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This Week: The Hills final season!

The Hills started on Tuesday night at 10p on MTV.

Sigh.

So I started watching The Hills because it took place in L.A. and it was kind of fun to see all of the places around town. It was somewhat like a tour guide / welcome kit...

At least for the first episode. A couple episodes in Heidi started skipping her FIDM classes and crashing parties that LC was working. The fighting started and never stopped. Soon it was basically 2 different shows. The LC life / The Speidi life.

Last season LC called it quits, Whitney got her own spin-off show, and Kristin Cavallari stepped back into the spotlight to narrate The Hills. The Speidi scenes remained (for updates on that train wreck.) And Kristin started new drama with the old cast: Audrina, Lo, Brody, Justin-Bobby, etc.

Fast Forward to this week - episode one of what they're calling The Final Season.

It can all be summed up in about 2 sentences:

• Butt Job? Butt Job. Butt Job. -- Heidi's "new look" was revealed. The build up to see her face was kind of hilarious. But the scenes with her family, especially her mom, were quite the opposite. I was holding back the tears - I just can't get over the fact that she did that to herself - such a permanent, drastic thing to do. If you don't feel good about yourself, get a new haircut! Don't put your body in a Barbie shaped cookie cutter.

• Girls that lose their voices are probably partying too much. But hey, that's an issue in the real world. But this isn't the real world, it's The Hills. And Kristin's froggy croak of a voice as the girls talk about her need to quit partying...that is just great entertainment.

This Week: An Evening with Glee at the Academy

As you know, I've got a thing for high school dramas. But Glee makes all the others fall far far away in comparison. On Monday night I went over to the Academy for An Evening with Glee. It was a sold out event, so I feel very honored to have been there. (We were close to not getting in because people were there at 10am to line up! Luckily the Academy found a way to accommodate everyone.) We got to watch this week's episode "Home" and then the cast and writers / producers came out to answer questions from the moderator, Kristin Dos Santos. The interest value can depend a lot on the moderator, but Kristin did a good job of asking both questions about the characters and questions about the writing and the process.

If you're not familiar with Glee, here are some reasons why you should be...

• it's hilarious. funny. something that always makes me smile.
  
• it's full of underdog type characters that never cease to surprise with something new.
  
• it's well written. there are plenty of simple things to relate to about the show, but a lot of the situations are unique and different than your typical high school storyline.
  
• the character of Sue is a complete win.
  
• the singing will give you goosebumps every time.
  
• it's emotional too. when asked, How do you keep Glee from being a cheesy after-school special? Ryan Murphy's answer: "The more personal it is, the less cheesy it is." That was my major take-away from the night.

Another really interesting part was when Kristin asked the cast if they've had any memorable encounters with fans. The actors when down the line and told some pretty amazing stories. Kevin McHale (who plays Artie) said the mother of a boy in a wheelchair told him that they love the show because when she asked her son why he loved Glee his answer was, "I've never seen anyone like me on TV before." And another mom had shared with Lea Michele (who plays Rachel) a story of how her daughter stood up for herself at school after being teased for having "2 moms". When the mom asked her daughter if she was okay, the daughter replied, "Yea, Mom. I'm like Rachel Berry!" Very cute. I know a lot of people that like to think that TV doesn't affect them, but this proves that it completely does. Watch Glee - the first season is out on DVD if you need to catch up!
Here's a picture I took on my iPhone while we were waiting in line and the cast was arriving one by one. This is Chris Colfer. (He plays Kurt.)

what to watch tonight: Thursday the 29th.

TiVo SEASON PASS:
Community (8p, NBC)
The Office (9p, NBC)
30 Rock (9:30p, NBC)
Real Housewives of NYC (10p, Bravo)
Watch What Happens Live (11p, Bravo)

what to watch tonight: Wednesday the 28th.

SEASON PREMIERE:
Happy Town (10p, ABC)
Sunset Daze (10p, WE)

TiVo SEASON PASS:
America's Next Top Model (8p, CW)
Modern Family (9p, ABC)
Top Chef Masters (10p, Bravo)

Guest blogger: Angela on American Idol - top 6 - Shania Twain

I had the privilege of attending Tuesday’s American Idol dress rehearsal, so a lot of my observations about this week’s show are based on comparing the live tv broadcast to what I saw in person earlier in the day.

As I watched it on tv I kept thinking about every detail that was different during the rehearsal, from Ryan’s silly fake opening (“a guy who used to work at a yogurt shop” and “a boxer” instead of “a paint salesman” and “a mother” to describe Lee and Crystal, respectively) to the plethora of signs in the audience to who was sitting in my seat. It was definitely a distraction! The following ranking is based on the broadcast performances, but the comments are largely based on my rehearsal vs. tv comparisons.

Crystal – “No One Needs to Know” – I never expected this song choice, but she nailed it. I liked seeing a different side of her. I think she had more sassiness in rehearsal though.

Mike – “It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing” – This isn’t one of my favorite Shania songs, but he sounded good both in rehearsal and on tv. Unlike Crystal, his consistency makes him boring.

Casey – “Don’t” – I liked it better during rehearsal (perhaps I was influenced by his proximity mere feet away from me), but he was still good on the broadcast. He sounded great harmonizing with Shania in the prerecorded clip.

Lee – “Your Still the One” – Some of his melody changes were impressive, but the beginning and ending were way better during rehearsal. Also during rehearsal I noticed for the first time Lee singing out of the side of his mouth like Kris Allen.

Aaron – “You Got A Way” – I wanted to hate this but I didn’t. I didn’t love it either; he still sounded flat in parts, but in general it was okay. I liked it more during rehearsal than on tv.

Siobhan – “Any Man of Mine” – I love this song but hated Siobhan’s version. Her voice doesn’t suit the song at all, and the shrieking was horrible (even more so in person, I actually flinched during rehearsal). She needed to be raspier and have more attitude. I’m shocked the judges liked it.

Based on this week’s performances, I think Siobhan should go home. Based on the whole season, Aaron has definitely outstayed his welcome. I don’t know who’s voting for him; the tweens sitting in front of me at rehearsal were all about Lee and Casey.

Honestly, this week is really tough to call. Casey and Lee were good but not amazing. Mike and Crystal were good but you never know when the viewers will get complacent and assume they don’t need the votes. I hated Siobhan’s performance but the judges drooled over it. It really is in the hands of the voters, and this week it’s anyone’s game.

- Angela Pasquinelli

[Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone. Major props to AP for flying to L.A. today, making it home already, watching the show, and e-mailing me a recap before midnight. Wow.]

what to watch tonight: Tuesday the 27th.

TiVO SEASON PASS:
American Idol (8p, FOX) *
Glee (9p, FOX)
9 By Design (10p, Bravo)
Parenthood (10p, NBC)
The Hills (10p, MTV)
The City (10:30p, MTV)

* friend/family pick.