Thursday morning: Next week is Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Original Wednesday post:

Because I missed last night's "Idol" telecast (at the Indians game, see below) and today got away from me, I am going try to do a quick rip through last night's Mariah Carey homage and then the results show. …

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I know I'm venturing afield from movies, TV, music and other standard topics here. But if we're talking about popular culture, how could we not include the Pope's Cologne or — this is really its name — Burp Armor. If for no other reason than knowing that its trim is in these colors: Creamsicle, Stitch, Creamsicle Stripe, Chocolate Stitch, Honeydew Stitch, Honeydew Stripe, Snow cone Stitch, Candy Stripe, and Candy Stitch. And I loved the press release, for so many terrible reasons, and the fact that an elaborate burp cloth can cost at least $25. It is so very Yuppie. The release is after the jump.

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The pope in this case is Pius IX, but the fragrance has gotten a boost from the current pope's visit to America. Info after the jump.

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Includes attempts to replicate Priscilla Presley's face, and a discussion of dancing vs. swaying. (Also, see my Priscilla query in the post before this.)

Priscilla Presley is out at "DWTS" and you will hear no complaints here. Bad dancing, creepy face. But here's the morning's question: What sort of Elvis-related comment would be the best to cover her departure?

ABC's Web said that Priscilla "has left the building." I'm betting you can come up with something much more clever.

"Dancing" leaves Priscilla all shook up?

Priscilla returned to sender?

As I said, I know you guys can do better.

On another point, shouldn't someone who has been in show business, as Presley has, be better at talking in sound bites? Amazing to watch how much Bergeron and Harris had to steamroll her last night when the show was running out of time.

The bride and I went to the Indians-Red Sox game tonight. (Red Sox won, 5-3.) Will catch up on posts about TV later.

As for the game, generally weird and disheartening. Interesting, to be sure, and we stayed until the Red Sox added a pad run in the ninth, but not the sort of game that makes you think the Indians are serious contenders this year. They had chances against Wakefield and didn't take advantage.

And it was cold cold. The bride had a shirt, a hooded sweatshirt, a winter coat, earmuffs, gloves and a blanket for her lap, and she was using them all by the time we decided to leave the game. But a guy on our row said it had been even worse the night before.

I was choked up during the Jackie Robinson video tributes. Very well done, and a strong reminder of how baseball and America have changed. Of course, on the day of that tribute, karmic justice would have mandated that the Indians — first American League team to integrate, with Larry Doby — should have beaten Boston, the last major-league team to integrate. But it didn't work out that way.

Maybe if the Indians fans had greeted Bosox batters with chants of "Pumpsie Green!"

And yes, I am a longtime Bosox fan, one who puts aside my admiration for them when they play my (finally) adopted Indians. (Last night, I was wearing my Cleveland jacket — as well as a long-sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, gloves and cap, and eventually borrowing a corner of the bride's blanket.) But I try not to be blind to history.

Pumpsie Green!

A lonnnnnnnng announcement, loaded with reality, 12 returning shows, four new ones. Boilerplate after the jump …

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Had some family business last night so I didn't get to all the viewing had hoped. Played catch-up this morning. A few notes on various topics after the jump.

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"I got a hit, Schumacher, and Ruddy doesn't count any more."*

– Since I was the guy who asked NBC's Ben Silverman to explain how "My Name Is Earl" and "30 Rock" qualified as family-hour shows, it was with great amusement that I read a New York Times piece with an NBC executive admitting that the 8-9 p.m. slot isn't all that family on Thursdays. The exec told the Times that:

… the family-hour designation should be seen as offering "direction for program development," not "black-and-white expectations" for the audience.

"'It was not to be construed as a return to a strictly defined family hour," he said, featuring wholesome shows like “Little House on the Prairie,” a hit on NBC in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

By the way, the Times story managed to discuss the "MILF Island" episode without ever using the acronym "MILF." Although it did offer an explanation of the term: "referring to a teenager’s crude designation of someone’s sexy mother."

– "American Idol" has announced the finalists in its songwriting contest. The details are after the jump, but just looking at the song titles makes me think I've heard enough before I've heard anything. Examples: "Believe," "You Believe in Me," "You Believed in Me" (because past tense makes all the difference), "All You Will Need," "You Can Do Anything," "Dream Big."

– Is it just me, or was "Saturday Night Live" a humongous snore on Saturday? I'm usually willing to at least sit through sketches, but I found myself muttering "well, I can see where this is going" and hitting fast-forward.

– CBS has announced that the next season of "Survivor" will be shot in high-definition. Oh, goodie. Extra clarity for bug bites, skin tight over ribs and, of course, the pixels needed when swimsuits slip.

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The official word from ABC:

After tallying the judges’ and viewers’ votes from a night of Samba and Rumba, the fifth couple to be eliminated from the competition is revealed on “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show,” TUESDAY, APRIL 15 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Musical guest James Blunt takes the stage to perform “Carry You Home” from his latest album, “All the Lost Souls,” in stores now. He will be accompanied by two-time World Cabaret Champions and two-time U.S. National Cabaret Champions Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian.

For the second week in a row, kids will shake and shimmy their way into America’s hearts in a live ballroom dancing competition. Judges Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman and Carrie Ann Inaba will select their favorite team of the night. That team will then return later in the season for another performance. This week two teams, ten years-old and under, will compete.

This from CBS today:

CSI was Thursday's Number One program in viewers on a night that included a special elimination edition of "American Idol," according to preliminary Nielsen live plus same day ratings for April 10.

CSI outdelivered "American Idol" in viewers (19.93m vs. 19.57m).

And here's next week's theme:

On Tuesday, April 15 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), the Top 7 finalists (Brooke White, Carly Smithson, David Archuleta, David Cook, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook and Syesha Mercado) will return to the Idol stage to perform songs by Mariah Carey.

Tune in the following night to see a live performance by superstar Mariah Carey and find out who receives enough votes to stay in the competition and who must go home on the results show Wednesday, April 16 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed).

An amazing, terrifying, weirdly hilarious episode. More after the jump. …

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It's still just a stick, just a bleepin' stick …

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In-progress posting during the show, with spoiler, after the jump.

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