Whine & Cheese

And We're Back

Well, we survived another trip to Las Vegas.  As always, we had a great time at the country's adult Disney World and even did a few new things ... hard to believe that is possible after probably close to two dozen trips to Sin City!

With my renewed interest in photography, I took my camera along and played "tourist" a bit more than we have done in several years.  We checked out the Bellagio fountains and the newly upgraded Mirage volcano, which is truly bigger and better as advertised.  We also made first-time visits to a couple of new places that have opened since our last trip - Encore and the Palazzo, which honestly are not all that different from the hotel/casino siblings Wynn and The Venetian.  And we also checked out the monstrosity that is the MGM Mirage $8.6 billion (funny how that no longer seems like a lot of money!) City Center project ... that is currently having some financial woes due to the economic downturn.  Construction at Caesars and Venetian has also been halted as well due to the recession.

But oddly enough, we didn't feel one bit that there is a recession going on or that Vegas is having the same financial problems that much of corporate America is experiencing.   Traffic was insane as we have ever seen it... and we were definitely wrong in thinking a mid-week trip would mean less crowds... there was tons of folks that were seemingly throwing money into gambling, food and booze like it was any other time we were there.  When I asked the hotel check-in guy at Caesars about it, he said business has been good of late and we were experiencing a mix of folks on spring break, NCAA March Madness, and even some convention business... which is the area I suspected Vegas would be taking the biggest hit... though it seems like the throngs of "normal" folk would make up for it... but who knows anymore!

I won't go much into my gambling... it ended up being the worst-case scenario.  Had a good, stay-even day but that was destroyed by a none to pleasant start and finish to our gambling adventures.  I tend to start out a bit too enthusiatically and without a good win under my belt there tends to be more desperation as our time draws to a close.  But, again if you go in expecting to win... you're already in deep trouble. 

The highlight of this trip was seeing Bette Midler's show at Caesars "The Showgirl Must Go Own"... if you follow my Twitters or Facebook you already know what made it extra special... but that deserves a post of its own, so look for the soon... and I'll make that a vague 'soon' ... as I am still trying to get back into the swing of things here and thankfully there is some "real" work to sort through here.

In the interim, I have started posting pix from the trip.  Not a crazy amount of photos (my intention to look a Vegas through a new photographic "eye" didn't quite gel), but I am pleased with what I am posting so far... particularly our half-day trip out of town to the Valley of Fire State Park, which is about an hour's drive northwest of Vegas... but worlds and worlds away!   I have half of the VoF pix up right now, more will be coming in the next day or so... and I should wrap up all the trip pix hopefully by the end of the week.

If you are looking at this late March/early April 2009 I'll lead you to this link to my main Flickr page.... if you are looking at this at some point beyond that, here is a like to the Vegas Set.

Viva Las Vegas

As this posts (I'll admit to writing it beforehand), we should be on our way (or nearly on our way) to Las Vegas for the week.  It's kind of funny since it seems as if I am always saying we're going to Las Vegas... and while we do go there a lot, we haven't been there since October-ish 2007... so over 16 months!   So probably one of our longest "breaks" from there in a long time (or possibly ever!).   It is also our first trip out of town since our Beijing trip in August... so we definitely are over-due for some getaway time!  I was tempted to say R&R, but no better that in Vegas either rest or relaxation are likely not to be on the plate.

That said, we are planning to do things a little differently this time around.  As I may have mentioned when I announced the trip, it is kind of weird place to be going in these tough economic times.  Granted that has allowed us to get 3 comp'd nights at Caesars Palace (our first stay at that monstrosity of a hotel/casino - and I mean monstrosity in the nicest, most Vegas-y way!), which made it difficult for other travel destinations to compete with right out of the gate. 

Now, Caears is getting much of that room money back since Todd treated with Bette Midler tickets (no economic disaster discount there!) on Wednesday night ... and then there's the gambling... which one always need to remind themselves that the town wasn't built on folks winning... so I am sure everyone will do alright... there'll certainly be some economic stimulus going on, but hopefully not emptying my pockets too badly... though I am pretty sure I am due for a win, but got to keep it real.

Famous last words, but I do intend to increase the amount of non-gambling activities.  For the past several year, we have stayed slightly off the Strip at the Rio... so at Ceasers it will be nice to be dead-center strip and be able to walk everything without driving and/or shuttles.  In our year+ absence, there have been a few new casinos open up on the Strip... the Palazzo, the sister of the Venetian... and Steve Wynn has also doubled up on his properties with Encore... so we'll check those out for the first time (tho likely keep my gambling money saved for the many Harrahs owned properties that get me these comps)... and also check out the progress of the massive City Center complex. 

I haven't done it in a while, but plan on doing some photography while I am there (think Todd just passed out, this may be one instance he would prefer my video poker compulsion!)... hopefully some good/different stuff... having been to Vegas so often, it'll be nice to try to find some way to photographing it in an interesting way (though it has to be one of the most over-photographed places in the country... or world). 

We are also planning on a day trip out of town (again, a first!) to the Valley of Fire State Park (which I now can't seem to not refer to as "Ring of Fire").  It's supposed to be beautiful red-rock country about an hour out of town.  So again, hope to get some good pics... and also enjoy some nature, in a town that is anything but natural!!

Finally... and quite coincidentally... we'll be there for part of the annual MINI Cooper event/gathering.  The event starts late Wednesday and goes through the weekend... so while we miss the weekend events (we won't be officially participating anyhow since I didn't register and/or that we'll be too close to the host hotel).. but I am sure we'll see many, many more Coopers about town than normal (think they are expecting 300+).

Anyhow, this post ended up being much longer than expected (what a surprise!)... I have nothing else planned or pre-posted for while we are away.  So you won't see anything here in the main section of the W&C until next week... but keep on eye on the sidebar for Twitter updates... if we are able to get Intenet access (not sure if WiFi is available and/or free at Caesars), I'll likely pop in every now and then!

Rent: The Broadway Tour

On Saturday, we saw the musical RENT for the 4th time!  It seems like it wasn't that long ago that the show had come through town (I am pretty sure we've seen it every time it has!), but there was no way we were going to miss this particular production.  It was a sad day last year when I heard that RENT was closing on Broadway... and I remember thinking it was pretty cool that Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp came back for a brief stint to reprise the roles of Roger and Mark that they originated on the Great White Way.  With brisk ticket sales, the show's close date was postponed and while actors closed the show (I think the same Roger & Mark we saw our 3rd time with the show), the show did close this past September.

But out of bad/sad news, came good news as it was announced that RENT would tour the country with Adam and Anthony... and thankfully they did make a stop here in Phoenix (well, technically Tempe)... which allegedly is one of more more profitable stops for touring productions.  Since it was a "bonus" show (not included in the season tix package), I was able to get tickets before they went on sale to the public -- so snagged 11th row/dead center seats for a Saturday night (which is pretty good!).

I pretty much got goosebumps when the guys walked out onto the stage to start the show....and the crowd roared, pretty much all night it was like being at a rock concert.  One thing that is nice about these non-season ticket shows is that everyone who is there wants to be there... so the Sun City/retiree crowd was certainly not in force... and RENT has such a following that everyone anticipated and upcoming songs, much like an arena crowd going wild upon hearing the opening notes of favorite song.  And everyone was thrilled to see Adam and Anthony.  Another thing we rarely get on these touring productions is the original stars of shows... often it is more like C-listers, so it was amazing to hear the voices we have heard for 10+ years on the RENT soundtracks (and only a bonus that these guys were alos the film version a few yeas back).

With all eyes on the two guys, it was hard for the rest of the cast to really stand out... but a lot of them did quite a good job.  After having a so-so Mimi last time around, this one was quite good... and I whispered to Todd that this Maureen had a real Amy Poehler quality to her that only added to the only humorous quality of the character. 

While the show certainly seems dated at times, its message will always keep in in style... plus there will always be a nostalgia factor for folks around my age (and, more likely, 5-10 years younger!).  There was a pair of young-ish gay (reasonable assumption here!) guys next to us, so it was encouraging to see them taking it in.  I am guessing that "Spring Awakening" is "their" RENT... but both shows speak of embracing love and living for today.

Wuthering Heights (#4)

As usual, I am pretty behind on my book posts.  It has not been a stellar reading year thus far in 2009 (or even the latter half of 2008, for that matter).  I've been reading good stuff, but nothing that has really wow'd me.

One reason for the delay in getting to this particular book post for Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is that I really didn't know what I was going to say about it.  But as you can tell by glancing down the screen, when do I ever have problems coming up with something to say.. and anyhow, these book posts tend to be more about my experience reading the book than a blow-by-blow, spoiler-ific plot summary.

So, as you probably suspect I am surprised that I stuck it out with this one.  The words of Nick Hornby in his book-centric essay collection "Housekeeping vs. The Dirt" kept echoing in my head that life is too short to be read books that are not bringing you enjoyment.  But I am kind of stubborn and I very rarely quit a book.

So why did I read it in the first place?!   Well, I've been trying to read at least one classic a year... and Wuthering Heights just seemed to be one of those titles that someone who considers himself fairly well-read should have well, read by the time he was early 40-something!  The airing of a two-part PBS/Masterpiece mini-series also provided that "read the book, watch the movie" scenario.  I'll cut the suspense and say I never watched it and deleted it off the TiVo.   Finally, it didn't cost me anything! A lot of classic/"public domain" literature is available for free in the e-book/Kindle format, so literally there was not a whole lot to lose in reading this... well, except precious time.

I didn't like it from the start.  I was immediately so lost, that I tracked down a nice Cliff Notes site, Spark Notes, that provided a nice running summary of the book (plus all those English class test/essay type stuff like themes, foreshadowing, etc).  It was a crutch that I continued to use for the entire book.  It did provide some initial encouragement in not making me feel like an idiot as it described the opening chapters of WH as "strange, deliberately confusing."  Whew!

Anyhow, things didn't get much better and while the Spark Notes site confirmed that I was "getting" most of the plot, the shifting in action from past to present, characters with the same or similiar names.. that I did find my attention flagging from time to time.   

I guess that is what threw me, in that I was anticipating it would be such a complex novel.  Though I should have known better after last year's "read a classic" fiasco of Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", which is from the same place and time.  I just find it strange that I have found it easier to read Russian lit (granted translated!), than 19th Century English lit... so on top of the plot complexities, there is just this unnatural (at least to me) reading/speaking "voice."  Also, I wasn't expecting (not the book's fault!) was how dark this novel was... for some reason I thought it would be a breezy, "I hate you/I love you" romance ala Jane Austen.  Granted I knew this was "gothic" romance, but was still left scratching my head how WH's iconic couple of Heathcliff and Cathy seems to be considered one of literatures great romances... it's more like creepy obsession... they are no Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy!  

Again, I can't blame any of my misperceptions about the book on Bronte, but still that does not change the fact that I got little (if any) enjoyment from it.  It earned my respect as a piece of literature... but more like that antique piece of furniture... admired only from afar in a roped off room of some historical house.

AI8: Country (Week 2)

I kind of liked my whole pass or fail grading system that I did for Idol last week, so think I will just keep it going (though there will be no update next week as we'll be in Vegas... yeah!)

While overall I didn't think it was a great night, I'll still give the pass to 6 of the 11 contestants, with the Top 4 all going to the guys... and beyond that is pretty much my order of finish...

Anoop ("Always On My Mind") - I've (and I am sure many others) have been waiting for Anoop to me something (anything!) to back up my "like" of him and last night he finally delivered.  I think a lot of the credit goes to the song, which I think is just one of those perfect gems... but even I was a bit surprised how good he sounded.

Kris ("To Make You Feel My Love") - I have to say I was not at all familiar with this song, but who cares... Kris' tender ballad did nothing but increase the crush we have on this cutie (Entertainment Weekly dubbed him "yet another thing girls and gay guys can agree on").  Smart move to ditch the guitar... something I am not sure we'll see piano boys doing any time soon.

Matt ("So Small") - Even though I thought Matt was pretty good last week, thought this week was much better and I agree with Simon that he out-soulful, white boy growl'd Danny for the night.  My lingering issue is that he just strikes me as to much of a Justin Timberlake wannabe (not at all helped at all by Jimmy Kimmel dubbing him Justin Timberfake).

Danny ("Jesus Take the Wheel") - Probably a pretty good song to sing on St. Patrick's Day night!  While the hype surrounding him is starting to get to me, I am still kinda sorta feeling the Danny love.  I really do like his voice when he breaks free/opens up (or whatever Kara and Paula were gushing about)... but agree the low/slow parts that open this song showed his kryptonite. And yes, I thought the outfit looked something out of the Dharma Initiative wardrobe on 'Lost.'

Allison ("Blame It On Your Heart") - We finally get to female!  Again too much to add what I said last week in that I like her growly/gravelly voice and am still shocked that she's only 16.  Thought country might be a tough genre for her, but it was a fun, spunky performance.

Megan ("Walking After Midnight") -  Quite the surprise for my last "pass" of the night!  Having apparently dropped her last name (now merely "Megan Joy"), Todd can back me up when pre-show I said she should sing Patsy Cline's "Crazy"... so I was too far off, when she sang arguably he next greatest hit.  I think Patsy is kind of an acquired taste and so is Megan and for the most part... so this was a perfect match.  And kudos for her for fighting thru illness (if she's in the middle of what we had the other week, she has our respect!).

**********************************************************

Alexis ("Jolene") - As with last week, Alexis just misses the cut.  I was never a huge fan of her and I still don't think she is stepping up... and, at least in my opinion, Allison is stealing her rocker/bluesy slot.  Agree with the judges, that I just didn't think she did enough to this song... not that I think it should be toyed with or perhaps sung by anyone other than Dolly.

Lil ("Independence Day") - My big fall of the week.  While I thought it was a good/competent vocal, I just thought it ended up being boring... and it did seem like she was compromising, which is never a smart thing to do on Idol.  And channeling Simon, I don't think her stylists are doing her any favors -- thought she looked middle-aged.

Adam ("Ring of Fire") - Oh, Adam... while I was just critical of Lil of not being true to herself... one certainly can not accuse Adam of doing the same.  I honestly did not know what to think of it... after it was over I thought it was either brilliant or horrific.  I have generally like the guys that have mixed it up in the past (Chris Daughtry, Blake Lewis, David Cook), still not sure about this guy.  Again oddly compelling, but just strange... when he sang "it burns, burns, burns" it almost seemed like he was meowing about having an STD.

Michael ("Ain't Going Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)") - Ok, now we take a bigggggg drop in what I thought was good... and really Michael or Scott really needs to go next.  It is a totally fun song, but if you are trying to establish yourself as a singer and not a speed reader than this should never ever be sung in a singing competition.  I just thought it was garbled and to snarly/swarmy... and Michael's backtalk only made it worse.

Scott ("Wild Angels") - Oy!  Again, I feel horrible for crticizing him... but I don't see how Scott could be a viable artist unless we somehow return to the days of 1970s AM radio.... just bland/vanilla stuff.

The Philiminator Strips Down

No surprise that screen caps of The Amazing Race host Phil Koeghan are making the rounds this morning on the Internet. 

I think the show has really stepped up the challenges this season, which is saying a lot since it's on the 14th installment!  Anyhow, last night one team member had to strip to the underwear and run 1.4 miles... in Siberia!!  While I was a bit disappointed that Victor had his sister complete the run, that was all forgotten after Phil provided quite the exclamation point upon finishing his explanation of the road block...

I am sure we weren't the only TiVo/DVR owners to hit the 3-second "did I just see that?"/double-take rewind button.  After winning however many Emmys (4 or 5??) for Best Reality Show, I think Phil is definitely wondering what happened to his nomination for Best Reality Show Host in its (quite painful) debut this past year.  I think Phil says touche to last year's nominees like Ryan Seacrest, Tom Bergeron, or even the first winner Jeff Probst (though he has dropped trou as well - click the link, then the pic)! 

I also have to say (and I am sure I am not alone), that I was surprised how fit Phil is... not that he's gonna get any modeling contracts... but heck, he's my age (41 going on 42)...  I would be quite happy to have my abs look like that after gaining the 30 (lbs) at 40. 

AI8: Michael Jackson Week 1

This is going to be a short and sweet. Didn't have an internet connection for a huge chunk of the morning, plus work suddenly has decided to revive itself (and it's deciding to do so in proximity to vacation time is not going unnoticed).

Anyhow, even before today became sort of a rush I was still planning on doing a pretty stringent pass/fail grading system on last night's show.... though the order is pretty much my "from best-to-worst" order. 

Here are my top picks of the night (obviously all "pass"):

Danny ("PYT") - Know I should be getting over the hype for Danny, but not so far (I'm saving that for another contestant... well, more than one).  Just like his gravelly voice and as I said in a previous week, his whole Mark from RENT vibe probably is what makes me like him too!

Alison ("Give In To Me") - She is quickly becoming my favorite female contestant... again, that love of the gravelly vocal and I can hardly believe that she is only 16.

Lil ("The Way You Make Me Feel") - Like Danny, not ready to give into the hype re: Lil.  I thought they were going to criticize her for sounding old, but still liked her a lot.  Predicted that Simon would find the outfit hideous.

Kris ("Remember The Time") - The guy is still adorable and only more so with the guitar.  Again, like guy and a guitar vibe (like Jason Mraz or Jack Johnson)

Adam ("Black or White") - The most glaring omission from the above "pass" pictorial... and the Adam hype is one that I am not finding myself fully buying into at this point.  I am not a big fan of the tone of his voice and I am finding his performance a bit too slick, staged, planned out... vs. the more natural stuff going on w/ the above four folks.  Still a force to be reckoned with for sure.  I am putting money down that in a couple of weeks he'll be accused of having "every song sounds the same."

Matt ("Human Nature") - My final "pass" for the night... again, behind the piano is where I think he shines. It was a bit too "run"-y for me and I think he falls into that Chris Richardson... Justin Timberlake wannabe territory, but so far so good.

OK, onto the FAIL... and not that many of these were that bad, but just making the cut...

Alexis ("Dirty Diana") - Thought this was a bit over the top and I agree with Simon that I think she probably thought it was better than it was.  Tad overconfidence and in this particular "get down and dirty" department I am preferring Allison.

Jorge ("Never Can Say Goodbye") - Kind of felt bad for the guy, so a bit more sympathy than anything else for the placement.  Thought his voice sounded good... even though it was a "old" sounding song and the arrangement was pretty awful/cheesy.

Jasmine ("I'll Be There") - Not too much to quibble with the vocal.  But Jasmine is exactly the kind of cookie-cutter singer that IDOL is inspiring.  Thought it was boringly good.

Michael ("You're Not Alone") - I will say I thought Michael was one of the least deserving contestants to get into the Top 12/13.. but he actually did a pretty good job, even surprising me.  But again, just boringly good... sensitive "big guy" stuff. 

Anoop ("Beat It") - The big disappointment of the night.  Anoop is certainly someone I want to like/support, but I have to agree that this is one song of those songs that is going to be a no-win situation without a serious mash-up.  Very kaoroke and not very good at that.

Scott ("Keep the Faith") - Again, I'll await the lightning strike in that I don't think Scott has a voice that should be in the finals of IDOL... and I don't think it was any beter that he was finally behind the piano.  I give him all the credit in the world in dealing and excelling in his blindness, but it's about singing.

Megan ("Rockin Robin'") - I guess a case of "get it/don't get it"... but this girl absolutely, positively drives me nuts.   There are small snippets where I think she does have vocal ability, but then she does her weird affectations or accent or whatever and just loses me.  I am surprised the judges were as hard on her as they were as I don't think she did anything different than the stuff they have loved from her in the past.

DWTS8 Finals Predictions

Thanks for sticking around, just in case you haven't been checking out the sidebar and wondering about my disappearance, I was/am sick... actually, our house has been sick (well, except Rocky... though there was that one day when he vomited 5 times that required clean-up.  Note to self:  train dog to vomit on TILE only!).  But anyhow, Todd started feeling bad the weekend before last... I really kicked in with things last Wednesday night... and we are both in recovery mode.  The worst of it was a very bad night (the worst I can remember in recent years) to kick it all off with fever and chills and repetitive dreams and pretty much no sleep.  Still some lingering congestion and coughing, but hopefully a few more days and it will have worked its way out of both of us!

Okay, onto Dancing With The Stars.  As long time readers will now, I like to make predictions of who will make the final based on only 1 performance.  I have been reasonably accurate in the past, but if last night is any indication, I am not sure it is much of a challenge since I seem to whiddle down the potential teams pretty easily.  So let's get choppin'...

DWTS never keeps around the models very long, brainless reality stars don't have a great track record either... so I doubt late replacement, Playboy reg Holly Madison is going to stick around for long.  She actually wasn't bad (and a shame we won't get to see much of new pro Dmitry Chaplin), but again just not the type that sticks around without superior dancing or personality

Even with Jewel out, I don't think DWTS' whole "husband vs. wife" angle would have lasted all that long as Ty Murray's boots are made for walkin', not dancin'.

Steve O did much better than I expected, but the fact that he did take it seriously, worked against him.  Though not sure if the acting crazy stuff would be any better.  He's not going to be a good enough dancer and I just don't see him connecting with any of the demographics that watches the show.

Normally I would pencil in NFL players to the final, but Lawerence Taylor seems to be lacking both the dancing ability and/or charisma that got likes of Jerry Rice, Emmett Smith, Jason Taylor, and Warren Sapp far in the competition.

Ok, I have already run through the gone-gone and she's doesn't have the beat jokes, but as with most of the "mature" woman on the show, Belinda Carlisle doesn't seem to stand much of a chance... and she doesn't seem as crazy devoted or deluded about it as some of those other have either.

And alas, Steve Wozniak is no surprise to round out my list of immediate no-consideration votes.  Again, give him all credit for stepping outside the box/comfort zone... but his time is short. 

Onto my next round of cuts, these aren't as knee-jerk "out" reactions... but I don't think they'll make it either...

One of the better teams of the night was Lil Kim and Derek, but she's certainly a bit of spitfire and I don't think her personality will keep her around to the end, no matter how good the dancing is... modest usually wins over confidence on this show and Lil Kim was having none of that on the premiere

Before the show started, my gut told me Denise Richards would stick around for a while and while she may, I don't think she will make it to very end.  She's trying to be this season's Brooke Burke... but it was pretty clear she doesn't have the maturity or composure or ability of last year's champ.  I think fan fave Maks, might keep here in for a bit, but it won't be enough.

The biggest surprise of the night was David Alan Grier.  The comedian did a far better job that I ever would have imagined, but again I question the fanbase that will keep him in and/or I have a feeling his weaknesses will be more on display with the Latin dances. 

And my last will likely not make it to the "end" end, is the other replacement "star" Melissa Rycroft.  Now I know nothing about the whole Bachelor fiasco other than what's made it onto the entertainment news programs and stuff like GMA, etc... plus entertainment websites... so probably more than I would or should know.  I know the dumped Melissa has the sympathy of the world it seems (and more importantly a major DWTS demo who watched The Bachelor!).  But I know I am also tired of hearing about all of it, so I think there is gonig to be some kind of backlash about her... and this is now her 3rd reality show (pre-Bachelor, she was in a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader reality show), so that never sits well the whole 'famous for being famous' thing.  She did dance pretty well though, so who knows.

Okay, so that's my process of elimination, let's see who is left! 

And even these teams, I have some reservations with!

There seems to be no reason that Shawn Johnson and Mark should get to the end, but I think we remember the shocker of Mark and Sabrina Bryan being ousted early a few years back and I am getting that vibe off of them as the clearly dubbed favorite to win this season.  Also, I think Shawn has to work the personality a bit more.  I know she's young, but seemed a bit word-less last night.

I wasn't that blown away by Chuck Wicks and real-life girlfriend Julianne last night... but she since is the sweetheart of the show and Chuck certainly looks to be an upstanding gentlemen, I sense this couple will be sticking around for awhile... unless everyone gets tired of them.  I think Julianne has stayed cute and innocent without crossing into annoying territory, but a real-life romance playing out this season may test that.

The final, and quite pleasant, surprise of the last night was Gilles Marini.  We don't know much about him other than being Samantha's often-naked Malibu neighbor in the movie version of Sex and the City... but ay carumba!   Or I should say c'est magnifique?!!  The guy has something and like little know Cristian de la Fuente, I have a feeling that Cheryl will be keeping the hunk around for a while.

Express Lane: Issue 62

Avenue Q Creators Decide to Keep Bush Reference in "For Now" Finale - After testing out 4 other lines, it appears Dubya (now shifted into the past tense) received the strongest response. (3/4/09)

Portraits from the Congo - The Big Picture - Amazing (I know I always say that!) and heartbreaking faces from the increasingly violent African nation. (2/27/08)

Carnival - The Big Picture - If you want vibrant colors and a few eye-popping, or should say eye-poking out, costumes this photo set should make you happy! (2/23/09)

Danny Gokey Preached, "Lead Praise and Worship" at Megachurch for Idol Cameras - I *try* to keep an open mind about this kind of stuff, and while I am in the very early stages of Gokey backlash (re: his widower status) this might move things along in that department at a much quicker pace. (2/23/09)

At Work - The Big Picture - Not a tightly themed picture collection this time around, but still some very cool shots of people (wait for it)... at work. (2/20/09)

Q&A: Cher Says She's Living `Like a Nun' In Vegas - Fun little piece about Cher as she readies for another month in Vegas... besides the 'nun' comment, we also love she loves Target (the store, that is). (2/17/09)

AI8: Seminfinals Week 3

First off, hello to my Bossy traffic!  Having personally met the Boss during her Road Trip just about a year ago, I have now been enshrined as one of Bossy's Featured Gays.  As advertised, here is your American Idol post!  I do blog about other things, though it may not look like it at this very moment.  Once again, hello... feel free to poke around the site, check out the sidebar for regular fodder, etc...

Ok, onto last night's Idol...

Alas we arrive at the last week of the semifinals... with the wildcard round coming on Thursday (really can't believe in the Idol marathon / stretch-a-thon they are squeezing that all into 1 hour!) and while I have been critical of this one shot to the finals approach, I have to say my patience is waning and I am ready to move on... though I definitely don't think this process is resulting in the best 12 vocalists.

This is also the first week where I am not confident my top picks will be moving on.  I tend to express my opinion though admittedly it is influenced with who I predict will make it through.  I have been doing pretty good, this week... not so much...

Here again are my 4 groups (you'll see that lack of patience with a 50% contestant dump into that last grouping): 

TOP MALE & FEMALE

We all by now that the last slot of the evening is the "pimp" spot... more often than not, the best performance of the night or at least who the Idol powers-that-be think is the best.  I have liked Lil Rounds ("Be Without You") from the start and while I thought she was going to be a little too big (aka bombastic) after Hollywood Week, I thought she did really well last night.  My worry here is that I think folks might get tired by the manipulation as all the "pimp" spots have made it through. 

My top spot for the guys could have gone in any one of three ways, but I decided to give it to Jorge ("Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me") for a combination of good vocals, but also because there has not been a good Hispanic representation on Idol and how could you not get a little swept with his emotional journey to improve his English and be a singer.

THIRD HIGHEST VOTE GETTER

My first "group" of one... as I have little doubt that Scott ("Mandolin Rain") will make it through. I would put his chances even higher than Jorge, even though he wasn't one of those above-mentioned 3 that I thought were the best of the night with the guys (the other two are in the next group).  I was hoping Simon would tell it like it is... be that being mean, blunt, or truthful... but even he seemed to have a rare instance of being careful.  Now I don't think Scott is a bad singer, but I'm not sure he was Top 36 (let alone Top 12) material... and while I do think it is amazing what he does, I think he's getting special treatment and I really don't think anyone wants to get ahead that way.

FOR YOUR WILDCARD CONSIDERATION

All 3 of my wildcard "for you consideration" choices are a bit of a surprise.

We have not been big Von ("You're All I Need") fans here.  We saw the YouTube of him back in the day performing "And I Am Telling You" on back in the Rosie era of The View... and he was just so bombastic, it was insane.  He did this again in Hollywood Week, so I was a bit disappointed when they put him through.  So was very pleasantly surprised that he took the judges' advice and scaled it way back, but still going for some good, big notes.  I am not sure he stands a good chance to get through on a public vote, but he kind of reminded me of a Rick Astley 2.0.

Didn't know much about Ju'Not ("Hey There Delilah") going into this show and while I thought his spin on the song was a bit too snoozy, I did sense there was some good potential in his voice... and I did appreciate the spin on the song, "making a song your own" has been missing thus far.

In the battle of Alicia Keys, Felicia ("No One") certainly won the evening.  Sure it was a bit of a copy-cat performance (she even looked a bit like Ms. Keys), but there are worse people to be accused of copy-catting... even if it is right down to that funky voice cracking.  She certainly deserved to have this second chance.

CUE THE EXIT MUSIC

Again, a big dump of contestants here...

I though Kristen ("Give Me One Reason") sounded good and I liked here... but I think personality-wise she is not coming across well... and, at this stage, lacking that like-ability factor I am not sure that is something that one can overcome.  A case where her backstory/past screen will probably come to bite her on the ass.

The show is still lacking a country contestant and while I think Kendall ("This One's For the Girls) did a good job, but seemed a bit too generic for me... and lack of exposure won't serve her well either.

Nathaniel ("I Would Do Anything for Love") is the type of gay person that still scares the be-jesus out of a good portion of America.  I think this season has had the largest gay representation of any season, but Nathaniel's freak flag just is flying too high and too proud for the masses... and the vocals aren't quite there either. 

I thought Taylor ("If I Ain't Got You") had rough outing, but when Felicia surpassed her Alicia a bit later in the show, it pretty much sealed the fate of the Amazon-like Utah student.  Thought she had a good voice, but the song was too big for her and she cracked a bit under the pressure.

Alex ("I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues") was truly painful.  I am really not sure what he thought he was doing emphasizing the inner geek with the "dance" moves or doing all that unnecesary growling only because some judge made the unfortunately vocal comparison to Joe Cocker. 

And poor Arianna ("The Winner Takes It All"), the mournful ABBA song will prove to be prophetic on the "loser standing small" and "loser has to fall" lines.  The sad part was that she did truly try to do her best on it and it is always that awkward moment when told otherwise.