Danielle Rises to the 'Top'! Plus the 'Idol' Moment and More From the Upfronts

Happy dance! Happy dance! Happy dance!! Danielle (right - photos courtesy UPN) is this cycle's America's Next Top Model! I was so sure that her accent was going to dog her, and I would have been so pissed because it can be fixed with a dialect coach. I swear, the judges kept harping on her accent to throw us off on the fact that they loved Danielle. I've said this before, but I just didn't see the big deal with the way that she speaks since it was something that could be rectified. Everything else about Danielle screamed model. She has the looks, the walk, the attitude, the pictures and everything else that just comes naturally. These are things that many of the other girls were lacking. I loved Joanie, but she is not quite at the same level as Danielle. She takes beautiful, chameleon- like pictures, but in person, Danielle is a better fit.
I was impressed with both girls' appearances in that incredible Thai fashion show, but Danielle was stronger. She looked like a professional model when she was up there strutting her stuff.


That CoverGirl commercial shoot was hilarious. I don't know what Jade has against learning her lines, but she was terrible. Even with the cue cards she still messed up the lines! How do you mess up the lines when you're reading them on a cue card??!! It boggles the mind. Joanie was like a two-take wonder. She is so good at taking what they tell her and using it to her advantage. Jay told her she was a caricature of herself in the first take and to try to be more natural the second time. Done! Danielle got up there, and she messed up her lines, but at least she had the excuse that she was focusing so hard on her accent that she couldn't think about anything else. The pictures from the shoot all turned out well, but Danielle's just floored me. It was so elegant, beautiful and regal and it looked exactly like a CoverGirl ad. Panel was a little nerve-wracking, but Jade's departing comments made me laugh. I love how her only regrets were about how the judges made a mistake and how they didn't understand her. Man, this girl needs to get a clue. Nobody wants to work with someone who thinks they know everything already and refuses to take advice. Jade showed no signs of amending her attitude, so eliminating her was the right decision. I was jumping for joy! To be truthful, I would have been happy with either Danielle or Joanie, but I was very excited to see Danielle win. I'm going to miss these girls when the next cycle rolls around, but not Jade of course. I will be talking to Danielle next week, so if you have any questions for her, leave me a comment and I'll try to get them answered.

The judges loved everything about Danielle (except her accent), but they seemed to be most enthralled by her beautiful photographs. Here's a montage of all of her photo shoots in order from top left through bottom right (except her CoverGirl photo which you can see above). You can click on the image to enlarge it.




The Idol Moment
No big surprise here. Elliot, although very talented, was the weakest of the three remaining contestants the other night. Ever since Chris got knocked off early, I figured Katharine and Taylor would duke it out for the top spot. If I'm being honest, Katharine is the better pick because she'll mold herself right into the Idol image, but Taylor is slightly better. He doesn't over sing, and he seems to have a lot of fun performing. Plus, Taylor would benefit more from going out on his own because he has his own unique style. Katharine is in the same tradition of Kelly Clarkson, so I can see her having a successful Idol career. So, the question is, do you vote for the most talented or the one who would benefit the most from the win? I love them both and find the decision too difficult, so I don't think I'll be voting next week. I'll be happy no matter which way this one turns out. As long as Taylor doesn't get stuck singing pseudo-soul (ala last year's runner-up Bo Bice and his pseudo-rock), I'm good.


About Last Night...NBC won the first hour of the night with Deal or No Deal, followed by Fox's Bones and the first hour of CBS' The Amazing Race. At 9, Fox took over with an hour-long Idol results show, followed by ABC's Lost and NBC's Dateline (the second hour of CBS' Race landed in fourth). The final hour of the night went to NBC's Law & Order, followed by CBS' CSI: NY and ABC's Invasion. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass: All Finales Edition~
FEATURED FINALES!!!
That 70s Show (8 p.m. Fox) - As the Formans prepare for their move to Florida, Kitty puts Red in charge of showing their home to prospective buyers. But Red scares them away, so Kitty takes over the job, only to discover it's not as easy as it looks - especially when touring the home forces her to look back at all their special family moments on the 1-hour series finale.

Will & Grace (9 p.m. NBC) - This is preceded by an hour-long retrospective special. The culmination of eight seasons' ends tonight - will Will and Grace raise a child together and find ultimate happiness? Will Jack find anyone that loves him as much as he loves himself? Will Karen find true happiness with the absence of Stan? Harry Connick, Jr., Kevin Bacon and Bobby Cannavale guest star on the 1-hour series finale.

CSI (9 p.m. CBS) - The CSI team holds vigil at Brass' bedside after he was shot in the line of duty and may not survive on the 6th season finale.

The O.C. (9 p.m. Fox) - The end of senior year is finally here, bringing the excitement of graduation and the anticipation of new lives in college and beyond, and oh yeah, word on the street is that someone dies on this 3rd season finale.

Without a Trace (10 p.m. CBS) - While investigating the disappearance of a young female former assistant district attorney, Jack and the rest of the team are blindsided when the woman's ex-boyfriend (Jason Priestley) suddenly opens fire on the FBI offices on the 4th season finale.

OTHER FINALES!!!
American Inventor (8 p.m. ABC) - 1st season finale
ER (10 p.m. NBC) - 12th season finale

To see what else you can catch on television tonight with customized listings for your area (via Zap2it), visit the TV Listings area of PassTheRemote.net.


QUICK CUTS

*UPFRONTS UPDATE: The CW officially announced its schedule (as opposed to the one from Mike Ausiello that I posted earlier) and it's identical to the earlier version, except for Sunday nights. Sundays will lead off with Everybody Hates Chris at 7 p.m. as opposed to 8 p.m., and it will be followed by All of Us, Girlfriends and new show The Game. At 9, a Top Model encore will air. I corrected the earlier version, which you can see HERE along with the new network's logo. Notice that all of us Veronica Mars/Gilmore Girls fans got the dream pairing that we wanted. According to the CW's press release, "Tuesday nights are all about girl power." If you would like to see how the fall schedule is shaping up across networks, click on over to TVGuide.com to see a grid of the new season.
To see Fox's fall schedule, click HERE.
To see CBS' fall schedule, click HERE.
To see ABC's fall schedule, click HERE.
To see NBC's fall schedule, click HERE.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.


That's all for today. I'm off tomorrow (and not a day too soon after this crazy, fun week!), BUT I will be posting a special edition of Pass the Remote tomorrow morning. So, be sure to tune in tomorrow for that, and come back Monday for a Finale Blowout edition featuring Sunday's very personal episode of Cold Case and the regular edition later that day with thoughts on the Desperate Housewives finale and all the latest television news!

To get more television coverage, including a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote and a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.