'American Idol 6' - "The Best of the Rest" Audition Show

See the look on Simon's face? I believe that's how I felt by show end tonight. If that was the best of the best, this season may be in trouble. With the exception of one singer, Lakeesha Jones, once again I wasn't blown away by the talent.

The show itself had some amusing moments. Instead of the typical audition format, we really didn't see too many actual auditions, per se. We saw a lot of bits and pieces of auditions and other shenanigans. (Ah, that word is right up there with brouhaha in respect to words I love to use.)

They divided the show into "lessons" for those who might want to be the next American Idol. Some lessons used examples of what not to do, others showed folks who learned the lesson.

Lesson One was "The Look." Obviously, the young lady pictured on the right was going for a look. Perhaps she was going for a stare. Oh, wait... maybe she was from the dancing lesson.

One person featured who didn't go for a look other than being herself was Denver pedicab operator, Tami Gosnell. Her look didn't thrill me, but her voice was decent and she went on through to Hollywood.

Lesson Two was to look for inspiration, then follow it. Alas, many of the blurb-ditions may have had great inspiration, but no way could their talents live up to the task at hand.

William Hung was the inspiration for Paul Kim. Ah, but it's a reverse-inspiration! Paul wants to represent Asian-Americans and their talent possibilities. Is he going to be the new Asian hunk of reality TV? Internet scuttlebutt has him going far. And, unlike Hung, he's an actual singer.

In the "Never Give Up" lesson, previous contestant (with a Simon crush) Gina Glocksen went through to Hollywood. Why, I don't know. I didn't think she sang "Black Velvet" well at all. Unlike the contestant last night with the song, I could understand the words, but... feh. Her audition and crush set off a huge Simon Love segment. Okay, that was funny. I like Simon, but there are some things I just would not do in public.

In the "Never Audition in a Group" segment, there were three rollerskating carhops, all young kids. Two made it through to Hollywood with one getting lots of praise. I didn't quite feel the love, but maybe it was just me. I felt bad for the one who didn't make it.
The next lesson was "Don't Sing Odd Songs." One contestant, William Emil Samland (prefers to be called by his initials - WES), touted himself as a singer/songwriter. He didn't mention an Odd Clogger. His song was odd; he was odd. If I were doing my "Most Notable of the Odd" format tonight, he'd be right up there.

There was an extended "Shake Your Moneymaker" dance segment which may or may not have been a lesson. It most certainly wasn't a dance lesson.

The final lesson was "Clarity." They ran through several blurb-ditions in which the hopefuls were singing familiar songs, but no way on earth would anyone recognize them. Even when they flashed the song name across the screen, I still didn't recognize them. Oh, I know the songs, but I don't think those were the songs they were singing. Then came Lakeesha, my new bet for the women. She has the Frenchie Davis build and amazing old-Motown kind of talent. Aretha must be smiling if she saw that one.

I can't do it. I can't write up the last article on the audition phase without a Most Notable of the Odd. I tried because of the format change in the show itself tonight.

But, I'm weak. I have to do it. Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd award goes to Paula Abdul for being quasi-reminiscent of Michael Jackson at times. Am I going crazy or do you see it, too?

Next week, 172 dreamers will meet in Hollywood. I'll be there. Well, to be honest, I'll be here watching them.

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, February 7, 2007

American Idol news is topping the TV Newsy Bits today. I had on the local FOX 5 News (NYC area) and caught mention that two of last night's through-to-Hollywood contestants have arrest records and one was booted before the Hollywood round even took place.

Both were contestants I mentioned in last night's article about the San Antonio auditions. It seems that the first-ever second chance audition candidate Ashlyn Carr was arrested for putting sugar in the tank of either her ex-boyfriend or his new girlfriend's car (I can't recall which, but the act is right). She seems to be remaining in the running.

The more disturbing news concerns Akron Watson, the cousin who sang well. The local FOX News show said he's off the show due to a marijuana bust. I'm personally surprised that something like that would get him booted, but I'm only reporting what I heard. Rats. I liked him. I found this article out there as I searched to verify the story. Uninvited two days before he was to go on to Hollywood, why bother showing his segment on last night's show at all?

On their Idol Chatter section of the MyFox website, I saw an article about Queens Idol Wannabe Porcelana Portino's father being hit by a hit-and-run driver. I recall hearing about the accident on the news the other day, but didn't know the AI connection.

Whatever Will I Watch Tonight? - Wednesday, February 7, 2006

Tonight's one of those nights during which I like TV more than my bed. I always like TV more than my job even on the most boring of programming days, so that's not an apt comparison.

Oh, but, tonight...!

The 8 PM ET/PT hour doesn't hold a lot of competition for me as Bones on FOX wins the slot without a second thought. CBS is airing a Criminal Minds repeat while NBC has a new Friday Night Lights on. ABC is running with new episodes of George Lopez and The Knights of Prosperity. CW has a new Beauty and the Geek. I didn't realize how much I missed Bones until I saw the new episode last week, so I'm there. None of the others hold enough interest for me to bother recording them as I probably won't watch the tapes.

It's the 9 PM ET/PT time slot which throws me into a minor quandary. Oh, I'll handle it, Analog Gal that I am. I'll crank up both working VCRs (no, I don't have a DVR or Tivo). I'll "live watch" American Idol on FOX while taping the Lost recap special on ABC and Criminal Minds on CBS. NBC has a new Deal or No Deal (blech for me) and CW has a new One Tree Hill. I have to watch Criminal Minds as I saw the cliffhanger leading into it this past Sunday after the Superbowl. As for Lost, I have to watch anything Lost. I just must. Sometime after the fact, I'll post my review/recap on the American Idol show. That may be way late tonight because...

Lost (ABC) returns at 10 PM ET/PT! Woohoo! Even though I'm not as enamored with the series as I once was, it's a must-see on my calendar. In the hour, CBS has a new C.S.I.: NY which I may or may not tape dependent on mood. ABC has a new episode of Medium. It's a Lost win for me.

What wins in your TV time slots?

'American Idol 6' - The San Antonio Auditions

If you had to make a snap judgment about the San Antonio auditions based on this photo alone, you'd think it was more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

You'd be wrong.

Although we saw some decent talent and they finally addressed the ongoing "wrong door" issue we've seen at all the audition locations, this installment came off as just so-so for me. I enjoyed the door segment. I just don't know why they've locked all of the left doors of the double doors instead of just leaving both unlocked. It has added a bit of entertainment value, I'll admit. I'll know which door to use when I audition. As if! (No, I'm never going to audition. I know I can't sing.)

Once again, we saw some tears. We saw some outright "what the hell are you doing here" folks, some folks who seriously seemed to think they could sing but can't, and some shining stars. As for the Odd, not as Odd as some weeks.

The show started off with the Rawhide theme song. Now, I remember it, but I would lay odds that the whole stadium full of hopefuls had no idea what they were singing. "Rollin', rollin', rollin', keep those doggies movin'... Rawhide!" It fit the scene, though. There's also a bit of Oddness about it all. The series ran from 1959 to 1966 and the person who sang the theme song, Frankie Laine, died today at the age of 93.

Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd

No, he's not giving the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Faux Terror gesture. Brian thinks he's comparable to Billy Idol and sang "Rebel Yell."

With a rebel yell, he sunk, sunk, sunk.

He started off the show and probably had the judges a bit leery of what the day would bring. I personally found him sort of scary. I liked Billy Idol with his patented sneer. I have the record on vinyl. Now if I chance to throw it on the turntable, I'll have flashbacks to Brian Kyrish.

William Green, unemployed, sings baritone... not all that well. He arrived with his cousin and I get the feeling he was more moral support for his cousin Akron Watson than a serious contender. Although he sang "Amazing Grace" in an off-key baritone, William didn't frighten me as did Brian (above).

William was funny. Humor is a good thing. When turned down, he warned the judges that he was going to ham it up and he surely did. "You don't know nuthin'!" He told them that Akron sang much better than he did and that was definitely the case. More about Akron later.

When I see a singer messing with her ear, I know it's not going to be a good performance. Plus, it looks so unprofessional! This woman claimed she sang for the Mayor of Houston and he enjoyed it. I think he must just be a good politician.

She sang "Black Velvet" and, like the Simon said, I couldn't understand not a word and I know the lyrics to the song. Eep. The sad part is that she seriously thinks she can sing.

We had a panther last week. This week we got Jake "The Snake" Tutor. I'll take the Eccentric Panther any day over this Snake. He was just bad. At least Martik (Panther) was quasi-entertaining in his oddness.

There was one other Odd which should be mentioned. There was a young lady who really sang poorly (but her family thinks she sings well), Jasmine Holland. At first, I felt sorry for her as the judges were laughing and she thought she was a serious singer. But when she acted like a nasty jerk upon leaving, she blew all pity I may have held. Her mother wants Simon to move back to British. Um, okay. Normally I don't put those who seem to think they can sing and have their dreams crushed in with my Odd. But I made an exception in this case.

There Was Some Talent Tonight

Now, how scared and serious does Akron look? He's William's cousin and did an acceptable take on Sam Cooke's "Change Gonna Come." Simon and the others thought he didn't shine with enough personality, so he sang "Let's Get It On."

I think I like this guy. I don't think he'll win, but I loved the pre-audition clips of him and William. Both came across as "nice" people and both have a sense of humor. And, he can sing.

No, Ashlyn's not one of the Most Notable of the Odd. She just tends towards odd expressions and affectations.

The faces she made when she sang brought to mind an exaggerated Lena Horne. She had the facial thing going to a lesser extent. But her mugging to the cameras certainly didn't come off as blatant as Ashlyn's actions.

I thought that, facial expressions aside, Ashlyn did very well with her first song. The judges dismissed her. But then in an unprecedented move, they called her back. I actually thought her second song didn't really hit the mark, but she's on to Hollywood. She's actually a cute girl with a good voice. I hope she can work out the kinks.

Many others made it through, 22 in all from what I believe was a one-day audition. Hayley Scarnato, Baylie Brown, and Jimmy McNeil are headed to Hollywood. It's a mix of talent, but no one really blew me away. Of course, they didn't show all of the contestants who made it through. Hopefully, there's some Texas tea in there.

Tomorrow's show is a round-up (Rawhide!) of the auditions. It's called "The Best of the Rest." It's supposed to have the Worst of the Worst and the Best of the Best. We'll see. I'll be on the lookout for new Notable Odds. Remember, we're laughing with you, not at you. Or not.

Whatever Will I Watch Tonight? - Tuesday, February 6, 2007

It's cold. I'm cold. I'm going to wrap a throw over me and be a couch potato for the evening. So, how does that differ from most other nights?

Um... I don't usually have a throw over me.

Thankfully, I have hot chocolate a'plenty and there are some shows I want to watch tonight on the TV. The evening is good. I scoff at the cold.
Scoff!

In the 8 PM ET/PT hour, I'm sure to be watching (taking notes, taking photos, writing about it later) the American Idol San Antonio audition show on FOX. There is a new NCIS on CBS and a new Dateline on NBC. ABC is showing a repeat of America's Funniest Home Videos. The CW has a new episode of The Gilmore Girls.

Come 9 PM ET/PT, I'm planning on catching Law and Order: Criminal Intent on NBC - a new Goren episode. House fans can cheer as they have a new episode on FOX tonight. The Unit is new on CBS while ABC is airing a new Primetime and CW has a new Veronica Mars. Lotsa new, eh?

At 10 PM, CBS is airing another new episode of The Unit. New episodes of Law and Order: SVU (NBC) and Boston Legal (ABC) are scheduled. TLC has a new Miami Ink. L&O gets my vote.

What are you watching?

'Heroes' - "Distractions" - A BulletPoint Report

I'll say it right now. This dog needs to be nominated for an Emmy. My personal theory is that Mr. Muggles, the Pomeranian, is secretly Mr. Linderman and possesses superpowers beyond the wildest limits of the imagination.

Or not.

Hey, you have to realize that one of my own graphic novel escapades was "Cats in Capes." How anthropomorphic of me, eh?

It was Chapter 14, "Distractions," on Heroes tonight. The happenings in this BulletPoint Report aren't necessarily in order of the appearance on tonight's show, some are by character storylines.

• In the Niki/Jessica storyline, the shrink was trying to convince Jessica to come out. And, though Niki didn't want to do it, let's just say, "Dead shrink." In a surprising turn of events, Niki got released from jail. A death row inmate confessed to her crimes and that DNA matched. She went home to Micah (didn't see D.L. tonight) and Jessica locked Niki in a mirror. Cue scary music now.
• In the Sylar/Mr. Bennet happenings, Sylar locked Bennet in his own cell. He threw him against the wall with a flip of his hand, taunted him about Claire once again and escaped. Sylar took Bennet's wallet and used his license to obtain his home address. More later.
• Isaac and Simone talked. He's jealous of Peter. He doesn't want Simone looking for him, but agreed he would as he must stop "the bomb." He's painting wildly. Simone told him that he makes the future, he doesn't just paint it.
• Claire and Zach got permission from her mother to skip school for "manatee research" in Lubbock. Instead, they headed to Kermit so Claire could meet her mother. Her mother lives in a trailer park and they shared their secrets -- Claire with her regeneration, Mommy is a firestarter. At the end of the show, it was revealed in a phone call from Mommy to Nathan Petrelli that he's indeed her father. (Okay, I was wrong with my Linderman guess.)
• Meanwhile, Sylar broke into the Bennets' home and scared Mr. Muggles. It certainly looked like he was one dead doggie.
  
• Mrs. Bennet returned home and got the flip of the hand from Sylar. Ouch. Mr. Bennet and the Haitian arrived to save the doggie... er, the day. Sylar escaped once again and the Haitian made Mrs. Bennet forget once again.
• In the Hiro/Ando storyline, Hiro's father tried to bribe him into being VP, then CEO of his company. Hiro's sister told him that he brought shame upon the family. Hiro is determined that his destiny must go by his own path. He turns the tables on it all and his sister, more worthy of the company slot, takes over. So much for George Takei. I believe he's heading back to Tokyo.
• The Invisible Man chided Peter for acting like a kid -- posters on the wall, his hair (good point!). He told him that he has the power he gathers and can use it at anytime. He wants Peter to stop being dependent on people and, they sneak to the roof... well, walk because they're invisible, spy on Simone and Isaac and crush Peter's heart.
  

• The Invisible Man threw Peter off the roof to force him to fly. But he didn't fly. He fell thirty stories onto a cab and regenerated by thinking of Claire.
  
• Peter told I.G. that he can't forget people as he needs that to harness his power.
• Isaac had already painted Peter falling on the cab before it happened (of course). While looking at his painting, he realized that the legs were vanishing. He called Mr. Bennet and told him they can't find Peter because he's invisible.

Those are the major happenings. No Mohinder Suresh this week, no mind-reading cop, either.

I haven't heard anything new from my Primatech Paper application this week.

Is it time for Chapter 15 yet?

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, February 5, 2007

No, I didn't watch the Superbowl. My upstairs and downstairs neighbors both invited me to their Superbowl parties. Oh, not because I'm really popular, I don't think. I believe they invited me because they were planning on being noisy. I avoided the game itself, but through the miracle of that good ol' Internet, I've seen most of the commercials! For me, this one with Oprah and David Letterman is the best. It was a well-kept secret leading into the game when most of the other ads were already publicized. And, if you're a Dave fan, you know the history behind these two. To see the commercial and other Late Show with David Letterman video clips, check out the CBS website.

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• Tonight's programming on all the major networks is all new, no repeats. Plan your TV watching accordingly. For me, it's How I Met Your Mother, The Class, Heroes and whatever I feel like at 10 PM. Tonight we should find out who Claire's father is. Uh-oh. (My bet is on Linderman although I shouldn't encourage wagering in this blog.)
• Remember the Kelly Pickler clone (Jamie Lynn Ward) on last week's American Idol with the sob story about her "Daddy shootin' her stepma, then himself..." -- well, it's just not so according to the stepmother. I'm getting tired of sob stories on the show and trumped-up ones irk me even more. UPDATE - the story linked above isn't the one I meant to link. Oops. This article has the skinny.
  
• Keeping with the American Idol theme, last season's Elliott Yamin not only recently went through a makeover, but his new single is due out on February 13th. I enjoyed his voice a lot, the sob story (though legit) not so much.
• Keep in mind that Lost returns this Wednesday evening at 10 PM ET/PT. At 9 PM there will be a one hour recap kind of show.
• I know you're not about to forget that Survivor 14: Fiji premieres this Thursday at 8 PM. I know that.
• Jericho returns February 21, but there will be a special recap kind of show on February 14th. How's that for a Valentine's Day date activity? "Oh, let's watch the world blow up!"
• Celebrity Spider has the goods on the models selected for the next America's Next Top Model.

Blog News!

In case you might not have noticed, I've updated the blog's sidebar. Blogger threw me into a rather forced update to their new version. I had been holding off due to bugs and the fact that I didn't want to lose (or muck up) content here. Despite my fears, the upgrade went fine and nothing seems to have gone missing. Phew!

One fantastic thing I can do now is apply labels (categories) to blog entries. I went through the history of this blog attaching labels to posts. And, then I added them to the sidebar. So, now if you follow a certain show I write about, you can easily pull up the posts about it in chronological order with the most recent entries listed first. Want a trip down Memory Lane about The Amazing Race 9? It's right there for your reading pleasure. You can relive Big Brother 7: All Stars or check out the latest on Survivor 14: Fiji merely by clicking on the links for them in the sidebar.

Both "TV Newsy Bits" and "Various and Sundry" categories include miscellaneous information regarding a lot of different shows. You can still search the blog for any term via either the search box atop the blog or the one you see in the sidebar. There are some posts with multiple categories. This is really going to simplify things a lot if you don't want to wade through American Idol to get at Survivor. You can also click on the label at the bottom of a post to bring up all of the entries in that category. Cool, eh?

Let me know what you think!

Those Precious Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Feb. 5 - 9, 2007

It's hard to believe it's actually been 25 years of late night television with David Letterman. A few years more of Letterman on the whole if you include his original morning show and all of those appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, as well as his Mary Tyler Moore Show stint. Congratulations, Dave!

Guests we'll be seeing this week include:

• Monday, Feb. 5: Dr. Phil, always fun on the show - I love the way he and Letterman mix it up. Musical guest is Fall Out Boy, their CD is Infinity on High.
• Tuesday, Feb. 6: Harry Connick, Jr. will be promoting his new CD Oh, My Nola (a tribute to New Orleans) and American Idol judge Randy Jackson. Oh, now... that's worth staying up late to watch, right?
• Wednesday, Feb. 7: Chris Elliott, Kelly Ripa, and John Mellencamp (latest CD is Freedom's Road). I was disappointed in Chris the last time he was on the show. I usually find him funny, but found him basically juvenile. I hope he's back to being funny.
• Thursday, Feb. 8: Jack Hanna, Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy), musical guest Patti Griffin (CD is Children Running Through). I cannot miss a Jack Hanna appearance on the show. Once again, this is a guest whose interaction with Dave is always entertaining and I'm just such a sucker for animal segments, too.
• Friday, Feb. 9: John Madden, Rachael Ray, musical guests The Fab Faux (a Beatles tribute band). Not quite a guest list I'd choose, but they didn't ask me. It'll still be good.

It's 10 PM. Do you know where your pants are?

Millionaires in the Making? Instant Celebrities

I recently read an article in which infamous American Idol reject William Hung admitted to a current status as "millionaire." Of course, his claim to fame was the horrendous version of "She-Bang" which aired everywhere. He's since released at least one CD and has a fan base.

So, who's next on the American Idol "I'm so bad but you can't stop watching" brigade?

It seems to be Jonathan Jayne and Kenneth Swale, the latter introduced on the show as Kenneth Briggs. Kenneth, if you recall, was likened to to a bush baby by Simon Cowell. No, not a progeny of George W. Bush. I'm talking a bush baby. Actually, I think they're kind of cute, but perhaps not as cute when translated to human.

Jayne and Swale-Briggs have made the circuit of talk shows and have become C-list celebrities in their own right. The show presented the image of a true friendship being formed. Sure enough, they've become a duo as they hit the road to infamy. Will they became the next big thing? Will the fame last for them?

Well, if videos on YouTube and articles like this one are any indication, this isn't the last we've heard of Jonathan and Kenneth. I, for one, don't think this is such a great thing when you consider America's taste. But it sure could be a great thing for the bank accounts of Jayne and Swale.

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, February 2, 2007

What? No American Idol tonight? How odd.

I came across a really nifty website for the caveman from the GEICO television commercials. It's a guided tour of his apartment, including things like going through his magazines, watching the commercials and more. I always got a kick out of the ads in their original campaign and the new ones never fail to catch my attention. The website is here at Caveman's Crib. Give it time to load and have some fun with it! "Another place in time..."

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• If you want some heavy reading delving into the reality show medium, you should peruse The Ideological Dangers of Reality TV from The American Chronicle. Since I have such an interest in the genre, I gave it a read. There are some aspects with which I agree, but I don't believe the situation is anywhere near as serious as the article indicates. I think many of the issues the article relates to reality television aren't wholely inclusive to the medium, but widespread throughout society due to several sociological changes over the decades. Hmmm... I may have to delve more into this myself. It is interesting.
• Now that Jennifer Hudson (ex-American Idol 6th place finalist) has hit the big time and is up for an Oscar, she claims that her experience on AI was "abusive." What do I think? I personally think if she hadn't gone through her "abusive" experience on the show, she wouldn't be up for an Oscar now. Hey, you gotta pay the dues if you want to sing the blues, right?
• The latest fired Apprentice candidate, Marisa DeMato, has really hit the interview circuit. (No, I didn't interview her.) TV Guide, The Inside Pulse, The Palm Beach Post and many others talked with her. The common theme is that she's "crying fowl." That sounds like a line I'd write about the situation or perhaps that pollo really is loco. I don't know.
• CANOE-JAM! spoke with Jeff Probst who promises that the new twists on Survivor 14: Fiji will change the game. ET Online also goes more into the new twists.
• Zap2It is reporting that we will indeed see Big Brother 8 this summer and it will be a "normal" cast (as opposed to last season's "All Stars"). No date was mentioned, but it traditionally starts around the 4th of July weekend.
• Do you miss the Evil Doctor Will and company from BB7? Jokers Updates has a new chat transcript from the other day just for you!
• CBS canned Armed and Famous after just four shows, and VH1 is picking it up. That's where it should have been all along anyway.
• Remember! There's a CBS special on at 9 PM ET/PT tonight with Superbowl Ads. Since I really don't like the game (I know - it's un-American or something), I'll be watching this. The ads are always cool.

Whatever Will I Watch Tonight? - Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007

Although the first thing I'll be mentioning here really comes on last, to me, it's the most important.

The Late Show with David Letterman. I mention it not only because it's a new show and the previous shows this week were repeats, but it's also Dave's 25th Anniversary on late night television. I'm sure we can expect highlights from (hopefully) the old NBC show and definitely from the CBS show. Bill Murray, who was the first guest on the NBC show (Late Night with David Letterman) in 1982 and also his first guest on the current show, will be on tonight. LeBron James (NBA) is also on. Be there with pants-o-plenty!

In the 8 PM ET/PT time slot, CBS has a repeat of C.S.I.; NBC has new episodes of My Name is Earl and The Office; FOX has new episodes of 'Til Death and The War at Home; ABC has a new Ugly Betty. CW is airing a new Smallville. Betty gets my personal vote for the hour.

9 PM ET/PT brings us a new C.S.I. on CBS; NBC has fresh Scrubs and 30 Rock. FOX is airing a new The O.C. (four more to go, I think). ABC has a new Grey's Anatomy while CW has a new Supernatural. Is this TIVO time? Also, BET has its "new" episode of The Wire (repeated Saturday evening). I'm following that last one, but catch it on the repeat (of the repeat, but it's all new to HBO-less me). I'll watch C.S.I.

In the 10 PM ET/PT hour, there are still plenty of new episodes for us! Shark (CBS), ER (NBC), Men in Trees (ABC) are all brand-spanking new. USA has a new Nashville Star, too. MTV has a new Juvies, but I haven't a clue about that one. Juvenile delinquents? I don't know.

Warm that set up and settle in for the night!

'American Idol 6' - The Los Angeles Auditions

Am I get Idol-jaded? They sent a lot of folks through to Hollywood (from basically Hollywood) tonight, the most from any city in the auditions so far. They sent through 40 people! And, with the exception of one who wasn't really a contestant at all, I wasn't all that impressed with any of the good ones shown. Yes, they can sing, but none rocked my world.

On the other hand, after last night's disappointing Odd, Los Angeles brought new blood to the American Idol Odd Squad. Guest judge Olivia Newton-John sat in on the panel and was treated to some of those audition hijinks we've come to love and adore... or not.

Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd

As easy as pouncing a mouse, Martik "Panther" Manoukian leapt to the top of the Odd Chart. Full of attitude, snarling, sound effects, hissing, and what tried to pass for cat-like moves, he mesmerized the judges.

He claims to have studied extensively and boasts of many talents, dreams and goals.

He can't sing a lick, so he should think of grooming himself for a new career. Hey, maybe he can team up with Ian Bernardo and be a comedy act in the dive bar circuit!

We never got to hear Sophat really sing. He probably can't sing. If he could sing, he wouldn't have to wear an onion (or is it a banana... maybe a plantain) costume.

I apologize for the quality of the shot, but thought it still conveyed the very essence of Sophat and preserved it for eternity.

Or not.

I actually liked Phuong. Oh, she really can't sing that well or anything as far as American Idol goes. But I enjoyed her spunk and personality. I felt sorry when she said her mother told her she wasn't "TV pretty."

Hey, she's pretty in her own way. I've noticed in the years of watching American Idol that the looks seem to matter so much more for the women than they do for the men. Oh, I wish this girl could have blown them all away with her voice. But, um... no.

Darold and Cavett (Sparkle) met at a bus stop. I wonder if it was a wet day and he shared his umbrella. The question is, does Darold have a grillfriend for life? The way she was hitting on Simon was even making Simon blush. It must be his man-boobs turning her on, right?

As things turned out, neither could sing. I guess they'll have to keep investing in their grills and sharing the love.

The closer for the show, Eric Mueller, was a true case in study for the show. He spoke with confidence. He told Ryan he studied and practiced four to five hours a day for two years in preparation for his audition debut on the show.

And, then he sang. Mind you, I'm using the word "sang" quite loosely here. It sounded a bit more like a nasal moose-in-heat call. Or, perhaps aliens have taken over his voice.

Wait, no! He taught himself to sing using Randy and Paula's DVD! Bwahaha! Simon had lots of fun with that one. But, dang, if Eric seriously thinks he can sing, that's scary. It's almost like Martik thinking he can sing.

A Very Touching Moment

Sherman Pore's appearance on the show was one of the most emotional ever in the history of the show. No, he wasn't a serious contestant. But he wasn't an Odd, either.

His love of twenty years had suffered through cancer. They shared a love for the show. To brighten her days, he started a petition to be able to sing a song for her at the audition. It gave them both something to make them smile and a goal.

Alas, she died two days before the audition. Sherman still sang his song and dedicated it to her -- "You Belong to Me." In the end he said, "I am a winner." And, he sure is. Not only that, but he didn't even sing too badly. What a dear!

In between Sherman and the Odd, there were some decent singers. But, as I mentioned at the top of the article, none really impressed me. Paula came across as quasi-loopy at times and I don't know if it's all an act or not. The judges weren't really cruel to anyone. There was a girl whose mother was one of Dean Martin's Golddiggers. They showed Ryan Seacrest's star on Hollywood Boulevard way too much. Yeah, it was Hollyweird, saved by Sherman Pore, a salt-of-the-earth kind of man.

Next, it's onto San Antonio.

Whatever Will I Watch Tonight? - Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007

Tonight's a mixed bag of new and old, season finale and auditions. Thankfully, there's enough on to keep me watching for the evening!

The 8 PM ET/PT programming includes a repeat C.S.I.: NY on CBS, new Friday Night Lights on NBC, new Bones on FOX, new George Lopez followed by a new Knights of Prosperity on ABC. Oh, and the CW Network has a new Beauty and the Geek. I'm still a bit undecided, but I think the Bones episode will get my vote tonight. I don't follow any of the other shows, per se. I wouldn't mind seeing the new Knights ep, but don't wish to sit through George Lopez to get at it. Oh! PBS has America's Ballroom Challenge! Um, no... not for me, but I bet some folks will love it. One of these days I'll watch Beauty and the Geek, but I'm not feeling it tonight.

At 9 PM ET/PT, my plans are pretty laid out. American Idol, the Los Angeles auditions, runs for a mere hour on FOX. You know I have to watch and write about it later. CBS has a repeat of Criminal Minds while NBC has a new Deal or No Deal. I like the former, but just cannot get into models opening briefcases giving someone who's not me cash. Now, if they were giving me cash, I'd feel entirely differently about the show. According to Jim and In Case of Emergency are new on ABC, neither of them thrill me at all.

In the 10 PM ET/PT hour, there's a new Medium on NBC, a repeat C.S.I.: NY on CBS, a new Primetime on ABC. Um... okay. Sometimes I watch Primetime, but they've been on a catching pedophiles kick as of late and it's turned me off. But I have other TV plans anyway. I'll be watching Top Chef on Bravo. It's the season finale and I've actually watched most of the shows leading up to it tonight as I caught them on one of the marathons. This is a good show that I don't always watch, but it certainly catches my attention when I come across it. Of the two finalists, I say "go, Marcel!" The other guy seems a bit too pompous to me although Marcel has his own attitude moments.

What will you be watching? Are you American-Idoled out already?

TV Peeves

I'm a huge television fan, as you might have guessed. Now, there are some things on the tube that I don't watch at all just because they hold no interest for me. That doesn't mean they're bad; it just means I'm not interested. I'm talking about programming such as soap operas, most sports, Jerry Springer, and such. Oh, wait. The last one might be actually "bad."

But, I don't fuss or whine about them because I know that some folks do enjoy them and they have their own fan base. Of course, the fan base for the last one may be a bit sordid, but who am I to judge? My name's not Simon Cowell and I ain't no judge no how no way.

However, there are some things which irk me in programming I do watch. So, please allow me the opportunity to get the peeves onto cyber-paper and out of my system.

• New York City does not have a blue tinge. Perhaps NYPD was blue, but the city's atmosphere is not. In its first season, C.S.I.: NY did the blue-tinged bit and now Heroes is doing it. Stop it. NYC isn't blue and, if you're going for some sort of "gritty-city" effect, it's not working. Plus, it makes photo-taking for my blog harder. I'm in and out of Manhattan a lot. Trust me, sometimes it may smell funny, but the air isn't blue.
• Another NYC-related rant... I generally don't watch the local FOX news for the most part. But, since I've been watching American Idol, I can't help but to catch some of the local FOX5 blurbs and sometimes even the show itself. This is New York City. We're supposed to be on top of stuff, right? How can they not understand the concept of what a blog is on FOX 5 News at Ten? Yo, FOX5, listen up! What I'm doing right now isn't a blog... it's a blog entry or a blog article. Comments are not blogs. Your viewers are not blogging to you and you are not reading their blogs unless you're reading a whole actual blog (such as The (TV) Show Must Go On...). A blog is a collection of entries, usually with comments (responses), updated regularly so the newest entries appear at the top. You are reading your viewers' comments, not their blogs. I realize there is a section to create blogs on the website, but you're over-using the term and the comments read on the air aren't blogs. "Blog us now!" Go blog yourselves. Sheesh.

What's been irking you on TV lately?

'American Idol 6' - The Birmingham, Alabama Auditions

The Birmingham auditions, in addition to being an hour shorter than many of the other audition shows, were different from previous shows. The Odd weren't quite as odd, more contestants either could sing well or couldn't sing well at all.

It was an odd night indeed. So, bear with me as this might be an odd report.

Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd

That's right, it's Simon Cowell's shirt! Yes, he wears those teensy-sleeved t-shirts each week. Although I don't believe I've mentioned them before, they annoy me. They're odd on men who actually have biceps, odder on Simon Cowell. In this pose, most folks with a shirt like that look a bit muscular. Nope, not Simon!

Make him stop.

Can you tell I wasn't too impressed with the Odd?

Then there was Victoria Watson's hair. And, her mother's hair. The locks prompted Ryan Seacrest to regress to his cheesy jokes, something (if I'm being honest), I sort of miss a bit.

"What brings you hair?" Ah, vintage Seacrest!

I felt sorry for Victoria when she was rejected by the judges. No, I don't think she was right for the competition, but her voice wasn't that bad. She would do well in chorus or choir, I think. Simon's comment about only a voice her mother could love was a bit rough. She wasn't a total non-talent like many going through the audition doors. Oh, well... hair today, gone tomorrow.

I don't get this one at all. A 50-year old woman, dressed in Big Bird attire, with a name of Fowler. She wasn't funny, couldn't sing, wasn't even near the age she gave (26) and I don't even really want to give her attention.

Yeah, she might be a hoot as a friend. Yeah, she seems like a nice enough woman.

But, what the hell is she doing on American Idol?

There were a few other Odds, but nothing truly original. The last contestant of the second day, the show closer for tonight, just irked me. I did like the Simon "call me" interaction with Brandy Patterson, but that was all I liked. Wait... the floor excuse was a new one.

There Were Some Good Ones

Yes, Chris looks like he should be in the Most Notable of the Odd, but he's my new favorite. His jokes are perfect and he can sing very well.

If he doesn't make it on American Idol, he could do well in stand-up comedy. "Some people think I look like Jack Osbourne. But when I look in the mirror, who do I see? Christina Aguilara!"

Many more went through to Hollywood. One of them had such an odd sob story that the story itself made me twitch to put it in the Most Notable of the Odd. But, if it's true, it's a horrible thing to live through as a child. "My Daddy shot my Momma because he caught her cheatin' on him, then he shot himself. He's paralyzed from the chest down. I take care of him and my grandma." Eep.

Twenty made it through to Hollywood. Most (of the ones we saw) just didn't come off as all that memorable to me. Tomorrow's auditions come from Los Angeles. Bring it, L.A.!

'Heroes' - "The Fix" - A BulletPoint Report

When I watch Heroes, I feel the same sort of excitement I held as I watched the first season of Lost. Perhaps a bit more as I enjoy the graphics novels (read that as comic books) medium.

I have several friends in that industry and have dabbled in it a bit myself, albeit not quite the superhero genre. Comic books or graphic novels are a bit like soap operas. I have somewhat of a short attention span when it comes to continuity for long-lived characters. But, with an hourly television drama, I can indeed keep with it. (Just don't ask me about the Fortress of Solitude or pre-crisis or stuff like that.) "Can we ever change what we really are?"

Here's the BulletPoint Report on the latest Heroes episode, "The Fix," to get things up to snuff. These aren't necessarily in the order of appearance on the show, some are by storyline.

• We found out that the new hero, The Invisible Man, has encountered others like Peter, who can see him.
• In the Matt Parkman (cop who can read minds) storyline, he told his wife about his power, got suspended from work, and found out his wife's pregnant.
• Sylar's in bad shape hidden at the Odessa location (Primatech Paper). HRG (Mr. Bennet) instructed his henchman to keep him alive as per his boss.
• Zach is working with Claire once again. She's tired of lying to everyone (but him).
• She sought help from The Haitian and got a clue that her mother, Meredith Gordon, died in a fire 14 years ago in Kermit, Texas. He knew nothing about her real father.
• They lied to her father, HRG, and told them they were school science partners on a manatee project. A side note: she used wind chimes to signal The Haitian. He told her this would be their last meeting.
• Hiro seems to have lost his powers. He feels he must have the real sword to get them back. Ando and Hiro went on a mission to deliver an Isaac painting to the mysterious Mr. Linderman. They were pursued by really bad guys in a van.
• Mohinder and Nathan Petrelli agreed to work together to find Peter -- it was a reluctant agreement on Nathan's part. Despite the fact that the Invisible Man told Peter that he'd never see him again, he showed and hid Peter from Nathan and Mohinder Suresh.
• Ando got himself kidnapped by the Really Bad Guys and Hiro wouldn't desert him. He tried to take Ando's place, but ended up kidnapped with Ando.
• Niki was visited by a shrink in her padded cell. The shrink wants to explore the MPD factor (probably for her own means as well as Niki's). Niki refused to bring Jessica out to play. The shrink used the threat that she'll never see Micah again. (I don't like the shrink.)
• D.L. phased himself into Niki's cell trying to figure a way to phase both of them out. Niki refused to go.
• D.L. can't find a job, can't get money. He let Micah down as Micah knew his Mom had done whatever she had to do to support him. Micah took matters in his own hands and used his power to make a substantial withdrawal from an ATM. (Now if I tried that, it would probably come out of my own account! Overdraft fees, ack!)
• In a heart-tugging moment, D.L. and Micah talked and Micah promised he'd try harder. Then he dumped the money out for his father. "You know how you and Mom both have a secret? "I have a secret, too."
• HRG got a call that Sylar died. "Package him up." He wasn't happy. But, did Sylar really die? Heh.
• The kidnapped Ando and Hiro were told by the Really Bad Guys that they were the wrong ones for the mission, then offered first class tickets back to Tokyo. "You cannot bribe a hero. My spirit is unbreakable," replied Hiro. So, the Really Bad Guys brought Hiro and Ando to their boss. Uh-oh. It's Hiro's father, played by George Takei. It was the briefest of glimpses and that was the end of that storyline for the episode.
• Claire called all of the folks named Gordon in Kermit. She struck pay dirt. Her mother didn't die. However, her mother told her that she thought Claire had died.

• But, remember Sylar? Oh, he's not dead, either. He killed the lab dude, then confronted HRG when he came for "the package." You could see the shunt in the back of his head. "How's Claire?," he asked Mr. Bennet.
  

There you go. Those were the happenings. In the teaser for next week, Claire's real mother is on the phone to her real father telling him "our daughter found us." Of course, that leads me to the thought that Claire's real father might be Linderman? Hmmm...

I'm so loving this show! I got another note from Primatech Paper, giving me a password to look into the Mr. Bennet's files sort of how Zach and Claire were doing. The easily-revealed file was about an upcoming hero - a woman who can intercept transmissions and rado waves.

I noticed there were four files there, but the password given me would only open one. However, there were highlighted numbers/letters in her file. I put them together into a password and found it went to the last file of the four -- Sylar's file. In his file, nothing was highlighted, so I can't get into the middle two files. The site even (mock) yelled at me threatening me with legal action if I kept trying to hack their files. Uh-oh.

Whatever Will I Watch on TV Tonight? - Monday, Jan. 29, 2007

There's some sort of cold white stuff all over outside, so I'm staying inside where it's warm and cozy. Since I don't have a fireplace to watch (sigh), I'll bask in the warm glow of my television.

Whatever will I watch?

In the 8 PM ET/PT time slot, my usual shows (How I Met Your Mother and The Class) are both repeats. If you haven't seen the slap-bet episode on HIMYM, here's your chance. At least, that's the episode showing in promos. New episodes of Deal or No Deal (NBC) and Prison Break (FOX) are also airing. Over on the CW Network, there's a new episode of Everybody Hates Chris followed by a new All of Us. ABC has a repeat Wife Swap.

Any regular blog readers here know that my 9 PM ET/PT hour will be filled with the new Heroes episode on NBC. CBS has repeats of Two and a Half Men and The New Adventures of Old Christine. 24 is a new episode on FOX while Supernanny is new on ABC.

The 10 PM ET/PT sees a repeat of C.S.I.: Miami on CBS and new episodes Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC) and What About Brian (ABC). For a change of pace, VH1 has a new episode of The White Rapper Show. I may have to channel surf, eh?

What are your television plans for the evening?

'The Apprentice: L.A.' - Ep. 4 -or- "In New York, we call them Cheez Doodles"

Well, this episode was a bit better than the previous three, but the show has a whole lot of saving itself yet to do. I won't go over my issues with the season again, but they mostly remain the same. One thing I keep forgetting to mention that grates me about this season is the lack of the little business tips. I used to be able to figure out which team would lose simply by watching the tip. Now I figure out which team will lose because one always seems to screw up royally. It's not as much fun for me to do it that way.

One redeeming factor in tonight's episode was the lack of Trumpette and/or Trumpling -- Ivanka and Donald, Jr. Instead, last season's winner, Sean Yazbeck, visited the task and later joined in at the boardroom. Good. I'd rather see him than a Trump progeny any day. Well, they could use Baron, I guess. "Who should be fired?" "Googoo." That would be about as good as the elder Trumps and much cuter.

The show started off with Arrow celebrating the fact that since Michelle quit, they wouldn't face the boardroom and another firing. In the celebration somehow the topic of Cheez Doodles came up. Like Frank (and I never thought we'd have anything in common), I was shocked that someone doesn't know what Cheez Doodles are. I know them all too well.

Trump had a little conference call with both project managers, once again lecturing about how quitters are losers. Of course, Michelle would have lost anyway. I still give her kudos for quitting this fiasco of a season. Then he asked for a volunteer to give the constantly losing Arrow team. Heidi offered herself, Surya, and Amy. Trump decided only Surya would go. Frank mugged, er, hugged him very energetically under the glow of the night vision cameras. Poor Surya.

I think Surya was a bit off-putting to the Arrow team when he droned on and on from a list of business rules. Even though they've been losing, he's no expert. In my opinion, he's been a bit on the sidelines of Kinetic and didn't play a huge role in any of their wins so far.

The task was similar to ones they've done in the past. They had to create a bowl dish for two separate El Pollo Loco locations. I've only seen that fast food chain when I was last in California, so I checked the website for the location nearest to me. Oh, gee... up at Foxwoods (CT) is the closest, with Chicago next in line. Being near NYC, I don't think I'll order any for delivery.

As per the norm for this season, it was obvious which team would win the task. Arrow jumped right on things, came up with a chicken tortilla bowl, and worked together as a team. Frank was actually the MVP of the task, getting an order for 22 bowls from a local business. For once his energy and Excitable Boy attitude did some good. They set up a festival atmosphere with balloons and signs. Even Surya mixed in well with the team despite his "rules."

Meanwhile, Kinetic, which is a word derived from "kinesis" that means movement, was ironically stalled arguing over small details. "What should we name it?" "I don't like that name!" They had decided on a fruit and chicken bowl and some wanted to name it "Paradise Pollo Bowl." Um, okay. They wasted time bickering about the name and then wasted more time quibbling on cellphones with Marisa because she wanted to hire two people with chicken suits. In the end, they just walked along the drive-thru lane telling people about the dish.

Well, duh. I see the problems from the get-go. The name of the dish doesn't tell me anything about what's in the dish. And, with no real excitement or promotion, no one's even going to know anything special was going on. Heck, the chicken suits would have been an improvement.

Sure enough, in the initial boardroom with both teams gathered, Sean announced that Kinetic earned $313.54 while Arrow brought in $418. At least that's the amount I managed to hear as the Arrow team burst into shouts of joy. I'm surprised it wasn't a larger difference.

The reward was much more appropriate than last week's Playboy Mansion evening. (Phew!) Arrow headed off to Malibu Beach where noted singer Andrea Bocelli played piano and serenaded them. Oh, la la! After the performance, there was a fireworks display on a grand scale solely for their enjoyment. And, even more important, they would be able to move into the mansion and out of Tent City. They were beside themselves with glee.

Kinetic weren't happy tent campers, though. They inherited a "disgusting mess" as Muna put it. Plus, one would have to be fired. I noticed that Heidi, the reigning Project Manager all season so far, immediately took any firing focus off of herself. She is good, I'll say. She went through polling the rest of the team because she thought the cashiers and marketing were the weak areas. The whole team decided that Marisa should represent the marketing aspect in the boardroom.

Back in the boardroom, Marisa kept sinking her own ship. I guess she wanted to make sure it stayed sunken. She ticked off Trump some even though he's on a "he/she has good spirit" kick this season (he liked Frank's spirit, too). The entire rest of the team spoke up saying she should be fired. She kept trying to talk over them about the chicken suits, which when you consider that this is supposed to be a corporate situation... chicken suits? Yikes, that's just plain silliness-talk! Trump seemed to be a bit patient with her, but eventually told her to "shut up." I guess that was the big fuss in the promos? I felt let down. I wanted to see some hair-pulling or something!

In the end, sure enough...

"Marisa, your whole team wants you to go. You're fired."

Okay, the episode was better than the last few, but I'm still not enamored with this season. Bring it or give it up, Trump. No, you're not fired, but that is indeed a written warning I'll be putting in your Reality Television File.

Dollar bills, y'all...

Portable Pants - This Week on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' - Jan. 29 - Feb. 2. 2007

Dave is continuing his odd little vacation - a few days last week and into this week. The Monday through Wednesday shows are repeats this week with fresh pants on Thursday and Friday.

Don't ask me why. Perhaps he flew to Rio with his buddy Regis. Or, maybe he's having quality time with Richard Simmons. I just don't know.

Here's this week's guest line-up:

• Monday, Jan. 29: A recent repeat with Will Smith promoting the movie The Pursuit of Happyness and musical guest Evanescense. A good show - Will Smith is always very entertaining and mixes it up well with Dave. But, too recent for me to rewatch. (Grr.)
• Tuesday, Jan. 30: Matt Damon promoting The Departed, Barbara Walters. Again, a fairly recent repeat. The Barbara Walters segment is interesting as she discussed recent brouhahas. (And you know I love to say "brouhaha.")
• Wednesday, Jan. 31: A Holiday Toy Demo (can you guess when this show first aired?), Renee Zellweger promoting Mrs. Potter, musical guest Taking Back Sunday. The Holiday Toy Demo is a hoot! I think I'll rewatch this one just to see that again.
• Thursday, Feb. 1: Ah, new pants! Actor Bill Murray and Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James. Bill Murray can be um... interesting... on shows. I'm not always so sure what's going on with him. And, for this non-NBA-watching person, half of the players I know by name, I know from Letterman.
• Friday, Feb. 2: David Spade promoting his new show Rules of Engagement (which isn't hitting my "must watch" radar at this point), documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi (Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra), and musical guest Dustin Kensrue. Okay.

So, there you go. Plan your TV-watching accordingly.