Ummmm.....wow. That was pretty intense. I discovered tonight that I can handle a lot of things, but one thing I most definitely can NOT handle is Hugo "Hurley" Reyes breaking down into grief-filled sobs.
R.I.P. Sayid Jarrah. I will always remember you for your wicked killer-breakdance moves, your incredibly horrible luck with women, and your amazing ability to look at a seemingly hopeless mess of wires and various electrical components and say, "Yes...I can fix that. Do you by chance have half a coconut and some string?"
R.I.P. Jin and Sun Kwon. Even though the end of your love story was botched something awful, your growth as a couple has been a joy to watch. Your daughter will miss you, and so will we. Here's hoping for a much happier ending in the Sideways timeline.
R.IP.....Frank Lapidus? Hope you got out of that sub, Chesty. If not, we will remember you for your mad piloting skillz, your obvious unrequited crush on Sun, and one of my favorite moments of the series so far: "We're not going to Guam, are we?"
Well, I got at least one thing right this season...Smokey was definitely trying to get them all together in one place so that he could kill them all. I think he still can't leave, as long as there is a Candidate standing, and I think he's trying to kill them all before one of them can assume the "Jacob" role....but I think he's too late. Jack is The One.
I REALLY thought that Locke was going to remember everything when Jack echoed his line back to him: "I wish you believed me". It definitely triggered SOMETHING, but I was kind of hoping for more. Jack is getting closer and closer to putting it all together, and I think he just needs a "little push".
I will get into MUCH more (Sayid's redemption, Claire's continuing abandonment issues, Sideways John Locke's guilt trip, and much much more) when the full recap goes up in a few days.
In the meantime...has anybody seen a small Asian man, a little nervous looking dude with bug eyes, and a strikingly handsome guy rocking some serious guyliner?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thoughts on LOST: The Last Recruit
Yeah, I know...I am WAY late with this one. So let's just get to it, yeah?
- Nice scene between Sawyer and Kate in the police station, and further proof that Evangeline Lilly is not a bad actress when given decent material.
- OK, back to the Island...President Laura Lemon shows up, accusing Smokey of stealing their Package and calling in the bombs. Pretty cool that Smokey never flinches, probably because he knows that the bombs can't hurt him. Maybe Widmore doesn't know that...after all, when he met up with Smokey on the beach, he said most of what he knew about the Smoke Monster was just scary stories.
- On Smokey's orders, Sayid goes back to the well to kill off Desmond (um...yeah, right).
Was it just me, or did that well seem a lot DEEPER when Smokey threw that torch down it?
- Nice work by both Evangeline Lilly and Emilie de Ravin in the scene where Kate talks her onto the boat. I've really been impressed by Emilie all season, after thinking she was one of the weak links in her scenes early in the show.
- GREAT scene between Jack and Sawyer on the boat. I love that Jack's line of thinking, while it's crazy on the surface, is also grounded in some logic: If Smokey wants us to leave so bad, why do we think that's a good thing?
Man, he really doesn't believe in jinxes, does he?
And the less said about Frank's line, the better...ugh, that was bad.
- And then...THIS happened:
- Told you guys Widmore wasn't a good guy.
- Boy, Hurley sure did give up that "leadership" role pretty quickly, huh? "Have at it, Dude...it's all you".
- It was good to see Jack and Locke together again, even if it isn't really Locke. Their conversations seem to always hit at the crux of what is currently going on, and this one wasn't any different.
There is a LOT to get to in this conversation.
- We get "confirmation" that when Jack saw his father back in White Rabbit, he was actually seeing Smokey. I think we all knew that, right?
But I DON'T really believe that Smokey was just trying to get Jack to follow him because he "needed water". I think he was actually trying to get Jack to follow him off a cliff. That's actually where he led Jack...and then Jack was pulled to safety by John Locke, and THEN they found water. Smokey is the bad guy here, no matter how many times he tries to tell us he's not.
The other issue is whether or not Christian has been Smokey EVERY time we've seen him. The two instances that most people have a problem with is when Jack saw him in the hospital back in the Oceanic 6 period and when Michael saw him on the freighter.
When Jack saw him in the hospital, and then the smoke alarm went off, a lot of us assumed that Jack was actually seeing a manifestation of Smokey. Knowing what we know now, that Smokey can not leave the Island, I'm going to guess that Jack was just hallucinating...he was already into his downward spiral at this point, one that would end up with him taking suicidal flights across the ocean and trying to jump off a bridge. I think the smoke alarm was just some clever misdirection on the part of the writers.
The Christian that Michael saw on the freighter is a little more difficult to explain. Smokey has said that he can not travel over water (for whatever reason), so if it was Smokey then how did he get there? And this one can't be explained away by saying that Michael was hallucinating, because Michael never met Christian...how could he "hallucinate" him?
I think this goes back to a theory that I sort of agree with...there could be TWO manifestations of Christian. He is always wearing one of two outfits...sometimes he's wearing the suit he was buried in, and sometimes he's wearing a more casual outfit. I call them Suit Christian and Club Med Christian. There is a theory that Suit Christian is Smokey and Club Med Christian is...something else. Jacob, or maybe The Spirit of the Island (evidenced by him telling Michael "You can go now" before he dies)? Or maybe it's just Christian as a ghost?
I obviously don't know...the only thing I think I DO know is that Smokey can not have been Christian every time we've seen him, unless the writers have totally screwed up.
Also interesting that Smokey doesn't answer the question about who else he has looked like...- I'm serious...if John Locke doesn't get some SERIOUS redemption, I'm going to be pretty ticked off. Smokey calls him a stupid sucker, and I just sat there blustering at my TV screen like a 6 year old. "Nunh-UNH!!! YOU'RE a STUPID SUCKER!!"
I mean, it's one thing for him to die sad, lonely, and confused...do we have to resort to name calling?
And I think Jack feels the same way.
- I'm still not buying the whole "we all have to get on the plane together" thing that Smokey has going on. I still think he's trying to get them all in one place, but for much more nefarious purposes.
Wow, all that and we're only through one scene? I'll be lucky to get this thing finished before NEXT week's episode.
- In the flash-sideways, I think Desmond's plan worked and Locke did in fact get a glimpse of the other side...I think that's what he means when he says he WAS going to marry her, rather than just identifying her as his fiancee.
- Really cool moment when Sun recognizes John at the hospital.
Except...
We have a serious timeline issue...by all accounts, Sun and Jin were only in town for two days (at the most) before the shootout at the restaurant. Desmond told Hurley last week that it has been a week since they were on Flight 815 together. So, did Sun ride around in that ambulance for four days? That seems rather inefficient, not to mention dangerous, don't you think?
Only three possible explanations that I can think of, other than just a writer screwup: 1) Jin and Sun were holed up in that hotel for longer than we think, and maybe the "morning after" scene we saw wasn't the morning after the plane landed; 2) The Desmond scenes are out of sequence, and he actually hit Locke with his car BEFORE he went and visited Hurley; or 3) This timeline is wonky and unstable, and is being affected somehow by what is happening on the Island, which is the "real" timeline.
By the way, the discussions about this timeline problem are pretty heated over at Lostpedia. Check it out HERE if you A) want a laugh, and B) want to get a look inside the minds of some people who are even more obsessed than you are, and feel better about yourself in comparison.
My thoughts? None of those three explanations above really hold water for me...so I think it's a timeline error. And a pretty major one at that, and not something you would really expect out of this group. Oh, well...
- Claire and Jack's first meeting as brother and sister...I loved Emilie de Ravin's delivery on the "Cuz he's my brother" line. Very sweet.
- Again, we get the reference to the fact that once Smokey talks to you, it's all over...he's got you. You're on his side now.
But...he's talked to Sawyer a LOT, right? And also Kate? And neither of them really seem to be "on his side". Hurley, either, for that matter...or Sun. Or Richard.
Maybe it only really works on people who aren't Candidates, and non-Candidates just don't realize that is part of the rules? And Richard sort of exists "outside" the rules somehow? Otherwise, I don't know how to explain it.
Man, that's three things already in this episode that I don't really have a logical explanation for, and we just now got to the opening credits. Hope the writers are doing better with this stuff than I am...
- Sawyer doesn't know who Anakin is? Really? He knows the "old Wookie prisoner gag", he calls Michael and Jin "Han and Chewie", he calls Hurley "Jabba"...but he doesn't know who Anakin is?
Maybe he was smart enough to just avoid the prequels altogether and stick with the original trilogy...the name "Anakin" wasn't really as prominently used in those three films.
Man...I'm a nerd.
- Hurley: "Hey, Claire! You look....GREAT!"
Hee.
- Nice scene between Sawyer and Kate in the police station, and further proof that Evangeline Lilly is not a bad actress when given decent material.
I wonder what it's going to take for these two to start having their "memories"? For Sawyer, I think it may be a certain stranger inviting him out for coffee...for Kate, I don't know. Still think there's a chance she is there when Claire gives birth to Aaron?
- OK, back to the Island...President Laura Lemon shows up, accusing Smokey of stealing their Package and calling in the bombs. Pretty cool that Smokey never flinches, probably because he knows that the bombs can't hurt him. Maybe Widmore doesn't know that...after all, when he met up with Smokey on the beach, he said most of what he knew about the Smoke Monster was just scary stories.
- Flash-Sideways...everybody's favorite stalker, Desmond, shows up to harass Claire some more. He REALLY wants her to meet with his lawyer friend, who happens to be...Ilana, with a purely American accent!
One more thing I had to talk myself through...my theory about Desmond has been that he is not so much fully AWARE of both timelines, only that something about this one isn't right. If that's the case, then he sure does seem to know an awful lot about Jack and Claire's situation, doesn't he?
Here's one explanation...he studied the manifest and saw Claire's name. He's obviously friends with Ilana somehow in this timeline (more on that in a minute), and that's how he knew that she was looking for Claire, and also that she was looking for her because she is the half sister of one Dr. Jack Shephard, who is ALSO on the manifest. So he arranged for the "coincidental" meeting in Ilana's office.
Or...maybe we are going to see another scene, where Desmond and Ilana somehow meet, and she is helping him get them all together because she IS fully aware of both timelines, much like Eloise Hawking, and this is all part of her service to Jacob?
- Back to the Island...man, Smokey is a true politician, isn't he: "Those people have forced our hand...CLAIMING that we stole something from them, trying to provoke US into a confrontation."
Talk about the tail wagging the dog, huh?
- Sawyer continues the leadership we saw from him as Lefleur...and it's further evidence that just because Smokey talks to you, that doesn't mean that you are going to follow him mindlessly.
Was it just me, or did that well seem a lot DEEPER when Smokey threw that torch down it?
- Desmond seems to get through to Sayid. I think that Sayid was so easily brainwashed by Smokey because he is very open to the idea that he is a horrible person, destined to do horrible things.
He says Smokey promised him the "woman he loves"...we all assume it's Nadia, right? But couldn't it be Shannon? Or any of the other plethora of women in Sayid's life who all seem to die?
Just kidding...I think it's Nadia, too. But wouldn't it be funny if Locke brought Shannon to him, all, "Well, here she is, just like I promised!" and he was like, "No, not THAT one! The OTHER love of my life who died in my arms!"
- OK, let's blow through these next scenes for the sake of time...Miles and Sawyer show up at Nadia's and arrest Sayid (who, in a nice callback to the last scene, can't bring himself to tell her what he's done), and then Sawyer fills Kate in on his little plan to ditch Locke, leaving Claire behind, which doesn't make her very happy.
- I agree with what Cindy at TelevisionWithoutPity says about Claire...yeah, you've had it rough living on this Island with out your bay-bee for three years. But YOU'RE the one who walked away and left him in the jungle.
Maybe she just doesn't remember all of that too clearly, maybe Smokey brainwashed her...but it's getting old, anyway.
- Jack isn't really good at the "inconspicuous getaway", is he? They just all took off through the jungle, away from everybody else, without checking to see if anybody was looking? And sure enough...Crazy Claire sees the whole thing!
- Something about the way Sayid is talking to Smokey...is that a flash of the old Sayid I see? Breakdance him to death, Sayid! Go on, DO IT!!!!
- Lapidus tells Jack that the Smoke Monster runs a lot faster than they do. Actually, if Sun could speak English (rather than being struck dumb by a really stupid storyline), she would probably disagree...she wasn't having a problem outrunning him.
- Flash Sideways. Jack is talking to David's mom, which reminds me...I think the mother is Sarah, but the only reason it might NOT be is that he never mentions her name. If the name is being held back on purpose, than it may in fact be somebody they're not ready to reveal right now.
- Another reason I think Ilana may know something...she seems really happy to be springing Claire on Jack, doesn't she? I would think that giving a grieving son the news that his dead father had a secret daughter would call for a little more gravitas.
And if there was any doubt as to where Jack is on his character journey...Sawyer calls him jumping off the boat a "leap of faith". Add that to Jack's telling Smokey earlier about how much Locke believed in the Island, and the way he said it with such admiration, and I think he has officially come full circle.
- Sawyer: "We're done going back, Kate."
Yeah, we'll see.
- Back in the hospital, Jin tells Sun that "it's over", and "we're all going to be OK".
- As an aside...nice stuff between Jack and David this week...think they're just setting us up for the fact that Jack is going to have to choose a life without him?
- Jack is the "dural sac" expert, I guess.
- Dude...I can not WAIT for Locke to wake up after this surgery.
- The Jin/Sun reunion scene was even worse on rewatch...first of all, did they MEAN to shoot it in such a way that most of us were convinced that they were going to run into the sonic fence? And why are they speaking to each other in English?
- And then...THIS happened:
- And, no, I don't think Jack died, or was claimed, or anything like that. I just think Smokey is sadly mistaken if he thinks Jack is "with him now".
Final Thoughts:
Man, that was a great episode.
Since we are so close to the end, there are a lot of conversations going on about what we are looking for in the end, up to and including the finale.
Personally, I don't need every question answered in order to be satisfied. We've established that the Island is "Mysterious"...part of what makes a place mysterious is that there are mysteries, right?
I want an ending that is not only true to the characters that have been established, but it also enhances them in a way that makes sense both logically and emotionally. That's the main thing, for me. As far as whatever "explanation" we get regarding the Island, Jacob and Smokey, etc...I just need it to fit in logically (in other words, it can't destroy six seasons worth of continuity), and give me enough information that I can intelligently fill in some of the blanks left over by any "unanswered questions" that we may have.
What about you? What are you looking for as we approach the end? And, since we are on a hiatus week with only four more episodes to go, how satisfied have you been with the season so far? How confident are you in the writers to bring this thing in for a satisfactory landing?
Namaste.
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.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
About that Logan Gray post...
Never mind...MaconDawg of Dawg Sports says almost exactly what I was going to say today in this post.
Here are the only two other things I would add to that:
- The other aspect of this that has probably brought Logan Gray to this point is the fact that there is supposedly a "package" of plays that the offense has worked on that involves him playing quarterback...we all heard the coaching staff talk about it last year, and other players have mentioned it as well. From what I can tell, however, that package of plays was never utilized last season, even as Joe Cox was going through his well-documented struggles. Unless, of course, that package of plays consisted exclusively of him handing the ball off on a read-option play or showing off his admittedly impressive fair catching ability.
So, if I'm Logan Gray, I probably feel like I've been jerked around a little bit, if not downright lied to. Not saying that is what has happened, but I can certainly see why he would feel that way.
And, as an aside...I share his frustration regarding his lack of any meaningful playing time.
- It's also important to remember that Logan Gray did not grow up in Clarke County, dreaming of playing for the Red and Black...he's a LONG way away from home, and part of the reason he made that difficult decision to come here was that he thought it would further his career as a QB. If that is seemingly off the table, I can see why he would want to be closer to home, as well.
All of that being said...if Logan was my son, I would advise him to stay. You never know what kind of situation you are going to transfer into (just ask Mitch Mustain). By staying in Athens, you are still in a situation where you know the offense, you're familiar with the coaching staff (though I don't know that he sees that as a positive right now), and you are literally one snap away from being the starting QB for the University of Georgia. Plus....you get to live in ATHENS, dude! That has to count for something, right?
For that matter, he still has an opportunity to win the starting job by outplaying Aaron Murray in fall camp...unless he is convinced that it is already a done deal and he is not going to get an equal shot at the QB1 job. I'm sure that particular aspect was a major part of the conversation he had with the coaching staff yesterday, and from the way things were handled last season I can't say that I would fully blame him if he felt that way.
Now seems a good time to insert the usual disclaimer...I'm not a coach or teammate of Logan Gray. The only practice I have ever seen is what little video we all get to see on Hale's blog and G-Day. All I have to go by is that little I have seen and what I have heard from the coaches, players, and Logan himself. But, as I've said before...this is my blog, so you get to hear my opinion.
As a Dawg fan, I am hoping with everything I have that he stays...going into next season with nothing but freshmen on the QB depth chart is a terrifying prospect. But if he leaves, I can definitely understand his reasoning, I hope it works out for him, and I am grateful for the hard work and effort he has given to my Dawgs over the last three years.
Here are the only two other things I would add to that:
- The other aspect of this that has probably brought Logan Gray to this point is the fact that there is supposedly a "package" of plays that the offense has worked on that involves him playing quarterback...we all heard the coaching staff talk about it last year, and other players have mentioned it as well. From what I can tell, however, that package of plays was never utilized last season, even as Joe Cox was going through his well-documented struggles. Unless, of course, that package of plays consisted exclusively of him handing the ball off on a read-option play or showing off his admittedly impressive fair catching ability.
So, if I'm Logan Gray, I probably feel like I've been jerked around a little bit, if not downright lied to. Not saying that is what has happened, but I can certainly see why he would feel that way.
And, as an aside...I share his frustration regarding his lack of any meaningful playing time.
- It's also important to remember that Logan Gray did not grow up in Clarke County, dreaming of playing for the Red and Black...he's a LONG way away from home, and part of the reason he made that difficult decision to come here was that he thought it would further his career as a QB. If that is seemingly off the table, I can see why he would want to be closer to home, as well.
All of that being said...if Logan was my son, I would advise him to stay. You never know what kind of situation you are going to transfer into (just ask Mitch Mustain). By staying in Athens, you are still in a situation where you know the offense, you're familiar with the coaching staff (though I don't know that he sees that as a positive right now), and you are literally one snap away from being the starting QB for the University of Georgia. Plus....you get to live in ATHENS, dude! That has to count for something, right?
For that matter, he still has an opportunity to win the starting job by outplaying Aaron Murray in fall camp...unless he is convinced that it is already a done deal and he is not going to get an equal shot at the QB1 job. I'm sure that particular aspect was a major part of the conversation he had with the coaching staff yesterday, and from the way things were handled last season I can't say that I would fully blame him if he felt that way.
Now seems a good time to insert the usual disclaimer...I'm not a coach or teammate of Logan Gray. The only practice I have ever seen is what little video we all get to see on Hale's blog and G-Day. All I have to go by is that little I have seen and what I have heard from the coaches, players, and Logan himself. But, as I've said before...this is my blog, so you get to hear my opinion.
As a Dawg fan, I am hoping with everything I have that he stays...going into next season with nothing but freshmen on the QB depth chart is a terrifying prospect. But if he leaves, I can definitely understand his reasoning, I hope it works out for him, and I am grateful for the hard work and effort he has given to my Dawgs over the last three years.
Two new LOST recaps coming...I promise
I apologize...a combination of a very busy last few days and the fact that I don't have a new episode tonight acting as a "deadline" has caused the recap of last week to be delayed. And I also haven't forgotten that I promised a full recap of Recon several weeks ago as well.
So here's my committment....last week's full recap should go up by tomorrow at the latest, and then Recon will be up by the end of the week.
Speaking of "committment"...I will probably also be back later with my thoughts on the Logan Gray situation. They may be different than you think.
So here's my committment....last week's full recap should go up by tomorrow at the latest, and then Recon will be up by the end of the week.
Speaking of "committment"...I will probably also be back later with my thoughts on the Logan Gray situation. They may be different than you think.
Friday, April 23, 2010
An actual sports post?!?!
Yeah, I think it's about time...
Despite what regular readers of this blog (hi, Mom!) might think, I am actually interested in things other than LOST and American Idol. This blog actually started as more of a sports blog, and believe me....when football season cranks up, it will be again.
So...what's been going on?
Springtime in DawgNation:
- I am cautiously optimistic about the defense based on the reports out of spring practice. I love the change in mindset, and the energy that seemed to have been pumped into the program and the fanbase by our new coaches. And, Lord knows, I love hearing the word "fundamentals" being preached every single day, especially by our new LB Coach Belin.
As I have mentioned before, I think our personnel may actually be better suited to the 3-4 than a 4-3. Looking at the depth chart released yesterday, there are TONS of athletes across the board, and I think they are going to be much better utilized than they have been the last few years.
Having said that, it's very difficult to completely revamp an entire defensive philosophy in just one season...there are going to be some growing pains this year. So while I expect to see more plays being made by a more aggressive and fundamentally sound defense (more turnovers, more plays made in the backfield), I also fully expect there to be times when receivers are running around uncovered because somebody didn't know where they were supposed to be.
Hopefully, it will sort of balance out this year...but, worst case scenario, we may have some games where we give up 35-40 points. Which is what we were doing already, but at least now I have hope for the future.
- I take absolutely nothing from G-Day even in a "normal" year, but this year especially. We didn't run anything close to what our actual defensive scheme is going to look like, and we did absolutely nothing on offense other than run some basic plays.
G-Day is just a practice, and for that matter it's the least relevant practice of the entire spring from a scheme standpoint. Yeah, it's nice to see what they do in front of a "crowd", but is there really any comparison between 25-30K very quiet fans on G-Day and 92K going crazy on a game day? Or 108K inbred hillbillies who want to kill you in Neyland?
Fans should treat it for what it is...a nice little taste of some live football before the long dark days of summer.
Which is why I didn't get all that worked up over Zach Mettenberger outplaying Aaron Murray on G-Day, which leads me to my next point...
- Aaron Murray was ALWAYS going to be the starter at QB for 2010. ALWAYS. Losing Mettenberger certainly hurts from a depth standpoint, as we are now one injury away from a QB 2-deep of Logan Gray and Hutson Mason (::shudder::). But Mett was not going to be the starter on this team, despite having a really good day of practice on April 10.
As for the Mettenberger situation itself...what a maroon. If the accounts that most of us have read by now are true, this guy took jackass to a whole new level (pardon the language, but there is no better word for it), and was still probably going to get away from it relatively unscathed if he had just SHUT UP to the police...but he was having none of that, choosing instead to keep arguing with the police even after the young ladies and restaurant employees had declined to press charges. Then, apparently, when he met with the coaches he lied to them about it and showed little to no remorse. So, basically, he threw away a scholarship to play QB at the University of Georgia by being a gigantic buffoon. Stupid is as stupid does, I guess.
I think that Coach Richt has proven over the years that if you do show contrition and true remorse over your dumb decisions, you will get another chance...that's why I think that his attitude about the situation probably played as much into the ultimate decision as anything else.
(the previous paragraph is strictly my own opinion, and are not based on any inside knowledge of the situation AT ALL...just knowledge of human behavior and how we have seen Coach Richt handle these situations in the past)
- On offense, no matter who the quarterback is, I think the philosophy has to be a HEAVY dose of King/Ealy, with the passing game being predicated on play-action, bootleg type plays to the playmakers (Green, Charles, Wootentheballcarrier, etc). I think that fits our personnel and, fortunately, I think it fits what Bobo wants to do anyway.
I love our offensive line, I love our playmakers...if we can just get adequate QB play and, most importantly, CUT DOWN ON TURNOVERS AND STUPID PENALTIES, I think our offense has a chance to be even better than it was last year...and last year's offense was pretty darn good, for the most part.
The biggest problem with this team right now, based on the last couple of seasons, is that they play dumb football. Hopefully, the changes that have been made will result in a fresh energy and renewed focus on fundamentals, as well as increased accountability on both sides of the ball, and this team will start playing up their talent level.
Oh, and....NO MORE DIRECTIONAL KICKOFFS!!! WOOHOO!!!
Will the Braves be good enough to hold my interest until fall camp starts?
I don't ask much from the Braves anymore...just be good enough so that I have something to pay attention to until early August, when the beginning of fall camp effectively ends the baseball season for me.
So far, results are mixed....
- The starting pitching is very good...it would be great if Derek Lowe could start earning that $15M salary. The way things are going right now, I think this rotation would be better with Kawakami as the number 4, with Lowe as the number 5 starter/long relief guy. Not that this could ever happen, because of the monetary investment the team has in Lowe.
Jurrjens has been sharp other than one horrid outing, Hanson continues to develop, and Hudson seems to be fully recovered. Lowe is just the fly in the punch bowl.
- Bullpen has been excellent so far...I just hope that Wagner and Saito (combined age: 378) can make it through an entire season.
- I consider myself lucky to be able to watch Jason Heyward. So much has been said about him that I can't add much...he's a superstar, he's going to be a Hall of Famer, and we're getting to watch the first green shoots of his career on a nightly basis.
- TERRIBLE offseason for Frank Wren. We traded Vasquez (arguably our best pitcher last year) for Melky Cabrera, who is just atrocious. Yes, I am aware that either Vasquez or Lowe were going to be moved, and teams were understandably reluctant to take on Lowe and his $15M salary (see above)...but the best we could get was Melky Cabrera, for one of the best pitchers in the NL?
(SIDE NOTE: You know how some trades just work out perfectly, in that both teams are getting exactly what they need even though they are both giving up something of value? The Smoltz - Doyle Alexander trade comes to mind...this was like the exact opposite of that. Vasquez had already proven that A) he is much better suited to the National League; and B) he can't pitch in New York. So the Yankees give up what had been a pretty good 4th outfielder for them for someone who is predestined to be a disaster, and we give up our best starter for a guy who is at best a 4th outfielder, but expect him to be an everyday outfielder and leadoff hitter. Both sides lose.)
"Oh, but wait!" says Frank Wren. "We're not done yet! I know we need a big bat for this lineup, a guy you can count on for HR and run production! Don't judge this move until you see what ELSE we have planned!".
I say, "OK....awesome! Maybe this means we are getting in on the Matt Holliday/Jason Bay discussions? Somebody like that?"
Um...no. Instead we sign Troy Glaus. The same Troy Glaus who missed all of 2009 with an elbow injury, and hasn't been nearly the same player ever since the Mitchell Report was published.
I don't think I have ever yelled at my radio with as much fury as I did the day that Frank Wren was interviewed during spring training and he went on and on about how tall the middle of our lineup had the potential to be. "Man, look at us...Chipper is 6'4, Glaus is 6'6, Heyward is 6'5. That's got to be intimidating for a pitcher!"
Look, if you are in any way intimidated by the sight of Troy Glaus coming to the plate, you have no business being a major league pitcher. Any pitcher worth his salt has to be SALIVATING at watching this automatic rally killer come up in a key spot. His line so far? .170 Avg, .524 OPS, 16 strikeouts and 8 RBI in 53 AB. Yeah....twice as many strikeouts as RBI. That's not good for a #5 hitter, right?
I say we put Eric Hinske in the lineup every single day, and let Troy Glaus do what he does best. Be really tall.
Anyway...this team would fit in really well in the mid-80's National League. Great pitching, solid defense, and an offense that is going to put up maybe 3-4 runs a game. In today's baseball, that's just not enough.
Hey, did you know the Hawks are in the playoffs?
The Hawks are currently manhandling the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. Without Andrew Bogut, the Bucks have absolutely no answer for Al Horford and Josh Smith inside, and they are wreaking havoc.
Josh, in particular, has been a joy to watch this season. He seems to have finally come to grips with the fact that he is never going to be a three-point shooter and is instead doing...everything else. He fills the box score up like Scottie Pippen, and also includes the whining to officials like Pippen, but without the bad hair (seriously...what was UP with that guy's scalp? It looked like it had been PLOWED or something). A typical night from him is like 16 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, and 4 thunderous dunks that fire the whole team up and keeps them involved in the game.
Here's the down side...this team isn't getting out of the 2nd round, and it's all because of their head coach. The Hawks have two glaring weaknesses...inconsistent effort on defense and an utter lack of a halfcourt offense. These are the two things that kill a team in the playoffs, especially once they get out of the first round and start facing really good teams, and they can both be attributed to poor coaching, in my opinion.
Mike Woodson has been very lucky in that he has been the coach during a time when a very young team has grown up together, so he gets credit for the win totals increasing every year. And I don't think Woodson is a TERRIBLE head coach...I just think his specific deficiencies are the ones most likely to be exploited in the postseason.
Hopefully, I'm wrong...Atlanta certainly has the talent to match up with the Magic in the second round. If we can get past them, maybe we can win one or two games against Lebron and the Cavs. That's probably the absolute ceiling for this team.
OK...that was fun! Turns out I had more to say than I thought I did...maybe I should do this more often?
Despite what regular readers of this blog (hi, Mom!) might think, I am actually interested in things other than LOST and American Idol. This blog actually started as more of a sports blog, and believe me....when football season cranks up, it will be again.
So...what's been going on?
Springtime in DawgNation:
- I am cautiously optimistic about the defense based on the reports out of spring practice. I love the change in mindset, and the energy that seemed to have been pumped into the program and the fanbase by our new coaches. And, Lord knows, I love hearing the word "fundamentals" being preached every single day, especially by our new LB Coach Belin.
As I have mentioned before, I think our personnel may actually be better suited to the 3-4 than a 4-3. Looking at the depth chart released yesterday, there are TONS of athletes across the board, and I think they are going to be much better utilized than they have been the last few years.
Having said that, it's very difficult to completely revamp an entire defensive philosophy in just one season...there are going to be some growing pains this year. So while I expect to see more plays being made by a more aggressive and fundamentally sound defense (more turnovers, more plays made in the backfield), I also fully expect there to be times when receivers are running around uncovered because somebody didn't know where they were supposed to be.
Hopefully, it will sort of balance out this year...but, worst case scenario, we may have some games where we give up 35-40 points. Which is what we were doing already, but at least now I have hope for the future.
- I take absolutely nothing from G-Day even in a "normal" year, but this year especially. We didn't run anything close to what our actual defensive scheme is going to look like, and we did absolutely nothing on offense other than run some basic plays.
G-Day is just a practice, and for that matter it's the least relevant practice of the entire spring from a scheme standpoint. Yeah, it's nice to see what they do in front of a "crowd", but is there really any comparison between 25-30K very quiet fans on G-Day and 92K going crazy on a game day? Or 108K inbred hillbillies who want to kill you in Neyland?
Fans should treat it for what it is...a nice little taste of some live football before the long dark days of summer.
Which is why I didn't get all that worked up over Zach Mettenberger outplaying Aaron Murray on G-Day, which leads me to my next point...
- Aaron Murray was ALWAYS going to be the starter at QB for 2010. ALWAYS. Losing Mettenberger certainly hurts from a depth standpoint, as we are now one injury away from a QB 2-deep of Logan Gray and Hutson Mason (::shudder::). But Mett was not going to be the starter on this team, despite having a really good day of practice on April 10.
As for the Mettenberger situation itself...what a maroon. If the accounts that most of us have read by now are true, this guy took jackass to a whole new level (pardon the language, but there is no better word for it), and was still probably going to get away from it relatively unscathed if he had just SHUT UP to the police...but he was having none of that, choosing instead to keep arguing with the police even after the young ladies and restaurant employees had declined to press charges. Then, apparently, when he met with the coaches he lied to them about it and showed little to no remorse. So, basically, he threw away a scholarship to play QB at the University of Georgia by being a gigantic buffoon. Stupid is as stupid does, I guess.
I think that Coach Richt has proven over the years that if you do show contrition and true remorse over your dumb decisions, you will get another chance...that's why I think that his attitude about the situation probably played as much into the ultimate decision as anything else.
(the previous paragraph is strictly my own opinion, and are not based on any inside knowledge of the situation AT ALL...just knowledge of human behavior and how we have seen Coach Richt handle these situations in the past)
- On offense, no matter who the quarterback is, I think the philosophy has to be a HEAVY dose of King/Ealy, with the passing game being predicated on play-action, bootleg type plays to the playmakers (Green, Charles, Wootentheballcarrier, etc). I think that fits our personnel and, fortunately, I think it fits what Bobo wants to do anyway.
I love our offensive line, I love our playmakers...if we can just get adequate QB play and, most importantly, CUT DOWN ON TURNOVERS AND STUPID PENALTIES, I think our offense has a chance to be even better than it was last year...and last year's offense was pretty darn good, for the most part.
The biggest problem with this team right now, based on the last couple of seasons, is that they play dumb football. Hopefully, the changes that have been made will result in a fresh energy and renewed focus on fundamentals, as well as increased accountability on both sides of the ball, and this team will start playing up their talent level.
Oh, and....NO MORE DIRECTIONAL KICKOFFS!!! WOOHOO!!!
Will the Braves be good enough to hold my interest until fall camp starts?
I don't ask much from the Braves anymore...just be good enough so that I have something to pay attention to until early August, when the beginning of fall camp effectively ends the baseball season for me.
So far, results are mixed....
- The starting pitching is very good...it would be great if Derek Lowe could start earning that $15M salary. The way things are going right now, I think this rotation would be better with Kawakami as the number 4, with Lowe as the number 5 starter/long relief guy. Not that this could ever happen, because of the monetary investment the team has in Lowe.
Jurrjens has been sharp other than one horrid outing, Hanson continues to develop, and Hudson seems to be fully recovered. Lowe is just the fly in the punch bowl.
- Bullpen has been excellent so far...I just hope that Wagner and Saito (combined age: 378) can make it through an entire season.
- I consider myself lucky to be able to watch Jason Heyward. So much has been said about him that I can't add much...he's a superstar, he's going to be a Hall of Famer, and we're getting to watch the first green shoots of his career on a nightly basis.
- TERRIBLE offseason for Frank Wren. We traded Vasquez (arguably our best pitcher last year) for Melky Cabrera, who is just atrocious. Yes, I am aware that either Vasquez or Lowe were going to be moved, and teams were understandably reluctant to take on Lowe and his $15M salary (see above)...but the best we could get was Melky Cabrera, for one of the best pitchers in the NL?
(SIDE NOTE: You know how some trades just work out perfectly, in that both teams are getting exactly what they need even though they are both giving up something of value? The Smoltz - Doyle Alexander trade comes to mind...this was like the exact opposite of that. Vasquez had already proven that A) he is much better suited to the National League; and B) he can't pitch in New York. So the Yankees give up what had been a pretty good 4th outfielder for them for someone who is predestined to be a disaster, and we give up our best starter for a guy who is at best a 4th outfielder, but expect him to be an everyday outfielder and leadoff hitter. Both sides lose.)
"Oh, but wait!" says Frank Wren. "We're not done yet! I know we need a big bat for this lineup, a guy you can count on for HR and run production! Don't judge this move until you see what ELSE we have planned!".
I say, "OK....awesome! Maybe this means we are getting in on the Matt Holliday/Jason Bay discussions? Somebody like that?"
Um...no. Instead we sign Troy Glaus. The same Troy Glaus who missed all of 2009 with an elbow injury, and hasn't been nearly the same player ever since the Mitchell Report was published.
I don't think I have ever yelled at my radio with as much fury as I did the day that Frank Wren was interviewed during spring training and he went on and on about how tall the middle of our lineup had the potential to be. "Man, look at us...Chipper is 6'4, Glaus is 6'6, Heyward is 6'5. That's got to be intimidating for a pitcher!"
Look, if you are in any way intimidated by the sight of Troy Glaus coming to the plate, you have no business being a major league pitcher. Any pitcher worth his salt has to be SALIVATING at watching this automatic rally killer come up in a key spot. His line so far? .170 Avg, .524 OPS, 16 strikeouts and 8 RBI in 53 AB. Yeah....twice as many strikeouts as RBI. That's not good for a #5 hitter, right?
I say we put Eric Hinske in the lineup every single day, and let Troy Glaus do what he does best. Be really tall.
Anyway...this team would fit in really well in the mid-80's National League. Great pitching, solid defense, and an offense that is going to put up maybe 3-4 runs a game. In today's baseball, that's just not enough.
Hey, did you know the Hawks are in the playoffs?
The Hawks are currently manhandling the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. Without Andrew Bogut, the Bucks have absolutely no answer for Al Horford and Josh Smith inside, and they are wreaking havoc.
Josh, in particular, has been a joy to watch this season. He seems to have finally come to grips with the fact that he is never going to be a three-point shooter and is instead doing...everything else. He fills the box score up like Scottie Pippen, and also includes the whining to officials like Pippen, but without the bad hair (seriously...what was UP with that guy's scalp? It looked like it had been PLOWED or something). A typical night from him is like 16 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, and 4 thunderous dunks that fire the whole team up and keeps them involved in the game.
Here's the down side...this team isn't getting out of the 2nd round, and it's all because of their head coach. The Hawks have two glaring weaknesses...inconsistent effort on defense and an utter lack of a halfcourt offense. These are the two things that kill a team in the playoffs, especially once they get out of the first round and start facing really good teams, and they can both be attributed to poor coaching, in my opinion.
Mike Woodson has been very lucky in that he has been the coach during a time when a very young team has grown up together, so he gets credit for the win totals increasing every year. And I don't think Woodson is a TERRIBLE head coach...I just think his specific deficiencies are the ones most likely to be exploited in the postseason.
Hopefully, I'm wrong...Atlanta certainly has the talent to match up with the Magic in the second round. If we can get past them, maybe we can win one or two games against Lebron and the Cavs. That's probably the absolute ceiling for this team.
OK...that was fun! Turns out I had more to say than I thought I did...maybe I should do this more often?
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?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)