America's Got Talent 6 - Top 48 (Group 1)

My recap/review of Tuesday's first live episode of this year's America's Got Talent is now up at OMGWire.com. Below is an excerpt of my commentary.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

Miami All Stars – Dance Group
With how many people are in this group, it could have been a mess onstage, with everyone doing their own thing, and us not knowing who to look at (as has happened with large dance groups on this show before). But their choreography was all together, no one was out of place, and they were flawless.  But I wasn’t blown away. I’m not the biggest fan of dancing groups on this show, so they have to be absolutely extraordinary to make me pay attention.

Lifetime's J.K. Rowling Biopic, "Magic Beyond Words," Premieres July 18 (Watch a Movie Clip Here)

Lifetime will be premiering Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story on Monday, July 18, at 8pm ET/PT. This unauthorized TV movie biopic recounts Rowling's struggles to make ends meet before Harry Potter came into her life.

Below is the synopsis of the movie, via Lifetime's website:

"Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story" dramatizes the British author's struggle to bring the beloved wizard fantasy of Harry Potter to life. Starting out as a single mother on welfare, she became one of the world's wealthiest women, with more than 400 million copies of her visionary books sold across the globe, resulting in a billion-dollar film franchise. The film is an inspiring look of a woman's rise to become one of the most influential writers ever -- from her humble beginnings as an imaginative young girl and awkward teenager to the devastating loss of her mother and the genesis of the Harry Potter phenomenon in her early twenties. The rags-to-riches tale also follows Rowling's tumultuous first marriage, becoming a mother, her divorce and the dark days of living on government assistance while publisher after publisher passed on her first novel ... before it became an international best-seller and established Rowling's rightful place in literary and cultural history.

Visit the Magic Beyond Words page on Lifetime's website for more information on the movie.

Finally, Poppy Montgomery, who plays Rowling in Magic Beyond Words, appeared as a guest on Live with Regis and Kelly this morning to promote the movie; the show aired a clip, in which Rowling is in the process of applying for governmental assistance. Watch the interview and clip below:

TV Watch Online provides the latest TV, movie and entertainment news every day. Check back here to the T.W.O. BLOG for all of my recaps/reviews, commentary, opinions, and more. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @TVWatchOnline.

The X Factor Seattle Audition Taping: On-the-Scene Report

As I mentioned on Twitter, I attended one of last week's audition tapings in Seattle for Simon Cowell's new singing competition show, The X Factor. My On The Scene report recounting my experience is now up at OMGWire.com. Below is an excerpt from my report.

Click HERE to read the full On The Scene Report.

Conversations With The Contestants:
Whenever a singer or group came on stage, the judges would ask various questions, including finding out their name, age, job and musical influences. And what I found surprising was that the judges would ask for a different song after they first performed. I know that that happens on the Idol auditions, but they asked for different songs quite a lot, even asking some for the list of songs they had lined up. Overall, the judges spent a lot of time with each contestant. There was only one time where they whisked a contestant off fast. After her song, they did a quick no vote and that was the end of that.

Most of the time when the judges were waiting for another singer to come out, they would be chatting amongst themselves the entire time. And even when a singer or group came out, they would continue talking to each other and not acknowledge the singers until they got to their spot on the stage. Even though I would hate to have a seat behind the judges (you wouldn’t be able to see hardly anything), I would have loved to be sitting right behind them and try to hear what they were saying.

The X Factor premieres Wednesday, September 21 and Thursday, September 22 from 8-10pm on FOX.

Visit TV Watch Online's American Idol & X Factor News page for all the latest news on The X Factor.

America's Got Talent 6 - Final Auditions & Vegas Week

My recaps/reviews of both of this week's episodes, covering the final auditions and Vegas Week, of America's Got Talent are now up at OMGWire.com. Below are excerpts of my commentaries.

Click HERE to read Tuesday's article, and HERE for Wednesday's article.

As host Nick Cannon introduces the judges, Howie comes out hugging everyone in the audience. But wait…out comes the real Howie, unscathed. He sent out a look-alike to do the “dirty” work for him.

Avery and the Calico Hearts – Three 9-10-year-old Female Singers
Song: Justin Bieber’s “Baby”
Did anyone else think they sounded just like Alvin and the Chipmunks? When someone pointed this out to me, I couldn’t help but laugh during the rest of their performance. These girls certainly are not scared of being on this large stage in front of a huge audience. But neither does it feel like their parents have forced them into this; they aren’t acting too old for their age or anything. Howie votes yes. Piers says no. But Sharon sides with Howie and sends them to Vegas. I knew the minute they walked on that stage that they would be heading to Vegas, because these judges can’t seem to say no to kids. If it weren’t for the success of last year’s 10-year-old Jackie Evancho, I would absolutely say there should be a minimum age limit on this show.

--

Now that the judges have viewed the Judges Favorites, Day 2 brings us the standby acts, who will perform for the remaining spots in the Top 48.

First up are the Magicians. The first couple of magicians aren’t impressing anyone. But Landon Swank shows how it’s done. He makes a box rise up in the air a little. When he opens the box, some balloons come out, and then a woman. The song, John Mayor’s “Gravity,” sets the tone of the act very well. The assistants of the next magician drop a cube-like structure from its pedestal. They’re able to get it back on, but the judges don’t like that a mistake is made. The rest of his time is used well, though, especially when he turns into a woman (though I know how that one is done). The way this segment is edited, it seems like Landon will be the one making it through.

America's Got Talent 6 - 6/29/11 Auditions

My recap/review of Wednesday's audition episode of America's Got Talent is now up at OMGWire.com. Below is an excerpt of my commentary.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

The judges, apparently, have a hard time finding their way through the theatre building. Howie ends up getting lost in what seems to be the basement (the bowels of the theatre). A cheesy, staged incident like this fits in well with the cheesiness of “America’s Got Talent,” don’t you think? I love it.

Eric and Christlo – Singers
Song: “Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls”
The two members of this singing duo have cheesy choreography, and do not sing any note in tune. Both Piers and Sharon X them. And all three judges vote no.

Combined American Idol & X Factor News Page

You may have noticed that whenever any major X Factor news articles come in, I have put them on the American Idol News page. And starting today, I have decided to make it official, and rename that page 'American Idol & X Factor News.' (It still retains the same URL). On that page, you can find all the latest news on both American Idol and The X Factor. I am doing this because I have not yet decided if I will give X Factor its own page to chronicle the competition over the course of each season (but I very well may). I also did this because it makes it easier for you all to clearly see that that page covers news on two shows, and not just on Idol.

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.