Wednesday, March 22, 2006

'American Idol' 50s Night Quick Thoughts

Last night was 50s night on American Idol and I think it redeemed last week's rather poor showing with the Stevie Wonder songs. Not anything against Stevie Wonder, of course. I would have loved to see Kevin Covais singing, "When I was a nappy-headed boy, hangin' out with those hoodlum friends of mine..." ;-) And, though I have the utmost respect for Stevie's music on the whole, his own performance on the boot night show came across to me as a Boz Scaggs imitation. The song didn't hold to the high level of his works from the 70s. Sigh.

But, to last night -- a quick take on the songs and singers:

Mandisa sang "I Don't Hurt Any More" with such natural talent that it's sure that if she doesn't make it to the end (which I don't think she will), she will be able to hold onto a singing career. While I'd like to see their fashion folks do a bit better with her outfits -- they're way too tight -- she looked much better this week. Her hair and make-up were perfect, highlighting her beautiful face.

Bucky Covington sang "Oh Boy." Oh, boy ... get him gone this week. He should have never made it this far. He's not horrible or anything, but when they talk about having "it" he thought they said something else and told them he already went. What the heck is going on with his hair? Someone put on net on that!

Paris Bennett sang "Fever." I thought she sang the song very well; she had the notes, the moves, the act down pat. She looked cute, she sang cute. Ho-hum. I like her and I think she'll keep on going, but in the long run she (like many previous and present AI contestants) isn't going to be anyone whose music I'd run out and buy or whose performance I'd feel I have to watch. Sweet kid and talented, but...!

Chris Daughtry sang "I Walk the Line." Now, here's where AI is growing on a musical level. While it was the song Johnny Cash sang, it wasn't that song at all. Chris changed it around and interpreted it on an entirely different level. No, it wasn't his own personal best vocal, but it was one of the most intriguing things ever done with a song on the show. If this guy wins it all, he's someone who I'd be interested in watching perform or perhaps even buying his music. This is what happens when AI goes beyond the teenybopper kiddie show contestants.

Katharine McPhee sang Ella Fitzgerald's hit "Come Rain or Come Shine" and it was a striking performance. Like Mandisa, she's a natural talent. No schoolgirl cutesy ways about her, although she's very attractive. Watching her perform is like watching a seasoned pro. Kudos to her!

Taylor Hicks sang "Not Fade Away." Knock his dancing all you want, Simon Cowell! With Taylor, his personality and showmanship are as much a part of it all as his singing. I liked Barry Manilow's description of his voice -- a whiskey tenor. Even more than Chris, Taylor's the guy I have to stop and watch. He looked so handsome and dapper and he's got IT (that Bucky hasn't a clue about). I liked the dancing. I liked the show. I liked the singing. I can't get enough of Taylor's performances! He's a joy to watch!

Lisa Tucker sang "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" next. I think she's talented, but all in all it reminded me of a scene out of Grease or something. She looked adorable in the little outfit and played the cameras/crowd well. But, the whole thing came across as out of a show called American Idol: The Musical. Yes, I think she's probably a lot more talented than lots of pop stars currently on the charts, but I don't buy their music either.

Kevin Covais sang "When I Fall In Love." Yes, he has a nice voice and he looked like such a lovable innocent little twerp singing the song. But he's against actual men in the contest. Unless that site which promotes voting for the worst singers keeps him in, his days are numbered. And, yes ... they're pushing him these days. That site is responsible for John Stevens staying in the show as long as he did last year. Or was that the year before?

Elliott Yamin was up next singing "Teach Me Tonight." You can tell the AI people are working on his looks -- he's sporting a goatee now and other changes seem to be being made each week. His voice is stunning. I personally think he has one of the best voices week after week for the guys on the show. Alas, he looks more like someone who'd play a mobster in a Mafia movie. I think we'll see this guy go on to having a career in music. He's got the talent. Will he be the American Idol? Probably not.

Kellie Pickler sang Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight." I'm not a Kellie fan, per se. The ditzy country bumpkin persona makes me laugh, but usually her singing just isn't my cuppa. That said, I think she performed magnificently last night with the song. If she keeps that up each week, I may just have to start liking her. ;-)

Ace Young sang "In the Still of the Night." Okay, he does the falsetto well, but so did Frankie Valle and a Beach Boy or two. Yeah, he has those cute boy band looks and tries to put girls (and perhaps guys) in his Ace Trance. But I'm growing a bit weary of him in the long run. In my opinion, he's a One Trick Pony. He should outlast Kevin, but he shouldn't win.

My predictions for the bottom three tonight?

Bucky, Kevin and Lisa. Buh-bye, Bucky.

'The Amazing Race 9' - Ep. 4 -or- Lederhosen Me to the Gnomes!

Hmmm... I don't know. Perhaps it's only episode 3B, but we'll call it 4. I certainly hope this is it for the "to be continued" legs of the show. I'm easily confused!

Nine teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

We last left the teams in Moscow, Russia, where they were all starting to meet up with Phil Keoghan on the Red Square. Last week we saw Jeremy and Eric arrive first thinking they won the leg only to be handed a clue envelope from Phil and be told the leg wasn't over. They looked exhausted. It's still not over! Will Jericmy retain their lead? Will BJ and Tyler take over the race once again? (I hate calling them the Hippies. Long hair doesn't a hippie make, but I guess I'm just a 60s purist, eh?) It's kind of interesting to compare the teams' arrival order at this time to the actual end of the leg. Well, at least interesting to me! So, here's the placing at the Red Square: Jeremy/Eric, Lake/Michelle, Ray/Yolanda, BJ/Tyler, Fran/Barry, Dani/Danielle, Desiree/Wanda, Monica/Joe and placing last was Dave/Lori.

The clue received in Moscow directed teams to fly to Frankfurt, Germany. Once there, they had to take a train to Stuttgart to the flagship Mercedes-Benz factory. Jeremy and Eric really lucked out -- they were the only team on an early flight, thus increasing their lead. Once in Germany, they managed to catch a train just before it left. How lucky can these guys get? The second flight leaving Moscow only took two teams -- Lake/Michelle and BJ/Tyler narrowly squeaking in. The rest of the teams all made the last flight, leaving in the morning. Once again, in typical TAR fashion, the time difference didn't mean a heck of a lot as the Mercedes-Benz place didn't open until the moming. So, instead of a 12 hour or more difference between teams, it was pared down to just a couple of hours.

Now, I would have found the challenge at the Mercedes-Benz factory a bit more um ... challenging if they had to drive it themselves, but the teams each had a driver racing them through the oldest test track in the world affectionately called "The Wall of Death." Oh, this one looked cool as the cars went horizontal on the curve! I want to try it! Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz, my friends all have Porsches, I must make amends! While it indeed looked cool, all the teams did was go along for the ride. Sigh. Nothing more to see here; let's move along.

Teams then had to drive 200 miles on the Autobahn to a field where they'd face a Roadblock. Here's where Wanda/Desiree screwed up royally by going in the wrong direction for over twenty miles ... twice! So did Dani/Danielle as they were fool enough to be following W/D! Sheesh. First Dani and Danielle clung to Jeremy/Eric until they loused that up by forgetting their bag. Now they're clinging to Wanda and Desiree? Don't these girls think for themselves? The Roadblock (a task which can only be completed by one member of the team) wasn't anything scary, but it was the epitome of product placement. The team member had to find the Travelocity Roaming Gnome hidden in a large field. There were ten gnomes hidden under cones, gnome half sculptures, etc. Of course, this task got tougher with each one found and later teams really depended as much on luck as strategic methodical searching tactics.

Oh, no ... it's onto a Roadblock! Teams finding the gnomes had to bring their gnome along to the Bavarian Film where they had a choice of Break It or Slap It. This is the kind of event that makes me smile at the show. In Break It, teams were faced with a table that held hundreds of prop bottles and had to smash a bottle over their teamate's head hoping to find one with a label which had PROST (German for Cheers!) inside. Oh. They also had to wear lederhosen and only break a bottle each time the cuckoo came out from its cuckoo clock roost. All depended on luck and eventually the maddening native musicians and dancers made for a rather surreal bad comedy act task. In Slap It, teams had to learn the dance steps to a native German dance and perform to the approval of the dancers while also wearing lederhosen. Nothing was funnier than Fran/Barry and Ray/Yolanda in lederhosen! (Well, I'd be funnier, but thankfully I'm not on the show.)

From there, the teams headed to the Pit Stop with Jeremy/Eric retaining their lead. They came in first winning a trip for two to Africa which includes whitewater rafting, a safari and a trip to Victoria Falls. The arrival order of the other teams was: BJ/Tyler (running backwards for their own odd reasons), Lake/Michelle (boo), Fran/Barry, Dave/Lori, MoJo, Ray/Yolanda, Dani/Danielle and ... last and Philiminated -- Wanda and Desiree.

So, that's what happened on the show. Now it's time for me to go into a bit of what I think of the season. It's so much better than the family-safe family edition last season! I'm really liking the teams and their interaction with each other this season. I don't think we've ever had a TAR season where the teams got on so well together. Even the Evil Lake will work with other teams. Teams are sharing taxis, following each other (sometimes almost to ruin) and honestly seem to like one another. I love how BJ and Tyler are rooting for Fran and Barry! Call me a dork, but I still like Dave and Lori -- I'm thrilled they're making a comeback and getting a bit strategic. I want to be offended at Jeremy and Eric's shallow sexist ways, but I have to laugh at the Horndogs. Will all this togetherness between the teams end as the race goes on? I mean, they can't be so congenial forever, can they?

My personal favorites for the win are BJ and Tyler. No, I won't call them hippies. But, these guys have a great sense of adventure, are funny and smart. I couldn't help but notice they knew enough German to get by. They seem to have a high frustration level and I think they're perhaps one of the strongest teams ever on the show. They may overdo their schtick a bit, but they're the team to watch.

I would love to see a Final Four team list like this -- BJ/Tyler, Fran/Barry, Ray/Yolanda and Dave/Lori. Will it happen? Who are your favorites?

Oh ... and I'm not all that sad to see Wanda and Desiree go. While I think Desiree was a good race candidate, Wanda was really getting on my nerves. If you go on a show like The Amazing Race, whining at every task isn't the way to win. You defeat yourself and you tick off the viewers. Next, Lake can go. He's on my nerves, too. After that, Dani and Danielle can go bye-bye. They're followers, not leaders. Get 'em gone. Then I predict that Jeremy and Eric will have a secret rendezvous with two Swedish milkmaids and miss a plane. After that, out with MoJo! I still don't know these two much at all so they'd be no great loss. I know. I'm horrible, aren't I?

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Today's TV Newsy Bits - Mar. 21, 2006


A bit in every pot! A bit for you! A bit for me! Bits for all!

No. I'm not running for office. If nominated, I won't run. If elected, I won't serve.

Here are the television and entertainment related newsy bits links I found on the web today...



'The Amazing Race' East Coast Update - Phinish and Philimination

The teams arrived at the Pit Stop in this order:

1. Jeremy/Eric - Won a trip for two to Africa with whitewater rafting, a safari and a trip to Victoria Falls.
2. BJ/Tyler - Arrived running backwards
3. Lake/Michelle - boo
4. Fran/Barry
5. Dave/Lori
6. MoJo
7. Ray/Yolanda
8. Double D's
9. Wanda and Desiree -- Philiminated

Tonight's 'Amazing Race' Blogging...

I'll be watching the show here on the East Coast. At the end (approximately 11 PM ET), I'll post the finish order of the teams and the Philimination. Either much later or tomorrow morning, I'll post a full review/recap.

So, if you're West Coast and just can't wait, stop back a bit later!

Dang, I wish it was still in the 9 PM slot here. Grr.