Move over Jerry Lewis, there’s a new/cooler telethon in town...

Last night’s American Idol extravaganza was…how do I put this…interesting (in a good way). Before I get into the recap of the show, let’s just get it out of the way that no one went home last night. They tried this ever so clever trick to make you think someone was going home but in the spirit of niceness, they didn’t give anyone the boot. Ryan started off the night with this dramatic “you will be shocked by tonight’s results.” I’m an idiot and got totally sucked into the whole thing and was stressing about Blake going home the whole show. In the end they just announced that no one would go and next week two people would go. Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let’s try to figure out who’s Rolodex they borrowed for last night’s show.

If there was an all around randomist thing ever award, this show would take the cake. From Earth, Wind & Fire to Rob Schnieder, all the randoms were in full effect. Bare with me as I try to remember who the heck they scrapped together…Dr. Phil, Ben Stiller, Annie Lennox, Jack Black, Ellen, Bonno…alright, my brain hurts, you get the picture. The performances weren’t as good as I had expected, but understandably they had to keep it melodramatic (i.e. no Fergie singing My Humps). Earth, Wind & Fire killed it. Kelly Clarkson did really good (no comment on how she looked because I love her). Carrie Underwood’s “performance” was more like an African music video (pre-recorded). Jack Black – amazing. Ellen was pretty funny, but they didn’t show much of her. In between all the randomness, were clips of where the money was going. Some of it was tough to watch but I thought it was really well done. All in all, the whole thing gets an A. I was definitely in an American Idol trance for 2 hours. BTW…I should have had my $5 bet carry over, because they busted out “What a wonderful world.” Maybe I should get $2.50. Same six performers next Tuesday, 2 people going home…

American Idol's election platform...kids

Last night reconfirmed to me why American Idol should run for President. Seriously, the whole “Idol Gives Back” thing is pretty amazing. They’ve got a lot of people on board and are giving a lot of money to kids in Africa and America. Kids were such a smart move for them. How are you going to contest a charity for kids. The “life anthem” performances were a tad boring but the way they are helping people in US and Africa is incredible. WTF...I owe someone $5 because no one sang any of the "life anthem" songs I predicted. Chris sang "If I Could Change the World” by Eric Clapton. I should have seen that one coming a mile away. Here’s the lowdown…

Mini-Justin: I must have been on a different planet last night because the judges thought Chris did really good but I thought it fell flat (and this is coming from a major Mini-JT fan). His voice just doesn’t seem that strong to me and every week I feel like I’m watching the same performance. BTW Chris, was your usual stylist out sick last night because you looked like a mess. Nice white shirt, tie, jacket with weird tie thing on the side and GAP cargos don’t go together. I feel like a total trader but Chris is losing points with me by the second. To top it all off, he’s now dating LC from The Hills. Don’t get me wrong, I love The Hills but LC doesn’t seem to have the greatest history with guys.

Melinda Mom: Of course, Melinda killed it again. The judges loved her. I’ll admit it – I’m a hater. She has a great voice but I cringe when I watch her. She didn’t play the whole “oh, what, I’m good” thing last night which was good. I will give her that she is looking better. Her whole appearance is a lot softer, but still.

Beat Box Blake: Blake is a total star. He has such a strong voice and sang a John Lennon song last night. Maybe Chris’ stylist was helping Blake last night because Blake looked really good with his new little hair cut. The judges weren’t extremely impressed with his performance but agreed that it was a simple song and were glad that he didn’t try to over do it. It was the usual case of an American Idol contestant trying to sing a really famous song by a really famous performer that just shouldn’t be touched.

Lakisha: Lakisha seemed to have the same problem that Blake was having. She sang “I Believe” by Fantasia. Seemed like a dumb choice to me and the judges agreed. Why would you try and out do an American Idol winner. It’s like when the contestants try to sing Kelly Clarkson – just don’t go there. The judges basically said that Fantasia’s version was better and even though Lakisha gave a powerful performance, they couldn’t stop thinking about how good it is when Fantasia sings it.

Phil Baldy: Alright, I admit it. I’m not a huge fan of Phil and I totally checked out during his performance. He sang a Garth Brook song and I vaguely remember it being okay.

Jordin: Jordin brought down the house last night with the final performance. I’m pretty sure American Idol wants her to win. She has such a strong presence. Simon loved her. Enough said.

As always, if you want to listen to last nights contests singing (for free) go to this site (you’ll need to scroll down below the picture of Heather Mills with a crooked smile). Tonight is going to be HUGE! Don't miss it. 2 hours starting at 8pm...

“Your mom’s a freakin’ entertainer”

Yes, Asia’s daughter your mom is now a freakin’ entertainer. So, it turns out the random sketchy girl was right. Asia IS the next Pussycat Doll.

Last night’s finale got down and dirty. Melissa decided to pick a fight with Asia. My hunch is so that Asia would punch her and she would get kicked off. Well, it didn’t exactly turn out that way. Instead they both just screamed really hurtful things at each other for 2 hours at 3:00am in the morning and sounded and looked like sh*& the next day. Then Chelsea tried to cash in on the cat fight and told the dance instructor guy what happened the night before (make her look like the good girl). So, at rehearsals Asia and Melissa went at it again. It was actually really comical. The dance instructor guy is hilarious. He just stood there and after they were done fighting he said, “sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. I dazed out about half way through. I don’t do cat fights, I do choreography.” After all the rumbling, everyone sucked at rehearsals. It appeared to be anyone’s game at this point. They did finally pull it together at the end. The performances were all really good. Chelsea has an amazing voice, Melissa is beyond pretty, and Asia is a star. In the end, Asia pulled through. I’m wondering if they didn’t go with Melissa because she looked a little too much like the head girl Nicole. Melissa would have ended up looking like mini-Nicole. At the end, Asia did a bang up performance with the PCD. I was hoping to find a good clip of their performance, but this was the best I could do. PCD is now moving to the Wishlist. They’ll be back soon though because they are already airing commercials for the next search…

Pull up a seat…you’ve got a long 2 nights ahead

Tonight @ 8pm American Idol. Part I: American Idol Gives Back. Nothing too major tonight. I’m sure they’ll have some celebrity appearances, but tomorrow is the main event. The contestants tonight will be singing “life anthem songs about compassion and hope.” Hmmm…not quite sure what that means. Let’s bet on the “life anthem” songs…I’ve got $5 dollars on the following:

*What a Wonderful World
*Amazing Grace
*Wind Beneath my Wings
*I Believe I Can Fly

Tonight @ 9pm Pussycat Dolls: The Search Finale. This should be good, however I sort of blew it for myself and read a blog about some claiming they know who the winner is. The source is a little sketchy but believable.

Tomorrow @ 8pm American Idol Extravaganza. Part II: American Idol Gives back 2 hour special. Ellen is going to host the show and every celebrity and their arm candy is going to make an appearance. Kelly Clarkson is going to perform. If it’s anything like her Grammy performance, this is going to be a good night. This a must see times 10.

People acting out Reality TV scenes...

The Hills in "It's over."

Laguna Beach in "Jason's a total jerk."

Real World Denver in "Brooke just wants to get her nails done."

Sayonara Sanjaya!

Gasp! OMG! Blake and Lakisha wind up in the bottom three and Sanjaya is finally sent packing.

Well, America finally got it right and voted the worst performer of Tuesday’s show out, Sanjaya. I agree with many that see him as an entertainer first, singer second. If Sanjaya chooses to do so I am betting he could have a lucrative career and cash in on his celebrity status. Yes, celebrity status, his name is practically culture in our country. HA!

I wonder what will become of www.whatifsanjayawins.com?

I was extremely surprised to see that Fergie performed live last night although I think the song she sang was lame. How come no, “First class, livin’ the life…..”? Blah!

Since it’s lunchtime here on the west coast, I’m so over all the talk and hype of why Blake and Lakisha were in the bottom three. We all know by now that on any given week contestant votes can get larger or smaller based on the weeks performances. Maybe Phil only got one more vote than Blake did. Maybe there were other concerns and thoughts on peoples mind? Who know? Regardless Blake is already a star and he can clearly win this competition and if not, so what. Like many other non winners, he will have a career greater than many winners have so far. Um where are Ruben, Fantasia, and ol’ gray hair?

At this point I won’t be surprised to see any of the front runners go. That’s the way AI plays out.

TV Tim

American Idol takes a down hill turn to the country…

Well I have to say country night is always my least favorite. But last night wasn’t as countryish as usual. Everyone sang more modern country songs that almost don’t even sound like your typical country song. There wasn’t any “Achy Breaky Heart” or anything like that. The only major cheeseball song was “Let’s give them something to talk about” co of Sanjaya which is barely even a country song. The whole show seemed a little bit off balance last night...

Phil Baldy: Phil is still hangin in there. The judges liked his performance a lot but he still doesn’t come close to some of the other contestants. Country music seems more like his thing so maybe he might have a future there. If there’s room for Kenny Chesney, there’s probably room for Phil Baldy.

Jordin Who (not anymore): Jordin’s face looked holy crap pretty last night. The shimmer fairy came along and dusted her in gold and sparkly orange. Jordin sang extremely well and is definitely starting to edge her way up the ladder. She has a strong presence and showed it off last night.

Sanjaya Stern: Sanjaya actually kind of has a cool voice. With a few thousand lessons, he might be sort of good. The judges thought he sounded too karaoke. Of course, his hair was in full effect. He wore a red bandana with ringlet curls. His hair seems to get more attention than his voice. Hey, it’s American Idol you gotta pull out all the stops (even if that means selling out to your own hair).

Mini-Justin Timberlake: Uh-oh buddy, you better be careful. Precious little Mini-JT decided to cop in attitude last night and it didn’t set well. The judges said he sang nasally which got him all defensive and cocky. During the scowl he all of the sudden breaks out with, “my thoughts and prayers are with Virginia Tech.” His timing was horrible. He still gets a 9 on the hot scale but this week he gets a 2 on the personality scale.

Melinda Mom: Thank you, Simon!!! So, of course Melinda sings amazing last night. Blah. But after all was said and done Simon told her to give up the act. He said she needs to stop acting all, “Oh what? Who me? I sang good? Oh really? Oh my gosh!” Yes, agreed. It’s beyond annoying. She has an amazing voice but lacking in other areas. Melinda is not the whole package.

Lakisha the Great (barely): What is going on here? The judges just pummeled Lakisha last night. She sang one of Carrie Underwood’s songs and it seemed to be really good. Her voice sounded strong and she really connected. The judges felt differently and told her she wasn’t picking the right songs. Yes, Lakisha probably won’t be the next American Idol. But she does have a great future ahead of her.

Beat Box Blake: Blake wins again. He may just be the next American Idol. He sang a smooth song and sounded amazing. He has yet to disappoint the judges. Blake brings a fresh new style to the competition. He also has a great voice and edges out Mini-JT on the personality front.

Reality TV according to Jill