AI COUNTDOWN #1

TAYLOR HICKS

"Takin It To the Streets"

season 5

AI COUNTDOWN #2

Matt Giraud

"Human Nature"

season 8

Unfortunately, performance vids for this season are obsolete on youtube, so this will have to do...

AI COUNTDOWN #3

MICHAEL JOHNS

"We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions"

season 7

And I have to include this bonus video - not an AI clip...It's a shame INXS wouldn't clear any of their songs for Michael to use on the show...Check it out...

AI COUNTDOWN #4

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

"Alone"

season 4

AI COUNTDOWN #5

RUBEN STUDDARD

"Superstar"

season 2

AI COUNTDOWN #6

BROOKE WHITE

"Love is a Battlefield"

season 7

AI COUNTDOWN #7

BO BICE

"Drift Away"

season 4

AI COUNTDOWN #8

BLAKE LEWIS

"I Need to Know"

season 6

AI COUNTDOWN #9

ACE YOUNG

"Father Figure"

season 5

AI COUNTDOWN #10

LATOYA LONDON

"Don't Leave Me This Way"

season 3

New countdown...

For the next 10 days, I'm going to count down my ten all-time favorite American Idol performances. Stay tuned...

American Idol Top 11 Predictions

I wish I had something better to blog about. But I don't. Maybe I'll come up with a countdown topic soon, but for now, it's AI predictions - which, sadly enough, aren't based on talent as much as understanding the agenda of the producers. That's my theory, anyway.

I didn't watch the whole show last night - The Mentalist is more important than Idol - but I think Michael Sarver is out. I saw his performance, and it was fine, but...as I've said before, I don't think the eliminations are without producer manipulation. And since this is the last one before the top 10 (aka Idol tour line-up), Sarver's exit is the only one that makes sense. See, I think the top 10 is almost a product of casting rather than viewer votes. They want their pimped "characters" like Scott (the blind guy) and Danny (the widower) on the tour...then they have Kris and Adam (the guys who will draw in the females)...As for the girls - there are only 4 girls left right now. If Megan leaves - just an example - there would only be 3 girls on the tour. And 7 guys. Too unbalanced.

I do think Megan will be in the bottom 3, though. Megan, Michael, and maybe Alexis.

My favorite is Matt Giraud. Can't wait to go home and finish watching the show to see how he did.

[In other tv news, I got my wish on Dancing w/the Stars and Belinda Carlisle is out. Next week, I think it might be Holly Madison. I'm rooting for Melissa for the win.]

American Idol Top 13 Week 1

What are the judges smoking?

I thought Adam Lambert sounded borderline horrible. Was I hearing wrong????? What's going on????? Is it just me????? Good stage presence, but...I should watch it back, 'cause I'm dumbfounded...

And why so hard on Jorge? I thought he sounded great!

Ugh. So arbitrary. But ya gotta love it.

BIGGEST SURPRISE:

Honestly, no one surprised me. I guess the biggest surprise was all the fawning over Adam. He did "Black or White", which is one of my fav Michael Jackson songs...The judges praised his butt off as I sat perplexed. Maybe I'm getting too old for this show?

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:

Anoop...Poor song choice with "Beat It". Vocals were a little off.

WORST PERFORMANCE:

Megan Corkrey..."Rockin' Robin"...really?!?! Didn't dig it. Is she always going to sing everything the exact same way and do that same dance move? Going into the show, I wasn't a Megan fan - and after that performance, I definitely haven't changed my mind.

BEST PERFORMANCE:

my favs were Matt Giraud's "Human Nature" and probably Danny Gokey "P.Y.T"

BOTTOM 3 PREDICTION:

Jasmine, Megan, and Jorge

ELIMINATION PREDICTION:

Two are out tonight. Should be Megan and Kris, but I fear it will be Jasmine and - unfortunately - Jorge.

SPOILER ALERT:

DialIdol.com measures the busy signal to determine whose voting lines were busiest...And then they predict each contestant's likelihood of being eliminated. I wouldn't bet on it, but it's often fairly accurate. SO, according to Dial Idol, Jorge, Allison, and Jasmine are most likely to be bottom 3 - with Jorge most likely to go home. BOOOOOOOOOO. Allison and Jorge should not be in the bottom 3. No way.

In other spoiler news, the new twist on AI is that the judges will have the power to VETO an elimination! I highly doubt they'll use the veto anytime soon. They'll save it for Gokey or Lil or, ugh, Adam IF they are shockingly eliminated "too soon" at some point. Interesting twist, I suppose. (SAVE JORGE!)

American Idol Top 13 Predictions

I have "sort of" watched so far this season. I usually dvr it and fast forward through, taking the time only to watch the really good or interesting people. However, I thought it would be fun to over-analyze the show and its contestants. Make some predictions. Maybe dig up some spoilers.

I think I read that the theme will be Michael Jackson. Overall, I think it's a fair theme for all of the contestants. Everyone should be able to find SOMETHING they can work with... (I'll go ahead and mention that I HATE the fact that there are theme weeks. I think it's RIDICULOUS to make someone who is clearly a rocker sing Barry Manilow or country music. Just let them pick what they want, darn it.)

Now, on with the over-analysis. All totally my opinion.

My take on the 13 contestants and their chances...

Kris Allen - I had to look this guy up. I didn't remember who he was. He needs a cool stage name or something to make him stand out, because he's kind of just a normal dude fading into the background behind all of these other characters. Don't really see him cracking the top 10. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 11-13 range

Megan Corkrey - This is a tough one. Either she'll go early because people don't "get" her, or she'll make it far because she's unique. So far, she's not one of my favorites. She just doesn't sound that great to me. But we'll see. Tonight will be a good test. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 7-10 range

Anoop Desai - Anoop should do okay tonight. He didn't get the vote from America, so that seemingly puts him at a disadvantage (along with Matt, Megan, and Jasmine). Will he get the votes now? Very possible. I think he'll make it into the top 10. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 7-10 range

Matt Giraud - Pretty much the same prediction as above. He made it through as a wildcard, now he has to prove his worth in the competition. He probably won't be as popular as Anoop, so his chances of making the top 10 are iffy. He has to blow everyone away starting tonight. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 10-13 range (but I hope he does better)

Danny Gokey - The big story is Danny and his heartbreaking story of his wife's death. This can be viewed two ways 1) as an inspirational story of how the human spirit triumphs and he follows his dream in the midsts of tragedy OR 2) he's using that to get votes. My vote is the first one. BUT if the topic is brought up repeatedly, there will be inevitable backlash. In my opinion, Danny will make it to the top 3 based on talent, not backstory. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 1-3 range

Alexis Grace - One of my favorites! I hope she doesn't fizzle out as many who make a strong first impression do. I'd like see her in the top 5, at least...but I don't know if she'll have the fan base to take her that far. She's another iffy one. How she does tonight will make a difference. She's probably the female performance I'm most looking forward to tonight. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 4-7 range

Allison Iraheta - She's good - no doubt about that. She should easily make it to the midway point, based on her voice. How she deals with the theme weeks and whether she makes good song choices will determine whether she makes it much further than that. She certainly has potential to. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 3-6 range

Adam Lambert - Not a fan myself, but I definitely think he'll make the top 10. I'm assuming the top 10 go on the "Idol Tour" or whatever it's called. I think that's how they've done it in the past. I'm sure the powers that be want Adam on that tour. I don't think there's even a slight chance he'll be voted out before clinching a spot on the tour. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 6-9 range

Scott MacIntyre - I like Scott - a lot. I hope he brings out the keyboard and keeps doing songs he loves. Some people claim that the only reason he's getting any attention is because he's blind. And that very well may be true, but so what. That IS a big deal. That's the beauty of the show - finding people who are unique and have a story to tell. A way to inspire. To me, that's far more interesting than just having a group of people who can sing. He's not the best singer, but he is someone people can admire. I'll take him over Carrie Underwood or Ruben Studdard any day.
MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 3-6 range

Jasmine Murray - She should do okay. Maybe/probably make the top 10 for the tour, but I'm not sure she'll be able to push ahead of some of these others who are either better singers or more interesting characters. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 8-11 range

Jorge Nunez - Another favorite of mine! I can't wait to see how he deals with different themes! I hope he does well! I'd love to see him in the finals! BUT I don't know if anyone else shares my enthusiasm over Jorge. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 5-8 range (but I'm hoping for better!)

Lil Rounds - Definitely a contender! She reminds me of Latoya London WAY back in season...3, was it? Everyone was sure she was a lock for the win, but then - in a shocking elimination - she was out. All because people were so confident she had it in the bag that they didn't vote. MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 1-3 range

Michael Sarver - We'll see what happens tonight. He needs to make an impression to stick around, though I do not feel that he'll be the first to go...MY PLACEMENT PREDICTION: 9-12 range


Tomorrow I'll blog about the performances...
Who will be the biggest surprise?
Who will be the biggest disappointment?
Who will be the first to go?

My newest youtube video and channel...

And the hottest Bachelor is...

According to voters, the hottest Bachelor so far ...

With 44% of the vote...

IS...

Andy Baldwin

2nd place

with 24% of the vote is: Brad Womack

(that's who I voted for...)

3rd place

with 10%, a tie between: Travis Stork

and

current Bachelor Jason Mesnick

With 3% of the vote each, Aaron, Byron, and Matt also got nods.

Bachelor 13, Ep 3 Recap

Episode synopsis:

Jason takes Stephanie on a date and surprises her by flying in her 4 year old daughter from Alabama. The three spend the day at the beach and then Legoland - which was closed down JUST for them. It was all very cute and sweet. (P.S. It was the little girl's birthday - could not have been more perfect!) Jason offered Stephanie a rose (made out of Legos, of course) at the end of the date, securing her for another week. Stephanie admitted (in her "confessional" type thing) that she's well on her way to falling in love with Jason.

Jason takes Megan, Naomi, Melissa, Shannon, Jillian, Nikki, and Erica (is that all?) on a group date to make busts for Save A Breast. Melissa reveals to Jason that she had a breast reduction in her teens because she was - get this - 30 FF. Yikes. Meanwhile, conversation runs dry for Nikki and Jason. Shannon cries for no good reason. Jillian gets the early rose on this date.

Jason takes Natalie on one heck of a date. They take a helicopter to Vegas and are then treated to a private concert from Kate Voegele. Oh, and Nat got to wear $1 million worth of diamonds for the date. Alas, it was a rose-or-go date, and Jason decided NOT to give Natalie the rose, eliminating her on the spot. Was Natalie upset? Yes, of course! And the kicker, as Jason was walking her out, some big, burly dude comes up to retrieve the jewels.

Back at the mansion, there was all kinds of cattiness. Everyone was bashing Natalie, saying she wasn't right for Jason. Lauren told Jason that Megan and Erica were awful people. Megan called her out on it. Oh, and this was ENCOURAGED by the host, Chris Harrison. Yep, he walks out and says "Speak freely!" Of course, the trouble makers jumped at the chance. Drama, drama, drama.

Blah, blah, blah.

You know how women can be :-D

My (quick and hastily written) thoughts following the third episode...

1) Stephanie is getting a pretty great edit! The story arc of her overcoming tragedy and learning to love again is touching...In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say she's being groomed as a contender for the next Bachelorette. Okay, I don't know better. Maybe she IS. My opinion, it's between her and Jillian. One of them could be the next Bachelorette. (According to my husband, who is kind enough to watch the show with me, Jason is not physically attracted to Stephanie. He noticed that on their date, Stephanie was standing, fully prepped for Jason to kiss her, but he turned his head. I didn't notice this, but it IS true that Jason has been so free with kisses this season. Why no kiss for Steph on the one-on-one?)

2) I still don't like Naomi. Or Molly. When Naomi told Jason she compared him to her ex? What the...? Why would anyone say that? And why did he kiss her after that? And then she made a big show out of going to re-apply her lipstick. Oh, please. And Molly...I don't know what it is about her. Does anyone else dislike her? Is it just me? (My husband cannot stand Molly either. Of the original 25 women, she ranked at the VERY bottom of his list. He was certain she would be eliminated the first night. I got news for him, Molly is a lock for final 4 - and maybe even beyond.)

3) Melissa and Jason are the best match. Hands down. Jillian seems to have an edge, getting so many early roses. However, I think when Jason is with Jillian, she's always the one taking charge, kind of dominating the situation a bit. But with Melissa, Jason seems to be the one in charge. It's just a better dynamic for romance, in my opinion. Besides, Jillian can't be the final 1 - she's going to be the next Bachelorette ;-)

4) Nikki...Well, on the first night, she was really impressive. She seemed very together - said all the right things, etc. But since then...she's kind of falling apart. And her kiss with Jason was...really...really...awkward. Seriously - rewatch it - it's weird. At about the 8:45 mark:

5) I like Shannon. I don't like her for Jason, but I do like her. I am almost certain that her being sick at the rose ceremony was a stomach virus - NOT a nervous reaction to the drama. Those sneaky editors. (According to my husband, every season has a crazy girl - and they all have a certain look about them. He thinks Shannon has the "look" and she is this season's crazy girl.)

My predictions for the next episode...

From what I can tell, he is supposed to eliminate 3 girls, but - according to the previews - it looks as if he might eliminate 4. If I had it MY way, he would eliminate Megan, Naomi, Shannon, and Molly. However, I predict he will eliminate Megan, Shannon, Lauren, and Nikki.

*Once again, photos courtesy of Dreamer @ Joker's Updates.

Reminder: The poll for hottest Bachelor ever is still open. Vote if you haven't voted!

Who's the hottest Bachelor...so far?

Check out the photos of the stars of the first 13 seasons of The Bachelor.

Vote in the poll (scroll down) ---->

Alex Michel
Season 1

Aaron Buerge
Season 2

Andrew Firestone

Season 3

Bob Guiney
Season 4

Jesse Palmer
Season 5

Byron Velvick
Season 6

Charlie O'Connell
Season 7

Travis Stork

Season 8

Prince Lorenzo Borghese

Season 9

Andy Baldwin
Season 10

Brad Womack

Season 11

Matt Grant

Season 12

Jason Mesnick

Season 13

Bachelor 13, Ep 2 Recap

Episode 2...When the story arcs begin to take shape. The edit for each "character" becomes a little more apparent. I say "character" because I'll be the first to say, I don't think the ways these girls are portrayed on the show are necessarily true to life. Footage is chopped, misused, manipulated - all for the sake of creating a story. What appears to be one girl rolling her eyes at another girl can actually be one girl rolling her eyes at a pesky fly. (Case in point, the DeAnna footage - but we'll get to that another time.) Keeping that in mind, you have to wonder what the motive for manipulating the footage is. Hence, examining the edit.

So, here's how the edits for the remaining girls are shaping up thus far...

Stephanie - Episode 2 makes it clear that her "character" is officially "the weeping widow". It's unfortunate, because I'm sure there is more to her than that, but that is what we are getting. Her storyline arc will be learning to love again. Having a great experience. Opening her heart again. She will be eliminated further down the line. I do not see her as the final one.

Jillian - Cute Canadian hot dog hick is getting a GREAT edit. She had the first one-on-one date with Jason (a private Robin Thicke concert) AND the first kiss of the season. Jason has nothing but good things to say about Jillian. She stays away from controversy with the other girls. Pretty solid edit, no doubt. IF Jillian is not the final one (I personally don't think she is), it will be interesting to see what goes wrong -because right now she and Jason seem like a really good fit.

Naomi - She got a slightly better edit this episode than in the first one. However, her attempt to get Jason to kiss her was pretty lame. "We'll always be friends...So, can friends kiss?" It worked, but it was SOOOOOO lame. I just can't like Naomi.

Melissa - Another great edit. She had a one-on-one with Jason also (they went up in the Goodyear blimp!), and - in my opinion - it went better than Jason's date with Jillian, which is saying a lot. Jason and Melissa seem like a couple. And she seems to have a handle on what it means to be with Jason - moving to Seattle, marrying into an instant family. I don't think it's an accident that there have been multiple scenes of her talking about that kind of thing. Good, good edit.

Nikki - Last week, she was at the top - first impression rose winner, said all the right things. This episode, she was just kind of there. I'm thinking we are being set up to see Nikki fizzle out. If you look back at past seasons, getting the first impression rose is almost always the kiss of death on The Bachelor.

Molly - We are not supposed to like Molly. She's being portrayed as aggressive, calculating. Chica already had a rose and she still barged in on someone else's private conversation with Jason. Oh - and her tactic to get a kiss? Puh-lease. "Hey, Jason, wanna see my secret talent? It's kissing!" Her edit reminds me a bit of Kirsten from season 3 (Andrew Firestone) - and Kirsten ended up in the final 2 (but I liked Kirsten - I do NOT like Molly so far). The classic good vs. evil finale. Could be so for Molly. Jason certainly seems to like something about her.

Natalie - Not much to this one. That tells me she won't be around long - otherwise the viewers would be given a reason to root for her. We're given nothing. She gets a one-on-one date next week, so maybe that will change. Or maybe Jason will confirm there's nothing there and send her home.

Kari - Same as above. In fact, I don't even remember seeing her in the episode.

Lauren - This one made a VERY transparent attempt to do what previous winners Helene, Mary, and Tessa have done - which is tell The Bachelor they are considering leaving. In those previous seasons, the women were sincere and it worked because The Bachelor was already smitten with them. Lauren was FAKING IT and played her card too soon and came off as insecure. Jason even said so himself. My opinion: It was a petty attempt for more screen time. Once again, I don't think Lauren is there for Jason.

Shannon - I feel like she's getting the "friend" edit. She's already in puppy love with Jason, but he'll never see her as more than just a friend. So, she'll be kept around as "filler" because she's kooky. Chances are Jason already knows which 2 or 3 girls he's most interested in. The rest are just filler.

Megan - I don't see a connection between Megan and Jason. None whatsoever. Yeah, they both have kids, but that's not exactly the criteria for a great, lasting relationship. I kind of have to wonder if the producers aren't urging him to keep her around for drama. She seems to be rather confrontational - and that makes good tv.

Erica - Same as above. But worse. And without the common bond of having a kid. I see absolutely nothing between Jason and Erica. And she's SO abrasive. Producer pick for filler.

Say goodbye to...

Lisa - She left on her own due to family problems. Would she have gotten a rose if she had stayed? I don't know. Maybe. Instead of Erica. That would've been great.

Raquel - She hid out in his limo and waited for him. He didn't seem pleasantly surprised - he seemed weirded out - like one would be if they came home to find a bunny boiling on their stove. She came off as creepy, and I think that's what sealed her fate.

Sharon - The poor girl quit her job as a Spanish teacher and left her friends and family to come on the show. But that doesn't mean Jason owes her a rose. Adios, Sharon.

Predictions for next week...

Either Erica or Megan will be sent home roseless. The big drama will be - which one of these mortal enemies will "win" and which will "lose".

Stephanie's one-on-one will be great - filled with tears of joy since they are surprising her with her daughter. Great tv moment --- Well done, producers. And - naturally - there will be more talk of her deceased husband, as this is her "character" for the season. Similar thing happened a few seasons back. She will get a rose, I'm sure, but still, she's not the final one. Had Stephanie ended up as "winner", I do not think there would be so much about her late husband, episode after episode.

Natalie will NOT get a rose on her one-on-one date.

NEXT EP: MONDAY, JANUARY 19 - 8/7c on ABC

*SCREENCAPS COURTESY OF DREAMER AT JOKER'S UPDATES

Bachelor 13, Ep 1 Recap

I've been watching this show since season 2. What can I say? I dig it. So, I figured, why not blog about it?

First, some background. The Bachelor this year is Jason, the runner up from last summer's The Bachelorette, starring DeAnna, the reject from season 12 of The Bachelor. (Get it?) Jason is a single dad from Seattle who has a void in his life that only a televised whirlwind courtship with a virtual stranger can fill.

Moving on. Jason met the 25 women who applied to be his future wife.

There were some hits...

Pagent girl Nikki, who seemed completely genuine and comfortable - and wasted no time in telling Jason that she is ready to be a mom...(And telling the viewers that she has considered kidnapping other peoples' children?!?) Not only did Nikki get a rose, she got the FIRST IMPRESSION ROSE, which means...well, nothing really.

Stephanie, who shared a very touching story about the death of her husband. The two bonded on love, loss, and having children. Stephanie has an adorable little girl. (And from the looks of it, a few injections of Botox, but that's neither here nor there...) Jason called Steph an "amazing woman" (or some similar phrase) and offered her a rose at the end of the night.

Jillian, who made herself memorable by making Jason a hot dog and then judging him on the condiments he used on it. (Mustard, as it turns out, which in Jillian's world is a GOOD thing.) Whatever. It was original and fun. I think we'll see Jillian around for many more rounds.

And some misses...

Shannon. Aside from stepping out of the limo with those hideous fake rubber teeth you get for a quarter in those little machines at Walmart, Shannon also made quite an impression by spouting off info from Jason's myspace page. "I totally sound like a stalker, don't I?" she giggled. Jason must've found her obsessiveness endearing, because he gave her a rose at the end of the night.

Dominique, who regaled Jason with tales of TOE IMPLANTS and told him she would inspect his feet later. No rose for this one.

Renee, a follower of The Secret. Seems her hobby is making "vision boards", which are really just collages of random words and pictures -except they are magical because whatever you put on your "vision board" will come true via "the universe" (according to Renee). The fact that she makes these boards is not so alarming, but the fact that she chose this as the way to introduce herself to Jason...not a good thing. No rose, Renee. Better luck on your next "vision board".

Here are the 15 who will continue on the "amazing journey" that is The Bachelor...

1. Nikki (first impression rose recipient and potential child abductor - hold onto your kids when she's around)

2. Stephanie ("amazing (Botox) woman" from Alabama)

3. Jillian (with the hot dogs - also noteworthy, she described herself as a "polished hick" and referred to herself as "cute little Canadian girl". She'll be fun to have around, it seems.)

4. Raquel (a Brazilian med-student)

5. Erica (a sort of abrasive loud-mouth type. I'm not a fan.)

6. Shannon (the semi-stalker)

7. Natalie (bleach blonde and oddly tan)

8. Lisa (nearly zero screen time)

9. Melissa (ex Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and one of my pre-show picks...Lots of private interviews - I've got a hunch she'll be around for awhile.)

10. Megan (she was one of my pre-show picks...I think I was wrong. She's kind of a mess. In fact, the other girls were given the chance to vote one girl out and Megan received the most votes. However, the "twist" was that their votes gave her an automatic rose. By the way, Megan is a single mom as well)

11. Molly (she immediately informed us - the viewers - that she is very confident and that she expects other women to be intimidated by that. blah blah blah. Whatever. She seems a bit on the phony side to me.)

12. Sharon (she quit her job to be on the show)

13. Kari (wrote and read a poem for Jason - something about sushi and cooke dough ice cream)

14. Naomi (So far, I don't like Naomi. She said some dopey things in private interviews AND kicked the evening off with a toast to DeAnna for dumping Jason. Lame.)

15. Lauren (Wow at the ego on this one. Money says she's not "here for the right reasons".)

NEXT EPISODE: TONIGHT! 8/7c on ABC