P. D. Griffith's P.O.V.

Ep. “Put Your Best Face Forward”

So this week, the episode began with Cycle 3 star, Toccara, coming to the model house for a sleepover and to talk with the contestants about showcasing their personalities. Toccara has really become quite the model since she left the show; she is in Italian Vogue, a BET anchor, etc. After that, the entire episode was based on posing, and what would an ANTM posing episode be without Benny Ninja. This time he talked about using music to inspire posing, and the challenge was at the Mansion where an audience of fashion gurus judged the models on their ability to pose to the beats dropped by former model/DJ Sky Nellar. Celia was able to win the challenge without contest and get a custom Blond design. The photo shoot was also about posing, but more about holding the pose. The shoot was based around Ellis Island and immigration and the photos were actually taken with an old-school 8×10 camera (totally cool!). After the judging, Kortnie was eliminated even though Celia tried to fight for her.

Ep. “10 Finalists Compete”

On this special 2-hour audition round of American Idol that was pushed to Wednesday (unfortunately) marked a classic Idol genre, Motown. It is thought that many of these songs are the best that have ever written so it will be interesting to see what the contestants picked and if they are able to work the songs in a modern way. And did you guys here how Ryan Seacrest said “crayons?” It sounded like “crahlns.”

Matt Giraud: Performed “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye. I must say I kind of laughed a bit when I heard he selected this song. I mean it is the song of sex, and I can never hear the song without thinking of Jack Black in High Fidelity singing it. He did an ok job but the judges all seemed to love it. He does have a good falsetto.

Kris Allen: Performed “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” by Marvin Gaye. I really liked this performance. He sang the song well and he definitely has a really cool, Mraz-like feel. My only issue is watching him sing out of the side of his mouth. But he will definitely be safe with that one.

Scott MacIntyre: Performed “You Can’t Hurry Love” by Diana Ross. I really didn’t like it. I think his voice just didn’t work to match the  famous Diana Ross number. He did do a few things that were interesting to hear and trying to make it a bit contemporary, but I totally agree with Simon.

Megan Corkrey: Performed “For Once In My Life” by Stevie Wonder. This sounds wierd but I think her voice cracked more this week than it did when she had the flu. Is that possible? I think the clips we heard during her session with Smokey were ten times better than the actual performance she had tonight.

Anoop Desai: Performed “Ohh Baby Baby” by Smokey Robinson. I am going to give Anoop props on this one. I thought he did very well on performing the song and I would have never expected him to be able to hit those falsetto notes. He definitely is stepping up his game and I think he is extending his stay on American Idol.

Michael Sarver: Performed “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by The Temptations. First, I cannot stand his time keeping finger tap he does on the mike. It is distracting and stupid. Now in relation to his performance, I don’t think he was pointed enough for the song. I personally believe it is supposed to be quick, powerful, almost staccato phrasing but he definitely was too “smooth” with it. And he was seriously flat on that last portion of the song…painfully flat.

Lil Rounds: Performed “Heat Wave” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. Holy crap fringe. I am not sure about her styling but she sang the song well. Now like I think of Jack Black with “Let’s Get It On,” I immediately see a chorus of nuns from Sister Act singing this one. It is nothing against here but that song has been branded. Also, I am afraid she was kind of screaming the song in parts, which wasn’t as nice to hear as I wanted. I really want her to do a ballad next week.

Adam Lambert: Performed “Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. He performed the song stripped down and he was styled in a seriously different manner than weeks past. He got a standing ovation by Smokey Robinson himself! The vocals were awesome and he was able to really show a different side of his artistry. He definitely is still in the front running this season.

Danny Gokey: Performed “Get Ready” by The Temptations. So I was kind of confused when he started to perform. His entire intro video was about him singing the background parts and then he doesn’t when he is on the stage. He has strong energy and a great voice, but it definitely didn’t feel as great as Lambert’s performance.

Allison Iraheta: Performed “Poppa Was A Rolling Stone” by The Temptations. I must start this one with I love this song. With that in mind, I thought Allison did a very good, funky rendition of the song. Totally enjoyed it and I thought she did good job at adding her own flare to the performance. Still cannot believe she is only 16.

Ep. “He’s Our You”

The promos for this episode basically said that Sayid would stir things up. They definitely weren’t lying, Sayid was an uncooperative man. Rather than working with the others on the island, Sayid decided to “be on his own.” This definitely throws a wrench in the plan and really threatens the safety of the Oceanic people. It was crazy hearing Sayid’s interrogation in the woods while he was drugged. Now the Dharma people think he is bat-shit crazy, especially since he tells them that he is from the future.

Holy crap, Sayid killed young Ben. What does this mean? Will time change from that point on? What does it mean for the others? I cannot wait for next week now.

Ep. “Look What I Dug Up This Time”

As the season begins to come to a close, a lot of the questions that have been looming for months are starting to be revealed. First, Ellen does shoot Patty, but the question of its aftermath still remains. Also, the Cadillac was discovered and evidence against UNR has been locked in. Like Maddox, Parcel is turned to help Patty in the case. And I don’t even know what to think with this whole Parcel’s wife portion of the show. Next week is the 90-minute season finale. All will finally be revealed! YAY!!

Ep. “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall”

So the one thing about this show that I actually like more than America’s Next Top Model is that they allow men to participate. It has always bothered me that ANTM is an only female competition especially since there is an ample amount of men out there who would also like to be models. I know there was that show a few years ago on Bravo about male modeling, Manhunt, but it definitely didn’t do to well. Anyways, I am glad that the much neglected men get their shot on this show.

So in this episode, the photo shoot was about connecting with themselves and really expressing some emotion. Of course, some of the models had issues expressing themselves, but what was strange was that while I was watching the episode, I alone started to go to some “bad” places and I could feel my throat kind of close up and tears well up in my eyes. Now, I wouldn’t consider myself an emotional person, but it was weird to feel myself just give in while watching a modeling show. Strange.

In the end, Amanda and Brendan were the winners of the challenge. They get the opportunity to go to Montreal to audition to walk during Montreal Fashion Week. They selected Colin and Mountaha to join them in their go-sees. What is crazy is all of them book the job. They get to walk in Montreal Fashion Week.

The runway challenge was very strange. It was supposed to be a kind of performance art walk and some of them did some crazy stuff. I thought it was interesting to see how some of them interpreted awkward and strange.

Shawn was eliminated.

Ep. “1 of 11 Voted Off”

First, do people actually like the group numbers? I just can’t stand them. They are awkward and I want to kill myself the minute they start. Second, why did the producers and Ford decide to bastardize the OK GO greatness that is “Here It Goes Again.”

So they really played up the departure of the contestants this week. This is a different side of the show, I am not sure if I like it. I also am intrigued by the judges save twist this season and when they are going to pull that one out.

In the end, the contestants in the bottom three were: Allison Irahetta, Alexis Grace and Michael Sarver. Alexis Grace received the lowest number of votes.

Alexis Grace

She almost got saved by the judges, but she is going home. 😦

Also, Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis performed a duet to “I Told You So.” That song is so beautiful and the duet was really good. I love Carrie and I can’t wait to see her in concert.

Ep. “Namaste”

Wow what an episode. This finally shed some light on the last weeks while also adding a whole new list of questions. First my theory of what happened on the plane was correct. It appears that the flash transported the Oceanic 6 to the past and the plane was left to crash on the island. I am unsure if they were teleported somewhere though. The big question is why didn’t Sun get sent back to 1977 with the others. My belief is that she left the island pregnant and decided to go on the plane without her child, so she was only “half” of the same woman she was when she left the island. Now it seems that her role in this season is only beginning. It is as if the first half of the season centered around Locke’s journey and the second half will track Sun’s journey to be reunited with Jin.

Kate, Jack and Hurley were able to enter the Dharma initiative with the help of Sawyer/LaFleur and Juliet. Sayid was not as fortunate, he was found by other members of the Dharma initiative and is now considered a “hostile” spy. Side note: did anyone love the Sawyer/Jack fight in the episode? Jack got pwned by Sawyer and Jack didn’t look happy when he left.

It appears that next week will be a great episode. Apparently the issues with Sayid is going to explode and drama will ensue. Can’t wait for next week!

Ep. “New York’s Finest”

This week the models are taught runway etiquette by Miss J and two former contestants, Chantal and Bianca, before taking part in a Jill Stuart fashion show. Also, the photo shoot takes place aboard a sightseeing tour bus.

OMG, Miss J’s Charm School! I love that ANTM has a sense of humor. They are always so serious with their issue-related photo shoots, and to see them have a funny segment was a breath of fresh air. Also, this was the first time they ever talked about model etiquette on this show.

The Jill Stuart fashion show was very good; she has a really strong point-of-view and a good aesthetic. I love that they made the women walk with shopping bags because they the models seem like they are real people.

The shoot was interesting, especially since I just recently came back from my first trip to NYC. I liked that it was a group shoot because they happen so often in the modeling world.

In the end, it came down to Allison and Nijah, and Nijah went home.

Ep. “Week 2”

So first I must say I am glad that a reality TV series of this type has finally come to the US. This version if The Chopping Block was based off of the Australian show of the same name which was based off of the widely successful BBC show, Last Restaurant Standing. With this American rendition, Marco Pierre White is the host. If you don’t know who he is; he is a crazy successful restaurateur and world-renowned chef. This is the man who taught Gordon Ramsey how to cook (and who made him cry!). He is also the host of the British Hell’s Kitchen.

In the show, teams vie for the chance to open a restaurant in NYC with Marco Pierre. They are judged by Marco and a secret food critic that dines in both restaurants each week. This week, the contestants were tasked with branding their restaurant. They redecorated the front of house and gave them names. To the obvious eye, the red team did a much better job at this. They called their restaurant “Crimson” and went with a red motif. The Black team called their restaurant “SOUL” and went with a very unappealing yellow color.

For the service portion of the show, each team was tasked with hosting a party for two top New York fashion designers. The Black team was able to pull out the win with superior appetizers (Crab Cake) and entrée (Lamb).

In the end, Mikey and Chad were sent home after Mikey buckled under the pressure during the elimination ceremony.

Ep. “High Wire Act”

This weeks photo shoot dealt with sports and being able to capture motion. The photos seemed really cool and the roughness of the models was interesting. Some of them were über-serious. Amanda got the Bloomingdale’s go-see much to the surprise of other models.

Before the runway show, the models decide to have an impromptu crazy photo shoot. It was hilarious watching them act strange and to see CJ come out of her shell.

The runway show was interesting because it was an underwear show with cool architectural pieces. In addition to the walk, the models had to strike a “sports” pose at the end of the runway. Some did really cool stuff, others did some strange stuff.

In the end, Karen was the one eliminated and the other Karen obtained immunity for next week.

So I apparently had an issue with my DVR and Damages didn’t get recorded. I am going to have to catch it on Hulu and let you guys know what I thought.