Image Credit: Nick Wall/PBS
Could there be something happening next Sunday that we’re excited about? Hmm… Hmm… maybe something we’ve had two covers of, have seen all the movies for, and have debated and debated for months now? Yes, of course the Oscars are next weekend, but first up is this week’s exciting season finale of Downton Abbey, followed by the narrowed-down field on American Idol, Dark Skies opening in theaters, and more. Have a great week!
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Image Credit: Fox
SPOILERS AHEAD. If you haven’t seen tonight’s Idol, don’t read on. READ FULL STORY »
During Thursday’s Oklahoma City auditions episode (read my full recap here), colorful wackaloon Zoanette Johnson, “19,” brutally murdered the national anthem to the unfathomable delight of the American Idol judges, her pitchy runs eventually knocking featherweight pleasure hub Keith Urban onto the floor. At least she didn’t lip-sync it? READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: David Giesbrecht/NBC
Samm Levine makes his return to TV tonight on NBC’s Do No Harm, playing the plucky assistant to Dr. Jason Cole (Steven Pasquale), a doctor who suffers from a severe case of split personality.
And to celebrate the show’s premiere, which takes place tonight on NBC (10 p.m. ET), former Freaks and Geeks actor took some time to take EW’s Pop Culture Personality Test. What we learned? Even after all these years, the actor still makes us proud to be geeks.
What’s the last TV episode that made you cry?
Oh, gosh. Maybe the last episode of Lost? I was just sad it was over.
Were you a big Lostie?
BIG Lostie. That’s the only show I’ve ever appeared on unbilled.
Really?
Yeah. Damon Lindelof is a friend and he knew it was my favorite show in the world. He’d done six seasons of the show and had nothing for me. Finally, as they were finishing up, I was like, ‘Look, am I going to be on this show or not? It’s my favorite show in the world. What have you got for me?’ And he was like, ‘Look, listen, I wrote you the silliest little part, but if you want to do it, come out to Hawaii and shoot it. It’s yours.’ I said ‘Absolutely.’ So I’m in it for a split second; I play a clerk who works at Mr. Cluck’s. I’m not credited, and I got to wear the Mr. Cluck’s uniform. It was such a super fun gig for a crazy Lost fan. READ FULL STORY »
It’s hard to pick a winner here — both grown women reached such stunning levels of immaturity throughout tonight’s Baton Rouge auditions episode. I’m going with Mariah, for at least having the decency to direct her shade at her target of loathing with a tremendous side-eye, while Nicki opted to draw the contestant into her ongoing epic battle to take down one of the top-selling female artists in history. Subtlety is everything. READ FULL STORY »
After weeks of breathless, pearl-clutching promotion for the infamous Nicki Minaj vs. Mariah Carey fight, tonight’s American Idol revealed what prompted Minaj’s freakout in the first place. The Charlotte auditions episode featured a somewhat rational debate (prompted by Minaj) on whether a contestant should feel “forced” to “do the country thing,” and then we saw Minaj determinedly stomping off the set after complaining that “Maybe I should get off the f—ing panel.”
What we didn’t see, of course, was a single second of Minaj’s cringe-inducing motormouth-y rant captured in October’s buzz-magnet handheld video. In fact, it’s likely the “fight” we saw tonight had no real linear connection with the leaked footage, which makes the over-promotion even more obnoxious. Fox chose to save face — including any of that leaked footage on-air would be a huge turnoff, and Minaj has enough detractors as it is. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Fox
Update: Annie’s recap is live.
The only Idol audition that’s made me cry harder was Chris Medina’s from season 10. Above is the “money shot” Fox has been promoting for weeks — it’s 21-year-old ice cream scooper (!) Lazaro Arbos from Naples, Florida. Born in Cuba, his profound stutter began at age 6 and intensified after he moved to the U.S. at 10. There were times he couldn’t speak at all, and his mother had to say everything for him. Eventually, she said, “I would just say ‘Sing to me! Sing to me!’”
“Since he is always alone and has few friends,” said his father, “music is his life.” READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox
In this corner, daaaahhhhling, we have five-time Grammy winner (and 34-time nominee, whoa) Mariah Carey: the best selling female artist of all time, the custodian of a famous five-octave range, a lovable nut who doesn’t really exercise while wearing five-inch heels but does really flip out if photographed or filmed from her “bad” left side.
And in this corner, speaking in a fake British accent for some reason, there’s brash young upstart Nicki Minaj: a rapper/singer who once boasted of earning $50,000 for a guest verse even before her album was released, a wearer of assorted ridiculata, and the winner of zero Grammys so far, though she’s racked up four nominations since 2011.
Both had their claws out as soon as American Idol‘s season premiere began last night. READ FULL STORY »
Update: Annie’s recap is live.
It’s no wonder a camera “just happened” to capture the now infamous Nicki Minaj vs. Mariah Carey brawl — after watching the two-hour season 12 premiere, it’s clear the two new American Idol judges can’t stand each other. This is never going to change, and it’s super uncomfortable to watch because both women are acting like they’re 5. Instead of coolly rising above their differences (when in actuality: THEY’RE THE SAME), they talk over each other until eventually Minaj wins because she’s simply louder and more obnoxious. At one point, Minaj plastered on one of her 31 flavors of fake smile and monotoned “She’s a bitch she’s a bitch she’s a bitch” ad nauseum. How many people are tuning in to a singing competition to see something like this? I’m guessing one — and she’s pictured above, mimicking how the majority of viewers probably looked while they watched her. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Frank Micelotta/Fox
If you know who Sanjaya is, the website you have to “thank” is shutting down.
Vote for the Worst, a website started in 2004 encouraging fans of American Idol to vote for the worst contestant to bring about the end of the show, is coming to its own end. To quote its creator Dave’s own post announcing the shut down: “They say when your critics stop talking about you, you’re finished. We’ve been American Idol’s biggest critic, but we’re leaving before we get completely bored with a show that really should’ve bowed out gracefully a few years ago.”
The site won’t actually be gone until June 2013, so fans have one more season to try to purposely get a joke all the way to the crown. READ FULL STORY »
