She can't sing for shit. Word on the streets is that her daddy bought her a record contract and paid off radio stations to play her music. Seeing her perform lives just tells me that he pretty much had no choice, she wasn't going to get by on talent.

Yeah, I was completely shocked - I've never really heard her stuff before and I've been wondering. When she started singing my jaw hit the floor. And then when her background singer chimed in, it was even more obvious how weak and lame her voice was. And what's this trend with country bands dressing like they are in tough rock bands? I mean the guitar player was totally copping Pete Wentz's schtick. Shit, the background singer/fiddle player threw her hair around more than your average Slayer fan/stripper! Believe me, there was nothing to rock out about. I guess the costuming and rawk posturing was to take your attention away from the fact that Taylor Swift can't sing and is nothing more than a pouting fembot. Oy.

I've been wondering if I was the only one who didn't get the whole Taylor Swift thing. I generally keep my mouth shut about it since I figure a bazillion people have bought her records, so there's no point in opening a can of worms on that one when I actually don't care that much. Still, good to know that it's actually a "thing" and not just my ears playing tricks on me. Her songs are average, but decent enough so it seems to me that she's more suited to be the gal who showcases her songs with the intention of having other people sing them. I do enjoy that she seemed genuinely excited and filled with joy at the end of her first song. She might not sound good, but it's nice to see an SNL musical guest that actually looks like they want to be there for a change. As for NPH: loved the monologue (even though it seemed like two unrelated monologues crammed together), liked the Broadway sketch and looooooooooved the digital short. It sucks that NBC hasn't put that on line. I mean, c'mon. Buy the frickin rights for a few days, assholes. That bit needs to be out there for all to see. He was a great host. As usual the material was hit or miss, but it was fun for the most part. His "and thrust, and thrust" part of the Kathy Lee Gifford/Hoda Kotb skit cracked me up. And could Wiig's KLG be any more dead on? That sketch was like a reenactment of their daily bullshit filled hour of pointlessness, not satire.

And could Wiig's KLG be any more dead on? That sketch was like a reenactment of their daily bullshit filled hour of pointlessness, not satire. KLG makes me cringe - poor Hoda. KW did a great job.

KLG makes me cringe - poor Hoda. KW did a great job. You can see Hoda dying inside everytime she and KLG are on screen together. She's gotta be thinking, "I used to have a real job and now I'm stuck next to this fruitbat of a woman for an hour everyday". Wiig nailed it. In Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs or maybe Fargo Rock City, neither of which I have handy at the moment, Chuck Klosterman pointed out that you can take any modern country video, mute it and play hair metal and the narratives will line up perfectly. I think it might be the former even though it's been so long since I read either that I can't recall for sure. I just remember he had an awesome country music entry in that one. Stupid Taylor Swift and bitches like her. There are talented people in this town. Real, honest musicians with heart and inspiration. Hell, I ate dinner with a bunch of 'em last night, but she's the one on SNL. Sucks. The thing that confuses me is that I've seen chicks on, like, the audition episodes of "American Idol" or "America's Got Talent" or any of those reality talent show whatsits who have stronger voices then her and they don't even make it past the audition stage. There's no range, no power, no nothing there. And while I have no problem understanding that careers are bought and sold everyday, I really can't grasp why there are so many people into her when she's just not that great. What doesn't suck is NPH's anti-Fred Savage rant ("Why don't you kiss me?" "Not now!") That was so, so, so funny. The second half of the monologue was a little weak, but I love his whole "you didn't really think that one out" response to Fred's attempt to zing him.

I'm not a Taylor Swift fan by any means but, from what I understand, she does write her own songs. I can respect that about her.

Hence my comment above about showcasing her songs for others. Back to NPH, since it's nowhere to be found, here's the digital short: http://www.vimeo.com/2796105

After looking up Taylor Swift lyrics I have to say if she's paying someone to write that crap she's getting ripped off. And if she wrote it herself, which I really hope she did, it just further proves that someone bought her fame. Thanks for the link to the digital short. The Today show skit needed more NPH. Why is there 4 hrs of Today, anyway? Add that to the 5 hrs of Leno in primetime--does NBC show anything scripted except Law & Order SVU and Thursday night comedies?

Her stuff sounds like your typical tween journal entries, so as far as the subject matter goes, it doesn't surprise me that she appeals to tweens. But, she's eighteen. Or nineteen? She's either going to have to pay people soon or she's going to have to grow up. Of course, there's a good chance she's not going to be around in a couple of years, so it might not come to that. Then again, Ashlee fucking Simpson's still making records. Bleh. I wish I knew why they added that fourth hour. It's absurd.

Oh...I just got to this week's HIMYM. Poor Barney. :-( Though I totally love the comparison shopping for TVs to bust up in the alley and the fact that he stole Share Bear. Also, totally awesome that their Heidi and Spencer stuntcasting involved the subplot about taking a dump. I got no beef with that Kardashian chick or the poor chick from Hef's harem that didn't even get a closeup, but that Spedi shit has long passed the point where I enjoy laughing at their famewhoring and now they just piss me off.

Wow. It sounds like Ugly Betty is dead. That's a show I loved in its first year, tolerated through half of the second and was frustrated by the few times I'd seen it since, but I'm surprised at how much a one-time hot show collapsed in the ratings. According to a separate story in the Washington Post, Lisa DeMores says that while ABC hasn't canceled it, they also haven't ordered new episodes, so ...

The only thing keeping me from thinking that things are dire for Betty is the fact that ABC has nothing. Unless some of the midseason stuff hits (and I can't imagine that if they couldn't make "Pushing Daisies" or "Eli Stone" work that they're going to have luck with the "Cupid" reboot or keeping "Life on Mars" afloat) they're screwed. They've already lost four full hours of programming, not even counting the reality shows that failed instantly. They're propping up Mondays with extended eps of "The Bachelor" and I have my doubts that "Scrubs" is going to be brought back since, in spite of it doing fairly well, they're already moving it. Nevermind that most of the cast would be gone, so it'd pretty much be a spin off in the same setting. I just don't know what ABC's doing other than behaving suspiciously like NBC. I really enjoy "Samantha Who" and the network seems all nuts about it, but it's gonna get clobbered on Thursdays. "Bones" is doing well, "Survivor" will soon be back and even if Earl is down, it's still not dead. Plus, never underestimate how low NBC will go to avoid dealing with their own problems by pouncing on the weakness of another network. That's a show I loved in its first year, tolerated through half of the second and was frustrated by the few times I'd seen it since, but I'm surprised at how much a one-time hot show collapsed in the ratings. It's rebounded a bit this season, but I'm finding that I enjoy it a lot more when I bank a few eps and watch them back to back to back. It's easier for me to get invested in things like Daniel's romantic life when it's all happening quickly instead of being dragged out for weeks and weeks. Gotta be honest, though, I was really starting to get into it again when they pulled it for the Bush speech and now finding that it's going to be going away indefinitely is pretty disappointing. Meanwhile FOX and CBS are giggling happily in a corner, watching NBC and ABC fall completely apart. eta: and what i came here to post! http://tinyurl.com/cv9xzz jon hamm clip from upcoming "30 rock". contains clips and possibly plot spoilers. to be honest, i didn't read the text, i just looked at the pretty videos. and, once again, both liz and i desperately want to go to there.

After the cancellation-spree from last month, it's disheartening to see that ABC is a moron about other shows as well. I've always been very disappointed by the way they treated Boston Legal. Hell, they even keep moving Lost around as well.