American Idol: Final 9 (with your fingers)

Just finished watching all 1 hour, 25 minutes of American Idol. The aspiring light rock/less talk singers all got to choose their own songs. All of their songs were supposed to be Top 40. I obviously missed the point of this requirement. I figured they meant current Top 40. Instead, we were treated to any Top 40 song from the past 30 years. Liz and I decided that "Don't Speak" probably came out when we were juniors in high school, about 5 years ago. There was really no rhyme or reason to the song selection.

I have two abnormal observations this week that are unrelated to anything important on the show.

1) I love seeing the random celebrity shots in the audience each week. This week was especially random. There were two celebrities that I noticed. The camera panned to one of the celebrities very quickly with her family. The second celebrity was sitting behind Randy Jackson the whole episode. Did you see them? Look below for their photos.

2) I have a HUGE American Idol pet peeve. It will influence how I vote every week. I am deeply annoyed when the contestants use their fingers to indicate the phone number you should call. It insults our intelligence. We know what the number is. Seacrest told us, and the number is at the bottom of the screen. This means I will vote for Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert because they did not flash their numbers. Unfortunately, all other contestants were in violation.




Did you guess correctly?

So many good things are on TV...

There are fantastic things on television right now, especially the NCAA tournament. I am very excited to watch some of the games during lunch today. But as I sit here waiting for lunch to arrive, I can't get this song out of my head (and trust me, I don't listen to this "type" of music).

Lost: Changed Viewing Habits

I have been watching Lost since the beginning. My favorite part(s) of each show is the anticipation of what will happen before the "thuds." You know what I mean. At the end of the opening scene and last scene of the show, something that starts with an "S" usually happens - - - shock, suspense, splendor, story. You watch the show so you get the point.

I watch Lost in a different way this season. I blame two members of the 5WSNBN. (For their privacy, I'll call them Lola and Soggy Bottom). On Thursdays, the saddest days of the week because it's 6 days until Wednesday, we all tend to discuss a very basic question: Did you like Lost last night?

Since I tend to blindly enjoy every episode, I am always perplexed by why people don't like an episode. Lola and Soggy Bottom routinely have a definitive (and united) answer. They like episodes where something "happens."

When I watch Lost now, I try to figure out whether viewers, especially Lola and Soggy, are going to be yay or nay on the episode.

My guess is that they only thought last night was so-so.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

American Idol Result Show

There is a God.

Song of the Week - Dedicated to All Those Travelling Outside California

What Do We Do?

After receiving a "you-haven't-updated-your-blog-recently" complaint this morning from a member of the 5WSNBN, I started doing a little soul searching:

I realized that I have encountered a problem. A couple of the shows I like (i.e. love) have ended for the season. Top Chef finished up and The Bachelor is a wrap. I devoted quite a bit of time to each show. Now we really only have a few shows in the rotation: Lost, The Office, 30 Rock, and American Idol. We need a few more shows to keep us going.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Is the lady at 14 seconds Sun from Lost or am I racist?

Big TV Night

Liz and I watched quite a few television shows last night. Most importantly, we watched Lost. I have a big problem though. And her name is Kate. LaFleur has found love. He has amazing salads with Juliet.











I have a message for Kate:









Interesting episode. LaFleur is now tied with Bentham as my favorite male character.

We also watched American Idol. The only reason to watch the show: Simon. Simon is now tied with LaFleur and Bentham as my favorite male character.

We rounded out the night with "Bachelor: After the Final Rose Part II." I really have nothing to say other than Jason's a bastard and he should never text message me or call me again.

ABC ... too smart for all of us

The best part of this dramatic finale etc. (if one can even say there was one best part) is that ABC absolutely dominated America. You thought Jason was going to pick Melissa? Yup, he did. You thought there was no way he could let go of "Mol"? Yup, he couldn't. Many faithful Bachelor and Bachelorette follows watch each season intently until the final episode when we think, "if this jerk doesn't pick whats-her-name, I'm never watching this show again!" Well, ABC wins it all. Viewers may feel duped, but at the same time we all feel like we won. "I knew he was going to end up with Molly!" In honor of the man of the hour, Ty's douchebag Dad, this show is Amazing.

While watching the episode I went through all the standard emotions:
Hope - that he would pick the girl who has half a brain over the one with no brain at all
Concern - that it was starting to look like he would actually pick the one who gets her jokes from those fruit-by-the-foot wrappers
And finally, Defeat - that this guy was going to pick Melissa because Jason is so scared of getting hurt that he is going to pick this girl who has absolutely nothing else going for her (she doesn't even have a verifiable family) because there's no way this girl would leave him...unless he publicly humiliates her on national television, but anyways... It occurred to me early in this finale that Jason is so insecure, indecisive, and lame he would surely pick the safest girl, clingy Melissa, over the more independent, Molly. Deanna seemed to guarantee that outcome when she came grovelling back to her very own dopey and "safe-bet" runner-up Mr. Mesnick. (ouch, but right?) It doesn't take much to look at this guy who has been dumped by Ty's mom and then dumped on national television by Deanna to notice that this guy is going to have some issues. Actually, when Molly was driving through Middle Earth in that late-90's limo I proclaimed, "she dodged a bullet!" Oops, guess not.

ABC knew it all along. They had us so good that they even eliminated some of the gratuitous "Coming Up Next" before every commercial break...because they actually had advertisers to fill those minutes! Not to mention the multiple after the after the after the after the final rose shows - I think it's going to take them through sweeps.

Boom Goes the Dynamite: Bachelor Finale

Host Chris Harrison promised us that this would be "the most dramatic finish in Bachelor history." For once, he may have been telling the truth.

Quick capsule summary of last night's 2 hour finale: It's down to two women, Cheerleader Melissa and Midwestern Molly. Both women profess true love. The witch from last season comes to New Zealand and gets in Jason's head. Jason rejects the independent, more-mature Molly. Jason cries like his dog died. Jason makes the "safe" pick and proposes to the cheerleader.



Now it got interesting. The show became like Lost. We fast forward to 6 weeks after the indecent proposal to Melissa to an empty television studio with an abundance of roses. The question became when are we rather than where are we. Jason came out looking like he had an announcement to make. Is someone dying? Did he get the rejected girl pregnant?


We quickly got our answer. Jason made the wrong choice based on Deanna's advice. Millions of American views agree all at once that Jason is a complete douchebag (Sidenote: I got three separate text messages literally calling him a douchebag).


Jason then quickly turned "After the Final Rose" into Jerry Springer. Melissa angrily took off her ring, called him a bastard, and spoke in the third person. There was even a shot of Melissa walking through the back halls of the studio. Great work ABC!


Molly comes out. She's still not over Jason! Hooray! From 2000 miles away, she gets to date the most indecisive, spineless Bachelor in history.


We hold these truths to be self-evident:
1) Ty looks like a Mogwai.
2) Melissa would be the perfect nanny.
3) New Zealand is rainy (why didn't the rain stop the fires of Mordor?).
4) If Jason says you're "amazing," that's a kiss of death.
5) Molly has really good F YOU eyes.
6) Bachelor background music ringtones would be a big seller.
7) Melissa thinks Melissa got screwed.
8) Melissa's parents must be crazy.
9) Chris Harrison is an emotional rock.
10) Jillian is the next Bachelorette, not Melissa.

Just another song I like...