plus 4, The Strange Case of the Dignified Late-Night Hosts - Los Angeles Times Blogs |
- The Strange Case of the Dignified Late-Night Hosts - Los Angeles Times Blogs
- American Idol Season 9 Premiere: Live Thoughts (Page 1/2) - Buddytv.com
- Reviewcap: American Idol - Auditions #1: Boston - Tvsquad.com
- Matt Morris parlays Disney contacts for new CD - Trentonian
- Make My Day - American Reporter
| The Strange Case of the Dignified Late-Night Hosts - Los Angeles Times Blogs Posted: 12 Jan 2010 11:06 PM PST
It’s a strange world indeed in which late-night show hosts act as models of clear-headedness, but Conan O’Brien’s recent letter to NBC is an admirable example of how to make the best of a bad situation. From its opening admission that no one should feel sorry for him because “For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky†to his conclusion that “delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise,†O’Brien managed to express his indignation while still hewing resolutely to the high road. Oh, and he stands to get a cool $40 mil if he can get the lawyers to agree that he’s not quitting because by moving him and “The Tonight Show†to 12:05, NBC is effectively turning “The Tonight Show†into something else entirely, which constitutes a breach of contract. So he gets the money and public sympathy. Canny indeed, but the fact is, he’s right and it’s hard to imagine that this is not precisely what NBC knew would happen when it first floated the idea of giving Leno a half-hour show. O’Brien has, in fact, been a model citizen during the whole absurd ordeal; unlike Leno, he never used his monologue to express any kind of dissatisfaction with what was clearly an impossible and irritating situation. Following on the heels of Craig Ferguson’s call to stop tormenting the clearly psychologically challenged Britney Spears and David Letterman’s oddly mature bull-by-the-horns admission of adultery, O’Brien’s calm amid the storm seems to herald a whole new role for the late-night host: Standard Bearer of Temperance and Dignity. Hard to imagine for men who have been known to don an Alka Seltzer suit (Letterman) or thrust a profane dog puppet into the limelight (O’Brien). But it’s a refreshing reminder that even as political pundits work themselves into a rabid froth of personal vindictiveness, there is professionalism to be had among at least one group of television hosts. It was interesting to note that only Leno made comedic hay of Letterman’s revelation that there had been an attempt to blackmail him regarding affairs he had had with staff on his show â€" Ferguson and O’Brien patently refused and even Leno’s jokes seemed half-hearted and obligatory. As Letterman’s former nemesis, Leno was almost contractually obligated to say something, but he did move on as quickly as possible. Likewise, Letterman has kept a respectful distance, keeping his barbs aimed mainly at NBC executives rather than O’Brien or “Big Jaw,†with nothing but compliments for both of their shows, which have, of course, combined their low ratings to make him, Letterman, the new King of Late Night. So it’s not like any of these guys are operating totally outside their own self interest, curing cancer or solving the healthcare crisis. Still at a time when forbearance and professional courtesy are not the social norm, it’s nice to see that neither are dead, not even on TV. -- Mary McNamara Photo: Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| American Idol Season 9 Premiere: Live Thoughts (Page 1/2) - Buddytv.com Posted: 13 Jan 2010 12:11 AM PST After months of waiting and several major changes to the show and judges panel, it's time for season 9 of American Idol to get started in earnest tonight. We begin the search for America's next Idol tonight in Boston with the help of guest judge, Posh Spice...errr, Victoria Beckham. The question on everyone's lips: will Boston help season 9 off to a wicked awesome or wicked awful start? Watch along with me tonight as we get our first glimpse at the Idol hopefuls, judges' panel without Paula, and Simon's last round of American Idol auditions. Be sure to follow along with me here and in 140 character quips on Twitter.
It's Idol time and we are still rehashing what a shocker last season's Idol finale was. How much do you think Kris Allen hates that photo/video of his mouth agape? After embarassing Kris Allen, we get a little intro to the behind the scene drama with Paula leaving, Ellen joining, and our celebrity guest judges. Joining us tonight, as you know, will be Victoria Beckham. After a five minute intro, with some already tear-jerking moments (the cop! the father who wants to provide for his special need child! the Southern girl who feels trapped!) we get to rainy Boston-Town. And here we go, let's find the next American Idol. 9,000 dripping wet folks showed up to audition for Idol in Boston and hopefully at least one of them says wicked and is wearing a Red Sox cap or all my Boston stereotypes will be shattered. First up is Janet who says she's only been 'singing well for two years' thanks to practice via the American Idol video-game. This bodes poorly. Not only for jumpy, muffin-top bearing Janet, but for all of us.
Next up is our first sob story, 16 year old Maddy Curtis who is the 9th of 12 kids, including several siblings with special needs. Please say this kid can sing and they're not just making me cry for no reason. Maddy seems like a sweetheart and she chooses "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen to audition, a song that should come with a "Grab Tissues NOW" warning in it's own right. Thankfully, Maddy can sing and she has a bit of soul with a raw edge to it. Given the opportunity and rigors of American Idol she could improve greatly. All the judges love Maddy's soulful style and thought her nerves were adorable. Simon is especially impressed that she's not annoying. She gets four yeses and is heading to Hollywood. She further wins the judges (and America) over by thanking them and saying what a pleasure it was singing for them as she exits. Then there's emo guy in the holding room and some bad dancing courtesy of Pat Ford, who will regret his two minutes on Idol for the rest of his life. Either that or he will remix it and put it on loop on YouTube, because Pat seems slightly deluded about his own fabulousness. Pat offers a choreographed, toneless rendition of Womanizer by Britney Spears. Proof:
Then a montage of ladies from Boston who we'll be hearing from again including Jennifer Hirsch's jazzy goodness, Claire Fuller, a gorgeous gal who does a break down on Mr. Big's "Be With You" (which I owned on cassette single in 5th grade, until I played it so much it broke), and Jess Wolfe. You'll be seeing all three of these ladies and hopefully a full rendition of Mr. Big in Hollywood. To continue with tonight's stereotypes ... Amadeo Diricco and his huge effusive Italian family who gather around Mama's table every week, drinking home made wine and busting each other's chops. Hopefully Amadeo can actually sing and his chops would have been busted by said family if he could not. He'll be auditioning with Muddy Waters "Hoochie Coochie Man" which gets initial giggles from the judges ("ahaha he said coochie") until Amadeo busts out in a soulful rendition which would not sound out of place in the best Southern Gospel choirs. He is bluesy, soulful, and full of personality and passion. Simon gives the ultimate compliment telling Amadeo he just gave his favorite audition of the day and he even likes his energy. After such ringing endorsements, Amadeo gets a round of yeses from the judges, tackled and strangled by his six cousins and brothers...mussing up Ryan's flawless hair. Congrats Amadeo (and your big old Italian family, who we'd like to have dinner with) you're the first man to make it through to Hollywood. Your next Idol and his crazed cousins?
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| Reviewcap: American Idol - Auditions #1: Boston - Tvsquad.com Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:52 PM PST  Alright, everyone! It seems like just moments ago that Kris Allen was crowned the new American Idol, but now he and runner-up Adam Lambert are old news. It's time to find the next superstar. This is going to be a big season: It's the first one without Paula, the first one with Ellen, and the last one with Simon. So let's just sit back, relax, and enjoy some auditions! We start out with a look back at last season, and I'm sure Kara DioGuardi loves the fact that they're opening up with her ripping her dress off onstage with The Bikini Girl. Ryan talks about Paula leaving and shows a clip of Ellen announcing that she'll be the new judge. She looks so cute and excited! I can't wait for her to get on the live episodes. For now, however, we have guest judge Victoria Beckham. Am I the only one who forgets that she talks? I'm just so used to her posing, hearing her voice freaks me out. Overall, we get some decent talent in Boston, and Victoria Beckham is pretty fun. She's not the ice queen she usually comes across as. She smiles, is encouraging, and even puts Simon in his place. I like her! Auditions: Janet McNamara makes me sad right off the bat, because she basically thinks she's getting on the show because the American Idol video game tells her she's getting through to Hollywood. She sings "Pocketful of Sunshine," and it's ... not good. I like how Kara has gotten over the need to impress and is just dancing along. Kara is super-sad because Janet thinks she's Paula, and Janet does further damage by referring to Victoria Beckham as "David Beckham's wife." She also can't stop swearing, which is kind of funny. Needless to say, she does not get a golden ticket. Next up, we have Pat Ford. He's singing "Womanizer" by Britney Spears. It's predictably a train wreck, and he appears to just have gone on the audition to be sassy on national television. Speaking of "sassy," he says that Simon is "even sassier in real life." He hugs Kara, and is pretty cute. I wonder what his actual life in high school is like, because he seems like the world's saddest Glee cast member. In any case, he gets a unanimous "no." After that lovely diversion, we have a montage of ladies who get through to Hollywood. Jennifer Hirsh, who scats about the Wicked Witch of the West, Claire Fuller and Jess Wolfe don't get much screen time, but a golden ticket is even better, so I'm sure they're fine. I love how Amadeo Diriccio's backstory is so stereotypically Italian. It even has the ridiculous "Italian" music to accompany it -- it's like a Mama Celeste commercial come to life. He sings "Hoochie Coochie Man" by Muddy Waters. It's kind of overbearing, but it's not bad. Everyone seems to really like the guy. Simon even calls it his favorite audition of the day. He gets four Yeses, which I find surprising, but also kind of fun. After Amadeo's boisterous personality, we get Derek Hilton. He sings "Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word," and he tells the judges that he likes how Chris Brown touches kids around the world? I'm not even going to comment on that. The point is, this dude is terrible, so we're never going to need to talk about him again after this paragraph. It's a big, fat "no" for ol' Derek Hilton. Dear Derek, please do not touch America in a very special way. Thanks in advance. Love, Kona (a frightened American). Oh Lord. Mere Doyle is one of those girls who just tries sooo hard. Watching her is painful. Whether she's pretending to have an umbrella, modeling her kimono, or murdering Janis Joplin's "Piece of my Heart," she's absolutely exhausting. I feel really badly for her, though. When she says, "singing is my life," and she's so earnest, it does break my heart a little bit. Who knows; maybe she'll go on to do something great. Everyone says no to her. Next, we have a pair of guys who gets through to Hollywood: Luke Shaffer is a redhead, which I love. I'm just going to put that out there. He's also pretty good, so that helps. Benjamin Bright is fine, but is really saved by his song choice, which is just charming. Okay, now we have DJ Hipster Glasses. I have no idea why anyone would audition for American Idol and than bitch about the long wait. Then, why would he be a jerk to the judges before he even starts singing? Hey ladies, this guy is single! Can you believe it? Andrew Fenlon is supposedly a local musician. Is he a ... drummer or something? Because dude is not good at singing. After he sings, Kara basically rips him a new one for complaining about the wait, but he doesn't understand why everyone is annoyed with him. He gets three "no's," and Simon says that he would have said "yes," because Andrew is growing on him. Heh. Then Kara starts just losing it and yelling about random stuff. She says things like, "you need a spanking" over and over again. Oh, Kara. Ashley Rodriguez really wants this, you guys. You hear that? So all the rest of you fools who don't want it as badly as she does should probably just go home. She sings "If I Don't Have You" by Alicia Keys. First of all, there should be a moratorium on Alicia Keys, because everyone does her. With that said, she's actually quite good, and all of the judges love her. She's going to Hollywood. Haha. Tyler Grady has always liked climbing trees since he was young. Unfortunately for Tyler, trees do not like him climbing them. He fell out of one and shattered both of his wrists. He sings Al Green's "Let's Get It On," and the girls go bananas over him. The guys like him too, and they all vote "yes." Oh, man. That was only Day 1. On to Day 2. Lisa Olivero sounds like she'd be annoying to work with. I don't like people who sing at work. She's singing Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love." Didn't she watch last year? Don't sing this song in front of Kara! She may rip off her dress! Luckily, she's not good, so Kara doesn't feel threatened. Simon calls it "the craziest version of Mariah Carey I've ever heard." It's a no. Ryan Keane is unemployed. He sings "Ring of Fire," and is not likely to become employed as a singer. Mike Davis is an actor on a speedboat, at least that's what I think he said. I don't really understand it, but his boat is named "Codzilla," which is awesome. Randy gets super excited and wants to go out on the boat. Mike sings "Yesterday," by The Beatles, and is really good. Plus, he seems like a nice guy, so they can all totally go out on the boat together. It's really weird though, because even though Simon gives him a "yes," Randy gives him a "no," and tells him his voice isn't good. Luckily, the girls like him and he gets voted through. Also, he and Kara may go get steaks! Joshua Blaylock is 28, which is the age limit for Idol, so this is his last shot. He has a decent voice, but he's super-boring. Simon agrees and calls him "forgettable," even though Victoria says he "has a nice little voice." We also learn something important from this: Randy loves Spandau Ballet. Kara says yes, based on his loveliness, and the rest of the judges fall in line because he's so nice. He's going to Hollywood, and then we will never hear from him again. Justin Williams got cancer when he was 20. He's cancer free now (and cute). He's also a good singer, and you can tell that Kara and Victoria are getting all squishy as they're watching him. All four judges say yes, and he's heading to Hollywood. Norberto Guerro has an impressive mane of hair. He's singing "Every Time we Touch," and it's really, really bad. He's super excited to be in the room, so I feel really bad for him. He wants to inspire people, and Simon immediately shuts him down. It's a unanimous "no." Bosa Mora comes from a very large Nigerian family, and they are all adorable. I'm pulling for him when he goes in, and he's quite good. He sings "You look So Good in Love" by George Strait. Simon says he's "good, but boring." I tend to agree, but I feel like he could be better, once he finds his groove. This audition is great, because Victoria totally gives Simon crap for rolling his eyes. Simon gives him a "no," Kara and Victoria give him a "yes," and Randy gives him the vote he needs to get through to Hollywood. At the end of the day, we have 31 people from Boston going to Hollywood. It's a decent group, but very few of them stick out to me. Who did you guys like? Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Matt Morris parlays Disney contacts for new CD - Trentonian Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:24 PM PST In this photograph taken on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, musician Matt Morris talks about his upcoming album to be released on the label of performer Justin Timberlake during an interview in a downtown Denver restaurant. Morris is a Denver native who is reaching new audiences throughout the country. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) DENVER (AP) — Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and others went on to pop stardom after appearing on "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" as kids. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Make My Day - American Reporter Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:31 PM PST Make My Day PARIS FOR PREZ by Erik Deckers American Reporter Humor Writer Indianapolis, Indiana
Printable version of this story INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- It was the snit heard 'round the world. The snarky, scantily-clad video response that got pundits tongues wagging about something other than politics, at least until their wives saw them. Maybe its echo has faded from the news, but it still makes me wake up screaming in the middle of the night. Paris Hilton says she's running for President. The vapid blond heiress and star of "The Simple Life," announced her candidacy in a spoof video on FunnyOrDie.com. Hilton said she was running because that "wrinkly white-haired guy" - John McCain, for those of you emerging from under your rocks - used her image in a television spot against his opponent, presumptive President of the United States, Barack Obama. "Hey America, I'm Paris Hilton, and I'm a celebrity too," she said without a sense of irony or shame. "Only I'm not from the olden days, and I'm not promising change like that other guy. I'm just hot." Oh man, this is really bad. I've always been a big supporter of third party candidates, but my one litmus test is whether they can even spell "candidate." And that they haven't starred in an Internet sex video/ I swear, if she wins, I'm moving to Canada with Alec Baldwin, unless he chickens out like he did last time. (Big wussy. The guy swore up and down he would move to Canada if George Bush became President, but we're stuck with him and his 17 brothers.) Still, I don't think she's got a real shot, so I'll probably be here for a while. "But then that wrinkly white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which means I guess I'm running for President," she continued. Yeah, right. By that logic, since her boyfriend used her in that sex video, I guess that would make her a slut. . . Uh, oh. This is worse than I thought! Do they get the NFL in Canada? Can I get the Dish Network to work up there? "So thanks for the endorsement, white-haired dude, and I want America to know I'm, like, totally ready to lead." Oh, good, as long as you're totally ready. I mean, we wouldn't want someone who was , like, only concerned about whether certain other world leaders are, like, hot, or whether the White House clashes with her outfits. She'll probably appoint Extreme Makerover's Ty Pennington the Secretary of the Department of the Interior to make sure. "I'll see you at the White House," she concluded. "Oh, and I might paint it pink." Looks like I've got a tough decision to make. Do I go for the big city or the small town? I've been to Toronto, and it's a nice city with a strong arts community. But if I lived in a smaller town, I'd be closer to nature and some really good fishing. Dryden, Ontario is gorgeous in the summer. But even as I pace the floor and gnaw on my fingernails, I have to admit, her energy policy made some sense. "We can do limited offshore drilling with strict environmental oversight, while creating tax incentives to get Detroit making hybrid and electric cars. That way, offshore drilling carries us until the new technologies kick in, which will create new jobs and energy independence. Energy crisis solved. I'll see you at the debates, bitches." But then she, like, totally shot herself in the foot when she said she was considering Rihanna, the R&B artist, as her vice presidential nominee. Come on! Rihanna?! Are you kidding me? Everyone knows she doesn't have the foreign affairs experience needed to re-establish the U.S. as a world leader. Plus, she was born in Barbados, so she's not a natural-born American citizen, which means she can't take on that role. While some people would say Britney Spears, Hilton's fellow celeb and John McCain commercial target, is the emotional favorite, I think Cameron Diaz is the better choice. She can shore up the Hispanic vote and improve relations with Latin America. Of course, you'll also need Ashton Kutcher to head up the Department of Homeland Security (Hey Iran, you've been punk'd!). And what do you think of Scarlett Johansen as the Secretary of State... ? Uh, excuse me. I don't know what came over me. If anything, I'm worrying too much about something that will never happen. Hilton is only 27, eight years too young to run for president, which means I don't have to worry about a global disaster for eight more years. But with her sordid past, I doubt she could even be elected dogcatcher of Putnam County. Besides, I'm hoping Lindsey Lohan will be out of rehab and ready to run for Senate by 2016.
Copyright 2010 Joe Shea The American Reporter. All Rights Reserved.
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Thankfully Janet does say wicked awesome and my life is complete. While the American Idol game apparently tells Janet that she is great and destined for stardom, the game is lying. Janet is in fact possibly the most tone deaf person who ever thought she could sing. So, those of you singing along to American Idol the video game and getting through to Hollywood, let me tell you this: THAT VIDEO GAME IS A BIG FAT LIAR. (Please do not audition for Idol, without inquiring humans who love you if you are tone deaf.)
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