• Must See TV: Kristen Wiig channels her inner Khaleesi on ‘The Tonight Show’
• Netflix Just Announced Its Green Eggs and Ham Series in the Most Seussian Way ‘You can stream it on a phone. You can stream it on your own’
• Interesting: NBC is making the entire season of ‘Aquarius’ available on premiere day
• Sad But True: Syfy Cancels Helix and All Its WTF-ery
• Super News: ‘The 100’ Alum Eve Harlow Joins ‘Heroes Reborn’ Event Series
• ‘Gotham’ Finale Screening Reveals Noir Heart Of Batman Backstory – Awardsline Emmy Screening
• PBS Announces Its First New American Drama in More Than a Decade — All-Star Cast Includes Josh Radnor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and AnnaSophia Robb
• Lessons from the Jenner interview: TV can draw an audience on a Friday night
• CNN and Baltimore: A Crossfire With 100 Percent Casualties
• RIP: ABC cancels soapy ‘Revenge’
• Least Surprising News Ever: E! will air a Kardashian family special on Bruce Jenner’s transition
• The Business of Show: ‘The Omen’ Sequel ‘Damien’ Moves From Lifetime to A&E
• Preview: David Letterman – A Life on Television
• Review: The BBC’s Casual Vacancy miniseries is infinitely better than J.K. Rowling’s book.
• Who Knew? Game of Thrones’ Peen Problem
• Seconded: At Comedy Central, Larry Wilmore’s ‘Nightly Show’ Finds Its Own (Offbeat) Rhythm
• Scoop: ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Star Kat Graham on Bonnie’s “Different Perspective”
• The Future Is Now: Nielsen To Begin Measuring Digital Ad Viewing On Roku
• NewFront 2015: YouTube Pitches Itself To Advertisers As The Medium Of The Future
Archives for April 2015
AMERICAN IDOL Recap: The Final Four
Last night’s ‘Idol’ gave us Tyanna’s final performance, unquestionable proof that Scott Borchetta is the sleaziest man in the world and a record-breaking 22 consecutive minutes of skippable content.
There was also a fair amount of singing last night. So let’s not focus on Scott Borchetta’s odd obsessions with a lot of different things and get straight to the performances.
Clark Beckham Sang “Livin’ for the City” by Stevie Wonder
Keith Said: The whole thing got really in a good zone.
J-Lo Said: If you would have stayed at the piano it would’ve taken things to another level.
Harry Said: It was a solid performance, but you were off the groove.
The Verdict:
It was bound to happen, but I didn’t really dig this Clark Beckham performance. Its utter lack of originality had it veering into karaoke direction, even if he tried to bring the crowd into it at one point.
It was still Clark so it was still pretty good, particularly the break away from the microphone to tickle the keys for a quick solo and the breakdown at the end. It just wasn’t the Clark quality we’ve come to expect from this dynamo.
Oh well, a bad Clark is still better than a good everybody else.
Grade: B
Jax Sang “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys
Keith Said: You have such a strong artistic foundation.
J-Lo Said: You understand that you can win this competition now.
Harry Said: It was a little mini showcase of what you do.
The Verdict:
Jax did a clever thing here. She took a hip-hop song and completely flipped it over into a blues ballad while making it seem like that was how the song originated.
Obviously, the Alicia Keys portion of the song lent itself to a Jax performance, but it was her take on Jay-Z’s rapped verses that was particularly notable as she shattered all memory of the MC’s legendary delivery of the lyric and made it all her own.
This is how you strip down and stylize without sacrificing soul.
Grade: B+
Nick Fradiani Sang “Bright Lights” by Matchbox Twenty
Keith Said: It was really really good.
J-Lo Said: You’re peaking at the right time.
Harry Said: I thought you sang the hell out of the song.
The Verdict:
It was inevitable. At some point the most watered-down rock singer in the history of mankind had to take on the most watered-down rock band in the history of mankind. It just had to happen.
The results were as expected. Pretty solidly watered-down. It’s Nick’s ‘Idol’ birthright to try and make the hardest rocking Matchbox Twenty song appear viable and he did about as well as he could have with the source material, and actually made it seem palatable.
This is Nick’s wheelhouse. It’s a boring wheelhouse, but he does it well.
Grade: B
Rayvon Owen Sang “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum
Keith Said: I would have less of the dramatics and more of the heart.
J-Lo Said: It needs to be so real to you.
Harry Said: I thought you sang the pants off of it.
The Verdict:
Wow. Rayvon stuck around! And Rayvon went full Jim Steinman Baroque Pop on a country song. It was like Dr. Moreau got a hold of some of Quentin Alexander’s DNA and injected Rayvon with the strands that lead to a proclivity for dry ice and dreamy versions of songs that are typically pretty straightforward.
So it was weird, to say the least. It was overdone. Rayvon added too much theatricality to his phrasing and delivery. It was all reminiscent of something you’d see a washed up singer do on the Grammys and instantly feel sorry for them.
But I don’t feel sorry for Rayvon. He’s stuck around well past his due date and he still has a very good voice.
Grade: C+
Clark Beckham Sang “Your Man” by Josh Turner
Keith Said: You need singles not album tracks.
J-Lo Said: I’m not sure if this is your gravy song.
Harry Said: It was kind of tepid.
The Verdict:
Oh, Clark. You didn’t have to do this. You didn’t have to turn the legendary Scotty McCreery audition song from a country cliche into a smooth bit of blue-eyed soul that would be found on a compilation album with roses on the cover.
I mean, it’s not even my birthday or anything. You really shouldn’t have.
Grade: A
Jax Sang “Human” by Christina Perri
Keith Said: You killed it, Jax.
J-Lo Said: That was really beautiful.
Harry Said: The emotion trumps everything.
The Verdict:
Stunning stuff from Jax here. Two minutes of raw emotion that shows she has a gear the guys left in the competition do not. They may be better singers (Rayvon), better musicians (Clark) or better rock stars (Nick), but none of them are going to drop to their knees in the middle of a torch song and make you feel like they’re about to cry.
Jax absolutely slayed the emotional aspect of this tune in a sea of dry ice. Her vocals were a bit off at times and this was essentially a karaoke version of the record, but none of that mattered when she’s performing at this high emotional level.
Sometimes it’s more than just singing.
Grade: A-
Rayvon Owen Sang “Believe” by Justin Bieber
Keith Said: You sang phenomenally.
J-Lo Said: I’m crying! It’s crazy!
Harry Said: I’m sure every songwriter who worked on that song would be happy to hear you sing that.
The Verdict:
Rayvon, the guy who just won’t quit, picked a helluva time to deliver his best performance. And what a performance it was.
It was everybody the emotional level of Jax’s performance, except with a technically flawless vocal performance on top of it. All that plus turning a crappy Justin Bieber song of all things into a gospel anthem that felt like the glory days of early 90s R&B all over again.
In the mentoring session, Scott said no bottom two for Rayvon because of this performance. He might be right.
Grade: A
Nick Fradiani Sang “What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts
Keith Said: Your fans are going to show you support in a huge way.
J-Lo Said: You’re the star of the night.
Harry Said: I could hear you singing that on your CD.
The Verdict:
You have to hand it to Nick for knowing the exact lane into which he fits. He’s the epitome of singing boring music for people who don’t like music. He’s the perfect milquetoast singer and he keeps picking songs right in his vapid wheelhouse and doing a predictably (if boring) solid job with them all.
He’s the middle-of-the-road guy who just cannot miss. There’s nothing spectacular about him, but nothing that really merits a complaint either.
Grade: B-
Prediction:
It pains me to say it. It fills with me an extraordinary amount of anguish to say it. Clark is going home this week.
After Rayvon snuck through another week, it seemed like he was as dead solid of a lock as possible to go home next week. Who of these three could possibly lose to him? Then Clark gave his worst performance to lead off the show, had his second performance savaged by the judges and Rayvon went ahead and gave his best performance in the penultimate spot.
It’s definitely between those two, and every edge points to Rayvon sticking around and Clark singing his last song next week.
On TV Tonight: Thursday April 30, 2015
Morning Static: GOTHAM, MAD MEN, FRIENDS & More!
• This Week in Tech: Hulu to Exclusively Host All Seinfeld Episodes, Walking Dead Spinoff
• Nostalgia Alert: ‘Lizzie McGuire’ cast reuniting at a bowling alley is the most Disney Channel thing ever
• Late-night comics were brutal to Bruce Jenner before. How did they handle his coming out?
• RIP: Suzanne Crough, Actress in ‘The Partridge Family,’ Dies at 52
• The Big Tease: Starz’s New Ballet Drama Is Sex, Drugs, and Cabriole
• Smart: HBO CEO Brushes Off Idea Of Simultaneously Releasing All Episodes Of A Show
• TV Network Scorecard: What’s Working and What’s Not
• Netflix Ratings Revealed: New Data Sheds Light on Original Series’ Audience Levels
• Funny Business: David Letterman Reflects on 33 Years in Late-Night Television
• Rumor Patrol: Brian Williams won’t go down without a fight
• Good: ‘Friends’ Creator Says Reboot Is ‘Never Gonna Happen’
• Vice to get TV channel, replacing H2 on A&E Networks’ roster
• ‘The Wire:’ The burning of Baltimore and the limits of art
• Note to Game of Thrones: ‘Outlander’ Did Something Radical Again
• Mad Woman: Stephanie Drake on Playing Mad Men’s Most Assertive Secretary
• ‘Gotham’: As strong character, Morena Baccarin is just what the doctor ordered
• Oh Oh: Showtime & HBO Fight Streaming Sites Over Mayweather & Pacquiao Battle
On TV Tonight: Wednesday April 29, 2015
NET | 8PM | 8:30PM | 9PM | 9:30PM | 10PM | 10:30PM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | The Middle | The Goldbergs | Modern Family | Blackish | Nashville | |
CBS | Survivor: Worlds Apart | Criminal Minds | CSI Cyber | |||
CW | Arrow | Supernatural | ||||
FOX | American Idol | |||||
NBC | Chicago Fire (R) | Chicago PD | Law & Order: SVU | |||
MISC | The Casual Vacancy (HBO) | Ripper Street (BBC America) Hot in Cleveland/The Soul Man (TV Land) Through the Wormhole (Science) |
Afternoon Static: GAME OF THRONES, GREY’S ANATOMY, GOTHAM & More!
• Gulp: Netflix will have to consider ads to make a profit
• Casting Coup: Viola Davis Will Play Harriet Tubman in an HBO Biopic
• Scoop: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Enlists ‘Mentalist’ Alum
• ‘Chicago Fire,’ ‘PD’ and ‘SVU’ EP on Mega-Crossover’s Serial Killer: Dallas Roberts Is ‘Absolutely Mesmerizing’
• Summer Sked: CBS Sets ‘The Briefcase’ Reality Series From ‘The Biggest Loser’ Creator
• NewFronts: Yahoo Extends Live Nation Deal, Adds 14 Digital Series
• Newsworthy: Why ‘The Wire’ doesn’t explain the Baltimore riots
• Nice Work if You Can Get It: YouTube Pays Some of Its Biggest Stars to Make More Stuff for YouTube
• The Truth Is Right Here: X-Files Vets Glen Morgan, James Wong Returning for Fox’s 6-Episode Revival
• Casting Coup: TNT’s Legends Adds Sons of Anarchy, True Blood Alums in Season 2
• 2015 Tony Award nominees: The full list
• Cool Beans: ‘The Descendants’ is everything you need from a teen movie about Disney villains
• Post-mortem: ‘Gotham’ Creator Discusses Fish Mooney’s Possible Return in Season 2
• Pilot Watch: FX Orders ‘Thelma and Louise’ – Like Pilot from the Team Behind ‘Obvious Child’
• Ouch! Joss Whedon Says ‘Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Rubbed The Folks Making Marvel Movies The Wrong Way
• Tonys: Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming to Host
• The Most Popular TV Show Set in Each State — in One Surprising Map
• The Good Wife Scoop: Wallace Shawn returning for season 6 finale
• Seconded: In Praise of Sansa Marrying Ramsay on Game of Thrones
• TV Teaser: Starz’s Flesh and Bone
On TV Tonight: Tuesday April 28, 2015
NET | 8PM | 8:30PM | 9PM | 9:30PM | 10PM | 10:30PM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Dancing with the Stars: 10th Anniversary | Agents of SHIELD | Forever | |||
CBS | NCIS | NCIS: New Orleans | Person of Interest | |||
CW | The Flash | iZombie | ||||
FOX | Hell’s Kitchen | New Girl | Weird Loners | |||
NBC | The Voice | Undateable | One Big Happy | Chicago Fire | ||
MISC | Finding Carter (MTV) Your Family or Mine (TBS) Younger (TV Land) Tosh.0/Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy) |
THE ORIGINALS Opinion: Should Klaus Ever Forgive Elijah?
The worst thing that Elijah could have done he did on last Monday’s episode of THE ORIGINALS. He completely betrayed Klaus. And he didn’t just betray Klaus on some random plan, this involved Hope, who is the only thing on planet earth Klaus truly cares for. Plus to make matters worse, Rebekah turned on him too and they both teamed up with Freya, who Klaus has said many times that he doesn’t trust. This will be a turning point in their relationship and by the look on Elijah’s face after he stabbed Klaus with the dagger, I don’t think Elijah believes Klaus will ever get over it.
So the question is, will Klaus ever forgive Elijah? Klaus is not one to easily forget any infraction against him, I mean he hunted Katherine for centuries. But Elijah is in a whole other league because Elijah is suppose to be the one person Klaus could depend on. Klaus may show that in very crazy way but he does trust Elijah and now Elijah has stood in Klaus’ way in protecting Hope. [Read more…]
Morning Static: GREY’S ANATOMY, THE SIMPSONS, BOB’S BURGERS & More!
• Disney’s Descendants is like High School Musical, but with magic: See the trailer
• Preview: Will Friedle, William Daniels Return in ‘Girl Meets World’ Season 2 Trailer
• Daytime Emmy Awards: ‘Days of Our Lives,’ ‘Young and the Restless’ Tie for Best Drama Series
• Is Hulu Ready to Take on Netflix and Amazon? The streaming pioneer adds star power to juice up its lineup
• The Future May Belong to Web and Mobile Video, but TV Will Survive What’s replacing television is, in fact, television
• Patrick Dempsey tears up talking about being killed off ‘Grey’s’: It was the right time
• Who Knew? These ‘Simpsons’ Episodes All Would Have Worked As A Series Finale
• Surprise! Obama’s anger translator, Luther, totally showed up at the Correspondents’ Dinner>
• Shonda Rhimes, the showrunner who cried wolf: How to (not) save a life
• TV’s Most Dapper Gentlemen: Costume Designers Reveal the Secrets of Suits
• Analyst: At-Risk Cord Cutters Just Want Cheaper TV
• An Oral History of The Littlest Hobo, Canada’s Greatest TV Show
• You may not have known Grey’s Anatomy was still on the air, but 9 million viewers did
• Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: Launch Trailer – BBC One
• The Business of Show: E! Officially Confirmed Its Bruce Jenner Docu-Series During ABC’s Diane Sawyer Interview
• Funny Business: ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Creator Spills the Show’s Secret to Success
• Woo-Hoo! Julian Fellowes to adapt Anthony Trollope novel Doctor Thorne