Entries Tagged 'Television' ↓

Scratch one charismatic old guy from the roster. Unlike John O'Hurley, George Hamilton and Jerry Springer, Vincent Pastore has decided that the rigorous training needed for the dancing program is too much for him, and he's bailing out.

Master P, you listening?

Word from producer Nigel Lythgoe is that Antonella Barba will not be kicked off the show for her dirty pictures. If you listen carefully you can hear Frenchie Davis swearing.

The decision is an interesting one. You have to figure that either they're thinking she's a bad enough singer that she'll be gone this week anyway, or else they're thinking that now she'll survive much longer than she should have since people will be voting for her in the hopes of more pictures coming out. Nigel even mentioned that AI is just as much a popularity contest as a singing contest. So did he tip his hand there? He expects her to last a few weeks now?

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Technorati: American Idol

Was I hearing things Monday night, or did Robin actually tell Lilly not to "go all Prisoner's Dilemma on me" when she was about to confess something about Marshall's car? The line was delivered so quickly and quietly, with no reaction at all, that I'm left wondering if I just misheard it and the geeky part of my brain filled in the rest.

Prisoner's Dilemma, for those who've never heard of it, is something of a logic game where you have to figure out the optimal strategy for winning over time. The general idea is that two prisoners have been sentenced, and are offered a deal – if one of them betrays the other, then he goes free and the other one gets 10 years. If they both betray each other, they both get 2 years. But if they both stay silent, they both get 6 months. So it's a cooperation game. If they both go for the benefit that is best for them (potential freedom by turning the other guy in), then they both lose and end up with 2 years. But if they both stay silent, knowing that they could be on the hook for up to 10 years, they could end up winning and getting out with just 6 months.

Since the game is about betraying and not just about confessing, I'm not really sure that Robin's prisoner's dilemma reference was accurate. Anybody? Did I just imagine it?

Update: It was still on my Tivo, and yes that's absolutely what she said: "Don't you go all prisoner's dilemma on me." So hey, if one of the writers of this episode is out there trolling the blogs, I just want to say "Noticed it. Nice."

The biggest surprise of the night ends up being what Fantasia looks like these days.

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Update: Looking for the lyrics to This Is My Now? That's the original they sang for the final number this year, the one that won the songwriting contest.

How cool is it that they're using a Chris Daughtry song as the exit song this year? It's called "Home", although I'm sure people are going to come looking for it as "Be careful what you wish for" or "I'm going home". (The show picks it up in the middle, right at "I'm going home to the place where I belong…")

I actually have this CD, it's very good. I'm happier with it than I was with Bo Bice's effort.

UPDATE 5/8/2007: People are debating the lyrics in the comments, so I dug up the liner notes that come with the CD. There are as official as you're gonna get! Apparently the lyric sheet does not include every single "So" and "Well" and "Yeah", so I'm leaving those in. And vettegirl was right, it is "remains true".

I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.

I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from,
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.

The miles are getting longer, it seems,
The closer I get to you.
I've not always been the best man or friend for you.
But your love remain true and I don't know why.
You always seem to give me another try.

So I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from,
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
I'm going home.

Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all,
And then some you don't want.
Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all, yeah.

American Inventor is coming back!

I'm glad to see the show returning, but I hope they make some changes. I really enjoyed the early rounds where we got to see a wide variety of inventions. But all the stupid sob stories were too much to bear. If you didn't break down crying at the end of each round, you were eliminated. Sad, really, and not in the way the producers intended I'm sure.

More Doug Hall, as well. The man is incredibly annoying, but he also happens to know what he's talking about. He's a professional idea guy. So stop with the vignettes about how he thinks he knows it all, and just let him give advice to the inventors that might actually be useful.

The official cast list has been announced. Since I'd been keeping a running list of the rumors already, I posted the official details over here.

Before the show I'd read a quote from Simon who said, "The boys are lucky that it's split into two groups, otherwise we'd have all girls this year."  Now I'm well aware that every word out of Simon's mouth is crafted for publicity, but it certainly sounds like he's saying the men are pretty weak. I thought they were better this year, but maybe that's me confusing their characters and personalities from their singing talent .  The show was pretty boring.  More than half of the men are so generic I can barely remember their names.  For some of them I had to watch the "How he got here" vignette to refresh my memory, and still didn't recognize him.

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That doesn't look right.
  What?  What is it?
You have a penis.  Or, that's what I think it is.
  It's a penis.
Fair enough.

Would you like to take break?  I finish taking frightened bunnies on rounds.

What, you don't think you can learn from seeing an actual arm reattachment, Milos?
  I reattach child's arm once, in rusty shell of car.  I can still see dead bodies that littered streets as my country burn to ground.
Milos is so lucky.

Buzz feels inadequate because he lost his job at FootLocker.  Now his dingle won't work.

Man is the only animal that wears pants during twosies.
  So unnatural.

Carla, he'll pass out when he poops!

You hear that, everybody?  I do have it rough.  And that's coming from a man who knows a teensy bit about adversity.  And why is that, Turk?
  Because I'm black.
No, because you have diabetes.  What's hard about being black?

Hiya.  My name is Bob Kelso and I like whores. Now, why don't I introduce myself like that?  Because there is a time and a place for the truth.

And what did the patient do, doctor?
  Uh, well, she started to hyperventilate.  Uh, uh, and then she reached for a hit of what she thought was an oxygen tank.  It turned out to be a helium container from pediatrics.  Then she screamed, "I'll kill you bitches!" which frankly we all thought was hilarious.

Now she's suing the hospital.  And since Ted is our lawyer, what's going to happen?
  Girlfriend's gonna get paid!

Sorry Bobbo, I'm gonna go ahead and tell the truth whenever I damn well please. For instance, your tie. It's hideous.  In fact its only redeeming quality is to divert attention from the very visible outline of your man girdle.
  Too mean.
Sorry.

Anyway, Todd and Ted are gonna get twenty bucks from me to tape you to the ceiling of the cafeteria tomorrow, and I'm telling you this because I figure you've already zoned out and have stopped listening to me, am I right?
  (I don't know what the janitor had said, but I feel like things are looking up.)

Well I say y'all step outside and handle this like we used to back in my day.
  Muskets?

Totally psyched to be here, buddy!  Let's start talkin about your life.

In Iraq we prefer to think of shrapnel as "internal body bling."

You shouldn't have told him the truth…uth….uth….uth….
  Dr. Kelso?
…uth.

And then one day I found out he was sleeping with his students and I was crushed.  I mean, why not me?

He's upset with me, but he won't talk about it, because his peep won't perform!
  He pooped in our house!
I don't know why he can't get past that.

Todd, anything to add?
  Your nipples are stunning.
    Hey, thanks brother.
      It make Milos sad that he have to answer to you.

Ah Billy, after the Arctic and the Pacific, you're my favorite Ocean.

As some of you know I'm not a huge fan of fire.

Uncool, Carl!  Not down with the fire!

And over here we have Dr. Turtlehead who is suffering from a severe case of the sulkies.  Symptoms include bad posture, mopey face and a sudden uncontrollable flailing of the upper extremities.

This is half an ibuprofen.  It is the perfect dose for your pea-sized brain.  Take it after I leave, you'll save yourself the embarrassment.

Any other day I'd say no, but today, I'm gonna go ahead and just say no.

He took care of you when you were wallowing away on your couch drinking scotch like it was vodka.
  I accidentally killed three people, he got arrested for pushing a scooter and he passes out when he poos.

After six long years, aren't you tired of taking care of him?
  Of course we are.  But we're his friends.

(I heard every word.  See, unfortunately I had forgotten that Ted and Todd were under janitorial orders to tape me to the ceiling.)

Duct tape five!

I wash it every day, I condition, but I just can't get it where I want it.
  For the love of God!  Mousse and twist!

I would really like it if you'd…want to go and grab a beer with me?  What do you say?
  (And even though I'd gotten a totally sincere, spontaneous invite from Dr. Cox, I knew my answer.)  No thanks, I have plans.
Thank you God.  Yes, that still counts.
  (I didn't have plans, but I did have a whole new perspective.  You can stick to your convictions and hopefully get rewarded, even if other people end up a little peeved.  And yeah, my life was still in the crapper.  But if felt good to finally be dealing with it on my own.)

More Scrubs Quotes

I don't bother blogging all the audition episodes, because honestly they're so forgettable now. Why bother learning how to spell the names of people who are going to be gone faster than I can type them in?

But now we're down to 24 hopefuls, and we've seen enough of some characters to start picking out the more interesting ones.

Chris – The "Jack Osborne" kid who said his goal was to make David Hasselhoff cry. I like him. I don't think he'll win the whole thing, because I don't think personality will carry him the whole way and he'll need to start being known for singing ability and not sense of humor. But he should make the final 12.

Sundance – How awkward was it in the final two males when they told Sundance "You had a lousy week", told the other guy "We've liked you since we first saw you", and then picked Sundance anyway? Obviously the guy has been picked for his character and his look. He sings well, but he won't last under the pressure.

Sanjaya – I like this kid. He's the one who first auditioned with his sister, but his sister didn't make it. Remember that? The judges told him that he was better, but when he came out and his sister asked "What did they say?" he didn't tell her that, so she wouldn't feel bad. And then when she got cut, rather than celebrating with the room that won, he went to find her. He's a good guy, and I hope he does well. Seems to sing well. I don't know if America's ready for somebody with his look to win it all, though. Unfortunate, but true.

Phil – He's the guy that missed the birth of his kid. Personally, I think he looks goofy. His hat during the Hollywood auditions covered his entire face. But maybe that story alone will make him popular.

Blake – The beatbox guy. Actually, their group performance was pretty impressive, entirely based on him. So I'm wondering if that shows that the guy's got enough performing experience to play the game the right way and do well for himself, whether he's the best singer or not. Some of these young kids think it's all about just singing the best song each night, and it's really not. There's lots more to it than that. You have to be the character that the audience likes the best. Blake's already got a hook that people can remember.

The ladies are an interesting bunch. I'm not really sure the producers did them justice – do any personalities stand out, like with the guys? Sure, there's Antonella. Everybody knows her because she auditioned with her friend and the judges told her she was better, even though she's untrained. And she's pretty. But is she good enough to go far? I see her as one of the ones that makes the final 12 based entirely on looks and charm, and then goes home early when she can't keep up with the other solid singers.

But then who else? The woman who had a career as a backup singer. Melinda Doolittle. She sings well. But does she look like an American Idol? What are the stories for these women? We saw lots of Gina, but I don't know much about her personally to care one way or the other.

Who knows. It's obviously still too early to do much beyond pointing out the personalities that are memorable. That alone won't win it. I'd be willing to bet, as a matter of fact, that none of the people that I've listed here end up winning the whole thing.

Who are your favorites to go on to the final 12? Who is most likely to win it all at this stage of the game?

More American Idol stories…

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