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American Idol 7 Episode 3

American Idol 7 Episode 2 had some talent, from country singers Jessica Brown and Alaina Whitaker to singer impersonator with a great voice in her own right Katie Malloy. The biggest performance of the night, however, was arguably Renaldo Lapuz, a Simon worshipper who sang an original composition, We’re Brothers Forever. Oddly enough, I agree with Simon about this song, though. I could see this actually being a hit record. Of course, William Hung managed to sell 300,000 albums, so anything could happen.

Next stop on the audition tour is San Diego, CA, with a crowd of over 12,000.

Tetiana Ostopowych (that may or may not be spelled right) is up first. She sings Someone to Watch Over Me. Simon says she’s not as good as she thinks she is but lets her through. Pretty girl with a decent voice but forgettable.

Perrie Cataldo is there with his four-year-old son. Their wife/mother died about a year ago. He sings Boyz II Men’s I’ll Make Love to You. Simon’s very impressed.

Michael Johns, originally from Australia, is up next. I’m not sure what this song is he’s singing, but he’s got a great voice. Simon says he’s like a white soul singer.

Valerie Reyes is a big Mariah Carey fan, and she loves laughing at the rejects on American Idol. It’s pretty obvious before she even starts singing she’ll suck. Simon says it sounds like Mariah Carey’s CD having been left out in the sun for a year. Randy thinks she has potential if she stopped trying to copy Mariah.

Simon thinks three different people dressed Monique Gibson today. She sings Whitney Houston’s I Believe in Miracles. It only takes about one note before we realize how bad this will be. Simon doesn’t believe in miracles. She insists she can sing and will be back. Her friend Christopher Baker, also singing Whitney, isn’t any better. He can’t take the hint either. Both of them are still singing out in the hall, yet still have no talent regardless.

Samantha Musso, the last contestant of the first day, thinks Simon is really hot. Ryan Seacrest isn’t happy. Simon invites Samantha’s sister to be a judge, too. She wanted to meet him, along with Oprah and Obama. What it comes down to, though, is singing, and this chick has a great voice. After the audition, Simon gets a hug from both of them.

Blake Boshnack has auditioned in at least 10 cities. He was the statue of liberty from season 5 in Chicago. They give him a chance to actually sing this time. He sings Stand by Me. Not necessarily a bad voice, but it’s obvious he’s a goner before he even walks in. Hopefully next year they don’t show this guy again, as he’s gotten enough attention already.

Alberto Hurtado, with a flower in his hair, a big fan, and a sparkling eagle on his shirt, has made his own song called Live. This isn’t even… interesting. Simon suggests it’s probably the most depressing song he’s ever heard and calls him the equivalent of a storm cloud on a sunny day.

16-year-old David Archuleta had problems a few years back with a paralyzed vocal chord. He didn’t want to have surgery because he was scared it would impact his singing. He sings Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer. Not sure how far he’ll go, but he’s got a good voice. I remember this kid (well, mostly I remember the name, but there was some quality talent in those finals) from when he won Star Search in 2003. After the jump is a clip of him at age 12 singing And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going to the American Idol 1 contestants. Kelly Clarkson’s sure impressed.

Carly Smithson was disqualified previously because her Visa fell through. She sings Whitney Houston’s I’m Every Woman. Simon tells her it wasn’t as good as two years ago, but she’s still easily through to Hollywood.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of American Idol 7 episode 4, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.

Continue reading “American Idol 7 Episode 3”

The Amazing Race 12 Winner

The Amazing Race 10 winner
The Amazing Race 11 winner
The Amazing Race 13 winner
The Amazing Race 14 winner

With Nathan & Jennifer’s inability to work with each other in The Amazing Race 10 Episode 10, the final three teams were revealed: dating couple TK Erwin & Rachel Rosales, father and daughter Ronald Hsu & Christina Hsu, and grandfather and grandson Nicolas Fulks & Donald Jerousek.

They’ve worked hard at trying to convince us that all three of these teams belong in the final three, and there are no doubt those who would argue there’s some truth to that. Despite that, I can’t help but feel things are a bit lacking here.

TK & Rachel have performed the best of the three, and for that matter, the best of anyone this season other than Azaria & Hendekea. Their laid back attitude has gotten them criticized by some (namely their bitter opponent Jennifer) for not working hard, but it’s this carefreeness that has gotten them this far. As a team that’s unlikely to bicker, they work together quite well.

Unfortunately, the other two teams have been a bit of a disaster. Ronald & Christina have gotten the dysfunctional father/daughter that have grown closer thanks to the show (we saw that edit with Dick & Danielle in Big Brother 8, and it was a lie there) edit. (Looks like I struck a raw nerve with the BB8 comment. I welcome and encourage feedback on this or any other subject… within the bounds of calm, rational discussion.) While he arguably has been more patient with her the last couple episodes when they were in the lead, he’s been quick to freak out at her and pretty much everybody else on the race with little provocation, a situation that’s been uncomfortable to watch at best. If we leave him aside, I have been impressed with Christina, though.

Then there’s Nicolas & Donald. Donald’s effort for his age is certainly commendable. However, it just hasn’t been enough to hang with the other teams. This team is the #6 team of the season in terms of finishing rankings and has relied primarily on major mistakes by another team and second to last place finishes to limp along and not be eliminated.

With all that said, history has taught us it’s still anybody’s game. Whether it’s a flat tire, someone having an EZPass, or the producers forcing a plane to turn around to let a second team board, you never can tell who’s going to be the winner of this race.

For about the third time this season, the show’s actually starting on time.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Ronald & Christina (9:47am)
Second: TK & Rachel (10:30am)
Third: Nicolas & Donald (10:37am)

The final destination city is Anchorage, Alaska, where they’ll first head to 6th Avenue Outfitters to get equipment for the detour. That means just one plane or one set of planes before the final city, which normally magnifies even the smallest of mistakes.

All three teams get on the same flight, a nonstop flight to Anchorage. With the lead they have, Ronald & Christina are using their time to surf the web and get some extra information on the only thing they know they’ll need: where 6th Avenue Outfitters is. Doesn’t much matter since they take a cab there anyway. The first two teams get their gear. Nicolas & Donald, however, grab the clue and forget their gear.

From there, they will head to Ship Creek Boat Launch.

The detour is a choice between cut the cod and grab the crab. In cut the cod, teams must cut through 50 pound fish and search for a clue inside one of the fish. In grab the crab, teams must jump into a boat swarming with over 500 crabs to find one marked with race colors. So it’s a choice between disgusting or risking being clawed.

Donald blames and gets upset with Nicolas (who’s carried him the whole time) for the mistake. They must return to the store and get their gear.

Cut the cod: Ronald & Christina, Nicolas & Donald
Grab the crab: TK & Rachel

Ronald & Christina seem to make easy work of the cod. TK & Rachel get dropped off in the wrong location, putting them in last by about a minute. But since Nicolas & Donald don’t have their bag, those two can’t actually do the task yet.

TK & Rachel struggle quite a bit with the crabs, to the point where they’re still hanging around when Nicolas & Donald get back. It’s apparent that this detour was nowhere near equal, as Nicolas & Donald finish in a few minutes with theirs like Ronald & Christina did. Still, all teams are within probably less than half an hour of each other.

The bad luck doesn’t stop there for TK & Rachel. They’re finding it easier to communicate with taxi drivers in India than in Alaska, placing both of the last two teams within about a minute of each other.

They’ll travel 60 miles to a boat launch, take a high speed ride to 20-Mile River, and climb a glacier to get their next clue. Ronald’s immediately afraid of the glacier, but it’s Christina who struggles. He’s made it to the top, but the she’s still there when the other two teams arrive. It’ll be interesting to see who this task actually favors, as there’s no team that appears so overly dominant in this type of physical task.

Christina manages to keep the lead for her team, but they have lost some of their lead. TK makes short work of the glacier, but Rachel’s no slouch either. Donald gets up quickest of the two members of his team, while it’s Nicolas who struggles for them.

Teams must take a helicopter to Merrill Field, and from there they’ll travel by taxi to Goose Lake Park.

The road block is a field of objects they’ve encountered along the race, 15 total. They must choose one from each leg of the race, with a certain number of items they’ve carried to the pitstop, a certain number of animals, etc. The tricky part is that multiple items can fulfill the requirements. It’s a puzzle, with only one right answer. This is potentially a very confusing and stressful task.

Road block (in order of arrival): Christina, Rachel, Nicolas

All three teams are doing the road block at the same time, so the race now is coming down to who finishes the road block first.

Christina gets 9 out of 10 right on her first try. She rearranges them and goes down to 6 out of 10. Then she starts praying. Her third guess is correct.

Rachel gets 7 out of 10. She realizes it’s crucial to stay calm, something the other two don’t seem to get. Her next guess is correct.

Rachel is the first to finish the road block. Christina is next. I don’t think Nicolas has even registered a guess yet.

The next clue is at the statue of Captain James Cook. They’re told to find the salmon hooker (another statue). It’s a footrace, which favors TK & Rachel.

The final pitstop for this race is Girdwood Airport.

And The Amazing Race 12 winners are… TK & Rachel. It’s a good ending for a change. They say their relationship has only gotten stronger as a result of the race, and they believe they’ve proved nice guys can finish first.

Ronald & Christina finish in second place. I do think they have gotten closer during this. Even though it would take a lot more than this to make him change his spots and become a more patient person, it was a good bonding experience for them nonetheless.

Nicolas & Donald arrive at the pitstop in third. Donald’s the oldest person to have ever made it to the final leg of The Amazing Race.

Because of the delayed start to this season (hopefully this has been a lesson to them to not do that again), we unfortunately won’t be seeing The Amazing Race 13 any time soon. However, CBS has confirmed that it’s picked up The Amazing Race 13, presumably for the fall lineup, if not as a summer show. This season’s ratings have been up sharply, a good sign for things to come.

The Amazing Race Asia 2 Episode 9

Terri & Henry were last in The Amazing Race 2 Episode 8, but they survived due to a lame second non-elimination in a row. It’s like David & Mary from The Amazing Race 10. Just put them out of their misery already.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Rovilson & Marc (2:17am)
Second: Adrian & Collin (2:24am)
Third: Ann & Diane (2:40am)
Fourth: Paula & Natasha (3:10am)
Fifth: Vanessa & Pamela (4:17am)
Sixth: Terri & Henry (10:35am)

Teams must travel by train to Prague and find Petrin Hill, where they must climb the 60 meter observation tower and correctly count the 299 steps to the top. The next train is at 4:20am, enough to create some bunching.

Train 1: Rovilson & Marc, Adrian & Collin, Ann & Diane, Paula & Natasha
Train 2: Vanessa & Pamela
Train 3: Terri & Henry

The teams have a new plan to foil Ann & Diane. Refuse to work with them at the intersection.

The next hours of operation are at 9am. More bunching, this time enough for Pamela & Vanessa to catch up. Rather than waiting around aimlessly, Adrian & Collin and Ann & Diane go on Google and figure out how many steps are on the tower. Well played. While this gives Adrian & Collin the lead, though, Rovilson & Marc don’t need the answer beforehand and still place second on this task. Vanessa & Pamela also get it right, followed closely by Ann & Diane. Paula & Natasha, however, guess 311. They get confused the next time on the 52nd step and end up guessing 300. They finally get the right answer after that.

Strelecky Island on the Vltava River is the next destination. It turns out that Adrian & Collin’s foreknowledge of the number of steps did pay off after all. They catch the train before everybody else and are on the island apparently before anybody else leaves for it, though it doesn’t seem like a particularly long distance away.

Once on the island, teams will use a marked row boat to row 140 degrees southeast using the compass provided. A fairly simple task, but it has the potential to confuse some. The rowing could be bad enough, but when the compass is added to it, chaos could ensue. This is another one of those tasks that Rovilson & Marc have absolutely no problem with, while everybody else struggles.

The next clue is located at Prague Castle, the biggest ancient castle in the world. At the castle is the intersection, where each team must team up with another team. Adrian & Collin are first to arrive, and they plan to team up with whoever comes second. Pretty obvious who that will be, and these four together is even more unfair than the rest of the race has been. Shockingly enough, Rovilson & Marc are the next team to arrive.

They will head to the Ice Hockey Arena Letnany in Letnany. Each team member must score one goal from three different points on the rink (no goalie).

As the boys are leaving, Ann & Diane show up. Too bad for them, since Adrian & Collin are the only team particularly willing to actually work with them.

On the cab ride there, Rovilson & Marc tell us about the plan. If Paula & Natasha and Pamela & Vanessa team up, Ann & Diane will have to wait for Terri & Henry, putting them so desperately far behind they have no prayer of catching up any time soon. I didn’t get it before (and it appears to me they’re just realizing it, too), but this is absolutely brilliant strategy considering that point.

Too bad they didn’t think of this earlier. Vanessa & Pamela readily agree to work with Ann & Diane. Generally a very good idea, but given the circumstances, there was much strategy to be had with this. They totally forgot about Terri & Henry (who we haven’t seen this entire episode), and like Marc & Rovilson, they didn’t think about it until the cab ride. While they had discussed the yield with the boys, and the boys have discussed the intersection with Paula & Natasha, nobody filled Vanessa & Pamela in on the plans for what to do in the event of an intersection.

Paula & Natasha know they’re screwed. It’s at this point that we finally figure out just how far behind Terri & Henry are. They’re departing over 8 hours behind the first and second place teams. Even with the hours of operation bunching, we’re still looking at a wait time of at least a few hours. This is the same absolutely hideous planning that we saw in the US version (intersection on the leg after a non-elimination leg is almost certain defeat), with the added complication of the last place team being ridiculously far behind. Paula & Natasha are killing time to the extent that it’s just silly.

The detour is a choice between snap or roll. In snap, teams must find and take photos of three historical monuments and bring them to the statue of Josef Manes for verification. In roll, teams must collect two 50 liter beer kegs from a restaurant and deliver them to Admiral Botel.

Roll: Adrian & Collin and Rovilson & Marc, Ann & Diane and Vanessa & Pamela (after trying snap and being unable to either find anything or work together)
Snap: Paula & Natasha and Terri & Henry

After the detour is over, they are released from the intersection. Rovilson & Marc and Collin & Adrian worked together quite well as expected. All four other teams did okay until they got to the detour, where they failed miserably to be cohesive foursomes. They’ll head to the swimming pool in Prague 4.

The road block is a ten meter dive. That’s it? Yep, just as poorly planned as the US one. This will take no time at all. If there were any question before, it’s clear based on this that Terri & Henry are toast considering their 30 minute penalty. Granted, as little time as this did take, Vanessa says she’s delusional and can’t remember what she’s doing afterward. She doesn’t know what she just did or that they’re going to the pitstop. She was bleeding, so it would seem that the impact has caused some momentary short-term memory loss.

Road block (in order of arrival): Rovilson, Collin, Vanessa, Ann, Henry, Natasha

On the way to the pitstop and in a mad dash for last (only not really since the penalty negates any prayer Terri & Henry may have had), Terri & Henry are unable to get a cab, so they walk away. This very same cab picks up Paula & Natasha. Henry comments, “They just were nice to the guy.” It’s here we find out how long Paula & Natasha are behind the other teams: 5 hours. Terri & Henry’s poor performance has the potential to continue impacting the race, as we’re probably heading to an airport leg. 5 hours could mean nothing in that case, but it could mean an even larger gap. The plane here in the first place is what put Terri & Henry so far behind.

The pitstop for this leg of the race is Vrtbovska Garden in Mala Strana.

First: Rovilson & Marc (win Sony HD Handycam SR7)
Second: Adrian & Collin
Third: Ann & Diane
Fourth: Vanessa & Pamela
Fifth: Paula & Natasha
Sixth: Terri & Henry (eliminated)

It’s about time. I don’t know if it would have been possible for Terri & Henry to actually get any further behind than they were this leg. At least they’re going out in good spirits, though.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Amazing Race Asia 2 episode 10, and don’t forget our live blogs of The Amazing Race 12.

The Biggest Loser 5 Episode 3

Curtis & Mallory, who seemed like one of the stronger teams, were eliminated in The Biggest Loser 5 Episode 2, in what was really a rather bad showing by most people considering it was only the second week.

Paul & Kelly, the other team below the yellow line last week, have an interesting relationship. She left the marriage and wants no part of him. He still wants her back, though, or so we’re hearing from the other contestants.

Jay & Mark and Jackie & Dan openly acknowledge that they’re there to play the game.

Jackie & Dan are The Biggest Loser team of the week. To earn their reward, they must perform the first challenge again, hiking up to the top of the hill. At the top, they must choose between luxury, family, and gameplay as their prize. Jackie’s initial worry was just about surviving, but now she’s focusing on how they can win. Dan thinks they’re due for some luxury. Jackie goes with gameplay because she’s concerned that since they had such good weeks they’re both going to have a target on their back and may hit a wall this week. It’s not extra pounds like she’d hoped. However, it is an extra vote at the next elimination. With only seven votes now available, this gives them a good amount of power. The family choice would have been a visit from the family member of their choice for 24 hours, a lot better than the letters they were expecting. The luxury choice was free massages for them and another team of their choice for the week, potentially very good but also very dangerous.

Neill & Amanda are trying to convince us Neill’s not lazy any more. Jenn’s not buying it.

Ali eats because she has a fear of abandonment. Following her parents’ divorce, she can now use being fat as the excuse for people leaving her. Jillian wants her to confront Bette-Sue about this.

The challenge is a dirty one, in more than one sense. Alison hopes by now they’ve formed friendships and hopefully some alliances. One team member will race through muddy water, grab a medicine ball, race back, and put the ball in another team’s rack. When a team’s rack is full, they’re out of the game. A little early to be playing the pecking order challenge, but it’s normally pretty revealing. One player will run, while the other player will help decide where to put the balls. In addition to all this, the reward will be immunity.

Mark & Jay, concerned people will target them first, start plotting. They go to Ali & Bette-Sue for an alliance, and decide to make it a three-way alliance with Roger & Trent. They want to target Bernie & Brittany. Bernie & Brittany are looking at targetting Mark & Jay, as are Jackie & Dan, and the next target for these two teams is Roger & Trent. These alliances are strange. People are pretty much just joining up with whoever’s standing next to them. Beyond that, they’re being overly vocal about their plans, and it’s no secret what’s going on.

Elimination order:
Jackie & Dan
Neill & Amanda (odd… do people just want Neill gone?)
Mark & Jay (their elimination causes an argument… between each other)
Paul & Kelly
Bette-Sue & Ali
Bernie & Brittany (Maggie chooses she’d rather see Roger & Trent be safe than these two)
Maggie & Jenn

Roger & Trent win the challenge and immunity.

Amanda’s worried that Neill’s personality is getting them in trouble.

Unlike the others, Jackie & Dan don’t want to go back to their room to discuss what happened at the challenge. They’ve decided instead that they’re going to discuss things but will do so on the treadmill.

All the teams are getting more concerned about the black team (mainly Mark because he yelled at his brother). Mark couldn’t care less. He just wants to stay above the yellow line and says he acts obnoxious like that at home, too, so it’s okay. But he apologizes anyway, quite reluctantly. Not that it matters since this meeting that’s supposed to be them getting in everybody’s good graces just blows up into a big argument between everybody.

During the workout, Neill’s warned not to touch the treadmill, or the entire group will be punished by an additional 5 minutes on the treadmill. With less than 10 seconds left, he just can’t resist the temptation, hoping Jillian’s looking at her watch instead of at him. She catches him, and the group is angered that they have to keep going. This is how Neill operates. If he thinks someone’s not looking, he’ll try to take the lazy route. He does it again but doesn’t get caught.

After the workout, Jillian pulls Bette-Sue aside to tell her about what she discussed with Ali. Following their chat, she goes to get Ali and helps the two of them talk and start to get over the past.

Bob hopes this week sucks less worse than last week.

Roger: 331 (-9)
Trent: 388 (-13)
Total: -22 pounds, 2.97%

Jackie: 216 (-7)
Dan: 265 (-12)
Total: -19 pounds, 3.80%

Maggie: 221 (-6)
Jenn: 236 (-4)
Total: -10 pounds, 2.14%

Mark: 249 (-12)
Jay: 268 (-7)
Total: -19 pounds, 3.54%

Bette-Sue: 231 (-8)
Ali: 206 (-6)
Total: -14 pounds, 3.10%

Bernie: 248 (-13)
Brittany: 203 (-7)
Total: -20 pounds, 4.25%

Neill: 292 (-6)
Amanda: 185 (-5)
Total: -11 pounds, 2.25%

Paul: 269 (-14)
Kelly: 248 (-9)
Total: -23 pounds, 4.26%

By .01%, Paul & Kelly are the team of the week. Not so good news for Neill & Amanda or Maggie & Jenn, though, as they are below the yellow line, Maggie & Jenn for the second time. The thing the girls have going for them is that nobody likes Neill, and nobody really sees them as a threat either. Amanda’s very emotional about staying, but Neill can’t muster the same level of concern. At the voting table, he tells one of his jokes that Amanda warned us about, saying she spoke because she can turn on the tears, which draws looks of shock/disgust/nothing good from others.

Votes
Mark & Jay: Neill & Amanda
Bernie & Brittany: Neill & Amanda
Roger & Trent: Neill & Amanda
Jackie: Neill & Amanda

It’s unanimous. People like Amanda, but Neill’s gotta go. We saw this week one as well with Lynn. It doesn’t end there, though. Alison poses the question: if you could vote off one more team, right now, who would it be? Let’s hope this isn’t a lame twist, but we’ll find out the answer next week.

Neill has lost a total of 48 pounds. Amanda, meanwhile, has lost a total of 43 pounds. Despite being half his size, she continues to kick his butt.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Biggest Loser: Couples episode 4, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.

The Celebrity Apprentice Episode 3

For the second week in a row, Donald Trump took out the woman least willing to scream in the boardroom in The Celebrity Apprentice Episode 2 and fired Nadia Comaneci, who didn’t do much of anything last week because Nely Galan wanted her out of the way.

Jennie Finch says she would feel terrible if Nadia went home. Nely Galan breaks down crying before they return.

Jim Kramer is this week’s guest judge. At least I recognize the judge this week.

Gene Simmons as the project manager last week won $20,000 for the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Now he’s got another offer. Trump says it’s optional but that he recommends it. Yeah, right. Optional? Anyway, he wants Gene to be the project manager again, this time for the women instead. Gene accepts. He says he’s a “benevolent dictator.” Omarosa’s not impressed.

This week’s task is a marketing campaign, which will be judged on originality, brand messaging, and profit. So what if the originality and branding suck but the team makes three times as much?

Following in his footsteps last week where the Pedigree guy felt snubbed, Gene doesn’t feel like he should waste his time visiting Kodak either.

Tito Ortiz has been nominated as project manager for Hydra. His team goes to meet the executives, who stress affordable ink.

Nely and Carol Alt are nominated as the two people to go to Kodak from their team. Nely just keeps going on and on and doesn’t actually hear what the executives have to say. They bring this misinformation back to Gene, but he doesn’t care anyway. He says the Kodak execs don’t understand Kodak.

Piers Morgan comes up with a “knockout” deal campaign, featuring Tito and Lennox Lewis. Stephen Baldwin’s in charge of taking the photos. He gets on top of a table and shoots the guys laying down from above. They get off the table… and it goes flying. They have one laptop (and only one laptop) storing all their artwork. Along with the guys going flying, the cup of coffee next to the laptop does, too, thus ruining their previous artwork. They now have to scramble and hope they can get something done at the last minute. Jim Kramer thinks their efforts look like a dumpster.

Gene’s primarily interested in being the king of the women. What he’s actually doing on the task is unclear. I just hope his arm doesn’t get tired from patting himself on the back.

Alec Baldwin is there but not to beat up his little brother. He grabs two printers for $1,000 each. Piers is happy to have a Baldwin people actually know around.

As expected, the Kodak folks are not impressed by the sloppy presentation by Hydra, but they do like their slogan.

Trump wants to know why Gene didn’t go see the executives again. Gene just couldn’t be bothered like last week.

Hydra easily wins because they got exactly what the execs were looking for, and the reason why they got the idea is because they listened to what Kodak had to say.

As the winning project manager, Tito gets $20,000 for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Gene doesn’t believe his team could have done a single thing better. He still believes Kodak is wrong. Omarosa blames Gene refusing to go to the meeting.

Kodak didn’t like that Nely spoke so much and wouldn’t listen. Nely claims she did listen. Carol willingly takes the fall along with her rather than pointing the finger like she should.

Omarosa points out that Gene doesn’t even know the name of the product. She’s right.

Carol very reluctantly answers the question as to who should be fired. Once again, she slams herself, saying it would be either her or Nely. Is this chick giving up or something?

Jennie, Omarosa, and Marilu would fire Gene.

Nely would fire Jennie. Huh?

Gene is given the choice of bringing back two people. He wants to bring back just one. Omarosa. Okay, so Omarosa sucks. But what the hell is up with this? After initially saying bringing back one person is okay, now Trump says he wants a second name. He obviously doesn’t want to fire Gene, but Gene’s not giving him a great deal of choice. Trump indicates very clearly that Nely should be coming back. Trump desperately wants to fire Nely (he had his chance last week). So who does Gene choose? Jennie. This guy’s got some serious problems.

Trump reiterates that he can’t fire either Omarosa or Jennie because they didn’t do anything wrong. And Gene is fired. Well deserved. Putz. I considered him one of the favorites to win the last two weeks, too, but his ego’s just not big enough to fit in the same room with Trump’s.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Celebrity Apprentice Episode 4, which airs Thursday at 9/8c on NBC.

Nashville Star to NBC

Nashville Star will be returning after all, this time on NBC, reports Variety. USA Network had previously declined to bring the show back. However, NBC’s Ben Silverman (also one of the show’s executive producers) has seen to it that the show does come back.

Casting will begin next month, with the show airing in the summer. A new host and judges are expected to be named later this year. Duets and groups will be eligible to compete, and the age limit is now 16 and up.

American Idol 7 Episode 2

Last night, American Idol 7 Episode 1 kicked things off in typical tradition. While some were quick to point out that the premiere’s ratings were down some from last year, it still beat the competition hands down and was the year’s most watched show. In addition to the typical really bad auditions and blatant attention seekers, we also saw some talent. Early strong performers included single mom Angela Martin, cagefighting country girl Kristy Lee Cook, and hoping to sell a lot of records after he dies Chris Watson.

Tonight we head to Dallas, TX for the first time since season 1 (Kelly Clarkson, who they largely ignored for weeks) for another two hour episode.

Stay-at-home mom of two and ex-drug addict Jessica Brown is up first. She sings I’ll Stand By You by The Pretenders (or at least the Carrie Underwood version). Another country singer with good potential.

It’s pretty obvious that park attendant Paul Stafford is going to fail miserably, but let’s watch him anyway. He sings (for lack of a better word) Elliot Yamin’s Baby I Will Wait for You. He hasn’t sung that in public before. Might want to keep that going. Nice guy, though.

Beth Maddocks believes she’s Kelly Clarkson. With that in mind, she sings Beautiful Disaster by Kelly Clarkson. Disaster is certainly appropriate.

Country singer Alaina Whitaker says she gets compared to Carrie Underwood (but likes to think that Carrie Underwood looks like her). She sings Stronger by Faith Hill. Simon likes her but doesn’t think she’s as good as she thinks she is, to which she responds, “Shoot.” I didn’t get any kind of negative vibe from her myself, but regardless, she’s easily through to the next round.

Bruce Dickson has promised his father he will only have one mate. Not even kissing’s allowed. He sings Ain’t No Sunshine. The judges are concerned that he’s got a good voice but may not be worth listening to on the radio. Randy and Paula say he’s not ready yet. Randy’s advice is to kiss some girls. Good potential, though.

Pia Easley tells us she’s a model. I’ll take her word for that. Different. Unique. Not sure how far she’ll go, but she’s good enough to go through.

Brandon Green collects fingernails. Seacrest is sufficiently grossed out. He doesn’t want to be like Britney Spears or Paris Hilton. He sings Rich Girl by Hall & Oates. Simon says he’s forgettable. Randy and Paula have useful comments for him and let him through. It would have been silly if this guy didn’t make it to Hollywood.

A very nervous but overly happy Kayla Dawn Hatfield has a story about a car wreck that her family thought she’d died in. Simon wants to be her for one hour a day. Interesting voice and a nice person, but not quite cut out for this. Maybe if she gets her nerves under control. Paula says no, but the other two say yes.

Katie Malloy’s the last audition of the first day. She does an impression of Britney Spears singing, and she does it quite well. Her potential problem is getting past the impersonations, but when she sings one of Simon’s favorite songs (Unchained Melody) in her own style, she blows them away. Simon says he thinks she’s the best one they’ve seen yet.

Douglas Davidson tells us his father hates him. When he’s done, Simon’s “What the bloody Hell was that?” says it all. And yet they give him a chance to sing a second song, something they don’t do for a lot of singers who are borderline. Simon doesn’t want to hear any more of this stupidity. So after that, he goes on for two more minutes until security escorts him out to “take him to a safe place.”

Angela Riley-? (she goes on about her husband but doesn’t give her married name). Her husband Chad suggests she sing Baby Love. Good energy. And. Well. Not much more than that. Chad likes it, though, and Simon says love is deaf. Like Douglas, she’s given the chance to sing yet another song despite having no prayer.

Kyle Ensley hopes to become governor. Oh, and he apparently may want to be the next American Idol. He sings Somebody to Love. Better than expected but still not good enough. Simon says yes, and Paula agrees with him after much convincing.

A rather emotionless Tammy Tuzinski says Celine Dion is her idol and sings The Power of Love, or If You Asked Me To… she’s not sure which. Not that it much matters either way. She knows it’s a no.

Colton Swan plays guitar, drums, and base. He sings Boondocks by Big Town. Paula cautions against getting lost in his performance, Simon says it’s just okay, and Randy’s somewhere in the middle. He gets a yes from all three.

Drew Poppelreiter is a farmer who’s looking to leave the farm. We already did this story before with the cowboy who sang to his turkey. He sings George Strait’s Check Yes or No. Worth at least going forward to the next round. Simon says no. Randy says yes. Paula doesn’t feel any wow factor but says yes.

Kyle believes he’s a rocker. He sings Kelly Clarkson’s Never Again. He’s got the look down, one which Simon thinks is slightly demonic. Paula’s afraid, too. Not necessarily a bad singer, but he’s not going through.

Nina Shaw is from Kelly Clarkson’s hometown of Burleson, TX. Not much chance of her living up to Kelly, but she’s got a decent voice. Simon considers her old fashioned and cabaret, and he says no. Randy says yes, and as we’ve seen quite a bit tonight, Paula agrees with him, outvoting Simon 2-1.

The last audition of the night is a disaster waiting to happen. Renaldo Lapuz sings an original composition, We’re Brothers Forever, and beyond that, he worships Simon. Joining in the act are Randy and Ryan Seacrest, and Paula joins in with some dancing and sign language. Then Simon gives him a hug. Wow. This is the strangest audition of the night.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of American Idol 7 episode 3, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on Fox.

American Idol 7 Episode 1

It’s that time of the year again, when everybody gathers around the TV and watches the same show. All the while shaking their heads, saying “This is stupid,” yet refusing to change the channel. There’s no trainwreck like an Idol trainwreck. Who’s with me for two hours of primarily really bad singers, which may or may not feature one or two people with some hint of talent?

We start off in Philadelphia, and the crowds are bigger than ever (and probably less talented).

Joey Catalano, having dropped 200 pounds, has an improved outlook on life. He sings Maroon 5, Sunday Morning. He’s not the next Idol, but he’s got a good voice. As expected, Simon’s concern is image. Regardless, he gets a unanimous ticket to Hollywood.

Next up is a guy named Yuka (just going with his nickname because I have no clue how to spell his actual name) from Egypt. He loves American music and wants to love a girl from the hair to the nipple. The first thing the judges have to do is figure out his name. They can’t. He considers American music to be the Bee Gees. Bomb of an audition. Shocker.

Melanie Nyema was a backup singer for Taylor Hicks. She sounds better than Taylor, but I’m not expecting much. At least steal some of his dance moves.

Tour guide James Lewis says his voice is unique, new, and different. Uh oh. He sings Go Down Moses, in a really, really deep voice. Not sexy deep. Just weird deep. There’s snorting coming from the judges. He plans to return next year and try again with more contemporary songs. Yeah, because song selection was the problem here.

Junot Joyner doesn’t get a backstory, but he has a great voice. He gets through to Hollywood. Jonathan Baines has similar success.

16-year-old middle linebacker Temptress Brown is up next. She’s going to break Seacrest’s bones if he makes her mad enough. I say go for it. She says she’s doing this for her mother, who’s in a wheelchair and has various other health problems from being severely overweight. After this build up, they yank the rug from under her. She’s not even close to getting through. The judges escort her out in an emotional exit.

Mark Hayes does an impression of crickets chirping before his audition. It’s not long before we hear that sound again following his audition.

We’re getting a dose of Udi. He believes he can dance like MC Hammer and sing like Barry Manilow or Frank Sinatra. He’s doing it his way, opening with the line “And now the end is near.” Simon says he’s nuts, tuneless, and slightly disturbing.

Alexis Cohen marches to the beat of a different drummer. A drummer on drugs. The wacky look isn’t too over the top, but the personality is out there. Simon says her performance is all a bit possessed. They suggest a 60’s cover band. Compared to some of the people, she’s actually not that bad. She says Simon’s a “big fat bad word.” This doesn’t last long because she knows that if you flip out, give the bird, and swear a lot, you’ll get on TV for sure. Then she gives a performance, obviously trying to get a part as an extra on a horror movie. Not hiding her true intention, she says she’s going to be an actress. Seriously, why do they give these people who quite clearly are there for camera time all this attention?

Single mom Angela Martin is there for her daughter, who has Rett Syndrome, and she wants to see her walk and talk when she grows up. Her large family is there to support her. She sings Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and she sings it quite well. Simon wants her to lose some of her bad habits from her band, but she’s definitely going through. Based on her voice, story, looks, and attitude, I think it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing quite a bit of Angela.

Alyse tries to deafen the judges. Teresa as well has seen too many past Idol seasons where screaming girls went far, as has Brandi.

Milo Turk, who’s well over the maximum age, has a public service announcement. The name of his song is No Sex Allowed. Don’t worry, dude. No chance of that happening for you anyway. In Britain, they call it creepy. They call it that here, too.

Kristy Lee Cook lives in her family home (a log cabin), kickboxes, and cagefights (but not with Jell-O). She sold one of her horses to pay her way to Philly. She sings Amazing Grace. This is yet another person with the potential to go far. Once again the total package. Plus she’s got three names.

What does Ben have under his cloak? It’s an outfit that shows more skin than we care to see. Paula’s biggest concern, though, is his chest hair. If he waxes it, he can come back. Why? Just… why?

Paul Marturano wrote a love song for Paula Abdul. Something about stalking and cross dressing. Get a restraining order, Paula. Simon has security escort him out. Paula says it was nice meeting him.

Stay-at-home mom Beth Stalker (nice segue) is next. She sings Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered. Nice older sounding voice. Simon says no because he doesn’t think she’ll stand out (he’s right, but she’s still good enough to go to the next round), but the other two let her go through.

Ben’s back, having fully waxed his upper body. He sings Don’t Cha, or at least the first few words, until Simon kicks him out.

Chris Watson wants to sell a lot of records after he dies. That doesn’t help Simon any. He sings Follow Me by Uncle Cracker. Another one to watch as the season progresses.

Christina Tolisano is obsessed with Star Wars (to the point of wanting to name her kids based on the Star Wars universe) and believes that will buy her a free pass through to the next round. She sings Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me. Paula stops her at the ear piercing part. She takes the rejection as a judgment against the way she looks.

Nanny Brooke White doesn’t watch R-rated movies, drink, or smoke. She sings Like a Star. Very sweet, likeable person with a good voice. Simon hopes to bring her over to the dark side.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of American Idol 7 episode 2, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.