Day 109 - Idol, White Wedding, and Sleep

Let's start with my fodder from Idol. Last night's performances of Carol King tunes, which is ALL the rage with hipsters these days, was interesting. I have to wonder if this theme was chosen to keep the two remaining females in the competition as it really doesn't make much sense no matter how you look at it. There were 6 solos and 3 duets and I have to say at this point - not really a fan of any of the duets last night. But one contestant stood out from the rest of the pack, again. James Durbin. He totally slayed "Will You Still Love me?" and was by far the best of the night. So... predictions on who I think will be in what position after the votes are tallied:

Top 3
1. James - that was outstanding. Bar none the best.
2. Casey - It wasn't as good as past performances, but not much competition tonight
3. Scotty - All things being equal, parts were really good and it was nice to see him not rely on the LOWs in his voice.

Bottom 3
4. Lauren - She sang it safe and predictable. I'm still confused as to how one's voice cracking qualifies one as a good singer.
5. Haley - So-So performance.
6. Jacob - Has got to go. And whoever dressed him like a spastic golfer had to have been drunk.

In other news, tomorrow there will be a new princess in England. While many really don't care, I'm looking forward to seeing this little event. I don't know that I will get up at 0300, but I do want to see bits and pieces. It's a cool day for Great Britain and I hope they enjoy the show.

Because of the wedding, I will experience a lack of sleep. I don't know about you, but my functionality of this week is already waning and I need a nap even as I write this. Somehow, there is a great force in the universe that has put up a blockade against my efforts to snooze, but hopefully, I will go to bed a wee bit early and get a few good hours in. I hope.
More later...

Day 104 - Under the Weather

I'm pretty sure if you feel under the weather, you can feel on top of it. However, right now I have to thank DH for this cold or whatever that has invaded my body. So much for enjoying my mini-vacation. Ugh. Not a fan. Right now I'm lying in bed getting ready to go take yet another nap.

This nap will be accompanied by Adele's new album "21" which I received as a gifty-poo from my sister. It's most awesome. She has such a great blusey sound which I totally dig. Rock on. I have to admit I hadn't heard Adele's latest single until Haley performed it on AI. She did a great job and I've contemplated buying her version as well.

Speaking of American Idol. I am SO glad Stefano is gone. Phew. I was sweating bullets on that on. He sucks. Now to figure out who I want to go home next. Decisions, decisions. BTW - I loved James Durbin's take on Muse's "Uprising." It's a great arrangement and has some substance which I really appreciated.

Well, I can honestly say I could write more, but my eyes are crossing which means I obviously need to get some rest. I think this is just one of those cold / virus type of things and I've been sucking down meds to keep the symptoms and the low-grade fever at bay. So time for a nap. Ciao....

Day 96 -Friday!

I still stand by my previous American Idol post. I think Stefano should have gone home; however, Paul's performance was forgetable. Because of that, I think is why he didn't get that many votes and went home. I also am of the belief that there are people who don't vote for their favourites because they believe they are "safe" and others will vote for them. It was nice though to see Paul perform Maggie May yet again. Now the song is stuck in my head. It will be interesting to see what happens next week on FOX. Stay tuned.

Day 95 - A Few Notes

I love the purple haze that settles over the city in the mornings when the sun is coming up behind the buildings. It's always calming and makes me realize how much I love the "city." I suppose I'm kind of a big-city girl at heart. I love the open plains and the way you can see for miles as the sun sets in the evening, but there's something about the way the sun moves and highlights the buildings that's pretty awesome to me.

I'm taking a quick break and chowing down on an orange. So far, the "diet" has been going well this week and only a few challenges to will-power. I have not deprived myself, but I am being careful to keep things in line with what I need to be eating. So... more fruits and veggies and less crap. As a result of that and some 20 minute workouts (walking, elliptical and such,) I am already noticing a wee, small, little change in the way the pants are fitting. This is a good sign and motivation to keep things going. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for lunch today as I didn't pack one this morning. I'm thinking maybe a chicken breast, spinach and some salad (that veggie thing is all important.) This is under the assumption I can get Jesus to make this for me.

I watched American Idol last night and just for the record... LOVED the show. There are so many great songs from movies that it would be really hard to narrow down what to sing. There is this little part of me that was hoping someone would TRY to sing the theme song from "Titanic" because it's one of the hardest to try to master.
But in case you missed it...
Paul's performance of Bob Segar was forgetable, but don't know if he will go home. It's not that he did a bad job, but by the end of the show I actually had to try to remember what he sang.
Haley totally butchered "Call Me" by Blondie. I understand what she was going for, but when you compare it to the original, it comes across as screamy. I think she wore the outfit she did because her singing wasn't singing.
Casey Abrams did "Nature Boy" and while I love the Nat King Cole song, I think he jinxed himself. I don't know if that America would see him as an "idol" after that jazz performance.
Stefano and Jacob. Ugh. Can't stand Stefano at all and Jacob's Idol career was saved tonight by the song choice, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" suggested by the mentors. If he had gone with his choices, I'm sure he would have gone home.
Favorites of the night were:
James Durbin doing "Heavy Metal) - he ROCKED it out. I am hoping that next week will be something totally different. He's a rocker and I would love to hear him doing a rock ballad.
I also enjoyed Lauren Aliana's "The Climb." This Miley Cyrus song is a good one and she totally trumped Ms. Cyrus. She was a little bit pitchy in parts, but overall, she sounds so much better than Billy Ray's princess.
Scotty doin George Straight's song, "I Cross My Heart" was obvious. He's good, but I wonder if he's getting predictable. I would like to see him branch out, take a chance and all that good stuff.

Tonight's result show should be interesting. There's some great talent there; however, at this stage in the competition, I would say it's all about song choice. Tune in for the results tonight on FOX.

Day 73 - Motown and High School

Tonight on American Idol the contestants did "Motown."

Ein) This is the best season of AI since the first season. I'm so glad that the judges actually have a clue. Simon got to be excessively annoying - 9 years of being a pain in the ass and really not having a nice thing to say about anyone??? Paula Abdul was a joke and useless. I mean seriously? She wasn't a good singer back in the 80's / 90's. She was a great choreographer, but I'm not a huge fan (and I am stating the obvious.) And Randy actually was the only one who tried to offer musical criticism. My complaint - Randy is stuck on "Yo Dawg." After 10 years, it gets a little old. Find a new schtick dude.

Zwei) This is the most unique group the show has ever had. I'm grateful the judges are such a diverse group because I honestly think that's how we ended up with such great talent. Paul and James are probably my favorites. There are a couple I don't like at all - can't even remember their names. Hopefully neither will win.

Drei) I haven't voted. I probably won't vote. I understand the concept of the fans choosing, but I honestly don't know if it costs money. If it does, screw it. I don't have the funds to waste on an entertainment vote. If it doesn't, why do I want to waste the time when I could spend it blogging?

In other news, I had to have a chat with both of the girls about their grades tonight. I don't understand why it's hard to get good grades. If you just remember to turn in homework, half of the battle is won. I'm giving the girls the same lecture my parents gave me, only with less hellfire and brimstone. If the situation called for it, I would probably open the gates of hades; however, they know what needs to be done and they are pretty good at beating themselves up. We'll see what happens. Right now, the both of them need to lose the spring fever and go for the gold.

Finally, haven't been feeling up to snuff lately. Between the pain in the foot, the knees hurting from the extra baggage and the bladder problems... I feel much older than I am. I am thankful tonight for painkillers. Somehow and some way I need to get healthy. How to manage that I'm not sure, but am hopeful it will happen sooner rather than later. Sweet dreams (and may Charlie Sheen not be a part of them.)