'American Idol 6' - 4/18 Results Show - East Coast Update

This post will be updated as the events of the evening go on. So, please return throughout the hour.

9:20 PM EDT: As I write this, Fergie is singing. We've seen some "insider" clips into the show, Simon explained his eye-rolling was in a discussion with Paula regarding Chris claiming that "nasally is a form of singing." Oh, and the group sang a song, too. No announcements on who's safe or not yet.

9:30 PM EDT: Still no boot news, a segment on next week's Idol Gives Back is done and over. Into commercial.

UPDATE: Sanjaya and Phil sent to opposite sides of the stage. Jordin joins Phil. LaKisha joins Sanjaya, Blake joins both of them. Chris goes with Jordin and Phil. Ryan talking to Melinda. Melinda is safe.

UDPATE: Ryan wants Melinda to pick which group - Chris, Jordin and Phil or LaKisha, Sanjaya, and Blake - is safe. She sits in the middle.
Ryan declares Chris, Jordin, Phil, and Melinda safe.
Blake, Sanjaya, LaKisha are bottom three.
Simon is smiling. He must think Sanjaya may go home.
Into commercial.

UPDATE: They're dragging the results out with a Shrek movie segment. Now dragging it out more with a Martina McBride performance. Right now (9:48 PM EDT), all we know are the bottom and top three.

UPDATE: Blake is safe

38 million votes - Sanjaya is going home. The Sanjaya Universe has ended!

'American Idol' Results Show Starts Soon

Just a reminder -- the American Idol results show starts at 9 PM (a few minutes from now) here in the NYC area. As news comes in, I'll post an East Coast Update which I'll keep updating throughout the show. You can find the latest American Idol post on this blog by hitting the American Idol 6 link under Categories in the right sidebar or using the link at the bottom of this (and any show-related) entry after Labels.

'Survivor' Host Jeff Probst Guest Host Gig on 'Live with Regis and Kelly'

I rarely really watch Live with Regis and Kelly. Oh, nothing against the show; usually I'm not around all that much on weekdays to catch it.

But today I was channel-surfing and happened to see Jeff Probst from Survivor just as the show began. Yep, Mr. Dimples himself. Hoping that he would leak some kind of information about the show, I just had to watch.

Alas, not one mention of the current season. No yays to Yau-Man, nothing. Even though that was the case, I still found his appearance in the capacity of co-host interesting. From watching, I get the feeling that Jeff would like this sort of gig. I really can't see him as a late-night talk show host. But I could see him in a daytime slot if the market wasn't so glutted over the past few years. His interview skills aren't too shoddy and he came across as taking a genuine interest in the topics and guests at hand.

While he seems to appreciate his Survivor stint which has made him a household name, he hinted he's ready to settle down a bit. He indicated he'd eventually like a family. He's also still with Julie Berry from Survivor: Vanuatu, but not married yet. I think Mr. Dimples is definitely off the market despite the lack of the wedding ring.

I think his most interesting segment on the show had to do with his dog, Bear. He adopted Bear from a shelter and then found out that the dog had serious health issues. He could have returned the dog, but instead opted to have open heart surgery done. Of course, I'm sure he's in better financial position than your average dog owner, but it still took some love to go ahead with the decision to have the surgery. As a result, Bear is now a healthy-looking and beloved pet when her (I think he said it was a she) chances of living more than a few months more were dim indeed.

Good boy, Jeff! Have a treat!

Although I would have loved some sneaky inside information on the current season of Survivor, I'm glad I caught Jeff's appearance today. In eight days, Regis will be back from his own heart surgery.

'American Idol 6' - The Final Seven Go a Little Bit Country

Often only a few can successfully handle the country genre when it comes around on the show. I think tonight's show stuck to that very theory.

The show opened with Ryan mentioning the VT massacre. But when a contestant (Chris) mentioned it, I noticed Simon's eyes rolling. Simon himself mentioned it at the end of the show along with the fact that the contestants had a "tricky week." I can't help but wonder if they told the contestants not to mention it.

Country singer Martina McBride was the mentor for this week. On the whole, her main advice was to be believable, connect with the lyrics, and tell the story. All good advice, I think. But did they all follow it?

Phil Stacey was first on stage singing a Keith Urban song, "Where the Blacktop Ends." Martina had told him to start as powerfully as he ends. I'm not a huge Phil Stacey fan, but I thought he did well. If I don't look at him, his voice sounds better. He still tends to creep me out and seems to get paler each week. The Roswell Alien and Uncle Fester like to watch him, though.

Randy thought it was really good. Paula thinks it's his genre. Simon said it only took ten weeks for him to show some personality.

Jordin Sparks was next with "Broken Wing" by Martina herself. She was a bundle of nerves as she worked with Martina. She needn't be. Martina thought she was "awesome" in rehearsal and I think she was awesome on stage. In addition to a WOW performance, I thought she looked exceptionally pretty tonight.

Randy said, "Dude, that was the bomb!" (A good thing, y'know.) Paula bubbled and gushed. Simon said she showed that she could win it all based on that performance.

Sanjaya Malakar, the monster we've created, was next singing "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt. Oh, his singing sucked, an expression I don't often use.

But I think Randy hit the nail on the head last week -- this kid is very smart. He knows the controversy and is playing into it full force. It's like he wants to be a William Hung who can actually sing a bit. (Notice I said "a bit.") He's nowhere near the league he should be to still be in the competition, but he's working his Malakar Monster Mojo.

Randy said the performance was karaoke. Paula said he's a lovable guy who enjoys adversity. Simon said it was "actually horrendous." Ryan accused Simon of never liking him and verbal fisticuffs ensued... or something like that.

LaKisha Jones sang "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. She told Martina she chose it because she connected with the lyrics. Well, um... she had a really off night for her. Her eyes looked weird to me like she had been crying or not feeling well. Technically, she sang fine hitting the notes. But there was no Kiki Kickin' in this performance.

Randy said it wasn't his favorite performance of hers. Paula agreed with Randy but added that even though she screamed, she was still "brilliant." Simon claimed she didn't connect with the lyrics and likened it to "eating a hamburger for breakfast." Now, I have nothing against hamburgers for breakfast, but her game was definitely off tonight.

Chris Richardson proclaimed his talent for country music and chose Rascal Flatt's "Mayberry." Martina thought it was an unusual choice, but he's a "good country singer." Say what? He got on stage and sounded all nasally once again! Randy said he sounded nasal with no connection and no emotion. Paula said he didn't show his love and joy of the stage. Simon said it was nondescript, nasally, tinny, completely and utterly insignificant.

That's when we got a lesson from Chris. "Nasally is a form of singing." @@ (Sorry... had to roll those eyes!) Chris actually defended his nasality claiming he does it on purpose! Well, that shines a new light on things, doesn't it?

Melinda Doolittle sang "Trouble is a Woman" by Julie Reeves. Martina had never heard of the song, but was dazzled by Melinda. So was I when she sang it on stage. Her voice is always superb, but tonight she also threw a lot of personality in into her performance.

Randy yo-yo'd and declared it a "solid performance from our resident pro." Paula said it was the right song for her and she sang her heart out. Simon told her not to act surprised (lose that) and then said she was fantastic. That, she was.

Blake Lewis took the stage last. He chose a good song -- "When the Stars Go Blue" by Tim McGraw. Martina told him to relax, so it's not surprising that he looks like a deer caught in the headlights in this photo I took early in the performance.

I don't think he was all that comfortable with the genre. He did okay, but it wasn't my favorite Blake performance. I think he's the most talented of the guys left, but Phil out-sang him tonight. I don't think he has to worry about going home and we all know that if this kid starts selling records, they won't be in the country genre.

Randy liked the performance -- "the right song" and "you know who you are." Paula said he had the whole package. Simon said it was okay, not a "jumping out of the chair" performance. I know what Simon means.

So, who's going home? Well, it should be Sanjaya and I predict he'll be out of there soon. I think Phil, Chris, and LaKisha should worry this week.

TV Newsy Bits - Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Before I get started, I'd like to offer my condolences to those touched by the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Such an incredible loss to the families and friends... words cannot express my sadness. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

And, if you noticed, my usual TV Newsy Bits graphic has been temporarily replaced. This is a shot I took of the underpass I must walk beneath to get to the eastbound commuter train (towards Newark/New York City). It has a 13'6" warning for low trucks. Well, um... if I lay down on an inflatable raft, I might just clear the bridge. Blame the Raritan River. Needless to say, the station is still closed. Yet, I made it to work. (Sigh.) The devastation I saw in Bound Brook today was unbelievable. I saw it on TV, but seeing it in person is very different.

Onto TV Newsy Bits:

• Interviews with the most recent America's Next Top Model eliminee (is that a word?), Whitney, can be found in these articles -- RealityShack and Reality TV World.
• Country superstar singer Martina McBride will be coaching the American Idol 6 contestants tonight. Hmmm... what will Sanjaya sing?
• This week's American Idol contestant will be Number Seven. I found a blog with an interesting look at previous Number Sevens on the show. Jennifer Hudson was a Seven.
• Whether really spoilers or just a writer's predictions, this Reality TV Calendar article may or may not have real spoilers for next week's Survivor 14: Fiji. You've been warned.
• Tonight is the elimination show for Dancing With the Stars. Since I don't watch, if someone could get the eliminated announcement in the comments of the blog discussion post for the show, I'd love you! (Well, a platonic kind of love, you know.)

Whatever Will I Watch Tonight? - Monday, April 16, 2007

Ah, I'm enjoying my restful unplanned day off from my day job. I was right. Had I gone into work, I would have been stranded. NJ Transit has suspended the train line I need for my commute and flooding of the Raritan River has necessitated the evacuation of Bound Brook, a town I have to go through to get to work. And the river won't even crest until early this evening. Closed roads, canceled trains, a cozy apartment with working electricity. I'm set!

Similar to when Hurricane Floyd flooded Bound Brook, there was another fire there today. During the last really big flood, it was a motorcycle dealership burning in the middle of flood waters. That made national news. As I type this, they just announced five homes were involved in the fire, not three. Fire boats from other areas of NJ and NYC didn't arrive in time and firefighters couldn't get near enough to the fire due to the flood waters. With its history of flooding, I'm wondering why Bound Brook doesn't have its own fire boat.

Oh, well... here's hoping the cable doesn't go out. What will I watch tonight?

• 8 PM -- CBS has a repeat How I Met Your Mother followed by a new The New Adventures of Old Christine. NBC has a new Deal or No Deal. ABC has a ninety-minute Dancing With the Stars -- remember to stop by the DWTS blog discussion post to talk about the show with a fine group of folks! FOX is airing a new Drive. Hmmm... did the show start last night? I'll probably take a peek at it, but if I recall correctly, the premiere was last night while I was busy with Amazing Race. I could be wrong.
• 9 PM -- CBS has new episodes of Two and a Half Men and The King of Queens. NBC has a new Thank God You're Here. FOX has a new episode of 24.
• 9:30 PM -- ABC has a ninety-minute The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman airing. Again, if you watch the show, please drop by the blog discussion post for the skinny and good discussion!
• 10 PM -- CBS has a new C.S.I.: Miami while NBC has doubled up repeats of My Name is Earl. Chances are I'll be either watching a new Animal Precinct on Animal Planet or FOX, UPN or CW news trying to see what's happening with the storm closings around here.

All in all, it's not an exciting night of television for me although I know some very popular shows are on. What will you be watching?

'The Apprentice: L.A.' - East Coast Update - 4/15/07

No one was fired this week. The task was to create a Renuzit commercial. Frank and Nicole were paired together as were James and Stephanie. Old candidates of their choice joined them.

Both teams did the task well. The Final Four -- Stephanie, James, Nicole, and Frank -- were sent home to be back for the live finale next week.

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - Ep. 10 -or- "Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting"

Well, well... I found tonight's Hong Kong leg very entertaining. I'm still not too thrilled with a few of the remaining teams (cough:::Mirna/Charla:::cough:::Eric/Danielle)... but I thought tonight's challenges were a lot of fun and Hong Kong has always fascinated me.

Four teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

The teams departed from the House on the Hill in Kuala Lumpur in the order they had arrived. There was less than a two-hour gap between first and last place this time. The first team to leave was the Beauty Queens (Dustin and Kandice) at 12:28 AM while the last team was Oswald and Danny at 2:19 AM.

They had to get flights to Hong Kong, then travel 22 miles to a laundry where they were to receive their next clue. The two-hour gap was meaningless as no flights were available until morning anyway. Of course we had to endure airport drama.

Eric and Danielle tried to stare down Dustin and Kandice as they Yielded them last week. Internet attempts to obtain tickets didn't seem to work this time although I thought it interesting that the Burger King had Internet at the airport. In the end, Oswald and Danny seemed to find the best plan -- going downstairs to await the arrival of the ticket clerk rather than waiting at the closed counter. Alas, they decided they'd work with/help Mirna and Charla.

They said they did it for the karma just as others were saying that karma would get Dustin and Kandice for the Yield. Actually, D/K are right. The Yield is a part of the race. All the teams are supposedly in it to win. But it seems indeed the good karma worked for Danny and Oswald and the bad karma really didn't harm the Beauty Queens.

Danny and Oswald got the first flight out thus sending them directly to first place from last. (Yay!) Most of the airport stuff was the same old sniping between teams. Mirna told the Beauty Queens, "Take your padded bras elsewhere!" And so on... and on. I found it interesting (and not totally safe) that Charla had heelies on in the airport. It did speed them along as Mirna dragged her. Why haven't they used them before? They had to be heelies, right? Eric and Danielle once again ended up on the last flight leaving.

Since the ChaChas, Danny and Oswald, arrived in Hong Kong before any of the other teams, they were the first to find the Fast Forward at the laundry. Well, of course they took it! The clue directed them to the old International Airport where they would take part in a high-speed movie stunt. Now we're talking!

These are the kinds of things I like to see on The Amazing Race! They weren't told exactly what they would be going through before experiencing it, but both took it all in stride. They knew from the gear they had to don that it would be something exciting and probably a tad dangerous. And, it was.

Once geared-up and strapped in, a stunt driver took them through a course which not only was high-speed, it was a roll-over! Woohoo! They both seemed to love it and took their clue which would send them directly to the Pit Stop skipping both the Detour and Roadblock the other teams would face. Oh, and they had to take a Travelocity gnome with them.

But the Detour was kind of cool, too. Well, at least the choice all of the teams made. One of the choices sounded a bit boring, but even Charla and Mirna went for the more physical task. Teams could Kung Fu Fight or be Lost in Translation. The latter was the boring task -- they had to study a sign in Chinese characters, then find it. Yawn! But, hey, when everybody's Kung Fu fighting, you know it's as fast as lightning! Oh, go ahead... click on that Kung Fu fighting link. You know you want to do it.

Dustin and Kandice arrived at the Detour first. Thinking that Charla and Mirna would go for the non-physical task, they went for Kung Fu Fighting. Actually, Charla and Mirna originally went for the Lost in Translation, but changed their minds. Once at the Detour, the teams had to climb up eight flights of scaffolding while being "attacked" by Kung Fu ninja-types.

Dustin and Kandice got through it first, then Charla and Mirna. Danielle and Eric seemed to be lagging way behind due to their later flight, but did the task in great time. I only wish that Danielle wouldn't wear low-cut sports halters in every country. I know some men probably disagree with me on that one. Heck, even the Beauty Queens cover up with t-shirts and such.

From there, teams had to take the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island to find the next clue at the Old Police Headquarters. While Charla and Mirna took the wrong ferry, they remained ahead of Eric and Danielle.

The clue there was a Roadblock and, while not so exciting, dangerous, or even hard, it was sort of fun. It seems the show capitalized on the film industry in Hong Kong, mainly the adventure/crime/martial arts genres. One member from each team had to go through the old headquarters knocking down doors to find a clue in a room. Charla and Eric (not at the same time obviously) really got a kick out of it. (Heh.)

From the Roadblock, teams headed to Victoria Park where there were gnomes on junks floating in the lake. They had to gently pull their chosen gnome to shore without drowning the gnome.

No one drowned the gnomes, but Eric and Danielle seemed to be far behind even though editing attempts of the race to the Pit Stop tried to tie them in with Mirna and Charla. I personally don't think it was as close as they tried to make it seem.

The Pit Stop was at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Danny and Oswald arrived there well before the other other teams due to the Fast Forward. Here's the order of arrival:

1. Oswald and Danny - They also won the most expensive trip of the race, a trip back to Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year. Wow, I'd love that!
2. Dustin and Kandice (don't see that bad karma doing much there)
3. Charla and Mirna
4. Eric and Danielle, saved by a non-elimination leg. They will be marked for elimination next week and must come in first place or suffer a 30-minute penalty.

Okay, what's with the gnomes? They usually have a gnome-challenge each year, but the gnomes are marked to win prizes. Phil didn't ask to see the gnomes although all the teams brought them as directed. Did I miss something? It seemed the ChaCha's trip was a regular non-gnome related first place winning one.

Will Eric realize that he should sometimes listen to Danielle? Is Mirna being suspiciously edited as being nicer to Charla?

So many questions... I guess I'll just have to wait until next week!

'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' - April 15 - East Coast Update

Pit Stop Arrival Order:

1. Oswald and Danny (used Fast Forward) - won the most expensive trip on the show so far -- Hong Kong for Chinese New Year.
2. Dustin and Kandice
3. Charla and Mirna
4. Danielle and Eric

It was a non-elimination leg, so all teams still in it.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight.

Tonight's 'The Amazing Race 11: All Stars' Blogging

The show will be starting on time here in the NYC area, so I'll be posting an East Coast Update with the arrival order and Philimination (if any) at about 9 PM EDT. A full review/recap will be posted late tonight.

It's Pouring Pants! - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - April 16-20, 2007

Oh, my... I've had a lazy Sunday. I usually post this early Sunday morning, but something went awry today, eh?

I blame the rain, the big nor'easter. While we haven't had the horrible winds forecasted (yet), we've had about four inches of rain. I've lazed about listening to the rain on the windows, old jazz, and the upstairs neighbors bowling (or whatever they're doing up there). I've read, watched the latest (tape) BET The Wire episode, took a bubble bath, did a bit of housecleaning... and now I should get the Letterman schedule up.

While we won't have Bruce Willis with a Sanjaya FauxHawk this week, here's what we can expect:

• Monday, April 16: Kelly Ripa from Live with Regis & Kelly, Simon Pegg promoting Hot Fuzz, and comedian Jim Short.
• Tuesday, April 17: Craig Ferguson (The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson), Dave Della Terza from votefortheworst.com, Avril Lavigne whose latest CD is The Best Damn Thing. Okay, I'm marking this the hit show for me for the week. Craig Ferguson makes me snicker and votefortheworst? Gotta see that segment!
• Wednesday, April 18: Edie Falco from The Sopranos, Paul Scheer (Human Giant), and musical guest Son Volt (CD is The Search).
• Thursday, April 19: Garry Shandling promoting his latest DVD Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show, American CHopper guys Paul Teutul Sr. and Jr., and musical guest Tokyo Police Club whose CD is A Lesson in Crime. This one sounds very intriguing, doesn't it?
• Friday, April 20: Jessica Biel (Next), Ira Glass (This American Life), and Regina Spektor promoting her CD Begin to Hope. Um, okay. I'm not familiar with the first two guests and not a Regina Spektor fan at all. Ira Glass sounds a bit intriguing. I guess I'll see!

There are your hip-waders pants for the upcoming week!

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, April 14, 2007

It's April 14th. Do you know where your taxes are? Mine are already done, but it seems we actually have until the 17th this year for procrastination fans. Monday is a holiday in D.C. and the 15th is a Sunday, thus the change in deadline.

Here on the East Coast, we'll have a nice day, albeit a bit chilly. But a nor'easter will arrive a bit out of season tomorrow bringing us torrential rain, high winds, and perhaps even a bit of snow. I'm about ten miles inland and not directly near small rivers (closest one is two blocks away), and I live in an upper floor of an apartment building. I'll run errands which need running today and plan for one of those days that I look out the window from my cozy apartment and say, "looks nasty out there."

Here are the TV Newsy Bits of the day:

• Celebrity Spider has a promotional peek at this week's Survivor 14: Fiji while Inside Pulse has an interview with castoff Lisi.
• The Globe and Mail has an interesting interview with Jeff Probst.
• An interview with the most recent castoff, Michelle, can be found here. A rather poorly-written transcription of her Early Show appearance is here.
• American Idol reject Haley Scarnato doesn't want to be remembered just for her skimpy clothing.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - Ep, 9 -or- "Start anew, all target Boo."

Oh, the game is getting good. People are doing stupid things. People are in alliances, yet not. Lots of sneaky stuff and mistrust. I love it!

Ten are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

At the Ravu camp, Alex and Edgardo are mighty worried about the hidden Immunity Idol that Mookie is holding. They should be as Mookie's main interest is Mookie, not Edgardo and Alex. He told us in a confessional segment that he plans to use it to further himself. If it works out that it helps Edgardo and Alex, that's fine.

Although they hid the Idol find from Dreamz, the boys have a pact -- "the Four Horsemen." (Where have I heard that before? Yikes... Jase, Scott, Cowboy, and Drew on Big Brother 5!) They think the merge is coming soon and quickly decide that Boo has to be a target. I guess they think Earl isn't a threat? Silly boys.

We got a neat relaxing musical intro to the luxury Moto camp. Uh-oh. Tree mail brings news that they have to gather only their personal belongings -- no tools, no rewards, no flints -- and head to Exile Island. Over at Ravu, they got the same mail. Is the merge on or is it another trick up the Survivor sleeve?

Both tribes get to Exile and there's no Jeff, no sign of anything. They immediately head to about the only real "place" on the island, the tower. Sure enough, there's a chest with new purple buffs. The castaways have varying thoughts on the merge. Earl welcomes it, but he's leery. He wants to watch who's watching whom.

The newly-formed tribe was sent to the Moto camp. Mookie was thrilled as he's never seen the camp at all. Oh, but it wasn't the lap of luxury. The camp had been stripped of its worldly goods. All they found was the cave, a bit of fishing gear, one pot, one machete, and one flint. Earl got pretty excited. He had been at Ravu before, so he felt like he was "back home."

Mail told them that they would start anew, with a new name and new camp flag. They decided the name of the new tribe would be Bula Bula. Bula means "hello" in Fiji.

Not knowing the twist which would come their way, Stacy and Michelle were pretty confident that since it's now a game of individual immunity, the women would be safe. After all, the guys would pick each other off trying to eliminate the strongest targets.

Then the alliances and the not-so-alliances came to play. Earl thinks his group is good -- himself, Yau-Man, Cassandra, and Michelle. Can Cassandra flip Dreamz (even though Earl doesn't trust him)? Mookie and Dreamz know that although they're a part of the Four Horsemen, they're a bit on the outside of Alex and Edgardo's circle. But, as directed by the others, they talk and listen to the buzz from the other folks. Boo feels extremely targeted. He should as both of the larger groups seem to want him out first. Yau-Man trusts Earl, but no one else. No one seems to be targeting Yau-Man even though he was a powerhouse in the last challenge. He played it up well with Dreamz, though.

Alex truly believes the Four Horsemen are controlling the game. (With the way things turned out a bit later, maybe they are.) Then Mookie told Dreamz about the Idol. What's going through his mind? I think that he feels that, with the exception of the Idol find, he actually has more of a link to Dreamz than he does to Edgardo and Alex. Dreamz was ticked that he wasn't told before. Alex and Mookie told him it was the Cassandra connection and they were worried. But Dreamz rightfully thought it was that they didn't trust him. They don't.

When the other three "Horsemen" gathered without Dreamz, they lit into Mookie for telling him. Alex and Edgardo want to pull Stacy into their group to make it five strong, but Mookie is leery of her. He later spoke to Dreamz. Both know that Alex and Edgardo would choose her to be with them over Mookie and Dreamz when the numbers got low. The plan that Dreamz and Mookie wanted was Boo out first, then Stacy as she was a threat to them. Dreamz went on about how much he wanted her gone. Yeah, right.

The Immunity and Reward Challenge turned things about once again with a new twist. Jeff told the tribe that the merge did indeed go down, but... for this challenge teams had to pick colored stones from out of two bags (one for the men, one for the women). Then, with a reveal of stones, the tribe was split into two teams. The Orange Team had Boo, Earl, Yau-Man, Cassandra, and Edgardo. The Green Team had Alex, Michelle, Mookie, Stacy, and Dreamz.

Jeff told the teams that the winning team would win Immunity and Reward. The latter would be a feast of steak, vegetables, and wine. The losing team would face Tribal Council. There was a note he'd read after the challenge was finished.

The teams had to row out first to memorize the symbols and placement of designs on a turtle-puzzle, then to platforms with suspended bags of... you got it... puzzle pieces! They had to collect three bags, then row back to the shore. Once there two team members de-bagged the pieces and put the puzzle together.

The Orange Team (yay, Earl and Yau-Man!) won. That, of course, saved Boo's butt in the game. No one was more happy than was he. But there was another bit of a twist. The note Jeff had indicated that the losing team had to head immediately to Tribal Council. There would be no time for scheming, strategizing, or anything.

Sigh, but there sort of was. Jeff asked very leading questions which pretty much laid out the cards on who may vote for whom. He asked various folks what reason they'd have to vote out others by name. For example, he asked Alex what reason he'd have to vote off Stacy. "None." Michelle? "I don't know her." Mookie? "No reason to vote him out." Dreamz? "No reason to vote him out." Jeff asked everyone in turn about everyone else.

And, here's where the stupidity of Dreamz came to play. When Mookie voted, he voted for Stacy because she was on their list (no Boo to vote for). Now, Dreamz knows that he wants Stacy out, so what does he do? He votes to oust Michelle! Argh! Combined with Alex and Stacy's votes for Michelle, Michelle was voted out.

Where is this guy's mind?

A Few Quick Newsy Notes

These aren't necessarily television-related, per se. But I thought it important to mention them if folks wanted to discuss them.

• Writer Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday. I've always admired his work and feel I should give my regards on his passing. Although I had his brother, Bernard Vonnegut, as a professor for an atmospheric sciences course back in my college days, he certainly wasn't Kurt! A fantastic talent, rest in peace Mr. Vonnegut. Hi-ho.
• Don Imus was fired by both CBS radio and and CNBC, as he should be. I've never been an Imus fan and thought his comments not only racist and sexist, but just incredibly mean, too. Here they're a team of young women who should have been thrilled that they made Rutgers sports history and he had to say what he did. What would even make a thought like that come to mind in a situation when the girls did something so great? Good. He's fired.

Your thoughts?

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update 4/12 - Voted Off

Michelle was voted out. Stacy, Alex, and Dreamz voted for her to go while Mookie and Michelle voted for Stacy.

A full review/recap will be posted later tonight. Stop on back!

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update 4/12 - Merge/Immunity/Reward

The merge happened, but all ended up sent to the Moto camp where the campsite had been emptied.

In Immunity/Reward, the tribe was split into two teams. One team would win Immunity and Reward, the other would go to Tribal Council. The teams were picked with colored rocks in two bags - one for women, one for men.

The team of Earl, Yau-Man, Edgardo, Cassandra and Boo won Immunity and Reward (feast).

The team of Dreamz, Stacy, Alex, Mookie and Michelle will be heading immediately to Tribal Council with no time to strategize.

I'll post another update with the boot and a full review/recap later tonight.

"Lost' - "One of Us"

I knew it! I knew it! Once an Other, always an Other! And, most certainly, you definitely can never trust an Other. Not that I'm the sort of person who'd say, "I told you so."

But...

I told you so.

This episode was great for advancing the story. It was Juliet-centric and clued us in on at least some of the "experiments" on the island and why she was there.

In Flashbacks:
Juliet's story began where her last flashbacks ended in a previous episode. Juliet and her sister Rachel, the one whose pregnancy despite her cancer was due to Juliet's efforts, were headed to Mittelos BioScience where Juliet agreed to a six-month work contract. Of course, it was all mysterious and no sane person would go for it, but Juliet did. I find it interesting if you play with "Mittelos" you can get "lost time" or "time lost." A clue? Who knows?

After being told that she would be "there" for six months, Juliet asked where "there" was to no avail. They gave her a glass of orange juice and tranquilizers so she would sleep for the trip and all they'd tell her is that she was going to a special place unlike she's ever imagined.

She awoke in the submarine, bound because "the last leg is a bit rough." She went up the hatch, met Ben who told her that he'd be working with her.

What sort of work? Well, there's a problem on the island. Every woman who becomes pregnant dies. Since Juliet's expertise is in that area, we now know why they recruited her.

But Juliet wanted to give up. She couldn't save the lives of the pregnant women and, after so long (when she had been told six months), she wanted to go home. She was worried about her sister. Ben (remember, he likes mind games) told her that Rachel's cancer had returned. But if she stayed, Jacob could cure her. If she goes home, her sister would surely die.

After three years on the island, she was awakening with her boyfriend Goodwin. (Goodwin was a boyfriend, too? I thought Ben was!) Then she saw the x-ray of Ben's tumor and freaked. She went to Ben with it and he freaked, too. She referred to it as cancer. She confronted Ben with the fact that he said Jacob could cure Rachel's cancer. She accused him of lying to her. If they had the cure for cancer, why would Ben have or worry about cancer? She wanted to go home, but Ben told her Rachel was fine. No, she can't go home.

Then the flashbacks became like deja vu all over again. Juliet was once again playing Petula Clark's "Downtown" with the book club gathered in her living room. The plane crashed. Ethan was dispatched to play a crash survivor, etc.

Ben took Juliet to the Flame Station where Mikhail showed her images on the screen of a very live Rachel with her toddler, Julian. A newspaper was shown to reflect the date of September 22, 2004 -- thus proving it was current. Mikhail was studying the plane crash and Ben was hoping there would be a pregnant woman on the plane to further their experiments. "I'm not a liar," Ben said.

The last part of the flashback sequences was almost current news. Ben and Juliet planned it all. Well, more specifically, they planned that they would leave Juliet behind, the handcuffed to Kate bit, and Juliet would infiltrate the crash survivors. See! I told you! I don't trust them! Although the ending of the flashback won't make sense without what's happening on the island in this episode... she activated the implant in Claire. Evil, I say! Ben also told her he'd see her in a week.

On the Island:
Jack, Kate, Sayid, and Juliet were still heading to the beach camp after they left the Barracks. When they made camp, Kate went with Jack to get wood. He told her he trusts Juliet. He also told her of his deal with Ben. Meanwhile, that left Sayid and Juliet together. Sayid told her he wants to know everything. "Who are you?" Juliet told him that if she told him, he'd kill her. Then Jack interrupted their talk claiming that Juliet was under his protection.

Back at the beach camp, Claire wasn't feeling well. She even slept through Aaron's crying, so Charlie volunteered to take the baby so she could rest. Then, as if by magic, the three (Sayid, Jack, and Kate) arrived at the camp. All was hunky-dory with Kate and Sawyer hugging like there was no tomorrow and folks tickled pink to see Jack again.

Until, that is, Juliet arrived. Sawyer flipped out. Juliet pretty much exiled herself away from the crowd. When Hurley sat to talk to her, he mentioned that she was one of "them" but wasn't on the dock when he and others were accosted. She told him that happened to be her day off.

Sayid, Sawyer, and most of the camp held a meeting because of their concern about Juliet. Unlike gullible (and very annoying) Jack, they don't trust her at all. They don't think it's enough that Jack trusts her. Good thinking, folks! They also talked about Locke going with the Others. They have no idea what he's doing or why.

At the meeting, Claire took a turn for the worse, vomiting blood. Jack tried to help her, but Juliet asked Kate to bring him over to her. When questioned why, she said, "I think I did it to her." She wanted to retrieve some serum placed by Ethan.

As she got it, Sayid and Sawyer snagged her. She told them a convoluted story about Ethan getting blood samples, the pregnancy bit, Claire was a "control case" and more. She also claimed that Ethan kidnapped Claire on his own -- nothing to do with her. But, without the injections of serum, she would die. "I can fix this."

She also told them that she doesn't understand how they became the "moral police." She brought up that Sayid never told the other crash victims the extent of his torture days, nor did James (Sawyer) tell about killing a man before getting on the plane. They looked stunned. She told them to skip the righteousness -- she needed to get the serum to Claire or there would be more blood on their hands. Wow, Juliet. I've gotta say, she is good!

After returning to the camp, Jack told Juliet that if the serum didn't work he couldn't protect her anymore. Oh, but of course it worked. Heck, we know it was a plan and Jack's a doofus to believe Juliet. Jack gave her supplies and pointed out an area for her to set up camp a bit away from the others.

"You want to get off the island as much as we do. You're one of us," Jack told Juliet.

LOST [clunk]

Now, I think the plan to save Claire is definitely a ploy to gain trust for Juliet. But I wonder about Sun's pregnancy. She obviously hasn't died. Juliet had told Ben that she thought whatever was killing the women happened at conception. Does this mean that Sun's baby is her dead lover's from previous to the flight?

And, what is that darn Locke up to?

Oh... and why the hell is Jack so gullible and trusting?

What is going to happen in a week when Ben sees Juliet again?

'American Idol 6' - 4/11 Results Show - East Coast Update

At this point (9:25 PM EDT), there have been performances and lots of stuff, but no results.

Stop on back as I'll be posting the news as it airs here on the East Coast.

Update:
Three with the lowest number of votes:
Phil Stacey
Haley Scarnato
Chris Richardson

Safe:
LaKisha Jones
Jordin Sparks
Melinda Doolittle
Blake Lewis
Sanjaya Malakar

UPDATE:
Chris is now safe. Bottom two, Haley and Phil.

FINAL RESULTS UPDATE:
Over 35 million votes, Haley Scarnato is history and Phil is safe.

'The Bachelor' Blog Discussion Entry Updated

As per the request of blog readers/commenters, I've updated The Bachelor blog discussion meet-up entry to reflect the current season. I'm still not watching the show, but blog readers sure are! If you wish to discuss the current happenings, stop on by the entry -- it's a good group of folks in there.

Yes, I still have it tied in with Nip/Tuck, but now the image and link reflect the latest. And, as readers asked me to do, I've removed about 70 older comments about The Bachelor: Rome so that folks need not wade through them to get to the latest.

Enjoy!

'American Idol 6' - The Final Eight Go Latino... Kind Of, Sort Of

Oh, my gosh. Put a bunch of young non-Latinos singing to a Latin beat and Sanjaya comes up smelling like a rose out of Spanish Harlem?

Yikes.

Coached by Jennifer Lopez, the contestants had the chance to turn the beat around this week. And, for the most part, they reminded me of Billy Crystal doing the "white man's overbite" in When Harry Met Sally.

Melinda Doolittle was first up on the stage. In my opinion, her voice itself is impeccable, even incredible. She sang "Sway" by Pablo Beltran Ruiz. On key, professional, but it just didn't grasp me the way I know she can. The judges seemed to feel the same was as I did to some extent. Technically, it was very well done. Randy said it was a solid performance. Paula called it "smooth, subtle, and sexy." Simon didn't care for it much. He said it was lounge, cabaret, lazy, and wooden.

LaKisha Jones sang Gloria Estefan's "Conga." Again, she did fine. She hit the notes, she even danced to the beat. But, it wasn't a LaKisha bring-down-the-house kind of performance. Randy thought it was hot and she had a good time. Paula thought it was a safe performance. Simon agreed with Paula. I agree with the both of them.

Chris Richardson sang a song I actually own and enjoy -- "Smooth" by Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas. I wasn't impressed at all. I think he was a bit less nasal-sounding this week and it was a good performance for him. But if I heard his version of the song first, I never would have bought it. But the judges disagreed with me. Randy thought he did a good job, very cool. Paula thought it was a hot performance and sexy. Simon preferred it to the first two as it wasn't
"cabaret."

Then it was Haley Scarnato's turn. Yipes. Can her skirt get any shorter? And what's with that little sexy kick she keeps doing? She sang "Turn the Beat Around" by Gloria Estefan. I think she flirted more than sang it, but that may just be me. She's bugging me more each week. If her sex appeal to the guys doesn't rock the vote this week, she's a goner tomorrow night. Randy said the performance was karaoke. Paula said it was a fun song. (Say what?) Simon said her tactic is to wear the least amount of clothes. (Spot on!) Haley gave Simon the evil eye, but I agree with him.

Next up was Phil Stacey, wearing a hat this week. He doesn't creep me out as much when he wears a hat, but I wasn't in love with the performance, either. He sang "Maria, Maria" by Carlos Santana and The Product G&B. I think he, for the most part, sang it okay -- his voice cracked a bit twice. But I also think it's a boring song for a show like this. I personally would rate his performance better than Chris Richardson as he shows he can have a real voice where as Chris seems to be a nasal "package" of a pop singer. Randy said it lacked passion and he didn't quite connect with the song. Paula said it was a good vocal. Simon said it was a good song choice, but lifeless and his voice cracked. I say we'll see Phil in the bottom rankings again this week and he may go home.

Jordin "Can't Go Wrong" Sparks sang Gloria Estefan's "Rhythm is Gonna Get You." Are we sure she's only seventeen? Really? She has such a professional stage presence that belies her years. She also looked very pretty tonight -- I think I prefer the straighter hair look for her. Oh? Did she sing well? Why, yes she did! Although I'd be more likely to actually buy something like a Melinda Doolittle CD of old classics, I'm leaning more towards Jordin winning this each week. Randy said she had the "yo factor." Paula said she was adorable and had a great time. Simon wasn't stunned. He mentioned the lack of progression tonight (and I think he may have meant overall, not just Jordin).

Blake Lewis sang "I Need to Know" by Marc Anthony. That's a song I sort of enjoy, but Blake didn't rock my world with it this week. He did okay and I certainly think he's still the best of the remaining guys. If any of the guys make it in the final four, it should be him. But it wasn't my favorite performance of his this week. Randy said it was a good song choice and hot. Paula said it was an excellent choice. Simon called it the best song choice and best performance of the evening. Okay, they liked it more than I did. He's safe, anyway.

Then there was Sanjaya Malakar, the kid who couldn't get words in English straight actually sang in Spanish. Now, my Spanish isn't good enough to know if he screwed up lyrics. But if he did, he recovered without skipping a beat. He sang "Besame Mucho" by Consuelo Velazquez. I think it was his personal best so far this season and may have been one of the more believable and better performances of the night. Shoot me now. Randy called him the smartest contestant and said it was really good. Paula said it was nice. Simon said it wasn't horrible.

Tomorrow night's results show has been expanded to an hour. As usual, I'll be posting East Coast Spoilers on this blog as the show airs here in the NYC area.

Was it just me not moved tonight? Can I get a witness?