Alrighty folks, it’s time for the guys to dig their heels in and try to hit the right notes… eight becomes six tomorrow and tonight’s the night to shine or burn out… for kicks, i’ll go ahead and make some “pre-game” picks and, sight unseen (and sound unheard) i’m gonna say goodbye to Tim and Toderick… though, i’d like to say goodbye to Lee and Aaron… okay, i’m about ready to start this up, we’ve got enough of a buffer i think to skip through all the obnoxious commercials and just watch the show…

I’M FULL, I ALREADY EIGHT…

now playing: Tonight, Tonight, Tonight – Genesis

Lee “Da Wise Guy”… singing an Owl City track, Fireflies… i think i’ve been utterly schooled on Owl City enough to no longer be a fan of the song or the band… (thanks “Twitterati”)… okay, well, after hearing this rendition, i think i would be inclined to like Owl City or at least appreciate them again… my gosh, there is a melody in there somewhere… his vocal absolutely SUCKS… but the judges loves him, he’s their precious… 2 out of 10 for me… Randy says he worked it out, despite some (SOME????) pitch problems… Ellen says he’s adorable and she liked the rock edge to it… Kara says that he made the song better than the original… very solid… Simon says that there’s nothing to rave about and starts talking about having a moment… (is ‘e ‘avin’ a laugh?)… i really, really don’t get the love for this guy… he sounds like crap…

Alex “THE MULLET”… singing Trouble… and standing in the center of stage like a soldier who’s been ordered not to move… he’s playing the guitar and playing the ladies with his batted eyelashes and biting his lip… what can i say? dude has some serious chops and he’s going to keep getting better each week… not much energy, but incredibly solid performance… Randy says that he wasn’t wow’ed by it and he could’ve sped it up a bit… Ellen says he’s a mushy banana and that he’s ripening quickly (a.k.a. getting better each week)… Kara says that he’s the only thing holding him back… he’s too stiff… Simon agrees that he’s too focused on delivering the performance and loosen up… imagine Randy in a bikini…

Tim Urban… why on earth would ANYONE sing this song on American Idol?… i think it was Kevin Max who told me that no one should ever cover this song period… but seriously, on stage in front of millions with the gong of non-voters waiting in the wings… not a good idea… and, while he didn’t ruin it – he held his tone rather nicely – but he turned it a little too poppy for me… at least he didn’t try to do too much with it… he stayed well within his range… Randy says good job… Ellen runs on stage and gives him a hug… FANTASTIC!… Kara says he’s in it (he’s stunned)… Simon takes credit and tells him that it was his best performance of the contest… then the judges all fight over credit…

Andrew Garcia… singing X-tina’s Genie in a Bottle… which he just learned this week… and he’s taking a decidedly “Travis” take on it… this is pretty much what the judges have been begging him for ever since he did Straight Up… i just have to wonder if they’re not going to be careful what they wish for in the future… it’s a bit flat and formulaic… like, hey, i’ve got this program that turns pop songs into acoustic little ditties and since it worked for Paula, it’s gonna work for X-tina… well, yeah, kind of boring… Randy says it didn’t quite work for him… Ellen liked it… Kara says it just wasn’t great… Simon says it was a little bit desperate…

now playing: Hanging By a Moment – Lifehouse

Casey “Sawyer” James… MAN! Iron Man 2 looks GOOOOOOOD!… speaking of looking good… Casey’s biggest asset is his looks… tonight, he’s singing You’ll Think of Me by Keith Urban… going country… and you have to wonder if this is really who he is… and if so, why has it taken this long to show these colors… man, his vocal is really good on this though… kind of a cross between Rob Thomas and Adam Duritz (Counting Crows)… i like it… it’s totally goodonya, Casey… Randy says it was too safe… Ellen says she liked it and he likes to sit down… Kara says she’s getting back on the train… step in the right direction… Simon says it was his second best, but not entirely memorable…

Aaron Kelly… more country… singing Lonestar’s I’m Already There… or should i say butchering… he’s already done for me… he’s still looking for the right key… i’m guessing that he’s not going to find it… he’s also apparently looking for the rhythm to sway to… that’s not working out too well either… i’m totally getting deja vu with this performance… what other young kid has taken on a song like this and ruined it?… i don’t like this at all, but he’s a favorite too… Randy says, job well done, this kid can sing, WHAT?… Ellen says he’s real and confident, but it was maybe too much of a song for him… not terrific… Kara says she loves him… but there was no connection… Simon says that’s rubbish, it was the right type of song and it had plenty of emotion… it was a nice song… i think he’s a dork…

Toderick “NUTCRACKER”… oh boy… singing Queen’s Somebody to Love… this can go well or horrible… i’m gonna hope for the former… he’s got some pipes… well, this is an interesting arrangement… i’m usually pretty lenient and i think that this might grow on me, but there’s no time for that in a competition like this, so, i have to say that it was an absolutely foolish decision on Toderick’s part… he’s killing it vocally, but i’m not sure he’s selling it well enough… i liked it, but i’m torn… Randy says he’s back!… Ellen says it was Gospel-esque and it worked… Kara says it was good, but laughable at times because it was fraught with such drama… Simon says that it was like broadway, but way better than [those other guys who were] just sitting on a stool with a guitar…

BIG MIKE… Ryan’s doppelganger… riiiight… This Woman’s Work… not sure i know this song… that’s some high notes though… oh, really, this is from RENT or FAME or something, right?… no?… i don’t know… it’s alright and the vocal is on point, but it’s kind of a boring song to close out the night, isn’t it?… he did a really good job with it though… Randy says WHAT? REALLY? THAT WAS HOT!… Ellen thinks he’s the one to beat now… Kara breaks down into a blubbering, tearful mess because it was so beautiful… Simon says that it was the best performance of any of these live shows…

AND THAT’S ALL HE WROTE…

now playing: Home – Michael Buble

okay, so, that makes things slightly difficult… Tim seemed to gain some traction with that performance… but his only hope is to steal away baby Aaron’s fanbase away from him… and the judges seemed to be doing their darndest to overcompensate for all of the bad performances… this kind of puts Andrew in jeopardy… because they were actually honest with him… so, let’s see… i think Toderick is still in trouble… and i’ll go on a limb (for now) and say that Aaron is too… so, Toderick and Aaron… that’s my immediate pick… what say you?

peace… love… bdg…

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okay… in keeping with my routine, below is a rundown of this week’s episode of Lost, but first, a promise to come back sometime soon and talk about my thoughts on the episode and the season and the series so far… i promise to come back and type up those thoughts…

THE DOCTOR IS IN…

Now Watching: EPISODE 6.07 – Dr. Linus

previously on Lost… Ben kills Jacob, Jacob takes Jack and Hurley away from the temple, SmokeLocke takes out the temple, Sayid freaks out Ben…

Ben is running terrified through the jungle… runs into the new good guys (Frank, Ilana, Sun, and Miles)… tells them Sayid killed Dogun and Lennon…

Linus teaching… didn’t quite catch that… Prinicpal tells him of budget cuts… Dr. Linus actually… Ben and Artz griping… newLocke says Ben should be the principal…

Ben and gang are trying to figure out what to do next… Ben explains the smoke monster… Ilana asks Miles to listen to Jacob’s ashes… he does… Linus killed him… “whaaaat?” i so love the Ben Linus character… Ilana is not happy… Miles is hilarious… Ben is left out in the cold…

L-O-S-T

Gang and Ben reach the beach… Ilana takes charge and says she’s looking to build shelter… someone start a fire… “Yeah, a fire will fix everything” (Miles)… Ben is trying to convince Ilana that Miles is lying… why?

Dr. Linus making a TV dinner… for his dad, who is on oxygen, but, oh, it’s actually his dad… Ben starts whining about school… his dad says that he wanted so much more for Ben… that’s why he signed up for Dharma… if only they’d stayed… who knows what Ben would’ve become? i know… i know what he would’ve become… doorbell… it’s Alex… Ben cancelled tutoring because he’s in detention all week… reschedules for early tutoring over coffee… he’s the best…

back at the beach… Sun wants to find Jin… no, Ilana wants to find him… she’s supposed to protect the candidates… there are only six left…

Hurley dreaming about cheese carrots… Jack wakes him up and tells him to hurry up so they can get back to the temple… Hurley is stalling… they argue over which is the right way… *POOF* Richard appears and tells them they’re both wrong… Hurley asks Jack if he trusts Richard… “at least he’s not stalling”…

Ben is foraging the old tents… finds an oceanic water bottle… Frank and Ben share a moment wondering what would be different if Frank was flying 815… gun to the neck… Ilana marches Ben up the hill… chains his foot and tells him to dig his own grave…

Tutoring… is that the Black Rock?… quizzing about history… Alex has financial problems and she’s freaking out about the wrong answers… lets slip that the principal is a pervert… she promises to tell him a secret… the principal and the school nurse were, you know, doing it… Ben has a plan, you can see it formulating in his head…

digging… he doesn’t seem too motivated… Miles appears with some jokes, beans, and banana something… Ben offers him 3.2 million dollars… Miles says that Jacob hoped up to the last second that he was wrong about Ben, but i guess he wasn’t… GUNSHOT… DIG!…

Richard, Jack, and Hurley… Hurley brings the cyborg, zombie, etc talk trying to figure out why Richard doesn’t age… Richard says it was a gift and then reveals that he’s taking them to the Black Rock… tells them that the temple is not the place to go, finds out that Hurley talked to Jacob, tells him not to believe anything that Jacob says… then Richard goes off to die because that’s what he has to do…

Ben trying to get Artz in on the plan that’s continuing to form in his head… “can you hack into the nurse’s email account?”… Artz sees through him, that he’s trying to take over the principal’s job… he’ll help, if he gets a good parking spot out of the deal…

Ben is digging…

Richard is in the Black Rock… looking at the chains… his chains? is there a skeleton missing?… Richard heads over to the dynomite… Hurley warns him… it’s time to go… Richard can’t kill himself… he wants Jack to kill him… Richard is ranting about Jacob cursing him… apparently smokeLocke’s words have festered long enough… Richard is the new Locke… he’s doubting that his life has purpose… Jack lights the fuse and decides that it’s a good time to chat…

Richard’s eyes are wide open… Hurley is freaking out… “We gotta go!”… Hurley promises not to leave Jack, then runs off… Jack wants answers… he explains the Lighthouse to Richard, expecting answers… Richard is really anxious… Jack is convinced that he’s invincible… the fuse is almost done… Jack was right!… Richard is incredulous… now what?… “Go back to where we started”…

Ben is digging… here comes the smoke monster… oh it’s smokeLocke… Ben explains why he’s digging his own grave… smokeLocke is trying to recruit Ben to be in charge of the island once the other team leaves the island… smokeLocke unlocks Ben and tells him where to get a rifle… meet up at the Hydra… Ben makes a break for it…

Ben goes to the principal’s office… that’s an OLD laptop… he’s got some printed emails from the nurse… he’s making a power play… counter play… Alex just emailed the principal asking for a recommendation… oooh… check… Ben will have to sacrifice Alex again…

Ben runs and gets his rifle… he’s got Ilana in his crosshairs… he wants to chat… explain his betrayal of Alex… he’s trying to convince her that Jacob cares not… he’s explaining the fear and anguish that led him to kill Jacob… he just wants to leave and join Locke… “because he’s the only one who will have me”… Ilana invites him to stay and then walks away… he kind of follows her…

Dr. Ben enters the principal office turns over the name plaque… he chose to save Alex’s future… but he manipulated enough to get his tutoring session back on…

he’s returning with Ilana… he’s hesitant, but perhaps, fully redeemed?… pauses… puts the gun down and helps Sun with her shelter… that’s a powerful scene right there… Miles digs up the diamonds, Ilana mourns over Jacob’s ashes… Jack, Hurley and Richard come around the bend… happy reunion… but Richard stays away… Ben looks so out of place again…

a submarine… there are people on the beach… WIDMORE!

LOST

nine more episodes until the season finale… that was a wow episode… now it’s time to wrap this up…

peace… love… bdg…

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okie dokie… we’re down to eight gals and we’re going to get rid of two more tonight… i’m going to pick the two that will leave right now, before they perform and they are… (drumroll)… Lacey and Siobhan… alright… now we’ll see how they actually perform… it’s going to be a tight schedule if they plan on getting all eight in one hour… and no chit chat from Ryan… off we go…

EIGHT IS MORE THAN ENOUGH

now playing: Ladies Night – Kool & The Gang

Katie Stevens… leading off with a Kelly Clarkson tune… never really a good move… but these silly contestants always insist on doing this… Katie has a much manlier voice than Kelly… and the arrangement is significantly slower than i remember Breakaway, but it’s been a while… yeah, so, not the strongest vocal and a little on the sleepy side for me… Randy says listen, um… the song was a little too big for you… indeed… didn’t work… Ellen, wearing a shirt cut from the lining of a picnic basket, says it was a younger song, but she didn’t really feel it… no personality… Kara says that she has a voice for radio… not a face for radio… she needs to figure out who she is… Simon says that she seems confused because she has taken the advice, but she still doesn’t know who she is… A for effort though…

Siobhan MAGNUS VER MAGNUSON… is singing a surprise song for her dad, the nine-time world’s strongest man champion, House of the Rising Sun by The Animals… what an odd choice for an odd little girl… are these the same guys who sing that Big Bad Wolf song? I love that song… it’s probably someone else… of course, now i haven’t really paid attention to this performance, but it seemed to be alright… she actually had a good vocal this time around… it was kind of creepy, but it worked… i shouldn’t have picked her… Randy says it was a hot one… Ellen name drops the city of New Orleans and says it was really good… Kara says that she really liked the acapella on the front… (and the party in the back?)… Simon gives her a little bit of a smackdown, telling her that it was kind of weird and lacking a moment…

Lacey “The Token Red-haired Gal” Brown… singing The Story, by Brandi Carlile… okay… i’ve never in my life heard of this song… Lacey is sitting off on the side of the stage and singing as if she’s telling us a secret… she’s got those bedroom eyes… and i suppose that it was a pretty good performance, definitely suited her vocal, but it seems slightly boring and a tad bit squeaky there towards the end… overall though it was perfect for her… Randy says he loves the crack in her voice and it was her best… Ellen agrees… Kara agrees – she’s back on her path… Simon says that he didn’t like the song, but she sang it really well… possibly forgettable though…

Katelyn Epperly… singing Carol King’s I Feel the Earth Move… and she’s moved into the 70s as she’s standing and wiggling in front of a keyboard… this is a bad performance… seriously, bad… i don’t even think that keyboard is plugged in… she’s just posing and the vocal really isn’t that good and she’s out of breath and she really did just lose control… what a shame… that was wretched… Randy says, uh… it wasn’t the right vibe… Ellen references her boff last week calling a piano a guitar and says it wasn’t enough… Kara says it felt like she was just going, going, going through the motions… (sorry early 90’s Smitty moment)… LESS CORNY? she went the wrong way… Simon says that he likes her hair… that’s about it… it was like a request night at a local bar…

now playing: Single Ladies – Beyonce

DiDi Benami… oh, a Fleetwood Mac song… that’s a risk… funny how i can sing the lyrics, but not know what the song is called… she’s playing the guitar… the actual guitar… and she’s bathed in pink overhead lights… and they’ve given her the split camera view of The Carpenters or something else from the 70s… Brianna? is that it?… why are all the songs so slow and sleepy tonight?… she did a really good job, but really, i thought she might have passed out before it was over… Randy says it probably wasn’t her best, but it was better than last week… Ellen says yes in-DIDI… then she quotes Chumbawumba… Kara says it was one of her favorite moments of the year… Simon agrees, noting that it was head and shoulders above the rest of the girls tonight…

Paige Miles… singing – did he say Charlie Chaplin? is it a silent performance? no… Smile… she’s skewing Willard Scott old on this one… very subtle background music… it’s pretty much acappella and she’s really not holding it together very well… wonder if the monitor is off… something is really off… and, yes, it’s her vocal… really bad performance – even worse than Katelyn’s… should’ve gone with a silent production… Randy giggles and says that it didn’t work at all it was like they were at a banquet… Ellen says that it didn’t shine at all and it was uninspiring… Kara says you had to know that sucked, right? (in so many words)… Simon repeats that it was horrible and an awful arrangement… a “peanut” performance… she’s not smiling now…

Crystal BoSAWX… ugh, Tracy Chapman… pulEEEZE… give me one reason to not fast forward this crappy song… so, she’s got an electric guitar with an amp onstage and she’s doing a great job with the vocal… it’s still a miseable song, but she has just performed it better than i’ve ever heard it before… that’s the best of the night… Randy says this is what the show is about, it was hot… Ellen asks for a thesaurus, and sticks with amazing… Kara says that it was a great song choice and it was exciting… “yay”… Simon says that she’s definitely going to make it through… she’s got confidence and it’s hers to lose…

Lilly “Tinkerbell” Scott… Patsy Cline? Crazy perhaps? love that song… let’s see… oh… I Fall to Pieces… good song, too… this is apparently the Marilyn Monroe version of it… oh and is that an electric banjo? no, probably just a toy… are we really supposed to believe that they’re playing these instruments?… focus on the vocal though… that’s pretty dang cool… i’m sold on that… i liked it… she’s a weird looking gal though… Randy says that she’s in the zone… Ellen says she loves her… Kara says it was contemporary… Simon says she’s brave, but it didn’t have the wow factor…

AND NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE…

now playing: Home – Michael Buble

now, this is a tough one to call… if it’s based on the performances, then Katie, Katelyn, and Paige are really in trouble… since personality is involved, Lacey is possibly in the mix as well… and Katie is probably safe in that regard… so, against my preliminary picks and going with Katelyn and Paige… what say you, dear readers?…

peace… love… bdg…

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so it’s Monday again, and we’re just at the halfway point of introducing all five categories for Monday Morning Mashed Potatoes… hopefully you’ve been enjoying these and hopefully, i’ll get through the remaining two this week so that starting next week, these features will be taking a queue from its full name and occurring once a week (on Monday mornings-ish) and pullfrom each of the five categories… anyway, today the focus is music and i’ve got three doozies for you…

now, a quick note before diving in, there have already been a lot of good albums released this year and, i… well, i don’t get quite as many albums as i used to, so i can’t really speak to albums like, say, The Rocket Summer or TobyMac, or Fair… or even albums released this week, like Lifehouse, Meredith Andrews, Danny Gokey, or Pocket Full of Rocks… and, i’m not complaining, per se, but i want you all to know that if you ask me about certain albums, popular ones, i may not have gotten them…

once things get going a little more regularly, i certainly hope that i start getting more consideration… until then, we work with what we’ve got… off we go…

THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT…

now playing: The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades – Timbuk 3

certainly one of the most exciting music news of the last few days is the official release date for the new Deepspace5 album, The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be… the crew has signed on with Mega Royal Records and plans to release the album on April 27th… on top of that news is the official release of the amazing video for the lead single, From the Outside… which i’ve been enjoying for a long time unofficially and have now been playing pretty much on repeat for the last few days… it is highly, highly addictive and posted below…

as i’m sure you can tell, this is shaping up to be an unbelievable album… one that i’ll hopefully be able to get ahold of for early coverage… (*wink wink, nod nod*)…

A BOLD NEW WORLD?…

now playing: Rocky Road – NewWorldSon

when last i was in Nashville for the annual shindig known as GMA Music Week (RIP – another story), the talk of the town was none other than NewWorldSon… and, true to form, they put on a brilliant showcase performance – one of the very, very few to actually inspire all of the serious and uppity critics and collegues to move during the show… you see, it’s kind of a tradition, or expectation, that one remains serious and stationary during showcases, which can make things rather awkward for the folks pouring out their hearts and sweat on stage… NWS managed to break down that barrier and wow us all…

then came Salvation Station, their debut CD with Inpop Records that managed to – on some level – capture the essence of the live show with energetic arrangments and soulful vocals that might make listeners clap and move around at least a little bit… the album was well received and proved to be a solid effort worth repeat visits… however, for me, the album lost some of its luster over time and i was more than ready for some new material…

That preparedness was rewarded by the self-titled follow-up album released in February… the experience, though, is certainly a rocky road… it starts out pretty strong with “You Set the Rhythm” and maintains a steady keel until the back half where it begins to fade and fade quickly… while i still enjoy the album as a whole, i find myself skipping through the self-indulgence of “Total Eclipse” and “Jamaican Praise Medley” among others… i will say that “O Lament” is probably the best on the entire album and it’s likely because it translates so well to the recording… many of the other tracks leave me longing for a live performance…

This is, of course, a matter of opinion… the group is still immensely talented and probably still one of the better live shows… this album just didn’t keep me wanting to come back quite like the last one… [NewWorldSon is available at such fine retailers as Amazon, AmazonMP3, and iTunes]

STAR STUDENTS
- now playing: Someting to Say – Starfield

speaking of bands who sound totally different in concert than on CD… Starfield is one of those bands that initially struck me – and this is years ago – as a band with some pretty good potential, but when i saw them live at Creation Festival, i was really blown away by their enthusiasm… mind you, pretty much every “rock” band sounds better, harder, stronger when they’re feeding off of a live crowd and hoping to get everyone moshing along with the rhythm, but Starfield was truly impressive… but their albums always seemed to leave a little something to be desired…

Well, that’s all changed and now they’re a band with loads of potential that has the added danger of being aware of their strengths… The Saving One reveals a band confident in who they are and more than capable of expressing everything they desire… this turn clearly began sometime around when they were working on the previous album (I Will Go, but has culminated with the honesty and well-craftedness of this release…

Certainly, rock fans will eat up the energy of the title track, Declaration of Dependence, and Overwhelm among others, but nothing on the album beats the heart-wrenching lyrics and delivery of Something to Say and Rediscover You… these two songs really bring some serious Psalms / end-of-myself type worship to the mix and they are just phenomenal… i’ve always liked Tim’s vocals, but these tracks in particular really make them pop… and it’s all-in-all a really solid effort, one that definitely proves that they’ve got it together…

[The Saving One is available at such fine retailers as Amazon, AmazonMP3, and iTunes]

WHAT SAY YOU?

okay, that’s what i’ve got to say… have you any experience with or thoughts onthese three choices? I’d love to hear it… that’s what makes life fun… next time on MMMP it’s books… see you then…

peace… love… bdg…

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well, it’s the girls turn and the big question is whether or not Krystal Bowersox will be able to compete… chances are if she does, they give her the pimp spot out of pity… and here’s the lineup, BoSAWX is at the end and she says that she’s good to go… the judges… Ellen is in the middle again… it’s a good idea for her not to be the first one to comment… and they address the issue of Kara morphing into Paula and cozying up to Simon this year… she has a huge hair tail today… totally a throwback to Paula’s cheerleading days… on we go…

TEN (OR MAYBE NINE) LEFT STANDING…

now playing: Behind These Hazel Eyes – Kelly Clarkson

Crystal BoSAWX… oh, she’s going first, and she has a twin brother… singing a gospelled up version of CCR’s Long As I Can See the Light… apparently “gospel” means taking the slow train… she’s screaching a little… and i really, really don’t like that lip thing… so distracting… it’s an alright arrangement i suppose, and she does an alright job… i don’t know how much i’ll remember it though… kind of drab over all… Randy says she is the truth, and the girl that she wants to be, and that girl is HOT!… Ellen says that she’s amazing and she needs to say healthy… Kara takes her head off of Simon’s shoulder long enough to say that she’s recovered from last week – even to the point of hitting a new level… Simon likes that she is probably a really serious artist, along the lines of Kelly Clarkson…

Haley “Smiles Too Much”… last week you butchered a Beatles song, this week, you’re taking on a Miley Cyrus song (which is supposed to sound horrible)… good freaking call… actually, this should fit her a lot better… with “The Climb”… oh, it’s a slow song… which means that the vocal is exponentially more important…and unfortunately, though she does have some good moments, they are brief moments and she quickly finds her way to off side of the pitch… she just doesn’t have a strong voice and i can hardly believe that she managed to pick a good artist, but a horrible song… that was a nightmare… Randy says that it was really, really bad… Ellen says that she didn’t seem to connect with the song at all, but she needs to keep smiling… Kara says that people probably like her, but, honey needs at least a year of vocal training… Simon says it was a complete and utter mess…

Lacey “The Token Red-haired Gal” Brown… every season has one girl with unnaturally red hair… this year is Lacey’s turn… and her personality reminds me of Leigh Nash… oh, and she’s singing Sixpence’s Kiss Me… oh my gosh… she sounds like Leigh, too… except when she gets happy enough to smile, that takes her out of the groove… it’s pretty good… i guess my biggest qualm with it is that she kind of alternates between copycatting Leigh’s vocal and just talking through the lyrics… she also seems a little disconnected from it… especially for “loving this song”… Randy says that it felt like karaoke… Ellen says that it was, and she is, adorable… Kara says that it brought back her vocal stylings, but she needs to step it up even more… Simon says that it was marginally better than last week, but it wasn’t artistic or memorable…

now playing: Twistin’ the Night Away – Sam Cooke

Katie Stevens… so, clearly SHE should be singing Kiss Me… instead of… Corrine Bailey Rae… okay, here’s what i really don’t get… THIS IS SO NOT A YOUNGER SONG… i get that CBR is a newer artist and this is a hip choice, but it’s the same style… she does sound a lot better, but it’s still skewing rather old to me… she needs to dive into something like Miley or maybe Duffy… it really opened up nicely though, certainly enough to get her through… and a lot better than last week… Randy said that he thought she can take on something more challenging melodically… Ellen says that it’s still not exactly right for her age… Kara is frustrated and says that Katie needs to be more consistent from the beginning… Simon says she doesn’t seem to know who she wants to be as an artist yet…

DiDi Benami… she looks a lot like that piano playing hippie from a couple years ago… Brooke White… and she’s got the whole jazzy, raspy thing to her voice… let’s see how that translates to Lean on Me… she’s just chillin’ on that stool here, giving the verses a rather sunny disposition… far poppier than the original… lacking in soul… her vocal sounds a bit tinny and maybe even frail… but it’s not too, too bad… i kind of liked the arrangement actually… and she did alright with the performance… Randy says it heightened her imperfections… bad song choice… Ellen says great voice, great presence, wrong song… Kara says it really wasn’t good… karaoke, inconsistent, bad interpretation… but Kara’s still a fan… Simon says something about a cat… it was screechy and genaric… a wasted opportunity… she’s about to explode into tears…

Michelle Delamor… she’s the corporate singer… whatever that means… she teaches kids how to sing and this will be interesting, she’s singing Creed’s With Arms Wide Open… Scott Stapp will be proud, if he’s sober… (sorry, i think he has changed his ways)… i don’t like those gloves… and i really don’t like this arrangement… somehow, with all the dramatic touches and the big runs, it loses all the emotion of the original song… i’m not ashamed to admit that the original gives me goosebumps… vocal is a little off tonight too, that last note really didn’t hit… Randy says it fell flat, but she looks hot… Ellen says she looks fabulous and she almost forgot that it was a rock song and it almost worked, but not quite… Kara waxes on and waxes off (danielson) and says it was her favorite Michelle performance… Simon kind of agrees with Kara… she took a risk and tried to make it her own…

Lilly “Tinkerbell” Scott… she’ll be playing a twelve-string and singing Sam Cooke’s masterpiece, A Change Is Gonna Come… okay, somebody stop her, i’m already done… we’ve heard enough… no no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO… sorry, my fingers just got stuck there for a second… that’s just a bad, bad arrangement of a truly great song… Randy says she’s unique and she worked it out and it was his favorite from the night… Ellen says she’s got “it”… again, the best performance of the night… Kara says she had a rivoting moment… she’s gonna change the game… Simon says it was good, but he wasn’t crazy about it like the others…

now playing: Chain of Fools – Aretha Franklin

Katelyn Epperly… playing the piano and singing Coldplay’s The Scientist… (GREAT song)… she really has a great voice… and she’s tweaked the arrangement a bit, throwing in some extra pauses and breaths here and there… but i kind of like it… i liked the way she dropped down on “this hard”, but i don’t like the huge breath before the last note, which fell a little flat… she’ll learn from that though… Randy says that he liked it even though it was really slow… Ellen pulls a Paula and calls a piano a guitar, then mentions that it was too, too slow… sleepy slow… Kara says she kind of loves her… she needs to figure out who she is to make the most of it… Simon says it was a smart choice, but she can border on being corny when she performs…

Paige Miles… she likes to color… and she’s singing Kelly Clarkson’s Walk Away… Simon is tying his shows or something… it’s so weird to hear people perform such energetic songs with absolutely zero energy… how do you do that?… okay, her vocals just aren’t doing it… she’s probably oversinging, but whatever it is, it’s really grinding on the ears… the song really doesn’t let her open up the vocals though, so maybe that’s part of the problem, she’s overcompensating for the quick pace of the verses… i don’t know… didn’t really work out for me… Randy says he liked it, but it wasn’t the best song choice… Ellen says she loved everything about it… Kara, who wrote this song, says it’s not a song you smile about, but she liked it anyway… Simon says it was the wrong song and she got lost in it, just like last week…

Siobhan MAGNUS VER MAGNUSON… closing out the show with a big old Aretha Franklin song, Think… (wonder how much thought went into that)… this is kind of like a mouse trying to roar loud enough to scare a lion… yeah, it’s definitely like that… she’s got a really strong voice actually, like strong man competition strong, but this is totally the wrong song for her… she’s not got the soul… i loved that high note… but the follow-up was not where it needed to do… i’m really torn on that… great chops, but no real rhythm, great highs, but lots of lows as well… Randy says she slayed it… Ellen calls her a Snuggie… Kara can’t get over that note… Simon says she’s such a strange person… and that it was really good and really bad at the same time…

AND NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE…

now playing: Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash

well, the girls are definitely better than the guys… there’s not much argument there… now, who’s going home… well, it’s between Haley, Didi, Paige, and Lacey… and despite how i really feel… it seems to me that Didi and Paige are going to find the hot seat this week… what’s your call, people?

peace… love… bdg…

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okay, so i think this one will be shorter than the last few, but here’s my live, play-by-play for this week’s episode of LOST… i was expecting this to be about Sun and Jin, but it seems that it will be about Sayid… i don’t have too much time to breathe, and it’s starting, so off we go…

now watching: Sundown Lost Season 6 Episode 6

previously… it’s all about Sayid… shot by Roger, drowned, revived, tortured, infected… now, this is interesting… Sayid leaves a cab rings a doorbell and it’s his girl, Nadia… he found her! um… Uncle Sayid?… is that Sayid’s brother? translating oil contracts… Omar… has opened a new store… so, there’s something going on behind the scenes here… they still have a thing for each other… and now it’s out in the open… awkward…

okay, Sayid confronts Dogen… he wants answers… okay… so this is the first deviance from order of character studies from season one… Dogen explains that Sayid tipped the scale towards the dark side… “You think you know me, but you don’t”… Sayid explains that he’s a good man, but now everybody is king-fu fighting… Dogen is fast as lightning… baseball reminds Dogen of his son?… after besting Sayid, he tells him to leave the temple for good… that baseball bounced kind of oddly… Dogen has homeless gloves on…

Claire and smokeLocke stand at the edge of the ash circle… smokeLocke is sending her on a mission to the temple… he will hurt the ones who won’t listen… she’s warning them?

L-O-S-T

Sayid sleeping on the couch… Omar approaches and almost catches a bad one… he’s in trouble… loan shark trouble… he wants Sayid to “convince” them to leave him alone… “I know what kind of man you are”… “I’m not that man anymore”…

back at the temple… Sayid is packing his back… Miles asks what’s up… Sayid says that he’s been banished for being evil… Miles reveals that Sayid was dead for two hours… whatever brought you back, wasn’t them… Claire shows up… “he wants to see you (Dogen)”… they’re arguing over home field advantage… Dogen puts Claire in a pit, wants to see Jack and Hurley… Sayid will have to do… “Things have changed”

Sayid and Dogen converse… smokeLocke is evil incarnate… he was trapped, but now that Jacob is gone, he’s free… Dogen asks Sayid to kill smokeLocke… if there is good in your soul still, prove it…

Uncle Sayid with the kids… he takes them to the bus and tells them that he’s going to Toronto soon… Nadia comes rushing out… Omar is at the hospital… punctured lung from a mugging… Sayid gets ready to get some revenge… Nadia begs him not to…

Sayid is in the jungle and runs into Kate, who’s returning to the temple… she says, what’s up? he says, “ask Miles” and she is back… Miles tells her that Claire is back… oooooooh… pit fight in the making…

Sayid is searching for smokeLocke… drinking water… he’s not supposed to let smokeLocke speak… wind storm… polar bear growl? black smoke.. “Hello Sayid”… STABBED!! didn’t work… “why’d you go and do that?” dun dun duuuunnnnnn!

smokeLocke gives him the dagger back… “what are you?”… Sayid looks really confused… smokeLocke tries to convince Sayid that Dogen is tricking him… Sayid sees that smokeLocke is tricking him… “what if i told you that you can have anything you want?”… “she died in my arms”… i can work with that… FAUST!

Sayid is trying to fix a broken vase… he’s been babysitting, but Nadia is back from the hospital… Sayid wants to pay off the loan… Nadia says that Omar needs to handle it… Omar IS Sayid’s brother… Sayid carries much guilt around with him…

back in the hungle, Sayid returns to the temple, which really freaks Dogen out… he tells everyone smokeLocke’s message – that none of the Others have to stay there anymore and can leave the island with smokeLocke… if they stay past sundown, they’ll all die…

Lennon doesn’t like that Kate is back… Kate wants to see Claire… Lennon gives her two minutes… Claire is singing “Save it for a Rainy Day”… Kate wants to know why Claire is in the pit… Kate confesses to having taken Aaron… Claire is turning as green as her eyes… (like the Hulk)… Kate says that she came to rescue Claire, who says she’s not the one who needs to be rescued…

courtyard… the others are panicking… Sayid says he simply delivered a message… the others all want to leave… Miles asks what on earth is going on… he says that he needs to return that dagger… uh oh…

Sayid comes out of Nadia’s house and is confronted by the loan shark (familiar face)? they threaten the kids and take him to a kitchen… probably the one that Miles went to for his test… Keemey is the cook… Keemey is the loan shark who makes great eggs… Keemey and Sayid have a standoff… this is a good tension… Sayid manages to take out both henchmen and have a gun on Keemey… suddenly the debt is forgiven… Keamey takes one to the chest anyway… someone else is there… it’s… Jin!… no English… so Keemey was the one Jin delivered the watch to? speaking of Jin, where is he on the island? and where did Sawyer get to?… smokeLocke seems to recruit folks and then make them vanish…

temple… Dogen is sitting in front of the pool… Sayid drops the dagger… notes that it’s now two times that Dogen has tried to have Sayid killed… Dogen tells a story of his past… he got a promotion, got drunk and then managed to kill his son in a car accident… hence the baseball… then in the hospital, a man came to him and told him to come to the island and he’ll save the boy, but Dogen could never see him again… Dogen says that it was Jacob… Jacob drives a hard bargain… drawing people to the island… smokeLocke drives a hard bargain… drawing people away from the island… Dogen asks Sayid if he wants to stay or go… Stay! then he drowns Dogen… Lennon freaks out… “You just let it in!”… stabbed! “I know”…

courtyard… smoke monster is tearing up the temple… complete havoc… Kate goes to save Claire… Miles is hiding… Ilana shows up with Frank, Ben and the gang… Kate tries to save Claire who says that the pit is safer… smoke does a flyover… it is safer…

pool… Ben comes to bring Sayid out… there’s still time, not for me… weird smile…

where’s your husband, Jin’s alive? last i saw…

Ilana finds a secret passage… escapes the smoke monster…

Sayid surveys the wreakage… Claire and Kate emerge from the temple to join him… Kate grabs a gun, because she’s not under the spell… they meet up with smokeLocke, the pied piper of the island… who disapproves of Kate’s presence… Kate doesn’t like what she sees, but follows anyway?

L-O-S-T.

woah! a whole lot to ponder… and now i need to go ice my fingers… Tuesday nights are rough…

peace… love… bdg…

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So the guys are back tonight – well, ten of them anyway… due to BoSAWX being in the hospital… and the judges are playing musical chairs… Ellen is getting a little bit closer to Simon and, after a little bit of banter with the judges, we’re ready to start going…

TWELVE LORDS A LEAPING…

now playing: The Payback – James Brown

BIG MIKE… getting to know Big Mike a little better… nothing is negative, it’s all good… singing James Brown WATCH ME!… and immediately he’s a hundred times better than last week… it’s a serious song (“This Is a Man’s World”) and the tone actually fits his vocal a lot better than Maroon 5… it’s actually really solid right now… way better than anything from last week… could use a little more interaction with the crowd… there he goes working the stage a bit… wow… that was a hot one… Randy gives him the first standing ovation of the season… Ellen stands up for women’s rights and says that it’s the one to beat… Kara says she didn’t get it until tonight… he owned it… Simon says it was the transformation between a pussy cat and a lion… by far the best performance for Big Mike…

John Park… i’m gonna need to come up with a nick name for John… singing Gravity by John Mayer… sadly? i don’t know too many John Mayer songs… but perhaps this will be alright… i wanna run through… no wrong song… well, jeepers, he already sounds a lot better, too… just sitting there on a bar stool… a little shaky vocals on the bridge there and the chorus… and when he is on, it’s almost because he’s copying the vocal… not exactly his own identity this week either… much better fit for him though… Randy says it wasn’t anything special and a little bit pitchy… Ellen says it was better than last week, but still a little lacking in the soul department… Kara says – better than last week, but he needs to let loose and take some risks… Simon says Purple Haze is gonna get their lead singer back… it’s a case of the “so whats”…

Casey “Sawyer” James… so Casey has never had a television and never watched Idol… no wonder he’s so perfect… anyway, he’s gonna be singing I Don’t Wanna Be by Gavin DeGraw… i like this song, but it’s done a lot… we’ll see… um… Guitar Hero much… that was actually some good licks there… unfortunately it’s fallen off a cliff since that… it seems as though he’s really struggling to remember (READ???) the lyrics… he’s definitely overthinking the performance… the vocal is really kind of flat and at times awful… the guitar distracts from that, but not nearly enough… i’ll give him a 10 for the guitar, but like a 3, 3 1/2 for the vocal… Randy says this is what he could record and sell and the guitar was hot… Ellen says that everything is there on paper, but he needs to perform better… Kara says that the cougar is still a fan, but he took two steps backwards… Simon jokes that Casey must’ve not called her back… then he agrees that he was simply trying to be a rockstar, but didn’t have the real grit…

now playing: The Banana Boat Song – Harry Belafonte

THE MULLET… this is the guy i think will show the most improvement over the season… i think that he’ll get better from week to week, though that’s so very risky, that i’ll be concerned that he doesn’t make it each week… he’s singing John Legend and playing the guitar… gotta get over these nerves, son… he has such a great tone to his vocal and he’s totally aware of his range, shifting down gears when he needs to… this is still a very tempered performance… clearly still a bit nervous, but overall that’s great… the last note is not too great though… Randy says that he like him and he was way legit… Ellen calls him a banana again… big improvement… Kara says people would die to have his tone of voice and he doesn’t even know how to use it… Simon says it was a million times better than last week, but he needs to turn on the killer instinct…

Toderick “NUTCRACKER”… i think that i was one of five people who liked his version of Kelly’s song last week… but i don’t get this song choice… Tina Turner? we’ll see what happens… i know the song… it’s slower than the original… oh, duh… What’s Love Got to Do With It?… it’s a terribly mellowdramatic arrangement… not sure i’m feeling that… now the mic’s off the stand and in his hand… and it’s picked up a bit… i don’t know… his vocal’s a little fuzzy for me and i wasn’t really feeling the overall performance… Randy says just pick a nice song and sing it… Ellen says sing AND move… DANCE for me little man!… Kara says he’s likeable, but he was way too stiff… Simon says this isn’t working out at all… corny, theme park performance that’s utterly wrong for the show…

Jermaine “ONESEY”… yeah, let’s not be rocking the onesey on national television… singing Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On… and i don’t think that he should’ve made it through last week… his vocal is so strident… i mean he’s got some pipes… but he’s still doing trying to do way too much… and it almost seems like he’s still a bit disconnected from the song… like he’s just out there trying to sing his entire resume with each performance… Randy says it was so close and still too far away… Ellen says she likes his style, but he still pushed it too much… Kara says that he doesn’t have to try to show off every trick in the bag… Simon says that he’ll go to church with him, but that wasn’t even church singing… Jermaine asks what song he should sing next week because he knows that he’ll be here because Jesus is his homeboy, yeah-ee-yea-eee… please… don’t act a fool, homie…

Andrew Garcia… he’s a breakdancer… nice… he’s going to be singing James Morrison – You Give Me Something… i’m completely unfamiliar with it, but he’s pretty much safe regardless of what he sings… sitting on the stool… he’s got a nice mellow vibe going on… and the verse is pretty solid but he’s really forcing the vocal on the chorus and to some extent powering through it, but i’m not sure that’s working out… now he’s all over the chart on these notes… it’s falling apart… hold it together, man… hold it together… Randy says it was the wrong song choice and it was pitchy throughout the whole thing… Ellen says that she disagrees, but he pretty much peaked with his “Straight Up” performance… Kara agrees and says that he needs to do something that makes him stand out… Simon says that he’s been found wanting… disappointing yet again because he can’t find the right song…

now playing: Get Down Tonight – KC and the Sunshine Band

Aaron Kelly… so this dude is Simon star-struck… singing My Girl by the Temptations… what was that show, White Shadow? this was the theme song for it… i think of it every time i hear this song… okay, well, not so much tonight… could someone please teach this boy about soul… this is kind of a strange, terrifying mix between R&B and Country… i’m not feeling it at all… not one bit… he was all over the place… clean up on aisle six… there’s a real mess sitting up on stage there… Randy says that it was good, but got strange, but alright… Ellen says that it wasn’t a good song choice, but he’s got a great voice… Kara liked it, no, really liked it… Simon verifies his age… he didn’t like the song, it was all over the place and a step backwards… Kara interrupts and argues Aaron’s case… i’m ready for him to go home now…

Tim Urban… and we’re back… seems like there’s plenty of time to kill… Tim got crushed last week (rightfully so)… and he’s gonna try to prove himself… i didn’t quite catch the song title… oh, Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson… it’s a nicer fit for his voice that’s for sure… he’s still a bit on the weak side though… i’m not sure if it’s confidence or what, but the vocal just isn’t quite there… very long way to go for this guy… he just doesn’t have it… you know, “it”… it’s not there… there is some potential, but he’s going to need to bat his eyes to make it though… Randy says it was karaoke… Ellen plugs Glee – perhaps her first negative remarks… Kara says it was a good song choice, but it’s not all there yet… Simon says that it was a marked improvement from last week…

Lee “Da Wise Guy”… in the pimp spot… he’s kind of like an Elliott Yamin without the incredible vocal… it’s LEE DEWYZE… he was terribly pitchy last week and, because somebody on the producer panel like him, he’s got a chance to shine… singing Lips of an Angel… and slowly making his way to the front of the stage… how very dramatic… he’s pitchy again this week and you just have to wonder who ever told him he could sing… he growls and shouts and sounds HORRIBLE… he’s a paint salesman and listening to him sing is like watching paint dry, chip, and fall on the floor… Randy says it was rough, but he liked it… Ellen says she really likes him… Kara says he can really open up his vocal and do well… Simon says that he’s head and shoulders ahead of all the other guys… i say that they’ll never make up for missing the mark with Daughtry… it didn’t work with Cook and it won’t work here…

AND NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE…

now playing: Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash

alrighty… all in all it was a much better night for the guys than last week… however, there was still plenty of awfulness to go around… it’s gonna be tough to pick who’s going home once again… i can see John, Toderick, Jermaine, Tim, Lee, or Aaron going, but – trying to factor in who will vote and why… i’ve gotta go with.. Jermaine and Tim going home… what do you all think?

peace… love… bdg…

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on to the next area of interest… movies… now, this may not be the order in which i address these in the future – there may not be an order at all, really – but this is the way i’m going today… i’ve got three movies to talk about and hopefully i’ll be more succinct… i mean, i DO have other things to write about… not to mention a site that needs building… off we go…

Oh, before we begin, i suppose i should mention that i viewed all three of these movies for free because they want me to write about them… “they” being publicists and such… two of them sent me promotional DVDs and one granted me access to an online viewing area… with that taken care of, we shall begin…

BEHIND THE MASK
- now playing: The Imposter – Kevin Max

The Imposter
first up is a movie that i believe has been in the works for at least three years… the film features Kevin Max, Jeff Deyo, and Kerry Livgren all of whom became pretty famous for their roles in widely popular bands with spiritual overtones (dcTalk, SonicFLOOD, and Kansas, respectively) before striking out with solo careers… and by “striking out” i don’t mean in the “Casey at the Bat” sense…

Anyway, the movie revolves around “Johnny C,” the frontman for the widely popular band with spiritual overtones, Grand_design… Johnny C is quite charismatic and, despite his position, marriage, and daughter, has a thing for the traditional spoils of rock and roll (think sex, drugs, rock and roll)… and the film chronicles his downward spiral and attempts at reconciliation…

There are some wonderful tongue-in-cheek moments to the film, such as the narration addressing the formulaic expectations for an emotional altar call scene and a loving father embracing his prodigal son… now, i don’t want to spoil anything, but i will say that i kind of liked the resolution as it transpired… Sure, the acting at times provided some moments of unintentional chuckling and the script has its share of stereotypes and flat characters, but all in all, The Imposter, proved to be a pretty enjoyable movie (if not uncomfortable due to potential parallels to the actors’ own career paths)… it’s the type of movie that might spark some honest dialogue about how we perceive celebrities and pseudo-celebrities… now, if i can only find that Jeff Deyo song from the movie called, “Push Me Over the Edge” or something to that effect…

THE LIFE YOU SAVE…
now playing: How to Save a Life – The Fray

To Save a Life
i feel like i’ve already written about this movie, but apparently not… actually, something pretty interesting happened after i watched it the first time… well, for me, anyway… the movie, as you can easily tell from the trailer deals with the effects of suicide on surviving classmates… now, in the days of my youth, i knew someone who took his own life… unfortunately, i’d guess that most of us know someone who’s done that… i remember going through some peer counseling classes to recognize the warning signs and learn the proper procedures for reporting and talking through issues in an effort to stifle the contagiousness of suicide… most of all, i remember feeling a sense of responsibility of prevention…

i don’t know if that’s a natural response, but as i watched Jake – the main character in the movie – struggle with a similar response, names came into my head… names of those i had “flagged” (for lack of a better word)… and, while that’s not particularly interesting in and of itself, shortly after watching the movie, out of the blue, i came into contact with one of those names and that’s the interesting part… that’s where i’ll leave it…

back on the movie… it’s kind of a teen movie with a conscience… there’s partying, carousing, and a lot of reminders of the high-school caste system we’re all glad to have grown out of (assuming we all did grow out of it, which isn’t necessarily the case)… and the main theme running through it all is Jake, the former best friend of a suicide victim, struggling with faith, responsibility, and life in general… and for the most part, that’s fine… it works well and you’re prett engaged in the story, rooting for who is clearly the hero and subconsciously forming the obvious moral of the tale…

and then, as if trying to hit seven targets with one arrow, it becomes exponentially more complex… Jake takes on a Job-like role and everything that was clear moments ago is buried knee deep in muddy waters… now, here’s the thing… complicated is good… life is complicated – i know this – but, you can almost hear the writers giggling to themselves and saying things like “you can’t make this stuff up” even though they did, indeed, just make it all up…

the bottom line, without spoiling anything, i really enjoyed watching To Save a Life and it was a meaningful experience… i just think that it could have been more impactful if it had stuck to one main important theme instead of stuffing in a bunch of additives that deserve equal time but are relegated to minor roles… still, plenty to talk about afterwards and probably beneficial to a youth group…

CHOOSE WISELY…
now playing: Choose – Christy Nockels

Sarah’s Choice
okay, this blog entry is getting rather long, and it’s probably best that this ends up being the shortest of the reviews… Sarah’s Choice is, unabashedly, a vehicle for the pro-life movement… now, keep in mind that i’m very much pro-life… i think abortion is a choice that’s made when the wrong question is asked… that said, unlike the Tim Tebow Superbowl ad, this movie DOES offend me… more on that in a second…

first, the good points… Brad Stine does a fine job in his role… it was a surprising performance that anchored the “guy-side” of the story… in fact, that aspect of the movie actually worked really well… also worth noting, there’s a scene or two involving balloons that play rather well (trying to remain spoiler-free)… there may be other good points, but they’re escaping me at the moment…

okay… no more delays… overall, the acting was definitely B-movie or worse grade… the last time i saw Rebecca St James in concert, i was amazed at how incredibly awkward she seemed on stage and her performance in the role of Sarah deepened that impression… perhaps the only thing worse was the ridiculous treatment she receives from her boss and coworkers (completely unrealistic)… and the storyline was downright irritating…

if you’re wondering how a pro-life movie could offend a pro-life viewer, here’s how it works (and this may spoil some plot points, but i’ll do my best)… borrowing from A Christmas Carol – haven’t seen that before – Sarah is visited by a ghost of the Christmas that could be… she’s presented with visions of two possible outcomes – one if she chooses abortion and one if she keeps the baby… and it’s basically a choice between a life of roses and champagne, where she gets married, has tons of free time to spend with her daughter, and seems to live the easy life of happiness… and the other life, is one of solitude, pain, and, apparently, terminal illness…

the issue of regret was introduced elsewhere in the movie and (i think) should’ve been the big argument made, but instead we got absolute extremes that make little logical sense and, yes, offend me… if we can’t deal in honesty, then we shouldn’t be dealing in issues… i mean, it’s easy to drop superlatives in order to make a point, but it’s not accurate and it rings so incredibly false that it encourages opposition… i could probably go on and on about this point, but hopefully i’ve made it and now, i’m just moving on…

i have to say that it’s perfectly fine to pass on Sarah’s Choice… it’s an incredibly stereotypical “Christian” movie… and i honestly wish it weren’t…

ROLL CREDITS…

that’s a wrap as far as movies go… stick around for mashed potatoes from books, music, and more… soon… and while you’re waiting, check out the first entry, monday morning mashed potatoes in television…

peace… love… bdg…

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it’s Monday, and it’s March, and i’m chiming in like a lion… well… i’m chiming in anyway… i’ve been “under the hood” on and off, redesigning and now, rebuilding, the front page, and i hope to have that all functioning soon, but there is still a lot to be done on that front – plenty of restructuring content, redoing how it’s all stored and displayed, you know, nerdy little details that don’t matter to anyone else unless they don’t work..

regardless, since that’s still a ways off, and i haven’t been putting too much out there in the way of new content, i wanted to go ahead and unveil one of the new things that i’m looking forward to making a regular feature… something i’m calling “Monday Morning Mashed Potatoes” (MMMP)… basically, this will become a weekly sounding board for me to talk about five or six things that will be on my radar in the coming week and why… sometimes more, sometimes less, but it should be fun… since this is the first one, i’ve got a lot in the list, so i’ll be breaking it up into a series seperate posts based on the type of media involved… first up, television…

YOU’LL SHOOT YOUR EYES OUT, KIDS
- now watching: Mens Hockey: Gold Medal Game – USA vs Canada

So the Winter Olympics are (FINALLY) over and, aside from a few shining moments – the 3 US Gold night, being one – it was utterly lackluster for me… i lost interest early and often in all the events and was entirely sick of NBC’s “Oprah” approach to Olympic coverage… it seemed that each event was buried by hours of docu-drama footage and i honestly don’t want to know that much about the people competing… i certainly don’t want the folks over at the network manipulating my emotions and subversively telling me who i should be supporting… this seems to be the new MO of “reality” television in general and i suppose it works on some level, but i don’t like it one bit…

Anyway, one positive note is that the Olympics saved the best for last… yesterday was the final event, the gold medal game in men’s hockey… the set up took care of itself (as it should)… the US underdogs upset Canada a mere week before, leaving a taste for vengence up North and a sense of hope for the Americans… and they clashed again, in what was an epic battle chock full of heart-stopping moments and nail-biting scenarios… if you’ve managed to avoid the results thus far and are still looking forward to watching this game on your DVR or whatever, i’ll spare you the spoilers, but that, was easily the best event of the entire Winter Games… even people who never watch hockey (ie. 95% of America) were glued to the coverage…

WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULAR SCHEDULE…
now playing: Welcome Back – Theme from Welcome Back Kotter

piggy-backing on the end of the Olympics, is the return of normalcy during primetime… this means that my DVR will finally have more than episodes of LOST and American Idol for me to watch… i’m specifically happy to see Chuck and The Office return to the schedule, but i’m also looking forward to checking out Parenthood and The Marriage Ref to see what they have to offer… i kind of missed the sneak preview of the Marriage Ref last night, but it looks like it will be a fun show, and i really like the tagline (official or unofficial) “Thank you for letting us into your marriage – it’s worth fighting for”… talk about counter-culture…

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE…
now playing: I’m Not Who I Was – Brandon Heath

and to wrap up this extended television, um, set… i’d like to talk about a new show that i have been watching and, thus far, enjoying… the show is called Undercover Boss and the premise is downright intriguing… a corporate big wig dons the life of an Average Joe for one week and tries out the blue collar functions that fund his or her high life…

this, of course, is filmed and edited down into fun soundbytes where the big boss’s new bosses say things like, “You don’t have much of a future here” and “Maybe you should look into a different type of work”… What’s really cool about the series, though, it exposes the ever-growing gap between workers and managers, shedding light on the utter disconnect and often amusing discoveries… for instance, is it possible that the CEO of Hooters was really surprised to learn that the general public doesn’t think his restaurants are family-friendly?…

overall, this show provides a really fun look into the corporate world and offers the premise of improving the work environment for all… currently airing on Sunday nights, this show rivals Extreme Home Makeover for feel-good reality television, though i can also see this as a short-lived experiment… time will tell, but i like what i’ve seen so far…

FIN.

that’s all from the world of television for this week… stick around for mashed potatoes from movies, books, music, and more… soon…

peace… love… bdg…

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and now it’s time for part two of the American Idol rundown for the first major week of competition… lots of writing ahead, so let’s not dilly-dally… i at least recognize a couple of these guys so perhaps that will make it a little more interesting for me… or less interesting… we’ll see… Simon delivers an ultimatum… lose it tonight, and your career is OVER!… off we go…

TWELVE LORDS A LEAPING…

now playing: Let’s Hear it for the Boy(s) – Deniese Williams

Todrick Hall… singing “Since You’ve Been Gone“… this guy reminds me of Dietrick Haddon… not that it means much to most of you, but really, he does… this is a really interesting take on Kelly Clarkson’s power pop ballad… it’s hardly recognizable… and i love it… sorry, i guess i tipped my hand there… that was fresh though… nice, nice job… Ellen says the chorus wasn’t great, but she loved the chance that he took… Randy says it didn’t sound like the same song… (i don’t know why that’s a bad thing)… Kara says that he’s a strong enough singer that he doesn’t need to rearrange the song that much… Simon says that he probably came across more of a dancer trying to sing than a singer that he can dance… he murdered and tortured the song… i still really liked it…

Aaron Kelly… i hear good things about this guy, but i don’t remember him all that much, just like he doesn’t always remember the lyrics apparently… this youngster is singing “Here Comes Goodbye,” a Rascal Flatts song, which should be a good fit… i don’t think the sound is set up right… oh… it’s like he was riding a bull and lasted just under eight seconds… he’s off-key, maybe he can hold it together enough to get back on track… well, okay, not so much… Simon says that it was a good performance for a first-timer… he needs to take control of the song rather than vice versa… Kara says that he’s going to get better every week because he has natural raw talent… Randy says that it was a big song, but he’s got a huge voice… Ellen says ditto, we love you long time…

Jermaine Sellers… don’t throw the band under the bus… singing “Get Here”… a.k.a. a girl song… and he’s not changing it into a guy song… he does have a pretty decent voice, but it’s so held back and breathy… oh, well, now we know why… he so needs to go back to the mild-mannered approach… some of these vocals are really hurting my ears… that’s wildly off… that’s a shame… aw, don’t throw a run in at the end… that just makes it worse… Ellen says that it was just a performance and that he was pushing it too much… Randy says it was a weird choice, but he tried to do too much with it… nice look though (i’ll agree there)… Kara says that he was trying to show off what he can do, but it was overdone… Simon says it’s the kind of song that would be requested by a 50-year old… and it was over the top… and now they’re giving him a lot of extra time… the producers must want this guy to stick around… please, audience, remember him and vote for him… i don’t like that…

Tim Urban… here’s the guy who was snatched from the jaws of defeat and has a second chance… let’s see how he does… singing “Apologize” good, good track… i guess it’s good that he’s not trying to be a copycat, but his voice sounds a little weird… and, oh, good grief couldn’t SOMEBODY have told him that he has absolutely no falsetto?… ah, poor kid… that wasn’t good at all… he’s probably going home… Simon says they made the right decision… the first time… he’s just not good enough… Kara says that the music overpowered him… (the rhythm will eventually get you)… Randy says that it was the wrong song and (thank you) that he doesn’t have the falsetto to make it work… Ellen says that he just couldn’t hit the high notes and it didn’t sound good, despite him looking adorable…

now playing: Marching On – OneRepublic

Joe Munoz… i love that Simon told him to learn how to play the guitar… singing a Jason Mraz song… i’m not sure that was in English at the beginning… okay, here’s another example of the song running all over the performer and pretty much leaving him for dead… this, my friends is a trainwreck caused by a car accident caused by a plane crash… Ellen says that he was comfortable on stage… Randy says that he worked it out… Kara says that he had a few issues, but he’s been the best vocally so far tonight? (what the heck is she talking about?)… Simon says that he sort of agrees, but he’s not at all a star… very forgetable…

Tyler Grady… this guy will have to be amazing to win me over because as far as i’m concerned, he’s a dope… singing “American Woman“… slow from the start… that’s not too bad… and now it kicks in… and yeah, so um, he can perform, i guess… but he certainly can’t sing… i’m not sold… he stinks… Simon says it was memorable, but partly because cliche and PHONEY… Kara says she agrees and there wasn’t much original… Randy says it was style over substance… Ellen says he’s copying the poses but it’s not real… i have to say at this point, since i have a moment… i’m watching this on a slight delay, and i keep getting distracted by Chris Sligh and Phil Stacey’s live tweeting… i’m looking forward to actually reading their thoughts on the night… also, i want to push that Old Spice guy into the ocean… and kick sand on him…

Lee Dewyze… i didn’t particularly like his version of “You Found Me“… now he’s singing Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, a song with an incredible build and a really cool payoff… if done right… ouch… okay, so this is the David Cook of the season… and i suppose everybody’s gonna fall in love with him all season and i’m gonna tell them that he simply can’t sing… and well, eventually, it will make sense when he doesn’t sell any records… HE CAN’T SING…. Ellen says that she loved the song and the tone of his voice, but that he pushed it a little too hard… Randy says it was too soft of a song and that he’s kind of a David Cook type of singer… Kara says that he almost ruined the song because he tried to fit it into his vocal range rather than pick a song that would’ve worked naturally… Simon says it was the best performance and that he should follow David Cook’s example… here we go again… oh, is that a BRMC tee shirt? probably not… never mind…

John Park… i’m looking forward to see how he performs… he seems like a pretty funny guy… singing “God Bless the Child“… okay, so he doesn’t talk with an accent, why on earth does he sing with one?… it’s too quiet, but it’s well controlled… probably too controlled, actually… it sounds pretty solid, but for me, he may as well be humming… can’t really understand half of the lyrics… and there’s not much to be happy about with that performance… Simon says that doesn’t have the voice to pull it off and it fell flat… Kara agrees and says that it was a sleepy performance… Randy says it was a matter of (wait for it) song choice… Ellen says that she thought he sounded great, but it may have been better if it was a different song…

now playing: Heartless – The Fray

Michael Lynche… the trainer who missed his baby’s birthday… he doesn’t even have to sing, really, he’s already guaranteed a top eight spot… singing This Love by Maroon5… i don’t get that song choice at all… i know, how cliche of me… but seriously… i mean, SERIOUSLY… it’s just not right for him… and he’s rushing it, and he’s not really playing that guitar… somehow, he’s out of breath though… it’s a good thing that he’s incredibly well-liked and friendly… that performance was just not good… Ellen says that it was a great song, great personality and it worked… Randy plays up the personality as well… then ignores the performance and distracts the audience with a funny line… Kara says that he brightened up the place, but if the rest of the group didn’t suck, he would’ve gotten torn to shreds… Simon says that yeah, it wasn’t good, they’re just afraid to say it…

Alex Lambert… who is not related to Adam?… he’s singing Wonderful World… he’s got something of a flared mullet going on with his hair… he does seem to have a rather charming, shy-guy presence though… reminds me of Matt Saracen from Friday Night Lights… he’s really straining to make his voice work, but – for the time being – it is kind of working… it’s not for me, but i can see this guy going pretty far… Simon says that he’s got a great voice, but it was an uncomfortable performance… Kara wants to hug him and she acts it out… she continues to tell him that he has potential… Randy says he’s got a great tone of voice… Ellen says that she likes him and the mullet, then she compares him to a slightly unripe banana… that’s a little odd…

Casey James… a.k.a. Sawyer (from LOST)… he’s even got the shirtless thing going… singing Heaven by Bryan Adams… this is a pretty nice choice actually… he is, surprisingly for me, the best performance of the night… he’s got it locked in and he’s really holding it down… i’m not sure that i like the Cher-like vibrato going on here and there… okay… the judges are really being dopes on this one… Kara is pretty smitten, Ellen says she could feel Kara undressing him with her eyes… Randy says that he likes the swagger and the sound… Simon says that he chose the right song, was honest and likable… then he calls Kara a cougar…

Andrew Garcia… the is my early choice as a favorite… and apparently he’s won the producers over, as well… can you say p-i-m-p spot… singing something from Fall Out Boy… actually playing the guitar… he’s definitely nervous, but he’s holding it together pretty nicely… number one with a bullet… that’s probably the case… honestly, not the best song or performance, but it will suffice… hopefully, they let him have it and he shapes up over the next few weeks… he’s certainly safe… Simon says he was disappointed… Kara says that it was kind of a risk, but it didn’t really work… Randy says that the song arrangement was strange, but he knows that he can be great… Ellen says that he needs to open up and be himself a bit more…

AND NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE…

now playing: Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash

alrighty then… there were a LOT of BAD performances tonight… and that makes it really difficult to pick who should stay and who should go… let me start with who will be safe… Andrew, Casey, and Alex will be safe… Michael is safe… Lee is probably safe and unfortunately Tyler probably has enough support to make it into the top 12 already… that may actually be the guy side of the top twelve now that i think about it…

so that leaves us with Joe, Aaron, John, Jermaine, Todrick, and Tim… so i’ll go ahead and say that Aaron and John are safe… and pairing off Joe with Tim and Jermaine with Todrick… one of each of those groups will probably go… i’ll say that the bell tolls for Todrick and Joe… that will probably change in the morning, though, because at least those six should be done…

peace… love… bdg…

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