Weekend To Do/News 06-28-07

Hi:

American Idol News for Season 7:

The Auditions will take place this summer in:

Dallas, 8/6

Omaha, 8/10

Atlanta, 8/14

Charlston, 8/18

Miami, 8/22

Philadelphia, 8/27

They are still restricting the ages from 17 to 28.

Nip/Tuck News:

Joely Richardson (Sean’s exwife) will return for 15 of the 22 episodes this Fall. This Season the show will take place in Los Angeles.

Oliver Platt (so very good in Showtime’s HUFF), will play a love interest for Rosie O’Donnell. He will be on for 5 episodes. His character produces a Medical TV show that Sean and Christian are hired as Consultants.

More TV News:

Looks like Joey Fatone has his next gig…he will host a new show this summer on NBC about naming the next line of a song. If the contestant can’t do it..they’re gone! First of all, didn’t we do this many, many years ago with NAME THAT TUNE? Also, isn’t their another show already booked that is a clone for this one? Just wondering.

DVDs:

SHOOTER – Starring Mark Wahlberg who plays a marksman who is hired to squash a plot to kill the President. He is ultimately double-crossed and the authorities go after him for allegedly being the ’shooter. Mark has to go undercover and find out who has framed him and prove his innocence. Sounds very intriguing – Out on DVD this Tuesday.

 

BLACK SNAKE MOAN – This one stars Samuel Jackson as a washed up bluesman and Christina Ricci comes into his life. She’s all messed up and he tries to help her find her way back. Apparently she is always searching for true love and can’t find it. Justin Timberlake is in it too.

Out on DVD this Tuesday

MOVIES IN THEATERS:

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD - Bruce Willis brings John McCain back for another action packed thriller. Bruce does these roles better than most and is pretty darn convincing! Not bad for a guy close to 50!

By the way, if you go to see this movie, go a little early to see the trailers. There’s one called HITMAN starring Timothy Olyphant (he plays the bad guy in Bruce’s movie). He also was Sheriff Bolluck in DEADWOOD. Not sure what HITMAN is about but I could guess!!! Anyway, getting back to DEADWOOD, Timothy says that he has heard nothing of a movie or 2 on the series. He says as far as he’s concerned…it’s OVAH!!!!

(for more info on Hitman, check out Jamie’s article here)

Other movies out this weekend:

Evening – Starring a lot of our better actresses. Sounds like a chick flick.

Ratatouille – if you like animated

Sicko – the latest documentary from Michael Moore. This one on the health insurance industry in this country. Once again, Michael has hit a homerun. Let’s hope people go and pay attention!

MUSIC:

Summer fun – The Beach Boys have a CD out named: The Warmth of the Sun – 28 cuts of some of their classic hits. What could be better than the Wilson boys with their friends entertaining us while we are enjoying the beach!!!

And, last but certainly not least – Russell Crowe News:

Russell has just signed on to join Leonardo DiCaprio in a Ridley Scott directed movie called: Body of Lies

Russell will play a manipulative CIA agent who teams up with Leo to track down a dangerous Al-Qaeda leader. Filming starts in the Fall.

Soooo, we have Russell in 3:10 to Yuma in October – American Gangsta in November – Nottingham next year and now this movie. Gotta love it!!!!

Talk to you later.

Joanie

This week’s Amazon Recommendations: 

Die Hard Collection (Die Hard / Die Hard 2 – Die Harder / Die Hard with a Vengence / Live Free or Die Hard – Bonus Disc)
Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys
Nip/Tuck – The Complete First Season
Nip/Tuck – The Complete Second Season
Nip/Tuck – The Complete Third Season
Nip/Tuck – The Complete Fourth Season
Deadwood – The Complete First Season
Deadwood – The Complete Second Season
Deadwood – The Complete Third Season
Hitman Trilogy (Includes Blood Money, Silent Assassins, and Contracts)

So You Think You Can Dance – Results Show – 06/28/07

Hi Everybody:

It’s absolutely gorgeous here in MA today! High in the 70s!!!

Last night sure proved to be another ‘upset’. When will America get it right?

OK, let’s get started. – The group danced to a lively African song. It was very good. These choreographers, for the most part, are so talented.

Here comes Cat… tonight she has a hot lime green dress on..looking good!

Over 5 million voted last night (and, it didn’t matter, cause THEY GOT IT WRONG!!!)

Let’s bring out a few couples:

1. Lauren/Neil Bottom 3 (I kinda expected that)

2. Lacey/Kameron SAFE (nice birthday present for Lacey)

Ya know, I gotta throw my thought in here. Every time we find someone in the Bottom 3, Cat has to say….”You’ll be dancing for your life!” I don’t really like that saying. I know they’ve had it for 3 seasons now but I just don’t feel comfortable with it. I’m sure these kids lives will GO ON when they get knocked off this show and it IS going to happen to 15 of the 16!

3. Jaimie/Hok SAFE (and they were WONDERFUL last night)

4. Sabra/Dominic SAFE – good

5. Sara/Jesus Bottom 3 (I was surprised at this one cause they did the crumping routine and were very good)

6. Jessi/Pasha Pasha was SAFE but they asked them both to do do their CHA CHA routine since Jessi was in the hospital last night. (they found that she was dehydrated and that’s why she collapsed. Nothing serious.) They did a good job. But, Jessi still had to dance a solo!

7. Shauna/Cedric SAFE (come on people! Did his speech save him from elimination???)

8. Anja/Danny Bottom 3 (this surprised Everyone!!!)

After watching the solo dances and the Judges taking their (water cups) and going off stage to ‘consult’, they came back with these results:

Girl going home: Jessi

Boy going home: Jesus

Again, as Nigel said, “5 Million voted and they got it wrong again!”

I noticed that Jimmy was in the audience. He should be on that stage (with Ricky!!!).

Well everyone have a great 4th of July – looks like this show won’t be back until July 11th.

Til then…take care.

Joanie

—————————————————————————————

The Next Best Thing

On Wednesay night we watched 14 of the 28 semi-finalists do their impressions. Of the 14, 5 would move forward to the finals. In 2 weeks, they will return with the other 14 and choose 5 from that group.

We have 28 really good talents here so it is going to be very hard to choose. (By the way, they said their real names and I tried to get it right but I’m sure I messed some of them up… sorry)

First up was Cookie Watkins who did a great Tina Turner.

Then came John Morgan as George Bush - He certainly looks a lot like him and was pretty funny.

Donnie Edwards as the YOUNG Elvis – You would SWEAR that Elvis had ‘returned to the building’!!! This guy is awesome and I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t go all the way to the end.

Suzanne LaRouche as Lucille Ball - This woman has all Lucy’s mannerisms down pat and gives a good performance.

Buck McCoy as Tim McGraw – I’m not going to comment on Buck because I haven’t seen Tim enough times to give a review of his take on him.

Natalie Reed as Paris Hilton - This girl not only looks and sounds like Paris, she’s SMART and funny. I liked her a lot.

Stacey Summer as Shania Twain – As you will recall, she did Marilyn Monroe and Shania and the judges suggested she do Shania. She’s a very pretty girl but the voice just isn’t there. She may have been better off as Marilyn – too late now.

Morris Cherry as Jay Leno – Once again, this guy looked and sounded like Jay but he wasn’t as funny as Jay.

Bridgette Valdez as Celine Dion – She was very, very good. Had a wonderful voice and I felt she nailed Celine.

Paul Speara as Bono – You would swear this guy was Bono…only problem, no voice.

Mike Wilson as Simon Cowell - He was funny in the auditions but lacked the Simon nastiness.

Chris America(?) as Madonna – I don’t see why they moved her on in the first place.

2 others that didn’t get tv exposure - Pacino (who I thought sounded great from the few seconds we saw him) and Robin Williams (same thing). They should have dropped Madonna and Bono and put these 2 guys on!

OK, when all was said and done: here are your 5 going forward

Tina Turner

Lucille Ball

Paris Hilton

George Bush

Elvis Presley

I bet Celine was a hair’s breath away from making it!

This show will return on July 11th with the remaining 14 contestants and boy will it be tough to choose from them!!!

By the way, did you happen to see the commercial for JUST FOR LAUGHS? It starts on July 17th and looks a lot like the old Candid Camera which was on for years and years!!!

Take care,

Joanie

So You Think You Can Dance – 16 Finalists – 06/27/07

Hi There Everyone:

It’s been a ’scorcher’ here in New England this week but cooler weather is on its way!

Last night we had Debbie Allen sit in as a Judge, along with Mary and Nigel.  Debbie, as you know is the sister of Phylisha Rashad who was on the Cosby Show for years… Debbie also worked on FAME years ago too.

Also… is that ‘our’ Cat Deeley wearing black leather tonight?  Ohhh behave!

They asked the Judges (Mary, in particular) who she thought was the best dancer and she answered, DOMINIC.  She didn’t like him at first because of his attitude but he has become a real ‘team player’ and is very talented.

OK, here we go:

1.  Sara/Jesus – They will do a ‘crumping’ routine choreographed by Lil’C

Danced to:  It’s OK – The Game – It was very unique and I have to marvel at these dancers who, #1, never danced with anyone before and #2, never danced these routines.  They are amazing (all of them!).  Good Job.

Judges liked them too.

2.  Shauna/Cedric – They did a ‘contemporary’ routine which was choreographed by Mia.  They danced to:  I Thought We Had by The Family Sand – Mia worked very hard with Cedic.  Shauna seemed to pick up the moves a lot faster than he did.  The Judges were not impressed with him and Mary and Nigel are of the opinion that he will go home tonight.  Debbie, on the other hand, saw a lot of potential with Cedric and said that if he does go home tonight she will offer him a full Scholarship to her dance studio…..not bad!  – Bottom line on this is they let Jimmy go home last week and saved this kid for ONE MORE WEEK!  I think it’s probably the biggest mistake they’ve made so far.

3.  Lacey/Kameron danced the Quick Step which was choreorgraphed by Tony Meredith.  They danced to:  Big and Bad by VooDoo Daddy  (like the song).  The movements blended with the song and they were very good.  This pair get better each week.  Judges liked them too.

4.  Danny/Anja danced a Hip Hop routine which was choreographed by Dan Karaty.  They danced to:  Oh Timbaland.  Very good job.  Once again, out of their league on their specialities but they ‘kicked it up a notch’ and did very well.  Judges thought so too….they all reiterated that this is the pair to watch.

NOW, before I go any further, I think it was Mary who said that soooon these pairs will be ‘repaired’ with someone else.  How interesting is that going to be!!!!!

It kind of reminds me, and I know I’ve said this before, of past seasons when they pull names from a hat to see who they are paired with and then they pull the type of routine they are going to do from another hat!

5.  Sabra/Dominic - Rhumba routine.  -  It will be choreorgraphed by Jean-Marc and the music is Stickwityu by the Pussycat Dolls – Dominic is one funny dude.  I know that Sabra would like to do standup but he should give it a try!  They’re movements were great.  Lots of fun.  This couple are also gelling together each week.  Judges loved it. – Mary, in fact, gave them the ‘hot tamale’ scream!!!!

Commercial for ‘Back To You’ – The more I see this, the more I want to watch this comedy.  Kelsey’s timing is impeccable!!!

6.  Lauren/Neil - They have to do a Tango routine.  Once again, they have Jean-Marc.  They danced to Tanguera – loved this music!  They tried but just didn’t get the moves.  The Judges could feel them struggling!  Unfortunately, I see them in the Bottom 3 tonight. – Nigel said that Neil ‘overdanced’ and the pair should have been tighter.  Mary said that they’re feet were NOT planted on the floor which is where they should be for a tango.

7.  Jaimie/Hok – They picked a jazz routine choreographed by Wade Robson.  I gotta tell ya….in the 3 seasons I’ve watched this show, I’ve never been blown away like I was by these 2.  EVERYTHING blended together.  Wade’s choreography…story was wonderful.  Hok was magnificent and Jaimie kept up with him.  What an inspiration these 2 are.  (Also what a talent Hok is…did you catch his art?  It’s amazing).

These 2 are going right to the finals (then again, as Mary said, they are switching partners soon….)  Anyway, bottom line, they were FANTASTIC!

8.  Pasha/Jessie – They chose a ChaCha routine which was great for Pasha because that is his background (ballroom).  Tony Meredith was the choreographer and the song was:  Let’s Get Loud by J Lo

Now the sad part was that, the morning of the taping, Pasha and Jessie were rehearsing on the big stage when she collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.  Nigel said later that her EKG was abnormal and it looks like she may not be back to compete tonight in a solo routine.  And, if so, she’ll be out of the competition.

Pasha danced with Tony’s assistant, Melanie and she wasn’t bad for an ole’ broad!  Pasha was great and I’m sure he’ll move on tonight.

I just hope that Jessie will be OK.

Well, that’s the review from last night.
Bottom 3????  Lauren/Neil      Cedric/Shauna       ????

Talk to you tomorrow.

 

Joanie

So You Think You Can Dance – 6/20&21/07

Good Day Everyone:

Well I retrieved my notes when I got home last night and put them in my purse, watched the show last night, put the new thoughts in my purse and spent 10 minutes this morning trying to find them!!!  Anyway… here I am and here we go:

So You Think You Can Dance – 18 Finalists – 6/20/07

This week’s judges are Nigel, Mary and Mia

First up is Lauren and Neil who danced a ‘hip-hop’ routine choreographed by Dave Scott.  Song:  The Way I Are – They seemed to have more chemistry this week than last.  He looked terrific.  The judges loved him; thought she was OK.

Then came Jessi and Pasha who danced a ‘jazz’ routine choreographed by Toce Torio(?) He wanted to have them express and earthy, urban style.  They danced to:  Stuff-Jazz - It was a nice routine; a little sexy!  Love Pasha and his eyebrow.  Anyway, I thought they were great with the ‘bird’ theme and so did the judges.

Next up was Jaimie and Hok who danced a ’samba’ routine choreographed by Jean-Marc and his wife.  They danced to Bang Bang to the Rock and Roll.  This was another good routine.  Yes for Mia; No for both Mary and Nigel.  They wanted to see a more traditional (once again Dancing With The Stars-type) Samba.

Sabra and Dominic danced to a ‘contemporary’ routine which was choreographed by Mandy Moore (NO…not ‘the’ Mandy Moore!).

The song was I’ll Stand By You by The Pretenders (I know this one!!)

It was a pretty strange dance; not my cup of tea.  Wasn’t thrilled by it.  However, the judges loved it….must be me.  (I have to admit that I am liking Dominic more each week though)

Then we had Fiana and Cedric who danced to a ‘foxtrot’ routine which was choreographed by Hunter Johnson.  The song was “You’re The Boss” from Viva Las Vegas sung by Elvis and Ann-Margret.  That was probably the best part of this dance.  DON’T care for her and he’s struggling to keep up each week.  Think this is your first Bottom 3 for tomorrow night and the judges agreed…how about that?

Next was Lacy and Kamerson who danced a ‘broadway’ routine choreographed by Ty Tiorio.  The song was:  All That Jazz/Chicago Overture and I liked it a lot.  I’m partial to this kind of dancing and I really thought they did a good job.  Mia -No   Mary-Yes   Nigel-Yes  We’ll see.

Commercial:  Don’t Forget The Lyrics starting on July 11th.  How many times do we forget the lyrics to a song?  This looks like it could be fun!

Back to the show:

Anya and Danny who danced to a ‘Vienniese Waltz’ which was choreographed by Hunter Johnson.  The song was:  You and Me by Lifehouse – This couple is awesome!  It was flowing and smooth.  The song was a perfect fit for this routine.  LOVE THEM!  So do the judges; in fact, they see them in the Top 10!!!  Hope so.

Shauna and Jimmy danced a ‘hip-hop’ routine which was choreographed by Dave Scott.  Song was:  U Sexy Girl – Can’t say I was moved by this couple.  They did a ’steppin’ type’ dance.  Quick story on Jimmy:  If you’re a Red Sox fan….Mike Lowell’s wife Bertha taught Jimmy years ago in FLA.  Interesting.  I think he has beautiful lines and she’s not bad.  The routine/dance might hurt them this week though.  Judges like them though.

Sara and Jesus danced a ‘paso doble’ routine which was choreographed by Jean Marc.  The song was:  We Will Rock You by Queen (I know this one too!) – OK, Jean-Marc should be sent to the couch for this one.  The song was way outta whack for this type of dance and they did their best with what they had to work with!  LOVE Jesus by the way…

Mia-N  Mary-Y   Nigel-Y

OK, that’s it for tonight….one final thought…do you think they could have fit any more commercials into this show????  It was very annoying!

Sooo, if I had to pick the Bottom 3 – another week of hard choices.

Sabra and Dominic        Fiana and Cedric        Sara and Jesus

The judges, once again, have their work cut out for them.

————————————————————————————–

Results Show on 6/21/07

Here’s Cat dressed in yellow….she can’t be all bad cause I dressed in yellow today too!!!! – By the way, BOY is she tall!

Started off with a group dance – Song:  It Was All In Your Mind by Wade Robson – This was a little provocative for me and, believe me, I’m no prude….

Here we go (which I like…no suspense):

• Neil/Lauren – Hip Hop Routine        SAFE
• Pasha/Jessi – Jazz (bird routine)    Bottom 3  (whattttt?????)
• Hok/Jaimie – Samba routine           SAFE
• Kameron/Lacy – Broadway routine  SAFE
• Danny/Anja – Waltz routine             SAFE   (my fave couple!)
• Dominic/Sabra – Contemporary       SAFE   (whattttt?????)
• Sara/Jesus – Paso Doble                SAFE
• Shauna/Jimmy – Steppin- routine     Bottom 3 (kinda saw this one comin’)
• Fiana/Cedric – Foxtrot routine          Bottom 3

(Saw this one comin’ too….hope she goes bye-bye tonight.  She’s my Sanjaya of this show!)

Now I have to say this…these judges are VERY careful with these kids feelings.  They all but walk on eggshells not to hurt their feelings.  They need a little of Simon here!!!

So this is what it came down to:

• Shauna – Yes (even though her solo wasn’t good)
• Jessi – Yes (even though I thought she just did an OK solo)
• Fiana – NO – Bye Bye – go give Sanjaya a call Fiana!
• Pasha – Yes (I loved his solo; the judges didn’t but passed him anyway).
• Cedric – Yes (can’t really get excited over this kid)
• Jimmy – NO – Bye Bye  —- Whaaaaaaa?????  This kid’s solo was awesome and he is a VERY talented dancer.  I can understand why Mary was crying.

- OK, I take back what I said about ‘feelings from the judges’.  Nigel let Cedric have it with both barrels saying that HE saved him last night but it was the LAST time he was going to save him and he had better not be in the Bottom 3 again because he WILL be sent home.  He will now be dancing with Shauna).

Can’t say I agree with their decisions but they’ve got some very talented dancers left….cya next week.

Joanie

—————————————————————————————

The Next Best Thing – 6/20/07

In Las Vegas for the last group of auditions before the semi-finals.

The venue was RAIN at the Palms Casino (where they have a lot of Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments).

Here we go:

• Jay Leno – a BIG  YESSSSSS
• Ozzy – No            Garth Brooks – NO          Oprah – No
• John Travolta – NOOO
• Barbra Streisand – Yes (why, I don’t know….I wasn’t impressed!)
• Frank Sinatra – Another YES but this guy was good
• Billy Idol – No (liked the way the judges had fun with this guy)
• Mike Myers – No (almost a yes)
• Dolly – NO       Alice Cooper – No but a good look
• Pee Wee – No but I liked him a lot
• Sammy/Elvis combo – NO
• Johnny Mathis/Elvis combo – NO
• John Wayne/Katherine Hepburn combo???? – NO
• 8 Elvis’s performed and #8 was a dear ringer for the ‘old’ Elvis WOW!!!!
• this guy was great!  (although the Elvis from the other show was good too)
• James Brown – No
• Cher – NO – Hey, I wonder what song she sang????
• Johnny Cash – NO              George Burns – No          Jerry Lewis – No
• Bob Hope – NOO
• Boston Comic Bob Cotroe(?) – did DeNiro and they almost passed him NO
• Willie – NO         Howard Cosell – NO (I guess they let this guy go on and on forevahhhh!)
• Tina’s – 4 of ‘em    3 NO    1 YESSSSSS
• Bette Midler – No        Arnold - No    Liberace – No (he looked good and then starting RAPPING!)
• Sammy – No        DeNiro – No  Patsy Montana(?) – yodler – NOOOO
• John Wayne – No   Edward Scissorhands – NOOO  Rocky – NO
• Johnny Carson – No    Rick James – NOOO   WC Fields – terrible
• Fran Drescher – Go away with that voice!
• Marilyn Monroe – YES and then she came back as Shania Twain and got another YES – she chose to go forward as Shania.

soooo here we have all the semi-finalists from all the venues:

•  Las Vegas:    Frank, Shania, Jay, Tina, Elvis, Babs

• LaLa Land:    Lil Richard, Tim McGraw, Robin Williams, Geo. Bush, Jack Nicholson, Lucy, Celine, Bono, Simon, Al Pacino. The Honeymooners
• NYC:             Rodney, Howard Stern, Gloria E., Kenny Chesney, Madonna, Roseanne(*), Paris
• Orlando:        George Bush, Dolly, the other Elvis, Robin Williams

Next week we start voting…

Joanie

Weekend To Do List/Rumors 06-21-07

Hi Everyone:

I know you expected to see my review on So You Think You Can Dance from last night but I left my notes at home. Sorry. I’ll do a full review tomorrow as well as The Next Best Thing.

Meanwhile, I thought I’d do the Weekend stuff today!

TV

Lots and lots of TV news this week.

Boston Legal – John Larroquette is joining the case of this David Kelley hit show next season. He will play a Senior partner from the New York City office who transfers to Boston. New episodes will start in October.

Prison Break - 2 new cast members for next season. Jodi Lyn O’Keffe (who used to be in the old Don Johnson Nash Bridges series) and Robert Wisdom (who I can’t place). Wisdom will play a Panamanian kingpin whose in prison with Lincoln and Michael. He is the head honcho in the prison. O’Keefe plays Betty Crocker (kid you not), an operative for The Company (a shadowy government conspiracy organization). New Season starts shooting on July 2nd.

Heroes – 7 new members altogether have joined the cast. One will play Claire’s boyfriend, one will play Hiro’s ‘hero’ who he kept talking about last year when he was trying to retrieve this guy’s sword to SAVE THE WORLD! 2 cheerleaders from California (where Claire is expected to relocate). Another Japanese character. who plays a Princess ‘rock star’, another who will play a policeman and a couple of others.

Dexter - Jame Murray (from Hustle) has joined the cast as Lila, an artist and former addict who becomes friends with Dexter. The season starts again on September 30th at 9PM on Showtime…..guess what will follow it?

Brotherhood!! 10PM!!! Can’t wait for these shows. They are two of my favorites…

New Series: Burn Notice which starts on USA on June 28th (next week)

This is the story of a spy who gets a BURN NOTICE while he is in the middle of a case. A Burn Notice means….that you are DEAD to any agency, domestic or foreign. Your identity is taken away and you are left with nothing. Sounds intriquing. It stars Jeff Donovan as well as Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless and Gabrielle Anwar. Let’s check it out!

DVDs

Red Shoe Diaries: Season 1- This is still on Showtime I believe. They are one half hour stories that are steamy! The first season had David Duchovny narrating. In fact, it starts with a 2 hour movie with David and a very beautiful girl. It’s fun and you see a few stars that hadn’t ‘made’ it just yet in LaLa Land…

Bridge to Terabithia (Widescreen Edition) (adventure/fantasy) – I hear this movie has made grown men cry it is so touching. It’s about family and friendship and two kids who are kinda castaways in life. They become friends and a fantasy story incurs.

Miss Potter – starring Renee Zellweger – This is the story of Beatrix Potter who wrote “Tales of Peter Rabbit”. It tells the story of her loves and tragedies (set in 1905 era). This movie didn’t do much at the box office but I think it’s worth a watch.

TRAILER:

Here’s the new trailer for 3:10 to Yuma (Russell’s movie that will be out in October)!

Comment:

Scott Baio is going to have a Reality Show similar to Flava Flav and Brett Michaels on VH1. This is very sad. What has happened to Chachi? This guy has dated some of the hottest women out there: Heather Locklear, Nicholette Sheridan, Pam Anderson…to name a few. He is now 45 and wants us to find a ’soulmate’ for him….come on! Sounds as bad as tennis champ Mark Philapoussas (whatever) who needs help(?) finding a match. Puhleez! They expect us to buy this stuff!!!!

Wanted to let you all know that I watched a new series that I believe is on TBS called HEARTLAND starring Treat Williams. It’s pretty good. It’s about an organ transplant surgeon….his life, loves and losses. Dabney Coleman costars.

Also, check out House of Payne if you get a minute. It’s pretty good. Tyler Perry has a lot to do with this one and it has all emotions covered!

I saw KNOCKED UP last Sunday and it was very, very funny. As I said before when recommending it. if you liked the series FREAKS AND GEAKS years ago, you’ll see a lot of people who were in it. And…if you didn’t watch it, that’s OK too cause you’ll have no trouble following it!!!

OK, I believe that’s it for today. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

Thanks,

Joanie

So You Think You Can Dance – Results Show – 06/14/07

Mornin’ Everyone:

OK, maybe I’ve been a little ‘harsh’ on Cat Deeley.  She’s not so bad (even though that voice still annoys me!).

(note from Jamie: I found this video and fully support Cat Deeley)

This is what is going to happen.  She will bring out the couples in 3 or 4 sets at a time and then we will reflect on each couple before we tell them that they are either SAFE or in the BOTTOM 3.

First off all 20 kids danced to a Busta Rhymes song and were really great.

OK, now to business…..

Jamie and Hok                SAFE

Anja and Danny             REALLY SAFE

Dominc and Sabra         BOTTOM 3

Lacey and Kameron        SAFE

Ashley and Ricky            BOTTOM 3   (what a bummer for Ricky!)

Sara – Jesus                    SAFE

Pasha and Jessi               SAFE

Lauren and Neil                 SAFE (surprising to me)

Fiena and Cedric             BOTTOM 3 (yes for Fiena!)

Shauna and Jimmy            SAFE

So  the 3 girls are:    Fiena, Sabra and Ashley

Each girl has a solo to convince the Judges that she should stay.

First up was Fiena and I have to be honest and say that, even though she’s not my fave, she was very good.  Great outfit.  Good interpretation to the Christina Aguiliera song.  Don’t think she’ll be going home tonight!

Next we had Sabra who danced to a David Gray song.  I like Sabra and hope that she has a chance to dance again next week.  We’ll see.

Then we had Ashley who danced to Barbra Streisand’s, Cry Me A River.

She’s an absolutely beautiful girl and had wonderful moves; however, I feel the other 2 girls were much better.

OK, the 3 guys – we have Cedric, Ricky and Dominic

Cedric danced to a Wade Robson(?) routine.  I’m not feeling it with Cedric even though he’s a great hip-hop/b bop (whatevah!) dancer.  He sincerely wants to be in this competition but the”I was almost crying “stuff doesn’t

fly with me.

Ricky danced to Jamiroqui.  I always mess up the spelling of this very talented group…sorry.  Ricky is so talented it hurts but, for some reason, he just wasn’t on top of his game last night.  I think he felt he was going home since the Judges told them of their disappointment in his and Ashley’s routine the night before.  VERY DIFFICULT dance for them to do.

Dominic danced to Earth, Wind and Fire, Let’s Groove

Dominic is the dancer that Shane is really shaky on with his attitude but he brought it last night!  I don’t see how they’re gonna send him home.

OK, before we find out who goes home, Benji, last year’s Champion, danced.  He’s a lot of fun and really, really talented.

Alright, we’ve waited long enough…..who’s going home????

Ashley for the girls and Ricky for the boys.

Wicked disappointed about Ricky but I hope the experience gave him enough exposure for someone to pick him up to dance…whether it be Broadway or even in a touring dancing troupe.  He certainly deserves  to have a future in dance.

Well, that’s it until next Wednesday.  Gotta admit I was back and forth with Angelina Jolie on Larry King (didn’t really miss much of Dance though).  She is soooo beautiful, even though she’s a little thin.  I’m sure they will repeat it on Saturday.  If you’re interested, Al Pacino is on tonight…..for the FULL HOUR!

—————————————————————————————–

The Next Best Thing:

Boy this continues to be hard to report on unless you watch the show.

It took place in Disneyworld this week.

Elvis – “magical” feeling he gets doing The King -  WOW!!!  YES move on

Britney - 2 Nos and 1 Yes  -  Ultimately a NO

Avril Lavigne - looked just like her but the voice wasn’t there – NO

Sam Kiniston – now I was pulling for this guy.  He had the scream and look but no voice…too bad.  NO

Toby Keith – NO

Borat – NO

MJ - Dance a big YES – Singing a big NO

Cher – NO  she was kinda chubby.  Do any of these Chers know any other song than, “If I Could Turn Back Time?”  And the outfits on some of them is ridiculous!

Ali, the boxer – looked like him but…NO

Stevie Nicks – Good Lord NOOO

Elvis – this guy claimed to be a relative of Elvis’s – didn’t matter   NO
George Bush – looks exactly like him.  Very Good -  YES

Barbra Streisand – a terrible impression.  NO

Hank Williams, Jr. – NO

Tim McGraw – NO

Frank Sinatra – NO  (will these guys realize ya just can’t copy Frank?)

Diana Ross – a scary take….NO
Marilyn – NOOOO

Kramer – Who told this guy he was any good????   NO
Dollys – most of them were NO but they had one at the end of the show who was just perfect and got a big YES from the Judges.

Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash - different, but still a NO

Lots of Joan Rivers -   Can we talk????    NOOOOOO

Robin Williams - WOW this guy was awesome.  YES

Lots more, I won’t get in to.  They had 4 go forward.

George Bush, Dolly Parton, Elvis and Robin.

Weekend To Do – Rumors/News 06-15-07

Hi Everybody:

Here are some thoughts on what’s happening this weekend.

DVD
(click on the title to buy the DVD from Amazon.com!)

The Messengers – 6/5/07 – Looks wicked scary.

Deadwood – The Complete Third Season

Ghost Rider (Widescreen Edition) – (only to see the expressions on Nic Cage’s face!)

Breach (Widescreen Edition)- Starring Chris Cooper, Ryan Philipe, Laura Linney, Gary Cole, Dennis Haysbert (The Unit) – Drama/Thriller

Based on a true story of an FBI Agent who finds another agent selling secrets to the Russians. Sounds like a really good movie that just slipped from the eye of theatergoers and probably needed a little more attention from the studios to get it jumpstarted!

TV

Supergirl will be joining the cast of Smallville this coming season which will probably be it’s last. They haven’t cast the role yet but I read where she has the power to fly. Clark doesn’t know he does too! She is the daughter of Zor-El, Jor-El’s brother…which makes her Clark’s cousin.

(note from Jamie: Helen Slater, the star of the 80’s Supergirl film is also rumored to appear on Smallville)

The Sopranos Finale - I like millions of others, thought my cable went out at the end of the show! After calming down from screaming at the TV, I realized that David Chase is a very smart man. Not only does he leave it up to you, the viewer, to decide what happens to Tony and his family BUT it also leaves the door wide open for a movie… if the principal characters want to do it… money talks!!!

John From Cincinatti – I gotta tell ya; I’m ‘out to lunch’ on this one. It is written/directed/created by David Milch who gave us the brilliant Deadwood. However, THIS series is about surfers and I honestly can’t see that many swear words being justified in a surfer series!!!!

Big Love – Hope everyone caught the season premiere on Monday night. If not, you can watch it on Comcast ON DEMAND. Good to have it back.

Rescue Me – Haven’t watched it yet but I’m sure it’s good.

Reminder: MEADOWLANDS starts Sunday night on HBO.

MOVIES:

Opening on 10/12 is a movie I didn’t talk about yesterday. It is called:

We Own The Night and it stars Robert Duvall, Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendes, Mark Wahlberg. It’s a crime drama that you can be sure that Sony will promote!

Also, one more: Wanted – Opening on 3/28/08

Starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman.

This one is hard to summarize. It sounds like it takes place in the future. McAvoy works as a hypochondriac account manager who is stuck in his work cubicle until his dad dies.

Maybe Jamie will have the trailer

(note from Jamie: This is based on the 2004 comic book series by Mark Miller about a secret fraternity of super-powered assassins looking to kill mythological beings that control the laws of life and death. I think it’s still too far off for a trailer yet, but it does have Russian director Timur Bekmambetov of the Nightwatch films on board)

 

RUMORS:

Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly (who met on A Beautiful Mind with Russell!) will star in a movie named: ABANDONED (horror) It is the story of a couple who settle in an idylic English town to raise a family. Their life is shaken when the husband, a claymation artist, discovers his creations are acting out a nightmare that he dreams.

Filming will start in the UK in August. – By the way, Clive Barker will exec. produce it.

Frank Miller is already working on Sin City III even though II hasn’t started filming yet. I wonder what’s happening on Miller’s HELL AND BACK?

In Theaters:

Finally… Fantastic Four – Rise of the Silver Surfer

Ocean’s 13 – Knocked Up – Surf’s Up – Pirates

OK, that’s it for now. Talk to you soon.

Joanie

So You Think You Can Dance – Top 20 – 06-13-07

Goodaye to you all:

Boy… is this show hard to review!  I want to say right up front that all the choreographers were marvelous!

Also, somebody please replace Cat Deeley…she is so annoying.  I think it’s the voice because she tries to be very nice.

OK… so this is how it is going to work from now on.  We have 20 dancers that have been paired off to 10 couples.  I think in previous seasons they drew names; how they did it this year I don’t know.  Unless they explained it and I was not paying attention.

First Couple was Jamie and Hok   (Tambourine – Eve)

The choreographer was Shane which meant that Hok lucked out in this round.  This was not a form of dancing that Jamie was familiar in doing but she hung in there.  I thought they did a good job and it was a great way to start the show.

2nd Couple was Anja and Danny (who is used to Classical Ballet)

The choreographer was Tony Meredith and they had to learn a Jive.

Tony is well known to anyone who follows the Ballroom Competitions each year on PBS.  He co-hosts with MaryLou Henner (remember when it used to be Juliet Prowse???) – They danced to Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne

The Judges all loved them.  They certainly had fun with the dance and they looked just like Pros!

3rd Couple was Kameron and Lacey (Benji’s sis) – In fact, her mom and dad are dancers too!  – This couple danced to: Dancing – Elisa

The choreographer was Mia which meant that this was a lyrical number.

This definitely took Kameron out of his league but he pulled it off.  Lacey was terrific.  Good couple to watch out for!

Commercial:  “Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer – the Hallmark card for Dad’s day.  Isn’t that the kid from the Verizon commercial on the truck?

4th Couple was Dominic and Sabra – No More Tears, Donna Summer

This was a disco number choreographed by Dariano

They both looked great, loved the outfits, brought me back to the 70s!  The Judges weren’t as pleased as I was though.

5th Couple was Ashley and Ricky – Argentinian Tango routine.

Boy was this one tough.  I think it was the hardest all night because he is shorter than she is and it was hard to get any chemistry going here.  I do like them both but I feel they (especially Ricky) are in danger of being in the Bottom 3 tonight.  He’s an odd guy.   I felt there was no connection there.

6th Couple was Sara and Jesus (Chuiy) – Cabaret music

Wade choreographed this as a Vagabond routine and boy were they great.  It was very unique and they did a great job and had a lot of fun!

7th Couple was Jessi and Pasha – Come Away With Me, Norah Jones

Tony Meredith taught them a smooth waltz.  BOY were they good.  I love the music and they showed that they could be comfortable doing something they had never done before.  However, I gotta say that I thought Apolo and Julianne did a better job!!!  Anyway, that’s another show and it doesn’t count.

Commercial:  Nissan Altima – someday I hope to own one of those!

(just sharing)

8th Couple was Fiena and Cedric (I have to admit before we go any further that I do not care for Fiena.  I’m not saying she’s not talented; I just don’t care for her attitude…but, that’s just me).

This was another hip/hop routine choreographed by Shane.

Cedric did wonderful; Fiena definitely looked ‘lost’ out there.  The Judges said they could almost hear her counting the steps!  Another Bottom 3?

9th Couple was Lauren and Neil – Friday Night Rhythm

This was a salsa choreographed by Alex.  Neil is so talented it kills me to say that he didn’t do well in this number.  Lauren was terrific.  The Judges were saying that Neil looked almost like a gymnast (which is what he was with his brother for years).  Not enough ‘feeling’.  Once again, check out Apolo and Julianne (am I being redundant here?)

10th Couple was Shauna and Jimmy – Ease On Down The Road – MJ

Broadway routine choreographed by Tyce DiOrio.

WOW!  They were excellent although it looked like Shauna was struggling a little bit.  Jimmy is tall and lean like MJ and was all over the floor!  The Judges thought it was good too…well, liked him not her too much.

So, there you have it.  1 girl and 1 boy go home tonight.  Who will it be?

I wish I had a clue.

For boys:  I would say (and this is no reflection on how I feel about how  talented they are)  -  Ricky, Neil and Pasha

For girls:  (same thoughts)   Fiena (well, except her), Shauna and ?

Anyway, we’ll find out tonight – who stays and who goes.

Talk to you tomorrow….I’ll watch (which I taped) The Next Best Thing tonight and talk about that one tomorrow too.

 

Joanie

Movies, Movies, Movies – 06/13/07

Goodaye Everyone:

I’ve just finished looking up a ‘lot’ of up and coming movies/trailers so I thought I’d give you a ‘taste’ of what’s coming out this summer and a little bit of the rest of the year…..

 

A Mighty Heart – Angelina Jolie - The story of Daniel Pearl and his widow.  This is the movie that Jen Anniston wanted to make when she and Brad started their own production company; however, when they divorced, he got the production company and in stepped Angie who, I might add, is a much better choice for this role.  It’s a very heartwarming story.  I’m surprised that they are releasing it during the summer (6/22/07).  That said, I still say, “I SMELL OSCAR!!!”

Becoming Jane – Anne Hathaway – Another Jane Austen movie but with a little twist.  This tells you who inspired Jane to write her romance novels and it has James McElvoy in it.  Romance – Release date – 8/7/07

The Invasion – Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig – this is another remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  My son sent me video clips and info on the old movies (which you can read here) and they are all excellent.  This is the movie where Nicole hurt herself in a car chase scene.  Looks worth a movie ticket and with Nicole and Daniel (the new 007) how can you go wrong!   Release Date – 8/17/07

Shoot ‘Em Up – Clive Owen – I watched the clip and really can’t say anything more than ACTION, ACTION, ACTION!!!!!  It looks on the edge of your seat kinda movie.  I looked at so many trailers, I think this is the one where Paul Giammatti plays a ‘hit man’ and Monica Bellucci (from DaVinci Code) plays a young woman with a baby that Paul is chasing and Clive steps in as an ‘innocent bystander???’ to help her out.

Release Date – 9/7/07

Michael Clayton – George Clooney – this movie has intrigue, lots of lawyers and a BIG cover-up going on that George has to unfold.

Release Date – 9/27/07

Elizabeth – The Golden Age – Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush and many other stars.  This takes place after Cate’s first Elizabeth movie which won her an Oscar nom.  Can’t see why she’ couldn’t pull it off again.

Release Date – 10/12/07

and last, but not least for now….

Vantage Point - Forest Whitaker, William Hurt and a bunch of other people we all know.  Dennis Quaid plays the US President who is speaking in a foreign country and is shot.  Now….ya gotta pay attention cause it looks like it’s all a setup or….is it?  It is brought to you thru the eyes of 8 people who each have their own story.  Very interesting movie.

Release Date – 2/8/08

So, there ya go.  I’ll have my “Dance” Review tomorrow and then I’ll do “Next Best Thing” and more “Dance” on Friday as well as a few thoughts on the weekend.

Talk to you then.

 

Joanie

So You Think You Can Dance – 06-07-07

Well Hello Friday Everyone:

I sat for an hour last night, writing feverishly, trying to keep up so that I could announce the Top 20 to you this morning. To say I was disappointed in how they did the elimination is an understatement.

They were down to 50 and had each one do a quick solo…one more time!

After that was done, they let 17 go and were left with 34. Of the 34, The Top 20 would emerge.

I thought they would do the same thing that AI did. Bring in each person, so that you could at least write their names down, and then you would know whether they made it or not.

I’m not completely upset because I know this is how they have done it in the past. That said, this is what I came up with:

Top 10 Guys

Danny (the Judges were torn on this kid because they said he had an ego that just wouldn’t quit and an attitude which would be hard to work with. Shane especially was against this kid. It reminded me of Blake in Season One who thought he was THE BEST and wound up losing!). Anyway, because he is soooo good, they had no choice but to move him into the Top 20.

Detrix

Cedric

Pasha (they were shaky on this kid too but he’s very likeable so YES)

Kameron

Hok (he has tried out the last 2 seasons so it was nice to see him get thru this year even though he was very upset that his friend didn’t make it too).

Ricky Palamino(?) – This kid is so good it’s amazing. The Judges however even though they love him, think he is very ‘odd’. He playfully agreed with them. Mia really pushed him thru and I think he is probably going to go quite far in this competition. I like the kid.

Soo, I was able to weed out 7 of the 10. We’ll find out the other 3 next week…sorry about that.

10 Girls

Fiena(?) – this girl is beautiful and very talented but I don’t like her attitude. I doubt if she’ll make it much further when they do the groups.

Ashley Logus(?) – What a beautiful and talented girl.

Janet Lambart - the girl with one arm did NOT make it but they were very sad to cut her. Maybe she’ll be back next year.

Lauren Gottlieb

Sara Van Gillium

Shauna

Jessie Peralta

Anya

Lacie – (Benji’s sis) – they had a hard time putting her thru because the Judges thought, being Benji’s sis, that the public would think they gave her preferential treatment. They did NOT. She’s a very talented and lovely girl who will do well in the groups. (I’m sure Benji will be couching her at home!)

I did a little better with the girls… I got 8 out of 10!

By the way, on the FOXTRADER.com commercial on cars. Do you know who’s voice that is on the commercial???? That would be Christian Slater.

OK, well on to the group dances next week. These kids think it’s been hard up to now, wait until the choreographers zone in on them and critique their every move. I wonder if they’ll put them in groups of 5 or 4?

Take care and we’ll talk next week!

Joanie