As American Idol's "elite eight" await their fate, TV Guide calls a time-out to ask — and get answers to — some of the more-popular-than-ever contest's burning questions. Such as:
1. Is it us, or are Paula and Randy trying to be tougher this season?Seems so. "People aren't stupid," says American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, explaining that Simon's brand of brutal honesty has rubbed off on both of his less-acidic sidekicks. "Paula and Randy are not just going to sit there and say, 'Oh, you're wonderful' when they know some of the singers aren't." So that explains why Pollyanna Abdul keeps getting tongue-tied: She's just trying to find the sweetest insult possible without having to "dawg" anyone!
2. W
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As American Idol's "elite eight" await their fate, TV Guide calls a time-out to ask — and get answers to — some of the more-popular-than-ever contest's burning questions. Such as:
1. Is it us, or are Paula and Randy trying to be tougher this season?Seems so. "People aren't stupid," says American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, explaining that Simon's brand of brutal honesty has rubbed off on both of his less-acidic sidekicks. "Paula and Randy are not just going to sit there and say, 'Oh, you're wonderful' when they know some of the singers aren't." So that explains why Pollyanna Abdul keeps getting tongue-tied: She's just trying to find the sweetest insult possible without having to "dawg" anyone!
2. W
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Survivor: Panama — Exile IslandFirst of all, I'm not shocked that Terry, of all people, managed to find the immunity idol. The question now is will he have to use it, and if so, when? That man is following the Tom Westman playbook perfectly so far, with both Austin and Dan playing the part of Ian, the loyal-till-the-end pal. It must've hurt La Mina to lose both challenges while tribe "Casargue" won, even though the immunity challenge was thisclose. Ah, Casaya, I have to say I'm enjoying their bickering, and it seems to me that Aras is riding the old "align with the most annoying person in the tribe" strategy, just like Thailand's Brian did with Clay and the aforementioned Tom did with Katie. Even though Danielle loved getting the towels and three "b
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Survivor: Panama — Exile IslandFirst of all, I'm not shocked that Terry, of all people, managed to find the immunity idol. The question now is will he have to use it, and if so, when? That man is following the Tom Westman playbook perfectly so far, with both Austin and Dan playing the part of Ian, the loyal-till-the-end pal. It must've hurt La Mina to lose both challenges while tribe "Casargue" won, even though the immunity challenge was thisclose. Ah, Casaya, I have to say I'm enjoying their bickering, and it seems to me that Aras is riding the old "align with the most annoying person in the tribe" strategy, just like Thailand's Brian did with Clay and the aforementioned Tom did with Katie. Even though Danielle loved getting the towels and three "b
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The Apprentice "It's about to get crazy." Randal, buddy, I think you're greatly overestimating your potential for on-screen drama as you and Rebecca square off in the final task. But if by "crazy" you mean civilized and sportsmanlike, well, OK. I mean, come on, when the biggest wild card on your resurrected team is Toral, we can't really expect much in the way of stellar meltdowns. What about Clay? Or Markus? Or even that spunky little loudmouthed Kristi? Give us something to work with here — it's reality television, for crying out loud! If Omarosa, Raj or heck, even Wendy Pepper doesn't show up soon, we may be in for a loooong finale, folks. As usual, the season's going to end with a pair of big charity events: Randal
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