Sunday, May 25, 2008

SYTYCD Madness: The Game -- Preliminary Voting

Voting in this round ends Tuesday June 24 at 11:59PM EST.

You may vote for up to FOUR dancers in this round.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Grey's Anatomy Finally Gets Good Again

No question about it -- the Writer's Strike sucked. However, there is some good that came out of it, namely a chance for some shows that had gotten a bit tired to find their creative juices again. Grey's Anatomy was definitely one of those shows.

If you had asked me a few months ago if I cared whether Meredith and Derek got back together or separated permanently, I probably would have told you I couldn't care less. Cut to me bawling last night as the tortured lovebirds shared a passionate kiss on the piece of land Derek had bought with the intention of building his dream house for the two of them to live. Meredith is working through her crap. Derek can't let go of the woman he loves.

I cared. I really cared.

I also cared that Callie finally owned up to the complicated feelings she was having for Haun; that an over-worked Bailey handed over the reins of her beloved clinic to a still-floundering Izzie; that Alex let himself break down on Izzie's shoulder; that George and Christina both re-found their mojo; and that the Chief has been accepted back into his home. I really cared.

Kudos to Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Sara Ramirez, Brooke Smith, Justin Chambers, TR Knight, and Katherine Heigl for their phenomenal work on last night's episode. A special shout-out must go to Chandra Wilson, who once again showed that she is one of this show's strongest weapons. That Stars Wars speech was genius! I can't wait for the fall to see how the developments continue to play out.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

In Case Your Tivo Cut Off, Video of the Last 9 Minutes of the American Idol Finale

In case your Tivo cut off the last 9 minutes of American Idol (like mine did), here's a video of what happened, including the winner singing "Time of My Life," the new song written for the competition. Even if you've already seen it, it's worth watching again.

And can I just say go David... (spoiler continued below)




Cook!!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Winner of American Idol Will Be David...

I've been away for the last four days, and I arrived home after a mind-bogglingly wonderful trip to find that my Tivo had neglected to record the finale of American Idol. Welcome home.

I managed to watch each of the performances online, and while David Archuleta gave the more traditional Idol-winning performance, a la Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks and Jordin Sparks, I still don't think he's a shoo-in to take home the crown. Sure, it's easy to picture him singing with the confetti coming down, but that could also have been said for many other of his performances throughout the season. The kid is a studied Idol contestant, and though I certainly wouldn't bet against him taking home the prize, I don't think he has it in the bag.

David Cook, on the other hand, took a different approach. He didn't go all earnest (though the tear shed seemed genuine), but stuck to his guns, showing us the kind of artist he plans to be. The kind of artist he is.

Some say the teenyboppers rule Idol, and they'll take Archuleta to the finish line. But the teenyboppers can't account for Studdard's win, or Fantasia or Taylor Hicks. These winners appealed to voters for other reasons, including originality. So the mass collective of folks who admire what Cook does just may outweigh the legions of teenyboppers and grannies who are diehard Archuleta supporters.

(I realize, of course, that was a generalization, and that Cook has teenybopper fans and Archuleta has other supporters besides the demographics I listed. Still...)

My vote is for David Cook, however I honestly don't know who American is going to pick. I will say that Archuleta may be the closest thing this competition has seen since Clay Aiken -- and Clay lost. I'll also say Fantasia was certainly not loved by all, but had her own unique style, while Diana Degarmo, despite one bum note, gave a pretty flawless finale performance -- and we know how that turned out. I will also say that David Cook is the most clearly relevant contestant since Chris Daughtry -- and Daughtry came in 4th. So though Archuleta may, at this point, seem to be the odds on favorite to take home the prize after a traditional Idol winning performance , I say don't rule Cook out.

What do you think? Vote here.

Who Will WIn American Idol? Who Should Win American Idol?

The Winner of Dancing with the Stars Is...

Kristy and Mark

Much deserved.

Video: Simon Blasts Fantasia On 'Ellen' For American Idol Performance

Such a nice guy, that Simon...

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Apologies

Dear Idol Thoughts readers --

I apologize for the severe lack of posts in the past 6 weeks or so. I have started a new full-time position, and while I hope to resume posting regularly soon, right now my attention is on adjusting to my new job. Believe me, it's been killing me to watch Idol, Brothers and Sisters, Dancing with the Stars and Grey's Anatomy without blogging about it!

Please take this time to browse through the archives (which you can get to from the right hand navigation bar), and expect lots of stuff on So You Think You Can Dance and other summer entertainment soon.

Yours,

Idol Thoughts