American Idol Top 8- End of the Road

Spoiler Alert...Below are the results and some thoughts on this week's episodes of American Idol. So before reading any further, watch the eps, be in it to win it, then read what I have to say.

Which is not much. I'm still pretty upset over Paul's elimination, but I can take solace in the fact that he resides in my currently city. I plan on downloading some of his band, The Grand Magnolias' music, and crying my self to sleep.

Seriously though, I'm not as upset as I should be. It just wasn't in the cards for Paul. He's not an Idol singer, and that song choice of Old Time Rock and Roll was just awful. You don't choose a song that is all chorus. There's just nothing to do with it. There's no way, he was cracking the top five, but I would have liked to see him around for a couple more weeks.

There were just a multitude of terrible song choices this week, which was my least favorite episode of the season. Call Me? End of the Road? Whatever those garbage tunes were that Scotty and Durbin chose? Come on people. You could pick any song from any movie, and this is what you came up with?

My two favorites were probably Lauren and Casey. Lauren did a subpar version of The Climb, after Jimmy Iovine finished trashing on Miley Cyrus, who could out-sing anyone on Idol thank you very much. Maybe she has producers fixing her awful voice, but the end product is what counts. Casey, if you don't take into account his disgusting grunts and moans, did a nice job with Nature Boy.

Everyone else was garbage. I don't have to mention how much I once again hated Jacob's Bridge Over Troubled Water, but I just did. Although Scotty was pretty average on performance night, him absolutely ruining American Honey on results night, made me want to kill somebody.

This season of American Idol is only going to get more boring from here, so there really isn't much to look forward to. As long as Stefano and Jacob are the next to go, I'll be happy. If Haley makes it a few more weeks, everything will be gravy.

Fantasy Scores

Peaches

(2) Casey Abrams- Safe (20)= 20
(11) James Durbin- Safe (20)= 20
(14) Scotty McCreery- Safe (20)= 20
(23) TaTynisa Wilson
Top 8= 60 Total= 217

#hoponthelaurenalainatrain

(1) Lauren Alaina- Safe (20)= 20
(12) Lauren Turner
(13) Stephano Langone- Bottom 3 (-8), Safe (20)= 12
(24) Naima Adedapo
Top 8= 32 Total= 126

Missing Didi

(4) Clint Gamboa
(9) Thia Megia
(16) Jacob Lusk- Safe (20)= 20
(21) Rachel Zevita
Top 8= 20 Total= 68

Thia Megia #cangetit

(18*) Haley Reinhart- Bottom 3 (-8), Safe (20)= 12
(19*) Ashton Jones
(15) Karen Rodriguez
(22) Brett Loewenstern
Top 8= 12 Total= 54

*acquired from Larry via trade

Paula's Incoherence

(5) Paul McDonald- Bottom 3 (-8), Eliminated (-16)= -24
(8) Robbie Rosen
(17) Kendra Chantelle
(20) Jovany Barreto
Top 8= -24 Total= 25

Preacher With a Satan Tattoo

(6) Julie Zorilla
(7) Pia Toscano
(3*) Tim Halperin
(10*) Jordan Dorsey
Total= 10

* acquired from Tyson via trade

30 Rock 519 Review- CT Love

Jack- "We produce more failed pilots than the French Air Force."

The long wait is over. Tracy Jordan is back, and not just any Tracy Jordan, but the wild and crazy Tracy that will expose himself to Elmo and visit O.J. in jail... again.

Unfortunately for us, "I Heart Connecticut" was mainly about Liz and Kenneth's adventure in finding Tracy rather than the return of Tracy himself.

And at the end of the day, this was an average episode of 30 Rock.

That is not a knock on the show by any means. Tina Fey and company have made a strong comeback this season, but this one just didn't have me jumping out of my seat.

To read the rest of my review of last night's 30 Rock, head over to TV Fanatic.

30 Rock 519 - "I Heart Connecticut"
Review
Recap
Quotes

The Office 719 Review- To Beginnings and Endings

Deangelo- "Everyone I know who skis is dead."

The last time we saw Michael Scott, back in March, he was content in leaving Scranton and his long time job at Dunder Mifflin to go pursue his happily ever after with Holly.

Tonight, reality set in.

In "Training Day" Michael was as bitter as ever watching his new replacement receive the adoration of all Michael's employees, and changing many a way things get done around the office. I wouldn't have expected anything less. He wouldn't be Michael Scott if he didn't throw a tantrum on his way out the door.

But like the newly matured Michael Scott we have watched over Steve Carrell's last run on the series, he once again came to terms with the situation by the end of the episode, and reconciled with the new man in charge, Deangelo Vickers.

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

The Office 719 - "Training Day"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Survivor Weeks 9 & 10- Stealth 'R Us

Spoiler Alert...Below are the results and a few thoughts from last night's Survivor: Redemption Island. So before reading any further, watch the ep, tell Boston Rob everything, then read what I have to say.

You remember the show Rob and Big? Well they should rename this season of Survivor, Rob and Phil. They are both killing it right now, and I tune in each week to see what they've come up with next. This time it was Boston Rob ordering his tribe around like they're his slaves, and Phil happily obliging. Rob wouldn't even let his dudes eat any of that fish! I mean I would have passed on disgusting fish, but it seems like the rest of the Omatepes wanted in on it. That is stone cold Rob. Awesome job! Then there was Agent Phil, who donned a feather and accepted his place at the bottom of the Omatepe alliance. His crazy antics keep getting better and better, especially when he named their alliance Stealth 'R Us.

I was glad to finally see Mike sent packing. Do you believe there are actually people who enjoyed this guy? I'm not kidding. Check out the last question in this week's Survivor Round Table over at TV Fanatic. What a joke. This guy was the absolute worst, and if Matt or Davey Boy don't take him out on Redemption Island, they will have some 'splainin to do.

Somebody on Omatepe has to do something about Boston Rob. This guy is going to continue to call all the shots until somebody makes a move. Russell might have pulled the strings on his first season, but he wasn't ordering everybody around like Rob is doing right now. This guy is literally telling everyone how each move is going to be made, and then is doing it. Completely dominating right now, and if I'm Andrea or Grant, I make my move now!

Fantasy Results

Slay or be Slayed

Matt- = 0
Grant- W9 (37), W10 (46), Im (20)= 103
Ashley- W9 (37), W10 (46)= 83
Natalie- W9 (37), W10 (46)= 83
Weeks 9 and 10= 269 Total= 702

Fuchsia Federal Agents

Boston Rob- W9 (37), W10 (46), Votes (-16)= 67
Andrea- W9 (37), W10 (46), Im (20)= 103
Phillip- W9 (37), W10 (46), Votes (-20)= 63
Kristina
Weeks 9 and 10= 233 Total= 588

My Orbitz Account

Mike- Votes (-24)= -24
Steve- W9 (37), W10 (46)= 83
Stephanie
David- W9 (37), Votes (-24)= 13
Weeks 9 and 10= 72 Total= 423

Montecito Lancers

Russell
Ralph- W9 (37), W10 (46)= 83
Krista
Sarita
Julie- W9 (37), W10 (46)= 83
Weeks 9 and 10= 166 Total= 388




Free Agents
Francesca

Justified 210 Review- Pulling Back the Curtains

Boyd- "My name is Boyd Crowder. You can come after me if you want but it will be the last thing you ever do, I promise you that."

Both the characters on the show and the audience are still coming down from the highs and lows of last week's "Brother's Keeper," but "Debts and Accounts" was terrific in its own right.

In looking at the three families of Justified, they all were in different stages of heading down a new path. The Bennetts are basically starting over after the deal and the death of Coover.

The Givens - as in Raylan and Winona - are thinking about heading down a new road of life. And the Crowders - Boyd and Ava - have reached a new way of living, that has been in the works for a while now.

Mags Bennett isn't handling the death of her son and the loss of Loretta extremely well. Not only did she blow up at the man in the diner and threaten to kill him in front of all those people, but she decided to step down from the top of Bennett family business.

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

Justified 210 - "Debts and Accounts"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Chuck 420 Review- Chuck's Bogus Journey

Volkoff- "Remember, family and friends are everything. Money, greed, and power are a dance with Satan...and he looks like me."

In "Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff," Chuck the series returned to the excellence it was missing for the last half a dozen episodes. Was that due to the return of Timothy Dalton as Alexei Volkoff? Yes.

When you can have almost an entire episode of Chuck without Morgan Grimes, and not realize he's been missing until there is only 10 minutes left in the program, you've done your job of working smoothly around acting budget cuts.

And Dalton was the reason that the lack of the Bearded Wonder wasn't so bothersome. I've always been a fan of the Volkoff character, but as he straddled that line between evil bad guy Alexei Volkoff and 12 step program, sappy father Alexei Volkoff in "Family Volkoff," he was even better.

For the first time in weeks, the Chuck Triple Threat was in full force. Before we take a look at how it played out, grab the UNO so we can play one quick round...

To read the rest of my lengthy review of last night's return of Chuck, head over to TV Fanatic.

Chuck 420 - "Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff"
Review
Round Table
Recap
Quotes

The Borgias 103 Review- The Unprofessional

Cesare- "Most things in life prove to be sad, sis."

After what was a great start to the series in last week's premiere, "The Moor" was a bit complacent, and felt extremely similar to what we had already seen.

Maybe this is just what The Borgias is going to be. Each week there will be a new plan to have somebody killed, and they will either succeed or fail.

In "The Moor," the Borgia family recorded one success in three attempts. The first attempt by Juan to kill the Moor himself, Prince Djem, and his subsequent murder by pillow were much more interesting than Micheletto's adventure in Naples.

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

The Borgias - "The Moor"
Review
Recap
Quotes

American Idol Top 9- Shock Wave

Spoiler Alert...Below are the results and some thoughts on this week's episodes of American Idol. So before reading any further, watch the eps, sing a song shirtless, then read what I have to say.

Well that was fantastic am I right? I mean I liked looking at Pia Toscano as much as the next guy...well maybe not as much as the next guy since I didn't think she was all that attractive, but it was hilarious watching her leave American Idol last night. There's nothing more upsetting than when a front runner on Idol leaves the competition early. That is, unless said front runner is really boring and you didn't enjoy watching her performances.

Everyone had been talking about how Pia was one of the contestants ready to win this thing, which made seeing her in the bottom three fantastic. With her and Jacob in the bottom three, I knew I had a 66% chance of laughing out loud when the elimination was announced. Not that I wouldn't have enjoyed seeing Stefano leave, but it was more expected than either of the other two. So when Ry Ry announced that Pia was leaving Idol, I had to rewind it once to make sure. Then and only then did I burst into a type of cackle that I normally reserve for watching NBC comedies.

Many critics around the interwebs, including Alan Sepinwall's here, have been analyzing why Pia was the one heading home this week. Cutting to the point of Alan's post, he had two theories.

1) Simon wasn't there to judge, so the happy-go-lucky judging didn't get Pia's fans (or Casey's two weeks ago) to vote for their favorite enough.


2) There's a gender problem on Idol because all of the voters are girls and they're all voting for the guys that they're attracted to.

While both of these theories may be right, I have different opinions on the first subject. First of all, who's to say that Simon wouldn't have doing the same thing to other contestants and lighting fires under their fans to get voting? I don't care what the judges would have said to Pia, she was going to continue to sing well, while underwhelming everyone watching. She was just boring, and Simon telling her to not sing another ballad after week two wasn't going to do anything about that. Her ballads got repetitive, but they were all better than her performance this week. Pia went home on her worst performance of the season, and I for one have no problem with that.

And on the second point, there is a gender issue on Idol. The girls go down like flies year after year, but they're usually not as good. I'd take Paul, Casey, and James over Pia, and feel Stefano and Scotty are right on par with her. Haley is the only female this season that stacks up with my favorite guys.

As for the judges being particularly shocked out of their minds by the result...you said everyone was fantastic last night! How can you not expect someone you liked to be heading home? Instead of having Steven Tyler telling the contestants that they sing beautiful every week, we should just open every show with him doing a duet with Carrie Underwood like he did at the ACM Awards last week.

So who were my favorites from Wednesday night? Well Paul of course. I didn't know that Johnny Cash song before he sang it, but he murdered it. Absolutely fantastic. The other two in my top three? Haley and Casey. Neither of them were as good as the week before, but still pretty great.

Pia, Scotty, Lauren, and Stefano all get lumped into the "mehh so what?" category. James Durbin gets no credit for slowing things down and fake crying this week. You can't just be crazy every week and then slow it down and think you're going all Adam Lambert on us. When Ms. Lambert graced us with the gift of "Tracks of My Tears," he knocked it out of the park and proved why he was one of the best to ever perform on Idol. Durbin continues to prove that he is a Lambert knock off that doesn't pack the punch of the season eight runner-up.

And no matter how many people I hear saying Jacob Lusk is good, I immediately hate his performance one note into it. Scratch that...as soon as he steps onto the stage I hate the performance. There is something about this guy that I can't stand. Telling America that if he's in the bottom three it's because we can't "look at ourselves in the mirror?" Shot yourself in the foot with that one. I hope America continues to hate you for that one. Let's hope your the next to cry off the stage.

Fantasy Scores

Peaches

(2) Casey Abrams- Safe (15)= 15
(11) James Durbin- Safe (15)= 15
(14) Scotty McCreery- Safe (15)= 15
(23) TaTynisa Wilson
Top 9= 45 Total= 157

#hoponthelaurenalainatrain

(1) Lauren Alaina- Safe (15)= 15
(12) Lauren Turner
(13) Stephano Langone- Bottom 3 (-7), Safe (15)= 8
(24) Naima Adedapo
Top 9= 23 Total= 94

Paula's Incoherence

(5) Paul McDonald- Safe (15)= 15
(8) Robbie Rosen
(17) Kendra Chantelle
(20) Jovany Barreto
Top 9= 15 Total= 49

Missing Didi

(4) Clint Gamboa
(9) Thia Megia
(16) Jacob Lusk- Bottom 3 (-7), Safe (15)= 8
(21) Rachel Zevita
Top 9= 8 Total= 48

Thia Megia #cangetit

(18*) Haley Reinhart- Safe (15)= 15
(19*) Ashton Jones
(15) Karen Rodriguez
(22) Brett Loewenstern
Top 9= 15 Total= 42

*acquired from Larry via trade

Preacher With a Satan Tattoo

(6) Julie Zorilla
(7) Pia Toscano- Bottom 3 (-7), Eliminated (-14)= -21
(3*) Tim Halperin
(10*) Jordan Dorsey
Top 9= -21 Total= 10

* acquired from Tyson via trade