Tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones season two opened with a basket of dead ravens. An ominous beginning, and one that set the mood of this episode quite nicely. What happened in the latest episode of HBO’s epic fantasy series Game of Thrones? Read on for our recap of Game of Thrones season 2, episode 8!

WARNING: GAME OF THRONES SPOILERS AHEAD!

Please be warned this post contains Game of Thrones spoilers for season 2, episode 8. Please do not keep reading if you do not want to know what happened!

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Theon’s sister Yara (aka Asha in the books) drops by with a few riders, rather than the large force that he was expecting. As usual, she is arrogant and derisive, and he is whiny and seeking her approval. As she ridicules him for his decision in killing the Stark boys, he defends himself. Yara reveals that she was sent to bring him home. She softens a little here, and it’s the first time we see Yara as anything other than a salty warrior. She tells him a tale of them as children, and begs him to come home rather than dying so far from the sea.

Meanwhile, Ygritte speaks for Jon Snow, convincing the wildlings to spare his life and present him to Mance Rayder. She throws out the line “now we’re even, Jon Snow,” with that feisty tone that we love so much. Qhorin reveals to Jon that several of their brothers died in the attempt to find him. Jon’s brothers discover a stone plaque created by the First Men while digging latrines, and underneath is a cache of dragon glass daggers wrapped in a Night’s Watch cloak.

On the road to the Crag, Rob and Talisa, the medic from Volantis, grow closer. They speak at length of his father and his childhood. We get to see a little more of Rob’s mindset here, as he speaks of the need to fight for honor and the safety of his people, but his desire to return home. It’s really obvious here how much of a boy Rob still is at heart, and how he has been thrust into manhood before he was ready. A rider approaches during this conversation, with the news that Jaime Lannister has escaped. Rob confronts Catelyn about her betrayal, and sends a party to search for Jaime. We cut to Jaime, as he is being escorted by Brienne. Insulting her repeatedly, he tries to provoke her, but she remains focused. They row away in a small boat, headed to trade Jaime for Cat’s daughters, with Jaime slinging insults all the while.

Later, Rob and Talisa end up alone, once again. He reveals his fears about the war and his role as King in the North, and she tells a heart-wrenching story of her brother nearly dying in the river Rhoyne as a child. Amidst all of the emotional tension, Rob blurts out that he doesn’t want to marry the Frey girl, and they fall onto each other and make love on the floor. Not the smartest move by Rob, but you can’t blame the kid.

Stannis appoints Davos Seaworth his Hand once he secures the throne, after a rather boring conversation about Davos’ background and a Storm’s End siege from his childhood.

Tyrion’s love for Shea was really driven home tonight as Cersei brought forth “his whore” that had been severely beaten. The relief was evident when wesee that it was not Shea. He runs to her and makes her promise that she is his. Later, he walks with Joffrey – who is being his usual awful whiny child of a self—and Varys. Varys tells him of the rumors of Daenerys, and he dismisses her as a threat, saying that they should play only one game at a time.

On the other side of the world, so to speak, Daenerys talks with Ser Jorah. It’s painfully obvious how much he loves her. She refuses to heed his advice to set sail, and they set out to retrieve her dragons from the House of the Undying.

The episode concludes with Osha, meeting secretly with Maester Pycelle. We discover that it was the body of the farmer’s boys that were hung at Winterfell, and that Theon merely passed them off as Bran and Rickon. They decide not to tell the boys that their friends died in their stead, but Bran overhears the conversation.

The scene is set for an exciting episode next week! I’m predicting the safe return of the dragons.

Visit us here at GossipandGab.com next week when we bring you our next Game of Thrones season two recap. Join us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the latest television recaps and celebrity gossip!

– Ashley Hudson, GossipandGab.com guest blogger

On Food Network Star 2012, as seen in last week’s episode, the format has completely changed. The contestants are being mentored by three chefs, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown and Giada De Laurentiis.

Besides the mentoring change, the challenges are different from previous seasons, and it’s more team challenges than individual ones. Then the chefs must defend their players in the judging room to “The Network” team — made up of Susie Fogelson and Bob Tuschman, who are both Food Network icons. Bob Tuschman is the general manager of Food Network, and Susie Fogelson is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategy for Food Network and Cooking Channel. The contestants now have bottom teams and a top team. The worse performers from each of the bottom teams must compete in a challenge about their food and camera presence.

WARNING: Food Network Star 2012 SPOILERS AHEAD!

Please stop reading here if you do not want Food Network Star 2012 spoilers about the week 2 elimination!

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For the challenge this week the contestants were assigned neighborhoods known for their authentic categories of foods. They had to learn about the history of the neighborhoods, give a brief presentation, and feed a bus full of tourists. The goal of this challenge was to know the food and show their personalities. Each contestant got assigned to a certain food place in their neighborhood. They learned a little about the history of the restaurants.

First up, Alton Brown’s team and the Lower East Side. They made meals that including pickles, balis, matzah and deli sandwiches. All the contestants enthusiastically embraced their challenge. Except,  Judson Allen who, understandably, was reluctant about having to cook meals with pickles.  Is there anyone that goes “Yay! I get to cook using pickles!”? So you kind of could tell where this was going to end up… and not straight to the top.

After their  restaurant visits, they immediately began cooking dishes to reflect the history and taste of their chosen places.  Then from the kitchen to the bus, as each contestant served their foods and a little entertainment.

“The Network” thought Justin Warner and Martie Duncan did good jobs incorporating their restaurants history and meals. Emily Eilyn, usually a firecracker, started to feel sick and her spark didn’t shine through like it did last week. Judson Allen, insecure about his meal, began preaching about the power of the pickles. Can I get an amen for the pickles! Both Susie Fogelson and Bob Tuschman were disappointed in Judson Allen and Emily Eilyn for not performing as well as they did last week. But Emily the judges “felt bad for” and said her food was better than her presentation.

Next up,  Bobby Flay’s team and Harlem.  They visited restaurants  that were less about one specialty, and more about a general popular category of cuisine.  They visited famous shops, like Sylvia, Dinosaur BBQ,  and Casablanca Butcher Shop. Before the contestants were even done getting all their assignments, Kara Sigle began to express concern about cooking soul food. One again, you can see where she’ll probably end up by the end of the challenge.

As Bobby’s Team prepared for the challenge, Kara Sigle said about forty more times that she felt uncomfortable cooking soul food.  Once the contestants gathered on the bus, most of them struggled.

First to speak for Team Bobby Flay was Malcolm Mitchell. Malcolm Mitchell was called “passionate” and Bob Tuschman said he came out swinging.

Michelle Ragussis disappointed the judges with her food and presentation. Her catfish was called “dry” and Michelle Ragussis even said she “got lost.”

Nikki Martin was called “impersonal” by Bob and one of the tourists said “she was nice but forgetful and didn’t capture Dinosaur BBQ’s flavor.”

Eric Lee got great marks on his presentation and his pastry from “The Network” and the tourist.

And once again Kara Sigle awkwardly presented herself and caused tension by saying “I met a beautiful black woman” to describe her experience. Once again, a train wreck is coming.  Both judges, especially Susie Fogelson, did not have positive things to say about her presentation. And some of the tourists said her chicken and waffles were the worst thing they had the entire day. Even calling it as good as something they find at the frozen food section. Ouch.

Last up, Arthur Avenue  and Giada De Laurentiis’s team. They focused on cannolis, eggplant, mozzarella, oysters and clams. Giada De Laurentiis warns Linkie Marais to not call them cannolis because they are such an authentic Italian food that if she does them incorrectly she’ll receive harsh feedback. Linkie Marais decides that a way to compensate for this is by making them more cheesecake based.

During  their presentation Yvan Lemoine is called “a charmer” but his meal failed to live up to his personality.

Philip “Ippy” Aiona tried to make up for being called too laid back and Bob Tuschman said he liked his unforced energy during his presentation. His eggplant dish also received high praise all around.

Josh Lyons tells a story about Robert De’Niro and Joe Pesci for his presentation. He manages to bore the judges and tourists by just rambling on. Again, not giving a presentation living up to his rock star title, but the judges said his prestantion was better than last week.

Martita Jara received positive comments from the judges for being “likeable” and her food being excellent.

Linkie Marais got good comments for having specific points on her presentation. Her cheesecake was called delicious. She really  redeemed herself from her “cafeteria desserts” last week.

During the the last thirty minutes of the ninety minute episode, each mentor told their contestants the positives and negatives of their presentation. Then “The Network” revealed the winning and losing teams. Giada De Laurentiis’s team was the winners of this one, leaving Team Alton Brown and Team Bobby Flay in the bottom. Judson Allen and Kara Sigle were the bottom two from each team. Shocker!

Their challenge was to use potatoes and make it the heart of the dish. Judson Allen was more confident about his stage prescence having past experience in front of the camera. Kara Sigle was nervous about her camera task, and after it she felt she failed. During the final judging tables “The Network” called her “hallow” in her presentation, but her dish was really good. They said Judson did not make the potatoes the main focus and therefore not necessarily conquering the challenge.  They also said he was a great business spokesperson, but that made him feel artificial.

After some more deliberation, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson decided Judson Allen was a better gamble and kept him. So Kara Sigle was eliminated.

Food Network Star season 8 is really different from the last seven, and I’m still on the fence on whether I like the changes. I’m also not sure yet who’s my favorite. So what do you guys think of the new changes? Like them? Hate them? Sad to see Kara go?  Do you think the judges made the right decision? Let us know in our comment box.

Join us next week on GossipandGab.com for more  Food Network Star 2012 recaps! Bookmark us or friend us on Facebook or Twitter for all our latest updates.

After the American Idol 2012 results show last Thursday, it is down to the final two contestants. If you have not seen  result show from Thursday night you might want to stop reading. The stage is now set for what could be a really interesting final two showdown on Wednesday night. Both contestants have had some big hits and misses on the live shows. However you feel about either contestant there is no doubting that both performers are unique strong singers. So let’s look back at some highlights from the final two contestants’ American Idol 2012 journey.

WARNING: AMERICAN IDOL 2012 SPOILERS AHEAD!

Please do not continue reading if you do not want to know what happened on the American Idol 2012 results show on Thursday night and do not want to know who got voted off American Idol this week!

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The final two are Philip Philips and Jessica Sanchez. As many predicted Joshua Ledet went home last Thursday. Here are some highlights from Philip Philips and Jessica Sanchez’s American Idol 2012 journey:

Philip’s Highlights:

I think Philip Philips really showed his vocal strengths and performance power  in two of his performances this season. The first was singing “U Got It Bad” by Usher during the top seven redux show.

What made this performance memorable is he turned a R&B song into a Smooth Jazz number. It is not unusual for an American Idol contestant to take a pop song and really change up the melody. This season not many contestants dared to do what contestants like Adam Lambert, Blake Lewis, and David Cook became famous for doing, so Philip’s different version of “U Got It Bad” brought a new life to the show.

Not only did Philip Philips change up the song but he gave a really good vocal performance. It was very different from Usher’s version and that made it original and captivating.

My second favorite performance of his was when he sang Bob Seger‘s “We’ve Got Tonight”  during the final three performance show.

Philip had sang songs that showcased his performance skills, instead of simple ballads most of the American Idol 2012 season. It was a riveting departure from his norm to hear him sing that song. Not only did he sing vocally mesmerizing, hitting all the notes, singing on key, and showing his vocal range, but he managed to create an emotional connection with the audience. I think something his performances lacked until this one.

Jessica’s Highlights:

Jessica Sanchez became one of the front-runners to win when she sang  her amazing version of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”

Whitney Houston’a voice represents a power that only a few attempt to challenge, and even less match her skills.  Jessica Sanchez managed a vocally perfect rendition of the song, without creating a copycat version of Ms. Houston. Jessica’s outfits sometime receive criticism for not being age appropriate, but in her “I Will Always Love You” performance the styling, dress, and lighting kept a simple elegance that let the vocals shine above everything else.

My second favorite performance of her was from top nine week; she sang “Sweet Dreams” by Beyonce.

That song has always been a personal favorite of mine, and I prefer the stripped down acoustic versions of it. Jessica changed the arrangement of the song a little and did a very theatrical performance. It felt like watching a scene from a Broadway musical. It completely impressed  me.

Bonus Videos

Philip Philips and Jessica Sanchez have many amazing American Idol 2012 live show performances. Some more of their memorable moments happened before they became household names. Jessica has a lot of great youtube covers. She channels Beyonce again in her cover of ”Love On Top.”

Jessica Sanchez shows her youth and talent by hitting every note, but keeping her performance playful. On American Idol 2012 it often seems like she’s so concerned about hitting all the notes perfectly that she forgets to enjoy herself. This piece shows she can do both.

Philip Philips immediately captured the American Idol 2012 judges and America’s attention in his first audition. He sang “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder and “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.

In this audition, he shows his interesting voice, vocal range, and the singer-songwriter appeal by doing guitar versions of these songs.

These are my favorite highlights from Jessica Sanchez and Philip Philips, let us know  yours in the comment box.

Based on these performances who do you think has the best chance of winning? What was your favorite Philip Philips performance of the season? What was your favorite Jessica Sanchez performance of the season? What was your favorite American Idol 2012 performance of any contestant, thus far?

Join us here at GossipandGab.com next week when we bring you the American Idol 2012 top 2 performance show and elimination results show live as they happen. Join us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the latest American Idol 2012 news. Want even more American Idol 2012? Visit our sister site at AmericanIdolNet.com!

Only three contestants remain to discover their fate on the American Idol 2012 elimination results show Thursday night. The American Idol 2012 top 3, Jessica Sanchez, Phillip Phillips, and Joshua Ledet, will finally learn tonight who will make it into the top 2 and earn a coveted place in the American Idol 2012 finale. Who will make it through and compete for Idol glory? Who got voted off American Idol this week by this season’s unpredictable viewers? Read on for our American Idol 2012 live recap of the elimination results show and find out!

WARNING: AMERICAN IDOL 2012 SPOILERS AHEAD!

Please do not continue reading if you do not want to know what happened on the American Idol 2012 results show on Thursday night and do not want to know who got voted off American Idol this week!

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The majority of the American Idol 2012 predictions for the elimination results show this week seemed to point toward either Joshua Ledet or Phillip Phillips as the person going home this week. In specific, despite lavish praise from the judges about all three of his songs last night, the odds seem to be leaning toward Joshua Ledet being the person who got voted off American Idol this week. Why? Well, if you want ot read the whole rundown, you can check out our American Idol 2012 prediction post from earlier today.

To put it in short form, Joshua Ledet may have a stellar voice and a great stage presence, but for some reason it just doesn’t seem like he inspires the voters out there as much as Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips do. Now, of course, we could always be wrong about that. Our American Idol 2012 predictions this year have been blown out before when the voters made a totally unexpected move.

That’s half the fun of it all though, of course. You almost kind of hope you will be wrong in your American Idol predictions and something totally wild and crazy will happen to give you a thrill of excitement and outrage to enjoy.

So will the voters defy the predictions once again and send someone unexpected home this week? Or will it once again be another cute white guy in the finale again? Who did America think deserved the final chance to compete to be the American Idol 2012 winner? Let’s move right along to our American Idol 2012 results show live recap and find out!

Here we go, the show is starting and soon we’ll find out who the top 2 finalists are at last!

Tonight on American Idol 2012, we will find out which two contestants will make it through to the finale, and which unfortunate singer will go home. To kick off the evening, the top 3 — Jessica Sanchez, Phillip Phillips, and Joshua Ledet — perform “Got To Get You In My Life” by the Beatles.

The finalists are all now nervously waiting to hear the results, as are we. Of course, we’ll have to sit through performances by Adam Lambert and Lisa Marie Presley before we get the final results!

First up to the center of the stage, we have Joshua Ledet. I don’t expect we’ll actually get any results this early in the show though. Jimmy Iovine talks about Joshua Ledet’s performances last night. Jimmy Iovine thinks it was a good night for Joshua Ledet, but not his best night. He gives him an 8 out of 10 for his first performance, it was good but not great and didn’t deserve a standing ovation from the judges.

Jimmy Iovine says he didn’t really like Joshua doing “Imagine” and thought it wasn’t the right song for him — like leaving a Ferrari in first gear on a racetrack. (Apparently disagreeing with a huge slew of his fans.) As for the last song, “No More Drama”, Jimmy Iovine thinks it lacked a big moment and Joshua needed more melody. Overall though, he did well and 100 percent should be in anyone’s finale.

Host Ryan Seacrest sends Joshua Ledet back to the couches. There will be no results yet. Instead, we have Lisa Marie Presley singing her new single “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”.

Jessica Sanchez is up next for an evaluation by Jimmy Iovine. He thinks her Mariah Carey “My All” song was not enough to win the competition, it did not inspire an awe moment. On her second song, “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, Jimmy says he was looking for more than she gave. She really needs to have a hugely magical moment to win. On her last song choice, “I’ll Be There” by the Jackson Five, Jimmy thinks the song choice, which he picked because she sometimes reminds him of a young Michael Jackson, hurt Jessica but she did okay. Jessica has enough talent to sing on the Grammys but it will be all about the songs whether she makes it to the winner’s circle.

Now we have American Idol alumni Adam Lambert performing his new single “Never Close Our Eyes” off his upcoming album Trespassing.

Phillip Phillips is the last one to receive his Jimmy Iovine evaluation. Jimmy thinks “Beggin’ was entertaining, fun and Phillips’ sound continues to become more original. His second song, “Poison”, was risky and that was good, but Jummy thought it was a yawner and not the right song for this point in the competition. The last song, however, was the best song Phillip has done in the competition so far and he won the night, hit notes Jimmy didn’t think he could; Jimmy was geniunely knocked out by it.

All three are now coming to center stage and our results are final going to be announced!

The first person who will be safe is… Jessica Sanchez!

The next person who will be going through is… Phillip Phillips!

That means Joshua Ledet is going home tonight and he takes to the stage to perform “This Is a Man’s World” before leaving the Idol stage for the last time.

Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips are your American Idol 2012 top 2!

That’s it for our American Idol 2012 top 5 results show recap for this week. Did you agree with the voters or do you think they got it totally wrong? Who do you think should have gone home?

Join us here at GossipandGab.com next week when we bring you the American Idol 2012 top 3 performance show and elimination results show live as they happen. Join us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the latest American Idol 2012 news. Want even more American Idol 2012? Visit our sister site at AmericanIdolNet.com!

American Idol 2012 is down to its last three contestants, so the audience was gifted with cheesy footage of hometown visits and knockout performances during Wednesday’s semifinals round. The American Idol 2012 top 3, Philip Philips, Joshua Ledet, and Jessica Sanchez all had stellar moments in their performances this week, but only two can move forward to the finale next week.

Making American Idol 2012 predictions for the elimination results show Thursday night is especially difficult this week, but Wednesday night’s performances will set in motion who will take home the idol crown in the American Idol 2012 finale. The person who does the best during this round usually wins.

This was a big night for the final 3 and figuring out who got voted off this week on American Idol 2012 will not be an easy task.  Still, we can’t help but reflect on our American Idol 2012 predictions for the elimination results show this week and hope you’ll share yours with us!

Going into Wednesday’s performances, three key things would determine who will probably win the night and who will be eliminated in the American Idol results show this week:

Who got the pimp final spot?

What was the standout performance?

And who made you cry the most as you watch their journey home?

The Performances

The American Idol 2012 top 3 were given, by the judges, lesser known songs to start the show. They all sang on pitch and poured their heart into the performances, but the round one winner is Philip Phillip Phillips with “Beggin” by Madcon (although The Voice UK contestants Max Milner and Bill Downs performed it better in their battle round).  Philip Phillips, who is the weakest vocally, stood out the most because he gave the best performance of the night.  It is clear they can all sing, but at this stage it comes down to who can perform best.

In the second round, which featured songs chosen by the contestants, Joshua Ledet was the winner singing “Imagine” by John Lennon. Jessica Sanchez’s vocals were really good, but her final notes were shaky. Joshua Ledet picking a legendary emotional song like “Imagine” gave him the tear-jerker factor.  Philip Phillips’ performance in this round was completely underwhelming and he got one of the few negative criticisms EVER by Jennifer Lopez on American Idol 2012.

And the most important round, the final one, featuring songs chosen by Jimmy Iovine, goes to….

Philip Phillips with “We’ve Got Tonight”, but was anything else really expected? The whole night the stage was set for a big Philip Phillips moment, and any American Idol 2012 addict knows how to see when they’re going to be manipulated into rooting for “the underdog.”

Idol-Analyzing

The splashes of the American Idol 2012 top 3 home visits, per usual, made the audience go “aww” and maybe shed tears. Unlike previous years, this year there was no sense of triumph as the idols returned home. The contestants were equal on the heart tug factor. Philip Phillips got the slight edge for his moment with his father, and continuously breaking down crying. The other two held their composure more.

When did the American Idol 2012 executive producers become so team Philip? Was it when he managed to repeatedly escape the bottom over clearly better vocalist? Or maybe his Southern twang also made the producers melt like it does Ryan Seacrest’s girlfriend?

Did anyone else kind of miss that Ryan did not mention Julianne Hough on this episode? It was kind of adorable him using his show to pimp her career.

Also, can the American Idol 2012 judges broaden their vocab? How many times can Steven Tyler use “over the top” to describe Joshua’s performances?

Who Will Be The Champion?

For the American Idol 2012 predictions for the elimination results show this week, here is the breakdown.

By giving Philip Phillips the pimp spot, and showing his emotional moment with his dad, it is likely he will win the whole thing.

Based on Joshua’s talent, he deserves to win the most, but he has not gained the support of the American public like the other two.

Jessica Sanchez being the only female gives her some female votes that Philip has not won yet.

If Twitter’s trending topics are Magic 8 Balls into the future then, the final two is going to be Jessica Sanchez and Philip Phillips.

So will this season just be a repeat of the last four and the guy with the most heart-throb appeal taking the whole thing home? Does Joshua Ledet even stand a chance? Does Jessica Sanchez?  We’ll see tomorrow, I can only hope that talent outweighs hormonal girls.

– Jerrica Tisdale, GossipandGab.com guest blogger

Last night’s American Idol 2012 offered one-two punches of power ballads, with seven out of the nine performances being ballads. The only two non-ballads were both sung by Philip Philips. Each contestant had their own moment of Idol glory on the performance show last night, Jessica Sanchez with “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing”, Joshua Ledet with “Imagine”, and Philip Phillips with “We’ve Got Tonight.” Tonight’s results are going to come down to which contestant’s fans are the most dedicated. Because as Randy Jackson would say: “it’s anyone’s game.” You can read more about last night’s show in our American Idol 2012 Live Recap of the Top 3 Performances .

On the American Idol 2012 results show Thursday night, we will see who reigns victorious and leads us into an anticipated passionate, soulful, and dramatic final-two battle. It’s going to be an intense night, but to lighten the mood there are two performers scheduled.

One is American Idol alumni Adam Lambert, who we can expect to bring down the house with his usual “over the top” and theatrical performances. This is his third appearance since placing second in American Idol‘s 2009 competition. On Thursday night’s American Idol 2012 results show, he will be performing his new single “Never Close Our Eyes” – a song that showcases his vocal acrobatics; its catchy beats will keep everyone dancing.

With two great performances, and an American Idol 2012 results show elimination expected to cause at least a few tears, tonight is a must watch, so tune into America Idol @ 8pm (ET).

Who do you think will make the final two? Which guest performer are you looking forward to the most?

Join us again Thursday night here on GossipandGab.com for our American Idol 2012 results show recap. Bookmark us or friend us on Facebook or Twitter for all our latest updates. Want even more American Idol 2012? Visit our sister site at AmericanIdolNet.com!

We are back tonight with another episode of Around The World In 80 Plates and this time the contestants will be taking their culinary skills to France…I so wish I could cook and be a participant on this show!

This 80 Plates episode, “Forget Paris,” has the chefs heading to Lyon to run bistros and serve traditional Lyonnais dishes, but one chef outsmarts their fellow competitors by getting a traditional recipe from a local…will it pay off in the end?

Since Chaz Brown won Most Valuable Chef last week, he received immunity and had the opportunity to pick which chefs he wanted on his team…the new Black Team and they will be traveling to Lyon in first class. The Black Team this week consists of Chaz, Kevin “Cheven” Lee, Avery Pursell, Gary Walker and Steve “Nookie” Postal.

The Red Team for this 80 Plates episode will consist of Sai Pituk, Liz Garrett, John Vermiglio, Nick Lacasse, Jenna Johansen and Nicole Lou. We watch as they travel to Lyon in coach, compared to the luxury the Black Team is enjoying. During the trip, Sai is pointing out her knowledge of Thai cuisine, but that will be of no help in France girl!

It is time for “The Course,” Around The World In 80 Plates’ culinary race to immerse the chefs in the food culture of Lyon. The first team to complete The Course will win Around The World In 80 Plates’ “Exceptional Ingredient,” which will only benefit that team as the show goes on.

The teams get their first clue and head out to the parking lot to get in the cars (two cars per team) waiting for them and head out to find the ingredient. Cheven takes the lead car for the Black Team and Jenna takes a leadership role for the Red Team, which happens to get off to a slow start. Meanwhile, Cheven and Gary are busy talking about all the joys of first class traveling that they miss their exit. Chaz is ticked off in the second car and now they have a long road ahead of them to get back.

The Red Team arrives at the location, Le Berger Des Dombes, and meet the owner, Jean-Marc Lery, who gives them their next clue. The task for them this week: they must pick out six goat cheese from a table of many types of cheese. Jenna and John step-up to taste the cheeses to pick out the six. One attempt and they are wrong, but the Black Team is still trying to find the place.

They make one more attempt, which is wrong, before the Black Team arrives (20 minutes behind). Cheven and Gary step-up for the Black Team…Cheven claims he has a strong knowledge of cheeses. Another check for the Red Team…no. The Black Team tries…no. We go through a bunch of more attempts before the Red Team finally gets it correct.

Now the Red Team must go out and herd some sheep while the Black Team gets the cheese right (only five minutes behind now) and heads out to herd some sheep. They must herd four sheep in order to complete the task. The Black Team had three sheep in the pen, but then Chevem started yelling and they escaped…now they are zero! They start speaking to the sheep in French and apparently that helps, as they finish before the Red Team. The Red Team is still herding while the Black Team heads out on the next task. Red Team finished and is now trying to catch up to the Black Team.

After finding host, Curtis Stone, in the middle of Lyon, the Black Team finds out the next task…pair eight wines with the ingredients that make up their flavors…that is going to be real tough. Cheven, Chaz and Gary take the lead on this task. Cheven will not be quiet and he is ticking off his team. They make an attempt and only two correct. Nookie decides to take over and the next attempt they have six correct. They get all eight correct just as the Red Team arrives…all thanks to Nookie as he shut down Cheven.

As the winners, the Black Team will get a masterclass with Joseph Viola, one of the most respected chefs in France with the title of MOF (which translates to the best worker in France). For “The Takeover” the next day, the teams will be taking over two local restaurants and will be responsible for creating four plates of Lyonnaise cuisine…one of them must be quenelle.

Time for the Black Team to head over to Daniel et Denise and meet with Chef Viola on this 80 Plates episode. They all seem to be enjoying themselves and getting some tips, but who wouldn’t in that situation? Meanwhile, the Red Team heads out on the town to try and get some ideas on what they will be cooking and how to cook it the next day. Jenna is ticking off the whole team, but they must listen to her because she is the only one who can communicate with the locals. They discuss a menu for the next day and Jenna refuses to not make a dessert on this episode of Around The World In 80 Plates because that is why they lost last time. Avery is confident in her ability to make the quenelle for the Black Team.

The day of “The Takeover” and we get a look at the Red Team. John takes control of the kitchen and Jenna takes over the front of the house because she can speak with the workers. Sai is in charge of poaching eggs and she is struggling. Nick starts working on the quenelle…first attempt is like pancake batter. The Black Team gets to work…Gary will be front of the house this takeover. Avery gets started on the quenelle.

The guests are starting to arrive and we finally get our first look at host, Cat Cora. The Red Team is up first and they will be cooking for judges Jacotte Brazier, restaurateur, Gregory Cuilleron, chef/owner of Epicerie et Compagnie, Curtis and Cat. They struggled with the quenelle, but Nick and John serve up a quenelle with herbs and Lyonnaise potatoes. The customers all say it is too dense and seems like swollen pasta. Nicole serves up haddock with sauce gribiche…excellent reviews for the haddock, but they run out of fish. Sai made the Salad Lyonnaise, which she struggled to get them out because she can’t poach an egg…Nick says if they lose, he has already decided Sai will be going home because of this. Despite the slowness, the salad gets excellent reviews as well. The last plate is from Jenna and Liz, which is a chocolate brownie…Jacotte said it wasn’t Lyonnaise, but was very good. Overall, they got great reviews.

Now time for the Black Team…the judges arrive at their restaurant. First up, Avery’s pike quenelle with nantua sauce…Gregory said this is what quenelle is supposed to look like and Chef Viola is proud of them. The second plate is from Kevin and is a Legume salad with ham…a customer said it didn’t please him. The next plate is Foie Gras with Onion Jam made by Nookie…good reviews, but one said it was cold. Gary decides to bring out all the food at one time, which overwhelms the guests…Gary thought this was how they did it in France, but it doesn’t seem to be that way. Chaz is struggling with his plate, so Avery jumps in and helps him out. The last plate comes from Chaz (and I guess with Avery’s help)…Roasted Chicken with Truffle Oil…the portions are huge.

We get mixed reviews from the local diners of the restaurants in this 80 Plates episode…some liked Red and some liked Black. The local diners make the final decision…for the Red Team, they thought the quenelle was terrible, but the sauce was good, the haddock was great, but not enough of it and the salad was great. For the Black Team, the diners said they had all the food at one time, they loved Avery’s quenelle. After the diners’ votes, the winning team this week is the Black Team. The Most Valuable Chef this week is Avery because of her quenelle…she has immunity next week.

The Red Team is the losing team…they go back to discuss which chef will be leaving us on Around The World In 80 Plates. Up for debate are Nicole and Sai…Sai couldn’t pouch an egg and Nicole couldn’t count fish, so they weren’t being served. Time for the team’s votes…Sai votes Nicole, but the remaining chefs vote Sai and she will be going home tonight.

The next stop on Around The World In 80 Plates will be Barcelona, Spain.

Join us next week on GossipandGab.com for more Around the World in 80 Plates 2012 recaps! Bookmark us or friend us onFacebook or Twitter for all our latest updates. Read more from contributing writer Todd Betzold at his blog, http://topicaltodd.blogspot.com.

On American Idol 2012 Wednesday night, the top 3 will have their last chance to convince the voters they deserve the chance to fight it out in the final two for the American Idol 2012 winner prize. Jessica Sanchez, Phillip Phillips and Joshua Ledet are just one step away from fame and fortune as the winner of American Idol 2012. Who will shine like the star they are destined to be? And who will fall short and get voted off American Idol 2012 in the very worst spot of all — third place? Read on in our American Idol 2012 live recap of the top 3 performances and judge for yourself!

The American Idol top 3 will each sing three individual songs on Wednesday night’s performance show and it all comes down to who has made the best choices. The contestants have to deal not only with their own personal song choice for the evening, but they also have to hope the judges and music producer Jimmy Iovine have also chosen well for them. A bad song choice at this point could seriously damage someone’s chances to make the final two. A really great song choice could possibly propel someone in to the American Idol 2012 finals against the odds.

The American Idol top 3 will be giving it everything they have tonight and that is likely to end up with some of the best performances of the season, or the worst. The American Idol finale is always a nail biter because it seems the results are totally crazy sometimes, but the semifinals are always my favorite because the three contestants are going all out, but they don’t have the finale nerves weighing them down.

I’m hoping tonight will give us some absolutely stellar performances, based on the American Idol 2012 spoilers song list for the top 4 we heard about earlier today.

Now let’s get on to our American Idol 2012 top 4 recap and see how the contestants did on Wednesday night’s performance show! Although honestly, I do have to question how we ended up with “Imagine” at this point in the competition when David Archuleta already went there and did that and who wants to be compared to one of the most iconic song of Idol history? Oh well, we can only hope someone actually can prove they can do it better tonight as we start our American Idol 2012 live reap of the top 3 performance show!

WARNING: AMERICAN IDOL 2012 SPOILERS AHEAD!

The following post contains American Idol 2012 spoilers and videos for the top 4 performance night show on Wednesday. Please stop reading if you do not want to know what happened!

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(Please note: If you cannot watch the performance videos, they may not be available for viewing where you live. Please stand by and we will bring you videos everyone can watch as soon as they are available.)

American Idol 2012 Top 3 Performances — Judges’ Choice

Joshua Ledet — “I’d Rather Go Blind” by Etta James

Judges: Steven Tyler says it is another Joshua moment and it is surreal; he sang like an American Idol winner tonight. Jennifer Lopez says Joshua has brought the house down again. Randy Jackson thinks the song fit him like a glove and it was another amazing performance. He hopes Joshua can bring R&B to modern times.

Vote: 1-866-436-5701

Jessica Sanchez — “My All” by Mariah Carey

Judges: Randy says it was beautiful and they tell people all the time not to do Mariah, but that was the best time anyone has done Mariah on TV. Jennifer says she knew this song would be a challenge for Jessica but she totally took it and ran with it; great job. Steven says when Jessica sings it makes people hang on her every note. Even though he basically just said Joshua sang like the American Idol tonight, Steven thinks Jessica will be the last one standing; she should get used to the encores.

Vote: 1-866-436-5702

Phillip Phillips — “Beggin’” by Madcon

Judges: Randy says they were just at the Phillip Phillips concert, he was fun, had a good time and in the zone; another great performance, he is who he is and they love it. Jennifer says Phillip catches a groove in a song that brings him all the way home; great. Steven asks can you believe this guy? It was beautiful to watch and he hopes Phillip writes his own songs because he could be the next Springsteen.

Vote: 1-866-436-5703

Round one is over and there was no standing ovation for Joshua Ledet or Jessica Sanchez this round. Gasp! Nope, instead it was Phillip Phillips who actually got the judges on their feet. Still, Randy Jackson thinks Joshua Ledet is in the lead, but Jennifer disagrees and says Phillip is. Steven can’t decide.

American Idol 2012 Top 3 Performances — Contestants’ Choice

Joshua Ledet – “Imagine” by John Lennon

Judges: Steven Tyler says it is beautiful and over the top; he is so fine and it was a thank you god moment. Jennifer Lopez says Joshua has and incredible instrument and he is very special; it was a controlled and pulled back performance and had courage nad vulnerability. Randy says Joshua dug deep into the song and the performance; another stellar performance. Brilliant, dude.

Vote: 1-866-436-5701

Jessica Sanchez – “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith

Judges: Steven Tyler is thrilled and thinks Jessica took a great song and actually made it greater; beautiful! He gives her a standing ovation. Jennifer says Jessica did a really, really good job. Randy Jackson thinks it started off slow but Jessica delivered a big moment.

Vote: 1-866-436-5702

Phillip Phillips – “Disease” by Matchbox 20

Judges: Jennifer says she loves the song but she didn’t think it was a “wow” performance. It was good, but she wants to see what he’ll do next. Steven says he feels the same. Randy didn’t like the performance either, he wanted a moment but it was just okay with him.

Vote: 1-866-436-5703

American Idol 2012 Top 3 Performances — Jimmy Iovine’s Choice

Joshua Ledet – “No More Drama” by Mary J. Blige

Judges: Randy says it doesn’t even matter what Joshua does anymore or what he sings, he is amazing and a true star. People should just stand up and vote for him. Jennifer says Joshua is a perfect marriage of knowing what to do and when to do it, everything is so natural and spontaneous. He took them to church with the gospel; out of this world. Steven says it was beautiful and over the top. Steven says EVERYTHING is over the top.

Vote: 1-866-436-5701

Jessica Sanchez – “I’ll Be There’ by Jackson 5

Judges: Randy says he liked it okay but he didn’t love it; there was no big moment, it was okay but not oh my god good. Jennifer thinks it was a good song choice and Jessica sounded crazy good and killed it at the end; good job. Steven says it was perfect, she has a perfect voice it was — yes, again — over the top.

Vote: 1-866-436-5702

Phillip Phillips – “We’ve Got Tonight” by Bob Segar

Judges: Randy thinks it was the best performance Phillip has had on the show ever, it was a huge moment, you got ‘em dude! Jennifer says there are millions of girls out there wishing he was singing that song for them. Steven says he can’t call it anything else but beautiful (like everything else) and he nailed it and was, OMG, OVER THE TOP!

Vote: 1-866-436-5703
Join us again Thursday night here on GossipandGab.com for our American Idol 2012 results show recap. Bookmark us or friend us on Facebook or Twitter for all our latest updates. Want even more American Idol 2012? Visit our sister site at AmericanIdolNet.com!

The American Idol 2012 top 3 will perform three songs on Wednesday night as they compete to be chosen as the final two to battle it out for the American Idol 2012 winner title in the finale. This is the very last chance for Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet and Phillip Phillips to sway the viewers to their side and make it to the final 2. Will they make the right song choices tonight? Read on for the American Idol 2012 spoilers on what the top 4 will sing!

The American Idol 2012 top 4 will have to perform three times on Wednesday night. They will sing a song of their choosing, a song chosen for them by the judges and a song chosen for them by Jimmy Iovine. There will also probably be a group or combo number or two to fill in the two-hour show time.

WARNING: AMERICAN IDOL 2012 SPOILERS AHEAD!

Please be warned this post contains American Idol 2012 spoilers about what the top 3 will be singing on Wednesday night. Please stop here if you prefer to be surprised!

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We have the American Idol 2012 spoilers for the top 3 song list below for you. Now join us in a game of mix and match to try to figure out which contestants will end up singing what. Tell us your picks in our comments section below!

American Idol 2012 Spoilers — Top 4 Song List:

• “Imagine” – John Lennon
• “My All” – Mariah Carey
• “No More Drama” – Mary J. Blige
• “We’ve Got Tonight” – Bob Seger
• “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” – Aerosmith
• “Beggin’” – Madcon
• “I’ll Be There” – Jackson 5
• “Disease” – Matchbox 20
• “I’d Rather Go Blind” – Etta James

Aren’t the little cartoon bubbles with Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez cute at the bottom? Awwwhhhhhhhh.

Join us Wednesday night here on GossipandGab.com for our American Idol 2012 live top 3 performance show recap. Bookmark us or friend us on Facebook or Twitter for all our latest updates. Want even more American Idol 2012? Visit our sister site at AmericanIdolNet.com!

A lot of spectacle, a healthy dose of emotion and a whole bag full of well-intentioned but pretty talentless folks pretty much sums of up tonight’s episode of America’s Got Talent 2012. I’m really feeling Howard Stern right now and the everyman quality of his critiques of the acts. Honesty tempered with kindness when needed and a slap upside the head when that’s required, too. The folks sitting on the panel over at American Idol 2012 should take a lesson from how this crew judges people.  These guys (and Sharon Osbourne’s one of these guys, too) are the real deal.

First up tonight were David Garibaldi and the CMYK’s, a mixed media, speed painting, somersaulting and tumbling, graffiti artist act.  I know, I know – we’ve all seen this before. (Not really).  But what looked like random bits of paint thrown up against the canvas by the highly talented Garibaldi (and his merry band of men) turned into a fabulous painting in a matter of 120 seconds or so.  (Was it just me or did the guy in the painting bear a striking resemblance to Quentin Tarantino?) Howard, in his own inimitable way, put them through by saying “I’m the most popular judge” (true enough, I think, but let’s hope we don’t have to hear that every week) and Howie Mandel rightly pointed out that the goal of America’s Got Talent 2012 is: “You have to deliver wow.”  Garibaldi and CMYK delivered wow big-time.

We were then treated – and I use that word lightly – to a number of highly forgettable acts like Mr. Special (who looked like a cross between Elmo and Foghorn Leghorn riding a tricycle while playing a horn and then refusing to exit stage left before exclaiming, “I need to be heard”. We heard you, Mr. Special, and we need to be heard, too.  (We needed to hear the door slamming behind you.)  A confusing group of people named Blues Wizards played suitcases, although “played’ is probably giving them too much credit.   They were followed by an opera singer, singing her half of a duet (her backbeat scratch partner was MIA). I don’t think her partner showing up would have helped her pass through to the next round of America’s Got Talent 2012.

The Lisa Clark Dancers performed a really confusing but energetic series of random dances to classical music.  They didn’t really stand out in any way but when Howie asked them if they could come up with something different, something unique in Vegas to justify the judges saying “yes”, did he really expect them to say “Oh no, Howie.  This is as good as we’re going to get”.  C’mon, Howie.  Put them through based on this performance – not what we may or may not see in the future.  I guarantee you that you saw the best of them tonight.

A combo magician/musician act was pretty darn good.  The musician was sawed in half by the magician – or was it the other way around? – and then the top half of his body was pushed to the piano and he played a little something something.  A lovely and very talented – and ultimately forgettable – young lady sang very powerfully and they put her through but she barely registered compared to some of the other in-your-face America’s Got Talent 2012 auditions that had taken place tonight.

I’m not normally a fan of people who do impressions so I didn’t hold out much hope for Dave Burleigh who, when asked, told Howie he did a million impressions but only 3 of the were good.  Yikes.  And, honestly, the voices for his impressions were adequate, at best.  But – oh my goodness – the facial expressions and mannerisms of the people he did – boy, did he nail them.  Have you ever seen anyone do Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn discussing being on Dancing With the Stars? I didn’t think so.  He did Nic Cage, Jack Black, and Charlie Sheen conversing with the always-entertaining Gary Busey, followed by Bruce Willis.  This is a guy I could see headlining a show in Vegas, for sure.  He just needs – as the judges rightly pointed out – to punch up his material a little, to be slightly edgier.  Do that and he’s well on his way to a long run on AGT.

A great opera singer named Luis Meneghin performed admirably and was suitably humble about letting the America’s Got Talent 2012 judges and audience know how he sings to his patients for 30 minutes every day.  He came across as a lovely and sweet guy and should do well in the competition but needs more of a personality; otherwise, he’ll fade into the background.

What can I say about Kotton Kandy, a wonderful drag queen who sang and danced to a song whose sole lyric seemed to be “Let me see that tootsie roll”.   KK’s advice to the audience: “If you like me, you like me. If you don’t, get over it”.  Those are words to live by and I found myself yelling at the screen “Don’t buzz her” just before Howard did.  Eventually, all 3 judges buzzed KK but I’d go see Kotton Kandy perform in Vegas, I really would.  I think the judges missed a big opportunity here.

All I can say about the rapping granny and the guy who played the broom and the dustpan like a flute (yes, you read that right) was that, somehow, they both were put through.  Novelty acts? Yes. Headliners in Vegas? Hell, no.

And then, for me, the highlight of the night.  Tim Hockenberry, a guy closing in on 50 with a compelling back-story, performed a very Joe Cocker-ish version of “You Are So Beautiful” that got to me, it really did.  His voice was strong where it needed to be and then became very tender at the end.  If he doesn’t go far in the show, someone ought to be smart enough and sign this guy to a contract.  He’s that good.

Funk Beyond Control got put through by the judges but I’m not sure why.  They looked like a great group of people who belong in a state cheerleading competition.  Same with The Emily Ann Band.  They were cute and quirky and sang “Toxic” really well but I wasn’t feeling them.

The night finished with the most compelling storyline of all.  A young street performer who’d named himself Turf combined dance with contortion after telling his story of being homeless for 2 years and working for tips on the streets.  I’m a little squeamish watching contortionists, I can’t lie.  But there was something about this guy and how hard he worked and how much he’s overcome that got to me and it certainly got to the audience and, most importantly, the judges.  I don’t know if he’ll make it to the finals but his life changed tonight, that’s for sure, and it was a very strong close to what I thought was a great episode of America’s Got Talent 2012.

America’s Got Talent 2012, 2 episodes in, is off to a great start.  The judges are working well together, the pace is fast and entertaining, and we get a good mix of real talent liberally sprinkled with oddballs (and, you have to admit it, we’re all watching to see the oddballs, at least in these very first few shows).  I’m feeling the love big time for America’s Got Talent 2012 and, with all the talent/singing/dancing reality shows on TV right now, they’ve got what it takes to truly stand out.  Bravo, AGT 2012.  Job well done.

– Ellen Burke, GossipandGab.com guess blogger

Join us next week on GossipandGab.com for more America’s Got Talent 2012 recaps! Bookmark us or friend us on Facebook or Twitter for all our latest updates.