LennieBriscoe

Awwww, I gotta admit to SERIOUS disappointment this morning. :-( Stood for a goodly time outside GMA, expecting the finalists to dance a bit, as has been known to occur. NOT ONLY was there no outdoors dancing (Edited to note: Yes, there was, by four members of the "B" squad of pros.), but..... Mark didn't come out at all. Val/Ginger and Nyle/Peta did when they first arrived, with Nyle holding the MBT, but neither Nyle nor Val EVER turned around to look at the fans, not even to the side (I have only a few profile pix of Nyle). Forget about "selfies" or autographs. Yet hope springs eternal, y'all, so I grabbed a taxi to "Kelly &.Whoever," knowing from past experiences that guests often come out to sign items before leaving. Arrived same time as Nyle, who went quickly inside with Peta (Alpha Male reached back to take her hand). Afterwards? They left the exit area already in their SUV, with Nyle giving a quick wave. Fans (not including me) later caught up to Mark's vehicle at a red light, and HE gave autographs. I'm glad I went, just to KNOW how it was. But I'm not pleased with the non-interaction with fans, especially given the nature of the show. P.S. I'm also happy that I was able to see Nyle AT ALL, about 8 feet from me!!

But isn't that what some posters are asking for in regards to Nyle--- judging that is "technically correct"?

I forget: Did people gripe that votes were going Antonio Brown's way because of "Steeler Nation"? To Noah Galloway, when he "just stood there" (we aren't giving any quarter to "handicaps" remember?)? Or to JR Martinez or Alek Skarlatos because of their acts of heroism? To Nick Carter from BB fans? Did anyone really think that the NFL's Emmett Smith and Donald Driver won because they out-did Mario Lopez and William Levy, respectively, on dance technique alone? Nyle was "out of synch" on the floor? By what, a half-second? Maybe in a world of completely objective scoring and unarguable "fairness," Nyle wouldn't be in the DWTS Finale. But that world isn't Earth, where even the scoring of Olympics judges have been suspect too often. So if a beautiful and brave (he might have simply forgotten everything that first night, lost in silence and confusion) young man who has demonstrated he can dance, and dance extremely well---it's not like Nyle has been getting grade-school "Participation Awards"--- with no knowledge of what "music" is, employing just sight; touch, intelligence, and his own natural rhythm, IF THAT MAN WINS even whilst having been "out of synch" a few times throughout, I say: GOOD FOR HIM! GO, NYLE and PETA!

And perhaps "if America votes for" Paige, "they" are voting because they like women in traditionally male sports. And "if America votes for" Ginger, maybe "they" are voting because they watch GMA daily. I'll go with the known professional dancer-judges and their scoring. Three "10's" for Nyle's Freestyle from them? What do THEY know, anyway?!

Who knew "Reality TV Competitor" is a viable career goal? I guess we need to see The Usual Suspects because there just aren't enough new wannabes waiting in the wings. *sarcasm*

Can't take any more of Martita or of "Southern cooking."

Well, if Maks sees this post-dance photo: http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/nyle-dimarco-deaf-dwts-finalist-on-overcoming-the-odds-w206736 ;-)

As I said, Nyle is on a mission, one supported (apparently) by the show. Was he the best model on ANTM? Where are the objective criteria? Same for DWTS. If "best absolute dancer" were the criterion, non-pro viewers wouldn't be allowed to vote. Dancing, like every art beyond painting-by-numbers or singing-by-following-the-bouncing-ball (Boomer reference, heh), involves more than perfect posture, pointed toes, and precise steps. It includes emotion, attitude, creativity, and, with the best, charisma. Maybe Nyle couldn't "progress" more with his actual dancing; maybe he has reached his limit of movement by sheer memorization, now that the episodes involve multiple dances. But I maintain that he has progressed with his emotional output and his (and Peta's) creativity. As for charisma, ....!!

Re: The presence of Maks. Well, Peta IS dancing with one hot dude! ;-) Speaking of whom: I adore Nyle. He's an amateur of the first order (his background doesn't include a mother who owned a dance studio, e.g.); he can't hear the music; he has shown, especially last night, an ability to dramatize the lyrics and the routine; and he has pushed himself, even if only for brief moments, to overcome even more. The blindfold was not, as I first thought, a silly gimmick (and anyway, the show has its own, no? Triple dancers, partner switches, etc.) Upon reflection, I think Nyle---the silence, the same-sex choreo, the blindfold---is attempting to convey something profound, to wit: That people can be outside the desired "norm"---maybe dance to a non-existent drummer, maybe waltz with the same sex, maybe know beauty only though melody and movement---and yet be within the admired norm, with a strong work ethic and a good heart. More than any other show extant, DWTS has promoted the triumph of the human spirit over perceived adversity. If the viewing public and the judges think that Nyle is the one who deserves this victory no matter his sometimes imperfect performances, who can say anyone has lost? The Silver Disco Ball comprises mirrors that reflect us all.

I love Nyle, but the undressed gimmick is now just that. I guess Maks thinks so, too, as he's coming back with an eagle eye. Hee.

Clay "sang back-up" for Ruben? I saw Clay sing a solo! Why did Pia Toscano get a solo, is the question, if we're going to say that no-one should sing one if they're not of Kelly caliber! I can't find that there have been any other "Idol Top 10" deaths besides that of Michael Johns. To recognize any below Top 10 would have been weird, but MJ? Yes, should have had a mention. Well, it's all troubled water under the bridge now. Back to finding their own path to success, whatever Season they were on. P.S. Remember the not-on-the-Finale Lazaro?

"Athleisure." Shoot me now.

I think Idol should have given this season a tour. People would come out for one last time at the rodeo.

Josh Gracin just personified "cutting off his nose to spite his face." It's such a good career move NOT to appear in front of millions.

Adam has a prior job commitment. He was shown speaking during the "Ford" segment and was featured prominently on Tuesday's show. Bwah! The unrecognized "five guys" for the Bowie tribute were ALL PAST WINNERS: Kris Allen; Phil Phillips; Nick Fradiani; David Cook; and Lee DeWyze. People griping on Twitter? WTH for, because somehow LaP was robbed? Like they're even going to support her after tonight. MY question is: Others sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water," not Clay?!

Judge Ito WAS a fame-whore. He ran his courtroom differently from the Manson Trial judge. (Source of quotations: The book upon which this series is based: "The Run of His Life: The People VS. O. J. Simpson." Toobin, Jeffrey. Ch. 12, pp. 226---241) 1. Re: Statement outside the jury's presence: Nobody knew who Manson was; that is, he was just another defendant who would be expected to proclaim his innocence. OJ, on the other hand, well, "on Wednesdays and week-ends" his words might just find their way to the "sequestered" jurors---what Clark feared and why she objected. 2. Ito controversially allowed cameras in the courtroom. "At his core, Ito loved the attention that the cameras brought...." 3. He "beamed" when he showed author Toobin the autographed Arsenio Hall photo. 4. But most egregiously, not only did Ito hold up the trial while meeting in chambers with Larry King (who came with an entourage); he revealed to King PRIOR TO the court his decision NOT to allow a call to a battered-woman shelter made by Nicole five days before her murder (Side-note: Compare that decision to his about the "Fuhrman tapes.") (a decision concurred with by the book's author, for what it's worth). Larry. King. 5. "Frequently during the trial, Ito behaved like just another celebrity-crazed resident of Los Angeles,...."

I have few friends, all of whom I met via this show, Season 2 and Clay specifically. As much as what the contestants owe to this show, I owe everything. I will miss "American Idol" very much. Wouldn't it be great if a Retro-network could just re-run it all?

Cuba Gooding, Jr., owes his agent BIG-time for getting him a role he was in every way imaginable unsuited for. Too small of stature, too wrinkled, too dramatic with facial expressions, too gruff-voiced, too NOT-OJ! And this last stands out especially as the rest of the cast is so spot-on (yes, even Travolta. I think the real Fuhrman is more handsome than the actor, though, but it's a minor quibble.). Ito allowed OJ to speak because Ito was ridiculously impressed by famous people. That male juror's "Black Power" salute said it all, really, re: the verdict. The jurors regarded the defendant as a Black American, whereas he himself did not. Cochran's shameless use of the Nation of Islam "guards" was brother under the skin to the "Fuhrman tapes." Can one just imagine the hue and cry had Fuhrman shown up at court with Aryan Nation "guards"? Too bad, so sad, Robert K. You sided with a killer instead of Lady Justice. You are NOT a sympathetic character. But at least your name is now, via your spawn, forever tarnished.

Was Taylor a surprise victor? I don't recall it that way, what with "Soul Patrol" and all. And anyway, good on him for besting the super-connected-to-Idol-and-therefore-probably-TCO McPhee, now of "Scorpion." I wouldn't mind a big group swan song from the Season 2 Tour: "I've Had the Time of My Life (And I Owe It All to You)."

Team Nyle.

Only a fool would argue that racism is non-existent amongst American police departments. The problem with the "racist cop(s) planting evidence to frame OJ" theory is that nobody---NOBODY---looked at OJ Simpson and said, "Black man," including Simpson himself. Moreover, WERE the police so inclined to go after OJ to lock him up just because he is African-American, they'd had more than a few chances earlier with the crimes of assault and battery. "I think you know who he is," said Nicole, once again left to her own devices. Instead, the LA police played tennis with OJ Simpson! From February 2, 1995: "O.J. Simpson's long and usually friendly relationship with the Los Angeles Police Department snapped into sharper focus Wednesday, as a former officer testified that he often played tennis at Simpson's Rockingham Avenue estate and had introduced a parade of 40 awe-struck and autograph-seeking colleagues to the former football great. Former Officer Ronald G. Shipp, taking the stand during Simpson's murder trial, offered the latest and most specific examples of the closeness that existed between Simpson and police officers at the West Los Angeles Division, charged with patrolling his neighborhood. Prosecutors have alleged that such a pattern of contacts made Nicole Simpson feel powerless to call on police to protect her from an abusive spouse whose physical attacks, they assert, escalated to murder on June 12. Simpson has pleaded not guilty to charges that he murdered his ex-wife and her friend, Ronald Lyle Goldman. Since the beginning of the murder case, details have emerged about a number of on- and off-duty contacts between Simpson and LAPD members, raising questions about preferential treatment or inappropriate behavior--which have prompted internal police investigations on several fronts." http://articles.latimes.com/1995-02-02/news/mn-27324_1_nicole-simpson No, no police or detectives spontaneously decided to pick the murder night, a night of unknowns, the prime one's being OJ's whereabouts, to "frame" Orenthal James Simpson.

Well, THAT was disturbing to hear. Good Lord. The irony? Fuhrman became a darned good true-crime writer, and didn't need to go this "sensationalist" nauseating route to impress (and successfully, heh) this dame. Fuhrman found THE damning piece of evidence! Not something over anyone's head like DNA; not something missing like the shoes; not something fungible like the time-line; not something dismissible (apparently) like spousal abuse; not evidence taken away and kept in someone's car. Moreover, Mark Fuhrman was a prosecutor's dream: A handsome-as-a-movie-star man; a dedicated detective; a confident and seemingly forthright witness. But Marcia couldn't see the forest, while Chris Darden could. Alas, "You only wanted a Black face; you didn't want a Black voice."

Francine Florio-Bunten, the targeted (White) juror of the anonymous "shopping a book" note, never wrote a book. Never was the allegation proven against her. There was nobody in any literary agency (the supposed workplace of the note-sender) who could be identified as the writer. No literary agency claimed any contact with F-B or her husband. The source was never discovered. F-B was dismissed because Ito did not believe she had not seen a warning note scribbled, allegedly to her, by another juror on the margins of a newspaper. He said she was lying, and that was that.

Robert Kardashian did not write a book about OJ Simpson.

Assessing the real trial and its results from the TV show is a fool's errand. Not every witness is being shown, and not all the testimony is offered of those witnesses who ARE included. But yes, MR. FUNG! did shake the hands of the Dream Team.