Psych returns tonight with a Leap into Adventure

Private eyes Gus Guster and Shawn Spencer own psych Psychic Detective Agency.

Psych, one of my personal favorite television shows, is premiering its one hour mid-season-6-opener tonight, Wednesday, February 29, 2012 (Leap Day) on the USA network at 10 PM EST, after a break over the winter holidays.

In tonight’s episode, “Indiana Shawn and the Temple of the Kinda Crappy, Rusty Old Dagger,” Shawn and Gus go on a hunt for a mysterious treasure – their only clue, an ancient dagger. It’s a bit of a fast paced, quick action episode, filled with drama and mayhem, funerals and art museums, old villains such as Despereaux (played by Cary Elwes), and a vapid new villainess portrayed by Madchen Amick, all set against an over-the-top Indiana Jones-esque sound track in a beautiful lush estate.

If you’ve never seen the show, be prepared to laugh. It’s a bit of a hoot.

Former childhood best friends, private eyes Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and Burton ‘Gus’ Guster (Dule Hill) own their own ‘psych’ psychic detective agency solving difficult crimes and mysteries in the Santa Barbara, CA area.

Though Shawn pretends to be psychic, he isn’t really.

There’s nothing “magical” about how they work – it’s all based on science. Shawn, the son of retired police officer, now consultant, Henry Spencer (played by Corbin Bernsen) has inherited the unique and special gift of an eidetic memory, otherwise known as a photographic memory. Think of it as being able to play the tape of your life through your head, remembering fine specific details – smells, movements, tastes, and touches – some details you perhaps missed the first time through. By doing so, many of life’s greatest mysteries can therefore be solved. It’s a rare gift, but does exist in the real world to varying degrees.

Officer Henry Spencer, recognizing this trait early on in his son Shawn, drilled him incessantly as a child, teaching him to learn to pay attention and pick up details most of us would overlook, thereby improving his natural ability of excellent memory recall.

Add partner Gus Guster and his own peculiar traits and habits, combined with his endless knowledge of seemingly useless pharmacology chemistry and game trivia, and you have a recipe for a realistically quirky comedy.

Shawn and Gus are a riot. They are nerdy, good-looking intellectuals who play off each other, make stupid immature jokes, and argue back and forth over the most inane details.

It’s so insanely ridiculous, it’s funny.

Be sure to watch some of the previous episodes airing each Wednesday morning on USA.

“In for a Penny,” Season 6, Episode 7 introduces William Shatner as police detective Juliet O’Hara’s (Maggie Lawson) long estranged criminal mastermind father. He is so believable in this role, you will forget all of the other characters he’s ever played. Season 6 will bring him back again in new episodes, but I sincerely hope that Season 7 will add him in as a regularly appearing character. This role fits him like a glove.

Is Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice perpetrating fraud?

Performer Wyclef Jean wrote and sang a song for Team Forte during their first challenge, after donating $15,000 to the Wayuu Taya Foundation.

I set aside some time last night to watch the season premiere of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice which aired from 9 PM to 11 PM on NBC on Sunday night. The show is great on many levels: It affords some lesser known celebrities more exposure and introduces the TV viewing audience to a few very worthy charities, reminding us how important it is to give what we can, when we can. However, the first challenge left a sour taste in my mouth as money raised for one charity was turned over to another.

At the start of the show, the eighteen contestants were divided into two groups of nine men and nine women. Each group chose a team name — "Unanimous" for the men, "Forte" for the women — then participated in their first challenge, selling heros for heroes — making and selling hero sandwiches to raise money for each team leaders' favorite charity.

Patricia Velasquez, known for her acting roles on movies such as The Mummy, eagerly volunteered to be the first team leader for Team Forte, so that she could begin raising money for a charity that is particularly near and dear to her, the Wayuu Taya Foundation, which serves indigenous peoples of Latin America.

In her bio, Velasquez says that she herself is Wayuu Indian. "I was one of those kids who grew up really poor, but was able to get out, because I got a chance. I got an opportunity."

At the time she started her charity exactly ten years ago, she says that one child within the Latin indigenous populations was dying each day. She constructed a school for thirty children where she could then use the school as a vehicle to provide them with food and medical care and now serves a thousand poverty-stricken children.

"Right now, I'm here because I have almost 500 kids that are literally sleeping under the trees waiting for me to finish a school. To build it, to finish it. And if I have a school, I can get two meals a day for them and medical attention. I can't turn them back. I have to build a school."

Velasquez led her team impressively, placing each of her nine members where they could do the most good for the team, some cutting up vegetables and slicing meat, some assembling sandwiches, some outside corralling donors inside, and some entertaining and hobnobbing with their guests.

A personal friend of Velasquez, Performer Wyclef Jean, came in to the cafe with his guitar to sing songs for the crowd, telling Velasquez, "I'm going to donate $15,000... for the kids. Because we could have been one of them. We are one of them." Wyclef himself is a native of Haiti and the son of a Nazarene pastor who moved to Brooklyn with his family when he was nine-years-old.

Through the generous donations of several good friends, Team Forte raised an impressive $126,962, for the Wayuu Taya Foundation, or so they thought.

However, Team Unanimous, led by American Chopper star Paul Teutul, Sr. also worked hard and called in favors from friends, inevitably winning the challenge and raising an even more impressive $332,120 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, primarily through the generous donation of one particular donor, restauranteer Carlos Urbaneja, who wrote a check for $305,000. The rest of the $27,120 was raised in the same manner that Team Forte raised their money for charity, through a few donations, big and small. In addition, the men's team also earned $35,000 from Rachel Ray who chose their sandwich to be superior in taste and presentation, earning them a total of $367,120.

Game over. Team Unanimous won fair and square and it was clear that one member of Team Forte would go home. Model and business entrepreneur Cheryl Tiegs admitted that this type of competition was not her cup of tea, and she left of her own accord.

However, in an odd maneuver, which I believe left a lot of us scratching our heads, Trump awarded the money raised by Team Forte, all $126,962 to Team Unanimous' charity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, bringing their total to $494,120 and the money raised for the Wayuu Taya Foundation became, well... zero.

Broadway star Aubrey O'Day attempted to plead with Mr. Trump, asking him to turn over the donation that they raised for the Wayuu Taya Foundation to that charity. However, Trump cut her off, saying "No no, because I know what you're gonna say... and you really do have to give it to Paul, and also a great charity, Make-A-Wish."

However, is this even legal?

I believe it is neither ethical, nor legal, to raise money for one charity, then turn that money over to another. In fact, I believe this may technically be fraud.

Charitable giving is highly regulated by the IRS in order to prevent just anyone from claiming to be a non-profit. The percentage of a gift which becomes tax deductible varies by the type of charity. It is even on tape, that the donors believed that they were giving their money to the Wayuu Taya Foundation, and yet, their money has instead been turned over to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Even Make-A-Wish would probably find it difficult to accept a donation under such a premise. The cold hard cruel rules of the corporate world, which robs from Peter to pay Paul, cannot be applied here -- it is simply not correct.

The Trump Foundation itself should make good. They should pony up the missing money, all $126,962 to the Wayuu Taya Foundation, at no penalty to Make-A-Wish, nor toward Velasquez, nor toward any of the celebrity contestants, nor towards the NBC network.

It is the right thing to do. It is the ethical and legal thing to do.

Warp Speed ahead to Celebrity Apprentice

George Takai is featured on this season of Celebrity Apprentice.

I have to admit, that I simply do not like Donald Trump. I also don’t like the TV show, the Apprentice, either, because I feel that Trump is a male chauvinistic pig who endorses outdated stereotypes that males and females should play different roles in the workplace. I soldiered through the first season in 2004, gritting my teeth and biting my lip in anger over the obvious inequalities in his personal choices of winners and losers in each challenge. If I worked for him, he would undoubtedly dub me a witch.

However, this is Celebrity Apprentice, not the Apprentice and I’m pushing all of my feelings aside to watch the show this season. Why? It benefits charity causes rather than individuals. And this season, for the first time, it features famous people even I’ve actually heard of. And what awesome people they are!

Listed in no particular order:

George Takai (pronounced Teh-kay) — Perhaps the most well known of this season’s contestants is George Takai of Star Trek fame. Takai portrayed Lieutenant Sulu, the chief helmsman, piloting the gigantean Star Trek Enterprise throughout the galaxies, propelling the ship at full speed ahead, to warp 9. Takai is an avid publisher of jokes on Facebook, sharing hilarious cartoons, videos, and other humorous tidbits.
Charity: Japanese American National Museum

Debbie Gibson — Every girl wanted to be Debbie Gibson when I was a kid. She was a role model and idyllic teenager with a cute PG taste for fashion. Her songs still resonate within me, and I find myself humming along to “Lost in Your Eyes” in the drug store and reminiscing about old crushes when I hear “Only in My Dreams.”
Charity: Children International

Clay Aiken — Clay Aiken was the boy next door, crooning out a beautiful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to earn 2nd place in Season 2 of American Idol.
Charity: National Inclusion Project

Cheryl Tiegs — I mostly know her for her pin up posters modeling swimsuits for Sports Illustrated and commercials where she peddled everything from Cover Girl makeup, Clairol hair color, cars, cigarettes, and her own clothing line at Sears. She currently sells a line of wigs and accessories through Revlon.
Charity: The Farrah Fawcett Foundation

Adam Carolla — What has Carolla not done? A guy with a packed resume, and a jack-of-all-trades, he’s currently an extremely hip and popular online DJ. He’s an avid car enthusiast, skilled carpenter, former boxing trainer, and real estate investor. On his online radio show, he is able to find humor in normally mundane everyday tasks, interviews top celebrities, and dissects the guts out of local Los Angeles politics.
Charity: Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters

Lou Ferigno — The Incredible Hulk! That big green guy who Bill Bixby turned into when he got angry. Yeah!
Charity: Muscular Dystrophy Association

Tia Carrera — A gorgeous actress who portrays beautiful intelligent women, I first watched her on General Hospital. She’s also been in movies, such as Wayne’s World and Lilo and Stitch.
Charity: After-School All-Stars

Arsenio Hall — Host of a fun TV show that never should have been cancelled. Arseniooooooo Hall! We want you back on late night!
Charity: Magic Johnson Foundation

Michael Andretti — Race car driver extraordinaire, he now owns his own team, Andretti Autosport. We love love love him here in central Florida where his team returns each year to participate in races in Daytona Beach.
Charity: Racing for Cancer

Penn Jillette — The speaking half of the famous magic act, Penn and Teller, I know him for his occasional drop in role as Drell on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
Charity: Opportunity Village

Dee Snider — At first, I didn’t recognize this handsome elegant silver fox. Then I clicked on his bio… Oh! He was that guy? That guy in the makeup in Twisted Sister? Well, of course I’ve heard of him. Snider is the lead singer for that great band who is responsible for writing the angry teenage anthem, “We’re Not Gonna Take It!’”...anymore!
Charity: March of Dimes

Paul Teutul, Sr. — Another Central Florida icon, Paul Teutul is best known for his role on American Chopper which brought him and his camera crew to Bike Week in Daytona Beach. He may be rough around the edges, but he can be a real sweetheart.
Charity: Make-A-Wish Foundation

Aubrey O'Day — Broadway star and former member of the hip hop band, Danity Kane, earning one gold and two platinum records.
Charity: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)

Dayana Mendoza — Miss Universe 2008.
Charity: Latino Commission on AIDS

Lisa Lampanelli — Comedian.
Charity: Gay Men's Health Crisis

Patricia Velasquez — Latino Supermodel and actress, appearing in TV shows such as CSI Miami and films such as The Mummy.
Charity: The Wayuu Taya Foundation

Teresa Giudice — star of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."
Charity: The NephCure Foundation

Victoria Gotti — Best selling author.
Charity: Association to Benefit Children


I am personally unfamiliar with the following celebrity contestants: Aubrey O’Day, Dayana Mendoza, Lisa Lampanelli, Patricia Velasquez, Teresa Giudice, and Victoria Gotti, but hope to get to know them as I watch the show each week.

I’ll be rooting for all of the contestants in hopes that their favorite charity will receive some much needed attention and funding. I appreciate the good work that Donald Trump is doing with this show, and hope there are positive outcomes for all involved.

The show airs tonight at 9 PM on NBC. (Channel 4 or 1020 on Brighthouse Cable here in Orlando).

The Simpsons reach 500 episodes

The Simpsons as they originally appeared on the Tracey Ullman show in 1987.

Tonight features the 500th episode of America’s favorite primetime TV cartoon: The Simpsons. In 1987, the show debuted as silly shorts during the Tracey Ullman show, a one-hour comedy and music variety show. Drawn by cartoonist Matt Groening, it featured parodies of everyday middle class American life and features Homer, an employee of a nuclear power plant; his wife Marge donned with a stack of glorious blue hair; his brainiac daughter Lisa; his trouble-maker son Bart; and his adorable baby, Maggie.

In 1989, The Simpsons was given its own half hour time slot on FOX. It was an instant hit, and FOX television wisely capitalized on it’s popularity by repeating the same episode in additional time slots during the week, boosting ratings and revenue even further. It became the show that built FOX TV into the powerhouse that it is today.

Tonight’s episode shows the Simpsons being kicked out of town, and then trying to sneak back in.

It will air at 8 PM on FOX. That is channel 3 here in central Florida on Brighthouse Cable TV.

Some of the many characters who have appeared on The Simpsons.

Duet featuring Amy Winehouse and Tony Bennett airs tonight on PBS

Before you head out to the clubs, catch Tony Bennett performing a few very romantic and emotional duets with several of my favorite artists on Great Performances, an interview series airing on PBS tonight, Friday Jan. 27 from 9 PM to 10:30 PM. That's channel 1 here in Orlando on Brighthouse Cable (WBCC also airs on channels 455 and HD 1001). The show will focus on the recording of his newest project, Duets II, featuring Bennett with several of today's top performers of all genres.

Bennett travelled the world, recording in a variety of studios hand-picked to capture the perfect feel for Duets II, which he released on August 3 of 2011 to coincide with his 85th birthday. This was the second CD of this nature, the first being Duets: An American Classic. Duets II debuted at number one on Billboard's Top 200, in part due to the untimely passing of the Grammy award winning Amy Winehouse, who is one of the artists featured. The Duets II CD is also nominated for a Grammy.

It should be quite cool, a blending of old and new, hip and current with an institution – the fabulous Tony Bennett, who manages to continue to captivate audiences of all ages. A few performers featured tonight are: Lady Gaga, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, John Mayer, and Queen Latifah.

The recordings are artfully done. A fun note: several of the duets were recorded at Ben Fold's symphony-sized studio (Ben's Studio) in Nashville, TN, including: Carrie Underwood, Alejandro Sanz, Faith Hill, and Willie Nelson.

The CD itself is a veritable who's who of the music industry. Here is the track listing:

1. The Lady Is A Tramp -- Lady Gaga
2. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) -- John Mayer
3. Body And Soul -- Amy Winehouse
4. Don't Get Around Much Anymore -- Michael Bublé
5. Blue Velvet -- k.d. lang
6. How Do You Keep The Music Playing -- Aretha Franklin
7. The Girl I Love -- Sheryl Crow
8. On The Sunny Side Of The Street -- Willie Nelson
9. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) -- Queen Latifah
10. Speak Low -- Norah Jones
11. This Is All I Ask -- Josh Groban
12. Watch What Happens -- Natalie Cole
13. Stranger In Paradise -- Andrea Bocelli
14. The Way You Look Tonight -- Faith Hill
15. Yesterday I Heard The Rain -- Alejandro Sanz
16. It Had To Be You -- Carrie Underwood
17. When Do The Bells Ring For Me -- Mariah Carey

Taking on the Jazz challenge – Submit Jazz music TV performances you’ve seen here

Afro-Blue playfully attacks Sing-Off Judge Ben Folds

The Sing-Off a cappella singing competition TV show was unexpectedly amiss in controversy this year after Afro-Blue, the 9-member a cappella class-turned-performance-group from Howard University in Washington, D.C. was eliminated by the panel of expert judges on the brink of the semi-finals.

To say that viewers at home were disappointed is a bit of an understatement as social media was flooded with comments. Many of my personal friends told me that Afro-Blue was their favorite group, and although Pentatonix was my favorite by a long shot, I honestly could not understand why Afro-Blue was eliminated. America should have been given the opportunity to vote for them, perhaps allowing four groups to move forward as was done last year. They may have won, or at the very least, come in second place.

As it was, Pentatonix came in first, the Dartmouth Aires won second, and Urban Method won third after the public voted on these three choices. The public could not vote for Afro-Blue -- they were knocked out at the eleventh hour by the judges, Sara Bareilles and Ben Folds. Shawn Stockman was the only judge of the three who felt they should move forward instead.

Judge Ben Folds explained his reasoning for choosing the Dartmouth Aires over Afro-Blue in his Nov. 21, 2011 blog posted on NBC’s Sing-Off Website:

“Afro-Blue stands for excellence in music education and for the great underdog American art form of jazz. Neither of these concepts often leads to lucrative ventures and both are under-represented on TV and radio.”

Essentially, Folds was saying in so many words in his blog that he feels that Afro-Blue is not as marketable as the Dartmouth Aires. Folds confessed that Afro-Blue was his own favorite group as well and that “they were actually great TV, and they could make records. They have a charm and charisma that transcends drama and competition.” However, he felt that they simply wouldn’t make as much money as the Dartmouth Aires could with a Sony Recording contract, the grand prize in the Sing-Off a cappella competition.

I think most of us at home just figured that was a bunch of hooey.

It's not hard to tell that pop, rock, hip-hop, and country are the big money makers today. However, I feel that Folds is incorrect in claiming that jazz won't make money since he feels that by appealing to a small, elite group of intelligent listeners, it won’t sell in the big mainstream market. But, does it need to sell in the mainstream market to make money?

I’m a huge Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five fan, and I have to say, he isn’t all that mainstream himself. Survey a few friends and you’ll find maybe one in ten people, depending on their ages, who have even heard of him (you may have to sing a few bars of Brick or Rockin’ the Suburbs). However, Ben Folds made Sony Records a good deal of money. Why? Because Ben Folds fans tend to be super fans. They will buy all of his CDs and tickets to shows in their area, spend money on T-shirts and other miscellaneous swag, and invest in collectible vinyl record versions of his CDs.

I think the same could be said for jazz lovers. There’s a lot of money to be made in that market, but perhaps, as Folds expains, that market is a bit untapped at the moment. Such a shame!

Folds challenged TV viewers in his latest blog on November 28, 2011, to “Survey the year's prime time network programming and get back to me with a list of live jazz performances you saw - hell, make that ten years.”

• Live Performances – When Folds says “live,” I assume that he means actual bands playing the music, since nearly all primetime (save sports) is taped these days, and since I could probably meet this challenge in one or two weeks if I were allowed to simply list all of the jazz music tracks played in the background behind serious dramatic scenes on hit TV shows.
• Network – By network, I assume Folds means the big seven: ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, NBC, PBS and TBS, as opposed to say, BET or the Jazz channel, which would also make this challenge far too easy.
• Primetime – Folds also asks that we find these performances in prime time, which is defined by Answers.com as “The evening hours, generally between 7 and 11 P.M., when the largest television audience is available,” as opposed to late night or daytime. That eliminates the obvious: Conan, Kimmel, Letterman, Leno, Fallon, and Ferguson. It also knocks out their counterparts greeting us each morning: the Today Show, Good Morning America, the Early Show, Good Day, and CBS Sunday morning, who coincidentally featured a segment on kids dancing to a jazz band playing in the subway this past Sunday. Unfortunately, it also counts out midday talk shows, such as (The show formerly known as) Live with Regis and Kelly (since Regis “moved on” this past month) and the Ellen DeGeneres show.

Since we are currently in the midst of the Christmas holiday season, I think we can probably find a few jazz performances during prime time on major networks in the next month.

Please keep your ears and eyes peeled and get back to me if you see something worth watching. If you can, please take the time to comment here or email me at TVgrrrrl@gmail.com.

I think one possible hit might be on tonight’s Sing-Off, which will feature a few holiday favorites. If I see a version of Eartha Kitt’s Santa Baby, I’m counting that as one. The show airs tonight between 8 pm and 10 pm on NBC (WESH 2 here in Orlando, on Channel 4 and 1020 on Brighthouse Cable).

So, X-Factor, the Voice, American Idol, I hope you’re listening. Serve me up some jazz, pretty please!

We’ll keep track here in this blog and post updates to Dr. Folds, who adds in his blog:

“When I say it's a miracle that we got vocal jazz on TV, I'm speaking reality. Further, I'm not commenting on the intelligence of the viewers but instead on the tolerance, systems, research, and paradigm of reality TV… You can hide under a rock and ignore it, or you can roll up your sleeves and get inside it and try to make a change. But expect to take some knocks because reality is more complicated than reality TV.”

Someone had to wear the Black Hat on the Sing-Off

The votes are in as of 9 a.m. this morning, the tally is being counted, and we will soon know who the Sing-Off a cappella winner is for Season III. That group, either Pentatonix, Urban Method, or the Dartmouth Aires, will walk home with a $200,000 cash prize and a coveted Sony Music Recording Contract, no small potatoes. The finale, hosted by Nick Lachey, will air on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC (WESH 2 here in Orlando, Channel 4 or 1020 on Brighthouse Cable) and will feature a guest star appearance performance by Smokey Robinson.

Last Monday’s show was a bit of a shock to many of us who not only assumed that Afro-Blue, a diverse 9-member jazzy-blues a cappella singing class from Howard University in Washington D.C., would be a finalist, we wondered if perhaps they might inevitably walk home with the grand prize. However, in an upset, the judges instead chose the Dartmouth Aires, an all male 15-member a cappella group from Dartmouth University in Hanover, New Hampshire, for the third and final spot.

I myself was amiss – I like the Dartmouth Aires and feel that they are by far the most entertaining group on stage. However, the judges repeatedly pointed out that they were picking a group for the purpose of making a hit record, not putting on a show. And to me, Afro-Blue was a shoo in.

The decision to axe Afro-Blue was placed upon Ben Folds shoulders, although technically, he was one of two judges, the other being Sara Bareilles, who chose the Dartmouth Aires a cappella group over Afro-Blue. Only one judge, Shawn Stockman, felt that Afro-Blue would be a better choice.

Soon after the show aired, the insults began to fly, and Folds’ twitter and facebook walls were bombarded with criticisms, some quite nasty, some attempting to be understanding, but nearly all in disagreement.

It was good that we, the TV viewing public, voiced our unhappiness.

However, as disappointed as I am with Fold’s decision, I would never want to devalue all of the wonderful good he has done for the Sing-Off and the a cappella music genre over the past three years, even longer if you count his work with college a cappella groups featured on his CD, University A Cappella. Folds has been a real asset to the show. In his reviews of each contestant’s performances, he has explained complex musical terms in easy to understand language, pointed out the tiniest of group achievements, and politely suggested improvements for future performances, all of which have earned him the honorary title of Professor Folds. Without Dr. Folds on board, I, quite frankly, simply would not watch the show.

The judges were intentionally chosen by the Sing-Off producers for their diverse backgrounds in the music industry in an effort to offer a balanced appraisal of how successful a group will fair in today’s music market. Shawn Stockman represents the rhythm and blues, and hip hop side of the coin; Ben Folds represents the alternative, anti-folk, pop-rock music industry; and Sara Bareilles, a former a cappella group member herself, represents the pop and country music markets. Each judge brings a different and equally valuable opinion to the table of what will sell and what will not.

Between the three judges, a consensus would be made, since there could be no ties with an odd number of votes.

With so many talented groups on the docket, it’s no wonder there were fewer unanimous decisions this year. For the first time ever, a sing-off was held, where the bottom two groups had to perform another song to make it easier to compare the two competitors side by side. In fact, the final decision between Afro-Blue and the Dartmouth Aires was also made after a sing-off.

The judges made their choices with a great deal of knowledge, careful thought, consideration, and heart, based on their own personal experiences. Their choices were not an issue of favoritism, “selling-out,” or prejudice. They each chose wisely based on what they know personally about making it in the music business.

It’s a shame that someone had to be the “bad guy,” and pick one group over another to proceed to the finals. However, that burden fell on the shoulders of Ben Folds in this final round. I have to admire him for sticking to his guns, not backing down, and believing in his own opinion.

That being said, I would not be at all surprised if all of this negative publicity boosts Afro-Blue cosmically into outer space with their first record deal, which will no doubt be on the horizon, if not announced on tomorrow’s finale show. Everyone loves an underdog, especially one who is believed to have been given an unfair shake. I am and will always be one of their biggest fans and look forward to purchasing their first CD, after it is released.