Idol Chatter

Well, for those who do read my Idol reviews weekly, I'm sorry I missed the boat this week. It was a good week with Ms. J.Lo coaching the idols. I do enjoy J.Lo and her enthusiasm for music and the Idol contestants. I think the people who have done well, continued to do well and Sanjaya was creepy and weird as ever. Usually he isn't so creepy but his facial hair and odd come-hither on-camera face made me feel particularly disgusted this week. Still, it is now a toss-up for me on who I would like to see gone first, him or Phil Stacey. I'm more inclined towards Phil because I just can't stand the guy so I'll go with that. I'm hoping Phil is gone next week and then Sanjaya. That will make for a lovely Top 5. There is still an overall clear talent disparity between the girls and the guys where the girls have a clear advantage but depending on style and people living up to their full potential, Blake or Chris might make it into the Top 2. Hayley was kicked off right on time and I'm glad. Legs only get you so far and though I think Simon was a bit cruel in saying she figured out that she just has to wear as little as possible to stay on the show, he wasn't far off.

Until next week...

American Idol Top 9 Perform!

Another week, another Idol episode. This week Tony Bennett, one of my personal faves, was the guest on American Idol. It was clear that the contestants knew who Tony was and had respect for him which was a good thing. It is very frustrating when there is someone like him on the show, or someone who I as a music fan have great respect for is on the show, and it is clear the contestants don't really know who the artist is.

This season, for the most part, the Idol contestants are actual artists with a true appreciation and knowledge of the profession they are hoping to be a part of. It is a different season from last for me as there is no "Taylor", meaning there is no one I'm totally in love with, but there are a couple who I am passionate about and every week seeing them go up and perform and turn the songs into their own makes me happy and excited about what they'll do next.

Here is my opinion on this week's performances:

Blake Lewis (Mack the Knife): During the class with Tony, Blake went for a change in the tempo of the song. Tony called him on it and made the comment, "This song was written before rap," and explained a little about who "Mack the Knife" would have been (a tough gangster). It was interesting that Blake received this feedback when but not unusual since his creativity hasn't always been seen as beneficial to the original song (Diana Ross week). He wisely took the feedback and lent the proper style to the song. It was a solid performance and he looked good. It wasn't the best of the night but still, he should be back next week.

Phil Stacey (Night and Day): Tony paid Phil a great compliment about his voice. I have to agree that Phil does have a very nice, clear voice. My problem is just his look. He did improve that this week both with wardrobe and with hair. He still didn't really have hair though he had grown some shadow. The key was that he didn't wear a stupid hat. That is the worst look on him. Besides his looks, he did a nice job. The judges weren't that impressed but I actually was. There were a few lovely moments in the song and though there could have been more passion or sexiness involved, I think he gave a solid performance. I'm actually pro-Phil going to the next round.

Melinda Doolittle (I Got Rhythm): How cool is Melinda? She is one of my top contestants (not that I'm unique in that). She was great again and looked cute. I loved that she tells the story every time she sings a song. Randy mentioned this and Paula also talked about her having a beginning, middle and end to each song. Simon poked fun at that but I know what Paula is saying. The songs, even though they are excerpted, feel complete when Melinda sings. I don't know if it is her phrasing or the way she cuts the songs, but she always goes through to the entire feeling of the song. She has to be there next week!

Chris Richardson (Don't Get Around Much Anymore): Chris was cool tonight. That is the best word I can use to describe his performance. He respected the song but still made it his own and brought it into today. There are a few artists who cover the older songs and still add their own flavor and many who cover them in more of a mimic fashion. Chris has the ability to do the former and this earned him high marks from the judges. He looked great tonight too with a style that reminded of the past but also had today locked in.

Jordin Sparks ( ): This girl does not seem 17 at all. She is ridiculously talented and mature. It was pointed out that she differed from Chris in the fact that he took the song and made it young. It seems their biggest criticism of her is that she doesn't seem young enough but I think that is ok. If 'young' would compromise her, she should just be herself and sing as well as she does. Tony mentioned she had good instincts on changing the parts of the song she changed and it was great.

Gina Glocksen (Smile): I like Gina and thought her performance was sweet and vulnerable compared to her previous rockin' exhibits but I don't see her going much further in the competition. In comparing her to everyone else, she isn't on the same level. All of the people above are better performers and better singers. I wasn't digging her look tonight either and I think overall presentation there may hurt her. I don't know if it will be this week but we can expect her to be gone before the Top 5 I would think.

Sanjaya Malakar ( ): The judges have basically given up on even talking about his singing. They did say he performed well otherwise tonight which I have to say he did. He is an entertaining guy and reminded me of the Bollywood style. I still think this guy needs to go but whatever. There are a bunch of nerdy, thirty-something guys who are listening to Howard Stern tell them to vote for Sanjaya to keep him on the show and so they do. They are doing whatever they can to be cool since they aren't cool and think that doing what Howard says will make them cool. You're still not cool! Quit voting for Sanjaya! If you're a 12-year old girl who's in love with him fine but if you're a 34-year old guy trying to sabotage a show, grow up. :)

Hayley Scarnato ( ): Basically, if Sanjaya doesn't go, Hayley needs to. She's now the "legs" of the show. The judges didn't comment on her singing tonight for the most part, just her looks. I don't have much to say either. She is ok but not great and does have nice legs and a nice body. That's why her wardrobe is skimpy and she is still on the show. That's all I have to say about that.

LaKisha Jones ( ): Another solid performance. It is late so I'll say little else here but she should be on again. I think she, Jordin and Melinda are the greatest competitors and though i love Blake and Chris, I don't think they have much on these girls in this particular competition. As artists, they are all viable but I must say, I hope it is 2 girls battling it out in the end!

ABC Monday

I don't usually tune into ABC on Monday nights but since CBS wasn't up for entertaining me, I caught Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor. I didn't realize these shows were comedies!

Dancing with the Stars is pretty cool actually. I have always wanted to take dance lessons and really enjoy seeing everyone practice and perform. The comedy element for me really stems from some evil desire to see Heather Mills lose her leg. It is awful but I share that with you reader. She has to buy new legs for this show because different ones allow her to do different dances. I just don't like her. I've heard that Paul McCartney treated her terribly and even treated Linda terribly but still, I have always had something against her. Her leg didn't fall off but she did wear horrible shoes and the interviewer on the show was even tacky enough to mention it. Fun show!

The Bachelor season premiere showed after DWS and it was very entertaining. Since it was the premiere, the 25 female contestants were introduced and that was great. Most of them looked like they had spent about a week resting in a tanning bed before visiting an amateur hair colorist. They were quite interesting and just as I'm watching now, a few of the girls just substituted tequila for eggs in birthday cake. I like to party but even I stick with the recipe on the cake mix box.

There have been lots of desperate attempts to get Andy's attention tonight," is my favorite quote by one of the girls, Stephanie. It was insane. There was the "girl in the short dress" who did the snake, the crazy steroid Lisa Rinna with small lips girl, the girl who sang the Star Spangled Banner, the girl who did the flips, the girl was was so drunk she fell (hilarious!) and others vying for Andy's roses.

I'm concluding this before the end of the cheesily titled "The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman" but 10 girls are about to go home. I hope the drunk one, the muscular one and the girl who says "heinous" stay because there is sure to be drama with them.

We'll see. With a few of them, if they do get to stay, it must be love.

American Idol Top 10 Results

I wrote this up a little while ago and the post didn't go through so this is a toned down version. Like Simon, after seeing Sanjaya's hair, I didn't have much to say. I pretty much feel the same about everyone as I did last week except that my empathy towards Sanjaya has now faded and I feel more strongly in my negativity to Phil's looks. Phil has a good voice but I just can't really look at the guy. I don't get why he said he looks better bald but then keeps wearing hats over his bald head. The hats look odd. As far as Sanjaya goes, the Mohawk was just weird and the look he has on his face when the judges talk to him is almost maniacal. I can't figure out if the look was Sanjaya's fault or the hair guy's fault. Either way, please, I beg you, stop voting for him. Close down the call center. Do whatever it takes! (haha--it is a little dramatic but that was fun to write about American Idol...take that passion and apply it to Global Warming or something too, ok?) I know it isn't a hair war but a singing competition but hair is a big deal to me and I really don't get these guys.

Enough about hair but then speaking of hair, fro-friendly Chris Sligh was kicked off the show tonight after fans decided that Sanjaya didn't even deserve to be in the bottom 3. What does this have to do with Sanjaya? Nothing really but I think there is a conspiracy that is allowing him through and frankly there are so many better singers in the competition, as the weeks go on, his presence in the competition is becoming more and more of a hindrance.

I think it was too early for Chris to go though I also think that he would not have made it to the Top 2. Sanjaya, Hayley, Phil and Gina (though I do like having the rocker-chick around) could all have gone before Chris. It isn't the biggest shock of the season and over the next few weeks the other 4 I named should be leaving unless sohttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifmething unexpected happens.

In case you missed any of the performances this week, here you go thanks you a great youtube poster:


Lakisha Jones

Chris Sligh and Gina Glocksen

Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks


Hayley Scarnato & Sanjaya Malakar

Phil Stacey and Melinda Doolittle

Chris Richardson

Wake up, Maggie...

Rod Stewart, even at 62, can still rock and bring a crowd to their feet. From his old classics like “Maggie May” and “Every Picture Tells a Story” to other more recent cover songs, the Rod Stewart catalog makes for an evening of singing and dancing and even a little reflecting (“Reason to Believe” and Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son” and even "Maggie May" will do that to you). He’s a little toned down, even with regards to wardrobe, than he used to be and his voice is a little less strong but when Stewart took the stage at Cox Arena in San Diego Saturday night, none of that mattered. He still brought enthusiasm and a bit of a Brit Football rebel attitude and humor with him and the overall enthusiastic crowd was ready for him.

I was so lucky to have 2nd row seats and to see Rod up close as he made it around to our side of the stage periodically. The picture shown here was taken with my cell phone. I wish I had brought my regular camera but when the ticket says “No cameras”, I take it seriously.

Basically, just wanted to give Rod Stewart, one of my favorite guys, a shout-out and that’s all I have to say about that.

Reign Over Me

Adam Sandler reached a new level in his acting career with this one and I think I reached a new level of sobbing in a movie theater. Reign Over Me is the story of a Volvo Wagon-driving, mildly discontented dentist/family man who happens to run into his dental school roommate who lost his family in 9-11 and with that essentially lost his will to live. Cheadle delivers a solid performance, as usual. Jada Pinkett Smith stars as his wife and does a lovely job as a wife who's husband is clearly struggling against her when he comes in contact with his old friend.

Sandler's portrayal of a widower is truly moving and subtle for the most part. There are times when he is over the top, when his character has outbursts, but in the sadness he was beautiful.

The story was well-written and the characters were well-developed, even those that did not appear for very long. Mike Binder skillfully drew a parallel between the friends and similar to another of his films "The Upside of Anger", developed relationships between the characters that were powerful and believable.

One thing I noticed was an "01.20.09" sticker on Cheadle's receptionist's desk. This is a reference to the next Presidential Inauguration date when President Bush will become former President Bush. Very cool.

B.J. Novak who place Ryan on the "The Office" appears as a lawyer. He goes head to head with the judge played by Donald Sutherland in a scene I'd like to refer to as the "Shut Up" scene. It reminded me of the "Go to Lunch" scene between Kevin Spacey and Alan Arkin in "Glengarry Glen Ross".

Overall, I recommend this film, as a rental if you don't make it out to the theater.

Be a Saint

I've had a few French readers in the past and from time to time make interesting connections so hopefully this will be a time when something can happen.

Here’s your context: A friend runs a very comprehensive website about "The Saint" aka Simon Templar who is essentially a gentleman thief. TNT is developing a show featuring The Saint. You may remember the 1997 film “The Saint” featuring Val Kilmer. Don’t expect the show to be like the movie. I’ve read a few of the stories and other than title the movie wasn’t really about the character the author created. A previous TV series from the 19600's starring Roger Moore is a portrayal more celebrated by fans. Anyway, the development of this series by TNT has has accelerated the timeline on a project my friend is working on. Please read below and if you can help him out, or know someone who could, please do and tell him I sent you!

From The Saint Blog:

With the upcoming TNT series of The Saint currently in pre-production, I suddenly have a deadline to finish the print version of The Saintly Bible -- The Exhaustive Bibliography of the Immortal Works of Leslie Charteris and his Saint Books.

To that end, I need to quickly get copies of a number of the French Saint Detective Magazines that I am missing from my collection. Please view the last section at the very end of my want list, and let me know if you can offer any assistance. I'm not reposting all the numbers here, as then I'd have to maintain my want list in two places.

Jean-Marc Lofficier has a great site dedicated to the Saint novels in French, and it is sadly missing a detailed section on The Saint Detective Magazine. He and I have already scanned eBay and ABE Books for the missing issues, and need your help in finding other sources.

To Stephanie Edwards, With Love

Spoiler Alert: if you read any further or read into the subject line, you will learn who was kicked off American Idol tonight.

American Idol was a jaw-dropper this evening when Chris "Justin Timberlake" Richardson was in the bottom two. The other person, Stephanie Edwards, is definitely one of the Top 6 singers on the show and now she is gone.

Seriously, who is voting for Sanjaya Malakar and once they are done, who is left to vote for Phil Stacey? I can't believe that these guys are still on. I'd go on because a couple of the girls could go too but I've said enough about this. Sanjaya isn't actually that awful so much as he is young. He needs confidence and strength in his voice. It has to be tough to try to build that part of yourself in front of millions of people. I have to say that because I think I've been a little hard on him. Phil--I don't like him and my opinion that he should go stands. Regarding Stephanie, I didn't think she was going to win but I thought she would have gotten farther. From now forward, if you care to see someone move forward to the next week, it is not the time to be passive. This is a call to action! :)

Ok, maybe that is a little zealous, I admit it. But, this potential upset was a near miss and may be a premonition for the biggest Idol upset yet. It is going to be an interesting season!

Here is your Top 10:

Blake Lewis
Chris Richardson
Chris Sligh
Gina Glocksen
Haley Scarnato
Jordin Sparks
Lakisha Jones
Melinda Doolittle
Phil Stacey
Sanjaya Malakar

Five for Fighting Interview!

As my piratepods.com alter-ego, Pirate RC, I had the opportunity to chat with John Ondrasik, better known to fans as Five for Fighting.

This was an honor and a wonderful interview for me as I have been a fan for years and have a lot of respect for John's songwriting. You may know Five for Fighting best for the song "Superman (It's Not Easy)" which received a major break following 9/11 when John performed the song about the everyday man as a hero at the Concert for NYC at Madison Square Garden. "100 Years" is also a song you might recall hearing on television commercials if not on the radio. Five for Fighting's newest album, Two Lights, is a compelling work that offers a mix of ballads and rock songs with quality lyrics containing humor and some serious messages as well.

John has started a charity website that offers anyone the chance to upload videos set to Five for Fighting music, or not, offering their point of view on the world. Every time you click on a video and watch it, money is donated to selected charities. Whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com gives back and entertains. Inspired by the song "World", it is worth a look and the song is definitely worth a listen.

If you have a chance, give my interview a listen by clicking here. While you're at piratepods.com, please browse around and give a listen to our other interviews too. Enjoy!

American Idol Top 11 Perform

This will be a little less comprehensive than other installations but nonetheless, I hope you enjoy. American Idol introduced most of the contestants to '60's Brit Pop this week with their "British Invasion" theme. Talents Lulu and Peter Noone were on hand to coach the girls and the guys respectfully. Noone and Cowell seemed a bit at odds during the show but you never know when the drama on AI is just "Hollywood".

The "Yo! Factor" concept Randy is clinging too still annoys me and Randy mentioned it again tonight. I get "X-Factor" and "Wow Factor" but I'm not down with the "Yo" yet.

I will give a review of the contestants but first, what was up with the crying girl? If you didn't watch, there was a girl in the audience who was crying nearly non-stop and appeared to show an odd level of fanaticism for unfortunate Sanjaya. It was just bizarre. It was painful to watch her every time she was in a shot and I wondered if she was all there. I don't want to say anymore in case there is something wrong with her.

Anyway, how did they do tonight? Before the results show, here is what I think:

Gina Glocksen: For some reason, I was able to guess the song she was going to sing before it was announced. Rocker-chick Gina performed "Painted Black", a favorite Rolling Stones song of mine. She was criticized but I really enjoyed it.

Blake Lewis: My favorite guy! He was great again to night in a very sexy performance. He threw in some beat boxing but is wise to do so in moderation. His dancing was subtle and still, off-the-hook. How can he not be through to the Top 10? He is the best guy in my humble opinion.

Chris Richardson: He sang his song quite well and showed skill in choosing a slower song but similar to Justin Timberlake, I prefer when he does some upbeat numbers. He'll stay through next week.

Chris Sligh: Chris had his glasses back on this week which was a good look that he definitely should stick with. He continues to be solid though he has gotten less and less exciting for me to watch.

Haley Scarnato: Haley had a good time with "Tell Him" and had a good time with a skimpy wardrobe too. Simon was a little randy after her performance and Randy was right there with him. I think she'll be through, for her legs if not for her voice.

Jordin Sparks: This girl is an amazing talent. I loved her song and her performance was very moving and she is one of the only people on the show who actually appears to "feel" her songs and really deliver the words like she means it.


Lakisha Jones: She is consistently good and this week her rendition of "Diamonds Are Forever" was no exception. Simon was unhappy with her look but I thought she looked great and in fact, better than usual. She should get through.

Melinda Doolittle: This is another very consistent girl who will give the boys a run for their money.

Phil Stacey: I do not enjoy seeing Phil. There, I said it. I really want him off the show...along with Sanjaya.

Sanjaya Malakar: I admit, Sanjaya was pretty good this evening, but I still can't really stand to look at him or even listen to him overall.

Soon, we'll be down to 10 as the results come in tomorrow night!

The A-380 Has Landed

LAX in Los Angeles and JFK in New York experienced the landing of the world's largest passenger plane today. The A-380 still has some testing to go through but both planes landed safely at the listed airports where millions of dollars has already been spent to accomodate the huge aircraft. The plane can seat as many as 550 passengers and Airbus has already received 166 orders from 15 airlines for the plane.

Click here for all the news you could want on the A-380.

Midlake Interview

Midlake is a cool band from Texas that may remind you of 70's and bands like Fleetwood Mac but without Stevie Nicks and the drama of inter-band relations. My alias, Pirate RC, joined other Piratepods.com crew members to interview 2 members of Midlake at the Casbah two weeks ago and had a great time. We also caught their sold-out show and I must say, they are guys to watch for sure. You can visit them here.

Check out the interview here and many other band interviews at Piratepods.com.

You can visit "Pirate RC" and even add me as a myspace friend, byclicking here.

Coming soon: Five for Fighting!

Brad Delp Update

Reports surrounding his death led to some assumptions of the cause but it has now been confirmed that the lead singer of Boston, Brad Delp committed suicide. Since I wrote about his death on a previous entry, just wanted to update. Details are available in many news articles that can be found here.

Also, for information about suicide prevention, please click here. Save lives, including your own.

American Idol Top 11

Diana Ross was a very welcome guest this week and offered contestants a great songbook though not all of them took full advantage of her wonderful songs. On a recent Inside the Actors Studio, Ross appeared for 2 hours talking about her musical and film career and quite frequently singing her hits as well. It is definitely one to catch on Tivo next time it is on. If anything for the music and of course through the luxury of fast-forward, if you're bored you can always skip through the parts that don't interest you.

Now, for the review of American Idol with links to performances!

This week Simon and Ryan were more civil and playful in their banter and in general Simon was not as "mean" as he usually is. I call it honest rather than mean but I've also been called rude on occasion. :)

Paula cried...but it was a good performance. Not one to shed so many tears over but with all the Coca-Cola she consumed she was probably overwhelmed with emotion, sugar and caffeine.

Now that they're all together, it is easy to see that collectively the girls are better than the boys, at least so far. Further evidence is seen in the bottom 3 which were all guys.

Now, I'll break it down by contestant (spoiler alert--if you don't know who kicked off yet, you'll know once you read this):

Blake Lewis ("You Keep Me Hanging On"): Blake tried to bring this Motown hit into 2007 with an electronica feel that was heavily criticized by the judges who think Motown sound should stay Motown. They are right to a point but Blake had a good instinct here and his voice sounded good too. I'd like to see him showcase his voice a little more in the future but this was good and something I could listen to again. He got through to next week.

Chris Richardson ("The Boss"): Chris gave a fun performance showing off his moves and making full use of the big stage. His singing however was not too commanding in what seemed like a song that required a little more attitude and volume. Chris is through to the next round though, and should be around for weeks to come.

Chris Sligh ("Endless Love"): Chris tried to make this song his own by adding a different sound but in this case, it really was not right. It was much different than Blake's song transformation and seemed to change the meaning of the song. "Endless Love" is a love song that takes its time. Chris' version sounded much like Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" which just made it weird. He has a great voice and is showing creativity though so it will only get better I'm sure. Can't blame a guy for trying and he'll be there next week.

Gina Glocksen ("Love Child"): This girl rocked it again this week with a provocative song. The cool thing about Gina is that she knows music and appreciates it as displayed in her enthusiasm for Diana Ross. She's through to next week.

Haley Scarnato ("Missing You"): Another lyrics faux-paux happened when Haley took the stage though like Paula said, most of the time no one in the audience will ever know when you make a mistake with words. Haley was visibly upset by her mistake and did not do well to keep her composure during the judges' comments. She did show, finally, why she was there despite any memory lapse and stayed in the memory of the voting public because of an otherwise strong performance. See you next week Haley.

Jordin Sparks ("If We Hold On Together"): Jordin at 17-years old is showing incredible maturity in voice and stage presence. I didn't realize she was only 17 until last night missing that bit when it was mentioned previously. I love this song from The Land Before Time, my favorite animated dinosaur film. It is no surprise she is through to the next round stronger than she started.

Lakisha Jones ("God Bless the Child"): There is little to say other than Lakisha had another strong week with a song that carries a lot of soul. Can't wait to see what she'll do next.

Melinda Doolittle ("Home"): She brought Paula to tears this time with her moving rendition of a song from The Wiz. It was great and Melinda was the only one who was able to do what Diana Ross has done so well...tell a story through the song. She really evokes the emotion of the words through her singing and that is so important especially when the lyrics weigh so much. Keep it up, girl! See you next week.

Phil Stacey ("I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"): He didn't make me love him. I don't know if I'll ever like Phil really. He is just not my favorite idol. He did perform well and I'll give him that though he was still in the bottom 3. Like Paula, I want to say something nice and I've said it. On to the future.

Stephanie Edwards (Love Hangover): I can't help but think of the former host of the Tournament of Roses Parade when I see her name but that fades once this Stephanie Edwards steps on stage. This wasn't her best performance because the best and most fun part of the song wasn't performed but she is talented.

Sanjaya Malakar ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough"): How does this guy keep messing up songs that are so great, and how does he keep showing up with the oddest hair of the group? This week he wasn't responsible for his hair but still, it made him look like a girl not that the hoop earrings didn't help that along. The outbound call centers are in business next week despite Sanjaya's lackluster performance as he is on to the next round after finishing in the bottom three.

Brandon Rogers ("You Can't Hurry Love"): He kept the Motown sound but that wasn't enough because he forgot his words and frankly tried to dance though didn't really have the moves. It was awkward to watch. I'd go on but he got voted off so let's keep moving.

The Winner

Love Rob Corddry? I bet Fox does. With decent ratings, his new show (the show he left The Daily Show for), The Winner is doing pretty well. Corddry plays Glen Abbott, a successful 42-year old, narrating the story of his late-blooming life as a 30-year old still living with his parents. Keir Gilchrist plays his sidekick, an actual 13-year old. He is a mature kid but not too mature and Corddry is immature but also innocent making the show more fun than stupid.

The 3rd episode in which Abbott thinks he has AIDS reminded me of a recent episode of The Sarah Silverman Program but with content that is far less inappropriate and offensive. On Silverman's show (hilarious but with humor for those with specific taste), she thinks she is HIV positive and basically mocks the virus. Abbott simply thinks that he has contracted AIDS because his cat scratched him after being diagnosed with Feline AIDS.

The Abbott parents are hilarious as a bickering couple who clearly made some mistakes in raising their son...at least until he is 30.

It is fun to watch Corddry in this new role but he is very missed as a reporter for The Daily Show. Congrats Rob and good luck!

On another note, comedian Richard Jeni has passed away. Comedy Central offers a page of links to tributes here.

More Than a Feeling

They were at their prime before I was born but their hits like "More Than a Feeling" are still played today. On Friday, Boston's lead singer Brad Delp was found dead. The cause has not yet been released. Delp had a reputation of being a good guy and with all of the negativity in the media and even here lately, I was compelled to make mention of him here.

From Boston.com (the city website, not the band's):

A family statement on behalf of Brad Delp

March 10, 2007

A family statement on behalf of Brad Delp was issued Saturday night by Peggy Rose, a family spokeswoman:

“On behalf of the Delp family and Brad’s fiancé, Pamela Sullivan, it is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Bradley Delp, the legendary vocalist of the rock band ‘BOSTON.’ Brad was admired and loved by many, known as the ‘man with the golden voice’ and recognized throughout the music community as ‘the nicest man in rock and roll.’ Brad will be deeply missed by (all) of his family, friends, fans and the entire music community.”

Bradley passed away on Friday, March 9th, 2007 at his home in New Hampshire.

The family would like to publicly acknowledge all of those who have expressed their condolences and support during this difficult time.

“We ask that you please respect the privacy of Brad and his family during this time of grieving. The family will be conducting a private funeral service for Brad and a public memorial service will be announced at a later date,” stated Peggy Rose, Delp family spokesperson.

Donations can be made in Brad’s memory to the American Heart Association, 20 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01710.

RIP Brad.

The Top 12 (American Idol)

Yes folks, American Idol is back and next week the competition heats up when the Top 12 perform and the guys and girls compete against each other for the first time this season. I have a few things to say about what has happened so far.

What's different this season besides the contestants?
1. Ryan Seacrest doesn't end each show with "Seacrest out!" which was actually kind of cool but also kind of played. I can see why he doesn't say it but I do miss it.
2. Randy Jackson doesn't talk about the "Dawg Pound" nor does he say "We got a hot one tonight!" anymore. That would be good if he hadn't replaced it with "YO factor" which seems to be some version of Cowell's "Wow Factor" that is also 10x as annoying to hear him talk about.
3. Paula Abdul is giving good feedback as of late which is an improvement. Tonight she was great...more on that below.

Have there been any surprises?
1. Sundance Head was kicked off which was a big surprise and what made Paula really cool. She was shocked and Simon said people must have had the volume on their TV’s turned off when they didn’t vote for him and instead put Sanjaya through. He is probably the worst contestant ever. Other than maybe “Chicken Little” Kevin from last season but he is staying alive. Perhaps he is outsourcing to a call center and has 200 people calling in for him all at once? Regardless, he can’t make it much farther.

2. Another disappointment and somewhat surprising conclusion tonight was the voting off of Sabrina Sloan. She did a good job but the competition with the girls is very tough.

3. The girls are hands-down better than the boys. There are 3 or 4 really strong guys (Blake Lewis, Chris Richardson, Chris Sligh and Brandon Lewis and Brandon Rogers respectively) but so far none of them can beat the top girls (Melinda Doolittle and Lakisha Jones).

4. Idol Gives Back: AI is becoming socially responsible this season with their charity programming benefiting young people in Africa and the Mississippi Basin/Louisiana areas of America. The two-night event airs April 24 and 25th and will feature BONO (!), Pink, Gwen Stefani, Josh Grobin and others.

5. Antonella Barba’s photo scandal. I don’t want to make fun of her here but just say that you really need to be careful of who gets a hold of your naked pictures and it is probably best not to take them in the first place. Shame on the jerks who put them out there. She was voted off tonight but deserved to be. She wasn’t that great at all.

Who are the Top 12?

Blake Lewis: Very talented beat-boxer and singer. This is my favorite guy.

Gina Glokson: Cool rocker-chick. Not the best but fun to watch and deserving of her spot.

Brandon Rogers: The guy back-up singer ready for the front lines. He’s good and should be around for the later weeks.

Chris Richardson: The “JT” of the group. He is talented and should at least make it to the Top 6.

Haley Scarnato: She sings well but seems more stage-show than solo artist to me.

Jordin Sparks: Pales compared to the Top 2 girls (in my opinion) but is good.

Chris Sligh: The funny guy has a great voice and will get through a few more weeks.

Lakisha Jones: My 2nd favorite girl and Melinda’s greatest competition. None of the boys have anything on her so far.

Melinda Doolittle: My favorite girl. She was on fire this week and I hope she goes to the Top 2 if not the Top!

Phil Stacey: He does have a decent voice but I think he should be out in the next 3 weeks. He is my least favorite other than Sanjaya. Simon mentioned he looked odd and he does. It takes away from his voice.

Stephanie Edwards: She is good but the girls are so tough.

Sanjay Malakar: I liked him at first but now he needs to go! He cannot compete against anyone else and the worst girl is far superior to him much less the worst guy. He is out of his league now.

What's Your Sign?

David Fincher's (director of Fight Club, Se7en) newest release, Zodiac, is a triumph. The story of the self-proclaimed "Zodiac Killer" and the search by several law enforcement agencies and newspapermen to find him perfectly unfolds over 2 hours and 40 minutes and despite the length of the film, as a viewer I wanted the search to continue a while longer.

One of the most appealing aspects of Zodiac is the chronological nature of the story. Unlike many popular films of late, there was no jumping from past to present or skewing of the time line. The chronology was straightforward and the only mystery in the film was the identity of the Zodiac Killer. The audience doesn't have to work on another mystery of their own such as "Wait, when is this taking place?" or "Who is that guy again?" It is clear in the way the actors age and in the timestamps placed at the beginning of each new time period who's who and when. The aging of the actors was quite realistic and deserves second mention.

Casting of this film was excellent. Robert Downey Jr. was quirky of course but not over the top as Paul Avery, a cocky crime reporter. Jake Gyllenhaal has the innocent, good guy down and brought that to cartoonist Robert Graysmith. The special thing about Gyllenhaal is that he adds an intensity to the character without corrupting him otherwise. Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards play San Francisco investigators and have a fun but not silly chemistry as partners. Ruffalo provided another solid performance to add to his robust resume and Edwards was a welcome surprise having made few appearances on screen since leaving ER 5 yesrs ago. The rest of the supporting cast was very well cast and includes well-knowns Chloë Sevigny, Donal Logue, Dermott Mulroney and Brian Cox. Deserving special mention are Elias Koteas who was unquestionable as an investigator and a delight to watch.

Conclusion: The story and film are compelling and exciting. See it.

Spiderman, Spiderman...in HD (hurry)!

Spiderman 3 drops into theaters on May 4 but before then, see Spidey in HD for a limited time (only until March 6 at 9pm) in an exclusive NBC preview. It is super cool and plays using Quicktime so Windows and Mac users are all good! Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can...Yay!

Ain't No Other Christina Aguilera

I got dragged into seeing Christina Aguilera this evening. It was free which meant the price was right and I got to hang with a few friends that I don't see as much as I used to so that was also good. The Pussycat Dolls opened and that was cool and actually a lot of fun. Admittedly, I spent most of their set dancing in line for the restroom, finding an ATM and then in the beer line but still, they were good live, surprisingly, and one of the most exciting things about the show.

Christina was good. She has such a wonderful voice and I was impressed with her live because you could tell that she was really singing. Some, such as Madonna or Britney Spears, do not actually sing during their live shows citing their choreography as the reason that they can't sing. Christina was able to sing live and dance live, sometimes doing both at the same time. The show was a little slow and there was an S&M/pin-up element during the show at one point when a guy was handcuffed to a wall on the stage and teased. That might have been hot if the guy wasn't so gross. I think he was from the audience and if I could advise Christina of two things, one would be to make sure that she doesn't get a gross guy for that scene. A cooler, less desperate looking guy would have served her and the audience better. The other advice I would give would be to sing something more familiar in the midst of the 2nd act. I got a little bored at one point.

The encore consisted of Beautiful and Stronger, two of her best songs and biggest hits so she definitely went out on a high note.

Overall, it was a pretty cool show and if you can get a decent price on a ticket, I would recommend seeing the little girl with the big voice.

Tears, Tears and More Tears

This maybe be TMI but I found myself curious recently about why the body produces an increased amount of mucous, specifically snot, when one cries. The harder I cry, the more I find myself blowing my nose and eventually I end up exhausted and with a headache probably from that act alone. I actually googled (that is a word now, right?) "why crying produces more snot" and variations of that and did not find my answer quickly enough so I have yet to learn why. I did however learn that crying evolves as a communication tool for humans from infancy through adulthood and that there are different types of tears. The three types are defined below (abridged) in Wikipedia:

Basal tears: Lubricate the eye and keep it clear of dust and fight against bacterial infection in healthy mammalian eyes.

Reflex tears: Result from irritation to the eye by foreign particles, or substances such as onion vapors, tear gas or pepper spray. These tears attempt to wash out irritants that may have come into contact with the eye.

Crying or weeping (physic tears): Due to strong emotional stress, depression or physical pain. Not restricted to negative emotions; many people have been known to cry when extremely happy or when they are laughing. In humans, emotional tears can be accompanied by reddening of the face and sobbing — cough-like, convulsive breathing, sometimes involving spasms of the whole upper body. Tears brought about by emotions have a different chemical make up than those for lubrication. The tears contain hormones and 25% more proteins than the other types of tears.

I found the last tear tier to be the most interesting of all partly because it is what brought me to my research and because the content of the tears is so different from other tears. I'll need to continue looking up snot but at least I learned something both from my tears and about them.

BTW -- The title of this post is from an Elvis Costello/Allen Toussaint song off of their album River in Reverse and is a great tune.

79th Annual Oscars

The Oscars have come and gone as of last night and there were some pretty big surprises. For the last couple of years I've been part of an Oscar pool and I never know which way to vote. This year, I went with what I thought would win for the most part, not what I would have wanted to win. In some cases, those views are in sync but often they are not. In a few cases, I would have gotten much closer to winning the pool had I gone with people I wanted to see win. The surprises were pleasant in those cases and disappointing in others. Here is a brief recap of my view (won't go into too many details this time):

Supporting Actor: It was expected that Eddie Murphy would win following the Golden Globes, or, Jackie Earle Hayley who had a standout/comeback performance in Little Children. Instead, veteran Alan Arkin won for his role as one of my favorite characters in a favorite movie of mine, Little Miss Sunshine. This was a great surprise that got me no points but left me all smiles.

Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson was expected to win and did in a tough category. Hers was a great performance though she was the least experienced actress in the category (though not the youngest). Let's hope she doesn't peak here but goes on to do more outstanding work.

Best Actress: Went as expected to the brilliant and also mysteriously sexy-sixty something Helen Mirren for her portrayal of The Queen in The Queen. Any of the nominees could have taken and deserved the statuette in this category though. If you haven't seen the films the actresses represent, please do.

Best Actor: Again, not a big surprise here as Forest Whitaker graciously and gratefully accepted his award. The Last King of Scotland would not have been possible without Whitaker's masterful performance as General Amin of Uganda. It is such a performance that is a delight to see and so earns an Oscar, when another actor in the role is unimaginable. Of course, it would have been great to see Peter O'Toole win and I would have considered that a good surprise.

Best Animated Feature: Happy Feet was not, in my opinion, the best of the 3 nominees. It was similar to Babel, for me. There were too many messages and ridiculous/lengthy situations used to portray the messages. Granted, Happy Feet is animated and would of course seem ridiculous in some ways making it a much different film from Babel, my point should not be lost. Message or preachy films need to be done incredibly well to not offend viewers. This was an unpleasant surprise.

Director/Picture: The Departed. Yes! Congratulation to Mr. Scorsese and all involved.

Original Song: I thought one of the Dreamgirls numbers would win though like a third party candidate, I also wondered if having 3 songs in the same category would dilute the power of Dreamgirls a little giving way to another song. Melissa Etheridge took the Oscar home, which was a nice surprise but a surprise nonetheless. Her song is good and supports a great cause (uh, the environment) so good for her.

Best Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy voted and no one has requested a re-count so Al Gore still has his Oscar as of this morning!

Ellen was fun as host displaying her charming brand of awkwardness and accessibility to the Oscars.

That's all I have to say about that.

Jury Duty

I warn you, this entry may disturb you. You see, the integrity of San Diego's jurisprudence was nearly compromised today...I was assigned jury duty. Fear not, I did not go, but postponed my service to a later date. Rest assured, a person who has recently found herself on leave, somewhat depressed, and indecisive about her future, has not entered into the employ of civic duty as a juror. I am sure today found in the jury, are only emotionally stable, rational people whether they be well-adjusted and well-tempered or possessing of undesirable ideas such as bigotry, racism, misogyny, homophobia, ageism, classism, narcissism, sexism, chauvinism or general dislike for anyone who serves as a defendant. You can feel confident that I am not amongst them.

Additionally, since there is a possiblity my insanity would be espoused by a jury of 11 additional people, and that the 11 other people on a jury would submit to my sadistic whims*** there is great fortune in my not attending. Juries are not composed of only one individual but it is possible a powerful individual such as myself could impact the outcome of a trial.

Why would you not want me as a juror? I am not sure you wouldn't but 2 people who know me quite well expressed surprise that I could go to jury duty while taking time away from my normal place of employment. Interestingly, I think that there is little other than the terse and tedious practice of voir dire to protect the accused from a rogue juror so it is a good thing my 2 friends stepped in. I had not thought of it but regardless, the views of 2 could be the view of many so San Diego's legal justice system is still safe now that I, an undesirable juror, has temporarily removed myself from the pool.

I will serve next time I'm called, pro bono. :)

***There is some sarcasm here and throughout because I was offended initially but now find funny the notion of my friends.

Rolling Stone's Top 100

Rolling Stone's "The Best 100 Songs of the Year" includes songs that have been over played, under played and never played by the radio stations I listen to or my personal CD player. One song that the list does include is: "If I Was in El Dorado" by
Oakley Hall. Rolling Stone's comment is, "Imagine the Band if they were twenty-first-century New York kids. A steady-rollin' rave-up that wanders off into the tall grass of a long, loose jam."

Working with piratepods.com, I had a chance to chat with Oakley Hall outside the Casbah several months ago and they were a great group of people. If you want to check out my interview, click here and be sure to give them a listen.

Signing out as my alter-ego,
Pirate RC

Britney Bald?!?!?!

Just kidding. Yeah, Britney Spears shaved her head and yeah, she entered rehab (again--she thought it was a nightclub the first time) but this is really about PAN's LABYRINTH (El Laberinto del Fauno), a film from Mexico that is up for six Oscars including Best Foreign Film and Best Original Screenplay.

The director, Guillermo del Toro, will be familiar to American film-goers who may have seen Mimic, Hellboy or Blade 2.

The film was beautifully shot and is visually appealing beyond the unique story. As time since viewing the film has passed, I continue to recall parts of the film that were interesting or held greater meaning than I initially realized which makes the film even better.

There isn't much time until the Oscars and this is one that might make an impact on the Academy. I recommend seeing it this week if you can and if not, see it another time. There are subtitles but they are easy to read and follow. My recommendation to viewers is to let go and allow your imagination to come alive. I spent too much of the film thinking like a logical, unimaginative adult and did not enjoy it as I could have. I don't want to reveal the plot so that is all I will say.

Others to see before Sunday if you can: The Last King of Scotland, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Departed (now on DVD).

Ambivalent

I'm not indifferent about the incorrect use of ambivalence. Are you?

Often people will say they are ambivalent about something when in fact, they are indifferent. Having no opinion about something does not mean you are ambivalent. For example, if someone says, "Do you want Mexican or Chinese for dinner?" If you think to yourself, "I really don't care at all, I am just hungry," you are indifferent. If you say to yourself, "I really like Mexican and a taco would be good. I like Chinese too and could eat it if we go," you are ambivalent. You have an opinion one way and you have an opinion another way.

Why do I bring this up? A friend and I talked about this in a different context recently and I thought it would be fun for me to blog about as it isn't the first time its come up for me. Ambivalent and indifferent are not the only words misused so maybe I'll do this again. I'm not indifferent about proper grammar but I still have a ton to learn myself!

Robbie Rehab

Have you heard of Robbie Williams? Probably, in the late 90's. He had a few trans-Atlantic hits namely "Rock DJ", "Millenium" and "Angels". "Rock DJ" had the crazy video where he stripped off his clothes, then skin, then even his muscles. You can see it by clicking here. The video for "Millenium" featured a handsome Robbie in a tuxedo. "Angels" was a lovely ballad that showed Robbie's depth as a song-writerthat Jessica Simpson unimpressively remade. The level of popularity for any of these songs in the U.S. has been minimal which is partly why Americans bought into Simpson's version of Angels. In the UK, Robbie has become a mega-star after coming out of a boy band, Take That. Think Justin Timberlake's post-N'Sync success expanded over a 10 year period.

If you haven't heard him, he is one of my favorite artists and someone I highly recommend so download a few songs on LimeWire and then when you like what you hear, buy an album!

People.com reported today that Robbie has entered rehab for an addiction to prescription drugs. This follows a previous stint in rehab for alcohol addiction. Robbie's latest album, Rudebox, features a song called "Good Doctor" which I found entertaining yet disturbing at each listen. It begins:

I went to the doctor to get a prescription,
I told a little fact and lots of fiction,
about a bad back that I ain't got
write this to wish Robbie luck.
He tried to sell me on faith healing, but I think not.
I want Xanax, Vicodin and Oxycontin...

The song goes on mentioning the names of many drugs and alludes to drug abuse.

Robbie is not unique in facing prescription drug abuse adding to the list of countless celebs who have or will enter rehab for it not to mention less-public person who are also suffering. Should "good doctors" that are prescribing drugs illigitimately be held responsible at some point? Probably. Yes, the addict is responsible for his/her actions but someone is an enabler.

I went to the doctor because my eye was hurt and red a few weeks ago. My doctor tried to convince me that I had a migraine and offered me medication for that. I was able to get a referral to an Opthamologist instead and it turned out I had a cornea infection and needed eye drops, not pills. How easy it would have been to get some painkillers though.

I wish Robbie luck and hope he is back on stage soon. I missed his last tour since he only performs in Europe but as a long-time fan, I've already planned on going overseas to see him next time he is around.

Pop Goes My Heart!

Music and Lyrics is exactly what one expects it to be. It looks like a cute, fun romantic comedy and it is just that. Arriving in theaters on Valentine's Day, audiences will most likely consist of groups of Singletons (single women) and couples (women and men who are forced to be there) and though it is a chick-flick, guys will be able to appreciate it as well.

There were some really funny moments and Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore are great together. They are not smoldering together from the onset but there is a great amount of chemistry that makes their connection believable. Kristen Johnston previously of television's "3rd Rock from the Sun" co-stars as Barrymore's older sister and is hilarious. Brad Garrett is Grant's manager and though I was thoroughly annoyed with him on "Everybody Loves Raymond" (I don't love Raymond...that will not be discussed at this time), I really liked him in this role which was more low-key and much smarter.

Hugh Grant lent his vocals to most of the songs in the film and he and Barrymore sing one together as well. "Pop Goes My Heart" was stuck in my head for a little while after the movie and thanks to writing this is in my head again. It is the hit song by Grant's character Alex Fletcher's ficticious 80's band "Pop". The cheesy Wham!-ish music video for "Pop Goes My Heart" opens the film and for any VH1's Pop-up Video fans, there is also another video treat at the end!

Again, I recommend this one because I like romantic comedies that don't necessarily delve too deep but do make you feel good, and like you might find love even if you don't have it this Valentine's Day.

Best if served with buttered popcorn.

Please Write Back...

Letters From Iwo Jima is Clint Eastwood's Japanese-language answer to another World War II film he did earlier this year, "Flags of Our Fathers". It is also far and above a better film and more interesting story. Don't let the sub-titles or possibly the previous viewing of Flags deter you from seeing Iwo Jima.

Ken Watanabe stars as real-life General Kuribayashi and leads a wonderful cast of Japanese actors portraying his soldiers and officers as they prepare for and then experience the US invasion of the island they were protecting. We get a look at the strategy the Japanese employed against the US and through unique story-telling, a perspective on what fighters from each level of Japan's military heirarchy dealt with the situation through their letters home.

This is another must-see whether it be in the theater or at home. It was shot in very, very washed out color, not quite black and white as from time-to-time shades of red could be seen. I could be wrong and there is probably a professional term for it but that is my best description. :)

Dreamgirl(s)

Jennifer Hudson, previously most famous for her shocking and premature elimination from American Idol a few seasons ago, truly does shine in Dreamgirls. There was much criticism when Oscar nominations were announced when the film was not nominated for Best Picture but I have to agree that though Hudson and cast were strong, and possibly will receive Oscar's as individuals, the film as a whole was not worthy of the Best Picture nod.

It was no surprise that Hudson could belt out the songs as member of "Dreamgirls" and on her own, but the emotional range she projected in the song "You're Gonna Love Me" and throughout the movie was that of a woman born to do just this role. There is talk that another movie role has already been taken by Hudson which will surely be a treat for fans.

Eddie Murphy deserves special mention as his performance earned him a well-deserved Golden Globe and may finally earn him an Oscar as well. He is no stranger to awards recognition but Oscar is king, right? It was great to watch Murphy act in a darker role as most of his recent work has been light and comedic or even animated.

Beyonce, though the biggest real-life star among the "Dreamgirls", gracefully and modestly has let Hudson have the spotlight in the press surrounding the film. Her performance was strong and she shows great potential as an actress. In the right role, she too may end up with some formal recognition for her acting in the future.

As a musical with big numbers, this is a worthwhile film for viewing in the theater but if you don't have a chance, definitely rent it.

I'm Your Venus...

Venus is the film that may grant Peter O'Toole the Oscar that he has earned by now. It is his 8th nomination and there is much buzz surrounding the nomination and his performance in the comedy about two aging actors whose lives are interrupted when one's great-niece comes to live with him in London. O'Toole's character, Maurice, is enamoured with the young girl, sexually and somewhat emotionally, driving the story. There is an "odd couple" quality to the two old men that makes for some very entertaining moments.

For anyone who is aging (and all of us are) and anyone who will die one day (again, we all will), this film is one to be enjoyed.

On another Oscar note, this may be the year for those who should have gotten an Oscar by now--"body of work" awards so to speak. With Scorcese picking up a Golden Globe this year, it is possible the Academy will honor him too, in this case for The Departed. The Departed was re-released in theaters and the DVD is available soon (February 13th) so there is still time to catch it before the big show on February 29th! It is a treat with excellent performances by Nicholson, DiCaprio, Damon, Baldwin, Wahlberg and more.

Her Majesty, The Queen

Helen Mirren is wonderful and brings Queen Elizabeth to life (yes, she is alive, but rarely heard from and never seen in the context of her private life) in "The Queen". I cannot rave about the film as many have, but I did enjoy it and found it a worthwhile film to view. The script was excellent and interesting. Viewers get inside Buckingham Palace, go on holiday with the Royals and get another chance to remember Princess Diana as her death and its impact on the Queen is explored.

Tony Blair is interesting as well, especially given his evolution since election.

Definitely check this one out before the Oscars if you're into catching all of the nominated films or on DVD for sure once it is released. A friend of mine described the movie very well and simply when she said for her it was like the best TV movie of the week that she's ever seen. It is a big screen film of course, but still, that was a great descriptor.

Bow for Her Majesty. She deserves it.

MS Walk Time Again

I just registered for the 2007 MS Walk. This will be my 6th year participating in the San Diego MS Walk after having been diagnosed in late 2000. I am again captain of Team Proflowers and am proud to again be part of the event!

Please join the team and walk with us if you can, or, please donate to this cause by going to this URL:

http://www.mswalk.com/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=210718&u=210718-3635438

Even $5 will help and any more you can give will be even better. This is my first fundraising push for this year before the team really gets going.

Shout Out: NBC Thursday

Thursdays have typically been my favorite night of the week for television (Must See TV back in the day). For a while it was a little iffy but I'm back on board with NBC's full line-up. Here's why I loved television tonight:

My Name is Earl: John Waters' guest spot. Very cool and still creepy. :) His weird lifestyle funerals were great. I'm afraid that mine would be much like the guy's at the end. I'd be posed to sit on the couch with my laptop in my lap, watching tv and writing in my blog!

The Office: Dwight and Angela are the new power couple and doing a good job keeping it under wraps for the most part. Good team. Ed Helms is annoying the hell out of me but at least "Jam" got a chance to team up for a prank again because of him. I feel bad for the new girl but they are Jim and Pam are meant to be...eventually...hopefully. It's TV, so it has to work out. Otherwise it might as well be real life.

Scrubs: The Musical: I loved the singing! The fact that they worked "Drop the kids off at the pool" into the song "Everything Comes Down to Poo" was great. "Guy Love" was super cute and usually J.D. is my guy but Turk had me this episode. This episode could have been annoying or lame but they really pulled it off.

30 Rock: Alec Baldwin is awesome (and a Golden Globe winner!). Here is my favorite line from his character tonight: "I'm gonna be your bottom Kenneth, and you're gonna ride me as hard as you can." Fun episode. Brian Williams' dressing room was great, every time. Good for Liz getting a date with "The Hair" although of course something had to go wrong. Kissin' cousins...gross. :)

Tune in next week...you'll burn calories laughing.

Golden Globes Review

No surprise, I of course sat before the television from start to finish for tonight's Golden Globe awards.

A list of winners can be found here. I won't comment on all of the awards but here are those that gave me something to talk about.

Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls: This is truly amazing. She was great on American Idol when she was kicked off too soon. This shows that greatness is meant for some, no matter what the defeat early on.

Hugh Laurie, House: "I am speechless. I am literally without a speech." Before I say anything else, it is so fun to hear Laurie in his British accent! I wonder how many people are surprised he's British actually. I'm sure some people were at home saying, "What? Dr. House isn't from here?" Anyway, I fell for House a little later than some but I think it is a wonderful show and Laurie is totally ruthless as Dr. Gregory House. Cheers!

Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada: "I think I've worked with everyone in the room." Meryl made the movie as good as it was. She was ice cold and relentless and in the only part of the film that allowed her to appear vulnerable, she let go just enough as only she could. Brilliant! That's all...

Bill Nighy, Gideon's Daughter: I added this film to my Netflix queue as soon as Emily Blunt was announced (also in The Devil Wears Prada) and though I haven't seen it, I have seen Nighy's work elsewhere and can't wait for this one.

Jeremy Irons and Helen Mirren (2), Elizabeth I: Another that I haven't seen but can't wait to see. Mirren looked extraordinary and with her and Irons in a film, there could have been little question it would be special. Mirren also won for The Queen. Bravo!

Peter Morgan, The Queen: I mention him because his speech is something that, if it is available on YouTube, is worth hearing. Unfortunately he paid attention to the producers when they told him to wrap it up and he was cut short but he made the first political statement of the night and it was well said.

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock: Anyone could have gotten the award in this category and it would have been well-deserved but I am thrilled that it was Alec Baldwin. He has really devised a 2nd career with comedy and it is a joy to see him each week. His speech was lovely and appreciative and be sure to tune in!

Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima: It is fascinating to me that Best Foreign Film went to an American director and also that 2 American directors were nominated for creating foreign language films. Haven't seen it but better believe it's on my list of things to do. Shame on the producers of the show for denying anyone but Eastwood the chance to speak.

Ugly Betty: America Ferrara and cast were honored, her individually and also for Best Comedy. Many Congratulations to them. Check it out online, full episodes are available. You may remember America from Real Women Have Curves, a film that similar to this show, made women who did not know they were beautiful understand that they are indeed.

Warren Beatty: This year's recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award is a favorite of mine. I met him once, at Dodgers Stadium and was to taken aback that all I could say was, "Bulworth was cool," with a stutter. To that he replied, "Thank you."

Martin Scorcese, The Departed: Just to hear him and see him, the man who looks like a caricature, it was great that he won. I still think this was one of the best film of the year and if you haven't seen it, do that sometime soon. Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, etc...

Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat: Certainly the most entertaining speech of the night and an unnecessary reminder of one of the nastiest and hilarious "sex" scenes ever filmed! Borat!

Disappointments:

Jack Nicholson: I didn't think he'd win but really wanted him to take one home for The Departed. His presence up front and the frequent mention of him was fun as always.

Jamie Foxx: His presentation of "Dreamgirls" was lame and obnoxious. Love him if you like but I just can't.

L.A. Traffic: Prince missed his award acceptance because he was stuck in traffic. Traffic in L.A. is a bitch for sure. Hugh Grant was cool and had him take a bow once he was there though.

Babel: I still don't get what the big deal is about this movie. I thought it was better than OK, but not the best. Not this year.

DiCaprio: Another time.

"Governor" Schwarzenegger: Please. Is there nothing else going on in our state?

PSFF (Palm Springs Film Festival)

The Palm Springs Film Festival is currently the largest festival in the U.S. I did not realize this when I traveled to Palm Springs this week with my friend, but after attending, it was obvious why. We went to the festival not expecting much other than to see a couple of films but it turned out to be a great experience and we had the opportunity to see some films we really enjoyed.

The theater, The Camelot, is a great venue. All 3 of the films we saw were shown there so we didn't check out the other festival locations. It was a nice theater and there was a great bar upstairs that offered a nice view and a cozy place to hang out in between films. It was very low-key possibly because people didn't realize it was there.

We didn't get to see our first choices in some cases because films were selling out well in advance. That is a great sign for a festival and though we didn't get to see our first choices, we weren't shortchanged. Here are mini-reviews of the 3 films we did see:

East Side Story: Gay white men are moving into East L.A. and taking over. In the meantime, a Mexican family, native to the area, are struggling to keep their restaurant and family together as the youngest member of the family comes out as gay as well. It was a very funny film and gave an interesting look inside the young man's struggle to come out. This director has promise for sure.


The Line of Beauty: This was a remarkable BBC produced drama was adapted from a novel and looked at Nick Guest, a young gay man from a modest background who moves in with the family of a college friend whose father is a politician. The actress who played the daughter in the family was brilliant and lent to some of the most heartbreaking and joyous moments in the film. Elements that were dealt with included the beginning of the AIDS epidemic and its impact, drugs, infidelity, closeted romance and mental illness. The film was done as a 3-part mini-series and is recommended to those interested whenever available on DVD.

The Boss of It All: Director Lars von Trier's latests film lacks some of the obscurity and darkness of his previous works but still brings some of those qualities on which he has built his career. This is the story of an IT company which is run by the boss of it all, the President of the company whom no one has ever seen. In reality, the President of the company is Ravn, a spineless man who blames the boss of it all for unpopular decisions he makes. When he decides to sell the company, he hires an actor to play the boss because he needs someone to sign the deal and to blame. Other than being a fun, "The Office"-esque comedy, the special thing about this film was von Trier's shooting style which he has dubbed Automavision, employing the use of an automatic randomised camera. Definitely worth seeing.

Notes on a Scandal

Dame Judi Dench is fabulous. If I said nothing else, it would be unimportant because Notes on a Scandal , though it had an excellent script and is an intriguing story, would not have been the same without Dench in the lead role. She plays perfectly the psychotic spinster alongside adultress Cate Blanchette in this film that I highly recommend. It is worth the cost of going to the theater and if you don't see it there, is a definite must to rent. In the interest of preserving the story (the preview does not give away the movie entirely as occurs with some films), I will reserve from much talk of how it goes.

Dench's character Barbara provided wonderfully sinister and entertaining lines throughout as penned her thoughts in her journal. She said cruel things that rendered at least a snicker if not a full laugh from the audience. Blanchett was perfectly cast in her role as well. The young man she enjoys an affair with was much better than I anticipate from the preview. Lastly, it was a joy seeing Bill Nighy as Blanchett's older husband. He was great and in a particular scene exploded in anger and hurt beautifully recognizing his age and her trespass.

This is a smart thriller to be sure. Enjoy.

What do you dream about?

This is a silly but very quick quiz on what nightmare type you are prone to. Pegged me pretty well:

Nightmare Labyrinth I'm usually fighting to save another, but lose them and myself among the many turns, dead ends and identical doorways.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

James Brown is Dead (but his wifey ain't stopped talking!)

So, I'm not going to make fun of James Brown and I'm actually going to reserve comment on his widow. I am however going to post for you, a YouTube clip you must check out. I'd say something more but just watch and you'll see why, 'Nuf said.

Palm Springs in the Winter

I'm going to go and check out the Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival one day next week. A cheap hotel room and a little time and I'm all set to check it out! I'm excited about seeing some festival films and just spending the day with a friend so I thought I'd share.

If there is any place I should check out while I'm there, let me know and I'll try to fit it in!

Packing@DunderMifflin.com

Do NOT read any further until you've seen The Office from this week (January 4). I don't want to ruin it for you.

I was physically uncomfortable the minute Michael told Packer he was going to email the picture of he and Jan to him. I didn't know who the email would go to but I figured it would have to be going to the entire company, at least eventually.

It is a great episode and was actually very well done because it went unexpectedly after the predictable moment when Michael revealed he and Jan were in Jamaica together. From Jan's reaction to Pam's broken heart, The Office was the place to be this week. Bravo, writers.

Va a Volver

Volver is Spanish director (my favorite director) Pedro Almodovar's latest film and I am happy to report that it exceeded my expectations when I saw it this afternoon. Of course I did vow to lower my expectations after my disappointments with other films lately but even so, I had the bar set pretty high and I am happy to report that it was a great film and one I recommend to those who don't mind reading subtitles and can appreciate great acting and a great story even when they can't understand the language the actors are speaking.

Volver explores death and the return of the dead in a darkly humorous way...my favorite way, by the way. I think this film is one that would most easily be consumed by American audiences in looking back on Almodovar's previous works, with "All About My Mother", one of his greatest accomplishments and then "Talk to Her" running 2nd and 3rd behind it. It was a less obscure film than his others and at times disturbing, at other times stunning, and most of all funny with the subtlety and darkness that few can accomplish.

Penelope Cruz leads a wonderful cast of Almodovar regulars (think Christopher Guest--there are certain people he always casts and for good reason) in the story of two women, Raimunda and Sole, whose mother passed away but returned from the dead. I would elaborate but it would ruin the movie. Raimunda's husband also experiences death and her daughter Paula is along for the ride as the subject is explored from several angles. The exploration of superstition and rebirth told in this way makes for an interesting film. It is actually really difficult to summarize though so I think I'll just end here and say it gets 4 stars or 2 thumbs up or whatever you'd like. I really need to come up with my own scale soon!

Volver = to return

Before I go, it was fun being at the movies on a weekday afternoon. I was in a theater where everyone else was about 60 or older except a group of girls who were clearly ditching work. This older guy of at least 70 started chatting with me in line and of course the first thing we talked about was the weather. He told me a great story about when he lived in Maine and the weather got down to 40 below. I love those random conversations that last the duration of a stay in line. That old guy, along with Almodovar, made my day.

Winter Break Films

I had a chance to catch two films last week, both of which left me slightly disappointed. There were both fine, just not what I expected and someone who goes in expecting less than I did (this review may help) might thoroughly enjoy the films.

The Good Shepard: I wanted to love this film because one of my Top 10 guys, Robert DeNiro directed and also appears in it. Alec Baldwin who I currently adore is also in it. The Angelina Jolie factor and Matt Damon's starring role also played into my expectation that this would be the film that made me re-rank my Top 2 for the year (Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed). It did not. I thought it was ok. I got confused which doesn't usually happen and didn't really feel much overall. I thought there were some interesting parts but overall, it wasn't great for me. Also, I hate to be fickle but the guy who played the son was a decent actor but was really hard for me to look at. I know this review lacks the detail of most but I don't have much to say.

The Pursuit of Happyness: I really wanted this to be an amazing film. I wanted to cry, a lot, and just be overwhelmed by it. Why? Because I could hardly watch the preview with out being choked up, and it is so cool to see Will Smith mature as an actor. Fresh Prince of Bel Air was a fun show but he really came into his own after that. Smith's son, Jaden, made his film debut and in addition to being a cute kid, he did an outstanding job. It was a good film and I did cry at the end but I thought it was slow. I think it is worth seeing but can wait to be viewed as a rental.

I am excited that Volver, Pedro Almodovar's latest is still in theaters. I plan to check that out, as well as The Queen, this week, though I am lowering my expectations ahead of time so as to not be disappointed again. If you have seen either of these films, comment and let me know what you think.

Happy New Year.

Rural Juror

NBC's 30 Rock is a show that keeps getting better. The first episode or two were not terribly funny and it looked like the show would not make it too far but for those who have stuck with it through or even discovered it mid-season know that the show has found itself. At first Tina Fey was too awkward, Tracy Morgan was too silly and Alec Baldwin was too slimy. None of them were great and it was sort of a struggle to like or enjoy them. Now though, all of the characters have been developed into more solid personalities whose actions and words make sense. Tina is still awkward but also has a purpose, Tracy is sill but now it is understood that he is a smart and crazy guy as well and Alec is slimy but he is so funny too just as he is in hosting SNL! Jane Krakowski and an excellent supporting cast also deserve mention. It is a pleasure to see her back on the small screen after her Ally McBeal days.
I'm relieved that this show found its stride. If you haven't tuned it, it isn't too late to catch it...Thursdays on NBC. Tina Fey is definitely missed on SNL but it is refreshing to see her in a role that is perfect (of course, she did write it) and to see a show that pokes fun at sketch comedy which most of the cast knows all too well from their days at SNL either as writers, actors or both. It is sort of the lightweight counterpart to Studio 60.
What does the subject line mean? It is the name of the movie Krakowski's character is starring in. "The Rural Juror" is difficult to say and the punchline a few times on a recent episode. Try to say it. Not a title I'd choose for a film!
Happy TV watching.

Taylor Hicks, Taylor Hicks

Taylor Hicks' album dropped on Tuesday and sales for the week are not yet reported but given Idol hopeful Chris Daughtry's fortune on the charts, the outlook is good. In fact, he is close to having the number one debut by a new artist, ever. We'll see. Even if he doesn't come out on top, Taylor should be proud of this album. He had to compromise his style minimally and made an album that has a great, upbeat, fun sound. Plus, two of the songs are his own that he wrote in his pre-Idol days proving he is more than that show. His voice is strong, the instrumentation is great and I can't wait to see him on tour!
Rather than go on and on (which I could), I'll list each track and a very short review of it. Let's see if I can be brief.

1. The Runaround: Very fun track when done live. Try not to dance! She done him wrong. "...and to think that I sat there singing you a love song...I give you everything. All I get from you is your runaround."

2. Dream Myself Awake: Rob Thomas penned this one and it reminds me of a track that would have been on Matchbox20's "Mad Season" album. Nice track. "Do me wrong, do me right, do me any way you want tonight..."

3. Heaven Knows: The Ray Charles track. It is a great song. Get ready for the horns, the drums, the keys...it's all there. Go ahead, clap along. "Heaven Knows I've tried..."

4. Gonna Move: Kicks off with nice bass line. It is about up and moving away and doing what you really want to do. "...Then I joined the college ranks. There they said they'd teach me how to think...after awhile, reading those books was making me lose my smile. And I knew in order to not conceal I had to play my music and express how I feel. I'm gonna move away from here. You can find me if you want to go there."

5. Wherever I Lay My Hat: Hat's off to Marvin Gaye and the other writers. One of the slower songs on the album about the guy the girl sits and cries over though he'll never change. "I'm the type of guy who gives the girls the eye, everyone knows. But I love them and leave them, break their hearts and deceive them, everywhere I go. Don't you know I'm the type of man who is always on the roam? Wherever I lay my hat, that's my home."

6. Give Me Tonight: Taylor has a writing credit on this one. If there is a sexy song on this album, this is it. It reminds me of a jazzy, less pop version of "Just Got Paid". The lyrics are more late-twenties than early-twenties but it is on the same level. "There was magic in the air, you were trying not to stare but I caught you, caught you cold. Now there's nothing you can do...but if you give me tonight..."

7. Just to Feel That Way: A nice song about taking a chance on love and feeling that way. By the end of the song, you know why you've let yourself get hurt. "...it's worth it, for even one day, just to feel that way."

8. The Maze: Sounds like he's in love...caught up in her maze. We've all been in someone' maze at one time or another.

9. Places I've Been: I know why I love Diane Warren. She writes great love songs.

10. Soul Thing: A Taylor Hicks original. This is a fun song about Soul and the biz. Seems to be autobiographical to a point. "When the tough get going, the muses visit me...they always say to me: It ain't no groove thing. It ain't no country twang. It's a simple refrain. It's a soul thing." Gotta love the muses.

11. The Deal: Of Taylor's original songs, this is one of my favorites. "I know livin' with me ain't easy...I'm here to show you, baby, this love is real." It's about making it happen if the love is real...just going for it.

12. The Right Place: Bryan Adams was the author of this song. It shows Taylor's voice range on the higher side and is a nice ballad to wrap things up. The last dance so to speak.