I'm sorry. I have been slacking on the blog updates recently. I was finishing up my senior year in college and I was pretty preoccupied with getting everything done so I could graduate. I'm going to work hard to get caught up and I appreciate everyone for bearing with me. (I'm not sure if there are any regular blog readers, but I'm acting like there are!)
When Revenge premiered last season, it was not a show to watch. It was ignored by all of the fall tv press and most television journalists believed that it would be a show that would be canceled after it's third or fourth episode. Much to the surprise, and delight, of television viewers, it gave us something we didn't even realize we had been missing. A frothy, over the top, soap opera featuring a deliciously bitchy performance by Madeline Stowe.
If you have never watched Revenge before, here is a brief rundown: Emily Thorne has returned to the Hamptons to take revenge on the people who framed her father for a terrorist act he didn't commit. The main focus of Emily's wrath are the Graysons, headed by corrupt businessman Conrad and malicious matriarch, Victoria. They are the ones who made Emily's father their patsy, mainly because Victoria was cheating on and planning on leaving Conrad for David. In each episode, Emily takes down someone who was implicit in the cover up, crossing off items on her "revegenda," what fans lovingly call her revenge agenda.
Viewers flocked to the show in it's Wednesday at 9 pm time slot and it became a surprise hit for ABC during the 2011-2012 season. The network had so much confidence in the show that when it revealed it's 2012-2013 season lineup, the show was given Desperate Housewives old Sunday timeslot.
Unfortunately, much like DH before it, Revenge floundered in it's second season. Instead of focusing on Em crossing names off her list, it broadened to focus on the Americorp Initiative, the group that had the Grayson's take down the plane. It is needlessly convoluted and not even the most eagle eyed, devoted viewer could explain it to you so it made sense. The actors on the show are hazy on the details. That is not good. The show began losing viewers, not enough to result in cancellation, but enough to give the suits at ABC a jolt.
So, it's not a huge surprise that news broke last week that creator/executive producer/showrunner, Mike Kelley, was stepping down. He may stay on as a consultant, but he won't be performing the day to day show running duties. This is a good and a bad thing. I never like it when someone who created a successful show is forced to step down. This is their baby and I feel like it's wrong for them to step away from it. On the other hand, showrunners sometimes get the idea that their show is their show and they aren't beholden to anyone, when they are beholden to a lot of people. They have a responsibility to the cast and crew, the viewers, the network. So, if Kelley was unwilling to make changes that would have improved the show, then maybe this will turn out to be for the best.
Is Revenge beyond saving? Absolutely not. Here are a few ways that Revenge can get back on track.
1. Keep It Simple Stupid The show excels when it doesn't focus too much on the overarching terrorist plot that the Graysons got involved in. This is a pretty ridiculous soap opera, so trying to make sense of these serpentine, conspiracy plot twists, it kind of highlights that fact and does more harm than good. We don't need to know all the details. Broad strokes will do just fine.
2. More Emily and Victoria Emily and Victoria are the reason most viewers tune in. They love to see the bitchery on display whenever the two of them are in the same room. It feels like this season, those scenes have been too few and far between.
3. Kill Aiden. This season introduced a man from Emily's past who has a vendetta against the Initiative. Aiden was trained by Takeda. He is hot and British, but he is boring. He is not a very compelling character. Also, Emily already has Daniel and Jack to vie for her affections. Aiden is just one too many. Off him.
4. Have someone learn Emily's secret. If I had my way, Jack would find out that he was never married to the real Amanda Clarke by this season's end, but I think it may be too early for that. I can't imagine Daniel or Victoria or Conrad finding out, so why not Charlotte or Ashley? I think that helps keep Emily from getting to be too super human.
So, there are some ideas from me, but I want to hear from other Revenge watchers. What have you guys thought about this season? Yea or nay? Do you have any ideas on how to get it back on track?
Oh Mimi. Mariah Carey was on fire during last night's performance episode of American Idol. She spilled the backstage T about how she had been talked to about not doing her job, you know, judging. So, for the first time since she stepped in front of the Idol cameras, she attempted to give a negative critique. It went about as well as expected. Her comments were still as verbose as ever and I was barely able to stay interested. Mimi did much better when she glitter bombed Candice Glover, after her final, transcendent performance of the night. The contestants sang two songs last night, one from songwriters Bacharach/David and a song they wish they had written.
Angie Miller kicked off the night singing "Anyone Who Had a Heart." This was probably Angie's best performance away from the piano. When Angie leaves the piano and wanders around the stage, she sometimes has a problem connecting with the lyrics. She didn't have that problem. She was really feeling ever single part of the song. I wasn't really feeling the arrangement of the song, though. It felt like she changed up the melody too much. It almost made the song sound unrecognizable. I'm not really sure what the judges were smoking, because Keith and Nicki basically felt the exact opposite of what I felt. I'm not sure what Mariah said, because I have a low tolerance for incoherent rambling.
Amber Holcomb continued her solid run of performances with "I Say A Little Prayer." Amber's vocal was impeccable, as per usual. She also looked freaking gorgeous. I couldn't get over how old fashioned it sounded. It sounded like it was straight out of the '60's. I thought that maybe I had stumbled onto a progressive episode of Lawrence Welk. So, I wasn't really sure where all the judges enthusiam was coming from. I have a feeling that they were so effusive, because they really don't want Amber to become Lazaro's next victim. If that is the case, then I can get on board.
Lazaro Arbos was up next and calling what he did to The Carpenters' "(They Long To Be) Close to You" singing, would be stretching what most people's credibility. What he actually did was mercilessly behead it like King Joffrey did to Ned Stark while Sansa watched sobbing. Seriously, I was afraid that Idol would become an episode of The Walking Dead, as Karen Carpenter's dessicated corpse stormed the stage to take bloody revenge on the stuttering second coming of Ricky Ricardo. What followed was the most awkward judging session in Idol history. It included Mariah's first stab at criticism, and it was a spectacular failure. I can only hope that this doesn't backfire and Lazaro inexplicably stays.
Kree Harrison is there anything you can't do? You washed the horrid taste of rancid meat right out of my mouth with your flawless take on "What the World Needs Now Is Love." I still feel like it was a smidge old fashioned, but Kree really brought it. I loved the beginning a capella portion and I was kind of wishing that she would have just done the whole song that way. Is everyone else wishing for a Kree/Candice finale? There really would be no loser.
If anyone is sacrificed on the Altar of Lazaro tomorrow night, it will probably be Janelle Arthur. Her rendition of "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" was dripping with cheese. This reminded me of the performance you'd see on a Carnival Cruise four days after the bathrooms stopped working. Everything about the performance felt staged, especially when she attemtped to "flirt" with Keith. Janelle is great singer, but when your female competition ranges from phenmoneal to mind blowingly awesome, great is enough to get you sent home.
Candice. Glover. Get used to that name, America, because with any luck it'll be a household name very soon. I have to say, that I completely agreed with Nicki. Candice's first performance was the best of the first hour because it sounded so modern. I would have no trouble believing that "Don't Make Me Over" was a Candice Glover original. It would sound right at home on modern R&B radio. I mean, words can't do it justice, so you should just watch it:
The song that Angie Miller wishes she had written is a contemporary Christian joint by Kari Jobe called "Love Came Down." Now, I don't know a lot about Christian music, so I had never heard this song before, but it was a home run for Angie. It was her best performance since the Colton Dixon song she sang a few weeks back. As the judges noted, when Angie is behind her piano, she can't lose. In fact, I would be completely fine if Angie never left her piano when she performed. I mean, if it's good enough for Tori Amos, Elton John, Bill Joel, and countless others, it's good enough for Angie. The judges were also correct when they pointed out that this sounded like a potential Angie Miller album cut. Girlfriend knows exactly who she is as an artist, and for someone so young, that is mucho impressive.
Amber Holcomb wishes that she had written Beyoncé's "Love On Top." Let me be clear, y'all know I loves me some Amber. I was also elated that she chose an up tempo song and she definitely committed. I was also digging her Kids Incorporated inspired jean short get up. It's just always tough for me a contestant does a Queen Bey song. It's hard for me to just judge it on it's own merits and not compare it to the original. I will say, I was a fan, and Amber is def in my top 3.
Lazaro wishes he had written Robbie Williams' one major US hit, "Angels." I mean, what can you say? Anything would have been an improvement. This wasn't a trainwreck, but compared to the ladies, Lazaro seems like a kid who got lost on the way to his elementary school talent show. Let's end this with a compliment... um... he's cute.
Kree Harrison busted out Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through The Night." I have to say, this is probably my very favorite Kree performance. She really made me feel every single not. I got chills. I loved it. Kree is a storyteller. She, like Candice, makes you really believe everything that she is singing about. I mean, Canidce obvs, was the best of the night, but Kree was a close second.
Janelle Arthur brought some old school Garth Brooks to the Idol stage performing "The Dance." This was not a bad performance. It was a smidge boring and there were some pitch issues for sure. It is too bad that Janelle followed Kree, especially since they are both country singers. Kree is by far the better artist, so it just made Janelle's performance look really lackluster.
What more can be said about Candice's performance of The Cure's "Love Song." Seriously. Can we just crown this lady the winner already? Who deserves it more? No one. I mean, a video is worth a thousand words.
So, will there be an elimination shocker? Or will Lazaro finally make his way home? Let me know in the comments.
Another results show, another guy gets eliminated. It's not Lazaro, though. It's poor Burnell Taylor. I mean, Burnell sucked it up, but was he or Janelle worse than Lazaro? Negative. To add insult to injury, Lazaro was in the top 3?!! What?! This has got to stop. I mean, if he doesn't go next week, it's going to be too much.
Oh Idol. You do one thing right and then you do everything else wrong. I'm all for a night with no ballads, but not when every song performed is one that has been heard a billion times on Idol before. Seriously. Rock and roll still exists. Why not sing a song that is current. Sorry, Angie, Evanescence doesn't count. Good try though. That being said, there were some great performances last night and only one trainwreck. Three guesses as to which that was, but you should only need one.
Burnell Taylor opened the show with Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name." You could tell right away that Burnell is not a rock singer. The whole performance was super awkward. Burnell tried to dance, kind of, and it made me super uncomfortable. I, and others, have talked about Burnell's awesome tone, but it really didn't work with this song. I'm not sure what Nicki was smoking with all the gushing, but I was on team Keith. This was nnot a great performance, also, with Burnell being first, if the pity votes for Lazaro keep rolling in, Burnell may be in trouble.
More duets and trios this week, y'all. I mean, because they were all so good last week. Lazaro and Angie were up first. They did terrible things to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen. Angie sounded OK, but Lazaro was just horrendous. He still didn't really know the words, the dancing was awful. Just like I am running out of good things to say about Candice, I'm running out of ways to disparage Lazaro.
Kree Harrison came to the stage next peforming Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart." Now, listen, y'all know I love Kree. She has a gorgeous voice and typically gives amazing performances. Tonight's vocal was on par with her previous efforts, but I was very disappointed in her song choice. Kree had the opportunity to really show a different side of herself, but instead she went with a tired choice that had been covered by Faith Hill. So, she basically did a country song on rock week. I'm not saying that Kree deserves to go home for this, or even be in the bottom two or three, but come on Kree! You're better than this song choice.
Burnell joined Candice for The Box Tops' "The Letter." Candice owned this performance. Seriously, poor Burnell didn't stand a chance. He held his own, but you can't beat Candice. She shines and she just demands the spotlight. She wasn't trying to outshine Burnell, it just happens.
Janelle Arthur tackled Billy Joel's "You May Be Right." Janell really had been doing good things the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the streak ended tonight. This reminded me her rendition of "Gone." Janelle has a problem with uptempo songs. They are always rough for her. It seems really manic and her vocals suffer. This was not great. It seemed like something I would see at the Iowa State Fair. Janelle may be in some trouble tonight.
Lazaro Arbos. Queen's "We Are the Champions." I'm just goingo to directly quote my notes here.
"Terrible. Freddie Mercury is rolling in his grave. So shiny and sweaty. Kind of warbles when he holds out a not. Super awkward." 'Nuff said.
Janelle, Amber, and Kree joined forces for "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me." I'm not sure what the judges were smoking, but this was only marginally better than the boys trio from last week. It was as tore up as Amber's jeans. Sorry, Dawg.
Candice Glover showed her rock grrrl side with The Rolling Stones' seminal classic (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." This was not my favorite Candice performance, but it was still damn good. Candice was the only one of the Idols that showed any sort of rocker attitude. I loved the way she stomped the stage, well as much as she could with a hurt toe, and her growls. Candice needs a song with a little more melody to really do her stuff, but this was another top notch showing.
Amber Holcomb continues her role as this season's dark horse contestant. She destroyed her cover of Heart's "What About Love?" I mean, it is, technically, a ballad, but I'm willing to let that one go, especially since Amber sang the damn song!! The only thing that is stopping Amber from reaching Canidce levels of awesomeness is experience. Candice has more experience than Amber, so she is able to nuance a song and make it her own in a way that Amber can't quite yet. It was by far the best performance of the night. Hands. Down.
Oh Angie Miller. You started your performance of Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life" at the piano and I was excited. Finally, Angie is back where she belongs, behind the piano. There is nothing wrong with performing songs behind a piano. I mean, Elton John, Billy Joel, and Tori Amos, just to name a few, have made a fine living that way. Unfortunately, Angie only stayed at the piano for a few bars. Then she was up, hamming it up, while an over aggressive wind machine tried to blow her off stage. Was this a hint? I'm still an Angie fan, but if she keeps up these kinds of performances, I'm going to be less outraged if she ever gets the boot.
So, what did you guys think? Any Lazaro fans out there who want to take me to task? Can Amber claw her way up into the top 2? Let me know in the comments.
So, again, we'll keep it short and sweet. Devin and Lazaro were in the bottom two and the wrong person went home. That's right. Devin Velez was sent packing and Lazaro lived to stutter another day. Lame. Bad choice, America.
Devin went out with a bang though. After he was eliminated he got into a Twitter war with Nicki, after he criticized her reaction to their group performance during a conference call with reporters. So, maturity on both sides there.
So, were you sad to see Devin go? Is it a good sign that Lazaro was finally in the bottom two? Will next week, be the end of his reign of terror? Let me know in the comments.
So, last night, American Idol trotted out another tired theme from season's past. It was Motown week, everyone!! Yeah, I know they tried to change it up and claim that it was Songs From Detroit, but come on, besides that Madonna duet, all the songs were from Hitsville, USA. There is nothing wrong with that, but let's not try to call this something that it's not. There were some amazing performances last night and the women continued to dominate. Also, I was living for Nicki and Mariah's red dresses, which I have to assume, were to support marriage equality. It's nice that you ladies can agree on one thing. OK, let's get into it, y'all.
Candice Glover started things off right, with a jazzy, slow burn take on "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." Is there anything that Candice can't do? I mean, this was such a departure from her typical performance, but it was typically amazing. I loved the growl in her voice and how it built into a pitch perfect ending. It was a change, but it still fits Candice's aesthetic. I loved it. A fantastic way to open the show, especially since the opener is normally pretty lame and forgettable. No one will forget Candice's performance.
Kree Harrison and Janelle Arthur teamed up for a country-fied rendition of Madonna's "Like A Prayer", the sole non-Motown ditty performed on the show. Nicki was right on when she asserted that Kreedom was the winner in this duet. It was sweet how Kree tried to give Janelle her props, but you could see how uncomfortable Janelle was with the whole situation. Kree dominated that song. Her voice was clear and melodic, she never over powered Janelle, Janelle just couldn't raise her game to meet Kree's.
Oh Lazaro. I feel like we have this conversation every Wednesday night. This performance was a little bit better, but it was not good. It definitely wasn't good enough to stay in the competition. Not even close. Lazaro just seems so defeated. I mean, he comes on stage and he barely moves, he looks sad. I don't think that his fans are doing him a favor by keeping him in the competition. "For Once In My Life" is a fantastic song, but Lazaro brought absolutely nothing to it.
Well, well, well. Janelle Arthur. Who knew you had it in you? After a stellar return to form last week, Janelle continued the upward trend with a killer acoustic version of "You Keep Me Hanging On." Janelle brought unseen depth to this performance. It was really intimiate and it brought Janelle back into the competition. The judges all uniformly praised it. Nicki is definitely nurturing the Kree vs Janelle narrative. I don't think it's really that necessary, but maybe Nicki is sick of being the only one on the show with a female rival. Who knows?
Devin Velez brought "The Tracks of My Tears" back to the Idol stage. This is one of my all-time favorite songs and I really enjoyed Devin's performance. Devin has the best male voice that is left in the competition. It is smooth and I was a fan of his red blazer. I wonder if Devin was joining Mariah and Nicki in support of marriage equality? Devin does have a pretty bad case of ballad-itis, but who cares? When they sound that smooth I will happily listen. I loved his runs, they were perfectly placed and there weren't too many. Big fan.
There was another group performance featuring Angie, Candice, and Amber to "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me." I mean, Candice dominated and if you didn't already love her, then you should now.
Burnell Taylor was up next singing Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour." The judges and Jimmy are definitely gaga for Burnell and like I've said before, I'm a big fan of his silky, Frank Ocean-y tone, but there is nothing exciting about Burnell's performances. He makes every single song that he sings sound exactly the same. This performance was pretty indistiguishable from "Let It Be." Burnell is boring and he may not outlast Lazaro.
Angie Miller may be in trouble. Her performance of "Shop Around" was her worst in the competition so far. I talked about how Angie struggles when she is not behind her piano and this is a great example of that. This was also the first time that I got the pageant-y vibe from Angie. I don't think that tonight's performance should be grounds for Angie to go home, but I would be fine if it maybe resulted in a visit to the bottom three. Maybe that will get Angie back on track, because if she keeps turning in performances like this one, Janelle may surpass her.
Amber Holcomb has been severely underestimated in the competition so far. Hopefully that will change after her bananas rendition of "Lately." It was gorgeous. Lovely. Pitch perfect. Flawless. It was by far the best performance of the night. There is no way that Amber will be in the bottom after all that. Also, can we talk about the ridiculata that was spewing from Mimi's mouth. She apparently doesn't think that the general population know what tour de force means. There was a lot of disdain in her voice when she was saying that and it wasn't cute. Sorry, that we peons don't know that? OK. And, in Mimiville, impeccable is lowest common denominator. I guess.
The next "performance" was the trio of Devin, Lazaro, and Burnell. The sang "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" and it was the worst thing that I have ever heard of on a live show. There were no harmonies. It all seemed to be Lazaro's fault. When, Nicki, rightly, admonished them for the train wreck that they subjected the American public to, Lazaro responded with a shurg and a confession that he didn't know the words. What the what?! So, just so you know, Laz, if you aren't likable, even if people pity you, they won't vote for you.
Kree Harrison closed out the show with "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)." I don't think that I was as enamored with this performance as the judges were. It was good, and I love Kree so I would never trash it, but it wasn't what I have come to expect from her. I don't think that Kree is in danger of going home, but this was an average performance when I've come to expect excellence.
So, that was it. Another terrible, over used theme week. Hopefully, Lazaro goes home, but I don't think that will happen. What did you guys think? Let me know in the comments.
