That said... can we talk about how Robin Roberts' "deeply personal conversation" with Colton didn't include a single direct question about his alleged harassment/stalking of ex-fiancee Cassie Randolph (who filed, then dropped, a restraining order against him LESS THAN A YR AGO)?
A few thoughts on
#TheBachelor
's Colton Underwood coming out. First and foremost, congrats! Speaking from my own experience (almost 30 yrs ago), it's scary to announce to your family, your friends, the entire world that your authentic self is different from what they've believed.
A strapping former footballer allegedly inflicting psychological violence a woman is a far bigger deal than "misleading" Bachelor viewers/the fameosexuals who competed for an engagement ring on national TV. And yet Roberts only tackled the latter issue head-on.
Colton's vague apology for causing "any pain and emotional stress" didn't address whether he's made amends for his behavior or if he's taken concrete steps to make sure he doesn't do it again.
You didn't need a Ph.D. in gaydar to see the guy struggling with his sexuality and his mental health on The Bachelorette or Bachelor in Paradise, gigs that preceded his stint as the star of The Bachelor franchise.
In related ickiness, in the entire 14 minutes devoted to the topic, there wasn't a single bit of heat directed at ABC execs who cast Colton in the first place.
When you get a standing ovation from
@Cher
, you know you're doing something right. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 (Of course,
#Idoloonies
will remember
@adamlambert
workshopping a stripped-down, slowed-down "Believe" during
@AmericanIdol
Hollywood Week, Season 8.)
So if you're Kellyanne Conway's daughter and a decent karaoke singer, you advance. But if you're a homeless single mom who's emotionally plugged-in but a wee bit nervous, you get cut? I see you,
#AmericanIdol
, and I am definitely judging you.
Coming out takes courage. The world can be shitty to LGBTQ+ folks. Colton stepping into his authentic life is terrific for him, and his willingness to do it publicly is very likely terrific for some kid watching GMA and struggling w/ his/her own sexuality/suicidal thoughts.
That was an incredibly sweet ending and a completely righteous result to this all too brief
#AmericanIdol
season. Had a blast Tweeting along with all you peeps — stay tuned to this space, as I'm hoping a few of my writing projects will make some noise later this year!
I wish the ABC iteration of
#AmericanIdol
acknoweldged an institutional history deeper than "Kelly-Carrie-JHud." Guarantee 90% of people still tuning in would love a mention of David Cook or Fantasia or [insert your faves here].
AND ANOTHER THING... why doesn't every person in America know and adore Adam Lambert's "Superpower"?!?! (File under: Injustices that occasionally cross my mind/send me into a white-hot rage.)
"TV is the one that I watch five hours straight, but a movie is the one I don't turn on because it's two hours. I don't want to be in front of my TV for two hours, I want to be in front of the TV for one hour, five times." Thank you, Amy Poehler, I feel seen.
#GoldenGlobes
A sobering and scary thread. Please don’t look away. And please vote for Biden in November. It’s a matter of life and death for so many of your friends and neighbors.
If you don't quite understand what horror the Trump administration inflicted today on transgender and non-binary people seeking medical care and why we're scared, let me tell you a quick story.
[TW: transphobia, trans death]
(thread)
I know this is the equivalent of screaming into a brick wall, but PLEASE
@ABCNetwork
GO WITH SOME LESSER-KNOWN
#AmericanIdol
JUDGES WHO'LL BE WILLING TO COMMIT TO 12 WEEKS OF LIVE SHOWS. We're not tuning in for Katy Perry! Honest!
One of my 11-year-old twins added songs by
@adamlambert
and
@kylieminogue
to his playlist this weekend, so don’t tell me I shouldn’t be looking forward to the teenage years! 🥰
That wasn't "The World I Know"-level seal-the-deal stuff, but Maddie Poppe's "Landslide" was solid enough to keep her well ahead of her
#AmericanIdol
rivals — both for tonight and for the season overall. Not certain she WILL win, but she SHOULD.
Am I going to live blog the
@AmericanIdol
season premiere? As surely as Randy Jackson needed a thesaurus. As clearly as J.Lo had a vendetta against Haley Reinhart. As brutally as Danny Gokey put "Dream On" through a meat grinder.
#AmericanIdol
Quarantining at my mom’s the last 7 weeks. Today, as a belated bday treat, she made my all-time fave, chocolate mousse cake (from the Jan. 1975 issue of McCall’s) and brought me the wire whisk. For a minute, as I licked off the batter, I was 9 again, & all was well w/ the world.
Mike Pence saying “You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America” is a deliberate slap in the face to everyone who’s experienced the surge in racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia under Donald Trump’s presidency.
The
#AmericanIdol
judges are standing just because the dude hit one note? Did they ever see Adam Lambert, David Cook, Kris Allen, Joshua Ledet, Elliott Yamin, etc etc etc...
Is this reality? The tears in my eyes tell me "yes," but a lifetime of
#AmericanIdol
watching has me waiting for Ryan Seacrest to knock on my door & tell me it was all a joke. (Wait, wasn't there a show where Ryan Seacrest knocked on people's doors a couple seasons ago on Fox?)
Let us press pause on this episode of
#AmericanIdol
to give props to mentor Gabby Barrett for doing her homework, taking some actual time with the contestants and giving excellent, actionable advice across the board all night. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
From one of my kids' "All About Me" 4th-grade slideshow projects: "I have a Papa and a Daddy, and they are married." (He then giddily told me he'd originally written, "I have a Papa and a Daddy, and they are GAY," but decided "married" was more important.) 👨🏿🤝👨🏻😂 ❤️
Would've really loved to see how much Jurnee could've grown if this season of
#AmericanIdol
had had 10 or 12 weeks of live shows, y'know? The current format doesn't really allow for taking a big swing, missing, and learning from the mistake.
My 78-year-old mom, who's been binge-ing Marvel's Agent Carter, called to tell me that after finishing the Season 2 premiere, she jumped ahead to the SERIES finale, "just to make sure I'd like the ending." She's now resumed in chronological order "without all the stress."
No
#AmericanIdol
live-Tweeting tonight, but I'll offer some thoughts tomorrow! Let me know if I miss anything major. And in the meantime, go get those new
@adamlambert
&
@HaleyReinhart
tunes!
Hey everyone, I'm returning to
@AmericanIdol
as a guest mentor for
#HollywoodWeek
! I'll be mentoring the rock genre! Tune in to Idol tonight to see who else joins us in Hollywood and I'll see you next week on Monday, March 28 at 8/7c on
@ABCNetwork
.
#AmericanIdol
@adamlambert
My 7-year-old twins LOVE this song. My husband and I just have to make sure we talk loudly when you drop that little f-bomb on the bridge. 😂
Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in! Night 2 of
#AmericanIdol
was reeeeeally good. Packed with talent (Mara! Rissa! Brandon! Laine! David! Perhaps Gabbii?), goofiness and the kind of raw emotion I never quite get from The Voice.
Please, God, never let my eight-year-old twins realize they've got this
@JoanJett
lyric all wrong: "I love rock 'n roll/ Put another dime in the juicebox baby."