The X Factor Archives - Entertainment Ave!

Are you paying attention to the MLB baseball playoffs?

Yes, I know, the title of this plight technically reads “Are you paying attention to the Major League Baseball baseball playoffs?”, but much like going to the ATM machine is redundant, it just reads a little better. In any case, it wasn’t until yesterday when I went to turn on “The X Factor,” and I know, I’m probably one of about ten people still watching the show, but there it was, the MLB playoffs. I’m not really sure what teams were playing because, as you might be able to guess, I haven’t been paying attention to baseball much this year. Sure, there was a little interest as the Cleveland Indians were teasing Tribe fans with a potential playoff run, only to lose in the wild-card game, and Lord knows the Cubs and White Sox are on the road to, well, suckiness right now, but football is here, my Cleveland Browns were surprising people until reality set in, and the Chicago Bears keep showing glimpses of busting out, only to relapse back into Chicago sports suckiness again.

Yet, there they are, going on, the MLB playoffs, interrupting my Simon Cowell fix and my continually complaining to my wife how I can’t stand Paulina Rubio on “The X Factor,” how she comes off as a bad Shakira ripoff from “The Voice,” and how I’m betting the boy competitors are pissed she is their mentor. As it stands I totally forgot about baseball until I tried to watch something else, and so I plight: Are you paying attention to the MLB baseball playoffs?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Should “The X Factor” Bring Back Britney Spears?

I’m a fan of “The X Factor.” I’m not sure why, but probably because I end up being a fan of most music shows, and fine, I’m a fan of Simon Cowell. Oddly “The X Factor” hasn’t been able to catch hold here in the States, being topped by “The Voice” it seems this fall, and lots of people will blame the mentors, with Britney Spears seeming to get some of the blame this time, but I’m blaming a lot of it on the editing of the show itself, and way, way, way too much on the “Let’s visit with our contestant’s lives” montages.

The stories the past few days mostly, though, have to do with rumors that Britney is out, mostly because Simon didn’t find her wacky enough to bring in the ratings, that and the fact that behind the scenes she was really quite a pill to work with. I don’t know if I’m buying any of that, but I do have to say that it was the “mostly reserved” Britney that we were treated to, although she does have some of the best facial expressions out there for TV. As a mentor she wasn’t bad, heck, her contestant nearly won, but she lacked some of the confrontational fire I think people were hoping for.

Me, I’ve always been a fan of Paula Abdul, and I know, that reality show ship has sailed for her, but in terms of TV wacky, she was some of the best. I can’t say I’ll miss Britney if she does get the boot, but I will miss her scrunching face as she didn’t think an act was up to par.

And so I plight: Should “The X Factor” bring back Britney Spears?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Will You Watch the World Series?

As a Chicago Cubs fan, along with being a Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox fan although not necessarily in that order, I can’t say I was disappointed that the St. Louis Cardinals lost to the San Francisco Giants, but once again it’s a year when unless the TV people do their magic spinning I don’t think I’ll be watching the World Series. It’s not that I don’t like baseball, nor can’t get wrapped into teams I don’t really have an allegiance to, but of the many teams in Major League Baseball I can’t get excited about either the Giants or the Detroit Tigers being in the big game this year.

The thing I do know is that what might bother me the most is the fact that another sporting event I don’t care that much about might be screwing up my normal TV viewing. Yup, this summer it was the Summer Olympics screwing up my watching of “America’s Got Talent”, where it turned out that dogs have the most talent in America, and now I’ve got some baseball possibly interrupting Simon, Britney, Demi, and L.A. as yes, I’m getting sucked into “The X Factor.” I suppose I’ll survive and let me DVR plan my TV viewing (When does Real Housewives of Atlanta come back?), but I’m pretty sure FOX would probably prefer nearly any other teams fighting it out for the Commissioner’s Trophy, and the only people who really care are Giants and Tigers fans. And so I plight: Will you watch the World Series this year?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Losing in Las Vegas, Loving Storage Wars, Horrible Bosses, and iPhone Envy.

By: The Dude on the Right

Download and Listen

Both Stu Gotz and I were supposed to go to Las Vegas and this “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast was supposed to be filled with stories of debauchery and missing memories, but sadly he was the only one to make it as a stomach flu sidelined my travel plans. From the sounds of it, Stu needed me out there to mix things up a bit, as everyone knows I am the party animal, but in any case, Stu gives his wrap-up of the Vegas fun, complete with the wedding of staff member The Dude on the Left to Trash. Me, on the other hand, spent way too many days catching up on everything from Ellen (nice little Glen Campbell interview) to The X-Factor (could Enrique Iglesias look any more disinterested), from Survivor: Somewhere Warm (the blind-siding has begun) to Storage Wars (a new favorite show, and a better watch than the last Saturday Night Live).

I have my new iPhone 4S and Boner doesn’t, I liked Horrible Bosses and Stu sort of liked Hall Pass, Stu is losing his fan-boy love for House and my new iPhone’s Siri knows where my house is – and it’s kind of scary.

All of that and yes, popsicles are still a good remedy for the stomach flu.

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

New TV & Old TV, Sucky Bears & Sucky Shoes, Getting Wet & Getting A New iPhone.

By: The Dude on the Right

Download and Listen

The fall television season has begun, and for this “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, Stu Gotz and I break down the return of “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Saturday Night Live,” and my lack of seeing the current “Survivor.” Then there are the new shows, and I explain to Stu that “Pan Am” is a good show, especially because it portrays how a stewardess should be, Stu is worried that some shows like “Up All Night” and “Person of Interest” might easily lose steam if they are even able to build an audience at all, and we discuss “The X Factor” and a naked man.

The Chicago Bears lost even with a trick play that reminded me of my football days, lots of people have seen “The Smurfs” movie and we don’t know why, I can’t decide whether I should see a funny movie about cancer (“50/50”) or a movie about baseball (“Moneyball”), I went shoe shopping and was denied by both Nordstrom and Zappos, Stu Gotz got wet and it didn’t even have to do with his wishing his Lil’ Gotz a happy birthday today, and I recommend you start getting in line now to buy a new iPhone on October 14th.

It was a busy weekend, let alone week!

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!