OMG

The best thing to happen to/on American Idol since, I don't know, maybe "Alone" by Carrie Underwood.

DAVID ACRHULETA!

You absolutely MUST WATCH THIS, his performance from Tuesday night...  "Imagine" by John Lennon.  He's no Jennifer Hudson, but still, this kid is incredible.  And I'm completely, unabashedly obsessed with him.  And he's 17.

AI Top 24

I watched (on TiVo) American Idol  from Tuesday and Wednesday last night with some friends.  I took notes about all of the contestants, but I've decided to go ahead and share two lists: first, my Top 12 (the ones I want to make it) and then my Top 12 (the ones I think will make it)...  I haven't seen the results show yet, but I'll look up the finalists after I make my predictions.  Here goes.

My Personal Top 12--The ones I hope make it.  In no particular order.

1. David Hernandez

2. Jason Yeager

3. Robbie

4. David Archuleta

5. Colton Berry

6. Luke Menard

7. Amanda Overmeyer

8. Asia'h Epperson

9. Ramiele Malubay

10. Syesha Marcado

11. Carly Smithson

12. Kristy Lee Cook or Joanne Borgella

My Top 12 Predictions.  Again, in no particular order.

1. Jason Yeager

2. Robbie

3. David Archuleta

4. Colton Berry

5. Jason Castro

6. Michael Johns

7. Carly Smithson

8. Alaina Whittaker

9. Amanda Overmeyer

10. Alexandrea Lushington

11. Asia'h Epperson

12. Ramiele Malubay

My favorites?  David Archuleta.  He's soooooo cute and his voice reminds me a little of RJ Helton from season one; he's got some soul.  And he's so cute!  And he's like 17 years old.  I'm completely obsessed.  Jason Yeager is another stand out; he sang "Moon River," which is a different choice, but it worked well for him.  Danny Noriega, who might actually make it, honestly needs to be in The Singing Hoosiers, the show choir I was a part of during college.  Ramiele Malubay is the only girl who really stood out to me; she's hot, dramatic, soulful, and has a great voice.  My friend Pat mentioned that she could sing the theme for a James Bond movie; I agree.  Oh, and her favorite part of the show so far has been "hair and makeup!"

OK, I just checked AmericanIdol.com to see who actually made it...  Oh, duh, they are just cutting people for a few weeks.  The people who got cut:

1. Amy

2. JoAnne

3. Colton

4. Garrett

Good one, America.  You're off to a great start!  Keep it up.

You know, in general, the contestants are going to have to STEP IT UP to impress me this season...  So far no one has stood out really, and I haven't seen any memorable performances that I've had to look up on YouTube.  

Where's LaToya London?

How about Clay Aiken?

And Jennifer Hudson?

Carrie Underwood, anyone?

Or Katharine McPhee?

At least Ryan is still looking super hot.

Project Runway: Reunion Time!

March 1-8 is a week of the utmost importance for the fashion world, New York City, and Project Runway. It's the finale of Bravo's most watched show! This week was the usual "reunion show," and it was, as expected, pretty funny. If you didn't watch it, here's what you missed:

*Victorya, one of the early stand-outs who was eliminated from the competition, will be showing her collection at Fashion Week... She doesn't need a TV show to boost her to the next level.

*Rami and Chris March are all over one another! As they're sitting together, Rami constantly has his arm around Chris' back, tickling him, patting him, etc. Strange. Maybe Rami is just trying to be nice?

*Jack update: he's doing fine, and the skin staph infection he had that forced him to leave the show cleared up a few days later. He and Christian are besties (duh).

*There is a montage of clips about the possibility of Kevin being gay; it's pretty funny. Jack and Christian both have crushes on him, but I don't see it. I also don't think he's gay.

*Tim asks the designers if anyone had their feelings hurt by other contestants... Carmen goes on, tears and all, to say that she was extremely hurt that no one missed her when she left. Well duh! She was a bitch to everyone.

*In every montage or set of clips, Christian is rolling his eyes.... It's actually hilarious; he's just so over it and knows that he's better than everyone else.

*The best clip of the show: the Personal Divas montage. After designing outfits for the women of WWE, each designer developed their own "diva" character. How appropriate, you know? Anyways, obviously Christian is my favorite--Ferocia Cotura is his diva name. His secret move is to spray bitches in the eyes with hairspray and then tie their ponytail too tight. HA.

*Another "duh" moment--Christian wins fan favorite! A quick $10,000 for him. He's fierce. And after he gets the check, he tells the other designers he's taking them all out for a cocktail. On the same page, it kind of bothers me that Christian uses "fierce" in the exact same situations that I do; I think we are meant to be best friends. Actually, he's way too cool for me and I'd be completely speechless if I ever saw him... Oh well.

So yeah, it was a good show! I'm pretty excited to watch the finale next week, especially because we don't actually know who the final three are--it's Christian and Jillian and either Chris or Rami--they're both showing three looks from their respective collections for the judges to decide who will get to show at Fashion Week!

Final Thought: This is a gem from season three... The movie trailer for What Happened to Andrae? Hilarious.

Final Final Thought: I found the BEST compilation of Christian clips ever. He's my inspiration in life.

America's Best Dance Crew is FIERCE

I am obsessed with this show!  So much so that I'm thinking of changing my work schedule to be able to watch it live...  Luckily it is on TV at least once a day, so I was able to catch up on the most recent episode.  Here are my notes about the remaining groups, including the songs (most of them are hot hits) that they performed to.  The theme of the show was for the groups to "remake" a popular music video, then remix it a little to allow them to showcase their own styles.

Kaba Modern--"Wall To Wall," Chris Brown

Even though you can clearly tell it's not really their style, Kaba Modern looks great!  Their video-inspired choreography was right on, and in the remix section they were able to bring in their trademark style--lots of isolations, ripples, and general fierceness.

Live In Color--"Hey Mama," Blackeyed Peas

In the pre-performance montage, the members of the group complained that the song was a little slow for them; I agree.  However, they have SO much energy!  They're totally explosive and are able to show influences of so many styles of dance.  They totally bang it out.

Jabbawockeez--"Ice Box," Omarion

Nothing too exciting, really; they look fine.  The judges are obsessed with them but I'm not.

Break Sk8--"Get Up," Ciara

This was their first time learning the choreo without skates on...  I still don't know what I really think about their whole rollerskate gimmick; to be honest, it looks a little ridiculous.  They are able to get the choreography for the most part, and one guy lands a killer backflip in the routine--on skates!  And since they're from Indiana, I guess I have a special place in my heart for Break Sk8.  Oh, and Tony, one of the guys, is super hot.  I think.

Status Quo--"You Can't Touch This," MC Hammer

As my friend Joe would say while watching this group, "HEY MARY!"  There are some fierce gays.  Anyhow, they are wearing Hammer pants and still look pretty cool.  But, to be honest, they don't really DANCE that much.  Hmm, I'm not sure what my status is with Status Quo.

Fysh N Chicks--"Freakum Dress," Beyonce

FIERCE outfits--brightly colored dresses and hot gold heels.  The performance, however, was just OK; not that much dancing, mostly a lot of booty shaking.  But whatever, they look super hot.  The judges love them!

Femme 5--"Hollaback Girl," Gwen Stefani

It's no wonder that they go home this week, because the Femme 5 are no better than your average college dance team.  I mean, they're cute and all and do OK with the choreography, but they just don't have what it takes to be (Randy Jackson Presents) America's Best Dance Crew.

Yeah, this show is it.  If you haven't watched it, seriously, tune in.  

A few updates...

Denise Richards is doing a reality show on E! starting in a few weeks...  Apparently her ex, Charlie Sheen, isn't too happy about it; he feels like their children will be exploited.  Well, duh!  That's what celebreality is all about.  Oh, and Ryan Seacrest is producing the show.  Awesome!

That's Amore, the Shot at Love spin-off, looks crazy...  If you haven't seen the trailer, check it out.

It comes as no shock to me, but Page Six is reporting that Flavor Of Love season 3 is completely fake; apparently Flava Flave (who I once saw in the O'Hare airport) got some girl pregnant after season 2 and now he's engaged to her.  Oh, and it's not the season 2 winner, Deelishis (I wanted to find a picture of her but they were all inappropriate for my blog...).

American Idol has allowed contestants to play an instrument this year during the Hollywood rounds, and this trend will continue in the finals!  Interesting...  Also, the first theme week has been announced: Music of the 60's.  Word.

That's about it...  I'm currently watching the most recent of America's Best Dance Crew, so look for an update on that soon!

The Grammys...

Last night while I was watching the Grammys, I decided to include an entry about the awards show. I mean, maybe it's not technically "reality TV," but I think it's in the same realm. Plus I have wanted to give some commentary about other celebrities for a while now, so this gives me a chance. :) So here it is: my first Awards Show entry.

The show opened up with Carrie Underwood, sounding like she was trying to imitate Christina Aguilera. All in all, her performance was pretty good; the whole stage was covered with dancers beating drums and slashing holes in all four tires, so that was a little weird.

Next, the band The Time, a Prince spin-off group who I had never heard of, hit the stage. THEN, out of NOWHERE, Rihanna appeared on stage! She was fierce, and so were her backup dancers. Can you imagine what it would be like performing live with Rihanna at the Grammys? I can't. Anyhow, the whole The Time/Rihanna performance was totally hot.

There were all kinds of tributes throughout the evening, mostly honoring Lifetime Achievement Award winners. One of the best tributes was to The Beatles; it was a performance from Cirque du Soleil's show LOVE, and it was pretty cool. It was an awesome gospel set that opened up with this fierce black kid and an equally fierce older black lady screaming in my face. A really moving performance; the audience agreed and gave a much-deserved standing ovation.

Best New Artist: Amy Winehouse. Duh.

Kanye West performed next, starting his set with "Stronger," which is one of my favorite songs of the year. Then, he actually sang--a song about his late mother--which was quite touching. I mean, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Fergie and John Legend had a duet with just a piano and a microphone somewhere in the middle of the auditorium. It was fine. Fergie's trying to prove that she's a legit singer, but I don't know if I buy it...

Then came my favorite performance of the entire show! Beyonce and Tina Turner! Beyonce, always the performer, started out with a Stripped-esque tribbute to fierce soul/gospel/rock/jazz singers of old. Then, she introduced Tina, who seriously doesn't look a day over 40. She's so fierce. And she sounded as good as ever! After she did a few songs, Beyonce came back on stage, and they performed "Proud Mary" together--duh. What if they go on tour together? That would be life-changing. Anyhow, you MUST watch this performance. Part Two.

Song of the Year--Amy Winehouse, "Rehab." Duh.

To entice some country music fans to watch, Brad Paisley performed. Really? Brad Paisley? Whatever. His jeans were hot.

Aretha Franklin was next with a whole host of Gospel divas. CeCe Winans, some choirs, a bunch of girl groups, etc. Out of Eden maybe? I'm not sure, really. It was a different kind of Grammys performance but I enjoyed it. Those bitches can SING!

The strangest performance of the night: Keely Smith and Kid Rock. Keely Smith is a jazz singer of old who was a pretty big deal back in the day, and she and Kid sang one of her hits, "That Old Black Magic," which she used to sing with Louis Prima. Anyhow, Kid didn't have a clue what was going on (truth be told, it's a tough song to sing), but Keely still sounds great!

Alicia Keys is strange. "No One" is one of my least favorite favorite songs of the year... You know what I mean? Stevie Wonder, who has won 25 Grammys in his career, introduced her, and half way through the song John Mayer joined her on stage. Yummmmm He was never hot to me until the Gap ad that was plastered on every bus and EL stop in Chicago.

My second favorite performance of the night was that of Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang. Rhapsody in Blue is one of the best examples of truly American music, and this performance was amazing! It was exactly what the Grammys are about--music, in all its glory.

Finally, Amy Winehouse graced the world with her live (via satellite), highly anticipated performance. Was it truly live? Or did they do a few takes and find the ones in which she was standing up the straightest? I'm not sure. You be the judge... In any case, her backups singers were FIERCE and she sounded pretty damn good. Then she won Record of the Year, of course.

The last performance of the night, after the tribute to those the music world lost this year, was Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban. My biggest problem with Josh Groban is his vibratto; it's too fast. And basically I just think that's he's overrated. Maybe it's because I was surrounded by incredibly talented singers at IU for four years, but I just don't think he's anything special. Andrea Bocelli was on the top part of "The Prayer" throughout the song, and thank God for that--he goes OFF. I love a good tenor.

So yeah, that was what happened on the 50th annual Grammys. What did you think???

BONUS: AI Drinking Game!

**Please note: this drinking game has been designed for adults at least 21 years of age who have some experience with drinking games, including but not limited to: Flippy Cup, Beer Pong, Kings/Circle of Death, Quarters, Finish It, Blind Chug, etc. 

Set Up: Get some drinks.  A case of Miller Lite works well.  Turn on American Idol.  Have some fierce friends.

Drink One When...

...Paula looks like she is about to pass out

...Randy says "dawg."

...Simon makes a comment about Paula's bad judgement.

Drink Two When...

...Ryan gets hugged/stampeded.

...an auditioner has one or more parents with him/her.

...any of the judges use the word "pitchy."

...any judge compares an auditioner to a previous Idol winner.

CHUG When...

...Paula is the only one who votes "NO."

...Paula actually passes out.

...Ryan sings or switches places with one of the judges.

Enjoy!

American Idol: Atlanta & etc.

So, the Atlanta auditions (broadcast on Monday) brought over 12,000 Idol hopefuls and only 19 made it through to Hollywood.... Here are some of the highlights:

*Asia'h--first of all, is that really a name? Her dad recently passed away so she has the sob story, but does she have the voice? She sounds a little like Monica (of Brandy & Monica fame).

*Brooke--the blonde pageant girl. Too many runs, and, as Simon said, "Possibly the most annoying person I have ever seen in my life."

*Alexandra Lushington--my favorite from Atlanta. "My Funny Valentine" was a GREAT song choice, and it's all about the song choice sometimes. Fierce.

*Amanda--the motorcycle nurse chick. Reminds me of Nikki McKibbon but with a better voice?

*Josiah--the guy who lives in his car. He's cute but needs a few years to mature before he'll be ready to be a real singer.

Also amazing was The Paula Montage, a few minutes of clips of our favorite judge being a complete mess. I love her!

And then Tuesday's show was "The Best of the Rest." Basically people and stories they didn't have time for during the other auditon shows...

*The Twins--I hate them. The only good thing about them is their Polo shirts.

*Cardin--she sang "One Night Only." She's a poor man's version of Katharine McPhee.

*JoAnne--one of my favorites so far this season! A fierce, pingy, high belter. Loves it.

*Chikeze Eze--yes, that's his real name apparently. He's amazing and goes off.

*Danny--the fierce young gay who sings "Proud Mary." He would be amazing in The Singing Hoosiers, my choral alma mater.

Another great moment was when Ryan did a little singing of his own, even thought his outfit was pretty awful...


Final Thought: If you missed it live (as I did), check out Jordin Sparks singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. Pretty good!

Fierce Shows!

My friend Joe is in town this weekend, so he and I did what we used to do in college--blow off our responsibilities, have a few drinks, and watch TV! It was great. We caught up on some FIERCE reality.

First of all, I finally caught Celebrity Rehab. It's OK. I mean, I think I'd have to watch a few more episodes and get emotionally invested in some of the "celebrities" before I'd really be into it. Jessica Sierra is just as much of a mess as I hoped she'd be, and the others in the house are so random... I'll give it a C+.

Next, we watched some MTV, specifically The Gauntlet III. I'm not sure which episode number it was, probably like three or so, but it was pretty much what I expected. It's funny to me that some of the Veterans have really only been on challenges; ever since they did that Fresh Meat one a few years ago, these random college dropouts have gotten their own slice of the MTV empire. Oh well. Coral is on it (duh) and she's incredible (duh), spurting out such gems as, "I don't even think Brooke's a real lesbian." She's fierce. And Brooke sucks, for the record. I'll give it a B. Oh, and MTV has launched a new site (like Myspace sorta) for fans to "connect" with their favorite on-air personalities. I checked out Danny. Mmmmm.

OH! I found a replacement for Dance War. It's technically called Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew. I'll call it Dance Crew for short. It's FIERCE. First of all, host Mario Lopez rivals Seacrest as the Hottest Reality TV Host. Second of all, JC Chasez is one of the judges. And finally, the bitches GO OFF. Almost all of the crews I saw tonight blew my mind; only one really didn't--as Joe put it, "Femme Five is nerv." Anyhow, the thing that sets this show apart from Dance War is that it allows the teams to do what they're good at. Also, the format is so much easier to follow: each week, America votes a team off. Simple. The music is fierce, the dancing is WAY fierce, and I can't wait to see what comes next! The two best groups are Kaba Modern, a group of hot Asians from UC-I and Live In Color, a group I had trouble finding online... Anyhow, the show gets an A+ from me.

Last, we watched some Bad Girls Club. I have seen a few snippets of episodes and have never really been impressed, and I can't say that watching an entire half hour really changed my mind at all. Now, don't get me wrong, because these bitches are CRAZY. I have never seen so many ugly girls drink so much booze! It's amazing.

That's about all for now... I've got a post about American Idol coming very soon!

Final Thought: I have a new favorite commercial. It's cute and dancey.