Reality Show Catch Up-An "Apprentice LA" Wrap up; Dance With Stars-Down to Six; Bachelor 07 Down to Nine; Cooking

You might know who won the title of "Apprentice LA" but you can't wrap it up until you read my final summation and advice to The Donald if he wants to keep this thing going.

And Dance With the Stars continues with six left.

A quick check in with the Bachelor finds him down to six choices.

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Quote of the Day There will only be 49 contestants in the Miss Black America Contest this year, because no one wants to wear the banner that says, IDAHO. Don Imus

Web Site Worth the Visit Government Consumer Web Site Free government publication This is a 174 page book on consumer action published by the government. I understand that it is stuffed with valuable information that most would find useful. Also it is a good site to bookmark. ABOVE SITE HERE

TIDBITS FREEZER TIPS: To extend shelf life of flour, store in sealed containers in the freezer. To store baked goods in freezer, wrap well in plastic wrap and place in sealed containers or freezer bags. To thaw, remove from freezer and allow to thaw in sealed container/bag. This way the moisture lost during freezing will be re-absorbed upon thawing. Don't let leftovers die in the refrigerator. Think ahead and use them the next day in omelets, chili, soups, stir-frys, casseroles like macaroni and cheese, and salads. Develop knife skills. Cutting up your own chicken and boning your own meat saves considerable money. Plus, you have bones for making stock. Whole vegetables are cheaper than cut-up ones, too. Use your freezer intelligently. Take advantage of supermarket sales. Buy in bulk ground meat, chicken cutlets, poultry parts, steaks, and chops. Wrap and save leftovers from large casseroles such as baked lasagna, meat from roasted leg of lamb, or a baked ham. And date everything you put in the freezer.

 


"Dancing With the Stars" 2007 Performances 4/23/07

On the evening of this writing, 4/30/07, ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" is scheduled to continue on with six contenders remaining. This critique and commentary is written for the performances on 4/23/07-a week ago. On that evening, Heather Mills was sent packing. The remaining contenders are:

Ian Ziering
Billy Ray Cyrus
Joey Fatone
Laila Ali
John Ratzenberger
Apolo Anton Ohno

The evening's performances began with Joey Fatone doing a Samba. An odd vignette had last year's contender, Jerry Springer, returning during Fatone's practice session to allegedly "make him masculine". Now Joey Fatone is quite masculine but he had been criticized for being a bit too "feminine" in an earlier dance. I'm supposing that Springer was a popular contender on the series and the producers were looking for a way to believably bring him back for a quick visit. Only I didn't believe that Jerry Springer was any expert on masculinity for a second.

At any rate, during Fatone's Samba he sure exhibited some manly "pumping" actions that were almost x-rated. The Judges declared Joey messed up a little bit but he was awarded a total of 27 points out of 30 so he couldn't have messed up too bad.



Heather Mills and her partner performed a Paso Doble to the tune "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". I noticed some fine hand movements and this was the first dance that had me actually seeing Heather's fake leg. The judges declared the performance "fantastic" but said Heather could improve some. Heather and her partner were awarded 23 points, not a shabby score.

The viewing audience evidently didn't agree as the following night Heather was voted off the show.

John Ratzenberg was next. John performed a Mambo, a dance described as being "all about feet and hips". John's partner Edita wore one of the sexiest outfits so far this season and the duo danced to a tune called "Mambo Swing".

The truth is Ratzenberg does not dance very well although the Judges charitably declared that he was like a "dancing teddy bear". John and his partner scored 19 points out of a possible 30. Even though this was the lowest judge-awarded score of the evening, Heather was the dancer sent home. That's been the rather odd pattern this season; the women, even though better dancers, are sent packing way quicker than their awkward male counterparts. I don't know if this is because the likely female-dominated audience jealously sends the pretty females packing or, a more likely scenario, the male audience, few and far between and likely light in the loafers, jam the phone lines to send home the females.

Lailia was up next and she danced a Cha-Cha to the tune "Hold On, I'm Coming". Laila looked as pretty as I've seen during this series with sexy curly hair and some fine dancing. Laila and her partner scored 28 points out of 30.

Billy Ray Cyrus danced a Jive to the tune "We Love to Boogie". Billy Ray, besides John Ratzenberger, is another awkward dancer and he'd tell you that his own self. During Cyrus' performances the focus was more on humor and fun than technique. Several of the moves during this performance were cuter than all get out-including the end with the hat over his crotch and the one quick dance move that had the female upside down with legs spread wide. Billy Ray took a quick peek in-between and giggles abounded.

The judges declared Billy Ray as "always entertaining" and he and his partner scored 21 points.



One of my favorites, Apolo, performed a Rumba. A chair prop was used although the judges grumbled about this. I thought Apolo did a great job and I genuinely enjoyed watching his performance. The judges declared the performance featured "beautiful, fantastic choreography" and the team received 28 points out of a possible 30 total.

Ian Ziering ended the evening with a Paso Doble to the tune, "Waiting for Tonight". I thought the performance as just okay, I certainly was not moved as I had been with Apolo's performance.

The judges commented on Ian's posture, or lack of, and awarded Ian 24 points.

That same evening all the dancers performed a group Swing dance and it was enjoyable to watch. The following night, as stated, Heather Mills was sent home, leaving six left.

My predictions for the top three are:
1-Apolo
2-Laila
3-Joey Fatone

DANCING WITH STARS POST LINKS

OPENING NIGHT
Quick Step and Rumba Night
Ten Down to Nine
Nine Down to Eight
Eight to Seven
Seven Down to Six

"The Bachelor" Whittles the Field Down to Six

Once again, this commentary is about the episode which aired on 4/23/07. On the evening of this writing yet another episode of this rather weird reality series will continue but for now, let's talk about the nine which are now down to three.



Frankly it's been difficult for me to follow all these ladies but I'm supposing that with a narrowing field I will come to know the contenders for Andy Baldwin's heart a bit more. Up until now, they all seemed like pathetic females who are so desperate for a man that they sell their soul and dignity.

This episode began with all the contenders and Andy taking a trip to Lake Tahoe. Of course Bevon had an injured ankle from the prior week and was unable to partake in the fun on the slopes. Bevon through a hissy fit and Andy, being a doctor and everything, had to comfort her. This to the supreme jealousy and cattiness of the other contenders.

At Lake Tahoe there would be two so-called "group dates" and one so-called "one-on-one" dates. I have no idea how these very cherished dates with Andy are chosen in terms of the female who would attend, but this week it was contender Amber who would be alone with Andy.

The first group date featured Tessa, Kate, Tina, and Stephanie from South Carolina. Some interesting things happened on this group date, which seemed to be an afternoon on the slopes. Kate turned out to be a very bad skier and as she was sent home during the Rose Ceremony of Humiliation (my title), I must guess that Andy is an avid skier and this is why he sent Kate packing. No wait. Later Kate and Andy share a gondola and Kate takes that opportunity to declare that another contender is not for him. Hey, it was a catty moment, the sort of stuff women do. It was probably not a good idea for this series as go with me here, likely all the contenders think the other contenders are bad for Andy.

On the same date, Stephani T. warned Andy that Amber was too passive/agressive for him. Heh. This is called using psycho jargon to attack a challenger for a guy's affections.

Tina, on the other hand, asked Andy about money and wow, I thought, a common sense question here. I mean, go on, the issue of money is tip-top on most females' minds when they are considering a possible male lover. Andy declared that the yacht and fancy car used on the show are not his and that he is but a humble naval Lieutenant medico, not obscenely wealthy at all.

Another group date included Nicole, Danielle, Bevon and Stephani from Kansas. Bevon, being of injured ankle, was blessed with some special private time with Andy during their gambling group date. What a hoot.

First Andy maintained that he was always a nerd and pretty Bevon, of course, declared that she too was nerdy and always a social outcast. Heh. If those two perfect human beings are nerds and outcasts than there is no hope for the rest of us.

This duo did share some kisses and once again I must comment that if Andy the perfect male really kisses like what I'm seeing he can just forget it. For it's not enough to be a doctor, handsome, personable and seeking a permanent relationship. A fellow also needs to know how to KISS dammit, and those flat-lipped things Andy's giving out just ain't gonna do it. But then perhaps he's not allowed the kiss he'd like to give due to producer commands.

Amber and Andy had a date by a roaring fire and Andy did give Amber a rose, determining that she would not be sent home that night. This duo discussed all the cattiness and the prospect of the contenders questioning his motives. Which made me wonder what the hell did he expect? One handsome guy and 25 ladies vieing for his affections, go with me here, cattiness would be the norm. Perhaps Andy needs lessons on how women think?



As is the tradition, a rose ceremony was held later and Stephanie from South Carolina, whew...she wore a dress that amply showed off her very un-natural breasts. Three contenders were sent home that night: Stephanie with the artificial boobs, Kate and Nicole. One contender, Tessa, is the only one so far to display some common sense. She expressed some trepedation about this whole concept and suggested she might like to go home and give the whole crazy idea up.

Thus far, with six left, it seems that Andy does like ankle-injured Bevon quite a bit. Beyond this all the ladies seem to melt together for this viewer. Tonight I will watch this reality show again and try to get a "feel" for these ladies to determine if even any of them are worth beloved Andy's affections.

Bachelor Ladies LEFT:
Tessa
Danielle
Bevon
Tina
Amber
Stephanie from Kansas

BACHELOR 2007 LINKS-Officer and Gentleman
Let the Roses Begin
Wiggly Jiggly Boob Night
Down to Nine
Three More Gone; Down to Six
Three More Gone; Down to Six

"The Apprentice" 2007 Ends; A Winner Emerges



This year's Apprentice series, named "Apprentice LA" ended at the Hollywood Bowl on 4/22/07. The winner was Stefani.

The prior week the teams were given a task to create a commercial for the air freshener Renuzit. Frank and Nicole's offering, a disjointed thing concerning a hospital, an injured son and a worried mother, was determined to be the loser of the two offerings. Frank and Nicole were fired right away.

This left Stefani and James. By me, James deserved to win the thing although I still don't know why Trump fired JAmes and I certainly did not understand his rather mysterious comment that he was sending JAmes home because of some dialogue they had earlier. "You know what I'm talking about," Trump declared and hey, I didn't know what he was talking about. And it was never explained either.



All this being now stated, it's no mind. This year's show barely survived and as I've stated often, if Trump wants to keep this thing going he needs to revamp his concept. First, some things he should NOT do. One-DO NOT HIRE MARTHA STEWART TO FIND AN APPRENTICE. Two-FORGET OUTSIDE TENTS.

Trump needs to somehow involve his viewing audience in this thing. Yes viewer voting is all the rage but hey, it works. Viewers who have a stake in the possible winners tend to tune in. Also, Trump might want to consider giving viewers a chance to suggest actual tasks for the would-be contenders.

Whatever the case, I will be surprised if this reality show pops up again next year.

APPRENTICE 2007 LA LINKS
First Show 1/7/07
Swimsuit Task 1/14/07
Michelle Quits 1/21/07
Pollo Loco
The Honey of a Task
Priceline Trips and Language
Marketing the Lexis
The Soap Opera Task
Universal Studios Task
The LA Times and Mouthwash
Three Teams of Two
Renuzit Task
The New Apprentice 2007 WINNER!

More TV Reviews HERE
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Down to Six; American Idols

ELIMINATED THE NIGHT OF 4/25/07:
Everyone is safe. I'll explain later.


Below was written BEFORE the elimination show of 4/25/07 was aired.

American Idol 2007 continues by "giving back" during this week of inspiration. It'll be down to five when it's all over and just as soon as the elimination round is over we'll be posting it all to the Blog.

We're still watching The Bachelor, Officer and a Gentleman. We're still critiquing, tongue solidly in cheek.

Pic of the Day

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Quote of the Day Celebrity Quotes Part 2 "I had a lazy summer. I went nuts with the barbecue. Now I'm back with a new album and video. To be honest, I had more fun with the barbecue." - Singer, John Mayer "I actually like Bush. In some ways I'm the George W. Bush of hip-hop... nobody likes me, but I'm still gonna run it for the next four years." - Rapper 50 Cent "I showed up for work late once, and I got fired. I didn't get a scathing letter from an executive, I got canned!" - Shannen Doherty, on how Lindsay is getting better treatment then she did when she was young "I garden topless. I'll be in my garden, you know, just being natural." - Alyssa Milano "When I started shooting "Police Woman", someone asked me if I had ever played a sleuth before. I said, 'Yes, many times'. I thought they were asking me if I had ever played a slut. I didn't know what a sleuth was". - Angie Dickinson

Web Site Worth the Visit COOL PERSON TEST Think you're so cool you must always wear a coat? Take this test and prove it. Blog Site HERE

TIDBITS Building Trivia If you count only habitable space and measure from the sidewalk level of the main entrance to the structural top of building (excluding flagpoles and spires), then Chicago's Sears Tower may still be the tallest building in the world. *** The Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas, Nevada is the tallest observation tower in the United States. *** The Eiffel Tower was originally built for the 1889 World Fair, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. *** World Trade Center twin towers of New York City ranked fifth and sixth (at 1,368 ft and 1,362 ft) on this list until their destruction on Sept. 11, 2001. *** The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has defined 4 categories for measuring tall buildings: (!) Height to the structural or architectural , (2) Height to the highest occupied floor, (3) Height to the top of the roof (4) Height to the top of the antenna.

 


American Idol 2007 "Gives Back"



I got a bit confused when, on 4/18/07, host Ryan Seacrest said that this week American Idol would be "giving back" in a spectacular show that would start right after the normal Tuesday night performances. While I thought it seemed like a good idea- for giving away money to those less fortunate is almost always a nice thing- I didn't realize that the then six finalists would still be competing or that the following night, which would be the very evening of the day this missive is written, a contender would be eliminated per normal.

Thus I didn't schedule an American Idol post for this evening and once I understood how this was going to work, I had to scramble to get my act together.

Actually I'm not too crazy about that Bono crazy being a mentor for the week of giving back and the notion of throwing even more money at Africa doesn't cheer me. Sure innocent children in Africa suffer but everyone knows that throwing any money at the mess that is Africa too often goes to their self-appointed thieves, thugs and despots. And malaria is a disease that has been wiped out eons ago except the vaunted UN continues to ban DDT, a pesticide that really works. The DDT ban only affects Africa and we ask, could there be some not so nice people who prefer keeping an entire continent sick and dysfunctional for their own benefit?

Editorials now aside, Africa is just one of the many charities that will benefit from Newscorp's contribution of ten cents per call-in vote up to a total of five million dollars. Newscorp is the parent company of American Idol.

What a wonderful idea! First, the concept encourages phone calls to vote for the Idol contender who inspires. Second, it's a great promo for the contest. Face it, American Idol is the most amazing and successful music idea and reality show to come along in about forever. Finally, piling on the concept, the songs sung by the contenders were songs that inspire.





All this being said, we move on to the final six, their songs and thoughts on their performances on the night of Tuesday 4/24/07. As always, the results of the elimination round will be posted right after the show. This post that you read now was written BEFORE the elimination of one aspiring American Idol.

First up, Chris Richardson sang the Eric Clapton's "Change the World". There are times that I studiously make notes during performances and as the contender stands before Randy, Paula and Simon to hear the critique, those vaunted judges totally disagree with my notes. It doesn't happen all that often, ahem, but it does happen. For I thought that Richardson's performance was flat, out of tune and pitchy, according to my notes.

The judges, every one of them, loved Chris' performance and praised him effusively. So what do I do? Do I scratch my notes and ultimately my opinion? Or do I stick with my original thoughts jotted as I listened and look dumb?

Well I choose to look dumb because I did not like Chris Richardson's performance and besides, my notes indicate he sang a distinctly sour note in the middle of his performance. It's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Melinda Doolittle has proven herself to be a consummate performer and she kept it up with her performance of Faith Hill's "There Will Come a Day". Melinda is a sweet person, any fool can see this. She's got a pleasant understated sense of her self and her talent is at the top of the pile. Paula called Melinda "magical". I have to agree.

I was very discouraged that Blake was in the bottom three last week as this is a fellow with talent and then some. Randy even remarked on the shock of having Blake stand with Sanjaya and Lakisha as the bottom three while Chris Richardson and Phil Stacey scored higher. I'd always considered that Blake would end up the highest ranked male out of this year's contenders but now I worry that Blake's amazing talent might not be the stuff of the young America who buys most of the music cranked out in this era.

Blake sang John Lennon's "Imagine", which is a song I consider to be so silly as to cause me guffaws but for Blake, it was a perfect song choice. I noticed that Blake does tend to have an odd hangdog look when he sings slower songs. I wonder if the rest of America, perhaps tuning in now that the annual competition is down to a few, saw Blake and his odd facial expressions and took him to be a kook. Whatever the case, Blake did a great job with a tune that is really insipid but definitely in the "inspiring" category as required.

I softly suggest that Lakisha Jones will likely be voted off very soon. The woman has an amazing voice but Lakisha is up against so much overwhelming talent and she competes against some with more palatable traits than Lakisha possesses. We've already had a single mother win this contest and, in fact, Lakisha performed "I Believe" by Fantasia for her inspirational song. Fantasia milked the single mother story and, indeed, even was in a made-for-tv movie about her entry into the American Idol contest. Being up against Jordin, who has a refreshing and pretty youth, and Melinda, who looks professional and will likely be a seriously professional singer, I fear Lakisha will get rolled over in the shuffle.

All that being typed, Lakisha did a great job and her dress was beautiful and flattering to her lush figure. The judges all expressed some vague displeasure for Lakisha's performance. Frankly I think they all were discombubulated by the notion of having an American Idol contender sing a former American Idol winner's song. Yes, it's been done before but there are many similarities between Fantasia and Lakisha. It was a bit eerie and might have distracted from Lakisha's powerful voice and performance.

Phil Stacey sang "The World Will Not Change Me" if I got the title correctly. I was surprised because the song was very pretty and held my attention during the entire song. Paula declared it was Stacey's best performance and we were treated to shots of Phil's pretty wife.

Judge Randy and Simon seemed to want to push Stacey toward a country/western genre as he'd performed exceptionally well in that genre on Martina McBride night. Which got me to wondering if a singer could ever be happy singing a genre that they do not like. Actually I'm not sure which genre Phil prefers to sing but he sure is being given hints at what SHOULD be his best.

Finally, my fave to win this thing, Jordin Sparks, sang the most beautiful rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" that I've ever heard. In fact, Simon mentioned that if Jordin's version of this 60 year old song were to be recorded and sold on the mass market, it would be a hit.

For sure I'd download Jordin's song and have it saved on my precious IPOD that I can play it anywhere.

Jordin sang this tune, a song that can be really horrible if done wrong, sweetly without any dramatic theatrics that would not suit Jordin's personality at all. In fact, I sang the ENTIRE song right along with Jordin! Jordin, by the way, was much better.

Randy said Jordin's performance of this song was the best performance EVER, of all the American Idols...of ALL TIME.

It was.

My eyes tear up everytime I just THINK of Jordin's version of that song. If that performance doesn't win the title for Jordin than nothing will.

BEST PERFORMANCE-Jordin Sparks
BEST DRESS-Lakisha Jones
BEST SONG CHOICE FOR VOICE-Blake Lewis
WORST PERFORMANCE-Chris Richardson
BIGGEST SURPRISE OF NIGHT-Jordin Sparks...best performance EVER on American Idol with the song "You'll Never Walk Alone"
MY GUESS AS TO NEXT ELIMINATION-Lakisha Jones, sadly

AMERICAN IDOL 2007 LINKS
Seattle and Minneapolis 1/16/07 and 1/17/07
Birmingham 1/30/07
San Antonio 2/6/07
The Top 24 2/12/2007
First Four Eliminated
3/1/07-Down to 16
The Top Twelve
Diana Ross and the Top Twelve
British Invasion
Gwen Stefani Tribute
Andy Williams Special
Jennifer Lopez Night
Martina McBride Night
Down to Top Five as Idol "Gives Back"

Below, the TOP SIX American Idol Finals for 2007:
Jordin Sparks
Lakisha Jones
Melinda Doolittle
Blake Lewis
Chris Richardson
Phil Stacey

Trump's "Apprentice LA" Going Down to the Winnah-Task for 4/15/07 Critiqued

Trump's "Apprentice LA" winds down to the last week.

We've got a review of the 4/15/07 show and some thoughts on the winnahs.

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Quote of the Day Classic Quotes by Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference. --------------- A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit. --------------- A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine. --------------- A superintending power to maintain the Universe in its course and order. --------------- A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. --------------- Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper. --------------- All the world would be Christian if they were taught the pure Gospel of Christ! --------------- All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. --------------- All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression. --------------- Always take hold of things by the smooth handle. --------------- An association of men who will not quarrel with one another is a thing which has never yet existed, from the greatest confederacy of nations down to a town meeting or a vestry. --------------- An enemy generally says and believes what he wishes. --------------- At last now you can be what the old cannot recall and the young long for in dreams, yet still include them all.

Web Site Worth the Visit Try These Directions For a Smile Take 60 seconds to do this, I guarantee you will show someone else, it's too funny not to. If you are planning a trip abroad, just check out the direction on Google! This is funny! 1. go to Google.com 2. click on "maps," above the search bar... 3. click on "get directions" 4. type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box) 5. type "Paris" in the second box (the "to" box) 6. click on "get directions" 7. scroll down to step #23

TIDBITS The Woodpecker Might Have To Go

 


2007 Apprentice LA Down to Four on 4/15/07; Finale Set for Upcoming Week

This is the first time myself has followed Donald Trump's "Apprentice" reality series so closely. I have, from time to time and year to year, followed the final few or watched an episode now and again. This year I've gathered an all-around feel for the candidates, what a winner needs for this thing, the producer's style of "warning" a viewer.

My first new but true impression of this reality series is that it will soon be over unless The Donald finds a way to involve the audience. Indeed the most sucessful reality shows all involve the audience in some form or fashion and "The Apprentice" needs to figure out to make this dynamic happen or the series' time is up. That's my take on the show's future but that being said, I'd like the show to continue for it is a test of business leaders and I like to consider myself just that sort of thing.

For the final show with a task, at least as I understood The Donald's summation at the end of this show, all four finalists will come back next week and a winner will be chosen. How and why they will be chosen is unclear.

On the show of 4/15/07 the four remaining would-be apprentices were: Frank, Nicole, James, Stefani. These teams split into two, one with Frank and Nicole and the other with Stefani and James. These two then could pick two former contenders for Apprentice of 2007 to join their team. Frank and Nicole chose Surya and Tim while Stefani and James chose Aaron and Angie. After a strictly promotional meal with five previous Apprentice winners, the final task was revealed.





The two teams were charged with creation of a mini-movie for the air freshener Renuzit. Their little movie would be filmed in front of a live audience at an AMC movie theater where the audience reactions, along with the advertising gurus at Renuzit of course, would be taken and a winning mini-movie would be chosen.

Frank and Nicole's team chose a story about a working mother sent to a hospital to comfort and be with her injured child. It wasn't all that clear whose idea the hospital was but Frank expressed great concern about it. The Donald had made very clear at the start of this task that there would be no project managers.

Stefani and James' team created a movie about a Dad charged with stinking up the family home. The Dad was taken to court where the "charges" against him were presented. But ah....a container of Renuzit deodorizer is found and of course the Dad is "not guilty". For any stink he may have created were eliminated by the Renuzit air freshener thus the Dad's stinkiness is evidence not found due to Renuzit.

Frankly I thought the court room mini-movie was much better. Nicole and Frank's film about the Mom at the hospital seemed disjointed and nonsensical. This while the court room drama was believable and humorous. But my opinion means pretty much nothing but that everyone has one. Just what Donald or his son or daughter thought of the mini-movies was not discussed on this evening of Renuzit. As The Donald told us at the end of this show, next week he will be choosing the 2007 for Apprentice from the remaining four.

My predictions? Thought you'd never ask. First, no way is either Nicole or Stefani going to win this. In fact, I'll never quite understand why Nicole made it to the finals. This girl is but a real child and throughout the competition she showed basically no business savvy beyond playing kissy-face with fellow Apprentice contender, Tim. As for Stefani, I'd choose her over Nicole but given that I'd not give her a whisper of a chance over either Frank or James. Stefani's shown nothing much beyond being a good worker bee.

I'm putting my money on Frank. Goodness knows his chance at winning was "broadcast" enough thoughout this year's competition. He barely hung on during one task and practically got down on his knees and begged The Donald to stay. In one boardroom episode, Donald Jr. expressed an eagerness to hire Frank to help whip the construction crews in shape for Trump's building projects. Finally, Frank has been deeply involved in all tasks, an essential to make his victory believable.

Not that James couldn't win this thing but if the Trump business needs construction experience at this time, this gives Frank the edge. For Frank's experience is in this very same arena.

Early next week we'll wrap up this year's Apprentice 2007 series and store it in the vault of golden memories.

APPRENTICE 2007 LA LINKS
First Show 1/7/07
Swimsuit Task 1/14/07
Michelle Quits 1/21/07
Pollo Loco
The Honey of a Task
Priceline Trips and Language
Marketing the Lexis
The Soap Opera Task
Universal Studios Task
The LA Times and Mouthwash
Three Teams of Two
Renuzit Task

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TV-Dance With Stars-From 9 to 8-Time for Clyde to Go? Plus Apprentice LA Going Down to Top 5

A critique of the dances from 4/9/07 plus the dancer eliminated on 4/10/07.

Plus the Apprentice LA task from 4/9/07. This reality series is winding down…time to do some real handicapping for the next Apprentice.

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Quote of the Day "Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up, 'cause they're looking for ideas." - Paula Poundstone

Web Site Worth the Visit LIFE'S ODD QUESTIONS ANSWERED OR ADD YOUR OWN The heading describes this site the best I can. CLICK HERE

TIDBITS Video of My Dog Peeing It's terrible. It's my first try at making a video. And of course no one wants to see a video of my dog peeing. Howsomeever, this is MY Blog and it is my God given right to put any stupid thing on it that I want. Go on, click and watch the world revolve around you. Watch as Jo-Ann squats like the female dog she is. Most important, once I get this thing knocked, coming soon to a Blog near you....MINE OWN HOME MADE VIDEOS. Now aren't you glad you got up this morning?

 


"The Apprentice LA" Week 12 of 14

2007's "The Apprentice" series now has two more shows to go and there are four would-be apprentices left. They are: James, Stefani, Frank and Nicole. Heidi and Kristine, not so long ago two very real possibilities to win this thing, were eliminated on the 12th week, 4/8/07.

The two teams of Arrow and Kinetic have been officially disbanded leading to an "every man for himself" scenario. Trump allowed the former Arrow team to come in from the outside, that whole notion a really stupid idea anyway. He then ordered the six contenders left to form three teams of two people each and report to the mansion for their next task.



It was Heidi's plan to avoid teaming up with Kristine because Trump's original rule was that an entire team of two would be eliminated as a result of the next task. Heidi, a winning project manager of several weeks, decided it was best to lead a team of her own rather than join up with Kristine, another winning PM. That plan proved fatal.

The task as assigned this evening was to create a promo campaign to assist in selling units in Trump's second tower in Las Vegas. The candidates were flown to Las Vegas in Trump's private jet and the audience got some serious apprentice insight into wealth, opulance and how this was what it was all about.

Two teams performed miserably in this task. James and Stefani performed very well, with a theme of "the height of luxury" they put on a fine presentation and prepared a nice brochure.

Nicole and Kristine, on the other hand, didn't know their feet from their hands. Nicole, Tim's former sweetie, went to sleep as Kristine worked diligently to finish their task. When time came to put on the presentation, neither Nicole or Kristine knew what to say. The absolute worst was when Kristine's brochure proved to have a wrong phone number for the Trump leasing office.

Frank and Heidi not only had a very lackluster presentation, the brochure as prepared by Heidi was an awful affair, a conglomeration of words that neither moved or inspired a soul.



Frank and Heidi battled it out in the boardroom, sometimes like a couple of first graders. Heidi did do everything in her power to pass the blame for her lame brochure on Frank but it was obvious who fell down on the job, at least to this viewer. Finally, after some histrionics, Trump decided against his first proposal, which was for an entire team of two to be eliminated. Instead Trump deemed that one person from the Nicole/Kristine duo and one person from the Frank/Heidi team would be ejected. After some debate, Heidi was fired from the Frank/Heidi team. With little fanfare, Trump then turned to the Nicole/Kristine team and fired Kristine.

The four left, Frank, James, Stefani and Nicole, are a mixed bag, at best. There is just no way Nicole should win this thing I am just sorry but that girl is a child. Stefani is a good worker as I see it but she's no leader or has she ever been on this year's series as I recall. James seems like a good choice as he has a quiet leadership ability that has served him well. I don't recall Frank as having ever led a thing on this year's series but he sure has a big mouth and doesn't fade quietly into the background.

In fact, Donald Jr. commented to his Dad during an alone moment in the Boardroom, that he'd sure love to have Frank oversee some of those construction jobs in Las Vegas. This could be a hint as the Trump organization needs a rough and tough guy to whip construction crews into shape. If this is their true need, Frank could be their guy.

If it were ME picking this year's apprentice, I'd go with James. Frank rubs me the wrong way every time he opens his mouth. But that's just me. The Donald is a whole different animal.

APPRENTICE 2007 LA LINKS
First Show 1/7/07
Swimsuit Task 1/14/07
Michelle Quits 1/21/07
Pollo Loco
The Honey of a Task
Priceline Trips and Language
Marketing the Lexis
The Soap Opera Task
Universal Studios Task
The LA Times and Mouthwash
Three Teams of Two

"Dancing With the Stars" From 9 to 8-the Paso Doble and Waltz

So the old guy judge made a solemn announcement at the beginning of the show of 4/9/07. He declared that the dancers this year were only practicing 13 hours a week compared to 19 hours of practice last year for each new dance. Then the judge declared that there would be some toughening up on the dancers should they not be putting in their hours.

The dances for this evening were to be the Paso Doble, described as the dance interpretation of a bullfight emphasizing strong movement, twists and turns. The Waltz, on the other hand, is a smooth dance featuring serene facial expressions and underarm turns. Well I never watch such as facial expressions during a dance but armed with this knowledge, we move on as I critique the evening's performances and watch their facial expressions.



Laila began with a Paso Doble to a patriotic tune that I recognized but the title eludes me. I thought the footwork was awkward, particularly for Laila, who is usually fluid of foot. Laila did wear a pretty coral dress which might be why the judges declared she was doing a "flamingo" instead of a Paso Doble. Laila and her partner received a score of 21 out of 30 possible.

My male favorite to win this year's contest, Apolo, performed a waltz to the tune "If You Don't Know Me by Now". Apolo showed great footwork and didn't appear to be overly concentrated on foot movement like so many contenders do. It was a pretty dance and the crowd loved it. The judges also liked Apolo and his partner's performance and the duo received 26 points for the effort.

Leeza performed a Paso Doble. Leeza was under the gun as she had been one of the bottom two the week prior and barely squeaked through to this round. The dance was to the tune "You Give Love a Bad Name". Knowing that Leeza is not liked by the viewing audience, I knew during Leeza's and her partner's performance that it was not good enough to save her. The judges declared the dance her "worst" and Leeza received only 16 points for her performance.

Indeed the following night Leeza was voted off the show.

Ian Ziering and his partner performed a lovely waltz and they looked great. The judges raved over Ian's performance and, indeed, Ian could give Apolo a real challenge. Ian and his partner gave a great spin at the end and the audience was wowed.

The judges were wowed as well, except for the lady judge who went on and on about Ian's failure to "breathe". Ian and his partner got a very good 24 points for their performance.

John Ratzenberger isn't going to last long although I give a nod to his somewhat distinguished effort on the series. John's 91 year old mother visited the set during a practice session and this was an interesting vignette. John danced a Paso Doble to the tune "It's Magic". I thought his performance was terrible and indeed the judges weren't impressed. One judge declared that the dance as performed didn't suit the Paso Doble.



Next, Clyde and his partner performed a Waltz. As Clyde clumsily loped around the dance floor all I could think of was what a big galoot he is. Earlier we learned that he was consistantly late for practice and it was evident Clyde is ready to lose and go home. The judges remark after Drexler's performance was so true. The judge declared that all of Clyde's performances "look like the same dance".

Clyde, John and Billy Ray are dancers that shouldn't be in this contest but for some reason this year's audience wanted to get the pretty women out of there. So we lost a beauty queen, a super model and Leeza the talk show host. Now it's time to get Clyde and the others off of the show.

Clyde and his partner received 15 points for their Waltz performance.

The dance was not a march although my notes indicate that Billy Ray Cyrus appeared to be marching during his performance of a Paso Doble. I could swear the name of the tune was "Bam Alam". In a short vignette, we see Billy Ray's partner get so distraught over her assigned partner's dancing talents-or lack of same-and yes she did, the woman could be heard sobbing from the ladie's room.

Billy Ray did seem to put some real effort into this week's performance and the judges declared he was a "bear turning into a lion", don't even ask me to explain that comment. Billy and his partner received a total of 21 points.

Heather Mills performed a Waltz for her performance of the evening and she looked good. Heather really seems to be putting her heart into this contest and she consistantly dances well. Her dancing ability cannot be commented upon without a note that the woman is missing a leg! Indeed she dances on a prosthetic leg that she actually had to have replaced so she could better perform a rocking Jive.

The judges like Heather's performance although the female judge was not so effusive. Heather and her partner received a total of 23 points.

Joey Fatone is another contender to win this although I'd give Apolo the edge here. Joey performed a Paso Doble and this seemed like a perfect dance for him. Indeed Joey gave us a very dramatic leap at the end and I was impressed all to hell. By me, Fatone's dance was the best, bar none, of the night. The judges loved the performance and pronounced that the dance "captured the flavor of the dance".

Joey and his partner received the highest mark for this series this year so far, a whopping 28 points out of a possible 30.

I still like Apolo of the males to win this thing and Laila of the females. For sure there are enough fine dancers to make this year a real contest.

DANCING WITH STARS POST LINKS
OPENING NIGHT
Quick Step and Rumba Night
Ten Down to Nine
Nine Down to Eight

DANCE WITH STARS LIST 2007 as of 4/10/07
===========
Ian Ziering
Billy Ray Cyrus
Joey Fatone
Laila Ali
John Ratzenberger
Clyde Drexler
Heather Mills
Apolo Anton Ohno

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Dancing With Stars 07-Top Ten Down to Nine; Apprentice LA-Tim Gets Fired

We'll be keeping up with "Dancing With the Stars" now that the field is down to ten couples.

This post offers mine own non-dancer insight, comments and sarcasm, as required.

In addition, we're keeping up with Trump's Apprentice LA and this week we discuss the firing of the male half of an Apprentice team once involved in a budding romance.

Pic of the Day

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Quote of the Day THE DARK LORD "Let's be clear about this. The Democrats will spend some portion of their day, every day until 12:01 pm on January 20, 2009, trying to get Karl Rove to testify under oath about something so they can ask him about everything. As far as the Democrats are concerned, Karl Rove is Darth Vader, Voldemort, and Professor Moriarty all rolled into one." - Rich Galen, publisher of Mullings.com

Web Site Worth the Visit VISTA Test I heard but did not verify that this site will check your computer to ascertain if you can handle an upgrade to Windows' greatest and latest, the VISTA operating system. We understand that this system is top heavy and any upgrades might require some hardware upgrades. Might be wise to check it out now. CLICK HERE

TIDBITS Check Out the Baby Sloth

 


Apprentice LA-About Time to Narrow Down a Winner

Thus far in this year of our Lord 2007 Donald Trump's vaunted "Apprentice" series has been fairly lackluster. I recall a time when the whole country was talking about this reality series and Omorosa was the devil in a female. It's evident Trump is doing everything he can to keep the series afloat but a few times it looked like he was a goner. The grand plan to incorporate domestic guru Martha Stewart cost Donald at least a valued colleague in the form of Martha, who he maligned terribly in public. The Martha Stewart apprentice fiasco is also indicative of the downward spiral the series was embarking upon then and now we have Donald sending contenders to live in tents in shades of "Big Brother".

The best The Donald could do to save this show is to allow audience voting. Now I know Trump likes to say "You're Fired" but why can't he still utter those mighty words based on an American audience vote? The most sucessful reality series depend on audience votes and it's time "The Apprentice" go there.

On to the task as assigned on 4/1/07, which was to create a supplement for the Los Angeles Times featuring a new mouthwash known as "SmartMouth". James remained Project Manager for Arrow while Heidi was the Kinetic Project Manager.

The Kinetic team came up with the notion that SmartMouth mouth wash is useful "around the clock". Their supplement design was oddly-shaped and bound to catch the reader's attention. The Kinetic team members used their own selves as models, showing a morning Kinetic contender ready for a clean mouth, a busy afternoon Kinetic contender ready to refresh stale breath, and a glammed up evening Kinetic contender dressed to the nine's and in need of a shot of mouthwash to finish it off. "Around the Clock" was the Kinetic motto.

The Arrow team hired a bevy of actor-types and came up with some design that had people in bathrobes holding their hands over their mouths, intending, I assume, to show a sleepy world recently awake and using a hand to hide morning breath. Arrow's motto was that SmartMouth was for everyone, including all the bath-robed people with their hands over their mouths one must suppose.

The SmartMouth people genuinely liked Kinetic's design and theme. They complained about Arrow's design, specifically that the gang of bath-robed people could have been yawning for all the casual observer might note. Thus there isn't a clear association with the covered mouths and morning breath SmartMouth ostensibly would eliminate. "They look like they are all yawning," the SmartMouth marketing guru said.



The only contenders left on Team Arrow at the time of the SmartMouth task were Frank, James, Stefani and Tim-beloved of Nicole.

Team Kinetic had left Kristine, Nicole and Heidi. As winners, team Kinetic was allowed a cherished visit by Kristine's husband and Heidi and Nicole's mom. Kristine's husband is a chef and a good visit was had by all as well as gourmet meals.

On to the boardroom, Arrow Project Manager James, of course, blamed Tim for the failure of Arrow on the SmartMouth task. I want to note here that unless Ivanka Trump is receiving her words from previously prepared text, I am very impressed with her vocabulary and business savvy. Sure I know she's the daughter of Donald Trump and such should be expected. Perhaps. But Ivanka could easily be a blond rich bimbo without a brain cell between her two ears. I am reminded of the descendent of the Hilton hotel chain, Paris. Next to Ivanka, Paris is a boob of the highest order. And Ivanka is much prettier than Paris in my female opinion.

Then Tim, once accused, does the stupid. He ADMITS he was wrong. I've said this time and time again. The caveat applies to both "American Idol" and "The Apprentice". If a wrong was committed, admitting to it doesn't take it away. The best thing is to allow the narrative on wrongs to be stated but comment no further on it. Definitely do not admit to it. And don't tell me that life requires one to admit their wrongs and grow from them. American Idol and The Apprentice are not real life...they are REALITY TV SHOWS. In addition to admitting he was wrong, Tim blantantly cut off Ivanka when she was speaking and it was rude as hell. It isn't the reason Tim got fired but it should have been. Would Tim have cut off Donald like he did Ivanka? I'd softly suggest the action shows a bit of sexism in would-be lover Tim.



Okay, so who's going to win this thing?

My money right now is on Heidi. She's been project manager several times, she's worked hard and maintained a steady even keel through the thick and the thin. I'd put James in as a dark horse possibility.

Which is not to say that Frank, Stefani, Nicole or Kristine don't have a shot. I'd seriously doubt Frank as a winner as he just doesn't seem very mature to my wise eyes. As for Nicole, she seems a bit dippy to me as well, especially since she had that ersatz romance with Tim. The others on the short list need to demonstrate some leadership and they haven't up till now.

"Dancing With the Stars" 2007- From Ten to Nine

Before critiquing the dancers on the night of 4/2/07, it's always nice to have a bit of gossip about the contenders. Of course Heather McCartney Mills is the perfect person for this as this is a woman made for gossip.

From News24.com, we learn that one-legged Heather is making a nuisance of herself with the British police. The paparazzi, it seems, want to follow her around. Heather must then bother police who are busy dealing with such as crime. It's suggested that Heather uses the paparazzi chase of Princess Di as a threat of what could happen to her if the police don't respond to her complaints.

London - Police have warned Heather Mills McCartney, the estranged wife of former Beatle Paul, about using the emergency phone number 999 too often.
The 39-year-old, in the middle of a bitter divorce battle with Paul McCartney that has thrust her into the media spotlight, has complained of harassment by paparazzi since the split was announced 10 months ago.

We move on to the night of 4/2/07 when there were ten dancers left. Shandi Finnessey began with a Jive. A Jive was defined by one of the judges as a series of kicks, fast spins and is a dance strictly born in America. I thought Shandi was much improved since her first performance and indeed her sexy outfit had to help. Then Shandi has no problem being sexy.

Shandi and her partner received 21 points out of a possible 30. Alas, Shandi was voted off the following night by the American public and right now I must note something important.

Just who the hell is watching this reality series? I know that I am watching the show and I watch for two reasons-I enjoy watching the dancing and I Blog about it. Heh. But note please that the first two contenders voted off this show were stunningly beautiful women! Paulina Porizkova, the gorgeous super model, was thrown over the bow last week.

Which isn't to say that beautiful women shouldn't be voted off but neither of these two contenders were the worst dancers. Billy Ray Cyrus and/or John Ratzenberger dance much worse than Shandi and Paulina. I don't think this is a reality series that a heterosexual male would watch on any sort of regular bases although I could be wrong. I am basing this observation on the fact that my husband, a "guy" amongst guys if ever there was one, would flick right on by any show featuring dancing such as that shown on "Dancing With the Stars". He might hang around to stare down a deeply cut cleavage but once that view was gone, he'd move on.

Homosexual males, I'm thinking, would like this show. Many male dancers are homosexuals although I've no idea the percentages of straight to gay but I'm pretty sure more of the homosexual brothers dance professionally than the hetero fellows. The costumes and make-up are the sort of thing homosexual males seem to take a keen interest in, along with the love of the dance.

Could Shandi and Paulina have been voted off by a passel of angry homosexuals who didn't want female beauty to determine this thing?

So okay, if I'm wrong about this, and I could be, I do think that plenty of women watch this series, particularly older women who appreciate the notion that a male and female dancing together would actually touch arms. Older women, hey maybe they too don't think that former beauty queens and super models should get any slack for their beauty. Older women will likely appreciate the male who dares to take the challenge, such as Billy Ray Cyrus or John Ratzenberger, and actually dance in public with females on their arms. Thus the beauties get voted out over the more ordinary dancers who must struggle to learn the steps and don't have their looks as a backup.

Hey, I'm just guessing here because I think it's damn odd that the two prettiest females were thrown overboard so soon in the contest when they were certainly not the worst of all the dancing contenders. At least as I see it.

John Ratzenberger was up next and he danced a Tango. I then learn that a Tango should be a dance interpretation of a cat going after its prey. The dance requires flexed knees and tight holds. I thought John did a nice job, displaying nice fluid footwork and a great improvement from his first few dances. A judge declared his dance not a good technique but still John and his partner scored a not shabby 20 out of a possible 30 points.



At first I thought Clyde Drexler would be another Jerry Rice. Athletes, perhaps due to the regimen of moves they must practice, do very well on this series. Rice was a football player while Drexler is a very tall (6'7") former basketball player. On this night I thought Clyde couldn't hold a candle to Jerry Rice. Though he's an extremely likeable fellow, Clyde is awkward on the dance floor, unsure and a bit clumsy. The judges didn't much like Clyde's performance either, with one judge or another complaining that Clyde didn't point his toes. Clyde and his partner received a score of 16 out of a possible 30.

Next up, one of my faves to possibly win this series, Laila Ali danced a Tango to the tune "Goldfinger". Laila is a professional boxer like her Dad, formerly Cassius Clay then Mohammad Ali...."I am the Greatest". She has a natural talent for movement and adapted very well to the dance. The dance showed great choreography. What's interesting about this performance is that Laila and her partner at one point in the tune did suddenly find themselves clear across the floor from each other. Well I thought it a bit odd but figured it was part of the dance. It would turn out that the judges too took umbrage at this move and it might have been a mistake, I'm not at all sure.

Laila and her partner scored a total of 21 points out of 30 possible.

Apolo Ohno is another contender to win this thing and on the night of this review he performed a Jive. My first thought was that he looked a bit nerdy but basically he made good solid moves. Apolo received 23 points, not a shabby score at all.

I've noticed much fuss about Joey Fatone of the Nsync singing group. To look at Joey he resembles nothing more than an average beer-drinking sort of guy. He's not lithe and doesn't look like his feet are fleet. Yet Joey seems to wow the crowd every time he performs and on this night he did a Tango to the "Star Wars Theme". Well this was just too clever and very enjoyable to watch. I still though Joey looked clunky-footed but the judges like him although there were some vague complaints about his butt protruding too much. An odd criticism for a man I think. I mean, how much does a man's butt stick out? Joey and his partner scored 24 points.

Ian Ziering was the surprise of this night. Ian and his partner did the Jive to an Elvis tune and to my eyes, it was fluid and flawless. The judges declared that it was time for Ian to "finally flaunt it". Ian got a handsome score of 24 out of a possible 30.

Leeza Gibbons danced the Tango to a Spanish tune. From my vantage the dance moves seemed staid, simple...a bit boring. A judge declared the routine "basic but fantastic" and, indeed, Leeza and her partner received 24 points.

The one-legged Heather Mills did a Jive and the woman had to obtain a more "giving" prosthetic leg to achieve more bounce. Heather danced to "Can I Get a Witness" and the woman did a tumblesault that I couldn't do with both my legs. I'll give Heather credit, she's working hard. A one-legged contender for a dance contest, who'd have thunk? Heather and her partner received 24 points.

Billy Ray Cyrus ended that evening's dance performances. Although Cyrus and his partner received 21 points out of a possible 30 from the judges, I don't think he deserved any score over 20. Unless the score was for "most improved" because Billy Ray has come a long way since his first dance this year. In fact, the judges did declare Billy Ray "most improved".

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TV-Apprentice LA and Dancing With the Stars 2007

****We're keeping up with the Apprentice LA and here's the latest on the task undertaken on Sunday 3/25/07.

Also, stay here for we've got pics, comments, sarcasm and wit regarding the latest "Dancing With the Stars" round from 3/27/07.

Pic of the Day

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Quote of the Day I hate saying "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride." I like to put it into perspective by thinking, "Always a pallbearer, never a corpse." -- Laura Kightlinger

Web Site Worth the Visit Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Spiders ... ...but Were Afraid to Ask CLICK HERE

TIDBITS Dear Abby: My husband is a liar and a cheat. He has cheated on me from the beginning. And, when I confront him, he denies everything. What's worse, everyone knows that he cheats on me. It is so humiliating. Also, since he lost his job six years ago, he hasn't even looked for a new one. All he does all day is smoke cigars, cruise around hobnobbing with his buddies while I have to work to pay the bills. Since our daughter went away to college he doesn't even pretend to like me and hints that I may be a lesbian. What should I do? Signed: Clueless ________________________________________________ Dear Clueless: Grow up and dump him. Good grief, woman, you don't need him anymore. You're a United States Senator from New York. Act like one!

 


"Dancing With the Stars" 2007-Mambo for the Females; Quick Step for the Fellows

I am to understand that the Mambo involves syncopated footwork and a little bit of Charleston. The Quick Step, on the other hand, also involves syncopated footwork but should include fast turns and swivels.

It's been said that a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Armed with a little bit of knowledge about the Mambo and the Quick Step, neither of which I have ever danced, I continue on to judge the dancing the evening of 3/26/07 and on to the elimination round on 3/27/07.

Two evenings of dancing scores from the judges are combined with audience votes and the dance team with the lowest scores is eliminated. I am not at all sure if this scoring methodology will continue throughout the contest but for now, the contenders have had a chance to dance the Mambo, Quick Step, Cha-Cha and Foxtrot before the audience voted the first dance team off.

For the record, this missive is written AFTER the elimination round and I can right up front here note that Paulina Porizkova was the first celebrity voted off. Former Miss U.S.A. Shandi Finnessey was in the bottom two. The most intriguing fact about this information is that the two most gorgeous females on this year's contest were in the bottom two of the judges' scores and audience voting in the first elimination round.

Well sure they evidently didn't dance all that well but how many times have beautiful women won or achieved far better rewards than that which entitled based simply upon supreme looks? Also, both Shandi and Paulina are not just attractive women, they are stunningly gorgeous women.



Let us move on to a team by team critique by mine own fine self now armed with a little bit of knowledge.

Apolo is a young man, a former Olympic gold medal winner. He's handsome with a positive personality and a beaming smile. He also dances quite well. Apolo, whose last name really is OHNO,sported some spiffy tails as he danced a fine Quick Step with his partner. I noticed a bit of a dance misstep in that it seemed that Ohno almost slid down to a fall. The judges too noted this misstep. Apolo scored 26 out of 30 points for the night. Add to this score the 21 points earned in the prior dance round and Apolo and his partner had a score of 47 points out of a possible 60.

Speaking of the former beauty queen, Shandi danced a Mambo with her partner and someone needs to tell Shandi that no matter how beautiful she thinks she is, she has to MOVE when she's on that dance floor. For that's all I noted when Shandi danced...she hardly moved! The judges declared that Shandi performed badly and that the choreography was "difficult". The way Shandi acts when she's on the dance floor, she only need show us her pretty face and exquisite legs and we will be bowled over by the beauty. Shandi received a score of 39 out of a possible 60 points and goodness, on neither night did she and her partner score above a possible 20 points out of 30.

6'7" Clyde Drexler came up next and somehow this fellow got his long legs to move around the floor for a Quick Step. Clyde and his partner danced to the tune of "Your Love Lifted Me Higher" and the sounds of this familiar and upbeat tune helped this duo survive. Because Clyde and his partner both scored lower than Shandi AND Paulina during the first two dance rounds, yet Clyde was not in the bottom two. This is fine with me because I really like Clyde.

It was Leeza Gibbons' 50th birthday the night of the Mambo. Let me say that I am a bit older than 50 but even when I was 50 I'd have given my firstborn to look as good as Leeza. Leeza made a great improvement over her first performance. Her first score from the judges was 15 while she scored a 21 for her Mambo. She deserved those extra points for looking so great at age 50.

The judges complained that Ian Ziering had what they called "elbow" issues and goodness, I never even watch a dancer's elbows during a performance. It seemed that Ian's partner had to keep pushing Ian's arm up throughout their Quick Step and the judge's evidently caught this action. Even with that, Ian and his partner have scored an impressive 21 points the first round and 22 for the second round. Their combined total was 43 out of a possible 60.

I know poor Paulina got voted off but I'm not sure she deserved it. For one thing, she was a real sweetheart about having to dance the Mambo, amusingly referring to her "inner Latina". The song Paulina and her partner danced to was the famous rollicking "La Bamba", which I would have thought could have saved Paulina. The judge's were a bit testy and in general were not kind to Paula. Paula and her partner scored a total of 40 points out of a possible 60, certainly not the lowest of the scores. Alas, the American public voted Paulina out.



After the first dance round I would have soundly predicted that Billy Ray Cyrus would be the first voted off the show. In fact, Billy Ray Cyrus showed the most improvement, topping his paltry score of 13 points on his first round with a fine 21 points for the second round.

During one of the pre-performance vignettes, Billy Ray's kids were shown attending one of his practice dance sessions. This added a pleasant dimension to Billy Ray's character, softening that hard-living country-western image he might have to overcome.

Billy Ray and his partner danced to, heh, Rush Limbaugh's infamous global warming parody song..."Burning Ring of Fire". This provided me with the biggest laugh so far of the series. While I thought Cyrus performed well, his dance moves seemed a bit childish to me.

Everytime I see Heather Mills I can't quite get my mind around the notion that of all the females on the planet, Paul McCartney married her.

It's not that she's unattractive or anything but she's not all that.... Also, her behavior post-separation has really been appalling and I think this makes Heather even uglier.

That being said, let me bow my head right now and declare that Heather performed a wonderful Mambo and dear Lord she shook those boobs of hers like a pro. I whisper softly here that it has been rumored far and wide that Heather used to be a stripper. I have no proof of this, understand, but I've read it often enough.

In addition, there's no way that Heather doesn't deserve some great kudos for dancing so well with an artificial leg. It's no matter if she used to take off her clothes for a living or that she's behaving like poor white trash with beloved Beatle McCartney. This woman dances fluidly with an artificial leg and this takes talent. The judges raved about Heather's performance and she and her partner received a combined total of 42 points out of a possible 60 for the first two rounds.

John Ratzenberger is most widely known as Norm's bar buddy in the long-running series "Cheers". This is a fellow that's not all that young and he was also a contender that I thought would get booted off right quick. In fact, the judges praised his Quick Step to the tune of "The Lady is a Tramp". I thought John displayed fine footwork and moved quite a bit for an older fellow. For sure he moved around a lot more than Miss U.S.A. Shandi Finnessey. John and his partner scored a total of 38 points out of a possible 60.

Laila Ali's Dad is Mohammad Ali and I remember this boxer well. Mohammad used to tell the world, proudly and with no humility at all the following..."I am the Greatest". This infamous saying was all the rage during Mohammad's boxing heyday. Mohammad's birth name was Cassius Clay.

Laila, like her Dad, is the greatest. This gal can dance. She's big-boned, she's sexy, she's no shrinking violet. In fact, Ali and her partner received the highest scores for both nights combined, a total of 50 points out of a possible 60. I consider Ali a real contender to win this thing.

I've been hearing whispers that Joey Fatone is the odds on favorite to win this year's contest. Fatone is a member of the singing group "NSync".

I'll not nominate Joey over Apolo but I'll allow that Fatone does seem to have a natural dance talent. First, he's not a small man. Which is not a requirement to win the contest and, indeed, large people do quite well as contestants on this show. Apolo is a big smaller and younger and I think he has the edge over all the male contenders entered this year.

All that so stated, I was very impressed by Fatone's footwork and wasn't surprised when a judge declared him to be "light on your feet". Joey wore a dashing outfit and had a big "J" on the tail of his tux. Joe and his partner got a standing ovation as well as a total of 48 points combined score for the first two rounds.

Keep an eye on Laila Ali, Joey Fatone and Apolo Ohno for this year's top three. Clyde Drexler could make an inroad as the friendliest and most personable.


DANCE WITH STARS TOP TEN 2007
===========
Ian Ziering
Billy Ray Cyrus
Leeza Gibbons
Joey Fatone
Laila Ali
John Ratzenberger
Shandi Finnessey
Clyde Drexler
Heather Mills
Apolo Anton Ohno

DANCING WITH STARS POST LINKS

OPENING NIGHT
Quick Step and Rumba Night

Using the "Ad Walker", Apprentice team Kinetic Loses a Big One

I would turn out that the "Ad Walker" is some sort of device that one straps over their torso to wear whilst walking around. The front of the device has some sort of television type of screen that would allow the portable salesperson to show a potential customer detail on what is then being sold. In addition, there is a handy slot to swipe credit cards for ordering.


In this year's Apprentice LA task, teams Arrow and Kinetic were charged with selling season passes to Universal Studios. The Ad Walker device was perfect for a sales setting such as an amusement park. This is EXACTLY the setting that this new technology to sell people stuff was designed to enhance.

Angie, the Olympic athlete, was project manager for Kinetic. Arrow was headed by James.

An interesting sub-story to this task is the budding romance between Tim and Nicole. Which was, due to Nicole being sent packing to team Kinetic, a bit tortured and tested. As this task ended, the viewer is left wondering if Nicole will throw Tim over the bow very soon.



James had to pick an Arrow team mate to send over to Kinetic, which had lost quite a few of its members. James chose to send Nicole and Tim didn't protest a bit. Thus Nicole worked with the Kinetic team and Nicole made a fatal suggestion to her new team on how to sell season passes: Nicole suggested that the Kinetic team sell the tickets whilst wearing roller skates.

The Arrow team, on the other hand, then mostly male and most aggressive sales people, set up a kiosk on the Universal Park entry.

The result was that Arrrow sold a total of $31,366.65 and Kinetic weighed in with a total sales amount of $24,440.37. Which means, of course, that team Arrow won this week's task.

It would be Angie, the project manager for this task, who would be sent home for this Universal Studios task. Although Kinetic newcomer Nicole did make the roller skating suggestion and Nicole could have been fired for this bad idea. In the end, since Angie was the PM, she got the boot.

Trump seems to be a bit obsessed with Nicole and Tim's romance or perhaps he's just acting as if he is to elevate the drama of this romance in the series. At any rate, Trump kept asking Nicole in the boardroom if she loved Tim, did he love her...very personal type of stuff, frankly.

Trump then advised Nicole, yes Donald Trump, world expert on romance and love, gave advice to Nicole and what he told Nicole was a bit over the top. For The Donald told Nicole to drop Tim like a heavy rock for failing to defend her and not trying to keep her on his team. After Angie was fired, Nicole asked permission to go on the Kinetic premises so she could have a heart-to-heart with Tim. The Donald gave her permission and the show ended on this note.

The viewing audience was left in mystery as to what Nicole would say to Tim. We must wait until the next task to find out I must suppose.



Frankly Donald's suggestion to Nicole is a bit dangerous. Advising lovers on ANY action is a dangerous thing in that if the advice doesn't work or makes things worse, then it's YOUR fault. Not that Donald Trump would suffer any pain from a peon apprentice would-be. Still, it seemed unbecoming to have someone of Donald Trump's stature all involved in a little flirtation.

Except the man IS trying to boost his ratings.

APPRENTICE 2007 LA LINKS
First Show 1/7/07
Swimsuit Task 1/14/07
Michelle Quits 1/21/07
Pollo Loco
The Honey of a Task
Priceline Trips and Language
Marketing the Lexis
The Soap Opera Task
Universal Studios Task

More TV Reviews HERE
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