With ratings declining for American Idol(despite the best top 5 singers in the history of the show) and no new breakout smashes (The Following was their biggest newbie last year), Fox has some work to do to regain the ratings race. We’ll see what that means in terms of new judges on the returning X Factor and Idol which will say goodbye to Randy Jackson. And we will see if any of their new shows like Rake featuring Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear can break out big next year. My bet is that the new cop comedy Brooklyn Nine Nine has the best shot. It’s preview is pretty hilarious. With that said, take a look at the new fall 2013 Fox Schedule below, and for more on the new shows and previews, head to Fox and TVLIne here.
Fox 2013 Fall Schedule ~
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (fall) / ALMOST HUMAN (new futuristic action drama starring Karl Urban as a cop with a robot parker played by Michael Ealy. It looks pretty good from its preview too~ late fall)
9:00-10:00 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW (new thriller that is a modern-day retelling of Ichabod Crane~ fall) / THE FOLLOWING (midseason)
TUESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM DADS (new multi camera comedy starring Giovanni Ribisi and Seth Green dealing with their wacky dads.)
8:30-9:00 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (new cop comedy starring Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher.)
9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL
9:30-10:00 PM THE MINDY PROJECT
WEDNESDAY
8:00-10:00 PM THE X FACTOR (fall) / AMERICAN IDOL (midseason)
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE X FACTOR Results (fall) / AMERICAN IDOL Results (midseason)
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE (fall) / RAKE (new quirky lawyer drama starring Greg Kinnear~ midseason)
Late Fall:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (late fall)
9:00-9:30 PM RAISING HOPE (late fall)
9:30-10:00 PM ENLISTED (new single camera comedy set at a Florida army base~ late fall)
SATURDAY
7:00-10:30 PM FOX SPORTS SATURDAY
11:00 PM-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION HIGH-DEF
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM NFL Game (fall)
7:30-8:00 PM THE OT (fall)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
Coming at midseason: GANG RELATED (new crime drama set in the LA gang scene), SURVIVING JACK (new family comedy with Chris Meloni), US & THEM (new ensemble comedy with Jason Ritter and Alexis Biedel) and MURDER POLICE (new animated cop comedy).
Cancelled: Touch, Ben & Kate, The Mob Doctor, Fringe (final season), The Goodwin Games (not officially cancelled but being burned off this summer)
I have to say I almost didn’t write this recap… I was so disappointed and irritated with last night’s episode of The Voice, I had to wait until this morning to calm down and be a little more objective… Unfortunately, the top 6 show in season 3 brought up everything I hated about the show from the previous seasons. It was as if the show had turned into the atrocious X Factor again. There was the over-production of all the numbers, the emphasis on dancers, props, lighting and staging over the singing. There was Carson Daly at his worst and the useless Christina Milian babbling away with the stupid “social commentary” of the show. There were all four judges being producers’ puppets and overly praising and hyping their pre-ordained winner Cassadee Pope (who’s good but not that good people). There was no true criticism and the judges were making it all about themselves again. Plus, Christina Aguilera could’ve have been more full of herself and rude again last night, and what on Earth does she have against Amanda? Jealous much? And don’t get me started on Xtina’s wigs and costumes. As a former big fan, she is on her last legs with me… I could go on and on, but I just want to count down the performances and be done with it because I am honestly worried about tonight’s results. As America has proved time and again with talent shows, they often get it wrong and I’m really worried that might happen tonight.
The Voice Performance Rankings for the Top 6 1. Amanda Brown- “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman”: Simply brilliant. The best performance and vocal of the night by a mile. 2. Amanda Brown- “Here I Go Again”: her rocking take on Whitesnake’s 1987 # 1 hit was inspired and awesome. This girl is in a class of her own people! 3. Nicholas David- “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”: just when I thought I would never hear a new interpretation of this classic, I was wrong. This was a lovely interesting version of the song that had me rather pleased and surprised. 4. Cassadee Pope- “I’m With You”: Avril-lite finally got to do an Avril Lavigne song with her nice if uninspired version of this # 3 hit. Sure, Cassadee has a lot of potential to be the first real hit maker from The Voice, but I’m sorry I’m just not buying the Cassadee juice the producers are selling. 5. Trevin Hunte- “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”: while this was his best performance in weeks, I’m sorry Trevin, but you are no Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Holliday or even Jessica Sanchez. 6. Terry McDermott- “I Want to Know What Love Is”: I wasn’t blown away by Terry’s take on this 1985 # 1 hit by Foreigner like the judges were. However, it was pretty good. I would’ve liked more variation and tenderness in his choices and less hollering the whole time. 7. Cassadee Pope- “Stand“: this was another solid performance, but um, Blake she’s not a country artist and stop trying to make her one. Plus the glowsticks in the audience made me want to hurl my tv out the window. Stop it Voice producers! These people are not stars yet! 8. Nicholas David- “September”: this was an ok version of the Earth Wind and Fire classic. Nicholas always exhibits smooth soul and good vocals, but it was a bit boring. 9. Terry McDermott- “Stay with Me”: um, that was fine…. That’s all I have to say cuz I’ve already forgotten it. 10. Trevin Hunte- “Walking on Sunshine”: what the hell was that? Please never again. 11. Melanie Martinez- “The Show”: oh dear that was bad and the rainbow in the background too? Really? 12. Melanie Martinez- “Crazy”: CeeLo should’ve been pissed. She utterly ruined his song with another atrocious pitchy performance. Just terrible.
Should go home: Trevin, Melanie Will go home: Trevin and um… I don’t know… I think the only person who’s safe is Cassadee. Nicholas, Terry and Melanie are charting well on iTunes, so that will help them. Unfortunately, the best contestant by a mile, Amanda, may end up the loser tonight. Blargh!
So, there’s my recap and if America does the wrong thing and sends Amanda home, I’m done with the show. So, I’m gonna end it here and just wait and see. Hope ya’ll voted for Amanda!!!
Rock bands are all the rage this week as Mumford & Sons and Maroon 5 hold onto the top spot of the Billboard200 Albums Chart and the Hot 100 Singles Chart again this week. Mumford holds off a charge from seven debuts in the top ten including alterna-rockers Muse at # 2. The other new albums come from R&B star Miguel, rockers Three Days Grace, teen singer Jackie Evancho from America’s Got Talent, U.K. X Factor alum Cher Lloyd, jazz titan Diana Krall and rock legend Van Morrison. Take a look where they all landed below and head to Billboard here for more.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart:
1. Babel- Mumford & Sons (last week~ 1)
2. The 2nd Law- Muse (debut)
3. Kaleidoscope Dream- MIguel (debut)
4. The Truth About Love- P!nk (lw~ 4)
5. Transit of Venus- Three Days Grace (debut)
6. Glad Rag Doll- Diana Krall (debut)
7. Songs from the Silver Screen- Jackie Evancho (debut)
8. Tornado- Little Big Town (lw~ 9)
9. Sticks & Stones- Cher Lloyd (debut)
10. Born to Sing: No Plan B- Van Morrison (debut)
Back on the Hot 100 Singles chart, Maroon 5 stave off Psy’s “Gangnham Style” for a fourth week on top. They also hold off three big debuts with One Direction’s second top ten single “Live While We’re Young” at # 3, Taylor Swift‘s “Red” at # 6 and Adele‘s James Bond theme “Skyfall” at # 8 (which was only available for three days of airplay and sales compared to the full week of eligibility for the rest of the top ten). Of those songs, I’d say Adele poses the biggest challenge as her fourth top ten single will have a lot of added exposure when the film of the same name opens in November. In the meantime, take a look at the new top ten below.
Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (last week~ 1)
2. “Gangnam Style”- Psy (lw~ 2)
3. “Live While We’re Young”- One Direction (debut)
4. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~ 3)
5. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”- Taylor Swift (lw~ 4)
6. “Red” – Taylor Swift (debut)
7. “As Long As You Love Me”- Justin Bieber w/Big Sean (lw~ 6)
8. “Skyfall”- Adele (debut)
9. “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”- P!nk (lw~ 5)
10. “Too Close”- Alex Clare (lw~ 9)
And here’s the brand new single and new top five hit for One Direction, “Live While We’re Young”
Glee is back this Thursday with another tribute episode. After taking on Madonna, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, the show takes on another superstar diva… Britney Spears. Yes, it’s Britney 2.0…. Glee will tackle 8 more Spears hits including the iconic “Oops… I Did It Again”, the lovely ballad “Everytime” plus two more # 1 hits “Womanizer” and “Hold It Against Me”. Now, I have your first look at this week’s new episode with the full video for “Hold” below. (And for full music previews of the show’s songs, head to mjsbigbloghere.) Enjoy and watch the rejuvenated season 4 of Glee Thursday on Fox following Britney herself on The X Factor.
Glee “Hold It Against Me”- Brittany (Heather Morris)
The Emmy winning juggernaut that is Glee returns for season 4 this Thursday night at 9pm in its new time slot following The X Factor. The show is changing quite a bit this season with dual story lines focusing on the kids in Ohio who didn’t graduate (Blaine, Brittany, Artie, Tina, etc) and some new additions to their choir room while the graduates (Rachel, Kurt, Finn, Santana, etc) pursue their dreams in New York and other places. We will also see some big guest stars by the likes of Oscar nominee Kate Hudson as an evil dance teacher at NYADA who faces off with Rachel (Emmy nominee Lea Michelle) and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Sarah Jessica Parker as a fashionista involved with Kurt (Golden Globe winner Chris Colfer)…. And now, we have a little taste of the new season with the first musical number to hit the web with the McKinley high kids taking on Carly Rae Jepsen‘s massive # 1 smash “Call Me Maybe”. Check out Heather Morris,Jenna Ushkowitz, Darren Criss and Alex Newell (The Glee Project finalist who returns to the show as Unique) doing “Maybe” below, and watch the Glee season premiere Thursday Sept. 13th on Fox.
Glee “Call Me Maybe”
And here’s a preview of the first episode of season 4, “The New Rachel”
Grammy nominated U.K. pop sensation Leona Lewis is in big “Trouble”. Well, at least she is in her brand new single, “Trouble”. The great mid tempo shuffler is the first release from her long anticipated third album, Glassheart, due on Oct. 15th. It updates her sound a bit from her first two releases, Spiritand Echo, and the single also features a rap from Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover from Community). I really like this new direction she is taking and it certainly gives her a harder more current edge. I hope it does well. Her last single, the fantastic dance song “Collide” only charted on our dance charts in the U.S. despite being a big hit at her home in England. Since that single failed to connect with pop audiences, it seems they went back to the drawing board to get something a bit more America- friendly. What do you think? Do you like Leona’s new sound? Does Britain’s biggest winner from The X Factor have another worldwide smash like “Bleeding Love” on her hands? Check out “Trouble” below and let me know.
Leona Lewis “Trouble” (featuring Childish Gambino)
If you ask any of my friends or read my first impressions of The X Factor last year, you know I was not a fan of the show. I found it to be a disastrous, annoying, overproduced and unfocused mess. Pretty much every element of the show was an epic fail, except one… the winner, Melanie Amaro. While I couldn’t stand most of the contestants, Amaro had a glorious voice and the potential to be a new diva for a new generation. With the release of her brand new single, “Don’t Fail Me Now”, we’ll see if she can do it. I hope she fares better than the two finalists who have released singles so far, Marcus Canty and Chris Rene, who have seen their songs come and go with the blink of an eye. If anyone from X Factor has a chance to be a hit maker, it’s Amaro. So, I wish her all the best and I do enjoy the pop dance song as well. It kinda reminds me of Jordin Sparks‘ first album. And yes, I say that as a compliment as it produced three smash singles, “Tattoo”, “No Air” and “One Step at a Time”…. But enough of my thoughts, what about yours. Take a listen to “Don’t’ Fail Me Now” below and let me know if you think she has a shot at true superstardom. Then, head to Amaro’s website here for more on her single, her top five dance hit “Respect” and her debut album due later this fall.
The new shows on Fox’s fall 2012 schedule sound pretty promising especially a new comedy from The Office star Mindy Kaling. However, they all may be overshadowed by the re-working of The X Factorwith two new judges, teen starlet Demi Lovato and pop princess and headline-maker Britney Spears. Just how will these two affect the show and will they bring in higher ratings? We will see, but Britney has a total young Paula thing going for her, so I will at least tune in a couple of times to see if things have changed for the better. (And how could they not? The show was a mess last season!)… Fox made some news with other interesting schedule changes moving Glee to Thursdays following The X Factor results show, moving Touchto Fridays alongside the final season of Fringe, and installing an all comedy lineup on Tuesday with Raising Hope, New Girl, the aforementioned The Mindy Projectand the sibling comedy Ben & Kate. New dramas include The Mob Doctorstarring Jordana Spiro and the midseason entry The Following about a serial killer (James Purefoy) being traced by a former FBI agent (Kevin Bacon in his first TV series)… Midseason will also bring the return of American Idol and another new comedy The Goodwin Games…With the new additions come the cancellations of Terra Nova, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Breaking In, The Finder and Alcatraz along with House departing after 8 seasons. For more on these shows and Fox’s fall schedule, head to Deadline Hollywood here, and take a look at the new lineup below
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM THE MOB DOCTOR THE FOLLOWING (new) joins in midseason.
TUESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM RAISING HOPE
8:30-9:00 PM BEN AND KATE (new)
9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL
9:30-10:00 PM THE MINDY PROJECT (new)
THE GOODWIN GAMES (new) joins in midseason.
WEDNESDAY
8:00-10:00 PM THE X FACTOR (fall) / AMERICAN IDOL (midseason)
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE X FACTOR Results (fall) / AMERICAN IDOL Results (midseason)
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE
SATURDAY
7:00-10:30 PM FOX SPORTS SATURDAY (fall)
COPS returns in midseason.
ANIMATION DOMINATION HIGH-DEF(new) will join late-prime in 2013.
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM NFL Game (fall) / ANIMATION DOMINATION (encores)
7:30-8:00 PM THE OT (fall) / THE CLEVELAND SHOW
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
Grammy winner LeAnn Rimes has been in the news lately due to rumors she may be joining The X Factornext season as a judge. However, like so many other artists and fans, she has also spoken out about the heartbreaking loss of Whitney Houston. At a concert the day after Houston’s passing, Rimes spoke of how Whitney was a huge inspiration to her and she performed two of her classic smashes, “I Have Nothing” and “I Will Always Love You”. Take a look at her gorgeous rendition of both songs below. What a wonderful tribute.
LeAnn Rimes “I Have Nothing/I Will Always Love You”
I quit watching The X Factora few months back for so many reasons. It’s the most over-produced manipulated, over-hyped, irritating reality competition I’d ever seen. Most of the talent was not very good. The judges were annoying and ridiculous (don’t get me started on Nicole Scherzinger who I used to like before the show). The host, Steve Jones, was hot but a robot and out of his element. The dancers, the lights, the assurance that they were all superstars before any of them had done a darn thing made me wanna puke. It was just a mess…. At least in the end, it ended with one positive note~ the right person took home the title. As my roommate and a few friends alerted me, “Unlike American Idol at least the right person won X Factor“. Well, I can’t argue with that because Melanie Amaro, the first winner of this hot mess, was by far the only reason to watch that dreadful show. The girl can sang. So, to honor her, not the show, take a listen to her performing Beyonce‘s “Listen” (originally from the musical Dreamgirls). I’m actually curious to see what she can do outside of the show because with that voice, the sky is the limit. And thank goodness, she won’t have to deal with the rest of that X Factor crap shenanigans. Congrats Melanie~ I think you can rise above.
With ratings declining for American Idol (despite the best top 5 singers in the history of the show) and no new breakout smashes (The Following was their biggest newbie last year), Fox has some work to do to regain the ratings race. We’ll see what that means in terms of new judges on the returning X Factor and Idol which will say goodbye to Randy Jackson. And we will see if any of their new shows like Rake featuring Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear can break out big next year. My bet is that the new cop comedy Brooklyn Nine Nine has the best shot. It’s preview is pretty hilarious. With that said, take a look at the new fall 2013 Fox Schedule below, and for more on the new shows and previews, head to Fox and TVLIne here.
