America's Got Talent 6 - New York Auditions (Pt2)

My recap/review of Tuesday's audition episode of America's Got Talent is now up at OMGWire.com. Below are excerpts of my commentary.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

Rak and Tak – Singers
Song: Heart’s “Alone”
The two members of this duo are not only husband and wife, but doctors as well. In their intro video, they go on about how good a voice the other one has. I already have a bad feeling about this. And what do you know, they’re completely tone-deaf. The worst part is her high notes, which hurt my ears. But unbelievably, they receive no X’s from the judges. Fortunately, though, Howie and Sharon vote no; I don’t have any idea why Piers votes yes. But during their comments on the performance, Rak and Tak don’t pick up on the judges hints that they’re bad.

Michael Jackson's Death: 2 Years Later...

On June 25, 2009, I sat down to my laptop to search the Internet for the most recent entertainment news to put up on TV Watch Online. I saw a headline that said Michael Jackson was rushed to a hospital and was in a coma. Upon seeing this, I immediately opened up this L.A. Times article. It was an article that was continuously being updated with the latest on this breaking news item. A few moments later, I refreshed the page, and this was the new headline I read: "Michael Jackson is dead." My jaw opened in shock and my heart beat furiously. I wasn't a diehard MJ fan or anything, but this came out of nowhere, and anybody would be shocked by this. Once I got out of my daze, I immediately ran upstairs to ask if the news was on. We turned on CNN, and were glued to the TV for quite a while.

As I mentioned above, I wasn't necessarily a Michael Jackson fan, per say, and I'll tell you why. I am 22 years old, which means I grew up in the '90's and '00's. I didn't grow up with Michael Jackson's music. If I heard his name on TV or elsewhere, I did not think of "Thriller" or "Billie Jean" or "Bad." I thought of the child molestation allegations, the plastic surgery (seeing bandages over his shrinking nose), the court proceedings, seeing him arrive to court in his pajamas, and being found not guilty on all counts. Those were the thoughts I had of him, because that's all I ever saw surrounding him my entire life.

But even though June 25, 2009 was a day of mourning, something amazing also happened starting on that day. During the 24/7 news coverage that followed his death in the hours, days and weeks to come, his personal life was not the overshadowing analysis by the talking heads or America. His music, rightly, came back to the forefront (his music dominated iTunes and Amazon). And as a result, I became a fan of Michael Jackson - the artist, the performer, the singer, the entertainer. In the days that followed, I spent my time pouring YouTube to listen to all of his singles and other well-known songs, and watched all of his music videos (including the genius that is "Thriller").

Even though the music overpowered all, there was still the soap opera drama that followed, trying to figure out why he died, what drugs he might have taken, and if Doctor Conrad Murray was at fault. Then the cash cow began. Everyone tried to get their hands on making some money from his death. Rehearsal footage from what would have been his comeback tour was released as the concert/documentary This Is It. And then Sony released MJ's first posthumous album, Michael.

But when it came to Michael Jackson himself (putting aside all other persons involved), the music reined supreme, and that is a good thing, indeed.

Today, on the two-year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, let us not focus on his death. Rather, let us look back on his contributions to the world of music...

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with."
-- Michael Jackson

"And my goal in life is to give to the world what I was lucky to receive: the ecstasy of divine union through my music and my dance."
-- Michael Jackson

"In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe."
-- Michael Jackson

America's Got Talent 6 - New York Auditions

My recap/review of last night's (Wednesday) audition episode of America's Got Talent is now up at OMGWire.com. Below are excerpts of my commentary.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

When host Nick Cannon introduces the judges, Howie comes out in a large, clear ball. Hilarious! If you watch The ‘Ellen DeGeneres Show,’ you know that Ellen at one time gave Howie one of those clear balls to walk around in (though I can tell it’s not the same as this one). Seeing something like this, how can you not love Howie?

Triple Threat – Broadway Act
They call themselves ‘Triple Threat’ because in the world of Broadway, a triple threat is someone who can sing, act and dance, and this act can supposedly do all three. The singing is not good at all. And the dancing is amateurish and basic. The judges all X’s them, so we don’t get to see any acting.

America's Got Talent 6 - Atlanta Auditions

My recap/review of Tuesday night's audition episode of America's Got Talent is now up on OMGWire.com. Below is an excerpt of my write-up. Click HERE to read the entire article.

Hershae Chocolatae – Drag Queen
Hershae does impersonations with some dancing added in. He starts out performing as Macy Gray. His voice is very flat. Even though we can tell it’s Macy he’s impersonating, the tone and pitch of the voice should be better than what he’s offering. Then “Last Dance” begins and he does some dancing for the remainder of his time. Piers votes no. But both Sharon and Howie vote yes. Now, I’m all for having impersonators on the show, but you have to be great at it, not just good.

Jennifer Lawrence: From Winter's Bone to The Hunger Games

Recently, I sat down to watch the Oscar Best Picture-nominated film Winter's Bone on DVD. Winter's Bone has never been on my radar of movies to watch, even during the high of Oscar season. So why, you might ask, did I decide to finally watch it? The answer is because of Jennifer Lawrence, who has been cast in the role of Katniss Everdeen in next year's highly-anticipated The Hunger Games, based on the first book in the bestselling Young Adult trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

When Ms. Lawrence was first cast as Katniss, there was an uproar among fans of the book series that she was too old, too blonde, not thin enough, etc. etc. Even during Oscar season, I didn't pay any attention to her, because everyone said she had no chance at winning Best Actress. When her name popped up as the frontrunner for this role, I'm not lying when I say I had no opinion either way on if she was the right person to play Katniss. I was willing to give her a chance at this, and not make harsh judgments when we hadn't even seen any images or video clips of her in the film yet. I didn't really understand why fans were so upset by this casting decision. Somehow, they overlooked the fact that you can change a person's hair color, you can use makeup and other effects to darken skin. You can do all sorts of things to make her look like Katniss. I mean, look at the Harry Potter films or The Lord of the Rings trilogy; hair and makeup, prosthetics, and special effects can go a long way (Tom Felton? Yeah, not a natural blonde).

Then Entertainment Weekly released the first promotional photo shoot of Jennifer in full makeup and costume with brunette hair. Suddenly, the fandom breathed a big sigh of relief, and thus there was a sense of calm and order in the world again. And, by the way, I love the promo shot and immediately got excited for her to play this role.

But back to Winter's Bone now. As far as I'm aware, I have never seen her act in anything before. And since a huge part of why Jennifer was cast in The Hunger Games was because of her moving and powerful role in Winter's Bone, I felt compelled to actually watch it. Jennifer plays Ree, whose father is out on bond and has put the house and property up as his bond. If he doesn't show up for court, Ree and her family will lose the house. So Ree sets out to find him.

There is a scene where Ree's uncle grabs her by the neck/face. Here is where we see Jennifer displaying a great sense of fear and vulnerability, whereas in the scenes before that, we see her defiant and trying to act tough and strong (putting on a front, perhaps?). The character of Katniss in The Hunger Games is not this hugely tough, Lara Croft-type heroine. She does have vulnerability. She does have fear. She is human and has flaws. And Jennifer perfectly captured all of that when playing Ree. And in a scene near the end which takes place in a boat (for those who don't want to be spoiled, I won't say what actually happens in that scene), Ree is very overwrought with emotion. Jennifer's acting in these types of scenes are breathtaking to watch. She is a brilliant actress. And after watching her Oscar-nominated performance in Winter's Bone, I don't have any worries about her taking on the role of Katniss.

When a million names were flying all over the Internet on who should play Katniss Everdeen, one of the front-runners at one point was Kaya Scodelario, who played Effy Stonem in the hit British drama, Skins. I am a fan of that show and thought she should play Katniss after seeing her on that TV show. One of the reasons why other fans thought she would be perfect as well was because she is pretty thin, since Katniss is supposed to have a starved appearance over the course of the games. And many are not happy with the fact that Jennifer is not thin. I'm not sure how they will deal with this aspect, but I'm sure they'll come up with something. This is the only area where I can understand why fans would be upset.

I have faith in Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins and all the filmmakers to create an excellent film that lives up to our expectations. People are saying this new movie franchise could be the next Twilight, not in terms of the story, but in terms of the anticipation, buzz, hype, and box office draw. I believe it does have a chance at that; it's already started. Harry Potter is ending next month. Twilight ends next year. We need a new Young Adult/fantasy franchise to take over, and I am confident that The Hunger Games can fill that role. And with Jennifer Lawrence as the face of these movies, we the fans should have nothing to worry about. I'm not making any judgments about any of the casting choices until I see them in their roles. And I hope others can do that as well. I'm not saying I won't make criticisms about certain elements of the movie; I'm sure I will, but for now, I'm staying out of that department. There is a reason we love the books. So let's support the filmmakers in this journey of translating the story to the big screen.

For all the latest news, rumors and filming updates, visit TV Watch Online's The Hunger Games page.

America's Got Talent 6 - Seattle Auditions Pt2

My recap/review of Tuesday night's audition episode of America's Got Talent is now up on OMGWire.com. Below is an excerpt of my write-up. Click HERE to read the entire article.

Brian Jackson - Blowing up hot water bottles
This man blows up hot water bottles until they explode. He has broken bones before doing what he does. He wants to break a world record, which I think he said was blowing up three in 90 seconds. Howie times him for 90 seconds. Piers X’s him right away. When time is up, Howie X’s him as well. He can’t even manage to get through one. His excuse is that he hasn’t used this brand before. Uh huh, ’cause that’s the reason why. Does he really think this is something we all would want to see done again and again and again each and every week, the same thing over and over? Three no’s from the judges and he’s eliminated.

America's Got Talent 6 - Houston/Minneapolis Auditions

My recap/commentary on Wednesday's audition episode of America's Got Talent is now up at OMGWire.com. Below is an excerpt of my write-up. Click HERE to read the entire article.

Rhinestone Ropers – Knife Thrower
Dan throws knives at Melanie. We all know the drill here: everyone freaks out and the “victim” is fine. Then he spins her on a sort of wheel and continues throwing knives. And they also shoot guns at balloons. I can’t see them going much further than what we just saw on stage, but they’re definitely great at what they do. All three judges send them to Vegas.

Mona Lisa –  Female Singing Duo
Three yeses.

Charles Peachock – Glow-in-the-Dark Juggler
The glow-in-the-dark aspect brings a unique take on the usually predictable juggling act. Three yeses from the judges.

America's Got Talent 6 - Seattle Auditions

As I announced earlier this week, I am now a writer for OMGWire.com. This summer, I am doing recaps/reviews of America's Got Talent. Below is an excerpt of my write-up of Tuesday night's episode. Click HERE to read the entire article.

We’re in my home state of Washington for this audition stop! And of course it’s raining when the judges come to town. Our stereotypical Pacific Northwest weather shines through (or rather, doesn’t shine). Howie Mandel is driving around Seattle, looking for the Paramount Theatre; at one point, he drives down the wrong way of a one-way road. And we see a shot of Lincoln’s Toe Truck. If you’re from the area, that’s typical to see in Seattle. If you didn’t catch the truck on the show or didn’t know exactly what you were seeing, click HERE to see a picture of it.

Melissa Villasenor - Comedian/Impressionist
The judges ask her what she does. She says, “I work at a retail store,” in a sad voice. Melissa begins by doing an impression of Barbara Walters interviewing Natalie Portman. I’ve seen better Babs impressions, but her Portman sounded spot on. And of course she does Miley Cyrus. Now, that’s a voice that anybody would recognize. But then, out of nowhere, she does an absolutely perfect and spot-on Kathy Griffin. Wow! I’ve never heard anybody do her voice before, but it sounded exactly like her. And I’m a huge fan of Kathy Griffin, so I loved this. Finally, Melissa closes out her set with Christina Aguilera (and an perfect plug-in for Christina’s show, ‘The Voice,’ airing right after AGT!). All the judges vote yes and she’s sent through to the Vegas round.

OMGWire.com Writer

I mentioned on Twitter earlier today that I would have announcement regarding my blogging. As of today, I am now a writer for OMGWire.com. If you aren't familiar with that website, they cover the latest TV, movie, entertainment and pop culture news.

For those of you who read my posts here on the T.W.O. BLOG, you know that the majority of what I blog about is my commentary on American Idol and America's Got Talent. I will still be blogging about AGT, but this season I will be doing so from OMGWire. I am excited to be a part of this new team, and look forward to what's to come. This doesn't mean that the T.W.O. BLOG will cease to exist. I will still be blogging here, but I will be splitting duties between the two. And just to let you know, for every article I write for OMGWire, I will link to it on TV Watch Online and on Twitter, so you will never be far from my online writing.

Below is an excerpt from my debut article at OMGWire and a link to read in its entirety:

A year later, and we're back for season 6 of 'America's Got Talent,' with the return of host Nick Cannon and judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel.

At the start of the premiere, Howie says that he's going to torture Piers all season long, to which Mr. Morgan responds, "Bring it on, baldy." If Howie sticks by his word, I can't wait to see the sparring between them (and there was literal sparring in this episode).

Frank Olivier - 50-year-old who juggled fire while in a unicycle
He has Howie come up on stage to help him out. Frank tries to keep balanced on the unicycle and holds on to Howie's head. Howie freaks out (as we all know, he's a germaphobe). Piers was just having a ball watching Howie being tortured. Howie said that he was going to torture Piers, but Piers didn't even need to do anything to seek revenge. Piers and Sharon vote yes to send him through to Vegas, but Howie refuses to even talk, let alone vote. You can see how pissed off he is. Since Piers loved seeing Howie freak out, that's obviously the only reason he voted yes. Why would you send this guy through? The act wasn't all that cohesive, and you can't really build a full show with a juggler. He should have been send home.

To read the full article, click HERE. Feel free to leave comments at the end of that article.

And finally, here is a link to my Author Archive page at OMGWire, where you will can easily access all of my articles for them.

Idol-Talk: Season 10 - FINALE!

American Idol 10: FINALE
Air Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 [8-10:07pm]

The results are in, and we have a world record: Over 122 million votes were cast for the Top 2. And almost three-quarters of a billion votes have been cast over the course of the season.

The Top 13 perform Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." I'm not against this song or anything (I actually love it, in fact), but have you noticed that pretty much every show under the sun is featuring this song in some way? Glee performed it; it played during the closing scene of the Brothers & Sisters Series Finale, here at the Idol Finale, and many more.

James Durbin and Judas Priest perform "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law." Unbelievable performance! James is in his element and loving it!

Video: Randy Jackson - Season Highlights, including his signature catchphrase this year, "In it to win it."

Jacob Lusk and Gospel star Kurt Franklin perform "I Smile," with Gladys Knight joining in later on. I have no idea who this Kurt Franklin is, but it's obvious he wanted all the attention on him, didn't he?

Casey Abrams begins singing Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls." He kicks the couch next to him, which slides away to reveal Jack Black, who joins in with Casey. And they just let loose on their voices at the very end. You know, this performance was going really well until those women on the bicycles came out. That was an unnecessary distraction. And you realize that this song is called "Fat Bottomed Girls," yet those women were anything but (pardon the pun). And what's the deal with the bikes? Since this is a Queen song, that would have been more appropriate for their "Bicycle Race."

After Casey and Jack are finished, Ryan fills some time until they can get all the props off the stage.

The Top 13 girls perform a Beyonce Medley, including: "Single Ladies," "Irreplacable," "If I Were a Boy." Then out comes Beyonce to join them on "Crazy in Love." No Lauren among the girls. Maybe she needs to preserve her voice.

Video: Steven Tyler - Season Highlights. I loved this video package, because we all love the crazy things that Steven has said over these past months. Whatever I and everyone else has said about his lack of judging abilities, he's entertaining to say the least.

Haley Reinhart and Tony Bennett perform "Steppin' Out With My Baby." Couldn't they have gotten someone better than Tony Bennett for Haley? Like maybe someone more current, or someone that has the same musical style as her? What about Adele?

Video: Jennifer Lopez - Season Highlights, including the auditioners and contestants fascination and fawning over Jennifer's beauty.

TLC and Lil Jon, joined by the Top 13 ladies, perform "Waterfalls." Lil Jon was only there for a few seconds at the start; what's the deal with that? Speaking of which, I would have no idea who he is if it weren't for the Celebrity Apprentice.

Scotty McCreery and Tim McGraw perform "Live Like  You Were Dying." Jennifer's not at the judge's table (and her chair is gone as well); will she be performing soon?

Video: Auditioner Joe introduces clips of bad auditions, including the clip of the guy who did the flips and accidentally stomped on the camera man on the floor.

Marc Anthony performs "Aguanile." Sheila E's on drums. Thanks to The Next Great American Band (the ill-fated spin-off of Idol), I knew who she was. Later on in the song, Jennifer Lopez comes out and dances. What, no singing? Is it because she already performed on the show this year? Oh well.

Video: Casey Abrams, James Durbin (and Stefano Langone briefly) talk about shocking eliminations. At the end, Pia Toscano walks over to them with a 'Most Shocking' sash and tiara on. Loved this bit! Though, to be honest, it was James' elimination that was the most shocking. Sorry, Pia, but it's not you.

The Top 13 guys perform "Kiss," "She's a Lady" and "What's New Pussycat." Scotty joins in with them on "Green Green Grass of Home," "Delilah," and I believe another one I didn't catch the title of. Then out comes Tom Jones to join them on "It's Not Unusual."

Ford Top 2 Music Video: "Whenever You Remember." Throughout the video, clips are shown from all the music videos this year.

Video: Scotty and Lauren on the teacher that most influenced them.

Those teachers are each given their own Ford Focus. Then Ryan gives the Top 2 the keys to any Ford vehicle they want.

Lady Gaga performs "The Edge of Glory." It looks like she's on a mountain. When the song ends, she and her male companion drop off the edge. Get it?

Lauren Alaina and Carrie Underwood perform "Before He Cheats." They have great harmony together; great pairing! And by the way, I noticed Jennifer's back in her seat.

Video: The Top 13 talk about Scotty and Lauren, and joke about how young they are. Great bit!

Beyonce performs "1 Plus 1."

Ryan reminds us about Season 11's audition cities.

To promote Spider-Man: The Musical, Bono and The Edge perform "Rise Above." At the start, Spider-Man swings over the audience and lands in the aisle. He returns at the end, lowering down upside-down in front of Jennifer to recreate the infamous Spider-Man/Mary Jane Watson kiss. Jennifer goes along with it at first, peeling off part of the mask, then abandons before getting to the kiss.

Steven Tyler performs "Dream On." Jennifer's really into his performance. I was anticipating the high notes near the end, waiting to see if his voice still holds up on those kinds of notes, and he's still got it.

And now the time has come. Scotty, Lauren and Ryan are center-stage. The Top 13 and the judges are on the far sides of the stage.

"The winner of American Idol season 10 is...Scotty McCreery!"

Winner: Scotty McCreery [Correct Prediction]

Runner-Up: Lauren Alaina [Correct Prediction]

Scotty performs his debut single, "I Love You This Big," and goes down to hug his family, then back on stage to hug each of the Top 13 and judges.

End Time: 10:07pm - Wow, it ended exactly on time!

I'm disappointed that they didn't do anything to celebrate 10 years of American Idol.

Even though I haven't been the biggest Scotty fan, there's a part of me that says he needed to win in order to bring some credibility back to the show, since we need someone who has the best chance at being successful. And if his outrageous support is anything to go by, then he may get that chance. During the past two seasons, the runner-up has outsold the winner, and the winner's albums have had terrible sales. In terms of American Idol as an entertainment/reality show, the addition of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez has reinvigorated the show. But when it comes to American Idol as a show that launches superstars, well...that's been missing for a while. With the decrease in ratings the last however many years, that means that album sales will go down as well; that's a given. But now that the ratings are stabilizing, will that mean Scotty's album sales will reflect that? Only time will tell. And just because his debut single, "I Love You This Big," went up to #1 on iTunes, that's not necessarily an indication of album sales. Regardless of what I think of his talent, I hope he does well, for the sake of the show's credibility.

Now, on to Lauren. Once James and Haley were voted out, Lauren became my favorite by default. Lauren has the potential to do well. She's in the vain of Carrie Underwood, which bodes well. But, to be quite honest, I don't believe she will have that level of success. With her, as well as with Scotty, she needs a great, catchy lead single for her debut album in the fall. It needs to stand out, and be one that can play regularly on country radio (and an added plus if there can be crossover to pop radio a la Carrie and Taylor Swift). I hope Interscope hooks her up with producers that have worked with Carrie, Taylor, or even Kellie Pickler (since she has had some catchy singles). And with her as well, I will be rooting for her to do well. Hopefully, during this process of making an album, she will gain a lot of experience that will help her to mature not only as a singer, but as a person, while still holding on to that bubbly personality.

When their debut albums come out later in the year, who will rein supreme? If I had to bet on it, I would go with Scotty, though I would love to see Lauren do better than expected. But, again, Scotty's going to have to beat Lauren in sales for the sake of the show. On iTunes at the moment, Scotty is doing better with his single. And how does this coronation song compare to the previous winning songs?

Kelly Clarkson: "A Moment Like This"
David Cook: "Time of My Life"
Carrie Underwood: "Inside Your Heaven"
Fantasia Barrino: "I Believe"
Jordin Sparks: "This Is My Now"
Lee Dewyze: "Beautiful Day" (cover)
Ruben Studdard: "Flying Without Wings"
Scotty McCreery: "I Love You This Big"
Kris Allen: "No Boundaries"
Taylor Hicks: "Do I Make You Proud"

I think I would put Scotty's single near the bottom. I preferred Lauren's over his. But it seems to be doing well, though I doubt it's because of the song itself.

Before I end this final Idol-Talk of the season, I want to take a look back over season 10 and see how everything stacked up. First, my correct prediction totals for the season: 18/25. These predictions are who, during the course of the season, did I correctly predict to make the Top 13, who I correctly predicted to be eliminated from then on, and who I predicted to win. Considering how unpredictable the show can be sometimes in the results, 72% ain't that bad.

Now, onto how many times I selected a performance as my favorite, from all the voting performances this year:

James Durbin - 8
Haley Reinhart - 5
Lauren Alaina - 5
Casey Abrams - 4
Scotty McCreery - 3
Jacob Lusk - 2
Thia Megia - 1

I think this seems about right. My favorites from the season (James, Haley, Lauren and even Casey) provided my favorite performances, according to this list compiled from my previous Idol-Talk blogs.

Now, let's go a little farther back to the audition and Holllywood/Vegas rounds. I always like to look back and see how many times I mentioned someone who eventually ended up making it into the Top 13.

My Favorites from Auditions/Hollywood/Vegas (that made it to the Top 13):
Naima Adedapo - 3
Thia Megia - 2
Karen Rodriguez - 2
Haley Reinhart - 1
Lauren Alaina - 1
Casey Abrams - 1
Stefano Langone - 1
Jacob Lusk - 1

Good/Average:
Lauren Alaina - 3
James Durbin - 2
Ashthon Jones - 1
Scotty McCreery - 1
Haley Reinhart - 1
Jacob Lusk - 1
Casey Abrams - 1

And there was one moment during the Hollywood/Vegas rounds that I thought Scotty McCreery should have been eliminated. Imagine that.

And finally, I've been tracking the Top 13's social media stats over the course of the season, only focusing on those who were still in the competition each week. But now that we have a winner and all is said and done, I'd like to track the entire Top 13 one more time and see how the order stacks up to the actual order (these stats were compiled during the first weekend after the finale):

1. Scotty McCreery - 526,455
2. Lauren Alaina - 291,843
3. James Durbin - 288,037
4. Casey Abrams - 205,930
5. Pia Toscano - 199,185
6. Haley Reinhart - 190,468
7. Paul McDonald - 146,499
8. Stefano Langone - 110,457
9. Thia Megia - 77,806
10. Jacob Lusk - 64,252
11. Karen Rodriguez - 39,512
12. Naima Adedapo - 39,154
13. Ashthon Jones - 17,082

Except for four names, everyone pretty much landed within one or less spots of what place they got on the show. Casey had a strong following, but was eliminated earlier. Same for Pia. Haley had the opposite happen: she placed near the top, but had a following around the middle (Jacob had a similar pattern as well). And only three contestants placed in the same spot they ended up being in: Scotty, Lauren and Ashthon. If you recall, Idol briefly allowed the Top 12 to have Twitter accounts last year, but that barely started before they shut it down. I don't know if they did it because it became obvious who was popular and who was not. If so, then why did they not only launch it again this year but keep it the entire season? With Nigel Lythgoe back on board, maybe that was his decision.

Well, another season gone. After these past four and a half months of mania, we can all relax now. But not for too long, because NBC's America's Got Talent starts back up (I'm planning on blogging that show as I usually do as well). Then come Fall 2011, it's the return of Simon Cowell (and Paula Abdul) in The X Factor USA. As I briefly mentioned in a previous Idol-Talk, I will be attending one of the Seattle audition tapings for X Factor in about a month. I'll be providing an On-The-Scene Report for that. Then American Idol will start back up all over again in January 2012 with Ryan, Steven and Randy all returning (no confirmation yet on Jennifer's return). And now, for the final time of season 10 - See ya then...