If Kara DioGuardi has her way, she and Ellen DeGeneres will be hitting it off like franks and beans, peanut butter and jelly, frick and frack... two peas in a pod. At at an industry conference in New York, Kara was musing about the upcoming season of American Idol in which DioGuardi and DeGeneres will be sharing the judges' table together -- with Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, of course.
"I'm hoping the chemistry with Ellen will be great -- and a great start to the season," said Kara.
With that in mind, Kara's going to sleep on the couch at Ellen's house until they're bosom buddies. ...Kidding! But Kara will try to spend some time with Ellen during December when they both have some time off from their busy schedules.
I've said before that So You Think You Can Dance is one of the few reality shows that I actually like, despite the fact that I'm not really one who appreciates dance as an artform. It's a show that I don't think exploits its contestants or talks down to its audience, and that seems to take its subject matter more seriously than, say American Idol or other talent shows. And last night's show was more proof for me.
On American Idol, we often hear that the more insulting advice from the judges is a form of tough love, and in some cases, they have a point. Some people think they can sing and just can't, and need to be told. And there are similar scenes on So You Think You Can Dance, and similarly, some people stomp off convinced that they are "it" instead of, well, something that rhymes.
But So You Think You Can Dance is much more up front and even aggressive about telling people how they can grow. The system is better - if you show promise but the judges aren't sure, you go to the "choreography" phase and you are shown fairly empirically what your faults are, and most contestants seem happy for the knowledge, and many of them do come back.
Simon, who seems to have a lexicon all his own, said that he misses Paula, too. But in his bizarre way with words, he compared the new Idol atmosphere as different, like "comparing a carrot to a banana."
Could the departure of Paula Abdul from American Idol actually result in a revitalization and renewal of the Fox monster hit? I ask that question because in the past couple of days, guest judges have been announced to sit in Paula's place and I'm absolutely psyched by the choices. The other day it was How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris. Today, Pushing Daisies'Kristin Chenoweth has been snagged as an American Idol guest judge. She's currently filming auditions in Orlando, Florida.
"You stayed true to who you are, Paula. You were a real superstar up on that dais. And you looked great ... sometimes. Other times you looked like you poured yourself into a dress too small for Mary-Kate Olsen, but I digress. You were a little pitchy at times. Did I say pitchy? I meant tipsy, but we're still so proud of you.
"You were just so cute I wanted to squeeze you, pinch your head off and dangle it from my car's rear-view mirror. All of the judges are just so talented and amazing at what they do, and the competition won't be the same without you. But don't worry, Paula. This isn't the end for you. This is the beginning of your career. You can do anything you want because you are a star. Touchdown!"
File this one under the header, "Thanks but no thanks." According to reps for J-Lo, Jennifer Lopez will not replace Paula Abdul on American Idol. Apparently, there's a hot rumor out there that Jennifer had some interest in taking over in light of the lack of progress in Paula's negotiations with the producers for her return.
This sounds like a bunch of malarchy. Jennifer Lopez has no need to appear on American Idol as a judge. She's got a thriving career -- something Abdul did not have when she got the Idol gig in 2002. For J-Lo to plunk herself on American Idol would likely impede her career, although it would give her lots of visibility.
The hell? I've been really enjoying Next Food Network Star so far this season, and was all set to watch it last night. And then I just completely forgot that it was on. I can't even remember what I was watching last night at that time. I think it was another Andy Griffith Show marathon. It was the episode where Barney misunderstood something and screwed everything up.
So how was this "Dinner at Ina's" episode? This is going to be one of those times where I don't even read your comments until I watch the episode, which I'm going to do right now.
I'm not a big reality show fan, but if it involves food I might just watch it. Tonight Bravo debuts Top Chef Masters, which is Top Chef only with some of the best chefs in the country, including Wylie Dufresne, Rick Bayless, Cindy Pawlcyn, Anita Lo, and Art Smith. Here's a clip from the show. I wonder if this is going to be more foodie-oriented than trash talk/arguing-oriented?
This week on Dancing with the Stars, Len ruffled some feathers by announcing that Ty should go home and that potential professional dancer Mayo was too tall. Both proved him wrong. This caused an uproar from several viewers that Len is too old, stuffy, biased, or mean. This led me to wonder if the judges are expendable.
The show shouldn't go the way of American Idol and add a judge, because the time allotment would go bonkers and the scores would confuse viewers (getting a 30 is a lot easier than getting a 40). Let's take a look at the positives and negatives of our three judges.
For those of who actually care about American Idol -- and you have the random body part that Randy Jackson signed and haven't washed since to prove it -- there are some changes coming to the new millennium's answer to The Gong Show.
Fox officials will confirm some of these changes at a press conference today to respond to rumors leaked to the Internet, that glorious wonderland of movie rumors and girl-on-girl pornography.
The Hollywood Reporter said a unidentified fan site received a staff memo from a show employee and leaked some of the potential changes. Sadly, none of them involve fitting the panel with dog shock collars that activate when they speak or letting Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten sit in as a guest judge.
I must confess, I really, really enjoy American Idol. Sure, I could do without the mean-spirited auditions and the tacky group numbers reminiscent of Up With People, but for the most part, it's a satisfying guilty pleasure.
It's not just the talented contestants that keep me watching, though. I like the judges and the way they interact with each other. I had really mixed feelings when I heard the news that American Idol would be bringing on another judge: curious to see how she'd fit in with the others and what her style would be like, but nervous that she'd change the dynamic between the original three too much for my liking.
(S05E01) When I watch Project Runway, I'm reminded of the fact that I'm no fashion designer. I'd be up a tree if I faced the challenges those contestants face. The same with Top Design, not to mention any of the hair shows. However, Top Chef is a different story. I do cook and every day is a challenge to figure out what to make and how.
So, the return of Top Chef-- season five -- was like greeting an old friend. Here are people I can relate to, even if they have culinary skills that exceed mine.
The new edition is set in New York, a point that was obvious from the start with arrivals not coming via a pedestrian airport. No, here we are at Grand Central Station, a landmark. Then it's onto a ferry to Governor's Island to really get a look at the city.
It wasn't a fierce season for Project Runway. No Cristian Soriano to spice things up. No Wendy Pepper either, speaking of spicy. That said, as the show wrapped up and three designers presented their collections at Fashion Week, the competitive juices were flowing and I was definitely into it. Maybe not as much as previous years, but the Project Runway formula still worked. And most significantly, the final three were all women. As Tim Gunn pointed out, it was the year of the woman on Project Runway.
All in all, the finale wasn't exactly up to the level of previous seasons. The personalities weren't as dramatic or defined. There was no Jeffrey to hate. No pregnant Laura to root for. And no Jay or Santino to giggle over. It's interesting that even Tim Gunn, before this season aired, had said that this group wasn't as distinctive as some other seasons. As usual, Tim was right.
(S04E13) It was a long night on Wednesday getting through fourteen routines, most of which were lackluster. When do you think the judges will start admitting that season four is just not up to snuff? Now it's time to see who was able to snag enough votes to stay one more week on So You Think You Can Dance.
The Opening Performance
The top fourteen dancers performed a Broadway routine to "Money Money" from Cabaret (Original Cast Recording) choreographed by Tyce DiOrio. The performance started off slow for me, but at the part of the song where the company starts whispering "money, money, money, money," I thought the dance picked up as well. I think that's testament to Tyce's ability to pace a number.
How would you like to watch this man do the mambo? Don't be stunned. It could happen.
Professional athletes have done well on Dancing with the Stars. Kristi Yamaguchi, ice skating star; Apolo Anton Ohno, Olympic speed skater; Helio Castroneves, race-car driver. It's also true that pro football players have done very well. Former Dallas Cowboy great Emmitt Smith won in 2006, and Miami Dolphins' Jason Taylor came in second this year.
Therefore, it's not surprising to hear that the producer of DWTS are courting another grid iron great, but this one? Warren Sapp, a recently retired defensive tackle, says that he's been invited to Dancing With the Stars and he's thinks he's going to do it.
Warren says he's been asked, but I'll believe this when it's announced by ABC. I'm not saying he's lying, I just think something may have been lost in the translation.
If Kara DioGuardi has her way, she and Ellen DeGeneres will be hitting it off like franks and beans, peanut butter and jelly, frick and frack... two peas in a pod. At at an industry conference in New York, Kara was musing about the upcoming season of American Idol in which DioGuardi and DeGeneres will be sharing the judges' table together -- with Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, of course.
I've 
Oh sure, now that she's not there anymore, they miss her. Sounds like a familiar story, but this is 
"You stayed true to who you are, Paula. You were a real superstar up on that dais. And you looked great ... sometimes. Other times you looked like you poured yourself into a dress too small for Mary-Kate Olsen, but I digress. You were a little pitchy at times. Did I say pitchy? I meant tipsy, but we're still so proud of you.
File this one under the header, "Thanks but no thanks." According to reps for J-Lo, 
The hell? I've been really enjoying 
This week on 
For those of who actually care about American Idol -- and you have the random body part that Randy Jackson signed and haven't washed since to prove it -- there are some changes coming to the new millennium's answer to The Gong Show. 
I must confess, I really, really enjoy 
(S05E01) When I watch 
It wasn't a fierce season for 
(S04E13) It was a 
How would you like to watch this man do the mambo? Don't be stunned. It could happen.
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
