American Idol: No Surprise There! (5/24/07)

After the nationwide vote (and over 70 million came in), Ryan announced the new American Idol ... Jordin Sparks! I love a good Cinderella story. Jordin actually dropped out of traditional high school & soon after, tried out for Idol in L.A. Producers rejected her & she never made it to the judges. Good thing Sparks was determined. She got herself to Seattle (also where Blake Lewis auditioned) and got a big "YES" for Hollywood from Simon, Randy, and Paula. Thus, an Idol was born.

Last night's 2 hour season finale actually moved along quite nicely thanks to tons of performances by: Kelly Clarkson, Reuben Studdard, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Gwen Stefani, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Bebe & Cece Winans, and of course - your top 12. For a minute, I forgot that Brandon & Stephanie were in there. It was good to see the top 12 & I think that all of them sounded better last night than they ever did on the show. That's right, Haley. I'm talking to you.

Up next is the grueling pace of the Idols summer tour - they'll be doing over 50 shows! You can see all the tour dates HERE. It's a little pricey with the most expensive ticket around $70 ... too rich for my blood. If anyone is going to see it, email me if you'd like to do a review of the show & you could see your work here on the site!

Once again, congratulations to Jordin Sparks, our new American Idol!

For more Idol stories, info, and links - visit sirlinksalot.net

A Reality Check With ... ME!

Hey guys, for those of you who missed it, I was on 99.1 WPLR this morning at 9:15am EST. If you don't live in CT and if that's too early for you, I'll have the audio up this week. Chaz & AJ have a great morning show & you can stream it live HERE from wherever you are. I'll be on as a guest tomorrow morning at the same time discussing the American Idol results. Many thanks to WPLR for always showing RealityCheckByGina the love & having me on as a guest when big things happen in reality!

Dancing With ... Apolo & Julianne! (5/22/07)

Last night, everything fell into place as it should as Apolo & Julianne took home the giant disco ball! They rocked all 3 performances for the finals & deserved to win it all. I never thought a speed skater would become such an amazing dancer. He's LEGITIMATELY great. Laila & Max finished in 3rd with Joey & Kym taking 2nd place. This was my favorite season by far - it got me hooked & I'll keep watching! Now, if we could only do something about Samantha Harris...

American Idol:

It's the final performance night of American Idol before a new winner is crowned tomorrow night. Blake vs. Jordin: The Entertainer vs. The Voice - who will win? It's going to be a tight race & I'm sure the votes will come in in record numbers.

Round 1
Blake reprises "You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi, showing off his superior beatboxing skills. Randy gives him a 10 for beatboxing but says the vocals weren't all there which Simon agrees with. Paula said something about a nice tie - thanks, Paula. Jordin breaks out a new one, Christina Aguilera's "Fighter". While Randy & Paula gave her high marks, Simon didn't think her vocals were so great & gave round 1 to Blake.

Round 2
Blake breaks another Maroon 5 song (he has previously sung "This Love"), performing "She Will Be Loved". Randy compliments his vocals in this round which proves Blake has both the vocal & entertaining skills. Paula thought he sang with ease but Simon felt the song didn't have much of an impact. Jordin chooses a Martina McBride's "A Broken Wing" which she sang earlier in the season. The judges rave & it seems round 2 goes to Jordin.

Round 3
Blake & Jordin sing the winning song from the songwriting competition. Blake's song is called "This Is My Now" - the judges didn't love the vocals mostly because it's not in his genre. This is certainly not the king of song we would expect to hear from Blake. Jordin closes the show with the same song & I'm having flashbacks to Kelly/Justin & season 1's "A Moment Like This". The song was very skewed for Kelly to win & I worry producers are doing the same here. The judges feel Jordin deserves it all.

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Will Jordin win or will Blake upset? Tune in tomorrow night with the rest of America as we find out who the next Idol will be.

If you're voting tonight:

Blake 1-866-IDOLS-01, 1-866-IDOLS-03, 1-866-IDOLS-05

Jordin 1-866-IDOLS-02, 1-866-IDOLS-04, 1-866-IDOLS-06

A Reality Check With ... Andy & Tessa (ABC's "The Bachelor")

Andy & Tessa, the happy couple, joined the media on a conference call this morning. I stole a few minutes with them & here's what they had to say:

RC: Andy, what initially drew you to Tessa when you first met her?
Andy: That corny muffin joke! She has an ease about her that is so elegant & real. She’s true to herself. She’s different than all the bachelorettes, she made me laugh til I got side stitches. It’s rare to have someone like that!

RC: Andy, what went through your mind when both girls said they loved you?
Andy: I was stressed! I was really, really stressed. It’s such a bizarre situation but one that becomes permissible given the format for the Bachelor. You can really develop strong feelings coming down to the end. You could see my emotions really show, I hated to break somebody’s heart. The love I felt from Bevin was so powerful, she really loved me. I didn’t feel the same necessarily back to her. Dealing with that was intense. I was falling in love with Tessa & once she gave that back to me, I knew I had to let Bevin down.

RC: Tessa, Andy said that he prepared you for what you would see in the episodes. Did anything surprise you & what were you told about the finale?
Tessa: Actually, I hadn’t seen the finale yet! We were flying to NY. Andy prepared me in the sense that … there’s only so much you can say or do to prepare someone for this. Andy was there to remind me how much he loved & cared about me.

RC: How do you guys keep romance alive?
Tessa: Are you kidding? With Andy?! He is the most romantic person ever!

You can catch up with Andy & all girls on tonight's Bachelor reunion on ABC!

The Bachelor: The Final Rose (5/21/07)

I have a talent. A gift, really. I always back the girl who gets dumped on national tv. During The Bachelor: Rome, I picked Sadie but Lorenzo picked Jen. And when The Bachelor: New York featured Charlie O'Connell, he picked Sarah but I rooted for good ol' what's-her-name. Such is the case this season. Despite having to warm up to Bevin, I pulled for her all season long. When Andy dumped her at the final rose ceremony, I couldn't believe it. More shocked than me - Bevin, who could not even find words to speak. I actually felt bad for her. Damn you, Bachelor, you got me.

At least Andy admitted in his ABC conference call last week what a cheeseball he was. It made me feel better knowing he was aware & actually proud of it. His own sister laughed at him when he did a Baldwin family huddle in their living room at the start of last night's finale. Both Tessa & Bevin came to PA to meet Andy's family. Both women left lasting impressions though both had their struggles. Tessa fumbled when the Baldwins asked where she saw herself in 5 years. Bevin talked about wanting to work with people who were sexually dysfunctional & her religion that she was raised in - the Bahai faith. Still, after the family meetings, it looked like Bevin was winning.

Bevin looked like the frontrunner the whole episode. On the final 1-on-1 dates, Bevin told Andy she loved him. But hold up, Bevin. Tessa dropped the L-word too! Lots of gift-giving & making out took place. Andy says when Bevin said she loved him, it was the best moment of the whole show. Wait a minute. He ALSO said when Tessa said SHE loved him, that's what he had been waiting for. I'd pay a lot of money to have been sitting in the living room with the happy couple last night watching this back. Awkward much?

At the final rose ceremony, it was clear from the beginning of Andy's speech that he was letting Bevin down. The minute I saw her step out of the limo first, I knew what her fate would be. She never saw it coming, breaking down immediately & could not find words to say back to him. Bevin expressed herself more on the limo ride home saying she never thought she would be the one to get dumped, saying this always happened to her, and she felt like a fool. It's hard not to empathize with the girl. Tessa showed up last to a very happy Andy who proposed right there. She said yes (although rumors on the internet said she initially said no) & the two seemed very happy together.

Check back later today, I'll be talking to the new couple - Andy & Tessa! And don't forget tonight's reunion airs at 8pm on ABC!

For more Bachelor links, visit sirlinksalot.net.

Dancing With The Stars: The Final Dance - part 1 (5/21/07)

Last night, the final 3 pairs took the dance floor performing 2 of their 3 final dances. Tonight, they will dance one last time for scores from the judges & the winner will be announced! In round 1, the judges chose the style of dance. In round 2, the pairs got to freestyle to show what they have learned & "bring it"! Here's what went down on the dance floor.

Laila & Max - Pasa Doble
Fast Fact: The pair received 3 7s the last time they attempted this dance.
Carrie-Ann said: great extensions, she was happy to see Laila pull punches
Len said: fantastic, lovely twists & turns
Bruno: called it her best acting performance to date
Total Score: 29 out of 30

Apolo & Julianne - Rhumba
Fast Fact: Last week's chacha was deemed too raunchy for Len who deducted them for it.
Carrie-Ann said: the dance was overperformed
Len: it lacked romance
Bruno: the pair could have conceived a baby on the dance floor
Total Score: 28 out of 30

Joey & Kym - ChaCha
Fast Fact: They were in the bottom 2 last week.
Carrie-Ann said: the dance was not right as a chacha
Len: too theatrical
Bruno: odd
Total Score: 26 out of 30
In the freestyle round...

Laila & Max took it old school but the judges wished for more elegance. 26 out of 30.

Apolo & Julianne went hip-hop, wowing the crowd. 30 out of 30 - perfect!

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Joey & Kym gave us disco, showing off tecnhique & pizazz. 30 out of 30 - perfect!

The final scores for last night's dance-off are:
1. Apolo & Julianne - 58 out of 60
2. Joey & Kym - 56 out of 60
3. Laila & Max - 55 out of 60

I've been rooting for Apolo all along - I really hope he gets to take home the giant disco ball tonight!

Dancing With The Stars airs tonight on ABC at 9pm EST.

For more Dancing links, check out sirlinksalot.net