American Idol moved onto the big stage last night, and without the presence of Lilly Scott or Todrick Hall or Alex Lambert or Katelyn Epperly, I feared we may be worse for wear. After all, it's safe to say that none of those four truly deserved an ouster last week (I'd have reserved that honor for Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens, and Paige Miles). Part of the fun of Idol, however, is its unpredictability, and so even though I'm not totally pleased with our top twelve, I'm happy to go along for the ride. The question is this: did last week's underperformers (see parenthetical above) do enough to warrant their spot in the top dozen?

Every week I extol the many virtues of Kell On Earth, and while normally I live for the high drama and screaming overlords, this time around, I come praising the series itself and its notable depiction of a hectic office. Often times, the workplaces we see on TV tend to be glamorous salons or fashion boutiques or otherworldly places that don't ever seem to take place in reality. The cramped confines of People's Revolution, however, has the genuine feel of most work environments. Sure, its business is concerned with the rarified world of high fashion, but at its core, Kell On Earth is as much about running an office as it is about gawking at designer labels. Week in and week out, major plot points and drama center around reports getting done, office supplies going awry, and personnel deficiencies that threaten to undermine the entire operation. It's the nitty-gritty, workaday world that we see, and while People's Revolution may not be as cleaned up and sanitized as say a docuseries based at an insurance corporation, I imagine the themes are similar. Kell On Earth is truly the most accurate portrayal of small business culture on TV.

Last night's episode didn't have much by way of major fireworks, but it did feature the departure of yet another staffer -- this time Andrew Serrano, who ultimately quit after an episode's worth of hemming and hawing. Clearly his bumbling ways were not missed, as evidenced by the dubious "Thanks for the Memories" montage Bravo afforded him -- complete with tanning bed moments and Atavin offerings. Aside from that, the hour mostly focused on the other Andrew and his affable, if privileged, ways. The long-haired assistant dealt with many obstacles over the course of the show, from paper shortages to photo shoot tasks, but no ordeal was quite as drama-filled as his silly Addams Family themed dinner. You see, Andrew had told everyone to be there at nine, but Skinner and That Other Girl didn't arrive until eleven. Dunh dunh DUNH!!! What to do? Normally, I'd say "eat," but Andrew, being the gentlemanly host, waited and waited and waited. This way, once the ladies arrived, everyone was appropriately crabby and hungry. Fun times.

Alas, no major drama resulted from this dinner party, but that was okay because I knew we were in store for a major tragedy; one involving an ambulance and Kelly crying. After all, it had been all over the promos all week. But no! Despite heavy promotion, there wasn't even a trace of a medical emergency. Not cool, Bravo.

Photocap after the jump.

About nine months ago, I posted a video of me sitting behind a crying baby on YouTube. The resultant post garnered a whole bunch of comments, setting off a fierce debate on whether it is the parents' duty to silence their kid or if it's the passenger who just needs to get the hell over it. I'm not sure a peaceful agreement was reached, and now I can assure you it's about to be rehashed all over again because this morning, CNN linked to that very same video as part of an article about flying with children.

Already I've received many angry comments on the vid, but who the hell cares? I got linked to by CNN. I'm a staaaaaaaaar!!!!!!

Okay, I've collected myself. Anyway, I'm enjoying this mightily. Thanks to B-Side Blog reader Todd for giving me the heads up!

It's that time again! No, not the joint birthdays of Chuck Woolery, Flava Flav, Erik Estrada and Peaches Geldof (although, that is today). I'm talking about the NCAA tournament -- when people all across the country fill out brackets and try to win their way to the top with their expert prognosticating skillz (or in my case, dumb luck). As such, I'm resurrecting the B-Side Blog Tournament of Cham (Yahoo! cut off the word "Champions"). Many people participated last year, and I'm hoping to match or increase the numbers this time around. So if you'd like to a shot at the Cham, just follow the link below! Deadline is Thursday morning, I believe.

To join, follow this link.

Failing that, go to http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1. Click on "Join A Group" and then enter the following information:

Group ID: 151245
Password: ShamboOnSax

Good luck!

Reality Blurred: Spencer Pratt leaves The Hills to defend USA against “threats,” or he was forced out for threatening producer
Gawker: Wyclef Jean Paid His Mistress $105,000 Through His Haiti Charity (thanks IndianJones)
New York Times: For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent (thanks KIEVin)
LA Times: Angels Flight rides again
Franklin Avenue: Finally, Clarity for Broken Meters
Food2: Lady Gaga & Beyonce: Telephone -- Eat The Video
Diana Takes A Bite: The Great Greek and the Great Whipped Caviar Tarama

Last night's Celebrity Apprentice premiere came down to one brief, hilarious moment. Don't get me wrong -- it all was fun and entertaining, but nothing made me chuckle louder than the clip above.

Things have really not been so hot for the Heroes team on Survivor. Not only are they less interesting as a whole than the Villains, but they're also significantly lacking in the skills department. To date, they've only won one challenge all season, and no matter what they do, they can't seem to get their heads on straight. Serves them right. They never should have ousted my favorite of the group, Cirie.

Nevertheless, the gang just cannot get their act together, and the more they stumble, the uglier it gets. Of course, that's what we all love, but there's also nothing worse than having the image tarnished of a former favorite (ie. James). Yes, the friendly giant has proven to be not so friendly this season, and while I still do rank him as one of my all time favorite Survivor players, even I must confess that he's turned into quite the asshole this go-around. Karma's a bitch though. This latest episode saw James suffer not only a debilitating injury but also the embarrassment of having his voice sound like a frantic duck during one shout-heavy challenge. It will be a miracle if he lasts another episode.

I love many things about Los Angeles, but I can't say I'm a big fan of the early-bird schedule. Once 7:30 rolls around, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't eaten dinner yet (or at least already made plans to). Imagine my unhappiness then Friday night when dinner plans had fallen through, leaving me high and dry at the witching hour of 9 PM. In New York, this would barely be a problem. It's practically the norm to eat after ten. In LA though, I was S.O.L., which meant I'd have to scavenge my fridge for nourishment. It was looking like Friday night was gonna be spent alone with a slice of leftover quiche and perhaps some tears. However, I was saved in the eleventh hour (almost quite literally) by my friend Tony C (of Sinosoul), who said he'd be willing to dine with me if I gave him an hour or so to drive back from the depths of Fullerton, CA. Oh glorious developments. Not only did I have someone to have dinner with, but I knew I'd be in store for some fun Asian grub as well. And that's kind of my favorite grub.

Based on the way season two of Real Housewives of New York City ended, you'd never believe that Jill, LuAnn, and Kelly would be in a clique pitted against the other women, but that's exactly how this young cycle has been turning out. Tension is still thick between the feuding parties of Ramona and LuAnn as well as Bethenny and Jill, and as such, when Labor Day rolled around, the ladies splintered into groups to celebrate this last day of summer. Of course, Kelly wasn't about to hang with Bethenny; so she headed to LuAnn's place, and Ramona, knowing that she needed reinforcements, nabbed Alex and Simon with a last minute invite to her party. Yes, this had the makings of a classic feud with each side gathering allies and armaments. All these women needed was a spark -- a metaphorical assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand -- and that came in the form of Alex and Simon attempting to maintain amicable relations with both sides. The perennially awkward (but oddly lovable) couple attempted to extricate themselves from Ramona's home to go do a pop-in at LuAnn's, but things went awry when Alex alerted their hostess of their plans. The thought was that Alex didn't want her actions to come off as sneaky or two-faced, but in reality, she didn't owe it to anyone to explain where she was headed later that afternoon. As expected, Ramona went nuts, arguing (somewhat justifiably) that it was rude -- nay, TACKY -- of LuAnn to try to poach HER guests. She's right to an extent, but of course we don't know the context of LuAnn's invitation (was it a casual "Stop by on your way back?" or something more formal?). We also don't know the timing. As far as we could tell, Alex and Simon were intentional last second invites to the BBQ. Ramona admitted so much in an interview as we watched her pretend like she had totally forgotten to invite "Silex" all along. Perhaps LuAnn had invited them first.

Ultimately though, it really doesn't matter. They're all adults, and supposedly they should be able to figure these things out. But alas, Ramona badgered the McCord-Van Kempens into staying, and so Alex had to place a call to Jill to inform her that there really was no graceful way for her to exit the party (actually, the graceful way would be to say "Thanks for having us! We have to leave.") Jill was totally warm and accommodating and told Alex not to worry about it... until she hung up the phone and then pooh-poohed Alex's choice. She noted that if Alex really wanted to come to LuAnn's, she would have found a way, which was true, but also... who cares? It's just a casual BBQ. And if Alex's primary social obligation was indeed Ramona's funhouse, she most certainly did not owe it to LuAnn to drop by. Alas.

Boston.com: '24' to end? (noooooooooo!) (anti-thanks IndianJones)
Diana Takes A Bite: The Grilled Cheese Truck: Appallingly delightful
Reality Blurred: Amazing Race 16’s Louie Stravato linked to investigation of cocaine ring
Entertainment Weekly: Betty White To Host 'SNL" in May
Plugged In: Sony's motion controller named 'Playstation Move', priced under $100
New York Times: ‘Mad Men’ Dolls in a Barbie World, but the Cocktails Must Stay Behind (thanks Meeshie!)
NY Post: Woman struck by subway train after jumping on tracks to retrieve purse (extremely unpleasant. Thanks Neil!)
New York Times: A 12-Hour Play, and Endless Bragging Rights

There's another new episode of Real Housewives of New York City on tonight, and if the preview clips are any indication, we'll be in store for more insanity, courtesy of Ramona and LuAnn. As you may remember from last week, the two had a blow-out on a boat after LuAnn expressed displeasure at Ramona's husband calling her "Countless." Well, apparently things haven't been smoothed out because on tonight's episode, Ramona's throwing a Labor Day party that Countess LuAnn doesn't feel comfortable going to. Of course, as goes LuAnn, so goes Jill. In the clip above, watch what happens when Jill calls Ramona to back out of the Labor Day party. It's not pretty (the word "slut" gets tossed around).

After the jump are two more clips. A boring date night with Bethenny and Jason, and then an amusing video of Kelly revealing that she'll be posing for Playboy -- announced with the sort of gravitas normally reserved for health crises and romantic affairs. Keep an eye out for LuAnn's Playgirl cover and better yet, her brief but hilarious explanation about why she's comfortable going topless.

I thought I'd switch things up a little this week and write about the boyz and the girlz of American Idol all in one post. Why? Well, because I forgot to write about the girls yesterday. Nevertheless, after enduring a third improved but not necessarily exciting week of semifinals, we are poised to learn who this year's top twelve will be. There seem to be some shoo-ins -- Big Mike, Crystal Bowersox, Casey James. However, there are plenty of bubble performers, and I wouldn't be shocked if we had some surprise eliminations tonight.

After an egregious, abhorrent one week absence, Kell On Earth returned to the airwaves Monday night, and while FUCKING FASHION WEEK is now over, the stress remains high and intense at the offices of People's Revolution. This latest episode focused on the trials and tribulations of Stephanie Skinner, who seemed to be crumbling under the weight of Steph Vorhees' abandoned responsibilities. And let me tell you something: poor Skinner does not take stress well. Her eyes become sunken, her face goes pale, and she more or less looks like death. You know, like Kelly (who amusingly admitted that she is not the most photogenic person in the Western World).

Anyway, as Stephanie tried to take on every task herself, her life was made imminently more difficult by the two-headed beast that is Robily (or Emilyn?). The two senior staff members repeatedly demanded more and more from wee Skinner, who admittedly seems to be fairly unskilled in the delegation and prioritization department. As you can imagine, this led to a one way ticket on the meltdown express, especially after Emily -- the most cutting and nasty of the group -- asked for some much needed reports. Skinner announced that she didn't have them quite ready, and then the next thing we knew, both women were yelling at each other, with Skinner ultimately trotting out of the office to sob in the street. To be fair to Emily, I wouldn't say Stephanie's methods of communication are always the wisest. I get the sense that she's trying to hold her own in this office of power bitches, but her responses to her superiors' questions often come off as defensive and bratty, not self-possessed and confident. It's enough to make a supervisor go batty. Plus, I'm not sure they want to keep hearing about how she's doing the work of umpteen people.

But then again, Stephanie is doing the work of umpteen people, and as far as we can tell, the Andrews are doing nothing but staring at their computers and dreaming about getting laid. Part of me feels like Stephanie doesn't want to delegate her work in an effort to be something of a martyr, and then another part of me wonders if maybe she's just wary of letting someone like Andrew Serrano touch anything vaguely important, lest he spill a bottle of bronzer or lube over an important document.

Just days after several '80s teen icons were resurrected at the Oscars, one of that era's most famous teen idols has died. Corey Haim passed away at 38 today after struggling for years with addiction and drug abuse. Sad news indeed. Is it bad that my first instinct is to wonder if he'll make it into the Academy's In Memoriam montage? What? It's a current debate! (Farrah Fawcett, anybody??)

Anyway, more information on this tragic turn of events here.

(Thanks to m_ruv for the heads up)

Last night, R&B singer Steph Jones hit me up about the new video for his song "La La Means Love." (Yes, that's right. I'm so cool that real life R&B singers contact me. Okay, I'm not that cool. But Steph is cool, and I'm going to bask in his reflected glory). Anyway, Steph asked if I'd help get the word out about this video, and who was I to say no? After all, it's a deceptively catchy tune, and I would be lying if I said it hadn't been stuck in my head for longer than I care to discuss. So if you're an R&B fan (and even if you're not), check out the video. At the very least you'll get to see some funky green screen work. And who doesn't love that??