Happy Birthday, Dad! May 25, 2009

Dear Daddy,

Happy Birthday! I wish I was there to share it with you, but since I can’t, I’m glad you get to spend it with our Houston family! (Don’t lie, you know you love Karis best now ) I love you sooo much and I’m so thankful that you’re my Dad. Here are just a few of the things I love about you in no particular order (and keep in mind this list is not exhaustive…):

•  I’m thankful for your provision for our family. You always worked hard to make sure we were never in want and now being grown and out on my own, I appreciate it even more than I ever could have back when I was little.
• You always seek to give and make people’s lives just a little bit easier, especially those in the ministry.  I’m blessed to have an example of generosity that I’ve observed and been influenced by my whole life.
• You are a constant presence in my life and I’m so grateful to have a Dad that will listen, help, advise and pray for me at the drop of a hat, even when I’ve done something stupid.
• Your heart of service in the church.  I grew up in church watching you serve in many areas and it’s not any different today. I love that you bring your wealth of life knowledge to your current church and that people I don’t even know can benefit from the gifts the Lord gave you.
• I love your sense of humor…even the jokes I know by heart because you’ve told them so many times. I grew up in a household that laughed often and that’s an invaluable part of me today. I can remember multiple times that I came to the dinner table and ended up laughing so hard that my beverage spewed out of my mouth. Gross? Yes, but the fact that we had that much fun as a family is a testament to the home that you and Mom created for us. It’s the reason why I can laugh at myself instead of cry…most days, at least.
• With marriages crumbling, it’s so amazing to see you and Mom still in love and supporting each other after a million gazillion* years of marriage. I love that you still go out on dates and enjoy each other’s company.
• I love your hugs…they can wipe away a discouraging day and make me feel protected and loved. Thanks for giving them freely and often.

But most of all, Dad, thanks for your friendship. I’m so blessed to have you as my Dad and I’m looking forward to what this next year of your life brings. I love you and miss you!

Love,

M

*Length of Time Approximation

Happy Friday (American Idol style)! May 22, 2009

I know, I know. I should give it a rest. It’s over and done with. But I CANNOT HELP IT. I love this guy! And, it sounds like his wife and I could be BFF. I’m serious. She sounds hilarious.

He Won! hewonhewonhewonhewonhewonhewonhewonhewon……. May 21, 2009

Oh. My. Gosh. I could not even contain my hysterics last night. Jumping up and down. Yelling (quietly so as not to wake up the youngsters). Hugging Noelle. It all came down to a moment. And the moment ROCKED!

Poor Kris didn’t know what to do with it all. His reaction was a little anti-climactic, but I totally would have been the same way (not that I am in any way in the same league as the American Idol contestents).  It’s hard to know what to do with a statement that big, right? But I think by the end of “No Boundaries” (and thank you, American Idol for lowering the key and making the song at least listen-able) it really sunk in and the moment at the very end where he hugged his wife was the most precious thing I’ve seen all season.

It was a great finale. I liked how they paired the American Idol top 13 with different guest musicians, it made the show that much better if I didn’t really dig the guest star. The song with Keith Urban and Kris Allen won me over even though country music usually makes me want to gag. Adam and Kris singing with Queen was awesome.

For all it’s greatness, the finale did give me a few moments when I felt like I was being assaulted.

• Bikini Girl. Talk about “no boundaries”. And while it was really cool to hear Kara sing (she’s got an awesome voice!), was all of that bikini nonsense really needed? Sheesh.
• Adam’s performance with KISS. Ew. All of you should keep your tongues in your mouths where they belong. Ew. Still, an amazing moment for Adam, I’m sure. And I was impressed that he wasn’t swallowed up in all the mayhem. But seriously? That’s 4 minutes of my life that I’ll never get back.
• Tatiana del Toro returning to the stage. What in the world?! I think that the awards shouldn’t be given to those people (Norman Gentle, Tatiana) who actually made it to the preliminary rounds. That seems like cheating. Plus, I was looking forward to never seeing her ever again. Sigh. Well, at least it was short even if it wasn’t sweet!

Yay! And now, I have to return to real life, but Fox isn’t leaving me hanging. Tonight is the 2 hour premiere of So You Think You Can Dance and I’m totally on board. It’s SO much better than Dancing with the Stars. I will not be recapping this show, though, because I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to dance.  “That was cool!” and “I wish I could do that!” as the only commentary would probably get old REAL fast.

For the last time this season…

Anxiously awaiting Kris’ album….Haddock out!

And Then There Were Two… May 20, 2009

Wow, guys. I can’t believe the season is coming to a close. I have to say I’ve been mucho impressed-o with this group of American Idol contestants.  With the exception of Lil, who stayed WAY too long, I think America has done a fairly decent job of whittling it down to the final two.  I would have  made a few different choices, but who can argue with the masses? Not me. Even if I wanted to, I don’t really have a platform for it.

Ry-Ry opened up the final performance show up with the following phrases (pausing between each, of course, for dramatic effect):

• “Tonight it is the battle of the acoustic rocker vs. the glam rocker”

Yeah, but I don’t really get “battle” from either one of them. They seem to have a Cook/Archuleta “may the best man win” vibe about them. And while I’m sure they’d each like to walk away with the crown, it’s not American Gladiator, folks. Though it would be kinda fun to see the last two contestants swing those red and blue colored qtip-y type weapons, that’s not what we’re here about tonight.

• Conway vs. California

This takes me back to my SAT prep days. One of these things is not like the other…one of these things just doesn’t belong…Conway=a city in AR. California=a huge freakin’ state. I mean I know the world is our stage, but I just think we should keep things on equal footing at least at the top of the show, hmmmm Ry-Ry?

• The guy next door vs. the guy liner

Maybe I’m just living under a rock, but I’ve never heard the phrase “guy liner”. It seemed to get a reaction from the crowd, though, so who am I to judge? If they’re referring to Adam’s excellent hand when applying his eye liner, then I could get where they’re coming from.

Ryan takes the time to introduce the judges again. I’m going to take a quick moment to highlight a few, shall we say, styling choices.

• Randy looks a little bit like those guys in high school when their moms made them dress up but they really didn’t wanna so they tried to make it as cool as possible without quite making it.
• Simon stopped one button short of an acceptable shirting choice. C’mon Simon!

Ry-Ry gave us the first DVR warning that American Idol has ever had the courtesy to extend. I appreciated it, though by now I kind of already knew that they would run over. I set my DVR recording to go half an hour over the time just in case. There’s nothing like being left in the dark of the final winner at the eleventh hour! So, all that to say. Thanks, Ryan. But too little, too late.

And just like that we’re off and running…AFTER the BREAK.

Adam “Glambert” Lambert

“Mad World”

Channeling both the uni-bomber (long black coat much?) and Michael Jackson (did you see those gloves?) and rising from the underworld stage, Adam chose this song from his season repetoire and I have to say I’m glad that he did. I missed this entire performance that week because my DVR cut off the show and the YouTube versions weren’t the same. I totally know why people raved about it…it was a fantastic performance. I do like this version of Adam better than the sticking-the-tongue-out-rocker style Adam. It was a great performance.

Kris Allen

“Ain’t No Sunshine”

One of the two songs that I downloaded from iTunes for my pre-record Kris Allen collection. With the exception of one wonky note there at the beginning he gave a great rendition of this song. It had everything…great vocals, great phrasing, great arrangement. Sigh. Simon gives round one to Kris.

Ding, ding! Round two!

Adam “Glambert” Lambert

“A Change Is Gonna Come”

Interesting choice, Mr. Simon Fuller! Giving Adam neither ballad nor rocker song, Mr. Simon Fuller stretched Adam’s comfort zone with a gospel-like song. He totally pulled it off and while I could do without what someone else has termed his “giraffe tongue” (as we allll know by now), I liked the way he sang this song. I do have to say, though, that I don’t think you necessarily have to look like you are going to cry or slash your wrists every moment of a song in order to convey “emotion”. But ‘nough said. Good job, Adam. You are a great and worthy opponent.

Kris Allen

“What’s Goin’ On”

Ooo, I like Kris’ guitar. It’s pretty. One of the things I’ve loved about Kris all season is his ability to sing and be so at home behind an instrument. I like the cool rhythmic feel and the chill style. Randy felt like it was a little subdued for the venue, but it’s who Kris is…dude’s gotta be himself, dawg. I’ve heard that Kara’s contract only extends through this season. It’s not that I don’t like what she has to say, but does she have to jab her finger at me and yell at me every second? If you talk in a regular voice, Kara, the microphone will pick you up. That’s how a microphone WORKS. If she stays on, next season they should have her trade places with Randy. At least in bringing the audience back from a performance her yelling has a purpose. 

Adam “Glambert” Lambert

“No Boundaries”

This is the song that will be the first single for whoever releases the album, co-written by Kara Dioguardi (who else would they pick?). Adam started off his slightly rock-i-fied version first and it was, in my opinion, a little bit of a mess. I’m not sure if the song was just too much (it didn’t grab me), or too hard to sing but both guys struggled with pitch, and for Adam who’s only hit a few wrong notes this season and they weren’t even in the same song it was kind of suprising that he was all over the place. At one point, he pulled a key change from nowhere and I’m still trying to figure out what happened there.  His version wasn’t that good. I’m just keepin’ it real like that Rand-dawg, who for all his time in the biz still only repeatedly assures the vocalists that they can sing. Um, Randy? We know that. Can you contribute something different instead? Thumbs down on this performance. Oh and Adam? I hate your pants. On to the next!

Kris Allen

“No Boundaries”

Kris’ version was much better, or at least more mainstream, than Adam’s but the key was too high for him to really rock it (though he did his darndest) and the pitch problems were there, though not as prominent, in this performance. It’s hard to get behind a performance of a song that I think is a little hum-ho for the finale night. I have to interject one of Todd’s comments at this point. While we were all watching this performance, he mentioned that it must be interesting for the band to do two performances of the same song back to back in different arrangements. Huh. I never thought of that…but he’s right. Shout out to the band who didn’t do anything distracting which is really most of the battle at one of these things.

Tonight I re-lived a portion of my childhood. This very evening I’m suffering from “nintendo thumbs” or what the hip youngsters these days would call “texting thumbs”. It’s when your thumbs are actually sore from pushing buttons too much. I wore out the battery on Todd and Noelle’s phone voting ’cause I took a poll online and the breakdown was something ridiculously close…49% – 51%. I’ve done all I can, now there’s nothing to do but wait.

Tomorrow holds our results and after delaying them for a ridiculously too long finale show, our precious Ry-Ry will impart the knowledge to us all. And knowledge, as we all know, is power.

Wondering who will get the confetti shower until tomorrow…Haddock, Out!

A Girl Has Her Limits May 15, 2009

I’m confessing right now that I’m a cheater cheater pumpkin eater. There’s no cover-up here. I’m not going to lie. I totally fast forwarded the American Idol results show to the very end and just watched who was in the top two. Even after my diatribe about needing more information on the hometown visits. Even after I found out that Jordin Sparks was performing (who I really like).  A girl, after all, has her limits. I had to know. Right. Then.

But, true fan that I am, tonight at 10 PM I turned on the results show and watched it from top to bottom (well, I did fast forward the Alicia Keys portion. And after watching the Smithsonian intro, I kinda wished I fast forwarded that too). I predictably bawled my face off while watching the Danny and Kris hometown video recap. It’s like a Cinderella story…but with guys. And then, came the results (again). It’s no less exciting the second time.

[SPOILER ALERT] – If you still haven’t seen and don’t know who is in the top two of this show, I’m shocked. But, trying to be sensitive. But mostly, I’m just shocked.

 

 

 

I’m soooooooooooooo excited. KRIS ALLEN ALL THE WAY! It can happen, right? Only 1 million votes seperating Adam from Kris and we don’t know which way it was going. If Kris gets some of Danny’s votes, we might be golden. A girl can hope, right?? Oh, please. Oh, please!

Ahem. In other news, tomorrow is Friday. And it’s been a long time coming, right? And do you know what I’m doing tomorrow? I’m going to work. But also, I’m going to a bridal shower. And you know what I’m doing on Saturday? I’m sleeping in, possibly going to a 80’s dance workout thing at the local YMCA, going to the Star Trek movie, and then having dinner and game night with a few friends. And on Sunday? I’m singing at church, manning (womanning?) a table at our church’s ministry fair and hopefully carving out a little journaling time. 

Busy weekend but I’ll make it through, doncha worry ’bout a thing. At some point, one would think that I’ll clean my room. We’ll see how it goes. In a struggle between sleep time and cleaning time, I’ll take sleep time every time.

Did I mention that I heart Kris Allen? Okay, ‘nough said. Good night everyone!

Three Times the Charm May 13, 2009

First of all, can I just say that Ryan was in top form tonight? It’s been weeks since we’ve seen him deviate from his carefully scripted Idol intros and tonight he seemed a lot looser and more like the host that was worthy of my “best host ever” trophy. If there was a trophy, that is. Hey, it’s the thought that counts, right? He’s really rich. He doesn’t really need a trophy. He could probably buy a million trophies. Ahem.

I’m going to be honest. I found it really hard to watch this week objectively. American Idol has worked its magic and I am now rooting for my favorite to the cost of everyone else. I’m metaphorically (because I doubt they’d let me on stage) elbowing two contestants out of the way and am embarrassingly fan-like about Kris Allen. Now granted, I’m not dumb. I think his first performance was the weakest of that set, but I LOVED his rendition of Heartless. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Because there are so many freaking people in America that watch this show, Ry-Ry announces that they have three numbers for each contestant. Good to know. A few thoughts at the top of the show:

• In the results show last week, they made a HUGE deal of who the top three were, for obvious reasons, but also because they would be the lucky winners of a hometown visit. I think I remember in seasons of yore that there was at least some sort of excerpt of this so-called visit so that we could see what happened, how all the screaming masses adored them, how all the mayors gave them the keys to the city, and basically give Idol an unnecessary ego massage that ,yes, there are lots of people that watch the show.  But it’s also heartwarming (I confess, I teared up a bit during Elliot Yamin’s visit home when his mom was riding in the parade car with him and was crying her face off).  So, naturally, I was looking forward to the videos. The recap, if you will. But what I got was a short clip of each member of our trio just finding out what song the judge(s) gave them. Weren’t we about to find that out anyway when they took the stage? Boo. Maybe they’ll do a longer recap on tomorrow night’s show?
• With four judges, don’t you think that they should have done “judges pick” last week? Hey, I’m not that good at math, but that just makes good sense. I’d like to know what Kara or Randy would have picked independent of each other. I feel like this is where the judges really show their stripes and if they can contribute to the solution rather than just tear down people’s *coughDanny’scough* dancing and singing. Maybe that’s just me.
• It’s kind of getting annoying to me that Simon/other judges keep calling it a “singing competition”. It’s more than that and they darn well know it. Rant over.

Danny Gokey

“Dance Little Sister” 

I gotta admit it, Danny really rallied this week. (did you catch that alliteration? ) The first song I’d never heard of, but Paula was right that it showcased his range, tone of his voice, and allowed him something to dig into.  For the first time in a few weeks, I felt like he showed energy on stage and was engaged with the audience.  He’s not a dancer. I get it. But I didn’t think the performance was hard to watch. It didn’t give me dumb chills. In fact, I was so taken with the vocals, that I really just enjoyed the entire song. Props to the Dan-mister for pulling one out!

“You Are So Beautiful (to Me)”

I am? Oh, thanks Danny! That’s nice of you…oh. It’s the song you chose. Got it. Danny pulled a page out of Kris’ book with this number. The arrangement, the changes, they were extremely well thought out and I thought it was his best performance of the season (or at least in the top two).  It really was amazing. He’s right…he’s done all he can at this point. And while I’ve liked Danny from the beginning, I don’t really think his performances have been as strong as the other two contestants throughout the season.  But tonight? He did a darn good job.

Kris Allen (insert whoop here)

“Apologize”

When I heard that Randy and Kara chose this song for him, I was excited. I like the song and he had to perform it better than whats-his-name from OneRepublic who continually goes flat when you hear him in person (and by that I mean on TV).  I thought he’d change it up, ala KA style, but he sang it pretty straight. I thought it was a good performance, but I thought he’d do more and I was a little disappointed. I mean, he really needed to homerun it here so that he didn’t give any room for the judges to give him bad reviews. However, I was right. He did perform it better (pitch-wise) than the OneRepublic dude. Point, Kris Allen.

“Heartless”

Aha! Now here’s the Kris that I know and love to pieces. And pieces. I really loved the stripped down version of this song and was impressed with how he kept the performance full of oomph with literally no one to back him up. It was the story of a boy and his guitar. And it had a happy ending. It is because of this (and really just the fact that I know this race for the top two is going to be tiiiiight) that I commandeered Todd and Noelle’s phone and for the first time ALLL season I voted. And I really believe my few votes is going to tip the scale here.

Adam “Glambert” Lambert

“One”

Simon summering in the Hampton’s with Bono? Ryan kills me. So funny.

Simon and Adam? American Idol is sending us a message, folks. They want Adam to be the next American Idol. And like I’ve been saying all season long (really, it’s documented. IN WRITING.) he’s the most talented from the bunch, vocally. He’s boldly performed where no American Idol performer has gone before (do you like that? just a little shout out to the Star Trek movie which I’m anxiously waiting to see this weekend with Liz).  He’s gone from ballads to rock to disco and come out unscathed. He has an enormous range (and an enormous tongue) and he’s not shy in warming up those pipes and singing loud and proud.

All that being said, this was the first performance where I felt like he was a little pitchy? Is that just me? I don’t think so. All in all a very solid performance, though. And the judges gave him his well-deserved kudos. But, denim on denim, Adam? I’ve come to expect better from you.

“Cryin’”

I’m kind of running out of things to say here. The performance was really really good. Stellar. It just isn’t my style. I counted at least 3 open-mouth-widen-tongue-screamy type notes and I don’t dig them. At all. Ew. But the guy has talent. And he shows it every week. If he wins the whole enchilada, I can take comfort in the fact that America really votes based on talent.

So, my thoughts about who will make the top two. I have no freaking idea. It could be any one of them and it’s going to be a close race (unless last week when they gave the results in no particular order it was because someone was clearly ahead and they didn’t want to reveal it).  I think Adam deserves to be there and I’d like to see Kris make it there, too. But Gokey’s fans are dedicated and worked their little fingers to the bone dialing this season.  He could very easily make it to the top two, just because as far as I know, he’s never been in the bottom two. I think Kris deserves it more than Danny…he’s been more inventive and has grown so much…but whichever one makes it to the top two I think the other person’s fan base will follow which makes the finale even more of a toss-up. I’m excited and a little nervous to see where it will end up.

Biting my finger nails until tomorrow night’s results show…Haddock out!

Anyone FOUR Rock? May 6, 2009

Ry-Ry, looking snazzy as always in his suit, brings us into this American Idol with a tale of drama and intrigue…it seems that the American Idol orb that floats atop the stair case (you know the one, where certain lucky Idols stand to show that they’re “on deck” and wave to their moms before commercial break) came crashing down in a none-too-pretty smatter of glass, electricity and certain danger.  Because of this our top four haven’t had a proper dress rehearsal, adding just that much more to our weekly American Idol experience. 

The top four enter the stage looking worthy of the rock genre…except Danny, who instead of donning a leather jacket, decided to go with a red button down shirt. Really, Danny? That’s your choice? Or is there someone in the wardrobe department who has it in for you? (see what I mean about intrigue??) To be fair, it could be that he had leather pants on, but the overall look was not rock ‘n roll. But as Simon always says (and is kind of wrong about because a lot of people vote for their favorite regardless of talent), this is a SINGING competition. So let’s get on with it!

Adam Lambert

“Whole Lot of Love” (or is it “Whole Lotta Love”? I’m not really up on Led Zeppelin)

The Glambert was in fine form tonight and most assuredly in his element.  Adam told us via his video interview that he wanted to “kill it” this week. And when he walked out he kind of looked like he could kill ME. I really liked it when the did a shot of the electric guitarist and he was utilizing his whammy bar. I also like the fact that I know what a whammy bar is, even if it is just because I learned it while playing guitar hero.

This week was definately the “have a rock edge” vs. the “have not a rock edge”.  Adam came out and did his thing and it was well done and well received.  He’s not my favorite, but the quality of his performance versus the others really was incredibly noticable. Plus, maybe if I say nice things and he ever reads my blog he can teach me to put on mascara like he does. I can never get my bottom lashes defined in quite the same way…

Allison Iraheta

“Cry Baby”

Allison came out rocking the purple highlights that Adam hooked her up with (See! He’s willing to share his beauty tricks with his friends…) and I wanted her to rock my face off. We all know she can do it! And while I thought she delivered a good performance, it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. Maybe it’s just that I wasn’t familiar with the song.  And even though I wasn’t blown away by the song, I do think it’d be a crying shame if she leaves on rock ‘n roll week.  Plus, is it acceptable *coughKaracough* to say that you give someone ” a prop”? Isn’t it “giving props”? Where does that saying even come from? And why do I always feel like Kara is yelling at me to get her point across?

We now interrupt this normal American Idol schedule to bring you the first duet, Kris and Danny.

Duet 1 - “Renegade”

I know it’s dumb. We just heard from the two most rockingrollingest members of our American Idol squad. But when Kris sang the first notes of Renegade and he and Danny got into their harmony, I got a few chills. That being said, there was a marked difference with this performance and the previous two and I kind of found it funny that both guys did the whole obligatory pick-up-the-microphone-stand even though clearly their hearts weren’t in it. I firmly believe that picking up the microphone stand should be because there is so much energy flowing through your performance that it has to go somewhere and you take it out on the microphone stand because it’s there.

Danny

Is it just me or did Danny look like he was skittish up on that stage? His eyes kept darting everywhere but the camera (aka us!) and he looked really nervous.  His voice really does lend itself more to rock than Kris’ but he just seemed a little unsure and while it sounded okay (except the harmonies, those were off the hook), I was a little put off by his stage presence.

Kris

Gotta love ‘im. I think he was definately the underdog going into this week and remained so throughout the night. I can’t help it. I like him best! I just like his style, his arrangements, his obvious nice-guy-ness and the fact that he’s way further than I ever thought he would (up until he did “Ain’t No Sunshine”). I thought he did an okay job with the song, though it really wasn’t rock-i-fied to the standard that we had heard at the top of the show.

Kris Allen

“Come Together”

Now that I’ve let my Kris-is-the-best flag fly, I think it’s probably pretty obvious that I disagreed with the judges take on his song. I thought he did as well as he could for a genre that obviously wasn’t his cup ‘o tea and picked a song that he could retain his sound and still be technically “rock”. I was impressed with the range and control he had, even if he did get dissed by the judges. I really hope he stays. Reallyreallyreally hope. But if he doesn’t, hey! There’s always that collaboration with Jamie Foxx that he could pursue.

Danny Gokey

“Dream On”

Yikes-a-mola. I like the tone of his voice, the gruffness definately helped him out here on rock week. He’s just not a great PERFORMER. I think he’s a darn good vocalist but at this stage he doesn’t have the performance gene that everyone else does. He just is thinking about it too hard! And oh, boy that last note scream. Not good. Really not good. I actually covered my ears.  All things being fair, I think Danny should go home this week. We’ll see if America agrees with me.

We now interrupt this normal American Idol schedule to bring you the second duet, Adam and Allison.

Duet 2 – “Slow Ride”

The only reason I know this song is because it’s one of my favorites to play on guitar hero. I found myself “playing along”. This was by far the best performance of the evening. They totally rocked the stage AND rocked my face off. I also was appreciative that Allison finally got to wear some comfy footwear. I’m quite sure that this added to the performance.  Plus, how cute was that hug at the end of the song? They’re a match made in duet heaven.

So, there we have it. With all the media buzz about Paula’s contract expiring this year and Simon’s next year and rumors that both could be moving on, what do you think about having 4 judges? If we only get three which would you like to see stay?

Wishing I could play Guitar Hero instead of go to work every day…Haddock out!