Idol Finals/Top2

Aah, Finals night on Idol…from what I read earlier (Courtesy of USA Today’s Ken Barnes), the evening was somewhat boring…and predictable…loved the shot of Stiller and Mandy Moore….like they REALLY wanted to be there…LOL…both Taylor and Katherine tonight are doing three songs…two(each) from previous performances this season and one new tune…the coin toss….and it’s McPhee up first….”Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”…good start, but predictable..nice to see her not SITTING down and actually moving a little this time…she’s on pitch, like the “play” with the drummers…she did a decent job….Taylor..WHAT? no commercial first? WHAT IS GOING ON….”Soul Patrol” is out so make sure you don’t get a ticket….he’s poised and it’s been amazing watching him “GROW” over the past month and a half…it’s been a lot of fun to watch what “Taylor” has become and it could be the next “Idol”…soulful, solid and a great performance…Taylor wins Round 1 minus the jacket(I agree with Simon on that one)..…Katherine’s next song..”Somewhere Over the Rainbow”..some “de javu”….but she blew the roof off last week…don’t think she can do it again, but we’ll see…she did a better job than last week, and she put some of her personality into it, which I didn’t hear last week…solid….very very solid…(the one thing I’m gonna miss are the “Daddy crying” shots) ..and she even started on the right key!...Taylor up next with his favorite song of the season, “Levon”….Taylor ate part of the first note…sounded like he couldn’t hear the playback from the band….managed to pull it out though…Taylor has always been soulful and solid…Round 2 goes to Kat….loved the Bucky shot…you couldn’t tell what he was thinking AT ALL….not at all…(  
  Next up..Katherine with her debut single…”My Destiny”…her sound is great..and she looks pretty good too..(I’m waiting for the whole, “big over the top bring in the chorus thing”…once again, as Simon would say, “the song was to BIG for you”…and major pitch problems toward the end…she’s trying to compensate and it fell apart…but it was the song and not her, I feel…Taylor up for the final time, “Do I Make You Proud”…ok..Taylor got the better song to sing and SANG it pretty well…Katherine is going to need some voting help…Taylor took the opportunity and made a “Moment” for himself…

  Wrapup: I’m not real sure on this one…could go either way..both are going to end up with record deals, but I can see Kat going further with the title than Taylor if that makes any sense. She seems more mainstream, Taylor will be a great soft rocker, the next Michael McDonald or Bob Seger….My vote…is for Kat…

  Phillips OUT!

Top 3//Clive/Judges/Contestants Choice!

Well, here we are..the Top 3..and with Clive Davis tonight you can guarantee one thing…ballads…and from my prep reading, quite a few of them tonight…Elliott/Kat/Taylor…three tunes each…lets get this party started..Clive’s picks up first…Elliott 1st//”Open Arms” from Journey…didn’t really do much with it…not that impressed, didn’t like the song, rough in spots…Clive and Kat next…”I Believe I Can Fly”from R. Kelly…the vocals should be great on this….she’s hitting her notes, but seems a little nervous, good opener for her…again, the song seemed a tad “big” for her voice…but I agree with Simon, she did create a “moment” for herself. ..Taylor’s first song from Clive…”Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen….a FIRST on Idol…first Bruce tune in all the years of the show. …got the soul for this one…Taylor has won round one convincingly…he’s on his game…Judges choice up second…Elliott returns…”What You Won’t Do For Love” by Bobby Caldwell…a very soulful tune for Elliott...and a very cool tune…he still seems not loose tonight..his style was great and I agree with Simon….he did pretty good…Kat up next…”Somewhere Over the Rainbow”…starting with NO backup…emotional, and believable, goosebumps…amazing…the BEST of the night….MOMENT!!! Total Moment….it was unbelievable….she was great! She “deserves” to be in the Finals….Randy’s pick for Taylor coming up…”You are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker…perfect for Taylor….getting into the emotion of the song, he did great with that one…a tender moment from Taylor…Kat takes Round 2…(so far Elliott looks like he’s headed home.)
Round 3, Contestants choice…some Ray Charles, “I Believe in My Soul”…hit all the notes, but it not being a well known song for me is going to hurt him…and he can sing…Kat up second…”I Ain’t Got Nothing with the Blues”..should be fun for her range…did a decent job, 5 steps forward, one steps back…I agree with Simon. Taylor up final…”Try a Little Tenderness”….Taylor has control on the stage…boy’s got soul..good way to end the night…as for the Finals….Elliott deflated himself this evening. ..I think the nerves got to him tonight…Taylor and McFever in the finals!  

Idol (Top4), Elvis has left the building (sorry, had to)

Aaah, Elvis night on Idol..not a big fan really, but here goes..the Top 4..Taylor starts the show with a pretty good rendition, and Simon, once again is in “Karaokeland”…he had the moves, not that we wanted to see them, but it was one of his more memorable performances. The rocker Chris is up next…”Suspicious Minds”…I understand the look, and I’m not so sure I like the sunglasses, aah a camera pose as he takes off the glasses…a good use of a prop…vocally I have nothing to say…he’s great!  I even liked the arrangement. Elliott up at 3, another “lovely tender side” song from him…”If I Could Dream”…Elliott is the guy that has those “nuances” in his voice, he sounds pretty good, but I hope he does something a little “more hip” for his second choice tonight. Some rough spots, but I think he did okay. That’s the “Finale” idol tune this year…LOL…Katherine is up at 4…”Hounddog/All Shook Up” dual tunes….this should be unique if nothing else…ooh, did she forget the words I heard a mumble…that’s a BIG BIG no no….eeek….brought it home at the end….judges…yup…that’s what I thought...fun and memorable, which are very important and she had fun…ROUND 2: “Soul Patrol”…”In the Ghetto”…Taylor over the last three weeks has really stepped up his game, more than anyone else. He sounded really good on this tune, one of the better since he’s been on the show…Taylor did a 180…good for him..Chris up again…”A Little Less Conversation”…this should be very unique…playing to the crowd…for me it was like two different songs, the second half was better than the first, but solid “Chris”. There just wasn’t much of his personality in that song. I truly hope Kat pulls something AMAZING or it looks like she’ll be hearing “Daniel Powter”, which is what you don’t want to see or hear on Idol…Elliott up first though..”Trouble”..he’s got some soul and all the guys tonight are on their game. Solid from Elliott..He “deserves” to go through to the next round, amazing tonight…Katherine, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”…aaah, more of Daddy’s tears coming and it may be her final Idol performance…(I’m actually quite sad about that, she’s got a great voice and personality). Great arrangement. Her vocal was solid…seemed like it was over the top, I agree with Simon…again, kudos to the band tonight for the arrangement, they were great, even the singers…it was nice to take a trip back to “Graceland”….who’s headed home…this is where it gets tough, could be any of them really, but Kat had the most challenging night, if she does continue to next week she’ll appreciate it that much more..Elliott and Kat in the bottom two…Kat leaving tonight…(Hope I’m wrong)

Top 5//Birthdate-Top10Billboard

Well, we have reached the two performance per contestant evening on Idol. Plus, each contestant will have two phone numbers, not sure which is more confusing the way this week is going..LOL…First up, songs from the Idol’s birthyear…then songs from the Billboard Top 10 from this week…(yawn)…this seems vaguely familiar to years past…Elliott (’78) with some George Benson, “Broadway”…did alright…for some reason last week to this week I’m not blown away…did well..no happy juice for Cowell tonight right off the bat! Paris up at #2…Prince “Kiss” first. (’88)..man I’m old…working the crowd, and she has always had the voice…she’s one of those, “HOW old is she?” She can perform…Chris up third (’79) Renegade…over the last few weeks, regardless of what I have said, (heard it here first). It’s Chris’s competition to lose…did a nice job on tune number one…Kat at 4…(’84)…Phil Collins, “Against All Odds”…seemed to be a little rough on the beginning, some pitch problems, but she looks great…nice wrap at the end…and we caught Simon saying it was one of her best, and it wasn’t…Taylor…Wild Cherry…HUH?, ok…hide the kids…not exactly sure what you call that, but his legs are moving…he did this first tune to have fun and he is having fun, great personality on that one…ok, clear the slate, minus Taylor’s dancing which I will be having nightmares about later…Second song off the Top 10 Billboard Charts…Elliott, Michael Buble, “Home”…great for his tenor voice…but a boring performance, he didn’t add anything too it, minimal personality…makes me wanna break out the lighter/cell phone light and wave it in the air…LOL….Simon added some humor saying “I Wanna Go Home” may not be the best lyrical choice…Paris, “Be With You”, Mary J. Blige…sounded solid, HUGE risk…it’s like Paris is two different people….amazing…Chris, “I Dare You”…singing with emotion…two solid performances from Chris tonight…Kat with “Katie Turnstall”…solid vocal…had some fun with it and was solid… Taylor with the Beatles, “Something”…ok so he saved face on that one, but will it save him…

  Going home…it’s between Paris and Taylor…

"Love Songs" Top 6 Andrea Boccelli

Tonight is an interesting one…”Classic Love Songs” night…Andrea Boccelli along with David Foster…as I said…an interesting evening ahead…Kat up first…(last last week)…”I Have Nothing”…one that Foster wrote…she’s made it her own, little change here and there….judges didn’t like it…0 for 3…I thought she did okay…Elliott up second..Love song  #2…”A Song For You”..performances are a little longer this week now that we are down to six…Foster/Boccelli made the Idols put their own touch on the song, which is good…Elliott did a nice job (to my ear anyway.)..he’s always been pretty strong and he sounds like he knows the song…Paula is in tears over that one…Simon said it was superb….well…so far looks like Kat’s going home….LOL….4 left..Kellie up at #3…”Unchained Melody”…Kellie//WHAT?...UNCH…KEL….this should be good..she has a chance to set herself apart…and Boccelli got her hair color right….(funny)…ok, I’m bored…she’s really pitchy, ugh…she looks comatose singing…not great for her…pulled it through at the end and some of that “Country Picker” came through…ok so Kat has a chance to be saved…would someone please come through and “Blow the roof off the place” tonight…man this is hard to watch….Paris at #4…”The Way We Were”…she picked the right song for her voice, ejected some emotion and for 17, did an amazing job…she set herself apart from Kellie and Kat tonight….Taylor at 5..”Just Once”…great song choice for him…Taylor could take a HUGE step tonight…think he lost track of the lyrics which will kill any performance at this point…didn’t hear or feel it tonight...it was a “copy”of James Ingram…carbon copy vocal…Chris at 6…PLEASE PLEASE don’t be like the other 5….”Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”...a  “rocker” doing a “rocker” song….cause B.A. can ROCK…sounds great, on pitch..best of the night…he raised the bar…the roof is blown…

   OK, homeward bound…hey, the ladies may be saved…Kellie/Kat and Taylor..Taylor headed home…

Idol//Top 7 - Rod Stewart

   Aaah, Have I Told You Lately….that you can’t sing….This Old Heart of Mine, Can’t Take Your Cryin..ok enough from me..The Idols tonight sing the music of Rod Stewart…and a few of them some of the lesser known songs, at least from my perspective…..and my “source” tells me that Simon took his happy juice for the first time this season…should be a great night…The Great American Songbook is open…Up first…Chris Daughtry…”What a Wonderful World”…quite the change of pace…wow…loved the Ozzie reference…it’s good to hear Chris’s actual VOICE as supposed to his “rocker” voice…this is an interesting twist…nice job…not what I would expect…some may say he did a “safe” song, however for him it was the opposite compared to what he has been…he did great tonight…Paris up second tonight…”Foolish Things”…her annunciating is great..she fits nicely into this song…vocally some challenges, but she pulled through…nice job…up third..Mr Giration…Taylor Hicks!...”You Send Me”…Taylor pulling an Ace and playing to the camera…love the arrangement of this tune…we’re getting “true” vocal ranges on the lower end tonight from everyone…nothing “exciting”…Taylor rocked….Elliott coming up…”It Had To Be You”…another guy who should be very much in his element tonight with his voice…it was alright..these songs are sometimes hard to put your “personality” into and I think Elliott was bitten a little by that tonight…vocally he was good…he is very “Harry Connick” like…Kellie coming up next…”Bewitched, Bothered, BeWildered”..well, look out for her…singing “emotional” is something I haven’t seen much from her, but she did it tonight and into the camera…brilliant…some pitchy problems, but she showed some vulnerability and that should be taken into account. Ace is next…”That’s All”…pulling back the hair…a different look, but how about the “sound”…again, it’s nice to hear these guys within their element…he sounded decent…again, his falsetto was great…”Charming performance” from Simon…Katherine closes the show…”Someone To Watch Over Me”…perfect pitch…lots of vulnerability about 85% voice with the arrangement…very little chance for error…she did a great job….great falsetto…”Complete Amateurs” from Simon…great night on Idol where seven people GREW UP….it’s not about losing one of seven tomorrow night, its about what happened TONIGHT….it was an amazing night. Kudos to the band for doing what they do…it was a very enjoyable night…now the tough part..who is leaving…
  Bottom Three: (I’m afraid Kellie could get burned tonight), but it’s between Elliott, Ace, and Kellie….Elliott going home…
  

Idol Thoughts - Top 8 "Queen"

Well, well, well…another evening of themed Idol….only tonight it’s “Queen”, one of the biggest bands ever from the 80’s…the songs of Freddie Mercury will ebb from the microphones of the Idol’s tonight…or ebbing is what I would like to call it…LOL…from my “source” it was an okay night, nothing earthshattering and the same ole same ole from Simon…so here we go…Queen and Idol…there is a Simonism in there somewhere…

   Bucky up first tonight…well better than last week, not sure I’m a fan of the look though..it’s cross Jessica Simpson biker chick/Constantine….great energy from him tonight, solid uptempo…Ace in the #2 slot tonight…a “We Will Rock You” hybrid…I see Chris doing this song a Ace is performing it…strange..doesn’t fit him well, but he did an okay job with it..used his falsetto at the end..nice…the hybrid part was nice..and risky..seemed like running mascara..a. “Justinism”…LOL..Kellie with Bohemian Rhapsody…in 90 seconds…hmmm…she’s gone “Rocker” chick…great crowd play and sounds pretty on pitch…well, best of the night so far..don’t really think that’s saying much though…well, Simon said she did good…must be something he’s drinking tonight…Chris Daughtry at 4…performing a song that “Queen” never performed live…hmmm….Chris is the most “Freddiesque” performer of anyone this season on Idol and he did a decent job…Simon brought up a very valid point….he may say a lot, but he does tend to make sense when he NEEDS to…Katherine…”Who Wants To Live Forever”…standing, singing and simple…girl singing with some emotion and hitting all her notes…major risk, not a lot of percussion just her voice…nice job…Elliott…doing a song that he has never heard before till this week…hmmm…”Somebody to Love”…the backup for Elliott was a tad much, arrangement, etc. It took away from his voice. What I did hear was solid…he chose the right song for sure…Taylor doing a ballad…(changed his song)…”Crazy Little Thing Called Love”…he gets to dance….not sure if I like that idea…not so sure the mic stand thing worked…Taylor havin’ some fun with the crowd and uh…it was definitely entertaining…..Paris does the wrap…”Show Must Go On”…Paris is an old soul in a little body….of everyone tonight Paris gets my vote for “Best Hair” and vocally she was one of the strongest of the night…

   It’s starting to get hard to pick a bottom three because we all tend to have our favorites and like all of them, for the most part. Bottom Three: Bucky, Taylor, Ace…Home is between Bucky and Ace….

Is It Time to Pass the "Buck?"

Idol Thoughts (Country) – 9 Remaining

Aaah, Country night…and boy was it scary from the get go…at least the way Kenny Rogers looks…..Taylor up first, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”…some John Denver…aaah someone out of their element…managed to pick it up and bring it home in the end….(sorry, had to)…He showed no energy tonight, I agree with the judges…aaah a Simonism.. “Sounded like he chose the song 10 seconds ago”…Mandisa, sounds like, “Any Man of Mine”….decent range with her..if Taylor was a 2, hers was about a 5 or 6, Sorry gang, I’m not TOTALLY into that country thang….LOL…aaah, a little fun with Ryan and a “look like a Desperate Housewife” line…Elliott…”Tomorrow Never Comes”…aaah, I think I head the first “DOG” of the season from Randy…or among the first…what is with Paula and the “breath of fresh air”, “sing the encyclopedia”, etc..lines…Elliott was the most solid tonight so far. ..On a scale of 1-10 so far we’re hitting about a 6…..eeek…Paris is fourth..some LeAnne Rimes…girl is solid as a rock, shows no nerves, uh..better than Mandiva tonight…wow…16..incredible…How about Ace tonight? Aaah slow for Ace…kid has the falsetto range…wow…hmmm…ok..there are some “Country” people in the competition this year….their names Kellie Pickler and Bucky Covington…..Kellie….starting in the crowd…first this year…played nicely to the camera…girl brought it….good choice…she was in her zone…Rockman Chris Daughtry tonight…”Memories of Us”…LOL…little different of a pace for him, I think…not much room for personality tonight across the board, but if anyone could “sing” that song, it’s him…Katherine McPhee…well she’s the first one tonight to get a nice workout running around the stage, great vocal range….and she had FUN…what a concept….the first tonight that seemed to have FUN…Katherine was “cool” tonight…Simon thinks the song was “Peculiar”…well I think Simon is “Peculiar”….LOL…Bucky to close…”Grey Sky Morning”…showing some range…again, minimal personality..another interesting night on Idol…

Overall: You could see the “niches” with Idol, who was comfortable and who played “comfortable” well…not a lot of room for personality tonight, unless your name is Katherine or Paris or Kellie….Bottom 3: it’s tough at this point because their all good…
       Taylor, Elliott, Bucky…the latter headed home…

Idol Top 10(21st Century Tunes)

American Idol…Top 10..Songs of the 21st Century….
    Of all the “Idol Nights”, this is one I have been looking forward to, since it is the ONE they seem to use every year. Not only that but my “East coast” connection gave me some inside info on who did what and that no one was really “an Idol” tonight. Here we go…
    First up, Lisa Tucker…doing Kelly Clarkson, “Because of You”…EEK…well, she tried….I bet Paula says she’s cute…Lisa gets the “sympathy” vote from me tonight. I like the girl, she has a great voice, but not with that one. …Country girl Kellie Pickler up next with some Sarah Evans….is it me or was it like a “Sing a long”….Kel was singing along with the backup….nothing really unique about that one either….judges…heard an “uh” from Randy….hmmm…the song did nothing for her….”Gimmicky, Rodeo, Lassoing”…from Simon….Ace is third…Train…”Drops of Jupiter”…like the arrangement…Ace, best of the night so far….however that’s not saying much. ..ok what is it with Paula and the “shirt unbuttoned” guys??....onto Taylor…”Trouble”…for me, it was alright. I don’t know the song, it showed his range, but the “interesting” night continues….hey, Taylor didn’t DANCE tonight….blessing in disquise? Hmmmm…Mandisa …with some Gospel…”Praise You”…she’s great on stage, strongest of the night vocally….judges disagree…ok reset…the contestants tonight are given the chance to sing songs that WE the people know via CD’s or radio, the SONGS of the 21st Century…of the five songs sung, I recognize three and know two pretty much by heart…something is not right, I’m sure you agree…ok, let’s see if the final five tonight do any better than the first five….Chris Doughtry next….the rocker continues to “Rock”…Creed, “What If”…Chris was one of the ones I picked a way back to be among the top and tonights performance does not change my attitude toward that…Katherine McPhee up next with Christina Aguilera, “The Voice Within”…lots of changes and lots of risk, she did a nice job with that considering who it was…the best of the night….Bucky up next…over the last few weeks he has gotten more comfortable “performing” on the stage and tonight he managed to do pretty good….rough night on Idol…Paris pulling out Beyonce, “Work it Out”…everything about “Idol” tonight seems “Ordinary”, when it should otherwise feel Exciting because the singers are being “Different”, aah, “A Little girl pretending to be Beyonce” from Mr. Cowell…Elliott closing the show with some Gavin DeGraw, “I Don’t Wanna Be”….Ell mixin’ it up…very nice…great arrangement…a good way to close an otherwise okay night….so the bottom three….here we go…..Kellie, Bucky, Paris – Bucky going home….
  I was gonna put Chris in the bottom three, which is possible, but not probable…

Top 11 (Fab 50's)

  
    This week the contestants got the chance to work with Barry Manilow, who seems to be on his “lets go on all the hit tv shows” tour. (He’ll be performing on Idol tomorrow night.) First up tonight is Mandisa….”I Don’t Hurt Anymore”..well she picked the right song for her voice…came out strong, on key. A NICE start to the evening with some pop to it. Simon said it was a great “Stripper” song….HA! Bucky up next…”Oh Boy”, by Buddy Holly….this tune has the chance to go either way. He did okay, he managed to pull it off, the falsetto was a nice touch toward the end. Simon says a karaoke performance….solid constructive criticism, let’s hope he uses it…Paris has a “Fever” this week….she’s like a seasoned veteran….look out to the remaining 8 to perform tonight….wow….very comfortable with the crowd…Chris morphing into “Johnny Cash”…nice move to go with about 80% vocal, so far in this whole thing Chris is the one who has it the most together and is using the tools of Personality, Originality, and Memorability to his complete advantage...wow….Katharine with some Ella Fitzgerald…all I’m gonna say is if you put that on a CD and sold it, I would buy it…Since Bucky the night has gone WAY up…..Taylor Hicks…working out “Fade Away”…Buddy Holly….I’m jut happy it’s a “singing” competition and not a “dancing” competition….LOL….Taylor havin’ some fun on stage..and for the first time this season, using the crowd riser….not an amazing vocal choice….but he did his thing. I love the fact the crowd isn’t even letting Simon talk, they boo him….We all know how we feel about Simon, but he does tell it straight. Lisa Tucker last week as in the bottom three, this week…with the ‘50’s….”Why Do Fools Fall in Love”…not sure about that one…I wanna say she did good, but some of the notes…she had great energy tonight. Simon thinks he’s trapped in a High School musical….(maybe he should stay there)...Kevin Covais, one of my choices to go home last week is next. “When I Fall in Love”…and they put the kid in front of the judges….noo pressure…not at all…Kevin….little rough around the edges…the first to do a “slow” song tonight and the vulnerabilites came through…not sure about that one....but his “audience” is gonna eat it up. Elliott next…”Teach Me Tonight”…now I think Elliott has some of the best vocals this year, up there with Chris and Katherine and Mandisa. Did a great job with the song, lots of highs and lows…amazing. Simon says, “Fantastic!”…..10th is Kellie with some Patsy Kline…”Walkin’ After Midnight”..girl is in her “zone”….when Kellie is in her “zone”, look out….and she’s playin to the camera and playing to the crowd riser too..even having some fun with the judges…came to play tonight….wow…Ace closing the show….”In the Still of the Night”…changing the tempo…great “puppy dog eyes” song for Ace. LOL…man oh man….liked the falsetto ending…great rendition…no bottom 3 this week….
   My bottom three prediction: ok kids, here we go…Bucky, Taylor, and Kevin….Bucky heading home this week. I was wrong last week…Stay tuned…

American In(What)er?

This evening I watched American Inventor, the new show by Simon Cowell on ABC. It’s like American Idol without the singers, but with inventors….Some of the inventions (Workout in a backpack) were great ideas…The “Tizzie” Tube was a BAD idea….some of the “Toilet” inventions were both interesting and completely disgusting….(where do they get these people?)
  The funny thing is we already have judges with perfect etiquette and two that are acting like Simon and Paula. Still have the last 30 minutes to go….All this for a million dollars toward your invention…..hey, at least it’s entertaining…some of these people are so serious about how great their invention is, when the judges say no, they are completely devastated…there have been a few that even surprised me with a few yes and go through to the next round (contestants need 3 of the 4 judges to say yes).
  The four judges are “experts” in their respective Inventing fields, and there is a “Brit” in the group….(I’m sure Simon had something to do with that.) Again, it was entertaining to watch….JP

American Idol Top 12 (Songs of Stevie Wonder)

Aaaah, the Top 12…bigger stage, more lights, more pressure….and ONE Catalog to choose songs from…Stevie Wonder’s catalog…..time for some reminiscing…THIS is American Idol…(Sorry, couldn’t help it)….Up first tonight is Ace(also #1)….HA!
  Stevie : “Do I Do” – As Randy would say, he DID his thing…a tad rough in the beginning, but tough tune to sing. Lots of changes. Paula’s judgement was right, he entertained.  Up second. Kellie Picker doing Blame it On the Sun…(I’m not real familiar with that one.) Poor Kellie, out of her element, doing her best, she’s very monotone, no range, little emotion and no fun…(I was bored). She’s actually crying on stage as if she knows….unfortunately, she’s my first choice of the night to head home…but hey, she got the shoes on sale! LOL....ok..Ace was off, Kellie was WAY WAY off…how is the rest of this night going to go since I thought the above two were two of the better people this season….(I’m concerned)…Up third, Elliott Yamin, “Knocks Me Off My Feet”….nerves tonight are getting everyone….seems like as Simon would say, “A Bad Cruise ship show”…don’t know….wow…showed a little flavor at the end…rough night all around so far…it was “good”, but here…now you need to be “great” and I haven’t seen that from many contestants this season yet….Mandisa at #4…(performing barefoot care of Ryan Seacrest)…”Don’t You Worry About a Thing”…girl came to play, and laid it down..(better than the first three)…one of her better performances on the show….she was the first person to show some “personality”…as Randy said, “Stevie songs are tough”. #5, Bucky Covington, “Superstitious”….he’s definitely having fun with it. Sounds good too, minimal nerves through the tune…but seemed…again…okay. Not GREAT but okay and safe….#6 Melissa with her first ballad and first dress on idol..Melissa McGee, “Lately”…another rough tune…pulled it out though, you could see her “winces” during the song. The first girl to forget the lyrics on the BIG BIG stage….:) I agree with Simon, it was edgy, possibly even unexpected from her, which is part of the “Wow” factor..and I’m not just talking about the dress….one of the “kids”, Lisa Tucker doing, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”…the ladies are doing okay tonight…she was grooving on stage. She definitely has the voice. “Personality” in the contestants tonight is tough with these tunes. Lisa did a nice job. Simon says she took control of the stage and she was the first person to take the stage, I totally agree with that statement. .Kevin up at #7…Kevin Covais, “Part-time Lover”…”Mr Facial Expression”…again the nerves, it’s as if they’re all getting sucked into a vacuum. Interesting and enjoyable, two great words from Randy. Kevin putting Simon in his place…”I wasn’t expecting much from you.”….Katherine McPhee, “Until You Come Back to Me”…for some reason I like the “bands” arrangement of this song, she did a great job of singing it, however not a lot of personality with that one…she kept it pretty straight. Vocally is solid, probably one of the best this year vocally, the nerves did not get to her tonight. Taylor Hicks, “Mr Harmonica” meets Stevie Wonder….”Livin’ for the City”..Taylor is in the process of setting the bar for the men tonight…he’s workin the stage, no nerves, just as long has he doesn’t dance….LOL….Personality and the “Wow” factor for the first time tonight, and it doesn’t feel forced….Taylor is here to play….WOW! SIMON, “Every Dad Who Has Got Drunk at a Wedding and got on stage, the only difference is, YOU can sing”….another Simon classic….Taylor BEST of the night so far….aaah, Kid#2, Paris is 11th tonight. “All I Do”…girl singing with emotion, it would have been nice if the night started out like this….she was great! The girl is only 17 and she was an “Old soul” on stage tonight…wow…Simonism #234 “Your like a little doll, just wind her up and off she goes.”..she’s rollin’ acapella to the crowd….she’s gonna be one to watch with that room full of energy…Chris to close the show….”Higher Ground”…great vocal, not a fan of the arrangement. High energy close…Simon said it was a “Real World” example, and I agree.

Idol thoughts: Going Home tonight….and I really do like her…unfortunately, I think is Kellie Pickler…it just didn’t go right tonight for her. Ace showed some vulnerability.

Idol (Guys) Top 8

Last week it was whittled from 10 to 8, the mens choice of song far surpassed the women as far as songs I actually recognized and some of them were quite good. Chris, Mr “Bon Jovi” was the one too beat. Will that change this week. Gedeon up first with “When A Man Loves a Woman”…he’s showing some nice range, seems very comfortable on stage. He came to play….he brought some soul tonight..and Gedeon aka “Mr Eyebrows” is “growing on Simon.”..not a bad start. Chris with some Seether….doing “Broken”…definitely has the rock thing going, nice emotion, he was solid. Simon thinks he needs to be more entertaining and the song will be forgettable. We’ll see…Kevin rolling out with a ballad…Starry, Starry Night…voice was great, and Simon says, “in the same way watching puppies play, it was juvenile”….he’ll have the “Granny” vote….(Kevin may have missed his mark and be headed home). Bucky going country next….ooh, shocker..the guys know who they are and are better in touch than the women…he’s got the “Bucky” thing goin on. (and Bucky may be ridin’ on into the sunset). We’ve seen 4 men so far, and I’m not feelin’ it. Last night was different, not sure about this year. Will is next…JT…aaah, nerves, the second half was better than the first. If Paula says, “The thing I love about you” ONE MORE TIME…Paula says, “All the guys are stepping up tonight”, I wanna know what she is smoking….(you can send him home too)…Taylor Hicks up next….with some Michael McDonald….uptempo…sounds good but boy’s gotta learn how to dance. It’s not pretty….Gettin into it…best tonight so far…someone raised the bar and his name is Taylor Hicks…Simon agrees…Elliott with some Bryan Adams “Heaven”…did a nice job,  sounded great. Simon thought it was a copout and he was uncomfortable and Paula thinks everyone is great….perhaps I need to share my Nyquil…Ace wraps up the show…what amazes me is you put up this guy last and he is INCREDIBLE as a singer and makes everyone else look “NORMAL”…he brought it tonight doing some Michael Jackson…overall I think one of the best of the night.  Tomorrow who will go home…we’ll see……--JP

Idol Happenings(Women Top 8)

OK, kids, another week the top 8 Women….let me mention this is the first time I noticed there is only one BLONDE in the Top 8….that would be Kelli. Paris kicked off the show with a nice rendition of some Miami Sound Machine, followed by Lisa and what I would like to dub an “Eh?” song….sounded decent, but don’t be surprised if she is gone Thursday. Melissa kicks third with some Heart, with some overdone makeup. (Simon thinks it was a bad performance) – she did seem pretty nervous though. Kinnik is fourth “trying” Alicia Keys, she has the lower range for it, and she managed to pull it off to my ear, but I’m waiting for some scathing Simon comment. All three judges thought she was a mess, she may be headed home. It was aaaight. Katherine at five tonight with her range and Oh My GOD….an appropriate song….sounds to me like she is the first one to come to “play” tonight….a risk and she pulled it off, all three judges agree…best of the night so far, which is rough considering there are only three left and I know there is one bullet, at least, left in the gun and her name is Mandisa. My Mom has a 57 inch projection tv who said if she keeps kicking out the tunes, she’ll have to upgrade to a 63 inch tv. Ayla with some Natasha Beddingfield, very current and known song, and she sounds good performing it, she’ll be back after Thursday..however it was a “safe” song for her, nothing special with the vocals…all three agree it was “good”. But she towers Ryan Seacrest in the interview section….Mandisa with the Chaka Khan…I’m Every Woman, great range, which we already know, seems pretty effortless too, no nerves…Randy thinks Mandisa is the one to beat…Paula agreed as did Simon…Kellie is last, which means she can be “ordinary” like everyone else or step up to the challenge…..we’ll see what happens after the break..(sorry, couldn’t help it)…she’s rockin’ to Melissa Ethridge…with some emotion, she came to play too! Simon called her a “Naught little minx”…which I guess is a compliment. So again, song selection tonight…for the “players” their songs were great, for the rest it was “ordinary”….does that make any sense?  Guys tomorrow night….

Idol Men(Top 10)

    Aaaah, another night of Idol, lets see how right the judges are this evening. (Another DVR, real time night)..Contestants choose their own songs…if that happened last night, it explains A LOT! Taylor is up first..some Commodores, Easy(Like Sunday Morning)…vocals are a tad shaky, pulled it through in the end and threw some personality into it. (Bo Bice in the crown tonight) aaah Simon, “The old Wrong Choice of Song” line….slightly familiar….(not overused at all). Next up Elliott, ooh a song from E.T…..(kidding) going a little soulful tonight with some Stevie Wonder.…sounded about ¼-1/2 crooner to me. Not bad. A standing O from Randy…Simon said it was the wrong….no…the said it was a great performance. He needs to raise the bar, for sure. Look out ladies, Mr. Camera to make you melt is up….Ace..with some D. Bed, aka Daniel Beddingfield…going for the falsetto, a little rough. He took a risk and did well. Simon things he won’t be happy with his vote back…(got some boos). However Simon does seem to know what he’s talking about…I don’t think Ace is going anywhere. Okay eyebrown man is up, Gideon, has some good range…whoa, someone came to play tonight….Simon giving him some props…Kevin in at #5, some Marvin/Heard it Through, if he didn’t “bounce” up and down he would have sounded better, but he ended it nicely. He had a great time performing. Simon’s streak of one compliment is broken once again….Another Stevie tune..”Sway” had the ladies swayin’ but not the judges…he may be in the bottom two tomorrow night for the guys. Simon says there was no originality and he did it all wrong, I tend to agree. Wow, the men can pick songs…next up Will with some Kenny Rogers/Lady, showing some range and length. Someone else came to play tonight for the men…some falsetto at the end…Paula said it was too safe, Simon says it was like an audition for “Cats”. I feel bad for Bucky because he does “Country” really well, pulling for some Garth, did it really well, took some risk at the start and pulled it off. Next up…Mr. Crooner, David…he “crooned” well, if that makes any sense, with some personality. David was in his zone, he needs to break out of the zone with some confidence, he seemed nervous tonight. Ending with Chris and some “Fuel”..he is hands down in my opinion definitely here to play. He has one of those “Rock”y voices, seems completely comfortable on stage, with some great vocal range.

  Judges tonight: Once again, pretty close to dead on. Simon seems to be getting “stale”, that’s all I’m saying about that.  

Idol Top 10 Women

I’m sitting here…just got done with Deal or No Deal, and am now watching a DVR’d American Idol (10 women tonight)…what the hell did Katherine sing? If I didn’t know any better I’d say she is gone…I didn’t even recognize the song! Kinnik brought the tempo and a good tune for her voice. I can see some Urban Country….LOL  
  Lisa Tucker: Young Lisa, girl has some range, did a nice job. Again though..song selection for the women last week and this week…YIKES! Song selection…are these people actually PICKING these songs….Melissa did a great job on that tune, however does anyone KNOW the song? Heather and Mariah Carey/Hero: She did a nice job, but she paled in comparison to Mariah, I agreed with the judges and Simon is on his game…great analogies tonight…so far anyway. Donna summer was about 1/3 energy it needed to be done right. I didn’t feel it for Brenna, it was a tired rendition. Oh, did I mention the song selection tonight? EH?
  OK, Paris, the girl who I think has the chance to win the whole thing…what song will she sing? Will we know or recognize it? Here we go…..ok…Bette Midler…for Paris…she has great heart shaped silver earrings. I feel like breaking out the lighter and swaying, but that could set off the sprinklers in my apartment. Great range, just not the right song for her….next up Ayla….did I mention song selection….range is decent..if I KNEW the song….she did shine of the lot so far tonight. (Hope she gets the votes tonight) ok, Kellie is up, another one of the favorites and the feel good story this year…with some Bonnie Raitt….she has great stage presence, WOW…that twang in her voice….ooooh. The best performance of the night, in my opinion…The first last week, goes last this week. Mandisa to close..Dogjaw joke…very good, may have to pull that on Mark from KZEL tomorrow…oh, girl going on next week…Faith Hill…wow…goosebumps….whew! ok…someone came to play…Mandisa….

  Judges: Randy, Paula and Simon were about 85% right across the board tonight in their assessment. Simon had some great lines. I can only hope the song choices are better next week. Top 10 men tomorrow night.

  

Satin Love Valentines Night and MORE!

I'm getting ready for Valentines Day and Satin Love at the Hilton. I've emceed for them each time they have performed there and love every second of it. The best thing is it's always the same people at the event. Security/sound/etc.
Looking forward to a great night, albeit a Tuesday and a middle of the week kinda show. Hope to see you there!
I'm not usually one to sit and watch the Olympics and be content, but I am interested in the Figure skating this year, since Michelle will not be a part. Thank goodness for my DVR - I'll also be able to catch Simon's comments tomorrow evening and report back on Wednesday. I've had some issues with my blog on here which I hope are now resolved.

till next time....JP

At the HOUSE, Hangin' with Clive...

I’m sitting here this evening, just finished HOUSE…sorry Sela. The Grammy’s are tomorrow, and as I blog I am listening to the Clive Davis pre party, just heard Rod Stewart, sounded pretty good. Idol was decent…loved the guy who had to go to the restroom…he came back and sounded worse. Tomorrow…on to hell week.
  I am attempting to get over a sore throat that won’t go away. I’m trying to Tylenol it to death. So far it seems to be working, and it hasn’t gotten any worse, which is a good thing. I need to be ready for the Truffle shuffle with Jodi from KVAL on Sunday morning. I have some movies this week to get to including “Hitch”, and “Monster in Law”, the latter of which I have yet to see. (I know, what’s wrong with me.) I will be posting reviews of both if you haven’t seen them either, so don’t feel bad.
Clive’s Grammy show goes on with Chris Brown…..

Steelers, Ducks and Gorillaz! Oh My! (Mag Rag too!)

    Aaah, kicking off another rainy week. The weekend was great, if your not a Ducks or Seahawks fan…(My Eagles will be back next year)…LOL, yeah right. Hopefully it’s not another rainy week. Magazine wise there is a great breakdown in TVGuide for the upcoming Olympics in Torino. (Opening ceremonies are this Friday). Including daily breakdowns starting Friday.
  
   Entertainment Weekly: Double Issue, breakdowns on all OSCAR films, directors, actors, and the like. Plus a breakdown of the Sundance Film Festival and DVD’s this week include: Elizabethtown, Kirsten Dunst – and 13 Going on 30, a new release from the last one a year or so ago. The return of some of our favorite shows this week including HOUSE, and LOST, we find Sawyer’s backstory this week, plus some amazing Grammy Performances Wednesday night, including the Gorillaz and Madonna(HUH??) opening the show….should be interesting.

  So, favorite Super Bowl commercials? Let me know in the “Comment” section below and I’ll try to get to them on the air.  

Rag' Mag

Weekend MAG Breakdown:
    Since part of what I do involves going through magazines, I thought it would be a good idea to post the highlights (and lowlights) of what I’ve read. So here goes…..

EW(Entertainment Weekly)
    News and Notes has an interesting discussion of whether NBC’s Golden Girl, Katie Couric will be moving to evening news at CBS, as well as what the heck the CW is and what it will bring to network tv. The story of “Producer-gate” and “Commander in Chief” is revealed and the cover story on Kanye West has an interesting angle…but by far the best article is from Dalton Ross, who spent a night in “Exile” on the set of the next Survivor. (I’ll be sharing part of his story this week on the air…very good, and humorously written).

TVGuide
   Other than just listings there are articles on  Omar Epps(House) and his character, as well as a guest performance on ER this week from James Woods…a Survivor Re-introduction, and if you’re a “Grey’s Anatomy” fan, a look at the newest “Couple in love”…(it’s not who you think).

People
   If your not tired of hearing about Benn-ifer, it now seems like it’s morphed into Vaughn-ifer as in Vince Vaughn. That’s the cover story anyway…sounds like Jenna Elfman’s new show is going to do well(better than Heather Graham anyway)…and the questions you want to ask about “Dancing with the Stars” are answered, including, “How do the dancers not slip on the floor that looks like it was just waxed?”

  That’s the basic breakdown this week. Look for a topic of the day later this week….and again, thanks for reading….--JP

P Must Go! (Third time is the charm)

OK, after a completely non interested performance, two of the judges were right, my pick this week to be off Dancing with the Stars is Master P…(third time is the charm)..I do feel bad for Ashley though…we’ll find out tomorrow night.
   I have rented “Hitch”, which I’ve seen and “Batman Begins” which I haven’t, and will post reviews probably Sunday on these two movies, as well as things to look for on tv in the upcoming week, plus who’s story is the focus on LOST this upcoming week.
  Enjoy the weekend and the Civil War and Go DUCKS! --JP

Idol...Evangeline and the rest of the week

   Hope everyone is having a good week. I’m chillin’ at home tonight watching American Idol. Tonight they are in North Carolina and so far they have sent more women than men to Hollywood, for tonight anyway. Simon’s official line for season five is, “I don’t mean to be rude but…..” – I feel this year that Simon has returned to his cool, suave crudeness of seasons one and two, complete with a complaint or two. Mr Michael Jackson is cracking me up over here….Marcus needs to SLOW it down…he got the Randy and Paula DVD…..he made Simon’s day. Simon loves the world…HA!
   Rhonetta is cracking me up and she hasn’t even sung yet. OK, onto the outlook for the week.
   LOST: Tomorrow night’s episode focuses on Charlie and his drug addiction, although I would be more interested in his romance with Kate(Evangeline Lilly) in real life…but that’s not going to happen. CSI: (Thursday) focuses on Catherine’s family..that should be interesting, considering her father is like the Vegas Casino Mob Boss. (Can’t wait to see what Mom does.) Later this week I’ll be talking about the 2006 movies we’ll all be talking about, and probably already are. Don’t forget to come back and let me know what movie your looking forward to seeing as we head into summer. (Let me know by clicking Comment by the pencil below)…Go Rhonetta!! LOL
  

Movies, Robin Williams and an Oscar Prediction

Aaaah, sitting here on a Sunday evening…watching Seven and The Italian Job, jumping between the commercials. It was great to see the sun this afternoon. I am also still getting over the aftershock that Master P is still on Dancing with the Stars.
Things will be gearing up this week for Satin Love at the Hilton on Valentines Day. That is going to be a blast. I am looking forward to it.
There is some great tv ahead this week including another “Charlie” flashback on LOST and CSI is going to delve into Catherine’s family by way of a murder…how else? I still think that CSI is one of the best shows on television. FOX of course has Idol and 24, to which 24 has sucked me in again and American Idol has Simon…the ever lovable Simon. Do you think he’s gone to far this year…or he has returned to the lovable Simon from the first two seasons. Write me a Comment in the section below. (next to the pencil) and let me know.
As far as movies…some great ones with Robin Williams out on DVD this week including Good Morning Vietnam and Dead Poets Society, both of which garnered him Oscar nominations. I had a chance to watch Robots over the weekend, the animation was incredible, the plot was okay and the lines were too…(Robin played the voice of “Fender”…thank you IMDB.com for a quick lookup).
I also had a chance to see Crash, similar to Love Actually in the sense of it being a mixture of five or six different stories all tied into one. It will definitely receive an Oscar nomination, there are some great actors in it including Terrance Howard, Sandra Bullock, and Brendan Frasier. Check it out if you get the chance. It is one of those films that will make you think.
Well, back to Seven, or The Italian Job…talk to ya soon and thanks for reading…

Master P...3 for 3???? HUH???

An interesting week, wrapped up with probably one of the most fun remotes I have had since I’ve been here in Eugene. It was a blast doing the show from Kiefer Kia yesterday..lots of cute kids…As for the shows this week. I can’t believe(and am in shock) that Master P is still on Dancing with the Stars! (Perhaps Week 4 he will be gone)…Who knows.
  American Idol was great this week. However I found out the two gentleman who serenaded Paula on Monday night are in jail for armed robbery, so we’ll see if they make it to Hollywood. Other than that Monday night I thought Simon was a tad harsh, and back to his Season 1 and 2 ways. (Which seems to be what everyone loves). I’m looking forward to football tomorrow, even though I’m an Eagles fan..I guess I can cheer on the Seahawks. ..although I think Carolina is going to be a lot to handle, but for Aaron who is going to be at the game..GO SEAHAWKS….

"24", Bachelor, and Gillian's Return!

  I’m sitting here on a Sunday night, once again wondering where the weekend went. It was nice to see the sun today to help things dry out for at least a day. I’m looking forward to the Season Premiere of “24” in about an hour. I just found out that Emily’s Reasons Why Not and Jake in Progress are being bumped tomorrow for an ever exciting encore of “The Bachelor Does Paris.” Albeit my own title but if they renamed it, people might actually watch.
   American Idol begins on Tuesday, so look for a review on air Monday and probably Tuesday as well. I’m looking forward to this Friday and the tryouts for the Kiefer/STAR idol. They get to appear in a commercial that will be on during American Idol. Listen for more details all this week.
   Gillian Anderson, from the X-Files has a new show on tv. I’ll be talking about that this week as well as keeping you up to date on Midseason Premiere Week 2…

Dancing with Stacy!

I’m sitting here watching Dancing with the Stars and I still feel that WWE’s Stacy is the one to beat. She was amazing tonight. It kinda reminds me of the sports adage of it’s Texas and the nine dwarfs…and yes, they were right..her legs seem to get longer.
  It was good to see a new episode of LOST last night that wrapped up yet another piece of the LOST mystery. OK, Master P is up…gotta see this…aaah P and the quickstep. Len said, “I suppose you put your had on the other way, you get a little more speed.”..overall he was a tad better and loosened up, but unfortunately for Ashley I think P is headed home this week. Tomorrow night will tell the story.
Hope to see you tomorrow at the New Car Expo starting at 5…remember..not a selling event, just come check out the cars….  --JP

Do You Still Care About the Olympics?

Click Comment...

Emily, Jake and the 10 O'Clock News(kinda)

   Had a chance to watch Heather Graham in Emily’s Reasons Why Not. Funny show, Jake In Progress is back as well and now I’m suffering through the opening of The Bachelor…it’s the part where all of the girls are coming out of the limo and meeting him for the first time…the girl from West Virginia said to him, “and your name is Travis”….forgive me for asking, but aren’t you supposed to know that BEFORE you fly 5000+ miles to meet Travis?
   Tomorrow I’ll be talking about Michael J Fox returning to Boston Legal tomorrow night at 10 on ABC. He’s going to have a stint of three episodes playing a character that falls in love with one of the Boston Legal lawyers. It will be good to see him on television again. I am one of the many who grew up watching him on Family Ties and then the Back to the Future Trilogy.
   A quick note on the Women’s basketball game from Saturday. I owe an apology to my date from that evening for making her sound a certain way when she is the complete opposite. I meant for the line to go over being funny, where it may have been taken out of context. This woman is one of the more intriguing ones in the area, she loves to laugh and have a great time wherever she goes or whoever she is with, or so it seems…and I am glad that she is giving some of that time to me.

Rain, Planes, and SUVS

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(plus some other Saturday night observations)

I, like the rest of you, wish that the rain would come to an end sometime before spring gets here, but I also realize that there will be more rain in the spring. The evening began over by Red Robin at Valley River Center watching the deluge of rain and the SUV Olympics with people trying to get that FIRST spot closest to the restaurant by driving about 50 mph to the spot, only to lose it to the car in front of them.
I was then off to the Women’s Basketball game at Mac Court vs Stanford and WOW what a game. For those of you who were there if you were sitting by an obnoxious guy who stated the obvious the entire game wearing a black shirt, that was me and I apologize. I feel even more sorry for my date that evening, she later told me she would have had fun watching you guys tear me apart. I was throwing out lines like “Hello, this is the Oregon Women’s Basketball defense, no one is available at the moment, please leave a message.”, after Candace Wiggins scored yet another three pointer from the key with no show from the Oregon defense. She ended up with 37 for the game. I was doing it in fun and some people were laughing.
After the game we headed to Turtles for a quick bite and a great conversation. We wondered about the people who worked traffic outside the game and why they were carrying those light sticks you would see at the airport, perhaps a 737 was going to land right in front of Mac Court for the game – that would also explain the lack of parking in around seventy five parking spots.
The rain in the area is again allowing me to bring a good friend back into the equation. Noah(yeah, the one with the arc). I have a “blue phone” in the STAR studio and he calls once in a while to let me know where in the area he is. Noah likes to give tours of the arc (with balloons for the kids!)

Well, off for a lazy Sunday.. --JP

Fun with Dick and Jane(sorta)

Fun with Dick and Jane(uh…sorta…more entertaining.)

In typical Jim Careyesque fashion this is a GREAT movie if you are a fan of his. It’s also a great first date movie (funny, entertaining, and interesting – watching Jim lose his job and all of his possessions (even the lawn is repo’d) and getting it all back is somewhat refreshing. There is a definite lag in the movie at certain points and Alec Baldwin’s character reminded me of an old boss, which in itself was pretty funny.
However, Carrey is at his slapstick best and Tea Leoni blends her wit along with his to make their scenes pretty enjoyable. Again, a good first date movie, and a “comfortable” film if your bored on a rainy Saturday.

USC vs TEXAS (THE National Championship)

   I’m sitting here at home watching the first quarter of the College football game of..well..this decade anyway. I know I live in the world of the Pac-10, however I don’t feel I’m the only person in Lane County routing for the Longhorns.
   I spent this morning recording a spot for Keifer Kia for a promotion we will be doing very soon on STAR, more details soon. It was especially fun getting in front of very bright lights at 9am, slightly early for me. I’ve been somewhat tired, I think it’s the jetlag from returning from Philadelphia late last week.
   I find it interesting that some of the best things in 2006 are also parts of some of the trends for the year(courtesy of AOL.com). Specialty dances are back in, we get to relive 1999/2000 all over again. I think a lot of it has to do with shows like “Dancing with the Stars”. One of the other things that is considered “hip” again is rollerblading, and ladies, you’ll love this one…Cocoa cafes!!! That’s right, café’s that specialize in chocolate. You’ll never be depressed again, or maybe you’ll be making up excuses to be depressed.
    Tomorrow and Thursday I will be talking more about the second season of “Dancing with the Stars”. I already have a copy of “next week”’s tvguide, too bad I can’t talk about it till “next week”. Also, Friday I will be seeing Fun with Dick and Jane, so look for a review on Monday!

               --Justin  

Review of King Kong

KONG was my Top Movie for 2005!
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The movie starts out pretty slow, we don't see Kong or the marvel it took to create the beast for about an hour and fifteen minutes, but some of the screen shots before he makes his appearance assure you that it is worth it. (The movie could be a bit shorter, they could have cut out about forty five minutes to an hour.)
With all of the publicity this movie has garnered over the last year and all of the articles I read I went in with some expectation that the film was going to be good. The 1933 film shattered box office records at the time it was released, the 1976 version had some protests as it was filmed at the World Trade Center rather than the Empire State Building and the 2005 version had more miniatures in it than did all three Lord of the Rings films, so there was some expectation.
There are some great scenes and once the picture gets going it doesn't feel as long. The Kong scenes are intense and I would not suggest taking the little ones to this film. They will have nightmares and will never think of African Americans the same way ever again. The scenes with the bugs were enough to make half the theatre squeamish and the "planes over the Empire State Building" were enough to give the entire theatre vertigo.
King Kong is one of those films where knowing the history behind it will allow you to enjoy Peter Jackson's version even more. I had a chance to watch the original King Kong from 1933 on AMC over the holiday. You can see where Jackson pays "homage" to that film and other films, some are obvious, others somewhat subtle and perhaps playful.
This film will sweep the Academy Awards for special effects this year. It would also not be a surprise if Naomi Watts scores an Oscar for her performance, with the exception of being in an evening gown in the middle of winter and on top of the Empire State Building without falling off, her performance was stellar.
King Kong is a film that you HAVE to see in the theater so drop the $10 bucks and enjoy the wrath and tenderness of THIS King Kong.

New Years Eve/Satin Love and Being in "Peril"

New Years Eve 2006

New Years Eve was probably one of the most entertaining evenings I have had. The day began early, after arriving in Eugene from Philly at around 5am. I was up at 9:30am to begin the day. I had a few errands to take care of and it was 4 so I headed to the Hilton. It was me and four females getting ready for the New Year. I was ready in about 10 minutes and with all the hair it took them a little over an hour.

The evening emceeing for Satin Love went great, complete with a Countdown to midnight about 90 seconds out, and I even managed to hit the dancefloor a bit.

However, the real fun was after the show. At around 1:30 am a group of us were chillin’ in our room and we heard “noises” from the room next door. These “noises” were of a tree tapping on a window on a windy night type of nature, so we decided to “bang” back.

What happened next was great. There was a knock on the door about thirty seconds later. Danny was relegated to answer the door, or at least check out the muscleman knocking on it—but this muscleman was not a man at all, but a woman, buck naked, knocking on our door. Needless to say we did not answer the door. It was the night of vintage pajamas for the ladies. Nikki was wearing “Barbie” and Emily was wearing “Wonder Woman”, complete with the “W” on the top. She exclaimed without missing a beat, “Maybe she is in peril.” We then had thoughts of the “Invisible Jet” outside the woman’s window and trying to explain this to the cops.

Food was an option around 3am, so some headed off to IHOP…to which Nikki requested “French Toast”, she received “Pancakes” and was not to happy about that. The genius Danny got the two confused. Nikki was meticulous in what we would need that night. She brought her microwave, enough coffee, snacks – the rest of us covered the alcohol. No one got too blitzed and a good time was had by all…Thanks again for getting the room Nik!

Things I learned New Years Eve:

1. It is cool, it may be the new thing actually, to be in “Peril”

2. Vintage PJ’s are always cool to wear.

3. (Something you guys may never see, that I can actually vouch for) – four women in
the bathroom at the SAME TIME. It can be done!!

4. Satin Love closes every performance with “We Are Family”. It is ironic for me
because outside the band, it’s the same people I get to work with everytime.
Security, Sound, and Lights. It’s nice to have this group together the few times a
year we get to work together. I appreciate all of you and the work you do
including the band.

P.S. -- Don't make Valentines Day plans just yet....Keep listening to STAR for more details soon....:)

2005 Holidays

The 2005 Christmas holiday was a good one for me, minus the flights that my bags did not make it on…for two years in a row! The time home visiting friends and family in Philadelphia went way too fast, but it was good to see some radio friends including Damian from WLAN in Lancaster and Craig Allen from SOJO in South Jersey.
I visited my Mom, just outside of Fresno for Thanksgiving so I figured I was due for a “Karmically” good flight after that fiasco, but not so…another disappointment from another airline.
  Ironically the same thing happened last year and the same guy brought the bags to my home in Philly as did last year. I told him, “Happy Holidays and we’ll see you in 2007.”
  As the week home came to a close I looked forward to Satin Love and New Years Eve at the Hilton. The flight home brought my bags, which was good, but also a two hour delay in Las Vegas on my connection to Eugene. I was with some of the stragglers from the Holiday Bowl loss. The flight left Vegas about two hours late, which put us in at around 3:15am, it took an hour for the bags, even though we were the final flight in for the night. (Having not had this experience before from the Eugene airport I figured it was worth mentioning. My apologies to the little old lady who was in charge of all those bags, I guess she forgot her walker.) Home to sleep for four hours and then up for New Years Eve, I headed to the store and then to the Hilton for a New Years Eve that none of us will soon forget. It included a new word for 2006,  a woman at the door, and “French Toast”.

  

Happy 2006!!!

I thought I would do something new for 2006. I've decided to let you all into the world of a radio DJ. From time to time I'll jump on here and let you know what I am up to, both on and off the air...and may even give you some "insider tips" when it comes to contests.
Hope that everyone is having a good 2006 so far and I look forward to keeping it entertaining for you this upcoming year on STAR 102.3!!

--Justin Phillips
STAR 102.3/Afternoon Personality