Diamond's Blog

Rock Star: The Aftermath

2006-09-18T16:09:00.000-04:00

So, Lukas won. Is anyone surprised? Not me, this is what I wrote after his first performance:

"Lukas is very intense, and has the kind of stage presence you can't look away from. He's got a real chance at winning this based on the first show alone. I predict he's Top 5 for sure."

I hate how predictable the ending of Rock Star was this year. Once Ryan (and to a lesser extent, Storm) got eliminated the show really took a nose dive for me. It also seemed like they kept recycling the same old songs for the Top 4 and I was extremely bored. I should have put money on Lukas to win this, it was pretty clear he was Tommy Lee's favorite from the very first show. And in fact, from what I've heard, Supernova knew they wanted Lukas after his initial audition (which was an acoustic version of "Headspin" BTW).

And while I appreciate RS for what it is - a great showcase for artists who haven't yet broken through on a national (or international) level, it would have been nice to have some surprises along the way, or at least the feeling anyone but Lukas had a chance here. I remember back to the second week when Toby asked Supernova if anyone other than Lukas would win. He was too right. Lucky for Toby though, he became best mates with Lukas and the two of them are now shacked up at Tommy Lee's rock star mansion.

Even though I thought I'd never find another artist from one of these "reality" shows to follow, I was wrong. In fact, I think I like Ryan best of all my reality TV boyfriends from a strictly musical standpoint. He writes interesting, complex, thought-provoking lyrics and the instrumentation on his songs range from lush to bare to balls-out crazy. I love seeing artists put everything they have into their music, and I've never doubted for a minute that Ryan lays it all out there every single time he gets on stage. I think he has a huge career in front of him, and evidently people in high places (like Mark Burnett) agree with me. The guy even helped Ryan record and release a live CD the week of the Rock Star finale. I think he really believes in what Ryan does, for which I'm grateful because I don't think any of the Supernova guys ever did.

The Top 5 will all be touring with Supernova this winter/spring. It remains to be seen whether they'll all be at every concert or if it will be more of a rotating lineup. There's no way I would pay to see over an hour straight of Lukas singing so I'll be sitting that one out. If Ryan decides to play at my local SN show, I could perhaps be talked into it. But truth be told, I hope Ryan gets far away from Supernova and lets his solo career take off. I honestly do think he'll be looking down at SN on the charts, what Ryan is truly fresh and original while SN is simply recycling 80's party rock. Hopefully I'll get to see Ryan live and will be able to tell him how much his music touches and inspires me.

Well, that's it. Rock Star is now over! Lost should be starting soon, which I might recap again. I did notice that TWoP doesn't do Nip/Tuck and since that is a favorite of mine maybe I'll try my hand there. Smooches - I'm out!

Technorati tags:
Ryan Star
Rock Star:Supernova

Rock Star Performance Show - Week 10

2006-09-06T12:57:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: September 5, 2006

Well, it is down to the wire - only five rockers left. And Tuesday's performances showed me there are really only two choices for Supernova - Toby or Lukas. Which one they'll pick is anyone's guess. IMO if they want someone who can deliver their music as-is and can blend into the band seamlessly, it's Toby. If they want to take a chance and go more in the alt-emo direction it will be Lukas. I guess we'll find out next week, but now on with the show!

One quick note: Brook was sweet enough to point out that Ryan's "Back of Your Car" was one of the Top 10 downloads on MSN music last week. He also had two others in the Top 10 - yay! His solo CD (Songs from the Eye of an Elephant) and band CD (Stage - This is Stage) are both available for download on iTunes and are awesome, I cannot recommend either enough. I really hope Ryan is invited back to do an encore on Finale night, he certainly deserves it and I'd love to see "Back of Your Car" one more time on national TV.

Okay, now I'm serious. Here's my rundown of the performances:

Dilana - Behind Blue Eyes / Supersoul

This chick is done. She crashed, burned, dusted herself off, then bitched about it endlessly. BOTH of her songs this week reflect her smackdown and it just reeks of self-pity. I feel for her because her calf injury is probably extremely painful, but even without any visual her performances vocally just didn't cut it this week. I liked the first half of "Behind Blue Eyes," probably better than any of her songs since "Time After Time." But then she resorted back to the raspy growl and never looked back. "Supersoul" is an idiotic song, the title alone gives that away. Did anyone else notice her blue extensions flying off her head during the end of her performance? Ick. But other than that, I thought Dilana was dressed very nicely. The makeup was astonishingly low-key, she actually looked pale and a bit ill. No matter what else though, this girl is no longer a frontrunner. In fact, she's my top pick for the boot tomorrow. I kinda feel bad, because she's going to be so crushed if she doesn't win, but I hope she picks herself up and keeps going because she obviously has something special that a lot of people connect with.

Magni - Back in the USSR / When the Time Comes

I feel like I say the same thing about Magni each week. He's got an amazing voice, great control, excellent rapport with the House Band, and is totally lacking that indefinable "it" factor the rest of the contestants have in spades. He is just too laid back in his performing style to compete with the rest of the rockers' in-your-face theatrics. I actually didn't care for "Back in the USSR," it wasn't very interesting vocally and I was bored halfway through. His original was all kinds of awesome though, I was hooked right away with that amazing opening guitar riff. I think the best thing that could happen for Magni is that he makes the finale and is offered a spot on the tour singing lead and playing guitar with the House Band. He certainly fits with them better than he does with SN. I'm also totally amazed how well his song translated into English, and that it's actually his third language (after Icelandic and Danish). Smart guy.

Storm - Suffragette City / Ladylike

I think we finally were treated to the "real" Storm this week, and I liked it! This Storm is totally badass, a little bit masculine, and in total control of the stage. It was so cool that Dave Navarro played with her but I had a hard time hearing him through the sound mix. Maybe it'll sound better the second time. I don't really care for "Suffragette City" but Storm certainly handled the song ten times better than Tara Sloane did last season. Storm's original, "Ladylike," was killer. Although I disagree with Dave that it's the best original of both seasons. "Pretty Vegas" is obviously at the top, being a real radio hit, and Ryan's "Back of Your Car" was also better. Come to think of it, I also liked Deanna's "My Truth" quite a bit as well. Anyway, Storm's original was certainly the best of the night and finally got the praise from SN that had been withheld the entire season. I still don't think she's got a chance in hell of winning this thing, but it looks more and more like she may sneak into the finale over Magni or Dilana.

Lukas - Livin' on a Prayer / Headspin

Lukas looked quirky and amazing last night, I still don't find the little troll attractive but I dug his black and white pirate getup. It's certainly refreshing that at least one of the contestants this year pays attention to their appearance. The fashion on the show this year sucked, and I hate to say it but for next season they should bring back Ellie Mae! Moving on to "Livin' on a Prayer," Lukas managed to both rearrange it and mumble through it so that I didn't recognize it. Seriously, if they wouldn't have announced the title before he started singing, I'd probably still be scratching my head. Needless to say, I didn't love it. His original, "Headspin," was a lot better. It was touching to hear about how the song was about his relationship with his mother. It would have really been touching if I could have understood more of the song lyrics though. Lukas has stage presence and charisma to stare, but I really think his voice and lack of enunciation may sink him in the end.

Toby - Mr. Brightside / Throw it Away

Toby's been my pick to win for a few weeks now, and I stand by my opinion. He's been my second favorite the entire season, and has come on extremely strong in the last few weeks. He also gets better looking each week, which I seriously didn't think was possible. Mr. Pretty Eyes certainly earned his nickname this week, and without the guyliner! Anyway, I didn't really love his "Mr. Brightside," Marty's version last year was so original and moving. But it was a solid effort and the crowd loved it. I think he really sealed the deal with his original. It was fun, energetic, had a great beat and chorus you could sing along with, and most importantly, could be put on a CD with the existing SN tracks and blend in seamlessly. He is just the perfect fit, and how cute was Tommy when he was spanking Toby? I think with Toby as their lead singer, the guys of SN would have a fabulous time no matter if they lasted a year or ten.

Here's my ranking for the evening (and coincidentally how I think the finale will shake out):
1) Toby
2) Lukas
3) Storm
4) Magni
5) Dilana

Rock Star Performance Show: Week 9

2006-09-01T10:01:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: August 27, 2006
Note: Pics up later.

So, I'm a little late with this one. It's been a rough week for me and Rock Star, as obviously everyone knows my favorite Ryan got eliminated this week. But I think I've worked through it and am still interested to see who wins. There's still some great talent on the show, although the only chance I'd buy a SN CD or see a SN concert flew right out the window this week. I honestly thought Ryan would make the band better (especially seeing as his original was much, much cooler than the 3 crap songs Supernova has played on the show). But anyway, this performance show was very good, even though it was Fan Choice week. Everyone stepped it up a notch, which was great to see.

Lukas - Lithium

Well, if you're a Lukas fan you obviously loved this. I'm not a Lukas fan and I liked it quite a bit. That is a first for me (well except I kinda sort liked a little bit of "Creep"), and the guy just might be growing on me. Supernova seems to love him and I still think he's a lock for the win or runner-up. Lukas rearranged "Lithium" because he doesn't like Nirvana and it was actually really good. The House Band rocked it as always. Lukas was a hard act to follow!

Magni - I, Alone

Was anyone really surprised that Magni nailed this one? After receiving an encore for his version of "Dolphin's Cry," he got really lucky with another Live tune. Another weak performance and trip to the Bottom 3 would have meant the end for Magni. But he really delivered vocally and stepped it up a notch performance-wise, going out into the audience and wailing in front of the Supernova guys. One big problem I have with Magni is that he never really changes up any of his songs, they're all straight covers. He also never takes any real risks on the show, and has been very steady but never shocking or spectacular. Because of that, I don't think he's going to win. Although he'd be awesome with the House Band opening for SN.

Ryan - Clocks

Out of all of the contestants this week, Ryan got screwed the worst with this song. What could he do? If he sang it behind the piano, it would be too low-key for SN (not to mention repetetive after LMR). If he didn't use the piano, he'd be turning his back on all his fans who love that part of his performances. So he decided to combine the two, and managed to also rearrange the song so that it almost sounded like a real "rock" song instead of the original snoozer. Ryan really knows how to put on a show and get the audience into it, he had me as soon as he jumped up on top of the piano. Then he lept off of it. Then he slid across it just in time to play the all-too-familiar sequence. Then he crawled across the top of it and ended up on his knees just wailing away. Yum! The only problem I have with Ryan's theatrics is that sometimes his vocals suffer because he's too busy putting on a show. But that's what SN wanted right???

Storm - Bring Me to Life

Storm also got the shaft this week. She is an encyclopedia of musical knowledge, and wasn't familiar with the Evanescence hit. So she not only got a brand-new song but it also was too high for her natural range. Storm also didn't help herself this week by letting Toby sing with her during the chorus. One of the HB guys could have done it just as well, and the TV cameras probably wouldn't have shown them so much! Although Toby wasn't trying, he definitely stole some of Storm's spotlight. SN made it very clear they don't dig her, and it's only a matter of time before she goes home. Which is a bummer, because I love her. She's been my favorite female throughout this competition, and I love how she never takes any crap from SN. I think they actually might be a little scared of her wicked sharp tongue - love it!!

Toby - Rebel Yell

Toby got a song I knew he would kill. He did a good version of "White Wedding" a few weeks ago, and what's one more Billy Idol song? This one is actually better than WW because it's such a crowd pleaser. How can anyone not get into it and yell "More, more, more, more!" Toby looked hot as always and made his way down to the rocker pod, into the audience, and almost to the very back of the studio (there are bleachers back there - who knew?). But the best part of his performance came at the very end, when he took a few cute young fangirls up on stage with him. They loved him, he loved them, and Tommy Lee was all over it. Good call on checking their ID's before bringing them to meet TL - they definitely weren't legal! Ever since Toby played with SN last week (on the best of the 3 songs IMO), he's really moved up into contention. I like Toby for the win right now, he just "fits" with the band.

Dilana - Mother Mother

Of course, after all the Dilana-drama last week, she gets the pimp spot. Frankly, I hated pretty much everything about this performance. She didn't sound good, didn't look good, and looked like she was just barely playing her guitar. I hated how she used her hair as a headbanging prop, she's so pretty when it's pulled back or just straight. She is so OTT it is ridiculous. But SN loved it, and still loves her. That is clear. But is she right for their band, with the crying and the freaking out? IMO not so much. These guys are too old for that shit, even Tommy. They need someone who will get the job done, have a good time doing it, and above all keep their cool.

I'm not even going to bother with the Top 3/Bottom 3 stuff. I'm so bummed Ryan went home, when I thought that both Storm and Dilana gave much worse performances, and the rest of the guys IMO were about even with him. I know I couldn't vote for about an hour and a half on the East Coast because the MSN servers crashed. Would that have made a difference in the long run? No clue, but it is certainly questionable.

Rock Star Results Show - Week 8

2006-08-25T21:46:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: August 23, 2006

This week the theme of the Rock Star Results show is "Dilana is a big fat bitch." I was going to write a summary of what happened and just how bad Dilana came off, but I choose not to dwell on that negativity. Suffice it to say that Dilana may have just lost the competition based on her offstage antics.

The rocker chosen to play with Supernova this week is Toby - a bit of a surprise. Also surprising is how good Toby looks up there with the band. He fits in seamlessly and is helped by getting a better song to sing than last week's disaster. Also, no strippers, for which I am grateful. The lyrics still left something to be desired, the chorus essentially went "Hey hey hey, ho ho ho." Great for a crowd sing along, but not exactly Grammy-winning stuff.

There was no encore, and I think that's because it would have went to Ryan (again) and SN didn't want their weaker song to go up against Ryan's kick-ass original. There also just may not have been enough time due to the Dilana ass-kicking. Either way - I win! Ryan's moving up and Dilana's moving down, woo hoo!

Bottom 3 time. Magni is called down first, and the SN guys don't much like it but we're getting down to the wire here. Good performers are going to be B3 and will have to go home, it's just the nature of the show. However, Magni pulls off a great performance that assures him another week on the show. He does "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix and along with Rafael, plays some mean guitar solos.

Patrice is up next and does "Middle of the Road" by the Pretenders. It is boring as always. She somehow manages to cut her lip during the performance and is noticeably bleeding. Ever chivalrous, Magni uses his sleeve to wipe it away. Awww - I love that guy.

The last member of the Bottom 3 is a newbie - Toby. He sings "Plush" and is pretty good. As always, he is much more entertaining to watch than to listen to. If you were to combine his stage presence with Magni's voice you'd have one hell of a good rocker.

So, who goes home? Well, as most everyone knows (considering this is so late getting posted), it's Patrice. Tommy Lee looked really upset giving her the news, but Patrice took it like the classy pro she is. I'm not sure what kind of success she'll find after the show, but I'm sure she's at least found a lot of new fans who will buy her CD and see her in Austin.

Next week is Fan Choice performances. Last week everyone did their "Wild Card" pick which ensured no repeat songs from the same rockers. I'm not sure that will happen this time - besides, wouldn't it be interesting to see Lukas vs. Dilana on "Lithium" or Magni vs. Ryan on "I, Alone?" The show gets taped on Sunday, so I guess I'll have to wait until then to find out!

Rock Star Performance Show - Week 8

2006-08-23T21:11:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: August 22, 2006

Now that it's down to the final seven, this competition is starting to heat up. I'm sure we'll see some favorites struggle and some underdogs move to the top. Tonight we got two originals - one from Patrice and one from Ryan. None of the others seemed to fight very hard for them (although Storm literally wanted to box Ryan), but that could just be evil editing. Before I get to the performances I want to give a shout-out to Gilby's dog Chopper. What an adorable little guy and so well behaved! Although I'd want to make sure Chopper was up on all his shots after I saw Tommy french kiss him. Moving on . . .

Patrice - Beautiful Thing

First off, Patrice looked absolutely fabulous. By far her best look of the season. As for her song, it was all right. Pretty upbeat and poppy for Supernova though, a fact which the guys commented on. At least we know Chopper liked it, the editors flashed to him listening intently. Rafael was awesome as usual on guitar. I *heart* the House Band. I was so happy that Patrice was able to do her original song, and Tommy Lee seemed to think it had potential if it was rearranged. Me, I think she's all kinds of wrong for Supernova. But like Zayra, at least she'll go out on a high note.

Magni - Smells Like Teen Spirit

I don't like the knitted hat. He looks like someone's grandpa with that thing on. Magni has such an amazing rock voice, he can sing softer when needed and then just hit you with that sexy growly yell. And he's always perfectly on key - bonus! The big "?" for Magni is his stage presence. It seems to be improving but I'm still not sure he's got enough sparkle and that danger Supernova is looking for. I want to give a big WTF? to Tommy Lee for his comments about wanting Magni to play a guitar for this song. After he slammed Josh a few weeks ago for playing the guitar, dude needs to get off the drugs and make up his damn mind!

Ryan - Back of Your Car

Hot. Intense. Wow. What else can I say? Ryan showed more energy and charisma onstage last night than he did the entire season put together. His original song was fantastic, wonderful, and I can hear Supernova playing it in one of their concerts. Which I would attend if Ryan was fronting them, even though I swore I wouldn't. Why do I always get so invested? It seems different with Ryan though, I absolutely fell in love with his original music and don't just think he's a hottie (like some of my other reality TV singing boyfriends *coughAceYoungcough*). Although Ryan is a stone-cold fox, since he's very very taken I feel guilty lusting after him.

Storm - Cryin'

This started off like bad karaoke. Luckily Storm was able to kick it up a few notches in the middle and finished strong. Although she definitely had trouble hitting the falsetto at the end. She looked so good compared to last week - that black corset was smokin' hot. I didn't care for the black sparkly eye shadow, it looked like she let Lukas do her makeup this week. This week also marked the return of Storm's crazy eyes - yay!

Dilana - Every Breath You Take

I liked Dilana's hair this week, it is very pretty straight. I hated the eyelashes though, totally over the top and trying too hard. The tutu made her look like Lara Flynn Boyle's evil ballerina twin. I wish she'd go back to the sexy leather pants. All the costumes she got on clearance at the end of Halloween last year need to be burned. What did I think of her performance? Yawn. It was utterly average. And I HATED how she sang her own name "Dil-AH-na, Dil-AH-na" at the end, like she was trying to brainwash us into voting for her. Not likely Miss Thang - guess you gotta brush up on your spellcasting.

Toby - Layla

Pretty. Eyes. Nekkid. Chest. Mmmmmm. If Ryan weren't on this season, Toby would be my favorite for completely shallow reasons. He is so, so hot. And those pants he was wearing last night left very little to the imagination they were so low. I actually loved his performance - his rearrangement of Layla really worked as did his group sing in the rocker pod. Toby always knows how to put on a good show. But does he have the vocal chops to front this band? That's my only concern - he certainly has the charisma and the chicks love him.

Lukas - All These Things That I've Done

I love The Killers, and this song is one of my faves from their "Hot Fuss" album. For Lukas, it actually started out pretty good. I had some hope that I would finally be able to call myself a Lukas fan. But then it went downhill - fast. Like roadrunner fast. I hated how he kept turning his back to the audience (again - WTF?) and he really couldn't hit the notes during the "I Got Soul but I ain't a Soldier" refrain. It was pretty painful actually. Lukas did look great in the aviator shades and a fitted black leather jacket. He has the best style in the house IMO, even though I hate some of his fashion choices (priest collar anyone?).

So, the results show has aired but I thought Ryan, Toby and Magni were the best. My bottom 3 would have been Dilana, Storm and Patrice with Patrice leaving.

I'm hoping for all originals next week - let's see what the rest of the rockers have got! It'll be hard to top Ryan's song that's for sure!!

Rock Star Results Show - Week 7

2006-08-17T13:18:00.000-04:00

This week's results show was unique in that it's the first this season that has outshone the actual performance show. It had everything - a surprise Supernova performance, dancing strippers, a gorgeous encore, three very good elimination songs, and a tearful and classy goodbye. Here's the rundown:

The show kicked off with a bang. Supernova announced that from here on out each week they would play an original track with one of the contestants. Cool! And even though they emphasized that their first pick did not indicate a winner, they chose Dilana. Yeah right, I think girlfriend has it in the bag. So she takes off her ratty sweatshirt to reveal a very tight black lace-up bustier top. Sexy!

Unfortunately, the song sucked. Hard. So bad. The backing track was the same as the one the contestants wrote lyrics to and every one of them (save Dilana) came up with something better than what was sung last night. I hope that one doesn't make the album, or at least gets some major rework. Pretty much it got slammed everywhere, and although Dilana looked good fronting Supernova, she didn't sound that great. And what was up with the Michael Jackson leg-kick move? The feedback was so negative that one of the RS producers felt the need to write a lengthy post on rockband.com defending SN and the song. Ouch! But sucks still sucks. And that sucked. Not even the strippers could save it. In fact, the strippers made it much, much worse.

Moving on, the show then took a nice turn with Ryan getting the encore for "In the Air Tonight." His outfit was a bit of that shabby-chic homeless look but he sounded even better than he did on Tuesday. Ryan changed up the ending of the song and hit a beautiful high falsetto note that went on forever. Gorgeous! I hope SN is taking a good, long look at Ryan because he has the potential to do something great with that band.

Now, on to the elimination. The only rockers to avoid the B3 at any time during the voting were Lukas, Dilana, and Ryan (yay!). The final Bottom 3 ended up being Zayra, Patrice, and Magni. I think everyone was shocked about Magni but the other two were routine and expected. Was it complacent voters, a "meh" performance, or some combination of the two? Who knows, but I was happy that Ryan wasn't there.

Z was up first and did a Blue October number which was scary and shrieky. I like her ballads but when she tries to do upbeat songs I want to poke out my ears. Then Patrice sang "Celebrity Skin" and congrats to Miss P for remembering all the words (*eyes Lukas*). She pulled out all the stops - the leaping off the stage, the wandering through the crowd and to the rocker pod, and singing to SN and Dave. It was just okay. Magni was last and chose "Creep." It was odd that two contestants performed songs Lukas has done previously, but I think that "Creep" was purely coincidental. Magni did that one for his audition and it's been his elimination choice since the first week (they don't change unless they hit B3). All that said, Magni kicked Lukas's butt completely and throughly. His vocal tone and control were fantastic, and his stage presence and connection with the audience was amazing. Loved it!

So did Supernova. They sent Magni back with no criticism at all, only a comment about how he wouldn't be going home for a long time. It was then down to Patrice and Z - to the shock of none. Both have serious issues and I wouldn't have minded a double elimination. But perhaps Patrice impressed SN in the studio with her vocals because they said she had "potential" for their band and kept her. That left Z to get the "tommyhawk." She was very sweet and gracious in her farewell speech and although I would never buy her CD or see her in concert, I wish her well. Goodbye Zayra - I'll miss your crazy ass!

Rock Star Performance Show - Week 7

2006-08-16T07:52:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: August 15, 2006

This week's performance show has "stripped down" theme. So in honor of that, the viewing audience was "treated" to a shirtless Tommy Lee and Dave Navarro. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the producers thought it was a bit too much skin for network TV and made them cover back up. I'm still not sure if I think that was a good thing. Anyway, I also think that "stripped down" = sucky song choices. It was overall a decent show though, a bit dull, with a couple of real trainwreck performances and a few good ones. Here goes nothing:

Zayra - Lluevia de Mar (Sea Rain)

Zayra looked beautiful, as always. That hot pink skirt was huge though and I thought at one point when she was sitting in the rocker pod it was going to eat Lukas. Anyway, it was a real gutsy move by Zayra to sing one of her originals in Spanish. It's a beautiful song, but one that really highlighted how wrong she is for Supernova. Her tune was a gorgeous Latin pop ballad and I don't think the guys are really going in that direction. Except maybe Jason - he loves him some Zayra! He was makin' some moo cow eyes at her for sure, and also gave her a standing ovation. If this is Zayra's last Tuesday performance, at least she made it a good one.

Magni - Starman

His white ice cream man / Miami vice suit was a bad choice. I hate the fact that I'm saying this but Magni - stick with black! I don't really know this song, but I know enough after the performance to not like it. At all. So I may be biased but I thought Magni kinda blew tonight. He was too low-key and very lounge-y. His voice was good, as always. The guy is certainly consistent. But boring. Also, the huge veins that pop out of the side of his head every time he reaches for a high note scare me.

Patrice - Message in a Bottle

Patrice finally looked better this week in a black vest, long black shorts, and an interesting patterned wrap/skirt around her waist. Her hair didn't look like it would scare small children so that is also an improvement. However, her performance was pretty terrible. "Message in a Bottle" isn't a very dynamic song in its original version and I agree with SN in that I'd have liked a more upbeat arrangement. She deserves Bottom 3, and I hope the guys put her out of her misery. Even though Zayra is all wrong, at least I get a kick out of watching her. Patrice is just dull, at least on this show. Maybe she's this year's Tara Sloane in that she's mad talented but nothing she's done so far on RS (exception being "My Iron Lung") has shown it.

Lukas - Hero

I'm not feeling Lukas's look. Between the sleeveless priest collar shirt, the covered up Playboy tattoo, the massively spiked hair and the return of the evil red eye shadow, it's all just saying "I'm trying too hard! I'm a big poser!" He also needs to give those lace fingerless gloves back to Madonna. On to the actual performance. Sitting in a chair was a bad idea, it just reinforced how tiny the guy is. But on the bright side, I wasn't forced to watch him do his patented drunken Frankenstein stage moves. Vocally it was weak - his upper register is not very good, no wonder he doesn't like to use it. His falsetto made me cringe. I just don't see what others do in Lukas.

Storm - I Will Survive

Whoo whoo! BOOM! That is a pretty good summary of Storm's performance - trainwreck! She had a lot of trouble rearranging the song from what was shown in the reality webisode, and the final product was pretty bad. It was some punk / rock / opera mix and was a complete mess. I could tell Storm wasn't feeling it, although she tried. Also, why did she pick that awful pinstriped business suit? It was very ill-fitted, although I heard it cost a lot of $$$ and was borrowed. Ugly - give it back honey! She might hit B3 this week, and deservedly so. I don't think she has the fanbase of Lukas to keep her out.

Toby - Solisbury Hill

Toby was just adorable tonight. Gilby (aka "Kermit") - not so much. I thought he did a good job wiith the vocals and rhythm of the song, and as always looked very hot while doing so. The bongos were a nice touch, although I'm not sure SN was feeling it like I was. Tommy looked not very impressed. Whenever I see bongos, I think of Matthew McConaughey and his naked bongo playing. Why couldn't Toby have been naked? Oh yeah, TV. Well, maybe it can be an extra on the Supernova "too hot to handle" DVD.

Ryan - In the Air Tonight

I thought Ryan looked and sounded amazing. This might just be my favorite RS performance from him, although "Losing My Religion" is right up there. That jacket was gorgeous and didn't look like he pulled it from the bottom of his dirty laundry basket - good job! The arrangement of the song was perfect as always and Ryan's style really fit the dramatic nature of the song. I think this deserves the encore but hopefully at least it'll keep him out of the Bottom 3.

Dilana - Cat's in the Cradle

I think my Dilana love is over, short-lived though it was. She butchered the lyrics of this song, both intentionally (I think) and by accident. I am one who never notices wrong lyrics, but this song is one that most people know by heart. She sang "silver moon" instead of "silver spoon" and that annoyed me. I think that was just a mistake. But then she ended each chorus with "son" instead of "dad" "dad" "son." I thought it kinda ruined the story of the song, although I'm sure there will be lots of disagreement. She'll probably get the encore, SN was all over it.

My Top 3: Ryan, Toby, Zayra (I know - WTF?)
My Bottom 3: Storm, Patrice, Dilana

Who's gettin' the boot? Patrice

Rock Star Results Show - Week 6

2006-08-10T08:19:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: August 9, 2006

Interesting show tonight. It started off by Supernova hammering home the point once again that the rawkers should be literally tearing each other apart for the chance to play with them. No mention of how it's been a Bottom 3 curse for most of them. Next week I think we'll see a lot of tension and controversy over the song selection - at least I hope so! I'd really like to see Ryan or Storm play with Jason (it seems to be his turn). It would be a good test to see if they're really contenders in this competition.

The SN guys thought the performances the night before were so good that they picked two encores for this evening. Up first was Lukas, the obvious choice. He sounded better on the opening verse but didn't hit that "RUN!" note I really enjoyed. Then Magni switched it up a bit and sang "Dolphin's Cry" backed by OB:House (rather than solo acoustic). His encore performance had more energy than the original but I think his vocals weren't up to par compared to Tuesday night.

On to the Bottom 3. Jill (or "Shrill" as she has been nicknamed by some) was the first one called down, to the surprise of no one. She decided the best way to prove her rock & roll chops to Supernova was to sing "Respect" Aretha-style. Yeah, no. As soon as she announced what song she was doing, I was like "Buh-bye!" It was a decent version, she certainly has a big voice, but still oversings everything. Maybe she would be a good backup singer for a major artist (perhaps Suzie's looking for someone else to sing backup with her for Pink).

The next person to be in the Bottom 3 was Josh. This was a little bit surprising, but I didn't love his version of "Interstate Love Song." Also, it's the "playing with Supernova" curse. He's doomed to the B3! Josh is wearing the most unfortunate hat (would be a porkpie? No clue, he just looks too much like K-Fed for my personal taste). He decides to sing "Shooting Star" by Bad Company. That's a great song, and perfect for Josh's voice. Unfortunately, even after being told to lose the guitar, he rebels and plays it anyway. Again, "Buh-bye!" What a tough choice for SN, huh? Or so it seemed.

I was stunned when Ryan was named the third person in the Bottom 3. I guess the voters didn't really like or get his take on "Paint it Black." Personally, I just think it was too radical of a departure from his gorgeous piano-based performance of "Losing My Religion." If he would've done PIB after "I Alone" I think everything would have been cool. Ryan chose a Depeche Mode song, "Enjoy the Silence." He put a harder edge to the song and really rocked it. It got a bit screamy at the end though, but it was clear he had saved himself. Sidenote: some crazy chick almost pulled Ryan off the stage at the end of the show. Why would someone do that? Grrrrrrrr.

So, to no one's surprise, Ryan gets another chance and is sent back to the rocker pod. He looks very relieved, let me tell you. I had my doubts about how much Ryan wanted this gig, but no more. He wants it BAD. I don't know how I feel about that, actually. I'd be much more likely to buy a ticket to a solo Ryan show than a Supernova one. Anyway, it's "Hatchet" time! Both Josh and Jill get the "Tommyhawk" making it the first double elimination of the season. The only bummer - they'll miss out on a trip to Vegas the rockers were all leaving for that same night!

Can't wait for next week! Who will fight to play with Supernova? Will Ryan be able to come back from the B3? Will Zayra finally get the boot?

Rock Star Performance Show - Week 6

2006-08-09T10:48:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: August 9, 2006

Wow, did Brooke ever look hot in that black dress! It's the first outfit of hers that I actually want for myself. Of course it's probably a maternity dress, but there you go. Congrats to Ms. Burke on her pregnancy!! Now, on to the show.

Dilana - Won't Get Fooled Again

She looked really good last night with her hair pulled back, I could finally see what a beautiful face she has. Also, her "costumes" were very distracting and I like her 100 times better since she stopped wearing them. Loved the Gilby "guitar cam." Didn't so much love the "harmonizing" between D and G. Ouch!! I can really see her fronting Supernova now, but will her apparent lack of songwriting "chops" prevent her from winning?

Jill - Mother Mother

I admit, I'd never heard this song before last night. I thought Jill did a good job with it though, and kept herself from oversinging. Even though it looked like she was in physical pain trying to stop the "Shrill." Don't like the new black & red additions to her extensions - too Suzie-like. I liked how she lept off the stage. It's hard for any of them to follow Dilana though, and I just don't think Jill's best is good enough anymore.

Ryan - Paint it Black

I'm not sure why so many people are hating this performance. While I wasn't crazy about the horse mane hoody or the eye makeup, I still thought he killed it vocally (and obviously Gilby agreed with me). I think that Tommy was just shocked because he didn't think Ryan had it in him - he sure showed TL some "boat" bitch! He's definitely proving his versatility and I think the band is starting to think of him as someone who just may work for them.

Storm - We are the Champions

I thought this was very nice, she looked beautiful as always. As someone else commented on, the contrast between Ryan's black outfit and dark performance and Storm's all-white ensemble was very interesting. I'd like to see those two sing together sometime. I loved the a capella harmony in the middle of the song with OB:House - great moment! She's still my favorite female in this competition. I do hope she goes back to the crazy, wild-eyed Storm next week though.

Zayra - All the Young Dudes

What the hell? You'd think I wouldn't be shocked by Z's crazy outfits anymore but nope. That top hat and gold lame bodysuit were out of this world. The song was really mellow, too much so in that it was a bit boring and revealed her vocal inconsistencies. I think she's about worn out her welcome with SN. Best moment of Z's performance: the lovely spoiler-crew member JYM making googly eyes at her!

Josh - Interstate Love Song

I didn't like this. At all. Which is surprising, because I loved Josh's performance last week. His voice just sounded strange on the song, he was using that "Kermit" range that I don't care for. Also, he's too laid back of a performer for SN. Josh doesn't have that intensity or "flash" that I think the band is looking for. I liked how he was with Tommy though, it was a much better performance than when Patrice performed with him last week.

Magni - Dolphin's Cry

Beautiful! "Dolphin's Cry" is one of my favorite Live songs and I thought Magni did it complete justice. His acoustic performance really highlighted his gorgeous voice. It's got power, control, nuance - the whole package. Vocally. But I question if Magni has the charisma necessary to stand in front of Tommy Lee and not get overshadowed. Also - cutest.baby.ever! Although I must say "Magni the family man" bit is about played out.

Patrice - Instant Karma

Snooze. And WTF is with the pigtails? Girlfriend needs to get a wig or shave her head or something. Her performance was dull and bland - the arrangement was too fast, pop-py and very repetetive. I think she's in a lot of trouble tomorrow and was quite surprised at the positive comments she received from SN. She may have a lot of talent, but it's pretty clear she's not going to be fronting this band.

Lukas - Creep

Color me surprised, I thought this was decent. Certainly much better than the horror of last week. He always gets the special spotlight treatment though doesn't he? The hair looked better covering his fivehead, and I also liked the jacket and the toned-down makeup. However, I thought his vocals were inconsistent - the falsetto was weak but he really nailed the "money" notes - RUN! That moment was the first time I liked Lukas so I guess it's a start. He'll probably get the encore, and I guess he deserves it. He's the only "contender" that hasn't gotten it yet.

Toby - Bringing Down the House.

Mr. Pretty Eyes needs to lose the suspenders. And the skinny tie. I liked this performance a LOT - right up to the megaphone. I don't think he should have went there, but obviously that's just my opinion (and Dave Navarro's). I did like the siren at the end - that was a cool touch. Toby is so sexy and has a great energy about him, and I think this performance was a huge improvement from last week. He's put himself back in the competition.

Top 3: Magni, Storm, Ryan

Bottom 3: Jill, Patrice, Z

Going home?: Jill (possibly Z, possibly Patrice - hell it could be a triple elimination and I wouldn't care)

Movie Reviews - August

2006-08-08T15:35:00.000-04:00

Here's a few of the movies I watched this month thanks to the amazing Blockbuster Online. I want to note that I also rented "The Producers" but found it so awful I turned it off after the first half hour. Thank goodness I didn't waste my money on that one in the theater!

Find Me Guilty
Starring: Vin Diesel, Linus Roache
Directed by: Sidney Lumet

I found this movie to be surprisingly enjoyable. Vin Diesel, in a performance that is a far cry from his badass portrals in Fast and the Furious and Pitch Black, creates a funny and touching character. I found myself really rooting for his Jackie, even though he was a bad guy - a "mobster." One thing I found interesting was that the screenwriters used a lot of the original trial courtroom transcripts. That lent authenticity to the whole affair, otherwise I would have thought Jackie's crazy antics were completely made up.

The downside to this movie - it was very predictable. And the characters were oftentime "caricatures" - the killer mob boss, the uptight D.A., and the estranged wife who still loves Jackie to name a few. The movie was a little bit on the long side, and the comedic moments (while hilarious) were few and far between. I'd recommend this movie to people who like trial movies and mobsters - definitely not for young children as there are a lot of filthy jokes and swearing.

My rating: ** 1/2

Best in Show
Starring: Parkey Posey, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean
Directed by: Christopher Guest

I hated the first half hour of this movie. I almost shut it off and shipped the DVD back to Blockbuster. I'm so glad I didn't! The beginning of this movie was so slow, and the mock-umentary feel was strange and didn't work for me right away. But as I got to "know" the characters and especially as the Show began, I got into it. Parker Posey is shrill and whiny and at her best, Eugene Levy is sweet and goofy, and the dogs completely run away with the movie! I want the terrier - so sweet and adorable.

The second half of the movie was also much funnier than the first, once the exposition was out of the way all the characters could come together and interact (often with hilarious results). Overall, it was a decent comedy that I ended up warming to, and if you like dogs and offbeat comedies, this one's for you!

My rating: *** 1/2

Eight Below
Starring: Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood
Directed by: Frank Marshall

For a Disney movie, this one was a major tearjerker! For me, at least. I just love dogs and can't handle it when they're in danger, injured, or worse. And the dogs in this movie were so wonderful and beautiful and all had distinct personalities. Huskies are one of my favorite kinds of dogs, I always wanted my own little sled dog team. Rounding out the cast of this movie (and certainly secondary to the animals) is Paul Walker ("dude!"). Paul is actually perfectly cast in this movie, although still a little too "pretty" to be a rugged outdoorsman. But as he ages, he's looking more manly (and a lot more hot!). He also managed to keep the surfer dude accent in check for the entire film, which I appreciated.

The locations and sets of this movie make it worth the rental alone. Especially considering I was watching it on one of the hottest days of the year! Antartica looked so beautiful, the camera work reminded me a lot of "March of the Penguins," another gorgeously shot movie. I also liked how the plot went back and forth between the dogs and the humans, it made the ending much more moving. I really enjoyed this movie, although I was expecting more of a "fairy tale" considering it's a Disney film.

My rating: ***

The Libertine
Starring: Johnny Depp, John Malkovich, Samantha Morton
Directed by: Lawence Dunsmore

It's a good thing I'm open-minded about movies, because this one was just filthy! I love Johnny Depp and thought he did an excellent job as usual with his role as the perpetually horny Lord Wilmot. The rest of the cast was also good, and included an almost unrecognizable (due to prosthetics) John Malkovich as King Charles and Samantha Morton (best known as the fortune telling chick in Minority Report) as an actress Wilmot becomes besotted with.

I thought the beginning of the movie was fun, and an interesting look into English society at that time. Depp and Morton also had good chemistry, which surprised me. But once Wilmot decided that his life wasn't worth anything and he started his rapid decline I found it to be tedious and completely distasteful. Would I watch this one again? No. If I want a Johnny Depp with long hair fix, I'll take out my Pirates of the Caribbean DVD. This one is not for children or young adults, or anyone with a weak stomach.

My rating: **

The Matador
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis
Directed by: Richard Shepherd

"The Matador" is an absolutely delightful little movie. The basic plot is that Pierce Brosnan's Julian is an assassin who, while in Mexico on "business," meets Greg Kinnear's Danny - a wholesome family man. They are polar opposites but form an instant bond. In fact, when Julian has a nervous breakdown, he goes to Danny because he's his only friend. Of course, things go a bit haywire and Danny finds himself put into wild and dangerous situations he never could have imagined.

This movie was a great choice for Pierce, coming off of being best known as James Bond. While deadly, his falling-apart hit man was the complete opposite of the smooth and sophisticated Bond. Kinnear was good as always as the "everyman" and Hope Davis was very good as well as Kinnear's wife. She reacted with a very realistic mixture of shock, fear, and interest when Julian shows up at her doorstep. I'd recommend this movie to anyone over the age of 16 or 18 - it's a great little summer film.

My rating: ***

Here's how I'd rank these against each other:
1) The Matador
2) Eight Below (a very close second)
3) Find Me Guilty
4) Best in Show
5) The Libertine

RS Results Show - Week 5

2006-08-03T15:55:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: August 2, 2006

This ended up being a pretty good results show. Lukas admitted to being horrible, Zayra wore yet another crazy outfit, and my guy Ryan got the encore. Woo hoo! He looked and sounded damn good. A couple screencaps of the hotness:

I'm still not sure Ryan's right for Supernova, but he's getting stronger week by week. I think his getting the encore puts him right up there with Lukas as one of the male frontrunners. We'll see - next week's challenge is to write original melody and lyrics to one of Supernova's backing tracks. That was the critical moment when JD won last year's Rock Star. When he sang "Pretty Vegas," everyone was blown away. That song went on to be INXS' first single and a pretty decent hit. Can anyone in this year's group do the same? I think Ryan has just as much a shot as anyone, he's a talented songwriter. I just hope he can handle the pressure of the time frame.

Anyway, on to the Bottom 3. Jill was first (no surprise there) and sang "Alone" by Heart. She was really good and obviously saved herself. That WAS surprising. Jill has a great voice, she just makes bad choices in song selection, delivery and appearance. There's no way she's winning this thing, but she was good last night.

The second to be called down to sing was Dana. I was a little surprised because she went last and did a decent job on "Baba O'Reilly." The song she chose to sing for SN was "House of the Rising Sun." Kind of a weird choice I thought, and she was just okay. I thought Jill was definitely better. Dana also admitted she skipped out on her band rehearsal the previous day because she was at the spa! WTF??

The last member of the Bottom 3 was Patrice. I kind of expected that, she went early on in the show and Tommy Lee completely overshadowed her. Patrice also just hasn't made that connection with the audience yet. Anyway, girlfriend looked BAD tonight, very rough around the edges. She sang "Eternal Life" by Jeff Buckley and sounded rough around the edges as well. Not even close to as good as her B3 performance last week. I think this trip to the Bottom 3 officially knocked her out of contention for this contest. Supernova has to see that no one will pay money to see her in concert if they won't even vote for her on the show.

So, the "hatchet" of the night went to Dana. Okay. I thought any of them could have went and it would have been fine. She was extremely classy in her exit, and all I could think was "WHEW!" Now Ryan can't get into any more fights with her about how bad she sucks. Next week should be interesting - I most want to see if Ryan can continue his improvement and if Lukas can make a comeback after his trainwreck on Tuesday.

Rock Star Performance Show - Week Five

2006-08-01T22:46:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: August 1, 2006

Patrice - Higher Ground

What was up with the mohawk? Ugh. She did a decent job vocally but Tommy definitely outshone her. She needs to stop looking like a school teacher wearing a rock outfit. Maybe different makeup would help, maybe nothing - but girl can sing that's for sure! I admit I'm still a bit biased against her because of the bitchy way she acted toward Ryan. Boo hiss!

Josh - Santeria

I completely loved this! It was my favorite performance of his all season. The beatboxing was amazing - he is such an original in this competition. He was one of my early favorites (Ryan being the other) and has kind of dropped off my radar since then. I threw him a few votes tonight, he was so adorable in that hat! I love that he's being himself, even if he doesn't win at least he'll give some great performances before he gets the "hatchet."

Dilana - Can't Get Enough

Nice outfit, much better than any of her crazy goth-meets-fairy-tale costumes. Those leather pants with the cut-outs were HOT! Vocally I thought as always, she was meh. I actually liked her vocals performance better last week. She has a lot of charisma and stage presence though, I can see why the audience loves her. Sidenote: it was her boyfriend who carried her on his shoulders to the stage, awwww. That was a sweet move, no matter if it was planned or not.

Toby - Pennyroyal Tea

How can my screencap of Toby not be a close-up shot of his gorgeous blue eyes? Sigh, I am so shallow. Anyway, I liked this performance a lot, not sure why he's in the initial B3. Also, he should always wear sleeveless shirts! I am not ready for his hotness to be off my TV yet. So he got some Shallow Girl votes from me. That girl in the audience he was all up on - lucky thing, I'm freakin' jellus. I want me some Toby lovin'!

Zayra - 876-5309 Jenny

WTF? Seriously, I read the spoilers and still couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was like watching a demented combination of a circus act and a stripper's routine. Vocally she was terrible as always. But she's definitely entertaining. Where the hell is she going to wear those outfits after she gets the boot from this show? Maybe her boyfriend will appreciate them. Or she'll have a ready made fantasy porn wardrobe.

Magni - Clocks

I did not like his performance. But then, I don't like Coldplay very much so I might be somewhat biased. Magni started pretty good but then you could barely hear him. It was like he was purposely holding the mic away because he knew he couldn't hit the higher notes. However, his reaction at hearing that his family was being flown in? Priceless - what a sweetheart! Cute babies always get the female votes, this guy is so safe this week even with a subpar performance.

Jill - Don't You Forget About Me

Whiny Ho-Bag. Hate. That is all.

Ryan - Losing My Religion

I took a few notes during the show and all I wrote next to Ryan's name was a big heart. No comment on whether or not or names were in there as well. Obviously I love him. And finally Ryan delivered a performance that was at the same level of his solo work. One small criticism - he is so hot (see the shirtless pool pics for evidence) but wears schlubby black clothes every week. This week his coat had a removable hood with snaps! OMG - fashion emergency! Anyway, the power in his voice literally gave me chills. I hope more people see Ryan for the talented artist he is and a true threat to win this competition.

Lukas - Celebrity Skin

I could only make out the first line of his song, the rest was an awful mess. He really did sing with his back to the audience for a large portion of the song (see screencap for evidence). I was actually a bit embarrassed for him. Hopefully he bounces back next week, I was just starting to feel him a little with "Bittersweet Symphony." Now I'm back to yuck. Pepe Le Peu must go!

Storm - Changes

Storm is totally my girl crush this season. I loved her take on "Changes." Second best of the night for me (after Ryan). As much as the crowd loves Dilana, I think SN's best bet would be to pick Storm if they wanted a woman. She is just gorgeous and I love how she toned down her performance - just wow.

Dana - Baba O'Reilly

Meh. Dana sang well as always, but I much preferred Jordis' version last year. I hate her "mean" "rock" face where it's all scrunched up and that's how you know she's "mad." Again, see the screencap for her scrunchy look. She needs to leave soon, I am so sick of her.

My Top 3: Ryan (encore), Storm, Josh

My Bottom 3: Jill, Dana, Lukas

RS Results Show - Week 4

2006-07-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: July 26, 2006

What was most interesting about this week's results show was what didn't make it on the air, not what the TV audience saw. There was some heavy editing, and thanks to a cool guy who attends most of the RS tapings (shout - out to LAXGuy!), I know what really happened last night.

Here are some of the juicier moments that got cut by evil MBP editors:

Jason ripping Ryan a new one after the clip of Ryan and Dilana trying to offer more "advice" to Dana. Jason said Ryan shouldn't be talking badly about Dana and her performances since he wasn't any better. Ooh, burn! And I 100% disagree - Ryan's not for everyone but he's a talented, passionate performer who absolutely knows who he is and what kind of sound he's aiming for. Dana - what can I say other than she's clueless about what a real rocker should be?

Supernova taking about 20 minutes to decide on the encore. On last night's show, it seemed that Storm was the obvious choice for the encore. But in an unpredecented move, Supernova took a 20 minute break to discuss who should receive the encore. Why they did this and what their conversation was about - we may never know.

Dave reading Phil back a newspaper article in which Phil admitted to going on RS only to promote his band. The article also quoted him as saying he didn't like Supernova's music. Oooh! It makes a lot more sense when SN questioned Phil about his commitment to fronting their band after this revelation. I will never know why this didn't make it on the air, it has great reality TV moment written all over it. It also is more clear why Phil got the boot and the dreadful Zayra survived for another week.

Bye-bye to dirtyPhil, who I never warmed up to. I must say that faced with a choice between another week of his mush-mouthed, wobbly-head, bug-eyed performances and the crazy out-of-this world stylings of Zayra, I pick Space Chick. Every time.

Rock Star Performance Show - Week Four

2006-07-26T20:31:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: July 25, 2006

I'm running behind this week, so I'm just going to hurry up and get down to it. Here's my take on this week's rocker performances:

Lukas - Bittersweet Symphony

I really liked the staging of this performance - the single spotlight really worked. It felt like a rock show, albeit a rock show with a really crappy lead singer. Sorry, there are a lot of Lukas fans out there but I'm still not one of them. I also didn't care for the guitar, it just hung there for most of the performance and looked more like a prop than a working instrument.

Zayra - Call Me

What planet is this chick from? Seriously - a blue spandex space suit with torso cut-outs and white go-go boots?? Wow. I definitely give her major props for a smokin' bod and the guts to wear something like that in public. That said, this performance was awful. She needs to be beamed back to her home planet ASAP Scotty!

Dana - About a Girl

Color me shocked - Dana got gritty and "rock" this week. Her hair was dirty, her eyeliner was dark and smudged, and she didn't look like Rock Star Barbie. Her voice was amazing as always, and really delivered on this song. It still seems too forced, and that this isn't who Dana really is, but I gotta give her credit for a huge improvement.

Patrice - Remedy

Blah. Another week, another Patrice performance that reminds me of "sweet" Suzie McNeil. At least Patrice remembered all the words (*snicker*). But that's about all that was good about her performance - it was really boring. Oh, and Jim of OB:House was exceptionally hot (see pic above for evidence). Also, Patrice is by far the worst dresser out of the remaining women. A fur vest with a black sports bra underneath? Really? I actually prefer Dilana's demented goth-meets-fairy tale look.

Toby - White Wedding

Slurp! Toby definitely moved back to the front of the competition this week. And looked darn good doing it. More short belly-revealing tops on Toby please! I am so shallow, but his blue blue blue eyes get me every time. I don't really care for "White Wedding" but I thought Toby brought a lot of energy and decent vocals to the song. He really knows how to play to the girls in the audience, doesn't he? *is mad jellus*

Magni - Heroes

I really liked Magni's performance this week. I thought Supernova was unnecessarily harsh on the Iceman. He has a fantastic voice, one of the tops among the guys, and can actually deliver a song just standing there with his guitar. My take on this is that he was giving "Heroes" a wistful tone by staying away from the crowd, and that he was singing it to someone far away (like oh, say Iceland). He's still my dark horse pick to win. He's an amazing vocalist, has good stage presence, but still will be able to let the other SN guys shine.

Ryan - I Alone

Finally! Ryan brought what I knew he had in him all along. I still think there are better things to come from Ryan, he has so much potential. And is so smokin' hot. I was dyin' he looked so good last night, he really looks like a movie star. I can't wait to see what he brings to the table next week.

Jill - Brown Sugar

Jill seemed really trampy last night. Between the Hooters girl outfit and the humping of poor Gilby Clarke, it was actually embarrassing. Her vocals were pretty good, but everything else about the performance distracted from her singing. The guys (Gilby especially) really hated it. As did I - yuck! I can appreciate a sexy woman, but not a desperate one.

Phil - One Headlight

I have no idea how this song made it onto the list, but it sure seemed like poor Phil got the short end of the stick with this choice. The Wallflowers are WAY more pop than rock, and even though Phil tried to dirty it up, it didn't work for anyone. His stage movements (wobbly neck, bugged-out eyes, and wiggly arms) were out in full force and I hated them. This guy's just not that great to me, he needs to go home and play with his chemistry set.

Dilana - Time After Time

Right about the time Dilana kicked into the chorus of "Time After Time" a lightbulb went off over my head. A-ha! I finally get this chick, and loved the rest of this performance. She really is fantastic, and I would like to see her front Supernova. I'm not so crazy about her costumes, this week she looked like Heidi from Hell, but it's certainly her signature and makes her stand out.

Josh - No Rain

Another crappy song choice. I think Josh did the best he could with this song. I really enjoyed it actually, it was his best for me since his first week. I want to give a shout out to the hottie guitarist Raphael. That man is amazing! I still don't think Josh is right for SN, but his voice is so strong and unique that he deserves to stick around for a few more weeks at least.

Storm - Anything Anything

Homechick finally rocked it!! I loved it all!! She is just what Supernova needs I think. Whether they have the guts to take her I'm not sure. I loved the stage dive, it was so cool and perfect. She also looked amazing as usual. I love her style the best out of the remaining women, it's so sexy and rock without being slutty or cheap. Love her!!

The results show is on now so I won't bother with predictions. My top three were:

1) Ryan
2) Storm
3) Dilana

RS Results Show - Week Three

2006-07-20T07:19:00.000-04:00

This episode should have been titled "Dana, you suck!" Because every bit of drama and tension (whether real or part of the magic of editing) surrounded her terrible performance last night. We saw Dana whine about being compared to Celine Dion, beg Dilana and Storm for their help, and watched Lukas and Ryan snicker and be generally embarrassed watching Dana's performance back on their cell phones. Cell phones, WTF?? Good product placement there, Burnett.

To Ryan's credit, he didn't back down on the show when asked by Navarro about his negative comments. I did think he took it one step too far by saying that he was "embarrassed" by Dana's performance, but he was still essentially right. I also think Ryan was intentionally outspoken and controversial because he's finally getting his head in this competition and knows he needs to more face time to have a chance at winning. But to Dana's credit as well, she didn't take any crap from him. For such a young thing, she defended herself quite well.

The encore tonight was kind of surprising. Jill and Dilana were praised for their performances, but the guys ultimately went with Magni. He brought it again, and was even better singing Plush. I'm really starting to like this guy, he's been in my Top 3 for two weeks now.

Finally, time for the Bottom 3 to be announced. Josh and Zayra were added to the initial bottom 3 of Jenny, Dana, and Ryan. Jenny was the first to be called down, and chose Stone Temple Pilot's Vasoline. It was definitely more rock than she's ever been on the show, but her voice just isn't there. Next up was Dana, and she chose a relatively unknown Sass Jordan tune called High Road Easy. Interesting side note - Ms. Jordan is currently a judge on Canadian Idol. Dana sounded good, and really took the advice of SN, getting about as "dirty" as she could. Last up was Josh, and he picked another Nirvana song - Heart Shaped Box. He sounded completely different than when he sang the night before, and it was pretty good. His voice was a lot rougher and I think more like what SN is looking for in their lead singer.

So, who got the boot? Jenny. It certainly didn't surprise me, the girl is pretty but cannot sing. Can't wait for next week, this show is such an addiction!

Rock Star Performance Show - Week 3

2006-07-19T14:04:00.000-04:00

I really enjoyed the show this week - lots of good performances, a few great ones, and only one or two trainwrecks. I think the contestants are finally finding their groove - although for some, their "groove" will be getting them the boot in the weeks to come. What is annoying is how the show seems all but over - Supernova so obviously loves Dilana and Lukas. Why should the rest of them even bother? Oh yeah, TV exposure in front of millions each week. Let's get on with it.

Patrice - Helter Skelter

Patrice pulled a real bitch move this week in getting this song, and she and Jill almost got into a catfight over it. This proved to be a good move for Patrice, as she did a really good job with this song. It's my favorite performance of hers so far this season. I just wish she didn't remind me so much of "sweet" Suzie McNeil from last season. Also, I wish Patrice would update and/or improve her look. The dark/light stripey blunt-cut bob makes her look old, and she needs serious wardrobe help. It looks like this week she wore a see-through burlap sack as a top. Lastly, Patrice needs to work on not smiling through serious songs. It's very distracting and makes it seem like she's not really feeling the music.

Josh - Come As You Are

Ouch. From the first nasally note to the last, this was bad. And I really like Josh, or should I say I really liked Josh. I think we're over as of this week. I cannot believe his idea of showing Supernova his rock edge was to perform an acoustic CAYA. Last year, JD's amazing performance of this song helped him win the competition. Josh will be lucky if his take on it doesn't land him in the Bottom 3.

Storm - Just What I Needed

I'm not loving Storm's song choices so far, but every week I love her a little more. She is so damn gorgeous - I am so damn jellus! Total girlcrush going on here. I also think her darker hair extensions looked great, especially compared to last week's pigtails. Vocally, I wish she would shine more but again I think it's partially due to song selection. Storm's very dramatic when she performs, and even though she toned it down a bit this week, it still crept in there at the end. She is who she is as a performer, and she's not going to change for SN. If they don't like her style, they shouldn't hire her as their lead singer, simple as that.

Lukas - Let's Spend the Night Together

I'm going to admit right off the bat I'm not familiar with the Stones original of this song. So I don't really have anything to compare Lukas' version to. But SN seemed to love his arrangement, so it must be pretty good. Definitely more "rocked up" and modern than usual Stones songs. He is just such an ugly dude though, and I can hardly bare to look at him or listen to him sing. I wish I could understand the lyrics more, he just slurs everything together. He's definitely one of the frontrunners, and good for SN if they pick him. I could care less - none of these contestants could make me want to go to a SN concert or buy a CD.

Jill - All Right Now

She looks and sounds 100% better this week - no scary brides or black undies to be seen. However, I think she dialed down her appearance a bit too far. Her hair was looking extremely flat and her makeup washed her out. Not a lot of women can pull off the nude lip, and Jill isn't one of them. Vocally, I kind of like Jill. Yeah, she screams instead of sings a lot but I still dig her energy onstage. I liked her take on Bring Me to Life last week, and I thought this week she was even better.

Ryan - Fortunate Son

What I love about Ryan is that he's always so intense and passionate when he performs. Some people think that he just looked angry and pissed off but I think he just really feels the music. This was his best performance on RS to date, but the band didn't really like it. Their comments were pretty harsh, and he may be singing for his survival on the show. I want him to stick around to do his original stuff though, I love it and even the other rockers blogged about how great it was. One last comment - hot. So hot.

Phil - White Rabbit

Phil really stepped it up this week, he definitely gets the "Most Improved" award. Jason Newstead got up to play bass with him, and the overall performance from everyone was pretty fantastic. I still find Phil kinda hard to look at, but this song was a great choice for his voice and performance style (I always thought he looked kinda high / drugged out / in a daze) when he sang. I think he'll get the encore this week, if only so Jason gets another chance to play.

Dana - It's My Life

WTF? This chick has a great set of pipes but needs to go home. Now. She's still plenty young enough to audition for the next season of American Idol. Dana's my pick for the boot this week. I think for sure a female will go and she's so wrong for SN.

Toby - Runaway Train

This was a step back from his performance last week, although a small one. The film crew caught Dave pretending to sleep during the performance, not a good sign. Toby did pick it up at the end, but the first half was brutally dull. SN says they want someone "scary" to be their new lead singer, and Toby is so far from that it's not even funny. He's a pretty boy all the way, no matter how much he spikes his hair or how many tattoos he has. Those baby blues betray him - such gorgeous eyes. Sigh.

Magni - Plush

This guy just keeps getting better each week - his performance is in my Top 3 of the night. Magni has an amazing, controlled rock voice. It can have that edge but still stay on key and hit all the notes. I'm not loving the glasses this week, they were too big and pretty much obscured any facial expression. He may be a dark horse contender for this competition. He's even hot in his own way.

Zayra - Everybody Hurts

I didn't hate this. I think the world may be coming to the end. She's very expressive, and this song showed off the nice tone Zayra has to her voice. Night and day from last week's catastrophe but I still don't think she's the right person for SN, either with her look/stage presence or vocal style. Speaking of look, she decided to ditch the catsuit for a white sparkly high-necked space dress. That was conveniently see-through when backlit. See picture above.

Jenny - Drive

SN's comments to her were right on - this chick is Lillith Fair, not OzzFest. She's just as "coffeehouse" as Josh, and even less rockin' than Avril Lavigne. Vocally, she just can't compare to the rest of them and visually she's pretty but very boring when she performs. If Dana doesn't get the boot, Jenny's gonna go. Maybe a double elimination is in order?

Dilana - Zombie

Tonight Dilana chose to wear a goth-style black corseted prom dress as her "costume." Her hair also now has some blue curly pieces to go along with the red and the black. How she looks is so distracting and over the top, I can't believe SN criticizes Storm for being theatrical but not Dilana. That said, the woman does have a lot of energy and good stage presence. I still don't care for her vocals though. But SN loves her, and she's pretty much a lock for Top 3. She may even get the encore tonight, although I'd give it to Phil or Magni over her.

So, who were my Top 3:
Phil
Magni
Ryan

The bottom?
Dana - see ya!
Josh
Jenny

RS Results Show - Week Two

2006-07-12T21:21:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: July 12, 2006

I wish this show would go back to being a half hour. There is just too much nonsense and filler in the hour-long version. Anyway, Tommy Lee was actually coherent tonight (as opposed to Tuesday's show), so I appreciated that. Also, Jill looked like a normal chick and not some fright-night bridal Barbie. Her hair was also straightened and absolutely gorgeous. She should never EVER wear her hair curly again on the show. Curly hair = Bottom 3!!

The encore went to Toby. I have absolutely no problem with that, he was great last night and equally good this time. He looked even hotter, if that's possible. Not sure if I like the bleach blonde fauxhawk he had going on in the back of his head though. I heard he'll be cutting it and/or dying it soon - surfer blonde isn't "rock" enough I guess.

Bottom 3 time. It's Jill, Zayra, and Chris - to the surprise of no one. I'm a little shocked that Jenny joins them when she's named the only other person to drop into the B3 last night. Anyway, I heard the rockers didn't have time to practice their chosen elimination songs with the amazing House Band so they had to choose something that had already been performed. Bummer. It was great to hear NEW music on the Results show - hope this doesn't become a trend.

Anyway, Jill starts us off with "Bring Me to Life." It's awesome, I loved it. Then Zayra takes a huge risk and does "You Really Got Me" again. It's okay, certainly better than Tuesday's performance but she is still all kinds of wrong for Supernova. Lastly, Chris changes it up and does an acoustic version of "If You Could Only See." It's nice actually, the first time I've enjoyed his voice. Alas, it is not enough and Tommy gives him the boot.

See? I told you that Curls = Cursed. I want to see all straight hair on the rockers next week!! I also want to see Ryan and Josh perform up to the levels of the music they released before this show. Please!

Rock Star Performance Show - Week 2

2006-07-12T07:49:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: July 11, 2006

This week was a bit of a reversal from the first performance show. Instead of the girls outsinging the guys, it was the other way around. The only female to give a strong, unique performance was Dilana. But she still freaks me out! There were lots of great male performances, it will be interesting to see who gets the encore. My vote goes to Toby! On to the critiques:

Magni
My Generation

This was a huge improvement for Magni over last week's meh performance. He actually looked like a rock star this week - I loved his sunglasses. I even thought he was hot, and his experience onstage in Iceland really showed. Maybe he finally got over his nerves, I don't know - what I do know is that he's now one of my favorites!

Jenny
Tainted Love

Anyone else think Jenny looks like the boss-lady doctor on House? Same big light-colored eyes, prominent cheekbones, thin nose and wide mouth. Obviously the hair is different, if I had the time or cared enough I'd photoshop the House actress with blond hair. Anyway, here's a pic to compare:

Okay, on to Jill's performance. It was a lot better than last week's, but then again I'm not a Nickelback fan. Jill has a great body, and I loved her hair and makeup this week. Her voice bugged a bit at the end, she got a little goat-y with the vibrato on some of the held out notes.

Jill
Violet

This was the first trainwreck of the night. Let's start with Jill's outfit. It was a full-out short white wedding dress with accompanying veil and a bouquet of dead roses. Her hair was an out-of-control nightmare, and someone went a little crazy with the kohl underneath her eyes. Moving onto the actual performance, ouch! She screamed through the entire song, there was no nuance or softness at all. Plus Jill was bouncing and jerking around the stage like she was possessed, which still did nothing to distract from the fact that she sucked!! See ya in the Bottom 3, baby!

Zayra
You Really Got Me

Sigh. Another week, another crazy black catsuit and screechy, off-pitch vocal performance from Zayra. This girl is just completely nutty and "out there" - the best part of her performance was her talking back to the Supernova guys after it was finished. She is utterly clueless and my #1 pick to go home this week. I wish she'd do a few blogs though, I could use a laugh.

Chris
Take Me Out

Poor delusional Chris. He actually thinks he's a good singer. I think he's the only one who believes that, especially after this performance. It wasn't godawful (like "Roxanne," which I will NEVER forget, CHRIS!) - but when Dave Navarro compares you to someone who won a charity show performing like that you're in trouble. When your fellow rockers laugh openly about your awful voice and terrible stage presence, you should know your days are numbered. I'm looking forward to him getting the boot, but after Zayra please. Thankyouverymuch.

Dilana
Ring of Fire

Dilana obviously went for the "Elvira" look for this performance. Big poofy hair - check, slutty black dress with bell sleeves - check, dark and dramatic eye makeup - check, full length cape to throw off at just the right moment - check! I think I like Dilana in theory better than in practice. I haven't really enjoyed either of her performances, and I can't stand her gravelly voice. I have such a double-standard about that, gravelly voiced guys = HOT, gravelly voiced women = BAD. I did like how she rearranged Ring of Fire and kept the punk out of it. The song ended up having a bit of a Mideastern flavor and if Dilana had a more appealing voice I would have loved it.

Josh
With Arms Wide Open

Josh was just average this week. First off, he looks like he belongs in the Seattle grunge scene of the early 90's. Just say "no" to the ratty red plaid flannels and holey jeans! This song has also been played to death and I'm just sick of it. His voice didn't sound as good, although I did like the little runs he put in - Supernova obviously didn't though. He is not at all right for this band but I hope he gets a record deal out of this.

Phil
If You Can Only See

For the first time, I can kind of see how people find Phil hot. If I squint a little, and close my eyes when he's doing his spastic "dancing." I just don't understand why Tommy Lee is so in love with this guy, he is not even average. His voice sucks - it was incredibly whiny and nasally on this song. It got a little better at the end, and was a much better song choice for him than "Cult of Personality." He'll probably avoid B3 this week.

Storm
Surrender

Loved her makeup, loved the outfit, HATED the hair. I cannot stand when grown women dress up in pigtails, it's like they're playing into men's sick fantasies of getting it on with schoolgirls. Her performance of "Surrender" was good, but very similar to what she did last week. I think Storm has great energy and an awesome voice, I think she does need to dial back the theatrical moves and facial expressions and just let the music take over. That said, she's my top pick to win this of the women. She and Dilana are the only females thus far to show the confidence, voice, and stage presence to sing onstage with Supernova.

Patrice
Heart-Shaped Box

I liked her guitar - it was a great color (emerald green). She also looked a lot better this week - thank goodness! But I'm still not feeling Patrice. Her take on "Heart Shaped Box" just made me miss Jordis' version last year. Vocally, this was worse than last week. But I think she can improve and may just be a contender yet.

Lukas
Don't Panic

I can't stand him. I hate his mushmouth, I couldn't understand any words he was singing. At times, his voice was also drowned out by the band, but that could have been a bad sound mix rather than weak vocals. I also hate his look, everything about it is so calculated to get the maximum amount of attention. What am I missing about this guy - so many seem to love him. Maybe this is how all the JD haters felt last year.

Ryan
Jumpin' Jack Flash

I really want to like Ryan because he's hot. But I'm starting to think he is all wrong for this competition. He seems to be a more sensitive, folksy sort of singer rather than a hard-rock guy. This was a tough song for him (or anyone for that matter), and I do think he picked up the energy a lot at the end - even if his vocals suffered a bit for it. He's got one more week to prove himself before I just go buy his solo CD off iTunes and write him off in terms of this competition.

Dana
Born to Be Wild

Yawn. The girl can sing, I think she has the best pure voice of all the women. If she made a country or pop CD, I'd be interested. But as a frontwoman for Supernova - just NO. Dana tried real hard to look like a rock chick but ended up looking like a brunette version of Rock Star Barbie. Just because you wear leopard print and fishnets doesn't make you hard-core sweetcakes!

Toby
Somebody Told Me

Now THIS is what I'm talking about! He's got the whole package for me - hot and a great voice. He proved his versatility Tuesday by choosing a great uptempo song to contrast his softer "Heaven's Door" last week. I loved everything about this performance, and if he doesn't get the encore I'll be totally pissed. I wouldn't be surprised if he got the most votes this week - and deservedly so.

My Top 3:
Toby
Magni
Dilana

My Bottom 3:
Zayra - get off my TV you crazy thing!
Jill
Chris

Movie Reviews - July

2006-07-10T09:10:00.000-04:00

I got to the theater twice this month - actually twice in about a week. The big blockbusters that I had to see on the big screen opened back to back - Superman Returns and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. I wasn't the only one to see Pirates - the movie raked in the most $$$ over the weekend ever. Wow! What did I think, and how did it compare to Superman? My reviews of these movies (along with a few DVD's I watched during the month) are below. Again, ratings are out of four stars.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Directed by: Gore Verbanski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley

First things first: how did it compare to the original? From my point of view, it wasn't as good as Curse of the Black Pearl. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy Dead Man's Chest. In fact, I really liked it! It just wasn't as fresh or unique as the first movie, and the acting and plotlines were more outrageous and unbelievable. Honestly, the movie was also too long - how many "jungle chase" scenes does a film really need? Any number higher than "one" to me is overkill. What was good about this movie?

Johnny Depp - he was hilarious and over the top as Captain Jack.
Orlando Bloom - hottie!
The special effects - Davy Jones' henchmen were a CG masterpiece, as was Jones himself.
Sets / locations - The producers took full advantage of the gorgeous Caribbean and showed a variety of beautiful, lush tropical islands.

I didn't like how the movie ended, but considering it is Part 2 of 3 I'm not surprised. I'm an impatient person and it's going to kill me to have to wait until next Memorial Day to find out how the big cliffhanger is resolved. I would recommend this movie to anyone over the age of 10 who enjoys action-adventure-comedies. No young children though - it's pretty gruesome and scary in parts.

My rating: ***

Superman Returns
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey

I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would. I also loved Brandon Routh, which was also surprising considering I thought he was a pale imitation of Christopher Reeve. But Routh really put his own stamp on the Man of Steel. The fact that he is drop-dead, out of this world gorgeous helps - I really could believe he wasn't of this planet - he is that perfect. Kate Bosworth wasn't as convincing as Lois, she is just too young looking and too tiny to be an authentic hard-nosed investigative reporter. Kevin Spacey was great as Lex Luthor - I just wish his plotline was a little more believable.

Speaking of plotlines, I really enjoyed 90% of this film's plot. It was nice how they addressed Superman's return to earth in realistic terms - not everyone is happy that he's back. The action sequences were a bit sparse (my husband complained the movie was "slow") but I enjoyed the fact that characters' motivations and feelings weren't discarded in exchange for big explosions and crashes.

This movie is definitely more family-friendly than Pirates although it is long and drags on in parts - so kids and impatient husbands may get bored. Other than that, it appeals to a wide range of people and I recommend it to anyone looking for a great movie escape this summer. Most of all, I'm looking forward to seeing what Singer will do with the next Superman film. If it's going to be anything like X2, we're all in for a treat!

My rating: *** 1/2

Ultraviolet
Directed by:Kurt Wimmer
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Cameron Bright

This movie was a complete and utter mess. It was a horrible combination of The Matrix, Blade, and Aeon Flux. Basic plot is thus: Bad virus overtakes some of Earth's population and the government is anxious to get everyone back to "normal." The "freaks" fight back, and Milla is the baddest one. I hated this movie, but my husband kept trying to convince me it wasn't that bad. The plot was extremely convoluted, and although there was a voice over at the beginning explaining some plot points, there were at least a dozen others that were very confusing and some that didn't even come together at the end. The action sequences were okay - Milla is good at martial arts and looked badass, but I didn't really believe that she could take on 100 soldiers and come out unscathed.

My thoughts on who to recommend this to: young guys who like comics, video games, and hot women. Everyone else should skip it and save the hour and a half to do something more productive.

My rating: * 1/2

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Directed by: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan

This was a wonderful, funny, quirky movie. Downey and Kilmer make great "comebacks" with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It's a film noir-ish comedy set in the LA world of celebrity and crime - mixing the two delightfully. Val Kilmer is hilarious as "Gay Perry," a homosexual private investigator. I haven't enjoyed him in a movie for a long time. Downey is equally good - there's just something inherently likeable about the guy. It's a shame that he fell into drugs because he has the talent to be one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He certainly has "nine lives" though - every time he emerges from another stint at rehab, he pulls off a great performance. Monaghan is also great, and much better than she was in Mission Impossible:3. If I had seen this one before MI3 I probably would have enjoyed her a lot more.

This movie isn't for everyone, it's fairly violent and has some nudity and a lot of swearing. But it's one of the most original films I've seen in a while. If you like offbeat comedies and have a twisted sense of humor, you'll love Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

My rating: ***

Running Scared
Directed by:Wayne Kramer
Starring: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright

I didn't know Paul Walker had it in him to play anything but a laid-back dimwitted surfer guy. Even when the role calls for someone darker and/or more intellectual he still comes off as all Valley and "Dude!" (see Timeline for an example of this) But in Running Scared, Walker plays a low-level mob flunky who gets into big trouble and is chasing down a kid (Bright) to save his own life. Cameron Bright has become the new Hayley Joel Osment - the default creepy kid (see Ultraviolet, he plays pretty much the same character). What can I say about the plot? It made sense overall but there were some parts that were unnecessary and took away from the main action of the movie. I also thought the movie was extremely graphic - it earned that "R" and then some. There was a lot of gruesome violence (heads being blown off, etc), nudity (strip club - check!), and the "F" bomb was dropped every other word.

Needless to say, this movie isn't for the kiddies. Anyone under 16 probably shouldn't watch it. That said, it wasn't a terrible movie - but it wasn't great either. It kept me entertained, although I wish it would have been 15-30 minutes shorter. And Paul Walker - nice ass! I'll have some more of that please!!

My rating: ** 1/2

Technorati tags:
Pirates of the Caribbean
Superman Returns
Johnny Depp
Orlando Bloom

RS Results Show - Week One

2006-07-07T07:50:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: July 7, 2006

Well, well, well. We have another outspoken "bad boy" this year, and coincidentally it is a homeless dude from Toronto. However, Lukas was too poor to even have a car so he's got JD on that one. At the mansion, Lukas confronted a few of the rawkers and asked them who should be in the bottom 3. None of them gave a response, and when Lukas was asked about it during the Results Show, he finally admitted who he thought was the worst. His choices: Dana (too young and sweet for Supernova), Jenny (crap voice), and Chris (terrible song choice). I can't say I disagree with any of that, but it's a little early to go and spout off, running the risk of looking like a gigantic asshole to the voting audience.

The encore went to Dilana. She performed Lithium exactly the same way as she did the night before, complete with hood, scary stare and spastic dancing at the end. Reports from people at the taping said that the audience wanted Lukas to get the encore but producers stepped in and made Supernova decide. Interesting.

Bottom 3 ended up being Chris (who was sporting a shoulder length wavy bob - pretty), Phil, and Matt. I was a little surprised about Matt being there, his take on Yellow was nothing special but not as bad as some of the other performances (Zayra anyone??).

This year, the contestants get to choose their own songs to sing for Supernova as a last chance to avoid elimination. I'm not crazy about that and would rather have the band pick, but since they have no material to draw from I guess this works. So Chris goes with "LA Woman" and does an OK job, Phil sings "Stars" by Switchfoot and stinks up the place; and Matt goes with the inspired choice of "Planet Earth" by Duran Duran. Seriously. That's like asking to go home.

It turned out that Tommy was happy to oblige Matt and he was the first person eliminated from Rock Star:Supernova. I thought he had the best voice out of the guys in the Bottom 3 but was not at all what the band was looking for. Matt would have fared very well on RS:INXS but obviously this band wants someone a little more hard rock. See ya Matt - at least you have that real estate job to fall back on.

Technorati tags:
Rock Star:Supernova
Dilana
Tommy Lee

RS:SN Performance Show

2006-07-05T21:55:00.000-04:00

Week One
Original Airdate: July 5, 2006

I'm just going to skip over all the introductory crap (except that I must say JD Fortune is the hottest thing ever in a suit), and move right to the performances. That's all we care about, right? Right.

Storm Large
Pinball Wizard

Storm was a good choice to open the show. She's dramatic, has a lot of energy, and is completely fearless. There were no nerves or jitters from Storm, which was a good thing. I'm not at all surprised she picked a song from Tommy, she has struck me from the beginning as a bit theatrical. She came very close to going over the top, but always stopped a hair short. She's gorgeous and has a great body, I don't think she's going anywhere soon.

Ryan Star
Iris

I didn't at all like the beginning, when he started off playing guitar. I thought he was concentrating too hard on the chords and as a result his singing suffered. Once he put down the instrument however, he got into it, the audience got into it, and I got into it. The guy has a lot of passion and is that dark, brooding type that a lot of women (myself included) like as a rock star. I also like his red underwear - surprising and hot!

Toby Rand
Knocking on Heaven's Door

Toby was one of my surprise favorites tonight. He is absolutely adorable, and between his bleach blond surfer hair, gorgeous eyes, and Aussie accent the girls are gonna love him. As an added bonus, Toby can really sing. I would put this song on my iPod. He also seems like the kind of guy the band would really get along with. Hopefully he'll be in the competition for a long time. I did my part - he's hot and he sings pretty. That's good enough for a few votes from me.

Patrice Pike
Somebody to Love

I don't really have a lot to say about Patrice's singing. It was good, if a bit unmemorable. What was memorable was that green fuzzy cobweb she wore as a "shirt" over her black bra. Ick!! She is just the beginning of the fashion disasters though, and far from the worst offender.

Magni
Satisfaction

Magni creeped me out. He has a scary, screamy voice and a scary stare. I thought it was hilarious when one of the guys called him "Vegas." Maybe they meant over the top? That's what I thought - that Magni was trying too hard. I hope he sticks around (hey, some people like to be scared), but don't care enough to vote for him.

Zayra
Bring Me to Life

Earlier, I talked about the worst fashion offender of the night. Congratulations Zayra, you get the honor. In case it's not clear, Ms. Thang was wearing a black unitard catsuit with a red OBI tied around her waist with a black floaty TRAIN attached to her ass. It was almost enough to distract me from her awful singing, ALMOST. The girl was a trainwreck - she is one of the few people on this show I think do not deserve to be here. There are so many talented, undiscovered artists and we're supposed to believe she's one of the 15 best? Right. Cannon fodder - she'll be gone in two or three weeks.

Jenny Galt
How You Remind Me

This song sucks. Jenny looks like a blond Avril Lavigne, complete with wrist sweatband and guitar. She needs a little bit more eye makeup and a dye job and she'll complete her transformation. I was not impressed at all with Jenny's voice, although the band loved her. She's a beautiful, skinny blond - what's not to love? I just hope that their comments don't lead voters to keep the pretty girls in the competition past their time.

Josh Logan
Talking to Angels

I love, love, LOVE his voice. It is so different from any of the other contestants, and from most rock singers out there today. He's very goofy looking, with delicate almost feminine features. But I love how confident he is about his musical style, and I think Supernova really liked his responses to their questions. He's a soul/funk singer with no plans to change, but he wants to incorporate his style with Supernova to make something great. I for one would LOVE to see what they would come up with. It actually might be something fresh and new! Even though Josh doesn't fit my definition of "hot," he still got some votes from me. Boy can SANG!

Matt Hoffer
Yellow

I'm not really a Coldplay fan and thought this song was a big snoozer. It looked like Supernova thought the same thing, as shots of them staring blankly ahead were shown through Matt's song. His voice is decent, nothing special, and he's not gorgeous. So what does he have going for him? He's cute. And has adorable puppy-dog eyes. He's completely non-threatening, and so will get the tweenie vote.

Dilana
Lithium

This chick is badass. Take away the tatoos, the piercings, the hair, and the motorcycle, and Dilana is still a scary chick. You can tell she's really lived her life, and can put a lot of real emotion behind her singing. Lithium is a great song, and both the band and the studio audience loved her performance but I just wasn't feeling it. I think it was the hood. And the scary eyes. Girlfriend looked like the Emperor from Star Wars with that getup and the creepy stare. See?

I think either she or Storm will be the last woman standing. All I know is, I wouldn't want to get into a bar fight with either one of them.

Dana Andrews
I'm the Only One

I didn't have high hopes for Dana. She's only 22 and has a naive-hick vibe. Her first time in an airplane was to come to LA for the show for God's sake! She's also cute as a button and looks like a cross between Summer from the OC and Winnie Cooper from Wonder Years. But then she opened her mouth. This girl can really sing! I think she has the strongest voice among all the women, and there are some great female singers in this competition. Whether she'll hold up through the competition is left to be seen. Last year's promising young thing, Jordis, cracked under the pressure. I'd love to see Dana take on a more challenging song - she got some votes from me to see her through to next week (and further I hope!).

Phil Ritchie
Cult of Personality

What the hell was he thinking? Last year, Ty Taylor blew this song off the stage. He was AWESOME. Phil was nowhere even close. It was the completely wrong song for his emo, pouty, spazzy vibe. He just looked awkward up there, and completely devoid of personality. One of the big misses of the night IMO.

Jill Goia
Piece of My Heart

Jill is a teeny tiny thing, not even five feet tall. Which everyone (including Jill herself) has to bring up every two seconds. Yes, we get it. She's short but has a big voice. IMO, her voice isn't the only thing about her that's big. There's also her hair, mouth, and rack. The latter of which I'm sure was all Tommy Lee noticed as he sat back drooling over her. Her singing was okay, definitely enough to move her to next week. She ensured the horny guy vote by sexing up the song every chance she got. Hey, work it if you've got it huh? Her outfit was a bit scary. Jill was wearing a gold sparkly vest evidently stitched together from the remains of those gold sequined sacks everyone was carrying around last summer. She even had a gold sparkly belt to match. Not good.

Chris Pierson
Roxanne

He murdered this song. It was the wrong choice altogether for his voice, and he tried to get around that fact by rearranging it in spectacularly bad fashion. The band was obviously laughing at him, not a good way to start the (possibly very short) season for Chris. He does get points for his spiffy outfit though - I was lovin' the pinstriped shirt and tucked-in tie.

Lukas Rossi
Rebel Yell

Everything about this guy screams "Look at me!" From his spiked hair to his jewelry to his RED eyeshadow. He's lucky he can sing or I would completely and totally hate him. Right now I don't really care for him but I'm going to give him another chance. His version of Rebel Yell was very good, although I did like JD's version (he did it at a performance at Universal CityWalk) better. Lukas is very intense, and has the kind of stage presence you can't look away from. He's got a real chance at winning this based on the first show alone. I predict he's Top 5 for sure.

Top 3:
Josh
Toby
Dana

Bottom 3:
Chris
Phil
Zayra (Please someone get her off my TV!!)

Preview - Rock Star: Supernova

2006-06-29T09:21:00.000-04:00

Is anyone else really excited for the new season of Rock Star? CBS and MSN finally got their acts together and has bios and pics up for all the new rockers. Here's the official page:

http://rockstar.msn.com/news/rockers

I won't go into details, but here's a quick rundown of the contestants:

Chris Pierson, male, US
Dana Andrews, female, US
Dilana, female, born in South Africa, currently resides in US
Jill Gioia, female, US
Jenny Galt, female, Canada
Josh Logan, male, US
Lukas Rossi, male, Canada
Magni, male, Iceland
Matt Hoffer, male, US
Patrice Pike, female, US
Phil Ritchie, male, US
Ryan Star, male, US
Storm Large, female, US
Toby Rand, male, Australia
Zayra Alvarez, female, born in Puerto Rico, currently resides in US

One of my early favorites is Ryan Star. He's a New Yorker who has had some pretty good success at the local level. He released a CD (Songs from the Eye of an Elephant) on a small label, Stone Crow Records. It's available to buy from the label web site and on iTunes.

Stone Crow Records site

My favorite song is called "Losing Your Memory." It's a haunting and gorgeous piano-driven ballad. Kind of reminiscent of Coldplay but Ryan's voice is more raw and edgy. You can listen to it and some of his other songs Ryan's myspace. Speaking of gorgeous, the guy is also a total hottie. See:

My other pre-show favorite is Josh Logan.

Here's his pic - also hot, it's a pre-requisite to being a favorite of mine. What can I say, I'm shallow!!

He also has a web site where you can listen to his original stuff. Here it is: Josh's web site. He has a folky, bluesy voice but can also rock out. His softer material reminds me a lot of Jack Johnson, who I'm growing fond of.

Overall, the singers this year seem very talented. It remains to be seen how well they will fit into the existing Supernova group and if they can handle the pressure of competition. Last year, the stress got to more than one of the contestants and they cracked (Deanna and Jordis come to mind). I think Supernova will most likely choose a guy to front their band but depending on how long-term this will be (if it's only one CD and tour for example) I could see them picking a woman. There's one in particular, Storm Large, who looks tough enough to handle it. I don't really care for her style from what I've seen (you can find her stuff on youtube) but she has an amazing rock voice.

The show premiers on Wednesday, July 5 at 8 pm ET. The elimination show will be the next night at 9 ET. If you love rock music and/or reality TV, be sure to tune in! I guarantee you won't be disappointed!!

Best Summer TV

2006-06-21T16:10:00.000-04:00

Or "What to watch when it's too damn hot out"

Most people think the "good" TV shows are done until the fall. While I'm going to have to wait a long time to find out what happens next on Lost, there are many shows that will do a good job of keeping me entertained during those 100 degree, 99.99% humidity nights.

My picks:

The Closer
Starring: Kyra Sedgewick, JK Simmons, Jon Tenney (aka ex-Mr. Teri Hatcher)
TNT, Mondays at 9 Eastern
On now

If you don't like police procedurals, stop now. This is an ensemble crime drama that stars Kyra (as Brenda) but features a host of other extremely talented and likeable actors. However, the focus of this show is about relationships and character interaction. Watching Brenda deal with her difficult squad and crazy love life is a great escape. The crimes are often a bit predictable, even down to the "twists" but it is very enjoyable watching the suspects underestimate a pretty, petite southern woman only to be brought down. I like this show better than any of the current versions of Law & Order or CSI, and just as much as the early, groundbreaking episodes of NYPD Blue. I love that a show is having a lot of (well-deserved) success with a female lead.

Rock Star: Supernova
Starring: Dave Navarro, Tommy Lee
CBS, Tuesdays at 9 ET and Wednesdays at 8 ET
Starts July 5 at 8 ET

I loved the first season of Rock Star and Supernova looks very promising as well. Returning will be Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke, and the band will consist of rock "all stars" looking for a lead singer. Band members will be: Tommy Lee (drums, Motley Crue), Jason Newstead (bass, Metallica), and Gilby Clarke (guitar, Guns & Roses). I watched a few episodes of Tommy Lee Goes to College and the guy is funny. And hopefully the producers will have as much success as last year in finding exceptional rock talent. The best part of the show - Mark Burnett shells out big money to get the rights to the best rock songs of all time, not tired oldies (*cough* AmericanIdol *cough*). This time around, I'm rooting for a female to win. I think with the right voice, a woman would make for a very interesting Supernova dynamic.

Instead of having the "reality" episodes on VH1 like last season, they will be available on the internet at RS's MSN site: www.rockstar.msn.com. Cool!

Note: They filmed some footage for Supernova at the INXS concert in Toronto (a "this could happen to YOU" type of thing). I was right in front at this concert so I may be making my national television debut - woo!

Project Runway
Starring: Heidi Klum
Bravo, Wednesdays at 10 ET
Starts July 12

Project Runway is one of the best reality shows out there. I'd guess it would even hold up if premiered during the busy fall TV season. Heidi Klum is the creator and host of the show, and the woman has both beauty and brains - I'm so jealous! If you love fashion you'll adore Runway. The design challenges range from crazy (creating an outfit from flowers and greens) to practical (developing a new look for Banana Republic). Due to the short amount of time the designers have to create their outfits, there's also lots of stress and tension. Throw in a good mix of eccentric fashion designers and you've got a great reality show!

That's about it. I can't handle Big Brother, but I know lots of people are fans. There's also a lot of talent competitions, like So You Think You Can Dance and America's Got Talent. I will probably tune into a few episodes of Talent - two of the hosts will be Brandi and David Hasselhoff, and who can resist that combination?

Technorati tags:
The Closer
Kyra Sedgewick
Project Runway
Rock Star:Supernova

Furballs

2006-06-10T19:51:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else ever think that their pets own them instead of the other way around? I have one dog, a gorgeous American Eskimo named Alaska. And she owns me, I spoil that dog like no other. I don't have children but somehow I think I would be firmer with them than with Alaska. She's so cute, how can I resist her furry charms? This is Alaska as a puppy:

She was about 5 pounds when we got her at 8 weeks old, and has since grown to be about 20. For me, that's the perfect size for a dog. Not tiny enough to step on, big enough to play catch with, and small enough to sleep in your bed without hogging the covers. See, I told you the dog is spoiled. When my husband is out of town for work, she sleeps (and sheds!) on his pillow.

Here's my favorite picture of Alaska, not surprisingly taken in one of her favorite spots, our bed:

She's four years old, and we've had her since the beginning of our marriage. We originally lived in a tiny apartment which we all hated, but have since moved to a house with a nice big fenced yard for her to run around and play in. She loves chasing squirrels and chewing on the random sticks she finds in the yard. But mostly she's just lazy and lies around all day. See:

American Eskimo dogs are a perfect breed for me. They're smart, affectionate and incredibly loyal. Alaska does love to bark at everything, which is common for her breed. She also sheds. A lot. Sometimes the clumps of white fur roll down the hallway like tumbleweed. But her coat is so beautiful that it's worth the hassle.

Here's one last shot of my favorite furball when she was about 6 months old, just laying around at a friend's house. It's amazing how much her fur has filled out since then. Cute, isn't she?

Movie Reviews - June

2006-06-07T08:08:00.000-04:00

Since my favorite TV shows are done until the fall and my beloved Pistons got knocked out of the NBA playoffs, I've had more time recently to watch movies. I have a Blockbuster Online membership, and it has quickly become like my DVR - I can't live without it and don't know what I did before I got it. Actually, I do know what I did. I physically went to the store and was always frustrated because the movie(s) I wanted to see were NEVER in stock. With the online membership, I always get the DVD's I want to see very quickly after their release - sometimes even before their official street date. I cannot recommend this more - whether it's Blockbuster Online, Netflix, or any other knock-off, it is extremely convenient and a pretty good deal if you're a movie fanatic like me.

Anyway, here's a sampling of the movies I've watched in the last couple of weeks. I thought I'd review each one, and while there might be some very mild spoilers I'll be sure to take care not to ruin any surprises or "twist" endings. They're not in any order of preference but I think I'll do a basic four-star rating system just to cut to the chase.

Match Point
Starring: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Scarlett Johansson.
Directed by: Woody Allen

I've recently become a big fan of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. He's absolutely gorgeous, and has a quiet, smoldering charisma about him that I find irresistible. In Match Point he plays Chris, an ambitious tennis pro who marries a wealthy Englishwoman but falls in lust with a young American actress (Scarlett Johansson). The acting is top notch and this is one of the best (if not THE best) film Woody Allen has made in 15 - 20 years. Even when I disapproved of Chris's actions, I empathized with him and his struggles to transition into the life of total privilege and ease he's married into. He's a complete bastard by the end of the movie, but I still wanted him have it all.

Scarlett's character, Nola, is a little more one-dimensional - that of a struggling actress who knows that her sexy looks are all that she has to offer. Once Chris starts his affair with her, Nola turns from a smouldering vamp into a nagging shrew and becomes completely unlikable. I had no sympathy for her, even when her world was turned upside down. Nola is exactly the kind of woman I hate - one without the intelligence to realize she could make it on her own and didn't need a man to support and "complete" her.

The rest of the cast is also excellent, especially Emily Mortimer as Chris's sweet wife, Chloe. She truly loves Chris, and although at times he treats her very badly, I still wanted the two of them to make their marriage work. Chloe's problem is that because of her charmed life, she isn't used to deception and is too trusting. Naive might be a better word, and also self-absorbed. Once she fixates on a specific goal, everything else in her life falls to the wayside. Including her marriage.

I found the first three-fourths of Match Point to be much more compelling than the last quarter. A few of the final twists seemed highly improbable and I found myself wanting to fast forward just to see how it all turned out. I would still recommend this movie to anyone who likes dramatic thrillers and enjoys well-acted character-driven films.

My rating: ***

Munich
Starring: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Geoffrey Rush
Directed by: Steven Spielberg

After I watched Munich, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Even now, I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. It is definitely a powerful film, and I think the way Spielberg wove the re-enactment of the Munich massacre into the main storyline is effective and moving. Prior to watching, I was not familiar with the details of the event. Although I knew all the Israeli hostages died, I was still surprised at the way it happened. The ambiguous nature of the movie (who's good? who's bad?) makes it interesting but doesn't give you someone to "root" for. It's the opposite side of the coin from Schindler's List, a brilliant Spielberg movie that made it very clear the Nazis were evil and Schindler was a savior.

For those unfamiliar with the basic plot, after the Munich killings the Israeli government secretly puts together a team of assassins charged with killing the men thought to be responsible for the massacre. As the team gets further and further down the list, they start to break down (mentally, emotionally, and physically) and wonder if what they are doing is right.

Eric Bana is another actor that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. His commanding performance as Hector in Troy saved what for me what was otherwise a boring, bloated movie. Likewise, if he hadn't been the main character (Avner) in Munich, I doubt I would have been as interested to see it. The way Eric as Avner mentally deteriorates throughout the movie is astonishing. The supporting cast is also very good, and I had my first opportunity to see the new "007" (Daniel Craig) in action. Let's just say I still have my doubts about Craig's ability to fill Bond's shoes. Geoffrey Rush is brilliant as always, although I thought he was underused in the film.

Some said Munich was robbed of the Best Picture Oscar. I disagree. I certainly don't think Crash was a better movie, but my top choice would have been Brokeback Mountain. Munich just didn't have the same emotional impact and I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the emotion of the storyline. Also, at three hours, it was too long to keep my complete attention. I would recommend this movie to history buffs, fans of Mr. Bana, and people who like action movies but don't mind long lulls between stuff being blown up.

My rating: **1/2

Rumor Has It
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Coster, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by: Rob Reiner

Not good. Those two words sum up my thoughts about this movie. I think the primary problem with Rumor Has It is the script. The general idea for the movie - the story of the real life Robinsons - is a good one. However, in execution it was actually painful. The dialogue is clumsy and at times the plot makes absolutely no sense. If I can't understand the motivations behind character's actions, there's not much of a chance I'll feel for them or even like them. I only liked two characters in the entire movie (the boyfriend and the dad), and the rest of them I couldn't stand. That's not a very good ratio.

I won't blame the writers alone for this mess of a movie. I also think the acting was terrible. Jennifer's Sarah is an awful, whiny bitch and Shirley McClaine is becoming a caricature of herself. Costner's Beau Burreaughs is exactly the same as every other character he ever played. Mark Ruffalo saves this movie from being a total disaster. He's wonderful as always but I could not comprehend why his character (an attractive, successful, sweet lawyer) would put up with someone as neurotic and needy as Sarah. For two seconds, let alone a long-term relationship.

While I don't think this movie was a complete waste of time (see Ruffalo, Mark above), it wasn't very good either. If you like movies that attempt to be light-hearted romantic comedies, maybe this one would be okay. If you're a big Aniston fan, perhaps you'll want to see this. When you go to Blockbuster and there's nothing else to rent, I still could only half-heartedly recommend Rumor Has It. You'd be better off re-watching The Graduate.

My rating: ** (Mark's worth one * alone)

Shopgirl
Starring: Claire Danes, Steve Martin, Jason Schwartzman
Directed by: Anand Tucker

I really liked this one. Shopgirl is based on a novella by Steve Martin, and he also adapted the screenplay. It's a perfect snapshot of a young girl who gets swept up in a relationship with a wealthy older man, and in the process manages to find herself. The one gripe I have with this movie is the narration. I don't have a problem with the idea of having a narrator, I just wish Steve Martin wouldn't have done it himself. It's confusing because he's also one of the main characters, and what the all-seeing narrator observes and what Ray says are often completely opposite.

Claire Danes is absolutely perfect as Mirabelle, the "shopgirl." She's wistful and dreamy, not drop-dead gorgeous but pretty enough that it's convincing a rich gentleman like Ray Porter (Martin) would be interested in her. I've always loved Claire, starting way back in her My So-Called Life days, and try to see everything she's in. Her romantic scenes with Martin were believable, and Jason Schwartzman is perfect as her awkard younger suitor. It's strange to see Martin as a smooth, sophisticated businessman (as opposed to the goofy roles he's played in the past), but Ray Porter is reportedly very close to Martin's real personality.

I think every girl at one time has fantasized about a man who's handsome, wealthy, and will sweep them off their feet - showering them with gifts and flattery. I completely understand how Mirabelle gets so attached to Ray, even when he keeps his distance emotionally. I also feel for Jeremy (Schwartzman) because he obviously likes Mirabelle but can't compete with Ray for her attention. Without totally spoiling the movie, I will just say I found the ending to be both realistic and perfect.

I'd classify this movie as a light-hearted romantic dramedy. It's not laugh-out-loud hilarious but a few moments definitely made me chuckle. It's not really for manly men (for example, my husband would rather poke himself in the eye than watch it), but it would be perfect for a Girl's Night. It's got it all - great acting, a believable and well executed plot, and an ending I was happy with.

My rating: ***1/2

Stay
Starring: Ewan MacGregor, Ryan Gosling, Naomi Watts
Directed by: Marc Forster

Stay never got a full theatrical release, although I remember seeing previews for it last summer / early fall. With its top-notch cast and hot young director (Forster also directed Finding Neverland and Monster's Ball), I thought it looked like a good psychological thriller. After I watched it on DVD, I understood why it never made it to my theater. It's one of those movies that requires quite a bit of thought to put together the pieces, not ever destined for the often mindless popcorn-chomping, cell phone talking theater audiences. And although the cast is strong, none of them are big enough "stars" yet to carry a film by name recognition alone.

The basic plot is thus: Sam (MacGregor) is a psychiatrist trying to help a new patient (Gosling) and save him from committing suicide. Sam's girlfriend, Lila (Watts), was a former patient of his and also tried to kill herself in the past. But as the movie progresses, it became clear that Sam's reality isn't quite right. Everything makes perfect sense at the end, but you have to pay close attention to the details.

What I like best about the movie is probably the ending. There is a bit of a "twist", but the entire film sets up for that moment when it all comes together. It isn't like The Matrix Revolutions - I left the theater after that one even more confused than when I went in. The acting is adequate, the highlight being Ryan Gosling - one of the best young actors out there. He does a particularly good job of portraying a man who's teetering on the edge of sanity.

This film is for people who like thrillers and enjoy putting together the clues we're given throughout in order to decipher the ending. I paid attention and mostly figured it out, but was still a little surprised. Reality and imagination come together effectively in Stay, and a big part of why I enjoyed the movie was trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't.

My rating: ***

The White Countess
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson
Directed by: James Ivory

Ralph Fiennes is my all-time favorite actor. Anything he's done, I've seen. From obscure British TV movies to Oscar winners to Harry Potter, I've loved him in them all. His intensity and the way he completely immerses himself in his roles to truly become his characters are amazing. I also love his eyes and his lanky frame - hey, a girl needs her eye candy too! I will never love a movie as much as I love The English Patient but this one is very, very good. And as usual, Ralph is excellent.

The White Countess is set in Shanghai shortly before (or right at the beginning of) World War II. Sofia (Richardson) is a Russian countess who has been stripped of all her wealth and forced to leave her native country. She makes a living as an escort and a prostitute, and I feel nothing but sympathy for her from the beginning. She has 5 other mouths to feed and none of them ever earn one cent. In fact, they are brutal in the way they look down at her chosen "profession." Todd Jackson (Fiennes) is an American ex-diplomat of some fame whose greatest wish is to open an "establishment" in Shanghai. He risked his life savings to open "The White Countess." Sofia is hired to work there and is the bar's namesake.

Both Richardson and Fiennes are at the top of their games in this movie. I love their accents - it is so strange to hear the very British Ralph speak in a Texan drawl. Ralph's character is also blind, and he's extremely convincing in his movements and actions. The rest of the cast (Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave, and Madeleine Daly as Sofia's daughter) are also excellent. The plot kept my attention throughout the entire movie and wove the theme of war and chaos through the love story.

I really love this movie. It's the last Merchant-Ivory collaboration before one of the partners (Merchant) passed away. The pair had a wonderful knack for making fabulous period films (such as Remains of the Day and Room With a View), and their last effort is definitely on par with their best. Some may find it a bit too long and the plot a bit confusing, but if you're a fan of period romances this one's for you.

My rating: ***1/2

Here's how I would rate these 6 compared to each other:

1) The White Countess
2) Shopgirl
3) Match Point
4) Stay
5) Munich
6) Rumor Has It

Technorati tags:
Movie reviews
Eric Bana
Jennifer Aniston

Lost - Live Together, Die Alone

2006-05-30T09:59:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: May 24, 2006

At the end of the last episode, we left the Lostaways staring at a sailboat coming towards them from the ocean. It turned out a very drunk Desmond was piloting the boat (which surprised. . . no one). He had been circling the island for over two weeks and managed to get nowhere. However, before Jack and his posse left to find Walt, he and Sayid worked out a plan to use the boat to get an advantage over the Others. Sayid, Jin, and Sun will steer the boat around the island while Michael leads the rest to the Others camp. Yeah, great plan.

Someone at Lost read my mind - shirtless Sawyer should start out every episode.

So off they went, into the jungle. But not before everyone was handed a gun. Even Michael gets one, although Jack at least had the brains to empty the bullets first. In the jungle, Kate noticed that they were being followed and decided to just shoot 'em instead of trying to get them to answer some questions. Sawyer managed to kill one, but the other got away. Jack was totally busted by Michael though because he tried shooting his gun and noticed there was nothing coming out the barrel end. In a pretty emotional scene, Jack revealed what he knew and Michael confessed. Or at least didn't refute the fact that he cold-bloodedly killed both Ana Lucia and Libby. Needless to say, the three who weren't in on this fact were shocked and pissed. But they all decided to press on, especially since Jack said he would never lead them to the Others without a "plan." When will these people ever learn? Jack is a moron and a 5 year old Other could outsmart him. They're screwed.

Back in the hatch, Locke tried to stop Eko from pressing the button. Obviously, it didn't go too well considering Eko has a lot of size and strength on the much older, still injured Locke. But when Charlie told Locke about Desmond's return, the two joined up and short circuited the hatch. The blast doors came down, which freaked Eko out. When he stepped out of the computer room to investigate, Locke and Desmond hopped in and shut him out.

In his desperation to get back into the hatch, Eko used the last bit of dynamite from Black Rock to try to blow up the door. They are called "blast" doors for a reason, and a huge fireball shot out of the hatch, doing no damage to the doors but hurting Eko and Charlie pretty badly. I seriously thought Eko was dead - how would he have survived a giant explosion? But Charlie managed to revive him, which I guess I am relieved about because Eko is a very interesting character, the one new cast member introduced this year I actually like.

Ka-BOOM!

Back to the boat. Sayid, Jin and Sun made their way sneakily around the island and noticed something very unusual on the shoreline. It was a huge statue of a foot, cut off at the ankle. Said foot only had four toes, which made the whole sight even more disturbing. Hopefully, this will be explained early next season because it seriously freaked me out. The three Lostaways pressed on and reached the Others' camp. However, they found it deserted and when Sayid opened the doors to the hatch he found nothing there but a rock wall. So what were the guys with the guns guarding? Was it all just a front? Why? So many questions, so few answers. Such is Lost.

What the hell? Is that Homer Simpson's foot?

In the jungle, Jack and the gang came across a huge pile of plastic tubes with notebooks stuffed inside them. The plot thickens. It looks like the "watchers" in the Pearl Station may have been the real experiment. At the very least, their observations were worthless. Locke was wrong, again. He has the worst instincts of any person I have ever seen or known. Then the group saw puffs of black smoke rising in the distance. The smoke was a long way off, and everyone figured out pretty quickly that Michael was not leading them to the Others camp after all. Fooled again! Out of nowhere, poison darts come shooting out of the jungle, knocking them all out one by one. Jack tried to take Kate and run, but it was no use. They were captured.

Maybe the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle is still alive and well.

Speaking of Locke, he and Desmond had some time to kill waiting for the timer to run down. In the wait, Locke decided to show Desmond the printout he found at the Pearl Station. Desmond frantically looked through it and found confirmation of his worst fears. On the date 9/22/04, the printout read: System Failure. Because Desmond was out fighting with Kelvin, he didn't get back in time to press the button (thus safely discharging the electromagnetic pulse) and caused Flight 815 to crash into the island. One question - answered! Sort of. How would an EMP be strong enough to crash a plane flying at a high altitude overhead?

Whoops! Desmond made a boo-boo.

The Others tied up and gagged the four Lostaways and led them onto a dock. Who should then walk up to them? Henry Gale, and he seemed to be a leader of sorts, though probably not "HIM." He was annoyed that Zeke took off his fake beard, even after Zeke told him the Lostaways had figured out their disguises. A small boat then pulled up with Walt on board, and Michael was allowed to drive away with him. Henry told him to follow a certain compass heading and he would find rescue. Call me paranoid, but there's something fishy going on there. If Walt is so "special" why would they let him go so easily? Also, the Others let Hurley go, his job being to warn everyone else not to come after Jack, Sawyer and Kate.

He's ba-ack!

Now for the big finale. Locke refused to believe Desmond and let the timer run down. Bad things happened. All the metal objects in the hatch started flying around. The magnetic force was so powerful that even the timer was crushed. Outside the hatch, a bright light was emitted accompanied by a loud, strange sound. Desmond raced to the bookshelf and found his Dickens novel with the System Shutoff key inside it. He managed to turn off the EMP, but in the process he completely destroyed the hatch. So did everyone inside (Locke, Eko, and Desmond) survive or did they perish?

Guess no one will have to worry about pushing the button next season.

Owwww! Bright light, bright light!

Just so this episode isn't a total downer: Charlie and Claire kiss. Awwww. . .

Then on to the big cliffhanger. Somewhere in a cold location an alarm goes off. The two guys watching the alarm argued a bit in Portugese, then made the phone call. To Penny Widmore, Desmond's love. She did say that with enough money and effort, anyone could be found. So, did she just find the island? Will they get rescued after all? Find out next season!

Technorati tags:
Lost
Josh Holloway

Lost - Live Together Die Alone (Flashback)

2006-05-26T13:41:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: May 24, 2006

When we last left the Lostaways, a sailboat was spotted coming towards them. They're saved - or are they? Also, Ana and Libby were still dead. Will anyone else join them? It's the two-hour season finale, and my hope was that something exciting happened and no one hot died.

Flashback

Desmond was the focus of this episode's flashback. If you hadn't guessed last week, he was the person driving the sailboat. He'd been gone for two and a half weeks and managed to get exactly nowhere. Bummer. Anyway, it turned out Desmond was in prison for quite a few years and dishonorably discharged from Her Majesty's Army. The audience never found out exactly what he was in there for, but it had something to do with not following orders. Among his personal effects was a Dickens book (Our Mutual Friend) that Desmond said was the last book he wanted to read before he died (I probably don't need to point this out, but I will anyway - this is important later).

Waiting outside for him was a man in an expensive black car. This man turned out to be the father of Desmond's love, Penny. His last name - Hanso. Interesting, very interesting. Mr. Hanso (familiar to O.C. fans as Caleb Nichol) showed Desmond a huge box full of love letters to Penny from he intercepted. Then he opened a box full of cash, a bribe to keep Des far, far away from his precious daughter. To further crush Desmond's spirit, Daddy dearest told him that Penny was engaged and would be married soon.

Welcome to ~~the OC~~ Scotland, bitch.

The next flashback scene showed Desmond in an American coffee shop fumbling with his wallet. Unable to find any American money, a nice lady offered to pay for his drink. Nice lady = Libby. With a bad wig. Libby and Desmond talked for a while, and it's revealed that Libby's husband recently died and just so happened to have a sailboat. Which is extremely coincidental and lucky because Desmond needed a boat for his race around the world - he obviously did not take any of Hanso's bribe money.

One good question of mine was then answered - why a race around the world? The race was sponsored by Hanso and Desmond wanted to win to get back his honor and prove to Hanso he was worthy of Penny. Libby just gave him the boat, no strings attached. To me, that's a bit weird. I wouldn't be surprised if Libby was working for Hanso and gave the boat to Desmond in a nefarious plot to kill or remove Desmond from the civilized world.

Is Libby the nice girl she seemed or really evil? We may never know because she's DEAD!

Next up was the beginning of the scene where Jack met Desmond running stairs at the stadium. Who should show up to confront Desmond - Penny, of course. He wondered how she found him, and she said that with enough money and effort anyone could be located. It was obvious she still loved him as she painfully asked him why he never wrote. She begged him not to do the race and to come back with her. Desmond told her that they would be together after the race and left her alone in the stadium parking lot. Wah!

The inevitable happened next - Desmond raced and washed up on the Lost island. He's dragged into the Swan hatch by a man in a yellow radiation suit. The man was the infamous Kelvin (also the military guy who turned Sayid into a torturer - weird!). Kelvin made Desmond his partner in the hatch after telling Des his boat was nowhere to be found. He made Desmond be the button pusher while he donned the suit and headed out into the island.

Another big reveal: the button DOES do something. Kelvin told Desmond that there's some kind of crazy electromagnetic force that generated / near the station, and the button safely discharges the force. Damn, Locke is never going to catch a break is he? There is also a "System Turn-off" keyhole under the hatch near the computer, which when turned shuts everything down. Kelvin almost pressed it but couldn't go through with it at the end.

Kelvin just wants the hell out of the hatch. Do you blame him?

One day Desmond noticed Kelvin had a big rip in the bottom of his space suit. He had been keeping Desmond in the hatch by saying there was some kind of disease out on the island and Des would be infected if he left unprotected and unvaccinated (Aha - so THAT's why it said "Quarantine" on the front of the hatch). Desmond risked it and follwed Kelvin outside - only to discover it was all a lie and that the island was safe (duh).

The inevitable confrontation between the two happened along a rocky stretch of beach. Kelvin, a former military officer, knew he was being followed. Then Desmond spotted his boat and everything came together for him. Kelvin was tricking him into staying in the hatch and was going to use the boat to get off the island himself. Understandably, Desmond was pissed and pushed Kelvin around a bit. In a really unfortunate turn of events, Kelvin hit his head on one of the rocks and died. At least it seemed like he died - but who really knows with Lost?

Oh. . .

CRAP!

The rest of the episode to follow . . .

Thanks to Lost-media.com for the excellent screencaps!

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Lost

Top 10 Idol "Moments"

2006-05-23T08:43:00.000-04:00

What is it about an American Idol performance that makes it a "moment?" Simon lamented over and over how none of the contestants in the fifth season have had that moment, although some came close. The lack of moments has made this year's competition very even and provided for quite a few unpredictable eliminations. However, it's also caused the performance nights to be pretty boring.

The first four seasons all had their share of "moments." Kelly, Clay, Fantasia, and Bo had arguably some of the finest performances on American Idol. Here is a list of my personal all-time Top 10 Moments:

10) Kim Locke - New York State of Mind (Season 2)

Kim really shone on this Billy Joel song. It perfectly highlighted the smoky, bluesy vibe in her voice. Earlier in the season, Kim had been a perennial member of the Bottom 3 but with this performance, she catapulted herself into the Top 3.

9) Constantine - Bohemian Rhapsody (Season 4)

I was the first one to laugh when I heard Constantine would be singing this Queen classic. It had definite train wreck potential. However, it turned out to be one of my favorite performances of the entire season. The song beautifully meshed together Constantine's theater background stylings and his rock vocals. The AI crew did a great job, staging the performance to look like the original Queen video. Even Simon was astonished that such a huge risk paid off.

8) Fantasia - Summertime (Season 3)

I'm admittedly not a big fan, but realize that Summertime was the best performance of Season 3 and sealed the win for Fantasia. Even more impressive was the fact that she had never heard the song before rehearsing it on Idol. Above all others that season, Fantasia truly connected with the lyrics she was singing.

7) Ace Young - Father Figure (Season 5)

After Father Figure, I thought Ace would win Season 5 in a landslide. Obviously, I was wrong. But it still stands out as one of the "wow" moments in a pretty bland season. Most people (myself included) thought of Ace as simply a pretty boy but this performanced showed a more adult, sexy side of him. He never lived up to that early potential later in the competition, but Father Figure is still my favorite performance of the season.

6) Clay Aiken - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Season 2)

The note. Amazing. There's nothing else to say here.

5) Diana DeGarmo - Don't Cry Out Loud (Season 3)

"Di-bot" finally proved she was a real girl with this performance. Even though I'm not sure Diana truly knew the meaning of the song, she managed to infuse it with real emotion and earned a spot in the Top 2. Kudos to the reanimated corpse of Clive Davis for picking this winner for her.

4) Kelly Clarkson - Stuff Like That There (Season 1)

She looked beautiful and knocked this one out of the park. Kelly had been a frontrunner most of the season (with Tamyra and to a lesser extent Justin) but this performance gave her a lead she never looked back from.

3) Clay Aiken - Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Season 2)

After a lackluster first performance (Open Arms), Clay showed what a savvy competitor he was and chose the perfect song for his Wild Card appearance. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me highlighted Clay's gorgeous, almost angelic voice and spawned a nation of swooning fangirls. Myself included.

2) Bo Bice - In a Dream (Season 4)

I almost tied In a Dream for #1 for the sheer ballsiness of it. At a critical stage in the competition, Bo took the biggest Idol risk ever. On his final performance of Top 3 night, he sang an unknown song a capella. So much could have gone wrong, but instead everything went right. I still get chills when I hear this, and as much as I enjoy Carrie and her music, Bo deserved to win the competition based on this stunning performance.

1) Clay Aiken - Solitaire (Season 2)

For me, this is the "wow" moment to end all "wow" moments. Everything about Clay's Solitaire performance was magical. The staging, the lighting, Clay's look, and of course Clay's voice. He was understated but still mesmerizing. I had never heard this song before that night, and it will always be Clay's song to me.

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American Idol
Clay Aiken
Bo Bice

INXS in Toronto - May 14, 2006

2006-05-20T21:07:00.000-04:00

Last summer, a reality show called Rock Star:INXS aired on CBS. From the first episode, I was its bitch. Every contestant seemed uniquely talented and gorgeous, and some had amazingly compelling backstories that made you just want to root for them. Immediately I took notice of JD Fortune, a 31 year old from Canada who was handsome and witty and homeless. Seriously - the dude lived under a bridge in Toronto for a while in his car. With his dog. Awwww. Anyway, fast forward to the end of the show. JD won! And I cried. I was never an INXS fan before, but my love for JD turned into a love for the entire band. So when I heard they were playing a couple of big arena shows in nearby Canada (Toronto and London to be exact), my road trip was ON!

Luckily for me, I had a great road trip buddy who didn't mind that my navigation skills sucked. I hate mapquest! I also hate the 401 freeway!! We seriously spent about 2 hours driving in circles on and around the 401 trying to get downtown. We missed the first exit, stopped for directions, which told us to go down a closed freeway! Eventually we made it, and with plenty of time before the show. We stayed downtown, which was great because I could drink myself silly and not have to worry about getting back. However, drinking oneself silly in Toronto is EXPENSIVE - a beer that cost $3 at my local bar was at least $6.

The show was at the ACC, and we made it there without incident. Well, if you don't count almost getting run down by a bus without incident. Through the generosity of an amazing person, we were given a third row ticket. Our previous seats were in Row 24. Yeah, that's right. There were two of us and ONE ticket. But through a little bit of deception and magic, my friend and I managed to be in the first and second rows for INXS. Woo!

The band was amazing, they are such great musicians. And while all of INXS save JD are closer to my father's age than my own, they are so sexy on stage. I actually watched someone other than JD - mostly Garry. He is the oldest at 48 but is lookin' fine, especially in leather pants. INXS opened with "Suicide Blonde" and closed with the traditional "Don't Change." In between they played a good mix of old hits and stuff from their new CD "Switch." They performed "Hot Girls" and "Perfect Strangers," and I loved them! "Original Sin" is another favorite of mine live, which is surprising because I don't really care for the original CD version.

During the encore, JD performed a spoken word poetry / rap number alone. It was sometimes hard to make out all the words but I definitely heard "chocolate chip orgasm" in there. The guy has such a way with words - I cannot wait to see what he and the rest of the band come up with for their next CD. JD also sang an a capella "Amazing Grace" with the backup singers. It was beautiful and really showcased how versatile JD is as both a singer and performer. He's a rock star sex god one minute and a serious gospel singer the next.

The ACC was very full, only the very top level in the sections across from the stage were empty. I would say there was between 15,000 to 17,000 people there, which is a testament to how popular the band is in Canada. In the US, they are playing smaller theaters with an average of about 2,500 - 4,000 seats. But no matter how large the venue, I definitely recommend to anyone who was a fan of their old hits or liked JD on Rock Star to see the show.

Here's a couple pics I managed to sneak during the encore.

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INXS
JD Fortune
Toronto

Rock Star Concert - May 14, 2006

2006-05-18T14:03:00.000-04:00

I was in Toronto on Sunday night for an INXS concert and decided to attend a Rock Star concert that immediately followed INXS at a club called The Guvernment. It featured Tara Sloane, Suzie McNeill, Ty Taylor, and MiG Ayesa. Overall, it was a fun night. I was most impressed by Tara and least impressed by Suzie.

Each rocker performed two individual songs, then they did group numbers at the end. They mostly stuck to what they'd done best on the show and threw in a few original songs as well. Tara sang two of her Joydrop songs and I loved them so much that I ordered the CD off Amazon. Suzie sang "Start Me Up" and "Losing My Religion." Every time I hear that one, I'm reminded of how JD helped her by arranging that song to perfectly fit her voice. Then Suzie went ahead and talked shit behind his back. Well, guess who's got the last laugh now? Ha! Sorry, don't like the woman. She's a talented vocalist but a total moron. Look at how she was dressed:

In case it's not clear, she was wearing a denim shortalls jumper with a "V" cut down the center from shoulders to below her belly button. The cuffs of the shorts were rolled up and had little ties. Under the jumper she wore a black sports bra / tube top. And there was black knit wide leg pants sewn underneath the shorts. I would send the pic to one of my favorite blogs, "Go Fug Yourself," but those girls only cover real celebrities *snerk*.

MiG looked better in person than on TV, but still short with those pointy elf ears. His hair was also overly styled and looked like a woman's. But thank GOD he didn't take his shirt off. It was hilarious, at one point Ty asked the audience if we wanted MiG to take it off and some crazy lady in front of us went nuts. The group of us behind her started screaming "NO!" I have seen enough of that man's disturbingly smooth and shiny chest to last me a lifetime. Anyway, he sang "Baby I Love Your Way" and "Lola" which I enjoyed. Here's a shot of the MiGster:

Ty closed the show with "You Can't Always Get What You Want." The others did backup vocals and I guess tamborine? It was nice, but I am still mad about JD's version. I'm completely biased I know. Ty was a lot better on some of his other songs - "No Woman, No Cry" was great and I really enjoyed his original song, a mid-tempo ballad. Suzie did an original off her upcoming CD called "Believe" and it sucked like an American Idol coronation song. Blech!

The funniest part of the evening was after they said goodnight and walked off the stage. The people in the club (I'm no good at estimating the number but it was packed) turned around and just left in a mass exodus. We were near the front, and as we were heading toward the door we heard a roadie or techie say that the show wasn't over. To the ten people left in there. We just kept walking - it had been a long night and we were all exhausted. But from the parking lot we could hear them all on "Bohemian Rhapsody." I felt so bad that everyone left but seriously, how were we supposed to know there was an encore? Bwah.

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Rock Star INXS
MiG Ayesa
Suzie McNeil

Lost - Three Minutes

2006-05-18T13:06:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: May 17, 2006

In this episode, we find out a bit more about the "Others" and where Michael's been. He was only gone for a grand total of 13 days, but it seemed like so much longer, didn't it? Oh yeah, that's because he's been gone since last fall in real time. Island time doesn't flow like that I guess. No wonder the producers want to keep Walt hidden - he's probably grown six inches and has facial hair by now!

Anyway, nothing that happened to Michael really surprised me. Walt or whoever was impersonating him on the computer gave directions to the Others' camp and off he went to look for "his boy." After being captured, Michael was led to the Others' village near the water and noticed a couple of armed men keeping watch over yet another hatch. Wonder if that's where they're keeping all the children they stole?

A new Other was introduced as Miss Klugh (Clue, whatever). She seemed very interested in Walt and asked Michael lots of questions about Walt's childhood. Since he missed it all, Michael had no answers for her. She did ask him if Walt had ever appeared somewhere he shouldn't have which of course he knew nothing about. But I immediately thought back to dripping wet Walt, speaking backwards and appearing to Shannon in the jungle. Evidently she wasn't hallucinating and wet Walt was ESP'ing himself to her or using astral projection or something. Creepy. This lends a bit of credence to "the island is a big Dharma experiment" theory, doesn't it?

Michael was tied up and held hostage in a small hut, seemingly isolated, for about 10 days. Then the Others discovered Henry had been captured and wanted Michael to go back to the Lostaways and set him free. In return, Michael and Walt would be free to leave (yeah, right). Miss K. also wrote down a list of four names - people she wanted Michael to return with. It's Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Hurley. What these four have in common and why the Others want them is anyone's guess. They don't want to kill them - they had plenty of chances to do that in the past. So if they're not the "bad" ones, are they the "good" ones? Or maybe they've been identified as the Losties' leaders and the Others want to broker some kind of truce with them.

Walt was reunited with Michael for "Three Minutes." He told his dad he was okay, asked about Vincent, and passed along a bit of interesting info. The Others have been making him take tests, and they are not what they seem (they're not hillbilly pirates?). Then Walt got very emotional and Michael is able to hug him before they ripped Walt out of his arms. It's a pretty touching scene, I've gotta give Harold Parrineau (Michael) credit for this one. But - was Michael being fooled by his own son? There was something "off" about Walt during the whole exchange. Maybe Walt's been turned into an Other. After all, Michael is practically a stranger anyway, so betraying him wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

It is very interesting to note that Michael was not asked at any time to kill Ana Lucia, Libby, or anyone else in order to accomplish his mission. So why were those two brutally murdered? Is there a valid piece of Michael and his (evidently damaged) psyche that will be explored in the future, or was that just the most seamless way for them to be written off the show? I don't buy for a second that those two were supposed to die this season (at least in the way it happened), and that their DUI's caused their premature departure (i.e. TPTB at ABC gave them the boot).

So, now we know where Michael has been. And why he was so desperate to return with only four "Army" members. He even tried to get them to leave before Ana and Libby were buried. That was shot down pretty quickly. This was also the second episodes in a row where Sawyer was the rational one and insisted Sayid (you know, the only one of them who has actually been in an Army and a war) accompany them to fight the Others. A freaked out Michael refused but then relented after realizing how crazy he was acting.

Eko returned from his trip to the Pearl hatch and had a brief conversation with Michael. As they were scrubbing Libby's blood off the hatch floor, Michael asked if Priest Eko believed in Hell. The always cryptic Eko responded with a story about a boy who killed his dog and asked the same question. The boy wasn't sorry he killed the dog, he was just afraid that dog would be waiting for him in Hell (if there was one). What I got out of this exchange was that Eko knew Michael was lying. But instead of doing anything about it, Eko planted himself immediately in front of the computer. His henchman Charlie is devastated to find out Eko has deserted his plans to build the church. Back at the beach, Vincent the devil dog sniffed out Sawyer's heroin stash and in a hilarious scene brought one of the Virgin Mary statues to Charlie. The two find the rest of the drugs and Charlie decided to pitch them all into the ocean. Locke was on the beach and watched Charlie finally get rid of his temptation, which brings a nice close to that plotline.

There's a lot of Charlie in this episode. He went to see a very nervous Claire and Aaron. It turned out that one of the Dharma food drops contained a small case with some kind of shot / vaccine supply inside. After testing it on himself (wtf?), Charlied deemed it safe for the baby. Because unknown drugs and small children go so well together. Seriously. This all led up to a Charlie / Claire reconciliation that ended with Claire grabbing Charlie's hand at the funeral. All together now - awwww. I'm happy those two still have some potential, Charlie's a screw up but I still like him. She just better not sleep with him - Aaron really needs for his mother not to die anytime soon.

So, the funeral. Jack gave the worst eulogy of all time about Ana. It was about two sentences long, delivered completely without emotion. He said that she was a police officer, then "Rest in Peace." Wow, that's profound doc. Hurley didn't say much more about Libby, but he was much more upset and I was touched. Even though I never cared for Libby or Ana, I cried. And Hurley, who wasn't going to accompany Michael to find the Others, decided that he needed to go and avenge Libby. Sigh - it's a long way across the island big guy.

But before the funeral started, Sayid approached Jack. He told the good doctor that he thought Michael had been "compromised." Jack, always the genius, wanted to confront Michael immediately. Sayid again proved he has the only working brain on the island and convinced Jack to hold off - that this knowledge gives them a strategic advantage. Duh. How this all plays out will be the primary focus of next week's season finale I'm sure. Personally, I think Michael sucks and hope that Sayid or Sawyer kills him next week.

The final scene of the episode has Sun looking out toward the water with a stunned look on her face. A sailboat was making its way toward the shore. Of course, we don't find out who's on it (if anyone) until next week. Supposedly next week we also are supposed to find out why Flight 815 crashed, which I have been waiting for since the first episode. There's a lot to cover in 2 hours, I just hope it's well done and not rushed. My fingers are crossed. I'm also crossing my fingers for a bit of shirtless Sawyer, Sayid, and/or Jin for eye candy. Yeah!

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Lost

Lost - ?

2006-05-12T17:31:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: May 10, 2006

This week was Eko's turn for a backstory. The flashback opened with Priest Eko in Australia hearing a confession. The confessor turned out to be shady and only came to the church to give Eko a fake passport for his upcoming journey to America. But before Eko could make the trip, his monsigneur wanted him to investigate a "miracle."

At the heart of this miracle was a young woman who drowned, was pronounced dead, but later came back to life. Eko didn't believe the story for a minute, but after hearing a tape of the girl screaming as the coroner started her autopsy, Eko reconsidered. He tried visiting the girl, but her father prevented Eko from speaking with her. "Coincidentally", the father was the psychic Claire sought out in her first flashback. The psychic admitted to being a fraud and begged Eko to leave his daughter alone.

The question I ask: was the psychic really a fake? Was he lying to Claire to get her on the plane and was really some kind of undercover Dharma guy? Or was he really a fraud who completely freaked out because he did have psychic visions for the first time about Claire? I think it depends on what theory about the island you subscribe to:

Theory 1) - The island has some freaky, supernatural powers and that's what has been giving everyone strange dreams and it is destiny they crashed there. Any purgatory or ghost theories also fit in here. Both Locke and Eko fall here - men of faith.

Theory 2) - This has all been orchestrated by Dharma. Every person on the plane was chosen by this shady organization and they are all parts of a crazy psychological experiment. Everything behind this theory is based in fact and science. This would be Jack's theory - man of science.

Back to Eko's flashback. Eko left the "miracle" girl's home, and arrived at the airport just in time to board doomed Oceanic Flight 815. Before he got on the plane, the drowning girl stopped him and told him that when she was "dead" she saw his brother, Yemi. She passed on a message to Eko from his brother, that he is a good person and a good priest. I don't know what to think about the girl, there was really something wrong with her as she looked all pale and wide-eyed and haunted. I think she did die - and how else do you explain the fact she knew Eko's dead brother's name?

Did she really die or part of a massive conspiracy theory?

Back to the island. Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Locke headed back to the hatch. After Sawyer let everyone know Ana Lucia stole his gun (leaving out their sweaty jungle sex), Locke finally told them that Henry Gale had tried to kill Ana earlier. Conventional thinking is that: Ana + gun + guy who tried to kill her = DEAD guy. However, instead of finding Henry dead, when they got to the hatch Michael was on the ground outside the entrance, clutching his arm. And Henry was nowhere to be found.

Michael fed them the complete BS story about how he was sleeping when everything went down and Henry got the gun from Ana, shot her and Libby, then when Michael woke up he shot Michael and ran. Sure enough, Ana's deader than a doornail. However, Libby's not quite gone yet - much to Michael's horror. Girlfriend's in bad shape though, shot in the stomach and coughing up lots of dark, nasty blood.

Eko volunteered himself to hunt down Henry and convinces Locke to join him. What no one knew was that Eko had been having strange dreams lately, and in the last one Yemi told him to get Locke to show him the "Question Mark". Eko also dreamed of a dead Ana Lucia, so these dreams aren't your normal subconscious blather. When the two of them wandered far enough away from the hatch and into the jungle, Eko asks about the Question Mark. Locke was hesitant, so Eko apologized and then gave him a strong enough head butt to knock Locke unconscious. Brutal - I love it!

When Locke woke up, he decided maybe he shouldn't lie to the big, strong badass Eko anymore. Good idea, old white guy on crutches. Locke showed Eko the drawing he made of the black light map drawing on the hatch wall with the question mark in the center. So they're off and eventually come across the Nigerian drug plane. Weird! That night, it's Locke's turn to have the freaky dream of Yemi, with Locke climbing the huge tree the plane had been stuck in. Eko also fell out of the tree, but Locke decided to leave that part out when telling Eko about the dream. Luckily for us all, Eko didn't fall and when he looked down on the plane from the tree he's shocked. Burned into the grass is a big Question Mark.

The question mark marks the spot?

There was another hatch located directly under the plane, called the "Pearl Station." It was a surveillance hatch and had six video monitors on the wall and two La-Z-Boy recliners in front of them. There's another Orientation Video that explained the job of the people in the Pearl Station. They were to observe the other hatches (who were "experiments"), record everything in notebooks, then send said notebooks into a chute that looks just like the one at my bank drive-thru. There was also a computer printout that looked like it was the sequence of numbers the "button pusher" entered into the computer. When Locke turned the monitors on, he could see Jack moving around Swan Station. None of the other monitors worked.

Wonder if they have cable?

Do you think Locke remembered his deposit slip?

Needless to say, Locke was pissed. He felt like he had been played (AGAIN). He called himself and his life pathetic and was pretty much devastated. The button didn't mean anything - or does it? Eko believes pushing the button may be the most important thing anyone could ever do, and vows to keep pushing it if Locke refuses to continue. While Locke's faith has been crushed, Eko's only grows stronger.

The Pearl Station itself was being recorded from a camera on the wall and the Orientation Video doesn't explain what the purpose of any of the "experiments" in the other hatches are. It also seemed that the Swan Station is the only remaining operational station. We saw the medical hatch Claire was being kept in, and there was a fourth, ruined hatch the Tailies were bunkered down in after they crashed. Why was the Swan still operational and the other abandoned? Where's Desmond? And why does Dharma keep dropping food? So many questions - but at least this episode contained a few answers.

Meanwhile, back at Swan Station, Libby is dying. Slowly. And in excruciating pain. Jack asked Sawyer for the heroin, which he had stashed with the guns. In a total dick move, Jack demanded that Kate go with Sawyer so that she will know where the guns are and then tell Jack. Kate looked at Jack, it seemed for the first time. She understood what he's doing, and doesn't like it. But Sawyer agreed before Kate was forced to make a decision. It turned out Sawyer had been keeping the guns and the drugs buried in the sand next to his tent on the beach. The two also encountered Hurley on the beach, told him what happened to Libby, and he accompanied them back to the hatch.

Jack gave Libby the injection of heroine, and then Hurley went to her. In a heartbreaking scene, he apologized numerous times for forgetting the blankets. Hurley cried, I cried, I think most of the Lost viewers cried here. It was so tragic - Hurley finally met someone he cared about and in a fluke, she was taken from him. I'm also sad because now it doesn't look like we'll ever find out why she was in the same mental instutition as Hurley and if she was on Flight 815 coincidentally or if it was all set up somehow.

Bye Libby - we hardly knew ya (thanks, writers!)

Libby managed to say one word before she dies - "MICHAEL." Of course, Jack being the dumbass he is, thought she's asking how Michael is doing. Because she has such close ties to Michael and everything. She hardly knew the guy and was asking about him, but doesn't care about Ana, who she has been with since the crash? Please. Libby was telling you who MURDERED her!! Idiots! Anyway, she died before saying anything else. Hurley broke down again and Jack at least comforted him a little. Kate also lost it, and Sawyer was there for her. I think maybe "Kack" (or whatever ridiculous 'ship name those two have) is on the way out and "Kawyer" is back in. Yay! I love those two together, and do think that Sawyer has a good heart for all his bad-boy ways.

Sawyer and Kate, sittin' in a tree. . . erm, hatch.

The last shot of the episode was of Michael in the gun locker (where Ana's body is still located), holding his arm and looking all evil. I know he wants his kid back, but he murdered two people in cold blood, two people who had nothing to do with Walt's disappearance. I hope he gets it good at the end of this season, and I hope the amazing and hot Sayid (who I never see enough of) is the one to give it to him.

Technorati tags:
Lost

AI Top 4 Results Show

2006-05-10T22:32:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: May 10, 2006

Chris is gone. WTF is wrong with America?

I'm for real this time - done with the show. If Ace wouldn't have stole my squeeing fangirly heart this year, Chris would've been my favorite. I don't like him enough to have ever voted for him, but I still wish him a lot of success in the future. I hope he kept the phone number of the guys from Fuel. Seriously - I love that band and would see them with Chris fronting in a heartbeat.

However, Lost was THE BOMB tonight. I think I'll recap those instead from now until the finale.

American Idol Top 4

2006-05-10T12:46:00.000-04:00

Elvis Night
Original Airdate: May 10, 2006

Sigh. I just can't stay away from this show. American Idol is like that ex-boyfriend who treats you like crap but you just can't help going back because there's something addictive and so mesmerizing about him/it. I took a few weeks off to get over Ace's boot but the lure of Elvis Night sucked me back in. I love him and went through a major Elvis phase in my late teens. I've been to Graceland, seen the "Jungle Room," the airplane, and even Elvis' grave. It's still a nice memory, Elvis was quite a guy. Pretty much crazy, but what a singer!

Even though Priscilla and Lisa Marie decided they didn't have enough money and sold Graceland to some huge multibillion-dollar corporation, American Idol still managed to get the final four out there with Priscilla. She talked with them for a while, then it was left to Tommy Mottola (best known as Mr. Mariah Carey) to coach them for their performances. They rehearsed on Elvis' famous white piano next to the peacock stained glass living room doors. Love that room! He wasn't as charming as Barry or Rod, and he seemed a little too interested in Kat (wife #4 is now lined up), but he managed to pass on some good advice that some of the Idols listened to and some didn't (*cough*Kat*cough*).

Before I get to the performances, I've got to include a picture of Priscilla Presley. Holy Botox Batman!

Taylor - Jailhouse Rock

I've hated on Taylor and his "dancing" pretty much the entire season but for some strange reason tonight I loved him. He looked good in his burgundy suit and black button up, but still old enough to be my dad. His vocals on "Jailhouse Rock" were bluesy and growly - just right! One reason I just cannot fully board the Taylor train - "Soul Patrol! Woo! Soul Patrol! Soul Patrol!" Oh.My.God, we get it Taylor. You love your fans and they love you. Move on.

Chris - Suspicious Minds

"Suspicious Minds" is my favorite Elvis song. I thought Chris did it justice, but versions by Clay Aiken and especially JD Fortune put Chris' to shame. He listened to Tommy and didn't scream his way through the song, which I appreciated. The goat vibrato was also nowhere to be heard - whew! However, the lack of intensity made it a bit boring. I liked the aviator sunglasses, they were totally 70's Elvis. However, the super-choreographed "whip off sunglasses / wink seductively into the camera" move was wretched. And would it KILL him to smile?

I think Chris is pretty hot. Not Ace "burning-with-the-fire-of-a-thousand-suns" hot but by far the best looking of the remaining guys. He seems to be in pretty good physical shape and has nice eyes. Those are my top two guy features so it's not a shock I like him. My husband is as bald as Chris so obviously I could care less about hair (or lack thereof). But I was still completely grossed out when he and Ryan were discussing what kind of underwear he had on. EEEWWWW! Seriously dude, save it for your wife.

Elliott - If Only to Dream

I didn't like it. I liked the pinstripe shirt under the suit but hated the big tie with the enormous loose knot around his neck. Otherwise, zzzzzzzzzzz. Seriously, I have nothing else.

Kat - Hound Dog / All Shook Up

I have no problem with Kat performing a medley when no one else did. What I have a big problem with is someone forgetting the words at this critical stage of the competition. And then proceeding to just turn around and stop singing to cover up for it. Did she think no one would notice? What the hell? I think girlfriend started to crack under the pressure. Also, her ass shaking and bouncing were distracting in a bad, bad way. And no, I am not "just jellus." I appreciate that Kat is beautiful. What I cannot fathom is what a fashion victim she is. That grey garbage bag she wore as a top should be burned.

The first go-round was a bit underwhelming. I'll give the "W" to Chris with Taylor coming in a very close second, Elliott a bit further behind in third, and Kat miles down the road in dead last.

Round Two (ding!)

Taylor - In the Ghetto

I loved it! Taylor gave me chills, and this was the first mp3 I downloaded from any contestant other than Ace so far this season. Fabulous! His voice was made for this song, and it was everything "Something" lacked last week. He was totally connected to the song and his eyes were so expressive. I think his two strong performances tonight will easily propel Taylor to the Final 2. And deservedly so. Soul Patrol - woo!

Chris - A Little Less Conversation

All I thought of when I heard Chris would be doing this song was Pen Boi's version in Season 3. Taylor had nothing over JPL with the spastic, twitchy dance moves. *shudder* Anyway, again Chris started out low key but built up to some major screaming at the end. The overall effect - not very good. I will point out that he looked amazing in a fitted white button down shirt and tight jeans. I read somewhere that Ace gave him some of his clothes when he left. The thought of those two sharing clothes is very hot. The thought of those two sharing me is even hotter. Bad me - I'm a married woman! It's like I tell my friends, "I'm married, not dead." No harm in looking and thinking right?

Elliott - Trouble

Carrie did this one last year and I thought there was no way Elliott would top her version. Well, he did. It was his best performance of the competition, and Elliott really stepped it up when he needed it most. He is still at risk to go home tonight but he has improved so much I can't help but root for him. With some voice lessons (to control the vibrato among other things) he could really be wonderful.

Kat - Can't Help Falling in Love

I predicted that Kat would be great on this song. I kept flashing back to "Someone to Watch Over Me" and how she kept it simple and understated, but still brought the sexy and sultry she's so good at. The first few lines of CHFIL were perfection, tender and wistful. Then it all went to hell. The band got loud, she started shrieking, and the ever-loving glory note became her best friend. Or should I say worst enemy because I don't think she sang any of them on key. Ouch! At a time when she needed to pull out her best, this was terrible. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was a bad arrangement, but she's my pick for the boot tomorrow.

And I cannot finish without commenting on Kat's midriff-baring secretary jacket and knee-length matching skirt. What in the world was she thinking? And now that we all know she's most definitely not pregnant and actually has a pretty nice tummy, why does she wear the empire-waisted flowy maternity tunics all the time? Why Kat dresses so badly will go down as one of the big mysteries of AI this year for me.

So, my rankings for tonight overall are:

1) Taylor (*shocked*)
2) Chris
3) Elliott

GAP THE SIZE OF THE GRAND CANYON

4) Kat

I still think it'll be Chris and Taylor in the Finale.

Goodbye to the Pretty

2006-05-01T15:12:00.000-04:00

I hate this show! I don't even love to hate it anymore - it's just too ridiculous in its manipulations. Needless to say, my favorite got the boot two weeks ago. I'm trying to go to my "happy place" where Ace is better off without the show and without 19Evil tying him to an impossibly strict and greedy contract. So, in place of any more AI recaps, here's some Ace lovin':

Ace chose "That's All" for Standards Week, a song best known by one of Ace's favorites, Mel Torme. Coincidentally, it's also sung by one of my fave guys, Adam Sandler, in The Wedding Singer. Anyway, Ace bought his first suit (a $2000 Alexander McQueen) and wore his hair slicked back in a cute little ponytail / bun. Hmmm, maybe he should've left his hair down. He was hot nonetheless, see:

But it wasn't enough to save him. I really think the Queen backlash didn't kick in until this week. Which sucks because of the way the show misrepresented the editing. To further add to TPTB's shenanigans, Ace was supposed to have a cool flashing light show during his WWRY performance but when he stepped onto the stage the house lights were all up and he got nothing. So, were they trying to deliberately sabotage Ace? I don't think we'll ever know for sure, although my gut tells me YES.

The good thing about Ace being off the show is all the interviews and TV appearances he made the next week. He was on Leno - spun the consolation wheel and won a "Tour of Paris" Hilton videotape, Regis & Kelly, Ellen, a bunch of Fox news shows, and TRL. His TRL appearance was great, he looked gorgeous but more importantly sang a snippet of an original song, "Don't Go," and sounded AMAZING!! Finally, the Ace I fell in love with during "Father Figure" returned.

So pretty!

Ace has also been quite the party animal, attending Teen People's "Top 30 Under 30" party in NYC, US Weekly's "Hot Hollywood Awards" in LA, and the White House Correspondent's Dinner and Bloomberg After-Party in DC. Of course, his bro / bodyguard Ryan was there as his "date."

Ace the Hottest Groomsman in DC:

I also heard a radio interview with a friend of the Young family and it turns out that Country Week wasn't the first time Ace had met Kenny Rogers. Evidently, three years ago Kenny saw Ace perform and loved him. He wanted to sign Ace but at the time Kenny was in business with Lou Pearlman (aka the Devil). Ace and his family refused to sign because of Pearlman. I also heard that during Country Week Kenny let it be known to Ace that he was no longer with the Devil. Very interesting news - I just hope something great pans out for Ace and that we can get a CD of original songs as soon as possible!

American Idol - Top 7

2006-04-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

Great American Songbook
Original Airdate: April 18, 2006

Sorry, I'm lazy this week and there will be no pics.

Rod Stewart is looking really old these days. Especially compared to his fresh-faced, twenty-something fiancee and their new baby. Whose name is Alistair. Who is the cutest baby I've seen in a long time. Even the Idols were so busy cooing over the baby they barely had time for ole Rod. I would never have guessed that he would have been a fun, upbeat, and entertaining guest on Idol, but he was. The show tonight was amazing - great performances, funny pre-show clips, and the judges all took some of Pauler's "happy pills" and gave positive (if a little over the top) critiques.

Chris - What a Wonderful World"

This was an interesting week for Chris. Personally, I thought he'd crash and burn. He proved me wrong - his performance was subtle and very nice, except for when he threw in some of the goat vibrato at the end. He was workin' it out in a snazzy vest and ascot, no guyliner or beard in sight. The only throwback to his old, "rawk" self: the wallet chain. Sigh. The judges loved him, and I think went overboard with their praise, but if they want Chris in the finals he's going to need their help.

Paris - These Foolish Things

Another week, another "new" Paris. She's got a long horse mane ponytail and is wearing a demure reddish pink suit that makes her look like: a)a flight attendant, b)a real estate agent, and/or c)Condoleeza Rice. She does a good job, I guess. I'm not a big jazz fan but the judges adored it. Some of her pronunciation / enunciation was very strange and affected, at least to my ears. Still, this is definitely her genre and she did a credible job.

Taylor - You Send Me

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. What? He sang? I couldn't tell because I dozed off in the beginning. Another week, another grey suit for Taylor. Yawn. The song was boring and repetetive in the beginning, and I think Taylor realized that so at the end he started riffing and doing his patented spazz-twitch-shake-woo!woo! dance. Not my favorite performance from Taylor. I think he's got a huge fan base that votes for him no matter how he performs but I don't know where they are all coming from. He hasn't been truly stellar since the very early weeks of the Finals (I seem to remember him being awesome on Stevie Wonder night).

Elliott - It Had to Be You

Elliott continued his week-by-week improvement in the looks department, and is getting very close to "cute." He wore a black jacket with a nice purple pinstriped suit but then ruined the look with ratty jeans. He started off the song leaning on the mic stand, which I found awkward. Vocally, it was impressive. I've always liked Elliott's voice but never thought he was right to be the American Idol. Simon agreed with me, and thought Elliott should do a better job of conveying his personality.

Kellie - Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

Arrrghhh! My ears! My poor ears! This peformance must go down in AI history as one of its all-time classic Train Wrecks. She was out of tune for 3/4 of the song - and not only that, she got ahead of the music about halfway through and never got back on track. Some of the notes she hit were ear-splittingly bad. Simon put his head down about halfway through her performance, it was like he couldn't take the torture anymore either. Kellie realized she butchered it, and said so before the judges could even start in on her. She kept saying "I'm sawwwhhhrrry" which has become her catchphrase. I would give her credit for admitting she was bad, but I think the only reason she went on about it was to get pity votes. She needs to go away.

Ace - That's All

Ace looked absolutely gorgeous in a black suit, white shirt and blue tie. He had his hair slicked back into a short ponytail, which some people have likened to both a samurai and Vincent Vega (from Pulp Fiction). I can see where they're coming from but I loved it. His normal hair would have looked all kinds of wrong with that suit. Vocally, Ace was good. He did have a little bit of nasal issues in the middle but he pulled it together. I think he did a great job of conveying the emotion of the song - he was romantic, playful, and very earnest. The judges gave him good comments overall, and when Simon told Ace it was "charming" the guy's smile about lit up the entire stage by itself. I hope it will be enough to carry Ace to next week.

Kat - Someone to Watch Over Me

She looked beautiful and sang well. What else can I say? I don't think she sang as well as the judges thought, but I must admit I wasn't paying 100% attention because I was too busy getting in some early votes for Ace. I have to say that all the Kat fans who accuse other women of not liking her because they're "just jellus" of her beauty can kiss my butt. I can appreciate Kat's gorgeousness and not like her as a singer or Idol contestant. And I don't particularly. She's better than the other two girls left but all the guys are better than she is.

The Results Show tonight will feature Rod singing "The Way You Look Tonight." Snooze. But I've heard that the Idol commercial will feature a car wash and the possibility of a sudsy, wet, shirtless Ace. Be still my heart!

AI Top 8 Results Show

2006-04-13T22:41:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: April 12, 2006

This week's Results Show was an hour long. A very long hour filled with nothing of real importance and yet the show still went over by five minutes. Good job producers and Seacrest. You all suck. I do feel a little bit of sympathy for Ryan though, I heard on the radio this week that he used to be quite a chubby kid and that his life growing up consisted of consuming a cookie sheet full of nachos while watching Oprah. That's sad. Although I'm sure Ryan can go home after hosting Idol and roll around in his big pile of money to make him feel better.

The audience was finally treated to a Group Medley. The bad part - stupid producers ruined it by using a split screen, with the larger center screen showing outtakes and other footage recapping the show thus far and a tiny one in the left corner with the Idols singing live. What the hell? I want to see the contestants on the full screen darn it! Ace sang "Killer Queen" and Taylor absolutely murdered "We Are the Champions." He didn't do quite as badly as JD Fortune from Rock Star but it was close. At least Taylor didn't rely on the audience to sing the parts that were too high for him. I adore JD and INXS but that performance of his sucked as bad as anything I've seen from the Top 12 this year on Idol.

Then came the Ford pimpmercial. The quality of these commercials has really gotten good, and I loved this one. It was set on a golf course, and the contestants were in a competitoin to win a Ford Escape. The team of Bucky/Kat essentially cheated to win and Bucky was rewarded by getting pelted by golf balls in front of his prize. Ace looked amazingly gorgeous in a pink sweater vest and purple pants. Oooh, and I can't forget about the white fedora. And the arms, he has some major guns. If I wasn't so in love already, I'd have crossed the line after seeing Ace in that clip. Here's a couple screenshots to show you what I'm talking about:

Whew - is it hot in here? I'm starting to think all those 12 year olds who go to the tapings and wave "Marry Me Ace" signs are right on the money. I just can't get over the fact that people do NOT find him beautiful and sexy as all hell. He's got beautiful eyes, a killer smile, and a gorgeous, built body. Plus he's all cuddly and sensitive. Dream.man. Seriously. I do not care if he's an idiot (which has been suggested), he doesn't seem like it to me but I could care less. Anything he needs to learn, I could show him. I'm an excellent teacher.

Okay, enough of that. Really, I mean it. I'll try to keep the squee to a minimum from now on. Each contestant got a "postcard from home," which was essentially their parents / siblings / friends back in their hometowns telling them how much they loved and missed them. Almost everyone cried, and Kellie's grandpa showed up with a mysterious "brother." Who thinks that's really Pickler's son? Come on, you know you do. Well, maybe not really but it's fun in an evil way to think about. Speaking of evil, Ace's brothers were extraordinarily mean to him growing up. It must have sucked to be the baby of that family. Well, at least he got the looks. And none of those brothers (well, maybe one) are unattractive. I could not imagine having five boys. Unless I had a nanny. And a maid. And a cook.

So, bottom 3 were Elliott, Ace, and Bucky. They all had to sing before Ryan announced who was eliminated. Ace and Elliott sounded a lot better than they did on Tuesday, and Bucky sounded about the same. I like all three of those guys but one had to go. It was Bucky, and although I will miss him, it was definitely his time. If I go to the tour, I'll look forward to his performance. He seems like such a great guy, I hope he finds a career in music after the show. I heard he was looking to move to Nashville and that's a great start. But as much as I like Bucky, as soon as his name was announced I gave a bloodcurdling scream of joy for Ace. He made it to another week, and I'm just as surprised as Simon must have been.

Next week Rod Stewart will be helping the contestants with the "Great American Songbook" theme. I'd like to see Ace wear a suit and not suck - is that too much to ask?

American Idol - Top 8

2006-04-13T21:55:00.000-04:00

Queen Nights
Original Airdate: April 11, 2006

Tuesday's Performance Show featured the music of Queen. What else can I say? It was not a good night. For any of them. Here goes nothing:

Bucky - Fat Bottomed Girls

I've been told the lyrics to this song are somewhat racy. Since I wasn't familiar with it going into the show and also since I couldn't understand anything coming out of Bucky's mouth, I'll have to take everyone's word on it. That said, the song fit Bucky pretty well but his performance didn't have any "wow" to it. It was just fine, but not great. Going first certainly did him no favors either. Bucky looked pretty good though, with a nice black leather blazer and jeans. His hair was a bit out of control but at least it wasn't Jessica Simpson pretty. Simon said Bucky was mediocre and I agree. Sometimes on American Idol being "mediocre" is worse than being terrible. At least you remember the bad.

Ace - We Will Rock You

Someone up there must have been only half listening when I prayed for Ace to wear leather pants tonight. He wore them all right, but I guess I didn't specify I wanted to see Ace in leather pants that fit, not ones that are at least 2 sizes too big. He also paired said pants with a black, brown and white see through striped button up and another ginormous belt buckle. I think that Ace spends all his clothing allowance on new buckles. I hope he didn't spend a lot on those pants, because seriously - don't stylists go shopping with them? Someone should have just said no to the baggy leather pants. The hair looked pretty good. I read that Ace doesn't like the AI stylists touching his hair, which is kind of diva but also cool. After all, it was said AI stylists that turned Bucky's long hair into a running joke.

His intro clip was interesting. Basically what it showed was Ace trying to convince Queen to rearrange WWRY in a new way, and the band members flat out refusing and even being a bit rude and condescending about it. I admit, I was pissed at Queen. They went on the show, they should be open to rearrangements. But then today Brian May posted his version of what went down. He accused the AI editors of splicing his negative comments in where they didn't belong and essentially misrepresenting the whole situation. Jerks - who do they think they are, editors for Rock Star?

What's this? He sang something? Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Ace did his best to get the crowd involved and to work the stage. He even did the Bo Bice patented mic stand drag. I thought the performance was okay, it was a risk and much different than anything he'd sang before. There was also minimal use of the falsetto and a lot of full-out, non-nasal singing. Unfortunately, the judges unanimously hated it. I thought Ace was gonna cry and/or puke. So what did I do? Spent the next two hours power voting and the next day worrying. Seriously, when did I get so invested?

Kellie - Bohemian Rhapsody

On Tuesday Kellie decided to dress up as Ashlee Simpson. But trashier. She wore all black (including six inch hooker boots), had super-dark eye makeup, and her hair all "punk" and spiky. She then proceeded to do EXACTLY the same arrangement of Bo Rhap that Constantine did last year (and did a lot better BTW). Where was the risk there, the originality? She also went on the catwalk behind the judges and proceeded to drop to her knees and hump the ground a few times for good measure. Classy! The judges loved her and I was shocked. For some reason, they like her. Then of course came some of her "witty" banter. Simon said something about how her performance was good "on paper" and Kellie didn't know what that meant. What? She hasn't heard of paper?? Then she proceeded to tell Simon she couldn't understand him because of his accent? So, she doesn't know what paper is and she doesn't understand someone speaking English? I hate her. So, so much. But since I mostly like all the other contestants, it's good that I have someone to concentrate my hatred on.

Chris - Innuendo

Chris performed a song that Queen had never done live before. Which Paula pointed out, like the stupid bitch she is. The reason Queen never performed that song live is because Freddie died. Anyway, it was right up Chris' alley: an early 90's alt-rock song that was extremely repetetive and called for a light show and lots of intense stares into the camera. I also need to point out the massive amounts of eyeliner Chris was wearing. I wasn't digging the little beard either, especially with the makeup. It was a very strange combination. He sounded pretty much the same as he always does, except for a little more goat-like with the vibrato. That's really starting to bug. The only judge who disliked it was Simon - who said it was indulgent. I agree completely - Chris needs to show he wants to win, not just slide by without any work or effort.

Taylor - Crazy Little Thing Called Love

I think the same thing about Taylor that I do about Chris - neither of them has really been putting forth enough effort to win this competition. They know they've got enough fans to keep them safe for a while so they're not even going to bother. Taylor went back to his usual spazzy self - I guess he sounded good enough but who even notices when he's jerking and bouncing and twitching around the stage? He did provide a very funny moment though - when he tried to kick over the mic stand, he missed, almost fell, and then had to kick at it again to make it fall over. Awesome! Again, Simon had the best comment when he asked Taylor if he was drunk. I seriously think Taylor and Paula do a few body shots off each other before the show starts. Taylor was wearing yet another silvery gray suit jacket. I guess that's to match his hair.

Katharine - Who Wants to Live Forever

Kat was originally scheduled to sing a fun, upbeat song - I guess it's featured in the movie "Shaun of the Dead." I did see that movie but can't remember the song in question. Anyway, once Mandisa got the boot, Kat was all over her song. I'm sure she was thinking that another chance to glory note her way through a song was her best option, since Queen isn't exactly her dream genre. Kat wore a hideous red satin short sleeved jacket, black pants and a wide black belt I think she got from her grandmother. She didn't look pregnant but it was bad, I don't care how good Simon said she looked. Anyway, I thought her performance was terrible. She was really reaching for the high ones and not quite getting there. Instead of the proper notes, what came out of her mouth made my dog start to howl. She shrieked her way through the entire song, only to have Simon tell her she almost had a great "moment." Why? Why do the judges praise crappy performances?

Elliott - Somebody to Love

I thought that Elliott was vocally the best on Tuesday. He picked a great song and managed to avoid any of the falsetto. He needs to work a lot on his stage presence still, if he didn't have a death grip on the mike, he was doing those jerky arm movements that are so distracting. I do think he's received the best makeover by the stylists this year. His hair and teeth are much better, as are his clothes. However, the poor guy is still pretty unattractive and I just can't vote for that. Sorry, I'm shallow. I can't see Elliott winning this thing, he doesn't look like an American Idol and no amount of work by the stylists would be able to change that.

Paris - The Show Must Go On

I hated everything about Paris on Tuesday. Starting off with that outfit, it's like she went to Kat for advice on how to pick the most ill-fitting, unflattering outfit she could find. Not to mention if I didn't know it was her, I wouldn't recognize Paris each week, her hair and wardrobe are so different. She needs to stop playing dress up and pick a look. Since we don't get to know a lot about the contestants real personalities, the way they dress conveys a lot. This is what Paris has been conveying to me thus far through her outfits: ????????????? I included a screenshot where you can see most of her ensemble and does she look lumpy or what? Even young girls need to learn that satin is BAD unless you have a perfect tiny Pickler - like body. I also thought she picked the absolute wrong song. TSMGO was Freddie's swan song, it was about how even though he was so ill and falling apart, "the show must go on." Paris didn't convey any of that emotion in her performance, she bounced, giggled and waved her way through it like she does every week. I wanted to reach through the TV and strangle her.

Since the Wednesday Results show already happened, I'll save all those comments for the next post. Suffice it to say at the end of the show Tuesday I was scared out of my mind for Ace. He was the only one to get so harshly criticized by the judges and he was the victim of a very bad edit during his intro clip. I thought for sure I would be waving goodbye to the Pretty. I freaked all day Wednesday - yes, I know I'm crazy. I'm a fan of AI - doesn't it come with the territory?

AI Top 9 - Results Show

2006-04-07T20:41:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: April 5, 2006

The results show kicked off with a montage from Tuesday night. It is always interesting to watch the recap because if you really pay attention it is pretty easy to tell who will be in the Bottom 3. Luckily, my Ace was grouped together with Chris in the recap, with positive comments for each of their Keith Urban ballads. I was feeling pretty good going into tonight's show but after that I was very confident of Ace's survival.

The artist formerly known as Kenny Rogers then sang his new single, hell if I can remember what it was called. It sucked, what else can I say? Although I should probably cut old Kenny a break because he did an interview on a country radio station and said that he picked Ace as one of his choices for the Final 2 (Kellie was the other). Boyfriend just wins everyone over - he is such a sweetheart! I still cannot fathom the level of hate that I have seen for Ace on various message boards. I wonder if he's ever saw any of that crap, he seems so sensitive, like it would really hurt him. Poor baby, I would definitely offer to comfort him!

The Ford pimpmercial this week was awesome. The song used was "Just One Look" and the story was that Pickler took her junker of a car in to be repaired. It looked like the "mechanics" (the rest of the Idols) were trashing it but then Mandisa pulled a magic lever and out came a brand-new Fusion. Some good snark was had by Ryan after the clip - he said Kellie probably thought that's where cars came from - ha! Ace was dressed in some overalls and a bandanna. I can't decide which Ace I like better - the handyman or the mechanic. I'll take both please!!

Finally, it was time for the elimination. Ryan split them into 3 groups: Group One was Chris, Kellie and Taylor; Group Two was Paris, Elliott, and Mandisa; Group Three was Ace, Kat, and Bucky. Group One got sent back to the couches first, to the shock of absolutely no one. Ryan let the other two groups sweat through a commercial break and then told Ace's group to sit down. Yay! None of the Bottom 3 had previously been there before, so it was a bit of a surprise I guess. Ryan told Paris she's safe, and girlfriend skipped away from the Seal. Finally, it was over and Mandisa had been eliminated. I'm not particularly sad about it, she had two very bad performances in a row and too small of a hard-core fanbase to power through another week. I'm sure Mandisa will have a very nice career in Gospel Music, since she and Jesus seem to be so close.

Next week: Queen week! It looks like the Idols may actually be playing with the band, which is a little scary. And shows that the members of Queen are complete hypocrites since they made quite a few public statements about how they would NEVER consider doing a show like Rock Star:INXS. Yeah right, AI is ten times cheesier and has at least ten times LESS talent than RS. However, Queen has some kind of CD of hits being released after next week's show and AI has a much bigger viewing audience than RS, I hope the $$$$ will be worth it. Here are the songs on the CD, which are likely choices for the contestants:

Tie Your Mother Down
Fat Bottomed Girls
Another One Bites The Dust (Taylor)
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Bucky)
We Will Rock You (Chris)
We Are The Champions (Elliott)
Radio Ga Ga (Paris)
Bohemian Rhapsody (Medley)
The Show Must Go On (Ace)
These Are The Days Of Our Lives
I Want It All (Kat)
Stone Cold Crazy

I don't know half these songs but I put in italics who I think should sing them. Next week's Results show is an hour long. It's the return of the Group Medley and the Pointy!Poses! Sweet!

AI Top 9 - Country Night

2006-04-07T20:40:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: April 4, 2006

I was pretty excited about the country music theme. What I wasn't so sure about was Kenny Rogers being the special guest star. He did give the contestants some real criticism and loved my boyfriend Ace so he gets some points from me there. Also, he's "The Gambler." How can you not love that? However, if Seacrest hadn't told me it was Kenny, I would not have recognized him.

THIS is Kenny Rogers:

NOT this guy:

WTF? Kenny, you need to back away from the plastic surgery. He's like that crazy lady from Nip/Tuck who was obsessed with looking young. It's pretty freaky actually.

Okay, now that I got that over with, on to the show!

Taylor - Country Road

This is such a well known, well loved song. Taylor murdered it. This was his worst performance by far. I heard rumors that he was supposedly very sick and that may have contributed to the lackluster effort. I can sympathize a little, but there are many artists who have done a show when they are extremely ill. The AI songs are what - one and a half minutes long? He couldn't have sucked it up for that long? Anyway, Taylor has enough fans that he could have not performed at all and just shown his picture on the stage and he would be safe this week. Unfortunately. I just don't get the guy, and he's not even entertaining anymore. Just boring.

Mandisa - Any Man of Mine

Her stylist must have been really offended at her "lifestyle" comment last week because girlfriend looked like complete ass this week. She must have some veto power - I cannot believe she looked at herself in the mirror in a 70's style tent-like horizontal striped halter top with light jeans and said "Damn, I am hot tonight!" I wish they would go back to the black dresses for her. What can I say about her singing? She made Shania sound good. Mandisa really screwed up tonight, and I can't believe she didn't have a better country song picked out. I would have rather heard the overused "Broken Wing," "Independence Day," or "Breathe" than that disaster. She may be in some real trouble on Wednesday.

Elliott - If Tomorrow Never Comes

I was hoping someone would sing a Garth Brooks song, as he's my all-time favorite country artist. One of the great disappointments in my life is that I've never seen Garth live. I'm serious, some people's dreams just different okay? Moving right along, Kenny suggested to Elliott that he quit the melisma and just sing the song. That Elliott's goal should not be to "wow" the audience with his vocal gymnastics but to make them cry. Honestly, that was some great advice. I wish Elliott would have taken it. Instead, he inserted his usual runs at the end of every line and almost ruined the song. He also had quite the death grip on his mike, I could tell Elliott was absolutely terrified to be singing country. It was pretty interesting to watch actually, considering last week he was so loose and uninhibited. He was far from the worst of the night though (see above for two that were much worse).

Paris - How Do I Live

Let's start off with the positives about Paris tonight. She looked great, I love her new hairstyle. I hope she sticks with it for the rest of the competition. Paris also dressed much better than last week in some cowboy boots tucked into jeans, a white ruffly button up topped off with a beigy-brown vest. I would SO wear that outfit, although I would have pulled my jeans legs over my boots. Now, onto the bad part of Paris' performance. The singing. Ouch! She kind of got it together at the end, but it just wasn't the right choice for Paris. When you get outsang by Vonzell, famous for her "key of V," you are in trouble. Baby V made it really far based on cuteness, I wonder if Paris can last that long? Doubtful.

Ace - Tonight I Wanna Cry

Squee! Perfect song choice for my future husband. Hey, he's single, Ryan even said so. And I'd claw Paula's eyes out before I let her near the Pretty. Ace looked absolutely gorgeous, the best since "Father Figure." The guy can wear anything, but I think black is his color. Yum. I must admit I was starting to lose my love, especially after last week's scar incident. I'd love to see and hear about ALL of Ace's scars, but not with the rest of America. He made the brilliant choice to sit on a stool and deliver the song straight. Perfect, and if he was nervous at all I couldn't tell. Ace was completely connected to the song, and I felt the loss and heartbreak. This week was not only his best look since FF but also his best performance. I was so relieved, I don't want him to go away so soon. I read somewhere on the Net that Ace would give anyone who told him they voted for him a hug and I will seriously take him up on that offer if I get close enough. He never did say anything about letting go.

Kellie - Fancy

Kellie's country bumpkin act is starting to grate on me again. Especially since I read that her red corset top was the most expensive item of clothing ever purchased for an Idol contestant and that she spent four hours picking it out. It seems to me little miss "Mink" is becoming a bit of a diva. "Fancy" is one of my favorite songs, and Kellie did a passable and maybe even good job with it. She needs to stick with the sassy, spunky numbers to really shine. I don't think she could pull off an emotional ballad if her life depended on it. Her finger pointing and eyebrow waggling were getting a little distracting though.

Chris - Making Memories of Us

Chris also sang a Keith Urban song, a pretty ballad. I heard he performed it for his wife at their wedding, which was very sweet. I can't imagine how bad she feels not being able to be in LA to support him, but what with the emergency hysterectomy and the two kids, she has her hands full. His vibrato is distracting, as is his eeevvviiilll stare into the camera, but overall it was solid. I liked Ace's performance better overall, but I'm pretty sure it's because Ace is so damn hot. Chris is definitely attractive, but not my usual "pretty boy" type. What with the shaved head and the facial hair he actually looks a tiny bit like my husband - heh. Differences would be hubby has about 3 or 4 inches on Chris and NO vocal talent to speak of. This song showed Chris could do more than just uptempo alt-rock numbers, which he desperately needed to stay ahead in this competition. I'm still pretty sure he's the one to beat, at least at this point.

Kat - Bringing Out the Elvis in Me

Finally, Kat wore an outfit that didn't make her look 6 months pregnant. Good job! She picked the most obscure song choice, I had to think a minute before I recognized who sang it (Faith Hill). It had that bluesy vibe that Kat is so fond of, and she sang it well indeed. Kat needed a great week to bounce back from her Bottom 3 appearance. I'm pretty sure that did it. It's funny, because even though I think Kat has an excellent voice and is beautiful, there is something that just turns me off her. Pickler may be dumb as a rock, but she is immensely likeable. Katharine comes off as cool and even a bit snooty, where Kellie seems sweet and ditzy.

Bucky - Best I Ever Had

Well, that's it. Chicken Little may be off the show, but the sky has officially fallen. TPTB have deemed Bucky deserving of the night's "pimp spot." I can't help but like the guy, he is so genuine and appealing. Not in that hot way but in that best friend way. He's the guy you'd want to hang out with and talk about all your troubles, because he'd help you forget about them and feel so much better (by better I mean drunk, heh). Anyway, he's singing a song Vertical Horizon and then Gary Allan made popular. Obviously, he's singing Gary's version. Bucky is good, he's been pretty consistent so far in the Finals, but he doesn't quite have the emotional impact or connection Gary does on Best I Ever Had. I doubt he'll be leaving this week, which puts him in the competition a LOT longer than I imagined. It just goes to show how important likeability is to AI. I really think that's why Southerners have fared so well on Idol - they just have that down-to-earth niceness about them everyone wants to root for. People on the coasts and in the Midwest tend to be a bit more reserved and it's seemed to work against them.

So, who did I think was the best?
Ace!

Who will be in the Bottom 3?
Elliott
Mandisa
Paris

I think it may be Mandisa's or Paris' time to go, and there will be much hand-wringing and outrage. But they gave weak performances and their fanbases aren't as large as the frontrunners (Taylor, Chris, and Kellie). Whoever makes it will have to bring it in a big way or she'll be back on the seal next week.

AI Results Show - Top 11

2006-04-07T20:39:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: March 29, 2006

I'm a little sad about the new format of the Wednesday night shows, because instead of getting group medleys complete with pointy!poses! the AI audience gets to watch "real" performers. This show's special act was Shakira and Wyclef Jean, singing "Hips Don't Lie." It's a catchy tune, and I like Shakira but Wyclef can just take his lip synching butt home. I've seen Shakira in concert before and the woman is smoking hot. And can actually sing pretty well, especially in Spanish. I would love to be able to move like she does, but I am so uncoordinated I would probably just fall over trying to dance like that. Hell, I fell over trying to get out of a dress one night, so I know the dancing wouldn't work so well. Wyclef was sporting a Fugees t-shirt (*sigh* too bad Lauryn Hill is crazy, she is so talented) and decided to jump on the catwalk behind the judges table and sing to them. Yeah, I was confused too. He also danced with Justin Guarini and gave a shout out to Angelina Jolie, who I guess gave money from her first pregnant photos to his Hatian Relief Fund. That was pretty nice of her, I have to admit. The dollar amount was probably at least a million.

The pimpmercial was not as good as it was the last two weeks. It started with Ace and some of the other contestants getting out of a Ford Fusion and then walking and dancing down the street. More of the contestants joined in, there was a popsicle truck, and Taylor danced with an old lady. Is it bad that I remember Ace was wearing his black "Ace" t-shirt and I cannot recall what song they did? I think it might have been reggae. Oh, and Bucky played guitar.

According to an interview with Nigel earlier on Wednesday, this Bottom 3 was supposed to have been more shocking than when the 3 Divas of Season 3 were on the Seal. That would be Fantasia, LaToya, and Jennifer Hudson for anyone who doesn't remember, with J. Hud going home. I can't feel too sorry for Jennifer though because she is probably having the last laugh, what with her getting an amazing part in the Dreamgirls movie. She just may end up with the biggest career of any of the Season 3 contestants - good for her!

Nigel totally lied. I am done believing him. The first person called down was Lisa, then Ace, and finally in a bit of a surprise - Katharine. Lisa and Ace looked sad but resigned, and Kat looked shocked and pissed. Ryan sent Ace back first (whew!) and then asked the judges if they agreed with the Bottom 3. Simon took the opportunity to rip into Kat, taking back his praise from Tuesday night. He said that when he replayed her performance, it was awful. I agreed completely. Still, it was mean and you could tell Kat couldn't believe what she was hearing. But in the end, she was safe. That meant Lisa was out, and no one was "shocked." Not even Lisa. She was gracious at the end but I seriously think she should never sing "Because of You" again. I never disliked her, just thought she was a robot. Maybe with some time and experience, Lisa will start to show some real emotion in her singing and have some success.

Next week's theme is Country. Yee haw! I love country music, so I am excited. Songs I want NO ONE to perform include:
- Breathe
- Amazed
- Ain't Goin' Down (Until the Sun Comes Up)
- Independence Day
- Broken Wing
- How Do I Live
I'm sure there are more but that's all I can think of for now.

Kenny Rogers will be performing on the Wednesday results show, I guess he has a new CD out or something. Unless he sings "The Gambler" I'm not really interested. Maybe he'll do some belly dancing like Shakira, now THAT I would like to see.

AI Top 10 - Hits from 2000 - today

2006-04-07T20:37:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: March 28, 2006

I must say congratulations to the producers of American Idol. They managed to pick a theme (the 21st century) that was horrible for all the remaining contestants as well as the home audience. You'd think they would have learned from last year, when a certain long-haired greasy rocker got the boot after the worst rendition of Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" that I have ever heard. Simon certainly loved it, he had nasty things to say about every one of the performers, save Kat. He saved her for Wednesday, but that's another entry. Anyway, on to the show!

Lisa - Because of You

Lisa decided that the best thing to pull her out of the Bottom 3 this week would be to sing a Kelly Clarkson ballad that has recently been played and played (and played some more) on the radio. She also had about a minute and a half to do it, so the whole story of the song is pretty much lost. "Because of You" was also written by Kelly and is very personal, I don't think anyone can put enough emotion into the song to improve on her version. Especially not the robotic pageant girl. She pretty much sucked. Not even pretty much. She just sucked. Lisa could not hit the right notes to save her life, and I totally agreed with Simon when he said the song was too big for Lisa. Somewhere, Kelly Clarkson is cackling with glee, thinking: "I told you bitches not to use my songs - it only makes ME look better!" Let's just say I doubt we'll be seeing any renditions of "Since U Been Gone" or "Miss Independent" in the rest of the finals.

Kellie - Suds in the Bucket

I love this song. Sara Evans is a great vocalist, and "Suds" is fun, spunky and upbeat. Kellie managed to suck the life right out of it. She was listless and flat - almost as bad as she was during Stevie Wonder week. This song should have been so easy for her, and she blew it. Big time. I must note however that Kellie was looking very nice, if a bit too much like Carrie Underwood. Her makeup was much lighter and as a result Kellie actually looked like the young, fresh-faced girl she is instead of a stripper that's seen one too many nights on the pole.

Ace - Drops of Jupiter

Surprising song choice. I thought it might turn out okay for him, but of course it didn't. Ace is becoming so disappointing! He didn't even look that good, his hair was greasy looking and the button up shirt he wore did not flatter him. When I listen back to the vocals, he's not too bad. Pretty good actually, and certainly better than the previous two. What got me tonight was "THE SCAR." And yes, it must be capitalized. One of the lines of the song was about a "permanent scar" and Ace decided that would be a good time to pull his shirt back and show us HIS scar, located along his collarbone. What made it even more ridiculous is how Paula was panting about it, telling him she'd like to know how he got that scar and he could tell her later. Eeeew! Paula - remember Corey Clark? Keep it in your pants, woman. For the record, Ace told us he was playing basketball outside and fell over a T-bar that was holding up a tree. Yeah, kind of lame. He is still my TV boyfriend. For at least one more week.

Taylor - Trouble

I had never heard this song before Tuesday night. In fact, I thought Taylor was singing the Pink song. Bummer, because that would have been a hell of a lot more interesting than what he actually sang. It was some slow jazzy number, and Taylor actually stayed behind the microphone for the entire performance. He did not twitch or attempt to "dance" once, for which I am certainly grateful. He dressed like the 29 year old he is (rather than the 45 year old he looks like) in a leather jacket, vintage t-shirt, and jeans. Then Simon had to go ahead and ruin it - he compared Taylor's style to Clay Aiken's. And the Claymates around the world started their protest. I actually heard that some refused to vote for Taylor because he kind of laughed after Simon and Ryan's banter. Well, I guess he's back to the suits next week. Heh, almost forgot about the performance. It was boring, but technically sound. I'm sure the "Soul Patrol" (which seriously is the worst fan group name since "Claymates") was all over it anyway.

Mandisa - Praise You

I hated her tonight. Her look was a mess - the hair was bad and she wore the most unflattering pair of jeans I've ever seen. I cringed at the spoken words at the beginning of the song, when she decided to tell me that no matter what my "lifestyle," God was bigger. Whatever honey, this ain't Gospel Idol. I certainly respect her right to believe whatever she wants, but I also think that right extends to me. And I hate being "preached" at. To make matters even worse, she sounded terrible. I used to really like Mandisa, but after this week I am done with her. We are over, girlfriend. Sorry.

Chris - What If

Another week, another performance exactly like the last one. It was a bit harder rock than what AI is used to, not to mention that although Creed used to be hugely popular, now they are a huge joke. Scott Stapp is an incredible tool and I hate him. Is it bad that between he and Kid Rock and their sex tape scandal, I think Kid Rock comes out looking like the good guy? Not to mention that hours after he got married, Scott decided to get wasted and arrested on his way to his honeymoon. She must have married him for his money because seriously, there is nothing else. Oops, this is about Chris right, not my hatred of all things Creed. Chris got the special light show again, and jerky "cool" editing complete with extreme up-the-nose close ups. He shouted "What If" about twenty times and then the song was over. Not even Simon liked it and I think Chris was pretty pissed. Get over it, you're not going anywhere for a while.

Kat - The Voice Within

Kat was also horrible tonight. She started the song all kinds of off key and although she sounded stronger on the chorus it wasn't enough. Simon gave her a positive review though, and I wanted to clean his ears out. Not even Christina can sing that song very well live, it is very challenging and Kat didn't meet the challenge. It wasn't even close. Fashion police alert: I used a full body shot of her this week to illustrate how awful she looked. Her hair and makeup were okay, but who told her to wear saucers on her ears? And the top, what the HELL was that? Did it come from a Ren Faire? Maybe a Star Trek convention? Then of course she completed the outfit with black jeans that were too small and stretched in a very icky way across her hips. Why can't she dress better, she is a beautiful girl! I would like to see her next week in a denim skirt (short or knee length, doesn't matter) and a fitted top in a dark jewel tone that shows off her impressive rack. Hair down and minimal jewelry. Sheesh - is that really too much to ask?

Bucky - Real Good Man

It was about time for some Tim McGraw on Idol! Bucky chose very wisely, as Tim is known for his hawtness and knack for recording great songs, not being an amazing vocalist. Bucky also looked very cute in a black cowboy hat, black Western style button up and boots. You couldn't really see his eyes through most of his performance, that's my only complaint. He did a passable version of the song, but after the suckfest that went before him it was almost great. Paula did tell Bucky that he needs to work on diction and I agree. It was a total highlight of the judges' critiques - I was surprised Paula even knew what that word "diction" meant! She didn't slur it or anything, she must not have had time to go to the pharmacy that day to pick up her "prescriptions."

Paris - Work it Out

What the hell? Watching 17 year old Paris sing this song was kind of gross. Like "Part Time Lover" gross. She may be 17 but looks and acts about 12. Her bumping and grinding was embarrassing, as was her new hairstyle. It was like a horses mane of many colors with a bouffant poofy thing in the front. She also had the unfortunate idea of wearing the huge round earrings, but Paris took it one step further and added a "Mr. T" level of gold chains. She also mixed a pink jacket with a yellow tank top, which I just cannot agree with. Paris' vocals were good, probably the best of the night thus far. Randy said it was a "hot one" but Simon thought she was like a little girl pretending to be Beyonce. Need I say I agree with Simon?

Elliott - I Don't Wanna Be

I must say that when I heard Elliott would be performing this song, I didn't think it would be any good. Then I also heard he got the "pimp spot" and changed my mind. This song was perfect for Bo last year, so perfect that it was like he wrote it himself. I still remember the green hippie tunic, sunglasses, and "who gives a crap" attitude with great fondness. Anyway, Elliott decided to put a soul/hip hop spin on the song and it was pretty good. He was dressed like a homeless guy though, which was bad. He looked like a very small Jewish Eminem. The one thing I really enjoyed about his performance was that he really seemed to be having fun. So many of the contestants (I'm looking at you, sweet Ace) just seemed terrified up there. Elliott went all out and didn't care if he bombed, he just gave it everything he had. I love that about him. He also has one of the best voices in the competition, combined unfortunately with one of the most unattractive looks.

My Top 3 for tonight:
- Ace
- Elliott
- Bucky

Since I already know who went home, I won't bother with a prediction. But I'll just say that I was right, along with the rest of the AI viewing audience, no matter how "shocking" Nigel said the elimination would be.

AI Results Show - Top 11

2006-04-07T20:36:00.000-04:00

Original Airdate: March 22, 2006

Goodbye to Chicken Little! In a surprise boot, Kevin Covais is the second finalist eliminated on American Idol. All I have to say is, thank goodness. If I go to the tour, that is one person I would not have wanted to hear. Whew! I'm not sure he was the most deserving to go last night though, both Bucky and Lisa had weaker performances. Unless something truly shocking happens, those two will be the next to leave. At least they'll be able to make some money on the tour though, which is more than Kevin can say. But hey, he's only 16. He's got lots of time to do whatever he wants to with his life. And I bet his appearance on AI will turn him into a real catch for the high school girlies.

What else happened on this show? Barry Manilow performed "Love is a Many Splendored Thing." I can't say too much about the performance, as I changed the channel right after he started. This week's Ford commercial looked like an Old Navy ripoff. The contstants were on a beach, bopping around and burying Kevin in the sand. The song choice - "We Got the Beat." My one complaint - they're at a beach, why couldn't Ace have gone shirtless?

Next week's theme: "21st Century." Wow, that's pretty generic. Hopefully most of the contestants will pick some good songs and the show will be as entertaining as it was this past Tuesday. Maybe I'll throw up some song recommendations this weekend.

Diamond - out!

AI Top 11 - 50's Night

2006-04-07T20:31:00.000-04:00

American Idol - Top 11 Performances
Original Airdate: March 21, 2006

This week's theme was "The 50's." Not the most exciting choice, but compared with "Barry Manilow" night it's a gem. I still have nightmares of the Manilow night from Season 3. Most of Barry's music makes me want to poke out my eardrums with a knitting needle but I've gotta admit that he was really great with the Idol contestants. I've got a lot of respect for him, because I think he actually worked with them and with one or two exceptions, all showed a marked improvement over last week's performances. Anyway, on to the show:

Mandisa - I Don't Hurt Anymore

First things first, she looked really good (if a bit too "Oprah"). Her hair was cute all curly and the makeup was very nice. I'm usually not a fan of nude lipstick but it totally worked on Mandisa. The black dress would have been better if it didn't have the huge arm cutouts. Yikes. Her performance was fun and sexy, she really worked the cameras and the audience. There was some mention of strippers by Simon, but I chose to just pretend that never happened. She's going to be a very tough act to follow. Although I really (really) didn't need to see that much of her yellow tongue. Gross.

Bucky - Oh Boy

Appropriate song title for this performance. It was a mess. The vocals were very dull, the Bucky squat was out in full force, and he did this weird microphone toss about every three seconds. Very distracting! Good news - his hair didn't look like Jessica Simpson's. Bad news - his hair also didn't look like it had been washed in the past week. Simon ripped this one apart, and he was right. It was completely flat and boring compared to Mandisa's. I do feel for the guy, he seems sweet and very genuine (as opposed to other southerners we will get to later).

Paris - Fever

I gotta give the girl props for dressing for the time period. The yellow halter dress looked very nice and age appropriate. However, I've hated flowers in the hair ever since a certain Hawaiian contestant screeched her way to third place a couple of seasons ago. It is still so strange to hear the disparity between Paris' speaking and singing voices. The performance was pretty good, it started off too low key for my liking but built up nicely. I haven't liked her for the past few weeks, but she was a'ight (tm Randy) this evening.

Chris - I Walk the Line

I have a lot to say about Chris tonight. But before I start my rant, I will just say that his performance was excellent. He is a compelling vocalist and his stage presence has improved dramatically since the semifinal rounds. Great song choice, Johnny Cash is in the forefront of everyone's minds recently because of the Oscar-winning movie. (Sidenote: Great flick, one of my faves this year. Rent it, you won't be disappointed.) I think he's good looking in a very average bar band kind of way, but his bald head definitely makes him stand out. Judging by the screams from the audience and the special light show during the performance, both the public and the producers love him.

Now, on to the rant. I know it wasn't explicitly stated that Chris re-arranged the song himself but it was definitely implied. I had no idea his version was a cover of a cover (Live did "I Walk the Line" for a 2004 Greatest Hits album). I would imagine most of America didn't either, judging by general internet comments and media mentions. This was the second week Chris has gotten praise for being "original" when he was the complete opposite. I don't blame Chris, but he's definitely getting special treatment from both TPTB and the judges. I would also like to see him try a song that's not "rockified." However, since Simon gave him a positive comment about not compromising, I'm sure Chris will keep on finding rock covers for all the themes through the competition. He's in this to the end I think.

Katharine - Come Rain or Come Shine

Well, Kat definitely gets the "Worst Dressed Award" so far this season. She didn't look pregnant this week though, so that's a bit of an improvement. However, the purple drop waisted dress she wore tonight wasn't good either. She is a very beautiful girl, with a nice healthy body size, but that dress made her hips look a mile wide. Next week I recommend jeans and a fun (non empire wasted) cami or tank top. Talk to your best friend Kellie Pickler about this, she's got the tank top look down. I didn't love her performance, although I think I may be the only one. I just haven't connected with her yet. She's trying to get me though, I can tell. Give it a couple weeks and check back with me - maybe by then I'll have caught the "McPheever." Seems like Simon got it tonight, he called her a "star." Little early to be hauling that one out, old chap.

Taylor - Not Fade Away

What can I say? His performance was so spastic and twitchy that the only time he stood still long enough for me to get a decent screencap is after he was finished. Vocally, it was underwhelming. And I even started to like him after his take on "Livin' in the City" last week. Oh, well, I guess I'm back to hating him. Darn. The outfit was outrageously awful. A light blue shiny suit with white shoes? I don't think anyone but the pimps dressed like that in the 50's. Did they have pimps in the 50's? If they did, I bet it was hard out there.

Lisa - Why Do Fools Fall in Love

Another week, another robotic performance from little miss pageant princess. It was my impression that this song was supposed to be fun, not a snooze-fest. She is not long for this competition, I am afraid. Maybe the Lion King will take her back. Even better, if there's ever a stage musical for Star Trek, she is SO in. Her eyebrows just scream "Live Long and Prosper." Not big on the bright red hooker heels with shorts either.

Kevin - When I Fall in Love

I want to start off by saying I am not a fan of this kid. I think Gedeon and Will both got totally screwed by his "Chicken Little" famewhoring. However, this was far from Kevin's worst performance. That would have to be "Part Time Lover," I still shudder when I think about that kid singing about sleeping around and doing that "dancing." The lisp was still very noticable though, maybe if he got some good speech therapy they could get rid of that and maybe when he grows up he'll have a real chance at becoming a singer.

Elliott - Teach Me Tonight

Oh looky, Elliott came dressed up for his song. He looked just like my old science teacher. His hair's started to look a bit better grown out but I'm still not sure what's going on with the facial hair. Is that a beard? A goatee? A little of both? Anyway, to the singing. I've heard a lot of people say Elliott's the best technical singer of all the guys, and I kind of agree. His performance of "Moody's Mood for Love" in the semis was fantastic, and I'm saying that as someone who has never heard that song before. "Teach Me Tonight" was a bit underwhelming, the guy looked really nervous and his gestures were very forced and jerky. If he doesn't improve his performance skills, he doesn't have a chance of winning.

Kellie - Walkin' After Midnight

Okay, after I saw her intro clip, I fell a little bit in love with Barry Manilow. Yes, I know, it sort of squicks me out too. But when he was going on about how he'd never heard Patsy Cline's song I just started laughing. Someone with Barry's musical background and long history in the business would definitely know all about Ms. Cline. He's snarkin' on Kellie, and I'm lovin' it. The girl deserves it - I mean seriously, a mink? Tonight, Kellie looks like a clown. Her makeup artist obviously set the application gun to "whore." Not a good look for the Pickle. On to the performance. Instead of taking Barry's advice and connecting with the meaning of the song, Kellie decided to belt it out and be all vampy and sexy. She's winking at the camera and strutting around the stage like she's fishing for dollars. However, the judges loved it and America obviously loves her Jessica Simpson dumb blonde act so there it is. I have to say her vocals weren't too bad, much better than I expected them to be and a 100% improvement over last week's atrocity.

Ace - In the Still of the Night

Disclaimer: I am totally in love with the Pretty. It doesn't really matter how he sings, as long as he looks good doing it. That said, even I had to admit that last week's song was no good. He was lucky he's so hot because that was the only thing that saved him from the boot. Time to step it up, lover! I think he was successful tonight, maybe not shockingly so, but it was a good comeback effort. Ace also showed a bit of musicality by rearranging the song into an "urban jazzy" number. Barry was a little hesitant at first, but definitely came around. To tell you the truth, I think he was also blinded by the Pretty. The camera work was very nice, lots of close ups and the spinning move at the end was pretty cool. I loved the little girl that gave his intro, that seven year old already has good taste in men. Her mom must be so proud! I do wish he'd retire the falsetto, even that little bit at the end was almost too much.

I'd also like to see him dress in something other than jeans (well, actually I'd rather see him dressed in nothing at all but that's neither here nor there). I also see that he added some good luck sunglasses to his front jeans pocket to go along with the beanie in the back pocket. Yes, I obviously spend too much time looking at his crotchal region. Did I mention I love him? Well, I totally do. I feel like a 12 year old squealing fan girl when he's on TV. And I'm pretty sure I like it.

Well, that's it. We're all done for tonight - finally! My top performances were from Mandisa, Chris, and Ace. That would probably be my dream Top 3 as well. Probably won't happen, but that's my wish :)

Lost - "The Whole Truth"

2006-04-07T20:29:00.000-04:00

Lost - "The Whole Truth"
Original Airdate: March 22, 2006

So, this week's flashback features my favorite Island couple, Sun and Jin. It turns out that they were trying to have a baby for over a year and finally met with a fertility expert for some advice. When the doctor told them Sun couldn't ever have children, Jin flipped. He accused Sun of knowing about this and not telling him before they were married. We also finally find out where Sun learned to speak such good English - from the bald hotel owner's son who ran off to America. It seems like they are attracted to each other, and Sun is pretty miserable with Jin. The audience never finds out for sure if she has an affair with him or not, but I don't think she did. Final scene of the flashback is the fertility doctor stopping Sun on the street and telling her that it was really Jin who was sterile, not her. The doc just didn't want an angry Korean mob boss burning down his office after being told he wasn't a "real" man. In other news, the adorable shar pei puppy Jin gave to Sun as a gift is now all grown up and still adorable.

Are these two hot or what? Can you imagine the beautiful babies?

Back to the island. Jin's starting to act like a overbearing jerk to Sun once again. He won't let her work in the garden alone, and rips it up in a big old hissyfit after she tells him she won't go back with him. Sun walks back to the beach alone and starts to feel a bit funny. The logical next step - she goes and asks Sawyer for a pregnancy test. Sawyer's reading "Are you there God, it's me Margaret," a Judy Blume classic. His complaint - the book doesn't have enough sex! Sidenote: who brings a pregnancy test on an airplane?

Sawyer eventually hands over the EPT and Sun runs off to the woods to pee on the stick. Before she can get down to business, Hurley comes out of the jungle with a half eaten candy bar. The two are both so worried about being busted by the other that what's really going on (Hurley's hoarding food, Sun may be knocked up) doesn't even register. Sun hooks up with Kate and they wait the longest two minutes of Sun's life for the results. Double pink lines, baby! Sun's gonna be a momma. But she doesn't really want Jin to know. Good call, hiding yet another major secret (like the whole speaking English thing) from your husband.

Meanwhile, in the "B" story, Locke asks Ana Lucia to help interrogate Henry Gale. She agrees, and Locke decides to tell Jack when he's just stepped out of the shower. Naked. Drool. Sorry, where was I? Anyway, Jack's not too happy Locke let Ana into the lockup without telling him about it but it's a little too late for a tantrum. These two are just in one big pissing contest aren't they? Ana manages to be nice to Henry and even gets him to draw a map to the balloon.

The Map. Too bad they don't have Internet access on the island - Google Maps are the best! True dat, double true!

Ana doesn't show the map to either Jack or Locke, instead recruiting Sayid and his new henchman Charlie. The three of them go tromping off through the jungle to find the balloon, and vow to seriously mess Henry up if he's lying. As they're walking, Ana notices Charlie's got a gun stashed down his pants. Which enables Charlie to utter the best line of the show, "Are you looking at my bum?" Love snarky Charlie. He pulls the gun out, waves it in front of Ana for a few seconds, then hands it to Sayid. Oooh, burn! They make it to the balloon spot Henry indicated on the map and find nothing. But before they break out the torches and pitchforks, Ana wants them to look a little more carefully. So they do. But we don't find out anything more about this until the next episode. Hopefully.

Here it is: "Are you looking at my bum?" Classic!

In the hatch, Jack decides to get back at Locke by letting Henry out of his cell. Jack offers him some Dharma-O's for breakfast, and as Henry's stuffing his face with cereal he manages to ask a lot of good questions. Like, how old is the food? What is really up with the hatch? And the one guaranteed to make the guys mad - what did Ana Lucia do with the map? Henry then starts his manipulation after he finds out Ana didn't tell them about the map. He says that IF he was an Other, he'd have made it a trap and when the Losties got to the "X" there would be an ambush waiting for them. That Henry is a pretty creepy guy. My vote - he's an Other. But who knows, he could just be a little crazy like Danielle. I just hope we find out before the end of the season!

So, does Sun decide to tell Jin she's having a baby? Well, of course she does. Sun finds her hubby in her garden, replanting it. He tells her he needs her and that he loves her. Awww, he's back to nice Jin. So she tells him that she's pregnant. Sun doesn't stop there, she also tells Jin that he is the one unable to have children but that she's always been faithful to him. Jin believes her and calls it a miracle. If it weren't for Locke's ability to use his legs once he got on the island, I would say she was lying. But it seems that this island can in fact produce miracles.

Sun: "Good thing Jin's buying this Miracle baby stuff. I knew that threeway with Jack and Sawyer was a bad idea."

Next week looks like a good one. In the previews, they showed the blast doors coming down in the hatch.

Thanks to www.lost-media.com for the screencaps!