Let‘s be honest with ourselves about The Sing-Off: it‘s not a very good show but we will all watch it anyway because it happens but once a year, right around the time all your other favorite shows are finishing up and there‘s no new Glee to watch so you‘re like, "what‘s this? I don‘t remember if I liked this last year," and then you find an acapella group to root for and you only have to commit to it for like, four weeks max and you‘re in a good mood because of the holiday season so you say, "why not?" and find yourself watching every episode. The Sing-Off has just enough good/tolerable elements to keep you interested and willing to overlook Nick Lachey as a host and Nicole Scherzinger as a judge. Even in the first episode, it seems like the judges are working a little too hard to make it seem like the show is worth watching, saying things like, "now it‘s a competition!" and "this is the greatest show." But here are the five reasons you will want to watch The Sing-Off.  Read more »

The show that "captivated America" is back! In case you were so captivated you forgot, or are Canadian, we‘re talking about The Sing-Off. This show is very much NBC‘s little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead because when it is good, it is very, very good, and when it is bad it is horrid. But, this year it‘s better than last year (although there‘s no old lady barbershop quartet) and, despite what they tell you, the stakes are pretty much the same, no higher or lower. It‘s kind of the America‘s Best Dance Crew of singing.Let‘s dig in. While I will absolutely concede that all these groups are talented and I love them for doing something with their lives and having dreams, I am not going to go all Nicole Scherzinger on this show (blindly complimentary). Sometimes acapella groups/show choirs drive me nuts. But it‘s all fun and delightful, especially Nick Lachey phoning it in as host. Read more »

Grab your eggnog (or Peppermint Schnapps?) and let‘s make The Sing-Off a little more festive. If you can afford to get drunk on Monday and Wednesday nights, more power to you! Please drink legally and responsibly (you may have to cut out some of the rules, or switch to water halfway through).Take 1 Drink Every Time:*Ben Folds complains about the "drums" or "cymbals"*Shawn Stockman or Nicole Scherzinger says "you did your thing" or "y‘all did your thing"*Nick Lachey phones it in*you see a "group point," when the group points out to the audience or up to the air Read more »

It‘s time for your second dose of The Sing-Off this week (yay! I find myself saying). But first, I have super exciting news for you Sing-Off fans out there. CONTEST! BuddyTV is giving away two copies of the Sing-Off Holiday CD (The Sing-Off: Harmonies for the Holidays)! The CD has ten of your favorite Christmas songs, one from each of the Sing-Off finalists! Tracks include: Auld Lang Syne from Street Corner Symphony (umm ... yes please!), Silent Night from Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town, and Angels We Have Heard on High by Committed. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this recap! That‘s all! Pretty sweet, right? Now all I need to do is give you something to comment on! Here are the complete Terms and Conditions. The contest runs through next Wednesday. Read more »

When they give us two episodes of The Sing-Off in a week, it feels like a longer time between Wednesday and Monday, doesn‘t it? Tonight I am most interested to see if Committed can keep up with their level of performance and sound, as last Wednesday they emerged as early favorites. Tonight the groups are performing twice: a rock hit and a "guilty pleasure" song. But first the group number. The group fashion is all over the place tonight so it looks like it will be an interesting night.By the way, our contest for the Sing-Off Holiday CD is still going on! Just leave a comment on last week‘s recap and you will be entered to win one of two CDs! The contest runs until this Wednesday. Read more »

Tonight will determine the final three groups who will move on to the finals. Tonight is also the superstar medleys and judges‘ choice, which was my least favorite episode last year. Tonights episode kicks off with a big, heavily sung group number. The lead singer from The Backbeats looks like a Fembot or some sort of sixties space fantasy. More on Backbeats fashion later, I‘m sure! Jerry Lawson did "the scream" and everyone was pleased.Before any of the performances, if I had to choose, I‘d send On The Rocks and The Backbeats home tonight, but we‘ll see how this plays out. Maybe everyone in Committed has the flu and can‘t hear each other. In other news, Nicole Scherzinger is feeling warm and crazy tonight, bowing meditatively as Nick Lachey introduced her. Read more »

Last week the judges sent four groups to the finale instead of three, making America‘s decision one group more difficult. I don‘t really know who will win tonight. I think it will be between Street Corner Symphony and Committed, probably Committed. That‘s my prediction. I really don‘t know what‘s going on with all the group fashion tonight; for whatever reason The Backbeats always get the most heinous outfits.The group number featured the judges! Well, not really, but they each got a little shout-out. Everyone except Nick Lachey, who cried a silent tear in the wings. Each group gets icicle lights hanging over their little boxes tonight, and the eliminated groups are back to help cheer on the finalists. Tonight the groups will be performing with superstars. I hope I like it better than this episode last season. Read more »

What‘s happening in the world of singing shows these days? What is happening in the world of Paula Abdul? What is a dance dome? We‘ve got the answers!Crystal Bowersox‘s ‘Farmer‘s Daughter‘ Outsells Lee DeWyze‘s First Album"I knew it!" Bowersoxers everywhere are jumping up and screaming. Or maybe they‘ve just been out buying the album in support, whereas Idol Season 9 winner, Lee DeWyze, only got a record number of votes, and not sales. So the runner-up is beating the winner on the charts, but she‘s not exactly "laughing all the way to the bank." Her album debuted just ahead of Justin Guarini and Diana DeGarmo in sales. Yeah. So even Bo Bice topped Lee DeWyze. Is Idol on its way out? Or can Season 10‘s endless re-vamps save it from jumping the shark? [Zap2it] Read more »

Do you have a New Year‘s Resolution? Around this time, most people make resolutions to lose weight or go to the gym more, or at least to shave off some "holiday pounds." Sometimes we wish TV shows would make similar resolutions. If they would only trim a little fat, or cut out certain aspects all-together! Here are some shows we wish would trim up a bit.Dexter: trim the LaGuerta/Batista romance subplot. At the end of Season 5 they were like, "let‘s start over," and we were like, "Noooo! Let it die!" Because there was nothing less interesting than their marital problems when killers and vigilantes were on the loose. Make it stop, or at least don‘t let it take up half of an episode.  Read more »

In a year when it seems like the networks are all rushing to get their next-season news out before each other, we probably shouldn‘t be surprised that NBC has chosen to announce its 2011-2012 season on a Sunday morning. The schedule has a few familiar names, a whole bunch of new stuff and a fair amount of shuffling. Read more »