Author: Shane

America’s Got Talent 3 Episode 2

America’s Got Talent 3 Episode 1 brought us some more talented individuals (and some not so talented ones). Opera singer Neal Boyd looks to be the frontrunner thus far, although 4-year-old Kaitlyn Maher captured the most attention.

Tonight we start off in Los Angeles.

55-year-old part-time nanny Victoria has been waiting for this break her whole life. She’s a singing fairy. Oh no. Do we really need to see this to know how badly she’ll bomb? Piers buzzes her quickly. Then the audience boos her. Hasselhoff buzzes her. Sharon wants her to keep going. Piers calls her a bit weird and says that her dream is his nightmare.

Eli Mattson typically travels for days on buses just praying he’ll finally hit the right random place on the map. He sings Walking in Memphis while playing the keyboard. He’s pretty good, if not quite great. Piers tells him he’s got talent. Sharon can’t believe he hasn’t been signed. Hasselhoff’s reminded of a young Billy Joel.

Former small town gal Cassie now works in a bar and has purple hair and tattoos all over. Her stage name is Miss Pussykatt. In an effort to prove to her parents that her talents can take her somewhere, she does a grinding act, where she shoots sparks off the metal clothing she’s wearing. She won’t win $1 million with this, but it’s entertaining to watch nonetheless.

Lil Countrie & Page 1NE survived hurricane Katrina but are pressing on. They tell a story about their uncle, who sacrificed himself so that the kids could be rescued instead. They perform a very impressive acrobatic dance act. Hasselhoff calls them the best tumblers he’s ever seen. Sharon calls them brilliant. (Video of Lil Countrie & Page’s performance)

Next stop is New York.

Michael is an extreme percussionist. His act is called Drumtazia. Does anybody tonight not have a stupid name? I don’t get this act, stupid name or not. At least they finally buzzed him. Piers tells him he’s a complete and utter looney.

Family boy band Next II None (what, you expected a name that wasn’t stupid?) sings Bye Bye Bye. They’re bouncing around too much to really judge their singing ability, but they’re good performers. Sharon notices a lack of a great lead singer but appreciates what they did. Piers likes the whole package. They’re going through to the next round.

The Canadian Russian Bar Trio consists of two men (holding a bar) and one woman (doing gymnastics on the bar). The bar is about 4 inches wide, and they’re bouncing her about 10 or 15 feet in the air. I’m impressed she didn’t break anything. They’re going to continue on. (Video of Russian Bar Trio’s performance)

Ozzy Osbourne impersonator The Ozzman is happy to meet Sharon. She’s not quite as happy to meet him and listen to him suck. Piers gives him a yes to give Sharon a hard time, but the other two reject him. He promises us he’ll be back.

The Taubl family is a group of string musicians, with parents and kids of varying ages. Piers buzzes them. Eventually, they begin singing as well. They’re good, but I doubt to what extent they’d be entertaining to watch for any length of time. Hasselhoff calls them an excellent act. Piers sort of admits he may be a tiny bit wrong and wants them to continue on.

The DC Cowboys are fit guys who plan to dance and shake their butts. They’re bound to have the women on their feet, even if most of them are probably gay. Hasselhoff thinks America will love them. Piers thought it was good fun.

Next stop is Chicago. So like do we keep going round and round in circles to the same cities each week?

Kevin Taylor (look, a real name) is a brick breaker. He hopes this appearance will allow him to be taken seriously. He will break 100 bricks on fire. He gets through it just fine, despite his hand catching on fire. Don’t try this at home. Sharon says no because she doesn’t want to see him get hurt. Hasselhoff says yes. After convincing him it won’t be more of the same (which was my concern as well), Piers lets him through.

Chellena Black-Harris is a singer who two years ago was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She’s happy to have the opportunity to be able to perform now. It only takes a few notes for her to show she’s got talent. Hasselhoff says this is what the show’s all about. Piers calls it good but not great, with three or four singers that have gone through who are better than her. The audience lets him know they’re fully behind her, and he agrees to let her go to Vegas.

Johnny Olshavsky is a magician. Piers is quick to buzz. Then the audience boos. Then everybody buzzes him. Piers doesn’t even want to let him speak. If only there were a point to this act.

Following a pathetic magicians montage, husband and wife Jonathan and Charlotte Pendragon come out. He tells us a story of how he nearly died when an arrow went through him. He hops in a case, and she ties/locks him up. They end up reversing positions, and when the case is opened, she’s the one tied up inside it. This magic act finally gets a thumbs up.

The rest of the tribute acts have fallen on their faces. Now it’s time for the king. Joseph Hall is one of 8 million Elvis impersonators. Jerry Springer tells us Elvis is not dead (he just went home). Piers likes that he sings how he looks. Sharon wants to keep staring at him and wants to know whether she’d be robbing the cradle. (Video of Joseph Hall’s performance)

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of America’s Got Talent 3 episode 3, which airs Tuesday at 9/8c on NBC.

Virtual Actors Strike

Remember when Hollywood came to a screeching halt following a strike just a few months back? We may be heading for round two. With it appearing increasingly likely that the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will be unable to reach an agreement by the deadline, we are already seeing signs of what some are calling a virtual strike.

A lawyer representing actors told The Hollywood Reporter, “No one is doing anything that finishes after 30 June, and nobody’s starting anything now. This is the impact of a strike already.”

With that in mind, current shoots are either being wrapped up early or not started at all. As for television production, if you thought the winter was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet. Shows, just recovering from the last strike, some of which barely survived to begin with, would face added problems. The fall lineup would be even more chaotic than the winter lineup was.

It’s not too late for both sides to realize that this strike won’t do anything but harm everybody (again), but the clock is ticking.

The Mole 5 Episode 4

Ali took $30,000 in exchange for quitting the game in The Mole 5 Episode 3. It wasn’t over there, though, and Bobby, who appeared to be overplaying the game, was also sent home.

Victoria says she can’t trust anyone now that Bobby’s gone.

The players are going to the Andes in Argentina. They divide into two teams of four.

Selfish: Victoria, Nicole, Clay, Kristen
Selfless: Paul, Alex, Craig, Mark

They’ll be dealing with 200 gold bricks, weighing in at 5 pounds each. They’re reliving the trek of carrying gold back to Spain and will have to carry the bars up the mountain, from 7200 feet altitude they’re currently at to 10000 feet at the summit. There is an exemption in play for the winning team. Teams are only as fast as their slowest players. The selfish team takes far fewer bricks than the selfless team, 23 as compared with 39.

Clay takes fewer bricks than his teammate Kristen. Nicole, who takes the fewest bricks, is the first to stop. She says this is gameplay. They’re greeted by Jon on a bench. They’ve gotta carry scales to the top. 10 pounds or 20 pounds. Since the selfish team is first, they get to pick first, but they must choose without lifting them. They happen to choose the 10 pound scale. They arrive at the top first, earning $5,750 for the pot.

Craig believes he’s the weakest player. His team seems to agree. This team is 300 yards behind at the scales. Mark picks up the 20 pound scale they’re forced to take. He decides to leave bricks behind for some reason, bringing them down to 34 bricks. They’re afraid as they approach the top that Craig won’t be able to make it. They arrive with 30 seconds to spare, though. Their 34 bricks are worth $8,500.

Pot total: $143,250 out of $340,000

The selfish team has earned the exemption for being the first team to the top. But there’s only one exemption. They must unanimously decide who is exempt. If they can’t decide, nobody gets the exemption, and they will forfeit all the money that both teams have earned. Kristen and Clay get votes. It becomes apparent Clay won’t back down, so they agree to give him the exemption.

Craig gets hypothermia and needs medical attention when they get back down the mountain. He slips in and out of consciousness. They haul him off in an ambulance.

Craig returns on the condition that he stays warm. He does not join them for dinner.

Alex and Victoria are apparently forming a coalition.

Mark reiterates that he doesn’t have OCD with his journal. With that said, Jon confiscates their journals. Some are more concerned than others. He brings the journals back. What’s the catch? He’s written down a few of his favorite comments. The mission is called “Who said that?” He bumps the pot total up to $144,000. If they guess who said it, they’ll get an additional $2,000. Victoria promises up front. Nothing particularly useful is revealed, and they manage to get 5 out of 7 correct, including one that Victoria’s allowed to confess saying after Nicole gets it wrong. Nicole’s blinking and coughing and hand waving causes them to lose one answer, leaving them with $8,000 for the task.

Pot total: $152,000 out of $354,000

After dinner, they’re going out to the river in the middle of the night. Jon wants to know who’s willing to sacrifice their journal. Alex and Paul say they’re willing. It’s floating through people’s heads that there may be an exemption on the line. Alex and Paul decide between them that it’ll be Alex. He’s not alone, though. Everybody’s journals are burned. Rather, everybody else’s journals are burned. Because Alex was willing to sacrifice his journal, his journal is the only one that’s safe. Mark’s pissed off, then disappears.

Having stayed home, Craig gets to keep his journal. Mark gets more upset still.

Nicole suspects Victoria but mostly just wants to get through the quiz as quickly as possible. Victoria found Clay wanting an exemption suspicious.

There’s a tie. The player with the slowest time will be executed. That’s a difference of only 5 seconds.

Paul is safe.
Alex is safe.
Mark is safe.
Victoria is executed.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Mole 5 episode 5, which airs Monday at 10/9c on ABC.

The Bachelorette 4 Episode 7

DeAnna narrowed her choices in The Bachelorette 4 Episode 6 down to the final four: Jeremy, Jason, Graham, and Jesse. She got rid of Sean (not sure why) and Twilley (who she never really got to know… and didn’t seem to want to get to know anyway).

First we start off with a lengthy recap because… well… there are two whole hours to kill. Nothing quite like a 60 minute show squeezed into 120.

Jesse’s up first, and DeAnna will be meeting him for the hometown date in Breckenridge, CO. He’s going to show her how to snowboard. She wants to vomit, which is apparently her idea of fun, but she felt safe because he knows what he’s doing. They discuss how she believes she’s always right but hopes she has someone who has a backbone and is willing to tell her the truth (that she’s not right). When they’re done chatting, she hops on his back, and he proceeds to snowboard down the slope with her on there.

DeAnna heads to Jesse’s home, where she notices his nonprofit organization, Just Snowboarding Ambitious Kids. His parents are there to meet with them and have dinner. Jesse says DeAnna makes her feel like he feels when he’s at a snowboarding contest with 10,000 people around. His father’s advice is to get serious, but he tells him he can’t get too serious because he’s afraid of being hurt because she’s dating all these other guys. Both of his parents like her and are open with her. Jesse and DeAnna go for a carriage ride afterward, when he finally kisses her.

Next stop is Jeremy’s hometown, where he greets her on a motorcycle. She learns that at least she won’t need to hire him a decorator or clean up after him. His favorite room is a balcony that overlooks downtown Dallas. As we learned on the second episode, his parents have both passed away, but he shows her pictures of them. He reads from his journal his last thoughts about his mother, and he tells us he’s definitely falling in love with DeAnna.

His two brothers and sister-in-law will be at dinner with them. Continuing the morbid discussion, Jeremy’s sister-in-law says that the death of her father was a big bond for her and his brother. One of his brothers brings up other guys, but Jeremy says he’s in denial and leaves everybody else out of his mind. Whether that’s a realistic approach or not, it’s probably better at helping him get closer than what Jesse and Graham have been doing. Both of his brothers are overly cautious and grill DeAnna. A stark contrast to the lovey dovey atmosphere Jesse’s home visit presented.

Seattle is the next stop. DeAnna and Jason go to the top of the Space Needle, and they’re allowed to go on top of the needle where people aren’t usually allowed. She’s concerned about meeting his son, which leads to a discussion about how they both want three kids (she wants them by age 30, so she might want to skip the formalities and jump somebody’s bones already). It’s an emotional reunion. Following the tears, the introduction is “This is my… this is DeAnna.” Spending time with Ty lets her know that Jason will be a good father, so she doesn’t have to wonder.

Jason’s parents, two brothers, and sister-in-law are waiting to meet them for dinner. This large group is something DeAnna’s familiar with. They’ve cooked all Greek food to make her feel at home. Jason most appreciates DeAnna’s sparkle for life. Everybody heads outside to play leapfrog in the yard. His father’s concerned about how she would feel about heading into an already established family, but she says she’s okay with it. His mother’s concerned that Jason says he won’t get hurt because he’s got body armor. She wants him to open up more, or he’ll never fall in love. The goodbye is as emotional as the original meeting, bringing everyone to tears.

North Carolina and Graham are the last stop of the night. She meets him at his old high school where he played basketball growing up. Neither of them can seem to sink a basket. She’s surprised to find him being talkative and affectionate. DeAnna expresses concerns that Graham isn’t ready for her. His mom says he doesn’t typically find someone who lasts past a few weeks. I’m not sure his short answers are helping any. DeAnna calls him closed off because he internalizes everything. Despite the monosyllabic discussion, she continues to fall more and more for him. I don’t get it.

Roses
Jesse
Jeremy
Jason

Although I was expecting Jesse to be cut, I’ve been waiting for DeAnna to get rid of Graham for weeks. Never did understand their connection. He says goodbye. Forever. Her complaint is that she was being led on. He tells her she’s entitled to make it easy on herself if that’s what she wants to do. She says that she’s saying goodbye to the one person she felt she was falling in love with. Uh. Huh? So what’s up with the other three guys, and did I miss what happened to make her fall for him? Still unable to discuss his feelings, he hands her a letter that she should read on her own. After he leaves, she reads the letter and is second guessing her decision.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Bachelorette 4 episode 8, which airs Monday at 8/7c on ABC.

HBO Tribute To George Carlin

HBO will be airing a tribute to George Carlin, who passed away at age 71.

“Because HBO has had such a long and close relationship with George Carlin, his passing is like losing one of our own. George had been a part of HBO almost since its beginning, performing his first concert for us in 1977, and his fourteenth special just earlier this year. No performer was more important to helping our network define itself in its early years. And no performer was more committed to the ideal of freedom of speech, a principle he embodied for the 50 years he performed with his trademark wit. We will miss his humor and his righteous comic anger, and we will simply miss him.”

HBO2: Wednesday, June 25
8PM “On Location: George Carlin at USC” (1977)
9:30PM “George Carlin Again!” (1978)
11:00PM “Carlin at Carnegie” (1983)
12:00AM “Carlin on Campus” (1984)
1:00AM “George Carlin: Playin’ With Your Head” (1986)

HBO2: Thursday, June 26:
8PM “George Carlin: What Am I Doin’ in New Jersey?” (1988)
9PM HBO Comedy Hour: “George Carlin – Doin’ It Again” (1990)
10PM HBO Comedy Hour: “George Carlin: Jammin’ in New York” (1992)
11PM HBO Comedy Hour: “George Carlin: Back in Town” (1996)
12:05AM HBO Comedy Hour: “George Carlin: You Are All Diseased” (1999)
1:10AM “George Carlin: It’s Bad for Ya” (2008)

HBO: Friday, June 27
9PM “George Carlin: It’s Bad for Ya”

All times eastern.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Moonlight Cancelled (For Real)

Following CBS’ cancellation of Moonlight, there was some hope that it would be picked up by somebody. First as part of The CW’s hopeless Sunday night lineup. Then word spread to other possible suitors such as TNT and DirecTV. However, sources close to the show told THR today that the efforts to save the show have now concluded. Due to the costs of producing the show, it just wouldn’t have worked to move it to a smaller network.

Heroes Season 3 Spoilers and Photos

Heroes season 3 volume 3 Villains begins in September on NBC. Some spoilers have leaked suggesting what we can expect.

“Gee, well, I don’t have much to tell, other than the fact that in the first three minutes one of the lead heroes is going to bust a cap off at one of the other lead heroes. And oh yeah, the guy she pulls the trigger on just might be the guy she’s playing tonsil hockey with in real life. She also tells him (on cam), “I always loved you.” Whaaa?! Figured it out? I know you have, so discuss in the comments below! Oh, and even more shocking? We’re gonna see Claire-bear with dark hair and this also involves a shift in time. So very Lostalicious, no?”

Here’s the photo of what happens in the first few minutes of the season opener.

Quite the new look for (dark/future?) Claire. So as not to leave out Milo fans, here’s a shot of Peter Petrelli.

Spoilers from E!. Photos from Bad and Ugly.