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In the category of time flies, Season 4 of “The Next Food Network Star” is kicking off on Sunday, June 1 on, um, The Food Network. If you’ve watched the show, you know that Guy Fieri, Season 2 champ, has become a huge success, and my personal favorite host on the network. Last season, Amy Finley was eliminated, then brought back on when JAG was disqualified, setting the stage for a Rory vs. Amy finale, in which Amy won her own show, “The Gourmet Next Door” (which is no longer taping). Anyway, if you haven’t seen this show, but if you love to cook and/or eat (come on, that’s everyone!), you have to check it out. The premise is that the contestants compete each week in challenges in which they are judged by three experts, including Food Network personality and restauranteur Bobby Flay. They are judged in how they cook, how they present food, and how they act on camera while doing both of the above. And as with any reality show, there is always drama. Check out this link for more information, and be sure to tune in June 1 at 10 pm ET. |
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Three left standing on “American Idol.” Yep, it’s been a blazing trip, hasn’t it? Still, David Cook and David Archuleta have been earmarked for the finals for a while. I think, though, that there have been more than a few surprises along the way. They do, however, continue to make the results show an agonizing hour long. With that, let’s talk about last night.. The four remaining contestants did a group rendition of Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ In The Years,” which happens to be one of my favorite songs from my childhood. Well, not anymore after seeing that butcher job! On to business. David Archuleta, safe. David Cook, safe. Damn, it’s too early in the show. Then a bunch of phone calls, including a hilarious one from a 24-year-old single woman from Pittsburgh who asked David Cook on a date. Talk about being put on the spot…..she said “I see your tour comes through Pittsburgh in July…I will pick you up, show you around the city and take you out to dinner.” What could dude say, besides “I’ll have to see.” Oh, and another note to David….once you hit the outside world again, you’re going to get a lot of that, so enjoy it! Then Maroon 5 performed, and though I do like this band a lot, they look really tired, and they are about to hit the road again for a global summer tour. After that, Bo Bice took the stage, singing his new single, “Witness.” This dude has some great pipes and is a throwback to good old Southern rock. So down to Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro. Really now, did they even need to count the votes? So here we are, two weeks away from the finale. It should be David vs. David, but I’m still a bit terrified. Terrified that my boy David Cook is going to be toast next week, setting the stage for a lopsided finale of Syesha vs. young David. Hey, if Melinda Doolittle can be sent home before the finale, so can Mr. Cook, though he’s got the best voice and best future of anyone remaining. Oh, and side note on David A….dude needs some interview coaching, because he just smiles and giggles at every question. Remember that buzzard that Bugs Bunny tormented, the one with the goofy laugh (”Oh, nope, nope , nope, nope…”)….you know the one, right? That’s who David Archuleta reminds me of when he speaks. So, as we get closer to the finale, here are my power rankings 1. David Cook If David Cook brings his A game next week, I’ll feel better..but I have a feeling all of them will sense the urgency of the impending finale. See you all next Wednesday, and remember, it’s free to leave a comment! |
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Last night’s “Hell’s Kitchen” featured a Sweet 16 dinner service instead of the usual fine dining experience. The teams would have to cook for a young girl’s party and please both the girl and her demanding mom. The show started off with Ramsay and the chefs at a farmer’s market, where they had to gather ingredients and then cook one appetizer and two entrees for the girl and her mom to sample. This was the challenge of the day. The red team (women) made shrimp scampi appetizer, Caribbean halibut and flank steak; the blue team (guys) made stuffed chicken wings, shrimp and sweet potatoes, and surf and turf. In a narrow margin, the guys won. Finally. And they got to celebrate by acting like kids with Ramsay all day–racing go-carts was just one of their activities. The ladies, meanwhile, had to deal with the flaming party planner and help prepare for the event. During the dinner service, Roseann and Matt were both struggling, and both were called out by Ramsay–Roseann for undercooking the girl’s steak, and Matt for overcooking the mom’s fish. Yikes. But Matt has become a whiney, annoying, (for lack of a better term) bitch. I mean, he looks like he’s going to cry every time he’s on camera. He’s also one of those cancerous type employees that is always stirring up controversy by badmouthing everyone else. But overall, the teams did well. The kids attending the party had to submit comment cards, and the guys scored 96% and the ladies 99%. So Ramsay declared that there was no losing team. However, someone had to be eliminated. The guys nominated Matt (big surprise) and the ladies nominated Shaina. Who? Does anyone know who Shaina is??? Maybe that’s why she was nominated. Anyway, Ramsay thought Roseann should be added to the mix and asked her to step forward too. Then Matt whined his way back in, saying he would gladly go to the red team and that then the blue team would be exposed for having no talent. This competition is still way up in the air, but one thing is for sure. There are some huge egos among this group. And I mean HUGE. See you all next week! |
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Here we are at the Final Four of “American Idol,” which means our Season 7 champ is going to be crowned in just a few weeks. And with no more mentors, the remaining contestants just had to choose two songs from among 500 of artists enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That’s a very large catalog. Of course, having so many songs to choose from can be a curse, too. Anyway, here we go…. THE GOOD David Cook kicked things off, and his two songs were Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” and The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly.” His first effort was pretty bland, but he brought his usual power the second time around, though it still was lacking compared to what David usually delivers. Randy said his first choice was just okay and the second was more like the real David Cook; Paula loved both because, well, she’s Paula; and Simon thought the first song was just a copycat rendition of the original, while the second was more like what we’re used to from him. In other words, the judges pretty much agreed with me on Mr. Cook. Syesha Mercado took on Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Last night’s results show proved one thing. That you really never know what is going to happen, even if you are sure you know what’s going to happen. They began the show with an awful Neil Diamond group number, and for whatever reason it was weird and awkward. Maybe it’s because these five finalists would never be on the stage together in any other circumstance. Then it was on to business early. Jason Castro, you are safe. Not only did that mean this kid not going home this week, it meant that there were two performers who had less votes than he did. To put this in perspective, I’m fairly confident that New England Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick could have performed those two songs with more emotion than Jason did on Tuesday. So this is baffling to me. Still, we go on… David Archuleta, safe. And I swear the kid must have thought he was heading home this week, because he just looked like he couldn’t believe it. Don’t worry David, you are probably safe for another week or two at least. David Cook, safe. And I have to say, I breathed a sigh of relief. Because if Jason Castro can be top 3, it’s entirely possible that David Cook could be bottom 2, even if he is the one to beat here. So that left a Bottom 2 of Brooke and Syesha. Really, when you look at it, even though Jason was not very good on Tuesday, we’re all just going through the motions to get to a final of David vs. David, so the order that the other three are eliminated doesn’t matter too much. Then, two performances. First, Natasha Bedingfield. Yeah, about that. I don’t get her….she did some pop/reggae type song that she pretty much shouted, making me wonder aloud just what is happening to the music industry. After Natasha sang, she went over and kissed young David, and that was pretty funny. Then Neil Diamond sang his new single, and though the song was bland (sorry dude, your catalog has raised our expectations), he looks great and sounds great for his age. And his mom was in the audience, which I’m sure prompted all of America to get out their calculators……what is she, 90? Then a few phone calls, the most entertaining of which was Simon’s first crush, Tara, who remembered kissing Simon in the sand box when they were nine years old…..ha! Somewhere in the long, drawn out show, Ryan Seacrest squashed the rumors of Paula having a drinking problem, and said something like “We love Paula, she is a member of our family.” Then someone asked Ryan if pigs fly, and he said “Hells yeah, pigs fly!” Finally, the results. Syesha, safe. Brooke White, you are going home. You knew that she knew, and she’s kind of hung on for the last few weeks anyway. But really, come on, was Jason Castro better than Brooke on Tuesday? Maybe not, but like I said this thing is a two-David race. Here are my power rankings and see you all next week! 1. David Cook |
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Last week on “Hell’s Kitchen,” Vanessa burned her hand on some hot oil and was rushed to the hospital. She started off the show okay last night, but definitely like a fighter who had been knocked down a few times. Anyway, the challenge of the day was to create a “fine dining pizza,” one that the restaurant could serve and charge way too much money for. Everyone had to create one, with the two teams picking their team’s favorite to present to Chef Ramsay. The girls chose Jen’s “little bit Italian, little bit French” pizza while the guys went with Ben’s duck and mushroom pizza. Call me boring, but I like good ol’ cheese and pepperoni. Anyway, Ramsay did like them both but declared the guys losers because Ben had left a bit of dirt on some mushrooms. Blech. So the ladies were off to Santa Barbara in a helicopter while the guys prepped the dinner service. What’s more, Ben was given the task of delivering pizzas during the dinner service in this little golf cart. Then Vanessa was shown going into Ramsay’s office (Read the rest after the jump.) Filed under: TV and Reality TV and Kitchen Nightmares Comments: 1 Comment Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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So this thing is heating up. Last night on “American Idol” it was the Final Five performing, with the great Neil Diamond as mentor. But as Simon Cowell suggested, it was one of the strangest shows ever, and that’s mainly because each performer had to sing two selections, and the judges had very little air time. Need I say that this was a formula for Paula imploding on national TV? And that’s basically what happened, though she did rebound. More on that in a bit. I like the more meat, less B.S. that a condensed “Idol” offered. And it was entertaining to see how they would do it. Ryan Seacrest was talking like he had a plane to catch, and the judges were able to give a brief reaction after each performer sang once, and then a full critique after their second song. You gotta love less Paula in any way, shape or form. Without further adieu, here is the recap and prediction for who is going home…. THE GOOD David Cook, what can we say? The dude manages to have some element of surprise (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Last night’s “American Idol” results show featured a couple of surprises…but more on that in a minute. Then President Bush and his wife got on and this is what I heard: blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah. At least that’s what I heard in the part I didn’t fast forward through. On to business. There would be a Bottom 2 tonight, not a Bottom 3. David Archuleta and David Cook, both safe..and really, we all knew that already. Then British pop star Leona Lewis performed…..she won the “X-Factor” competition in 2006, which is like the UK version of “Idol.” She also has been guided in her young career by one Simon Cowell. Here is an interview I did recently on Bullz-Eye.com with Leona for all of you who haven’t heard of her yet. I have to say though, her single “Bleeding Love,” pretty much put me to sleep. But she has great pipes, that’s for sure. Anyway, back to business. Syesha, Bottom 2. Brooke, safe. Wow, I was sure Brooke was going home and thought Syesha did a great job Tuesday. Simon said America must have felt bad when Brooke messed up the lyrics (a planned strategy perhaps?…nah, that was too real). Carly and Jason…you knew it was Jason, right? Wrong. Jason, safe, Carly Bottom 2. Damn, this goofy kid is in the top 5? Talented, yes. Goofy, definitely. So it was down to Syesha and Carly. Ryan Seacrest had them both sing and I plowed through with TiVo’s fast forward button. No need to see all that shouting again. Then, Carly going home…..wow. I know she was close to exiting a few times, and I think she deserved to go home a few times, but not last night. She was really great on Tuesday….okay, maybe a bit shouty as always, but not bad enough to go home. What it comes down to is that there are six, now five, really good singers left, so someone has to go home each week. Carly will be fine. So that’s it…..here are my power rankings, and Brooke White has ratcheted back up a few notches now.. 1. David Cook I’d be really, really surprised if it’s not David vs. David in the finale. Do you agree? See you all next week…. |
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Last night on “Hell’s Kitchen,” it was the first-ever “family night.” That meant a dinner service featuring foods that kids like….burgers, chicken wings, onion rings, spaghetti. And since Chef Ramsay likes everything to be fresh, the aspiring chefs had to make homemade pasta, starting with the challenge of the day. The women were able to make more pasta in the time allowed, and once again the guys were slowed by their weak link, Craig. As a reward, the ladies spent the day at an amusement park while the guys prepped for that night’s dinner service. When sous chef Scott asked for a volunteer to help him with something outside, Ben stepped up, then realized that the help was with shoveling horse crap. (The horses were for the kids to ride during “family night”). Everything was fine with the dinner service until Matt undercooked a chicken wing…some poor kid was smart enough to realize his chicken was raw in the middle and stopped eating it, but Ramsay doesn’t take these things too lightly and got in Matt’s face. The guys started to move quickly then, and Ben got them huddled up and patted everyone on the back. Ramsay didn’t like this because there were still about a half-dozen orders to fill, while the ladies only had two remaining despite losing Vanessa for the night after she burned her hand with hot oil. So the ladies won again, and the men again pointed to Craig as someone who couldn’t get his orders of spaghetti out in time. Ramsay praised Jen for doing a great job, and also Bobby who was the “best of the worst.” Bobby was asked to nominate two for elimination and he chose Craig and Matt. Ramsay then had the last word as he does sometimes, asking Ben to also step forward. Here is my thought about Ben…he’s considered by the guys to be their most talented cook and I think Ramsay likes him, and therefore is pushing him harder. No way was he going to get sent home. And so, the one going home last night was Craig. Remember in the season premiere, Craig wearing that ridiculous chef’s hat that was as big as his body? Now he can wear that on the plane ride home. It’s always difficult to guage who the favorites are in the “Hell’s Kitchen” competition, but the picture should become slightly clearer in the coming weeks as more of the lesser talent is eliminated. See you all next Wednesday…. |
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So last night’s “American Idol” featured mentor Andrew Lloyd Weber, who has written the music for pretty much every major Broadway musical in the last 30 years. The man is a living legend, and whether or not show tunes are your thing, the remaining six contestants did a fine job of adjusting to the material last night. Let’s recap, shall we? THE GOOD David Archuleta sang “Think of Me,” and forgive me in advance if I mess up these titles…I know as much about show tunes as Weber probably does about the NBA. Anyway, young David did a really nice pop version of a song that is sung by a woman (okay, Mrs. Mike told me that!)…well, the kid really hit this one out of the park. Randy said David could sing anything, Paula said it was a risk but came out “absolutely perfect,” and Simon said it was pleasant but not as good as some of David’s past performances. Carly Smithson has had trouble with song choice (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Don’t ever let anyone tell you that any reality-based show isn’t doctored with in post production. Such is the case of a recent episode of “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel. It seems that a recent episode was doctored in regards to a scene boat that had sunk a month before it appeared in said episode featuring the vessel being caught in a storm at sea. Not that it truly matters, but not even the great DC is above using what some may see as slightly nefarious editing methods. |
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Sometimes you think you know something about judging talent and sometimes you don’t. That’s what makes “American Idol” such a compelling show, as we all try to put ourselves in the shoes of Randy, Paula and Simon and pretend we’re judging the talent, predicting who stays and who goes. But we’re certainly not always right. Last night, after another horrid group number, it was down to business. Ryan Seacrest put the contestants into groups on his left and on his right. Jason, left. David Cook, right. Carly, left (after Simon telling her he is hard on her because he believes she has huge potential). Kristy Lee Cook, right. Then Elliot Yamin came out and sang, and I mean sang. This dude has unbelievable pipes, and I think he and Marc Broussard may be the most soulful white dudes I’ve ever seen. Then some phone calls, and the best one was the woman who asked the judges what the first records they ever bought were. Randy’s were Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and James Brown; Paula’s were Earth Wind & Fire, Jackson 5 and Carole King; and Simon said his was Paula Abdul. Ha! Then Mariah Carey came out and sang her new single. Well, she sort of sang….it was like part singing, part lip synching, part bland computer-generated crap. Who am I kidding? It was all bland computer- generated crap, and Mariah was just there trying to look 20 years younger than she is in a short dress and diamond crusted microphone and mic stand. I have a word for you, and that word is BLECH. Syesha, left. Brooke, right. Then David Archuleta, safe. Ryan then made David Cook and Syesha switch places. For those of you who are confused right now, that left two groups: David Cook, Jason and Carly; and Syesha, Kristy and Brooke. David Archuleta was asked by Ryan to join the group he thought was safe, and he sat in the middle of the floor. Seacrest didn’t waste time, telling him it was the David C/Jason/Carly group. That left a bottom 3 of Syesha, Brooke and Kristy. Hmm…I really thought Carly was going home, but I was wrong. Syesha, safe. That left Brooke and Kristy, and Brooke was safe. Kristy Lee Cook, going home…I really though she brought her A game the last two weeks, but America disagreed. I also thought she had become a dark horse to win it all, but I was way off. Maybe America is smarter than I thought? Maybe I’m not as smart as I thought? Whatever, we have a pretty strong top 6. Here are my power rankings: 1. David Cook I like Brooke better than the other two ladies remaining, but I don’t think America does. This thing is seriously heating up now, and we’re barreling toward the finish line. Keep throwing me curveballs America, I’ll connect on one soon. Meanwhile, have a great week everyone…. |
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Last night on “Hell’s Kitchen,” Gordon Ramsay was at his boisterous self, getting in contestants’ faces and ultimately showing that he has no tolerance for “quitters.” Last week, Corey had played with fire by nominating Christina and Jen for elimination for “personal reasons,” and Ramsay ignored that and fired Sharon instead. So this week, Christina and Jen were not too nice to Corey. The show started with chickens running around the dorms, and then Ramsay was about to chop one of their heads off, but stopped short. Whew, the folks at PETA were ready to hit “dial” and probably still did, even though Ramsay was joking with the contestants. But he did have them cut chickens up as their challenge of the day, and the ladies pretty much beat the guys’ collective ass. Craig was slow and ineffective, and the other guys didn’t appreciate it. Meanwhile, Jason kept up with his annoying sexist remarks throughout the whole show. As punishment for losing the challenge, the guys (Read the rest after the jump.) Filed under: TV and Reality TV and Kitchen Nightmares Comments: 1 Comment Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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I really thought having Mariah Carey as a mentor on “American Idol” would do two things…One, prove that she is full of herself, and two, make it really difficult for the contestants, especially for the girls, who would have to measure up to her insane vocal ability. Well, I was wrong on both counts. THE REALLY GOOD David Cook, singing “Always Be My Baby?” Are you kidding me? That’s sort of like Mariah trying to sing Pearl Jam. But somehow, this guy just proves that he can do it all every single week, and last night he did a super cool rock version of a really poppy, R&B flavored song. It wasn’t quite “Billie Jean,” but it was still really impressive. Randy said David is ready to make an album now, and that it was his best performance yet; Paula said David is “it”; and Simon said that it was a breath of fresh air, original and daring. Yep, it was all of that. THE GOOD David Archuleta sang “When You Believe and was wearing (Read the rest after the jump.) |
 Expect to keep on waiting. The show, which gave celebs from all walks of entertainment the opportunity to spotlight talents that most people might’ve been unaware that they possessed, was so inordinately unsuccessful in its debut last week that CBS yanked it permanently! Originally intended for a six-episode run, the first / last episode gave George Takei the chance to perform a well-intentioned but nonetheless quite terrible rendition of “On the Road Again,” allowed Clint Black to prove surprisingly adept at stand-up comedy, showed Olympic figure skater Sasha Cohen attempting to be a circus contortionist, and let Grammy-winning singer Mya tap-dance her cute li’l heart out. We should’ve known something was up when Cohen beat out Mya as one of the two finalists (the other was a well-deserved win for Black), but we never would’ve imagined that the show would earn a pitiful 4.6 million viewers, with thousands retreating with each passing commercial break. Damn! Now where will I ever see Ben Stein dancing the jitterbug?!?
Ben Stein: Dancing Machine®…supposedly. Filed under: TV and News and External TV and Reality TV Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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On last night’s “American Idol” results show, there were moments when I thought for sure that maybe no one would get booted off, just like last year in “Idol Gives Back” week. First of all, props to everyone who contributed to the cause….at show time last night they had already raised $60 million. Wow. Then the contestants did a group number, “Shout To The Lord,” which was typically bland, and I know that’s not very charitable of me. Then there was a medley of “I’m a Believer” by the Monkees, with various celebrities lip-synching, as they did last year with “Stayin’ Alive.” Kobe Bryant was a participant in this, and still had that big white dot on his face. Anyway, the fact that they kept doing “Idol Gives Back” stuff was starting to make me wonder if anyone was going home. Then the results. Brooke, safe…..and she was torn because her sister is getting married this weekend and she won’t be able to go to the wedding. David Cook, safe. David Archuleta, safe. Then a break, and then last year’s champ, Jordin Sparks, sang a duet with Chris Brown. It was probably a bit too sexy and Mrs. Mike likely pointed out the truth…that Jordins’ dad, the former NFL player, can’t be happy about performances like that. Then they presented Jordin with a bunch of awards for her incredible success over the last six months or so. Back to business. Jason Castro, safe. Kristy Lee Cook, safe. Were you getting worried too? That left a bottom 3 of Michael Johns, Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson. Mrs. Mike, who has guessed right for the past four weeks, guessed Carly, and that’s also who I picked. Then, Ryan Seacrest said Syesha and Carly were both safe, and that Michael had the lowest number of votes. He went on to add that last year, they did not eliminate anyone in “Idol Gives Back” week. Uh-oh. But then, SNAP! Sorry Michael, you are going home. Wow….that was kind of cruel, wasn’t it? And as I said the other night, Kristy Lee Cook has become a dark horse in this thing. Not only did she avoid the bottom 3 this week, she was pretty damn good Tuesday and seems to be peaking. All I’m saying is, if Carrie Underwood could win it all, I think Kristy has at least an outside shot. Here are my power rankings for the remaining 7: 1. David Cook We’re really getting down to the core of the show now, aren’t we? See you all next week….. |
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Last night there were no results, no judging and no messing around. Okay, maybe a bit of messing around, to make the show entertaining. It was the second annual “Idol Gives Back,” a telethon in which “American Idol” uses its global popularity to try and give back to the world–i.e., raise money to help poverty both in this country and worldwide. All in all, the show moved nicely and was well put together. There were a few group numbers by the current Idol finalists, and some others that were really pretty cool. My favorite was Teri Hatcher singing a Carrie Underwood song with a band of TV stars behind her, including her “Desperate Housewives” co-star Jamie Denton. Of course, Underwood herself also performed, and I’m not going to say who I liked better because this is about the charity, right? (Bo, I got your back…oops!). Ben Stiller made an appearance but not like last year when he tried to sing. Stars randomly gave videotaped messages, including Kobe Bryant (what was with the white dot on his face?), Keith Urban and Adam Sandler. Other performers included Snoop Dogg with Charlie Wilson, which was really pretty awesome; Fergie with Heart; Annie Lennox; Gloria Estefan with Sheila E.; and Mariah Carey with Randy Jackson on bass. Also, some of the pre-taped stuff from the other night included Eli and Peyton Manning visiting a town near New Orleans still reeling from Hurricane Katrina. Really now, would Eli have been invited if it weren’t for that incredible run to the Super Bowl win a few months ago? (I’m a Giants fan, and I still have to pinch myself). Some of the others who made appearances were Jimmy Kimmel, Daughtry, Ellen DeGeneres, Sarah Silverman, and Robin Williams, who was posing as some sort of “Russsian Idol.” I normally don’t think he is funny and he kind of gets under my skin, but he was hilarious last night. And more than one comedian made references to Simon’s man boobs…ha! Most importantly, they raised millions of dollars…I haven’t seen the exact numbers, but I know at one point early in the show it was $18 million. That’s awesome, and overall it’s a really cool thing the producers of the show came up with. Now, unlike last season when they lumped the results into the charity event, the results show is tonight, so Ryan Seacrest will not be charitable as he announces someone getting booted off. I still say it will be Carly Smithson, but we’ll see. Talk you all on Friday…. |
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There is pretty much never a dull moment on FOX’s “Hell’s Kitchen.” Gordon Ramsay is a reality show star, because he spews profanity and makes people do what he tells them to. He is also clearly the one in charge and he proved it again in last night’s episode. First, the sous chefs got their bullhorns out and woke everyone up at 5:45 am. Brutal. Then Ramsay made them all pull last night’s trash out of the back of a garbage truck and put it into a cylinder. Blech. But they were still all in their pajamas, adding to the drama. But he wanted them to realize how much food they were wasting, and it seemed to make an impact. Then they had their first challenge, in which the two teams had to fillet a halibut and make perfect 6 ounce serving portions. The men finished in about half the time the women did, but were careless in the process, because they wound up tied with 41 perfect portions each. So the tiebreaker was that they had to pick one representative from each team to choose a fillet that they believed to be exactly 6 ounces. The guys chose Ben, who clocked one in at 5.9 oz. Corey represented the ladies and was fairly confident, but hers was only 4.8. So the guys won and got to go on a fishing yacht with Ramsay for the day, and eat a lobster lunch. Meanwhile, the ladies had to prep for the dinner service by cleaning fish and making fish stock. In those clips where the contestants are interviewed, Jason repeatedly came off as sexist..and I’m not sure if it’s an act, but it’s really getting annoying, and I’m a guy! Ramsay then asked Petrozza to recite the menu’s appetizers and he could only name one. The dude clearly has a mental block with this, and almost snapped…but then he had a miraculous recovery, aided by Bobby, who encouraged Petrozza to get back in the kitchen and get with the program. Finally he recited the menu correctly for Ramsay. Craig and Roseann were chosen as Maitre’D assistants to Jean Phillippe for the night, and both of them did a miserable job. Roseann was holding orders back so as not to bombard the kitchen all at once, which infuriated Ramsay. Craig, meanwhile, was carrying a chair and accidentally hit some female customer in the head. Yikes. In the end, the dinner service was a mess…the guys were bickering and the girls were bickering more. So here are two lessons for you……1) be careful about calling out your teammates, because now Christina and Jen will be gunning for Corey. And 2) Ramsay is not stupid, and is going to show why he is the boss every time, even if you try to play this show like the game that it is. Next week there will be more cursing and more fire and more bickering. That’s why it’s “Hell’s Kitchen” and that’s why we watch it. See you then! |
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Look, I apologize if that title is trying to be too clever, but I’ll explain. On last night’s “American Idol,” the prelude to the big “Idol Gives Back” tonight, a few of the contestants stepped up their game, and a few others regressed. Some pretty badly. Before we get to the recap, let’s talk about the rest of the week. Tonight is “Idol Gives Back” and then tomorrow is the results show. That way it’s not all about charity….unlike last year, someone WILL be eliminated this week. Secondly, I’m sick of two things. One, Paula Abdul. She needs to SHUT THE F**K UP before I punch a hole in my TV screen….I mean, make your point and then let Simon make his, otherwise you look ridiculous. The other thing I’m sick of is Carly Smithson. She is a good singer, but tries so hard that she just loses me. More on her in the recap, so here we go… THE GOOD Kristy Lee Cook was damn good last night, and she looked really good too (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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Just when I was fearing the worst, America stepped up its game last night much the way the “American Idol” finalists stepped up theirs on Tuesday night. They got it right for a change. It kicked off with another awful group number, Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5.” Can someone please stick a fork in these group numbers? They are just, um, not very entertaining. That’s too nice…they are bordering on pure agony, okay? Anyway, straight to business. Michael Johns, safe. David Archuleta, safe. Carly…a moment of Ryan Seacrest making her dangle, then safe. Commercial break….and oddly enough, Syesha Mercado was in this commercial for some technical institute, and I did a double take…like maybe it was one of those “Saturday Night Live” commercials, but it was real! She is, after all, an actress when she isn’t a finalist on the biggest show in America. Then they took some callers, and the best question was when some woman asked Simon why he apologizes after criticizing someone. Simon smiled and replied “I like you!” Then the Clark Brothers performed…these kids have some mad skills on their instruments, but that singer is scary….like he was shouting the entire song. Okay, back to what we came here for….David Cook, safe, after he assured America that his hospital visit the night before was purely precautionary and that it was blown out of proportion. Dude has high blood pressure is all. Ramiel, Bottom 3. Hooray, America knows what it’s doing! Kristy Lee Cook, who held a piece of paper that said “Bottom 3,” practically willed herself there, and she was right. Wow, America, nice work. Then they did some profiles of Idol alum from Nashville, since Dolly Parton was the theme of this week. Bucky Covington, Phil Stacey and Bo Bice were each featured, and are all having nice little careers after the show. I know Carrie Underwood is a mega-star right now, but I still think Bo was ROBBED. Syesha, safe, which meant Brooke or Jason. Jason, safe, Brooke to the Bottom 3. So it was down to Ramiel, Kristy and Brooke. But first Dolly Parton performed her new single, “Jesus and Gravity.” If you don’t like Dolly Parton, there is seriously something wrong with you….she is one of the most infectiously happy performers I’ve ever seen, and she spreads that to the audience. Okay, finally the grueling hour was coming to a close. Brooke, back to safety…..holy crap, America is smart! Mrs. Mike had predicted Ramiel earlier in the hour, and she has not been wrong yet. And she’s still not wrong…Kristy, safe, Ramiel, you’re outta here. You know, she has a nice voice but this competition is heating up and she just doesn’t have the mad skills of some of the others remaining. Here are my power rankings: 1. David Cook I still like Brooke more than Carly, though America may not agree….but hey, that’s why they play the games. See you all next week… |
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