just a quick heads up… i posted a Walk TRu for the remix album of Dance or Die by Family Force 5… below is a widget full of 30-second previews of all the tracks…

peace… love… bdg…

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A few things off the top… and speaking of the top, check out the new header… it may change again as i continue to tweak a few things and act out my discontent with the way things are… also, Happy Birthday Billy Graham… the honorably Reverend turned 90 today and to celebrate, i posted a walk TRu based on the soundtrack of the new movie Billy: The Early Years, which unfortunately didn’t long enough in the theaters to be showing today…

also, i noticed some bumper stickers this morning asking to impeach Obama… come on, at least give the guy a chance to prove himself… i’m sure that we won’t agree on all (maybe not any) of his policies and actions as President, but good grief… let’s not be petty about it… if you really care about it, make sure you participate more in the political realm next time around… help campaign, spread the word, whatever… don’t start acting disrespectful and rude… let’s be bigger than that… i firmly believe that partisanship is crucial during the election cycle, but once the votes are counted, we’re all simply Americans… we may have disagreements and differing opinions about how best to run the nation, but we need to address those differences appropriately and work together for the good of the country…

okay, i’m off the soapbox and i’m going to head to bed… tomorrow i’m heading to see the Veggietales live show and perhaps i’ll take a crack at a book or two…

peace… love… bdg…

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Well, somehow, it’s Friday again… i’ve got to figure out how to make the week last… wait, what am i saying?… i need to figure out how to make the weekEND last a little longer… yeah, that’s more like it…

i also managed to make it through the week without buying the special edition DVD version of Iron Man from Target so as to acquire the nifty little Iron Man mask casing… that was a bit of a struggle for me actually… and i worked from home yesterday and today because the office was getting cleared out and recarpeted… hopefully it won’t stink on Monday… what else.. oh, yeah…

so i guess i was a little vague in the new Left to Write … if you were concerned that i may be depressed or anything, no need to fear… it’s more about the struggles i’ve faced over the last year and a half regarding my writing “career” and how absolutely odd it feels to be where i am right now in that regard…

see, we normally have this general assumption that when we buckle down and strive to achieve our goals, that once we get there, we’ll just keep going… that we’ll move on to better and bigger things… (see also, one of the causes of the mortgage crisis)… we never assume that we’ll achieve our goals and then end up back at the beginning… like climbing a ladder to find that the world has all the while been spinning and by the time you reach the top rung, it’s really the bottom rung…

so, when that happens, what do you do? turn around? go back? go up again? find a new ladder? and that’s more where that piece comes from…

but there are new things to discuss as well, such as the VP debate, football and television… and away we go…

MY RUNNING MATE CAN BEAT UP YOUR RUNNING MATE
- to the tune of Debate Exposes Doubt – Death Cab for Cutie

So who won the VP Debate last night?… well, it depends who you ask… i’ve heard both VP candidates declared the winner by various media outlets… and of course, it seemed like most people came out of the debate supporting whoever they supported before the debate… a classic case of hearing what you wanted to hear… seeing what you wanted to see… believing what you wanted to believe…

what i saw was that both sides made their mistakes and made their points… Gov. Palin was charming, disarming, fiesty and well put together, but she did have some moments when she stumbled, avoided certain questions and looked a little uncomfortable… overall, i thought she was great, however… Sen. Biden also did a great job overall, but he did make a few blunders and mistakes himself… one big difference, which actually scores points in a debate, is that Gov. Palin called Sen. Biden on his missteps, but the opposite wasn’t the case… Sen. Biden was on the defensive for a lot of the debate, but he battled well with his back to the ropes…

So who won the debate?… technically, if each side retained the support that it had before the debate, then it was a draw… however, in one sense, the Democratic ticket was looking for this to be a big win and since it wasn’t, that’s almost like a loss… anyway… my support was and still is with McCain and Palin…

LEATHERHEADS
- to the tune of All Star – Smash Mouth

I’m actually watching this movie as i type up this entry, so that’s one more way that my mind is on football tonight… anyway, it seems as if my teeter-totter theory has extended to my picks as well… i lost on all fronts this last week, though… lost both leagues and went 6-7 with my picks which brings me to 34-26 over the first 4 weeks… at least i’m not in the negative… and i’m certain to bounce back big time this week, especially in fantasy since i have an extraordinarily EASY matchup against sir Janke… and my picks… i’ve got a good feeling about them…

Ravens, Panthers, Bears, Falcons
Colts, Chargers, Giants, Redskins
Bucs, Bills, Cowboys, Patriots
Jaguars and Saints…

i haven’t checked to see which games i’ll get in my area, but the best games to watch will be Colts/Texans and the Redskins/Eagles for the early game, and the Bills/Cardinals, of course, for the late game… Sunday Night looks better than Monday Night yet again, but if the Vikings actually show up, it might prove otherwise… however it works out… it’s going to be another great week of football matchups…

BOXED UP
- to the tune of Welcome Back (Theme from Welcome Back, Kotter) – John Sebastian

So, i’ll try to get into some of the TV Shows that i’m watching this fall… i’ll start with Sunday… that’s right, Sunday…
MAD MEN: the duo at the Steelehouse Podcast (which i listen to and recommend) talked me into giving this show a trial… and it turns out that it’s a darn good show… there is a bit of mature content, but the characters are developed better than most every other show on television…

and on to Monday…
CHUCK… i think this was on the verge of being cancelled last year, but i’m very happy that it’s back in what appears to be full force… it’s a pretty absurd premise and all, but it’s a fun one to watch…
HEROES… also back in full force with an entirely new premise that makes more sense than any of the other seasons as far as i’m concerned… the first three episodes have aired and there’s already so many questions that have been raised and so many new plotlines that have great potential…
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER… the new Friends… episode one started out a bit slow, but episode two finds the group back in stride with some nice lines…
BIG BANG THEORY… eh… kind of a throwaway show at times, but there’s plenty of decent jokes thrown in to make it worth watching…
PRISON BREAK… so, i’ve already talked about this one, but i will say that if i didn’t already feel invested in the show, it would’ve lost me… i mean, they’ve painted themselves into a corner because the crew has to succeed, no one can die, so the real suspense is completely gone…

Tuesday brings two new shows that have some potential…
FRINGE… JJ Abrams brings us another elaborate conspiracy-based show that has started out slowly, but has a lot of potential to become a must see… it’s kind of like X-Files on crack… though, i never really watched X-Files…
THE MENTALIST… yeah, it’s kind of a blah show, since it’s basically a rip-off of Psych, but it may be alright…

and more… another day… that is the bulk of my shows, however… next time i’ll talk about Wed-Friday, which is about five shows and then the next time after that i’ll talk about new shows that are still to come or that i haven’t decided on yet, which is also about five shows…

ON OUR WAY

well, time isn’t on my side, but if you’ve still got some to spare, check out the brand spanking new Walk TRu on Switchfoot’s Best Yet and/or the first of a series of 25 Words or Less looking back on the album releases of 2008… (this one’s January)…

peace… love… bdg…

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What’s up world… what is up?… well, i’m trying to get the ball rolling here and over on the front page andit’s no small task… i’ve been thinking through a lot of how i do things and what things i should focus on and what dreams and goals i should pursue and which should be left flopping on the floorboards of the fishing boat or tossed back into the lake…

today, though, there’s some new content on the front page, a conversation in the making, some movie thoughts, book thoughts, and… are you ready for some football?… and more… so let’s get going…

FAVRE AND AWAY
to the tune of Trade Winds – Frank Sinatra

Stop me if you’ve heard this before… an athelete retires after one of his best seasons ever and then… wait a minute nope… heeeeee’s BACK…. okay, this time it’s football and this time it’s Brett Favre… after much speculation immediately following his retirement at the end of last season, Favre is back, ready to suit up in the familiar green jersey… as excited teammate Donald Driver said, “He’s back in business”

but wait… something’s different… there’s more to the story… in fact, that green looks like it’s a different shade… oh… Favre’s a Jet… didn’t see that coming…

THE FATE OF THE DANCEFLOOR
to the tune of Dance or Die – Family Force 5)

i meant to do a quick look at this album earlier, but now that it’s only a couple weeks away from releasing, time is even more of the essence… well, i’ve been listening to this one for a while now and the most obvious thing to say about it is that it’s totally different from their last album… different label, different style, different everything…

Well, that’s the easy button… and i’ll pass on that… remember that time that Family Force 5 kept saying over and over how they wanted to bring the party back into the music scene?… well, their last album really rocked out and gave plenty of people fits as they tried to categorize the group and this time around… well, it’s just a non-stop party… you’ve got much less classic, southern rock, much more synth, much more euro-pop, much more volume and they’ve cranked the crunk way past eleven… it’s certainly a fun ride, but i’m sure that it’s not for everyone…

THE PEARL
to the tune of Love’s Done Something – Casting Pearls

So we watched a rather odd movie last night called Girl With a Pearl Earring… i did not pick the movie, it picked me… well, enough of that… but here’s the thing… Colin Firth of Pride and Prejudice fame stars as Johannes Vermeer, the famous Dutch artist and Scarlett Johansson stars as one of his house maids, Griet… as the story unfolds, it was interesting to see how the two interacted with each other… Scarlett is obviously an attractive gal and has gained the notice of some nefarious characters in the film and Vermeer takes her in and allows her to assist him with painting… it seems that he’s actually protected her from rape by agreeing to paint her and then, by the end, Vermeer’s wife who has a rather creepy countenance about her finds out about the painting and throws Griet out of the house…

Afterwards, we were talking about the movie, because it wasn’t perhaps the best film we’d seen, but a question about the relationship between Vermeer and Griet came up… whether or not he liked her inappropriately or not… and there’s a scene when the wife is yelling at Vermeer, asking why he would paint Griet and not her which is pivotal to the movie… his response was that she understood… and in that moment, i got a picture of Jesus responding to the guests at a certain banquet who were pretty ticked off about Mary washing His feet with expensive perfume…

“Why would you let her do this Master? It’s seems like such a waste!”

“She gets it. She understands what’s going on while the rest of you – even my closest companions – are clueless.”

i don’t know, it was just an interesting picture of an artist preserving beauty and innocence and rewarding someone who honestly tried to follow and understand art… i don’t know that i’d recommend the movie, but it was interesting in that way at least…

PRINCE CHARMING
to the tune of The Kings and Queens of Old – Harry Gregson-Williams (from Prince Caspian)

Prince Caspian
by CS Lewis

Okay, it’s about time that i start catching up on these reviews, right?… first up is Prince Caspian, which continues the Narnian saga… and it’s easy to see why they chose this book to continue the big screen adventures of these zany kids and their wild escapades… seriously though, it was better than i remember from the days of my youth and it’s got all kinds of intrigue and adventure… tweaks the farthest reaches of your imagination and finds the right moments to poke you back to reality…

The standout jab for me came from Lucy, i believe, as she was talking with Susan as they trudged through the thick woods… she asks a rather poignant question about what might happen if humankind resolved themselves to the basest of existence over time as the animals of Narnia had given up talking and acting appropriately… it’s a stark glimpse at what the world might look like as our collective conscience continues to erode… great book though… i wish i had gone to see the film while it was in theaters, but now i can’t wait for the DVD to come out…

THE READING ROOM
to the tune of Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog) – Iron & Wine

Updated list for Mark Lee’s Summer Reading Club…

Okay, so i still have two more reviews to go to catch up… well, scratch that… i just finished another book today… that’s right… i’m on FIRE… Searching for God Knows What has officially been added to the completed pile… i have so many thoughts about that book that i’m going to let it stew for a bit before i offer any formalized thoughts on it… anyway, this is the updated list… i fully expect to be finished with House of Wolves this weekend as i can’t hardly bear to put it down…

On a somewhat related note… Mark Lee recently celebrated the birth of his new daughter, Katherine Marlow Lee, so between that and touring the new Third Day album, he’s been a bit tied up… Congrats to him and his family…

Completed…

Working through…
- Jesus Wants to Save Christians (Bell / Golden) [about 130 pages left]
- The Parent You Want to Be (Parrott) [about 150 pages left]
- House of Wolves (Bronleewe) [about 150 pages left]
- New Way to Be Human (Peacock) [about 200 pages left]
- At the Crossroads (Peacock)
- Deliver Us from Evelyn (Wells)
- The Two Towers (Tolkien)
- Quiet Strength (Dungy)
- UnChristian (Kinnaman & Lyons)
- My Name Is Russell Fink (Snyder)

FULL LIST HERE…

DON’T GO AWAY MAD
to the tune of Moving On – Needtobreathe

Oh, jeepers… i just realized i forgot something… one second… ah, never mind, i’ll do it here… on the front page… we have a pretty interesting interview with Erwin McManus, pastor of Mosaic and author of such books as, Wide Awake, which is on my completed pile… we talked largely about the book and dreams and things of such nature, but we also had a few laughs and veered off topic now and again… i felt like it was one of my better interviews though, so, you can say yay or nay after you’ve read it…

Also littering the front page is a brand new Walk TRu… but it’s unlike any other walk TRu i’ve ever done… i think… it’s based on this new album that Starsong put out this week that names what they considered to be the thirteen CCM songs that most changed the church… now, i know “change” is vague and “church” is vague and “CCM” is kind of vague, for that matter… but i’m asking you to get involved… tell me what 13 CCM songs YOU think have had the biggest impact on the Church… hopefully that rewording has made it clearer… but, yeah, tell me why you agree or disagree with their choices and tell me what should’ve made it… you can leave your thoughts here in the comments or email them to TRuMoments [at] GMail.com…

my thoughts are coming soon… let the discussion begin…

peace… love… bdg….

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i’m getting so bad at this… it’s like i never know what’s happening because i’m too busy doing stuff all the time… sometimes i don’t even know what i’m doing… that’s when it gets nice and crazy… anyway… had a nice little breather at work, but things have kind of swollen back up and i’m far more than knee deep again… it’s going to be a trying time the next few months at least and i’m sure it’ll be a while before everything is aright… and i’m sure that i’m gonna be extremely tired when it’s all said and done… i’m already at least halfway there…

Anyway, how about some TV talk, music chatter, and a little bit of other stuff…

CLEAR EYES… FULL HEARTS… CAN’T LOSE….

to the tune of Game On -Disciple

we’ve been going back through and watching FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS on DVD… we had watched Season One while it was happening, but by the time Season Two came on, i’m not sure what happened… i guess our DVR was overbooked or on the fritz or something and we ended up missing a bunch of the episodes and that coupled with the far-reaching murder subplot really turned me off to the show… Now that season two is out on DVD, i thought it was a good time to give it a second chance… and, thanks to good old netflix… it’s pretty much risk free…

Anyway, i’m very glad we did because the writing (other than the whole murder thing) is just phenomenal… and it’s reminded me of the most fascinating character on television… Tim Riggins… yeah that’s right… and by fascinating, i mean that whenever he’s on the screen, it’s worth watching… he’s easily the most complex character… and his reactions to life’s problems, which tend to be numerous in his case, are always memorable… as easy as it would’ve been to make him a stock character with stereotypical reactions, i’m so glad they put more thought into him than that…

FASCINATION

to the tune of Fascination – Lester Lanin

Yeah, that’s right…. Big Band… that’s good stuff…

Anyway, since i’ve gone and declared Riggs as the most fascinating character on television, i thought i’d go ahead and list a few others that always grab my attention when they’re on screen… Despite being numbered, this is my official, unordered list of last year’s most fascinating characters on television…

• Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)
• Michael Westen (Burn Notice)
• Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)
• Brenda Johnson (The Closer)
• Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
• Robert Hawkins (Jericho)
• Peter Petrelli (Heroes)
• Sylar (Heroes)
• Robert Goren (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)
• Adrian Monk (Monk)
• Benjamin Linus (Lost)
• Daniel Faraday (Lost)
• Michael Scofield (Prison Break)

I’m sure that i’ve missed plenty… i don’t watch every show obviously and, in some instances, i don’t even watch the cool ones… You may also notice that there’s no one from The Office on the list… trust me, that’s still my favorite comedy by far, but i think as far as characters go, each character draws far too much strengh from how the entire ensemble acts and reacts… though, if forced into a corner, i’d probably be deciding between Toby and Creed since they have two of the smaller roles, but can, with a single line completely define the scene that they’re in…

WIDE-EYED AND DIGITIZED

to the tune of The Invitation – downhere

Downhere has partnered with MusiChristian.com (who i used to use as my primary affiliate partnership) and they’re giving away Wide Eyed and Mystified for the price of an email address… the album has amazingly been out for two years and the group has apparently mined it completely of all it’s monetary value (what with a B-Sides and an acostic remix version among other things) and they really want you to remember their name when the release their next album, reportedly titled Ending is Beginning and may be released in late September… (currently, they’re planning for the 23rd)…

So, you go to the page, enter your email address, and download a nice zip file with the full album in mp3 format complete with a 10-page that contains the liner notes and a cutout to make your CD insert and pretend that you bought a real copy of the album… and i jest, but it’s really a good album and i think the vocal work on the album is some of the best that the past few years has to offer…

ANOTHER DEATH IN THE FAMILY

to the tune of Part the Waters Lord / I Need the Every Hour – Selah

And, now on a more serious note… actually, an extremely serious note… Nicol Sponberg (Selah) and her husband, Greg, recently had their life tragically interrupted with the death of their son, Luke who was, i beleve about three months old… It’s my understanding that they also lost a nephew recently in the third hour of his life… clearly this is a difficult time for the family and prayers will be greatly appreciated… I’m told that they’ll be establishing a Luke Sponberg Foundation and I’m sure that more details about that will be available in the near future…

AND WITH THAT…

Well, i had some other things to talk about, but it hardly seems like the best time to do that, so i’ll close this out right now with a few links and a fond farewell for now…

- Third Day Walk TRu

- Phil Stacey Album Review

peace… love… bdg…

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i promised myself that i’d write again before it was time to do the whole American Idol thing and yet, here it is again… Tuesday staring me square in the face laughing at my lack of discipline… mocking me with my own voice… well… anyway… it is Tuesday but it’s not time for Idol… not just yet anyway… and i’ve not been idle in the meanwhile… in fact, i’ve been so busy that i’m ready to burst…

in the past week (though it feels like one long day), i worked on building out a new site for my brother and sister in law, i transcribed a lengthy interview, i wrote two feature articles, i wrote a couple reviews, i did a walk TRu, and i sketched out some work on a few other projects i have whirling around in my head… all this on top of my day job, the duties of which have exploded over the last five days or so… this is going to be one hectic week, i’ll tell you that much… so much so that i missed out on having a sabbath this past weekend and i’m a little discombobulated… anyway… my time is probably short, so let’s go ahead and dig in…

MOVIE MONDAY

to the tune of Assets and Targets – John Powell (from The Bourne Ultimatum)

Well, i finally got around to watching the third installation of the Bourne trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and all i have to say is woah… not like a Keanu Reaves, Matrix, “woah”… a serious, have i taken a single breath this entire movie, woah… i normally try to do some work or whatever on my laptop while the movies are playing, but not while Jason Bourne was on… i had a tough time taking my eyes off the screen the entire time and that’s how an action movie should be… if i’m watching an action flick, i want to be completely taken in by it… i want the little boy in me to be acting out the fight scenes for the next few days after watching it… bottom line, The Bourne Ultimatum gets a 4.5 out of 5 from me…

RETURN OF THE TALK

to the tune of Jesus is Just Alright -dc Talk

So i’ve realized that i don’t talk music enough here on the old blog, which is genuinely odd since this is primarily a music website… if i made any bread and butter, you could say that music is where i’ve made it… and since i enjoy the older stuff too, when i saw this headline… dc Talk Reunites. . . i naturally had to check it out and share it with you all… i knew we’d all be excited together… (note: yes, i realize that it is what it is)…

WHERE IS THE LOVE

to the tune of Love Is Here – Tenth Avenue North

And now for perhaps some more serious musical news… hot new band Tenth Avenue North who’s debut record is set to release next week has released a video for their lead single… the video for Love Is Here seems to pay a bit of tribute to The Beatles and U2… or maybe i’m reading into it too much… anyway, the song’s really good….

IN OTHER WORDS

to the tune of Violet Hill – Coldplay

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg… Well, i’ve moved onto the final section of this book, which means it’s time for me to talk about Hazards (the second to last section)… the first chapter in this section jumped off the pages to me… “BEWARE, THE SHADOW MISSION” discusses what i’m far too familiar with… distractions… distractions keep you from accomplishing your mission… shadow missions seem like worthy causes sometimes… like, hey, can i really beat my previous high score in that game?… but they occupy your time and prevent you from making progress on what actually matters in the long term… it’s somthing that i can honestly admit to struggling with just about every day…

the rest of the section is good, too, reminding us that competition isn’t necessarily a bad thing… more stuff will never make us more of an actual success… and what’s really important in terms of our physical existence is how we react to, cohabitate with and most importanty love those around us… all in all, a number of good lessons in this book so far… and as i’ve rounded the last bend as they say (i have about 20 pages to go), it’s earning my recommendation more and more with each page turned… stay tuned for the finale sometime (most likely) next week…

PEEP INSTEAD OF SLEEP

okay and there are a few things to check out over on the main page… first, a Walk TRu of WOW Hits [1]… part two of my GMA Reflections and Responses… and an album review of Meredith Andrew’s debut album, The Invitation… right around the corner, you can expect some more reviews, 2 interviews (Salvador and Stephanie Smith), an iTRunes playlist and a handful of other things…

peace… love… bdg…

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So, it’s another Idol night already and that means i’ve not updated in a week… what a jerk… anyway… i’ve been trying to readjust to life and a bunch of other excuses that you don’t care about, i’m sure… and man, have my allergies been driving me nuts lately… my eye has been twitching for about a month and my nose has been twitching on and off as well… the littles are starting to struggle with the pollen counts, too, which really makes like fun… anyway… lots to get to, so let’s get getting…

MOVIE MONDAY

i meant to go post this yesterday, but i didn’t post anything so, here it is now… i finally, (read: FINALLY), saw Oceans Thirteen… and for me, it was goooood… i really like the series and i thought this one fit very nicely into the mix… you gotta love crooks who steal to make other people happy… and they’re all just the epitome of cool… a couple odds and ends notes… as expected there were a number of twists and turns in the plot line… i say expected because it seems like every movie now has to have these crazy twists at the end nowadays… i think that eventually, we’ll get to the point where a straightforward movie – one where what you expect to happen actually happens – is going to be the new suspense thriller… just a thought… Also, and i’m not one to force spiritual meanings into things, but at the end of the movie, all i could think about was that verse in the Bible about man making all the plans that he wants, but it’s only God’s plans that actually matter in the long run… yeah… i should figure out where that’s from exactly… i’m guessing Proverbs…

FOUR MORE (A.K.A. THE AI COMMENTARY)

to the tune of Roll over Beethoven -Chuck Berry

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night… i… wanna rock and roll all night…. and party every day… okay… so i’m not going to guess the songs this week, but anyone wanna bet that Brooke tries to crash the stage and sing Piano Man or something… anyone? anyone?… okay… the show’s underway after Ryan specifies when the judges are allowed to speak…

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran… i remember the video for this song more than anything else about it… i think some dude was wandering around the woods trying to catch a girl dressed up like Little Red Riding Hood and he’s wearing a wolf skin… i remember that video more then i expect to remember this performance actually… Randy says it was just okay… Paula says she’s hungry for some David Cook and then she rambles on about something odd… Simon says it’s probably good enough, but nothing special…

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): Syesha’s dress has been designed by Kristy Lee Cook… or something… oh, i like the hat… Tina… i thought she might sing some Tina or Aretha, but i don’t know who’s in the HOF… wow… she’s trying to look like Tina… she’s definitely working it… she has the clear advantage of being the only official girl left in the competition… and this song is alright… her vocal isn’t that great, but the performance is very strong indeed… she knows how to use the stage… Randy says she was in the zone… (no, i didn’t just copy that from last week)… Paula says she looks like a star… Simon says he has to put a slight damper on it… shrieky, bad impersonation of Tina Turner… the song was Proud Mary, by the way…

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: i think Carley’s drunk… so, go figure, Jason Castro is singing a Bob Marley tune… I Shot the Sheriff… props right off the bat to the band… they’re fantastic… he’s alright… well… i mean, this really… well… um… he looks the part at least… he needs to take into account the dynamics and meaning of the song… Randy plays the karaoke card… Paula says he played to the crowd… Simon says it was utterly atrocious and he has no idea what Jason was thinking…

{Little) David Archuleta: singing Stand By Me… and he actually looks like the kids walking on the train tracks during this movie… i remember singing this song in like fifth grade or something… i think i sounded about the same… well, i didn’t sing it solo or anything… but come on… if anyone deserves the karoake card, it’s him right here… that’s just… bah… Randy says he broght the hot man vocals… or hot mad vocals… or something like that… Paula says she admires that he kept his eyes open… Simon says whistling would’ve been better than Jason’s song, that he struggled a little bit, but it was the best performance so far…

REALLY? YOU WANT MORE?

to the tune of A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke

So far i’m not really impressed with any of them (surprise), but as of halfway through, Archy and Jason seem to be battling for the boot…

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: singing something from The Who… Baba O’Riley?… i never listened much to The Who… it seemed really short, which isn’t a baad thing… i’ve decided that he sounds like Todd Agnew… slow build and now he’s screaming up the end of the tune… whatever… it’s alright… Randy says it was really good, the David Cook they like… Paula says she wants a happy meal with a David Cook toy to hug and squeeze and hang from her rear view mirror… Simon says welcome back…

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): oh no she isn’t… she’s singing my boy Sam Cooke… Change is Gonna Come… look, if you can’t mess with a Bob Marley song, i’m not sure you can mess with Sam… well, this is an entirely new arrangement… and she’s belting out the words here and there… that’s a strong finish, but i’m not sure that the whole thing was that great… not as much soul to it as the original… Randy says he didn’t like the arrangement and you shouldn’t mess with Sam… Paula says she did a great thing with her vocals… Cry-esha is still reeling from Randy’s harsh comments… Simon takes pity and sides with Paula, noting that Randy got it entirely wrong…

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: oh gosh… Jason didn’t shoot the sheriff, he shot himself in the foot, head and heart… BOB DYLAN???? and we don’t know the lyrics… somebody call Wayne Brady up on stage… i don’t even know what to say… sort of like Jason… wah wah waaaah wah wah waaaaah…. well, needless to say, it was terrible and he’s going to get trashed… he might not get voted off though… Randy just kind of giggles… Paula is smelling her feet… Simon tells him to pack his suitcase…

{Little) David Archuleta: oh… good grief… he really IS trying to beat Jason for the lamest performance… Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley… and he’s, well, he’s saving himself quite nicely actually… the vocal is pretty solid… why does the dude who can sing really well have to be so annoying?… Randy says he was carressing the lyrics… Paula says he’s so sweet… Simon says he CRUSHED all those who oppose…

Well, i’ll say that the Davids are safe and Jason will go home despite the possibility of pretending to forget the lyrics for the sake of getting sympathy… Syesha will probably be left on stage with Jason, but should be safe…

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

So, lots of new stuff to peep over on the main page… first up, a Walk TRu of the Jars of Clay Greatest Hits project… part one of my GMA Reflections and Responses… an interview with Poems (formerly Sharlok Poems, Sharlok P, etc from LA Symphony)… and an album review of Salvador’s latest, Aware… and there’s plenty more to come…

peace… love… bdg…

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well, it’s Friday and you may be thinking that, hey, i guess the new schedule means that he blows off Wednesday and Thursday… well… you’d be wrong… sure, i did blow off the last two days kind of, but it wasn’t entirely intentional, it was just life… Wednesday i was in a fog most of the day and yesterday, among other things, i had to do an interview that i had pretty much forgotten about… and then amidst all the preparations for GMA Week which is now officially less than a month away… it’s just been pretty crazy around here… so i’ll try to make up for it with a fantastic post today, but be forewarned… i’m listening to talk radio and it’s kind of difficult to write while doing that… but let’s give it a go…

ONE. DOVE-ING IT

to the tune of We Won’t Be Quiet – David Crowder Band

So, they’ve announced the first batch of performers for this year’s Dove Awards and we care because i’ll be there and i’ll have to watch them… Anyway, it looks like an alright mix… we’ve got Casting Crowns, The Clark Sisters, Michael W Smith, Amy Grant, Marvin Sapp, Switchfoot, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin, Trin-i-tee 5:7, David Crowder*Band, Israel Houghton and Charlie Daniels with Mac Powell… i’ve bolded the ones i’m particularly interested in seeing… but, i think it’s a pretty nice variety so that most people will enjoy at least, i don’t know, maybe 5 minutes of the telecast…

oh, yeah, they’re going to be telecasting the Dove Awards live on Gospel Music Channel

TWO. BUSSED-ED

to the tune of Gypsy Flat Road – Sandra McCracken

So i kind of laughed out loud when i read this story about flattened bus tires… not because i think it’s a good idea, but because i clearly remember a time when some guys i knew did something similar during my high school days… i don’t think they were successful, and they certainly didn’t keep a secret well, because everyone knew about it by the day’s end… this case, however included other vandalism to the busses including graffiti… i’ve also, in looking for a better article about this, learned that this has become quite an epidemic across the country, with recent occurrences in Boston, Chicago, Colorado, New Jersey and probably a lot more… that’s the power of the internet, kids…

one side note… i remember when graffiti was about giving a voice to the voiceless… now it’s just about degredation of society and it really irritates me…

THREE. NEW DAY???

to the tune of Come Together – Third Day

Third Day is planning a new album and by golly it actually sounds pretty exciting… given that i haven’t heard a note of it, i’m basing this solely on the press release that i received not too long ago… here’s the gist… they’re bringing in Howard Benson (Daughtry, POOD, Flyleaf) for production and they guest list includes Chris Daughtry, Lacey Mosely (Flyleaf) and Robert Randolph…

I’m not saying this is going to be the best rock album of the year, but REVELATION may just be the best Third Day album in many, many years…

FOUR. Syncast

to the tune of The IV – Braille

consider me a somewhat late whistle-blower, but if you dig hip hop and you do the whole podcast thing, you’ve got to check out The Syncast… i guess it’s once a month, but it’s generally packed with good tunes a brief interview or other feature and it really rolls along well… They’re on #37 and i’ve listened to the last three (they’re about a half hour each) and i’m definitely recommending it right now…

Check it out in iTunes now or figure out how to subscribe other ways at TheSyncast.com

FIVE. BIG BEN

to the tune of Bad to the Bone – George Thorogood

So Ben Stein has gotten behind and in front, center stage of a documentary about evolution, creationism and the suppression of free thought in the scientific world… the trailer, despite the loud, blaring music and the silly outfit, makes the movie look pretty interesting… i got a leaders packet a couple weeks ago about it, but unfortunately not a screener, so i can’t tell you if it actually is as good as it looks or if it’s just the magic of creating a captivating 3 minute trailer… either way, it’s an interesting concept and maybe, just maybe, it will get some people realizing that everyone who believes in the Creation isn’t a complete imbecile…

HAPPY WEEKEND

and that’s that… i’ve got a new Walk TRu posted for those that are interested… Ampersand EP by Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken… hopefully i’ll have some more for you soon… ’til then…

peace… love… bdg…

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i can’t believe it’s Wednesday or that it’s so late on Wednesday… i’m going to cover a bit and cover it quickly so let’s get getting…

THE ICE STORM COMETH…

well, last night it took me over two hours to get home and i passed by an accident count in the double digits… these silly people driving too fast in icy rain… what are you thinking? so many cars on the side of the road… i sincerely hope they’re alright and that they remember not to do that again… this morning everything seemed pretty much resolved even though it was still below freezing outside and icicles adorned pretty much everything in sight…

OVER AND OVER AND OVER

at least that was pretty… the results from last night’s voting also hung like the icicles as the pundits described the life of my boy Mike’s chances dripping away… in fact… McCain’s camp actually send a memo over to Huckabee’s camp asking them to give it up, citing mathematical impossibilities… i heard people in the media call Huckabee “a professional irritant”, “an annoyance” and many other non-flattering terms, but, as silly and unprofessional as that all is, at least they’re talking about him somewhat…

IT’S ALIVE!!!!!

Bill O’Reilly, someone i can handle in small doses (usually the 3 minute Talking Points podcast), was pleading the case of Hillary Clinton the other day… yes, that Hillary… addressing the Senator’s complaints that the media has turned against her and has been unfairly representing her and her family… she was also concerned that the media outlets had already handed over the Democratic nomination to Obama despite it continuing to be a tight race… sounds to me like the monster Dr. Frankenstein built in years past has come to life and turned on its master… and, might i add, how hypocritical of O’Reilly, not only to chime in on Hillary’s side, but also to complain about “secular” media doing to Hillary exactly what he and Fox News have done to my boy Mike for the ENTIRE CONTEST…

CHEESEHEADS, ROLL OUT

Next up for my boy Mike is Wisconsin… i think he can take the state and gain some momentum going into the big block of contests on March 4th… as far as whether or not he should give up and leave the election, i say, in the words of General Anthony McAuliffe, “Nuts!”… later this week, i’ll talk more about why i like Mike…

NUTS!

speaking of which… Jericho is back on the air and i missed the premiere yesterday… i’ll watch it online or on demand later this week… pretty bummed about missing it though…

CLEMENS…. SEE?

The Rocket testified in congress today and it’s really not looking too good for Clemens… i said before that i lean towards the side of believing him over McNamee, but there is this nagging notion of motive… and then Pettite reportedly said that Clemens had admitted it to him… i just don’t know… i did work out a scenario where McNamee has motive though… it involves years of blackmail, a bluff, and a battle of wills… regardless, now that they’ve both testified to opposing accounts under oath, one of them is pretty much screwed… and Clemens never had a very good screwball…

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 6: 6-11

Day One

I’m not sure how the conversation entirely went, or if Joshua really explained the full battle plan to his people, but he managed to convince them all to follow him… and they set out on day one of the week-long plan of attack… i’m sure that everyone was pretty antsy and i imagine that there was a lot of whispers after they got back to camp that night as they all tried to figure out what happened… and why they didn’t yell at all, why they didn’t attack at all, why they were sitting back at camp again…

IN OTHER WORDS

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg…

Chapter 6: Master of the Board… again

the next section of this chapter hits you like a cold wet sock across the face… or, like the reality it’s asking you to face… the reality that you’re not actually the master of the board… we’re not in control of our lives and by pretending that we are, it’s more than a lie, it’s more than disillusionment, it’s even more than sad… it’s dangerous, it’s destructive, it’s really, really depressing… this chapter is something of a downer so far… ha!

AND IT JUST DON’T STOP

Okay, here’s the links from last time… the Mr. J Interview and a walk TRu of How Great Thou Art… looking at the old calendar, i see that i have some more interviews coming up with Kevin Max, Poems, and more including some year in re:TRu stuff too… also tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and they’re announcing the Dove Nominees, so i might talk about that, too…

peace… love… bdg…

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