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Ok, so I know I have fallen off the wagon blogging here... I've been focusing on my lunch blog.
But I can't let a new season of American Idol begin without marking it with a blog post!
Lots of changes this season. Nigel Lythgoe is back as producer. Simon and Kara are out. Steven and J.Lo are in. I'm not at all sure how I feel about any of these changes, but as always, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all pans out.
J.Lo's entrance is in a sparkly jumpsuit with built in saddle bags. Nuff said. Steven Tyler wants to find a Janis Joplin for this generation, and urges hopefuls to sing like they do when no one's looking. J.Lo wants to be the compassionate one, and claims not to be in the business of crushing dreams. Randy is excited for the new table.
Also welcome, Jimmy Iovine as on-staff mentor. We'll see about that, too.
First auditions are in NJ. And Seacrest was welcomed to the NJ audition arena by Constantine Maroulis.
First in is Rachel Zevita auditioned in Season 6, made it to Hollywood, and was cut the first day. JLo remembers her from her previous audition. She has a really nice voice with good control. I worry that she has a phglemy sound at times, but her transitions between octaves are good. JLo thinks that it wasn't the best audition. Steven thinks that she didn't show the fire that she has. He wants to "let her in the door, water the flower, and watch it grow." She's through to Hollywood, but it's tentative.
Caleb Hawley is up next. Steven was digging him for sure (providing percussion). I forsee Steven being the sound byte king of this season. The judges dig him (a lot) and he is through.
Kenzie Palmer is 15 (they lowered the age limit this year). She's a musical theater student at a performing arts school. And she has an awesome voice. I don't know about her presence. Steven agrees with me. JLo does not. Randy sees what Steven was saying, but loves her voice. And so Kenzie is through to Hollywood.
Montage of unheard Golden Tickets.
Then comes Achille Lovle from the Ivory Coast. She declared that she was singing Dress You Up by Madonna. Instead, she bellowed something completely unintelligible. Steven said that she needed to reign the wild horses in. Achille said that her vocal coach was working on her accent, but Randy said "it's just not your thing, baby." She got the first no votes we saw, and Jennifer was feeling horribly and was ready to go home after the no. Get used to it, babe.
Montage of annoying Jersey stereotypes. Uck.
Tiffany Rios demonstrated the proper technique for teasing hair. What is this, 1983? She wants to make Jennifer Lopez proud. She broke into tears as soon as she got up on the audition stage, and got a hug from JLo. Oh, and she's singing an original song. With accompaniment fro her boob stars, jingling along. It wasn't the worst I've heard, until she went up super high. She was allowed to sing a second song, for which she covered up the boob stars, because it was a more emotional song. It's a Celine song (I'm Your Lady), and it wasn't embarrassing. If she laid off the oranging, I could take her more seriously. I expected her to suck and she didn't. She's through.
Montage of terrible singers. Steven got some practice with the no's. JLo Paula'd it up and couldn't say no. She seemed physically pained to deny people.
Robbie Rosen was in a wheelchair in kindergarten due to an illness. (Sinnovitis? Not familiar with it). He's 16. He's singing Yesterday, and he's good. Good control, nice tone. That annoying slight exhale I dislike at the end of phrases, but not too terrible about it. He got a wow from Steven, who appreciated the arrangement. He got a lot of happiness from the judges. Randy liked how he marinated the notes. He's through.
Steven had a fan club. And he appreciated the pretty ladies, too. Didn't Paula get in trouble for that?
Chris Cordiero is a proud 18 year old Boy Scout. He made a PSA video for his Eagle Project against texting and driving. Wow. He has no charisma at all. And a really stupid hat. JLo wondered if he was dressed to go fishing... And he's predictably terrible singing My Way. His mother, in the hallway, singing to Seacrest, seemed to be much better than her son...
Wow. Nervous burper. That's gross. And he's awkward in many other ways, too. His name is Michael Perotto, and he sounds like a singing muppet. My husband says he sounds like Gomer Pyle. JLo told Steven to make him stop. Steven wondered if he ate a lot of paint chips as a child, and said American Idol has higher standards, to which Michael busted out something he thought had "higher standards." Steven said "What we have here is a failure to communicate." JLo said that he sounded like he was singing in an imitation of someone else's voice. Steven said maybe he's a natural for Broadway. Randy said that he shouldn't sing anywhere.
Ashley Sullivan has a nervous laugh when saying that she is the next American Idol, and said that she might be the first Awkward Idol. And she's a huge Britney fan. Carries a Britney picture in her pocket for good luck. She's singing a song from Thoroughly Modern Millie, and it was really good! Very musical theatre. Wonder if she has anything more modern. JLo said that her thing was more for musical theatre and less for American Idol. Ashley said that she wants to be the first musical theatre pop star, and thinks that pop needs to get with Liza Minelli. I kind of really love her. Randy gave her a no, but the other two gave her a yes and she's to Hollywood. Steven said that wanted to personally work that into something good.
Victoria Huggins is from North Carolina, and I find her precosiously obnoxious. She does video updates. Wow. I kind of want to punch her. She doesn't have a bad voice, but I don't think she connects with the lyrics of the song at all. Steven was amazed at how proud she was of herself. JLo thinks she's adorable. Steven made a crack about her knee length skirt, and she "yo-yo dawged" Randy. And she's through. Man, I hope that she doesn't make it far.. she's worse than DiGarmo.
Melinda Ademi is stunningly gorgeous. She's from Kosovo and her family escaped during the war. Her father got a Green Card in a lottery. Wow. I am so happy that she has a great voice, too. And nice control. She's in. Hurrah!
Devyn Rush is a singing waitress in Times Square. She's singing God Bless the Child, and I love her voice and her attitude. Nice scatting! Steven said it was delicious. JLo was totally surprised. Randy thought that her look and her voice were bait and switch, in a good way. He said that she has a really good ear. JLo reminds her that she needs to believe in herself and dress the part so people can see that she's the total package.
Montage of painful singers. Steven can't help himself from singing along. He has me laughing my butt off.
Yoji "Pop" Asano has been imitating Michael Jackson since he was 2, or actually before he was born. Wow. That's dedication. He hated the Party in the USA song by Miley Cyrus, and so decided to sing it. I use that term loosely. He's doing Michael-esque moves, but he has no vocal talent and it was painful. And that brings us to the first singing montage, all to a that stupid ass song, some good and some... well... just dreadful. Yeah. Yoji is NOT through.
And montage of awful... as the judges tried to let people down lightly.
Brielle Von Hugel is from Statten Island, and her dad used to be in a doowop group. He has survived throat cancer - and here I was suggesting that he sounds like Mo from The Simpsons. Oops. And she's quite good. They loved her and invited her dad in. She's through, though JLo thinks she has a little work to do.
Travis Orlando has a twin brother who is completely different from him. He's from the Bronx, and they have been in shelters after their dad lost his job, and the area was really bad. He sings Eleanor Rigby, and he's got a really different and cool take on it. They asked him to sing something else, and he busted out I'm Yours by Jason Mraz. I really really like him. He's only 16. Wow. And he's in.
Ok, so I am more than pleasantly surprised by the new season. I don't miss Simon.
What's that I said?
That's right, I don't miss Simon. The new judges are good, and the singers are good so far. Not too much spotlight on the embarrassments, and that makes me happy. Hooray!
And what did you think?
Tomorrow, it's New Orleans.
Showing posts with label new season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new season. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Yay for a New Season! Survivor: Nicaragua 9.15.10
Wednesday for Survivor, huh? Not sure how I feel about that... but I'm very excited about this new season.
I did watch the preview, but did not blog about it. There are some really interesting characters this season, that's for sure.
Namely, Shannon, who says he doesn't want another girl to win this season.
Instead, let's let the guy with the girly name to win.
This season, the tribal lines are split by age. I really can't get behind Benry. Because his name is Ben Henry and he goes by Benry. That speaks to some sort of mental imbalance, in my opinion.
Just saying.
They started out not split by age lines. Tricky.
Kelly B. is an amputee and is trying to not show her prosthetic leg (and she had a special leg made for the game).
Probst revealed the new twist in this game - The Medallion of Power. It's hidden somewhere down the beach, and the first person who brings it back wins it for the tribe. But they have not yet been told what their tribes are.
Brenda skitters up a tree and gets the medallion first.
NFL coach Jimmy Johnson congratulated her.
Marty was proud of Brenda for winning the medallion, because he thought it was for his tribe. No such luck, as they are told to separate by age.
And CRAP. I just lost a whole bunch o' blog because my computer had a hiccup. Boo! Basically, tribes separate, older women rock it out and start a fire, Jimmy Johnson is the first to puke and gives his team a pep talk, the truth about the prosthetic leg comes out (from the owner), Shannon beats his chest and declares himself alpha male, and Brenda flirts with Chase and he has to decide whether to side with the cute girl or the alpha male. And Wendy has a really hideously fringed jacket.
Onward to the Immunity challenge, La Flor tribe enters with a really cocky and annoying chant/dance. The challenge is to pour water down a chute of gutters into a bucket to release a bag of puzzle pieces and the first tribe to solve the puzzle wins. Espada decides to not use their medallion (which would give them a bucket of water advantage) and goes on to lose the challenge by a hair.
Back to play by play... stupid computer.
Espada is back at camp, and Jimmy T. is feeling down after the loss. He is voting for Jimmy J. Then he proceeds to talk in a really annoying manner about how stars blind people. Jimmy J. admitted that he is one of the weakest players, and says that he thinks it's between him and Wendy.
Marty and some of the girls stand around and try to talk about who to toss out, and no one is willing to really say anything.. interesting.
Tribal Council
They talk first impressions, and Jimmy T. says he felt annoyed by the presence of Jimmy J. Jimmy J. reiterates that he is not going to be a threat to win ... Jimmy T. disagrees, because if he's such a good leader, the jury might reward him.
Holly is concerned that she made an alliance that was too quick (with Wendy). And Wendy was annoyed because no one even asked her age. And the others say that you never ask a woman her age. She then said that she stayed quiet because she didn't want to get on the outs with anyone, but then she continued to talk talk talk about how much she talks, and how much she could bring to the tribe. To me, it was a demonstration of "I'm much more annoying than you think I am at first glance!" And I think she may have just shot herself in her unblistered feet.
Wendy gets votes, and Eve got a vote. Really? Wonder if that was Holly. Well, at least she looks good for 48. Really good. On her way home. Goodbye, stupid fringe and giant hat.
Good first episode! What did you think?
Next week, someone gets his shoes filled with sand and sunk. Wow. That's a rather Russell move.
I did watch the preview, but did not blog about it. There are some really interesting characters this season, that's for sure.
Namely, Shannon, who says he doesn't want another girl to win this season.
Instead, let's let the guy with the girly name to win.
This season, the tribal lines are split by age. I really can't get behind Benry. Because his name is Ben Henry and he goes by Benry. That speaks to some sort of mental imbalance, in my opinion.
Just saying.
They started out not split by age lines. Tricky.
Kelly B. is an amputee and is trying to not show her prosthetic leg (and she had a special leg made for the game).
Probst revealed the new twist in this game - The Medallion of Power. It's hidden somewhere down the beach, and the first person who brings it back wins it for the tribe. But they have not yet been told what their tribes are.
Brenda skitters up a tree and gets the medallion first.
NFL coach Jimmy Johnson congratulated her.
Marty was proud of Brenda for winning the medallion, because he thought it was for his tribe. No such luck, as they are told to separate by age.
And CRAP. I just lost a whole bunch o' blog because my computer had a hiccup. Boo! Basically, tribes separate, older women rock it out and start a fire, Jimmy Johnson is the first to puke and gives his team a pep talk, the truth about the prosthetic leg comes out (from the owner), Shannon beats his chest and declares himself alpha male, and Brenda flirts with Chase and he has to decide whether to side with the cute girl or the alpha male. And Wendy has a really hideously fringed jacket.
Onward to the Immunity challenge, La Flor tribe enters with a really cocky and annoying chant/dance. The challenge is to pour water down a chute of gutters into a bucket to release a bag of puzzle pieces and the first tribe to solve the puzzle wins. Espada decides to not use their medallion (which would give them a bucket of water advantage) and goes on to lose the challenge by a hair.
Back to play by play... stupid computer.
Espada is back at camp, and Jimmy T. is feeling down after the loss. He is voting for Jimmy J. Then he proceeds to talk in a really annoying manner about how stars blind people. Jimmy J. admitted that he is one of the weakest players, and says that he thinks it's between him and Wendy.
Marty and some of the girls stand around and try to talk about who to toss out, and no one is willing to really say anything.. interesting.
Tribal Council
They talk first impressions, and Jimmy T. says he felt annoyed by the presence of Jimmy J. Jimmy J. reiterates that he is not going to be a threat to win ... Jimmy T. disagrees, because if he's such a good leader, the jury might reward him.
Holly is concerned that she made an alliance that was too quick (with Wendy). And Wendy was annoyed because no one even asked her age. And the others say that you never ask a woman her age. She then said that she stayed quiet because she didn't want to get on the outs with anyone, but then she continued to talk talk talk about how much she talks, and how much she could bring to the tribe. To me, it was a demonstration of "I'm much more annoying than you think I am at first glance!" And I think she may have just shot herself in her unblistered feet.
Wendy gets votes, and Eve got a vote. Really? Wonder if that was Holly. Well, at least she looks good for 48. Really good. On her way home. Goodbye, stupid fringe and giant hat.
Good first episode! What did you think?
Next week, someone gets his shoes filled with sand and sunk. Wow. That's a rather Russell move.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Yay for a New Season - Project Runway 1.14.10
Back in NYC!
Intros - Seth Aaron has spikey hair and has some neat things in his portfolio.
Janeane is from Portland, OR. I am not entirely sure about her portfolio, but she was in tears about being in NYC.
Ping is a Physical therapist and a fashion designer. Her designs look a little cuckoo.
Ben is from Tampa and likes comic books.
Anthony is from Georgia and has ambitions to design pageant gowns.
Jay is from San Francisco and he has a mullet hawk.
Pamela is older (47) and worked in advertising until recently. I really do like her portfolio.
Anna is a youngin and she could be one of the models. She's straight out of fashion school, seemingly.
Jonathan also has a mohawk going on. He does hand painting and kind of like it.
Jesse was an actor at Disney, playing Jack Sparrow (he looked good).
Mila was a costume designer for about the past dozen years.
Maya is punk inspired.
Christine lived in the Ivory Coast.
Jesus is another one with huge man hair.
Emilio speaks Spanish.
Amy is Iranian in heritage.
Roof top toast time with Heidi and Tim! Heidi did not partake in the champagne because she was pregnant during filming.
The next day, they are to meet Tim in Central Park for the first Challenge details!
Gorgeous fabric was strewn all over the park (from Mood, natch). For the challenge, they have to embody who they are as designers. They have 3 minutes from the word go to gather all the fabric they can before heading to the workroom.
Mad dash of insanity.
Tim then gave them the twist - editing. They all had to pick only 5 fabrics from their stashes to use.
Time for Parsons! Also, time for Product Placement - HP Touchsmart Notebooks, which they can use to sketch on if they choose. Each designer gets their designated model's measurements, and they have the rest of that day, and a little time the next day to finish their looks.
Ping is the first one to act crazy - she likes to drape her designs on herself. Interesting.
Tim sent in the models and they had 30 minutes. Jesus' dress had a train that was attached to the bottom of a miniskirt, and it looked stupid, in my opinion.
When it came time for Tim's check in, Christiane isn't sure if her dress is out there enough. Tim told her to finish it impeccably. Ping was wrapped in her own fabrics, and Tim was concerned. Seth Aaron had stupid zippers. Jeanine was using a bad fabric for her dress, because it was all puckered... Anthony's dress wasn't working for him, nor was it working for Tim. Jesus had to lengthen his dress, and the construction disturbed Tim. Emilio only had an unfinished top, and Tim worried that he would become the first ever not to finish. (I think Tim is forgetting the sheer piece of fabric that went down the runway draped on a model last season...)
On the day of the Runway show, chaos reigned in the workroom. Tim entered and sent in the models, giving them an hour for fitting, hair, make-up, and accessories.
Runway Show
Yay for Michael, Nina, and Heidi, joined by Nicole Richie.
Jonathan's dress is really neat. I like the bodice a lot and the back cutout was interesting.
Seth Aaron's dress looked like it was a picnic blanket with a pair of suspender attached to it. Weird.
Jesus sent down a very slinky snakey dress (he opted out of the mini-dress). I'm not sure about the train, but I like his model.
Ben's dress included huge pointy shoulders, which I don't see as a good look for anyone.
Jay sent down what could be a cute outfit, but I question a giant bow right on the bellybutton.
Pamela's dress was super pink, which I don't like, but I liked the cut.
Emilio's dress was kind of awesome. I loved his fabric and his cut.
Jesse's dress was interesting. The zip off top was neat, but I liked it much better with the plain red top underneath.
Ping's look was nutty.
Chritiane's dress was kind of rumpled in places, but I liked the blue.
Amy's dress was weird. I thought the top looked like she forgot to put on a top.
Jeanine's dress was kind of neat in the end.
Mila's coat was neat, and she used patterns really interesting.
Anthony's dress fabric was awesome, but I don't know any woman who would ask for a dress with a huge ass bow on the hip.
Anna's dress was cuyte and shimmery. I liked it.
Maya's dress featured a giant cascade of oversized rosettes on the shoulder. I do not generally like that look.
Amy, Anna, Ben, Jeanine, Jay, Jesse, Jonathan, Maya, Mia, and Pamela were all deemed safe (in alphabetical order I might add)
For the critiques.
Anthony's dress - Michael thought that it looked like an amalgam of weird dresses, and didn't like the hip thing. Nicole didn't think the back looked like it fit well.
Seth Aaron's dress - he called it "Little Tokyo" and he had a story for it. Nicole thought he committed and she liked it. Michael and Nina loved the back.
Ping's dress - Nicole thought it was great. Nina thought the hanger appeal was missing, and thought the model looked uncomfortable.
Jesus' dress - Heidi didn't know how fashionable it was, and Michael thought a huge crocodile trunk exploded. Nina thought she looked like a Hershey Chocolate Bar. Heidi noticed the seem where he changed it from a mini skirt and didn't appreciate it.
Christiane's dress - Nina liked the draping, but not the fabrics, and the hem was not finished.
Emilio's dress - Michael thought it was deceptively simple. Heidi loved the weaving effect. Nina liked the technical work, and thought it had a lot of hanger appeal. Nicole loved the silhouette.
Interesting. No super flops.
Well, except for Christiane.
I think Emilio was my favorite. I loved his fabric. Nicole liked Ping's best. Eh.
Ping is the first one safe. Emilio is the winner, and I am very happy. He did a great job. Seth Aaron is safe, as is Anthony.
That means it's down to Christiane and Jesus. Christiane is the first one out, and I think that was the right decision. Her dress was a mess.
What did you think? Any standouts for you? Are you happy that Emilio won?
Intros - Seth Aaron has spikey hair and has some neat things in his portfolio.
Janeane is from Portland, OR. I am not entirely sure about her portfolio, but she was in tears about being in NYC.
Ping is a Physical therapist and a fashion designer. Her designs look a little cuckoo.
Ben is from Tampa and likes comic books.
Anthony is from Georgia and has ambitions to design pageant gowns.
Jay is from San Francisco and he has a mullet hawk.
Pamela is older (47) and worked in advertising until recently. I really do like her portfolio.
Anna is a youngin and she could be one of the models. She's straight out of fashion school, seemingly.
Jonathan also has a mohawk going on. He does hand painting and kind of like it.
Jesse was an actor at Disney, playing Jack Sparrow (he looked good).
Mila was a costume designer for about the past dozen years.
Maya is punk inspired.
Christine lived in the Ivory Coast.
Jesus is another one with huge man hair.
Emilio speaks Spanish.
Amy is Iranian in heritage.
Roof top toast time with Heidi and Tim! Heidi did not partake in the champagne because she was pregnant during filming.
The next day, they are to meet Tim in Central Park for the first Challenge details!
Gorgeous fabric was strewn all over the park (from Mood, natch). For the challenge, they have to embody who they are as designers. They have 3 minutes from the word go to gather all the fabric they can before heading to the workroom.
Mad dash of insanity.
Tim then gave them the twist - editing. They all had to pick only 5 fabrics from their stashes to use.
Time for Parsons! Also, time for Product Placement - HP Touchsmart Notebooks, which they can use to sketch on if they choose. Each designer gets their designated model's measurements, and they have the rest of that day, and a little time the next day to finish their looks.
Ping is the first one to act crazy - she likes to drape her designs on herself. Interesting.
Tim sent in the models and they had 30 minutes. Jesus' dress had a train that was attached to the bottom of a miniskirt, and it looked stupid, in my opinion.
When it came time for Tim's check in, Christiane isn't sure if her dress is out there enough. Tim told her to finish it impeccably. Ping was wrapped in her own fabrics, and Tim was concerned. Seth Aaron had stupid zippers. Jeanine was using a bad fabric for her dress, because it was all puckered... Anthony's dress wasn't working for him, nor was it working for Tim. Jesus had to lengthen his dress, and the construction disturbed Tim. Emilio only had an unfinished top, and Tim worried that he would become the first ever not to finish. (I think Tim is forgetting the sheer piece of fabric that went down the runway draped on a model last season...)
On the day of the Runway show, chaos reigned in the workroom. Tim entered and sent in the models, giving them an hour for fitting, hair, make-up, and accessories.
Runway Show
Yay for Michael, Nina, and Heidi, joined by Nicole Richie.
Jonathan's dress is really neat. I like the bodice a lot and the back cutout was interesting.
Seth Aaron's dress looked like it was a picnic blanket with a pair of suspender attached to it. Weird.
Jesus sent down a very slinky snakey dress (he opted out of the mini-dress). I'm not sure about the train, but I like his model.
Ben's dress included huge pointy shoulders, which I don't see as a good look for anyone.
Jay sent down what could be a cute outfit, but I question a giant bow right on the bellybutton.
Pamela's dress was super pink, which I don't like, but I liked the cut.
Emilio's dress was kind of awesome. I loved his fabric and his cut.
Jesse's dress was interesting. The zip off top was neat, but I liked it much better with the plain red top underneath.
Ping's look was nutty.
Chritiane's dress was kind of rumpled in places, but I liked the blue.
Amy's dress was weird. I thought the top looked like she forgot to put on a top.
Jeanine's dress was kind of neat in the end.
Mila's coat was neat, and she used patterns really interesting.
Anthony's dress fabric was awesome, but I don't know any woman who would ask for a dress with a huge ass bow on the hip.
Anna's dress was cuyte and shimmery. I liked it.
Maya's dress featured a giant cascade of oversized rosettes on the shoulder. I do not generally like that look.
Amy, Anna, Ben, Jeanine, Jay, Jesse, Jonathan, Maya, Mia, and Pamela were all deemed safe (in alphabetical order I might add)
For the critiques.
Anthony's dress - Michael thought that it looked like an amalgam of weird dresses, and didn't like the hip thing. Nicole didn't think the back looked like it fit well.
Seth Aaron's dress - he called it "Little Tokyo" and he had a story for it. Nicole thought he committed and she liked it. Michael and Nina loved the back.
Ping's dress - Nicole thought it was great. Nina thought the hanger appeal was missing, and thought the model looked uncomfortable.
Jesus' dress - Heidi didn't know how fashionable it was, and Michael thought a huge crocodile trunk exploded. Nina thought she looked like a Hershey Chocolate Bar. Heidi noticed the seem where he changed it from a mini skirt and didn't appreciate it.
Christiane's dress - Nina liked the draping, but not the fabrics, and the hem was not finished.
Emilio's dress - Michael thought it was deceptively simple. Heidi loved the weaving effect. Nina liked the technical work, and thought it had a lot of hanger appeal. Nicole loved the silhouette.
Interesting. No super flops.
Well, except for Christiane.
I think Emilio was my favorite. I loved his fabric. Nicole liked Ping's best. Eh.
Ping is the first one safe. Emilio is the winner, and I am very happy. He did a great job. Seth Aaron is safe, as is Anthony.
That means it's down to Christiane and Jesus. Christiane is the first one out, and I think that was the right decision. Her dress was a mess.
What did you think? Any standouts for you? Are you happy that Emilio won?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Yay for a New Season - American Idol 1.12.10
Dah dah dah, dramatic intro about the loss of Paula, parade of guest judges, and the addition of Ellen...
(I hope that the loss of Simon doesn't kill the show. That would make me cry)
Here's hoping we see some actual good auditions. Please show us good auditions. Bring on the tears... dad of an autistic kid. Woman wants to make something of herself. Bartenders, hairdressers, triplets, and lawn care workers... everyone thinks they are the next American Idol.
Boston Auditions
Tonight the guest judge is none other than Victoria Beckham. It was a rainy wait in line and there was a sea of umbrellas. (9000 umbrellas, more or less). Kind of hilariously, Simon went into the wrong room when looking for the audition room. Vicky B is super excited.
Janet McNamara (26, Accountant, Somerville, MA) Janet has practiced by using the American Idol Karaoke game. She's got an ill advised belly shirt and low cut pants on. She thinks she's awesome, though, jumping up and down in the bathroom, like she does before job interviews. Oh and My. And when she started "singing," it became apparent that the game is complete bunk. Wow. It was like she was strangling a cat. Then, she thought that Kara was Paula. Wow. It's all no. At least she thinks she's wicked awesome.
The storm passed by about 10 AM, and time for more singing.
Maddie Curtis (16, Bluemont, VA) She's the 9th of 12 kids, and her brother who is closest to her in age has Down's Syndrome. Her parents adopted 2 other kids with Down's Syndrome. That's amazing and heart warming. She's got a really fantastic voice, and a lot of control over it. She hit a couple slightly off notes in there, but I think she's through. It's a very choral voice, but I think it could be tweaked. Randy actually really liked her. Simon likes her, too. Vicky B. thought she was really great, and Kara thought she had an old soul and was really authentic. Simon praised her for being an un-annoying 16 year old. To Hollywood with her!
Unhappy and down in the holding room is Glasses Dude.
Pat Ford (17, Derry, NH) He is highly annoying in his "Holla" mode. Oh my, he sang a Brittney Spears song and he's dreadful. I hesitate to call it singing. It's a foolish decision to sing a song that is mostly auto-tuning and studio effects. He called Simon sassy, and Kara likes his accent. No's all around, though Randy said he was a cool guy, and then told him to stop singing forever, though he would like to hang. Kara loved his personality and gave him a hug. He promised to return next season, and maybe we see some reasons that Simon has decided not to return, with that kind of threat...
Jennifer Hirsh (22, Manhattan) scatted her way to Hollywood with a fantastic jazzy version of Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead. Claire Fuller (23, Philadelphia) sang her way to Hollywood, along with Jess Wolfe (24, Brooklyn). All of them were pretty jazzy and I liked them all. I think Jennifer was my favorite of the group, because I like her choice.
Amadeo Diricco (28, Providence, RI) He's Italian all the way, with a huge and close family. I want to eat at his house, that's for sure. He's got a really good voice, and a great personality. Kara was feeling him for sure. I would love to hear what else he can do. Vicky B. loved his passion and his big voice. Simon liked him, and Kara felt like he was her cousin. Randy loved how real he was and his voice. Simon said in a strange way, it was his favorite audition of the day, and loves his energy. He's through. The jubilation nearly ran Seacrest over. He looked scared, in any case.
Derek Hilton (19, Bellingham, MA) looks like a bleached out hippie. They played Enigma in the background of his intro. This can only end badly. Wow, he "sings" entirely out of his nose, until he had a couple weird chest voices. He "hit" some falsetto notes... I mean, that was just bizarre. Simon said he was channeling a lot of people, and called it complete and utter rubbish, and said it was like 20 people singing, and every one of them was rubbish. Derek thinks he is amazing and hit a lot of "loud notes." Because that's the point. Goodbye, sir. Do not darken my television again.
Montage of rejects, with tears abounding.
Mere Doyle (24, Walpole, MA) She's an anime freak, and I appreciate that they pulled out Alphaville's Big in Japan for her intro music. Great song. Great band. She really wants to be big in Japan, after all. Unless Japan loves screeching and tunelessness, the singing isn't going to get her big in Japan. She says that her voice coaches and theater directors say she's awesome. She claims to love singing, and Simon says he would love to fly to the moon, but it's just not something he is capable of. And she's gone, in disappointment and a crush of reality.
Nicely harmonizing boys!
Luke Shaffer (24, NYC) is one of the harmonizing boys, and I love his voice. I wish he would open his eyes more when singing, because they are very nice eyes. Another of the harmonizing boys is Benjamin Bright (25, Rome, NY, Elementary Music Teacher) and he's also wonderful. Both are through.
Time for Angry Glasses Boy, Andrew Finlon (25, Boston), who hates waiting. Dude, it's an American Idol audition. Lots of waiting involved. Thank goodness we know he's single. He was snarky with the judges when Simon asked why he was there. Simon told him to quit being a smart ass, or leave. He's got an interesting voice, and he is not bad, but his attitude is going to make it impossible for him to continue. Kara asked him if he was angry, and he said the waiting all day put him on edge, and she said that his attitude pissed her off. She hated him, completely. He was sulky, rude, and aggressive, with bad energy, according to Simon. Andrew claimed he was trying to be confident, but Vicky said he was just coming across as arrogant, and he doesn't have the good to back it up. Everyone gave him a no, but Simon gave him a yes, because Andrew is growing on him. Kara said that Simon has an attitude, but at least he is charming. Kara told Andrew that he needed a spanking. Whoah. Kara said she felt like she needed a shower after that. Ugh. I wish he hadn't been such an ass, because I kind of liked his voice.
Bill Bloom just plain sucks. Maybe good for stage. Same with Michael Ryan. But so not good for this.
Ashley Rodriguez (21, Boston) She made me not hate an Alicia Keyes song. Good for her. She's very appealing. Kara loved her. They all loved her. She's in. Good.
Tyler Grady (19, Nazareth, PA) He shattered both wrists climbing a tree a couple months ago. And he's a drummer. That sucks. He has a really nice voice. He sang Let's Get it On, and he has some good soul. I like him. The ladies loved him. Randy liked him, and Simon thought that he was memorable. He's in.
Montage of nameless Hollywood acceptees.
Montage of Boston history, featuring Simon as British tyrant. lol.
Lisa Olivero (24, Waitress, Billerica, MA) She thinks she is better than most people on the show, and decided to shriek through Mariah Carey, with a terrible accent and lots of screaming. I think she might not be awful, but she was trying so hard, it came off terribly.
Ryan Keene murdered some Johnny Cash and I wanted to punch him. Montage of weird people with thick Boston accents.
Mike Davis (18, Boston) is really likeable, with a great voice. He sang Yesterday and sang it well. I like him. Simon said he was confident without being annoying, and Kara said she wanted to hang out with him, and he invited her out for steak. Simon gave him a yes, and Randy gave him a no, leaving it up to the girls. Mike is the first one through on Day 2.
Katie Stevens (16, Middlebury, CT) She has a really close relationship with her grandmother, who has Alzheimers now and can not always remember her. That's sad. She is totally in. She's got an amazing voice. Astounding, actually.
Joshua Blaylock (28, NYC) He's got a good voice, and Vicky told him he has a nice voice, but Simon thinks he has no presence, no power, and is forgettable. However, the others give him their votes, and Simon changed his vote. They all want him to get more assertive. I agree. He could be good.
Montage of people blanking on everything, and awful awful people.
Justin Williams (27, Sandy, UT, Vocal Coach) He's a cancer survivor, and he's got a really appealing look. He's also got fantastic tone and beautiful control. I kind of love him. And nice falsetto. Can I predict him for the Top 10? Randy "kind of liked him." Vicky B thought he was nice overall. Kara thought he was memorable. He got yes votes all around, and he's through.
Montage of Vicky B's comments, where she tried to say something nice about eberyone.
Norberto Guerrero looked like Prince and Latoya Jackson and Michael Jackson were tossed in a blender. And asked to sing in the blender. It was just awful. Simon said he sang like a 3 year old girl. No all around.
Bosa Mora (22, Columbus, OH) His parents are from Nigeria, and he has 6 sisters and a brother. He seems like he wants it, but I don't know how memorable he is. Simon called him good, but boring. Vicky B didn't think he was boring, and got upset with Simon for rolling his eyes. Vicky B and Kara gave him yes votes, and Randy gave him the vote to send him to Hollywood, though they all agreed that he needs some more star power.
Leah Laurenti (22, Medford, NY) She's the last contestant of the day, and she comes from an overprotective family and she never got to listen to secular music much as a kid. She has another one of these great kind of jazzy voices. I am digging her. Randy thought she was one of the best of the day. Kara thinks she's a really good singer and is on the brink. She's in. Yay. I really like her.
32 people in total made it through to Hollywood from Boston. I was hoping to see some Vermonters, but no luck. *sigh* Maybe some day.
Tomorrow - Atlanta!
(I hope that the loss of Simon doesn't kill the show. That would make me cry)
Here's hoping we see some actual good auditions. Please show us good auditions. Bring on the tears... dad of an autistic kid. Woman wants to make something of herself. Bartenders, hairdressers, triplets, and lawn care workers... everyone thinks they are the next American Idol.
Boston Auditions
Tonight the guest judge is none other than Victoria Beckham. It was a rainy wait in line and there was a sea of umbrellas. (9000 umbrellas, more or less). Kind of hilariously, Simon went into the wrong room when looking for the audition room. Vicky B is super excited.
Janet McNamara (26, Accountant, Somerville, MA) Janet has practiced by using the American Idol Karaoke game. She's got an ill advised belly shirt and low cut pants on. She thinks she's awesome, though, jumping up and down in the bathroom, like she does before job interviews. Oh and My. And when she started "singing," it became apparent that the game is complete bunk. Wow. It was like she was strangling a cat. Then, she thought that Kara was Paula. Wow. It's all no. At least she thinks she's wicked awesome.
The storm passed by about 10 AM, and time for more singing.
Maddie Curtis (16, Bluemont, VA) She's the 9th of 12 kids, and her brother who is closest to her in age has Down's Syndrome. Her parents adopted 2 other kids with Down's Syndrome. That's amazing and heart warming. She's got a really fantastic voice, and a lot of control over it. She hit a couple slightly off notes in there, but I think she's through. It's a very choral voice, but I think it could be tweaked. Randy actually really liked her. Simon likes her, too. Vicky B. thought she was really great, and Kara thought she had an old soul and was really authentic. Simon praised her for being an un-annoying 16 year old. To Hollywood with her!
Unhappy and down in the holding room is Glasses Dude.
Pat Ford (17, Derry, NH) He is highly annoying in his "Holla" mode. Oh my, he sang a Brittney Spears song and he's dreadful. I hesitate to call it singing. It's a foolish decision to sing a song that is mostly auto-tuning and studio effects. He called Simon sassy, and Kara likes his accent. No's all around, though Randy said he was a cool guy, and then told him to stop singing forever, though he would like to hang. Kara loved his personality and gave him a hug. He promised to return next season, and maybe we see some reasons that Simon has decided not to return, with that kind of threat...
Jennifer Hirsh (22, Manhattan) scatted her way to Hollywood with a fantastic jazzy version of Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead. Claire Fuller (23, Philadelphia) sang her way to Hollywood, along with Jess Wolfe (24, Brooklyn). All of them were pretty jazzy and I liked them all. I think Jennifer was my favorite of the group, because I like her choice.
Amadeo Diricco (28, Providence, RI) He's Italian all the way, with a huge and close family. I want to eat at his house, that's for sure. He's got a really good voice, and a great personality. Kara was feeling him for sure. I would love to hear what else he can do. Vicky B. loved his passion and his big voice. Simon liked him, and Kara felt like he was her cousin. Randy loved how real he was and his voice. Simon said in a strange way, it was his favorite audition of the day, and loves his energy. He's through. The jubilation nearly ran Seacrest over. He looked scared, in any case.
Derek Hilton (19, Bellingham, MA) looks like a bleached out hippie. They played Enigma in the background of his intro. This can only end badly. Wow, he "sings" entirely out of his nose, until he had a couple weird chest voices. He "hit" some falsetto notes... I mean, that was just bizarre. Simon said he was channeling a lot of people, and called it complete and utter rubbish, and said it was like 20 people singing, and every one of them was rubbish. Derek thinks he is amazing and hit a lot of "loud notes." Because that's the point. Goodbye, sir. Do not darken my television again.
Montage of rejects, with tears abounding.
Mere Doyle (24, Walpole, MA) She's an anime freak, and I appreciate that they pulled out Alphaville's Big in Japan for her intro music. Great song. Great band. She really wants to be big in Japan, after all. Unless Japan loves screeching and tunelessness, the singing isn't going to get her big in Japan. She says that her voice coaches and theater directors say she's awesome. She claims to love singing, and Simon says he would love to fly to the moon, but it's just not something he is capable of. And she's gone, in disappointment and a crush of reality.
Nicely harmonizing boys!
Luke Shaffer (24, NYC) is one of the harmonizing boys, and I love his voice. I wish he would open his eyes more when singing, because they are very nice eyes. Another of the harmonizing boys is Benjamin Bright (25, Rome, NY, Elementary Music Teacher) and he's also wonderful. Both are through.
Time for Angry Glasses Boy, Andrew Finlon (25, Boston), who hates waiting. Dude, it's an American Idol audition. Lots of waiting involved. Thank goodness we know he's single. He was snarky with the judges when Simon asked why he was there. Simon told him to quit being a smart ass, or leave. He's got an interesting voice, and he is not bad, but his attitude is going to make it impossible for him to continue. Kara asked him if he was angry, and he said the waiting all day put him on edge, and she said that his attitude pissed her off. She hated him, completely. He was sulky, rude, and aggressive, with bad energy, according to Simon. Andrew claimed he was trying to be confident, but Vicky said he was just coming across as arrogant, and he doesn't have the good to back it up. Everyone gave him a no, but Simon gave him a yes, because Andrew is growing on him. Kara said that Simon has an attitude, but at least he is charming. Kara told Andrew that he needed a spanking. Whoah. Kara said she felt like she needed a shower after that. Ugh. I wish he hadn't been such an ass, because I kind of liked his voice.
Bill Bloom just plain sucks. Maybe good for stage. Same with Michael Ryan. But so not good for this.
Ashley Rodriguez (21, Boston) She made me not hate an Alicia Keyes song. Good for her. She's very appealing. Kara loved her. They all loved her. She's in. Good.
Tyler Grady (19, Nazareth, PA) He shattered both wrists climbing a tree a couple months ago. And he's a drummer. That sucks. He has a really nice voice. He sang Let's Get it On, and he has some good soul. I like him. The ladies loved him. Randy liked him, and Simon thought that he was memorable. He's in.
Montage of nameless Hollywood acceptees.
Montage of Boston history, featuring Simon as British tyrant. lol.
Lisa Olivero (24, Waitress, Billerica, MA) She thinks she is better than most people on the show, and decided to shriek through Mariah Carey, with a terrible accent and lots of screaming. I think she might not be awful, but she was trying so hard, it came off terribly.
Ryan Keene murdered some Johnny Cash and I wanted to punch him. Montage of weird people with thick Boston accents.
Mike Davis (18, Boston) is really likeable, with a great voice. He sang Yesterday and sang it well. I like him. Simon said he was confident without being annoying, and Kara said she wanted to hang out with him, and he invited her out for steak. Simon gave him a yes, and Randy gave him a no, leaving it up to the girls. Mike is the first one through on Day 2.
Katie Stevens (16, Middlebury, CT) She has a really close relationship with her grandmother, who has Alzheimers now and can not always remember her. That's sad. She is totally in. She's got an amazing voice. Astounding, actually.
Joshua Blaylock (28, NYC) He's got a good voice, and Vicky told him he has a nice voice, but Simon thinks he has no presence, no power, and is forgettable. However, the others give him their votes, and Simon changed his vote. They all want him to get more assertive. I agree. He could be good.
Montage of people blanking on everything, and awful awful people.
Justin Williams (27, Sandy, UT, Vocal Coach) He's a cancer survivor, and he's got a really appealing look. He's also got fantastic tone and beautiful control. I kind of love him. And nice falsetto. Can I predict him for the Top 10? Randy "kind of liked him." Vicky B thought he was nice overall. Kara thought he was memorable. He got yes votes all around, and he's through.
Montage of Vicky B's comments, where she tried to say something nice about eberyone.
Norberto Guerrero looked like Prince and Latoya Jackson and Michael Jackson were tossed in a blender. And asked to sing in the blender. It was just awful. Simon said he sang like a 3 year old girl. No all around.
Bosa Mora (22, Columbus, OH) His parents are from Nigeria, and he has 6 sisters and a brother. He seems like he wants it, but I don't know how memorable he is. Simon called him good, but boring. Vicky B didn't think he was boring, and got upset with Simon for rolling his eyes. Vicky B and Kara gave him yes votes, and Randy gave him the vote to send him to Hollywood, though they all agreed that he needs some more star power.
Leah Laurenti (22, Medford, NY) She's the last contestant of the day, and she comes from an overprotective family and she never got to listen to secular music much as a kid. She has another one of these great kind of jazzy voices. I am digging her. Randy thought she was one of the best of the day. Kara thinks she's a really good singer and is on the brink. She's in. Yay. I really like her.
32 people in total made it through to Hollywood from Boston. I was hoping to see some Vermonters, but no luck. *sigh* Maybe some day.
Tomorrow - Atlanta!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Yay for a New Season - Amazing Race 9.27.09
The race this season is starting in downtown LA - in the LA River, which was used in Terminator 2 and Grease, including other movies. Very cool.
Ericka & Brian - She's a former Miss America, and they've been married for two years.
Lance & Teri- They're engaged from Massachussettes. They seem cocky.
Maria & Tiffany - They are professional poker players.
Zeb & Justin - Best friends from LA, and Zeb has Aspergers.
Mika & Canaan - newly dating from Tennessee. The obligatory super religious couple.
Flight time & Big Easy - Harlem Globe Trotters. Cool.
Sam & Dan - Brothers from Missouri. Both are gay.
Gary & Matt - Father and son trying to reconnect.
Eric & Lisa - Married Yoga instructors. They were doing some pretty awesome yoga moves, but then lost me by being so zen that they rode a motorcycle without helmets.
Garrett & Jessica - On and off dating couple. She's fiery and Colombian.
Marcy & Ron - Dating from San Francisco. They are an older couple and met online.
Megan & Cheyne - Dating from San Diego. They met each other in elementary school.
Phil greets them and tells them that their first clue is in the top of the luggage they brought. There is a new challenge in the game that will have a devastating effect on one team - who will have a very short race. Their first challenge is described in their clue, and the slowest person on that task will be eliminated immediately. Ouch.
They have to fly to Tokyo after their first task. They have to search the wall of license plates (over 1000) to find one from the region of Tokyo they are going to. Whoever loses doesn't get to go to Japan. The symbol is on the top of the clue, but everyone was so frantic, it wasn't immediately clear. Zev & Justin were the first ones to notice the clue. Maria & Tiffany were the first team to find the plate, and then others lined up to try to get to Phil. It was down to yoga instructors and cocky Lance and Keri for the final plate. Cocky Lance & Keri got it first, and the yoga instructors are sent packing back to their helmetless motorcycle.
There are two flights out of LA. The first 6 teams are leaving at 12:45 PM, and the others are leaving 30 minutes later. The poker players decided to tell people that they work with homeless kids instead of playing poker.
Once they get to Tokyo, they have to find a taxi and get to the TV studio at the base of the Tokyo tower. Is that where they film I Survived a Japanese Gameshow? The first couple to get in a fight is the poker players. The second flight made up some time and ended up landing at the same time, pretty much.
The teams will be surviving a Japanese Gameshow themselves, it looks like! They arrived to a cheering crowd at the television station, and they have to play "Sushi Roulette."
Roadblock
One person must play sushi roulette, and spin a wheel containing 9 sushi rolls and 2 wasabi bombs. They have to continue playing until they get a wasabi bomb (Nori with rice and lots and lots of wasabi). They have 2 minutes to eat the wasabi bomb.
I just have to say, I would love to play that game. Ron and Cheyne both got wasabi bombs right off. Ron smushed some of the wasabi down into his rice, and it was very smart. Still, if I was playing, I would shove as much as possible into my mouth at once. Wasabi burn is crazy, but it isn't a long lasting burn.
Ron and Cheyne got the wasabi bombs done.
Next, they have to gather people in the crowd with the same colored visors, and lead them through the streets to their destination, the shrine at Konahashi Magu.
Garrett and Justin were next getting wasabi bombs. They both got them down no problem.
Marcy & Ron were like cheerleaders with their visored tourists, and Cheyne & Meghan asked for directions... both seemed to get kind of lost. Zev & Justin found an American to show them the way.
Maria is next with the wasabi bomb. She didn't quite get it done in 2 minutes and had to go again. She ended up with another wasabi bomb on the next spin. She told Tiffany that she couldn't do another one, but then she did pick it up to go. She was right down to the wire with the next one, but managed to get it down, and they were on their way. Lance & Big Easy were up next for the wasabi. Big Easy swallowed it right down, and they played some light Harlem Globetrotters music in the background. Lance finished his up, too. Gary and Brian finally got their bombs. Brian had a really hard time, but Gary managed to get his down. Brian didn't get it down in time. Dan finally got his shot at the wasabi bomb. He loves sushi and finished in record time. I have to hope that I could be as good as him.
I love wasabi. I wish I had some sushi right now.
Cheyne & Meghan were the first team to arrive at the mat, and got the coveted first position. They won a trip for two to Aspen and Vale, with all sorts of cool things. I wonder if Cheyne will be able to keep up the wall o' hair. Zev & Justin are at the mat next, and Zev is proud of himself for doing ok without his daily routine.
I have to say, the Harlem Globetrotters are wonderful for leading a crowd, because you couldn't miss them.
Lance & Keri managed to get to the mat third and were proud of themselves.
Maria & Tiffany helped Sam & Dan, who bought into their homeless kid story. Of course, Maria & Tiffany also think that Sam & Dan might be swayed by their feminine wiles, so I guess it goes both ways.
Marcy & Ron and Life Time & Big Easy came in 4th and 5th, respectively.
Brian & Ericka, after getting to the street last, found someone to help them, and off they went. They got their 6th! That's pretty impressive. Good for them. Gary & Matt came in 7th.
Tiffany & Maria got lost and lost a couple of their people. Garrett & Jessica got to the Matt 8th, despite having to stop to let one of their people go to the bathroom.
Sam & Dan got to the mat 9th. Mika & Canaan got there 10th, but had a straggler who they couldn't find. She came around the corner as they left to go find her, and Mika carried her to the mat.
Maria & Tiffany decided to give up on finding their people and got to the mat. They incurred a 2 hour penalty for not completing the challenge, but it's a non-elimination leg. There will be a Speed Bump for them, though. I'm glad that it was a non-elimination stop.
*****
Meghan & Cheyne leave first for Vietnam. They will go to Ho Chi Minn City, then take a 2 hour bus to their next clue. Cheyne's hair looks like a porcupine. Lance & Keri are already starting to have problems with each other. Everyone went to the internet cafe to try to book flights, except Brian & Ericka, and Gary & Matt who headed to the airport immediately.
We get to know that Mika and Canaan are "sexualy pure." How nice for them.
Everyone got on the same flight, because Brian & Ericka begged for reassignment. Maria & Tiffany's bluff was called (ha ha ha) when they were recognized. I think Dan and Sam were the ones to hear it. Then, they admitted to falling a little in love with Dan & Sam.
Zev didn't want to get his feet wet, which was going to be a problem because the streets were pretty well flooded. He took his shoes off to wade.
The first bus left at 3:30 and the second bus left at 4:45. That's a lot of time to make up. The teams each donated money to buy up the remaining tickets and get the bus to leave earlier. Zev gave his jacket to a guy who looked like he needed it, and that was super sweet.
The dock is closed when the teams get there, so it doesn't matter that the bus left early. They all spent the night, grabbed camp chairs, and ate yummy looking food.
Detour
When the dock opened, they had to travel by boat to mud pits, gather mud, and fertilize a tree by adding mud up to a line.
Speed Bump
Maria & Tiffany have to get ingredients for Pho and then make and serve the soup to dockmaster's liking. They did well because Maria loves Pho and has served it before.
Mika is afraid of water. Not easy in the race.
The mud pits were really thick mud and lots of people got very very dirty. Ericka described it as sensual, though she admitted to never having been a mud girl.
After finishing, teams must return their boat to the dock and then travel by foot to the next clue. Zev & Justin lost their clue when Justin fell in the water. They had to go back to get it. Then, their boat stalled long enough to let Maria & Tiffany catch up.
Roadblock
Farmer use ducks to get rid of insects in the rice paddy. They have to lead a flock of 150 sucks from their pen, across a bridge and back again within 10 minutes. They have a flag to help them in the herding.
Meghan got her try first. Jessica went next, followed by Ericka, and Matt.
After they finished (and it was no easy task), to the Pit stop with them.
Ericka forgot to shut her gate at the other end of the bridge and lost a bunch of her ducks.
Tiffany would seem to have an advantage because she had ducks growing up. Zed did beautifully with the dugs, and Meghan (who had to try a second time) called him the Duck Whisperer. Mika didn't know where she was going and had to try again.
Because of superior directionary skills, Gary & Matt came in first, and each of them won a kayak. Flight Time & Big Easy and Sam & Dan came in 2nd and 3rd, and Keri & Lance came in 4th. Zev & Justin came in 5th. Meghan & Cheyne were 6th, followed by Maria & Tiffany. Mika & Canaan, and Mary & Ron came in 8th and 9th, respectively.
Brian & Ericka and Garrett & Jessica had lots of problems with their ducks. Ericka vowed to eat duck for dinner after convincing her ducks to go in the pen. Jessica and Garrett finished pretty soon afterwards.
Brian & Ericka came in 10th, which meant elimination for Garrett & Jessica.
What did you think? I can't wait to see more next week. Any early favorites for you?
Ericka & Brian - She's a former Miss America, and they've been married for two years.
Lance & Teri- They're engaged from Massachussettes. They seem cocky.
Maria & Tiffany - They are professional poker players.
Zeb & Justin - Best friends from LA, and Zeb has Aspergers.
Mika & Canaan - newly dating from Tennessee. The obligatory super religious couple.
Flight time & Big Easy - Harlem Globe Trotters. Cool.
Sam & Dan - Brothers from Missouri. Both are gay.
Gary & Matt - Father and son trying to reconnect.
Eric & Lisa - Married Yoga instructors. They were doing some pretty awesome yoga moves, but then lost me by being so zen that they rode a motorcycle without helmets.
Garrett & Jessica - On and off dating couple. She's fiery and Colombian.
Marcy & Ron - Dating from San Francisco. They are an older couple and met online.
Megan & Cheyne - Dating from San Diego. They met each other in elementary school.
Phil greets them and tells them that their first clue is in the top of the luggage they brought. There is a new challenge in the game that will have a devastating effect on one team - who will have a very short race. Their first challenge is described in their clue, and the slowest person on that task will be eliminated immediately. Ouch.
They have to fly to Tokyo after their first task. They have to search the wall of license plates (over 1000) to find one from the region of Tokyo they are going to. Whoever loses doesn't get to go to Japan. The symbol is on the top of the clue, but everyone was so frantic, it wasn't immediately clear. Zev & Justin were the first ones to notice the clue. Maria & Tiffany were the first team to find the plate, and then others lined up to try to get to Phil. It was down to yoga instructors and cocky Lance and Keri for the final plate. Cocky Lance & Keri got it first, and the yoga instructors are sent packing back to their helmetless motorcycle.
There are two flights out of LA. The first 6 teams are leaving at 12:45 PM, and the others are leaving 30 minutes later. The poker players decided to tell people that they work with homeless kids instead of playing poker.
Once they get to Tokyo, they have to find a taxi and get to the TV studio at the base of the Tokyo tower. Is that where they film I Survived a Japanese Gameshow? The first couple to get in a fight is the poker players. The second flight made up some time and ended up landing at the same time, pretty much.
The teams will be surviving a Japanese Gameshow themselves, it looks like! They arrived to a cheering crowd at the television station, and they have to play "Sushi Roulette."
Roadblock
One person must play sushi roulette, and spin a wheel containing 9 sushi rolls and 2 wasabi bombs. They have to continue playing until they get a wasabi bomb (Nori with rice and lots and lots of wasabi). They have 2 minutes to eat the wasabi bomb.
I just have to say, I would love to play that game. Ron and Cheyne both got wasabi bombs right off. Ron smushed some of the wasabi down into his rice, and it was very smart. Still, if I was playing, I would shove as much as possible into my mouth at once. Wasabi burn is crazy, but it isn't a long lasting burn.
Ron and Cheyne got the wasabi bombs done.
Next, they have to gather people in the crowd with the same colored visors, and lead them through the streets to their destination, the shrine at Konahashi Magu.
Garrett and Justin were next getting wasabi bombs. They both got them down no problem.
Marcy & Ron were like cheerleaders with their visored tourists, and Cheyne & Meghan asked for directions... both seemed to get kind of lost. Zev & Justin found an American to show them the way.
Maria is next with the wasabi bomb. She didn't quite get it done in 2 minutes and had to go again. She ended up with another wasabi bomb on the next spin. She told Tiffany that she couldn't do another one, but then she did pick it up to go. She was right down to the wire with the next one, but managed to get it down, and they were on their way. Lance & Big Easy were up next for the wasabi. Big Easy swallowed it right down, and they played some light Harlem Globetrotters music in the background. Lance finished his up, too. Gary and Brian finally got their bombs. Brian had a really hard time, but Gary managed to get his down. Brian didn't get it down in time. Dan finally got his shot at the wasabi bomb. He loves sushi and finished in record time. I have to hope that I could be as good as him.
I love wasabi. I wish I had some sushi right now.
Cheyne & Meghan were the first team to arrive at the mat, and got the coveted first position. They won a trip for two to Aspen and Vale, with all sorts of cool things. I wonder if Cheyne will be able to keep up the wall o' hair. Zev & Justin are at the mat next, and Zev is proud of himself for doing ok without his daily routine.
I have to say, the Harlem Globetrotters are wonderful for leading a crowd, because you couldn't miss them.
Lance & Keri managed to get to the mat third and were proud of themselves.
Maria & Tiffany helped Sam & Dan, who bought into their homeless kid story. Of course, Maria & Tiffany also think that Sam & Dan might be swayed by their feminine wiles, so I guess it goes both ways.
Marcy & Ron and Life Time & Big Easy came in 4th and 5th, respectively.
Brian & Ericka, after getting to the street last, found someone to help them, and off they went. They got their 6th! That's pretty impressive. Good for them. Gary & Matt came in 7th.
Tiffany & Maria got lost and lost a couple of their people. Garrett & Jessica got to the Matt 8th, despite having to stop to let one of their people go to the bathroom.
Sam & Dan got to the mat 9th. Mika & Canaan got there 10th, but had a straggler who they couldn't find. She came around the corner as they left to go find her, and Mika carried her to the mat.
Maria & Tiffany decided to give up on finding their people and got to the mat. They incurred a 2 hour penalty for not completing the challenge, but it's a non-elimination leg. There will be a Speed Bump for them, though. I'm glad that it was a non-elimination stop.
*****
Meghan & Cheyne leave first for Vietnam. They will go to Ho Chi Minn City, then take a 2 hour bus to their next clue. Cheyne's hair looks like a porcupine. Lance & Keri are already starting to have problems with each other. Everyone went to the internet cafe to try to book flights, except Brian & Ericka, and Gary & Matt who headed to the airport immediately.
We get to know that Mika and Canaan are "sexualy pure." How nice for them.
Everyone got on the same flight, because Brian & Ericka begged for reassignment. Maria & Tiffany's bluff was called (ha ha ha) when they were recognized. I think Dan and Sam were the ones to hear it. Then, they admitted to falling a little in love with Dan & Sam.
Zev didn't want to get his feet wet, which was going to be a problem because the streets were pretty well flooded. He took his shoes off to wade.
The first bus left at 3:30 and the second bus left at 4:45. That's a lot of time to make up. The teams each donated money to buy up the remaining tickets and get the bus to leave earlier. Zev gave his jacket to a guy who looked like he needed it, and that was super sweet.
The dock is closed when the teams get there, so it doesn't matter that the bus left early. They all spent the night, grabbed camp chairs, and ate yummy looking food.
Detour
When the dock opened, they had to travel by boat to mud pits, gather mud, and fertilize a tree by adding mud up to a line.
Speed Bump
Maria & Tiffany have to get ingredients for Pho and then make and serve the soup to dockmaster's liking. They did well because Maria loves Pho and has served it before.
Mika is afraid of water. Not easy in the race.
The mud pits were really thick mud and lots of people got very very dirty. Ericka described it as sensual, though she admitted to never having been a mud girl.
After finishing, teams must return their boat to the dock and then travel by foot to the next clue. Zev & Justin lost their clue when Justin fell in the water. They had to go back to get it. Then, their boat stalled long enough to let Maria & Tiffany catch up.
Roadblock
Farmer use ducks to get rid of insects in the rice paddy. They have to lead a flock of 150 sucks from their pen, across a bridge and back again within 10 minutes. They have a flag to help them in the herding.
Meghan got her try first. Jessica went next, followed by Ericka, and Matt.
After they finished (and it was no easy task), to the Pit stop with them.
Ericka forgot to shut her gate at the other end of the bridge and lost a bunch of her ducks.
Tiffany would seem to have an advantage because she had ducks growing up. Zed did beautifully with the dugs, and Meghan (who had to try a second time) called him the Duck Whisperer. Mika didn't know where she was going and had to try again.
Because of superior directionary skills, Gary & Matt came in first, and each of them won a kayak. Flight Time & Big Easy and Sam & Dan came in 2nd and 3rd, and Keri & Lance came in 4th. Zev & Justin came in 5th. Meghan & Cheyne were 6th, followed by Maria & Tiffany. Mika & Canaan, and Mary & Ron came in 8th and 9th, respectively.
Brian & Ericka and Garrett & Jessica had lots of problems with their ducks. Ericka vowed to eat duck for dinner after convincing her ducks to go in the pen. Jessica and Garrett finished pretty soon afterwards.
Brian & Ericka came in 10th, which meant elimination for Garrett & Jessica.
What did you think? I can't wait to see more next week. Any early favorites for you?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Yay for a New Season: The Next Food Network Star 6.7.09
Meet the chefs.
Jen Isham is the "modern housewife."
Jamika Pessoa is an "island girl," half Jamaican, half Trididadian. Is that even a word?
Katie Cavuto is from Philly, and is a dietician and personal chef.
Brett August is full energy and high powered. He says.
Michael Proetti wants to pizzazz Food Network up.
Eddie Gilbert is a corporate guy turned chef.
Melissa D'Arabian is a stay at home mom to 4 kids.
Teddy Folkman is determined.
Debbie Lee fuses Korean spices with Southern cooking.
Jeffrey Saad has been in kitchens for years and years.
And time for the first challenge. Bob, Suzy, and Bobby Flay greet the wannabes. The first challenge is to cater the Food Network's Birthday Party (16 years), 75 people, including lots of Food Network people, and others. In five hours.
Two teams.
Teddy, Jamika, Brett, Ted, and Melissa are the green team.
Eddie, Michael, Katie, Jeffrey, and Debbie are the red team.
Brett is planning on making - Beef Tenderloin with red wine sauce and butternut Squash soup
Teddy is making an herb and truffle infused potato gratin.
Jamika is planning on a Florribean Shrimp Cocktail with Mango Jicama Slaw
Melissa is making Apple tart with caramel drizzle
Jen is making Green beans with red onions, grape tomatoes, and toasted walnuts
on the other team
Michael is making a five spiced tenderloin with pickled vegetable slaw
Debbie is making a crab cake with Spicy Mayo
Katie is making a beet, pomegranate, orange salad & sauteed chard
Jeffrey is making achiote grilled zucchini with mushroom ragu (and he gets the first culinary term subtitle of the season, achiote is annoto-seed paste used for earthy flavor and color in Mexixan cooking. Thanks, Food Network)
Eddie is making a Jelly Filled Beignet and B.L.A.S.T. Balls - Bacon, lettuce, Avocado, Sprouts, and Tomato.
Two members on each team went shopping, with a $1200 budget. Debbie couldn't find the buttermilk biscuits for te beignets, and her team was also WAY over budget and had to leave a lot behind. Yipes. The other team was over $200 under budget. Better planning, it seems.
One thing left behind was Jeffrey's achiote. He's upset. He also doesn't like Debbie's fallback dessert idea of store bought angel food cake with some sauce dolloped on it was really chef-worthy. I would tend to agree.
As they cook, Bobby Flay entered the kitchen to Tim Gunn it up. (And by that, I mean check out how they are doing, not critique their clothing choices.)
The tarts weren't perfect, because some of the crusts got too warm. It was a team effort to get them in the oven. Hopefully, they are flaky enough. Debbie failed to get dijon mustard, and Katie panicked a little, but the other team gave her some dijon to save her dressing. That was nice.
Time to eat!
Brett was the captain of the green team and announced his food and the team. He was not super comfortable in the presentation. His high energy was not there. Jamika was much better on mic. Teddy was a little of a little and said little about 12 times. Jen was friendly and pleasant. Melissa was very excited about her tartlets and was very pleasant. She was cute.
Bobby loved the tart, and so did Duff. Bob loved Jamika's slaw, but the shrimp was not good. Jen's beans were called unpleasant and unspecial. Teddy's gratin was not cooked enough, and Brett's beef was badly cooked.
Red Team's Turn!
The Angel Food Cake mess is not looking good. It looks like a pile of crap. It was Debbie's idea, and she passed it off to Katie and Jeffrey, and it was not good....
Time for the presentation.
Debbie was comfortable in front of the mic. Katie was also very comfortable, and emphasized her colorful food. Jeffrey was funny and personable. Michael calls his style Global A Go Go. I think he's a bit much. Eddie was a little stiff.
The judges like the flavors of the crab cake, and they liked Michael's flavors. Jeffrey's zucchini also went well. Katie's salad "were from a dietician, and seemed like they were from a dietician." ouch. Eddie's B.L.A.S.T balls were a bit too bacony. And the cake? That was called an embarassment. Ouch. I would agree, though.
Evaluation Time.
It's not all about cooking, it's also about personality.
Debbie was called out for going over budget and then telling everyone that they went under budget. Bob told her that character matters, and they need to be able to trust someone if they are going to make it. Debbie was also called out for the angel food cake, and she called it a group decision. Um. No. At least her crab cake was good, and her presentation style was good.
Michael's dish was a favorite. They liked that he was funny.
Bobby called Katie's salad a throwaway dish. She didn't impress anyone with her dish or her style.
Eddie's B.L.A.S.T balls and stiff persona were not great. Bob said he seemed corporate, and they urged him to loosen up.
Jeffrey was happy that they liked his zucchini, and Bobby liked the way he described the food, saying it made him hungry. That's good when you are on tv.
Time for the Green Team.
Brett's food wasn't cooked well, and his presentation was not great.
Jamika's slaw was very good. Alton called her shrimpt the gate keeper of badness. Not good. Her presentation was good.
Melissa did very well with her tarts, and her presentation was good, but she was told to self edit.
Jen's beans were boring and nothing special, and her presentation was also boring.
Teddy's gratin was called out for not being cooked through, and his presentation seemed confused and fake. Not good.
Who is the winner of the challenge, and who is going home?
The Top 3 are Jeffrey, Michael, and Melissa. The winner of the challenge is Jeffrey. Good for him. He made something wonderful without most of the ingredients he wanted.
Jamika, Teddy, Katie, and Debbie are safe this week.
So, the bottom 3 are Brett, Eddie, and Jen. Brett was the first one safe, so it's between Jen and Eddie. Jen and her green beans were not good enough, and she is out. She is beautiful, but subpar green beans aren't going to make her a Food Network Star.
Looking forward to seeing more. I really don't like Brett - I wouldn't watch a show with him. Debbie rubbed me the wrong way with that Angel Food Cake, but her food looked good... I'm not sure who to root for now. We'll see. Do you have any favorites yet?
Jen Isham is the "modern housewife."
Jamika Pessoa is an "island girl," half Jamaican, half Trididadian. Is that even a word?
Katie Cavuto is from Philly, and is a dietician and personal chef.
Brett August is full energy and high powered. He says.
Michael Proetti wants to pizzazz Food Network up.
Eddie Gilbert is a corporate guy turned chef.
Melissa D'Arabian is a stay at home mom to 4 kids.
Teddy Folkman is determined.
Debbie Lee fuses Korean spices with Southern cooking.
Jeffrey Saad has been in kitchens for years and years.
And time for the first challenge. Bob, Suzy, and Bobby Flay greet the wannabes. The first challenge is to cater the Food Network's Birthday Party (16 years), 75 people, including lots of Food Network people, and others. In five hours.
Two teams.
Teddy, Jamika, Brett, Ted, and Melissa are the green team.
Eddie, Michael, Katie, Jeffrey, and Debbie are the red team.
Brett is planning on making - Beef Tenderloin with red wine sauce and butternut Squash soup
Teddy is making an herb and truffle infused potato gratin.
Jamika is planning on a Florribean Shrimp Cocktail with Mango Jicama Slaw
Melissa is making Apple tart with caramel drizzle
Jen is making Green beans with red onions, grape tomatoes, and toasted walnuts
on the other team
Michael is making a five spiced tenderloin with pickled vegetable slaw
Debbie is making a crab cake with Spicy Mayo
Katie is making a beet, pomegranate, orange salad & sauteed chard
Jeffrey is making achiote grilled zucchini with mushroom ragu (and he gets the first culinary term subtitle of the season, achiote is annoto-seed paste used for earthy flavor and color in Mexixan cooking. Thanks, Food Network)
Eddie is making a Jelly Filled Beignet and B.L.A.S.T. Balls - Bacon, lettuce, Avocado, Sprouts, and Tomato.
Two members on each team went shopping, with a $1200 budget. Debbie couldn't find the buttermilk biscuits for te beignets, and her team was also WAY over budget and had to leave a lot behind. Yipes. The other team was over $200 under budget. Better planning, it seems.
One thing left behind was Jeffrey's achiote. He's upset. He also doesn't like Debbie's fallback dessert idea of store bought angel food cake with some sauce dolloped on it was really chef-worthy. I would tend to agree.
As they cook, Bobby Flay entered the kitchen to Tim Gunn it up. (And by that, I mean check out how they are doing, not critique their clothing choices.)
The tarts weren't perfect, because some of the crusts got too warm. It was a team effort to get them in the oven. Hopefully, they are flaky enough. Debbie failed to get dijon mustard, and Katie panicked a little, but the other team gave her some dijon to save her dressing. That was nice.
Time to eat!
Brett was the captain of the green team and announced his food and the team. He was not super comfortable in the presentation. His high energy was not there. Jamika was much better on mic. Teddy was a little of a little and said little about 12 times. Jen was friendly and pleasant. Melissa was very excited about her tartlets and was very pleasant. She was cute.
Bobby loved the tart, and so did Duff. Bob loved Jamika's slaw, but the shrimp was not good. Jen's beans were called unpleasant and unspecial. Teddy's gratin was not cooked enough, and Brett's beef was badly cooked.
Red Team's Turn!
The Angel Food Cake mess is not looking good. It looks like a pile of crap. It was Debbie's idea, and she passed it off to Katie and Jeffrey, and it was not good....
Time for the presentation.
Debbie was comfortable in front of the mic. Katie was also very comfortable, and emphasized her colorful food. Jeffrey was funny and personable. Michael calls his style Global A Go Go. I think he's a bit much. Eddie was a little stiff.
The judges like the flavors of the crab cake, and they liked Michael's flavors. Jeffrey's zucchini also went well. Katie's salad "were from a dietician, and seemed like they were from a dietician." ouch. Eddie's B.L.A.S.T balls were a bit too bacony. And the cake? That was called an embarassment. Ouch. I would agree, though.
Evaluation Time.
It's not all about cooking, it's also about personality.
Debbie was called out for going over budget and then telling everyone that they went under budget. Bob told her that character matters, and they need to be able to trust someone if they are going to make it. Debbie was also called out for the angel food cake, and she called it a group decision. Um. No. At least her crab cake was good, and her presentation style was good.
Michael's dish was a favorite. They liked that he was funny.
Bobby called Katie's salad a throwaway dish. She didn't impress anyone with her dish or her style.
Eddie's B.L.A.S.T balls and stiff persona were not great. Bob said he seemed corporate, and they urged him to loosen up.
Jeffrey was happy that they liked his zucchini, and Bobby liked the way he described the food, saying it made him hungry. That's good when you are on tv.
Time for the Green Team.
Brett's food wasn't cooked well, and his presentation was not great.
Jamika's slaw was very good. Alton called her shrimpt the gate keeper of badness. Not good. Her presentation was good.
Melissa did very well with her tarts, and her presentation was good, but she was told to self edit.
Jen's beans were boring and nothing special, and her presentation was also boring.
Teddy's gratin was called out for not being cooked through, and his presentation seemed confused and fake. Not good.
Who is the winner of the challenge, and who is going home?
The Top 3 are Jeffrey, Michael, and Melissa. The winner of the challenge is Jeffrey. Good for him. He made something wonderful without most of the ingredients he wanted.
Jamika, Teddy, Katie, and Debbie are safe this week.
So, the bottom 3 are Brett, Eddie, and Jen. Brett was the first one safe, so it's between Jen and Eddie. Jen and her green beans were not good enough, and she is out. She is beautiful, but subpar green beans aren't going to make her a Food Network Star.
Looking forward to seeing more. I really don't like Brett - I wouldn't watch a show with him. Debbie rubbed me the wrong way with that Angel Food Cake, but her food looked good... I'm not sure who to root for now. We'll see. Do you have any favorites yet?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Yay for a New Season! So You Think You Can Dance - 5/21/09
Oh yeah! I am so ready for this. If only Mary Murphy would shut the hell up, but other than that, this show is so fantastic, it takes my breath away.
I can sing. I can sing pretty darned well, if I do say so myself. So, American Idol makes me think "I could have done this, in my younger years..." This show? Simply puts me in awe of what the human body is capable of. I am an erratic dancer at best. I do love to see people who have the talent, though.
Auditions started in NYC. Brooklyn, to be precise. Nigel and Mary were joined by Tabitha and Napoleon.
First up? Gabi Rojis. She grew up in the circus. It's pretty cool. She has rheumatoid arthritis. Ow. poor girl. I love the way she moves. It's just beautiful and fluid and interesting. She's wonderful. Nigel says that he will be suprised if she's not in the top 20, and called it one of the best auditions he's seen in five years of the show, and said that she showed people what they mean when they talk about mixing technique with performance. I muted Mary's scream. Tabitha thought she was like a bird. She's through.
Storyboard P & Hobgoblin. Very very strange. They called themselves pioneers. I call them contortionists. Very distrurbing contortionists. It's not dancing. It's a performance, but it's not dance. They had the jusges cringing and Mary cackling. They climbed up on top of the judges table before they were done. Yipes. They call their genre mutation. They should get jobs in horror movies. Nigel thought they would be suited to Dawn of the Dead, the musical. They were sent to Choreography round, for what Tabitha called morbid curiousity. Let's see about that.
Let's have some painful auditions now, for good measure. Crazy Kate thinks that she's doing West Coast Swing. Not so much.
Peter Sabisino challenged us to a tap duel. He has some great tap skills. He doesn't look like the kind of guy who would be able to tap. And he's really great. He's also charismatic. Nigel called him like a tap dancing boxer. He also has some other styles he nows. Great. Mary said that he should wear something different (he was wearing workout clothes). He's through.
Tiffany Geigel has a birth defect basically that caused her spine to stop growing. She has three vertebrae instead of seven. As a result, she has normal length arms and legs, but her torso is very short and she has no neck. She moves beautifully. It's like something out of a Timothy Burton movie. Nigel said that her legs don't straighten properly, and she said that she has bad knees, but she's working on it. He applauds her bravery, and her hair, which he called magnificent as it swirled around her body as she danced. He wants people to be inspired by her. They gave her a standing ovation before telling her she isn't right for this competition.
Maxim Kappitonikov with Faina (from a previous season) as his partner. Nigel liked that he didn't pull any faces except for a couple winks. Mary liked him a lot, as did Tabitha and Napoleon. He's onto choreogrpahy.
Montage of people doing very well. Then, it's the possible William Hung of SYTYCD, Nabuya. He's actually pretty good. He certainly can move. And he's appealing. He is bendy and has some funky musicality. He admitted that locking is his favorite style. He's through to choreography.
Lauren from Season 3 led the choreography. They had 30 minutes to try to get it right, and the Mutants decide to bail. Results?
Maxim didn't do great, but he's through. An Uma look-alike and a guy with extraordinarily bad teeth, along with Nabuya, were among others who made it though.
Second day in Brooklyn...
Arielle Taylor made it to Vegas before, but it was a couple years ago. She is beautiful and reminds me a bit of Allison, I think. Nigel said he always loves her when he has seen her, and wondered what happened to her previously. They love her, and love that she's back. She's through to Vegas (again).
Thomas Martin was the national baton twirling champion as a child. The Bolero was just odd. It left Nigel speechless, and Mary called it novice. They are not going anywhere but home.
Montage of bad dancers...
Igor and Nina are a ballroom couple and did their cha cha routine (well, part of it) and they were lovely. At the end, he spun her around at an astonishing rate in a beautiful move. Nigel called them tremendous. Mary called it the longest pot stir (I think it's called) she's ever seen. Then she let out a scream. Tabitha and Napoleon loved them. They are through to choreography.
Kellen Stancil danced with an umbrella and used it well. He was quite good. Mary asked what the umbrella represented to him, and he broke down in tears, saying it was representative of his aunt. Tabitha and Napoleon thought that he connected beautifully and moved them. Nigel handed him a ticket to Vegas. Good for him.
Chimezie was the last contestant before the choreography round, and he sure can move. He's a locker, and apparently, a wall climber! Astounding. Nigel called his choreography fun and creative. He gave Mary a smile. Napoleon thought that the choreography lacked some meat, Tabitha said that there are more plusses than minuses, and he's though to choreography.
Who made it though choreography? Igor made it, but Nina did not. That's sad. Chimezie made it, too.
Next audition city was Denver.
Joining Mary and Nigel is Sonya.
Kayla Radomsky has very nice extension, and I think she's appealing. Nigel loved her, and the angles she hit were good. Mary loved it, and Sonya called it hot, and slick and slippery. Nigel handed her a ticket to Vegas. Good for her.
Montage of Sonya being awestruck by fantastic dancers.
It's a same sex ballroom couple! Mischa and Mitch. Mitch is straight, and Mischa's gay, so it's like an Erasure-partnership of dance. Will it be as successful? They can both certainly dance. Until they toppled over in a spin... head hit stage. And ouch. Nigel stopped them, saying it was rather like watching Blades of Glory, and didn't like the same sex samba. He did think they were both individually strong dancers. Mary was confused about the roles in the same-sex dancing, and thought that the technique needs some help. Sonya liked their movements, and they got sent to choreography.
Choreography round!
Mitch went home, but urged to come back. Mischa was just sent packing. 11 excited dancers did make it though.
Allison Moist did a Star Wars themed "dance" dressed like a lion. What? She admitted that the outfit had nothing to do with the dance. Mary said there was no dancing, but it was comical. Sonya couldn't believe she was really serious, and wondered if she understood that the flailing was not good. Allison claimed that she just wanted to be different.
To prove that she is not that different, there was a montage of other "different" dancers.
Elias Holloway is dancing with his brother, who is not auditioning because he's too young. He's done a lot of swimming, and is one of 14 kis. He's cute, and even threw in some belly rolls. It was kind of appealing. Nigel wanted to see more of it. Mary said it was just about the cutest thing she's seen on the show, and loves his look. Sonya called him marketable, because the camera loves him, and he was sent on to choreography.
Natalie Reid, Katee's roommate, is back! I loved her last season and was sad when she got cut. She's just beautiful. I love to see her move. Nigel said it is lovely to see her again. Sonya couldn't contain herself, and thought everything was right with her, and loved how real and sincere she made the movement. She got chills and didn't want it to end, and called her one of her favorite dancers. Mary is proud to see her back, and called it organic and real. Nigel called it superb, and handed her the ticket to Vegas. Natalie then called Katee, who was excited for her former roommate.
And Brandon Bryant, who got cut in favor of Gev last year, is the last of the day. He is phenomenal. The lines! The movements! The height! He's something else. He left Mary in tears, and she blubbered about how fabulous he is and how great her job is. Sonya thinks he dropped his life and love on the stage and called it wonderful. Nigel loved him, and hoped to see him in the Top 20. He got a ticket to Vegas, and Mary screamed. *Sigh*
Will Elias make it though choreography? Not this year. They ask him to come back when he's learned how to do choreography.
Next week is Florida and Memphis. Looking forward to it.
What did you think of the premiere?
I can sing. I can sing pretty darned well, if I do say so myself. So, American Idol makes me think "I could have done this, in my younger years..." This show? Simply puts me in awe of what the human body is capable of. I am an erratic dancer at best. I do love to see people who have the talent, though.
Auditions started in NYC. Brooklyn, to be precise. Nigel and Mary were joined by Tabitha and Napoleon.
First up? Gabi Rojis. She grew up in the circus. It's pretty cool. She has rheumatoid arthritis. Ow. poor girl. I love the way she moves. It's just beautiful and fluid and interesting. She's wonderful. Nigel says that he will be suprised if she's not in the top 20, and called it one of the best auditions he's seen in five years of the show, and said that she showed people what they mean when they talk about mixing technique with performance. I muted Mary's scream. Tabitha thought she was like a bird. She's through.
Storyboard P & Hobgoblin. Very very strange. They called themselves pioneers. I call them contortionists. Very distrurbing contortionists. It's not dancing. It's a performance, but it's not dance. They had the jusges cringing and Mary cackling. They climbed up on top of the judges table before they were done. Yipes. They call their genre mutation. They should get jobs in horror movies. Nigel thought they would be suited to Dawn of the Dead, the musical. They were sent to Choreography round, for what Tabitha called morbid curiousity. Let's see about that.
Let's have some painful auditions now, for good measure. Crazy Kate thinks that she's doing West Coast Swing. Not so much.
Peter Sabisino challenged us to a tap duel. He has some great tap skills. He doesn't look like the kind of guy who would be able to tap. And he's really great. He's also charismatic. Nigel called him like a tap dancing boxer. He also has some other styles he nows. Great. Mary said that he should wear something different (he was wearing workout clothes). He's through.
Tiffany Geigel has a birth defect basically that caused her spine to stop growing. She has three vertebrae instead of seven. As a result, she has normal length arms and legs, but her torso is very short and she has no neck. She moves beautifully. It's like something out of a Timothy Burton movie. Nigel said that her legs don't straighten properly, and she said that she has bad knees, but she's working on it. He applauds her bravery, and her hair, which he called magnificent as it swirled around her body as she danced. He wants people to be inspired by her. They gave her a standing ovation before telling her she isn't right for this competition.
Maxim Kappitonikov with Faina (from a previous season) as his partner. Nigel liked that he didn't pull any faces except for a couple winks. Mary liked him a lot, as did Tabitha and Napoleon. He's onto choreogrpahy.
Montage of people doing very well. Then, it's the possible William Hung of SYTYCD, Nabuya. He's actually pretty good. He certainly can move. And he's appealing. He is bendy and has some funky musicality. He admitted that locking is his favorite style. He's through to choreography.
Lauren from Season 3 led the choreography. They had 30 minutes to try to get it right, and the Mutants decide to bail. Results?
Maxim didn't do great, but he's through. An Uma look-alike and a guy with extraordinarily bad teeth, along with Nabuya, were among others who made it though.
Second day in Brooklyn...
Arielle Taylor made it to Vegas before, but it was a couple years ago. She is beautiful and reminds me a bit of Allison, I think. Nigel said he always loves her when he has seen her, and wondered what happened to her previously. They love her, and love that she's back. She's through to Vegas (again).
Thomas Martin was the national baton twirling champion as a child. The Bolero was just odd. It left Nigel speechless, and Mary called it novice. They are not going anywhere but home.
Montage of bad dancers...
Igor and Nina are a ballroom couple and did their cha cha routine (well, part of it) and they were lovely. At the end, he spun her around at an astonishing rate in a beautiful move. Nigel called them tremendous. Mary called it the longest pot stir (I think it's called) she's ever seen. Then she let out a scream. Tabitha and Napoleon loved them. They are through to choreography.
Kellen Stancil danced with an umbrella and used it well. He was quite good. Mary asked what the umbrella represented to him, and he broke down in tears, saying it was representative of his aunt. Tabitha and Napoleon thought that he connected beautifully and moved them. Nigel handed him a ticket to Vegas. Good for him.
Chimezie was the last contestant before the choreography round, and he sure can move. He's a locker, and apparently, a wall climber! Astounding. Nigel called his choreography fun and creative. He gave Mary a smile. Napoleon thought that the choreography lacked some meat, Tabitha said that there are more plusses than minuses, and he's though to choreography.
Who made it though choreography? Igor made it, but Nina did not. That's sad. Chimezie made it, too.
Next audition city was Denver.
Joining Mary and Nigel is Sonya.
Kayla Radomsky has very nice extension, and I think she's appealing. Nigel loved her, and the angles she hit were good. Mary loved it, and Sonya called it hot, and slick and slippery. Nigel handed her a ticket to Vegas. Good for her.
Montage of Sonya being awestruck by fantastic dancers.
It's a same sex ballroom couple! Mischa and Mitch. Mitch is straight, and Mischa's gay, so it's like an Erasure-partnership of dance. Will it be as successful? They can both certainly dance. Until they toppled over in a spin... head hit stage. And ouch. Nigel stopped them, saying it was rather like watching Blades of Glory, and didn't like the same sex samba. He did think they were both individually strong dancers. Mary was confused about the roles in the same-sex dancing, and thought that the technique needs some help. Sonya liked their movements, and they got sent to choreography.
Choreography round!
Mitch went home, but urged to come back. Mischa was just sent packing. 11 excited dancers did make it though.
Allison Moist did a Star Wars themed "dance" dressed like a lion. What? She admitted that the outfit had nothing to do with the dance. Mary said there was no dancing, but it was comical. Sonya couldn't believe she was really serious, and wondered if she understood that the flailing was not good. Allison claimed that she just wanted to be different.
To prove that she is not that different, there was a montage of other "different" dancers.
Elias Holloway is dancing with his brother, who is not auditioning because he's too young. He's done a lot of swimming, and is one of 14 kis. He's cute, and even threw in some belly rolls. It was kind of appealing. Nigel wanted to see more of it. Mary said it was just about the cutest thing she's seen on the show, and loves his look. Sonya called him marketable, because the camera loves him, and he was sent on to choreography.
Natalie Reid, Katee's roommate, is back! I loved her last season and was sad when she got cut. She's just beautiful. I love to see her move. Nigel said it is lovely to see her again. Sonya couldn't contain herself, and thought everything was right with her, and loved how real and sincere she made the movement. She got chills and didn't want it to end, and called her one of her favorite dancers. Mary is proud to see her back, and called it organic and real. Nigel called it superb, and handed her the ticket to Vegas. Natalie then called Katee, who was excited for her former roommate.
And Brandon Bryant, who got cut in favor of Gev last year, is the last of the day. He is phenomenal. The lines! The movements! The height! He's something else. He left Mary in tears, and she blubbered about how fabulous he is and how great her job is. Sonya thinks he dropped his life and love on the stage and called it wonderful. Nigel loved him, and hoped to see him in the Top 20. He got a ticket to Vegas, and Mary screamed. *Sigh*
Will Elias make it though choreography? Not this year. They ask him to come back when he's learned how to do choreography.
Next week is Florida and Memphis. Looking forward to it.
What did you think of the premiere?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Yay for a New Season! Survivor Tocantins: 2.12.09
Gorgeous in HD, the castaways enter the Tocantins in a giant range rover type vehicle.
The tribes are Timbira and Jalapao. Sierra is already sick. That's not good. She's trying to hide it, says it's a tonsil thing. We'll see how that goes for her.
And .... I just saw that The Amazing Race Premiers on Sunday. Squeee!!!
When they reach their destination, the castaways have 60 seconds to gather as many supplies from the truck as they can (very useful things - rice, fruit, veggies, other things. People are taking everything. Rope, baskets, everything.
Timbira got all the water and beans. That is good for them. Bad for Jalapao.
Now, they have to hike for four hours to their new camps. With all their stuff.
But first, they have to vote for someone not to go with them.
Jalapao's votes went for Sandy (x5 that we saw), and for Stephen (x1). Sandy is outspoken in her anger at being voted for.
Timbira's votes went for Sierra (x5), Erinn (x1) and guess she couldn't hide the sickness (which she admits is strep, and she is on meds for it). She has a fever, and is upset at being voted for.
Then, Jeff drops the bombshell that the two voted "out" are getting airlifted to camp, and get to skip the 4 hour hike. Sandy started celebrating, but Jeff told her not to celebrate too much, because she has already been outcast, so she'd better figure out how to get back in with the tribe.
Jalapao set out through the wilderness, and have some issues trying to read the map (and use the compass). JT did his best to help out. Stephen ripped his pants already and has boxers hanging out. First day. Nice job. They find their path and set out again.
Timbira have nice poles set up to carry their gear. Erinn has issues, and Coach took charge. He immediately started talking of his goal to change the game to be actually Survival of the Best. He made a seeming alliance with Brendan right off, and Brendan wasn't sure if he should drink Coach's Kool-Aid.
Sandy got to the camp via helicopter, and broke down a little, saying that she was glad to be there alone without the others seeing her emotion at being voted for first. She went out searching and found a note, telling her she had a choice - Look for the Idol, or Start setting up Camp.
She chose the clue.
The Stick Marks the Spot
On Your Biggest Beach
Dig for a while
And Assistance You'll Reach
Sierra gets the same choice, and chose instead to start camp set up. I think that was a good idea. She said "If you don't redeem yourself, you're pretty much in the doghouse forever." Good point.
Jalapao reached the camp and found Sandy waiting for them. (She tucked the clue into her bra before they got there, apparently not having found it yet). They are not happy that she didn't start setting up camp. Carolina especially was miffed. Sandy said that it was pretty certain that they would vote for her anyhow, so why try to change their mind? Don't know about that idea.
Timbira took a longer time to get to their camp, and had to resort to hiking in the dark. When they finally arrived, they were pleased to see the shelter all built. Coach said that the fact that she was not there to bond with them on the hike made her an outcast automatically. I don't think I like him. Give a feverish girl a chance, especially if she's willing to work.
Jalapao got a good shelter started, with a lot of guidance from JT. Carolina was all about buckling down and getting the shelter made. Sandy went out "to use the restroom" which of course was "to find the idol," and she found a clue pretty handily.
Ten paces you'll walk to the lone palm tree
Dig there, and the next clue you'll see.
She is stymied, because she doesn't know what a pace is. She is dead to me.
Timbira finished their canteens, so went to fill them up, and Tyson became the first person to get naked. He's goofy, I'll give him that.
Time for the first Challenge!!
Six members of each tribe will race across sandhills into the river, and will retrieve the raft with puzzle planks. They will bring the raft and the pieces back to the shore. Two remaining members will use the planks to build a staircase up to a platform, where any two players will do a maze to get the win.
They are playing for fire and immunity. It's 120 degrees.
Jalapao has Sandy and Taj building the stairs.
Timbira has Sierra and Erinn building stairs.
The racing members didn't have many troubles, and Tyson was super strong (and kept his clothes on this time!) They have to carry the planks over the sand hills before they can start. Timbira got to start first, but Jalapao had a good start, and finish in short order.
Timbira has Erinn and Brenden working on the maze, and Jalapao has Spencer and Sydney. Timbira was very good at the maze and made up for lost time, bringing the win to them.
Now, they have fire to use at the shelter that Sierra started, and immunity to enjoy it.
Jalapao is not pleased to have lost. It seems to be a pretty unanimous decision to vote for Sandy. They decided to take a swim, and Carolina took charge in telling people that they haven't finished any of the projects they've started. Taj took her aside and said that she needs to watch herself.
Spencer brings up to Sydney and others that Sandy did an excellent job at the challenge, and that makes him want to keep her around. They are thinking about getting rid of Carolina.
It's time for...
Tribal Council!
The fact that Sandy didn't do anything at camp might come back to bite her. Also, her search for the idol took her away from the work at the camp, and that was noticed. She said that she wanted to collect her thoughts, and said that even the old lady could fit into the tribe.
Jeff said "Sandy, are you a little crazy?" She admitted to being a little crazy. The first step is admitting.
Carolina admitted to being a bit bossy, and perhaps whiney, and she's trying to watch that in herself.
The fact that Sandy couldn't figure out the mysterious measurement of "paces" still baffles me. She deserves to be voted out because of that failure, if for nothing else.
Carolina is voted out, however, due to her inability to shut her mouth. It's a shame, because I think she had some know-how, but I don't think I will miss her.
They get fire for their troubles at Tribal.
Looks like a good season so far. Didn't see too much of a lot of people, but that's normal for a first episode. Anyone you are looking forward to seeing more of? Do you agree with Carolina's ouster?
The tribes are Timbira and Jalapao. Sierra is already sick. That's not good. She's trying to hide it, says it's a tonsil thing. We'll see how that goes for her.
And .... I just saw that The Amazing Race Premiers on Sunday. Squeee!!!
When they reach their destination, the castaways have 60 seconds to gather as many supplies from the truck as they can (very useful things - rice, fruit, veggies, other things. People are taking everything. Rope, baskets, everything.
Timbira got all the water and beans. That is good for them. Bad for Jalapao.
Now, they have to hike for four hours to their new camps. With all their stuff.
But first, they have to vote for someone not to go with them.
Jalapao's votes went for Sandy (x5 that we saw), and for Stephen (x1). Sandy is outspoken in her anger at being voted for.
Timbira's votes went for Sierra (x5), Erinn (x1) and guess she couldn't hide the sickness (which she admits is strep, and she is on meds for it). She has a fever, and is upset at being voted for.
Then, Jeff drops the bombshell that the two voted "out" are getting airlifted to camp, and get to skip the 4 hour hike. Sandy started celebrating, but Jeff told her not to celebrate too much, because she has already been outcast, so she'd better figure out how to get back in with the tribe.
Jalapao set out through the wilderness, and have some issues trying to read the map (and use the compass). JT did his best to help out. Stephen ripped his pants already and has boxers hanging out. First day. Nice job. They find their path and set out again.
Timbira have nice poles set up to carry their gear. Erinn has issues, and Coach took charge. He immediately started talking of his goal to change the game to be actually Survival of the Best. He made a seeming alliance with Brendan right off, and Brendan wasn't sure if he should drink Coach's Kool-Aid.
Sandy got to the camp via helicopter, and broke down a little, saying that she was glad to be there alone without the others seeing her emotion at being voted for first. She went out searching and found a note, telling her she had a choice - Look for the Idol, or Start setting up Camp.
She chose the clue.
The Stick Marks the Spot
On Your Biggest Beach
Dig for a while
And Assistance You'll Reach
Sierra gets the same choice, and chose instead to start camp set up. I think that was a good idea. She said "If you don't redeem yourself, you're pretty much in the doghouse forever." Good point.
Jalapao reached the camp and found Sandy waiting for them. (She tucked the clue into her bra before they got there, apparently not having found it yet). They are not happy that she didn't start setting up camp. Carolina especially was miffed. Sandy said that it was pretty certain that they would vote for her anyhow, so why try to change their mind? Don't know about that idea.
Timbira took a longer time to get to their camp, and had to resort to hiking in the dark. When they finally arrived, they were pleased to see the shelter all built. Coach said that the fact that she was not there to bond with them on the hike made her an outcast automatically. I don't think I like him. Give a feverish girl a chance, especially if she's willing to work.
Jalapao got a good shelter started, with a lot of guidance from JT. Carolina was all about buckling down and getting the shelter made. Sandy went out "to use the restroom" which of course was "to find the idol," and she found a clue pretty handily.
Ten paces you'll walk to the lone palm tree
Dig there, and the next clue you'll see.
She is stymied, because she doesn't know what a pace is. She is dead to me.
Timbira finished their canteens, so went to fill them up, and Tyson became the first person to get naked. He's goofy, I'll give him that.
Time for the first Challenge!!
Six members of each tribe will race across sandhills into the river, and will retrieve the raft with puzzle planks. They will bring the raft and the pieces back to the shore. Two remaining members will use the planks to build a staircase up to a platform, where any two players will do a maze to get the win.
They are playing for fire and immunity. It's 120 degrees.
Jalapao has Sandy and Taj building the stairs.
Timbira has Sierra and Erinn building stairs.
The racing members didn't have many troubles, and Tyson was super strong (and kept his clothes on this time!) They have to carry the planks over the sand hills before they can start. Timbira got to start first, but Jalapao had a good start, and finish in short order.
Timbira has Erinn and Brenden working on the maze, and Jalapao has Spencer and Sydney. Timbira was very good at the maze and made up for lost time, bringing the win to them.
Now, they have fire to use at the shelter that Sierra started, and immunity to enjoy it.
Jalapao is not pleased to have lost. It seems to be a pretty unanimous decision to vote for Sandy. They decided to take a swim, and Carolina took charge in telling people that they haven't finished any of the projects they've started. Taj took her aside and said that she needs to watch herself.
Spencer brings up to Sydney and others that Sandy did an excellent job at the challenge, and that makes him want to keep her around. They are thinking about getting rid of Carolina.
It's time for...
Tribal Council!
The fact that Sandy didn't do anything at camp might come back to bite her. Also, her search for the idol took her away from the work at the camp, and that was noticed. She said that she wanted to collect her thoughts, and said that even the old lady could fit into the tribe.
Jeff said "Sandy, are you a little crazy?" She admitted to being a little crazy. The first step is admitting.
Carolina admitted to being a bit bossy, and perhaps whiney, and she's trying to watch that in herself.
The fact that Sandy couldn't figure out the mysterious measurement of "paces" still baffles me. She deserves to be voted out because of that failure, if for nothing else.
Carolina is voted out, however, due to her inability to shut her mouth. It's a shame, because I think she had some know-how, but I don't think I will miss her.
They get fire for their troubles at Tribal.
Looks like a good season so far. Didn't see too much of a lot of people, but that's normal for a first episode. Anyone you are looking forward to seeing more of? Do you agree with Carolina's ouster?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Yay for a New Season - American Idol 1/13/09
Finally!
To get things started this season, there is a short retrospective with some of the best and worst of past seasons, set to What a Wonderful World. I don't know if Louie would approve, but I do. Ah, and we get another view of Ashley the Crying girl, and Sanjaya's awful mohawk madness.
Good times, good times.
Then, it's Seacrest's turn to "This is American Idol" us into a new season.
Before we got there, though, he reminds us about the winning moment of David Cook last season, including a little showing of the tween girls freaking out about Archie's loss, a YouTube favorite (of course, I cannot find it, but it was funny).
Blah blah blah, more of what's to come, I'm fast forwarding to the real stuff.
Wait, what? I think I just fast forwarded through Simon getting hugged and/or humped by a giant bunny. We'll see what that comes to.
Finally, it's time for the first city.
Phoenix, AZ, Day 1
It's blazing hot (what do they expect, it's Arizona!). Before we get to see anyone, we are introduced to the new judge, Kara, including some clips of what's to come. Can't they just let it happen?
Tuan Ngyen (20, from Spring Valley, CA) Oh, joy. Tuan thinks it's necessary to have drill team movements, tap, and a giant ass fro to make his singing stand out. Somehow I don't see this ending well. His singing is subpar, his tap is completely superfluous, and he needs to maybe focus on one talent instead of spreading himself so thin... yeah, I'll say that was his problem. Randy gives him a definite no, and Kara says that she's never seen anything like that, and not in a good way. He's out. He thought the judges were with him in the beginning. Dude. Laughing AT you, not WITH you. His departure was set to the tragic tones of Wham's Careless Whisper. I will admit, his feet ARE guilty of having no rhythm, so that's appropriate enough.
Emily Hughes (21, LA) Her mom's a singer, and was professional when Emily was a child. Emily said that she was bad in school, so she decided to just perform, and "got a bunch of tattoos, so I'd never be forced to sit in an office." Hope this works out for her then, because laser tattoo removal is expensive. She's singing Baracuda. That's bold. She's got some serious pipes on her. It's hard to belt out some Heart a capella. I really like her a lot. The judges admitted that she chose a really difficult song. Simon loves her, Paula calls her Top 5 material, and Kara says that she looks serious, and Randy asks about her bandmates - who don't know she's there. If she makes it through, the band will have to cancel a European tour. Yipes. She claims that if she makes it, she can pull a Daughtry move and bring them with her in the future. She's easily through, and I really like her. She's got pink hair, and I tend to have a soft spot for the pink haired chicks. Funny, because I hate pink as a color.
Randy Madden (28, Moorpark, CA) He is so sure of himself, with no singing lessons, no band. He says that people stop him on the street and tell him he should be on American Idol. Based on his looks? Hmmm. Interesting. There were tears from him before he even auditioned, so this should be interesting. He sang Living on a Prayer, and it was ... as Simon said, wimpy. He looks like a rockstar, but he does not sound like one. He begged for a chance. Simon called him a cliche, and a drama queen, with no star quality. I'd agree with that. Paula tried to be supportive, and Simon put in a dig at her about her music. Kara said he needed to put in more work to have a shot at it, so he's a no. Goodbye, Randy.
JB Ahfua (16, Taylorsville, UT) He's got a good voice in him, he might be Archie material. I think he's better at the onset than Archie. Simon told him he has a good voice, but needs to loosen up. Still, he gets four yes votes, and he's through to Hollywood. Good. Hope that he doesn't disappoint me like Archie ended up doing. He has a sob story about his family struggling, so this is his chance to help them out.
Michael Gurr (17, Mesa, AZ) He's got that kind of awkwardly emo look of Evil Peter Parker in Spiderman 3, and he's been nervous all day. He sounds slightly like he's having a seizure when he sings(?). Simon said he couldn't understand a word, and he might as well have been singing in Bulgarian. Paula is stunned to agree. He asks to sing another song, and sucks up by singing(?) a song by Kara. Just no. He claims it was all nerves. I think it was just because he's sucky. And he came close to fainting after his audition was done. Oh, brother!
(I thought that they were showing less of the bad auditions this year?)
Will Kunick regurgitated Tears for Fears, DJ Bradley geeked Celine Dion to death, Shawn Vasquez butchered Dion Warwick. Please, make it stop.
Audre Caraway (aka Xray) (20, Phoenix) Full of energy and weilding a guitar, which he discarded before singing a strange song of his own, called Cactus, Baby. Unfortunately, he did not make the pain stop. It's a unanimous no. He pleaded for another chance, and Simon called him tiresome. Good and bye.
Ariana Afsar (16, San Diego, CA) She's a philanthropist, who founded an organization, called "Adopt a Grand-Friend" - that's sweet. She's really cute. I love the tone of her voice. She's got a real natural talent, kind of bluesy. She has a lot of un-forced power. She gets four happy yes votes, and she's through.
9 unseen others went through on Day 1 in Phoenix, too.
Phoenix, AZ, Day 2
Elijah Scarlet (22, Phoenix) He's got an incredibly low voice, which is hard to believe is real. Unfortunately, his range seems to be about 2 notes, and those notes are not good. Simon questioned if he'd ever seen the show before, and said it was something like a horror movie. Paula suggested he do voice-overs in monster movies.
Lea Marie Golde (16, Connecticut) She's got a pink cowboy hat on. She could be cute, and I admire her belly-dancing belly roll skills, but she's got a little bit too much energy. She claims to be Kara's biggest fan. She's brought a giant binder of all of her original songs that she's written. She showed it to Kara, and then sang in a painfully nasal voice. She should possibly stick to writing. Paula told her she needs to work on her voice, and Simon called her annoying. Kara told her to stick to writing maybe, if her writing is any good, and she was sent packing with her giant notebook. She promises to be back.
Stevie Wright (16, Phelan, CA) She's wearing what I think is a cow print shirt. That was an odd choice. She was named after Stevie Nicks. She sang At Last, by Etta James, and she was pretty good, especially for being only 16. Simon wants her to be more aggressive if she's going to be competative. She's through, easily.
Michael Sarver (27, Jasper, TX) - He's a Roughneck on an oil rig, which he is proud to announce is the fifth most dangerous job in the world. Yipes. He's got a couple really cute kids and a nice looking wife. I'm not sure about the style of his voice - which is kind of country - but he's got something there. Kara called him a sensitive roughneck, and Randy says his voice doesn't match his looks, but it's a good thing. Simon says he has the likeability factor. He is through to Hollywood.
Enter montage of nameless hideous singers. Oh, my ears.
Then, enter Bikini Girl.
Katrina Darrell (20, CA) She's going to be so leathery when she is 30. Her voice is decent. She didn't need to resort to wearing the bikini. She should have remembered that there are two women on the panel, too. Kara gave her a schooling about how the feeling of the song could have been much better. Simon and Randy are ready to send her through instantly. Kara and Paula aren't seeing it. Still, in this new four judge format, Simon is a tie breaker, and amidst much complaining from the women on the panel, Katrina is through. I don't think she was as bad as Kara and Paula attested, but still. Then, Kara went to find Ryan and planted a not-so-platonic kiss on him. That was kind of awkward.
Eric Thomas (aka Sexual Chocolate) (18, Phoenix, AZ) He attempted to sing Stevie Wonder and failed miserably. Simon said, "Thank you, Sexual." If he doesn't make it, his mom is buying him a car, so he's a car ritcher.
Brianna Quijada (22, from AZ) She had a cute voice, a good personality, but does the thing I hate and keeps singing when they tell her to stop singing. Simon says she likes her personality, and though Randy and Kara said no, Paula and Simon (astoundingly) sent her through.
Deanna Brown (25, KY) She has a bit of a thick Southern accent, and unfortunately, when she sang that she was "sitting on the dock of the bay," it sounded like she was doing something entirely different on the dock of the bay. She does have a very nice voice, though it's pretty country for me. She is through. She's cute.
Cody Sheldon (17, Detroit, MI) He makes horror films in his spare time. Nice. He's got kind of a nasal voice and it's the kind of voice I don't enjoy so much. Very froggy. His voice has a very sweet quality to it, which doesn't jive with his look. Predictably, because I don't like him the judges sent him through.
Alex Wagner-Trugman, (19, CA) Ok, so I don't think he'll be any good, but he's kind of funny. He's not bad vocally! He needs a serious hair cut/style. Simon didn't like him, but Randy liked him a lot. So did Kara and Paula. He's through, much to Simon's dismay.
An unfortunate montage of wretched people singing Wanted Dead or Alive. Painful. Oh, and there was also some really bad air guitar thrown in there. The montage ended with a "cowboy" who looked more like he belonged in Fiddler on the Roof. Just no. Look in the mirror before you go on national television.
Scott Macintyre (23, Scottsdale, AZ) He's legally blind, but has become a very good pianist. He can only see about the width of one ket at a time on the piano. That's impressive. He went into college at 14, and graduated at 19. That's impressive. He sang And So It Goes, which is a beautiful song. I'm not sure his voice alone would be quite enough to get him through, but he won the judges over. I'm hoping to see him go through and see him working with a piano. He's possibly got potential.
27 tickets were given out in Phoenix over both days. And there was much rejoicing. And pool jumping.
Until tomorrow, dear readers.
I think my favorite tonight was Emily Hughes. And you?
To get things started this season, there is a short retrospective with some of the best and worst of past seasons, set to What a Wonderful World. I don't know if Louie would approve, but I do. Ah, and we get another view of Ashley the Crying girl, and Sanjaya's awful mohawk madness.
Good times, good times.
Then, it's Seacrest's turn to "This is American Idol" us into a new season.
Before we got there, though, he reminds us about the winning moment of David Cook last season, including a little showing of the tween girls freaking out about Archie's loss, a YouTube favorite (of course, I cannot find it, but it was funny).
Blah blah blah, more of what's to come, I'm fast forwarding to the real stuff.
Wait, what? I think I just fast forwarded through Simon getting hugged and/or humped by a giant bunny. We'll see what that comes to.
Finally, it's time for the first city.
Phoenix, AZ, Day 1
It's blazing hot (what do they expect, it's Arizona!). Before we get to see anyone, we are introduced to the new judge, Kara, including some clips of what's to come. Can't they just let it happen?
Tuan Ngyen (20, from Spring Valley, CA) Oh, joy. Tuan thinks it's necessary to have drill team movements, tap, and a giant ass fro to make his singing stand out. Somehow I don't see this ending well. His singing is subpar, his tap is completely superfluous, and he needs to maybe focus on one talent instead of spreading himself so thin... yeah, I'll say that was his problem. Randy gives him a definite no, and Kara says that she's never seen anything like that, and not in a good way. He's out. He thought the judges were with him in the beginning. Dude. Laughing AT you, not WITH you. His departure was set to the tragic tones of Wham's Careless Whisper. I will admit, his feet ARE guilty of having no rhythm, so that's appropriate enough.
Emily Hughes (21, LA) Her mom's a singer, and was professional when Emily was a child. Emily said that she was bad in school, so she decided to just perform, and "got a bunch of tattoos, so I'd never be forced to sit in an office." Hope this works out for her then, because laser tattoo removal is expensive. She's singing Baracuda. That's bold. She's got some serious pipes on her. It's hard to belt out some Heart a capella. I really like her a lot. The judges admitted that she chose a really difficult song. Simon loves her, Paula calls her Top 5 material, and Kara says that she looks serious, and Randy asks about her bandmates - who don't know she's there. If she makes it through, the band will have to cancel a European tour. Yipes. She claims that if she makes it, she can pull a Daughtry move and bring them with her in the future. She's easily through, and I really like her. She's got pink hair, and I tend to have a soft spot for the pink haired chicks. Funny, because I hate pink as a color.
Randy Madden (28, Moorpark, CA) He is so sure of himself, with no singing lessons, no band. He says that people stop him on the street and tell him he should be on American Idol. Based on his looks? Hmmm. Interesting. There were tears from him before he even auditioned, so this should be interesting. He sang Living on a Prayer, and it was ... as Simon said, wimpy. He looks like a rockstar, but he does not sound like one. He begged for a chance. Simon called him a cliche, and a drama queen, with no star quality. I'd agree with that. Paula tried to be supportive, and Simon put in a dig at her about her music. Kara said he needed to put in more work to have a shot at it, so he's a no. Goodbye, Randy.
JB Ahfua (16, Taylorsville, UT) He's got a good voice in him, he might be Archie material. I think he's better at the onset than Archie. Simon told him he has a good voice, but needs to loosen up. Still, he gets four yes votes, and he's through to Hollywood. Good. Hope that he doesn't disappoint me like Archie ended up doing. He has a sob story about his family struggling, so this is his chance to help them out.
Michael Gurr (17, Mesa, AZ) He's got that kind of awkwardly emo look of Evil Peter Parker in Spiderman 3, and he's been nervous all day. He sounds slightly like he's having a seizure when he sings(?). Simon said he couldn't understand a word, and he might as well have been singing in Bulgarian. Paula is stunned to agree. He asks to sing another song, and sucks up by singing(?) a song by Kara. Just no. He claims it was all nerves. I think it was just because he's sucky. And he came close to fainting after his audition was done. Oh, brother!(I thought that they were showing less of the bad auditions this year?)
Will Kunick regurgitated Tears for Fears, DJ Bradley geeked Celine Dion to death, Shawn Vasquez butchered Dion Warwick. Please, make it stop.
Audre Caraway (aka Xray) (20, Phoenix) Full of energy and weilding a guitar, which he discarded before singing a strange song of his own, called Cactus, Baby. Unfortunately, he did not make the pain stop. It's a unanimous no. He pleaded for another chance, and Simon called him tiresome. Good and bye.
Ariana Afsar (16, San Diego, CA) She's a philanthropist, who founded an organization, called "Adopt a Grand-Friend" - that's sweet. She's really cute. I love the tone of her voice. She's got a real natural talent, kind of bluesy. She has a lot of un-forced power. She gets four happy yes votes, and she's through.
9 unseen others went through on Day 1 in Phoenix, too.
Phoenix, AZ, Day 2
Elijah Scarlet (22, Phoenix) He's got an incredibly low voice, which is hard to believe is real. Unfortunately, his range seems to be about 2 notes, and those notes are not good. Simon questioned if he'd ever seen the show before, and said it was something like a horror movie. Paula suggested he do voice-overs in monster movies.
Lea Marie Golde (16, Connecticut) She's got a pink cowboy hat on. She could be cute, and I admire her belly-dancing belly roll skills, but she's got a little bit too much energy. She claims to be Kara's biggest fan. She's brought a giant binder of all of her original songs that she's written. She showed it to Kara, and then sang in a painfully nasal voice. She should possibly stick to writing. Paula told her she needs to work on her voice, and Simon called her annoying. Kara told her to stick to writing maybe, if her writing is any good, and she was sent packing with her giant notebook. She promises to be back.
Stevie Wright (16, Phelan, CA) She's wearing what I think is a cow print shirt. That was an odd choice. She was named after Stevie Nicks. She sang At Last, by Etta James, and she was pretty good, especially for being only 16. Simon wants her to be more aggressive if she's going to be competative. She's through, easily.
Michael Sarver (27, Jasper, TX) - He's a Roughneck on an oil rig, which he is proud to announce is the fifth most dangerous job in the world. Yipes. He's got a couple really cute kids and a nice looking wife. I'm not sure about the style of his voice - which is kind of country - but he's got something there. Kara called him a sensitive roughneck, and Randy says his voice doesn't match his looks, but it's a good thing. Simon says he has the likeability factor. He is through to Hollywood.
Enter montage of nameless hideous singers. Oh, my ears.
Then, enter Bikini Girl.
Katrina Darrell (20, CA) She's going to be so leathery when she is 30. Her voice is decent. She didn't need to resort to wearing the bikini. She should have remembered that there are two women on the panel, too. Kara gave her a schooling about how the feeling of the song could have been much better. Simon and Randy are ready to send her through instantly. Kara and Paula aren't seeing it. Still, in this new four judge format, Simon is a tie breaker, and amidst much complaining from the women on the panel, Katrina is through. I don't think she was as bad as Kara and Paula attested, but still. Then, Kara went to find Ryan and planted a not-so-platonic kiss on him. That was kind of awkward.
Eric Thomas (aka Sexual Chocolate) (18, Phoenix, AZ) He attempted to sing Stevie Wonder and failed miserably. Simon said, "Thank you, Sexual." If he doesn't make it, his mom is buying him a car, so he's a car ritcher.
Brianna Quijada (22, from AZ) She had a cute voice, a good personality, but does the thing I hate and keeps singing when they tell her to stop singing. Simon says she likes her personality, and though Randy and Kara said no, Paula and Simon (astoundingly) sent her through.
Deanna Brown (25, KY) She has a bit of a thick Southern accent, and unfortunately, when she sang that she was "sitting on the dock of the bay," it sounded like she was doing something entirely different on the dock of the bay. She does have a very nice voice, though it's pretty country for me. She is through. She's cute.
Cody Sheldon (17, Detroit, MI) He makes horror films in his spare time. Nice. He's got kind of a nasal voice and it's the kind of voice I don't enjoy so much. Very froggy. His voice has a very sweet quality to it, which doesn't jive with his look. Predictably, because I don't like him the judges sent him through.
Alex Wagner-Trugman, (19, CA) Ok, so I don't think he'll be any good, but he's kind of funny. He's not bad vocally! He needs a serious hair cut/style. Simon didn't like him, but Randy liked him a lot. So did Kara and Paula. He's through, much to Simon's dismay.
An unfortunate montage of wretched people singing Wanted Dead or Alive. Painful. Oh, and there was also some really bad air guitar thrown in there. The montage ended with a "cowboy" who looked more like he belonged in Fiddler on the Roof. Just no. Look in the mirror before you go on national television.
Scott Macintyre (23, Scottsdale, AZ) He's legally blind, but has become a very good pianist. He can only see about the width of one ket at a time on the piano. That's impressive. He went into college at 14, and graduated at 19. That's impressive. He sang And So It Goes, which is a beautiful song. I'm not sure his voice alone would be quite enough to get him through, but he won the judges over. I'm hoping to see him go through and see him working with a piano. He's possibly got potential.
27 tickets were given out in Phoenix over both days. And there was much rejoicing. And pool jumping.
Until tomorrow, dear readers.
I think my favorite tonight was Emily Hughes. And you?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Yay for a New Season - Top Chef!
Oh, how I love a new season! It's in NYC this year. I'll try to keep the contestants straight.
Fabio is from Italy, and he's never been to NYC before.
Jamie Lauren is from San Francisco and she's an executive chef.
Eugene is from Hawaii, lives in Vegas, didn't go to culinary school, and worked himself up from a dishwasher.
Jeffrey is a vain surfer dude from Miami. I instantly dislike him.
Radhika is ethnically Indian, but sounds like she was brought up in the states.
Lauren is a chef in Georgia, and her husband is deployed in Iraq.
Alex and Carla got no real intro, but we hear that Carla is a caterer later.
Ariane is an executive chef and a mom from New Jersey.
Daniel is from Long Island, and works as a Chef de Cuisine.
Patrick is at CIA and is a former classmate of Lauren's.
Stefan is from Finland, but has lived all over Europe.
Richard's "inner queen" (yes, he said that) wants to see what Padme is wearing.
Leah vows not to cry.
At least Melissa was not even mentioned. Perhaps others.
Their first Quickfire challenge comes right off. One person is going to be cut right away. Whoever is last, they are gone.
Round 1: Peel 15 apples with a paring knife, no peeler, to Tom's specifications.
First 9 will be safe, the remaining 8 go int the next round.
Hosea says that he has entered a lot of cooking competitions in the past few years and has won them all, so he's not worried.
Someone cut through his thumb (Richard) and didn't quit.
Stefan is the first one done, and won immunity, and then is followed by a slew of others. Blood and all, Richard (I think) made it.
Round 2: 2 cups of brunoise the apples (a very small dice, and Tom says it has to be perfect). 4 will be safe.
Jill, who got no intro, had some issues with her first try, but made it through as the final spot in this round.
Lauren, Pat, Radika, and Leah move on to Round 3: To cook something in 20 minutes with the apples to convince Tom that they deserve to be in the competition.
Lauren made a salad with bacon, apples, blue cheese, spinach, and orange.
Pat also made a salad - an apple slaw.
Radhika made a pork with apple chutney.
Leah made a scallop dish with lots of apple through it.
Leah was immediately safe from elimination. Radhika joined her in safety. The two classmates and salad chefs are in trouble.
Lauren is gone. It's a shame, because I thought she had a good personality, but I guess not the cooking chops.
For the elimination challenge, and they pull knives, each with different locations around NYC, paired up. Each pair will cook against each other with dishes inspired by their part of the city. Chefs with winning dishes will be safe, and losing dishes will be up for elimination. (One
Their apartments are incredible.
Pat, Richard, and Jamie call themselves "Team Rainbow" as the gays and lesbian of the show. Stefan and Fabio bond over being European, but Fabio gets on everyone's nerves, and Daniel thinks they are snobby.
Everyone is trying to get to know their partner, and trying to figure out recipes. Richard and Jamie are going head to head (he calls her "my little lesbian friend"). Carla wants to be led by her spirit guide for her recipe.
Fabio and Jeff are going up against each other doing Latin food. Jeff is feeling sure of himself.
I lost track of who is doing what cuisine, but I do think it is really neat that each group gets to go shopping in their specific area of NYC. I wanted to crawl into the Indian store, because it is my favorite kind of food to cook. Eugene has never cooked Indian food before in his life, she he is nervous.
I can't wait to see what they come up with.
In the kitchen, there is predictable chaos. Some people look right at home, and others are floundering.
Pat was using black rice noodles, which he had never cooked with before, and they turned out gummier than he was thinking of. Jeff was very cocky in the beginning, and then his time rand down and he ran out of time to plate everything.
Jean-George Van Grishman (I'm sure slaughtered) joins Padme, Gayle, and Tom in the judging.
First up is Long Island City - Middle Eastern
Ariane made a Crusted rack of lamb with farro risotto and dates with chickpeas. She told the judges she was completely unfamiliar with middle eastern food. Don't admit you have no idea what you are doing! That is pretty much never ok.
Stefan made Lamb chops with Tabouli Salad and a beef skewer.
Gayle liked the lamb on Ariane's side, but not the farro. The judges really loved Stefan's dish, and he went to the winner's side of the challenge, sending Ariane to the losing side.
Next up is Team Greek.
Richard (who commented in his interview segment that Tom is a cutie with great eyes - and I cannot disagree - saying he would "buy him a drink if I saw him in the bar." I hope that Richard sticks around, because he is a good character) made a Greek Style Lamb slider, and a greek orzo pasta salad.
Jamie made Eggplant puree, seared bass, and a wild arugula salad.
Jamie's dish was a winner, because Richard's lamb was overcooked and dry.
Team Jamaica is up next.
Jill made plantain fritters and jerk spiced scallops, with three sauces.
Radhika made jerk rubbed halibut on top fo three bean rice with a mango salad.
Neither of these is really stellar, but Jill edges Radhika out.
Latin Cuisine is up next.
Fabio made a mango and jalapeno demi-glace pork with mushrooms & avocado salad.
Jeff made coffee seared pork tenderloin with smoked plantain, black beans and rice.
Both are criticized for their plating, and it's a split vote, with Tom prefering Fabio's dish, but Jeff is sent to the higher scoring side of the board.
It's time for Russian cuisine from Brighton Beach.
Hosea made smoked fish trio with caviar and creme fraiche and apple chutney.
Carla made smoked trout and salmon cake with potato latke, with caviar and Russian sour cream.
Hosea's dish was called Culinarily Eloquent. Nice.
Little Italy is up next.
Leah made a Farro Risotto with Seared red snapper and mushrooms.
Melissa made a seared rib eye steak, arugula salad, fried mushrooms, and tomato sauce.
Melissa's lack of enough salt and pepper sent her to the losing side of the board.
Chinese is up next.
Daniel made a poached chicken salad with bok choy, shitake mushrooms, and fried wontons.
Pat made seared salmon, bok choy, black rice noodles, and soy and sesame.
Pat's gummy noodles are a problem. Daniel's salad is called unoriginal, but he's safe.
Next is Indian.
Alex made grilled lamb chops, spicy ragout, and basmati rice.
Eugene made Masala rubbed lamb with basmati & tzaziki.
Eugene's dish is a winner, and Alex is in the bottom. Padma said that without knowing it, Eugene had prepared a dish that is in all South Indian homes. Good job to him.
First back to the judges table, are Stefan, Eugene, and Leah. From the losing group, Pat and Ariane are going back. Stefan is the winner of the first challenge, and the judges say that all but one season, the winner of the first challenge has gone on to be the winner. Wow, didn't know that little tidbit.
Ariane said that when she was planning, she just looked around the store to find what there was the most of, and figured they were popular and would go together. Patrick's problem was that he didn't really make the dish taste Chinese. Tom called it cliche sanitized Chinese. The fact that Ariane is from New Jersey and doesn't know cuisine that is available right in her own back yard works against her. It also didn't help her defense that she said "well, I have books for that!"
The judges said it was lack of technique vs. lack of inspiration. In the end, Patrick is gone, and Team Rainbow is split before it even had a chance to gel. He's so young, he can just go back to school I suppose. He left with a leaping hug for Richard, and I wish he had stuck around because he would have been fun to watch.
Looking soooo forward to this season. Who do you like best off the bat? I think Stefan has a good chance, but of course, I do like Scandinavians. It's a weakness. Some sort of ethnic imperative.
If I have time tomorrow, I will format this tomorrow.
Fabio is from Italy, and he's never been to NYC before.
Jamie Lauren is from San Francisco and she's an executive chef.
Eugene is from Hawaii, lives in Vegas, didn't go to culinary school, and worked himself up from a dishwasher.
Jeffrey is a vain surfer dude from Miami. I instantly dislike him.
Radhika is ethnically Indian, but sounds like she was brought up in the states.
Lauren is a chef in Georgia, and her husband is deployed in Iraq.
Alex and Carla got no real intro, but we hear that Carla is a caterer later.
Ariane is an executive chef and a mom from New Jersey.
Daniel is from Long Island, and works as a Chef de Cuisine.
Patrick is at CIA and is a former classmate of Lauren's.
Stefan is from Finland, but has lived all over Europe.
Richard's "inner queen" (yes, he said that) wants to see what Padme is wearing.
Leah vows not to cry.
At least Melissa was not even mentioned. Perhaps others.
Their first Quickfire challenge comes right off. One person is going to be cut right away. Whoever is last, they are gone.
Round 1: Peel 15 apples with a paring knife, no peeler, to Tom's specifications.
First 9 will be safe, the remaining 8 go int the next round.
Hosea says that he has entered a lot of cooking competitions in the past few years and has won them all, so he's not worried.
Someone cut through his thumb (Richard) and didn't quit.
Stefan is the first one done, and won immunity, and then is followed by a slew of others. Blood and all, Richard (I think) made it.
Round 2: 2 cups of brunoise the apples (a very small dice, and Tom says it has to be perfect). 4 will be safe.
Jill, who got no intro, had some issues with her first try, but made it through as the final spot in this round.
Lauren, Pat, Radika, and Leah move on to Round 3: To cook something in 20 minutes with the apples to convince Tom that they deserve to be in the competition.
Lauren made a salad with bacon, apples, blue cheese, spinach, and orange.
Pat also made a salad - an apple slaw.
Radhika made a pork with apple chutney.
Leah made a scallop dish with lots of apple through it.
Leah was immediately safe from elimination. Radhika joined her in safety. The two classmates and salad chefs are in trouble.
Lauren is gone. It's a shame, because I thought she had a good personality, but I guess not the cooking chops.
For the elimination challenge, and they pull knives, each with different locations around NYC, paired up. Each pair will cook against each other with dishes inspired by their part of the city. Chefs with winning dishes will be safe, and losing dishes will be up for elimination. (One
Their apartments are incredible.
Pat, Richard, and Jamie call themselves "Team Rainbow" as the gays and lesbian of the show. Stefan and Fabio bond over being European, but Fabio gets on everyone's nerves, and Daniel thinks they are snobby.
Everyone is trying to get to know their partner, and trying to figure out recipes. Richard and Jamie are going head to head (he calls her "my little lesbian friend"). Carla wants to be led by her spirit guide for her recipe.
Fabio and Jeff are going up against each other doing Latin food. Jeff is feeling sure of himself.
I lost track of who is doing what cuisine, but I do think it is really neat that each group gets to go shopping in their specific area of NYC. I wanted to crawl into the Indian store, because it is my favorite kind of food to cook. Eugene has never cooked Indian food before in his life, she he is nervous.
I can't wait to see what they come up with.
In the kitchen, there is predictable chaos. Some people look right at home, and others are floundering.
Pat was using black rice noodles, which he had never cooked with before, and they turned out gummier than he was thinking of. Jeff was very cocky in the beginning, and then his time rand down and he ran out of time to plate everything.
Jean-George Van Grishman (I'm sure slaughtered) joins Padme, Gayle, and Tom in the judging.
First up is Long Island City - Middle Eastern
Ariane made a Crusted rack of lamb with farro risotto and dates with chickpeas. She told the judges she was completely unfamiliar with middle eastern food. Don't admit you have no idea what you are doing! That is pretty much never ok.
Stefan made Lamb chops with Tabouli Salad and a beef skewer.
Gayle liked the lamb on Ariane's side, but not the farro. The judges really loved Stefan's dish, and he went to the winner's side of the challenge, sending Ariane to the losing side.
Next up is Team Greek.
Richard (who commented in his interview segment that Tom is a cutie with great eyes - and I cannot disagree - saying he would "buy him a drink if I saw him in the bar." I hope that Richard sticks around, because he is a good character) made a Greek Style Lamb slider, and a greek orzo pasta salad.
Jamie made Eggplant puree, seared bass, and a wild arugula salad.
Jamie's dish was a winner, because Richard's lamb was overcooked and dry.
Team Jamaica is up next.
Jill made plantain fritters and jerk spiced scallops, with three sauces.
Radhika made jerk rubbed halibut on top fo three bean rice with a mango salad.
Neither of these is really stellar, but Jill edges Radhika out.
Latin Cuisine is up next.
Fabio made a mango and jalapeno demi-glace pork with mushrooms & avocado salad.
Jeff made coffee seared pork tenderloin with smoked plantain, black beans and rice.
Both are criticized for their plating, and it's a split vote, with Tom prefering Fabio's dish, but Jeff is sent to the higher scoring side of the board.
It's time for Russian cuisine from Brighton Beach.
Hosea made smoked fish trio with caviar and creme fraiche and apple chutney.
Carla made smoked trout and salmon cake with potato latke, with caviar and Russian sour cream.
Hosea's dish was called Culinarily Eloquent. Nice.
Little Italy is up next.
Leah made a Farro Risotto with Seared red snapper and mushrooms.
Melissa made a seared rib eye steak, arugula salad, fried mushrooms, and tomato sauce.
Melissa's lack of enough salt and pepper sent her to the losing side of the board.
Chinese is up next.
Daniel made a poached chicken salad with bok choy, shitake mushrooms, and fried wontons.
Pat made seared salmon, bok choy, black rice noodles, and soy and sesame.
Pat's gummy noodles are a problem. Daniel's salad is called unoriginal, but he's safe.
Next is Indian.
Alex made grilled lamb chops, spicy ragout, and basmati rice.
Eugene made Masala rubbed lamb with basmati & tzaziki.
Eugene's dish is a winner, and Alex is in the bottom. Padma said that without knowing it, Eugene had prepared a dish that is in all South Indian homes. Good job to him.
First back to the judges table, are Stefan, Eugene, and Leah. From the losing group, Pat and Ariane are going back. Stefan is the winner of the first challenge, and the judges say that all but one season, the winner of the first challenge has gone on to be the winner. Wow, didn't know that little tidbit.
Ariane said that when she was planning, she just looked around the store to find what there was the most of, and figured they were popular and would go together. Patrick's problem was that he didn't really make the dish taste Chinese. Tom called it cliche sanitized Chinese. The fact that Ariane is from New Jersey and doesn't know cuisine that is available right in her own back yard works against her. It also didn't help her defense that she said "well, I have books for that!"
The judges said it was lack of technique vs. lack of inspiration. In the end, Patrick is gone, and Team Rainbow is split before it even had a chance to gel. He's so young, he can just go back to school I suppose. He left with a leaping hug for Richard, and I wish he had stuck around because he would have been fun to watch.
Looking soooo forward to this season. Who do you like best off the bat? I think Stefan has a good chance, but of course, I do like Scandinavians. It's a weakness. Some sort of ethnic imperative.
If I have time tomorrow, I will format this tomorrow.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Yay for a New Season - Amazing Race! 9/28/08
Let me start off by saying that I really dislike when sports interfere with my shows. At least I am watching it live, so I can extend the end time accordingly.
Moving on, let's meet the teams:
Toni & Dallas - mother and son from Northern CA. She's a single mom, and has been his whole life.
Nick & Star - siblings from NY and TX. They look plastic.
Ken & Tina - separated husband and wife from Tampa, FL. He was a professional football player and he cheated on her.
Aja & Ty - dating long distance. They are cute, and claim that their distance means that they don't take their time together for granted.
Marissa & Brooke - Southern Belles. They claim to like to shop and bake cupcakes, both of which should really help them in the race.
Andrew & Dan - Fraternity brothers from Phoenix, AZ. They sound like stereotypical frat boys, and I predict ogling at Marissa and Brooke.
Anthony & Stephanie - dating 4 years, from LA. She says she wants to get married soon, or they are done.
Anita & Barker - married bee keepers. This is the obligatory old couple and look like old hippies.
Kelly & Kristy - recently divorced friends from TX. Could be tough.
Terrance & Sarah - newly dating from NYC. They are cute, and I hope they do well.
Mark & Bill - Best friends from San Diego. They are self-confessed comic book geeks. Hmmm.
They meet Phil, and he tells them that their first clues are on top of their bags next to the marked cars. There are 11 legs and 8 eliminations.
They are heading to Salvador, Brazil, on one of two allowed flights. And they are off! Initially, everyone seems to be doing well. Anita & Barker admit that others might see them as old hippies, but that's not true. We'll see about that. There's lots of love between the couples. Aja & Ty get a major break by (mis?)using the car pool lane, and they get in first, but get messed up in the wrong line. There is some more confusion when teams have to search for marked lines, but people seem to get it figured out pretty quickly.
On the first flight out and due to arrive 3 hours earlier than the second flight are:
Mark & Bill, Ken & Tina, Nick & Star, Terrance & Sarah, Aja & Ty, and Kelly & Kristy.
On the second flight are:
Toni & Dallas, Andrew & Dan, Anita & Barker, Marissa & Brooke and Anthony & Stephanie.
Once they get to Salvador, Brazil, they have to make their way to a sandwich shop, and get their first mission.
Typically, the first flight was delayed en route to Salvador, but they still got their about 1 1/2 hours ahead of the other flight.
The first mission is to become an old school barista - where they have to wheel a cart with lots of stuff on it through cobbled streets to deliver to a predetermined spot to get their next clue.
Mark & Bill arrive first and tie a coat around their merchedise to keep it from falling off. Terrance & Sara are doing well - it seems she speaks Portugese, but she seemed to be giving directions to him in Portugese, so that's not good. They arrived first, and go the next clue, followed by Mark & Bill, then Star & Nick, and then Ken & Tina.
They have to travel to a Brazilian military base and sleep under mosquito tenting overnight, signing up for one of three departure times the next morning - 9 AM, 9:30 AM, and 9:45 AM. Terrance & Sarah got their first, followed by Nick & Star, then Mark & Bill, then Ken & Tina. They all got 9 AM times. Aja & Ty got a 9:30 time.
The second flight arrived, and Kelly & Kristy and Andrew & Dan got their tickets to the next clue first, then Anita & Barker, and then Dallas & Toni, followed by Anthony & Stephanie, and finally Marissa & Brooke. Kelly & Kristy and Andrew & Dan snag 9:30 times. Everyone else gets 9:45 AM times.
The next morning, they hav to go to Pelorinho, the historic center of Salvador, by taxi. There is some crazy competition for taxis. Ken whips out a whistle to get a taxi to stop for them, and I am annoyed by him. I am also annoyed by Sarah & Terrance, because he seems to have started nit-picking her already.
The first Detour is Hard Way Up or Soft Way Down. Teams must choose between Hard Way Up - crawling up a giant stone staircase on their hands and knees and have to answer a mystery question. If they are wrong, they have to start the climb all over again - and Soft Way Down - taking a giant outdoor elevator and then scaling down a cargo net all the way to the ground, 240 feet below. Only three teams can be on the cargo net at the same time.
I would take the Soft Way Down. Everyone seems to be choosing that one, too. Nick & Star got there first, but Terrance & Sarah went up the wrong way, and had to start over. Ken & Tina (who Nick & Star have dubbed Mom & Dad) are second on the cargo net.
Nick & Star get down first, followed by Ken & Tina and then Mark & Bill.
They are all headed to the pit stop next.
Terrance & Sarah passed Mark & Bill, and Terrance complained that Sarah was talking while climbing. Seriously. He is already annoying me.
Nick & Star get to the Pit stop first and win a trip to Belize. Nice.
The frat boys chose the Hard Way Up. We'll see how that goes. I always feel badly when the production team goes to all the trouble of arranging a Detour only to have no one choose the option, so I'm glad that the Frat Boys did the Hard Way Up. It looked like hell, so I think the others chose better. The mystery question is How many steps had they climbed, and they get it wrong and have to start over. Oops. At least they got it right the second time.
Marissa & Brooke come in second to last, but Anita & Barker are sent packing back to their bees.
Next week, Terrance looks like he's getting pissy about the loose alliance between Nick & Star and Ken & Tina. And Sarah's just hurt that they didn't talk to her. Ok, so she's annoying me, too.
It's too early for me to choose favorites, but I have some un-favorites. That would be Ken & Tina and Terrance & Sarah.
Your thoughts?
Moving on, let's meet the teams:
Toni & Dallas - mother and son from Northern CA. She's a single mom, and has been his whole life.
Nick & Star - siblings from NY and TX. They look plastic.
Ken & Tina - separated husband and wife from Tampa, FL. He was a professional football player and he cheated on her.
Aja & Ty - dating long distance. They are cute, and claim that their distance means that they don't take their time together for granted.
Marissa & Brooke - Southern Belles. They claim to like to shop and bake cupcakes, both of which should really help them in the race.
Andrew & Dan - Fraternity brothers from Phoenix, AZ. They sound like stereotypical frat boys, and I predict ogling at Marissa and Brooke.
Anthony & Stephanie - dating 4 years, from LA. She says she wants to get married soon, or they are done.
Anita & Barker - married bee keepers. This is the obligatory old couple and look like old hippies.
Kelly & Kristy - recently divorced friends from TX. Could be tough.
Terrance & Sarah - newly dating from NYC. They are cute, and I hope they do well.
Mark & Bill - Best friends from San Diego. They are self-confessed comic book geeks. Hmmm.
They meet Phil, and he tells them that their first clues are on top of their bags next to the marked cars. There are 11 legs and 8 eliminations.
They are heading to Salvador, Brazil, on one of two allowed flights. And they are off! Initially, everyone seems to be doing well. Anita & Barker admit that others might see them as old hippies, but that's not true. We'll see about that. There's lots of love between the couples. Aja & Ty get a major break by (mis?)using the car pool lane, and they get in first, but get messed up in the wrong line. There is some more confusion when teams have to search for marked lines, but people seem to get it figured out pretty quickly.
On the first flight out and due to arrive 3 hours earlier than the second flight are:
Mark & Bill, Ken & Tina, Nick & Star, Terrance & Sarah, Aja & Ty, and Kelly & Kristy.
On the second flight are:
Toni & Dallas, Andrew & Dan, Anita & Barker, Marissa & Brooke and Anthony & Stephanie.
Once they get to Salvador, Brazil, they have to make their way to a sandwich shop, and get their first mission.
Typically, the first flight was delayed en route to Salvador, but they still got their about 1 1/2 hours ahead of the other flight.
The first mission is to become an old school barista - where they have to wheel a cart with lots of stuff on it through cobbled streets to deliver to a predetermined spot to get their next clue.
Mark & Bill arrive first and tie a coat around their merchedise to keep it from falling off. Terrance & Sara are doing well - it seems she speaks Portugese, but she seemed to be giving directions to him in Portugese, so that's not good. They arrived first, and go the next clue, followed by Mark & Bill, then Star & Nick, and then Ken & Tina.
They have to travel to a Brazilian military base and sleep under mosquito tenting overnight, signing up for one of three departure times the next morning - 9 AM, 9:30 AM, and 9:45 AM. Terrance & Sarah got their first, followed by Nick & Star, then Mark & Bill, then Ken & Tina. They all got 9 AM times. Aja & Ty got a 9:30 time.
The second flight arrived, and Kelly & Kristy and Andrew & Dan got their tickets to the next clue first, then Anita & Barker, and then Dallas & Toni, followed by Anthony & Stephanie, and finally Marissa & Brooke. Kelly & Kristy and Andrew & Dan snag 9:30 times. Everyone else gets 9:45 AM times.
The next morning, they hav to go to Pelorinho, the historic center of Salvador, by taxi. There is some crazy competition for taxis. Ken whips out a whistle to get a taxi to stop for them, and I am annoyed by him. I am also annoyed by Sarah & Terrance, because he seems to have started nit-picking her already.
The first Detour is Hard Way Up or Soft Way Down. Teams must choose between Hard Way Up - crawling up a giant stone staircase on their hands and knees and have to answer a mystery question. If they are wrong, they have to start the climb all over again - and Soft Way Down - taking a giant outdoor elevator and then scaling down a cargo net all the way to the ground, 240 feet below. Only three teams can be on the cargo net at the same time.
I would take the Soft Way Down. Everyone seems to be choosing that one, too. Nick & Star got there first, but Terrance & Sarah went up the wrong way, and had to start over. Ken & Tina (who Nick & Star have dubbed Mom & Dad) are second on the cargo net.
Nick & Star get down first, followed by Ken & Tina and then Mark & Bill.
They are all headed to the pit stop next.
Terrance & Sarah passed Mark & Bill, and Terrance complained that Sarah was talking while climbing. Seriously. He is already annoying me.
Nick & Star get to the Pit stop first and win a trip to Belize. Nice.
The frat boys chose the Hard Way Up. We'll see how that goes. I always feel badly when the production team goes to all the trouble of arranging a Detour only to have no one choose the option, so I'm glad that the Frat Boys did the Hard Way Up. It looked like hell, so I think the others chose better. The mystery question is How many steps had they climbed, and they get it wrong and have to start over. Oops. At least they got it right the second time.
Marissa & Brooke come in second to last, but Anita & Barker are sent packing back to their bees.
Next week, Terrance looks like he's getting pissy about the loose alliance between Nick & Star and Ken & Tina. And Sarah's just hurt that they didn't talk to her. Ok, so she's annoying me, too.
It's too early for me to choose favorites, but I have some un-favorites. That would be Ken & Tina and Terrance & Sarah.
Your thoughts?
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