by Carly. Again, though, the back up singers are trying their best to out sing her. Boo to them. I think this is my favorite Carly performance to date. It fits her voice wonderfully, and she did a great job with the transitions. I don't know that the last little run was necessary, but that song was what I was waiting for her to do. I really think that the biggest problem was the back up singers. Someone please turn down their microphones!

David Archuleta (1990: You're the Voice - John Farnham) What the heck kind of song is this? At least it's a little peppier, but it makes me want to vomit. He could choose any song from 1990 and he chose that piece of crap? Instead of slow and boring, he went for fast and boring. I think Simon was putting a dig in to David's reportedly overbearing father when he said he would be astounded if David A. picked the song himself. Heck, at least he didn't sing All I Want to Do is Make Love to You by Heart. Nothing like a song that says "I didn't want to pay for IVF, so I picked up a hitchhiker to be my Baby Daddy."

Kristy Lee Cook (1984: God Bless the USA - Lee Greenwood) The flat irons got a workout for tonight's show. Be gone, curls! Kristy was in good voice tonight, and her shirt was pretty. The producers got to bust out the American flag graphics for her background. Bet they've been waiting for that one. Vote for Kristy, America, or you just aren't patriotic. This was a HUGE improvement from the past couple of weeks. I am actually amazed that Simon liked it so much. I do think it was a much stronger improvement, and I know that the judges want to keep her around at least until Country week.

David Cook (1982: Billie Jean - Michael Jackson as covered by Chris Cornell) Dang, he was a funny looking baby. This was amazing. I went on YouTube to hear the Chris Cornell version to see how different David Cook did it, and it was definitely his take on this cover, but he did make it his own, adding some more edge to it. I adored this performance. He was just outstanding. He has shown that he can rock, he has shown that he can do a ballad type song (that was pretty much a power ballad). And there was no moonwalking in sight. He wins the night for me, easily. Captain Comb Over does indeed have super powers.

I'll be voting for David Cook (many times), and I'll throw a couple votes to Jason, a couple to Syesha (she was really quite good tonight), and to Carly. I'll throw a vote or two to Michael Johns, purely for the middle of the song, and his potential. Though Kristy Lee Cook was good, I am not voting for her. Same with Brooke, I am bored with her.

I think little Ramiele might be gone. I would not be surprised to see Chikezie Ezie Listening in the bottom with her. I hope that David A. goes in the bottom 3, because that was just an embarrassing song choice, and some one needs to pay for it. I don't think he has any chance of going home, though. Jason might be in the bottom, too, and maybe that would put some pep in his step.

New Show Alert – MissGuided

How can you go wrong when Ashton Kutcher is a guest star on the premiere of a show, and he's playing a dreamy Spanish substitute teacher? It might get old, because there are a lot of asides to the camera. I am not really familiar with any of the actors, except peripherally. The main actress kind of reminds me of a friend of mine, so I instantly like her. It is a cute show, we'll see how it pans out.

Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites - Week 6

(Also known as, the episode many people will miss, because it's on Wednesday instead of Thursday due to stupid Basketball)

At Malakal (or Ozzie's Tribe, as Jeff calls them in the recap) Ozzie's hair is starting to get longer and cute. He was really annoyed at Tracy for breeding insecurities in the tribe and wanting to kill chickens. Because, after all, they've got “massive crabs.” Don't take that quote out of context. Tracy (rightly) notes that Ozzie is set to walk home with the game if someone doesn't do something about it.

Airai women spend some time complaining, and James is annoyed by their squeamishness about being dirty and smelly. “We are playing Survivor,” he said. I smell a Reward Challenge coming on that involves soap and other niceties, the way the editors are playing it out.

Super Ozzie scales trees like a monkey at Malakal, and Erik (according to Cirie) spews stardust when talking about Ozzie. (When Erik learns how to climb the coconut trees, Ozzie has another zinger of a quote, “We've got good nuts now.”) Cirie is scared of rowing out into the ocean when Ozzie wants to fish in the reef, and seeths when the others enjoy the water. She's annoying me.

Reward Challenge:
Another multipart, multistage challenge. I was totally right about the reward being a bunch of toiletries (sponsored by Herbal Essences). Cause that wasn't predictable. Airai chooses Eliza to be a caller to the blindfolded remainder, and Malakal chooses Cirie. Good decisions, since both are loudmouths. Malakal did a better job of the first part, and the puzzle was not much trouble for them. Malakal wins the reward, and the women of Airai are going to have to learn to stay stinky. Jason is heading to exile with Tracy, who has to miss out on the Reward. That sucks.

Malakal is treated with massive amounts of baked goods and fruit along with their Herbal Essences. Ozzie and Amanda jump in the shower together, and Amanda soon gets half naked, along with Ami. Ozzie is pleased, Cirie is amazed at the brazenness, and Erik had to wipe the drool off his chin. Nice.

The rain comes and Airai is miserable. Kathy spent a good amount of time complaining bitterly that it is harder than it looks on television. She ended up whining for a while, then crying. She asked to go home. She's cracking up. The boat came and brought Jeff (who hates quitters), and took Kathy away. I think this is the first time someone has quit, not at a Tribal Council, for non-medical reasons. If it had to be someone, I am not at all surprised it was Tracy.

Malakal is looking all shiny and clean, Amanda's hair is positively bouncy. Cirie and Amanda are scheming together, and Amanda admits to seeing the arrogant side of Ozzie. Ruh-roh, Ozzlets in danger?

Immunity Challenge

Another great multi-part challenge. Ozzie takes two turns with the swimming, then calls for Erik, who reveals himself to be not as balanced as Ozzie. After he had a bit of trouble, Ozzie took the next one again, and the last one, too. See, there's a reason that he is arrogant. It's because he's good. Really good. Superstar good.

The puzzle is like a giant tetris game, trying to make a square with the pieces. Cirie and Amanda squander the lead that Ozzie gave them, and Eliza and Jason solve the puzzle first. Airai wins the Immunity again.

Ami goes to Tracy to do some scheming. They want to get rid of Ozzie. Ami doesn't know that Ozzie has the Hidden Immunity Idol. Amanda, I think, is the only one on the current Malakal who knows about it. It's a tough decision, I think mostly for Amanda, because Ozzie is so strong with her. If they decide to vote for Ozzie, will Erik tell his hero?

No need to worry about it, it's all for Tracy.

Nothing shocking revealed at Tribal Council.. I am really happy to see Tracy gone.

The votes went down like this.

Amanda - Tracy

Ozzie - Tracy
Erik - Tracy
Cirie -Tracy
Tracy -Ozzie
Ami -Tracy

Another injury next week, it looks like Erik takes a rib shot. Yipes!

American Idol Results 3/19/08: And then there were 10

(Sorry about the delay in posting, my internet was down last night)

First and foremost, Shamelessly Self Promoting Guest Mentors this season are revealed:

• Dolly Parton (presumably for a Country week)

• Mariah Carey (presumably for high pitched squealing night)

• Andrew Lloyd Webber (I'm guessing Broadway tunes. We all know how much Simon loves Broadway)

• Neil Diamond (Because American Idol isn't cheesy enough, let's throw some Sweet Caroline on it)

Also announced was the return of the song writing competition. If you think you are talented, please submit something. Anything has to be better than This is My Now. For heaven's sake.

And it's time for a group sing, because these kids haven't had enough chances to slaughter Beatles songs. David A. starts it off with My Guitar Gently Weeps, and I wish that someone had sung it last night. The other men join in. Brooke again proves that she shouldn't move, and I think Ramiele's microphone was off, but she was looking very happy about singing with Brooke. I am not familiar with the song the girls were singing, but whatever it was, something about Kristy Lee Cook made the camera man nearly topple over. Amanda was conspicuously missing from the rest of the girls' song, because it sounded sweet and nice. The whole group got together for another one, and then Amanda had a little solo, which was of course garbled and screechy. The hopefuls again avoided doing any real dancing, instead posing in near-unison. Better than last weeks' slightly frightening freezes.

The recap of last night again showed Brooke dancing (and I use the term loosely) like she was on Ecstasy (though we know she doesn't do anything like that, she's pure as the new fallen snow). Among other things. Not much good.

Now onto the time for eliminations! The new stage lends to a more dramatic whittling down process. Brooke is first, behind her on a giant screen, a silent video reminder of how much she sucked last night, with a couch on one side for those who can relax right into the Top 10, and three torturous looking stools for the Bottom 3. Brooke heads on over to the couch, and Carly is quickly dispatched to the stools! How surprising! David A. is going to bring his brand of bland goodness into the Top 10, he's on the couch. Michael Johns is also on the Couch of Happiness. Carly and her frightening stilettoed boots are left to chill on the Stools of Doom over a break.

After the break, Carly has to site by herself for a while longer, while we are treated to Behind the Scenes of the Ford commercial. It was actually kind of fun. Everyone was made to dress like they are in the 1940's. Except for Jason Castro. White boys in the 40's didn't generally have dreadlocks, so they don't even try. David Cook was pretty funny (though almost non-existant in the actual commercial). Ramiele's glasses are cute, and Brooke, Kristy Lee, and Michael looked great in that era of dress.

Back to business, David Cook is deservedly in the Top 10. Kristy Lee Cook (in another shimmery, mylar-like top, they really must have gotten some great deals on those) ends up again in the Bottom 3, and joins Carly on the Stools of Destiny. Jason Castro's French was apparently good enough to make it over onto the Couch. Ramiele skates into the Top 10, after Ryan tortures her a bit. And another break.

Instead of finding out who's going to round out the Bottom 3, we are treated to another round of Awkward Questions Asked Awkwardly. Seriously? Why do I, as a viewer, care how Simon spends his money? The Kiss Scene question was funny, and Simon was amusing, but it was soooo unnecessary. Blessedly, we were not subjected to any more. At least not tonight.

Anyone else notice that Ryan mentioned Kellie Pickler's boob job (“Here's a contestant from Season 5 who has. . . grown in so many ways since being on the show.” Subtle, Seacrest). At least Kellie doesn't have the matronly curled hair that she had when she was on last season. Kellie is so nasal, it's distracting. So is the way that she claps with the microphone in her hand. I know that the country world likes her. I don't live in that world. She's funny, she's cute, and she is a pretty good performer, but I just really dislike her music.

After another break, there's a plug for this year's Idol Gives Back, showing what some of the money raised last year went to do. I have to say, I am happy to see American Idol doing some concrete good in the world. I could have seen it without hearing Fantasia. I'm not a fan of hers, either. Elliot Yamin and his new teeth got a baby named after him, and he is understandably touched.

Returning to the business at hand, Syesha enters the Top 10 on the Comfy Couches, and is soon joined by Chikezie. Amanda takes the third place in the bottom 3, though she does not have to sit on the Stools.

Narrowing the Bottom 3 to the Bottom 2, Carly is sent to the Safety Sofa. I hope that being in the Bottom 3 makes her kick it up a little, because I think she was a lock. Amanda is sent home, and Kristy Lee Cook rounds out the Top 10.

Amanda is now Celebrated Home by Ruben Studdard (and I learned that it is a cover of a Kenny Loggins song. How does that make it even worse? It was a bad song once, and they re-did it! Insane). I will not miss her. Now at least we don't have to see her garble her way through any more songs. Goodbye, Elvira/Cruella/strangely Delta Burke. Jason was singing along with her, looking mellow as ever. Amanda Overmyer, out. Like Seacrest.

American Idol: Top 11 - Lennon/McCartney Night Take 2

I wish there was some sort of rule that anyone who sang a slow song last week should sing a peppy one this week. Just saying.

Looks like tonight's songs can come from any of the Beatles. So they can call it two different themes

Amanda Overmyer (Back in the USSR) - Shaky shaky shaky. She sounded terrible. Out of breath. She seemed to be chasing the music, and kind of lost. That was terrible karaoke. Awful. Dreadful. Why does Randy like her? And Paula, too. Not like I should question anything that Paula does or says. Simon says she is "in danger of becoming boring." She's already there in my eyes. She's also really high on herself.

Kristy Lee Cook (You've Got to Hide Your Love Away) - She's got a great personality. If she doesn't suck it, I could like her. She looks like she's wearing a mylar dress, coated in saran wrap. Wonder if that was on the clearance rack at Metallics R' Us. She started out pretty well, but in the middle, she hit some truly awful notes. She made a very nice song into a very harsh, almost frightening song. The end got much better. At least it wasn't as manic as last week. I think Amanda was much worse than her. I want her to stick around to see her blow Simon out of his socks. I think she has it in her.

David Archuleta (The Long and Winding Road) - He really looks like he should be on Who's the Boss, Tony Danza's nephew or something. My god, at this point, I might have to transfer Chikezie's Easy Listening moniker to David. He at least sounds good, but I want him to sing something young and modern, not Beatles elevator music. I think I am over David A, too. He sounds good, he remembered his lyrics, but why does Randy always tell people to sing runs randomly? Ugh. It's like they have already decided he needs to get into the end, and they refuse to say anything bad about him at all. I disagree.

Michael Johns (A Day in the Life) - I just love his voice. He hit a bad note on the falsetto, but the rest of it was lovely. He's a fantastic performer. My friends think he messed up near the end, but not enough to make me not like him. I want to know how Randy can pick on his song choice and kiss David A's boring boots. I think he was far superior to anyone else tonight so far. The judges pissed on him, and elevated David A. I do not understand. Hilarious that Paula picked on him for wearing the ear monitor and he wasn't.

Brooke White (Here Comes the Sun) - Her dress came from the same rack as Julianne Hough's last night. She's dancing like it's a much faster song, almost like she was on something. She was all slinky and weird. The transition between sitting and standing was very awkward. I wish she had sung something faster, but I think that she has shown her vulnerability, because she can't move at all. She was annoying when she was protesting about the judges criticism.

David Cook (Day Tripper) - Captain Comb Over's wearing a vest, a very loose tie (it almost has an ascot feel), and a leather jacket. That's odd. He's rocking this song out. I liked the guitar work. Very nice, David. He just pulled out way in front of tonight's pack for me tonight. The voice box was sweet. I like him. I like him a lot. The judges uneven criticism is maddening.

Carly Smithson (Blackbird) - He outfit looks like maternity clothes. Bad maternity clothes, not cute maternity clothes. The shirt makes her look all hunched over. She looks a little like Delta Burke (although, in this picture that I found looks a lot like Amanda and Carly combined. Weird). She was good in the beginning, but when she went up high she hit some really bum notes. I really liked the lower notes. It was really boring. The judges show such favoritism for her and David A, it's soooooo annoying. At least Simon criticized her a little. I don't care WHY people choose songs. If it sucks, it sucks. The story behind the song choice makes no difference at all.

Jason Castro (Michelle) - Risky risky risky singing something with so much French. He's got such a pleasing voice, and he did a lovely job with the French pronunciation! He has such a great low range, I think he was trying so hard to get all the words in there, properly, that he did disconnect a little. He is such a charming personality, that might just get him far.

Syesha Mercado (Yesterday)- She's very pretty tonight (what else is new), and her dress is rather peacocky. Some of the runs were indulgent and unnecessary in most cases, but it was the best she has been so far. For that, I will remember her for longer than previously. It was not genius, but it was quite quite nice. Minus some of those screechy high notes that didn't need to happen. But, overall, quite pretty. Like a peacock. At least she dressed the part.





Chikezie (I've Just Seen a Face) - I was bored again. Then he pulled out the harmonica andI got confused. I think that Chikezie has proved that he should sing blue grass. He goes well with the steel guitars. It was a rather schitzophrenic arrangement, but it worked for me. Last week was far superior. He is not my favorite of the night, but he cannot reclaim his Ezie Listening title. That's a good thing.

Ramiele Malubay (I Should Have Known Better) - Let's see - David Cook's hat from last week, a thin t-shirt, an S&M corset, and tight skinny jeans. Yup, good fashion sense there, Malubay. I like the deep tone of her voice, but again I am bored. She just needs to learn what works for her voice. That wasn't it. I just think she's in over her head. It's a shame, because she's sweet.

What a terribly disappointing night. No one blew me away. I'm voting for Michael Johns, David Cook, and Jason Castro. I think I'll toss in a couple for Syesha. Maybe one for the Chikezie who finished his song. Not the one who started it. Bottom three is wide open. So many were completely sub-par. My guess is Amanda, Ramiele, and Kristy Lee Cook. It could be anyone, though.

For the love of God, no one call or text message asking for more Beatles songs. It obviously didn't work out so well this time. What a mess.

Tomorrow, Kelly Pickler. Yay? Hopefully we get to boot someone who deserves it.

Dancing With the Stars: 3/17/08

I can't watch the whole show tonight because of TV scheduling conflicts, and even though we have a dual tuner dvr, alas, my husband watches 3 shows and one of them is on tonight at 9, opposite New Amsterdam. *sigh* I will just have to write about the parts I can watch.

The new season starts with a group number, also known as "Dancing Far Above Anything Even the Best of the Stars Could Ever Hope to Attain." Of course the dancers are phenomenal.

Looking more orange than a tangerine and Tara Reid put together, Samantha Harris, awkward co-host, joins Tim Bergeron, who is always ready with a scripted witty retort. "The Timpani Tells the Tale," indeed, Tim. Indeed it does.

The couples this season are:

Penn Gillette with Cross-Eyed Kym Johnson
Jason Taylor with Edyta Slewinska
Christian de la Fuente & Cheryl Burke
Adam Carolla & Julianne Hough
Mario & Karina Smirnoff
Steve Gutenberg & Anna Trebunskaya
Shannon Elizabeth & Derek Hough
Monica Selles & Jonathan Roberts
Marissa Jaret Winouker & Tony Dovolani
Pricilla Presley & Louis van Amstel
Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas
Marlee Matlin & Fabian Sanchez

(And no, I don't know who all of the "stars" are either)

See, I love this show because it is ridiculously cheesy and self-aware of it's cheesiness.

Tonight, it's all the male stars, tomorrow, all the women, with no elimination this week. So if someone really sucks, we get the pleasure of seeing them dance twice. Yay!

Disclaimer: I know pretty much diddley squat about dancing. I can comment pretty knowledgebly on singing, but my dancing is better described as energetic flailing. But, I like to see people who can dance.

First off, Kym of the random Y and Penn (of Penn and Teller, the one who talks). I think Penn is 6'6", and he towers over Kym. Let's see how they do, dancing the Cha cha. Penn knows how to work the stage, and he isn't the worst dancer eve on the show. Kym does a lot of him shymmying (yes, I put that extra y i there just for her), and Penn managed to pull out some magic at the end. No, seriously, magic. He made a little bouquet appear. Gotta love him. I agreed with the judges, Penn didn't have great footwork, but he had good attitude. The judges give them 5, 6, and 5. 16/30. Not the best way to start out the show, but not dreadful.

Next is Jason Taylor (he's a football player) and Edyta Slewinska dancing the Fox Trot. He looked pretty graceful and flexible in the pre-dance package. He's also hugely tall, but he's slim, so he can carry himself in a more graceful manner. He has a nice glide to his step. I think I spied a slight lift in the middle, which is against the rules, but he's so tall, it might be hard to avoid! Wonder if I saw it correctly. Carrie Anne usually picks those things up pretty adeptly. Overall, I thought it was very pleasant and smooth. Carrie Anne didn't mention a lift, so maybe I was wrong. Scores are 7, 8, and 7. 22/30 total. Nice.

Christian de la Fuente (he's on Ugly Betty) and Cheryl Burke are up third, doing the cha cha. Funny quote - "I'm from Chile, my country is not known for dancing, it's known for Chilean Sea Bass and wine." His shoulders seemed really tight, but his feet moved nicely. His hips were a little looser than his shoulders, but his feet really were the best thing tonight about his dance. You could tell he was trying really hard, and that's not always a good thing. The judges picked up on the same troubles I did, so that made me feel good. They scored 7,7, and 7. 21/30. About right.

Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough are dancing fourth. I love Adam Carolla (he's funny, The Man Show was hilarious). Julianne is one of my favorite dancers on the show, too, she's fantastic. I'd like to see her whip him into submission, she's a tough little Hough. They are dancing the Fox Trot tonight, to the song Mellow Yellow. Interesting. Adam is pretty stiff, but he got some good kicks in there! His feet are decent, again, but he has a weird expression on his face the whole time (he is a comedian), and he did seem really tight in the upper body. Not as big a disaster as I might have expected. Julianne's dress was kind of foolish, I thought, made her look like a big canPublish Postary colored block, and she is anything but. That's an aside, though. Scores are 5,5, and 5. 15/30. About right.

Boooooooo, I have to stop watching the show now. I was really hoping to see Steve Gutenberg. If I get a chance to watch the remaining performances online, I'll blog them.

Enjoy the season!

A Very Interesting Interview with Chet from Survivor

I was puttering around the internet and found this, and it sure is an interesting interview! Apparently, Chet was seen by the Survivor medics about his foot, and it got left on the editing room floor. He also claims that if he hadn't been voted out, the medics would have pulled him. Which begs the question - if he was going home anyway, why not help his alliance out first and get rid of Ozzie? I'm happy that didn't happen, because I would miss Ozzie terribly, but still...

I still think that Chet has a pretty darned high opinion of himself. And it's slightly terrifying that he gained weight before he went to Micronesia!!

Thoughts on Celebrity Apprentice

Or: Why I miss the Non-Celebrity Apprentice

I miss real people really wanting to work for Trump. At least this week's challenge was not dependent on who the celebrities had in their speed dials. That was nice.

With The Celebrity Apprentice, it's all about annoying and semi-annoying celebrities pimping themselves. I want to punch Piers most of the time. I hate how they keep using Lennox Lewis as the best selling point of their team. I have honestly never heard about Lennox Lewis before watching this show, I couldn't care less. The other team is much more balanced. I am enjoying Trace Atkins, he's mellow and effective. Plus, their Cowboy Club sounds much yummier than the Semi-new Champ Sandwich that the other team put together. How original, taking the most popular sandwich Quiznos has and throwing a different cheese on it. Wow. I am stunned. Unfortunately, the less imaginative sandwich won. Boo on that one.

I do like seeing Ivanka on the show, she's a smart cookie. That's something at least. But I would like to see her interacting with authentic job candidates.

The Donald is so full of fake drama, it's nice to have him balanced out by "real" people.

Really, I just wanted to vent about the downfall of a once decent show. I will not say anything about the Tent debacle that was last season. That was more than embarrassing.

Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites - Week 5

In the pre-credit sequence, Erik seems really flustered by the vote out of Joel. Welcome to the game, Erik. It's a tricky, scheming world in Survivor. I feel kind of badly for Erik, since he was the only one there really truly left out of the loop when it came to voting Joel out.

Malakal is trying to figure out dominance in the tribe. Tracy is really vying for it. She's tricky. I could like her, if she didn't align herself with people like Chet. Ami seems like the one likely to switch. I could see her and Tracy pulling her over. I'm not sure what her whole "poop pants" comment was about. I'm not sure I want to know.

Over at Airai, Jonathan is still recovering from his knee injury, and Eliza is scheming with him to plan to take out Parvarti and James.
Reward Challenge

I was surprised and pleased that Jonathan didn't just automatically sit the challenge out. Hope that he can be helpful in the puzzle portion. He looked like he was really suffering. I love these multi-part challenges which really work on a lot of facets of the players abilities.

Malakal seemed to be doing great at getting though the tunnel, and then Airai managed to make a huge come back and win it, Jonathan's bad knee and all. That was impressive. A well earned win.

I was glad that Jeff decided to have the Super Survivor Medics take a look at Jonathan's knee again. It looked terrible. Just terrible. I commend him for not wanting to quit, but this is his health. I always hate when people have to leave before they are due to go through the normal play of the game.

Kathy of course lost it more than anyone else when Jonathan was saying his goodbyes. Eliza watched her hopes of a strong alliance leave on that boat. Poor Jonathan. But, given the chance of winning a million dollars vs. the possibility of amputation and systematic infection and possible death? I'd say that's a no brainer.

I may not be the biggest fan of Jonathan, but he knows how to play the game, and he is good television. Hope that he makes (made) a quick and complete recovery.

Now, after the loss of Jonathan, Airai looks forward to their reward, as James worries about the lack of any other testosterone on the tribe. He may have a point.

I particularly love seeing the rewards where the Survivors are taught the ways that the natives live off the land. It's really humbling to see the way people really live there, when the Survivors spend so much time bellyaching about it. It's real authentic knowledge, and that's powerful.

Malakal contemplates the worthlessness of certain members of the fan group. The Favorites (except Ami) are grouping all of Fans together, but I think really Chet is causing a lot of baggage in that area, weighing them all down. I am glad that Ami is getting some good screen time, and I actually would be happy to see Cirie gone.

On Exile, Chet complains about a piece of coral in his foot (wonder if he realizes how much less life threatening that is than poor Jonathan's knee injury), and he has given up on the idea of the Hidden Immunity Idol being there. Jason, meanwhile, searches and searches and finds the Fake Hidden Immunity Idol. It's really funny because Ozzie didn't do much to the piece of wood, and it totally fooled Jason.

Airai is getting Night Crab Hunting lessons by the natives, and that was pretty neat. James looked uncomfortable amongst all the women. He'll be happy to get Jason back from Exile.

Immunity Challenge

I think that Airai had a great plan to carry one pole over at a time. Very clever. Poor Parvarti falling off right at the end. Malakal was slow and steady, were they steady enough? Ami looked to be practicing over on the platform.

Meanwhile, Airai is all up on the tiny platform before Malakal can even get Ami a little bit over the water. That was impressive. Malakal should have tossed Chet up onto that platform, he's so slight, and being a cheer coach, he must know a thing or two about balancing.

Back at the beach, Chet asked to be voted out to get surgery to get rid of the coral in his foot. Yes, it looks painful, but couldn't he call the medics in? Erik and Tracy (and Ami) trying to blindside Ozzie by voting him off instead of Chet. . . it could be a clever move, though I would be more than sad to lose Ozzie. Erik was getting way too melodramatic about the whole thing. Telling Chet he should use his "last dying breath" to get Ozzie out of the game? That was a bit over the top, don't you think?

Tribal Council

Whoa, Cirie's hair looked really pretty down. Ozzie lost a little of my respect when he said that he was sure Chet is out, and if they do manage to flip it around, he almost deserves it. Amanda had a point, when you start feeling invisible, that's when you are most vulnerable. Cockiness is never appreciated.

The fact that Ozzie didn't play the idol could just have been his downfall. I'm really really glad it wasn't, because Chet really needed to go home, but Ozzie needs to tone down the self-assuredness. Please. I want to love Ozzie, but I can't stand the attitude he had at Tribal.

Here's how the votes went down:

Erik - Chet
Ozzy - Chet
Tracy - Erik (there's a surprise, is this a chink in the armor of the Fans?!!)
Ami - Chet
Chet - Erik
Amanda - Chet
Cirie - Chet

Next week looks good, like some good Kathy Madness. I've missed that. The last couple weeks have been so full of other stuff, there hasn't been time to focus on Miss Crazy.

Yay for a New Season - Top Chef: Chicago

Oh, Top Chef, how I have missed you. I love to cook, I love Reality TV, this show is near and dear to my heart.

I wonder if the two chefs who are a couple will have an advantage, or be hindered? We'll see. It always takes me a while to learn the names on a show like this, because everyone is thrown at you so quickly.. I'll get them eventually.

The first Quick Fire Challenge was cool. Sometimes the problem with the first challenge like this is people trying to show everything they can do in one dish. I think the funniest thing was the girl from NYC, Nikki, who said she had a "problem with deep dish". She sure did, as she ended up in the bottom. I wonder if the two chefs who are a couple will have an advantage, or be hindered? We'll see. I think at this point, it doesn't really matter, but if they get to challenges where they are working together, that could be where it might come into play, because I assume they'd work well together.

I like New Zealand boy, but it could just be his accent I am drawn to. And he made Marmite into something yummy (I assume, the judges liked it). I do not understand half of what Yellow Shirt in Confessionals Boy (Andrew) said (in his confessionals). Could have been all the bleeping bleeps.

Elimination Challenge

Oooh, a head to head? That's crazy. It's so hard when you don't really know anyone.

I have to give it to Nikki making her own fresh lasagna noodles. That impresses me. How Andrew could be a chef and not know how to make mayonnaise, I'm not sure, but after Mr. Spikey Hair told him the ingredients, he whipped some up, that's pretty cool. Then, when Mr. Spikey Hair pulled out the little smoker gadget, that was pretty nifty. I love kitchen gadgets.

Mark (Mr. New Zealand) and Stephanie's Duck a l'orange dishes both looked genius. I can see the judges preference for Stephanie's dish.

Andrew talks too much. Richard's smoking was really neat in presentation. Shock and Awe. I'll say.

Jennifer's lasagna with mint verde was interesting sounding. Nikki's with Sheep's Milk Gouda, that sounds good. Jennifer flubbed with undercooked rutabaga. I'm glad that Nikki won the show down.

Antonia won hands down next to Nimma, who oversalted. The cauliflower scramble was totally unappetizing to me.

Spike vs. Lisa. God, I love Eggs Benedict. I want it now. I've had Lobster Benedict once, and it was totally delicious.

Dale and Manuel made Steak au Poivre, and Dale won that one. He took more chances and did well with those chances.

Ryan and Valerie's Chicken Piccatas were disasters. I think that was a tough one, it's not necessarily something everyone would be familiar with. I'm thinking capers. I think that Valerie's had capers.

Erik and Zoi's souffles couldn't have been more different from each other. And they couldn't have been farther away from souffle. Oops. The judges were forgiving about the lack of souffleness. That was nice. I wanted to eat both of them, one right after the other, souffle or not, I hope that they are both safe.

Who's going to be the winner this week? It's between Antonia, Nikki, Richard, and Stephanie. The judges have traditionally liked the off the beaten path chefs (like last season's Hung), but Stephanie takes this one for her Duck a l'orange. It was a beautiful dish, and she's cute as a button. I'm happy for her.

The bottom tier is Ryan, Erik, Nimma, and Mark. I'm sad that Erik was in the bottom, because his (not so souffle) souffle was yummy looking. I guess it was stupid to dump stuff on top of a souffle. Nimma knowingly sent out oversalted shrimp and flubbed on the flan. Mark was at a disadvantage because of his deconstructed duck dish, they said it was "silly and pretentious," but they've like Silly and Pretentious before (Marcel). I think that Ryan's attempt at piccata looked painfully non-piccataish. I'm no expert, though.

At the judges table, they were really cruel about Ryan ("His gnocchi was not the only thing that was dense"). I'm overall very happy to see Nimma gone, she struck me as really high on herself and annoying.

Onward to next week! Let's hear it for Top Chef!! The season looks intense. I saw some didgeridoo goodness from Mark in the previews. I love a good didgeridoo.

American Idol: Down to 11 - Results Show 3/12/08

As the show began, Ryan emerged from the center of the sun - or it may have been the aggressive spot light behind the new retracting doors on the new new new set. Paula is looking very shiny in her silvery jacket, Simon looks peeved at Ryan already (make it stop, make it stop, make it stop), and you have to love a shamelessly self-promoting man in an elephant costume. Heck, if I could pull it off like Jim Carey, I might hang out in a Horton costume. It's kind of cute. Alas, I don't think I have the height to pull such a thing off. Jim Carey either is an avid American Idol fan, or he's never ever watched the show. I can't tell which. I don't think he's a man who goes half way.

Looks like next week is another week of the Lennon/McCartney songbook . . . maybe some people will pick better songs. Here's for hoping. I actually am not upset about the repeat of theme, there are so many incredible songs to choose from. I wonder what the theme would have been. Ryan claims that it was changed due to overwhelming viewer response. Interesting. If viewers nationwide wrote in and called and begged Simon and Ryan to lose the bickering, would that make a difference? One can only hope. Fire up the phones, America. Make it happen.

The group sing. Michael Johns got the job as obligatory back-up to ladies in the beginning, and he did a pretty good job, though it wasn't always clear if the arrangement called for him to fade out, or if that was his mistake. I'm hoping for the former, though that's odd. The microphone levels sound way off. Jason Castro did an unnecessary run up the stairs. Because they have stairs on the new set. Have to use them. Who's going to rappel off the orchestra balcony? That's what I'm waiting for. It would liven up the group number quite a lot. The Top 12 must not be able to dance, because they did a lot of creative freezes - or tableaus if you will. I think the choreographers were on something when they worked on this number. David Cook sounded great, I can forget that he's Captain Comb Over when he's wearing a hat, and it's a nice thing to forget.

The recap showcased the fighting between Ryan and Simon, which was more annoying than ever. I'm glad that they didn't gloss over David A. forgetting his lyrics, because that was so pathetic. Let's see how the results shake down.

The first group of four was Carly, Michael, Jason, and Syesha, with Syesha going to the bottom 3. Not surprised. She's gorgeous, but her singing is boring and predictable. Syesha was asked to sing her song one more time, and it was as boring as the first time. She ended it with a completely superfluous high note, after the music had stopped. Awkward.

Another wonderful Idol tradition, the Ford commercial spots! I'll say it, it's fun to see the contestants acting a little and all dressed up. I kind of liked Andrea's hair in the commercial. It was all parted to the side and almost of pretty. Not really a song that showed off any vocal skill other than chanting, but the acting was cute.

So the Idol contestants got to go to the Horton Hears a Who premiere. I believe Jason Castro when he says he loves Horton. He seems like he might be a Dr. Seuss fan. I would like to see him trying to read Fox in Socks. That's a toughie. I get hung up on the fleas in trees with a freezey breeze . . .

Chikezie, Amanda, David Cook, and Kristy Lee Cook are the next group of four to stand. Amanda's hair looks awful tonight, with the black all ratted up in back over the blonde on the sides, and it looks kind of like a badger has taken up residence. It was kind of amusing when Kristy just asked for her microphone in a resigned manner. She's got a good attitude about being (deservingly) in the bottom 3 tonight.

Hey look, it's a mustachioed Sanjaya in the audience. He must be jealous of how craptastic Kristy's version of Eight Days a Week is, he's clapping along like he's at a square dance.

Looks like we're in for a performance by Katherine McPhee. Idol takes care of their own. She was dropped from her record label, so maybe she's trying to get some exposure and get herself picked up by someone else, and Idol decided to give her the chance. I'll decide after I see it if I think she deserves a second chance.

The Viewer call in was really kind of weird. Can you say padding??? In case you can't hear what the people are saying, their questions are printed up on the big screen. Everyone's pretending it's not there, and act surprised when the viewers ask their questions. So weird. Let's not go back there.

And now it's time for Katherine. She's wearing the dress that came with Paula's jacket. I think they're all just having fun with the lights and the shimmery fabric. Maybe Paula, Katherine, and Kristy Lee Cook (from last night's outfit) all went shopping together at the Metallics R' Us. Katherine kind of stunk up the stage. The arrangement was weird. I think the best she ever was was when she sang Black Horse and a Cherry Tree, and it's all gone downhill from there. She's gorgeous, she has a nice voice, but she's just kind of boring. Oh, and look, David Foster is helping Kat out and making a new album with her. How nice. I just think... eh, nothing to write home about. If she's making an album with David Foster, and it's all like that, I'll pass, thanks.

The final group of four is David Archuleta, Brooke, David Hernandez, and Ramiele. David Hernandez is no Tiffany, and he's sent to bottom 3. I'm happy that Ramiele is safe, I want her to pick it up next week and show us that she's young. At least Paula was enjoying David H's repeat performance. Someone had to.

The first one safe from the bottom 3 is Syesha. I guess she deserves it, after hearing the three of them sing again tonight. She'd better do something to make herself memorable for next week. Stripper Boy is done, and Kristy will return next week to countrify another song from the Lennon/McCartney song book. David H. is going back to his . . . pizza parlor. That's right, because he worked at a pizza parlor before he came onto American Idol. And now I can blessedly stop making that joke.

And the moment we've all been waiting for, it's the premiere of the new Ruben Studdard Boot Off Song. What every one needs to hear at a horrible moment in their life, when all their dreams have been crushed by the American voting public, it's some depressing gospel. Way to go, Ruben. Somehow I don't see that song being as big as Bad Day. A terrible song, but more appropriate, in my opinion.

American Idol: Top 12 - Lennon/McCartney Night

Ok, everyone, only one more night until the new Ruben Studdard song!! Yay!!!

*crickets*

Right.

The new set is pretty cool. I like the band up above the contestants. The lights are a bit much. I give it 5 minutes before they start abusing those...

Simon in a white shirt. That's different. And Ryan, the Difficult Levity of the songs? I don't think that's what he meant. Onward to the singing.

Syesha Mercado (Got to Get You Into My Life) - She started out behind the music and off key. It's a bit too jazzed up for my liking. She seemed a little weak on the lower notes. The whole thing seemed to be geared to let her hit the high notes, but she mumbled along on the low notes. It definitely ended better than it began, but it was not my style at all. I would never ever buy that. She's boring to me.

Chikezie Ezie Listening (She's a Woman) - Apparently, he has dressed for an office job in 1986. And he is wearing some strange wrist band/watch. Is he going to be doing argylerobics? I think this is the most I have ever like Chikezie's singing. He stepped up the tempo and got in with the band. I'm kind of digging the banjo. Ok, I'm taking back the Ezie Listening for tonight. He earns a one night pass from me. That was one super cool bluegrass vibe. Totally cool, fun, and absolutely different. Thank you, Chikezie for proving that you deserve to be in the top 12. I think I might have to even vote for him. I might buy that from iTunes. I adored it. Not the argyle, it didn't fit the performance... Ryan lost it just a little. Does he have a man crush on poor Chikezie? He seemed very confused when Ryan rubbed his head. Just odd.

Ramiele Malubay (In My Life) - This song is totally for Danny Noriega. She was a total mess when he was voted out last week, A terrible dress, absolutely awful, and someone turned on the waves in the audience. She hit a few bad notes in there, but nothing unforgivable. I like little Ramiele. She's pretty good at emoting. She really needs to do something peppy, though. I think that she deserves to stay, because she's got a really great voice and a lot of talent in that little body. I hope it's a good week for her.

Jason Castro (If I Fell) - Jason needs to work on his enunciation a bit, because if I'm to believe him, he gave his heart to Hugh. I hope that the Heff understands. Jason's brought his guitar out again. I really wanted him to sing something upbeat, but he did very nicely. He has a very pleasing falsetto, and I think he did a lovely job. The judges are sometimes so hard to please - they want these kids to make it their own, and then when they change it up, they piss on it. Boo. I did prefer last week, but I think he nice. The nit picking between Simon and Ryan needs to stop, it's getting old. I think Jason deserves to stay in, but not my favorite.

Carly Smithson (Come Together) - I'm a little annoyed that she is singing a song that she sings all the time for us tonight. I think that this song deserves a voice that is sharper around the edges than Carly's. The vibrato was totally uncalled for, and I didn't like it at all. Why do the judges love her so much? I don't think that she is nearly as good as the judges always tell her she is. Not at ALL as good as Kelly. Kelly blew me away, week after week. Carly disappoints me occasionally. I like her, but I don't love her. I want to love her, I love her accent, but I am not blinded like the judges. Try something different already, Carly. She sang that like she is used to getting praised for it, not like she believed the song.

David Cook (Eleanor Rigby) - Captain Comb Over keeps impressing me. He always has a little smirk that's a little off putting, but I liked him again tonight. And the light people lasted until now to abuse them. They really like to go overboard on the rockers. There was dissent in my household about this song, but I think it was a great performance.

Brooke White (Let it Be) -I fear that Brooke is going to become a one-trick pony. A nice one trick pony, but a one-trick pony all the same. I really love the tone of her voice, and I appreciate that she is playing the piano, I like to see complete musicians. I just wish wish wish that she had sung something more upbeat. It was a tad boring, though it was nice. I just want her to step it up. Her dress is cute. I could have an emotional connection with a faster song. Please. It's cute that she took her shoes off.

David Hernandez (I Saw Her Standing There) - Pizza Bistro, David, huh? Right. Vocally, nice, but his energy seemed to go all into the prancing and not so much into singing. The outfit was straight out of 1989. His eyebrow creepiness kind of took center stage and he went very frantic. I also don't like when people close their eyes when they are singing, either. I did not like that. And singing a song that includes any lyrics about "dancing with another" was probably a bad choice. He ain't no Tiffany. That's for sure. She could have worn his outfit, easily. And pulled it off better.

Amanda Overmyer (You Can't Do That) - Her hair looks like a twisted Creemee (that's soft serve to all you non-Vermonters), and whoever decided that stripey pants would go just perfectly with her stripey hair should be fired. She just seems like she's having vocal seizures. I think that those genius hairstylists gave her stripey extensions. Interesting choice. She got much better near the end, and it turned out pretty well. Certainly more interesting than some others tonight. She made that song her own. Dawg. My goodness, I ended up liking her. The judges need to stop fighting with each other. It's just old.

Michael Johns (Across the Universe) - Well, Michael, I think you've done everything you can thing of to make ends meet, except what David Hernandez has done... sorry, I can't help going back to that. It's the elephant on the stage. I love love love this song. I wish he wouldn't close his eyes while singing. He sounds the best I think he's sounded in weeks. He brought so much feeling to that song. What did Randy want? A rock out in the middle? Seriously? It was an incredible performance. And Simon took the opportunity to kiss Carly's butt some more, even if he couldn't remember her name. I thought it was lovely. I liked him a lot.

Kristy Lee Cook (Eight Days a Week) - I thought this song would work countrified. Then she started singing, at a frenetic tempo. If it was slower, that might have worked, but she seemed like she was chasing the steel guitar the whole time. She kind of meandered across the stage, she certainly doesn't have the Carrie Underwood Strut/Robot Walk, that's for sure, though she was trying to go for the robot thing with her silvery shirt. It was awful and rushed and just just painful.
Go Country, don't go Terrible, Kristy.

I am so done with Ryan and Simon fighting. If they think it is funny, they need to get a reality check. It's like they are having a lover's spat. Enough already.
David Archuleta (We Can Work It Out) - Cardinal Sin of American Idol, David A!!! Forgetting lyrics, man! Life is very short, and he did not work it out. At all. This is awful. Oh my god. I have no words for the wretchedness of this performance. He took Chikezie's Easy Listening and brought it to a whole new level. That was sucky beyond sucky. Like sucking like a black hole sucks. Sucking like a Dyson, for heaven's sake. Stevie Wonder sang that song? I bet it was awful then, too. But I bet Stevie remembered his lyrics. He'll probably skate by this week, but it was so cringeworthy.

Never thought I'd say this, but I liked Chikezie and Michael best. I will throw in a couple votes for Ramiele, Jason, David Cook, Brooke, dang it, even a couple for Amanda.

Bottom 3: David Archuleta, Kristy Lee Cook, and Syesha. I bet Kristy Lee Cook is gone. I would not be surprised if David Hernandez is in the bottom, too.

Yay for Renewal: Dirt

It's a guilty pleasure, with the trifecta of fun that is violence, nudity, and strong language. And we love it. Especially Don, the schizophrenic photographer. Courtney Cox gets to show off some of her acting chops, and it's completely different that Friends, that's for sure!

Give it a try if you haven't, it's on FX.

Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites - Week 4

Oh, Chet, Chet. This may be a very bad decision. Jason's confession that the tribe he's in is not the tribe he wants to be in is prophetic, if previews have anything to say about it.

Malakal offed that one chicken mighty readily! Bye Bye Charlie. It always seems a little odd to eat something you have named. Ozzie telling James, Amanda, and Parvarti that he found the idol... not sure that was a good move. It does make the Lover's Alliance a bit stronger . . . Just in time for the shake up.

Reward Challenge/Tribal Shakeup

At least Ozzy is on the Malakal tribe and is going back to where he hid the idol! And Amanda is still with him. The Ozzlets still have a chance. And over on Airai, Parvarti and James also get to stick together. I bet they are happy about that.

And now Jeff will finally start using the Tribal names. That makes me happy.

I think that Ozzy and Eric are going to be fantastic together. They are like two peas in a pod.

This little game of Capture the flag is intense. The injuries pile up. Joel should have had Chet hop on his back. He just dragged him like a sack of sand. Chet needs to go go go.

Back at camp...

Is it wrong that I'm really happy that the couples didn't get split up?

At least Chet knows something about chickens. That's slightly useful. He seems more into the psychology of the chickens instead of the more practical things...

The incoming favorites of Airai are right to be concerned about the state of the camp... Yipes.

Poor Jonathan! His knee was really painful looking. The Survivor medics showed their stuff. I'm impressed.

Eric's got some understandable hero worship of Ozzy. He's amazing. The negotiations between Joel and Ozzy were really interesting. I don't like Joel much, though.

It was great to see the Favorites take charge and help to build an actual camp for Airai. They all seemed to work together quite nicely.

Malakal caught a shark! Nice!!!! It really turned Ozzy on to have his woman wrestle a shark. She's his type, that's for sure. That meal made up for them losing the Barbecue reward!

Immunity Challenge

It was nice to have a less physical challenge to let these poor beat up people recuperate a little... I was laughing so hard when Jeff admonished Airai to stop bitching and start throwing. I am really bad at this type of challenge. Joel working against Chet did not help Malakal's cause, where Jonathan was working with Eliza quite nicely.

I think that Joel is absolutely correct about getting rid of Chet. Hope it works. The tribe cannot win with Chet. It looks like Tracy and Chet have pulled Cirie into their group. It's so stupid to get rid of Joel before Chet. Get rid of Chet first, because Joel hit the nail on the head about him being like a wet rag. Then take charge, Oh Wise Ozzy, and boot Joel! Take in Eric. He would be better for the long haul. And Tracy. Other than having the propensity to align herself with weak people, she is pretty good.

Tribal Council

Why does Tracy like Chet so much? I don't get it. She is always sticking up for him, and he's never sticking up for himself. It's annoying. Joel is a big lumbering idiot, but Chet is totally ridiculous.

I am really upset at this vote out, and Eric just looked flabbergasted. I am starting to really dislike Cirie. She gets this unbearable smug expression when her little turnarounds work. Again, Ami is getting next to no screen time. Makes me think the editors are saving her...

The votes went down like this:

Eric - Chet
Amanda - Joel
Joel - Chet
Chet - Joel
Tracy - Joel
Cirie - Joel
Ozzy - Joel
Ami - Joel

And previews:

Looks like Jonathan's days might be nearing an end (on the island). That leg looks bad in the previews. Yipes. :( Also looks like the Fake Idol might get some play from Jason next week. That will be funny. What would be even more humorous is if he makes ANOTHER fake idol to throw the scent off... I would laugh and laugh and laugh.

American Idol: Results Show 3/6/08

I am really hoping for a Safety Dance/Straight Up/Wang Chung medley group sing. Anyone else?

First, though, it's Blake Lewis!

I loved Blake last season. Loved him. His song was pretty neat, the beat boxing was cool as ever. His sound would have fit right in during the 80's, so he is appropriate as a guest this week. And neat that Chris Sligh was in the band. Overall, the song was catchy, but nothing spectacular. It never seemed to get a real hook. I've heard some other songs from his album and liked them more. But, I guess this must be his latest single! I kind of want his album... I'll have to look into that.

But wait, does this mean no group sing? He does seem to be filling that time slot. *sigh* I guess I'll just have to sing Safety Dance in my head. Yeah, that's nice.

Upon seeing the recap of the men, I realize just how much I want Luke gone. Please, oh please, oh please.

Not at all surprised to see David Cook and his comb over (though it's morphing into a comb forward. Maybe he can just call it bangs), David Archuleta, and Jason Castro as the first three in the top 12. They certainly belong there in my book.

Brooke totally deserved to be the first woman in the top 12. Syesha I could leave or take, but she is not dreadful.

Justice is served with Kady going home first. They totally stole the kick off song from So You Think You Can Dance from a couple seasons ago (KT Tunstall's Suddenly I See). I guess Ruben's masterpiece wasn't ready to be revealed just yet. We are forced to listen to her butcher the Highlander theme again. If possible, she was even less capable of hitting even one good note tonight. She was dreadful and I will not miss her. Plus, she looked like she was wearing a child's art project. My ears thank America for getting this vote off right.

The revelation that they are going to open up the phone lines for discussion of the Results show next week is certainly interesting. We'll see how that goes.

David Hernandez is the next to take a place in the Top 12, and deservedly so. Ditto Michael Johns. So far, I am pleased.

And then Luke was sent packing, and I did a little happy dance. The Safety Dance, to be precise. I put my computer down, paused my beloved dvr, and danced around the living room. Cause your friends don't dance, and if they don't dance, well they're no friends of mine. Good bye Luke. And good riddance. His shirt was mighty girly, don't you think? He just (jitter)bugged me.

Paula' jaunty little hat is distracting me. What the heck was Ryan's comment about a catheter?
Sometimes the in-jokes are a bit much.

I was honestly a bit surprised when Ramiele made the top 12. though not upset. She had an off night last night but has a good voice and she's cute as a button. Carly also absolutely deserved her spot, though whoever told her that shirt was a good idea should be shot. The color = good. The shape = near tragic. Next, Amanda, made it through, and I'm sure there is going to be uproar about that one. She was really quite good last night, but does that make her top 12 material? I don't know. Hopefully she improves dramatically, and doesn't Sanjaya her way past better contestants. (She might actually be able to rock the faux hawk)

Asia'h and Kristy have to wait in their satiny maternity shirts to see their fate. It's a split decision with the judges between the two of them, with Paula balancing precariously in the middle, blathering on and saying nothing of importance. I am actually happy with Asia'h going home. Now I can retire my apostrophe except for its relegated use in the English language. My grammar sensors are relieved. I might miss her endless supply of over-sized earrings. Time will tell.

I am looking forward to seeing what Kristy can do. I like the style of her voice more than Asia'h's. Oops, there went that apostrophe again.

I am a little sad to see Danny going home and Cheesy Chikezie Ezie Listening make it through... but then again, maybe I will have a chance of finally seeing him sing Sexual Healing. A girl can hope. That will be lounge-lizard cringe worthy. Possibly even TMTH.

Paula's jaunty little hat gave her dance fever. Or maybe she's just trying to Dance Like There's No Tomorrow.

So, the Top 12 - I am very happy, overall. Hopefully Amanda and Chikezie Ezie Listening are among the first to depart that illustrious group. I heard that next week is Beatles Week. I'll have to do some thinking on a wish list for that. Who's going to sing Sweet Beatles, and who's going to sing Tripped Out Beatles? Time will tell.