Did Sarah Palin Save the GOP?

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Reality, Editorial, Gossip, Ratings,

You probably never heard of her before, but after this past week it’s going to be hard to forget Sarah Palin’s name and face. The highly unknown governor dropped jaws when she stood beside John McCain at the Republican National Convention merely days ago, and in one lightning flash went from “who’s that?” to “potential Vice President.” Ah, politics.

Palin has created a brand-new buzz for the GOP that has suddenly thrust the Republican national ticket into the limelight - and into the realm of real possibility - once more. Maybe you can’t trust the media hype or the sudden sensation she’s created, but you can trust the ratings.

On its second night of coverage, the Republican National Convention drew in a staggering 21.5 million viewers. The numbers are huge, sure, but still not as big as the 26 million the Democratic Convention drew just the week before. And now, both conventions are over….and which one is everyone talking about?

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NielsenWire

Idol Gives Back: Just as Good the Second Time Around?

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Editorial,

Last year, American Idol’s charity spectacular was still shiny and brand-new. Everything was a surprise, everything was unexpected. Two theaters were packed with partygoers, celebs, singers and cameras. The contestants were given a week without eliminations, and the viewers were given more A-list performers than they could quickly name. In a two and one half-hour broadcast that still ran long, Idol did it again this year. Was giving back as successful this second time around?

American Idol’s charity special still earned the highest ratings of Wednesday night, but the numbers were down from last year. In fact, the numbers were the lowest for Idol since a 2005 pre-taped broadcast. The stars were bigger, the performances more astounding and the promos even more exhausting. So, where did it all go wrong?

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Hollywood Reporter

Celine Dion: That’s Just The Woman In Me

Posted by Jacci Lewis Categories: Music, Prime Time, Specials, CBS, Editorial,

When it comes to singer Celine Dion, most people fall into one of two categories: the ‘It’s the soundtrack of my life’ group or the ‘Please God, make it stop…MAKE IT STOP’ group. There is a third, smaller category of people though who don’t care one way or another about her music but just enjoy how delightfully, over-the-top cheesy she is. (There is a reason certain celebrities are satirized on Saturday Night Live.)

Friday night CBS aired Dion’s one-hour primetime special, Celine Dion: That’s Just The Woman In Me.  The show was taped in front of a live audience at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theatre back on January 12. It was the 5-time Grammy winner’s first concert since wrapping up her 5-year run in Las Vegas.

The title of Celine Dion’s new album, Taking Chances, describes the show fairly well. It was a one hour mix of glitzy dance numbers, power ballads, celebrity duets and cameos, a somewhat staged Q&A session and heck, even an appearance by one of the stars of High School Musical!

The opening act featured Dion in a sparkly, gold mini-dress in a very Vegas-esque song and dance routine. Her dancing features a lot of little kicks and chest pounding motions. One might describe it as spastic. One might even question why such an accomplished singer needs to be part of such an over-choreographed dance routine. But something about Celine Dion’s sincerity makes the whole scary scene a bit more forgivable.

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