Two Cents and Five Questions with Steven Tyler (American Idol)

Steven Tyler

Steven Tyler, American Idol Judge

Most of us grew up listening to Steve Tyler rockin’ out as the front man of Aerosmith, America’s best-selling band (according to American Idol). He’s known as much for his wild child ways, many ex-wives and out of control stage behavior as he is for his excellent musicianship. Now one year sober, he’s one of two new judges on American Idol as it opens its 10th season. (The other new judge, in case you’ve been living under the proverbial rock, is Jennifer Lopez.)

The TwoCents: What’s been the most difficult part of judging contestants so far?

The Office – Recap & Review – Ultimatum

photo: nbc

The Office
Ultimatum

Original Air Date: Jan 20, 2011

Shannon – Associate Editor
shannon@thetwocents.com

Cold open: Dwight holds his Knights of the Night meeting in the conference room.  Jim comes back in to the office to look for his Blackberry.  Dwight is sure that Jim is there to make fun of them.  Which he does.  Sort of.

If you’ll remember, back at Christmas Holly gave AJ an ultimatum that if he doesn’t propose by New Years, she’ll break up with him.  Michael is bracing himself for the decision.

The Office Conference Room – Ultimatum

Welcome back to another meeting in The Office Conference Room, a forum where some of your favorite Office Fan Site Brain-Trusts submit their TwoCents in the days following a new Office episode.

Want to know what us Office geeks have to say about the show? Well look no further! Actually, you have to look a little further, as our opinions are farther down on this page…

And don’t forget that YOU, gentle reader, can join in on the fun as well! We have a Recap & Review of Ultimatum right here on TheTwoCents where you can give your very own spare change!

Now… on to the Conference Room and the results of the Ultimatum!

[Last Updated: 01/21/11 at 10:20 AM]

American Idol – Recap & Review – New Jersey

photo: fox

American Idol
New Jersey

Original Air Date: Jan 19, 2011

Patricia Morris Buckley – Sr. Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com

It’s an amazing when a nine-year-old show suddenly feels as if it’s in its second or third year instead of its tenth. In other words, welcome Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez! Welcome a gentler, more talent-centered Idol. Welcome to a whole new crop of singers – here’s hoping you are better than season 9.

Before we talk about the judges’ reviews, let’s review the judges. I think the real winner – and a surprise — of the night is Tyler. He made sharp, insightful comments and added several entertaining quips. Most of the time he seemed supportive of the auditionees, even saying to one, “We oughta let her in the door, water that flower, because it’s gonna grow.” Only once did we see a nastier side to him, when he asked a loser of a singer if he’d eaten lead paint chips as a child. The hurt look of the contestant’s face said a lot.

KPonTV on NBC’s Thursday Night Comedy Block

still must-see?

Some old favorites, some rising in the rankings, some dropping, and some brand spanking new – it’s the NBC Thursday night lineup.

NBC Drama/Reality 10pm spots are gone and it’s all comedy. Starting at 8pm tonight we will be treated to 30-minute comedy in the following order: Community, Perfect Couples, The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock and Outsourced.

Let’s take a deeper look, shall we?

Law & Order SVU – Recap & Review – Dirty

photo: nbc

Law & Order SVU
Dirty

Original Air Date: Jan 19, 2010

Caitlin- Associate Staff Writer
caitlin@thetwocentscorp.com

There have been a handful of dirty cops on SVU before, and the detectives have dealt with IAB poking into their lives. Still, they’ve typically stayed away from these actual investigations. Until now.

The first scene of the episode is a bit misleading. Without giving too much away, I’ll say out first glimpse of the main guest star of the episode was clearly designed to leave viewers guessing for the rest of the hour.

Jimmy Kimmel Goes Live Post-Oscars For 6th Time

photo: abc

“Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Academy Awards”® will be broadcast LIVE on ABC from the El Capitan Entertainment Center in Hollywood, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, immediately following the late local news (12:05-1:05 a.m., ET, approx).

Previous “Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Academy Awards” celebrations have welcomed Hollywood’s biggest movie stars, including Academy Award winner Mel Gibson, Academy Award nominee Robert Downey Jr., and Emmy® Award winners Jon Stewart and Ellen Degeneres.

Academy Award winner Ben Affleck guested for the 2008 special, when he premiered the now viral video “I’m F***ing Ben Affleck,” which was a rebuttal to the Emmy Award-winning “I’m F***ing Matt Damon” video featuring Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon.

Top Chef All-Stars Goes Virtual Gaming

photo: bravo

Bravo is teaming up with Bunchball, the leader in gamification, to give fans a chance to help their favorite “chef’testant” be crowned “Virtual Top Chef” by joining the competition at BravoTV.com. The “Virtual Top Chef” game features all 18 chef’testants from the current “Top Chef All-Stars” season.

Fans begin by choosing their favorite chef’testant, then earn points and trophies by completing actions and activities on BravoTV.com. The chef’testant whose team has the most points come season’s end will be honored with the “Virtual Top Chef title.” Additionally, all players will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win $5,000. Fans are not only awarded points and compete for rankings, but the more they play, the more they increase their chances to win.

“Top Chef fans are incredibly loyal and passionate, so we wanted to find an innovative way to reward them for their dedication to the show, season after season,” said Mari Ghuneim, Vice President, Bravo Digital Media. “We’re giving them an opportunity to be part of the competition in this truly engaging online experience. The ‘Virtual Top Chef’ challenge allows fans to connect with the chefs that they’ve grown to love through content they won’t find anywhere else.”

Larissa Oleynik Says Aloha To Hawaii Five-0 In Recurring Role

oleynik

Larisa Oleynik has joined the cast of HAWAII FIVE-0 in a recurring role to be introduced in March.

Oleynik will play “Jessica Kaye,” an ex-CIA analyst brought to Hawaii to assist Five-0 in its pursuit of McGarrett’s arch nemesis, Wo Fat. Fresh off the plane from Langley, Jessica has a personal stake in the manhunt — Wo Fat was responsible for the murder of her fiancé, a well-respected CIA field agent.

Jessica is a Harvard grad, armed with a B.A. in Political Science and a Master’s in Global Security and Intelligence Studies. Though her talents favor the cerebral more than the physical, she’s game for facing the new challenges of field work in the tropics with the rest of Five-0…just make sure her stock of SPF 50 never runs low.

MyTwoCents: Yup – she used to be “Alex Mack”. Could we have a possible love interest for either Dano or Garrett?

Ricky Gervais to Appear on The Office

gervais is returning to the office

According to Vulture, Ricky Gervais is set to reprise his role as office manager David Brent from the original version of The Office in next Thursday’s episode on Jan. 27.

Gervais’ character will cross paths with his American counterpart, Michael Scott (Steve Carell), in a small cameo appearance during the show’s cold open.

“It’s a little more than if you blink, you’ll miss it, but if you don’t set your TiVo right, you’ll miss it,” said ‘Office’ show-runner Paul Lieberstein, who also plays Toby.

The top secret cameo has been kept under wraps since filming of the scene took place in September. While Lieberstein admits it was difficult to bring the two office managers together in a way that made sense, they ultimately decided to have them meet outside of Dunder-Mifflin.