This Week in Reality including American Idol Song Picks

I've decided on doing a weekly look back on the Reality TV I watch. I'll post it every Friday since that is when the shows I watch will all have aired and I have nothing better to do on Fridays.

Amazing Race

For those who visit MJ's Big Blog you can read each episode recap every Sunday night after it airs. I won't go into details about the episode because you can read about it at here. Overall it was a straight forward episode. While I enjoy the cast this season the Newlyweds are really the only team who annoys me when they are on the screen. Even they aren't that bad when compared to villains in past seasons but ever season needs villains and they fit the role for now. 

There is still no real front running teams with the lead seeming to go back and forth. I like that aspect of the season because it can be an unpredictable ending. We will see where it goes.

Hell's Kitchen

With another season of Hell's Kitchen upon as we are treated to more delusional chefs who give confessionals about how they know how to cook and then prove that they have no clue what they are doing in the kitchen. 

It always amazes me how people fail to ensure they can cook the essentials in Hell's Kitchen. Every season people mess up on scallops, chicken, and beef wellington. You would think that someone would make sure they can cook these before entering the show. It's like people who go on Amazing Race and cannot drive standard or go on Survivor and cannot use a flint. Pure stupidity.

On the upside we got rid of Danielle this week who was totally drowning in the kitchen. For multiple episodes she looked like a deer in the headlights but was continually saved because her team saved her and the guy's kitchen is dysfunctional. The guys did better in this week's dinner service but I am really looking forward to Michael stabbing Dan soon. 

The last item worth mentioning is poor Mary being forced to run the 3k marathon for the reward challenge. She didn't volunteer while others on the ladies' team did and Chef Ramsey still choose her to run. She looked like she was going to die by the end of the race as she finished in last place while the rest of her tribe waited for her to finish so they could start cooking. Luckily for the girls the guys can barely do anything right and they still won even through the guys had an early lead advantage since Dan easily ran the 3k. 

Survivor

Another week and another Gota victory. Like Amazing Race you can read my full recap at here at MJ's Big Blog but I'll still offer few thoughts on the episode.

I can understand the need to merge the tribes next week. I mean in all honesty there was no way Gota was going to win another challenge before the merge. I mean how can they win with The Specialist "throwing" challenges. It makes sense to merge now and get some drama pumped back into the show. 

I mean more drama then Phillip and Corinne arguing with each other. Their pointless argument led to someone being voted out. I'm trying to remember her name but she didn't make much of an impression so it has already slipped my mind. Now that we are at the merge we will see who has the most backing since I am sure both Phillip and Corinne will push to have the other person voted out. I'm banking on it being Corinne who is sent packing as it just makes more sense to keep Phillip at this point. Lost in the downfall of Bikal was Reynold's continue success and throwing just about anything. It's kind of amazing how good he is at throwing things.

Also Malcolm realized that he will be a big target after the merge and he started solidifying an Athlete's Alliance by first approaching Reynold who is all in on the alliance. He is so in that he freely admits to having the idol. Malcolm wisely keeps his idol a secret since telling a basis stranger that information is simply crazy.

The first few weeks after a merge can be boring because usually the tribe with more people simply starts voting out the other tribe before we have to start stabbing people in the back. I'm not convinced that is how this season will play out. I see the favorites choosing sides right away and having drama as soon as the merge happens. One can only hope anyways. 

The Voice

The biggest surprise to me is how much I enjoyed the chemistry between the new judges and the old ones. Especially Shakira who is fun to watch as she argues her strengths as she tries to win over team members.

I'll just be honest and say that I watch the show for the coaches more then the singers. With so much lack of post-show success with the contestants it is obvious the success of the show is based more on the coaches. Of course I do think Cassadee Pope can actually be successful going first that seems like the exception on this show. 

If you do follow the show you can read last week's recaps here and here. For the first contestants through I enjoyed Christian Porter but I would have liked it more if he didn't cop someone else's arrangement. Even still I look forward to what he does going forward. If Idol refuses to have a WGWG maybe The Voice can take over that aspect of singing shows.

On night one I also really enjoyed Judith Hill even if she is obviously a ringer. I just fear that the show will push her too hard and it will hurt her in the voting rounds. Regardless she good an amazing job on one of Xtina's more annoying songs. 

And while I try not to get attached to contestants until after the Battle Rounds I loved Sarah Simmons' version of "One of Us." She sang with some real emotion and I think she can do well in the competition and I think Adam is the perfect coach for her.

 Most of the other singers getting through didn't really leave a lasting impression but I did like Midas Whale especially since people I follow on Twitter are in love with one of the members and they had big expectations for him. Sadly groups are usually treated poorly on the show so hopefully they can turn that around.

Big Brother Canada

Nothing is like the craziness of the Big Brother house and Canada has shown that we have lots of crazy. The show is like watching an accident. You want to look away but you just can't. This week we saw the elimination of Suzette and Topez finally do something by winning Head of House.

The rest of the week was straight forward with Alec making the easy nominations and Emmitt choosing to keep them the same. Alec and Peter (The Shield) continue to run the house  but it will be interesting to see what happens this coming week.

Topaz has a showmance with Alec but sometimes seems closer to Gary. If Gary can get in her ear and get her to nominate Alec and Peter for him it could cause some big drama in the house. Alec and Peter haven't had to sweat too much so it would be nice to see how they do with the pressure on them for once. Of course Topez most likely will not nominate them and we will see Andrew and AJ thrown up or if we are lucky Emmitt and Jillian. Emmitt makes the most sense to target as he is the biggest physical threat left and they may not get another chance.

That or try to blindside him by putting up two pawns. Gary has a special power that allows him to replace one of the Power of Veto players so if Emmitt is picked he can be swapped out for a weaker player and then he is open to the blindside. If anyone is smart enough to think of that it is Gary.

American Idol

MJ does a great Idol Live Blog that can be found here for last week's episode. Also I would recommend just going to her blog for anything Idol or Reality Show related. She is great at keeping up with the news on past and present Idol seasons as well as other shows.

The biggest thing I hate about this season of Idol is that I feel that instead of having a contestant or two shoved down our throats we are getting an entire gender shoved down our throats. I understand the show is sick of WGWG winners but to sabotage the male gender is by choosing singers who may be good singers but have little to no personality is just turning me off. I have nothing against a woman winning a reality show. I still think Crystal should have beaten Lee but for the other four Idol WGWG winners you could easily find an argument to show they deserved to win that season.

But to harp on the guy issue takes away from five great female contestants. I can into the finals liking Angie but as each week passes by and she keeps being something that she clearly is not I was getting closer to jumping ship on her. This past week's performance of Shop Around finished it for me. Luckily I was blown away with Janelle's arraignment of You Keep Me Hanging On. It added such a haunting feeling to the song and made it a new song. For the first time this season I actually wanted to buy an iTunes version of a performance. I am firmly now on the Janelle bandwagon and hopefully not leaving anytime soon.

Kree also did an amazing song but I find as she becomes more confident she seems to be less connected to the performances. Maybe it's just me but her performances have slowly been getting less impressive and I think she needs a good scare to get her back on track.

I don't have much to say about Candice and Amber. They are both still amazing singers but just not really my cup of tea. I totally understand why they are seen as front runners with their voices but I worry about Amber now that she can't sing a ballad this week.

With "Classic Rock, No Ballads" week among us I am actually excited to see what the final seven decide. We haven't seen any of them really go uptempo and I am hoping we aren't tricked by having classic rock songs turned into ballads.

For my picks for the contestants I am picking any rock song that is twenty or more years old.

Lazaro Arbos: Bon Jovi "Livin On A Prayer" - It's kind of a joke that I picked this song for him but it's also true of his situation on the show. Also he could get lost in the lyrics and then people will feel sorry and continue to vote for him when he inevitably cries.

Plus I predict it could sound like this:

Burnell Taylor: The Band "The Weight" - Burnell seems to like to sing songs with meaning behind the lyrics and this one is one of the best songs I have even heard. I think he could do good things with it.

Amber Holcomb: Fleetwood Mac "Go Your Own Way" - Amber knows singing ballads and there is a really good cover version by Lissie that I think she would be great at singing and still get the feeling of Classic Rock.

Angie Miller: Pearl Jam "Jeremy" - I think she needs something that will get her noticed again and something that would seem out of the box but also something that can be special ans tell a story of something that is still happening in the world today. If she can do something like Boyce Avenue's acoustic version it could be a show stopper.

Candice Glover: The Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter" - I stole this from Michael Slezak but only because Candice singing this classic would be amazing with the emotion she puts into singing.

Kree Harrison: Bob Seger "Turn The Page" - I think Kree would sound amazing on this song although it could continue to look like she is coasting because I think the song would come easy to her.

Janelle Arthur: Lynyrd Skynyrd "Freebird" - I think this song would fit in nicely with her country style as well as showing that she can be a threat for the win without needing to change like other ladies who are still in the competition.

For a friend

I may not know what you are going through. I may not know how dark the days get but I did think you should know you are wonderful. Even if you don't see it now someday you will look back and know that these lonely days made you stronger. It may never be a  perfect life because nothing is perfect but it will be better. 

You deserve better.

I am always available to talk. Even if it is not what you need to talk about. I have some songs I can recommend you listen to or a movie you should watch.  I know somethings are difficult to talk about so just know I can just talk about random things. I can be the voice in the loneliness or just an ear to listen. 

Sometimes we just need to vent and sometimes we just need to know someone is listening or that there is a voice to comfort and support. 

And even if you don't want to talk. Maybe you need the quiet to feel normal. If that is the case I hope you can take comfort in the fact that someone is there to listen whenever you are ready. I also hope that I am not the only to tell you this. I am sure there are  many people who are willingly to be there for you. I hope they are stepping up to bat but if they are not you shouldn't be afraid to ask.

 Real friends will listen and even better friends will help in any way possible. That's just how friendship works. 

I won't say any more for now. Just take care of yourself in whatever way feels best to you. Everything else will work itself out. 

 Comfort by Deb Talen

 

When everyone has gone to sleep and you are wide awake
there's no one left to tell your troubles to.
Just an hour ago, you listened to their voices
lilting like a river over underground
and the light from downstairs came up soft like daybreak
dimly as the heartache of a lonely child.

If you can't remember a better time
you can have mine, little one.
In days to come when your heart feels undone
may you always find an open hand
and take comfort wherever you can.

And oh, it's a strange place.
And oh, everyone with a different face
but just like you thought when you stopped here to linger
we're only as separate as your little fingers.

So cry, why not? we all do
then turn to one you love
and smile a smile that lights up all the room.
Follow your dreams in through every out-door
it seems that's what we're here for.

And when you can't remember a better time
you can have mine, little one.
In days to come when your heart feels undone
may you always find an open hand
and take comfort, there is comfort.
Take comfort wherever you can, you can, you can. 

Tuesday Top Ten: Best Non-Romantic TV Couples

I was going to use this topic around Valentine's but I got lazy and just wasn't in the mood for blogging so it got left on the back burner. But now I am in the mood for blogging and this list will hit the interwebs. 

This list will be made up of TV relationships that never crossed the line into romance. Each entry will be two people who had their ups and downs as friends or family and entertained without needing to have a crazy fandoms fighting about their relationships.

10. Jack and Ty (Heartland)  

At the beginning of the series Ty was desperately in need of a father figure to help him get his life straight and Jack fit that mold perfectly. Watching their relationship grow from annoyance to a great father and son relationship. 

 

9. Ted and Marshall (How I Met Your Mother)

The show is about Ted finding his wife but to be honest I love the show more for the relationships and Ted and Marshall is the best of the non-romantic couples. Maybe it's because their friendship reminds me of the some of the friends I have in real life. 

8. Andy and Harold (Everwood)

There was so many great things about Everwood and I am still pissed the CW didn't give it a fifth season but hopefully someday I'll get over that. Hidden in the background was the growing friendship between Andy and Harold. Often it was hilarious arguments that brought them together but you always felt the mutual respect they had for each other. 

7. Erica and Dr. Tom (Being Erica)

The relationship clicked because it required a lot of trust from the very start of the series. The show was high concept and seeing the relationship grow from doctor patient to father and daughter figures was the best part of the show.

 6. Ryan and Seth (The OC)

One of the first things that hooked me to the show was the instant camaraderie between Ryan and Seth. In the later seasons when the show fall apart their friendship still stayed strong and was one of the only things to enjoy.

5. The Big Bang guys (The Big Bang Theory)

It would take a lot of patience to be friends with Sheldon but these guys pull it off in a great and hilarious way. 

4. Lucas and Haley (One Tree Hill)

On a show teen show where relationships changed from episode to episode it was nice to have one friendship that never really wavered and have a guy and girl that could just be friends without the messy aspects of romance. 

3. Jen and Jack (Dawson's Creek)

Like One Tree Hill after it Dawson's Creek was mostly about the couples and whether you wanted Joey to be with Dawson or Pacey but the friendship betwen Jack and Jen allowed for an escape from that drama. 

 

2. Rory and Lorelai (Gilmore Girls)

The couple worked because they were able to have both a Mother/Daughter relationship as well as act like best friends. There were so many dimensions to the relationship that drove the show. 

1. Clark and Lex (Smallville)

Everyone knows the story of Superman. And in that story Lex is the main villain. What made the early seasons of Smallville was the friendship between Clark and Lex. It was interesting to see the two future enemies act as if they were brothers and see what drove them apart. 

 

Music Monday: Country

As some of you may know I have been recapping Survivor and Amazing Race at www.mjsbigblog.com. Recapping has lead me to follow some of the people who recap shows for the site and one of them has gotten me back into country music.

I've always been an eclectic music lover but country has always been hit or miss for me. Maybe it's because growing up it just wasn't cool to announce yourself as a country fan where I was from. Grunge was the cool think to listen to while I listened to some country at home on the radio I never really bought the music as something I really loved.

Not that I am an age where I am happily married and really don't care what people think of the music I listen to I can freely say that at this moment some of my favorite music to listen to is country. Here are a few tunes I'm listening to at this moment.

Ashley Monroe and Kacey Musgraves

Two artists who were recommended to me on Twitter who I took the chance and bought the albums on iTunes after sampling a few songs and I am glad I bought both. They are not the new pop music that artists like Taylor Swift tries to pass off as country music. They bring me back to younger days and both remind me a lot of Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette.

If you only buy one song from each other I would recommend Ashley Monroe's "Like A Rose" or "Weed Instead of Roses" and "It Is What It is" or "Dandelion" by Kacey Musgraves.

 Ashley Monroe - Like A Rose

 
 Kacey Musgraves - It Is What It Is

 Of course there have been a few other artists that I have come to enjoy but I wanted to highlight those two because they both have albums that are worth buying for fans of country music. I'll drop drop a few more videos of artists that I have grown to enjoy recently. 

 Little Big Town - Little White Church

Stealing Angels - Paper Heart

And just because I promised I would include one because Country fans seem to either love or hate him.

Blake Shelton - Sure Be Cool If You Did

One more for the heartless people out there.

Miranda Lambert - Over You