Okay, let's say I'm a baseball player, and I want to do a tribute to my grandfather. Now, grandpa is 90 years old. You're not going to see him sliding head-first into second base, or hitting a Grand Salami to win a game. You'll also not likely see him rear back and throw 97 mph gas for the game-clinching strikeout. And yet, any one of these things could easily be dedicated to Gramps. In order to pay tribute to an elderly loved one, I don't need to play as if *I'm* elderly. I don't hobble up the first base line with a walker! I do my best, and dedicate the *effort* to him. This was the major problem with a couple of the songs this week. Guys like Blake and Chris R. really *got it*, that to honor their loved ones, the best they could do was…do the best they could do. And they did. Then you had Brandon, who has HUUUGE potential, who decided that he'd possibly sacrifice his future in this competition by going for sentiment rather than accomplishment. Sanjaya was the worst example of this, singing a song for his deceased grandfather. Nothing wrong with doing that…but don't sing as if you're also dead! Knock the roof of the place, bring the crowd to their feet, then point to heaven and dedicate it to Pappy. Duh!!! I didn't find it so glaring with the ladies, but it probably popped up here and there for them, too. Sanjaya - To quote Mr. S. Cowell (pronounced “Scowl”), I'm not being rude, but Sanjaya looked and sounded like a *girl* doing a tribute to her grandpa. That performance just had no place in this competition. I dearly hope he gets voted out, but I fear that he'll be kept around by those grandparents out there that forgot it's a SINGING COMPETITION. Bored: Brandon - Exhibit B in the “Misunderstanding Song Dedication” thing. Come on, man! Strut a little…show grandma that you can SANG!!! Nick - Big fat MEH from me. I know he was going for *cool*, but it just came off fairly lackluster to me. The song's name is “Fever”…and it was more like “Lethargy” to me. Jared - More Karaoke. There was nothing at all special about this. Yawn. I'm skipping Pleasantly Surprised/Not Overly Thrilled this week for the guys. Impressed: Sundance - I'd go “Blown Away”, but he's got some work to do. I fact, I think it'll take a runthrough of “Not Dead Yet” to get me really excited. But this is at least in the ballpark. Chris S. - Good, but not fantastic. But I *am* impressed with his ability to attract a disproportionately good-looking wife. Phil - Liked the song choice, but there was nothing particularly spectacular about it. Could have gone in the Pleasantly/Not Overly category. On the bubble. A.J. - Another on the bubble one, but I enjoyed it. Blown Away: Blake - I don't care about Simon's “copycat” thing…I thought that was awesome. Loved the vocal scratching, and the fact that he didn't look like he was even *trying*. Chris R. - After two listens, I was impressed by the degree of difficulty, and the skill with which it was executed. I somewhat *hated* the song, but the vocal was really cool. And here are my rankings for the Boys: (I'll call them men when they sing like it) 1. Blake 2. Chris R. 3. Sundance 4. Chris S. 5. Phil 6. A.J. 7. 8. Nick 9. Jared 10. Sanjaya And now the ladies…. The divide between the Haves and the Have-Nots continues to grow. In fact, the Semis are looking like a formality for me. Just put Melinda, Lakisha, Jordin, Sabrina, and Stephanie through right now. Throw in Gina for good measure. But lose the spares. Appalled: Antonella - Celine Dion? Steerike!!! Mommas and the Papas outfit? Steerike!!! Singing? (actually, the question mark is particularly appropriate here) Steerike!!! Aleana - Not scoring big points with me singing Dixie Chicks, but singing really well could have won me over. Not won over. Bored: Leslie - Pretty sure she sang the song in the same key that A.J. did. It sounds like her voice is trapped in the back of her throat. And wow…rarely do we have an appearance of Charlie Brown's teacher in a song. That scat resembled less a vocal style and more what a bear might leave on a backwoods path. Pleasantly Surprised/Not Overly Impressed: Haley - Sorry, but if last week was the True You, then that would make this…what? Fake, as far as I could tell. Stephanie - I just don't really like overly stylized songs. However, she sang pretty well. But there's a lack of control in her vibrato that doesn't mix well with all the runs. And with a song with so many angles to it, it came of a bit sloppy. Gina - Glad she went for a rockier song this week, but it was a bit beyond her capability. Liked it, but didn't love it. Impressed: Jordin - Some rough spots, but overall quite good. Sabrina - A little on the bubble, but PS/NOI was getting crowded. Not much else to say. Blown Away: Lakisha - In the beginning, I thought this would go in “Impressed”. But at the end, she slid solidly into this category. Very well done. Melinda - Dude. Speechless. Okay, I've recovered. Favorite thing? Other than the whole thing? She didn't put up her fingers to show us the phone number. She must have realized THE NUMBERS ARE ON THE SCREEN!!! Not just anybody realizes this. 1. Melinda 2. Lakisha 3. Jordin 4. Sabrina 5. Stephanie 6. Gina 7. Haley 8. Leslie 9. Aleana 10. Antonella Going home Thursday? I'll go with Jared and Nick for the guys. And Antonella and Aleana for the ladies.
Archive for February, 2007...
Filed under american idolFiled under american idol
Right off the bat, I must rant. Here it is: I'm done with Ryan. Can't we get Vanna White or someone with more intellect in there? Here's how I summarize his role:
1. Intro the show.
2. Intro the contestants.
3. Intro the judges. Like we don't know them.
4. Intro the individual performer.
5. Egg on performer to argue with Simon.
6. This is what your doing (hand flapping in babbling gesture)…this is what I want you to do (shut it!).
7. Take us to commercials.
In my view, his role should be cut down to 1, 2, 4, and 7. Otherwise, shut yer caek hoool! (that's Mike Myers' Scottish there).
Until the Finals, I'm going to do a once-a-week ranking, before the results show. Which I won't watch. Mark my words.
So, let's start with the Meh, er, Men. Wow. To summarize, as Bart Simpson once said, it was “craptacular.”
They officially need to get rid of the “6 men, 6 women” thing, because I don't think there's 6 good men here. I'm sure the rule was put in place with the thought (expressed or not) of being fair to the *ladies*, but now it's biting them in the hiney.
At this stage, I'm not doing a recap. I'll just group them into categories of how they made me feel:
1. Blown Away
2. Impressed
3. Pleasantly Surprised/Not Overly Thrilled
4. Bored
5. Appalled
I'm going from the bottom up.
Appalled:
Sundance - Dude, seriously. Mix in some blues. WOW that was lousy.
Yes, it's true, Sundance is my only entry in Appalled. Movin' on to…
Bored:
Sanjaya - Mediocre Karaoke.
Jared - Probably the most overrated song ever. “Repeat steps 1-3″…really? I think it was written by Dufflepuds. “Water…powerful wet stuff!”
Paul - If I didn't want to rip Sundance so much, you'd be joining him.
Brandon - Expected more.
Rudy - At least it was up-tempo.
Pleasantly Surprised/Not Overly Thrilled:
A.J. - Maybe this performance would have ranked worse on a better night. Tonight, though, it seemed pretty good.
Nick - On the bubble, tending toward “bored”, but I didn't want *everyone* in that group.
Chris R. - Good energy, but not the greatest thing I'd ever heard.
Impressed:
Phil - You still has a penchant for starting *really* badly, but the last 50 seconds or so were really good.
Blake - Nice that you left the Beatbox in the holster. I liked the song choice, and it was a good performance.
Chris S. - Shut your mouth when facing the judges. The Teletubbies thing was low, low rent. But the singing was good.
Notice I didn't even *have* a Blown Away group for the men.
And here are my rankings for the Boys: (I'll call them men when they sing like it)
- Blake
- Phil
- Chris S.
- A.J.
- Chris R.
- Nick
- Rudy
- Brandon
- Jared
- Sanjaya
- Paul
- Sundance
Now, to the ladies. Huuuuge improvement. With bits of lousy.
Appalled:
Antonella - Nerves, maybe. Terrible song choice. You're not long for the stage.
Nicole - Ouch. There was just nothing at all good about that. It was just all kinds of excruciating.
Bored:
Amy - Snore. Pick better songs.
Leslie - Had you picked as cannon fodder. Not changing that view. You looked and sounded like a little girl playing dress-up and singing in front of a mirror. Altogether forgettable.
Haley - You should be drummed out of the competition for singing Celine. Don't.
Alaina - More cannon fodder. What'd you sing again?
Pleasantly Surprised/Not Overly Impressed:
Gina - This falls in the Not Overly Impressed category. The vocals were okay, but it's a Celine cover, and that's just unacceptable. Seriously. Stop doing that!
Impressed:
Stephanie - Came out with great energy. Kind of a bad case of the runs in there, but overall, well done.
Lakisha - It's a Big Black Voice. Just not completely my cup of tea. But very well done.
Sabrina - Would have gone in “pleasantly surprised”, but you sang to darn well.
Blown Away:
Melinda - Girl was smokin'!
Jordin - Great job. Probably one of my least favorite songs of all time, because it's so monotone. But you added some bounce to it.
Overall, the ladies were much better than the men. Rankings:
- Melinda
- Jordin
- Lakisha
- Sabrina
- Stephanie
- Gina
- Haley
- Amy
- Leslie
- Alaina
- Nicole
- Antonella
Predictions? We'll say buh-bye to Antonella and Haley, although I'd be unshocked if any of my bottom 6 ladies left us. We'll also lose the Big Giant Head. Harder to pick the other guy. Paul Kim might draw the Asian vote, and Sanjaya will absolutely get the Cheek-Pincher vote. I'll go with either Rudy or Jared going home. We'll see how I did…
Filed under bible, my favorites, rants
I’m currently reading Numbers. And in the first few chapters, there’s not a lot to comment on (although there’s some great stuff in the rest of the book). So, I’m just going to do a random blog on a topic that irks me.
The Immaculate Conception. Think about it. You probably know what it refers to, right? Does it refer to:
1. The Incarnation of Christ.
2. The Origin of Mary.
3. The Baptism of Jesus.
I’ll give you a hint. It’s *not* Number 1. Didja know it?
Filed under american idol
Although I'm still not *really* excited about this year's crop of AI wannabes, I figure it's high time I did some OCD Hand-icapping. So, I'll give my thoughts on the top 24 and try to predict who'll make it through to the Finals. Once the Finals are set, I'll handicap them folks, too.
Alaina Alexander - Frankly, I have *no* idea how she got through. The clip they showed of her was flat-out baaaaad. Cannon fodder. But she's cute, and who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of male voters?
Antonella Barba - Seems nice, in spite of the company she keeps. She can also sing quite well, and she's pretty. If guys vote, she may glean the lust vote.
Melinda Doolittle - If she can stop looking like a frightened squirrel, she has the vocal talent to go a loooong way.
Stephanie Edwards - Doesn't ring a bell. Bummer.
Gina Glocksen - One of the obligatory “smokey” voices that never make it past the top 8. But she might do better. Seems more versatile than past entries in this category.
Leslie Hunt - The clip they showed of her last day looked good. Sounded good.
Lakisha Jones - She's not front-row materiel, and the slight lisp she has could be irritating, but no doubt she can SANG!!
Amy Krebs - I was very impressed with her control. She'll go far.
Haley Scarnato - Another “meh” from me.
Sabrina Sloan - Great voice, but might turn out to be Generic R&B Singer (think Paris Bennet).
Jordin Sparks - Perky, cute, and a terrific voice. She's young, which could factor. But I figure her for a Lisa Eyebrows from last year, but with more actual talent, and less annoying eyebrows.
Nicole Tranquillo - I remember seeing her, and remember liking her. Just can't remember her. But since I have a vague impression of impressed, I think she'll do well.
Rudy Cardenas - Simon doesn't like him, but I have a feeling he'll do well.
Jared Cotter - Very little frame of reference here. No clue.
Sundance Head - I'm giving him a mulligan for Hollywood week. But I was *not* impressed with his week. If he rallies for America, he'll go far. Now if someone could rip that fake goatee off his chin…
Paul Kim - Tends to get caught up in a Bad Case of the Runs. This could be trouble, because America actually needs to hear *singing*. Let the voice flow…
Blake Lewis - Not sure the beatbox is going to be an asset for him in the Semis, but I remember him being a good enough singer to make the cut.
Sanjaya Malakar - Sweet kid. A bit too sweet, but he's got a genuinely good voice and a winning smile that'll have the Blue Hair crowd wanting to pinch his cheeks and push those all-important digits.
Nicholas Pedro - Props for not quitting this year. Yeah. But I don't think he'll make it.
Chris Richardson - Dark Horse. Personally, I think he's got a terrific amount of talent, though he may have difficulty shaking the “Boy Band” label. But Justin Timberlake isn't doing too badly these days…
Brandon Rogers - He's definitely no backup singer. Good voice, great smile. He'll make it.
Chris Sligh - The clear favorite among the guys, to me. Terrific voice, great control, and a killer wit. Slight lisp, but I know some nice people who've done that. And it's not like it's kept Jay Leno from success. 'Course, he's not a singer…which begins with 's'.
Phil Stacy - Congrats on the daughter, but I don't think he's quite got it.
A.J. Tabaldo - Cannon fodder. Not much else to say. If he makes it, I'm giving back all the money I've gotten for writing this.
Those are my impressions. So, my Finals predictions, based on almost nothing, and worth an equal amount, are:
Guys:
Chris Sligh
Sanjaya Malakar
Brandon Rogers
Sundance Head
Rudy Cardenas
Chris Richardson
I think Blake Lewis might sneak in, as long as he lets us forget he's the Beat Box Dude.
Ladies:
Jordin Sparks
Melinda Doolittle
Antonella Barba
Amy Krebs
Lakisha Jones
Sabrina Sloan
I figure I've gotten 3 of these right.
One further prediction: Ms. Doolittle will knock the roof off the place in her first performance. Girl's got skilz.
That'll do for now.
BTW, for my thoughts on deeper issues, look at my blog.
Filed under bible
In reading through Leviticus, one can get overwhelmed with all the references to sacrifices. In our weekly read-through Bible Study, one of the guys asked an interesting question: “What sacrifices do we offer as Christians?”
At first, the standard reply of, “Well, Jesus offered himself as the perfect sacrifice, so there’s nothing left for us to offer.” Of course, this is completely true. However, it only goes so far as what sacrifices we might offer to earn salvation. Certainly, there’s nothing we can add to Christ’s suffering that would make us acceptable to God. But is there anything we should offer?
Filed under bible
So, this year’s Bible Read-Through has me in Leviticus. I know most Christians seem to have this book type-cast as the poster-child for all that’s difficult about the Old Testament, but I don’t really mind it. If anything, the last fifteen chapters of Exodus, or the first ten of 1 Chronicles, or most of Isaiah should get that honor.
But I find Leviticus actually kind of interesting. Every time through, I try to find some meaning in the first seven chapters, where the various offerings are discussed. This morning I read chapters 1-5, after praying that God would help me understand *something* about it that would make it worthwhile. Of course, I’m convinced that, if nothing else, just reading *anything* from the Bible is worthwhile.