Prison Break: The Final Break Recap

Last week, we saw the explosive two-hour series finale of Prison Break. This week, we were treated with another Prison Break two hour special. Called “Prison Break: The Final Break.” The story started off with Sara getting hauled off to prison after she was finally married to Michael. She was arrested for murdering Christina. That’s where the story starts to feel more like Prison Break’s former spin-off show, Cherry Hill.

At the female-penitentiary, we are greeted by new characters. A few of the characters resembled a female version of T-Bag, named “Daddy” and of course Bellick, back when he was the king of Fox River. We also learn that our old friend, Gretchen was sharing the same prison.

Across the yard was the men’s side of the prison. In that side, T-Bag and General Cranst were currently residing in. Almost immediately they received word of Sara’s capture, and because the General was such a bitter old man, he put out a hit on Sara’s life. Apparently Gretchen was the General’s inside ‘man’ inside the other prison.

When Michael learned about the hit on his wife’s life, he decided he had no other choice, but to once again stage a break out. We started to see more of the side of Michael we knew in first season, the plotting side. He started going through newspaper clippings on the prison, and studied photographs. Though newspaper clippings can only get you so far, Michael had Lincoln and Sucre stake out the prison, and find out where all the security cameras were placed, to find a blind spot.

That’s where Mahone made his re-entrance. Apparently he was busy trying to get his old job back, but before they would allow that, he had to prove himself by spying on the brothers, which he told them about, to have them trust him while he really betrayed them. He went behind Michael and Lincoln’s back, and told Agent Wheatly, the head agent on the brother’s case, about what they were up to.

Wheatly acted upon Mahone’s intel, and installed a new security camera in Michael’s blind spot. This put a giant boulder in his break out plan, but alas, he had another solution. Drop onto the prison with a parachute to get Sara out of there. Meanwhile, when Sara’s inmates try to stab her, Gretchen stops the fight, killing the assailant, earning Sara’s trust. It seems Gretchen wants to escape with Sara, to give her daughter a gift she made on her birthday. Sara really had no choice in the matter but to allow Gretchen to tag along.

Again, it appears Mahone betrayed Michael by telling Wheatly about the parachuting plan. Well, it was night, and the parachutist seemed to descend right on schedule. Wheatly had his team ready to gun Michael down as soon as he landed, which they did. I knew as soon as he had guns pointed in Michael’s direction he had something else planned, which he did.

While everyone was keeping an eye on the parachute, Michael made his way into the prison. At the same time, Sara and Gretchen escaped the prison.  How? Apparently through an escape duct pipe. I wish it were that simple in the first season. Well Sara and Gretchen got outside, and immediately went to the church, because earlier, Michael sent her a decrypted message to “pray for us”. Unfortunately, Gretchen was caught just outside the church, while Sara continued to escape. Michael wasn’t too far behind, and also went into the church. They went into the basement of the church, where there was a sealed door, and they waited for T-Bag to come through.

Earlier, the gang found out in order to see this through, they would need some help from T-Bag. Lincoln told him they would pay him $5,000 to set a fire in the prison. Apparently a fire drill that T-Bag would set off would distract them from looking in Michael’s way, while he set off the real fire. When T-Bag’s money wasn’t wired, he went straight to the warden and told her Michael’s break out plan. She ordered all the fire alarms and any other alarms to be stopped which they did.

Michael sat there at the sealed door, and waited until the alarms were stopped, as he originally planned, seeing T-Bag was a rat. The stopping of the alarms allowed him to still set the fire without anyone noticing. He opened the sealed door, and went to their exit door. Unfortunately the door was also locked shut. The cutting of the alarms did not open that door, as he anticipated. There was only one solution left, he had to sacrifice himself.

With the last remaining smarts left in his head, Michael opened the power generator, and unplugged it, making the room dark. He then cut apart two wires in the generator. His last step was to connect the two wires, electrocuting himself, opening the doors and freeing Sara. Wheatly wasn’t too far behind, but it was too late…she was gone.

T-Bag was put in solitary confinement for aiding and embedding Sara’s escape. All along, Mahone realized he betrayed them, and he realized his loyalty was with that group. He gave Sara some paperwork, proving Michael was going to die anyway, due to the brain tumor that returned. On a boat, Lincoln and Sara watched Michael’s very heartwarming goodbye video. This ended the Prison Break story. At least his death felt more complete after watching this.

Boy Meets Girl – Season in Review

I haven’t seen a ton of British comedy films or television shows, but overal when I watch them, I’m pretty impressed. I just watched the entire first season of “Boy Meets Girl this afternoon, and thats not very impressive, seeing that the entire season is made up of four episodes.

Though I have to say I was pretty impressed that I enjoyed it so much.  Boy Meets Girl is a British comedy/drama about a man who gets electrocuted, and wakes up in a woman’s body.

Now I’ve seen several of these “Freaky Friday” scenario films and TV shows, and its all pretty much the same thing. Though this is a little different.  You see whenever they have a show about transferance, its usually the same gender switching bodys.  In “Boy Meets Girl”, the Man switches bodies with a woman.

The main character’s name is Danny Reed.  I would have to say the whole show is centered around his character.  Sure they show a lot of the other character, but I’d have to say it’s mostly about Danny.  As a woman, he had to pass off as her, or else she’d be sent away, to a mental hospital.  Which became seemingly hard, since the woman’s body he was living in had a boyfriend. Let your mind wander on that a bit.

I really wish they made more than four episodes, because I really got into it as the day went by. In the end, it felt like a mini-series.  I have little hope that they’ll continue the series.  I would be up for watching more, I just doubt that it will continue.

24: S07E24: 7:00-8:00 Recap

This recap is written in real time…

After escaping from Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory, Jack found a branch of a major Taxi Cab company. He was seconds away from stealing one of the cabs, but Tony intervened shooting at Jack. One of the bullets pierced a tank in the cab, leaving it leaking gasoline. So at that moment, he thought the best thing to do was to blow himself up in an attempt to take Tony with him. Tony, however, was quick, and stopped Jack from committing suicide.

At the White House, Ethan decided to show up again, revealing that he knew what Olivia did, as did Aaron. She offered to resign if he wouldn’t make it public, but he was determined to let President Taylor know the truth about her daughter.

While Tony was holding Jack, he flip flopped once more, and told Jack it was all a play. He had no intention of using Jack to get the pathogen. He said a man named Alan Wilson was behind basically every attack on 24. He said everything he worked on that day was to meet him face to face, to kill him. So in a way, he thinks it is a means to an end. Then he told Jack he wouldn’t kill Alan, Jack would have to pull the trigger, so to speak. Tony strapped a bomb to Jack’s chest.

Alan then arrived with his posse. After his men searched Tony and his girlfriend for weapons, he exited his limo. They then brought Jack to Alan. Just about when Tony was going to blow Jack up, Renee showed up in a helicopter, thanks to Bob’s laptop and a shootout pursued. Renee found Jack, and disarmed the bomb.

Hiding in the warehouse, Tony shot his girlfriend while escorting Alan. He confronted Alan. Tony was about to pull the trigger when Renee shot him in the shoulder. Jack shouted at Tony to stop, but he wouldn’t, so Jack shot Tony’s hand, which stopped him.

At a half hour left in the show, Jack was ready to be sent to the hospital. He spoke to Renee, who told him Alan denied everything, which was expected. She offered to make him talk…Jack style. She asked him what to do, but all Jack said was that he couldn’t tell her what to do, she just had to do what’s necessary. He told her to “Try to make choices she could live with.” This really feels like Jack is handing off the job of running the show to Renee.

At the White House, Olivia met with her mother and father, to tell them what she did. At first, President Taylor thought it was because she leaked the location, but Olivia told them that it was worse, she ordered the attack on Jonas Hodges. President Taylor was furious, but Henry wanted to cover it up, and then blamed his wife for not stopping their son’s death.

At the hospital, Jack was told the only thing they could do is induce a coma, so he wouldn’t feel a thing. They told him he had a visitor, I thought it’d be Kim to save the day, but it was the preacher from before. They said a small prayer, before Jack said, “It’s time.” For what? Death? Coma?

In the White House, the President finally made her decision. She had a sworn duty to obey the constitution, so Olivia was taken away by Aaron Pierce into Federal custody. This upset her husband, making her feel as if she lost her whole family.

At 4 minutes remaining in the show, Alan Wilson arrived in FBI Headquarters and went straight to the holding cell. Janis asked Renee to sign transfer documents, but Renee wasn’t happy with that, she was determined to get answers. She cuffed Janis, and stepped into the room with Alan.

Kim showed up at the hospital, but was too late. Jack was already in the coma. Kim said she wasn’t ready to give up, and asked the doctor if it was too late to try the experimental treatment. It wasn’t, so the doctor made the call. Ending day seven.

24: S07E23: 6:00-7:00 Recap

This recap is written in real time…

Last week, 24 was brought back to the good old days of season 1. Thanks to Kim’s terrible luck, she was kidnapped again. Rather she had some very bad people keeping an eye on her. This fact lured Jack into doing whatever they want.

This episode started off with a debriefing. Olivia Taylor was being questioned about Hodges death. It was only a formality, they had to question everyone who knew about his whereabouts. Meanwhile her mother, President Taylor was busy in a meeting. She was laying down her concerns about everyone else who was involved in the creation of the bio-weapon. They needed to question Tony more to find out who all was in that group.

At the airport, Kim noticed a scratch on Bob’s neck from his fight earlier. His “wife” covered for him, saying it was from the cab’s door. Apparently it hit him on the way out.

While in the transport vehicle with Tony, Jack commandeered the vehicle, threatening to kill a fellow officer. Probably not the best move in the world, but it keeps my interest. After he took control of the vehicle, he explained that they had his daughter. When they got to the meeting spot, Tony grabbed Jack. Tony’s “girlfriend” told him to kill Jack, but Tony explain Jack had the pathogen in his system, that they should try to extract it from him.

At the White House, Ethan arrived, and Aaron greeted him. He told them the reason he had him come over, was because he believed Olivia was somehow involved in Hodges death. He needed him to access a digital recording in the room where Olivia met with Martin Collier. Ethan understood, and accessed the recording.

After her debriefing at the top of the hour, Olivia walked into her office and found Ethan, trying to cover his footsteps. In only a few minutes, she figured out what he was up to, and ordered security to stop Ethan while leaving the white house.

Renee called Chloe at FBI Headquarters, and explained the situation. She told Chloe to call the agent at Kim’s Gate at the airport. After being called to the front, Kim got the call from Renee, and she told her that people were following her. She knew almost immediately it was the couple who’s been talking to her. When Bob came around asking if she needed help, she covered herself by saying it was airport security. Her ruse worked for a minute or two before Bob noticed airport police looking for them, that’s when all the excitement happened. Kim stole a pen earlier from the desk, and stabbed the woman holding her hostage. She was free, but the man continued to escape.

At 6:32, Olivia spoke to Ethan, currently being detained. She asked for the digital recording. When he said no, she had an agent search his suitcase and pockets, finding the recording. After she recollected the recording, she broke it. Thankfully, Ethan was paranoid, and kept the actual recording.

Meanwhile, Jack was brought to Dr. Frankenstein. A small lighted operating room in the middle of a huge warehouse. He was forced onto an operation table, and was injected by something, most likely a mild sedative. After gathering a large needle, they started extracting spinal fluid from Jack, leaving him screaming.

A few minutes later, Renee and her team arrived at the airport. Kim was missing. Apparently, she was following Bob while he was attempting to escape. Looks like she’s got a bit of her father in her. She decided to stop following him, and report her findings to the nearest security guard. From him, she was able to call Renee. She told her the location. Bob showed up again, trying to run her down. The security guard noticed in time to shoot him, his car crashed and started burning. Kim ran to the car, and grabbed the laptop. Bob grabbed her, but she got out in time, her arm on fire. Despite the obvious thing to do, she did not stop drop and roll. She just discarded her jacket. Thankfully she got the laptop, and handed it to Renee when she arrived. The laptop was sending a signal to Jacks location.

Meanwhile, Ethan listened to the stolen digital recording incriminating Olivia.

At Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory, the doctor said Jack probably only had 2 hours left…which means he can’t die at the end of this season. Which means a cliffhanger. When the doctors set Jack free, they did not anticipate him being awake. So the second he was free, he single-handedly took down all the doctors. His back was probably feeling like crap at that second, but he escaped, Tony not too far behind.

Wolverine and the X-Men – Season in Review

The second season of “Wolverine and the X-Men” begins next week, so I decided to watch the first season this week.  Having watched it, I have to say I am extremely impressed with it.  I am not one to say that I enjoy cartoons very often, and I have to say this is a treat.

I was also a fan of the X-Men’s previous animated series, “X-Men Evolution,” because it was partly based on the film series.  Having watched “Wolverine and the X-Men”, it was not primarily based on the films, but more so the comics.  I never really read any of the comics, but I have read other’s reviews saying how much this show stays true to the comics.

It took a while getting used to, but after watching the three part series premiere, I was pretty much hooked.  The show is much more exciting then Evolution.  More cinematical, and more serious.  The entire first season was based around what I believe to be the “Days of Future Past” storyline of the X-Men franchise. Where Senetor Kelly started the Mutant Registration Act, rounding up every Mutant.

Another aspect of the show, which I grew to love, was centered around the fact that the X-Men, mainly Wolverine, had inside information of what was to come in the future.  Professor X had slipped into a coma, and when he awoke 20 years in the future, he found a way to speak to his former X-Men.  Time to time, the show switched from present day, to the future.  Very interesting aspect.

I also loved how the show introduced us to more of the more unknown Marvel characters.  Die hard fans would for sure know who Emma Frost was.  Like I said, I’m not a die hard fan, so I was intrigued by her character.  As well as most of the X-Men in the future, I know they are pretty popular, but until this series, I hadn’t heard of them before.

I read that this series was so popular, two more seasons had been renewed.  The complete second season is in post production, and a third is in pre-production, both with another set of 26 episodes.  I find that fascinating. So congratulations, to whoever came up with this series, and keep up the good work!

Prison Break – Mother Lode Recap

Well, it has been several weeks, even months since Prison Break went on hiatus, too long if you ask me, but it is back and better than ever. There are only five episodes left in the series.

Tonight’s episode kicked off with Lincoln finding an envelope at the doorstep. Inside were photos of their loved ones. This was a desperate threat by the General to speed them on their way retrieving Scylla. Meanwhile, Michael and Sara are somewhere in Arizona. Michael is still upset with Lincoln for taking a deal with the company, but Sara reassured him it was only to save his life. Out of nowhere, Michael and Sara are shot at. So obviously, they bolted, leaving their car behind.
Next we have Michael and Lincoln’s mother looking very creepy, trying to be evil. She wants her boys to understand what she’s trying to do. Maybe try to stop being evil, and they might listen to you.

Lincoln then got a call from Michael, they have a bit of an argument, and then Michael told him about how their mother was alive. So Michael and Sara made a deal with a truck driver to drive them to their next location, Miami, but the truck wouldn’t stop for the next 8 hours…what if they needed to use the bathroom?

Lincoln and Mahone tracked one of the chips to a house, to which they sneaked into, guns raised. The house was empty, but it had a nice picture of Lincoln’s mom. T-Bag and Self track one of the chips to another location. Apparently T-Bag’s soul is black, I would have never guessed. In the church, Mahone and the boys found out that the church was holding several semi-automatic weapons.

Back on the truck, Michael reminisced memories of his mother and the Millennium Falcon with Sara. Then the truck was pulled over by a police car. We learn that this “cop” was really another company killer. He killed the driver, and took off in the truck. Looks like Michael’s going to have to escape again.

Also on the road is the General in his limo speaking to a someone, which is when the man he was speaking to stopped the car, along with the driver, leaving the General stuck. Needless to say the General got a hold of his keys and started tearing at his seat belt, and then his limo exploded! Did his Macguiver maneuver work? Of course it did.

Lincoln met up with his mother, as expected, he got upset with her on the fact that she works for the same company that has been trying to kill them ever since the first season. But she said that in two days she can give him and Michael their lives back.

When we got back to Michael’s story, he has been busy setting up some neat Macguiver tricks and blew himself out of the truck. Then Sara and Michael ran for their lives. They found an abandoned warehouse to hide from the assassin. Michael came up from behind the man, and knocked him down. Though he was able to say he wasn’t working for the general…dun dun dun!

Then at the very last moments of this week’s episode, Lincoln went back to see his mother, which she strictly told him not to. So a sniper was set to shoot him. She gave the order, and then just about when his head would be blown away, the episode ended. What a cliffhanger!

AMERICAN IDOL – Top 13 Perform

Tonight on American Idol, the first Top 13 ever will be singing songs from the one and only Michael Jackson.  Now I love Wacko Jacko as much as the next fella, but whenever I’ve seen an idol attempt to sing one of his songs…well lets just say it’s rare for the song to do very well.  Last year, David Cook did Billy Jean in his own style, and that was very good, but no matter how much they change it up, it’s still not Michael Jackson.  For me it may be very difficult to give them a perfect score, but I’ll keep an open mind.

Up first was Lil Rounds with “The Way You Make Me Feel”  Randy said right off the bat that he loved how she made it sound like a new song again.  Kara said she wants to hear Lil on the radio someday.  Paula said miss Rounds is a force to be reckonned with.  Simon thought it was good, but it was a lazy song choice.  For me I thought it was sung great as well, but I agree with Simon, it was a lazy song choice, I gave it 4 out of 5.

Scott McIntire was up next with “Keep the Faith.” Kara was glad they got to see him on the piano, and she is glad that he is still true to himself.  Paula said it was magical and beautiful. Simon hated the song, because nobody knows that song. Randy thought the performance was good, but felt too safe.  It never stops astonishing me how a blind man can play the piano so well, and learning a song in only a week.  For me I have to study the keys for days before I can get anywhere close to memorizing everything.  Sure, it’s about feeling the music, and you can totally tell how much Scott felt the song tonight. Though Simon was right, I didn’t know the song, but it wasn’t terrible, just didn’t care for it much. 3/5

Third up tonigh is my personal favorite, Danny Gokey singing “PYT.” Paula said she thinks he is on his way to the finals.  Simon said three contestants in and he already won, also saying the vocals were brilliant. Randy loved everything. Another MJ song I haven’t heard, or rather haven’t heard a lot of.  When I think of Danny, I think of a guy that sings more calm songs, so for me it was a little weird to hear him jam it up.  He did a good job though, 4/5

Michael Sarver sang “You Are Not Alone.” Randy said right now, Michael is definitly  one of the best performers.  Kara said tonight, he proved that he can sing. This song is one of my favorites, and I’m glad Michael sang this.  He’s no Michael, well he is…but not Michael Jackson, but he did a great job. 5/5

Next up was Jasmine Murray with “I’ll Be There.” Randy said he was impressed and surprised.  Kara thought a half key down would have been better, but she sold it anyway.  Paula said she had some bright moments, but some other moments where she was under.  Simon said it was a good attempt, but a little bit robotic. I thought it was another good song, but again a 4/5.

Kris Allen took the stage next singing “Remember the Time.” Kara was happy to see Kris with his guitar, Paula said nobody knows Michael’s catalog more than him while Simon undressed her. Simon said it was interesting.  Randy said he loved it, and that it was interesting.  I personally enjoyed it a lot, most likely because I remember the music video Michael did to it with the whole egyptian look, very nice, 4/5.

Allison Iraheta was next in line performing “Give In To Me.” Because Allison is only 16, Paula thought the performance was mind boggling.  Simon said it was a good performance and they know who she is. Randy said he always says that if they got it, then they always got it.  Kara said Allison is known as the rocker and its astonishing.  I thought it was done really well, even though I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard that song before. 5/5  

Anoooooop Desai was up next singing “Beat It.” Paula said that song was untouchable.  Simon said it was horrible, there was no aggresion. Randy said for him, it was just the wrong song choice, it was only karaoke, and he knows Anoop has more than that.  Kara felt disconnected to him for the first time. Obviously the song is very famous, very popular, and in a lot of reasons it is an untouchable song.  I don’t think it was terrible, I certainly had fun listening to it.  3.5/5

Jorge Nunez sang “Never Can Say Goodbye,” from the Jackson 5. Randy said it wasn’t the song he would have chosen for him, but he did a nice job. Kara said he is one of the most emotional contestants on the show, and would have liked a more emotional song.  Paula said it wasn’t the right song choice.  Simon said it was corny and awful, and found wanting the song to end.  Yeah…the song kind of sucked. 2/5

Megan Cockery sang another Jackson 5 song, “Rockin’ Robin.” Kara said she has a way of putting her signature on anything she does.  Paula says she loves the corkey and unique tone in her voice. Simon said it was a stupid song choice, the vocals and dancing were bad. Randy said the song choice didn’t allow her to be ‘Megan’.  I didn’t hate it, I thought it was fun to listen to, but in the long run, the question is if I want her to be my American Idol? I don’t know if that song would help her win, so 3.5/5 again.

Adam Lambert sang “Black and White.” It is clear during this performance that Adam is Paula’s favorite. Paula has never seen anyone on the history of American Idol be so confortable on the stage. Simon said that was totally in a different league than anything they’ve ever seen. Randy said since day one, he has been current, and he loves it. Kara said Adam hit some notes she didn’t even knew existed.  What can I say? Adam sure has a high pitch voice doesn’t he? Anyways, a very good performance, 5/5 all the way.

Matt Giraud was 12th to sing, with “Human Nature.” Randy said it was a very good performance.  Kara said he was a talented guy, and wants to see him for many more weeks.  Paula said she was blown away.  Simon said it was like meat and potatoes.  I don’t know…I wasn’t a fan.  First of all I didn’t know the song, second of all, it sounded copycat to me towards the end, he sounded too much like Michael Jackson with all of the high pitch stuff.  I have to just give it 3/5.

The 13th and final performance tonight was done by Alexis Grace singing “Dirty Diana.” Unfortunetly I missed what the judges said about the performance, but I am pretty sure that they loved it.  So did I 5/5.

 

So here’s my predictions.  There are two people leaving us tomorrow night, my guess that its one boy and one girl, so the guy, I believe will be Jorge unfortunetly, and the girl – Megan Cockery.  We’ll see how my predictions do tomorrow night. Peace out.

 

AMERICAN IDOL: Top 36 – Group 1 Elimination

Tonight, they are eliminating nine, count them, NINE contestants.  It isn’t my place to say if that was a smart decision or not, seeing the fact that almost all 12 have more potential then they have shown, though it was certainly a risk. There are several people I don’t want to see gone, but this is life.

After the judges and contestant’s introductions, we were shown a brief recap video which really just felt like filler, than of course all 12 idols sang a group song, maybe you’ve heard of it? “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. I thought it was very entertaining, and got me in the mood for the rest of the episode.

After commercial break, Ryan annoyed us with last night’s episode recap. After this recap, he had a chat with the contestants.  At this point I am still awaiting the results.  Finally, here we go with the results.

First, Ryan pulled up Casey Carlson, she sang “Every Little She Does is Magic,” After telling her she basically sucked last night, she was kicked off.

Next up was Stephen Fowler who sang “Rock With You,” Because he chose the wrong song choice, he was also booted.

Alexis Grace took the stage next.  “I Never Loved A Man” was the song she sang, Alexis made it to the Top 12, and got to sit in one of the three chairs.  One down, two to go.  She even got to sing a victory song.

Ricky Braddy and Jackie Tohn than took the stage together. Ricky sang “A Song For You” While Jackie sang “A Little Less Conversation.” Ricky was booted off first, then Jackie followed closely behind.

Anoop Desai and Michael Sarver shared the stage next.  Anoop sang “Angel of Mine,” while Michael sang “I Don’t Wanna Be.” Michael went through while Anoop then was sent home.  I was all but positive Michael was going to get through. 2 out of the 3 stools are now occupied, my guess? Danny has to be the final man that gets the seat.  I’d be pretty angry if Tatiana got it over him.

We then got a special treat as two former contestants from last year made a guest appearance and sang. It was Michael Johns and Carly Smithson.  Now I understood that these two were pretty popular last season, but my opinions on them? Well let’s just say I understand why they got kicked off.  I never really liked Michael.  I always thought he was pretty annoying the way he performed.  I did, however like Carly, but I always knew she was never good enough to win.

Ann Marie Boskavich stood in her seat after the commercial.  She sang “Natural Woman.”  Brent Keith stood up next, he sang “Hicktown” Stevie Wright then stood, she sang “You Belong With Me” last week.  Though none of them went through.

The two remaining contestants, as expected were Danny Gokey and Tatiana Del Toro.  I feared this would happen, but it did.  They were both good, but come on, Tatiana is a pain in the butt.  Yet somehow, there is ten minutes left in this episode.

With only five minutes remaining, the show returned from commercial to decide the fate of Danny and Tatiana.  Who’s going through to the top 12? DANNY! Cry all you want Tatiana, you shall annoy me no more! Congratulations, Danny, you did a great job last week, and I look forward to hearing more from you!

The 3 people going through tonight are DANNY, MICHAEL, AND ALEXIS!

American Idol: Top 36 – Group 1 Perform

I know it’s been a while, but I am back again this year with recaps.  Again starting with American Idol recaps.  This year seems to be promising with all the new talent introduced to us. Tonight, the first group of the Top 36 performed and this is my review.

1. Jackie Tohn – “Little Less Conversation” 2/5

All judges other than Simon actually thought Jackie did a good job.  However, even though I usually don’t, I have to agree with Simon.  I couldn’t get into that song at all.  I don’t think she is a terrible singer really, but this song didn’t fit her style. Perhaps other viewers will love her, and that’s their opinion as this is mine.

2. Ricky Braddy – “A Song For You” 4.5/5

Randy told him it was an unbelievable performance starting off the eighth season.  Kara said he killed the song, which was a good thing, because it was amazing to watch.  Paula said she was proud that America gets to see how talented he is.  Simon said it was very good, but he wasn’t jumping out of his chair because he doesn’t think Ricky has star quality.

The only reason I gave this four and a half out of 5 stars is because Ricky does have an amazing voice.  The only thing holding me back is the fact that when this episode ends, I won’t be able to remember his face, the only thing I will be able to remember is his voice, which may or may not be enough for him to move on.

3. Alexis Grace – “Never Loved a Man” 3/5

Randy is loving her right now, Kara told her she is like a genie emerging from it’s bottle.  Paula thinks there is something inside of her that is large, and she is small, and Simon thinks Alexis is the best contestant so far.

I don’t know…maybe it’s not my style of music.  I’ve never really enjoyed blues music before.  I think that what she did with it was actually pretty good, but it didn’t feel like her style to me.  She has a rock quality in her voice, and I would really like to hear that part of her.  I rated it on how I personally thought of the performance, and since I couldn’t get into it, I gave it three out of five.

4. Brent Keith – “Hicktown” 4/5

Randy really enjoyed Brent’s personal style for country music and thinks he could be a great country singer.  Kara thought Brent chose a safe song, Paula agreed, but Simon thought it was forgettable.

I am half half with this one.  I think it is forgettable, but only because I am not a huge country fan, so that is to be expected.  I don’t agree with Kara and Paula’s assesment that it was safe, I thought what he did was actually really good.  He does have a pretty good voice, and I believe he has the potential to be great. Four out of five.

5. Stevie Wright – “You Belong With Me” 3/5

Randy thought it was not hot, Kara said Stevie has an identity crisis, Paula agreed with Randy and Kara, while Simon said it was terrible.  I have to agree with them, it really wasn’t that great at all.  The song itself wasn’t that bad, but she sang it really shakingly, like she was super nervous, which is understandable. I gave it a three out of five because of the song choice.

6. Anoop Desai – “Angel of Mine” 5/5

Randy said he was a huge fan, but it wasn’t the best performance.  Kara agreed with Randy, Simon said it was too grown up, and everyone agreed with him.  I actually liked it a lot.  I thought it was the best performance of the night so far.  I think he did an amazing job, and what came out of him was really strong, taking in the fact he was nervous.

7. Casey Carlson – “Everything She Does is Magic” 3/5

Randy said “The dog was lost.” It wasn’t good for him, it was weird, and a weird karaoke song choice.  Kara said nobody tries for those kind of songs.  Paula said it was the wrong choice, and Simon said it was atrocious.

I don’t think it was a terrible song, but for what it was, I didn’t really enjoy it.  I think the judges were a little harsh, but if she goes through, she’ll be able to learn from her mistakes.

8. Michael Sarver – “I Don’t Wanna Be” 5/5

Randy said the beginning started off weird.  Kara said she didn’t think it was Michael’s best performance. Paula gave him praise saying he did a “real good” job.  Simon hopes America votes for him and gives him another chance.

Part of the reason I rated it so high is because I absolutely love this song.  Though the main reason of my rating is because I truly think Michael is very talented, and will go far in life.

9.  Ann Marie Boskovich – “Natural Woman” 4/5

Randy once again said it was the wrong song choice, while Kara said in order for her to win, she has to kill it.  Paula said compared to Hollywood week, Ann Marie actually was better.  Simon compared her as the best hotel singer, but not good enough to be the American Idol. Once again, I really enjoyed a song, while the judges did not.

10. Stephen Fowler – “Rock With You” 4/5

Randy once again said he made a wrong song choice.  Kara thought he did a lot better on the piano when he forgot the words.  Paula said it was the kiss of death, because Rock With You belongs to one artist, Michael Jackson.  Simon wanted him to forget the lyrics, because it was terrible.

I grew up with the hits of Michael Jackson, and Rock With You is just one of the many hits that I enjoy.  I think Stephen had an amazing voice, and did a great job with it.  Not many times do people in American Idol sing a Jackson song and do a good job with it, and in this case, I think he did great.  Maybe a bit forgettable, but it takes a lot for me to be amazed.

11. Tatiana Del Toro – “I Am Saving All of My Love For You” 4/5

Randy said he was impressed with Tatiana’s performance.  Kara compared Tatiana to a roller coaster ride, but this was a very reserved version of Tatiana.  Paula said Tatiana was probably the most  talked about contestant this season.  She also said the song was beautiful. Simon straight up called her a drama queen, and it was better than expected.
This girl.  Oh my gosh.  I was trying so hard to just listen to her vocal talent tonight, which in all honesty isn’t bad at all.  But her personality sucks,  she is very annoying.  And that is not the kind of person I want to be as my American Idol. On http://votefortheworst.com, It encourages everyone to vote for her. When it comes to the song, she did a good job, but that won’t thwart my hatred towards her annoying persona.

12. Danny Gokey – “Hero” 5/5

Randy said it was blazing hot, Kara said it was incredible, Paula said it was stellar, with the phrase “sold out arenas” Simon said it was good, but not fantastic.

For the longest time, Danny has been my favorite idol. I was really worried when I heard he was going to sing a song by Mariah Carey.  Guys should never sing a female’s song, I genuinely think it just sounds weird.  I think Danny actually did a great job with it, but that could be favoritism speaking. Though this one time didn’t make me think any different of him, he is still my favorite, and will be voting for him once this episode ends.

So this brings us to the predictions.  I only had three people with a perfect score.  I believe the people that will go through are Danny Gokey, Michael Sarver, and Anoop Desai.

24: 7.01/02 – 8:00-10:00 – Quick Review

It has almost been two years since 24 last aired.  Thanks to that pesky writer’s strike, the producer’s of 24 thought it was necessary to wait a full year to start the new season.  Why? Well because it is important for 24 to have every action filled episode. Well season seven is finally here, but before I give you all a recap, I have to warn you that the season opener wasn’t as good as any of the previous season openers in my opinion.

Maybe it is just because CTU is no more, maybe its because its more ‘realistic’ time wise…I don’t know, all I know is that I almost fell asleep at parts, and that is not cool when I’m watching 24.

8:00-9:00

So we started off with a car accident.  Some men in masks kidnapped a man driving his daughter to school.  The man orchestrating the whole thing was obviously Tony Almeida because of his “whatever voice.”

Jack Bauer was currently at a court hearing about his questionable means of justice.  Though Jack made an amazing argument, because, well, that’s just what he does.  He is awesome. Then an FBI agent, Rennee Walker removed him from the hearing because she needed his help.

She brought him to FBI headquarters, and told him Tony Almedia is alive and kicking, and is orchestrating a terrorist orginization.  Jack doesn’t believe it, but Agent Walker gets him to help.

The reason Tony kidnapped the father from the beginning, is because the man is a genious at making devices.  The man made Tony a device that intercepted air control for commercial flights.

Jack decided their first move is to get in contact with a man we’ve never seen before.  Some guy that Jack and Tony used to get information from.  When they got there, he was about to spill everything when one of Tony’s evil henchmen shot him dead from the roof of another building.  This told Jack that there was a mole working inside the FBI.  They locked the building down to find the shooter. Meanwhile, Tony called Jack to tell him to back off.

 

9:00-10:00

So if I didn’t explain this earlier…Tony took control of a plane at the end of the last episode… Now traffic control is freaking out to why its happening, so they called FBI, bla bla bla.

Basically, Tony had the plane land on a different runway, one that was intersecting a separate runway, to which another plane was landing.  He was showing traffic control what he was capable of.  He just about made the planes crash, then saved the day, saying it was only a demonstration.

The sniper from the last episode called Tony up, telling him he is stuck in the building.  So later in the episode Tony had his mole from the FBI sneak him out.  Though Jack is amazing, so he spotted it right off the bat, and he and Agent Walker secretly walked away from the location to follow him.

Meanwhile, we see that Tony has been working for one of the bad guys from 24: Redemption…We don’t know too much about that yet.

So the sniper arrived at Tony’s location, Bauer and Walker were close behind. But he heard them coming, but it was too late, Jack did a little beating and it was time to find Tony. There was a little fight, but needless to say, Jack found him in the second episode, asking him what happened to him.

So there is a separate White House storyline that I honestly don’t care for.  It has something to do with the continuation of the 24: Redemption movie…which I didn’t care for either.  Also, the President’s son was killed, said to be a suicide, but the President’s husband doesn’t believe it, so he’s been investigating a little…I just think that whole storyline is a bore, so I won’t talk a whole lot about it unless something really important happens.