Author: Shane

American Idol Season 8 Episode 14

The first three members of the top 12 were decided in American Idol 8 Episode 13: Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, and Michael Sarver.

Tonight, an additional 12 contestants compete for America’s votes. They will be singing more songs from the Billboard Hot 100.

Jasmine Murray
Song: Love Song by Sara Bareilles
Randy: Some good moments, some bad moments. Pitchy throughout.
Kara: Kinda lost it in the beginning. Moments but…
Paula: Agree with the others. Off pitch. Not the right song.
Simon: Disappointed. Great look, attitude, and confidence. Just not a great voice. A couple years too early.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-01

Matt Giraud
Song: Viva la Vida by Coldplay
Kara: Song doesn’t lend itself to that type of performance.
Paula: Hope you are here next week.
Simon: Verging on a horrible performance. Bad song, wannabe pop star, uncomfortable.
Randy: Still pulling for you, but stay away from songs like this.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-02

Jeanine Vailes
Song: This Love by Maroon 5
Paula: Great legs. It’s season 8. Simon, I’m looking forward to what you have to say.
Simon: Terrible. Painful at times. Completely wrong song, but you do have very good legs.
Randy: Wrong song. Best part was the end, that it was over.
Kara: So overdone.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-03

Nick Mitchell / Norman Gentle
Song: And I Am Telling You by Jennifer Holliday
Simon: On behalf of America, I pray you do not go through to the next round. One of the most atrocious performances at this stage ever.
Randy: One of the most entertaining performances ever. Vocals were not happening.
Kara: Memorable. Not a terrible singer.
Paula: True performer. There are plenty of stages in LA (just not this one).
Seacrest: Do I think you deserve a spot? Probably not.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-04

If it’s possible, this night keeps getting worse and worse, but I think we’ve hit rock bottom. I’ll ask it again. How did this guy get to this stage?

Allison Iraheta
Song: Alone by Heart
Randy: Blew it out the box. Real singing.
Kara: Serious. Don’t even know how good you are. Could have a big hit with the right song.
Paula: Could sing the telephone book. Seasoned for someone so young.
Simon: The best tonight by a clear mile. The competition just started.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-05

Kris Allen
Song: Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
Kara: The back half was way better than the front, but still not close to Hollywood week. Wrong song.
Paula: Disagree completely. Showed personality. Nailed it.
Simon: Not the best singer in the competition but showed confidence and personality. May have put yourself back in the running.
Randy: You did it even without the guitar.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-06

Megan Joy Corkrey
Song: Put Your Records on by Corinne Bailey Rae
Paula: Right song. Camera is in love with you. Interesting, relevant.
Simon: Started off really well but oversang at the end. Hopefully America votes for you.
Randy: Big fan. Nice job.
Kara: Package artist. Breakout hit artist with the right song.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-07

Matt Breitzke
Song: If You Could Only See by Tonic
Simon: Really like you but absolutely hated that song. Boring. Uncomfortable. Frustrated.
Randy: Boring performance. Just okay.
Kara: Didn’t show any side of you. Really flat.
Paula: In key but wrong song.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-08

Jesse Langseth
Song: Betty Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes
Randy: Okay performance. Not really exciting.
Kara: Best look. Interesting to watch. Some moments.
Paula: Memorable person but not the best song to sing.
Simon: Forgettable.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-09

Kai Kalama
Song: What Becomes of the Broken Hearted by Jimmy Ruffin
Kara: A little old fashioned.
Paula: Really good on the song except when it was off pitch.
Simon: Old fashioned. Corny. Wedding or hotel performance. Nothing distinct, original, or memorable. Good backup singer.
Randy: Too safe.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-10

Mishavonna Henson
Song: Drops of Jupiter by Train
Paula: Wouldn’t have been her choice of song.
Simon: Very serious. Left cold. Act like a 50 year old.
Randy: Feels so much older.
Kara: Loosen up a bit. Good singer, but where do you fit?
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-11

Adam Lambert
Song: Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones
Paula: Watching an Adam Lambert concert rather than American Idol.
Simon: Difficult. Parts excruciatingly bad, parts brilliant. Gonna get through regardless.
Randy: Loved it. Most current artist ever. A little manic. Don’t overdo it.
Kara: Outrageous vocal technique and ability.
Number: 1-866-IDOLS-12

Presumably we’re going to see Allison and Adam advance (though the latter was quite over the top). Third’s a bit of a toss up probably between Kris and Megan (I’d opt for Kris), although Matt Breitzke as a likeable family guy may have an outside chance, while Matt Giraud may have enough of a previous following to pull through.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of American Idol Season 8 episode 15, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on Fox.

Lost Season 5 Episode 7

Those who left the island (minus Aaron) got onboard Flight 316 to head back to the island in Lost Season 5 Episode 6.

A group of people have found someone, a man wearing a suit. It’s John Locke. He wants to see the passenger list of the plane that brought them there. Nobody remembers him being on the plane, but he doesn’t remember being on it either. What he does remember is that he died and that the suit is what he was going to be buried in.

Now that that’s done with, it’s time for him to wake up in Tunisia. A truck drives up to him, and some men grab him to take him to a hospital. The doctors reset his leg. When he wakes up, he’s greeted by somebody he doesn’t know, who met him when he was 17. It’s Charles Widmore. Locke looks exactly the same since it’s only been 4 days, but Widmore’s an old man now. Widmore was the leader of the others, who protected the island peacefully until he was exiled by Ben. He wants him to bring the ones who left back. Either he gets back to the island in time for the coming war, or the wrong side will win.

Jeremy Bentham was a British philosopher. Now he’s Locke’s new identity. Charles wants Locke to believe that he’s special and should be the one in charge, which is why he sent the boat with all the C4 to get rid of Ben. He denies that the only way is for Locke to die. His driver will take him to the airport where he will head for Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Sayid’s there when he arrives. He doesn’t want to go back and wants to know who’s manipulating John (considering Sayid was manipulated by Ben for two years). Because he left the island, he was able to spend the best 9 months of his life with the woman he loved.

Then it’s off to New York, where he sees Walt, who’s not surprised to see him. He says he just wanted to make sure he was okay. Locke’s not worried. If he convinces one, the rest will follow. Ben’s there as well, watching in the shadows.

Next stop Santa Rosa, CA to visit Hurley, who greets him by asking him about how he didn’t make it. He may be in a wheelchair, but he’s not dead. Yet. He gets a second opinion to make sure he’s talking to a dude in a wheelchair. Hugo’s paranoid by the sight of the driver, who he thinks is evil, abruptly ending their conversation.

Locke remembers. His driver was an orderly in the hospital, and he’s the one who convinced him to go on that walkabout, which led him to the plane crash and the island. He helps people get to where they need to.

Kate refuses to return to the island, regardless of the consequences. After their discussion about whether he’s loved anyone, he insists he needs to get to Helen. So they go to a graveyard in Santa Monica. She’s where she’s supposed to be, but he’s supposed to be back on the island.

Thanks to a stray bullet, Locke is forced to hop in the driver’s seat and flee. After the ensuing car wreck, he wakes up in a hospital again, this time with Jack by his side, since he was brought into his hospital. Perhaps he’ll go back with him. Locke’s theory is that someone was trying to kill him to prevent him from succeeding. Jack calls him delusional and walks out. At least he tries to walk out until he’s told his father said hello. By process of elimination, it must be Jack’s father anyway. Still, Jack just wants to be left alone.

That night, John decides he’s going to die one way or another. As he’s about to hang himself, there’s a knock on the door. It’s Ben. He has a man watching everybody to keep them safe. He was the one who shot the driver, and he says that Widmore’s just a user. He tells him that Jack booked a plane ticket to Sydney, and if he got Jack, he can get the rest of them as well. John can’t die because he’s got too much work to do.

Locke knows where to go. They have to see Eloise. Ben knows her. With that, having just talked Locke out of killing himself, he turns it into a homicide instead, which he later rigs to look like a suicide.

Caesar, who seems to be the leader of the group of people that found Locke at the beginning of the episode, wants to know how the big guy with curly hair disappeared before his eyes. John wants some help finding his friends and thinks he knows how he got there. The pilot took the passenger list when he took off, but everybody is accounted for, except for the people who got hurt. That would include the man who killed him.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Lost Season 5 Episode 8 Lafleur, which airs Wednesday at 9/8c on ABC.

The Biggest Loser Couples 2 Episode 8B

Last night on The Biggest Loser Couples 2 Episode 8, the teams were shuffled, and most people were sent to opposite teams. The new black team won the challenge, giving themselves a 3 pound advantage at the weigh-in. Then the President interrupted, so here we go with a special Wednesday Biggest Loser.

The contestants will participate in a pop quiz, which means it’s time for a special guest, Liz Vaccariello of Prevention Magazine, for no apparent reason. The winning team will win a fountain of youth vacation package to Florida.

True or false? Switching from regular cola to diet cola will help you live longer?
False. Regular and diet both carry similar health risks. So what about the extra calories?
Mandi and Helen are both correct.

Which change in your diet is believed to help you live longer? Cutting fat or cutting calories?
Cutting calories.
Sione is correct.

Which exercise is believed to help you live longer? Push ups or squats?
Squats. Lower body strength will improve flexibility, balance, and endurance, which will help prevent falls later in life.
Filipe is correct. Black team wins 3-1.

It’s time for the weigh-in.

Dane: 312 pounds (-13)
Aubrey: 211 pounds (-5)
Mandi: 203 pounds (-7)
Ron: 349 pounds (-5)
Kristin: 279 pounds (-10)
Cathy: 249 pounds (-14)
Blue Total: -54 pounds (3.26%)

Dane has now lost 100 pounds faster than anybody has before, in 8 weeks.

Helen: 198 pounds (-7)
Laura: 233 pounds (-8)
Tara: 211 pounds (-11)
Mike: 297 pounds (-10)
Filipe: 283 pounds (-8)
Sione: 286 pounds (-10)
Black Total: -57 pounds (3.65%)

With the highest percentage of weight loss on the blue team, Cathy is safe, but someone else will be going home. Blue team’s 50/50 for the old trainers. Ron suggests Dane. Dane responds that he’s a huge threat, so they should keep him for now. Mandi wants to get rid of Ron because he can’t put up the big numbers. They pretty much have no choice because if they vote for someone else, it would be either Mandi or Aubrey going home.

Aubrey: Kristin
Dane: Ron
Mandi: Ron
Ron: Dane
Cathy: Dane
Kristin: Dane

So has Aubrey not seen this show before? With three votes, Dane has been eliminated. With the encouragement of his wife, Dane ran a marathon when he got home.

Update: NBC has issued an apology and confirmed that Dane did not finish the marathon. Because he would not be able to finish in the 6 hours allotted, a producer gave him a ride for a few miles so that he could cross in just under 6 hours (not the 4 hours originally reported). He did end up running probably about 20 miles, which is impressive all things considered.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Biggest Loser 7 Episode 9, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.

Kyle XY Season 3 Episode 7

Kyle went to Latnok as planned in Kyle XY Season 3 Episode 6. Although they offered him a way out, the need for money to pay Nicole’s hospital bills pulled him back in. That said, perhaps the key part of the episode came at the end when Jessi finally admitted her feelings for him.

Granted, while Kyle thinks Jessi is thinking about him, Jessi is talking to Lori about Cassidy. Meanwhile, Nate’s trying to steal Amanda from Kyle.

Jessi wants a take back. She was either crazy or had ebola. Either way, she wants Kyle to unfreak if he is freaking.

Kyle wants to go back to Latnok, and Jessi wants to go with him. Cassidy is concerned that she’s volatile and unpredictable. Unlike Nate, apparently. His real concern is Sarah, who’s no friend of Latnok. Kyle will vouch for Jessi, so he says yes to keep him happy.

Andy and Josh are spending their last days together as she goes to Ohio of all places. At least they’re trying to do so in between the fighting and name calling.

When Kyle and Jessi arrive at Latnok, they’re told Cassidy wants to throw a party. They’re in charge of the “wow.”

Amanda receives an invite to the party from Nate. Josh likes the new jealous Kyle, who doesn’t want Nate taking advantage of Amanda.

Jessi asks: how does Amanda make him feel? She wants to understand the difference between friendship and love, so he responds how it’s like a chemical reaction, which she never experienced with him. She suggests testing their physiological compatibility to see whether they have chemistry. This sounds like the wow they’re looking for. The plan is to base it on a mood ring. Before he proceeds, he wants to make sure Amanda and Nate are two different colors, which requires DNA samples from both. Jessi can get something from Nate, while Josh just pulls a hair off Amanda’s head. Real subtle.

Josh gets a visit from a girl who’s excited to see him. He has no idea who she is, but she introduces herself as KBug223. Doesn’t ring a bell. Sounds like Andy’s been trying to hook him up.

Lori wants Amanda to eliminate the ex. But not literally. She only knocked someone unconscious in a dark alley once.

Kyle thinks he’s figured it out. Nate is green; Amanda is red. With that information, he hopes to get Amanda back, along with getting his life back by finding what Cassidy’s hiding.

Jessi has invited Josh and Lori to the party, and she doesn’t want to be a downer by uninviting them (like Kyle is). But he can feel free to uninvite them himself if he wants.

Josh wants to hold on to Andy, but she just wants him to let her go because it’s not practical to hold on.

Declan has discovered that Cassidy moved in the same day Sarah took off.

When he sees Amanda at the party, her necklace is green. That’s… different. A perfect match for Nate. Kyle thinks Nate may have done something to affect the results. Kyle’s and Jessi’s match (they’re not working at all), although Lori’s and Mark’s do not. They don’t want to be influenced by the lack of a match, though. Lori seems to finally have figured out that she’s been helping Jessi get Kyle, not Cassidy.

Declan and Jackie (the girl Kyle helped last week at Latnok) are matching yellow. He assures her he’s about 80% good guy.

Kyle heads into Cassidy’s office to try to crack the code. Inside the safe is a Latnok ring.

Deciding he agrees with Andy, Josh is at the party with Katie, both matching blue.

As Amanda and Nate are about to kiss, Kyle interferes. She doesn’t want to talk to either of them, but Kyle realizes she’s right. He can’t measure love with science.

Lori’s figured out the real culprit. Jessi was the one who messed with Amanda’s necklace.

Josh is not quite ready to start kissing just yet.

Kyle’s sure that the ring in the safe is Sarah’s. It has a red stone and is one of a kind. Now he can’t get his life back, and he can’t be with Amanda.

Nate admits to Amanda that he just asked her out to get back at Kyle, but he enjoyed himself afterward.

Jessi apologizes to Amanda for messing with the necklace, but she realizes that Kyle and Amanda want to be with each other and should be together.

Jackie doesn’t need a ride home. She’s already got one from Declan. Not good news for Lori.

Josh and Andy agree she’s an idiot. Back to Josh’s plan. Two teenagers living across the country. Yeah, that’ll work.

A confused Amanda doesn’t want to be mad any more and wants to follow her heart, but Kyle doesn’t want her to get hurt. He can’t explain.

Kyle tells Jessi what he found. How does he explain the letter Sarah wrote and the checks she’s been sending? Since Cassidy gave him a check to pay for the necklaces, he knows the same person wrote everything because the writing is the same. After promising to help her find out what happened to Sarah, their mood necklaces start working, and they match.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of Kyle XY Season 3 Episode 8 The Tell-Tale Heart, which airs Monday at 9/8c on ABC Family.

The CW Renewals

The CW, which has a history of dragging its shows around and not bothering to give any indication of whether they’re going to be renewed or not until the last second (at best), has this year taken the approach of announcing renewals for some of its series early. 90210, America’s Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Smallville, and Supernatural will all be returning next fall.

“As we continue to build The CW Network as a destination for young women, these six shows have clearly contributed to strengthening our schedule and our brand identity,” said Dawn Ostroff, President, Entertainment, The CW. “By securing these signature hits for next season, we’re furthering our commitment to deliver high-quality, original programming to our viewers, advertisers and affiliates.”

The Biggest Loser Couples 2 Episode 8

The pink team fell below the yellow line in The Biggest Loser Couples 2 Episode 7, and Helen and Shanon asked to let Shanon be sent home, which they did.

Helen’s questioning herself whether she made the right decision. So are a lot of people.

When they arrive at the challenge, the contestants are told it’s blue versus black. This year, there’s a twist, though. No one is guaranteed to keep their trainers. The winner gets to choose their trainer, the loser gets split up, and all the others will have their trainers chosen for them by the flip of a coin.

They will be doing up downs in the mud. First to 100 wins. Dane and Helen are automatically in this because they are singles. Everyone else will choose who represents them. Sione, Tara, Mike, Kristin, and Mandi are competing for their teams. Blue and green take the early lead. When they hit 66, Sione finally loses his lead to Tara. Tara maintains her lead and wins the challenge by 1. Sione finishes next. Mandi, Dane, and Mike are next. Pink and purple are quite a ways behind. They battle pretty closely, but Kristin ends up edging Helen out by 1. Because she came in last and does not have a partner, Helen will automatically switch trainers. Because the black team fills up so quickly, as a reward for coming in third, if the coin doesn’t land on blue, Mandi & Aubrey will be separated. If it does land on blue, they switch trainers. Dane’s next, so he just goes wherever the coin lands. Then Mike & Ron run the risk of being split up. The coin lands black, so they will be split up. Since that decision has been made and the black team is full, purple team gets to stay together and with their trainer, despite having come in next to last.

That leaves the new teams as follows:

Black (Jillian)
Tara & Laura (no change)
Helen (changed from Bob)
Sione & Filipe (changed from Bob)
Mike (changed from Bob)

Blue (Bob)
Mandi & Aubrey (changed from Jillian)
Dane (changed from Jillian)
Ron (no change)
Kristin & Cathy (no change)

On the black team, only Tara & Laura remain the same, but they are now with all old Bob team members. On the blue team, Ron and Kristin & Cathy stayed the same, with a 50/50 split of old Bob and old Jillian.

Sione doesn’t feel like he’s pushing himself any more now that he’s lost Bob, and he doesn’t care to either. Mike, however, welcomes Jillian’s assistance and is willing to do whatever he needs to succeed.

Sione tells Bob and Filipe he’d rather go home. I say go ahead. Others still want to be there.

Bob’s more upset than he’s ever been before on this show, but he realizes that he’s got a job to do, so he pulls it together and begins working with his new team.

They’re greeted by Alison with a bunch of bikes for what she informs them is the longest challenge in Biggest Loser history. The bike challenge will last for 24 hours. The team with the most miles wins a 3 pound advantage, and every member of the winning team gets their own bike, which they may never want to ride again. Mike starts for black up against Mandi for blue. While Mike’s racing, Tara immediately goes back to the house to get whatever they need to make it through the next day. Black team plans to do 30 minutes and then rest for 2 and a half hours. Blue team doesn’t seem to have a plan, but Mandi goes for an hour. As it goes through the middle of the night, black appears to be sticking to their plan, while blue doesn’t appear to plan to have a plan. With 9 hours left, Ron, Cathy, and Mandi realize they’re not going to win, and they want to call a truce to rest for a while. Sione says he has to finish it because he doesn’t want to be a quitter. Aubrey says she’s with him, and they can handle it and need to keep going. Although it’s a foregone conclusion that black is going to win this challenge, everybody keeps going and finishes. Blue team rode 264 miles. Black team rode 301.9 miles to win. Tara went the furthest of all, 58.8 miles by herself.

Due to tonight’s Obama coverage, this week is split half today and half tomorrow. American Idol has, likewise, been preempted. For the conclusion of this episode, check out The Biggest Loser Couples 2 Episode 8B.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Biggest Loser 7 Episode 9, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on NBC.