Sunday, May 31, 2009

Susan Boyle Finishes Second

Susan Boyle did not win on Saturday's Britain's Got Talent finale. But, even though she came in second to a 10 person dance troupe called Diversity, it's Susan Boyle who is getting the attention with the winners being mentioned deep into the articles about Susan Boyle not winning.

In other words, even though Susan Boyle lost, she won.

For her finale song Ms. Boyle sang the song that turned her into a world-wide YouTube Internet sensation, "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.

In Susan's hometown of Blackburn, Scotland, about 10 miles west of Edinburgh, the locals put up signs of support and went to viewing parties where her second place finish was greeted with shouts of "no."

Ms. Boyle took the loss well, after a week of publicity regarding how stressed out she was from all the pressure, she gave a little curtsy, shimmied her hips and walked off the stage.

I suspect this is not the last the world will hear from Susan Boyle.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Susan Boyle Goes On A Tirade

Susan Boyle is in the finals of Britain's Got Talent. That's no huge surprise after she became a world-wide sensation due to the millions who heard her sing via a YouTube video of her singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.

Boyle got in the finals singing "Memory" from Cats.

Apparently the pressure is getting to the 48 year old lady from a little village in Scotland. Susan Boyle was at the Wembley Plaza hotel, which was inundated with fans and press. A pair of journalists were removed from the building by police after supposedly harassing and taunting the singer.

Boyle swore in front of fans and contestants, spewing out a string of four-letter words. She was overheard, yelling, "How **** dare you! You can't **** talk to me like that." Police then approached Boyle, who was then heard shouting, after being asked if there is a problem, "Of course, there's a **** problem."

Boyle broke down in tears and escaped the public location.

Susan lost it again in the hotel's bar, screaming, "**** off," and making an obscene gesture at the bar's TV, after hearing Britain's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan tell 12 year old singer, Shaheen Jafargholi that he had given "the best singing performance we've seen so far."

Morgan was on the CBS Early Show where he said he felt sorry for Susan and that he heard she'd been in tears the last 2 days and had threatened to leave the show due to all the pressure.

As much as I liked Susan Boyle after watching the YouTube video that made her a sensation, methinks she may not be cut out for the path she is currently on.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 for May 18 - May 24

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for May 18 - May 24. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Rank Season avg. Show name Network Viewers in millions
1.
1
American Idol (Wed..) Fox 28.8
2.
2
American Idol (Tues.) Fox 23.8
3.
7
Dancing with the Stars Results Show ABC 20.3
4.
3
Dancing with the Stars ABC 19.2
5.
7
The Mentalist CBS 16.8
*
5
NCIS CBS 16.5
7.
10
Two and a Half Men CBS 16.2
8.
13
CSI: Miami CBS 14.2
9.
12
Criminal Minds CBS 14.0
10.
24
Rules of Engagement CBS 12.9
11.
17
Without a Trace CBS 11.2
12.
4
CSI (repeat) CBS 9.9
13.
21
24 Fox 9.6
*
X
Glee (special) Fox 9.6
15.
X
So You Think You Can Dance Fox 8.8
16.
45
How I Met Your Mother CBS 8.7
*
X
NBA Playoffs (special) ABC 8.7
*
48
The Bachelorette ABC 8.7
19.
10
60 Minutes CBS 8.1
20.
X
Dancing With the Stars Special (special, repeat) ABC 7.6

Thursday, May 21, 2009

American Idol Finale's Bikini Girls

Like I already said, I bailed on watching last night's American Idol Finale early on.

I watched more of it during lunch. I've still got a half hour or so to go.

I found the Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle winning the Best Male Award in the Academy Awards parody part of the show to be amusing. As soon as he was added to the list of nominees, all of whom were some of those really bad audition embarrassment, well, you knew it was a setup for Norman to make an entrance.

Same thing when Bikini Girl, Katrina Darrel's name was uttered for Best Female. I pondered if she was going to appear in a bikini. Nick had come from the audience, acting surprised, didn't know this was going to happen, then ripped his clothes off to be in his Norman Gentle attire.

When Ryan opened the envelope to reveal that Bikini Girl was Best Female, Ms. Darrel did not come from the audience and rip off her clothes to reveal a bikini, instead she simply walked in from stage left, already strutting in her itsy bitsy teensy weensy bikini. In the stage lighting, as she walked in, it really looked as if she was wearing nothing. Particularly in the upper regions, which apparently have been enhanced since we last saw Bikini Girl.

Ryan told Bikini Girl that she deserved one more chance to sing for America. And so she did. Sing. It was hard not to be distracted by the bikini, so I don't know if she sang well, but I never know that, being tone deaf. And then Kara DioGuardi came up behind Bikini Girl, singing. We'd earlier seen a repeat of Bikini Girl's audition where she sparred with Kara over who was the better singer.

So, the pair sang a duet, sort of. It was rather amusing. Then it got a lot more amusing. Apparently her fellow judges had bet Kara that she would not be brave enough to appear with Bikini Girl with herself wearing a bikini. A large sum of money was offered, to be donated to the charity of Kara's choice. Of course, we the viewers were unaware of this, so it came as quite a surprise when, at the end the song, Kara ripped open her dress to suddenly reveal herself, and I do mean reveal, in a bikini.

I've made it as far as Adam Lambert singing with KISS while wearing wings and giant boots. The audience seemed to like the Adam/KISS performance. And then it was time to turn off the TV and go do something else.

I wonder if that crazy girl from Puerto Rico, I think the name was something like Tatiana Del Toro, will show up before the end.

American Idol Final Results: Adam Lambert Out Kris Allen Wins

I let the DVR get a half hour ahead, recording the American Idol Finale, before I started watching. Fast forwarding through commercials and fluff, I caught up with live way too fast.

I'd learned Wednesday morning that I really don't mind finding out who won something, the morning after, when I did not watch the Dancing with the Stars final results show on Tuesday. I learned Shawn Johnson won online. I fast forwarded through DWTS at lunch yesterday. I must say the roast by Jeffery Ross was pretty edgy stuff. And funny.

I thought Adam Lambert had a lock on winning American Idol, what with all the praising done by the judges and how the live audience seemed way more enthusiastic about him than Kris Allen. But, where were all those Danny Gokey voters gonna go but to the clean cut All-American boy?

It was like Lambert had already won the thing, with being a big star already assured, or as Simon Cowell put it, someone with world-wide appeal, or something like that, so it is kind of a nice thing that the underdog, come from behind kid won. That and he's got a wife to support. Adam Lambert does not have that particular burden.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Bethenny Frankel Disses Her Fellow Housewives on Fancast.com

I must apologize to any of you who use this blog for your primary source of information about The Real Housewives of New York City. I'm sure your numbers are legion.

For a week or more I've been getting emails from Caitlin Settlemoir asking if I'd be interested in sharing the information, with my readers, that Bethenny Frankel would be chatting live Wednesday, May 20, at, I think, 2pm Eastern.

I didn't get around to informing any readers, that I might have, that this chat would be taking place today. Well, the chat is now over and I got another email from Caitlin asking if I'd be interested in sharing this information.

I decided that I was interested in sharing this information. Caitlin had me with the following...

Fans asked Bethenny about her thoughts on the other housewives, if she was still dating New York Yankee third-baseman, Alex Rodriguez and, who, out of all the husbands on the program, she would marry.

And don’t miss what Bethenny had to say about Ramona’s crazy appearance on the housewives reunion show:

Question: Ramona appeared "crazed" on the finale, I was actually scared of her - thoughts???

Bethenny Frankel: I think she either took too many or too little of her meds.

Check out the full chat. Click to go to the website and then scroll down and hit the video play button to listen to some good Bethenny dissing.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 for May 11 - May 17

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for May 11 - May 17. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Rank Season avg. Show name Network Viewers in millions
1. 1 American Idol (Wed..) Fox 24.7
2.
2
American Idol (Tues.) Fox 22.7
3.
3
Dancing with the Stars ABC 18.6
4.
15
Grey's Anatomy ABC 16.5
5.
7
The Mentalist CBS 16.2
*
5
NCIS CBS 16.2
7.
4
CSI CBS 14.8
8.
8
Dancing with the Stars Results ABC 14.1
9.
9
Desperate Housewives ABC 14.0
10.
13
CSI: Miami CBS 13.6
11.
17
Without a Trace CBS 13.4
*
12
Criminal Minds CBS 13.4
13.
11
Two and a Half Men CBS 13.1
14.

Survivor: Toncantins: Finale CBS 12.9
15.

CSI: NY (Thurs.) CBS 12.8
16.
19
House Fox 12.7
17.
16
CSI: NY (Wed.) CBS 12.3
18.
17
Survivor: Toncantins CBS 12.2
19.
36
Biggest Loser NBC 11.8
20.

Survivor: Toncantins: Reunion CBS

11.6

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

American Idol Finale: Adam For The Win

This should be entertaining tonight. Both Adam Lambert and Kris Allen seem like perfectly nice guys who can sing well. But I find Lambert far more entertaining. I would never go to the bother of voting, but if I did, I suspect that by the end of tonight's show, I'd be voting for Adam. I'm hoping it's a real Ding Dong Finale.

Dancing With The Stars Finale

I watched Monday night's Dancing With The Stars during lunch. I forgot about it last night. I was too over stimulated by 24 to remember to watch anything else.

For the first time ever, what those 3 judges said after a dance matched what I thought, basically that Melissa Rycroft's freestyle was not a good thing. It was just off. Even I could see that. And I'm as Dance Deaf as I am Tone Deaf.

I like that Gilles Marini guy. But I like his partner more. I guess they are my favorites to win.

Although I do find that Olympic gymnast, Shawn Johnson, to be a likable young thing. Her partner, Mark Ballas, seems way too touchy feely. He's 22 or 23. She's what? 17? There was that disturbing aftermath of one of their dances that had the Internet all abuzz, that being the dance that had the pair in gym shorts. At the end of the dance overly excitable Mark was giving a prominent salute of the sort you don't really want to be making live on TV. It was a rare reality TV show moment.

I'm watching American Idol tonight. I likely will not know who won the coveted trophy til tomorrow.

24 Finale: Jack Bauer Saves The World Again & Lives

I get way too overstimulated watching 24, though the final 2 hours of the latest day in Jack Bauer's incredibly convoluted life weren't quite as stimulating as 24 can be when it is its most stimulating.

We got to see nasty First Daughter get herself in big trouble when Aaron starting thinking things were a bit hinky. Olivia's mom, Madame President, didn't take too long to decide to turn her daughter over to the authorities for murdering the guy who had had her son murdered. Now, me, if I were mom, in that circumstance, I think I would have chosen to cut the kid some slack.

In the last 2 hours of the day we finally learn why Tony Almeda has turned so bad. He is driven by revenge, wanting to kill the guy who had his wife, Michelle, and their unborn baby, killed, a guy named Alan Wilson, who, apparently, was at the head of the huge conspiracy of incredible acts that occurred on this day of 24. Plus, we learn this Wilson guy was the guy who pulled the strings on President Logan in a previous day of 24.

Jack turned Tony back over to the bad guys in order to save daughter Kim, shocking Renee, who quickly understood.

All the bio-weapons have been destroyed. Tony suggests Jack's body may contain enough of the bad stuff to make a new bio-weapon. So a big needle is stuck in to Jack.

Jack plays dead and then comes alive to kill a couple doctors. Much mayhem ensues. Eventually it ends with Tony back in custody, With Renee possibly heading to kill Alan Wilson and Jack in a morphine induced coma, not knowing that Kim has arrived to provided the stem cell for the experimental, slim chance of success, treatment that could save her Daddy's life.

Which we know will work, because Jack Bauer will be back saving the world in a new hour of 24 in 2010.