Shock Value

I've yet to view the original Hostel (which came out last year), but considering how popular the first one was I felt intrigued to see what all the fuss was about. So, when a copy of Hostel: Part II came across my desk (so to speak), I decided to check it out. With Heather Matarazzo attached, I thought, "How bad could this really be?" I'm not saying that she's a brilliant actress, but the stuff I've seen with her in it hasn't been all that bad. This film is the exception.

I would go on a whole rant about the type of people that get off on this type of movie, but instead I'm just going to suggest that you don't see it. To me, it contains no redeeming value whatsoever. Even if this were your typical horror movie, I would still strongly suggest you avoid it. The acting and storyline are horrendous.

At least Eli Roth did what he set out to accomplish, which was to include as much blood as possible.

We Could Be Heroes

My former roommate (he moved out two weekends ago) spent the past few months trying to get me to watch Heroes with him every week. I refused to as I did not want to come into a show halfway through a season and try to figure out what was going on and who is who. I finally downloaded the entire season last week, so I spent approximately 16 hours over the long weekend watching all 23 episodes (with commercials cut out, each episode is just over 40 minutes). I must admit, I got hooked and can't wait for the next season to start up.

The show reminds me a lot of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Both have the requisite good v. evil plot line that unfolds over the course of an entire season and wraps up with a huge finale. They have both explored alternate realities and have even thrown in characters from this reality to mix it up a little. And both have a strong female blond as the central character (Claire - the cheerleader; although they are all basically supporting characters on Heroes). And, on a personal note, I jumped on the bandwagon late in the game on both, but was also instantly addicted to both.

Put Your Records On 07.20

That cute lil' accent, that dirty mouth and that style...why, it must be Lily Allen, right? Think again. It's a Lily knock-off that is destined for one hit wonderdom. Despite being an obvious attempt to capitalize on Lily's success, Kate Nash has released a catchy, fun summer tune. Listen and enjoy!




Artist: Kate Nash
Album: Carolina's A Victim
Track: Foundations

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/Foundations.m4a"><br />

Also, check out the video:

Dress Up In You 07.02

Originally recorded by my favourite artist of the moment, Feist, Mushaboom is about the gradual build up of the protagonist’s life. Despite day-dreaming of settling down in a home (as opposed to an apartment) and having a family, she’s still content with her life as it is until she gets those things she so longs for.

Her former tour mate, Bright Eyes (pictured), covered this sweet, sincere song on tour and included it on his album, Motion Sickness. I like his version a lot, but it’s more folky than hers. Her voice is far better suited for the song than his, but it's hard to completely mess up this beautiful song.

On a side note, I now love Feist even more! If you know me well, then you know that I loathe McDonald’s and all things associated with it (including Boston Market and Chipotle). They apparently offered Feist one million dollars for the rights to Mushaboom, but she refused. Go Feist!

Also, in case you are wondering, Mushaboom is a village on the southeast coast of Nova Scotia, one that is considered an idyllic place to settle down and enjoy a quiet life. Feist herself has commented in the past that she’d like to live there one day.

Artist: Bright Eyes
Original Artist: Feist
Track: Mushaboom

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The Beat Goes On

In case you missed it, here's Blake Lewis beatboxing w/ Doug E. Fresh on last night's American Idol finale.

UPDATE: Looks like Blake has been hard at work. He's already worked with Nick Hexum (of 311 - his favourite band) on two songs, one he wrote and another written by Nick and Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin. While an album shouldn't be rushed, I can't wait to hear what he comes up with.

This Is Her Now

AND THE LATEST AMERICAN IDOL IS...


Jordin Sparks

No real shocker there

D'OH

I'm an idiot. Of course, you'd already know that if you are a regular reader of this blog. However, I will be missing the finale of American Idol tonight! Why, you ask? Because I foolishly okayed dinner plans with a friend.

Last Chance

First performance

Blake Lewis
Song: You Give Love A Bad Name
Rating: A-
I think that this was an even stronger performance than when he initially performed this song a few weeks ago, but only beatboxing-wise. The vocals weren't nearly as strong this time around. I think that Simon said it best when he said he's the best entertainer on the show.

Jordin Sparks
Song: Fighter
Rating: B
True, the vocals were stronger than Blakes, but they weren't that much better. Plus, she is really lacking as an entertainer. You can't rely solely on your vocals, especially when they weren't that strong.

Second Song

Blake
Song: She Will Be Loved
Rating: B+
Simon called it safe and said he wouldn't have chosen it for the finale, but I have to disagree. It reminded me of the first song I ever heard him perform, Somewhere Only We Know. Good vocals this time around, as opposed to his previous performance.

Jordin
Song: A Broken Wing
Rating: B-
I think her nerves are getting to her. When she initially sang this song during country week, I started rooting for her. Unfortunately, tonight's rendition just turned me off. What I don't understand is how I heard a completely different performance than the three judges, cause they all loved it.

Third Performance

Blake
Song: This Is My Now
Rating: B-
First off, I can't stand the song. A nationwide contest and they stuck w/ the same trite garbage that they make the finalists perform every year. I thought the whole point of the contest was to get something better suited for the singers. That being said, I think Blake did well enough, definitely the best he could w/ it. This is so out of his league, but, then again, it's a reminder that this is a contest for vocalists. It makes it hard to judge.

Jordin
Song: This Is My Now
Rating: B-
The song is clearly more suited for Jordin. However, I don't feel like she really blew this out of the ballpark. I really think she could have done better than this, but it's a horrible song and she alright with it.


So who do I think did better tonight? You guessed it, my man Blake. However, I must stress that it had nothing to do with my crush on him, I honestly feel Blake was just more entertaining. HOWEVER, I think Jordin Sparks has this in the bag.

**For someone who has bitched and moaned about American Idol as much as he has, I was surprised to see Chris Daughtry perform.

And, if you missed it, here's video of Blake Lewis performing This Is My Now:

Put Your Records On 07.19

David Bisbal is a Latin Grammy winning singer. His latest album is Premonición, which has topped the Spanish charts just like his previous two studio albums. Here is an upcoming single from that album.


Artist: David Bisbal feat. Vicente Amigo & Wisin & Yandel
Album: Premonición
Track: Torre De Babel

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/Torre_De_Babel.m4a"><br />

Linger

I can't seem to shake these cold-like allergy symptoms. Yesterday I felt fine and thought that I was over it, but today it has come roaring back. All my muscles are stiff (well, not all), I'm coughing and now I'm losing my voice.

Poor me!

Lost And Found

Yesterday I logged on to my MySpace hoping to find a new message from a new friend in England; however, what I found was a message from someone I haven’t spoken to in about 8 years. Not just anyone, but my best friend from 2nd grade all the way through my freshman year in college.

What went wrong, you ask? I was a coward. I was in a very difficult position in my life and I was afraid to turn to my best friend for support. Not to put blame on him, but he and his girlfriend were constantly using the term “gay” in a derogatory manner, and since I was just coming out it stung a little more than it would now. So I just cut him out of my life. It’s something I do well. Now, tables turned is not so easy for me to deal handle, but that’s another issue altogether.

Now, thanks to MySpace, I don’t have to tell him I’m gay, he knows it. Assuming he read my profile and looked at my pictures. Haha. Right now we are kind of bringing each other up to speed on what we’ve missed. He has three kids and, well, I’m gay. Yeah, I don’t have an exciting life outside of my sexual orientation. It’s cool. That’s all about to change in January, though.

While I’ve found an old friend, I’ve lost my friend/roommate. I knew this day would come when he moved in this past January, but it’s still kind of sort of sad. Okay, not really. Yeah, I will miss him as I got used to having someone else around, but, at least for the next three months, he’s just across the street. Literally. His apartment is across the street. In three months, though, I’m moving to south Dallas, as some friends of mine own a house and offered their spare room to me so I can save money while going to school. I think that’s really generous of them. In fact, it’s the only reason I can afford my trip to London this December.

Alright, I just finished helping my roommate move into his new flat, my back is extremely sore (with no boyfriend to massage it for me) and I’m exhausted. So I’m going to try to get some beauty sleep before meeting up with some friends tonight.

Hope all of you are having a fantastic weekend!

London Bound

I just purchased my plane tickets to London. I'll be spending 7 days and six nights there this December (12/12-12/18 to be exact).

Maybe It's Just Me...

but on the Ugly Betty season finale last night, why did Alexis need to go out of the city in order to get her ailing brother to the hospital? Couldn't they have gone to one of the many facilities located within Manhattan, especially if she was in such a rush to get him help?

The Daughtry Effect

In what seems to becoming a trend, the singer everyone assumes will win (or at least make it to the finale) is given the boot. Last year it was Chris Daughtry. This year it's Melinda Doolittle. Thankfully, she'll most likely go the Daughtry route and not the way of Nikki McKibbin. Okay, that was mean. I meant no disrespect to Nikki, but she's not even a blip in the music industry. So, yeah, I don't feel too bad for Melinda. She's definitely going to have more say in what her album will sound like.

While definitely surprised, I think Blake was more disappointed than anything. He seemed to know that America just didn't get it right. That, or he just really wanted out. I wouldn't be shocked if that were the case. I think his performances have lacked the appeal and energy he brought forth up through, but ending with, You Give Love A Bad Name. If anything, I hope that he lets loose and does his thing on the finale. Despite my crush, I don't want him winning the title. I think it'll do more harm than good for his album.

Poor Jordin Sparks. She just can't seems to stop crying. She's seventeen, she has an already amazing voice that will only get better and, well, she's seventeen. Why is her age such a big deal? I think the producers want her to win (yes, I realize I said just the opposite in my previous post, but now I realized that they dogged her so that everyone would think she was in trouble and, thus, more votes), because it will be a whole lot easier to persuade Ms. Sparks to record an album that is more mainstream and radio friendly. In other words, they want to recoup what they lost with Taylor Hicks.

Someone Has To Go

I've been listening to Blake Lewis's performances from last evening, and I must say that they are definitely growing on me. That's right, I'm having a change of heart.

I did not see Jordin Sparks' performances (save one, which wasn't that great, btw) last night; However, I have not been hearing too much praise. Honestly, I think she peaked during country week when she performed Broken Wing. At that time, I had not yet formed an opinion of her, but that performance made me a fan. Yet she has consistently under-performed since, with the judges lumping unwarranted praise on her. All this time I've been thinking that they had been trying to condition us to vote for her, but now I'm thinking that they may be setting her up to fail. Who could possibly live up to all the hype and praise that has been thrown at her week after week (especially considering how most of those were 'just okay' performances).

My point is, I think Melinda Doolittle will definitely be in the top two. It's a toss up between Blake Lewis and Jordin, but I'm kind of thinking that Blake has a real shot at staving off elimination this week. So I guess I'm going with Melinda and Blake in the top two.

Put On The Red Light

My cable is out, so I’ve had to run across the street to a local tea shop that offers wi-fi. Since we managed to get reception on my roommate's television, I only managed to see Blake Lewis perform tonight. While you all know that I’m quite smitten with the boy, I honestly don’t think it matters how strong he was tonight. I’m getting a feeling that this is about as far as he will make it in the competition. I think Melinda Doolittle has a fan base that is bigger than most would think. And, as I’ve said before, I feel like the producers are trying to condition us to vote for Jordin Sparks.

I guess since I can’t really speak about the other performances, I’ll go ahead and rate Blake’s three performances:

Roxanne
Grade: B-
He’s been compared to Sting before, so it came as no surprise that Paula would choose a song he’s performed. However, I just wasn’t impressed with Blake’s delivery. It felt rushed and he seemed somewhat detached.

UPDATE: Upon listening to this again, I actually rather enjoyed this song, aside from the annoying back-up singers.

This Love
Grade: A
Honestly, this morning I was listening to the new Maroon 5 album and thought that Blake should have done one of their songs this season. As Randy said, this song really suited his style and this was Blake’s best performance of the evening. It did feel a little too fast, though. Slow it down boy!

When I Get You Alone
Grade: B
Too fast. Granted, I’m not familiar w/ the Robin Thicke song, but I felt this could have been slowed down a lot. This should have been a sexy song, but it was lacking throughout. With the exception of his beatboxing, which he always does well.

UPDATE: Listened to this one again, too, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was. It wasn't too fast, either. I kind of feel like I was listening to something else altogether! haha. I still feel like this is Blake's time to go, but he could pull a Katherine McPhee.

In case you missed it, here’s Blake Lewis performing This Love:

Farewell To Falwell

Rev. Jerry Falwell was found unresponsive in his office earlier today. He'll always be remembered for the bigot he was. Here are some random quotes of his.

If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being.

I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!
-- Rev Jerry Falwell, America Can Be Saved, 1979 pp. 52-53, from Albert J Menendez and Edd Doerr, The Great Quotations on Religious Freedom

AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals.
-- Jerry Falwell (attributed: source unknown)

The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country.
-- Rev Jerry Falwell, Sermon, July 4, 1976

The Jews are returning to their land of unbelief. They are spiritually blind and desperately in need of their Messiah and Savior.
-- Jerry Falwell, Listen, America!

Grown men should not be having sex with prostitutes unless they are married to them.
-- Jerry Falwell, on CNN's Crossfire, May 17, 1997

I do not believe the homosexual community deserves minority status. One's misbehavior does not qualify him or her for minority status. Blacks, Hispanics, women, etc., are God-ordained minorities who do indeed deserve minority status.
-- Rev Jerry Falwell, USA Today Chat, quoted from The Religious Freedom Coalition, "The Two faces of Jerry Falwell"

AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals. To oppose it would be like an Israelite jumping in the Red Sea to save one of Pharoah's chariotters.
-- Rev Jerry Falwell (attributed: source unknown)

Truly, these are words to live by.

Put Your Records On 07.18

With the amount of Spanish music that I listen to, one would assume that I speak (or at least understand) the language. Quite the opposite. That doesn't mean you can't appreciate the music any less, though. Case in point, I love this new track taken from Papito, a collaboration between Miguel Bose (the album artist) and Juliet Venegas. The album is a duets album and features many prominent latin artists, including Shakira, Alejandro Sanz and Paulina Rubio. If you like what you hear, purchase the album on iTunes via the link below.




Artist: Miguel Bose con Julieta Venegas
Album: Papito
Track: Morena Mia

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/Morena_Mia.m4a"><br />

Chicago

Since the trip to San Francisco for the blog convention and Pride is no longer possible for me, I have made plans to join one of my best friends in Chicago from July 27-30, 2007.

While I have been to Chicago at least once a year for the past 15 years or so, I have never really been in the city. My relatives live two hours away in a small town in Indiana, so we've always flown in and taken a bus from the airport. Last summer, I rented a car so I could get a little bit of shopping done on Michigan Avenue, but that put me in the city for a meager 2 hours.

This time I'll be in the city for four days/three nights. Since I've never really been before, I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what to do while I'm there...aside from shopping on Michigan Avenue (which I'll be doing cause there is no H&M in Dallas).

Jumping The Gunn

For those not in the know, Project Runway's Tim Gunn is branching out to his own show, Tim Gunn's Guide To Style, on Bravo. It sounds like it will be their version of TLC's What Not To Wear, in which Tim (along with his just announced co-host Veronica Webb) will take a fashion victim and whip them into shape (fashionably speaking, that is). Unfortunately, Bravo has yet to announce a premier date, but it will hopefully be soon as I've just realized how much I sorely miss Project Runway. Which reminds me - don't worry, Tim will be returning for the fourth season, which will also air on Bravo (again, no date has been announced).

The Danger Zone

So it was down to LaKisha Jones and Blake Lewis tonight, as many had suspected. Many assumed LaKisha would go home because her fan base just wasn't there when compared to the other three. Despite his growing fan base and being the sole guy, others assumed Blake would be packing his bags due to two extremely lackluster performances (even more so following such a strong one the week before). In the end, though, it was LaKisha who failed to gather enough votes and had to sing Staying Alive through her tears. While I'm sad to see her go, I'm even happier to see my Shake N' Blake stay.

American Foursome

This season of American Idol has been relatively short on memorable performances. There have only been four performances that stand out to me, and those are the ones listed below. It just so happens that my favourite four were performed by the final four (Jordin Sparks, Lakisha Jones, Blake Lewis, and Melinda Doolittle), which just goes to show that they deserve to be as far as they are in this competition:



While he may not be the best vocalist on the show, Blake Lewis usually breathes a breath of fresh air into the singing competition using his beatboxing and arrangments. He spent most of the season crooning more soft-alt ballads, so this rework was just what he needed in order to stand out from the other contestants. Even if Bon Jovi didn't care for it, it brought the audiences to their feet as they screamed for more. All infatuations aside, this is hands down my favourite performance the entire season.

Track: You Give Love A Bad Name *I've gone with the live version. While the studio version was great, too, it paled in comparison. The other three tracks here are the studio versions.

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/You_Give_Love_A_Bad_Name.m4a"><br />

Melinda Doolittle is consistently amazing. Her voice is perfect and you really feel like whatever song she is singing is her own (with the exception of last night). During the charity week, she belted out a song that was originally performed by Faith Hill, and she successfully made it her own. I now can't imagine anyone else singing this song.

Track: There Will Come A Day

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/There_Will_Come_A_Day.m4a"><br />

As I stated in my previous post, Jordin Sparks is gifted. Where she failed to evoke any connection to the songs she performed last night, she succeeded during country week thanks to the coaching provided by Martina McBride. This was the point in the competition where I actually started to like Jordin. However, she's been fumbling ever since. She'll easily make it into the final three, but she will have to pull it together next week if she has any hopes of making it to the finale (and not just as a guest). And if you haven't heard (cause they certainly don't remind us enough during the show), but she's all of 17 years old.

Track: Broken Wing

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/Broken_Wing.m4a"><br />


LaKisha "Kiki" Jones started off on a high note when she performed And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going early on, but it was all downhill after that. During Bon Jovi week, she finally pulled it together and delivered an amazing performance that managed to keep her on for one more week...believe me, I know most of those votes she received were not for her horrendous version of Believe. She owns this song, though. It's hard to believe she hasn't had any vocal training at all (or so she says). Enjoy Kiki's return to form:

Track: This Ain't A Love Song

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/This_Aint_A_Love_Song.m4a"><br />

You Should Be Dancing

Yeah, I should have been dancing, but I wasn't. Blake Lewis wasn't on top of his game tonight (no, I don't say that every week), but, honestly, nobody else was tonight either. It has nothing to do with the artists themselves, but, in my opinion, the songs. Where Bon Jovi's songs were easily modernized, Gibbs' songs are grounded in the 70's. Which made it pretty difficult for these four to get themselves wrapped around them. For once, LaKisha "Kiki" Jones seemed to be the best of the bunch, although I'm not certain she has enough fans behind her to keep her in for another week. Melinda Doolittle can afford a weak night this late in the game, I hope. Jordin Sparks will most likely be safe, although I honestly couldn't stand either of her performances tonight. She has an amazing voice, but she chose songs that were way beyond her years. Kind of the same problem Leann Rimes faced when she recorded How Do I Live, singing about love when she isn't nearly old enough to have experienced it...except Leann pulled hers off far better. Blake was very weak tonight, but hopefully the surge of new fans he acquired thanks to last week's performance of You Give Love A Bad Name (although better known as Shot Through The Heart) will carry him through to next week.

Here's video of Blake Lewis performing You Should Be Dancing

Coming shortly...video of his second performance, This Is Where I Came In

Put Your Records On 07.17

Grey's Anatomy beat me. The Bird And The Bee's Again & Again was introduced to 20 million + viewers during a recent episode, but I'm going to assume that most of you didn't recognize it. I've noticed that the series is not as strong as it used to be. The storylines aren't as strong and the "hip" songs seem to just be thrown in randomly. I remember when the songs used to blend in and be as much a part of the scene as the actors. Now they seem to toss them in just so they can have a great soundtrack released. But, I digress. This post isn't about a television show.

The Bird And The Bee is an indie pop band based in Los Angeles whose sound is a jazz-influenced electro-pop. The second single, Again & Again, is a fun, light-weight pop song, but not one that is definitely not something you have to feel guilty about indulging in, well, again and again. If you like the song, why not pick up their album via iTunes:




Artist: The Bird And The Bee
Album: The Bird And The Bee
Track: Again & Again

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/Again_and_Again.m4a"><br />

And here's the video:

I Try

I've come to the realization that I'm doomed to be attracted to unavailable men. With the exception of N (and we all know how that turned out), the past year and a half since my last relationship dissolved has only brought me men already in relationships. I usually don't know they are involved when the attraction begins, and last night is the perfect example. A couple weeks ago I met a guy, lets call him J. He's not my usual type, but there was something about him that caught and maintained my attention. I ran into him the following weekend and we chatted briefly. However, I got the impression he was possibly interested. So I was a little happy when I bumped into him again last night. We chatted for a few before we both had to get back to our respective group of friends, but he mentioned that we needed to hang out and to call him. Later, though, my friend was talking about his love life and mentioned that his last two exes are now dating. Guess who one half of that couple is...if you said/thought J, you're right.

My new take on dating now is to not even bother looking. I say, let them come to me, cause I know if I go up to someone they are going to end up being in a relationship. However, the problem w/ that is nobody wants to come up to me. I think I'm going to be single for a while. Haha. Seriously, though, I'm really happy where I'm at in life right now. I have a few things planned for myself in the near future. I'll be moving in a few months (not leaving Dallas, just can't afford to live where I do now and save money), going back to school in January and hopefully treating myself to a much needed week long holiday in London for my birthday.

Okay, I'm going to finish catching up on some television I've missed, just thought I would post an update that wasn't American Idol related.

Blake Going Down

I'm not sure who the lucky guy in the gray shirt is, but Blake Lewis sure likes him...

Shake N' Blake Does The Humpty

I stumbled across a pre-American Idol Blake Lewis video and thought I would share it with you to close out the week. You know me, I think Blake can do no wrong, so I rather enjoy this acoustic set. The song performed is Dumpty Humpty.

Trying To Love It

The least enjoyable episode of The Golden Girls is the one where the Girls have all but a walk on while we are forced to sit through the pilot for Empty Nest. They attempted to avoid that tonight on one of my other favourite shows. An hour of Grey's Anatomy sprinkled across two hours to try to pass off a completely different show as being part of the episode. It was frustrating at best. I'm sorry, but this possible Addison Shepherd (played by Kate Walsh) spin-off just doesn't work. For starters...Tim Daly. He's gorgeous, but come on. Everything that the man has touched since Wings has flopped.

Mainly, though, Addison is not a lead character. Do we really care about this character outside the walls of Seattle Grace? Quite frankly, no. The actor and the character are not strong enough to survive without the tension with McSteamy, McDreamy and the McInterns. Okay, I made that last one up, and I apologize. It just doesn't work. Maybe I was overanalyzing, but Addison's potrayal in tonight's episode did not seem like the character we've been getting to know over the past two and a half years. That and they were really giving us far too much. Too much insight into these new characters' lives, too much trying too hard, too much L.A. and all in too little time.

Also, get rid of the surfer receptionist! What is this, a Diet Coke commercial? If Addison continues to reside on Grey's then this new show may not be so bad. I mean, just get Taye Diggs in some state of undressed...how bad could that possibly be?

Dress Up In You 07.01

While she may not be catching on in the States as she has across the pond, there is no denying that Lily Allen has a great voice. She did a fantastic cover of The Kooks' Naive last summer, and, while I'm not certain when it was recorded, another acoustic cover has surfaced. This time around she's taken on Keane's Everybody's Changing. She puts a slight Lily twist on it and I think it's turned out to be quite a treat.

Artist: Lily Allen
Track: Everybody's Changing
Original Artist: Keane


<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/Everybodys_Changing.m4a"><br />

And Then There Were Four

I'm relieved that Blake Lewis has survived and made it into the top four; however, I'm sad to see his boy, er, best friend get booted off. He's the only thing keeping the gay boys watching now...well, at least this gay boy.

buh bye Chris and Phil

Which leaves us with the final four: Melinda Doolittle, Jordin Sparks, Lakisha Jones and Blake Lewis*


*Blake should be happy now. He recently complained about having to live with the other male contestants, so now he should have the pad to himself. He deserves it since he is the last man standing.

What The F!!!???

I can't stop laughing at these two David Blaine parodies. They're hilarious, and, despite being ultra gay, the guy in the red shirt (Mikey Day) is pretty hot.



and part II

Get Up, Get Out

I'm anxiously awaiting the results of last night's votes. I think last week's votes will play more of a role in determining who goes home as there were more than 70 million votes compared to the usual 30-35 million. So despite those that did not do so well last week recovering rather nicely this week and Jordin doing just the opposite, I doubt last night's performances will have much of an impact. So, last night aside, I think the weakest performances from last week's charity event were by Lakisha (Kiki) Jones and Chris Richardson, so I won't be surprised if these two are in the bottom. Kiki has been in the bottom two lately after a string of lackluster performances. Chris seems to be coasting by more on his looks and similarity to Justin Timberlake.

I'm hoping that Chris sticks it out for at least one more week, though, as I would much rather see Phil eliminated. He has been strong three weeks in a row, but he hasn't been nearly as memorable. And as awful as this may sound, there is something about the way he looks that really annoys me. I'm also turned off by his constant begging for votes. While it may not seem too blatant, he always makes sure that he throws in a bit about how he's doing this for his daughter, or thinking of his wife or telling the audience how much he adores them. And while it's nice to have someone who is appreciative, I get the impression he's doing this only to get people to vote for him.


So I'm thinking the bottom three will be Chris, Kiki and Phil. I'm hoping that the two to go home will be Kiki and Phil. Honestly, it doesn't matter what order, as I strongly feel these will be the next three gone regardless.

Who do you think is going home tonight?

Shot Through The Heart

In a night full of strong performances (w/ the notable exception of Jordin Sparks, who not only performed poorly but looked even worse than she sounded), Blake was the icing on the cake. When I saw him all emo'd out, I was a little weary. He managed to take a Bon Jovi classic (You Give Love A Bad Name) and put his own spin on it. For the first time since the competition really began, he let loose with the beatboxing and showed us what he's all about. People think this is just a show for singers, but it's also a show for performers (and at least Blake can also sing). I hope it was good enough to keep him on for at least another week, as he definitely keeps the show interesting. Here is video of Blake Lewis's performance:

Put Your Records On 07.16

Last week I reported about one of my two favourite songs of the moment, it's time for my other favourite to shine. The band Pleasure is a funky pop band that hails all the way from Norway. Their music is guilty pop infused w/ 80's sounds, but you don't have to feel guilty about it. This song is currently on heavy rotation on my iPod.

Artist: Pleasure
Album: Pleasure 2
Track: Out Of Love

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The video is genius, as well. It has a very 80's retro vibe with an Alice In Wonderland-esque sequence twisted in. It's wonderful and I love it.