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David Wins! Woo-Hoo!
May 26

Also available as a podcast. Click to listen!

Before we get into this week's show a couple of personal bits. First of all, a thank you to all the soldiers, past and present, who have given their lives in sacrifice for the freedom that I, and everyone in this country enjoy. When you have finished your Memorial Day barbecue, take a moment or ten to thank a soldier you know...or one you don't. They will really appreciate it. I know I do.

And to my friends over at WLTI who are celebrating their 200th Episode this week...congratulations on being the best damn commentary show in the business
today. To Chico and Gordon, thank you for allowing me to be a recurring panelist. That allowed me the inspiration for my column and this podcast which you
are listening to right now. To all the guests that have been there...thank you. And I can't believe it has been that long! So here's to 200 more!

Now, onto the show. As you can see by the title of this week's show...David won American Idol. Ok, ok...that joke has been worn out to the death. The New
American Idol (as predicted by me...and probably a lot of others) is David Cook...and he won by 12 million votes. But, if you watched the finale, David Cook lost the night. David Archuleta came to play and win. However, David Cook's fanbase was peaking for the last month. And David Archuleta's fanbase pretty much held steady.

And the finale results show was pretty much uneventful...except for the very funny Guitar Hero commercials starring Cook and Archuleta. I don't think Archuleta even saw the film it was based on (Risky Business)...since it came out 4 years before he was BORN. And it was good to see Jordin Sparks back on a stage singing. But we put a close on the season by saying this was the best finale in a while, in the best season in a while. American Idol isn't going away anytime soon...what with the tour starting up soon, the auditions during the summer and the American Idol Experience in 2009 in Walt Disney World. And in January 2009, I will be back to start up the reviews both good and bad for American Idol 8. I am looking forward to see what Fox does to spruce up the franchise.


Another winner was Kristi Yamaguchi, who beat Cristian de la Fuente and Jason Taylor to win the latest "Dancing with the Stars" crown. But Jason Taylor is
making the most noise by saying he wants to be remembered as an actor rather than a football player.

In an interview with ESPN's Tom Friend for the Sunday Conversation he says: "Well, I hope more for acting," Taylor said. "It's strange that in our business, that
in your mid-30s, you start thinking about retiring. It's not like you're getting put out to pasture and you're done. A new chapter in your life has to start.

"In 10 years from now, when I'm 43 years old, I'm hoping that people are talking more about the things I've done in the film business than what I did in football or dancing."

Taylor also offered an explanation as to why he shouldn't apologize to anybody who wants to second guess his motivations for laying the groundwork for life after retirement even though he's still playing.

"There comes a time when they open that door and they kick you in the rear end and you're not welcome anymore," Taylor said. "Regardless of if you're under
contract or not, they will kick you out the door - we've all seen it over the years - and say 'Thanks, but you're not welcome anymore.' Taylor also said "I can guarantee you this: I'm in five times better shape right now than I was the year I won defensive player of the year."

And since that conversation, Taylor has stated he is not going to any mini-camps for the Miami Dolphins. With the tenuous relationship between him and Bill Parcells...don't be surprised if that career starts sooner rather than later.


As I was sending resumes out this week, I was watching the Tuesday edition of the Price is Right and came across something that I never saw before and I hope to never see again. A contestant whose name I am not going to dignify the column or podcast with, did everything to give Price is Right Contestants a bad
name.

First of all, this kid was a college student and a frat guy. That was evidenced by the Sigma Nu T-Shirt he wore. Secondly, he started off by giving a bid on a treadmill for $420. Ok, cute joke...but we get it. And it's isn't funny anymore. (For those who don't get it...it's a weed reference.) And then he went to a bid ending in 69...ha ha...real funny.

And Finally, he gave a $2 Million bid on a kitchen island. You heard me right...he did. Drew did the right thing saying, "You want it. You Got It."

Now over the last couple of days, there have been vigorous discussions back and forth. Who do you blame for this debacle? Stan Blits, the contestant coordinator? Do you blame the contestant for just being a total ass? And what do you do in a case like this?

Ok, partial blame does go to Blits. But When you have to go through 63,375 contestants over a season (yes, I did the math)...occasionally a clunker does slip through the cracks. But the main culprit this time is the contestant. He took a spot from a contestant who really wanted to be there. He broke the unwritten rule for not bidding immature sexual or weed based bids. He got his 15 minutes and is on YouTube.

What scares me, is that some people saw that on Price and said (probably after taking a toke), "Yeah man, he did it, so could we." Stan probably got called on the carpet for that one by the powers that be, and I know he will be on the lookout for people like that...big time.

A couple of quick other TPIR notes...if I didn't mention it before...Price has lowered the $1,000,000 showcase win barrier to $500 from $1,000. And if you haven't guessed by now...the foreign car ban on Price is officially dead and buried. It started with a Jaguar XK Coupe and over the past few weeks we have seen Honda Elements and Civics, a Porsche Cayman S coupe and most recently, a Jaguar XF sedan.


Well, we knew it was coming... "The Moment of Truth" is back for it's summer season. And in an article with the Daily News, host Mark L. Walberg is a bit tired of the show getting a home wrecker image and ruining families' lives.

"Quite honestly, the wrecking-your-family, evildoing rap the show gets, I think it's crap," Walberg told reporters. "No family gets wrecked unless they're wrecking it anyway. And of all the people that have been on the show, only one couple that I know of that was married has decided to separate. And they were already on the rocks well before they got to us, by their own admission. "That doesn't necessarily mean we're doing God's work," Walberg added, "but what I'm saying is that things happen on the show, conversations happen that are uncomfortable. But on the other end there is relief for everyone involved who has known that that issue existed and has been avoiding it."

On "The Moment of Truth" contestants submit themselves to a lie-detector test, where they answer 21 very personal questions. They're then asked those same questions on the show, where the lie-detector results are revealed. At stake is $500,000. New episodes of the show begin airing May 27 at 8 p.m.

Despite the controversy, people are willing to participate - and watch.

"I hosted 'Temptation Island,' and when I did that show I thought, this is an interesting program but there's no way there will be a second season because nobody will do it," Walberg said of the Fox reality show that tested relationships. "And then 60,000 couples, not singles, but couples applied for the show. So that kind of took my naivete out the window. I think the allure of ['Truth'] is that it seems to be a very simple game. Tell the truth, you win money. But I don't think people really value the sensitive nature of it sometimes. I think there are people that aren't as sensitive as you or I might be and they just think, 'Let's go for it.'"

The most shocking of episode of "Truth" that aired earlier this year had a young wife who admitted to committing adultery and that she believed she is meant to be with an ex-boyfriend instead of her husband. (That was Lauren Cleri - if you didn't remember, or washed the memory from your brain.)

"It was horrible," said Walberg of the vibe in the studio after that show wrapped. "Where I really got uptight about it was, people can answer questions about their past and do what they want to do, but I felt like she was almost maliciously throwing her husband under the bus."

Coming up in the new episodes, Walberg said, producers have tried to expand their question arsenal to include areas outside of sex and infidelity. "Those questions will always show up because that's what we talk about in society," said Walberg. "But what makes the show interesting is that with every new contestant is an entirely new life and a new story. And though some of the questions may be the same, the reactions are unique to that person and their family."


A pretty short podcast this week...but we have a lot of random newsbits to cover so here they are:

- "Banzai" is being distributed through the web...with MySpace getting first dibs.

- "Hole In The Wall" (A Japanese Game show where people put themselves through Tetris like holes) gets a 13 episode order from Fox.

- Sharon Osbourne is hosting "Rock of Love Girls: Charm School"

- ABC is casting Season 2 of "Here Comes The Newlyweds", as well as for "Opportunity Knocks". And if you have no shame...so is "The Moment of Truth" on
Fox.

- Survivor drops it's minimum age from 21 to 18.

- Best wishes go to Luke Menard as he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma.

- 1 v. 100 comes to the DS.

- RDF USA is pitching a new updated version of "Queen For A Day".

- Rumors abound of an all-star version of "Project Runway." Speaking of Runway, Jack Mackenroth will not return and continue to be active in the HIV Community.

- VH1 has bought 130 hours of "The Bachelor." for reruns. Why?

- Joey Lawrence is hosting "Master of Dance" on TLC.

Short, but sweet. This is Jason Block saying, don't just play fair...play to win.

Jason Block does a great stoner impression. E-mail him at jb.regis@verizon.net.