In the last few weeks Friday night on TV has really changed. Now there are actually multiple shows worth checking out. On the new show front The WB is debuting Survival of the Richest. Think The Simple Life, but each rich kid is teamed up with a poor kid and tasked have to be completed. Very much like Beauty and the Geek. Who will they think to pair up next? Will you be watching?

Prime Picks

The Bernie Mac Show (FOX): Wanda goes on a long business trip leaving Bernie at home with the kids.
The Bernie Mac Show (FOX): Bernie tries to help Vanessa’s prom date win her heart.

Las Vegas (NBC): Danny and Mike are trying to find who is robbing the residential suites and also end up posing for a beefcake calendar. Jillian is worried about what type of example her marriage has set for Delinda.

NUMB3RS (CBS): An Iraqi activist is killed in the U.S. and Don and the team search for the killer.

Solid Selections

America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC): Repeat of funny videos of weddings, dogs chasing stuff and dirty diapers.

Reba (WB): Repeat where decides that he needs to go to Vegas to fix his money problems.
Modern Men (WB): Doug is having some fears with first time experiences since his divorce.

Conviction (NBC): This show is growing on me. Still think there are too many characters but they seem to be balancing them well. Giving each a chance to take center stage while the rest fade to the back a bit until there turn arrives the next week.

Other Options

Deal or No Deal (NBC): I know NBC doesn’t have a lot to work with but three nights a week, come on.

In Justice (ABC): A murder case from Sonya’s past is looked into.

20/20 (ABC): Profiles of Shakira and Jon Bon Jovi. They were everyday people that started at the bottom and rose above their circumstances to make it to the top.

Cable Choices

Heist (Bravo): Repeat of the pilot episode of this entertaining show. It is an Ocean’s Eleven for TV, except the cops are in the mix also.

Heist (Bravo): Repeat of the second episode from Wednesday night. If you missed the first two episodes here is your chance to catch up.

Monk (USA): Repeat where Monk ends up solving a murder while waiting with his brother at his home for their father to return. A pretty good episode that guest stars John Turturro as his brother.

Sports Notes

ESPN has an NBA doubleheader with the Memphis Grizzlies versus the New Orleans Hornets in the first and the Los Angeles Lakers at the Seattle Sonics in the second. ESPN2 has second round coverage of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first LPGA major of the year and later Friday Night Fights.

Well I had two out of the three that were in the bottom three. Who the heck is voting for Bucky anyway? He was my first choice as who should be leaving but yet he is still there to mumble and scratch his way through another week. How Katharine ended up down there instead of Bucky just makes no sense. What did you think of the bottom three this week?

Lisa Tucker would have been my second choice for who should go so it was not a huge loss. She just never connected that voice to a song and then with the audience. Also, when you choose to sing a song by a former American Idol you better really do something with it or you will end up like Lisa did. Having to sing it again after being told you lost.

With nine left here is the TVaholic updated rankings of who has the best chance of becoming the Season 5 American Idol:

1. Chris Daughtry – It sucks to be told by the judges in the previous two weeks that you know what you like and you stay true to yourself in your song choices and then pick a song right in line with that once again and be told that it was “indulgent.” For me as the viewer this was one of only two performances on Tuesday that I remember in a positive way two days later. That is not the case with much of what we heard that night.
2. Mandisa – She had the same problem as Chris did above. She chose something that fits her voice and personality and was probably the type of music she loves to sing. This was the other performance that left a positive memory.
3. Paris Bennett – She is the closest to the complete package of vocals, personality and stage performance but her age and song choices need to start meshing better for her to win.
4. Taylor Hicks – He is the hit or miss kid. He needs to sing something that he can really blow the roof off with. Show some power. At least this week he wasn’t flailing about the stage.
5. Kellie Pickler – She is the female version of the hit or miss kid. Right now her personality and likeability is what is keeping her in it. She should do well next week with the theme being country western if she chooses wisely. That may be a tall order.
6. Elliott Yamin – An absolutely great vocal talent. Has yet to really blow you away with any performance. This week the arrangement was terrible but at least he put some of himself into the song he chose.
7. Katharine McPhee – I would put her in my top three but this is a listing of who I think has the best chance of winning the whole thing. After her trip to the bottom three this week it has left me wondering if she has enough connection with the viewing public, as of last week I would have said yes. This week obviously not so much, the McPheever seems to have gone down. Hopefully it hasn’t broken yet and will make a comeback.
8. Ace Young – His performance was weak and that is all there is to say.
9. Bucky Covington – The scarecrow has got to go.

This week was personality over performance for the most part. Not that there were many good performances to be voted on. Hopefully next week things will come around once again.

With the theme of American Idol next week being country western Bucky may yet get another reprieve. Who do you think will have the most trouble with next week’s theme?

Smallville is finally back with a new episode tonight and with no college basketball until Saturday there is a new CSI and Without a Trace. That is a very good three-hour primetime lineup and what I will most definitely be watching. What will you be watching? Earl, Office and O.C. will have to be recorded and watched later. With all the new shows and new episodes of old shows the DVR sure has been working overtime this week.

Prime Picks

Smallville (WB): Lex is on a quest to find Prof. Fine while a seductress learns of Clark’s powers.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS): A re-examining of the evidence is in order tonight to figure out which sibling is telling the truth in a high profile murder trial.

Without a Trace (CBS): Martin is confronted about his behavior while investigating the case of a missing bike messenger.

Solid Selections

Will & Grace (NBC): Britney Spears guest stars.
The Loop (FOX): It is new but that is about it.

My Name Is Earl (NBC): Earl once scarred a young kid by hiding under his bed making him afraid of the dark.
The Office (NBC): It is Michael’s birthday and to celebrate he takes the whole office ice-skating.

ER (NBC): Neela gets some troubling news from her in-laws. Starts a minute before the hour and runs 61 minutes.

Other Options

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): After the storm in Florida, a kid’s baseball field, a soup kitchen and a dream wedding.

The O.C. (FOX): It looks like Marissa and Summer are going to end up being sisters. Should be fun.

Primetime (ABC): Crime confessions are made.

Cable Choices

Mrs. Doubtfire (ABC Family): Robin Williams dresses up like a woman so he can be near his kids after his divorce, quite a funny little movie. Runs three hours.

Sports Notes

ESPN has the final game of the NIT basketball tournament followed by the college slam-dunk competition and 3-point shootout. ESPN2 has first round coverage of the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship. TNT has some NBA action with the Phoenix Suns at the Indiana Pacers in the first game followed by the San Antonio Spurs at the Los Angeles Lakers in the second game.

Last weeks performances were great, this week not so much. It was a lot like two weeks ago when the Top 12 performed. The first half of the show was pretty dismal and then the second half turned it up a bit.

Song selection was weird tonight. Randy just couldn’t get into what most of them were putting out there. I have to say I was with him most of the night on that one. When you pick a song and sing it just like the original and you don’t really bring it then you will not be hanging around much longer in this competition. Some picked songs over their head, others picked perfect songs for them and others just went all out weird in their selections.

So how did the American Idol Top 10 measure up this week?

1. Chris Daughtry – He picked a song right in his wheelhouse and swung for the fences. It may have been “indulgent” but I thought he sounded real good and had a great performance.
2. Mandisa – Same as Chris, she picked a song that was perfect for her and nailed it.
3. Katharine McPhee – Quickly becoming a favorite. When Simon tells you that you were almost as good the original artist, Christina Aguilera I think it was, that is high praise.
4. Elliot Yamin – I have to agree with Simon here that the arrangement was pretty bad but he was the only one tonight to try something a little different.
5. Paris Bennett – When she said that she picked her song so she could have fun and just be a kid, I was like that is what you should be doing. Then she comes out and does a Beyonce impersonation including dance moves and lyrics that just didn’t fit her age. Yet she is the only one that puts on a complete performance every week on stage with her singing.
6. Taylor Hicks – It was the best of the night when he performed it but that isn’t say much with the performances of Lisa Tucker and Ace Young coming before him.
7. Kellie Pickler – This had to be the wackiest song choice of the night. Of all the country songs from the last six years and she chose that one. She has really been hit or miss so far and that has mainly been due to her song choices.
8. Ace Young – This was a weak attempt at a Train song. In my opinion this little engine didn’t make it up the hill.
9. Lisa Tucker – Not great but at least you could understand what she was singing.
10. Bucky Covington – As Simon put it “downright couldn’t understand a word” and neither could I. He really did mumble his way through this one and it is time for him to go.

I think that Ace Young will once again be gracing the bottom three along with Lisa Tucker and Bucky Covington. Ace will probably be hanging around and either Lisa or Bucky leaving the show. If I could vote for someone to go it would be Bucky.

What did you think of the American Idol Top 10 performances last night? Who would you boot from the show if you could? Let us know in the comments.