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.