Three finales to cover as they all wrapped up in the last week. “Idol” put one of their best, if not the best, finale they’ve ever done, so most of the column will be spent on that. Melissa comes up short, yet again, on a reality show in the “DWTS” finale, plus, JT surprisingly blows out Stephen in the final tribal council on “Survivor”. Only the 2nd time in history the vote has ever been 7-0 in the finals, and I guarantee off the top of your head, you don’t remember the other one. Obviously you could google it and find the answer in five seconds, but even when I heard it, I had completely forgotten about this winner. Probably the most non-descript winner in this shows history. Right now, I couldn’t even tell you what country they were in for that winners season. I’ll have the answer later. But let’s get started with “Idols” two-night finale, since I have the most to say about that one.

“American Idol” Finale

-In case you missed it, I essentially “tweeted” during the “Idol” finale from beginning to end. If you missed it, just check down the right hand column in my Twitter box to see everything I wrote. Some stuff I will cover in more detail here since I’ve got more than 140 characters to use, and some stuff I won’t cover at all. Didn’t think I would, but so many things started happening, I figured “Why not?” I have to say, that was probably the best finale that “Idol” has ever produced. Still didn’t have the best “Idol” finale moment, but for all two hours, it was the best they’ve done. And they’ve done some good ones. Season 5 was the only other finale that really came close to this one due to three factors:

-The surprise appearance by Prince
-The surprise appearance by Clay Aiken
-David Hasselhoff crying
-If you want to throw in a 4th, you can include Meatloaf and Katharine McPhee’s creepy duet.

-Going back to Tuesday’s performance show, I thought it was pretty even. Kris outperformed Adam on the first song. Adam outperformed him on the second song. And I’d say they were both pretty equal on the new single, “No Boundaries”, which is taking a beating by everyone for being horrible. I’m definitely in the minority on this, but I don’t think it’s as bad as people are making it out to be. First off, it’s a really difficult song to sing because there’s so many lyrics. So I think that part of the song wasn’t good. But other than that, I guess my question is, “What did you expect? Have you watched this show for the previous seven seasons? What’d you think the final song was going to be about?” That’s pretty much exactly the kind of song I figured they’d be singing. Need I remind you the titles of the seven previous finale songs:

Season 1: “A Moment Like This”
Season 2: “Flying Without Wings”
Season 3: “I Believe”
Season 4: “Inside Your Heaven”
Season 5: “My Destiny” (Katharine) & “Do I Make You Proud” (Taylor)
Season 6: “This is My Now”
Season 7: “The Time of My Life”

Notice a pattern here? And if you remember the lyrics to any of these songs, they pretty much all contained the same words and phrases: “destiny”, “mountains”, “impossible”, “dreams”, “stronger”, “believe”, “won’t give up”, “hope”, “faith”, “show you that you can”, “make it through”, “finally come true” etc. You get the point. Basically, all lyrics that I’m sure Danny Gokey will be including on his first album. “No Boundaries” was no different than anything else they’ve done for seven seasons, other than it was much more wordy than past songs. It was almost like there wasn’t a point in the song where Adam or Kris could catch their breath. Also, if you’ve heard the studio version that Kris did, it’s not nearly as bad as the live performance was. Is it a great song? No. Is it terrible? I don’t think so. I guess I’ve just come to expect these types of songs for the first single.

-As for Wednesday’s show, there’s a whole slew of things to talk about. Right off the bat, the group performance. Another cheesy one where I can’t reiterate enough how awkward it is seeing Scott McIntyre perform in these. Yes, I know he’s blind. Which is the reason he shouldn’t be put on stage in a dance number with 12 other people who have perfect vision. I’m sure Scott’s saying that if you single him out and have him doing something different, you’re playing up his handicap. Not if it makes the performance stand out. Let me ask you something, when the group is performing, are you really looking to see how Megan Joy is doing? Are you checking to see if Michael Sarver is on cue? No. You’re looking at Scott. You know it and I know it. There’d have been absolutely nothing wrong with having Scott at the piano for every group performance. And don’t even get me started with Scott singing the lyrics, “If you want body, and you think I’m sexy, come on baby let me know” before Rod Stewart came out. Uh huh. Believable.

-I think a lot of you will be surprised by this, but I honestly got a kick out of Norman Gentle all season. Hey, I’m the first guy to call out stupid schtick when I see it, but I seriously think that guy’s got something. Whether its in a play as the goofy best friend, or a sidekick on some comedy sitcom with a laugh track, I think Norman Gentle is funny. There. I said it. And it feels bizarre for me to admit it. Typically I would think stuff like that is hokey and completely unoriginal. But I’m serious, he’s got something. I don’t know what, but I know I was entertained every time I saw him this season. Now, when he won the award and came on stage in sweats saying he had no idea he’d win, I knew that was B.S. because you could see the sparkly Norman Gentle shirt underneath. And considering Paula showed up to Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s shows after falling asleep at the tanning bed, and Simon decided to have every button down to his naval unbuttoned on his suit, you really didn’t believe someone would actually wear sweats to that event, did you?

-A couple of the Idols performing with the artists were interesting. Lil Rounds and Queen Latifah? Hmmmm, that was just a whole lot of ass up on the stage at that point. It was like a double feature could’ve been shown at the same time if their backs faced the audience. I didn’t really get the Alexis Grace and Anoop with Jason Mraz thing, did you? I don’t think either of their tone is anything like Mraz. Obviously, Kris has been compared to Mraz all season so I don’t know why he did his with Keith Urban. It wasn’t half as bad as I thought it’d be, but since Kris will never put out a country song or album, what was the point? Everyone got what they wanted when Adam sang with Queen. It was a mistake not to have Kris sing with Jason Mraz. Teenage girls across America would’ve developed into women instantaneously if they saw that.

-In terms of the performers they got to show up, season 7 definitely takes the cake over all past finales. Season 5 was the only close one. But to get Jason Mraz, KISS, Rod Stewart, Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper, Queen, the Black Eyed Peas, David Cook, Carrie Underwood, and Steve Martin of all people, you can’t beat that. Gotta be impressed with that lineup. A thoroughly enjoyable show for all two hours. The awards are funny because it allows for a little comic relief. Although the Tatiana Del Toro thing was fixed obviously. So staged that it lost its humor. I’m guessing a few bouncers would’ve been able to drag that chick off the stage in two seconds if they wanted to. Actually, because the show was full of surprises last night, and Tatiana was known for singing “Saving All My Love For You”, I thought once she started singing, they were gonna bring Whitney’s cracked out corpse up there so we could all watch Tatiana have a meltdown. You think Bikini Skank was surprised to see Kara? What do you think Tatiana would’ve done if she turned around and saw Whitney? She might’ve died on stage.

-Ok, let’s get to it. By far the highlight of the night, and that was Kara completely upstaging a PISSED OFF Bikini Skank with her new jugs. If that didn’t earn Kara a contract for season 9, I don’t know what will. In my eyes, completely redeemed herself for all the “Sweeties” and “Here’s the thing” she gave us all season long. And remember, I’m the guy who’s been in the minority all season on her since I’ve liked her from the beginning. As I said before, if Kara would’ve been the 3rd judge with Randy and Simon since season 1, and Paula just joined us this season, it’d be the complete opposite. You know it, and I know it. Anyway, just as I’m about to post the YouTube video of the whole Bikini Whore/Kara feud, YouTube decides to take down all the videos saying its property of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. I hate when they do that. So, here’s what I was going to write about the video:

-At the 1:59 mark, I love it when Idol producers turned down Bikini Playmate’s mic, and turned Kara’s up so she’d drown her out. Classic.

-At the 2:17 mark, when Kara hits her high note in the song, Bikini Dumpster tries to match it and basically had all dogs in the Los Angeles area howling. That was awful.

-At the 2:36 mark, after the performance is over and they walk over to Seacrest, Bikini Hooker gives the most insincere kiss and hug to Kara you’ll ever see. Kinda like, “I can’t believe you just did that to me and now are acting all nice.” When in reality, Bikini Prostitute should be thanking Fox and “Idol” every second of the day that anyone even knows who the hell she is.

-And finally, right at the 3:00 mark, Bikini Tramp basically sizes up Kara’s body then rolls her eyes like she’s too good for this show. God, she’s annoying. And nice boob job. Why was your left breast facing in a completely different direction than your right one? Enjoy your career in porn.

And Kara, if you want to just judge all next season in a bikini, I would gladly accept that. It would offset Paula’s public intoxication every week. My only problem with Kara? She kinda walks like a dude.

-Once again, a lot of people emailed me after the finale and asked the proverbial, “Are you shocked at what happened?” My answer: no. If you look at one of my tweets from earlier in the day, I did mention that since Shawn’s fan base rallied for her on Monday night, I wonder if Kris’ would do the same. People are shocked because all season we’ve been led to believe Adam was the favorite because that’s what the judges were telling us. But the minute Kris was able to take down Gokey and his fan base last week, I knew it wasn’t impossible to take down Adam’s. In fact, here were my exact words back on March 10th, my first column on this season of “Idol”:

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a guy like him succeed. This show has always been about giving someone a chance, and for a guy in his late 20’s who seemingly has paid his dues, it’s nice to see him perform. I know he’s a good singer, I know he’ll do well, but the “freak” factor will ultimately prevent him from winning the thing. Do I think he’ll get a record deal? Absolutely. But let’s remember who a majority of the people who vote on this show are: middle aged white people, probably leaning on the conservative side. As sad as it sounds, his look is basically what’ll cost him the title. If he wins, I’ll be the first to congratulate him. I wouldn’t have a problem with him winning whatsoever. I just don’t think he will. But I could see him in the final two or three. He is starting to grow on me.”

-So to answer the question, “Did Adam Lambert not win ‘American Idol’ because he’s gay? No. Did him being gay play a role? I’m sure it did. I can’t prove it since I don’t have access to the emails and phone numbers of everyone who voted. But then again, those people screaming that America sucks because they didn’t vote for a gay guy to win “American Idol”, they can’t prove that’s why he didn’t get their votes either. So why don’t we all just shut up about this ridiculous debate. Oh, and anyone still questions whether Adam is gay or not, did you hear what his answer was yesterday when asked who he’d love to perform duets with? “Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Madonna, who continues to be the next big thing.” Well, that and the fact that his boyfriend was sitting with his family the last few weeks.

-I still don’t understand people out there saying “Idol” didn’t want a gay person to win, or, people who are so bothered that Adam didn’t win. Really? Let me ask you a question: Who the f*** cares? Does the fact that Kris Allen won mean you weren’t productive at work yesterday? If your answer was “yes” to that question, you’re living in a world that I’m afraid I can’t help you with. That’s embarrassing if it did. I thought Danny would win this season. He didn’t. I haven’t thought for two seconds about it since he got eliminated. And neither should you. Adam and Kris are both going to put out albums, I guarantee Adam will be back on the show next season performing, and Adam will still have a great career in theater and on Broadway. But Good Lord, so he doesn’t carry around the title of “American Idol” champion, who the hell cares? Certainly not me. And I certainly don’t care that Kris IS the champion. I think they’re both good performers, and once you get to the final four or five, pretty much everyone wins.

-I also just wanted to point out that the two times there’s been someone from the LA/Hollywood area who made it to the finals (Katharine and Adam), they both lost to people from small Southern towns (Taylor and Kris). I think there’s something to be said for that. People love the small town country boys who are the underdogs. America loves the underdog. I’m just sayin’. And Adam’s hometown may have been San Diego, but he lives in LA and has for a while now.

-You know another debate I can do without? “Did the better singer win?” Huh? What kind of question is that to ask? If everyone has different tastes in music and voices, how can there be a right or wrong answer to that question? There isn’t. Adam fans will answer “no” and Kris fans will answer “yes”. It’s pretty simple. Adam and Kris couldn’t be more different vocally if they tried. Adam can go high and low, scream like Axl Rose, and has great control of his voice. Kris has a much softer, melodic voice that is much more soothing on the ears in pretty much every song. Did the better singer win? Based on what? If the contest was about finding the next front man for Queen, then no, the better singer didn’t win. If it was finding the next Jason Mraz clone, then yes. Such a stupid question to ask, I don’t even see the point. Once again, the voice of reason in this debate seems to be Kara. She was on Seacrests radio show this morning and here’s how she answered the “Did the right person win” question: “For me, this was a very interesting year, because you had such different artists. You had the soft side of rock and the hard side of rock, and it really wasn’t about winning, it’s about, what’s your preference?” Exactly. If you prefer flamboyancy and screaming, then no, the right person didn’t win. If you prefer softer rock, then yes, the right person won. You’re the best, Kara. Anytime you want to wear a bikini again, be my guest you MILF. Even though you have no kids.

-A final thought on the season in general. Probably the best final three we’ve ever had. I still think Adam will have a better theater and acting career than he will a recording career. He’s going to be a Broadway star. I think Danny will put out a decent album and will be asked back next season to perform. And I will admit, that towards the end, Kris started to grow on me. I underestimated him. Does he have a powerful voice? Not at all. But it’s definitely a listenable voice. And I could see myself buying some of his stuff in the future if he gets with the right producers and songwriters. He’s talented and I never denied that. It’s just for whatever reason, I wasn’t into him in during the early and middle weeks. But he’s got a good story, he’s a likable guy, and I do like his music. So I have no problem with him winning, nor would I have had a problem with Adam winning either. Or Danny. Kris is our “American Idol” for 2009. Everyone can calm down now. It’ll be ok.

-I need to discuss one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, epidemic facing our country right now. It’s going on all over America, a lot of people have been affected by it, and it’s time that I bring it to everyone’s attention. In case you’ve been living under a rock recently, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And that is people in the Eastern and Central time zones who tweet, or update their Facebook status, on a show that they’re watching and ruin it for people who haven’t seen it yet. That might be my biggest pet peeve going right now. Yes, I twittered during the “Idol” finale, but I never gave away the winner, and most of my tweets were humorous more than factual updates on what was happening. You know why it’s my biggest pet peeve? Because I know a lot of those people don’t actually think they’re ruining it. What may seem like a simple concept I think gets lost on certain people living in the Eastern and Central time zones. You people do realize that by the time the “Idol” finale, or the “Grey’s” finale, or the “Survivor” finale is over, it hasn’t even started airing on the West Coast yet? You do realize this don’t you? I don’t think some of you do. Yes, I’m in Texas. I’m in the Central time zone, so I’m seeing everything first, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be watching out for my West Coast peeps. Please, if you watch something before everyone else, don’t ruin it on your Twitter account or Facebook status for other people. It’s annoying. The next time I see “Noooooo!!!! I can’t believe Kris won!” as someone’s facebook status when its still 7:00 on the West Coast, I think I’ll send them a virus. That’s my Public Service Announcement for today.

“Dancing With the Stars” Finale

-When Melissa was eliminated first and finished, I thought for sure Gilles would win. Shows you what I know. Here’s my problem, and always has been, with the “DWTS” finale. I’m fine with Shawn winning, that doesn’t bother me at all. It’s just that lets not pretend the scores you get in the finale have any bearing whatsoever on anything. I mean, has anyone ever gotten below a 9 on the finale? Ever? The scores on Monday night were 58, 57, 56. And on the one dance they were judged on Tuesday, all three of them got 30’s. So basically 2 pts separated 1st from 3rd place which essentially means, with the convoluted way they figure out scoring on this show, there was such a small percentage difference in the judges scores, that it all came down to the audience vote. Like it does every season. NO ONE gets worse than three 9’s on the final performances unless you trip and fall over yourself the whole dance. So the judges scores in the end really don’t matter much. They only do earlier in the season when 10-15 pts can separate the top from the bottom.

-Julianne Hough is taking next season off so she can tour, and they’re going to replace her with the blonde chick who won the fans voting. I can deal with that trade off. I’m fine with that. And by all accounts, Julianne says she’ll be returning in the Spring 2010 edition. So good news for all of us. How about when she comes back, assuming you keep the blonde foreign chick as well, lets give Cheryl some time off. Like, til the end of time. I’m sick of her whining and berating her dance partners in the pre-dance video packages. Plus, doesn’t she have another dance studio to open up, or some new young guy to date? Or watch a dual between Drew and Emmitt to see who gets to have her permanently?

-I wasn’t impressed in the least bit with Gilles or Melissa’s freestyle. If Shawn won because of her freestyle performance, then they made the right call. Gilles had about 5 better dances all season than his freestyle. Didn’t seem like there was anything difficult about it whatsoever, and it even got slow at some points. Melissa’s was just corny. They did a bunch of 80’s dances which, once again, didn’t seem difficult at all. Shawn and Mark’s freestyle was non-stop action for the whole time they were on the dance floor. Level of difficulty was through the roof, and I was amazed they kept up their pace for that long. One of the better freestyles we’ve ever seen on that show. Seriously, Gilles and Melissa should’ve gotten 8’s across the board if Shawn and Mark got 10’s. Theirs was that much better without a doubt.

“Survivor” Finale

-So who was the only other “Survivor” winner to win the final Tribal Council vote 7-0? Give up? I sure did. It was Earl Cole. I think that was “Survivor: China”. Too lazy to look it up. Pretty amazing in 18 seasons of this show, that only two have pitched a shutout in the finals, and both were within the last 4 seasons. I was pretty surprised JT got all 7. I honestly thought the vote would be 4-3 but hey, once again just like on “Idol”, people like the underdog from the South. JT had charm, did work around camp, played up the “awwww shucks” attitude, and everyone else liked him. Stephen never really came across as a schemer, just more of the nerdy business man type. So I guess I could see where they’d want to see someone like JT win. Let’s face it, who wouldn’t vote for a guy who’s worked on a farm his whole life vs the NY City business man? Seems like a no-brainer. JT needed the money more, so he got it. And America gave him another $100k to boot on top of all that for being their favorite. Quite a night for him. I’m guessing the minute he got home he and the pigs made some sweet lovin’ all night long.

I’m very excited to be launching the RealitySteve.com merchandise store this Tuesday. Assuming we overcome all glitches, my girls come through for me, and PayPal isn’t too difficult for us to figure out, everything should be up and running by Tuesday. We are going to launch with 12 items and a total of 3 different designs. Let’s remember, this will be a work in progress. When fall rolls around, we’ll have other heavier items available, but we decided to just go with basic summer clothing right now, and in the future, I’m sure we’ll come up with more logos and concepts. But for right now, we like what we have and we hope you do too. Plus, it’s going to be cheaper and better quality than anything you’ll find over at you-know-who’s site. You know, the guy who likes drawing penises on peoples faces. Yeah him. Any questions, comments, praises, criticisms, stories, queries, email me at steve@realitysteve.com and I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. See you Tuesday.

Administrator American Idol 8, Reality Roundup

So what’s with the fact they couldn’t have had each singer do three songs like in seasons past? Really that tough to do nine songs total? Yes, I understand with four judges who like to yap about nothing half the time, and only an hour to squeeze it in, it might be a tad tough, but it’s definitely doable. Or not. Just seems like for the big show to get to the finals of “American Idol”, you should have to sing three songs. Oh well. No sense crying over spilled milk (is that the right phrase? Didn’t sound right for some reason). Once again, Paula was cracked out with her song choice. Terrence Trent D’Arby? Every other song was recognizable, then she pulls that stuff. She should been banned from the finale. Ha ha. That’d be great to see them open the finale next week only to tell us Paula has been suspended for such a horrible song choice the week before. On to the performances.

Danny Gokey, “Dance Little Sister”: Huh? Like I said, such a random song for such a big night. I don’t know what she was thinking with this song choice. I actually thought Danny toned down his dancing in this performance and didn’t look like a complete spaz like he has in the past. However, I didn’t care much for the song, and Danny has always been much better on ballads than up tempo stuff. Kara did get to utter the phrase “money spot” during her critique of Danny’s performance. Easy Kara. This is a kids show. Why not just tell everyone you were so excited you felt like donkey punching someone? Yes I know. Technically Kara would be on the receiving end of that. Forget it. Anyway, my favorite judge critique of the night came from Simon when he was talking about Danny’s dancing and got in a little dig at “DWTS” by calling it that “funny little dancing show next door.” In case you didn’t know, “DWTS” and “Idols” studios are right next to each other. Maybe that’s why Paula is always standing up dancing in her chair?

Kris Allen, “Apologize”: Recognizable song, but it was a karaoke performance not as good as the original. I actually disagreed with Simon and sided with Randy and Kara on this one when they said he should’ve changed the arrangement. Why does he need to be told this? He didn’t need to be told it in other weeks and changed the arrangement to make it better. Why not last night? Didn’t understand that. It was the perfect song choice for him since that’s the type of music he’ll put out on his album. I just wasn’t wow’ed at all by the performance and it was pretty forgettable. However, the judges played a role in that by fighting for a good five minutes after he was done. That just got annoying. Sometimes the judges think they’re a lot funnier than they really are.

Adam Lambert, “One”: I wasn’t as in awe of this performance as a few of them were. It was really good, but, he’s sang better. I think the screaming again is what did it for me. That’s obviously his signature thing and he’s trying to incorporate it into every song now where he belts out a good ten second primal scream. I just think that for every little tweenie that wets themselves when he does that, there’s another half of America that is completely put off by it. Between comments on my site and emails I’ve received, it’s literally 50/50 on Adam. Either people absolutely love him, or they’re put off by him. The ones that are put off don’t hate the guy, he’s just not their cup of tea. Which means they wouldn’t vote for him. One thing I found interesting about his performance was when they panned to his family after he sang. Ummmm, who was the dude next to his dad with the tight, tight, tight tank top on? Let me guess, just a really good buddy, right?

Danny Gokey, “You Are So Beautiful”: If you remember, Taylor Hicks sang this in semifinal week as a judges choice by Randy. Clive Davis gave him “Dancing in the Dark”, and he chose “Tenderness” by Otis Redding as his song choice. Don’t ask me why I remember this so vividly. For some reason, the season 5 finale will always remain my favorite. Just was. Anyway, I thought Danny killed it. Absolutely amazing that we’ve now gone 11 weeks since Danny began the Top 13, and not once has he, Ryan, or any of the judges mentioned his dead wife. I knew they’d cut back on it after how much they harped on it early, but not to mention it once all season is pretty amazing. Needless to say, this was Danny’s song choice and I think we all know why. No doubt that was a dedication to his wife. Good stuff. I would’ve bet money that when it was Paulas turn to speak, she’d be crying.

Kris Allen, “Heartless”: Can’t say I ever thought I’d hear a Kanye song performed with an acoustic guitar, but he pulled it off. I liked it way better than “Apologize”. And that’s pretty much it. Nothing much to say. His strength is when he’s appealing to chicks and playing the guitar and he accomplished that on this performance.

Adam Lambert, “Crying”: Honestly, I thought this was the worst performance of the night. It wasn’t terrible, but there was definitely something off about it. Maybe it was the female background singers that seemed to be singing at a different time than Adam was, or maybe because it was Adam, and it was Aerosmith, I expected him to destroy the song. Didn’t really do it for me. He got his screams in, but it just wasn’t that powerful of a performance for me. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still making the finals next week based on his resume, but I don’t think this was one of his strongest nights. Might’ve been his worst actually.

Reality Steve’s Top 2 Performances:

1. Danny Gokey, “You Are So Beautiful”
2. Kris Allen, “Heartless”

Reality Steve’s Bottom 2 Performances:

1. Adam Lambert, “Crying”
2. Kris Allen, “Apologize”

Reality Steve’s Prediction of Who’s Going Home: Gee, well since Week 1 I’ve said we’re looking at a Danny/Adam final, and nothing in my mind has changed that, so I’ll say Kris goes home. However, if Kris does advance vs Adam, then I think Adam will win “American Idol”. If it’s a Danny/Adam final, then I still think Danny will win. If by some act of God, we get a Danny/Kris final, then I still think Danny wins.

Back Friday again with another “Reality Roundup.” No, serious this time. Really. It will be up on Friday. Hope you don’t stone me to death if it isn’t, ha ha. It looks like the launch of the merchandise store could get set back a week. Its going to come down to the wire. However, I want to make sure everything is working, the site looks good, and its presentable in a way that makes it easy to navigate. It’s going to be a work in progress, trust me, but I don’t want to launch it when everything isn’t set to go. You’ll know next week once the “Bachelorette” begins where we stand with it. At the latest, it launches on the 25th. Once again, any questions, comments, emails, praises, criticisms, send them all to steve@realitysteve.com. See you Friday.

Administrator American Idol 8

Big happenings in the “Idol” world this week starting with the stage coming crashing down on everyones head. Ok, so maybe that was an exaggeration, but the way Ryan made it out to seem, it was like a 9.0 earthquake rocked everyone’s world and people were running around with their heads chopped off. Bottom line is one of the stage hands took a giant tumble down the stairs (something I’m shocked Ryan hasn’t done yet during the open), and then one of the fixtures almost fell over, so rehearsals were cancelled. Good thing they don’t spend a lot of money on creating that set, or else we really could’ve had some problems. The set is really tricked out more so than in years past, and I guess this was bound to happen at some point. I just wish it would’ve happened to Paula. Awwwww, c’mon Steve. Don’t be so cruel. Ok, I apologize. Yeah, probably wasn’t nice since we’ve come to find out Paula, in the latest ever-so-popular “Ladies Home Journal” magazine, admits she was addicted to pain killers. No, really?

According to the interview, she admits to taking “heavy duty pain killers, though she never shot an Idol episode under the influence.” That’s laughable. So if the wild ass behavior we’ve seen in the past on “Idol” WASN’T when she was under the influence, I can only imagine what she’s like when she is. Yikes. Hide the women and children, people. And sharp objects. The interview also states that Paula wore “a patch that delivered a pain medication about 80 times more potent than morphine”, and this past Thanksgiving pretty much decided to stop being a pill popper and “went into a self-created rehab after 12 years of addiction to medication.” And oh yeah, she still hasn’t signed her contract for next season of “Idol” yet. My God, I don’t know if this interview could be any better. The only thing its missing is that she’ll be performing her new single on tonights results show. How are they gonna incorporate MC Skat Kat into the performance. I’m dying to know, really. I hope she lip synchs better than Jamie Foxx did.

I was a little curious last week when they announced that Slash would be this weeks mentor. What exactly would he be mentoring them in? Drug use? How to handle four groupies at a time? Hygiene? Weird dynamic having a guy who’s not even know for his singing helping contestants out on a singing show. How about next week they bring in the one armed drummer from Def Leppard to mentor? And another thing, has anyone ever seen Slash and Gene Simmons in the same room at the same time? Didn’t think so. I was waiting for Slash to stick out his long tongue at the end of every video piece. Easily the most head scratching mentor they’ve ever had on this show. Him mentoring is like having Paula Abdul be a judge of a singing competition. Woops. On to the performances.

Adam Lambert, “Whole Lotta Love”: The judges loved it, the fans loved it, and I thought it was the best performance of the night. But only be default since I don’t think any of the other three performed all that well. Plus, maybe Adam changed up a few things here and there, but everyone has always loved him for his originality and spins he puts on songs, well, during Rock N Roll week, there really wasn’t much of a spin he could so it just seemed like any other performance he’s done. Got his Axl Rose scream in a couple times, did his winking, got his quick head jerks in. Pretty much what he does on a weekly basis, but, didn’t sing out of tune, did flub any lines, and had a stage presence unlike any of the other three. So I don’t think anything Adam did tonight should be too surprising considering it was HIS week, Rock N Roll week. Did we really expect him not to be any good? He was good, just not great. He’s had better performances I thought. Why was Kara so excited? Getting out of her seat, pumping her fist. It was like she wanted to fight someone. I half expected her to start going, “Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!” like she was in the Arsenio Hall audience.

Allison Iraheta, “Crybaby”: She told us before she went on that she went to Adam Lamberts hair stylist this week. Ummmm, I didn’t notice anything different. Did I miss something? It was still red and it looked like rocker chick hair. The song did nothing for me since all she did was pretty much sing the word “Crybaby” over and over. Although Paula got in a great one tonight when she told her if they ever filmed a Janis Joplin biopic, Allison should already have the part. Huh? I’m guessing Allison Iraheta has zero chance to play Janis Joplin in any future biopic. Go back to the meds, Paula. Put the patch on again and shoot up medicine 80 times more potent than morphine before you speak. Then we’ll REALLY hear some loopy shi** coming from your mouth.

Kris Allen & Danny Gokey duet, “Renegade”: About an awkward a duet as you’ll ever see. Especially during Rock N Roll week. These two couldn’t have been any more out of their element if they tried. Some genres fit some singers best. Uhhhh, I’m guessing when this is all said and done, when you ask Danny and Kris what was their least favorite week, they’ll say Rock N Roll week. Those two performing “Renegade” was painful to watch. First off, there’s nothing renegade about either of those two guys as both will be putting out albums geared towards chicks. Secondly, there’s nothing “rocker” about either of these guys, and they tried way too hard. I do applaud them for at least trying, but man, what an awkward performance.

Kris Allen, “Come Together”: You knew it was gonna go bad for Kris when Randy’s critique was how much he was impressed with Kris’ guitar playing. Good. We’re glad Randy. However, this isn’t “Americas Got Talent” this is a singing competition and Kris didn’t look comfortable all night. Definitely in trouble tonight. Then again, he’s been in the bottom three a few times now and survived. Maybe he gets one more week. But since the Danny/Adam final seems like a foregone conclusion, I guess he doesn’t have much longer regardless.

Danny Gokey, “Dream On”: Completely not his style, tried way too hard, and the last note was so over-the-top and out of character for him, it was hard to watch. Of course, for all the Gokey haters out there who think he does the same thing every week, you have to give him credit for doing something different. But I think even Danny will see when he watches it back that the screaming at the end sounded awful. Like to the point where Maddie’s ears popped up and she started howling. Well, not really. She doesn’t howl. Or bark. She can lay down and sleep with the best of them though.

Adam Lambert & Allison Iraheta, “Slow Ride”: Well, not like it was going to take much to outperform the Danny/Kris duo, but they easily did. And of course, the judges gushed that they should do a duo together on their albums. Has that ever happened before? I can’t remember. I know a couple former “Idols” have collaborated on songs where one writes it and the other sings it, but have they actually sung a duet that was put on to one of their albums? Michael Johns and Carly Smithson did that duet earlier this season, but I don’t know if that was on his album or just released as a single. Either way, I guess that’s one that we can consider. Were there any others?

I want to mention something about Kara. She’s taken a lot of heat this season and there’s rumors floating around she won’t be back next season. I can assure you that decision has not been made yet, and according to Simon, he wants her back. Simon’s got a ton of pull obviously, so if he wants her back, I’m guessing she will be. Anyway, I thought she made a good point about Adam in a recent interview, and it’s pretty much what I’ve been trying to say about him all along. She just happened to express it better. I think this is the best way anyone has described Adam thus far. Here’s what she said:

“I really want to see him do something where his visual is also included. A lot of his star comes out when he is performing and he is looking at the audience. I am almost nervous that the medium of a record won’t be big enough for him.”

No one has ever doubted Adam’s star quality, but I think he is one performer who’s appeal is much more appreciated in person. Not that he won’t produce an album, but I said it a couple weeks ago, I think he’ll have a much longer career on Broadway or in theater than he will selling albums. Try not looking at the TV when Adam sings. You probably can’t because you actually want the visual of him singing too. If you turn away and don’t watch him, I think he’s good, but not great. His theatrics and performance kind of add to his voice. If its just his voice and Axl screaming, it just becomes a different performance overall.

Reality Steve’s Top Performance:

1. Adam Lambert

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Performances:

1. The rest of the group

Reality Steve’s Prediction of Who Will Get Eliminated: I’ll go with Kris this week since I think Simon was right when he said Allison might get saved by her duet with Adam. But then again, does it really matter? If Kris doesn’t go this week, he’s most likely gone next week. Now of course there are those who think since Danny butchered “Dream On” he’s leaving, but I highly doubt it. His fan base is too strong, as evidenced by never having been in the bottom three, to send him home on one bad performance. We’ve been saying it since the beginning of the season we’re headed for a Danny/Adam final and it looks like we’re only a couple weeks away.

A final note about a Danny/Adam final: In the same interview where Simon said he’d like Kara back for another season, he also stated that in a Danny/Adam final, he sees it right now as 55/45 in favor of Danny. This coming from a guy who basically has sung Adam’s praises since Day 1, continuously says he’s the top performer on a weekly basis, and knows that Adam is the most original contestant they’ve ever had. Simon has never once said a negative thing about Adam I don’t think. Yet, he’s saying that Danny would win in a final. I said it week 1, and I’ll say it again: Remember who votes on this show. Would I be shocked if Adam won? No. But I don’t think he will. Remember last years final where all three judges said Archuleta outsang Cook on all 3 songs? Yet who ended up winning? Simon even went as far as to say it was a “knockout” and wasn’t even close that Archuleta blew Cook away in the finals. Doesn’t mean anything though obviously since Cook won. I have a feeling the same thing will happen again in this years finals. I’m expecting Adam to blow everyone away, probably out sing Danny on at least two of the three songs, if not all of them, yet I think Danny will win.

Back Friday again with another “Reality Roundup.” I totally forgot to mention the “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ story last week, and now with the latest on these two, I will definitely not forget this week. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire and I’m not surprised in the least bit that Jon has a wandering eye. But jeez Jon, sunbathing in your front lawn with her? Might want to be a little less subtle. Once again, any questions, comments, emails, praises, criticisms, questions/concerns/queries for the next mailbag, send them all to steve@realitysteve.com. See you Friday.

Administrator American Idol 8

The big news surrounding Idol this week is the talk that Simon will leave the show after next season (Season 9) when his contract expires. He’s currently also a judge on Britain’s “X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent”, and traveling back and forth to the states on a weekly basis is apparently getting old. Uh huh. Suck it up. Simon, Fox pays you a BASE salary of $36 million a year to do “Idol” and you speak maybe a total of what, two or three minutes a show? And lets face it, it’s not like the guy is flying coach back and forth from Europe every week. He’s not sitting in the middle seat between two obese people and getting offered a plastic cup of water and peanuts for an over 10 hour flight. C’mon, Simon. You really think people want to watch “Idol” and her critiques from Randy, Paula, and Kara. That’s the weird thing. Maybe he’s just being humble, which would be a first, but Simon somehow thinks the show could survive without him. Please. I guarantee that show loses a TON of viewers if he’s not a judge. Lets hope it doesn’t happen.

Immediately when I saw Jamie Foxx was going to be the guest mentor this week, I cringed. Regardless of what performances he’s put on in “Ray” and “Dreamgirls”, since I’m an “In Living Color” fanatic from back in the day, I always see Jamie as Wanda saying, “I gotch you, and I’m red to go.” Sorry. Just can’t get that image out of my head. He was great doing background vocals on Kanye’s “Golddigger”, but I just can’t shake the image that he got his start on “In Living Color”. Like Carrie Ann from “DWTS”. And Jim Carrey. However with that said, I can honestly say he was the first mentor this season that I think actually made a difference. I was thoroughly impressed with how involved he was with each singers performance and how it seemed like he cared. He gave criticism, he gave praise, he helped them through all parts of their songs. He was much more involved and seemed to care a hell of a lot more than I thought he would. So Jamie, I apologize for pigeonholing you. On to the performances.

Kris Allen, “The Way You Look Tonight”: The John Mayer of the group gave yet another breathy performance. I like what Chris has done with past songs so he wins points for originality, but there’s something about him and “breathy” voice week in and week out that makes me think he’s a one trick pony. Yes, he changes up the arrangements on songs, but he still sounds exactly the same every week. True, you can say so does Danny Gokey, and you’d be right. I just happen to like Danny’s voice better than Kris’ actually. I give the guy major credit for being creative with songs I never thought he could, but to quote Randy, “I’m just not feelin it. Dawg.” I feel like even though he makes songs original, that he himself isn’t original enough for me. I know pretty much what I’m getting every week and his voice has never blown me away, only his originality has.

Allison Iraheta, “Someone to Watch Over Me”: The first thing I automatically think of when I think of the Rat Pack is Allison Iraheta. Just not a good week to be her. I understand that none of these contestants were around in the time of the Rat Pack era, but all four remaining guys at least could pull off the type of music that they could. I just felt Allison was singing any other song. Apparently Kara didn’t though. Kara: “If this doesn’t land you in the finals, I don’t know what will.” Whoa. Did she really say that? Allison is gonna be in the finals? On what show? Certainly not this one. Yes, Allison is a good singer and has her fan base, but Kara is smoking some of the sticky icky if she thinks Allison is making the finals this season. Not a chance. Maybe since Kara loves her so much, she can encourage her to try out for “America’s Got Talent”. I’m sure she can make the finals of that show going up against guys bouncing on trampolines and 6 year old vocalists.

Matt Giraud, “My Funny Valentine”: I wouldn’t call it his best performance like Simon did, and I certainly didn’t love it, but I also didn’t think it was as pitchy as Randy thought. I just thought it was a little too slow and boring. At this point in the competition, every performance you give needs to be pretty memorable, and that one wasn’t. It was good, it was solid, but not memorable. I don’t want to see him go home yet, I hope he doesn’t go home, but I think there’s a chance he will.

Danny Gokey, “Come Rain or Come Shine”: One of his best performances. Really good and I couldn’t agree more with Simon about the confidence thing. Kris and Allison, and even Matt to a certain extent, you know these kids read the internet and the magazines. You know that they know everyone’s been talking about a Danny/Adam final for weeks now. And I think the three of them seem fine with that. They’ve gotten this far, they’ll probably all snag a record deal out of it, and they’re just happy they get to go on tour, hang out with their friends, and perform in front of millions of teenage girls across all of the US. I just think Danny and Adam are a little hungrier to actually win this thing and they carry themselves in that way. I mean, you heard Allison’s answer when Simon asked her if she thought she could win, right? That didn’t exude the least bit of confidence. I know she’s 16, and she’s probably been taught to be humble, but her body language and subsequent answer made it known to everyone she’s just happy to be there.

Adam Lambert, “Feeling Good”: I know I wasn’t alive during the Rat Pack era, but I think I’m familiar enough with a lot of the songs. I’d heard of the four previous to this one, but I was not familiar with what Adam was singing. Was I supposed to be? Whatever the case, the single reason Adam sang this song, and his whole performance was solely based on his ability to belt out that 10 second Axl scream. That was the climax of the song and pretty much made you forget everything that came before it. Contestants have done that in the past, and while it was impressive for him to carry that note as long as he did, I think it was done to overshadow the first part of the song which wasn’t that memorable. But anytime someone can end on a high note, they know that’s what people will remember the most, so he did it. The song did nothing for me, but I was impressed he screamed for a good 10 seconds straight. I timed it.

Reality Steve’s Top 2 Performances:

1. Danny Gokey
2. Matt Giraud

Reality Steve’s Bottom 2 Performances:

1. Allison Iraheta
2. Kris Allen

No Bottom 3 Prediction since with only five left, I don’t even think they do a bottom three anymore. I could be wrong though. They change it up year after year.

Reality Steve’s Prediction of Who Will Get Eliminated: Unfortunately, I think Matt is headed home. I don’t think Simon’s comments are good enough to save him at this point. Oh well. Thanks for trying. Beats the hell out of going back and performing at piano bars, whose act is pretty much the same wherever you go and whatever city you’re in. I think there must be a school you go to if you want to perform at a piano bar since none of them are original, they all sing the same songs, and they all do parodies of the same songs. Ok, we get it. Drunk girl having her bachelorette party is gonna get brought up on stage and you’re gonna make a bunch of sexual innuendos towards her. Hilarious. Really. I’ll hear the same song and jokes at the dueling piano bar at the Irvine Spectrum (is that still there?) than I will here at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar in Addison, Texas. No thanks.

Back Friday again with another “Reality Roundup.” Still working on some stuff regarding the “Bachelor/Bachelorette” reunion this past weekend in Vegas that I did not end up attending, plus, my first thoughts on the latest “Jon and Kate Plus 8″ news. Love it. Once again, any questions, comments, emails, praises, criticisms, questions/concerns/queries for the next mailbag, send them all to steve@realitysteve.com. See you Friday.

Administrator American Idol 8

Sometimes the show is just better without a mentor. I mean, did Quentin Tarantino really add much to the show last week other than comedic value for his awful haircut? Didn’t think so. Let’s do mentors, like, every third or fourth week. Disco Week doesn’t need mentors anyway since I can’t remember the last time a disco song was ever written. I found it funny that on Disco Week, of the seven performances, four weren’t even up tempo disco beats. I understand the judges harp on the contestants for being original, but if you’re having a theme week like Disco, don’t you kinda need your contestants to sing the song as is. For one week, can’t they just throw the “originality” card out the window and just have fun? There was nothing “disco” about last nights show in the least bit. Kris, Adam, Allison, and Anoop all slowed things up. Just didn’t make much sense to me.

Good to see that the “only 2 judges speak at a time” experiment was sh**canned after one week. Nice try. That was never going to fly with the audience. This was the first “Idol” episode in recent memory where the contestants didn’t have a pre-packaged video shown before they performed. Unless I’m completely forgetting, I can’t remember the last time they did this. Yes, they finished on time, and yes all the judges got all their comments in, but it was really weird to see. Especially once they opened the show, all the contestants came out, Ryan scooted them all to the side except Lil’, who immediately started singing. The fact she had to go first, the fact that it felt rushed, and the fact that, well, it sucked, probably doesn’t help her chances tonight. On to the performances.

Lil’ Rounds, “I’m Every Woman”: Definitely started off on the wrong foot when she was into her first line and my seat wasn’t even warm yet. All started much too quickly for me. And hasn’t this song been sung at least once every season? I could’ve sworn I’ve heard that exact same performance 100 times before. Whether or not her voice was shot, I have no idea since I guess we’re supposed to believe Paula, but it didn’t seem like Lil’ sang too many lyrics to this song, did it? Seems like she was “oooh’ing” and “aaaahhh’ing” and repeating a lot of words and phrases over and over. Didn’t care for it at all. However, it was great to see her mother turn into the female David Alan Grier and start bitching out all the judges once she heard they all hated her little daughter again. Lil’s days are numbered on this show. The only way she stays is if her fan base flooded the phone lines last night because the judges were so harsh on her. We’ve seen it work that way before. Scott Savol. Enough said.

Kris Allen, “She Works Hard For the Money”: As I go into my inner Kara, here’s the thing with Kris: He’s usually pretty solid every week, almost always scores points for originality, but when has he ever blown you away with a performance or actually showed any vocal range? All his songs sound exactly the same. He’s very John Mayer-ish if you ask me. Likable guy, has a good voice, but his performances don’t seem to really challenge any sort of vocal range. I guarantee he’s going to put out an album of songs dedicated to chicks. You know, the title of the album will be “Lonely Hearts”, and he’ll have track titles like “If You Were Mine”, “These Days Without You”, “All is Lost”, “Can’t Breathe”, and “Angel of Mine”. You know it’s coming. I just see him being the unplugged guy who sits on his stool, plays his guitar, and tries his damndest to get every female in the audience to start crying or throwing their panties on stage.

Danny Gokey, “September”: Now here’s a song that’s definitely been performed every season. You pretty much know what you’re getting from Danny every week. Solid performance, good vocals, and avoiding the bottom three. When the judges touted him as the favorite at the beginning of the season, it doesn’t look like it became a curse, but, it almost seems like he knows he’ll be in the finals as long as he doesn’t crap himself on stage one week. He’s still better singing ballads than up tempo stuff, but last night didn’t seem as awkward as his past up tempo performances. The dancing was a little more controlled, and I think because of that, his vocals were better. On the downside, there really wasn’t anything original about it. Not like it matters when it comes to Danny since his fanbase is so big, they’re voting regardless. He’s safe, but I do think he might have to pick it up a bit down the homestretch just in case the complacency factor starts setting in.

Allison Iraheta, “Hot Stuff”: I know I’ve been harsh on Allison in the past few weeks. Well, basically since the top 13 started. I’ve just never really understood the push behind her. Here’s the positives about Allison: For 16 years old, she’s definitely not lacking confidence. She acts like she’s been on stage for years. Doesn’t come across as 16 years old when she performs at all. Negatives: Everything else. Ha ha. I’m kidding. She’s got a decent voice, but not an “everyday” voice. Meaning it’s so different that most people are probably split on her, either they can deal with her raspiness and hard rock feel she puts into every song, or they won’t. And I don’t know what it is, but there hasn’t really been one performance she’s ever given that was memorable to me. Only Adam, Danny, and Matt have given a memorable performance at least once this season for me.

Adam Lambert, “If I Can’t Have You”: Blew everyone else away. Great performance. Really isn’t much else to say. Every week you want to see what this guy is gonna do, and every week he delivers in some way, whether you like it or not. Once again, probably the most talented professional they’ve ever had on this show. I still think winning “Idol” won’t be the best thing for his career. He doesn’t fit what “Idol” tries to sell America. And you know what? I’m almost starting to look at Adam as bigger than this competition. Since he does have a professional background, and he has been a professionally trained theater actor, I just feel this show is a tad beneath him. I kinda see his career in the same light as Katharine McPhee’s. Not saying that Katherine McPhee was bigger than the show, because she wasn’t, but her career since “Idol” hasn’t really been about her music. She put out an album that didn’t do well, but she got to perform with Andrea Bocelli, she did an indie film, she did a mainstream film with “House Bunny”, and I’m guessing her acting career will end up betting better than anything she puts on an album. I think Adam’s career will be more in theater and show business than actually selling a million albums.

Matt Giraud, “Stayin’ Alive”: I said last week I thought this would be the song that would fit Adam well, but once I realized that over half the contestants this week wouldn’t even touch the disco genre, I figured that wasn’t going to happen. Kinda surprised Matt did it. It was better than last week and not nearly as bad as some of the judges thought, but it wasn’t too memorable. Pretty karaoke if you ask me. At least he showed confidence this week. That might be enough to carry him through to next week. It was almost like he realized he had a new lease on life so he wasn’t going to hold back and be timid any more. He’s still better behind a piano or keyboard than he is dancing with just a mike in his hand.

Anoop Desai, “Dim All the Lights”: I think this is the week that Simon gets overruled by the public. I tended to agree with Simon in that the performance wasn’t as good as the other judges thought, but I wouldn’t have gone as far as to say it was his worst performance yet. I just think three weeks in a row in the bottom three, he’ll get a reprieve this week and be saved. Enough judges liked him that maybe that’ll win over some of America’s vote. Hell, what do I know? My guess is as good as yours. I just didn’t think the performance was as awful as Simon made it to be. With only 7 people left, I’m only gonna give my top 2 best and worst performances every week from here on out.

Reality Steve’s Top 2 Performances:

1. Adam Lambert
2. Adam was so far ahead of everyone else, there isn’t a #2

Reality Steve’s Bottom 2 Performances:

1. Lil Rounds
2. Allison Iraheta

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Prediction:

1. Lil Rounds
2. Kris Allen
3. Allison Iraheta

Reality Steve’s Prediction of Who Will Get Eliminated: If Lil’ doesn’t go home, I’d be shocked. But in going with my “shocking” them this week, I’ll say Allison. And then in another bit of a surprise, I’ll say Kris. I just can’t see both females getting eliminated on the same night, and Lil was worse than Allison, although not by much. I’m only saying Kris because Adam and Danny definitely aren’t going home, and I think that people will rally around Matt at least for this week after what happened to him last week, which leaves Kris and Anoop. Something just tells me this show is due for a shocker, so I’ll go with Kris. Not that Kris can win, but enough people would be saying, “Oh my God” if Kris went home tonight.

Back on Friday with another “Reality Roundup.” I have a couple stories to tell along with a recap of my “celebrity” guest appearance last Friday night for the CAP Center (Child Abuse Prevention). Once again, any questions, comments, emails, praises, criticisms, questions/concerns/queries for the next mailbag, send them all to steve@realitysteve.com. See you Friday.

Administrator American Idol 8

Let’s start off by once again mentioning the event this Saturday night in downtown Dallas at the Palomar Hotel for the “CAP” Foundation (Child Abuse Prevention). I’ve been asked to be a “celebrity” guest at the event for which I immediately accepted. Still not too late to donate in any way you can by visiting their home page here. I’ve never asked much of my readers, but this is for a good cause. If you’re heading to the event, then definitely find me and say hi. If not, any donation to this center would help. Non-profit organizations work off your generosity, and the stories I’ve heard already since getting involved make me sick to my stomach. One imparticular was they recently had to take in a 14 year old mom who was a victim of rape because the mother kicked her out. So whatever you can do would be grateful.

Moving on to brighter topics, let’s hope that “Idol” gets rid of this “only two judges speak a time” nonsense. How ridiculous was that? Yes, I realize you have four judges now, but maybe you cut back other little stupid things than the judges comments. No surprise that Simon and Paula got to do 4 of the 7 singers as they mixed in their reviews around their “touchiness” all night. More on that later. I mean, I realize you they went over by five minutes last week and everyone who recorded it missed Adam’s performance, but, there are better ways to remedy that situation other than cutting off judges comments. It just felt different last night and something I bet they don’t do again. Look, next week you have six singers. If you can’t have six performances in an hour followed by four judges comments, then you don’t know how to reign in your talent.

I would hate to see Quentin Tarantino without seven pots of coffee in him. Holy crap. I get jittery just watching him get jittery onscreen. And what kinf of hair style was he rockin’ last night? It was like he stole Moe Howards bowl hair cut then cut his own hair afterwards. Weird, weird, weird guy. Norm MacDonald did the best impression of him back in the day on “Saturday Night Live”. Nailed it. And speaking of “SNL”, I would like to formally announce that the “Jon Bovi” guys are my new favorite recurring sketch on the show. Hilarious. I’ve been an “SNL” guy for over 15 years now. There isn’t a bigger fan and critic of that show than me, and I can admit, those guys have me laughing every time. It seems pretty easy to write, but the way the execute it is flawless. Good stuff. “Cuz I’m an Indian, on a cotton horse I don’t not ride. And I’m unwanted, Alive and Dead.” On to last nights performances.

Allison Iraheta, “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”: It seemed like she did a lot of screaming in this one again, yet Simon and Paula loved her so I’ve pretty much given up on her critique. She obviously does nothing for me, I don’t think she comes across as very likable, yet they think she has a chance to win it. Go figure. I highly doubt she’ll make the finals. When Simon tells her she’s the only female hope, isn’t that kinda like saying “Hey, you’re the best looking pig.” Considering there were only four other women in the final thirteen, saying she’s the best up against Jasmine, Megan, Alexis (who she isn’t better than), and Lil Rounds, I don’t know if I’d take that as a compliment. To each their own, but I just don’t get it with her and never will.

Anoop Desai, “Everything I Do (I’d Do it For You)”: One of his better performances. Especially since he didn’t completely butcher a very recognizable song. Had a lot of upper lip sweat going though. Was it hot in there? Either that, or he got steamed up from all the sexual heat coming from over where Simon and Paula were sitting. Did you notice Simon’s hand was on her leg for the first two performers, and then when Anoop was singing, Paula had her arm around him? Geez, is she that hard up for action now that her younger meat restaurant guy dumped her? If you’re a young entrepreneur in your early 30’s running a restaurant in Beverly Hills, then wouldn’t try and pull better tail than Paula Abdul? My God, I can only imagine the drama and baggage that chick brings to the table. Not to mention painkillers.

Adam Lambert, “Born to be Wild”: Mixed feelings on it. I almost like it better when he slows things down. But the performances where he’s doing his Axl Rose, the lights are flashing, the cameras moving quickly, it’s just all too theatrical for me. I understand that’s his act, but as Simon said, half the people will love that performance and half the people won’t care for it. I didn’t care for it. And Paula was in rare form with her comments. Paula: “Fortune rewards the brave.” “Dare to dance in the path of greatness.” Huh? Who wrote those for her? Or did she get those from a fortune cookie at the Geisha House on Hollywood Blvd before the show started? I have no idea what she was wearing or what she was saying last night. Nothing at all.

Matt Giraud, “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”: I realized after last nights performance what Matt’s problem is: He doesn’t think he can win. He looks scared up there sometimes. Well, he did last night at least. When you watch Adam and Danny perform, they own the stage. Matt just kinda does his thing, sometimes good, sometimes ok, but he never commands a stage, and that’s gonna hurt him. The song was a little too close to the original as well. With his talent, I thought he’d mix it up a bit to be honest. I hope he can stick around another week because he seems to follow up an average performance with a real good one, but his inconsistency is gonna have him in serious trouble tonight.

Danny Gokey, “Endless Love”: Once again, Simon was dead on with this one. I actually thought this was the first time that Danny, even though he has that distinct voice of his, really did nothing with a song. He sang it just like the original and, as well as he sang it, it was just good, not great. Now, I have no doubt why he chose that song since I’m sure it was some sort of dedication to his wife, so in that aspect, I can’t criticize the guy. The performance was good for me, but actually I was expecting more. I’m surprised he didn’t do anything with it. Hey Danny, what kind of artist are you? Who is Danny Gokey? Hey, finally we went a week without someone saying that. Then again, Kara only got to judge three of the seven contestants, so maybe that’s why.

Kris Allen, “Falling Slowly”: Never heard of this song and it seemed like he sang in the same exact key the whole time. Pretty boring if you ask me. Hey, were there any good performances tonight? I’m gonna have a tough time picking out a top three. As likable as he is, that was a forgettable performance and I think he’s in serious trouble as well. It’s almost like he’s singing every song for his wife and not singing to the millions of viewers who are actually voting. That could be his downfall.

Lil Rounds, “The Rose”: I was texting a lot during this song, so I can’t really say I paid attention that much. From what I heard, it was really nothing original, I’ve heard the song a million times, and even though she tried to throw some gospel in there, it didn’t sound like it really changed much up at all. And oh yeah, Paula was at it again. Paula: “The road is really long but it is worthwhile taking.” Uhhhhh, ok. But how’d she sing you idiot? Simon gave it to her like he should’ve and then Lil, having been criticized three weeks in a row for not being any good, basically got sick of it and fought back. That’s never a good thing on this show. Regardless of if you disagree with the judges, just nod your head, say “thank you”, stick up how many fingers you need to to get people to vote for you, then be on your way. You could tell Lil was pissed and frustrated. Whatever. Just keep quiet up there and don’t talk back.

Reality Steve’s Top 3 Performances:

1. Anoop Desai
2. Danny Gokey
3. Jon Bovi

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Performances:

1. Kris Allen
2. Matt Giraud
3. Lil Rounds

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Prediction:

1. Kris Allen
2. Matt Giraud
3. Allison Iraheta

Reality Steve’s Prediction of Who Will Get Eliminated: Whew. Toughest one to date since there was really no clear cut favorite last night. I’m gonna go with Kris Allen. For no other reason than I don’t want to see Matt leave yet, and Allison still has her teenie boppers voting for her. Let’s not forget something very important about these voting shows. When someone gets eliminated, and people get all up in arms of, “Oh my God! I can’t believe so-and-so got voted off!” It’s not that they got the most amount of votes to go home. It’s just the people voting voted for their favorites over that person. I think that’s a concept lost on a lot of people. When you pick up the phone and vote for Danny Gokey, you’re not saying you hate Kris Allen and want to see him leave, you’re just saying you liked Danny Gokey. Let’s all remember that children.

Back on Friday with another “Reality Roundup.” Yes, I am all caught up on “The Hills” and I have a TON of venom to spew about that abortion of a show. Seriously, I feel like punching the TV every time I watch it. I think I hate every person on that show outside of Lauren, who the show is supposed to be about, yet, it doesn’t even cover the two biggest things going on in her life. More on that Friday. Once again, any questions, comments, emails, praises, criticisms, questions/concerns/queries for the next mailbag, send them all to steve@realitysteve.com. Comment away, donate to the CAP Center, and never buy Maddie a toy. Apparently she could care less that I buy her the exact same toy she loves playing with in the kennel. I buy it, bring it home with me, and she looks like she’s never seen it before. Unbelievable. See you Friday.

Administrator American Idol 8

You shouldn’t be surprised that Friday’s column didn’t go up. Unless I’m in California and it’s a “Bachelor” recap, I think we can just assume I’m not gonna do it. I seriously contemplated putting it up Sunday afternoon, but after one of the longest nights out on Saturday, let’s say I was in no shape, nor the right frame of mind to be talking about what the hell happened on “Celebrity Apprentice”. That was by far one of the more fun and inebriated nights I’ve had in a while. So I’d like to thank the five others I was with that night, Mahe’s, Kobe’s, and Jack’s Bistro for providing endless amounts of alcohol to the six of us, and letting me wear out my dancing shoes over the course of three or four hours. The dancing fool was on display all over Seal Beach this past Saturday night. I should’ve charged admission to watch those performances. Also, apparently I’ve earned the nickname “Spiderman” from that evening. Hmmmm, interesting. Some stories are better left untold, although that story apparently will have legs for years. The more it’s told, the more exaggerated and over-the-top it gets. Do I deserve the nickname? It’s debatable. I’ll stick with Reality Steve for the time being. All in all, an unbelievable train wreck of a night that won’t soon be forgotten or matched. Until I show up again next month, I’m sure.

Good news! The comments section is back to working again. A little different with the number of comments appearing at the top of the column and not the bottom, and obviously you still have to register to the site to leave a comment (to weed out all the d-bags), but right now it looks to be fully functional. Also, the site underwent another face lift. Can’t say it’ll be the last one either. It might, but I have no idea. We’re still trying things out. I like the fact the left hand margin has widened a bit so the column doesn’t look so cramped. But with banners and web advertising now, only certain formats will allow us to do what we want, so bear with us. I’m guessing it’ll change again at some point, so get your comments in now before it stops working again.

As you know, I never watch Idol live (or anything for that matter since there’s no need to with the invention of TiVo and DVR’s), however last night that worked to my disadvantage, as I’m assuming it did with everyone else who didn’t add minutes to their recording since Adam Lambert’s performance got cut off. They weren’t even back from commercial and an hour and two minutes into the show when mine cut off. So there will be no review of Adam’s performance since I never saw it. Two reviews I read online said he sang “Mad World” from 1982, Simon was the only judge who commented and gave him a standing ovation. Really? I don’t remember Simon ever giving anyone a standing ovation in the history of this show yet he did it for Adam when most of America never saw it? I wonder if they will replay Adam’s performance on the results show tonight since they know a lot of people record the show. My guess is they do although it won’t matter at that point since the votes are already in. Adam isn’t going anywhere anyway. On to the performances I actually did see.

Danny Gokey, “Stand By Me”: I really wasn’t a fan of this particular version. The original is much much better but he still sang it well. He can sing the phone book. See? I could be a judge on this show. And let’s point something out about the “Idol” producers in regards to Danny. Remember during the auditions and Hollywood week, they spent a lot of time focusing on his wife who died four weeks before the audition. Which they should’ve. It’s part of his story and there’s really no way it wouldn’t have got out anyway. But have you noticed that since the finals started, it hasn’t been mentioned once in any of the pre-packaged videos? Even Danny apologized before the finals started saying he was sorry if it was being shoved down peoples throats. Smart of them to pull back on it and let his singing stand on its own. Don’t they usually have an “Inspiration Week”? I’m guessing that’s when we’ll get the full court press again with the dead wife.

Kris Allen, “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”: One word: corny. It was obvious what the judges were going to say about the performance about 30 seconds in. I was watching it thinking, “If I were to hire out a band for a wedding or a party, and they played that song, that’s exactly how I’d expect the lead singer to perform it.” There was nothing exciting about that performance, and after back to back weeks, he could be in trouble. That was really bland. And that makes it two weeks in a row for people who performed off to the side of the judges in front of a little mosh pit that the judges didn’t like. Although, Matt’s “You Found Me” last week was 100 times better than Kris’ this week. I will still debate anyone til the end of time that Matt last week was a better than average performance. Still can’t believe they destroyed that performance.

Lil Rounds, “What’s Love Got To Do With It”: Well, at least she didn’t look 60 years old like she did last week. Another forgetful performance though. And even Paula gave her the dreaded, “Who are you as an artist” line tonight. That’s never good. We did find out that “Lil Rounds” isn’t a stage name. That was interesting. Lil is short for “Lilly”, her grandma’s name. Cute. And “Rounds” describes her ass.

Anoop Desai, “True Colors”: You know it’s a good performance if a guy can pull off singing a chicks song. I know this will come as a disappointment to Anoop and the music he wants to make someday, but he’s got to stop being an R&B wannabe since his voice is much more suited for ballads. Plus, the less we have to see of him trying to pop his collar and look like King Hard Ass while trying to dance, the better. Did Paula really have to say, “You showed your true colors tonight, like a rainbow?” C’mon, you lush. Could you possibly be any more cheesy? God, go away. The meds can only last so long. Anyone else notice this mini “controversy” they talked about with him last week talking back to the judges? I certainly didn’t. I had no idea he said “Excuse me?” back to Kara last week or I would’ve given him hell. No one talks to my woman like that. I didn’t even read about that on the internet anywhere. Guess I’m out of the loop. Anyway, don’t ever do it again Anoop. Kara will “Here’s the thing, you know” you to death.

Scott MacIntyre, “The Search Is Over”: Here’s what I got out of this performance: Scott should never not be in front of the piano, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t play one note on that guitar. It didn’t even sound like he was playing and it looked like his guitar was a toy. Very bizarre performance. He was just off the whole time. But Paula’s critique made up for everything. Actually, I don’t even know what she said during her critique since I couldn’t stop staring at the lipstick that was spread all over her teeth. She is officially the biggest mess on television. Every single week its something new with her. You know what you’re getting with Randy, you know what you’re getting with Kara, and you know what you’re getting with Simon. Paula? Forget it. She could cry after someone sings, or have sex with Corey Clark on stage, we never know. Some people may say that’s what makes her so interesting. I say it’s what makes her so annoying.

Allison Iraheta, “I Can’t Make You Love Me”: She sang well tonight, one of the first times I actually liked her peformance. But her outfit sucked. I didn’t get the ruffled feather dress with the leather jacket look. Didn’t make any sense. Especially for a song like that. And I couldn’t agree more with Simon when he told her that she needs to become more likable. Right now, I don’t see any star quality with her whatsoever. She’s not a mainstream America recording artist at this point and I think a lot has to do with the fact that we don’t know much about her. Then again, she’s only 16 so maybe there isn’t much to know. Her story isn’t all that interesting, and there’s just a warmness about her that’s missing. Look at me throwing in words like “warmness”. What the hell is wrong with me?

Matt Giraud, “Part Time Lover”: This performance infuriated me. Why? Because once again, Matt’s performance gets overshadowed by a time crunch and even though all four judges complimented him, it was up against the clock and all felt rushed. I’ve always liked this song, this is the type of music he will be making with his album, and he’s slowly becoming one of my all time favorites in this shows history. I think I might’ve said this before, but, I don’t think Matt will win this competition, but I think he may end up having the best career. He can sing, he’s got that “pop” look to him, and he’s a multi-talented performer. Very impressed with tonight but it wouldn’t shock me if he ends up in the bottom three. Unfortunate they were running out of time with him on the judges comments. That’s the 2nd or 3rd time that’s happened to him this season.

Adam Lambert, “Mad World”: Uhhhh, I guess it was good? Wouldn’t know. I’ll catch it online sometime tomorrow.

So this Friday we will have a double edition of “Reality Roundup”, even though my computer absolutely crashed again today. No idea what’s wrong with it. I’m going to have to use my fathers computer until this is fixed. I have no idea what happened. I get home from California and all these pop ups start showing and now when I turn it on, I can’t even get to my desktop before error messages start occurring. I really hate computers sometimes. But I will be back Friday with your regular “Reality Roundup” including some of the latest emails from you the readers. As always, any questions, comments, emails, praises, criticisms, guesses as to where “Spiderman” came from, feel free to email me at steve@realitysteve.com. See you Friday.

Administrator American Idol 8

Let’s see, I’m on a plane first thing in the morning to California, so, there’s a good chance Friday’s “Reality Roundup” could get pushed back. Although, maybe not. I’ve got most of it written, I just don’t know with my schedule if I’ll have time to do it tonight or Thursday night. We’ll see. If its here on Friday, then I did. If not, don’t kill me. I will honestly do my best. But with not having seen my niece and nephew since Christmas, I might get a little busy chasing them around for a few days. Well, that and the fact that the Dog Spa where I board Maddie now has a webcam in the playroom so I can check in on her throughout the day. I found myself watching her today for about a half hour straight after I dropped her off, so, if I can pull it up on my phone, I’m sure I’ll be doing that the next couple days as well. Funny to see all the dogs run and chase her around and try to sniff her butt while she pretty much does her own thing. Wouldn’t expect anything different from my girl.

Couple things of note regarding “Idol” before getting to the performances. Has David Spade’s career sunk to the level that now he’s in the Idol audience? Yikes. It’s not like he’s doing any cross promotion since his show is on CBS. Very surprised to see that. Shouldn’t he be trying to get in Heather Locklears pants or something? Talk about bizarre. What in the world did she ever see in him? Oh right, they’re just good “friends”. Let me tell you something. David Spade is friends with Heather Locklear for one reason and one reason only and that’s to be the rebound guy when Dr. Peter Burns dumps her, or, after Richie dumped her. No guy wants a woman friend that hot if he doesn’t think there’s any chance he’ll get some action from her. Then again, Spade might be gay which would make everything a moot point.

Didn’t you love the little piece of Seacrest bringing all the kiddies up to his “Americas Top 40 Studio”? Gee, that wasn’t much of a plug for Seacrest’s gig now, was it? Nahhhh, of course not. I don’t think he could’ve tooted his own horn any louder if he tried. That segment was nothing but a, “Hey, even though the economy is in the crapper, check out one of the nine jobs that I have which pays me a gazillion dollars while the economy is in the dumper! Look at me press all the buttons and read from my script written out for me by other writers!” Enough Seacrest. We know you’re popular, we know you’re a workaholic, and we know you make over $25 million a year. Quit rubbing it in our face.

For a show that was seemingly going to give us a lot of contemporary songs, I was a little disappointed overall in last nights show. Not to sound like the judges, but man, I don’t get where some of these kids’ heads are at when it comes to song choice. Brutal. And of the nine songs performed, I think two of them were upbeat. Seemed like everything was a ballad, or something slow, or something boring. I had high hopes for this week especially after a few of them butchered Motown. Uhhhh, kind of a letdown really. I think once again, it’s pretty easy to see who could be in the bottom two or three and who’s probably going home. Although, I’m gonna try my damndest to keep her out of there. On to last nights performances.

Anoop Desai, “Caught Up”: Totally annoyed by this performance and by him now. Look dude, I hate to say it, but you’re not black. Obviously, during Michael Jackson week he had no choice, but singing Bobby Brown during Hollywood week and Week 1 of the finals, then coming with an Usher song? C’mon. Just cuz’ Randy calls you his dog doesn’t mean you have to start pretending you’re one. You know the best way to describe Anoop? He’s not nearly as cool as he thinks he is. He’s actually much better singing a slow ballad. But these up-tempo, R&B songs where he tries act all hard, and puff out the chest, and try to act “hip” comes across as so corny and wannabe-ish. Simon and Randy nailed it. He’s a wannabe at this point. He tries so hard to be a performer when it’s obvious he’s not in the least bit.

Megan Joy, “Turn Your Lights Down Low”: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I thought this would be her week to finally not be crappy. Guess I was wrong. She had way too much jewelry on that kept clinging every time she moved, the song wasn’t recognizable, and it seemed like she repeated the same phrase over and over, “I wanna give you some good lovin’”. Oh I bet you do sweetcakes. Right back at ya’. But for this performance, you get a “D”.

However, the good stuff came afterwards. So two contestants in and Kara gives her, “Here’s the thing. You know…” Until someone in the audience blurts out, “Broken record!” Ha ha. Genius. No, that wasn’t me. Man, how defensive did Kara get after that? She was PISSED you could tell, but tried not to show it. Funny moment though.

Another reason why I don’t like Paula and find her useless: It’s like she doesn’t think about anything she wants to say until one second before she speaks. Isn’t she forming opinions about these performances while they’re happening? Why does it take her forever to spit out the garbage that she does? The minute it’s Simons turn, he knows exactly what he’s going to say, he says it quickly, and he says it succinctly so there’s no doubt in your mind you know how he felt. Paula is the complete opposite and I think that’s what gets on Simons nerves the most. Among other things. Like her being half blitzed all the time.

Danny Gokey, “What Hurts the Most”: I said it last week and I’ll say it again, Danny is so much better when he’s singing slower ballads that build toward a huge chorus. This “P.Y.T.” and “Get Ready” stuff the last two weeks are fun, the audience gets into it, it shows a different side, but its not his strength. Let’s be real, the guy is a singer at his church. So he’s good when he’s singing something inspirational or moving, since that’s what he’s used to. By no means were the last two weeks ever going to get him eliminated, but, they weren’t that great of performances. This type of stuff is what he excels at, and when he puts out an album, 80% of the songs will be more ballad-y than pop-y. Yes, I just made up those words. I don’t think he’s gonna put out a pop album, but I also don’t think he’s going to do some Christain album either. He could easily put out an album of cover songs (hey, Clay Aiken did it), and include “Kiss From a Rose”, “Hero”, and this song and already he’s got a third of the album done.

Allison Iraheta, “Don’t Speak”: Blech. Didn’t care for this one at all. The judges harped on the outfit, I didn’t really care about that. I hated her hair. Way too distracting, and too much like she was creating a video at her High School Grad Night where you get to put on whatever costume you want and some stupid wig. Ummmm, here’s a Reality Steve fact for you. Haven’t had one of these in a while. At my High School Grad Night, me and two of my friends did a karaoke video to “Me So Horny”. Wow. I must say, a rather impressive performance. I was the lead singer and I believe at one point I may have started humping the keyboard because I had no idea what else to do. Safe to say very few people have ever seen that video and I’m gonna keep it that way.

Scott MacIntyre, “Just the Way You Are”: I didn’t even need to see the performance to know it was gonna be good. The minute Scott told us in his video what he’d be singing, you just knew this was up his alley. Song choice, dog. See? I could be a judge. When Anoop chooses “Caught Up”, you knew it would be cheesy and probably suck. When Scott chose this, you just knew it’d be solid. Is he the best singer in the group? No. Is he in the top three? No. But he’s likable, he’s entertaining behind a piano, and he’s got a great story. Definitely bought himself another week with that performance I believe. And after doing this performance where it was just his voice and the piano, I realized how much better Scott sounds without background music and vocals drowning him out. He should do his own thing every week.

Matt Giraud, “You Found Me”: Currently one of my favorite songs since they played it at the end of one of my favorite “Smallville” episodes. When I heard he was singing it, I thought it’d be perfect for him. This was the only performance tonight that I re-watched because I didn’t agree with the judges at all on this one. In fact, I watched it four times. I thought he’d been better in past performances, but they made it sound like he was awful tonight and I didn’t think that at all. Something tells me the judges had never heard of this song before so they didn’t know what to think. I liked it. Didn’t blow the roof off the place, but it was a hell of a lot better than they gave him credit for. I do somewhat agree with the one criticism that he didn’t do anything with the song. He basically sang it like “The Fray” does which, if you like the song, was fine. But no, there was no originality to it. I guess tonight he didn’t show us “What kind of artist do you want to be? Who are you?”

Lil Rounds, “I Surrender”: A boring ballad that I didn’t care for. Plus, I have one rule when I watch “American Idol” and that is, I pretty much hate every performance where someone tries to sing Celine Dion. Never works since it’s never as good as the original and they try way too hard. Plus, I hated Lil’ Rounds look tonight. Way too old for me. I know she’s married and has three kids, but she came across way too motherly in that performance. Very bland, nothing all that great about it, and she could be in trouble.

Adam Lambert, “Play that Funky Music”: When he sang “Black or White”, I didn’t mind when he went into his famous Axl Rose scream. Tonight? I got kind of annoyed. It seemed like he did it waaaaay too much. Now, when I first heard he was singing this song, I was like, “Oh boy. There isn’t a more played out wedding song than this. This could be a disaster.” So I at least give him points for originality and “making it his own”, but it was an OK performance for me. I think one thing that made it stand out was that it was a song which could get people up off their feet and moving and dancing around, as opposed to seven performances before it where you really couldn’t. So the energy he brought definitely helped. I just wasn’t too crazy about it. Too much screaming this time for me.

Kris Allen, “Ain’t No Sunshine”: Haven’t you noticed that the performance that usually closes out the night is most of the time the best one? It’s obviously planned that way. They’ve been doing that for quite a few seasons. With a week to rehearse, they obviously know what these kids are gonna sing so they have a way of always ending on a good note. Tonight was no different. Best originality, great vocals, and he gave us something he hadn’t given us before, which was him behind the keyboard. And when they announced he was doing that song I thought again, “Damn, another slow, boring ballad.” But the way he changed it up, it served him well to make it sound contemporary and not like you should be listening to it on an old 45 record. He was excellent tonight.

Reality Steve’s Top 3 Performances:

1. Kris Allen
2. Danny Gokey
3. Scott MacIntyre

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Performances:

1. Megan Joy
2. Anoop Desai
3. Lil Rounds

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Prediction:

1. Megan Joy
2. Allison Iraheta
3. Anoop Desai

Reality Steve’s Prediction of Who Will Get Eliminated: Megan Joy. I think this is the week she leaves. She’s had three bad weeks in a row and I just don’t think she can survive this one. Anoop still has his fan base of teen girls, and Allison has the younger vote too. I just don’t know where Megan’s fans are coming from this week.

For the record, I have never voted on this show in eight seasons watching. In fact, you know the only show I’ve ever voted on in all my years of watching reality TV? “Last Comic Standing” season 2. I voted every week on that season for some reason and haven’t voted since. Very weird, I know. Don’t ask why either cuz I don’t really have an answer. Anyway, check back on Friday to see if I was able to pull away from watching Maddie on a webcam to write. Any questions, comments, emails, praises, criticisms, questions/concerns/queries for the next mailbag, send them all to steve@realitysteve.com. As for the “Comments” section on the website, I know it’s frustrating, but I’m working on it. We’re still tinkering with the site, but I think we may have found a solution. They should be working soon, so bear with us. Take care.

Administrator American Idol 8

As you can see, a couple of additions to the site since last week. The comments section still is not working, but we are getting around to that. It’s very frustrating on my end since everything else seems to be working. The banner for our newest sponsor who came aboard last week, “Hollywood Secrets”, is now fully functional. Had some glitches last week, but that has been corrected so check that out when you get a chance. Also, all the posts under “My Writings” are now working if you want to go back to past seasons and re-read some of my brilliance. As well as “Archived Columns”, which brings you back to the old site and some shows from four or five years ago. Still have some formatting issues to deal with, and working on a new banner for the site, but things are coming along. I will keep everyone updated as to when the merchandise will start.

As you can see under the “Hollywood Secrets” banner, I’ve put up a link regarding a non profit organization I’ve become involved with, CAP (Child Abuse Prevention). They’ve asked me to be a “celebrity” guest at their gala coming up Saturday night, April 18th in downtown Dallas. I know, I know. The last thing I consider myself is a “celebrity”. But if there is one thing good to come out of this column, it’s stuff like this. The people have been really great in explaining to me all about the event and their program, and I couldn’t be more excited to get involved. If anyone out there is interested in attending the event, feel free to click on the links provided below. If you can’t, check out their YourCause.com Campaign. Look, I don’t make a penny off anything regarding this event, so that’s not what it’s for. I just think it’s a great cause, and if you have the time, I encourage you to donate whatever you feel necessary. In these tough economic times, non-profit organizations need all the help they can get, so anything would be much appreciated.

YourCause.com

2009 Celebrity Waiter Gala

I was also able to load Twitter onto the page now, so everyone can see all my ridiculous ramblings throughout the day. Yeah, Maddie is having bathroom problems again. Nothing to do with her bladder, her health has checked out fine, and she’s eating and drinking like she normally does. She just happens to use my carpet as her personal toilet whenever I leave for more than a couple hours or so, something she’s never really done before other than when I first got her. I don’t want to have to crate her when I leave since she hates that thing, but I guess that’s my only option at this point unless I want yellow carpet from now on. She obviously is lashing out at something since she can hold it in during the 6-8 hours we sleep at night. But when I leave for any extended period of time, it’s gotten to the point where I’d be surprised if she DIDN’T soil the place while I was out. Maybe she’s pissed because I haven’t made a YouTube video recently and she wants to be back on camera. What a diva. Anyway, let’s move on to last nights show.

Much better than Country week. At least I’d heard of all these songs. And we didn’t have to look at Alien Travis helping the kids out. Of course, who doesn’t like Smokey Robinson and his freaky blue eyes? He’s a legend. So in that aspect, I was all down for last night. Here’s the thing about being a mentor every week. Very few of them will actually criticize any of the singers. They all essentially say the same thing. “So-and-so sounded great. Loved their voice. I’m sure everyone will like it.” And that’s just not realistic. So was Smokey really being honest with us when he told us he enjoyed Megan’s version of “For Once in My Life”? I guess by masking it with, “She definitely has a unique voice”, that was his way of saying, “Uh oh. This is going to be a trainwreck.” I think it’s a cool experience for the kids to meet all these legends, and it’s something they’ll never forget, but when the legend tells you how much they liked your performance, then four judges tell you it sucked, who’s being honest here?

Matt Giraud, “Lets Get It On”: Another solid performance by him. Randy, Simon, and Seacrest were on Jay Leno the other night and basically said they thought a male would win and plugged Adam and Danny. Then last night you could tell by their comments they are trying to put Matt over as a potential finalist. Will Matt get a record deal? Absolutely. Is he one of the best singers on the show? Without a doubt. Will he get to the final two? I highly doubt it. But once again, does it really matter? We’ve seen plenty of people over the years who didn’t win go on to sell albums, so I don’t think he has much to worry about. I just look at him and I can’t pinpoint what exactly it is, but I just don’t see him winning it all.

Kris Allen, “How Sweet It Is”: Remember last week when I said Kris kinda looked like monchichi? I take that back. If Kris shaved his head, he’d be a smaller, scrawnier version of Chris Daughtry. Really take a good look at him next time. He’s got a little Daughtry in him. Not the voice, just the face. I couldn’t really focus on Kris’ performance last night because the whole time he was singing “How Sweet It Is”, I was thinking of “Oz” from “American Pie” singing it in the locker room when he had his hard on for Mena Suvari. So I apologize Kris. If you were any good, I missed it. Too busy thinking of “American Pie”, one of the greatest movies ever made. Cinematic brilliance I tell ya’. And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that Shannon Elizabeth nuded up for us in arguably one of the funniest “sex” scenes in recent memory. Ok, maybe it does.

Scott MacIntyre, “You Can’t Hurry Love”: I immediately thought him singing a Diana Ross song was going to be a little awkward and it was. Scott is a great story, and without a doubt is probably an inspiration to a lot of people, but his time on this show is slowly coming to an end. He’s just not as good as some of the other singers, period.

Megan Joy, “For Once in My Life”: You know you haven’t had a good night when Paula starts out her comments with, “You look beautiful” since that’s her back asswards way of trying to be nice. Let’s face it, Megan wasn’t good last night, and her “unique” voice isn’t enough at this stage anymore. However, if she still wants to prance around on stage in short mini skirts, be my guest. I have no complaints whatsoever. And I know last week I mentioned her never covering up her tattoo, but at this point, I don’t even care. I’ve basically become immune to it now. Does it really fit her personality? No. Is it ridiculously loud and out there? Yes. But I want to focus on the more important things Megan has to offer. Like her face. And her chest.

Anoop Desai, “Ooooh Baby Baby”: Funny thing is, I never knew that was the actual title of the song. I know it’s the main lyrics in the chorus but I never actually knew it was the title. Anoop kinda put me to sleep last night. I definitely think he’s proven he can sing, but there really wasn’t anything special about the performance. I don’t know if he has the ability to blow us off the stage. I believe only four people left have the ability to completely blow us away with a performance: Adam, Danny, Lil Rounds, and Matt. Anoop’s a good singer. Probably someone you could ask to sing at your wedding, but I don’t think he has star potential. Some label will probably sign him, he’ll put out one album that’ll get to maybe 50th on the Billboard charts, and then he’ll just do “Idol”-related stuff for the rest of his career.

Michael Sarver, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”: Hey, at least he admitted it wouldn’t be any good going in to it. There is nothing “Motown” about Michael Sarver. In fact, if his name was “Motown” Sarver, he still wouldn’t have fit in on this night. Here’s another guy who just isn’t nearly as good as some of the other singers, but I don’t think he cares. He knows he isn’t, he gets to go on tour and hang out with all his buddies. I wouldn’t be surprised if he never puts out an album. Just enjoy his time on the show, go on tour, then go back to his wife and kid. You notice the one thing that Michael does in every song he sings? He grinds his teeth. He’s half smiling, half mashing his teeth together when he sings. I don’t know what to make of that. I guess that’s his little quirk. And oh yeah, Kara gave him the weekly, “Who are you as an artist?” line last night. I get what she’s saying since that performance couldn’t have been any more karaoke if he tried, but she’s gotta stop saying that.

Lil Rounds, “Heat Wave”: Before she sang and they showed her video, Seacrest warned us it was an emotional week for Lil. I was thinking maybe someone in her family died, or maybe one of her kids got sick. Nope. She just got emotional because she got to visit Motown. Uhhh, ok. Kinda made a big deal out of nothing. The performance was just average. “Heat Wave” is a song I feel I’ve heard every season on this show, so if I hear it again, I want it to stand out from all the past performances, and it didn’t. “Heat Wave” is a karaoke song and nothing that will ever blow you away. So as much as people like to get on the judges always talking about song selection, they’re right most of the time. Look no further than that performance. Kara has also added a repetitive phrase to her arsenal that she gave to Lil last night. She starts out A LOT of her sentences with, “Here’s the thing”. I counted at least twice last night, and it might’ve been more. No worries. She’s still hot.

Adam Lambert, “Tracks of My Tears”: Not much else you can say about that one that hasn’t already been said. Easily the best performance of the night. He’s by far the most talented singer they have in the competition, but I still don’t think he’ll win. But last night was so far better than everyone else, it was laughable. When they talk about “Who are you as an artist?”, you know who Adam is. I still think he’s gonna have a performance this year that will go down as a Top 5 in the history of the show. Don’t know what week, don’t know what song, but it’s going to happen. You can just see it coming. With that said, I hated the look last night. You know why? Because I’m guessing for all the remaining weeks he’s in the competition, he’ll go back to his regular look. So I don’t get the point of showing us you can brush your hair, not wear nail polish, and not wear chains for a week. What we saw last night wasn’t Adam Lambert, so I didn’t really think the look added to anything. Kinda like when Ace Young dressed in a tux and pulled back his hair one week in Season 5. Totally wasn’t him. I think he actually ended up getting booted that week. Adam has no chance of getting booted this week, but my point is, because he dressed differently didn’t really add to the performance for me since I know that’s not him. If he were to change into that look for the rest of the competition and did a complete makeover, then it would mean more. But he won’t, and that’s fine. I just don’t get doing it for one week.

Danny Gokey, “Get Ready”: Huge Gokey fan as you know, and I didn’t really care for this performance at all. Especially when they show us the video of Smokey giving him advice that he never ended up using. Didn’t really get an explanation for why he basically told Smokey, “Yeah, thanks for the advice, but I’m gonna do my own thing.” I think Danny is better singing slow songs. He wasn’t terrible last night by any means, and I see he’s not trying to pigeonhole himself into just being a “ballad” guy, but that’s where he’s at his best. “Kiss From a Rose”, “Hero”, that’s where he kills it. These up tempo, dancing around stage songs don’t seem to fit him too well. He even looks uncomfortable doing it. I think he’ll go back to doing what he’s strongest in, but these last couple weeks have just been ok.

Allison Iraheta, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”: Still don’t get it. Can she sing for a 16 year old? Of course. But I think she appeals to such a small niche of fans that I just don’t see the star quality in her either. Plus, after about the first 30 seconds, I was tired so I fast forwarded through the rest of her performance. Oops. Sorry. I guess the judges loved it. Which is fine. I definitely think she’ll put out an album when this is all said and done, but I can guarantee you she’s an artist I will never download anything from. I think I’d download Megan’s “Rockin Robin” before I ever downloaded anything from Allison.

Reality Steve’s Top 3 Performances:

1. Adam Lambert
2. Matt Giraud
3. Kris Allen

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Peformances:

1. Michael Sarver
2. Megan Joy
3. Scott MacIntyre

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Prediction:

1. Michael Sarver
2. Megan Joy
3. Scott MacIntyre

Reality Steve’s Prediction of Who Will Get Eliminated: I think Michael Sarver goes home this week. I think this is probably one of the easier weeks to predict who will be in the bottom three. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t these three. But I think Michael goes home this week. And uhhhhhh, no, I don’t think the judges save him. Ha ha.

Have Simon and Paula been goofing around more this year than in seasons past? I mean, I know he makes fun of her every season, like he should, but this season seems to be even more over the top. Although, I do love it when Ryan asks her a question, she does her song and dance all around it because she doesn’t want to be honest, and Simon berates her ten times with, “Answer the question”. Might be annoying, might be condescending, but he’s dead on. She’s like a politician. If it’s going to be anything negative, she’ll find as many ways possible to not answer the question. It’s just seems like even during the performances, Simon and her are screwing around at the table moreso than in past seasons. And Paula dances waaaaaaaaay too much now. She’s up out of her seat on almost every single up tempo song. Go back to past seasons and you’ll see she never did it as much. It’s getting old. She’s getting old. She needs to go. Did you notice when Simon drew the mustache on her face last night and she was trying to wipe it off how much her hands were shaking? I think her medication was wearing off.

Back tomorrow with your “Reality Roundup” along with emails you’ve sent in the last week. Some good questions you guys have asked. Keep em’ coming. Any questions, comments, emails, praises, criticisms, inquiries about the CAP Celebrity Gala event on April 18th, feel free to email me at steve@realitysteve.com. See you tomorrow.

Administrator American Idol 8

No doubt I first need to start out with what’s going on with the site. Please, please, please, please do not send any emails saying, “The comments section isn’t working.” I know this. We are working on fixing that for you since I know a lot of you like leaving your wonderfully, well-written, thought out praises of me in those comments. Uh huh. Anyway, as you can see, we’ve got a new layout that will be added to over the next couple months. I really like this new look better. We’re still working on the pictures, the banners, getting some of the archived posts to work, but hang in there. This is going to be a process. To be honest, if we’re gonna start advertising on this site, we had to change the look. The old format frankly doesn’t allow it. By no means is this the final look of the column. We are going to be working on it for the next two months and everything should be set to launch on May 18th, the start of the “Bachelorette” season, which just began filming this week.

In the meantime, as you can see, I would like to welcome our first sponsor aboard, and that’s “Hollywood Secrets”. You may have seen their informercial on television before, if not, check out their product and see what you think. I think this will be a really good partnership between the two of us and I look forward to it. Plus, I know all you women out there are looking to get rid of your wrinkles. Well, voila! Here’s the product just for you.

I want a lot of the new readers who found my blog during this past season of the “Bachelor” to realize something as well. This site, for seven years, has been my sarcastic, slanted, sophomoric, and skewed view on the world of reality television (Hey, that’s what it says at the top of the page). If you’ve come here for inside information on every show you like, sorry, you’re not gonna get it. Reality TV, for the most part, is laughable. I’m here to make fun of it since its usually pretty easy to do. So if you’re new, and you think I have all the inside scoop to shows because of the news I broke on the “Bachelor” this season, I’m sorry. I’ll have some little stuff every once in a while, but this blog has always been about me making fun of what I see on TV. Just wanted to point that out for all the new readers who seem to think I’m leading the downfall of teenage girls across America because I said Kelly Clarkson is a little on the chunk side. Please. I’m the only one saying this? Really? I’d say 99% of you think it. I just happen to verbalize it.

Let’s move on to last night, and I’ll start right off the bat with this: I hate country week. Can’t stand it. They might as well get rid of it. Too many contestants are completely out of their element and, for the most part, a lot of people haven’t heard of these songs. This is a wasted week in my opinion. Country reaches such a niche audience that I think most people would rather see this week eliminated all together. Whether or not Allison Iraheta can sing country music shouldn’t be a determining factor in her staying around. Nor anyone else for that matter. It’s just a bad, boring week of singing and I hate it when they do it, and last nights show proved it. Not many great performances. In addition, can I just say one thing that I can admit I am now fearful of in this world? Randy Travis in HD. Holy crap! That guy is freakin’ scary looking. From the long horse face, to the shiny white veneers, to the unbelievably large forehead. Wow. His head is not proportionate to the rest of his alien body. And no, I’ve never heard one of his songs either. Whatever the case, let’s just say he’s not going to be gracing the cover of “GQ” anytime soon.

A couple notes on the judges. Simon has got to stop scratching his face with his middle finger. Honestly, I’d really like to know if he’s doing that on purpose to be funny, or if he has no clue what he’s doing, but it really is annoying. I can’t imagine he’s purposely flipping people off on the highest rated TV show every week, but, someone’s got to at least tell him to stop. And why doesn’t Kara ever wear her engagement ring? She got engaged a couple months ago, yet, I haven’t seen her wear her engagement ring once since they’ve gone to the live shows for the last few weeks. Bizarre. Maybe she’s just holding out for me. That must be it. Kara, let’s make a deal. I promise to propose to you the minute you slap Paula across the face on national television. How’s that?

A story appeared in the gossip section of the NY Daily News yesterday which claimed a “staffer” on “American Idol” has said the judges and producers have already picked their final four, which are: Danny Gokey, Lil
Rounds, Alexis Grace, and Adam Lambert. They even went as far as to say Danny and Alexis are going to be the final two because “Lil Rounds and Adam are too much like Fantasia and Chris Daughtry”. Read the whole article here:

“Is Idol Fixed?”

My take? Ummmm, not really going out on a limb there are they? Ok, so if these do end up being the final four, I mean, would anyone really be all that surprised? Kinda hard to prove whether or not this person is really telling the truth since those are four of the best five singers in this competition, excluding Matt Giraud. So if this ends up as our four, I guess this “staffer” can say they were right, but I don’t think they really went out on a limb with this prediction. However, now that this has been thrown out there, regardless of if its true or not, I can almost guarantee you that “AI” will stay as far away from controversy as possible and this will not be our final four. I’m guessing Matt Giraud sneaks in there now in place of either Alexis or Lil Rounds. On to last nights performances. Excuse my ignorance in country music, but I did not know many of these songs, and the ones I did know were either:

a) by Carrie Underwood
b) performed by Carrie Underwood on “American Idol” before
c) performed by someone else on “American Idol” before

Michael Sarver, “Ain’t Goin’ Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)”: Sorry, never heard this one. And hated it. Totally agree with Simon. Too fast of a song, doesn’t show us anything about Michael’s range in singing, and was about as karaoke as you could get. I’m guessing that song has been tried a billion times at a country karaoke bar. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been to one. I’m just smart like that.

Allison Iraheta, “Blame it on Your Heart”: Never heard of this one either, so her performance wasn’t that memorable. I like the fact that you can tell how young Allison is by the fact that she still has a whole row of braces on her bottom teeth. Outstanding. Do you people realize I had a full set of braces, top and bottom, from 4th grade until sophomore year of high school? Yes, it was embarrassing. Why did I have them that long? Because I didn’t listen to anything they said when they told me what I couldn’t eat and I never wore my headgear. Other than that, I was their best patient ever.

Kris Allen, “To Make You Feel My Love”: 3-for-3. Never heard this one either. However, I liked him without his John Mayer guitar this week. He’s got a really good voice and comes across as likable. Also, he kinda looks like a Monchichi doll. He was much better than last week, and by not talking about the fact he’s married, probably made some of the women feel they have a chance. Hence, he gets more votes. It’s the “Hooters” theory at work in reverse, I’m telling you. Hooters waitresses who don’t mention they have a boyfriend or don’t wear a wedding ring will inherently get tipped better than those that do. Trust me. I’ve done this study throughout numerous Hooters establishments across America. If they appear to be single, guys will tip better thinking they have a chance. It’s a ridiculous, asinine concept, but that’s what makes us guys. If you bring up how your boyfriend is picking you up after your shift, or you prance around wearing a wedding ring, you are absolutely killing your chance for a better tip. Listen to me people. I know things.

Lil Rounds, “Independence Day”: Ah ha! Finally one I’ve heard of. Only because Carrie Underwood sang it about four times during her season if I remember correctly. Of course, since I think dirty things about Carrie when I lay my head down to sleep at night, nothing Lil’ Rounds did could top her, but I thought she did well overall. One thing Lil’ did different was she sang two verses before going into the chorus. The chorus is what makes this song, and it just took too long to get there. What was with all the contestants last night giving their opinions to the judges? Don’t they know to just shut up and let the judges have their say? Gessh. Talking back to, or just even talking up there period, is never a good thing. Just smile, nod your head, and hold up your fingers to tell people to vote for you, since well, if you didn’t do that, I’m guessing we’d all be confused on what numbers to dial.

Adam Lambert, “Ring of Fire”: Awful. I know this song, and what he did last night actually was just flat out creepy. Last week his theatrics didn’t bother me in the least bit. This week? Way over the top. And if you completely turn every song into however you want to sing it, can we even consider what he did last night country? It wasn’t. Far from it. He dressed like Chris Kattan’s “Asrael Abyss” character from “SNL”, and I was squirming in my chair just watching it. But hey, I think America is smart enough to know the guy can sing and not to eliminate him on a week where he’s completely out of his element, so I’m sure he’s safe. But it was still an awful performance.

Speaking of Adam, did you notice the difference of opinions on him last week? It was almost split down the middle. Some people love him and his look, and others think he screams, sounds like Axl Rose, and hate his black nail polish. Hence the reason he won’t win. You either love him, or you hate him. Except me. I don’t love his voice, but I am far from hating him. I think I judge every person who’s ever been on this show on two criterias:

1) Would I buy an album they put out?
2) Could I watch them perform solo in concert for a good 60-90 minutes?

For Adam, I think I could download a couple singles that I like. I don’t think I could ever listen to a whole album of his. Nor could I watch him for an hour. But I could definitely see myself listening to a couple singles, sure. In fact, there are only two people on this show that I would both buy their album, and probably be able to listen to them perform for an hour. Gee, I wonder who that would be?

Scott MacIntyre, “Wild Angels”: Seemed like he did the same thing last week. Wasn’t too impressed, but didn’t think it was terrible either. The piano thing got brought up this week and I have a feeling it will ultimately be his downfall. Good voice, but not great. And it’ll be exposed when he doesn’t sit behind the piano. Never heard this song either.

Alexis Grace, “Jolene”: Blah. Her worst performance I’ve seen thus far. Didn’t Brooke White sing this one last season? I think she did. Anyway, it seems like Alexis is trying to act way older and mature than she really is. Seems like she’s trying waaaaaay too hard now. Obviously, she’s got a great voice for such a little person, but that performance last night sucked. I like her and I want her to go far but man, she could be in trouble. Definitely think she’ll be in the bottom three.

Danny Gokey, “Jesus Take the Wheel”: Not surprised in the least bit he picked a spiritual song. I do agree he took too long to get into the chorus by singing two verses, but once he did, he was really, really good. Obviously you know I’m a fan of his, and there’s no doubt in my mind I would buy his album and could see him in concert. No question. Something about his voice that’s very different and relaxing, and I still hope he wins. That’s two weeks in a row now on the video packages where they haven’t referenced his deceased wife. That’s a good thing. They’re not overdoing it right now. I’m sure it will get brought up again during “Inspiration Week”, but for the time being, they need to let his singing tell his story, and not his tragedy. Another reason I like him? He picks a lot of songs sung by chicks, which usually is the kiss of death.

Anoop Desai, “You’re Always on My Mind”: Showed he’s got a good voice, which I always knew he did. But when you’re jumping around stage singing “My Prerogative” and “Beat It”, that’s not singing. My question about Anoop is this: Who are you as an artist? Ha ha. Kidding. Actually, my question is why does he wear a hoodie every week? Can wardrobe do a better job with this guy. Jeans, collared shirt, and a hoodie in back to back weeks. I don’t know what else I expect him to dress in, but I’m not impressed with the look. However, he sang his ass off last night and he’s definitely not going anywhere this week. I think he’s going to make the top six just based on likability alone.

Megan Joy, “I Go Walking After Midnight”: The best part about her is that since she’s going through a divorce, she’s publicly embarrassing the guy on national television by using “Corkrey” up until this week, then just saying, “Ahhh, screw it. I don’t want his name attached to me anymore.” Awesome. Had no idea about the sickness, but I could kinda tell at one point when her voice cracked during the performance. I figured something was up. I don’t mind the twisting and the dancing. Hey, she’s ridiculously good looking, so she can do whatever she wants up there as far as I’m concerned. When you’re hot, you can get away with doing stupid sh**. Sorry. That’s just the way life works sometimes. I understand that its nearly impossible to cover up a tattoos that runs from your shoulder to three quarters of the way down your arm, but man, she doesn’t even try to hide it. Ever. Every week her tattoo is almost 100% visible. Totally doesn’t fit her either since she’s so attractive and the tattoo is so loud. Whatever. Her body, her tattoo, her choice to do what she wants with it. I’m usually just looking at her boobs anyway.

Matt Giraud, “So Small”: The only other performer whose album I’d buy and I’d sit to watch in a concert. Not flashy at all, but solid all around. He won’t win the competition, but he’s definitely a lot better than most people probably think. He’ll be a guy that finishes 3rd or 4th, but will have a better career than some that finish ahead of time. Without a doubt is going to land a record deal once this is over. As for last night, one of the few Carrie Underwood songs that I really haven’t heard that much, and I loved the performance. This guy is talented.

Reality Steve’s Top 3 Performances:

1. Matt Giraud
2. Anoop Desai
3. Danny Gokey

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Performances:

1. Michael Sarver
2. Alexis Grace
3. Adam Lambert

Reality Steve’s Bottom 3 Prediction:

1. Alexis Grace
2. Allison Iraheta
3. Michael Sarver

Reality Steve’s Prediction of Who Will Get Eliminated: Tough one, but I’ll go with Allison Iraheta. And the judges won’t save her. As I said last week, the judges are only going to save someone they think they can win. Just because they like Megan has no bearing on them saving her. What if Megan is voted out next week? You think they’d save her not knowing what the future holds? If they save Megan next week or the week after, then either Danny, Alexis, Lil Rounds, Adam, or Matt gets eliminated before the Final 5, they’re screwed.

We come back on Friday with your latest “Reality Roundup” in addition to an announcement about the site which involves you the readers. So check that out come Friday. Please, bear with me regarding the site upgrades. I have no idea how long the comments are going to be down for, nor navigating through past posts. It will all be fixed in due time though, I promise. In case you didn’t notice, I’m now on Twitter. Granted, I’ve only “tweeted” three times since I’m still trying to figure the thing out, but if you go down the right hand column under “My Stuff”, you’ll see links to all of my pages that you can join. As always, any questions, comments, emails, praises, criticisms, relationship advice, feel free to email me at steve@realitysteve.com. See you Friday.

Administrator American Idol 8