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March 2010
Sarah Palin, LL Cool J at odds over new Fox show
Does LL Cool J think Fox News is uncool? You betcha’!
The Associated Press is reporting that the rapper/actor has been dropped from a show he claims he never consented to participate in. The dispute centers around “Real American Stories,” an upcoming special hosted by former Alaskan governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
“Fox lifted an old interview I gave in 2008 to someone else & are misrepresenting to the public in order to promote Sarah Palins Show. WOW,” the article quotes a posting LL Cool J made via the social media service Twitter.
Fox responded with the following: ” ‘Real American Stories’ features uplifting tales about overcoming adversity and we believe Mr. Smith’s (the performer’s givent name is James Todd Smith) interview fits that criteria. However, as it appears that Mr. Smith does not want to be associated with a program that could serve as an inspiration to others, we are cutting his interview from the special and wish him the best with his fledgling acting career.”
Ouch. The “fledgling” actor currently appears on the hit CBS series “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
Read the whole story by clicking here.
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‘Modern Family’ and other Peabody winners announced
The 69th annual Peabody Awards, given out by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication for excellence in electronic media, were announced today. Winners included the freshman ABC comedy “Modern Family,” “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and Fox’s popular musical comedy, “Glee.”
In addition, honors were bestowed upon ABC, CBS and NPR documentaries as well as several HBO programs.
Here’s the complete list of TV-related awards from the organization’s press release:
Twentieth Century Fox Television in association with Levitan Lloyd Productions
This wily, witty comedy puts quirky, contemporary twists in family ties but maintains an old-fashioned heart.
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: An Evening with Archbishop Desmond Tutu (CBS)
Worldwide Pants, Inc.
As this fascinating, often funny interview attests, the Scottish-born Ferguson has made late-night television safe again for ideas.
Noodle Road: Connecting Asia’s Kitchens (KBS1 TV)
Korean Broadcasting System
The who, where, what, why and how of Asia’s culinary staple, rolled into one visually delicious hour.
A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains (ABC)
ABC News
A powerful documentary shot in the hollows and house trailers of Appalachia reminds us that not all critical problems lie in “developing” nations.
SesameStreet.org
Sesame Workshop
Big Bird and company display prodigious adaptability on this delightfully educational, interactive site.
BBC World News America: Unique Broadcast, Unique Perspective (BBC America)
BBC World News America, BBC America
A nightly newscast like none the United States has ever had, it places our actions and concerns in a global context.
The Cost of Dying (CBS)
CBS News 60 Minutes
Steve Kroft’s report addressed inconvenient truths about the cost of end-of-life medical care with courage and compassion.
Independent Lens: Between the Folds (PBS)
Green Fuse Films, ITVS
A beautiful documentary about the art of paper folding, it makes you gasp at the possibilities - of paper and of human creativity.
Glee (FOX)
Twentieth Century Fox Television
Dependably tuneful and entertaining, the musical dramedy that revolves around the motley members of a high-school choral club hit especially high notes with episodes such as “Wheels,” about the daily struggles of a wheelchair-bound singer.
The OxyContin Express (Current TV)
Vanguard on Current TV
With tales of drug-dealing MDs in Florida and Appalachian “pill-billies,” the documentary makes clear the enormity of the prescription-drug epidemic.
In Treatment (HBO)
Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions and Sheleg in association with HBO Entertainment
Giving new meaning to the phrase “theater of the mind,” this fictional series of psychiatrist-patient one-on-one’s is the very essence of drama.
Inventing LA: The Chandlers and Their Times (PBS)
Peter Jones Productions
Digging into the lives and machinations of the first family of Los Angeles newspapers, documentary filmmaker Peter Jones finds drama enough for several feature films.
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (HBO)
Mirage Enterprises and Cinechicks in association with The Weinstein Company, BBC and HBO Entertainment
Alexander McCall Smith’s best-selling novels about Precious Ramotswe, an African detective, come vividly to life in this groundbreaking series, shot on location in Botswana.
Sabotaging the System (CBS)
CBS News 60 Minutes
Alarming and then some, Steve Kroft’s survey of cyber-threats to America’s infrastructure made it clear the siege is on and questioned our readiness to defend.
Brick City (Sundance Channel)
Sundance Channel, Brick City TV LLC
In this five-hour documentary series, the struggles of Newark’s young mayor and other citizens trying to resurrect their blighted communities are sociologically instructive and dramatically compelling.
Thrilla in Manila (HBO)
Darlow Smithson Production, HBO Sports, HBO Documentary Films
Taking its title from the last of three legendary heavyweight bouts between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, the documentary pulls no punches and lays bare misconceptions about their rivalry.
FRONTLINE: The Madoff Affair (PBS)
FRONTLINE, RAINmedia
The documentary takes viewers into the very heart of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, explaining how and why it worked for so long.
I-Witness: Ambulansiyang de Paa (GMA Network)
GMA Network, Inc., Philippines
Condemning deplorable conditions while celebrating neighborly valor and ingenuity, the report shows how people in a poor village carry their sick and injured over dangerous terrain to distant medical care using “ambulances on foot.”
Independent Lens: The Order of Myths (PBS)
Folly River, Inc., Netpoint Productions, Lucky Hat Entertainment, ITVS
Margaret Brown’s exploration of two Mardi Gras traditions in Mobile, Ala., one white, one black, is highly original, moving and insightful.
Iran & the West
Brook Lapping Productions for the BBC in association with National Geographic Channel, France 3, NHK, VPRO, SVT, RTBF, VRT, NRK, SRC/CBC, DRTV SBS, YLE, TVP and Press TV
A spectacular, epic documentary that explains in fascinating, sometimes startling detail how the West and Iran arrived at the present standoff, it’s imminently watchable and historically invaluable.
Endgame (PBS)
Daybreak/Channel 4/Target Entertainment, Presented on PBS/MASTERPIECE by WGBH Boston
This intensely dramatic film, focused on secret negotiations at an English country estate - talks that helped to end apartheid in South Africa - offers a lesson in the possibilities of peaceful conflict resolution.
Sichuan Earthquake: One Year On (Now-Broadband TV News Channel)
Now-TV News, Hong Kong
The Hong Kong-based news organization noted the anniversary of the terrible
Sichuan quake with respect for the victims and their families and hard questions about the substandard construction that worsened the death toll.
BART Shooting (KTVU-TV)
KTVU, Oakland, Calif.
KTVU’s quick response to a train-station altercation that ended in a fatal shooting gave its reporters an edge, but it was their persistent digging afterwards that revealed serious, systematic problems in the Bay Area Rapid Transit police’s tactics.
American Masters: Jerome Robbins - Something to Dance About (PBS)
Thirteen/WNET
A retrospective of Robbins’ life and work illustrated with dazzling performance clips and annotated with comments from noted ballet and Broadway colleagues, this brilliant documentary captured the legendary director/choreographer’s “dark genius.”
Chronicle: Paul’s Gift (WYFF-TV)
WYFF 4, Greenville, S.C.
Simple, ingenious and effective, this public-service special followed the donated organs of an accident victim to a variety of recipients, showing their joy and gratitude, thus boosting a most worthy cause.
Under Fire: Discrimination and Corruption in the Texas National Guard (KHOU-TV)
KHOU-TV, Houston, Tex., Belo, Inc.
Dogged work by the Houston station’s investigative reporters found such blatant discriminatory treatment of female soldiers that three top Texas Guard generals were fired and a new commanding officer was appointed.
Derrion Albert Beating (WFLD-TV)
FOX Chicago News: WFLD-TV and myfoxchicago.com
WFLD got national attention with horrifying video it obtained of the beating death of an honor student just blocks from his Chicago high school, but the greater feat was its comprehensive follow-up coverage of the suspects, the legal process and prevalence of similar violence.
Where Giving Life Is a Death Sentence (BBC America)
BBC World News America, BBC America, BBC World News
Correspondent Lyse Doucet trekked deep into Afghanistan’s rugged Badakshan province to document conditions that give it the worst recorded rate of maternal mortality in the world.
Up in Smoke (KCET-TV)
KCET, Los Angeles
Lively, eye-opening coverage by KCET’s “SoCal Connected” included a revelation that there are now more legal, medical-marijuana dispensaries in the city than Starbucks franchises, and a rare look at the “Cannabis Cowboys,” an elite police team of pot-farm eradicators.
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‘American Idol’ week six: Top 10
How’d y’all like Usher as a celebrity mentor? I’m not a fan, but I thought he helped the “Idol” hopefuls where they need help most: presentation. The artist clearly knows how to sell a product, and that’s really where we’re at in this stage of the competition. So, yeah, he was kind of a tool for wearing his shades indoors, but he made contestant Tim Urban really uncomfortable by suggesting that Tim sing to him as if Usher were the object of his affection, so you’ve got to give him kudos for that.
I wasn’t sure Soul/R&B week was going to be kind to the “idol” kids, but they generally did better than I expected them to. Granted, my expectations this season couldn’t be much lower. Here’s the roundup:
Siobhan Magnus, ”Through the Fire”
Ouch. Chaka Khan’s screecher was a rare misstep for the quirky glassblower, but a pretty big one. You’ve got to figure that Siobhan did much better in rehearsal and that her nerves got the best of her during the live performance. How else to explain the “Idol” producers sticking the worst performance from the most exciting contestant of the season into the opening slot? Siobhan’s better than many of her competitors, but she didn’t show it Tuesday night. Another curse of going first now is that, with the show still 2-hours long, the judges and Seacrest really pad out the chatter with the first half of the contestant roster. That can be good if you do well, but brutal if you slip. And did they really need to show Siobhan, post-performance, choking back tears and rejecting consolation in the green room? Boo!
“I’m going to call it manslaughter,” Simon
Grade: D
Casey James, “Hold On, I’m Coming”
Casey delivered another competent, confident performance. He picked a good song and nailed it, but I’m kind of getting tired of that. When is Casey going to do something that challenges him? Casey’s like that really talented kid in your class who you just know is capable of so much but he just kind of coasts and goes along to get along, getting by on charm and the lowest level of talent he needs to display to get by. And on Ryan Seacrest’s most annoying night ever, this is where he really started to bother me: please, PLEASE stop trying to resurrect the manufactured and skeevy faux sexual tension between Casey and Kara. It’s NOT fun, Ryan, it’s creepy.
“It felt a little generic,” Ellen
Grade: C+
Michael Lynche, “Ready for Love”
Big Mike owned the stage with his ukulele. Oh, wait … that was a guitar, I guess. It just looked like a ukulele in Mike’s massive mitts. Another good song choice, another spot-on vocal performance. And Mike finally cut down on the cheese, resulting in a nearly genuine performance that almost seemed to convey some real emotion. A little boring for me, but Mike’s moving fractionally in the right direction.
“This is the first time since I’ve seen the live shows that I can take you seriously as an artist,” Simon
Grade: B-
Didi Benami, “What Becomes Of the Broken Hearted”
I thought this was a good song choice for Didi and I expected a much better performance. Didi really seems to be one of the contestants most negatively affected by the judges’ awful, inconsistent, contradictory, schizophrenic comments this season. The poor girl has one of the most unique, interesting and potentially beautiful voices in this year’s dull competition, but it is completely lost in all the drama Randy, Simon, Kara and Ellen have swirled around her. In any event, Didi’s performance wasn’t horrible, but it was really flat. And, at this stage of the competition, that’s kind of horrible. Seacrest was at his worst here, goading Didi to give up some private information about her song choice she wasn’t willing to share and clutching her wrist as if he were a cop dragging a perp to the squad car. Didn’t you feel her tugging to get free from your creepy grasp, Ryan? Stop trying to make the girl cry.
“It was like swimming in jelly,” Simon
Grade: C-
Tim Urban, “Sweet Love”
Remember a few weeks ago when the judges hammered departed contestant Haeley Vaughn for smiling so much? I think she hatched a plan to get revenge on the judges by possessing Tim, who smiles bigger and broader with each deservedly cruel critique. I can think of no other explanation, unless he’s pushing for a post-“Idol” career move to replace the deceased Heath Ledger as the Joker in the “Batman” franchise. Or maybe he was the motion-capture model for the Cheshire cat in the new “Alice in Wonderland” movie. Seriously, Tim’s rictus grin haunts my nightmares. And it’s not even a warm, engaging smile — it’s a cringing, uncomfortable smile you get in a yearbook photo when the photographer keeps pestering you to smile. That’s Tim: a walking yearbook photo. His pitch was better, but everything else was worse. Can we please send Tim home this week, America? PLEASE. I’m begging you.
“Put a little grease on it,” Randy
Grade: D
Andrew Garcia, “Forever”
I said last week that Andrew was due for a comeback and this week he delivered. His take on this Chris Brown tune was unique, personable and kind of exciting, and Andrew hasn’t delivered “exciting” in weeks. His vocals were a lot stronger and more confident, too. If he hadn’t done so well this week, I would have been worried for him, but he seems to have a strong fan base and I think he’ll stick around.
“That was one giant leap in the right direction,” Kara.
Grade: B
Katie Stevens, “Chain of Fools”
Of course Tracy Flick — er, Katie — was going to pick an Aretha tune. Sigh. Last night Katie struck me less like a 40-year-old lounge singer trapped in a teenage girl’s body than she did an 8-year-old girl (horribly) dressed up by her parents for one of those creepy child beauty pageants. Katie, I have heard Aretha Franklin and you are no Aretha Franklin. It’s the time in this competition where we need to find out which contestants have the potential to be artists and which have the not inconsiderable talent to pretend to be them. Shout out to Seacrest for continuing his banner awful night with an alcoholic joke about Katie’s father. Hammering a bad joke doesn’t make it better, Ryan.
“You have to make it young and commercial,” Kara
Grade: C
Lee DeWyze, “Treat Her Like a Lady”
This was hands down the best performance of the night, and Lee’s best performance of the season. I think it was better than anything previous winner David Cook ever did on the “Idol” stage. Lee was soulful, sweet and, at appropriate times, menacing, channeling a range of vocalists from John Mayer to the Boss. And he’s totally got his vocals in control; Lee might have made up a few new notes, but I don’t think he missed a single one.
“This might be the night your life changed forever,” Simon
Grade: A+
Crystal Bowersox, “Midnight Train to Georgia”
Boy, Crystal is really a pro. The word “brave” is far too often carelessly tossed about on the “Idol” stage, but she’s that, too, not only leaving her crunchy, guitar-toting comfort zone but sitting on a piano bench to lay her fingers on an instrument she was clearly uncomfortable with — and pulling it off. Just at the moment where I started to think, “she’s doing okay, but if she stays behind that piano she’s going to lose it,” Crystal stood up on her stiletto heels (it’s probably just my imagination that she’s always been either barefoot or wearing sandals) and took her unique, slow arrangement of the Gladys Knight tune to a new, power-ballad belting level. Amazing and unexpected. Props to Randy for name-dropping.
“You are in it to win it,” Ellen
Grade: A
Aaron Kelly, “Ain’t No Sunshine”
Aaron did a predictably decent job with this song, but his version withers (pun intended) in comparison to the definitive, still-fresh-in-our-memories Kris Allen version from last season. Last week, Seacrest called him “David Archuleta,” and the comparison is apt (wow, did I just give props to Ryan?): like Archie, Aaron has the vocal chops but none of the experience to connect emotionally with anything he’s singing. To put it another way, a recording studio could auto-tune my own voice to perfect pitch, but I’ll bet you wouldn’t download the result from iTunes.
“It was just alright for me,” Randy
Grade: C+
My Bottom Three: Didi Benami, Tim Urban, Katie Stevens
Should go home: Tim Urban
Say goodbye to: Didi Benami
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‘Friday Night Lights’ seeks paid extras
Season 4 of DirecTV/NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” may be delayed, but that’s not stopping the cameras from rolling on Season 5. And where there are rolling cameras, there’s a need for extras. Paid extras.
On Location Casting is seeking local residents, aspiring actors and “those just looking for an interesting new experience” to appear on the show, which films between April 7 and the early August. Applicants need not have experience, but must be U.S. citizens with a valid photo ID and Social Security card. The agency is open to extras of all ages, ethnicities and types.
Some specific types the show is seeking include:
Football Players: ages 18-24, all ethnicities especially African American and Hispanic, male, athletic types preferably with some football experience
Cheerleaders: ages 18-24, all ethnicities especially African American and Hispanic, MUST have previous cheerleading experience
Football Sideline Trainers and Managers: ages 18-24, male and female, all ethnicities, athletic types
Football Coaches: ages 35-65, male, all ethnicities especially African American and Hispanic, athletic types
High School Students: ages 16-23 and College Students: ages 18-28
Teachers, Boosters, Parents, Townspeople
Prisoners: ages 18-60, all ethnicities, tough criminal looking types
African American extras: all types and ages
Interested? Visit www.onlocationcasting.net, fill out a talent application and upload 1-2 photos. Further information can be obtained by emailing fnl_extras@yahoo.com.
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NBC confirms ‘Friday Night Lights’ premiere delay
NBC television has confirmed what we suspected: the Season 4 premiere of Austin-filmed “Friday Night Lights” will be one week later than originally announced. Instead of returning on Friday, April 30, the ratings-challenged by critically-lauded football drama returns Friday, May 7.
Hey, it’s been months and months. We can wait another week, right guys?
Guys?
Read the full story after the jump.
From NBC:
‘FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS’ PREMIERE DATE MOVES TO MAY 7 ON NBC
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - March 29, 2010 - The premiere of NBC’s critically acclaimed drama “Friday Night Lights” will move back by one week from Friday, April 30 (8-9 p.m. ET) to Friday, May 7 (8-9 p.m. ET).
Expanding on the hit feature film and best-selling book “Friday Night Lights,” the award-winning show centers on life in Dillon, Texas, where high school football brings the community together — and the drama of small town life threatens to tear it apart.
As season four opens, a redistricting plan has left Dillon a town divided. After being ousted from his role as head coach at Dillon High School, Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) finds himself faced with the daunting task of building a football team from scratch as well as motivating and disciplining the unmanageable East Dillon Lions. Tensions follow Coach Taylor off the field as he and Tami (Connie Britton), who remains principal of West Dillon High, find themselves increasingly at odds with one another. The new year will also focus on the fate of several returning characters including last season’s graduates Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch), Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly), and Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) as well as Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden) and Landry Clark (Jesse Plemons).
Other returning stars include Drew Waters and D.W Moffett. Also starring are newcomers Michael B. Jordan (“All My Children”), Matt Lauria (“Lipstick Jungle”), Jurnee Smollett (“The Great Debaters”) and Madison Burge.
The series is executive-produced by Peter Berg (the film “Friday Night Lights,” “Hancock”), who also wrote and directed the pilot, Jason Katims (“Parenthood”), Brian Grazer (“Frost/Nixon,” “The Da Vinci Code”), David Nevins (“Arrested Development”) and Sarah Aubrey (“Trauma”).
“Friday Night Lights” is a production of Universal Media Studios, Imagine Entertainment and Film 44.
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‘Glee’ sneak peak in Austin April 8
Hey, Gleeks … Fox is bringing the series’ return to the Alamo Drafthouse 5 days early to raise money for charity. Tickets are $15 and proceeds will go to the GRAMMY Foundation’s “GRAMMY in the Schools” music education programs for young people.
The event starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 8 at the Alamo’s South Lamar location.
Get your tickets at ticketsforcharity.com by clicking here. If you’d rather wait, “Glee” returns after “American Idol” on Tuesday, April 13.
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This week’s TV picks
Monday:
‘The Pacific: Part 3’ 9 p.m., HBO: The 1st Marine Division lands in Melbourne in January 1943. Basilone gets the Medal of Honor but is less than excited about his next assignment stateside.
Tuesday:
‘Dancing with the Stars’ 7 p.m., ABC: The first departing contestant hoofs it back home. Actually, he or she will probably fly or drive, but it would be great if the producers actually made them dance home. Just sayin’.
‘Lost’ 8 p.m., ABC: The ‘Lost’ people are so tight-lipped that all we know is that this episode is called ‘The Package.’ Oh, wait — we know one other thing … it won’t be a package of answers.
‘V’ 9 p.m., ABC: Okay, these are the first new episodes since the four that ran last fall, and those no longer count. This show could go either way, renewal-wise, so if you like it and you want it to stick around, vote with your remote.
Wednesday:
‘It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown’ 7 p.m., ABC: The Great Pumpkin, the Easter Beagle … I’ll bet Linus expects the ghost of Abe Lincoln to show up with a pan of brownies on Presidents’ Day.
‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ 9 p.m., A&E: I just noticed that this show is followed by another show called ‘Billy the Exterminator.’ No joke. Can ‘Fred the Dry Cleaner’ be far behind?
Thursday:
‘The Office’ 7 p.m., NBC: Two back-to-back hours of ‘The Office?’ Seriously, that’s at least an hour and a half too much. Relive Jim and Pam’s wedding and the birth of their child. You know what would actually make this a good idea? Put them on 9 p.m.’s ‘The Marriage Ref’ and shoot straight to the divorce.
‘Fringe’ 8 p.m., Fox: Okay, here’s a show that just got picked up for another season, so you don’t really have to watch. But if you don’t, you’ll miss a really great episode that digs deep into the series’ mythology. Are you listening, ‘Lost’ guys? This is how you put together a really great mythology episode with lots of answers.
Friday:
‘Smallville’ 7 p.m., The CW: Hey, did y’all know that ‘Smallville’ is still on? Clark and Lois head for a romantic, bed and breakfast getaway, but then the Silver Banshee shows up and causes trouble. Don’t you hate it when you’re on a romantic rendezvous and the Silver Banshee shows up?
‘What Not to Wear’ 8 p.m., TLC: A woman abandons her goth look for more corporate-appropriate attire. Sigh. Chalk up another victory for ‘the man.’
‘Miami Medical’ 9 p.m., CBS: Tonight’s episode is the series opener of this new drama focusing on trauma teams that can’t be any worse than ‘Trauma.’ In the kick-off, an ice-cream shop explosion injures a couple. I’ll bet their recovery is a rocky road.
Saturday:
‘NCAA Basketball Tournament: Final Four’ 5 p.m., CBS: The winners duke it out for the national title on Monday.
Sunday:
‘Undercover Boss’ 8 p.m., CBS: The President of Roto-Rooter goes incognito to find out what it’s like to be a grunt at his company. I think this premise is flush with possibilities.
‘Life’ 7 p.m., Discovery: It’s sky meets surf as back-to-back episodes examine birds and creatures of the deep.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Entertainment, Random thoughts, TV tips
TWC explains Showtime free preview opt-out
I contacted Time Warner Cable to get their explanation for skipping Showtime’s free preview weekend. Here’s the response I got from Time Warner Cable’s Texas Region Communications Director:
“We felt there wasn’t going to be sufficient time to properly notify our customers in the event they had to set up parental controls to block some of the R rated programming that will be shown. We rather be safe than sorry on this one.”
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‘Friday Night Lights’ return may be delayed
NBC is delaying the return of Austin-shot “Friday Night Lights” by a week, according to The Wrap. The site quotes a letter from the network to affiliate stations explaining that the new May 7 return date is due to the success of its celebrity family tree series “Who Do You Think You Are?”
NBC has yet to confirm.
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‘Sing Off’ champs NOTA perform in Austin Sunday
Puerto Rico’s a cappella sensation NOTA comes to Austin March 28 for a pair of performances at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at the Westlake Performing Arts Center, 4100 West Bank Drive. The group will be performing under the auspices of Promiseland West.
Promiseland Lead Pastor Randy Phillips is bringing the champions of the NBC reality show “The Sing-Off” to his church following similar performances by “Voices of Lee,” runners-up in that competition (Phillips’ daughter, Garland, is a member of that group). NOTA will include numbers from the show in their Sunday performances.
For more information, visit the Promiseland West Web site.
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‘American Idol’ week 5: results
Buh-bye, Paige. As predicted, 24-year-old Houston native Paige Miles was rightly sent packing Wednesday night after she delivered the worst performance of this season on Tuesday, warbling through “Against All Odds” and not hitting a single note (which is a pretty amazing feat in itself when you think about it).
Joining Paige in the bottom three were goofy Tim Urban and precocious Katie Stevens. I had expected to see Urban in the bottom three, but predicted that the tween-girl voting bloc would keep him safe. However, I was genuinely (and pleasantly!) surprised to see him joined by Stevens, who had also seemed to have developed a huge fan base. Maybe those fans didn’t bother voting after she delivered one of her better performances this week with a slightly (and finally) younger take on Fergie’s stupid “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”
Other lowlights? The lip-sync Top 11 performance of Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” and anything with Ryan Seacrest, Ellen Degeneres or Disney products Miley Cyrus, Joe Jonas or (to a lesser degree) Demi Lovato.
Next week? Usher schools the “Idol” summer tour performers in R&B/Soul. I predict we’ll see Tim and Katie in the bottom three again, Big Mike will excel and Andrew Garcia will rebound.
What do you think, ‘Idol’ fans? Sound off!
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MTV’s ‘Real World’ holds Austin casting call
Do you keep it real?
MTV is coming to Austin in search of cast members aged 18-24 for the 25th season of its reality series, “The Real World.” Auditions will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 3 at the Cedar Door, 201 Brazos St. in Austin.
The network describes the show as a documentary series about a group of young people who spend five months living and working together. This season, casting directors are especially interested in participants who are: athletic; physically- economically- or weight-challenged; products of home-schooling; adherents to alternative religions; pro-abstinence; widows or widowers; goth, emo or punk.
“Although these qualities may give applicants an advantage in the casting process, they are not a requirement,” the casting notice reads. “As always, ‘The Real World’ welcomes anyone with a great personality and a willingness to share their life with the world.”
Does this sound like you? Bring a recent picture of yourself (it won’t be returned) and a photo ID with you to the audition. Applications are also being accepted via e-mail. For more information, visit www.bunim-murray.com.
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‘American Idol’ week five: Top 11
This was supposed to be ‘teen idol” week on the Fox juggernaut. And even though the theme was changed to “Billboard number ones” at more or less the last minute, it still kind of was.
Look, there’s 17-year-old Miley Cyrus, your celebrity mentor! To be fair, Miley must know a lot about being a celebrity and an idol (and probably way more than Ellen does about music). Still, it was kind of awkward watching her dole out advice to wannabees (in some cases far) older than herself. I’m just not sure if it was more weird for her, the contestants or the viewers at home.
Added drama! The loser this week juuuuuust misses out on going on the Top 10-only “Idols Live!” summer concert tour. Consolation prize: that person won’t have to spend months on a bus with the rest of these mopes.
Here’s the roundup:
Lee Dewyze, “The Letter”
Hey Lee, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first? Oh, Lee, so predictable … everybody wants the bad news first. Okay, here it is: you’re no longer a national Twitter trending topic. But the good news is that your confidence, stage presence and — most importantly for me, if not the judges — your vocals continue to improve week after week. I’m not sure why everybody thought this was an odd song choice; it seemed perfect to me. And I’ll forgive the lack of an Alex Chilton reference, because you’re just a baby and you nailed it.
“That was you doing something quite corny,” Simon
Grade: B
Paige Miles, “Against All Odds”
Wow. I’m speechless. I only wish Paige was. This was, hands down, the singularly worst vocal of this season — from anybody — and that’s really saying something. Have I ever given out a grade of “F” before? Nope. Do I wish there were a lower grade, such as “G,” “H” or “R?” Yep.
“It was the worst vocal I’ve ever heard from you and possibly for the season,” Kara
Grade: F
Tim Urban, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
You know how Freddy Mercury delivered this song effortlessly, as if he knew how stupid it was? As if he sat around backstage with Brian May and May talked about how pathetic the current state of rock and roll was and Freddie bet him that he could write the stupidest pop song ever and send it straight up to the top of the charts? Take that level of nonchalance and reverse it: Tim Urban performed this song with a ridiculous level of earnestness. Sadly, a crazy little thing called the tween-girl voting bloc will keep Tim for another week. But Tim needs to do two things right away: 1. Pick better songs and sing them well; and 2. Send Paige Miles a bouquet — not as a sympathy gesture, but as a thank you for making him look so good by comparison.
“It felt like an audition for ‘High School Musical’,” Ellen
Grade: D
Aaron Kelly, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
Aaron got the sympathy act from the judges this week for his temporary affliction. What? No, not his boringness — that is congenital and will never go away. No, he was the latest hopeful to come down with laryngitis. If you were a bug, would you go near any of these kids? Aaron’s probably the smallest and weakest and least capable of fighting it off. But I’ll bet Siobhan Magnus could stare down the Ebola virus and send it running.
“You’re making yourself old fashioned,” Simon
Grade: C-
Crystal Bowersox, “Me and Bobby McGee”
Maybe I’m jaded, but I really thought the judges were going to rip a new hole in Crystal’s acoustic guitar for finally tackling Janis, which I’ve been expecting her to do for weeks. “Predictable,” I could hear Simon saying. “Honey, you didn’t do anything different with it,” Kara scolded Crystal in my mind’s “Idol.” “Dawg, you know I love you, but Janis? I just wasn’t feelin’ it,’ Randy would chastise. And Ellen would say something about a pomegranate and a toothbrush that I would know was supposed to be funny, but couldn’t figure out why. But they loved it. Good for you, judges. Good for you, Crystal. Ellen seemed to imply that Crystal chose this song because while Ellen was driving during the week the song came on the radio and she imagined Crsytal singing it. If that’s true, Ellen, can you please imagine Katie Stevens singing something by, say, The Ramones?
“That’s what’s called being a star,” Randy
Grade: A
Michael Lynche, “When A Man Loves a Woman”
Well, Michael delivered some nice vocals tonight. The performance started out great but got a little cheesy as it went along. Plus, he’s starting to appear overconfident, and confidence is attractive but overconfidence is off-putting. Solid, not great, and a bit of a safe choice.
“I felt it was a bit boring and loungy at times,” Kara.
Grade: B
Andrew Garcia, “Heard It Through the Grapevine”
I think Simon’s right — Andrew was overrated from the beginning. But I think the judges take a lot of the blame for accepting nothing less (nor different) from him than that Paula Abdul song he performed during Hollywood week. In retrospect, judges, you doomed Andrew from the start. Of course, it doesn’t help that his vocals are sounding so thin, weak and unadventurous. Has ever a frontrunner fallen so far so fast?
“You sucked … the soul out of that song and tortured it,” Simon
Grade: C
Katie Stevens, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”
I don’t get it. Perky Penny still sounds as if she’s 40-years-old and she has that evil glint in her eye. Did lightning strike while she was eating in a Chinese diner or something and force her to switch bodies with a ridiculously over-confident, middle aged songstress? Former contestant Todrick Hall was angling for a spot on Fox’s “Glee.” I suggest Katie go there, too. Or, really, anywhere … as long as she gets off of my “Idol” screen.
“You picked a younger song. At least you’re listening,” Randy
Grade: C
Casey James, “The Power of Love”
Wow. Huey Lewis and the snooze. Any other contestant delivers this exact same performance and the judges call it “karaoke,” “boring” and “safe.” Casey does it and the superlatives simply cannot flow fast enough. That is, to quote Mr. Lewis, “a curious thing.”
“It was the best vocal of the night,” Ellen
Grade: C+
Didi Benami, “You’re No Good”
It takes a certain level of guts to sing a song with this title, knowing it could be turned back on you like the two-word review of “Spinal Tap’s” Shark Sandwich (Google it — this is a family blog). It takes a certain lack of self-restraint and a penchant for the easy kill to take the bait like Simon Cowell did. We were all thinking it, Simon; did you really have to say it out loud? And it really wasn’t bad, just average. Still, poor Didi is in trouble this week. She was no worse than Tim Urban, but I don’t think she’s got the fan base to keep her out of the bottom three like he does. Still, Paige was so incredibly bad that Didi may get another week.
“It just left me confused,” Kara
Grade: C
Siobhan Magnus, “Superstition”
Great song choice, great performance from the former “A Flock of Seagulls” frontman. The screeching is getting a bit old but, again, the judges are starting to turn on her for playing up something they praised her for early, which is their modus operandi. If the military could harness the “Idol” judges’ confusing, ever-changing standards and directions and somehow weaponize them, we could get rid of the planet’s nukes. I think Siobhan is just the weirdest, goofiest “Idol” contestant ever, but also one of the most exciting. Say what you will, she never turns in a boring performance.
“How do you say that’s not amazing?” Kara
Grade: A-
My Bottom Three: Paige Miles, Didi Benami, Andrew Garcia Say goodbye to: Paige Miles
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‘DWTS’: I nailed it
Figure skater Evan Lysacek and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls earned the highest scores on Monday’s “Dancing With the Stars” ABC premiere, as I predicted.
Scherzinger scored a first-place 25 points out of 30; Lysacek took second place with 23 points.
80-year-old former astronaut Buzz Aldrin earned just 14 points out of 30 points, the lowest total of the evening. The performance prompted judge Bruno Tonioli to say, “It looked like you still had your moon boots on.” Ouch.
Former “Jon & Kate Plus Eight” star Kate Gosselin also tanked, so maybe we won’t have to see her much longer.
Who are your favorites? Who should go? Sound off!
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Our food writer tackles ‘Food Revolution’ reaction
The backlash against ABC’s “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” in which the British chef relocates to America’s unhealthiest city in an attempt to educate the locals on diet and nutrition, has left a bad taste in Addie Broyles’ mouth.
Statesman food writer Addie writes, “I can’t be the only parent that has learned a lesson or two from shows like ‘SuperNanny,’ and I have a feeling ‘Food Revolution’ will make us all think twice about serving processed food in our own homes and turning the other cheek when our kids’ schools do the same.”
“Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” premiered Sunday night on ABC, but continues its regular six-week, Friday night slot this week. Read the rest of Addie’s piece by clicking here.
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Tweet Time Warner Cable for online help
Time Warner Cable has launched a new online help service via social media site Twitter.
Jeff Simmermon, Time Warner Cable’s Digital Communications Director, sent this tweet to his followers on Monday afternoon:
Maybe you heard, but: We’ve got an official online care team — introducing @TWCableHelp! More here: http://bit.ly/bbZmUk. Please RT!
The link includes details on the service:
The new, four-person “Online Customer Care Team” is led by manager @Phil Blum, and uses e-mail, Twitter, and other forms of social media to get customers help anytime, anywhere, and on any device.
The team is available for live, real time care discussions from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. CST Monday-Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. CST Saturday and Sunday. To contact the Online Customer Care Team, all one needs to do is tweet an issue to @twcablehelp or e-mail twcable.help@twcable.com.
Team members can be reached individually at
@TWCablePhil
@TWCableBrienH
@TWCablePaulS
@TWCableBryanP
However, all tweets sent to @twcablehelp are seen by all team members.
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Disney casting call for kids this Saturday
Got a budding Miley, Selena or Zac at home?
The Disney Channel and Disney XD are holding a casting call for kids on Saturday.
The free open call will be at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown at 700 San Jacinto Blvd. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Disney is seeking youngsters 10 to 18 (or who look like they’re in that age range) who can act, sing or dance for upcoming series and movies. Applicants will be given a monologue to perform. Kids must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
A completed application is also required. Click here to get the form.
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‘Jackie,’ ‘Tara,’ ‘Dancing Stars’ return tonight
There’s new reality, non-reality and alternate reality on TV tonight as “Dancing with the Stars,” “Nurse Jackie” and “United States of Tara” return.
Over on ABC, “DWTS” kicks off with a two-hour season opener. Early favorites are Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and figure skater Evan Lysacek. People are probably tired of Kate Gosselin, and “The Bachelorette” contestant (and recent “Bachelor”) Jake Pavelka could suffer from overexposure.
Showtime has partnered the sophomore seasons of “Nurse Jackie” and “United States of Tara.” Last year, “Jackie” and “Weeds” made interesting television bedfellows, and while we’re anxious for more Botwin shenanigans, Toni Collette’s “Tara” is a fine stand-in. This season finds a neighborhood tragedy sending Collette’s multiple personality suffering character into a destructive tailspin.
Meanwhile, Edie Falco’s “Jackie” hits a bit of a sophomore slump as the character’s Season 1 chickens come home to roost. It’s still a great show, but the best parts, as always, revolve around the hospital and its denizens — the marriage, family and affair arcs seem a little rushed, convenient and carefully scripted.
“Dancing with the Stars” 7 p.m., ABC
“Nurse Jackie” 9 p.m., Showtime
“United States of Tara” 9:30 p.m., Showtime
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This week’s TV picks
“Bachelor’ jake Pavelka rehearses with professional dancer Chelsie Hightower in preparation for Season 10 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
Monday:
‘Dancing with the Stars’ 7 p.m., ABC: Want to see Buzz Aldrin Bolero? Chad Ochocinco Cha-cha? Kate Gosselin Gavotte? Tonight’s Season 10 opener features those celebs, and eight others, dancing with professional partners.
‘Nurse Jackie’ 9 p.m., Showtime: I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is more of this amazing Showtime series. Edie Falco kicks off Season 2 a few months after the freshman season’s harrowing cliffhanger.
‘United States of Tara’ 9:30 p.m., Showtime: A neighborhood event threatens to throw Tara back into a tailspin as Season 2 begins.
Tuesday:
‘Food Wars’ 9 p.m., Food Network: The battle’s on in Lockhart as Kreutz Market takes on Smitty’s. To the victor belongs the brisket!
‘V: The Arrival’ 9:06 p.m., ABC: This special recaps fall’s first four episodes in anticipation of next week’s return.
Wednesday:
‘Ugly Betty’ 9 p.m., ABC: The braces come off! I think. But first, Betty has a dream sequence that imagines her life had she never worn them at all.
‘Is it Possible?’ 9 p.m., Discovery: This new science magazine series explores fantastic subjects including flying robotic penguins and military battle suits.
Thursday:
‘Extreme Peril’ 7 p.m., Discovery: A magician’s trick goes horribly wrong — No! For the love of God, not that card!
Friday:
‘Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution’ 8 p.m., ABC: The British chef arrives in America’s unhealthiest city with what he hopes are the right ingredients for a hit show.
‘Caprica’ 8 p.m., Syfy: The first season wrpas up tonight with clashes, confessions and Cylons.
Saturday:
‘Kids Choice Awards’ 7 p.m., Nickelodeon: ‘Paul Blart: Awards Host?’ Actor Kevin James oversees accolades being doled out to the likes of Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and all things ‘Twilight’.
‘Funny or Die Presents’ 9 p.m., HBO: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think what they’re presenting is a lot of stuff I can already watch on my laptop.
Sunday:
‘Amazing Race 16’ 7 p.m., CBS: The Indian Ocean’s island nation of Seychelles is this week’s destination.
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Fess Parker, TV’s Davy Crockett, dead at 85
The article notes that Parker was plucked by Disney to star in the 1950s series after appearing in the giant-ant horror classic, “Them!” Details of Parker’s career and post-Hollywood life, including efforts in real estate and wine making, can be found by clicking here.
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‘American Idol’ week four: Results
America blew it.
It was bound to happen — and sooner than later — but that doesn’t make it any better. Lacey Brown and her sweet voice were sent packing Wednesday night, the first casualties of the “now they’re all singing together” boys and girls Top 12 mash up.
Let me go on the record: I think the “judges save” option “Idol” tossed in a few years ago is cruel. For starters, there’s no chance the judges are going to use it on the first night, so that means that whoever gets voted off by America is set up to be rejected twice. And then there’s the fact that the judges are not even paying attention to the performance — the “Idol” cameras close in on them smirking and joking while a contestant is on stage singing for his or her life.
I do like that the exiting contestant gets the choice of which of their past performances they’d like to repeat, and I enjoyed hearing Lacey’s rendition of “The Story” again. But the judge’s save option is clearly just a tool for the producers to say, at some point, “Yeah, America, we hear you, but this contestant is ‘too pretty/popular/good for the show’ to let go, so no.”
Anyhow, America, enjoy watching/listening to goofy Tim Urban caterwaul through another embarrassing performance next week. You’ve earned it.
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‘American Idol’ week four: Top 12
“Idol’s” lackluster Top 12 took on The Rolling Stones last night, with predictably average results. Honestly, the entire field is so bland that’s it’s impossible to predict who’ll go home based on talent (or lack thereof) so it becomes a guessing game based on audience response and who is probably doing the majority of voting.
Katie Stevens, for instance, should have been gone weeks ago, but the producers keep putting her center stage and the tweens in the crowd go nuts when she so much as bats a precocious, overly-confident eyelash.Casey James is being positioned as a sex bomb, but Lee Dewyze’s sensitive-guy act is playing gangbusters on the Internet. Lilly Scott’s untimely and probably unjust departure gives Siobhan Magnus more latitude to get weirder and weirder.
So, while this season is not particularly entertaining as a singing competition, it is relatively interesting as a science project.
Clearly, I can’t get no satisfaction. Here’s the roundup:
Michael Lynche, “Miss You.”
Lynche seems more and more like the guy to beat, doesn’t he? His high-register performance was enlightening, and didn’t leave the judges asking, “What’s a matter witchoo, boy?”
“At some point I’m going to be disappointed, but not yet,” Ellen.
Grade: B
Did Benami, “Play with Fire.”
Wow, Didi goes dark. Okay, we won’t play with you this week, and we hope Seacrest keeps his mitts off of you, too.
“That was one of your best performances. You’re on fire,” Randy
Grade: B-
Casey James, “It’s All Over Now.”
Here comes my 19th nervous breakdown. This was tuneless, the guitar playing was unspectacular and Casey’s voice sounded weak and thin.
“For me, that was like an audition performance,” Simon
Grade: C
Lacey Brown, “Ruby Tuesday.”
I’ll hang a name on you, Lacey: Underachiever. This song kind of sounded like it could have been performed in the lounge of a Ruby Tuesday’s and the speeding up of “still I’m gonna’ miss you” smacked of gimmickry. Not my favorite performance from one of my favorite performers.
“It was 50-50 for me,” Kara
Grade: C+
Andrew Garcia, “Gimmee Shelter.”
Nobody’s giving you anything, Andrew. You’ve got to earn it. I’m about ready to admit that i was wrong about Andrew. If he can’t pull it together, and fast, he really will be this season’ Danny Gokey.
“It was just pitchy everywhere, it wasn’t great,” Randy
Grade: C-
Katie Stevens, “Wild Horses.”
Finally a decent performance from the little filly. What else is there to say? She is very … competent.
“You made some nice variations on the melody,” Kara
Grade: B-
Tim Urban, “Under My Thumb.”
You know what’s under my thumb, reggae mon? The fast forward button on my remote. That was a big mistake.
“I felt like I was at a resort, drinking a pina colada,” Ellen
Grade: D
Siobhan Magnus, “Paint it Black.”
The Mad Magazine version of this would be called “Paint it Blechh.” Mine too, kinda. The judges went nuts over this, but I thought it was weird, screechy and not great (and I’m a big fan). And I’m not sure a comparison to Adam Lambert a particularly good thing.
“It was the standout performance of the night,” Kara
Grade: C-
Lee Dewyze, “Beast of Burden.”
Lee is totally playing the sensitive guy card and, according to Twitter trending topics, it’s totally working. Bonus: it sounded like Lee finally hit most of the notes.
“Dude I thought it was dope,” Randy
Grade: B-
Paige Miles, “Honkey Tonk Woman.”
She blew some notes and didn’t blow my mind. Or, probably, her chances. Suffering from laryngitis, Paige found her voice. Kinda’.
“You did alright with it; I liked it,” Randy
Grade: C
Aaron Kelly, “Angie.”
I was really expecting to hate this and ended up liking it quite a lot. I’m not a fan, but the judges were right in praising Aaron’s song choice. But what’s with all the “sittin’ on the staircase singing” performances? I know they’ve got a big, new set and everything, but I can totally see the producers saying, “the staircase is cool! get them to use the staircase more!”
“I beat you up last week, but you showed me this week,” Kara
Grade: B
Crystal Bowersox, “Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
It wasn’t inspired, but I guess I can’t always get what I — oh, never mind. Man, Crystal can sing, but I have to take half a grade off because she gave a shout-out to someone in the crowd with a “Mama Sox” sign. Man, that’s annoying. Please don’t embrace that; it will make me like you less.
“This was the first time when I think you were beaten by someone,” Simon
Grade: B
Should go: Tim Urban Will go: Tim Urban
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KEYE schedules SXSW-related music performances
Here’s who’s playing this week on KEYE (all performances in the 4:00 p.m. hour during “We Are Austin Live”).
Wednesday, March 17
The Law
Melissa McClellan and Luke Doucet
The Makepeace Brothers
Thursday, March 18
Diane Birch
James Burton
Runaways’ Mgr.
Beatles Ukele
Check out the list of bands playing on Fox 7 and KXAN by clicking here.
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SXSW bands on local TV
Lots of bands are appearing on the local network affiliates this week in conjunction with the South by Southwest Music Festival. We put out a call for bookings; here are the responses. We’ll add more listings as the stations make them available.
KTBC, FOX 7
Wednesday, March 17th
Everything, Everything (7am hour)
Will Sexton & Sahara Smith (8am hour)
Thursday, March 18th
Jonathan Tyler & Northern Lights (7am hour)
Never Shout Never (8 am hour)
Danny Malone (noon show)
Friday, March 19th
The Watson Twins (7am hour)
Fishtank Ensemble (8 am hour)
Casino (noon show)
KXAN (all performances on the noon show)
Wednesday, March 17
Daphne Willis
Thursday, March 18
Theory of Flight
Friday, March 19
Tara Holloway & Creed Bratton (as in, Creed, from “The Office”)
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This week’s TV picks
The ‘South Park’ gang takes on Tiger Woods in the 14th season opener Wednesday night on Comedy Central.
Monday:
‘HGTV Dream Home Giveaway 2010’ 7 p.m., HGTV: Have you seen all the commercials this channel has been running with the blocky, expensive. Pueblo-style New Mexico home? Tonight, a lucky winner gets to move in.
Tuesday:
‘American Idol’ 7 p.m., Fox: The top 12 perform tonight in the real beginning of this year’s competition.
‘Quintuplet Surprise’ 9 p.m. TLC: Helpful hint: If y’all want me to watch a show about babies, don’t give it a title that sounds like a T.G.I.Fridays menu special.
‘Justified’ 9 p.m., FX: Timothy Oliphant plays a big-town lawman exiled to small-town Kentucky as FX takes on Elmore Leonard in this series premiere.
Wednesday:
‘America’s Next Top Model’ 7 p.m., The CW: The first contestant is eliminated following a nude photo shoot. Hmm … I always thought modeling involved clothing.
‘South Park’ 9 p.m., Comedy Central: Stan, Kenny, Kyle and Cartman kick off Season 14.
Thursday:
‘Flash Forward’ 7 p.m., ABC: At least one question will be answered tonight … does anybody remember or care about this show anymore?
‘Roy Orbison: In Dreams’ 7 p.m., PBS: Contemporaries and admirers reflect upon the life and career of the solo singer and Traveling Wilbury.
‘Parks and Recreation’ 7:30 p.m., NBC: For those of you who keep telling me how much better this show is this season, I have four words to shut you up: guest starring Andy Samberg.
Friday:
‘Thin Ice’ 7 p.m., ABC: Let’s just cut to the chase and call this, ‘So You Think You Can Skate?’ Katarina Witt is a celebrity judge.
Saturday:
‘Healing Hands’ 8 p.m., Hallmark: Okay, I don’t usually recommend Hallmark original movies about people whose brushes with death render them able to heal by touch, but I’m pretty sure that this is the only new show on tonight, so have at it.
Sunday:
‘Life’ 7 p.m., Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Science: The spectacular new wildlife documentary series debuts with extreme stories of survival. Another episode follows at 8 p.m.
‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ 7 p.m., ABC: Christian Slater helps Ty rebuild a house ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Celine Dion and the Jonas Brothers stop by, although I can’t imagine why.
‘The Pacific’ 8 p.m., HBO: Part two covers the 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal through the end of 1942.
‘Breaking Bad’ 9 p.m., AMC: Season 3 premiere.
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Actor Peter Graves dead at 83
Besides special agent Jim Phelps, Graves portrayed a Nazi spy in 1953’s “Stalag 17” and had a career-reviving role as Clarence Oveur in 1980’s disaster spoof, “Airplane!” His first TV role was on the Australian-filmed children’s show, “Fury,” about an orphan and his wild horse.
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Alternate timelines: Our favorite shows get ‘Lost’
My TV column today played off the idea of “Lost’s” alternate timelines. I and my newsroom colleagues came up with too many to fit in print, so here are the remainder. You can read the original story by clicking here.
“Project Runway”
In the alternate timeline, “Project: Runway” is called “Project: Run, Away,” which combines designing clothing with the action-packed drama of “The Running Man.”
Each week, designers attempt to design outfits that allow them to travel a course around New York the fastest. The twist is that each week, they have to design for another designer, so each designer wants to make something that could potentially slow someone else down, knowing that, in turn, someone is also designing something to slow them down. Their only ally is host Tim “Gun” Gunn, who provides them with design advice and small arms. They are pursued each week by a panel of judges trying to kill them: Michael Kors travels by private car service; his car has a turret shaped like his head from which he lobs Molotov cocktails which he calls “constructive criticism.”
Nina Garcia gives contestants misinformation through the Marie Claire website; contestants never know if she is on their side or not. Heidi Klum tries to kill the designers via helicopter; “The Ride of the Valkyries” plays whenever she is on the screen. Contestants are “safe” for the week if they complete the circuit around the city in one hour without being killed - last designer standing wins. This becomes the most popular show of all time.
— Joe Gross
“The Tonight Show”
In the alternate timeline for this show, frequent “Tonight Show” guest host Jay Leno hid in a closet to eavesdrop on a meeting of NBC bigwigs who were planning to install David Letterman, instead of him, to replace the retiring Johnny Carson. Unfortunately for Leno, failed Fox late night host Chevy Chase was already hiding inside. The pair was discovered when Leno, in the dark, stepped on Chase’s foot, leading him to execute a pratfall and yell, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” Letterman got the “Tonight Show” and Leno started a competing show at CBS. Dave routinely trounced Jay in the ratings until a Hollywood prostitute appeared on Leno’s CBS show in 1995 to beg public forgiveness for her indiscretions with actor Hugh Grant.
Letterman’s “Tonight Show” never recovered in the ratings and a second round of late night wars broke out in 2009 when NBC convinced the still-living Carson to come out of retirement and reclaim the “Tonight Show” desk. Denizens of the Internet quickly pledged their allegiance to either Team Dave or Team Johnny. The disenfranchised Letterman is currently mulling a revolutionary move to a 9 p.m. weekday prime time slot; Conan O’Brien still hosts “Late Night,” Craig Ferguson follows Jay on CBS; and Jimmy Fallon flips burgers at a Carl’s Jr. in Joplin, Missouri, where he regularly cracks himself up.
— Dale Roe
“Damages”
Patty Hewes has decided to forsake her high-powered work as a plaintiffs attorney and goes to work as counsel for a small environmental non-profit in upstate New York. When her two employees call in sick on April Fool’s Day, she is left to manage the office on her own. She realizes she must make her own coffee, but she is helpless in her search for the filters. Cut to two months later: There is a coffee deliveryman exiting from his van on the street below her office window. Patty calls into the lobby to see if anyone can buzz him up. As she makes her way to her office door to see why nobody has responded, two grackles fly at her. Racing from them, she falls from the office window and wakes up to discover she is still in bed. But it’s now seven months earlier and she’s forgotten to ‘fall back’ an hour, so she is late for work. She calls a car service to pick her up and take her to work, but when nobody answers, Uncle Pete’s voice comes on the voicemail. She slams the receiver down as a knock comes at her door. She opens it to find only a newspaper with a picture of Ellen Parsons staring back at her. The caption reads, “Ellen Parsons and Tom Shayes know what you did.” Suddenly, Rip Torn appears and dumps a bucket of confetti on her head. Patty begins to cry. But coffee has replaced her tears.
— Matthew Odam
“30 Rock”
In the alternate timeline for “30 Rock,” Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), never having found success as the head writer for “TGS,” is stuck doing scripts for B-movies. She’s hired by mega-star rapper/actor Tracy Jordan to write a film adaptation of Jordan’s hit song “Werewolf Bah Mitzvah,” where she meets Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), who is cast as the werewolf’s love interest. Frustrated by Jordan’s insistence of staying in werewolf character throughout the production, Lemon quits to develop her own comedy show. She invites Maroney to join her, and the two approach microwave mogul Jack Donaghy, who Maroney knows through her work on microwave infomercials, to fund the project. The pilot is picked up by NBC, but Donaghy insists that the show can only continue if Jordan, who has signed with Donaghy as a microwave spokesman, joins the cast and the name is changed from “The Girlie Show” to “Werewolf Bah Mitzvah Hour.” Lemon refuses to cooperate and quits, and Donaghy instead hires trucker-hat wearing Frank (Judah Friedlander) as head writer. Lemon signs a contract to air the show on an internet television station run by Kenneth Parcell, who has found a wide-reaching audience with his online show “Gold Case.” The show becomes a runaway hit. Lemon meets world-famous archer Pete Hornberger at the Emmy Awards; the two marry, move to Cleveland and have three children.
— Peter Mongillo
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So what’s the TV guy doing at SXSW Interactive?
I am covering some TV-related panels at SXSW Interactive. We’re trying to keep all of our SXSW Interactive coverage in one place, and that’s over on my colleague Omar Gallaga’s Digital Savant blog.
I will post links here to the panel reviews I publish over there. Got it?
Here’s a review of a panel I just attended called “How Sci-Fi Shapes the Internet.” It was presented by Adria Richards of butyoureagirl.com and attended by about 200 festival-goers.
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Those guys on bikes? They’re from Fox
Fox has a street campaign going on around the fringes of the South by Southwest Interactive festival. If you see several guys wearing business suits and riding bikes, chances are good they’re promoting the new Fox comedy “Sons of Tucson.”
Of course, you probably got that from the helmets and large bike flag’s emblazoned with the show’s title. It’s a funny gimmick, but it’s not usually a good sign when your promotion is funnier than your show.
“Sons of Tucson” hits Fox on Sunday night.
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‘American Idol’ week three: Results
Well, that was a shock.
Are you happy now, “Idol” judges? Remember how I chastised you after Tuesday’s show — how I told you that you weren’t doing Lilly Scott any favors by continuing to indulge her “quirkiness?”
Thanks a lot. Now I’ve got at least one-more week of listening to 60-year-old lounge singer trapped in a 16-year-old-body Katie Stevens.
Sigh.
Maybe I’m just cranky because I fared so poorly in the guessing game this week. Here’s what I predicted:
Girls
Should go: Katie Stevens, Paige Miles
Will go: Paige Miles, Lacey Brown
Guys
Should go: Todrick Hall, Andrew Garcia
Will go: Todrick Hall, Aaron Kelly
This week’s eliminated contestants are Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott, Todrick Hall and Alex Lambert, making me 1 for 4. Ouch. (It’s all about me, you know).
Scott’s elimination was certainly the surprise of the night. Week after week, the judges have built her up as a front-runner and the one to beat. They went so far as to call her a game-changer, saying that from this point out, future contestants would feel free to embrace their quirk and be themselves.
Not if they want to win, apparently.
I liked Scott okay, but I was never on her bandwagon the way the “Idol” judges were. I think Simon finally realized just how badly he and his fellow judges were setting Scott up when he finally questioned her horrible Tuesday song choice (“I Fall to Pieces”).
Scott appeared completely shocked and then really angry when Ryan Seacrest announced her departure. Asked to explain America’s vote, she all but said that she had done exactly what the judges asked and received zero constructive criticism.
Her ouster finally managed to wring some emotion out of stoic front-runner Crystal Bowersox, whose face was scrunched up in an unsuccessful “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry” grimace. I’m not sure if Bowersox was genuinely sad to see her only real competition go — realizing that she now had to spend weeks with all these other tools — or if she suddenly realized that if Scott could be sent packing, she could very possibly be next. Whatever. There was something especially sad about seeing her break down like that.
I wasn’t too surprised by the other eliminations. I suspected Hall would be ousted, but I think his departure, along with Scott’s, is setting up a mighty bland rest-of-the-season. I’m okay with Epperly and Lambert leaving (and I’m actually glad that Miles and, especially, Brown survived) but Katie Stevens … you’re on notice.
Here’s what I wrote about this week’s exiting competitors:
“I Feel the Earth Move”
Remember Beatlemania — not the phenomenon, but the tribute band/Broadway show that toured the nation years ago? “It’s not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation!” the ads blared from my television. That was Katelyn tonight, except it was more like “Kingmania!” Katelyn sounded and looked like Carole King, which would have been great had this been a celebrity impersonating contest. I thought she did great last week, but this was definitely a step backwards.
What the judges said:
“It all kind of felt very put on for me,” Randy
“It just wasn’t enough,” Ellen
“I didn’t feel like you were competing tonight on that stage,” Kara
“It was kind of like request night on a Friday night in a restaurant,” Simon
My grade: C-
“I Fall To Pieces”
I didn’t get that at all. Here’s what bothers me about the “Idol” judges … if anybody else had given that performance, they would have torn the contestant apart — complaining about how she should have been more current and relevant, blah blah blah. But the judges love Lilly because she’s “quirky.” Meh. The vocals were okay, but the quirk is starting to annoy me; I can’t see anybody buying that song. Plus, she is like a giant, so I initially thought that the mandolin she was playing was a full-size guitar her Amazonian body was just dwarfing, which distracted me.
What the judges said:
“I think you’re in the zone right now,” Randy
“Loved it, love you,” Ellen
“You kind of made Patsy Cline seem current,” Kara
“That didn’t have the wow factor,” Simon
My grade: C+
“Somebody To Love”
Okay, Todrick’s got a big, theatrical voice, so this should have been a great song choice for him. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite have the chops to back it up. Todrick’s in a tough position, because the judges keep telling the contestants to be themselves, but they don’t like the kind of showtuney singers Todrick represents. I think that’s why he held back so much. It was good, but not great. I think these guys need to remember that America is making the call now, not a quarter of contradictory and confused judges. Forget about them, Todrick … just entertain us. You can do it.
What the judges said:
“Todrick is back!” Randy
“You are a brave, brave young man,” Ellen
“There were moments where I didn’t know to laugh at it or to love it,” Kara
“You’re a Broadway singer,” Simon
My grade: C+
“Trouble”
Oh, “Idol” judges, you’re doing it again — building up false hopes. You know there’s no way this kid is going to win, but there you are, Kara, telling him the only thing standing between him and winning is himself. He’s certainly gotten better, but there’s no way he’s going to beat these guys, not to mention the superior (but still mostly lackluster) girls. I understand that this year’s field is so weak that y’all tend to go overboard with enthusiasm whenever you catch a tiny glimpse of originality or talent but, really … think before you gush.
What the judges said:
“I felt like you could have done a little more with it,” Randy
“You’re becoming a mushy banana; you’re ripening so fast,” Ellen
“You’re not in it; you’re not letting go up there,” Kara
“We’ve never ever seen you relaxed or having a good time,” Simon
My grade: C+
Next week your Top 12 take on The Rolling Stones. Yikes.
Did America make the right call? Did your favorite get dismissed? Who should go next? Sound off!
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Conan tour coming to Austin
UPDATE: The sole Austin date is already sold out. Additional performances are being added in other cities; we’ll let you know if that happens here. Stay tuned.
The Wrap is reporting that Conan O’Brien’s “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour” will hit Austin on May 14.
The tour, kicking off April 12 in Eugene, Oregon, is expected to last two months and land the ousted “Tonight Show” host in up to 30 cities. The performances will consist of “a night of music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence,” the article says, and will feature sidekick Andy Richter and members of O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” band.
O’Brien will perform at the Austin Music Hall. Ticket packages range from $39.50 to a whopping $695 for a meet-and-greet package which includes: Front row center orchestra ticket; meet & greet; photo opportunity; autographed item; access to sound check; pre-show cocktail reception; parking (where available); exclusive merchandise item; collectible laminate; onsite event management staff.
Tickets can be purchased here.
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‘American Idol’ week three: Top 8 guys
Wow. Now that was amazing. I never thought I’d see anything that entertaining this season. It literally made me get up off the couch and jump up and down. It was pretty freaking great.
Unfortunately, it was the extended “Iron Man 2” trailer that ran in the middle of — and served as a welcome respite from — the main event; The “Idol” guys were pretty much as lame as you’d expect. I mean, okay … there was a lot of improvement, but still: Does anybody really stand out in this crowd? Do you honestly think that any of these lunks has a chance to beat any of the slightly more talented female contestants? Would any of them still be here at this point in any other season you can remember?
Okay, maybe Michael Lynche, who seems to be the real deal. Lynche aside, I don’t understand all of the accolades for these performances from judges, viewers and the press. I seem to be the odd man out.
Let’s get to it:
“Fireflies”
Lee really changed this song up in an interesting way. Unfortunately, he’s still having trouble hitting the right notes. That appealing, raspy quality in his voice is only going to carry him so far when all you can concentrate on is the way he misses every third note.
What the judges said:
“You made it work, man,” Randy
“I like that you made it a little rock,” Ellen
“You actually made the song a better song,” Kara
“There’s nothing to rave about after that,” Simon
My grade: C
“Trouble”
Oh, “Idol” judges, you’re doing it again — building up false hopes. You know there’s no way this kid is going to win, but there you are, Kara, telling him the only thing standing between him and winning is himself. He’s certainly gotten better, but there’s no way he’s going to beat these guys, not to mention the superior (but still mostly lackluster) girls. I understand that this year’s field is so weak that y’all tend to go overboard with enthusiasm whenever you catch a tiny glimpse of originality or talent but, really … think before you gush.
What the judges said:
“I felt like you could have done a little more with it,” Randy
“You’re becoming a mushy banana; you’re ripening so fast,” Ellen
“You’re not in it; you’re not letting go up there,” Kara
“We’ve never ever seen you relaxed or having a good time,” Simon
My grade: C+
“Hallelujah”
Ellen: please read my Alex Lambert critique, above. Jumping over the judges’ table and running up onto the stage to give Greg Brady a hug? Sigh. “Hallelujah” is a song title, Ellen, not a stage direction. It was certainly Tim’s best performance, but that’s not saying much. And, seriously, if I never hear that song again, I will be a happy man.
What the judges said:
“I think you did a pretty good job, Tim,” Randy
“That was fantastic; you sounded so good,” Ellen
“I actually think you’re kind of in it,” Kara
“Very, very smart with that song,” Simon
My grade: B-
“Genie In A Bottle”
Ew. Who pulled the cork? Was it Kara? It was, wasn’t it? Her constant reminiscing about that Paula Abdul song you did in Hollywood week pushed you over the edge and forced you to try and make lightning strike twice. I guess it doesn’t matter whose fault it is as long as you get back in that bottle. That was just desperate and weird. Seriously — you’re now giving Siobhan Magnus a run for the weird money, and that’s really saying something.
What the judges said:
“You made it feel like the whole song was three notes,” Randy
“The genie came out of the bottle too late,” Ellen
“You’re in a hard position because you peaked so early,” Kara
“It was a little bit desperate, I thought,” Simon
My grade: C-
“You’ll Think Of Me”
There was nothing really wrong with this, but it was boring and forgettable. I’m already having trouble remembering it. At least we were spared the lusty theatrics between Casey and Kara. I don’t think I heard the word “cougar” once.
What the judges said:
“I think it was a little bit of a safe choice,” Randy
“I thought it was great; I really liked it,” Ellen
“This was better than last week; it was honest,” Kara
“I think it made you sincere,” Simon
My grade: C+
“I’m Already There”
I know Simon looks younger, but he’s pushing 60, right? I’m just wondering if he’s starting to show symptoms of dementia, because after weeks of scolding the younger contestants for singing songs that are way too old for them, he totally attacked Kara for telling Aaron that this song was way too old for him. Isn’t anybody ever going to call Simon out on this crap? Anybody except Seacrest, I mean — he tries but, honestly, that’s about as effective as Colmes tackling Hannity. Huh? Aaron? Oh, right … Kara called it. this was a ridiculous song choice.
What the judges said:
“Job well done,” Randy
“I really thought that was a tough song for you,” Ellen
“That song — you’re 16 years old. How can you feel a connection to it?” Kara
“It wasn’t a great vocal, but it had emotion,” Simon
My grade: D
“Somebody To Love”
Okay, Todrick’s got a big, theatrical voice, so this should have been a great song choice for him. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite have the chops to back it up. Todrick’s in a tough position, because the judges keep telling the contestants to be themselves, but they don’t like the kind of showtuney singers Todrick represents. I think that’s why he held back so much. It was good, but not great. I think these guys need to remember that America is making the call now, not a quarter of contradictory and confused judges. Forget about them, Todrick … just entertain us. You can do it.
What the judges said:
“Todrick is back!” Randy
“You are a brave, brave young man,” Ellen
“There were moments where I didn’t know to laugh at it or to love it,” Kara
“You’re a Broadway singer,” Simon
My grade: C+
“This Woman’s Work”
I totally understand Kara bursting into tears at the end of this number; I was crying, too. They might have been tears of joy that Ellen stayed in her chair and didn’t jump on Lynch’s back, challenging Simon and Kara (who were all over each other all night anyway) to a chicken fight. Perhaps they were tears of relief that the night was finally over. Whatever. That was clearly the best performance of the night, but there’s no way it should have brought anybody to tears. Anyway, Kara, Didi Benami’s already got dibs on the crying thing this season.
What the judges said:
“It was dope; it was unbelievable,” Randy
“Oh my God, that was so beautiful. You are the one to beat now,” Ellen
“As a woman who doesn’t have a child I can relate to it so much. It brought me to tears,” Kara
“You 100 percent nailed it. It was the best performance we’ve had of all these live shows so far,” Simon
My grade: A
Should go: Todrick Hall, Andrew Garcia
Will go: Todrick Hall, Aaron Kelly
Agree? Disagree? Sound off!
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Ticking gets louder on ‘24’ cancellation rumors
It’s no secret that “24” has seen better days, but has the Fox drama seen its final day?
Variety reports that an impending announcement will mark the end of the show’s eight-season run on Fox. Critical drubbing, along with rising production costs and “diminishing returns” are cited in the article as probable factors for the cancellation.
But just as Jack Bauer has often risen from the grave, there are possible avenues for an extension of the franchise, including feature films or a move to another network (NBC has expressed interest).
What do you think? Is it time for jack to pack? How would the concept translate to a 90-minute film?
Sound off!
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Wes Hayden slams Jake and Vienna
Austin’s Wes Hayden is talking to the tabloids about his old “Bachelorette” nemesis, Jake Pavelka.
Pavelka, who went on to be chosen for “The Bachelor,” sent fans of that show into a tizzy by choosing Vienna Girardi over Tenley Molzahn on the show’s March 1 finale.
Hayden, a country musician who clashed with Pavelka on their season of “The Bachelorette,” told Life & Style magazine that he doesn’t think Pavelka and Girardi’s relationship is geuine.
“Do I think there’s going to be a marriage? I highly doubt it,” Hayden says in the magazine. “He said to me, ‘The reason I’m on the show is I want America to fall in love with me so I can be the next Bachelor.’”
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‘American Idol’ week three: Top 8 girls
Well, no medical dramas this week and the ladies went on as scheduled. Overall, the result was about what you’d expect. Some of the contestants slipped a little bit and there were some odd song choices, but it’s really becoming apparent how the final field is shaping up on the girls’ side. It’s getting to the point where we can tell who’s going to go and who’s going to stay based on the reaction of the studio audience. Katie Stevens and Paige Miles gave equally poor performances, but the audience loudly booed the judges’ critique of Katie, while Paige’s trouncing was greeted with an eerie silence.
One other note: it was really annoying how Kara kept throwing it back to the contestants … it seems kind of cruel to trash someone’s performance and then turn around and ask them how they feel about it. That’s Seacrest’s job (well, that and manhandling Didi Benami).
Okay, here’s this week’s roundup:
“Breakaway”
Okay, I know Katie’s not going anywhere, but she really needs to be sent packing. C’mon, America, I know she’s cute, in a precocious, “Legally Blonde” Reese Witherspoonish kind of way, but she is also completely evil, in a precocious, “Election” Reese Witherspoonish kind of way. And she has no idea what songs to choose. She was way off key tonight and her voice sounded uncharacteristically thin and weak. Send her home, please. Matthew Broderick will thank you. The producers put her in the lead off spot, so maybe she had a better rehearsal. As Katie’s peers would say, whatEVER.
What the judges said:
“It was almost like karaoke to me” Randy
“You were singing, but you weren’t feeling,” Ellen
“I don’t think you know who you are yet as an artist,” Kara
“You kind of sucked the energy out of it,” Simon
My grade: D
“House of the Rising Sun”
Siobhan brings it again; I’m calling her now as a dark horse. I was kind of sorry that they skipped the little introduction videos tonight, because each week I look forward to learning something new and totally weird about Siobhan. When they announced her song choice, I was like, “Hmm … really?” But it only took a split second for my fear to switch to extreme interest in what she would do with it and confidence that it would be something cool. It wasn’t as out there as I’d hoped it would be, but it was still really good, starting with a near a capella vibe, building into some nice power belting and then coming back down to a soulful, smokey croon. Well played, Ms. Magnus.
What the judges said:
“You take every risk, every chance” Randy
“You are why I love music; I was captivated,” Ellen
“Week to week I’m surprised by you,” Kara
“It was all a bit weird,” Simon
My grade: B
“The Story”
Well, that was Lacey’s best performance since Hollywood week, and I liked her last week, too. Lacey picked the perfect song for her voice and she really had fun with it. She seemed completely comfortable and totally in control. She was sweet and seductive and didn’t miss a single note. But I’m afraid that “Idol” voters might see it as too little, too late; I’m not sure she’s connected with America, but I hope so. So far, I think I would be more inclined to actually purchase music Lacey had recorded than that of any other contestant.
What the judges said:
“It’s your best performance for me in a long time,” Randy
“That song sounded like something that was written for you,” Ellen
“Effortless singing; I thought it was a brilliant choice,” Kara
“You sang it really, really well,” Simon
My grade: A-
“I Feel the Earth Move”
Remember Beatlemania — not the phenomenon, but the tribute band/Broadway show that toured the nation years ago? “It’s not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation!” the ads blared from my television. That was Katelyn tonight, except it was more like “Kingmania!” Katelyn sounded and looked like Carole King, which would have been great had this been a celebrity impersonating contest. I thought she did great last week, but this was definitely a step backwards.
What the judges said:
“It all kind of felt very put on for me,” Randy
“It just wasn’t enough,” Ellen
“I didn’t feel like you were competing tonight on that stage,” Kara
“It was kind of like request night on a Friday night in a restaurant,” Simon
My grade: C-
“Rhiannon”
I cringed upon learning that Didi was going to be covering Stevie Nicks (that hasn’t proved to be a particularly wise choice this season). But damn if she didn’t bring it. When Didi is on, she’s on, and she’s really got one of the most unique voices in the competition. She probably upped her game just so that Seacrest couldn’t lay his skeevy mitts all over her in the guise of consolation. I think Didi just saved herself from Ryan and America.
What the judges said:
“That’s the person we fell in love with in the first place,” Randy
“I thought that was a lovely performance,” Ellen
“One of my favorite moments of the show so far this season,” Kara
“Head and shoulders above anything else we’ve heard tonight,” Simon
“Don’t worry, I got the court order and will stay two feet away from you,” Seacrest (okay, I made that one up)
My grade: B
“Smile”
Ouch. Paige, oh, Paige … why would you choose that song at this point in the competition? It was just bad. It didn’t sound current at all, your vocals were all over the place. I think the judges’ common criticism this season that the contestants don’t know what kind of singer they want to be particularly applies to Paige. unfortunately, I don’t think she’ll get another chance to make an inexplicable, bad song choice.
What the judges said:
“It just didn’t work, man,” Randy
“That song is supposed to be inspiring; it was just sad and heavy,” Ellen
“It was all wrong, it really was,” Kara
“I think this could be the end of the road,” Simon
My grade: D
“Give Me One Reason”
I thought this was one of Crystal’s weaker performances, which still puts her far ahead of the rest of this pack. It was a little hokey for me; she seemed like a poseur with that electric guitar she barely played. The vocals were spot on, and she changed it up a little, giving it a really bluesy edge that was absent in Tracy Chapman’s oddly mechanical original.
What the judges said:
“Love that, love you, love the song” Randy
“I need new adjectives for you; best performance of the night,” Ellen
“That’s a great song choice,” Kara
“You are the one everyone has to beat; it’s yours to lose,” Simon
My grade: B+
“I Fall To Pieces”
I didn’t get that at all. Here’s what bothers me about the “Idol” judges … if anybody else had given that performance, they would have torn the contestant apart — complaining about how she should have been more current and relevant, blah blah blah. But the judges love Lilly because she’s “quirky.” Meh. The vocals were okay, but the quirk is starting to annoy me; I can’t see anybody buying that song. Plus, she is like a giant, so I initially thought that the mandolin she was playing was a full-size guitar her Amazonian body was just dwarfing, which distracted me.
What the judges said:
“I think you’re in the zone right now,” Randy
“Loved it, love you,” Ellen
“You kind of made Patsy Cline seem current,” Kara
“That didn’t have the wow factor,” Simon
My grade: C+
Should go: Katie Stevens, Paige Miles
Will go: Paige Miles, Lacey Brown
Agree? Disagree? Sound off!
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: American Idol, Entertainment, Reality TV
‘Fringe’ gets a third season
Fox’s trippy, sci-fi tale ‘Fringe’ has been renewed for a third season. Not exactly a ratings blockbuster, the show has been on the bubble for months and honestly could have gone either way. But its decent showing after a move to Thursday nights and the network’s love of the show seem to have granted it a stay of execution (and thank goodness — I’d hate to imagine the sorts of objects with which participants in a “save our show” campaign for ‘Fringe’ would be flooding the Fox offices).
The plot line of the show, created by “Lost’s” J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and University of Texas alumnus Roberto Orci, finally caught fire this season after a fairly mind-blowing and risky revelation that the entire first season was basically a set-up. A cliffhanger of sorts in the last regular episode to air has set up an interesting dynamic between Dr. Walter Bishop and his son, Peter, which will play out when the series returns for the remainder of its second season episodes on (no fooling!) April 1.
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Dale on the radio
TV writer Dale Roe is scheduled to be on 98.9 FM today at noon to talk about the Oscar broadcast with Fred Cantu.
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This week’s TV picks
Relax, Chuck, you’re in first class.
Monday:
‘The Bachelor: Jason and Molly’s Wedding’ 7 p.m., ABC: 2009 Bachelor Jason Mesnick and his lady, Molly Malaney, tie the knot in Palos Verdes, California. I was afraid this might not quite be cheesy enough, but then I saw that Gavin DeGraw and ‘American Idol’ reject Jason Castro were performing at the ceremony. Well played, wedding planner slash TV execs.
‘Chuck’ 7 p.m., NBC: Chuck loses his ability to ‘flash,’ which is just as well because this is the family hour and nobody needs to see that.
Tuesday:
‘Miss Turkey Trot and Miss Drumsticks Pageants’ 9 p.m., TLC: The only way the coverage of these pageants from Yellville, Arkansas could be any better is if Gavin DeGraw and Jason Castro sang the “There She Is” song.
Wednesday:
‘America’s Next Top Model’ 7 p.m., The CW: From Los Angeles to New York City, the field is cut from 23 to 13 as Perez Hilton appears on the 14th season opener.
‘The Middle’ 7:30 p.m., ABC: ‘Spy Kid’ Alexa Vega is Axl’s new girlfriend … at least for 22 minutes.
‘Modern Family’ 8 p.m., ABC: Judy Greer as Phil’s old girlfriend? This show’s amazing casting streak continues. Bonus points for having the couple reconnect on Facebook.
Thursday:
‘The Office’ 8 p.m., NBC: Honestly, I can take or leave this show anymore, but this episode might be good because it features the ‘Nard Dog’s first date with receptionist Erin.
‘30 Rock’ 8:30 p.m., NBC: Art imitates life as a cable company plans to purchase NBC.
‘The Marriage Ref’ 9 p.m., NBC: Larry David, Madonna and Ricky Gervais on one stage? I’m not big on this show, but I am so there.
Friday:
‘Numb3rs’ 9 p.m., CBS: Charlie and Amita get hitched in the 6th season closer. Sorry, no Gavin DeGraw or Jason Castro.
Saturday:
‘Texas Music Extravaganza: TexMex Generation’ 7 p.m., PBS: Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados music is performed by former band members and others.
Sunday:
‘Minute to Win It’ 7 p.m., NBC: The Food Network’s Guy Fieri hosts this new game show. Tonight, a father who wants to move hi family to Texas competes for $1 million.
‘Celebrity Apprentice’ 8 p.m., NBC: Season 9 opens with Sharon Osborne, Darryl Strawberry and Rod Blagojevich, a disgraced politico from my old stomping grounds.
‘Sons of Tucson’ 8:30 p.m., Fox: The lead guy in this is sort of a low-rent Jack Black and the kids are straight out of ‘Malcolm in the Middle,’ so if that’s your thing you’ll probably like this new sitcom.
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No more Landry on ‘Friday Night Lights’
“Friday Night Lights” — which will be back on NBC and in Austin for production next month — opted not to renew the contract of Jesse Plemons, who plays fan favorite Landry Clarke, Entertainment Weekly reports.
Executive producer Jason Katims said in the EW story that there was not enough story material to keep Landry around, but added that he hoped Plemons would return for some guest spots in the soon-to-film fifth season.
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Sonic commercial features Austin carhops
Two skating Sonic carhops from Austin are featured in a new series of commercials for the fast-food chain.
According to their bios on Sonic’s Facebook page for the commercials, Brandon Ime Nsekpong, 20, is a computer science student at Concordia University. Laurie Garrett, 20, is a music fan who loves rapping.
You can see the commercials on YouTube.
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‘American Idol’ week two: Report card
Another week, another four dream-crushed ‘Idol’ hopefuls sent packing. It was an interesting week, if not a particularly entertaining one. The biggest news was the last minute boy-girl switcheroo, when the guys were forced to perform a day earlier because of Crystal Bowersox’ hospitalization (had she been unable to perform, she would have been eliminated per show rules and there was no way they were letting the best female singer loose this early).
The result was that everyone pretty much upped their game, with a few notable exceptions. Last week I was 1 for 3, but America (mostly) got it right this week, meaning that, by and large, all y’all ‘Idol’ voters more closely agreed with me. The result? This week I was 3 for 4.
Here’s what I predicted:
Guys
Should go: Todrick Hall, John Park
Will go: John Park, Jermaine Sellers
Girls
Should go: Haeley Vaughn, Didi Benami
Will go: Haeley Vaughn, Lacey Brown
This week’s eliminated contestants are John Park, Jermaine Sellers, Haeley Vaughn and Michelle Delamor.
I have to admit that Delamor’s denouncing caught me by surprise. Her performance was not as bad as the judges made it out to be, but she was very static and, as I pointed out, boring. I guess she never made an emotional connection with the audience.
Still, I am pleasantly surprised that both Didi Benami and Lacey Brown live to sing another week. Neither of them will win this competition, but Benami’s got an interesting voice (but an annoying penchant for tearing up — maybe she’s afraid Seacrest is going to grope her again) and I think Brown just needs one home-run performance to connect with voters.
Here’s what I wrote about this week’s losing competitiors:
“Gravity”
Here’s my theory: sometime during Hollywood week, Park (the lead singer of a choral group called Purple Haze, we learn) got replaced with a wax dummy that Kara operates from the judge’s table with an intricate series of wires. If he hopped on the huge Michael Lynch’s lap (seriously — the man makes a guitar look like a ukulele), they could probably do a pretty decent ventriloquist act on Simon Cowell’s new “X Factor” show. Decent vocals, no spark. That’s good, ‘cuz it’d probably melt the wax.
What the judges said:
“I think Purple Haze may get their lead singer back,” Simon
“Way better than last week,” Kara
“It wasn’t as good as the original,” Randy
“There could have been a little more soul in it,” Ellen
My grade: C+
“What’s Goin’ On”
Oh, Jermaine. Not even your buddy Jesus is going to be able to help you when you force a comparison between your over-the-top yet perplexingly weak voice against that of the great Marvin Gaye. We hear what’s goin’ on, and it’s just kind of okay.
What the judges said:
“It just didn’t work for me,” Ellen
“It was just so close, but so far at the same time,” Randy
“The problem is, you’re always doing too much,” Kara
“We’re frustrated and disappointed. You water down the songs,” Simon
My grade: C
“With Arms Wide Open”
Michelle can work the camera and the crowd without coming across as cheesy. Unfortunately, that can lend her performances a cool, calculated air of detached professionalism. Still, there’s no arguing with her soulful, on target vocals — especially on a Creed song — is there? I think if she’s around next week, though, she needs to change it up a little. She’s consistently good, but she’s also kinda’ boring.
What the judges said:
“You just didn’t do enough with it, man,” Randy
“I thought it was really good that you changed it up that much,” Ellen
“My favorite performance of yours ever,” Kara
“To be fair, we give a lot of contradictory advice,” Simon
My grade: B
“The Climb”
Hmm. Two strikes. It’s not that Haeley’s song choice was so bad, but her performance as horrible. And that’s a shame, because I really like Haeley. Maybe she just has one or two songs that she can sing well, and she used them up in auditions and during Hollywood week. This really ought to be the week that Haeley goes home.
What the judges said:
“It was excruciating,” Randy
“I did not feel you connected to the song,” Ellen
“You need about a year of really strengthening your instrument,” Kara
“It was a complete and utter mess,” Simon
My grade: D
It’ll get harder to guess who America will send home now, especially on the girls’ side, where the playing field has kind of leveled off.
Did America make the right call? Did your favorite get dismissed? Who should go next? Sound off!
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‘American Idol’ week two: Top 10 women
So the big news on Wednesday’s “Idol” outing (Top 10 girls) was Crystal Bowersox’ return. She had been hospitalized with complications from diabetes (maybe she watched Aaron Kelly sing “My Girl” too many times) but returned to deliver a knockout punch of a Creedence Clearwater Revival tune.
“I know how sick you are over the past 24 hours. I completely misunderestimated you,” Simon said after her performance.
I think I overestimated Simon. Aren’t the Brits supposed to have a better handle on the English language than we American slugs? They invented it, after all.
Okay, enough pointless chatter … I’m beginning to sound like an “Idol” judge! Let’s get to the performances:
Crystal Bowersox
“Long As I Can See the Light”
Wow, I like Creedence and I really liked Crystal’s soulful version of this song. She is not only totally comfortable on stage, she’s almost oblivious to the goofy showbiz happening around her — she just steps on stage and goes into the zone. And she never misses a note. Not one.
What the judges said:
“I love that girl; that girl is hot!” Randy
“That is pure, raw, natural talent,” Ellen
“You completely recovered from last week,” Kara
“I think we’ve got a really serious artist with you. Congratulations,” Simon
My grade: A
Haeley Vaughn
“The Climb”
Hmm. Two strikes. It’s not that Haeley’s song choice was so bad, but her performance as horrible. And that’s a shame, because I really like Haeley. Maybe she just has one or two songs that she can sing well, and she used them up in auditions and during Hollywood week. This really ought to be the week that Haeley goes home.
What the judges said:
“It was excruciating,” Randy
“I did not feel you connected to the song,” Ellen
“You need about a year of really strengthening your instrument,” Kara
“It was a complete and utter mess,” Simon
My grade: D
Lacey Brown
“Kiss Me”
I’m afraid Lacey’s in trouble, too. I thought she did a great job with this song and that she let a lot of her personality shine through. Of course, she is doomed because she actually took the judges’ advice by singing the song they recommended she sing. Oh, Lacey … if you take their advice they’ll rip you for it. If you ignore their advice, they’ll rip you for it. It’s hard out there for an “Idol.” I think Lacey’s problem is that she just doesn’t seem to “fit,” somehow. Maybe she seems older than the other contestants, I don’t know. But I’ll be sad if she’s sent home.
What the judges said:
“You didn’t bring anything to it,” Randy
“I thought it was adorable,” Ellen
“You have to step it up from here,” Kara
“I think it was marginally better than last week,” Simon
My grade: B-
Katie Stevens
“Put Your Records On”
Okay, I know exactly what Katie’s problem is: she sounds old. Remember when the judges suggested she sing something “younger?” She can’t. Close your eyes and play this youthful song back: doesn’t Katie sound like she’s in her 30s or 40s? Katie could sing the “Barney & Friends” theme song and sound like some smokey jazzstress. It’s her blessing and her curse. But mostly, on this show, her curse.
What the judges said:
“There were some bright moments in there,” Randy
“I don’t want to hear something I would hear in my dentist’s office,” Ellen
“I’m still waiting for that moment for you,” Kara
“I think actually you’ll stay around for another week,” Simon
My grade: C+
Didi Benami
“Lean On Me”
I really thought Didi was unfairly criticized for that Ingrid Michaelson song she sang last week, but now I am starting to get it. In a week when just about everybody seemed to get better, Didi just kind of stayed the same. She’s got talent, but not a lot of soul — at least not Bill Wither’s-style soul — and I’m afraid she’s a little out of her league. But here’s my real question: what’s up with Seacrest? Did you notice that he had his skeevy mitts all over Didi? Taking her hand before her video, relentlessly pawing her during the judges comments, not only putting his arm around her but pulling her very close, which seemed to make Didi very uncomfortable. Dude, if you’re gonna’ do that, you might want to do it with everybody so it’s not so obvious. It was all so sordid. Maybe Randy should call Seacrest “dawg,” then take him to the vet and get him fixed.
What the judges said:
“I would just have not chosen a soul song like that,” Randy
“I don’t know that that was really the greatest song choice,” Ellen
“Didi, it wasn’t good. It really wasn’t good,” Kara
“It was all over the place, it was screeching,” Simon
“Mmmm … you smell really good,” Seacrest (okay, I made that one up)
My grade: C+
Michelle Delamor
“With Arms Wide Open”
Michelle can work the camera and the crowd without coming across as cheesy. Unfortunately, that can lend her performances a cool, calculated air of detached professionalism. Still, there’s no arguing with her soulful, on target vocals — especially on a Creed song — is there? I think if she’s around next week, though, she needs to change it up a little. She’s consistently good, but she’s also kinda’ boring.
What the judges said:
“You just didn’t do enough with it, man,” Randy
“I thought it was really good that you changed it up that much,” Ellen
“My favorite performance of yours ever,” Kara
“To be fair, we give a lot of contradictory advice,” Simon
My grade: B
Lilly Scott
“A Change Is Gonna Come”
Do y’all think Lilly’s wearing a wig? And not even, like, a real wig — more like a platinum blonde Halloween wig? It seems as if she ought to be wearing a French maid costume with that hair. Maybe it’s just me. Anyway, Lilly turned in another great performance, running this Sam Cooke number through her patented “Jazzfolkinator 3000®” and coming out with something wholly original, contemporary and completely captivating.
What the judges said:
“You’re definitely unique and you do your thing,” Randy
“I don’t know what ‘it’ is, but you have got ‘it’,” Ellen
“I was riveted; I couldn’t wait to see what you would do next,” Kara
“I thought it was good; I wasn’t crazy about it,” Simon
My grade: A-
Katelyn Epperly
“The Scientist”
The girls are really stepping it up this week. I liked Katelyn’s piano number a lot more than the judges did. I thought it was really good. I’m not a big Katelyn fan, but this was the kind of emotional performance that Brooke White was praised for last year, so it only seems fair to give Katie props. As the only contestant so far this year to sit on a piano bench, Katelyn stood out. Granted, it didn’t seem like what she was playing was extremely difficult, but it’s not a piano-playing competition and what she played was sparse, appropriate and effective. I’m surprised Seacrest wasn’t all over her after that.
What the judges said:
“It was great until the very last couple of notes,” Randy
“I fell kind of asleep; it was so slow,” Ellen
“I kind of love you; you’re seriously good,” Kara
“I think you may have put yourself back in the race here,” Simon
My grade: B+
Paige Miles
“Walk Away”
Paige, we hardly knew ye! I don’t know why the idea of Paige covering Kelly Clarkson strikes me as so unusual, but I thought it was a brilliant, unexpected choice and she did a great job with it. Kara gives her grief for not being angry enough (co-writer Kara intended the song to have an angry edge) but who cares? First off, it’s not about you, Kara. And, also, you’re always telling the contestants to bring their own interpretations to the songs they song, so back off.
What the judges said:
“I liked it; I wasn’t over the top in love with it,” Randy
“I loved it. You had fun, which is really important,” Ellen
“I could see you having a hit with that song,” Kara
“I’m afraid two weeks in a row you have failed to choose the right song,” Simon
My grade: B
Siobhan Magnus
“Think”
Seacrest said something to Siobhan about “not over thinking” her performances. Would it be mean to suggest that I’m not sure the songstress is really capable of over thinking anything? (Last week she didn’t know what the term “dark horse” meant). I think Siobhan is kind of naive and simple, but those seem to be assets in a cutthroat contest where the rest of your competition is constantly strategizing and obsessing over things like meaningless and contradictory judges’ comments. Like everyone else in the free world, I got a hurty feeling in my gut when they announced that Siobhan was taking on Aretha Franklin, but dang if she didn’t bring it. Pretty awesome stuff.
What the judges said:
“You are so bold and so fearless; it was dope!” Randy
“Most people would say don’t take on such a big song, but they also said don’t mix sleeves with a blanket and look at the Snuggie — it’s huge,” Ellen
“I don’t know how you hit that note,” Kara
“You are interesting and very, very talented,” Simon
My grade: A-
Should go: Haeley Vaughn, Didi Benami
Will go: Haeley Vaughn, Lacey Brown
Agree? Disagree? Sound off!
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Rob Balon leaving Fox 7 for KVUE
Rob Balon, the Austin food critic who has voiced his opinions on Fox 7 for the past decade is headed over to KVUE, Austin’s ABC affiliate. His reviews will be broadcast during the Daybreak and Midday news shows on Fridays beginning March 12.
Balon, whose last Fox 7 appearance was December 18th of last year, called his time at Fox 7 a good run. “Eleven years in television is almost like dog years,” he said.
Former Fox 7 General Manager Danny Baker recruited Balon, who was then doing (and continues to do) reviews on KLBJ radio, to put his face on TV. “He and I were kind of joined at the hip; we were great friends,” Balon explained. Baker retired in 2008 and Balon didn’t renew his contract. “Things just kind of floated and then we decided mutually — it was very cordial — that it was time to move on.”
Balon said the move won’t affect his continuing appearances on KLBJ-AM. “That ‘Food Friday’ show is just a riot,” he said, “and I’ll still fill in for Jeff (Ward, afternoon drive host) now and then.
“I’m just tickled silly to be with KVUE,” Balon added. “It’s a great opportunity for me.”
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‘American Idol’ week two: Top 10 guys
So the “Idol” guys did a little better this week, but that’s damning with faint praise, like saying Jay Leno isn’t quite as bad on “The Tonight Show” as he was on “The Jay Leno Show.” There were no horror shows like last week, and most of the guys hovered around the average mark.
Maybe having one less day to muck around with arrangements and go scarf-shopping was a good thing (the girls were scheduled to perform tonight, but a medical emergency involving Crystal Bowersox led to a switcheroo).
Here’s the rundown:
“This Is a Man’s World”
There are two things you can count on in any “Idol” show (well, three, if you count inane, stupid banter between the judges) … whoever goes first and last will turn in pretty decent performances. We don’t get to see all the rehearsal, but the producers sure do and they want to make sure they don’t put, say, Tim Urban first so that you switch over to CBS. That said, Lynche turned in another strong performance this week with a slower, soulful rendition of this James Brown number.
What the judges said:
“That was the one to beat,” Ellen
“Dawg, I gotta give it to you,” Randy
“I did not get it … until tonight. You owned it tonight,” Kara
“From a pussycat to a lion in one week,” Simon
My grade: B+
“Gravity”
Here’s my theory: sometime during Hollywood week, Park (the lead singer of a choral group called Purple Haze, we learn) got replaced with a wax dummy that Kara operates from the judge’s table with an intricate series of wires. If he hopped on the huge Michael Lynch’s lap (seriously — the man makes a guitar look like a ukulele), they could probably do a pretty decent ventriloquist act on Simon Cowell’s new “X Factor” show. Decent vocals, no spark. That’s good, ‘cuz it’d probably melt the wax.
What the judges said:
“I think Purple Haze may get their lead singer back,” Simon
“Way better than last week,” Kara
“It wasn’t as good as the original,” Randy
“There could have been a little more soul in it,” Ellen
My grade: C+
“I Don’t Wanna Be”
Hey, Casey’s got another guitar in his collection, a nice electric axe that he’s wringing some good licks out of. Speaking of licks, I wonder if Kara’s licking her lips this week, watching Casey in full-on rock star mode. We’re almost spared all of the awful, useless banter about how sexy Casey is and how much Kara lusts after him. Almost. But then Kara refers to herself as a cougar. Sigh. Let it go, Kara, you’re embarrassing yourself and embarrassing ones’ self is Seacrest’s job.
What the judges said:
“Tonight, I gotta say, you took two steps backward,” Kara
“I want you to just play on stage and move more,” Ellen
“I didn’t know you played the guitar like that. Dude, that was hot,” Randy
“You turned into … somebody trying to be a rock star,” Simon
My grade: B+
“Everybody Knows”
Did you notice how nice the “Idol” set looked this week? They touched up the paint a little. That machine that shakes up the paint was broken, though, so they just handed the cans to Alex after he walked offstage last week. The shakiest (shot)gun (microphone) in the west was a little more relaxed this week, but that’s like saying that Jay Leno is … oh, never mind. Started confident, really started to lose it halfway through. All in all, a marked improvement.
What the judges said:
“That was a million times better than last week,” Simon
“What you have is an incredible, recordable voice,” Kara
“I really enjoyed that, actually, man,” Randy
“It’s like somebody took the unripe banana and put it in a paper bag,” Ellen
My grade: C+
“What’s Love Got to Do With It?”
Okay, Todrick went from Weirdsville to Dullsville, with a loungey rendition of this Tina Turner tune. Vocally better than last week, but it lacked the train wreck factor we look to Todrick for.
What the judges said:
“I don’t think it was the right song at all,” Ellen
“A great song doesn’t need a different, wild arrangement,” Randy
“When you started moving, it actually got better,” Kara
“This is not working out at all for you,” Simon
My grade: D+
“What’s Goin’ On”
Oh, Jermaine. Not even your buddy Jesus is going to be able to help you when you force a comparison between your over-the-top yet perplexingly weak voice against that of the great Marvin Gaye. We hear what’s goin’ on, and it’s just kind of okay.
What the judges said:
“It just didn’t work for me,” Ellen
“It was just so close, but so far at the same time,” Randy
“The problem is, you’re always doing too much,” Kara
“We’re frustrated and disappointed. You water down the songs,” Simon
My grade: C
“You Give Me Something”
Hey Andrew … did you hear that your doppelganger, Danny Gokey, is going to be performing on Thursday’s results show? Maybe y’all can do that acting class thing where you face each other and mimic one another’s movements, pretending that you are mirror images of each other. On the other hand, some cataclysmic alternate-universe event might take place if the two of you occupy the same stage at the same time. Better play it safe, like you did with this bland and surprisingly off-key performance. I think you just knocked yourself out of the frontrunner slot.
What the judges said:
“It’s just okay, and you’re better than okay,” Simon
“Today, you played it too safe,” Kara
“Dawg, honestly, that wasn’t a vibe for you tonight,” Randy
“I like that you take chances,” Ellen
My grade: C+
“My Girl”
Wow, this performance could not have been cheesier. It was like a grilled cheese sandwich without the bread, with extra cheese sprinkled on top in a Wisconsin cheese shop with a side of Cheez-Its. Did I mention it was cheesy? I may start calling Aaron Chester Cheetah. The vocal was average, but I kept scanning the audience, looking for that pig-tailed, little blond girl with the pink shirt who wept uncontrollably whenever David Archuleta opened his mouth. I wonder whatever happened to that girl? These are the things that drift into my mind when Aaron sings, which can’t be a good sign.
What the judges said:
“It was all over the place. I think you actually went kind of backwards,” Simon
“I liked it. I mean I really liked it,” Kara
“Dude, you can really sing,” Randy
“I think the song was a little forgettable,” Ellen
My grade: C
“Come On Get Higher”
Sure, Tim did better than he did last week, blah blah blah. As the weeks go by, Tim reminds me more and more of that “Brady Bunch” episode where Greg was going to become a rock star and that jive producer took him into the studio and pulled all kinds of weird, electronic shenanigans on his voice. At the end, you couldn’t even recognize it. Turns out the producer wanted Greg because he was good-looking and “fit the suit.” That’s Tim in a nutshell. He fits the suit. Now, if only we could apply some electronic shenanigans on his below-average voice.
What the judges said:
“Congratulations, I thought you did great,” Simon
“You didn’t make it your own,” Kara
“It was kind of very karaoke for me,” Randy
“There’s no charisma; there’s no stage presence,” Ellen
My grade: C-
“Lips of an Angel”
Lee did pretty good, even though he really missed his guitar (he should borrow one of Casey James’ … that guys got a whole collection!). I like Lee, but I wish his voice was as good as it gives the illusion of being — he misses a lot of notes but he’s got a really appealing vocal quality. I didn’t think he looked as nervous as the judges did, but the way he was clutching that microphone stand he reminded me of that janitor from “Scrubs.” You know, the guy who plays the dad on “The Middle” now. I think this performance lifted Lee right out of the middle. Dewyze song choice, too.
What the judges said:
“There was so much passion and intensity,” Ellen
“I liked it,” Randy
“I can hear you on the radio right now. Good job,” Kara
“Vocally, you are head and shoulders above everybody else in your side of the competition right now,” Simon
My grade: B-
Should go: Todrick Hall, John Park
Will go: John Park, Jermaine Sellers
Agree? Disagree? Sound off!
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Tonight on TV: ‘Parenthood,’ ‘Independent Lens’
NBC kicks off night two of Post-Leno 9 p.m. with the debut of “Parenthood,” the new one-hour drama series from “Friday Night Lights” show runner Jason Katims. You can read my column about the show, a re-imagining of the 1989 film, by clicking here.
Also tonight, KLRU presents “The Eyes of Me” on “Independent Lens.” The film looks at four blind teenagers — two freshmen and two seniors — over the course of one year at Austin’s Texas School for the Blind. Viewers can find more information about the film at the PBS Web site.
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Reporter/anchor Matt Flener leaving KXAN
KXAN reporter and anchor Matt Flener is leaving Austin for Denver’s KUSA.
“It’s so good to finally be able to announce it,” said Flener, who came to Austin in May, 2007. “It’s a station that I’ve had my eye on ever since I started doing broadcast journalism. It’s one of those stations that has just a huge legacy of great storytelling. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to even have the chance to work there. I’m just ecstatic about it.”
During his tenure at KXAN, Flener covered big stories including Hurricane Ike and last week’s Echelon building plane crash (Flener’s reports from the site were picked up by MSNBC, resulting in a pat on the back from his future employers at KUSA).
“It’s one of those stories where you’re standing in the news room and you get the call and you just go,” he said. Flener did 15-20 live shots that day, just describing what he saw, which was not as tragic as he’d assumed on the drive up. “I went on that turn ramp from Mo-Pac to 183 and I looked at that building and I said, ‘there have to be dozens of bodies in that building’.” Fortunately it didn’t turn out that way.
Flener said that the story — “one of those that you’ll remember forever” — really helped boost his confidence in his live reporting skills. But he also enjoyed reporting the smaller stories featuring those who he said “don’t always make it onto TV.”
He remembers one in particular: After receiving a tip from the person who helped him locate his first apartment in Austin, Flener arrived on the scene to find a cat that had been stuck in a drain for three days. “We went live at noon,” he recalled. “All of the other stations showed up after they saw the report at noon and then the fire department showed up — they had almost given up on rescuing this cat” (part of the story can be viewed in Flener’s resume reel, embedded below).
Flener imagines he’ll be covering the same kinds of stories he covered in Austin utilizing a variety of emerging technologies. “I’ll be shooting and editing and writing an tweeting and Flip camera-ing and all kinds of different stuff, trying to tell the story on as many different platforms as possible,” he said.
He claimed that his wife is even more excited about the prospect of heading off to Colorado with their two girls, who will turn 4 and 2 next month, than he is. When I suggested that they won’t remember Austin, he said, “I hope they do because … it’s a magical city. I’ve had the best experience here in Austin, getting to know people; getting invited into their homes.”
Flener will leave your homes in May and begin his new job in June.
Watch Flener in action:
Matt Flener Resume Reel from Matt Flener on Vimeo.
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Gatlins line up appearances on Fox channels
Fans of Austin’s Larry Gatlin have several chances to catch the singer on cable news channels over the next couple of days.
Gatlin will appear on Fox Business Channel’s “America’s Nightly Scoreboard” at 6 p.m. tonight, and then on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” at 8, according to a release his publicist.
On Wednesday, Gatlin and brothers Rudy and Steve will appear on Fox Business Channel’s “Imus in the Morning” (5 a.m.) to perform and talk about their new album, “Pilgrimage.”
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‘Glee’ tour skipping Texas, most of country
Okay, Texas “Glee” fans, you can stop believin’.
Entertainment Weekly has the scoop on the much-anticipated Glee Tour, and the news isn’t good for 99.5 percent of the country: The seven-date tour will hit only four cities, and none of them is in Texas.
“Glee Live! In Concert!,” features series stars Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Heather Morris, Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, Mark Salling, Harry Shum Jr., Dijon Talton (love his mustard!) and Jenna Ushkowitz.
EW reports the following dates and cities:
May 18 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
May 20 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
May 21 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
May 25 Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
May 26 Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
May 28 New York City, NY Radio City Music Hall
May 29 New York City, NY Radio City Music Hall
The show returns to Fox at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 13.
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Olympics’ exit means new prime time TV
Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman shared a sofa in a commercial for Letterman’s CBS “Late Show” which ran during the Super Bowl.
The Olympics are over and TV is back with a vengeance, with several big events vying for your viewing time tonight:
7 p.m.: “The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love” Vienna, Tenley or neither? That’s the decision facing bachelor pilot Jake Pavelka on the 14th. Conventional wisdom has it that the two finalists are total opposites, but Pavelka told People magazine that he doesn’t see it that way. He knows that soon America will move on to its next obsession and says, “I just hope that everybody understands the decision I made because I’m the one who has to live with it.”
8 p.m.: “Law & Order” Jay Leno’s departure from the 9 p.m. weekday time slot means we get five hours of new programming per week. First up is the return of 20-year-old franchise “Law & Order” in a timely, 2-hour episode sporting the star power of Debra Winger. “L&O” has always done well in the 9 p.m. slot, but it’s up against “The Bachelor” finale, so we might not get a real indicator of how it will fare until next week, when it goes up against ABC’s “Castle” and “CSI: Miami” on CBS.
10:35 p.m.: “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” He pleaded his case with Oprah Winfrey. He gamely appeared on a Super Bowl ad for competitor David Letterman’s CBS “Late Show.” Did the damage control and image rehabilitation work? Will he be able to best Letterman in the ratings? We’ll find out late this evening when once and future “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno returns to the 10:35 p.m. time slot and attempts to show America that he really is Mr. Nice Guy and not the Machiavellian, show-stealing schemer many viewers — at least members of Team Conan — believe him to be. Actor/musician Jamie Foxx and Olympian Lindsey Vonn guest.
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This week’s TV picks
Monday:
‘The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love’ 7 p.m., ABC: Who will Jake choose in the season finale — the mud bather or the snorkeler? It’s a tough call … the mud bather will be filthy, but the snorkeler will be pruney.
‘Rules of Engagement’ 7:30 p.m., CBS: Okay, I have to admit that I laughed at tonight’s return episode, but then I felt as if I’d just taken a mud bath and needed to go snorkeling to wash it off.
‘The Tonight Show’ 10:35 p.m., NBC: Jay Leno returns to NBC’s late night lineup with Olympian Lindsey Vaughn and actor Jamie Foxx. Brad Paisley is the musical guest, unless Jay decides that he’d rather do it himself.
Tuesday:
‘American Idol’ 7 p.m., Fox: And then there were ten. Girls, that is. Ten marginally-talented, over-hyped girls (12, if you count the judges).
‘Lost’ 8 p.m., ABC: There’s no description of tonight’s episode, entitled ‘Sundown.’ Imagine that … when did the creators of ‘Lost’ start keeping secrets from us? I’m going to guess that Jack starts suffering the bad luck he earned by busting all those mirrors in that lighthouse. It’s about time his lucky streak ended.
‘Parenthood’ 9 p.m., NBC: That’s right, it’s a reimagining of the 20-year-old Ron Howard film from the ‘Friday Night Lights’ team.
Wednesday:
‘Modern Family’ 8 p.m., ABC: Ha ha ha — Phil’s afraid of the dark. And bugs. Whatever they put on screen tonight couldn’t possibly be funnier than what I just imagined in my own head, but here’s the great thing about this show: it will be.
‘Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special’ 9 p.m., ABC: Here’s my favorite thing about the description of this program in which Academy Award notables interview each other: it includes the phrase ‘Oprah Winfrey is the host.’ I’m serious. Some show-namer at ABC is really earning that paycheck!
Thursday:
‘American Idol’ 7 p.m., Fox: Four contestants are eliminated. Really? Only four? Can’t we just skip to the part where there are only four remaining?
‘The Office’ 8 p.m., NBC: It’s jump the shark — er, ‘delivery’ time on ‘The Office’ as Pam gives birth. How much do you wanna bet that her baby pops out and shoots a smirky, wry, bemused glance at the camera?
‘The Marriage Ref’ 9 p.m., NBC: Jerry Seinfeld, Tina Fey and Eva Longoria Parker make fun of marriages in crisis in the regular time slot debut of this new reality show.
Friday:
‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ 7 p.m., NBC: Sarah Jessica Parker’s roots are explored in another new series debut. I’ll bet they’re not really blonde. What? Her ancestral roots? Hmm … I liked my version better.
Saturday:
‘Time Warp’ 7 p.m., Science: This show spotlights events that are too fast or slow to be seen by the human eye. Too slow? Maybe they’re going to study the ‘American Idol’ results show.
Sunday:
‘82nd Academy Awards’ 7:30 p.m., ABC: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin host. Expect banjo music, potentially embarrassing telephone rants and inane banter. Also, probably, expect a butt load of ‘Avatar.’ The telecast is preceded by the obligatory red carpet routine at 7 p.m.
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