Leisure Pursuit

Yo Adrian

2012-01-23T01:08:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I came across a show on the Biography channel about the making of the Rocky series, called The Rocky Saga: Going the Distance. By the time I turned it on, they were discussing Rocky III. I really wanted to see about I and II, and fortunately, it aired again a few days later.

I'm watching it now and I'm so glad I caught it. It's full of interesting tidbits:

Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay in three days in a spiral notebook.
They considered Joe Frazier to play Apollo Creed, but in 11 seconds with Joe in the ring, Sly needed four stitches.
Carl Weathers was just as arrogant and pompous in real life as Apollo Creed was written to be.
Adrian's brother Paulie was originally written to be Adrian's Jewish mother.
Sly originally wanted Susan Sarandon to play Adrian, but they thought she was too sexy.
The movie had a budget under $1M, with only $25K for the score. And yet they ended up with one of the most enduring movie songs ever.
Rocky and Adrian's first date was going to take place in a cafe. Instead, they went ice skating. And the reason it was set up that Rocky paid the guy to let them skate when the rink was closed was because they couldn't afford to pay any extras. The end result was such a sweet and romantic scene.

As I'm watching, I realize that I completely adore this movie and I'm wondering why I don't own it. I will remedy that soon. I checked through Tivo and it doesn't look like Bio will be airing this documentary again in the next two weeks, however, if you want to see it, you're in luck! I found the whole thing on YouTube! Check it out if you can.

2012 Golden Globes

2012-01-15T23:30:00.000-05:00

Some comments on tonight's show:

Laura Dern won for Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical for Enlightened. Really?! I watched the first season and I still can't say whether I like the show or not, though I'm leaning toward, "not really." What I can say is that it rarely makes me laugh, so I take issue with it being called a comedy. Laura Dern is great, but I would've preferred to see Laura Linney win this one. Which is kind of ironic--Laura Linney stars as a woman with Stage 4 cancer. But....The Big C makes me laugh all the time.
I'm so happy Homeland won Best TV Drama. But wait--did I miss the Best Actress in a Drama award? Seems weird that this was announced so early.
It was perfect that The Artist won Best Score. How could it not--it's the whole movie! And it's wonderful.
Madonna won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. I wasn't paying attention to what movie it's for. I just wanted to say that she looks fab from the neck up, but otherwise, she needs to eat something. Her arms were so extremely thin.
When Eric Stonestreet was announced as a nominee for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie, Jessie Tyler Ferguson, who plays his partner on Modern Family, and was not nominated, held up a sign over Eric's shoulder which read, "Whatever..." That was awesome.
I was so pleased that Woody Allen won Best Screenplay for Midnight in Paris. Whenever I think of that movie, I smile.
Most deserved award: Jessica Lange, Best Supporting Actress for American Horror Story. Woo hoo!!
Most, most, most deserved award: Claire Danes, Best Actress for Homeland. As far as I'm concerned, she won this award with one scene in the 2nd to last episode of the season. Her performance all season was flawless, but that one scene. Man. She's fantastic.
Bravo to Octavia Spencer for her win as Best Supporting Actress in a Movie for The Help. Go Minny!
Ahh....Sidney Poitier. Dignity personified.
And Morgan Freeman - winner of the Cecil B. DeMille award. Class act.
Ricky Gervais definitely toned it down this year. There were still several zingers, but they didn't seem as mean-spirited as they did last year. He was funny and I'm sure he'll be back again.

And my two favorite quotes:

Ricky Gervais: Who needs the Oscars? Not me. And not Eddie Murphy. He walked out on them. He said 'no,' and good for him. But when the man who said yes to Norbit says no to you, you know you're in trouble.

Christopher Plummer (upon winning Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture): To...Elaine, my wife of 43 years. Whose bravery and beauty haunts me still.

Awww....

Full list of winners.

You Better Not Cry by Augusten Burroughs

2012-01-04T00:10:00.000-05:00

You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augusten Burroughs

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I love Augusten Burroughs, but this was not my favorite collection of his stories. The two at the beginning were good, and the last one was pretty good, but in between...ay yi yi. Each story is about something that happened to Augusten at Christmas time. The first one, where as a child, he confused Santa and Jesus was great--it's easy to see how that might happen if you grow up in a non-religious household. After the first few stories in his childhood, we jump to Augusten in the throes of his alcoholism. He almost made me hate him in those stories. I think if I hadn't read Dry, and knew what he'd been through, I might have given up on this book. He comes off as the most hateful person. Thankfully, he redeems himself in the last story. I was hoping for a light end-of-the-year read, but the stories are pretty dark and kind of depressing for the Christmas season. It might be more appropriate to read at Halloween.

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A lion, a few tigers, and a bear. Oh my!

2011-12-30T00:30:00.000-05:00

I saw We Bought a Zoo today and really enjoyed it. The story, about a guy who's trying to start a new life with his kids after his wife dies, is pretty predictable. Still, Matt Damon and the two actors who play his kids are so charming and engaging, it doesn't matter. The animals at the zoo are GORGEOUS and I was mesmerized by them...especially the tiger, Spar. As is typical with Cameron Crowe movies, I also enjoyed the soundtrack. In the movie, someone poses the question, if you had a choice, which would you choose: animals or people? Hmmm....tough one. Depends on which people we're talking about!

I noticed on Rotten Tomatoes that the movies has a 63% approval rating among top critics, while the general audience (a.k.a. "America") rates it at 83%. I'm with the audience on this one. It's a cute, feel-good movie with good performances and beautiful animals. Nothing wrong with that.

At the movies...

2011-12-28T11:52:00.000-05:00

I saw Young Adult with my family the other day. The movie's about a woman who writes young adult fiction, who goes back to her home town to try to get back her high school boyfriend, who's married and just had a baby. Charlize Theron's performance was great. It's amazing how she's so beautiful, but can play down, out and scrubby so easily. Her character was a mess. We all enjoyed it.

Last night I saw The Artist, which was WONDERFUL. It's a black-and-white, silent film about movies and the transition from silent films to "talkies." The movie was great. There's always talk about there being no original ideas out there. Well, this was certainly original. It was fun to watch, and dare I say, magical? Plus it was also a great movie-going experience. I think because it was a silent film, and all you heard was the musical score, people in the audience were more conscientious of the noises they made. I wasn't annoyed by anyone's talking, texting, popcorn crunching, or paper unwrapping. It was nice. And the movie made me smile.

I'm off work this week and plan to see a few more movies. It's hard to decide what to see because there's so much out there I want to see: We Bought a Zoo, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, My Week with Marilyn, War Horse, Hugo.... I just love this time of year!

2011-12-24T00:54:00.002-05:00

Just saw Jersey Boys for the second time. I just LOVE that show. This one was in D.C. and it was even better than the first time because 1) the people behind us weren't talking and singing the whole time, and 2) the guy playing Frankie Valli was better than the guy we saw on Broadway. He was wonderful.

As we were leaving, I was singing December 1963 (Oh What a Night) in my head and it got me thinking about shows that leave you singing. (This was my problem with Wicked. I didn't leave the theater singing.) Then that got me thinking about what my favorite all-time musicals are. After Rent, it's difficult to rank them, so just know that Rent is my all-time fave and the others are tops. I also included how many times I've seen these shows on stage.

Rent (Hmm...I lost count. I think 12, maybe 13)
Les Miserables (4, maybe 5)
Jersey Boys (2)
Hairspray (2)
A Chorus Line (2 - though one was a high-school production...it was well done though!)
West Side Story (1)

Methinks I'll be puling out all these soundtracks next week (after all the Christmas music is over), and I'll just be singing along to my heart's content.

The X Factor

2011-12-22T22:03:00.001-05:00

I haven't written much about The X Factor for a couple of reasons:

Me and a guy at work are the only people I know who are watching it, and we have enough discussion over Facebook.
I didn't really care about the show that much. The show came on Wednesday nights, but I wouldn't watch it until the weekend. I wasn't interested in voting, and there was no urgency to see it since no one would be talking about it the next day.

That said, here are a few comments on tonight's finale (***SPOILERS***):

I've loved Melanie and Josh from the start. Everyone else was eh. I'm thrilled that they were the top two. They HAD to be the top two because they're the best two singers in the competition. Go America! You actually got it right on this show.
They brought out Rachel Crow, the 13-year-old contestant who dramatically collapsed to the floor when she was eliminated two weeks ago. She seems fine, and the host allowed her to introduce whatever was coming next. In that 2 minutes, it was clear that Rachel should be hosting next year's show over the current guy--Steve Whatever-His-Name-Is.
50 Cent performed. I can't explain it, but I totally have a crush on him. Oh, and Ne-Yo too.
Stevie Wonder performed...he backed up Justin Bieber. Say what?! Shouldn't that be the other way around?
I can no longer watch Pitbull perform on TV. During the American Music Awards, my sister pointed out how tight his pants always are. I never noticed before, but now it's all I see, and sometimes it's just.......obscene. Yeah. Let's go with that word. Tonight's performance was no exception.
After last night's show, Melanie completely deserved the win tonight. I'm so happy for her! And I know Josh will be fine.

VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul

2011-12-20T20:41:00.000-05:00

Last night VH1 premiered VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul, where various Divas pay tribute to the cities of soul music:

Memphis (Booker T & the MGs, Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, Al Green)
Detroit (Motown...duh)
Philadelphia (The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Hall & Oates, Jill Scott)
London (Dusty Springfield, Sade, Adele, Simply Red, Amy Winehouse)
Chicago (Sam Cooke, The Impressions, Curtis Mayfield, The Chi-Lites, Donny Hathaway, Etta James)

Divas (and other performers) include Mavis Staples, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Florence & the Machine, Jessie J, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu (and her spaced-out self), Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, The Roots, and Boyz II Men.

It is a GREAT show! (And I'm not just saying that because Common made an appearance.) The music and performances are fantastic. I'm sure VH1 will air it over and over again. In fact it's on again tonight (Tuesday the 20th) at 11pm eastern. Try to catch it if you can.

Strangers No More

2011-12-18T16:24:00.001-05:00

I just finished watching a beautiful short film that's airing on HBO this month called Strangers No More. It's a documentary about the Bialik-Rogozin School in Tel Aviv, Israel which provides education and services for refugee students from all over the world. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short, and deservedly so. The school is K-12 and the movie follows the stories of several students as they get acclimated to their new surroundings. The stories are heartbreaking, but the development of the children is so inspiring. To quote young Esther, originally from South Africa, whom I guessing is about 10 or 11 years old:

In South Africa we didn't have a school like this. Some children didn't like Black children because they were Black. This school, they're from all over the world. They don't care. It's like all of the world meeting together, and there is peace.

Make an effort to find this on HBO. It's really wonderful.

Random thoughts...

2011-12-17T19:41:00.000-05:00

I saw one of these Charmin commercials earlier today:

I have always wondered since they started airing these commercials.... Is leftover TP really a problem for anyone?? Even with the cheapest TP they use at work (that feels like parchment paper), I've never had this problem. I just don't get it.
Claire Danes' Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in television in Homeland was deserved based on last week's episode alone. She's amazing. I can't wait for tomorrow's finale.
Speaking of the Golden Globes, I think the strongest category of nominees is for Best Supporting Actress for television. (For what it's worth, it's also the only category where I've seen each of the performances nominated.) The nominees are:

Jessica Lange – American Horror Story (FX)
Kelly MacDonald – Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS)
Sofia Vergara – Modern Family (ABC)
Evan Rachel Wood – Mildred Pierce (HBO)

The award has to go to Jessica Lange. Hands down.
Steve Carell wrote a nice tribute to Ryan Gosling in Entertainment Weekly. About Ryan's role in Crazy, Stupid, Love Carell wrote:
A lot of people responded to how incredibly good-looking he was and what a great physique he had. When he took his shirt off, as a producer on the movie, I thought, "He's exactly what that guy should look like." But that's not who Ryan is. In his mind, he was just becoming a character. He read that part of the script where Emma Stone's character says, "Seriously? It's like you're Photoshopped," and he took that piece of information and worked out to a point where he actually did look Photoshopped. But it wasn't coming from a place of vanity; it was an actor's choice. And there's a really big difference between those two things.
I just love that.
Regarding Amazing Race (**SPOILERS...but really, I'd think everyone would've watched by now**) This is the most disappointed I've been in the outcome. Ever. I wanted anyone but Cindy to win. ANYONE.

And finally:

Happy Holidays!

Mobbed--a low point for NBC

2011-11-26T22:51:00.001-05:00

Wow. I'm watching an episode of Howie Mandel's Mobbed that was on the other night. The show is about creating a huge flash mob to surprise someone with big news. It's one thing to create such a huge production for a marriage proposal, but what they've done on this episode is disgusting. There's a guy who wanted to create this flashy dance scene so he could apologize to his 18-year-old daughter for not really being there for her most of her life. Dude. Take her out to dinner and make your damn apology. Why does this have to be a big television production? I saw a preview for an upcoming show where a guy is telling someone he's their father. WHAT?! With song and dance?????

So, it's a bad idea to start, but then, the execution of the flash mob was even worse. They told the daughter that she'd be appearing in a father/daughter feature for Rolling Stone. She mentions being hopeful that this will bring them closer together. Part of the flash mob surprise is that her dad calls her in the midst of "rehearsals" for the Rolling Stone thing to tell her he can't make it. He doesn't offer an explanation and basically hangs up on her. It's cruel and the daughter winds up in tears because, duh, as far as she's concerned, her dad has let her down once again.
This is such a serious subject for this girl, and to come in with a bunch of dancers and nonsense is just ridiculous. Not to mention the editing and production of the show. Howie Mandel brings on the drama... when the daughter is crying, he's behind the scenes, "We have to hurry. We're losing her. We're losing her." She's devastated and he's hamming it up for the camera. UGH.

This is one of the worst things I've ever seen.

In case you're wondering, he pleads his case, and the daughter says she'll forgive him. Well, of course she does--there are hundreds of people watching. Is she going to make a scene and storm away? She's probably too overwhelmed to say anything buy yes.

The dad then apologizes to the mom too, by singing & dancing to their song "Love Me Tender." Dude can sing okay, but his dancing leaves a LOT to be desired. Earlier during the show, Napoleon and Tabitha (from So You Think You Can Dance) give him a zero on dance skills. It's just embarrassing. I guess by embarrassing himself in front of the crowd and TV audience he's really showing them that he's sincere.

I'd love to see a recap on this family a year from now. How will he act when this was all over? Actions speak louder than words (and flash mobs), dude.

Glee's good again

2011-11-16T21:08:00.001-05:00

Since they've limited the shenanigans of Sue Sylvester this season on Glee, I find I'm enjoying it much more. I loved the performances for the West Side Story production. I LOVE Idina Menzel. And I like that Santana and Mercedes are getting more singing time. Which leads me to this...this weak featured one of my favorite performances on Glee since it started. Santana and Mercedes did a mash-up of Adele's "Rumour Has It" and "Someone Like You." LOVED IT.

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In other news, I saw Ides of March over the weekend. Good movie with strong performances. It just shows what a game our political system is. Ryan Gosling was great, as always.

R.I.P. Heavy D

2011-11-09T17:36:00.001-05:00

I was so sad to hear of the passing of Heavy D last week. His music was a BIG part of my high school/college years. It wasn't just that I loved his stuff, but also that I was dating a guy who kinda thought he was/ wanted to be Heavy D.

There was a nice piece on NPR about Heavy D's influence on hip hop.

My favorite song was Somebody for Me:

And finally, his recent performance on the BET Awards. He looked just as good as he did 20+ years ago:

R.I.P. Heavy D

My eyes! My eyes!

2011-11-05T02:17:00.001-04:00

I saw Drive today starring Ryan Gosling.

First the good: Ryan Gosling plays a quiet loner who works as a getaway driver by night, and a car mechanic and part-time stunt driver by day. He has a crush on his neighbor, and his desire to protect her and her young son leads to all kinds of trouble. Ryan Gosling is an amazing actor. Just his presence says so much without him uttering a word. He can just stand there and with a look, you know exactly what he's feeling, whether it's tenderness toward his neighbor, or, for example, his disdain for Al Brooks' character upon meeting him the first time. Anytime he's on the screen, I am just mesmerized.
Now the bad: As I told my dad, I think this might be the most violent movie I've ever seen. This eclipses American Me, which has a scene that will forever be seared in my brain, but that I don't really wish to discuss because I don't want people searching certain terms and winding up on my blog. Anyway, I think the graphic nature of the violence in this movie was obscene and unnecessary. There was enough tension and suspense portrayed through the dialogue and acting, that it was not necessary to see someone's head literally get blown off (in slow motion no less), or see someone stick a fork in another character's eye. Jesus. I had to cover my eyes through much of the movie, and at one point, I wanted to scream, "Don't do it!!!!" to Ryan Gosling when something particularly gruesome was about to happen. I'm sure the other two people in the theater would not have appreciated that, and thankfully, he didn't do it.

Still, contrary to how it sounds, I did enjoy the movie. I've heard buzz that Al Brooks might get an Oscar nomination out of this. I think he'd deserve it. His character was so menacing and completely against type. Compared to the bumbling but lovable guy he played in Defending Your Life...wow--talk about range!

Between this, American Horror Story, Boardwalk Empire from two Sundays ago (where someone was scalped), and the details I've been reading about the Lululemon Trial (a terrible local news story about a stabbing in Bethesda Maryland), I think I really need to get some comedy into my life. That's my agenda for this weekend. I'm going start by watching ABC's Wednesday night comedy lineup (The Middle, Suburgatory, Modern Family and Happy Endings), and then maybe I'll throw on Bridesmaids for good measure. Let the laughter begin!

{Insert profound subject line here}

2011-10-28T00:28:00.000-04:00

I just noticed that this is my 800th post. 800 posts in exactly six years and four months. I went back and read my very first post, from June 27, 2005. I was reminded of a trip to NYC with my sister where we saw the crew from the Da Ali G Show filming something in Central Park. Of course I realize now, that we were watching Sacha Baron Cohen's character, Borat. It's interesting to go back and read the older posts to see what was happening in the entertainment world, and where my thoughts were. I don't get too many comments these days, so I don't even know who's reading, but whoever you are, I hope you enjoy the blog as much as I enjoy writing it.

Now, that out of the way, here's what I really came to write about. I saw this question posted on Twitter:

Link to Christy Lemire's list

I got to thinking about this and came up with my own Top 5.

NOTE: these movies are old, so I don't think I need to give a SPOILER alert, still, if you don't know what happens at the end of Carrie, and don't want to know, then skip that section.

Movies are listed chronologically by the year they were released:

The Wizard of Oz (1939). It was those damn monkeys.
Carrie (1976). I was only six when this movie came out, so clearly I didn't see it in the theater. My family and I watched this when it was on TV, maybe in 1983 or so. What I remember is that my folks were on the bed, and my sister and I were on a blanket on the floor. I was sitting there munching on popcorn and thinking, oh, this movie wasn't so scary, and then SCREAMING MY HEAD OFF when that hand popped out of the ground at the end. Holy shit! I think my dad even screamed a little bit. After that shock, we all laughed, but it shook me up for quite a while.
Magic (1978). First of all, I never even saw this movie. I was 8 years old when it came out and just the TV commercials freaked me out. Look at the dummy. Are you kidding me?! It's SCARY. I still don't like it.
Poltergeist (1982). This came out in 1982, but I didn't see it until it came out on VHS, probably 1983. Anyway, just watching this clip on YouTube got my heart racing. Oh, the horror....
Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan (1982). I can't even search for the video for this one without feeling sick to my stomach. Here's a description of the scene in question (pulled from Wikipedia): He implants Chekov and Terrell with indigenous, mind-controlling eels that enter the ears of their victims and uses the officers to gain control of the Reliant.

WTF??? EELS THAT ENTER THE EARS?!?!?!?! ACCKKKKKKK!!!!!! I wanted to leave the theater right then and there! My dad insisted we stay. I just kept my eyes and ears closed the rest of the movie.

So, that's my list. I realize a couple of the movies are a bit obscure, but the fact that just thinking of these things now still makes me uneasy, you can only imagine how I felt as a kid.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: A Novel by Tom Franklin

2011-10-23T01:03:00.002-04:00

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: A Novel by Tom Franklin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is another of those "liked it, but didn't love it" books. The story is about Larry and Silas, who first meet as kids in the 1970s in rural Mississippi. (Larry is white, Silas is black.) The two bonded for a short period of time, but then had a falling out. Then, Larry takes a girl on a date, and she's never heard from again. Her body was never found, and Larry never confessed. The people in town believed he was responsible and ostracized him.

The story jumps back and forth (rather haphazardly!) between the 70s and present day, when Larry is suspected in the disappearance of another young woman. This time, Silas is a police officer and becomes involved in the investigation.

The book is described as a murder mystery, but there wasn't too much mysterious about it. It was actually very predictable. What kept me reading, however, was the excellent writing and character development of Larry and Silas. I was curious how their relationship would evolve.

It was a quick read and cost only $2.99 for the Kindle. I guess I got my money's worth. I'm not sure I'd recommend this to anyone though, unless it's someone who's more into language and character development than they are plot.

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American Horror Story

2011-10-19T11:32:00.001-04:00

I decided to tune in to American Horror Story simply because Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott star (it was mostly because of Connie Britton). The show, essentially is about a haunted house and the family that moves in.

Now, generally, I'm not a big fan of the horror genre. I don't like to feel scared. But, I thought maybe it would be campy like True Blood, which I love. I should've known better. I mean, just the commercials for the show were pretty creepy.

I went ahead and watched the pilot episode and, holy shit. It freaked me the F out! It was almost too scary to be watching by myself. It makes me think that the mind of Ryan Murphy might be slightly demented. And I couldn't help but wonder how that mind got from Glee to AHS.

The show starts in 1978 with a little girl wearing a yellow dress standing in front of this big Victorian house. Two teenage twin boys come up and enter the house--the girl tells them, "You're going to die in there." The boys go in and start destroying the abandoned house with their baseball bats. Then they go in the basement. They come across various specimen jars--one with a baby's foot. Another with a baby's head. Then there's a shadow--something moves by. You get a flash and the figure looks a bit like Nosferatu. One brother heads up the stairs, and calls for the other, who doesn't answer. Brother #1 goes back down the stairs and finds that Brother #2 is bloody and lying on the floor--his throat has been slashed. Then that shadow comes back and Brother #1 starts screaming. The camera pans back outside and the little girl is still standing there. UGH. WTF was that?! Then we get to present day as the family moves from Boston to California for a fresh start after the wife suffers a miscarriage and the husband is caught cheating. And they buy this house. And all kinds of weird and scary stuff happens.

When the show ended, I thought, I can't possibly watch this anymore. It's too much. But then I saw the previews for the second episode and I was intrigued and knew I'd be watching again. The second outing wasn't as scary as the first, and it revealed several things about the house. In the pilot the real estate agent disclosed that the previous owners died in a murder-suicide. In the second, we learn about a murder that took place in the 60's, and that the house is currently featured on a "Murder House" tour.

Now I find myself wanting to know what other secrets will be revealed and know that I'll definitely be watching again. I just have to make sure all my lights are on when I watch.

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

2011-10-13T19:17:00.002-04:00

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

*Sigh*

I wanted to love this book. One review I read said to make it your final summer read. I'm a little beyond summer, but that's neither here nor there. I was expecting something fun and light, but there was nothing fun about this book. Once I realized it wasn't the light read I thought it was going to be, I just went with it. The story is told from the points of view of four women who cover three generations: Alice, the matriarch; Kathleen, her daughter; Ann Marie, her daughter-in-law, and Maggie, Kathleen's daughter. None of these women is likable. Alice is a racist piece of work. But despite that, at least Alice had an interesting back story involving the death of her sister years before. I would've preferred the whole book was about Alice. I enjoyed the writing, but the plot was very slow. There's a LOT of buildup to these women finally coming together at the family's summer beach home (2/3 of the book), and then....not much happened. I felt let down and then just plowed through to finish. If it weren't for the pathetic ending, I might've given it three stars just for the writing, but the ending was so rushed, I just felt annoyed that I read the whole thing.

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'Nuff Said.

2011-10-13T18:15:00.001-04:00

That's a tweet from Tim Goodman at The Hollywood Reporter. He's become my favorite TV reviewer.

TV Roundup

2011-10-12T19:58:00.000-04:00

Some observations after catching up on Tivo.

I love, love, LOVE Parenthood so much.

Homeland is going to be a great show. So much happened in the first two episodes. If you haven't seen it yet, try to do so.

Amazing Race - the snowboarders HAVE to win.

Amazing Race - Cindy has GOTS to go!

iPod Top 15 - October 2011 edition

2011-10-10T23:35:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile, but today I listened to my "Top 25 Most Played" playlist on the iPod. I always find it interesting to see what I've been listening to the most. I can't remember when I last reset the count...I'm guessing it's been almost a year. Below are my Top 15 Most Played. (No need to do all 25.)

Rolling In the Deep, Adele (123 times)
Rumour Has It, Adele (110)
Love On Top, Beyoncé (109)
Turning Tables, Adele (102)
Price Tag (feat. B.o.B), Jessie J (100)
Don't You Remember, Adele (96)
Man Down, Rihanna (96)
Party Rock Anthem (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock), LMFAO (93)
Set Fire to the Rain, Adele (90)
Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys), Jay-Z (90)
He Won't Go, Adele (88)
Fool of Me, Me'Shell Ndegéocello (85)
Free, Zac Brown Band (84)
My Body, Young the Giant (82)
Teach Me How to Dougie, Cali Swag District (81)

Interesting combination. Where'd that country song come from? Clearly I love Adele's 21 album. I'm resetting the play count now, and if I actually remember to do so, will report back in a couple of months.

Yay! Another list for me to cross things off of.

2011-10-05T20:08:00.004-04:00

Jeff O'Neal at Book Riot came up with a list of The 100 Greatest American Novels (1891-1991). (Check that link to read about his methodology.) As soon as I saw the list, I knew I'd have to see how many of the books I've read. I'm crossing off those books that I read in their entirety. If I only read a portion, it's marked with asterisks. Just for kicks I've also noted the books I already own. One of these days I'll knock those out and then get to the rest of the list.

The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)
Maggie, Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane (1893)
The Country of Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett (1896)
The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1899)
The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903)
The Golden Bowl by Henry James (1904)
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (1905)
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906)
Three Lives by Gertrude Stein (1909)
My Antonia by Willa Cather (1918)
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington (1918)
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (1919)
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis (1920)
Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man by James Weldon Johnson (1921)
Cane by Jean Toomer (1923)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dresier (1925)
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (1926)
The Bridge of the San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (1927)
Home to Harlem by Claude McKay (1928)
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (1929)
Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe (1929)
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1930)
Flowering Judas and Other Stories by Katherine Porter (1930)
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (1931)
Call It Sleep by Henry Roth (1934)
The Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934)
Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara (1934)
The USA Trilogy by John Dos Passos (1936)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936)
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)
Day of the Locust by Nathaniel West (1939)
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1939)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
Native Son by Richard Wright (1940)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers (1940)
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (1943)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1943) [own]
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren (1946)
Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener (1947)
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer (1948)
The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles (1948)
The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson (1949)
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951)
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952)
Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin (1953)
The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow (1953)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953) ** (assigned in high school; couldn't finish, got by on Cliff Notes)
Andersonville by MacKinley Kantor (1955)
On the Road by Jack Keroauc (1957)
Gimpel the Fool by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1957)
The Wapshot Chronicle by John Cheever (1957)
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1958)
The Magic Barrel by Bernard Malamud (1958)
Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth (1959)
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (1959)
The Little Disturbances of Man by Grace Paley (1959)
Browngirl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall (1959)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960)
Rabbit, Run by John Updike (1960)
The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth (1960)
The Moviegoer by Walker Percy (1961)
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961) [own]
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (1961)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (1962)
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963) [own]
A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter (1967)
The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron (1967)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (1968)
Slaughterhouse-5 by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)
House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday (1969)
them by Joyce Carol Oates (1969)
The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford (1969)
Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion (1970)
The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor (1971)
Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed (1972)
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (1972)
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon (1973)
Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow (1975)
JR by William Gaddis (1976)
Roots by Alex Haley (1976)
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (1977)
The World According to Garp by John Irving (1978)
Airships by Barry Hannah (1978)
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (1980)
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (1980) [own]
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty (1982)
The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982)
Cathedral by Raymond Carver (1983)
Love Medicine by Lousie Erdrich (1984)
Neuromancer by William Gibson (1984)
White Noise by Don Delillo (1985)
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (1985)
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (1985)
City of Glass by Paul Auster (1985)
Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987)
~~The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (1989)~~
The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick (1989)
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (1990)
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez (1991)

So, I've read 17/100. Not great, but I am curious about a lot of these titles (many of which I've never heard of) and look forward to crossing them off some day.

Just random

2011-10-03T22:03:00.000-04:00

Here's what's on my mind:

50/50 starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen - I loved it. Go see it.
The Sing-Off - I'm loving Urban Method and Afro Blue (who are from Howard U. I wanna root for the local kids, and they make it easy to do because they're awesome.)
2 Broke Girls - I'm gonna drop it. I just can't stand the laugh track. The show is just not that funny.
60 Minutes - I enjoyed Morley Safer's interview with Andy Rooney, as well as Andy's last bit. But what was really amazing was the kid who climbs cliffs WITH NO ROPES. Holy crap. I was on the edge of my seat.

See? Random.

TV pulse check

2011-09-26T23:06:00.000-04:00

I've made a few decisions about the news shows I decided to check out this season. The results:

Dropped

Unforgettable - I was originally intrigued by the fact that the main character has the ability to remember every day of her life, but the show wasn't unique or original. It's just a typical police procedural and for me, her memory isn't enough of a twist to keep me coming back for more. I much prefer The Mentalist where you have Simon Baker's charm and intuition.
Free Agents - didn't expect much & I was right.

Too Soon to Tell

2 Broke Girls - I hate comedies with canned laughter telling me when I'm supposed to be laughing, but I do like Kat Dennings, so I'll give it a couple more weeks. Can't quite figure out why Entertainment Weekly had this as one of the Top 5 to watch.
The X Factor - this merits another blog post in and of itself...stay tuned. I want to see what happens after auditions are over and then I'll make my decision.

Keepers

Revenge - this will be a fun guilty pleasure.
Up All Night - makes me laugh out loud.
Person of Interest - intriguing.
New Girl - Pilot episode was fun.
Prime Suspect - Maria Bello is great in this. Love her.

In other news...

The Office cracked me up. Nothing to do with James Spader--instead it was the planking sight gags. Hilarious.
The Sing Off is still fun. If I had to choose between this and The X Factor, I'd go with The Sing Off all the way.
Grey's Anatomy - don't know if I'll be able to stick with this all season. McDreamy's getting on my nerves.
Still iffy on Glee too. We'll see.
Still loving Parenthood, Modern Family, The Good Wife, The Mentalist, Parks & Rec, Community and The Middle

I still have to watch Pan Am and a few other shows will be starting over the next couple of weeks. I'll report back later on.

Rambling thoughts on the Emmys

2011-09-18T23:27:00.002-04:00

The Emmy's ended right on time--the Oscar producers should take note.

Just some thoughts:

I'm happy with Modern Family winning just about anything it was nominated for. Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Best Comedy, Director, etc., etc. So well deserved.
Also happy with Mad Men's win for Best Drama. When's that damn show coming back anyway?
My favorite win of the night was Kyle Chandler FINALLY winning for Friday Night Lights. I just wish Connie Britton had won too. (But I was happy for Julianna Marguiles too.)
I was surprised by Melissa McCarthy's win for Best Actress in a Comedy. I was pulling for Laura Linney for The Big C. I love Melissa McCarthy, but not for Mike & Molly. I wonder if her turn in Bridesmaids this summer caused people to take notice.
I loved what the best comedy actress nominees did--Rob Lowe was naming the nominees and when he said, "Amy Poehler for Parks & Recreation," she jumped right on stage as if she won. All the other nominees followed suit. When Melissa McCarthy won, they crowned her like Miss America.

As you might recall, a couple years ago, the nominees for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy all had on funny glasses when their names were called. Amy Poehler is the common denominator in these two events...I'm sure she had something to do with it.
They must do away with red carpet interviews before the show. They are painful to watch, and I'm sure painful for all involved.

That's all I've got. Looking forward to all the New TV this week!

In Honor and Remembrance - 10 Years Later

2011-09-11T10:23:00.001-04:00

Photo credit: Derek Jensen

Pentagon Memorial - Photo credit: marabuchi on Flickr.com

United Flight 93 Memorial - Photo credit: Paul Kubina

It's TV Time!!

2011-09-11T01:37:00.000-04:00

I love this time of year. I get my Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Preview issue and pore through it, figuring out what my TV schedule is going to be. Here's what I've come up with:

According to EW, shows marked with the ♥ are the Top 5 "must-watch" shows of the season. Note that EW's list of the Top 5 isn't always reliable. If I remember correctly, one of the shows on this list last year was canceled after only two episodes. Still, I'm willing to give these a try.

My new shows are shown in bold italics and include:

Once Upon a Time - starring Ginnifer Goodwin, which is the only reason I'm willing to watch. I really like her. This is about fairy tale characters stuck in Maine (for some reason), trying to get back to their fairy tales, I guess. Kind of reminds me of Jasper Fford's books, so it could be fun.
Pan Am - this was on EW's "also look out for" list--it didn't quite make it to the Top 5. It's more like an honorable mention. Willing to watch this one because of Christina Ricci.
Homeland♥ - stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, whom I loved in Life a couple years ago. Claire Danes is a CIA agent, and Damian Lewis is a rescued POW Marine who may or may not be planning a terrorist attached against America.
2 Broke Girls♥ - I'm only watching this because it's on EW's top 5 list. Also, because it follows right after How I Met Your Mother, so it's easy to just stay on the channel. I read that Whitney Cummings had something to do with this show which knocks it down several pegs in my book. (Whitney also will be starring in a show on NBC called Whitney, which I will not be watching. I just do not find her funny. One night I fell asleep with the TV on (as I often do), and I woke up to Whitney's stand-up routine. Talk about nails on a chalkboard. She's loud, and her voice squeaks, and she ends every sentences in an up-tone...you know, so everything she says? Sounds like a question? I can't stand it.
New Girl - looking forward to this cuz I love Zooey Deschanel.
Unforgettable - this is about a detective who has the ability to remember every moment of her life. Going to tune in to this one because of an amazing story I saw on 60 Minutes about people with that ability. Seems interesting.
Up All Night♥ - this is the show I'm most looking forward to this year, with Will Arnett and Christina Applegate.
Free Agents - I have a feeling this isn't going to be good, but I love Hank Azaria, so I'll give it a try.
The X Factor - I have missed Simon.
Revenge - I have a few misgivings about this too, but it'll be interesting to see "Rebecca" from Brothers & Sisters playing a not-so-nice role.
American Horror Story♥ - Good grief. The commercials for this show kinda freak me out, but it's got Dylan McDermott AND Connie Britton, so I have to watch.
Person of Interest♥ - this has something to do with new technology that can predict when crimes are going to happen. I probably wouldn't tune in if it weren't on EW's list, because, as you can see, the Thursday schedule is pretty crowded.
Prime Suspect - Maria Bello. That's enough for me.

A few other notes about the old shows:

The Biggest Loser - last season I was ready to give this up. This season they have two new trainers and will be splitting people up based on age. I'm committing to watch the first show and the finale. Not sure what I'll do about the ones in between.
Harry's Law - last season, I was going to give up on this show after the 3rd or 4th episode, but then it started to grow on me. Looks like there are lots of changes this year, so I'm willing to give it another go.
The Office - REALLY looking forward to James Spader's turn on this show.
TIVO. Thank goodness for my two dual-recording Tivo's. Wednesdays and Thursdays are gonna be tough.

So, that's my schedule. It's kind of embarrassing to watch SO much TV, but hey, it's what I like to do. What can I say?

A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan

2011-09-10T13:44:00.001-04:00

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story follows the lives of Bennie, a musician/record executive and Sasha, his assistant, as well as various characters that pass through their lives at various times. Much like The Imperfectionists, each chapter features the story of one of these characters. The stories are told in first, second, and third person, and one chapter is even told through a slide presentation, and each takes place during a different period of time--past, present and future.

For the most part I liked this book (didn't love it), but there were two chapters I totally hated, one of them being the final chapter. I got through it, but found myself skimming quite a bit. I just didn't really care about the character featured in that chapter, which ultimately ties all the other stuff together. For me, though, it was a disappointing ending.

View all my reviews

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbø

2011-09-03T21:29:00.001-04:00

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbø

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed emotions about this book. I was drawn to the main character, Harry Hole, and I really liked the author's writing style. It's very descriptive, and it often reads like a movie plot. For example, in one part there's a phone conversation where the reader only "hears" Harry's side of the conversation, just like you might in a movie.

However, I didn't care for the plot that much...it just wasn't that interesting to me. It was a revenge plot that went back and forth between present day (well, the year 2000, really), and the early 40's during WWII. All that back and forth required a lot of concentration. It took me a while to get through this book, because every time I put it down and picked it back up, I had to flip back several pages (or even chapters) to remind myself what was going on.

I understand that Harry appears in some of Mr. Nesbø's other stories, so I do look forward to trying the next in the series. Hopefully the plot will be a little more captivating.

View all my reviews

For Kerri - Our Idiot Brother

2011-08-28T09:38:00.000-04:00

My friend Kerri commented on another post that I should see Our Idiot Brother. Well, Kerri, I saw it on Friday night and really enjoyed it!

I don't think it will win any awards, but Paul Rudd was wonderful as he always is. I especially loved the scenes involving his dog, "Willie Nelson." For those who don't know, the movie is about Paul Rudd, a sort of free-loving hippie who's never held a job for very long, and his three sisters, each with issues of their own. After he does a stint in jail, he bounces around between his mom's and his sisters' homes, affecting them all in different ways. The movie is sweet and funny.

I also saw Midnight in Paris last weekend. For the first several minutes, Woody Allen shows various scenes of Paris that were SO beautiful. The movie is about Owen Wilson, a screenwriter who's trying to write a novel. He and his fiance (Rachel McAdams) are in Paris with her parents. He's in love with Paris and nostalgic for the Paris of the 1920's. His fiance and parents couldn't care less (man, they really got on my nerves!) Owen wanders off on his own, and something happens at midnight that transports him back to the 20's, where he comes across Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda, Picasso, and many others. The movie is VERY charming and made me realize that I need to get back to Paris sooner rather than later.

A very special episode...

2011-08-26T00:24:00.000-04:00

Just finished watching "Louie" on F/X which stars and is written and directed by comedian Louie C.K. F/X didn't advertise this particular episode as "very special" in the treacly way ABC or NBC would've done, but this episode actually was special.

The show is usually 30 minutes, but tonight's show was an hour. Louie travels to Afghanistan with the U.S.O. after a night of taking care of the ducklings his 5-year-old daughter's teacher sent home with them. When he gets to Afghanistan, he discovers that his daughter packed one of the ducklings into his luggage for good luck. (Not sure how the duck went unnoticed through military security or how he survived in luggage for a flight from NYC to Afghanistan, or how Louie's clothing wasn't covered in duck poop, but that's not the point! Just go with it.) I read that Louie based this episode on his personal experience with the U.S.O., and it was interesting to see how that whole process worked.

There's a scene toward the end where the helicopter carrying the U.S.O. performers has mechanical trouble and has to land in a remote area. While they're waiting for help, a group of Afghan people approaches, some of them armed. The U.S. troops yell for them to put their guns down, the Afghan men protest and things get really tense. Louie's freaking out, drops his bag, and puts his hands over his head like he's under arrest. When he drops the bag, the little duckling crawls out. Louie goes to catch him, and trips and falls. There's a moment of silence and then everyone just starts laughing. The Afghan men shake hands with the troops and take turns petting the little duck. A good time is had by all, and when the backup helicopter arrives, Louie ends up giving the little duck to a young girl that was with the Afghan group. There's a sort of "can't we all just get along?" message there, but it wasn't pounded over your head.

I know that sounds so sappy and unrealistic, but it was so well done, and what really hooked me is that at the end of the credits, there's a note that says the story was inspired by Louie C.K.'s six-year-old daughter. How sweet is that?! Great show.

Just for the funk of it.

2011-08-20T16:16:00.000-04:00

I was watching the Ricky Martin Behind the Music, and when it got to his breakthrough performance on the Grammy awards in 1998 (the one where everyone was like, "who is that guy?!"), it got me thinking about some of my other favorite live performances. One of my all-time favorites featured the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Parliament also on the Grammy awards. It was a hot, funky mess on stage, but so much fun.

And here's Ricky's performance:

Oh! Here's another favorite. Aerosmith doing Dream On with a full orchestra. I'm a sucker for rock or hip-hop performances backed by an orchestra.

Mark this day.

2011-08-12T23:47:00.000-04:00

Something very unusual happened today. It only happens once in a great moon, and heck, maybe it happened because there is a full moon tonight. I can't believe I'm going to write these words:

I
downloaded
a
COUNTRY
song

I've mentioned on this blog repeatedly that country music just doesn't float my boat, but I've acknowledged that every once in a while, there will be a song I do like. But even when there is, I don't usually put it on my iPod...I just enjoy it when I happen to catch it on the radio. Well. The Zac Brown Band was on The Today Show this morning. They sang "Free," and I was like, "Oh damn. I like this song." I waited several hours, listened to it again on iTunes, and then went ahead and purchased it. it is a good song though.

My dad's a country music fan, and when I called to tell him the news, he went on about how much he likes the ZBB. They do seem like cool guys...I love that in addition to performing their songs on Today, Zac and his chef also did a cooking segment with Natalie Morales. They use one of their tour buses to serve food to their fans at their shows. That's pretty cool.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Three weeks, four movies.

2011-08-12T23:15:00.004-04:00

So, I love movies and I love going to the movies, but until recently, I hadn't really been in the mood for it. Part of it was that there was nothing I really wanted to see, but it was more of a feeling that I just didn't want to bother.

When we were in Omaha, my sister and I found ourselves with a few unplanned hours, so we decided to see Crazy, Stupid, Love, which was so great. We loved it. And we LOVED Ryan Gosling and his sexy self. I can't wait to see it again.
When we got back, I still had a few days off work, so I took some time to see Horrible Bosses which was funny. There were only about six people in the theater (it was Friday afternoon, around 1pm), and it seemed that I was laughing more than anyone else. The movie was funny, but maybe I was also just extra giddy to not be at work. (Plus, the movie theater I went to is in walking distance of my office. That felt good.)

On Saturday, my sis and I saw Beats, Rhymes & Life which is a documentary directed by Michael Rappaport about A Tribe Called Quest, one of my favorite old-school groups. It was great to hear all their old music, and fascinating to see and hear about the dynamics of the group members. Didn't hurt that Q-Tip is easy on the eyes, or that my man COMMON made an appearance. (He even made an appearance in the movie trailer!)

And finally, today I saw The Help. I'd been looking forward to it ever since I finished the book in June. I really enjoyed the movie. The cast is great, Sissy Spacek is a scene-stealer. I love Emma Stone and Viola Davis. Great performances all around.

Interestingly enough, I went to an 11:35 a.m. showing (I'm off work every other Friday), and was surprised to find the theater about 80% full. Usually when I go to a daytime movie on a weekday, there are just a handful of people, most of whom are over the age of 60. Today the theater was filled with people who should have been at work!

And can I just say that I have a huge girl-crush on Emma Stone? She's so awesome. She was on Jimmy Fallon last night and is SO funny...I get the feeling she'd be really cool to hang out with.

So, it seems I'm back into the movie groove. It's about time. Glad to be back.

Now, how 'bout a little Tribe to take us out?

And the winner is....

2011-08-12T09:47:00.000-04:00

Melanie!!!

Although I was pulling for Sasha to win this season of SYTYCD, I wasn't unhappy about Melanie's win because I loved her too.

The show was kind of anti-climatical, probably because there wasn't a lot of suspense, but I enjoyed the tap routine, and I loved seeing two of Sasha's best performances again (the ones with Kent and Twitch). I also loved seeing the one with the Big Kiss from Melanie and Marko again.

Good season--I look forward to next year.

SYTYCD finale

2011-08-10T21:59:00.000-04:00

No recap tonight because Blogger was down when I was ready to start, and now I need to run to the grocery store, but I just wanted to say that my vote tonight is for Sasha. This is based on her first performance with Mark (the two of them seemed to be made for each other performance-wise). Plus when they ran through her highlights, I was reminded of her piece with Twitch, as well as her incredible performance with Kent last week. She's an incredible performer and I'll be pulling for her to win tomorrow.

Also? No one except Nigel bothered to give any real critique tonight. Katie Holmes, Kenny Ortega and Mary LOVED everything. (Well, except for Tadd and Sasha's routine--Katie was the only one who praised that.)

We'll see what happens tomorrow!

2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America by Albert Brooks

2011-08-05T02:06:00.001-04:00

2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America by Albert Brooks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this tale of the future from actor Al Brooks. I've always been impressed with his imagination (particularly because of the afterlife world he created in the movie Defending Your Life), and after reading this book, I'm even more impressed.

There are multiple characters and story lines, but one of the main themes is that in 2030, cancer has been cured and people are living longer than ever. AARP is one of the strongest lobbies, and younger generations have come to resent the "olds" because of the strain they put on the system. I don't want to say much more than that--you just have to read it.

2030 was very thought-provoking. Any time I had a conversation with someone about the current state of affairs in the United States (such as the debt ceiling debate or healthcare), something from from the book would come to mind and I'd bring it to the conversation. I believe that a lot of Al Brooks' "predictions" will truly come to fruition. Some of those predictions I will welcome--such as a car that drives itself, and others I fear. (Again...you'll just have to read it. No spoilers here.)

For example, I was visiting my aunt and uncle who have been taking cruises annually for the past 15 years. They said that on their last cruise, they met a lady who essentially lives on cruise ships. Turns out this was cheaper than her moving to a retirement home. Well, in 2030 the retirement homes are cruise ships. They just move from port to port. See what I mean? My aunt and uncle met one lady already doing this--I'm sure there are others. A full retirement home ship can't be far behind.

In any case, I would recommend this book to everyone. It definitely makes for interesting discussions.

View all my reviews

Update (8/7/11): One of the headlines in Saturday's Washington Post was: "China bluntly tells U.S. to end its ‘addiction to debts’."

And, on page 170 in Al Brook's book, when the U.S. tries to borrow trillions of dollars from China, China officials tells the U.S.: "As you know, your debt to us is bordering on fifteen trillion dollars [remember, this is the year 2030], and yes, you pay back with fair interest, but you are a bottomless pit and we no longer feel comfortable feeding it." And later, on page 197: "We feel, as I'm sure you do, too, that your debt is already too high, certainly regarding money you have borrowed from us."

Hmmm....can we say prescient?

SYTYCD's Final Four

2011-08-04T23:48:00.000-04:00

The final four were announced tonight, and I believe America got it right. We have Marko and Tadd and Melanie and Sasha.

I love all these dancers, so it's difficult to choose my absolute favorite. I'd be thrilled for any of them to win. But...after Sasha's performance last night, deep down inside, I'm pulling for her. Looking forward to the finale next week.

In other news, Pia from American Idol performed. She's still really pretty, the song was decent, and she's still got that walk-walk-bend-knee-walk-walk thing down pat. She still needs to get some personality on stage though.

Whew. Catching my breath.

2011-08-04T00:35:00.000-04:00

I was out of town last week and didn't get to see either SYTYCD show. Tonight I've had a "Dance" marathon and watched both of last week's shows, and am now watching tonight's show. That's a lot of dance, and I'm not really in the mood to blog the whole thing, but can I just say that I could barely breathe after watching Sasha and Kent's routine? It was, well....breathtaking.

Tyce Diorio choreographed it and said it's about two people who've hit a wall in their relationship, and it's all the emotions you go through when someone does you wrong. Just as Sasha and some of the judges revealed, I've been there too, and could really relate. It just brought it all back for me. And the song, "Fool of Me" by Me'shell Ndegéocello...ay yi yi. Those lyrics: You made a fool of me. Tell me why. I could've written the words myself.

Anyway, here it is. Sasha's best performance of the season, as far as I'm concerned.

Okay, so I'm late.

2011-07-24T17:27:00.005-04:00

It was a busy week last week and I didn't get a chance to see SYTYCD until now. I decided not to do a rundown of the show since it's so late, but holy shit. I just watched Sasha and Twitch and had to post this. Their hip-hop routine to Dorothy Moore's Misty Blue was FANTASTIC. I love that Christopher Scott put the hip hop to an old 70's R&B standard. This was truly amazing. My favorite of the season so far.

WOO! SEXY!

Who are the Top 10?

2011-07-15T00:23:00.001-04:00

It's late and I'm tired, so this will be a quick summary of tonight's SYTYCD elimination show. Next week, the dancers will pull a name of another contestant, AND they'll draw a name of an all-star. Wait...that's 20 performances! Too much.

The All Stars will be:
Meloday - Season 1 (don't remember her)
Allison - Season 2 (love her)
Pasha - Season 3 (LOVE Pasha!)
Twitch - Season 4 (YAY!)
Comfort - Season 4
Chelsie - Season 4
Brandon - Season 5
Kathryn - Season 6
Robert - Season 7

They asked Alex Wong to come back as an all-star, but just this past Saturday evening, he injured himself. The same injury he got during SYTYCD, this time on his left foot, instead of his right. Man, poor guy.

We also learn that Cat was nominated for an Emmy. Yay! Eight nominations for SYTYCD.

The bottom three couples were:

Caitlynn & Mitchell
Ryan & Ricky
Sasha & Alexander

Of these three, I expect Ryan and Ricky to go. We'll see after the solos.

Jason Samuels Smith & his tap company, Anybody Can Get It, performed "Move the Crowd (Sole Sessions Pt. 1)". Nice stuff. Very nice!

Solos:

Caitlynn, Song: "The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga.
Mitchell, Song: "Ra" by Nathan Lanier. Mitchell's fantastic.
Ryan, Song: "Not in Love" by Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith. Too frantic for my taste.
Ricky, Song: "Body Language" by Queen. His pirouette was amazing. No denying he's very talented. Nigel later says it's the best "dance for your life" he's ever seen.
Sasha, Song: "Thinkin' About Your Body" by Bobby McFerrin. My favorite solo of the girls.
Alexander, Song: "Palladio" by Escala.

I'm still thinking Ryan and Ricky should go.

Nicole Scherzinger performs (lip-syncs and dances). Wasn't she already on this season, or maybe I'm thinking of Idol??

Finally, the results. The judges were unanimous with the girls. Ryan's leaving. It's the right decision.

For the guys, the judges were not unanimous--it was 3 to 1. They're sending Alexander home. Nigel said that even though he seemed to find himself last night, tonight's solo let him down. Aw...I'm sad to see him go.

Looking forward to seeing the All Stars next week!

SYTYCD Top 12

2011-07-13T23:55:00.008-04:00

This is the last week the couples will be performing together on SYTYCD. And tonight they'll each be dancing two routines. After tomorrow we'll have our Top 10, and next week, they'll be dancing with the All-Stars from previous seasons.

The guest judge tonight is Jesse Tyler Ferguson, a.k.a. Mitchell from Modern Family. Love him! Glad he's on. Jesse said he did some Broadway, and three years of "theme park," so he really knows his way around a jazz square and a Grand Battement. (I totally had to look that up--it's pronounced "grond-bot mon", and it is a big kick where the working leg is raised into the air and brought down again while both knees remain straight. I'm picturing the Rockettes.) Anyway, choreographer Sonya Tayeh is also on the panel tonight. And of course we have Mary and Nigel.

First up are Sasha & Alexander doing the first paso doble of the season, choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie Lapatin, who tells this is not your typical paso doble...it's a battle with love and hate and masculinity and femininity. Song: "Alley Dash/March of the Trolls" by Taylor Long/Rick Powell. I love me some paso doble, and these two didn't disappoint. Sasha ended by kissing Alex and then pushing him away. And it doesn't seem that the kiss was choreographed. Nigel said Alex was much stronger tonight than he's been. He thought Sasha did brilliantly. Mary loved it, she said Alex had a breakthrough tonight, even though Sasha was a little bit stronger. Jesse said Sasha is a pillar of strength and that Alex came up to her level. Called it brilliant. Sonya loves Sasha's strength, but that sometimes she doesn't trust Alex's partnering, but overall it was awesome. Alex said that Tony & Melanie dedicated this to their friend Bob who is fighting cancer, and they want him to continue the fight.

Jordan & Tadd are working with Travis Wall this week doing a contemporary routine about women taking advantage of weak men. Jordan is a vulture, and Tadd is a deserted wanderer. Song: "Brotsjór" by Olafur Arnalds. Wow. Fantastic and VERY dramatic!!! It ended with Tadd breaking the vulture's neck. Mary said, "Beatuful! Dark! Magnificent!" She said Travis outdid himself again. She loved it. Jesse said, "Wow Travis took the classic vulture stalks boy, boy almost succumbs to vulture, boy kills vulture story that we all know so well...we've seen it over and over...and he made it into this brilliant, beautiful thing." He then channeled Randy Jackson and said, "You are in it to win it!" Sonya said this is the kind of dance that makes her want to cry. She said the two of them are unstoppable. Nigel said it was remarkable.

Next are Ryan and Ricky, doing a Spencer Liff Broadway routine about a guy who sees a movie poster and fantasizes that the woman in the poster comes to life. Song: "All I Need Is the Girl" by Frank Sinatra. Cute routine, and they performed well, but it was kind of dull, especially coming right after the vulture routine we just saw. Jesse said it didn't "sparkle" for him. He said it was muted and he felt they're capable of more than what the routine called for. Sonya said it was okay, not their best. Nigel agreed and said it's about style. They weren't sitting in the comfort of the style. Mary thought the first 30 seconds were great, but then they lost the style. Even with the stuff they were given, she says they could've done so much more.

Caitlynn & Mitchell are up with LXD's Christopher Scott in a hip-hop routine where Caitynn and Mitchell are representing the children in Northern Uganda and Congo who are abducted and forced to fight a senseless war. Caitlynn says it's about getting people to see them. Song; "Break the Chain" by Lupe Fiasco feat. Eric Turner & Sway. I didn't see how that related to the children fighting war, but they did a good job--they weren't always in sync but both were very passionate in what they were doing. Sonya said she had a hard time connecting the intention that was serious because the lack of clarity and unison between them wasn't there. Nigel agreed, said it needed harder work. Mary understood the disconnect with the story, but she felt drawn to what they were doing. For her it just fell a little bit short. Jesse said they dance with the power of a Mack truck (while he dances with the power of a tricycle). A lot of that criticism falls to the choreographer (I think), but at the same time, C&M's performance was off.

And now it's time for a tango with Melanie & Marko, who are doing a Louie Van Amstel routine. There's no story line...they're just characters of the dance. Song: "Triptico" by "Gotan Project. Man! That was s sexy tango!! And the ending was amazing. I can't wait until tomorrow to find a video--I had to record it tonight. Not the whole dance--just the ending (sorry).

I just love these two so much and am sorry their partnership has to end after tonight. Nigel said he doesn't know what happened between the dress rehearsal and now, but this was tremendous compared to what he saw earlier. Mary gives a brief description of the different kinds of tangos. In International tango, you cannot leave hold the entire time, and it goes very quickly around the floor, counter-clockwise. Argentine tango can be fast which is lost of flurries of flicks and kicks, and the slow version which is very sexy and sultry. What they did tonight is the American tango, which is the combination of everything, and Louis put it all in there. Jesse commented that Mary Murphy might be a lost Osmond. (She does look like them!) Then to M&M he said they have a spark that can't be taught or learned, that will be them all their lives no matter how the competition turns out. Sonya said every time she watches them dance, they make her lose her breath. She can tell that every step they take comes from their soul.

Clarice & Jess are doing lyrical hip-hop with Christopher Scott. It's about a woman's insecurities. Jess is there to encourage Clarice. Should be interesting watching Jess take this on...he's an amazing dancer, but I'm not sure about him and hip-hop. Song: "Just the Way You Are" (slow acoustic version) by Boyce Avenue. OK. I stand corrected. Jess can do anything, including b-boy freezes. That was really nice....I loved it. Mary said they're amazing just the way they are. She said it was cute and innocent. She loved every second. Jesse loved it, and said he wants to marry Clarice, even though he and she both have boyfriends. Sonya said they're so adorable, and said they slayed it. Nigel said it was lovely and danced beautifully.

Now we move on to Round 2.

Sasha & Alexander are back for a Tyce Diorio jazz routine. Tyce says it's about life. Song: "That's Life" by Aretha Franklin. They did a great job, but it looked like they lost something toward the end. Cat asked what happened, and Sasha said she's not sure. Jesse was worried that they'd never come out of the shadow of their routine from a few weeks ago about the soldier coming home from Afghanistan, but he felt this was beyond. He said it's his favorite number tonight, and told Sasha to tell her sister hi. Sonya said Tyce is one of the most versatile choreographers she knows. She's been hoping for Alexander to kill it, and he did. She said it was amazing. Nigel said that in a lot of the routines, Sasha has carried Alexander, but not tonight! Said it was Alex's best ever. Mary said there was a freedom and relaxed way about Alex's movement tonight...he let it go and went with it. Nigel said their chemistry has come together, just at the time the couples are breaking up.

Jordan & Tadd's second routine is a Broadway routine by Spencer Liff about a Sleeping Beauty. Song: "Out Tonight" from RENT!!!! I'm so happy to hear this music!!!!!! BUT...they messed it up trying to condense it for time. Boo. The routine was cute, but it didn't measure up to their first routine. Sonya felt underwhelmed, and she didn't see their abilities or their craft in this routine. Nigel felt it could've been quirkier. He felt it was okay. Mary said it just wasn't strong enough. Jesse agreed with the others...felt it was a grab bag of style, costume and music. But he reminded us of the vulture dance earlier and said it's one of his favorites of the season.

Ryan & Ricky are doing a Louie Van Amstel cha-cha. Song: "Tonight (I'm Loving You)" by Enrique Iglesias feat. DJ Frank E. It was supposed to be "HOT" and to me, it just wasn't. Ricky's got the hip shaking down though. This couple has already been in the bottom three two times, and I think they'll be there again. Of all the couples, I don't think these two should be in the Top 10. Nigel thought Ricky did a really good job. He felt Ryan was overdoing it. Mary said it's the fastest cha-cha she's ever seen. She said Ryan started out good, but then it got sloppy. She said Ricky was living the cha-cha likes she likes to see it. She put Ricky (not Ryan) on the Hot Tamale Train tonight. Jesse thought Ricky was brilliant, and said this was his favorite of Ricky's this season. Sonya said Ricky was basking and celebrating it. She thinks Ryan's conviction and the pressure she feels gets mixed up sometimes. (I'm finding that Sonya's commentary is just as esoteric as Lil C's.)

Caitlynn & Mitchell get to do a Travis Wall routine set in the 1970s. Caitlynn is a rock star and finds out the guy's she with is married. Song: "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin. They both did a great job on that one. Mary loved it! Jesse said he has Caitlynn's thigh-high boots in red. He said it was fantastic. Sonya said it was really, really hot. She gave Mitchell a tip that when he's doing the partnering, he sometimes loses his character. Nigel agree, and said the routine was sensational. His only criticism was that they didn't need to include us, the audience, in the routine...by looking out at his. It could've stayed just between the two of them on stage.

Melanie & Marko are back for a Dee Caspary contemporary piece about a couple slipping in and out of the light. Melanie is trying to convince Marko that the light is a good place, because he's in a dark place. Song: "Skin & Bones" by David J. Roch. Simply beautiful. These two are beyond the Top 10--they're the Top 2. Jesse said this is his new favorite of theirs (replacing the statue dance). Sonya said she's grateful that this is the future of dance. She said thank you and asked them stay humble and true. Nigel said he's excited about next week and splitting the couples, except for splitting this couple. He says there's something magical about their partnership. Mary's also going to be devastated when M&M are separated. She said they are two shining stars on this show.

Clarice & Jess are with Tony & Melanie for a jive. Song: "Ain't Nothing Wrong with That" by Robert Randolph & the Family Band. Very good! It's hard for me to see what Clarice is doing because I can't take my eyes off of Jess. He's so fun to watch. Sonya loved it! Nigel is only uncomfortable with their lifts, but the rest was good. Mary agreed--said the leg kicks were fabulous, but that it lost steam as it went along. She didn't see the animation in Jess's face, but Clarice had it. Jesse said that Jess should ask Neil Patrick Harris for the keys to Broadway. He then said that Cat should receive an Emmy nomination when they come tomorrow.

So...my favorites were both of Marko & Melanies, as well as the vulture dance by Jordan & Tadd. Oh, and Clarice & Jess's first routine--the lyrical hip hop. My least favorites were both routines of Ryan & Ricky.

We'll see what happens tomorrow!

SYTYCD top 14

2011-07-06T23:07:00.002-04:00

Man, a week goes by quickly. Hard to believe it's already time for SYTYCD, but alas, here we are.

There are four judges again this week. Nigel and Mary, of course, and with them: Carmen Electra and Travis Wall. Travis! Carmen Electra actually has an interesting dance background--she started dancing when she was five. In school she majored in ballet and modern dance. She won Miss Dance Ohio, and then she moved to L.A., where she worked with Prince and Jamie King (I looked it up--he's a concert director), and most recently, the Pussycat Dolls.

The first performance features the guys. (Just like last week, the judges won't comment on this, but will take it into account later.) The routine is choreographed by SYTYCD first-timer Justin Giles. The piece is about the seven stages of grief: shock, anger, denial, depression, guilt, bargaining, and acceptance. Song: "Prague" by Damien Rice. That was fantastic! I'll say now that I just love Marko.

First couple up is Melanie & Marko. Melanie tells us that her boyfriend came to the show last week for the first time--of course it was the week she kissed Marko twice. Awkward! Anyway, they're dancing jazz this week, choreographed by Ray Leeper. It's the story of a young Latin couple whose families have been feuding for years, and they decide to run away and get married. Interesting that they're a Latin couple...hmmm...what does that have to do with anything? Oh, I see, the song is "Americano" by Lady Gaga, which definitely has a Latin feel to it. Mel's costume was a little distracting, but otherwise, they looked great. Travis said it was an amazing way to start the show. He said that Marko is one of the strongest males dancers in the competition, and Melanie is his favorite dancer, by far. Carmen loved it. Mary said, "Wow!" Nigel said their technique matches their performance and gave major kudos.

Up next are Sasha & Alexander. Shaun Evaristo is another new choreographer, and it's a hip-hop routine. The story is that Alex wants a kiss at the end of their date, and Sasha keeps shooting him down. Song: "To the Moon" by Miguel. Cute routine. Alex did a decent job, but pretty much looked like a ballet dancer (which he is) trying to do hip-hop. Sasha owned it. Carmen said the same thing--it was hard for her to take her eyes off Sasha, so it was hard to get the feeling of them as a couple. Mary thought it was lacking, she didn't feel the connection between the two of them. She didn't connect with it, and didn't think they did either. Nigel said it felt like Hip-Hop 101, and it lost him. Travis said he didn't hate it as much as Mary & Nigel did. He recommended they work on their musicality--he thought Sasha did a better job than Alex.

Jordan & Tadd are next. They'll be dancing a smooth waltz choreographed by Toni Redpath. Jordan is a siren/sea creature who lures men into her world. She seduces Tadd to fall in love with her, then she kills him. Song: "Nocturne" by Secret Garden. Hmmm....this is the first time I didn't love their routine. I think it was the song. I really didn't like it. They looked good, but I couldn't get past the music. Mary said it was dreamy & romantic. She thought the beginning was beautiful. Nigel complimented Tadd's taking on unfamiliar dance steps and doing them really well. Travis thought it was beautiful, but it could've been a little smoother. Carmen said she doesn't know much about the waltz, but she knows what she feels, and she said their dancing is so beautiful.

Clarice & Jess get to do a contemporary routine choreographed by Justin Giles about a relationship coming to an end. Song: "Light Through the Branches" by Celeste Lear. Jess was great as always, but again, I didn't love this routine. Travis, however, said it's his favorite routine they've done all season. Hmmm...maybe I'm just in a mood. Nigel is in agreement and said it was tremendously danced and choreographed. Carmen enjoyed it. Mary said the partnership has been growing every week this season. Mary said it feels like they've been dancing together for years.

Next are Ashley & Chris doing a salsa. Liz Lira is the choreographer. Lots of new faces this week. Liz says this is the most difficult routine she's ever choreographed. Song: "Mambo Beat' by Tito Puente. They're a little off, but for him being a hip-hopper and she being a jazz dancer, I think they did a respectable job. Travis said it started out really hopeful and the lifts were awesome, but when they broke away from each other it got iffy. He felt it didn't pop or have the right energy. Carmen said salsa is hot, on fire, passionate, sharp, it has so much. She felt they were hesitating--the potential was there, but they weren't quite hitting the moves. She thought it was okay. Mary could tell Chris still wasn't comfortable, but commended him on his partnering work. She said Ashley had moments of hot-ness, but it didn't carry through. He said Chris didn't have the right feel for salsa, just as Nigel doesn't have the feel for krumping.

Ryan & Ricky are next. They get a jazz routine done by another new face, Chucky Klapow. It's about two members of a cult of fashion, who by following what was hot and hip--instead of being themselves--get done in. Song: "Fashion" by David Bowie. They did a good job--I think Ricky out-danced Ryan this time. She looked a little clunky to me. Carmen thought they rocked! Mary said it was hot. Mary said Ricky was strong as ever, but said Ryan went full tilt into character. I'm really not in sync with the judges tonight. Nigel loved the quirk and that they were so together. Travis loved it and says he sees both of them past the Top 10.

The last partner dance is Caitlynn & Mitchell. They're doing a Mandy Moore routine about falling in love. Song: "To Love You More" by Celine Dion. This was a gorgeous routine filled with lifts and throws. It was like Caitlynn was a ragdoll. Beautiful. Standing O from all the judges. It was Mary's favorite of the night. Mine too. Oh gosh...Mary's in tears. She said "This is your moment. You need to grab onto it and run like the wind!" Nigel agreed. He said the emotion just grabbed us all. Travis said it was unbelievable. Carmen said "Dance is to be out of yourself...larger, more beautiful, more powerful...you guys were all that and even more. Best performance of the night."

And finally, the girls' group dance is choreographed by Ray Leeper and it's a sexy jazz routine about seven girlfriends whose mission it is to rid the world of evil men. Song: "My Discarded Men" by Eartha Kitt with Bronski Beat. Cute routine. The girls did a good job!

Wow...as far as I'm concerned, the only two performances I loved were Melanie & Marko and Caitlynn and Mitchell. I fear Chris and Alexander are in danger. But for the girls...I just don't know. They're really good this year!

Why you should be watching Treme

2011-07-05T20:18:00.000-04:00

Time to update your Netflix queue!

"How Treme Found Greatness in Ordinary People and Counterintuitive Storytelling" by Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

2011-07-05T19:53:00.003-04:00

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'd really like to give this book 3.75 stars. I came across it at Barnes & Noble under their Discover Series and was drawn to it because the author, Rainbow Rowell, is from Omaha, Nebraska. My parents are from Omaha, and I've gone there once a year my whole life (40 years) to visit family.

The story takes place in 1999/2000 and is about an IT guy named Lincoln who works for a newspaper. Lincoln's job is to monitor employee e-mail messages that have been flagged for violations such as bad language or inappropriate subjects. E-mails from Beth and Jennifer are frequently flagged, but as Lincoln reads their messages, he finds himself intrigued by them and the stories of their lives.

The book was fun to read and I enjoyed each character. I also enjoyed coming across familiar landmarks in Omaha, such as the Indian Hills movie theater, which I used to love before they tore it down. The main (and only) problem I have with this book, though, is that it's hard for me to believe that people would write such long, detailed, and personal e-mails to each other. (Maybe it's because I work for the government where I'm reminded every day that I should expect no privacy when using government equipment.) Still, as I was reading a lot of the emails that Beth and Jennifer sent back and forth, I couldn't help but wonder, why don't they just meet for lunch and talk about this stuff? They work for the same company--presumably they get a lunch break. But if they did that, Lincoln wouldn't have anything to read, he wouldn't be drawn to them, and the story would fail. You just have to suspend disbelief a little bit.

Beyond that, I felt it was very well written, and I look forward to more from Rainbow Rowell. (This is her first book.)

View all my reviews

Reminiscing

2011-07-04T00:32:00.003-04:00

I was going through some (way) older posts on my blog, which I discovered I've been writing since 2005. (That actually kind of surprised me...really? Six years I've been doing this?)

Anyway, I came across a post from January 9. 2006, where I wrote:

I only have a few minutes, but wanted to post about the funniest commercial on TV right now. Clearly it's the spot for Sprint Nextel where the guys are "dancing" (if you want to call it that) to Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It." This commercial makes me Laugh. Out. Loud. every time I see it. If I'm in another room and hear the song playing, I'll run in to see the commercial. This the funniest ad that's been out in a while--we have to enjoy it while we can. It's hysterical!

As I was reading that tonight, I was thinking, what the hell was I talking about??

Well, YouTube has since been invented, and ta-da:

It's STILL hilarious! Check out that ancient cell phone!

I also came across this story about my mom...I'd forgotten all about it. I'm glad all the old posts are still there. It was fun to look back and see what was on my mind way back when.

One thing that stood out--I used to get a lot more comments back then than I do now. Is blogging "out"? With Twitter and Facebook, it might be, but I still enjoy it. Even if I am rather sporadic about posting.

Bad summer TV

2011-07-03T00:18:00.000-04:00

= Necessary Roughness on USA. I'm sitting here watching the pilot episode. Terrible. It has these dramatic scenes interspersed with light quirky music like it's telling you that now this scene will be funny--and then it's not.

Bad, bad TV.

And then there were 7 (couples)

2011-07-01T19:26:00.001-04:00

Didn't get a chance to post about SYTYCD last night, but here's a very quick rundown:

Group dance - Song: 'The Incredits" from The Incredibles soundtrack. Choreographed by Michael Rooney. I gotta say...this might be the first time I didn't think a group dance was great. They were out of sync, I didn't care for the music, and it seemed to go on too long.

Bottom three couples: Ashley & Chris, Miranda & Robert, and Caitlynn & Mitchell.

Guest performance #1 from AXIS, which is a dance company that features performers with and without disabilities. In the performance, the male dancer was in a wheelchair. It was such a beautiful and moving performance. Song: "Partita for Violin Solo No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: V. Ciaccona" performed by Janine Jansen.

Solo performances:

Ashley, "For You" by David Ryan Harris. Gorgeous routine.
Chris, "You're Gonna Make It" KJ-52 feat. Blanca Reyes. Really fantastic--it was like a hip-hop contemporary.
Miranda, "Unthinkable" by Maria Zourdoudis. Her leg extensions are amazing..it's like her legs are 10 feet long.
Robert, "I Don't Need It" by Jamie Foxx. Nice...broke out a little Michael Jackson in the middle.
Caitlynn, "It Doesn't Hurt (Live version) by Katie Thompson.
Mitchell, "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele. I could watch him dance forever...beautiful.

Wow...I don't know how the judges will make the decision about the girls...theyr'e all so beautiful and talented. As for the guys...based on the solos tonight, I think it'll be Robert going home.

Nigel said that Kristin Chenoweth said, "I love her. I love him. I love her..." to all six of the dancers. It's tough. I don't envy them.

Guest performance #2 is from Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian, who are dancers & choreographers, as well the current U. S. and World Theatrical Dancing Champions. Song: "Calypso" fro the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Soundtrack). All I can say is WOW. That was amazing. You just have to see it for yourself.

Results:
Miranda and Robert go home. Nigel said the decision about Miranda was not unanimous, and although she's the one who's grown the most in the competition, she's going home. For Robert he said that even though Robert has a great personality, we keep finding him in the bottom three, and this will be the last time in the bottom three because he's going home. And Robert gave one last "Woooo!" He's a sweetie. Both were so gracious in expressing their feelings about the competition.

On to next week....

SYTYCD top 16

2011-06-29T23:57:00.001-04:00

I almost forgot SYTYCD was on because I was watching The Voice finale. My man Javier did his thing and won. I love him, and his duet with Stevie Nicks tonight was oh so good. I'm happy for him. And yay Adam Levine for picking the winner.

So, we've got 8 couples dancing tonight. Kristin Chenoweth is the guest judge. Lil C is on the panel tonight too, as are Mary and Nigel.

Something new...there are group performances tonight. The judges won't be critiquing these performances, but they will take them into consideration tomorrow night when they're deciding who should stay and who should go.

Tyce Diorio choreographed the first routine for the first group. He wants to showcase the girls' strength. The first group consists of Marko, Mitchell, Chris, Tadd, Ryan, Sasha, Clarice & Miranda. Song: Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles. Fun routine.

Sasha & Alexander go first, doing a Dee Caspary contemporary routine. Alex is playing a guy who has nothing, and Sasha is a memory of what he's lost. It's centered around a piano, the keys of which represent the keys to his heart. Song: "Belong" by Cary Brothers. They are a great couple and their performance was really nice. I think Sasha slipped at one point, but recovered quickly. Nigel said Alex needs to work on pulling emotion from the audience. Mary loved the love story, and thinks they pulled it off. Kristin said Sasha's amazing and she loved Alex in the piece and said he did show the acting part of it, she loved his extensions (not the ones on her head). I think that Lil C said threw in the word meleflous into his critique. I think he said that it's difficult to meet Dee Caspary's expectations when working with him, but that Sasha and Alex did it effortlessly. He then threw in the word mellifluous at some point.

Caitlynn & Mitchell are next. They are performing a Jean-Marc Genereux "hot and spicy" Samba routine. Song: "Put It in a Love Song" by Alicia Keys feat. Beyoncé. I think Mitchell's got the booty shaking down..he shook it more than Caitlynn! Mary said it was spectacular. Kristin said, "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! Shut the back door. Shut the door to the garage. Shut the door." Lil C loved it too. Nigel said Mitchell's samba was incredible. Compliments for Caitlynn too--he said something about the articulation of her body.

Next are Miranda and Robert. They're doing a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine. Miranda's an "upper class working girl." Robert's a "groovy cat" who feels the music. (This is all according to Tyce.) Song: "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got that Swing)" from the Sophisticated Ladies soundtrack (1981). That was fun. I think Broadway suits Robert very well. I thought he out performed Miranda this time. Kristin said they killed it. She said they should make intricacies as strong as possible, but she has nothing bad to say. Lil C says Miranda leaves him in awe every time, and that she's already growing the most. He said Robert has the kind of personality you receive only if the planets are perfectly aligned when you're born. He says Robert should keep practically applying that to every style he pulls out of the hat. Nigel agreed with C. Mary loved it. Said Robert's a star, and is getting a little shinier every week. She acknowledged Miranda's transformation.

Melanie and Marko are next. They're doing a lyrical hip-hop routine by NappyTabs. M&M play best friends. Marko has just been left at the alter. Halfway through the dance, he realizes the woman he should be loving has been in front of him all the time. Song: "I Got You" by Leona Lewis. WOOOO!!! The didn't tell you that when he has his big realization in the middle of the routine that he runs over and lays a huge kiss on her!! I loved this routine!!! I had to watch it again before hearing the critiques. It was the best so far tonight, in my opinion. And this is my favorite couple. They're amazing. Lil C pointed out that when the dancers draw dances out of a hat, it's also a raffle for the choreographers too, and Tabitha and Napoleon were probably thrilled to see they'd be working with M&M. He also said it was "Buck!" Nigel said he can't judge them individually because they actually dance together--breathe together, hearts beat together. Nigel thinks they're the couple to beat. Mary said they knock out a special performance every single week. She asked about the kiss...she started to say, "How hard is it? They asked me to kiss someone on Broadway, and I knew he was engaged..." and then Nigel planted one on her! Kristin said, "We sing because we can't speak anymore--dance is an extension of that. We can't speak anymore, so we move. You are the epitome of the kind of language that I understand....I'm very moved and very touched. In fact...." And then she planted one on Lil C, and knocked his glasses off!

Ashley and Chris are next. They get a jazz routine. Chris said when he saw they had jazz, his first thought was, "Crap, I hope we don't have Sonya." Guess what? There's Sonya. Sonya says she was inspired by Beetlejuice and looking at two sides of yourself. Song: "Lights Go Down" (District 78 Remix) by Telepathe. That was good. I couldn't take my eyes off Chris. Nigel felt there wasn't enough character, heart or soul in the piece. He didn't connect with it. Mary felt their synchronization was very clean and sharp. And she gave kudos for how far Chris has come. Kristin said she was amazed. She said it's not the kind of number she connects to, but that being said, they blew her mind. She said Ashley is one of her favorites in the show. Lil C said Ashley is the sleeper cell of the competition and that she's amazing.

Clarice and Jess. An aside: in a little clip of Clarice as a little girl, she's sitting in front of a couch that's the same fabric as my parents' furniture. Never seen it anywhere else, so that was kind of cool in a weird insignificant way. They get a Jean-Marc fox trot about a crooner ready to work the room with his voice, but instead of singing, he dances. Song: "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra. It was lovely. I say it every week, but Jess really is a great dancer. Mary said the fox trot is supposed to be, "gliding, sophisticated, jazzy in its solo work, and that's exactly what you guys did!" She doesn't think any other dancer in the show could've done what Jess just did. Kristin said it was her favorite performance of the night. She said they're like Fred and Ginger. Lil C said Jess is a phenom. Nigel said Clarice was beautiful and that Jess is a master at this style.

Ryan and Ricky get a Sonya contemporary piece about a couple whose relationship is ending. It's about the fight to let go. Song: "With Every Heartbeat" (Acoustic) by Robyn. This is their best performance together. They use a long ribbon/rope/some kind of prop the whole time and really did a beautiful job. Kristin said Ricky has amazing jumps and that Ryan's a beautiful dancer. Lil C said they're also a power couple in the competition. He said they kill it every week--um, I disagree there. Nigel said he's proud that they kept her last week because she really delivered. He thought Ricky was incredible. Mary loved every second of it.

The last couple is Jordan and Tadd. They get to work with NappyTabs in a hip-hop story of a one-night stand after a wild night. They wake up and think, "who are you, what happened?" Song: "Memories" by David Guetta feat. Kit Cudi. Holy crap. I can hardly watch the performance when Tadd is shirtless. Ooo la la! Another fun routine. Lil C loved it, the concept, the execution. Nigel said it was great fun. Mary said they put the "whammy on all of us." Kristin said, SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! (etc). She said the performance was dessert and she liked every bite.

And finally, the second group performance featuring Robert, Ricky, Alexander, Jess, Jordan, Caitlynn, Ashley & Melanie. This one is a contemporary routine choreographed by Dee Caspary. It takes place in the medieval era and everyone's trying to poison each other. Song: "Poison & Wine" by The Civil Wars. Another great performance.

Wow...I didn't dislike any performance tonight.

My faves were Melanie & Marko, Jordan & Tadd, Jess & Clarice and Ashley & Chris.

Summer TV

2011-06-26T01:33:00.002-04:00

Despite most network shows being on summer hiatus, I'm still watching plenty of good TV. Here are the shows I really look forward to each week:

Men of a Certain Age (TNT) - in its third season (well, actually, its second part of season 2), it keeps getting better and better. I LOVE this show. Starring Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula, it makes me laugh, it makes me cry. My mom watched it with me for the first time last week and she was hooked.

In Plain Sight (USA) - A show about U.S. Marshalls who are responsible for participants in the Witness Protection Program. It takes place in Albuquerque, NM. The best part of this show is the friendship between Mary, the main character, and her partner Marshall. (Yes, Marshall, the Marshall.) The chemistry between them is fantastic and they play so well off each other.

Franklin and Bash (TNT) - I wasn't sure I liked this show after the first episode, but now I find I really enjoy it. Two lawyers/best friends who practice law by walking to the beat of their own drummer, are brought into a big law firm by the quirky head of the firm. It's a fun show.

Treme (HBO) - just great. I love Steve Zahn, and Khandi Alexander has given a wonderful performance after her character was attacked. Great music too!

Memphis Beat (TNT): Speaking of great music, this show has a fantastic soundtrack. I love Jason Lee, and the rest of the cast is great too. Jason Lee seems to have chiseled up a bit this season. He plays a detective in Memphis, but he's also a singer.

Food Network Star (Food Network) - Even though I don't do a whole lot of cooking myself, I do love watching the Food Network. On this show, contestants compete to win their own show on the Food Network. The challenges are fun and entertaining, but what I really enjoy is the peek behind the scenes into how those food shows are done.

The Glee Project (Oxygen) - Several of the students on Glee will be seniors next season and will graduate. The Glee Project is the producers attempt to find new talent for the show. There are some talented kids in the competition, though some really annoying ones too. If you're going through Glee withdrawal, this might fit the bill. You hear the same interlude music and narration each week like they have on Glee. Fun to watch.

Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime) - I really enjoy this show about a young 25-year-old model who was killed in a car accident and brought back to life as a plus-size, 30-something, lawyer. Brooke Elliott as the lead, Jane Bingum, is wonderful.

Louie (F/X) - starring Louie C.K., who I really didn't care for the first time I saw his stand up, but have now come to love. He's so crass, but so truthful too. His show is semi-autobiographical, and it's about the live of a divorced stand-up comedian with two daughters. He's awkward and shy with women, doesn't really have a lot of friends, and constantly gets himself into awkward, but hilarious, situations.

And of course, So You Think You Can Dance, but I'm pretty sure I've covered that elsewhere in the blog.

Coming this week: True Blood (HBO) and The Big C (Showtime) with Laura Linney. Looking forward to both! And coming later this summer: The Closer (TNT) and Damages (F/X). Can't wait!

Sadly, I'm losing interest in White Collar and Covert Affairs (both on USA). They've both gotten kind of stale. It's the same thing every week. Might have to give those up.

And finally, the jury's still out on Wilfred (F/X) - Elijah Wood stars as a guy who, after a failed suicide attempt, begins to see his neighbor's dog Wilfred, as a man in a dog suit. Elijah and the audience see Wilfred this way. Everyone else just sees him as a dog. It's hard to describe--I think this is one you just have to see for yourself. I saw the pilot episode this week, and though there were parts about it I liked, there were other parts that were perhaps a bit disturbing. I dunno...I'll give it another try next week.

SYTYCD - 4 are eliminated

2011-06-25T01:37:00.001-04:00

I'm late watching this week's elimination show, but somehow have managed to get through the whole day without hearing who was eliminated.

The show opens with a group dance to "Sinner Man" by Nina Simone. There's a section in Alvin Ailey's Revelations that's performed to that song. (In fact, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater performed it on SYTYCD a year or two ago.) Now it's interesting to watch very different choreography to that music after seeing Revelations so many times. This looks like it may have been choreographed by the guy from Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. It was interesting, but the group wasn't completely in sync the whole time, and they seemed a little off. Oh, it was choreographed by Dave Scott...I was wrong.

Alvin Ailey:

SYTYCD kids:

After introducing the judges, Cat brings out the first three couples. Sasha & Alexander, Caitlynn & Mitchell, and Missy & Wadi. Missy & Wadi are in the bottom three. The others are safe.

A rep from Gatorade, one of the show's sponsors, gets some screen time as she goes through the dancer's refrigerator and talks about nutrition, and then shows off a bunch of Gatorade products. A commercial in disguise.

Cat then brings out Miranda & Robert, Melanie & Marko, Jordan & Tadd, and Iveta & Nick. Iveta & Nick are in the bottom three.

After commercial, the last three couples come out: Ashley & Chris, Ryan & Ricky, and Clarice & Jess. Ryan and Ricky are not safe.

We next get a performance from Rage Crew, who range in age from 8 to 18. Cat says this is the 3rd time they've performed on the show. Song: "Party Like This" by Colton B feat. Mauli B. Little weird to see tiny little girls with bared midriffs shakin' it all over the place. Beyond that, it was a fun performance.

Rage Crew

Time for the solos:

Wadi performs to "Pon de Floor" by Major Lazer feat Vybz Kartel. He's fantastic in his hip-hop style.

Missy does "Move" (Metronomony Remix) by CSS.

Nick does a nice tap to "Follow Me Down" 30H!3 feat. Neon Hitch

Iveta performs to Samba Rock by Gennaro.

Ricky dances to "Riot Rhythm by Sleigh Bells. He's the best I've seen tonight. Wow!

Ryan dances to "Moving Mountains" by Usher. Her performance seemed rushed and frantic.

While the judges make their decision, we get a performance from LMFAO, backed by Quest Crew (you remember them...Dominic, Hok.... Wait. Where's Dominic??? He's inactive right now, and apparently was a judge on the most recent season of America's Best Dance Crew, which I totally missed.) Anyway, there's lots of the Running Man (or "Shufflin'" as they're calling it) in this performance. It was fun to watch. You've got to see the leaps toward the end. Wow. How does that dude just land on his back like that?!

LMFAO and Quest Crew

Time for results. The judges are unanimous. Nigel said there's nothing in Missy's dancing that he can fault. He tells Iveta that no matter what happens, we'll always remember her first performance with Pasha. He told Ryan that her solo routine tonight wasn't as good as she's capable of. Yet, they've decided to keep her. I think that should be Missy's spot. He JUST SAID there's nothing to fault in Missy's dancing, yet he faulted Ryan right there on stage, and that's who they saved. Doesn't make sense to me.

Now for the guys. He tells Wadi that he hasn't been given time to show what he can do. Pulling the cha-cha got him in this performance, and he's not sure Wadi "danced for his life" tonight. He told Nick that he's fortunate two tappers are on the panel tonight (Nigel & Debbie Reynolds), and that Nick's going to be a star. He told Ricky, "I don't think that we've ever seen you dance better than you danced in your dance-for-your-life tonight." He was spectacular.

Oh, and Ricky's safe. (Maybe that's why they kept Ryan...to keep from splitting the pairing.)

So, Iveta, Nick, Wadi and Missy are going home. That's what I predicted after the competition show, but after the solos tonight, I think the wrong decision was made for the girls. Oh well....

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2011-06-24T09:58:00.001-04:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this in anticipation of the movie coming out this summer. I really enjoyed the story and found it to be a true page-turner, especially the last third of the book, which kept me up until 1:30am to finish it. The story takes place in 1962 and is told from three points of view: 1) Miss Skeeter, a young, affluent white woman; 2) Aibileen, an older black maid, who works for one of Skeeter's best friends and is devoted to the white children she's raised over the years; and 3) Minny, another black maid, who speaks her mind, and often finds herself in trouble for doing so. Skeeter wants to be a writer and convinces Aibileen, Minny and several other black maids to discuss their experiences (good and bad) working for white families for a book, to be published anonymously. The maids do this despite the risks of unemployment or even violence because they recognize their chance to have a voice in midst of the racial injustices of Jim Crow Mississippi.

Each character was strongly developed and each had such a distinct voice. I was a bit uncomfortable at first reading the so-call "black vernacular" as written by a white woman, but I ultimately thought she did it well. I was impressed that I could read each chapter and know who's telling the story, just because of how it was written.

Definitely recommend this one.

View all my reviews

SYTYCD Top 20 dance again!

2011-06-22T23:21:00.000-04:00

If you'll recall, no one was eliminated last week, so we get to see all 10 couples perform again tonight. But....tomorrow night, four, count' em, FOUR, people will be eliminated.

Our guest judge tonight is Debbie Reynolds. They showed a clip from Singing in the Rain...I might have to watch that this weekend.

The first couple to perform are Ryan and Ricky (whose real name, we learn, is Roderick). (The dancers had to reveal something embarrassing about their partners--Ryan's leg hair grows fast. You're welcome.) This week they're performing a Mandy Moore jazz routine. Ricky says it's X-rated. Mandy says it's a sexual-tension-filled routine. Song: "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer. They were very good. Not sure I felt the sexual tension between them, but they looked great. And I think Ryan outperformed Ricky this week. Nigel said it was "sensational." Mary said they were so strong. Debbie said she's never seen anyone perform sexier.

Caitlynn and Mitchell are next. They're doing a Stacey Tookey contemporary routine about a relationship coming to an end, at least in her mind. Song: "Turning Tables" by Adele. (LOVE this song!) Wow. That was amazing. I loved when she ran and leapt from the chair and flew into his arms. I felt the tension between this pair, unlike the first dance. Caitlynn was bleeding by the end...Mitchell accidentally hit her. I watched again, but couldn't tell when it happened. It was some time early on though.   Anyway, Mary said it was flawless. Debbie said they were so beautiful and so dramatic. Nigel said it was remarkable...not just technical, but there was so much turmoil. He said "Dance is the language of the soul, and that's what came across tonight." Lovely quote, Nigel.

Missy and Wadi are dancing a cha-cha choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux. (Where's his wife?) This is a new genre for both dancers. Jean-Marc says this routine is the most difficult he's ever done for the show. Song: "Cannibal" by Ke$ha. They did a nice job, but it was kind of boring. I also didn't feel any chemistry between these two--the routine should've been hot! Debbie said "Muy bueno." Nigel critiqued Wadi's technique and said there was a lot missing. He said Missy was very, very good. Mary got more technical with Wadi, but said it was respectable. She said Missy is the Cha-Cha Queen. She said it looked like Dancing with the Stars tonight, with Missy as the professional and Wadi as the student. Debbie said Wadi can cha-cha with her any time. Aw...poor Wadi. Cat said "You made Debbie's night, I think," and he said, "Well, at least I made someone's night." He seemed so dejected.

Next are Iveta and Nick, doing a Bollywood number by Nakul Dev Mahajan. Song: "Baawre" from the Luck by Chance soundtrack. They did a good job. the routine was very fast. Nigel said they did it with such panache tonight. Mary said they were super entertaining. Debbie loved it and told Nick that as a tap dancer, she would've freaked out doing this routine.

Miranda and Robert get to do a NappyTabs hip-hop routine about woodpeckers. Woodpeckers? Really? (In case you're wondering, Napoleon looks cute as ever.) Robert is the old and wise woodpecker and Miranda is the young chick. Robert says it's a "coming of age story" (said tongue-in-cheek).    Song: "Break Ya Neck" by Busta Rhymes. Robert's fantastic in his style and Miranda held her own. It was fun to watch. She seemed to fall in the routine after doing a back flip--but he caught her and going with the theme of the routine, it kind of looked like it was meant to happen--but I don't think it was. Mary said that considering Robert is a free-styler, he did an amazing job with the choreography tonight. She said Miranda was amazing tonight. Debbie said they were fabulous and that she was mesmerized by them. She then did her imitation of Woody the Woodpecker! She's a bet kooky, I must say. I don't know what Nigel said because I started looking at something else on the Internet and didn't feel like rewinding.

Next are Clarice and Jess. Stacey Tookey's back to choreograph a contemporary routine. She says it's a love story about a prince, and she's just married into royalty. Song: "Cathedrals" by Jump Little Children. That was lovely. Jess' personality gets on my nerves, but I love to watch him dance. Clarice looked beautiful. Debbie said they touched her heart. Nigel said he enjoyed parts of it. He loved the work they did separately, but when they came together, it felt uncomfortable. He said it just didn't look right. I can see what he means...part of it is probably that Clarice is about three inches taller than Jess. Mary said that Jess' emotions were perfect along with his great dancing, and that he had so much control. She added that Clarice is stunning.

Jordan and Tadd are next. Doing a Viennese Waltz by Jean-Marc. Uh-oh..I worry. Song: "Fade into Me" by David Cook. I didn't have to worry--they were great. Nigel said it was absolutely beautiful. He told Tadd, "I need to remind you that you are a b-boy." And that it's the best he's seen a b-boy dance something like the Viennese Waltz. Mary said Tadd is the biggest surprise of this season. She said that Jordan has transformed herself into one of the most beautiful ballroom dancers. Mary's bursting with pride. Debbie said they reminded her of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Cyd Charise. Wow--quite a compliment.

Melanie and Marko perform a Mandy Moore jazz routine. Song: "Sing with a Swing" (Raf Marchesini Radio Edit) by DKS. Uh-oh, Marko lost his hat during the routine. Beyond that though, they were great. I really love this couple. Mary said, "Everyone has a voice when they dance, and you guys are speaking LOUD and CLEARLY." Debbie rambled on about something. I guess she said they are stars, because Nigel concurred with her.

Seems like a long show--there are still two routines to go!

Sasha and Alexander do a NappyTab hip-hop about a soldier coming back from Afghanistan and seeing his wife for the first time. Song: "Coming Home" by Diddy-Dirty Money & Skylar Grey.
I loved it! Very emotional. Sasha was so into it. Alexander held his own--and I loved when he did a headstand over her back into a flip. Debbie loved it. Mary's in tears and said it's a story that hit home for her, and she hopes everyone gets to come home soon. Nigel found it ironic that we're 10 minutes late tonight because the President announced that we'd be withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan. He said they showed all the emotion and passion that will come from those reunions, and they danced it so well.

Last up are Ashley and Chris. They get a jazz/Broadway routine choreographed by Spencer Liff about a woman visiting her man in jail. They dance the whole time with a row of bars between them...Spencer points out that a routine like this has never been done on the show. Song: "Please, Mr. Jailer" by Rachel Sweet. That was great....very unique. I think it was better to see it on TV than if you were in the audience since the cameras could show all sides of the jail bars. Nigel said we just saw another hip-hop boy do a wonderful jazz/Broadway routine. He hopes Chris is here for many weeks to come. And Nigel wants Ashley to visit him the next time he's in prison. Mary put them on her Hot Tamale Train. Debbie said they were sensational.

Good show. My favorite performances were Ashley & Chris, Sasha & Alexander, Melanie & Marko, and Jordan and Tadd. Oh, and Miranda & Robert. And Caitlynn & Mitchell.

Hmm....maybe it would've been easier to say who I didn't love: Missy & Wadi and Iveta & Nick. It'll be interesting to see what happens tomorrow, but these are the four I'd send home.

2 of the Top 20 are eliminated on SYTYCD

2011-06-16T22:54:00.000-04:00

The group dances kicks us off. They're wearing black post-apocolyptict type costumes. Music: "XR2" by M.I.A. This has to be a Sonya routine. Yep, I was right.

July 30 will be the National Dance Day. They will put three routines (easy to hard) online and then people can do flash mobs all over the country. That would be fun.

Cat brings out the first three couples for results. Melanie and Marko are safe. Of course they are, after this beautiful performance:

Missy and Wadi are safe. Iveta and Nick are safe too. Missy and Wadi are the only ones I would've put in the bottom, so now I already know I'll be disappointed to see whoever winds up there.

WTF?! Jordan and Tadd are in the bottom three, while Ashley and Chris were safe. Jordan and Tadd were one of my favorite pairs. Well...it'll be good to see their solos. Clarice and Jess are in the bottom three. Caitlynn is safe. We already know that Caitlynn's partner, Mitchell, will also be in the bottom since he was unable to perform last night. Doctors, however, have cleared him to dance a solo tonight, so we'll get to see something.

Keri "Don't Hate Me 'Cause I'm Beautiful" Hilson ~~sings~~ lip synch's "Lose Control."

Ryan and Ricky are safe. Miranda and Robert are in danger. Sasha and Alexander are safe.

So the bottom three couples are:

Jordan and Tadd
Clarice and Jess
Miranda and Robert

Tadd, Jordan, Jess, and Robert should not be in the position to have to dance for their lives. They're all excellent, and were great last night. That leaves Clarice, Miranda, and don't forget Mitchell. Based on last night, I'd send Clarice home mainly because Jess really made their routine--she was just a supporting act. That leaves Mitchell for the guys--it's not fair since I haven't seen him yet, and the poor guy is injured, but the other guys were so great last night.

Mitchell does his solo to "Say" by John Mayer. Wow. He's a gorgeous dancer. Tough decision.

Jordan does "Hot Like Wow" by Nadia Oh. I love how she pirouettes on one foot while her other leg is straight up in the air.

Tadd does his hip-hop to "Jump, Jive an' Wail" by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Awesome.

Clarice is up. She dances to "Glam" by Christina Aguilera. Great leaps and leg extensions.

Jess dances to "Mr. Bojangles" by Robbie Williams. He's great. I suspect an annoying guy to be around, but amazing to watch.

Miranda dances to "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Leona Lewis. She starts right off with a leap and a forward aerial. But, after that, and compared to the performances before hers, this one was a little dull.

Robert the Woooo Man, dances to "Electric" by Omarion. He is just so much fun to watch.

We get an exclusive look at Gaga's new video, "The Edge of Glory." Also, we learn that she'll be guest-judging later in the season. Hey, Clarence Clemons is in the video. I wish him well.

Before the judges get to their decision, Nigel ask for thoughts and prayers to go out to Clarence.

And now, the judges ask Mitchell and Robert to dance again before they make their decision. Man...talk about pressure for the dancers. Maybe they'll keep everyone and eliminate two teams next week. The guys perform again, but then they bring the ladies back out for their decision first. Nigel gives comments to the girls, but then, no decision. Then he brings out the guys for their comments. Hurry up Nigel...my Tivo's going to cut this off! Stop talking and get to it! And ta-da! They're not letting anyone go home. I knew it! But...four people go home next week. I knew it.

I think that was a good decision. First time they've done it in 8 seasons.

Looking forward to next week.

SYTYCD first night of competition

2011-06-15T22:54:00.000-04:00

The Top 20 will perform tonight. Two dancers will go home tomorrow based on America's votes. Three pairs will be in danger, and I imagine as in previous seasons, the judges will decide who to save.

The Top 20 are:

Ashley (contemporary)
Alexander (contemporary)
Caitlynn (contemporary)
Chris (hip-hop)
Clarice (jazz)
Jess (a guy - broadway)
Iveta (ballroom)
Marko (jazz)
Jordan (jazz)
Nick (tap)
Melanie (who looks like Ginnifer Goodwin - contemporary)
Ricky (contemporary)
Miranda (contemporary)
Robert (hip-hop)
Missy (jazz)
Tadd (love! - hip-hop)
Ryan (a girl - contemporary)
Wadi (a guy - hip-hop)
Sasha (contemporary)

Tonight on the judges' panel is Nigel, Mary, and Megan Mulalley. Megan Mulally? What's she doing there? Well we learn that she was a ballet dancer back in the day--she's also done some Broadway shows. And, she's seen every episode of SYTYCD.

I wasn't counting the dancers, but one dancer was missing. Mitchell injured his elbow and doctors have advised him to rest. He can't perform tonight, and he's automatically in danger of elimination tomorrow. Poor guy--he's sitting in the audience with tears in his eyes. That has to suck.

First couple up are Jordan and Tadd--yay--my two faves (so far). They'll be dancing African Jazz, choreographed by Sean Cheesman. He says the piece is inspired by the lava of a volcano. Music: "Riding the Waves" by Afro Celt Sound System. They were awesome! So much power. Nigel said it was tremendous. Mary expected Jordan to knock it out, but she was sensational. She was worried for Tadd (the B-boy), but that went away after two seconds. She says he emerged as a star. Megan complimented the precision and power, and brilliant choreography.

Next up are Sasha and Alexander. The two contemporary dancers get to do a contemporary routine choreographed by Travis Wall. Travis says the routine is about Alexander's conscience coming back--he did something wrong in a past relationship, and the conscience has come back to tear him to shreds, the way his ex was torn to shreds. Music: "Stupid" (Mark Bell Mix) by Sarah McLachlan. Wow..she ran and jumped into his arms with one leg over his shoulder, the other at his waist. Very cool. Another great pairing and another great performance. That was fantastic. Mary said it was another great routine by Travis. She said that Sasha is so strong, dynamic...she has power, stage presence. Mary didn't feel connection between the two from Alexander. Megan loved it. She said Sasha came into this as a favorite and that isn't going to change any time soon. She also felt the disconnect from Alexander. Nigel loved it. Said he needs more emotion from Alex and that Sasha was outstanding.

Clarice and Jess are paired next. They'll be dancing Broadway--good for Jess since that's his specialty. Tyce DiOrio will be choreographing. Jess has been on Broadway three times. Music: "Me and My Baby" by Liza Minnelli. Cute routine, but before I watched it, my sister commented on Facebook that Clarice's black undies were peeking out from under her costume, so that was all I could see. Megan loved everything about it. Nigel said Clarice is a beautiful girl and beautiful dancer, but she'll need to work hard to keep up with Jess. He says he can tell that Jess is going to be one of his favorites this season. Mary said it was an amazing celebration of dance.

Ryan is paired with Ricky. They're dancing Lyrical Hip Hop, choreographed by Christopher Scott from the League of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD), who are AMAZING (see below). Music: "Ain't No Sunshine" by Lighthouse Family. Ricky is a great dancer--his moves are so fluid and smooth. Ryan holds her own, but looks a bit jerky, compared to Ricky. Good routine. Judges liked it, though they were a little confused by the story. Megan said it was beautiful.

League of Extraordinary Dancers

Next is Caitlynn is paired with Mitchell. But gosh, we already learned that he's hurt. They will be dancing one of Sonya Tayeh's jazz routines. Since Mitchell's not dancing tonight, Caitlynn dances with Season 7's Robert. Music: "In for the Kill" (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix) by La Roux. Great routine. Caitlynn held her own against Robert who is SO talented. Mary said Caitlyn's legs and extension are spectacular and that she was luck to have Sonya as a choreography. Mary said, "You. Were. Brilliant." Judges loved it. (I'm multi-tasking here and don't have time to record all the judges' comments.)

Miranda is partnered with Robert for a jive routine by Jason Gilkison. Music: "Runaway Baby" by Bruno Mars. Robert channeled his inner Urkel and was so much fun to watch in this routine. He was the nerdy guy going after a girl way out of his league. Megan said you'd have to be in a coma not to like that. Nigel dinged Robert for not pointing his toes. And asked for more confidence from Miranda.

Next are Missy and Wadi for a jazz routine by Sean Cheesman. This one is about Pandora's Box and sexy demon clones being released. Music: "Judas" (R3hab Remix) by Lady Gaga. Hmm...not sure how I felt about that one. They didn't seem to have much chemistry and it's like there were two separate performances going on. Nigel loved it. Mary loved it. Megan loved it.

Melanie is paired with Marko for a contemporary routine by Travis. Lucky for them since they both dance contemporary. The story is: two separate statues come to life at night, and the male statue wants to become one statue. Music: "Turn to Stone" by Ingrid Michelson. Wow. Exquisite is the word that comes to mind as I watch this routine. Both Melanie and Marko have such grace and control. Beautiful. Mary has tears in her eyes and said, "every once in a while a number comes along that is so magical and everything happens like one with the universe. There's this perfect partnership, this amazing chemistry, this amazing technical level of dance, there's this amazing artistry...and amazing, amazing choreography....It's just breathtaking. Megan had tears too. She said "It's one of those special ones." I agree. Nigel said this is the first night, and this could be the first Emmy-nominated routine. He thinks Melanie is the best female dancer ever on the show.

Ashley and Chris are next. They're taking on hip-hop (convenient for Chris since that's his style) choreographed by Chris Scott. A couple discovers they're cheating on each other. Chris has an emotional moment during practice because he was cheated on once before. I feel ya, Chris. Music: "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green. Cute routine--but Ashley looked a little too happy throughout, considering the story. But they did make up in the end, so that deserves a smile. Nigel thought it was a fun routine. Mary said it was pure entertainment. Megan loved it.

And finally, it's time for Iveta and Nick. Iveta didn't seem too excited by her partner. They're dancing ballroom (the quick step) by Jason G. They say she's 30 years old, but I think she looks much older than that. Did anyone check her long form birth certificate? Music: "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet. I always look forward to Mary's commentary after the ballroom dances. It looks good to me, especially for a quick step, but what do I know? Well, Mary and the other judges gave a standing "O" so I guess that says it all. Oh! Iveta better have done well--she's the world champion of the quick step! Nigel said Nick "came up to scratch," or in other words, held his own. Mary read off a checklist of what a quick step is supposed to have, and this routine had it all.

Whew, this is long. Thanks for hanging on if you made it this far.

The only routine I didn't really enjoy was Missy and Wadi. The teams are very strong this season, and this was a great show. It'll be hard to see anyone leave.

SYTYCD and The Voice

2011-06-14T22:59:00.003-04:00

I just finished watching the Top 20 dancers revealed on SYTYCD. (I fell behind last week preparing for a yard sale on Saturday--not sure all that work was worth the $105 I made....) ANYWAY, as I noted in my post on June 2, it's usually not worth it to start rooting for dancers during the tryouts because you may never see them again. Against my better judgment, on June 5, I posted five videos of the auditions I liked. While all these videos are worth watching, of the six contestants I really enjoyed, only two of them made it to the Top 20: Jordan Casanova and Tadd Gadduang.

It looks like a good group this year. There's a terrific group of hip-hop dancers, include Tadd. American Idol needs to take note of how this kick-off show was done. Instead of a full hour or two of contestants walking down the long hall to receive their news, the news-giving was interspersed with performances of the Top 20. Much better approach.

This year, the Top 20 will perform in pairs. Once they get to the Top 10, the SYTYCD All Stars will be introduced. I look forward to that too. Should be a good season.

Now, to The Voice...just a couple of comments. First, Adam Levine's team's group sing was MUCH better than Cee Lo's. I enjoyed Javier Colon's solo from Adam's team as well as Vicci Martinez' performance from Cee Lo's team. I didn't really love anything else--so, based on the performances last week and this week, Christina and Blake had the stronger teams.

Also, I really disliked* Curtis Grimes' (from Cee Lo's team) country rendition of Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love." Ew.

*I say "disliked" because my sister hates when I use the word "hate."

I missed the first 20 minutes of the show, but it turns out that American saved Beverly (yay!) and Christina saved Frenchie. Those were my faves, so I'm happy.

At the end of the show, we learn that America saved Dia from Blake's team. Not sure I agree with that. Remember, I was annoyed by all the accolades for doing something original, when it had really already been done before? Anyway, Blake makes the decision to save Xenia, who I loved! Awesome. Blake said he can't affect change with Jared or Patrick like he can with Xenia.

Next week we'll find out who goes through from Adam and Cee Lo's team.

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

2011-06-12T00:35:00.001-04:00

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fascinating read about the Great Migration of millions of Black people from Jim Crow south to areas north and west during the period ranging from 1910 to 1970. Isabel Wilkerson is a wonderful story teller, and she brings history to life through the story of three people who left the south (Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana), at different time periods (1937, 1945, and 1953) for different destinations (Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles), and for different reasons (to get out from under sharecropping, to avoid being killed, and the hope of better opportunities).

I really grew to care for these three, and couldn't help but wish my grandparents were still alive so I could ask what prompted them to leave the Louisiana/Texas area and wind up in the Midwest.

The personal experiences of these people in the south were heartbreaking, disheartening, and sometimes made me feel sick to my stomach. Their resolve to get out of their respective situations to try to find something better for themselves is absolutely inspiring. It was also interesting to read about how their final destinations weren't necessarily the places of freedom they were expecting. They still experienced racism in Chicago, NYC, and L.A., it was just different.

This is an enjoyable and educational read. It's an important book that I'd recommend to everyone.

Next up is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I figured it's a good time to read this since 1) the movie's coming out soon, and 2), I just read the truthful account of Jim Crow Mississippi which will help put this fictionalized account into perspective.

What's happening on The Voice

2011-06-07T23:28:00.000-04:00

I don't have it in me to blog the whole show, but here are some comments.

First, I loved Adam Levine's performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the beginning of the show. I also liked Cee Lo, Blake Shelton, and Adam doing "We Will Rock You." I did not, however, care for Christina's rendition of "We Are the Champions."

Dia Frampton, who is on Blake's team performed Kanye West's "Heartless." She was at the piano and started out off strongly, but got a little pitchy toward the end. She's cute and talented. But, here's what annoyed me. Carson Daly went on about her phrasing and how she really made it her own. CeeLo said it was "Very original. Probably the greatest rendition of the song I've ever heard. I think it was great." Adam said, "That was the most refreshing, unique thing I've seen on the show so far. It was such an incredible idea...it was your idea right? It was the best thing I've seen on The Voice so far. Definitely the coolest." Well. That's all well and good, but Kris Allen did this exact rendition on Idol in 2009. I was pulling for Adam Lambert that season, but I loved Kris' performance of this song. He did it with a guitar instead of piano, and frankly, his version was much better. I wish Dia had given credit where credit is due.

I really enjoyed Christina and her team's performance of "Lady Marmalade." And I love Beverly--bald and bad ass, (and my age...). She's aweseome.

I love Xenia's voice, but she really needs to work on the performance. Her timidness was making me uncomfortable.

Also loved that Blake and his team performed Maroon 5's "This Love." Adam seemed pleased. This group performance wasn't as good as Christina's though. The ladies were a little weak compared to the guys. I love Jared Blake's voice, and Blake Shelton was awesome! Someone on Twitter pointed out that Blake treated his team like his TEAM, whereas Christina treated her team as her backup singers--that's a good point.

And can I just say, "You go girl!" to Frenchie Davis?! She was fantastic!

My votes are for Frenchie and Beverly on Christina's team, and Jordan and Xenia on Blake's team, though I hope Xenia can loosen up and get over her nerves. Two singers from each team will be saved. One based on America's votes, the other based on Christina or Blake's decision. Next week, Adam and CeeLo's teams will perform. Looking forward to it.

More SYTYCD auditions worth noting

2011-06-05T16:43:00.000-04:00

These auditions from Los Angeles were really good:

Jordan Casanova dancing to "Naughty Girl" by Beyoncé

Derion "DC" Chapman dancing to Frank Sinatra's "That's Life"

Arielle Coker - I'm not sure of the song, but check out the kick around 29 seconds. WOW.

BUT...this one--Hero McRae--was AMAZING. You just don't usually see girls moving like this. She is incredible.

Then I see that maybe I spoke too soon about girls not moving this way, because here comes Patty Anne Miller:

Good stuff in L.A.!

Too soon to become attached

2011-06-02T23:50:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine noted that I haven't posted anything yet about the return of So You Think You Can Dance. (I would add that I haven't posted anything about anything in a while.) Of course I'm excited that the show's back, but I've learned over the years that it's a waste of time to fall in love with dancers during auditions because more likely than not, they won't make it to the top 10 or 12, or however many they start with, and you'll never see them again. But then I went on to tell my friend about an audition last night that I really enjoyed. It was a B-boy who did his routine to music that had me expecting Charlie Chaplin to walk on stage. The routine was charming, quirky and whimsical, and I figured it'd be worth it to show it here. I hope Tadd does well in Vegas, because he's also pretty easy on the eyes. (He's 25 so it's okay for me to say that.)

Tadd Gadduang audition - SYTYCD 2011

In completely unrelated news, I would like to recommend that you create a "Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam" station on Pandora immediately. You'll hear great stuff from the late 80s-early 90s like Exposé, The Cover Girls, Ready for the World, Prince, Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan, Nu Shooz, New Edition, etc. Great stuff!

American Idol - Finale Night

2011-05-25T23:08:00.001-04:00

As I vowed last week, I did not watch last night's country spectacular. People at work tell me they think Lauren's going win--and people I talk to who are still interested want Lauren to win. If you want a recap of last night's show, check out Lisa de Moraes' blog on washingtonpost.com.

I still don't care who wins, so tonight I'm tuning in to see who the special guests are, and to see if Steven Tyler's going to keep his promise to perform with James at the finale.

After a bunch of intro talk, and the introduction of Scotty and Lauren, we get a group sing of Gaga's "Born This Way." All the contestant's are there and everyone's wearing white. They're also lip-synching horribly. Jacob thinks he's the star and completely hams it up every time there's a camera near his face. He is so annoying. Hey, Phillip Bailey's in the house!

James is performing first with Judas Priest. He's dressed like one of the Village People in black with silver studs all over the place. He looks completely ridiculous. They go into "Breakin' the law, breakin' the law," and I immediately think of Beavis & Butthead.

(Sorry. That was gross, but it was the only thing I could find that showed what I meant.)
The judges and the audience are on their feet.

Next a tribute to Randy: The Veteran. We got a recap of Randy's most common phrases. So-and-so is IN IT TO WIN IT! Ryan said, "We gotta get you a new writer." That's for sure.

Jacob performs "I Smile" with his heroes...first gospel star Kirk Franklin, and then Gladys Knight came out. Gospel is definitely what Jacob's best at. Nice performance.

Next comes Casey with his beard grown back out, and surprise! Jack Black! They sing Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls." Man...Casey should really be one of the top two. No chance of catching Zs during his performances like when Scotty sings. That was fun.

And here come the ladies of the top 13, dressed in red and singing a Beyoncé medley of "Single Ladies," "Irreplaceable (To the left, to the left...)", "Get Me Bodied," "If I Were a Boy," and "Déjà Vu." Naima thinks she's the star of the whole thing, until Beyoncé herself comes out and does "Crazy in Love." That was a fun performance too, though I am reminded of why some of the girls were voted off early.

Now the tribute to Steven Tyler: The Loose Cannon. We see a series of Steven being bleeped, flirting with the pretty girls, and sharing his Stevenisms.

Next comes Haley performing "Stepping Out with My Baby" with Tony Bennett. I LOVE Haley's dresss...gorgeous. I like Haley doing the jazz thing. Tony even showed off some dance moves.

Next, the tribute to Jennifer Lopez: The Most Beautiful Woman in the World. Lots of guys confessing their crushes on her.

Next comes TLC! I was just thinking about them the other day and downloaded a bunch of stuff. Aw....it's sad to see them without Left Eye. They look good though. Lil Jon starts them off. Naima, Karen, Thia, and (forget her name) come out to perform "Waterfalls."

Next Scotty performs "Live Like You Were Dying" with Tim McGraw. I only watched this because Tim looks good in his t-shirt. I developed a little crush when Tim was on "Who Do You Think You Are." After the episode, I sent a text to my sister, "You know...Tim McGraw really is good looking."

After the commercial, they come back and JLo's not sitting with the judges. Then we go through a clip of some of Idol's "Unsung Heroes," also known as the most embarrassing moments from auditions.

Next, Marc Anthony performs "Aguanile." The song makes me want to get up and Zumba! JLo comes out and dances and shakes her booty. And hey! Sheila E. is on the drums! It's fun to watch Jennifer dancing Latin style. She really is beautiful.

Next there was a tongue-in-cheek bit about whose elimination was most shocking--James or Casey. At the end, Pia comes out wearing a sash that said "Most Shocking." That was cute.

Now the guys perform a medley. First "Kiss" by Prince. (Stefano is no Prince.) Oh, but it's actually a Tom Jones medley. I forgot that he remade "Kiss." Because Scotty can't do anything else, they even threw in a country song that I don't know. And now I'm noticing that Scotty's with the guys, but Lauren wasn't with the girls. I guess last night they mentioned that she'd blown a vocal chord. A couple more songs that I don't recognize, and then Tom Jones and his grey 'fro comes on stage. Where's Carlton when you need him?

It wouldn't be a finale show without a Ford music video. Tonight's edition was a roundup of ALL the Ford videos they did this year. Yawn.

Now I imagine Scotty and Lauren will each win a car. But first, Ford awarded the teachers who most influenced Scotty and Lauren. They got to come to the finale. The teachers each got new cars! Is it because Scotty & Lauren don't drive?? Oh, okay, they get a car too--whichever Ford they want.

Next Lady Gaga performs "The Edge of Glory." She's on a mountain in the middle of the stage. Quite a contraption they've built there. One of her dancers is Mark from SYTYCD, which starts tomorrow!! Love him! This is the routine where I really started to like him:

I can watch that over and over and over. It never gets old.

And now, here's Lauren to perform Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats." Then Carrie joins her on stage. They sing well together. Nice job. That's one of the 4 or 5 country-ish songs I actually do like.

Another time killer with the other contestants describing how they feel about Scotty & Lauren. Paul said, "they can't vote--they can barely drive." James says, "They're children." Stefano says, "So we have two sixth graders in the competition and they're kicking everyone's ass." Paul: "They can't even see R-rated movies." Karen: "Go to your prom!" Casey: "They just learned cursive." Casey: "Thanks a lot America. For making us feel stupid." Okay, that was cute.

Beyoncé's back to sing her new single, "One Plus One." Eh. I didn't care for it. (I'm not a big fan anyway.)

Bono & The Edge perform "Rise Above" from their Broadway SpiderMan show. I thought that show was gone? Is it still going on? I hope Spidey doesn't fall and break his back!

Steven Tyler's at the piano to perform "Dream On." Yes!!! I love seeing this song peformed with a full orchestra. Fantastic! I had to rewind and watch that a couple of times before moving on.

And now....time for the big announcement (that I couldn't care less about). Lauren looks like she's about to throw up. The winner of American Idol is: Scotty McCreery. **Golf claps** Actually--Scotty seemed very sincere and humbled, and graciously hugged his family and each and every contestant. Good for him. He's a good guy. He just needs to learn how to hold a microphone.

Okay, on to the next show. So You Think You Can Dance starts tomorrow! Woo-hoo!

Thanks for reading along!

Idol's Top 3 Perform

2011-05-18T22:37:00.002-04:00

I missed posting the results of the elimination show last week because Blogger was down for so long. Bottom line: James is gone. People were shocked. Now, come on Haley! If the final two wind up being Lauren and Scotty, I'll have absolutely NO interest in who wins. I'd watch the finale, but only for all the other performances. I don't think I can take a country-fied finale.

Last week the contestants got to go home for their big parades and celebrations. I have some friends who got to see Scotty in Garner, NC. My friends kids were so excited to see Scotty that they were trembling and close to tears. I've never understood the tears thing like when you see The Beatles or Elvis perform, but I maybe can understand crying for those groups more than I can for Scotty McCreery. Maybe I'd cry if I were ten feet from Prince, but somehow I don't think so.

NOTE: Idol is early next week. The performance show will be on TUESDAY while the finale will be on WEDNESDAY. I need to make sure Tivo makes note of that too!

So, Beyonce's on tonight. She's beautiful, but her hair is too blonde, so her coloring looks weird. She's listening to the contestant's personal picks tonight.

Scotty goes first with his favorite song by Lonestar, "Amazed." I'm already over Scotty, so this performance didn't do anything for me. I don't think it measures up to the original. He was kind of dull. ST thought it was beautiful. JLo says he's grown so much as a performer. Really?? Every performance of his sounds exactly the same to me. Randy pointed out a couple of pitchy spots, but he basically liked it.

Lauren is singing "Wild One" by Faith Hill. Beyonce tried to give her tips on confidence. Yes, once again someone had to talk to Lauren about confidence. I think she should've waited another year or two before going out for the show. She's so young...this has got to be a lot for her. This song didn't wow me either. It was alright. JLo said she attacked it. Okaaaayyy. RJ babbled on about the confidence thing and said it was nice. ST said she sang like she owned the song. He said she's ready for America to be all over her.

Haley is singing Led Zeppelin's "What Is and What Should Never Be." She chose this song because it's what she grew up with. Her dad gets to perform with her--that's kinda cool. She starts off in a jazzy tone and then gets into the rock part. I didn't love her song choice, but think she did a good job. Oh, and did I mention that she fell? She ran around the stage in 6" heels and took a stumble when going up the stairs. But, she got right back up and kept on singing. The judges gave her a standing O! Randy loved it. Steven said, "Haley, did you fall for me?" ST said it was superb. JLo mentioned that she's fallen on stage, that Beyonce's fallen on stage--but what matters is that she kept going. Randy gave round one to Haley!

Now it's time for round two. But first a clip of Scotty's audition. Zzzzzzz...

In this round, Jimmy's choosing the song. "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" by Thompson Square. It reminds Jimmy of Tom Petty stuff, yet it's real country. Jimmy thinks a touch of this should be in Scotty's first record. At least when he's playing guitar he's not doing that stupid microphone hold of his. Still not my thing. ST liked it. So did JLo. She also asked that he shave his hair for the finale because she liked how he looked during his audition.

Lauren's next. Seems she got a "runner in her panty-hose"! [Quick--name that movie!*] Jimmy chooses "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry. She did a nice job. I liked this performance better than the first. JLo and Randy mentioned a coule of stumbles, but they loved it. ST said she nailed it again.

After commercial, we get to see Beyonce's new video. (Why else would she be on the show if she didn't have something to promote?)

Jimmy chooses Rihannon by Fleetwood Mac. He said that ever since he met Haley, he's felt she should sing Stevie Nicks. I agree. Haley performs with a fan blowing on her, so it's very dreamlike. Reminds me of a Mariah performance. She did a good job. Randy said her pitch was perfect, but it was a little somber for him. Steven said it reminded him of why he fell in love with Stevie Nicks in the first place. Jlo said it was a nice contrast to what she did earlier--it was a beautiful ethereal moment. Steven says Lauren took round 2. JLo and Randy said Scotty.

For Round 3, the judges pick the song.

For Scotty it's "She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers. Of course. Pleasant is the best word to describe this performance. I can imagine it playing on our Lite FM station while I'm sitting in the dentist chair. Judges loved it and are proud of themselves for choosing the song.

Oh, by the way, they showed Beyonce's new video before this round started. I wasn't paying attention though because I went to find out whose car alarm was going off non-stop.

The judges choose "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. I hope she does well because I hate this song. I used to participate in an online message board where this song played automatically each time you opened the page. I got so tired of it. Lauren does a good job. JLo got goosebumps and says Lauren already won this round. Randy says Lee Ann is a good friend. Of course she is, Randy. She's IITWI. In it to win it. Steven said she walked out like she owned the Grand Ole Opry. Oh, and what's this, Lee Ann's a good friend of Steven's too. JLo is left out of the name dropping.

And finally, Haley takes on "You Oughta Know" from Alanis Morrisette. This is a family show judges! For what it's worth, "Would she go down on you in a theater" was changed to "would she go out with you to the theater," which makes no sense after she just sang, "Is she perverted like me." Her voice is perfect for this song. For the chorus anyway. She got a little low in the first verse. Randy said those were amazing choruses, but Haley is IITWI! ST said it was amazing. JLo said it was a good job, and there's no one who can match her in how high she can go and how much power she puts behind her growl. Steven said Haley won Round 3. JLo said Lauren. Randy agrees with JLo.

That's it. My rankings: Haley, Lauren, Scotty. I better get on the phone!

*Oh, that movie quote from above? Pretty Woman.

American Idol--Final Four perform

2011-05-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

My friend Amy says this is a big week. She asked me to vote for Scotty, because if he wins, he'll come back to Garner, NC for a big parade, and since she lives there, she really wants to go. I told her that would be VERY difficult for me--especially if it came at the expense of Haley making it to the Top Three. I told her I'd think about it after watching the whole show.

As the kids come out, James tripped on the train to Lauren's dress. That could've been really embarrassing!

Tonight the kids are singing two songs. Round one will be songs that inspire the contestants, round two will be the songbook of Leiber and Stoller, who Ryan tells us wrote everything from On Broadway, to Jailhouse Rock. Mentoring the kids for round two is Lady Gaga.

James is first singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." Will it measure up to Glee's version???? Before James starts singing he says, "Come on Randy! You know the words!" He does a decent version, but I don't love it. The judges did thought. Steven said he couldn't have picked a better song and then got bleeped out for something. I have no idea what he said. JLo said it was a great performance. Randy went on and on with his praise.

Haley takes on Michael Jackson's "The Earth Song." She likes the beautiful message of the song. She put her all into that, but I think her voice might be a little hoarse. I love Haley though. JLo felt that Haley's inspiration. Said she sang it perfectly, but then went into a diatribe about bad song choice. How can JLo say one one hand that she sang it perfectly, but then turn around and give such negative and meaningless criticism? Randy echoed her. Thank god Steven saved the day! He said "they're both wrong...don't listen to them!" I think Steven sticking up for her will help--he's probably the most popular judge. After one week, his book is on the bestsellers list, after all.

Scotty sings an Alan Jackson song called....I missed the title, and don't feel like rewinding. Typical Scotty performance. Oh, I guess the song is about 9/11 and talking to Jesus and loving God. Pretty calculated choice considering the recent events with bin Laden. Judges loved it. Randy told him he's ready for super-stardom. He played the guitar this time, so at least we didn't have to see that ridiculous microphone hold of his.

Lauren sings Martina McBride's "Anyway." She did well. I'm just not a big fan. Steven loved it. JLo complimented her for taking the judges advice and doing what she has to do, which I think is another veiled ding at Haley. Rnady loved it too. She's back in it to win it. *Sigh.*

On to round two, with Lady Gaga. She's looking particularly frightening tonight. I hate those pointy cheek implants she's been wearing lately.

Haley's up first with "I Who Have Nothing." During rehearsals, Gaga helped her in adding "drama" to the song. She was FANTASTIC. This time she got another friggin' standing "O' from the judges. That's what I'm talkin' about! Show her some respect! In your FACE judges!! JLo said, "Look what you're capable of! That was amazing! One of the best performances of the year." Randy said everyone needs a "moment" tonight. Randy said she just had a moment, which puts her in it to win it! Randy said it was one of her best vocals, EVER. Steven said, "I always knew it. Classic moment, with classic Haley. You just Reinharted yourself into the middle of next week."

Scotty's singing "Youngblood" by The Coasters. During rehearsals, Gaga told Scotty that he needs to stay in front of the microphone, because when he sings to the side, we can't hear his tone. She continued: "That's your girlfriend, and she says to you, if you don't stick your tongue down my throat, we're through. So you keep your mouth on that microphone as if your life depends on it or that [bleep] is gonna leave you!...You gotta make love to that microphone." Scotty blushed the whole time. He later kissed the cross around his neck, and said, "Lord, this is not my doing." That was pretty funny. And now the microphone hold is back. SO ANNOYING. His performance was fine. At least it wasn't a country song. The best part about Scotty tonight was the exchange with Gaga. Randy loved it. Steven said it was a little Pat Boone. Is that a good thing??????? Steven loved the humor. JLo thought he hit his stride.

Lauren's up again with big hair and an outfit that makes her look 35. She's singing Elvis' "Trouble." She doesn't like singing the lyric, "Because I'm evil." She doesn't want America thinking she's evil. Come on. It's just a SONG. Gaga said, "at the end of the day, the word evil's not that big of a deal is it?" It was fine. I didn't love it. Steven said it was well done. JLo enjoyed the maturity in the performance that we haven't seen before. Randy really enjoyed it.

James is doing "Love Potion No. 9." Gaga tried to help Scotty with his moves. She got his hips moving a little. I didn't love it until the last few notes, where he went really high. That was great. JLo said it proved he can sing anything. Randy says James has a moment every week and he loves it. Steven said it was a beautiful thing.

May I please note that despite all this praise for Lauren, James and Scotty from the judges, Haley is the only one who got a standing "o" tonight.

My rankings:

1. Haley's 2nd song
2. Haley's 1st song
3. James' 2nd song
4. James' 1st song
5. Lauren's 2nd song
6. Lauren's 1st song
7. Scotty's 2nd song
8. Scotty's 1st song

PLEASE, just let Haley be in the Top 3! Sorry Amy--no votes for Scotty tonight.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

2011-05-09T18:42:00.000-04:00

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Despite the cover photo that completely freaks me out, I decided to read Bossypants after seeing Tina Fey on Oprah a few weeks ago. She truly is a funny woman, and the book didn't disappoint. I laughed out loud quite a few times. Sometimes it was a true guffaw--sometimes just a little snicker, but it happened throughout. In the midst of all the laughs though, are meaningful musings on feminism, marriage, parenting, the entertainment business, insecurities, Saturday Night Live, her role as Sarah Palin, and 30 Rock. (As someone who's not a fan of 30 Rock, I found that chapter particularly interesting. It was like Tina knows that I don't like the show, AND she understands.)

This was a quick, fun read that I definitely recommend.

View all my reviews

Let's get to the Final Four on Idol

2011-05-05T21:36:00.000-04:00

Ryan starts the show by announcing Steven Tyler's new book--I love the title, Does the Noise in my Head Bother You? JLo is going to perform tonight, and we're going to see a preview of her new video. And Randy's.......wearing a teal jacket with zippers all over the place. (Ryan jokes that Randy's having a bake sale.) Lady Antebellum will also be performing.

Then it's the group sing, they start with Happy Together. It's decent, until they hit the high note on so happy to-get-THER...and then it's bad.

Ford commercial. I actually watched this time, and Haley got to drive the car, which parallel parked itself. I need to get that feature on my next car.

Time waster--the kids visit the Hell's Kitchen set. Typical Fox cross-promo. Gordon Ramsey challenges them to make an omelet in 10 minutes. Scotty asks if he's going to teach them first, and Gordon laughs. Gordon was actually laughing throughout...I've never seen such a thing. I'm happy to see that I can make an omelet better than all of them. However, Lauren & Jacob won, and then we're told it's to be continued. And now I actually kind of want an omelet. Maybe tomorrow.

Lady Antebellum performs "Just a Kiss." Nice song. I really like how they harmonize.

Some other time waster happens. Fast forward.

Finally. Some results. Ryan asks James to stand. He summarizes the judges' comments, and then we hear Jimmy Iovine's thoughts. He says the first song ("Closer to the Edge") showed where he can go as an artist, the second song ("Without You), he was overcome with emotion and his voice closed down and it hurt him. Jimmy says you have to control your emotions. (Or as my sister said, "Get it together, man!") Jimmy said he usually gives James a 9 or 10 each week, this week he gives him an 8. Ryan sends James to stand on one side of the stage.

Lauren's next. Jimmy says "Flat on the Floor" was great, but in "Unchained Melody," she pulled back on the biggest note of the song because her fear overcame her performance. He said that will keep her out of the finals if it continues. He thinks she'll be in the bottom two because of "Unchained Melody." Interesting! Lauren's sent to the other side of the stage.

This is what they do when there are five people left. Whoever's last, Ryan's going to ask to go to the side they think they should.

Now there's more of the cooking competition. Fast forward.

JLo's up next with "On the Floor." Fun performance. After commercial is a preview of her video "Into You." Looks pretty sexy--lots of beach scenes with a nice looking guy.

Back to results.

Jacob's next. Jimmy says both songs were off. He thinks fear is getting to Jacob too. He says when you lose confidence, everyone knows it. He gave Jacob a 6, and Ryan has him join Lauren.

Haley stands up. Jimmy said Haley had been running 4th or 5th, so she had to do something risky, hence the unknown Gaga song. He commented that not only did JLo give Haley a tough time, but gave him a tough time too. He says Haley showed no fear in the face of severe criticism and she came forward like a lioness and in "The House of the Rising Sun" and Haley gets a 10. She won the night. WOO-HOO! He says if her confidence continues, she's a lock for the finale. Here's hoping! She's asked to join James. I'm going to take that as her being safe.

That leaves us with Scotty. Jimmy says he gave us a clue of who he'll be in the future with "Gone." On the 2nd song, he came up short. Jimmy has no doubt that Scotty will have an incredible recording career whether he wins or not. Ooh..a twist! Ryan doesn't make Scotty choose a side. He tells him right away that he's safe. Oh...but he does want Scotty to go stand with who he thinks is safe. Scotty refuses. Good for him. Ryan leads him over to James & Haley and says the three of them are safe. YES!

Lauren and Jacob are the bottom two. Lauren's crying and can barely hold it together, but the person going home is Jacob. FINALLY.

He looks sad, but he's not crying. He sings us out with Luther--"A House is Not a Home." He ends on a good note...that song suits him just fine.

Lauren's still trying to hold it together on the side of the stage. I don't know if she'll make it...she looks so pitiful. Honey, you're safe. It's okay to smile now.

So, it's down to James, Haley, Scotty and Lauren. If Scotty or Lauren win, I know I won't be buying their albums. If James wins--maybe. I'd have to hear it first. If Haley wins, DEFINITELY.

I kinda think that no matter where Haley winds up in the competition, Jimmy's going to work with her, no matter what. He's been her strongest supporter on the show. I'm looking forward to the results.

Down to the top 5

2011-05-04T22:01:00.002-04:00

With Casey gone, I don't really have much invested in Idol anymore--I"m pulling for Haley now, but I don't think she'll win. I think it's James' contest to lose.

Before I get to the show though, I saw Matt Lauer's interview with Steven Tyler the other night on Dateline...interesting guy. He's got a book coming out. I don't tend to read celeb bios, but I have a feeling his will be pretty interesting. Meanwhile, I also plan to read Tina Fey's book as well as Rob Lowe's, based on their interviews on Oprah. What's gotten into me?!

Okay, back to the show. Randy tells us tonight's the night we'll see who's in it to win it! Gosh Randy, you haven't said that in almost...a week!

Tonight they're each singing two songs. One will be from the last few years, and one from back in the day. Can that be any more vague? My "back in the day" is much different than a 25-year-old's "back in the day."

Helping Jimmy Iovine out tonight is Sheryl Crow.

They're starting with contemporary songs. James is up first with "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds to Mars. During rehearsals, James and Sheryl harmonized quite nicely together. Jimmy told James that he fits in this material better than in 1980s rock. For the performance, he started off rather weakly, but when he got to the chorus, he sounded good. It's missing Sheryl's harmony. Steven said he kicked the song's ass. JLo said she's feeling that James wants to take it. Randy said that he's now shown us where he could go as an artist and the type of record he could make. And guess what? "James is in it to win it!" No one mentioned his pitchiness at the beginning.

After commercial, Ryan clarifies that the first song is "contemporary," the second song will be "classic."

Jacob is singing "No Air" by Jordan Sparks & Chris Brown, singing both parts. During rehearsal, his "Jordan Sparks" was painful to hear. Oh, he sounds horrible. I love this song, but I'm hating this performance. He's gone next week. Has to be. Only hit the right key about 50% of the time. Ugh. JLo didn't critique his performance at all. She instead told him he needs to continue to show us what direction he's going. Randy said it's not the right direction for him, most of it was sharp (thank you Randy!), and no one should be singing both parts of a duet on this stage, and he's no Jordan Sparks or Chris Brown.

Lauren takes on "Flat on the Floor" by Carrie Underwood. Sheryl recommended she plant her feet and stay strong while singing. Instead she did her usual walk here, hip wiggle, walk there, hip wiggle. She sounds good though. Oh...she followed the stage advice for the second half of the song. She sang the hell out of that song...best performance she's had, in my opinion. JLo had the "stank face" on the whole performance--she was really into it. Randy said, "That is the direction for you!" "Lauren is in it, y'all!" Steven said "I think you're it." JLo said, "You ate that up."

Scotty's, singing "Gone" by Montgomery Gentry. Jimmy said it has a lot of grit and rock sound to it. His flute-hold of the microphone REALLY gets on my nerves. His performance is fine...not my favorite, but it's different than his usual fare, so that's a good thing. S.T. said up til now Scotty's been like a Puritan, but tonight he danced with the devil. JLo loved it. Randy said, "who knew that you could rock the stage like that?!" And guess what? SCOTTY'S in it to win it! So far, the only one who isn't, is Jacob.

Haley's doing an unreleased GaGa song, called "You and I." Jimmy brought it to Haley--he said GaGa does it on stage, but it's not released. Haley talked to Lady Gaga and got her blessing. JImmy says, "She's got it. And taking on this song is just another way of showing that she's got it." I love it--rocky, gospely, bluesy. Love it. I love Haley! What...the judges didn't even clap for her. Rude! That was weird. JLo didn't like it and didn't think Jimmy gave her the best advice. She needed something that showcased her in a better way. Randy didn't think it was that great of a song. He didn't think it did her any favors. Steven loved it though. He thinks she's "one perfect song away from being the American Idol."

Now it's time for the classics.

James is singing "Without You" by Harry Nilsson. During rehearsals, James cried as he was listening to the lyrics. I get that--it happens to me sometimes too with that song. James was really broken up though. He was thinking of his kids. Nice job...tears in his eyes at the end of the performance. His high note wasn't great, but definitely heartfelt. Randy said it wasn't perfect, but it was emotionally perfect. And he said, "It's yours to lose." Hmmm...where have I heard those words before? Randy & Steven both acknowledged that it was a little pitchy, but it didn't matter. JLo says he's a true artist--has the heart and soul to back up the high notes and screams.

Jacob's unveiling his "rock side" with a Nazareth song, "Love Hurts." His "rock" performance is accompanied by a harp and a brass section. He did much better than the first song, but I'm just so over him that I can't really enjoy it. Steven thought it was a beautiful thing...he got lost in the song, so the audience got lost in him. JLo brought up a "bobble" in the middle of the song, but congratulated him on a good job. I didn't notice a problem, so it's kind of interesting that she brought it up. Randy liked it.

Lauren's singing "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers. She said it's her parents' song. It's not her best performance. Off key quite frequently. JLo said there was nothing to say. Randy said she showed another side of herself. Steven loved it.

I think just like in past seasons, the judges already have in mind who they'd like to see in the top three--Scotty, James and Lauren. So, they give subtle, or not so subtle hints to steer the audience. JLo brings up some tiny flaw in Jacob's song that everyone probably missed, but then doesn't mention Lauren being off key?! And I'm still perplexed about how they didn't clap for Haley.

Scotty is singing "You Are Always on My Mind" by Elvis. Jimmy told Scotty to ignore the advice that he try something new, while at the same time staying true to himself. Scotty's performance was pleasant. Boring, but pleasant. JLo said he showed what a well-rounded artist he is. She said it was beautiful. Randy and Steven loved it.

Haley closes the show with "The House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals. Sheryl recommends she sing acappella at first. She does, and she's wonderful. So haunting. I got chills. I love this, and I'll be downloading it from iTunes. And YES! The judges not only clapped for her this time--they gave her a STANDING O!!! Woo-hoo! In your faces, judges! Randy gave her the award for best performance of the night. S.T. said she sold everyone tonight. JLo said "I don't know if you came out a little angry at us from before? Whatever that little emotion was at the beginning...I don't care, I'm going to sing my butt off right now....that song has never been sang [sic] like that before--great job!"

I'm going to rate these by song tonight:
1. Haley's 2nd
2. Lauren's 1st
3. Haley's 1st
4. James' 1st
5. James' 2nd
6. Scotty's 1st
7. Scotty's 2nd
8. Lauren's 2nd
9. Jacob's 2nd
10.Jacob's 1st

Jacob's got to go. And I'm calling in for Haley, just in case. 10 calls so far.

As a side note, I think the should bring back Sheryl Crow again--she was great. Until tomorrow...

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

2011-05-03T23:28:00.001-04:00

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story about an international newspaper (written in English, but based out of Rome) created in the 50s, that goes through the changing times into the 2000s. Each chapter is about someone related to the paper--the obituary writer, the copy editor, a reader, etc, and each chapter could stand on its own as a short story. The lives of the some of the characters were kind of sad, but didn't bring me down like it did for some other reviewers. There was one character that I wanted to grab by the shoulders and shake though. Tom Rachman is a wonderful writer and he created a set of characters that I wanted to know about.

View all my reviews

Who will it be?

2011-04-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

Who's going home tonight on Idol? We'll find out after an hours' worth of inane filler and fluff. I'm predicting (and hoping) Jacob, but we'll see. Bruno Mars and Crystal Bowersox, from last season, will be performing tonight. Okay, those two things won't be inane--everything else will.

See what I mean? The kids went to a British consulate to celebrate the Royal Wedding. I'll be so happy when that wedding is over. Fast forward.

Next comes the group sing. It's a Carole King song, and you know...she really did write a LOT of songs. The group sing is horrible though...everyone sounds off key. Maybe their ear pieces aren't working.

Ford commercial (yawn), then Crystal (yay!). She's so awesome...still sounds great!

Before we hear any results, there's a Q&A with questions from "America."

Ryan tells us he's calling people up individually in random order. Haley's up first. Jimmy Iovine comments on last night's performance. He said he agreed with Jennifer that Haley has the best voice up there, BUT, as an artist, she doesn't really know who she is yet, and if she goes up, it will be because the audience has gotten wind of that. And THANK YOU! Haley is SAFE!!! I was worried.

Scotty's next. Jimmy says Scotty is a phenom who comes with character, strength and confidence. Jimmy's worried that Scotty's subtlety gets lost in the AI environment. Ryan tells Scotty to hang on before announcing whether he's safe or not.

Instead he brings up Lauren. Jimmy says that Lauren only hears the negative in the critique. He thinks she'll be around for the long run. And again, Ryan tells her to hang tight.

Then he calls up Casey. Jimmy was disappointed because Casey was "on" and then he had to growl. He said Casey needs to realize that the family dog does not vote! HA! (Hey Kerri, maybe The Ricardos can vote!) But, Jimmy ultimately predicts Casey will be safe. And Casey has to sit down and wait.

For the second time tonight, Ryan hints that we may be surprised by the results and then we go to commercial.

James is next. Jimmy says when James sings heavy metal sometimes, it's not believable, but when he sings a melody with a great song with a "rock feel," he's much more believable. He adds that there's no doubt that James can win this thing. And Ryan tells us that James is safe. Of course he is!

And finally, Jacob comes up. Jimmy says that when he saw Jacob's outfit, he though Jacob went into the wrong dressing room since Dancing with the Stars is next door. He thinks Jacob could go home--he's on "banana peel status."

Jimmy then says "at this point in the competition, this is a horse race. We've got to stop comparing them to themselves and their progress every week. We have to compare them against each other. There's only one winner of American Idol."

Ryan brings Casey, Scotty and Lauren back up. Lauren is safe, so Scotty, Jacob and Casey (boo!) are in the bottom three.

But first, Bruno Mars performs "The Lazy Song." Cute little ditty. (His album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans is great, by the way.) I can relate to this song so much, especially on Sundays.

Today I don't feel like doing anything • I just wanna lay in my bed • Don't feel like pickin' up my phone • So leave a message at the tone • 'Cause today I swear I'm not doin' anything

Finally, it's results time. Ryan says the results are in random order tonight. Jacob is SAFE?!?!?! WHAT?!?!?!?! Wow. The person leaving the competition is CASEY. Fuuuuuuuuccckkkkkkkkkk. There goes my pool. Oh man. I'm so disappointed. Jacob over Casey?!?!? I just don't understand it.

Casey sings us out with I Put a Spell on You.

Ugh. I'm distraught. Casey goes and hugs all the judges while he's singing. Then Tivo cuts off, so I didn't see the end of the song.

My pool rankings:

Rank	America	Me
11	~~Naima~~	~~Thia~~
10	~~Thia~~	~~Stefano~~
9	~~Stefano~~	~~Naima~~
8	~~Paul~~	Scotty
7	Jacob	Jacob
6	Haley	Lauren
5	Scotty	~~Pia~~
4	~~Pia~~	~~Paul~~
3	Lauren	James
2	~~Casey~~	Haley
Winner!	James	~~Casey~~

It's Carole King night as AI's Top 6 perform

2011-04-27T21:50:00.003-04:00

Yep, the kids are singing Carole King tonight. Helping them tonight, along with Jimmy Iovine is Babyface. Haven't seen him in a long time.

Returning from last week's bottom three, Jacob's up first. He's singing "Oh No, Not My Baby." Jimmy admits that Jacob's in the most jeopardy, so he has to move the judges. He's got on a bright yellow button down shirt, blue plaid jacket, and a purple and green striped tie....hurting my eyes. He did better than he's done in weeks, and he seemed to know it. Huge grin on his face when he was done. He also seemed like he had fun. Steven said it was beautiful. JLo and Randy liked it too. Randy said he brought himself back with an energetic performance. Ryan made the same comment about Jacob having fun.

Lauren's next, singing "Where You Lead." During rehearsals, Babyface tells her to push her high notes even higher. She says she worries about hitting them. Babyface says, "Have you ever gone for it and not hit it?" She said "no." Babyface pauses and says, "Duh." Then Babyface apparently got kicked out and Miley Cyrus came on board. Great job! She even pulled a guy on stage and sang to him. Does she know him? I'm not sure. JLo was proud. Randy thought the song was safe and boring, but he liked that Lauren came out with a vengeance. Steven said she shined when her voice broke. He told her to keep breaking like that because it shows the character in her voice. She's got tears in her eyes by the end.

The kids will be doing duets tonight, and Haley & Casey are up for the first duet. They're singing "I Feel the Earth Move." She looks fantastic tonight in a black sparkly dress. I love these two together! Steven asked Casey, 'How much you lovin' Haley? It showed!" Steven loved it.

Scotty's next, singing "You've Got a Friend." I wish anyone else but Scotty chose this song, since it's my favorite of Carol's. During rehearsals, Babyface & Jimmy tried to get Scotty to start soft and not in his traditional "Scotty voice." Jimmy says he has to deliver subtlety and poignancy. He sounded a little flat a couple of times, but otherwise did a nice job. It was nice to hear something other than the same ole, same ole country from him; something a little soulful. The tweens will love it--especially after he looked at them right through the camera at the end. Randy said it was an excellent job--nice to hear his tenor voice instead of the baritone. Steven said this was his "just right song." JLo said his strength is in the storytelling, and he "told that story beautifully."

Before the commercial break, Ryan teases that we're about to hear the softer, more sensitive side of James. He'll be singing "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." Jimmy Iovine says Carole King and James were meant to come together. He starts of acapella, and WOW. Such a clear voice...awesome. Applause, applause!! That was fantastic. Standing O from the audience, and a lot of woo-hoo's from JLo. Steven loved the acapella section, and then mentioned it's the first song he ever made out with a girl to. JLo thought the beginning was magical. She also mentioned that he has not had one bad week since they got to the Top 13. Randy said he proved that he's not just a great "rock singer," but that he's a great "singer." Period. Randy thinks he could win the whole thing. I hope he does because I've got him to win America's vote in my pool.

Lauren and Scotty will be singing "Up on the Roof." And, the baritone is back. They do a slow version of the song. While they sound nice, I miss the doo-wop sound of The Drifters. Toward the end, Scotty seemed to be singing to Lauren, but she never looked at him...she looked straight ahead. It looked kind of weird. JLo said Lauren "sang her brains off!" Oh, and Scotty did a good job too.

Casey's up next for his solo performance. He's singing "Hi-De-Ho," which was made popular by Blood, Sweat and Tears. It's got a nice jazzy blues feel. Casey's in a black suit and a fedora. I love it right off the bat. I feel like I'm in a smokey blues club in Chicago. That was awesome! One of my favorite performances from Casey. Randy said it was like the song was made for Casey, and it brought him back to New Orleans. Steven said Casey's found his niche. He said it was the best "mother....lovin'.....show I've seen." JLo liked it, but wanted to see him loosen up a little in his movement.

Haley's next, singing "Beautiful." This song goes back and forth between uptempo and slow. I liked the uptempo moments much better than the slow. I still love Haley though! Steven said she nailed it just now. JLo said it was beautiful and she has the most beautiful voice in the competition. Randy said he didn't love the beginning, but the end was exciting.

I guess we have one more duet, and by my amazing powers of deduction, I predict it will be Jacob and James. They're singing "I'm into Something Good." They're both wearing white shirts and pants with black jackets. James should've buttoned up his jacket--his shirt was dingy and he looked a little like a middle-aged man. It was a fun performance--they sang to JLo in the middle of it, and then acted like they were fighting for her attention.

Tough to rate the performances tonight. Everyone did a good job. But, the order I rate the performances (not necessarily trying to predict who will be in the bottom three):

1. James
2. Casey
3. Haley
4. Lauren
5. Scotty
6. Jacob

As for a bottom-three prediction, I think it might be Jacob, Haley and....gosh, maybe Casey. Only because I don't know if America likes the jazzy blues sound as much as I do. We shall see!

The one where NBC wore me down.

2011-04-26T23:09:00.002-04:00

NBC practically beat me over the head with the fact that The Voice was starting tonight. The commercials and extended previews were getting ridiculous. When I first saw previews for it, I saw Carson Daly, Christina Aguilera, CeeLo and Blake Shelton. Eh. I like Blake, but it didn't really interest me. Until....I saw that Adam Levine is on too! Now I'm watching, and am enjoying it.

Tonight are blind auditions, so looks aren't a factor. Christina, Cee-lo, Adam and Blake are coaches. They listen to each contestant, sight unseen, and if they're interested in working with that Voice, they turn themselves around. If more than one coach turns around, then the contestant chooses who they want to work with. Each coach will have 8 contestants on their teams, and then they'll work together and go into the weekly competition where America will start to vote. (I think...or maybe America votes at the end--I forget.)

Remember Frenchie from Idol? She performed tonight and is on Christina's team. It was good to see her.

In other news, I saw a great movie yesterday: Win Win with Paul Giamatti. It was written and directed by Tom McCarthy who also wrote/directed The Station Agent and The Visitor, and co-wrote Up, all of which I also loved. They each feature an unusual/unlikely friendship and have a certain warmth about them. Paul Giamatti was great, as always, and I loved Amy Ryan from The Office as his wife. I recommend all of these movies!

And finally, Treme started again last night on HBO. And Jon Seda is on this season. I love me some Jon Seda. (I hate his haircut on the show though. But, in a scene where he started shaking his hips while dancing salsa, I got over it.)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

2011-04-23T13:40:00.004-04:00

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful book about a woman named Henrietta Lacks, who died of cervical cancer in the 1950s. Doctors from Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, removed a sample of her cells, without her knowledge or consent, for research. Her cells were used in developing the polio vaccine and other medical developments, yet for years her family never knew the cells existed, and Henrietta never received recognition, nor did her family receive any compensation, despite the cells being sold the world over.

Rebecca Skloot is a terrific storyteller as she relays the story from the family's point of view, as well as from the scientific point of view, which was very interesting. She keeps the scientific discussion in layman's terms, so it never became dull or complicated. The book covers medical ethics (or lack thereof), science, racism, and history. As I read it, at different turns I was fascinated, appalled, laughing, crying, sympathetic, angry, horrified, touched...the feelings go on and on.

I highly recommend this to everyone.

In Rebecca Skloot's own words:

Elimination night-from 7 to 6

2011-04-22T09:04:00.000-04:00

After chatter with the judges, the show opens with Haley, Lauren, Jacob and Stefano performing Train's "Hey, Soul Sister." They sounded good together. (As I was watching, I was thinking that someone in DC should do a go-go version of the song. Kind of like they did with Ashlee Simpson's "Pieces of Me.")

After a commercial break comes the "AI official commercial" a.k.a. the Ford ~~video~~ commercial.

Casey, Scotty and James then perform Viva La Vida by Coldplay. Sorry fellas--this wasn't good. I don't like that song anyway, and your voices couldn't save it. The other problem was "choreography" and the fact that you weren't in sync.

Time for some Idol/idle chitchat with the contestants. And now we learn that Casey is safe, and Jacob is in the bottom three.

David Cook comes out to perform, "The Last Goodbye," the first single from his new album coming out in June. I still love his voice. **Applause, applause!** Hey he's going to be in DC on May 1 for a 5K race/walk to raise money for brain cancer research. He also brought his mom tonight so she could meet Steven Tyler. Cute.

More time filler -- the contestants went to a baseball game, and maybe some other stuff that I'm unaware of because I fast forwarded through the rest.

Lauren, James and Stefano learn their status next. AND......Stefano's in the bottom three again. Now it's between Haley and Scotty. And, Haley's in the bottom three, again. Poor Haley--she did great last night and Scotty was so boring. She doesn't have young tweens voting for her though. But then, Ryan told her right away that she's safe. Phew.

Katy Perry sings "E.T." Taking a cue from Lady Gaga, she and the dance crew have crazy costumes on and she's carried out to the stage. At least these alien costumes don't freak me out like Gaga's did with those pointy shoulders. Kanye was there in person too...thought we'd just hear him on the recording.

And now, the results. Dim the lights.... The person leaving us tonight is...Stefano. Finally. I have to say though, that the past two weeks have been his best, so the timing of this sucks. It would've made more sense if he went three weeks or four weeks ago. Still, someone has to go.

On to next week!

AI night--Top....how many are left? I forget.

2011-04-21T01:27:00.000-04:00

Ah...there are seven left.

In a new twist, the show opens with the five girls and one guy who've already been kicked off singing Pink's Rock Star. Naima got ~~a little~~ way overzealous with her dance moves, but otherwise, it was good to see them all again. I totally forgot about Ashthon even being in the competition. Pia still just knows how to march around and bend her knees occasionally. Paul brought back the black suit with flowers.

The singers are doing songs from the 21st century tonight.

Scotty is up first, but before he sings, we see the other contestants making fun of how Scotty holds the microphone (which I find so annoying). Lisa de Moraes in the WaPo, put it perfectly last week:

Scotty is once again holding his microphone like it’s a fife and he’s part of a Revolutionary War re-enactment event at which Washington’s troops are singing Lady Antebellum tunes.

Anyway, back to the show. Scotty's singing Swingin' by LeAnn Rimes. Same ole, same ole. Judges echoed what Jimmy said during rehearsal that he needs to step out of his box. Note: Steven Tyler has a huge red lipstick smooch on his cheek. Who did that? And why hasn't someone come to wipe it off? It's distracting. Anyway, Randy said Scotty's performance was boring. FINALLY. The judges see what I've been saying for weeks.

James is singing Uprising by Muse. James envisions a post-apocalyptic protest. Jimmy likes that it has substance. I love this song...I suspect he'll do well. James enters the studio with four snare drummers. James is totally channeling Adam Lambert, sang even higher notes that Adam, and does great. Judges loved it.

Haley's turn. She's singing Adele's Rolling in the Deep. AWESOME! I've been listening to Adele's new album, 21, non-stop for four or five weeks now. Gwyneth Paltrow did Turning Tables on Glee last night. I love hearing these songs...any time, any place. And, I loved Haley's performance...she had a couple of shaky notes, but I loved it anyway. Randy said she chose a perfect direction for herself. He mentioned she went a little sharp a couple times. Steven thought it was great. (BTW, the lipstick must be part of Steven's ensemble. It's still there.) JLo loved it too.

Jacob sings A Dance with My Father by Luther Vandross. Jacob's father passed away when Jacob was 12, so this song means a lot to him. He was very emotional during rehearsals. Something was wrong in the beginning, like something might've been wrong with the sound in his earpiece. He finally just pulled it out. I understand the judges comparing Jacob to Luther because of his music style, but to me, there's no comparison. Luther was so smooth, at all notes. I still think Jacob sounds like he's underwater when he's singing in the lower register. It grates on my ears. Randy said it was good, but it didn't make him jump out of his seat.

Casey is next singing Harder to Breathe from Maroon 5. Yay! He's playing guitar tonight. He's awesome!! Might have to download that one. He ended by kissing JLo on the cheek. And I think she blushed! JLo and Randy raved, but then Steven mentioned that Casey's already a cult hero, and then got bleeped because, based on my lip-reading skills, he said, "There's millions of people in America that are really angry because you piss them off because you're SO FUCKING GOOD!" The audience went crazy.

Stefano chooses Ne-Yo's Closer. Jimmy advises him not to whine and plead while singing, but to make it sexy. Ne-Yo makes it sexy, that's for sure.

That suit. And that hat. *Yummm*
Oh, I digress. Uh-oh, Stefano tries to show off some Usher moves...he's not quite there, but does okay. He sounded good. Judges liked it.

We finally get an explanation about the lipstick on Steven's face. His daughter Mia is in the audience, and she planted it there. Phew. I'll be able to sleep tonight after all.

Lauren ends the night with Born to Fly by Sara Evans. Lauren sounds good as usual, but I really don't care for her song choice. Steven liked it--asked her to sing more Alison Krauss or Shania Twain. (I personally believe that was his way of saying he didn't like the song either.) Lauren made a comment in her package about how she holds back because everyone's doing crazy notes and she doesn't want to fall behind. JLo told her she CAN do those crazy notes like the other contestants, that she should try, even if it's when she's by herself. Randy echoed what JLo said, but in a more wordy way.

OK, that's it. My rankings: 7. Scotty, 6. Jacob, 5. Lauren, 4. Stefano, 3. James, 2. Haley, 1. Casey

Yay--David Cook will be on tomorrow night. Can't wait.

Oops. A belated Idol post.

2011-04-16T00:10:00.000-04:00

Just realized I forgot to post anything about Idol's elimination show this week. If you haven't heard by now, Paul was sent home. (Haley and Stefano were the others in the bottom three.) I fast-forwarded through most of the show, so don't really have much else to report, other than Casey and Haley sang a WONDERFUL duet together, and in my mind, really showed that despite a bad night on Wednesday, Haley still needs to be on the show.

Rumor has it that these two are dating. I think I can see some chemistry here.

Also of note, original idol, Kelly Clarkson, was there to perform with Jason Aldean. It's always good to see her.

And finally, my friends and I had a little debate about Idol via email this morning. I think my one friend is getting annoyed with me for pulling for Stefano's departure each week. (I didn't this week....I actually thought this week was his best so far.) She started her message with, "I hope Stefano wins the whole thing just cause the world has such a negative expectation of him! He is a Great singer who is trying hard and fighting against all odds." She then gave a very impassioned argument about her desire for Stefano, Lauren and Jacob to be the top 3, essentially because she feels they're truly "idols" and not just recording artists.

I was going to remind her that Stefano was once arrested for suspicion of drunk driving, but didn't go there. What I did say was, "...even though "Idol" is in the title of the show, the whole point of the show is to make lots of money by producing "successful recording artists." The shows producers (and I) don't really care whether or not the winner can be an "idol" or a role model. For me, it's about who do I want to hear on the radio (or on my iPod) and who would be fun to see in concert. This is why I couldn't get behind Pia...she might be okay to hear on the radio, but I wouldn't want to see her on stage. It'd be such a dull show."

And then my sister chimed in with the info about Stefano. And she added, "Every year there's always that one person that needs to go, but keeps getting the darn votes, think Sanjaya."

Amen, sis!

Oh...one more thing. I'm in a 3-way tie for first on my pool. If anyone but Stefano goes home next week, it might really shake things up.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

2011-04-15T21:56:00.000-04:00

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Delightful consciousness! It brought to life and light my whole nature; in his presence I thoroughly lived, and he lived in mine. ~Jane Eyre

I decided to read this when I saw that a new movie was coming out this spring. There was also a contest on Goodreads.com where you were to read the book, write a favorite quote, see the movie, and take a quiz about the book by April 10 for a chance to win an iPad. I just finished tonight, so missed the deadline (I kind of had it in mind that the deadline was April 30, but I never bothered to check. Anyway, despite all that, I'm so glad I read the book.

I'm 40 years old and this is my first time reading Jane Eyre. I never had to read it in school and didn't even know anything about the plot. I only knew what I'd gleaned from the movie previews--which wasn't much--and had no expectations whatsoever. I was drawn in right away, and even though it took me quite a while to read the 523 pages, I enjoyed it immensely. I love Jane's strong character, and Mr. Rochester's passion. I always had a clear mental image what was happening because Charlotte Brontë took such care to provide beautiful detail of each scene.

I loved it, and I'll be seeing the movie tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it.

Will America survive after Pia's departure?

2011-04-13T21:43:00.000-04:00

I don't know about the rest of America but I got over Pia's departure about 30 seconds after it was announced that she was going home. I heard there was a group trying to convince Fox to bend the rules and bring her back. Same people are asking Stefano to step aside. Hey America--it's not his fault that she got fewer votes than he did! Let's move on, people.

Tonight's show starts with the announcement that JLo was named People's Most Beautiful People person.

Tonight's theme is The Movies.

Paul's up first in a new black suit with red flowers all over it. He's singing Old Time Rock & Roll by Bob Seger from Risky Business. Will.i.am is back again this week.   Paul seemed to have fun on the stage. He's always fun to watch. I think his voice was a little too soft (that might not be the right word--maybe "weak" is better) for that song, but he was still fun to watch. Steven liked it, said the crowd's reaction said it all. JLo said it's great to watch him get more and more polished each week. Randy said this should be his first number at his first concert. Said he's definitely an artist.

Laura's singing The Climb by Miley Cyrus from the Hannah Montana movie. Jimmy Iovine told Lauren she's a much, much stronger singer than Miley Cyrus. Um, Jimmy, most people are much stronger singers than Miley Cyrus. Jimmy told Lauren to go after Pia's votes now.   She did a great job. I wasn't paying attention when JLo talked and didn't feel like rewinding. Randy said it was like the song was written for her. Steven said she moves him beyond tears.

Stefano is next. He talks about being in the bottom three last week, and having to move on. Jimmy and Will tried to keep him from giving up. They boosted his ego a bit...say he has the chops to win. He's singing End of the Road from Boomerang, by Boyz II Men. He does a good job with this song, but I can't help but feel he's like a one-person boy band. I wonder how he'd sound with other voices backing him up. Randy said Stefano slayed the song, and it was his best vocal on the stage to vote. "Stefano's in it to win it!" Steven said he really knows how to milk a song. It's "so not the end of the road for you...it's just the beginning." JLo said it was "the shit!" Of course we didn't hear that, but I can read lips.

Scotty performs Cross My Heart by George Strait from Pure Country. Of course. Not much to say here. Same ole, same ole. Judges loved it.

CASEY's next! He first was going to sing Nature Boy by Nat King Cole, but the mentors felt it was too "quiet" when he needs to "roar" right now. (I'm paraphrasing.) Instead he sings Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight. (I'm already hearing the drums). Casey's worried about losing himself in this process--he feels the first song was more "him." But then, he ultimately went with Nature Boy! Jimmy seemed kinda pissed that his advice was ignored. He's got the upright bass and the piano's accompanying him. Nice jazzy sound. He does some scatting and he grunted maybe once more than was needed. I liked it, but I don't think America will. But, maybe I'm wrong--the crowd went crazy. JLo said she was worried at first, but then realized, on this show, you don't have to be a pop singer. She said she hopes America "gets it." Randy reiterates what she said. Steven said he's an artist in the truest sense of the word because he did it his way.

Haley's, the only other girl in the competition, next and performs Call Me by Blondie from American Gigolo. I didn't know that song was in that movie. It makes me sad to say that this wasn't Haley's best performance. I still love her though. Randy didn't love it. It felt karaoke to him. He said it wasn't a singer's song to show why she's there. It didn't showcase her voice. The other judges pretty much agree, but Steven seemed to like it a bit more than the other two. JLo said she didn't want to say anything too bad because she doesn't want another girl to go home. I'm going to have to put in some calls for Haley tonight.

Jacob's next. He was going to start with To Dream the Impossible Dream, but Jimmy said he doesn't need to do 'corny' right now. Jimmy suggested Bridge over Troubled Water from The Pursuit of Happyness instead. I dunno if anyone can top when Clay Aiken performed this on the show. I still hate Jacob's low range. The judges will love it. I was right.

James wanted to sing Sammy Hagar's Heavy Metal from the movie of the same name. Jimmy hated it. James is going to sing it anyway. Zakk Wylde was on guitar.   I think this will bring James to the bottom three next week.   Even though his voice was okay, he should maybe have done a more familiar song. Judges and the audience loved it. JLo said it felt REAL. Randy loved it. Steve said it was outstanding.

So, I didn't really LOVE any performance tonight, but my faves were: Lauren and Casey.

Least favorite: Scotty, Jacob and James

Thanks a lot, EW

2011-04-10T17:35:00.002-04:00

Every Halloween, someone shows up on my doorstep with the Scream mask. I hate that mask. Scary films aren't my thing, but I did enjoy the first Scream. Still, that mask really creeped me out, and always will.

So, I was a little annoyed and dismayed to open my mailbox Friday to find this:

Ack!!!!!!!

American Idol results night

2011-04-08T00:23:00.000-04:00

This will be a quick rundown cuz it's late.

Group song was a medley of rock & roll songs. Pia raised her left arm up each time she sang, for emphasis. Wow, when they were on stage, it just hit me that there are only 3 girls left and six guys. How'd I miss that before? I knew the guys were stronger this year.

Mostly fast-forwarding, but I see Russell Brand is there, so I watch. He's talking to them about performance and stage presence. I should've continued fast-forwarding.

Constantine Mouralis performs an.....interesting...rock-y, rendition of the Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody.

Next was a clip of Gwen Stefani dressing the girls last night. Then there's a dumb thing about media training at TMZ. Fast forward.

Iggy Pop performs. Ryan introduces him by saying, "I don't know if you're ready for this" and apparently I"m not. Iggy Pop is shirtless with a fake tan and old leathery skin. EW. Fast forward.

The bottom line:
The bottom three were: Stefano, Pia, and Jacob. The audience seems shocked, but hey, someone has to be in the bottom. I need Stefano to go for my pool.

Turns out the person leaving tonight is PIA. Wow. I didn't see that coming. And now the judges don't have a save. The audience is booing like crazy. This is going to screw with all of my friends' pool results, I think.

JLo was in tears and said she's shocked and angry. Randy agreed and said Pia's one of the best singers in the competition. Maybe, but she has no stage presence and is dull to watch. So, I wonder who did the judges want to go home??! I suspect JLo would've had the same reaction with Stefano or Jacob. Whaddya gonna do?

Ryan made Pia sing one last time--she chose I'll Stand By You...and then Tivo cut off.

Here are my pool rankings...

Rank	America	Me
11	~~Naima~~	~~Thia~~
10	~~Thia~~	Stefano
9	Stefano	~~Naima~~
8	Paul	Scotty
7	Jacob	Jacob
6	Haley	Lauren
5	Scotty	~~Pia~~
4	~~Pia~~	Paul
3	Lauren	James
2	Casey	Haley
Winner!	James	Casey

THIS. Is. American Idol.

2011-04-06T21:59:00.016-04:00

The Top 9 are "rockin' it out" tonight, according to the Fox announcer. I couldn't really hear what Ryan said for his intro because the music was too loud. I know he said THIS. Is. American Idol, though.

Hey, the show's only 90 minutes this week, instead of 2 hours. That's nice. Gwen Stefani was brought in to style the ladies in her fashion line. What do the guys get.

The theme for tonight is rock & roll. The kids get to sing songs from those that have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. As I told a friend of mine, that's pretty wide open...Scotty will be able to do ANOTHER country song, I'm sure.

Steven Tyler gives a rundown on the R&R HoF. He's going through some costumes on exhibit. When he gets to one of his outfits, he says, "What about this guy over here? What kind of a freak would wear this [bleep]?" Later he goes to a wax bust of himself, and says:

This is why I love Steven Tyler!

On to the show.

Jacob is first. He said this week is hard for him because he's not a rock & roll guy. They show him singing Let's Get It On in rehearsals...Jimmy Iovine said there would be a population explosion nine months later if Jacob sang that. Jacob said he can't get on stage and sing something that's not him. He said, "It's very blunt, and says, 'Let's do it. Let's do the nasty.'" Instead he chooses Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror. Then he challenges America--"if I end up in the bottom three it won't be because I sang the song bad, it won't be because I sang the song wrong...it'll be because everybody in America wasn't ready to look at themselves in the mirror." Um, okay Jacob. Go with that. Still, he did do a GREAT job. Great song for him. Siedah Garrett, who wrote the song, sang background for him. Steven Tyler made the audience give it up for her. He said, "Finest song that's ever been written!" Judges loved it.

Haley's doing Janis Joplin's A Little Piece of My Heart. She talks about how the judges have been throwing around Janis' name throughout the competition with her. She said, "you want Janis, I'll give it to you." Jimmy and will.i.am tell her she needs to feel the song. PERFECT! I loved it! The judges were so right. JLo said she's showing she's a contender. Randy said this is the Haley they loved when they first saw her. Steven said "I couldn't find nothin' wrong with that." He said she took it up a few notches from Janis.

Casey's was originally going to sing Sting's Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, but Jimmy said he was turning it in to a rumba. Instead he's singing Have You Ever Seen the Rain by CCR. Love this song--it always makes me think of a day years ago when my dad was singing along with the radio..in a falsetto. He sounded good. Casey's got his upright bass tonight and does a great job. His voice is perfect for this song. Judges love it and Randy likes that he's showing the bass isn't just for polkas or jazz. Steven said he's a true musician. JLo said she'd pay top dollar to be in the front row of Casey's show.

Lauren's singing Aretha's Natural Woman. Jimmy said it's magic when you combine r&b and country. will.i.am, said you combine country and soul, you get c-o-u-n-t-r-o-u-l. Har, har, har. I like that Lauren can put a country spin on things without being so country, like Scotty is. I guess I prefer cross-over. She does a nice job with the song. She's got a little soul in her. Steven loved it...said she's all grown up. JLo loved it too. Randy said it's one of the most difficult songs, and though he wasn't jumping up and down, but she did a good job. (He mentioned people in previous seasons who took on that song and "laid it out.")

James is next. Before commercial, Ryan tells us that a "very different James Durbin" will be taking the stage. James is slowing it down tonight with "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by George Harrison. As I've mentioned MANY times before, my favorite performance, probably ever, was when Prince performed this with Tom Petty and a bunch of others at a R&R HoF induction ceremony. I was chatting with my friend Kerri earlier, hoping someone would do Prince tonight. This will be close enough. My favorite James performance yet. He was totally channeling Adam Lambert tonight. If his hair was black, they'd be twins. Judges loved that he showed his tender side. (He was tearing up by the end of the song.)

Scotty's next. Will he venture out of his box? He's doing That's All Right Mama by Elvis. He says he's not doing Country Scotty. We'll see. It's not his usual country, but it's bluegrassy--close enough. I can't deny that he has a great voice, but he just doesn't do it for me. Randy was excited about this new Scotty. Steven agreed. And so did JLo. She liked that he had fun with it.

Pia's next, singing Tina Turner's River Deep Mountain High. During rehearsals she's running all her words together, so it sounds like a jumbled mess. Hopefully she'll do it better live. Eh. Not really. She's doing the exact same movements she does on her slow songs. Nothing different. She's no Tina Turner. She's still gorgeous though, and her voice is great. I'm just over her for this competition. Steven said she killed it. I disagree. JLo said it was amazing, and she proved she can sing up tempo. JLo recommended she study great performers like Tina Turner--she needs to get her performance into it. She mentioned how Michael Jackson used to study Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Randy said all she needs to do now is work on the movement. He added that Pia's in it to win it, which is about the 4th or 5th time he's said it tonight.

Stefano's taking on When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge. Just hearing that he's doing this song, I already don't like it. His voice is too high. will.i.am tried to give him some performance tips. My instincts were right. I don't care for it. He doesn't have any soul in his voice. To me, he just sings without feeling, even though he does the facial expressions to make it look like he's feeling it. I'm not sure if I'm describing that correctly, but I just wasn't feeling it. I can't believe JLo used the word "amazing" to describe it. Randy had more sense--he liked it, but didn't love it. Steven liked it too.

Paul is up last. He's singing Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues. Jimmy says no one in history is cooler than Johnny Cash. That's a lot of pressure. At some point Paul asked if he should tone it down, and Jimmy and will.i.am were like NO!!! Paul's best performance, methinks. He was a lot of fun tonight. Paul was awesome. Randy loved it. Steven said he loved it too. And JLo too.

Wow...pretty good show tonight.

My top 3: Haley, Casey, and James

Bottom: Stefano (I really only have one.)

The music gets loud again, so I have no idea what the banter with the judges at the end was about. Nor do I care, really. Til tomorrow...

Nice touch.

2011-04-05T22:04:00.000-04:00

So, I meant to give up Harry's Law a while back, but it ended up growing on me before I could. This week, Paul McCrane's character, an assistant DA, had a bit of a nervous breakdown and realized his life is not where he imagined it would be. He told Harry (Kathy Bates) that he always wanted to sing. At the end of the show, there was a lawyer gala of some sort, and Paul McCrane got up on stage to sing. The nice touch was that he sang, "Is It Okay If I Call You Mine," which is the song he sang in the move Fame 31 years ago. He sounded just as good now as he did back then.

One thing I've always enjoyed about David E. Kelly's shows--even when they get out of hand and over the top--is the music. He incorporates the music oh so well.

AI elimination night--and my pool begins!

2011-03-31T21:13:00.000-04:00

My AI pool starts this week. We rank the order in which we think "America" will vote the contestants off, and then we rank the order in which we would like the vote to go. Here are my rankings:

Rank	America	Me
11	Naima	Thia
10	Thia	Stefano
9	Stefano	Naima
8	Paul	Scotty
7	Jacob	Jacob
6	Haley	Lauren
5	Scotty	Pia
4	Pia	Paul
3	Lauren	James
2	Casey	Haley
Winner!	James	Casey

We'll see how it goes.

Now to the show. Judges come out--Jennifer looks really good tonight in a short black sparkly dress, and her hair swept up. Steven looks particularly thin with black & tan pants with thick vertical stripes.

Ryan brings out the Top 11, and instead of a group sing tonight, the kids are singing in small groups. First up is a duet between Lauren and Scotty. Country tune, of course. They sound really good together. Lauren does especially well. Ryan calls them to the stage for some results. Both of them are safe.

Ford commercial....yadda, yadda, yadda.

We learn tonight that the fan mail people send to the contestants actually does get to them. Someone sent James a custom WWE belt.

Next up are Jacob and Naima, singing Ashford & Simpson's Solid. They've got some fancy choreography going on too. They sound good together too. Note, I think Naima's probably going home tonight, but in my pool, I gave her one more week, so she could redeem herself from that reggae mess last night. Singing this song, she sounds great. Ryan comes out with the results: Naima's in the bottom three, Jacob is safe.

Fantasia is here to perform (wow--she was on the show SEVEN years ago) - she's singing her new single, Collard Greens & Corn Bread. Old school-sounding song...which starts off sounding amazingly similar to Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's Your Precious Love. She gives a great performance--great to see her. My dad and uncles are going to love that song. Before she finishes the song, she says, "Steven...I love you." He puts his hand over his heart. Cute. Ryan asks her what's the one thing she knows now that she would share with the contestants--she told them to keep people with them who aren't going to say yes, just because. It also has to remain about the music.

Next up are Haley, Thia, and Pia. I suspect Thia's in the bottom three out of this group. They're singing Katy Perry's Teenage Dream. They sound good together but are a little off on their moves. I notice that Thia didn't have a solo. Results: Pia and Haley are safe. Thia's in the bottom.

Kris Allen's in the audience tonight. Who's he again??

Next there's a video rundown of the week's goings on (that I fast-forwarded through, but not before I see that they go to perform at a charity event in Phoenix. That's nice).

Next up to perform are Casey, James, Paul and Stefano, singing Band on the Run. This is the band they've formed at their home, and all are playing instruments. Stefano's on keyboards...James & Paul on guitar and Casey on bass. They did pretty well...a little shaky toward the beginning, but otherwise good. Casey and James are safe. Paul's in the bottom three. Ack. Messing with my pool already.

Next to perform are Jamie Foxx and Wil.i.am with Hot Wings from the new animated film, Rio. Speaking of which, did anyone get the free Angry Birds Rio from amazon last week? Love it. As for this song--not so much. They put on quite a production though with samba dancers and a percussion group.

After the performance, we learn that Paul is safe. Naima and Thia are going home.

So, where am I?

Rank	America	Me
11	~~Naima~~	~~Thia~~
10	~~Thia~~	Stefano
9	Stefano	~~Naima~~
8	Paul	Scotty
7	Jacob	Jacob
6	Haley	Lauren
5	Scotty	Pia
4	Pia	Paul
3	Lauren	James
2	Casey	Haley
Winner!	James	Casey

Not bad--as long as Stefano goes next week, I'll be in good shape!

Until then...ciao!

Sir Elton John night on American Idol

2011-03-30T22:49:00.002-04:00

That's right, it's Elton John night on AI. Should be fun. Two folks will be eliminated after tonight.

Of course, Scotty found the ONE country song that Elton put out.He sings Country Comfort. Jimmy Iovine makes the comment that folks think Scotty is a one-trick pony. Put me in that camp. I really was hoping to see something at least a *little* different tonight. Nope. He sang this for his grandma and the judges loved it.

Next up is Naima with a reggae version of I'm Still Standing. She connects with the lyrics because people didn't expect her to get this far. Jimmy takes it a step further to suggest she sing about all the events in the world and how there are a lot of people still standing, and this song is for them. How generous! I love reggae, but don't care for this reggae version with her fake accent. Her voice sounds fine, but I wouldn't want to hear that on the radio. JLo said it was better in concept than it was in pay-off. Randy agreed and said it was corny. Steven gave her kudos for picking a song that suited her.

Paul's up next. What a great smile he has. Tonight he's singing Rocket Man. His band covered the song years ago, and it was a disaster, but he's going to try again. Jimmy suggested he approach this like it's his encore after giving a great performance in front of thousands of people. He's wearing the white suit covered in roses again. He sounds pretty good--doing the whisper-y, breath-y thing. Randy said it was a little pitchy here and there, and JLo feels he's holding back something with his voice and that he should try to go all the way. Steven asked if he's watering his suit because there seem to be a lot more flowers this week. Steven likes that he's sometimes pitchy and said he could name five famous singers who do that too.

Pia's doing another ballad--Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me. She chose it because it's one of her all-time favorite songs. Jimmy told her to approach it like a rock singer--somewhere between Fergie and Axl Rose. She promises a fast song next week. I'm torn on this one. She sounded good, like she always does, but I wasn't moved by the song like when Elton sings it, or especially George Michael. It was more of the same, to me. Judges loved it though. JLo said she felt her more than she has before--I didn't experience that. Randy pointed out that she's always GREAT singing ballads...he was just ready for her to change it up. I'm with Randy.

Stefano is singing Tiny Dancer. I thought he did better this week, but I still didn't love it. JLo called it "amazing." I wouldn't go that far. Randy said he could tell he was connecting with the audience more. Steven said he nailed it and thought he was really good.

Lauren chooses Candle in the Wind. She's anxious to see what America thinks of her soft side. She adds a slight country tone to it, but sounds nice. Randy said it was one of her greatest performances. Steven said it was perfect. JLo used the word "amazing" again. I think it's more appropriate for Lauren than it was for Stefano.

James is singing Satruday Night's All Right. He did a split jump off the stairs in the middle of the performance! Who knew? He did a great job!! Quite a production. The piano was even set on fire. I loved it! Judges loved it. Randy loves that James enjoys himself.

Thia is singing Daniel. Jimmy tells her to get away from "dramatic" and to just think about the lyrics, and what they mean, and to sing from her heart. Thia has a a beautiful voice. She really does. Her problem is that she has NO personality on stage. JLo said it was a beautiful moment for Thia. Randy liked the relaxed side of her. He didn't like that it was once again very safe. Steven thought it was the right song, and she sang it well.

Casey is singing Your Song. One of Jimmy's cohorts said that CAsey's beard is taking over his face so much that people can't even see him. So, Casey went for a haircut and a trim. He comes out a little less scruffy, but still Casey. He sits on a stool tonight and totally redeems himself. Great performance. Randy said it was the greatest save they've ever had. Randy said it was so nice and so tender. Steven said putting him through last week was one of the finest moments on this show. JLo said she's lost sleep over some of the decisions the judges have made, letting good people good. She said she slept like a baby after saving Casey. She loved it.

Jacob is next, singing, Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word. He first heard Mary J. Blige's version. While he's rehearsing, Mary just happened to be in the back of the room. She gave him a big hug. Jimmy warned him about over-dramatizing the song. He did a good job, though he did look like he might cry a couple of times. I'm torn on Jacob. I love when he gets to the powerful parts of his songs, but I don't care much for his singing in the lower registers and softer tones. Steven loved it. So did JLo. Randy loved it, but said something about him finding a note and taking it all the way to the top.

Haley rounds out the night with Benny and the Jets. Great song to end the show with. Jimmy said every week something has been missing--tonight he wants her to bring it all--moves, tone and style. She starts with a jazzy beginning then gets to rocking. I love this! My favorite of the night! JLo had the stank face as she grooved along. JLo said it all came together--it was amazing. THIS TIME that word is completely true! Randy said it was the best performance of the night. Steven said, "You. Sing. Sexy." My sister said, "Oh dear. Steven T. wants to do Haley."

My top three: Haley! Casey and James
My bottom three: Thia, Scotty, ~~Stefano~~ -- I forgot about Naima!

I think Stefano and Thia are in danger. We shall see!

Random thoughts

2011-03-30T18:11:00.000-04:00

Just a few thoughts that have been running through my head:

I LOVE Ted (the hair stylist) on What Not to Wear. LOVE.
There's a new singing competition called The Voice starting soon on NBC. When I saw Carson Daly in the ads, I was like, eh, no thanks. But then I saw Adam Levine is on. Hello! Might have to watch.
Parenthood's back tonight. Yay!
I loved Richard during his season of Top Chef, but can't stand him now on the all stars version. Mike's still an ass, so really, I don't want either of them to win. I was really hoping Carla would make it to the end.
Borgias looks interesting. I'll probably check it out.
My coworker is really cynical and talks all the time about how he thinks Amazing Race stages a lot of their scenes. I have always given them the benefit of the doubt until Vixen & Kynt's snafu a couple weeks. ago. REALLY AR?! Vixen just didn't know what was wrong with her. Oh gosh, what's wrong with Vixen? Why did they miss their plane? Oh no! AND YET....they still managed to catch up with everyone else and get back on an even playing field. I don't buy it. Vixen isn't a great actress so it all seemed fake to me. My coworker has brought me over to his dark side.
Nurse Jackie is back! Yay!
This is completely unrelated to entertainment, but there was a mugging near the Smithsonian Castle on Monday--in broad daylight. I used to eat lunch out there every day when I was working down town. This just makes me sad.
FINALLY going to see Wicked in July. Can't wait!
Adele's new album. LOVE.
Black Eyed Peas' new album. EH for now, but it'll probably grow on me.
Celebrity Apprentice - talk about train wreck television. And who knew Dionne Warwick was such a DIVA?
My new favorite TV reviewer is Tim Goodman, aka the Bastard Machine, from the San Francisco Chronicle. He loves Mad Men as much as I do, and is just fun to read.

I guess that's it. Now I'm gearing up for American Idol and getting my pool rankings in gear. I've got a fun group doing it with me this year, so I'm looking forward to it.

How it ended

2011-03-25T09:49:00.000-04:00

As I noted in my last post, my DVR cut off the end of American Idol. Thankfully, Lisa de Moraes does a "We Watch So You Don't Have To" recap for washingtonpost.com, and she fills in the gaps for what I missed:

"So the fact that – oh, my God, it’s unreal! I started singing and the fact that you cut it off scared the stuff out of me!” Casey babbles at the judges, still shaking.

The judges see no reason why Casey should get all the best lines during this poignant moment on-camera.

“There’s a nice big wave of hard-earned good fortune for you,” Tyler gushes, meaning we don’t know what.

Then JePe [Jennifer LoPez] tells him to knock off the “antics” and get back to being a musician. And Randy wraps things up with “You don’t need to growl! You can be anything!”

Seabiscuit sees no reason why the judges should get all the best lines either. He jumps in with the last surprise of the night: Because the judges used the Jennifer Hudson Save, two Idolettes will get the hook next week.

On the bright side, TeamIdol has decided to send all 11 on the American Idol Tour!

Okay, thanks Lisa. Good to know.

Down to the top 10

2011-03-24T22:39:00.002-04:00

It's time to find out who America's Top 10 will be. Performing tonight will be Sugarland and Jennifer Hudson. But first, a few words from Barry Gordy about the Motown Sound, and a recap of last night. After the judges and contestants are introduced, we see a clip where Marc Anthony gives the contestants a lesson on using "in-ears," those ear buds you see performers wearing when singing live. They're custom made for each contestant and they can modify how little or how much of the music the contestant hears. I always wondered about that. Is it a coincidence that they had this lesson this week, AND it's the first time Randy didn't use the word "pitchy"? Hmmm...

For the group sing, the kids are fancy tonight--guys in black suits, gals in pretty white dresses. They perform Ain't No Mountain High Enough - combining Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's version with the version from Diana Ross. You know, I think this is the first group where every single person can keep the beat when dancing and moving around the stage...I'm impressed. Next, the kids form two lines and here comes Stevie Wonder! Steven Tyler was SO EXCITED to see this! Stevie and the kids sang Signed, Sealed, Delivered. At the end, Stevie Wonder called out for Steven Tyler. "How you doin'? Are you ready for a celebration? You know, Steven Tyler and I are friends!" And then he and the whole audience and the judges and Ryan and the contestants sing "Happy Birthday To Ya." Awww....that was nice. Naima gave him a painting of himself...I'm wondering if she did the painting?? That was probably the best opening the show's ever had.

I fast forwarded through the Ford commercial, but it seemed to have something to do with the rain and recycling plastic.

Ryan gets down to business and calls up Scott, Pia and Lauren. Ryan says that because of the votes, they'll all be packing their bags....in a couple of months....because they're safe and going on tour. Oh, that Ryan.

Sugarland performs Stuck Like Glue. Catchy tune. I love Jennifer Nettles hair. Trying to decide if I should get mine cute like that next week.

I fast-forwarded through the hijinks going on at the house...they were talking about pro-wrestling. I guess James is a fan.

Next Ryan calls up James and Paul. Oh good lord. Ryan tells them that neither are safe tonight. Then he says, "I mean, you're REALLY not safe tonight." Then Eye of the Tiger starts playing, and Hulk Hogan appears on stage. I guess I should've watched the hijinks, but I refuse. Hogan tells them that they're both safe. Then he "punches" Ryan Seacrest into the audience, and then he tears his shirt to show off his fake-tanned leather skin. Ew.

Next up are Jacob, Thia and Stefano. Jacob is safe. Thia and Stefano are left on stage, and you know what? They'd make a cute couple. Thia is in the bottom three. And so is Stefano. I'm not surprised.

Haley, Naima and Casey come up next. Naima is safe. CASEY is in the bottom three?!?!?!?!?! WTF. It's all my fault. I didn't call in.

Jennifer Hudson performs next, she sings Where You At. She looks fabulous!!! ♬♪You said you would be right there for me.♫♬ Hmmm...sadly, I can relate to this song.

Ryan announces that Thia is safe. It's down to Stefano & Casey. The person with the lowest number of votes is CASEY. THIS is why they created the Judges Save. Funny that Jennifer Hudson just performed, since they created that gimmick the year after she was voted off too soon. I suspect the judges will invoke it tonight, but first, Casey has to sing for his life. As he's singing, Randy stops the performance, said they don't need to hear him sing anymore, and Steven says "this is crazy--we made the decision to keep you on." Of course they did!!!! Casey's overwhelmed, and gets quite dramatic. The whole thing seems kind of staged, actually.

Casey said he figured they wouldn't use the save tonight since there are now 11 people, and that when Randy cut the music, it scared the crap out of him. JLo said the judges didn't understand why he was in the bottom, and then my damn Tivo cut off. I'll have to read someone else's recap to find out what she said. Damn live TV.

So, there it is, everyone's safe. Time to figure out my pool rankings!

Top 11 perform Motown

2011-03-23T22:53:00.000-04:00

It's American Idol night people, and tonight the kids are singing Motown. Steven looks more like himself tonight--animal print shirt with a black vest. This is the week that the Top 10 will be decided. Those 10 will go on tour.

There's a long clip about the history of Motown, for those who don't know, I guess. One recurring theme in the video clip is that Motown music is timeless...and that is true. Now I know what I'll be listening to tomorrow! Also, maybe this weekend I'll pull out Standing in the Shadow of Motown, which was a great documentary about Motown. If you haven't seen it, please do. (For what it's worth, I looked back through some old blog posts and I made this exact recommendation in 2009 AND 2010 during AI's Motown week. Hey, at least I'm consistent.)

Casey's up first, doing Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through the Grapevine. Casey's got his hair slicked back tonight and is in a black suit. He's backed up by some violinists...nice touch. I think he does a great job with this song and with the crowd. I love Casey! Steven loved it and says Casey is the perfect entertainer--"perfect pitch, and perfect mix of crazy-ass, out-of-control ego, and that's what makes an artist today." JLo says he's so unique and can really carve a niche for himself and be amazing. Randy agreed with both.

Thia's next, performing Heatwave by Martha & the Vandellas.   She "knocked it out of the park" during her studio session with Jimmy Iovine, and he told her she needs to do the same thing live on stage, It's her first up-tempo performance. She sounds fantastic! I love her voice. And she looks like she's having a great time. JLo said it was great to see her let loose, and now she says Thia needs to dig even deeper as she goes forward. Randy echoed JLo, and said he was happy to see her do something different. Steven loved it. Said he's "good with it."

Jacob's singing You're All I Need to Get By by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Jacob sang the hell out of that song! His best performance yet--very gospel-ly, rousing. It was great.   Bob Babbitt, one of the original Funk Brothers, (who played all the Motown music and were featured in that movie I mentioned above) played bass for Jacob. I watched this performance three times. Loved it! Steven came up on stage and gave Jacob a hug. Standing O from everyone. Randy said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the performance. Jennifer was moved.

Lauren's singing You Keep Me Hanging On by The Supremes. Lauren did a good job. Her voice was strong and she seemed really into it. She also looks fantastic. Judges loved it. Randy said she's got her swagger on.

Stefano is next. He's singing Hello by Lionel Richie. Hmmm...yeah, Lionel was with Motown, but when I think of "Motown," I don't really think of anything past 1975. I feel like this song doesn't count. AND...I'm positive he won't be able to do anything with it like David Cook did in Season 7.   So far, this is the worst performance of the night. His voice is okay, but the performance is boring, and talk it feeling like a cruise performance. And Stefano looks like he's wearing lipstick. Okay, I'm done with the snark. JLo didn't feel he connected with the audience. Randy agreed. They feel the emotions weren't there. Steven agreed too.

Haley's singing Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' You've Really Got a Hold on Me. She's wearing straight hair tonight and looks great. She gives a great performance. As Randy said, her bluesy growl was back...that's what I loved too! Steven said it touched his heart. He said that's the Haley he's been waiting to see since the first time he heard her. JLo said she has amazing control over her voice, and that she has the most soulful voice (other than Jacob), in the competition. Amen to that.

Scotty is singing For Once in My Life by Stevie Wonder. Scott's not that familiar with Motown, being a country boy and all, and tonight he's going to continue with the country sound. I would usually say "oh no" to that, but it could work. More on that later.* Scotty does a nice job. I'm chatting with some friends online who LOVED his performance--that's not me, but he did do a good job. Steven said it was just like Glen Campbell. JLo thought it was a great version, but it wasn't his strongest vocal performance. Randy agreed, but said he was smiling the whole time because Scotty's taking chances.

Pia is next, singing Stevie Wonder's All in Love is Fair. Amazing. She has such a beautiful voice, and she's beautiful. The judges praised her singing, but said she needs to do something different--maybe something mid-tempo, up-tempo. Randy said, "Ballad, ballad, ballad....you can't live by ballads alone." Steven said she's the "closest star in this American Idol universe."

Paul is doing Smokey's Tracks of My Tears. He's doing a folk-rock version, that is more up Paul's alley. He's playing guitar tonight. I like it. And it's nice to see him with the guitar and not dancing around the stage like Elaine Benes. Randy liked the performance, especially when he sang tenderly at the end of the song. He said, "bring more of that out." JLo said it sounded like there's a tear ("teer"....not "tare") in his voice. Steven loved it. JLo said he's the most seasoned performer they have...and she said all he needs is a good producer.

Ryan pointed out that Randy has not said, "pitchy" once tonight. That must be a record!!!!

Naima is singing Dancing in the Streets by Martha and the Vandellas. She's going to throw some African dancing into the performance. Hmmm...should be interesting. She's does a great job--probably her best performance yet. The African drums came out and she did a quick little dance. This time she didn't try to sing and dance at the same tiime, so she maintained her vocal strength. It was a fun performance. Steven said, "once again, we see the whole package." JLo said she's an exciting performance, and she had her first little goosebumps of the night. Randy said the song arrangement was brilliant, and everything was very smart.

Bringing up the rear is James, singing Living for the City by Stevie Wonder. Argh! Jimmy Iovine was getting ready to say something about Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler getting their soul....and then my sound cut out. We're having thunderstorms here tonight--don't know if that was the problem or not. Anyway, James did great and even worked in some little dance steps Who knew? JLo said it was an incredible thing to watch. Randy said it started "a little bit rough," (I wouldn't know because I still didn't have sound at that point), but by the end of the song, it was unbelievable. Steven said it takes a little crazy to make a difference in the world, and that's what James has. He said James nailed it.

Wow. Tough to make predictions for tomorrow. I really only have one person in the bottom, and that's Stefano. I suspect Thia might wind up in the bottom three with him, but I don't know who else. Maybe Naima, if people didn't "get" her African dance, or maybe Paul.

MY top four were Jacob, Haley, Casey & James. (I couldn't narrow it down to three.)

*Back to the the country Motown thing. My friend Amy said that Scotty "countryfied" Motown. As I mentioned earlier, I probably would've said, "oh no" to that, but then I think about an album called Rhythm, Country & Blues, where R&B singers collaborated with country singers...they countryfied some Motown, and the also R&B'd some country songs. My dad used to blare this album on long drives across the country and even though country isn't my thing, I do like this album a lot.

And finally, I found a clip of my favorite moment from Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Joan Osborne performs What Becomes of the Brokenhearted. Love it, love it, love it. Embedding was disabled, so you'll have to watch on YouTube. Enjoy!

12 to 11 on AI

2011-03-18T00:45:00.000-04:00

I'm late watching the show tonight, so this will be brief.

Lee Dwyze is going to perform tonight, and AI is raising money for relief efforts in Japan. Steven Tyler is dressed like a 65-year-old woman on a cruise. Or, as @jojoribant on Twitter said, "Why is steven tyler dressed like a connecticut wasp cougar?"

Opening number was a mash-up of Born to Be Wild and Gaga's Born this Way. AI's taking notes from Glee, it seems.

Ford commercial. Interviews. Mention of St. Patty's Day.

Lee Dwyze sounds a bit timid at first, but ultimately gives a nice performance. Maybe he was having flashbacks of being on the Idol stage in front of Simon.

Black Eyed Peas perform "Just Can't Get Enough" -- it's a world premiere performance. Fergie looks different tonight...kind of like Debbie Harry. I think it's her bright pink lipstick. I like this song a lot and it reminds me that I've been meaning to get their new album.

Down to business: Haley, Naima and Karen are in the bottom three. I don't think Haley belongs there, but I understand why she is.

Turns out Karen had the fewest votes. She has to sing for her life, and the judges may or may not save her. She sings Mariah's Hero. An English/Spanish version, of course. She was doing well and then hit a bad note at the crescendo of the song. I don't think the judges will be using their save tonight.

Randy says it was not a unanimous decision, but they will not be saving her. I suspect JLo wanted to keep her there.

On to next week!

P.S. On the TV thing

2011-03-16T23:20:00.000-04:00

I can't believe when I did my run down on TV the other day, that I did not mention the Showtime show, Shameless. Now, this is a show I really look forward to each week.

I kept insisting that my dad watch the show, particularly episode #3 called "Aunt Ginger," which is what really got me hooked. He found it on OnDemand, and started with episode #1. After he finished watching "Aunt Ginger," he called to say he'd seen it, and then he laughed for five minutes. Today he called after having seen episode #5, called "Three Boys," and he could barely get any words out because he was laughing so hard. It was one of those laughs where he could hardly breathe, let alone talk. I talked to him again a few hours later, and he brought it up again, and proceeded to laugh for another five minutes. I don't know the last time I heard my dad laugh like that. I got a kick out of it, and am so glad he's enjoying the show with me. I don't know anyone else who's watching, but everyone should be.

In case you're wondering, the show stars William H. Macy as the father of six children. This is the most dysfunctional family you will ever see, and the title Shameless is the best show title ever. Great stuff.

America's Top 12

2011-03-16T22:46:00.000-04:00

It's Idol night! The show opens with Steven Tyler singing, There's something wrong in the world today...and the judges and Ryan announce that if you download tonight's performances from iTunes, all proceeds will go to the Red Cross to aid in Japan.

The judges and contestants are introduced and Ryan tells us that tonight the kids will be singing songs from the years they were born. I already know there are going to be songs from my high school days--this is only going to depress me.

But, let's get on with it.

Naima's up first, born in October 1984. She's singing Tina Turner's What's Love Got To Do with It. She does okay, but doesn't blow me away. Steven liked it. JLo said she was pitchy, and mentioned that last week, she gave her a pass for that, because she did something so different, but now it's becoming a pattern.

Paul is another 1984 baby. He's singing I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues, by Elton John. Great song. Paul was just okay too, which disappoints me, because I like him. He was hoarse in his interview, so maybe that's the problem. JLo said he sounded good--and that he has so much soul that he overcame that. Randy liked that he finds a way to make it his own. Steven said he defines "cool dude and loose mood." Huh? Steven is channeling Paula, apparently.

Thia was born in, sigh, 1995. She's singing Colors of the Wind, by Vanessa Williams. As Tommy Iovine told her, she has quite a lovely tone to her voice. Nice performance singing-wise, but not too exciting otherwise. Randy said she's singing ballads every week, and there was nothing special or unique about this performance. Steven thought she sang it beautifully, but asked "is that song who you think you are?" She didn't answer yes or no, but said she picked it because of what's going on in the world today. JLo said she played it too safe and that she needs to work on her vibrato.

James is up next. He was born in 1989 and singing Bon Jovi's I'll Be There for You. My sister is going to love this--that's one of her favorite songs. She'll miss Richie Sambora though. He sounded a little off in the very beginning, but otherwise, it was a great performance. He seems very comfortable on the stage and really played to the audience, like he's been doing that forever. Steven liked it, but warned him not to become too pop-py. James made a deal with Steven that he'll sing Aerosmith at the finale, and Steven will sing with him. Then Steven said "shit....." and they silenced everything out. JLo and Randy liked it too.

Haley was born in 1990. She's singing Whitney Houston's I'm Your Baby Tonight. This reminds me of an aerobics class I took in college. Oh dear...she slipped a little when she went out toward the judges--that could've been bad. She sounds fine, but again, this probably isn't the best song choice. I like the way she ended the song, and it made me think she should be singing Teena Marie (RIP Teena) instead of Whitney & Mariah. Sadly, it would probably work against her because most of America isn't familiar with Teena Marie's music. Anyway, JLo liked the character in her voice, but said she seems unsure in her movements on stage. Then Ryan comes out to wipe lipstick off Haley's chin. Randy was confused by her performance because she doesn't seem to know who she is. Steven suggested more blues.

Stefano is next. He was born in 1989. Stefano mentioned that some of the great options he had for songs in 1989 were Girl You Know It's True, Milli Vanilli; Hangin' Tough, New Kids; and Funky Cold Medina. Ha! Then, thankfully, he found Simply Red's If You Don't Know Me By Now. He did a nice job tonight. I haven't been that big of a fan, but he redeemed himself. JLo was singing along. Randy said it was the best performance of the night so far. I agree. Steven loved his phrasing, said it was over the top beautiful. JLo loved it.

Pia was born in 1988, the year I graduated! She's doing Whitney's Where Do Broken Hearts Go? She sounds great, as always. I don't know if I like the up-tempo arrangement of the song, but she still sounded good. Steven said she nailed it. JLo liked that she did something up-tempo. Said Pia's perfect every time she gets up there. Randy said, "Pia's in the competition to win it!"

Scotty will be singing Travis Tritt's Can I Trust You with My Heart? from 1993. His mom says he was a "chunky monkey" as a baby. What can I say? He sounds good singing country music, but to me, his performances all sound the same. (Not a country fan.) Not a thing wrong with his performances--they just aren't my thang. Oh what's this? Travis Tritt is one of Randy's dearest friends? Good to know. *cough*namedropper*cough*. JLo liked that he pushed it at the end of the song. Randy liked that he took a chance to hit longer, higher notes. Steven told him to keep on keepin' on. (I'm paraphrasing.)

Karen was born in 1989 and will be singing Taylor Dayne's Love Will Lead You Back. She's not doing it for me. Taylor has such a strong voice on this song, and Karen sounds a bit weak. Karen's trying to prove tonight, that she's not just a Spanish singer. But then she ends en español. I don't know what it is, but she sounds better singing in Spanish....she must know that. Randy liked it well enough. Steven loves when she breaks into Spanish. JLo said something about if you can't hit the note, don't try it. I think she liked the performance, but I'm not positive.

Casey! He was born in 1991, and his parents were in their 40s at the time. They're the proud older parents. His parents are so cute. He's singing Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, and he's slappin' da bass tonight. (If you haven't seen I Love You, Man, do so now.) Wow...Casey rocked it out. He looked like a madman while doing it, but maybe that was just the weird green/yellow lighting. When he's done he's all smiles and back to his cute self. Steven said he's crazy & talented all at the same time. JLo said a few points in the song got a little "screamy-screechy." Randy said it wasn't his best performance, but liked that Casey is fearless!

Lauren's next, born in 1994. She's singing Melissa Etheride's I'm the Only One. Lauren sounds great--probably the best performance she's had. And this despite the fact that she has the flu. JLo said, "That's how you make it your own." Randy said, "that was very nice, so have a cold every week." Steven said she's a shining star.

And last but not least, it's Jacob's turn. He was born in 1987. Jacob's mom embarrasses him by singing for the cameras. He's singing Heart's Alone. Jimmy Iovine's happy that Jacob's doing a rock song. He does a good job, but maybe too much vibrato on long notes. Toward the end, a couple of his high notes were a little iffy. Randy said it was a nice performance, even though he was a little sharp "during the modulation." Steven said, "Your momma may not be able to sing, but she gave you the moxie that makes you who you are." JLo said she loves that he gives himself completely to every performance, to every moment he's up there.

Well, this show didn't knock my socks off. My top 3: Stefano, Casey and James. Bottom 3: Naima, Karen, and sad to say, Paul.

We'll see what happens to-morrow1

Also, since I mentioned Teena Marie earlier, I figured I'd share this. Love her.

What's happening on TV?

2011-03-15T21:59:00.002-04:00

Some random thoughts:

Glee made me laugh out loud for the first time in weeks. (That sounds weird. I laugh all the time...I just haven't laughed at Glee in a long time.) I was just telling my sister that I might drop the show, and then tonight, Santana sang "Trouty Mouth" about Sam. I'll at least give it to the end of the season, but am not sure about next year. It's gotten a bit stale. Sue can only thwart Will's efforts with the Glee club so many ways.
Harry's Law - I was going to drop this after the first three weeks, but now it's grown on me. It has David Kelly written all over it, so it's very familiar, and I enjoy seeing actors from his previous shows appear from time to time.
Might give up Grey's Anatomy soon too. I find that I just don't look forward to it like I used to.
Raising Hope is still great, and now I'm enjoying Traffic Light, which follows it.
I dropped The Biggest Loser, but plan to watch the finale.
I enjoy A&E's Heavy a lot more...no competition or voting people off. Just two folks fighting for their lives. It's more compelling, I guess.
Chicago Code - I'm enjoying this show a lot, but Jennifer Beale's Chicago accent is sometimes grating.
The season finale of Southland was great. I'm so glad TNT picked that show up.
I LOVED An Idiot Abroad, where Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant sent Karl Pilkington around the world. This show made me laugh every time, and I learned a few things along the way, too.

That's all folks!

Flirting with Forty by Jane Porter

2011-03-14T22:25:00.000-04:00

Flirting with Forty by Jane Porter

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Ugh.

I wanted to like this book. I turned 40 last year, and I picked it up sometime around my birthday. I didn't care for it at all. I'm not even sure why I finished reading it. There's no reason this book should have been 354 pages, and I should've put it down after 100 pages. The story is told in first person from Jacqueline's point of view and she spends so much time in her head--pondering, philosophizing, and fretting--that I eventually just started skimming through all that. Jacqueline has three best friends--I didn't like any of them, and couldn't figure out why she was friends with them. The only character of any interest, really, was the young boyfriend, Kai.

This is a common story about an older woman, younger man. In my opinion, "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" told it better.

View all my reviews

Cutting down to 12

2011-03-10T22:17:00.000-05:00

It's elimination night.

There's a long, dramatic, recap of what happened last night. Ryan comes out and tells us tonight Diddy Dirty Money will perform, as will Adam Lambert. (Yay!) Then we learn that 30 million votes come in. Someone will be eliminated, unless the judges opt to use their one-time save. They can do this any time up until there are five contestants left.

Ryan brings out the contestants, and points out that Casey's missing from the group, because he's sick and in the hospital. Oh no!! I searched around the internet trying to find out why, but haven't found anything definitive. I did see that he was also in the hospital on Feb. 25, with stomach pains. I hope he's okay!

After that, we see the contestant's new digs. And then they perform a Michael Jackson group-sing medley. They're singing live and not lip syncing...that's good for some (Pia, James), but not others (Lauren, Karen, Ashton), and they all sounded good on Man in the Mirror.

Before Ryan starts with the torture, we get to watch the Ford music video. Eh. Nothing too exciting. Then, we see that they went to the premiere of Red Riding Hood. Ugh. Fast forward. Too much filler.

FINALLY we start to hear some results. Ryan calls up Jacob, Stefano and Karen. Ryan says, "You are all safe..." the crowd cheers, and then he adds, "except, except, Karen." Well, then that is not "you all" is it?

Adam Lambert performs next...he does an unplugged version of Aftermath. Adam looks good! I love him.

Time for the next three to learn their fate. Lauren, Ashton and Haley come on up. Ryan summarized the judges comments on Lauren's performance, which weren't great. Ryan asked her if she thought the judges were right, and she said, "Yeah, it wasn't good. I watched it. It was bad...and I'm sorry." Aww. She's about to break down in tears, and Ryan ends the pain by telling her she's safe. Aston and Haley are both in the bottom three. WHAT. We don't have to sit through the torture for the rest of the kids? Nice.   I think Ashton's outta here, and I don't think the judges would waste the save on her. They already saved her once, and she didn't measure up.

Now JLo's ex, Diddy, performs. He performs Coming Home featuring Skylar Grey. Is that awkward for JLo? Or for Diddy? Interesting. I wonder if they're still friends, or even just friendly.

And now we're gettin' down to the nitty-gritty*[ooh, more on this in a minute]. Karen's safe. Haley's safe. So, that leaves Aston to "sing for her life." She decides to sing Diana Ross again. Oh man. It's worse than yesterday. Well, of course it is--now her nerves are shot. I feel bad for her. Now that Barry Gordy's not there, maybe the judges will be more honest about her performance. When she's finished singing, she's in tears.   This is painful. JLo announces that they won't be saving her. "Not this time, baby. Not this time. And, it was unanimous. You know I was rooting for you, baby. I'm sorry."

They show Ashton's journey to David Cook's Don't You Forget About Me. So there it is. We'll see what happens next week.

*Now, back to that little line, "And now we're gettin' down to the nitty-gritty." I was thinking of Whodini song, Five Minutes of Funk, when I wrote that.   Five minutes of funk, this ain't no junk, so pull your bottom, off the tree stump, ladies real pretty, from city to city, but now we're getting down to the nitty gritty. Sorry, I got lost there.

Here, listen for yourself. (The line above comes at 3:00.)