American Idol

Even if people don't want to admit it, I think AI is every one's guilty pleasure. It's like AI is the flame and we're the moths, drawn to it.
I have basically watched every season, but the first one and sort of got hooked on it by accident. I basically came to know it by flipping through the channels and finding it when nothing else was left to watch.
After last season with Chris Daughtry I was wondering how they are going to top it. And with season 6 I don't know if they have. Don't get me wrong there is definitely talent but I think there are a whole lot more average singers on here this year. I do have to say though, every contestant it improving to where some of them are beginning to catch up with the favorite Melinda. Of course the guys are still lacking as were the girls are still a step ahead.
My favorites with the guys have to be Blake and Chris Sligh. Blake keeps thing so modern and fresh. Sligh didn't do so well last night but he's had several pretty good weeks, I'm just hoping that he'll have some performances that are as good as his auditions were.
Now, no one can not talk about AI and not mention Sanjaya. I actually really liked him in the auditions. I thought he had a good voice. The first several weeks of competition he didn't do well at all, but last week his version of "You really Got Me" was pretty good. It actually sounded like he had a voice and you could hear him, instead of the wimpy, airy sound he usually sings with. If it's this style that makes him sing w/ force than he really should continue w/ this style of music. This week though, he went back to the same-ole-same-ole...it was wimpy, airy and you couldn't understand a word he sang...though it was better than some of his previous performances because it did pick up in the middle...I just wonder when he's singing and he's doing songs where he's not opening up his vocal cords and letting it out, what the sound crew is doing. Their probably freaking out, trying to push him up, to at least be audible, but if you do that too much then you could get feedback...they probably just love him ,lol.
On to the girls. There are several that I like of the girls, Melinda, Gina and Jordin. I like Melinda just because, well she's the best. She is like perfect every week...though some performance outshine others.
I like Gina because, well I like the rockers on the show, and this season she is the only one...and once she started singing the rock she actually got a whole lot better...This week song choice, "I'll stand by you," was her best performance so far.
I like Jordin because she is young and has a lot of potential and she keeps improving week after week...
The question is who will go home tonight?

iPhone Raises Cellular Standards... and Questions

As if I didn't feel disconnected enough from the world with my continuous iPod use, Apple went ahead and raised my bet ten-fold by releasing their newest gadget, the iPhone. It was only a matter of time before Apple began to dabble in the cell phone market, making deals with Cingular on marketing their phone for sale starting in June 2007. It was basically the invention that most people came up with on their own, but lacked the technology to follow through with it. A phone, an iPod, a computer; all in one device. It had to be the geeks at Apple to pull it through though. Not Joe Blow. It's nice to know they got professionals in on naming the device though... iPodularComputerPhone must have been taken already.

To be honest, I'm quite intrigued with this gadget. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but through demonstration videos linked at Apple's website, it seems to follow through with performance as well. The iPhone is really raising the bar for cellular phones. Starting in the U.S. at about $500, it is obviously an investment, but not out of reach for many consumers. Many of the popular Blackberry phones are already upwards of that amount, and lack half of the capabilities of the iPhone.

Cingular definitely grabbed this deal before anyone else could though. The only way you can actually use one of these new toys is by signing a 2-year contract with Cingular.

Really though, it doesn't even really matter how many phones Apple sells. PC magazine speculates that Apple's impact on the market won't be through sales, but through a technological "raise" so to speak. "What's important is how the rest of the market will react to it," says Sascha Segan of PC Magazine.

If it's anything like the rest of Apple's recent releases, we may have a whole new market on our hands.

Suburban Mom Turned Pot Dealer

With my erratic schedule of work, school, and fun, it seems as though I am never able to sit down and have a weekly television show that I watch. Sure, it's hard hearing my friends talk about what happens on "Grey's Anatomy," or who's sleeping with whom on "Desperate Housewives," but neither of those shows sparked an interest with me in the first place.

I was checking out my Sunday advertisements in the paper last week, when I saw that the Showtime program "Weeds" was on sale at one of the stores. It caught my attention because I had heard from a few people that the show was pretty good. I always think it's a good thing when I haven't heard from a lot of people how good a show is, because that means that it's probably an underground favorite. That, or it's a controversial show that people don't know what to think of. Either way, I purchased Season One of the Showtime Original Show "Weeds," and began watching the ten episodes that same day.

In a nutshell, the show is about a woman whose husband tragically passes away from a heart attack at an uncommonly young age. She is left to continue raising her two boys in a "ritzy" California suburb without the steady flow of income that her husband had brought to the table. As a quick solution to financial problems, she decides to sell marijuana to keep up her lifestyle.

The show's premise might seem a little out there for a lot of people. What really makes the show great is its balance between drama and comedy. While the subject of illegal drugs can stir up a lot of ill feelings with some people, the comedic outbursts of some of the "lighter" characters can bring them back down.

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "Thankfully, 'Weeds' avoids the strained farce of 'Desperate Housewives,' and despite being billed as a comedy, the perceptively written show is actually a credible look at lives stuck in neutral and people almost trapped by their addiction to a certain level of upper-middle class comfort."

I couldn't agree more. While some viewers may be drawn to this show because of the controversial drug issues that are brought about in every episode, I believe that the real interest behind this show is something that is even less talked about in society than soliciting illegal substances; and that is the addiction to middle class comfort. "Weeds" presents this message through the boldest of story lines, but still remains extremely effective.

"Weeds" is in its second season on Showtime, airing Monday nights at 10:00p.m. Mary-Louise Parker stars.

Classics Rock Louisville

One of my favorite radio stations to listen to while I'm driving is 107.7 SFR. If anyone doesn't know about them, they play all the music that your parents listened to in the 60s and 70s. Yeah, what can I say, I should have been born 20 years ago. Louisville isn't really the centerpiece for classic rock tours around the country, but last year the Derby City made a statement by hosting the Rolling Stones at Churchill Downs. I'm not the biggest Stones fan, but I heard they rocked out. The rainy, fall night made news across the state. It was a momentous occassion for the city's future as a Classic Rock Venue.

This summer will bring two more of the biggest American rock groups to town. On July 14th, the Police will come to Louisville to perform at Churchill Downs. On February 12, 2007 the tour was announced, so far with 13 cities on the North American tour. Louisville nabbed one of those shows, further developing Churchill Downs as a major concert venue.

Lynyrd Skynyrd will also be coming to the Derby City through the Rowdy Friends Tour. Skynyrd will be performing with Hank Williams Jr. on June 15th. This concert will be at Freedom Hall, but will still be sure to rock out just as loud as the Churchill Downs venue.

These shows are very exciting for any classic rock band in the Louisville area. Hopefully I can go to both shows, more specifically the Skynyrd one though. That way I can die saying I actually screamed, "PLAY FREE BIRD" at a concert and it worked.

TimberGREAT

Allright... here's a disclaimer before you begin to read this post. I have never considered myself in any way a "teeny bopper." But I just had to take the time in this post to give the well deserved props to none other than JT himself, Justin Timberlake.

Growing up, I'll admit, I had the *NSYNC posters in my room... And yes, I even recorded their Disney Concert so I could watch it whenever I wanted. 10 years later, the grade school crush isn't there anymore. It has been replaced with a growing fondness of the musical artist and aspiring actor that JT has become.

The follow-up to "Justified," his first solo release, is titled, "FutureSex/LoveSounds." The first single off the album, "Sexy Back," dropped at the end of last year, showing music audiences across the world that JT was about a new hip hop flavor than his previous pop records. Teaming up with famous producer, Timbaland, JT's new single left me intrigued to the rest of the sophomore album. I wanted to see if there was more to the cd than just club song after club song.

2007 brought the release of JT's acting debut, in the gang/drug thriller "Alpha Dog." I definitely had to check this movie out to see how bad, or how good it was going to be. Through a plot of serious teenage issues in a California suburb, JT brought a nice light comedic tone to the film.

The second single off the cd is definitely my favorite track. "My Love" brought a new vibe to the radio waves that hadn't been heard since the crazy dance ballads of the 70s. It's safe to say that Timberlake made his point to buy the album with just two of the twelve tracks.

If you haven't heard Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds," definitely give it a listen. It may not be a part of your "comfort genre," but its a prime example of the music that will be attributed to this generation. Besides, there's nothing wrong with tapping your foot when you can't help it. JT's album is in stores now, and his acting debut, "Alpha Dog," will be hitting DVD shelves on May 1, 2007.

The Agenda: Inside The Clinton Whitehouse

Bob Woodward’s The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House, is an intimate look at the first 18 months Bill Clinton spent in office as The President of America in his 1992 term. In the wake of the Gulf War victory of Bush Sr.’s administration in 1990, a moderate democrat governor from one of the poorest states in the nation, who had limited knowledge of foreign affairs, was an unlikely candidate. Through Woodwards poignant interviews with countless key officials and other campaign insiders, he highlights the challenges Clinton faced as he became the elected president of the United States in 1992.
Woodward focuses primarily on the economic crisis created by former presidents, Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations, and the method Clinton used to solve the $4 trillion debt the government had racked up. A large portion of The Agenda is dedicated to outlining the involvement and relationship of Bob Reich to former President Clinton, and his influence on the economical policies employed by Clinton during his first term.
Insightful, in-depth, and at times lengthy, inspections of political policies compensate for a lack of brevity and forthright syntax. Woodward remains candid throughout The Agenda, exposing Clinton in the best of light and the worst, depending on how the event in which he is describing took place, rarely does his own political bias become apparent.

Further reviews of this book

More Information about Bob Woodward

Festival of Shorts

I went to a ST@B(Student Theatre at Bellarmine) production called, Festival of Shorts over the weekend. It consisted of four different skits and were about 20 minutes or so each. The four skits were, Words Words Words, The Dancing Clown, Just be Frank, and Rockaby. Out of the four plays I can say that I enjoyed three out of the four. But instead of just leaving it at that I'll review each skit.

Word Words Words, was one of the ones I really enjoyed. It was the first skit to be performed and it was essentially about three monkeys that were held in captivity and spent their days typing away at typewriters with scientists hoping that eventually one of them would type Hamlet. The play wasn't really about them writing Hamlet it was about the injustice of keeping the monkey's in captivity instead of letting them be out in the jungle, in their home. Even though this play had a very important meaning behind it;it didn't shove it down your throat and it put it in a very funny way. It had one monkey named Swift that really wanted to "stick it to the man" but the other two monkeys, Milton and Kafka, saw no point in fighting that they had a good thing going. Eventually in the end, the monkey, Kafka, ended up starting to type Kafka. Like I said I really enjoyed this play and the way it subtly showed an issue that is prevalent in the world and that needs to be addressed.

The second play, The Dancing Clown, I also enjoyed, though not as much as some of the other ones. It was essentially all about the relationship between these two people. The guy used to be a clown in a circus but he injured himself, to where he had a limp and no one would want him to dance and only focused on his limp. A girl showed up and loved him for him and didn't care about his injury. The play centered around whether or not they really wanted to be together and if she wanted to change him...and how he didn't want to change, and was thinking that she wanted to change that; so that created some conflict. I enjoyed the play because you could really see the relationship and it was played out so well that it almost felt like we, the audience, was intruding on something private...the only downside I had was some of the kissing scenes didn't go as smoothly as the rest of the scene, and it seemed a little too planned.

The third play, Just Be Frank, was my absolute favorite out of the four. It was just a fun play that was light and had the whole crowd laughing. It was about one lady trying to get a promotion and she thought she was better than the other people in the office and had all these major plans of what she was going to do and thought the work she did was so great. When she went into the interview the boss essentially didn't know who she was and only remembered her because of her...physical assets and not of her work...he essentially propositioned her...but while this interview was going on you saw the other two ladies over by the coffee pot, one telling the other about how she had a horrible night, she got stood up and found out she had a yeast infection. Then you see them start to smoke weed, which was hilarious. Then in the other corner you see this secretary that is going on a power trip because he has control of the schedule book, and he's over in the corner smelling and caressing the schedule book. This play was so funny and light hearted and about the neurotic people in this office.

Now the fourth play, Rockaby, I really hated. I didn't see the point and it was really creepy. It was about this old lady rocking in her rocking chair watching the world pass her by and there was this voice track playing in the background. And the only thing that the actress said the whole time was "more" and she sort of moaned it making it more creepy. I didn't really get the purpose of the play, it may have been better if the voice track would've been able to have been heard. It was a very poor quality and that track had to have held the meaning because that was the only words being spoken. I can truthfully say the only thing I understood out of the track was, "Time she stopped." I could sort of assume what the play was about, a lady who let life pass her by and now she wants time to stop so she can actually have a life but all she's going to do now is die....Even knowing that, it makes it a really bad play, and not to mention it was the same rocking motion and the same track for like 20 minutes...I don't know I just didn't get it, there wasn't really any meaning behind it.

I've included a picture of the program, but overall good job ST@B!