Warning...spoilers ahead for last night's Justified.
And also, last night's New Girl, and Glee, if you care. And maybe Monday Night's Alcatrazzzzzzz.
Sweet fancy Moses, it was good to be back in Harlan, KY. Some stray observations on last night's triumphant return of Justified:
- I am still going to miss Mags terribly, but I think I'm really going to enjoy the new villains that are filling her sizable void. Neal McDonough plays icy cool extremely well, and he was ice COLD in this episode. I'm always a big fan of the soft-spoken, matter of fact, pragmatic/psychopathic bad guy, and that looks to be what they are going for here.
Plus , I can pretend that he is the same guy who had to leave the San Diego area because a certain low-rent PI and his partner put a stop to his underhanded real estate deal (RIP, Terriers).
And the Ice Pick guy...wow. Extremely charismatic performance, and gave the line of the night (which happens to be the title of this post). I sincerely hope that he's not dead, and I don't think he is...that shot seemed to hit shoulder, right?
Hopefully, we will also get a lot of Jere Burns this season as well, as I really enjoy the chemistry between him and Olyphant.
- A random thing I love about this show...the gunshots are LOUD. Television guns are rarely as loud as real-life guns are, but the ones on this show make your ears ring.
- You know how sometimes you get two characters who just make you sit up and really take notice every time they have a scene together (think Ben Linus and John Locke, as a good example)? Well, as usual, the screen just crackles every time Boyd and Raylan are on it together. Olyphant and Goggins are at the top of their game.
- Just like my entire Twitter feed, I was counting the seconds from the time the attractive secretary showed up until her inevitable demise. She should have been wearing a red shirt.
- So are you Team Winona or Team Ava? I have to admit a pre-existing affection for Natalie Zea, from her work on Dirty Sexy Money, but um....Ava looked REALLY good in those boots.
And a nice callback to her fried chicken expertise (referring to the events surrounding the death of her husband), right before she brained Devil with a frying pan, which was of course fantastic.
So...I'm torn, I guess. Team Winava?
- I'm a moron, I guess, but I didn't pick up on the fact that Boyd got himself arrested on purpose in order to get at Dickey until I read it in a review this morning.
- Really not too many hints as to what the overarching plot is going to be this season, unless I just missed it. Instead, this was just the show's way of re-immersing us into this world that they have built, and man...it felt good to be back there.
STRAIGHT GUYS, TALKIN' BOUT GLEE (COPYRIGHT TODD VANDERWERFF)
Good grief, what a convoluted mess that was. As per most episodes, there was some stuff I really liked, some stuff that was just weird/annoying/out of nowhere (or, as I call it, Just Glee Bein' Glee), and some stuff that was just unspeakably horrible.
Breakdown for last night is as follows:
Stuff I really liked: The Artie and Becky storyline (especially Becky's inner monologue being voiced by Helen Mirren...personally, mine is voiced by Ed Norton's character from Fight Club), The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, the synchronized swimming coach.
The scene between Kurt, Finn, and Rachel at Breadstix hit on one thing that Glee has done well this season, which is the whole concept that this time in their life is a very specific and finite one, and it's going to end soon, and what happens after that? That theme has actually interwoven through a lot of episodes this season, which I give them credit for...in the past, it often seemed as though the writers didn't even bother to remember what happened last week, much less make an effort to worry about THEMES.
And, as always...every time Santana was on the screen. Naya Rivera is amazingawesomesauce, I don't care if her brother DOES play for the Hillbillies.
Just Glee Bein' Glee: Finn's dad is an overdosing loser, not a war hero, apparently. Sue Sylvester will NOT just pick a personality and stick with it (seriously...why was she involved in the little "rose walk" at the proposal...doesn't she hate ALL of these people?). This school is supposedly in a perpetual budget crisis, but they not only have a fully equipped Olympic regulation swimming pool, but....a synchronized swimming team?
Oh yeah...and Coach Bieste got married. Let's just mention that in passing, since that's really all the show did.
Unspeakably Horrible Stuff: Well, this week that was pretty much anything that had to do with one Will Schuester.
How was Will a creepy, horrible douchenozzle? Oh, let us count the ways...
- He apparently no longer has any friends that aren't teenagers. He comes to them for advice, help on coming up with a proposal, really anything. OH, and even worse...his proposal is actually for their "assignment" for the week. Extremely professional.
- To continue that theme...he asks his 18 year old student to be his Best Man, and puts him in charge of keeping him under control at his bachelor party (which I'm sure we will get to see at some point, and which I'm double sure will include only underage participants). Dude...that is CREEPY.
- His apparent best friend confides in him that he is thinking about joining the Army after high school (a noble notion, by the way). So...Will immediately runs and tattles to Finn's parents, and joined with them to stage an Intervention, because God forbid we let that happen since Finn has SO MANY other more respectable options. (That whole thing ticked me off, incidentally...you would think that he had decided to join a kitten strangling gang).
- Emma's Ginger Supremacist parents tell him that Emma is too coo-coo for cocoa puffs for him to actually think about MARRYING her....and not only does he AGREE with them, he TELLS EMMA THAT SHE IS TOO CRAZY FOR HIM TO MARRY. Jayma Mays actually does a fantastic job in taking what could be this cartoon character and turning her into an actual human being with actual damage, which made the whole thing even worse. How are we supposed to think that Will is anything but a fantastically horrible person? Why should I root for these people to get together? He actually ABUSES her emotionally in one scene, and then because he dresses up in a ridiculous white tuxedo and swims through a bunch of synchronized swimming prodigies (seriously...when did they PRACTICE?), I'm supposed to be happy that she accepts his proposal?
GAH....Will really pisses me off.
And the really sad part about is that when the show started, he was the character I related to the most. I was in a very active and well-recognized (locally) show choir when I was in high school, and I could relate to this guy's story of looking back on those years as some of the best of his life and trying to recapture that feeling somehow. But now...now he's just a creepy, pathetic, whiny, cruel, self absorbed person. Who, apparently, we are supposed to be rooting for.
Take Will out, and that's a B+ episode...but then it's only about 20 minutes long. That's about right, I think.
OTHER STUFF I WATCHED LAST NIGHT:
New Girl - Lizzy Caplan! Matt Besser! Rachael Harris! An episode focused on Schmidt, including the triumphant return of the Douchebag Jar! What else could you ask for? It's like they made an episode just for me!
Alcatrazzzzzz - Yeah, I'm going to keep making that joke. This....was....boring. I'm going to give it a few more weeks, because of the folks involved (a lot of the LOST team, including Hurley) and also because my Monday nights aren't as full of shows to DVR as some other nights. But if it's just CSI: Alcatraz, I'm going to be out pretty quickly.
WHAT TO WATCH TONIGHT:
Well, Idol is back, so there's that. I'm usually super stoked at this point, but this year I'm debating whether I'm even going to bother watching the audition episodes. Are any of you who have been around the blog for a while still interested in me doing recaps once the performance episodes start back up?
Also, the ABC comedy block: Suburgatory, Modern Family, Happy Endings. (that's chronological...in my personal priority order, it's Happy Endings, Suburgatory, Modern Family)
Showing posts with label Idol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Idol. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Links, thoughts on Game of Thrones and The Killing, and why I watch Reality TV..
Lots to get to, so let's get to it...
- I'm aware that some of you actually like to read blogs that update more than once or twice a month like I do, so if you like pop culture, great writing, and (specifically) great writing ABOUT pop culture, here are some of the places that I go to every single day. These are the blogs that this blog wants to be one day when it grows up:
Cultural Learnings: Written by Myles McNutt, this is a place to find really intelligent, well-thought out musings on mostly TV, but also books, movies, and the general zeitgeist. Myles not only writes recaps of several shows, but he also has a lot to say about the business of television and the nature of television criticism.
The NPR Monkey See Blog: Maintained and edited by one of my very favorite online writers, Linda Holmes, formerly of Television Without Pity. Linda can write extremely thoughtful essays (like this one about some concerns voiced about the reading habits of young adults) or more lighthearted stuff (like this piece that examines the abundance of bodily function humor in the trailer for the new Jim Carrey movie). Either way, she is fantastic, as are most of the other writers on the site. Linda is also the host of one of my must-listen podcasts, the Pop Culture Happy Hour.
The A.V. Club: This is my daily stop for recaps/reviews of almost every show I watch, but you can also find reviews and news items on movies, music, and books. They also do fantastic special features (one of my favorites they have done is the Whatever Happened to Alternative Nation series), and their Great Job, Internet! section is the place to find cool stuff on the interwebs, the latest memes, etc. It's not always safe for work or family viewing, but it's always informative and entertaining. (Speaking of informative, entertaining, and not safe for work or family, if you are a fan of Community (and if you are not, I'm not sure we can be friends), be sure to check out the four part interview Todd VanDerWerff is posting with showrunner Dan Harmon. A fascinating look into the writing process).
EW.Com: If you are just looking for the latest entertainment news, you can't go wrong with the Entertainment Weekly website.
And, of course, for recaps/reviews/opinion, you can't beat Alan Sepinwall's What's Alan Watching blog, or the Tuned In blog at Time.com run by James Poniewozik.
Feel free to let me know what your "can't miss" sites are, whether they are pop culture, Dawg talk (most of my daily visits for Dawg news/opinion are in the list to the right), or whatever. Also...how many of you listen to podcasts? I have a list of those, too, but I wasn't sure how many of you listen to them. For someone like me who spends two and a half hours commuting every day, they are a necessity.
- While I am linking...we are now 88 days from kickoff (Happy Arthur Lynch Day)! Bubba 'n Earl always do the best job of putting together a countdown, and this year I think they have been outdoing themselves. Rather than just a player/moment countdown, they are posting a new post every day exploring different aspects of Bulldog history, the upcoming season, members of the team or coaching staff, etc...just really good stuff.
- I mentioned a while back when I was listing my favorite current comedies/dramas that I had a similar list of reality shows, and I was almost embarrassed by it. It got me thinking about why I watch the reality shows that I do watch, and I figured out that I only watch the ones that have a very specific draw for me. I don't watch any of the fame whore shows....Bachelor/Bachelorette, Jersey Shore, any thing with "of Love" or "Housewives" in the title. I don't watch any sort of "Celebrity" or "with the STARS" show.
Here is my list, broken down:
American Idol/So You Think You Can Dance: These two are by far my top ones, and I think it has everything to do with my background. I grew up a performing arts kid, so I really relate to the specific dreams that these contestants have, and I love getting to watch those dreams come true on my television set. I love the idea of these people being plucked out of obscurity and becoming superstars, even if only temporarily, based (mostly) on pure talent. The best example of this was Chris Daughtry. He was a stock boy at Best Buy, having given up on his dream of stardom in order to provide for his wife and her children, and then BAM...he's a multi-platinum selling artist, all because he decided to audition for Idol. Call me a softie if you want to, but I love those stories.
I also am a fan of excellence, in really any form, and that is the another main thing that draws me to So You Think You Can Dance. Even moreso than Idol, these people have worked YEARS and put literal blood, sweat, and tears into becoming EXCELLENT at what they do, and I appreciate excellence.
Which leads me to...
Top Chef: I am in no way a foodie. Most of the stuff prepared on this show will probably never appear on my plate. But the contestants are all obviously talented, they have worked for years on their craft, and best of all, they take being the best SERIOUSLY.
Deadliest Catch: I watch this show for pretty much one reason...awe. Well, that, and to be reminded how easy I have it in case I ever want to start complaining about my job. That aforementioned two and a half hour commute? Nothing, compared to 13 hour shifts in sub zero temperatures pulling thousand pound crab pots onto a boat being tossed by a Bering Sea storm. This show fascinates me.
Survivor/Amazing Race: I watch both of these shows, mainly because there are several bloggers/recappers on the web whose work I enjoy that recap this show. I watch the shows so that I can enjoy the recaps...that's pretty much it.
Those are the ones I watch regularly, but the other one that ropes me in every time I see it on television is Hoarders. I am fascinated by the psychological aspect of the show...and, also, it makes me feel better about myself.
- Two shows that have been occupying my Sunday DVR slots will be ending soon...one of them building to a fantastic finish, the other one I'm only watching out of obligation at this point.
The former of those two is Game of Thrones. As a HUGE fan of the books that the series will be based on, I was both excited and mildly terrified to see how the series was going to turn out. For the most part I have not been disappointed, although I think I might be enjoying the show even more if I weren't so familiar with the source material. I can't stop myself from comparing what's on the screen to what was in the book, which means I am basically comparing it to images I have in my head. No film adaptation of a book is ever going to match up to our own imagination, and no adaptation will ever be able to go into the amount of detail and backstory that George R.R. Martin pours into virtually every page of his writing. One of my favorite aspects of the books is the rich and complete world that Martin has created, complete with its own customs, history, etc., and there is just not enough time on a television show to depict a universe that dense.
Having said all of that...this show is AWESOME. The first three or four episodes were very exposition-filled, and a little too much "tell-don't-show" for me, but now that the story has kicked into high gear it's been a fantastic ride.
To me, the show isn't quite to the pantheon level of my All Time Great TV list (which includes The Wire, Deadwood, LOST, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Sopranos), for a couple of reasons. Number one, the writing just isn't up to that level...it's good, but not great, and it can be pretty dry and humorless at times. Just about every show in that list dealt with some really dark or heavy material, but they found a way to inject humor, often when you least expect it. We're getting some of that here, mostly from Tyrion or Littlefinger...but it's still pretty dry.
The other issue is the larger one, in my opinion...the story that these books tell is brilliantly plotted and complex, and the show is doing the best it can to tell it effectively. For the most part, it succeeds...it's telling a great story. But the problem has been that there is so much plot that it leaves little time for any sort of character development. What makes a show truly special, rather than just great, is not just what happens...it's that you care about the characters that the story is happening to. Game of Thrones isn't quite there yet, in my opinion.
And if you are watching the show and haven't read the books, I'm not going to spoil anything...but buckle your seatbelts. The ride only gets bumpier from here.
As for the other show wrapping up its Sunday night run....well, let's talk about The Killing. This is a show that, for me, started with a lot of promise, but just hasn't lived up to that promise. To me, the show got into a very annoying cycle of "Oh, he's the killer!.....wait, no he's not....oh, it's DEFINITELY her...oh, never mind", to the point where I feel like we are just spinning our wheels waiting to get to the end. I mean, it can't be good that this past week's episode, which barely even touched the Rosie Larsen case AT ALL, was probably my favorite one of the season.
Like most AMC shows, The Killing keeps to its own pace, and that pace....is....slow. But I don't mind that, when it's done well (Mad Men, for example). But this feels like about five episodes of story stretched out over a twelve episode season. We spent at least four episodes examining Bennet Ahmed, and that turned out to be....nothing whatsoever.
It's still pretty well acted, and I have stuck around for the first ten episodes, so I might as well hang on until the end to see the resolution. But I am not that excited about it, and if it doesn't get a second season I won't be disappointed.
- OK, wrapping this thing up now. But let me throw one more plug at you before I go. Starting next Saturday night, BBC America is re-running the entire series of Battlestar Galactica. Even if you aren't normally a fan of sci-fi TV, you owe it to yourself to watch if you want to see one of the greatest shows produced in the last decade. Don't let anything you have heard about the ending scare you away...trust me, it's worth it.
- I'm aware that some of you actually like to read blogs that update more than once or twice a month like I do, so if you like pop culture, great writing, and (specifically) great writing ABOUT pop culture, here are some of the places that I go to every single day. These are the blogs that this blog wants to be one day when it grows up:
Cultural Learnings: Written by Myles McNutt, this is a place to find really intelligent, well-thought out musings on mostly TV, but also books, movies, and the general zeitgeist. Myles not only writes recaps of several shows, but he also has a lot to say about the business of television and the nature of television criticism.
The NPR Monkey See Blog: Maintained and edited by one of my very favorite online writers, Linda Holmes, formerly of Television Without Pity. Linda can write extremely thoughtful essays (like this one about some concerns voiced about the reading habits of young adults) or more lighthearted stuff (like this piece that examines the abundance of bodily function humor in the trailer for the new Jim Carrey movie). Either way, she is fantastic, as are most of the other writers on the site. Linda is also the host of one of my must-listen podcasts, the Pop Culture Happy Hour.
The A.V. Club: This is my daily stop for recaps/reviews of almost every show I watch, but you can also find reviews and news items on movies, music, and books. They also do fantastic special features (one of my favorites they have done is the Whatever Happened to Alternative Nation series), and their Great Job, Internet! section is the place to find cool stuff on the interwebs, the latest memes, etc. It's not always safe for work or family viewing, but it's always informative and entertaining. (Speaking of informative, entertaining, and not safe for work or family, if you are a fan of Community (and if you are not, I'm not sure we can be friends), be sure to check out the four part interview Todd VanDerWerff is posting with showrunner Dan Harmon. A fascinating look into the writing process).
EW.Com: If you are just looking for the latest entertainment news, you can't go wrong with the Entertainment Weekly website.
And, of course, for recaps/reviews/opinion, you can't beat Alan Sepinwall's What's Alan Watching blog, or the Tuned In blog at Time.com run by James Poniewozik.
Feel free to let me know what your "can't miss" sites are, whether they are pop culture, Dawg talk (most of my daily visits for Dawg news/opinion are in the list to the right), or whatever. Also...how many of you listen to podcasts? I have a list of those, too, but I wasn't sure how many of you listen to them. For someone like me who spends two and a half hours commuting every day, they are a necessity.
- While I am linking...we are now 88 days from kickoff (Happy Arthur Lynch Day)! Bubba 'n Earl always do the best job of putting together a countdown, and this year I think they have been outdoing themselves. Rather than just a player/moment countdown, they are posting a new post every day exploring different aspects of Bulldog history, the upcoming season, members of the team or coaching staff, etc...just really good stuff.
- I mentioned a while back when I was listing my favorite current comedies/dramas that I had a similar list of reality shows, and I was almost embarrassed by it. It got me thinking about why I watch the reality shows that I do watch, and I figured out that I only watch the ones that have a very specific draw for me. I don't watch any of the fame whore shows....Bachelor/Bachelorette, Jersey Shore, any thing with "of Love" or "Housewives" in the title. I don't watch any sort of "Celebrity" or "with the STARS" show.
Here is my list, broken down:
American Idol/So You Think You Can Dance: These two are by far my top ones, and I think it has everything to do with my background. I grew up a performing arts kid, so I really relate to the specific dreams that these contestants have, and I love getting to watch those dreams come true on my television set. I love the idea of these people being plucked out of obscurity and becoming superstars, even if only temporarily, based (mostly) on pure talent. The best example of this was Chris Daughtry. He was a stock boy at Best Buy, having given up on his dream of stardom in order to provide for his wife and her children, and then BAM...he's a multi-platinum selling artist, all because he decided to audition for Idol. Call me a softie if you want to, but I love those stories.
I also am a fan of excellence, in really any form, and that is the another main thing that draws me to So You Think You Can Dance. Even moreso than Idol, these people have worked YEARS and put literal blood, sweat, and tears into becoming EXCELLENT at what they do, and I appreciate excellence.
Which leads me to...
Top Chef: I am in no way a foodie. Most of the stuff prepared on this show will probably never appear on my plate. But the contestants are all obviously talented, they have worked for years on their craft, and best of all, they take being the best SERIOUSLY.
Deadliest Catch: I watch this show for pretty much one reason...awe. Well, that, and to be reminded how easy I have it in case I ever want to start complaining about my job. That aforementioned two and a half hour commute? Nothing, compared to 13 hour shifts in sub zero temperatures pulling thousand pound crab pots onto a boat being tossed by a Bering Sea storm. This show fascinates me.
Survivor/Amazing Race: I watch both of these shows, mainly because there are several bloggers/recappers on the web whose work I enjoy that recap this show. I watch the shows so that I can enjoy the recaps...that's pretty much it.
Those are the ones I watch regularly, but the other one that ropes me in every time I see it on television is Hoarders. I am fascinated by the psychological aspect of the show...and, also, it makes me feel better about myself.
- Two shows that have been occupying my Sunday DVR slots will be ending soon...one of them building to a fantastic finish, the other one I'm only watching out of obligation at this point.
The former of those two is Game of Thrones. As a HUGE fan of the books that the series will be based on, I was both excited and mildly terrified to see how the series was going to turn out. For the most part I have not been disappointed, although I think I might be enjoying the show even more if I weren't so familiar with the source material. I can't stop myself from comparing what's on the screen to what was in the book, which means I am basically comparing it to images I have in my head. No film adaptation of a book is ever going to match up to our own imagination, and no adaptation will ever be able to go into the amount of detail and backstory that George R.R. Martin pours into virtually every page of his writing. One of my favorite aspects of the books is the rich and complete world that Martin has created, complete with its own customs, history, etc., and there is just not enough time on a television show to depict a universe that dense.
Having said all of that...this show is AWESOME. The first three or four episodes were very exposition-filled, and a little too much "tell-don't-show" for me, but now that the story has kicked into high gear it's been a fantastic ride.
To me, the show isn't quite to the pantheon level of my All Time Great TV list (which includes The Wire, Deadwood, LOST, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Sopranos), for a couple of reasons. Number one, the writing just isn't up to that level...it's good, but not great, and it can be pretty dry and humorless at times. Just about every show in that list dealt with some really dark or heavy material, but they found a way to inject humor, often when you least expect it. We're getting some of that here, mostly from Tyrion or Littlefinger...but it's still pretty dry.
The other issue is the larger one, in my opinion...the story that these books tell is brilliantly plotted and complex, and the show is doing the best it can to tell it effectively. For the most part, it succeeds...it's telling a great story. But the problem has been that there is so much plot that it leaves little time for any sort of character development. What makes a show truly special, rather than just great, is not just what happens...it's that you care about the characters that the story is happening to. Game of Thrones isn't quite there yet, in my opinion.
And if you are watching the show and haven't read the books, I'm not going to spoil anything...but buckle your seatbelts. The ride only gets bumpier from here.
As for the other show wrapping up its Sunday night run....well, let's talk about The Killing. This is a show that, for me, started with a lot of promise, but just hasn't lived up to that promise. To me, the show got into a very annoying cycle of "Oh, he's the killer!.....wait, no he's not....oh, it's DEFINITELY her...oh, never mind", to the point where I feel like we are just spinning our wheels waiting to get to the end. I mean, it can't be good that this past week's episode, which barely even touched the Rosie Larsen case AT ALL, was probably my favorite one of the season.
Like most AMC shows, The Killing keeps to its own pace, and that pace....is....slow. But I don't mind that, when it's done well (Mad Men, for example). But this feels like about five episodes of story stretched out over a twelve episode season. We spent at least four episodes examining Bennet Ahmed, and that turned out to be....nothing whatsoever.
It's still pretty well acted, and I have stuck around for the first ten episodes, so I might as well hang on until the end to see the resolution. But I am not that excited about it, and if it doesn't get a second season I won't be disappointed.
- OK, wrapping this thing up now. But let me throw one more plug at you before I go. Starting next Saturday night, BBC America is re-running the entire series of Battlestar Galactica. Even if you aren't normally a fan of sci-fi TV, you owe it to yourself to watch if you want to see one of the greatest shows produced in the last decade. Don't let anything you have heard about the ending scare you away...trust me, it's worth it.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Random thoughts - Idol, the future of television, and more
- Sometimes I hate it when I'm right.
Some thoughts on the finale:
Beyonce is AMAZING. And J-Lo could not have been happy to have to go on after her.
Casey Abrams and James Durbin are legitimately funny.
Jack Black? Seriously? And...those girls didn't have fat bottoms.
Haley can have a nice career in the Adele/Amy Winehouse/Duffy genre. She just needs to get there fast while people are still buying it.
I miss Pia.
Speaking of which, Pia doesn't get a solo song, or even a duet, but we get a song from the Spiderman musical? And nobody was even INJURED during it? BOOOOOOOOO.
Carrie Underwood. Good grief. I'm glad I don't live anywhere near her...that girl is a restraining order just waiting to happen.
I am willing to bet that Scotty McReery's high school choral department doesn't have as hard a time getting guys to join as most high schools.
I gave myself a 45 minute fast forward buffer, thinking that would be plenty. It wasn't. Not even close.
Congrats to Scotty...he is now going to sell a whole lot of records, and I will never have to pay attention to him again.
- Cougar Town fans...it may be too late now, since the season ended last night, but you should really be following @TheLarmy on Twitter. I'm not sure if it's actually Busy Phillips updating it or not, but it is Laurie in character, and it is consistently hilarious.
- Last week's Parks and Rec season finale ended one of the most perfect sitcom seasons of all time.
- Speaking of perfect seasons...I just started watching Survivor two seasons ago. Has any player ever dominated the way that Boston Rob did this season? It was like he was using Jedi mind tricks or something.
- Guess what today is? 100 DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yep...the countdown starts in earnest now.
GO DAWGS!!
Some thoughts on the finale:
- If you are an HBO subscriber and are NOT taking advantage of HBO Go, do yourself a favor and go to hbogo.com RIGHT NOW. You have access to the ENTIRE library of HBO shows, at no extra charge. You don't even need an iPhone...I have been watching season one of Sopranos and season 3 of Deadwood on my PC. For free, except for the $10 a month for HBO that I would already be paying.
It's just another step towards the future of television. Pretty soon, it will ALL be web-based. After my post the other day, I was thinking about the logistics, and it may actually be easier than I thought...you could just pay your cable company just like you do now, since most of the cable companies are also internet providers, go to comcast.net or whatever, and then pick your channel (web page) and go watch what you want to. The only other thing to figure out is advertising, but Hulu has a pretty good model for that right now, I think. Just imbed the ads in the video, and even better (from the advertiser's perspective), don't allow fast forwarding during the ads.- Cougar Town fans...it may be too late now, since the season ended last night, but you should really be following @TheLarmy on Twitter. I'm not sure if it's actually Busy Phillips updating it or not, but it is Laurie in character, and it is consistently hilarious.
- Last week's Parks and Rec season finale ended one of the most perfect sitcom seasons of all time.
- Speaking of perfect seasons...I just started watching Survivor two seasons ago. Has any player ever dominated the way that Boston Rob did this season? It was like he was using Jedi mind tricks or something.
- Guess what today is? 100 DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yep...the countdown starts in earnest now.
GO DAWGS!!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Some REALLY quick Idol thoughts and some other randomness
I actually thought about doing one of my old school recaps for American Idol last night, just to celebrate my return to the blog...and then I saw that it was two hours long. No WAY am I watching these people for two hours, much less recapping it.
So, some very quick thoughts, bearing in mind that I watched most of Scotty and Lauren's songs on fast-forward...
- Scotty is going to win.
- Haley is going home tonight, even though she is my favorite contestant left on the show by a WIDE margin. It's not even that she's all that great, but at least she's interesting. Lauren and Scotty just go out and do the EXACT same thing every single week, and why wouldn't they? The show has removed the constraints of doing different genres every week, and the judges certainly aren't giving them any sort of constructive criticism that would encourage them to try something new.
- Kudos to Haley for popping right back up after her faceplant...I think she only missed two words.
- How badly did the judges sabotage Haley with the Judges Choice round? Scotty gets to sing a country ballad by Kenny Rogers (and the only good thing about it was that I got to answer back his line of "I'll never know just what she sees in me" with "ME AND YOU BOTH, BUDDY!" every time. ZING!!). Lauren got to sing a country ballad by LeeAnn Womack.
As for Haley...they give her a song that A) is WAY too low for her in the verses, and B) has some content that, even after some judicious editing in the first verse, includes lyrics that are going to turn off a large part of an Idol audience that has always skewed conservative. "Is she perverted like me?" "Every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back I hope you feel it".
It was just the wrong song...for her, for this show, and it especially gives her no shot of winning any votes from the apparent throngs of people who are voting for the other two.
Whatever. That was too many words to waste on this show at this point. Just know that Haley is going home tonight, and next week's finale will likely be the first one in 7 years that I haven't been in front of my television for.
- Remember my last post when I bemoaned the fact that network television has lost the ability to develop any new shows outside of reality television? The always awesome Linda Holmes at the NPR Monkey See blog expands on the point...here is the scorecard for shows that were presented at last years upfronts:
ABC: ZERO shows still on the air...every single new show was cancelled within one season.
NBC: ZERO shows still on the air...every single new show was cancelled within one season.
FOX: Exactly ONE show still on the air...one out of three.
CBS: They were the big winner, with THREE out of their five new shows still on the air.
Total: Out of 20 new shows last year, exactly FOUR are still on the air...one year later.
Yeah...they have to find a better way of running this business. This year, there are over FORTY NEW SHOWS that were presented at the network upfronts (some of them midseason, starting in January). Maybe that's the answer...just increase the pool to a massive size and you get a better chance of some sticking. The problem with that? That means there were TONS of shows cancelled to make room, and some of those may have been quality shows that just didn't get a chance to find their footing. Like Chicago Code, for instance, which celebrated its cancellation with its best and most Shawn Ryan-y episode of the season this week. Grrrr....
By the way...go read the rest of that article. As usual with anything Linda writes, it's worth your time.
- Top 5 dramas CURRENTLY AIRING, in order: Game of Thrones, Friday Night Lights, Chuck, The Killing, The Chicago Code.
This one was tougher, because so many of the best shows aren't currently airing. If I were to include ALL shows, even those not on the air, the Top 10 list might look something like:
1) Mad Men
2) Breaking Bad (this might actually be a 1a)
3) Game of Thrones
4) Fringe
5) Friday Night Lights
6) Justified
7) Boardwalk Empire
8) Chuck
9) Sons of Anarchy
10) Walking Dead
With True Blood, Glee, The Killing, and Chicago Code just missing the cut.
Man, I feel like I'm forgetting something here...do let me know in the comments if you feel I have made a grievous error, won't you?
I wasn't going to do a Top 5 reality show post because I didn't think I watched enough Reality TV to come up with one...but I'm embarassed to find that I might could actually do a Top 10. That will be coming...next time!
Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment...I love engaging in TV conversations!
So, some very quick thoughts, bearing in mind that I watched most of Scotty and Lauren's songs on fast-forward...
- Scotty is going to win.
- Haley is going home tonight, even though she is my favorite contestant left on the show by a WIDE margin. It's not even that she's all that great, but at least she's interesting. Lauren and Scotty just go out and do the EXACT same thing every single week, and why wouldn't they? The show has removed the constraints of doing different genres every week, and the judges certainly aren't giving them any sort of constructive criticism that would encourage them to try something new.
- Kudos to Haley for popping right back up after her faceplant...I think she only missed two words.
- How badly did the judges sabotage Haley with the Judges Choice round? Scotty gets to sing a country ballad by Kenny Rogers (and the only good thing about it was that I got to answer back his line of "I'll never know just what she sees in me" with "ME AND YOU BOTH, BUDDY!" every time. ZING!!). Lauren got to sing a country ballad by LeeAnn Womack.
As for Haley...they give her a song that A) is WAY too low for her in the verses, and B) has some content that, even after some judicious editing in the first verse, includes lyrics that are going to turn off a large part of an Idol audience that has always skewed conservative. "Is she perverted like me?" "Every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back I hope you feel it".
It was just the wrong song...for her, for this show, and it especially gives her no shot of winning any votes from the apparent throngs of people who are voting for the other two.
Whatever. That was too many words to waste on this show at this point. Just know that Haley is going home tonight, and next week's finale will likely be the first one in 7 years that I haven't been in front of my television for.
- Remember my last post when I bemoaned the fact that network television has lost the ability to develop any new shows outside of reality television? The always awesome Linda Holmes at the NPR Monkey See blog expands on the point...here is the scorecard for shows that were presented at last years upfronts:
ABC: ZERO shows still on the air...every single new show was cancelled within one season.
NBC: ZERO shows still on the air...every single new show was cancelled within one season.
FOX: Exactly ONE show still on the air...one out of three.
CBS: They were the big winner, with THREE out of their five new shows still on the air.
Total: Out of 20 new shows last year, exactly FOUR are still on the air...one year later.
Yeah...they have to find a better way of running this business. This year, there are over FORTY NEW SHOWS that were presented at the network upfronts (some of them midseason, starting in January). Maybe that's the answer...just increase the pool to a massive size and you get a better chance of some sticking. The problem with that? That means there were TONS of shows cancelled to make room, and some of those may have been quality shows that just didn't get a chance to find their footing. Like Chicago Code, for instance, which celebrated its cancellation with its best and most Shawn Ryan-y episode of the season this week. Grrrr....
By the way...go read the rest of that article. As usual with anything Linda writes, it's worth your time.
- Top 5 dramas CURRENTLY AIRING, in order: Game of Thrones, Friday Night Lights, Chuck, The Killing, The Chicago Code.
This one was tougher, because so many of the best shows aren't currently airing. If I were to include ALL shows, even those not on the air, the Top 10 list might look something like:
1) Mad Men
2) Breaking Bad (this might actually be a 1a)
3) Game of Thrones
4) Fringe
5) Friday Night Lights
6) Justified
7) Boardwalk Empire
8) Chuck
9) Sons of Anarchy
10) Walking Dead
With True Blood, Glee, The Killing, and Chicago Code just missing the cut.
Man, I feel like I'm forgetting something here...do let me know in the comments if you feel I have made a grievous error, won't you?
I wasn't going to do a Top 5 reality show post because I didn't think I watched enough Reality TV to come up with one...but I'm embarassed to find that I might could actually do a Top 10. That will be coming...next time!
Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment...I love engaging in TV conversations!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Don't call it a comeback...
...I've been here for YEARS!!
That's right...this is actual new material on the old Stuff of Legend blog today. The last few months have been very....well..."interesting" doesn't really seem to cover it, but I guess it will have to do. Not going to get into it, other than to say that I don't have to be nearly as careful about voicing my appreciation of my favorite television hotties anymore...no strings attached, baby!
So, I have TONS of stuff to get to, obviously. Lots of stuff happened while I was away that I started to blog about, but just couldn't work up the energy or motivation. Let's just pretend that I made my usual really cool and witty remarks about everything that has happened in the sports and pop culture worlds over the last three months or so and MOVE FORWARD.
Let's get the sports stuff out of the way first, so that my sports-only "audience" (yeah, right...as if I still have an audience at this point) can check out once we get to what is really going to be the bulk of this post...
- The Braves pitching staff has been absolutely ridiculous to this point...in a good way.
Second in the majors with a team ERA of 2.94. First in the majors in strikeouts. First in batting average against (a paltry .218). First in WHIP at 1.09.
Those are numbers that even the Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz pitching staffs would be proud of. Top to bottom, this is the best staff in baseball. Philly probably has better starters, but their bullpen can't even touch ours.
But, much like some of those '90s teams, the offense has been inconsistent, and really needs to get rolling if we want to stay in contention for the division. As good as our pitching staff is, it is unrealistic to expect the kind of dominance we are seeing right now to last all season...they will have rough patches when they need the offense to carry them.
To me, the key is three guys:
Dan Uggla: .202 avg, .664 OPS,
Jason Heyward: .219 avg, .749 OPS
Freddie Freeman: .226 avg, .678 OPS
We need to get at least two of these guys going on a consistent basis if we want the offense to stay on track. I don't worry so much about Uggla...he's a proven performer who has a long history of starting slow and then heating up as the weather does. Heyward and Freeman, however, concern me, only because they don't have a proven track record. Heyward can't seem to stay healthy, and his numbers since his hot start last year are Francoueresque. Freeman is obviously going through the majors for the first time, so we have no idea what to really expect.
And, of course, those two guys were also the SI cover boys. Coincidence? (yeah, probably)
- I loved the Falcons move to get Julio Jones. Yes, we gave up a lot. Yes, I would have rather drafted A.J. But to me, this move says that our front office thinks we are ready to win NOW. The guys we would have gotten with the picks we traded away might have been nice for the future (although it could be the case that Dimitroff et. al. saw this draft as extremely top-heavy), but when you have a window to compete for a Super Bowl, you better take advantage of it.
Two more thoughts: 1) the future picks should all be even lower than our pick this year, if the move pays off. Yes, that's an IF...this was a gamble, and all gambles have risks. 2) Who's to say we don't make other deals that get some of those future picks back?
As for A.J....I would love to have him. But I can pretty confidently guarantee that we called Cincy with the same offer we made the Browns. It takes two to make a trade.
My one qualm with the pick...Julio, as good as I think he will be (and I thought he was the second best WR in this draft, but would have been the best in the draft in most years), is still going to start next season as your #2 WR behind Roddy White. And we are paying him #6 pick money. That's a lot of money to pay your 2nd WR, no matter what the new CBA ends up doing to rookie salaries.
- The Hawks. Whatever. I knew after the offseason that we had before the year started that this organization is not aiming for anything other than an occasional appearance in the second round. Larry Drew and Joe Johnson are not the foundation on which championships are built.
We got lucky in the first round that we drew an opponent that was actually more dysfunctional than us. In the second round, it came down to the fact that Chicago has a superstar, and the Hawks only have someone who makes superstar money.
Next year, we likely lose Crawford, and we don't have money to go get a difference maker because we gave it all to Joe Johnson.
Whee.
- I guess the biggest news to come out of Dawg Nation in the last couple of months is the apparent shakeup in the backfield.
I wish Washaun Ealey well, and will always remember him for the night that he and Caleb RAN THIS STATE. But I will also remember him for wasted potential and an apparent bad attitude that was even more apparent to those who followed him on social media. I think he was given multiple chances to get his act together and chose not to...at which point, it's best for the team that he move on, no matter how much it hurts to lose your top rusher.
Now we anxiously await news on Caleb King's eligibility. Yes, I think Isaiah Crowell is a real talent, maybe a game-changing talent...but I thought the same thing about some other highly recruited guys who never panned out, as well. Plus I just don't like the idea of going into the season with two guys who have never carried the ball in an actual game as your top two tailbacks, with the number three guy being an undersized back that Coach Bobo is apparently trying to murder (stop running him up the middle!!).
As usual at this time of the year, I am really excited about the upcoming season. The defense should almost certainly improve, both because of experience in the system and some upgraded personnel along the d-line. Aaron Murray should be one of the top QBs in the SEC, as long as he gets time to throw and his receivers don't let him down.
Should be more to come as we get closer to fall practice...which is only a few (well, a dozen or so) weeks away!
OK...that concludes the sports-related portion of our programming. From here on out, it's a mishmash of pop culture stuff and other random observations, so if you aren't interested in that, no hard feelings...come on back next time (promise it won't be three months).
- This week is Upfronts Week for the networks, which is when they all announce their fall schedules, introducing their new shows and confirming the demise of others. This is also the week that my phone dies around lunchtime, due to the fact that all of the TV critics and bloggers that I follow on Twitter are all tweeting the same news at the same time. I received 25 Twitter messages just while typing that last sentence.
This is also the week when I wish I could go back and be a television writer. One that could actually get paid for the mountain of words that are about to spill out all over this page.
I am legitimately fascinated by things like network strategy...what new shows get greenlit, what gets cancelled and why, putting together a nightly primetime schedule and things like lead-ins, synergies between shows, etc. I'm a geek for several things, but this type of stuff is probably where I geek out the hardest.
I am especially intrigued to see how the networks are adjusting their strategies to deal with the brand new paradigms that they are now facing. It hasn't been too long ago that a "hit" TV show drew 20-30 million viewers a week. Now, with cable stations providing TONS more original programming, some of which is considered to be much higher quality than the typical network show, plus the rapid increase of either "timeslot shifting" (people DVR a show and then watch it whenever they want) or alternative means of watching television (OnDemand, DVD/Netflix, Hulu, etc) networks can't DREAM of hitting those types of numbers, with extremely rare exception (Super Bowl, etc). In my opinion, where this has hurt the most is in the development of new shows. Quick, tell me what the big break out network hits have been in the last two years....and by "hits" I'm talking about shows that actually draw numbers that win time slots.
GO!
OK, time's up...I came up with Glee, Dancing With the Stars, The Biggest Loser, Celebrity Apprentice, and what seems like a dozen CSI, NCIS, L&O type spinoffs. MAYBE The Mentalist? It's almost all reality show drivel or boring procedurals (all opinions in this blog are mine, obviously...if you enjoy those shows, more power to you, and congratulations...you have LOTS of choices).
Now let's look at the world of cable...for a cable channel, a "hit" doesn't necessarily mean "ratings", especially for the pay cable channels. It's all about brand prestige, reputation, and (for the pay channels) subscriptions. Mad Men. Breaking Bad. Boardwalk Empire. True Blood. Walking Dead. Justified. Dexter. I could go on, but you get my point...and that's without even mentioning shows like Sons of Anarchy, or Damages, or Weeds, or Nurse Jackie, or United States of Tara....all shows that, while they may not draw big numbers, all enhance the reputation and brand recognition of their networks.
So...what's the difference? First of all, the obvious...cable networks can get away with things content-wise that broadcast networks can't. That is a definite advantage.
But that can't be all of it. Seriously...what does Mad Men and Breaking Bad show or do that you can't get away with on network television? It's not anything that would really be missed, and it's not why the show works.
I think a big part of it is that cable networks go into it knowing that they are never going to pull the ratings that would typically be expected of a network show, which relieves some of the pressure to yank shows off the air if they aren't pulling huge numbers. True Blood is a great example...when it premiered on HBO, it got less-than -respectable ratings, and in a network environment (assuming that it was a show that had network type content), probably would have been pulled from the schedule almost immediately. Instead, it was left on the air, the buzz ramped up (even if the quality didn't), and it is now HBO's biggest hit.
I don't know what the answer is for the broadcast networks...they somehow have to find a way to sell advertising and make money, and for now their only real way of doing that is using a ridiculously antiquated Nielsen system. I foresee a future where ALL television is web based..NBC won't be a "channel", it will be a website. All of their content will be on the website, and you go and choose whatever you want to watch and it comes straight to your television. That is not something that we are years away from, at least not from a technology standpoint. We HAVE the TECHNOLOGY. What we don't have is a way of monetizing it that works for everybody...the networks, the consumer, the advertisers, the production staffs and writers, etc.
I just hope they figure it out soon...I'm tired of every new network show I start to get into being yanked off the air before it has time to find its feet, with The Chicago Code being the latest example (and Lord, Shawn Ryan deserved better after Terriers). Broadcast networks, in my opinion, have to come up with a new definition of what a "successful" show is...we can't keep using the same parameters in a completely new environment.
This isn't to say that there isn't quality programming currently on network television...but a lot of what I consider quality (Parks and Rec, Community, Chuck, Fringe, Cougar Town, etc) aren't ratings hits by any stretch of the imagination, and seem to live on the cancellation bubble, while stuff like The Voice, Biggest Loser, The Apprentice, etc. always seems to do huge numbers.
So I am very thankful that some of my favorite shows have been granted a reprieve. Looking at the numbers, it's really hard to fathom why the networks have chosen so save some, while others have gone by the wayside...but I'm glad for it anyway.
OK, I promise the rest of the bullet points will be shorter.
- Speaking of upfronts, this is the trailer from the new show that I am most excited about...believe it or not, it's from NBC (I KNOW, RIGHT?!?)
Looks pretty awesome, right? Which means that it will probably be cancelled by the time this post is actually published.
- Is there a way to tell a new girl at work that you find her REALLY attractive? I mean, without coming off like a total creep?
- Guess I should say something about American Idol. Basically, I give up. I said months ago that Scotty McReery was going to win the whole thing...based on my master thesis on American Idol Demographics (I should TOTALLY HAVE WRITTEN THAT), he has the Country Vote, the Teenybopper Vote, and the Grandmother Vote. Those are probably the three most powerful voting blocs in the American Idol Universe, so he is systematically destroying everybody in his path. I would be willing to bet that if they actually released the voting totals, he would be winning every single week. By TONS. Even before he broke out the "Vote for me or the terrorists win!!" strategy last week.
And, gah...he makes me want to punch him in the neck every time he performs.
The show has really missed both Simon and the different genre nights...without those two factors forcing contestants out of their comfort zones, everybody just does the same exact thing every....single...week. And the judges have been atrocious...the problem with praising EVERYTHING that everybody does is that it causes your praise to mean nothing. That was why it was always such a big deal when Simon gave positive feedback...you knew that if he was praising it, that praise was earned.
Anyway...I'm definitely watching out of habit (maybe even obligation) at this point. And no matter what I say, I will probably be right back there every single season until it gets cancelled and puts both me and the show out of our misery.
- Best five comedies currently on TV (either airing or just finished their season), in order: Parks and Recreation, Community, Cougar Town, Raising Hope, Bob's Burgers.
Just missed the cut: Modern Family (too inconsistent, but when it's on its game there are few better), The Office (WAY too up and down this season, and the Will Ferrell thing was a disaster), Archer (been off the air too long to qualify, but no show delivers more laughs per second).
What do you think? Let me know in the comments....next time out I will do dramas.
- So I have one question about the Fringe season finale...if it was 15 years in the future, how come everybody looked the same as they do now? I'm not counting the 4 gray hairs that Peter had. Take it from someone who knows...15 years does a LOT more damage to a head of hair than that.
Yep, that was the one question...everything else made perfect sense.
- Right now, the album I am most likely to be listening to on repeat is Manchester Orchestra's "Mean Everything to Nothing." Nothing but quality, start to finish.
And trust me, I love everything on Adele's "21", but I can't listen to it on repeat unless I want to throw myself off a cliff, only to have Superman swoop down and catch me, and then drop me from HIGHER. (tm Louie C.K.).
- I think I am officially done with How I Met Your Mother after last night. This whole season has been borderline awful (hated everything about the Zoey storyline), but I stuck with it, in large part because I felt like we were promised in the season premiere that by the time we got to that wedding, we would be getting ANSWERS. Instead, all we got was more mysteries...who is Barney marrying, and (most of all), why is this wedding so important to Ted? It was strongly hinted in the premiere that this is when he meets the mother, and maybe it is...but we are certainly no closer to knowing now than we were 22 episodes ago.
Look, I understand how hypocritical this is of someone who to this day will defend LOST with my dying breath...but the time for mysteries is over. They need to move the story FORWARD. In what way has the story moved forward this season? Marshall and Lily are pregnant (a storyline that you knew had to happen eventually), and Barney is marrying...somebody. And we still have no clue who the mother is.
It's time. And, no, I disagree with those who say that once you meet the mother the show is over. The story of a relationship doesn't end when you meet...there could still be LOTS of story to tell after that, with the mother just being another character on the show, that would HAVE to be more interesting than the water-treading that is going on now.
- I am now two thirds of the way through the Hunger Games trilogy...it's very interesting, gripping, exciting stuff. Definitely written for a younger audience, but the plot is tight enough that we older teenagers can still enjoy it. I would certainly recommend it to any parents with young adult readers...I bought my 13 year old a copy this weekend and can't wait to talk about it with her.
- I apologize to all two of you out there who were looking forward to detailed recaps of Game of Thrones. First of all, I never really could decide on a format...do I write it with readers in mind, or non-readers? There is no way I have time to do both...it would be really hard to recap it from a non-reader perspective, having read the entire series multiple times, but I know that out of what little audience I have, the majority would be non-readers.
And then...well, life got in the way and rendered the whole decision moot.
The series has been fantastic...the look is amazing, the acting is superb (and, yes, I would still want to adopt Maisie Williams if it wasn't so obvious that she must have parents far more superb and amazing than I could ever hope to be). My only real issue with the show to this point is the editing...we seem to move REALLY quickly between scenes, which I think hinders the viewer's ability to fully consume what he's just seen. This is probably due to having SO MUCH to fit in to each episode...which then makes me nervous about next season, when they will supposedly have the same number of episodes to tell tons more story.
But that's a worry for next season...for now, I am really enjoying the show. And what's better, several friends of mine who aren't fans of the book are loving it as well, which means that the writers and producers really are doing a fantastic job.
There have been several scenes, especially in the last episode, that never actually happened in the book. Since I am trying to view the show as a separate entity from the books as much as I can, I can safely say that I have really loved every single one of them, and feel like they have added even more depth to even some of the main characters than they might have had without these additional scenes.
Bravo all around, really...and for those of you who are watching and have not read the books, buckle your seatbelts. You ain't seen nothing yet.
By the way, if you're going to comment on Game of Thrones at all, please...no spoilers for non-readers. Thanks.
OK...I think that's enough for now. Even though I haven't even mentioned The Killing (liking it until last week...at which point I loved it), Chuck (perfect finale, and leads up to what I think can be a really cool final season), Firefly (watching it for the first time as it's being re-run on the Science Channel - is it too late to start a campaign to get it renewed?), or Deadwood (the one season I haven't seen, S3, just popped up OnDemand - all I can say, in the spirit of the show, is $%!@, &$*@, and %&!@#!).
Ahhh...it's good to be back.
That's right...this is actual new material on the old Stuff of Legend blog today. The last few months have been very....well..."interesting" doesn't really seem to cover it, but I guess it will have to do. Not going to get into it, other than to say that I don't have to be nearly as careful about voicing my appreciation of my favorite television hotties anymore...no strings attached, baby!
So, I have TONS of stuff to get to, obviously. Lots of stuff happened while I was away that I started to blog about, but just couldn't work up the energy or motivation. Let's just pretend that I made my usual really cool and witty remarks about everything that has happened in the sports and pop culture worlds over the last three months or so and MOVE FORWARD.
Let's get the sports stuff out of the way first, so that my sports-only "audience" (yeah, right...as if I still have an audience at this point) can check out once we get to what is really going to be the bulk of this post...
- The Braves pitching staff has been absolutely ridiculous to this point...in a good way.
Second in the majors with a team ERA of 2.94. First in the majors in strikeouts. First in batting average against (a paltry .218). First in WHIP at 1.09.
Those are numbers that even the Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz pitching staffs would be proud of. Top to bottom, this is the best staff in baseball. Philly probably has better starters, but their bullpen can't even touch ours.
But, much like some of those '90s teams, the offense has been inconsistent, and really needs to get rolling if we want to stay in contention for the division. As good as our pitching staff is, it is unrealistic to expect the kind of dominance we are seeing right now to last all season...they will have rough patches when they need the offense to carry them.
To me, the key is three guys:
Dan Uggla: .202 avg, .664 OPS,
Jason Heyward: .219 avg, .749 OPS
Freddie Freeman: .226 avg, .678 OPS
We need to get at least two of these guys going on a consistent basis if we want the offense to stay on track. I don't worry so much about Uggla...he's a proven performer who has a long history of starting slow and then heating up as the weather does. Heyward and Freeman, however, concern me, only because they don't have a proven track record. Heyward can't seem to stay healthy, and his numbers since his hot start last year are Francoueresque. Freeman is obviously going through the majors for the first time, so we have no idea what to really expect.
And, of course, those two guys were also the SI cover boys. Coincidence? (yeah, probably)
- I loved the Falcons move to get Julio Jones. Yes, we gave up a lot. Yes, I would have rather drafted A.J. But to me, this move says that our front office thinks we are ready to win NOW. The guys we would have gotten with the picks we traded away might have been nice for the future (although it could be the case that Dimitroff et. al. saw this draft as extremely top-heavy), but when you have a window to compete for a Super Bowl, you better take advantage of it.
Two more thoughts: 1) the future picks should all be even lower than our pick this year, if the move pays off. Yes, that's an IF...this was a gamble, and all gambles have risks. 2) Who's to say we don't make other deals that get some of those future picks back?
As for A.J....I would love to have him. But I can pretty confidently guarantee that we called Cincy with the same offer we made the Browns. It takes two to make a trade.
My one qualm with the pick...Julio, as good as I think he will be (and I thought he was the second best WR in this draft, but would have been the best in the draft in most years), is still going to start next season as your #2 WR behind Roddy White. And we are paying him #6 pick money. That's a lot of money to pay your 2nd WR, no matter what the new CBA ends up doing to rookie salaries.
- The Hawks. Whatever. I knew after the offseason that we had before the year started that this organization is not aiming for anything other than an occasional appearance in the second round. Larry Drew and Joe Johnson are not the foundation on which championships are built.
We got lucky in the first round that we drew an opponent that was actually more dysfunctional than us. In the second round, it came down to the fact that Chicago has a superstar, and the Hawks only have someone who makes superstar money.
Next year, we likely lose Crawford, and we don't have money to go get a difference maker because we gave it all to Joe Johnson.
Whee.
- I guess the biggest news to come out of Dawg Nation in the last couple of months is the apparent shakeup in the backfield.
I wish Washaun Ealey well, and will always remember him for the night that he and Caleb RAN THIS STATE. But I will also remember him for wasted potential and an apparent bad attitude that was even more apparent to those who followed him on social media. I think he was given multiple chances to get his act together and chose not to...at which point, it's best for the team that he move on, no matter how much it hurts to lose your top rusher.
Now we anxiously await news on Caleb King's eligibility. Yes, I think Isaiah Crowell is a real talent, maybe a game-changing talent...but I thought the same thing about some other highly recruited guys who never panned out, as well. Plus I just don't like the idea of going into the season with two guys who have never carried the ball in an actual game as your top two tailbacks, with the number three guy being an undersized back that Coach Bobo is apparently trying to murder (stop running him up the middle!!).
As usual at this time of the year, I am really excited about the upcoming season. The defense should almost certainly improve, both because of experience in the system and some upgraded personnel along the d-line. Aaron Murray should be one of the top QBs in the SEC, as long as he gets time to throw and his receivers don't let him down.
Should be more to come as we get closer to fall practice...which is only a few (well, a dozen or so) weeks away!
OK...that concludes the sports-related portion of our programming. From here on out, it's a mishmash of pop culture stuff and other random observations, so if you aren't interested in that, no hard feelings...come on back next time (promise it won't be three months).
- This week is Upfronts Week for the networks, which is when they all announce their fall schedules, introducing their new shows and confirming the demise of others. This is also the week that my phone dies around lunchtime, due to the fact that all of the TV critics and bloggers that I follow on Twitter are all tweeting the same news at the same time. I received 25 Twitter messages just while typing that last sentence.
This is also the week when I wish I could go back and be a television writer. One that could actually get paid for the mountain of words that are about to spill out all over this page.
I am legitimately fascinated by things like network strategy...what new shows get greenlit, what gets cancelled and why, putting together a nightly primetime schedule and things like lead-ins, synergies between shows, etc. I'm a geek for several things, but this type of stuff is probably where I geek out the hardest.
I am especially intrigued to see how the networks are adjusting their strategies to deal with the brand new paradigms that they are now facing. It hasn't been too long ago that a "hit" TV show drew 20-30 million viewers a week. Now, with cable stations providing TONS more original programming, some of which is considered to be much higher quality than the typical network show, plus the rapid increase of either "timeslot shifting" (people DVR a show and then watch it whenever they want) or alternative means of watching television (OnDemand, DVD/Netflix, Hulu, etc) networks can't DREAM of hitting those types of numbers, with extremely rare exception (Super Bowl, etc). In my opinion, where this has hurt the most is in the development of new shows. Quick, tell me what the big break out network hits have been in the last two years....and by "hits" I'm talking about shows that actually draw numbers that win time slots.
GO!
OK, time's up...I came up with Glee, Dancing With the Stars, The Biggest Loser, Celebrity Apprentice, and what seems like a dozen CSI, NCIS, L&O type spinoffs. MAYBE The Mentalist? It's almost all reality show drivel or boring procedurals (all opinions in this blog are mine, obviously...if you enjoy those shows, more power to you, and congratulations...you have LOTS of choices).
Now let's look at the world of cable...for a cable channel, a "hit" doesn't necessarily mean "ratings", especially for the pay cable channels. It's all about brand prestige, reputation, and (for the pay channels) subscriptions. Mad Men. Breaking Bad. Boardwalk Empire. True Blood. Walking Dead. Justified. Dexter. I could go on, but you get my point...and that's without even mentioning shows like Sons of Anarchy, or Damages, or Weeds, or Nurse Jackie, or United States of Tara....all shows that, while they may not draw big numbers, all enhance the reputation and brand recognition of their networks.
So...what's the difference? First of all, the obvious...cable networks can get away with things content-wise that broadcast networks can't. That is a definite advantage.
But that can't be all of it. Seriously...what does Mad Men and Breaking Bad show or do that you can't get away with on network television? It's not anything that would really be missed, and it's not why the show works.
I think a big part of it is that cable networks go into it knowing that they are never going to pull the ratings that would typically be expected of a network show, which relieves some of the pressure to yank shows off the air if they aren't pulling huge numbers. True Blood is a great example...when it premiered on HBO, it got less-than -respectable ratings, and in a network environment (assuming that it was a show that had network type content), probably would have been pulled from the schedule almost immediately. Instead, it was left on the air, the buzz ramped up (even if the quality didn't), and it is now HBO's biggest hit.
I don't know what the answer is for the broadcast networks...they somehow have to find a way to sell advertising and make money, and for now their only real way of doing that is using a ridiculously antiquated Nielsen system. I foresee a future where ALL television is web based..NBC won't be a "channel", it will be a website. All of their content will be on the website, and you go and choose whatever you want to watch and it comes straight to your television. That is not something that we are years away from, at least not from a technology standpoint. We HAVE the TECHNOLOGY. What we don't have is a way of monetizing it that works for everybody...the networks, the consumer, the advertisers, the production staffs and writers, etc.
I just hope they figure it out soon...I'm tired of every new network show I start to get into being yanked off the air before it has time to find its feet, with The Chicago Code being the latest example (and Lord, Shawn Ryan deserved better after Terriers). Broadcast networks, in my opinion, have to come up with a new definition of what a "successful" show is...we can't keep using the same parameters in a completely new environment.
This isn't to say that there isn't quality programming currently on network television...but a lot of what I consider quality (Parks and Rec, Community, Chuck, Fringe, Cougar Town, etc) aren't ratings hits by any stretch of the imagination, and seem to live on the cancellation bubble, while stuff like The Voice, Biggest Loser, The Apprentice, etc. always seems to do huge numbers.
So I am very thankful that some of my favorite shows have been granted a reprieve. Looking at the numbers, it's really hard to fathom why the networks have chosen so save some, while others have gone by the wayside...but I'm glad for it anyway.
OK, I promise the rest of the bullet points will be shorter.
- Speaking of upfronts, this is the trailer from the new show that I am most excited about...believe it or not, it's from NBC (I KNOW, RIGHT?!?)
Looks pretty awesome, right? Which means that it will probably be cancelled by the time this post is actually published.
- Is there a way to tell a new girl at work that you find her REALLY attractive? I mean, without coming off like a total creep?
- Guess I should say something about American Idol. Basically, I give up. I said months ago that Scotty McReery was going to win the whole thing...based on my master thesis on American Idol Demographics (I should TOTALLY HAVE WRITTEN THAT), he has the Country Vote, the Teenybopper Vote, and the Grandmother Vote. Those are probably the three most powerful voting blocs in the American Idol Universe, so he is systematically destroying everybody in his path. I would be willing to bet that if they actually released the voting totals, he would be winning every single week. By TONS. Even before he broke out the "Vote for me or the terrorists win!!" strategy last week.
And, gah...he makes me want to punch him in the neck every time he performs.
The show has really missed both Simon and the different genre nights...without those two factors forcing contestants out of their comfort zones, everybody just does the same exact thing every....single...week. And the judges have been atrocious...the problem with praising EVERYTHING that everybody does is that it causes your praise to mean nothing. That was why it was always such a big deal when Simon gave positive feedback...you knew that if he was praising it, that praise was earned.
Anyway...I'm definitely watching out of habit (maybe even obligation) at this point. And no matter what I say, I will probably be right back there every single season until it gets cancelled and puts both me and the show out of our misery.
- Best five comedies currently on TV (either airing or just finished their season), in order: Parks and Recreation, Community, Cougar Town, Raising Hope, Bob's Burgers.
Just missed the cut: Modern Family (too inconsistent, but when it's on its game there are few better), The Office (WAY too up and down this season, and the Will Ferrell thing was a disaster), Archer (been off the air too long to qualify, but no show delivers more laughs per second).
What do you think? Let me know in the comments....next time out I will do dramas.
- So I have one question about the Fringe season finale...if it was 15 years in the future, how come everybody looked the same as they do now? I'm not counting the 4 gray hairs that Peter had. Take it from someone who knows...15 years does a LOT more damage to a head of hair than that.
Yep, that was the one question...everything else made perfect sense.
- Right now, the album I am most likely to be listening to on repeat is Manchester Orchestra's "Mean Everything to Nothing." Nothing but quality, start to finish.
And trust me, I love everything on Adele's "21", but I can't listen to it on repeat unless I want to throw myself off a cliff, only to have Superman swoop down and catch me, and then drop me from HIGHER. (tm Louie C.K.).
- I think I am officially done with How I Met Your Mother after last night. This whole season has been borderline awful (hated everything about the Zoey storyline), but I stuck with it, in large part because I felt like we were promised in the season premiere that by the time we got to that wedding, we would be getting ANSWERS. Instead, all we got was more mysteries...who is Barney marrying, and (most of all), why is this wedding so important to Ted? It was strongly hinted in the premiere that this is when he meets the mother, and maybe it is...but we are certainly no closer to knowing now than we were 22 episodes ago.
Look, I understand how hypocritical this is of someone who to this day will defend LOST with my dying breath...but the time for mysteries is over. They need to move the story FORWARD. In what way has the story moved forward this season? Marshall and Lily are pregnant (a storyline that you knew had to happen eventually), and Barney is marrying...somebody. And we still have no clue who the mother is.
It's time. And, no, I disagree with those who say that once you meet the mother the show is over. The story of a relationship doesn't end when you meet...there could still be LOTS of story to tell after that, with the mother just being another character on the show, that would HAVE to be more interesting than the water-treading that is going on now.
- I am now two thirds of the way through the Hunger Games trilogy...it's very interesting, gripping, exciting stuff. Definitely written for a younger audience, but the plot is tight enough that we older teenagers can still enjoy it. I would certainly recommend it to any parents with young adult readers...I bought my 13 year old a copy this weekend and can't wait to talk about it with her.
- I apologize to all two of you out there who were looking forward to detailed recaps of Game of Thrones. First of all, I never really could decide on a format...do I write it with readers in mind, or non-readers? There is no way I have time to do both...it would be really hard to recap it from a non-reader perspective, having read the entire series multiple times, but I know that out of what little audience I have, the majority would be non-readers.
And then...well, life got in the way and rendered the whole decision moot.
The series has been fantastic...the look is amazing, the acting is superb (and, yes, I would still want to adopt Maisie Williams if it wasn't so obvious that she must have parents far more superb and amazing than I could ever hope to be). My only real issue with the show to this point is the editing...we seem to move REALLY quickly between scenes, which I think hinders the viewer's ability to fully consume what he's just seen. This is probably due to having SO MUCH to fit in to each episode...which then makes me nervous about next season, when they will supposedly have the same number of episodes to tell tons more story.
But that's a worry for next season...for now, I am really enjoying the show. And what's better, several friends of mine who aren't fans of the book are loving it as well, which means that the writers and producers really are doing a fantastic job.
There have been several scenes, especially in the last episode, that never actually happened in the book. Since I am trying to view the show as a separate entity from the books as much as I can, I can safely say that I have really loved every single one of them, and feel like they have added even more depth to even some of the main characters than they might have had without these additional scenes.
Bravo all around, really...and for those of you who are watching and have not read the books, buckle your seatbelts. You ain't seen nothing yet.
By the way, if you're going to comment on Game of Thrones at all, please...no spoilers for non-readers. Thanks.
OK...I think that's enough for now. Even though I haven't even mentioned The Killing (liking it until last week...at which point I loved it), Chuck (perfect finale, and leads up to what I think can be a really cool final season), Firefly (watching it for the first time as it's being re-run on the Science Channel - is it too late to start a campaign to get it renewed?), or Deadwood (the one season I haven't seen, S3, just popped up OnDemand - all I can say, in the spirit of the show, is $%!@, &$*@, and %&!@#!).
Ahhh...it's good to be back.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
My thoughts on the American Idol season 10 premiere
I usually don't post anything at all about the audition episodes, but since this was the first edition of the completely revamped show, some very quick initial thoughts:
Ryan Seacrest - Still awesome.
Randy Jackson - Still useless.
Steven Tyler - I think his act is going to be REALLY annoying once we get into the live shows. Remember last season...Ellen was actually very entertaining in the taped shows when they could edit out everything but the funniest parts, but once we went to the live shows there was no way to edit out the awkward parts. I have a feeling the Steven Tyler situation is going to be very similar.
And, dude...he has GOT to stop leering at the sixteen year old contestants. He is old enough to be their GRANDFATHER. That's not "rock star"....that's "pervert".
Jennifer Lopez - She is entirely too nice for this job. At this point, she is supposed to be a JUDGE, not a mentor, and she's not doing people any favors by sending people on to Hollywood who aren't ready.
I will say this, though...I will definitely miss Simon (and Kara, for that matter), but Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are by FAR the most qualified judges they have ever had, as far as having actual career success to draw on.
As for the contestants...I like that we seem to be focusing less on the mentally challenged freak show, but my concerns about whether we can get a better batch of contestants this season remain. There was not a single contestant that made me say "WOW", but there were several that I am looking forward to hearing more from.
I probably won't post any more recaps until we get to the live performances...so far, I'm still on board, but the caliber of contestants we end up with in the top 20 will be the real factor that will decide whether I'm out or not.
Ryan Seacrest - Still awesome.
Randy Jackson - Still useless.
Steven Tyler - I think his act is going to be REALLY annoying once we get into the live shows. Remember last season...Ellen was actually very entertaining in the taped shows when they could edit out everything but the funniest parts, but once we went to the live shows there was no way to edit out the awkward parts. I have a feeling the Steven Tyler situation is going to be very similar.
And, dude...he has GOT to stop leering at the sixteen year old contestants. He is old enough to be their GRANDFATHER. That's not "rock star"....that's "pervert".
Jennifer Lopez - She is entirely too nice for this job. At this point, she is supposed to be a JUDGE, not a mentor, and she's not doing people any favors by sending people on to Hollywood who aren't ready.
I will say this, though...I will definitely miss Simon (and Kara, for that matter), but Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are by FAR the most qualified judges they have ever had, as far as having actual career success to draw on.
As for the contestants...I like that we seem to be focusing less on the mentally challenged freak show, but my concerns about whether we can get a better batch of contestants this season remain. There was not a single contestant that made me say "WOW", but there were several that I am looking forward to hearing more from.
I probably won't post any more recaps until we get to the live performances...so far, I'm still on board, but the caliber of contestants we end up with in the top 20 will be the real factor that will decide whether I'm out or not.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
My 500th post...a State of the Blog address
It figures that my 500th post would basically be an apology for my lack of posting lately. But here we are...
Real life has really intruded on my blogging time lately...I hate it when that happens. Having your priorities in order really stinks sometimes.
So what's been going on?
- I have never been more happy to see a football season come to an end. Horrible and embarrassing season by the Dawgs. A constant stream of ridiculous, inequitable, and illogical rulings by the NCAA regarding eligibility. Pantywaisted sports announcers wringing their hands and clutching their pearls every time somebody gets hit hard in a football game. The fact that our National Champions are a bunch of filthy cheaters, and everybody just seems to be OK with that. Brett Favre. Michael Vick.
Ugh. Just a barrage of stories that either A) I don't want to hear anything else about, B) Make me sick to my stomach, or C) Both.
So that has actually been one of the reasons I haven't posted as much. I just did not enjoy much about this football season, other than the way the Falcons were playing. So it is fitting that this football season would effectively end for me with the Falcons laying an egg on the national stage last Saturday night.
Not much to say about that game, other than that the better team won. I will make one sour grapes argument, though...how does it make sense that the #1 seed doesn't get to play the team that had the losing record in the regular season? What was the point in getting the #1 seed if we don't get to play the worst team left? We would have been better off tanking the game against the Panthers, as it turned out.
Oh, well...I still have faith in Demitrof and Smith, and I expect that this modest run of success we've had the last few seasons will continue.
Four weeks till pitchers and catchers report.
- Until then, I will spend most of my non-work, non-church-related, non-daddy time on the winter television season, and that will probably be the focus of this blog for the next several months. Apologies in advance for those of you who get here through Dawgbone...I will have some recruiting-centric stuff up over the next couple of weeks, but other than that it will probably be mostly non-sports stuff until the summer.
Here is what's on tap:
- My sincere goal is to do at least a weekly post that will basically be a "What I'm Watching" roundup, probably starting either late this week or early next. Many of the shows that I watch on a regular basis are coming back this week, and some new ones I'm looking forward to will start up not long after that. Not sure exactly what the format will be yet, but I'm looking forward to doing it.
- American Idol returns this week, with TONS of changes...almost complete overhaul of the judges table and MANY tweaks to the format. Last season was an unmitigated disaster, which is what the changes are in response to.
I am not excited about the new judges panel at all, other than that they have at least cut it back down to 3 judges rather than 4. Out of the three, I actually have the highest hopes for J-Lo...and that can't be good. Randy Jackson will continue to be useless for the foreseeable future, and I guess Steven Tyler is the new Paula.
I am more intrigued by the tweaks they have made to the semifinal/final rounds. Apparently we will have an extended Hollywood/Vegas portion of the show that will narrow the field down to 10 guys and 10 ladies, at which point the Top 5 of each will advance plus a few Judges Choice type candidates. They did something similar to this a couple of seasons ago, and I thought we ended up with a much higher quality batch of contestants in the finals. This is obviously a reaction to the fact that the Top 10 from last season was a steaming pile of poo, and I welcome the change.
And, really, the quality of the contestants is what is going to end up making or breaking the show anyway...no matter what the Judge portion of the show turns out to be, if we get another batch of contestants like last season it's not going to matter.
I am still planning on doing my recaps once we get to the Top 20...but that's tentative based on whether the show is still something I want to spend any time talking about by the time we get to that point.
- I have been looking for a show to do long-form "LOST" type recaps for, and I think the one I will be recapping is still three months away...HBO's "Game of Thrones". This show is based on the Song of Ice and Fire series of books by George RR Martin, a series that I have now read multiple times and contains maybe my favorite book of all time (A Storm of Swords, the third book in the series). To say I am excited about what HBO will do with the series is an understatement...I have been VERY happy with everything we have seen so far. I highly recommend the books, and will almost definitely be doing regular recaps once the show starts up in April.
So...for the next few months, this space will likely be mostly TV/Pop Culture stuff, with some occasional sports posts as things come up that I want to talk about. Hopefully, you guys will stick around...I love to talk about everything I will be posting about here, and I hope to have some conversations with all of you in the comments sections, on Twitter, etc. That was probably my favorite part of the LOST and Idol posts I have done in the past, and I hope it continues.
Thanks for reading!
Real life has really intruded on my blogging time lately...I hate it when that happens. Having your priorities in order really stinks sometimes.
So what's been going on?
- I have never been more happy to see a football season come to an end. Horrible and embarrassing season by the Dawgs. A constant stream of ridiculous, inequitable, and illogical rulings by the NCAA regarding eligibility. Pantywaisted sports announcers wringing their hands and clutching their pearls every time somebody gets hit hard in a football game. The fact that our National Champions are a bunch of filthy cheaters, and everybody just seems to be OK with that. Brett Favre. Michael Vick.
Ugh. Just a barrage of stories that either A) I don't want to hear anything else about, B) Make me sick to my stomach, or C) Both.
So that has actually been one of the reasons I haven't posted as much. I just did not enjoy much about this football season, other than the way the Falcons were playing. So it is fitting that this football season would effectively end for me with the Falcons laying an egg on the national stage last Saturday night.
Not much to say about that game, other than that the better team won. I will make one sour grapes argument, though...how does it make sense that the #1 seed doesn't get to play the team that had the losing record in the regular season? What was the point in getting the #1 seed if we don't get to play the worst team left? We would have been better off tanking the game against the Panthers, as it turned out.
Oh, well...I still have faith in Demitrof and Smith, and I expect that this modest run of success we've had the last few seasons will continue.
Four weeks till pitchers and catchers report.
- Until then, I will spend most of my non-work, non-church-related, non-daddy time on the winter television season, and that will probably be the focus of this blog for the next several months. Apologies in advance for those of you who get here through Dawgbone...I will have some recruiting-centric stuff up over the next couple of weeks, but other than that it will probably be mostly non-sports stuff until the summer.
Here is what's on tap:
- My sincere goal is to do at least a weekly post that will basically be a "What I'm Watching" roundup, probably starting either late this week or early next. Many of the shows that I watch on a regular basis are coming back this week, and some new ones I'm looking forward to will start up not long after that. Not sure exactly what the format will be yet, but I'm looking forward to doing it.
- American Idol returns this week, with TONS of changes...almost complete overhaul of the judges table and MANY tweaks to the format. Last season was an unmitigated disaster, which is what the changes are in response to.
I am not excited about the new judges panel at all, other than that they have at least cut it back down to 3 judges rather than 4. Out of the three, I actually have the highest hopes for J-Lo...and that can't be good. Randy Jackson will continue to be useless for the foreseeable future, and I guess Steven Tyler is the new Paula.
I am more intrigued by the tweaks they have made to the semifinal/final rounds. Apparently we will have an extended Hollywood/Vegas portion of the show that will narrow the field down to 10 guys and 10 ladies, at which point the Top 5 of each will advance plus a few Judges Choice type candidates. They did something similar to this a couple of seasons ago, and I thought we ended up with a much higher quality batch of contestants in the finals. This is obviously a reaction to the fact that the Top 10 from last season was a steaming pile of poo, and I welcome the change.
And, really, the quality of the contestants is what is going to end up making or breaking the show anyway...no matter what the Judge portion of the show turns out to be, if we get another batch of contestants like last season it's not going to matter.
I am still planning on doing my recaps once we get to the Top 20...but that's tentative based on whether the show is still something I want to spend any time talking about by the time we get to that point.
- I have been looking for a show to do long-form "LOST" type recaps for, and I think the one I will be recapping is still three months away...HBO's "Game of Thrones". This show is based on the Song of Ice and Fire series of books by George RR Martin, a series that I have now read multiple times and contains maybe my favorite book of all time (A Storm of Swords, the third book in the series). To say I am excited about what HBO will do with the series is an understatement...I have been VERY happy with everything we have seen so far. I highly recommend the books, and will almost definitely be doing regular recaps once the show starts up in April.
So...for the next few months, this space will likely be mostly TV/Pop Culture stuff, with some occasional sports posts as things come up that I want to talk about. Hopefully, you guys will stick around...I love to talk about everything I will be posting about here, and I hope to have some conversations with all of you in the comments sections, on Twitter, etc. That was probably my favorite part of the LOST and Idol posts I have done in the past, and I hope it continues.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Random thoughts - Dawgs, Braves, a goodbye to one of the best in the business, other stuff...
TOLD you posting would be more sporadic now that I am back from vacation. Work has been kicking my butt pretty hard since I got back, plus some Father's Day traveling...so, yeah.
Some random thoughts that have been building up over the past week or so...
- First things first...The Dawg Nation is facing a big loss in the next month or so, as the magnificent David Hale is moving on to...um....well, let's just say different pastures, rather than greener ones.
Hale has produced a steady output of the kind of material that I wish ALL of the online "journalists" would aspire to...informative, entertaining, insightful, must-read articles, sometimes multiple times a day.
The two aspects that made him the best: First of all, he always seemed to ask the questions that we as fans would ask if given the opportunity, rather than just the typical cliches. I think that's harder to do than a lot of people think.
Secondly, his accuracy and integrity were never in question. Among all of us Dawg Tweeps, Bloggers, and 'Venters, there was one thing we knew for sure: no matter the situation (coaching change, position change, player suspensions, etc), it wasn't for SURE true unless David Hale had reported it.
Hale never attended UGA, but it's safe to say he is a DGD and will be missed by the Dawg Nation.
- My biggest regret about falling behind on my countdown to kickoff? I missed my opportunity last Saturday to post THIS:
Yep...Saturday was 77 days until kickoff, so we honor Trinton Sturdivant and his groovy dance stylings.
The other thing that means is that this week we are only TEN WEEKS from GAME WEEK! I can smell the ribs already! And the bourbon...and the VIOLENCE.
The more I think about this 2010 Dawgs team, the more excited I am. Only 73 days to go!!
- If there are any of you still reading this who were loyal readers of my American Idol recaps, I appreciate it...and you can rest knowing that you may have been witnesses to history. If this little news release turns out the way I am afraid it will, I will likely no longer even be WATCHING, must less recapping, so THIS was likely my last American Idol recap ever. With three daughters in the house, I hear plenty of 15-year-old marginally talented "singers" already...no need to expose myself to any more, thank you very much.
- U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!!
That concludes the soccer portion of our blog.
(Even if you're not a soccer fan, check out the second video)
- Braves continue to play good baseball...but one of my favorite stories of the season so far is Stephen Strasburg. Between him and J-Hey, I feel like we are watching the first green shoots of two guys who may go down as some of the best ever.
Check out some of these numbers, courtesy of Buster Olney's blog on ESPN.com (daily reading for baseball fans, by the way):
"After opposing hitters have reached a count of no balls and two strikes against Stephen Strasburg, they are 0-for-20 with 16 strikeouts. That's not much worse than what happens after they fall behind in the count of 0-1: Opponents are 4-for-36 with 22 strikeouts after the first pitch goes for strike one."
"How unusual is Stephen Strasburg's efficiency? Well, consider this note generated by the Washington Nationals' staff: In 2010, only three pitchers have struck out 10-plus in a game but required less than 100 pitches to do so. Strasburg has two of these zero-walk, 10-plus K tallies. On April 6, Dallas Braden struck out 10 over seven innings against the Mariners, while throwing 91 pitches. On May 15, James Shields struck out 10 with 93 pitches against the Mariners. Then, in his debut, Strasburg threw 94 pitches against the Pirates and struck out 14 -- before striking out 10 with 85 pitches against the White Sox Friday."
Pretty amazing stuff...in fact, if J-Hey doesn't find a way out of this slump he is in, Strasburg might steal his Rookie of the Year award.
One thing I don't like about the guy...he's a Scott Boras client. And, even though Strasburg signed the largest contract in draft history, he was "undervalued", according to Boras.
Whenever the first contract negotiation between the Nats and Strasburg happens, I think Boras' end of the conversation may sound something like this:
"Our demands are these: $350 GAZILLION dollars. And a unicorn... Wait, not a unicorn...what's the one with the wings? Oh, right, a Pegasus. We want $350 GAZILLION dollars and a personal Pegasus. What do you mean, how many zeroes are in a gazillion? I don't know...that's for YOU to figure out!"
OK, that's about it for now...how about I leave you with this, just for fun?
GO DAWGS!!!
Some random thoughts that have been building up over the past week or so...
- First things first...The Dawg Nation is facing a big loss in the next month or so, as the magnificent David Hale is moving on to...um....well, let's just say different pastures, rather than greener ones.
Hale has produced a steady output of the kind of material that I wish ALL of the online "journalists" would aspire to...informative, entertaining, insightful, must-read articles, sometimes multiple times a day.
The two aspects that made him the best: First of all, he always seemed to ask the questions that we as fans would ask if given the opportunity, rather than just the typical cliches. I think that's harder to do than a lot of people think.
Secondly, his accuracy and integrity were never in question. Among all of us Dawg Tweeps, Bloggers, and 'Venters, there was one thing we knew for sure: no matter the situation (coaching change, position change, player suspensions, etc), it wasn't for SURE true unless David Hale had reported it.
Hale never attended UGA, but it's safe to say he is a DGD and will be missed by the Dawg Nation.
- My biggest regret about falling behind on my countdown to kickoff? I missed my opportunity last Saturday to post THIS:
Yep...Saturday was 77 days until kickoff, so we honor Trinton Sturdivant and his groovy dance stylings.
The other thing that means is that this week we are only TEN WEEKS from GAME WEEK! I can smell the ribs already! And the bourbon...and the VIOLENCE.
The more I think about this 2010 Dawgs team, the more excited I am. Only 73 days to go!!
- If there are any of you still reading this who were loyal readers of my American Idol recaps, I appreciate it...and you can rest knowing that you may have been witnesses to history. If this little news release turns out the way I am afraid it will, I will likely no longer even be WATCHING, must less recapping, so THIS was likely my last American Idol recap ever. With three daughters in the house, I hear plenty of 15-year-old marginally talented "singers" already...no need to expose myself to any more, thank you very much.
- U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!!
That concludes the soccer portion of our blog.
(Even if you're not a soccer fan, check out the second video)
- Braves continue to play good baseball...but one of my favorite stories of the season so far is Stephen Strasburg. Between him and J-Hey, I feel like we are watching the first green shoots of two guys who may go down as some of the best ever.
Check out some of these numbers, courtesy of Buster Olney's blog on ESPN.com (daily reading for baseball fans, by the way):
"After opposing hitters have reached a count of no balls and two strikes against Stephen Strasburg, they are 0-for-20 with 16 strikeouts. That's not much worse than what happens after they fall behind in the count of 0-1: Opponents are 4-for-36 with 22 strikeouts after the first pitch goes for strike one."
"How unusual is Stephen Strasburg's efficiency? Well, consider this note generated by the Washington Nationals' staff: In 2010, only three pitchers have struck out 10-plus in a game but required less than 100 pitches to do so. Strasburg has two of these zero-walk, 10-plus K tallies. On April 6, Dallas Braden struck out 10 over seven innings against the Mariners, while throwing 91 pitches. On May 15, James Shields struck out 10 with 93 pitches against the Mariners. Then, in his debut, Strasburg threw 94 pitches against the Pirates and struck out 14 -- before striking out 10 with 85 pitches against the White Sox Friday."
Pretty amazing stuff...in fact, if J-Hey doesn't find a way out of this slump he is in, Strasburg might steal his Rookie of the Year award.
One thing I don't like about the guy...he's a Scott Boras client. And, even though Strasburg signed the largest contract in draft history, he was "undervalued", according to Boras.
Whenever the first contract negotiation between the Nats and Strasburg happens, I think Boras' end of the conversation may sound something like this:
"Our demands are these: $350 GAZILLION dollars. And a unicorn... Wait, not a unicorn...what's the one with the wings? Oh, right, a Pegasus. We want $350 GAZILLION dollars and a personal Pegasus. What do you mean, how many zeroes are in a gazillion? I don't know...that's for YOU to figure out!"
OK, that's about it for now...how about I leave you with this, just for fun?
GO DAWGS!!!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Idol Thoughts - Top 2
Well, I promised I wouldn't blow this one off...but a combination of my continued disappointment in this season and a stomach bug that I will spare you the details of will keep it very short.
Bottom line...Crystal was easily the better performer last night, she won every round, she clearly had the best three performances of the night.
And she's not going to win.
Don't get me wrong...I like Lee. I see the appeal. I definitely think he has a very commercial voice and style, and I will likely be downloading his album if he does what I think he will be doing.
But Crystal proved (again) last night that she is READY, right now, to be a star. All three of her performances were spot on...she was in great voice, picked better songs, and most importantly she seemed to have a sense of "the moment". She knew this was maybe the most important night of her life and she WENT FOR IT. She performed with a passion and a drive that we haven't seen from her, at least not in a while.
And she's not going to win.
Last night's rankings:
1) Crystal - Up to the Mountain
2) Crystal - Black Velvet
3) Crystal - Me and Bobby McGee
4) Lee - The Boxer
5) Lee - Everybody Hurts
6) Lee - Beautiful Day (this was really...not good at all)
Prediction: I've been saying it for three seasons now...no female will ever win this show again. Lee wins.
And that's OK...as has been proven in the past, you don't have to win this show in order to profit from it. Crystal will most definitely get a record deal out of this, and she'll have her chance.
Plus, she gets to say that she received the last ever Simon Cowell critique on American Idol. That's outstanding.
Sorry these recaps have been so lackluster the last half of this season...I wish I could have risen above the material, but this season was so bad it took all of my willpower just to make myself watch, much less recap. HUGE changes need to be made, or this show is on the way out.
Bottom line...Crystal was easily the better performer last night, she won every round, she clearly had the best three performances of the night.
And she's not going to win.
Don't get me wrong...I like Lee. I see the appeal. I definitely think he has a very commercial voice and style, and I will likely be downloading his album if he does what I think he will be doing.
But Crystal proved (again) last night that she is READY, right now, to be a star. All three of her performances were spot on...she was in great voice, picked better songs, and most importantly she seemed to have a sense of "the moment". She knew this was maybe the most important night of her life and she WENT FOR IT. She performed with a passion and a drive that we haven't seen from her, at least not in a while.
And she's not going to win.
Last night's rankings:
1) Crystal - Up to the Mountain
2) Crystal - Black Velvet
3) Crystal - Me and Bobby McGee
4) Lee - The Boxer
5) Lee - Everybody Hurts
6) Lee - Beautiful Day (this was really...not good at all)
Prediction: I've been saying it for three seasons now...no female will ever win this show again. Lee wins.
And that's OK...as has been proven in the past, you don't have to win this show in order to profit from it. Crystal will most definitely get a record deal out of this, and she'll have her chance.
Plus, she gets to say that she received the last ever Simon Cowell critique on American Idol. That's outstanding.
Sorry these recaps have been so lackluster the last half of this season...I wish I could have risen above the material, but this season was so bad it took all of my willpower just to make myself watch, much less recap. HUGE changes need to be made, or this show is on the way out.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
If an American Idol episode airs...
...and I don't recap it...and nobody NOTICES or CARES that I didn't recap it...did it actually happen?
Sorry...real life intervened today and I wasn't able to put together my Idol recap from last night. Tell the truth...did any of you even notice?
Super short version: pretty much everything was boring until Lee sang "Hallelujah" and created one of the EXTREMELY rare moments that I will remember from this season. Yes, he was helped tremendously by the arrangement and production values (seriously....back up choir, angelic lighting, smoke machine, AND the split screen treatment? You think Simon knows who he wants to win this thing?). But I think that early in the season, he would have been swallowed whole by that arrangement, but he has truly improved every single week in my opinion, and was able to more than hold his own.
Another commentary on this season: Last night there were 47 million votes cast. Last year's vote count on Top 3 night? 88 MILLION. So apparently I'm not the only one losing interest.
The biggest problem has been the lack of breathtaking, memorable, showstopping numbers that make you say, "I am going to rewind and watch that again RIGHT NOW." Last season, we had at least one of those almost every week...this season, I think there have been, at MOST, six:
- Siobhan, "Think"
- Siobhan, "Paint it Black"
- Lee, "The Boxer"
- Crystal, "Me and Bobby McGee"
- Lee/Crystal, "Falling Slowly"
- Lee, "Hallelujah"
Am I missing any?
Anyway...one more to go. I promise not to blow off the finale.
Sorry...real life intervened today and I wasn't able to put together my Idol recap from last night. Tell the truth...did any of you even notice?
Super short version: pretty much everything was boring until Lee sang "Hallelujah" and created one of the EXTREMELY rare moments that I will remember from this season. Yes, he was helped tremendously by the arrangement and production values (seriously....back up choir, angelic lighting, smoke machine, AND the split screen treatment? You think Simon knows who he wants to win this thing?). But I think that early in the season, he would have been swallowed whole by that arrangement, but he has truly improved every single week in my opinion, and was able to more than hold his own.
Another commentary on this season: Last night there were 47 million votes cast. Last year's vote count on Top 3 night? 88 MILLION. So apparently I'm not the only one losing interest.
The biggest problem has been the lack of breathtaking, memorable, showstopping numbers that make you say, "I am going to rewind and watch that again RIGHT NOW." Last season, we had at least one of those almost every week...this season, I think there have been, at MOST, six:
- Siobhan, "Think"
- Siobhan, "Paint it Black"
- Lee, "The Boxer"
- Crystal, "Me and Bobby McGee"
- Lee/Crystal, "Falling Slowly"
- Lee, "Hallelujah"
Am I missing any?
Anyway...one more to go. I promise not to blow off the finale.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Idol Thoughts - Top 4
Let's just get to it...I'm still wrapped up in last night's LOST, and most of these people bore me to tears. I really miss last season.
1) Lee Dewyze - "Kiss From a Rose": OK, first of all...I would punch Jamie Foxx right in the mouth if he got in my face like that. What a freaking tool.
As for the performance...meh. It started out REALLY bad. Falsetto is definitely not Lee's friend, and the pitch and breath control problems were back with a vengeance. It's like an every other week thing with him.
Once the song got "bigger" he sounded better...but overall, this was probably around a C or C-.
Oh, and Randy...since when is Lee a "rocker"? Has he done even one real "rock" song since he's been on the show? Yeah, Lee...way to rock out on some Simon and Garfunkel!
Randy is a moron.
2) Michael Lynch - "Will You be There?": Whatever. It was fine. It certainly didn't blow me away or anything. This is two weeks in a row where I felt like it should have been a lot better than it ended up being.
3) Crystal/Lee - "Falling Slowly": My feelings about this song should be pretty clear, if you were reading my recaps last season.
This was really, really good...definitely the best performance we've heard in several weeks on this show, if not all season. And yet, for most of the song, I was thinking about A) how much better Crystal is than Lee (this REALLY amplified that), and B) how much more I like Kris Allen than either of them.
Still, though, I really enjoyed it, and it was the first performance since Siobhan's "Paint it Black" that was good enough that I didn't immediately erase the show from my DVR because I want to go back and listen to it again.
4) Casey James - "Mrs. Robinson": Oh, he totally should have done the Lemonheads version of this song. Because, as I have been saying about him for weeks, doing stuff like this is NOT playing to his strengths. His voice just isn't good enough to do stripped down versions of songs. He could have rocked this out, and that's what he should have done if he wants to be in the top 3. I think he may be in trouble.
5) Crystal Bowersox - "I'm Alright": PERFECT song choice for her, I thought, especially since I HAVE been a little worried about her the past few weeks. I have felt like she has gotten too polished, and has lost a lot of what I loved about her in the first place. This was more like "early Crystal", which usually equals awesome. And this was really good...don't know that I would say it was AWESOME, but it was by far the best solo performance tonight.
6) Mike/Casey - "Tell Me Have You Ever Really Really Really Ever Really Really Ever Really Really Really Really Ever Really Ever Loved a Woman....REALLY? No, SERIOUSLY? REALLY?!?!?!?!?": Gah, I hate this song so much. REALLY. It sounds like it was written by somebody who has actually NOT ever really loved a woman.
Anyway...this was pretty good, actually. Casey, in particular, was really good...he was like the Richie Sambora of this duet (trust me...that's a good thing). Great guitar work, and I thought he really nailed the harmonies. Mike was his usual good-not-great self.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
It is so stupid that they have duets at this point in the show. Aren't we trying to decide who is going to be the next big pop star? How does singing in a duet show that at all? Oh, right...it doesn't. It's only happened since we decided that the judges are more important than the actual performances on this show, so rather than have everybody sing twice we stuck them together in duets to save time.
Kara looked GORGEOUS tonight.
Jamie Foxx is worthless as a mentor on this show...he's proven it two years in a row now. If he takes Simon's place next year I'm officially out.
Tonight's rankings:
1) Lee/Crystal duet
2) Crystal
3) Casey/Mike duet
4) Mike
5) Lee
6) Casey
Predicted eviction: Casey
1) Lee Dewyze - "Kiss From a Rose": OK, first of all...I would punch Jamie Foxx right in the mouth if he got in my face like that. What a freaking tool.
As for the performance...meh. It started out REALLY bad. Falsetto is definitely not Lee's friend, and the pitch and breath control problems were back with a vengeance. It's like an every other week thing with him.
Once the song got "bigger" he sounded better...but overall, this was probably around a C or C-.
Oh, and Randy...since when is Lee a "rocker"? Has he done even one real "rock" song since he's been on the show? Yeah, Lee...way to rock out on some Simon and Garfunkel!
Randy is a moron.
2) Michael Lynch - "Will You be There?": Whatever. It was fine. It certainly didn't blow me away or anything. This is two weeks in a row where I felt like it should have been a lot better than it ended up being.
3) Crystal/Lee - "Falling Slowly": My feelings about this song should be pretty clear, if you were reading my recaps last season.
This was really, really good...definitely the best performance we've heard in several weeks on this show, if not all season. And yet, for most of the song, I was thinking about A) how much better Crystal is than Lee (this REALLY amplified that), and B) how much more I like Kris Allen than either of them.
Still, though, I really enjoyed it, and it was the first performance since Siobhan's "Paint it Black" that was good enough that I didn't immediately erase the show from my DVR because I want to go back and listen to it again.
4) Casey James - "Mrs. Robinson": Oh, he totally should have done the Lemonheads version of this song. Because, as I have been saying about him for weeks, doing stuff like this is NOT playing to his strengths. His voice just isn't good enough to do stripped down versions of songs. He could have rocked this out, and that's what he should have done if he wants to be in the top 3. I think he may be in trouble.
5) Crystal Bowersox - "I'm Alright": PERFECT song choice for her, I thought, especially since I HAVE been a little worried about her the past few weeks. I have felt like she has gotten too polished, and has lost a lot of what I loved about her in the first place. This was more like "early Crystal", which usually equals awesome. And this was really good...don't know that I would say it was AWESOME, but it was by far the best solo performance tonight.
6) Mike/Casey - "Tell Me Have You Ever Really Really Really Ever Really Really Ever Really Really Really Really Ever Really Ever Loved a Woman....REALLY? No, SERIOUSLY? REALLY?!?!?!?!?": Gah, I hate this song so much. REALLY. It sounds like it was written by somebody who has actually NOT ever really loved a woman.
Anyway...this was pretty good, actually. Casey, in particular, was really good...he was like the Richie Sambora of this duet (trust me...that's a good thing). Great guitar work, and I thought he really nailed the harmonies. Mike was his usual good-not-great self.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
It is so stupid that they have duets at this point in the show. Aren't we trying to decide who is going to be the next big pop star? How does singing in a duet show that at all? Oh, right...it doesn't. It's only happened since we decided that the judges are more important than the actual performances on this show, so rather than have everybody sing twice we stuck them together in duets to save time.
Kara looked GORGEOUS tonight.
Jamie Foxx is worthless as a mentor on this show...he's proven it two years in a row now. If he takes Simon's place next year I'm officially out.
Tonight's rankings:
1) Lee/Crystal duet
2) Crystal
3) Casey/Mike duet
4) Mike
5) Lee
6) Casey
Predicted eviction: Casey
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Idol Thoughts - Top 5
OK, for lots of reasons (the biggest one being my rapidly dying interest in any of these pretenders to the throne), this is probably going to be a very short recap. I know I've said that for the last few weeks...part of the reason is that none of these contestants ever do anything different, exciting, or unexpected, so I often struggle to come up with new things to say about them. I miss last season.
The other thing that had me in a bad mood before the show even started...up until last year, the top 5 always featured two songs apiece, but because you have imbeciles running this show that has been cut to one song each so that we can accommodate the four judges rambling. On one hand, I don't know that I would particularly want to hear two songs from each of these folks, but on the other hand...don't try to sell me on the fact that this is a SINGING COMPETITION, DAWG and then drastically cut the amount of actual singing.
Once more, into the breach...
1) Aaron Kelly - "Fly Me to the Moon": Decent vocal, as usual. High School Talent Show level performance, as usual.
I'm not spending any more time on this guy. Sorry.
The band sounded good, though.
2) Casey James - "Blue Skies": Oof. After a great performance last week, it really all came crashing down on Casey this week.
Something that hurt him, and something I was going to mention in my "Final Thoughts" section, is that the candidates were really limited this week as far as how they could arrange the songs. From what I could tell, they were pretty much required to use the big band and basically do it in something similar to the original style. One of my favorite things about how American Idol has evolved over the last few years is the emphasis on musicality...re-arranging "genre-specific" songs into something that represents what you are as an artist. I don't think Casey, in particular, was given the opportunity to show us who he is as an artist this week.
Anyway...he looks really awkward without his guitar, like he's not sure what to do with himself (and he's probably not). His voice is nowhere NEAR suited for this type of music...the song completely overwhelmed him, and the out of control vibrato was back almost in full force.
Although...Kara kind of ticked me off acting like this was the first time she's heard that particular vocal problem of his, when it has NEVER been more apparent than it was on "Jealous Guy", which the judges universally praised. Whatever.
3) Crystal Bowersox - "Summer Wind": Nice back tattoo, first of all.
I really liked this....not as good as some of her earlier performances, but better than last week. As opposed to Casey, Crystal DID manage to show off some of her musicality...I really enjoyed the phrasing she used, and she did a great job of creating the mood with some nice changes in tempo and dynamics. Not sure how much of that was her, and how much of it was Harry's arrangement, but it worked.
Also, she caught herself about to talk back to Randy and stopped...good girl.
4) Michael Lynch - "The Way You Look Tonight": One of the greatest songs ever written, of course, and perfectly suited for Mike's vocal style. However, I did NOT feel the connection that Harry was trying to get him to make...just more of Mike's typical cheeseball stuff.
I just don't think this was as good as it should have been, and I'm not sure why...maybe I'm just biased because he gets on my nerves, I don't know. But I didn't like his phrasing at all, and even the tone wasn't nearly as good as I expected. It was OK, but nothing to get all excited about.
5) Lee Dewyze - "That's Life": Great arrangement, and I think it was Lee's most impressive vocal performance. I didn't hear the pitch problems that tend to plague him, and that's a little surprising considering the degree of difficulty on these type songs.
Even within the constraints of this week, he managed to make this sound current and relevant, more so than any of the others this week by FAR.
I will agree with Kara on this part...he needs to start acting like he can win this thing, because I think he probably could. Assuming, of course, that Aaron Kelly has not sold his soul in exchange for this year's crown, a possibility that I am becoming less and less dismissive of.
Final Thoughts:
- I usually love Rat Pack/Sinatra night, because I love the music and they are perfect for this show...they are songs written by and for great singers, so they are really easy to show off on if you have the talent.
That's a really big if.
- I thought Harry Connick, Jr. did a fantastic job tonight, both with the arrangements (which they made it sound like he was responsible for) and with his interaction with the contestants. I wouldn't mind seeing him take Simon's spot if this show survives this debacle of a season.
And the band sounded AWESOME on every one of these songs. Again, I'm predisposed to love this music (I think I own every single Harry Connick CD), so I was loving the band all night.
- Oh, and one more thing: Even though they only had HALF the number of songs that they have had in years past....they STILL went over by around two minutes. Imbeciles.
Tonight's rankings:
1) Lee
2) Crystal
(INSERT HUGE GAP HERE)
3) Michael
4) Aaron
5) Casey
Predicted eviction: Somehow I feel like Lee or Crystal might be in trouble....but I'm going to go with Casey.
The other thing that had me in a bad mood before the show even started...up until last year, the top 5 always featured two songs apiece, but because you have imbeciles running this show that has been cut to one song each so that we can accommodate the four judges rambling. On one hand, I don't know that I would particularly want to hear two songs from each of these folks, but on the other hand...don't try to sell me on the fact that this is a SINGING COMPETITION, DAWG and then drastically cut the amount of actual singing.
Once more, into the breach...
1) Aaron Kelly - "Fly Me to the Moon": Decent vocal, as usual. High School Talent Show level performance, as usual.
I'm not spending any more time on this guy. Sorry.
The band sounded good, though.
2) Casey James - "Blue Skies": Oof. After a great performance last week, it really all came crashing down on Casey this week.
Something that hurt him, and something I was going to mention in my "Final Thoughts" section, is that the candidates were really limited this week as far as how they could arrange the songs. From what I could tell, they were pretty much required to use the big band and basically do it in something similar to the original style. One of my favorite things about how American Idol has evolved over the last few years is the emphasis on musicality...re-arranging "genre-specific" songs into something that represents what you are as an artist. I don't think Casey, in particular, was given the opportunity to show us who he is as an artist this week.
Anyway...he looks really awkward without his guitar, like he's not sure what to do with himself (and he's probably not). His voice is nowhere NEAR suited for this type of music...the song completely overwhelmed him, and the out of control vibrato was back almost in full force.
Although...Kara kind of ticked me off acting like this was the first time she's heard that particular vocal problem of his, when it has NEVER been more apparent than it was on "Jealous Guy", which the judges universally praised. Whatever.
3) Crystal Bowersox - "Summer Wind": Nice back tattoo, first of all.
I really liked this....not as good as some of her earlier performances, but better than last week. As opposed to Casey, Crystal DID manage to show off some of her musicality...I really enjoyed the phrasing she used, and she did a great job of creating the mood with some nice changes in tempo and dynamics. Not sure how much of that was her, and how much of it was Harry's arrangement, but it worked.
Also, she caught herself about to talk back to Randy and stopped...good girl.
4) Michael Lynch - "The Way You Look Tonight": One of the greatest songs ever written, of course, and perfectly suited for Mike's vocal style. However, I did NOT feel the connection that Harry was trying to get him to make...just more of Mike's typical cheeseball stuff.
I just don't think this was as good as it should have been, and I'm not sure why...maybe I'm just biased because he gets on my nerves, I don't know. But I didn't like his phrasing at all, and even the tone wasn't nearly as good as I expected. It was OK, but nothing to get all excited about.
5) Lee Dewyze - "That's Life": Great arrangement, and I think it was Lee's most impressive vocal performance. I didn't hear the pitch problems that tend to plague him, and that's a little surprising considering the degree of difficulty on these type songs.
Even within the constraints of this week, he managed to make this sound current and relevant, more so than any of the others this week by FAR.
I will agree with Kara on this part...he needs to start acting like he can win this thing, because I think he probably could. Assuming, of course, that Aaron Kelly has not sold his soul in exchange for this year's crown, a possibility that I am becoming less and less dismissive of.
Final Thoughts:
- I usually love Rat Pack/Sinatra night, because I love the music and they are perfect for this show...they are songs written by and for great singers, so they are really easy to show off on if you have the talent.
That's a really big if.
- I thought Harry Connick, Jr. did a fantastic job tonight, both with the arrangements (which they made it sound like he was responsible for) and with his interaction with the contestants. I wouldn't mind seeing him take Simon's spot if this show survives this debacle of a season.
And the band sounded AWESOME on every one of these songs. Again, I'm predisposed to love this music (I think I own every single Harry Connick CD), so I was loving the band all night.
- Oh, and one more thing: Even though they only had HALF the number of songs that they have had in years past....they STILL went over by around two minutes. Imbeciles.
Tonight's rankings:
1) Lee
2) Crystal
(INSERT HUGE GAP HERE)
3) Michael
4) Aaron
5) Casey
Predicted eviction: Somehow I feel like Lee or Crystal might be in trouble....but I'm going to go with Casey.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Idol Thoughts - Top 6
Sorry this is so late...this group is so boring they give me a serious case of writer's block. Seriously, there is nobody on this show anymore that I am genuinely excited about seeing every week. I hate feeling like I "have" to watch a show, but that's the way I feel about this one this season...I'm only watching because I like blogging about it and because, well....I don't know, it's just what I do, ya know? If AI is on, I'm watching. So maybe I'm part of the problem.
Anyway, let's get to it...this should be pretty short and (maybe) sweet.
1) Lee DeWyze - "You're Still the One": Oh, yeah, that was the other problem this week...it's Shania week, and I REALLY don't like Shania's music. This song is probably the one exception, although it pretty much took over 1999 and was played so much I ended up hating it at the time.
Anyway....Lee. This was a good song choice for him, as it allowed him to be a little vulnerable. The pitch problems still persist, although I'm not sure how much of the wobbly melody was actually the arrangement. But yet again, I think this is something that you could hear on the radio right now...I'm starting to think Lee's album might be pretty good.
2) Michael Lynch - "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing": I admit I'm stealing this line, but I don't remember who I'm stealing it from....this song is dedicated to all of the victims of Big Mike's bear hugs this season.
What is UP with the sudden Archuletta-level lip licking we have seen from him over the past two weeks? Has that been going on the whole time and I just didn't notice because of all the other nonsense he has going on during his performances?
This was another really good vocal performance....he missed the falsetto in the middle, but he hit it on the end, even though I thought that last falsetto was out of place and forced. This is a good performance from him...I just still don't like him very much.
3) Casey James - "Don't": So we're going to try again with the ballad, huh? Guess he doesn't read my blog...
Hey! I think he's actually been working on the vibrato with the vocal coaches....he doesn't sound NEARLY as goat-like this time as he did on "Jealous Guy". This was a very nice performance. Not mind-blowing, but....nice. And it probably is a needed change of pace for him, so a good week for Casey.
4) Crystal Bowersox - "No One Needs to Know": I didn't like the song choice...this seemed way too "cutesy" for her, and really the whole segment seemed a little forced.
And once again, the backup singers are OVERPOWERINGLY LOUD. I actually think it affected Crystal while she was singing, as she sort of cut her eyes over at her a couple of times. And it's not the backup singer's fault...it's the idiots who are producing this show.
This was a nice vocal performance, but I thought she looked a little uncomfortable for the first time. This was probably her worst performance so far, although it was still very good.
But Crystal, sweetie...do NOT start talking back to the judges when they dare to give you the slightest criticism, unless you are just ready to go home.
5) High School Student Aaron Kelly - "You've Got a Way": I'm sorry...I have no idea why he's still here. This was yet another boring, old fashioned, irrelevant performance. His voice is fine. But whatever the exact OPPOSITE of current is...that's what he is.
6) Siobhan Magnus - "Any Man of Mine": Whatever. It was OK. She's gotten more and more nasally in her lower register, and the overhead clap trying to get the audience involved just seemed awkward and out of character.
The scream at the end was pretty obvious pandering, but still impressive...and that last note had a ridiculous level of difficulty. I am interested in seeing what kind of album she puts out, and I will probably download it....but I'm no longer that invested in seeing her on this show. And since I was definitely one of her very biggest fans and supporters early on, I think that means she's in trouble. Maybe not this week, since she got to go last, but I think she's going home soon.
Final Thoughts:
This show wasn't bad...nobody was awful. But EVERYBODY was boring.
Two things that bugged me all night:
- No mention of Mutt Lange? REALLY? Didn't he co-write every single one of these songs? And by "co-write" I mean take her stupid lyrics and turn them into platinum hits?
- It's about this time every year that I REALLY get irritated with the other judges talking over Simon. He sits there patiently while they go on and on, and then as soon as he says something the others disagree with, they start shouting him down and won't let him finish. It's rude, selfish, unprofessional, and annoying.
OK, time for the weekly rankings:
1) Casey James
2) Lee Dewyze
3) Michael Lynch
4) Crystal Bowersox
5) Siobhan Magnus
6) High School Student Aaron Kelly
Prediction? Big Mike goes home. Just a hunch. High School Student Aaron Kelly obviously has magic powers, and will be bathing in a confetti shower on the Nokia Theater stage in about 5 weeks.
Anyway, let's get to it...this should be pretty short and (maybe) sweet.
1) Lee DeWyze - "You're Still the One": Oh, yeah, that was the other problem this week...it's Shania week, and I REALLY don't like Shania's music. This song is probably the one exception, although it pretty much took over 1999 and was played so much I ended up hating it at the time.
Anyway....Lee. This was a good song choice for him, as it allowed him to be a little vulnerable. The pitch problems still persist, although I'm not sure how much of the wobbly melody was actually the arrangement. But yet again, I think this is something that you could hear on the radio right now...I'm starting to think Lee's album might be pretty good.
2) Michael Lynch - "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing": I admit I'm stealing this line, but I don't remember who I'm stealing it from....this song is dedicated to all of the victims of Big Mike's bear hugs this season.
What is UP with the sudden Archuletta-level lip licking we have seen from him over the past two weeks? Has that been going on the whole time and I just didn't notice because of all the other nonsense he has going on during his performances?
This was another really good vocal performance....he missed the falsetto in the middle, but he hit it on the end, even though I thought that last falsetto was out of place and forced. This is a good performance from him...I just still don't like him very much.
3) Casey James - "Don't": So we're going to try again with the ballad, huh? Guess he doesn't read my blog...
Hey! I think he's actually been working on the vibrato with the vocal coaches....he doesn't sound NEARLY as goat-like this time as he did on "Jealous Guy". This was a very nice performance. Not mind-blowing, but....nice. And it probably is a needed change of pace for him, so a good week for Casey.
4) Crystal Bowersox - "No One Needs to Know": I didn't like the song choice...this seemed way too "cutesy" for her, and really the whole segment seemed a little forced.
And once again, the backup singers are OVERPOWERINGLY LOUD. I actually think it affected Crystal while she was singing, as she sort of cut her eyes over at her a couple of times. And it's not the backup singer's fault...it's the idiots who are producing this show.
This was a nice vocal performance, but I thought she looked a little uncomfortable for the first time. This was probably her worst performance so far, although it was still very good.
But Crystal, sweetie...do NOT start talking back to the judges when they dare to give you the slightest criticism, unless you are just ready to go home.
5) High School Student Aaron Kelly - "You've Got a Way": I'm sorry...I have no idea why he's still here. This was yet another boring, old fashioned, irrelevant performance. His voice is fine. But whatever the exact OPPOSITE of current is...that's what he is.
6) Siobhan Magnus - "Any Man of Mine": Whatever. It was OK. She's gotten more and more nasally in her lower register, and the overhead clap trying to get the audience involved just seemed awkward and out of character.
The scream at the end was pretty obvious pandering, but still impressive...and that last note had a ridiculous level of difficulty. I am interested in seeing what kind of album she puts out, and I will probably download it....but I'm no longer that invested in seeing her on this show. And since I was definitely one of her very biggest fans and supporters early on, I think that means she's in trouble. Maybe not this week, since she got to go last, but I think she's going home soon.
Final Thoughts:
This show wasn't bad...nobody was awful. But EVERYBODY was boring.
Two things that bugged me all night:
- No mention of Mutt Lange? REALLY? Didn't he co-write every single one of these songs? And by "co-write" I mean take her stupid lyrics and turn them into platinum hits?
- It's about this time every year that I REALLY get irritated with the other judges talking over Simon. He sits there patiently while they go on and on, and then as soon as he says something the others disagree with, they start shouting him down and won't let him finish. It's rude, selfish, unprofessional, and annoying.
OK, time for the weekly rankings:
1) Casey James
2) Lee Dewyze
3) Michael Lynch
4) Crystal Bowersox
5) Siobhan Magnus
6) High School Student Aaron Kelly
Prediction? Big Mike goes home. Just a hunch. High School Student Aaron Kelly obviously has magic powers, and will be bathing in a confetti shower on the Nokia Theater stage in about 5 weeks.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Idol Thoughts - Top 7
Interesting trivia...my 420th blog post was published yesterday, on 4/20. I will leave it to you to infer what that fact may mean about what factors influence my blog posts....
You ready to be INSPIRED? Because this week is Inspirational Song week! Also known as Gokey/Archuletta week....and I don't mean that as a good thing.
Let's get to it!
1) Casey James - "Don't Stop": First of all, this song was killed very dead for me back when Bill Clinton used it as his campaign theme....once I've seen Al Gore "dancing" to a song, it's impossible for me to every truly enjoy it again.
Was it just me, or did the arrangement on this song make it sound like he was singing the words to "Don't Stop" set to the tune of "Power of Love"? Was it one of those mash-up things the kids today are so crazy about?
Look, this is what Casey is, OK? The judges keep talking about him doing something "different", but I was not nearly as in love with his rendition of "Jealous Guy" a couple of weeks ago, as I thought it really showed his weakness as a vocalist. If they didn't want to hear Casey do these type of songs, they shouldn't have put him on the show. This is Casey doing what he does best, and it is what it is....like Ellen said, it's good not great.
2) Lee Dewyze - "The Boxer": Ooooh, great song choice! I love this song, and I was very interested to see how he arranged it.
I talk about how Lee sounds like people that I listen to right now...in this song he mostly reminded me of Andy Hull, the lead singer of Manchester Orchestra (one of my new favorite bands, by the way...check out "I've Got Friends" if you've never heard them). I think he is doing a MUCH better job of emotionally connecting, both with the song and with the audience, and that can be attributed to his ever-increasing confidence.
Yeah, the pitch problems kind of came back this week...but like I've said over and over, this is not a singing competition, it's a Pop Star competition, and I know I would buy this.
3) Tim Urban - "Better Days": Another nice vocal from him, but I'm not seeing any kind of "performance"....and he's shaking his head too much, which is causing his voice to fade in and out.
Sorry, I'm distracted....did Ryan say that Aaron was going to be singing R. Kelly?
4) Aaron Kelly - "I Believe I can Fly": YES!!! This is going to be so awful it might flip inside out into Sanjaya levels of AWESOME.
Yep....this was bad. Schmaltzy, karaoke crap, and the song was WAY too big for him...it swallowed him WHOLE. He is off pitch basically through the whole song (including the end, which all the judges seemed to like). And, to continue what I said when talking about Lee, it wouldn't matter if he sang it perfectly...this kind of performance no longer belongs on this show. Nothing current or relevant about it, and I'm getting really sick of the judges just giving him a pass every week. More on that when we talk about....
5) Siobhan Magnus - "When You Believe": Well, she looks fantastic...I even liked the butterflies. But this is yet another boring, old fashioned song choice and performance. And, yes, the girl can definitely sing...I still think she has the best pure vocal ability of anybody in this competition. But there is no longer any WOW factor with her.
But...compare this to the crap Aaron just pulled, and there's no contest. They both sang a boring, irrelevant, old fashoned song....but Siobhan's vocal blew Aaron's away and it wasn't even close. So why do the judges use Siobhan as a punching bag and say that Aaron "soared"?
Right. Because they are morons. I keep forgetting.
By the way, I'm still voting for Siobhan every single week, because I love her and want her to stick around...but she no longer has any chance of even being in the final unless she gets back to what put her on the map in the first place.
6) Michael Lynche - "Hero": Well, I got one pleasant surprise, at least...I thought he was doing the Mariah Carey song, and was preparing myself for two minutes of Danny Gokey flashbacks.
Vocally, this was pretty good, although definitely not his best performance. I know I'm going to sound like one of the judges, this is so contradictory to what I've said about him before...but I think he made a mistake using the guitar this week. Normally, I prefer him to hold the guitar because it cuts down on all of the cheesy over-the-top stuff he does when his arms are free. But this arrangement was so BIG, I actually thought his usual performance would have suited it better. As it was, I think his voice was overpowered by the band, the lights, the whole thing. And what was up with the exaggerated lick-lip at the end? That was...uncomfortable.
7) Crystal Bowersox - "People Get Ready": OK, I'll skip over the usual...yes, she sounds awesome again (although she did reach for a couple of notes that were out of her range and missed them), she really did look fantastic, and I loved the mic stand.
What I want to talk about is that I have actually seen many online commentators accusing her of "fake crying" in order to get sympathy votes. The only thing I can imagine is that these morons are just ardent supporters of one of the other performers and are looking for a reason to bash Crystal, because that is ridiculous.
She told us why she got emotional...the last line of the song is (approximately) "Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord you're here". As she's singing that, she's thinking about where she was before and where she is now, and then she looks out in the audience at her father, who is there for the first time, and gets overwhelmed by the moment.
That is AWESOME. That is REAL. And people ripping her for that just makes me mad at the Internet all over again. I hate that there is a large segment of our society who have decided that you are only "cool" if you are being negative...I blame blogs, message boards, and talk radio (which, by the way, are three of my favorite things). Unintelligent people have decided that you only sound smart if you are being critical. Cynicism is at an all time high, and I find that very sad.
And, by the way, do any of these people actually think Crystal needs sympathy votes? She's doing just fine with "awesomely and ridiculously talented" votes.
OK, rant over...
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall, another pretty boring night that I felt like was just something I wanted to hurry through so that I could watch LOST. It's not so much that these people are bad (other than Aaron)...it's that they're so darn boring. As much as I hated Danny Gokey (and, oh, how I hated him)...I wasn't BORED by him.
Take a look at this...these are the top 7 from each season that I have been diligently watching (the first three seasons I was kind of in and out on):
Season 4: Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Vonzell Solomon, Constantine Maroulis, Scott Savol, Anthony Fedorov, Anwar Robinson
Season 5: Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, Elliot Yamin, Paris Bennet, Kellie Pickler, Ace Young
Season 6 : Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, Phil Stacey, Chris Richardson, Sanjaya Malakar
Season 7: David Cook, David Archuletta, Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro, Brook White, Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook (and Michael Johns was number 8)
Season 8 : Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Alison Iraheta, Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud, Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds
I mean, even if you say that Season 6 was the weakest, you still were going to be interested in what Blake was going to do, you got to hear Jordan/Melinda/Lakisha belt it out, and Sanjaya was going to be the very definition of a train wreck.
Oh, well...maybe with Simon leaving TPTB will take the opportunity to try and revamp some things. Or maybe the show will just disappear with a whimper, and next year you will all be reading my thoughts on X Factor.
This week's rankings:
1) Crystal
1A) Lee
3) ummm....I don't know. So I guess I'll just say Siobhan.
4) Casey
5) Tim
6) Michael
7) Aaron
Honestly, you could arrange 3-6 anyway you want...I thought there was no doubt that Crystal and Lee were the best and that Aaron was by far the worst. The rest were an unimpressive collection of "meh".
Who SHOULD go home: Aaron
Who WILL go home: Hmmm....I'm going to guess Siobhan, again. I still think the teenybopper and grandma votes are going to be enough to inflict Aaron on us for another week.
So much for this being the "Year of the Female", huh?
You ready to be INSPIRED? Because this week is Inspirational Song week! Also known as Gokey/Archuletta week....and I don't mean that as a good thing.
Let's get to it!
1) Casey James - "Don't Stop": First of all, this song was killed very dead for me back when Bill Clinton used it as his campaign theme....once I've seen Al Gore "dancing" to a song, it's impossible for me to every truly enjoy it again.
Was it just me, or did the arrangement on this song make it sound like he was singing the words to "Don't Stop" set to the tune of "Power of Love"? Was it one of those mash-up things the kids today are so crazy about?
Look, this is what Casey is, OK? The judges keep talking about him doing something "different", but I was not nearly as in love with his rendition of "Jealous Guy" a couple of weeks ago, as I thought it really showed his weakness as a vocalist. If they didn't want to hear Casey do these type of songs, they shouldn't have put him on the show. This is Casey doing what he does best, and it is what it is....like Ellen said, it's good not great.
2) Lee Dewyze - "The Boxer": Ooooh, great song choice! I love this song, and I was very interested to see how he arranged it.
I talk about how Lee sounds like people that I listen to right now...in this song he mostly reminded me of Andy Hull, the lead singer of Manchester Orchestra (one of my new favorite bands, by the way...check out "I've Got Friends" if you've never heard them). I think he is doing a MUCH better job of emotionally connecting, both with the song and with the audience, and that can be attributed to his ever-increasing confidence.
Yeah, the pitch problems kind of came back this week...but like I've said over and over, this is not a singing competition, it's a Pop Star competition, and I know I would buy this.
3) Tim Urban - "Better Days": Another nice vocal from him, but I'm not seeing any kind of "performance"....and he's shaking his head too much, which is causing his voice to fade in and out.
Sorry, I'm distracted....did Ryan say that Aaron was going to be singing R. Kelly?
4) Aaron Kelly - "I Believe I can Fly": YES!!! This is going to be so awful it might flip inside out into Sanjaya levels of AWESOME.
Yep....this was bad. Schmaltzy, karaoke crap, and the song was WAY too big for him...it swallowed him WHOLE. He is off pitch basically through the whole song (including the end, which all the judges seemed to like). And, to continue what I said when talking about Lee, it wouldn't matter if he sang it perfectly...this kind of performance no longer belongs on this show. Nothing current or relevant about it, and I'm getting really sick of the judges just giving him a pass every week. More on that when we talk about....
5) Siobhan Magnus - "When You Believe": Well, she looks fantastic...I even liked the butterflies. But this is yet another boring, old fashioned song choice and performance. And, yes, the girl can definitely sing...I still think she has the best pure vocal ability of anybody in this competition. But there is no longer any WOW factor with her.
But...compare this to the crap Aaron just pulled, and there's no contest. They both sang a boring, irrelevant, old fashoned song....but Siobhan's vocal blew Aaron's away and it wasn't even close. So why do the judges use Siobhan as a punching bag and say that Aaron "soared"?
Right. Because they are morons. I keep forgetting.
By the way, I'm still voting for Siobhan every single week, because I love her and want her to stick around...but she no longer has any chance of even being in the final unless she gets back to what put her on the map in the first place.
6) Michael Lynche - "Hero": Well, I got one pleasant surprise, at least...I thought he was doing the Mariah Carey song, and was preparing myself for two minutes of Danny Gokey flashbacks.
Vocally, this was pretty good, although definitely not his best performance. I know I'm going to sound like one of the judges, this is so contradictory to what I've said about him before...but I think he made a mistake using the guitar this week. Normally, I prefer him to hold the guitar because it cuts down on all of the cheesy over-the-top stuff he does when his arms are free. But this arrangement was so BIG, I actually thought his usual performance would have suited it better. As it was, I think his voice was overpowered by the band, the lights, the whole thing. And what was up with the exaggerated lick-lip at the end? That was...uncomfortable.
7) Crystal Bowersox - "People Get Ready": OK, I'll skip over the usual...yes, she sounds awesome again (although she did reach for a couple of notes that were out of her range and missed them), she really did look fantastic, and I loved the mic stand.
What I want to talk about is that I have actually seen many online commentators accusing her of "fake crying" in order to get sympathy votes. The only thing I can imagine is that these morons are just ardent supporters of one of the other performers and are looking for a reason to bash Crystal, because that is ridiculous.
She told us why she got emotional...the last line of the song is (approximately) "Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord you're here". As she's singing that, she's thinking about where she was before and where she is now, and then she looks out in the audience at her father, who is there for the first time, and gets overwhelmed by the moment.
That is AWESOME. That is REAL. And people ripping her for that just makes me mad at the Internet all over again. I hate that there is a large segment of our society who have decided that you are only "cool" if you are being negative...I blame blogs, message boards, and talk radio (which, by the way, are three of my favorite things). Unintelligent people have decided that you only sound smart if you are being critical. Cynicism is at an all time high, and I find that very sad.
And, by the way, do any of these people actually think Crystal needs sympathy votes? She's doing just fine with "awesomely and ridiculously talented" votes.
OK, rant over...
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall, another pretty boring night that I felt like was just something I wanted to hurry through so that I could watch LOST. It's not so much that these people are bad (other than Aaron)...it's that they're so darn boring. As much as I hated Danny Gokey (and, oh, how I hated him)...I wasn't BORED by him.
Take a look at this...these are the top 7 from each season that I have been diligently watching (the first three seasons I was kind of in and out on):
Season 4: Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Vonzell Solomon, Constantine Maroulis, Scott Savol, Anthony Fedorov, Anwar Robinson
Season 5: Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, Elliot Yamin, Paris Bennet, Kellie Pickler, Ace Young
Season 6 : Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, Phil Stacey, Chris Richardson, Sanjaya Malakar
Season 7: David Cook, David Archuletta, Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro, Brook White, Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook (and Michael Johns was number 8)
Season 8 : Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Alison Iraheta, Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud, Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds
I mean, even if you say that Season 6 was the weakest, you still were going to be interested in what Blake was going to do, you got to hear Jordan/Melinda/Lakisha belt it out, and Sanjaya was going to be the very definition of a train wreck.
Oh, well...maybe with Simon leaving TPTB will take the opportunity to try and revamp some things. Or maybe the show will just disappear with a whimper, and next year you will all be reading my thoughts on X Factor.
This week's rankings:
1) Crystal
1A) Lee
3) ummm....I don't know. So I guess I'll just say Siobhan.
4) Casey
5) Tim
6) Michael
7) Aaron
Honestly, you could arrange 3-6 anyway you want...I thought there was no doubt that Crystal and Lee were the best and that Aaron was by far the worst. The rest were an unimpressive collection of "meh".
Who SHOULD go home: Aaron
Who WILL go home: Hmmm....I'm going to guess Siobhan, again. I still think the teenybopper and grandma votes are going to be enough to inflict Aaron on us for another week.
So much for this being the "Year of the Female", huh?
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