Shameless

Blake had to sing the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" with Jordin. The opening line? "She's just 17." BARF.

Jordin's AI6. Both get new Mustangs from a desperate Ford. Bette Midler was out of tune. Sanjaya got a solo performance. From what I read, and other's comments, I can safely ignore the finale and find something else to occupy those two hours. Yay me.

So what's going to happen on "Shear Genius" tonight? Will Anthony win? Boogie? Neither? Will Tabitha be the "fan favorite"?

Can I care less about tonight's TV shows?

Maybe I'll sleep or have a game of chess with kitty.

In case you wondered, here's the lyric to the song of the damned, I mean the American Idol winner. Just how lucky is Blake?

This Is My Now

There was a time I packed my dreams away
Living in a shell, hiding from myself

There was a time when I was so afraid
Thought I’d reached the end
Baby that was then
I am made of more than my yesterday’s

[Chorus]
This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment
But I look around
I can’t believe the love I see
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubts
That was then, this is my now.

And I have the courage like never before, yeah
I’ve settled for less now I’m ready for more
Ready for more

[Chorus x2]

Odd Stories, Finales, and Idol Pre-Game

Monday night was "Heroes" finale. It was good. I wasn't blown away (Oh! A shameless pun!) but it was good. They took a few too many liberties with who lives and who (maybe?) dies and the group confrontation with Sylar was very pedestrian. Still, it was worth a look and set up a very entertaining premise for next year.

I stayed around and watched the season finale of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" which had everyone except the intolerable D'Onofrio appearing. It focused primarily on Logan. This was the best finale I've seen this year. Unexpectedly the franchise finally referenced the passing of Jerry Orbach who played Logan's ex-partner "Lenny Briscoe." It was touching, not remotely out of place and just the perfect tribute.

The local news was depressing. A 15 yr old girl gets to bury her last brother. Her oldest brother died two-and-a-half years ago. He was beaten to death in the street at the age of 20. There was never a conviction. Her 18 yr old brother was just stabbed to death in the street after a party.

Beyonce may be headed to Broadway. I want to claw my eyes out. She may be taking the role of Maggie-the-Cat in Tennessee William's "Cat on the Hot Tin Roof." It's my favorite modern play. If you care, Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is my other favorite play.

The finale of "Dancing With The Stars" is on Tuesday as well. Joey Fatone was in second place on the leader board behind Olympian Anton Ono. Lance Bass and Joey will not be doing the "Odd Couple" comedy series remake after all. Sure, he's made some appearances, but I'm not sure any of Lance's projects have come to fruition since 2000.

DNA shows one child, two dads match. They're identical twin brothers who both had sex with the child's baby mamma. The one she named on the birth certificate sued to avoid child support. The courts have decided he's on the hook anyway, essentially trusting the mother's testimony that she can narrow down the moment of conception. Truthfully, I agree with Dr. Bob Gaensslen a forensic scientist quoted in the article. He said both men played so they should both pay. Since neither can prove the other is the uncle in true fact, it should be a 50/50 split. They're a pair of morons and she's no saint.

---

Tonight is the Idol final performances. Both are singing a song from the song-writing competition but also get to choose two others.

Blake has picked "You Give Love A Bad Name" which was exactly the right choice for him. I know some fans wanted "Time of the Season" instead but his Bon Jovi week performance was the one that rose above the pack and was a water cooler moment. He held nothing back. His new song is "She Will Be Loved" from Maroon 5, probably a good choice for him.

Jordin will torment me with "Broken Wing"--a song beaten to beath. As her final "new" songs Jordin picked "Fighter" by Aguilera. It's a song I don't know that well. Yet.

I've been listening to different studio recordings of Idol contestants and Jordin's vocals are just boring. There's no emotional content. Her age may be the cause but I can't let her off since knowing she's got touring and other experiences. Besides, season 3 finalist Diana DeGarmo was 16. I really like Lakisha's tone and Melinda is fabulous in the studio. Either of those ladies should be in Jordin's place.



I still suspect Jordin will win the title. TV Guide's cover has her in the middle done up in a very Diana Ross look flanked by Melinda who looks about to be nudged off the cover and Blake, unnecessarily partially covered by the magazine's logo, looking like the conniving manager. Notice the "Crazy! Sexy! Cool!" caption? Well, inside its Blake who gets the "Sexy" label, while Melinda is still "Cool."

TV and Emotions

ZabaSearch uses sampling to predict Idol results. It shows the same conclusion as DialIdol: Blake and Jordin safe. Melinda and LaKisha on the bubble. Both sites think LaKisha got the lowest vote totals.

We'll see what happens.

"The Hollywood Reporter" says "Veronica Mars" is "closer" to coming back after a favorable viewing of a proposal trailer for a season 4 which jumps ahead a few years and has the title character with the FBI. Would it stay in the fictional Neptune, CA? Would any of the supporting characters besides daddy Keith Mars be likely to return to the show?

---

I had a dream last night. I remember commented the kids playroom should have an extra window installed on the north wall. Father opted not to do a window there because he planned to put in a fireplace or something. In the dream Brother agreed and whined about cost. Kitty and a spider were hanging out in the northwest corner. Mother was in the kitchen. We were going somewhere and I hadn't slept much. She chastised me for not sleeping more and I said it wasn't as if anyone could tell the difference between me as fully rested and sleep deprived. For unknown reasons I decided to put on two pair of white underwear, boxers over briefs in the dream.

I think Duckie's conspiring with kitty to give me opaque and pedestrian dreams. Kitty is not spiteful enough to act alone. :D

I could use a nap. Or breakfast. One of those two will happen (the nap). Kitty is meowing oddly. I will investigate. OK, I'm not sure what that was about. She's napped all day on my bed. It's another hot day. So much for the break in the weather. I so love local forecasters. Mail was only a solicitation for canned goods from the post office. I made pasta and am finishing off my cranberry juice.

Three hours until Idol's result is official. Today my brain keeps swapping the name Clay in for Blake when I'm talking to Self or kitty about the show. I'm probably fighting with myself over embracing any significant level of emotional investment in Idol. Back with season 3, Mother and I voted heavily for Clay. After his controversial loss, we barely voted the following two seasons. Neither really care who won. Maybe my interest in Blake's Idol success is a good and healthy thing. Maybe it suggests a kind of emotional healing. Ugh. Makes me ill to think I might start to care again. I'm such a sucker. Ok, time for me to be avoidant.

The pasta isn't too bad. I'll have to buy more.

I put the ceiling fan on in this room.

Tuesday TV Wrap-Up

I might be done with "The Shield" now that Vick has confronted Shane about Lem's murder. "House" seemed to have an off night. Nothing can match Idol though.

It was "Barry Gibb" (of the "Bee Gees") night. Two songs each for a total of eight performances.

Simon told Lakisha she and Blake are at risk for elimination. Jordin (OMG SHE'S SEVENTEEN!!!) was not that impressive. One day she might be but she just isn't there now and I was again sorry she is being pushed into the finals. Some time back, Simon predicted Melinda vs. Jordin (17!). That's a terrible outcome. Even after all these weeks Melinda hasn't embraced "stardom" and tonight Simon said her first performance was like that of a background singer.

LaKisha really had a good range and is a little better grip on herself but has problems with consistency. By the time she hit the last note on her second song her voice was worn out.

I will assume Blake will be sent home on Wednesday and I can ignore Idol next week. Why? He's a guy, he's from the Pacific Northwest and there's no way he can compete in a shouting match with the Three Divas. His performances were not his best work which was a let down. Maybe he set the bar a little too high for himself with last week's performance.



Hoping for a break after a hot day, it was a dreary night of TV. Bah humbug.

Edit: DialIdol.com, the site which measures busy signal frequency to predict Idol results has Blake at the top followed by Jordin (predicting both to be safe) with Melinda and LaKisha on the bubble for tomorrow night. Fascinating.

Why Blake (and Jordin?) Can't Win

Idol's long been dominated by Southern contestants but just how far does that reach?

To my surprise four of five winners are from the South. Kelly Clarkson is from Texas which isn't really the proper South. Sure it's on the southern border with Mexico but it's Texas.

Of the runners-up, only Katherine McPhee was from outside the South. She was from Los Angeles.

Looking at the final four this season, Blake is from The Great Northwest, specifically Washington state. Jordin comes Arizona in the Southwest. Suddenly trends look bad for these two.

Melinda and LaKisha are our Southern contestants. The former from Tennessee and the later from Maryland.

Blessedly Burmingham, Alabama, isn't represented this season. They already can claim winners Hicks and Studdard, along with runners-up Digarmo and Bice. Digarmo was living in Georgia when she was on Idol but was born in Burmingham. Four of ten finalists is a huge number for one city for what purports to be a national contest.

So why is this so? One theory at Forbes.com is text voting.

Some observers also wonder if (Idol) partnering exclusively with (AT&T) Cingular has influenced the show's results. According to NPD Group, 44% of Cingular subscribers are in the South. All five former Idol winners hail from below the Mason-Dixon line.

Oddly enough, if you extend the Mason-Dixon line across to the Pacific, Jordin comes back in. With L.A. falling below that imaginary line too, McPhee makes it a clean sweep for all 10 finalists. Makes you wonder about the "American" part of American Idol, doesn't it.

TV Zzz

I was a TV whore tonight. Lots of flipping tells me interest just wasn't there. Bits of SVU, CI, Idol, House, Shield, Dancing with the Stars...

I listened to the Idol performances online. Wow was it dreary. I tuned in anyway.

Covering a Clapton song, Chris sounded out of tune to me but he got ample praise while Blake was criticized although praised for sincerity on "Imagine." Blake had a voice 'squeak' on the first falsetto point but he looked great and sounded sincere in a way he didn't on "Love Song" or even "Somewhere Only We Know." I thought it well done although I thought him seated on a high chair next to the piano looked odd.

That said, I think Blake is at great risk for elimination. I'm not sure what was more dreary tonight, the songs or the Secrest-as-poverty pimp. LaKisha got dissed for yelling on Fantasia's first single "Believe." The show was pre-taped on Monday.

At this point I've lost interested in who wins Idol. When Blake leaves, so will I, and even he's not doing a lot to excite me.

House was even more dreary with the patient actually dying because of a simple infection because of a misdiagnosis. I guess it reminded me of Mother on some level.

The Shield did nothing for me tonight. I'm hoping Vick is killed in the line of duty. Next week it looks like Shane admits to what he did but who is he telling?

I got my meds called in. They still have my old phone number on file so I had to call more than once to deal with the automated system. My headache is getting fierce. I don't know if it's a lack of calories or eye strain. Aussies had a holiday today. Duckie refused to admit he misses work. :D

No Surprises On Idol

The result isn't a surprise. Gina had a bad week and wasn't going to win.

Phil's problem isn't his voice but his look. If he looked like Chris or Blake he'd make Top 4. It's a shame. Simon was right that Phil's performance seems dark in tone. That's something he could work on performance-wise but he might be too late in the competition to change perception.

Two weeks in a row Blake's bored me. I know Bennett told him to slow the tempo down on the song but I think that was bad advice for Blake. I've always kind of figured he might peak at Top 4 but now I'm not sure he'll hold on. He's good on stage, a top 3 performer, but his voice just isn't pulling it off enough. Fortunately, he is pretty good at song choice but he'll ultimately be at the mercy of the theme. I'm not seeing much of Blake's own charm. I thought the judges were wrong about Diana Ross week, adding the beat to the song was just what Blake can do well.

I'm disappointed in the "top 3." Another set of "Divas" like season 3? Melinda is the most polished but the first part of the song was boring. She coasted a bit this week. Lakisha is OK, not on Melinda's level, but not so consistent.

For the first time I recognized how Jordin is a big threat and I'm glad. I'd rather see her in the finals than either of the other pair. There's a bit of natural charisma the others are lacking. Melinda usually makes up for it in experience as a performer. On Melinda I have to say her humility shtick (genuine or not) is tiresome.

Sanjaya is this season's "around too long" contestant like the "goat girl" in season 2, "miss constipation" in season 3, "the red head" in season 4, and so on. The over-focus on him is harming Blake and maybe some of the others who would benefit from genuine buzz.

Chris's voice is often irritating. Some of the gymnastics he attempts aren't well suited to his skills. He doesn't seem self-possessed on stage as much as putting on a performance. I keep seeing Timberlake when I see and hear him and I have an ongoing revulsion to "Mistuh" JT.

I think Jordin could win it.