Archive for March, 2007
American Idol Results Live-blogging
Wednesday, March 28th, 2007Last night was a waste, but tonight at least one bad performer is going home. So, I’ll start soon.
UPDATE: Well, a medical building is burning here in Houston. Wow, are those fire fighters brave. The whole building is melting and they are going in floor by floor, closet by closet.
Here we go. Will tonight be anti-climatic? I’m already irritated by Gwen Stefani. Ryan is doing Sanjaya’s hair. Simon and Randy both look aghast.
Phil is so dang creepy. His eyes, his awkward moves. Something is wrong with him.
Commercial time. Did you hear about the website that says to vote for Sanjaya and that’s why he’s getting all the votes? You know, I felt at the beginning when they were choosing people for the final 24, that they were making some ode to multiculturalism and that at least half of them they knew wouldn’t last no matter what. They should choose the best singers, singers they’d be happy with if they succeed. That guy who won last year looks fifty years old and is dull. Taylor Hicks. Ugh.
What the heck is this? Mustangs, huh. Chris is actually riding, I think. That was weird.
Three Lowest: Freaky Phil Stacey in the bottom three. No surprise. Hallelujah! Haley is in the bottom three!!! Please be Chris, please be Chris. Aww, Gina is left hanging.
Safe: Blake and LaKisha safe. After being at the bottom, Chris is safe. Melinda, of course. Jordin safe.
Here comes Gwen. I actually like this song, but she cannot sing. See how she’s very tight with her moves on the stage? She should have given the singers advice about using the stage, stage make-up, creating a persona, that type of thing. That’s her strength, it’s certainly not carrying a tune.
Chris and Gina. Gina is safe. Yay! I’ll be happy if any of the bottom folks go. Phil is safe. Please, send Haley home. Argh!!! Haley stays. Chris is going home. Well, the song did stink as his singing it again demonstrates.
Generally snoozy.
Serenity NOW!
Wednesday, March 28th, 2007Have you watched these yet? The best show that never made it is sparking rumblings that it might come back. Man, I would love a serenity series.
Saddam’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Found
Wednesday, March 28th, 2007Somehow I missed this little noteworthy tidbit:
“They were moved by Russian Spetsnaz (special forces) units out of uniform, that were specifically sent to Iraq to move the weaponry and eradicate any evidence of its existence,” he said.
Shaw has dealt with weapons-related issues and export controls as a U.S. government official for 30 years, and was serving as deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security when the events he described today occurred.
He called the evacuation of Saddam’s WMD stockpiles “a well-orchestrated campaign using two neighboring client states with which the Russian leadership had a long time security relationship.”
It has been my belief that something like this happened. Why isn’t this front page news considering that “Bush lied” has been the mantra forever? And the Bush administration gets strung up because of spy agency politics that the administration obviously allows even at great American intel harm:
But when Shaw passed on his information to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and others within the U.S. intelligence community, he was stunned by their response.
“My report on the convoys was brushed off as ‘Israeli disinformation,’” he said.
One month later, Shaw learned that the DIA general counsel complained to his own superiors that Shaw had eaten from the DIA “rice bowl.” It was a Washington euphemism that meant he had commited the unpardonable sin of violating another agency’s turf.
The CIA responded in even more diabolical fashion. “They trashed one of my Brits and tried to declare him persona non grata to the intelligence community,” Shaw said. “We got constant indicators that Langley was aggressively trying to discredit both my Ukranian-American and me in Kiev,” in addition to his other sources.
But Shaw’s information had not originated from a casual contact. His Ukranian-American aid was a personal friend of David Nicholas, a Western ambassador in Kiev, and of Igor Smesko, head of Ukrainian intelligence.
What a den of vipers the intelligence agencies are these days. If Valerie “I don’t know if I was covert or not” Plame is the best and brightest, we are definitely in trouble. Politics and jockeying and the luxury of pointing the finger at Bush if He gets the intelligence wrong when the intelligence agencies ignore worthwhile intelligence because they play politics or protect turf.
There is a lot more at the link–Saddam’s on-going nuclear program up through 2000, for one important example. The problem with these agencies is that they spend too much time marking territory and not nearly enough time learning everything about the territory they need to know. Intelligence does not equal smart.
Of Weaning and Whining
Wednesday, March 28th, 2007Little Toot and I face an impasse: he wants unfettered access to my breasts 24/7 and I want to reassert my boundaries. That is to say, I want him to get his nourishment and sustenance and nurturing from food. It’s time that he starts eating emotionally. I’m literally and figuratively drained.
Breast-feeding came back in vogue after two generations of smoking to keep the baby small, getting knocked out for birth, propping a bottle so as to not distract from feather dusting and the resulting reduced I.Q. and a host of other negative side effects that resulted from the neglectful baby experimentation. Explains a lot, doesn’t it? Anyway, this generation has decided to do Everything Better Than the Stupid Boomers and tries to comply to the Boomer’s and feminism’s competing standards: breast feed until the kid’s voice changes, while simultaneously going back to work within 36 hours of popping the inconvenient lump of tissue out. How to reconcile these issues has yet to be adequately addressed (but good news! the Equal Rights Amendment is making a come back and history is already being rewritten, as David Frum notes, he calls it “fascinating strangeness”). Oh well, troopers like me try to span the expectations divide.
While I despise the woman on woman best mother competitions associated with this topic, I’m still an unapologetic nurser. Rare ear infections, no tubes, rarer antibiotics (associated with Breast Cancer in women), smoother sailing when the kid does get sick, and of course, the emotional closeness and kid confidence that results from nursing. This last assertion is difficult to test without double-blinded study. My kids might be just the same had they been bottle-fed, that we’ll never know, but I do know that a frazzled kid, a kid with a boo boo, a kid who is having a bad day calms down with nursing. It’s not just the nutrition as a baby that nursing helps, it’s the toddlerish difficulties that get smoothed out, too.
At a certain point, though, the child asserts his will and starts to proactively open the store for business. This can lead to uncomfortable situations. Nothing like a kid yanking up a t-shirt and trying to pull off a bra during a card party, hypothetically speaking. Weaning must commence.
But how to do it with a kid who seems so happy? I’m a little gun shy after weaning my daughter on her second birthday and her taking up thumb-sucking the day after. Maybe I should have nursed her longer. Maybe she wouldn’t have been so traumatized. Maybe I have had every brain cell sucked out and can no longer think rationally. Who am I kidding? The kid is two. And kids will do whatever they can to extend infancy. Heck, most people are still trying to extend infancy.
Whining. That’s what will be happening in these parts for a good long while. Whining to go with the weaning. Happy Birthday Little Toot!
Cute Knut the Murderer
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007It was bound to happen. Nature taking it’s course and all.
Jesus’ Tomb–Yeah, Right!
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007I paid no attention to the whole Jesus’ tomb non-discovery. It seemed like self-promoting silliness foisted by non-believers looking for any reason to discredit Jesus. Call me skeptical of the skeptics.
Fauxhawks, Stefani Snoozer & American Idol Liveblogging–UPDATED
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007I’ll live-blog it tonight on my brand new, super spectacular MacBook. Yeah, it’s pretty cool!
UPDATE: Here we go.
Gwen Stefani will be helping the Idol wannabes this time.
LaKisha goes first. Gwen’s “blown away” by her. Donna Summer here we come. ’70s again. Okay, the problem that Simon mentioned last week about not making the song her own, is true again tonight. She needs to do a better job of making a song her own–reinterpreting it. This is hard to do. She’s technically great. Cute dress. Looks the youngest she’s ever looked, while singing old.
“Fly Diva”, says Randy. Paula says she “did Sommer proud”. Simon loves the boots. “You’re 30 years younger this week. Love the big note at the end. Great vocal.” She’s back in the fold.
Spiderman looks good based on the commercial, don’t you think? Steve was meh on Spiderman II. Save the gratuitous violence (I don’t like implied almost-rape scenes in movies an 8 year old might see), I liked it.
Chris Sligh is up. “How much downtime do you have during the competition?” He knits, crochets and plays the bongos in his undies. Mostly, he just sleeps. He looks like he’s lost weight. Singing Police. Wow, he sounds pretty good. Don’t like how he’s tugging on the notes in the chorus. I like it punchier. (Oh, he’s singing Everything She Does Is Magic.) He’s got a nice strong voice, I just like more variability during the tune. Weird end. Abrupt.
“Good song,” says Randy. Rhythmically “you could never get in the pocket” and “Gwen was right”. Paula says “the audience wants to groove with you.” “I thought it was a mess,” says Simon. “It just didn’t feel right.”
Gina is emotional. This is a big day for her. “It’s all about the lyrics,” says Gwen. Good song. Excellent choice, Gina! I can’t help wonder if her diction would improve if she got rid of that tongue ring. I get that it’s her schtick. Wow, it’s hard to sing Christy Hines, Pretenders. She gives it a good go, though. Crowd loves it.
Randy: He says it’s one of her best performances ever. Paula loves that she’s improving each week. Simon toys with her: wasn’t one of the best, it was the BEST. Best performance tonight, enthuses Simon. Audience loved it. I like her. She has spirit. Brendan Loy wants to do naughty things with her. Those boots, honey. I can see why.
Sanjaya–Bathwater by No Doubt. Gwen says, “Good luck to him. It’s a tough song.” Oh, good grief. What has he done this week with his hair? Dude, he has a mop on his head. He’s actually doing a decent job on the song. “You’re my kind of girl.” Oh, boy.
Randy’s laughing. “I’m speechless every time. You can actually sing. Go out there and do it.” Paula, “If you had the gumption to really go for it, go for it. You can do it.” Simon, “I presume there was no mirror in your dressing room. I don’t think it matters what we say anymore. If people like you, good luck.” Seven pony-tails for good luck.
Haley is singing True Colors. “Go back and tone it down.” Uh oh. One of my most favorite songs. Don’t wreck it Haley. Man the girl can’t hang on to the melody. She looks gorgeous. I’m guessing that Simon will like that. She can’t sing, though. I want her to go home. Didn’t take the advice from Gwen. I hope she gets smacked for it.
Randy’s not “grabbed”. Paula says it requires nothing but the melody. Simon says “sweet, but forgettable.” They are all being far more generous than I would have been. Yuck. Her song sucked. The way Ryan is in to her makes me think he’s not gay. Have you noticed how he moons over certain artists and kind of acts annoyed with others? It’s subtle, like how a newscaster delivers the news with small smiles or barely-there winces but the audience is subtly being manipulated. Ryan wants you to like Haley.
Phil Stacey. More questions, how’s it feel to be a household name? He’s too busy. Every Breath You Take–Police. Gwen thinks he should stick to the melody. Something bugs me about this guy. Can’t put my finger on it. He’s doing pretty good–honey voiced–with the song. Nice back up help. Nice transition. I’ll be watchin’ you. Makes me think of the Stalkers Skit on Saturday Night Live.
Randy thought it was solid. Kinda liked it. Paula thinks that his voice has some color. They all seem blah on it. But Simon says it is a great choice of song. He feels that this is the first time Phil is taking it seriously. Hmmmm…. I don’t know. Does he just think he won’t actually make it so is playing it safe? I’ve wondered where his head is about this. He always seems somewhere else. Maybe he misses his family or the military family? Don’t know.
Melinda is “mind-blowing, your voice is crazy” says Gwen. Melinda in her lower register. She’s got control. Oops! First flat note I’ve ever heard. Typed too soon. Hair looks cute. She shouldn’t go sleeveless.
Randy: Interprets the feeling of the song–that was the bomb again! He loves her. Paula says she tells a story and has charisma. Simon sez…I don’t think this is the performance you’ll be remember for, hate the outfit. I agree with Simon, actually.
Blake singing The Cure. I like Blake. Smoky. He is the most Idol-worthy, I think. He should get a contract no matter what. He knows how to work his way around a beat. Sounds nasal in parts and then goes Chris Martin Coldplay-ish. He looks tired. Still, on his worst day, he’s better than the other guys and most of the girls, too.
Not perfect song choice, Randy says. Paula loves it. You’re taking risks and she wants to see him in the finalé. Simon calls him the front-running guy.
Jordin singing Gwen Stefani. Gwen calls Jordin “refreshing”. More boots, bad skirt and she’s trying to go little girl with the outfit. She’s actually singing it. Gwen yells this song. Of course, Gwen can’t really sing. Ha! She’s a showman, though. I like Jordin. She’s young and can sing.
Randy thinks it was risky and says it was great. Paula calls her “adorable, young and hip”. Simon calls her “the most improved”.
Chris doing Don’t Speak by Gwen. Gwen says he likes to do “the vocal olympics. Focus on the song and emotion.” I find it interesting that all the contestants can sing better than Gwen. Funny. Chris needs to wear something brighter and more fun. He’s young. Taking off with it now. Nasal finish. I don’t think he’s the worst. I was surprised he was second from the bottom last week.
Paula says, “You’re good.” Simon not crazy about the vocal. He feels that Chris is struggling with the vocals. I haven’t watched Idol before this season, but it seems that all the contestants really get along. They seem truly pained when someone is voted off.
This week: #1 Gina, #2 Blake, #3 Melinda, #4 Phil, #5 Jordin, #6 Chris Richardson–the rest is a toss up.
Who would I vote off? No Doubt: Haley or Sanjaya. Who will get voted off? Who the heck knows.
UPDATE II: There is some discontent about Gwen Stefani apparently phoning it in for last night’s show. Ann Althouse says this:
Gwen Stefani was the lamest celebrity mentor they’ve ever had on the show. For a while, I had the theory that she’s just an idiot, but I think what it was was that she wouldn’t put any time into the show. So they had fake shots with her and each contestant, and we never saw any interaction.
Personally, I think Gwen revealed herself right away when she said that a lot of her favorite singers weren’t actually very good singers. Gwen herself can’t carry a tune in a bucket. She rivals Madonna when it comes to form over substance. I think Gwen was intimidated by the talent of the singers. She said as much. What advice do you give people who sing better than you? Gwen’s strength is rhythm and she did give good advice to Chris about that. Otherwise, what can anyone expect from her? Remember her Superbowl performance? That’s what I thought. Here’s a reminder, try to not cry:
Cancer–UPDATE
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007I haven’t written anything about John and Elizabeth Edwards because there hasn’t been much to say. Cancer sucks. It always comes at an inconvenient, important time, because life is always important.
Now, Tony Snow announces the horrible news that the cancer has metastasized to his liver. Most people know what this news means. It’s not good. My heart goes out to all these families.
Cancer touched my family, my husband, nearly five years ago. He was 33 at the time. A year and half later, my friend, at the ripe old age of 36 was diagnosed with breast cancer. Both my husband and friend are doing well, but cancer changes your life. Every cold, every unexplained pain, and most of all, a day or two of fatigue cause unspoken, forced nonchalant worry.
We determined that cancer would be “a bump”. Steve was back at work within the week after surgery. He’s a doctor. What’s he going to do? As it was, patients stopped coming to the office, the exact opposite of what we needed at the time, not wanting to cause him trouble.
I’m tired of cancer. It eats away at the body and it destroys lives. Is it just my experience or does it seem like more young people are getting cancer?
Even still, it’s important to keep perspective. Heart disease kills more people than cancer. Diabetes is almost wholly preventable and afflicts millions. This last weekend our healthy, kind next door neighbor had a heart-attack at age 50. He received stellar emergency care, but could have been dead just that quick. He would have looked very healthy in his coffin.
We don’t know when our last moment on this earth will be so we have to live life now. It’s easy to life like we will never die and live in tomorrow, “Oh, I’ll take care of that, do that, hug her, later.” It’s easy to live in the past cursing the unfairness of life. Well, both ways of living are really ways of ignoring today. Today is important. It’s a gift for each of us. Living in gratitude is the only way to live.
Control is an illusion. Cancer reminds us of the truth of this.
UPDATE: I hate to even include this. What is wrong with people?
Curse and Damnation!
Monday, March 26th, 2007This last weekend, a circular conversation spiraled into nihilism: lamenting the lamentable corporations, the lamentable and corrupt leaders of said corporations, the lamentable co-workers, the lamentable George Bush (well, duh!), the lamentable conservatives, the lamentable oppressors everywhere. Curse and damnation, society is utterly and irretrievably despicable!
In exasperation I said, “Light a candle, man!”
No question worrisome worries worry people. The economy feels fragile, the white man is oppressed, teachers suffer, and all sorts of maladies stoke righteous rage these days. Marches and protests aren’t nearly as fun, either, what with counter protests and whatnot. What’s an angry person to do?
Rage on, man. Rage on!
