East Coast Updates Planned - 'American Idol' and 'Survivor'

Yep, here's your home for East Coast Updates on the voted off American Idol contestants and important Survivor 14: Fiji happenings (and the boot). As the shows air here in the NYC area, I'll post the updates for those in other time zones or those who wish to comment on the events.

I won't be doing a full review/recap of tonight's American Idol, but I'll still do the full reviews of the Tuesday and Wednesday night shows. Late tonight, a full review/recap of tonight's Survivor will be posted.

'Lost' - "Enter 77"

Last week's episode was fun fluff. This week's episode was intense. Lots of action, some mysteries addressed to an extent, new territory explored (and exploded) -- it was the type of episode I like to see. Graphic artist Zoetawny created a new Lost tag for me. She rocks, y'know!

Although the episode was Sayid-centric this week, it seemed to me that there wasn't as much focus on him as many of the others received during their character-specific shows. Usually the flashbacks are about even with the new show content, but there was overwhelmingly more new show stuff tonight rather than focusing on the past.

The Flashbacks
Sayid was working as a sous-chef in Paris under the name Najeev when a customer complimented him on the meal he cooked and offered him a job. It turned out to be just a ruse to capture him. The husband believed that Sayid was the Iraqi who tortured his wife and burnt her arms. He decided to torture Sayid as Sayid had done to his wife.

Sayid kept denying he was responsible until confronted alone by the wife. Then he weeped and admitted his guilt. "Yes, I remember you. Your face has haunted me." With a cat on her lap, she told him that since she was burned, she refused to leave her home. Some children were torturing the cat in the alley below and she left to save it. She claimed it gave her reason to leave. While the cat clearly adores her, it sometimes bites or scratches. She believes it does so because it forgets that it's safe. She knows what it's like to never feel safe.

After he admitted guilt and apologized, she planned to let him go. She told him she'd tell her husband that she was mistaken... he wasn't the one who tortured her. She refuses to be one who will torture, do that or be like that.

On the Island
The beach scenes were basically fluff with no mention of the DHARMA bus from last week. This week Hurley found a ping-pong table. (He's finding a lot of stuff lately, isn't he?) He came across Sawyer who's still fussing about his missing stuff. The never-introduced to us due to a cut scene Paulo told him that everyone shared everything. And, the writers must read our thoughts... Sawyer turned to him and said, "Who the hell are you?"

It turns out Sawyer had the ball and would only give it if he could play for the return of his stuff. Jin and Sun decided if he loses, no nicknames for anyone for a week. Little did he know, Hurley is practically a pro at ping-pong. So, no nicknames for a week and there was our fluff.

Meanwhile in the woods, Kate, Sayid, Locke, and Rousseau were on their mission to save Jack. Sayid saw a horse and a structure with a satellite dish through the trees. He gave the others his gun and tried to approach. As he went by the horse, they showed a camera shot of the saddle and stirrups, but I didn't understand then why they showed it. I would soon enough. Rousseau had left Locke and Kate to wait by the stream as she "avoids confrontations like this." She had never seen the place before.

As Sayid approached the structure which was more like a shack than a house from the outside, he passed a sitting cat. The cat looked just like the one from the flashback. [Cue LOST thunk] Before he could walk to the door, the Eye Patch Dude we saw on the monitor some episodes back shot him in the shoulder. Sayid insisted he was unarmed. The man shouted, "You crossed the line! We had a truce! You said I could stay here and you'd leave me alone!"

Sayid, joined by Locke and Kate, convinced the Patch Dude that they had crashed on a plane and they weren't the "hostiles" he thought them to be. He told them his name was Mikhail Bakunin and that he was the last living member of DHARMA. He told them after he left the Soviet Army, he joined DHARMA by replying to a newspaper advertisement which read "Would you like to save the world?" (Shouldn't they save the cheerleader first? Oops, wrong show.)

Mikhail said that he refused to go to war with the "hostiles" -- his name for the Others. DHARMA lost the purge and he was offered a truce. He couldn't go into the valley and they wouldn't cross the line where he was stationed. His place is known as the Flame Station. It was the center for communication with the outside world, yet the equipment didn't work. He also told them that the hostiles were on the island before DHARMA.

He gave Sayid medical aid, removing the bullet from his shoulder with skill and ease. As Kate explored around, she found odd things like huge sides of beef in industrial sized refrigerators. (Or.. people! Soylent Green... it's people! Okay, I think it was beef.) Locke found a computer room with a chess-playing program all in motion as if it was waiting for him.

Mikhail offered to cook them dinner and advised Locke that the computer cheats and always wins. Locke balked at that saying only humans cheat. He told them the doppelganger-cat was named Nadia after Nadia Comaneci, the gymnast. What Locke and Kate didn't realize was that Sayid knew Mikhail wasn't being honest and most certainly, wasn't alone. Those horse stirrups were the clue that tipped him off... they were set too short for a man Mikhail's size.

While Locke messed with computer (why does he do that?), Mikhail realized that Kate and Sayid were onto him. They captured him and knocked him unconcious. Then Locke peeked in. (What is with him?) Sayid and Kate went to search for the other person and anything else of interest, leaving Locke in charge of the captive Mikhail.

They noticed a basement hatch and explored where it led, coming across explosives and DHARMA manuals, as well as a map. The whole place is rigged with C4 explosives set to detonate. Oh... they also found the other Other, a woman that Kate recognized from the dock kidnapping, Miss Klugh.

Oh, but that silly Locke. The computer was prompting him to take his chess turn, so what does he do? He takes his eyes off of his prisoner and plays chess! Argh. He wins and is very satisfied that the computer didn't cheat, he was right. But then the computer went into some kind of overide mode. "Enter 38 for Mainland Communications." "Enter 56 for sonar access." So, he did. The computer said that communications and access were both down. "Enter 77 for invasion of hostiles." All of the time, the DHARMA training tape was cutting in and out.

Bam! Mikhail grabs Locke. When Kate and Sayid get upstairs, they have a stand-off outside of the station. They have a gun on Miss Klugh and Mikhail has one on Locke. Klugh spoke very heatedly to Mikhail in Russian, apparently telling him to shoot her. So, he did.

Oh, but what had Locke done? He hit the darn ENTER 77! Argh again. Before they could grab anything out of The Flame Station, it blew sky-high. At least Sayid had the map to the Barracks with him. He said he would decide the fate of Mikhail. They met up with Rousseau by the stream leaving Nadia the Cat looking just a bit forlorn.

Great episode!

'American Idol 6' - Eight Gals Take the Stage

I have a confession to make. I've watched every season of American Idol, but I've yet to buy any music by any of the contestants. Oh, I've had my favorites and I've even liked some of the songs they went on to sing after success on the show. But none enough to actually lay down the bucks.

Until now. I would love to buy Melinda Doolittle's version of "My Funny Valentine" and the song she sang tonight. Get it done, America. This woman must make a record!

Jordin Sparks started out the night telling her little "secret" that she wanted to be a football player for a while and is a wild football fan. Then she belted out Pat Benetar's "Heartbreaker" putting all of the guys to shame... and she's the same age as Sanjaya.

She's not my favorite in the competition. But, for a teenager, she's got a powerful voice and will only improve as she gets older. The judges thought along the same lines with Randy calling her energetic. Simon said she was a bit manic and shrieky, but 100% she will make the cut.

Sabrina Sloan's little secret was that for years she wanted to be the "next Katie Couric." The clips were funny. It's a good thing she switched to singing. She sang En Vogue's "Don't Let Go." I think that if not for Lakisha and Melinda, it would be a competition between Sabrina and Stephanie. A solid voice, a good stage presence, but Simon called the "robotic" bit right. I think that can be addressed, though. This wasn't my favorite performance of hers, but she's light-years ahead of the guys. Randy and Paula gave favorable comments.

Then there was Antonella Barba. Someone remind me why she's there again? Please? She sang Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On." I didn't care much for the song or her performance of it. The judges were far kinder than I. Apparently the buzz about her naughty photos is known as Simon made a reference to "rough week" and "talk about her." I don't care. Make her go away. Oh, I almost forgot her thing we didn't know about her. She plays violin and teaches it, too. Go back to that, just get off the show... please.

Haley Scarnato was an active gymnast until injuries sidelined her. She sang Melissa Manchester's "If My Heart Had Wings." Technically, I thought she did okay. I wish she'd stop that silly bouncing as she sings. Randy declared it just okay, no pizzazz, no yo. Paula reverted to one of her "you're pretty" comments. Simon asked who she was. He also said it was horrible. I don't think it was as bad as Antonella's performance, but I think she bought her ticket home tonight.

Stephanie Edwards said that while she loved to sing at home, she was shy and would cry as a child when asked to sing for others. I found that interesting as I think she's one of the ones with a very professional stage presence about her. She sang Chaka Khan's "Sweet Thing." (Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan... had to do it.) I thought she was very good. Paula danced, Randy yo'd. Paula thought it was darn near flawless although Randy thought less of it and said it was a valiant effort. Simon called it one of the best but noted the "copycat" factor.

Lakisha Jones is terrified of animals, all animals. Yikes. But she sure can sing, so I don't mind. I've mentioned that Whitney Houston isn't a favorite of mine. So, what does Lakisha do? She sings a Whitney song, "I Have Nothing." She sang it very well, very powerfully. But it wasn't my favorite performance of hers.

Randy said it wasn't her best, but it was great. Paula thought she was working on being the next American Idol. Simon said she brought passion, talent, and believability. He also mentioned she looked very pretty tonight. I think Simon was right on all counts.

Gina Glocksen was up next telling about her lucky charms - a mini-troll, stuffed pickle, and a pillow. She sang "Call Me When You're Sober" by Evanescence. I don't care for the song, but it's perfect for her style. I thought she did well with it and it seemed more true to her own roots. I noticed the arm tattoos are still missing, though. Randy, Paula, and Simon were thrilled that she's "back."

We found out that Melinda Doolittle has a bit of an OCD thing going. To me, it was symmetry-related, but she said it was equality. If she touches something cold with one hand, she must do it with another and so on. Odd, but I love her anyway.

She sang Peggy Lee's "I'm a Woman." Wow. Like I mentioned at the start of this... if she were to release a CD with this song, the one from last week, the many more she'll sing before she wins... I'd buy it. And, that would be a first for me with any contestant from the show. The judges were ecstatic. So am I.

Who will leave us tomorrow? I'm thinking it should be Antonella and Haley. If Antonella stays, it's due to something other than her singing. What do you think?

More 'Black Donnellys'

Although I'm still struggling a bit to get the brothers straight, I'm finding this show more and more intriguing.

Now, let's see... Tommy's the easy brother to identify. He's basically the protagonist in this cast -- the brother who feels responsible to rescue his petty-thievin' three brothers, the brother who went on the straight and narrow after accidentally hitting one brother while driving a stolen car in his pre-teen days. Tommy's the brother with the art talent and the brains, the one who could make something of himself. Tommy's the brother who gets drawn into the mob scene when his only goal is to save his brothers. Tommy's the one destined to be the leader.

Sean is the brother beaten by mobsters and recovering in the hospital. He's the one who drives the girls wild. We'll see if the beating took any toll on his looks as he recovers. Jimmy is the one who's in jail, a drug addict, and the one who Tommy hit with the stolen car causing a lifelong limp. But, at least he can walk. Oh, Tommy's guilt! Then there's Kevin, a kind of bumbling hapless kind of guy and the only one Tommy can really team up with as Sean and Jimmy aren't quite available to hide the evidence.

Oh, and then there's Joey Ice Cream. Now, I think we've all known a tag-along like him at some time or another in our lives. He wants to be in with the In Crowd. In his case, that crowd is the Donnelly brothers and the periphery of the Irish mob scene in New York City. It's Joey who narrates the show as he tells two cops the story from his jail cell. Why's he in there? I don't know. Why's he talking? I'd say he's trying to get a deal from the cops for his own case, whatever that is. Plus, Joey's a bit star-struck.

New York City? Why not Boston? I don't know. Well, wait... actually I do know. The series creators grew up in Hell's Kitchen, an area of the city which is now more politically correctly called Clinton. It's more gentrified these days, yet the series beckons more to the area as it was a few decades back.

Although this show has the most discombobulated Manhattan scenes I've ever seen, I'm loving the street shots. There is no elevated subway track in Hell's Kitchen, nor on the Lower East Side where the bar owned by the brothers actually exists. And every time I see the bar shots, I know I've sat at the table by the window under the flaking piano keys on the wall. I know I've played pool on the faded red-flannel covered pool table under the fake Tiffany lamp. It's all so odd, but I'm waiting for them to show the sign in the Ladies Room which reads "Friends don't let friends bring home ugly people." (Yes, that sign exists in the bathroom of the Parkside Lounge, the bar used in the series.)

This week's episode included the New Jersey swamp areas I see from the train whenever I head into the city. I always look out on those swamps and think that they must contain mob victims or perhaps those of serial killers. When I saw the brothers were trying to dump a body there, I thought "that's as good a place as any."

The Black Donnellys is dark. It's darkly shot and dark in mood. Yet there is some humor coming from Joey Ice Cream and sometimes within the interactions of the brothers. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. I like dark crime-related dramas and even I found the scene where Tommy had to make the body fit in the barrel a bit disturbing. Powerful, very intense for television, but disturbing. On the other hand, I could have told the boys how to get those sensor tags off without breaking the ink. (No, I'm not a shoplifter.)

I'm going to keep watching this show. At this point, I'm still too easily confused to really do a proper job blogging about it. But I was also at that point with Heroes... a show I now love and have the characters down pretty well. As long as NBC gives this series a real chance, I'll get to know these characters better. Currently, I'm finding it very intriguing.

Right now the official website for the show has a full online-only episode they deem "too explosive" for television. You can access that episode with this link.

Are you watching the show?

'American Idol 6' - Seven Men and a Boy Singing

Oh, I'm not feeling the excitement from these guys for the most part. I enjoy a few and I certainly think some are talented. But, will any make it to the top two? I doubt it. I think we're going to see a showdown with the women this season.

Tonight was the night for the guys to put out their best to make it in the final 12. After all, the final 12 are the ones who go on tour, get the huge exposure and more. I just don't think the guys really brought it tonight... once again. At least I enjoyed the "one thing folks don't know about me" bits more than last week's teary dedications.

Blake Lewis showed his improv skills. Um, let him stick to beatbox and singing, please. He sang "All Mixed Up" by 311. I thought he did it well although I'm not familiar with the song. I think he's a given for the final 12. The judges agree with me (as they should). This guy has a lot of talent and he's different.

Sanjaya Malakar knows how to do the hula. I know how to distort photos. He knows how to distort this competition and stay in the running. I want him to go away. He seems like a nice kid and all. And, yes, he has a pleasant enough voice. But when compared to the others, he's a kid playing amongst adults.

He sang John Mayer's "Waiting for the World to Change." Now, I'm not a huge John Mayer fan, but that's one of his songs I like. Sanjaya did okay if it were a school performance. Simon said it wasn't as ghastly as last week. Well, yeah... there's that. He should leave, but I bet we're stuck with him in the finals. Hey, don't blame me.

Sundance Head's secret is that he's thin in real life. I give him credit for making me smile. He sang Pearl Jam's "Jeremy." I thought he did well with it, but it's not the song I would have chosen for him for tonight. Randy liked it, as did Paula. Simon said it was a "generic bar singer" performance and an indulgent song. I'd have to go with Simon on this one. It didn't do much for me. Is Sundance on thin ice? I think he could very well be. This guy runs too hot and cold in addition to not making good song choices every other week.

Chris Richardson shared that he used to be chunky and played college football. He sang Keith Urban's "Tonight I Wanna Cry." I enjoyed the performance and the change from him. How un-Justin Timberlake of the guy! The judges were favorable and I'm sure we'll see him next week.

Jared Cotter told us he was a college basketball player. I'm not surprised. He sang Stevie Wonder's "If You Really Love Me." He did it well enough, but I'm getting tired of his same moves, his same dancing, his same mugging to the camera and acting like he's the sexiest man alive. Randy liked it, Paula thought he needs to "color up" the way he sings. (I believe she means along the lines of "make it your own" and add something to the song.) Simon said it wasn't very original and he was slightly disappointed. He said there was no "wow factor." Wow, he got that right. I don't think Jared is a shoe-in to make the cut.

Brandon Rogers was next up. His secret is that he plays classical piano. Cool, I say. Now, maybe I'm biased, but I enjoy this guy. He sang Rare Earth's "I Just Want to Celebrate." I don't think it was an earth-shattering performance, but he did it well. Randy thought it was good, Paula said it was solid. Simon said he needed more memorable songs. I hope Brandon makes the cut. I don't think this was his best performance.

Phil Stacey, looking much better in a hat, explained he used to have long hair. He then had to cut it short for a group he was in, then decided to shave his head. I think he should grow his hair back, but that could just be me. He sang LeAnn Rimes' "I Need You." I thought the start was horrible. He redeemed himself some through the song, but I didn't care for it.

Randy said it was an interesting song choice and his lower notes are "weird." Paula said it had a "chancy start" and was an odd choice. Simon didn't get it at all. Now that I think of it, neither did I.

Chris Sligh's secret was about the opposite of Phil's. He used to always have very short hair and decided to grow it to see what it did. It curled. He's never had a perm and it's all natural.

Chris sang D.C. Talk's "Wanna Be Loved." I still think his voice is one of the best amongst the guys. I'm not familiar with the song, but enjoyed the performance. I personally thought it to be the best vocal of the night. Randy agreed with me. Paula thought he should take more risks and Simon said he'll make it through to the finals. I surely hope so.

So, who's going home on Thursday? I definitely want Sanjaya out of there, but I think he'll have votes. I think Blake, Chris R. and Chris S. are going to be in the Top 6 guys. That leaves Phil, Jared, Sundance, and Brandon on the possibly may go list. Of those, I'd like to see Brandon stay... I'm ambivalent about the rest.

Your thoughts?