'American Idol' Finalists Invade New York City

They're everywhere! They're everywhere!

Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, and Melinda Doolittle have hit Manhattan big time this week. They've been on every morning show, performed in the plaza for the Today show, and more.

Today seemed to be Blake-centric. I think his performance on the FOX morning show wasn't as live as it was set up to be, though. The singing continued after he stopped. He sang the same Maroon 5 song in each appearance I saw. No, I didn't go into the city to see them live -- I've been playing delivery tag with the FedEx guy and had to wait for a package.

Earlier this evening, Melinda Doolittle was on the local FOX 5 news. She seems a lot less nervous and was very upbeat. She'll be performing on tomorrow morning's early FOX show, but I'm unsure if she'll make the same all-network circuit Blake and Jordin did. Alas, even if she does sing live at the plaza tomorrow, I'll be at work.

Sneak Peek: TNT's 'The Closer' - 3rd Season Premiere

The Closer could very well be one of the best crime drama shows you may not be watching. Golden Globe Winner Kyra Sedgwick is Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson of the LAPD Priority Homicide Division. Despite budget cuts, office politics, and official scrutiny... she closes her cases and she does it her way. Oh, I didn't even mention her humorous domestic woes with her boyfriend. They really need a bigger house.

Unlike many shows in the cop genre, this one is a bit quirky and often leaves you guessing "who done it" until Brenda zooms in on the suspect. The writing is very clever with well-crafted mysteries and intriguing characters, as well as decent actors in the roles. The character of Brenda, in particular, is complex. She's a pro at her job, one of the best in the business. But, at home, she's a bit of a mess. All in all, it makes the show's whole premise work very well.

The good folks at TNT were kind enough to send me a screener of the first episode of the third season -- slated to air Monday, June 18, at 9 PM ET/PT. Now, of course, I can't (and won't) give you a recap of the show, but I'll give you few tidbits... dangle that carrot, so to speak.

The Wallace family -- a father, mother, and young daughter -- have been viciously murdered in their home. The teenaged son, high on drugs at the time, is still alive. Suspect? Murderer? Victim? Totally innocent? The story took some twists I never would have predicted. Brenda had to fight budget cut issues with no overtime all the way. "What happens if someone gets murdered on a weekend?"

Even though there were some light-hearted moments throughout the show such as when Brenda decided to take the police jet after being told to control expenses, the ending was a shocker and a bit of commentary on what jealousy and greed can do to a person.

There.

You still could never guess the twists in the episode. But it ain't no Law and Order, for sure. Nothing as straight-laced at that!

If you haven't been watching the show, you can check out some of the season two episodes. Two episodes air each Tuesday evening at 9 and 10 PM ET/PT leading into the week before the third season premiere. That's on cable station TNT - they know Drama, y'know.

Reality TV - A Game Show for a Kidney? Yipes!

I'm a reality television buff. I'm not proud. I'm hooked on Big Brother, Survivor, The Amazing Race, and more. I'm not so into the dating reality show genre, but know folks who enjoy them. I also enjoy many scripted television shows, but reality keeps dragging me back in.

With a show such as Big Brother, I think it's the sociology which catches my interest. I've always been a people-watcher kind of person. I like to sit and watch folks on the streets of Manhattan; I like to watch folks inside the BB House -- and how they interact with each other. Shows such as Survivor or The Amazing Race are basically sociological studies with added twists and pressures which change the human interactions.

But... what if the pressure was an actual life or death situation? Is it right to create what's basically a game show out of a situation where one person will die (not due to the game), one will have his or her life saved from a likely death, and two will lose a chance to win for their lives?

Although it's not against the law, I think it's definitely in bad taste and a moral grey area. It sounds like that futuristic Stephen King novel THE LONG WALK where one person would win, but all the rest would die, doesn't it? Many other novels and movies have toyed with similar ideas, but it hasn't been actually done before. Until now...

The creators of the Dutch Big Brother show will produce a new series on BNN in the Netherlands -- "The Big Donor Show." A terminally ill woman will give a kidney away to one of three contestants who desperately need the transplant to save their lives. Three people are going to die and their personal drama will be entertainment for the masses?

A quote from the local WCBS article about the show:
"Because of the show's shock value, it's expected it will do quite well in the ratings. Still, the Dutch Kidney Association says not everyone is a winner in the game since only one contestant gets the kidney. "Nevertheless there are two losers and what I would like to propose to BNN is ... you've got the publicity you want, now stop the program," said Paul Beerkens, Director of the Netherlands Kidney Association."

Am I really a part of this world? What do you think about this?

TV Newsy Bits - Tuesday, May 29, 2007

So, who's watching On the Lot? This show is surprising me. I wasn't too keen on the concept, but I do believe I'm indeed hooked. Some of the one-minute comedies the wannabe-directors created were a hoot, others just left me saying, "huh?" I think the "Wack Alley Cab" guy and the JT "Nerd" film guys will be gone. I'm watching it to see.

Here are the TV Newsy Bits I found for you today:

• The Houston Chronicle reports that Survivor 13 winner Yul Kwon is likely to receive an Asian Excellence Award.
• We know that Charlie left Lost with honor. But, how is actor Dominic Monaghan taking the cut from the show? The Celebrity Spider reports that he's not too pleased.
• According to this AOL article, tonight's House season finale will shake things up and end with a cliffhanger. Ohhh... a cliffhanger, eh? Who shot JR?
• Speaking of shake-ups, NBC's slumping ratings have caused an executive shake-up at the network. Drama!

'Big Brother 8' (and BB7) News

<--- Obviously not a Zoetawny graphic. Y'see, this is what you get when I do 'em.

Yes!

There's Big Brother 8 news to be had today! According to CANOE -- JAM!, the starting date for the show is Thursday, July 5th.

According to RealityBBQ, Sarah and James from Big Brother 7 are now a couple of the past. All that's said is "she is dating someone new." Um, okay.

In previously released Big Brother 8 news, Arnold Shapiro is stepping away this season and Alison Grodner will be taking the producer reins of the show. They had worked together as executive producers on the show in past seasons.

On the official CBS website, they still have the application link live on the main page, but the deadline was in April. I'm anticipating this season to be at this link once it goes live (if they follow the format from past seasons). Usually the houseguests go into sequester for a period in the latter part of June. Once the show is sure they'll make it (see Brandon Showalter), the cast announcements and website go live. The feeds usually follow the show's premiere although the houseguests are in the house for approximately 4 days before the first show airs.

I'll be doing Live Feed Reports once again this year, most likely on the three times a day format (morning, early evening, late night ET) with the exception of some days which will have additional posts. I'm also thinking of live-blogging the shows as they air here in the NYC area. I previously didn't do show blog entries as most had already been discussed in live feed reports, but live-blogging might fit that in just fine. And, as always, I'll be posting East Coast Updates on eviction nights.

On July 5th, it'll be AWN. (Credit to Monica Bailey)

New(er) Summer Shows on This Week

A damselfly rests on a poison ivy leaf in New Jersey. Yeah, I know it's not television, but I took the photo yesterday and thought it cried SUMMER. You can click on the photo for the full-sized image if you wish. I promise you won't have a reaction to the poison ivy and damselflies (related to dragonflies) are good bugs. They eat mosquitos!

Although TV seems to be slim pickings, there are some new shows on this week.

Monday, May 28: At 8 PM ET/PT, NBC has a new The Real Wedding Crashers (blech, in my opinion). FOX has a new two-hour episode of On the Lot, a show I found more interesting than I thought it would be. ABC has a new Wife Swap followed by a new Ex-Wives Club and a new Supernanny. I'll be watching the last of The Corner on BET for the evening. I might record On the Lot as I might be following the show in the future.

Tuesday, May 29: FOX has new episodes of On the Lot and House. ABC has a new episode of Boston Legal on at 10 PM ET/PT. A&E has a new Dog Bounty Hunter at 9 PM ET/PT. Also at 9 PM ET/PT, Discovery has a new Deadliest Catch followed by a new After the Catch at 10 PM. I think my primetime will be FOX, then Discovery for the remainder of the block.

Wednesday, May 30: FOX has a two-hour So You Think You Can Dance. ABC has a new Next Best Thing in the 8 PM ET/PT hour, followed by a repeat Traveler, then a new Traveler. Like last season, I'm a bit addicted to the So You Think You Can Dance auditions. I'll probably watch that, then Traveler. I haven't caught the latter yet.

Thursday, May 31: At 8 PM ET/PT, it's the season premiere of Pirate Master on CBS. FOX has a new Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader followed by a new So You Think You Can Dance. ABC has the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee running from 8 PM to 10 PM ET/PT. Well, let's see... I know I'm smarter than a 5th grader and I had the trauma decades back of being in the national spelling bee. Too many memories! I'll watch Pirate Master, but I'm not sure if the show will grab my interest or not. I'm not so into pirates, matey. Arrr-arrr.

Friday, June 1: Well, this is pretty pitiful. At 9 PM ET/PT, ABC has a new National Bingo Night. (There's a show I just can't watch!) At 10 PM ET/PT, A&E has a new Intervention. I may be checking out the Discovery Channel, Court TV, or Sci-Fi channel offerings for the night... or watching shows I've previously recorded.

TV Newsy Bits - Memorial Day - Monday, May 28, 2007

It's Memorial Day and graphic artist Zoetawny has made me a patriotic graphic fitting the occasion. (Have I mentioned that she rocks lately?)

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend and taking some time to remember our folks in the military - past and present.

Too many lives have been lost.

My own father served in World War 2 - a salute to him, as well as a pause to remember him. He's been gone for over thirty years, but lives in my memories.

Here are the TV Newsy Bits I found out there today:

• Last night I was channel-surfing at the start of the 11 PM news when Channel 7, WABC (NYC), went dark. It remained blacked-out until well past midnight when I stopped checking on it - just dead air. Even when the WTC towers went down, we had snow, not dead air. The cause? A fire. Yipes.
• Celebrity Spider has the skinny on the new ABC fall series, Cavemen - the one based loosely on the Geico commercial cavemen. I'll say right now that I'll definitely have to peek at that show.
• I actually have Maury on right now. I never watch the show as it's all "who's my baby's daddy" kind of programming. But, today it's Jack Hanna! I love him and his animals!
• AOL Television has an update on The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman and his fiancee.
• Will T.R. Knight return to Grey's Anatomy? It seems up in the air according to this AOL article.

Recycled Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - May 28-June 1, 2007

Well, May Sweeps have ended and we're (not unexpectedly) if for a week of repeats on Letterman this week.

As always, my complaint with the repeats is that they're much too recent. Yeah, I know they do that because movie promotions, news issues and more all have to be timely or current. Yes, that's the logic behind it all. But, as a regular viewer, I'd like just once to see a way old repeat. Heck, I'd watch that while I rarely want to watch a show I just saw two weeks ago over again so soon.

Here's what you can expect this week on the show and I guess I'll go to bed a bit earlier unless Leno has a guest I really want to see:

• Monday, May 28: Ray Romano promoting The Grand, Impressionist Reggie Reg, Dennis Haysbert from The Unit. Not worth a second watch from me.
• Tuesday, May 29: Senator Barack Obama, Halle Barry promoting Perfect Stranger, and Masters Champion Zach Johnson. This one was interesting for the Obama segment... he's a very personable kind of guy.
• Wednesday, May 30: Dr. Phil promoting his special Caged? and Jack Hanna. Hey, wasn't this shown only a week ago or so? Sheesh! I felt cheated by the Jack Hanna segment cut short for time.
• Thursday, May 31: Regis Philbin talking more than promoting Shrek the Third and Darlene Love (who's always tremendous). It was a good show, but again it aired just a week or maybe two ago.
• Friday, June 1: Tobey Maguire promoting Spider-Man 3, Modest Mouse, and Impressionist John Byner. Excellent show, but I won't watch it again so soon.

I foresee earlier bedtimes for me this week.

What's On Television Tonight?

Holiday weekends, particularly those in the late spring/summer season, are often a bit lacking. After all, the common thought is that folks will all be away traveling and enjoying the weather. But, not everyone is. Some of us have hot weather phobia or have to work. Some of us will be home. So, what's out there on the tube tonight that we may not have seen before?

CBS is all repeats of Numb3rs and 48 Hours Mystery. But NBC is airing the movie, Chicago. FOX has repeat Cops and a new America's Most Wanted. ABC has basketball. CW has baseball here. USA has its regular Law and Order listings. BET has the start of three nights of the HBO mini-series The Corner (by the same writers as Homicide: Life on the Street and The Wire). AMC is showing a John Wayne movie, The Quiet Man. The History Channel is showing the original Planet of the Apes while Bravo has Apollo 13. Comedy Central has Coming to America slated for the primetime block.

Hmmm... I'm most likely to go with The Corner as I haven't seen it before.

What will you be watching? Or, are you off to the beach?

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, May 25, 2007

It's the start of a hot holiday weekend here! Today was the first day of over 90-degree temperatures since last August. I just have two words for that...

Air conditioning.

Oh, make it three words. Air conditioning, television.

Yep, that'll do it!

Here are the TV Newsy Bits I found out on the good ol' Internets today:

• Rosie O'Donnell, due to leave The View in about three weeks, has called it quits, asking for an early leave. Thus granted. After the blow-up with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, this doesn't surprise me at all.
• According to Celebrity Spider, some folks don't think Paula Abdul really tripped over her dog causing her broken nose. I don't know. As a pet owner, I have had two injuries caused by tripping over cats. A cut thumb (was carrying the emptied cat food can to the trash when I was tripped) and a greenstick fracture of my arm another time. Both times the pets in question suffered no injuries. So, I think I can believe her, a least a bit.
• Access Hollywood has a "Where Are They Now" interview with Survivor: Africa winner, Ethan Zohn. He's still with Jenna Morasca after four years and has invested his million in good deeds. He was such a cutie, huh?
• The New Jersey Star Ledger has an interesting article comparing the finales of Lost and Heroes. While I don't feel the Heroes finale fell short, per se... I think the Lost finale was better done when the two are compared. However, when I compare the seasons themselves, Lost had some weak episodes at the start of the fall season while Heroes was riveting (and understandable) all season. In its first season Lost was riveting, but often disjointed and odd - giant polar bears, etc. The concept of Heroes has always been more comprehensible for me. I may not know why they have powers, but they do and an evil man and others are after them. Simple.

"Lost' Season 3 Finale - "Through the Looking Glass"

Whoa... now, this was a good season finale! The only real shame is that we'll have to wait until February of 2008 to pick up with it again. At this moment, I still have the excitement of the much better recent episodes and the finale on my mind.

But who knows what might be occupying my mind by February?

The finale had flash-forwards instead of flashbacks and it was no particular character-centric, although leaning a bit to Jack in the flash-fowards. There were sad moments and I moment I outright cheered for Hurley, the Hero of the Day!

The Flash-Forwards

Future Jack is off the island and, while he's still a doctor, he's one with plenty of issues -- more than he had before Flight 815 (and there were a lot then!). He's hooked on heavy-duty prescription painkillers and drinking, too. Eep. Oh, and he has a beard and looks very unkempt. He's suicidal, too. After ripping a funeral announcement from a newspaper, he was going to jump from a bridge, but instead saved a woman and child in a car crash right by him.

Somehow the Flight 815 passengers have been issued Golden Passes and can fly anytime on Oceanic. Jack, perhaps believing he was never meant to leave the island, uses his pass for all it's worth. After all, he just might crash again and return to...?

Jack was the only one to show up to th funeral of what seems to be a mutual friend (or acquaintance) of his and Kate's. We didn't find out who it was who died, but Jack had hoped Kate would show up for the funeral. She didn't. He talked to her and she was a bit distant with him. She was with another man who also wasn't shown. Could it be Sawyer? The funeral itself was in a rough urban area and it really shook him up. Hmmm.

At the hospital where he works, Jack also made mention of his father as if he was still alive, but I think it may have been his condition talking. I don't think the past before the crash could have all been any sort of illusion.

On the Island

As we all pretty much guessed, Locke walks among us... or them, to be a bit more accurate. After all, as I have often said, Locke is a Key to the island. I believe his character is crucial to the whole thing. We had last left him in a DHARMA skeleton-filled burial ditch, shot by Ben because Jacob spoke to him.

He thought he was once again paralyzed and was about to kill himself with a nearby gun when Walt (of all people) showed up. Walt told him he had work to do then went away as quickly as he had appeared. Walt seemed to have aged a heck of a lot more than the days since the crash!

Jack was still leading the 815 crash survivors to the radio tower, leaving Sayid, Jin, and Bernard behind as the shooters. Yes, to shoot the dynamite-rigged tents and kill the ten Others they knew were on the way.

Meanwhile, Ben knows that Juliet betrayed him and he's irked, very irked. I don't think Ben is used to not being in control. He took Alex and headed toward the radio tower. He told Alex he was bringing her to her new family and her "bio-mother." Richard Alpert and Mikhail, as well as the all the Others, found out Ben lied about the Looking Glass. Uh-oh.

What did Ben think would happen when he met up with Jack and the others from the crash? Ah, but then Jack (who increasingly annoys me with his ways) thought he should listen to what Ben had to say. Sigh.

When Jack spotted Ben's radio, he grabbed it and the two had a long talk.

Ben wanted them to call off the plan to contact Naomi's ship. He said he wasn't sure if Naomi was who she said she was. He was scared what might happen if contact was made. Now, was he truly scared of the unknown? Or was he more scared that a way off of the island would be realized? I actually got the feeling it was the former. Ben also told them that the three shooters had all died at the camp. Yeah, right!

That got him a real beating from Jack as Jack went all kinds of crazy at the news. But it was a beating which left him alive... at least long enough to introduce Alex to her mother, Danielle Rousseau. Oh, I'm sure he lived.

Just as Naomi contacted the freighter ship, Locke came out of the woods and nailed her in the back with a flying knife. Then it was a standoff between Locke and Jack. Locke, not wanting Jack to contact the ship, threatened him with a gun. But, like he couldn't kill his father, he couldn't kill Jack either.

Jack contacted someone and was told that help would be sent. Locke can kill a stranger, but not anyone he knows, I guess. You would have thought this would be a kill situation for him. Locke wants to remain on the island more than anything else in the world.

Sawyer and Juliet headed to the camp to see the status of Sayid, Bernard, and Jin. But, before they left, Jack and Juliet kissed. Oh-la-la. The kiss didn't go unnoticed by Kate.

The real action at the camp with the dynamite -- Oh, no! Eek! Jin missed! Only seven of the ten were killed! The three remaining (Tom, Ryan, some Other dude) quickly turned the tables and took Sayid, Bernard, and Jin hostage.

Sawyer and Juliet were watching from the nearby woods after rebuffing Hurley's attempt to help them. Like with Charlie in the last episode, Hurley is shunned on a heroic mission once again. Sawyer wanted to "get them" but they were unarmed. So, who saved the day? Hurley! Yep! He got in the DHARMA van and rammed right into them! Sayid, bound and gagged, killed one by breaking his neck with his legs. And, Sawyer jumped into action grabbing the gun of one of the downed Others.

Sawyer turned the gun on the last Other alive, Tom. Tom said he gave up and seemed like he would cooperate with whatever Sawyer demanded. BANG. Sawyer shot and killed him. "He said he was giving up," said Hurley. "I didn't believe him," replied Sawyer.

The Prophet and His Vision Through The Looking Glass

Sigh. We knew that Charlie couldn't keep being saved by Desmond. After all, the different deaths would keep happening until Charlie's actual death occurred. But our heroin addict sneaky guy from the series start has grown into a man and into a hero in his own right.

Those armed women in the Looking Glass Station were Others. They beat and tortured Charlie to make him talk. After all, the guy is on a suicide mission. What they wanted to know wouldn't change what he had to do to save his fellow 815 survivors. He saw what he wanted to see -- the communications chamber had a flashing yellow light. He knew that's where he wanted to go.

Greta and Bonnie were wo-manning the station as per Ben's orders. Back at the Others' camp, Ben's lie about the station had been exposed -- he had told them that the station was flooded and that Bonnie and Greta were in Canada on an assignment. Mikhail (Eye-Patch Dude) took off for the Looking Glass and Richard seems none too pleased with Ben once again.

When Mikhail got to the station he found out Ben was also lying about the ability to jam distress signals. He killed Greta, and tried to kill Bonnie. But Bonnie had already given Charlie the code he needed for his "mission." Then Desmond, who just can't stop saving Charlie in spite of himself, showed up and killed Mikhail. (How many times can one guy die on a show?)

Charlie, going by Desmond's description of his vision, shut off the jamming mechanism. Then he received a radio call from Penny Widmore, Desmond's gal pal. He told her that Desmond was alive. But... it turns out Penny doesn't have a clue who Naomi is! She didn't send her!

He was going to tell Desmond but Mikhail the Undead (who needs to wear that eye-patch!) showed up once again. Sheesh! Charlie, in his last act, one of a true hero, flipped the switch, sealed the communications chamber to save Desmond so that he wouldn't be killed. He scrawled a note about Penny/Naomi and held it to the window as the chamber filled with water and he drowned... as per Desmond's prophecy.

I know Charlie hasn't always been the most popular character, but I rather liked the Hobbit. I'm going to miss him.

And, for sure, I'm going to miss this show for the nearly-year it will be gone.

Argh.

What did you think of the finale?

'American Idol 6' Season Finale - Live-Blogged From the East Coast

Welcome, American Idol fans! The show is starting here on the East Coast. This post will be updated as events occur on the show (or reactions to events occur in my mind). I'll constantly update it, so keep refreshing.

Right now Blake and Jordin are singing "I Saw Her Standing There."

Well, that was quick. Now it's to Gwen Stefani singing her newest song. Um, what is it? I don't know. Ryan blurted it too quickly for me to catch. Anyone out there hear the song title?

Into commercial break now. Ryan promises some surprises from the Top 12 when the show returns. Oh, gee, did Phil grow hair? Did Chris Sligh shave his head? Did Antonella Barba put on a turtleneck? I guess we'll see soon.

No surprises, just Kelly Clarkson singing her new single "Never Again." Jerry Springer is in the audience, ew.

The Golden Idols:
Truly Performed - Best Presentation: The Panther Guy Eccentric, Isadora Furman (orgasm woman), Margaret Fowler (older duck-costumed woman). Winner is Margaret Fowler. So, we get to see her once again. Joy, joy.

The Top Six guys, all suited-up in white, are singing, then comes the real deal... Smokey Robinson. Ah, now "Tears of a Clown" from the Six and Smokey. Very Pipsesque. Sanjaya and Chris R. seemed a bit off-key to me, but it could just be me.

More commercials, more hype for The Band Show.

Blake Lewis and Doug E Fresh are beat-boxing.

More Golden Idols
Most Original Vocal - Nicholas Ziztman (sp) (the geek - I'll have to link my old photos later), Sandy Chavez (the vocal coach one), Cholandric (sp) Stallworth? Winner is Cholandric Stallworth... which I'm surely spelling wrong.

The Top Six Girls are singing "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" - some voices are so perfect for that one. And, speaking of Pips earlier, here's Gladys Knight! Yay, they're doing "Midnight Train to Georgia" with the girls being the Pipettes! Great performance, so much better than the guys! Gladys is one of the few who really seem to hold up to the test of time. (Unlike :::coughDiana Rosscough:::)

Tony Bennett is now on stage singing "For Once in My Life." They focused on Simon in the beginning. Perhaps because Tony was quoted as saying Simon was too mean and the show was too rough on the contestants? I'd rather Gladys come back.

Golden Idol Awards
Best Buddies - Jonathan and Kevin (Bushbaby comment), Amanda and Antonella (Jersey Girls), Simon and Ryan. Winner is Jonathan and Kevin. The show has sponsored a bushbaby in a Milwaukee Zoo for Kevin and named it Simon.

Melinda Doolittle is singing now with a couple I missed because I was typing about bushbabies. "Hold on the Line" I think is the name of the song. I wish she was singing alone, though.

Ford Music video - "Time After Time." Both Blake and Jordin just got keys to new Ford Mustangs.

Carrie Underwood is performing now... much better than the Kelly Clarkson performance. The song is "I'll Stand By You." Very nicely done.

Clive Davis is up now. No, he's not singing. This year's report card - Chris Daughtry's success -- he's the biggest selling artist of the year. Sales are over 2 and a half million albums. KInd words for Simon, Paula, Randy, songwriters... Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, producers, arrangers... 6 million albums sold, Carrie Underwood gets another award.

The group they invited back representing Idol Gives Back is fitting - The African Childrens Choir. These kids are great! And, I bet it's a thrill for them to be on the show.

Aha, a Sanjaya segment... great moments in history! He's performing live with Joe Perry from... er, Aerosmith? Isn't that supposed to be Journey? Earlier it was released that he'd be on, but it's definitely Aerosmith. He's singing "You Really Got Me" in true Sanjaya fashion.

Green Day is up now singing John Lennon's "Working Class Hero." This is for the Darfur cause from the Instant Karma album.

Taylor Hicks is performing. "Heaven Knows" may be the name of the song, I'm not sure. It has a guitar riff used in some song from the sixties. Break out the harmonica.

Jordin Sparks is singing with Reuben Studdard - "You're All I Need To Get By." It started a bit off with muffled background singers here or something. Reuben has definitely taken off a lot of weight although he's still big. And, next to him, Jordin doesn't look so tall.

Bette Midler is on now. I'm wondering if the younger crowd who watches the show even know half of the guests? Well, Green Day, they should know.

Juliet just kissed Jack! Oh, wait... that's on the set in the other room where I'm recording the Lost finale (blog review/recap will be posted on that tomorrow evening).

American Idol tribute to Sgt. Pepper, now much more than 20 years ago...! Joe Perry is playing guitar as Kat McPhee sings, now Taylor Hicks is singing "I Read the News Today." It's nothing like the Beatles, for sure. Carrie Underwood singing "She's Leaving Home" backed up by the Top Twelve. Reuben Studdard is singing "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds." I wonder if anyone will sing my favorite from that album... "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite." Instead they're all singing "With a Little Help From My Friends." Rats, it ended with no nod to Mr. Kite. What kind of tribute is that, I ask?

Yes, the show must be going over. No winning announcement yet and it's 10 PM here on the East Coast.

Finally... the winner of American Idol 6 is...after the break.

609 million votes over the season, 74 million last night...

The winner is... JORDIN SPARKS.

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Yes, it's season finale night for both American Idol and Lost. Of course, that means I have a conflict. Ah, not so much of one, though. I'll be live-blogging the events on tonight's American Idol show so that West Coast fans who just have to know... will know. So, please stop back later tonight and check out the blog entry I'll be posting for the show!

Due to its late ending time, I usually post on Lost Thursday evening. That will remain the same for the finale. After all, that's a show I need to watch intently unlike American Idol.

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• There's another kind of audition going on for American Idol. For the first time, you can vote for the Entertainment Weekly American Idol special cover -- which Jordin or Blake shot do you like best? The issue is due to be out on May 28, so get your vote in!
• I noticed commercials for the return of Hell's Kitchen (June 4, FOX). I don't know if I'll faithfully blog the show as my summer gets hectic with the Big Brother live feeds reports (and my day job), but I'm sure I'll check it out to see the latest victims of Gordon Ramsay. In sad news related to the show, I saw that Rachel Brown, a rather colorful contestant on last season, recently passed away.
• Back to American Idol -- Simon Cowell has announced he plans to quit the show in three years time according to this Celebrity Spider blurb. He suggests that Donald Trump could replace him. Ewww! No! Never!
• Although CBS cancelled Jericho, according to the Chicago Tribune, there might be a wrap-up movie coming. That's something show fans would greatly welcome. Do it, I say!
• Who will Sanjaya Malakar sing with in tonight's American Idol season finale? Well, I can see Randy fainting now.
• Oh, there were fireworks on The View today between Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck! If you missed it, read all about it in this AOL article. There's also a video clip of the brouhaha at that link. An interesting, but surely unrelated note - today is the last day of the May Sweeps rating period. Surely unrelated, right?

In non-TV news, I saw a local cop on a Police Segway today. Is that thing really allowed on the sidewalks? This wasn't in the city (NY) I saw him, but in NJ. Very odd.

Remember to stop back tonight for live updates on the American Idol finale as it airs here on the East Coast!

'American Idol 6' - The Final Two - Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis Song Battle

So this is it. We're down to the wire on yet another year of American Idol, the show that has made FOX and Simon Cowell household words. Not always good household words, mind you.

Tonight was the singing competition of the two-night season finale... the showdown between Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis, the duel between singer and entertainer. Who will win? Hmmm...

The talented two performed live at the huge and probably daunting Kodak Theater. Now, if it were me, I think I'd hide in some back room. It had to be a bit nerve-wracking for both of them.

Paula was there despite breaking her nose. She said she tripped over her dog, Tulip. When Ryan mentioned the dog, he thought it necessary to say, "the bitch is okay." Bad move, Seacrest. Not that I personally care, but lots of young children and their parents watch the show. What's going on in your head, Ryan? Wrong place and time for that comment!

Blake and Jordin each had to sing three songs tonight. One would be a personal favorite that they've done on the show before, the next was a song they're singing for the first time on the show, and the third was a song they'd both sing -- the winner of the American Idol songwriting competition.

In an odd quirk of fate or, maybe Seattle has talent to spare, both Jordin and Blake initially auditioned in Seattle. And, not only that, the songwriting duo who won that competition also come out of Seattle. And, gee... isn't Sanjaya Malakar listed as coming from that area as of late? Heh.

Blake Lewis won the coin toss last week and politely offered Jordin the chance to sing first. She declined, so he was up to bat first with his favorite. His favorite was his most creative and popular song he did during the season -- "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi. I still think what he did to the song is amazing and I've always been partial to the original. But if he just copied the original, it wouldn't be anything special. If anything, he did his Blake-ized version even better this time around.

Randy thought the beat-boxing in it was "hott" and the singing just alright. Paula thought Blake outdid himself. Simon said it was his best performance, but not necessarily the best singing. The crowd went wild.

Jordin Sparks was up next with a song she hadn't sung on the show before -- "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera. I thought it a good song choice, very fitting for the show at hand. Her vocals sounded fine to me, she looked very pretty and she played well to the cameras and the crowd.

Randy thought her voice was stellar and that "this is an interesting night, show." Paula repeated "stellar" and said it was shaping up to be one of the best finales ever on the show. Simon liked that she chose a "younger song," but said she was a bit "shrieky" in the middle. He said that the first round belonged to Blake. I agree, but mainly because Blake's performance is so, so different and creative.

Blake's next song was his never-performed on the show before one. He chose "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5. Eh, it was okay from them and it's okay from Blake, I guess. That particular song is one I can see as elevator music or on an easy listening station. For me, it's just not exciting no matter who sings it. I thought he did well enough with it, but it was no "Shot Through the Heart" and it didn't show his creative performance skills.

Randy thought it was a nice vocal, very nice. Paula thought he eased into the song well and sounded great. Simon said it was good, safe, but not as good as his first song - no impact.

Then it was Jordin's turn to sing her favorite song that she's already performed on the show. She chose "On Broken Wing" by Martina McBride, a solid choice. She sang it very well and really shines with a ballad like this.

Randy yo-yo'd and thinks she's the most talented 17-year-old he's ever seen. He said her performance was flawless, better than the original. Paula said she was soaring with a great vocal, a great voice. Simon said, "Now, that was good."

The last song each sang was the songwriting contest winner, "This Is My Now" by Scott Krippayne and Jeff Peabody out of Seattle. Well, I think the song is commercial enough and very American Idol-ish. So, they did their part well. But, had I heard the song before it was sung by Blake and Jordin, I could have guessed which contestant could shine with it. It, to me, was a clear-cut Jordin Sparks kind of song.

Blake was first up with it. He did okay, but he looked a bit jumpy in the middle of it like he wanted to bust out and beatbox, but was muzzled. He basically sang it well enough, but not what I'd call a stellar performance. I love the way Blake dresses, though. Argyle is the new black, it seems.

Randy said it wasn't great, but it was alright. Paula mentioned it was out of his genre, but nice. Simon thought it was a bit off, not a bad song but not Blake's type of song. He said he hoped the audience would vote on the first two songs he performed.

Then came Jordin with the same song. Oh my... she brought the house down. Perfect vocals, brimming with emotion down to a tear at the end as she became overwhelmed. Excellent! But, as I said before, it's as if the song was made for her. I don't think I expected any less after watching Blake sing it.

Randy said she was clearly the best singer and that she was "on fire." Paula said she was proud of Jordin, Jordin's parents were so proud and happy and that she's an angel. Simon said last week he didn't think Jordin was good enough to be in the finals. "I was wrong and I apologize. You wiped the floor with Blake on that song."

So, who will win? Although I really enjoy Blake's style and his version of "You Give Love a Bad Name," I think it's going to go to Jordin. Me? I want to see what Melinda Doolittle releases.

Then it was a Daughtry (Chris Daughtry from last season and his band) performance of "Home." Okay, Phil Stacey. Look at Chris Daughtry's head. He can do the bald thing. He has a nicely-shaped head with a minimum of lumps and ears which don't stick out. He has a bit of a tan. You cannot carry off that look. Stop it. A very nice performance indeed, Mr. Daughtry.

Tomorrow night is the two-hour finale which conflicts with the two-hour finale of Lost. I'll be live-blogging the events of the live American Idol finale tomorrow night as it airs here on the East Coast, then posting on the Lost finale early Thursday evening.

So, if you wish to talk about the show as it airs, join me in the comments here. Or, if you're West Coast and just can't wait, check for the happenings and the winner right here!

'Heroes' - "How To Stop An Exploding Man" - A BulletPoint Report

Well, it was the big season finale tonight. In retrospect, I think this is one of the few shows which hooked me right off the bat.

Each week I sat mesmerized by the happenings with nary a moment to relax in between the thrills and chills. I'm going to miss this show.

I thought the ending of tonight's show was a bit different from what I had expected, but it was fitting. Ah, but that's later. Here's what happened on the show...

• The voice of Mohinder Suresh opened the show saying wise, pithy, and prophetic kinds of things. Make him shut up, please.
• The show started by tying up the loose ends on the dead folks from the last chapter.
• DL regained conciousness.
• Nikki asked why he took the bullet as he could have just allowed it to phase through him.
• We asked the same question.
• No on got an answer.
• Linderman remains dead.
• Thompson, Bennet's ex-boss from Primatech, also remains dead.
• Mohinder, Bennet, and Parkman are still in the Kirby Plaza Tower.
• Molly reminded Parkman he once promised to keep her safe from the Boogeyman (Sylar).
• Parkman told her that no one would hurt her.
• Bennet, with some persuasion from Parkman and Mohinder, decided that she could remain alive and actually help them by finding Sylar.
• Bennet told Mohinder about Thompson, the corrupt organization he was working for, and how he (Bennet) is a good guy.
• They kiss (not literally) and become buddies once again.
  
• Meanwhile, Hiro talked with his father.
  
• Hiro wants to find Ando; his father thinks his destiny, his mission, is more important.
• Hiro respectfully refuses - "I won't abandon my friend." He goes off looking for Ando.
  
• Sylar is still at Isaac Mendez's studio. He's not happy with Peter Petrelli paintings.
• Nathan's mother told him that Linderman is dead.
• When Nathan seemed to waver, she reminded him the plan wasn't just Linderman's.
• "The world will need me after the explosion. This changes nothing," said Nathan.
• Back at the Kirby, DL doesn't think he can make it and told Nikki to go find Micah and return.
• Claire and Peter called Bennet to tell him that Ted (Nuclear Hands Dude) Sprague was dead.
• Bennet and Peter both agree that Sylar, in addition to Peter, absorbed Sprague's power.
• Bennet told Peter that he would locate Sylar as soon as they fix the tracking system (Molly).
• Molly had a bit of a relapse, but was "fixed."
• She pinpointed Sylar's location on a map. Bennet recognized it as Isaac's studio.
• But he couldn't tell Peter that because...
• Peter led Claire to Nathan and his Mom, telling her he trusts Nathan.
• Claire ends up going off with Nathan and his Mom.
• Peter passed out on the street.
• He awakened watching himself back nursing Mr. Deveaux.
• And... his mother is talking to Charles Deveaux!
• Deveaux is in on the whole thing. They're discussing which son to use to save the world.
  
• Mom Petrelli thinks Nathan is the one because Peter was so iffy.
• Deveaux told her that Peter had heart, compassion and hope -- he was the one.
• It turns out that Deveaux can see the invisible Peter and talks to him once they're alone.
• "You had the power all along," Deveaux told Peter (sounding a lot like the Wizard of Oz). "You just needed to know how to use it.
  
• Back at Isaac's loft, Ando arrived with the sword to kill Sylar.
• Sylar sneaked up on him and stuck him on a wall, telling him he didn't want his brain.
• But then Hiro arrived to save the day! Or, at least, to save his best friend.
• Sylar taunted Hiro about freezing time.
  
• "Can you do your little trick quicker than I can do mine?"
• ZOOM - Hiro did it. He and Ando are back in Japan at their workplace.
• Hiro told Ando that he taught him the meaning of bravery, but he (Ando) must remain behind.
• Back at the Kirby, Candice is playing her illusion tricks.
• Nikki found the right room, but Candice is done up like Jessica and Micah is laying dead on the floor.
• Then it was Jessica's turn to save the day.
• She appeared in broken glass and told Nikki that she was stronger and it wasn't Jessica (Candice).
• Nikki went a bit Jessica on Candice and rescued the alive Micah.
• Back to Claire -- she jumped out of a tall building to escape from Mom Petrelli and Nathan.
• "Let her go," said Mrs. Petrelli.
• Bennet came across Peter who was still down on the street.
  
• He told Peter he'd take Claire's place with the gun if Peter can't control the radioactive hands.
• Bennet said he owe Pete. And, more importantly, he told him to call him Noah. Noah, eh?
• All of the heroes are working their way towards Kirby Plaza.
• Peter and Sylar face off.
• "Didn't I kill you once before?"
• "Didn't take," said Peter.

In the end, it wasn't any one hero who stopped Sylar. Parkman tried to shoot him, only to have Sylar stop the bullets and send them back into Parkman. Nikki, with her new-found strength, whopped him with a pole from a parking hydrant. Hiro ran him through with his sword. So, it wasn't the duel of powers that we expected between Peter and Sylar, not at all.

And, we're not even sure Sylar is really dead. One of the last scenes had his blood (no body) running into a drain with a cockroach scurrying in it.

What about the explosion? Well, Peter's hands did go crazy and he couldn't control the power. Claire tried to shoot him as planned, but couldn't do it. Then Nathan saved the day. He arrived and flew Peter away and we saw an explosion. Why couldn't Peter fly himself away? Maybe he can't concentrate on flying when he's exploding? Can't Peter live through the explosion? Ted Sprague couldn't blow himself up, after all.

And, what of Hiro? After running Sylar through with the sword, it seems Sylar slung him back into the past where he's surrounded by armored men on horses.

Um. Okay.

Sneak Peek: Tyler Perry's 'House of Payne' on TBS

I'm sure this show will have an audience, but I'm not quite as sure that the audience will include me.

Tyler Perry is popular these days, yet his work isn't always my cup of tea. When I saw some brief clips of Tyler Perry's House of Payne in a promo package from TBS, I thought I would give the show a try. I might still, but only for new TV fodder that I haven't seen before over the summer months.

I was sent a screener for the first episode, or a reasonable pre-release thereof. While the show has a fine cast, cute kids, a curmudgeon-uncle and a wise and loving aunt... there's one character which sort of turned me off.

Why do movies or TV shows feel they must create odd huge (fat or just plain tall) women characters out of men? I never enjoy that kind of role in a show, but I know that it's often done and done successfully on a commercial level. Aren't there enough huge, weird, intimidating and such women who are actually women? It could be just me, but whenever I see that sort of "man playing big weird woman" role and the humor surrounding it, I feel it's a bit off-putting or sophomoric. Or something.

And, I realize that it's Tyler Perry in the role for this one. But, that's not enough to make me enjoy it. The show has some clever writing and the rest of the cast is enjoyable, but I'm just not seeing this one atop my personal summer favorites list. However, if you enjoy that sort of humor and Tyler Perry, definitely check it out.

The series premiere is Wednesday, June 6 at 9 PM ET/PT. You can look in on the website for all kinds of stuff House of Payne-related.

'Lost - The Answers' - The Un-Special

They hyped it up. They pimped it out. They promised us... answers.

Due to its odd starting time on Thursday night (10:15 PM here), I opted to watch The Wire on BET and record this Lost "special." I thought I'd watch it today and share with the readers here all of the exciting news.

Um.

Well.

It was a show entirely composed of clips from the episodes we've watched before. Two producers (Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelhof) of the show dramatically would state things like "the show is about who they were, who they are, and who they will become" (regarding the characters) or "the monster processes memories of the people" (duh, even in the first season we got that much) or "the whole island is a magic box" or "the characters are all linked together" or... and it goes on and on.

If you wanted a quick series recap of clips which played important parts to the series thus far, this would be the show for you. That it was hyped as a special which might provide more answers or insight into the series was downright wrong. Heck, maybe even mean-spirited! About the only "new" news (and it's actually old news) the producers gave is that the characters aren't ghosts, are living and breathing, and aren't in Purgatory. That's all way old.

They confirmed it was Desmond who crashed Flight 815 with electro-magnetic waves when he didn't enter the code in on time. They confirmed that Hurley thinks he's unlucky. They explored Roger WorkMan and commented on Sawyer partying alongside Ben's dead father.

Lost, you disappointed me with this special. Next time you do a recap clips show, bill it as such. Don't tell me it's a special and I'll learn all kinds of stuff from the esteemed producers. Just don't do it.

And, make the finale this Wednesday enough to make me want to come back as a viewer next FEBRUARY when the show returns. I'm really not too sure you're doing this scheduling thing right!

Pants in Bloom - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - May 21-25

The subway series has the Yankees down two games to the Mets. But, more important... will Dave's guests score a home run this week?

Here's the list:

• Monday, May 21 - Rudy Giuliani, Mike West and his Cra-Z-Boy Chair, and music guest Jesus & Mary Chain.
• Tuesday, May 22 - Charles Barkley, Seth Rogen promoting Knocked Up, Michael Martin Murphey (CD is Heartland Cowboy: Cowboy Songs, Vol. 5)
• Thursday, May 24 -Al Gore pushin' his latest endeavor, a book entitled The Assault on Reason, comedian Jim Short.
• Friday, May 25 - Kevin Spacey (Broadway's A Moon for the Misbegotten) and Alexis Bledel (I'm Reed Fish).

Yes, you're seeing things right. According to the official website, there is no Wednesday this week. But, according to the AOL TV Listings, Wednesday does indeed exist --

• Wednesday, May 23 - Stupid Pet Tricks, Rosie Perez and musical guest Dr. Dog.

Who's sleeping on the job at the show's website, eh?

'American Idol' - Simon Cowell Reacts to Melinda Doolittle's Ouster

A blog reader (thanks, Justene!) asked if I had heard anything about Simon Cowell's reaction to Melinda Doolittle being voted off the show this week. Well, I surely found some reaction and I'm here to tell y'all...

In this Orlando Sentinel article, Simon voiced his disappointment with the voting, yet optimism for the upcoming winner. When asked if he thought Melinda lost due to her looks, he said, "I hope not," he says. "I think her age may have played a factor, not her looks. We have a lot of teenage voters." Cowell thinks the teenaged voters voted for Jordin rather than Melinda.

As for his thoughts on Blake, he called him a "brilliant entertainer, but not a fantastic singer." He thinks the opposite is true of Jordin -- "She is a great singer. On a negative, she hasn't done one performance I can remember as a wow."

Both contestants will have to sing a ballad this week, which could very well be a bit rough on Blake. Cowell stated in the article that he hopes that Blake will also do a Bon Jovi song. After all, one of his best performances to date was "You Give Love a Bad Name."

In other Idol News, the New York Daily News has an interview with the finalists, Jordin and Blake. They're both in it to win it. After last week's "old" comment from Simon, Jordin vows that she'll sing something more "youthful" this week.

They'll be singing three songs each this week -- one from the ongoing songwriting competition, one of their own choosing, and one they've sang on the show before. (Heh... can we say "shot through the heart and it's too late...?")

Another article which caught my interest came from PostStar.com - Melinda probably deserved better. Yeah, she probably did, I say. The article's written by a Los Angeles Times columnist and provides some insight into what we didn't see on Wednesday night as we either cussed our TV sets or jumped with joy. Should the voting system for the show be changed? Hmmm...

One quote in particular within the article linked above is perfect to close this entry: "But as we know now, 'Idol' has gotten too big to produce just one superstar a season. Melinda Doolittle belongs to the world now."

And, for me, that makes the world a bit better place.

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, May 18, 2007

It felt odd not writing up the latest Survivor episode last night. Relaxing, yes. But odd indeed.

Despite the fact that many series have wrapped up and others are in the process of doing so, there are always TV-related Newsy Bits to be found on the Internet.

Here are some of the interesting articles I've come across while poking about:

• Thanks to blog reader Sue, here's a great interview with Yau-Man Chan. He's likely to go down in the books as one of the most entertaining, most enjoyable, and smartest contestants ever on Survivor. There are also rumors that he may make a Top Ten appearance on Letterman, but I haven't heard anything concrete about that. Another interview with Yau-Man can be found on IGN.
• Ousted American Idol contestant Melinda Doolittle was interviewed by Fans of Reality TV.
• Despite a commenter making the claim a few days ago that Jericho was picked up for another year, it's cancelled as I posted. More sources here and here. No, I didn't want to see it cancelled, but I researched before I posted the information.
• TVGuide.com has an interesting article -- Backstage at Dancing With the Stars: Len Judges the Remaining Three Couples.
• NBC is taking advantage of the Heroes addiction faced by many show fans. You can read all about spin-offs, schedule additions, you name it.
• Speaking of Heroes, Masi Oka (my favorite Hiro!) was recently interviewed by the Seattle Times.

'Lost' - "Greatest Hits"

Uh-oh. Next week is the two-hour season finale starting at 9 PM ET/PT. And, we don't know what's up (or not) with John Locke? Is he dead? Alive? I think we'll see that he's alive next week, but that's just a guess on my part. I want to see the battle of wills between Locke and Ben, don't you? The Others seem ready to jump ship and get away from Ben.

This week's episode was Charlie-centric. Is it his time to finally die? After all, Desmond said that the "accidents" won't stop until he's dead. Will he finally stop saving him and let destiny run its course?

In the Flashbacks
The flashback sequences were a bit different from the norm. Directly after they were shown, the present-day cut to Charlie had him listing them on a piece of paper. Now, if he were only singing, "Memories, misty water-colored memories..."

In the first one, his band's song started playing on the car radio just as the band was going through bad times and ready to split up. The second one featured a child Charlie at a pool with his father and brother. He's scared of the water and his father kept encouraging him to jump in. "I'll catch you, I promise!" When Charlie jumped in and found out he was alive, he was thrilled with himself.

The third flashback was when his brother gave Charlie the DS ring he wears. It was their grandfather's ring and a family heirloom pass down to your son kind of thing. They used his initials, DS, to create the band name DriveShaft. Charlie's brother thought that Charlie was more likely to settle down and have a family since he (the brother) was so drug-involved.

The fourth flashback had Charlie saving Nadia (Sayid's once upon a time lady) from a mugger in an alley outside The Convent. He acted on instinct, got her purse back, and was surprised at his own bravery. She told him he was a hero. "Don't let anyone ever tell you different."

The last flashback was just after the plane crashed... when he met then very pregnant Claire. He reassured her that everything would be okay. They're alive on a beautiful island and a helicopter would soon rescue them. In present day, he listed this memory as "#1 - The night I met you."

On the Island
Jack told all of the Flight 815ers that Juliet had told him everything about Ben's plan to kidnap the pregnant women. Juliet tried to fit in as Miss Not An Other telling them that she was leaving the tapes just to look like she was playing along with Ben.

In a bit of an out-of-character move, Danielle Rousseau agreed to work with Jack by retrieving dynamite from the Black Rock slave ship. So, that's what she was doing there last week when Locke was tricking Sawyer into killing his father.

Why would Rousseau do this? She usually keeps to herself and doesn't get involved with happenings which don't directly affect her. And... why did Locke act like it was run-of-the-mill for her to be in the ship getting dynamite? I thought perhaps he knew why she was taking it. But, if it's Jack's plan, Locke wouldn't know about it at this point.

Juliet had been instructed to mark the three tents of pregnant or possibly pregnant women (Sun, Kate, who - my mind must be going unless they want Claire, the ex-pregnant). The plan is to rig those tents with dynamite and blow up the kidnappers.

Sayid took Jack aside and wanted his help. Rousseau's distress signal was interfering with the phone/radio of Naomi's. As he told Jack that they needed to go to the transmitter, Juliet interrupted them. She told them that Ben had all the signals blocked from the underwater Looking Glass Station. She also told them that Ben said the station was flooded and inoperable. (So how does it still block the signals?)

Meanwhile, Charlie knew that Desmond had another one of his visions. He insisted he tell him. Desmond told him that he saw a helicopter rescue Aaron and Claire, but that he (Charlie) had to die in order for it to happen. How should he die this time? By drowning in a hatch with a flashing yellow light while flicking a switch. Desmond didn't know when it would happen and neither was aware of the Looking Glass Station discussion.

Charlie overheard Juliet, Sayid, and Jack discussing the station and how someone needed to go to it, but it would be a suicide mission. Charlie instantly volunteered.

Then Karl, Alex's boyfriend, came ashore in an outrigger. He told them that Juliet's one of "them." Um, yeah. They know. He then told them the plans had changed -- the kidnapping would take place tonight. The Others were on the way, ten of them.

Why the change in plans? Six hours previously, Ben returned to his camp after shooting Locke and leaving him in the DHARMA burial ditch. When questioned about where Locke was, he immediately started ordering the change. "If anyone does anything stupid, kill them," Ben ranted. He gave Alex back the gun and Richard seemed very disturbed about the missing Locke and the changes.

Alex ran to the woods, gave Karl the gun, and told him to warn them. "You owe them. They saved you," she told him. "But your father will really kill me now!" "Is he my father?" Eep.

So, the 815ers had to change their plans, too. They had three tents set up, needed three guns. Karl gave them Alex's gun. Only the three shooters would remain at camp; the others would all go to the south beach of the island. Sayid insisted it was time for Jack to act like a leader. He should lead them to the radio tower.

Charlie and Desmond took off for the Looking Glass Station, but only after Charlie had some last moments with Claire and baby Aaron. Charlie's destiny must be fulfilled. When Claire took Aaron to leave the campsite with the others, the DS ring was shown in Aaron's crib.

Hurley tried to go with Desmond and Charlie, but Charlie told him he couldn't. When Hurley persisted, Charlie told him he was too big for the boat. He immediately regretted saying it, hugged Hurley and let tears stream from his eyes.

Oh, but then, as Desmond and Charlie were just about over the station, Desmond told Charlie he'd go because Claire and Aaron depended on Charlie. Would he save Charlie once again? Nope. Charlie whacked him on the head with an oar, then swam down to the station.

He swam down and into the station, then swam towards light desperately seeking air. He got to the Moon Room of the station, low and behold... above a deck there was air. He collapsed after bringing himself to the walkway.

Only, things aren't exactly right. Nuh-uh. Two heavily-armed women with guns (character names of Greta and Bonnie according to previews) draw down on him.

LOST [thunk]

Hmmm... those women. They either work for Ben or...?

The episode wasn't as good as most have been lately, but I still rate it pretty high. I want to know about Locke's immediate fate (live or die) before January, though. What did you think?

NBC's 'The Office' Season Finale is Hopping!

Are you a fan of The Office? Tonight is the big hour-long season finale starting at 8 PM ET/PT, but there's even more going on for you to enjoy!

NBC will be hosting a live-blogging event starting approximately 9 PM ET/6 PM PT. Executive Producer Greg Daniels and B.J. Novak (who plays the character Ryan Howard) will be there. If you want to peek in, check it out on the official NBC blog site. As you peek around there, you'll see last week's deleted beach scenes (oh, my!).

I'm hoping to finally get an embedded video to work on this blog. If all is well, this video should be a 3-minute recap of last week's show. If it isn't working, well you just won't see it because I'll remove it! Heh, that'll show YouTube, eh?

If the video here isn't working right, it's available at this link.




After The Office finale, hang in to watch a preview of Steve Carell's new movie, Evan Almighty. If you're sweet on Steve, or just want to check it out, this website showcases his work.

'American Idol' - Live Results Show - May 16 - Live-Blogged from the East Coast

The show is starting here on the East Coast. I'll be updating this entry as events air here. Refresh or return to this post to catch the latest as I'll almost constantly be updating.

Elliott Yamin and Maroon 5 are on the show tonight. Homer Simpson opened the show, now they're recapping last night.

Talking the tour now.

Ryan is talking to Jordin about between the shows and her trip home. We're getting more video from her trip home. I expect we'll repeat this with Blake and Melinda.

Ryan is going over the judges' reactions with her now, so I think an announcement is coming.

Nope, it was a ploy. Ryan led her up to the moment, then told her she would find out later in the show... as would we.

Returning from commercial... Ryan is introducing the American Idol Challenge winners this week. Of these three finalists, who was not in the final three... Elliot, Kat or Taylor? Silly question as always. The info is on the website.

Ryan is talking to Blake about his trip home now. They're playing Jimi Hendrix "All Along the Watchtower" in the background of the segment. Blake plays to the crowds and camera well. Ryan is going over the judges' reactions with him now, lights dimmed.

Ryan had Blake go sit down and now Elliott Yamin is on stage singing. Wow, what a difference in looks! Randy: Yo, it was hot. Paula: I'm speechless. Simon: It was great. Elliott made a faux-pas and mentioned Porsche. Heh.

Leading into the commercial, Ryan said, "Maroon 5 coming up and Melinda goes home." Don't get in an uproar... I'm sure he means via the video clips like with Blake and Jordin.

No announcement as to who's really going home yet.

The Ford commercial is set to "Everybody Wants You." Why do these always remind me of old Monkees or Beatles bits?

Ryan is talking to Melinda about her trip home now. Simon is bored. Randy has the lights dimmed and is going over the judges' reactions to her songs last night. The results are put off once again as Ryan quick-plugs the new The Band Show and they go to break.

More The Band Show casting info. Maroon 5 is on. I think the song is "Makes Me Wonder." (Correct me if I'm wrong on that title.)

THE RESULTS: Almost 60 million votes. Jordin is safe. It's between Melinda and Blake going home now. Argh. Melinda Doolittle is going home.

The final two are Jordin and Blake. The best singer didn't make it, but will probably have a long and prosperous career.

Broadcast Networks Announce Fall TV Season - What's On or Not

It's that time of year again. The major broadcast networks are announcing the fall schedules. What shows didn't make the cut? What new shows can we expect? I've poked about the web for the information to pass on to the readers here.

Let's talk CBS first...

Canceled shows (or those not on the fall schedule) include: Jericho (that's going to upset some blog readers), Close to Home, The Class, and The King of Queens.

Returning shows: The Amazing Race (mid-season), Cold Case, 60 Minutes, How I Met Your Mother, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, CSI: Miami, NCIS, The Unit, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Survivor, CSI, Shark, Without A Trace, Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs, 48 Hours Mystery. Just a personal note -- I don't watch or enjoy all of these shows, but I understand all returning except one. Who out there is watching Rules of Engagement? How'd that get renewed?

New shows: Viva Laughlin, Swingtown, Moonlight, Cane, Big Bang Theory, Power of 10, Kid Nation. As time goes on, I'll post more on these shows.

It's on (or not) on NBC...

Canceled or just plain gone: Andy Barker P.I., Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Black Donnellys, The Real Wedding Crashers, Kidnapped, Raines, Crossing Jordan, Grease: You're the One That I Want, Identity, 20 Good Years, Thank God You're Here. Hmmm... nothing I'll miss so much there, I guess. It's too bad Raines wasn't given more of a chance. I was getting into the show. And, I think the messing with the schedule killed Crossing Jordan. I haven't watched it since it left the Sunday night time slot. Although not on this list, it appears The Apprentice will most likely not return... at least not to NBC.

Returning shows: Friday Night Lights, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Deal or No Deal, 30 Rock, The Office, Heroes, Scrubs, ER, The Biggest Loser, Las Vegas, My Name Is Earl, 1 vs. 100, Dateline, Football Night In America, Medium, Saturday Night Live. I know some of the blog readers are going to be gleeful about the FNL renewal! Me? I'm a Law and Order and its franchises fanatic, so I'm happy. I had faith in Heroes and knew that was slated. L&O, I was worried about a bit more.

New shows include: The Bionic Woman, The IT Crowd, Chuck, Journeyman, Life, Lipstick Jungle, The Singing Bee, World Moves, and Heroes: Origins. Again, more on these at a later date.

What can we expect from ABC?

Bye-bye, canceled or just not there: The Nine, Six Degrees, The Great American Dream Vote, Show Me The Money, Day Break, In Case of Emergency, The Knights of Prosperity, What About Brian, George Lopez, According to Jim. Okay, I'm not upset about any of these. I know some blog readers watch What About Brian, though. I'm sorry.

Returning shows: Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, October Road, Notes from the Underbelly, Men In Trees, Brothers & Sisters, Wife Swap, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Lost, Supernanny, America's Funniest Home Videos, Boston Legal, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, 20/20, Primetime. Yes, fans... DWTS has a fall season slated!

New shows we can expect to see: Big Shots, Carpoolers, Cashmere Mafia, Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, Cavemen, Miss/Guided, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Sam I Am, Women's Murder Club, Oprah's Big Give. I mentioned a while ago that the Geico Cavemen were going to get their own series, so we'll have to see if they're good for more than thirty seconds, eh? There are surely some intriguing show titles here. Of course, more on them in due time.

Keep in mind, these announcements are only about the fall schedule. They don't include the summer programming which is headed our way.

Your reactions? Are your favorite shows returning or are the gone too soon?