So…America drags Kris out from under the bus to safety, and I am joyful. But rather than throw Danny there, instead…Alison gets pinned. To her credit, one of the best sing outs on the show. You’ve got contacts now, kid, and no, your life is never going to be the same. At least there’s that. America.

Tonight there is yet another chance to send Coach to the Ponderosa. Will they or won’t they? I’ll be tuning in.

Also - last day to enter to win free stuff this week. Check Tuesday’s blog for all the details. Good luck! Winner announced right here tomorrow.

In the meantime…who do you want as your final two on Idol? As much as I’d rather have any of the remaining singers make it other than Danny, I wouldn’t mind a Danny/Adam final two if for no other reason than for Adam to deliver the final smackdown. Except, what if Americker really is that ridiculous and makes Gokey second only to Taylor iHicks as Worst Winners Ever? (And hey, I like Taylor…he just isn’t a pop icon and never will be.) Ah well…guess we’ll find out in two weeks! Mostly I’ll just be disappointed not to have new Adam performances every week to look forward to.

Your turn. DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Wow, interesting night. On both fronts.

First up…Dancing With the Stars:

So, the auditioning pros get celebs (Mayo/Lisa Rinna, Anna/Maurice Greene, Afton/Cody Linley) and we get to see them teach. Afton is not my fave (and check out her legs when she dances, they’re kinda funky awkward) plus I don’t care for her a lot. Mayo is really interesting, and really tall, while Anna is really gorgeous. I could live with either winning, though, for me, I’d rather had a tall guy than another pretty face.

Macy’s Stars of the Jungle Gym Dance. What was that hot mess? I mean, even the Alt Sinatra guy was marginally entertaining.

Also, giving Melissa and Tony the encore was flattering and yay, Tony, but doncha think making the injured celeb dance even more was kinda cruel?

And what a lot of folks will think is even crueler, was not sending Ty home last night. Except, NOT ME! Ha! And yeah, I know, I know, he shouldn’t make the finals, yadda yadda, and all true. But man, this just goes to show you what being a hard working, great attitude, charming and self deprecatingly funny guy will get you. You go, Bullrider!

Also going? Kim! Double HA! I mean, based purely on who I want to entertain me, that’s who I’d have sent packing, only I never in a million years thought it would come true. Thank you, America!

Now, on to American Idol, where Slash taught the kids how to rawk. Actually, he was a good mentor and I liked that he had them play in a club environment in front of a rock band.

We get the surprising news that in addition to their one solo performance, the final four will be paired up for two duets. I love this idea. In theory. In reality? A bit rocky.

But, opening the show, Adam, singing Zepplin, and doing a mighty fine job. With both the song and the eyeliner. I’m a fan.

Alison takes on Joplin and does the kind of good job with it we expect her to, but perhaps a different song would have been more electrifying.

Then we get Trainwreck #1 of the night, with Kris paired with Danny (I know, folks…) singing Renegade. A song I used to love. Wow. Not only did they not even try to really sing together (and I’m not talking harmonizing, that was the only thing they did well) but it was like Danny was just hell bent on trying to outsing Kris and not really making it a duet. Individually they both had their moments, but this was not a song in either of their wheelhouses and I totally missed the point in them choosing it.

Afterward, the judges all boarded the bus that is running over Kris and making a smug Danny more smug, and well, it was all just painful all the way around.

Then, poor Kris had to try and sing his solo next, which is hard to do while pinned under the bus, but try he did with Come Together, except there were SO many other songs I’d have rather heard him try. Like Clapton’s acoustic take on Layla. Then the judges backed the bus up over him again, and well, bye, Kris. Wow. Even he looked pissed and dispirited and you can’t blame him.

Then we get Gokey doing his solo, and wowwowowowow. And SO not in a good way. He sings Dream On and man, dogs cried, children hid, cats worried that one of their kind was being mauled, but that last note? Should never be sung again by you, Danny. Well, never attempted by you, because that? Was not singing. Michael Johns tried that song and went home on it. And he wasn’t bad. If there is a god….he will steer that bus away from Kris and run your smug ass down.

And then after screeching the worst note ever to be screechd on this show (and that was final four, folks) he actually has the smug ass nerve to defend the caterwaul pain as a good note and laughingly telling the judges that he was sure they thought he didn’t do it, but he knew it was good. (And thank you producers for then using that note during Danny’s recap at the end. LOVED that.) Wow. Just, there are no words for how badly this guy needs to leave. And he goes on (and on….) about how he wanted to go for edgy. Really Danny? Is that why you chose that best man pin striped vest and pleated dad slacks? Because that just screams edgy. And we know how it sounds when you scream.

Show of hands. How many think he wasn’t trying to be edgy, but trying to show the world that he can screech like Adam? Yeah, bad move, there, broheim. At best, he’d better be bottom 2. But what a time for a shocking boot. Make me happy twice, Americker, dare ya!

Then we close the show with Adam and Alison singing Foghat, who I also love. And thankfully still do. Not the best song choice, but that’s a way to sing a duet, people. Like, you know, actually singing together and looking at each other and eveything. It was very big bro/little sis, which was afreakingdorable. Although, caution, Adam, careful with those pants, dude. It’s all fun and games until someone pokes out an eye.

So, thumbs up Adam and Alison. Somebody, give Kris a lift to the finals. And send Danny’s smug ass home. That’s my take.

What’s yours? Because it’s time right now to DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Last night on Dancing With The Stars, each celeb/pro gave us two dances, one ballroom, one latin. Everyone did a fairly good job. Sort of like American Idol last week. No one really fell down on the job. Which is a good thing since the celebs all had solos in their second dance.

But some teams I am loving more than others. And this doesn’t always relate to dancing talent.

I admire Kim and Derek’s abilities, but neither dance this week did it for me, although I actually liked the ballroom more than the latin, which is surprising. But she seemed all over the place with that latin routine. And the solo? Yikes. Calm down, Kim.

Cheryl and Gilles also kind of disappointed. I thought their fox trot was nicely done, very sensual, but that rumba was just so too much of everything. Calm down Cheryl and Gilles. Sometimes less is more.

Then we had Shawn and Mark. I loved the Alladin routine. Loved the song, loved Shawn, just a very Disney Princess fun routine. Suited her personality to a tee. I thought she did the very best she could with the latin routine, and I know folks are mad at Mark for his rule breaking choreo, which the judges all said cost her the perfect score. But, think about itt, she’s not really all that great with the hip action and Mark did a brilliant job of disguising that with his routine. I think if he’d stuck to the rules, she’d have done worse. Anyway - enjoyed them last night.

Also loved Melissa and Tony. He does a wonderful job with the choreo and I thought both their waltz and their latin routine went really well. I was happy to see her back and wow, a 30 on that second routine. To be honest, I thought she looked a bit stuff in terms of her hip action and did most of her action up top, but given her rib injury, it was amazing she could do any of it, really. So, kudos to them both. And I think Melissa has handled her slot on this show really well - loved her comment last night about getting out of her solo since she’s not really a celebrity. She’s really done right by herself and she’s giving Tony the season of his career on the show.

But my favorite of the night, seroiusly….Ty. Yes, yes, yes, he’s most definitely the worst one out there. But who would you rather watch dance and listen to during all the rehearsal footage - Ty? Or Kim? See, exactly. It’s funny, because normally even if they’re charming, it’s a chore sometimes to actually watch the bad dancers. Not with Ty, not for me. Major major kudos to Chelsie for doing him such justice with the choreo. And I adored, absolutely and completely, his little “solo” for his wife. Because playing that to the crowd simply wouldn’t have worked, because he’s so horrible at it, but playing it to her was wonderfully sweet and cute. And his comments after with Samantha were hilarious. Love, love, love him. Yes, he totally deserves to go home, but boy I’d sure send home Kim first and get to enjoy him one more week. I’m going to miss his commentary, his quiet confidence, and his hard work. One of my all time faves.

What else was good? Watching pros dance without any cutaways to singers. What wasn’t good? Wow, the singing last night. Stoner Music Dude must have recruited all of his crack buddies because, other than the Alladin music, which was just fun, the rest was simply horrible. And the singing was tragically bad. Yikes, show. Yikes.

Back to the pros, though. Louis!! for one, and paired with Lacey, which I thought was so interesting and definitely a major compliment to her. She’s really elevated her stature from last year and you can see all the hard work she has put in on bringing herself up to snuff with the other pros. I’m glad to see that rewarded. And we got Jonathan and his wife, Anna, so double bonus. Also? Dmitry lost the buttons on his shirt. Again. I love it when that happens.

All in all, great night. America? Send Kim home. Keep the bull rider.

Tonight we get Rock Night on American Idol, with Slash as the mentor. I know. There are no more words. Just sit back and prepare yourself for the ride.

What did you think about the dancing? Who stays, who goes, and who is your pick to win it all? I’d be happy with a Shawn, Melissa, or Gilles win. Not so much with Kim, and Ty, while I heart him, shouldn’t make the top three. But he can beat Kim. Just sayin.

Oh! And would you like to win free stuff? Send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with “Yeah, free stuff is good!” in the subject line. I’ll draw a name from the pile o’ entries this Friday and announce the winner of a free book right here. Check in to see if you win!

In the meantime? DISH!

Tags: Uncategorized by Donna
6 Comments »

So, on Amazing Race, Jen was just determined to allow water to be her demise on this race, even though she was given the second of all second chances after persevering in the pool.

Loved the looks on Jamie/Cara’s face when they had to keep racing, and equally enjoyed the looks on the sister’s faces when they found out the leg wasn’t over and they weren’t out after all.

So….um, way to ruin that miraculous advantage, huh?

Now, to be honest, i didn’t really care which of last night’s bottom teams (see above) ended up going home. My distaste for both teams is well documented, though on last night’s portion alone, I was rooting for the sisters (to beat Team English Speakers Only Please!…not to actually, you know, win.) Then came the infamous Potty Break. The One Million Dollar Potty Break.

Now, I know how bad things are when you really, and I mean, realllllly gotta go. Heck, I was shocked she made it through the Eating Icky Things part anyway. But you know you’re in a footrace for last…and you STOP. TO. PEE????? You’re wearing a huge big ol gown. Honestly, who’da known if accidents happened?

ONE MILLION DOLLARS. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just sayin.

So, by the end, well, by the end I wanted all of them to go home except Tammy and Victor. They are the only truly enjoyable team on the race for me now, both intentionally and unintentionally. Margie is officially on my last giant nerve, her son needs to stop with the whining, and all the other remaining women can check out, thanks. Honestly, what happened? And they’re not even in India.

So, it’s Team Honorable Children all the way for me. I think those two have overcome the same kinds of obstacles all the teams faced when learning to deal with your partner regardless of whatever issues you contend with in real life. They’ve just done a better job at managing it than, well, every other team. Except maybe Mel and Mike. Can we bring them back for the last leg? Please??? Still heart them.

Of course, this is not to say that Team HonorableSibs have actually managed to overcome those odds. They just deal with them more effectively now. Or, rather, Tammy does. Was I the only one laughing when Victor kept telling Tammy she could recite the dinner orders all by herself, but then simply could not contain himself from echoing her? I mean, annoying, but also amusing and kind of endearing, in an “Oh, Victor” kind of way.

And please, not a word about whatever advantage you think the Bejing locale gave the Asian sibs. Because the race is plannned waaaaaay in advance and you never know who’s going to have what advantage where. Team Weeble should have had all kinds of advantages with their physical background, and they did in many cases, as have Tammy/Vic. Just as both teams had significant other issues to overcome (re: anything remotely athletic for Tam/Vic - who could have gone home on the Transylvania leg and their Chinese heritage would never have come into play.) For me, I was just happy that their advantage came when it did.

I think Margie and Luke proved whatever they went on the race to prove, together and separately, just by making it all the way to the end of the race. I don’t want or think they “need” to win at this point. They’ve dropped waaaaay down on my happy list. And while I’d love to see a girl-girl team win at some point? Yeah…not this team. So undeserved.

Mainly I have just thoroughly enjoyed the mostly non-model, non-athletic guy-guy teams this year and how often the leads and winners have changed as the race progressed. Keep that up, show.

What say you, blog babes? Love, hate, winners, losers? What are your thoughts? And tonight? More dancing. Woot!

Tune in tomorrow for details on this week’s giveaway.

Until then? DISH!!

PS - thanks for the Survivor Ponderosa link in yesterday’s comments! You’re right…Tyson was remarkably normal and kind to Sierra at Exile House. Wow. And I loved how she finally got to enjoy her teammates, also the whole need to sleep together thing. She was a lot more abused during this game than they showed (read her ET interview - they actually made her sleep outside the tent in the rain at night!) so I was most happy to see her enjoy at least this post-game aspect. And love her attitude. I am probably the only one who did as well even as she was playing the game…but wtg, young one! You’re right to be proud of those 30 days. Especially given the extra abuse, right from the start.

And still? DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
6 Comments »

First the MAC….

So, Survivor is on a real love it/hate it ride with me this season. Last week with the Tyson blindside, it was all love. This week Coach wins immunity, everyone picks on the young kid, and they send Sierra home. Honestly, if I was Sierra I’d be glad to be out of there, too. Wow. Talk about a season of “mean girls.” I’m not sure why everyone was on her case so much, but it was like she couldn’t win from the very beginning. I think Coach had a lot to do with her “bad rep” and, as far as I could tell, every time she tried to talk or get her point across, she was shut down by other people having tantrums. Debbie and Erinn.

Yes, she did stalk off a few times, but honestly? Can you blame her? Wow. Again.

And Coach in a bald faced lie…you do know this is all taped, right? Because I think he honestly believed everything he was saying at tribal. In his head, that’s how he has it all recorded. Man, what an irritating season.

Even then, Sierra was pretty classy about her exit. I’d have been spewing venom at that point and she was pretty much just, hey, I made it a hell of lot longer than I thought I would. Which, true. And yay, now she gets to go live with the meanest mean girl of all….Tyson. Lucky her. At least she’ll be clean, fed, and have Brendan there to deflect the asshole. Poor thing, as much as I want them to send Coach there next week, it’s like a never ending nightmare for her.

Moving forward, did anyone howl in laughter as JT is essentially telling Probst in tribal council why everyone should vote him off? (Immunity threat, social threat….) No, they just all love him to death. So do I, but ya gotta laugh. Hopefullly Debbie, Coach and Erinn will be out the door, then things will get real interesting.

And Debbie…how is it that you’re the principal of a middle school, but you can’t handle drama? And young people? Seriously? Shut up, Debbie.

Okay, let’s move on to the fun part of today’s activities! Free stuff! All ya had to do was email me this week, and loads of ya did. But there can be only one winner, and that lucky Blog Babe is? Maureen E! Woo hoo! Just email me with some title ideas (in case I’m out of your first pick) and an address, and it’s on the way.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. My youngest comes home tonight from college in Colorado for the summer. Yay!

So…now it’s your turn. Were you pissed off at how everyone treated Sierra during the reward challenge? Am I the only one who was rooting for her? Who do you want gone next? And who do you want to win? Taj? Stephen? JT? God forbid, Coach? DISH!!

Tags: Uncategorized by Donna
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