In what was probably not a first on American Idol, one of the auditioners showed up with a ventriloquist dummy in hand. What was surprising, however, was that this girl, Halie Hilburn, had actual talent, and not just in ventriloquism. With two different songs (one as a duet with her dummy, Oscar), she impressed the judges and earned herself a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Making a lasting impression last night on judges and viewers was Zoanette Johnson, who burst into the audition room all sass and flash. For her audition song, she opted to sing the national anthem with a few tweaks here and there to make it her own. Although Randy Jackson was not necessarily convinced of her actual talent, he was pressured in the end by the other judges, namely Nicki Minaj, and sent her through to Hollywood as well.

Also making it to the next round last night on American Idol was 16 year old Kayden Stephenson, who sang like a young Michael Jackson and looked a little like a younger Justin Bieber. Kayden, who looked much younger than 16, shared that he had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at a very early age and was only expected to live until age 35. With a strength and optimism that one would not expect from such a young boy, he declared that this was, “his shot” and gave it his best go, which easily sent him into the next round.

After such a sad, yet inspiring story, the auditions took a turn and ended on a funnier note, with last year’s judge, Steven Tyler, making an appearance in drag and pretending to audition for a spot in Hollywood, to which he was denied.  Better luck next year, Steven.

Next week, the contestants head to the sunshine state where they will be faced with the infamous Hollywood week auditions where even the most talented have been known to crack under pressure.

American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

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His first date of the week with Selma, a real estate developer from San Diego, went smooth enough, although I think he will find that she is a bit too prissy in the end. Despite the fact that she claimed to hate heights and being hot, their rock climbing date in the desert was a success, which made Sean hopeful that she was his type of girl (keep dreaming, Buddy). At dinner, there was a good amount of cuddling and gazing into one another’s eyes, but when it came time to seal the deal with a kiss, Selma put the brakes on, explaining that her strict Muslim upbringing would not allow her to kiss him on camera (at least until she was the only woman left standing). Sean accepted her situation and, not surprisingly, gave her the rose.

At the group date, the ladies were sent to a roller derby rink where they began training to compete on teams against each other. The majority of the ladies spent a good part of the time slipping and falling, but Amanda, who lied and claimed to have done roller derby in the past, began zipping around and showing off for Sean.  After a bit too much showing off, however, she bit the dust, causing paramedics to declare that her jaw may be broken (off to the hospital with you, Amanda). Sarah, who was very concerned about her lack of balance due to the fact that she only has one arm, fought through the fear and gave skating a try. After Amanda’s fall, Sean declared that the competition was off and the group proceeded to participate in a good old fashioned “free skate” (Where’s the Hokey Pokey music when you need it?).

After their visit to the roller derby, the date continued on for some one-on-one time with Sean and, of course, some drinks. Part way through the night, Amanda showed up ready to play the sympathy card, but didn’t really get too much, even from Sean who claimed he couldn’t really see any swelling. Tierra, who was probably angry with Amanda for stealing her move of getting injured, eventually couldn’t take not being the center of attention and stormed off declaring that she was quitting the show. Her exit, of course, could not be complete without a well timed visit to Sean, who just so happened to be making out with Lindsay at the time. Once leaving Lindsay behind, Sean sat down with Tierra to listen to her tale of torture and how she just couldn’t take the fakeness of the women any longer. Like a fool, Sean swallowed every word she said and, just to be certain she wouldn’t leave (as if!), he gave her the rose, therefore infuriating the rest of the ladies on the date.

For his last date, Sean chose to take Leslie H. out for a “Pretty Woman” style shopping trip in which she got to pick out an entire new outfit for their dinner date. After choosing a new dress and shoes for the evening, Sean completed the “Pretty Woman” scenario by offering up a 120-carat necklace for her to wear. At dinner, the couple tried to get to know one another, but it was really just painful to watch with Leslie looking all bright eyed and interested and Sean looking bored and grasping for an excuse to leave, which is exactly what he did. After listening for a short period of time about her family and dating history, he picked up the rose, only to tell her that he would not be giving it to her because he just couldn’t make the romantic connection happen. A surprised Leslie headed out to her car, asked him to remove the necklace, and hit the road.

At the rose ceremony, Sean had only one girl left to send home, having already given Leslie the boot earlier.  He, then, continued with his tough love approach, sending Amanda home without too much explanation or thought to the fact that she had spent the majority of her date in the emergency room, which was really no loss since, next to Tierra, she gets the award for the most crazy in the house.

Next week, The Bachelor returns for two nights of drama with one episode on its regular Monday night and a bonus episode on Tuesday night, and if the previews are any indication, I think we get to see Tierra try to one up Amanda’s hospital visit.

What did you think of Sean’s decision to keep Tierra? Will he finally see through her next week? Share your comments below.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.

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In the calm before the storm, the judges were impressed by several contestants, including Brian Rittenberry, the bookkeeper from Georgia who had nearly lost his wife to cancer in 2009, and Isabel Gonzales, whose online nomination by her aunt earned her first, a visit to her high school from Randy Jackson and after her audition, a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Everything seemed to be going fairly well in North Carolina until Summer Cunningham walked into the room and auditioned with the song “Lean on Me,” to which she admitted to doing “the country thing” with it. This phrase irked Keith Urban a bit and sent him, along with Mariah and Randy, into a bit of a discussion about country music and Summer’s musical focus. After a bit of talking in circles, but also some advice about how her voice was suited for country music, the three judges voted yes to sending Summer to Hollywood. Despite their ‘yes’ votes and even encouraging comments, Nicki felt that they had tried to pigeon hole her into country and threw a bit of a temper tantrum, even storming out of the audition room when Randy reminded everyone that he was trying to offer up some advice from his 30 years of experience. (Watch the drama unfold below)

Day two of auditions in North Carolina got off to a much more positive start with Brandy Hamilton, the navy reservist with an enormous amount of charm, who, in addition to singing beautifully, asked the judges not to fight because it “makes her sad.” With that single request, the fight from the day before was seemingly forgotten and the parade of hopeful contestants continued on.

In addition to many excellent auditions, along with several not so great ones, viewers were treated to a varying number of nicknames bestowed upon the contestants from Ms. Minaj, who continued her quest to outshine the other judges and the singers, for that matter. While the random cutesy names and comments were certainly entertaining at times, it has to be said that her inexperience and youth seems to be, at times, outshining the hip hop artist herself.

Admittedly, I was a bit hard on American Idol during premiere week, even calling it a snoozefest, but after last night’s show, I am hesitantly optimistic that the judges may fall into a groove just yet, not because of the “fight” between the judges, but because at least three of the judges are starting to look like they are actually invested in finding the next American Idol. Some really amazing talent found in North Carolina didn’t hurt either.

Tonight the auditions head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Will the home of the Big Easy contain the next American Idol? Watch tonight at 8/7c on Fox to find out.

The post American Idol Recap: Talent and Tantrums In NC appeared first on TVHackr.

The first date of the night was a one on one date with Lesley, who managed to sneak in a coy kiss the last time that she and Sean were together, a move that seemed to inspire the date choice for the evening.  After arriving at the Guinness World Record museum, a date that Lesley privately admitted was a bit lack luster, Sean pointed out to Lesley that his dad had, in fact, won a world record for driving through multiple states in the shortest amount of time.  Chris Harrison then made a “surprise” appearance and informed the couple that they would be trying to set the world record for the longest on screen kiss, which I expected would mean standing lip to lip for hours on end. It turns out that the record was only three minutes and 16 seconds, making the time to beat a bit lack luster as well.

For the week’s group date, Sean took twelve of the girls to the beach for a day of fun in the sun, as he put it. After the proper amount of frolicking and hand holding while running into the waves, Chris Harrison, yet again, crashed the date to tell the ladies that they would be competing against one another in a beach volleyball tournament to earn the chance to continue on in the date and spend more time with Sean. In the end, the blue team, which included Kacie, Amanda, Desiree, Robyn, Jackie, and Lindsay took home the win that earned them the right to stay and play.

While the red team sulkily headed home and Kristy sobbed to the others about how she wanted time (a bit of preaching to the choir, don’t you think?), the blue team reconvened with the frolicking and headed back to Sean’s place for some “serious quality time together.” After a few nice conversations with Lindsay, Desiree, and even one very fake one with Amanda, Kacie decided that she was going to “play the game” and fill Sean in on the tension between Amanda and Desiree. Unfortunately (but fortunately) for her, conniving must not be in her DNA because it just came off as bizarre and disingenuous, leaving Sean to tell her to just “be Kacie and not the crazy lady” that had shown up that night.

The third and final date for the week was another one on one with Ashlee, who was looking forward to the opportunity to fill Sean in on her past and the fact that she had been adopted as a young child. Just as she sat waiting in anticipation for his arrival, Tierra “slipped” and fell down the stairs, taking all of the attention (and camera time) away from Ashlee and Sean’s date and putting it all onto Tierra. After rejecting the paramedics’ recommendation to go to the hospital, Tierra, who was unable to answer questions coherently previously, managed to find it within herself to move to a chair away from all of the other girls to rest and once there, miraculously, she was able to crack jokes and have conversations when Sean joined her.

Once the drama from Tierra’s fall had ended, Sean and Ashlee headed to Six Flags where they had the entire amusement park to themselves.  Sean, who has expressed the importance of charity in his life, told Ashlee that two young girls from the Make a Wish Foundation who had only met via the internet through a program meant to pair up children that were struggling with similar illnesses would be joining them for the day of fun. The group seemed to have a great time together and, by the look on Sean’s face throughout the day, he was impressed by Ashlee’s interaction with the girls. At night, Ashlee shared the story of her adoption with Sean, leaving him teary eyed and rushing to give her the rose that would keep her safe for the week.

At the rose ceremony, we saw the first bit of “tough love” from The Bachelor when he pulled Kacie aside and told her that they were better off as just friends. Kacie, who obviously did not agree, agreed with him and hopped into the limo and out of sight. Also heading home last night were Kristy, the model from Wisconsin and Taryn, the health club manager from Oregon, who, let’s face it, never had a shot to begin with. Sean hadn’t given Taryn the time of day and he didn’t even give Kristy the date rose when she won the Harlequin photo shoot, but look at the bright side, ladies. In the end, Sean did you a favor, saving you from getting too attached and getting caught on camera doing an “ugly cry” limo confessional later in the game.  Now you can safely sit at home and watch all the other girls do just that.

What did you think of Sean’s choices last night? Did he make the right decision to send Kacie home? Share your thoughts below.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8/7 on ABC.

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Usually it takes a few episodes of auditions for me to get burned out on the preliminary process, but last night, I was bored about an hour in to the two hour premiere. I’m not sure if it was the uninspiring talent or the lack of any real chemistry between the judges, but either way, I had to take a break part way through.

Mariah, who at times seemed surprisingly maternal and at other times unsurprisingly diva-ish, offered her opinion without much incident. Keith Urban, who is by far the most likable judge this season, seemed genuine and tried his best to get a word in edgewise sitting between Nicki and Mariah. Randy, as usual, tried to assume the role of tough judge, only to come off as a bit contrived, but at least that was reminiscent of seasons past. Nicki seemed to be under the impression she was running the auditions, declaring when singers could try a second song and often jumping in to begin the critiques. All in all, rather than a panel of judges working together to find the American Idol, it seemed there were four individuals giving their opinions and working towards their own goals.

The talent on the premiere of American Idol wasn’t too much to get excited about either last night. Sarah Restuccio might have been one of the most entertaining of the night, a sweet country girl who auditioned with a Carrie Underwood tune but then broke into an awesome rendition of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” when asked to sing a second song. Frankie Ford, bless his heart, came into the audition very nervous and had to start over after faltering with his initial notes. After gaining his composure, however, he gave a great audition of “Sweet Dreams” that earned him a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Although my first impression of season 12 of American Idol wasn’t the best, I am going to hang in there and hope that the judges’ panel will find their groove and that the best is yet to come with the talent. Tonight, the show heads to Chicago in search of the next big thing and with any luck; they will find it in the Windy City.

What did you think of last night’s American Idol season 12 premiere? Share your thoughts below!

American Idol airs tonight at 8/7c on Fox.

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American Idol

This season on American Idol, Randy Jackson will be the only familiar face sitting at the judges’ table, having said goodbye to former judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez at the end of last season. Joining the resident “dawg” on the panel this year will be singer Mariah Carey, country singer Keith Urban, and rapper Nicki Minaj.

The return of a fourth judge to the American Idol format is interesting in and of itself, having not gone over well previously, however, that is not the only potential problem (or success, depending on how you look at it) facing the judges’ panel. There have already been numerous reports of in fighting between Mariah and Nicki while out on the road at auditions. While it remains to be seen if it was hyped for ratings or if a feud really exists, you can bet a good number of viewers tuning in tonight will be watching solely for the purpose of seeing a good cat fight.

I will be watching tonight with mixed emotions hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. Will the new judges be able to breathe life into a show that was once the most watched show on television? For the sake of loyal American Idol fans everywhere, I certainly hope so.

American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

The post American Idol: Will the New Judges Sink or Swim? appeared first on TVHackr.

For his first one on one date, Sean chose to take out Sarah, the advertisement executive from Colorado. Unsure of what to expect and whether or not Sean would try to take it easy on her since she only has one arm, Sarah was soon shown the exact opposite when he told her they would be free falling over three hundred feet to a champagne toast. After successfully completing the daring fall, the two managed to have an honest and seemingly comfortable conversation in which Sean offered her a rose to guarantee her safety for the week.

Sean got his first lesson in group dating 101 when he managed to juggle thirteen women after having to kiss many of them in front of the group for a Harlequin romance novel photo shoot. If it wasn’t awkward enough to have that many ladies on one date, throw in multiple PDA’s and you are certain to stir up a bit of drama. After the photo shoot that Kristy, unsurprisingly won since she is a model, afterall, the group headed back for a pool party that left Tierra pouting about Sean’s lack of attention to her. Katie, the yoga instructor with Marie Antoinette hair, decided that The Bachelor was not for her and hit the road with little to no resistance from Sean. Kacie, on the other hand, was determined to try to break out of the “friend zone,” which she successfully managed after a fun and easy conversation with Sean about how she discovered she had feelings for him. At the end of the group date, Sean gave the rose to Kacie, leaving Tierra and many of the other girls less than pleased.

For the final one on one date of the week, Sean opted to take Desiree, the bridal stylist from Colorado, to an art gallery where they would enjoy the art and apparently test out Desiree’s sense of humor. Sean, a known prankster, set her up to believe that she was responsible for knocking over a million dollar piece of art work, but after a very short while, he couldn’t make her suffer and he fessed up to the prank. Desiree, a very good sport, laughed it off and made him pay later when she hesitated to accept his rose for an uncomfortably long amount of time.

At The Bachelor cocktail party, Sean made a special effort to speak with the ladies who did not get to go on dates for the week. Lindsay, who dressed up in a wedding dress in week 1, managed to have a coherent conversation with him this time around without trying to kiss him and they both agreed that they wanted to get to know each other more. Amanda, who spent the evening scowling and looking a bit like a serial killer, remarkably perked up when it was her turn to speak to Sean. After tying up the loose ends and speaking with many of the other women, it was time for the rose ceremony in which Sean predictably sent home the two women, Brooke and Diana, who we really hadn’t heard anything about or seen Sean interact with at all.

Although this week wasn’t the most exciting of episodes, it looks as though next week may make up for it when the women start to get nasty in their fight to win Sean’s affection and Tierra somehow ends up in a neck brace heading to the hospital. Shame on me for being excited.

What did you think of Amanda and Tierra’s split personalities? Did Sean make the right choices last night? Sound off here!

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.

The post The Bachelor Breezes Through His First Dates Unscathed appeared first on TVHackr.

Right from the start, Sean seemed to want to cut to the chase, not looking to make the ladies he felt confident about wait to learn their fates by handing out roses at will. Of course, this did send a few women into a spin when they did not receive roses after their one on one time, but all in all, it seemed to work out and only left a few roses left to give out at the actual rose ceremony. It will be interesting to see if this will be a trend for the Sean Lowe rose ceremonies or if it was a onetime deal.

Tonight on The Bachelor, the first of the dates begin, and it looks as though the claws are already coming out before they’ve even had time to settle in to their home. With such a likable and eligible bachelor up for grabs, there’s no doubt the women will be going all out to win Sean’s affection. After all, they fought over Brad Womack on his second time around, and he wasn’t nearly as eligible…or likable.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8/7 on ABC.

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With the less than luxurious accommodations bringing a bit of a halt to the family affair, the group begins to break off and begin doing their own things. Mitch and Cam make an attempt to join the party and celebrate, only to realize it’s not quite what they had hoped for. Gloria, whose time honored tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight as she makes a wish on each one, is put in jeopardy when she realizes there are no grapes to be had.  Jay, having been left on his own, is feeling a bit letdown until he runs into some old friends played by guest stars, Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars V) and Lainie Kazan (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).

Back at home, Haley and Alex are left to watch over the kids, only to find out that it might not be as easy as they thought.

Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

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On tonight’s Happy Endings, a popular young pop star makes a stop at Alex’s store and buys one of her dresses. Penny convinces here that she needs to seize the opportunity to gain some publicity; however, it turns out that the old adage that “All press is good press” may not exactly be true.

Jane and Derrick decide to take Max, who is in the middle of an identity crisis, on a tour of Chicago’s themed gay bars. Dave and Brad make the decision to be more “manly” and go on a hunt to fix things around the house.

Can’t wait to watch tonight’s episode of Happy Endings? Get a sneak peek at “Ordinary Extraordinary Love” below.

Happy Endings airs Sundays 10/9c and Tuesdays 9/8c on ABC.

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