My Boycott of American Idol: Day 2

During tonight's boycott we decided to start by watching Firefly "Jaynestown" and planned to follow it up with Buffy's "Once More With Feeling". But we enjoyed Firefly so much, we put in disc one and just kept watching...

And ate ice cream!!!

My Boycott of American Idol: Day 1

So, in lieu of watching American Idol (cuz I'm pissed at America for over-voting no-talents):

I posted my boycott status on Facebook..
I baked cookies with my son...
I watched (gag) High School: The Musical 3 with my son...

Ohhh, what I wouldn't have given to just watch another episode of AI and James!!!

Boooooooooooooooooo American country music lovin' teens!!!

AI: James Durbin

I am so pissed off. I can say without a doubt, I will not be watching the rest of this season of American Idol. Who would have thought that the top 3 would be Hailey, Lauren, and Scotty? REALLY? Out of those three, I like Hailey the most, but not more than James or Casey, or even Paul or Stephano.
I might buy a Hailey album... She kind of has a Joan Osborne sort of voice. IF she put out something like that, I might get it. Lauren and Scotty.. they are dime-a-dozen singers. I don't care for country and don't find them to be anything special beyond youthful.

I have only been watching Idol for 4 years now, and this is the first time I haven't accurately picked the winner from day one..... I think... Last year, I really liked both finalists, so I would have been happy either way. It was kinda like the Obama/Clinton primary.. I was good with either outcome.

I just think James is amazing and he did do so much to challenge and defy the American Idol norms. I applaud that.

I really wanted a James/Casey finale. That would have been incredible.

I'm sure we haven't seen the last of James. He is destined to go on and do great things. So, until I can buy his album, I will show my support of him by boycotting the rest of the Idol season.
Please enjoy a few stellar James Durban performances.

 James says goodbye to Amercian Idol.... 

Love you James!!

Best Night Of Idol EVER!!!

I was a bit shocked that Thia went home with Naima. I really expected it would be Hailey or Jacob. I think Thia deserved to stick around. In fact, I thought her performance last night was amazing. However, voting has come down to "Who would I want to buy?" (CD wise, perverts)

So, I think the most incredible thing of the night, IN ALL OF AI HISTORY, was the performance by James, Casey, Paul, and Stephano. That is what I wish American Idol could always be like. True musicians. True performers. People who just want to make music. LOVED IT!!


Can't find it yet on YouTube yet....

American Idol..... Akkk!

OMG Casey!!! by the skin of your teeth! I thought J-Lo was gonna cry!

Having missed the majority of the show, I walked in and got it to the right channel about 15 seconds before they said Casey was going home...


Casey!! I love you! You deserve to be there... I really expected it to be Naima or Haley or Lauren or even Stephano... but he's such a cutie.... He'll go far on looks, and don't forget he can actually sing.


They totally made the right call in using the save...

Yay Casey!!

American Idol... and Showing Your Penis

I think everyone was great tonight! I really wish they would change the voting to who do you think SHOULDN'T make it. It would make things so much easier.

I finally got Jacob!

I have to say, though everyone had a good performance, there are still people that I "don't get"(as Randy would say..) Thia, Pia, Stephano... Great voices....In truth, they just bore me. I thought Naima was going to be one of my favs in the beginning. Her style excited me.. and to be honest, I've been a bit let down up until the last 30 seconds of her performance. In the end, she turned it up.. but the beginning was a snoozer.

This week's votes go to Casey, Paul, and JAMES! These guys never let me down. I know some people don't get Paul.. but I just dig his funky vibe.

If I had to make critiques...

Jen.... WTF is up with your make-up artist? I have it on EXCELLENT authority that only hookers and disco singers wear that shade.

Scotty-baby.... Someone needs to show you how to hold a mic... You're driving me NUTS!

Haley... You were one of my favs.... You have that great growl... but here's the secret. Your growl is your massive, beautiful penis. If you show your penis all the time, no one will appreciate it anymore. You just need to whip it out on occasion, give us a little peek. Tease us. Make us want your penis... Dangle it. But don't walk around with it always hanging out because it quickly loses it's "WOW" factor.

But that's just the way I see it.

Talk Thursday: Take The Long Way Home....

Seriously, I think I started crying when the first chords played.

When I was 5ish, my mom had an ancient old VW Bug that smelled of rotting vinyl and burning oil. We lived in a small town.. You could get anywhere in less than 5 minutes.. Much longer than that, and I'd start to feel nauseous. I had the horrible bad luck that I swear to Buddha, this song played any goddamned time we went anywhere. And when it came on, my mom would get excited and be like "OOhhhh Psam, Lets do it! Let's take the long way home..." And it didn't matter if we were 3 blocks from home.. she'd turn that rust bucket around and "Take the fucking long way home", which in truth... couldn't have been that much longer.. but it seemed like eons. Years later, I was digging through an old box of cassettes.. and you guessed it, Supertramp. All those years I thought I just had horrible luck.. Nope, dear old mom was plotting against me. I think she was hoping that one of those long ways would be my last and I'd keel over from carbon monoxide poisoning..

Tonight's American Idol topic made me thing of the Talk Thursday assignment.. but no, I'm a 3 whole years older than this song. I looked up the top 100 songs from 1976, and damn.. I was born in a year of shitty music. "Play That Funky Music", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "That's The Way (I Like It)", "Still The One", and "Slow Ride" are the only good songs on that list.. and I sure as hell couldn't sing them.. You think that's why they put the age limit they do on AI?? To screen out shitty music?

I've finally decided what my hypothetical audition song would be.. (Hypothetical cuz, I can't sing that well, and I'm from the shitty music year of '76)

Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground..
But sung like a confused girl who becomes a little more certain as the song goes on!
Put on your imagination cap...

It would be awesome!

..................................Casey??

When I heard the lead in that Casey was singing Nirvana, I was so excited. I didn't check dates... but I thought Casey would do awesome with Come As You Are. And he probably would have, if he'd been born the next year...
I thought of all these great songs Casey could have done.. and was like a year off... 1992 was a great year! You were born the right day.... a year too early... DAMN!



or  AND OMG THIS SONG MAKES ME HAPPY!

or

or though it was never originally released as a single... This song actually came out on "Ten" in 1991 but hit the charts in 93 by demand of the people. There has never been a video release by the band and they still refuse to commercially release the song as a single. So any way, I'm a stick it in the middle and call it 1992! And truth be told.. James would do this song even better!
ohhh that song makes me think of Soundgarden's Spoonman... Casey would rock that... but that was '94.

Top 24, Part 2

The women didn't blow me away... actually, I was mostly unimpressed.

Keeping this short... I voted for Karen, Haley, and the second Lauren..... and *GULP* Burp made me vote for Julie..... yes, my son is tone deaf. (and, between you and me, I only voted for her 3 times... )

I don't understand why they have to start with an even amount of boys and girls... I think more boys deserve to go on than girls..

graaaaah!

The Top 24..

This is going to be a tough season on American Idol. Tonight was the men and I have to say they're all good.. ish.

The judges seem to love Brett. Actually, from what I see online, most people seem to love him. Randy says, "you're definitely fun and definitely bold and you're going to do what you want to do, when you want to do it.".............. I would say brave. If there has ever been a contestant on AI who did not seem comfortable in their own skin, it's Brett. My point is that I don't think that Brett is really at the American Idol level, I don't care for his voice, and I really feel that maybe the reason that he's made it this far is because he needs it more than any of the others. This experience will either destroy him, or strengthen him for life.

I think Jordan slit his throat tonight. He hasn't been one of my favorites, but when he sang "Over the Rainbow", Jennifer wasn't the only one who got goosebumps. I don't know why any American Idol contestant would ever touch an Usher song. That would be like doing Micheal Jackson in his prime. Usher is the best of the best. You might be able to sing. You might be able to dance. But you can't do both the way he does. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

I'd missed a couple of the audition episodes, so this was really the first time I saw Tim and Paul, and I was fairly impressed by both. Paul's praises included "character of voice", "uniqueness" , and "fun and quirky style". ..... Now I'm not a HUGE Rod Stewart fan (tho I do really like Maggie May) ... but (and perhaps it's because I haven't heard the song in years) if I closed my eyes, I would have thought that it was Rod Stewart. That said, he did a great job.

Burp's fav of the season seems to be Scotty McCreary. I didn't know my boy liked country. He did a good job, and Burp made me vote for him.

My favs of the season (so far) are James and Casey. They both did awesome.

Everyone is really talented. It's going to be tough. At this point, I don't know that I can even come close to guessing who will be going home. Jordan didn't shine. I don't think that Brett did, but that seems to not be the popular opinion. Everyone else did really well. 7 men go home Thursday, which means that we're getting to the top 10 quicker than previous years... I hope that doesn't mean a shorter season. *pout*

Anyway, I just meant for this to be a quick little blurb... On to the ladies tomorrow night, no one really excites me yet... we'll see after tomorrow.

Opinions Are Like Assholes....

And I have lots.

What I have discovered about myself is that while I've very interested in debating and discussing some issues, others are absolutely non-negotiable.

RELIGION - Anyone who knows me at all knows that I love to discuss and debate religion. I have ideas, but I don't know it all, and I'm always looking for that bit of wisdom or understanding that will broaden or focus my thoughts. However, if you're using your faith to give foundation to intolerance of any sort, of any kind, you better know your literature, and you better be able to back up your beliefs with an explanation of WHY you believe the way you do. "Cuz that's how I was raised", or "The Bible says so",  just doesn't work with me.

ABORTION - Non-negotiable. I agree with abortion. I believe there is a medical purpose for it. I believe the alternative to legalization is scary. Finally, a woman should decide what to do with her body. That said, I don't like abortion. I think some people are irresponsible with it. Though I don't really view it as murder, I do still feel that it's killing a baby. (How is that different? I don't know, some sort of grey area.) I don't condemn people for it, but it makes me sad when it isn't a desperate last resort. Lastly, though a woman should get to choose what happens to her body, I can't help but feel that a man should have a say in what happens to his child. That said, wow... what a mess that would create if he did. So the bottom line is this : I agree with abortion and there's no debate in the issue.

GAY RIGHTS - Non-negotiable. I cannot debate this topic with any sort of reason or understanding for people who don't, in some way, believe as I do on this issue. I don't want to hear you spew your fucked-up God-shit. I don't want to hear you refer to mental illness. And if you think it's disgusting, quit being a pervert and mind your own damn bedroom! Oh? You don't want to offend me? Well, YOU DO! You're talking about my friends, my family, my coworkers. People I love, and every time you open your hateful, ignorant mouth on the subject I find myself fantasizing about ripping your fucking tongue out.

*breathe* (See, I'm fairly firm on that issue.)

EVOLUTION - Debatable. I believe in evolution, but I can learn more and I'm not opposed to hearing from both sides. I tend to stand on the side of science, so give me your science you op'posers'!! (Little hint... You can't use the Bible or religion as "proof" against evolution. 1. God made Adam from the mud, it doesn't say how long it took him, and 2. The Bible isn't science.)

CAPITOL PUNISHMENT - Kind of non-negotiable. I believe in the death penalty. I believe that some people can't be rehabilitated. I don't believe in Life Without Parole. If a dog is especially vicious and has killed someone, the dog gets put down. If it's repeatedly attacked people, it gets put down. I don't think people should be treated any differently. You don't put a dog in a little kennel and wait till it dies. You peacefully put it down. I don't believe in hanging, firing squads, electric chairs, or gas chambers. Just put the person down. I don't believe that the death penalty should be used as a deterrent or a punishment. I believe it's a solution to a problem. I think that keeping "Lifers" is a drain on finances and a risk to the staff that have to care for them.

MEDICINAL MARIJUANA - I can totally debate this one, though I'm pretty firm on my opinion. My argument against legalization isn't a moral, but an ethical issue with the way that it's happened. Being that we are a republic, our government is set up that supposedly the States get to make their own rules as long as they fall within the Federal government's guidelines. (In a nutshell..lol) But on the issue of marijuana, the States shouldn't be allowed to make these choices because the Federal government has decided that it's a Schedule 1 Drug. The Federal government has made it illegal and and deemed it to have no medicinal purpose.  I totally don't agree with this scheduling and most of the rational and informed people of this country probably wouldn't agree that pot is worse than heroin. I just disagree with the legality of the process with which it was made legal (here in Oregon and several other states).

(HOLY CRAP!!! Do you know Samoas have 70 calories EACH?)

I could go on. Gun laws, legalize prostitution, sex ed in schools, government-sanctioned breeding laws, career-welfare moochers..... some of those, I'm sure you can guess where I stand...

Anyway, it's late and I'm getting tired.
Yay, American Idol is back!! I like a few, but Casey Abrams stands out for me at the moment. (Ohhh and the Asperger's boy.)

Here are a couple of links to things that inspired this little rant. Mostly, it's not the pieces themselves, but the some of the comments people posted to them that got me all riled up.

http://nerdyapplebottom.com/2010/11/02/my-son-is-gay/

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/24/new.york.billboard.abortion/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn#

http://kezi.com/news/local/205484

J-Lo On Idol....

At first I was like... ugggggg but, really I guess she's not a bad choice. Much better than Howard Stern, by far.. That man makes me ill.

She promises to not be a diva... Who cares... to the idiot that was like "I hear she only likes yellow M&M's, who's going to pick them out?" Duh... You can order just yellow ones you moron... You can order yellow ones that say "We worship J-Lo" if you really want..

Just sayin'...

It'll be an interesting season... losing Simon. I'm not that heartbroken over losing Ellen... but to lose two will make things interesting.

Can't wait for the season to start!!

Idol Finale

What the hell are they doing?

Aren't they always telling contestants to be current? They start out the show with Alice Cooper, two old guys I don't know, and Michael McDonald. How many people under the age of 25 know who the hell he is? Hall and Oats? Don't get me wrong... great in their day, but their day is long gone.

Really, there is so much I could rip on... but I won't. Karma got me... I was going to rip on someone... but, not being much of a speller, I googled to double check the person's name... and caused my own spoil. Grrrraaaah!

I am curious. When Paula came out and told her jokes with no punch and babbled bitterly, then past winners and contestants came out... WHERE THE HELL WAS DAVID COOK? .... a little googling later.... he had a charity event in Kansas City. I don't know what charity. But I'm kind of impressed. We've seen a few people tonight trying to revive their careers... but David put a charity above Simon. I really like that. LOL

OMG.... Janet Jackson sounds just like Michael Jackson. JUST FUCKING LIKE! I swear, the whole time she performed, I thought she was going to have another booby incident. haha.

So. unfortunately, I knew Lee was the winner. I think as far as finales go, this one fell incredibly flat. It was a hard debate for me, but I do think Crystal should have won, but I really like Lee too, so I have to wonder if I'd have felt the same had she really won.

Ohhhhh well. Idol is over. Simon is gone. The big question now is, Who will fill Simon's spot? It's a long wait til Season 10.

Talk Thursday: Spoiled

American Idol better not be spoiled for me. I know this is a cop out on the topic, but well.... it's the best I could do.

My mom doesn't watch result night because she can find out before hand who won and watch Ghost Hunters instead. Blah! I've been watching faithfully for months. I was shocked that Lily went home so early, appalled that Big Mike stayed so long, and though I really liked Tim.... it was time for him to go.

The top 3 were exactly what I thought it should be. The top 2, just as I called it. But last night.... I was screwed. I had no clue who to vote for! I love them both. Both opening songs were FABULOUS! I think Lee came out a little ahead in that round though. The second songs...... I didn't love, equally. And the last song, Crystal brought me to tears. That sounds like a tie to me.

I found myself having to look back over the season. Crystal came back ahead. So I started texting in my votes. After about 20 for Crystal, I felt guilty. I love Lee. So I voted for him too! Then my phone started spazzing out and I gave up on the whole thing. I have no idea how many I actually made but I know Crystal got more... and that's probably how it should have been.

I'm anxious for results though. I would love nothing more than to have them tie. How amazing would that be? This is the first year that I haven't ended with a clear and definite favorite. Granted, I've only been faithfully watching for 3 years now.

My only true disappointments this year have been a couple of songs that I wish they would have sung. Crystal would do an amazing job on a cover of Live's "I Alone" done by Anouk and Sarah Bettens (from K's Choice). And I really wish that Lee could have done Seven Mary Three's "Lucky". Simon could have picked much better songs for last night. Shame on him! If you don't know the songs I suggested, OMG... give a listen. Trust me. Amazing songs... and these guys would have nailed them!

Anouk and Sarah Bettens - I Alone        This song gives me goose bumps. The link quit working, but I replaced it!

Seven Mary Three - Lucky       I have to say that this You Tube doesn't sound great... but I couldn't find a better one that I could share. I have it on my PC, but it's with the PC mechanic getting a major tune up.

I know that a lot of people have said that this year's Idol didn't have the talent of years past. But I think the front runners are fabulous and I'm glad that they aren't standard "pop" stars. Let's face it, yeah, Big Mike had a good voice... but he's one of millions just like him. Sure, I love Lee and think he has a great voice... but even he doesn't bring anything new to the table. Crystal is not only a great preformer, but unique. She's like Anouk, K's Choice, or Skunk Anansie... and sure, I don't expect you to know them- they're European and probably 10 years old... maybe didn't make a big, huge splash here, but they are great bands. I'd love to see Crystal bring this type of music to the mainstream US.

So, boo to spoilers, don't ruin it for me! Tonight I'll be on the edge of my seat, waiting for the outcome. I guess my money is on Crystal... but the hand behind my back has fingers crossed for Lee.