The X Factor: Melanie Amaro ‘Listen’
Sep 23rd
Anyone who doubted the quality of talent on this year’s X Factor – take a listen to this girl!
Melanie Amaro is an 18 year old college student who gave quite simply the best audition to date on the fledgling Fox reality show.
Seriously – how amazing are these vocals? Melanie hits all the notes of a tricky song – after all how do you follow up a pro like Beyonce – with stunning control and pitch. And best of all she’s utterly humble in her pre-interview chat with the judges.
Melanie actually reminds me of Leona Lewis, the similarly talented singer who ended up winning the third season of The X Factor back in the UK and then achieved global (though short lived) success.
I have a feeling this clip will go viral – hopefully giving The X Factor USA the ratings boost it needs after some disappointing premiere numbers (for my verdict on the opening show read my review here)
Enjoy! (more…)
2011 Fall TV Preview: Pan Am
Sep 22nd
When Does It Start: Sunday 25th September at 10pm EST on ABC
In A Nutshell: It’s Mad Men in mid-air.
What’s It About: The year is 1963, air travel was a heck of a lot more glamorous than in the present day, and Pan Am was the largest and most prestigious airline in the world.
Pan Am takes us behind the scenes of the legendary airline following four flight attendants and the pilots they flirt with as they globe trot around the world. There’s Maggie (Christina Ricci), the Soho artist leading a double life as a glamorous fly girl; Kate (Kelli Garner), the double agent; her sister Laura (Margot Robbie) who’s just run out on her fiancee; and finally French born Colette (Karine Vanasse). ABC is promoting Pan Am as a fun and frothy jet set soap opera.
The X Factor: Chris Rene ‘Young Homie’
Sep 22nd
Here’s another contestant that’s sure to get everyone talking from last night’s X Factor premiere (for my verdict on the opening night show – take a look here!)
Trash collector Chris Rene came complete with a pretty compelling back story – he’s just 70 days sober, after recently emerging from rehab. So what’s the first thing you do when you get clean – why, audition for the biggest talent show in America of course! No pressure there!
You can certainly argue the ethics of including a contestant like Chris on The X Factor – but to be fair, he also is pretty talented.
Chris chose to perform one of his own songs ‘Young Homie‘, which I never think is a good idea. And sure enough, the song is nothing special. But I will say that Chris has a good voice, and is relevant and contemporary, unlike half the acts who auditioned for American Idol this year.
But what do you think? How far will Chris go in the competition? And should he even be part of the show in the first place? (more…)
The X Factor: Rachel Crow ‘Mercy’
Sep 22nd
Time to take a closer look at some of the best talents on last night’s X Factor premiere…
Being the first act on what’s probably the most hyped and anticipated TV series of the year, sure leads to a lot of expectation – but the team at Fox definitely picked the perfect choice to kick off last night’s X Factor.
Check out 13 year old Rachel Crow. She’s totally charming, has a really strong – and distinctive – voice and was a heck of a lot more real than most manufactured teen singers churned out by the likes of the Disney Channel.
Rachel took on ‘Mercy’ by Duffy and totally nailed it. I’m not a huge fan of the original song, but good on Rachel for picking an interesting choice, rather than another Mariah / Whitney / Celine ballad.
Simon’s totally right – this is exactly the kind of kid performer we should be seeing on The X Factor (and I normally loathe child singers!) And by starting the show with such a strong singer The X Factor totally placed its flag in the sand as THE show to beat!
But how will Rachel fare down the line…? Can she possibly go all the way… More >
The X Factor: First Impressions
Sep 22nd
After months of speculation, hype and controversy, The X Factor finally premiered on our screens last night. But what did you think of the opening show?
Yesterday I wrote a piece for CNN, speculating as to how The X Factor would fare in the already crowded US music competition market. But I have to say, after watching last night’s opener I’m feeling pretty confident that Simon Cowell has another smash hit on his hands.
The X Factor US was everything it needed to be – big, loud, dramatic, funny, entertaining and full of talent!
After the most turgid Idol season ever (where everyone was “amazing, wonderful, fantastic”) and the gimmicky and awkward The Voice on NBC, The X Factor was on a whole different level. Those Idol hotel room auditions are going to seem awfully small next season after the sheer size and scale of The X Factor’s live arena tryouts.
Okay so not everything worked about last night’s show. I thought the whole Cheryl Cole fiasco was handled well, but it was strange to see Cheryl and the rest of the panel constantly switching outfits over the first hour (the results of some hasty editing).
Quick Take: Glee ‘The Purple Piano Project’
Sep 21st
It’s a new season of Glee over on Fox which means only one thing here at Remote Patrolled – our Glee Quick Takes are back (that, and I can’t make any plans for Tuesday night for the next 9 months).
It’s Season 3 for Glee and everyone’s favorite high school musical is finding itself at somewhat of a crossroads. Glee is no longer the hot new show that everyone adores and just like former white hot shows including Heroes and Ugly Betty, the Fox hit has faced quite a backlash over the last year. There was the fluctuating quality of season 2, the box office bomb that was Glee 3D and the lukewarm reception to The Glee Project over on Oxygen. Now it’s crunch time. How Glee performs this season will determine if the show runs and runs – or if it faces a quick cancelation at the end of Season 4 as I predicted a few months ago.
Last night’s show was a bit of a mixed bag of an episode, but overall there was more good than bad so I was pretty satisfied. But let’s deal with the weak stuff first!
101 Ways To Make TV Better: Stop Splitting TV Seasons
Sep 20th
A few weeks ago AMC proudly declared that the new season of their smash hit zombie saga The Walking Dead would feature a 90-minute, feature length opening!
That’s great news for all us Dead fans… but hidden in the announcement was a slightly less welcome tidbit. Turns out AMC will be SPLITTING the next season of The Walking Dead. So we’ll be getting 7 episodes starting October 16th, followed by a 2 months break, and then the last 6 episodes of the season will air.
Okay a two-month break isn’t exactly a huge deal. But try telling that to the makers of Men Of A Certain Age or Heroes or V or even Glee – all shows that took breaks of varying lengths of time and saw their ratings crumble as a result.
2011 Fall TV Preview: Whitney
Sep 19th
When Does It Start: Thursday 22nd September at 9.30pm EST on NBC
In A Nutshell: Comedienne Whitney Cummings finally lands her own sitcom. And, er, that’s it really!
What’s It About: There’s not much to explain with this one!
Whitney plays Whitney, a young woman who’s been living with her boyfriend, Alex, for the last 3 years and is worried about the future of their relationship and how to keep the romantic fires burning.
Advising Whitney are her posse of friends, who range from a romantic idealist to a recent divorcee and who offer all kinds of conflicting suggestions. But will Whitney listen to her heart and can she keep her relationship intact? Get ready for lots of Whitney’s stand up musings to make it onto the screen…
The Emmy Awards 2011: What Did You Think?
Sep 19th
So what did all of you out there think of this year’s Emmy Awards?
Well given that the night’s two big winners were Modern Family and Mad Men – exactly the same as last year – it’s hard not to feel a certain sense of deja vu.
This was an awards show with few real surprises or moments of spontaneity – but in a way maybe that’s for the best. Whenever the awards bash did move into more unexpected territory I have to admit I found myself cringing! Take the Lonely Island guys for example. The sex-filled songs work fine as part of a video, but on their own and on a giant stage it all became a tad too knowing and uncomfortable. I’d rather the guys had created a brand new song and video to play in during the show’s slower moments.
Speaking of cringe-inducing songs, am I the only one who found Jane Lynch’s opening number a total chore to get through? I understand the need to open a show with a big song and dance number, but coming off the back of Jimmy Fallon’s amazing opening last year (and Neil Patrick Harris similarly superlative opener the year before) this truly More >
