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.