Lots of IDOL news!

OK, so I meant to post this a day or two ago, but whatever.  I'm sure everyone is well aware that it's going to be a Battle of the Davids for the American Idol crown!  I can't wait.  In talking with some friends last night, it seems like people really don't know who is going to win; some people think Archuleta has the major advantage because of all the 12-15 year old girls that vote for the show, but others think Cook has the edge because he has that rocker sexiness that is appealing to a broader demographic.  I truly have no idea.  My money is on Cook, though.  Literally.  $5 has my name on it when he wins.

Danny Noriega is pissed that she's not invited to the Idol finale.  I would be too if I were her!  I mean, yeah, he wasn't a finalist or anything, but he's certainly one of the most memorable characters from the season.  

Taylor Hicks will be the latest Idol alum to hit Broadway when he joins the cast of Grease. Interesting.  I definitely won't be seeing that show next time I'm in NYC.

Wednesday morning news...

Celebrity Rehab is coming back for another season, and so far Aaron Carter is the biggest "celeb" who has signed up!  According to Perez, he was offered a spot on the last season of Dancing With The Stars but turned it down--what an idiot!

New reality show alert: RuPaul's Drag Race.  Seriously.  How amazing is that???

Whitney became the first plus-size model to win America's Next Top Model!  Congrats, girl.  Of course, some people just can't let her enjoy it--there's a conspiracy theory out there that the show tried to keep her "fat" over the season or something like that.  (Oh, the article is also interesting because apparently Tyra made a shout-out to the sister restaurant of the place I work--Houston's!)

NBC nixed the idea of having OJ Simpson on the next season of Celebrity Apprentice.  Thank God.  

Never before have I wished I could be back in high school at this point in my life...  But now I do!  ABC has a show coming out this summer called High School Musical 3: Get In The Picture. Ahhhhhh!  One incredibly lucky person will be chosen to perform (in a music video) in (the end credits of) the movie with all of the stars (who will be filmed at separate times)!  I wish it could be me, but I don't think a 6'3" 23-year old with braces is exactly what they're looking for...  :(

AI Top 3 Recap

The format for the semi-final show was simple: there were three rounds.  In the first round, the judges picked a song for the singers.  The second round was the contestant's choice.  The final round was a song chosen by "the producers."  Interesting.

Paula chose "And So It Goes" for David Archuleta and it was absolutely beautiful.  The song itself has such a gorgeous melody and the arrangement was simple and allowed David's flawless, pure voice to shine through without a hint of pretention.  

Syesha was next and sang "If I An't Got You," chosen by Randy.  It was an obvious choice and I'm surprised she hasn't sung it in the competition thus far.  Anyway, it's a tough song to do something new and different with, but she sounded good and looked absolutely beautiful.  My only fear is that it's too late in the competition to just do a good job singing songs in the same style as the original artist...

Next up was David Cook who sang "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," a Roberta Flack song that Simon picked for him.  The thing about David C. is this: he knows how to make him sound his best no matter what it is he's singing.  He's never afraid to slow something down or whatever and he's just so natural on stage.

During the second round, David A. sang "With You" by Chris Brown and it was a little silly...  I mean, I don't think he should ever use the word "boo."  Syesha sang "Fever" and I agree with Simon: it was a mediocre cabaret performance.  She was dancing and acting and all that and it just didn't really work for me.  David C. sang "Dare You To Move," an obvious choice for him, but he totally rocked it.  Some lady in the audience had a sign that read "Cougars 4 Cook."  Sick.

The final round completely screwed Syesha.  I can't believe the producers picked "Hit Me Up" for her!!!  It was so terrible and completely NOT what she should be singing at this point in the competition.  The song is clubby and poppy and fast and doesn't have a melody that allows a true singer to showcase her voice.  Ugh.  David A. sang "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg which was good, and David C. sang Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing," which was also good.  He's such a rockstar.

As Simon proclaimed at the end of the show, "David Cook wins the night."  Will he win the show?

Wooooow.

Dancing With The Stars has given Juliane Hough the push she needed--to become a country singer! I don't even know what to say about that.

This discovery prompted the question in my head: who else has a music video out there?

...Phil Stacey, an Idol finalist that you probably don't remember from last year (I think).

...then there's the always trampy Brooke Hogan's song "About Us." The 90's called and they want their choreography back.

Well, my search proved to be less fulfilling than I hoped, but I suppose that's a good thing.


Stay tuned for an American Idol recap from last night!

Updates!

The 20th season is just beginning to air, but The Real World's 21st season is set to begin filming this summer in Brooklyn.  Interesting...  Brooklyn is becoming such a cultural hotspot; I have a few friends (and ex-friends) living there, so maybe I'll have to go for a visit sometime.  Maybe.

I've never been a big fan of The Bachelor; it just doesn't do it for me.  This is interesting, though: the winner of this past season, Shayne, just posed for Girls Gone Wild magazine.  Yeah, I didn't know there was a magazine, either.  Classy, right?

So You Think You Can Dance? returns to FOX on May 22.  Yes!!!  I'll be able to watch like a month and a half of it before summer comes and I won't have cable.

FOX has another show coming soon called Secret Millionaire.  Looks interesting, even if it has already been a success in England.  I think a lot of networks are looking for reality shows that help people out: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, 10 Years Younger, Oprah's Big Give, etc.