Mixed Bag Of Rant

Once again, it is time for my IDOL RECAP. This week’s them was The Great American Songbook. As a very big fan of this genre, I was pretty excited to hear what the “Idols” had to offer this week. I have to say… for the most part I was impressed! Everyone did a fairly great job (with the exception of Kellie Pickler- she sucks rocks). As far as Rod Stewart, although he’s funky and a little weird, I like him.

So today’s show started off with a sort of weird dramatic entrance by Ryan Seacrest and then directly going right into the touchy feely meeting of the Idols with Rod Stewart. I found it interesting that everyone got little clips of their singing except for Ace- he got- a hug. Coincidence? I think not.

First up: Chris Daughtry. Chris sang What a Wonderful World and- I liked it! It was stylish and different and a nice departure from his typical wanna be Staind/Live type copying. I appreciated that he got rid of the eyeliner (and definitely appreciated that Ryan made reference to it- I was starting to wonder if I was the only one who noticed). I didn’t really get the vest he was wearing though- the nerd meets rock star thing just wasn’t working for me. Randy thought it was of course “da bomb”, Paula: blah blah (I wasn’t listening to her vacant ramblings), and Simon took all the credit for his change of pace and in surprise comment, said he loved it.

Number 2 for the night: Paris Bennett. Singing Billie Holiday’s Foolish Things, I was of course as blown away as when she did something similar in her audition. She was absolutely spectacular! My only question is: was she heading in for an executive job interview with that outfit? Randy thought she had the greatest night ever, Paula thinks she may have been born in that era (uh… math, Paula, math…), and yet ANOTHER surprise positive comment from Simon- stylish, cool, and terrific and that Paris “bewilders” him.

Our 3rd singer of the night: Taylor Hicks. His comment prior to the start of him singing was backwards: “Flattery is a form of humor”. Well maybe; however Taylor, I think you meant to say HUMOR is a form flattery. Anyway, besides the nervous babbly response to what was a stupid question by Ryan anyway, he sang You Send Me and he was FABulous. Good ol’ Taylor was back tonight and quite impressive. Randy said that he was keeping it real, Paula said he was in the zone (hopefully she didn’t confused him with Britney Spears??), and Simon said it went from what he thought was lame cabaret to magic.

As a brief interlude: they then panned to a little girl holding a sign that said: “Ryan will you be our brother” WTF?

Next up: Elliott Yamin. Okay- I can’t stand it anymore, the Lord of the Rings elf ears severely bother me. On top of that he did a sort of odd lounge lizard thing this week. Perhaps in a desperate attempt to win voters? I just can’t get past the fact that he is odd looking. Amazing singer. Weird Weird Weird. I thought his thing tonight was boring. Randy said it was… nice. Paula tried to tie some stupid comparison to contemporizing the song and something about Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr. Simon, mirroring my own thoughts, said he was boring and should plan on going home tomorrow, OH and that he has zero personality.

OH boy my favorite: Kellie Pickler. Firstly, my link to Kellie Pickler here, was about one and a million blogs RIPPING on Kellie Pickler. The way she spoke to Rod Stewart? Stupid! Dumb! WTF? As a musician myself, I liked Rod’s little joke- when she said she needed the words, he said “How about the lyrics?” Kellie responded, “What?” as in Duh? Hello? Then she made some comment about him taking a load off of her chest? I will again utter the words: I HATE STUPID PEOPLE. She sang Betwitched, Bothered, & Bewildered. I’m shocked she even knew how to say those words. It was in a word. TERRIBLE. This week’s theme did EXACTLY what I wanted it to do: separate the REAL singers from the ones who have been faking it all this time. You can’t fake this style of music! She fell flat on her face and it was wonderful. Randy said it was pitchy, Paula said she looked beautiful (ahem- NOTHING about her voice), and Simon said it was boring and that she needn’t bother with Bewitched & Bothered, but Bewildered. Heh! Can she please be in the bottom 3 this week? PLEASE?

Next: Ace Young. Hated the new look. Yuck Yuck Yuck. I thought he looked greasy and smarmy. As if he might actually TAKE a 16 year old to her prom- if you know what I mean. He sang That’s All. Heh. That’s all I have to say! It was pitchy and the creepy lip tremble at the end of the song was… well just that- it was creepy and it bugged me. Randy said it was weird in the middle but that his falsetto is $$ (HUH?? I was thinking it needed to go), Paula I missed because my husband was distracting me with something dumb, although I’m sure I didn’t miss much, and Simon in the MOST surprising comment of the night said although it was nasal that it was charming (???). WTF? I’m ready for Ace to go buh-bye.

Last but CERTAINLY not least, and my personal favorite: Katharine McPhee. She sang Someone to Watch Over Me and it was, in a word: stunning. I agree whole heartedly with Simon: she’s an old pro and was in another league and most importantly that she made the other contestants look like good AMATEURS. I will be GREATLY distressed and disappointed if for any reason she’s in the bottom 3. Especially if she’s in the bottom 3 and Kellie is sitting safe on the couch ready to spout out the next stupid comment.

All in all, an entertaining night of Idol! My predictions:
Bottom 3: Elliott Yamin, Kellie Pickler, Ace Young

To see how YOUR picks fare give Fantasy Idol a try!!!

What about Brian is right! WHAT about him? SO what?! For me, the jury is still out on this show. The pilot episode really did bore me to tears. I guess I appreciated a little bit of the background stories and the importance of developing their characters, but I felt like I had started watching a movie only I started it in the middle and had no idea whatsoever about what was going on. The show is essentially about Brian (duh), who is the last out of his “group” to be paired up and married off. The first official episode was much better- some funny moments with Dave and Deena attempting an open marriage and failing miserably, Nic and Angelo and a sperm bank, Brian sleeping with one girl and hooking up with her roommate the next morning, and Marjorie and Adam’s wedding fight (which is only funny because I actually lived that reality a year ago). I’m also not sure that the casting of “Brian” feels right. Barry Watson is cute, but he bugs a little.

Who doesn’t have someone in their group of friends who is the last person to hook up and get married? I can relate to this show on many levels: 1) Because I do know that friend. Only difference is he actually IS the nice guy and doesn’t get laid every night of the week by airheaded dim-wits. 2) Nic has a miscarriage in the pilot. A very timely subject for me.

I guess what I’m trying to say is… while it looks like this show kind of sucks right now, I think it does have potential. I’m hoping the love triangle of Brian/Adam/Marjorie doesn’t completly go on forever, and wait- lemme guess- the series will end when Brian finally ties the knot. I can see that coming a mile away!! I guess we’ll just have to WATCH!

Although I am currently watching the results show, I of course have to give my two cents of last night’s performance. Firstly- since when is Queen so arrogant? Who the hell are they to turn their nose in the air? Say it together now: HAS BEENS. I thought they were sort of rude to everyone. Yeah, AI is sorta lame, but geesh- if you actually want people to attend your current tour, you might not want to piss off 22 million American Idol viewers by knocking the show and its performers.

Bucky Covington: Bucky sang Fat Bottom Girl. I of course could not understand a single word because the guy hasn’t learned what diction means from his AI vocal coaches. On top of that. He looks like a CHICK. It really is time for this guy to go home.

Ace Young: I’ve made it clear, I think Ace is pretty hot. As far as his performance goes? He totally bores me. He’ll make bottom 3 this week. He won’t go home, but he will soon.

Kelly Pickler: EEEEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH I cannot stand her. I wish she’d get laryngitis. I wish someone would unearth some horrible secret about her so she’d get kicked off. She absolutely destroyed Bohemian Rhapsody. She looked awful. I’m so sick of her stupid, dumb, ditzy thing. America. PLEASE VOTE HER OFF!!! SHE SUCKS!!! I told my husband last night- if she wins American Idol I will never watch the show again.

Chris Daughtry: I’ve been rooting for this guy. It is rock ‘n roll’s turn to have an American Idol this year. I still want him to win, but I have to admit, all his shit sounds the same. I’m a little bored. Someone needs to tell the people in makeup that they are making him look ridiculous!!!! His eyeliner was so bad that I couldn’t even watch him.

Katharine McPhee: I do think Katharine has one of the best vocals in the competition. Her week was a little shaky but I think she’s great! Gotta cheer for the girl who actually has vocal training!

Elliott Yamin: I’m sad- he’s in the bottom 3. The guy can seriously freakin sing. He’s funny lookin though. Did anyone see the serious amount of saliva in his mouth tonight when he was singing? Ew.

Taylor Hicks: I LOVE TAYLOR. He’s in my top two. He is unique, fun and authentically talented.

Paris Bennett: Okay- I’ve been on the fence about Paris- until this week. Goodness gracious she has a kick ass voice (doesn’t hurt that she is a MN native!!). She was fab this week. She didn’t look as much like a pug this week either. What was with the outfit though??

And… this week’s loser is….BUCKY!!! WHOOOOO WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!!

It has been nearly 2 weeks since my fateful miscarriage. I have been blessed with the well wishes of uncountable well wishes, hugs, and sincerity. During this time, I have found it interesting to watch both how I have reacted to this experience as well as those around me. Firstly, myself. While in many ways my heart still aches over this loss and I’m still disappointed that the miracle of life did not happen for me, I have truly picked up the pieces of my tragedy and am moving on. I don’t get sad or break down in tears when I see a baby commercial, or when my two pregnant co-workers go on about their ultrasounds. My time will come and I’m even more ready for it now. Secondly, is others’ reactions. In lieu of my co-workers’ pregnancies, there is a lot of chatter. Ultrasounds, baby names, diapers, nursury’s… you name it. It’s funny how that talk has suddenly become a whisper when I’m around. You know, that strange feeling you get that people are talking about you and when you walk into the room, the conversation stops dead? Yeah, that is what is currently happening in my world. I’m sure people are really just trying to be overly sensitive to my feelings, but to be honest, it makes me feel worse. I am truly happy for these women and still want to be a part in their stories and their joy. Again, my time will come, and I want to understand what will happen to me!!

Another way that I deal with it is by making jokes. Now, I’ll admit that sometimes my jokes are off color and mostly inappropriate, but it is my ass backwards way of showing that I care. My way of making light of something that is pretty dark.

I am finally feeling like my old self again. I wish everyone would start treating me like my old self! I’m moving on, why can’t everyone else??? I know there are still family members I haven’t seen or talked to, some who know, some who don’t. I’m sure I’ll have to live this out for much longer than I’d care to, but it would be nice if people would give their hugs, their promise of prayers and let us move on.

It is time for my Idol Recap! I know, thank you… hold the applause…

Taylor Hicks: I’m a Taylor fan, but he bored me to tears tonight.
Mandisa: Not a country girl.
Elliot Yamin: I think he’s talented, but he bored me too.
Ace Young: More like Ace YUM. I thought he did better than usual. Is that a TWIN brother? My goodness do they look alike.
Kellie Pickler: WILL SHE PLEASE GO AWAY!!! I cannot stand her. Carrie Underwood already exists- stop trying to be her. Oh, and stop being stupid.
Chris Daughtry: Ahhhh Chris. He needs to win.
Katharine McPhee: She’s awesome. If she goes home this week and Kellie Pickler stays I will stop watching because whoever is calling in for Kellie needs to take the earplugs out.
Bucky Covington: GO FAR FAR AWAY!!! YOU’RE NASTY!!!
Paris Bennett: Okay. I had forgotten her. What does that mean?? Her song was just O.K. tonight. For 16 that girl can fricken sing. Plus she’s got Edina, MN roots so she must be o.k.

On a serious note today, I just wanted to take a moment to share my experience over the past week in hopes of providing comfort and faith for those whose heart may have broken even half as much as mine. Just over a week ago, my husband and I got the amazing news that we were expecting. For only the third time in our nearly 4 year relationship, he got teary-eyed (the others: our engagement and wedding vows). We were blown away thrilled with the fact we were 5 weeks pregnant and so soon seeing as we just got married in October. We told only a few co-workers (the ones who would be affected by us being gone for doctor’s appointments) and a couple close friends. Only a couple short days later, I became very ill and I knew something was very wrong. Wednesday my HCG (pregnancy hormone) levels were dangerously low and I prayed there would still be hope. Friday, my fate was sealed. My levels dropped to nearly zero which indicated that I had indeed had a miscarriage. Knowing this was likely to be the outcome still wasn’t enough to help me prepare with the impact this news had on me. My heart was broken, my spirit wounded. No matter how many times you read and hear that it was out of our hands and out of our control, I still felt this driving need to learn and understand why this had happened to us. Where did I go wrong? What can I do differently next time? How can I be sure this won’t happen again?

Still no answers today, and I am likely to never find them. Upon the advice of a good friend, I listened to my heart and have laid my newfound fears and hopes in the hands of God. My precious baby, barely alive but still in every way a part of me wasn’t destined to be here. We will have our chance, and when that time comes, we will be ready. As first time parents, we had so many fears in making that huge step to starting a family. It changes everything. We now know how much we want to take that step. It would mean so much to us to become parents and I cannot wait for our day to come.

Be strong. Have faith. Good things come to those who wait!

Approximately a year ago, me and another gal from started what is now known as “Chick Flick Night”. We were both complaining about all the movies that guys never want to go see, otherwise known as the dreaded “Chick Flick”. I can probably count on one hand the number of times my husband has actually gone to see one of these so-called dreaded movies with me. So, we started our little clique and decided that we would once a month pick a movie to go see that no guy would ever want to see. Our movie list includes: Princess Diaries 2, Ice Princess, Monster In Law, The Family Stone, In Her Shoes, Brokeback Mountain, and most recently: Failure to Launch.

This movie, certainly not destined to win any Oscars, was O.K. Some admitted laugh out loud moments, but mostly a sort of weak story line, Matthew McCoughnaghy’s abs, Sarah Jessica Parker’s horse face and giant mole-like thing on her chin, and yes, you heard it correctly: Terry Bradshaw’s ass. Here’s the story line- it’s a story about a 35 year old guy who is unwilling to move out of his parent’s house. They still do his laundry, make his meals, pack a lunch and he uses as his biggest excuse to break up with every woman he starts to get serious about. His parents want him gone. They then hire “Paula” who is an interventionist trained in getting men to move out of their parents’ houses. As you can probably guess, Paula falls for the 35 year old guy and doesn’t get a chance to tell him before he finds out that his parents paid for her. Blah Blah Blah, they fight, he deciedes to move out, she wants to move away and their weird friends somehow get them back together. Typical typical typical- I knew how it was going to end almost before it started.

Point of my story? I didn’t go for the story. I went to see it for Matthew! Yum.

I give this movie the following stars: 5 stars for Matthew’s abs, 1 star for the story, and 3 stars for making me laugh at some of the absolutely ridiculous antics.

Okay- I have a confession… Not that you haven’t figured it out already, but I am an American Idol junkie. Yeah, the show is kinda fixed, I don’t call in and don’t think anyone is really able to, but I love seeing these absolute Joe Nobody’s (yeah that’s a plug for you Joe!!) getting up there and doing their thing in front of millions of viewers. I gave my picks the other day- I still stand by most of them. Kevin Covais definitely had to GO GO GO away. I was fine and happy that he got voted off. He is that nerdy guy from the choir and theatre group in high school that was a superstar there, but certainly never cut out to actually become a recording artist- are you kidding me? Bucky is next to go. UGH WTF??? Firstly, he is by far the nastiest, red-neck lookin dude I have EVER seen. Not MY American Idol! His voice really bugs too. Go back to the VFW and rock the house there. Lisa Tucker will likely go after that. I know she’s been listed by some popular magazine that she is one of the top 10 most talented teenagers to watch and has performed with the broadway musical The Lion King, but I don’t think this is her gig. Now, if I had it my way, Kellie Pickler will just GO FAR, FAR AWAY. She is white trash and in no way is stupidity even the least bit endearing- act or no act. She is not Carrie Underwood, even though she might think she is thanks to Simon’s ridiculous comparison. Let me put it this way. She bugs, she sucks and needs to go. There are a couple in between that are just O.K. to me- Paris who is young and reminds me too much of Fantasia who I HATED and Elliot who is incredibly talented but can’t help but think I saw him down in Amish town down in Rochester riding in a buggy not too long ago. Ace is good looking but… uh… that’s about all there is to say about him. Mandisa is good. Really good. Katharine is REALLY good- she has a classical training that crosses platforms- I think she’s really talented. I LOVE Taylor Hicks. I think he is different and has a unique voice and really enjoy watching him perform! He’ll do well. My winner? Still Chris Daughtry. He’s incredibly hot and I love the rock ‘n roll. I was a big Bo Bice fan last season so I’m going for the rocker this year!!

I’ve gotten my A.I. nerdiness out of my system for the week! Phew!

I just had to share this little clip from my wedding reception…

For more fun and video from my good buddy (and husband) “Joe” go to: www.youtube.com/profile?user=joenobody1877

Okay, so I know it is taboo to bitch about your job on your blog, so I’ll try to keep names out of it for privacy’s sake. Since I graduated from college, even before then, I have always worked for small companies. For whatever reason, I had an obsession with working for the Pre-IPO, start-up companies. I don’t think I was turned onto it for the $$ at stake, but more for the environment. The freedom to have opportunities to be creative, move up the ladder, wear jeans to the office, attend raging parties til the wee hours of the morning and be told you can come in late the next day, think, breathe… So when my little start-up got eaten up by Jonah the Whale, I thought… okay. This is going to be okay. We’ll have more money to play with, more ability to get the job done, and more opportunities for growth. I couldn’t have been more wrong. We seem to have less money, less ability, and definitely no opportunity for growth. As a matter of fact my job went from a mixed bag of variety and experiences to something a monkey could do fairly easily. I seriously think I lose IQ points on a daily basis. What a disappointment! I can barely get out of my cube now without tripping over some red tape. Needless to say, about 50% of the employees that got our wee little company off the ground in the first place are no longer around. No more are the days of innovation and the “can-do” approach to everything our clients ask for. Everything now needs to be approved by someone at least two ranks up from you and usually, never gets approved so essentially, nothing ever gets done. Which brings me to another point- what’s up with the ranks? I now get to work with a girl, and by girl, I mean girl just graduated from high school, lives with mom and dad, and has never taken a college level course in her life who is suddenly outranking me? Or thinks she does? I can honestly say with every fiber of my being this makes me crazy. Did I seriously waste 40K and 5 years of busting my ass in college when I could’ve simply walked in the door, got a job and became an insta-manager? If that’s the case- I want my money back. Perhaps it is the notion of rank that makes us all crazy. The drive to be more important than what we might actually be. When I took time off to go get married and go on a honeymoon, for the first time in my career, I think my worth may have actually been known. I was shocked to find out that so many were lost without my vast administrative capabilities and my poor executive (ha! an oxymoron) was seriously up a crick. Luckily, to my group, this was a reminder of what the little people actually do, and how hard we work. Now, I don’t expect to someday be an executive, but I certainly hope that I will continue to have worth- whether I continue to be an executive assistant, or if I am actually by miracle of God able to make use of my marketing degree.

I am sitting here watching E! News Tuesday on the E channel. Why you ask? To be perfectly honest, I cannot even begin to explain my obsession with getting my Hollywood fix every day. My husband thinks I’m crazy, walks by rolls his eyes, and yes even watches it with me at times!! Why I should care what Jessica Simpson went shopping for or listening for Angelina’s bump alert? Especially since these people absolutely annoy the hell out of me. OH you poor famous people getting chased by the paparazzi. OH poor Gwyneth and her giant bikini bump and your bazillion dollar trip to Mexico. I think the only reason I can think of to watch this crap is because the stuff that goes on in the real world is just too depressing. I can only take a 1/2 hour of local death, murder, and robberies in a day. P.S. I chose this picture because I know how much my husband adores Ryan Seacrest HAHAHAH!!

As far as reality TV… oh boy. This really slays me. I actually started watching The Bachelor back when uber wealthy and adorable Andrew Firestone was on. I knew this crap couldn’t be real when he picked uber bitch Jen or whatever her name is to be his wife and of course she dumped him. THEN The Bachelor people actually gave her another chance on The Bachelorette and she dumped some other poor sucker! She wasted six weeks of my life. She gives women a bad name and I hope she stays single forever. Does this explain why I watch this stupid show? No. I absolutely love watching the chicks fight over a guy they’ve only known for 2 hours. I think it makes me feel better to know that I have never been that stupid or made that much of a desperate ass out of myself in my entire life. My other guilty pleasures include watching the C-list celebs make asses out of themselves by skating and dancing. I’m not certain what the point is yet other than the fact they suckered me in to watching their crap. The only one I have just cause to watch is American Idol. As a talented, singer/nobody myself, it gives me great joy to see how far these people can go. I love music and love great singing even more. I’ve even picked up the phone to vote!!! Among my personal favorites: Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken (yeah he’s a freak, but damn he can sing), Kimberley Locke, Diana DeGarmo, Bo Bice, and my all-time favorite to date, Carrie Underwood. A bunch of nobodys like me who love to sing with no hope of going anywhere outside of the shower with their voice and they have all made albums. Big round of applause for these worthy reality stars!!

Oh, I have to throw in one last comment… I REALLY despise that Dog the Bounty Hunter show. UUUUUUGH!!!!!! WTF? No more reality please! We’ve had enough!