Whatcha watching on TV? Glad you asked

"So tell us Eleanor - what programs are you watching on TV these days?"

Glad you asked.

Well, as I've shared before in this blog, I'm watching this season's American Idol with the two new judges or whatever you want to call them. In my mind, anyway, the purpose of the trio is to select potential contestants and judge their singing talents accordingly. Having had reservations about the addition of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, they have proven in my eyes to be kind of wishy-washy. While Ms Lopez is a good singer, her contribution to the show has been to wear gorgeous outfits for various designers who want their designer duds seen by the public. I have yet to see her wear the same outfit twice but then why should she if she has all the designers fighting to get their stuff out there. In as far as judging the singers, she rarely (if ever) has heavily criticized their singing, the reason for her having been chosen in the first place, one assumes. She does, however, have a nice smile and I like her makeup and hair.

New judge no. 2, Stephen Tyler, has a good voice and is an entertaining singer with a lot of charisma, however his judging is limited to praising...everyone. Rarely have I heard him utter any negative comments about the young singers and on occasion some of them have deserved negative criticism. He sort-of sits there looking somewhat bored. Relieve the man of his misery someone!

The Idol contestants on the whole are a cut above past seasons but it would add so much more to the show if somebody would tell them they sucked when their singing abilities...sucked. It will be interesting to see how Simon Cowell's "X" Factor fares against Idol and soon The Voice. The what?

In as far as Dancing With the Stars - what stars? Few of them are recognizable other than Kirstie Alley and Ralph Macchio, who I remember from The Karate Kid. Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard has some recognition but who are the rest? As a former - not current - viewer of the show, the nimble-footed professionals dancing with the not-so-nimble stars was an entertaining way to spend an hour. Somehow knowing that there are no...stars to speak of, I'm passing on the show.

Also enjoy watching:
Detroit 1-8-7 - great story lines and acting
Secret Millionaire - always great to see someone in the position to share money with those who can use it
V - love the vile Queen of Lizardness, Anna - so cold and...lizard-like
America's Got Talent - best thing that NBC could have done was to add Howie Mandel. A perfect fit for his personality
The Event - interesting at the beginning but slowly deteriorating into your 'seen that before' sci-fi series. It sure ain't no "Lost"!
Minute to Win It - tried watching the show for a minute but it didn't win me over Survivor - better this season but once Russell was voted off, it lost its appeal and is getting boring

So which programs is everyone watching?

Will Barbie take Ken back? Time to vote, peeplz!

At one time Barbie, the famous vinyl fashionista was dating Ken Carson, a vinyl surfer dude with a (very) limited wardrobe. They were considered the perfect couple, she with the immaculately coiffed long blond hair, perfectly chiselled features, who forever walked and will always walk on tip-toes. Ken was the perfect escort in spite of his limited wardrobe dressed in - well - surfing trunks. Together they led the ideal life - at least it seemed perfect to outsiders.

On Valentine's Day in 2004 after 43 years of being together and much to the surprise of everyone, they split up. Rumors were rife (say those words fast after a few drinks) that there were other dolls in Barbie's life but nothing was substantiated. However, shortly after they both went their own way, the plastic blond bomb shell started dating Australian surfer dude, Blaine. Initially heart broken, Ken re-started his life and with the help of an agent, he received critical acclaim for his role in "Toy Story 3", in addition to an appearance in Fashion Week in New York. Slowly and meticulously, he acquired a new wardrobe and a new image.

Although he enjoyed his new-found fame and according to sources close to Ken, he missed Barbie, the love of his life.

"If she called me right now - I would be back by her side - no questions asked," Ken frequently told mutual friends.

"Like - the guy was really becoming a drag!" said a friend who wanted to remain anonymous. "It was always 'Barbie this' and 'Barbie that.'

Obviously, many Barbie and Ken aficionados want to see the popular couple together again and to this end, a poll has been established, "Should Barbie Take Ken Back?" for the couple's fans to cast their vote on Facebook or at http://www.barbieandken.com/

When asked her opinion regarding the possible reunion, Barbie responded, "whatever..."

Oh the horror of it all! Kate Perry without makeup!

If ever there were two-faced people, it's celebrities or people whose photos are frequently featured as part of news stories. Take comedian/actor, Russell Brand - I'm sure his wife would add 'please!' - who for whatever reason, decided to post his wife, Kate Perry's photo so everyone could see. Celebrities are used to having their images everywhere and in fact, pay people to do this for them. The difference in this situation that Brand had the audacity to post Perry without makeup, and presumably, without her permission or knowledge.

Oh the shock of it all! The horror!

Let's be objective here: Perry is a talented and according to all the photos posted of her, visually appealing. However and one can only presume this, she obviously wants a certain public personna that only face cosmetics can provide.

According to reports, the photo was snapped when she first got up in the morning. I mean, how many of us would be happy if our significant-other snapped a photo and posted it where the world could review? Then again, nobody would probably care because we're not Kate Perry. In this case, Brand tweeted it on Twitter. It was not a tweet move since Perry does not like being seen, ever, sans makeup.

It's rare to see well-known s*t*a*r*s out and about at premieres or fund raisers or anywhere, actually, being themselves, baring their faces for the world to see. When they are caught off-guard doing natural things like shopping, they're usually wearing large sunglasses and hidden beneath layers of clothing.

My reaction is get over it, Kate! Thinking further, perhaps she should wear full makeup to bed, just in case. Maybe Brand wants a before-and-after photo of her.

YET ANOTHER YOUNG HOLLYWOOD TALENT GONE ASTRAY - AGAIN

She's in the news again. Grabbed the last few minutes of Larry King Show on CNN last night since they had a guest host (forget his name) a lawyer who was excellent and a refreshing breeze of needed pizzaz on the show, along with a group of high-profile lawyers who defend well-known people in the entertainment business and actor Daniel Baldwin, discussing and analyzing the latest Lohan case and her recent relapse. Access Hollywood's Billy Bush was also a guest.

Baldwin, who has his own issues with drugs and/or alcohol abuse and has been in and out of rehab. himself, elaborated on the psyche of the addict and that Lohan - or anyone with addiction problems - has to address the underlying psychological problem, which causes the addiction before being be "cured." Given her (Lohan's) upbringing and lack of parental guidance thereof and her sudden thrust into the limelight (and fame) at a young age, her response was to turn to drugs and alcohol for solace. Baldwin also emphasized that she will have to hit rock bottom and acknowledge that she has hit rock bottom.

Speaking of the parents...Lindsay's dad put in an appearance and it seems that he has seen the light and has turned to religion for solace. Good for him. However his conversion has impelled if not compelled him to preach his beliefs to the apparently not-ready-to-hear-Lindsay and as a result, has been in trouble with the law regarding his over-zealousness.

The general concensus among the guests was that she could get sentenced for a long as in 6 mnths. or more stay once again in rehab., or given the fact that she's got a drunken driving charge over her head already and committed the same offense again, could do real time in a federal prison. It will be interesting to see if she will get the celebrity version of a sentence or be treated in the same manner as anyone else.

Seems that according to Lohan, she's now hinting that she was framed...or something similar but is definitely not admitting that the drug(s) found on her were in fact hers. After Bush e-mailed Lohan to inquire as to how she was doing, she e-mailed him back stating, "Yes. I am innocent...did not do drugs, they're not mine. I was almost hit by my assistsant, Tarin's mom. I appreciate everyone giving me my privacy."

Sure Lindsay. Anything you say.

Oh well... Looks like she'll have a lot of time to think about it - behind bars unless she wises up.

Read the Access Hollywood story here:http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/ah6192.shtml


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