Sorry...various manifestations of real life have conspired to delay this week's LOST post. Hope to have it up sometime today...if not, it will have to be Monday!
Quick thoughts are that it was yet another fantastic episode, as virtually all of the last two seasons worth have been. Nice to have a little more "laid back" episode after the intensity of the last two.
And how about that statue, huh?
Back later.
Namaste.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Idol thoughts - wild card edition
Sorry, I don't have it in me to do 2 full Idol posts plus a LOST post in one week, so quick thoughts on the Wild Card round...
Very glad Matt got to come back and show what he can REALLY do...that was about 2 trillion times better than he did last week, and I can't wait for him to get behind the piano. Sorry, but I think he's going to blow Scott MacIntyre out of the water.
Really great song choices all around tonight, with the exception of Von and Jasmine. I think Simon scared the Von out of Von during Hollywood week and he went too far in the other direction.
As for Jasmine, I did NOT see what the judges saw tonight. I thought the song was too big for her voice, and I honestly think they put her through to satisfy a certain...demographic.
Overall, I'm VERY pleased with the ones they picked, since I understand what they are doing with Jasmine. Of course I'm happy that Megan is in, ECSTATIC and pleasantly surprised that Tatiana is out of my life forever, and really glad they put both Anoop and Matt in.
A very solid top 12...looking forward to next week!
Very glad Matt got to come back and show what he can REALLY do...that was about 2 trillion times better than he did last week, and I can't wait for him to get behind the piano. Sorry, but I think he's going to blow Scott MacIntyre out of the water.
Really great song choices all around tonight, with the exception of Von and Jasmine. I think Simon scared the Von out of Von during Hollywood week and he went too far in the other direction.
As for Jasmine, I did NOT see what the judges saw tonight. I thought the song was too big for her voice, and I honestly think they put her through to satisfy a certain...demographic.
Overall, I'm VERY pleased with the ones they picked, since I understand what they are doing with Jasmine. Of course I'm happy that Megan is in, ECSTATIC and pleasantly surprised that Tatiana is out of my life forever, and really glad they put both Anoop and Matt in.
A very solid top 12...looking forward to next week!
Hurley has great taste
Got this from Shan's blog...this is a (non-spoiler) promo pic from the next episode of LOST:
So apparently the D.I. are big Dawg fans, which finally gives us a definitive answer as to who the "good guys" are in the LOST universe.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Idol thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised by this week's performances. This group probably had the fewest people I was really looking forward to, and I think it ended up being the strongest week so far performance-wise. I think this group had an advantage, because they got to see the mistakes the first two groups made...this was by FAR the best group from a song choice perspective.
Oh, and Simon Cowell Week during the Top 12? Best. Idea. EVAH.
On with the show...
1) Von Smith - "You're All I Need to Get By": During all of the prelims, I really didn't know what to make of this guy...he just seemed like kind of a weird dude, and then he had this over-the-top shouty singing voice and performing style. He kind of reminded me of a 1930's vaudeville type, I guess? Don't know if I'm explaining that right...I guess I'll go back to "seemed like kind of a weird dude."
So I was very happy to see that he did take the judge's advice and dialed back the vocal theatrics. In fact, it was almost like he was whispering when the song first started, and I was afraid he may have gone too far in the OTHER direction. But once he got going, this turned into a very enjoyable performance. Nice control, especially in the higher register, and I think he did what so many in the earlier weeks struggled with...picked a good song and sung it well. He's not going to be helped by going first, though.
Oh, and then Simon compares him to Clay Aiken, and I can totally see that, but you can imagine how it would throw you if you were in Von's shoes. 'Cause I was a fan of Clay when he was on the show, but looking at what he has become now...I'm not sure if I could still be friends with somebody if they started comparing me to Clay Aiken, right?
2) Taylor Vaifanua - "If I Ain't Got You": First of all, Ryan and I are kindred spirits in at least one way...the whole "family" thing reduces him to a big ole crybaby, just like it does me, as we see him fighting back tears as Taylor's sister tries to say how proud she is of Taylor at her audition. Ryan is awesome, I don't care what anybody says.
Second of all, what is she wearing on her legs? They are very....metallic-looking. Is she a super-hero? Because that would be pretty awesome, if we could somehow mix Heroes with American Idol. I know there have been PLENTY of times on this show when it would have been nice to have Sylar around to saw off a few heads, ya know? Not mentioning any names but....you feel me, DAWG?!??
ANYWAY. This, unfortunately, is going to be one of those nice little performances that nobody remembers (of course, I thought that about Kris last week, and look how that turned out). She has some breath control issues a couple of times that I think can be attributed to nerves, but other than that this is a pretty good performance.
And then, in the judges commentary, Paula starts what will be an unnerving trend in this show...she actually remembers what Taylor sang during Hollywood week. Since when does Paula remember stuff?
3) Alex Wagner Trugman - "Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues": Now, THIS guy is funny...much funnier than Normund, who is a self-proclaimed "comedian." I've really liked this guy ever since his initial audition. Apparently, Paula has as well, since it looks like she tried to eat him during Hollywood week. That was...unsettling.
The song starts out really well, as he shows off the very pure tone to his voice, which is totally unexpected from the looks of him, and then....WOAH. Why is he growling at us? I'm having enough problems with this little dorky looking math tutor singing about "rolling like thunder under the covers" without him throwing THAT into the mix. Is that supposed to be funny? Sexy? That's not sexy, that's ANIMAL.
He seems genuinely confused by the judges critique of his vocal "stylings," so I still don't know whether that was supposed to be serious or not. Of course, Genuine Confusion seems to be his default expression, so I'm at a loss....
4) Arianna Afsar - "The Winner Takes it All": OK, Arianna...get over it. You ARE cute. And when you get a little older, you're going to realize that pointing that out is not an insult. Believe me, there is no greater compliment that you can receive from Simon or Kara than "You are Marketable," which is basically what they were saying. You have an advantage to making it in the music business because of the way you look, and you are stupid if you don't take advantage of it. Not that she's gorgeous or anything, but she does have the "look" of a teen pop star.
She picked a GREAT song (yeah, I like ABBA...what of it?), but then totally screwed it up with some weird arrangement. She was flat at the beginning, with some of that Britney-inspired word pronunciation, it sounded like she was ahead of the band during the verse, and she kept doing the same little Mariah-runs over and over again. She lost her breath at the end, causing cracks on the glory notes. Simon was right, as usual...that song was too big for her.
Great song choice, bad execution.
5) Ju'Not Joyner - "Hey There, Delilah": Cool arrangement on the song, very pure, soulful voice. There is literally nothing for me to be snarky about here, other than that his hat is crooked. Kara was right, "smooth" is the best way to describe this performance. I loved it.
6) Kristen McNamara - "Give Me One Reason": Wow, she's only 24? She must be living HARD.
She does have a great voice, and this is yet another great song chosen tonight. Shows off her pipes, at least until a little trouble at the end.
Boy, she really does have an identity crisis, doesn't she? Isn't 24 a little old to be letting other people tell you who you're supposed to be? If you're the crazy girl who colors her hair and wears weird clothes, then OWN THAT. If you start trying to change who you are every time somebody, no matter who they are, tells you that you should, then you are going to end up very confused...much like Kristen seems to be.
Speaking of confused....
7) Nathaniel Marshall - "I Would Do Anything for Love": See, now here is the danger to following the advice I just gave Kristen. There is a HUGE difference between "being who you are" and shoving "who you are" into everybody's face over and over again and then not understanding when they pull away from you. And I'm not even just talking about the gay thing, it goes for jocks, geeks, frat boys, sorority girls, whomever...some people just don't get the difference between a "personality" and a "persona," so they never stop performing whatever "label" they've decided to put on themselves long enough to just BE.
Anyway...what was I saying? Right: Nathaniel. So he comes out in this god-awful outfit, with the headband, and the hair teased, and the flouncing around and the flirty faces and the pointing in the camera, and it's just...too much. Honestly. I felt like I was watching an SNL skit.
This guy is obviously ACHING for attention, and this is certainly an appropriate song choice for him, though I'm honestly not sure what the "That" is that he says he WON'T do because, come on...just TRY to come up with something that you think Nathaniel Marshall will NOT do for love. I know, right? I can't think of anything either.
Sad part of it is he actually has a nice voice...too bad it's overshadowed by the production.
8) Felicia Barton - "No One": She really seems to have updated her look since the audition times, and she looks much more marketable (don't worry, Arianna...I didn't say "cute). I confess, this song is one of those that I have to listen to every time I pass it on the radio...very catchy. And it is a SINGER'S song, so it is a good song choice for her. She certainly has pipes...she loses it a little in the middle...I think she lost her breath (probably nerves) and overshot on a note or two, then panicked for a minute, which caused even more shaky notes. But, she pulled it together in the end, and I thought it was a very good performance overall. She can definitely sing...she just kind of oversang it in the middle.
9) Scott MacIntyre - "Mandolin Rain": OK, here is where I'm going to be labeled the big ole meanie...if this guy could see, do you think he would still be in the competition? His voice is better than average, but nothing great. He sings all John Tesh soft rock songs, with a delivery that is very "rehearsed"....in other words, every word is very ar-tic-u-lat-ed, very managed. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, just seems out of place in a pop star karaoke competition.
Also....jeez, I'm a terrible human being, I know...but his eyes freak me out a little. Would it kill him to wear some sunglasses? Hey, if it's good enough for Ronnie Milsap, it's good enough for me, that's what I always say. Always, I say that.
OK, enough, enough...he seems like an awfully nice fella, and when he asked Ryan for a high five, I just about fell out. I won't be terribly upset if he makes it to the top 12, but I also think that if he wasn't blind he would be out already...and that's not prejudiced, that's the exact OPPOSITE of prejudiced.
10) Kendall Beard - "This One's For the Girls": Well, she's cute as a button, I'll give her that (sorry, Arianna). But she's really going out on a limb by taking on Martina McBride...if you're going to do that, you better have the pipes to back it up. Unfortunately, she does NOT. This song was entirely too big for her, and she never had a shot.
Quick aside...looks like just about everybody this week noticed the judges ragging on song choice, because almost all of them are picking big Singer's Songs, where you can really blast it out and show off your skillzz. Gotta be careful with that, though, because if you outreach your ability then a song like that can really demonstrate your shortcomings. Case in point...Kendall. She could have sang any number of country songs to show her "country girl" personality without trying to take on one of the biggest voices country music has ever seen.
One more quick aside...this was a really weird song. Maybe it's a chick thing and I didn't get it? "We're all the same on the inside?" What does that mean? I mean, it's basically true, from an anatomical perspective, but I don't think that is what it is talking about....is it? Does it mean all girls are the same? If so, that's a pretty sexist song, isn't it?
11) Jorge Nunez - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me": Is he really only 21? He looks much older than that. Super, fantastic, gorgeous voice...and the producers gave him a nice little split-screen effect for dramatic purposes. Hey, try and at least hide the bias a LITTLE bit, OK guys? Of course, the backup singers certainly were not biased, at least not favorably...they sounded like butt. But seriously, this was really pretty...definitely a "big voice ballad" singer in the mold of Jon Secada.
And then they go to the judges, and things get crazy. Simon started off OK by saying that they should not have told him to lose his accent, which I agree with. But then he went on to call him Spanish about 3-4 times, which...he's not Spanish. It's like calling everybody from Central or South America "Mexican", or all Oriental people "Chinese."
And then Paula, of course, makes it worse by asking him to dance and talk in his accent like he did in Hollywood, and it's like...dude. He's not your wind-up toy. And THEN, she follows that up with, "What? It's FUNNY!" when Simon calls her out (rightfully so, but...you kind of gave up the moral high ground, like, 5 seconds ago) about being patronizing. Good grief, what a mess. Those who know me know that I'm not a big "politically correct" type guy, but come on. "Dance for me, Jorge! And talk in that cute funny little accent! Man, all you Spanish folks are just alike!"
Meanwhile, Jorge is just soaking it all in...he's just happy to be there, and I'm happy for him, but it actually makes me a little sad that he is intentionally trying to lose his accent, just because Paula Abdul told him to. He needs to just be himself...there is a HUGE audience out there for Latin singers (or, SPANISH singers, as Simon would say).
12) Lil Rounds - "Bein' Without You": Wow. That was awesome. You can always tell the ones who are going to be the ones who stick around for a while...they are the ones who make you momentarily forget you are watching a karaoke show and instead make you think you are watching a concert. Bo Bice singing Whipping Post, Carrie Underwood singing Alone, David Cook singing Hello...and this definitely had that kind of a feel for me. Maybe not to that level yet, but this girl is good.
Good batch of performances this week. Outside of that cute girl who murdered ABBA, there were no actively BAD performances, I didn't think.
Who I voted for: Von, Ju'Not, Jorge, Lil, Kristen, Felicia (this was by FAR the strongest week).
Who will make it: Scott, Lil, Jorge.
- Finally got some clarification on the Wild Card rules...apparently, the judges will bring back 8-9 people Thursday night (either 8 or 9, probably depending on who goes through tonight), they will all "sing for their life," and then the judges will pick 3 and the other 5 or 6 will be eaten by Randy Jackson. Or something, I don't know...THEY are the ones who brought up the "Sing for Your LIFE!!!!!" thing, not me.
That is a LOT to be happening in a one hour show...poor little Ryan's head is going to explode.
I'll try to be back tomorrow with predictions on who they will bring back and who will make it, but having heard all of the performers at this point, here is who would be in my personal top 12 (including the ones already voted in):
Adam Lambert
Danny Gokey
Anoop Desai
Ju'Not Joyner
Michael Sarver
Kris Allen
Alexis Grace
Lil Rounds
Alison Iraheta
Megan Corkey (Shut up...I still love her)
Mishavonna Henson
Jessie Langseth
The last female slot was the hardest decision for me...I would be OK with Felicia Barton here, as well, and maybe Ann Marie Boskovich or Kristen McNamara. Feel free to leave your predictions, as well...
***UPDATE***
My above list assumes that the judges will try and even out guys and girls...if they just take 12, regardless, then add Jorge Nunez and Matt Giraud and remove Mishavonna and Jessie. I know Matt was awful last time we saw him, but I want to see him with his piano in the top 12.
Oh, and Simon Cowell Week during the Top 12? Best. Idea. EVAH.
On with the show...
1) Von Smith - "You're All I Need to Get By": During all of the prelims, I really didn't know what to make of this guy...he just seemed like kind of a weird dude, and then he had this over-the-top shouty singing voice and performing style. He kind of reminded me of a 1930's vaudeville type, I guess? Don't know if I'm explaining that right...I guess I'll go back to "seemed like kind of a weird dude."
So I was very happy to see that he did take the judge's advice and dialed back the vocal theatrics. In fact, it was almost like he was whispering when the song first started, and I was afraid he may have gone too far in the OTHER direction. But once he got going, this turned into a very enjoyable performance. Nice control, especially in the higher register, and I think he did what so many in the earlier weeks struggled with...picked a good song and sung it well. He's not going to be helped by going first, though.
Oh, and then Simon compares him to Clay Aiken, and I can totally see that, but you can imagine how it would throw you if you were in Von's shoes. 'Cause I was a fan of Clay when he was on the show, but looking at what he has become now...I'm not sure if I could still be friends with somebody if they started comparing me to Clay Aiken, right?
2) Taylor Vaifanua - "If I Ain't Got You": First of all, Ryan and I are kindred spirits in at least one way...the whole "family" thing reduces him to a big ole crybaby, just like it does me, as we see him fighting back tears as Taylor's sister tries to say how proud she is of Taylor at her audition. Ryan is awesome, I don't care what anybody says.
Second of all, what is she wearing on her legs? They are very....metallic-looking. Is she a super-hero? Because that would be pretty awesome, if we could somehow mix Heroes with American Idol. I know there have been PLENTY of times on this show when it would have been nice to have Sylar around to saw off a few heads, ya know? Not mentioning any names but....you feel me, DAWG?!??
ANYWAY. This, unfortunately, is going to be one of those nice little performances that nobody remembers (of course, I thought that about Kris last week, and look how that turned out). She has some breath control issues a couple of times that I think can be attributed to nerves, but other than that this is a pretty good performance.
And then, in the judges commentary, Paula starts what will be an unnerving trend in this show...she actually remembers what Taylor sang during Hollywood week. Since when does Paula remember stuff?
3) Alex Wagner Trugman - "Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues": Now, THIS guy is funny...much funnier than Normund, who is a self-proclaimed "comedian." I've really liked this guy ever since his initial audition. Apparently, Paula has as well, since it looks like she tried to eat him during Hollywood week. That was...unsettling.
The song starts out really well, as he shows off the very pure tone to his voice, which is totally unexpected from the looks of him, and then....WOAH. Why is he growling at us? I'm having enough problems with this little dorky looking math tutor singing about "rolling like thunder under the covers" without him throwing THAT into the mix. Is that supposed to be funny? Sexy? That's not sexy, that's ANIMAL.
He seems genuinely confused by the judges critique of his vocal "stylings," so I still don't know whether that was supposed to be serious or not. Of course, Genuine Confusion seems to be his default expression, so I'm at a loss....
4) Arianna Afsar - "The Winner Takes it All": OK, Arianna...get over it. You ARE cute. And when you get a little older, you're going to realize that pointing that out is not an insult. Believe me, there is no greater compliment that you can receive from Simon or Kara than "You are Marketable," which is basically what they were saying. You have an advantage to making it in the music business because of the way you look, and you are stupid if you don't take advantage of it. Not that she's gorgeous or anything, but she does have the "look" of a teen pop star.
She picked a GREAT song (yeah, I like ABBA...what of it?), but then totally screwed it up with some weird arrangement. She was flat at the beginning, with some of that Britney-inspired word pronunciation, it sounded like she was ahead of the band during the verse, and she kept doing the same little Mariah-runs over and over again. She lost her breath at the end, causing cracks on the glory notes. Simon was right, as usual...that song was too big for her.
Great song choice, bad execution.
5) Ju'Not Joyner - "Hey There, Delilah": Cool arrangement on the song, very pure, soulful voice. There is literally nothing for me to be snarky about here, other than that his hat is crooked. Kara was right, "smooth" is the best way to describe this performance. I loved it.
6) Kristen McNamara - "Give Me One Reason": Wow, she's only 24? She must be living HARD.
She does have a great voice, and this is yet another great song chosen tonight. Shows off her pipes, at least until a little trouble at the end.
Boy, she really does have an identity crisis, doesn't she? Isn't 24 a little old to be letting other people tell you who you're supposed to be? If you're the crazy girl who colors her hair and wears weird clothes, then OWN THAT. If you start trying to change who you are every time somebody, no matter who they are, tells you that you should, then you are going to end up very confused...much like Kristen seems to be.
Speaking of confused....
7) Nathaniel Marshall - "I Would Do Anything for Love": See, now here is the danger to following the advice I just gave Kristen. There is a HUGE difference between "being who you are" and shoving "who you are" into everybody's face over and over again and then not understanding when they pull away from you. And I'm not even just talking about the gay thing, it goes for jocks, geeks, frat boys, sorority girls, whomever...some people just don't get the difference between a "personality" and a "persona," so they never stop performing whatever "label" they've decided to put on themselves long enough to just BE.
Anyway...what was I saying? Right: Nathaniel. So he comes out in this god-awful outfit, with the headband, and the hair teased, and the flouncing around and the flirty faces and the pointing in the camera, and it's just...too much. Honestly. I felt like I was watching an SNL skit.
This guy is obviously ACHING for attention, and this is certainly an appropriate song choice for him, though I'm honestly not sure what the "That" is that he says he WON'T do because, come on...just TRY to come up with something that you think Nathaniel Marshall will NOT do for love. I know, right? I can't think of anything either.
Sad part of it is he actually has a nice voice...too bad it's overshadowed by the production.
8) Felicia Barton - "No One": She really seems to have updated her look since the audition times, and she looks much more marketable (don't worry, Arianna...I didn't say "cute). I confess, this song is one of those that I have to listen to every time I pass it on the radio...very catchy. And it is a SINGER'S song, so it is a good song choice for her. She certainly has pipes...she loses it a little in the middle...I think she lost her breath (probably nerves) and overshot on a note or two, then panicked for a minute, which caused even more shaky notes. But, she pulled it together in the end, and I thought it was a very good performance overall. She can definitely sing...she just kind of oversang it in the middle.
9) Scott MacIntyre - "Mandolin Rain": OK, here is where I'm going to be labeled the big ole meanie...if this guy could see, do you think he would still be in the competition? His voice is better than average, but nothing great. He sings all John Tesh soft rock songs, with a delivery that is very "rehearsed"....in other words, every word is very ar-tic-u-lat-ed, very managed. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, just seems out of place in a pop star karaoke competition.
Also....jeez, I'm a terrible human being, I know...but his eyes freak me out a little. Would it kill him to wear some sunglasses? Hey, if it's good enough for Ronnie Milsap, it's good enough for me, that's what I always say. Always, I say that.
OK, enough, enough...he seems like an awfully nice fella, and when he asked Ryan for a high five, I just about fell out. I won't be terribly upset if he makes it to the top 12, but I also think that if he wasn't blind he would be out already...and that's not prejudiced, that's the exact OPPOSITE of prejudiced.
10) Kendall Beard - "This One's For the Girls": Well, she's cute as a button, I'll give her that (sorry, Arianna). But she's really going out on a limb by taking on Martina McBride...if you're going to do that, you better have the pipes to back it up. Unfortunately, she does NOT. This song was entirely too big for her, and she never had a shot.
Quick aside...looks like just about everybody this week noticed the judges ragging on song choice, because almost all of them are picking big Singer's Songs, where you can really blast it out and show off your skillzz. Gotta be careful with that, though, because if you outreach your ability then a song like that can really demonstrate your shortcomings. Case in point...Kendall. She could have sang any number of country songs to show her "country girl" personality without trying to take on one of the biggest voices country music has ever seen.
One more quick aside...this was a really weird song. Maybe it's a chick thing and I didn't get it? "We're all the same on the inside?" What does that mean? I mean, it's basically true, from an anatomical perspective, but I don't think that is what it is talking about....is it? Does it mean all girls are the same? If so, that's a pretty sexist song, isn't it?
11) Jorge Nunez - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me": Is he really only 21? He looks much older than that. Super, fantastic, gorgeous voice...and the producers gave him a nice little split-screen effect for dramatic purposes. Hey, try and at least hide the bias a LITTLE bit, OK guys? Of course, the backup singers certainly were not biased, at least not favorably...they sounded like butt. But seriously, this was really pretty...definitely a "big voice ballad" singer in the mold of Jon Secada.
And then they go to the judges, and things get crazy. Simon started off OK by saying that they should not have told him to lose his accent, which I agree with. But then he went on to call him Spanish about 3-4 times, which...he's not Spanish. It's like calling everybody from Central or South America "Mexican", or all Oriental people "Chinese."
And then Paula, of course, makes it worse by asking him to dance and talk in his accent like he did in Hollywood, and it's like...dude. He's not your wind-up toy. And THEN, she follows that up with, "What? It's FUNNY!" when Simon calls her out (rightfully so, but...you kind of gave up the moral high ground, like, 5 seconds ago) about being patronizing. Good grief, what a mess. Those who know me know that I'm not a big "politically correct" type guy, but come on. "Dance for me, Jorge! And talk in that cute funny little accent! Man, all you Spanish folks are just alike!"
Meanwhile, Jorge is just soaking it all in...he's just happy to be there, and I'm happy for him, but it actually makes me a little sad that he is intentionally trying to lose his accent, just because Paula Abdul told him to. He needs to just be himself...there is a HUGE audience out there for Latin singers (or, SPANISH singers, as Simon would say).
12) Lil Rounds - "Bein' Without You": Wow. That was awesome. You can always tell the ones who are going to be the ones who stick around for a while...they are the ones who make you momentarily forget you are watching a karaoke show and instead make you think you are watching a concert. Bo Bice singing Whipping Post, Carrie Underwood singing Alone, David Cook singing Hello...and this definitely had that kind of a feel for me. Maybe not to that level yet, but this girl is good.
Good batch of performances this week. Outside of that cute girl who murdered ABBA, there were no actively BAD performances, I didn't think.
Who I voted for: Von, Ju'Not, Jorge, Lil, Kristen, Felicia (this was by FAR the strongest week).
Who will make it: Scott, Lil, Jorge.
- Finally got some clarification on the Wild Card rules...apparently, the judges will bring back 8-9 people Thursday night (either 8 or 9, probably depending on who goes through tonight), they will all "sing for their life," and then the judges will pick 3 and the other 5 or 6 will be eaten by Randy Jackson. Or something, I don't know...THEY are the ones who brought up the "Sing for Your LIFE!!!!!" thing, not me.
That is a LOT to be happening in a one hour show...poor little Ryan's head is going to explode.
I'll try to be back tomorrow with predictions on who they will bring back and who will make it, but having heard all of the performers at this point, here is who would be in my personal top 12 (including the ones already voted in):
Adam Lambert
Danny Gokey
Anoop Desai
Ju'Not Joyner
Michael Sarver
Kris Allen
Alexis Grace
Lil Rounds
Alison Iraheta
Megan Corkey (Shut up...I still love her)
Mishavonna Henson
Jessie Langseth
The last female slot was the hardest decision for me...I would be OK with Felicia Barton here, as well, and maybe Ann Marie Boskovich or Kristen McNamara. Feel free to leave your predictions, as well...
***UPDATE***
My above list assumes that the judges will try and even out guys and girls...if they just take 12, regardless, then add Jorge Nunez and Matt Giraud and remove Mishavonna and Jessie. I know Matt was awful last time we saw him, but I want to see him with his piano in the top 12.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thoughts on Lost - The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham
First of all, I was reading the transcripts of the Darlton podcast from a couple of weeks ago, and I came across some good news: Rose, Bernard, and Vincent are OK. In fact, Damon said they know that if they are going to keep ONE character alive through the end of next season, it will be Vincent. Obviously, they have been reading my blog.
OK, on with the episode:
- Wow, Caesar fits right in here, doesn't he? He's been on the Island for roughly one day, and he's already lying and hiding things from his fellow castaways.
- Nice job by Frank landing the plane, huh? Looks like somebody just set it down on the beach...reminds me of how offended he was when Miles suggested that he may have crashed the helicopter last season: "What kind of pilot do you think I am?" Heh.
- That would have been a nice reveal with Locke pulling back the hood a la Ben Kenobi, if the stupid ABC promo monkeys hadn't shown us the scene in last week's "Next Week on Lost" spot. I guess I'm going to have to go back to not watching the preview scenes.
Also, it has been reported that this set of scenes was originally planned to be the opening segment of the season. I actually think that would have been even better than what we got, as much as I enjoyed the "Faraday is part of Dharma" reveal. Think about it...we meet these two characters in an office that obviously has something to do with Dharma and the Island, based on the files that Caesar found (a map of the Island and a complex diagram that included references to "Space-Time"), then they walk outside and we realize that they are on the Island, and they got there via plane crash, just like our Losties. Then, Locke does his Gandalf act and introduces himself, when the last time we saw him he was in a coffin. Then later, when Jack and the group show up at the airport, both Caesar and Ilana show up and we realize that the flight that crashed was actually the one that our group is on. That scenario has multiple goosebump moments, and I'm not sure why they decided to change their mind.
- OK, so they are not actually on OUR Island...they are on the Hydra Island, where Jack, Kate, and Sawyer were held captive. And, apparently, Frank and Sun decided to take one of the canoes and head on over to the Island, probably to see if they could find Jin. Unfortunately for them, they missed him by roughly 25 years, I would say.
- I loved the little knowing smile that Locke gave when Ilana told him he would have to talk to Caesar if he wanted a passenger list...Locke knows how this works. Plane crashes, people are stranded, confused and scared, and inevitably leaders emerge. Looks like Caesar is this group's Jack.
- And just like the 815 post-crash scene, Locke is the crazy fruit-eating man. "I believe these are the clothes they were going to bury me in...I remember dying." Yeah, OK old man...enjoy your mango.
- So Locke shows up in Tunisia, in the same spot Ben did, roughly 2 years later. This time, somebody was expecting him, apparently, considering the camera that is set up. Later, Widmore will tell Locke that he set the camera up there because that's the "exit." So why didn't he have it set up when Ben showed up there in 2005? Maybe he didn't think anybody else was going to leave the Island the same way he did, until Ben showed up in his hotel room and threatened his daughter. After that, he knew to be watching...probably waiting for Ben.
- NEVER a good sign when your doctor gives you a block of wood to bite down on. And then straps it onto your head.
- The conversation between Locke and Widmore was Lost at its best: extremely informative, and maddeningly mysterious. Let's look at the information he revealed, and then some ramifications/theories...
- One more thing...Richard was the leader of the Others in 1954, and we know he's still around. Why was there even a need for another leader? Why couldn't Richard just continue as the leader, since he obviously doesn't have to worry about getting too old for the position? Maybe, as a friend of mine has proposed (hi, Amanda!), Richard is still the one who is really in charge, and he only puts others in his place when he needs them to do something "unsavory?" You know, like kill a bunch of people, or turn the Frozen Donkey Wheel? I don't know, but I think I believe like my brother said...if we ever figure out what's up with RICHARD, we've probably come close to figuring out what's really up with the ISLAND.
Also, Richard told Locke he would have to die, but Widmore didn't seem to know anything about that. Maybe these who have some knowledge of the future (Widmore, Alpert, Ms. Hawking, etc) only have access to certain "pieces" of the timeline? That would make sense, to me...they aren't supposed to be omniscient beings, anyway.
- Ugh, my heart sank when Abaddon broke out the wheelchair. Poor John.
- "The whole world thinks you're dead. There must be somebody who'd be happy to see you."
"Please don't talk to me."
Yeah, in other words, please don't remind me that I have NOBODY on this planet who would be happy to hear from me, even though I haven't been heard from in three years. Poor John.
- OK, so we have some more unanswered questions when it comes to Sayid. Since he came back from the Island he was married to Nadia for 9 months, worked as an assassin for 2 years, and now is acting as the Dominican Jimmy Carter. And seems very content doing so. The next time we see him, he is putting a bullet through a guy's brain outside of Santa Rosa Mental Institution and busting Hurley out. So what happens to change his mind? It certainly wasn't his visit from "Bentham," as we assumed before.
Oh and thanks, Sayid, for reminding Locke that he has nowhere else to go, if he can't go back to the Island. Poor John.
- But the talk from Sayid of marrying the woman he loves triggers Locke to start looking for Helen. The one person off the Island who MIGHT be happy to hear from him. Maybe.
- Loved the scene with Locke and Walt...they had such a great relationship on the Island, so this is a nice little reunion, complete with the "Boy got big" crack from Abaddon which is now required for every scene involving off-Island Walt. And, ultimately, Locke still has a soft spot for Walt, as he can't bring himself to tell him that the freighter that his Dad was on was blown to smithereens.
Couple of things here...Walt seems to have no recollection of "visiting" Locke after he was shot by Ben...maybe on Walt's timeline it hasn't happened yet, or maybe it wasn't actually Walt at all?
And Walt is obviously still a "special" boy...dreaming of Locke's future on the Island in a suit. But interesting that John is surrounded by people who want to "hurt" him in Walt's dream.
- Next up on the Locke's Magical Mystery Tour is Hurley. Funny bit when Hurley thinks Locke is dead, since all of the other people he has been seeing is dead. And maybe Locke could have convinced him, until he looks up and sees Abaddon, the guy who scared the crap out of him last time he was there. So, once again, whatever reason Hurley decided to go back to the Island, it was NOT because of his visit from Bentham.
- Wonder who else Abaddon directed on to Flight 815? Jack? If so, he would have to be responsible for Christian's death. Kate? If so, he would have to have some control over the US Marshalls.
Claire? Maybe the psychic (Richard Malkin) has a similar position as Abaddon, since he was involved in both Claire and Eko's travels? He put Claire on the plane to go to the potential adoptive parents for Aaron, and Eko was traveling back from Malkin's home after investigating the miracle of his daughter's resurrection.
I wonder if we go back and look at why all of these people were on this flight, we may find that most if not all were somehow "directed" by someone working for Widmore?
- Next up for Locke...Kate. Remember, this has to be not long after she and Jack have split up, which may explain why she's ready to just put the whole thing behind her and move on.
And not only does he strike out again, but he gets a verbal smackdown from Kate regarding his relationship with Helen and why it didn't work out. Poor John.
- Good grief, more tragedy for John...Helen is dead. And Abaddon may be right, she may have died anyway, regardless of whether Locke had never gone to the Island, but Locke knows he could have been happy with her while it lasted, just like Sayid was with Nadia. But now she's dead. The one person off-Island who he wanted to see, and who he thought might actually want to see him. Poor John.
- WOAH! The back windshield has Abaddon all over it! Did NOT see that coming. Bummer.
- And Locke wakes up to see drug-addled, fugly beard-growing, boozy Jack staring at him. Jack is in a pretty weird place right now, remember...he's seeing his dead Dad all over the place, Hurley is telling him that maybe they should go back to the Island, he just broke up with Kate over Sawyer, and now Locke, who he last saw at the Orchid, is now in his hospital trying to convince him (once again) of destiny and faith and fate and Locke's overall unique snowflakeness. not to mention that he's referencing his father, who Jack just can't seem to get away from. So, no wonder he's having none of it. And, he puts the final nail in Locke's self-confidence on his way out...you were never important, you're just a lonely old man seeking for meaning where there is none. Ouch. Poor John.
One thing that bothers me about this scene...Jack told Ben back in the season premiere that Locke told him that everybody back on the Island would die if they didn't go back. However, Locke did not say that in this conversation. If you have a theory regarding that, please let me know, because otherwise it was sloppy writing.
- And, that does it for Locke. I really think that his suicide attempt was 25% attempt to fulfill what Richard said about his death being the only way to get everybody back, 75% legitimate defeat and depression. There is seriously NOTHING left for him off-Island, and if dying is the only way to get back, then dying is his only hope. Now THAT is depressing. And Terry O'Quinn knocked it out of the park in this scene. His whole demeanor portrayed defeat, anger, desperation, the tiniest tinge of hope, but underneath it all a definite sense of purpose. Painful to watch, especially for somebody who loves this character as much as I do, but mesmerizing at the same time.
And I honestly don't know what to make of Ben in this scene, so my thoughts may be a little disjointed...he bursts in at PRECISELY the right moment, proclaiming that he has been watching the O6 to help keep them "safe," and ultimately stopping Locke from going through with it by informing him of Jack's Death Wish Flights. Blames Widmore for "using" John (wow...pot/kettle). He certainly knows which button to push: "You have no idea how important you are."
I think he was legitimately surprised that Jin is alive, but you can almost SEE the wheels turning when he finds out...this is a way to get Sun to go BACK to the Island, not a way to keep her away, and his cunning little mind decides that immediately. "A promise is a promise" ....whatever.
Looks like he has Locke as his sidekick again, until Locke says the magic words "Eloise Hawking." At which point, in my opinion, he just snaps and kill him. But why?
Maybe he was planning on using Locke to get back to the Island until he snapped and killed him, so than he adjusted and started using JACK instead?
That was basically the end, except for the reveal that Ben is in fact back on the Island, on the same timeline as Locke, Sun, and Lapidus. Any theories as to what caused the difference? Why are Kate, Jack, and Hurley in Dharma days, while everybody else stayed on the "current" timeline?
Overall, yet another fantastic episode...but is it just me, or are we back to piling question upon question? I am as confused now as I was back in Season 1. Not that this is a bad thing, as I trust the writers to answer the questions in their typical mind-blowing fashion.
- What happened to change Sayid's mind?
- What happened to change Hurley's mind?
- What is the coming war, and why is Locke so important to the outcome?
- Are Widmore and Ben really on opposite sides of this war, or are they fighting some other entity, and they are just in disagreement as to methods?
- What is going on with Walt's dreams, and is he supposed to go back to the Island as well?
- What is going on with the separate timelines of the flight 316 survivors?
- WHAT IS BEN UP TO?!?!?!?
- Whose side is Christian/Jacob on?
Seriously, I could keep going....but it's getting late. Feel free to post any theories...I'm starting to feel like my brain is turning to mush. Am I missing some obvious answers to some of these questions I have?
Oh no....is my nose bleeding?
Namaste.
OK, on with the episode:
- Wow, Caesar fits right in here, doesn't he? He's been on the Island for roughly one day, and he's already lying and hiding things from his fellow castaways.
- Nice job by Frank landing the plane, huh? Looks like somebody just set it down on the beach...reminds me of how offended he was when Miles suggested that he may have crashed the helicopter last season: "What kind of pilot do you think I am?" Heh.
- That would have been a nice reveal with Locke pulling back the hood a la Ben Kenobi, if the stupid ABC promo monkeys hadn't shown us the scene in last week's "Next Week on Lost" spot. I guess I'm going to have to go back to not watching the preview scenes.
Also, it has been reported that this set of scenes was originally planned to be the opening segment of the season. I actually think that would have been even better than what we got, as much as I enjoyed the "Faraday is part of Dharma" reveal. Think about it...we meet these two characters in an office that obviously has something to do with Dharma and the Island, based on the files that Caesar found (a map of the Island and a complex diagram that included references to "Space-Time"), then they walk outside and we realize that they are on the Island, and they got there via plane crash, just like our Losties. Then, Locke does his Gandalf act and introduces himself, when the last time we saw him he was in a coffin. Then later, when Jack and the group show up at the airport, both Caesar and Ilana show up and we realize that the flight that crashed was actually the one that our group is on. That scenario has multiple goosebump moments, and I'm not sure why they decided to change their mind.
- OK, so they are not actually on OUR Island...they are on the Hydra Island, where Jack, Kate, and Sawyer were held captive. And, apparently, Frank and Sun decided to take one of the canoes and head on over to the Island, probably to see if they could find Jin. Unfortunately for them, they missed him by roughly 25 years, I would say.
- I loved the little knowing smile that Locke gave when Ilana told him he would have to talk to Caesar if he wanted a passenger list...Locke knows how this works. Plane crashes, people are stranded, confused and scared, and inevitably leaders emerge. Looks like Caesar is this group's Jack.
- And just like the 815 post-crash scene, Locke is the crazy fruit-eating man. "I believe these are the clothes they were going to bury me in...I remember dying." Yeah, OK old man...enjoy your mango.
- So Locke shows up in Tunisia, in the same spot Ben did, roughly 2 years later. This time, somebody was expecting him, apparently, considering the camera that is set up. Later, Widmore will tell Locke that he set the camera up there because that's the "exit." So why didn't he have it set up when Ben showed up there in 2005? Maybe he didn't think anybody else was going to leave the Island the same way he did, until Ben showed up in his hotel room and threatened his daughter. After that, he knew to be watching...probably waiting for Ben.
- NEVER a good sign when your doctor gives you a block of wood to bite down on. And then straps it onto your head.
- The conversation between Locke and Widmore was Lost at its best: extremely informative, and maddeningly mysterious. Let's look at the information he revealed, and then some ramifications/theories...
- Widmore was the leader of the Others until Ben somehow forced him out...on one hand, he said Ben "fooled" him into leaving, but then he also said that Ben "exiled" him. To me, "exiled" leads you to believe that Widmore was somehow being punished for something, and that his punishment was banishment from the Island. (Also liked the little aside from Widmore that they were not "Others" to him, they were his people. Locke seemed a little embarrassed at that point, probably because he believes that he should feel the same way).
- Widmore said they protected the Island "peacefully" for more than three decades.
- Widmore is going to help Locke bring everybody back, because Locke needs to be on the Island when the coming "war" starts, or the wrong side will win.
- We know that Richard was the leader in 1954...if Widmore took over for some reason (more on that in a minute) in the late 50's/early 60's, then his "peaceful reign" of more than three decades would have taken him right up to the early 90's. The Purge of the Dharma Initiative happened in December 1992, according to Lostpedia's timeline. Remember back when Locke, Hurley, and Ben were all at the burial pit? Ben told Hurley that it was not his decision to kill off Dharma. Hurley responded that he thought Ben was the leader, and Ben replied, "...not always." Now, Widmore is saying that Ben fooled him somehow, and it lead to his being exiled from the Island. What if Ben somehow manipulated Widmore into killing off Dharma, only to then condemn him for it and "punish" him by banishing him from the Island? We found out earlier this season that Widmore started funding Daniel's research in 1994, and in 1996 he was winning the Black Rock first mate's journal at an auction. To me, that fits right in with my theory...Widmore left the Island in late '92/early '93, and immediately started trying to find his way back to the Island, ultimately culminating in holding a boat race around the world that Desmond enters and ends up on the Island, turning the fail-safe key that makes the Island visible, saving Charlie so that he can make contact with Penny, etc, etc...
- So...what is this "war," and how does John being on the Island affect the outcome? And why and how does Widmore seem to have foreknowledge of it? No clue, but I wonder if this is not the "violent purge" that Pierre Chang refers to in the video that was released at this year's Comic-Con?
- One more thing...Richard was the leader of the Others in 1954, and we know he's still around. Why was there even a need for another leader? Why couldn't Richard just continue as the leader, since he obviously doesn't have to worry about getting too old for the position? Maybe, as a friend of mine has proposed (hi, Amanda!), Richard is still the one who is really in charge, and he only puts others in his place when he needs them to do something "unsavory?" You know, like kill a bunch of people, or turn the Frozen Donkey Wheel? I don't know, but I think I believe like my brother said...if we ever figure out what's up with RICHARD, we've probably come close to figuring out what's really up with the ISLAND.
Also, Richard told Locke he would have to die, but Widmore didn't seem to know anything about that. Maybe these who have some knowledge of the future (Widmore, Alpert, Ms. Hawking, etc) only have access to certain "pieces" of the timeline? That would make sense, to me...they aren't supposed to be omniscient beings, anyway.
- Ugh, my heart sank when Abaddon broke out the wheelchair. Poor John.
- "The whole world thinks you're dead. There must be somebody who'd be happy to see you."
"Please don't talk to me."
Yeah, in other words, please don't remind me that I have NOBODY on this planet who would be happy to hear from me, even though I haven't been heard from in three years. Poor John.
- OK, so we have some more unanswered questions when it comes to Sayid. Since he came back from the Island he was married to Nadia for 9 months, worked as an assassin for 2 years, and now is acting as the Dominican Jimmy Carter. And seems very content doing so. The next time we see him, he is putting a bullet through a guy's brain outside of Santa Rosa Mental Institution and busting Hurley out. So what happens to change his mind? It certainly wasn't his visit from "Bentham," as we assumed before.
Oh and thanks, Sayid, for reminding Locke that he has nowhere else to go, if he can't go back to the Island. Poor John.
- But the talk from Sayid of marrying the woman he loves triggers Locke to start looking for Helen. The one person off the Island who MIGHT be happy to hear from him. Maybe.
- Loved the scene with Locke and Walt...they had such a great relationship on the Island, so this is a nice little reunion, complete with the "Boy got big" crack from Abaddon which is now required for every scene involving off-Island Walt. And, ultimately, Locke still has a soft spot for Walt, as he can't bring himself to tell him that the freighter that his Dad was on was blown to smithereens.
Couple of things here...Walt seems to have no recollection of "visiting" Locke after he was shot by Ben...maybe on Walt's timeline it hasn't happened yet, or maybe it wasn't actually Walt at all?
And Walt is obviously still a "special" boy...dreaming of Locke's future on the Island in a suit. But interesting that John is surrounded by people who want to "hurt" him in Walt's dream.
- Next up on the Locke's Magical Mystery Tour is Hurley. Funny bit when Hurley thinks Locke is dead, since all of the other people he has been seeing is dead. And maybe Locke could have convinced him, until he looks up and sees Abaddon, the guy who scared the crap out of him last time he was there. So, once again, whatever reason Hurley decided to go back to the Island, it was NOT because of his visit from Bentham.
- Wonder who else Abaddon directed on to Flight 815? Jack? If so, he would have to be responsible for Christian's death. Kate? If so, he would have to have some control over the US Marshalls.
Claire? Maybe the psychic (Richard Malkin) has a similar position as Abaddon, since he was involved in both Claire and Eko's travels? He put Claire on the plane to go to the potential adoptive parents for Aaron, and Eko was traveling back from Malkin's home after investigating the miracle of his daughter's resurrection.
I wonder if we go back and look at why all of these people were on this flight, we may find that most if not all were somehow "directed" by someone working for Widmore?
- Next up for Locke...Kate. Remember, this has to be not long after she and Jack have split up, which may explain why she's ready to just put the whole thing behind her and move on.
And not only does he strike out again, but he gets a verbal smackdown from Kate regarding his relationship with Helen and why it didn't work out. Poor John.
- Good grief, more tragedy for John...Helen is dead. And Abaddon may be right, she may have died anyway, regardless of whether Locke had never gone to the Island, but Locke knows he could have been happy with her while it lasted, just like Sayid was with Nadia. But now she's dead. The one person off-Island who he wanted to see, and who he thought might actually want to see him. Poor John.
- WOAH! The back windshield has Abaddon all over it! Did NOT see that coming. Bummer.
- And Locke wakes up to see drug-addled, fugly beard-growing, boozy Jack staring at him. Jack is in a pretty weird place right now, remember...he's seeing his dead Dad all over the place, Hurley is telling him that maybe they should go back to the Island, he just broke up with Kate over Sawyer, and now Locke, who he last saw at the Orchid, is now in his hospital trying to convince him (once again) of destiny and faith and fate and Locke's overall unique snowflakeness. not to mention that he's referencing his father, who Jack just can't seem to get away from. So, no wonder he's having none of it. And, he puts the final nail in Locke's self-confidence on his way out...you were never important, you're just a lonely old man seeking for meaning where there is none. Ouch. Poor John.
One thing that bothers me about this scene...Jack told Ben back in the season premiere that Locke told him that everybody back on the Island would die if they didn't go back. However, Locke did not say that in this conversation. If you have a theory regarding that, please let me know, because otherwise it was sloppy writing.
- And, that does it for Locke. I really think that his suicide attempt was 25% attempt to fulfill what Richard said about his death being the only way to get everybody back, 75% legitimate defeat and depression. There is seriously NOTHING left for him off-Island, and if dying is the only way to get back, then dying is his only hope. Now THAT is depressing. And Terry O'Quinn knocked it out of the park in this scene. His whole demeanor portrayed defeat, anger, desperation, the tiniest tinge of hope, but underneath it all a definite sense of purpose. Painful to watch, especially for somebody who loves this character as much as I do, but mesmerizing at the same time.
And I honestly don't know what to make of Ben in this scene, so my thoughts may be a little disjointed...he bursts in at PRECISELY the right moment, proclaiming that he has been watching the O6 to help keep them "safe," and ultimately stopping Locke from going through with it by informing him of Jack's Death Wish Flights. Blames Widmore for "using" John (wow...pot/kettle). He certainly knows which button to push: "You have no idea how important you are."
I think he was legitimately surprised that Jin is alive, but you can almost SEE the wheels turning when he finds out...this is a way to get Sun to go BACK to the Island, not a way to keep her away, and his cunning little mind decides that immediately. "A promise is a promise" ....whatever.
Looks like he has Locke as his sidekick again, until Locke says the magic words "Eloise Hawking." At which point, in my opinion, he just snaps and kill him. But why?
- Maybe he thinks that if John can get to Eloise, she'll give him the answers he needs and then he won't be so easily manipulated anymore?
- Maybe because he thinks that the only way Locke could know that name is if Christian/Jacob told him? Remember, the last time he tried to kill John it was after he found out that Locke could hear Jacob, so he seems to have a little jealous streak when it comes to his relationship with Jacob.
Maybe he was planning on using Locke to get back to the Island until he snapped and killed him, so than he adjusted and started using JACK instead?
That was basically the end, except for the reveal that Ben is in fact back on the Island, on the same timeline as Locke, Sun, and Lapidus. Any theories as to what caused the difference? Why are Kate, Jack, and Hurley in Dharma days, while everybody else stayed on the "current" timeline?
Overall, yet another fantastic episode...but is it just me, or are we back to piling question upon question? I am as confused now as I was back in Season 1. Not that this is a bad thing, as I trust the writers to answer the questions in their typical mind-blowing fashion.
- What happened to change Sayid's mind?
- What happened to change Hurley's mind?
- What is the coming war, and why is Locke so important to the outcome?
- Are Widmore and Ben really on opposite sides of this war, or are they fighting some other entity, and they are just in disagreement as to methods?
- What is going on with Walt's dreams, and is he supposed to go back to the Island as well?
- What is going on with the separate timelines of the flight 316 survivors?
- WHAT IS BEN UP TO?!?!?!?
- Whose side is Christian/Jacob on?
Seriously, I could keep going....but it's getting late. Feel free to post any theories...I'm starting to feel like my brain is turning to mush. Am I missing some obvious answers to some of these questions I have?
Oh no....is my nose bleeding?
Namaste.
I heart Kara Thrace...
Full LOST write-up still to come (probably tonight, maybe tomorrow morning), but for the BSG fans in the house, here is a quick study on everything that is teh awesomez about Starbuck.
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