The X Factor 210 Review - Teen Titans

Well... we all have to wait until next week to find out who has made it into The X Factor's Top 16.

Fortunately, we were held over with a whole bunch of talent from the Old Geezers and Teens categories. Sure, there were a couple of misses here and there, but like I've said many times already this season, there just seems to be much more talent this year than in 2011.

Let's take a look at who is in good shape to make it through to the live shows, and who might be in danger of heading home. Remember only four can make it through from each category...

Old Geezers

1. David Correy: While I still think The X Factor isn't as good of a strategy for finding his birth mom as actually going somewhere to find her, I still love this guy. That was a fantastic audition. He has the extra factor, AND a great voice. Loved him. Bieber's manager said it was pure passion.

To read the rest of my review of last night's The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The X Factor 209 Review - Oh The Drama

The X Factor announced its Top 21 this week, put us through some incredibly fake drama before revealing the true Top 24, continued with more faux anger when L.A. Reid was given the Over 25s... and finally concluded with some singing on Wednesday!

This year's categories are different from last season. We have the Young Adults (roughly 18-24), the Over 25s (what I will affectionately refer to as the Old Geezers from here on out), the Groups, and the Teens (17 and under).

Who made it through? Who got the cut?

Young Adults
Cece Frey
Willie Jones
Jennel Garcia
Nick Youngerman - Who?
Paige Thomas
Jillian Jensen - She broke Demi's heart.

To read the rest of my review of Wednesday's The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The X Factor 208 Review - Don't Forget the Lyrics

They are just racing through these eliminations on The X Factor, as Thursday's Boot Camp Battles seemed to be the final test before cutting the 60 remaining contestants down to 24 for the judges' houses.

Other than speed and efficiency, this season of The X Factor also seems to be doing a much better job at finding talent...or at least showcasing it. There was a wealth of it on display tonight, so let's recap what all went down with The Good, The Bad, and The Judges...

The Good

Tara Simon vs. Jennel Garcia: Both sounded good, but Simon hated the song choice of "Landslide" because it was too mellow. It's really not fair to some that another contestant can bully them into a song, but that's how the game is being played, and life isn't always fair.  Even though Jennel wasn't comfortable with the performance, I think she has done enough to make it to the next round.

Carly Rose Sonenclar vs. Beatrice Miller: I don't remember seeing Beatrice before but she started "Pumped Up Kicks" with a nice tone. Yikes, when Carly jumped in though, the game was completely changed. For a 13 year-old girl, she has such great tone, power, and style.

To read the rest of my review of this past Thursday's The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The X Factor 207 Review - The Whitney-Off

For weeks now, The X Factor has been improving on not only its own mistakes from last season, but also the bad habits that American Idol has developed over the years. That didn't change this week, as the first night of Boot Camp was short and sweet - and nobody got hurt.

Well... the 60 or so contestants who were eliminated were certainly hurt, but because The X Factor decided to just show us some of the highlights, some of the train wrecks, and then get to the first round of cuts, the viewers at home were left unscathed by the boring middle rounds that these singing shows have forced on us year after year.

Boot Camp started with around 120 contestants. We are already down to half that amount, and it will end with just 24 hopeful acts. Let's take a look at who impressed us, and who had us looking away with The Good, The Bad, and The Judges...

The Good

Diamond White: She is just a complete professional. She was so girly and friendly while talking, but as soon as that music started it was go time! She put a nice little spin on "I Have Nothing," which is a song that everyone says you shouldn't sing.

To read the rest of my review of last night's The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The X Factor 206 Review - Time For Boot Camp

The auditions are finally over, and if I haven't commended The X Factor enough on its second season already, I have to admit that this was the perfect length of audition episodes.

We saw a few more quality contestants, we witnessed a couple more train wrecks, and the judges got in a few more digs on Thursday night's audition finale. Now it's off to Boot Camp, but first let's relive the final X Factor auditions of 2012 with The Good, The Bad, and The Judges...

The Good

Owen Stuart: While I would put Owen's silly puppy love idea to try out for The X Factor in order to reunite with his girlfriend into the Bad section of this post, his performance definitely belongs in the Good. Honestly, has he not heard of an airplane? Or maybe a Google Hangout? Luckily for Owen, he was great with "Airplanes." His flow was some of the best I've seen on one of these competitions, and he has a singing voice to boot!

To read the rest of my review of last night's The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The X Factor 205 Review - We Have a Winner?

In the final week of auditions, The X Factor showed America a ton of young hopefuls, a contestant passing out and the first singer to impress enough that I am calling him the Season 2 champion. Yes, already. Let's recap who we saw perform on Wednesday night, both The Good and The Bad...

The Good

Dinah Jane Hansen: She lives with 20 people in a four room house, or at least that's what she told the judges. Her performance of "If I were a Boy" started out a bit shaky with the whisper, but once things got going she was pretty darn good.

Arin Ray: You may remember Arin from last season when he made it through the first few rounds, but was then place on the Frankengroup called inTENsity. I hated inTENsity, but vaguely remember Arin being one of the only few bright spots. Even if he was good last year, the kid was MUCH better this time around. He sang an original, and it's difficult to explain why it was so good. Maybe it's confidence, maybe it's just an "x factor," but Arin killed it. He was one of the only people on any of these singing competitions to do that talking bit before the track, and actually have it sound professional. He sounded official, and that is definitely a good thing.

To read the rest of my review of last night's The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The X Factor 204 Review - Turn The Lights Down Low

Apparently The X Factor wasted all of its talent on Wednesday night - because during Thursday's hour of auditions, we saw only two quality performers. In fact, we only saw four serious performances total.

Somebody from Greensboro might make it all the way to the end and win this thing, so it's still important to take stock of what went down in Gate City. As we do, let's take a look at The Good, The Bad, and The Judges...

The Good

Kalvin McManigle: Yes, I know this was an absolute joke of an audition, but it was one the few disasters that actually got me to smile. Old Man River forgetting the name of his song, and then mumbling his way through it, was quite humorous.

Julia Bullock: One of the two decently talented performers from this entire episode, Julia was most interesting because she was ditching her bandmates, which included her ex-boyfriend. I don't understand why she left him. Did she not see his super cool earring? Julia's rendition of "Pumped Up Kicks" was pretty solid. I'm falling out of my chair for it, but she was good.

To read the rest of my review of last night's The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The X Factor 203 Review - Oops, They Did It Again

Whether it was the surprising wealth of talent, the lack of an onslaught of freak shows, or Demi and Britney continuing to prove the Powers That Be knew exactly what they were doing in hiring such charming new judges, The X Factor did it again.

It's still early, and things could change in a few weeks with Boot Camp or the live shows, but season two has been a breath of fresh air. I mean, honestly, there may have been more talent in this one episode than all of last season. With that in mind, let's take a look at The Good, The Bad, and The Judges.

The Good

CeCe Frey: Unlike the last time they showed a contestant doing dirty work back stage, CeCe actually made a splash once she got on stage. Her "Unchained Melody" didn't impress the judges, although it didn't sound nearly as horrible as they made it seem. After being asked to pick a different song, CeCe wowed everyone with her rendition of "Ain't No Other Man." It was definitely better, but the shock factor was played up a bit too much, because you could tell she had a good voice from the first song. It was just a bit too big for her.

To read the rest of my review of last night's The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The X Factor 202 Review - I Love You Britney

I figured out why The X Factor and other singing competition shows usually spend two hours showing us auditions: because when an episode is only one hour, nothing really happens. At least that was the case on tonight's back half of The X Factor’s season two premiere.

There were a couple of nice moments, a few awful auditions and one extremely scary contestant, but it all seemed to go by extremely quickly. Let's take a look at what happened with The Good, The Bad and The Judges...

The Good

Jason Brock: This "nerd herder" was so excited to be on stage that he became quite the little chatter box in front of the judges, bringing us all in on his plans for the perfect concert. To be honest, I'm glad he didn't do the glitter explosion right then and there, but once he started singing the jokes ended. He was great. His voice showed strength and range.  He may have enjoyed the runs a bit too much, but his "New York State of Mind" was pretty darn good.

To read the rest of my review of last night's The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The X Factor 201 Review - New Judges Rule

I was really hard on The X Factor in its first season, mostly because it was a much more overproduced and less talented version of American Idol. Those two issues will need time to receive a full assessment, but after one night the addition of a pair of great judges made for a winning season opener.

After trips to Austin, San Francisco and Providence, Simon, LA, Britney and Demi saw a lot of talented singers, and as always, some that were anything but. Let's take a look at The Good, The Bad and The Judges.

The Good

Paige Thomas: A 21-year-old nursing student with an adorable little daughter, Paige wowed the judges with her version of "I'm Going Down." She was a big Britney fan because they are both hot moms, but LA instead compared her to Rihanna so that he could drop that name for the first time of the season.

Reed Deming: Just 13 and he already has better vocals than the superstar everyone kept comparing him to. Honestly, just because you have the Alabama Swoop for a hairdo, it doesn't mean you have to be compared to Bieber. Others had that before him. Anyway, Reed's two songs were both very good, and honestly I was shocked Simon stopped his first one. I loved it.

To read the rest of my review of last night's season two premiere of The X Factor, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Friday Night Lights Award- Drama Series

Named For: Friday Night Lights (NBC/The 101) 2006-11
Awarded To: The best drama series of the season
2009 Winner: Friday Night Lights (NBC/The 101)
2010 Winner: Friday Night Lights (NBC/The 101)
2011 Winner: Friday Night Lights (NBC/The 101)

10. Scandal (ABC) 0 points

9. Parenthood (NBC) 4 points
3rd by Jack

8. One Tree Hill (The CW) 4 points
2nd by Jack, 5th by Me

7. Treme (HBO) 7 points
2nd by Jaydon and T-time

6. Shameless (Showtime) 14 points
1st by Larry, 4th by Me

5. The Vampire Diaries (The CW) 14 points
1st by Matt and Jack, 1st by Me

4. Revenge (ABC) 16 points
3rd by Tyson, Cecil, Larry, Matt, and Mags

3. Mad Men (AMC) 17 points
1st by Jaydon and T-time, 3rd by Me

2. Luck (HBO) 17 points
1st by Bonz, 2nd by Me

and the Poolie goes to...

1. House (FOX) 21 points
1st by Tyson, Cecil, Rizzo, and Mags

This is House's fourth nomination and first ever win for best drama series of the season.  Here to explain how it finally got over the hump is Poolie voter Larry.

_______________________

House has been the bridesmaid in this category the last three years, having fallen to all-time great Friday Night Lights each time. This was House’s last shot at glory. Receiving a Poolie in the final season is the equivalent of winning the Superbowl, World Series, and the Final Four at once while riding off into the sunset. Over its eight seasons, House moved from a more procedural based show to one with more continuity. Some things didn’t work, but there were too many constants that provided entertainment for the show to fail. House and Wilson’s relationship was the most successful theme the show had, and using it as the focus for much of the final season was the perfect way to go out.  The show will be missed, and I’m glad it won the big one. Also, let’s be honest, the drama category is a little weak this year, certainly no match for its action counterpart.

With House off the air, someone else will have to misdiagnose Lupus and Sarcoidosis on a regular basis. Franklin and Bash, I am looking at you.

by Larry Avitabile

The Homer Simpson Award- Animated Character

Named For: Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)
Awarded To: The best character on an animated series
No previous winners

10. Allen Gregory (Allen Gregory) 0 points

9. Gary (Unsupervised) 0 points

8. Louise Belcher (Bob's Burgers) 0 points

7. Karl Pilkington (Ricky Gervais Show) 1 point
4th by Jaydon

6. Bob Belcher (Bob's Burgers) 4 points
2nd by Me

5. Pam Poovey (Archer) 7 points
2nd by Jaydon and Cecil

4. Stewie Griffin (Family Guy) 8 points
2nd by Tyson, Larry, and Jack, 5th by Me

3. Sterling Archer (Archer) 11 points
1st by Cecil and Jaydon, 4th by Me

2. Eric Cartman (South Park) 14 points
1st by Tyson, 3rd by Me

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Peter Griffin (Family Guy) 19 points
1st by T-time, Larry, Jack, and Bonz, 1st by Me

This is Peter Griffin's first nomination and win for the best character on an animated series.  Seth MacFarlane, the voice of Peter, has been nominated for Stewie Griffin and Glen Quagmire in the past.

While Family Guy may have its fair share of "what the h is going on?" moments, and thus has failed to win The Flintstones Award the past two seasons, Peter Griffin - Family Guy himself - never fails to impress.  It's his attitude, it's his voice, dag nabbit it's those green pants!  Whenever you watch an episode of Family Guy, you can count on at least a couple of instantly classic lines from Peter, and that is exactly why he wrapped up the very first Homer Simpson Award for the best animated character on television.

by Dan Forcella

The Kellie Pickler Award- Female Reality

Named For: Kellie Pickler (American Idol)
Awarded To: The best female reality competition contestant of the season
2009 Winner: Sugar Kiper (Survivor)
2010 Winner: Parvati Shallow (Survivor)
2011 Winner: Haley Reinhart (American Idol)

10. Michelle Money (Bachelor Pad) 0 points

9. Laura Kathleen (Project Runway) 1 point
5th by Me

8. Vanessa Macias (Amazing Race) 3 points
2nd by Jaydon

7. Lindsey Pavao (The Voice) 4 points
3rd by Tyson

6. Grayson Schmitz (Top Chef) 5 points
1st by Jaydon, 4th by Me

5. Skylar Laine (American Idol) 8 points
1st by Larry

4. Chelsea Meissner (Survivor) 10 points
1st by Cecil

3. Juliet Simms (The Voice) 11 points
1st by Tyson, 1st by Me

2. Daniele Donato (Big Brother) 13 points
1st by T-time, 2nd by Me

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Jessica Sanchez (American Idol) 14 points
1st by Jack and Rizzo, 3rd by Me

This is Jessica Sanchez's first nomination and win for the best female reality competition contestant of the season.  Here to discuss her rapid rise to stardom is Poolie voter, Jack.

__________________________

For the last three seasons, American Idol has really flipped the script with the female contestants.  After eight years of putting up with the boring girls’ performances, they have recently been the ones who I look forward to the most.  Season nine gave us Bowersox and Didi Benami, and season 10 introduced us to the amazing Haley Reinhart.  With no disrespect to those three, even with how great they were, they could not carry Jessica Sanchez’s gym bags.  Jessica has the best vocal ability I have ever seen in the competition outside Adam Lambert.  And the fact that she is only 16 is all the more impressive.  By the time she hits her prime, she may be in consideration as one of the best voices of all time.  Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Jessica was her versatility.  We have seen such different dynamics before from a guy (the aforementione Lambert), but never from the female side.  She roared out of the gates with “I Will Always Love You,” which was pitch perfection, out-dueling Jennifer Hudson and Jordin Sparks who performed the same song at different award show tributes.  That performance, along with “You Are So Beautiful” and “The Prayer,” proved she could sing the ballads as good as anyone.  Have you ever seen anyone hold those high notes with so much ease?  But there was much more to Jessica than slow ballads.  She brought out her jazzy side on many occasions, most notably her performance of “Steal Away.”  Say what you want about that growl, but I thought it was fantastic.  Just when you think you’ve seen everything this girl had to offer, top four week came, and Jessica brought singing to new heights.  The performance of the season, and maybe the series, was her take on “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”  We’ve heard this song done so many times, but she put absolutely everything she had into this two minute show.  I have never seen someone put so much heart and emotion into a performance and still nail every single note.  They should have stopped the show and crowned her right then and there.

Unfortunately, there was a group of people against Sanchez.  It is not possible for any contestant to have no haters, that’s the way our world works.  But the arguments that the haters tried to come up with for disliking her were absurd.  I heard claims of her showing no emotion? Please.  Did you not see that single tear come down her cheek after she left her heart on the stage singing “..I’m Not Going.”  I also heard that she is too pageanty and rehearsed.  So these people are mad that she has been singing her whole life and has been coached how to sing?  How dare someone practice their craft before entering Idol.  And perhaps the most absurd comments were how she was arrogant.  I don’t know what show those people were watching, but what I saw was a very humble, innocent, 16 year old girl who is living out her dream.  And even if she does think she is a great singer, wouldn’t you if you were in her shoes?  There was only one acceptable complaint of Jessica Sanchez.  And that is her occasional bad song choices.  If she had picked the right songs week in and week out, she may have been able to put up the greatest singing season of all time.  But as for now, she will go down as the 2nd best in my book, right behind Adam Lambert.

by Jack Forcella

The Dr. Doug Ross Award- Lead in Drama

Named For: Dr. Doug Ross (ER)
Awarded To: The best lead character in a drama series
2009 Winner: Tim Riggins (Friday Night Lights)
2010 Winner: Greg House (House)
2011 Winner: Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights)

10. Stefan Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries) 3 points
4th by Jack, 5th by Me

9. Antoine Batiste (Luck) 4 points
2nd by Jaydon and T-time

8. Ben Epstein (How to Make it in America) 7 points
2nd by Rizzo

7. Frank Gallagher (Shameless) 8 points
2nd by Larry

6. Hank Moody (Californication) 8 points
1st by Bonz

5. Peter Bash (Franklin and Bash) 9 points
1st by Tyson, 4th by Me

4. Dan Scott (One Tree Hill) 9 points
1st by Jack, 1st by Me

3. Damon Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries) 10 points
2nd by Jack, 2nd by Me

2. Don Draper (Mad Men) 15 points
1st by Jaydon and T-time, 3rd by Me

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Greg House (House) 23 points
1st by Cecil, Rizzo, Larry, Matt, and Mags

This is Greg House's fourth nomination and second win for the best lead character in a drama series. Here to discuss why House is such a great character is the father of Poolie voter Rizzo, Norm Reuss.

__________________________________________________

Through a maze of human evolution that traversed Homo erectus and culminated in the present day Homo sapiens the process of natural selection produced the ideal human individual, the one who could take what he wanted when he wanted it just because he could. (page 56 The social Conquest of the Earth by Edward O. Wilson) By any definition a pro pos the vernacular of popular culture such an individual must be called “the man”. The man takes what he wants, just because he can. The question of justification before us must conclude in either the positive or negative: is Dr. Gregory House, “The man”. To qualify he must take what he wants, when he wants is just because he can. House exceeds these expectations and includes the ability to takes what he wants form everyone, anytime he wants it and in so doing positions himself as the arc type for the next step in the evolution of man. To complete the argument though, it is incumbent upon me to identify what House wants and it better be BIG to qualify to the claim of “The Man”. It is big! House wants every shred of cloth that an individual pieces together to cover the insecurities, faults and foibles of their vested ego. House cuts open every person who crosses his life, baring their precious egos for examination, embarrassment, and ridicule. No one is immune; he defrocks the black man, the Jew, the pretty white boy, the oriental, the mother, the father, the child, the clinic patient, the handicapped peer, the dying friend, the boss, the entire penal system and eventually life itself. To once again borrow from the popular vernacular; house fucks with everyone and in the case of Cutty, literally, fucks her. (He does lose points for his failure to only fuck with 13 and not actually fuck her.) To say more would be redundant except to echo the very words of those who would detract from House asserting;”He’s a prick.” What could be more fun than to “house” their words down their throats with the reply, “What appendage of the anatomy qualifies one to be the man more than the one they so freely identify”. House is the man and solidifies his stature every time he swallows a pill without water.

by Norm Reuss

The James Zinkand Award- Worst Reality Contestant

Named For: James Zinkand (Big Brother)
Awarded To: The reality competition contestant that you most love to hate
2009 Winner: Margie and Luke (Amazing Race)
2010 Winner: Aaron Kelly (American Idol)
2011 Winner: Jacob Lusk (American Idol)

10. Oliver Green (Project Runway) 0 points

9. Vienna Girardi (Bachelor Pad) 1 point
3rd by Tyson

8. Sarah Grueneberg (Top Chef) 2 points
4th by Me

7. Beverly McClellan (The Voice) 4 points
2nd by Jack

6. Lawon Exum (Big Brother) 7 points
2nd by Jaydon

5. Kalie Booker (Big Brother) 9 points
2nd by T-time

4. Adam Poch (Big Brother) 12 points
1st by T-time, 2nd by Me

3. Rachel Reilly (Big Brother) 15 points
1st by Jaydon, Cecil, Rizzo, and Larry

2. Astro (The X Factor) 18 points
1st by Tyson, 3rd by Me

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Joshua Ledet (American Idol) 19 points
1st by Jack, 1st by Me

This is Joshua Ledet's first nomination and win for the reality competition contestant you most love to hate.  American Idol has now won the James Zinkand Award for three straight  years.

The interesting thing about my hatred for Joshua Ledet, is that he seemed like a very nice kid.  He was nice, polite, and honestly not supremely annoying when he spoke on American Idol this season.  The problem was that when he performed, I wanted to stab myself in the eye.  Every time it was a run.  Every time it was some kind of vocal Olympics.  I hoped and hoped that he would just sing one song as it is written.  Not because I wanted him to go further in the competition, but because I couldn't handle yet another shout-fest without wanting to jump off of my balcony.  Every time Joshua Ledet made it through to another round, it meant he was passing a contestant I liked more than him, and for that I hated him all season long.

by Dan Forcella

The Heroes Award- Worst Season

Named For: Heroes (NBC) 2006-10
Awarded To: The series with the worst season of the year
2010 Winner: Heroes (NBC)
2011 Winner: Eastbound and Down (HBO)

10. Dexter (Showtime) 2 points
1st by Jaydon

9. Smash (NBC) 4 points
5th by Larry, 3rd by Me

8. Ringer (The CW) 5 points
3rd by Jack

7. American Horror Story (FX) 6 points
2nd by T-time

6. Hung (HBO) 7 points
3rd by Larry

5. Louie (FX) 8 points
3rd by T-time, 2nd by Me

4. Glee (FOX) 9 points
2nd by Larry and Tyson

3. Girls (HBO) 12 points
2nd by Cecil, 1st by Me

2. The X Factor (FOX) 19 points
1st by Jack and Larry, 5th by Me

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Terra Nova (FOX) 28 points
1st by Tyson, Cecil, Rizzo, T-time, and Mags, 4th by Me

This is Terra Nova's first nomination and win for the worst season of the year.  Poolie voter T-time is here to tell you why this FOX series deserved the 2012 Heroes Award.

________________________________________________

Terra Nova stands out among previous winners of this award. Both Heroes and Eastbound and Down were shows that Poolie voters had enjoyed in previous seasons before ignominiously falling. When you’ve committed to a show, you keep watching as it falls apart, hoping that it will return to form. But Terra Nova was a new show.  People should have just stopped watching if it was that bad, right? Somehow enough people continued to keep watching the freshman effort so that they could later vote on how much they hated it.

The cast was forgettable. Jim Shannon, the nominal lead, was just dull. I don’t hate him. I don’t even dislike him. I’ll say this for Jason O’Mara’s character: he was in the show. Stephen Lang’s Commander Taylor threatened to steal the show at the beginning of the series. He was decidedly grey and inherently interesting. That lasted about three episodes before they started softening him. The rest of the cast is no more notable. Their actions ranged from pointless to foolish. Their character traits ranged from cliché to nonexistent. Only one character truly stood out. Josh Shannon was completely insufferable. In a year where whiny teenage boys filled our television screens, Landon Liboiron’s character surpassed all in eye rolls garnered. Seldom has one man caused so many viewers to make strangling gestures on their couches.

The plot was additionally uninteresting. They partially serialized it, with the story leading up the struggle with the Sixers, and that may have kept some people going, but often it got bogged down with one-off episodes that were often ridiculously stupid. I’ll only mention the amnesia disease because frankly that speaks for itself. Plot holes and inconsistencies were legion but again, I’ll only mention one. The super-advanced society from the future does not have weapons that can kill dinosaurs. Yes, at some point in the future we will abandon the perfectly adequate artillery of the twentieth century in favor of guns that shoot puffs of air and occasionally scare the beasts off.

So why? Why did I watch all of these episodes when I quit on arguably better shows like Magic City and American Horror Story. Well, from the beginning, Terra Nova had one thing in spades: potential. The pilot was surprisingly good considering what came afterward. It opened up a new world for exploration. That sandbox was always there. In Terra Nova, anything could have happened. So what if it hadn’t yet: it still could. More than that, there were dinosaurs. And a fantastically beautiful setting in Australia. The best shots of the series involved no dialogue and no characters. A pterodactyl lazily floating over a primordial cliff. A brachiosaurus lifting its head from a grove of vegetation. These things look good in HD. Every time that camera swept over the pristine wilderness, I thought that maybe this next episode would be the one where they lived up to that potential. It never was though.

And possibly, that’s the worst thing a television show can do: suck you in, promise more on the morrow and fail to deliver in any way. When it’s over you’re mad that you watched it. When the season’s over, you’re relieved. This year Terra Nova was the worst thing I watched on TV. Apparently, I wasn’t alone.

by Tim Forcella

The Marissa Cooper Award- Worst in Drama

Named For: Marissa Cooper (The O.C.)
Awarded To: The character you most love to hate in a drama series
2009 Winner: Jason Street (Friday Night Lights)
2010 Winner: Ashley (Entourage)
2011 Winner: Kurt Hummel (Glee)

10. Dixon Wilson (90210) 3 points
2nd by T-time and Bonz

9. Jamie Scott (One Tree Hill) 6 points
1st by Jack, 5th by Me

8. Eric Murphy (Entourage) 7 points
1st by Jaydon, Rizzo, and Bonz

7. Ellis Tancharoen (Smash) 7 points
1st by Tyson

6. Tanya Skagle (Hung) 7 points
2nd by Larry

5. Toni Bernette (Treme) 7 points
1st by T-time, 3rd by Me

4. Jabbar Trussell (Parenthood) 9 points
3rd by Jack, 2nd by Me

3. Declan Porter (Revenge) 16 points
1st by Mags

2. Will Schuester (Glee) 17 points
1st by Matt, 4th by Me

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Kurt Hummel (Glee) 22 points
1st by Cecil and Larry, 1st by Me

This is Kurt Hummel's third nomination and second straight win for the character you most love to hate in a drama series.  Here to talk about Kurt's continued success in the category is Poolie voter, Tyson.

___________________________________________________

Kurt Hummel was named most hated character in a drama series by Poolie voters. To many, the most hated title may seem like a strange result. I mean, the actor who played Kurt was named as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. You read that right. Kurt Hummel is one of the 100 most influential people in the world. To explore reactions to Kurt, it may help to describe the lens through which typical television viewers see him.

Traditional television viewers have historically been presented with two types of male, homosexual characters:

1. Flamboyant gay: the character is not meant to be taken seriously and mainly serves as comedic relief
2. Secret gay: secret/hidden/taboo homosexuality is the defining feature of these characters

Only in the past few years, have viewers been exposed to characters who deviate from the archetypes mentioned earlier. The Kurt-hate comes from a pronounced lack of familiarity with his type of character.

He is a singing, dancing, fashonista and should fit squarely into the flamboyantly gay character-type but he just doesn’t.

The pesky Glee writers constantly feature him in situations typically reserved for straight characters. We explore the relationship with his hetero dad. We explore his struggles with bullying, relationships, and the future. We don’t have context for this sort of thing and so we hate him for making us feel awkward. If you are gay you need to be gay in an accessible way where accessibility is determined by what we have been exposed to in the past. Gay characters are supposed to be caricatures we can place in a box labeled “gay” and not have to think about. At first glance, Kurt belongs in that box but he just keeps breaking out of it. That’s why he is so influential and that’s why he is so hated.

by Tyson Brazell

American Idol Top 4- Ho Hum, Hollie

Fantasy Idol

Larry
Phillip Phillips: Safe (+55)
Skylar Laine
Erika Van Pelt
Adam Brock
Brielle Von Hugel
Top 4: +55, Team Total: 342

Rizzo
Jessica Sanchez: Safe (+55)
Shannon Magrane
Elise Testone
Aaron Marcellus
Johnny Keyser
Top 4: +55, Team Total: 276

Jack
Deandre Brackensick
Baylie Brown
Joshua Ladet: Safe (+55)
Chelsea Sorrell
Creighton Fraker

Top 4: +55, Team Total: 237

Tyson
Heejun Han
Hollie Cavanaugh: Eliminated (-24)
Jeremy Rosado
Hallie Day
Chase Likens
Top 4: -24, Team Total: 134

Me
Colton Dixon
Reed Grimm
Eben Franckewitz
Haley Johnson
Jen Hirsh
Team Total: 58

American Idol Top 5- Ledeted To The Judges

I like Phillip Phillips.  I would probably enjoy his music when he comes out with a record.  Phil is probably well on his way to winning this entire competition, but he was God awful this week on American Idol.  As bad as Joshua Ledet?  No, but still bad.  You have to give the judges credit.  They decided that they wanted Josh to make it to the end for some ridiculous reason, and they have done as much as possible to make that happen.  He was in the Bottom 3 guys the very first week of the finals!  He has passed a ton of people on his way to now being voted as one of the Top 3 overall this week.  With their constant praise, and non-stop standing ovations, Jennifer, Steven, and Randy have triple-handedly advanced Joshua to the Final Four.  That is a feat worth celebrating, because he is the absolute worst.

Fantasy Idol

Larry
Phillip Phillips: Safe (+45)
Skylar Laine: Eliminated (-22)
Erika Van Pelt
Adam Brock
Brielle Von Hugel
Top 5: +23, Team Total: 287

Rizzo
Jessica Sanchez: Safe (+45)
Shannon Magrane
Elise Testone
Aaron Marcellus
Johnny Keyser
Top 5: +45, Team Total: 221

Jack
Deandre Brackensick
Baylie Brown
Joshua Ladet: Safe (+45)
Chelsea Sorrell
Creighton Fraker

Top 5: +45, Team Total: 182

Tyson
Heejun Han
Hollie Cavanaugh: Bottom 2 (-11), Safe (+45)
Jeremy Rosado
Hallie Day
Chase Likens
Top 5: +34, Team Total: 158

Me
Colton Dixon
Reed Grimm
Eben Franckewitz
Haley Johnson
Jen Hirsh
Team Total: 58

American Idol Top 6- Testone Deaf

Here are some scores for you.  Finally Elise is gone!

Fantasy Idol

Larry
Phillip Phillips: Safe (+36)
Skylar Laine: Bottom 3 (-10), Safe (+36)
Erika Van Pelt
Adam Brock
Brielle Von Hugel
Top 6: +62, Team Total: 264

Rizzo
Jessica Sanchez: Safe (+36)
Shannon Magrane
Elise Testone: Eliminated (-20)
Aaron Marcellus
Johnny Keyser
Top 6: +16, Team Total: 176

Jack
Deandre Brackensick
Baylie Brown
Joshua Ladet: Safe (+36)
Chelsea Sorrell
Creighton Fraker

Top 6: +36, Team Total: 137

Tyson
Heejun Han
Hollie Cavanaugh: Bottom 3 (-10), Safe (+36)
Jeremy Rosado
Hallie Day
Chase Likens
Top 6: +26, Team Total: 124

Me
Colton Dixon
Reed Grimm
Eben Franckewitz
Haley Johnson
Jen Hirsh
Team Total: 58