Posted on August 31st, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Television
The 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards aired last night on the CW. There was a question of whether it would even air this year after CBS bailed on it but, thankfully, the show did go on. This was a big one because it marked the last hurrah for 72 year old “The Guiding Light” which will air its last episode on September 18th. In a very nice gesture, the glorious Betty White introduced a retrospective clip of the show and the entire current cast, several of whom were crying, took the stage. Yep, I had tears streaming down my face too. I was never an avid watcher of GL but I certainly grew up with memories of Charita “Bert” Bauer. Oh, and Kevin Bacon, I remember you too.
On a happier note, my girls Rachael Ray and “General Hospital’s” Julie Berman took home awards and the ladies of “The View” can finally stop whining about never winning because they shared the award for Best Talk Show Host.
It’s now mandatory that there be a big production number to open an award show and I thought host Vanessa Williams and company did a particularly good job with their tribute to the world of daytime. Check it out below:
Posted on August 30th, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
Sandra Bullock is taking a break from her romantic comedies with the sports themed drama, ”The Blind Side”. It’s the life story of the Baltimore Ravens 2009 first round draft pick, Michael Oher. Bullock and Tim McGraw play the wealthy couple who took Oher in when he was a teenager. It looks like an inspiring story – and an interesting departure for Bullock. The film, which also stars Kathy Bates and Quinton Aaron, is set to open on November 20th.
Posted on August 28th, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
Hmmm. I’m not sure how I feel about this movie. The story has kind of been done before but the cast looks pretty amazing. “The Invention of Lying” stars Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill. Plus I spotted Stephanie March in the trailer. I don’t think I’ll be rushing to the theater to watch it (it’s set to open on September 25th) but I might make a point of checking it out when it hits cable.
After judge David Hasselhoff declared that the previous night’s talent was “Hoff the chart” and deserved a “standing hoffation”, we all groaned and got to the first set of results.
Host Nick Cannon called forward The EriAm Sisters and Drew Styvens. The first act of the night moving on to the semifinals was …. Drew Styvens. I actually screamed NO! at my TV. I have nothing against Drew but I could not believe that America had the chance to vote for truly talented kids and didn’t do so. After the girls got a hug from Drew (during which it looked like he told them he was sorry) and gave their parting speech, Nick announced that The EriAm Sisters were also moving on to the semis. Drew said “Why did you do that to them, man?” Judge Piers Morgan added, “You call me the bad guy?” Nick held up the results card and said he just did what it said.
The show followed with a montage of the acts preparing for their performance of the previous night and watching each other on a backstage monitor. My eyes welled up at one point. Barbara Padilla was clearly mortified as she watched Piers use her as a way to criticize Mia Boostrom’s performance. We then saw a crying Barbara hugging a crying Mia as Barbara told her she was so sorry and didn’t know why Piers would do that.
Next up to centerstage were the African High Flyers, Coney Island Chris and Pam Martin’s Top Dogs. Looking at this set of acts, it was easy to anticipate what Nick was going to say – all of them were going home.
The next three called up were Recycled Percussion, Matt & Anthony and Ishaara. Unfortunately, one of the acts I most wanted to go through was the next to be sent home – Matt & Anthony. The next to fall was Ishaara. Recycled Percussion was going to the semis. Here’s hoping they turn down the backing track a bit next time.
Reba McEntire appeared next performing “Consider Me Gone”. It was Reba so, of course, she was great. She’s the type of artist that makes me wish I could enjoy country music.
Nick then called up all four of the remaining contenders: The Lollipop Girls, Mia Boostrom, Barbara Padilla and Erik & Rickie. The next act going home was The Lollipop Girls. Barbara Padilla, thank heavens, was going to the semifinals.
That left Mia Boostrom and Erik & Rickie in the 5th and 6th place spots. Honestly, based on the previous night’s performances, I wouldn’t have put either act into the semis. If I had to choose between them, though, I would have gone with Mia. David went with Erik & Rickie because he thought there were better singers then Mia left in the competition. Sharon Osbourne picked Mia because of how badly she wanted it. Piers was the deciding vote. He said he was more impressed with Mia’s performance after he watched it a second time, but he still opted to put through Erik & Rickie. Mia was very classy as she made her exit speech.
Well, the night didn’t exactly go as I expected but, at least Barbara made it through so I can be happy about that.
Full episodes of AGT are available at NBC’s website here:
After much silliness between the judges and host Nick Cannon (during which David Hasselhoff said “mazel hoff” to the contestants) we launched into what was, by far, the strongest night of the quarter finals.
Ishaara: I really wasn’t all that impressed with this dance group during the auditions. They danced well but their routine was just a warmed over scene from “Slumdog Millionaire”. This time, though, I was surprised by how much I liked their act. I think that after watching all the other dance groups going crazy to make their acts more “Vegasy”, it was nice to see one that stayed true to who they are. They danced well and told a simple, straightforward story. Judge Piers Morgan called it a great way to start the show. Sharon Osbourne said they were truly different from the other dance acts and David called them the best dance act on the show.
Barbara Padilla: This was the performance of the night. I really like this woman. She’s sweet, lovely, inspirational AND has talent and training. A couple of her low notes were a little rough but the rest was so glorious as to easily cancel out any little flaws. I’m not an opera fan but I could listen to an entire CD of this woman’s voice. The judges gave her a standing ovation. Sharon said Barbara took her breath away. David said she was exactly where she was supposed to be. Piers said she raised the bar so high he couldn’t see anyone else beating her that night.
Pam Martin’s Top Dogs: This was a well executed and adorable act. The problem is that I don’t think there’s room for two dog acts in the Top 20 and Tony Hoard & Rory are already in. I like Tony & Rory but Pam has the better and more versatile act. David commented that, even if Pam doesn’t win the show, there’s still a place for her and the dogs in Vegas. Piers said he expected to buzz the act but he couldn’t because the dog made no mistakes. Sharon called Pam “the best”.
African High Flyers: These guys were a lot of fun and had some spectacular stunts. Their only problem was that they ended rather awkwardly. Piers buzzed them because he didn’t think they’d progressed from the audition. That may be true (I don’t know because we barely saw their audition) but they didn’t deserve to be X’d. Sharon also expressed concern that they hadn’t added enough different elements to their act. David said he wasn’t sure what the other two were watching because he loved it.
Mia Boostrom: I like Mia a lot and I really wanted this performance to be great – but it wasn’t. It wasn’t bad, by any means, but it wasn’t strong enough to earn a place in the next round. The soft and quiet beginning was lovely but then Mia stood up from her piano and went all “American Idol” on the song and you could hear that she was pushing it. I’m sure she was coached by the show into doing that. Sharon, on the other hand, heard it completely different and said Mia blew her away. David said they were proud to be a part of her transformation. Piers pretty much saw it the same as I did. He said she was good but not better than the other singers in the Top 20.
Erik & Rickie: These kids are very good dancers, and I was more impressed with this Paso Doble than I was with their audition dance, but I don’t think they’re strong enough to progress any further. David called them inspirational and loved their attitude. Piers praised Erik for having improved from the audition. Sharon said she knew there were millions of people who would adore what they do.
Coney Island Chris: Oh good grief. What a waste of time. All three judges X’d him but, unfortunately, they waited far too long to do so. It was cheesy, dull and not funny. Piers said Chris committed the cardinal crime of not being funny. Sharon said she wasn’t sure how he got this far on the show. Uh, Sharon? Look at your two buddies on the panel. David said he was hoping Chris was going to set himself on fire but, sadly, he didn’t.
Matt & Anthony: These two were one of my favorite acts coming out of the auditions and I still love them. Matt is actually one of the best singers on the show and Anthony is fun to watch. Sharon said there was something about the combination that was missing for her. David said he thought it did work and, while it was a little rough in spots, he thought they did very well. Piers said he X’d them because, while Anthony was a great dancer, Matt wasn’t a good singer. That comment was nothing short of ridiculous.
The Lollipop Girls: This was one of the wildcards. They are a burlesque style striptease act but that description makes them sound much more interesting than they actually are. But, since they were a bunch of attractive women, Piers didn’t X them. David said they were terrific and that Vegas needs an act like theirs. Clearly, he’d lost his mind. Piers said he could watch them for a long time. Sharon seemed to think these women were on par with the Pussycat Dolls. Frankly, all three judges looked like idiots for heaping praise on this dull act after they insulted a good act like Matt & Anthony.
Drew Stevyns: Drew was the second wildcard act and I don’t remember him at all from the auditions. He is as cute as he can be, and has a voice similar to Eli Mattson, but he is definitely not Eli. His voice is more than acceptable for a singer/songwriter but, on this show, you have to be a cover singer and he’s not quite good or unique enough for that. Piers said Drew wasn’t the best singer in the competition but he liked the desire and hunger. Sharon loved the song choice and performance and hoped that people would vote Drew back. David said Drew did a great, emotional, job.
Recycled Percussion: Well, they certainly amped up the flash and visual spectacle but, unfortunately, the backing track was so loud and busy that the actual drumming was overwhelmed. I think they went overboard with it all. Sharon said she didn’t recognize it as the same act and was happy they took the judges’ advice. David was a squirrel – but a happy one. Piers said they were twenty times better than in the audition.
The EriAm Sisters: All three of these girls have good voices and it was a good performance. The only thing I’d suggest is that they tone down the dancing a bit. It interfered with their vocals. David also thought they should focus on the just the singing. Piers compared them to Destiny’s Child and Sharon thought they really delivered.
All in all, it was a pretty good collection of acts. The two I really want to see move on are Barbara Padilla and Matt & Anthony. I think the other three spots should be given to The EriAm Sisters, Ishaara, African High Flyers and/or Pam Martin’s Top Dogs. They only ones I passionately want to see sent home are Coney Island Chris and The Lollipop Girls.
To end on a high note, here’s Barbara Padilla’s number:
This week was all about Ballroom as the contestants had to perform a Viennese Waltz and a Cha Cha. To prepare, they all got some additional coaching from “Dancing with the Stars” alum, Nick Kosovich. The four semi-finalists also got to participate in makeovers in preparation for a photo shoot with Life & Style magazine. They worked with a hairstylist, make-up artist and celebrity stylist Rachel Zalis. They all looked fantastic but the makeover was particularly profound for Alicia (see above photo). Pinky was also moved when she realized the dress they had her in was a size 8. She burst into tears after looking at the tag.
For round one the dance order was random. The bottom two for weight loss was revealed during the second round.
Round One
Shayla & Mario: Shayla declared that this journey has given her a newfound confidence and she’s ready to attack life. In the Cha Cha, Shayla had all her slinkiness going. She also achieved some very striking poses. Judge Mayte Garcia called it a sexy number but added that Shayla could even let go a bit more. She scored it a 9. Lisa Ann Walter clearly loved it and gave it a 10. Danny Teeson said it was “amazing” and also scored it a 10. Average: 9.7.
Alicia & Italo: Alicia has gone from a size 20 to a size 16 but recognizes that she still has a ways to go. She said she’s a new person now and she won’t give up. Alicia was able to reign in her boisterous personality for the Waltz but the dance was a bit on the clunky side. There was no gliding effect at all. Mayte called it beautiful but added that she would have liked more traveling across the floor and gave it a 7. Lisa Ann also gave it a 7 saying there wasn’t enough time in proper dance hold. Danny said the dance was a little clumsy and seemed to lack confidence. He made it 7’s all around. Average: 7.0.
Ruben & Hilary: Ruben seems to be feeling on top of the world. He said, “I finally feel like I’ve totally committed to something in my life and I succeeded at it.” He looked like he was brimming with confidence during the Cha Cha. Mayte noticed a footwork problem but thought the overall performance was great and gave it a 9. Lisa Ann had some problems with the choreography (she said it took too long to get to the actual Cha Cha) but liked the hip action and partnering so she gave it an 8. Danny like the content and loved the hip action so he gave it a 9. Average: 8.7.
Pinky & Mr. Lucky: Pinky said she’s now a better version of herself because she’s confident and believes in herself. Their Waltz was lovely and it was the most elegant and graceful dance that we’ve seen from Pinky. Mayte loved it and gave it a 9. Lisa Ann was thrilled to see someone do a technically correct Waltz and gave it a 10. Danny called it simple and to the point and also gave it a 10. Average: 9.7.
In between the dance rounds was a brief segment about the show going “green”. The contestants were all given reusable grocery bags and their second round costumes were made of fabric recycled from previous costumes.
Round Two
Alicia & Italo: The Cha Cha was a much better fit for Alicia and she attacked it. Mayte told her she really took control of the dance and gave it a 9. Lisa Ann said Alicia was the Cha Cha (sexy and fun) and gave it a 10. Danny called her the comeback queen and also gave it a 10. Average: 9.7. Combined Average: 8.4. On the scale, Alicia lost 3.5 pounds for a total of 1.62%. Total Score = 10.02.
Ruben & Hilary: They did a lovely, and fast, Waltz but the camera work for it was annoying. For some reason the director decided to get all artsy on us and it was very distracting. It must have been great, though, because Mayte finally gave up a 10 saying she loved every aspect of the dance. Lisa Ann appreciated Ruben’s commitment to the technical aspect of Ballroom but wanted to see more of the floor used. She gave it a 9. Danny gave it a 10 saying they looked, at times, like they were gliding on ice. Average: 9.7. Combined Average: 9.2. For the week, Ruben lost 7.1 pounds for a total of 2.79%. Total Score = 11.99.
That left Pinky and Shayla in the bottom two.
Pinky & Mr. Lucky: Little Pinky was sizzling in her Cha Cha. It was choreographed with a lot of fast movement and she kept up effortlessly. Mayte said Pinky had great lines and was looking much more comfortable in her high heels. Lisa Ann said Pinky’s footwork was still a little stompy but her hip action was great and no one else could compare with her upper body movement. Danny said he now thought Pinky could actually win the whole thing. On the scale, Pinky lost 1.9 pounds for a total of 1.17%.
Shayla & Mario: Their Waltz was very elegant but I don’t think it had much content. Mayte thought the dance was beautiful but needed more Viennese Waltz movement. Lisa Ann said they had proper dance hold but she also wanted more actual waltzing. Danny said it was technically a good dance but it left him feeling a bit cold. For the week, Shayla lost 2.1 pounds for a total of 1.19%.
Alicia, Pinky and Shayla lined up for the final results.
Shayla: Mayte – 8, Lisa Ann – 9, Danny – 9. Average: 8.7. Combined Average: 9.2. Total Score = 10.39. She was going to the finals.
Pinky: Mayte – 9, Lisa Ann – 9, Danny – 10. Average: 9.3. Combined Average: 9.5. Total Score = 10.67.
Alicia, who looked like she was going to hyperventilate waiting for Pinky’s scores, was going home. Pinky started bawling so there were a lot of tears on that stage. The judges very sweetly gave Alicia a standing ovation. She was a bit of a mess but, considering how off-the-hook she can get, Alicia handled it all OK.
For the umpteenth time, Ruben took first place. He’s definitely the front runner as we head to the finale.
Next Week: The finale brings all the eliminated contestants back and Pinky suffers an injury to her foot or ankle.
Sneakpeeks and bonus footage are available at Oxygen’s website here:
There are some interesting match-ups for this season – and one poor pro who clearly drew the short straw.
Aaron Carter & Karina Smirnoff: As I said when the cast was announced, I think of Aaron as being a mess so being paired with Karina may be the best thing that could have happened to him. She won’t be having any of it. As Salty says, Karina is the world’s best looking drill sergeant.
Natalie Coughlin & Alec Mazo: Ever since he won season 1 with Kelly Monaco, poor Alec has had a rough go of it. Two seasons in a row he and his supermodel partners were eliminated first and then when he got paired with a good dancer (Toni Braxton) they still got kicked off the show much earlier than they should have. I really hope things turn out better for him this season.
Mark Dacascos & Lacey Schwimmer: This was an unexpected pairing. I was thinking the “rebel” Lacey would get paired with Chuck Liddell or the snowboarder, Louie Vito. Dacascos has a martial arts background so he may do pretty well with Lacey’s flashy choreography.
Tom DeLay & Cheryl Burke: Oh, Cheryl. I’m so, so sorry.
Macy Gray & Jonathan Roberts: Ok, this has the potential to be a very charming match-up. Macy strikes me as being more than a little goofy and Jonathan is the biggest sweetheart on the show. This could be very cute and very fun.
Ashley Hamilton & Edyta Sliwinska: Daddy George was so excited that his son got paired with his former partner that he spilled the beans last week. Edyta has never missed a season of DWTS so she’s way overdue for a victory. Given that Ashley is pretty much an unknown, he’ll need to be the next Gilles Marini to have a fighting chance. I will enjoy seeing dad in the audience, though.
Melissa Joan Hart & Mark Ballas: Hmmmm. This was another surprise for me. I expected Mark to get Kelly Osbourne. Melissa better be ready to go because Mark loves flashy and fast choreography.
Kathy Ireland & Tony Dovolani: I think anyone who has ever watched DWTS could have guessed this pairing.
Michael Irvin & Anna Demidova: Anna was the winner of last season’s pro dancer competition and she’s quite tall. This couple should be a very good physical match.
Joanna Krupa & Derek Hough: In the past week Joanna has gone from being a swimsuit model to being the woman who verbally bitch-slapped Terrell Owens on that “Superstars” show. I never watched “The Superstars” but I have eagerly watched every time one of the entertainment shows has aired the clip of her cussing Owens out. I love it. Joanna, honey, I’m rooting for you now.
Chuck Liddell & Anna Trebunskaya: This one actually made me laugh out loud. The Ultimate Fighting Champ has been paired with the woman I think is the show’s scariest. Now, obviously, I do not know Anna Trebunskaya. She may be the sweetest and loveliest woman in the world – she certainly married a nice guy (Jonathan Roberts) - but on DWTS Anna has never been a warm fuzzy. At best she has seemed stern and icy and, at times, she’s looked downright mean. I think Chuck may have met his match.
Debi Mazar & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Maks paired up with a woman with a lot of attitude? Yep, saw this one coming.
Mya & Dmitry Chaplin: Mya has a dance background so Dmitry should be feeling pretty good about this season.
Kelly Osbourne & Louis van Amstel: I didn’t see this one coming. It should be interesting.
Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson: Oh yeah! This is good news for both Donny and Kym. If she could keep Joey Fatone under control, Kym should do just fine with Donny. The only problem I foresee is audience expectations. Several fan polls have shown Donny to be the early front-runner. He now really needs to come out of the gate strong.
Louie Vito & Chelsie Hightower: Chelsie worked miracles last season with Ty Murray. I’ll be very curious how she does with this young man who is a complete mystery to me.
Posted on August 21st, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Television
I’m so sad.
TNT has announced that season 3 will be the last for “Saving Grace”. The show finished its run of the first 9 episodes of the season last Tuesday and will not be airing any new episodes this winter. Instead, it will return with a final 9 episodes next summer. That’s 3 more than were originally scheduled and the addition was made so the show’s creator, Nancy Miller, could construct a proper finale.
In an odd twist, “Grace” wasn’t cancelled by TNT. They wanted to renew the show but the production company, Fox Television Studios, pulled the plug because they weren’t making enough ancillary income off of DVD sales and foreign distribution. Plus, with 15 episode seasons, there would probably never be enough episodes to successfully syndicate it.
I adore Grace – the show and the woman. Holly Hunter has been nothing short of amazing in the role. In many ways her life is a complete mess but she’s surrounded by people who love her and who she fiercely loves back – none more than her lifelong friend, Rhetta, played by Laura San Giacomo. For my money, Grace and Rhetta have the sweetest and purest friendship on television right now.
I can’t even begin to guess how Miller will opt to end her creation but I have faith that she’ll do it brilliantly.
Oh, and one final thing, Holly Hunter had better win that Emmy this year. The other nominees are great (lord knows I adore my Kyra Sedgwick) but Hunter has been so fearless in this role that she needs to be recognized.
Well, I definitely was surprised by the results of America’s vote. The show started off with one of the big ones:
The first two people called to centerstage by host Nick Cannon were Bri Bernstein and Jeffrey Ou. I thought Bri would be advancing but I underestimated how bad America would feel about Jeffrey’s technical difficulties. I think if his performance had gone smoothly, Jeffrey Ou would have been sent home but the audience wanted to give the kid another chance. For her part, Bri went straight over to Jeffrey and gave him a congratulatory hug. She was gracious – unlike judge Sharon Osbourne who made no effort to hide her displeasure. Look, I understand where she’s coming from. I was sorry to see Bri sent home as well but it wasn’t Jeffrey’s fault. After all he went through during the performance show (a big chunk of which happened because he was following the judges’ lousy advice) he certainly didn’t deserve to be dissed by Sharon. Jeffrey, honey, embrace this opportunity and next time; give the performance you want to give.
Ashley Tisdale was up next singing “It’s Alright, It’s OK”. Ashley looked fantastic and I enjoyed her number. I suppose it’s an indication of the level of cynicism I’ve developed that I kept looking for signs that Ashley was lip syncing. I didn’t see any. If she was live, I suppose my skepticism is actually a compliment. She did sound really good.
Nick then called up Jay Mattioli, Dave Johnson and Lawrence Beaman. This result was absolutely no surprise. If poor Jay and Dave had any hope when they stepped forward, I’m sure that was dashed by all the women screaming when Lawrence was introduced. Actually, both Jay and Dave looked pretty defeated – and they were. Lawrence Beaman is going to the semis.
This was followed by the biggest jaw-dropper of the night: Marcus Terell & The Serenades and Mario & Jenny were called to centerstage. I thought for sure both of these acts would go through. America chose Mario & Jenny and they certainly deserved it. I’m just amazed that it meant Marcus had placed no higher than 7th in the voting. He’s a talented, likeable young man. I can’t help but wonder if some people were just turned off by the dumping of the original Serenades?
Woohoo! It was time for Daughtry. I’m sorry, but Chris Daughtry is just plain HOT. They performed “No Surprise” and it was raw, slightly imperfect, and just how I like a rock performance to be. Sigh.
Next up were G-Force, U4RIA Dance Crew and Hairo Torres. I really had no idea how this one would turn out. Poor Hairo looked scared almost to the point of passing out. The first one sent home was G-Force. I should say, I do like the way Nick handles the eliminations – especially with the kids. He’s upbeat but not cloying. I probably would have picked U4RIA over Hairo but America went with Hairo Torres. I’m fine with that too. He seems like a humble, unassuming young man. I just hope he gets some help with the choreography next time around.
The acts left in the 5th and 6th place spots were Pixie Mystere and FootworKINGz. Of the adult dance groups, I probably would have picked U4RIA over the KINGz but, between them and the Pixies, I definitely would have picked the FootworKINGz. All three of the judges did as well.
I’m still a bit shocked that neither Bri nor Marcus Terell made it to the semis. Maybe we really will have a non-singer win this year?
Full episodes of AGT are available at NBC’s website here:
