What has become of American Idol?

So American Idol is in mid-season. They are gearing up for auditions and Hollywood, but something is missing. That may be Simon, or Ellen, or Kara.

We all saw Simon's grand exit in May, and I have to say I miss him. Then, Ellen announced that she is just too busy to be judging a show. Now the rumors are swirling that Kara has been let go. If that is true then when you turn it on Fox come January for season 10. You will only recognize Randy and Ryan. It seems that after nine years American Idol is ready to implode.

The rotating doors, all 3 (?) of them. It is supposed that Steven Tyler will join the AI team now. But before that, Jennifer Lopez was selected as a possible replacement. However, it turned out that J. Lo may have been a little too much of a diva for Fox and was supposedly let go. Now the rumor mill has put Shania Twain in the running. Shania was previously a guest judge during the summer auditions and a mentor for a week about her.

At this point the the three vacant chairs seem to be a constant guessing game. Will they take away the 4th chair? Who will take those three spots? Why did Simon leave to create a clone of his British show which was a clone of his other British show which this show was cloned from?

J out.

Football is BACK! (sort of. . .)

August 12th. On this day, in 1914, the United Kingdom declared war on Austria-Hungary and in 2010 football unofficially officially started (Is that a double negative?)

The preseason started with a number of games this Thursday night. Among the headliners were the New England Patriots taking on the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. Also the nationally televised Carolina Panthers versus the Baltimore Ravens. Now I'm from Baltimore so you already know I'm ecstatic. To see the Ravens play for the first time in some organized game was thrilling and to see them win is great. Plus, the fact that they are getting so much national coverage is exciting. Not only did they open up Monday Night Football's preseason games they will also open Monday Night Football's first season game when they go against the New York Jets in the new Meadowlands stadium. It is just going to be a good year for football, I can feel it.

And as the preseason continues we hope for no injuries and think good thoughts. More football news is to follow. J out.

I'm BACK. . .

Hello Everyone. I'm Back. It has been a good 3 months almost. Getting out of school and enjoying the summer has been my number one priority and, well resting. So now that I have had that much time I'm back to blog once again!! I was disappointed that I missed the American Idol finale and Simon's departure (something that I may talk about later) but I'm ready to go now. I think I've been treating this blog like a television show. Gone in May, back in 'Augember' (that's right I've made my own month).

LET THE BLOGGING BEGIN!!!

In Five Minutes or Less 11

I do a little YouTube thing called "In Five Minutes or Less" or IFMoL. Here is the 11th episode.

IT'S OVER!

I just posted about "Law and Order" being on the fence between canceled and renewed. Well it is official. "Law and Order's" final episode will air May 24th as the season finale would have.

I am deeply saddened that "Law and Order" will not break "Gunsmoke's" record. While this seemed like the right move from a business stand point, I have to say they should have let go for that record-BREAKING season, instead of giving it the status of record-tying.

Once again, I don't think it is fair to cancel it when they didn't give it a chance to thrive in it's Wednesday spot. They put it against the 2nd strongest CSI and Castle, the program following DWTS. In that case, they should've put at Tuesday @8pm to kill it faster.

Goodbye Law and Order. You've been around one year longer than I have. I'll miss you. J out.
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EN: For those who say that it doesn't matter because "The Simpsons" have already beat Gunsmoke, that was for overall primetime show. This is drama. There is a difference because I don't find myself laughing at "Gunsmoke" and "Law and Order" like I do "The Simpsons."

There will be more to come on the forthcoming end to this venerable series.

Law and Order. . .On the Fence

So "Law and Order" is on the fence. There have been reports of NBC saying it will be back and there have been reports that it will be cancelled. This, of course, is very big because 'LandO' would break the "Gunsmoke" record. That is the longest running primetime drama, if it makes it to its 21st season. Ratings have been down lately, but NBC couldn't possibly carry LandO this long and NOT carry it over the finish line. It is NBC's fault in the first place LandO is in the perdiciment it is in now.

LandO killed at 10pm on Wednesday. By the 16th season it had dropped some, but still did well. However, NBC decided it would be best to move it to Fridays. It dropped to 73rd place from 36th. (Smooth Move Exlax!) They realised the mistake and put it back and it hoped back up into the top 40. Yet it wasn't to last long because they wanted to try revolutionizing primetime television with Jay Leno. They moved it back to Fridays, but at 8. It did well. Yet, we all know how Jay Leno went. So it is at Mondays at 10. Up against stiff competition, LandO has fallen.

CSI:Miami, perhaps the strongest of the CSI, is on CBS and Castle, with rating juggernaut DWTS(1) as a lead in, is on ABC. They are very strong against LandO and I think LandO should be moved back to Wednesday. The old way of LandO on Wednesday and SVU on Tuesday worked well. Currently, SVU has the Wednesday slot. It is usually in a steady race with CSI:NY. Either CSI:NY wins viewers and SVU the demographic or vice versa. SVU should move back to Tuesday, LandO on Wednesday. Parenthood (Tuesdays @10) should go to Monday or Thursday, or to the 9pm slot on Wednesday.

All I can say is LandO better be renewed. To cut Dick Wolf short before this record is just cruel. I mean I know he's getting a Los Angeles branch of LandO, but keep the flagship. We won't know until Upfronts for the major networks next week (post to possibly come). So here's to crossing our fingers. X J out.

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1. Dancing with the Stars

American Idol: Lights, Camera, Top 4!

So the top four go out after Aaron Kelly got cut last week. Now the four get to sing songs of the movies. A rich collection of songs that we enjoyed while sitting in a theater listening to quadraphonic sound. And away we go. . .

Lee DeWyze: B, Doing "Kiss From A Rose", he sounded a bit "pitchy" to quote Randy. He did the song and it sounded like. . .the song. Nothing popped out and said "WoW!" to me. If I could choose a song for him I would do "If I Didn't Have You" from Monster's Inc. I know it seems a bit cheesy, but I think it would of fit Lee's voice well.

Michael Lynche: B+, Big Mike did "Will You Be There" from Free Willy. I must say that I love that he brought the song back to my ears b/c I completely forgot about it. That being set aside, I think he did great, but once again not a huge "WoW!" factor. I love the fact that Simon had never seen or even heard of the plot of Free Willy, it was hilarious. If I had choose a better song from the movies, I would say "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder. That, I think, would have been great and more emotion would have been evoked as he sang to his wife.

Duet #1: Crystal & Lee. Doing "Falling Slowly"from Once, it really sounded like a record for that movie's remake. It was really good. Where was this Lee during his solo performance? We can only hope Crystal does just as good maybe better.

Casey James: B+, So he survived a disastrous Sinatra week and came back with "Ms. Robinson" from The Graduate. I liked the fact that he did a laid back version of the song. It sounded sort of like IZ's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. The problem was, once again, it wasn't a "WoW!er". Something important on a big night like this. I would have done "Footloose", but it may have been difficult to pull an original version for tonight.

Crystal Bowersox: A-, She was the first (and only, by default) one tonight to make me go "WoW!" Doing "I'm Alright" from Caddyshack, she blew it out of the water. Simon didn't watch movies on his way to being record executive b/c he didn't know what Caddyshack was about either. I would have chosen "Let the River Run" by Carly Simon.

Duet #2: Casey & Michael. They did "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?" and Casey started out shaky, but Mike got him back on track and they flew away with it. I loved Ellen's quip at the end.

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Overall it would have been a "WoW!"-less night had it not been for the duets. I think there were better choices for everyone to take and blow something out of the water. Lee was the weakest tonight. Could it lead to his demise? I'm unsure b/c it is so hard to pick at this stage. We'll have to see what happens 24 hours from now. J out.

Who's Afraid of Betty White?

I know I'm not and I'm really looking forward to her performance on Saturday Night Live about 24 hours away.

After a very successful Facebook campaign, Betty White was given the honor to host tomorrow's show, a Mother's Day special which will include appearances by past ladies of the show. That includes Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, and Molly Shannon.

For the first time in a while Betty White is on fire. This was following her appearance in a Snickers Super Bowl Commercial this year. First off, I love the Snickers campaign that you aren't you when your hungry, and their follow up featuring Aretha Franklin and Liza Minelli. Second off, seeing Betty White get tackled full on (and Abe Vigoda) was hilarious. After being in that commercial she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actor's Guild (unrelated to her rise) and before people were in demand for Ms. White she appeared in "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock.

I have always loved Betty White. I've been watching her on the Game Show Network for a long time and on Mary Tyler Moore and The Golden Girls. She is just comes across as the sweetest person ever. It will be a pure pleasure to look at her as she becomes the oldest host of SNL ever. The teasers have been hilarious.

The highest rated SNL in a while and of this season was the show hosted by Charles Barkley, who had some funny promos himself, and it garnered 10.4 million viewers. I think with this hyped up show that mark will be surpassed.Also, if The Lonely Island doesn't come up with a Digital Short this Saturday I would love it if they replayed MotherLover from last year. I can't wait for Betty and GSN will have a Match Game marathon of Betty's best to get people hyped up (I can't watch cause I don't get it here. . .grrr.) Here's me saying, WATCH SNL! J out.

American Idol: The Sinatra 5

So the top 5 go out with Sinatra on the brain. This comes after we lost Siobhan last week and only leaves Crystal as the sole woman on the show. Another guy-guy finale on the way? I say NO, but we'll have to see how everyone did tonite.

Aaron: B, It wasn't his best, it wasn't his worse. It was okay. "Fly Me to the Moon"

Casey: B-, He unfortunately was a very shaky affair. He sounded like an on-key lamb who was having an off night. Obviously this was not his forte. He's a rocker and tonight showed us that he isn't as dynamic as some thought. I loved how Simon made a joke and it fell flat and left like 5 seconds of silence. "Blue Skies"

Crystal: A-, she finally made tonight's show sound better. The problem though was that at times I felt the band drowned her out and she was engulfed. Something didn't click. "Summer Wind"

Mike: A, I though that his performance was great. He brought out the meaning of Sinatra tonight for the first time. I think he was the best of the night. "The Way You Look Tonight"

Lee: A, He performed my favorite Sinatra song and was great. Between him and Mike, they closed out the show the way it should have been. I didn't have Lee in my top 3 at the beginning of the 12, but as this season has gone on he has really impressed me. "That's Life"

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All in all this was, IMO, a great night. I loved the fact that Harry Connick Jr. (the mentor) played the piano on stage. However, I think the band being there and creating such a loud atmosphere was too much of a challenge for the contestants to out sing. So if you sang a song that was band heavy (Aaron, Casey, MamaSox), it would affect them greatly. If I had to put an elimination hit on anybody I would say Aaron or Casey. Aaron because he's become bland and Casey because of his shakiness with Sinatra. The thing is though I don't think Casey's fans will hold that against him. We shall see tonight. J out.

American Idol: The Twain 6

So the Top 6 went after the songs of Shania Twain, mentored by the singer herself.

I missed the show, but watched performances on YouTube. So I'll do the Best/Worst thing one more time.

Best: Boy, Lee and Siobhan were really good. Siobhan made a really marked improvement. I'll give the title to Lee.

Worst: Between the rest of them I can not give out a worst. Everyone was really good that night.

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This night was a great show. Everyone had great performances overall. Great to see "Teflon Tim" gone. I mean he was the greatest improvement of this season, but he should have never made past that first week of the Top 24.

American Idol: The Inspirational 7

So this week marks the return of Idol Gives Back for its third year. As a fitting theme the contestants were told to sing inspirational songs with the mentorship of Alicia Keys.

Last week we lost both Andrew and Katie. Who will be the next to go?

Because of the lateness of this post I will go with the Best/Worst format this week.

Best: Crystal Bowersox, hands down. She put so much emotion into "People Get Ready" by The Impressions. Simon spoke to soon when he said that Lee DeWyze's performance of "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel was the best of the night.

Worst: It's hard to say. Siobhan chose too big of a song, but rode it ok. Tim seemed a little lackluster and Casey was just drone. I don't know who could go home.

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It was good night, but to me it felt empty. I don't think I felt that since season 7. It was weird. In any case, Idol kicks off with an all star bill that is already underway in just 30-45 minutes we will find out who's out and in the top 6. J out.

Delayed AI Post

I am in Frostburg and as such attended the candlelight vigil service for Brandon Carroll. He and Ellis Heartridge were shot by Tyrone hall around 4 a.m on Sunday after a previous confrontation at a party earlier on. Ellis is in stable condition while Brandon died from the injuries he sustained. It has been a sad couple days here as many are reeling from this tragedy.

In any case, because I was at this service I wasn't able to watch American Idol. I am currently watching the performances on YouTube and will post my critique tomorrow. J out.

American Idol: The Top 9. . .Again

So the Top 9 head out after that dramatic elimination last week. Oh wait, no one was eliminated. The judges smartly used the save on Micheal Lynche after America foolishly voted him off. Now this week two people will be out at the end of it all.

This week the Idols tackle Elvis and have a mentor in. . . Adam Lambert? That's right, Adam mentors them while they were in Las Vegas. How will they do?

Crystal Bowersox: B+, she brought the soul to "Saved" and it was great. Yet I felt that something tiny was missing.

Andrew Garcia: B-, so I'm listening to Andrew's performance of "Hound Dog" and trying to figure out what is off about it. The way he changed it was not karokey, but it was off and that is when Simon hit it on the head. It was like that one performance in the musical that was not on level with the rest of the play.

Tim Urban: B+, doing "Can't Help Falling in Love" that was one of his best performances. It was beautiful. Two things though, was it the point of AI to make it so it looked like he was singing in the dark? and Ryan dancing with a guy in the background. . .awkward.

Lee DeWyze: B+, He showed alot of personality singing "A Little Less Conversation" and looked very comfortable. I liked it overall.

Aaron Kelly: B, Doing "Blue Suede Shoes", he did pretty well with a rough and grough 50 year old song. Too me he sounded like a performance in High School Musical. As a matter of fact I think Aaron probably would've been prime material for Disney.

Siobhan Magnus: B, Singing "Suspicious Minds" I felt as though she was much better. The first part was not good, but she redeemed herself with the second part. When the judges told her of her inconsistency as a person, she countered by stating not even she knows who she is and music shouldn't pinpoint it for her.

Micheal Lynche: B+, I don't think anyone will garner an A, but Big Mike's performance of "In the Ghetto" was absolutely beautiful. It was a bit slow, but the voice just pierced me. Something I don't think any other contestant has done tonight.

Katie Stevens: B, Not bad doing "Baby, What You Want Me to Do." She had the confident attitude and was good.

Casey James: B+, Another solid performance doing "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." I felt that a little something was missing from his acoustic performance, though.

Overall Grade: B+
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It was good night overall. I don't think anyone did or could touch that Elvis had when he recorded these songs. As I said elimination could go to two of any people so vote. VOTE BIG MIKE!!! J out.

Remember When Players Did Drugs on the Field?

So the announcement was made yesterday that Ben Roethlisberger would not be charged with the sexual assault of young women in a Georgia nightclub and he made a statement about it that night. You can see it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwzPG1o69jY

To me he thinks he can do anything he wants and get any girl he wants and he can't. He apologized and everything but missed one key point. That he's been partying and is going to make a change. I think that he was a little to full of himself and hopefully this has brought him back to earth. Although, you never know. He got in trouble after he got sued for the same thing. Terry Bradshaw talked about Big Ben and here is what he has to say. . .

I liked the statement. Too many professional athletes think that they can "party hardy" and fore go the consequences. May we point to Ray Lewis, Micheal Vick, Gilbert Arenas, and Tiger Woods. What sets them apart from Ben is that they learned their lessons. Although, it is too soon to say that of Gilbert and Tiger, I'm sure they won't be putting themselves into anymore trouble.

In any case, I think there is something rotten in news coverage. Tiger Woods received the utmost coverage on programs that hardly ever covered sports, but when Big Ben is in trouble, for the 2nd time remind you, we see nothing. Everyone was on Tiger's case and let's see. . .has any of Tiger's trouble involved the law? Uhhh NO. In fact in the list I previously mentioned, Tiger was the only one who didn't have anything to do with law. Yet he has been extremely censured. What's going on here? I leave you to ponder that. J out.

American Idol: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH AMERICA!?

So I usually don't do elimination posts in the Top 12, but this was necessary. I only have one question for the 100 million people or so who voted last night. . .

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?

Michael Lynche has been a consistent performer week after week. Maybe the drastic "Eleanor Rigby" was a misstep in your eyes, but was it really bad. Not an off key in that performance last night. Tell me. . .how can you vote off a contestant who really did nothing wrong this week and yet last week you kept a person who was off for a good part of song she sang (Siobhan)?

I mean Siobhan tore up "Through the Fire", and I don't mean that in a "oh she was so good" way. Yet the following day where it was more than certain she should have been gone, not only was she not eliminated, she wasn't even in the bottom 3!

Thank God the judges know talent when they see it and used their save.

I'm done with my manifesto. . .but American Idol is going to lose a faithful viewer for 6 years, if it appears that it has lost its legitimacy. I voted for Big Mike like 30 times last night. I mean now it seems to be a looks contest than a singing one.

I'm done. J out.

American Idol: The Top 9

So the Top 9 get to do the songs of Lennon and McCartney, perhaps some of the best music ever written. Can they do them justice? Apparently, Paul McCartney couldn't make it to be a mentor, but left them a video message to motivate.

Aaron Kelly: B, Not bad for him. Some rough spots but doing "The Long and Winding Road" wasn't a bad choice for him.

Katie Stevens B, Such a marked improvement for her. "Let It Be" is one of my favorite songs from them. She did it very well and as Kara said, she shouldn't be in the bottom three this week.

Andrew Garcia B+, Not a bad song choice and his rendition of "Can't Buy Me Love" was really danceable.

Michael Lynche: A-, I absolutely loved his rendition of "Eleanor Rigby." It was a risky chance he took changing the arrangement drastically, but it worked in my eyes. And for the first time this season, I think I actually disagreed with Simon on his critique, that it was to "musical like." It was current and hip and sounds like a track off his self-titled album?

Crystal Bowersox: A-, Excellent version of "Come Together" for Crystal. The fact that she had a didgeridoo completely won me over.

Tim Urban: B+, He was pretty good with "All My Loving." A much better performance than last week's.

Casey James: B+, The way he sung "Jealous Guy" just touched your soul. It really did. That was very good.

Siobhan Magnus: B, It was so much better than last week that I had to smack my ears. "Across the Universe" was such a good change for Siobhan. I loved that she finally changed it up.

Lee DeWyze: B, Not bad. However, I think "Hey Jude" is a bit. . .cliche? I just didn't feel it, but I loved the bagpipe insert.

Overall Grade: B+

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It was a good show for me. Very enjoyable. I liked the segments where the fellow castmates talked about each other. This show just seemed to be really good. I can't tell who will go because it was so good, but someone must go so we will see tomorrow. J out.

American Idol: The Top Tourers

So the Top 10 or Top Tourers since they played the hell out of the fact that these Ten will be on tour this summer. It is R&B week with Usher, and I liked the choices of songs that I listened to on iTunes and hope they pick the right ones.

Siobhan Magnus: D, I hate to give a grade like that to Siobhan, but her rendition of Chaka's "Through the Fire" was just bad. As Simon put it "it was manslaughter." Her scream part was good, but getting through the beginning was rocky. Also, screaming at the end is getting old.

Casey James: A-, He made the best song choice of the season. Point Blank. Sam and Dave's "Hold On, I'm Coming" was the best song for him and I loved the performance all around. I do agree with some of the judges that it (his whole rock out thing) is playing out. But he promised an acoustic song for next week. Which he will be able to fulfill.

Micheal Lynche: A-, Big Mike did "Ready for Love", and it was great. I was disappointed that he didn't choose a different song, though.

Didi Benami: C+, A rendition of David Ruffin's "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" that was not a wower by any means. It could have been much better but it wasn't horrible.

Tim Urban: B-, He was in key for Anita Baker's "Sweet Love", but it just didn't do it for me. Remember that scene in "Spider-Man 3" when Mary Jane was singing on Broadway and she just didn't cut it and was replaced? Well, yeah, that was Tim. Simon made the point that as long as he smiles they'll vote for him anyway so f@*k a critique cause he'll be back next week anyway. And he's right Tim has got the looks to bring in the gaga girls and the gaga homosexual males (trust me, I know, I have a friend, leave it at that) that will call for him.

Andrew Garcia: B, Doing a recent hit song, Chris Brown's "Forever." It brought him to a prominence that we haven't seen in a while and was good. But once again I have to agree with Simon, that with this song he came off as boring.

Katie Stevens: B, Someone tell me something, how is she still on the show? With that asked, this was a good performance overall. However, Aretha's "Chain of Fools" is a strong song and she didn't get that power. I think no one has since Fantasia.

Lee DeWyze: A-, Par Excellence from Lee. Doing "Treat Her Like A Lady", he went with it and made it his own with his guitar.

Crystal Bowersox: A-, I loved the song choice and her performance. "Midnight Train to Georgia" was fantastic. She switched it up by playing the piano and it was great. She said she hadn't played the piano in a while and I could tell because at times it looked like she was concentrating too hard and she was gonna loose it but she didn't. Great for her.

Aaron Kelly: B, Not his best. Doing "Ain't No Sunshine", I felt he didn't put enough soul into it. I mean he's weak and 16, when has gone through what Bill Withers went through to write this song? jk.

Overall Grade: B

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It was a good show overall. I liked most of the song choices. They decided to do a backstage expose all show and it was awkward at best, especially after Siohban. If I had to take a guess at who's gone, Siohban misstep may have been the release of the axe. J out.

American Idol: The Top One-One

So the Top 11 make it to Tuesday night and they have to work hard. A new change in American Idol, after the competition, is that only the Top 10 go on tour, not the Top 24 of previous years.

The theme this week was a perennial favorite, Billboard Hot 100 #1's. With a plethora of songs that at some point or another reigned supreme to our ears, I hoped they made good song choices.

Let's grade. . .

Lee Dewyze: B-, To me the vocals were good but his formatting of the song was just off. For me that is. I like the song, it was him, but something didn't click. I can see him back next week, though.

Paige Miles: EF, That is an E or an F or put together EF. She did Phil Collins' "Against All Odds" in the style of Mariah Carey. Where did she go with it and why? She could be gone tomorrow.

Tim Urban: B-, His vocals were good but his performance of the song was not. He did Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", which I can't see anybody doing right other than Queen. So not a good choice of song.

Aaron Kelly: B+, He was very good, doing some Aerosmith. I like his youth and what it brings to the stage.

Crystal Bowersox: A, The first A goes to Crystal, who, with some help from Janis Joplin, continued to prove to us who she was. The judges want a little more and she promised them a surprised next week. I can't wait.

Micheal Lynche: A-, Big Mike went with some classic Percy Sledge. I really enjoyed "When A Man Loves A Woman". Apparently, the judges, especially Kara and Simon, did not seeing it as loungy which I did not. I did agree that the riffs could use some work and that is the only reason he got a minus.

Andrew Garcia: C, He did some Motown with Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". To me, the absolute wrong choice of song. It wasn't him and it wasn't as good as Hollywood week.

Katie Stevens: C, A pitchy affair for Katie, but one good thing was that she proved pop may be her forte. "Big Girls Don't Cry" fitted her well. Now only if she could sing it, we'd have a rolling ball.

Casey James: B+, Taking a track off of the Back to the Future soundtrack Casey did pretty well. I liked it but Simon wanted some more variety. He really knows how to work a guitar and that will get on the good side of Randy.

Didi Bemani: C+, To me it was an odd song choice for her and it didn't stand out for me. Nice try and she might have a spot next week because she just has that quality.

Siobhan Magnus: B, Doing Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", she, to me, gave the best performance in terms of stage presence. Her voice could be a little better. And her screaming is okay.

Overall Grade: B-

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In all it was a good show. Overall though, I was looking for better songs from some of them. Some fit them well, while others should have gone in another direction. We get the elimination tonight and I lean towards Paige Miles. She has been on a slippery slope for a while and she may have reached the end tonight. J out.

Tiger Woods Marks His Return

Tiger Woods has set a date to his return to the game of golf. As we should all know that date is April 6th better known as somebody's birthday and the start of the Masters in Augusta, Georgia.

Now some ask if this is too soon. Well I say no. Now Dr. Drew says that being in sex therapy is more than a 4 month thing and she has had people who have gone for almost a year. While I agree that yes that is true, he goes on to talk about how he shouldn't go back to a stressful game like golf. So since when is golf stressful? I understand that it is a competition and you need to be out to win but, it offers a chance to release your baggage.

Then there are those who say he will be disrespecting the prestige of the Masters. How in the world will he be doing that? By having an affair? You've got to be kidding me? So you mean to tell me that not one of the other golfers in the tournament have not had an affair? The board members at Augusta are squeaky clean? Yeah, right! He won't be disrespecting anything.

They say he will get all of the attention. Let me ask, since when has he not gotten the attention? So it would be a good time for him to come back after his knee surgery but not now? GTFOH!

And let's not forget that there were two big politicians, one who left the country and the other who had a child through his affair. And yet we hardly see any coverage as big as Tiger Woods. You all (whoever that may be) need to leave him alone and stop judging him and not forget that a bunch of others do what he did.

American Idol: The Top 12

So the Top 12 tread the waters and to me, they sunk.

So I meant to grade each of them but since I was away from my laptop while watching it, I can't grade them definitively without doing it after their performance. That means I'll go with the Best/Worst System this week.

The Best: I'm split between "Big Mike" and Crystal Bowersox. Simon thought "Big Mike's" was "desperate" and I disagree and agree because I mean what can you do with The Rolling Stones. Crystal was great and she will get the best title.

The Worst: Since "Big Mike" and Crystal were the cap-off performers, everyone in between was the worst. I mean the only alright performance in the middle was that of Siobhan Magnus. I don't know what the judges heard because most of the performances they gave positive marks on didn't deserve them.

In all, The Rolling Stones was a horrible theme. There is not much many can do with that and that's what happened last night. I hope they get a much better theme next week like "Year You Were Born" or something.

American Idol: Our Top 12

Well the final result is in and America has (recklessly?) chosen their Top 12! This is where the real excitement begins. Theme Weeks, Commercials, and Big LCD Screen Doors. The whole show seemed to be confused. People walking all over the place and illegible but lip-readable cursing.

Our Top 12 is: Micheal "Big Mike" Lynche, Lee Dewyze, Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus, Tim Urban, Lacey Brown, Andrew Garcia, Didi Benami, Aaron Kelly, Paige Miles, Casey James, and the most controversial pick Katie Stevens.

That means we lost: Todrick Hall, Lily Scott, Alex Lambert, and Katelyn Epperly.

Honestly, America has gone wrong again. Katie Stevens over Lily Scott!? Really!? If I had to put my nose on it. America wasn't feeling Patsy Cline on Tuesday. But she deserved that spot in the 12. You've disappointed me once again.

As for the rest, Todrick chose too late to get on his game and Alex and Katelyn were no big surprises. I was surprised that Paige made it in though. Everyone sees real potential in her and it carried her to the 12.

Good Luck to Everyone next week. Rolling Stones week. One new feature AI has added that I loved is that you can go on iTunes and listen to the playlist of songs the contestants must choose from. That way we can say you should've gone with "this" song. It will be fun and I can't wait for it. J out.

American Idol: The Top 8 Guys

So the guys go for a spot in the Top 12. And away they went. . .

The Best: "BIG MIKE", HANDS DOWN! That performance was the best of the night and so far. I mean good f@*king grief. He did Maxwell's "This Woman's Work" and blew everyone away and made Kara cry. He is a def shoe in for the Top 12!

The Worst: I think everyone did great but I will go with who will be eliminated. Todrick Hall really improved. He did Queen's "Somebody to Love" and did something great with it, for once. However, it may have been too late.

Also, Andrew Garcia could've been better.

I think elimination could go to anyone but Michael Lynche. We shall see tomorrow. J out.

American Idol: The Top 8 Girls

So this was it for the girls. They performed to make into the Top 12, which is where you get to stay in that nice mansion and make commercials. I saw most of it and here is my critique.

The Best: Crystal Bowersox blew my socks off with her rendition of Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason." It was absolutely riveting and she should be a shoe in for the Top 12.

The Worst: Paige Miles, who preceded Crystal Bowersox, did Charlie Chaplin's "Smile." To me it was a boring affair. I felt like I was on a cruise listening to some lounge singer, who wasn't that good. I could hardly get the feel of the music and at points she was off key. I could see the end of the road for her however, the first three performances weren't anything to fall over for either. So we'll see when Thursday comes round. Guys are up tonite. J out.

Oscar Night is On Its Way! (My Picks Are In)

10 Best Picture Nominees, Two Eccentric Host, and a Great Movie Year. These are hopefully the ingredients for a good presentation this year. In its 82nd year we're still in bewilderment of the Academy's thought process, I think. In any case I will be offering up my picks for the 5 major awards, the supporting awards, and animated feature.

The Supporting's

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique. Without a doubt Mo'Nique should walk away with that award. Her performance in "Precious" was absolutely chilling and such a departure for her unlike the other nominees. I look forward to a riveting acceptance speech.

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Waltz. He was absolutely the best person to play a Nazi and was great in "Inglorious Bastards". If he doesn't walk away with it, it will be sad.

Best Animated Feature

Up. "Up" is more than certain to walk with this award. Pixar and Disney are the unstoppable powerhouse when it comes to Academy Awards. Although, "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" is also a pretty good contender. But when you deal with P & D it's over.

The Majors

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges. His role as an alcoholic country western singer was riveting and seemed to be the role (so far) for him. He should get it done.

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock. It has been 28 years since Meryl Streep has won an Oscar, but she's been nominated 16 times since then. She has become the Susan Luchi of the Academy Awards. And she may stay that way. Winning an acting honor for a comedy film is hard. So I say Sandra. I wish Gabourey Sidibe was in contention but this was a bad year for her. She is though having the best time to be nominated.

Best Adapted/Original Screenplay: (Adapted) An Education. I would love to see Precious win, but I will go with the subtly strong "An Education". (Original) The Hurt Locker. It is a tough race between "The Hurt Locker" and "Inglorious Bastards". Quentin Tarantino would love to have an Oscar but Mark Boal's story touches more to the heart and tug strings of the Academy.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow. It (hopefully) will be a historic night for the Academy and Kathryn Bigelow will take away the first Best Director award for a female. I think she deserves it although James Cameron will give her a run for her money.

Best Picture: Avatar. I may be wrong on this, but I think this mammoth film will win Best Picture. It is a close race with "The Hurt Locker" in the fray. I think "Locker"'s chances have been severely hurt (no pun intended) by their producer who e-mailed Academy members and told them to rate his movie higher than "Avatar" and to rank "Avatar" at the bottom. Campaigning a film during the voting process is already a no-no, but putting down the other is a definite uh-uh. The producer is already banned from the ceremony and his short-sighted dumbness may cost a good film the award.

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We'll see what happens at these ceremonies. I can't wait for Joan Rivers and the Fashion Police on Monday. Until then. J out.

How Did the Girls Do? Who is Out?

It seems I am never destined to see the girls perform. Another outage prevented me from seeing most of the 2 hour show. And to think that had they performed when they were supposed to I would have seen them.

In any case. They weren't that bad from what I saw, but I do agree with who was voted off.

And with that ungentle segway, lets move to the cast-offs.

The Guys: No surprise when they let Jermaine Sellers go. Sad part was that he sounded better when he sang goodbye than the original performance. Oh well. The other sad part is that his campaign to "Rock the Onsie" will never catch on like "Pants on the Ground".

Then we said bye-bye to John Park. He was just the good one with a weak week. He'll at least get some girls when he gets back to Northwestern.

The Girls: Then the girls let em go. Haeley Vaughn and Michelle Delmor sang their swan songs and it was a teary affair for the girls. I was sad to see Haeley go but in a competition like this the young-ins have a hard time.

As for Michelle, if her swan song was a repeat of what she did Wednesday than she deserved to go.
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So now there was 16. After next week we will have out Top 12 and that is where the real competition begins. J out.

No AI Post Tonight

Sorry, too much to do tonight. My critique will come tomorrow. J out.

American Idol: The Top 10 Gir. . .Guys

Well, it was an interesting night on American Idol. The girls, who were scheduled to perform, didn't because of a sick girl who was hospitalized. I hope she's alright. That meant tonight that the Guys performed.

Instead of grading each of them I will give the best and worst of the show. I won't give out individual grades until we reach the Top 12.

The Best: I'd have to give it to both "Big Mike" and Tim Urban. Who would think that Tim Urban would fix up his act!? It was such an improvement from last week, I'm proud of him.

The Worst: Between Todrick Hall and Jermaine Sellers, one or both of them will be leaving Thursday. If neither of them don't I will eat a piece of paper. Todrick can't get that I want to be "the original one" out of him. Once he picked a very familiar song that I didn't recognize until he started to sing. At least I got this one earlier on.

Then there was Jermaine Sellers. I like that he started out slow and got into the upbeat part. But maybe he got into it a little much, again. He didn't go as far off as last week. But for him unfortunately, soul means suck. He just can't do it.
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Once again, I'd be surprised if he or Todrick are back next week, but America is fickle.

Up tomorrow, THE GIRLS. If everything goes as scheduled.

J out.

Jay Leno Returns to "Tonight" in 16 Minutes!

In a matter of minutes Jay Leno will return to "The Tonight Show". After a 9 month unplanned hiatus that ended with a disaster show and big flap that made not only NBC but him looking like jerks, he will come back with guests Jamie Foxx and Lindsey Vonn. As well as Jaywalk All-Stars with the cast of Jersey Shore.

Soon after this premier Kevin Eubanks will be departing to try something new and tour. Whether the band will go with him is yet to be seen. He will be missed and I hope he reconsiders.

Once again, I wouldn't blame Jay Leno for this flap. You know I think he does have some control but not to the extent that he can push someone off the network. Leave him alone.

American Idol: First Week Results

So the results have been tabulated and once again America shows how biased they are.

The Girls: Ashley Rodriguez and Janell Wheeler were the first two of the girls. As I did not see their performances I can not say if it was the right choice. But when you have a mediocre night, someone has to go.

The Guys: Tyler Grady and Joe Munoz were out after tonight. Tyler Grady was not to much of a surprise. He did a middle of the road thing. But to see Joe go. AMERICA! What is wrong with you!?

How in the world did Tim Urban stay on? Joe was possibly the best performance of Guy Night and he was cut!? I guess "Vote for the Worst" may strike again. Good performers with dreams struck out because of some people's "idea" of funny? Yeah, that sounds like Americans. J out.
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And BTW Tyler Grady, don't get mad at the Judges (as I heard), your 70's persona isn't what gets you through the competition. I think that's called a voice.

EN(Extra Note): Cable was out during the entire show (so blown), but according to reports there may have been a moment during the show that makes you love live television. Apperantly, there was a mute in sound and quick camera cut afte Tyler Grady was let go. It isn't clear if that was due to him or Alex Lambet cursing or what.

Mother Nature Menopause

I'm attending Frostburg State University. And today I have seen some of the oddest weather phenomenon. Earlier today the sun was out as flurries tapered on and off. Then the flurries became heavier, yet the sun remained out. 5 minutes before I took this picture the sun was out a bright and visibility was okay. It is crazy here in the 'Burg. J out.

American Idol: The Top 24

The Top 24 began performing on Tuesday with the girls. I couldn't watch it though, but heard they were so so. Now the guys are performing and it started with controversy.

Chris Golightly was selected to be in the Top 24. However, in January he was cut when it was discovered that he had a pre-existing contract (or so he didn't think). Anyway the snafu gave a second chance to Tim Urban. Then it was rumored that Michael "Big Mike" Lynche was to be cut because his father broke the confidentiality agreement by revealing Mike was in the Top 24 before it aired. However, he is to perform Wednesday.

With all the prelim's out of the way. . .I will grade each of the guys on their performance.

Todrick Hall: C+ He did a "Since You've Been Gone" (Clarkson) that was hardly recognizable. Simon said he "murdered it". It was weird and not attractive.

Aaron Kelly: B- He did Rascal Flatts and was alright. It seemed bland to me and forgettable. I used his time to start up my loud microwave.

Jermaine Sellers: C- The 26 year old "diva" went old school with Oleta Adams "Get Here". But halfway through he began screaming the song. He tried to over sing it to make himself look good but it may mean his demise.

Tim Urban: C- The luckiest guy on American Idol, may have run out of luck. Singing One Republic's "Apologize" the music was louder than his voice or he was softer than the music. His voice was weak, which was probably why he was cut in the first place. What if, Chris Golightly, what if?

Joe Munoz: B+ He was the first guy I really liked, doing some Jason Mraz. He's likable and I can seem him making it far.

Tyler Grady: C It was and okay performance of "American Woman". The young/old rocker was a bit shaky at times and seemed lost in his performance. It was middle of the road.

Lee Dwyze: C+ He has great tone. But "Chasing Cars" was to me not the right song. It was still a good performance and Simon loved it? *gasp*.

John Park: B- I love this Asian and his voice. I was surprised by his song choice, "God Bless the Child". And although his voice did well with it, at times I though I was watching some has-been artist singing at a lounge gig. It could've been better, I hope he's back next week.

Michael "Big Mike" Lynche: B He brought "real" energy to the crowd for the first time. It could've been stronger but I liked it.

Alex Lambert: B- Not related to Adam, he was a bag full of nerves singing "Wonderful World" by James Morrison. He looked uncomfortable. It was good sounding yet awkward.

Casey James: B+ Kara's male mistress, had good song choice and good voice. I liked the whole thing.

Andrew Garcia: C+ Doing some Fall Out Boy, his voice was alright, but his song choice didn't live up to what he did in Hollywood Week. It could have been better.

So The Average: C+
Tonight was alright, some eyebrow raising at different points (and sometimes for the wrong reasons). These guys though need to really step it up. Results tomorrow. J out.

What Have I Missed

Well, I missed alot while I was gone, so let me recap.

Tiger Woods - Mr. Woods got into an accident sometime after Thanksgiving and that was when the truth began to unravel. It seems he's had affairs with multiple women. The tabloids went into a frenzy. He stayed secluded until last Friday when he made his first statement. To those who said it was insincere, look at it this way. . .he's not going to give you monsters, the press, more gun powder. He wanted his statement to be clear cut. Soul is nice to add to the mix, but leave him alone while he goes back to sex therapy. Hopefully he'll return before the end of the year.
Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, & NBC - NBC decided to give Jay Leno a show, 5 nights a week, in primetime. It was pioneering, for the first week. After that it became a disaster. He just couldn't pull in another 10 million people from his original Tonight Show base. NBC stuck with it because they knew it would save money. Well that changed in January, when a massive outcry from the affiliates, led to the show's cancellation. However, NBC didn't want to let Jay Leno go. So they made the decision to push Conan's Tonight Show back and give 11:35 to Jay. Conan said no. NBC said take it or leave it. Conan left it, only 7 and 1/2 months in. Jay Leno, as default, will return to Tonight March 1st. Now people say Jay Leno should have said no but I counter by saying if he really loves to do something and someone is allowing him to do it then why not accept. Jay Leno was not the one who said give me a show that's bound to fail, didn't work? Fine I want my old show back. NBC did all of this. . .leave Jay alone.
The Olympics - The Olympics started on a tragic note, but have been running strong. They are definitely bringing back NBC to the ratings forefront even beating out FOX powerhouse "American Idol" at points. Way to go Olympics! Will these ratings stick around when the Olympics end Sunday? We'll see and we'll welcome back the 10pm hour to NBC!
"Who Dat!?" - After 43 years in the NFL, the New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl. I was very happy they beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17. After Coach Caldwell pulled Peyton in the third quarter during Week 14 to "rest him" and not go for a perfect season. I said no. I already didn't like them because I'm a Ravens fan but that just made me say "you've disrespected the game." Congrats Saints!
"American Idol" Returns - American Idol returned in January with a hilarious round of auditions. But they did offer up great talent. Then, Hollywood came with new Judge Ellen DeGeneres. Now we've reached the Top 24 (and of course with a little controversy). See later posts for more info.

That's It and It was alot. J out.

THE HIATUS IS OVER! (. . .and Early Too.)

On September 17, 2009 I made my last post (a video blog post). It was then I made the decision that I could not continue the blog. The focus had to be turned to my studies. Now that I have a hold on them I will try to post on the regular before my scheduled return (which was to be in late May or June). I'M BACK! J out.