Author: Mike Farley (Page 72 of 117)

American Idol: You call this an improvement?

February 11, 2009 /

So as Fox’s “American Idol” turned the page from Season 7 to Season 8, they vowed some improvements to help boost ratings. Well, we’re finding out that there was a bit of hot air in those promises. Yes, they added a fourth judge, and maybe they extended Hollywood week on TV another seven days, but an improvement? Not really. In fact, they barely showed any performances last night. I think they showed more of the judges deliberating and the contestants’ agony waiting for said deliberation than actual singing. Something is getting stale and the producers of the show can’t seem to learn any new tricks. But I’ll say this…the talent this year is pretty freaking good….and I believe it may carry the ratings regardless of the production.

Anyway, as the 72 remaining contestants got ready to sing in front of the judges solo but with some backup singers and a keyboard, the judges began their unenviable task of weeding out the mediocre ones. Then they were separated into four rooms..and you would think that two of the rooms would stay and two would go home, but that’s not exactly what happened. Only one room was sent packing, and I’m pretty sure there were no more than 15 or 20 in that room.

Among them, Kendall, the first girl of the night, attempted Carrie Underwood, and while yours truly is not a Carrie fan in the least, Kendall made Underwood look like Martina McBride…..Keneshe Young, the 16 year old from Cincinnati, who I thought was great, did not make it past this round…India Morrison, who led a fantastic group performance that included buddies Danny and Jamar, did not stand out enough on her own…..and Michael Castro, Jason’s brother, didn’t stay in Hollywood either, though they haven’t shown him performing since his initial audition (really now, how is that possible?).

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American Idol, External TV, Reality TV, TV

Biggest Loser: Couples eliminated silver team talks

February 7, 2009 /

On a conference call earlier this week for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser: Couples,” the eliminated silver team of Joelle Gwynn and Carla Triplett spoke to the media about their time on the ranch and mostly about their troubled friendship.

Look, if you watch this show, you know that Carla was giving 150% while Joelle was giving something like 70%. And even now, as media members questioned Joelle about her drive, she gave a mountain of excuses just very strange reasoning as to why she acted the way she did at the ranch, and why her fellow contestants turned on her. Also, apparently Joelle didn’t like the way trainer Bob Harper had yelled at her in Week 2, but she knew she couldn’t say anything and as a result is still bitter about it.

Here is an excerpt of Joelle’s warped reasoning Continue reading »

External TV, Reality TV, The Biggest Loser, TV

Hell’s Kitchen: Watch your step, literally

February 6, 2009 /

Episode two of Season 5 of “Hell’s Kitchen” on FOX had an interesting twist last night, a twist of fate that was a real bummer, but more on that in a bit. The show began with the guys busting on Seth and the ladies busting on Lacey. Clearly, these two aspiring chefs are not going to win this thing, and the sooner the rest of the field can be rid of them, the better. At least as far as they are all concerned.

As they often do in the dorms of Hell’s Kitchen, a marching band woke up the contestants at 6am, three hours after they all went to sleep. Yikes. I mean, a freaking marching band? That is cruel beyond words. Anyway, the chefs had to then fish for scallops in big tanks. You probably haven’t seen scallops in their full form, but they come in shells and are utterly disgusting Continue reading »

External TV, Hell's Kitchen, Reality TV, TV

American Idol: Like Hollywood needs more drama

February 5, 2009 /

So last night’s “American Idol” brought us back to Hollywood week again, and Ryan Seacrest announced that there were 107 remaining contestants. Hmmm. The night before, he said there 104 left. Did the judges feel bad and bring three of them back? Or did they not count correctly? Regardless, it was time for group competition, something that polarizes the hopefuls of this competition like nothing else–you either shine brightly, or your ego gets in the way and creates enough drama to make the producers of the show start foaming at the mouth.

Such drama was prominent in three of the groups they focused on for the first half of the show. Remember Tatiana from the San Francisco auditions? The psycho with the annoying laugh? Well, watching her try to play nice in a group was just painful. She quit her group, joined another one and then went back to her original group, pissing off everyone along the way but then trying to act like she’s not the crazy one. There was also the group that included Rose and Katrina, a.k.a. “Bikini Girl,” a group that had exactly one singer worthy of advancing, but more on that later. Finally there was the group Tatiana was part of for five minutes….the one with Nancy, Kristin and Nathaniel, who called themselves The Divas. Yep, pretty much.

Well, Katrina was tired from her high heels, and tried to catch a few hours of sleep Continue reading »

American Idol, External TV, Reality TV, TV

Adam Gertler from Food Network talks about his new show, cheesesteak, and Philly sports

February 4, 2009 /

Adam Gertler was one of two runners-up in Season 4 of The Food Network’s “Next Food Network Star,” the same show that launched the white hot career of Guy Fieri. But six or so months later, Gertler has re-emerged with a new show on the network, “Will Work For Food.” The show pits Gertler in temporary places of employment such as fishing for lobster, digging for clams, and making honey from real bees. We had the chance to catch up with Gertler, who hails from Philadelphia, to talk about his show and more….

Premium Hollywood: Has there been a moment or moments on “Will Work For Food” where you were legitimately scared, like with the bees? And how disgusting was it to eat that giant clam raw?

Adam Gertler: Legitimately scared – hmm…I thought I was going to slide off the oyster boat because there was no railing, the boat was rocking, and it was slippery and wet from the snow. I was also a little concerned when digging the wine cave because I thought the cave was going to collapse on me before we applied the shotcrete (concrete fired out of a cannon) to finish it. The chainsaw I used when carving the ice sculptors had me worrying about possibly cutting off an ear. Considering I have no idea how to use a chain saw for its true purpose, using it for ice sculpting just seemed nuts. The clam was definitely disgusting in both texture and taste. And if I had the chance to do it again…yeah, I would.

PH: Do you come up with the ideas for the show, or do the producers?

AG: The segments are a collaborative effort with the “Will Work for Food team.” We do research and find great ideas for segments, then make them happen – it’s a team effort.

PH: Is there a job out there you absolutely would not do for food?

AG: There is nothing I won’t try at least once. I figure if it doesn’t put my life in danger, I can only grow from the experience.

PH: What is your dream job of working for food?

AG: I would love to go to Italy and learn how to make different kinds of salumi and cured meats as well as cheeses. Those are some of my favorite foods, and I would love to learn from the pros to see how they are made.

PH: How soon after “Food Network Star” ended did someone contact you about this show? What were you doing at the time?

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External TV, Reality TV, The Next Food Network Star, TV

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