REALITY BYTES

Last night on Dancing With the Stars, we got to see Steve Wozniak and his partner Karina Smirnoff do the Argentine Tango; Wozniak style. Later in the evening, we saw Gilles Marini with Cheryl Burke do the Argentine Tango to a classic perfection, DWTS style. I thought Len was going to cry over it. Dancing With the Stars is that kind of a show!

The judges on DWTS broke the seal on giving out 10s this episode. Lil Kim and Derek Hough performed the Argentine Tango. Derek and Lil Kim both had to learn this dance. Yet, Derek is used to learning new routines on the spot. It must have worked out, because Bruno and Carrie Ann loved their performance.

Len had a few issues with Lil Kim and Derek’s version of this Argentine ghetto dance. Yet, he still gave Lil Kim an 8. Bruno gave them a perfect 10 points. Carrie Ann 9 points. They ended up with 27 overall points. Lil Kim looked on the verge of tears. She is putting a lot of pressure on herself to perform well.

Melissa Rycroft and her partner Tony Dovolani explored the lindy hop and were the first couple last night, to explode on the dance floor, bringing the audience out of their seats. I just can’t get over how well Melissa Rycroft can kick up her heels on Dancing With the Stars. Melissa and Tony had a rather awkward moment, during rehearsals. What a riot!They received a total of 29 points from Bruno, Len and Carrie Ann.

Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke were the first couple to get a perfect score, doing the Argentine Tango. It was a flawless performance. Carrie Ann commented that she could not tell who was the amateur dancer in this routine.

Gilles Marini puts a lot of added pressure on himself every week. Last night, the camera went in for a close-up shot of Gilles and Cheryl at the start of their Tango. Gilles’ Jaw bone muscles were convulsing so much, you would have thought he cracked a few back molars! Yet, Gilles really is in his element in this season of Dancing WIth the Stars. He has not performed badly, yet.

Steve Wozniak is not in his element and unfortunately, he performs very badly. Performing the tango, Wozniak took few risks.

This is a clip of Steve Wozniak and Karina Smirnoff’s performance on Dancing With the Stars.

Steve Wozniak has proven that he has a lot of supportive voters, that call in every week and save him. Yet, tonight is going to be a double elimination on Dancing With the Stars. I don’t believe that anything can save Wozniak from being eleminated this evening.

The elimination of “The Woz Man” tonight, would take a lot of heat off of the judges. Len, Bruno and Carrie like Steve a lot, but they are so uncomfortable now and almost tongue tied, in their critiques of his performances. Bruno seems to be bordering on hostile, toward Wozniak’s ability to stay in this competition. Yes, it’s a lot of fun too!

Here is the score card from last night, in order of performances.

David Alan Grier - 22 pts. Lil Kim - 27 pts. Chuck Wicks - 22 pts. Lawrence Taylor - 19 pts. Ty Murray - 25 pts. Steve Wozniak - 12 pts. Melissa Rycroft - 29 pts. Holly Madison - 16 pts. Steve-O - 15 pts. Gilles Marini - 30 pts. Shawn Johnson - 25 pts.

Which two celebrities will be leaving Dancing With the Stars tonight, is anyone’s guess. My guess would be Steve Wozniak and Holly Madison. If Wozniak is not eliminated on tonight’s show, what does this have to say about Mac users?

Most of us knew this season’s Celebrity Apprentice was going to shake things up when Dennis Rodman came on board. Controversy, is Rodman’s middle name. In the end, last night’s Celebrity Apprentice was a sad affair. No one seemed tickled that Rodman went out the way he did. Does Dennis Rodman drink too much?

Donald Trump seems to have a soft spot in his heart for Rodman. Maybe Trump was a big Rodman fan, back in “the day”. Dennis could have been cut a lot earlier from Celebrity Apprentice.

Everyone onboard for this season could see the signs. Maybe, Trump wanted to give Dennis Rodman every chance to redeem himself, for his millions of fans. Or, did Donald Trump and crew turn a blind eye for the higher ratings that Rodman brought to this show?

This is a taste of where Celebrity Apprentice had been and the beginning of the end, of Dennis Rodman.

As project manager on Celebrity Apprentice, Dennis Rodman seemed enthusiastic and up for the task this week. Yet, not even halfway into the show, those cranberry and vodkas were starting to show on him. In the end, Dennis blew off his crew and left the building to party down with two of the hotel’s guests. This type of behavior has become his trademark on Celebrity Apprentice. After Rodman had left, his crew seemed to get the tasks under control and things started to run more smoothly for everyone.

Last night the Celebrity Apprentice Intervention took place. It was unplanned, yet Dennis Rodman did come under the gun for having a drinking problem. Dennis Rodman’s drinking, cannot be denied, except by Dennis.

Unlike a lot of other Celebrity Reality shows, the celebrities in this season of the show did not yell, shout or even threaten Rodman. This confrontation lacked the high-end drama, because it was unscripted. Everyone seemed to sincerely want Dennis to take a very hard look at himself, and the amount of alcohol that Rodman was consuming throughout the show.

It’s a given, Dennis Rodman can be over the top and out of control. This is what has helped him become a household name, even with fans that don’t follow sports and never touched a basketball in their lives. Yet, watching someone unravel because of an alcohol problem that is out of control, can be heartbreaking to the people around them.

It was sad to watch Rodman get fired on last night’s Celebrity Apprentice, in this manner. I don’t think anyone on the show took any real pleasure away, from Dennis being eliminated from the show like that.

As Rodman rushed to the elevator door to exit the show, many of the cast wanted to bid him a found farewell. Yet, Dennis was uncomfortable and just wanted make a fast getaway, as quickly as possible. Does Dennis Rodman drink too much? Don’t ask Dennis! Just follow him down to the hotel’s kitchen area, as he orders up another cranberry and vodka; before saying goodbye to the kitchen staff.

Survivor fans should recognize the name “Richard Hatch”, without too much trouble. Richard Hatch was the naked dude that won the million dollar pot on the first Survivor, then got sent to prison for not paying the taxes on his Survivor winnings.

Hatch has been doing time in prison for this deed and is now demanding immediate release from prison, arguing he is not guilty.

From his prison cell in West Virginia, Richard Hatch submitted a 43 page request for his immediate release, to the Providence US District Court. Richard claims that he was misrepresented by his lawyers in court. Hatch also argues,the judge in his case did not calculate his sentence properly.

There will be no ruling on Richard Hatch’s request for at least a few weeks, if not longer. The wheels of justice turn on a very slow timetable.

This survivor is mad as hell and wants to blow the lid off what really transpired on Survivor. Richard Hatch claims in his 43 page brief, that Survivor is rigged.

Apparently, Hatch caught Survivor producers sneaking food to some of the other contestants. When Richard called them on this, the producers made a deal with Hatch. If Richard kept his mouth shut about Survivor being rigged, the show would pay the taxes on the million dollars; should he win the season.

Survivor being rigged? If Survivor was less than honest, then this opens the flood gates that other reality shows have probably been manipulated too! If Richard Hatch proves to be correct and is released from prison, then who would take his place and do the time? Someone has to take responsibility!

If Hatch is telling the truth, then a few people know of his innocence and should come forward! After Richard is released, then the government could begin investigating all of the reality shows to see if they are rigged also.

Can you imagine the public outcry, should shows like “The Bachelor”, “I Love New York” and “The Hills” were found guilty of scripting and manipulation? Maybe they could even do a TV mini-series about all of this reality show corruption!

Good luck, Richard Hatch! Millions of us will be waiting with nervous anticipation for your release! As a survivor, Hatch knows that patience is a virtue. Hang in there, Hatch! Don’t let the man get you down!

Holly Madison is the next celebrity to injure herself in this season’s, Dancing With the Stars. Madison came into DWTS to replace Jewel, who had to drop out of this competition because of injuries.

Dancing With the Stars really needs to take a closer look at why so many of the celebrities for their show, are dropping like flies during rehearsals. These injuries are now becoming more than routine. Every single week, someone seems to end up going to the doctor, after rehearsing for the week to come.

Afraid that she might have broken a rib or two, Holly Madison went to the doctor and discovered she had not broken anything yet. Holly is in real pain and her ribs are bruised. The doc gave this “Girl Next Door” some pain meds and sent her back to Dancing With the Stars.

Holly found herself in the bottom two last week and had to participate in a dance-off against Denise Richards. Denise was eliminated and Holly Madison prevailed to dance another week.

Ms. Madison is determined and loves being in DWTS for this season. Holly has also vowed to stop partying down so hard on the weekends. She will be participating in this Monday evening’s show. God knows Holly Madison has more than a few Dancing With the Stars fans and Playboy fans rooting for her!

Michael Sarver had to sing “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” again on American Idol last night - begging for Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Kara DiGuardio and Simon Cowell to use the “Save” card on him. The judges were supposed to confer with each other about saving Michael Sarver, after his performance.

This huddled panel conference took about 10 seconds. Then Simon Cowell suddenly took matters into his own hands and made the decision not to save this roughneck oil rig worker, from Jasper, Texas. American Idol is not a democracy and the judges can only agree, to disagree with Simon. Then Simon will override everyone else.

Wednesday night, Michael Sarver’s rendition of that classic Motown hit “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” brought down the wrath of all four American Idol judges his head. Not too many Idol fans were surprised to find Sarver in one of the hot seats last night. It is not often that Paula Abdul will bash a performer, but in this case she did. Paula compared Sarver’s performance to a Vegas Lounge Act.

Simon Cowell was probably even more upset with Michael Sarver over this state of affairs. Cowell had high hopes for Sarver early on, choosing Sarver as one of his favorites. Yet, Simon’s tune began changing, as it will, until Cowell predicted Michael Sarver’s downfall.

Matt Giraud found himself in the second from the bottom position, last night. Randy Jackson commented that Matt did not deserve to be at the bottom of America’s votes. Matt’s cover of “Let’s Get it On” was well received by the American Idol judges and audience alike. So, why did America forget to vote for Matt Giraud?

Yet again, Simon Cowell might have gotten in his own way, helping to set Matt Giraud up for this fall. A few short weeks ago, Matt had been bashed by Cowell; told that he was “very forgettable” and that Giraud would not make it in this competition because Matt Giraud had no personality. Unfortunately, Simon Cowell’s personal attacks can influence voters. So many fans actually listen to what Cowell has to say. Go figure!

Would anyone truly expect a mere, 16 year old girl to surpass the American Idol expectations that are causing problems for so many of the other performers this season? Allison Iraheta exploded the Idol stage last night with “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”. Allison received a standing ovation from Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson for last night’s American Idol performance. Then Kara DioGuardia stood up and applauded Iraheta’s performance with the rest of the audience!

Truly hard to believe, Allison Iraheta was in the bottom three last week. She was almost sent home for not having enough of your votes, to keep her safe in American Idol. And yet, I kind of get why she is not receiving the votes to keep her in this competition.

Allison does not look or act like a professional singer, when she is not performing. Iraheta is a little rough around the edges, dressing a bit loud and then there is all of that flaming red hair of Allison’s! At the other polar extreme, Allison Iraheta is this awkward, almost shy, 16 year old girl. There is no denying that Iraheta is uncomfortable in the limelight, when she is not performing.

It’s Allison’s transformation on the American Idol stage when Iraheta performs, that should matter - and does! She is commanding and born to be, unleashed on our senses . Allison Iraheta’s vocals and what she can do with a song, cannot be denied.

If this was a real competition, based on shear ability; Allison Iraheta would be safe from leaving American Idol, until the last three competitors are left to your votes. But, this is a reality competition show and the rules of life are sometimes not very fair. Fans chose their American Idol favorites, then vote accordingly.

A raw clip of Allison Iraheta performing “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” on American Idol.

I am an unabashed fan of Allison Iraheta, because she is God’s gift to us this season. Allison represents, the icing on the cake of American Idol. If Allison does not make it through to the final three, she will certainly get signed for a recording deal. I am sure that Randy, Kara, Paula and Simon would agree with this call and fight for Allison Iraheta, being well managed in this direction.

Last night’s American Idol was all about Motown songs. This was a bit tricky, with so many different song choices to chose from. Smokey Robinson worked with the 10 finalists all last week and it showed.

Smokey Robinson is not just a Motown legendary singer, either. Smokey helped several of Motown’s legendary groups choose the right songs to breakout with. The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes and even Stevie Wonder; just to name-drop a few that Smokey helped to get mainstream exposure for.

An early clip of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles performing “Tears of a Clown”.

American Idol’s judges had no real problems with anyone’s vocals last night. It boiled down to song choices and the performers treatment of those songs they choose to cover. Some faired well, while others were eaten alive by Simon Cowell.

The standouts last night were: Matt Giraud - “Let’s Get it On”. Kris Allen - “How Sweet it Is”. Anoop Desai - “Ohh, Baby, Baby”. Adam Lambert - “The Track of my Tears”. Allison Iraheta - “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”.

There were some major problems with Michael Sarver performing “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” and Megan Joy Corkrey’s cover of that Stevie Wonder hit “For Once in My Life”.

It’s difficult to tell just how bad these two songs might have sounded to all of you, but I was cringing and yelling at the TV, “Nooo! Oh my God! Don’t do that!”

You should expect that both Megan Joy Corkrey and Michael Sarver will be up against themselves for the American Idol “Results” show. One of them will probably be eliminated at the end of this upcoming episode. Then again, this is American Idol! Anything can happen, and does.