Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Something is gettin funky up in here....(American Idol Spoilers, if you haven't watched tonight's show yet...)

Top 9 Performances…When I Grow Up…

Not much to discuss tonight. Finishing dinner at start of show, not in much of a note taking mood, and still have a brief amount of homework to do later.

So let’s sort these folks out into 3 groups, as I’m sure Ryan will do tomorrow night.

The Good…

Adam has definitely redeemed himself after the disastrous performance he gave during country week. Play That Funky Music was original, funky, fresh, funky-fresh, whatever you want to call it. (Tammy – breathe….come on, you can do it…)

Danny made an interesting observation about Rascal Flatts. He said they are more of a modern country group that most people could like. I like them, and I love this performance of What Hurts the Most.

Allison is going to try and channel her inner Gwen Stefani & No Doubt. Not sure what’s up with that hairstyle though.

The Not too Bad….

Kris. The only reason he’s down here instead of the top 3 tonight is because he is not one of my favorites. He just doesn’t strike me as a great singer. That said…he did a great job with Ain’t No Sunshine tonight.

Scott IS the Piano Man, I’m thinking a Billy Joel song is a good choice. I don’t know how I feel about the performance tonight though. Let’s just call it interesting and leave it at that.

At the risk of getting caught in the crossfire when Tammy tries to nail Lil with a water balloon for choosing that song, I thought Lil had a good performance tonight.

The Ugly (or most in danger of going home)

Anoop wants to be an R&B artist…good luck with that. Wrong song choice, but he was happy with it.

Megan is doing a Bob Marley song? I don’t understand what’s happened to Megan. I liked her in the very beginning but it’s been so long since I’ve heard her do a great job on something that I’m having a hard time remembering what is there to like.

Matt chose a song from the Fray. And I am afraid. Pun intended….Good time for me to take a bathroom break. Please go home now.

Until tomorrow…

Monday, March 30, 2009

Heroes Summary - Strange Bedfellows (Spoiler Alert)

Chapter 8: Into Asylum

NOTE: Action was moving pretty quickly tonight and the boys were being noisier than usual so I may have missed more than a few things tonight. I really need to invest in a DVR.

Patzcuoro, Mexico – Nathan and Claire are checking into a hotel to keep Claire safe from Danko, acknowledging that he’s been exposed. Nathan offers to buy Claire a taco, Claire asks with what money. Nathan explains they should be safe – Danko’s reach doesn’t spread to south of the border. Yet. Clair leaves to go look for food, Nathan says he’ll meet her at the cantina

Peter and Angela are walking outside when a rainstorm opens up. Angela says this is where she’s supposed to be. They are standing outside a cathedral looking building and Angela goes inside.

Danko and his men are looking over a couple of agents’ dead bodies as Noah gets a closer inspection. They discuss the scene before them and debate what may have happened. It appears that the victims were shot in the back. Danko has words with Noah and next we see him in his car listening to the radio – Runaway by Del Shannon. Suddenly Sylar pops up in the backseat and offers Danko a partnership. Danko turns to point a gun at Sylar and just as suddenly, Sylar is gone.

Danko addresses his men telling them they don’t sleep until these people are caught. He tears down a picture of Sylar from the top of the photowall and replaces it with an unknown male. Noah and Danko are talking about procedures and how those with abilities operate. Noah believes Sylar is in DC and says it could be the big win they both need. Danko says or it could be the next chapter in his big book of failures.

Claire and Nathan are at a cantina and Claire plops down some money for Nathan. Claire explains where she got it (sorry, missed it) .

Peter enters the cathedral where Mass is ending. He locates Angela sitting in one of the pews. Angela tells Peter how peaceful it is there, and how she needs peaceful sleep for her dreams to come (her ability is to dream the future). Angela and her husband were married in that church.

Danko is talking with one of his men, who is checking in to see what needs to be done. A phone rings inside a cardboard box and Danko answers it. It’s sylar who says “special delivery”. They talk about the agent killer and Sylar again offers his assistance and tells Danko to look in the box. Inside the box, wrapped in plastic, is a head. Sylar tells him the killer is a shapeshifter. Danko’s agent, who was just in the room talking to him, is seen suddenly running out as Danko gives chase.

Danko locates his man and opens fire. The shape shifter runs off and begins to assume another shape (looks painful). Once done, he runs away again and answers the question why you should never make a fat man run! (should have just asked me, I could have told them, but I digress…)

Back in the cathedral, Peter and Angela are getting ready to leave. Angela tells Peter tales of his younger days and says “You must hate me.” He says no. Whatever happened, she’s still his mother. Angela says unconditional love is no love at all.

Nathan has found himself in the middle of a drinking contest with two other guys and a bottle of tequila. Claire tries to get him to call it off, but he says no. Nathan starts to pass out and the other guys tell her she should get her old man off to bed. Claire shows them Nathan’s watch and offers to join in. The guys accept as Claire chokes down a shot.

Sylar enters an apartment, where Danko is waiting for him, holding a gun on him. Sylar tells him the part of his brain he would have to hit to kill him is microscopic. Danko said he’d take a shot. Again, Sylar is offering his assistance to Danko’s search. Danko considers the offer, still pointing his gun at Sylar.

Angela is saying a prayer as Peter walks back into the cathedral. Peterlights a candle and looking up at a statue of Christ, Peter says his piece, about his life, and how he is angry and how he was suppose to change the world for the better, but now He needs to live up to his end of the bargain. Danko’s men walk into the cathedral. Silently, Peter and Angela try to make their escape.

Sylar and Danko are searching the apartment for an idea of where their prey may have gone. Sylar notices the clothing of doctors, lawyers, priest…and deduces that their man enjoys being a man of power. They find pictures of their guy with some ladies and later a box of matches with the name of a club on them. The pair head out to “Garden of Eden”

Claire and her drinking partners continue on and they guy tells her she doesn’t look drunk. She changes her act and convinces her drinking game opponent until the man falls down. Claire 1, drunk buddies, 0.
Angela and Peter are hiding in a confessional and Angela confesses to Peter what her life has cost her. Noah enters the room and sees Angela and Peter hiding there. He sighs and gives the All Clear.

Danko and Sylar enter the nightclub where Sylar is convinced Danko will spot their target right away. He does, as their man has assumed the form of….Danko. He’s doing very well with a lady it seems. Sylar gets on Danko’s nerves as Sylar tells him he’s a better you than you! The shape shifter (Martin) sees them and tries to make his escape.

Claire gets Nathan back to their room where he asks her how she managed to win. She explained about tissue in her liver and he bought it. Nathan admits he gets a pit in stomach whenever he thinks of her, foolishly thinking that someday they can get together and “catch up.” Nathan promises he’s going to fix this situation for everyone because that’s what he’s supposed to do. Claire listens in silence as he lies back on the bed and falls asleep.

Danko and Sylar are talking and Danko says I lost him. Sylar looks at him and says me too, but Sylar is looking right at Danko. Suddenly, Danko goes to leave and Sylar turns to follow him out, reaching for his gun. Danko turns and fires first as Sylar falls to the ground. Turns out, it wasn’t Sylar, but Martin, their prey. Sylar says, “You killed him.” Danko says no, he’s alive. Sylar starts to move in, but Danko says, “Wait. Can you do it without leaving the “? Pointing to his forehead, Sylar smiles and says yeah…the shapeshifter cries out as Sylar captures the guy’s ability.

Nathan wakes up the next morning and tells Claire she really bailed him out. She asks him if he made any calls and he said no. He doesn’t have any friends on Capitol Hill at the moment. Claire says but last night, you said you’d fix things. Nathan replies, “I was drunk.” Claire is pissed now because Nathan can do anything he wants – except fix this. “You’re supposed to be Superman,” she says teary-eyed before leaving the room.

Angela wakes up sleeping on Peter’s shoulder. She dreamt and says she needs to bring the family together again – Nathan & Claire, then go find her sister. Peter says, sister?

Nathan and Claire are standing on the street and Claire asks what happened to his watch. He hands her a locket and places it around her neck before stepping out into the street. He turns back and asks, coming?

Noah and Danko find a body resembling Sylar lying on the sidewalk with a knife in the back of his head. It was Martin, as the really Sylar was looking like one of Danko’s female agents. Danko says, if wwe do this, you could be the only one left. Sylar replies, “funny how that works.”

Thursday, March 26, 2009

There's always the tour (Idol Results - Spoiler!)

Confession time: I’m having a difficult time holding my interest in the show tonight. Maybe it’s the upcoming Mizzou game later tonight, maybe it’s the fact that there’s a good looking woman sitting next to me of her own free will. Either way, I will do the best I can with this tonight. Motown week comes to a close with a Thursday night elimination. Ryan wants to talk about what Paula & Simon did during recess last night.

Group song is a medley of Motown hits. Yawn. The highlight for me was bringing Tammy back down to earth after Adam Lambert hit those high notes during Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.

The Ford commercial is okay, but its not as good as the one Idol did in season 4 when they made muppet characters of all the finalists.

Rueben Studdard (season 2 winner, for those who may have forgotten who won that year) is performing his new song.

Adam is safe, Matt is not, he is in the bottom 3.

Kris falls for Ryan’s psych out, he’s safe. Lil is also safe, Michael is not, he joins Matt in the bottom 3.

Up next, Smokey Robinson and Joss Stone perform a duet on You’re the One for Me. Not bad, I
guess…they didn’t get eliminated at least.

Back to eliminations now and Allison is safe. So is Anoop, Danny and Megan (wtf?). Scott is in the bottom 3. Wow. No matter though, because Scott is sent back to the safety of the couch, leaving Matt and Michael to sweat out the next 15 minutes before finding out which one is leaving.

Stevie Wonder is performing a medley of his hits, with a special tribute to Barack Obama? Where the hell did that come from?

We are back for the final elimination. Is the Judge’s save in play? Michael is eliminated tonight and the judges are debating whether or not to save him while he performs Ain’t Too Proud to Beg. And the judges’ decision is…

No. The oil rig worker is going home.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Top 10's Best - Some guy with Dark Hair (Idol Spoilers below!)

OK, So where the hell is Hiro Nakamura when you need him?

I’m beginning my note taking for tonight’s Idol a little late because I just got back from Kansas City. Tammy just flew in from Indiana and boy, are her arms tired! And at some point, I’m going to be back and forth trying to impress her a little more with my culinary skills.

It’s MoTown week, and Smokey Robinson is the mentor.

At any rate, the TV is on and Scott MacIntyre has just received his critique and Simon was presented with some crayons and a coloring book for some reason. Matt & Kris have already performed as well.

4) Megan Joy Corkery – For Once in My Life – heh…for once in my life, I get to watch Idol with Tammy! And it’s not a retrospect on the tv guide channel either! But as for the performance, for once in my life, can someone please locate a decent performance that this girl has done? I know she’s top 10 for a reason, so obviously she has sang something well during her idol experience but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it was. Too bad too, because she’s the only blonde female left for me to root for now that Alexis is gone.

5) Anoop Desai – Ooh, Baby Baby – mentor session looked good, let’s see how the performance goes. Starts off good, Noop Dawg has soul! Noop Dawg has style! Noop Dawg is back from the dead! I don’t know about the judges, but I like it!

6) Michael Sarver – Ain’t Too Proud to Beg – I’m laughing inside because Tammy and I are writing down completely opposite reviews of Michael, LOL. While I will agree with her assessment to a point, I must say that tonight’s performance is better than the last couple that he has done. I don’t think it will keep him out of the bottom 3 again, but we will see.

7) Lil Rounds – Heatwave – Well…she looks the part! A little under par for Lil this week, I thought. While I like the song and all, I’m not sure it was the right choice for her. Something just didn’t seem quite right with her – and you know she did something wrong because it was Kara – not Paula – who told her she looked beautiful to start off the critique.

8) Adam Lambert – Tracks of my Tears – OK, I almost didn’t recognize him, he is so out of character tonight. His hair is greased up and combed back, he’s wearing a sports jacket and dress shirt, and there is absolutely NONE of that distortion and crap he brought out during Ring of Fire last week. This performance is the best I’ve heard tonight and should go a long long ways toward putting him back at the top of voting chart (as if he needed it)

9) Danny Gokey – Get Ready – In my defense, I was out of the room putting the finishing touches on dinner during this performance. But from what I could hear, it sounded damn good. A lot better than his performance last week. Consider him safe again this week.

10) Allison Iraheta – Papa was a Rolling Stone – When I was much much younger, I used to think this song was about Mick Jagger. The girl has got some soul to go with those chops! I liked it, but then I’ve been a fan of hers since the semifinal round.

Short and sweet, my bottom 3 this week are Megan, Michael, and either Matt or Scott (based on the recaps at the end of the show).

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

No American Idol Tonight

President Obama will be addressing the nation tonight, therefore we will have to wait another day to enjoy the top 10's take on Motown. Idol will not be on tonight, and instead it will air on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Ordinarily this would piss me off, but not this time. This week is different because my girlfriend is coming to spend a few days with me tomorrow. We were anticipating watching the results show together for the first time, but now we get to spend performance night together as well. She is a bigger Idol junkie than I am, so I'll let her handle the voting responsibilities.

Then after the Thursday night results show (I'll have to miss The Office this week, but hey, that's what Hulu.com is for, right?), its Mizzou vs Memphis in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament. This one scares me...Memphis is a great team and while I have all the faith in the world in the abilities of the Mizzou players, they have choked twice on the national stage this year. Against Illinois back in December when they were ranked 25th (for the 1st time in several years) and just before the end of the regular season at Kansas when 1st place in the conference was on the line. Which Mizzou will show up on Thursday night in Arizona is anybody's guess, but I'm sure it will be a great game!

Oh, Snap...(Heroes Summary)

I was going to summarize last night's episode of Heroes, but there was a LOT that happened tonight and quite frankly I was just too tired to type it all out as it happened. So you get the short and sweet condensed version.

SPOILERS APPEAR BELOW! (If you haven't watched yet, you might want to stop reading now...


Chapter 7: Cold Snap

OK...

The puppetmaster didn't get far, he was captured by an unknown person (I'm guessing Sylar) and literally gift wrapped and given to Danko.

Noah tried to get on Danko's good side by giving them Angela Petrelli. Multiple capture attempts occur, and thanks to Noah's advance warning, Angela is able to avoid most of them. In the end, however, as the agents are closing in on her, it's Peter who comes to her rescue and flies her away to safety.

With Rebel's help, Tracy, Matt, Mohinder and Daphne all escape Building 26. Matt takes Daphne to a hospital for surgery on her bullet wound.

The release though was a set up, as Noah and Danko orchestrated it in hopes that Tracy would lead them to Rebel. Long story short, it worked, but Rebel's identity remained a secret to the hunters. The viewers however would learn that Rebel is actually the technopath, Micah.

As Tracy and Micah are trying to make their escape from approaching agents, Tracy gets an idea. She had no idea that Micah was Rebel and doesn't want him to be captured, so while making their way through a parking garage, Tracy asks him if he can turn on the overhead water sprinklers. He says yes and does so. She then tells him to run and try to stay ahead of the ice. Tracy walks out into the open as Micah runs off and when the agents get close and have her surrounded, she uses her power to freeze the room. All of the agents are frozen in ice, as is Tracy. Later Danko approaches the scene and seeing the frozen Tracy, he points his gun at her and fires. He then watches as Tracy's body breaks into hundreds of pieces, save for a small piece of her face where we see a tear running out of a blinking eye.

Meanwhile, Hiro and Ando are out to save Matt Parkmann. Little do they realize the person they are saving is Matt Parkmann's infant son (Refer back to season 1, Matt's wife was pregnant and he left her after finding out she had an affair). Anyway, the baby has an ability as well as Hiro refers to the child as Baby Touch and Go - The baby touches things and makes them go. Agents are closing in on them and lo and behold as Hiro is holding the baby, his power of controlling time returns and he is able to arrange for his, Ando's and the baby's escape. Hiro then tries to teach the baby to say "Yatta!"

We see Daphne recovering in a hospital room (Matt made everyone think she was Gwen Stefani) and she tells Matt she doesn't want to be a couple if it means playing surrogate wife. With that, she runs out of the room. Matt pursues and shows up in Paris, finding her. Matt tells her he flew and begins to rise up in the air. As Matt takes her on a flight around Paris, Daphne puts 2 and 2 together and realizes she is actually still in the hospital room. The scene returns to an unconscious Daphne in her bed as Matt sits by her side. We are then apparently lead to believe that Daphne dies. Let's see if it sticks.

There you have it - the closest thing to a Heroes summary from me this week.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Top 11 Elimination - I Smell Shocking T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Ryan gives us a brief introduction and did he say shocking? Dial Idol had predicted a shocking elimination tonight, but I’ve a feeling if that happens, the judges’ save will come into play.

A quick review and the group is singing one of my very best karaoke songs! Combined with the return of Carrie Underwood, tonight’s show is already looking very interesting.

BTW, I have no comment on the group performance because I was too busy jamming out myself.

Ford Commercial and a water balloon fight. Tom now hates American Idol for that version of a song he liked. Meanwhile Ryan is throwing a water balloon at Simon and misses, hitting a woman in the audience. Too bad she wasn’t wearing a t-shirt.

And for the first time…we get to see footage of the “kiss-off” dinner! I kinda like seeing the non-competitive side of things and Jorge made a good point. Don’t get too comfortable but most of them will be eliminated too.

Let the revelations begin!

Danny is up first…he is safe and on the tour!

Lil and Anoop are also safe…

Allison and Michael are next…and both are in the bottom 3.

A break from results as we get a performance from Brad Paisley and his new single, “Then”
America voted, and Brad is safe… (but don’t look for him on the Idol tour)

More results…

Scott is safe, Megan is safe, and Matt is safe. Kris is safe.

That leaves Alexis and Adam, Adam is safe, Alexis is in the bottom 3.

Going back to their original chair and safety is…Allison!

Another commercial and then it is time for Carrie’s duet with Randy Travis. But not without a look back at her beginnings on Idol. Wow, what a career in just a few short years. And now she’s the newest member of the Grand Ol’ Opry.

I remember when Randy brought the song “I Told You So” out in 1987. I liked his version then, but I love hers.

OK…so Simon says they would consider using the save on one of these two. Michael is safe…Alexis is out. Damn damn damn.

Alexis is the one they would save, and they will base it on this final performance. The save is in play… and the verdict is…no. Alexis is out. At least we get treated to more Carrie now.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Idols Top 11 Performances - I'm a Little Bit Country...

It’s Country Week on Idol, Randy Travis is the mentor and we get to listen to Simon critiquing songs that he doesn’t understand to begin with.

Tonight, I’m following along with a song spoiler list I found on the internet. It will be interesting to see how many they get right. According to the list, Megan had a bit of a “wardrobe malfunction” during dress rehearsal so her song didn’t appear on the list. But some of my favorites are on the list and I hope this group does the Opry proud.

On with the small talk and introductions so we can get to the performances already!

Michael Sarver “Ain’t Going Down til the Sun Comes Up” (Garth Brooks) – This is a fast fast song and as someone who has performed it before, I can vouch for its toughness. And note the date on your calendar because I’m going to quote Simon. This is like a bad karaoke performance. And I’ve seen more than a few bad karaoke performances in my life.

Allison Iraheta “Blame it on Your Heart” (Patty Loveless) – Great start, bringing out the attitude this song calls for. The rocker girl almost reminds me of a younger Carrie Underwood tonight. Love the performance.

Kris Allen “To Make You Feel My Love” (Garth Brooks) – Mentor Randy Travis says Kris made this song his own. That may be, and to some an extent I would agree. But Kris’ performance tonight just felt like cookie-cutter country to me. He sounds good, but I can turn on my radio at any given time and hear the exact same sound. With that out of the way, I’ll say…well done, Kris. It was one of his better performances so far.

Lil Rounds “Independence Day” (Martina McBride) – Lil has the pipes to blow the roof off the place with this one, so I’m a little concerned to hear that she’s planning on holding back. Maybe that’ll work for her…let’s see. Well…I thought it was good, but perhaps too restrained, if that’s possible. Not the best song choice, I think. Paula nailed it in her critique – the second verse lost me. I was ready to hear her bust into the chorus, but no, she took the second verse instead.

Adam Lambert “Ring of Fire” (Johnny Cash) – Randy Travis is scared. Can’t say that I blame him, LOL! Oh my…To quote Randy, I don’t know what to say. Adam, I’m a fan and all, but not tonight big guy. This could be a judge’s save situation, but I think Adam’s fans will pull him through. I guess it depends on your point of view. For the country purists, I’ll agree with Simon. This was garbage. But I also think it was done in a style that Adam’s true fans will love.

Scott MacIntyre “Wild Angels” (Martina McBride) – Randy didn’t care for this one either at first, but it sounded like Scott won him over. Right off the bat, I’m still not sure about this. It starts out as a slowed down version, but then he picks up the tempo a little bit and it starts to kick. Not bad. I give it a thumbs up.

Alexis Grace “Jolene” (Dolly Parton) – Based on Randy’s recorded comments, I’m trying not to look at the tv and just listen to Alexis’ performance. Wow…It as if I’m listening to a blend of Dolly all over again. I loved this one, even though I find myself agreeing with Simon’s comments. Hopefully, though the “dirty girl” will be back next week…

Danny Gokey “Jesus Take the Wheel” (Carrie Underwood) – Off the bat, this one makes me nervous. Anytime a guy wants to do one of Carrie’s songs, I think “uh oh - train wreck”. And unfortunately for Danny, I think that’s what we’ve got. The studio audience liked it, but it just didn’t sound right to me, and even a little boring. If it comes down to it, I think the judges will save him.

Anoop Desai “You Were Always on my Mind” (Willie Nelson) – He impressed Randy in the mentoring session and he impressed me too. I think Anoop just punched his ticket to the Idol tour, and not to sit in the audience either.

Megan Joy Corkery “Walking After Midnight” (Patsy Cline) – Well, I like it better than last week’s Rockin’ Robin. But I don’t think it was good enough to beat some of the others we’ve heard tonight.

Matt Giraud “So Small” (Carrie Underwood) – Oh boy…here we go again. Blah blah blah. The judges liked him, I thought it was so-so.

So who’s my bottom 3? Michael Sarver, Megan Corkery, and (gasp!) Adam Lambert. Oh relax, you know as well as I do Adam will be safe and someone else shocking, possibly Danny, will be in the bottom 3. Either way, I think that person will be safe, Megan will get the sympathy vote and Michael will be heading out, narrowly missing the tour.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Funnies

I ran through a few different names for this feature, but couldn't really come up with anything that was all encompassing. First, I thought I would call it the Sunday Comix, but what if I post them on a day other than Sunday? Then I thought I might call it Major Lee Weird (based on a character created by my son), but not all the strips I post will feature Major Weird. I suppose Total Tomination is an option as well, since all of the strips I plan to share with you for the next few days or weeks were drawn by my son Tom.

But no, I decided to go with The Funnies. Boring, yes, just deal with it.

Anyway, this is one of the first strips he drew:




Wednesday, March 11, 2009

He's Bad...(American Idol Spoiler Alert!)

Double elimination night.

New Rule.

Maybe this season is all just a dream and hasn’t even begun yet? I don’t know. But dreaming does sound good right now. I’m dragging a bit but I am determined to survive this entire hour.

Here's the Rules Change: The Judges’ Save

Up until the top 5, judges can save a contestant from elimination – Just once. This means if the judges think a performer who gets eliminated shouldn’t be eliminated, they can institute the save and no one would be eliminated. But the following week would be a double elimination week.

Looks like the contestants are back in the mansion. I don’t think we’ve seen that since season 2.

Group song time…Jackson 5 medley. Well, at least we’re not subjected to We are the World or the entire group trying to do the Thriller dance.

Side Note: I want to be a miniature horse.

Recap of last night’s performances then we have the first Ford commercial set to We Will Rock You. Not bad…might have been better if they had been made into muppets like in season 4.

Results time…

Michael and Allison are safe, Jasmine is in the bottom.

Matt and Kris are safe, Megan is in the bottom

Of the 2 girls, Megan is safe and Jasmine is sent home, the judges decline to save her. No surprise there, it’s really too early to use that save right now and there are better singers out there.

Guest appearance from Kanye West. Guess it’s a good time for me to take a bathroom break.

More results…

Scott and Alexis are safe, so is Danny.

Anoop is in the bottom.

Adam and Lil are safe, Jorge is in the bottom.

Anoop and Jorge – results are…after the break and after a performance from Kelly Clarkson. I’m thinking I can really identify with that song!

So back to Anoop and Jorge – Anoop is safe, does Jorge get the save?

Simon says…No, sorry. Rather bluntly too, I might add. One more week till we have the tour participants set!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

We Are the World, Voting at $5.95/minute

Performance Night: Top 12, er, 13….

So let’s see…Last week Anoop “Noop Dawg” Desai got lucky when Simon announced after picking the 3rd Wildcard contestant that this year, a last minute decision was made to make it a Top 13 instead of 12. Anoop made the cut and tonight, lucky performer number 13 may be doing more than just singing if you call 1-866-IDOLS-13. And you won’t have to wait until after the show to call it either!

And votes to those number may run $5.95/minute.

Yes, it’s a phone sex line, so the first order of business for Idol producers this week is to find a new phone number to call.

So anyway, a few announcements, welcome to the judges, a bunch of flashing lights, and advice from the judges and we’re good to go. It’s a hell of a stage this year, looks great; someone could get lost up there! Two people go home this week…

It’s Michael Jackson week. Will we see a Thriller? Which performers will be forced to Beat It? Is it really as easy as ABC? Just who is Bad?

Lil Rounds – The Way You Make Me Feel – Not bad, I thought it started a little rough but it didn’t take her long to get into the flow of the song.

Scott MacIntyre – Keep the Faith – Great performance, I thought he was much more relaxed tonight than in his earlier performance. Sitting at the piano must have been much more enjoyable for him and put him in his element. He just learned that song this week?? Wow…

Danny Gokey – PYT – Danny is rocking the house with this one and working the stage pretty good, taking full advantage of its size. Wow, awesome, awesome, awesome and the crowd loved it. Did I say it was awesome?

Michael Sarver – You are not Alone – Michael slows things down with this song a bit, and while it was good, I wouldn’t quite put him on the same level as the previous 3 contestants. Fans are gonna have to step up their voting efforts tonight because I can tell early on that it’s going to be a close one.

Jasmine Murray – I’ll Be There – OK, is it bad that in my mind I keep running through the words to a song parody I once helped write called I’ll Be Cher? I suppose it is because she did what I thought was a good job on that song. Does America?

Kris Allen – Remember the Time – Wow, I had actually forgotten about this song. I’m on the fence with this one and that can’t be good for him because everyone else to this point has been outstanding.

Allison Iraheta – Give In To Me – I like this girl because I think the raspiness of her voice makes me forget about all the missing rocker chicks. Amazing voice, amazing performance. Should be safe this week.

Anoop Desai – Beat It – The Noop Dawg is an entertainer. Hard to believe he was actually the last choice into the pool! Great song, but the judges didn’t seem to like the performance so we’ll have to wait 24 hours to find out what America thought.

Jorge Nunez – Never Can Say Goodbye – There is just something about this guy. I like his voice and his performances. Might have picked a better song, but who knows. At least the judges were able to suggest something different (She’s Out of My Life)

Megan Joy Corkery – Rockin’ Robin – Maybe a little corny? I would say bad song choice, but I don’t have any idea what other song she could have done. Caw Caw? Gordon Ramsey liked her, it seems.

Adam Lambert – Black or White – The man can sing, the man can sing, the man can sing. He’s an entertainer, great great performance from him tonight. I must take issues with the judges’comments though. I thought Paula was going to start tearing his clothes off. She was praising him like Campbell Brown praised Barack Obama during the campaign. I think we know who the judges will be pimping this season. Kara said he hit notes she didn’t know existed. I’ve hit notes that no one knew existed. Not necessarily good notes, but I hit them. I think one was the brown note…

Matt Giraud – Human Nature – OK, with the distractions in this house, I am bound to miss a song title or two. This song was no different and when it started out it was completely unrecognizable to me. Needless to say I’m not a Matt G fan, so I wasn’t real thrilled with this performance.

Alexis Grace – Dirty Diana – I’m loving this performance. The only thing better would be dialing a sex line to cast my vote. I suppose with the song choice it would be appropriate. But seriously, fans of Alexis – get the number right! What do you know, Kara likes the naughty girls…

Now a few thoughts…big changes coming tomorrow night? WTF? I don’t have a clue, but here’s my thought: We know it involves the judges, so what if the judges had the ability to “save” one of the final 2 each week? We’ve heard the judges say in the past that “America got it wrong” so what if the judges saw one of their favorites or an undeserving performer in the bottom 2 or 3? They could then have the option to pull that contestant and save them for another week. This would keep a true contender from falling out of the competition after a single bad week while someone who is consistently not as strong (Kristy Lee Cook, Sanjaya, Scott Savol, etc) may get the axe a little sooner. Again, I don’t know, but its possible.

We also get a performance from the Original Idol, Kelly Clarkson! I'm hoping she'll do her new song, My Life Would Suck Without You. Another thing is the debut of the Season 8 exit song – ready for this? It’s Home Sweet Home, peformed by Carrie Underwood! I checked it out on youtube today and I am liking it.

As for tonight’s performances, WOW. I think we can say we’ve just seen one of the best full episodes of American Idol in AI history. There weren’t any truly bad performances tonight, which is rare. Adam, Danny, Allison, Alexis, all stood out in my mind tonight. Lil, Scott, Michael, and Kris were wonderful. Jorge, Anoop, and Megan could have made better song choices, and I’m just not a fan of Matt. I’ve tried and tried to get into his performances but they don’t work for me.

So my bottom 3 tonight, based on performances…Matt, Jasmine, and Megan. Megan survives to next week.

Help is Coming. Have Hope (Heroes, 3/9/09)

Certainly a lot going on in this episode and I may have missed a few points along the way. But I like the direction she show is going. Looks like the new writing team is doing a lot to win back their former audience.

Chapter 6: Shades of Gray

Bennet House, Costa Verde, CA

Clair is confronted in her kitchen by Eric Doyle (the puppetmaster), who has come seeking help. Rebel sent him. Sandra comes in as he begs for Claire’s help. The Puppetmaster pleads his case, telling Claire why he should help him and questions why she isn’t being hunted as well. He tells her he isn’t going to force her to help him, that’s not who he is anymore. With that, he leaves.

Nathan and Danko are discussing the mess that has developed as Danko wonders aloud how many people knew Peter was on the rooftop. Nathan gets a call telling him about Parkman’s predicament – in the nation’s capital with a bomb strapped to his chest. Swat teams surround Matt as Nathan approaches. Matt tells him to stay away as Nathan tells him he didn’t sanction this. It was Danko. Matt searches Nathan’s mind for the truth but can’t because he’s been drugged. Nathan tells Matt he’ll just have to trust him. Meanwhile, as the scene plays out on a tv monitor, an agent arms the bomb worn by Matt, and we see the words “weapon activated.” Danko gives the order: “Do it now! Kill them all!”

A red light is blinking on Matt’s vest. The screen in Danko’s headquarters reads weapon activation blocked. Nathan works with Matt to try to defuse the weapon. Matt says black wire. Nathan pulls the black wire and the wireless receiver is torn off and thrown to the ground. Danko is repeatedly pressing the fire button but to no avail. Nathan and the team of agents take Matt back into custody.

Sylar meanwhile is arriving at his father’s home, where he immediately begins asking questions, before telling him that he was going to kill him. Turns out, Dad has cancer and tells Sylar, go ahead.

Danko and crew are back in the office and are confronted by Nathan. Nathan relieves Danko of his command, but Danko objects, stating he reports only to the President. Nathan wants Noah to take over as head of the operation. Suddenly Tracy’s voice is heard reminding Nathan that he’s one of them. This gets the attention of Danko and Noah.
Tracy is brought out of her cell and is walking down a hallway. She sees a monitor that quickly flashes the message “Help is coming. Have Hope.”

Nathan and Noan are walking together and talking, about to enter a cell where Tracy has just been transferred back. Nathan is trying to convince Tracy that he has been helping her out all along. Tracy calls him on it by claiming that he sacrificed her for his own personal gain. Danko enters the room and states, “That’s my prisoner.” He questions Nathan’s presence who fires back “Knock yourself out.” Danko begins questioning Tracy by asking her to tell him what she knows about Nathan. She says he is lousy in bed. Danko asks if Nathan has an ability. Tracy says she has no idea what he is talking about. A nervous Nathan looks on.

Claire and Sandra are discussing the Doyle (Puppetmaster) situation. Sandra says she can’t take any more surprise guests. Claire suggests taking a cover job, such as Alex’s old job at the comic book shop where she can help people. Sandra says OK. Claire is being interviewed and is asked if she can work Wednesdays. The interviewer continues by asking her point blank what kind of hero is she. She says she doesn’t know and is confused by everything that’s happening and starts to leave before she is offered the job.

Sylar is still at his dad’s house, telling him how pathetic he is. They discuss abilities and Sylar is faced with the knowledge that he is just like his old man, even though he doesn’t want to accept it. Dad tells him that all the power in the world doesn’t matter, if you’ve lived an unsatisfied life. He asks his son if he wants to know more of if he’s going to kill him now. His dad holds up a rabbit and hands his son a knife. Sylar asks what do I do? His dad answers, “Gut him.”

Side note: Zachary Quinto looks the part of Mr Spock in the Star Trek movie preview.

Danko and Noah are discussing lost files and Noah’s knowledge of Nathan. Danko is very suspicious of Nathan and Noah’s not giving him up. Noah turns Danko’s attention to Angela Petrelli. Noah is now discussing the situation on the phone with Angela, who gives her fair warning that Danko is coming.

Clair is leaving work where every male eyeball in the place is following her. She comes outside and sees the van of agents watching her. She takes out her phone and calls daddy Noah. She asks him how she is supposed to handle leading two lives. Noah tells her he honestly doesn’t know. Suddenly, the van takes off.

An agent is following Doyle who tells him to freeze. Doyle says sure, then takes over the agent, forcing her to hold her own gun to her head before slamming her against the wall. Another agent approaches who suddenly falls. Doyle turns around to see Claire standing there.

Danko is meeting with Angela and they discuss Nathan. Angela is preaching Nathan’s “innocence” and Danko isn’t buying it. Angela begins to turn the tables on Danko by questioning his own past. It seems there was a military operation and Danko was the only member of the group to get out alive. He gets up and calls her a very resourceful woman.

Sylar’s reunion with his father continues as they talk about life while they work on the dead rabbit. Sylar cuts his hand with the knife and Papa is amazed as he watches his son heal. He asks where he got it from and Sylar answers from a cheerleader in California. Dad tells him he guesses he’ll just have longer to suffer, as he turns on Sylar and fires two arrows into his son to pin him up against the wall. Dad wants that power and he aims to take it. Sylar is getting all foggy as dad prepares to do the deed. He attempts to slice Sylars head with a knife, but Sylar is too strong for him and removes the arrows holding him back. Sylar decides its time for a little payback and wraps some tubing around his father’s throat. Sylar is prepared to leave as his dad begs him to kill him. Sylar tells him that he will die…slowly and alone. Then he says Sorry. You’re just small game. With that, he leaves.

Nathan is in headquarters as Danko tells him you lose me, you lose the whole team. Nathan is fine with that. Danko leaves. Noah asks Nathan if he’s told the President. Nathan says yes and the President is eager to meet his replacement. Danko confronts Nathan and Noah again as they are leaving. Danko pulls a gun on Nathan, firing two shots into a glass window behind Nathan. Danko then rushes Nathan, pushing him through the glass and looks out to see Nathan floating in the air. Nathan looks around and flies off. Danko turns to Noah and says, “Tell me you didn’t know about this.”

Doyle the puppetmaster is sitting on a park bench as Claire brings him a packet of papers, giving him a new identity. Doyle thanks her and starts to walk away. Claire asks him if he meant the stuff he said about how he changed. Doyle smiles and walks away.

Hiro and Ando are sneaking into a home looking for Matt Parkman, and a woman thinks they are the new babysitters. They try to explain that they are looking for Matt Parkman as the woman hands Hiro a baby. She says, “You’re holding him.”

As the episode prepares to end, we see a rabbit sitting on Danko’s desk as Sylar hides in the shadows and Danko’s armed men barge into the Bennet household looking for Claire. They search and don’t find her, but we see her hovering outside in Nathan’s arms.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

AI Wildcard Night (Spoilers!)

So here we are on Wild Card night...let's round out the top 12...

Jessie – Tell Me Something Good – She got good news last night when informed she made the wild card round and now she’s hoping the judges will give her some good news at the end of the show. I liked her to begin with so I’m glad she made it back in to the mix.

Matt G – Who’s Lovin’ You – Matt is really hoping the judges are loving him tonight. I wasn’t all that impressed with him before, and I’m actually less impressed now. Hate the song, it seems way too self indulgent for me. Judges seemed to like it though – it fit Matt’s “bluesy” style.

Megan – Black Horse and a Cherry Tree – Not bad, but for me she drew an instant comparison to Kat from Season 5, who I thought was better. But the judges liked it. Sounds like they have their work cut out for them tonight.

Von – Sad Situation (I’m not sure, the boys were talking and I missed hearing the title) – I thought it was ok, but the judges just weren’t digging it. It’s not looking good for the Missouri boy.

Jasmine – Reflection – Much better performance than her top 36 performance. The judges also liked it and Paula and Simon had to snipe over who liked it more.

Ricky – Superstition – Honestly, I heard better at the KWCUSA National Finals in 2006 on this song. And the dude that sang it finished 5th among the men.

Tatiana – Saving All My Love For You – Does the curse of Whitney strike again? On top of that, she is repeating songs. Simon called her on it for doing it 3 times! As Simon says, what will she do with it during country week?

Anoop – My Prerogative – It was a hit for him in Hollywood and we only got to hear a few words of it then. He did great with it too. I think this one gets him into the top 12.

And rounding out the top 12 are…

Jasmine
Megan
Matt G…

But hold the phone….As the final spot was announced, Simon tells Anoop that this year they decided to make it a Top 13! Noop Dawg is in also!

On to next week and the Top 13 :)

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

We laughed, We Cried....(Alert! American Idol Spoilers Included Here!)

So tonight we find out the next 3 members of the top 12 and stop and consider this – at least one of the three who advance tonight will be on the Idol tour.

Additionally, we should find out who will be in the wild card show tomorrow night.

I do have to agree with Tammy in that there was a better mix of talent this week than either of the past two weeks. Sure, there were some stars the first couple weeks (Danny, Adam, Allison, Alexis), but their competition was a bit overly matched I think. This week, while it’s true Idol’s producers chose to put its star of the week in the “pimp spot” (Hello, Lil) the other performers to advance are not as clear cut. Pick the names out of a hat if you want, but it would be easier to name three who will not advance this week than it is to name three who will.

We were treated to a group song that we probably could have done without – Katy Perry’s Hot and Cold. That gets followed up by an “Idol Extra” – yet another of the auditions featuring a woman singing the theme from The Jeffersons. Seriously – who auditions with a tv theme song??

Like Simon’s comments to Lil last night, let’s just keep this brief. Here is who advanced:

Lil Rounds (we may actually have some suspense tonight, as Lil was probably the only performer last night expected to advance)
Scott MacIntyre
Jorge Nunez

And…the 8 Wild Card contestants to perform tomorrow night are:

Ricky Braddy
Megan Corkery
Tatiana Del Toro
Anoop Desai
Matt Giraud
Jessie Langseth
Jasmine Murray
Von Smith

Who will be the final 3 members of the top 12? That decision will be left up to the four judges, and I think we'll know the answer to that question tomorrow night....

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

I Would Do Anything for...

Top 36 – Group C

My belly has been fed, I’ve got my soda and my snacks…It’s Tuesday night and This…is American Idol

It’s time for the 3rd and final group of 12 to sing for their spot in the top 12 before we get to the wild card round on Thursday…

For those of you new to my style of blogging, when it comes to tv shows like Heroes and American Idol, I tend to summarize rather than opinionize. Trust me, you’ll get my opinions as we go along.

Up first…Von Smith – You’re All I Need to Get By (Marvin Gaye) - I wasn’t a fan at first, but I promised Tammy I would cross over to the dark side because after all, they have cookies. And Von is a Missouri boy! I had no idea! And I gotta tell you, I am liking this performance. So is Randy, Kara, and Paula. Simon says he reminds him of Clay Aiken. The opener has had it rough the last two weeks, but Von starts things off strongly tonight. (IDOLS-01)

Taylor Vaifanua – If I Ain’t Got You (Alicia Keys) Aside from holding one note for about 3 seconds, I really didn’t see anything special about this performance. Kara says it left her a bit cold. Paula is disappointed because she wanted something new and Taylor did this during Hollywood week. Simon had trouble remembering her called the performance a bit bland. Randy called it boring.

Alex Wagner-Trugman – I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues (Elton John) – personally, I love this song. I used to sing it at karaoke and…way back when I was younger and had just started seeing my daughter’s mother, it was one of “our” songs. Alex is dirtying this song up and imho doing an interesting job with it too. Paula seemed to like it, Simon didn’t. Randy thought it was a bit crazy. Kara didn’t care for the growling. I guess we’ll wait and see what America thinks.

Arianna Afsar – The Winner Takes it All (Abba) – First time Abba has been done on Idol, according to Ryan. Possibly the last based on how this is starting out. I thought it was too boring. The judges didn’t care too much for it either. As always, Paula appreciates the fact that she took the risk.

Ju’not Joyner – Hey There, Delilah (Plain White T’s) – interesting; he slowed the song down a little more than it already is. His voice has a good sound to it and I liked it, but I wonder if the judges might call it boring. Randy and Kara liked it. Paula brought up the repeat card about doing a song he did during Hollywood week, but in his case she liked it because he changed it up. Simon also liked it even though he called it a little bit safe.

Kristin McNamara – Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman) – well, one thing I can say about her, aside from the fact that she’s a cute blonde, is that she’s a karaoke host! At least, I hope I heard that right…As for her song tonight, I don’t know. On one hand its better than the other 2 women tonight, but I don’t really care for her spin on the song. Good voice though. She’s got a shot.

Nathanial Marshall – I Would Do Anything for Love (Meat Loaf) – I like the song, but not enough intensity and power, I thought. I apologize to all the Nate fans out there, but I feel like he’s taken a classic rock song and disco-tized it. Nate has a lot of fans out there and I know that every one of them will be behind him tonight. Suddenly he is Kara’s karaoke buddy and to this point he is a top challenger for that male spot.

Felicia Barton – No One (Alicia Keys) – Actually, she was number 37 when it came to picking the top 36, but the sudden disqualification of Joanna Pacitti opened the door for Felicia to be brought back. Not bad and I am glad we got a chance to hear her perform because I honestly don’t remember any part of her auditions or Hollywood week. Mixed reaction from the judges, but all in all the reviews were good.

Scott MacIntyre – Mandolin Rain (Bruce Hornsby) – One of the true talents that I enjoyed listening to every step of the audition process and hope he does well tonight. So far so good, I think he’s going to be difficult to beat.

Kendall Beard – This One’s for the Girls (Martina McBride) – She’s beautiful, she’s blonde, she’s country…but I just don’t see her moving on. The news was somewhat positive from the judges, now her fate is in America’s hands.

Jorge Nunez – Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Elton John) – Memories of Clay Aiken come to mind as he started, along with my own song parody of this song. Remind me to share that with you sometime, but right now, let me just say ”Wow”. Great job. The dude can sing.

Lil Rounds – Would you know it, this was the one song title and artist I missed tonight. Great vocals, but she’s lacking then energy of the last two pimp-spot contestants. It’s difficult for me to judge her based on that song, but she does have the pipes to sing.

Wow, I originally thought the best group was the 1st group, but tonight is a lot more difficult in picking who the top male is. Maybe not so much for the women, but Jorge was great, Scott and Ju’Not were both wonderful. Von was the best I’ve heard from him all season and Nate was just contagiously good.

For the women, people who know me know that I have to root for the country girls (Go Kendall!) But if I had to rank the top 3 girls tonight, I’d say Felicia, Lil, Kristin, and Kendall in that order.

So who’s moving on? Here’s my prediction:

Top Male: Scott MacIntyre
Top Female: Lil Rounds (but maybe Felicia)
Next Highest Vote Getter: Jorge Nunez (But Ju’not, Nate, or Von could challenge)

Now Go Vote!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Heroes Summary (Spoiler Alert!)

Heroes: Fugitives

Volume 5: Exposed

The show opens at the Bennett household, as Claire hands clothes to Alex. She offers him cash to send him to Albuquerque. He suggests that government spy satellites may be watching them right now. She thinks for a moment, then shakes her head, saying No…Sandra confronts Claire about missing money and she confesses. Mr. Muggles (the dog) senses the hiding Alex and pulls a sandwich out from under Claire’s bed. Sandra then discovers the hiding Alex in Claire’s closet.

Noah and Agent Danko are talking and Danko announces that Nathan has declared Matt Parkman as a number 1 priority. Danko says shoot to kill and Nathan asks, on whose authority? Danko says mine. Nathan asks Noah to keep an eye on him. Noah reminds Nathan that Matt and Peter have already held him hostage.

Matt is painting with the glazed eyes as Peter tries to get him to stop. He succeeds, telling Matt he’s painting the same thing over and over. In the loft, a computer screen powers on, with a note from REBEL, giving an address and stating Daphne is there. Another warning comes on screen saying, ”They’re coming. Get out. NOW!”

Matt and Peter run out just before 2 agents enter the loft. The agents send back a picture of the loft floor painting of an exploding Washington DC as Danko says, “I think I know where they’re heading.”

Back in Costa Verde, Claire introduces Alex to her mother, explaining he is her new boyfriend. She asks why he is hiding and Claire lies and says they’re having sex. Mom isn’t buying it so Claire comes clean and says she is hiding him because of his power. Sandra is upset because Claire lied to her.

Sylar is in route towards his dad’s house with his young companion. Sylar seems to enjoy messing with this kid. Suddenly Sylar pulls over to a place called Big Jims’ – an old Franks and Fries restaurant that has long been out of business. Sylar wiggles his fingers and boards come flying off.

Claire and Sandra are still arguing about Alex being there. Sandra tells Claire that she is stronger than she has been given credit for and tells her that a van is watching the house. Claire looks and confirms. Sandra offers Claire help. On Alex’s suggestion Claire accepts.

Matt and Peter find the building supposedly housing Daphne and walk right in as Matt and Peter are controlling minds left and right. Peter uses their Jedi mind tricks on another guy who does as he is told. Nathan, Noah, and Danko are watching on monitors in the hall as Peter hacks into the computer system. Danko runs out into the hall and finds two guards pointing guns at him. Danko walks back into their office and shuts the door. Matt looks up into the surveillance camera, smile’s , and nods as if to say ‘Sup?”

Claire’s brother Lyle is playing with his PSP as Sandra approaches him and asks him about a test score. Lyle lies and says C-, mom is onto him and confiscates Lyle’s drivers license. Sandra begins to work on adapting the license into a fake ID for Alex. Sandra and Claire begin to bond over this covert activity while discussing the situation at hand and Sandra’s relationship with Noah. Claire asks if they are going to get a divorce. Sandra says she doesn’t know, maybe. But it has nothing to do with her, she assures Claire.

Inside the closed café, Sylar feels like he’s been there before. Suddenly he starts having memories of the place back in the day. A young Gabriel sits at a table playing with a hot wheel car while his dad goes to talk to someone. The kid asks if he’s sure. Sylar rips open a wall and gets his old toy car back that he had lost in his earlier memory and says, “I’m positive.”

Claire walks back into her bedroom to find a mostly naked Alex as he is changing clothes. They make small talk as they work their way back to the matter at hand. The agents approach the house and Sandra tries to get Alex into a hiding place under the house. The agents start to search but to no avail. The agents leave after their search fails. Alex wants to run for it and Claire says they will catch him. Sandra says not if we give him a head start and all three smile.

Matt and Peter are looking into the computer and Rebel opens a new file…its video of their transfer in a hangar onto an airplane. Peter decides to save the information for media release. Noah sets off an alarm to disrupt Matt’s thoughts. Guards approach and Matt and Peter use their mind tricks again. Nathan approaches and Peter makes his getaway but Matt is captured as the alarm sounds again.

Sylar and his companion discuss Sylar’s memories and Sylar remembers something vital. Something his father did to him. Looks like the proud papa sold his son to another couple, just before slicing his mother’s head open with the magic finger and makes his escape. Sylar returns to the present day and says, “Mommy” as he remembers watching his mother get pushed out of the car.

Angela is talking with Nathan as she asks if he found Peter. Nathan asks Angela if she is helping him. She denies it and Nathan says someone calling themselves Rebel is helping him. Nathan says Peter’s life is in danger, even more so with the stolen files. Peter calls Nathan and tells him what he has. Peter offers a trade: Matt and Daphne for the information he took. Nathan agrees to the deal.

Back to the Bennett household as the agents take off chasing a fleeing vehicle. It’s Sandra and Lyle and by the time the agents catch up to them, Claire and Alex are making their escape out the back and down a hill before they fall and end up in a compromising position. They continue their trek as the agents are hot on their trail. The pair hide in a swimming pool where Alex can breathe under water. Claire is fighting the lack of oxygen until Alex starts making out with her. The agents leave.

Nathan and Danko are discussing the release of Matt and Daphne and Danko says no deal. Nathan insists and Danko persists, telling him that the US Government does not make deals with terrorists. Noah meets with Peter and Peter reads Noah’s mind who warns him it’s a setup. Danko shoots Peter before Peter can get away and Peter falls off the building. Suddenly, there is a streaking through the sky and Peter is flying away to safety. We don’t see if he’s doing it on his own or if he has assistance from Nathan.

Nathan and Angela are sitting on a park bench with Peter. Guess we know how Peter flew out of there so easily now. Peter and Nathan argue about the mess that has been created and Nathan says he is the only one who can fix it. Peter hugs Nathan and takes his power. Angela calms Nathan down by telling him that the game has changed and he needs to be ready.

The video that Peter took from Danko is released to the media and shown on tv.

Sylar and friend are discussing the memories again and Sylar is getting upset discussing Sylar’s father. Sylar throws the youngster against the wall and holds him there. Sylar accuses the child of using him as an escape, a joyride. Sylar tells the kid to go home to his mother while he goes back in search of dear old dad. Sylar wants him to die.

Danko is transporting Matt in a van and they discuss what the future holds. Danko injects Matt with something claiming he looks like a terrorist. Matt is pushed out of the van wearing an explosive vest, now wandering the streets of Washington DC.

Claire and Sandra are discussing Alex’s getaway and offers to make some popcorn and watch a movie – some sappy love story. Claire goes to get the popcorn out of the microwave and its not there. She turns around to see another villain, (I think it was the puppeteer from Volume 3) who tells her he needs her help. He holds up a cellphone, showing a text from Rebel: Claire will save you.

The previews for next week are shown and it looks like things could get a bit dicey. Nathan is with the booby-trapped Matt in DC trying to disarm the vest, while Danko is watching on a monitor. Danko is heard giving the order to detonate.