"I love reality TV. It's my favorite to watch."

For mor gems like the quote above, check out Paris Hilton's AP interview about her upcoming show, Paris Hilton's My New BFF, which premiers on MTV next month.  What a ridiculous interview and an even more ridiculous premise for a show!  I can't wait to watch.

There are rumors going around that Donald Trump's Apprentice will have a very unlikely contestant on it's next "celebrity" season--OJ Simpson.  What???  I mean, obviously the guy needs a job or something, but should the beautiful and pure world of reality TV be tainted by such a shameful past?  

I haven't seen all of the performances yet, but I found out today that Carly Smithson was voted off American Idol last night.  I have to say that I'm a little surprised; I had her as one of my top three!  

Final Thought: Today is Kelly Clarkson's 26th birthday!  Happy Birthday, fierce original Idol.

Idol Top 7 Recap

OK, so my notes from last week's American Idol haven't surfaced yet...  Instead I'll just have to post based on my memory.  Yikes...  Actually, I remember quite a bit because it was one of the BEST Idol shows ever, seriously.  Everyone (for the most part) sounded great--when's the last time I've said that?

Uhhh it was Mariah Carey week.  Can you believe it?  One of the most prolific pop stars ever took time out of her diva schedule to coach the Idols and perform on Wednesday night's results show. Here's the thing about Mariah: sure, she's crazy, but bitch can sing!  She's such a good musician and understands the voice so well.  The advice she gave to the Idols made sense for each of them and boosted their performances.

The best performance of the nigh--hands down--was David Cook singing "Always Be My Baby." I admit that when I first heard that this was his song choice, I was a little afraid.  How could this rocker pull off one of the most poppy of pop songs?  Well, he did, and it was awesome.  His performance was the perfect balance of a tribute to the original artist as well as doing something completely innovative and fresh.  Not an easy task!

Also amazing was Jason Castro.  His rendition of "I Don't Wanna Cry" was gentle and almost tropical.  Sometimes I feel like Jason is completely high during his performances because something about his face just makes me think of hippies; luckily his voice is beautiful and he has a knack for making songs his own.

David Archuleta was fine; I mean, it wasn't his best performance, by far, but his version of the Whitney/Mariah debut "When You Believe" still makes me think he's a strong contender to win this season.  And he's still soooooooo cute.

The girls were OK--Carly Smithson sang "Without You" and showed her lower range which is really beautiful; Syesha sang one of my fave Mariah songs, "Vanishing," and managed to pull it off.  Brooke White, who performed "Hero" at the piano with her shoes off, was forgettable; Kristy Lee Cook sang "Forever" and was predictably bad, though I must say that it was her best performance so far.  Unfortunately it wasn't good enough, because she was sent home on Wednesday night.  No big loss.

So yeah, that's my American Idol Top 7 recap.  

Final Thought: Kellie Pickler won awards at the CMT awards last night.  Just another reason why people who like country music are a little disturbed...

Friday's Notes

It's Friday y'all, and those of us in the Midwest are showing that we too can be survivors of a major natural disaster.  Stay strong, Indiana and Illinois, and let us together pick up the pieces and rebuild after that terrible earthquake last night.

Forgive my satire...

In REAL(ity) news, it looks like MTV might be interested in a new show starring Heidi & Spencer from The Hillz.  Booooring!  Dlisted makes a good point, though, because it seems like every show based on a couple ends with them breaking up--Jessica Simpson & Nich Lachey, Carmen Electra & Dave Navarro, Britney & K-Fed, Travis & Shanna Barker...  

Kristy Lee Cook from Idol is apparently engaged and has been for over a month.  Does anyone care?  The only thing you should care about is my next post, which will discuss the most recent episodes of Idol (and it's getting good!!!).

I found this great new website called GuyTVBlog and it has TONS of amazing articles.  The only problem is that I can't figure out how to link to specific entries...  Hmm...  In any case, the first story that caught my eye was a collection of pictures of VJ from America's Most Smartest Model.  He's looking good!!!  Here is a hot pic from his Myspace until I figure out how to link to GuyTVBlog.

E!'s Answer Bitch did some research and explains how contestants on shows like American Idol can survive financially while being on the show and away from jobs, families, etc.  I've always wondered what kind of compensation they get...

Excuse My Beauty!

Hopefully you've seen this clip already... It's from COPS, one of the most timeless and classic of all reality shows. Before Tila Tequila, before Kim Khardashian, before any of the Bachelors, the real people of America were creating this TV genre right before our very eyes. Thank you, COPS!

A couple of updates.

A few days ago, it was reported that Nina Garcia was fired from her post as Fashion Editor for Elle magazine... Obviously people began to speculate about how this would affect her standing as a judge on Project Runway. Perez explains it all. I do think it would be a big loss to the show if Nina was no longer a judge; I mean, she really has great taste and often plays the "Simon Cowell" roll on that show.

Bret Michael's picked Ambre on the season finale of Rock Of Love 2. I mean, out of the last two "girls," I'd have picked her, too. But is he in love with her? It seems like maybe they're just gonna be friends... To be honest, I really don't care.

The 20th season of The Real World will be bringing some big changes! Their house will be eco-friendly ("green"), the roommates will not work together but instead each pursue their dreams, and one of the cast members was chosen online! Interesting... This season is in Hollywood, so I'm sure the drama will be better than ever.

B(r)its & Pieces

Yes!  This is what I've been waiting for.  Apparently Britney Spears' people are trying to get a network to pick of a reality show starring everyone's favorite train wreck.  It's a long time coming, I say.  My guess is that VH1 or MTV will end up taking the bait...

Did anyone watch the single episode of Secret Talents of the Stars on Tuesday night?  I didn't. Apparently no one else did, either, because the show has already been dropped.  Oops.  It's my opinion that stars should just stick to what they're good at (ie Paris Hilton and her failed singing career, Britney trying to make it as an actress, etc.).

Maybe I should start a new section called "Everyone's A Singer."  Julianne Hough from Dancing With The Stars is going to be singing the National Anthem at the Indy 500 this Spring!  What a joke.  

Updates! Updates!

American Idol said goodbye to Michael Johns last night...  I mean, I would be totally fine with that if Kristy Lee Cook was gone, too, but somehow the idiot is still in the competition.  I guess the country-loving fans in America are keeping her dreams alive.  

In related news, you will soon be able to put your favorite Idols on your letters and postcards (that is, if you still use the postal service).  It's all part of the Idol Gives Back campaign, and I think it's a valiant idea.  Every chance to make a difference should be taken advantage of.

As I reported a few weeks ago (I think), Paris Hilton is coming back to reality TV--this time in search of a new BFF.  Want to join in on the fun?  Check out the show's website.  And yes, I'm considering uploading a video.  This could be my chance!

Final Thought: This isn't related to reality TV really, but there's a story on Perez about the DMX concert at my alma mater, Indiana University, which was shut down early last night due to a noise violation.  It's great to see my Hoosiers in the news!  Slash I wish I was there; it's Little 500 weekend!

Teri's IDOL Debut & Supermodel Odds N Ends

As my good friend Maria used to say, "everyone's a singer!"  This statement has been refuted numerous times over the years, but never more so than last night on Idol Gives Back.  Check out Teri Hatcher's rendition of "Before He Cheats," but let me warn you first that it sounds almost alien.  Actually, I kind of imagine that this is how my mom would sound if she sang karaoke.  I mean, Teri's not tone-deaf or anything, but let's be honest...

Remember the adorable "Bronnie" t-shirts from the Make Me A Supermodel reunion?  Well, you can buy them at Bravotv.com, but they're selling out fast and don't ship for another three weeks. I meant to order one last week in a gay-friendly M, but now all they have are L and XL. Ugh.  The early bird...

Oh, also related to Supermodel: I found this amazing gallery of stills from the show.  I think the title of the slideshow is (or should be) "Make Me A Supermodel: The Gayest Moments."  It's amazing.

AI...

I'm obviously not doing a very good job keeping up with American Idol this season, but luckily most of my friends are. They tell me when I've missed something amazing, something hideous, or something that's a combination of both... Kim filled me in on last night's show, during which the Idols got ready for tonight's show, Idol Gives Back, by singing their favorite inspirational songs. I would be super good at this week because during my senior year of high school my English teacher had each student give an "Inspiration Friday" speech and present a favorite uplifting song. Hahaha.

Anyhow, Kim gushed to me, "OMG did you see Jason Castro last night?" Well, no, I didn't, but I saw him on YouTube today. His version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is spot-on; this song has been performed by many Idols in the past, including Kimberley Locke and Katharine McPhee; their renditions are among my favorite Idol performances EVER. And Jason tore it up! He is soooo cute and his voice is just beautiful. I'll admit that I wasn't his biggest fan at the beginning of the season, but he's so consistently good that it's hard to not like him. Anyhow, yeah, I'll agree with Kim in saying that his was the best performance of the night.

Second best performance of the night, without question: David Archuleta singing "Angels." Like Simon, I think that this is one of the best pop songs ever, and David's at-the-piano rendition was really good. There's something about his voice that just makes me melt; not to mention that ADORABLE smile that comes across his face when he's talking to Ryan. Ugh, he's so cute.

Other notable performances include Michael Johns' "Dream On," a song that I think was a little ambitious for him, as well as Syesha's rendition of Fantasia's "I Believe," in which she shows us her whistle tones (ouch). Non-notable performances: David Cook, Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook.

UPDATE: Click Here to donate to Idol Gives Back! They supports lots of worthwhile causes. :)

Just a couple stories...

Wow! Apparently Bravo will be saying Auf Wiedersehen to Project Runway, as the popular model-search show will be moving to TLC for its next season... Interesting. Bravo is going to be a lot less gay without Heidi and Michael Kors. What does this mean for the public? Not much, really, except probably more advertising aimed at middle-aged women than fierce gays. But let's face it--these two target audiences aren't really that different.

My roommate Lora is obsessed with Paradise Hotel. It's like her one big reality show (other than Idol). I watched part of an episode tonight and here's what I think: it's basically Real World with slightly older and worse looking people. Does anyone else watch this show???

Final Thought: Have you downloaded "Damaged" (or anything else) from Danity Kane's new album yet? Well, you should. It's a fierce song.

Some updates...

Was Joey Fatone one of the options on my last poll about who will be next to get or host a reality show?  I can't remember...  Well, in any case, he is!  He and Mel B. are set to lead a singing contest called The Singing Office on TLC.  It's not necessarily a serious singing contest, because it pits different workplaces against one another...  Sounds silly.  In any case, I'm excited to have Mel B. and Joey on TV together--I think they'll be a funny pair.

Tomorrow night on FOX is Idol Gives Back, including performances by Fergie & Heart, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Miley Cyrus, and John Legend.  All kinds of other celebrities were in the house on Sunday when it was taped, too, including Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Peyton & Eli Manning, and Posh & Becks.  I'm working tomorrow night (ugh), so hopefully I'll catch the special sometime soon...

Pamela Anderson is getting into the reality game this summer...  Apparently nothing is going to be off-limits, so it could be a fierce hot mess.

Check out this photo special: "Real World: Then & Now."  Though it only highlights a few fierce alums from the show (Coral, Robyn, Beth, Landon), it's still pretty funny to see what some of them look like nowadays.

More MTV thoughts...

Just when I thought it was over, MTV's Real World Awards Bash actually brought me to tears... They did a segment on roomates who are no longer with us, first talking about Frankie from a few seasons ago who passed away after a life-long battle with cystic fibrosis.  Then they pulled out all the stops and highlighted the life and work of Pedro Zamora from San Francisco.  Wow!  It was genuinely moving and opened my eyes to this courageous guy; to be honest, I had no idea he was such a major activist.

Oh, one more thing.  This show looks great--The Paper.  High school drama is so awesome and those kids on the yearbook staff really did always know what was going on...

MTV Is Ridiculous... and other things.

I saw the previews for it a few weeks ago and I didn't know what to expect...  Well, MTV's Real World Awards Bash is as crazy and ridiculous as you could imagine.  With such awards as "Hottest Male," "Best Phone Call Gone Bad," and "Steamiest Scene," how could you go wrong? (And by the way,  I can't believe that Johnnie won "Hottest Male."  I would vote for Landon from Philly [who wasn't even NOMINATED!], Danny from Austin, or Eric from New York.)  See the list of winners here; and, if you get a chance, check out this special for yourself. As you would guess, all of the cast members are drinking their lives away and it's amazing.

Tonight I finally caught an episode of Hell's Kitchen.  It's stupid.  I think this is like the third season or something, but I was never really that interested in watching it, and my premonitions were correct.  Gordon Ramsay is an arrogant prick who doesn't have any criticism that is worth it's weight in salt (get it?).  His use of profanity is disgusting and I hope his restaurants burn down.

I haven't seen the final episode yet, but the winner was crowned on Make Me A Supermodel. Holly won.  Yeah, Holly, the girl who can hardly put together a coherent sentence and only has one look in her photos.  Ugh.  I would have been happy and supportive of any of the others had they won, but oh well.  I guess the good news is that Ronnie can move back to Chicago and be my boyfriend.

Tila Tequila is coming back...  What else do I need to say?

"Spring Break"

I probably should have mentioned this a week ago, but I've been on "Spring Break."  Basically it consisted of my BF Kim visiting for a week, a weekend in Bloomington, and lots of trips to the tanning bed.

Lots of FIERCE updates coming soon--I promise.

:)