Pirates

There is a lot going on with Pirates lately and in case you hadn't heard here are a few things happening in their world:

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 has been released. I finally saw the 2nd one and was over the moon when Geoffrey Rush suddenly appeared at the end! Very cool. I wasn't too excited about seeing the third until I saw the 2nd and that delicious cliff-hanger happened. I know that first part, that I wasn't excited to see the 3rd until the 2nd may not make sense but there are some cases where seeing the previous movie is not a requirement for my excitement about a coming attraction. Oceans 13 is an example. George Clooney = Excited Filmgoer Rabiah

Piratepods.com: This is a webzine I work for. I get to live part of a dream as a journalist and there is great hope that this will take off one day. All of the pirates who work for the 'zine are in love with it so the passion is there. My latest interviewees: Josh Kelley and Third Eye Blind. I actually met Third Eye Blind in person...all of them. The drummer, Brad Hargreaves, is the person I interviewed but after the show I met everyone. Too cool. It was on of those Rock 'n Roll fantasies that came true. I just edited the interviews yesterday and they'll be up this weekend.

Pirate RC: That's my pirate alias!

Talk Like a Pirate Day: an actual big deal in England but you can make it happen where you are too...Sept 19.

Pirate Clothing: Skull and Crossbones fashions were supposed to be soooo last season but ultra-cool Jack Sparrow is keeping this style going.

Arrrrrrrgh!

(de)Mused

My muse has left me
Before my art has sold,
For something spiritual,
something more...old.

Now I can eat but can't sleep,
Expertly rant and cry more than laugh,
And I'm stuck writing bad poetry
Unable to sew and make it prose.

Paramour
No more
Nevermore
No Lenore

My muse has left me
Taking my cheap soul,
For something more real,
To him I suppose.

What Now?

I didn't start off writing this blog to update a few people on American Idol each week. In fact, I don't think I meant to talk about TV or movies at all. But, as time has passed, that is what the blog has been used for. It has been another way for me to hide behind unimportant, inconsequential things, similar to the way I conduct myself off-line minus the humor. I insist that I cannot "write funny" very well but I do say funny things when I speak. We'll see what the future brings for me and this blog. I think about a lot more than TV but so far am scared to write about those things. I may start and I hope you'll read. Until then, I'm sure some movie reviews will come seeing that Idol is over now and I seem to be able to write about them, but I also hope to write about something else too.

Happy Memorial Day weekend...still another day left before work resumes again!

Jordin Sparks -- Winner

Congratulations for Ms. Jordin on her American Idol win. Of the final 2, she definitely has the strongest voice. Blake is the creative one and I think would make not only a good performer but a good producer so don't be surprised when you hear about collaborations between he and others in the future.

The final song was not that great in my opinion and certainly did nothing for Blake. It wasn't a song that fit his typical genre or his personality. I wasn't surprised at the results of the final week once all was said and done Tuesday night.

Good luck to Blake, Melinda and Jordin as they all begin or continue what will hopefully be brilliant careers.

American Idol: A Tale of 2 Singers

I know, I know...I've been MIA for a little while. Work. That's the reason. Anyway, I can't yet somehow I can believe that Blake and Jordin are the final two Idol contestants. Melinda should be up there in a face-off with Jordin. That would have been interesting and a good battle royale because they are both strong-voiced, beautiful women who show a genuine passion for singing itself. Jordin has a dramatic flair that gives her an edge on ballads and Melinda had developed a sass that shows up on the upbeat numbers--a new confidence she learned on Idol. It would have been something. But, Melinda is no more and that is too bad. It seems possible that this is the result of a "3rd-party candidate" factor where 2 people likely to have similar fan bases saw their votes split up.

Enter Blake. I do really like Blake and I would go see him perform and buy an album because I think he is creative, comes up with great jams and is a hottie to boot. I don't want to discount his talent when I praise the 2 girls. It is just a different talent. I don't think he has the best singing voice though it is good and his beat-boxing is amazing. I am interested to see how he performs next week when it is very possible that any beat-boxing at all could kill him and the songs are unfamiliar to anyone at all.

Good luck to Jordin and to Blake.

And then there were 4....

Just a quick hello as I've been offline all week, traveling for work.

I wanted to give myself props for calling Idol this week as Chris and Phil left. I feel bad for punking on Phil all of the time but that's how it is in Hollywood, baby. As for Chris, the stage won't look as good and I think he has something to offer but when you look at who's left, he was out of his league.

I think there is some danger that the votes will be split too much between the three girls so people, it is time to pick you person and vote!

Blake looks cool was his new hair as mentioned in comments and will probably be doing something simply groovy this week when Barry Gibb is the guest.

--Separate thought: I love the Bee Gees and am so excited that Barry Gibb will be on.

LaKisha needs to have fun this week and really bring it. That sounds lame but really, that's what it comes down to. She will have to keep performing to her absolute fullest ability. I can't wait to see what he'll come up with.

Jordin will also need to "bring it" so to speak and Disco is a great opportunity to show her youth while showcasing her voice. I have a soft spot for the youngin'.

I think Melinda has anything locked in at this point. She is a great, versatile talent that deserves recognition through Idol or outside of it. She is a woman that has worked hard at her craft and clearly respects music. Love her!

We'll see what happens...

Idol Top 6 Redux

The Top 6 were back for another week on American Idol this time with Jon Bon Jovi himself as their teacher. Idol did remedy a consistent complaint I've had this season has been that the contestants don't sing the guest artists' songs. This week though, the daunting task of the Top 6 was to sing Bon Jovi. It was not easy for any of them but it was a good show. I'll break it down for you though I don't recall exactly what song everyone sang.

Phil Stacey: (Blaze of Glory): He was ok. The judges made a big thing of Phil but I'm just not into him.

LaKisha Jones (This Ain't A Love Song): LaKisha was a hot one tonight. She even landed a kiss from Simon after her performance. Seriously though, she handled the rock song very well and it was a sexy performance.

Jordin Sparks (Livin' on a Prayer"): I think I just really like Jordin and that makes it tough for me to ever say she didn't do a fantastic job. I guess this week though, she really didn't. She is a great singer and one of the Top 2 in my opinion but this wasn't her week.

Blake Lewis (You Give Love a Bad Name): Finally Blake got to do some beat boxing again. I think that it is always risky when he does it but also shows him to be an artist rather than just a wannabe pop star. I thought this was awesome! It is so great that he is able to create his own arrangements and get the respect of other artists that way.

Chris Richardson (Wanted Dead or Alive): Seacrest referred to Chris as "Justin Timberlake" when doing his introduction and had Seacrest acknowledged Chris' reaction it could have turned into one of those awkward Idol moments but he didn't and you had to be paying little attention to see that Chris was displeased by the reference. It is not an insult to be called JT but it also isn't great when you're trying to be your own person and win this show. Chris was pretty good this week and I think he is a strong contestant but with 2 people going this week, I can't say that I'm not hoping he's one of them. I won't be happy to see him go but I really don't want Blake, Melinda, LaKisha or Jordin gone just yet.

Melinda Doolittle (Have a Nice Day): This woman just makes me smile. I love seeing Melinda and she rocked it tonight! The difference between her and Jordin is all of the experience Melinda has that allowed her to "get" rock this week. She came in not knowing how to sing rock but she was able to bring it. Yes! The judges likened Melinda to a young Tina Turner tonight and that sums her up. She brought the attitude.

Incidentally, I visited the iTunes Store and found that the banner ad at the top of the home page is for Idol Gives Back and Bon Jovi's new album. Lucrative.

For some reason, Idol decided to have George W. and Laura B. on which almost made me sick. Dubya did mention Bono specifically which was clearly a political move and Laura and he made fun of the dancing episode he had last week. I guess it is ok that he was on the show but I'm not a fan and would rather have seen Bono again.