Oops! I Goofed! Letterman NEW 24 Year Anniversary Tonight

Yikes... it's been repeats for Monday and Tuesday, it's the Oprah repeat tomorrow.

But tonight, Letterman is all new and it's the 24 Years of Letterman anniversary show.

Now I must stay up.

Blogging 'American Idol' - Austin, TX Auditions

*These blog notes are typed as I watch the show and put up immediately foilowing the east coast airing of 'American Idol.' Please ignore or, at the very least, forgive me for any typos, punctuation or otherwise errors. Gracias!

Here we are in Austin, first really up for the audition is Julian Riano singing 'Lemon Tree' by Trini Lopez. Hmm... boring. I know several other artists who have covered that song. I personally liked the Peter, Paul and Mary version. At least Julian is personable even after getting rejected for Hollywood.

Michelle someone whose number fell
Arthur Mayfield, Donnel Bolton... all rather odd.

A self-proclaimed fashion genius is being interviewed by Ryan. Uh-oh, she has a Paula Abdul obsession... shades of 'Misery'? She's singing "Proud Mary" -- her name is Paula Goodspeed. Not good. Paula A. is "speechless." Simon is trying to blame her braces for the poor showing. It's a no. Now she's showing the nasty side. @@ <--- she rates a Jackie Eyeroll

Ryan did a segment on the undead -- IMO, the Untalented! Danielle Zamora singing "Amazing Grace." At first she just hit a few bad notes, then she went berserk. Now a series of very bad with no names as a horror flick.

A funeral director, Jason Horn, is up next. Backstory because it's different or because he'll make it to Hollywood? We'll see... heehee, he's going to sing "You Raise me Up" by Josh Groban. He can actually sing... I predict Hollywood. And, so it is. He's onto Hollywood!

Cierra Johnson, a vet assistant and dance choreographer, is next. She's pretty. We'll see. Yipes! That's how I sing! That's IT! That's ME! And, why you'd never see me audition or even sing in public. Simon - "It's like the soundtrack for the Night Before Christmas." (She sang O Holy Night) I can't believe how much she sounds like me. Um... she should pursue another career, for sure.

A travel story from Alison Schoening with her plane excitement story. Er... not good. Simon likens it to his cat's tail getting stuck in a door. Alison admits it was horrible. They're actually going to let her take a half hour and then come back. Heehee! Alison just got Simon with a comeback.

A parade of rejects coming through.

Jeffrey Pollack, a cutie, wants to think about why he's there.

Ricky Hayes feels he's meant to sing. He's a music major in college and I think he lives up to it. He can sing, for sure. I like him. Will the judges...? Paula says refreshing. Simon thinks it's the "nicest sounding voice he's heard so far." They all like him. 100% yes from all.

Ashley Jackson is up. I guess she's okay. She's not thrilling me, but I think she can sing okay. She can sing with her mouth closed and you can understand the words. I personally say no. Randy and Simon pushed her through to Hollywood. I'm not worried -- I predict long gone before the 12 Finalists.

Ryan intros someone who has a bigger ego than Simon. His name is Ronnie Norman and he likes to flirt. "I'm going to be me and that's what they'll love." - about the judges. He sang "Ain't No Sunshine." Paula and Simon voted him through, Randy said no. He's onto Hollywood. He is cute in a boyband kinda way. I personally don't think he has the most exciting voice or persona in the world.

A Randy Jackson lookalike named Kevin Mitchell is up. Ah, he's singing "I Can't Dance" - a song I like and I'm enjoying him -- it's not great talent, but it's a fun audition! Paula and Randy pass. So does Simon. No Hollywood for him. No soup for Randy.

Now Alison Schoening is back. I think she's still bad and she can roll back on up the river on Proud Mary. It's a no. A waste.

16 year old William Makar is singing "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" - he can sing a bit, but good enough? I don't think so. But he's a cutie. Paula said no. Simon likes him. Randy says yes... he's off to Hollywood!

Tessie Mae Reid who thinks she's similar to Diane Degarmo or Carrie Underwood, 17 years old, is up next. I bet she can't sing. They've been showing her in promos through the show. Singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." No way, Tessie Mae! Go 'way, Tessie Mae! Simon said the whole thing was frightful. Nope, she's not going to Hollywood. Crying, but of course. Now inside the judges room with no contestants, Simon compares her to stuffing a potato sack.

Only 12 made it to Hollywood from the Austin audition.

Back to Jeffrey, the one who didn't know why he was there. He decides he won't be exciting. Next week it's off to Boston on Tuesday, some of the worst and some of the best, it looks from the promo. On Wednesday, it's Hollywood for "Hell Week."

Jackie... OUT! ;-)

Today's TV Newsy Bits - Feb. 1, 2006

Yep! There's always television/entertainment related newsy bits to be found out and about the web. Here's what I found today--

• CANOE -- JAM! Television: Craig Ferguson pays tribute to his dad
• "Idol," "CSI" fuel weekly wins for Fox, CBS
• Fred Savage Dishes About His New Sitcom, 'Crumbs'
• Probst Calls Panama Survivors “A Breath of Fresh Air” <-- a MUST read/Jeff cast insight
• "S12, Ep 1, SOTS" - Reality TV World Message Board Forums - "S12, Ep 1, SOTS" <--'Survivor: Panama - Exile Island' Spoilers (possibly), read at your own risk
• Randy Jackson Comes to Term With Simon Cowell Meltdown
• ABC News: CBS' John Roberts Jumps to CNN
• 13abc.com: Kimmel Brings Show to Detroit After Infamous Comment

New 'Amazing Race 9' Cast: A Closer Look at BJ Averell & Tyler MacNiven

These two are being labeled as BEST FRIENDS. It's BJ Averell and Tyler MacNiven, ages 26 and 25 respectively. BJ is an online tutor whose hometown is Los Angeles. Tyler is a filmaker out of San Francisco.

Their official CBS 'Amazing Race' bio says "BJ & Tyler are bohemian best buds who first met four years ago during the Semester at Sea program, where they shared the experience of sailing around the world."

Yep, they're bohemian buds... or something. Right now I'm not sure exactly what. I'd say clowns, but that was done already with Jon and Al. They were the best at it, for sure! Okay, let me poke around their bio a bit more...

BJ is a Harvard grad. I'm suitably impressed. Tyler is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz. I don't know about the school there, but I'm partial to the rollercoaster at the Santa Cruz boardwalk, so he passes muster with me. They're both well-traveled and fluent in several languages. That's a big plus for a team on 'The Amazing Race.' They both love adventure, travel and good times (and hamming for the camera?). In a way, I want to dismiss these two due to just the promo photo, but they sound like they have a real chance in the race. BJ moved to CA for surfing, karate and frisbee -- he should be in decent physical shape. Tyler fell in love with a girl from Japan and decided to walk the 2000 mile length of the country to impress her. Lucky girl and quite an undertaking.

These article(s)/websites were found about BJ Averell and Tyler MacNiven out and about the web (beware, some may archive in due time or need registration to view):
People: Woodside native treks across Japan (August 24, 2005)
Kintaro Walks Japan
Stanford says no to Tyler MacNiven, but he's upbeat, may reapply later (December 23, 1998)
Stanford Magazine: March/April 1999: They'll Try Anything
The Stanford Daily Online Edition
Kintaro Walks Japan - Google Video
Buck's of Woodside Kintaro Walks Japan ... and dozens more on his trek, but this is his own writing of the journey
HTDb v2.0 - BJ Averell -- BJ's Harvard theater work
Fictumentary.com - Camera Noise Production Notes
The Harvard Crimson :: News :: Election Profile: B.J. Averell & Amias Gerety
Harvard University: Gallery ... and many, many more.

All of my 'The Amazing Race' blog entries can be found linked in chronological order here.

Tonight/Tomorrow TV Picks

This week has been pretty much a TV bummer for me so far between repeats and the State of the Union. Grr. (Nothing against the State of the Union, but I'd rather read than watch it.)

So, what kind of television viewing (and most likely blogging) plans do I have for the next day or two?

TONIGHT (Wednesday)
8 PM ET - 'American Idol' -- it's the auditions show filmed in Austin, TX. I should be posting my blog entry as it wraps up here on the east coast.
9 PM ET - Unlike usual weeks, I won't be watching 'Lost' -- it's a repeat: "Numbers" Hurley becomes obsessed with finding the French woman and heads off into the jungle to find her, leaving Jack, Sayid and Charlie no choice but to follow him. Meanwhile, Locke asks Claire to help him build a mysterious item. What I will watch (and have had to tape since FOX TV stuck it up against 'Lost') is 'Bones' -- "The Woman in the Car"-- When a woman's burned body is found in a car with evidence that her child was kidnapped, Brennan and Booth's investigation leads to a suspect who is in the Witness Protection Program.
10 PM ET - 'Law and Order' is another repeat, so I'll watch 'C.S.I. NY' -- "Stuck on You" -- When a billionaire playboy throws a party for a mosaic artist, he and a model end up skewered and pinned against a wall by an arrow.

Letterman's repeats this week. How dare he!

THURSDAY NIGHT (Feb 2)
8 PM ET - Gee, something new is on, isn't it? ;-) Woohoo! It's the 'Survivor: Panama - Exile Island' premiere! Alas, it's only one hour. For me, that's just a tease for the new season.
9 PM ET - 'C.S.I.' -- "Killer"-- As the CSIs investigate two deaths, both linked to the same suspect, the evidence starts to overlap and the CSI team begins to close in on the murderer.
9:30 PM ET - Will tape 'Crumbs' -- I taped and watched it last week and genuinely enjoyed it. I loved how the Mom, Jane Curtain, seeking a support group for divorcees ended up leading the meth freaks. ;-) Horrible, horrible time slot... horrible.
10 PM ET - 'Without a Trace' -- "Odds or Evens" -- Jack goes to Tokyo to find a dishonorably discharged U.S. Marine who went missing after he served a five-year prison term for raping a young woman.

What will you be watching?