Previously best known for her rendition of Take My Breath Away, former American Idol 4 Top Ten finalist Jessica Sierra has spiraled downward since being voted off. I remember that she loved children and was always cheerful. Now she has been arrested on charges of assault, possession of cocaine and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility. It's fascinating to me that people get this out of control. Just look at her transformation from her AI days to now:
BEFORE
AFTER
The Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. -- Former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra was arrested early Sunday on felony battery charges for allegedly hitting a man on the head with a heavy glass at a cafe, police said.
Sierra, 21, was booked in the Hillsborough County Jail on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. She was also charged with possession of cocaine and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility after officers found a small amount of the drug while searching her, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.
Her bail was set at $11,500.
The victim suffered a cut over his eye, but the spokeswoman gave no further information.
Sierra, of Tampa, was one of the hit show's top 10 contestants in 2005.
Not quite, but Ofelia's (real name Ivana Baquero) next role sounds a little similar.
In her first role since Pan's, Ivana Baquero will play the title girl in The New Daughter. The movie, about a single dad who begins to suspect supernatural causes for his daughter's increasingly odd behavior since they moved to a remote farm, is based on a short story by horror-thriller writer John Connolly.
I was right...but really, they made it painfully clear that nobody would go home.
And what's w/ this whole Jordin Sparks surge? There is no denying that she is great, especially when you factor in her age, but seriously? I've looked back on her performance last night and still can't see how or why the judges would possibly praise her like they did. Best performance of the night...not by a long shot. I like Jordin, don't get me wrong, but what I don't like is feeling as though the show is not being so subtle about who they want you to vote for. It seems like only last week they were all about Melinda Doolittle.
that the "most shocking result in American Idol history" just may be that nobody goes home. Come on, it's all about being generous and stuff tonight, so it would be kind of out of place to send someone packing.
I wonder how that would work, though? Would they double it up next week or are they gonna have three at the finale?
Shake n' Blake sang John Lennon's Imagine, and, while it wasn't his best performance, it was sincere. I thought he did a great job, but, then again, I am a little biased. For the first time, though, Melinda Doolittle took away a majority of the attention I usually lavish on Blakey. I was blown away by her performance of Faith Hill's There Will Come A Day. It would have been a better choice to close the show on. Jordin Spark's performance was not as great as the judges insisted it was. But, as usual, all things come back to Blake. If you missed it, here is video of his performance earlier this evening:
Despite starting the day off still slightly drunk yesterday, my day surprisingly remained on a high note for the rest of the day. The effects of drinking six or seven or eight hurricanes the previous day slowly subsided, and I actually felt more refreshed than I have in a very long time.
One would have suspected a dentist appointment would dampen the day a little, especially considering it has been nearly five years since my last visit. It was actually very pleasant. The reason I have avoided going for as long as I have is due to many bad experiences in the past. Don't assume that I had cavities or any real problems, because I didn't. In fact, I have never had a cavity in my life (*knock on wood*). Instead, my problems lie w/ the people cleaning my teeth. From my early childhood up through my late teens, my mother forced my siblings and me to go to the same children's dentist. She said he was one of the best there is. This may be true, and, in fact, I hold no ill will toward the man. He was always very pleasant. It was the dental hygienists (is that right) that I hold a grudge against. I remember this one obese female that would always jam that pointy scraper thing into my gums and then would berate me because my gums bled. The others would also be extremely rough. Now, ordinarily I would have assumed I just had bad teeth, but my brother and sister later told me that the same was done to them.
As soon as I hit 18, I switched dentists. My mother strongly suggested her dentist and raved about how wonderful he was. Again, I had no problems w/ this dentist. However, the woman who cleaned my teeth did nothing but complain about how incapable I was of caring for my mouth. It must be noted that, again, I never had a cavity, gingivitis or anything else. My belief is that she was just a cranky old bitch.
This visit yesterday had me a little nervous considering the extensive time away from the dentist's chair. This dentist was a referral from a co-worker and gushing fan (of the dentist, not of me). Almost immediately, they made me feel incredibly comfortable and at ease. I braced myself for a lashing about not coming to the dentist sooner and what horrible condition my teeth were in. What I was treated to, instead, was quite the opposite. The woman that cleaned my teeth was warm and inviting. She instantly made me feel at ease. Despite a few issues that come from a five year gap between visits, I was never degraded. I went in expecting the worst, but came out feel rather positive about the whole thing. It was certainly refreshing.
Okay, I've rambled on long enough about nonsense. This post is supposed to be about music!
As I stated, I had a very positive day yesterday. I partially attribute that to some new music that I came across. The past several weeks I have been craving something different from what I've been listening to lately. It came to my attention that most of what I have been jammin' to is the same stuff I was playing three or four months ago. I have a short attention span when it comes to music and am constantly updating my playlist w/ new songs. However, the new songs I've been finding lately just haven't really done all that much for me, hence several songs lingering for longer than usual. But a few days ago I stumbled on to some amazing indie pop that has reignited the spark that had gone out. Back in August, I had reached a similar point, as I had become disenchanted with much of the music being churned out by mainstream acts. I stumbled across brilliant work from the likes of Barbara Morgenstern and Klee. This time around, I've been introduced to Feist, Pleasure, The Bird And The Bee and several others.
Today, though, I'm going to focus on the latest from Canadian act Feist (a/k/a - Leslie Feist). The track I currently have on heavy rotation is My Moon My Man. It's a pleasantly seductive rock/pop song that, sadly, will never reach it's full mainstream potential. It astounds me to no end that such beautiful music can be overlooked and brushed aside because it isn't by Justin Timberlake or produced by Timbaland. Don't get me wrong, I like guilty pleasure pop, JT and Timbaland. I guess I should be thankful in a way. All the attention they take away from the indie artists make it that much more of a treat when you discover them.
Alright, I don't even know what I'm going on about any more, so lets get on to the music already. If you like what you hear, remember to support the artist and buy their album. I've provided an iTunes link for convenience:
Artist: Feist Album: The Reminder (due May 1, 2007) Track: My Moon My Man
So yesterday I joined my friend T for a bi-annual crawfish feast at a local bar. I had gone with every intention of not drinking...mostly because I had just found out that my roommate is moving out much sooner than expected (so I'm kind of screwed financially at the moment as a result). However, once I got there, I quickly discovered that any and all drinks were only $1. How could one possibly turn that deal down? T and I each spent $10 (it went a looooong way) and got pretty much hammered on their hurricanes. While it was fun at the time, I'm paying for it this morning. It was worth it, though. We had a lot of fun and, thanks to the adult beverages, I was a lot more social than I normally am.
However, as I said, my roommate's moving out has really put me in a bind. No more partying for a while and I'm definitely Ramen noodling it for the next few weeks.
I know some drag queens are scary, but this is ridiculous:
"In Bloomfield Hills, Mich., police attributed a 30-minute lock-down at the exclusive Cranbrook Schools complex in response to jittery nerves following the Virginia slayings.
School officials called police after parents and students reported spotting a 6-foot-tall man in a skirt, high heels, lipstick and a blond wig near a school drop-off area outside Cranbrook's Kingswood Upper School, Lt. Paul Myszenski said. Police were unable to find anyone meeting the man's description."
I'll admit this was not one of Blake's best performances, but damn if he didn't look the hottest he's looked since I first saw him way back when he sang Keane's Somewhere Only We Know. This boy knows how to work those sweater vests! Here's the video if you missed it:
Had a blast w/ my Houston friends Jorge, Double B, KT and Lexx. They are probably the only reason I would ever consider moving back there. I love and miss them a lot, so we had an amazing time together.
Today was my sister's wedding reception. She married her husband exactly six months ago today, but that was a small ceremony in Vegas. They couldn't afford a big party for the friends and family back home at the time, hence the six month delay. We spent most of the day yesterday preparing food (nothing was catered w/ the exception of the, ugh, pig - the poor thing). Not sure why, but she went w/ a luau theme. We were prepared for rain, but, while it remained dry, it was freeeeeeeezing cold. Not typical Houston weather this time of year. Abnormal temperature aside, the party went off w/o a hitch. Here are some pics:
The happy couple
Mi madre
Got lei'd twice (too bad it wasn't the kind I was hoping for)
My sister taking a pic of me taking a pic of her
w/ former co-workers (yea, used to work w/ both my sister and mother)
oh lordy! Blake was, as usual, pretty damn hot (just take a look at his pits for the proof). His was also the best performance tonight, although, I will admit that this was due to everyone else pretty much sucking. For those that missed it, he performed Marc Antony's I Need To Know. He managed to take a song that I despise and made me actually enjoy it. Here's the video...
This first shot was taken during the Pooch Parade. This is where the gays were. Not a care in the world, as long as they were warm and toasty (due partly to the heaters, but mostly to all the liquor being consumed). Most of these people didn't even see the parade, as they were only there for the drinks and the eye candy.
There was the occasional gay that participated in the actual event, but they pretty much made it known that they wanted all the attention...
Still, the dogs strutted their stuff and were the true stars of the day. And while it wasn't as fun as last year, there were some stand outs.
In case you can't tell, she's a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader
In my opinion, they should have won...that dog is soooo Dorothy
I thought this one was just adorable!
Yes, there's actually a dog in there...in fact, it took home first prize!
One year ago today, my friend Adam encouraged me to start up my own blog. I'm grateful that he did, because I have met so many interesting and wonderful people.
There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past twelve months. I started this blog to, more or less, attempt to keep my mind occupied. I had just broken up with my first love and needed to stop focusing on that loss. This blog has helped me gain more confidence in myself and I think it's easy to see that progress when looking back over my writing.
Also, I know that I promised you pictures from the Pooch Parade this past Sunday, and I still plan on delivering. I was out late Sunday and then slept all day yesterday (had a sore throat, meds knocked me out). I still have to tweak the pictures, but as soon as I am finished doing that I'll be posting them.
Thanks to everyone for reading my blog. It means a lot that a lot of you return on a regular basis to check in. I wish I could be better about this, and plan on it now that I have a new schedule at work.
Blakey recovered nicely from last week (although he wasn't bad the previous week, he just wasn't as good as he normally is). Here's the video if you missed it, or, like me, just want to watch it again...
A few weeks ago, I met L. We had made plans for a date, but he cancelled at the last minute because he really wasn't ready for a relationship. Yeah, I know, it was just brunch, not a commitment ceremony.
Now, unlike some people, I am willing to give people a second chance...depending on the circumstances. In this instance, he wants to start off as friends. As our first foray into this new friendship, I will be joining him at this Sunday's Pooch Parade. Here's the catch: his friends will be there. Since I agreed to go, I now have to find a friend to tag along w/ me so I don't feel like the only odd man out. I wouldn't need to do this if I were more comfortable and talkative around new people, but I know how I get and need the comfort of someone I am familiar w/ to keep me relaxed (damn social anxiety).
For those that are not familiar w/ the Pooch Parade, it is an annual event held on Easter that can best be described as a cross between a dog show and a gay pride parade. I will definitely be posting pictures on Sunday after the event.
Do you remember back in elementary and/or middle school (hell, maybe even high school for some of you) when you got to play those now ancient DOS games on the "computer?" More specifically, the program that would speak (phonetically) whatever you type. Everyone in my class would spend hours entering in curse words and sentences calling whoever the teacher was a bitch (or, as the computer would say it, "BEE-iatch").
This morning I received a text message from a friend that asked, "how's work?". I hit reply and started typing my response. Although I didn't apply enough pressure when I hit the reply button, so I stayed in the same screen. I was typing my message and when I hit 'space' I heard someone say, "How's work?" So I've apparently been exerting precious energy and time reading text messages when I could just press a button and have them read to me! It's the little things that bring me the most joy.
N called and asked me to have brunch w/ him today. I agreed cause I was hungry. So we're at this cute little bakery/restaurant having a somewhat strained conversation. He mentions how lovely it is today and that we should do something outdoors. I suggested the sculpture museum and he asked, "do you like to look at art?" Considering I suggested a museum, I told him that I did. His response was:
"Well, no offense, but I can't stand looking at art. I think people who do are dumb."
He went on further making fun of people who like to look at art and then started dogging Picasso's art. While his not liking to look at art and his hatred of all things Picasso is all fine and dandy (to each their own, right?), did he think that I wouldn't be insulted because he tagged on the "no offense" disclaimer? Granted, I say that to female friends when I'm insulting women drivers, but I always state that I am in no way referring to all women. He made it clear that he was referring to all.
I didn't really say anything because I've learned that with people like that, there is really no point in arguing. They are obviously upset about something else and think they need to bring others down with them. My first boyfriend did that for three years. It worked back then, but no longer. I just got finished saying that I was going to distance myself from him, so it looks like I decided to do so just in time.
