Goodbye 'Greek'

I watched the series finale of 'Greek' like I watched most of the episodes of its 4-season run: With a drink in hand, uncontrollable guffaws, and just a few tears streaming down my face.

At its core 'Greek' is lighthearted, snarky fun. It deals with issues that other shows turn into Issues, from underage drinking and gay relationships, to cheating and graduating college. As I said goodbye to these slightly caricatured but totally lovable characters, there was more than one point that I thought "See, this is what this show's about." And I was referring to 'a story about siblings,' 'a story about the real love of your college life - your roommate,' 'a story about love,' and a few other half-dozen plot points they managed to sneak in there. And that's the beauty of it - it's about everything, so there's always something to be invested in. It's (it WAS) sometimes predictable. It was sometimes really (really) not. And it was always (always!) enjoyable.

There's a very good chance you've never seen an episode, and, for that, I'm jealous. Because (if you're smart), you'll start fixing that soon, and you'll get to hold onto it a little while longer.

Marcia?

I thought that I was over 'Entourage.' A couple years back, the show began feeling like an obligation instead of anything enjoyable. They were over-dramatizing everything (as opposed to over-Dramatizing everything, which I might have been okay with); Ari had become a total one-note character. I was bored with it. But, on an impulse at the library a few weeks back, Trevor and I picked up Season 6, and I am now on board instead.

I like Jamie-Lynn Sigler for Turtle; Ari has actual dimension every once in awhile, while still carrying off great banter with Lloyd; Eric's not quite so pathetic; Drama is just as absurd as ever; the guest casting has been fun (Jeffrey Tambor, David Schwimmer, etc.) Maybe because the casting has been on, it took me four full episodes to realize that the new junior agent in Ari's office isn't, in fact, Mrs. Ben Stiller herself, Marcia Brady reincarnate, Christine Taylor.

Christine Taylor


Not Christine Taylor

Turns out she's actually familiar from playing a high school student on 'The OC,' which, incidentally, I've watched way more of than anything starring Christine Taylor.

Lookalikes Return

It should come as little surprise to most of you that, at least pop culturally speaking, I am at heart a 14-year old girl. Case in point: My life features infrequent internet, no cable access, and nothing resembling DVR, but I have found ways to follow television shows like 'Glee' and 'Life Unexpected.' These are both shows that I wish I enjoyed more, but to which I still find myself drawn. Judging by these new characters, it might be a lip thing:

He's in high school, potentially a love interest for Kirk,
but mostly relying on his acoustic guitar and
beach-voice "skills" to endear himself to the ladies.

He's in high school too...as a teacher! Yup, I didn't see that one coming either.
Thanks 'Life Unexpected,' for keeping this teen-soap-expert on her toes.

But maybe it's just me: Am I just imagining the lookalike-connection between these two new recurring characters?

Olympic fever

The Olympics are in full swing, which means I'm getting really worked up about obscure sports, feeling extremely patriotic, and spending 50% of my viewing time getting annoyed at the TV anchors. I won't even go into the Bob Costas situation, except to say that it is truly time for someone else to sit behind that desk. Now, onto the rest of them: Stop traveling so many awesome places, Mary Carillo. "Cat fight"?, Dan Patrick? That's how you choose to frame your interview with three female snowboarders? Really? And, finally, Cris Collinsworth: Doesn't your adorable wife Amy Poehler miss you?

NBC Olympic Commentator, Cris Collinsworth

Mr. Amy Poehler, Will Arnett

Man of the Month: December

I actually chose a new Man of the Month at the beginning of December, but never finished a proper blog entry about him. So, let's just cut to the chase: This month's MotM is Peter Krause (apparently pronounced Kraus-eh).

Now, he might not play too many likable characters (I chose him as Man of the Month while watching an episode of 'Six Feet Under' where he did nothing but scream the F word and trip on drugs), but if you've ever seen 'Sports Night' - the pre-'West Wing' totally underrated Aaron Sorkin half-hour no laugh track dramedy that launched Felicity Huffman - you'll understand why he deserves this honor. And if you haven't, you're missing out.

Man of the Month: November

In addition to learning how to bake really soft cookies, one of my initiatives for this year at camp is to watch all 7 seasons of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' on DVD. In case I haven't mentioned it before, 'Buffy' is definitely my favorite television show ever to air, but when you call something your favorite for long enough, it can become habit instead of fact. I wanted to make sure that this wasn't the case with this, so I have started from the beginning.

And it's working. I'm just about halfway through the first season, but it's even smarter & funnier than I remember. Now that I'm not jealous of my high school crush's crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar, I'm finding her oddly charming, and the supporting cast is practically perfect. And David Boreanaz, as the title character's first love and eventual spin-off lead, is every bit the kind of sulking (I'm sorry, but there's no word for it) dreamboat that deserves to be Man of the Month.

Sure, he's achieved way more mainstream success with 'Bones', but, I think I'll always prefer to Google Image search for '1999 David Boreanaz'.

Man of the Month: October

Kyle Chandler sure was a deserving Man of the Month, eh? Now that we’ve all had a chance to appreciate him (and now that I’ve settled in at camp), it’s time to tear the well-earned honor from his hands and bestow it on another gent. This month’s honoree: Jon Hamm.

I spent a lot of time resisting the urge (and Trevor’s repeated suggestion) to make Jon Hamm Man of the Month. He’s had a pretty big year, headlining television’s most critically acclaimed show, watching it shoot up in the ratings, hosting Saturday Night Live, guest starring on 30 Rock (which, despite my somewhat loyal viewership of, I still always want to call Third Rock from the Sun), winning a Golden Globe and generally becoming Hollywood’s new favorite It Actor. (Was he People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive? It seems like he would have been.)

I thought that Man of the Month would get lost amongst all the hoopla. But then Season 3 started. And he’s all supportive father, barely philandering husband (Hey, it’s an improvement), gay secret keeper, anti-bureaucracy suave, and I just can’t help it.

Plus, he’s really funny. Did you see him on ‘30 Rock’? The bit about Eric from ‘The Little Mermaid being based on him was priceless. Then there was his Lex Luthor video on Funny or Die and almost every skit he did as a host on Saturday Night Live (There are not many hosts you can even say “almost” about).



It’s official – even if just for one month this time around, Jon Hamm is a totally deserving Man of the Month titleholder.

Man of the Month: August

You know how famous people are always talking about how hard their lives are with all this fame and fortune? (And doesn't it seem like it's the famous people most desperate for the spotlight who complain the loudest? And they're often the ones with the least reason to be famous). Boo freaking hoo, right?

But do you know when I do feel sorry for celebrities? When they do genuinely amazing work, with little or no recognition for it. This is the syndrome that cancels the My So-Called Lives, Freaks & Geeks and Arrested Developments of the world after 1 or 2 seasons, while keeping 'According to Jim' on the air for 8 years (I wish I was kidding.). This is the affliction that leaves Lauren Graham, she of the brilliant Lorelai Gilmore creation, Emmy and Golden Globe free, while Jeremy Piven of the funny but mostly one-dimensional Ari Gold, makes his way to the podium – again. And this is why, this month, we are celebrating Kyle Chandler as Man of the Month.


Kyle Chandler plays Coach Eric Taylor, the heart and soul of one of the three best television shows on today, 'Friday Night Lights' (The other two being 'The Office' and 'Mad Men' – 'Lost' is too hot and cold) – a show that the Emmys somehow thought it sensical to nominate for “Outstanding Casting,” one of those prizes they don't even announce on the telecast, without recognizing a single member of that outstanding cast in the acting categories. Brilliant.

I've babbled on about 'Friday Night Lights' before – about how tragic it is that it's not more watched and about the reasons for this (People think it's about high school kids; people think it's about football; people think it's about high school kids playing football; all of these people are wrong; etc.). For today's purposes, that's neither here nor there (But those people are wrong.). And while I might love Tammie, played by the brilliant, subtle, smart, sassy, classy Connie Britton, even more than Eric, this is Man of the Month, not Celebrity of the Month. So, this August, we salute you, Kyle Chandler, for being a wonderful television dad, a brilliant deliverer of the well-meaning evil eye, and most of all, for making a football obsessed, middle-aged Texan sexy to a liberal, 20-something, baseball fan of an urbanite. Clear eyes, full hearts indeed.

Movie review?

The last few days have been a bit rough around the Graham-Wilcox abode, with Trevor and I both battling some pretty nasty colds. Yesterday, we exerted ourselves enough to go out to dinner, but that was the most we could muster. The rest of our evening became devoted to watching the long DVR-ed 'The Sandlot: Heading Home", a TV sequel of the classic baseball flick, which just happens to be one of our favorites.

From about 20 minutes in, it was clear that this movie deserved to go straight to TV. It was a pretty painful experience. In fact, Trevor said it was the worst thing he'd ever seen (I disagree because, well, I watch more bad TV than Trevor). Check it out for yourself:



The thing that is bothering me the most about the 2 hours of my life I lost watching this “movie” is the following brain puzzler: Luke Perry agreed to star in this, but can't be convinced to guest star on the new '90210'?

Man of the Month: June

Conan O'Brien is June's Man of the Month and he sure has earned it . He will make the Tonight Show watchable again and he's proven that you don't have to be a grump or a total buffoon in order to be successful in late night. You're welcome Craig Ferguson.



And now I have something controversial to say: I'm also appreciative of Conan for leaving his former slot open for Jimmy Fallon to fill. Let's be honest - with the exception of 'Fever Pitch,' which most people hate anyway (Not me. I don't buy that they cheapened the Curse-is-Broken Red Sox World Series celebration. Jessica and I went to the premiere at Fenway Park and I've loved its blessed little Boston blood beating heart ever since.), movie stardom wasn't kind to Jimmy Fallon. Getting him back on a stage in a live, joke and gag-based formula is a smart move for him - and we're all going to benefit.



And to the naysayers who just want him to fail, I say: Have you ever seen Conan's early shows? They redefined awkward. Right, back to Conan, our actual Man of the Month. He's smart, incredibly personable, and has an entire brand centered around his ridiculous hair. You can't go wrong. Congrats Conan!

Anyone watch 'Greek'?

This is my friend Megan:

We have been best friends since age 13, and there are 1,5711 things that I am grateful to her for (The surprise 17th birthday party she threw me, the shirt she lent me to wear at a party when I spilled all over mine, the whole bridesmaid thing, etc.), but these days I am especially appreciative of her because of the show 'Greek,' which she introduced me to last year.

'Greek' is the only show I watch that I am always happy after. (Other post-viewing emotions - 'Gossip Girl': Intrigued. 'American Idol': Outraged. 'Mad Men': Depressed. 'Fringe': Perplexed. 'Lost': Exhilerated. 'The Office': Sad [that it's over for a whole other week. No, really.]) 'Greek' is just always 100% a good time. Its creator is the first to admit that with this show he's not trying to make any big statement or teach anyone anything or be controversial - he just wanted to make a show about college kids having fun, and it's the greatest hour of lighthearted entertainment around (especially now that the CW stu-stu-stupidly canceled 'Privileged,' a show 2000% better than the new '90210,' and - I can pretty much guarantee - the upcoming new 'Melrose Place.')

Anyway. The only reason I am babbling on about 'Greek' today is because of this girl, Johanna Braddy:

She joined the show this season (just like the high-brow HBO shows, 'Greek' does 12-episode mini-seasons, so you get to still be watching, while everything else is on hiatus!), and I can't quite decide how I feel about her. But however I feel about her is the exact same way that I feel about Mrs. American Idol, because, seriously - How much do she and Kris Allen's wife look alike??

At the Western Conference Finals, Game 3

Jack Nicholson didn't make it to Denver tonight for the Lakers/Nuggets game. But there was an appearance from another famed Batman villain...the Penguin:


(Sorry about the quality/flash - I'm having some photo editing issues. Hopefully it gets the point across!)

At the Western Conference Finals, Game 2

Guys, like I was saying:


Jack Nicholson & George Karl are best friends for life. (No, I don't know why I find these shots so amusing.)

Final thoughts on American Idol

I didn’t vote for an ‘American Idol’ last night. Actually, now that I think about it, in all the years I’ve been watching ‘American Idol,’ I don’t think I’ve ever voted in the final round, either because of apathy (Cook v. Archuleta), anger (Hicks v. McPhee) or honeymoon (Sparks v. Lewis). This year, it’s none of those things (But if you want to go to Costa Rica right now, just let me know). Kris and Adam are the only two contestants I voted for all year, and I really like both of them, but it’s like I spent so much energy as of late lamenting the presence of Danny Gokey that now that he’s finally gone, my passion has subsided.

First, about Kris Allen. With that face, and his ability to knock it out of the park with unexpected takes on well-known songs, he’s like Jason Castro 2.0. Smart choices like ‘Falling Slowly’ got him here, and his music could be insanely popular in the acoustic pop/college rock vein, like a Jason Mraz + Dispatch combo (So, no, I won’t be buying his CD.). I want him to win because all the way up through last night, the judges refuse to acknowledge that he has been a solid front-runner the entire competition. I’m not sure why they refuse to get behind him (even when they’re supportive it’s with some caveat, comparing him to others, or calling him a dark horse, when in reality he was in the bottom three, what, once?), but I think it has something to do with the fact he wasn’t featured excessively in any of the audition or Hollywood Week footage. How did the public know to like him, without being told to do so?? Kris Allen winning proves that voters are in fact in charge here. And, like I said, that face. Come on.



On the other hand, I wholeheartedly believe that Adam Lambert is the most talented contestant that’s ever been on this show. Period. Seriously, enough with the claims that he's somehow "made" it already because he's in the traveling cast of a musical. First off, that's hardly the big-time. And secondly, training and ambition do not make an undeserving contestant. I don’t want to make a habit out of quoting Randy Jackson, but he could literally sing the phone book. He really went on this ‘Idol’ journey, rocking our pants off one week with soaring high notes and crazy glam outfits, and then reeling it way back, and making incredibly soft songs powerful - still in the crazy glam outfits, of course. I have no idea what kind of music he would make, (Trevor thinks he’s like Meatloaf – and that could work. Jessica thinks he’s like Queen - I’m not sure that would.), but Adam Lambert winning proves that America can handle a challenging contestant.



I think what I'm saying here is that we're all winners. What do you think? Do you vote for 'American Idol'? Or, are you just excited that the finale means this blog can go back to talking about other things?

At the Western Conference Finals, Game 1

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship:

An eye for an eye

Paula Abdul has a lot of faults. These include, but are certainly not limited to, a penchant for outfits that simultaneously smush yet reveal her breasts, and her willingness to lip-sync through her performance on a “singing competition.” However, she also loved Elliott Yamin so much, she sometimes cried:

I’d like to think that the song on Elliott’s new album called “Cold Heart” is somehow in appreciation of Paula’s devotion & support.





(Dude, did you know that David Fincher directed the “Cold-Hearted Snake” video? Crazy.)

Two things about three things

On my commute this morning, in between waking up with ‘Newsies’ stuck in my head and spilling coffee all over my desk, I was reading Entertainment Weekly’s Summer Movie Preview. I know what you’re thinking: Ashley, you did your own version of that a couple weeks back – you don’t need professional journalists! That’s sweet. But I stumbled upon an interesting tidbit.

Alexis Bledel, better known as Rory Gilmore, has two new movies coming out.

One, ‘The Good Guy,’ is about Bledel’s boyfriend, a Wall Street guy, who takes a newbie under his wing and then watches his life spiral out of control. It debuted last weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival and appears to co-star Anna Chlumsky, from ‘My Girl’.

The second, ‘Post Grad,’ welcomes Michael Keaton back to the world, and is about that all-too-familiar quarterlife crisis. It comes out in August. (Jessica, should we make our plans now?)

Notice anything?

#1: A lot of sitting is going on in these movies.
#2: Her co-stars in both these movies play[ed] the quarterbacks that ‘Friday Night Lights’ centers around. Strange, no?

(At first, I thought Tyra was Tammy in this photo, and couldn’t figure out why she was so close to Smash. Where is Tammy? Also – what are they all looking at?)

If you’re interested, here’s the full trailer for ‘Post Grad’ – it appears to essentially pick up from where we left Rory Gilmore, as her character attempts to navigate post-college life. (I just remembered that Matt Czuchry, who played Rory's college boyfriend Logan on 'Gilmore Girls,' had a guest-starring arc on ‘Friday Night Lights’. Stop the madness!)



Two other things I have learned from the Summer Movie Preview:

• The new gritty dramas are all about 2 powerhouse actors who barely appear together onscreen (Seen most recently with ‘American Gangster’, followed up this summer with the Johnny Depp/Christian Bale ‘Public Enemies’ and the John Travolta/Denzel Washington ‘Taking of Pelham 123').
• Joseph-Gordon Levitt & Channing Tatum must be best friends: They starred in the not-really-underrated ‘Stop-Loss’ last summer together (Also known as: the film that broke up Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon), and now in the upcoming ‘GI Joe.’ They also apparently model in Esquire together.

Top 7 v2: Looking for some hot stuff

Sure. we're a little late with this week's 'American Idol' Guest Commentary, but isn't the wait worth it?

Disco Night was not totally what I hoped for—meaning that there was no evidence of cocaine use, bell bottoms, and DEFINITELY not enough sequins. Shout out to little Iraheta for wearing the spangly top…digging it. It did prove interesting on the performance front, which I guess I will have to settle for. Great improvements included a return to the Randy, Kara, Paula, then Simon judging order, no wasted time with mentors pre-judging a performance before it happens, and the return of the fire-y backdrop. (Just kidding about the latter, I hate that thing, and during Danny’s performance I had to overcome the worst case of motion sickness I’ve had since the first time I rode Superman at Six Flags.)

Highlights of the show:

• Allison on the steps with her broken down baby doll posing (thanks to Tyra) and her AWESOME rendition of Hot Stuff. Despite the toned-down red hair, she really kicked it up a notch this week, and deservedly got to stay with us as the token female and token racial minority.
• Kris swoony-swoon-swoon cares about hard-workin' girls. And he isn’t amazingly cheesy when accompanied by a small band of drummers, which is hard to pull off. He also kicked butt with the arrangement, reminding me of the early days of John Mayer, someone I can see him growing to be like with the chances he takes and his interest in singing a story rather than just notes. Not to mention his slight Southern sex appeal.
• Seeing Matt try to dance. Having the hat to cover his mole.
• Wondering what the heck kind of spanks Lil was wearing under that bodysuit. Damn, girl! She looked amazingly curvalicious and her diva hair helped. Too bad the judges and America didn’t embrace her performance—I didn’t really think it was that bad, it was just more that everyone decided it was her time to go.
• Anoop’s facial hair. (I can’t believe I just wrote that.)

Things that brought me utter despair and tormented sadness:

• The judges using THE MOST clichés and packaged phrases EVER. I didn’t take really specific notes, but it was ridiculous.
• Lambert’s song. What is this? Who gives a damn? Next! (Oh, and I DID notice how he couldn’t resist throwing one of his crazy screams in there.)
  
• Noopsie’s (my own little nickname for his fan group) dull dull dull performance of blah blah blah that just totally zzzz….
• Dan. Ny. Go. Key. Paula’s insanity is unleashed when you do your hypnotic back-up singer dancing. She was totally entranced into spewing some nonsense about you having one of the sexiest male voices in the entire galaxy. Let me just tell you, you don’t. Also, she mentioned that women of all ages would enjoy you. Let me just tell you, I don’t. I really hate your entire tone. [Editor's note: He is Taylor Hicks, redux]
  

What I want next week (Oh my god, the theme is “Rat Pack Standards”. Not my genre, nor do I see it being a good area for any of the top 5? Should be interesting, yipes)

• More of Paula’s choreography and Adam’s execution of it during the results show! That whole thing was AMAZING. Not the singing, just the show choir feel of it all. Oh, and the COSTUMES. I love it when they force them to wear really strange things like sunglasses indoors and go-go boots.
• Keep the judging order.
• Give us a little more insight into these people’s lives!
• Fiberglass wall between Simon and Paula so they can’t touch each other.
• Kris to dress up.
• Mole removal for Matt.
• Ryan to fall flat on his face when coming down those blue stairs.
• Round trip airfare and deluxe accommodations so I can watch in person.
• A pony.
• World peace.

Until then, lots of love, elastic undergarments (from the women’s section), and age appropriate dance moves (thank you Allison, no thank you Gokey),

Jessica

Short and Sweet

The buzz around the TV world these days is about short-term, high-concept series. Here’s why. High-concept shows often:

• Are too niche to grab onto a large enough audience to make networks feel like they’re worth their timeslot (‘Think: ‘Pushing Daisies’)
• After an initial rush of excitement, burn out quickly with lame, that’s-a-stretch plotlines that leave audiences running for the door and advertisers reeling (Sound familiar, one-time ‘Heroes’ fans?)
• Don’t catch on quickly enough with a large enough audience to finance their costly production budgets (That would be Joss Whedon’s entire post-Buffy catalogue).

Instead of hoping every show has what it takes to go 9 seasons, short-term series would be specifically developed to be just that – short-term. Imagine: Plots and characters are introduced to tell one specific story. Creators don’t have to dilute their original idea. Networks don’t have to invest in shows they’re not certain have legs. And fans don’t have to worry about being left behind with a half-finished plot crossing their fingers for a DVD set.

By setting an end date to its wildly popular show years in advance, ‘Lost’ may have set the precedent for a short-term TV series. The creators are telling the audience that the show knows where it’s going, and the audience becomes extra devoted to every single episode, since each one offers a payoff leading to the final, what-can-only-be, mind blowing conclusion.

I think reality television also deserves some credit for the idea, because what else have 27 seasons of ‘Survivor,’ ‘America’s Next Top Model’ and ‘Biggest Loser’ taught us, if not that we can care about characters and developments that happen over only 6 weeks just as much – if not sometimes more – than any fictional show?

If it’s done right (and the first attempt by the major networks – 'Harper’s Island' – isn’t quite right), I’d be excited about getting some of these shows on my TV-watching schedule. I think it could lead to more unexpected actors appearing on TV, since they won’t feel like they’re signing their lives away, and I think that we could all benefit from smarter television, that isn’t watered down in an attempt to appeal to everyone or last forever.

So, what do you think? Would you latch onto a series that's designed to be short-lived, or would it not be worth your time?

Top 7- Take this sinking boat and point it home...

Last night's 'American Idol' had me wondering two things: 1) What will it take to get them to fit into an hour-long slot and stop messing up my DVR settings for 'Fringe'? 2) Could movie night redeem itself in guest commentator Jessica's eyes? See for yourselves:

Oh. My. GOOOODNESS!!! As Ryan would say, “We’re back on American Idol!”

Last night’s show managed to pull me back in. Was it the band being onstage? No. Was it Quentin Tarantino’s gosh-darn-ain’t-life-grand take on things? Maybe. Was it having a theme that allowed me and my roommates to belt out exceptionally cheesy movie song faves? Quite possibly. Was it seeing Gokey with no glasses? Almost definitely.

But what really made me happy was seeing these singers that have truly decided (in accordance with my belief, of course) that the judges don’t matter, and they are going to just go ahead and “do their thing.” And you know what? I enjoy that. Like I’ve always thought, the reason I like 'American Idol' is that it gives me a chance to watch singers: fairly good to great singers, doing something they really care about.

So, after my quavering last week, I’m back on board. Still hatin’ on the judges though (it’s not about you), and wishing that they could freakin’ figure out how to fit the show into an hour spot. (Which reminds me…is next week when everyone starts doing two songs? YES! I LOVE that!)

Instead of reviewing the performances chronologically this week, I’ve made three groups (in tribute to one of my recaps last year): Bleh, Meh, and YEAH!

Bleh:

Matty Matt Matt Boston A-Hole J.T. Wannabe Giraud: Wow, they really reamed you a new one. In a lot of ways. Ryan asking you about your confidence level? Rude. Not including castanets (thanks for pointing this out, Melissa) in the arrangement of “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?” Thoughtless. Allowing you to pronounce love as “luuuu-uuurrve”? Yipes! The recovery from the falsetto was really rough, and Randy and Kara harped on it. All that “for me, for you, tonight” crap from Randy could be interpreted as they don’t really think you’re the shiz anymore. Even Kara, who only wants to say wonderful stuff about you and is your main champion, ooquestions why you tk away the core melodies and in turn ruined the song. Should have followed QT’s advice: Do the gravel and the soul, but don’t lose the song, and enunciate the lyrics.

Allison Muppet Hair that matches belt and tights Iraheta: Quentin “pushed her to a performance level” on her version of “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (which is soooo blah), and she didn’t do super poorly, but she did achieve boring. Paula didn’t make any comment on her actual performance, and Simon verified that she may have more confidence than before. (Who cares??) At least she was comfortable with her song, and not just because her outfit was an old mechanic’s jumpsuit turned rocker dress.

Danny “this touches my heart” Gokey: Looked like he was in pain during his performance. Maybe I am usually so distracted by his glasses I don’t notice that he’s always pulling faces? “Endless Love” seemed endless and hardly lovely, although Paula found “a magical place in the tambor of his voice” and Simon was disappointed but congratulated Danny on the emotional trial he went through to perform. So maybe it was real pain? I couldn’t be certain. Can I take this moment to comment on how MUCH I HATE GRAVELLY VOICES? It is not acceptable any longer, folks. I will not support grumbling as singing.

Meh:

Adam “does not look good in tight jeans, especially super faded gray ones, which is funny because he should look good in everything” Lambert: Oh where to begin. This guy is, as QT stated, the Real Deal and yes, all of us enjoy a taste of Adam too, 'tino. But how do I even react when I know what he can do? It’s so over-dramatic and I felt like it was “Born to Be Wild” from the musical version of 'Easy Rider,' which is not exactly the same as a movie song? Paula praised Adam for, get this, “daring to dance in the path of greatness” which means “daring to wear those pants and dance” I believe. Simon joked that Adam needs to learn to express himself, but was probably right in judging that this performance wouldn’t be as popular as last week. Which brings me to another point: Why do they compare week to week so much? Just tell me WHAT YOU THINK NOW. Judge. Simple, easy command, and your title, by the way. My thoughts: Adam, I want to support you morally, but every time you pull a stunt like this, I question if I would listen to your music, and often think I wouldn’t. You can honestly do anything…so impress me, don’t scare me away.

Lil “Takes it all in and gets it done” Rounds: I AM SO HAPPY FOR HER THIS WEEK. I loved it. Why is she not a "yeah!"? Well, all the talk back. It makes me fear for her. She sang a really well-known song, which I think is good, and tackled it in “her” way. And I really enjoy gospel, so it made me happy. I also loved how she took (once again, great one!) Quentin’s advice to commit to being simple in the beginning before the gospel break down. I thought that girlish innocence in the beginning was really great on her, and it showed a whole other side to her. I am not even going into the judges opinion—let’s just say it wasn’t at all on par with the performance. I hope Lil makes it past this week and gets to keep doing inventive stuff like this that is much more truly her than the Mary J. wannabe they are trying to create. You know what, she is definitely verging on Yeah for me. Woo!

On to….YEAH!

Anoop “do you have anything else to wear that isn’t from the college bookstore?” Desai: Boy, he gave me goosebumps last night with “Everything I Do”. He did everything RIGHT. Gave heart and soul, and even started sweating on his ‘stache with effort. Quentin instructed him to growl a little, much to our enjoyment, and he kicked it into gear as the song developed. And that’s the key—he made the song have a crescendo, something he could teach to a few of his colleagues. Very happy with him.

AND FINALLY...

KRIS “You made me run around the house like a maniac with your song choice and awesomeness” ALLEN!: I once told Ashley and Trevor that I believe Madonna is a genius [Editor's note: A statement that led to relentless mocking for years, mostly due to the incredible stress placed on the word: GENIUS]. Last night, by choosing “Falling Slowly” from 'Once,' Kris stepped into that musical genius realm that I reserve for artists that make awesome choices. First of all, it fits him. Second of all, it may not be well known, but it is a truly difficult vocal to perform. Don’t believe me? Try to sing that song and hit every note on pitch. It’s hard. Third, it’s romantic. Fourth, he is amazing!!! Okay, sorry, I will look at my notes and see true commentary, not just my silly reactions. Quentin said that Kris is “living up to the spirit of the competition” and “playing with the casino’s money” which are both awesome things to say. I thought that the key was a little too low in the beginning, but at the first chorus everything got adjusted. Randy and Kara didn’t totally glob on, but who really cares about them. It was a great choice, performance, and HE WAS AMAZING!!!

Hugs and kisses and lots of Glen Hansard’s deep sexy voice,
Jessica