American Idol and Politics

It was very believable when Simon Cowell said on Leno that Obama had called and wanted to have dinner with him, but he didn't have time. "Our diaries didn't quite match", he said. In fact, it was reported as news until Thursday's show. My guess is that someone from the White House called Fox to demand that they clarify on the show that Simon was just kidding. Not even Simon Cowell can get away with snubbing Obama.

Then there was that marvelous performance by Stevie Wonder. I didn't catch it the first time through, but when I watched it again, Stevie sang praises to Obama. Just before he brought out that famous harmonica, he shouted "I love you Barack Obama". Then a few seconds later, he said "It's all about positivity". Ok, I agree, we should all be more positive. I'm just wondering why this spirit of love and cooperation wasn't around when W. was president. The rules change when their guy is in office.

I really wish entertainers would keep their political views to themselves. I used to love Barbera Streisand's music. I still love the music, but now, every time I hear her sing, all of this liberal goblety gook comes along in the refrain. It's like I mentioned before about Michael Jackson. Whenever I hear his music, I have to set aside all I know about him in order to enjoy the music.

Anyway, I do believe these people have received their talent from God. Blessing people with wonderful talents provides enjoyment for all of God's children.

Everything's Good in the World Tonight When Smokey Sings.....

Smokey Robinson sings with Joss Stone. Stevie Wonder performs a medley of his songs. What an awesome American Idol. I loved the Motown Medley by the 10 contestants too. It's already on my iPod.

I got 2 out of the bottom 3 right, and I'm not really surprised or disappointed in the outcome for the night.

It will be hard to top Motown Week!

Profile JJ on Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds has been one of my favorite shows from the very first season. I was wondering how the show could survive without Jason, but it still has me hooked. I missed JJ while she was on maternity leave, and I'm glad she is back. I started to wonder about this beautiful actress, and what other projects she is involved in. Of course, I turned to Wikipedia, and found her "profile". Her real name is AJ Cook. I'll bet there are some slip ups when switching back and forth between her character, JJ, and her real name AJ. I swear I have heard her called AJ a time or 2 on the show. I was surprised to find that she is a member of the LDS Church, as am I. All in all, she seems like a solid citizen, and I wish her well in her career.

If there is one thing I don't like about Criminal Minds, it is the sometimes graphic photos and crime scenes. I wish they would just leave all of that out. What I really enjoy is watching them identify the unsub as they develop their profiles. The identification and classification of human behaviors has always been fascinating to me.

Do you think there are any "real" Garcia's out there. It is amazing the amount of information she can get in such a short time. I'm sure in real life, there are teams of Garcia's. I doubt any one person could do what she does as well and as fast as she does it. Of course, this is TV, and everything has to be done in less than an hour.

Bottom 3: Megan, Michael, and Scott

Motown was, is, and always will be awesome!!!! Best songs ever!

Is it just me, or does Adam sort of look like a younger Elvis with that new doo? I loved all of the performances, but without a doubt, the bottom three were Megan, Michael, and Scott. Lil' wasn't much better.

I could listen to those songs all day and all night. The group ABC said it right with "When Smokey Sings...." It must have taken some real guts to sing some of those songs in front of the guy who made them hits. Nobody compares, but the songs are so good they almost stand up by themselves. Who doesn't love Motown? I'd be happy with a whole season of nothing but Motown on American Idol.

Jack Malone Gone Missing on Without a Trace?

I love the character, Jack Malone on "Without a Trace". However, it seems like the last several episodes have only portrayed him in his personal roles, and not his FBI role. I guess we're seeing a kinder, gentler, Jack Malone. Instead of his relentless pursuit of bad guys, we see him building personal relationships with his girlfriend, Agent Samantha Spade, and his teenage daughter who has just moved back to New York to live with him and go to school. We see the hard nosed cop learning to mellow out and communicate with his daughter. We see the awkward relationship between Jack, Sam, Sam's son, and the father of Sam's son.

So the Jack Malone I have come to know and love has apparently disappeared without a trace. Let's get the rest of the team on it and figure out where he's gone.

Country Surprise on Idol

I really wasn't looking forward to this episode when I heard it was going to be country music. I used to hate country music. However, I've come to appreciate much of it now. I think there is more truth in country music. The songs are about God, family, and country. There are a lot of modern country songs that have a very inspiring message. It is the complete opposite of many other genres where the lyrics are about sex, violence, and disrespect.

The 11 performances were all outstanding in my mind. I think many of the contestants gave their best performance to date. I can't really think of anyone I'd like to see go home. I like some more than others, but I think there is some real talent in this group.

Randy Travis was a very country gentleman. I think his evaluation of each number was relevant.

The judges didn't seem to like the performances very much. Simon really detests country music, so I'm sure it was difficult for him to find many excellent moments. It was a big surprise for me, because I actually enjoyed an episode dedicated to the Grand Ole Opry.

Is American Idol Rigged?

I remember seeing the Utah Jazz time and time again almost getting to the NBA championship, but always coming up a bit short. There was talk of the NBA Championship being rigged. The NBA and the media wanted the teams that would bring in the most revenue in the finals. Indeed this same scenario has been mentioned by conspiracy theorists with regards to almost all professional and college sports. There has alwlays been talk of fixed fights in the boxing world and other popular events.

Now we find the same phenomena occuring with American Idol, and no doubt, other reality TV shows. Here is a link to the latest such story: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/03/17/2009-03-17_american_idol_chatter_foursees_finalists.html

It is sad, but all of this is believable. I would like to think everything is done fairly, but I'm probably a bit nieve. It's X-File(ish), but can't you just picture a smoke filled room of powerful men and women working this all out?

American Idol Season 8

I think it is my love of music and my radio background that make me love this show. I like to see how my opinions stack up against the judges' critiques. I love Simon. He is bluntly truthful. Most of the time I'm in agreement with his opinions, although only Simon would really say what the rest of us are thinking. Most of us are sensitive to other's feelings, and although we try to be truthful, we want to tell the truth in a way that doesn't hurt feelings. Paula Abdul always tries to make people feel good, and sometimes stumbles all over herself trying to put her feelings into words. I think Randy has a good ear for music. He is always talking about his experience recording with this artist and that artist. Sometimes I think he's a name dropper, and I wonder if he was really as involved has he leads us to believe. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, because even having been there gives him credibility. For me, the jury is still out on Kara. I'm not sure if I like her yet or not. I think her ego is a bit exagerated, and I sense a feeling of insecurity there. It's like she has to prove herself to us, which she does, but I think she takes offense when other's don't agree with her insights.

I really start to enjoy the show at this point of the season, when we're down to the top 12. I really don't like all of the silly auditions and drama that come with the first several weeks. I do look forward to the talented few who perform familiar songs with full musical back up. I really enjoyed the Michael Jackson library. I was always a fan until the last few years. It has been difficult to seperate his talent from his hyper-strange persona. When he was more of a mainstream character, I could enjoy the music without all of the baggage that comes with it now. I really do enjoy most of his music. I didn't like the performances of the unfamiliar tunes. There is a reason they were never hits in the first place. Granted, there are songs that shouldn't be touched, because any comparison to the original artist would sound foolish. However, there is a lot of familiar music that could be remade without offense. That goes for all artists. I wonder who the mentors will be this year.

I think America made the right choices this week in choosing what is now the top 11. I look forward to seeing what this week will bring.