Whine & Cheese

Magnet Mania and the FiFi

Knock, knock.  Who's there?  It's me!  I am still around, but think this must be the longest stretch that I haven't updated the main part of this blog without having the excuse of being out of town.  But you know the drill, the "blah, blah, blah" of Facebook and Twitter stealing my online time and energy... but I also think I had a bit of Memorial Day weekend hangover as I think most of us who work a typical Monday-Friday work schedule can relate to, it often seems like 4-day "short" weeks feel longer.  Plus there's been the French Open with mega-hours of coverage and for the first time in a while, I've had to juggle a couple of work projects simultaneously, with a third one lurking out there threatening to enter the mix.

I got this email the other day and it was just to good not to share.  Somehow I got myself on a Celine Dion mailing list.  I think it has something to do with her "Club Celine" that I was familiar with but never joined (if I did I would be gay man enough to fess up to it) that offered better seating while Celine was at Caesars and other Celine-rific offers and exclusives. 

What I suspect happened was that Ticketmaster sold my e-mail address when I purchased tickets to the Celine show, but these emails are pretty funny... probably unintentionally so.  A lot of what I love about Celine is her cheesiness... or maybe her dorkiness, she is kind of a dork... and add the whole French accent on it, and really what is there not to love!   But this email pretty much took the proverbial cake!

Most of the email was proclaiming Magnet Mania(!!) with Celine striking a seductive pose...

Now I fear for the child/teen... female or gay male... who would decorate their school or gym locker with these "charming" Celine magnets (the possibilities are endless!)... nor do I suspect that many of us ever imagined that the phrases "magnet collection" and "stunning and timeless" to ever be used in the same sentence.  C'est magnifique!

Next, the email moved onto one of the many Celine fragrances.  Having been on this Celine email list for awhile now... and if you ever visited the Celine Store at Ceasars (now shared by Bette and Cher)... you know that Celine has many fragrances.

But what you may have not known was that Celine has a "modern and luminous scent"... well, err... I take it her eau de toilette Sensational does and not the French-Canadian diva.... though if someone can tell me what "luminous" smells like (or "modern," for that matter), please let me know.  Also, a revelation that there are awards for perfumes!   Now, I kinda sorta had heard that... but I could not have told you that it was named the FiFi... which I guess is better name than say the Pepe Le Pew!

Final AI8 Performances, DWTS 8 Crowns Champ

It was a big 3 hours of reality last night, though for the two-hour DWTS finale it was a good thing to time-shift and leave plenty of room to fast-forward, which we did quite a bit and "caught up" way too quickly.

But first, the final IDOL performances for Adam Lambert and Kris Allen...

 Overall, I didn't think it was that great of a show.  The problem being that the contestants had little choice, despite what Adam said, when it came the songs.  It is no surprise that the best of the night IMHO was the first round where the guys encored their favorites from the season... and both picked the songs I would have picked for them.  But I think, Adam had a little advantage with all that mood lighting and fog machine. 

As far as the 2nd round with producer/creator Simon Fuller's choices, well I was not impressed... as he seemed to have forgot that the finalist were two white guys... and he deals them two soulful songs... with "A Change Is Gonna Come" being an iconic song of the civil right movement... so I just don't think it's a song that's particularly effective sung by a white person (there I said it!)... and I will say, I didn't love Adam's spin on it... i.e., screaming, but that's been my quibble with him the entire season and why thus far the only song I have purchased of his from iTunes is "Mad World."  I thought Kris was similarly saddled with a tough R&B "power to the people" song of "What's Going On"... and I was a bit befuddled by criticisms that it was too low-key... it is a peaceful song to start (literally and figuratively) and we're talking Kris here, so I am not sure how Kris was supposed to make it "big" as this finale apparently deserved.

And, as usual, there is no words for the awfulness of the IDOL anthem... and how the same exact song is supposed to be a good fit for both these guys is just silly.  As soon as I heard that the song was called "No Boundaries" there was no doubt in my mind who IDOL wants to win (not that we had to wait for tonight)... or heck, even for that matter it was a bit obvious with their choice of  "A Change is Gonna Come" with IDOL thinking they would be responsible for a groundbreaking moment if a gay guy wins (which granted it kinda sorta would be)....  though I am not sure if Adam does win that'll be the song he'll be wanting to sing that piece of dreck from Kara and friends (I suspect Kelly Clarkson doesn't have "A Moment Like This" on her concert playlist.. and does anyone else think Kara just got stranger and more cartoon-ish as the season went on?).

I think either guy could win. I thought Adam won the night pretty convincingly... but Kris is not the kind of "artist" that is going to deliver a knock-out punch... though he is my personal preference in the type of music I like to listen to... as mentioned, just bought 1 Adam song, 4 of them from Kris.  Pretty much everything I read from the "pros" and friends, seems like this should be a slam-dunk for Adam... but I think Kris will get a lot of support from the middle of the country and he will certainly get more of the Gokey vote (which appears to be considerable given the bespectacled one's run this season)... so my guess, kind of like the DWTS finale last night, is that Kris will pull the upset. 

And speaking of which, I was a bit surprised that Shawn and Mark pulled it off.  I will not shy away from my Twitter status that I thought she "didn't stand a chance."  While a very good dancer, I just didn't think she won it in the personality and charisma department.  While there is no doubt that she is a very nice girl (unlike her snooty seeming US gymnastic teammate Nastia!!), she just seemed quite shy and not enough to pull off the win in that department against someone like Gilles, who pretty much had it all... except maybe that he wasn't American (not that I think that was the deciding factor, after all Helio won).

Samantha Harris provided the most offensive moment of the night... right before the announcement was made, she noted that Shawn "in the past few weeks you have risen to the level of a true champion"... now I shouldn't blame Samantha, she was likely just a victim of writer's joke to see if she would actually read what was written for her... but I am glad that after having that great and utter disappointment of winning an Olympic gold-medal in one of the premiere sports of the Summer Games, that Shawn finally had the opportunity to get a taste of what it feels like to be a true champion.

Anyhow, the Ballas-Hough DWTS dynasty stretches to 5 wins in a row! 

So yes, Gilles would have been a more deserving winner (oh, so glad Melissa came in 3rd... as she really did stretch that definitiono of a "star" to the limits... you know I love my reality TV, but I place the romance sub-genre in an outer circle of oy!/oh brother!)... but I was fine with Shawn winning... and that's pretty much how I feel like the IDOL finale, pretty much fine with either way it shakes out... and then there's always that realization that none of this has any impact on my life.. at all!

The Uncommon Reader (#8)

Blah, blah, blah... way behind in book posts, you know the drill.... 

But the good thing here is that even nearly 5-6 weeks later is that I still fondly recall The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.  I am not sure if is my increasing age or my decreasing attention span (or something combination), but I have started to really enjoy novellas.  This is my second one of the year and comes in at a slim-ish 120 pages.  I have admitted to not being a huge fan of the short story format, so the novella gives me a bit more to chomp on.  Also, I think the Kindle is leading me to more novellas... since the lower digital price seems to justify the shorter length.  I know I am a bit contradictory since my book budget is non-existent, but I still like to get a bang for my buck... and when I finish a book quickly I often feel like it wasn't money well spent (though not really, especially if it was a good book... and if I red it that quickly it usually was!)

Another good thing about a novella is that there is little to say about it, though I am never a big fan of just regurgitating plot-lines here... even if it's not spoiler-ific.  The premise of the book asks one to immediately suspend belief... as it involves Queen Elizabeth (yes, that one!) stumbling onto a traveling bookmobile that visits Buckingham Palace (for the employees)... and quickly becoming obsessed with reading to the point where she'd rather be doing that than anything else.  As you can imagine, the Queen really can't get away with putting off that annual speech to Parliament. 

I have to say I have really become a fan of the Queen and the British Monarchy in general.  Sure, I realize it's all a bit silly in a figurehead, purely symbolic way but I love all the pomp of it.  Sure I thought they were evil-incarnate during the Diana days and in the aftermath of her death, but I think they have made quite the PR comeback.  My royal obsession has led us to watch many documentaries/PBS stuff on the Queen and the Royals and I have really a new found appreciate, respect and even affection for Elizabeth II.  And while this book is at time outrageously fictional, I really do think it captures that spirit of Queen that we I have grown to love over the last few years.

Warm, funny, witty.... this was a very enjoyable little gem... one that any avid reader can relate to with a smile.  And what an ending!  Would love to know what others think of it.  I'm guessing it's one of those love it or hate it things.

Express Lane: Issue 64

American Idol's Danny Gokey Sets His Sights on Eyewear - Surprise, surprise! But Gokey states he was doing his "heart" hand gesture long before the recent wave of Lenscrafter ads doing the same thing. (5/15/09)

Derek Hough: Dancing With Footloose? - Seems like both Dancing Houghs are under consideration for roles in the re-make of the Kevin Bacon 80s classic... though very likely only one will get it, since the characters are (ick) love interests. Derek also notes he and Mark Ballas may follow Julianne's lead and take time off from DWTS to pursue a music career (Booo! don't bite the hand that feeds you!) (5/7/09)

The 2009 Kentucky Derby - The Big Picture - Guess that says it all... the always fine TBP pix from this year's Run for the Roses. (5/4/09)

Obama's Book Club Is Back: Netherland - I've pulled off the rare "O" book double ... reading a book just before Oprah (with 'Edgar Sawtelle') and now Obama picked it! (4/29/09)

Human Landscapes From Above - The Big Picture - Been lagging a bit in my TBP postings, but these aerial shots (from the same guy who did the London series) are pretty awesome. (4/29/09)

Julie Chen Is Pregnant - I'm pretty much through with 'Big Brother' but may just have to check in with the Chenbot to see the cylon - errr... baby bump. The Chenbaby is due in October. (4/22/09)

Back

Just a quick note to let you know that I survived the trip to see the parents this past 5-6 days or so.  I definitely felt an ease of the guilt of having not had a true visit with them for just short of 2 years... but do really feel the need to not let that much time pass again.  I am also very thankful for the quick drop-off at the curb at the airport, because anything shorter of a rushed goodbye would have got a bit too emotional.... particularly with Mom, who puts up with an awful lot but doesn't get much in return (but that is another post for another time... or perhaps not).

But it was a very nice visit and it almost seemed to not be enough time or that it went by too fast... which is truly a change from the past where I would often run screaming... but that's a good thing. 

I didn't have any great epiphany while I was away... but I was hoping to turn over the proverbial new leaf upon my return regarding some work stuff.  I made a couple of gestures yesterday that were pretty much rebuffed, but again I am struggling with how much this is just a creation in my own mind/imagination or "actual reality" (though my guess it is somewhere in that fuzzy or gray middle).  But either way, I am going to make more of an concerted effort to deal with it... even if that means just dealing with it or accepting that this is the way it's going to be from now on.  I know I am being vague about all this, but again really don't feel like getting into the specifics on this very public forum as I don't think it is very fair to the other party/parties involved. 

So it's back to work... oh, Rocky got a great "report card" from the pet resort, it definitely sounded like he was the life of the party and never stopped playing... which is quite an effort since this place offers all-day play for the dogs (the huge reason we now use this place vs. ones that offer 1-2 hr play sessions, but otherwise keep the dogs caged/kennel'd).   But he was definitely one pooped out puppy last night and thus far today.   And Todd gets back later today from his Japan trip, though a bit later since the flight over got delayed 2.5 hrs which forced a rebook to a later SFO-PHX flight... but it will definitely be nice to have our whole house back together again tonight!

You Can (And Can't) Go Home Again

Just a surprise-ish heads-up that W&C will be taking a little bit of a break until late next week.

I just dropped Todd off at the airport this morning (a biz trip to Japan) and while that usually means that you would be getting a week (or sometimes two weeks!) of "woe is me" and "I'm so lonesome I could cry" posts... I came up with the brilliant idea that, why don't I get of town as well!   So I am leaving tomorrow and getting back the day before Todd returns, so I should be able to keep myself sane (well, kinda).  It is just going to be very weird tonight to be VERY alone... not only without Todd being here, but I also have to drop Rocky off at the kennel... errr, pet resort... this afternoon since my flight is excruciatingly early (though that's my preference - and I'm starting to think I am past the age that red-eyes are a good idea).  But no doubt, that I'll be pretty stir crazy later today!

So where am I going?  Well, I'd like to report some place exotic and exciting... or even, one or the other... but it's to NJ... to visit my parents.  I haven't had a real visit with them in nearly 2 years, so it is way, way overdue!   Granted we had a brief visit during a 3-hour layover on the way home from Europe last May, but that hardly counts... though, funny enough, after about an hour or so, they were "OK, I guess that's it"... but that's pretty much my parents!  My Dad, on his first trip to AZ, looked out at the Grand Canyon for a few moments... and was like... "ok, that's it"... he was really done, no interest in other vistas... no lingering... etc.  Ha!  I'm pretty much from a "been there, done that, let's move on, next!" kind of family!

I am hoping this trip home (bonus/brownie points for it being Mother's Day too!) helps me re-group a bit too.  Been in a rough patch of late and just need to sort things out and I think this may help.  I'm not sure how many of you get to go to the home you were raised in... or even if you have that, if you sleep in the same exact bed you slept in pretty much most of your teenage (heck, even pre-teen ... given my parent's frugality/"if it still works" mentality) years.  

But as an adult (not quite sure when that happened!), it has always been a surreal experience... more often than not, it helps me realize how far I've come... all the good things that have happened in my life that that boy who slept in that bed never dreamed of... and appreciate the life, right here, right now... a few days re-familiarizing yourself with your parents' quirks accomplishes that pretty quickly (thankfully we get along fine... but still!).   I am a need of a "Snap out it!!" experience and I'm thinking this trip will provide a lot of the visual/mental cues to help me do that.

The tricky part of this trip is keeping it secret from my Facebook 'friends'... as anyone of you who are on FB know, it kind of turns into "This Is Your Life!"... and quite a few folks from my NJ past have resurfaced over the past year or so... some of the re-connections have been fun, some have been "well, I can't so no" ... so I am keeping my NJ trip on the down-low.  I don't want to be put in the awkward position of not wanting to meet-up... though, in reality, I don't have much free time even if I wanted to (2 days are spent in-transit, we're booked on an overnight Atlantic City Trip, and then there's Mom's Day!).   Heck, I haven't even let my very, very best friend know I'll be back... so definitely no time or energy for a 20+ years recap, no matter how good those times were!  So mildly guilty about that, but my parents really deserve my time/attention on this trip. 

So if you are on FB with me... shhhhhh!   It's our little secret!   I may still pop in with a non-location specific status update... but will be more free-wheeling on Twitter (no NJ "blasts from my past" over there!)... though don't expect too much... not am I going back to my childhood home, but I am going back to the land of.... (gasp!)... landline Internet connections... though I am thankful my Mom was hip enough to get even that a few years back! 

Guess that's it... catch you late next week!

AI8: Rock of Ages (Week 9)

Well things went from snoozy (Rat Pack week) to well, Rockin' last night on Idol as the remaining four contestants did some of the heaviest sounds that I think have ever been on the show (granted that's not saying a whole lot). 

It was also the debut of the duet-format where the contestants paired off to varying degrees of success, well pretty much direct opposite success... if you have glanced down, I suspect you know that I loved the Adam-Allison take on "Slow Ride"... which I think ranks up there with great performances on the show and while I have never been a huge critic of Allison's personality (or lack thereof), I thought she was the loosest, having the most fun than anything she's done on the show thus far... so it could help her out, especially since it was the last performance of the night.  The Kris-Danny version of "Renegade"... ummm, not so good.  I did agree with the judges that they sounded good together... but I think both struggled mightily on their own... more so Kris, which you know I hate to say!

I was just going to throw up the picture of Adam and Allison, but just had to document Adams's solo ensemble...

Adam ("Whole Lotta Love") - ... which pretty much made him look like evil/scary Elvis.  It was a pretty sure thing that Adam was going to win the night even before a note was sung... and again, while I still have my personal preference in not loving the screamy portion of his voice... this was undoubtedly the stand-out of the night... and more "authentic" (they seem to overuse that word on Idol, so I put it in quotes) than some of the heavier stuff he does.  To be honest, I actually preferred his vocals in the duet more than here.  Last week's Bottom 2 scares should serve him well to move on easily tonight.

Allison ("Cry Baby") - This should have been Allison's natural element, but I just give her barely a pass on the solo... but tipped her over thanks to the duet.   I do applaud her for not doing for not doing the up-teenth version of "Piece of My Heart" even though I do think it would have served her better.  On a sidenote, I was in the same boat as Simon in thinking her alternative song was "Somebody To Love" by Queen and not Jefferson Airplane as Allison had meant (again, kudos for her for even considering that latter, especially given her age).  So again, not a fan of the song choice.. but I liked the vocal and Allison herself, of course.

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

Kris ("Come Together") - My beloved Kris was another borderline case, but where Allison's duet tipped her up, Kris' tipped him down.  Despite what the judges said ... and likely in the haze of deep like... I thought it was a good song choice an that he sung it well, made it is own, etc.  This isn't the type of music he would be coming out with on his own, so it's hard to criticize... but there were certainly some rough patches, most particularly in the duet, where he was stretching his voice beyond what it could do.  More troublesome was that Kris did not look happy at all last night... not good facial expressions or body languages throughout... which makes it seems like he's hit a wall, so subconsciously I am not sure if that bodes well for him tonight.

Danny ("Dream On") - I am trying not to dog Danny too bad...he was actually the better of the two in his duet and the opening parts of his solo were fine... but the scream at the end of this song was bloody awful, plus as I have said over and over I am just tired of his asshat-y attitude.  I am not sure who is really voting for him as it seems like no one that I know of or stuff I read on the 'net seems to suggest any huge fanbase... but not landing in the Bottom 3 at this late stage of the game proves something is going on (or maybe I am just not reading the right places).

So while I would love to see Danny go, I am pretty confident that it is not going to happen... and likewise, I am pretty confident that means it's going to be either Allison or Kris... and if you force my hand, the more bottom dwelling Allison.  Oh well, life goes on...

And speaking of life going on... just so you can prepare yourself, there will NOT be an Idol review/recap next week (or if there is, it will be late)... more on that tomorrow.

The Women (#7)

TC Boyle's The Women took me nearly the entire month of March to read and now it has taken me another month (where is this year - and time, in general - going?!) to get around to this book post.

T.C. Boyle is one of my favorite authors.  I always think he does interesting things and while they aren't always a raging success, there is always something that keeps me want to keep me coming back for more.  One of his specialties is historical fiction... or perhaps, more accurately fiction surrounding a historical figure.  Arguably his most famous work, The Road To Wellville (which, go figure I haven't read) based on cereal mogul John Kellogg... and the last Boyle I read (and enjoyed) was The Inner Circle (my "review") which focused on sex researcher Alfred Kinsey.  But don't be tricked by the title, Boyle isn't spotlight a woman this time... but architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the many (well, four) women in his life.

I was particularly interested in reading this given FLW's presence here in the Phoenix area.  His home/workshop Taliesin West is on the north edge of town (well, not really the edge anymore given the urban sprawl in the last couple of decades) and we are fortunate enough to have a couple of building inspired (the Arizona Biltmore) or designed by him.  In fact, I am a regular visitor to Wright's last public commission as Gammage Auditorium is home to our Broadway Across America shows.  The building was originally rumored to have been a designed as a Baghdad, Iraq opera house!  And to end the trivia portion of this post, it is interesting to know that TC Boyle and his family live in a FLW-designed house in Santa Barbara!

It seems silly to mention this, but given my Kindle addiction, it seems as if I should note that I read this in "book" form... in fact, an "autographed by the author" real book form!   I didn't quite make it to the book signing, but having seen Boyle in-person two previous times, I was more than glad to be able to pop by the bookstore (local and independent!) and pick up one of the extra copies they usually have authors sign (in fact, it looked like they made Boyle sign every book of his they had in stock!). 

I don't know if it was my return to the physical book, but I really had a difficult time getting into this novel.  It's amazing how quickly the Kindle knocks you out of the habit of page-counting or tuckering out knowing how many pages you've read or how many you have to go... plus there is the sheer exhaustion of holding a book (particularly a hardcover!).  I know this sounds silly to you Kindle non-converts, but it's true (well, I think... where are my Kindle peeps to back me up?!?). 

But anyhow, back to the book... even when I did get into it a bit more (which took a good 100 pages), it still didn't seem to be rolling along at a good clip.  Coincidentally enough, my buddy Jen was reading the book at the same time... and I think it was quite a relief to both of us (it's safe to say we both consider ourselves to be pretty competent readers) that we agreed with each other that it was a bit of a slog. 

Anyhow, I plugged along and was intrigued by the all the stuff that I was learning about FLW along the way.. which apparently was not much.  While I know this is fiction, you do get the sense that Boyle meticulously researched his life... from his quirkiness (those creative geniuses always seem to be a bit off-kilter), his irresponsibility (running up debt), his apparent inability to live without a woman (thus the title)... and most surprisingly for me at least (book reviews I read afterward refer to it as something "everyone knows") a tragic event the occurred quite early in his career, that he was fortunate enough to not be directly involved him, but had that had to have a profound, life-altering affect on the rest of his life. 

Ultimately, it was the handling - or positioning - of this tragedy (which granted, is given away on the inside flap book blurbs... and even lightly addressed early in the novel) that I think put the brakes on me giving this book a huge endorsement.  Since it is the transforming and big event in FLW's life, Boyle wisely saves it for the book's climax... but in order to do so, he tells the story in reverse chronological order...

So while I finished the book with the proverbial good taste in my mouth... with it really kicking into gear, gaining momentum at the end... and certainly shedding light on everything I had read in the preceding hundreds of pages (and perhaps even intentionally meant to be sluggish given what happened!), I just felt it took too long to get there.  

That said, I'd hate to discourage anyone from reading it (on a 5-star scale, I'd rate it 3.5). Granted it's not a book for everyone and I do hold Boyle to a higher standard... and now having read several books by him, it is impossible not to weigh his works against each other.  So while not my favorite Boyle, it's still a good big in the big picture.