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That TV Blog

Anoop, Lil leave on high notes

Lots of love to Lil and Anoop.

The two finalists headed home after Wednesday's results show. The double elimination was brought on after the judges used their special save last week to keep Matt Giraud in the contest.

It was fun watching Lil and Anoop this season, and I remain a fan of them both. I thought they showed some amazing talent and great attitudes throughout their run. So, I salute them.

Rounding out the bottom three, though, was teen rocker Allison Iraheta. Why America, why? The girl can sing and she's got originality and spunk. Plus, she has a crazy cool hair color. But seriously, Allison has been one of my favorite finalists because even at a young age, she steps onto that stage and comes off like a pro.

As for the rest of the results show, I appreciated the medley of disco hits to cap off this week's disco theme. Also, little David Archuleta came back to perform. Looks like Archie is making quite a name for himself in the music biz and appears to still be a sweet guy.

OK, so now we are down to the fabulous five on "Idol." They are: Allison, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey and Matt Giraud. So, start exercising those fingers now because there is more texting and phoning to be done.

Allison. Photo courtesy of Fox

Allison. Photo courtesy of FOX

Three Years Forward, Three Years Back

But there were also decades lost in the making of LOST's latest episode. This had to be the most confusing one yet, not just what they showed, but the implications of it all.

I was asking questions throughout the show and the biggest and baddest one that haunted my thoughts was: is big Ben going to meet baby Ben? WAS that baby Ben being born by c-section instead of out in the jungle? Is Ben going to turn out to be a different person because he'll have his mom? Or have Sawyer's influence on him now? Does Sawyer yet realize that  the baby IS Ben? Maybe it isn't. I'm lost. Maybe they explained how "Red's" body disappeared with the last time shift and then she was seen as a little girl on the compound as a way of saying to the viewer that the baby couldn't be baby Ben because big Ben is still around. See? I'm still confused.

I LOVE that he and the doc hooked up. I hate that now he has to re-address his feelings for Freckles. Poor Sawyer can't cut a break.  I can't wait until everyone comes face to face again. It looks like I'll be watching this episode over again next Wednesday, with the hints from the writers running at the bottom of the screen.

"Everything tastes better with an accent." - Fabio

Blog entry by Amy Hanek
 
Last night Season 5 Top Chef cheftestants gathered one more time with the judges to... well, dish it.
 
Highlights from the evening included behind-the-scenes footage of Leah and Jamie drinking three bottles of wine before judges table at the end of the superbowl episode. Carla explained her, Hootie-call. Hootie.... Hoo! The bro-mance going on between Stefan and Fabio. And my favorite was the curse of the birthday. I'm not sure if every birthday was mentioned throughout the season's episodes, but the footage shown last night was hilarious.
 
There was an outrageous product placement piece where the gladware was used to make a basketball and volleyball court. I'm not sure if I should just enjoy the hilarity of the chef's creativity or be disgusted with this further attempt to sell us gladware.
 
And this entire evening led up to two things. Who won fan favorite and Hosea and Leah's relationship. Hosea and Leah are now single, thanks to the spicy couch scene shown on national television and Hosea attributed this moment to a blatant misuse of alcohol. I think if I were Leah, my feelings would be a little crushed. But still, Hosea can probably have any girl he wants now that he's won Top Chef. I did make Hosea my newest Facebook friend. So, I hope to catch a little chatter on the web about this.
 
Then, there was the little matter of a $10,000 prize. I think I knew that Fabio had this contest in the bag when Stefan was presented with an I heart Fabio T-shirt. I'm sure we'll find those for sale on the website. And I am not immune to that thick Italian accent and snappy one-liners. So, I agree.
 
So, what did you think of all this? Did I miss anything? What did you think of the fan favorite choice? Carla might've been a close second.
 
Oh and for those that want a little more behind the scenes, check out this blog entry from Hosea: http://www.bravotv.com/node/33349

New trio to try for 'Idol' glory

Was I right or what?

I don't mean to brag -- OK, maybe just a wee bit -- but I picked the new top three vote-getters in an earlier entry. They are Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. Of course, to be honest, I was unsure if Kris would get a top spot but I knew the boy had some chops. Anyhow, we now have three more singers who are shooting for "Idol" stardom. And I promise I will quit bragging about my "Idol" ESP. Because, really, who could have predicted that Nick Mitchell would have made it this far in the show? Not me.

As for Nick, he went bye-bye in Thursday's results show. But will he go Gentle into that good night? For some reason, I wonder if Nick will truly leave? Might he show up in this wild card feature that Simon was touting in Thursday's show? With that, the judges are going to bring back some people who deserve a second shot. Simon said it could be contestants from this latest round. My thinking is that Megan Joy Corkrey will get another chance and maybe Mishavonna Henson. And speaking of Miss Mishavonna, I think she has a pretty voice. I agree with the judges that "Drops of Jupiter" wasn't the best song for her, but I think the girl has something special and it would be great to see if she can build on the advice that the judges gave her. So, fingers' crossed Mishavonna.

And, finally, it was great to welcome back Brooke White. Brooke was tops in my book during last season. To this day, I still adore her acoustic version of "Love Is A Battlefield." So, it was terrific to see Brooke singing her first single "Hold Up My Heart" and offering encouraging words to the contestants. That former nanny is still one nifty lady.

OK, so we have more fun in store next week with another round of contestants. You'd better bring it, guys and gals, because the singers who have advanced in the show so far are going to be tough to beat.

One good papaya

LOST is aptly named as every time I watch it I feel more lost than the time before. Why oh why did Ben do such a thing? The question in my mind now though, is, will John take advantage of Ben's state of being? I don't think he will. John is special.

The episode was interesting, bringing us up to speed on what happened to John Locke. I loved seeing Walt. It was funny to see Hurley's reaction to the undead. And just when I thought we were figuring it all out with how Locke died, there has to be a twist. Why stop him if he was just going to off him anyway? Was it something he said? John's knowing who to go to in LA? Was Ben a jealous kid, wanting to still be in charge?  

Seeing John back on the island, munching on papaya, and scaring the new survivors with his talk of having been dead, was quite satisfying. One could feel his acceptance of his fate and his connection with the place. John is a special guy, so we're told. I'm sold, and I've fallen for the bait. I'll be back next week!

Dead Man's Shoes?

LOST lost me a little last night. Not the first time, and I was distracted by a runaway dog search, but, putting a dead man's shoes on another dead man? What was up with that? What does Jack's father have to do with John Locke? And why didn't Jack bring his poor old grandfather along for the ride to the island? It seems he would have liked it much better than that home he keeps escaping from. I have a lot of questions.

Why didn't Sun bring the baby along? Yes I know she was back home with her grandmother but to leave your child behind must have been the most difficult of decisions. And who thinks Kate left Aaron with HIS grandmother? Claire would be happy about that I'm guessing. That must have been hard to do though.

I speak of  these characters like they have real decision making abilities. The writers have done it all! And then some, considering this show. Every week I am blown away.

I'm betting Locke will show up alive somehow, walking in his dead man's shoes. Anyone think otherwise?

That Jeff Probst Show

Maybe I'm getting a little bored with the Survivor thing but last night's premier of the new season just didn't excite me very much. Tell me if I'm wrong but I feel that the formula is getting stale.

Last night's line up included the seemingly smart guy, the good old boy, the older lady, the guy hiding who/what he is, the girl to feel sorry for, the girl with the large chest, the annoying guy, and typical others. I felt like the initial vote to stop two people from making the trek to camp was a set up for these titles. How can we not think this way when clearly the contestants are? Maybe it's just me that is feeling a little bored with this.

Not much else to talk about yet. The challenge wasn't very exciting either. What do you think? I'm a fan but if something more interesting comes on next week, I might even skip it!

Jin-tastic episode

Okay, so last night's LOST had a lot on the Jin side of things. That was cool though since we hadn't seen him in so long. And there was that very touching moment with the wedding ring message. Seeing more of Danielle's backstory was interesting too. That temple was intriguing and I'd like to explore it more, but I'm guessing it was just thrown into the mix to add to the mysterious feel of the island. What does the fog monster need to protect though? I need to know!

Charlotte's revelation was eyebrow raising and veerrrryyy interesting, indicating the Daniel Farraday doesn't stick to the "don't interfere with the past/future" rule in the...past/future. She said he was a crazy old man, when she was a kid on the island. So it seems Daniel will harness the power of time travel and try to save her life. Too bad it doesn't seem to  have worked. I liked her.

The "family" reunion in LA church speaks volumes but I'm not sure what is being said, other than, "huh?" So Ben isn't the big bad wolf at the top of the pack after all? Who is this woman? Besides being Daniel's mother? Oh the questions that filled my mind. Great entertainment!

Late LOST Reaction

So, I kind of knew Ben had to be behind the threat to take Aaron away from Kate, didn't you? I actually thought maybe Locke had started that ploy to get her to run back to the island for safety. Maybe he did and Ben is finishing the plan since Locke is "dead." His dealings with that lawyer are certainly sleazy. This is a prime example of how lawyers get a bad rep in the media, but then, I know some real life sleazy lawyers too.

It was pretty cool to see Claire giving birth all over again. What would have happened if Sawyer had stepped up? Had he happened upon them during the first go around? I can't recall. One would have to have the previous seasons on DVD and check into that and I guess I'm not a mega fan since I don't  have them. I'd be interested in finding out though. Will the characters happen upon themselves too? Time will tell.

I so want Sawyer to time travel and stop Charlie from dying but then I guess Desmond would probably not have made it. There's that whole rule about not changing the past when you are re-visiting it. Who makes those rules though when time travel has yet to make it out of the fiction side of life? Should LOST creators stick to a rule for once?

My all time favorite moment was with Jin and the French crew. Danielle sure shocked him!

Ah, the escape to the islands every Wednesday night is pure fun.

Interesting LOST happenings

Having just an hour to soak into the island lore last night, I was still happy with the result. There were new potentially deadly predicaments for our characters to deal with and one little twist of the pen of the writers that had me nodding my head and saying, "hmmmm." Charles Whitmore? Huh.

The H-bomb thing was a little anti-climactic of itself. All the build up to deal with only for the "professor" to say, "Bury it; it will be okay." Desmond's hunt for information was akin to the rat maze he found in the hidden office. Now he has to go to LA? Are they going to take the boat? I was touched though that Des named his boy Charlie. Aww.

Last night was a fun ride. One other comment I have is that I was pleased that we are not hanging on Jack's every word now. Past episodes have been clearly led by his character and we neglected to see all the others. The perspective of The Others is just as important to the tales. So far, so satisfying.

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That TV Blog is the Roanoke Times' blog for all things TV. A handful of folks from our staff riff on their favorite and not-so-favorite shows here. | Read more about the contributors and this blog.

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