Celebrities do double duty as Newspaper Columnists

Interesting... it's nice to see celebrities step into a new role to discuss their thoughts on issues of the world. I've included the intro paragraphs of their articles.

Justice for Darfur
By Angelina Jolie
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
The Washington Post

Here, at this refugee camp on the border of Sudan, nothing separates us from Darfur but a small stretch of desert and a line on a map. All the same, it's a line I can't cross. As a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, I have traveled into Darfur before, and I had hoped to return. But the UNHCR has told me that this camp, Oure Cassoni, is as close as I can get.

Brand Loyalty
By Mary-Kate Olsen
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The New York Times

I have a large, red quilted Chanel bag that I borrowed from my sister Ashley. I wore it to an event and never gave it back. Luckily, she's moved on to another bag, so I'm safe for now. I'm not quite sure how many bags I have, but let's just say I have a few. When I find a bag I like, I tend to wear it to death until I become obsessed with another one. This probably happens three to five times a year. But I always come back to the Chanel. The size isn't overwhelming, and it has enough subtle detail to keep it interesting.

Well, I don't think I even need to add any commentary to this one. :)

Something to brighten your day...

Another fun find from Entertainment Weekly...

Check out these teaser clips for the upcoming animated film, Bee Movie, featuring the voice of Jerry Seinfeld. Seeing Jerry in a full-size bee costume is hilarious!!! (Especially when he's singing, "Buzz, buzz, buzz.... buzz, buzz, buzz... I know what I'll do, I'll pollinate these flowers!")





Movie is supposed to open this November. Here's the official movie site.

An Izzie-less Grey's Anatomy?

Uh oh... things aren't looking good over at Seattle Grace. People Magazine is reporting that "Katherine Heigl has dropped out of contract talks with Grey's Anatomy over salary".

So what does that mean? Does that mean she is out for good? Sure, I know I've been ragging on Izzie lately, but that doesn't mean I want to say good-bye to her. I mean, that scene with her and Denny at the end of last week's episode was amazing!

Thoughts?

Update:

OK, all is good in the GA world. Kristin Vietch from E! Online got the scoop. Miss Izzie is actually tied to a six year contract so she's not going anywhere. The studio actually bumped up her salary, but supposedly she's still not getting the same loot as the likes of Sandra Oh and Isaiah Washington.

Red Carpet Report: The Oscars

The red carpet at the Oscars was anything but boring this year. Here are some that I liked and some... well, not so much.

Highlights



Reese Witherspoon

As usual, Reese looked beautiful from head to toe.










Nicole Kidman

I was a little distracted by the super poofy bow, but other than that, I thought this was a great look for her. I liked the long sleek hairstyle as well.






Cameron Diaz

I wasn't sure about the origami-like dress at first, but I really like this whole look now. I definitely liked her from the neck up with the lighter, warmer hair color compared to her look at the Golden Globes.






Other Bold Looks on the Red Carpet



And I thought Naomi Watts looked like she was sportin' a baby bulge!



Not lovin...


(And uh oh... I guess Beyonce is still diggin' her armpit pose!)

Random Thoughts on the Oscars

Some random thoughts on the show... I slept through parts of it, though (heehee), but I have it taped so maybe I'll check out what I missed later.

• Loved the musical number by Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and John C. Reilly - yes, Helen Mirren is hot :)
  




• Jack Nicholson shaved his head?
• I can't believe Alan Arkin won Best Supporting Actor Oscar over Eddie Murphy! It started to make me worry for Jennifer Hudson, but no worries, she won her award (yay!)
• The costume part was cool - but it was creepy that they managed to find so many models/pseudo-mannequins that looked like the actors in the films
• Nicole Kidman looks about seven feet tall
• The silhouette bits were sorta cool but the Snakes on a Plane bit... I swear, I'm not a perv, but it was kind of phallic, dontcha think?
• Loved Ellen's bits with her interacting with the audience - ex. passing a screenplay to Martin Scorcese, asking Steven Spielberg to take pictures of her and Clint Eastwood for her myspace page - HILARIOUS!




• Was that Rashida Jones (aka Karen from The Office) sitting with her dad (Quincy Jones) up in the balcony?
• Jennifer Hudson during the Dreamgirls medley... va-va-voom! (but man, I was worried she was going to pop out!) And didn't it seem like Beyonce was ready to kill herself to sing to Jennifer Hudson's levels? And Anika Noni Rose looked gorgeous in this number (better than her red carpet outfit in my opinion). And nice to see Keith Robinson as well... amazing performance by the cast but it still didn't get them the Oscar (which went to Melissa Etheridge)
  

• It looked like Ken Watanabe wanted to take Catherine Deneuve for a spin on the dancefloor
• Cute bit with the directors (Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg) at the end - and yay! Martin Scorcese finally wins!

Winner highlights (complete list here):

Best Actress: Helen Mirren
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin
Best Director: Martin Scorcese
Best Picture: The Departed

The Office Parody on SNL

Rainn Wilson, aka Dwight Schrute, hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend. I missed the show, but caught his opening monologue online - it is hilarious! They did their own version of The Office and they captured the mannerisms of the actors and the directing style perfectly!

Check it out!

Oscars Update: Presenters and Performers

Don't forget the Oscars are on Sunday night at 8PM EST, 5PM PST.

Here is a list of the presenters:

• Ben Affleck
• Gael Garcia Bernal
• Jessica Biel
• Jack Black
• Cate Blanchett
• Emily Blunt
• Abigail Breslin
• Steve Carell
• George Clooney
• Daniel Craig
• Tom Cruise
• Penélope Cruz
• Catherine Deneuve
• Cameron Diaz
• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Robert Downey, Jr.
• Kirsten Dunst
• Will Ferrell
• Jodie Foster
• Al Gore
• Eva Green
• Maggie Gyllenhaal
• Tom Hanks
• Anne Hathaway
• Philip Seymour Hoffman
• Hugh Jackman
• Diane Keaton
• Nicole Kidman
• Greg Kinnear
• Queen Latifah
• Jennifer Lopez
• Tobey Maguire
• James McAvoy
• Helen Mirren
• Jack Nicholson
• Clive Owen
• Gwyneth Paltrow
• Jerry Seinfeld
• Jaden Christopher Syre Smith
• Meryl Streep
• John Travolta
• Ken Watanabe
• Naomi Watts
• Rachel Weisz
• Kate Winslet
• Reese Witherspoon
  

And here is a list of the performers:

• Beyoncé will perform "Listen" (Dreamgirls)
• Jennifer Hudson will sing "Love You I Do" (Dreamgirls)
• Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson and other cast mates will perform "Patience" (Dreamgirls)
• Melissa Etheridge will perform "I Need to Wake Up" (An Inconvenient Truth)
• Randy Newman will perform "Our Town" (Cars)

My Take: Grey's Anatomy - A Miracle Indeed

I suppose I should just plan to have a box of tissues with me when I sit down to watch this show *sniff, sniff*. So yep, this was an excellent conclusion to the three part ferry disaster arc.

At the end of the last episode, Meredith had died and was now hanging out with Denny and Dylan in her afterlife. But this time, more friends had joined her... first, her old dog, Doc, as well as impaled-with-a-pole/train wreck victim, Bonnie (aka Abby from Dawson's Creek or the little sister from While You Were Sleeping - one of the cutest chick flicks ever!), and her mother's old scrub nurse (aka Thelma from Amen). It was their job to convince Meredith to fight for her life. But I didn't understand the significance of Bonnie bleeding repeatedly... I wasn't sure if this was going to happen to all of them so I was a bit nervous at first that bomb squad cutie Dylan was going to explode again - thank goodness he didn't.

I really loved all the scenes with Denny. He's a cutie, huh? It was nice to see him look all healthy and walking around since previously he was always ill-looking and bed-ridden. Izzie's got some good taste.

Speaking of Izzie... UGH! She continued to annoy this week. She is so ridiculous in her treatment of Callie. She acts like the little girls in grade school/high school that get all possessive of their friends and won't allow anyone else into their precious circle. What is that old Girl Scout adage? Oh yeah - it's "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold." OK, sorry, I digress. She's so jealous that someone stole her little best friend away... but seriously, how can she expect George to be her friend if she's always being cruel to his wife?

And it was so hypocritical when she mocked Callie referring to George as her husband... Izzie always refered to Denny as her fiance and they were engaged for what - a whole day or something?

Funny that Christina coped with Meredith's condition by going to the 99 cents store and drinking her sorrows away. Her scenes with Meredith were so touching - nice to see how the show explores the beauty of friendships. Side note - interesting how they used this episode to reveal how her dad died - bleeding to death after a car accident in front of a 9-yr-old Christina. We knew he had died, but we didn't know how he had died before this, right?

Now let's talk about the death that did occur, since we all knew it wouldn't be Mere. Poor Ellis Gray... it was harsh what Derek said to her, but she had to hear it. Later, when Meredith discovered her mom in her afterlife... oh boy, you knew the tears were going to come. With Denny's encouragement, Meredith goes to her mom and finally receives what was long overdue - Ellis embracing her and telling her that she is anything *but* ordinary.



Then at the end, when Denny briefly "touches" Izzie - cue the waterworks again!



Despite all the tears, there were some funny moments. Addison decides to give McSteamy another chance if he does not sleep with anyone for 60 days. He agrees, provided Addison promises the same. Addison laughs that off, asking who would she be having sex with? Cut to shot of Alex. HILARIOUS!



Man, I love this show. I guess that's my only concern with this Addison spin-off. Will Shonda Rhimes be able to keep up with the quality of Grey's if she is also kicking off a new series? I know, I'm selfish, heehee.

Also, if you're curious like me, here is what actress Elizabeth Reaser, who plays "Jane Doe", normally looks like. I wonder how long she spends in the make-up chair!



Finally, did you know they recently launched a Grey's Anatomy magazine??? It just launched on February 20th. This is for the die hard fans - for $40, you get six issues.

Britney Spears - The Good Ole Days

It's so sad what's become of her... hope her latest stint in rehab works out. We don't need another Anna Nicole tragedy.

Let's take a look at the cute, fun, dancey Brit from the happy days - it's definitely better than the bald version attacking a paparazzi's car with an umbrella.

My Take: The Office - What is the matter with Jan?

Oh, Jan... what's become of you? First, you made a "That's what she said" comment, and then you try to get your groove on with Michael in the bathroom at your boss's cocktail party? Oy. I mean, it's pretty bad when he's the voice of reason insisting that was pretty inappropriate behavior, right? By the way, how funny was the little role reversal scene on the drive home when Michael was all whiny and Jan had to comfort him. Especially with Dwight being in the back seat and all...

Speaking of Dwight - oh man, can you imagine knowing someone like him??? I'll admit, I loved all the shots where he could be found in the background thoroughly inspecting the quality of the house. But the scene where he was watching the son sleep in his bedroom was kinda creepy. Sorry, Dwight!

Meanwhile, Pam and the gang were doing happy hour with Roy and his brother. Cute that Toby still has a crush on Pam - but what happened to his hot date from Phyllis' wedding? Anyway, I'm so glad that Pam finally is over the Roy thing - but that was pretty scary when Roy exploded. Now I know why "Kevin" wrote in his myspace blog, "...during the last 5 minutes of footage, I was much more scared than I ever was of that bat from last week. And the bat was scary."

And with Pam and Roy on the outs, I was getting excited when it seemed Karen had too much history with the men of Dunder Mifflin. Man, she even had me punked along with Jim. Oh well, hopefully Jim will come to his senses soon.

But I guess not soon enough, because "Kevin" also wrote that this is the last of the new episodes for awhile - we're supposed to have repeats through March. :( But it will be interesting to see what happens when it returns. Will Andy be back from anger management? Will Pam and her more assertive self finally confess her true feelings to Jim? Speaking of Jim, is Roy going to beat the crap out of him???

Also, for the second week in a row, they had a big name director - this time JJ Abrams, whom I will always love for bringing us Felicity. :)

My Take: American Idol - First Four Eliminated

So after four hours of performances, we finally get to the results show. The show opened with all 24 kids singing Sowing the Seeds of Love (Tears for Fears? I think I had that cassette single.) It was OK, the boys were good, I thought the girl parts sounded kind of lame (as in the echo-ing lyrics they had to sing). I couldn't tell if all the girls got a solo but it seemed like all the boys did. But the end was horrible with all of them raising their arms at the end - reminded me of my high school choir concerts.

Ryan announced some of the stars to join the show this season and it looks pretty good. They include: Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, Bon Jovi, Barry Gibb, country singer Martina McBride, Scottish singer Lulu and Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits. Do you think J-Lo, Gwen, and Jon Bon Jovi will act as mentors or just perform? I would love to see them interact with the kids - I think it would be cool to see that from an artist that is actually popular today (no offense to the likes of Barry Manilow). J-Lo is already in the mentoring-like role with the kids from Dancelife, maybe she could extend that here???

Now is this show supposed to be live? I'm thinking no and that parts of it were edited. Specifically, when Ryan asked Quincy Jones about Fantasia's new role in the Broadway version of The Color People. It seemed like Ryan abruptly cut him off for Fantasia's performance which would have been really rude (but not surprising for Ryan - hee) but I'm wondering if they just did a bad job of editing the Quincy Jones comments.

On to the cuts - first to go was Paul Kim - I am convinced this was primarily due to his insistence on performing barefoot and the comment about wearing the same undies on cut days. I was rooting for him until I heard that. I hope this is a lesson to everyone - most people don't want to see or hear about your bare feet. (Especially when Ryan comments that you could really use a pedicure.)

Then it was Alison Krebs which I think was a surprise to no one. The other girl to go was Nicole Tranquillo, who just tried too hard with her song. I realized it was Ryan Starr from Season 1 that she reminded me of, but even more over the top.

Finally, the last boy to go was Rudy Cardenas. And interesting that Sanjaya was revealed to be in the top 4 for the boys (I bet the other three are Blake Lewis, Chris Sligh, and Chris Richardson - although people really dug Phil Stacey, too). I think he's a sure bet for the top 12 because they've shown him so much and he appears to be a nice, sweet kid. You know, the sympathy vote that gave us Jim Verraros and Kevin Covais.

Random note - I feel really bad for Antonella Barba. I mean, the pictures (I'm not linking them, but they won't be hard to find anyway) of her floating around the internet are so horrible and they are being submitted by people she knows - freely, it seems, they're not even asking for any money for them (not that being money grubbing would make it excusable but still). She must hang out with the worst set of people - we already saw how horrible her friend Amanda is.

And did you notice that they chose a new good-bye song to replace "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter? It's now "Home" by Chris Daughtry from last season. I like it - and it should bode well for Chris because "Bad Day" was the #1 downloaded single from iTunes last year (I remember hearing that statistic on the radio). Forget Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee, Chris Daughtry is the true success story from last season - I always hear his songs on the radio and on TV (didn't 24 or Prison Break use one of his songs in commercials or something?) and he just has a really cool, unique voice. I personally have already downloaded two of his songs from iTunes. I wonder when Elliot Yamin's album will come out?

Finally, I thought I would mention the updated Power List from Entertainment Weekly - a lot of movement this week.

Top 5
1. Melinda Dolittle (up from #3)
2. LaKisha Jones (same)
3. Sabrina Sloan (HUGE jump from #17)
4. Blake Lewis (up from #11)
5. Stephanie Edwards (up from #13)

Former #1 Chris Sligh dropped to #6. Special mention to AJ Tabaldo who entered the list at #8 from not even being included in the Top 20 power list previously (i.e. bottom 4).

My Take: American Idol - Top 12 Girls Perform

Well this show was just ridiculous! I can't believe I thought this was the year of the boys. Clearly, I was wrong. I didn't realize it at the time, but last night it was almost like I was trying to figure out something nice to say about the boys' performances. And then tonight - WOW. It was like we were watching a different show or something. Now you know exactly what the judges mean when they compare the guys to bad karaoke / theme park performers... because that's exactly how they sound compared to the awesome-ness (sure, let's make that a word) of singers like Melinda Dolittle and Lakisha Johnson. I can't believe we are so lucky to have singers like them on this show - I mean, how are they not already signed yet???

The biggest difference - we've got real solid singers here, or "belters" as Simon would say. None of the guys' voices were all that great - pretty much all of them sounded a bit off at one point or another. Not so with the ladies who sounded like true professionals and came ready to play (and win!). And another thing - these girls have personality! Ones to watch here are Stephanie Edwards, Jordin Sparks (although she had a little too many hand gestures for me - sort of distracting), Melinda Dolittle, Gina Glocksen (did Randy call her a "big girl"?), and Lakisha Jones.

I actually wasn't sold on Sabrina Sloan... she definitely had spunk, but I don't know - I wasn't crazy about it. Maybe because I didn't know the song or couldn't figure out the melody (it almost sounded like a singing poetry reading, if that makes sense)... it was definitely a unique performance, I just wouldn't pick her to be my American Idol.

The ho-hum singers that chose to do ballads (apparently never be a good strategy - at least at this stage in the competition) : Amy Krebs, Antonella Barba (unfortunate that she came out with her ballad immediately after Sabrina said ballads never work on Idol), and Haley Scarnato. And even though she didn't sing a ballad, I'll add Alaina Alexander to this group because it wasn't anything special. I think the bottom two girls will come out of this group.

Other random comments: I was curious to see Leslie Hunt perform since she managed to score the #5 spot on EW's Power List with very little exposure, but I was sort of disappointed. I liked how she sort of put a different spin on the "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman" tune, but it paled in comparison to the Kelly Clarkson version. Plus, she sort of looked drunk to me - or at least moved like it, which I guess was why Simon said she looked like she was dog walking when she was on stage.

And Nicole Tranquillo - well I can appreciate that she wanted to do something memorable and not another boring ballad, but um... well to be honest, that was just weird. It just didn't seem right. I have to agree with Simon calling it "unnatural" and "fake".

So in summary, the girls rock and the boys - well, not so much. I would be shocked if a boy won this year. And yes, Lakisha Jones is definitely in a different league, but I'm not so sure that she has it locked yet. I actually would pick Melinda over her because she's just so adorable, plus Lakisha might be a little too Broadway for me.

Well, it's going to be very entertaining to watch, that's for sure! Who were your favorites? Who do you think will leave?

More Reasons to Join the "I Hate Spencer Pratt" Club

Details Magazine recently published an article that made Brody Jenner look like... well, a schmuck. I guess I'm not too surprised because I was already suspicious of him from what I've seen on The Hills.

Even though the article was intended to profile Brody, all it did was highlight the sleaziness of his pal, and The Hills co-star, Spencer Pratt, who I completely loathe.

Check out some of the excerpts from the article about the King of All Tools:

Advising Brody on who to date: "All right, then here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna start dating Nicole Richie. And you’re gonna get that skinny bitch to eat, all right? You are about to become The Guy Who Got Nicole Richie to Eat. Process that shit, bro. You’ll be, like, a fucking hero to America."

"What does it take to be famous nowadays? Nothing! Look at Nicole. She’s on the cover of every magazine every week. And why? Because she doesn’t eat. Well, lots of girls in this country don’t eat. That’s, like, my whole philosophy with Brody—make him part of that. Like at first, when he started showing up in Us Weekly, people were all, ‘Who the hell is that?’ Now they’re starting to be like, ‘Hey, do you know who that is?’"

"Basically, I made it, like, my mission to try to go on a date with every girl on The Hills," says the guy who will proudly tell you he made $50,000 in high school by selling a photo he took of Mary-Kate Olsen drinking at a party.

After running into Kevin Connolly from Entourage at a club: "That guy is a joke," Pratt says with scorn. "We were Entourage before Entourage." He’s not joking. To Pratt, the notion that someone would become famous by acting is ridiculous. "Why would anyone act," he asks, "when they can just play themselves?"

And at the end of the interview: Pratt spends 20 minutes talking about how he plans to make a tape of himself and Heidi Montag having sex, which he’s thinking about posting online.

I mean seriously, how gross can this guy be?

Complete article can be found here:
MASTER OF HIS OWN CELEBRITY
Brody Jenner knows just who to screw to sit pretty on the B-list. Plus: A look at the Prince of Malibu’s tabloid-worthy ladies.

Dancing with the Stars: Season 4 Cast Announced!

The new cast for season 4 of Dancing with the Stars has been announced:

Boxer Laila Ali
Partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Actor and former country star Billy Ray Cyrus
Partnered with Karina Smirnoff

Former basketball star Clyde Drexler
Partnered with Elena Grinenko

Former 'N Sync member Joey Fatone
Partnered with Kym Johnson

Miss USA 2004 Shandi Finnessey
Partnered with Brian Fortuna (new)

Former "Entertainment Tonight" host Leeza Gibbons
Partnered with Tony Dovolani

Paul McCartney's ex (and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador amonst other things), Heather Mills
Partnered with Jonathan Roberts

Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno
Partnered with Julianne Hough (new)

Actor Vincent Pastore
Partnered with Edyta Sliwinska

Model Paulina Porizkova
Partnered with Alec Mazo

Former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star Ian Ziering
Partnered with Cheryl Burke

Glad to see Cheryl is back! And I heard the rumors of Heather Mills joining, but I just didn't think they would be true!

Who do you think stands the best chance of taking home the disco ball trophy?

Show premieres on Monday, March 19th.

My Take: American Idol - Top 12 Boys Perform

Rudy Cardenas: Good upbeat performance to kick off the show. Funny, I don't remember him having this much personality in the audition rounds. Cheesy, but he definitely has stage presence and I think his voice is pretty solid, too. (On a side, I disagreed with Simon and Randy and I actually thought he does have a distinctive voice. This became more obvious as I listened to the rest of the singers tonight.)

Brandon Rogers: Good, but not very original.

Sundance Head: Weird song choice with the Moody Blues tune. I'm pretty sure he'll be back so hopefully he takes the judges' suggestion and picks something more bluesy.

Paul Kim: Careless Whisper? Really??? I guess he kept to his barefoot oath (ick) but at least that led to a funny bit when Ryan joined him onstage barefoot as well. Randy considers him one of the strongest singers this season? That does not bode well for this group.

Chris Richardson: Wow - his dad is the worst dancer ever! Funny that Paula called him out on that. Oh well, got to appreciate his enthusiasm.

Nicholas Pedro: Not as cute as I remembered... a little too Joey Tribbiani for me. Not a great singer (and sort of dull)... but at least his falsetto attempt was better than Paul's. I was surprised when Simon took it easy on him.

Blake Lewis: Finally, we get to hear him sing and not beatbox! And you know what? He's pretty darn good. I really liked the sound of his voice and I agree with the judges that he's the first one to sound "current". Definitely one to watch. And I think he'll be safe for a long time because America will be dying to see him bust out the beatbox again. Random comment - does he remind anyone else of Travis from So You Think You Can Dance?

Sanjaya Malakar: The nice thing about Sanjaya is that he seems pretty comfortable and happy to be singing. But yeah, boring performance. I think he'll be safe though because he got so much exposure in previous episodes. (By the way, it didn't look like his sister was in the audience, huh?)

Chris Sligh: I think his voice is pretty good. At least it was a fun performance that got people on their feet vs. those dull ballads. The bickering between Simon and Ryan that followed was kind of annoying though. (And does Simon have something to do with Teletubbies? Interesting - I must research this.)

Jared Cotter: Uh oh... boring ballad territory again. He tried to give it some life at the end, but his voice isn't that great.

AJ Tabaldo: Very fun performance! Again - it's great to watch someone that just looks like they're having so much fun performing whether or not they were competing in the biggest singing competition ever. Kind of reminds me of Mario Vasquez (remember him?) Good thing he did something memorable since he is one of the few that got very little coverage prior to tonight. (Not lovin' the turned up collar, though.)

Phil Stacey: Started out rough but it got better at the end. I'm convinced Randy is crazy - best performance of the night? If it was the best, it was the best by default, as in everyone was kind of sucky and he sucked the least. Even in that case, I don't think it was the best.

Wrap Up

My predictions for the two that will go home: Nicholas Pedro and Jared Cotter, maybe Paul Kim

Best of the night: Blake Lewis

And Ryan was super annoying tonight. It seemed like all his questions to the guys were just meant to antagonize them, ex. calling them out on being nervous, encouraging them to fight with/talk back to the judges, making them not feel ready, etc. Plus he keeps asking Simon why he is so negative - this is our sixth season!!! Simon is always negative because he's just being honest and saying what the rest of America is thinking. Same thing as every year! Let's move on to something new - geesh.


Random Simon Cowell Update: According to his bio on Yahoo, Simon "first began producing records for television shows, including the WWF, Power Rangers and Teletubbies, and also signed and managed several popular music acts, including Westlife and the Spice Girls."

My Take: Dancelife - Staci's Video

So Staci is a successful dancer but what she really wants to do is sing. To help her land a record deal, she promises to develop a music video in a matter of days. And I have to say, I'm impressed with the way all her friends rallied to make it happen. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with them all being on an MTV show, but still, I know dancers are part of a tight community so I wonder if this is true to real life.

Everyone was involved - Blake helped with the directing, Jersey landed the venue, Nolan helped on the technical side (I think?), Celestina danced back-up, and Kenny (aww - Kenny!) deserved the true rockstar award for doing double duty as back-up dancer as well as cutting the final product!!! (even if it meant no sleep to meet Staci's deadline)

Below is the final product:



What do you think? To be honest, my reaction is sort of.... eh. I don't think there's anything unique about her voice or the song and even her performance in the video was kind of blah. I definitely don't see the "it" factor with her or anything. And you can't tell from the video, but during the filming, Kenny was dancing circles around her! (OK, I'm biased, I have a secret crush on this cute Boston boy.)

I loved that Staci thanks Jersey and Celestina for their help with the video by taking them to a shooting range. My favorite quote was Jersey's "I'm an Italian bee-yotch!!!" after she ended up doing pretty well on her first time out.

And it was nice to see TJ Espinoza again - maybe he can help Britney. He seems like a good guy.

Project Runway and The Hills Collide Again!

Well, I'm still anti-Spencer, but I did manage to catch the end of this week's episode as I waited for Dancelife. And I'm so glad I did!!! Hello! Was that our good friend Nick from Project Runway??? I can't believe Lauren had him as a teacher at her fashion school (and I guess that answered my question as to whether or not she was still in school) - I know she's having problems with Heidi, but if I got to study under Nick, I'd be thrilled!!!



I'm also intrigued by the teaser for next week's episode. It sounds like Jen asks Heidi to be set up on a double date with Brody!!! Huh??? That makes no sense. Jen has hung out with all of them when Brody was all over Lauren. And they're supposed to be best friends! Back from the high school days, too... plus she's annoying! Why would Brody go out with her?

My Take: Brothers & Sisters - Not again...

OK, I realize some of the creative team behind Alias is now working on Brothers & Sisters but I really wish they would not cast Joel Grey and Ron Rifkin on the same show. For awhile I was thinking, why is Sarah and Joe discussing their marriage problems with her uncle??? Then I realized, that's not Ron Rifkin, it's Joel Grey!

They've already confused me once before when Joel was cast as the brother of Ron's character, Arvin Sloane, on Alias. Apparently, they are always mistaken for each other, so the casting choice then was a no-brainer.

But seriously, it really is confusing!

Ron Rikfin (left), Joel Grey (right)

My Take: Grey's Anatomy - Blue Meredith

Spoiler Alert!

So this episode definitely met "Code Black" standards. What will happen to poor Meredith??? I'm not concerned. Someone will die though, but it can't be Meredith - it just can't!

OK, it was a cheesy moment, but seeing Derek emerge from the water carrying Meredith, all pasty and blu-ish, was some good TV.

Another good TV moment - Meredith flatlining at the end... next thing we know she wakes up looking all healthy again. To her left, Dylan the bomb squad guy, and to her right, Denny Duquette. That's right, two of our favorite cuties are back. And I have to say, that's pretty cool that Dylan, aka Kyle Chandler aka leading man of Friday Night Lights, came back for this special event. Anyway, this means she's dead and not dreaming or anything so she'll probably be in that limbo dead state for most of the conclusion episode until she finally awakes and can be reunited with her knight in shining whatever.

But back to the "Watch with Kristin" teaser - who's gonna die???

Another thing - Izzie, Izzie, Izzie... I could have done without her entire storyline for this particular episode. First of all, the whole drilling in the head bit? EEEK! But it was her speech at the end that really irked me. It's great that she wanted to be positive about Meredith being OK... but then her whole "I believe" speech led to her telling George that it was a mistake to marry Callie! Ummmm... inappropriate!!! Yeah, the quickie wedding after Papa O'Malley's death was probably not the best idea - but it's his life. Butt out! And mentioning it while Meredith is dying? I just wanted to smack her on the head.

My Take: Desperate Housewives - Those Crazy Hodges

Spoiler Alert! Don't read if you haven't watched Sunday's episode.

That was some f*&(ed up ending, huh? Man, the Hodges really brought some excitement to the neighborhood! (Seriously, who in the world would ever move to Wisteria Lane with the way all the dead bodies pile up! Edie must be fantastic at her job.)

So let's see if I get this straight - Gloria killed Orson's father and made Orson feel guilty about it and that's why he was in the looney bin when he was younger. Fast forward to Orson meeting Alma. Orson only married her because he thought she was pregnant with his child, even though he never loved her. He did, however, love Monique who was crushing on Mike. Monique had hired Mike to work on some plumbing. He didn't have the right tools/parts so he left to come back later. Meanwhile, Gloria knew Orson was having an affair with Monique so she went and murdered her. Orson arrives to surprise Monique and catches Gloria. So naturally they bury her. I missed why her teeth came out. Someone fill me in there. Anyway, Mike returns and Orson shoos him away. Gloria is still a psychopath because she still wants Orson to return to his first wife Alma. Even if that means she has to kill Bree. Not to mention she locks up Alma in the upstairs closet of Alma's house, after Alma was finally giving up on their game plan.

Which brings us to the really wacked out scene. Andrew, being the rarely displayed good son, runs home to protect Bree from crazy Gloria and Gloria wacks him down the stairs with a broom. Then Orson leaves the hospital to rush home as well, sees Andrew crumpled up at the foot of the stairs, and runs to save Bree. He gets there in time to stop Gloria from slitting Bree's wrist - he's banging her wrist against his leg, she's wacking him from behind, he's dunking her head in the bathtub... it was CRAZY! Eventually she's down with a stroke and Bree is saved.

So maybe that makes Orson look pretty innocent... but that doesn't change the fact that he ran down Mike with his car during the last season finale, right? I mean, that's still pretty pyscho. Plus the way he managed to get everything wrapped up so neatly... Alma (speaking of whom - another fall??? really?) will get blamed for Monique's death with the fake suicide note and teeth - way to ruin her name in her death! And Gloria will be punished for the rest of her life now that she's paralyzed from her stroke. She's completely lucid but she can't even speak or move her own head. Sounds like hell to me. Finally, to accommodate Marcia Cross's pregnancy, Bree and Orson will now be off on their long-awaited honeymoon.

*Phew* I think that captures most of it - did I get this right? Because there were times when I wasn't paying complete attention.

Random note, when Alma was calling out to Gloria when she was locked in the closet - did it remind anyone else of the Laura Branigan song???

My Take: The Office - Bat Adventures

I have to say, I have been looking forward to this episode, ever since catching the clever preview below:









Of course, it really wasn't like Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, but the bat scenes had me practically rolling on the floor laughing. I especially loved that it gave all the supporting characters something funny to do, such as:

• Angela rolling on the floor once the bat was unleashed
  
• Kevin's "I... am a hero!" when he closed the door trapping the bat in the break room
  
• Creed being more than willing to help Dwight develop a vampire weapon (plus saying "Good night, Mary Beth" when Meredith was stuck in the break room with the bat)
  
• Dwight trapping Meredith with the bat in the garbage bag (OK, that was actually getting kind of ridiculous, but it was funny when Dwight said "You're welcome" at the end)
  
• Kelly screaming "Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!" seconds after warning Dwight not to harm it

The best part was Jim convincing Dwight that he was morphing into a vampire. Of course, that included Karen being his partner in crime instead of Pam (*sniff*), but it was still hilarious. Especially the way Jim turned up the collar on his coat when saying good-bye to Dwight.

Then there's Michael, who had confused being a "guest speaker in [Ryan's] emerging enterprises class" with being "honored as a visiting professor / special lecturer emeritus". It was funny to see him torturing a new audience, especially in the moments when he was:

• Playing his own music as he entered the lecture hall
  
• Channeling Dead Poets Society by ripping pages out of someone's Economy text
  
• Throwing candy bars out to the students with no one even attempting to catch them

Sure, his speech was an embarrassment, but I personally was happy to see him stick it to Ryan in the end. I think everyone agrees that Ryan is a little too full of himself for not really adding any value. Sitting him next to Kelly? Priceless!

Finally... Pam and her art show. I loved how they showed all this edgy artwork with artists heavily engaged in discusssions and then they cut to the shot of Pam in her jumper and side ponytail standing meekly alone in front of her pretty watercolors.

So, maybe she's back with Roy, but I really hope that won't last for long. Roy is trying... but he's not right for her. It's pretty bad when clueless Michael knows the right thing to say at her art show but her BF/ex-fiance doesn't.

And Jim really didn't attend Pam's show? Maybe she didn't invite him? Or is this all part of his effort to "move on"? I still think he could have just stopped by.

Have you picked your American Idol favorites yet?

Entertainment Weekly has released their American Idol "Power List" which includes their picks for the top 20.

Out of their Power List, the top five are:

5. Leslie Hunt (Based purely on the brief glimpse we had of her final audition with the top 40 plus her solo dance when making the top 24)
4. Sanjaya Malakar
3. Melinda Dolittle
2. Lakisha Jones

and #1??? Well, no surprise, it's Chris Sligh.

Somebody Save Britney Spears!

Seriously. This is just getting worse and worse.

Her former assistant/chaperone wants her to get help. And supposedly, she did enter rehab, only to check out the next day. Now, she's shaved her own head (with a new tattoo to boot!)

Name That Tune: My New Downloads

In previous postings, I've mentioned some various songs that I've "discovered" from TV so I figure I'd compile a bunch of them in one posting. Maybe you're like me and have found yourself humming some tune that you heard on TV one day... now, you'll know the song title and artist in case you want to download it yourself.

Young Love - "Find A Way"
This is the theme song from MTV's show, Dancelife. (Update: clip below may no longer be active. You can also hear the song here.)




The Fratellis - "Flathead"
From the very popular iTunes commercial. I also like their song "Chelsea Dagger" which I think was used in a Safeway radio ad.




Peaches - "Do Ya"
From the jeans Gap ad. (Update: clip below may no longer be active. You can also hear the song here.)




Jamiroquai - "Feels Just Like It Should"
From the Cingular ad with all the music artists rockin' out in the grocery.




Bitter:Sweet - "The Mating Game"
From the Korbel champagne ad. Also the song that Callie danced in her underwear to when Chief Webber caught her living in the hospital.




How about you - any suggestions for my playlist???

Jennifer Hudson the Cover Girl

What a success story! Work it, girl!!! :)

My Take: Ugly Betty - Darn Charlie

So many awesome moments in this episode!

First off, LOVED the photo of Lucy Liu's character from her and Daniel's college yearbook. Very Betty-esque!

Second, it was cute to see Marc and Christina work together to whip up that Oscar dress for Sarah Jessica Parker. (But c'mon, are we really supposed to believe she'd wear bubble wrap to the biggest event of the year?)

Third, I agree with Justin, I love the musical Hairspray (and I can't wait for the movie to come out this summer!) He did a great job of acting out the opening number for his parents on the subway.

Fourth, it sucked watching Jerry O'Connell's character be an a** to Alexis (his real life girlfriend Rebecca Romijn), but it was all worth it to see "Willie" knock him out with an amazing punch! Nice kick at the end, too.

And then there's Betty and Henry! Of course Henry's girlfriend had to be this adorable girl that Betty would befriend. Things are going to get interesting now that Henry knows Betty is into him, too. What's a cute, nerdy accountant to do?

First, Jim and Pam, then Veronica and Logan, and now Betty and Henry - too many tortured romances!!! Ah, who am I kidding? I love them all!

Finally, it was funny to see Bradford Meade on Lost last night. Considering he was also Caleb on The O.C., I thought Entertainment Weekly's Lost re-cap was so funny when the reviewer pondered, "Is Alan Dale the only actor who's allowed to play rich SOBs on TV?"

My Take: American Idol - Top 24 Revealed!

And we finally have the Top 24! Hollywood round flew by, huh? I know they shortened it since these episodes tend to have the lowest ratings, but at the same time I'm not even sure who to root for because I feel like I barely know some of these kids.

But regardless, below is the top 24 with some of my random comments. Pictures and bios can be found here.

GUYS:
Chris Sligh - Well, of course, he's still one of my favorites because he always makes me laugh.
Sanjaya Malakar - I'm torn on whether or not he should get a makeover if he makes the top 12. I like people staying true to themselves, but his hair is starting to become a mess!
Brandon Rogers
Philip Stacy
Blake Lewis - I've only seen him beatbox so I'm dying to actually hear him sing.
Rudy Cardenas
Paul Kim - I was rooting for him until he revealed he would always perform barefoot (yuck, feet!) and wear the same undies on cut days. TMI!!!
A.J. Tabaldo - Wow, this is his fifth try??? Geesh, I hope he makes the top 12 then.
Nicholas Pedro - He's kinda cute.
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter
Jason (Sundance) Head - I don't get all the hype around him. And his goatee is very creepy to me.

GIRLS:
Melinda Doolittle - I like her - it'll be fun to watch her enjoy the spotlight for once.
Gina Glocksen
Haley Scarnato - I wasn't impressed with her first audition - she wore the skimpy black pantsuit from the "hoochie" store.
Jordin Sparks - I liked her during her initial audition but haven't seen anything too impressive since then.
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Alaina Alexander
Sabrina Sloan
Lakisha Jones - One of the few (if only?) solid singers in the bunch, a belter for sure.
Nicole Tranquillo
Amy Krebs
Antonella Barba - I hope she does well, I actually kinda like her. (Even if she has bad taste in friends.)

When they showed the kids dancing one by one at the end, all I could think was that this was the year for the boys. Because with the way the producers have played this season, we were familiar with a ton of the boys, but not so much with the girls.

And sure, there are a bunch of singers that I'm looking forward to seeing next week, but I don't think I have any real favorites yet. After seeing some of the final auditions during Wednesday's episode, I wasn't really blown away by any of the performances. So we'll see... and I'm actually excited to hear more from the ones that we haven't met at all yet.

As a side note, I'm glad they gave Thomas Daniels the boot - he had such an air of arrogance about him. Nice to see his ego get a little bruised. (Sorry, but he was so cocky!)

Can you believe there will be FIVE hours of American Idol next week??? On Tuesday, the 12 boys will sing for a 2 hour episode. The girls then go for 2 hours on Wednesday. The results show will be on Thursday. Yikes...

OK Go's new video "Do What You Want"

Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch previews the new video from OK Go.

Now I see where they were going with their Grammy's outfit.

Hook-up Report: Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence

My sister tipped me off to this... People Magazine is reporting that Cheryl Burke from Dancing with the Stars has found herself a new honey! It's Joey Lawrence's little brother, Matthew!

I used to watch Matthew on Boy Meets World so for some reason I thought he was still pretty young. He's actually 27! Cheryl, amazingly, is still only 22 - she's a youngin'! Pretty funny to think about such a young girl coaching an NFL football legend... (to victory too!)

My Take: American Idol - Hollywood Round, Day 1

Yes, we're finally out of the dreaded audition round!!! On to Hollywood!
Apparently, they had twice as many girls than boys when the kids first got to Hollywood. The goal was to end up with 12 boys and 12 girls so the odds were not good for the chicks.

I thought it was interesting that they allowed co-ed groups - I don't remember them doing that in the past.

The guy group that sang "How Deep Is Your Love" definitely had the best group performance that I can remember. The group included one of my faves, Chris Sligh, and they had a little bit of choreography and the best part was the end when they all sang together with one of the dudes doing beatbox. They even added their own cool staggered ending.

Other interesting tidbit - did you guys notice the brief appearance of Robyn Troup, aka the girl that won the "My Grammy Moment" contest and got to rock the stage with Justin Timberlake and TI at the Grammys Sunday night? She was dismissed after the group performance round where she sang with that Sundance Head dude (somehow he still made it through, even though he flubbed the lyrics).

Wasn't it sad to watch the expression of Baylie Brown's mom when Baylie totally froze during her group performance round? Oh well... But I also was disturbed by Baylie's Britney Spears-ish nails... Here's my pet peeve - if you want to wear fake french tips, fine - but it looks really tacky when you don't have the complete set. And in Baylie's case, she was missing at least two! Ick. It was also funny to watch her group-mate, Amanda, get busted with her whole "I don't flirt with boys here" bit. She's probably regretting that right about now...

Tonight's episode ended with the group narrowed down to the final 40. I thought it was sweet and touching when Sanjaya and Antonella were more concerned about the fate of his sister and her friend than they were about celebrating their own top 40 status.

I couldn't catch a glimpse of everyone left, but here are some of the kids I hope to see in the Top 24:
Beatbox guy
Asian dude
Chris Sligh
Indian kid (Sanjaya)

And yay - we get to find out who makes the Top 24 tomorrow night!

My Take: Dancelife - Party Time

We got to see the kids have a little bit more fun this time around. First, Blake had a viewing party for the premiere of the Gap commercial that he and Staci appeared in. (By the way, I've continued my trend of downloading tunes I’ve discovered from TV show soundtracks and commercials. In case you're wondering, the song used in the Gap ad is "Do Ya" by Peaches.)

Guests included the cast of MTV’s Dancelife minus Nolan and some other randoms. Cute Kenny joked about how it was cool to watch the commercial he didn’t get. (But don’t forget, you got the J. Lo tour, Blake didn’t.)

Then Boston, oops – I mean, BAHston Kenny had a BBQ (as in BAH-be-que, love their accents!) at his apartment pool with his roommate Nick. Guests included the cast of MTV’s Dancelife minus Nolan and some other randoms. They played beer pong – how cute!!!

The kids also did a master class with some krumping – it was rad.

And in honor of tomorrow’s romantic holiday, we got some lovey-dovey-ness, too! Cute Kenny’s girlfriend, Ashley from the Pussycat Dolls, is back in town from Europe where she’s been touring with her girls. It was soooo cute seeing them reunited, but I’m sure it was just a little bit awkward having all the cameras and the other PCDs watching. Unfortunately, they only got to spend a little bit of time together because Ashley was only home for a few days before she had to head out to Asia. And during one of those days home (the next morning actually), PCD had to film their new music video. Disappointed, Kenny went off to the studio after their date to dance it off. It was really cool – once I find a good quality video clip, I’ll post it here.

The next day, Kenny visited her on set and I was so sure he was going to break up with her because he was always missing her and they barely got to spend anytime together. But no, he just wanted to apologize for his behavior the night before, and they’ll just have to wait to be able to spend more time together.

Jersey got some lovin’, too. Kenny’s roommate, Nick, took her out for a salsa date. This was the first time for both so it was cute to see professional dancers still get nervous about learning something new in front of other people. The date was going pretty well until Nick dropped the bomb that he was leaving soon to go appear in “Hairspray” in Toronto for five months. Man, I’ve said it before, but it really does suck for those guys in the entertainment business to have a personal life.

So, no Nolan this week. It looks like we’ll see more of Staci next week as she takes a stab at being a recording artist – interesting! And was that Britney’s old dancer, TJ, in the previews??? What happened to him???

My Take: The Hills - We're Dunzo

You know, if Heidi isn't going to break up with Spencer, then I'm breaking up with this show. I've already expressed how much this a**hole disgusts me here. But watching his behavior on this particular episode (after Heidi busts him for being a sleazy dirtbag and he still claims innocence!) made me physically ill.

Sure, I take some pleasure in watching all the other ladies like Audrina, Lauren, and the Bolthouse chicks call him out but it sickens me that Heidi keeps falling for it. I can't even hope she'll eventually kick him to the curb because they're still together today!!!

On a separate topic, I liked how they brought into the "super intern" from NYC. Too bad she only appeared in this one episode because it was fun watching the conflicting styles between the Cali and NYC girls. I am impressed with Emily though - 18 credits at NYU that she manages to squeeze in two days (is that even possible?) while interning at Teen Vogue for two days and Chanel for one other day - wow! And I'm with Lauren, I couldn't identify any of those flowers to save my life!

And some other random comments from this episode:

• Do all female employees at Bolthouse have to be blonde?
• Does Heidi wear false eyelashes to work?
• How come Whitney didn't look like a chipmunk like I did when I had my wisdom teeth pulled?
• I'm glad to hear Lauren is completely over Jason but did she really want to marry him? Scary.

Well, that's it - no more The Hills for me. Spencer has single-handedly lost this viewer. I look forward to flip-flopping between Studio 60 and What About Brian in the future. Well, just for the first half hour anyway because I'm still digging Dancelife.

Separated at Birth?

Is it just me or does it seem like John Mayer has been channeling Edward Scissorhands lately?



As a side note, I guess Jessica and John are a little more comfortable with going public now, huh?

Hee Hee - Even EW Agrees!

This is so funny... Entertainment Weekly lists the best and worst of last night's Grammy awards. They awarded Justin Timberlake with "Worst Camerawork" - hee! Loved their comment, "Dude, not even a chart-topper like you has the pop-cultural clout to bring nose hair back."

Grammy Update

I didn't really watch the Grammys (because we finally had new episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters) but here are the big winners of the night:

Record of the Year: Dixie Chicks, "Not Ready to Make Nice"
Album of the Year: Dixie Chicks, "Taking the Long Way"
Best New Artist: Carrie Underwood

I guess country was the big winner tonight!

Some random comments on the bits I did see in hour one:

• Justin Timberlake's performance where he directed a hand held camera right in front of his face while he sang ... I have to wonder if he did a test run on this, because it was a *very* unflattering angle
• Liked the performance with Corrine Bailey Rae, John Legend, and John Mayer
• Thought Mary J. Blige's first win was funny because she was determined to finish reading off her loooooooooong list of people to thank, even with the music urging her to get off the stage

Full list of winners can be found here.

Video Review: Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around..."

So I finally caught Justin Timberlake's new video for "What Goes Around..." - the one with Scarlett Johansson. My thoughts are below the video clip.



Has anyone else been finding Justin more and more annoying lately? Because I'll be honest, he's been bugging me and this video just adds to it. Don't get me wrong, I think he is an extremely talented musician, but I just don't buy him as an actor.

I'll admit, I didn't see Alpha Dog but I wasn't too impressed with the clips I've seen (although the reviews didn't seem too bad). And I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I actually was curious to see his acting ability with such heavyweights like Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey, so I rented his direct to video movie, Edison. I can't remember all the details but I think he played this up and up coming reporter that uncovers some big crime thing. I had high hopes but I didn't believe him in that role for a second.

Lots of musicians have shown they have acting chops - Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Mark Wahlberg, Will Smith, and more - but I've yet to see anything from Justin that puts him in their league. Well, at least from a dramatic perspective, because he does always rock when he hosts SNL (hee, hee).

But I digress... back to the video. I think it would have been a million times better if they had cut out all the dialogue portions completely. It just came off as super cheesy. They could have still told the story with just their scenes set to the song.

And what's his point with the story? That Scarlett's character deserves to be in a serious car crash (a potentially fatal one!) just because she cheated on her man with his friend??? That's weak.

Red Carpet Report: The Grammys

Artists busted out the rock 'n roll outfits for this show. Believe it or not, my pick for Best Dressed is actually Paula Abdul(!!!) Here are some of the highlights:

Short and Silver
Petra Nemcova, Vanessa Minillo, Fergie



Creamy Looks
Mary J. Blige, Carrie Underwood, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce



Black and Whites
Alyson Hanigan, LeAnn Rimes, Dixie Chicks, Pink, Paula Abdul


Bringing out the Color
Jennifer Hudson, Nicole Scherzinger



And lastly...

Huh?
Mandy Moore, OK Go, Nelly Furtado, Imogen Heap