The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio
The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio |
| Posted: 25 May 2011 03:29 AM PDT For a season which once showed so much promise, American Idol Season 10 has really coughed up the most boring finalists … but hey, at least we can gawk and ROTFL. AFTER trying to make sense of how these two country rug rats have managed to crawl (okay, drawl then) their way into the finals of American Idol, I've just about given up. From over 125,000 auditioned, this is what America chose? GO. FIGURE. I suppose that's what you get when you have teenage girls with smartphones voting a thousand votes an hour (NYdailynews.com says it, not me). I've heard more than a handful of fans cry foul, and suggest the whole competition was rigged from the week Casey Abrams dramatically earned his judges save. Perhaps it is true, to appeal to the younger demographic, maybe you need to have a battle between a 16- and a 17-year-old. I don't know and I really couldn't care either way. All the contestants who showed any versatility, credibility, musicality; they're all long gone. So why bother splitting hairs over whether Scotty or Lauren should win? Apart from Casey and James Durbin, if I had to look back on this season, I think I would best remember it for all the zany things people rocked up in onstage. Some of the girls (and maybe Jacob Lusk and Randy Jackson too) seemed to think this was American Idol meets Project Runway, and came up with all sorts of crazy outfits. Naima Adedapo, enough said. Actually, when I saw Gordon Ramsay in one episode, it completely threw me off. Please NO mash-ups! We don't need to see the Biggest American Loser or Idol Survivor or So, Idol, You Think You Can Dance?. Anyway, I wait with bated breath for tonight's show just to find out what everyone will be wearing ... although I'm pretty sure Scotty – the "unpredictable" person that he is – may just opt for the same jeans he's been wearing the last six months and a brand new checkered shirt. Oh wait, hopefully the producers will throw in a waistcoat, scarf, hat, bootlace tie and spurs. Yeehaw! It is the grand finale, after all. The final two performance of American Idol will air tonight at 6pm and 8pm on Star World (Astro Channel 711). The grand finale airs tomorrow live at 8am with repeats at 6pm and 8pm. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 25 May 2011 03:26 AM PDT Fairly Legal offers a peek into the fast-moving world of lawyer-turned-mediator Kate Reed. FAIRLY Legal takes off in the world of spastic Kate Reed (Sarah Shahi), a former attorney who is so frustrated by the law she becomes a mediator. As such, the fast-mouthed Anne Hathaway lookalike uses her considerable powers of persuasion to talk people out of their problems. In earlier episodes, these include dealing with a groom-to-be who is suing the hired help that messed up his wedding proposal, a grandmother and stepfather who are fighting over an orphan, and a traffic misdemeanour that occurred between a cyclist and her cab driver while he was err … sniffing his coffee – all outside the rigid and legally hamstrung court system in San Francisco. In fact, Reed is so good with what she is doing she manages to defuse an armed robbery at a store even before she tastes her coffee. She ends up satisfying the robber with a jar of beef jerky and a case of light beer. Now, if that's not cute enough, guess what? She lives on a boat too and almost every episode begins with her dragging herself out of bed. Though for someone who doesn't live in an actual house, Reed boasts some pretty impressive outfits. In the pilot itself, she dons a gorgeous red leather jacket and runs around in a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps. Other than her rocking wardrobe and killer shoes, Reed has interesting ringtones and different Wizard Of Oz characters assigned to people in her life on her phone (now where can I get those?). Inevitably, her super-prissy step-mum/managing partner Lauren (Virginia Williams) is the "Wicked Witch" who runs her late father's law firm after his recent death and who she tries to avoid whenever she can. I actually quite like Lauren and despite Reed's Wicked Witch of the West ringtone for her, I'm glad the show's creator, Michael Sardo, didn't turn her into a snivelling caricature. Lauren reminds me a great deal of Desperate Housewife's uptight perfectionist Bree Van de Kamp. While she is beautiful, ice-cold and shrewd on the surface, William's character is marked by an underlying vulnerability and looks ready to combust anytime. She looks great in her range of sleek, fitted dresses though. Reed's hunky assistant district attorney ex-husband Justin Patrick (Michael Trucco) makes delectable eye candy too. Reed and Patrick also have a hell of a complicated relationship – they have some genuine chemistry, still have great sex and he obviously still has feelings for her. Predictably, there will be a lot of ding-donging between squabbles and serendipitous reconciliations for the two leads throughout the season and probably even the next (the show has been renewed for a second season). Luckily for Reed, dramedy loves company and her trusty assistant Leonardo (Baron Vaughn) often helps her get out of sticky situations and is perceptive enough to anticipate her needs. Personally, Leo is my favourite character. He is snappy, mischievous and his brand of geeky cool, interspersed with sparks of understated humour draws the most laughs. Also popping up in her life every now and then is her brother Spencer (Ethan Embry) and Judge David Nicastro (Gerald McRaney) who apparently gives her a hard time for becoming a mediator but still engages her periodically to settle disputes. Some of the show's pithier moments come in the form of Reed's mixed emotions about her ex and her heart-to-heart chats with her dead father's ashes although I feel they are somewhat underplayed. But what I really like about Fairly Legal is while it borders on being just another law series, it sets itself apart fairly well from the tried-and-tested genre. There is no courtroom drama, no legal jargon to confound the layman, just a good ol' story about a really pretty girl who is fighting for the little guy. Still, Reed is someone you have to know to love. At first glance, she comes across as a ditzy, though a slightly less neurotic Ally McBeal. At times, she even looks like she's trying too hard to sound clever. And come on, Katesville is too Utopian, where bad guys are invariably just naughty, misunderstood kindergarten kids to which she plays teacher to. Even the most obstinate, mean-bean baddies inevitably end up opening up to her come the end of every episode. That being said, Reed's world is still a nice place to visit. There is a pleasant fairy-lit light-heartedness to it, as to Reed's personality. Much like her subjects, I ultimately end up becoming a fan of hers too as the series progresses. All in all, Fairly Legal offers a fairly fun ride that keeps getting better in time. Now, if only we can get someone like Reed to come by the office ... Fairly Legal airs on Thursdays at 9pm on Diva Universal (Astro Channel 702). Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Two contestants tied in race for 'Dancing' crown Posted: 24 May 2011 12:07 AM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP): With one dance remaining, two "Dancing With the Stars" finalists are tied for the judges' top spot. Chelsea Kane and Hines Ward each scored 59 points out of 60 for their two dances on Monday's episode. Fellow finalist Kirstie Alley finished with 54 points. Each will perform one final dance on Tuesday, when a new "Dancing" champ will be crowned. "I may not have a Super Bowl ring or an Emmy, but I'm gunning for that mirrorball trophy," said Kane, a Disney Channel star. She's competing against Ward, who was named most valuable player at the Super Bowl in 2006, and Emmy-winning actress Alley for the show's coveted disco-ball prize. Kane and Ward each earned a perfect score of 30 for their freestyle dances. Judge Bruno Tonioli said Kane's routine was "pushing the limit and advancing dance." He called Ward's halftime-themed dance "a crowd-pleasing event." The two top competitors each collected 29 points for their judges' choice dances: Samba for her and quickstep for him. She was called an "ultra-sexy bombshell," and he was praised as an entertainer who connects with his audience. Ward says he's already cleared a space on his shelf for the mirrorball trophy, "right by my Super Bowl trophy." Alley earned 27 points for each of her routines: A samba and a freestyle that she performed in a black bodysuit that revealed her leaner figure. "That dance embodies what I think you have become," judge Carrie Ann Inaba said, "which is the new poster child for life as it should be lived at 60 years old." Alley said winning the show's big prize "would be like winning an Oscar, because it's something I haven't won before, it's something I've always really wanted, and I don't know, it's a different category." Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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