Big Brother 14 Episode 3

In spite of his claims to be playing his own game and not that of his coach, Willie fell in line behind the blonde alliance in Big Brother 14 Episode 2 and betrayed his new ally Frank to nominate him alongside Kara.

Willie says he doesn’t intend to get Frank out of this game. Rather, he intends to get Boogie out of this house. I’m not sure you can separate the two, but in any event, Big Brother has a simple rule. If you don’t want somebody to be eliminated, don’t nominate them.

Ian reveals his talent. He can kick himself in his face. That could come in handy.

Willie chooses Danielle at random to play in the veto, Kara selects Shane, and Frank picks Wil. Shane gives false hope to both the nominees.

On day 6, Boogie goes to talk to Britney. Her response to him: nice to meet you. This talk leaves her discussing how much he sucks at this game. Coming from the girl who got duped by an alliance of clowns. Realizing this hasn’t worked, Boogie approaches Janelle to toss Dan under the bus, which she in turn tells Dan. Dan’s worried about Boogie now, rightfully so, but already a man downn, he’s going to need to find some alternate way through this game if it’s not with Boogie.

Their veto task is to gather $1.30 by slipping and sliding through the backyard laundromat and successfully tossing the large coins they find. Some of them are wasting their time on nickels, but Willie and Frank just focus on finding quarters. Not that half of them can throw anyway. Frank uncovers a stack of dollar coins, but he fails to land any of them. Willie finds this secret stash of coins, which allows him to get into the game with $1.05. Frank finally completes a dollar toss to put him at $1.25, tied with Shane. The difference is Shane’s not missing any of his throws, so he ends up winning.

Coach Britney tells Shane he can’t use the veto. But he tells us it’s an individual game. I can’t argue with the logic that she doesn’t want it to be war (not that it isn’t already), but I’ve heard the individual game argument before, which I’m not buying. At least for now, it’s a team game, guided largely by the coaches.

Unsurprisingly, Shane decides not to use the veto. Frank hopes to convince people that he’s a gamer, who deserves to be kept around for that fact. Dan plans to save his player who seems content flying under the radar.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Big Brother 14 Episode 4, which airs Sunday at 9/8c on CBS.

America’s Got Talent Season 7 Episode 18

Tim Hockenberry, Turf, Tom Cotter, and Donovan & Rebecca joined the other acts to advance in America’s Got Talent Season 7 Episode 17. Tonight 12 more acts perform for America’s votes: The Untouchables, Rock Star Juggler Mike Price, Inspire the Fire, Cristin Sandu, Elusive, Jake Wesley Rogers, All Wheel Sports, Wordspit and the Illest!, Jacob Williams, All Beef Patty, Spencer Horsman, and Lightwire Theater.

The Untouchables, choreographed by Miami All Stars, have some high expectations to live up to after last year. Howard is inspired by the level they are dancing at, for their age. Though they are good, their potential issue is they’re not young enough to get by on cuteness and not old enough to get by on experience.

Rock Star Juggler Mike Price tells us he could go years without dropping on stage (again). His act for this evening is juggling knives and torches on a unicycle. He does this fine, but when he gets on land, he drops. Piers would have buzzed. Sharon’s unconvinced. Howard expects to be saying goodbye.

Inspire the Fire is a singing/dancing crew that would be better off picking one or the other (or perhaps neither). An honest Howie tells them this is not a $1 million act… it’s a $125 act.

Cristin Sandu is from a long line of circus performers. His balancing act, which I’m not sure how much different it is from the last two times, falls apart after a short time. Unfortunate because this could have been impressive, but instead it just continues the slow crawl of talent tonight.

Elusive dances to James Brown, and he shows his strength with stunts like climbing the steps on his hands. Howie would like to see him make it so he can have a dance off against Turf. As much as Sharon may like him, she’s seen his moves before.

Jake Wesley Rogers is a singer and musician who Howard doesn’t remember liking the first time. I’m not sure this lesser known Britney song is helping him any. Howard doesn’t think anybody likes Toxic, including Jake and Britney Spears.

All Wheel Sports is a group of skaters, bikers, scooters, and even dancers and trampolines. Each of these elements may potentially be great on its own, but combined it just all seems unfocused, leaving me (and the cameras) unsure where to look. The judges say this was fantastic, especially live, but they realize this drawback.

Wordspit and the Illest! is Howie’s favorite group, but he hates their choice to do an original song, which let’s face it was not very good. Sharon agrees with him, but Howard loves it. From time to time doing an original pays off (like Joe Moore’s recent finals performance on Australia’s Got Talent or Ryan O’Shaughnessy on Britain’s Got Talent), but the song actually has to be good.

Jacob Williams seems to be the shyest and dryest comedian ever, but it works. Howie says he’s the best act of the night. I’m not sure that’s a compliment considering what we’ve seen so far (are we really up to the ninth act?), but I think he could hold his own regardless.

All Beef Patty is a drag act that continues tonight’s theme of bad performances.

Spencer Horsman suspends himself above a bunch of spikes while in a steel straight jacket and locked inside a bank vault bag. The judges were not impressed because they could not see him perform his escape.

Lightwire Theater combine their love of ballet with lights. Finally an act that’s going somewhere.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 7 Episode 19, which airs Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC.

Big Brother 14 Episode 2

After her team won the first challenge in Big Brother 14 Episode 1, Britney made Russell’s brother Willie the first HOH.

Boogie would like to partner with Dan, who during his winning season played similarly to Dr. Will. If two coaches can get together and promise safety to each other’s members, that’s half the house that’s not gunning for them. To counter this, Janelle and Britney want to work together, the least scary alliance ever, though their teams have the numbers to make it happen, which could potentially be 6-4 after this week.

Ian’s a Big Brother superfan. He’s been watching the show since he was 10 when Chilltown won the first time. He wants to know everything about the house and everybody in it, which is starting to creep people out.

Willie reveals a secret to his team and Janelle. He’s Russell’s brother. Shocking.

Not content with his 6 person alliance, Willie reaches across to the other side, making a deal with Frank.

The coaches will participate in a competition each week, which will allow the winner to grant immunity to one of their players and determine the have nots for the week.

Their first competition for the week is for them to race in the Big Brother derby until they can catch the horse in front of them on the slippery track. Boogie and Britney go first, and Boogie wins. Then Dan and Janelle go next, but Dan doesn’t want to have to choose between his only two contestants, so he plans to throw the competition. This leaves Janelle to win this round like she usually wins, by default. In the final round, Boogie beats Janelle to win the challenge.

Following his victory, Boogie grants immunity to Ian, the person on his team who’s probably the most in danger because he’s making people a little nervous. Though Boogie probably would prefer Frank to survive, Frank told him he feels totally secure.

The bad news is now that each coach must pick a have not from their team for the week. Britney chooses Shane, Dan chooses Danielle, Janelle chooses Ashley, and Boogie chooses Ian. Always the curious one, Ian quickly goes inside to get his first taste of slop. He doesn’t mind it, and he also says he’s passed out on bathroom floors in school, making the sleeping arrangements not scary to him either.

Britney and Janelle want Dan and Boogie to fight, which would mean Willie has to nominate the two people they don’t want to lose, Kara and Frank. The problem is Willie has a deal with one of them.

Chef Joe is cooking up a storm, perhaps too much. If he’s not careful and goes through all the food too quickly, they could all be on slop. This may not be Survivor where eating two cherries gets you booted, but food can very much influence people’s behavior.

Nominations
Ian is safe.
Jojo is safe.
Shane is safe.
Wil is safe.
Danielle is safe.
Ashley is safe.
Jenn is safe.
Joe is safe.

Frank and Kara have been nominated for eviction, as the coaches suggested. Nobody twisted Willie’s arm to make that alliance, which he has now thrown out in a matter of days. He wanted to decrease the size of the target on himself, and now he just made it bigger, if that’s possible.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Big Brother 14 Episode 3, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.

Jennifer Lopez Quits American Idol

In case you needed any more evidence that the American Idol judging panel for the past couple years is composed of people incapable of forming an original thought, now they’re even quitting in pairs. Yesterday, Steven Tyler quit American Idol. Today, Jennifer Lopez follows suit.

It was first rumored that J Lo was considering leaving the show shortly after the season ended. In a conversation with Ryan Seacrest, she confirmed her plans to leave to focus on her children and a tour with Enrique Iglesias (apparently, she still fancies herself a singer).

As with yesterday, my response is good riddance. The terrible judges killed the show, even if they were, in some respects, getting better during their second season (blatantly absurd favoritism of Joshua and Jessica notwithstanding).

My hope for next year: pick some actual judges. Key word: judge. I don’t want just a pair of legs or a guy who makes highly inappropriate comments to fathers of 16 year old girls. These singers need real guidance, not a bunch of yes men.

Big Brother 14 Episode 1

Finally something other than America’s Got Talent to watch, even if it is a rigged show that has me asking every year why I watch it (seasons 2-5 were pretty good, though). Unless you count The Glass House, but since it’s DOA and will be lucky to survive its full 10 episode run, I’m not sure anyone does.

The previously announced 12 member Big Brother 14 cast introduced the third Hantz family member Willie. In addition to those 12, there will be four returning cast members who will be playing their own game for their own prize. The producers told us they would be among the best players ever. Kiss of death. Disappointment and annoyance ensues. We all know they’re going to grab whatever yahoo is desperate enough to return, with a good likelihood that they suck.

I was hoping they gave up on the season 6 idiots that ruined two seasons, but here we go again for part three. Janelle Pierzina, an emotion driven non-strategist who is the worst player to ever stumble her way into the top three twice, is the first returning cast member. At least Howie and Kaysar won’t be back again, though I wouldn’t mind seeing James. She will be joined by Dan Gheesling, who won Big Brother 10 by a unanimous vote. The third returning cast member is Britney Haynes. Apparently, she placed 4th in season 12, just 2 years ago. Yeah, I had to look her up. Still don’t remember who she is. She’s 20-something and blonde if it helps. Lastly, Mike “Boogie” Malin, who was eliminated fairly early in season 2 but redeemed himself with a victory in All Stars. Boogie without Dr. Will? I’m not overly enthused. Granted, he’s a more entertaining prospect than either Janelle or Britney, both of whom land with a big thud on the Big Brother alumni scale.

Wil (with 1 l… really?) lets his sexuality be known in record time. Willie sounds and looks like his brother, which is not lost on Ian, and he plans to play a similar game as Russell did on Survivor. Personal chef Joe is likely to get far just based on his cooking skills. Danielle pretends she’s a kindergarten teacher rather than a nurse. I don’t get the advantage. It’s not like she’s a federal agent or something. Ashley, the cute bubbly blonde, likes nerds, which should bode well for Ian despite him not being in her league or the same sport for that matter.

The returning cast members will be coaches. Wait. What? Are these people so dumb that they need coaches? Especially these coaches? Please don’t tell me this means that all four of them will stick around all season. Surely they need to earn their keep.

Each coach will pick three houseguests. If one of their picks is the winner, that coach will receive $100,000.

Boogie, who evicted the girl his buddy was stringing along (Janelle), sees potential for some conflict with her.

Like Brandon, Willie is pretending he’s not related to Russell. He may not have a tattoo that says Hantz that he has to cover by wearing a shirt all the time in 100 degree weather, but the resemblance just makes it too obvious. Boogie’s not interested in picking him, but he seems like Dan’s kind of player, though picking him is a risk because he’s an easy target.

There are only 11 keys to be handed out. One person will be leaving tonight.

Each coach will now select their teams.

Britney: Shane, Willie, Jojo
Mike: Frank, Ian, Jen
Janelle: Wil, Ashley, Joe
Dan: Kara, Danielle, Jodi

After they get dressed in their pajamas, it’s time for their first competition of the summer. The coach of the winning team will pick the first HOH, while the losing team’s coach must eliminate somebody. Their task is to hop across spinning and shaking mattresses, grab a bear, and get back without falling.

Britney, Janelle, and Boogie’s teams score a point. Britney’s team then takes the 2-1 lead. Dan’s team finally gets on the board. Boogie’s team scores 2. Janelle’s team makes it a three way tie for the lead. Britney’s team wins. After 20 minutes, the coaches are allowed to make a substitution. This allows Boogie’s team and then Janelle’s team to get through the course. It does not do Dan any good, though, as his strategy of picking all women seems to have backfired.

Britney crowns Willie as the first Head of Household of the summer. She knows he’s vulnerable and hopes he can make some deals to keep himself safe going forward.

Because his team lost, Dan must now eliminate somebody. The result here is pretty obvious. Jodi, the last pick who he was stuck with by default, has been eliminated.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Big Brother 14 Episode 2, which airs Sunday at 8/7c on CBS.

Steven Tyler Quits American Idol

It’s been rumored for some time that Jennifer Lopez will be quitting American Idol (I’m still waiting…), but Steven Tyler got the jump on her.

“After some long … hard … thoughts … I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit,” TMZ reports.

Tyler continued, “I strayed from my first love, AEROSMITH, and I’m back – but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I’ve got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open with my band. The next few years are going to be dedicated to kicking some serious ass – the ultimate in auditory takeover.”

Good riddance. Steve Tyler may have had the name and the star power, but he was a worse judge than Ellen. Hopefully his replacement is a real judge, not somebody who just calls everything beautiful.

America’s Got Talent Season 7 Episode 17

Another dull start in America’s Got Talent Season 7 Episode 16 was eventually offset by some actually good acts. Tonight 4 more will advance to the next round.

Unlike last week when Howard influenced the results to his liking (I don’t think it’s a coincidence that all four acts that advanced were ones he picked), this week he declines to make a prediction.

Tim Hockenberry and Turf are up first. They both advance in the least convincing fake out of the season. What this does is reduce us to only one more result in the next 40 minutes. This is the reason why the results shows in Britain and Canada are only half an hour long.

Lisa Clark Dancers, The All Ways, Aurora Light Painters, and Big Barry are next. I don’t see any of these acts advancing, without even considering there are still more acts left to get results and only one more that will make it before the judges make their decision. That was even worse than the first fake out.

Tom Cotter, LionDanceMe, and Hawley Magic are the next group. The magic act is interesting enough, but no way they take out the comedian. Tom Cotter moves to the next round.

The last remaining acts are Ben Blaque, Donovan & Rebecca, and Danielle Stallings. Danielle seemed like the clear boot of the three, but Ben Blaque is out. In either scenario, Donovan & Rebecca were going to get the judges’ votes. Howard votes for Donovan & Rebecca. Sharon votes for Danielle. Howie makes it 2 votes for Donovan & Rebecca.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 7 Episode 18, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.

America’s Got Talent Season 7 Episode 16

The first four acts survived America’s votes in America’s Got Talent Season 7 Episode 15. Tonight the next group of 12 semifinalists perform: LionDanceMe, Turf, The All Ways, Hawley Magic, Lisa Clark Dancers, Aurora Light Painters, Danielle Stallings, Donovan & Rebecca, Big Barry, Tom Cotter, Ben Blaque, and Tim Hockenberry.

LionDanceMe is what it sounds like, a group of people dancing/jumping while dressed like lions. I guess it’s moderately entertaining for a festival or something, but I don’t get it in this setting. The judges grow tired of the same thing every week. Howie takes it a step further and says he’s bored.

Turf has been living in Vegas since boot camp, and he says he enjoys street dancing there better than San Francisco. Howie gives him a standing ovation because he thinks he wants it more than anybody else. Sharon would like to see more dance with the contortion. Howard agrees.

The All Ways is a boy band lost in the 80s. They try their hand at a poppier rock song, Lady GaGa’s Telephone. I don’t get it. Howie would rather see them as a rock band, not whatever that was. Howard tells them they can’t have it all ways. Sharon wants less screaming.

Hawley Magic are living in their parents’ basement as they struggle to make a living being illusionists. Their act for tonight is for her to balance on a sword that goes through her. Decent I suppose. The judges enjoyed that, with reservations, suggesting they are too old school.

Lisa Clark Dancers fuze jazz, contemporary, and tap. I don’t know what to make of that either. Howie buzzes. He was waiting for something that didn’t arrive. Sharon didn’t like it either, but she blames the choreographer. Howard thinks they’re being rough, though he considers them out of their league.

Aurora Light Painters do their art in the dark. Howard buzzes, and we hear some booing. Howie doesn’t know why they voted them through. Sharon was against bringing them back, and she still thinks it’s not good enough yet.

Danielle Stallings was quickly skipped past earlier in the season, but she proves to be a decent singer. Howard has decided she is memorable, which he didn’t think before. Howie’s so bored he’s surfing the web, but he pauses from Twitter to say Danielle’s one of the rare bright spots so far tonight.

Donovan & Rebecca are a powerful aerial duo who are no strangers to the Got Talent stage. Sharon respects that they do something different every time. Howard enjoyed what they did, but he’d be more impressed if she were to lift him again.

I think we can safely move past Big Barry with no comment. As much as Howard wishes to argue with Howie about how stupid it is for Big Barry to be in this competition, the fact is Howard was the second yes vote that allowed him to get past the auditions in the first place.

Comedian Tom Cotter spends his 90 seconds making fun of the English language. It’s funny because it’s true. Howard calls him the man to beat. Sharon wants him to be in the finals. Resident comic Howie agrees.

Ben Blaque returns with a crossbow. Or 4. He places balloons around his assistant and fires all the crossbows at once. Howard thinks America will put him through, and finally the night is getting started.

Tim Hockenberry has been labeled Joe Cocker, Jr., which is working for him. So tonight he hopes to shake that image some. This pleases Howie, who now thinks he could win. His biggest supporter Howard, however, was disappointed.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 7 Episode 17, which airs Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC.