To cancel or not to cancel: do networks jump the gun when deciding a show's fate?

Conventional wisdom holds that sweeps periods, especially those in November and May, are the final shot for struggling new shows to show that they've got what it takes to keep viewers and advertisers.

These days, arguably, making it to sweeps is quite the achievement for shows, as the beginning of the 2011-12 season has already seen many casualties before the Halloween pumpkins begin to rot. Perpetual also-ran NBC made "The Playboy Club" the first canceled show of the season after only three episodes, while its "Free Agents" managed to stay on the air for four weeks. "Charlie's Angels" (ABC), "How to be a Gentleman" (CBS) and "H8R" (the CW) also faced early demises.

Early cancellations of shows are nothing new, and there are plenty of shows that get weak ratings still on the air. However, it seems as though there are more vocal critics of networks canceling shows before they find their footing. After "The Playboy Club" was canceled, star David Krumholtz fired off a rant on Twitter, ultimately tweeting (before deleting) "NBC fucked up. Retweeet that shit." Many viewers of the show, based on comments I've seen online, said that after a weak pilot, the show was beginning to find its footing.

So, here's the ultimate question: Are networks jumping the gun by not giving under-performing shows a chance? Or, are they acting smart by making room for shows that may fare better?

One could argue that both the Nielsen ratings system and the traditional network scheduling format are now out-of-date. Nielsen skews heavily toward older audiences (as it doesn't record college residence hall TVs), which likely hurts new, creatively risky shows that older or conservative audiences may shy away from (such as "Arrested Development"), and with TiVo, smartphones and VOD services, it's much easier for people to watch shows at their own leisure. With "The Playboy Club," the show was canceled within 24 hours of its third airing, which doesn't give a lot of opportunities for people to catch up, or a lot of buzz to build. In the not-so-recent-past, networks allowed shows like "The Office" to grow into cash cows after being dismissed in the onset. Could these canceled shows have grown to become hits? Audiences will never know (let's be honest ... we can probably say "no" to "H8R"). Additionally, canceling show after show reflects badly upon a network. Fox and NBC in particular seem to have a reputation for this, which means that viewers may be less likely to try new shows until they're safe bets for renewal, which doesn't bode well for shows from the get-go. Being less antsy on the big red cancellation button shows stability. Maybe a weak show won't make six seasons and a movie, but it may make it past episode three.

When looking at new media, networks may have a different perspective. DVR viewings may help the long-run ratings, but it won't help get advertisers to stick around or gain immediate buzz. How many times have you taken a "wait and see" approach to shows? Waited to see if the reviews would be good, waited to see if the show would be canceled, waited until it was on DVD? It's easier to watch shows on one's own schedule now, but in a culture where it's important to have the newest, shiniest products, networks really can't let shows languish in ratings and ad revenue limbo to see if they catch on, especially if the show is currently an expensive and high-profile risk (as "The Playboy Club" was). Let's not forget that new media makes it easier for bad press to spread. I don't know how many times I've read advanced reviews or watched leaked pilot episodes that helped me to think negatively of a show. How is a show supposed to move on from that?

As someone who often watches shows that met what may be seen as an untimely demise, I tend to side with the first theory, but the second certainly has its merits, especially as the networks try to adapt to new media. Is there a blanket "yes" or "no" answer, or is it circumstantial? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Inexplicably, shows not named Parks and Recreation win at 2011 Emmys

Above: Emmy loser Stephen Colbert (likely drunkenly) tweets about the similarly snubbed "Parks and Recreation." I wonder what those after parties are like ...


To put it simply, the 2011 Emmy Awards paled in comparison to the strong 2010 broadcast. Host Jane Lynch was likable enough, but the stereotypical jokes fell flat (A woman hates men so much, specifically, the "Entourage" cast, that she became a lesbian!) and the opening number wasn't funny or engaging. it was like the writers were actively trying make us dislike the very likable "Glee" star.

Once again, "Modern Family" took home many of the top prizes during the night, including their second consecutive Outstanding Comedy Series prize, during a season many fans and critics considered to be a step down from their freshman season (like "Glee," which, appropriately, didn't win any of the broadcast awards. Oddly, Fox, the show's broadcaster, couldn't claim any awards Sunday.). The Outstanding Comedy Series trophy belonged to "Parks and Recreation," which many critics agree found a perfect groove this year.

Supporting Actress Julie Bowen (who had the best line of the night, "I don't know what I'm going to talk about in therapy now. I won something!") and Supporting Actor Ty Burrell deserved their wins (if Nick Offerman would have been nominated for "Parks and Recreation," that would have been another story), but it was disheartening seeing "Louie" lose to "Family" in the Outstanding Writing category.

And then there was the Outstanding Actor and Actress. I knew these categories would be complete messes, and they were (granted, I expected the voters to pick Laura Linney for a show featuring characters with awful personalities that was considered edgy only due to its morose subject matter and placement on pay cable). As "Office" star Rainn Wilson said (maybe a little unprofessionally, albeit accurately):



"Big Bang Theory" star Jim Parsons once again won an award for playing himself over Steve Carell's final "Office" season, while Melissa McCarthy beat Amy Poehler, the heart of the genius that is "Parks and Recreation."

This night taught me one thing: Chuck Lorre must bribe Emmy voters. Lorre's shows are often derided by critics (and television snobs) for playing to the lowest common denominator and yet the Emmys award the actors from the shows. Stop giving Lorre's ego fuel with these awards and award good actors from good shows. It seems like Emmy voters forgot they weren't voting for the very likable McCarthy's performance in "Bridesmaids," but for yet another formulaic Lorre show ("Mike and Molly"). The same goes for Lorre's "the Big Bang Theory" and Parsons. You don't deserve an award for playing yourself, which is why, even though Louis C.K. is wonderful, I don't know if would have he deserved the award for acting (Writing? Yes. He was robbed.). Just as Jon Cryer inexplicably won for "Two and a Half Men" in 2009, Chuck Lorre gets praise, and good comedy suffers.

At least the presentation for Outstanding Actress was amusing and sweet, thanks to Poehler (also see 2009's Outstanding Supporting Actress nominees), who organized a pageant-style presentation to McCarthy. Even though these women (McCarthy, Poehler, Linney, Tina Fey and Martha Plimpton), all talented (even if the quality of their shows differ), were competing against each other, they still came together in a good-humored fashion. The classiness of these ladies as McCarthy won helps offset my anger:



Oh, and the Emmys continued their almost complete snub of "the Colbert Report." Lord knows I love "the Daily Show," but lately, Stephen Colbert has just taken with his show and ran; the show's single win in 2008 is not enough.

On a lighter note: the Lonely Island delivered with a medley of their songs, including Maya Rudolph doing a dead-on impression of Lady Gaga's role in "3 Way (The Golden Rule)." Also, I commend the person(s) who came up with the "Office" segment featuring so many stars (among them, Cee-Lo Green and his spinning "Voice" chair). I was nearly doubled over laughing at this wonderful cameo:



As for the miniseries categories, "Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)" was the big winner (writer Julian Fellowes, director Brian Percival), while "Mildred Pierce"'s Guy Pearce and Kate Winslet (now possessing the EGO portion of the EGOT) took home acting awards (along with "the Kennedys"' Barry Pepper). Also, it's a shame Dame Maggie Smith wasn't at the show, for I'm sure she would have appreciated accepting her Outstanding Supporting Actress award from the cast of the incredibly classy "Entourage."

While the comedy portion of the evening was largely devoted to "Modern Family," the drama and miniseries categories showed a little more variety. Amazingly, "Friday Night Lights," the critically-adored, previously shunned show, won two awards, Outstanding Writing (Jason Katims) and Outstanding Lead Actor (a very shocked Kyle Chandler). The ecstatic atmosphere at the Nokia Theatre could be felt at home. Chandler's costar, Connie Britton, was absolutely adorable, giddy over Katims and Chandler's wins, as was presenter Minka Kelly, who presented the award to her former costar.

Otherwise, it was a single-award night for "the Good Wife" (Lead Actress Julianna Margulies), "Boardwalk Empire" (Director Martin Scorsese), "Game of Thrones" (Supporting Actor Peter Dinklage), "Justified" (Supporting Actress Margo Martindale) and "Mad Men" (Outstanding Drama). It seemed AMC purposefully delayed "Breaking Bad" this year (it aired too late this year to be eligible), so that Jon Hamm could beat Bryan Cranston for once, but it wasn't to be. Hamm and fellow also-ran Hugh Laurie probably shouldn't hold their breaths on ever receiving a swan song Emmy, either, as Carell saw this evening.

As ThinkProgress' Alyssa Rosenberg wrote during the broadcast, "Much of this [opening montage, featuring many shunned shows] makes me sad, because, oh hey, look at all those awesome shows that didn't get the recognition they deserved and that I could be having a much better time watching on DVD instead of something as POINTLESS AND FRIGHTENING AS THE EMMYTONES!" She's right about those awkward Emmytones singers - Joel McHale looked like he was losing more of his soul as each second passed. The show lacked the comedic touches of years past, with only a few bright moments. A couple surprises here and there couldn't hide the mess the broadcast became.

What are your thoughts on the Emmys? Who was shunned, wrongly awarded? Who deserved their awards? Was the show funnier than I'm making it out to be? Are you an angry Chuck Lorre fan out for my blood? Leave a comment!

A complete list of winners can be found on Emmys.com.

2011 Emmy nominations announced

The nominations for the 63rd Primetime Emmys were released Thursday morning, so crazy television fans got up early (or stayed up late) to see them unfold.

A few stray observations:

*There were a couple underdogs that made their way in: Louis C.K., Johnny Galecki and Matt LeBlanc were nominated in the Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category. Kathy Bates was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Idris Elba scored two nominations (as did Tina Fey), outstanding actor in a miniseries ("Luther") and outstanding guest actor in a comedy series ("The Big C") ... yet he was never nominated for playing Stringer Bell. "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" got nominations for Outstanding Variety Series and Writing for a Variety Series (God, I cannot wait for Stephen Colbert's reaction, since the BFFs for six months will be competing against each other). Oh, and Lady Gaga was nominated (for Variety Music Special).

*"Glee" lost its bids for lead actor and actress nominations, as did Toni Collette, and Neil Patrick Harris. "Big Love" was completely shunned in its final season. Also, I just want to remind everyone that Steve Carell has never won an Emmy. Although "the Office" is pretty lackluster now, I think it would be fitting to honor Carell for his seven years of work. Besides, the Emmys are notorious for not honoring people in the year that they should be (as Carell deserved the Emmy in 2006).

*I blame Rob Lowe submitting himself for Outstanding Lead Actor for splitting the votes between him and the truly deserving nominee, Nick Offerman. Lowe's role on the show is not that of a lead actor and his character is nowhere near as funny as Offerman's Ron Swanson, although Lowe's massive ego likely tells him otherwise. I strongly believe that if he hadn't submitted his name, any nominee voters that wanted "Parks and Recreation" to get a lead actor nomination would have had no choice but to vote for Offerman and not Lowe simply because he's a bigger name, and Offerman could have gotten a nod. Plus, no love for Chris Pratt, or any of the high-caliber writers? It's a disgrace.

*While "Community" has been a mixed bag (when it's good, it's astounding, but when it's not up to form, it's painful), Danny Pudi deserved a nomination for his equally hilarious and heartbreaking Abed. I will admit to a certain amount of bias, as Abed does remind me of a more socially awkward version of myself (although not much more awkward). The fact that the show didn't even garner one nomination is sad.

*The nomination for Laura Linney don't surprise me, but they frustrate me. A comedy doesn't always have to be laugh-out-loud to be outstanding, which is an argument that a lot of people make in support of shows like "the Big C." However, is a show really outstanding when the tone is incredibly insulting? Most of the characters, including Laura Linney's Cathy, are very unlikeable, and not in an endearing way (see "Arrested Development").

*I enjoy the way that the great pilot for "the Killing" was nominated, since, clearly, voters were not biased by seeing the rest of the show, which turned into a complete train wreck that even Outstanding Drama Actress Mireille Enos could save. This spot should have gone to "The Walking Dead."

*The good news? Even if the show is weak (as it was the last time it was on Fox, with Ryan Seacrest hosting), the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy or Variety Series category, featuring the often-hilarious videos introducing the nominees, should be back this year.

*What's up with the Emmys picking nominated females to present the awards (Melissa McCarthy was nominated), but the males are awkwardly shunned? Joshua Jackson this year, Joel McHale last year.

I could go on and on, but I've already rambled enough, my apologies ... to quote Kenneth Parcell, I just love television so much.

The full list of nominees and categories can be found here.

What do you think are the major upsets and surprises this year? Any outrageous inclusions or exclusions?

American Idols Live faces dismal ticket sales, cancellations

Anyone who has access to any form of popular media has probably heard that season 9 of American Idol, which ended in May with Toledo's own Crystal Bowersox NOT being crowned the winner (sorry, I'm still bitter), was the weakest season of the show. While contestants may have had talent, by and large, they lacked the charisma and panache of seasons past. It also didn't help that Paula Abdul left the show and Simon Cowell had mentally checked out of his judging duties (who remembers his excellent rant about Tim Urban still being voted in week after week regardless of his critiques?).

Conventional wisdom would say that because this season had so little fanfare, polarizing fandoms and captivating performers, ticket sales for the summer tradition that is the American Idols Live! tour would be weak. That didn't stop the planners of this tour to book an exceptionally large amount of dates, many in massive venues. That didn't turn out so well.

Tuesday, rumors of cancellations and date and venue changes were confirmed by American Idol. Dates in Cleveland, Toronto, Omaha, Neb., Kansas City, Mo., Buffalo, N.Y., Portland, Maine and Winnipeg, Manitoba were canceled, and the dates of eight shows were changed. Instead of the tour ending in mid-September, it will end Aug. 31 in Indianapolis (conspiracy theorists note that this may be to avoid paying the salaries of the performers and crew for the month of September).

I understand that these venues are booked far in advance, but I can't help but wonder if they could have made some of these changes and arrangements (such as the Pittsburgh venue change to a smaller pavilion versus the massive Consol Energy Center) before they announced the dates. It was pretty clear early in the season that this season was a dud, and maybe they could have lessened the blow of this PR nightmare.

For example, in Cleveland, the tour normally went to the Wolstein Center, which seats up to 14,000 people. This venue is where I saw Clay Aiken and company the American Idols Live in 2003, and I thought it was a perfect sized venue. This year, the year where it was painfully obvious ticket sales would be bad? They decided to go to the larger Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavaliers play. No wonder the show was canceled.

In addition, I think the locations of the tour stops were planned poorly. For example, a new addition to the tour this year is in Toledo, at our new 8,000 seat Huntington Center. This addition was likely made to include a hometown show for Crystal, and it seemed as though it was going to accommodate northern Ohio fairly well (but even that date isn't selling well). However, there were still too many dates around this city, or at the very least, in too big of venues (as mentioned with Cleveland).

Toledoans could stay home, or go to Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit and Grand Rapids, all within about a 3 hour distance. That's just too many options. When Toledoans go to concerts, we can help fill big venues like the Wolstein Center in bigger cities. But when you have small market concerts with big ones too, it's just not feasible to expect bigger venues to sell out too, such as the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Simply put: the tour was too big and the talent too bland. Plus, in this economy, people just cannot justify paying even $20 (which are what some Idol tickets are selling for) for a favorite to sing 3 or 4 songs (this is why I'm not going to the Toledo show, since I'd only wish to see Crystal).

This is a bad year for American Idol, and this tour is making it worse. Couple that with Simon's departure next year, and I wonder if it means this could be the last Idol tour we ever see, because I wouldn't be surprised if next year would not only mark the end of the show, but wouldn't be able to support a tour. Next year's cast needs to be buzzworthy enough to make viewers pull out their credit cards.


For updated tour information, visit Idol's official site.

Run down by reruns

Last night, I caught a bit of NBC's summer reruns of their Thursday night comedy block, and while I would normally enjoy seeing episodes from that season again (after all, while I love my TV shows, sometimes the episodes can blur together and I don't remember exactly what happened on them), lately, I haven't been that excited about these programming blocks.

Why? It seems as though NBC and many networks which air syndicated content seem to air the same exact episodes over and over again.

Now, I didn't have a chance to see any of the shows which aired last night besides the 10 p.m. episode of the Office, since I was obsessively playing Green Day Rock Band at a friend's house while we waited for the midnight showing of Toy Story 3 (which, while not a TV show, is fantastic). So, I may have missed some of the better and less common reruns of the shows. However, I think I will lose my mind if I see NBC airing the lackluster "Scott's Tots" episode of the Office again. Thursday's encore made for the third rerun of this episode in less than 9 months (unless I missed one, which I may have), and it just strikes me as weird that the network would keep airing one episode over and over again.

Fan reception of that episode was fairly weak. For those unfamiliar with the episode: 10 years ago, Michael Scott promised to pay for the college educations of a group of third graders. Ten years later, Michael Scott is in debt, and must show up to the school to make the awkward announcement that he could not pay for their education. The consensus of fans and critics seemed to be: while the show thrives upon awkward and cringeworthy humor, this episode involved a premise that was too outlandish, even for Michael's standards, and that the conflict caused in the episode was so sad, it didn't offer comedic relief. Yet, what seems like every time I turn on my TV to watch the show, it's there!

The same thing happened last year with the "Baby Shower" episode (notable for Creed Bratton's famous comment that the afterbirth of a baby floating in a bathtub is "like the tide at Omaha Beach"). It was overplayed so much in the summer of 2009, I've become completely turned off to the episode.

NBC is not alone in this problem. I feel like I've seen "A Benihana Christmas" a million times on the Fox affiliates near me, as well as TBS. It's not just the Office, either. I remember back in the days when TeenNick (then known as the N) aired Daria episodes, they would always show the same 20 or so episodes over and over again. So much so, that my dad, who would usually watch them with me, due to our vampire-esque sleep schedules and Daria being the only thing on TV at 4 a.m., memorized some of the dialogue lines. I remember having this issue with Power Rangers back in the '90s, it's also why I stopped watching the show. Yes, television has been causing me strife since I was about 7 years old.

It's just a pet peeve of mine, and it's why I don't usually watch re-runs of episodes or syndicated versions of shows. At least with the advent of DVDs, if I want to see an episode again, I can choose which episode to watch and how often to do so. It's not that I dislike reruns, it's that I like variety in the reruns.

I guess it could be worse ... they could show Date Mike again.




Are there some episodes of shows that you just cannot watch anymore for the same reason?

Great Glee moments: top 5 performances this season

(Just because I feel like a Sue Sylvester gif is absolutely necessary in one's daily life.)

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not yet watched the season finale of Glee, do not read any farther.

I've mentioned many times that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Glee. When the pilot of the show aired in May 2009, I loved it, because it was hilarious and, even though they were cheesy, I enjoyed the song covers.

Then, by the middle of the season, I became incredibly annoyed by the inconsistent plot lines. One example is Quinn's pregnancy and the resolution to that plot line last night, in which Idina Menzel's Shelby Corcoran, who is also Rachel's mother, adopted Quinn's daughter, Beth. As Ken Tucker points out, it's kind of rude for Shelby to shun her own biological daughter just for a 'newer' model, if you will. If the writers were trying to make Shelby an unlikable character, they succeeded in that respect, but if they were simply attempting to get rid of Beth in a quick manner, then I think that was a little misguided.

However, for once, I'm not here to bash the show. Since the regular shows I watch have ended, I decided to watch these last few episodes of Glee this season, and, cheesiness, plot inconsistencies and weak character development aside, I still found myself enjoying the show, due to what makes the show: the performances.

I rather enjoyed the Madonna songs, especially Jane Lynch's ridiculously outrageous version of "Vogue." And, as a big Lady Gaga fan (while I don't want this summer to go by quickly, I am also eagerly anticipating Sept. 4, when I see Gaga live), I thought those performances were well done, and the costumes were really great.

Last night, I found myself with a huge smile on my face throughout the show. The performances were fantastic, and even someone who hates the show and the karaoke aspects of the show would probably find it difficult to deny that the performances were catchy. They reminded me why I enjoyed the show in the first place.

With that said, here are my picks for the top five performances on Glee this year.

5. Like A Prayer - The choir-style background of the rest of the cast is strong and sing-along-worthy, much like the original Madonna song. It's difficult to listen to this song without clapping along. Guest star Jonathan Groff makes for a strong duet with Lea Michele (both of whom starred together on Broadway in Spring Awakening).

4. Dream On - There are moments on the show, usually involving Matthew Morrison, which make me cringe (see: "I Wanna Sex You Up," "Gold Digger"). However, this showcases his voice quite well. Guest star Neil Patrick Harris' voices complements Matt's in such a way that it creates an insanely powerful performance. Even though their characters were competing against one another, their competition yielded this great song. Next to Josh Groban, he's the guest star that I'd love to see return the most next year. Also, Danny Gokey: THIS is how you perform that falsetto.

3. To Sir, With Love - This was probably my favorite performance from last night. While it's certainly a love song, and probably not the most appropriate song for students to sing to their teacher (much like Lea and Idina's "Poker Face" duet, which I also enjoyed), it still seamlessly fit in with last night's show. The "with love" was not sung with a romantic connotation, but rather it perfectly expresses the admiration the club has for its leader. It's sickly saccharine, but that's why it works.

2. Bad Romance - I rather enjoyed this performance because it allowed for a lot of voices to be heard. It sounded so much like the original, yet, it didn't feel like some sort of K-Tel version of the song, either. It wasn't as weird as Gaga's version, rather, it worked to showcase the catchy nature of the song.

1. Don't Stop Believin' - The original song that made America fall in love with the show. I despise Journey with a burning passion, and this song makes me cringe 99% of the time. However, there is something about this version, with its epic buildup and powerful performance from Lea, it's rather irresistible. Anything that makes me put aside said Journey hatred much be good. I enjoyed last night's version with more of the club getting solo moments, which I loved, but I still have to say that the original is the best.

(Also, for the record, "Poker Face," "Somebody To Love" and "Alone" were all tough to cut out of my top 5).

Agree or disagree? As I said, I've missed a number of episodes, and while I've made efforts to listen to songs from said episodes, I may have missed some other good performances. So, I'd love to hear others' picks for their favorites this season.

American Idol: Bowersox v. DeWyze

Tonight marked the end of the much-maligned ninth season of American Idol, and in one final upset, Lee DeWyze, the paint salesman from Mount Prospect, Ill. (near Chicago) beat out Ellison, Ohio (near my home, Toledo) native Crystal Bowersox.

While Lee certainly had a fair amount of fans, it seemed fairly obvious that in this weak season, Crystal was the clear winner, and arguably had the most powerful voice in the competition, and understandably, people are upset about this, myself included.

Now, I realize that I may be biased due to Crystal's connection to my city. She's been performing at Toledo-area venues for over 10 years, and she has a lot of pride for the city, so I wanted to see her win. However, and judging by online reaction to this finale, I just feel as though Lee was not deserving of this title.

I see why people like Lee. He's not TERRIBLE. I just don't think he's a good enough of a singer or performer to warrant winning the title. I just think Crystal was far superior. I know there was a lot of outcry over Kris Allen winning over Adam Lambert last year, but I think even that upset was a little more understandable, because Kris was more consistent and less dry than Lee is. This is just outrageous to me.

Again, I don't mean to sound like I hate Lee, because I don't. I like singer-songwriters like Lee a lot, and I may end up liking the music he records. But in terms of this competition, Crystal was just far superior in performance technique and singing. His performances, while not necessarily BAD, were boring to me. I'd rather watch the paint he sells dry than watch him. I could not get behind a contestant who was so dry AND lacked an absolutely outstanding voice.

I can see that Lee got a lot of women votes based on his looks and personality (I'm sure he's a nice guy, as the judges kept reminding viewers Tuesday). However, on the other hand, I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE enough of them voted to make this upset. This contest is not one about personality and appearance, it's about talent and performances, simple as that. Even though I've given up on American Idol, prior to the finale I went back and watched all of Lee and Crystal's performances, and I just find it difficult to support Lee when he was up against Crystal. He was just a poor choice for a winner, in my opinion, especially against Crystal. America (or the producers, if you're like me and you think the votes aren't the ONLY way the winner is picked) picked someone too generic when there were memorable alternatives.


As a Toledoan, I'm very proud of Crystal. She's struggled in Toledo, and she's really made a name for herself in local bars and clubs. Her song, "Holy Toledo," written about the city, is really beautiful, in my opinion. Even though she did not win, she's done my city proud. For so long, the few times Toledo is in the spotlight, it's been for crazy things (usually involving our former mayor, Carty Finkbeiner). Crystal brought pride to our city, and in the media coverage I've seen of Crystal, I feel Toledoans have done a good job of proving their pride for her.

Lord knows I haven't voted since Clay Aiken lost in 2003 (yes, I'm still bitter about that, thank you), but I voted for Crystal, because I love seeing a Toledoan succeed. Maybe I cursed her! Even with this loss, northwest Ohio is very proud of her. Though she was stuck on what is largely considered the weakest season ever, she still proved that she is a worthy competitor, and I hope it brings her good fortune in the future.

The only positives are that Crystal will not be burdened with the rigid contract the show makes the winners sign. Ricky Gervais' appearance was an unexpected surprise, too. Plus, maybe the outcry over Lee winning and this season being an overall disappointment coupled with Simon Cowell leaving will spell the end for this tired show. I'm so glad I stopped watching it in season 7 (even though seasons 7 and 8 are largely viewed as fan favorites).


Agree, disagree? I'm very curious to see what people have to say about this outcome, and what the future will bring for Lee, Crystal and the show, so leave a comment!

Also, here's Crystal singing her ode to our home, "Holy Toledo."