American Idol Season 10, Episode 34: Top 4

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

As Ryan Seacrest dutifully reminded us at the start of the episode, tonight is the most important of the season: tonight four contestants sing two songs, and the three that emerge victorious get to do their big, fancy hometown visits.

The first song theme was “Songs That Inspire You,” and I felt that this was all kinds of cheesy, and with the exception of Lauren Alaina’s song, everything seemed so poorly chosen. The second batch of songs were from the Leiber and Stoller songbook, and were brilliantly mentored by Lady Gaga. I’m shocked to admit that she is miles away the best mentor that American Idol has ever seen. She brought out some fantastic performances, but seemed to really relate well with the contestants.

My favorite of the night was Lauren Alaina, who I feel not only chose the only appropriate song in the first round, but also gave the best all around performance of the first round. She sang Martina McBride’s “Anyway” and dedicated it to the people whose lives have been affected by the destruction after the tornadoes in the South. Her voice was at its biggest, she hit the bold notes the judges have wanted her to hit, and it was a long overdue performance of excellence from Lauren. She needed this badly.

Her second performance of Elvis’ “Trouble,” wasn’t as strong as her first, but she came out with a sense of confidence that we haven’t yet seen in her. Jennifer said that she was on the “attack,” and I completely agree. The gospel section wasn’t incredible, but she didn’t back down the way she would have in weeks past.

James gets the default second slot in my mind, because he is the most consistent contestant on the show. He always gets on stage and delivers a fun, high-energy performance. His first performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” was a little too cliché for me (must everyone always cover this song?) and was a little too screamy and yelly for my tastes, but his second performance of “Love Potion No. 9” was standard James fare: he rocked the stage, inserted dramatic pauses, and sang really well. It wasn’t anything bold or new for James, but it was entertaining.

In true Haley fashion, her performances get the “best and worst” split. Her first performance of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” was easily the night’s worst, and quite honestly, one of her worst performances in recent weeks. Sounding like she was screaming for half the song wasn’t bad enough, but the song wasn’t much of a “hit” for her, as the judges reminded her.

What potentially did Haley in was her back and forth bickering with Randy over his very harsh criticism. I don’t like when contestants get a little too full of themselves and fight back, because it never portrays them in a good light. I totally understand that emotions are at such an intense high at this point, and she is trying to fight for survival and prove to the audience that she did a good job, but arguing is never a good move on this show.

Shockingly, Haley somehow conquered her tears, and put her anger to good use, as she belted out “I Who Have Nothing,” in potentially the night’s best performance. It was as if she wasn’t completely demoralized by the judges just twenty minutes earlier, because after this performance, they were giving her a well-deserved standing ovation. Lady Gaga wanted her to bring the drama, and she did, along with some of her best vocals to date.

I know that many bloggers and American Idol pundits believe that Scotty will win the title, but I really feel that he was the worst tonight, and that he should go home. Why should Scotty get praised for “knowing who he is as an artist?” while Pia and Jacob were sent home for being too one-dimensional, even though they certainly knew the artists they each wanted to be? His first song, which he said he sang because he’s proud to be an American, Alan Jackson's post-9/11 song, "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?" was timely, but it wasn’t great. First of all, I found the lyrics to be ignorant, but this isn’t about attacking the original song, it’s about me not thinking it was appropriate for Scotty to be singing. I will always be wary of using 9/11 as a means to appear more patriotic, but it did not sit well with me to have someone who could not have been older than seven on 9/11 sing such a mature song about how those events impacted him on a deep level. I may be entirely alone in this, and I am okay with that, but I found Scotty’s performance to be offensive. On a musical note, his singing wasn’t that great, and his performance was just as phony as it normally is.

His second song, the Coasters’ “Young Blood,” was slightly better, if only because it showed that Scotty has somewhat of a sense of humor. I couldn’t really hear the vocals too well, presumably because of his annoying way of holding the mic, but it was an energetic performance for him, which I feel he really needed. I hate that the judges think he’s such a lock, because I really don’t see it. I see nothing remotely interesting or genuine about Scotty McCreery.

I think Haley is in danger of going home, if only for her fighting back to Randy, but I really wish it would be Scotty.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 34: Top 4

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

As Ryan Seacrest dutifully reminded us at the start of the episode, tonight is the most important of the season: tonight four contestants sing two songs, and the three that emerge victorious get to do their big, fancy hometown visits.

The first song theme was “Songs That Inspire You,” and I felt that this was all kinds of cheesy, and with the exception of Lauren Alaina’s song, everything seemed so poorly chosen. The second batch of songs were from the Leiber and Stoller songbook, and were brilliantly mentored by Lady Gaga. I’m shocked to admit that she is miles away the best mentor that American Idol has ever seen. She brought out some fantastic performances, but seemed to really relate well with the contestants.

My favorite of the night was Lauren Alaina, who I feel not only chose the only appropriate song in the first round, but also gave the best all around performance of the first round. She sang Martina McBride’s “Anyway” and dedicated it to the people whose lives have been affected by the destruction after the tornadoes in the South. Her voice was at its biggest, she hit the bold notes the judges have wanted her to hit, and it was a long overdue performance of excellence from Lauren. She needed this badly.

Her second performance of Elvis’ “Trouble,” wasn’t as strong as her first, but she came out with a sense of confidence that we haven’t yet seen in her. Jennifer said that she was on the “attack,” and I completely agree. The gospel section wasn’t incredible, but she didn’t back down the way she would have in weeks past.

James gets the default second slot in my mind, because he is the most consistent contestant on the show. He always gets on stage and delivers a fun, high-energy performance. His first performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” was a little too cliché for me (must everyone always cover this song?) and was a little too screamy and yelly for my tastes, but his second performance of “Love Potion No. 9” was standard James fare: he rocked the stage, inserted dramatic pauses, and sang really well. It wasn’t anything bold or new for James, but it was entertaining.

In true Haley fashion, her performances get the “best and worst” split. Her first performance of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” was easily the night’s worst, and quite honestly, one of her worst performances in recent weeks. Sounding like she was screaming for half the song wasn’t bad enough, but the song wasn’t much of a “hit” for her, as the judges reminded her.

What potentially did Haley in was her back and forth bickering with Randy over his very harsh criticism. I don’t like when contestants get a little too full of themselves and fight back, because it never portrays them in a good light. I totally understand that emotions are at such an intense high at this point, and she is trying to fight for survival and prove to the audience that she did a good job, but arguing is never a good move on this show.

Shockingly, Haley somehow conquered her tears, and put her anger to good use, as she belted out “I Who Have Nothing,” in potentially the night’s best performance. It was as if she wasn’t completely demoralized by the judges just twenty minutes earlier, because after this performance, they were giving her a well-deserved standing ovation. Lady Gaga wanted her to bring the drama, and she did, along with some of her best vocals to date.

I know that many bloggers and American Idol pundits believe that Scotty will win the title, but I really feel that he was the worst tonight, and that he should go home. Why should Scotty get praised for “knowing who he is as an artist?” while Pia and Jacob were sent home for being too one-dimensional, even though they certainly knew the artists they each wanted to be? His first song, which he said he sang because he’s proud to be an American, Alan Jackson's post-9/11 song, "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?" was timely, but it wasn’t great. First of all, I found the lyrics to be ignorant, but this isn’t about attacking the original song, it’s about me not thinking it was appropriate for Scotty to be singing. I will always be wary of using 9/11 as a means to appear more patriotic, but it did not sit well with me to have someone who could not have been older than seven on 9/11 sing such a mature song about how those events impacted him on a deep level. I may be entirely alone in this, and I am okay with that, but I found Scotty’s performance to be offensive. On a musical note, his singing wasn’t that great, and his performance was just as phony as it normally is.

His second song, the Coasters’ “Young Blood,” was slightly better, if only because it showed that Scotty has somewhat of a sense of humor. I couldn’t really hear the vocals too well, presumably because of his annoying way of holding the mic, but it was an energetic performance for him, which I feel he really needed. I hate that the judges think he’s such a lock, because I really don’t see it. I see nothing remotely interesting or genuine about Scotty McCreery.

I think Haley is in danger of going home, if only for her fighting back to Randy, but I really wish it would be Scotty.

Glee Season 2, Episode 20: Prom

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

There’s nothing more cliché than a television show episode about a prom, yet somehow, Glee found a way to make their prom totally fresh. Maybe it’s because I was able to avoid spoilers of the newly minted prom king and queen, foolishly tweeted by an on-set extra, but I found the episode to be a solidly good one.

I laughed at the sharp writing, I felt proud of Brittany where she stood up for herself and her beliefs and articulated them incredibly – and shockingly – well to Artie when he asked her to prom and apologized for calling her stupid for the umpteenth time. I was thankful that Mr. Schuester had minimal on-screen time, and Sue Sylvester had more on-screen time than usual, this time with a dental interrogation kit, and an inappropriate yet hilarious joke about John McCain.

I even felt a surge of emotion over the relationship between Kurt and Blaine, a relationship I consider to be the best and purest relationship currently on television. (For anyone curious, my other favorite television relationship is Coach Eric and Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights.) I think that everyone should hope that one day they find a partner who loves and supports him or her as much as Blaine loves and supports Kurt.

However, I found the prom episode’s weakest point to be the music, unfortunately. Though to be fair, given the episode’s premise, I wasn’t expecting the best musical performances of the season. I expected this episode to be one where plot and drama took a priority to music, even though a prom is all about dancing (although, to a high school student, it’s really all about the accompanying melodrama).

In an on-stage practice, Rachel decided to sing Adele’s ubiquitous #1 hit, “Rolling in the Deep.” I’ve said it before: I love Adele, and I love this song, but I am so ridiculously sick of everyone thinking that they should cover it now. I wish there could be a moratorium on the song, so that I don’t become so painfully sick of a song I loved the very first time I heard it. That being said, Rachel and Jesse didn’t bring a particularly new or interesting spin to the song.

I happened to absolutely love Artie’s prom proposal of “Isn’t She Lovely” to Brittany, who stood up for herself and said no. In all fairness, with such a beautifully sung and performed song, it must’ve been rather hard. To me, this song proved that Artie has the vocal chops to take on some serious meaty solos, and that the Glee club guys are so musically talented that they can create a rhythm section with found household items common to a kitchen or home economics classroom.

Perhaps my favorite song of the night was very shockingly, the rendition of Rebecca Black’s surprise hit, “Friday.” I knew this song would be covered in the episode, but being true to avoiding spoilers, I had no idea who would cover it. So when Puck, Trouty Lips and Artie took the stage with electric guitars and started to rock out to some song, I just figured that it’s some pop punk hit that I’m unfamiliar with… until it got to the chorus. By that point, I was already loving the performance too much to care that I love something that Rebecca Black created. These things are somewhat painful to admit.

I fast-forwarded through Rachel’s ballad of “Jar of Hearts,” pausing only to see the dialogue between the other characters. In all fairness, once you see one Rachel Berry ballad, you’ve seen them all, and I’ve seen enough to know that I don’t like them. From what I ascertained through my fast-forwarding, there were some endearing moments between Finn and Rachel (stolen glances during romantic ballads is a little trite for my tastes, but then again, this is high school), but the moment worth pausing for was Sam telling Mercedes that she looks beautiful and asking her to dance. That was one of the best moments of the episode.

While I was glad to see Blaine sing lead, I really missed him with the backing of the Warblers, and didn’t care too much for his version of the Black Kids’ “I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You.” The song was appropriate for the episode: fun and totally dance-able, but it wasn’t anything interesting or musically special.

For much the same reason, the version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” wasn’t that great either. I was far too invested in the plot that had just unfolded before it: Kurt was crowned Prom Queen to Karofsky’s Prom King, which brought Santana to tears and Quinn to a tearful nervous breakdown wherein she slapped Rachel across the face. However, being the strong guy that he is, and having the unwavering support of Blaine, Kurt decided to accept his title. That was great, but having “Dancing Queen” as the song playing when two guys (one in the closet and one out of the closet) were supposed to take their first dance seemed a bit much for me.

Glee Season 2, Episode 20: Prom

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

There’s nothing more cliché than a television show episode about a prom, yet somehow, Glee found a way to make their prom totally fresh. Maybe it’s because I was able to avoid spoilers of the newly minted prom king and queen, foolishly tweeted by an on-set extra, but I found the episode to be a solidly good one.

I laughed at the sharp writing, I felt proud of Brittany where she stood up for herself and her beliefs and articulated them incredibly – and shockingly – well to Artie when he asked her to prom and apologized for calling her stupid for the umpteenth time. I was thankful that Mr. Schuester had minimal on-screen time, and Sue Sylvester had more on-screen time than usual, this time with a dental interrogation kit, and an inappropriate yet hilarious joke about John McCain.

I even felt a surge of emotion over the relationship between Kurt and Blaine, a relationship I consider to be the best and purest relationship currently on television. (For anyone curious, my other favorite television relationship is Coach Eric and Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights.) I think that everyone should hope that one day they find a partner who loves and supports him or her as much as Blaine loves and supports Kurt.

However, I found the prom episode’s weakest point to be the music, unfortunately. Though to be fair, given the episode’s premise, I wasn’t expecting the best musical performances of the season. I expected this episode to be one where plot and drama took a priority to music, even though a prom is all about dancing (although, to a high school student, it’s really all about the accompanying melodrama).

In an on-stage practice, Rachel decided to sing Adele’s ubiquitous #1 hit, “Rolling in the Deep.” I’ve said it before: I love Adele, and I love this song, but I am so ridiculously sick of everyone thinking that they should cover it now. I wish there could be a moratorium on the song, so that I don’t become so painfully sick of a song I loved the very first time I heard it. That being said, Rachel and Jesse didn’t bring a particularly new or interesting spin to the song.

I happened to absolutely love Artie’s prom proposal of “Isn’t She Lovely” to Brittany, who stood up for herself and said no. In all fairness, with such a beautifully sung and performed song, it must’ve been rather hard. To me, this song proved that Artie has the vocal chops to take on some serious meaty solos, and that the Glee club guys are so musically talented that they can create a rhythm section with found household items common to a kitchen or home economics classroom.

Perhaps my favorite song of the night was very shockingly, the rendition of Rebecca Black’s surprise hit, “Friday.” I knew this song would be covered in the episode, but being true to avoiding spoilers, I had no idea who would cover it. So when Puck, Trouty Lips and Artie took the stage with electric guitars and started to rock out to some song, I just figured that it’s some pop punk hit that I’m unfamiliar with… until it got to the chorus. By that point, I was already loving the performance too much to care that I love something that Rebecca Black created. These things are somewhat painful to admit.

I fast-forwarded through Rachel’s ballad of “Jar of Hearts,” pausing only to see the dialogue between the other characters. In all fairness, once you see one Rachel Berry ballad, you’ve seen them all, and I’ve seen enough to know that I don’t like them. From what I ascertained through my fast-forwarding, there were some endearing moments between Finn and Rachel (stolen glances during romantic ballads is a little trite for my tastes, but then again, this is high school), but the moment worth pausing for was Sam telling Mercedes that she looks beautiful and asking her to dance. That was one of the best moments of the episode.

While I was glad to see Blaine sing lead, I really missed him with the backing of the Warblers, and didn’t care too much for his version of the Black Kids’ “I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You.” The song was appropriate for the episode: fun and totally dance-able, but it wasn’t anything interesting or musically special.

For much the same reason, the version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” wasn’t that great either. I was far too invested in the plot that had just unfolded before it: Kurt was crowned Prom Queen to Karofsky’s Prom King, which brought Santana to tears and Quinn to a tearful nervous breakdown wherein she slapped Rachel across the face. However, being the strong guy that he is, and having the unwavering support of Blaine, Kurt decided to accept his title. That was great, but having “Dancing Queen” as the song playing when two guys (one in the closet and one out of the closet) were supposed to take their first dance seemed a bit much for me.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 33: And Then There Were Four

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I’m not at all shocked by tonight’s outcome of American Idol. In fact, I’ve been calling for Jacob’s elimination for quite some time, and given the fact that he performed the worst on both songs on Wednesday night, now was as good a time as any for Jacob’s elimination.

I’ve always thought Jacob has a beautiful voice, and I still believe that, but I don’t feel he’s performed consistently well on a show that should demand that. I haven’t been a big fan of his song choices recently, or the way he’s performed them. And while I’ve found myself growing more attached to some contestants, like Haley, who I never would’ve guessed to be a strong contender for the title, I’ve also found myself growing less attached to Jacob. I respect his positivity throughout the entire season and especially tonight, and do agree with him that he can and will make a record reminiscent of Luther Vandross, and hopefully, when he is focusing entirely on songs that he wants to be singing, the amazing Jacob that blew me away in January will return.

What I’m not a fan of is the way Ryan Seacrest brings the contestants to the point of nervous breakdown leading up to their judgment. I think it was inappropriate to ask Scotty to choose which duo – Lauren and Jacob or Haley and James – were in the bottom. And seeing Lauren Alaina overcome with sheer terror and sobbing for half the episode was incredibly difficult for me to watch. I’m sorry, Ryan Seacrest, but I derive absolutely zero pleasure from watching a seventeen-year-old girl bawl her eyes out for half an hour.

Lauren’s fear was incredibly present tonight, and I think Jimmy is right when he offers her some criticism that an inability to conquer her fears and finally believe in herself will cost her a chance of winning a title that she actually can win. I’ve always believed that Lauren Alaina has the best voice of the competition, hands down, but while other contestants – again, Haley immediately comes to mind – develop and grow, we see moments of brilliance from Lauren, and more moments of apprehension and nerves. I’m not very surprised by this. It’s an emotionally overwhelming and draining show, and she is the youngest person up there at this point. I just really hope that this week’s stint in the Bottom Two is the motivation Lauren needs to come out of her shell and blow everyone away like I know she can. Unfortunately, I can see it also having the opposite effect.

Tonight’s drawn out results show also marked Jennifer Lopez’s big performance of her song “On the Floor.” It was everything I imagined it to be--over the top, flashy, filled with great dancing and distracting backup dancers. Jennifer’s reemergence into the musical world makes me wish for two things for her: for her to stick to judging American Idol, and for her to get back to making guilty pleasure romantic comedies (because I will never not love a Jennifer Lopez movie).

American Idol Season 10, Episode 33: And Then There Were Four

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I’m not at all shocked by tonight’s outcome of American Idol. In fact, I’ve been calling for Jacob’s elimination for quite some time, and given the fact that he performed the worst on both songs on Wednesday night, now was as good a time as any for Jacob’s elimination.

I’ve always thought Jacob has a beautiful voice, and I still believe that, but I don’t feel he’s performed consistently well on a show that should demand that. I haven’t been a big fan of his song choices recently, or the way he’s performed them. And while I’ve found myself growing more attached to some contestants, like Haley, who I never would’ve guessed to be a strong contender for the title, I’ve also found myself growing less attached to Jacob. I respect his positivity throughout the entire season and especially tonight, and do agree with him that he can and will make a record reminiscent of Luther Vandross, and hopefully, when he is focusing entirely on songs that he wants to be singing, the amazing Jacob that blew me away in January will return.

What I’m not a fan of is the way Ryan Seacrest brings the contestants to the point of nervous breakdown leading up to their judgment. I think it was inappropriate to ask Scotty to choose which duo – Lauren and Jacob or Haley and James – were in the bottom. And seeing Lauren Alaina overcome with sheer terror and sobbing for half the episode was incredibly difficult for me to watch. I’m sorry, Ryan Seacrest, but I derive absolutely zero pleasure from watching a seventeen-year-old girl bawl her eyes out for half an hour.

Lauren’s fear was incredibly present tonight, and I think Jimmy is right when he offers her some criticism that an inability to conquer her fears and finally believe in herself will cost her a chance of winning a title that she actually can win. I’ve always believed that Lauren Alaina has the best voice of the competition, hands down, but while other contestants – again, Haley immediately comes to mind – develop and grow, we see moments of brilliance from Lauren, and more moments of apprehension and nerves. I’m not very surprised by this. It’s an emotionally overwhelming and draining show, and she is the youngest person up there at this point. I just really hope that this week’s stint in the Bottom Two is the motivation Lauren needs to come out of her shell and blow everyone away like I know she can. Unfortunately, I can see it also having the opposite effect.

Tonight’s drawn out results show also marked Jennifer Lopez’s big performance of her song “On the Floor.” It was everything I imagined it to be--over the top, flashy, filled with great dancing and distracting backup dancers. Jennifer’s reemergence into the musical world makes me wish for two things for her: for her to stick to judging American Idol, and for her to get back to making guilty pleasure romantic comedies (because I will never not love a Jennifer Lopez movie).

American Idol Season 10, Episode 32: The Girls are In It To Win It

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

On Now & Then night of American Idol, wherein the Top 5 chose a contemporary song to sing and one from the past, I found myself missing Simon for the first time this season.

It took going to a rock concert recently for me to realize how utterly cheesy James Durbin’s stage antics are, and how Simon would never let him scream, “I want to hear you scream!” to get the audience involved in the first thirty seconds of performing. Don’t get me wrong, I like James, and I like how he commands the stage, but on Wednesday it just seemed cheesy. His first performance, a rendition of 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Closer to the Edge,” was incredibly off pitch, and failed to compare to the original.

His second song, Harry Nilsson’s “Without You,” was slightly better, if only because it was more personal and emotional, and I like seeing James connect to the music on such a personal and subdued level. Vocally, on the other hand, I don’t think it was his best.

I don’t dislike James. I actually like him, and have always felt that he could win the season and it wouldn’t be a head-scratching victory, but neither of his performances on Wednesday night seemed winner-worthy, even if the judges think he has the title on lock.

Another place where I disagreed with the judges was on Haley Reinhart’s first performance. I know it’s gutsy to sing a song that no one knows, but it’s just as gutsy – if not more – to sing one that everyone knows incredibly well. Here’s my thought on the matter: If you get handed an unreleased, unrecorded Lady Gaga, and have the blessing from Lady Gaga herself to sing the song, you do it. Why not? That’s a huge vote of confidence from a record exec and the world’s biggest pop star, and isn’t that what this show is all about?

Haley sang the Gaga song well, but her shining moment was in her show closing rendition of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” which was one of the best moments of the season on American Idol. I have chills just thinking of how truly fantastic she was, and how perfect the song seemed for her.

I’m not surprised in the slightest that Jacob Lusk chose to sing both sides of a duet. That just seems like the type of contestant he’s always been. I don’t think singing Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown’s “No Air” was a good choice. Jacob, whose voice is normally quite fantastic, sounded terrible on it. His dancing, in which he imitated a grinding male stripper (the same thing that did Stefano Langone in earlier this season), wasn’t much better. His second performance of “Love Hurts,” was similarly messy and not up to Jacob’s normal talent. The judges, who’ve seemed incapable of giving a poor yet deserved critique all season, didn’t seem to improve their track record, choosing to find little things, like a super high note, to highlight.

Lauren Alaina is finally heating up, and finding the power that the judges knew all along that she has in her voice. She first sang Carrie Underwood’s “Flat on the Floor,” and I thought it was fantastic. She was lively, she was energetic, she powerfully hit all the right notes. It’s the perfect direction for her musically. Of course, I also always want more from Lauren, because I think she’s capable of it, but I was pleased.

Her second performance was a beautiful version of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” and I loved it. She chose a song that everyone knows well and sang it really well. It probably won’t be what she’s remembered for this season, but it was good.

Scotty McCreery gave typical Scotty McCreery performances, first with Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone.” I liked it more than I like Scotty’s normal performances, since it seemed different, despite being country. It was another song that reminded me that Scotty is actually a talented guy. His second performance was not shockingly, Elvis’ “Always On My Mind,” and it was again, typical Scotty. He plays it safe every week, but it also works for him. However, the true shocking bit of Scotty this week was discovering that he actually has a Puerto Rican grandmother, and that he wasn’t just pulling J Lo’s leg when he said he was a quarter Puerto Rican back in the auditions.

My Bottom Three: Jacob, Scotty, James. Finally! Do I think it’ll wind up this way? Not necessarily, but last night I realized that the girls are “in it to win it,” to borrow Randy’s overused phrase.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 32: The Girls are In It To Win It

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

On Now & Then night of American Idol, wherein the Top 5 chose a contemporary song to sing and one from the past, I found myself missing Simon for the first time this season.

It took going to a rock concert recently for me to realize how utterly cheesy James Durbin’s stage antics are, and how Simon would never let him scream, “I want to hear you scream!” to get the audience involved in the first thirty seconds of performing. Don’t get me wrong, I like James, and I like how he commands the stage, but on Wednesday it just seemed cheesy. His first performance, a rendition of 30 Seconds to Mars’ “Closer to the Edge,” was incredibly off pitch, and failed to compare to the original.

His second song, Harry Nilsson’s “Without You,” was slightly better, if only because it was more personal and emotional, and I like seeing James connect to the music on such a personal and subdued level. Vocally, on the other hand, I don’t think it was his best.

I don’t dislike James. I actually like him, and have always felt that he could win the season and it wouldn’t be a head-scratching victory, but neither of his performances on Wednesday night seemed winner-worthy, even if the judges think he has the title on lock.

Another place where I disagreed with the judges was on Haley Reinhart’s first performance. I know it’s gutsy to sing a song that no one knows, but it’s just as gutsy – if not more – to sing one that everyone knows incredibly well. Here’s my thought on the matter: If you get handed an unreleased, unrecorded Lady Gaga, and have the blessing from Lady Gaga herself to sing the song, you do it. Why not? That’s a huge vote of confidence from a record exec and the world’s biggest pop star, and isn’t that what this show is all about?

Haley sang the Gaga song well, but her shining moment was in her show closing rendition of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” which was one of the best moments of the season on American Idol. I have chills just thinking of how truly fantastic she was, and how perfect the song seemed for her.

I’m not surprised in the slightest that Jacob Lusk chose to sing both sides of a duet. That just seems like the type of contestant he’s always been. I don’t think singing Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown’s “No Air” was a good choice. Jacob, whose voice is normally quite fantastic, sounded terrible on it. His dancing, in which he imitated a grinding male stripper (the same thing that did Stefano Langone in earlier this season), wasn’t much better. His second performance of “Love Hurts,” was similarly messy and not up to Jacob’s normal talent. The judges, who’ve seemed incapable of giving a poor yet deserved critique all season, didn’t seem to improve their track record, choosing to find little things, like a super high note, to highlight.

Lauren Alaina is finally heating up, and finding the power that the judges knew all along that she has in her voice. She first sang Carrie Underwood’s “Flat on the Floor,” and I thought it was fantastic. She was lively, she was energetic, she powerfully hit all the right notes. It’s the perfect direction for her musically. Of course, I also always want more from Lauren, because I think she’s capable of it, but I was pleased.

Her second performance was a beautiful version of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” and I loved it. She chose a song that everyone knows well and sang it really well. It probably won’t be what she’s remembered for this season, but it was good.

Scotty McCreery gave typical Scotty McCreery performances, first with Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone.” I liked it more than I like Scotty’s normal performances, since it seemed different, despite being country. It was another song that reminded me that Scotty is actually a talented guy. His second performance was not shockingly, Elvis’ “Always On My Mind,” and it was again, typical Scotty. He plays it safe every week, but it also works for him. However, the true shocking bit of Scotty this week was discovering that he actually has a Puerto Rican grandmother, and that he wasn’t just pulling J Lo’s leg when he said he was a quarter Puerto Rican back in the auditions.

My Bottom Three: Jacob, Scotty, James. Finally! Do I think it’ll wind up this way? Not necessarily, but last night I realized that the girls are “in it to win it,” to borrow Randy’s overused phrase.

Glee Season 2, Episode 19

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Normally I’m not a fan of Glee episodes that are entirely devoted to one artist (although, if memory serves, I feel I did enjoy this season’s Britney Spears episode). By that logic, I should have hated an episode centered around not only one artist, but around one album.

When that artist is Fleetwood Mac, and that album is “Rumours,” I really can’t find anything to complain about.

A musical highlight of the season thus far was when Santana, Brittany and Gwyneth tackled “Landslide,” which to me was ‘Glee’ at its most tender and poignant, so I was excited to see how the cast handled a legendary album of justly deserved classics. In short: I was very impressed.

Plot wise, I liked this episode of ‘Glee.’ I liked the return of Kristin Chenoweth’s drunk and hilarious April, I liked seeing Sue donning her costumes from every walk of pop culture to scheme at the local coffee shop, and I liked how Brittany started a video blog, Fondue for Two, with her obese cat. The humor was there this episode, and for me, even with a musically top-notch episode, if the writing isn’t sharp, the episode as a whole falls flat.

As hilariously perfect as April is, the best part of her ‘Glee’ appearances are not her one-liners, but the fact that we get to hear Kristen Chenoweth sing. Although I couldn’t imagine an alternative, April and Mr. Schue’s duet of “Dreams,” was, of course, amazing.

As happens with all high school romances, Brittany and Artie’s came to an end, as he realized that Brittany might be reciprocating Santana’s love. Of course, the only appropriate tool to cure heartbreak on ‘Glee’ is by singing, so he sang a lively version of “Never Going Back Again.” I felt it showed Artie’s depth, and that he really is a vital character: in comedic moments, and musically as well.

My favorite song of the night was Santana’s secret love song to Brittany, “Songbird.” I love to see Santana being vulnerable, and this was such a perfect continuation of her brilliance during “Landslide” earlier in the season. Clearly, Fleetwood Mac helps bring forth a gentle – and really, really talented – side to Santana.

Finn and Quinn sang “I Don’t Want to Know,” in a highly awkward choir-room performance. They were perhaps appropriately angry, but it just seemed so forced and painful to watch when you factor in quizzical reaction shots from Mr. Schue and the rest of the glee club. Musically, I wish we got to hear Quinn sing a bit more, since she has the better voice out of the two, and I feel the quality of her voice should lend itself well to Fleetwood Mac’s music.

Rachel sang an amped up version of “Go Your Own Way,” putting a female spin on a song performed by a male, which is my very favorite thing about good covers. I didn’t really care for the premise of the performance – Rachel using her song as an excuse to flirt with Finn in front of Quinn, who forbade the two from singing duets, saying their relationship is worth more than the glee club winning nationals – but she sounded fantastic.

The episode ender was a fun, cute version of “Don’t Stop.” In the night’s heavy and depressing moment, we learned that Sam and his young siblings are living in a cheap motel room with their parents, who can’t find work. It was nice seeing his character get developed – and explanation given to all the motel room rendezvous that were fostering all the rumors in the episode – but I really hate when Glee gets so heavy. Sam got to sing a solo, and the entire cast danced and played with his younger siblings, making everyone feel a little better about something.

Glee Season 2, Episode 19

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Normally I’m not a fan of Glee episodes that are entirely devoted to one artist (although, if memory serves, I feel I did enjoy this season’s Britney Spears episode). By that logic, I should have hated an episode centered around not only one artist, but around one album.

When that artist is Fleetwood Mac, and that album is “Rumours,” I really can’t find anything to complain about.

A musical highlight of the season thus far was when Santana, Brittany and Gwyneth tackled “Landslide,” which to me was ‘Glee’ at its most tender and poignant, so I was excited to see how the cast handled a legendary album of justly deserved classics. In short: I was very impressed.

Plot wise, I liked this episode of ‘Glee.’ I liked the return of Kristin Chenoweth’s drunk and hilarious April, I liked seeing Sue donning her costumes from every walk of pop culture to scheme at the local coffee shop, and I liked how Brittany started a video blog, Fondue for Two, with her obese cat. The humor was there this episode, and for me, even with a musically top-notch episode, if the writing isn’t sharp, the episode as a whole falls flat.

As hilariously perfect as April is, the best part of her ‘Glee’ appearances are not her one-liners, but the fact that we get to hear Kristen Chenoweth sing. Although I couldn’t imagine an alternative, April and Mr. Schue’s duet of “Dreams,” was, of course, amazing.

As happens with all high school romances, Brittany and Artie’s came to an end, as he realized that Brittany might be reciprocating Santana’s love. Of course, the only appropriate tool to cure heartbreak on ‘Glee’ is by singing, so he sang a lively version of “Never Going Back Again.” I felt it showed Artie’s depth, and that he really is a vital character: in comedic moments, and musically as well.

My favorite song of the night was Santana’s secret love song to Brittany, “Songbird.” I love to see Santana being vulnerable, and this was such a perfect continuation of her brilliance during “Landslide” earlier in the season. Clearly, Fleetwood Mac helps bring forth a gentle – and really, really talented – side to Santana.

Finn and Quinn sang “I Don’t Want to Know,” in a highly awkward choir-room performance. They were perhaps appropriately angry, but it just seemed so forced and painful to watch when you factor in quizzical reaction shots from Mr. Schue and the rest of the glee club. Musically, I wish we got to hear Quinn sing a bit more, since she has the better voice out of the two, and I feel the quality of her voice should lend itself well to Fleetwood Mac’s music.

Rachel sang an amped up version of “Go Your Own Way,” putting a female spin on a song performed by a male, which is my very favorite thing about good covers. I didn’t really care for the premise of the performance – Rachel using her song as an excuse to flirt with Finn in front of Quinn, who forbade the two from singing duets, saying their relationship is worth more than the glee club winning nationals – but she sounded fantastic.

The episode ender was a fun, cute version of “Don’t Stop.” In the night’s heavy and depressing moment, we learned that Sam and his young siblings are living in a cheap motel room with their parents, who can’t find work. It was nice seeing his character get developed – and explanation given to all the motel room rendezvous that were fostering all the rumors in the episode – but I really hate when Glee gets so heavy. Sam got to sing a solo, and the entire cast danced and played with his younger siblings, making everyone feel a little better about something.

NBC Kills "Paul Reiser"

Television News

By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover

Proving good things come to those who wait, Deadline has confirmed that NBC has canceled "The Paul Reiser Show" after just two episodes. Of those two, the premier was actually the worst in-season premier NBC has ever had. Let me just make that clear again: "The Paul Reiser Show" was NBC's worst rated premier of all-time. And the numbers on the second episode actually managed to drop a full 18%, which is fairly normal except normally a show drops from a relatively high place to somewhere a little more average rather than, you know, dropping from the bottom to the center of the Earth.

So, what factors into the absolutely abysmal performance of "Paul Reiser?" Well, as Deadline's Nikki Finke points out so subtly "even the ads for "The Paul Reiser Show" were annoying," and Finke is one of the few humans who would admit to liking Reiser. In case you missed them (not sure how you accomplished that since they may as well have been legally forced on all of us), the ads mostly just featured Reiser whining to the camera and self-deprecatingly calling all of us out for probably not giving a shit about his show. One even had Reiser pouting about how everyone probably won't even watch his show even though it's coming after the episode of "The Office" where Will Ferrell first appears. Reiser then proceeded to claim all anyone would remember about the ad was that Will Ferrell would be on "The Office."

It's tempting to blame those spots squarely on NBC, which has worked extremely hard to make itself the worst rated network on TV. But Paul Reiser's recent appearance on Jay Leno pretty much proved he's a whiny, entitled jackass all on his own. Score one for humanity.

NBC Kills "Paul Reiser"

Television News

By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover

Proving good things come to those who wait, Deadline has confirmed that NBC has canceled "The Paul Reiser Show" after just two episodes. Of those two, the premier was actually the worst in-season premier NBC has ever had. Let me just make that clear again: "The Paul Reiser Show" was NBC's worst rated premier of all-time. And the numbers on the second episode actually managed to drop a full 18%, which is fairly normal except normally a show drops from a relatively high place to somewhere a little more average rather than, you know, dropping from the bottom to the center of the Earth.

So, what factors into the absolutely abysmal performance of "Paul Reiser?" Well, as Deadline's Nikki Finke points out so subtly "even the ads for "The Paul Reiser Show" were annoying," and Finke is one of the few humans who would admit to liking Reiser. In case you missed them (not sure how you accomplished that since they may as well have been legally forced on all of us), the ads mostly just featured Reiser whining to the camera and self-deprecatingly calling all of us out for probably not giving a shit about his show. One even had Reiser pouting about how everyone probably won't even watch his show even though it's coming after the episode of "The Office" where Will Ferrell first appears. Reiser then proceeded to claim all anyone would remember about the ad was that Will Ferrell would be on "The Office."

It's tempting to blame those spots squarely on NBC, which has worked extremely hard to make itself the worst rated network on TV. But Paul Reiser's recent appearance on Jay Leno pretty much proved he's a whiny, entitled jackass all on his own. Score one for humanity.

SNL to Close Out Season with Ed Helms, Paul Simon, Lady Gaga and More

Television News

By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover

NBC has unveiled the final roster for SNL's last few episodes of the season and it's an equal mix of returning vets and newbies. The most recent additions are Ed Helms and Paul Simon, who will be together for the May 14th episode. Helms will be making his SNL debut to promote the upcoming The Hangover II while Simon will enjoy his 8th appearance to promote his latest album, So Beautiful or So What.

The week before the Helms/Simon episode will feature Tina Fey returning as host with British songstress Ellie Goulding appearing as musical guest for the first time and the week after has the flashy combo of Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga. It's clear that SNL is hoping to finish the season strong after beginning 2011 with one of its highest rated episodes, the pairing of Jim Carrey and the Black Keys. Timberlake and Fey are obvious pulls for the show, with Timberlake of course a prominent part of what has become one of the most successful sketches for the recent SNL generation, "Dick in a Box." Fey, likewise, rocketed to prominence thanks to her Sarah Palin imitation.

Helms himself may not be as big of an attraction but his role in The Hangover Part II is likely to help lure in viewers. There's always the possibility that Helms' Hangover co-star Zach Galifianakis will make an appearance as he hosted the show earlier in the season.

SNL to Close Out Season with Ed Helms, Paul Simon, Lady Gaga and More

Television News

By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover

NBC has unveiled the final roster for SNL's last few episodes of the season and it's an equal mix of returning vets and newbies. The most recent additions are Ed Helms and Paul Simon, who will be together for the May 14th episode. Helms will be making his SNL debut to promote the upcoming The Hangover II while Simon will enjoy his 8th appearance to promote his latest album, So Beautiful or So What.

The week before the Helms/Simon episode will feature Tina Fey returning as host with British songstress Ellie Goulding appearing as musical guest for the first time and the week after has the flashy combo of Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga. It's clear that SNL is hoping to finish the season strong after beginning 2011 with one of its highest rated episodes, the pairing of Jim Carrey and the Black Keys. Timberlake and Fey are obvious pulls for the show, with Timberlake of course a prominent part of what has become one of the most successful sketches for the recent SNL generation, "Dick in a Box." Fey, likewise, rocketed to prominence thanks to her Sarah Palin imitation.

Helms himself may not be as big of an attraction but his role in The Hangover Part II is likely to help lure in viewers. There's always the possibility that Helms' Hangover co-star Zach Galifianakis will make an appearance as he hosted the show earlier in the season.

Wonder Woman Pilot Gets Rewritten to Feature More..Strangling?

Television News

By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover

Io9 got its hands on newly rewritten pages from the script for the upcoming "Wonder Woman" pilot and they're, well, interesting. The chief change seems to be an attempt to turn Wonder Woman into more of an action figure and less of a Barbie doll, by which I mean she now does superhero things like lifting guys by their throats rather than just switching careers at a superhuman pace.

At one point, Wonder Woman even runs into some guards creatively named Frick and Frack and tells them "I'm Wonder Woman. How do you think this ends?" before lifting them into the air by their neck and chest respectively. There's also a "hilarious" scene where Wonder Woman, in her Diana Prince identity, is attacked by a road rage prone driver who attempts to rape her before she stops him...by picking him up by his throat. Later, Wonder Woman ups the ante and shoves her thumb into some guy's eye. But only because he tried to touch her throat. Yes, I am completely serious. Unfortunately.

Wonder Woman later visits a young man who was struck down by experimental steroids (don't ask) and promises to pick up at least three men by their throats for him.  Or at least, that's what I assume she means when she swears vengeance on whoever did that to him. He also gets an offer to ride Wonder Woman's jet, which is probably a euphemism. For throat lifting.

The weirdest part, though, has to be the scene where Diana's cat bites William Marston's hand. Who's William Marston, you ask? Oh, he's just Wonder Woman's creator. She's agrees to go on a date with him to make up for the cat bite but things go badly when he states his opinion that Wonder Woman is a fascist. Because that's the kind of thing that comes up on first dates. If this show were really smart, they would have just had Marston reveal that he's really, really into BDSM.

Wonder Woman Pilot Gets Rewritten to Feature More..Strangling?

Television News

By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover

Io9 got its hands on newly rewritten pages from the script for the upcoming "Wonder Woman" pilot and they're, well, interesting. The chief change seems to be an attempt to turn Wonder Woman into more of an action figure and less of a Barbie doll, by which I mean she now does superhero things like lifting guys by their throats rather than just switching careers at a superhuman pace.

At one point, Wonder Woman even runs into some guards creatively named Frick and Frack and tells them "I'm Wonder Woman. How do you think this ends?" before lifting them into the air by their neck and chest respectively. There's also a "hilarious" scene where Wonder Woman, in her Diana Prince identity, is attacked by a road rage prone driver who attempts to rape her before she stops him...by picking him up by his throat. Later, Wonder Woman ups the ante and shoves her thumb into some guy's eye. But only because he tried to touch her throat. Yes, I am completely serious. Unfortunately.

Wonder Woman later visits a young man who was struck down by experimental steroids (don't ask) and promises to pick up at least three men by their throats for him.  Or at least, that's what I assume she means when she swears vengeance on whoever did that to him. He also gets an offer to ride Wonder Woman's jet, which is probably a euphemism. For throat lifting.

The weirdest part, though, has to be the scene where Diana's cat bites William Marston's hand. Who's William Marston, you ask? Oh, he's just Wonder Woman's creator. She's agrees to go on a date with him to make up for the cat bite but things go badly when he states his opinion that Wonder Woman is a fascist. Because that's the kind of thing that comes up on first dates. If this show were really smart, they would have just had Marston reveal that he's really, really into BDSM.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 30

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

The Top 6 tackled songs from the immense Carole King songbook, which included some ubiquitous classics, and some hidden gems, and for the most part, all contestants showed – to borrow a phrase from Randy Jackson – that they were in it to win it.

I find it a bit odd that James Durbin’s fans allegedly requested that he sing “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” which was Carole King’s first big hit, written for the Shirelles, because it’s not a song I would’ve imagined him singing. I’m glad they did, because not only was it my favorite of the night, but it’s been my favorite James Durbin performances of the season, and likely one of my favorite performances of the season period. Last week I thought he was far too over the top, and I’ve been growing tired of the theatrics associated with a James Durban performance, so I was so impressed to see him start off a song singing a cappella. My one critique is that I preferred the beginning to the end, and wish that there was more tenderness throughout the song.

I also find it a bit odd that Scotty McCreery did so well on a night where he said he was going to step out of his comfort zone. Scotty is another contestant whose performances I’m getting sick of – not because they’re over the top, but because they’re predictably cheesy. He scrapped his deep country tone, and showed that he actually has more depth as a singer than I expected. I really enjoyed his performance of “You’ve Got a Friend” because it wasn’t country Scotty; it reminded me of just how awesome his voice is.

Haley Reinhart has somehow become one to beat in the competition, and I really liked her performance of “Beautiful,” even if it got off to an awkward start thanks to technical difficulties and lack of time. The song was the perfect opportunity to show off the power of her voice, and I really enjoyed her performance.

Last week the judges told Lauren Alaina that she is great, but she can be even greater if she pushes herself harder, so the producers brought in her idol Miley Cyrus for a little pep talk. Personally, if I hear Miley give one musical recommendation, I’d be inclined to do the opposite, but actually Miley’s advice was pretty spot on and excellent for Lauren: Do it for yourself. And Lauren did. She sang a fun, lively performance of “Where You Lead,” which I joked that every girl in my generation knows as the Gilmore Girls theme song, and even if it involved awkwardly bringing a guy on stage, I liked it. I really like Lauren Alaina, and like the judges, I want to see her do the huge things she’s capable of, and this was a step in the right direction.

I hate to say that I’m no longer sure what Casey Abrams is trying to do on this show. I’ve always liked Casey, but I’m finding that I’m liking him a bit less, and his performance of “Hi-De-Ho That Sweet Roll” performed by Blood, Sweat & Tears is the perfect example of that. Musically, there was nothing wrong with his performance. He knows who he is as an artist, he pushes himself to grow and experiment, and he sounded fantastic. What is beginning to bother me about Casey Abrams is that it’s seeming to be more gimmicky than genuine, which I know isn’t his intention, and that’s a problem. I feel that Casey is trying to be the contrarian of the Idol stage with week after week of out of left field performances, and I think he needs to dial it down. Casey should take a note from Scotty and James this week and do something simple and raw next week.

I think it is finally Jacob Lusk’s week to go home. He started the show off in a bright clown suit, and sang a choir-backed rendition of “Oh No Not My Baby,” which was fine, but not his best. Vocally, he sounded a bit all over the place, but not bad. Unfortunately, every other contestant gave memorably great performances, so it seems Jacob might be in some danger.

The duets were fine. Casey and Haley were great, though not as great as their duet from the other week. The two have such good chemistry and a similar growly quality to their voices, which make their duets such a treat. Lauren and Scotty were pretty good, though the song choice seemed a bit weird for the two of them. James and Jacob were also fine. On the whole, I felt the show could’ve done without these filler performances.

My bottom three predictions: Jacob, Casey, Haley (and undeservedly so).

American Idol Season 10, Episode 30

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

The Top 6 tackled songs from the immense Carole King songbook, which included some ubiquitous classics, and some hidden gems, and for the most part, all contestants showed – to borrow a phrase from Randy Jackson – that they were in it to win it.

I find it a bit odd that James Durbin’s fans allegedly requested that he sing “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” which was Carole King’s first big hit, written for the Shirelles, because it’s not a song I would’ve imagined him singing. I’m glad they did, because not only was it my favorite of the night, but it’s been my favorite James Durbin performances of the season, and likely one of my favorite performances of the season period. Last week I thought he was far too over the top, and I’ve been growing tired of the theatrics associated with a James Durban performance, so I was so impressed to see him start off a song singing a cappella. My one critique is that I preferred the beginning to the end, and wish that there was more tenderness throughout the song.

I also find it a bit odd that Scotty McCreery did so well on a night where he said he was going to step out of his comfort zone. Scotty is another contestant whose performances I’m getting sick of – not because they’re over the top, but because they’re predictably cheesy. He scrapped his deep country tone, and showed that he actually has more depth as a singer than I expected. I really enjoyed his performance of “You’ve Got a Friend” because it wasn’t country Scotty; it reminded me of just how awesome his voice is.

Haley Reinhart has somehow become one to beat in the competition, and I really liked her performance of “Beautiful,” even if it got off to an awkward start thanks to technical difficulties and lack of time. The song was the perfect opportunity to show off the power of her voice, and I really enjoyed her performance.

Last week the judges told Lauren Alaina that she is great, but she can be even greater if she pushes herself harder, so the producers brought in her idol Miley Cyrus for a little pep talk. Personally, if I hear Miley give one musical recommendation, I’d be inclined to do the opposite, but actually Miley’s advice was pretty spot on and excellent for Lauren: Do it for yourself. And Lauren did. She sang a fun, lively performance of “Where You Lead,” which I joked that every girl in my generation knows as the Gilmore Girls theme song, and even if it involved awkwardly bringing a guy on stage, I liked it. I really like Lauren Alaina, and like the judges, I want to see her do the huge things she’s capable of, and this was a step in the right direction.

I hate to say that I’m no longer sure what Casey Abrams is trying to do on this show. I’ve always liked Casey, but I’m finding that I’m liking him a bit less, and his performance of “Hi-De-Ho That Sweet Roll” performed by Blood, Sweat & Tears is the perfect example of that. Musically, there was nothing wrong with his performance. He knows who he is as an artist, he pushes himself to grow and experiment, and he sounded fantastic. What is beginning to bother me about Casey Abrams is that it’s seeming to be more gimmicky than genuine, which I know isn’t his intention, and that’s a problem. I feel that Casey is trying to be the contrarian of the Idol stage with week after week of out of left field performances, and I think he needs to dial it down. Casey should take a note from Scotty and James this week and do something simple and raw next week.

I think it is finally Jacob Lusk’s week to go home. He started the show off in a bright clown suit, and sang a choir-backed rendition of “Oh No Not My Baby,” which was fine, but not his best. Vocally, he sounded a bit all over the place, but not bad. Unfortunately, every other contestant gave memorably great performances, so it seems Jacob might be in some danger.

The duets were fine. Casey and Haley were great, though not as great as their duet from the other week. The two have such good chemistry and a similar growly quality to their voices, which make their duets such a treat. Lauren and Scotty were pretty good, though the song choice seemed a bit weird for the two of them. James and Jacob were also fine. On the whole, I felt the show could’ve done without these filler performances.

My bottom three predictions: Jacob, Casey, Haley (and undeservedly so).

"Glee" Season 2 Episode 18

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

There’s a reason why Glee is normally an hour long--any longer than that and it starts to get stale.

The episode got off to a great start. The writing was especially sharp, and the episode had a good thematic focus, which is something I worried about. This week’s episode was billed as a Lady Gaga episode, and I feared every song would be Gaga, and that’s overkill that I can’t handle. Thankfully, the Gaga theme was very abstract: Ms. Pillsbury used the phrase “born this way” to describe her OCD, and Mr. Schue instantly thought of the Lady Gaga hit.

The first song of the episode was a duet of TLC’s “Unpretty” between Rachel and Quinn, regarding Rachel’s broken nose and desire to have a nose like Quinn’s. I absolutely loved it. The vocals were so tender and delicate, and reminded me of just how beautiful the song is. In all honesty, I think I liked the Glee version more than the original.

When Finn sang Sammy Davis Jr’s “I Gotta Be Me,” I was more distracted by Mike Chang’s fantastic dance moves – and how poorly Finn dances – than the singing. It’s nice every so often when Glee brings such a classic song into an episode with such mainstream hits from today, and this was one of those instances. I don’t think Finn is the best singer of the show, but he’s certainly endearing, and I felt this performance came across well, even if it wasn’t the best.

Another musical highlight was when the Dalton Academy Warblers fronted by their fearless leader Blaine sang Kurt adieu with Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know.” In a selfish effort to become prom queen, Santana brokered an agreement with bully Dave to be the other’s beard. She figured this would make McKinley High a safer place for Kurt, and he’d transfer back, and the glee club could have a better shot of winning nationals. Kurt is back, and the moment his transfer became official, Blaine and the Warblers came out to sing a beautiful rendition of Keane’s hit, in one of my favorite moments of the night.

It’s no secret I love Blaine and the Warblers, and think they’re the best musical part of Glee. I’m worried now that Kurt is happily back at McKinley High and the Warblers are out of the vocal competition world for the school year, that it’ll be the end of Blaine and the Warblers. I hope not!

Kurt’s reintroduction song was a beautiful rendition of “As If We’ve Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard, which reminded me of how utterly talented the kid is, but how much I prefer him in his non-diva role in the Warblers.

I was wondering how Glee would fit the Duck Sauce hit “Barbra Streisand” -- a song so far from the world of Glee – into this episode, but I think it was actually pretty fantastic. In an episode where Rachel’s aspiration to become her hero, Barbra Streisand, was mentioned with decent regularity, along with the overarching message to love yourself (in this case, her natural nose), Kurt combined the two themes with an upbeat, techno flash mob to the Duck Sauce song at the mall. The episode certainly could’ve done without it, but I thought it was fun.

Kurt kicking off the show closing “Born this Way” was especially nice, especially with Mercedes helping him out in taking on the lead vocals. The song was so high energy, but felt so much more homegrown and natural than Lady Gaga’s version, which was especially nice. I like the show closing songs when the cast looks like they’re having fun, and this was one of them… even if I found trying to read their shirts to be a bit distracting.

"Glee" Season 2 Episode 18

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

There’s a reason why Glee is normally an hour long--any longer than that and it starts to get stale.

The episode got off to a great start. The writing was especially sharp, and the episode had a good thematic focus, which is something I worried about. This week’s episode was billed as a Lady Gaga episode, and I feared every song would be Gaga, and that’s overkill that I can’t handle. Thankfully, the Gaga theme was very abstract: Ms. Pillsbury used the phrase “born this way” to describe her OCD, and Mr. Schue instantly thought of the Lady Gaga hit.

The first song of the episode was a duet of TLC’s “Unpretty” between Rachel and Quinn, regarding Rachel’s broken nose and desire to have a nose like Quinn’s. I absolutely loved it. The vocals were so tender and delicate, and reminded me of just how beautiful the song is. In all honesty, I think I liked the Glee version more than the original.

When Finn sang Sammy Davis Jr’s “I Gotta Be Me,” I was more distracted by Mike Chang’s fantastic dance moves – and how poorly Finn dances – than the singing. It’s nice every so often when Glee brings such a classic song into an episode with such mainstream hits from today, and this was one of those instances. I don’t think Finn is the best singer of the show, but he’s certainly endearing, and I felt this performance came across well, even if it wasn’t the best.

Another musical highlight was when the Dalton Academy Warblers fronted by their fearless leader Blaine sang Kurt adieu with Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know.” In a selfish effort to become prom queen, Santana brokered an agreement with bully Dave to be the other’s beard. She figured this would make McKinley High a safer place for Kurt, and he’d transfer back, and the glee club could have a better shot of winning nationals. Kurt is back, and the moment his transfer became official, Blaine and the Warblers came out to sing a beautiful rendition of Keane’s hit, in one of my favorite moments of the night.

It’s no secret I love Blaine and the Warblers, and think they’re the best musical part of Glee. I’m worried now that Kurt is happily back at McKinley High and the Warblers are out of the vocal competition world for the school year, that it’ll be the end of Blaine and the Warblers. I hope not!

Kurt’s reintroduction song was a beautiful rendition of “As If We’ve Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard, which reminded me of how utterly talented the kid is, but how much I prefer him in his non-diva role in the Warblers.

I was wondering how Glee would fit the Duck Sauce hit “Barbra Streisand” -- a song so far from the world of Glee – into this episode, but I think it was actually pretty fantastic. In an episode where Rachel’s aspiration to become her hero, Barbra Streisand, was mentioned with decent regularity, along with the overarching message to love yourself (in this case, her natural nose), Kurt combined the two themes with an upbeat, techno flash mob to the Duck Sauce song at the mall. The episode certainly could’ve done without it, but I thought it was fun.

Kurt kicking off the show closing “Born this Way” was especially nice, especially with Mercedes helping him out in taking on the lead vocals. The song was so high energy, but felt so much more homegrown and natural than Lady Gaga’s version, which was especially nice. I like the show closing songs when the cast looks like they’re having fun, and this was one of them… even if I found trying to read their shirts to be a bit distracting.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 28: The Top 7 Sing Songs From This Century

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

American Idol songs from the 21st century started off oddly enough: with the fallen contestants coming out to sing a pretty terrible rendition of Pink’s “So What.” I thought the filler performances were reserved for Thursday night to waste space… not prime competition Wednesday night.

Scotty McCreery kicked off the actual for-vote performances, with an insanely cheesy version of LeAnn Rimes’ “Swingin.’” In the video intro before his performance, the rest of the cast made fun of the way Scotty holds his microphone like a flute and winked a lot, and he came out doing that even more than usual. Was he being self-aware and poking fun at those poking fun of him? It doesn’t really matter. His performance was cheesy, it was tired, and there had to have been a much better song for him to choose. I’m tired of Scotty, and I feel that this may be his last week.

In the night’s performance that Simon Cowell would’ve hated, James Durbin performed Muse’s hit “Uprising” in some post-apocalyptic looking costume as he entered from the rear of the Idol-dome with a marching band. I get that Muse is all about the theatrics in their live show, but this seemed to be a bit over-the-top for an Idol performance. I liked what he did, and what he tried to do. I think Muse is a great band, and James has been a consistently good performer, but something didn’t quite click with me tonight. It should’ve been better than it was.

Haley Reinhart made a gutsy move when electing to sing the veritable song of the moment, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Not only is the Adele song (and album!) so amazing as an original (and is everywhere!), everyone seems to be making covers of this song. Jennifer Lopez was right, Haley took a huge risk with this song, but personally, I think it paid off. There were moments where it wasn’t great, but there were moments where I felt that Haley found the perfect type of artist to strive to be after Idol ends.

In the most emotional performance of the night, Jacob Lusk sang Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father,” dedicated to his father who passed when Jacob was only twelve. All season, Jacob has been compared to Luther, so it was interesting to see him tackle a Luther song already. When Jacob faltered in the beginning, I thought it was because the emotions were getting to him, but apparently, the track in his in-ear device wasn’t working properly. Vocally it was simultaneously great, and not his best, which seems weird to say, but really is a testament to how talented Jacob is. I would’ve liked him to do more with the song, and be less restrained, because that’s when his voice is at its best.

Casey Abrams wore a new performer hat with his rock-fueled performance of Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe.” It was good, but again, not my favorite of his. It seemed a little forced and weird, to be perfectly honest. I like Casey, I’ll always root for Casey, but I’m not sure if this was the right direction for him. I like seeing him try new things, since he’s so unbelievably talented, but the angry rocker is not the best look for him.

While Stefano Langone’s performance was not as good as last week’s, it was better than he’s been most other weeks, even if he wore a distractingly stupid outfit and danced like a stripper. The judges congratulated him for finally showing some swagger, but really, I was just uncomfortable. So another good, but not great, Stefano Langone performance.

Lauren Alaina closed out the show with a cute performance of Sara Evans’ “Born to Fly.” It worked for her. She had a lot of energy, she sang it really well, and it was just very uncomplicated. It was another good, but not great, performance in a night that seemed to be entirely riddled with them. I really like Lauren, and like the judges, I think she’s capable of doing incredible things vocally (I honestly believe she has the best raw voice in the competition), but she seems to doubt herself and get nervous a bit too much, and hold back as a result. Maybe her show-ending heart to heart with the judges will be the affirming nudge she needs to really start tearing it out of the park. I’d like to see Lauren win the whole season, but she needs to start getting bigger and bolder if she wants that to happen.

My predictions for bottom three: Scotty, Stefano, Jacob.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 28: The Top 7 Sing Songs From This Century

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

American Idol songs from the 21st century started off oddly enough: with the fallen contestants coming out to sing a pretty terrible rendition of Pink’s “So What.” I thought the filler performances were reserved for Thursday night to waste space… not prime competition Wednesday night.

Scotty McCreery kicked off the actual for-vote performances, with an insanely cheesy version of LeAnn Rimes’ “Swingin.’” In the video intro before his performance, the rest of the cast made fun of the way Scotty holds his microphone like a flute and winked a lot, and he came out doing that even more than usual. Was he being self-aware and poking fun at those poking fun of him? It doesn’t really matter. His performance was cheesy, it was tired, and there had to have been a much better song for him to choose. I’m tired of Scotty, and I feel that this may be his last week.

In the night’s performance that Simon Cowell would’ve hated, James Durbin performed Muse’s hit “Uprising” in some post-apocalyptic looking costume as he entered from the rear of the Idol-dome with a marching band. I get that Muse is all about the theatrics in their live show, but this seemed to be a bit over-the-top for an Idol performance. I liked what he did, and what he tried to do. I think Muse is a great band, and James has been a consistently good performer, but something didn’t quite click with me tonight. It should’ve been better than it was.

Haley Reinhart made a gutsy move when electing to sing the veritable song of the moment, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Not only is the Adele song (and album!) so amazing as an original (and is everywhere!), everyone seems to be making covers of this song. Jennifer Lopez was right, Haley took a huge risk with this song, but personally, I think it paid off. There were moments where it wasn’t great, but there were moments where I felt that Haley found the perfect type of artist to strive to be after Idol ends.

In the most emotional performance of the night, Jacob Lusk sang Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father,” dedicated to his father who passed when Jacob was only twelve. All season, Jacob has been compared to Luther, so it was interesting to see him tackle a Luther song already. When Jacob faltered in the beginning, I thought it was because the emotions were getting to him, but apparently, the track in his in-ear device wasn’t working properly. Vocally it was simultaneously great, and not his best, which seems weird to say, but really is a testament to how talented Jacob is. I would’ve liked him to do more with the song, and be less restrained, because that’s when his voice is at its best.

Casey Abrams wore a new performer hat with his rock-fueled performance of Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe.” It was good, but again, not my favorite of his. It seemed a little forced and weird, to be perfectly honest. I like Casey, I’ll always root for Casey, but I’m not sure if this was the right direction for him. I like seeing him try new things, since he’s so unbelievably talented, but the angry rocker is not the best look for him.

While Stefano Langone’s performance was not as good as last week’s, it was better than he’s been most other weeks, even if he wore a distractingly stupid outfit and danced like a stripper. The judges congratulated him for finally showing some swagger, but really, I was just uncomfortable. So another good, but not great, Stefano Langone performance.

Lauren Alaina closed out the show with a cute performance of Sara Evans’ “Born to Fly.” It worked for her. She had a lot of energy, she sang it really well, and it was just very uncomplicated. It was another good, but not great, performance in a night that seemed to be entirely riddled with them. I really like Lauren, and like the judges, I think she’s capable of doing incredible things vocally (I honestly believe she has the best raw voice in the competition), but she seems to doubt herself and get nervous a bit too much, and hold back as a result. Maybe her show-ending heart to heart with the judges will be the affirming nudge she needs to really start tearing it out of the park. I’d like to see Lauren win the whole season, but she needs to start getting bigger and bolder if she wants that to happen.

My predictions for bottom three: Scotty, Stefano, Jacob.

Glee Returns with a Night of Neglect

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

When Glee goes on a hiatus, their first episode back is usually an incredible one. I guess the producers feel the need to throw the fans a bone, and have a huge episode to make the absence of Glee for so many weeks seem worth it.

This episode reminded me of why I didn’t really miss Glee much over the hiatus.

In theory, this could’ve been a stellar episode. Brittany turned out to be the veritable MVP of an academic decathlon team and Sue had assembled a League of Doom – a team of henchmen – to find a way to bring down Mr. Schuester and the New Directions. The brief scenes introducing Brittany’s shocking success as an academic decathlete and Sue leading a meeting with the coach of Vocal Adrenaline, the former glee club teacher, Sandy, and Mr. Schue’s ex-wife Terri, were the funniest of the episode. Unfortunately for me, they were also some of the briefest scenes.

Mr. Schue found himself in a pickle--he needed to raise money to send his glee club to Nationals in New York, and also send the academic decathlon team to compete in Detroit, and his plans to raise money were weak, at best. Holly suggested he throw a benefit concert, and it seemed like the right move. When he suggested that they perform songs from neglected artists, I started to feel unsure. Sure, thematically, it was appropriate, but I wasn’t sure how good it’d be.

Shockingly, Sunshine Corazon, played by the young phenom Charice, came back to Glee for this episode, as she volunteered to sing in the show, and bring her army of Twitter followers. This would sell out the show, and give New Directions all the money they’d need to travel. Of course, Charice is on the rival team, and it didn’t quite work out well for New Directions, but at least we got to see Charice sing. Thankfully, she sang a powerful version of Celine Dion’s “All By Myself,” which was especially lovely because she has a ridiculously incredible voice. Thank you, Oprah, for finding her.

The other highlight of the episode wasn’t even a song! It was a dance! That’s how… off this episode was. Mike Chang choreographed a super fun and interesting dance to Jack Johnson’s “Bubble Toes,” which not only reminded me of how much I like Jack Johnson, but also how talented a dancer he is.

Tina sang a tearful version of “Follow Rivers” before getting booed off the stage by the team of hecklers in Sue’s League of Doom. It was good, but the vocals took a backseat to all the heckling, which wasn’t even as funny as it could have been.

Holly sang her swan song, which also made me sad, because somehow Gwyneth Paltrow became one of my favorite parts of Glee. As all substitutes must, Gwyneth is leaving McKinley High to teach French at another high school in Ohio, in part because she realized that her boyfriend, Mr. Schuester, is in love with another woman. She sang Adele’s “Turning Tables,” and it was fine, and looked beautiful with her on a stage with a backing band and a long gown, but it wasn’t as good as songs in Glee tend to be. Yet this was one of the best musical points of the night.

Closing out the show – both the benefit show and the episode – was the newly minted diva, Mercedes. Her storyline this episode was funny, but very forced. She wanted to close the show and be a diva, and with tough as nails Lauren Zices as her manager, Mercedes started flinging some diva demands worthy of Mariah Carey. After a pep talk from Rachel, Mercedes realized she loves to sing, and loves the glee club, and closed out the night with “Ain’t No Way,” which was performed lovely, but still came across as just average to me.

The worst part of the episode? Blaine did not sing. Forget about a disjointed, weird plot about a failed benefit concert, the only Blaine I got in this episode were simple cutaway reaction shots during the concert. Not cool, Glee. Not cool.

Next week will be a “huge” hour-and-a-half long episode of Lady Gaga songs, which frankly, I’m not excited for. But hopefully the fact that it’s a themed episode will mean the writing is tight and funny.

Glee Returns with a Night of Neglect

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

When Glee goes on a hiatus, their first episode back is usually an incredible one. I guess the producers feel the need to throw the fans a bone, and have a huge episode to make the absence of Glee for so many weeks seem worth it.

This episode reminded me of why I didn’t really miss Glee much over the hiatus.

In theory, this could’ve been a stellar episode. Brittany turned out to be the veritable MVP of an academic decathlon team and Sue had assembled a League of Doom – a team of henchmen – to find a way to bring down Mr. Schuester and the New Directions. The brief scenes introducing Brittany’s shocking success as an academic decathlete and Sue leading a meeting with the coach of Vocal Adrenaline, the former glee club teacher, Sandy, and Mr. Schue’s ex-wife Terri, were the funniest of the episode. Unfortunately for me, they were also some of the briefest scenes.

Mr. Schue found himself in a pickle--he needed to raise money to send his glee club to Nationals in New York, and also send the academic decathlon team to compete in Detroit, and his plans to raise money were weak, at best. Holly suggested he throw a benefit concert, and it seemed like the right move. When he suggested that they perform songs from neglected artists, I started to feel unsure. Sure, thematically, it was appropriate, but I wasn’t sure how good it’d be.

Shockingly, Sunshine Corazon, played by the young phenom Charice, came back to Glee for this episode, as she volunteered to sing in the show, and bring her army of Twitter followers. This would sell out the show, and give New Directions all the money they’d need to travel. Of course, Charice is on the rival team, and it didn’t quite work out well for New Directions, but at least we got to see Charice sing. Thankfully, she sang a powerful version of Celine Dion’s “All By Myself,” which was especially lovely because she has a ridiculously incredible voice. Thank you, Oprah, for finding her.

The other highlight of the episode wasn’t even a song! It was a dance! That’s how… off this episode was. Mike Chang choreographed a super fun and interesting dance to Jack Johnson’s “Bubble Toes,” which not only reminded me of how much I like Jack Johnson, but also how talented a dancer he is.

Tina sang a tearful version of “Follow Rivers” before getting booed off the stage by the team of hecklers in Sue’s League of Doom. It was good, but the vocals took a backseat to all the heckling, which wasn’t even as funny as it could have been.

Holly sang her swan song, which also made me sad, because somehow Gwyneth Paltrow became one of my favorite parts of Glee. As all substitutes must, Gwyneth is leaving McKinley High to teach French at another high school in Ohio, in part because she realized that her boyfriend, Mr. Schuester, is in love with another woman. She sang Adele’s “Turning Tables,” and it was fine, and looked beautiful with her on a stage with a backing band and a long gown, but it wasn’t as good as songs in Glee tend to be. Yet this was one of the best musical points of the night.

Closing out the show – both the benefit show and the episode – was the newly minted diva, Mercedes. Her storyline this episode was funny, but very forced. She wanted to close the show and be a diva, and with tough as nails Lauren Zices as her manager, Mercedes started flinging some diva demands worthy of Mariah Carey. After a pep talk from Rachel, Mercedes realized she loves to sing, and loves the glee club, and closed out the night with “Ain’t No Way,” which was performed lovely, but still came across as just average to me.

The worst part of the episode? Blaine did not sing. Forget about a disjointed, weird plot about a failed benefit concert, the only Blaine I got in this episode were simple cutaway reaction shots during the concert. Not cool, Glee. Not cool.

Next week will be a “huge” hour-and-a-half long episode of Lady Gaga songs, which frankly, I’m not excited for. But hopefully the fact that it’s a themed episode will mean the writing is tight and funny.

Crazy Acquisitions: Wild Guns

Television News

By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover

Hey, kids! Do you hate your history teacher? Is it because everything teach tells you is just so boringly devoid of crazy partnerships and/or cryptozoological monsters and folkloric terrors? Then you're in luck! WB has gallantly stepped in to answer your prayers with Wild Guns, a film that Heat Vision happily reports has "shades of Tombstone and Sherlock Holmes," two properties that I know we've all impatiently waiting to be united.

Wild Guns features real-life BFF's Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, who were kind of like the original zany buddy cops. What's less accurate is the film's plot, which is said to center on the efforts by the duo to save Sitting Bull's daughter from a "powerful Shaman with mysterious powers who is terrorizing the Western plains." Or at least that's not exactly how I remember learning about that particular era of American history.

The good news is that John Ridley is connected to this project. The bad news is that he's only on board as a producer. The even worse news is that Wild Guns is the second script from a young scribe named T.S. Nowlin. His first script was what, you ask? Ah, that'd be the Christopher Columbus film McG is now attached to. You know, after he finishes bringing about the apocalypse with Ouija: The Reckoning. (I made up that last part of the title there but feel free to contact me about rights, McG).

Crazy Acquisitions: Wild Guns

Television News

By our guest blogger, Nick Hanover

Hey, kids! Do you hate your history teacher? Is it because everything teach tells you is just so boringly devoid of crazy partnerships and/or cryptozoological monsters and folkloric terrors? Then you're in luck! WB has gallantly stepped in to answer your prayers with Wild Guns, a film that Heat Vision happily reports has "shades of Tombstone and Sherlock Holmes," two properties that I know we've all impatiently waiting to be united.

Wild Guns features real-life BFF's Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, who were kind of like the original zany buddy cops. What's less accurate is the film's plot, which is said to center on the efforts by the duo to save Sitting Bull's daughter from a "powerful Shaman with mysterious powers who is terrorizing the Western plains." Or at least that's not exactly how I remember learning about that particular era of American history.

The good news is that John Ridley is connected to this project. The bad news is that he's only on board as a producer. The even worse news is that Wild Guns is the second script from a young scribe named T.S. Nowlin. His first script was what, you ask? Ah, that'd be the Christopher Columbus film McG is now attached to. You know, after he finishes bringing about the apocalypse with Ouija: The Reckoning. (I made up that last part of the title there but feel free to contact me about rights, McG).

More ‘Jersey Shore’ Spinoffs on the Way

Television News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

Remember that episode of “South Park,” where the state of New Jersey began to grow like a cancer across all of America, spreading Snookiesque characters to all corners of our map?

Yeah, it looks like it is coming true. At least in the realm of television programming.

Deadline now reports that aside from Season 4 of “Jersey Shore,” which, despite all our hopes, appears to be going forward with all the major players returning, we’ll also get a spinoff focusing on the friendship between Snooki and Jwoww. Because if there’s one thing that TV needs in order to get its act together, it is more Nicole Polizzi.

However, if you tend to be more of a DJ Pauly D fan (why?), don’t worry, because he’s also getting his own series which will follow him as he tours America as an in-demand DJ. The tentative title for this project is “The Trail of Tears.”

(OK, we made that last part up.)

Oh well, in an age where the biggest celebrity in the news is Charlie Sheen, it’s no big surprise that some viewers want to see more of these train-wrecks. However, we really can’t see these shows offering up anything that “Jersey Shore” doesn’t give audiences already. In fact, by getting rid of some of the other major characters (we refuse to think of them as real people), it seems likely that these spinoffs will inevitably be little more than disappointments.

But then again, the success of “Jersey Shore” has always been a disappointment.

More ‘Jersey Shore’ Spinoffs on the Way

Television News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

Remember that episode of “South Park,” where the state of New Jersey began to grow like a cancer across all of America, spreading Snookiesque characters to all corners of our map?

Yeah, it looks like it is coming true. At least in the realm of television programming.

Deadline now reports that aside from Season 4 of “Jersey Shore,” which, despite all our hopes, appears to be going forward with all the major players returning, we’ll also get a spinoff focusing on the friendship between Snooki and Jwoww. Because if there’s one thing that TV needs in order to get its act together, it is more Nicole Polizzi.

However, if you tend to be more of a DJ Pauly D fan (why?), don’t worry, because he’s also getting his own series which will follow him as he tours America as an in-demand DJ. The tentative title for this project is “The Trail of Tears.”

(OK, we made that last part up.)

Oh well, in an age where the biggest celebrity in the news is Charlie Sheen, it’s no big surprise that some viewers want to see more of these train-wrecks. However, we really can’t see these shows offering up anything that “Jersey Shore” doesn’t give audiences already. In fact, by getting rid of some of the other major characters (we refuse to think of them as real people), it seems likely that these spinoffs will inevitably be little more than disappointments.

But then again, the success of “Jersey Shore” has always been a disappointment.

American Idol Season 10 Episode 27: Goodbye, Rose suit

Television review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Each week I write about the importance of voting for your favorites on American Idol, since it seems as if this is going to be a complete crapshoot of a season. On Wednesday night I forgot to vote for my favorite, and now, Paul McDonald has been the first male contestant of the season to be voted off.

I blame myself.

Now with online voting, it’s too easy to cast a vote, and too silly not to. I’ll miss Paul’s flashy suits and his blinding white smile; I’ll miss his raspy voice and his “quirky” vibe. But at least I got to hear him sing “Maggie May” as his perfect send off song, as I began to hope that his stint on ‘Idol’ helps propel his band to some sort of fame. I’ve always said that Paul McDonald might not be the perfect American Idol contestant – and clearly he wasn’t – but he’s perhaps the only person in the history of the show whose post-Idol career excites me. I can see myself listening to his music, seeing his concerts, and really appreciating what he does as an artist that he could not do on the ‘Idol’ stage where he’s limited by theme nights, restricting song choice lists, and instrument usage caps.

Joining Paul in the bottom three were Haley and Stefano, neither of whom were particularly surprising. Haley didn’t give a strong performance the night before, and while Stefano really did, he hasn’t been performing as well as the other ‘Idol’ hopefuls in recent weeks.

It was a bummer to see Haley in the bottom after what was her best performance on the ‘Idol’ stage to date. Moments before being banished to the silver bottom three chairs, Haley and her rumored-beau Casey Abrams took the stage to sing a jazzy duet of Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’” – the perfect song for them to showcase their growly voices and their jazzy vibes. The duet is actually one of the best things I can recall seeing on ‘American Idol’ in quite some time – so look for a video on YouTube if you just tune into the last five minutes of the results show.

Stefano, Paul, James and Jacob sang Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” which was great and lively and upbeat, but also made me miss Casey James and wish he joined them on stage. If Kelly Clarkson could be there, then so could Casey James.

I feel that barring a huge misstep from either Lauren Alaina or Haley, the two girls will be in the show for a while more. I honestly can’t see the American Idol producers letting there be one girl with so many guys still left in the competition.

American Idol Season 10 Episode 27: Goodbye, Rose suit

Television review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Each week I write about the importance of voting for your favorites on American Idol, since it seems as if this is going to be a complete crapshoot of a season. On Wednesday night I forgot to vote for my favorite, and now, Paul McDonald has been the first male contestant of the season to be voted off.

I blame myself.

Now with online voting, it’s too easy to cast a vote, and too silly not to. I’ll miss Paul’s flashy suits and his blinding white smile; I’ll miss his raspy voice and his “quirky” vibe. But at least I got to hear him sing “Maggie May” as his perfect send off song, as I began to hope that his stint on ‘Idol’ helps propel his band to some sort of fame. I’ve always said that Paul McDonald might not be the perfect American Idol contestant – and clearly he wasn’t – but he’s perhaps the only person in the history of the show whose post-Idol career excites me. I can see myself listening to his music, seeing his concerts, and really appreciating what he does as an artist that he could not do on the ‘Idol’ stage where he’s limited by theme nights, restricting song choice lists, and instrument usage caps.

Joining Paul in the bottom three were Haley and Stefano, neither of whom were particularly surprising. Haley didn’t give a strong performance the night before, and while Stefano really did, he hasn’t been performing as well as the other ‘Idol’ hopefuls in recent weeks.

It was a bummer to see Haley in the bottom after what was her best performance on the ‘Idol’ stage to date. Moments before being banished to the silver bottom three chairs, Haley and her rumored-beau Casey Abrams took the stage to sing a jazzy duet of Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’” – the perfect song for them to showcase their growly voices and their jazzy vibes. The duet is actually one of the best things I can recall seeing on ‘American Idol’ in quite some time – so look for a video on YouTube if you just tune into the last five minutes of the results show.

Stefano, Paul, James and Jacob sang Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” which was great and lively and upbeat, but also made me miss Casey James and wish he joined them on stage. If Kelly Clarkson could be there, then so could Casey James.

I feel that barring a huge misstep from either Lauren Alaina or Haley, the two girls will be in the show for a while more. I honestly can’t see the American Idol producers letting there be one girl with so many guys still left in the competition.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 26: The Top 8 Sing Songs from the Movies

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

It seems as if the Top 8 have finally started to imagine who they want to be as an artist when this competition is all over, because tonight, they seemed to defend their personal song choices and go against the advice of Jimmy Iovine all too often. In some cases, it might’ve been a good thing, in others, it might mean the end of their ‘Idol’ run. And as much as I liked the artists standing up for themselves, I really appreciated how critical Jimmy Iovine was about pretty much all of them. I’ve had very little to complain about the judges this season, but one thing that I do wish the panel had was someone not afraid to tell them they made an idiotic choice or didn’t sing as well as they could have or should have. The judges find something optimistic about every contestant, which doesn’t help them out in the long run, and could be the root of last week’s surprise elimination.

James Durbin closed out the show with the most energetic, engaging, and fun performance of the night with Sammy Hagar’s “Heavy Metal” joined by Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde on stage. It didn’t seem like he was competing – it seemed like he was some veteran musician brought back to entertain the crowd and show the competitors how it’s done. He’s not my favorite competitor, but I think he could not only win, but have an incredible lucrative and successful career, and week after week I enjoy seeing his performances. That said, associating the soft James Durbin – an “American Idol” contestant, no less – with hard rock just seems inappropriate and wrong to me.

I thought Lauren Alaina had one of the best-chosen songs of the night with Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb.” For starters, there was no way she wouldn’t be anything but vastly superior to the original. The song also seemed to have a real personal connection to her, as even discussing it brought her to tears. Here is a song from a teenage idol making her dreams a reality beautifully performed by a teenage Idol making her dreams a reality. It was a great moment for her.

Before Stefano Langone stepped on stage, I was already commenting that this would be his swan song – and then he started singing Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road” and gave his best performance to date. I am neither a Boyz II Men fan nor a Stefano fan, yet somehow this worked. He keeps clawing his way back to (likely) safety, despite a song choice that initially made me roll my eyes.

My only question about Paul McDonald is where he found that bedazzled rose covered suit of his. He also had a great song choice with Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll” and gave an energetic performance. I like when Paul sings songs like this since I think they suit his voice and his on-stage personality. Of course, I always wish he could sing “Maggie May,” but this was a good selection and another solid performance.

Jacob Lusk’s soulful performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was the night’s most poignant and beautiful moment. I really enjoyed his soulful take on such a classic song, and again, thought that he too chose a song really well. Jimmy Iovine was right – the song certainly seemed made for him, even if I wouldn’t have imagined a gentle song with Jacob’s powerful voice and a backing choir.

Casey Abrams went against the song direction guidance of Jimmy Iovine and sang Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy” with his stand-up bass, which I think means that should Casey remain in the competition, he can no longer perform with an instrument. His performance was so out of the Idol wheelhouse, which is perhaps what made it so interesting and endearing and why I personally enjoyed it so much. It was nice seeing him stand up for himself, recognizing the type of musician he is and the artist he wants to be, and remaining true to himself. I wonder if that will cost him, though.

Haley Reinhart performed Blondie’s “Call Me,” and while it wasn’t her best performance, and was far from being the best performance of the night, I liked it – only because I like the original song so much. Randy was right when he said that it didn’t show off her strong voice, which was totally true; it’s a shame because this song is in the right vibe for Haley, but just not the best fit.

Scotty McCreery was another candidate who went against the guidance of Jimmy Iovine and sang George Strait’s “Cross My Heart,” or another boring country song performed by boring Scotty McCreery. He should’ve sang “Talkin’” – I think the song would’ve been exponentially more recognizable, more fun, and more relevant. I’ve grown bored of Scotty being a one-trick pony with a song ending facial look he’s perfected through mirror practices. He sings really well, and probably has a long career ahead of him, but I think his time on ‘Idol’ will just get more redundant moving forward.

My predictions for Bottom 3: Scotty, Haley and either Casey or Jacob.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 26: The Top 8 Sing Songs from the Movies

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

It seems as if the Top 8 have finally started to imagine who they want to be as an artist when this competition is all over, because tonight, they seemed to defend their personal song choices and go against the advice of Jimmy Iovine all too often. In some cases, it might’ve been a good thing, in others, it might mean the end of their ‘Idol’ run. And as much as I liked the artists standing up for themselves, I really appreciated how critical Jimmy Iovine was about pretty much all of them. I’ve had very little to complain about the judges this season, but one thing that I do wish the panel had was someone not afraid to tell them they made an idiotic choice or didn’t sing as well as they could have or should have. The judges find something optimistic about every contestant, which doesn’t help them out in the long run, and could be the root of last week’s surprise elimination.

James Durbin closed out the show with the most energetic, engaging, and fun performance of the night with Sammy Hagar’s “Heavy Metal” joined by Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde on stage. It didn’t seem like he was competing – it seemed like he was some veteran musician brought back to entertain the crowd and show the competitors how it’s done. He’s not my favorite competitor, but I think he could not only win, but have an incredible lucrative and successful career, and week after week I enjoy seeing his performances. That said, associating the soft James Durbin – an “American Idol” contestant, no less – with hard rock just seems inappropriate and wrong to me.

I thought Lauren Alaina had one of the best-chosen songs of the night with Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb.” For starters, there was no way she wouldn’t be anything but vastly superior to the original. The song also seemed to have a real personal connection to her, as even discussing it brought her to tears. Here is a song from a teenage idol making her dreams a reality beautifully performed by a teenage Idol making her dreams a reality. It was a great moment for her.

Before Stefano Langone stepped on stage, I was already commenting that this would be his swan song – and then he started singing Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road” and gave his best performance to date. I am neither a Boyz II Men fan nor a Stefano fan, yet somehow this worked. He keeps clawing his way back to (likely) safety, despite a song choice that initially made me roll my eyes.

My only question about Paul McDonald is where he found that bedazzled rose covered suit of his. He also had a great song choice with Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll” and gave an energetic performance. I like when Paul sings songs like this since I think they suit his voice and his on-stage personality. Of course, I always wish he could sing “Maggie May,” but this was a good selection and another solid performance.

Jacob Lusk’s soulful performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was the night’s most poignant and beautiful moment. I really enjoyed his soulful take on such a classic song, and again, thought that he too chose a song really well. Jimmy Iovine was right – the song certainly seemed made for him, even if I wouldn’t have imagined a gentle song with Jacob’s powerful voice and a backing choir.

Casey Abrams went against the song direction guidance of Jimmy Iovine and sang Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy” with his stand-up bass, which I think means that should Casey remain in the competition, he can no longer perform with an instrument. His performance was so out of the Idol wheelhouse, which is perhaps what made it so interesting and endearing and why I personally enjoyed it so much. It was nice seeing him stand up for himself, recognizing the type of musician he is and the artist he wants to be, and remaining true to himself. I wonder if that will cost him, though.

Haley Reinhart performed Blondie’s “Call Me,” and while it wasn’t her best performance, and was far from being the best performance of the night, I liked it – only because I like the original song so much. Randy was right when he said that it didn’t show off her strong voice, which was totally true; it’s a shame because this song is in the right vibe for Haley, but just not the best fit.

Scotty McCreery was another candidate who went against the guidance of Jimmy Iovine and sang George Strait’s “Cross My Heart,” or another boring country song performed by boring Scotty McCreery. He should’ve sang “Talkin’” – I think the song would’ve been exponentially more recognizable, more fun, and more relevant. I’ve grown bored of Scotty being a one-trick pony with a song ending facial look he’s perfected through mirror practices. He sings really well, and probably has a long career ahead of him, but I think his time on ‘Idol’ will just get more redundant moving forward.

My predictions for Bottom 3: Scotty, Haley and either Casey or Jacob.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 24: The Top 9 Tackle Classic Rock

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Sometimes I wonder whether this season’s Top 9 is significantly more talented than say… last season’s Top 9. The test is easy: How difficult – or easy – is it to pinpoint a Bottom 3 and who should ultimately go home.

Based on the performances of Wednesday night’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame theme night, the answer is that this is an incredibly talented season. Choosing a Bottom 3 is hard – which is a thought that immediately has inspired me to vote for my favorite.

Now that that’s done, it’s time to assess a night of solid performances.

Paul McDonald closed out the show with my favorite performance of the night. He sang a wild and crazy rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” complete with clapping, foot stomping, and dancing around the stage as he played his acoustic guitar in a suit that somehow reminded me of Johnny Cash (or at least Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk The Line.”) His performance reminded me yet again that Paul McDonald is the best performer of the bunch, and he seemed so emotionally invested in his song choice and the act of performing, that it was an episode ending high point.

James Durbin gave another of my favorite performances of the night, with a rare, subdued performance of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” As entertained as I am by his high-energy performances, seeing James sit down and sing a song that clearly mattered to him emotionally, and think of the words as he emotionally connected with the audience and showed his sensitive side was a beautiful thing. It was also incredibly surprising, because I had imagined that the man who sang Judas Priest on American Idol would love something high-energy tonight.

This was also finally the week for Scotty McCreery to crack my personal Top 3, with his rap swagger (Jennifer Lopez’s thoughts, not entirely mine) infused performance of his childhood hero, Elvis Presley’s, song “That’s All Right Mama.” Again, this song was so special to me because I saw an emotional connection, and the song fit his voice so perfectly.

I was incredibly excited for Pia Toscano to sing something upbeat, with her rendition of Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High,” which I thought was amazingly performed on “Glee” earlier this season. While I was so distracted by her atrocious outfit and awkward dance movements, I loved her voice doing something fun and upbeat, and hope she doesn’t immediately revert back to her ballad safe-zone.

Casey Abrams sang one of my favorite songs of the night, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” with his stand-up bass. I enjoyed it because it got back to quintessential Casey: interesting musically, great vocally, and filled with his passion for music. Saving him was the best part of the season so far.

Perhaps one of the most perfectly chosen songs of the night was Haley Reinhart’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” – the perfect song to show off her growly, raspy voice. She danced around, stomped her feet, and seemed to really get carried away with the song in a good way. To me this proved that Haley isn’t a meek girl with a shockingly big voice, but an artist who can command the stage.

While Lauren Alaina’s performance of Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” was good, it was almost a bit of a let down to me. She sang an incredibly difficult song really well, but it wasn’t the best she’s ever done, and it certainly wasn’t the best of the night. It also wasn’t the best time this song has been performed on ‘Idol’ in the past. I liked it, and I acknowledge that she went on a serious limb to sing one of the toughest songs of the night.

I’m very glad that Jacob Lusk chose not to sing “Let’s Get It On,” since that song is not him at all – personally, I don’t get any sort of sexual vibe from him – and also because it would never top Matt Giraud’s performance of the same song a few years back, which is a favorite ‘Idol’ performance of mine. Instead, Jacob sang Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” in an all-white outfit. It was good, not great, but certainly better than the alternative.

Again, my least favorite of the night was Stefano Langone. Tonight with Percy Sledge’s eponymous hit “Let’s Get It On” he showed off that he does have a great singing voice, but I found the performance to be too awkward, too rushed, and too high pitched to really convey any romantic undertones the song should have.

My Bottom three: Stefano, Jacob and Lauren. And I do honestly believe that this is finally Stefano’s week to go.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 24: The Top 9 Tackle Classic Rock

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

Sometimes I wonder whether this season’s Top 9 is significantly more talented than say… last season’s Top 9. The test is easy: How difficult – or easy – is it to pinpoint a Bottom 3 and who should ultimately go home.

Based on the performances of Wednesday night’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame theme night, the answer is that this is an incredibly talented season. Choosing a Bottom 3 is hard – which is a thought that immediately has inspired me to vote for my favorite.

Now that that’s done, it’s time to assess a night of solid performances.

Paul McDonald closed out the show with my favorite performance of the night. He sang a wild and crazy rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” complete with clapping, foot stomping, and dancing around the stage as he played his acoustic guitar in a suit that somehow reminded me of Johnny Cash (or at least Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk The Line.”) His performance reminded me yet again that Paul McDonald is the best performer of the bunch, and he seemed so emotionally invested in his song choice and the act of performing, that it was an episode ending high point.

James Durbin gave another of my favorite performances of the night, with a rare, subdued performance of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” As entertained as I am by his high-energy performances, seeing James sit down and sing a song that clearly mattered to him emotionally, and think of the words as he emotionally connected with the audience and showed his sensitive side was a beautiful thing. It was also incredibly surprising, because I had imagined that the man who sang Judas Priest on American Idol would love something high-energy tonight.

This was also finally the week for Scotty McCreery to crack my personal Top 3, with his rap swagger (Jennifer Lopez’s thoughts, not entirely mine) infused performance of his childhood hero, Elvis Presley’s, song “That’s All Right Mama.” Again, this song was so special to me because I saw an emotional connection, and the song fit his voice so perfectly.

I was incredibly excited for Pia Toscano to sing something upbeat, with her rendition of Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High,” which I thought was amazingly performed on “Glee” earlier this season. While I was so distracted by her atrocious outfit and awkward dance movements, I loved her voice doing something fun and upbeat, and hope she doesn’t immediately revert back to her ballad safe-zone.

Casey Abrams sang one of my favorite songs of the night, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” with his stand-up bass. I enjoyed it because it got back to quintessential Casey: interesting musically, great vocally, and filled with his passion for music. Saving him was the best part of the season so far.

Perhaps one of the most perfectly chosen songs of the night was Haley Reinhart’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” – the perfect song to show off her growly, raspy voice. She danced around, stomped her feet, and seemed to really get carried away with the song in a good way. To me this proved that Haley isn’t a meek girl with a shockingly big voice, but an artist who can command the stage.

While Lauren Alaina’s performance of Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” was good, it was almost a bit of a let down to me. She sang an incredibly difficult song really well, but it wasn’t the best she’s ever done, and it certainly wasn’t the best of the night. It also wasn’t the best time this song has been performed on ‘Idol’ in the past. I liked it, and I acknowledge that she went on a serious limb to sing one of the toughest songs of the night.

I’m very glad that Jacob Lusk chose not to sing “Let’s Get It On,” since that song is not him at all – personally, I don’t get any sort of sexual vibe from him – and also because it would never top Matt Giraud’s performance of the same song a few years back, which is a favorite ‘Idol’ performance of mine. Instead, Jacob sang Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” in an all-white outfit. It was good, not great, but certainly better than the alternative.

Again, my least favorite of the night was Stefano Langone. Tonight with Percy Sledge’s eponymous hit “Let’s Get It On” he showed off that he does have a great singing voice, but I found the performance to be too awkward, too rushed, and too high pitched to really convey any romantic undertones the song should have.

My Bottom three: Stefano, Jacob and Lauren. And I do honestly believe that this is finally Stefano’s week to go.

American Idol: Season 10, Episode 23: And Now There is Finally Nine

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

My bottom three predictions have been quite accurate – even if I keep on throwing Stefano in there. Last night, in a not-so-shocking double elimination, Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia, were both sent home.

I predicted a while back that both of these ladies, who admittedly I liked quite a bit, would consistently be in the Bottom Three until they got eliminated. I had predicted Thia and Stefano would be the ones to go home last night, since I felt that while Thia has a beautiful voice, she has never been particularly exciting, and a beautiful voice can’t carry a two-dimensional personality and slow performances much longer. It seemed that she was too young for the show.

I’m not a big Stefano fan. I think he performs like a cheesy lounge singer, and isn’t close to being the most talented or the most interested guy. On the other hand, he has a huge fan in Jennifer, and as a talented, attractive guy, he could stick around a while longer.

Naima’s elimination shouldn’t come as a surprise. She was too polarizing a contestant: you either loved her or you didn’t. You either are familiar with reggae, or you’re not. There’s not really a middle ground with Naima. It was just a matter of time until the contestants dwindled and a love it or hate it contestant would falter.

However, the thing I was unhappy with, but unfortunately, not terribly surprising, is that Paul McDonald was in the Bottom Three. I am a huge fan of Paul McDonald. I like his raspy voice, I like his quirky vibe, and I’m absolutely confident that I’d like the type of music he releases as an artist. He’s a performer, and I think he has a place in the industry and can appeal to a range of fans – fans that might not be fans of American Idol. And that is something that might come to hurt him.

Paul won’t sing a ballad like Jacob, or light up a piano and shimmy on it like James. He’s the most subdued performer left in the competition, but voters, don’t let that be a deterrent. He’s a contestant with huge music industry staying power.

Next week we’re back to single elimination, and in another not shocking turn of events: there are six guys left, and three girls. So Haley, Pia, and Lauren, it’s time to raise your game.

American Idol: Season 10, Episode 23: And Now There is Finally Nine

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

My bottom three predictions have been quite accurate – even if I keep on throwing Stefano in there. Last night, in a not-so-shocking double elimination, Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia, were both sent home.

I predicted a while back that both of these ladies, who admittedly I liked quite a bit, would consistently be in the Bottom Three until they got eliminated. I had predicted Thia and Stefano would be the ones to go home last night, since I felt that while Thia has a beautiful voice, she has never been particularly exciting, and a beautiful voice can’t carry a two-dimensional personality and slow performances much longer. It seemed that she was too young for the show.

I’m not a big Stefano fan. I think he performs like a cheesy lounge singer, and isn’t close to being the most talented or the most interested guy. On the other hand, he has a huge fan in Jennifer, and as a talented, attractive guy, he could stick around a while longer.

Naima’s elimination shouldn’t come as a surprise. She was too polarizing a contestant: you either loved her or you didn’t. You either are familiar with reggae, or you’re not. There’s not really a middle ground with Naima. It was just a matter of time until the contestants dwindled and a love it or hate it contestant would falter.

However, the thing I was unhappy with, but unfortunately, not terribly surprising, is that Paul McDonald was in the Bottom Three. I am a huge fan of Paul McDonald. I like his raspy voice, I like his quirky vibe, and I’m absolutely confident that I’d like the type of music he releases as an artist. He’s a performer, and I think he has a place in the industry and can appeal to a range of fans – fans that might not be fans of American Idol. And that is something that might come to hurt him.

Paul won’t sing a ballad like Jacob, or light up a piano and shimmy on it like James. He’s the most subdued performer left in the competition, but voters, don’t let that be a deterrent. He’s a contestant with huge music industry staying power.

Next week we’re back to single elimination, and in another not shocking turn of events: there are six guys left, and three girls. So Haley, Pia, and Lauren, it’s time to raise your game.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 22: The Top 11 Sing Again

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I always have mixed feelings about Elton John night on American Idol. I like seeing the contestants be stuck in a fairly narrow theme to see how they handle it, and how they “make it their own,” but the songs tend to be on the slower and cheesier side, and I think that tends to be American Idol at its worst.

I think the contestants realized how high pressure the night was, because in a surprising twist of events, a contestant who has firmly been in the Bottom Three or close to it gave a performance that might put her in the Top Three. Haley Reinhart closed out the show with a growly, upbeat performance of “Benny and the Jets.” Sure she flailed her arms around awkwardly, but her energy was high, her voice was incredible, and her range never ceases to amaze me. Randy called it the best of the night, and quite honestly, it might have been.

Other contenders for best of the night: Casey Abrams, whose near-elimination last week inspired him to trim his bushy beard and hair, and sing a truly beautiful and subdued version of “Your Song.” His performances have gotten a bit weird and quirky the past two weeks, and he got the least amount of votes, so by sitting near a piano and singing something stripped down, he just reminded America how good his raw voice is.

Paul McDonald consistently is one of my favorites because he is not your typical Idol contestant. He picked up his guitar and sang a dreamy and understated version of “Rocket Man,” and was likely my personal favorite of the night. Contestants can only play instruments three times this season, and Paul is already up to two, but they’ve been worth it.

I knew James Durbin has a crazy voice that blends classic rock screamers with Adam Lambert, and somehow bundles it together in a more likable package with a scarf tail. His performance of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” would’ve offended Simon Cowell – James started in the balcony with the audience and made his way to the stage, before climbing on a piano that caught on fire – but it didn’t seem like he was competing in the Top 11. It didn’t seem like he was competing at all. He played a rock concert and I was riveted.

Lauren Alaina surprised me by her choice to sing “Candle in the Wind.” I for sure pegged Pia to sing this one – and wanted to hear Lauren sing “Tiny Dancer” – but I liked it. I think Lauren sounded a bit uneasy singing a ballad in a ball gown at first, but she got into it. The performance was the complete opposite of everything Lauren has done on the Idol stage thus far: It was restrained, it was controlled, and it was beautiful. It proved that this girl really can do anything, and that her voice is even more amazing than I ever thought.

Jacob Lusk’s performance of “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” made me miss fallen contestant Robbie Rosen. I liked it, but Jacob proved that he can’t do restrained vocals too well, and that’s fine: He has a big voice full of soul, but it’s not terribly interesting to me anymore.

Another week, another beautiful, but boring, Pia Toscano performance. I feel I’m going to write a basic Pia paragraph, and copy and paste it in each recap until she gets eliminated (or wins). Even though the judges begged her to choose something upbeat, Pia naturally chose another ballad, with “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” She stepped it up a bit, and seemed more energetic with her choir background vocals, and it sounded beautiful, but I’m getting really bored of Pia’s interchangeable performances.

Vocally, Thia Megia gave one of her best performances of the season with her sensitive arrangement of “Daniel,” however, despite its beauty, the performance was rather safe and boring.

Naturally Scotty McCreery found an Elton John song with country in the title and to tug at America’s heartstrings, dedicated it to his grandmother (the one who told him to tell J.Lo that he’s ¼ Puerto Rican?) who was in the audience. Again, Scotty will never be my favorite contestant since I’m just not a fan of authentic country music, but I cannot ever deny how incredible and powerful his voice is, and how impressive his confidence and comfort on stage is. I also liked him playing his guitar, as it made him seem like a fuller package.

Somehow, Naima found a way to infuse reggae flavor to an Elton John song. She sang “I’m Still Standing” with a heavy reggae beat and a rasta colored jumpsuit. She knows who she is and is consistently the most interesting and refreshing contestant, and that should count for something. But she gave another love or hate it performance, and I don’t think it worked at all.

As I’ve already mentioned, Stefano Langone sang “Tiny Dancer” and I wish anyone else had tackled that song. He always comes across as awkward and too much of a lounge act to ever please me. He’s certainly getting better and more engaging, but he’s far from being the best.

My picks for bottom three: Stefano, Thia and Naima. A safe selection.

American Idol Season 10, Episode 22: The Top 11 Sing Again

Television News

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

I always have mixed feelings about Elton John night on American Idol. I like seeing the contestants be stuck in a fairly narrow theme to see how they handle it, and how they “make it their own,” but the songs tend to be on the slower and cheesier side, and I think that tends to be American Idol at its worst.

I think the contestants realized how high pressure the night was, because in a surprising twist of events, a contestant who has firmly been in the Bottom Three or close to it gave a performance that might put her in the Top Three. Haley Reinhart closed out the show with a growly, upbeat performance of “Benny and the Jets.” Sure she flailed her arms around awkwardly, but her energy was high, her voice was incredible, and her range never ceases to amaze me. Randy called it the best of the night, and quite honestly, it might have been.

Other contenders for best of the night: Casey Abrams, whose near-elimination last week inspired him to trim his bushy beard and hair, and sing a truly beautiful and subdued version of “Your Song.” His performances have gotten a bit weird and quirky the past two weeks, and he got the least amount of votes, so by sitting near a piano and singing something stripped down, he just reminded America how good his raw voice is.

Paul McDonald consistently is one of my favorites because he is not your typical Idol contestant. He picked up his guitar and sang a dreamy and understated version of “Rocket Man,” and was likely my personal favorite of the night. Contestants can only play instruments three times this season, and Paul is already up to two, but they’ve been worth it.

I knew James Durbin has a crazy voice that blends classic rock screamers with Adam Lambert, and somehow bundles it together in a more likable package with a scarf tail. His performance of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” would’ve offended Simon Cowell – James started in the balcony with the audience and made his way to the stage, before climbing on a piano that caught on fire – but it didn’t seem like he was competing in the Top 11. It didn’t seem like he was competing at all. He played a rock concert and I was riveted.

Lauren Alaina surprised me by her choice to sing “Candle in the Wind.” I for sure pegged Pia to sing this one – and wanted to hear Lauren sing “Tiny Dancer” – but I liked it. I think Lauren sounded a bit uneasy singing a ballad in a ball gown at first, but she got into it. The performance was the complete opposite of everything Lauren has done on the Idol stage thus far: It was restrained, it was controlled, and it was beautiful. It proved that this girl really can do anything, and that her voice is even more amazing than I ever thought.

Jacob Lusk’s performance of “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” made me miss fallen contestant Robbie Rosen. I liked it, but Jacob proved that he can’t do restrained vocals too well, and that’s fine: He has a big voice full of soul, but it’s not terribly interesting to me anymore.

Another week, another beautiful, but boring, Pia Toscano performance. I feel I’m going to write a basic Pia paragraph, and copy and paste it in each recap until she gets eliminated (or wins). Even though the judges begged her to choose something upbeat, Pia naturally chose another ballad, with “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” She stepped it up a bit, and seemed more energetic with her choir background vocals, and it sounded beautiful, but I’m getting really bored of Pia’s interchangeable performances.

Vocally, Thia Megia gave one of her best performances of the season with her sensitive arrangement of “Daniel,” however, despite its beauty, the performance was rather safe and boring.

Naturally Scotty McCreery found an Elton John song with country in the title and to tug at America’s heartstrings, dedicated it to his grandmother (the one who told him to tell J.Lo that he’s ¼ Puerto Rican?) who was in the audience. Again, Scotty will never be my favorite contestant since I’m just not a fan of authentic country music, but I cannot ever deny how incredible and powerful his voice is, and how impressive his confidence and comfort on stage is. I also liked him playing his guitar, as it made him seem like a fuller package.

Somehow, Naima found a way to infuse reggae flavor to an Elton John song. She sang “I’m Still Standing” with a heavy reggae beat and a rasta colored jumpsuit. She knows who she is and is consistently the most interesting and refreshing contestant, and that should count for something. But she gave another love or hate it performance, and I don’t think it worked at all.

As I’ve already mentioned, Stefano Langone sang “Tiny Dancer” and I wish anyone else had tackled that song. He always comes across as awkward and too much of a lounge act to ever please me. He’s certainly getting better and more engaging, but he’s far from being the best.

My picks for bottom three: Stefano, Thia and Naima. A safe selection.

Ed Harris to Play John McCain for HBO

Television News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

“Game Change,” an upcoming HBO film dramatizing Sarah Palin’s Vice Presidental run and based on the book of the same name, has just found its John McCain. According to Deadline, veteran actor Ed Harris, who was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in HBO’s “Empire Falls,” will portray the senator. Julianne Moore will play Palin.

As far as physical resemblance goes, Harris isn’t exactly the spitting image of McCain, but he bears enough of a resemblance to convince most audiences. More importantly, he’s a tremendously talented actor, and with him in the role, we’re likely to get some powerful drama. Julianne Moore will most likely be her terrific self, so as far as casting goes, we’re happy with how this has turned out.

Whether or not the film itself will be successful is anybody’s guess. Movies that depict events too fresh in viewers’ minds don’t always attract a strong audience; Oliver Stone’s “W.,” for example, was largely ignored by the movie-going public. It’s hard to argue that a movie about Sarah Palin will perform any better.

Then again, “W.” was released towards the end of Bush’s presidency, whereas this film is likely to appear on HBO while Sarah Palin is still very much an active participant in the American political scene. It probably won’t have any major effect on voters’ opinions, but it may sway some viewers to one side.

Ed Harris to Play John McCain for HBO

Television News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

“Game Change,” an upcoming HBO film dramatizing Sarah Palin’s Vice Presidental run and based on the book of the same name, has just found its John McCain. According to Deadline, veteran actor Ed Harris, who was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in HBO’s “Empire Falls,” will portray the senator. Julianne Moore will play Palin.

As far as physical resemblance goes, Harris isn’t exactly the spitting image of McCain, but he bears enough of a resemblance to convince most audiences. More importantly, he’s a tremendously talented actor, and with him in the role, we’re likely to get some powerful drama. Julianne Moore will most likely be her terrific self, so as far as casting goes, we’re happy with how this has turned out.

Whether or not the film itself will be successful is anybody’s guess. Movies that depict events too fresh in viewers’ minds don’t always attract a strong audience; Oliver Stone’s “W.,” for example, was largely ignored by the movie-going public. It’s hard to argue that a movie about Sarah Palin will perform any better.

Then again, “W.” was released towards the end of Bush’s presidency, whereas this film is likely to appear on HBO while Sarah Palin is still very much an active participant in the American political scene. It probably won’t have any major effect on voters’ opinions, but it may sway some viewers to one side.