New York is full of beautiful women, so why can't they catch a break on "America's Next Top Model"?
Last night, when *spoiler alert!* Florida's Whitney took the top prize, we couldn't help but wonder why our NYC girls didn't make it to the end. OK, it might have had something to do with Lauren's walk. But when you look back on top model's ten seasons sorry, cycles, you won't find much New York talent. We haven't had a single winner, for one thing (sure, Naima was living in NYC, but she's a Detroit girl). And while the most recent competition featured an all-time high of four New Yorkers, more than one season included no New Yorkers at all. We're sure there's a reason, but what is it? Here are the facts for your review and analysis:
"There's a party atmosphere in the studio tonight" Ryan Seacrest says. Then he points out that we're all here because one person will go
home completely devastated. What a downer.
The top three perform "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" ... and you thought David Archuleta was too white bread for Chris Brown! Poor Archie. He's really, really nervous, and now I am too. Next up, "How Far Is Heaven" for Ford. The theme: each "Idol" 's vision of success. Syesha has a wall full of platinum records. David Archuleta has a grand piano in his yard. David Cook has a lot of cars. Dream bigger, kids!
Fantasia performs. While I can't understand what she's saying, I am with her all the way.
And now, your hometown visits!
David Archuleta goes to Utah, where he is attacked by high school cheerleaders. A billion people come out and cheer, and he cries and says "Gosh" a lot. It's pretty much the sweetest thing ever.
David ... we're not saying whether you are in or out, but let's run your goodbye reel just in case. (Yikes!)
Syesha Mercado goes home to Florida and someone throws their baby at her. She hangs with her lovely family, helicopters to a performance for a huge group of fans and also cries. (You would too.)
Syesha ... You will have to wait for it. In the meantime, watch your so-long montage!
David Cook's (very cute) brother Andrew, who also auditioned for "Idol," joins him on stage. We see the video of DC's trip home to Missouri, which features a ton of hysterical fourth graders, the Kansas City Royals and more crying.
David Cook ... time for your send-off video.
It's time for the elimination. Why am I so nervous?!
Randy says: You should be well proud of yourself. Paula says: The world is going to remember every single one of you. Simon says: I think we're going to have a real humdinger next week.
After 56 million votes were counted, the finalists are David Archuleta ... and ... David Cook.
Syesha thanks you for your support and sings her way out with a solid version of "If I Ain't Got You." What a pro. We don't expect to get much of a chance to miss her, as she will surely be cast in a musical as soon as that tour ends.
As promised yesterday, we have a great batch of Erykah Badu photos ready for you, to go along with The Roots shots from the artists' Friday night performance at Radio City Music Hall.
You've seen the shots of My Chemical Romance on stage — you have seen them, right? If not, you might want to get clicking. Now take a look at photos of the night's opening bands, Drive By and Taking Back Sunday, live at Madison Square Garden.
We're down to the final three, which leaves Syesha and the Davids to perform three songs a piece — one chosen by the judges, one picked by producers and one selected by the singer. That's a lot of songs, so without further ado we present each performance, our own Three-Word Verdict and a choice comment from the judges:
Judges' Choice
1.
David Archuleta: "And So It Goes" (Paula's pick) Three-word verdict: A capella interruptus. Paula says: "It was a pure and stunning performance."
2.
Syesha Mercado: "If I Ain't Got You" (Randy's pick) Three-word verdict: Great backup singers.
Randy says: "I'm so happy that you're peaking at the right time."
3.
David Cook: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Simon's pick) Three-word verdict: Exactly as expected. Simon says: "Round one goes to Cook and Cowell."
Contestants' Choice
1.
David Archuleta: "With You" Three-word verdict: Too Pat Boone-y.
Simon says: "It was a little like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger."
2.
Syesha Mercado: "Fever" Three-word verdict: Not hot enough.
Paula says: "I'm not sure it showed me who Syesha is as an artist."
3.
David Cook: "Dare You to Move" Three-word verdict: Flat, then screechy. Randy says: "Little pitchy, baby."
Producers' Choice
1.
David Archuleta: "Longer" Three-word verdict: Not a duet. Paula says: "It was a lovely performance."
2.
Syesha Mercado: "Hit Me Up" Three-word verdict: That was cute.
Paula says: "I don't know if it's going to be good enough to get in the finals of 'American Idol.' "
3.
David Cook: "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" Three-word verdict: Yep, he's in. Simon says: "David Cook wins the night."
What's your take on last night's performances? Did the producers make their preference clear? When even Paula says you're out, is there any chance for you? If comes down to a battle of the Davids, who will you back? Tell us about it!
On Friday night, we encountered exactly the crowd we expected to meet before My Chemical Romance's concert at The Garden: die-hard supporters with poetic souls, pumped-up fans ready to rock and the mother of two bandmembers weighing in with her thoughts on Gerard's greatest 'do.
Black Thought, ?uestlove, Kamal, Captain Kirk Douglas, Owen Biddle and Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson were all in the spotlight at Radio City Music Hall on Friday night, as The Roots opened for Erykah Badu on the big stage.
Today marks the release of Death Cab for Cutie's latest album Narrow Stairs. We don't know about you, but we can't think of Death Cab without thinking of that one video (not this video) for "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" that makes us cry.
Be honest: How many videos really make you cry? When it comes to tugging at the heartstrings, music videos (even videos for sad songs) fall far short of movies, sad songs themselves and even commercials.
Don't leave us sniffling alone: Check out our picks for the top three most devastating music videos, and share your own tearjerking clips:
1.
"I Will Follow You Into the Dark," Death Cab for Cutie:
It's a sad song, but not something we'd normally shed tears over ... until the 2:06 mark of this video. Then it's a rainstorm right through to the end, every single time.
Nominations for the Tony Awards were announced this morning, and the NYC-set musical "In The Heights" leads the field with 13 nominations. "South Pacific," "Sunday in the Park With George," "Gypsy" and "August: Osage County" also scored multiple nods. Prizes will be handed out June 15 at Radio City Music Hall.
The Cure have posted the single "The Only One" on their web site. The band will post a new single on the 13th of each month ahead of their still-untitled 13th studio album, due September 13. The band will play back-to-back shows at MSG and Radio City next month.
The 125th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge will be celebrated with a week-long party, kicking off May 22, with concerts including a performance by the Brooklyn Philharmonic, a Grucci fireworks show and other family events.
New York City might have been the fifth star of the show, but when it came time for the world premiere of the "Sex and the City" movie, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha walked the red carpet in London.
Stranger than fiction: The Daily News reports that Remy Ma and Papoose's Rikers Island wedding was called off on Monday after Papoose allegedly smuggled a handcuff key into the jail.
Check out the 60-second peek (which was just enough to make The Monitor really want to play the song on repeat for three hours) right here:
Speaking of viral videos, news broke last week that SuperDeluxe will be no more, with the site's content folding into brother site (and TV experience) Adult Swim. We're sorry to see the comedy video site go, and we certainly hope that gems like this "Mastering the Internet" video (and "Bathing With Bierko") will still have a place to shine:
Hey you guuuyyyss ... "The Electric Company" is returning?! Gawker reports that taping on the revamped children's series will begin in Washington Heights and the Lower East Side this week.
David Byrne is turning the Great Hall of the Battery Maritime Building into one huge musical instrument. The temporary installation, called Playing the Building, will make music from the devices installed within the building's architecture and plumbing. It opens later this month.
N*E*R*D will be at the Billionaire Boys Club flagship store on Tuesday from 4-6PM, signing their BBC/N*E*R*D shirt before their performance at Madison Square Garden, supporting Kanye West.
Rappers Remy Ma and Papoose plan to marry today at Rikers Island, the Daily News reports. Remy Ma is currently incarcerated for her role in a 2007 shooting. She is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow.
It premiered right here at home to close the Tribeca Film Festival, so many New Yorkers can say that they've already seen "Speed Racer," but will the pretty bad reviews (35% fresh isn't awful, but it isn't good) keep the rest away?
Nah. While local critics are split (you can check out their takes below) The Monitor has its money on "Speed Racer" making a ton of cash, and maybe even unseating "Iron Man" for #1 at the box office.
So what about you? Will you see it? Have you seen it? What did you think? Tell us about it!
For now, we'll have to make do with the professionals:
A.O. Scott, New York Times "' Speed Racer' goes nowhere, and you’d be amazed how long the trip can take."
Kyle Smith, New York Post: "This adventurously awful film is awful in many ways at once."(1/2 star)
Joe Neumaier, Daily News: "Remember mixing Pop Rocks candy and Coca-Cola to make little volcanoes inside your head? 'Speed Racer' is the movie equivalent."(3 stars)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice "Previous Wachowski productions aspired to be something more than mind-less sensation; 'Speed Racer' is thrilled to be less. It's the delusions minus the grandeur."
Hank Sartin, Time Out New York "As brightly colored as a bag of Skittles and with twice the sugar rush,
the Wachowskis’ take on the ’60s animated series is the flip side of The Matrix’s gloom-and-goth philosophizing." (3 stars)
McCarren Pool is hosting Jane's Favorite Movies, the SummerScreen festival. If you like watching excellent films (we're talking "Rushmore" and "Desperately Seeking Susan") for free, you can check out the full schedule here.
New Yorkers of the Week: Bees! Not only are they exceedingly photogenic, they are also taking over Learning Annex boxes. (It was probably a little scary to catch this scene on 75th and 2nd in person, but it looks pretty awesome on camera).
Various commitments have been getting in the way of our "One Life to Live" viewing (a shame, really, as we should support soaps still shot in NYC). Good thing Videogum is there to remind us what we're missing in Llanview, namely Snoop Dogg.
Though it might feel like TV just came back (it did!) it's already finale season.
"Cold Case" and "Family Guy" have said goodbye for the summer. "30 Rock" and "Scrubs" sign off tonight (in the case of "Scrubs," forever — at least on that network). And there will be hearts broken, final roses given out and fortunes won next week when "Survivor," "America's Next Top Model," "Beauty and the Geek" and "The Bachelor" all crown their champs.
It's been a strange season of stops and starts, but letting go of our favorite shows is still a big deal.
Here is a list of the five finales we will be watching ... and why we're not sad to say "so long."
4."How I Met Your Mother" (5/19) Britney Spears is actually a good comedic actress. Wait, she's on the week before? Oh. Well, we still look forward to Neil Patrick magic.
3. "The Office" (5/15) We expect an engagement, but even if that doesn't happen, it's time for a reboot.
2. "Lost" (5/29) We'll need the summer to decode everything we've seen this season.
1. "American Idol" (5/21) Every year, someone proclaims that this is the worstseasonever, but we're starting to believe it this time.
Who will stand in the final three? Ryan Seacrest says nearly 51 million votes were cast. This crucial elimination show promises heartbreak and total devastation. Plus performances by Maroon 5 and Bo Bice.
And now, the group sing! "Reeling in the Years"? Really? Nice wordy pick for a group that clearly has some issues keeping lyrics straight. So how did they do, anyway? I was afraid to watch. Hey, it's Judge Judy!
Wow, it's already time to start separating the winners from the loser.
David Archuleta ... really wants to stop answering questions. Come ON, Ryan. Of course he is safe.
Before there are more verdicts, let's go on a trip with the Idols. This mainly consists of a fancy plane, a napping Jason, autographs, flashes, crazy fans, dolphins, David Cook's first manicure, "Love" and more autographs.
David Cook ... is on the receiving end of some Seacrest torture. And makes the final three.
Syesha Mercado and Jason Cook, come on out. There is an elimination-announcement fakeout. I'm almost fooled.
The Idols dress as matadors and sing a terrible version of "Ring of Fire." Sorry, that's been done.
Oh no. It's the phone calls from America segment. A Pittsburgh fan tries to hook up with Cook. A little girl asks a good question about overcoming challenges. Yay! No one answers it well. Boo! Simon Cowell sycophants demand that he be knighted, or at least star as James Bond. When will it end?
Maroon 5 performs, and Adam Levine tries to scare the contestants out of pursuing a career in music.
Bo Bice (or Bob Ice) takes the stage and needs a witness, apparently. He also does his part to frighten the "Idol" four.
And now, the greatest moment in "American Idol" history: Jason Castro, while suffering through Ryan Seacrest's comments about how terrible he was, says, "Somebody told me that I shot the Tambourine Man yesterday." That happened at 9:54PM, for your records.
On that note, America has decided that ... Syesha ... you're in the top three.
Jason has been dumped. His reaction? "It's been a pleasure." The best so-long reel in "Idol" history rolls, Ryan asks if Jason's relieved and he says, "A little. There's three songs next week. I don't know what I would've done."
Just when we think we will miss this fantastically entertaining man too much to go on, he reprises "I Shot the Sheriff" and makes the breakup much easier to take.
"American Idol" is down to the final four. "Tonight, you must vote," Ryan Seacrest insists. He doesn't say what will happen if you don't, but since I didn't pick up the phone, I keep looking skyward for falling meteorites.
This week, songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Five hundred songs! With all of those choices, you've got to wonder what some of these people were thinking.
Did you miss the show? Catch up right here with all eight performances (two each!), plus The Monitor's Three-Word Verdict and choice comments from the judges.
1.
David Cook: "Hungry Like the Wolf" Three-word verdict: Learn the words! Paula says: "Your 'Hungry Like the Wolves' has left me with a big appetite."
Randy says: "You're showing the heat late in the competition when you need it."
3.
Jason Castro: "I Shot the Sheriff" Three-word verdict: Oh no. No. Simon says: "That was like a first round audition massacre."
4.
David Archuleta: "Stand By Me" Three-word verdict: Learn the melody! Simon says: "In the grand scheme of things, I am going to call that the best performance so far."
5.
David Cook: "Baba O'Reilly" Three-word verdict: Our Lady Who. Paula says: "I'm really humbled to sit here and watch your soul."
6.
Syesha Mercado: "A Change Is Gonna Come" Three-word verdict: Really bad arrangement. Paula says: "Welcome to your dream, Syesha. This is it for you."
7.
Jason Castro: "Mr. Tambourine Man" Three-word verdict: Total fiasco averted. Simon says: "Jason, I'd pack your suitcase."
8.
David Archuleta: "Love Me Tender"
Three-word verdict: Oh so gentle. Randy says: "You were so tender. You caressed each word."
Can Jason Castro recover from this mess? Now that Syesha has finally won over Simon Cowell, is she in for that long-threatened dismissal? Is there any way in the world that either David won't be in the final three? Share your reactions and predictions!
Playing to a full house at Madison Square Garden is pretty exciting for any band (come on, that's a whole lot of people listening to your music) but it is especially a thrill for Jersey boys My Chemical Romance.
Find out why the band says that playing The Garden is their version of playing the Super Bowl ... and get a peek at what to expect at Friday night's big show.
Neil Diamond's latest album, Home Before Dark, is out today. It's his 189th album (rough estimate) and his second collaboration with Beastie Boys producer Rick Rubin. It's also the reason we got to see him on "American Idol" (and had to suffer through the contestants' "interpretations" of his songs).
Since there's so much to say about the man who has been making music for close to 50 years, we present Neil Diamond A-Z.
Anna Wintour channeling Storm, Isaac Mizrahi talking to himself, Sarah Silverman ignoring good Dolce & Gabbana advice, Julia Roberts acting like anyone in the world wouldn't know who she was: sounds like last night's Costume Institute Gala was a blast.
The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival is over ... and Time Out New York has suggestions for 2009.
10ak patron John Mayer challenged People readers to come up with a haiku about his questionable new hairdo. "No one can do it," he said. Sorry, John. Many someones could, and did.
