TV – Page 9 – Pop Culture Nerd

American Idol Season 8 — Top 5 Revealed

Lil Rounds and Anoop are gone. I’d predicted Lil and Matt and I still think that’s how it should’ve gone. When Anoop did his encore of Donna Summer’s “Dim All the Lights,” he sounded even better than last night, looser and more in control at the same time. The judges wasted their save last week on Matt. It should’ve been spent on Anoop this week.

Highlights included appearances by disco stars Freda Payne, Thelma Houston and KC with skanky dancers instead of his Sunshine Band. It was all a little rough to watch. And I’m saying this as someone who really likes disco music and once paid to see KC live.

KC and the divas could’ve benefited from Paula’s choreography skills, which she unleashed on the contestants for the first time, making them look semi-coordinated and hip in their group number instead of awkward and flat-footed. Some took to the dance steps better than others but overall, Paula taught those kids well and reminded us how she first came to fame.

What’d you think of the group number? Did you agree with tonight’s castoffs?

9 Comments

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 — Contestants Work Hard for the Money on Disco Night

There were some nice surprises tonight but waaayy too much Donna Summer. I get it, she’s the queen of disco but the way I remember it (yes, I was alive in the ’70s), there were lots of fun disco songs sung by many different artists. Why no love for KC & the Sunshine Band? Couldn’t get clearance for ABBA?

Lil went first and I was glad because we got the bad stuff out of the way. She sang Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” and just couldn’t seem to get a firm grasp on it. Her performances seem to get more panicky every week as she gets more confused about what her stage persona should be. She tried to pump up the crowd, flinging her notes all over the place, and ended up giving a wild performance but not in a good way. Kara said it best when she said Lil seems to be every woman but herself. Lil responded by saying how much fun she had but that’s no excuse for detonating a huge stink bomb on stage.

Kris went next and, whoo! He surprised me again by continuing to make the most original song choices in the competition. Following last week’s “Falling Slowly,” which had never been done on Idol before, Kris took Donna Summer’s “She Works Hard for the Money” and poured some salsa on it. And it worked! He completely reinvented the song, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, stripping the song of its disco feel and giving it a mild Latin flavor instead. This kid has chutzpah and I like him.

Danny followed with Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September” and gave another solid, if unexceptional, performance. He was on key, even on the higher notes, and his gravelly voice added the right amount of soul. He also kept his chicken dancing under control, which was good.

Allison sang another Donna Summer song, “Hot Stuff,” which neatly labeled her own performance. This teen really is hot stuff when she’s on stage. Such control and power! The judges seem so sure Adam and Danny are going to be in the finals but Allison deserves a spot, too.

Then it’s Adam’s turn. Seeing him in the suit got my hopes up since the last time he wore one, he struck gold with his aching version of “Tracks of My Tears.” He announced he would sing Yvonne Elliman’s “If I Can’t Have You,” which I like (I’ll admit it—I like most of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack). But I got confused when the music started slowly and then I realized he was turning it into a ballad! I prefer Adam to slow things down because he’s less shrieky that way but I didn’t want him to slow down this song because I like it uptempo! His vocals were impressive but tonight he reminded me of Sam Harris, the first Star Search winner in the singing competition. Harris was also a very talented singer with the ability to effortlessly hit high notes but ended up doing a lot of musical theater and never made it big as a recording artist. I’m afraid Adam’s headed in the same direction.

Matt followed with “Stayin’ Alive,” and, like Allison, his song title described his own performance. This was better than last week’s but it came across like a desperate attempt to stay alive in this competition. He was trying to bring disco back like JT brought sexy back. Unfortunately, it wasn’t great and I’d put money on him going home tomorrow.

Anoop closed out the show with the third Summer song of the evening, “Dim All the Lights.” It started out slowly and I thought, “A ha! He didn’t take the disco bait and is keeping it sloooow!” The song then picked up the pace a bit but stayed in Anoop’s comfort zone, veering nowhere near the scary “Beat It” territory of a few weeks back. He was in tune but overall, the performance was very safe and didn’t give me any chills, which I seriously needed in this sweltering L.A. heat.

So, best for me tonight were Kris and Allison. Who’d you vote for? Did you think Kris and Adam succeeded in reinventing their disco selections? Who’s going home tomorrow? Discuss below!

9 Comments

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 — Bloodless Tarantino Night

You’d think that in the presence of mentor Quentin Tarantino, the remaining 7 contestants would kill some of the songs on movie-theme night. Didn’t happen. Most of them just ended up torturing me with overwrought performances that made me almost want to cut off my own ears.

Allison Iraheta sang that ghastly Aerosmith ballad, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from Armageddon. Truth is, I wouldn’t miss it if I never heard it again in my life. Why do we have to be subjected to this song every season when nobody has ever been able to sing it well? Even when it’s done by Steven Tyler, I still hate that sappy, crappy ballad. I really like Allison’s raspy voice but I think the song was too low for her. She spent too much time in her lower registers and missed quite a few notes. I’m still rooting for her but this wasn’t one of her best.

Next, Anoop covered Bryan Adams’s “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. I used to love the uptempo Anoop until his “Beat It” and “Caught Up” fiascos so it’s perhaps best he sticks to slow songs. This is another treacly ballad but he was in tune and was able to impressively sustain some high notes.

Then Adam Lambert did “Born to be Wild” from Easy Rider. Tarantino thought Adam’s a rock star? Maybe for a Duran Duran cover band. He sounded like Grace Slick and the epilepsy-inducing flashing lights were too much but after two slow songs, Adam did inject a bolt of electricity into the show.

Matt Giraud took on another Bryan Adams song, “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” from Don Juan DeMarco. Now, I do like this song; it’s got a really pretty melody. But Matt went and messed it all up by changing keys, riffing all over the place and wobbling on a bunch of notes. That poor guy. I wish he’d find where his groove is and stay there.

Danny Gokey sang “Endless Love.” It was just a solid, straightforward performance, no goosebumps here. I didn’t think it was fair, though, of Simon to compare him to David Cook’s performance of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” last year. The comparison would make sense if Gokey and Cook both sang the same song but they sang different tunes.

Kris Allen brought the boldest choice of the night—the lilting, Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly” from Once. I was so excited he picked it because I love that song. But then he smiled through the beginning bars and I knew it wasn’t gonna be great. Pitch-wise, he was decent but his voice lacked the beautiful ache Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova had which made the song so memorable.

Lil Rounds closed out the evening with “The Rose.” She made the same mistake Matt did—taking a song with a simple, beautiful melody and trying to do too much with it. It takes guts to sing a song with such sparse accompaniment because the focus is going to be on your voice. But Lil didn’t seem to trust her instrument because she turned the song into a pseudo-gospel hymn and inserted too many runs, ruining its stark beauty. It’s too bad because she can really sing; she just needs to strip off everything (including the wigs and glitter makeup) and put her voice front and center.

No one inspired my vote tonight. What about you? What’d you think of Tarantino as mentor? Leave me a comment!

8 Comments

More Stuff to Watch on Crowded Thursday Nights

I came home just in time to check out two midseason series’ premieres last night, NBC’s Amy Poehler-starrer Parks and Recreation and CBS’s heavily promoted Harper’s Island. Parks has potential, with Poehler being reliably funny as Leslie Knope, the deputy director of the Parks & Recreation Department in Pawnee, Indiana. She’s supported by a capable cast which includes Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, and Nick Offerman. My fave is Ansari, who plays Tom, a department member. I’ve enjoyed his work since his guest stint as the racist (only towards New Zealeanders) fruit vendor in Flight of the Conchords. This guy is so funny and out there; you never know what crazy stuff is gonna come out of his mouth.

Yes, this show is very similar in The Office in style and execution but since Office hasn’t been very funny this season, you might want to check out Parks, or at least the website that was created about Pawnee.

My favorite lines from the show:

“The problem is anything over twenty-five dollars, I have to report. So, um, maybe give my wife a call and give her the suits. And if they don’t fit her, maybe she’ll give them to me.”—Tom (Ansari) talking to someone on the phone.
“These people are members of the community that cares about where they live. What I hear when I’m being yelled at is people caring loudly at me.”—Leslie after a community-outreach meeting.
“Recently, I led a city-wide drive to disinfect the sandbox sand after we had those problems with the cats.” —Leslie proudly discussing some of her recent accomplishments.
“Tom and I…are both outsiders. I’m a woman; he’s a…oh, I think he’s a Libyan.”—Leslie about how well she and Tom work together.

After Parks, I tuned in to Harper’s Island, an entirely different kind of show. If you haven’t heard, the 13-part mystery’s premise is kind of a scripted Survivor crossed with Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. The plot concerns a bunch of people coming to the fictional titular island for a wedding and each week one person gets murdered. You see, seven years ago, six people were killed on the island by a serial killer until the sheriff killed him. Or did he?

So far, there are too many people to keep track of and not many of them are compelling characters yet. There’s lots of ham-fisted, over-the-top, soap opera acting but I must admit, I was totally creeped out by this show. The murder methods were shocking (since this was the pilot, they bumped off two people—how generous!). I’m not a fan of scary movies—I like suspense, not gore; Hitchcock, not Tarantino—but the hour went by fast, I jumped a few times and will tune in again next week.

Nerd Verdicts: Parks has potential and just sit right back and watch the tale on Island

4 Comments

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 — Results for Top Downloads Night

Megan Joy‘s gone. She started out so strong but last night’s performance was messier than the trunk of my car. Based on that, she deserved to be voted off. Plus, she was extra goofy tonight, as if she really didn’t care anymore, and sobbed when she saw her baby boy in her highlights reel so I guess it’s a good thing she’s going home to him. She didn’t have to be so disrespectful of Simon, though, and he certainly didn’t have to sink to her level with that rude retort about how he wouldn’t even consider saving her.

I’m gonna keep this short because frankly, the show was duller than a bucket of dirt. David Cook’s performance wasn’t anything exciting; when he teared up at the presentation of his platinum record, that was more interesting. And I fast-forwarded through most of Lady Gaga because I didn’t know what the hump she was doing or wearing. Is she gunning for a part in a live-action Jetsons movie?

Next week, the contestants will be singing songs from the year they were born, which means they’ll all be ’80s tunes. I’m down with that! Well, as long as Adam doesn’t do Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax”!

Any particular song you’d like them to cover? Post in the comments!

3 Comments

BETTER OFF TED Better Than Some Sitcoms

Other than 30 Rock, I haven’t seen a good network comedy in a long time so I had no expectations when I tuned in for the pilot of ABC’s Better Off Ted, a new sitcom from Victor Fresco (Andy Richter Controls the Universe). It wasn’t genius but made me chuckle. Then I tuned in again last week and the second ep made me laugh out loud. The humor is definitely absurd and may not be for everyone but it worked for me.

The setting is at a corporation, Veridian Dynamics, that claims it can make anything, like turning a pumpkin into a weapon (by growing deadly mold on it) or beef without cows (by growing it in a lab). Jay Harrington stars as Ted, a research & development executive, and Portia de Rossi is his hilariously pompous boss. The strong supporting cast includes Andrea Anders (Joey) as a sweet but slightly nutty co-worker and Jonathan Slavin & Malcolm Barrett as a pair of bickering scientists.

Samples of funny lines from the first two episodes:

“Developing the next generation of food and food-like products…chickens that lay 16 eggs a day, which is a lot for a chicken. Organic vegetables chock full of antidepressants. At Veridian Dynamics, we can even make radishes so spicy that people can’t eat them. But we’re not—because people can’t eat them.” —narration for a Veridian promo video
“Julie in Employee Services asked for my autograph. That’s right, Julie with those breasts in the front!”—Phil (Slavin) bragging to Lem (Barrett) about how he’s more popular at the company
“They originally suggested Lem, but freeze the black guy? They’re not stupid.”— Veronica (de Rossi) to Ted about the decision to cryogenically freeze Phil just to see if they can
“My mother once killed a bat with a People magazine.”— Lem about how tough his mama is
“The food division just told me that the Extra Fun Mac & Cheese…causes blindness if eaten more than twice a week.”—Veronica to Ted about the failure of one of their products

If you find any of this funny, check out the show tonight (Wednesday) at 8:30 p.m. on ABC and let me know your thoughts. You can also see the first two eps on ABC.com.

12 Comments

Warner Bros. Wants to Customize Your DVDs

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. is introducing a novel way for you to get your hands on movies previously unavailable on DVDs. Just go to WarnerArchive.com, look through their library, purchase a film for $19.95 and they’ll burn and ship the DVD to you in about 5 days.

I browsed through some of the titles and didn’t see anything I was dying to buy but this idea got me thinking. What if all the studios opened their vaults like this and gave consumers access to not only unreleased movies but TV shows, too? Is there anything I’d want?

Hell, yeah. First titles that came to mind were The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man complete series. I know that’s nerdy but I grew up addicted to those shows and I idolized the supercool, kickass Lindsay Wagner. The holdup is some complicated copyright issue (Universal owns the series but the shows were based on a book called Cyborg, which Universal doesn’t own) but man, if the studio ever gives me access to this, I’d dash off an order so fast and even splurge for overnight shipping.

I’d probably also order Song of the South from Disney. I loved Uncle Remus zip-a-dee-do-dahing along with a blue bird on his shoulder and I hate that I haven’t been able to see it again in my adult years.

Does this idea of customized DVDs sound interesting to you? What rare or obscure title would you order if you suddenly had access to any movie/TV show you wanted? Let me know in the comments section!

11 Comments

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 — First 2 Finalists Cut

Kelly Clarkson was back in the house! She rocked it hard! Usually when previous contestants come on, they put me to sleep so fast I wonder if I have narcolepsy. But Kelly belted out “My Life Would Suck Without You” with such awesomeness, I shuddered thinking about how Justin Guarini almost wrested the Idol crown from her. Our lives would suck if she’d never been allowed to unleash her power on us.

OK, on to the business of eliminating people. Ryan revealed the new rule called the Judges’ Save, which can only be used once to save one person from elimination if they think America got it wrong that week. The choice has to be unanimous and can only be done up until the top 5 round.

It was obvious the judges would save their Save and not use it tonight. They wouldn’t just neuter themselves by giving away their new veto power so soon. So Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez were out of luck, though each sang their hearts out as if they even had a chance of convincing the judges to overrule America’s decision. I completely agree with Jasmine going home, but not sure it was Jorge’s time. C’mon, Michael and Scott were way more boring than the Latin crooner.

Speaking of boring, next week is “Opry Week.” Translation: country music. My right eye is starting to twitch just thinking about Scott doing “BBQ Stain” or some mess like that.

Did you agree with the public vote? Should the judges have saved Jasmine or Jorge? Comment away!

11 Comments

Rupert Penry-Jones Coming to America!

When I heard a couple years ago that Rupert Penry-Jones was leaving the superb British series MI-5 aka Spooks (Netflix it immediately if you’ve never seen it), I was crushed. I adored RPJ as the dashing yet troubled Adam Carter and wondered how they’d do without him. Admittedly, I wondered the same thing when Matthew Macfadyen abandoned ship and RPJ took over and did just fine, if not better. In an early interview not long after starting work on the series, RPJ had said he was grateful to be there and had no plans to go anywhere. So when I heard he was quitting, I thought, “Why?! Don’t be a David Caruso!”

Turns out he had a good reason. According to the Hollywood Reporter, RPJ is coming to America to work for Jerry Bruckheimer! Whoo! He’ll play a former cop leading a bunch of amateur detectives in an ABC pilot. Sounds like he’ll get to do some of the action stuff he was very good at on MI-5 and I’d imagine the pilot has a good chance of getting picked up since hit-machine Bruckheimer is behind it. (For an update on the show, click here.)

While RPJ was on MI-5, I always had to wait two frakkin’ long years after the episodes aired in England before the DVDs became available here. The thought of possibly being able to see him on the tube every week is quite exciting for me. And he’ll join my other favorite guys on TV right now, all of whom just happen to be from overseas: Hugh Laurie (House), Damian Lewis (Life), Simon Baker (The Mentalist), Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy), Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords).

Who’s your favorite foreigner on TV right now? Vote in the poll below!

8 Comments

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 — Top 13 Compete

I went into Michael Jackson-theme night with high hopes because whatever you may think of him as a person, the guy’s had tons of good catchy hit songs. But does that mean the contestants chose those good songs? No. Some of them chose such dreary, obscure ones that I was sure Barry Manilow wrote Scott MacIntyre’s selection, “Keep the Faith.” But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s break it down.

Lil Rounds, aka Loud Rounds, started the night with “The Way You Make Me Feel.” I like the energy and the song but every note was sung exactly the same way—loudly. The way she made me feel was to turn down the volume. It’s too much of a good thing. The girl’s got pipes for sure but some moderation and variety would be nice.
Scott MacIntyre accompanied himself on piano while singing “Keep the Faith.” Which? Yeah, I didn’t know it, either. That’s because it was never released as a single and there’s good reason—it’s utterly forgettable. If you offered me a new Buick to hum it right now, I couldn’t. It’s awesome how well Scott can play piano and overcome his visual impairment but I realized tonight that every performance will probably be exactly the same because it’s not as if he could do an uptempo song and dance around. He could still have a career as an Elton John-type of artist but he’s not the kind of “package” performer the producers are looking for.
Danny Gokey. Ooh, I was scared when he did those slow runs at the start of “P.Y.T.” I thought, “Please, no, don’t put me to sleep.” But then he ripped the mike off the stand and funked it up! He sang the crap out of that song! The dance moves made him look like a spastic chicken but I didn’t mind because he looked like he was having buckets o’ fun.
Michael Sarver went next, showing his sensitive side with “You Are Not Alone.” Well, I can’t be alone in thinking the performance was completely vanilla, right? He’s got a solid voice and seems like a stand-up guy (reminded me of Josh Gracin from season 2) but has no star quality.
Jasmine Murray. That girl sure is pretty and her sisters are gorgeous, too, but her cover of “I’ll Be There” was safe and unspectacular. I was just thinking how she came off a little Stepford-ish when Simon said, “You’re a little robotic” and I freaked. Simon’s inside my head! Jasmine needs to show me more of her personality before I can get more excited about her.
Kris Allen. I like this kid with his guitar! Makes him so much more interesting to watch. “Remember the Time” is not the most riveting song but he made it more fun by John Mayering it up.
Allison Iraheta, doing another obscure song, “Give In to Me.” She’s got such a great, gravelly voice, though, that she managed to rock it out. That little girl’s a powerhouse! But she’s got to stop making those goofy, awkward faces while listening to the judges’ feedback. Put on a game face and own it, girl!
Anoop Desai, bravely taking on “Beat It.” I was excited when he announced this song choice but oops, what happened? The vocals weren’t great. That song needs a whole lotta ‘tude and Anoop didn’t quite bring it. I dig the makeover, though, and still want him around for next week.
Jorge Nunez sang “Never Can Say Good-bye” in a cheesy, ’70s-style arrangement. But his vocals are consistently passionate and if you close your eyes, he sounds just like Marc Anthony in places. My favorite comment of the night came when Jorge said he wasn’t going to sing “Bad” and Simon retorted, “You sort of did.” Ha!
Megan Joy Corkrey. She sang “Rockin’ Robin,” which is a really quirky choice but perfect for her persona. She’s so wacky and fun and retro and Duffy-ish with the funky dance moves and I love her. Not the best singer but my favorite entertainer. And her mom is stunning! No wonder Megan’s gorgeous.
The Hellmouth aka Adam Lambert tackling “Black or White” in a bombastic, seizure-inducing manner. He’s got an impressive falsetto but I can’t deal with his shrieky style. He’s never met a note he didn’t want to kill, and I don’t mean that in a cool, slangy way. Judges loved him. Even Simon betrayed me. Sadness.
Matt Giraud, playing the piano and singing “Human Nature.” It’s an underwhelming performance but the song is underwhelming. The guy is talented; I think it was just a matter of bad song choice here.
Alexis Grace. Her baby said, “Seacrest. Out” in the video package! Cutest. Thing. Ever. (The baby, not the catchphrase.) I thought Alexis shredded “Dirty Diana.” She was a little bit dirty and a lot hot mama as she slinked across that stage in her shorts jumper and high heels and confidently belted out the song. I was completely confused by why the judges thought she oversang it when they praised Adam Lambert for being over the top.

Random thought apropos of nothing: Did Paula have some kind of plastic surgery gone wrong? Her face looked different tonight, like a younger Joan Rivers on bronzer. Something was too sharp or too tight or something.

Anyway, I voted for Megan, Anoop, Danny and Alexis. I think bottom two will be Michael Sarver and Jasmine Murray.

Who’d you vote for? Who’s saying buh-bye tomorrow? Discuss!

6 Comments

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8's Top 13 Finalists!

Tonight’s wild card show went mercifully fast, with a lot of business wrapped up in an hour instead of stretched out to two. Eight wild card performers competed for the remaining three spots in the top 12 and after a commercial break, the judges, who obviously had their minds made up before the show, announced who should go through. They threw in a little twist by picking four people instead of three but I say “little” because there really wasn’t any chance they wouldn’t put Anoop through after all the superlatives they threw at his “My Prerogative” performance.

The other finalists selected tonight were Megan Corkrey (yay!), Matt Giraud and Jasmine Murray. Those are pretty good choices but I’m sad my girl Jesse Langseth didn’t make it. As usual, she was smoking hot (singing “Tell Me Something Good”), the performer with the most confidence and stage presence. Somebody needs to snap that girl up for a recording contract.

Which rejected wild card contestant did you think should’ve advanced to the next round? Vote below and see if others agree with you!

[polldaddy poll=1429873]

6 Comments

AMERICAN IDOL Season 8 — Group 3 Finalists & Wild Card Contestants Revealed!

Here’s what you want to know: Scott MacIntyre, Jorge Nunez and Lil Rounds were voted into the top 12 by the public. After that was settled, the judges picked 8 previously rejected contestants for the Wild Card round, which takes place tomorrow.

All my faves were given another chance—yay! I’m talking about Anoop, Megan Corkrey and Jesse Langseth. I was so psyched even the selection of Tatiana was only a minor damper (though my mouth did drop open and my chicken almost fell out). Gross, I know, but so’s having that girl forced upon us again.

I’m keeping this short so I can go do my finger-stretching exercises to prepare for some furious dialin’ action tomorrow night. ‘Noop, Meg and Jess have got to advance to the next round. They’re the most unique from this bunch so c’mon, America, don’t let them down again! If you vote Tatiana through, I will hunt you down!

9 Comments

Older Posts

Newer Posts