'American Idol 6' - The Memphis Auditions

Now, I know these auditions were taped months ago. But, it's as if the judges could hear the uproar last week over their "mean" ways. Tonight was a kinder and gentler American Idol audition. No one was called a bush baby and most who cried shouldn't have been there in the first place. Both Simon and Randy lightened up their treatment of the failures and the oddities weren't the focus for the most part. Many of the Notable of the Odd weren't even named -- they were in an Elvis "Hunk of Burning Love" montage.

The show started out with a male cheerleading captain, accompanied by his squad (is that what it is?) and marching band. Frank Byers, Jr., wasn't horrible as he sang "I Heard it Through the Grapevine." He was just a bit too much. Don't save the cheerleader... please.

There were some not-so-good contestants (who really shouldn't have tried out) like Timika Sims shyly singing with a voice which seemed to come from deep within her nasal cavities. There was Wandera Hitchye, a woman who really doesn't sing well, was let down very nicely by the judges, yet ranted and raved.

Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd

Many of tonight's Most Notable of the Odd were never shown in an actual audition, as I mentioned above. The center girl, Alexis Partee, decided to semi-strip her sweater and don't ask me what she was up to! The one on the left was never named, yet said, "I forgot my medication." And, Hunka Hunka was almost X-rated while wearing a huge baby bonnet. Eep.


Janita Burks claimed to be conservative and sexy. Neither, I say! SHe could have teamed up with Hunka Hunka and we would have had Porn Idol. Simon said she was a handful. I say they could have used that American Idol emblem over her chest at times. I have no idea what was going on with the one in the middle. Her audition, with the exception of the montage, was never shown. Robert Lee Holmes started it all. He thinks he does a good Elvis. He does not. Trust me on this one.

There were a few other notables like Travis McKinney and Christopher McCain. Travis sang some bizarre song he claimed would fill the stage with emotion. If you call annoyance emotion, he did his job. Christopher had a crush on Paula and, since he recently broke up with his wife, he's available. Paula looked like she'd rather hear from Corey Clarke again. Thankfully, Christopher's singing wasn't much better than his possibilities with Paula.

Oh, There Were a Few Notable Good Ones in Memphis!

Sundance Head may not look like a contender, but he certainly is one. He's the son of singer Roy Head, a fairly popular singer in the mid-sixties. I remember the songs, but I liked The Beatles more. (Yes, I'm that old... got a problem with it? To be honest, I was pretty young at the time and listened to the records of older people. Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Sundance belted out "Stormy Monday" like he was born to sing the blues. It'll be interesting to see him adapt to other styles and see what they do with his "look" if he makes it into the 12 finalists.


I found Melinda Doolittle not only a singing powerhouse, but she was also a refreshing delight to watch. She's a background singer for someone else and her shyness has kept her from stepping out and singing on her own.

Wow. She can sing!

She needs to gather some self-confidence, but I feel this girl's a winner nonetheless. It was nice to see someone who doesn't think they're "all that." I hope she goes far.

Yes, I know he looks more like he should be in Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd, but he's going to Hollywood. Sean Michel is actually kind of cute under all that hair. He has a nice smile and a decent voice.

He received comments like "wow" and "soulful" from the judges. He's also going to be another one to watch what they do with his looks if he makes it into the finalists.

In the two days of Memphis auditions, cut to one hour here on the East Coast (and elsewhere? I don't know), they put through 22 more to Hollywood. Tomorrow is home territory for me... the New York City auditions. Yes, I remember when they were holding them. No, I didn't try out.

A Tale of Two Swords...

Oh, my goodness, I don't think I've ever had such a sword-filled Monday evening.

First there was How I Met Your Mother. The friends found a nude painting of Marshall that Lily had painted when they were in college. Although there was another storyline in which Ted was trying to fire his ex-boss Hammond Druthers, the painting was the true fun instigator of the episode.

When they "told" Marshall about finding the painting, the hints revolved around "I have a new dart." New dart, of course, is nude art. Yeah, it's a bit sophomoric, but funny nonetheless. Barney talked Lily into painting him nude; Lily and Marshall demanded money. In the end, Barney got the Ken Treatment. Little Barney never showed. But, his stance with the sword leads me into...

...Heroes!

Here's a quick bullet-point update on last night's Heroes (not necessarily in the order of occurrence) followed by some of my thoughts (feel free to share your own thoughts or ideas):

• Niki/Jessica is in jail. She turned all Jessica on the guards and eventually ended up in the good ol' padded cell.
• Micah still wants his Mom, D.L. isn't so sure.
• Matt Parkman, the mind-reading cop, teamed with his FBI buddy to raid HRG's (Mr. Bennett's) paper company in search of Sylar.
• Either HRG or The Haitian blocked their thoughts from Matt and the raid was a bust.
• Claire met up with The Haitian wanting him to restore Zach's memories of her. We find he can only erase memories, not restore them.
• Hiro, Ando, Isaac, Simone, and Nathan all met up at Isaac's studio.
• Peter was comatose at the beginning of the show, probably due to absorbing so many powers from his Sylar encounter, as well as with others.
• Sprague, the radioactive-hands dude, is in a shack in the desert.
• Sylar is indeed still alive and still a captive of Mr. Bennett and Company. He's not doing so well and there's huge cockroach crawling around in his "room." I'm talking one of those really huge ones like a Madagascar hissing cockroach or something.
• Mr. Bennett met up with Suresh in NYC and they both lamented over Eden. Suresh is leery of him.
• Hiro and Ando found the sword Hiro sought in a museum. Hiro slowed down time all around him to steal it only to find it was a replica, not a real sword at all. And, not only that, but a replica donated by the notorious Mr. Linderman. The incident showed that Hiro's encounter with the dinosaur took place in the museum, not back in time.
• Claire either tried to jolt Zach's memory or create a new knowledge of her powers by re-enacting the falls from the building videotape - "this is my first attempt."
• Peter's coma and fever broke and he ran from the hospital (really ticking off his mother).
• Peter started roaming the streets of Manhattan trying to make arrangements to fly to Las Vegas to a desert area as he's sure he'll be combusting soon.
• As he walked along, he spotted the newest hero - an invisible man (played by Christopher Eccleston of Dr. Who fame). Like Jessica of Jessica/Niki, he wasn't using his powers for good. He was pickpocketing and stealing. They struggle, Peter's eyes light up once more.

Okay, those were the basics of this episode, "Godsend."

First, I want to know more about the mysterious, yet notorious, Mr. Linderman. I'm beginning to get the feeling he may be Mr. Bennett's boss, but I could be off-base. Also, the sword replica. As you see in the photo of it, it bears the same design as the tattoos on Jessica and Matt Parkman (other places, too). What's the significance? It looks like the mangling of a Japanese character or perhaps the mix of two.

Remember the business card Mr. Bennett passed to Matt during the raid? Well, I went to the URL they listed for Primatech Paper - "Paper, People, Performance. Primatech, since 1962." There are a few things about this... first, if you call the toll free phone number on the card and then ask for the hiring department, you'll be given a code to open the application on the site. I did so and completed my application. I got a brief note back telling me they were reviewing my qualifications. On the phone they said they were looking for "motivated people with abilities to fit our needs." Huh, you don't say. On the application there's a place to sign up for newsletters or text messages. I signed up for the email newsletters.

The second thing about Primatech I'm wondering is the date. 1962. Is there any significance to that? Could it have been the year Suresh's Dad started his research? Or, perhaps the year that HRG (Horn-Rimmed Glasses, now known as Mr. Bennett) was born? I don't know. I can't recall any specific references to that year.

As for the characters, I'm so loving Hiro! I even like Ando; he plays so well off of Hiro. I'm glad that Nathan is perhaps not a bad guy, but bad gal Jessica can go far away. I'm not thrilled with that whole storyline although I enjoy Micah and D.L. I wish that Eden had stayed around instead of Jessica/Nikki, though. I'm hoping that Claire (whom I enjoy) can get Zach's memory back or rebuild the knowledge - I like Zach although he seems to be non-gay now. (That was a brouhaha before the hiatus!)

What will the new hero bring to the mix? Other than his invisibility, that is. He was shocked that Peter could see him. Now, if Peter hooks up with him, he can be invisible, too.

Peter Petrelli - Peter Parker -- coincidence or not? With great power comes great responsibility.

I'm looking forward to next week's show as the story is...
.... to be continued.

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, January 22, 2007

Did you know that today is Blue Monday, supposedly the most depressing day of the year? Well, it's not for me as Heroes returns this evening!



In TV Newsy Bits I found peeking about the big bad Internet:

• TMZ has the scoop on the cast for the spring edition of Dancing With the Stars. What? No Fergie?
• The New York Daily News has reported that Simon Cowell apologized for referring to Kenneth Briggs as a "bush baby" during the Seattle American Idol auditions. Well, kind of, sort of apologized. I was just happy they weren't overly cruel to Jonathan Jayne in that bit - Kenneth seems to be made of tougher stuff.
• Actor Ron Carey, remembered fondly by me for his role as Officer-wannabe-Detective Levitt in Barney Miller, passed away at the age of 71. Rest in peace, Mr. Carey - you brought some smiles into my life.
• Paula Abdul denies ever being drunk. Ever, I say. At the same time, Randy Jackson claims there's "nothing" in the Coke cups. Then what's up with her? And, if the cups are indeed empty, why are they sipping from them? Oh, wait, he admits there's Coke in them. Never mind.
• BuddyTV has an exclusive interview with Michelle "I Quit" Sorro who left The Apprentice: L.A. last night.
• It's been reported (and is old news at this point, but I haven't mentioned it until now) that the soap opera Passions will be ending in order for The Today Show to run another hour. Now, I don't watch Passions (soaps are on my never watch list), but I think that's a bit too much for The Today Show. It's interesting at times, but four hours?

Whatever Will I Watch on TV Tonight?

The cold weather may make me want to stay inside my warm apartment and, as luck has it, some of my favorite television shows return tonight and others have new episodes slated. Oh, TV life is good sometimes, isn't it?

For me, tonight's huge draw is the return of Heroes. Yes! We're talking 9 PM on NBC in most viewing areas. Tonight's episode is entitled "Godsend" and the blurb on the listings is: "Nathan seeks Simone's help to save comatose Peter; Hiro and Ando go in search of the sword in Isaac's painting; Jessica struggles with Niki's decision to turn herself in to the police; a new hero makes a shocking debut." Ack! Peter's comatose? We saw the promos where he seems to combust, but...! Oh, I'll be watching this one and I'm so psyched that it's returning.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. The 8 PM ET/PT time slot is also all new shows, or new episodes, I should say. CBS will have me for the new episodes of How I Met Your Mother and The Class, the first one being my "must watch" show while the latter is more because it's there and follows HIMYM. NBC is airing a new Deal or No Deal (a show which has never interested me) while ABC has a new Wife Swap (a show I've watched now and then). FOX has a new episode of Prison Break in the slot. Everybody Hates Chris is also new this week on the CW Network.

In the 9 PM ET/PT slot, against Heroes, there's a new 24 on FOX; new epsiodes of Two and a Half Men and the New Adventures of Old Christine on CBS; and Supernanny on ABC. I can bet the last one will be trailing in the ratings.

The 10 PM ET/PT time slot is my down time as far as major network television goes. CBS has a new episode of C.S.I.: Miami, but that's the one show of the franchise I just can't get into due to my dislike of David Caruso's "acting" skills. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC) and What About Brian (ABC) are both new episodes, but once again, shows I have tried and don't care to watch. But, if any are your cup of tea, they're new this week. I'll probably watch The Sopranos over on A&E. I'm still catching up with that show as I don't get HBO with my cable television package.

What will you be watching tonight?

You Asked?

Sometimes folks ask questions or email me questions (about television, of course). Well, sometimes I get asked other questions, but let's stick to TV, please! Here are a few questions I've been asked lately and my answers to the best of my research and/or knowledge.

Has Cash Cab been canceled?

There is no official notice on the website that the show has been canceled although it has indeed been removed from the current schedule. The show's website page still exists with no mention of cancelation. It went from being shown in the early evenings (Discovery Channel) to a kiss-of-death slot in the mornings at 9 and 9:30. The show had been in reruns until last week and it just doesn't exist this week in television listings. The message forum for the show has conflicting information. On host Ben Bailey's website page, he mentions canceling some comedy shows on February 1-3 for Cash Cab filming. Since that section of his website is updated, we can only hope the show is just on a hiatus until new episodes are in the can. And, of course, I hope it's brought back to the early evening slot.

What the heck is going on at WCBS2 News in New York City?

I've posted a few articles about the changes in the news staff - WCBS-TV (NYC), Darn You! last spring and more recently WCBS News Wishes Another to the Cornfield? In addition to the names listed, also wished to the cornfield recently were tech editor Brett Larson (last seen in December) and news anchor Reid Lamberty. Rumors have it that Cindy Hsu's contract is ending soon and she too will be banished from the Magic Kingdom. The missing already include Roz Abrams, Mario Bosquez, Vanessa Alfano, Audrey Puente, Shon Gables and more. Don't ask me why... that WCBS2 would have to answer.