Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Bloggin' AMERICAN IDOL Audition Night/Greensboro, NC - Hour 1

Okay, to start -- yes! I totally got Simon's comment to the one girl regarding Jerry Springer! Gotta love it. ;-)

I'm not too keen on the sob stories this year. Yes, I think Kelly Pickler has a good voice. But do I need to know her Momma left her at 2 and her Daddy's in jail? I know she seems nice, but what if her voice sucked and we sat through the sob story?

Tux Guy. Shawn. He's gimmicky, for sure. But I'm liking his voice. With his facial hair, he seems a lot older than 17. He's a no according to the judges. Oh, but they took Crazy Dave! Shawn's little brother is so defensive.

Now Jimmy is there with a dummy, Scottie. This gimmick at least has them smiling. Ah, he can sing. If he goes on, what about the dummy? He didn't get on, but it gave the judges some good reasons for working with dummy jokes. Now a helium-voiced woman with a pink cowboy hat is on. No, say no! "I want this more than a whole bag of gummy bears!" Sorry!

An egotistical National Guard dude is going to start. He's inviting Paula to dance with him if he sounds good. Steven David, Jr. Simon and Randy dragged Paula to dance with him as he sings 'Let's Get It On.' Onto Hollywood for him! I think this is one to watch. He's full of it, but he's a hoot. And, he can sing. Ryan Seacrest brought Steven's wife into the room to break up the party. Randy thinks the show has turned into speed dating.

A 27 year old with an almost 12 year old son named Halicia is singing. She can sing. She now says she is supposed to kiss Simon and brought plastic to kiss him through if he didn't want germs. He said no to the plastic and it's yes to Hollywood.

Going for a perky boy named Donny, age 19. Hmmm... has had a vocal coach for a year. To me, he sounds choppy, off key and fast as he sings 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.' Simon says he murdered the song. It's a no.

Now a girl named Kendra with a sob story -- has been in 42 foster homes. She married very young, three kids? She worked her way into college. She seems very level-headed. Yes, she can sing. She's kind of bubbly, perhaps it's just nerves. Paula: "Breath of fresh air." Simon says he would have said no, but since Randy and Paula said yes, Kendra tells him -- "It doesn't matter, I'm going."

Chase who's Kennet who's a bit... um different, is on. Until they flashed his real name, I was thinking woman, myself. He sang a Whitney Houston song. They're comparing him to Wayne Newtown. Now Simon is doing his "in a dress" thing. He's onto Hollywood.

"I'm not being rude" is getting a segment. I love his line "you look like the Incredible Hulk's wife." They haven't shown her sing. Now a woman is telling Ryan how short he is. Now the latter is about to sing -- her mother was a stripper. Sob story or not? Now, she is odd. She's wearing what's wild lingerie. Eep. They're advising vocal lessons and come back.


A Brandon is on now. He does a weird little hiccup thing at the end of his lines. It's a no. Aw... he's sad. His Momma thinks it's his white trash po' boy clothes.

Hour One done.

New 'Survivor' Castaways: A Closer Look at Courtney Marit

This latest 'A Closer Look at...' entry focuses on Courtney Marit. She's listed as a 31 year old performance artist from Los Angeles. I hear the words "performance artist" and tend to cringe. It could be just me.

In college she received a gymnastics scholarship and was part of the 1993 NCAA Championship team. Okay, that's impressive, I'll say. Her current performance artist work mixes fire (ow), stilts (thunk), trapeze, music and more in a theatrical show. Hmmm... sounds a bit like Cirque du Soleil. She's the founder of Revolve Productions -- apparently not either of the two companies with that name which come up with a quick Google. She teaches fire dancing. Eep. Her more lofty goal is to make films and documentaries that promote world unity. Okaaay.

She's traveled a lot, to over 30 countries. Past jobs include deckhand/cook, farmer, ski instructor, snow maker, trailblazer, biking/hiking guide, elder caregiver, importer and massage therapist. She's climbed mountain peaks, ran marathons, lived in caves in India and other cool stuff. Oh, my. And she's only 31? She thinks she's free spirited (you don't say), compassionate, creative, fun and sensitive.

Onto her favorites from the CBS site:
Hmmm... favorite game is Risk. That's always a good one for strategic planning. She lists both LOST and SURVIVOR as TV shows she likes. I like her taste for the most part in actors and actresses. (At least the Olsen twins aren't in there!) I have absolutely no clue who her music groups are. Ah, for cereal -- healthy and sugar -- Cap'n Crunch mixed with granola.

It's time for my prediction, I guess. Y'know, so many things in her background are really perfect for the show. I think a lot will depend on her personality. Will she annoy others? Is she bubbly or "out there"? I just can't tell. If, and it's a big if, her personality isn't too abrasive or odd, she could go very far in the game. I predict well past the halfway mark at the very least.

Any thoughts about her chances?



Monday, January 23, 2006

TV Newsy Stuff

These are a few of the television related news bits out and about on the web:
That last one is ridiculous, but true. Ack.

Quick 'Crossing Jordan' Rant

Now, I like this show. Don't get me wrong.

But ALBANY is not pronounced Ail-ben-knee. It's ALL-ben-knee. No one says Ailbany.

Cut it out.

(I went to ALL-ben-knee State.)

Sunday's 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent'

I thought I wouldn't enjoy 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' without Vincent D'Onofrio as Goren. He brought a bit of quirkiness to the series which I thought was vital to the show. But since his fainting/dizziness spells and apparent desire to work less, they brought in Chris Noth reprising his role as Det. Logan from the original 'L&O'. The premise is to "look into the mind of the killer" which I really wouldn't have pegged the Logan character to be the investigator. But it works. Last night's show was an intriguing story of a bullied boy grown up and seeking revenge. I know it sounds a bit trite and done too often, but there were enough twists in this one to keep it fresh. I didn't catch the name of the actor who played the killer, but thought his portrayal came across very well.

'L&O: CI' gets an 'A' sans Goren.

There is a bad point, however. When looking at the NBC site to snag the link, I notice that next week's episode is a three-peat with Noth. I know I've already seen it twice and I'm thinking network, not the cable eps. It's the one with the mother and son jewelry thieves/killer. Dang.

Did you watch last night? If so, how is the show for you with Noth instead of D'Onofrio?