theinformer

I have been a fan of American Idol since the end of season one and have watched it ever since.  With that said, I have to say that this season has been somewhat of a letdown to me.  There have been changes made to the show that are not that good in my opinion.  Here are my reasons why I feel that American Idol has been a letdown so far:

The new judge
Kara DioGuardi is the new fourth judge this season.  I have heard of some of the songs that she wrote for other artists. She’s written for past American Idol contestants as well.  She was also a judge on the short-lived show “The One” that I watched.  I’m not sure if I’m alone here, but I don’t like her as the fourth judge.  I don’t think she fits in with the other three judges at all.  There’s no chemistry with her added to the panel.  Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell had chemistry with each other and they fit well together.  Randy was the “hip” one, Paula’s the “crazy” one, and Simon’s the “mean” one. Where does Kara fit?

Also, she is really mean to the contestants that she clearly doesn’t like.  Fans of American Idol know that Simon is a mean judge, but we’re all used to his rude comments.  The show is based on his comments. In fact, the contestants are even waiting to find out what HE thinks of their performances.  I know Kara thinks that she’s being constructive with her comments, but she is just being mean.  I think American Idol is just fine with three judges. I know she was brought in because of Paula’s meltdowns, but she doesn’t seem as loopy this season so Kara wasn’t really necessary. Also, she is taking away the time that should be spent on the contestants.

They cut auditions
The best part of AI are the auditions in my opinion. Half the fun is seeing the bad auditions.  For some reason, the audition episodes were cut. I don’t understand why unless they wanted to start the Hollywood episodes faster.  Since the episodes were cut, a lot of the contestants looked like strangers when they went to Hollywood.  The majority of the Top 36 were a bunch of strangers.  Did the producers only want us to remember the contestants they plan on pushing to win?  I can only remember a few of the contestants from their auditions. 

The lack of talented singers
This year, the judges let people through to Hollywood who weren’t really that good in my opinion.  They were too busy trying to give contestants second chances instead of sending them away when they knew they weren’t that good. Did having a fourth judge contribute to that?  There was a contestant named “Norman” who made it to Hollywood, but he couldn’t sing. They only let him through because the judges thought he was entertaining. He also had to beg them until they changed their minds.  This guy even made it to the Top 36 when better singers (Jamar Rogers) was cut from it.

The new format for Top 12
The producers have decided to split the contestants up into three groups of 12 to narrow the Top 36 down to the Top 12. They are choosing the three highest vote getters from each group to make the Top 12 and they are having a wild card night too to get the last three contestants in the Top 12.  I don’t like this idea at all.  This has the potential of causing a lack of diversity in the Top 12. It’s no coincidence that there are NO minorities in the Top 12 so far. I’m not trying to use the race card or start a race war, but the show has had some minorities in the Top 12 before, but now there’s a chance that none of them can make it with this new format.  They used to get rid of the people with the least amount of votes, not put the highest vote getters through to the Top 12.

I am not against changes being made to the show, but the changes should be beneficial to the show. I don’t think these changes will help the show at all.  I think they will hurt the show.  It looks like I may not be sticking around to watch the show this season.  I am not really a fan of any of the people that America sent to the Top 12 so far.  I still have a couple of people left that I’m rooting for and if they don’t make it, I’m out.

There’s more drama to the Chris Brown/Rihanna story. According to two tabloid reports, Rihanna was allegedly pregnant during the time that Chris allegedly beat her.  According to Star Magazine, days before the alleged beating, Rihanna went to a gynecologist because she was concerned that she might have been pregnant.  She consulted a close friend about the pregnancy before going to the doctor.  A source said that she was afraid to tell Chris about the baby because he wasn’t sure that he wanted to have it. 

According to The National Enquirer, Rihanna confided in her friends that she was afraid that she was going to lose her baby during the alleged attack.  Also, The National Enquirer reported that Chris didn’t take the news well and that he was in denial.  This might have led to the attack.

I’m not sure if I believe this rumor. It is being reported by two known gossip magazines that have printed stories that were untrue. As the informer, I wanted to let you all know that the rumor is floating around out there.  I hope that it’s not true and that Chris didn’t knowingly beat a pregnant woman. I think that would make it even worse for him.  Also, the last thing either one of them need is a baby right now.  They are both going through too much right now to bring a baby into the world.  Normally, I would congratulate a couple on having a baby, but this time I’m not so sure I want to do that.  The baby will be the next thing that the two of them are fighting over. 

Speaking of Chris Brown, he’s taking anger management classes. I hope that they help him because if the allegations are true, he is going to need all of the help he can get.  If he is expecting a child with her, his child may do the same thing to someone.

As the informer, I wanted to inform you of the versatile ways that vinegar can help you in your daily life.  Vinegar is very powerful as well as versatile. One of the most important ways that vinegar can help you is that it helps you lose weight! That’s right! Adding vinegar in your water can help you lose weight and I’m going to tell you how to do it.

Lose Weight with Vinegar
Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in two cups of warm water BEFORE each meal.  It helps reduce the appetite and makes it easier for you to lose weight.  I’ve tried this and it does work for that. Whenever I drink the tonic, my appetite is suppressed. I don’t really feel like eating that much afterwards.  It’s also supposed to help speed up your metabolism which is always a good thing.  Using this tonic would be cheaper than buying diet pills that work the same way. It’s also safer to drink vinegar than it is to take strange pills that could do your body more harm than good.

There are other uses of vinegar that can help you out with your daily life too. It is also good for:

Dizziness
To prevent dizziness or reduce the severity of it, you have to drink a vinegar and honey cocktail.  Mix two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and two teaspoons of honey into half a cup of water.  Drink the tonic twice a day. This will lessen your symptoms of dizziness. I used to drink this tonic religiously and I don’t have dizziness like that anymore.

Chronic Headaches
If you suffer from chronic headaches, try taking one tablespoon of vinegar each morning and evening and before breakfast and dinner.  If your headaches are really bad, then you can take two tablespoons instead of one. I must warn you that this is very nasty.

Hiccups
To get rid of hiccups, sip a glass of warm water with one teaspoon of vinegar added.  You should drink the whole glass all at once, but slowly and the hiccups should be gone.  I haven’t tried this particular remedy so I’m not sure if it will work. You might have your own trick to get rid of them, but it’s worth a shot.

Relieve sore throat
Mix ¼ cup of honey with ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar.  Mix together and take one tablespoon ever four hours.

You can also try gargling with about one cup of vinegar. I warn you that this is a very strong remedy if you don’t dilute with a little bit of water.  You can try gargling a few times a day and it eases the pain in your throat.

I will let you know what other ways vinegar can help you at another time. I hope these tips will help you.

The Razzie Awards were given out this past weekend.  There were a couple of big “winners” at the Razzie Awards ceremony.  Mike Myers and Paris Hilton had the dishonor of being the worst at practically everything.  Paris Hilton tied the record set last year by Eddie Murphy.  She won three Razzie Awards.  She won Worst Actress for The Hottie and the Nottie, Worst Supporting Actress, for Repo! The Genetic Opera, and Worst Screen Couple along with any of her The Hottie and the Nottie co-stars Christine Lakin and Joel David Moore.  The Hottie and the Nottie and Repo! The Genetic Opera didn’t even make $200,000 combined when they were released.  I have no idea which one made more money. That is just ridiculous. I guess their families were the only ones who saw these movies.  I’ve never even heard of Repo! The Genetic Opera.  I thought it was a new movie when it was nominated for a Razzie.

Mike Myers was also the big “winner” with three Razzie Awards too. Mike Myers “won” three awards for The Love Guru.  The Love Guru “won” for Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay. Mike Myers gets this award for Worst Screenplay since he co-wrote the movie. 

Pierce Brosnan “won” the award for Worst Supporting Actor for Mamma Mia!

Worst Director went to Uwe Boll for three movies: In the Name of the King: The Dungeon Seige Tale, 1968 Tunnel Rats, and Postal.  He also received a Razzie award for Worst Career Achievement.  I guess he has to be the worse director in the world to achieve such an honor.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull “won” for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel.  I thought that this movie didn’t do that poorly at the box office, but I guess I was wrong.

I’m surprised that Eddie Murphy didn’t win any Razzie awards this year.  Meet Dave had to be one of the biggest disasters of 2008 in addition to Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Hottie and the Nottie so I’m shocked that Eddie Murphy didn’t get Worst Actor.  The Razzie voters must have fell asleep on this movie since it wasn’t nominated that much either.  I’m sure they’ll get him with his next movie.

There’s a new sheriff in town. There’s a new box office champ this week. Her name is Madea. Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail opened up at number one this weekend.  It made over $41 million.  It’s the highest grossing Tyler Perry movie since Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which debuted, with $30 million.  It’s also the highest grossing movie for Lionsgate studio in its 14-year history.  The studio’s previous top opening was 2006’s Saw 3 which debuted at $33.6 million.  I’m glad that Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail debuted at number one.  I saw the play version of it and it’s really good. I’m pretty sure the movie is even better. I can’t wait to see this one. I’ve seen Tyler Perry’s other movies and I enjoyed them too.  Taken is holding steady in the number 2 spot with over $11 million.  In the four weeks since it’s debut, Taken has made over $95 million.  Last week’s number one movie Friday the 13^th slipped down to number 6 with over $7 million.  I guess people weren’t interested in seeing this movie past the first weekend. Madea slayed Jason this weekend.  The other new release Fired Up debuted at number 9 with $6 million. I guess there weren’t too many people who wanted to see another cheerleader movie.  You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. 

The Academy Awards helped boost ticket sales for the Best Picture nominees.  Slumdog Millionaire moved up to number 5 with over $8 million.  The movie has grossed $98 million.  The Reader earned over $2 million bringing it’s total to $23.2 million.  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button took in $1.3 million bringing its total to $124.2 million.  Milk made $1.1 million bringing it’s total to $28.2 million.  Frost/Nixon made $678,000 bringing it’s total to $17.4 million.  With Slumdog Millionaire winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being the number one movie soon.  These movies have all been nominated for Best Picture, but I still haven’t seen any of them yet.

Here are the Top 10 movies for the week:

1. Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail - 41.1 million
2. Taken – 11.4 million
3. Coraline – 11 million
4. He’s Just Not That Into You – 8.5 million
5. Slumdog Millionaire – 8.1 million
6. Friday the 13^th – 7.8 million
7. Confessions of a Shopaholic – 7 million
8. Paul Blart: Mall Cop – 7 million
9. Fired Up – 6 million
10. The International – 4.5 million

A picture of singer Rihanna’s face after allegedly being beaten by singer Chris Brown has been leaked to the media.  The Los Angeles police department wants to find out how the picture of Rihanna was released.  The picture that was released to the media was an up close picture of Rihanna after she was allegedly beaten up by Chris Brown.  In the picture, you can see how she was attacked. You can see how swollen her lips is as well as other bruises on her face.  The police wanted to maintain the confidentiality of the victim, but that is moot now since her photo has been released.  The police department has yet to claim that Rihanna is the victim in the case against Chris Brown.  The police are taking this matter seriously. The person responsible could face penalties or even be fired.

A law-enforcement source close to the Brown investigation tells E! News the leaked photo was one taken by a detective when officers first arrived at the Hancock Park scene of the alleged attack.  Unless there was someone else there, it’s most likely a police officer who took the photo and had it released.  The officer must be trying to look for money by exposing Rihanna’s photo to the media. It’s a safe bet that a lot of people would be interested in knowing what she looked like after the attack.

According to a source, Rihanna may have thrown the first punch in the fight between her and Chris.  The source also said that the police were offered $100 grand by a tabloid for a police photo of Rihanna after the attack.  Maybe someone took the bait to get the money.  I am not sure how true this information is though. It does seem fishy that the picture surfaced. The police were the only ones who took the picture of Rihanna and it was released.

I didn’t want to include the picture in this blog because I think it would be in poor taste. I already had an idea in my mind what she probably looked like after the attack. I didn’t need to see her face to know that.  Her face has been exposed enough and I didn’t want to do that too. Also, I read that this picture was released without her consent.  If there is a chance that Rihanna reads this blog, I would hate for her to have to see that photo here.

There is some drama happening in Brandy’s lawsuit. Marouane Hdidou, the man who is suing singer Brandy after his wife died in an accident with the singer. He is the husband of the woman who died in a car accident.  Awatef Aboudihaj was involved in a pile up accident with Brandy. Brandy lost control of her Range Rover and which ended up accidentally killing Awatef Aboudihaj.  Now Awatef’s husband wants to sue Brandy for damages. 

Marouane Hdidou was offered a deal from an insurance company that would have granted him about $1 million to settle the case. Brandy was going to pay Marouane Hdidou $200,000. That would have given him a total of $1.2 million to settle the lawsuit.  For some reason, he refused the offer.  This angered his attorneys.  They felt that the deal was a great deal because he would get $300,000 out of the deal. They didn’t understand why he would turn down a great offer like that.  Marouane Hdidou’s lawyers feel that he won’t listen to reason and now they want off the case. That doesn’t bode well for him at all that his own attorneys don’t think he is being reasonable about the matter.

I think that this man is just after money. If not, he would have been willing to take the deal. I think that he must want Brandy to pay him more money for an accident that was proven not to be her fault.  For those of you who don’t know, Brandy was found innocent of killing Awatef by the prosecution because Awatef was intoxicated while she was in the car accident.  Brandy was not held responsible for what happened to her even though her Range Rover was the one that smashed into Awatef. 

It’s a horrible tragedy that he lost his wife and the mother of his children, but he shouldn’t be holding his hand out for more money that he might not even get.  By the time the lawsuit’s over, he may lose out on money that he could have had if he just settled in the first place.  He’s taking advantage of Brandy’s generosity.  Demanding more money out of the insurance company and Brandy won’t bring his wife back to him. It would make more sense to do this if she were there only means of support or if it were actually Brandy’s fault that she died.

I want to start off by saying that Days Of Our Lives is my favorite soap opera. I have watched it for almost 20 years.  My mother got me hooked on the show when I was really young and I have watched it ever since.  I watch it religiously. With that said, I am very much aware that there is a lot of drama going on with the show and I’m not talking about the storylines. 

Recently Days Of Our Lives has fired many veterans from the show. As you may or may not know, the powers that be have let Deidre Hall (Marlena), Drake Hogestyn (John), Stephen Nichols (Steve), Mary Beth Evans (Kayla), and Thaao Penghlis (Tony) go.  It is a complete shock to the fans of Days Of Our Lives.  These veterans have been let go because of budget cuts to the show. Days Of Our Lives was on the verge of cancellation and the only way to save it was for the powers that be to make drastic budget cuts. Well, that’s what Ken Corday (executive producer of Days Of Our Lives) said.  According to Ken Corday, everyone connected with the show had to take a pay cut in order to keep the show on the air. 

Unfortunately, the five actors mentioned above were sacrificial lambs.  This did not sit well with many fans of Days Of Our Lives.  I am one of the fans who is not happy with their departures. I grew up watching four out of the five actors on the show. Deidre Hall/Drake Hogestyn and Stephen Nichols/Mary Beth Evans were among my favorite couples on the show.  The writers took a big risk writing out two popular supercouples.  The only supercouple left on the show is Bo and Hope. They already destroyed Lucas and Sami so Bo and Hope are all they have left until they mess that up.  Days Of Our Lives is known for its supercouples so the last thing they should have done was get rid of two popular couples.

I don’t understand why the powers that be feel that the vets should be cut while keeping newer characters.  The characters of Melanie, Stephanie, and Max could leave the show.  In my opinion, they don’t add anything to the show. The five who were fired add more to the show.  Melanie in particular is being shoved down our throats and I don’t like that. I really don’t care for her character and I would like it if she were written off the show.  She is not connected to anyone on the show besides Max so there is no need to keep her. I don’t understand why the powers that be would keep Stephanie, but get rid of Steve and Kayla.

Another thing I don’t understand is why EJ and Nicole are being shown so much.  They are on the show practically every day while the veterans have to sit on the sidelines. I know EJ has a strong fanbase, but I would prefer his brother, Tony to him. People tune in to the show to see the veterans.  We don’t all care to see EJ and Nicole everyday as well as the other newbies on the show. The powers that be have made Nicole and EJ the stars of Days Of Our Lives and that is not fair to the actors who have been on the show for at least 15 years or more. They deserve the same amount of attention that these two are getting. I hope that the vets weren’t fired just so that more time can be devoted to EJ and Nicole.

I think it’s weird that the powers that be of Days Of Our Lives have the money to keep the newer characters mentioned above, but they didn’t have enough to keep the five who were fired. They also have enough money to put new people on contract.  They just signed some new people to the show. How come there is money left over for that? Maybe they could have asked the vets to take drastic pay cuts, while axing the newer characters.

One more thing that disturbs me about the firing of the vets is that a younger actress, Rachel Melvin (Chelsea) gets to leave the show on her own. She wasn’t humiliated the way the vets were by being fired.  I believe if Rachel wanted to stay on the show, I don’t think they would have fired her.

I am thankful that my other faves (Peter Reckell, Kristian Alfonso, Alison Sweeney, etc.) haven’t been given the axe yet, but I’m afraid that it may be a matter of time before they are considered expendable. I am sure that Leann Hunley (Anna) will be leaving the show soon too now that Thaao has been let go. I just hope that with these firings, the powers that be will at least used the vets that they have left more. That would be the only way to right the wrong that they have done by letting these popular actors go.

From Panache Report

 This black female celebrity is hardly ever seen in the company of men although it went unnoticed when her show was on. Now, we’re hearing reports that she was involved in a lesbian relationship with a female powerbroker behind the scenes. This caused tension on the set because the actress was favored and could openly make suggestions that the others couldn’t. Especially, when the female executive tried to use her influence and power to center this ensemble show around her alleged girlfriend. This is the real reason a cast member left the show-according to our sources. 

 I think this blind item might be Queen Latifah, Tracee Ellis Ross, or Lisa Raye Misnick.  Queen Latifah was on the 90s show Living Single.  Kim Fields left the show before the last season ended. There are also rumors that Queen Latifah may be a lesbian. 

 Tracee Ellis Ross was on the show Girlfriends.  Jill Marie Jones left the show just before the last season. She claimed it was because of money issues, but it could have been because of Tracee.

 Lisa Raye Misnick was on the show All Of Us.  Elise Neal left the show after two seasons. There was a rumor circulating that Lisa might have been having an affair with Jada Pinkett Smith and that could be why the focus of All Of Us changed. The show was supposed to be about Elise Neal’s character being with Duane Martin’s character, but the show changed and became more about Lisa Raye’s character.

From Blind Gossip

 This A list country singer who is not known for her pleasant, charming personality despite at one time being America’s favorite gets a little mean when she drinks. OK, more than a little. In fact, she got so drunk at one birthday party that she began yelling and screaming at her guests and the guests of her then boyfriend who is a celebrity in his own right. Most of the guests decided to leave but she did keep the presents.

I think this one might be Carrie Underwood. “America’s favorite” could be a clue towards American Idol. Carrie Underwood would be considered America’s favorite since she won at American Idol. Carrie is dating an athlete so he is a celebrity too.  In my opinion, Carrie seems like she has a divalike attitude. No offense to any of her fans, but she doesn’t really seem like the humble type that we’re expected to believe.

We’ve don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but we’ve been talking about the impending divorce of this celebrity couple since last year. Looks like it will finally become public knowledge soon. The celebrity couple, however, won’t be the ones doing the talking. They will smile and keep it very civil in public, and let their divorce attorneys and public relations flacks and real estate agents handle the public matters. But behind the scenes, it’s ugly. Both were unfaithful, both have a lot of money and fans, and both want sole custody of their offspring.

I have two guesses for this one. I think this might be Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick or Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. I think this might be Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick because there have been reports about them having marital problems.  I remember that there was a story about them in the tabloids because he was spotted with another woman.  Sarah Jessica Parker should still have a lot of fans because of her role on Sex and the City. I’m not sure about Matthew Broderick though. He may still have fans because of his earlier work as well as his role on Broadway. I think this might be Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony because of all the reports about their relationship being in trouble.   

This female singer is always in the spotlight no matter what she chooses to try and sing. If we went by singing talent alone she would probably be a B at best but I wouldn’t argue if you called her a C. Sings a few different styles of music. Anyway, she has had the same boyfriend for awhile now, but everytime she visits him she still cannot get into the elevator by herself and remember what floor he lives on or how to coordinate the key card needed for the elevator with the pressing of the button for the floor. If she has a drink or two, forget it. It could be 15 minutes. Now, when security sees her coming they just walk her to the elevator and do it themselves.

I think this one might be Jessica Simpson. I know that she has a ditzy persona, which wouldn’t make this much of a blind item, but she fits the clues.  Jessica Simpson has changed music genres and she has a celebrity boyfriend that she has been with for a while. 

All pictures courtesy of google.com

There’s another new champ at the box office. Jason slayed the competition this Valentine’s Day weekend.  I guess people wanted to see people murdered instead of watching rom-coms this weekend. Friday the 13^th was number one with over $42 million. It’s made $45 million since it opened. It also delivered the top-grossing opening for a horror remake and for a slasher movie and is on course for the second highest President’s Day weekend debut ever behind Ghost Rider. Adjusted for ticket price inflation, though Scream 2, Scream 3 and Freddie vs. Jason had higher initial attendance, and, unadjusted for inflation, there have been bigger horror openings, including I Am Legend, Signs and The Village. Last week’s number one movie He’s Just Not That Into You fell to number two with just over $23 million. It didn’t lose that much money considering it was competing with Friday the 13^th .  There were two other new releases this weekend. Confessions of a Shopaholic starring Isla Fisher came in at number 5 with just over $17 million.  The International starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts came in at number 7 with over $11 million.  The International had a bad debut considering it’s an action thriller. I thought it would have done better than it did. I guess it was no match for Jason.  With the success of Friday the 13^th, I think we should expect more horror movie remakes. There’s already talk that there might be a remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street.  If there is a remake, I think that they should make sure they get Robert Englund to play Freddie Kruger again. There isn’t an actor in Hollywood who can play the part the way he can in my opinion

Here are the top ten movies:

1. Friday the 13^th – 45.2 million
2. He’s Just Not That Into You – 23.4 million
3. Taken – 22.2 million
4. Coraline – 19.1 million
5. Confessions of a Shopaholic – 17.3 million
6. Paul Blart: Mall Cop – 13.2 million
7. The International – 11 million
8. The Pink Panther 2 – 10.5 million
9. Slumdog Millionaire – 8.72 million
10. Push – 7.93 million