In case you haven’t heard the news, there has been another fatal school shooting, this time at Northern Illinois University, outside of Chicago.
From what I could gather from the news brief, the gunman entered from a door on the lecture hall stage and opened fire facing the crowd. Six people were killed.
Which leads me to ask this question: why??? Why do these people enter our temples of learning, and do such senseless violence? Why prey on the innocent young people, whose lives are just beginning?
The fact that schools have become the madman suicide shooter’s location of choice just triples the tragedy for me. Our universities represent one of the pinnacles of our modern society. We put great resources and importance to the development of our minds and the enhancement of our societal understanding. Our schools represent the ultimate in openness and freedom of thought.
Then someone goes in and shoots up the place, contrary to the very foundation and idea of the university. Suddenly a place of openness and freedom turns into a place of terror and distrust.
I’m not going to have much to say here. It was kind of a boring episode, as it should be. I mean, how long can we watch these poor people cry and sob, and how predictable is it that they are going to tease with the ones who cry and sob but make it anyway… ugh. Some times reality TV bugs me.
Pro: Mr. Fake British Accent did not make it. He was an interesting fellow, but just kind of rubbed me the wrong way for the weirdest reasons. Maybe it was that he lives in his car, and the car wasn’t a hybrid or something. I don’t know. I just have this inexplicable negative feeling toward him. I think he might have a future, if he can just umm… grow up a bit.
Con: Why don’t we get to see more of the Hollywood auditions of the people who don’t make it? This would have made today’s blog so much better, as I would get to totally disagree with the judges on something. Grrr…
And to go along with that, why do you doctor the Hollywood week episode for those people you want in the top 24 but who screw up? (Brooke White) I’m a little frustrated with the editing here.
MAJOR CON: How come you ignored my Jelly during Hollywood week? HELLO! I didn’t’ even know she was in the top 50. We didn’t see anything since her first audition. I almost defected to a skinnier chick! I think this year I’m going to have to have 2 womens though. ‘Cause while Jelly has the equipment, Syesha has the voice that should have gone along with it. I just want a woman who can take paint off the walls… is that too much to ask???
Pro: Simon really wanting Kyle the Oxford Shirt Man to be in the Top 24. I thought that was one of the most classy moments ever, even if he still had to say no. (Which remains the correct decision, I’m afraid. His voice was just way too untrained in comparison to the others.)
Con: No Obama or Clinton commercials. Shucks.
Pro: All my other picks (besides Car Man) made it in.
Con: So many of these singers I have yet to hear anything substantial from… this will make next week’s performances crucial!
That is all. Let the comments flow.
Oh and PS > Someone needs to give Paula a lesson on how to draw a metaphor… the whole sYESha thing was a great idea which was totally bungled!
In the last two days I have seen a record number of visits to my blog! Thanks for coming and checking it out!
As I looked at the analytics for the site, I noticed that many people are getting here by googling “mormon girl american idol,” so I decided to google it myself and see what kind of page ranking I am getting…
Awesome! I’m #2!! Silver medal! (to use Mitt-terms)
However… I’m a little ticked at how google parsed my blog on there - and how it parses every other entry on that page. Apparently it insists on associating Mormonism with craziness, atheism, and mocking other religions.
Oh well, anything to drive a bit more traffic to the site!
All right, America. We all have had a good laugh at our fellow goofball countrymen in the last few weeks, but nowthe real competition begins!
I liked the changes to Hollywood week a lot. It now seems like much more of a solo effort, with the getting rid of the group performances and less of the baiting the contestants against each other to ‘create’ some of that great reality TV. The offstage stuff was actually boring compared to the onstage drama of who would part of the creme that would rise to the top…
I think the addition of the contestants playing instruments was a great new trap for many of them to fall into. Most thought it would make them look more talented, when actually it just exposed their overall mediocrity even more. For most it was a bigger sign that they weren’t great musicians.
Now for some individual comments:
Brooke, my little Mormon chick, you look like a walking candy cane or “Where’s Waldo!” You really need to get a couple of shirts that do not look like the Cat in the Hat’s hat! You are extremely talented, and are a lock for the Top 24. You have a very unique flavor in your voice. I just hope we don’t get sick of your saccharine sweetness too early. Even if you are innocent and kind and ultra-Mormon, can you please just try to pretend to be slightly less fragile than you are?
Oh, and one more thing… get a bit of a tan too, please. The white balance is killing the camera men!
David Hernandez, Mr. Super Falsetto with a beautiful Break… you are definitely a lock for the top 24. You think you are hot stuff though, and so you bug me. It’s nice to see someone who has the confidence to actually know how good he is, though. So it’s a balance, then.
Was it just me or were there way too many “thank you”, “thank you” going out from the stage? As if they had already won the top prize. Gimme a break. Just stand there and take the heat (or the compliments) for cryin’ out loud!
Miss Amanda the Rock n Roll Nurse Lady: OK… fashion police! You gotta fix that awful blond dye job on the bangs. Nasty. It almost looks like a front hair piece the way the hair is layering over itself. I love the color of your voice, but there’s something a bit too grating about it. Simon is right, you need some other colors to that voice to get anywheres in this competition. You’re in though.
Mr I Live In My Car Dude needs to get a comb or some hair product - his voice is almost there. It has some really cool moments, but I get the feeling he has no idea how to control it. And lose the fake British accent for crying out loud. His breakthrough moment was his first audition. He actually put some heart into it, choosing substance before style. If it weren’t for that performance, his Stand By Me (which I would rename, “Run Away From Me”) would have sunk him from this competition. He is young, has a story, and is a memorable character, so he’ll be in the Top 24. He doesn’t appear to be the musician he thinks he is, though, which will probably sink him early on in the competition.
Danny Noriega is proof that there are SO many others on this show who can sing, but who just don’t get the camera time. I think they’ll put him in the 24, but I just can’t pass judgment yet. He has good possibilities.
Carly Smithson needs to brush her tongue. Looks like she just finished a lollipop before coming on stage - but she did put something extra into it that song. Then, she just kept bringing it with each subsequent performance. Her Irish blood is carrying her through. She has beautiful moments. She will be in the top 24. She could be a real artist some day, not just a singer.
Mr. Oklahoman Politician… “y-eever eat deer jerky?” ohhh how hideous. He looks so much better without glasses - he should go with that look. And does the man own anything but oxford shirts?? Please! But, really, he shouldn’t make it into the top 24. He doesn’t have a great voice at all, and I think they keep putting him through out of pity, or just to have the right guy/girl balance.
Side note: There was a commercial for Barack Obama in the middle of AI, the first political ad to be run in my state. Awesome strategy Barack!
16 year old David boy is totally making it through on his excellent song choices! The question is, can he actually go the distance? It’s so funny when he says that he gets that “tingly feeling”… but don’t worry ladies… it’s only when he sings…
Syesha — wow.. I’m really impressed. This is the girl that was sick for the first days, and after fighting the sickness, she really came and busted it out. She didnt’ even make the excuse of being sick when she tanked her audition. I think she could really go the distance. She has an awesome set of pipes. She might have to be MAH WOOOMAN this year, even though there’s not as much of her to love as I would hope.
Mr. Australian man, lots of passion, not a lot of skill. I thought his version of Bohemian Rhapsody was awful and pitchy, actually. I was really surprised that the judges were so positive about it.
Aisia had a really unique sound to her voice, but even now as I review this note, I can’t remember her… so I will say, she’s unmemorable.
Perhaps the saddest moment of the night was seeing poor Paula when she had to say no to somebody. Ohhhh Sad.
Overall, a great hollywood week! Now we’re onto the big time!
I have restrained my political postings lately, so I figure it was time to give a quick political update.
Mitt is out. Whaaa… but I know… we, his supporters, saw it coming eventually. His actual chances were very slim, and I was even more terrified that if he won the nomination, the Democrats would paint him as a republican version of Flip-Flopper John Kerry and discourage his own party’s base. Which is exactly what they’ll do to McCain, too. Yes, it appears the Republicans will continue to implode in the years to come, losing more and more power in Washington, until the public gets sick of the Dems and switches back to the Reps. (Let’s hope it doesn’t take as many years as the last time they were in power) I don’t really see any way the Republicans win in the fall, even if there is a national security event.
So lets talk about the Dems:
I was reading an article last night about Hillary’s campaign manager stepping aside, and I thought… hmm… you know Hillary is the first candidate (since maybe “Ike”?) to actively campaign with her first name only. This is actually important on many levels.
In case you didn’t notice, Hillary is a woman. And in marriage, she took Bill’s name; a name which truly isn’t totally hers. Using the name Hillary more accurately represents the woman she’s been her whole life, and disassociates her with “Clinton” ties.
Then there’s the personable-ness of it. For the candidate with the highest negatives, and the one who people largely feel is cold and uncaring, being on a first-name basis actually works to break down those barriers. Everyone calls her just Hillary. I’m not sure there’s been a more famous one-word celebrity since “Prince,” and certainly not in Politics.
For Obama and McCain, her chief rivals, they need only keep the image alive as Bill back in the White House. This is the one image that makes me personally sick. I could live through a Hillary Presidency, but having bill traipsing around the East Wing of the White House just makes me quite ill.
In contrast, I look at Obama’s family. They are just cute as buttons.
I kind of hope that Obama wins the Democratic Nomination. It would make this November SO much more palatable. The last thing I want is an all out McCain vs Clinton Old School showdown. Two old school party hands duking it out so (as Romney put it) they can all go back to Washington just to sit in different seats (and I would add) still get nothing done.
I still can’t say that I would support Obama. I spent a good deal of time on his website, trying to understand his platform and realistically project what he might accomplish in the next 4 years, given the realities in Washington. He doesn’t spend much time stumping on issues. Instead, he opts to get the electorate fired up, and then those few Americans who actually care about issues have to go do their own research.
Here are the positives:
He says he will keep the Bush tax cuts for everyone who makes less than $250,000 (that’s me)
He supports network neutrality and an open internet.
Negative:
He doesn’t appear to believe in open market solutions for helping our economy.
Wants to give people federal grants (my tax $) to refinance their sub-prime mortgages.
I’m still on the fence…
Wants an immediate draw down of troops from Iraq. This was a deal breaker for me, because his language had seemed too absolutist, and too anti-war. This is my same problem with President Bush. He was too absolutist and unable to articulate the nuance of our current world conditions. However, last night on 60 minutes, when Obama was asked, “what if the situation gets dramatically worse” or “what if sectarian violence gets out of control” his response was, “I always reserve the right as commander in chief to make a military change of strategy.” This was the even-handedness I was looking for. We need a Commander in Chief who will end our involvement in these conflicts without allowing the collapse of these fragile governments.
He has an OK education policy, but I would prefer to see a performance based salaries program for our teachers.
Doesn’t include deportation as part of his immigration policy, and doesn’t explain how he will legitimize the need for foreign workers. A very incomplete platform here.
Supports a “National Health Plan” which is basically turns the federal government into an insurance company, which subsidizes those who can’t afford the premium. People can still own their own private insurance, or apply for the ‘government cheese.’ I’m not putting this in a negative column (yet) because I like the idea of private insurance having compete with low-cost government insurance (even though this could put insurance companies out of business since the gov’t is using tax dollars to subsidize its program). This still doesn’t address the fact that the government IS the problem in health care today, and they are the primary organization (through Medicare, regulations, and beaurocracy) who are driving the cost of health care up.
So I know this blog was a little ramble-y and fragmented, but I think that reflects my current feelings over the political landscape. I’m a little lost right now, with no one to guide. I’m like a boat on the water… blah blah blah…
Comes the blessed day of JOY! And boy was this a great day of JOY for the American Idol auditions, after several weeks of BORING auditions.
Then there’s JaySmoove, our resident R&B recording artist. …or as I like to call him GUMS! So… gums, you are totally smooth with the ladies with your super counter-tenor nasty falsetto and your pocket full of sparkles. I’m a little scared to find out what other actromons you have in your pocket.
You know, Gums, your voice wasn’t that bad. I can see where you might even have a small future as a backup fake singer on some really bad gangstah rap music video… but see, there’s just one reason why you’re moment with Idol can’t go any further than this little audition… and it’s purely ORAL in nature!
Hang on though, we still have to talk about my WOAH-MAAAAN! For the past couple seasons I’ve held at least one special african-american female as my pseudo-girlfriend/alter-ego… and this year I might have found mine in Joanne Borgella… I think I’ll just call her Jelly. Her voice is just a little shrill and girlish for me, though. I usually prefer the girls who i feel can body slam me with their voices, but she’s on my short list. With those other two linebackers who auditioned together… hmm.. what were their names?
Now let’s talk about some new sides we are seeing in Simon. Apparently, he has a soft spot for for animals. He immediately turned into putty in that little southern girl’s hands when she brought in the little puppy.
Then we have the best moment of the season… for once… for once Simon admits that Paula is right, and she admits that she even surprised herself with being right. You just have to see this to believe it!
After a TERRIBLE audition, Paula recommends that this girl (who is trying to sing a Celine song which is WAY too big for her little voice) would much better on a Dolly Parton song. She comes back and actually sounds pretty good, even though she doesn’t appear to understand at all what’s going on! Simon won’t admit it until later but…
Oh yeah, and keep your eye on Chakeasy Easy. He has a great voice that we might enjoy listening to.
Then there’s JaySmoove, our resident R&B recording artist. …or as I like to call him GUMS! So… gums, you are totally smooth with the ladies with your super counter-tenor nasty falsetto and your pocket full of sparkles. I’m a little scared to find out what other actromons you have in your pocket.
Hang on though, we still have to talk about my WOAH-MAAAAN! For the past couple seasons I’ve held at least one special african-american female as my pseudo-girlfriend/alter-ego… and this year I might have found mine in Joanne Borgella… I think I’ll just call her Jelly. Her voice is just a little shrill and girlish for me, though. I usually prefer the girls who i feel can body slam me with their voices, but she’s on my short list. With those other two linebackers who auditioned together… hmm.. what were their names?