Helen Ray Nichols 1923-2008

"Awake and cry out joyfully, you residents in the dust. For your dew is as the dew of mallows, and the earth itself will let even those impotent in death drop in birth"-Is. 26:19

The American Idol Weekly Rundown-Top Ten

American Idol at its best...a great show. The performers had to sing a song from the year they were born and it made me feel very old...but I digress.



The Best:

David Cook-Never thought he'd impress me like this. His version of Billie Jean was instantly appealing and extremely marketable. Making it a Rock Ballad was one of the most brilliant choices I've ever seen anyone make on any season of this show. He also sang the heck out of it. Though his voice isnt necessarily the best, he definitely has the best grasp on today's pop audience. Chris Daughtry has officially been replaced...Thank Gawd.

***Edit***Just found out that this is a cover of a version that Chris Cornell did first...so, like Chris Daughtry with 'Ring Of Fire', he has fooled us (temporarily) into thinking this was an original take on the song when it is ,in fact, stolen. So I felt the Chris Cornell clip (which is friggin beautiful) should replace David Cook at the top of the page. And in my opinion, top honors for last night's show now go to Michael Johns.

The Good:

Carly-Blow me down, that was a great one! Contrary to stupid Randy's opinion, I absolutely loved her version of 'Turn Around'. It was just great...loved the tempo, loved the performance, loved the drive...loved the final note, even. I think Carly knows that it's necessary to belt a note at the end in order to leave an impression on America. Sad but true. 'Not in key' my foot.

Jason Castro-Sting's'Fragile' was never sung by a prettier mouth...haha. Yes it was safe and a bit drowsy but I loved it.

Michael Johns-Finally the Aussie ROcker has made the grade. He sang 'We Will ROck You/ We are the Champions' without going flat or predictable on us. It was really energetic and strong. Great Song Choice.

Syesha- -A very loosey-goosey version of 'If I Was Your Woman'. Her pitch was perfect throughout, though the high registers aren't as pleasing to the ears as the low. It was much less torchy and far more modern than the original and she definitely had a 'moment'. Plus, she's cute as a button. All in all, it was far and away her best performance.

Ramiele-chose to really take a chance and sing Heart's 'Alone', which Carrie Underwood really hit out of the park a few seasons ago. So it was very brave for Ramiele, whose voice is not nearly as strong, to attempt the song. I thought it was good...a million times better than last week for sure. She was a little flat on the high notes but the rest was on key and she put an original spin on it that I found impressive.

Chikezie-Regardless of how dated you think it was, the guy has a great voice. I didnt recognize the song but I think Paula mentioned that Luther Vandross sang it-which stands to reason since that is very much the type of artist I think Chikezie wants to shadow. I don't think that is as bad a thing as Simon does, evidently.

The Bad:

David Archuleta-I faintly remember this song from easy listening radio and also remember disliking it intensely. Can't recall the name or the artist but I'm sure it would be easy to figure out if I weren't so lazy. Anyhoo...I hated this. It sounded and looked just like a performance on some type of local 'benefit' or county fair. He hit some very bad notes also. And go figure: Randy liked this one? He needs to clean the wax out, methinks.

Brooke-'Every Breath You Take' has a bad history on this show. Chris Sligh, last season, really messed it up by reworking the tempo and even his stellar vocals couldnt save the performance. Brooke made the same mistake. Starting off at the piano was promising, as was the first part of the song. But when she hit the chorus and the band kicked in, it sounded rushed. She sounded as if she were shouting and we lost most of her smoky-sweet presence. Too bad.

The Ugly:

Kristy-I don't care if she sang 'God Bless the USA' well or not. I couldnt help but think of how disappointed I was last year when I went to Vegas to see the Bellagio fountain show, only to discover it had been set to that same obnoxious piece of patriotic sap. I detested it then and I despised it last night. Blech.

I am wondering after last night's show, which of the pretty boys has the most pull w/the screaming girls. I thought it was Castro until Archuleta finished up...the screams were nauseating.

My guess to go home is Chikezie though I don't think he deserves it, by any means. I am so ready to get rid of Kristy but Simon gave her high prasie (darn him) so she'll be around to serenade us for another week, it seems.

Music Clip Of The Week-Jive Competition Winners 2007

In homage to my upcoming trip back to the Rockabilly Weekender,I thought I'd post a little clip of the couple that won the Jive Competition last year-Mark and Genevieve. They are incredible! Usually you find yourself watching the girl more because of her skirt and twirling but that guy was brilliant! Rubber legs! Can't wait to see what is in store this year...

And incidentally, the song is Ruth Brown's 'As Long As I'm Movin'-a great one.

List Yourself

I received this book as a gift some time ago and just wanted to share it. It's a great one for chronic listmakers like I am and is really, as the title suggests, an interesting way to 'get to know yourself'. I filled out two lists today...one on 'Things that Always Make Me Cry' and 'Places I Like To Go In My Head'.

American Idol Weekly Rundown-Top 11

Last night was a pretty big dud in the entertainment department. Why did they have to do another Beatles week? How very dull. Anyway, as it stands, here is my take.

THE BEST:
1. Syesha - She performed "Yesterday" in a very contrived but emotional way. It was lovely and pretty memorable-especially when paired w/ the rest of the comparative tripe that came our way last night.

THE GOOD:
2. David A.-definitely a far cry from last week's chaos. The bright and shiny David gave us "The Long and Winding Road" in a very nice way. It was melodic and well-sung, even if it did sound a bit 'musical theater' at times. I could tell he was forcing it a bit and the desperation was kind of apparent. But it's nice to hear him do well again.

3. Kristy-sang "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and I felt it was her best performance in spite of the bad choices in arrangment and a few flat notes. I finally heard her actually SING and understood why she made it to the finals at all. She seemed comfortable w/ her performance as well and not afraid to belt it a few times. The judges were not impressed, however, and this could be the end for Kristy.

4. David C.-Thought it definitely didnt compare to The Bad Brains rendition of 'Day Tripper', I actually liked the arrangment. He sang it pretty well. His downfall was his self-confidence which bordered on blatant arrogance last night. Throwing picks into the crowd, the 'Frampton'-style voice box etc...bad decision. It's still
a contest at this point.

5. Carly-sang 'Blackbird'. It was pretty and she has a great voice. But still kind of a 'molehill' after last week's 'mountain'.

THE BAD:

Amanda-'Back in the USSR' was not a very good choice, I felt. It was a little safe and I too am getting a wee bit tired of her schtick. I like how unassuming and unwilling to change she is, however. She really milks the audience and pays little attention to the judges-which is kind of refreshing.

Michael- The song choice was bad. 'Day in the Life' is a bit of an epic and not suitable for condensing into 1 and 1/2 minutes. It sounded rushed and indeed it was. Also, though he sounded great at the beginning-he hit some really sour notes in there as well.

Brooke-"Here Comes The Sun" was again, absolutely the wrong choice. Without her piano or guitar, she looked really awkward and self-concious. And then she tried to dance around a bit, which looked even more desperate. The delivery of the song could have been worse, but the performance was far too distracting to notice many good points.

Jason-"Michelle"...hate the song. But anyway...that's neither here nor there. Jason performed it very strangely. It was okay if you were just listening to it, but watching it was kind of painful. He looked so odd up there clinching the microphone stand like Edith Piaf. And when he started walking, it was all a little 'hey, how's your steak?' for me. But Simon is right; he's got a great face.

Ramiele-It was very 'Libertyland' for me. "Should Have Known Better" was a nice peppy choice for her but she looked extremely uncomfortable trying to keep time in those stillettos. And the high waisted pants and hat brought to mind a little polynesian leprechuan. heh heh. Her vocals were okay but I thought she was better last week...when she was just boring.

THE UGLY:

Chikezie-Wow. Top to bottom in one week. I think the problem is that poor Chikezie took the judges' praise too literally. While, they admired his funky southern song arrangment last week; they did not say he needed to do it again. When he started doing 'I've Just Seen a Face', it was nice but I had a problem w/ the steel guitar. Then he shot it all to heck by upping the tempo and relegating the tune to something out of a friggin' hoe-down.

Days of Yore...Really Bad Yore.

Okay, I dared. Now it's YOUR turn. Everybody post their graduation pics by the end of the week!

Funny Stuff

This makes me so happy. Silly brother of mine...

And I thought I'd go ahead and add the following video also, against my better judgement. I hope I dont offend anyone but I laughed so hard at this little clip that I nearly peed...

Music Clip of the Week-The Evolution of Clutch

No secret Clutch is one of my alltime favorite bands. Thought I'd post a few of their videos to show how they've progressed over the years...really remarkable, I think.

1. A Shogun Named Marcus- 1993


2.Dragonfly- 2000 (no video, just the song...but it's a great one. This is my boys' favorite album.)


3.Electric worry-2007

American Idol Weekly Rundown-The Top 12

So I really wasnt excited about the Beatles. I'm not a fan and I think opening up their song book was a bit 'anti-climactic' since neither Lennon or McCartney had a great voice and therefore their songs are not that vocally challenging. The real trick here was making the songs 'new', so to speak. There is only so much you can do with 'She Loves You (yeah yeah yeah)' or 'Ticket To Ride'. But I will admit that if one were willing to try and conquer some of the less well-known songs, like 'Happiness is a Warm Gun' for example, good stuff could ensue. As it stands, most of the selections were predictable. Here's how I call it:



THE BEST:

1.CHIKEZIE- I knew this guy had something to prove! This was great. The arrangement he attached to 'She's A Woman' was nothing short of perfect for his 'comeback' performance. It reminded me of the great Robert Randolph (and the Family Band) whose music combines American Delta Folk with Funk to come up w/ a truly unique sound. Chikezie borrowed from this vibe and produced the 'moment' of the night. Plus, he was having a blast and carrying the audience along with every note. I'm surprised that no one mentioned the absurdity of the sweater vest, however.


THE GOOD:(in no particular order)

2.Carly- I hate 'Come Together'. It's one of those songs that gets all kind of credit for being a phenomenal piece of rock history when it is ludicrously obvious that the ditty was written in a drug induced haze and contains on the 'skillful' song-writing of a 3 yr old. Stupid stupid lyrics. I know...I'm mostly alone on this. I don't care. If you're going to use drugs as the impetus, at least give us some better imagery. Anyway, Carly sang a great rendition of it either way. The gal has pipes.

3.Jason- I think he and his mellow guitar may eventually bore America. But I really liked 'If I Fell' as he performed it. He changed up the melody a little to make it interesting and actually hit the majority of his falsetto notes this week. And the teeth...have I mentioned the teeth?

4.David C.-The resident 'rocker' performed Eleanor Rigby within an inch of its life. It wasnt bad, actually, albeit extremely predictable. I was telling my husband, "Now watch, he's gonna sing it straight until 'I look at all the lonely people' comes around and then he's gonna go all Linkin Park on us...' which is exactly what happend. However, some credit should be given for the arrangment (if it is indeed his own) and the 'sellability' of the cover. I'm surprised, however, that Simon didnt have anything to say about how 'indulgent' this performance was.

5.Brooke-Aside from 'Let it Be' being a very predictable song choice for her and -even with the piano- a very drowsy performance, it was still nice. I enjoyed it. I was washing dishes while she sang and I didnt look up from my pot-scrubbing or anything. But it was pleasant. I think she might be a bit of a 'one-note'. I'll have to see. I'm not sure she could stake a viable claim in the ranks of female singer/songwriters out there nowadays.

6.Michael-I was a bit surprised he didnt really blow me away w/ 'Across the Universe' since it is one of the only songs from this catalogue that I truly love. I adore Fiona Apple's version. But Michael didnt really bring much originality to the arrangement. He sang it well though, and it is a good enough song to give him an easy pass to next week, I think.

7. Amanda-Though she has a pretty face and a meek persona, Amanda's performances are really the antithesis of all that's sexy. It's almost off-putting, even for a true rock and roll lover. That said, she sang the heck out of 'You Can't Do That', rendering it almost unrecognizable. Which is just fine by me.

THE BAD:

8. Syesha Macado-Once again, song choice may prove to be the downfall for her. It was a bold pick, 'Got To Get You Into My Life', but she had problems w/ the pitch at the beginning and though it picked up a bit toward the end; it was probably too little too late. A better song choice? 'Get Back' would have given her more options.

9. Ramiele Mubalay-'In My Life' is a lovely song. And she has a lovely voice. The two together were...lovely. And really really dull. A better choice? 'Something' would have allowed for more range.

10.David H.- 'I Saw Her Standing There' was a dumb song. And Tiffany covered it in the eighties. Those two things should make any AI contestant run Forrest run. But instead, David embraced the cheesiness. In my old high school, there was a group of kids (hated by almost everyone) called Show Choir. At every school event, they were there en masse...dressed in sordid color coordinated duds and crooning medleys of insipid pop tunes that would cause the most tolerant ears to bleed. This performance could have been yanked from any one of those shows. A better choice? I can see him really giving an r & b vibe to 'Sgt Pepper' and making it work.

THE UGLY:

11. David A.- Poor kid. I read in a recent article that David Archuleta 'is Reality Tv's equivelent of a newly hatched chick' and I laughed because it's such a perfect description of his white-bread shininess. But the judges' golden boy really dropped the ball this week. First, he admits on camera that he's nervous and that he doesnt really know any Beatles songs. Sure David...I'm sure you're just being modest and going to blow everybody away as always. Wrong. He really DIDNT know any Lennon/McCartney tunes apparently. He chose 'We Can Work It Out' and forgot the lyrics...twice. He also started late and stumbled through the parts he remembered. Why oh why didnt he do 'Yesterday' like everyone was sure he would?

12. Kristy- Hilarious. The arrangment she chose for 'Eight Days a Week' was manic and beyond comprehension. Those strings will haunt me, I swear. The tempo was so fast that even she couldnt keep up, though she did try valiantly. Her vocals seemed to be recovered somewhat but the song choice and performance were not salvageable. A better choice? For her 'country' fans, an intelligently constructed cover of 'Helter Skelter' could have been really memorable. Maybe next time.

Though David A. screwed up royally, his previous performances and huge fanbase will save him. I believe Kristy and David H. will be the bottom two this week and either of them could go. Ramiele may also be in danger since she's so small. heh heh.

Make-up Can Be Fun

I found this little tutorial on youtube and tried it on Saturday. I'm really pleased with how it came out...and much easier than I would have thought. I cut the false eylashes in half because the full 'curtain' over my eyes annoyed me. But I think it still works.

It was oodles of fun! Oh, and by the way...excuse the extreme close up on the photos. Unlike the lil gal in the video, I was without an adorable head ribbon when I took them. If you look closely, you can catch a glimpse of the sponge rollers...hah.





Oh, but I did also try a retro bandana trick after taking out said rollers. And it worked out well too...

Music Clip of the Week-Queen/ Who Wants To Live Forever

I thought I'd post this quintessential eighties classic as a tribute to American Idol contestant Kady Malloy who tried her darndest to win over America w/ her rendition of it. I guess it didnt pay off-heh heh.

But hey, let's enjoy the hokey fun of 'Highlander' anyway.

The American Idol Weekly Rundown-'Ze Girlz'

Everybody is stepping it up, it seems.

THE BEST:
1. Carly Smithson-I LOVE THAT SONG! I think I actually let out a little 'hoot' when I realized she was going to sing Roy Orbison's 'I Drove All Night', one of my very favorite songs of that decade. Yes, I know Cyndi Lauper and Celine Dion have covered it but it will always be an a Roy classic, to me. And even though Carly belted it in a style similar to Celine Dion, she also retained the tempo and sound of the original...which was NOT a dance song, like Celine's version. She is now the clear winner, in my book.

THE GOOD:

2. Brooke White-sat on the stage (again) and did a mellowed out version of 'Love is a Battlefield' which conveniently left out any of the truly challenging vocal segments of the original. The cool thing is that she did succeed in 'modernizing' one of the cheesier songs of the eighties, and make it her own. It was really kind of great. But I would have loved to see her tackle the dance moves of the video...heh heh.

3. Amanda Overmeyer-whew! Nice comeback. Joan Jett's 'I Hate Myself For Loving You' sounded even raunchier coming from her. I didnt like it as much as Simon did (the chorus was a little bland) but it was definitely a far cry from last week. Plus, the hair was tame and the face looked pretty. She seemed...incongruously sweet.

4. Kady Malloy-another huge surprise. She was in my bottom two last week. I know she hit some flat notes in her interpretation of Queen's 'Who Wants To Live Forever' but there were parts of it that gave me chills. And she really showed courage tackling that song. Even Katherine McPhee of two seasons ago wasnt able to do it without choking. It is a HARD song.

5. Syesha Macado-did 'Saving All My Love For You' and the only thing more predictable than the song choice was her delivery of it. But she did a good job nevertheless.

THE BAD:

6. Ramiele Malubay-Okay, it wasnt bad. She sang 'Against All Odds' well, even. But it was sooooo boring! She really needs to step up that performance level.

7. Asia-h Epperson-I thought the whole thing seemed very 'Disney-esque'....kinda like a 'High School Musical' performance of Whitney's 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody'. I also just think it's DUMB to sing Whitney Houston songs and I wish everyone would STOP DOING IT. Asia is gone this week, I think.

THE UGLY:

8. Kristi Lee Cook- I still can't stand this girl. I am tired of the judges giving her all kinds of praise for these strangled performances. And to butcher Jorney's 'Faithfully' like that too! The final note was terrible...awful...ech. And did anyone else notice the red tongue? I have noticed a few blue tongues this season as well. I'm guessing these kids are sucking on cough drops before they perform. Someone should tell them to try the CLEAR ones. heh heh.

So my guess is that Kristi and Asiah will be gone this week. But since the judges didnt really 'pan' anyone, we could have a surprise.

The American Idol Weekly Rundown-'Ze Boyz'

The boys are coming into their own.

THE BEST:

1.Jason Castro (pictured above)-stole the show in all his 'Pretty Travolta' glory as he tackled (gasp!) Leonard Cohen. It was probably the most surprising song choice I've seen since Fantasia Barino knocked 'You Were Always On My Mind' outta the park back in season three. I loved the quiet way he sang the song with his guitar, almost as if he were serenading a congregation instead of competing on a talent show.

THE GOOD:

2.David Cook-sang Lionel Ritchie's 'Hello' and did a great job with the arrangement. He made it a bluesy, rock ballad that was pretty good and definitely would be a radio hit, were it allowed to air. His vocals were 'on' as well. I don't like him any more than I liked Daughtry but he is equally 'sellable'.

3. Chikezie- I like him. I think his vocals are great and the fact that he attempted a Whitney Houston song was admirable. I thought it was a success.

4.David Archuleta- snoozy Phil Collins song aside, I thought he sang it well. But Simon was right, he shouldnt have gotten up. When he was at the piano, it seemed less contrived. Still no mention of Star Search...I'm wondering if there are infringement issues.

5.David Johns-started off the show well. I really liked his cover of one of my favorite eighties songs, 'Don't You Forget About Me'. The opening notes were the best. However, I wish they'd changed the arrangment a little more and made it less 'electronic'.

6. David Hernandez-though the song choice, 'It's all Coming Back To Me Now', was too big-I admired the attempt. His voice is good and he's a good performer. He'll definitely be in the top 12.

No 'bads' this week, just two 'uglies'.

THE UGLY:

7.Danny Noriega-Hahahahahahahahahaha. 'Tainted Love'? Really? If he had been wearing a dress and frolicking on a Vegas Stage, it would have been perfect. As it was, it was terrible. But the kid has so much personality! I adored his reaction to Ryan's taking notice of the purple hair: "Mmmmmmhmmmmm'

8.Luke Menard- Oh dear. Again, this was a mistake. I'm a fan of musical theater but even in a production of Starlight Express, this guy would manage to make me cringe. And he performed George Michael! LOL

Product Plugging

I am such a product fiend. I don't know what it is but there is just something oddly exciting about shopping for and trying new ones. I've always been this way too. When I was a kid, my mom could be just as certain of making me happy w/ a new shampoo purchase as she could w/ something tangible, like a toy.

Below are a list of products I'm currently using and my opinion of them. Also included are the names of the products I would use were money no option. I'm hoping some of my readers will feel so inclined to recommend some of their favorites to me as well...


For Face : POND'S COLD CREAM (facial cleanser, works great)
MARY KAY F1 HYDRATING FRESHENER (dry skin toner...ahhhh)
CETAPHIL SKIN CREAM (just the best facial moisturizer around)
MARY KAY CREME FOUNDATION with SPF8 (a great foundation for dry skin)
COVER GIRL (for almost all color cosmetics.)
BESAME' (for red lipstick)

*I prefer Mary Kay's Cleaning Cream for dry skin to Pond's. The smell is milder and the cream slightly less greasy. If I could use any cosmetic line, it would be SHISEIDO but one look at the prices will tell you why I stick to CG. Mary Kay also has good color cosmetics but no better than CG, if you ask me...and for almost double the price. Besame' lipstick is phenomenal. It does dry the lips a little but if you like red lips, they have the best colors and the strongest pigments. They come in a shiny bullet-shaped gold case and are very expensive.
______________

Hair Care: JOHN FRIEDA'S BRILLIANT RED (Shampoo and Conditioner for red hair)
AUSSIE HI HOLD + HI SHINE HAIRSPRAY (the best I've found)
TRE SEMME' HEAT TAMER SPRAY (protects hair from heated styling)

*When my hair isnt colored, I use Aussie Shampoos. They're my favorite in or out of the Salon. But when I've got red hair, I gotta use a color kicking shampoo. John Frieda's works better than Redken or any other brand I've tried. Styling products are really difficult for me to find though because my hair is so fine and most of them weigh it down.
________________________

SkinCare: BODY ESSENCE OLIVE & HONEY BODY WASH (cheap stuff from Wal Mart also contains a Macadamia Nut scrub and smells nice and 'earthy'. Plus, it leaves skin very soft. Who woulda thought?
JOHNSON'S 24 HOUR LOTION (doesnt work 24 hours, but still does a good job)

* My favorite bath products are Bath N Body Works products. I've yet to find anything that smells as potent or works as well. But until money is truly no object...
____________________

For Baby: BURT'S BABY BEE HAIR AND BODY WASH (smells like honey and doesnt burn eyes)
BURT'S BABY BEE APRICOT BABY OIL (smells HEAVENLY and makes babies softer than ever!)
A+D OINTMENT (for diaper rash -mediciney smell but still works great)
JOHNSON'S MEDICATED BABY POWDER (for diaper rash prevention)
WHITE CLOUD DIAPERS (cheap and dependable)
PARENT'S CHOICE BABY WIPES


*I've never found baby wash or lotion I like as much as Burt's wash and oil. For really stubborn diaper rash, I like FLANDER'S BUTTOCKS OINTMENT. But the A+D works great on mild redness. Pampers Diapers and Wipes are my favorites but too expensive for me and the cheaper versions work just fine.
_____________________

For Cleaning: PINE SOL-for floors and countertops
SCRUBBING BUBBLES BATHROOM CLEANER-for toilets and bathtubs
WINDEX -for glass, sinks, and fixtures
SWIFFER WETJET ANTIBACTERIAL SOLUTION-for touch up cleaning in kitchen
PLEDGE HARDWOOD FLOOR CLEANER-for deep cleaning hardwoods.

*I just love the smell of Pine Sol so I will never try anything else. Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles are likewise old standbys of mine. The Swiffer is relatively a new discovery but one I swear by for touch up cleaning during the week. It also works for occasional hardwood floor clean-up but I use the pledge for my deep cleaning since I still don't count on the Swiffer fluid being that 'safe' for the finish. If money were no object, I'm sure I'd order more organic products online and essential oils. They're difficult to find out here in the boonies. And I'd surely get those Swiffer Dusters more often...those things are great!

Ten Things I Love that Begin With 'F'...

I'm stealing this from my friend bookyeti's blog:

Ten things I love that begin with 'F'

1.fondue
2.Frank Capra Films
3.Felix Unger
4.fiction
5.food network
6.family, my
7.Fallon, Neil (of Clutch)
8.fetal heartbeats
9.fizzy drinks
10.fair weather

Comment and you'll receive your own letter. Then place your own 'ten things' list in the comments, using the letter you're given.