American Idol: The Top 36

Yep, here's another American Idol blog logo made for us by Zoetawny! How cool is that?

Well, they've changed things around a bit this season. Obviously, there's a top 36 instead of the 24 of previous years. They also told the wannabe idols their fate a bit differently, as well. Reminiscent of "dancing for your life" on So You Think You Can Dance, some of them had to sing against others to earn their prized spot. Eh. I suppose it added some drama, something the show is notoriously short on. Er, yes ... I'm being sarcastic. Me? I'd rather they get up and talk about how they will not be obnoxious. Like that's going to happen, eh?

Here's the list:

The gals

Alexis Grace
Allison Iraheta
Ann Marie Boskovich
Arianna Afsar
Casey Carlson
Joanna Pacitti Felicia Barton
Jackie Tohn
Jasmine Murray
Jeanine Vailes
Jessie Langseth
Kendall Beard
Kristen McNamara
Lil Rounds
Megan Corkrey
Mishavonna Henson
Stevie Wright
Tatiana Nicole Del Toro
Taylor Vaifanua

The guys:

Adam Lambert
Alexander Wagner-Trugman
Anoop Desai
Brent Keith
Danny Gokey
Jorge Nunez
Ju'Not Joyner
Kai Kalama
Kris Allen
Matt Breitzke
Matt Giraud
Michael Sarver
Nathaniel Marshall
Nick Mitchell
Ricky Braddy
Scott MacIntyre
Stephen Fowler
Von Smith

Joanna Pacitti was replaced by Felicia Barton when they finally deemed her ineligible to compete. It's something about previous contracts and the relationship with the record company.

Two who made it and can go away

I'm sorry, but Tatiana and Nathaniel Marshall can go far away. These are two of the most annoying contestants ever on the show. I don't care if they can sing or not. They're both drama queens and, as they say, save the drama for your mama ... you aren't welcome on my TV set, neither one of you.

Really iffy

Nick Mitchell made it? Or, should I say ... Norman Gentle made it? He can sing and has that annoyance factor, too. However, at least he doesn't cry all the time. He's from Brookfield, CT, near my old stomping grounds in Danbury. I've been reading the online newspaper from the area -- they're cheering him on. I guess we'll see.

Random comments

• Aw, too bad that Jamar and Danny got split up. I was sure Danny would make it. I think Jamar would be more fun to watch than Nathaniel.
  
• None of the girls are striking me the way Melinda Doolittle did. Hopefully one or two will stand out for me to cheer them on.
• Anoop is good, as are many of the other guys.

Did you watch? Have you any early favorites?

LOST - Thirty Second Review - "This Place is Death"

Oh, my. Lost has me suckered right in once again. Mind you, I don't have it all figured out, nor am I one of the fanatics watching the show analyzing every scene. I just don't have enough time in my life for all that! And, would it make the show more entertaining for me? I don't think so. I believe if I researched every tidbit of information out there, watching the show would become work ... not entertainment. I'm in it for the entertainment.

Here's my quick take on last night's episode:

• Jin realizes the island is death and makes Locke promise not to bring Sun back (as she'll die). He gave Locke his wedding ring and told him to tell her he's dead.
• The smoke monster attacked the French group, driving them wacky and/or killing them -- except for the pregnant Danielle Rousseau.
• Jin was reunited in time and space with Sawyer, Locke, Juliet, and the newbies with them.
• Locke was told by Jack's father (Christian) to complete the turn of the wheel Ben had started down underground -- that would fix the time warping.
• Sayid and Kate took off and refused to go with Ben.
• Sun, convinced by Ben (who used the wedding ring to prove Jin alive, not dead), went with Jack and Ben to a mysterious church where they met up with both Desmond and Eloise Hawking (who had wanted all six there).
• Eloise is indeed Faraday's mother.
• Charlotte died after making mysterious references to Faraday warning her she would back when she was a child and lived on the island.
• Almost all of the time-traveling group have had bloody noses.
  

So ... Hurley, Kate, Sayid, and Aaron -- four of the six -- aren't there. I have a feeling that we'll see them join Jack and Sun soon enough. They've played up the "must be all of them" bit too much for anything else to happen. Hmmm. I still think Ben is a bad guy. I think Jack's being a dense guy. Probably the best "good guy" would be either Sayid or Hurley.

Once again, I'm including the "Lost Untangled" video here. These are hilarious!

What the ...? Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman Last Night

I'll be posting on Lost and American Idol soon, but I just had to comment on this and snag the video from YouTube if you missed it. Joaquin Phoenix was sort of on Letterman last night. Very odd. Is it an act? He looks like a well-dressed Blues Brother possibly captured from Skid Row. He makes the long-ago Farrah Fawcett stoned interview look coherent. Is he on drugs? Has he lost it? I admire David Letterman's restraint and, although Phoenix looked very uncomfortable and embarrassed at times, he brought any commentary on himself.

What the ____ is up with this?

Survivor and TAR Blog Pools, Tonight's TV, and a bit of Off Topic

It's that time again! Thanks to members of this blog community, the pools for Survivor and The Amazing Race will once again go on in the comments area. If you didn't participate before, don't worry -- no money or wagering is involved. Those who want to be in the pool just need to speak up and the show contestants are chosen randomly for us to cheer on throughout the season.

ORKmommy is running the Survivor pool and here's who she has listed as in so far:
Terry in CA
Jennasmom
PDX Granny
Laurie
Becky
Dixie
Rbennie
lynn1
Margo
Joyce
meb
dla
Caroline
ORKMommy
Jackie
Sydney
Gayle
Jodie
Sizzie
Donna in AL
Petals
Zoetawny

Margo has volunteered to run the pool for The Amazing Race. So far (I'm adding my name):
Margo
Donna in AL
Meb
Sizzie
Caroline
ORKMommy
Lynn1
Jackie

If you want in, just reply in comments and mention which pool. Or, if you prefer to notify Margo or ORKMommy, they left messages in my last post's comments. I just don't want to put email addresses here on the main page of the blog.

I have a TV dilemma tonight. I want to watch American Idol as they're going to narrow it down to the final 36. Argh! It's two hours tonight! Meanwhile, at 9 PM ET, Lost comes on. What I'll probably do is record the second hour of AI and watch Lost as it airs. Then it's Life on Mars for me. Hopefully either late tonight or tomorrow I'll at least get some commentary up about both Lost and American Idol.

And, now to a bit of off topic. I haven't seen Roofus the Cat for a few days, but I'm sure he's fine. Unfortunately, there was a murder at the station in the wee hours of Sunday morning. An 18-year-old was shot, no one is in custody. The train station I go to daily and the neighborhood surrounding it are safe as I go through both on my way to work and home. I'm friendly with fellow commuters and the shopkeepers in the area. But I wouldn't be there at 2:30 AM. It's a totally different world there at that hour.




Today's musical non sequitur:
When you walk through the garden
You gotta watch your back
Well, I beg your pardon
Walk the straight and narrow track
If you walk with Jesus
He's gonna save your soul
You gotta keep the devil
Way down in the hole
-- "Way Down in the Hole" by Tom Waits

The Amazing Race 14: Meet the Teams, Part Three

Okay, we're down to the last three teams we'll be seeing on the season premiere next Sunday, February 15. You can check out the first two groups of teams I took a look at here and here. Again, I apologize for the slow load time due to all of the videos on the main blog page. If you're having problems with the videos, try using the time link at the bottom of the post which will bring up only that post.



Linda and Steve Cole have been married for 17 years. She's 52, he's 43, and they call Martinsville (Virginia) their home. He's a carpenter while she's a customer service supervisor. I think they're going to be another likable team. But I'm not so sure that they're going to be as well-traveled as many of the other teams. In their favor is that they're huge fans of the show. I think the idea of adventure probably is as much of a lure as the financial prize for the winner. I'd personally love to do the show all the way through just for the fun and excitement.



We have another sibling team with LaKisha and Jennifer Hoffman. LaKisha is 28, lives in the Bronx (NY), and is a program coordinator. Jennifer is 24, lives in Louisville (KY), and is a marketing assistant. Although LaKisha has that "you know what I'm saying" speech pattern which tends to irk me, I like these two. I love that Jennifer said you have to think to be evil and she doesn't like to think that much. I think they're going to be fun to watch, but I'm not sure how well they'll fare on the race itself.



Jennifer Hopka (26) and Preston McCamy (28) are a dating couple from Columbia, South Carolina. She's a student and he's a software engineer. Um, okay. She's a student at 28 ... wonder how the bills get paid? She's pretty, but she's really rubbing me wrong for some reason. I don't know. Perhaps it's the way she kept interrupting him in the clip. I think this might be the couple I boo and it's going to be because of her. Or, I could be totally wrong and my first impression is off.