Wednesday, February 22, 2006

My First Blogcritics Entry Is Up

I recently joined in on Blogcritics -- "A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, technology, and politics." My first article is basically an edited version of my previous entry here on this blog -- Blogcritics.org: American Idol - Girls' Night Up. The real difference between the two articles is that I wrote the one posted here as I watched the show with keyboard on my lap. Yeah, that's as close as a laptop as I get. Sigh. The Blogcritics one I touched up to make things consistently past tense, perhaps with a bit less spontaneous commenting. Oh... and I fixed any typos as what I post here while live blogging tends to have a few.

Why am I doing this? Well, inevitably, for more exposure. Plus, it's interesting. I have someone looking over my work and editing. I've been so used to being my own editor and typing in train of thought that this is bound to change my style. Or not! ;-)

Will this change my posting entries here? Nuh-uh! Although I have been a bit behind a few days -- I will be resuming TV Newsy Bits today after a two day absence -- that's been more due to the Olympics and reruns rather than any other factors. Dang, it's bad when I'm not excited about what I see on my TV screen!

Oh. Tonight's Lost is a repeat of the pilot episode. I recommend it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but I think I've watched it at least four times already. I'll be blogging the "Boys' Night on American Idol."
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Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Blogging 'American Idol' - The 12 Girls


"No more crying cowboys, no more Brittenum twins."

It's Girls Night Out on American Idol. The top twelve girls are performing tonight -- two will be voted out on Thursday night. The boys (boys?) will sing tomorrow night.

When Ryan asked, Simon claimed he hasn't gotten any criticism, that he's been defending Ryan. Paula said she's impressed with this season. Randy thinks a boy will win this season. Is it a ploy to get the girls psyched?

Flashbacks to the auditions and other related drama. Yawn.

Mandisa is up first. She said that she didn't hear Simon's "fat" comment until she viewed the show at home. "Never" by Heart is her song. She wants to show "sisters can rock, too." Hmm... the outfit looks a bit like a red silk camisole with black lace. Eep! Thankfully she has black gaucho pants and a jacket thingee over it. Performance? I liked it a lot. She has a very strong voice. Randy overall favoring. Paula - "phenomenal." Simon says hi and asks how she is. He says it wasn't perfect but unbelieveable personality. "I think we'll see you through to the finals at the end of the show." 1 866 IDOLS 01

Oh, geeze, Kellie Pickler is crying again. Is she going to spend this season bawling? "How Far" by Martina McBride. She's dressed rather simply. Really not for me. I guess she's okay, but I'm not hearing anything really special. Randy -- thinks it was good. Paula - unpretentious, no diva factor, has likeability factor. Simon thinks she did well. I dunno. They're focusing more on her personality and all rather than the voice. Let's not set a precedent there, judges. 1 866 IDOLS 02

Becky O'Donohue is going to the stage. She's really a very pretty young woman. Her song is "Because the Night" by Patti Smith. It was the first CD she ever owned. What's that wrinkling her nose bit she does? Is that supposed to be sultry or sexy? Performance is good, at least I think so. That nose/forehead wrinkling has to go, though. Randy loves it. He thinks she does the whole thing well. Paula, of course, is favorable but mentions some notes were a bit off. Somon says better than he expected. Visually a 10, voice of a 6 1/2. He says it was okay, but some of the girls in the group are great. 1 866 IDOLS 03

Ayla Brown has to be at least a half foot taller than Ryan Seacrest. I think she's very well-poised for her age (17). "Reflection" by Christina Aguilar is her song. Hmm. I personally don't like the song choice. She is doing it fine. Whoops, a bad note. Overall, she's putting a lot into it. Let's see what the judges say. Randy was pleasantly surprised. Aight. Paula agrees. Simon -- a hard worker. He thinks there's a limit to her voice; he saw emotion. (Remember, he had called her robotic before.) 1 866 IDOLS 04

Paris Bennett. I thank the heavens her singing voice is not like her speaking voice -- kinda like Daffy Duck on helium. Ohhh... she's going to sing "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips. Now, there's a song I love. Um. I'm not thrilled by her performance. She's jumping up and down too much. Her hair is fluffy and bouncy, too. The song isn't supposed to be that upbeat. Randy was blown away. Paula thinks she's her idol. Simon loves her, too. Oh, my. Hmmm... I liked her other songs so far this season, but her performance of this song really didn't do it for me. It was like putting "Midnight Train to Georgia" to the tune of "Play That Funky Music"... or something. She is a cutie, though. I'll forgive her for going disco on the song. 1 866 IDOLS 05

Stevie Scott, trained in opera @@, thinks she's very unique. She's singing an opera song "To Where You" Are originally sung by Josh Groban. Her voice is good. I'm not pleased so much with the song selection. Boring, but I think she was technically good. Randy daydreamed. Good. It wasn't just me. Paula says nice stuff, blah blah blah. Simon disagrees with Paula. He claims an utter mess. He's being very rough on her. "I will sing the songs which will make America happy." It may be too late. In my predictions, I called her as out. Let's see.
1 866 IDOLS 06

Ryan's not AS cheesy as in previous seasons.

Brenna Gethers is next. Her personality really turns me off. She will sing Stevie Wonder's "You Are The Sunshine of My Life." Started a bit flat. Maybe I'm tone deaf? I think she's, as the judges say, pitchy. Hmm. Is my dislike of her personality affecting my thoughts about her singing? Randy not all that impressed, said she chose a safe song. Simon defends her personality and says horrible, completely and utterly horrible. Oh, Simon , don't encourage her to bring the claws out. Let her bad self just get voted on out. Please. I want her to "gether" her bags and go home.
1 866 IDOLS 07

Heather Cox. Now, I like her personality as opposed to Brenna Gethers. "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" as sung by last year's Idols. Well, um. It's okay. I guess. I'm not blown away. Nice note at the end. Randy wasn't slayed. Ah, neither was I. Paula agrees with him. Simon says it's a forgettable performance. I agree. 1 866 IDOLS 08

Melissa McGhee is going to sing Faith Hill's "When the Lights Go Down." Another song choice which far from thrills me. I'm not thrilled at all. Enough. She can stop. It's not that she's horrible. It's just not doing anything for me. Randy... some pitch problems and came together in the middle. He says not amazing. Paula calls it a shining moment ofr her. Amazing. Simon says she had been overshadowed by the bigger personalities. She pointed out that it's the first time she's actually sung on the show. 1 866 IDOLS 09

Lisa Tucker. Her song is "I'm Changing" by Jennifer Holiday. Ohhh... I'm impressed. This kid has got it! She performs without overdoing the performance (my problem with Paris tonight) and has a tremendous voice. Yay! Best performance of the night! Judges...? Randy was very impressed. Paula purple prosed her, but ended up saying she's a star. Simon was very favorable!
1 866 IDOLS 10

Kinnik Sky is up. Her song is "Get Here" by Oleta Adams. Okay. I think she's singing it well, strong and on key. A good performance. Randy thinks the middle was rough. He gives it a 6. Now, it wasn't my favorite song choice, but I thought she sang it well enough. Paula thought performance was powerful, good showmanship. Simon says her problem was the incredible performances from such younger girls. It was a caberet performance according to him.
1 866 IDOLS 11

Katharine McPhee is up. She still reminds me of Valerie Bertinelli. Her song is "Since I Fell For You" originally sung by Barbra Streisand. Oh, nice. Her movements are a bit jerky, but I think it's a fantastic performance. Paula is up and dancing, so... Randy says wow. He thinks it was great! Paula is happy. Simon puts her as the best of the "four really good vocalists." Spot on, Simon!
1 866 IDOLS 12

The votes should be for the contestant you think was the best. By the time I post this entry, the lines should be open. They will be open for two hours.

My predictions for voted off tonight? Stevie Scott and (hopefully) Brenna Gethers. Am I wrong?

My favorite performance of the night? Lisa Tucker with Katharine McPhee as a runner up.

Jackie OUT.
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Sunday, February 19, 2006

TV Newsy Bits Weekend Edition (Feb. 18-19, 2006)

Brr! Though the weather outside is chillin', I'm here to warm things up with the television/entertainment related newsy bits links I found while seeking warmth on the web. Oh. And, just to let you know, warmth by a fireplace is better than the computer monitor!
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Are We There Yet? I Want My 'Amazing Race'!

Oh, I'm so looking forward to this season of 'The Amazing Race.' Last season was okay; it kept me sort of kind of entertained. But, it wasn't the thrilling 'Amazing Race' I've encountered in past seasons! The new season premieres a week from this coming Tuesday and I'll be anxiously awaiting it here. I've already taken a closer look at each of the teams and poked around for what I can find on the web. I'm ready! If you're a big 'TAR' fan and you don't want to muddle through the blog for my 'Amazing Race' entries, they're all listed for your convenience at 'Amazing Race 9' Blog Entries.

In the meantime, here is some Amazing Race related "schtuff" --

THE REAL RACE Australia - Inspired by the amazing race, a luxury adventure tour that will revolutionize the way people travel... -- um, no. I'll pass, thank you. (Although it sure sounds spiffy keen.)

Fame & Fortune: Uchenna and Joyce Agu -- An interview with Joyce and Uchenna from 'The Amazing Race 7' -- Very interesting read. I had forgotten how much I really liked these two.

New York Post Online Edition: entertainment -- Need registration to review the whole article, but it goes into the actual cost of running the race out of your own pocket using TAR7 as its basis. An excerpt: "Between planes, trains, automobiles, rickshaws, boats, horse-drawn carriages, lodging, and travel visas each "Amazing Race" fan would have to shell out around $11,000 to run the 30-day, 40,000 mile course around the world with stops in South America, Africa, India, Europe and the Caribbean."

The Amazing Race: Here We Go, Baby, Off to Win a Million Bucks! - TV.com -- Not a heck of a lot there yet, but a few destination spoilers.

TARflies Times: a place for fans of The Amazing Race -- Always a great site to visit once the race is up and, well, running. They didn't like last season, though!

The Amazing Race 6 - The Official Site of Jonathan Baker and Victoria Fuller -- Eww! Jonathon likes BJ & Tyler, Jeremy & Eric, Ray & Yolanda and Lake & Michelle. Hmmm... if memory serves, I thought (with dread) that one of the couples would be Baker-ish. Eww.
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The 12 'American Idol' Guys - Who Will Go Home?

In my last entry, I focused on the girls/women in the 'American Idol' Top 24. They will sing on Tuesday night and the guys will sing on Wednesday's show. Now, I'm finding it hard to call this group either men or boys. With the women, the age variance isn't such a big deal. But, with the guys, it looks like grown men are competing with young boys. I actually like this whole group for different reasons. (As long as the Brittenum Twins are nowhere in it!) Will the show fans separate the men from the boys on Thursday night's result show? Will age matter? Will fan bases rule the voting? I guess we'll just have to wait, huh...



My thoughts? This is going to be a toughie for me. Unlike their female counterparts, there isn't even one I outright dislike due to personality. So, let's get it on...

Ace Young: Will be in the Twelve Finalists. Not my favorite, but the online buzz seems to be liking him a lot.

Bobby Bennett: He's only 19? I thought he was older. Alas, I don't believe he'll be in the finals.

Gedeon McKinney: Although I think he's very talented, don't think he'll be amongst the Treasured Twelve slots.

Jose "Sway" Penala: He seems to "sway" judges, but will he sway the voting public? I don't think so.

Bucky Covington: I like him. I like him a lot. I don't think he's got the fan base to make the cut, though. Out before the 12 chosen.

Chris Daughtry: I'm on the fence with Chris. May or may not make it to the 12 -- doubt overall winner.

Kevin Covais: Will make it to the 12 Finalists, but not much more than that. (He's adorable in his own way and sings great -- just don't think the show fans will make him a top runner.)

Patrick Hall: Another on the fence. I think he should be in the Top 12 due to talent, but not sure if the voters will get him in there.

David Radford: How cute is he? He'll make the cut for the 12 Finalists, but will the voting public go for a crooner in the long run? I dunno.

Elliott Yamin: Hmmm... don't believe he'll make the cut, but I could be wrong. I don't see a strong fan base out there for him.

Taylor Hicks: The most distinct in both talent and looks. He's a shoe-in for Top 12, may take it all.

Will Makar: Oh, my... I'm having flashbacks to Peter Brady! He'll get the votes to make it to the 12 Finalists, but won't be THE American Idol.

So, there are my predictions. I'm still hung up on the age bit. Is it fair to pit a Will Makar at 16 against a Taylor Hicks at 29? Probably not, but that's 'American Idol.'

Who are you rooting for? Who's going home on Thursday when the first two get sent packing?
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