Thankfully, tonight some of the contestants who we haven’t really seen got a chance for us to get to know them a little better, including seeing some early audition footage of them. It may not be much, but it does give us a chance to head them sing a few different kinds of songs, and gives us the impression that they actually have a chance to be in this competition.

American Idol also started theme nights right off the bat this season, with tonight’s theme being “the 60′s”.

Tonight’s performances included:

David Hernandez (24, Glendale, AZ) – “In the Midnight Hour,” Wilson Pickett

Chikezie (22, Englewood, CA) – “More Today Than Yesterday,” Spiral Starecase

David Cook (25, Blue Springs, MO) – “Happy Together,” The Turtles

Jason Yeager (28, Grand Prairie, TX) – “Moon River,” Audrey Hepburn (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)

Robbie Carrico (26, Melbourne, FL) – “One,” Harry Nilsson

David Archuleta (17, Murray, UT) – “Shop Around,” Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Danny Noriega (18, Azusa, CA) – “Jailhouse Rock,” Elvis Presley

Luke Menard (29, Crawfordsville, IN) – “Everybody’s Talkin’,” Harry Nilsson

Colton Berry (18, Staunton, VA) – “Suspicious Minds,” Elvis Presley

Garrett Haley (17. Elida, OH) – “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” Neil Sedaka

Jason Castro (20, Rockwall, TX) – “What a Day for a Daydream,” Lovin’ Spoonful

Michael Johns (29, Buckhead, GA) – “Light My Fire,” The Doors

For my money Michael Johns was the strongest performer of the night, but there were a lot of really great performances here.

The auditions are (finally) over, and now its time to get down to business. The final 24 were announced on this week’s show. Of course, they were announced online a while ago through a leak online list – but just in case you missed it, here are the final 24 contestants:
Read the rest of this entry »

American Idol – Finals Results – FOX – 8/7c – 2 Hour Finale

Last December, my wife and I went to a Christmas concert in Dallas.  During the concert, they had a trio come out and sing along with a few songs.  There was one person in that trio that stood out from the rest of them, and she received the biggest standing ovation of the night.  Flash forward a few months.  We’re watching the auditions for ‘Idol’, and, behold, this same girl that I had seen in Dallas was on screen.  Before I even heard her audition, I turned to my wife and said, “That’s Jordin from the concert.  She’s going to be the next American Idol.” 

While Blake did a passable job last night, Jordin swept the floor with him.  Say what you will about the show being rigged, Jordin is one of the best talents that the show has ever seen, and when it comes to her and Blake, she has to win tonight.  And I’m so proud that I called that.

Lost – Through the Looking Glass – ABC – 9/8c – 2 Hour Finale

I hate that this is going up against ‘Idol’, but thank God for dual tuner DVR’s.  Following a repeat of last week’s recap episode “The Answers”, we’ll dive headfirst into what I think is the most important finale of the season.  This season has been very rocky, and it absolutely hasto go out on a high note, or risk having the remaining fans just giving up hope on it.

The good news is, it sounds like the finale is on track to do just that.

Kristin at eOnline writes:

How many boxes of Depends will we need when watching the finale of Lost?!
If you haven’t been reading spoilers (and for your sakes, I really hope you all haven’t!), I’d hit up Costco and bring a truckload of ‘em. The format of the show is a-changin’…Yeee! I’m also hearing that one of the three main actors might not be in every episode next season. I’ll let you know more as I hear it.

TVGuide‘s Ausiello has this to say:

At the risk of overhyping it, the game-changer (aka the “snake in the mailbox”) will go down in the history books as one of the coolest TV twists of all time.

So, at the risk of raising expectations to unacheivable levels, tonight could be huge.

Jericho – Why We Fight – CBS – 8/7c

‘Jericho’ leads the way into finale season tonight with its season one send-off.  According to TVGuide, a major character will die tonight…”somebody who had a deal to be here for the next five years.” I really, really feel like it will be Jake (Skeet Ulrich).  If they’re looking to send the show in a completely different direction, what better way than to kill off the show’s main star?  On the other hand, the new storyline “will get past who dropped the bombs and focus on the rebuilding of the country.”  Since Hawkins’ story is focused heavily on that aspect of the show, the news may not bode well for him.

American Idol – Results Show – FOX – 9/8c

Everyone seemed to turn in fairly weak performances last night.  I’m still pulling for a Jordin/Melinda finale, but I think that we might see Blake sneak in there.  I would expect for Lakisha to be at the bottom tonight, for sure.

Lost – The Man Behind the Curtain – ABC – 10/9c

Bad weather is in the forecast for me again, which makes me very nervous…because this is the most anticipated episode of the season.  I mean, it’s a Ben flashback episode…how can questions not be answered?

According to Doc Jensen over at EW, Locke will hear two words tonight that will change his life.  Over the past few weeks, this show has just gotten so good…I can’t wait to see what we’re building toward.

American Idol – FOX – 8/7c

We’re down to the final four finalists.  I’m rooting for a Jordin/Melinda showdown at the finale, but Blake may just sneak up on all of them.  Tonight, the contestants perform the music of Barry Gibb.

Dancing With The Stars – Results Show – ABC – 9/8c

Is there really any question that Billy Ray will go home tonight?  The guy can’t dance, and he’s got a 9 point difference between the next lowest competitor. 

Jericho – Coalition of the Willing – CBS – 8/7c

CBS says:

When the town of New Bern begins bombing the streets of Jericho with mortars, Mayor Gray Anderson is faced with the decision to fight their formidable opponents or surrender in order to save lives.

I’m loving this civil war aspect of Jericho.  Tonight is the last episode before the big finale next week, so strap in…it’ll be a blast.

American Idol – Results Show – FOX – 9/8c

I would have never, ever, ever expected Jordin to give the weakest performance…but last night she did.  In fact, she was the only real weak performance of the night.  But her votes from last week should prove to be her saving grace.  I’m kind of expecting Lakisha and either Chris or Phil in the bottom two.

Lost – The Brig – ABC – 10/9c

I love Locke episodes.  They always seem to maintain the perfect balance between island intrigue and informative flashbacks.  Tonight is Locke-centric episode number three for this season, which I think is a first for the show…previously they’ve maxed out at two episodes per character in a season, by my count.  Anyway, tonight’s episode deals with the time between John finding Cooper tied up on the island and the present.  And tonight, we’ll have what Ausiello at TVGuide calls the “one of the most, um, twisted Lost deaths ever”.

Regarding the revelation that Naomi gave last week about the finding of the wreckage of Oceanic 815, Ausiello confirms from producer Damon Lindeloff that this is NOT the game-changer like I thought it was.  Lindeloff’s exact words were: “Nope. Not yet. Trust us: YOU. WILL. KNOW.”  Okay, Lindy, just don’t let me down.  Tonight, she is supposed to expand on last week’s revelation a bit more.

As for tonight, ABC says:

A newly focused Locke breaks away from “The Others” in an attempt to persuade Sawyer to help rid them of a great nemesis that has caused nothing but pain in both of their lives. Meanwhile, a new island inhabitant discloses some shocking information about Oceanic Flight 815.

Now, if you know your island history, that should be a clear-cut sign about what to expect tonight.  But, just in case you missed it, [highlight to read]Locke’s father, Anthony Cooper, was the original Sawyer, who conned the Sawyer we know’s parents, causing his father to kill his mother, and himself.  Should be a fun time tonight.

Jericho - One if by Land – CBS - 8/7c

Tonight, the escalating civil war between Jericho and New Bern heats up, as citizens of New Bern are shot while trying to steal salt from Jericho’s mine.  If you’re not watching the show, that probably doesn’t sound very compelling, but Jericho does a tremendous job of racketing up the tension every week as we build to a big finale.

American Idol – Results Show – FOX – 8/7c

I talked about Idol at length this morning, so I’ll just say that tonight is bringing some huge names to the show.  Tune into the two hour results show with special appearances by Bono, Celine Dion, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Josh Groban and the African Children’s Choir, Annie Lennox, Il Divo, Hugh Grant, Helen Mirren, Rascal Flatts and Keira Knightley.

Lost – D.O.C. - ABC – 10/9c

After discovering that all of “The Others’” pregnant women died before giving birth on the island, an extremely reticent sun allows Juliet to examine her — and uncovers the identity of the unborn child’s father. Meanwhile, Desmond allows an unlikely nemesis to help save the life of a new, mysterious island inhabitant.

What I imagine will be the big spoiler hit the internets yesterday.  While Spoilerfix said that it would be appearing on next week’s episode, TVGuide’s Ausiello, eOnline’s Kristin, and Entertainment Weekly’s Doc Jensen all hint at it being tonight.  Be sure to check back here tomorrow for our recap and some discussion about what this twist could mean for our Losties.

I’ll start by saying this…did anyone else seem to get the impression that Simon really just hates the U.S.?  During his visit to ’America’s Second Harvest’, at least six times he said something to the effect of, “I can’t believe that they have something like this in America.” I know that we Yanks have gotten somewhat of a bad rap, but is it really that inconceivable that we would have a food pantry to feed the poor…even in…*gasp*…Los Angeles?!?

On to the performances… 

• This was the first night that I felt that Chris didn’t have the strongest male showing.  Ever since the ‘nasally’ deal last week, his voice just seems to grate on me like it never really did before.
• What can we say about Melinda that hasn’t been said already?  She totally blew away one of my favorite Faith Hill songs, ‘There Will Come A Day’.  She’s in a totally different competition from everybody else in this show.
• Blake will be in the bottom two after tonight.  I think he was kind of hindered by being boxed into the ‘inspirational’ genre…he shines on the upbeat, Jason Mraz type stuff.
• LaKisha has a voice that is tough to beat, but I just feel like there’s something about her attitude that keeps her from really connecting with the audience.  Maybe it’s just me.  Anyway, I feel like she had the weakest performance of the night, and is in danger of going home.
• Man, they were singing some of my favorites tonight.  Phil comes out and does a tremendous rendition of Garth Brooks’ “The Change”.  I’ve had him pegged to go home for a while, but he doesn’t belong in the bottom two after this performance.
• The very first moment I saw Jordin, even before she started singing at the tryout, I turned to my wife and said, “She’s the next American Idol.”  Now that belief may have waivered in the past, especially since Melinda has consistently been so good, but Jordin just continues to impress.  I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to sing when you’re getting choked up, but it’s quite difficult.  Not only did Jordin keep singing, she nailed those big notes.  I voted for her 60 times last night.  That’s the first time I’ve ever done that…I don’t remember if there’s a limit that they place on votes, but they never turned away my call.

The competition is definitely getting fierce on Idol. 

It was supposed to be the best night of the season. Sanjaya was finally in the bottom two…I was rooting quietly for him to finally go home. And then the sweet, sweet words we’ve been waiting to hear all year long finally fell upon our ears…”Sanjaya, you’re going home.” I was on my feet, cheering loudly.

And then something unexpected happened. The dude starts to cry. And cry. And cry. And I start to feel bad for him. Crap. I mean, this poor guy…we’ve been whipping him all season long, he knows that he’s the laughing stock of the entire nation, and his moment is over. Oh, sure, he’ll go on to the AI tour, and I’m sure he’ll get a record deal, but his time in the spotlight is gone. Poor guy.

That being said, I’m glad he’s gone. Now we can start the real competition.

Jericho – Casus Belli - CBS – 8/7c

I really like where this season is heading.  After some deep investigative reporting (i.e. Wikipedia), I’ve found that casus belli means, loosely, “cause of war”.  Jericho has done a fantastic job this season of showing people desperately trying to hold onto civility while the world literally falls apart around them.  Tonight, when Eric doesn’t return from New Bern, tensioins begin to mount.  Expect it to build to near-full scale war.

American Idol – Results Show – FOX – 9/8c

Finally, Sanjaya gave the performance we all knew he could…a terrible one.  His days are definitely numbered on this show…I’m predicting tonight is the one that sends him home.  On the other hand, Jordin delivered the performance of the night.  The first time I saw her at the audition, I had a gut feeling that we would be seeing her in the finale.  Melinda has since overshadowed her, but I’m starting to get that feeling back again.

Lost – Catch 22 – ABC – 10/9c

If you somehow, unfortunately, missed One of Us last week, be sure to to tune in at 9/8c to catch up…it’s one of the best that we’ve seen.  (Don’t worry about Idol, I’ll catch you up tomorrow.)  Tonight, we have a Desmond oriented flashback.  The last Desmond flashback we had, Flashes Before Your Eyes, was probably one of my favorite episodes of the series, the previous Desmond episode, the season two finale, was fantastic, also.  Let’s hope they can go three for three on this one.  Apparently, tonight we’ll be introduced to a new character who is not an Other, not in a flashback, and not a survivor of 815.  Some say that she is some subterranean character…I don’t know if that’s literal or not.