TV - American Idol Sexy Songs

"Way, way down inside, I'm gonna give you my love, I'm gonna give you every inch of my love" he sang, as he thrust his crotch at a slew of 13-year olds clapping and screaming.

God bless you, Adam Lambert.

In my head there are some serious debates going in the minds of contestants and producers of Idol on where the sexy limits are on song-choice.  If you look out into the live-Idol audience, you're going to see a lot of tweens and a lot of parents.  However, just because these are the people willing to trek out to see live performances (they will also make up most of the American Idol Tour crowd, I imagine) doesn't mean there aren't a whole slew of  18 and uppers at home also highly invested in this competition.   Let's not forget, Ruben won Idol (not Gaiken), and David Cook beat Archuleta.   So although it may be tempting to keep things squeeky clean, I think the contestants who explore some sexual themes on stage actually benefit when it comes to gathering votes and displaying emotional attachment during performances. 

Matt's best performance was "Let's get it on."

And the main reason I am writing this post is to say that Lil would have made it much farther and with more support from the judges and voters if she sang, during movie week, "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp".

Read more!

TV - American Idol 5/5/2009

So, American Idol tonight went almost exactly how I thought it would. Slash was a great mentor, and it was awesome that he made them do their performances full volume while he was playing. Adam and Allison were great, Kris was bad and Danny was god-awful.

Adam's performance was exactly what the judge's said it was. Perfect. Allison was also great, despite what the judges said. Yet another week where Simon basically says that he liked the performance but still managed to spend about five minutes criticizing her. I'm glad she talked back to him, even though I usually don't like it - and in fact, I initially FF'ed past it - because if anyone has ever deserved to talk back to the judges, it's her.

Then, there was the duet. Kris and Danny looked like they were having about as much fun performing as I was having watching - which isn't much at all. Danny also looked like he was medicated and about to fall asleep or something. Followed by Kris doing a weak version of a fantastic song. Kind of a bummer, but not a surprise, really. The judges said it, again. It's not his genre, and he knew it.

And then there was Danny. Danny, Danny, Danny. When they announced what song he was singing, I flipped out. I mean, first of all, I reacted because I knew Danny would butcher a song that I love. But more importantly, ever since Adam showed up on this show, I kept thinking, "Dream On. This kid would SLAY Dream On." And then Danny "Hokey" Gokey sings it instead? It was like some kind of nightmare. It was bad all around. I don't give him any of the props Randy did for trying something daring or whatever. He was punching WAY above his weight with that. It's not daring or brave, it's just plain stupid. Then there was Kara. Oh Kara. She said that he should have sung "early" Aerosmith, like "Crazy" or "Cryin." Those songs were released in the mid-90's. "Dream On" is from '76. What universe is she living in that she thinks Crazy and Cryin are "early" Aerosmith?

Thankfully, the duet between Adam and Allison made the night. I mean, Adam and Allison were great individually, but by the end of the show, Gokey had made me so angry that I had kind of forgotten how awesome they were. And then their duet was so great. Unlike Kris and Danny, it was so clear that they were having a blast up there, and ADORED each other, and that made it so much fun to watch. I'm glad Simon made that final comment about Allison, even though a lot of DVRs probably cut that off. I only got it because I also DVR the following show, "Fringe."

One final pet peeve. The editors did Danny a huge favor by playing the dress rehearsal version of his high note when the phone numbers were flashing by. That shouldn't be allowed. I know they probably do it that way for logistical reasons, but it is totally unfair. He bombed that note in the performance and they played a much better (but still awful) version when the numbers flashed. I hope the 50 year old Michael McDonald fans who have been voting for him stop after tonight. Read more!

New Blogger and Why Fox Sucks - A Lot

So, since Jenna has like a baby and a life and a house and a job, and I have a whole summer ahead of me of studying for the bar exam, we thought it would make sense for me to co-blog with her, since I generally have a lot to say about TV, Books and Film, and my husband gets tired of listening to me complain or rave about the same things over and over again. So, now you get to read about my raving and complaining about the same things over and over again. Today's topic: Why Fox Sucks - A Lot.

I'm a big Joss Whedon fan; Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, all of it. So, naturally, when I heard that he was developing a new show - Dollhouse - I was incredibly excited. Then I heard that it would be airing on Fox. Really? Joss, did you learn nothing from the Firefly Debacle.* But my hopes were high anyway. After all, if Joss was willing to work with Fox again, then he must be confident that they wouldn't give him the shaft like they did before.

Then I find out that the show is going to air in the no man's land of televisions - aka Friday nights. That's essentially a death sentence, especially on FOX. But I tuned in anyway, sure that even if it was going to be yet another Whedon series cut short by the short view executives at Fox, I would at least get one season out of it. But the first few episodes weren't that great. They were all stand-alones with very little insight into the big picture of the show, and they just weren't very Joss. I am not usually on top of the buzz around shows, but recently, when I've been rabidly trying to find out if Dollhouse is getting cancelled or not, I've been reading some stuff online. Apparently, the reason those first few episodes weren't so great (and probably lost a lot of the Buffy/Angel/Firefly fans who might have tuned in at the beginning) was because Fox was forcing an episodic version of the show. No wonder it was a mess.

Sidenote: Why did they put it on Fridays when they had an obvious lead-in show in Bones? Come on, you've got a Joss-alum starring in a Fox show already, why not use that to get Joss fans on board with both shows? They tried that with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but Summer Glau isn't as big of a draw as David Boreanaz. They should let me do their programming for them.

But since about the fifth episode or so, each episode has been better than the last. Last week's episode, the penultimate episode of the season, was the best yet, by far. And yet, thanks to the complete lack of support from Fox, it's still very likely that it won't be back for a second season. The worst part about all of this is that Fox won't just be cancelling this one show that I love. Most likely, it will be pushing Joss out of the television medium altogether. He's already on the brink, so cancelling the show would probably be the end. That would mean that my favorite creative genius would no longer be working in my favorite medium, so I would not be very happy about that.

So, that's it. That's why Fox sucks. Now, I have to go watch my DVR'ed American Idol.

*For the uninitiated, Firefly was cancelled by Fox before the season was even over. They didn't even air all of the shows that were produced. Luckily, Joss's rabid fanbase mobilized and the movie Serenity got made to give some kind of resolution to viewers (and to just generally be awesome), but Fox still made a major error in not giving that show the time it needed to grow an audience. You'd think they would have learned something from that. Read more!

Film: I Love You, Man

My husband and I went on our first date to the movies in 6 months to go see "I Love You, Man" and it was definitely worth the time away from our baby.   I was incredibly nervous that I was setting my expectations too high.  I've been watching the trailers for this movie as soon as they were released online and hyping up our first date for MONTHS.  I'm glad to say I was definitely not disappointed! 

Some critics say that this is traditional frat-boy fare.  There's a bit of that... fart and masturbation jokes.  But there's so much more to this movie that is refreshingly new.  The main premise, for one, seems fresh and real: there are definite difficulties in making new friends once you get out of school and especially if you don't have any real possible candidates at work. Plus, what's not to like about a father-son best-friend relationship, a super-macho gay brother, and a protagonist who loves going down on his fiance.  

  

And the quirky ramblings of Rudd's character are absolutely addictive: I challenge you to avoid repeating "slappa da bass" or "totes mcgoats" !!

Read more!

FIlm: Yes Man

Trapped under my napping son, I reached for the remote and rented "Yes Man" starring Jim Carrey from On Demand.  

This movie was good-enough to be perfectly happy being stuck on the couch.  Although I believe I only had one LOL moment, I can say that I spent a significant amount of time smiling.  For one, Rhys Darby from Flight of the Conchords plays a significant supporting role, and he is, naturally, endearing and funny.  

Also - Zooey sings! (I love her "She and Him" album.) And she sings songs with kooky lyrics.   : ) 

One weird thing: the uber obvious product placement, especially during the first half of the film.  After you realize it's happening, it's hard to notice anything else. 

Read more!

TV: American Idol 3/25, 3/26, 3/31, 4/1

We have a lot of catching up to do re: American Idol.  

Let's begin with Motown Week.  Adam continues to be amazing.  I watched his version of "Tracks of my Tears" two times on YouTube, which is my version of incredibly high-praise.  Danny and Lil continue to be completely lame and might I add PITCHY, but receive only mild criticisms.  I just want to shake the judges by their shoulders until they realize that COOL PEOPLE DON'T LIKE GOKEY or LIL, and you want to be COOL, right?!  Stop insisting on being lame.  Kris, Matt, and Anoop all had nice performances, as well as Allison.  Scott, Michael, and Megan?  Bad times.  

I think the surefire sign that Michael was going home was when Smokey critiqued him in the mentor segment.  Smokey only critiqued one person, giving all the other contestants incredible (if not always deserved) praise.   And Michael did go home, so yay.   Matt was in the bottom three, and that was a Boo. 

Then we had the totally bizarre "popular downloads" week.  (I liked that there was no description for what made a song a "popular download."   Classifications make for clarification, people! )  This show was a hot-mess.  Anoop struggled with looking comfortable and confident.  Matt was true to himself and sang rock, but the judges have determined that he can only sing R&B.  How frustrating for him, but I agree that he sounds better on more soulful numbers.   Megan hula-d her reggae tune, and it was ridiculous.  Danny and Lil were... guess what? Lame and pitchy!  Scott was incredibly true to himself, singing his beloved Billy Joel, and it did nothing for me.  Kris was great behind the keys and I hope he is in the final three.  Allison dished out a new, worrisome look, and stumbled a bit on the words of a song perfect for her voice.   Adam went insane and chose, out of all the songs ever deemed "popular," "Play that Funky Music White Boy"... inexplicably!  He sang well and was entertaining, but what the heck?

During the results show, Danny continued to be an ass.  Whereas Allison and Anoop were endearing with their impressions, Danny came off as mean, comparing Matt to a goat.  God I hate that guy! 

Allison, Megan, and Anoop are in the bottom three.  I think it's very sad that Allison may very well go home before Scott or Matt or Anoop.  Anyway, this was Megan's time to go home.  The judges, I think, did the right thing by telling her upfront that they were not going to consider her for the elimination.  I think that should be part of the whole results show process: the judges discover who is the lowest-vote-getter, determine if they are even going to consider them for the save, let the contestant know, and then the contender either sings for his/her life, or sings a swan a song.  

Next week is songs from the year you were born: meaning a lot of '80s!

Read more!

TV: Big Love Finale

It's been a long time since I've had a chance to post, so we have some catching up to do... 

Let's start with the finale of Big Love. What an incredible year! This show's first two seasons played to our outsider interest in a polygamous household's bedroom politics and those kooky kooks from the compound.  Season three first looked like it was going to continue this theme by adding a fourth wife, further exploring issues of marital jealousy and household issues.  Abruptly, this storyline ended and I really had no idea what to expect from the rest of the year.

Concentrating way less on earthly issues such as wife-feuds and business proposals, the show turned it's focus to the heavens and started tackling the concept of religion head-on.  Bill thought he had lost his connection to God, for how could the heavenly father have let his family grow so distant? A letter declaring that polygamy was supposed to be recognized by the Mormon Church brought Bill hope, but it turned out to be a fake.  Barb was heartbreakingly ex-communicated.  In the finale, Bill took a cue from no one other than Roman and decided that it was time for him to "take authority from God" all on his own.  So Bill brings his family together and starts a new Henrickson Church!  Looking forward to seeing how strong the Church becomes in Season Four. 

But for me, Season Three was really all about Nicki.  The year, Nicki got a flavor for the outside world and she liked it: she used birth control, got a job, went on dates, and kissed a crush.   She lost faith in her mother and father, and distanced herself from her husband and sister-wives.  In a big reveal, we learned that she has a more dramatic backstory than we previously knew.  She was married at a very young age to Wanda's brother and has a teenage daughter she abandoned.  At the end of the episode she admitted to Barb that she hated herself... will she be able to find peace now that she has embraced her lost daughter?  I think this will depend on whether Bill and the rest of the Hendrickson's welcome her back into the fold, or lose her to the compound.  

But seriously, it would be an unforgivable crime if Chloe Sevigny doesn't at least get nominated for an Emmy. 

And as for the big major death? Well, we all saw that coming... 

Read more!