American Idol- final round

Round one went to Blake- even though he did this Bon Jovi Number before it really showcases why he is in this competition.

In round two Jordin reprised "Broken Wing." Blake did a relaxed, 'She Will be Loved' by Maroon Five. Blake did what he needed to do in this round. He showed that he can relax and just sing. Jordin's vocal is definitely better in round two. Crowd reactions went to Blake, in my opinion.

So we go to round three- the dreaded original song round- with one round each.

The song is called "This is My Now." Yuck! it sounds, more than a bit, like "Do I Make You Proud?" In a straight up vocal performance it is going to be tough for Blake to beat Jordin. He is credible. The crowd really likes him. The judges all three called it right in that this song is not Blake's style. Simon basically instructed people to judge Blake on the first two performances.

This song was written with someone like Jordin in mind. She nailed it. She is, without a doubt, a better vocalist. If I have to hear this song on the radio I want to hear her version.

So who will win? Jordin deserves it all, but we shall see.

It's down to Blake and Jordin for te Final on American Idol

As one reader noted- it is really hard to care this year. I guess I am in the camp that will find the finale more exciting with Blake in it. Jordin and Melinda have styles that are just plain too similar. That having been said. I find it sad that Melinda was the one to go. Her stint on Idol has certainly been the most consistent in all six years of this show. I have no doubt she will be a huge success.

On another note. Life has been very busy lately so I have not been too dilligent about keeping this site up. I hope that will change very soon.

American Idol- It is really hard to care this year.

Lakisha is going home which will make the finale a bit less homogenous. At this point I quess I would like to see Jordin win. The most interesting finale would be between Jordin and Blake but I can't say as I will go out of my way for this one.

American Idol- To BeeGee or not to BeeGee

Not a great night. Melinda was fine. Jordin made great song choices for both selections> Lakisha was very week and Blake wasn't great. Looks, at this point like a Jordin/Melinda finale. For Blake and Lakisha it is really a matter of who goes first. I would guess Lakisha to go home next.

American idol sends Phil and Chris packing--

so much for thinking that 'nasally' is a singing style. Phil deserved to go. Chris was better last week than this week and I don't think it helped him that the totals for two weeks were added together.

I hate this part of the competition when the contestants seem to forget that this is a competition. In order for them to win the others all have to go. Blake was apparently more upset than Chris by tonight's results. Poor guy was actually crying.

Now we are down to four, Melinda, Lakisha, Jordin and Blake. No surprises there at all.

Idol Rocks with Bon Jovi- Sort of

Jordin was flat throughout. Phil was just plain not great. I liked what Blake did tonight. But the problem with combining votes from last week makes this a very tough call to make. I would not be surprised to see Phil and Blake go home. But it will probably be a male and a female.

American Idol Gives Back-

I didn't say more about this last night for several reasons- personal and otherwise. But, it has come to my attention that I gave this amazing two hours of television short shrift.

Let's start by saying how fun it was to see entertainers from so many different venues take part in this effort. It was also amazing to see the personal investment of the Idol cast (Judges and Seacrest). It was an emotional rollercoaster between the powerful segments about where the money will go and the humorous and entertaining pieces provided by so many entertainers.

I appreciated seeing a different side of Simon Cowell- the segment from Africa and how moved he was by that experience brought tears to my eyes.

I thought the (shock) ending was overblown and unnecessary. I hope this event becomes a regular staple of the show into the future.

My computer is giving me grief so I must limit my words on this for now.

Peace!

Did Blake luck out or what?

American Idol- Give Back

that last hour. In a night of supposedly inspirational songs the performances were not particularly stellar. The least inspiring was Blake singing Lennon's "Imagine." I believe this could be his last performance.

American Idol Results Show---

Lakisha and Blake in the bottom three for the first time for both of them. Sanjaya rounds out that number. Blake going home would be a complete shock- and really the first shock of the season. Lakisha would be an unfortunate choice but not completely without merit, given last night's performance.

Unfortunately, given the 1 hour length of this show it will be a while before I can finish this post.

Martina was okay- but again I am no fan of country music.

And so... with minutes left... Blake is safe and Sanjaya is going home.

That is the right choice but it takes the fun out of the show.

American Idol---

Country is not my favorite Genre. But the divide was clear tonight between good and bad.

Sanjaya clearly does not belong in this competition any longer. Phil found his genre but maybe too late to make a difference for Him. Jordin was clearly the strongest tonight.

The bottom three tonight should be Sanjaya, Chris and Lakisha, but like I said Sanjaya no longer belongs in this competition.

democratic frontrunner?

Check here to see why this could end being a very exciting time for the Democratic Party. The three-way tie being reported is not because of the apathy that has existed in past races. the depth of the field is producing some strong choices and people seem less content to let anything be a foregone conclusion.

When you consider that the Obama, Clinton, Edwards trio have been steeling the media attention I am thrilled that Richardson remains a contender as well. I have my favorites but at this point could support any of these four.

On American Idol-

there is a way to determine which contextants have the highest negatives. Contrary to what you miaght think, Sanjaya does not top the list.

This site asks- "who should go home next?" The results show Phil to be first at 43%, Sanjaya at 31%, Lakisha (that is a surprise) at 19% and Chris at 4.9%- and that is before anyone has sung a single note.

Results show-

Phil, Haley and Chris in the bottom three. Not the first time for any of them. Chris is safe and either Phil or Haley will go home. Based solely on last night- these are probably the right two for this position. I think Haley had the better performance last night.

It always amazes me that they can stretch out 5 minutes worth of information into a 60 minute show.

And... Haley is going home. I will miss those legs.

Wow !! The bottom three are no surprise really...

based on the site that has you vote for who should go.

What is a surprise is that Sanjaya (rhymes with papaya) is now resting comfortably at 23% with Phil at 39% and Haley at 30%. less than 10% represent votes for all the others combined.

On the site that has viewers rank the remaining contestants Phil, Haley and Jordin do not appear in any of the rankings. I really think Phil will go tonight but would not be surprised if Chris goes. His performance was really disappointing at this stage in the competition.

American Idol- That was really weird--

bazaaro world weird.

Based purely on the judge's comments tonight we can expect Phil and Haley to be in the bottom three again. What is surprising though is that the judges comments would place Melinda and Lakisha in the danger zone for the first time.

I hated Chris tonight and was shocked that the judges all were very positive toward him. I thought Jordin was pretty weak as well- she couldn't decide whether to sing 'gonna getcha' or 'gonna get you' and I found it very distracting. She also botched the lyrics but it seems people don't care about that anymore.

I thought Melinda pulled off a sultry approach to 'sway' and found her enjoyable. I also thought that Haley was better than the judges gave her credit.

If Phil, Jordin and Chris ended up in the bottom three it would not surprise me in the least but the fact is anything could happen tomorrow.

Sanjaya will likely be around for another week. Randy complimented him as a smart competitor, Paula said his vocal was very good and Simon said it wasn't horrible.

I use a scoring system based on the comments of the judges- the lower the score the better the performer- based on the judges Chris and Blake scored 3, Sanjaya and Jordin scored 4, Melinda and Lakisha scored 5 and Phil and Haley scored 6.

That would create a scenario where Phil and Haley will be joined in the bottom three by Melinda or Lakisha.

I would choose Phil, Haley and Chris. Chris chose an iconic song that has been butchered in too many bars by too many people. It could cost him.

Phil, Haley and Gina in Bottom three- no big surprises yet.

When I saw both Chris and Blake with Sanjaya I knew they would be around for another week. My guess at this point hasn't changed. I think Phil is done.

Phil is safe. Haley and Gina are the bottom two. Gina goes home. For the first time people can talk about their disappointment in this decision. She was not strong enough to win but any of the three that I have already mentioned could have gone before her.

The reality is that the song was different from her usual choices and she may have lost her fan base. It is also possible that her fans made the mistake of thinking she was safe and either didn't vote or took the chance to vote for someone they thought was in danger (Phil?).

What God does Sanjaya pray to?

Idol by the numbers--

The people at this site have been tracking "Who would you send home?" since the idols were reduced to 24. Except for Sanjaya (which rhymes with papaya) anyone who scores more than about 6% on this scale is in real trouble.

So this week, the folks who vote in this poll would choose the same three as me for the bottom three: Sanjaya at 52%, Phil at 22% and Haley at 16%. People's perception of Sanjaya is either improving or people are seeing his advancement as inevitable. Either way, he has achieved his best (lowest) score to date.

This voting block would send Phil home, and they are usually right. If there is a surprise tonight it will be that Sanjaya's 15 minutes are up or that Chris's performance- which was not as good in my mind as it was for the judges- is not enough to keep people interested- or that Blake's performance wasn't strong enough to overcome going first.

More bad news for Phil can be found at this site . This site asks people to rank the nine remaining contestants in order from nine to one. They then calculate the top three picks for each placement. Phil does not appear in any ranking. I would interpret that to mean that people do not feel strongly about him one way or the other. That's bad in a voting competition- "Phil who?" Jordin has this same problem but has, at the same time, developed a small base and gotten positives from the judges.

If any of the bottom three go home this week, they deserve it. I want to see Sanjaya survive (for my own reasons) for one more week. Besides, it is a bit fun to watch a train wreck from week to week and he is the only one left.

American Idol- Tony Bennett Night

Okay, this night was not so hot. It seems the judges were hard pressed to say anything negative at all. They have all reserved themselves to tolerating Sanjaya and making comments about his courage and his hair and such- Simon said. "incredible" but he was hardly saying anything positive.

The bottom three from the judges comments would be Phil, Haley and Sanjaya. The judges all likied Chris but I think he is in trouble. I also think Blake's mediocre performance, along with going first make him vulnerable.

For my own reasons, I want to see sanjaya survive one more week. I would send Haley packing at this point but I think America sends Phil Home.

American Idol--- So who goes home?

Bottom three are Phil, Haley and Chris Sligh. One more week of seeing what Sanjaya does with his hair.

Gwen Steffani performed tonight. Frankly, I don't get it.

Phil is safe and Chris is going home.

American Idol- That was pretty good.

I like this part of the competition for two reasons. The first is that we are getting to know these people a bit so it is easier to grow attached to one or another personality. The other is that, for the most part they have all stepped up their game and the singing is pretty good.

The downside to that is that someone who you have started to grow attached to who, for the most part, sings pretty good will get sent home.

However, the bottom three, based on the judges comments, deserve to be there: Sanjaya, of course, Chris Sligh and Haley.

I want to start by saying what no one else will. Sanjaya is improving a little bit each week. He remains out of his league but he is trying very hard. The hair tonight made him an absolute freakshow. If he survives another week try listening to him with your eyes closed- it really helps.

Chris Sligh deserves to go home. That was the laziest performance this show has seen for a long time. The judges were hardest on him tonight, of all contestants. But if he goes home everyone will talk about what a surprise it is.

Haley could go too. Her vocals were not impressive, the judges were rather non-commital and the middle of the pack placement makes her vulnerable.

It may surprise folks, especially the judges, but I thought Jordin was just awful tonight.

Kudos to Chris, I think he was most improved from last week. Based on these performances I would be glad to see Lakisha, Melinda, Blake and Chris (but you could substitute Phil for Blake) in the top four. However, since Phil and Chris have both made one appearance in the bottom three, they are in trouble.

My pick to go home- based solely on this week's performances would be Chris Sligh. The shocker that would not surprise me is Jordin. This might be the week that people have mercy on Sanjaya and cut him loose.

Sanjaya safe this week !!!

We will never know if he was bottom three material. Chris R's fans sat this one out last night and it placed him in the bottom two. Stephanie- by all accounts should go home. then they cut to commercial.

Lulu sings- "To Sir with Love" and it is not as good as Peter Noone was.

Another quick commercial break and back to announce the loser---

STEPHANIE goes home- no surprise there really.

Idol update -vote who should leave !!!

Okay, this site gives folks the opportunity to vote for who you would send home. I recommend that you take a look at it. The results seem to be sealing the fate of everyone except Sanjaya who has managed to beat the curve each and every week.

The good news for Sanjaya is that his numbers have improved by almost 20%
Anyone else who tracks more than 5% is really in trouble. That puts Phil, Stephanie and Gina in real trouble also.

My pick would still be Gina to leave but, as I said last night, Phil is in real trouble. No one (other than Sanjaya) has survived a score so low.

I want to say a word about Blake's clothes- What the Hell?- He looks like a homeless guy trying to stay warm and look sexy at the same time. Perhaps, since he likes mugging for the camera and being a Timberlake wanna-be he should try a version of "I'm Bringin' Homeless Back."
The 'layered' look is one thing, but the dude was wearing a pink polo with a white v neck sweater under a brown corduroy sport coat with elbow patches. All of that to top off the ugliest pair of brown plaid pants I have ever seen.

If anyone is too attached to Stephanie, Gina, Phil or Sanjaya tonight might be a hard show to watch.

American Idol Shines

This was a fun night and a good example of what this show can be about. For the most part every performer did very well. The bottom three, based solely on the comments of the judges were, Stephanie and Gina with basically all negative comments, and a huge pack of guys with mixed reviews- Probably Sanjaya but he was stronger than he has been, but Chris Sligh and Phil both were not great. I think Phil is still in trouble.

My bottom three would be Chris Sligh, Gina and Sanjaya. I would send Gina packing this week. I was repulsed by her performance.

Bottom Three!!!

Brandon is no surprise. Phil is a bit surprising but not terribly so. Sanjaya or Haley will be the third- They are both so deserving. Who will it be?

Diana Ross showed the Final 12 what she meant when she told them all to sing with ENERGY !!!

And it is... Sanjaya !!! Phil is safe- good. And going home is... Brandon. Too Bad for him, but I can't say he didn't deserve it.

What must Sanjaya do to get voted off- perhaps club Ryan Seacrest with a lead pipe?

Vote for the one to send home says...

Who's your pick to go home next on 'American Idol'? * 35288 responses
Melinda Doolittle 0.6%
Stephanie Edwards 0.8%
Gina Glocksen 0.6%
LaKisha Jones 0.5%
Blake Lewis 0.6%
Sanjaya Malakar 78%
Chris Richardson 0.7%
Brandon Rogers 11%
Haley Scarnato 5.4%
Chris Sligh 0.9%
Jordin Sparks 0.3%
Phil Stacey 1.%

One would think this is bad news for Sanjaya. I beg to differ. For the past three weeks Sanjaya has been at 80% on this poll each week yet he manages to survive. No one has else has survived a rating as high as 11% (Sundance got booted with 5.9% last week). Add to that that Brandon forgot his words and Sanjaya, as bad as he was, was actually better than the week before and I think it looks very bad indeed for Brandon. The other one that would appear vulnerable is Haley, who I wanted to see go after last week. She also forgot her words. We shall soon see.

Diana Ross Night on Idol was Boring!!!

Bottom three is tough to call- I will go with Sanjaya, Stephanie and Brandon. But actually, it is anyone's guess at this point. There was more bad than good about tonight's show. If Lakisha, Melinda, Blake or Chris R goes home it would be a mistake. All the others were forgetable.

Okay this is fun!!!

The people at this link are having some fun with American Idol. They haven't been too successful but they are worth a weekly read. Their target as things move forward is Sanjaya. Check it out.

I received some flack from someone who thinks I was wrong to pick Sanjaya over Sundance. I don't think I did that.

I said I thought both should go home based on their performances. I also said that If one had to stay that I could live another week with Sanjaya. The difference is that, while both are so clearly out of their league, Sanjaya knows he is out of his league. If you were paying attention when he was told he would return next week he was absolutely mortified.

So what advice would I give this poor kid. HAVE FUN because it won't last. Choose songs that exploit the teenie bopper image- boy band stuff, teen idol songs, etc. Will from last season (the Bobby Brady guy) would have lasted at least another week if he would have catered to his audience. He could sing "Ben", the theme from the rat movie, or anything Donny Osmond. He could sing that annoying Christopher Cross song "Sailing" that was a minor hit for 'NSYNC.
In reality, his next performance will likely be his last so he should kick it up and do something that is completely fun for him.

Over a foot of snow...

it was over my head. I leaped outside like I always do and was completely buried in it.

The only upside to this is that the piles that have been lingering all winter are out of sight again.

Or think of it this way: How would you feel if your went into your bathroom in the morning and it was full of snow?

That's what I thought.

Excellent, 45 degrees today.

We went for a walk on the leash. It was fantastic. The snow is finally melting and all kinds of wonderful smells are being exposed. I could sit outside all day if my human would let me.

Music Shuffle-

“Don’t Beat Me Down.” by Gordon Lightfoot
“Whispered Words” by Peter Paul and Mary
“Tequila Sunrise” by The Eagles
“At The End of The Day” by Les Mis London Cast
“We Will Rock You” By Queen
“Those Shoes” by The Eagles
“Shiny Happy People” by REM
“Forever In Blue Jeans” by Neil Diamond
“You’re My Best Friend” by Queen
“Human Touch” by Bruce Springsteen

Is this cold weather enough to make you just Poop?

I can hardly stand it. I get awaken from a warm slumber and tossed out on a porch in negative temperatures. Yuck! Think about it the next time you catch yourself thinking that the toilet seat is too cold.

Wanted- Dead or alive for Home stealing!!!

This is a beagle- Boone. For the past 18 months or so this one has been slowly taking over my home. Notice how fat he is- double chin on a dog!!! He steals my food, sits in my human's lap. Howls at the mailman- how rude!

Beagles are evil animals and I don't recommend them. Tell your humans about these creatures that like to dig in the trash and eat the most disgusting things.

I am stealing this page from Jonathan

Other contributors are welcome but I am banning Jonathan from issuing new posts on "My Page." Fortunately he has excellent music tastes.

I don't usually watch football but a 92 yard run for a Touchdown...

for a first play of the game is a fun way to start a game. Isn't it? 7 points in 15 seconds has got to be some sort of record. were these commercials lame this year or what?

okay, I've been watching for 25 minutes

and have not seen any commercial worth 2.6 million dollars- just a whole lot of plugs for CBS programming. more later

Okay, so you are a groundhog today.

Do you see your shadow?

Another Dear Jon Letter,

Dear Jon,
Today, we sadly find ourselves at the very point in Iraq I feared most when I opposed giving the President the open-ended authority to wage this war in 2002 – an occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences in the midst of a country torn by civil war.
We have waited and we have been patient. We have given chance after chance for a resolution that has not come, and, more importantly, watched with horror and grief the tragic loss of thousands of brave young Americans.
The time for waiting in Iraq is over. The days of our open-ended commitment must come to a close. And the need to bring this war to an end is here.
That is why today, I’m introducing the Iraq War De-escalation Act of 2007. This plan would not only place a cap on the number of troops in Iraq and stop the escalation, it would begin a phased redeployment of U.S. forces with the goal of removing of all U.S. combat forces from Iraq by March 31st, 2008 – consistent with the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group that the President ignored.
The redeployment of troops to the United States , Afghanistan , and elsewhere in the region would begin no later than May 1st of this year, toward the end of the timeframe I first proposed in a speech more than two months ago. In a civil war where no military solution exists, this redeployment remains our best leverage to pressure the Iraqi government to achieve the political settlement between its warring factions that can slow the bloodshed and promote stability.
The U.S. military has performed valiantly and brilliantly in Iraq . Our troops have done all we have asked them to do and more. But no amount of American soldiers can solve the political differences at the heart of somebody else’s civil war, nor settle the grievances in the hearts of the combatants.
When it comes to the war in Iraq, the time for promises and assurances, for waiting and patience, is over. Too many lives have been lost and too many billions have been spent for us to trust the President on another tried and failed policy opposed by generals and experts, Democrats and Republicans, Americans and even the Iraqis themselves.
It is time to change our policy.
It is time to give Iraqis their country back.
And it is time to refocus America ’s efforts on the challenges we face at home and the wider struggle against terror yet to be won.
Sincerely, U.S. Senator Barack Obama

Was Hillary's "Joke" going too far or are the media making something out of nothing?
(see linked story on page one if you are not familiar)

Sound off on your 'favorite' part of the State of the Union Address!!!

Welcome to Page Too!!!

This page is a free space for amyone who wants to comment on any topic. Give me an email address and I will 'invite' you as a co-author to this page. Let's have some fun!!!