TV Newsy Bits - Thursday, January 25, 2007

Here I am expecting an artic cold snap, but I laugh at the ill winds as I quaff my hot chocolate. Please note I don't have any outdoor plans, though. I'm still catching up on my books pile, now reading Ten Little New Yorkers by Kinky Friedman, about time I got to it! I have my TV, music, and books to keep me warm. That's all I need. Well, those and two not-so-aloof cats.

In TV Newsy Bits (and a Bit o' Blog Bits), here's the latest:

• I just received a note from one of my friends at Turner Broadcasting. I'm not all that into NBA games, but now I have the overwhelming need to watch TNT's promos for NBA All-Star 2007 (Feb. 16-18). Why, you ask? Because Jeremy Piven (hot) and, more dear to my heart, the Blue Man Group are to be featured. The Blue Man Group! It's enough to make me watch the game... almost! Great marketing, I must say.
• I mentioned that I filled out the job application for Primatech Paper (Heroes) in a previous post here. I received another note from Primatech today. They said " We are always interested in unique individuals with special abilities to help us provide the best service to our many clients." They promised a Primatech representative will be contacting me with further instructions. I'm not sure where this is leading, but it's intriguing. I hope they realize I'm just an observer-type. I don't want to be on the show or anything. My biggest super-power is my ability to eat large amounts of gourmet chocolate ice cream.
• Please remember that I've taken early peeks at the casts of The Amazing Race 11: All Stars and Survivor 14: Fiji. If you missed them, they're listed on the right sidebar.
• Reality News Online (RNO) have been giving their take on the Top Thirty Reality TV Contestants of 2006. Although I admit to watching a lot of television, perhaps even with a focus on the reality TV genre, I couldn't make such a list as my time (and interests) rule out so much of the genre. It's an interesting take - their number one choice was actually a duo. Well, um... one of them made my personal list.
• The New York Post extended American Idol wannabe Ian Bernardo's fleeting fame. Actually, I was surprised that he brought up a bit of a serious side in the interview.
• Huh, I didn't know that the actress who plays the Niki/Jessica role on Heroes, Ali Larter, was a Jersey Girl. Yes, from Cherry Hill which is over towards the Philadelphia area. [I'm more towards NYC. If I go atop the local "mountain," I can see the Manhattan skyline.]

'American Idol 6' - The New York City Auditions

"If I can be weird here, I can be weird anywhere... New York, New York."

It was another long two days for the judges as they faced the masses in New York City or, more accurately, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Although there were tons of street scenes from the city, the actual auditions were in the Continental Airlines Arena... Joisey. It's otherwise known as The Meadowlands and is the home stadium of the NY Giants, as well as the large rock concert tour circuit. There have been rumors for decades that Jimmy Hoffa is buried under the concrete there. I vividly recall the August days when the auditions were going on. With the local news coverage, it seemed like a mini-season all on its own.

The show started off with an oddity, thus promising it might be an entertaining evening. Yes, there was some talent, too. There were sob stories and crushed dreams, but not everyone can be an American Idol, right? Guest judge Carole Bayer Sager might not have realized what she got herself into.

Tonight's Most Notable of the Odd

Oh, snap! It's Ian Bernardo! I remember when he was a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance. He can't dance. Now he thinks he can sing. Nope, he definitely can't! I think Ian's true calling is to be a character actor playing a gay street punk in bad movies.

I'll give him credit for one thing, though. I think he came up with the best line of the night on the show while he ranted about Simon and company. "Hollywood is New Jersey with celebrities." Now, that cracked me up. I refused to watch the local FOX news afterwards to see more rants of his. He had his five minutes of fame with me this year. Next.

I somehow missed Antonio's age, but he looks at least 45 to me. Coming out in a black suit with a fedora to sing "New York, New York" is always a bit gimmicky at the New York City auditions. Frank could carry it off, but Antonio certainly can't. It would help if he didn't blatantly sing "New Yor, New Yor."

In some ways he reminds me of Joe Pesci. I have an idea! While Ian is playing a gay street punk, Antonio can be a two-bit thug. It could be American Idol Wannabes Story... like West Side Story, only different. They could "sing" each other to death!

Chris looks normal enough and indeed doesn't seem to be any sort of whacko. They decided he looked like Simon Cowell, which I'm not really seeing. Chris mentioned George Michael, too. That I see a bit.

But what he didn't mention is that he sings with a beautiful woman's voice. I closed my eyes and could have sworn it was a woman. Perhaps Simon shouldn't have made the comment about the stilettos and dress. However, I think the guy could make a killing in drag singing in shows. I don't think he would work in well in American Idol.

Sarah looks normal, doesn't she?

She's got a problem.

She can't sing. She knows she can't sing and tells the judges that she's tone-deaf. What's she doing auditioning to become the American Idol? Well, she wants them to teach her how to sing! She wants them to mold her into a pop star from the get-go. It ain't gonna happen, Sarah. And, you shouldn't have gotten as upset as you did about the rejection.

She wants to be called Isadora. Ryan Seacrest kept calling her "Julie." I call her performance tonight's Most Notable of the Odd.

Words cannot describe her performance. (Well, maybe if I spelled them wrong and changed fonts throughout each word...!)

Voulez-vous couchez avec moi, ce soir? Non.

There Were Some Good Ones

Jenry (pronounced Henry) is amazing. It should be illegal that this kid is only 16-years-old. He's charismatic, extremely good-looking, mature, and he can sing well. Paula called him "easy on the eyes" and I must agree.

A few folks from previous seasons returned to the New York City auditions. Ashanti had gone to Hollywood twice, but didn't make it. Yet fellow ex-Hollywood level singer from last year, Nick Pedro, stunned me again with his voice. Last season, he quit when he forgot the lyrics in the group round. He's going to Hollywood once again.

Best friends and Jersey Girls, Amanda Coluccio and Antonella Barba both made the cut. Nineteen-year-old Sarah Burgess sneaked away from both her parents and school to audition. She didn't think her father would support her dream. She was wrong and she's going to Hollywood.

Kia Thornton is heading there as is Jory Steinberg. Chris Richardson, a bit reminiscent of Justin Timberlake in both looks and voice is heading to Hollywood. A young girl who's on an opera scholarship, Rachel Zevita, came across as a character, but her opera is amazing and she can even sing rock. When asked about herself, she told Simon she's a singer, songwriter, and rock star. Simon told her all of them can go to Hollywood.

Paula seemed coherent for the NYC auditions and Simon went missing for the first part of the second day. One of the ranters (Sarah Goldberg), claimed the judges were out until three in the morning before the second day. All I can say is they weren't here with me.

In the two days in New York City (Jersey), 35 went through to Hollywood. That's the most we've seen from any audition. I think we need a group hug for NYC!

The next auditions come to us from Birmingham, Alabama. Will they bring it and sing it?

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, January 24, 2007

It's chilly out there, but warm in here. A bit too warm in some places nearby me, I might add. I hear there's a four-alarm apartment building fire about ten blocks away from me and a restaurant I like to frequent has been destroyed by an overnight fire. So, I'd say "keep the home fires burning," but don't... please.

I have a few days off from my day job, as you might be able to tell from the times I've been posting articles. I also have had some time to catch up on my book-reading and taped-shows watching. Woohoo!

Here are some of the TV Newsy Bits I found out on that Big Bad Web this morning:

• USA Today has an article about the fifteen minutes of fame that comes with being an American Idol reject, especially one who has endured the Wrath of Simon Cowell. Huh. Kenneth Briggs told The Today Show his name is Kenneth Swale. It seems the viewing audience may be more upset than the Idol rejects.
• What's two-timing Survivor Stephenie LaGrossa up to these days? The Asbury Park Press spills the beans on her latest adventures.
• Lost returns on February 7th at 10 PM ET/PT. In case you've forgotten where Lost left off, they'll be airing a Lost Survivor Guide prior to the new episode.
• BuddyTV has an article about the new hero introduced in the online graphic novel for Heroes, but not yet seen on the show. I'm not talking about the Invisible Guy.
• Speaking of Heroes, Celebrity Spider has a rather in-depth look at next week's episode. Sulu, beam me up. (Okay, I know that should be Scotty, but he passed away some time ago.)
• TV Tattler has a Katharine McPhee interview in which she tells of her upcoming Ugly Betty role and catches us up on what's she's been doing since coming in second on last season's American Idol.
• Is your favorite show on the list? AOL Television has listed last week's twenty top-rated shows according to the Nielsens. Their list certainly differs from my own! Football is number one? Yikes, not with me!
  

'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.