Watching Idol

I know, I've been a bad blogger. Negligent. But as a bonus, you will finally get to see the "Peep Tradition" video sometime in the next 7 days. Dismembering Peeps...remember that? Oh, just wait until you hear them scream.

Until then, let's discuss another topic - American Idol. Do you watch? Do you like? Do you care? Being a musician myself, and having a musical family - I am drawn to this show like a light-blinded moth. I've not embraced any of the contestants as fervently as I did Taylor Hicks. I'm still waiting for another one to be "special" and "non-commercial."

During the past two weeks, the contestants have been trying songs by The Beatles. Oh. My. Gawd. You can either do it well, or totally suck at it, I've witnessed. There is no in between.

None of the contestants thrill me, though I tend to pull for the underdogs. Chikezie is on that list, and shocked the heck out of me this week by doing a bluegrass take on a Beatles song, that somehow worked for me. David Cook is another good singer - even better than Daughtry, though not as visually appealing. Now, it remains to be seen if the teeny-bopper David Archuleta can be stopped. No underdog, he. Luckily, there are three contestants that I have slated to "disappear" in the upcoming weeks, if I were judging.

So, who do you like? Dislike?

Tagged, Because I'm the Slowest Runner

Many months ago, the lovely Desert Songbird tagged me in this post, and I got horribly busy and didn't respond in the time dictated by good blogger etiquette. Luckily, she is forgiving, so I'm just now completing my assignment. Better late than never!

It's been really hard to top my previous admissions of weirdness. However, the post is only supposed to be "five things about me that I haven't revealed in previous posts." If you know me, you know I'm the Queen of T.M.I. - making this assignment even more difficult. But, here goes:

1. I recently discovered that I tend to hold my breath while taking a shower. Most likely due to the fact that I had severe hydrophobia as a child, and still can't swim very well. I've been doing deep breathing in the shower now - so I'm not in danger of passing out and leaving a messy scene for Roger to explain to the authorities.

2. I took dance lessons all the way through college, and I still keep up with the latest moves. Wanna go clubbing?

3. I can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue easily.

4. I can't stand the supercilious attitude of George W. Bush and his cronies. Seeing as I'll be in D.C. next week, it's probably not a good time to admit this - the FBI and CIA could nab me while I'm in town for making such an unpatriotic statement.

5. We have a collection of "If" books, which are books of questions - mostly fun in large party groups. The most challenging is Volume 3 - Questions in the Game of Love. These are VERY provocative queries, and I am selecting a tame answer and response, because some of my readers are a little sensitive. I was asked one time if I HAD to sleep with a celebrity of the same sex, who would I choose? There you see her, the lucky Miss Natalie Portman.

Not to change the subject, but WTF is going on with American Idol? Can anyone give me a rational explanation as to WHY this talentless child is still on the show? I enjoyed Idol last year, and had never watched before then - but if this year's idiocy continues, you can count this musician OUT.

Taylor Hicks Update

Everything you want to know about Taylor Hicks is right here on Sunny's great site! I have been stopping by nearly every day to check on the Soul Man's progress in the crazy world of entertainment.

People Magazine's recent article hints at the personality of the grey-haired crooner - showing the side of him that came through during his performances. His interview shows a down-to-earth persona. Let's just hope that being thrust into the spotlight doesn't change him, and he can remain true to himself. Based on his responses to their questions, that's exactly what he wants as well.

Even the snarky boys at the WOW Report, have been Taylor-ized, and though initially skeptic, have reported their recent Hicks experience here. You know when you can impress a couple of high-society queens with a little harmonica, you've made it!

Orgasmic Idol

HE DID IT!! And yes, I'm proud of him. Unfortunately, the finale of Idol was a bit painful, especially since I had a pretty good idea of who the winner would be going in. But having to suffer through two hours of variety-show-style performances led to several eye-rolling moments. First off, why the heck did they allow Meatloaf on stage? He wouldn't have made it past the first round of auditions!! He also looked quite shocked that Katharine McPhee got a bigger reaction from the audience. Much as I hate the camera-mugging Kat, she did shine next to the wavering, slobbering fat bastard she was paired with. And someone please tell me, what exactly IS Clay Aiken? I haven't figured that one out yet - and I'm glad I missed that season of Idol.

Mary J. Blige shouldn't have relegated Elliott Yamin to background singer - he was definitely holding his own, sounding more confident and relaxed than he had all season. I look for him to get a big record deal and free dental work. And Momma Yamin couldn't have been more proud.

The Pickler Schtick was back, as annoying as ever. Did anyone else hear her "drop" the accent for a bit there? Barf. Another note: I couldn't figure out in Simon's montage if he was highly sexual with all the self-stroking, or just narcissistic.

Listening to the group of girls/boys perform, I agree with something Simon said earlier in the season: it was the boys' competition to lose. They sounded much tighter than the girls - and evidently possess more talent.

Chris and the lead singer from "Live" looked like brothers - and I felt as if Ed Kowalczyk spent most of his time trying to distinguish himself from Chris, as Daughtry looked on admirably.

Most uncomfortable moment? Besides the obviously deranged Clay Aiken wannabe having a seizure onstage (and having to be put in his cage by Ryan Seacrest), was Taylor's performance with Toni Braxton. She was gyrating all over, sexing up a song about the ghetto? At one point, she nuzzled up to Taylor and attempted to wrap his hand around her waist and rub it against her bod. Thankfully, Taylor didn't take the bait and caress the hornilicious, mumbling (and maybe drunk?) Braxton, but kept his cool as Fox cut away from the shot. He outsang her, too.
All in all, too lengthy of a show, but DAMN! They saved the best for last, as surprise guest Prince hit the stage! And thank goodness they didn't make him sing with an Idol contestant - he rocked the joint like no one else! Here is a link to check out the Purple Man's performance, in case you missed the best part of the show (thanks Mr. Big). Little too much makeup, but he proved (as always) that he reigns supreme. And yes, this moment led me to title this post as such. Can you tell I'm a major Prince fan?

I'm so glad that America voted for Taylor Hicks instead of Miss Priss-Face. Don't worry, she'll end up on Broadway and have a successful career. But as Taylor said, he's the one living the American Dream.

Is It HIM?

Could it be? This is the very first season that I have watched American Idol. Obsessively. With the same obsession that I watched the very first season of Survivor, or that season of the Real World where everyone got naked and drunk in Hawaii. I have not been disappointed, b/c the man who caught my eye as unique has made it all the way to the TOP TWO. If you wonder why I never caught on to the Idol craze before now, it is b/c I thought the competition sought to crown a perfect little pop-princess-diva, or a sexy-sultry-rocker - thereby creating another packaged commercial bore that would assault the airwaves with mediocrity. I came to this show with a healthy dose of skepticism, to say the least.

As a classically-trained musician who is also married to a musician and counts another musician as a best friend, you can imagine that I am a harsh Idol critic. Early in the competition, the only one I was really cheering for was Simon. But Taylor Hicks? Different. Real. What made me root for him? Not so much what I heard from his lips, but what was emanating from his soul. Music lives inside him. Whether or not he is the most talented singer in the competition is surely up for debate, but I don't think you could find anyone who breathes music more. And to be honest, I'm surprised that he made it this far.

Is it possible that America is also tired of the package that the music industry tries to sell us? That America is ready for someone who is a little rough around the edges, but truly FEELS music, deep inside? Can they stomach the moves of a man possessed by his muse? Let's hope. For Taylor Hicks, tonight, goes up against his antithesis. A girl who has been groomed for this her entire life - who spends more time trying to seduce the camera than remembering lyrics. She's already got the gay vote, which tells you she's ready for Broadway. I am not a Katharine-hater, but she's what I hate about Idol.

I hope it happens, and that America votes for an underdog. I hope Taylor sings well tonight, and doesn't ruin his chances with a bad performance. I will be voting for the soul of music tonight, b/c that's what only a true musician can feel.

Skewed Idol?

Here I am, voting with one hand, blogging with the other.

Tough night on Idol, and for the first time (Taylor Hicks fans might want to read with caution), I see the difference in the contestants. Elliot Yamin has more potential than Taylor. Katharine McPhee has more training than Taylor. And yet, Taylor is having the most fun in this competition.

I may be the only person in America who wasn't shocked that Chris Daughtry was voted off last week. His rocker scream was wearing on me. Did you know that your vocal chords involuntarily constrict and relax, based on what vocal tones you are hearing? I was usually tired after a Chris performance.
Two worries tonight. One that Taylor, for the first time, doesn't quite seem to measure up to the competition. Two, that Vote for the Worst might actually have something to do with the results of the competition. Each week, this web site tries to throw the Idol competition by encouraging its readers to vote for the contestant they have dubbed "the worst." At least, for Taylor's sake, they've had him pegged for the past two weeks. Will they make him safe? As of right now, Dial Idol has Taylor making it into the finals. And so far, they show that Katharine is the next to go.

I'm voting for Taylor, b/c I would truly love to see a non-packaged performer have a shot at the big time. I just love watching him, and I'm ready to hear an album (there's that old-timer word again) with a different type of vocal hit the charts than all the commercial idiocy plaguing the airwaves. Plus, Katharine always has this look on her face as if to say, "You must love me! I am hot! I can sing!" And appears just shocked when the judges lay down any criticism of her.

Tomorrow night, we'll know for sure who makes the finals. Let's hear it for the diabetic deaf guy, and the grey-haired soul man.

Rocker Shocker

Is it possible? Is he really gone? Well, I gotta hand it to the American public (a group I had almost lost faith in after the 2004 elections) - they did the right thing. Chris Daughtry had the worst performances Tuesday night, possibly of his whole tenure on the show, and rightly deserved to go home. Yes, he is closest to Idol material, but he got too cozy and slacked off. No room for that anymore - not at this stage of the competition. More shocked was Katharine McPhee -- who should be the next to go.
What's amazing to me, is that America seems to have fallen in love with the two underdogs of the Idol story...the scruffy, talented Elliot, who is by no means polished in appearance, but charming, diabetic, and 90% deaf in one ear. And Taylor Hicks, the grey-haired, gravel-voiced, jerky soulman with painful dance moves, who looks nothing like the pop stars of today. I would argue that they are deserving to be in the top two, based on their love of music alone. And I'm just thrilled that the cutesy-pie, perfect-package kids are mostly out of the running. This is my first season to ever watch Idol, every episode, and I'm glad I did. Idol-faithful, educate me. Is this the best one ever?
Also important to note: Taylor is the only contestant who has NEVER been in the bottom three or bottom two. The only one.

Idol Thoughts

The Final Four, can you feel the excitement? This is really tough - a hard place in the competition, but I'm so thrilled that two of the most NON-COMMERCIAL guys have gotten so far! That's been my whole beef with American Idol, that we're supposed to pick a "Simon-Cowell-Endorsed-Package" of what our Idol should be. Now, Simon-lovers, don't go all hateful on me. I tend to agree with most of Simon's comments during the show. He's harsh, honest, and doesn't sugar-coat the cold reality of how the contestants perform. Plus, I don't think he's doing the mind-altering substances that Paula imbibes.

So...who are my top two? Taylor and Elliot. Taylor has always been my top pick, b/c he is REAL and DIFFERENT, and doesn't scmooze the camera. He is being true to himself. The man would shrivel and die if he wasn't involved in music. Elliot has a great voice, and with a little polishing, would make an album worth listening to. (Did I just date myself horribly by using the word "album?" Do any of you remember what an album is?)

As for Katharine, well, she has an inflated ego. That bothers me. Chris? I seriously don't think I could listen to 13 tracks of his voice. I own Live's "Throwing Copper," and as great as it is, I still can't listen to it all the way through without stopping. Katharine and Chris ARE, however, perfect commercial packages. Just what Simon would love. I think he actually resents Taylor Hicks making it this far - remember how Simon dissed him early in the auditions?

BTW, there is a web site that tracks the busy signals of each contestant's dial in numbers, called DialIdol that has been pretty close to predicting who will be voted off next. Here are their results from last night:

DialIdol Score Margin Of Error

Taylor Hicks 29.749 1.533
Elliott Yamin 29.181 1.539
Katharine McPhee 25.623 1.577
Chris Daughtry 25.241 1.581

Could it be true? Can't wait for tonight!

Acronymania!

Amber got her yearbook Friday, which was IN COLOR - the ENTIRE THING! How cool is that? I love looking through the photos, putting faces with the names of kids she's mentioned throughout the year. Especially the ones she's said are "bullies" or "mean" or "jerks." Got my eye on those. It's also neat to see how much her classmates have changed since they were wee ones.

So, I'm flipping through - and I'm reading all the messages left by her friends. I notice two things that disturb me. One signature includes the message "LYLAFKLC," and another dozen or so include "HAGS."

LYLAFKLC. Okay. My mind is twisting around that one pretty fast. Going thru all the possibilities. I remember a favorite in my day was "LYLAS," or "Love You Like a Sister." Was easy to pronounce - "lie-lass." But what was this? I get the scoop from the kid. LYLAFKLC = "Love You Like A Fat Kid Loves Cake." Thank goodness.

HAGS? I wondered if the first kid who wrote this was...well...affected. Maybe just a little bit of dyslexia while trying to write "hugs." Then another kid signed that way - and another. Was this the beginning of a middle school version of the "Mean Girls" clique? Nope. Evidently, HAGS = "Have a Good Summer."

My turn. Every so often, I get a CD addiction. I'll buy a CD, and then it stays in my CD player for a month, until I've memorized every song on it. My latest addiction is FOB. Catchy, great lyrics, great song titles...I think I've about got the thing memorized. I even like their videos! So if you're wanting to catch up with today's music at all, this is a CD I would recommend. And I wouldn't recommend you look up Pete Wentz's Sidekick photos that were "mistakenly" distributed on the 'net. Though I have a whole new respect for little guys. Their album is entitled "From Under the Cork Tree." What's the significance of the title? In a recent interview, Pete said, "We wanted for people to get their parents to buy it for them [having] to say, 'Will you go buy me FUCT?' It's just an awesome acronym." I think it would be funnier if they told their fans to go out and get FUCT. Oh, and for those of you who are acronymically-challenged, FOB = "Fall Out Boy." HAGS!

Pickler Picked Off

Hooray! America isn't going to vote for CUTENESS or LIKEABILITY or COMMERCIALISM! America might actually pick someone for American Idol WHO CAN SING!!

Don't get me wrong. Honestly, during the auditions of American Idol, I knew Kellie would make it far. She did not have the WORST voice, but it was limited in its scope. She had the least amount of training, yet the highest potential because of her likeability factor. A factor that, IMHO, quickly became the annoyance factor. I just couldn't tolerate the Pickler schtick that many weeks in a row. At first, it was, "Aw, cute little Southern girl is all wide-eyed in the great big world." Which quickly evolved to, "That little cutesy-pie accent and dumb blonde act is the most unnerving part of this show."

My faith has been restored in America's Couch Potato population segment. You voted perfectly this week - the Pickler had to go. Rock on.

I'm ready for Presidential Idol now.

American WHAT?

I will preface this by saying that I am in no way a great singer. Yes, I sing along in my car/shower/house/office to all manner of tunes, but I would never subject myself to any form of competition. Especially in front of actual people.

What was up with American Idol last night? Hello? Did they forget they are on national television - with a live studio audience? This isn't time for warmups!

The most hideous thing? Ace Young and his SCAR.
Honestly. His performance reminded me of when Amber was little, and used to mime the words to cheesy songs while using her Little Tykes microphone in the living room. Funny and cute when she was three. Not funny and cute when a grown man strokes his SCAR during his performance and strokes his HAIR as well. Granted, I know the lyrics to "Drops of Jupiter." But Ace, give me a break. Your narcissism is almost as annoying as Kellie Pickler's hick-speak.

Once again, I voted for Taylor. He and Paris had the best performances of the night. I don't think Taylor is the best singer, but he is HONEST. He isn't trying to woo the audience. He isn't trying to seduce the camera to win the 16-year-old-girl vote. He finally sang without having an epileptic seizure, which granted, can distract. (I know, it's his SOUL speaking when he moves like that - but it is a tad painful to watch.)

And someone, please vote Bucky off. I don't think I can take another week.

Go Taylor!

Another good night of American Idol - and once again, the boys WAY outdid the girls. I was browsing the Taylor Hicks Fan Site earlier this evening, and noticed something strange. It appears that Taylor, in his younger (darker) days, bore a striking resemblance to a popular actor. An actor who is also now a salt-n-pepper man, though much older than our Hicks. Care to guess? C'mon --- look at the eyes. It's in there.

Vote for Taylor

I admit it. I've become addicted to American Idol.

I've never watched the show before, but for some reason, I picked this season to jump on the pop-cultural-couch-potato-bandwagon. And I'm glad I did.

As a classically trained musician, and someone who grew up during what my husband calls the "Dark Ages of Music" (the '80s), I am NOT usually enthused when I see each year's crop of new talent. But every now and again, someone will come along who is incredibly unique and different.

That's why I'm rooting fervently for Taylor Hicks on American Idol. NOT the package you'd expect. Older, by pop music standards (29), grey-headed, quirky, with a voice that might have once belonged to a black man. When he plays the harmonica, you feel like he's been in prison - he really pours his soul into the music. When you watch him sing, you think of Joe Cocker. You can see his face literally change when he sings - you can tell music is running through his veins and making him crazy with emotion. Yes, he's a little rusty around the edges - but all he needs is a good agent, PR firm and some polishing - wait, that would ruin him.

Anyway, I'm actually going to vote. For change. For someone other than these plastic, commercial, dime-a-dozen, perfect-body, perfect-smile little pop diva wannabes. For someone who loves music, and actually has some talent to back it up. Join the movement.