TV-"American Idol" 08 Update, Ann Rule Book Review; "Celebrity Apprentice" Females Lose Again

An Ann Rule book review because one cannot get enough Ann Rule.

This one is "Last Chance, Last Dance" and Ann revisits some old crimes being solved with new technology.

Plus a "Celebrity Apprentice" update as the female team keeps losing every challenge.

Finally, an American Idol update.

All with pics and video you'll find nowhere else on the Internet.

TIDBITS Crazy Quiz Show Answers... BIG QUIZ (LBC) Gary King: Name the funny men who once entertained kings and queens at court. Contestant: Lepers. QUIZMANIA (ITV) Greg Scott: We're looking for an occupation beginning with 'T'. Contestant: Doctor. Scott: No, it's 'T'. 'T' for Tommy. 'T' for Tango. 'T' for Tintinnabulation. Contestant: Oh, right . . . (pause) . . . Doctor. DANNY KELLY SHOW (RADIO WM) Kelly: Which French Mediterranean town hosts a famous film festival every year? Contestant: I don't know, I need a clue. Kelly: OK. What do beans come in? Contestant: Cartons? BEG, BORROW OR STEAL (BBC2) Jamie Theakston: Where do you think Cambridge University is? Contestant: Geography isn't my strong point. Theakston: There's a clue in the title. Contestant: Leicester. BBC NORFOLK Stewart White: Who had a worldwide hit with What A Wonderful World? Contestant: I don't know. White: I'll give you some clues: what do you call the part between your hand and your elbow? Contestant: Arm. White: Correct. And if you're not weak, you're . . .? Contestant: Strong. White: Correct - and what was Lord Mountbatten's first name? Contestant: Louis. White: Well, there we are then. So who had a worldwide hit with the song What A Wonderful World? Contestant: Frank Sinatra? LATE SHOW (BBC MIDLANDS) Alex Trelinski: What is the capital of Italy? Contestant: France. Trelinski: France is another country. Try again. Contestant: Oh, um, Benidorm. Trelinski: Wrong, sorry, let's try another question. In which country is the Parthenon? Contestant: Sorry, I don't know. Trelinski: Just guess a country then. Contestant: Paris. THE WEAKEST LINK (BBC2) Anne Robinson: Oscar Wilde, Adolf Hitler and Jeffrey Archer have all written books about their experiences in what: prison, or the Conservative Party? Contestant: The Conservative Party. STEVE WRIGHT IN THE AFTERNOON (BBC RADIO 2) Wright: Johnny Weissmuller died on this day. Which jungle-swinging character clad only in a loincloth did he play? Contestant: Jesus. _

 


”Celebrity Apprentice 08”-Finch Fired When We Hardly Knew Her

So The Donald steals the idea of having a celebrity apprentice series from “Dancing With the Stars” and on some level it works. I’m not convinced that anyone but die-hard Apprentice aficionados are tuning in but a die-hard Apprentice fan, that would be me.

So in the most recent CA episode as of this writing, which would be Thursday 1/24/08, the celebrities had just the oddest task that made no sense and the outcome was equally odd.



The task, as charged, was to sell tickets to Broadway shows. This was obviously a task pandering to two of the celebrity apprentices, specifically Marilu Henner and Vincent Pastore. Allegedly both of these contenders are familiar with or have worked on Broadway although you could tell me that they were astronauts for as much as I know. Marilu Henner was once the star of the TV series “Taxi”, this I know.

Anyway, the challenge and the preparation went on as always. For the Empresario team, Henner took the lead while Pastore took the lead for Hydra.

It wasn’t a particularly exciting show which might be why The Donald is hyping a two hour show coming up this week, Thursday, 1/31/08.

The major drama this past week was whether Empresario would take another loss (they haven’t won a task yet) and for the better part of the hour it looked like this would finally be their week.

We had Hydra team’s Piers Morgan dressed up like King Author to sell tickets and I’ve got a fond place in my heart for Morgan. He had been a judge for the reality series “America’s Got Talent” and one team of contenders were a trio of chubby female singers. Morgan expressed his fond appreciation for the well-padded female figure and hey, a fellow who likes chubby broads is okay in my book. He made a fine King Author as well.

David Hyde Pierce, star of Frazier and now star of Broadway’s “Curtains”, showed up and he looked very, very skinny. He’s always been on the thin side but folks this fellow looks like he has real eating issues.

Beautiful model Carol Alt and Jenny Finch assumed the behind the scenes work and they complained that always seems to be their assignment. Well hey, it would make a little sense to put Carol out there if for nothing else but to attract the men.

In fact this is why Jenny Finch was finally fired by The Donald as he decided that she wasn’t made for the cut-throat world of corporate culture although she had nothing to do with the failure of the Empresario team.

Half the people who got fired have had nothing to do with failure to win, at least so far this year, so why should The Donald change things?

This week it’s a two hour “Celebrity Apprentice” and I admit to a curiosity as to why such a thing is necessary.



"Celebrity Apprentice" 2008 Contenders
======================
Carol Alt-model/actress
Jennie Finch-olympic medalist softballsent home 1/24/08
Gene Simmons from Kiss-sent home 1/17/08
Lennox Lewis-boxer
Marilu Henner-actress
Nadia Comaneci-olympic star gymnast-sent home 1/10/08
Nely Galen-Latina TV producer
Omaroasa-former apprentice
Piers Morgan-Americas Got Talent
Stephen Baldwin-actor of Baldwin family
Tiffany Fallon-playmate of year-SENT HOME PREMIERE NIGHT 1/3/08
Tito Ortez
Trace Adkins-country star
Vincent Pastore-star of sopranos

Prior Links to Posts for "Celebrity Apprentice" 2008
======================
Premiere Show
The Dog Challenge; Nadia Gets Fired
The Kodak Challenge...KISS Him Goodbye
Hydra Loses the Broadway Challenge; Finch Sent Home

American Idol 08 Goes to Charleston and San Diego

It’s an election year and every week some state or another is having a primary. There’s also a slew of reality shows that have seen creation since “American Idol” made its debut almost seven years ago.

It’s become tradition for AI to premiere early in the year, stringing out the series into May and there’s no reason not to do the same.

Except “American Idol” 2008 hasn’t had the blockbuster audiences it’s seen in prior years. Which doesn’t mean the audiences in early 2008 haven’t been significant and in any other year this would be an amazing audience capture. Unfortunately AI has a history and it is to this history that this ultimate reality show is compared.

Which makes me wonder if AI’s visit to the cities of Charleston, South Carolina and San Diego, California wasn’t completely overlooked in the shuffle save this one lone Blogger.





I’ve heard and read griping that this preliminary AI series is old hat, that the notion of crazies who can’t sing auditioning for possibly the most difficult singing competition on the planet is old hat.

I like to tune in this early in the competition because a)well I’m a Blogger and I blog about it and b)I like to see if I can pinpoint the next possible American Idol. Last year I picked Jordin Sparks and the year before I honed in on Carrie Underwood.

This year I think I’ve spotted a real contender from the San Diego competition. Not to mention my own personal favorite.

Keep an eyeball peeled for Carly Smithson. She and her husband own a tattoo parlor and, indeed, she herself is covered with lovely tattoos. Carly had tried out and was enthusiastically accepted for the fifth season but some kind of Visa problem forced her to drop out. On the night of the San Diego tryouts all the judges greeted Smithson as if she were an old friend and they enthusiastically voted her on to Hollywood.

Out of all the contenders in four cities, including the two covered this week and the prior shows in Philadelphia and Dallas, Smithson is the first to catch my eye so forcefully.

I, of course, have my own personal favorite, my guy from Delaware, Chris Watson.

Below is a video remix of the San Diego and Charleston contenders. Check out Smithson.



Prior Links to Posts for “American Idol” 2008
======================
Premiere Show 2008-Philly and Dallas
San Diego and Charleston
=============
Focus on TV Posts of Fame

Those Wacky TV Chefs. Includes Rachel Ray and the sexiest chef of them all.

TV News Pundits including Russert, spitting Matthews and the one I adore.

"Dancing with the Stars" of 2007, reviews, pics and videos.

American Idol 2007 and The Bachelor. One night's review with links to all the others.
===============
 


”Last Chance, Last Dance” by Ann Rule”



And still nobody writes a true crime book like Ann Rule. This book by Ann Rule is unique out of all her novels in that Rule actually got to interview the victim who almost died at the hands of the idiot around who the story is based.

First, let’s talk about Debbie Pignaturo. She married a “doctor” fellow, one Anthony Pignaturo, and I’m sure she loved the guy at the time of their marriage. Ann Rule is entirely too polite to point out the stupidity of the characters in her book so I’ll do it for her.

For Debbie Pegnaturo was a fool and so stupid at times it was breathtaking.

Her fine husband, Anthony, was possibly the worst doctor on the planet and I’m sure Debbie, who served some time working with this narcissistic asshole had to know it. In fact, Anthony’s first run-in with the law came when he killed a woman during a routine breast lift.

Indeed Anthony had set himself up a little clinic as no hospital would let him inside their walls. He kept to fairly simple procedures such as breast lifts and tummy tucks and most times his payment was in cash from the females who wanted so bad to be more beautiful that they put themselves in harm’s way at the hands of a butcher with a doctor’s degree from some third world country.

Dr. Pignaturo botched up the breast lift so horrifically that prosecutors actually went to the time and expense to charge the man with a form of murder. How often does this happen?

But Debbie went on with her husband who she had to know was a murdering, bombastic fool. Eventually this fine man tried to murder Debbie herself.

As further proof that Debbie Pignaturo was a bit of a dumbbell, even while she gradually became so sick that she couldn’t lift her arm from the arsenic her husband snuck in her food, she still didn’t leave the guy or even recognize that it was HE trying to kill her.

Eventually Debbie Pignaturo got so sick that she had to be hospitalized and again prosecutors filed murder charges against Dr. Pignaturo with little help from the hapless Debbie, would-be victim.

Still and all it was a good story and as always, Rule does a great job of telling the story, presenting the players and managing to keep editorial intrusion at a minimum.

Rule needed Debbie Pignaturo to write the book for the detail this pathetic woman would provide. I, as the reader and under no such obligation, will say what I’m sure Ann Rule could not say as she penned the tale of the evil Anthony Pignaturo and his pathetic wife…DEBBIE PIGNATURO gives abused women a bad name.

For if ever a female of this planet needed a reality check it was this lady.

Anthony Pignaturo is now in jail and maybe Debbie Pignaturo has gone on to a new and happier life with the scales removed from her eyes.

I suggest giving this book a read if for nothing else to learn about Dr. Pignaturo’s newfangled toupee, which involves Frankenstein-like spikes in the skull, I’m not making this up.
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MORE ANN RULE BOOK REVIEWS
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Review Ann Rule's "Every Breath You Take"

Shiela Bellush had quadruplets and, unfortunately, two daughters with Allen Blackthorne.

Blackthorne had everything a man could want. But he didn't have Shiela.

So he murdered her and left her babies toddling all about their mother's body.
Review Ann Rule's "Every Breath You Take"
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Ann Rule's "Heart Full of Lies" and "Bitter Harvest"

Liysa Northon was featured in Rule's "Heart Full of Lies". Liysa was pretty, intelligent and fortunate enough to live in two homes, one in Hawaii and one in Bend, Oregon. She was married to a Hawaiian Airlines pilot, Chris Northon, and was a talented photographer and writer in her own right.

Dr. Debora Green was a physician married to another physician, a Cardiologist, Dr. Mike Farrar. The couple owned a luxury home in Prairie Village, Kansas.

Both women had beautiful children; Liysa had two precocious boys while Debora had a son and two daughters. Both women wanted their husbands dead. One succeeded, the other gave it a try. Debora Green's house burned down and two of her precious children perished in the flames.

Both of these women are crazy as loons.

Ann Rule's "Heart Full of Lies" and "Bitter Harvest"
----------------------------------
Ann Rule's "No Regrets"

A book review as Ann Rule does it again with "No, Regrets".
He piloted mighty boats and lived past 80 years but his own wife ended it all for him.

Ann Rule's "No Regrets"
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Ann Rule-"And Never Let Her Go"

And Never Let Her Go" is the true crime story of Thomas Capano, scion of a wealthy Delaware family, lawyer and political insider. It wasn't that long ago that this case was splashed in all the newspapers in this area and I vowed that when someone wrote the book I would look into it immediately. I was delighted that Ann Rule wrote the book.

Ann Rule-"And Never Let Her Go"