SURVIVOR: It’s Time To Switch Teams, James

Am I the only one that thought last night’s SURVIVOR was kind of a snoozefest? Does Boston Rob need to pass out every week in order to make the show exciting?

Since I only have time for a quick write-up, I guess I’m glad that not too much happened.

Let’s start with the biggest villain playing the game this season – Roid Rage James. What the what?  Has he always had such a temper? James showed off his asshattery ways last week after the challenge and later in Tribal Council, and he didn’t let up at all last night. If I was playing this season, I might actually be a little afraid of James.  The guy can’t seem to interact with another human being without being wildly aggressive.  How about when Courtney asked him about what Cirie had heard about her?  He got super defensive right away and threw a hand full of attitude back at her. James, you must chill.

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Who Went Home on AMERICAN IDOL?bad reaction to epioptic

UPDATE: Looking to find who went home on IDOL? Click here for tonight’s shocking results: Who Went Home on AMERICAN IDOL? (April 28, 2011)

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And then there were 20. Tonight two guys and two girls will say goodbye to the IDOL stage forever as the first four causalities of the 9th season. Who will it be? If GMMR readers have anything to say about it, we’ll be waving bye to Haeley Vaughn, Tim Urban, Lacey Brown and (surprise) Jermaine Sellers. Do you think our readers got it right?

Join us back here at 8pm EST as we LIVE blog tonight’s results show. The comments will be open so you can join in on the conversation and share your thoughts throughout the entire hour. Not in front of a TV? On the West Coast? I’ll post the results the minute they are announced.

Special performances by last season’s winner, Kris Allen and rocker Allison Iraheta.

We’re ready to get started….are YOU?

• 8:05pm: The Top 24 is singing their first group number to “American Boy” . I shouldn’t say singing as they are clearly lip syncing. For shame IDOLs, for shame. This is embarrassing. Sorry, but I’m so offended by this.  I want to turn off this show right now.  These are supposed to be the best of the best and they can’t sing live together?  If they can’t sing AND dance, then don’t have them dance.

• 8:06pm: Casey James needs not to smile so much while he’s singing. It kind of freaks me out.

• 8:11pm: Back after the first break and Ryan has dimmed the lights. At least one of the girls is going to find out if she’s in the bottom tonight.
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Neil Patrick Harris Will Play Meany on GLEE

All that finger crossing has paid off.  it’s been confirmed that Neil Patrick Harris will be guest starring on an upcoming episode of GLEE.  Can I get an AMEN!!

E! Kristin Dos Santos has the scoop from sources who say “Neil is playing a character who is “really funny and really mean.” I’m told he will be “much more of the Dr. Horrible variety than Doogie Howser, M.D.”

I don’t care what he does as long as he’s singing and dancing!

It’s now ok to be excited without feeling like you might be jinxing it. It’s happening!!

PARKS & REC Winter Olympics Awards Ceremony

I can’t stop watching the Olympics. This isn’t something I am proud of, or anything to brag about. The hours I have spent watching the quarterfinals of the skicross event could be used to better mankind. Or to shop for groceries. You know, the important things in life!

In the spirit of Canadian mittens, Norwegian curling pants, and the soaring rhetoric of Dick Button, I want to pay tribute to Parks & Recreation’s world class performers. Without the benefit of a more clever or original idea, I bestow these fictitious medals on the best of Pawnee, Season Two!

The Pawnee Medal Count

GOLD MEDALS:

Amy Poehler (Comedic Dance, Multiple Partners): The most valuable characteristics of a true sitcom star are versatility and humility. This season, Amy Poehler has reached that elite level. Though Poehler is featured in almost every scene of P&R, her willingness to share the spotlight has elevated her supporting cast. Leslie Knope makes me laugh by taking a piggy back ride from Andy, failing to understand the meaning of a “Nooner,” and questioning the career plan of an exotic dancer. She is the heart and soul of Pawnee, as well as the person with the busiest daily calendar in Indiana!

Ron Swanson & Leslie Knope (Two-Man Workplace Luge): I enjoy 30 Rock. It’s a smart, funny, well-crafted show. With all due respect to Liz Lemon & Jack Donaghy, I think that Ron & Leslie are now the best workplace duo on television. Season Two has embraced the theme of teamwork, and this team has benefitted most from that direction. Nick Offerman has turned Ron Swanson into a sensation, and the creative team resisted the urge to turn Leslie’s boss into her nemesis. The result? A mature, thoughtful display of personal and professional respect. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we NEVER hear whispers about putting these two together romantically. They don’t need to be each other’s last phone call of the day, only the last person they each see at 5pm.

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Carrie Underwood on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (Video)

It’s a big week for AMERICAN IDOL so it seems only fitting that former IDOL winner Carrie Underwood is making some noise of her own. On Monday nights’ episode of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, Underwood will star as a potential paramour of Ted. I’m going to go out on a limb and say she’s not the mother.

When the gang tries to convince Ted that he is being strung along by Tiffany (Underwood), they reflect about relationships where each of them has been in the same situation.

Check out Carrie Underwood, behind-the-scenes on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.

Poll: Who Should Go Home on AMERICAN IDOL Tonight?

It’s never easy to be the first ones to go, so AMERICAN IDOL is making it easier for everyone by sending two guys and two girls home tonight.  But who will they be?  With very few standout performances from the Top 24 we might be in for a few surprises tonight.

I’ll be LIVE blogging tonight’s results show starting at 8pm EST so make sure you leave yourself a note to join us.

Tell us who YOU think will be the first two girls and the first two guys to exit the IDOL stage? Vote in the poll below. You can only vote for one person in each poll. But look to see which two performers are getting the most amount of votes. Could they be in trouble?

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Thursday, February 25, 2010

We’re coming into the home stretch. The Olympics will be over in a few days and we’ll have our TV back.  If I’m being honest, it has actually worked out well, especially this week. With IDOL dominating so much TV time, it’s been hard for me to keep up with the few shows that have been airing original episodes. Looking forward to catching up this weekend.

It’s all about reality TV for me tonight. I’ll be LIVE blogging tonight’s IDOL results show.  Then I’m turning on SURVIVOR. Oh the drama of it all.

Check out a few of the highlights from tonight’s TV schedule. I’ll let you know what I’m excited about and then it’s your turn.

The Deep End | 8pm on ABC
“White Lies, Black Ties”
Malcolm and Addy try to find a way around a dishonest insurance company; Cliff searches for a way back into Susan’s life.

Survivor | 8pm on CBS
“That Girl is Like a Virus”
One of the game’s most-powerful women targets a worthy adversary and gets aggressive in her efforts to oust an immediate threat. [GMMR: So happy I’ve decided to watch SURVIVOR this season. If you’re a fan and you’re wondering where the SURVIVOR coverage is, be sure to tune into The TV Talk Podcast. Dan & I recorded a new episode last night and we shared our thoughts on this season’s heroes and villains.]

American Idol | 8pm on Fox
“Results Show”
Four contestants are eliminated; Kris Allen performs and shares footage of his recent trip to Haiti; Allison Iraheta performs. [GMMR: So excited to see Kris and Allison performing tonight! I hope you’ll join me live and watching along as the four contestants going home are revealed.]

(The rest of Thursday night’s lineup is after the jump)

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Burn Notice | 10pm on USA

Fiona gets more than she bargained for when she gets involved with a paranoid kidnapper; Michael’s plan to stop a black operative has deeper consequences.

AMERICAN IDOL Top 12 Guys Performance

Last night it was ladies night, and now it’s time for the guys to take center stage. Maybe it was the first night jitters, but on the whole the girls left people wanting more. In a season where the pundits are already saying a girl is going to take it all, can the guys step up and give them a run for their money?

There’s a lot of talent with the guys.  My money is riding on Andrew Garcia who has been a shining star since his first audition.  The producers and judges have given him the love, but will they give him the pimp spot tonight? And which guy will give Andrew a run for his money?  Kris Allen was virtually unknown when he took as part of the Top 12 last year. He made people take notice and never let them look away.  Who will be that guy this season?

These are your Top 12 guys and THIS is American Idol.

One by one the guys are announced, and yup….Andrew Garcia was given the pimp spot. Oh these producers are nothing if not predictable.

In the pre-performance banter, Ellen let us know that being there and listening to the singers live is completely different than watching at home.  After going home and watching last night’s show back, she realized that a few things are forgiven while in the live studio, but pointed out if it sounds bad in the theater, it’s only worse for the people at home watching and voting.  So true.

We’ve got a lot of singing ahead of us, and I have a lot of writing, so let’s get to it. First up tonight is…

Todrick Hall
“Since You’ve Been Gone” | Kelly Clarkson
Excuse me while I pick my jaw off the floor.  I wasn’t expecting THAT. It’s almost as if Todrick designed his entire performance based on the judges comments from last night. Time after time they told the girls that it was all about taking a song and making it your own. No one can argue that Todrick didn’t do exactly that on the stage. I love the original Kelly Clarkson anthem but I didn’t hate Todrick’s bluesy arrangement. Musically it was far from perfect and I think that’s the bigger issue here. The vocals were definitely shaky at times and we didn’t hear enough of Todrick’s range. The guy took a risk, there’s no denying that.

The Judges: Ellen liked his stage presence and performance but thought the chorus was a little rough. Randy wasn’t digging the performance. Most importantly he said that he wanted to hear more vocals next time.  But then he got down on Todrick for changing the song too much. Talk about sending mixed signals to the contestants.  Switch up the arrangement and make it your own, but don’t switch it up too much because we liked the original so much?  Come on.  Kara agreed that he’s strong enough of a singer that he didn’t need to change the arrangement that much to be effective. Simon said it was a crazy arrangement that didn’t improve upon the original, and he was verging on “stupid”.

Aaron Kelley
Rascal Flats
In all of the Top 24, I’m least excited about Aaron Kelley.  As I said in the last TV Talk Podcast, I think this kid was cast for the tweens vote.  A lot of the guys in the Top 12 are a bit older and the producers wanted to try to find the next David Archuleta so this guy was cast. But I’ve seen David Archuleta and this kid is no David Archuleta (which isn’t saying much to begin with anyway). If anything, I think the break out teen heartthrob could be Tim Urban (more on him later). Aaron’s performance wasn’t a complete trainwreck, but the kid has zero charisma. I needed Dramamine after watching him swaying back and forth the entire time.  Some shaky notes, but not a god awful vocal despite how hard he pushed. He had a few good moments on the stage tonight, but I still don’t see him going very far in the competition.

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LIFE UNEXPECTED: Truth Unrevealed

Sorry for getting this up a day late.  Someone forget that you have to actually hit the “Publish” button in order for the post to appear on that site. Silly, silly someone.

Last night’s episode may have included what seems like the now obligatory scene  – Cate and Lux rehashing the day’s drama and finding the life lesson within, but I’m happy to report that was one of only a few things that made last last night’s episode a typical LIFE UNEXPECTED…and that’s a good thing.

Since its inception we’ve been seeing a variation the same theme every week.  Lux has some kind of life crisis and her newly found parents bumble their way to her aid. They fight. They have differing points of view on what’s best for their daughter.  It all ends in a sweet yet strained moment during which one of the two ‘rents explain to Lux that they are new at this and they need her as much as she needs them.  It was cute the first episode or two, but it quickly left us wanting a little more in terms of character development and plot.

This week’s “Truth Unrevealed” put Lux and her issues on the back-burner and brought the slow burn that is Cate and Blaze’s relationship right up front for all the world to witness. Maybe not all the world, but at least the greater Portland area.

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Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Wednesday, February 24, 2010

This is going to be a very interesting Wednesday. I haven’t watched last night’s LOST yet (gasp) and I won’t be able to do so until lunch time.  How does one get through the minefield that is the internet? I guess very carefully.

Let’s take a look at tonight’s schedule to see which shows I’m going to miss because of another 2-hour IDOL performance show. (Luckily we are in full on rerun mode tonight so I’m not missing much of anything at all.)

XXI Winter Olympics | 8pm on NBC
“Freestyle Skiing, Bobsled, Skiing, Speed Skating”
From Vancouver, B.C. Freestyle skiing: women’s aerials Gold Medal final; bobsled: women’s Gold Medal final; short track speed skating: men’s 500m, women’s 3000m relay Gold Medal final; skiing: women’s giant slalom final; cross-country skiing.

American Idol | 8pm on Fox
“Top 12 Guys Perform”
The semifinal round advances with the Top 12 male singers taking to the stage. [GMMR: Need a reminder as to which guys made the cut?  (Note, it’s not Chris Golightly.) Check out our AMERICAN IDOL Top 24 list here. Once again I’ll be providing my thoughts on each of the guys after the show. I hope you’ll make note of your favorites and join in on the discussion.  If you missed it, check out my review of the AMERICAN IDOL Top 12 Girls Performance.]

Nip/Tuck | 10pm on FX
“Edith & Walter Krieger”
Julia visits Sean and Christian in Los Angeles; a past great love of Matt’s shows up just as he prepares to marry Ramona; Liz announces she’s pregnant.

Psych | 10pm on USA
“Think Tank”
Shawn and Gus join a think tank designed to protect a tycoon from assassination plots. After the group disbands, they realize one of the members was using the meetings to plan an attack on the tycoon.

On the late night couch…

• The Late Show with David Letterman: Bruce Willis, Ne-Yo (R 2/1/10)
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Don Cheadle, Jeannette Walls
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Andy Garcia, Michael Galanes, Dana Gould
• Chelsea Lately: Radha Mitchell, John Caparulo, Bill Bellamy, Arden Myrin
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Tracy Morgan
• The Colbert Report: Scott Hamilton
• Lopez Tonight: Ludacris, Elisha Cuthbert (R 1/28/10)

What will YOU be watching? Leave a comment or send me an update on Twitter.

Psych | 10pm on USA

Shawn and Gus join a think tank designed to protect a tycoon from assassination plots. After the group disbands, they realize one of the members was using the meetings to plan an attack on the tycoon.

XXI Winter Olympics | 8pm on NBC

Freestyle skiing: women’s aerials Gold Medal final; bobsled: women’s Gold Medal final; short track speed skating: men’s 500m, women’s 3000m relay Gold Medal final; skiing: women’s giant slalom final; cross-country skiing.

AMERICAN IDOL Top 12 Girls Performance Show

Throw your hands in the air, and wave let ’em like you just don’t care, cuz IDOL’s back and the ladies can’t slack or Simon…well Simon will just tear them to shreds on national TV, and none of those girls want that, do they?

Finally, tonight is the first real night of competition for this season of AMERICAN IDOL. So far new judge Ellen DeGeneres has exceeded my expectations, but will she be as comfortable judging the IDOL wannabes live as she was in Hollywood Week? It’s time to find out.

Tonight all 12 girls will perform for your votes. Tomorrow night’s the top 12 guys will perform. Thursday night the two guys and the two girls with the lowest votes will be the first voted off the island, auf’d, Philiminated, Seacrest outed?

I know I’ve got my favorites coming out of Hollywood Week.  Will they still be my favorite after tonight, or will some new talent grab my attention? The girls are introduced one by one and….it’s Katie Stevens that get’s the Week 1 pimp spot. Congrats Katie, the producers obviously have high hopes for you.

AMERICAN IDOL on GMMR
If you’re new to GiveMeMyRemote.com’s coverage of AMERICAN IDOL, it goes a little something like this.  Each week I “live” blog the performance shows.  I’m putting “live” in quotes because although I don’t post live, I do capture my comments live. I watch the performance, hit the ‘ol pause button on the remote and write my two cents. I then hit the un-pause button to hear what the judges have to say. (I like to go with my gut feeling and don’t like to be influenced by the judges.)

The best part about IDOL is that we all get to the be the 5th judge. We see and hear each performance and determine whether or not we’d pick up the phone to vote. That’s what we do here.  I share my thoughts, and then I turn it over to all of YOU to weigh in on each performance or perhaps just your favorite/least favorite moments.

On results night it’s all about the LIVE blogging (LIVE, all caps no ” “). Barring any scheduling hiccup, I live blog what’s going down on the results show as it happens.  As a result you’ll find out who is voted out the minute that it happens.  In seasons past, results show has always been a bit of a party here on GMMR. Consider this your invite, I hope you’ll RSVP.

Over to you, Seacrest…
Before we get to the singing, it’s time for a little Q&A with the judges.  The most telling moment for me was when Ryan asked Kara whether she thought America knew this group better at this stage of the competition [than in previous years]. Kara said she thought so and added that it was important as it gives people a frame of reference. Really? It’s important? Interesting. You might have wanted to share that opinion with the producers who very strategically went out of their way to make sure America knows very little about some contestants in the Top 12.  I can tell you all about Katelyn Epperly’s father abandoning her family, or the death of Didi Benami’s best friend, but I know next to nothing about Paige Miles or Michelle Delamore. Wondering how they feel about their lack of screen time knowing how important one of the judges thinks it is. Oh Kara. Please turn it around this season. Don’t make me want Paula back.

Pagie Miles
“It’s All Right Now” by Free
Talk about being in a tough spot. The first performance of the entire season of IDOL. Paige was obviously nervous but she fought through her nerves and turned out some really strong vocals. I’m not sure I would have picked that song for Paige. As I just mentioned, Kara talked about the viewers having a frame of reference for the contestant. Knowing so little about Paige I don’t know who she is as an artist. Tonight’s musical selection told me that maybe she’s an R&B singer with a rocker’s edge.  I like it, but I can’t say that performance and song selection was a defining moment for Paige. But come on, that voice? That stage presence? Give this girl some time to get her bearings and I think she might turn out some incredible IDOL moments. Or she could fizzle out and never be heard from again after this week.  (Was that enough to cover my ass?)

The Judges: Simon said he thought of all the girls Paige has the best voice (wow), but he disagreed with the song choice saying it was “a wedding singer” type of song. He thought she was going to be fine but he wants to see more self confidence from her next week.  Kara thought the song was brilliant and she has “a ridiculous voice”, but thought she could have done more with the chorus. Randy agreed with both Simon and Kara (some things will never change). He said it maybe wasn’t the right song, but her vocals were hot. And in her first live critique, Ellen said that she “agreed and disagreed with all of them” (ha). She thought it was a tough song but thought she pulled it off well.
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CHUCK Sneak Peek – Holy Moly!

I dare you to not watch this special sneak peek of scenes for upcoming episode of CHUCK and not freak out. I’ve watched the promo a few times now trying to dissect every little bit.

I’ve seen the next four episode of CHUCK and so much major stuff goes down, that I’m not sure what I’m going to be able to talk about without spilling too much. I’ve set aside tomorrow to write up my thoughts. I’m working on finding the fine line between teasing and spoiling (which I never want to do). Until then, check out this sneak peek CHUCK’ful of goodness.

Are you excited for the return of CHUCK on Monday? I am.

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