Royal Wedding

It is offical. Prince William and his long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton are engaged and next year we will see one of THE most lavish, beautiful weddings of the century. And I will be smack in front of that television watching. I've admired this adorable couple from afar....their courtship, the break-up, that awkward post-split Concert for Diana when they sat rows apart at Wembley stadium, Are they back together?, Are they split?, Will they, won't they get engaged.... and now they are indeed walking down the aisle.

Congrats to Kate... my new girl crush. She's beautiful, she's the "every girl", totally relatable. She's like the royal Jennifer Aniston. You want to have a glass of wine with this one. You want to drink a beer and talk football with her. You want to hit up a Duran Duran concert with her. She's from a "middle-class family". Her parents own a party supplies store that they started 20 years ago... and they actually rake in millions. (Yeah, middle-class...my ass) She drives a Volkswagon beatle. She seems cool as hell. Now... before the engagement, Kate was on her way to being a fashion icon, but now every designer in the world is going to want to dress this one. She will be on every best-dressed list. Move over Michelle Obama and your farty J. Crew sweaters. A new icon is on the loose.

Let me say this right now: I WILL be Princess Kate for the next Halloween. Blue dress. black hat. perfect. Don't copy, cause you heard it here first.

Congrats to Prince William who has picked his bride wisely and he would make his mother, the late Princess Diana, proud.

She's going to be the perfect princess. A beautiful, respectable girl that young girls can look up to. Finally, a role model that's not a coked out former child star or reality show screw up. Now, if only the media doesn't screw it up. We know how Diana met her demise, and we can only hope the media respects Kate's privacy and leaves her alone. (I think we all know THAT won't be true.) You have to respect the girl for protecting herself against the paparazzi and taking it in stride, with class. And now...according to the media, we should be addressing her as "Catherine". Ummm, why is that now? She gets a ring on her finger and all of a sudden it's Catherine?!? If she wants to be Kate, let her be Kate. That's what the public will love about her.

Cute, beatle-driving, relatable Kate.

90210 DAY!!!

This post was written on September 2, 2010.....

Today is a good day. For the teens/tweens in the 1990's.....HAPPY BEVERLY HILLS "90210" DAY!! September 2, 2010 - The only date on the calendar that matches up to the famous zip code. The show that defined the 90's teen angst, drama, love & friendship. The seriest that made sideburns cool again. The Walsh kids (Brandon & Brenda),Dylan McKay, Kelly Taylor, David Silver, Andrea Zucherman, Steve Sanders....and of course Donna Martin (Graduates). Today, we celebrated that cheesy yet beloved show adored by so many. We learned a lot from these Minnesota twins who moved to Beverly Hills California their sophomore year in high school...wait, sophomore year? Junior year? Did they repeat junior year? Who knows. Who CARES? The days at West Beverly high school were the best of the series. Once the crew graduated, most of them went on to the (made-up)California University, and then to round out the full ten seasons, they went on to having careers. And with a hell of a lot of drama along the way. Here's a resume for each of the original eight cast members:

Kelly Taylor (played by Jennie Garth)

Played by Jennie Garth, Kelly Taylor was everyone's favorite spoiled vixen teen who experienced the most drama out of everyone. Here's her 902010 resume:

In the famous "Slumber Party" episode, Kelly reveals in a game of "skeletons in the closet" that she was date-raped by a senior during her freshmen year in high school. This was Garth's biggest acting moment on the show and the moment when Kelly, Brenda, and the rest of the girls became a group. Great episode. This one struck a chord. Who didn't play g a game of skeletons in the closet after seeing one?

Has a summer fling with Brenda's (her best friend) boyfriend at the Beach Club while Brenda was away for the summer. I think out of all the famous TV moments on Bev, this is the most difficult to talk about. I can remember like it was yesterday. So uncomfortable to watch, to talk about. I think I watched with my hands over my face like I was watching a horror movie. I wanted to see, but I didn't. "Damn, I wish I was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins was playing in the scene. Dylan and Kelly kiss... and everything changed. Drama ensues. I remember the scene where they go on a walk with Brenda and tell her on the side of the road. REALLY? The side of the road? And they weren't even that sorry about it. They acted like they belonged together. Dylan and Brenda made sense. Rich girl Kelly and bad boy Dylan McKay did NOT. And for the rest of the series, they made Dylan and Kelly soulmates and I never bought into it. It will always be Dylan & Brenda to me.

Kelly's bi-polar,drug and alcohol-addicted mom, Jackie, marries David Silver's dad and they have a baby named Erin (who 16 years later becomes the lead character "Silver" on the new and not as good re-make "90210"). So Kelly is a big sister at age 17 and step-brother to David Silver who used to be in love with her. Weird. But in the latest season of "90210", Kelly and Silver's mom dies of cancer and it could've been one fo the top ten saddest moments I've watched on TV. Many tissues needed.

Got addicted to cocaine for a few episodes. Had a love affair with the much older Jake Hanson and was partly responsible for launching the success of another FOX hit, Melrose Place. Thank you, Kelly. She gets stuck in a fire at the KEG house (Steve Sanders' fraternity house) and has her face burned. Yet, her burns are gone over the course of maybe 5 episodes.

She gets tricked into a cult, gets amnesia, shoots her rapist in self-defense.

She becomes pregnant and has a miscarriage then finds out it would be difficult for her to have children because of a condition called endometriosis. It's okay, in the new "90210" she has a little boy named Sammy with baby-daddy Dylan. Still waiting for the return of Dylan McKay...two seasons of the new series underway and NOTHING. Womp. :(

Gets engaged to Brandon Walsh only to cancel the wedding the day of. That one was hard to watch. I really wanted those two walking down the aisle. As long as Kelly stays away from Dylan, I'm good.

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe there was an eating disorder and a stalker involved in her life as well. But think I think that's enough for Kelly Taylor. How much can one girl take??

Donna Martin

Was a virgin until her 20's until she lost it to David Silver...however not before finding out David couldn't keep it in his pants and screwed Ariel in a limo, AFTER he performed with Babyface Edmunds of course. She waited for the guy she wanted to (and did) marry, but he didn't wait for her. Sucks.

Got pushed down the stairs by boyfriend Ray Pruitt played by actor Jamie Walters, also known from the short-lived series "The Heights" and the singer of the guilty-pleasure tune "How Do you Talk To an Angel". If you say you are not a fan of this song and you were a teen in the 90's, you are totally lying.

After getting a low SAT score, she finds out she has a learning disability.

Has one glass of champagne at the prom and gets wasted, has to be carried out by friends (maybe it's because you weigh 87 lbs Donna?!). She then gets expelled and gets told she can't graduate leading to the famous 90210 walk-out scene where Brandon starts the famous chant "Donna Martin Graduates!". Classic.

Dresses up as a cat for a Halloween frat party and almost gets sexually assaulted. Almost gets attacked again by a guy named Garrett at the beach house.

Held at gunpoint by Evan at the C.U. TV station.

Brandon Walsh

Gambling, gambling, gambling...If you remember Brandon for anything, it's gambling.

How can you forget the infamous party at the Walsh residence? Brandon throws a rager, drinks and drives, and gets into an accident. This was the first episode of 9-0 that I ever watched. My sister was in college at Villanova at the time and placed a call from the telephone in the hallway (early 90's) to specifically let me know I should be watching this show. I turned on FOX and fell in love. This show was to be moral compass for the next 10 years. Yep, moral compass. So dramatic. So true.

Gets slipped some ecstasy by former girlfriend and single white female, Emily Valentine. Emily goes crazy and burns the homecoming float - naturally the school's float is in the Walsh driveway, right? Not at the school for everybody else to work on. She goes away to a mental institution for awhile and we think the crazy girl goes home to never be seen again right? No, of course not. In the later years, Brandon realizes she's the "girl that got away" and flies to San Fran to win her back. Of course, the crazy float burner gets the guy to come back to her. Because that's real-life, right? That's television for you. Don't remember what happened after that, but EV never returned. A little sidenote: Emily Valentine was played by actress Christine Elise, who dated and was engaged to Jason Priestley for 5 years in the 90's. Looks like Priestley had a hand in bringing his lady back.

Brandon has an affair with Lucinda Nicholson, a married professor at CU. The school's basketball star D'Shawn Hardell, who Brandon was tutoring, found out about the affair and blackmailed Brandon by telling him he'd reveal their secret if Brandon did D'Shawn's school work. Also, involved in this mess is Claire Arnold (future series regular) who throws herself at Brandon, making the Brandon-Lucinda love triangle a little more complicated. Of course, she's in high school and the Chancellor's daughter. Of course.

Brandon's friend and CU President Josh Richland is killed in a car crash right after he wins the big election.

Was the love interest of fellow Beverly Beat writer, and most boring character, Andrea Zucherman.

Dylan McKay (played by the gorgeous Luke Perry)

Where do you even start with Dylan McKay? Dylan... the mysterious loner with a sensitive side. He was amazing then, he's amazing now. Before I hit his resume, I want to say I was lucky enough to meet Luke Perry a few years ago after a stage production of When Harry Met Sally in London...and he was beautiful and gracious. You instantly understood why he was a big TV star. A smile that could light up a room, the scar above the eye, gorgeous. He appreciated every fan that was there for him, took every picture with a fan, signed every autograph. Easily top 5 favorite celebrity. Ladies and Gentleman, Dylan McKay.....

Crashes his car after taking coke, heroin, and drinking. Many trips to AA.

Involved in the Kelly/Brenda/Dylan love triangle. I've already expressed my distaste for this storyline. I don't want to go there again. But I will for just a second...in the latest season of "90210", Brenda returns to Beverly Hills to visit Kelly and winds up sleeping with Ryan, Kelly's sometime boyfriend. Kelly turns around and says to her, "nothing's changed since high school, Brenda"? WTF? I almost threw my remote at the TV. HELLOOOO KELLY.... you stole your best friend's boyfriend when she was in Europe over the summer. You've got it all wrong. Team Brenda all the way here. That is never changing.

Drops out of school after being wrongly accused of cheating in an SAT test.

Dylan is led to believe his father, Jack Mckay (played by hottie DILF from the Hogan family, Mike Hogan and the great Roman Brady from Days of our Lives) dies in a car bomb explosion calculated by mob boss Tony Marchette. Turns out he didn't die and wound up in the witness protection program. Would've been nice if Dylan found out earlier. His life spiraled a bit out of control after the explosion. Like he wasn't messed up already. This was episode was on Soapnet the other day. Jackpot.

Seeks revenge again Marchette by getting to his daugher Antonia (Toni) Marchette (played by the famous 90's "noxema girl" Rebecca Gayheart) and in the process falls deeply in love with her. Dylan marries her and lives happily ever after. That is until the saddest episode of 9-0 of all time time when Toni Marchette was accidentally killed by a hitman who was hired by her father to kill Dylan the day after their wedding. There were tears. There were tissues. Even the men that watched this series will admit to that.

Dylan meets Erica, his half-sister, Jack's daughter, and her mother, Suzanne, and Kevin, her fiancé. Kevin convines Dylan and Jim Walsh to invest in his Environmental research company. After they succeed in that, they stole the cash and ran to Mexico, taking Erica with them...leaving Dylan broke only to spiral out of control once again. As you can see, for Dylan, there were many downward spirals. After a near-fatal crash, Dylan gets his act together, gets his money back, and renews his relationship with half-sister Erica. I kind of zoned out on this storyline. Not my favorite.

David Silver (Played by Brian Austin Green)

HUGE "B.A.G" fan. David Silver may have been on my top 5 list of hotties for years in the 90's.

Drives Steve's car without a licence, and crashes. I believe this happens in the Pilot...

David's best friend Scott Scanlon (and season one regular) dies from a fatal, self-inflicted gunshot. This was another one that was hard to watch. The first of the 9-0 tearjerkers.

Can't keep it in his pants to wait for girlfriend Donna Martin so has sex with Ariel Hunter in the back of a limo and gets busted. Whatever, he marries Donna anyway and they live happily ever after... until Donna shows up on the latest "90210" series and says they're having marital problems. Still waiting for my David Silver cameo on the new series.

Gets hooked on speed and crack in several episodes of the 4th season. And later gets hooked on gambling in season 7. I'm sorry David, did you learn anything from watching Brandon?

Steve Sanders (played by Dancing with the Stars finalist Ian Ziering)

Son of famous TV actress Samantha Sanders, Steve learns he's adopted. He looks for his birth mom over the holidays only to learn she has passed.

Is in love with Kelly Taylor for many years, spending most of the series pining over her, only to get rejected. Of course, he has to sit back and watch both of his best friends, Dylan and Brandon, date her, almost marry, and father her child. What happened to the bro code here??

Steve and his senior buddy break into the school and try to change Steve's grades as they search for the infamous "legacy key". Andrea finds out that Steve was in on it and forces Steve is confess. He faces expulsion, but gets away with it and walks at graduation. No "Steve Sanders Graduates"? Certainly doesn't have the same ring to it.

Steve joins a frat...Kappa Alpha Gamma (KEG, of course). Drama ensues from here. He cheats on girlfriend Celeste and is later wrongly accused of date rape. (Steve and Celeste break up.) Steve gets into a huge fight with KEG brother and rival John "You don't even know what the test is" Sears which results in John getting thrown out of the KEG house. John Sears.. one of the best male characters on the series. I was always jonesing for a good John Sears episode. For the younger generation, you may know him as One Tree Hill's douchebag dad, Dan Scott.

Steve throw a rave and a fire erupts....Steve goes to court.....gets probations, community service, and he is banned from the party business for several years.

Looking back, I think Stevie may have the worst legal issues of them all.

Brenda Walsh (played by "badgirl" Shannen Doherty)

I love Brenda Walsh. And I love Shannen Doherty. You can tell me all the "bad girl on the set" stories you want, but I'm still going to be in her corner. I don't care who she punched out at the Roxy in Hollywood. She's a badass. She was on Our House with Wilford Brimley. She was Maggie Malene in Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, THE best 80's slumber party movie of all time as well as one of the Heathers in the movie Heathers. If only she was on the show more than the 4 seasons....sigh.

Anyways, here's her resume (would've been longer had she stuck around):

Part of the infamous love triangle with Kelly and Dylan we are seriously not talking about. "I hate you both! Never talk to me again!". Word, Brenda.

During Brenda and Dylan's forbidden romance, she runs off to Mexico for a romantic weekend with Dylan after being forbidden to do so by her father. She also loses her virginity to Dylan after the Spring dance. Great episode. This is where I officially become jealous of Brenda Walsh/Shannen D.

Brenda runs off to Vegas with her fiance, Stuart Carson. Brenda and Stuart make it all the way to the chapel before calling the whole thing off...right before Jim and Cindy Walsh show up in a panic.

She breaks into a research lab at California University to free the animals and gets arrested. She smokes some cigarettes after picking up the little habit in Paris over the summer. Big whoop. Andrea Zuckerman (played by Gabrielle Carteris) Gabrielle Carteris, the oldest of the 90210 cast members, was 29 playing a 16-year old high-schools student. Andrea's fun didn't start til after high school as she pined after Brandon most of high school. Met law student Jessie Vasquez and started dating .....She got pregnant, they married....and baby Hannah was born. Marital problems arose, both cheated on each other; Got back together; moved away to Connecticut so she could go to her dream school, Yale. Carteris left the series in the fifth season. Sadly, Andrea would later appear swhere we learn she and Jessie divorced. Carteris left the series in 1995. Remember that short-lived talk show she had? Yeah, neither do I. It was a fun 10 seasons in Beverly Hills. Cheers to my favorite series!! And Happy 90210 Day!

And the EMMY Goes TO.....

The 62nd Annual PrimeTime Emmy Awards aired Sunday night on NBC! Red Carpet, Jimmy Fallon, the casts of Glee, Modern Family, Lost, Mad Men... all of my favorites all in one room. Everyone all glammed up. Some hits, some misses, winners, losers, sure things and surprises... it was a fun night of television. It felt like a party, a celebration of talent. I wasn't bored out of my mind, Fallon kept the flow and the entertainment going. White dresses, blue dresses, one of the best hosts they've had in years...Emmy night is one of my favorite nights of TV. I had the nice spread of food and some cocktails (Absolute Brooklyn, a "Spike Lee Collaboration" - A blend of voda, pear, and ginger = De-lish!) all ready to go. My thoughts for the red carpet & the show....

Best Dressed Female

Lea Michele, Glee - Knocked. it. out. of. the. park. The hair, the necklace, the dress...everything was beautiful. I only wish she walked away with the trophy for Lead Actress in a Comedy. This girl is a major major talent with a voice that can cut through you. If you aren't watching Glee, watch it for her. She was stunning. (one bad thing, let the bangs go girl)

Claire Danes -Absolutely gorgeous. So sparkly & tan....just beautiful. Looked fantastic and a very far cry from her My So-Called Life Angela Chase days. Glad to see Claire back on the top of her game. Always thought she was one of the best actresses in the business (Helloooo Beth in Little Women!) who never really got the lead roles in film she deserved. This could be because she is more of a stage actress. In past years, I slammed her on the carpet but more for her scandalous real-life role of homewrecker breaking up the relationship between Mary Louise Parker and Billy Crudup, when he left her for Danes despite Mary Louise being 7 months pregnant. I was hard on her, I'm not totally sure why as I don't care much for MLP. But now Danes is married to the gorgeous Hugh Dancy (Confessions of a Shopaholic) and I couldn't be more jealous.

Jayma Mays, Glee - I was amazed at how well this actress cleaned up on the carpet. She never plays a glamorous character, so when she graced the red carpet, I was taken back. Absolutely stunning in the sapphire Burberry gown. I want to own this dress.

Julie Benz, Dexter - I don't watch Dexter and I know I'm missing out, but I did not know who this woman was at first. She was absolutely stunning in the white dress. Rachel Zoe would be proud. According to Zoe, "There's nothing better than white on the red carpet".

Sofia Vergara - She was a top favorite when she stepped on the carpet, but got edged out a little by other women as the night went on. Stunning in a canary yellow Carolina Herrera, she killed it. The hair, the earrings, the sexy Colombian accent. Sofia could wear a paper bag and she would look beautiful. She's kind of like the "Halle Berry of Red Carpet" for Television. Always stands out.

Nina Dobrev - Who?!? When we first spotted this young girl on the carpet, my reaction was "Oh Jennifer Love Hewitt looks soo pretty!". Nope, not J Love. My friend then says "Oh, Emmanuelle Chriqui looks gorgeous!". Nope, not Sloan from Entourage. Dobrev is the new hottie on the CW show The Vampire Diaries and she looked absolutely stunning on the red carpet in Zuhair Muhad.

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men – Moss has never looked more beautiful on the red carpet and that’s why she makes the best-dressed list. I’ve never seen her a natural beauty, but she has some amazing features and she blew me away with this gorgeous soft look in a Donna Karen gown. She quickly went from Peggy Olson, geeky advertising exec to red carpet goddess. And in addition to her amazing look, she stepped onto the red carpet with her head held high after the recent announcement of her divorce with husband and SNL comedian Fred Armisen after only 10 months of marriage. And then to hear that Armisen is already dating fellow SNL co-star, 24-year old Abby Elliot (daughter of comedian Chris Elliot). So to step out with such class and beauty, she deserves a spot on the list.

The Purple Ladies - Katrina Bowden of 30 Rock looked gorgeus in lavendar as did Bones' Emily Deschanel in a ruffly bold purple dress.

Honorable Mention

Jennifer Morriss, Glee - She looked like a golden statue. I want this dress.

Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock - She usually F's it up on the carpet, so the fact that she played safe and classic on the carpet totally impressed me.

Best Dressed Male

CLOONEY. Does he ever miss this list? I mean....REALLY?

Cory Monteith, Glee - Skinny tie, ray-bans....perfect. The other Glee cast member, Mark Salling looked amazing too, but he comes across as such a douchebag. He looks like he can sleep with any woman in Hollywood. Shit, he probably can.

Rico Rodriguez, Modern Family - This kid from Modern Family is just the most adorable thing. He has to make this list.

Best-dressed also goes to Neil Patrick Harris, Aaron Paul, Matthew Morrisson.

Worst Dressed Female

I never really thought I'd say this, BUT Heidi Klum, what were you thinking?! I think she may have gotten the wrong invite. I love love love Marchesa, but this was far too short of a dress. It was a napkin. How the hell does she sit? Bend over to pick something up? One little move and she shows everyone the goodies. How does she leave her house and not think, "Is my dress too short?". Absolutely no way. She should know better. Rocking body for sure, but let's be honest...she's too old for that dress.

January Jones - I have to say I feel more compelled to write this. I sort of loved it, then I wasn't sure, then I thought it looked like she had cupcake holders on her boobies. Then I loved it again. Then I thought if it was longer in the front, I might like it more. Then I thought maybe I'm jealous of her because she's dating my SNL boy Jason Sudeikis (one of the nicest guys ever) and the only way to get back at her is to put her on the worst dressed list. But my decision has been made... the dress was a miss.

And....I have to bash her because she pretty much has my dream life: Dating Sudeikis, nominated for an Emmy, hosted SNL this year, and she gets to make out with Jon Hamm. Hating on her.

Christina Hendricks - The women of Mad Men just aren't hitting it out of the park this year. Bad color (purple), unflattering. Should've won green or navy. She's still a girl crush and proof that not all women in Hollywood be a size zero. They can have curves and be hot. Love Christina, but it's a miss dear.

Anna Paquin - I love Alexander McQueen and love that she supported the late great designer, but it was far too dark and dreary for me. However, it did fit her personality...which let's face it...kind of sucks. She's just a jerk. Why does she looks like she wants to hump everything in sight? She seriously wants to bone everything that comes her way. There is something that is so incredibly creepy about her and it has nothing to do with her creepster character Sookie Stackhouse. You would think that the fact that she's married to her costar Stephen Moyer would make it less uncomfortable to watch her in these intense sex scenes... but it's the opposite. I think they enjoy people watching them, and that's where the creepy factor comes in. Where did that young cute Oscar winner for The Piano go?

Sidenote - Did you see that Rolling Stone cover for True Blood? HO. LY. CRAP. Lots of blood. Lots of nudity. Lots of holding people's genitals. Wish I had a subscription.

Diana Agron, Glee - This girl is such a natural beauty and was so beautiful in Carolina Herrera, but this dress was so freaking fuddy duddy. It was kind of thrown up cotton candy crap. So pretty, but such a square. Very Ann Taylor sweater-set. She needs to edge it out.

Naya Rivera, Glee - So much wrong with this ensemble. Bad Pebbles Flintstones hair, jade green dress with a broche. Not good at all.

A Little Tweaking Needed

I was in love with Keri Russell's look until they panned down and had her ankles showing and she went from knocking it of the park at the EMMY's to looking like she was attending formal night on a cruise ship. Length makes all the difference. Bigger, longer is better at the EMMY's.

Jewel - So much potential to be beautiful, but that little freaking bow on her belt just ruined the whole thing for me. Just took it to a doily level. She's stunning though and can still perform. But seriously...I f'ing hate bows on dresses at awards shows...unless you play Sally on Mad Men and you're 9. Just sayin'.

Worst Dressed Male

It's hard to even name someone here, because you really have to screw this up to make the worst dressed list for a man. Some might say Ty Burrell with the grey suit and bowtie. But if you like Phil on Modern Family, this would absolutley make sense to you.

Fun Red Carpet Moment

Kim Kardashian interviewing Lea Michele. This was the best thing to ever happen to Kris Kardashian...watching Kim getting a 2-minute hosting gig next to Seacrest. Did you see her just waiting on the carpet by Seacrest pushing her daughter to get up there with Ryan? She knew she was on TV. Kris, stop trying to be 24. It's uncomfortable to watch. However, I actually thought it was funny Lea was thrilled to meet Kim when she's such a big star herself. It's fun to see celebs fall all over other celebs.

Most Uncomfortable Red Carept Moment

Ya know, there weren't many... because I avoided NBC's Red Carpet show. I avoided Billy Bush. And I love Nate Berkus, he can design my house any day of the week. I will listen to his advice about not having fake plants in my house, but I'm not so sure what business he has interviewing talent on the red carpet. And Brooke Burke? Sorry, I just don't get it. Yeah, sure on Baywatch, she was a hottie. But post-Baywatch, I just don't see the big deal. And I've seen the Playboy spread. Eh, not impressed. I will say this: It helps when you were married to a plastic surgeon.

The Host

Fallon killed it. Best open to the show in a long long time! Sorry, Neil Patrick Harris. Fallon was funny without being annoying, without being offensive to too many people. He showed his singing and dancing skills with the best opening musical montague maybe the show ever had. Tina Fey, Betty White, Joel McHale, Jon Hamm, and the Glee cast rocking out to Springsteen's Born to Run? I loved it. Think Fallon found his niche.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Winner: Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family. SO well-deserved. Every line written for Cam is genius. Anyone from this serious could've walked away with the trophy and I would've been happy. The show is genius. Now, personally no one delivers a line like Ty Burrell (as Phil), but congrats to Stonestreet! By the way, my new Hollywood crush is Steve Levitan...the writer of Modern Family. A cuter Ray Romano look-alike.

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Winner: Jane Lynch, Glee. You don't have to be a fan of musical comedy, but Jane Lynch is worth every minute of watching this series. Every line is delivered brilliantly. You shake your head at the absurdity of each statement. You will hate Sue Sylvester. You may love her sometimes. She is a comic genius. Rememeber her scene-stealing turns in the 40-Year Old Virgin? Imagine that...for 50 minutes.

Lead Actor in a Comedy

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory - Parsons was the big surprise of the night. To beat Emmy winning legends like Steve Carrell and Alec Baldiwn is an astonishing accomplishment. And he's hilarious on a show that not everyboyd is watching. It's nice to mix it up with new faces, new comedy.

Lead Actress in a Comedy

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie - Unfortunately I don't watch Nurse Jackie, but Falco is an Emmy-winning powerhouse so I can't really be too surprised. I may have to disagree with this choice as Lea Michele is astounding on Glee. She sings, she dances, she puts in 18 plus hour days. However who is going to argue with Carmela Soprano? The real housewife of New Jersey...

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Winner: Kyra Sedgewick, The Closer - This was one of the best wins of the night. Before last night, she had 5 nominations and never brought home the hardware. Close to being the Susan Lucci of the drama series category, she finally won! Kyra and Kevin Bacon are one of the cutest couples in Hollywood..."Kyra & Kev"...it's obnoxiously cute. She's married to freaking Ren McCormick. Enough said.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Winner: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad. Cranston picked up his THIRD straight Emmy for this role. Thinking I need to start watching this show. Dammit, I hate being late to the party. Cranston can do it all though... He stole every scene he was in Malcom in the Middle. I am jumping on the bandwagon and watching Breaking Bad On Demand this weekend. Next year I'll be driving the damn thing and making everyone feel stupid they aren't watching the show.

Most Likely to Avoid the Red Carpet

Poor Lawrence Fishburne. I can 't even look at this poor man without thinking how he has to deal with his daughter parading around Hollywood wanting to be in porn. This girl is gorgeous and that's the way she wants to break into the business? Your dad is freaking Lawrence Fishburne, Oscar nominee (Ike Turner, What's Love Got To Do With It), Morpheus of The Matrix....and you think doing porn is going to get you serious roles? Breaks my heart.

Most popular person at the EMMYS:

Clooney? Betty White? No... Try Temple Grandin. Think I might need to see this film.

Shows or Films I Clearly Need to Watch:

Breaking Bad, Temple Grandin, You Don't Know Jack

Best Comedy Series

Winner: Modern Family - This is SO well-deserving. If you aren't watching, I don't know what you are waiting for. Actually, I'm embarrassed for you. You are missing some serious funny television.

Funniest Skit

Modern Family's skit with Clooney. Classic. Anything with Clooney. Classic.

Something More....

Was it me or were they filming a reality show about reality stars at the EMMY Awards? And I'm not talking about ones that were nominated and actually deserved to be there (Seacrest, Klum, Probst). I'm talking about the freaking Jersey Shore cast being interviewed via satellite. And why is Ryan telling them "hopefully one day you'll be nominated for an EMMY." Come ON Ryan. Dumb thing to come out of your mouth. You lose your credibility when you say shit like that.

Now I haven't watched one second of The Jersey Shore and I'm totally okay with that....Because Snooki is an asshole. I've got an A-hole category and she's battling Ke$ha out for the number one spot.

And then there's the cast of The Hills walking the red carpet. Lo looks like a 60's secretary straight out of Mad Men and Stephanie Pratt thought she was at the MTV Movie Awards. Both did not get the memo that they were attending the EMMY's.

Let's not forget about the Kardashians. Kris Kardashian walking around like she owns the damn carpet. This woman... this woman is such a douchebag. I can't help it. Could she be more involved her in her daughters' private lives? Setting up Kim on blind dates, distributing calendars of Kim around Hollywood without using her permission? God bless Bruce Jenner on how he deals with her. I'm not saying I don't watch their show from time to time, but this woman acts like a pimp for her daughters, so desperate to get them on camera, keep them in the spotlight. It's pretty horrifying.

Ya know, at FIRST I thought to myself, "What the hell is Kate Gosselin doing there?". But I actually got quite the kick out of her. Making fun of herself in Jimmy Fallon's genius opening musical montage. I kind of loved it. I love anyone who can laugh at themselves.

Fun Fact: Did you know Julia Louis Dreyfuss' sister, Lauren Bowles, is on True Blood?

Betty White is a comedic Goddess.

Weren't we all rooting for Conan O'Brien to win Best Variety, Music Special? Just a little bit? If I was a betting person, I would've put money down on that....I would've lost. Could've been an awesome TV moment right there. Yet the Daily Show wins...again.

Tom Selleck....Still handsome. I want him to read me a bedtime story. Love. That. Stache.

Julia Ormond wins for Temple Grandin. Remember what a beauty she was in 1994 when she was the luck bitch to grace the screen with Brad Pitt's character Tristan in one of his hottest movie moments in Legends of the Fall? Her character was loved by Pitt, Elliot from E.T. (Henry Thomas), and Aidan Quinn. Lucky lucky girl. Then she cut her hair off for Sabrina and no one heard a peep from her until Temple... Remember Felicity season 2? And what did we learn? Don't cut off your beautiful locks if you are known for having beautiful locks.

Saw the preview for the new Oliver stone (and Michael Douglas) film, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. I was fired up. Then I saw the release date. Coming out September 24....That is never a good sign. Everyone knows that there are 2 months that are never good for film releases: January and September. In January, everyone is focused on going to see all of the films nominated for the Golden Globes & the Oscars. In September, you are still making up for all of the Summer blockbusters you didn't get to see, you're not ready for anything new. The only films that do well in that month are those creepy The Hills Have Eyes/Saw-type films...for the creepsters.

I could just sit and listen to Ricky Gervais talk....all stinkin' day.

A new version of the 70's TV series "Chips" produced by Topher Grace. My reaction to this? Stop being lazy Hollywood and start coming up with new original ideas. But if you're going to do this show, please cast Wilmer Valderama as Ponch. Thanks.

A great Emmy show! Congrats to all of this years's winners!

American Idol Top 4

Jamie Foxx returns to Idol to mentor the top four contestants as they tackle the theme: songs from the movies. This is Foxx's second time giving advice to the Idols - Last year he spent time with the top four as well. And the way I see it, he can come back any time he wants. He's a great teacher and a fantastic talent. Jamie is always fun to watch. I particularly like it when he "Michael Mann's" the contestants... that's code for getting right up in their faces. Or when he makes contestants like Lee sing a ballad right to him. I love that he supports the show. I'm sure his Dreamgirls co-star Jennifer Hudson helped legitimize the show when she made a jump from ousted contestant to Oscar winner.

Here's what I thought of the Idols....

Lee DeWyze (Song Choice: Kiss From a Rose)

I love Lee. Love him. But this might've been his worst performance. I don't really want to say his "worst", so I'll say "not his best". I think it really proved how hard this song is to sing. I don't even really love the song. It's a little too "Batman Forever" for me. I think they need to come up with a rule that any song that has been a part of a superhero movie's soundtrack needs to be banned from the show. I'll always picture a guy in a mask, in a costume. There are too many great songs from a movie to choose from. Personally, I would've chosen "Holidng Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler from Footloose despite the fact that Fantasia Barrino sang it in season 3 and got a flack for it. The song is freaking awesome. "Kiss From a Rose" was just a little too predictable for Lee....

Michael Lynche (Song Choice: Will You Be There)

This was the perfect song for Michael Lynche. This is one of my favorite songs from a movie, gives me chills every time I hear it. I don't care that it's from a movie about a whale ( "Free Willy"). It's one of my favorite MJ songs. I wanted someone to sing it last year. I sat from my couch and said this exact thing. This could've been a Gokey moment. The song, the choir... it has all the makings of a moment on this show. I think the judges were shockingly hard on him. I hate to say it, but compared to Lee... he had a much bigger moment on stage. I should vote for him because he was smart enough to sing this song. He sang it pretty well, but honestly I am just ready to see him go.

Crystal & Lee (Song Choice: Falling Slowly)

I loved this performance. iTunes... 99 cents.. bring it. This was a really special performance on this show...definitely one of my favorites of the season. This shows what amazing things both of these contestants, I mean artists, will bring once the show is over. It was so honest and it just showed their true talents... these guys need to be in the finale and we need to see it again.

Oh good Lord, they just showed Casey as they went to commerical. He's wearing a green jacket. I have a feeling I'm going to hate this performance.

Casey James (Song Choice: Mrs. Robinson)

I'm sorry I didn't know that Eddie Vedder tried out for the show. Sounded like something from the "Into the Wild" soundtrack. I feel like he gets a little bit more of a quiver in his voice every week.. Like he's trying to be Lee? Trying to be Eddie Vedder? or Daughtry? I don't know. Suprisingly though, I kind of liked it. I did however think it was a bit sleepy and an easy choice for him. He could've pushed himself a little more. And I was a little uncomfortable with the Kara (Mrs. Robinson)-Casey (William) connection. They need to seriously chill with that.

P.S. I hate the jacket. He should get kicked off for that.

Crystal Bowersox (Song Choice: I'm Alright)

Fun song choice for Crystal. I love that she picked a Kenny Loggins song. You can't have a "sing a song from the movies" without a Kenny Loggins hit. He's the king of soundtracks. Footloose, Top Gun, Caddyshack (1 AND 2), Over the Top (Arm wrestling movie with Sly Stallone..."Meet Me Halfway" is a classic song). Crystal did a damn good job making this song bluesy, a little country... gave it a whole new feel. The girl is an artist. She just makes it look so freaking easy.

Casey & Big Mike (Song Choice: Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?)

Haven't you heard? I've said it before...I do not like Bryan Adams. I do not like anything by him post the Reckless album. And it includes this song. I'm not even surprised that Big Mike chose it.... it's so up his alley. Because he's kind of a puss. and he loves talking about a woman, loving a woman, making love to a woman, having a baby with a woman. With all that said.. they did a nice job. It was no Crystal and Lee performance, but they did really well together....BUT I'm hoping they are the bottom 2.

Prediction for the Bottom 2: Casey & Big Mike

American Idol Top 5

This week the Idols take on the songbook of Frank Sinatra and my first reaction was... "Well that's kind of boring". You know that only about 20% are going to give good performances and it's pretty much Idol going old again. BUT...add the music and personality of one Harrick Connick, Jr and you got yourself a show. Now...I knew I liked Harry Connick Jr. before... but now... Now, I love him. I'm in awe of his talent, his humor, his charisma, his voice, and his looks. He's a total triple-threat. He was adorable in Hope Floats, made us laugh as Leo in Will & Grace, and was creepy as hell in Copycat. He gave us the music in When Harry Met Sally. The guy is a genius. And he's been married to the same woman for about 16 years (Former Victoria's Secret Model Jill Goodacre. You may remember her as "the girl in the ATM vestibule with Chandler on 'Friends'...It's so suprise she is very pretty). This guy has it all and has one pretty impressive resume.

Here's What I Thought of the Idols:

Aaron Kelly (Song Choice: Fly Me to the Moon)

I really think that Aaron brought it for this show. He looked clean cut and adorable and totally played up the part. Young girls at home were going crazy I'm sure. I really think he sung it to win it. He was good, but not really great. Time is likely up for young Aaron. He just can't hang with Lee and Crytal.

Casey James (Song Choice: Blues Skies)

This was pretty brutal. I wouldn't say it was about the voice as much Randy thought. It was just a little awkward for me. It was clear he was awkward without his guitar and I appreciate his honesty about how uncomfortable he was. Besides his shaky voice, he seemed liked he just seemed unbalanced, like he kept the microphone in his right hand, leaned to the right and that's all he did. He failed to work the stage and have swagger. Now, I don't know if I would've told some young guy he sounded like a lamb (KARA).. that is just plain mean, but let's be honest... not Casey's best. In trouble.

Crystal Bowersox (Song Choice: Summer Wind)

Crystal sang this song well, and I always think that the contestants with the cool raspy voices do better in weeks where they have to sing songs like Sinatra. They just have more of an ability to make the song their own. It will always sound different. BUT...the truth is: I don't love this song. It's actually what I call "my bathroom song". Random? Yes. Well, my sister got married about 7 years ago and I was her Maid of Honor. We spent a lot of time working on the music list for the reception. And we meant serious business. I mean, it's all about the music and the booze, right?! Right. We were so serious about the music, we listed it out hour by hour, song by song. Cocktail hour, dinner, late night dancing. We had it all figured out... until I realized we didn't factor in requests! (Turned out I was the gatekeeper of requests and a great one at that) Turned out, we pretty much liked every song we had on our list, and we realized...well, if we like EVERY song, when are we going to take a bathroom break?! So we strategically picked songs that we didn't mind missing out on. Since I was lukewarm about this tune... Summer Wind = Bathroom song. So now, I just don't love hearing this tune...You just can't love a song that reminds you of going to the bathroom.

Anyways, Crystal needs to seriously step it up and stop the back-talking on stage. She's making me more uncomfortable every week. If I'm annoyed, America is getting annoyed. Don't piss off America, Bowersox.

Michael Lynche (Song Choice: The Way You Look Tonight)

Big Mike was totally in it to win it and he sang this song perfectly, but I really can't believe that Simon has never told him he's self-indulgent. He completely is. And it's starting to rub me the wrong way. Sure, he seems like a nice guy. He's a lover. And kind of a wuss. He's the kind of guy that says he's going to "make love to a woman"... and that's kind of creepy. I'm a little over the chest bumps and I'm sorry but isn't there a little HGH use involved here? His upper body is completely disproportionate to his lower body. I just think the road needs to end here for Big Mike.

Lee Dewyze (Song Choice: That's Life)

Perfect song for Lee. This performance just made me smile. I'm all about the raspy voice. He kind of had an awkwardly cool Michael Buble thing going on with his dancing and stage presence. He's humbled too. I love his quiet confidence. Lee killed it... I think he just locked in a place for himself in the final...a Lee vs Crystal finale.

In Trouble: Anyone but Lee and Crystal

And the results are now in: Goodbye Aaron!

American Idol Top 6

It's country week on Idol for the Top 6 and more specifically, it's SHANIA week. The contestantst tackle the songbook of the Queen of Country music...the woman who's music crossed over from the country charts to mainstream radio and the pop charts. Shania's provided a lot of great memories over the years. There was always an occasion to listen to her, happy or sad. Back in 1999, there wasn't a girl in sight who wasn't rocking out to "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" on the radio in her car. One night after many hours of drinking, my friend taught us all to line dance to "Amy Man of Mine". I had to force a friend to get out of bed, while she ate ice cream and mourned her break-up all while listening to the Shania tune "When He Leaves You". "Up", "Still the One", "From this Moment", "Who's Bed Have Your Boots Been Under"... the woman has hit after hit. And after going through a very rough couple of years with her husband (Mutt Lange) cheating on her with her best friend, it's time for Shania to make a comeback. Seriously....Who cheats on Shania? And the woman has the best story... she grew up so dirt poor, became a superstar. Have you not seen her VH1 Behind the Music? One of the best. In addition to Idols singing her songs, Shania was the mentor this week. She was fantastic. I mean, could she be any cuter? I want her to be my Aunt Shania. She's so nice, supportive and so huggy. I just want to pop a glass of pinot grigio with her and kick back with my feet on the couch and talk about life. Is that so much to ask??

Here are my thoughts on this week's performances:

Lee DeWyze (Song Choice: Still the One)

This was the perfect song for Lee. He made it cool, he made it current, he made it a guy song...something you might hear on the radio or want to download on iTunes. And my friend who's called him "sad eyes" in the past is becoming a fan... no more sad eyes. He's smiling and enjoying himself and he brings it every week. And even though this song is one that should be played at a 50-year anniversary party, Lee still connected to it. I love Lee. I'm dialing in for Lee right now...

Michael Lynche (Song Choice: I'm Not Gonna Lie.. I have no idea what song he sang)

...which isn't a good start to this blog. If I wasn't paying enough attention or care enough to really investigate what it was... it wasn't good. So I'm thinking Big Mike needs to go home. Now, I know he sounded good and I didn't recognize the song, therefore I didn't know if he changed it up too much or too little. Maybe that's why it was a pretty brilliant choice. Overall though, it was pretty forgettable among the other performances of the night. He is in trouble.

Casey James (Song Choice: Don't)

Well, the jokes on me. I actually really liked this. One of his best so far. I loved his performance of "Jealous Guy" in Elvis week, but this beat that out. A very smart choice by Casey. It's not like he could sing "Any Man of Mine" or "That Don't Impress Me Much". They're all too girly, so it was challenging for the men this week. But a pick a song that is obscure... a ballad the ladies will love, add the blonde flowing locks, a stool, the mic and some lights, quiver your voice.. and you've got yourself a pretty solid performance. Think Casey might stick around one more week. He's stepping up his game 1 more week. Bottom 3 for sure, but safe.

Crystal Bowersox (Song Choice: No One Needs to Know)

The joke is on me again. I did not love this one by Crystal. By far not her best, but I'm not going to spend too much time dwelling on it. She's a star and incredibly talented. She deserved a week to mail in a performance and have a little fun. She just better step up her game next week, you can't get lazy on Idol and this is what that was. I kept getting nervous when she was playing the guitar that she was having issues with it. I really don't like to be nervous when I watch Idol. I like to be relaxed and enjoy myself. So, that was my biggest problem of all. She'll be back next week though - no doubt.

Aaron Kelly (Song Choice: You Got a Way)

This is Aaron's week. Country. Shania. This is his wheelhouse. When he sings in his lower register, he gets pitchy, but man.. when he kicks it into gear, he's unbelievable. Great, great choice for Aaron. I will admit, I didn't really know this Shania ballad, but he definitely made it a man's song. As good as he was in own genre, it's getting down to the wire and I think we have to say bye-bye to little Archuleta Part II.

Siohban Magnus (Song Choice: Any Man of Mine)

I'm actually really surprised how much the judges loved this. I actually did not. But I don't hate anything she does. This was the ballsiest pick of the night and definitley the most commercial. And it was the wrong choice. It was like Anooop Desai singing "Beat It" last year in Michael Jackson week. Kind of a no-no. I wanted her to pick something more obscure like "Dance with the One That Brought Ya" from the album, Shania. Or "Forever, and For Always". The dancing around the stage seemed forced for me. I like her darkness, the sweet, slow melodies. None of this hopping around the stage. I actually think she could be in trouble, but really don't want her to be. I just want her to be better at picking songs.

In Trouble: Casey, Mike, Aaron, Siobhan???

American Idol Top 7

It was Inspiration night on American Idol last night and the contestants were asked to sing a song that inspires them. The songbook was probably endless and overall I think they stayed way more current than they have been. I guess that's not making a great point when the last two weeks have been Elvis and Beatles songs. The great Alicia Keys was there to mentor the contestants this week and she did a pretty good job. As my friend and I said last night... with 12 Grammys on her shelf, you better believe I am listening to every damn word of advice Alicia Keys has to give me. Can you imagine saying no to Alicia Keys? "Actually, I think I'll sing it my own way". No... that would be dumb. I'm looking forward to her performance tonight for the Idol Gives Back show along with all of the other amazing musical acts. Break out the tissues and the wallet. I'm going to want to save every kid in Africa, buy every bed net I can to prevent Malaria, do all I can. For more information on how to give back, check out the Idol site. Idol Gives Back is an amazing thing. Be a part of it.

http://www.americanidol.com/idolgivesback/

Here are my thoughts from last night's show:

Casey James (Song Choice: Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow)

This performance was so annoyingly generic. And I think it's time for him to go. I don't even feel like writing about him. It's inspiration week... He coulda had a moment. A millions songs to choose and he picks this Fleetwood Mac song, which will always remind me of Bill Clinton's election campaign. My mother, who is not a Clinton fan, hates this song. Yep, she loathes Bill so much, she has to take it out on Fleetwood Mac. Anyways, bad choice of song and he should head home just because of it. Couldn't agree more with Simon - it was just a lazy song choice.

Lee Dewyze (Song Choice: The Boxer)

Here we go... Casey James, this is how it's done. I love this song and I loved this performance. It was just really pretty and finally we see something totally new on this show. Enough with the Mariah, Aersomith (Don't Wanna Miss a Thang), Whitney ballads... Simon and Garfunkel shakes it up. Lee just does it right. He has the Idol handbook. Pick a song that people like, but they don't even realize how good of a song it is... until someone reinvents it and makes it current. Lee is mastering this this season. I loved the last performance in which Simon said he had his moment, but for me... this was the performance in which he had his moment. Simon and Garfunkel would be proud. Consider this song downloaded.

Tim Urban (Song Choice: Better Days)

Love love this Goo Goo Dolls song. And Tim did a pretty good job with it. He's making smarter choices and this was one of them. No one ever tackles the Goo Goo Dolls on this show and they should. Their songs are fantastic. Dizzy Up the Girl is one of favorite albums. It has hit after hit. My friend and I have a little game we play where we rank each of their hit singles from this album and when "Iris" comes on the radio, we'll just call out "#6" (me) or #1 (her). My Dizzy Up the Girl ranking system goes something like this:

#1 - Slide

#2 - Black Balloon

#3 - Broadway

#4 - Acoustic

#5 - All Eyes On Me

#6 - Iris (it got bumped to 6 when they overplayed it, plus City of Angels with Meg and Nic Cage is a shitty movie)

What are your thoughts on this album!?

Back to Tim... I think High School Musical boy sticks around for another week. He was a pleasant surprise. Didn't do anything new with the song except for it being a little more acoustic, but he sounded nice and he flashed the pearly whites. That's good for about 10K votes.

Aaron Kelly (Song Choice: I Believe I Can Fly)

I thought Aaron was really good. I think this kid finally had his moment. I like that he took on this R. Kelly song and he made it more of a country ballad. Started off slow, but when he kicked into high gear, he was definitely in the pocket. This kid has a big voice and I think he's going to do really well in country music. I do like this song, but it is pretty darn cheesy. It's one of those songs that you like to sing, but don't really want to hear a MAN sing. It kind of takes the man chip away from him (kind of the way I feel about men who have never seen Top Gun. It kind of takes their penis away). Unfortunately, this song reminds me of the NBA player (and former UCONN basketball player) Rip Hamilton. Rip won my school a national championship and was/is one of my favorite players ever. But when he was asked how he gets fired up for a game, he said that he would listen to R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly". Really? Do you REALLY have to be so cheesy? Now I just picture my favorite player in the locker room with his freaking discman getting inspired by this queer song. It's totally ruined it for me. Can't you listen to a manly song like "Lose Yourself" by Eminem? I think everyone should get fired up for that song. It's the only answer that's acceptable.

Siohban Magnus (Song Choice: When You Believe)

Besides the fact that she looked like fairy from the latest Tinkerbell movie on the Disney channel, I thought Siohban did pretty well. I really really like Siohban. She is poised. She has great answers. Sometimes she take a little while to get her point out, but she chooses her words carefully. However, I'm beginning to feel lukewarm about her voice. She can hit the big notes, which she did last night... but I don't need them. I like her voice in a lower register. And I have to agree with being confused about what kind of album she'll make. Here's my only advice to her: Don't make the same album as Kat McPhee. I had the McPhever in season 5 and she then turned around and made the worst debut album ever. She was in such a rush to get this album out. I'm convinced she took every song that people like Ashlee Simpson and Lindsey Lohan passed on and put it on her album, just to get it released. And it was f'ing awful. There's one single called "Open Toes" and it's pretty much about getting a pedicure and going out on the town in open-toed shoes. It's f'ing stupid. LiLo is dumb as dirt and she probably had the good sense to pass on this song.

With all that said, I liked the arrangment of the song and I thought she controlled her voice and the song pretty well. She didn't try to be Mariah or Whitney, she just sang the song in a pretty way. It didn't wow anyone, but definitely didn't disappoint. Should be interesting to see how she fares tonight.

Michael Lynche (Song Choice: Hero)

My first reaction to the song choice: "This is a little Spiderman for me". Please note: I did not steal this line from Simon. It was the first thing that came to me when I heard he was singing this song. And I'd assume that everyone had this reaction since it was the theme song for a blockbuster superhero movie (great song by Dashboard Confessionals). I just don't want to hear anyone sing it. I just thought the performance was a little amateur for me and a giant step backwards for Big Mike. He sang it well, but it just didn't solidify why he was in the Top 7. He looked like he was performing in the early rounds of this competition. He is this "woman's work" and "In the Ghetto" guy... not a guy who wears a boring grey t-shirt and sing a rock song. It creeps me out to see him hold that guitar too. He's so big, it looks like a little Barbie guitar. It's unsettling.

Michael is in some trouble.

Crystal Bowersox (Song Choice: Get Ready)

In the words of Billy Madison, "Geez, why don't you just give her the trophy".

Crystal is amazing. There's not much more to say. This performance was the definition of inspirational. She sang it brilliantly. She's incredibly talented. The accapela at the beginning, the arrangement, the tears at the end for her father. Loved it all. She can pretty much do anything. We're looking at a true artist who is going make her mark on the music industry. I can't wait.

In Trouble: Casey, Big Mike, Aaron or Tim. The girls should be safe.

Ricky Shroeder Turns 40!

This past week I was doing my daily search for Entertainment news & gossip and I came up on some disturbing news.

Ricky Shroeder just turned 40.

My first crush, first love, first Bop magazine pin-up boy... is 40. It kind of freaked me out and just put so much in perspective for me (mostly my age). I don't know if you can understand how much I loved this boy... Ricky Shroeder photos were all over my wall and all over my scrapbook. "Silver Spoons" was my FAVORITE show in the 80's. My older sister and I would watch it and every time they showed the credits at the beginning to one of the best theme songs ever ("Togeeeeeether, we're gonna find our way...") and Ricky's name would flash across the screen with him wearing the green LaCoste shirt... we would fight over who got to kiss the TV screen. This really happened... every week. He grew up before our eyes. He went from little Ricky to "The Ricker". And he was just the cutest thing ever.

There's a story here. My mom and dad made my older sister go to Hechinger's on a Saturday night. Hechinger's was an 80's Virginia version of Home Depot. And it was a really f'ing boring store, the last place I wanted to be on a Saturday night. I had places to be (at the age of 8) and that place was my couch watching a re-run of the "Silver Spoons" episode where Ricky dresses up like a girl. It was one of my favorites and I was not going to miss it. I remember watching the clock, checking my watch, annoyingly asking what my parents what time it was. Dammit, why didn't someone invent Tivo? Why didn't I set my VCR? I tried passing the time entertaining myself by playing on the dolleys, rolling it all over the store. I started to piss off my parents. "Oh I'm sorry... Am I embarrassing you? Well, take me home to watch Silver Spoons and I'll knock it off". I had to bargain with them. It didn't work and they returned to their shopping. Before I knew it, I missed my show and we had new knobs for our kitchen cabinets. Pretty annoying.

My point is: Ricky Shroeder was my priority in the 80's. Life revolved around the Ricker. And I didn't want to be anywhere else but in front of that television set watching my blue eyed, blond haired crush. He went from Ricky (the boy) to the Ricker (the teenager) to Rick (the man). He came back to television as Detective Danny Sorenson on NYPD Blue for a few years in the 90's and I was happy, but of course it wasn't the same as the "Silver Spoons" years.

Well, Happy 40th Birthday Ricky. Thanks for making me feel super freaking old.

Blah Blah Blah...

So I was watching Saturday Night Live last night with host Ryan Phillipe and the musical guest was Kesha. You may have heard of Ke$ha. She has 2 annoying (albeit "hit") songs on the radio... ones called "Tik Tok" and "Blah Blah". Yeah... amazing song titles right? With deep lyrics, super original? NO. I was watching and I just couldn't understand it. Who the F is this girl and why is she famous? What kind of talent does she have? Who discovered her?

And I've come to one conclusion: This girl is an asshole. Seriously, she's an asshole. A poor man's Lady Gaga. She wishes she was Britney Spears. On SNL, she sang two of her "hit" songs, one of them being Tik Tok... the other I fast forwarded because it pained me to watch.. of course not before I got a glimpse of her in a black suite with flourescent face paint. Oh good Lord. But the first song ("Tik Tok"), oh my goodness the first song... She had a silvery black unitard on that she was hoping gave her a rocking body like Britney or Lady Gaga. She did not succeed. It gave her nothing but a camel toe and a frumpy figure. Then she had an American flag cape attached to her. She was doing the running man. She was doing the robot. She was doing these basic dance moves a teenage boy in the 90's would try out before he hit his first high school dance. It was F'ing awful. No dance skills, no singing voice, no talent. And the majority of her songs are of her talking, not singing ("Now the party don't stop til I walk in...". What a genius lyric.). The funny thing is she looks like a normal pretty blonde girl you'd be friends with. But someone took that normal pretty girl with a mediocre voice and kind of made her a joke. It's just all so contrived. She's trying to be Lady Gaga and it's not working for her. She's wearing the jumpsuits, the capes, the headress... and she doesn't have the voice to support it. SNL wasn't even the first time I questioned why this girl was discovered. She performed her song "Blah Blah Blah" on an American Idol elimination show earlier in the season and I was so appalled by her lack of talent that I said to my friend, "my dad is cringing right now at how freaking awful this girl is". Because if he was weirded out by Lady Gaga's performance on that show, he was definitely confused by this one (He refers to LG as "that girl with the zipper on ther face"). Then I hear she has the f'ing nerve to criticize Britney Spears for lip-syching during her concerts. Here's the deal: I love Britney Spears. I know she hasn't been the best role model ever, but I'm a supporter. Team Britney all the way over here. I know it looks like she lip-synchs at times and I want to die a little bit when I see that, but I also know that she has talent that hasn't gotten her where she is to today and that she has countless #1 hits to her name. So when some freaking no name with a dollar sign in her name comes around and bitches about my girl, then Yes.. I have a problem.

And ya know what I say to that??! BLAH BLAH BLAH.

What a joke.

American Idol Top Nine... AGAIN

So when I heard that Adam Lambert was the mentor this week, I really thought... what the frigg!?! Has this guy even earned the right to mentor? He's had 2 singles. Even Miley Cyrus at 17 years old has more of a right to mentor. But I have to admit, he did give some good advice on originality and peformance. I'm not sure they took all of it, but still. I do like the fact that Adam could relate to what the judges are looking for. He could give pretty good advice on "how to make the song your own". But really...what is up with the budget at Idol?!? Well, Elvis Presley week returned to Idol last night. I feel like this has just been done, but it's actually been 4 seasons since the Idols took on the King of Rock 'n Roll. And during that season there were only 4 contestants left so there were a lot more songs to be performed this time around.

Here's what I thought....

Crystal Bowersox (Song Choice: Saved)

Okay, okay.. it was pretty good, but I have to be honest....this was the least favorite of the Crystal performances. I like her gospel sound, but I'm not really a bluesy fan, so it didn't really do anything for me. I think I was flipping through a magazine while listening and usually I'm hanging on every lyric Crystal sings. She'll soar through to the next round, but she needs to go back to what she does best... everything else but that.

Andrew Garcia (Song Choice: Hound Dog)

Hound Dog. Who sings Hound Dog on Idol? Andrew. Andrew sings Hound Dog. UUUUUGH. This is what I call a recipe for disaster. It's just a terrible song choice. This song should never ever be sung on this show. You will never ever make this song currect. Andrew just goes too obvious. This is the kind of song that when people DON'T watch Idol tune in for the very first time to check it out, decide they absolutely hate the show and then they start to write on their facebook statusus on how much they hate it (Okay, maybe that actually happened). But it's true... I equate this to Anoop Desai singing "Beat It" last year during Michael Jackson week. Some songs are untouchable. Add Hound Dog to the list. Can't Buy Me Love one week and Hound Dog the next? This guy's gotta go. It was not good.

Tim Urban (Song Choice: Can't Help Falling in Love)

I did not hate this. Ugh. I kind of liked it. I thought he looked cute and vulnerable and no doubt his best performance to date. Loved the lights and the stool and the adorable hair... and even the voice this week. I think Mr. High School Musical is sticking around for another week. I have to admit, I don't see a bottom 3 for this kid at all. Watch.. out of all the weeks that we've been waiting for him to leave, this will be the one.

Lee Dewyze (Song Choice: A Little Less Conversation)

I love Lee. Every week I love Lee. This song was a risk. Anybody else could've made it a cheesy, wedding band performance, but he made it current and cool. Lee just has the perfect raspy recordable voice that I know could produce radio hit after radio hit. I love that he's humble. Normally I frown upon those contestants that say they are having fun out there on stage (only the ones that suck), but I loved that he was having fun. Show those pearly whites Lee. I'm sure the ladies will give you a few more votes.

Aaron Kelly (Song Choice: Blues Suede Shoes)

I thought he did pretty well here. Aaron was totally out of his comfort zone by not singing a whiny boring ballad or something by Rascal Flatts and it worked for him. Granted Blue Suede Shoes is a totally cheesy song, I didn't mind it. He's 16. He looked cute. A little akward, but cute. He is still on Idol crown worthy, but if I am a producer for Grease on Broadway, I'm definitely considering him. But he may be in the bottom 3 based on who is left and the rest of the performances this week.

Siohban Magnus (Song Choice: Suspicious Minds)

Suspicious Minds... my all time-favorite Elivs song. This was a perfect song for Siobhan. She did pretty well at times, but with the terrible terrible 80's mom hair along with the arrangement of the song, it aged her about 20 years. She made it more of a ballad for a woman in her 40's, rather than just singing it the way it should be sung. It didn't really need to be changed up that much. Did I mentioned that I hate hate hated her hair? I do love how poised she is and she is the best at answering the questions that are thrown out at her... It's not necessary to be labeled. Doesn't want to be pigeon-holed. She's still figuring out who she is. All good anwers. Hope she's safe, but just a little sidenote: Suspicious Minds is what knocked off season 5 favorite Chris Daughtry during Elvis week. Hmmm... If there was ever a time in Idol history to use the save... that was it.

Michael Lynche (Song Choice: In the Ghetto)

Now, I liked this. It proved why he deserved the save last week. I really liked the vocals, but the word on the street is that it sounded WAY different than the original. I know the song a little bit, not a total Elvis fave. I really can't help but picture Taylor Hicks singing this song in Elvis week back in season 5. And I really don't love anything Taylor Hicks. I never voted for the guy once. He may have been the American Idol, but he was never MY Idol. Michael sang it well and you could feel the emotion and his connection to the song. Props to Siohban Magnus for suggesting that he sing the song. I'm not gonna lie, there's no way in hell I'd be giving really good suggestions to my competitors. More like "Sing Hound Dog. The judges will LOVE it. You should dance too." I'm evil.

Katie Stevens (Song Choice: Baby, What You Want Me To Do)

Katie is back in the groove. Her strong vocals are back and she is in the pocket. This girl has some soul. It was a perfect song and she had emotion and anger in the song (Good coaching job Lambert). Her outfit was cute, she looked and sounded current and this girl should be safe for another week. She's on her way to making the top 5.

Casey James (Song Choice: Lawdy Miss Clawdy)

I agree with what Simon said.. This was pretty much a "wasted opportunity". I feel like this performance had no beginning, middle, or end. I'm just not a blues fan so I could've cared less about it. He can play the guitar, but overall that performance pretty much left me with nothing to say. My friends and I talked through the whole thing about something stupid like nailpolish or what we were ordering in Victoria's Secret and just never really cared about his performance. And when talking about the show in the office today, I completely forgot to mention Casey's performance. That's not good. I think he might be in trouble.

In Trouble: Casey, Aaron, Andrew... Tim, for once, could be safe.

American Idol Top 9

Last night, the songbooks of Lennon & McCartney were open to the Idols, which was great... BUT they also just did this for 2 weeks straight weeks in season 7. It seems like yesterday Archie was singing Imagine or David Cook rocked out to Eleanor Rigby. So why go back already? Are we running out of ideas? How about an 80's week? How about a love songs week? I mean, I like Beatles songs but I don't want to hear an hour's worth of bad versions. They really need to start youthing it up for the rest of the season because apparently we have a bunch of old souls competing this year. Can someone please sing something current? PLEASE. This week the Idols were really on their own to pick their song and their arrangment. Yes, Sir Paul gave some encouragement via satellite, but everyone was really flying solo this week. I mean, no pressure to sing a Beatles song, make it original & unique, all why maintaining the purity and classic sound of the song.

Here's what I thought of the Idol efforts:

Aaron Kelly (Song Choice: A Long and Winding Road)

I love Aaron, but this is the kind of performance that when a new Idol viewer tunes it they think, "what the #$%? Why are these people famous?". And I get that. It was too old-fashioned and clearly not his best. He's so good when he hits the high notes, but not so much in the lower register. I get nervous for him. He neeeds to start shaking things up a bit. He needs to break away from the Flatts for a week. We know he wants to be the fourth Rascal Flatt, but until that happens, he needs to surprise us on Idol. By the way, have you noticed that the strategy for all of these contestants when given some critique, their answer now is "I'm working on something BIG next, if they let me stay." Smart. Very smart. Being the gullible viewer that I am, I really do want to see what this big thing is next week is. FINE. You have my vote. It's worked for Casey and Crystal already. And not that Crystal needs any help, but I'm digging the new Idol contestant strategy for 2010.

Katie Stevens (Song Choice: Let It Be)

Katie.... She was in the pocket. Perfect perfect song for her. She looked like she had been singing this song for years and I think she had with her dad. This was by far her best performance by a mile. Finally, the tone of her voice that we saw in Hollywood week has come back. She made it current, her voice was strong - she was in the zone. For me, this was a winning performance. And she looked fantastic, like she matured about 4 years. She finally dropped the New York & Company jewelry and Macy's junior section drab and upped her game in the apparel department. She was an R&B pop singer, someone we may want to hear on the radio (Sorry, Simon - that was NOT country. Not really sure what he was listening to). Nice work Kate. The "Kate Mates" in CT are dialing it up for you right now!

Andrew Garcia (Song Choice: Can't Buy Me Love)

Oh geez. What to say. This was such a bad song choice. This is a song you never sing on Idol. It will never sound cool or commercial, it will always sound like an old campy song from the 60's. It will always remind me of Ronald Miller paying Cindi Mancini $1,000 to be his girlfriend in the hit 80's movie. But Andrew didn't go "totally geek to totally chic" like Ronnie, but it was the opposit after last week's strong performance ("Forever"). This song is just a little hokey. Way too big band and way too "Hairspray". He sounded good, but I just couldn't get passed the cheese. Thought it was totally corny and he's better than that. He needed a mentor.. to tell him not to sing that song. It could have been his moment this week. He could of sang "Imagine" or "Yesterday".. something classic. Ya know he says "singing Lennon and McCartney songs is an honor." Then if you have once chance to sing one of their songs, then why ohwhy would you sing that song?? out of all songs? I don't get it. And Andrew is in trouble.

Michael Lynche (Song Choice: Eleanor Rigby)

I was into this version of this song. It was a perfect song for him and this was one tall order considering David Cook sang it two seasons ago and had "a moment" with it. However, he sang the rock version and Michael sang a cool R&B version of it. I think I'm finally seeing an artist in Michael Lynche and it goes to show the difference between what he did and what Andrew did. That song is sellable. You would download it. It could be on an album. Simon gave him a hard time saying he was confused as to what kind of artist he wants to be and what music he wants to make. Can't singers rock, rap, or pop songs then have a ballad on their album? Usher sings "Yeah" (one of the best songs ever and my brother's personal fave) and then he sings the song "Burn". What stops a rocker like a Bret Michaels singing "Nuthin' But a Good Time" and then singing "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"?! Kind of a stupid thing to say Simon.

Crystal Bowersox (Song Choice: Come Together)

You may not believe this, but I stated from my couch... "Crystal should sing Come Together". And she did. And she rocked it. And I was nervous for this one as Carly Smithson (season 7) had a moment with this song. Yet they were both very different versions. Both fantastic. This is a pretty timeless song. It's always going to be cool. I can't write it any differently this week... Crystal is great and clearly should be in the finals. Sign her. and I was loving the boots. She's getting prettier and more fashionable every week, yet still saying true to herself. Plus I love how conversational she is when she's getting judged. It's easy to like her.

Tim Urban (Song Choice: All My Loving)

I'm skipping this blog. He just needs to go home. The best thing the judges said was that they admired him for taking their criticism"like a man". Now I agree, but Proud of him, Schmoud of him....This is American Idol and he's not going to win. He doesn't need the positive feedback to make the 12 year old girls pick up their phones to call and text to keep him around another week. Did he sound okay? Sure. But I also went to the kitchen to get a snack, started painting my nails and looked through US magazine while he was singing. So...ya know. It's just not Idol worthy. It's the nicest way I can say it.

The best part is that every week, 3 times an episode my friend calls Tim Urban "Lambert". Every week. She's obviously talking about Alex Lambert who got eliminated in the top 14, just missing the Top 12. He was the one who sounded liked James Morrison, but his nerves got the best of him. So every week she goes, "I'm sorry, but Lambert has to go!". I just nod and agree and then sneak in a "Tim Urban" under my breath. She gives me the "oh yeah!" and we laugh. And then it happens 20 minutes later. Then the next night during elimination night, she tells me again, "Lambert will be in the bottom 3". Again... "Tim" under my breath. She corrects herself. We laugh. And so on and so on. So the only bad thing about Tim leaving the competition is, I won't get to hear her get this wrong again. I might miss that.

Casey James (Song Choice: Jealous Guy)

I really liked this peformance, one of his best. SO much better than his "Power of Love" performance. He finally showed his artistry. Did he always have that quiver in his voice? I'm not so sure that he did. But I'm into it. Keep up the quiver. What I liked about this performance is that I really didn't know the song and I didn't have any high expectations of it. So for me, it was something new and refreshing by Casey and I loved that he showed his vulnerable side. The blonde locks were flowing too. Casey is in for another week for sure.

Siobhan Magnus (Song Choice: Across the Universe)

I liked this version of this song, but I didn't love it. Love HER though. I had to agree with some of the judges about it being a little sleepy, but it was also tender and sweet. I wish she kicked it into high gear quicker. This performance just showed her versality. She is unpredictable and cool. And regardless of the sleepiness of the song, Siohban knows how to put on a performance with every little detail.. the stool, the lights, the look, the music. She's sticking around. The competition needs her.

Lee Dewyze (Song Choice: Hey Jude)

I love Lee. I thought this performance was wicked cool, and I don't even really love this song. I loved that he took 100% credit for the bagpiper, which let's face it, was a tad random. But Lee's voice can be heard on the radio tomorrow and his confidence grows a little bit each week. And he's even getting cuter to me. Lee is just cool.

In Trouble: Tim Urban, Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens (but just based on the fact that she's hit the bottom 3 for a few weeks now). Think it's Tim's time to go.....