Starting Over at 45

Blah.

That about sums up my mood this morning.

For several months I weighed a decision on my mind that I knew would not be an easy one. See, at a time when a lot of people are struggling to find a good job, I am giving mine up. After 16 years at the University of Missouri, I am walking away from at atmosphere that has been somewhat enjoyable, yet maddening all at the same time.

My last day will be Friday, June 12.

This post is not necessarily to discuss the reasons for leaving, but rather how the decision is affecting me. As difficult as it was to make the call and say "That's it," I am wondering how I am going to feel when I walk out these doors for the final time.

I find myself today sitting here at work and wondering what to do with myself. It's raining this morning and that in itself is likely contributing to my mood. I have things I could be doing - homework, for one. But with all the conversation going on around me I can't seem to concentrate on that.

Cleaning out my desk is a project I could get started on, but I was going to hold off on that until next week sometime. Today is Thursday, May 28 and I have today and tomorrow left this week, then Monday though Thursday next week. At that point I accrue 4 new personal days on my anniversary date with MU, so I will use them June 5, 8, 9, and 10. Return to work on June 11 and 12 to finish things out. That's 8 days left if you're counting at home.

I have been with MU since 1993, take away 3 months in 1997, and in this position since January 2001. This is by far the most amount of time I have spent at one job. Well, unless you want to count how long it has taken me to complete the work on my mystery book. That has been going since 1981.

I will feel sadness, I know. Working here has been like being at my home away from home. I will also be feeling a certain anticipation for what comes next. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be packing things up at home as well, preparing for a move to Indiana in July. My next career move remains a mystery so until I figure out what I will be doing for a living, I have the pursuit of my college degree to continue and a mystery book to finish writing.

So in the times we live in, how have you or someone you knew dealt with keeping busy while looking for work? Please share your tips and advice for not going crazy while waiting for that dream job to appear. If I use any of them, I just might send you a t-shirt. I believe I've got a few I'm not wearing anymore....

This One's for All the Marbles...

Here it is Dawg...4 months in the making, countless hours of bad auditions, 30 minutes of fame for Bikini Girl, more bird impersonations than I ever cared to hear, annoying laughter and crying (aka Tatiana), Norman Gentle, and weeks of suspense wondering just who would be going home and whether or not the judges' save would be used.

Tonight its the whole enchilada...Tonight, an American Idol is crowned.

Mikaela Gordon covers the happenings from Conway, AR and Carly Smithson is hanging out in San Diego, CA.

No major summary, but here are a few of my favorite moments...

The top 12, er 13, singing So What. Ok, it wasn't great, but it wasn't lip synched that I could tell. (Don't burst my bubble, ok?)

Kara DioGuardi singing with Bikini Girl, then showing the world that she too can look good in a bikini

Adam's performance of Beth by KISS, but where the hell did he get those platform shoes?

David Cook surprising Adam & Kris with their new Ford Fusions

Celebs singing WITH the Idols:

Queen Latifah & Lil Rounds
Jason Mraz w/Alexis and Anoop
Keith Urban & Kris Allen (great job whoever paired these 2 together!)
Fergie w/the 5 women finalists, then joined by the Black Eyed Peas)
Cyndi Lauper & Allison Iraheta (lovin' the dulcimer)
Lionel Richie & Danny Gokey
KISS & Adam Lambert (ok, one of my personal favorites tonight)
Carlos Santana w/the top 13
Steve Martin w/Michael Sarver and Megan Joy Corkery
Queen w/Adam & Kris


The return of:

David Cook
Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle
Katrina Darrell/Bikini Girl
Kimberly Locke sighting
Carrie Underwood sighting
Rueben Studdard sighting
Bo Bice sighting
Justin Guarini sighting



Things I could have done without:

Golden Idol Awards (ok, bringing back Norman Gentle was a plus, as was Bikini Girl)
Someone went Boom Boom Pow on the graphics switcher during the Black Eyed Peas' performance
A replay of Kara throwing down with Bikini Girl, Katrina Darrell
Being reminded of Adam's Ring of Fire (although Simon paraphrasing Randy Travis into "What the Hell was that?"
The Ford commercial, since it was just a rehash of all the other Ford Failures from this season.
Rod Stewart by himself. What's up with not including the idols like all the other celebs tonight?
Tatiana's 4th performance of Saving All My Love

Saving the best for last, the one thing that this whole crazy season has been for...the results.

Over 100 million votes cast...

The season 8 American Idol is....

KRIS ALLEN

Bring it On

And then there were two...

Adam vs Kris

Kris vs Adam

Southern California vs Central Arkansas

Thing 1 vs ... nah, that's not fair...

However you look at it, regardless of your personal preferences I think it is truly anybody's ballgame. Well, maybe not Danny's or Allison's or any of the previously eliminated constestants. But for as popular and pimped as Adam has been all season, Kris came into the competition as a relatively unknown "Dark Horse" and surpassed a lot of expectations as the season progressed. A week ago I figured tonight would be just going through the paces because Adam has been so strong all season long. Kris spent more than one week in the bottom 3, I think, and Adam, although it was likely for suspense purposes only, did spend only one week there.

Again, Idol has chosen to fall back on having both contestants perform the same "coronation" song, No Boundaries, written by Judge Kara. I thought maybe they had given up on that after Jordin & Blake battled with This is My Now back in season 6. In Season 7, the Deuling Davids didn't have to give separate versions of such a song, but we did get to hear David Cook's song following the announcement of his win.

Performances tonight as a whole:


Adam

Contestant's choice song: Mad World
Simon Fuller's choice song: Change is Gonna Come
Coronation Song: No Boundaries

For Adam starting off tonight, it was like a flashback to Melinda Doolittle. Week after week Adam has brought it, so while I know his fans will love it, I wonder if the average viewer isn't a bit de-sensitized to him now. While technically perfect, I have to hope that Adam is planning something spectacular later in his next performance.

And he did. His second song, an R&B song from Sam Cooke, was just spectacular. He went high, but reigned it in just enough to keep it from getting out of control. NOt something I would have expected him to do, but it was just another challenge and genre that Adam shows he can handle.

The coronation song was performed true to Adam's style, lots of high notes, but nothing really screechy, not over the top in any way, but something I can imagine being played on the radio. Simon chose to ignore the final song and not judge it, instead he unabashedly proclaimed Adam the champion that the show hopes to find each year.


Kris

Contestant's choice song: Ain't No Sunshine
Simon Fuller's choice song: What's Goin On
Coronation Song: No Boundaries

When Kris did his first song tonight, he sounded different. Not so much in his voice, but he just sounded so relaxed and at ease. Randy called it, it was one of his best performances. Simon gives "round 1" to Kris.

When I saw the song title for Kris' second song, the only version I could think of was 4 Non Blondes. Thank God that wasn't the version he was singing! I thought it was true to Kris' style and very well done. Randy's criticism seemed a little unfair because Kris didn't pick the song. Kudos to Kara for reminding everyone that Mr Fuller picked it. Simon thought it was too lite and laid back and not fitting for this stage of the competition and gives Round 2 to Adam. What would this show be without a little suspense?

The coronation song for Kris is difficult to comment on because we just heard it done by Adam. The critique can't go well for him, but I can picture Kris' version being played on country radio. I think it sucks that the judges seem to be writing him off after that performance, basically a "thanks for playing" attitude. Me personally, I liked Kris' version better but then again I like country over male high pitched pop/rock music.


Final Comments:

Wow - is that it? The final competition performances for season 8? We still have Carrie Underwood to come tonight singing Home Sweet Home, and I can listen to her sing all night long...

Wait, where was I? Oh yeah, final comments...On the season, I will agree with Simon when he basically said that Adam was the one who consistently brought it week after week. Kris was someone who first came in a bit unsure and really I don't remember his audition or his hollywood performances. Kris hung in there every week and survived despite a few bottom 3 appearances I'm sure he'd like to forget. Had he been voted off during the season, I don't think the judges would have used the save on him.

Tonight, the person who gave best performance will undoubtedly depend on who you talk to. I preferred Kris and I will cast one vote tonight for him. In the overall scheme of things it may not matter, so anyone who cast two votes for Adam will quickly cancel mine out. But Adam has his strong fan base and Kris has his. I think its safe to say that Adam's is probably a bit stronger, so I think what will decide the winner this week will depend a lot on the direction taken by Danny Gokey's fans. How will they divide their support among Adam & Kris?

Last season, the judges declared Archuleta the winner based on the peformances on Tuesday night. But a funny thing happened when all the votes were counted and announced on Wednesday night. More votes went to the bartender/rocker than did the high school crooner. Archie's fans were mostly teen age girls and while their voting power was able to carry him to the finals, teens and tweens have bed times and were not able to keep voting for the full 4 hours after the performance show ended. Cookie's fans however were mostly older, college-aged, bar-going people who probably made a regular habit of staying up til all hours of the night. Staying up and voting and voting and voting was not an issue for them.

I can see a possible situation this year as well with Adam & Kris. Adam has the teen vote locked up, but Kris is a 23 year old college student....see where I'm going with this? The pair has also been compared to Elvis vs Pat Boone in a recent Newsweek article, with Adam assuming the role of the King and Kris being the more toned down and parental-friendly Boone. Elvis put a lot of folks off before he hit it big, and Adam just might have the same effect on adults today.

But this isn't the 50's anymore and society is much more diverse. Will Adam's adult fans pick up the slack tonight? Will Kris pull off the "upset"?

We'll find out tomorrow...

American Idol Season 8 - Finally...

Today, I will give you my reasons why either finalist can win the title of Season 8 American Idol


Why Adam Lambert Will Win

Let's face it. Adam has many factors in his corner. He has had the support of the judges all season long. He has experience in musical theatre. He is a showman, a true performer. He knows his vocal range, he has power and he can tone it down when he has to. And he is not afraid to take a chance and try something different. I mean, come on...using a sitar during country music week? Really? Depending on who you talk to, it was either brilliant or a descent into the bowels of hell. Adam is not a bad singer, my only complaint about him is that he spends too much time screeching out those powerful high notes of his. When he does that, he reminds me of two people: Axl Rose (Guns & Roses) and the lead singer of Rush (sorry, I'm too lazy to look that up right now). Both of those people have voices that grate on my nerves yet they have had very successful careers. For the life of me, I don't know why Axl would be allowed back in St Louis after his tumultuous appearances there and his now infamous liner notes ("Fuck You, St. Louis!") but they still love him.


Why Kris Allen Will Win

Kris is like a breath of fresh air. He didn't get a lot of air time in the early audition rounds or during hollywood week. In fact, I think when the top 36 was announced I thought he was just another face in the crowd and wouldn't last long. During country week, I claimed that he was "Cookie Cutter Country", meaning that singers like him in country music come a dime a dozen. But Kris has held his own each week, going up against more talented performers and surviving to compete another week. He has met the challenge each and every week, giving us enough to survive. In the top 3 performances, Kris' stripped-down version of Heartless was truly brilliant and reminded me a little of David Cook and a little of Jason Castro from season 7. It was also about as close as we've come to an "Idol Moment" all season long.


But What About the Voters?

According to Yahoo, Kris, a college-student from Conway, Arkansas, is a favorite among teenage girls. So was David Archuleta if you'll remember right, and teenage girls have bedtimes that can interfere with voting time on a Tuesday night. There was a school of thought last year that this may have been what cost Archie the crown. I think there is no middle of the road where Adam is concerned. You either love him or you hate him. With Kris splitting votes last week with Danny Gokey, we have to wonder where Danny's supporters will turn this week? Will Adam pick them up or will they flock to Kris?

Prediction?

Realizing that this is being written and posted prior to Tuesday night's finale, I think that a lot of voters already have their minds made up. Some will wait and let their decision hinge on the Tuesday performances, but I think the truly hardcore fans have decided. Adam is the better performer and entertainer, while Kris is probably the more "parental-pleasing" choice.

Winner: Adam

Overture....hit the lights...

Expected to appear on Wednesday night Idol finale so far are:

Season 7 winner David Cook, Lionel Richie, Carlos Santana, Cyndi Lauper, Queen Latifah, the Black Eyed Peas and Keith Urban.

If I hear any more names, I will be sure to post them. While Carrie Underwood will be performing on Tuesday night, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see her or other previous winners performing on Wednesday night as well. I'm sure there will be a lot of surprise appearances also, as FOX has been known to do in the past.

Idol Guest Spoiler for Tuesday's Performance Finale

So, I downloaded a new (free) app for my iPod Touch, American Idol Lite, and it gives news and video updates of what's going on in the world of American Idol. In tonight's news, I've learned that Carrie Underwood will be appearing on Tuesday night's show singing this season's elimination song, Home Sweet Home.

Cool :)

Adam Lambert's "streaker" - not so much

For the Adam Lambert fans out there, enjoy.... for the streaking female fans out there....well, better luck next time, although she does make an appearance after his song.

Three's a Crowd

So what did I like about tonight's results show?

Actually, this time around I think it was all the little surprises the show offered. The results were almost anti-climactic.

Ryan Seacrest injured in a horrible bikini waxing incident?? Say what?? The Idol Desk will be in the Smithsonian? What the hell?

Thanks to Ben Stiller, we might have never known...

Oh wait, it's just a movie promo for Night at the Smithsonian with Ben, Bill Hader, Hank Azaria, and Jonah Hill.

The Ford commercial was good, in fact, I have to say this one is the best one of the season as it is done to Break My Stride (Matthew Wilder). Maybe it's the animation? Hell, of course it is!

Alicia Keys makes a guest appearance talking about more Idol Gives Back stuff. Ah, yes you can text and donate $5! Guest performance from a Rwandan performer, Noah. Wonder if the judges will offer a critique? Nope.

Allison, Scott, and Anoop are in the audience...

Ryan acts as if he's about to start the results and calls Danny to the stage. Now we get to see the footage of Danny's trip home to Milwaukee. He got to hang with his friend and fellow contestant Jamar. THIS is what I had hoped to see last night, but they just didn't have the time. Afterward, Danny gets his review from Ryan and is asked to take a seat on the couch while Kris is called out to the stage. Now its time to for Kris' trip back home to Conway, Arkansas where he is the proud recipient of free cheese dip for life! Just in case you were wondering, Conway is 186 miles from West Plains, MO (which is where my dad and youngest sister lives), about a 3 1/2 hour drive. That would make it a 7 hour drive from here in Columbia. Review time for Kris now before he too takes a seat on the couch.

Jordin Sparks is back to perform her new single, Battlefield. It's gonna be fun traumatizing the kids while I sing along to the radio when its on.

Back to the reviews as Ryan calls Adam Lambert to the stage. Adam talks about his trip to San Diego. Apparently Adam got a VERY warm welcome as a woman took her top off and ran up to the stage to show her, um, appreciation (yeah, that's a good word). Let's see, Kris gets cheese dip for life and Adam gets a female streaker. And she was hot too! On to Adam's review and he too is sent over to the couch after Ryan reminds him that the judges all agreed that he belongs in the finals.

Back from the commercial break and Ryan teases us again with the results one more time before announcing that we will have that AFTER a performance from Katy Perry. Wearing a red and white cape with Adam's name stitched on it. And oh yeah, she's hot too. This is the first time I've seen her perform and wow...Oh, she was singing her new song, Waking Up in Vegas.

Finally, we are back again for the announcement of the final 2....

And moving on is Adam and....Kris. The journey ends for Danny Gokey.

Next week is going to be a whirlwind for me....final contest performances on Tuesday, another (hopefully) outstanding results show and then its off to Indiana for my birthday! Simon says the finals next week have the potential to be a big ding dong. I don't even want to know what that might mean!

Three...is the magic number

Wow, are we really down to the final 3? And Clive Davis did NOT pick a song for the contestants this year? With 2 songs each tonight, should be a quick nite.

I have to admit, I was strangely disappointed by the lack of footage from the contestant's trips back home.

Danny's Judges Choice Dance Little Sister by Terrance Trent Darby, chosen by Paula certainly got off to a great start. Should someone tell Kara this isn't "So You Think You Can Dance"?

I thought Kara might be the odd judge out tonight, but no, she helped Randy pick Kris' song tonight - Apologize by OneRepublic. I didn't recognize this song by name, but once Kris got started I had one of those "lightbulb" moments. You know...where someone flipped the switch inside my brain. Which is probably a good thing because I kinda like the song, and while Kris didn't technically do anything wrong with it, it didn't make me want to applaud as much as the studio audience did. Gotta admit though, I kinda like the way Simon stood up for Kris during the reviews.

Adam is doing One by U2, chosen by Simon. Not posessing a vagina, I don't get a lot of the fuss over Adam Lambert. But, despite a few experiments gone horribly horribly wrong (Ring of Fire), this was another great performance for Adam.

So, it looks like in the race to be Adam's opponent next week in the finale, in my opinion, is currently being lead by Danny by a fraction of a percent. How will round two go tonight? Lets see...

Looks like we couldn't go a whole season without discussing Idol Gives Back. Ryan brings up the fundraising show and how much has been raised and we are shown footage of Exon Mobile sending a past Idol winner to Angola - Carrie Underwood :)

Danny is up again for the Performer's Choice song and Danny has chosen You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker. He's got the chops for this one, can he keep it interesting and turn it into an Idol "moment"? He makes a valiant effort at hitting a high note early. I like this performance for him. It doesn't seem to carry the same pizazz that we felt when Kat McPhee did Somewhere Over the Rainbow a few years ago. The judges liked it as well.

Kris is going to sing Heartless by Kanye West. Oh dear Lord. The arrangement is stripped down, just Kris and the guitar, no vocal synthesizer, no reminders of Gay Fish. I have to say I am very pleasantly surprised with this one. Who gets in tomorrow night now is anybody's guess.

Adam closes things out tonight with Cryin by Aerosmith, says he wants to do Steven Tyler proud. I'm really looking forward to this one. I'm finding that I much prefer Adam's performances when he rocks out and doesn't get all weird on us. This song, in my opinion is better than his earlier song was.

OK...so who's in the top 2? So barring a complete voter breakdown tonight, Adam is in the finals. The real question should be who will join him. Kris and Danny will split a lot of votes, and I think if voters base their vote on the body of work for the season, then Danny will make the finals. If they base their vote on tonight alone, then Kris could sneak in on the merits of Heartless alone.

So...my top 2 is Adam & Danny. But I can live with Adam & Kris.

It's getting weird in here...

Time for some Weird News...


Italian researchers revealed in March that at least one method of increasing penis size actually works (but that it would take a highly motivated man to take advantage of it). Writing in the British Journal of Urology, a team from the University of Turin had volunteers attach weights of from 1.3 to 2.6 pounds for six hours a day for a six-month period and found that their flaccid-state lengths increased by an average of almost 1 inch. [LiveScience.com, 3-11-09] (but can you still hang a towel from it?)

Coming Soon to Reality TV: The CMT cable channel has scheduled an August start-up for "Runnin' Wild ... From Ted Nugent," in which the rock singer, hunter and uninhibited gun advocate will spend five episodes training three novices on how to survive in the woods, and then, in the final episodes, Nugent and his 18-year-old son will go hunt them down, with the last one to avoid capture declared the winner. [Press Release from TedNugent.com, 4-2-09] (how about a special celebrity episode where Nugent hunts down people like Donald Trump, Paris Hilton, and Ryan Seacrest?)

In April, police in Copley Township, Ohio, were called to a restaurant where Erik Salmons, 39, was allegedly intoxicated and annoying customers. Officers declined to arrest him but did insist that he call someone for a ride home, and Salmons complied. However, at home, Salmons decided that he was insulted at being thought of as intoxicated and so drove himself to the police station and demanded a breathalyzer test, which of course he failed, and he was arrested. [Akron Beacon Journal, 4-7-09] (And he's not half as think as you drunk he is!)

Thoughts or comments?

Star Trek Returns

Last week, I was given a free ticket to see the new Star Trek movie at the Imax theatre in Kansas City. The movie was playing as a sneak preview last night, and KC is about 120 miles from where I live in Columbia, MO. Combine that with the fact that aside from getting to KCI airport, I know nothing about getting around Kansas City and I'm sure I never would have made it to the theatre in time.

So I'll wait...maybe until it comes out on DVD, I don't know. Hell, I haven't watched Star Trek Nemesis yet.

But from what I have heard and read, some people are taking issue with the way this movie seems to change the original franchise' chain of events. Sigh...is nothing sacred?




Thoughts or comments? Please share!

Welcome EntreCard Droppers!

I suppose its about time I make some sort of official statement regarding EntreCard's movement into paid ads, so here it is.

Everyone is welcome here.

I'm not going to purchase ads with money, but if someone else wants to do the same, by all means. I'm here to blog first and read second, and if I happen to have an opportunity to make a little cash in the process then great.

As of this morning, it only cost 4 EC to advertise on my page. I currently have 1 EC ad running and 1 more in the que. After that, there's a whole string of paid ads just waiting.

So please, if you're here to drop and run, that's fine. At least spend 30 seconds to scroll down through the page and see if there's a topic here that might interest you. For the most part, I blog my thoughts on American Idol and Heroes. I occasionally make random posts as well and like to share some weird news items on the weekend. And other opinions are certainly welcome - if you leave a comment, rest assured I will be back to respond to it as soon as I can.

Thanks, and have a great day!

Rockin' Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu

Over 64 Million votes cast...

Did enough people show Adam a Whole Lotta Love? Will Danny be left to Dream On? Will Allison become a Cry Baby? Will it all Come Together for Kris? We'll find out tonight because THIS is American Idol!

The Ford commercial is inconsequential anymore so lets dive into the group song as guest Mentor Slash joins the final 4 on stage for their rendition of School's Out by Alice Cooper. (God, now I'm going to have to try to find Rock & Roll High School and watch it again!)

Paula performs on the idol stage for the first time ever. I suppose they could have just played a video again like last year because it seemed to me like she was lipsynching.

No Doubt eats up more time with their performance of Just a Girl. Oh look...Gwen Stefani can do push ups!

Results time...almost. First its a look back at previous top 3 performers making their promo trip back to their respective hometowns. One by one, we'll find out who made the top 3.

First of course, Ryan has to stall by recapping the judges comments for all 4 finalists. With that out of the way, Ryan sends Kris over to the chairs of safety and the Top 3.

Daughtry comes out to perform on the anniversary of his ousting from the competition, singing his new song "It's No Surprise". Good song, I'm betting it will do well. And congrats on his debut album selling over 5 million copies! Nice plaque :)

Back to the results now and Ryan sends Adam over to take a seat in the top 3. As Daughtry had just sang, it's no surprise.

Finally, the 3rd seat is to be filled by....Danny. Allison is sent home.

And so the field is set to determine the two finalists. Only 2 songs next week, the judges' pick and the contestants' pick. No Clive Davis pick this year.

Adam-Danny? Adam-Kris? Danny-Kris?

We shall find out next week...

Alright...who hit the high note?

Before Idol started tonight, I heard about the accident on the stage and like a lot of other idol fans I was searching for information on the net and found it slow in coming. My initial guess was did Adam's high notes shatter all the glass?? All kidding aside, it was learned that one of the towers on stage collapsed and dress rehearsal had to be cancelled. According to some sources, a stage manager was injured in the accident and had to be taken to the hospital via ambulance.

So tonight we have the final 4 performing, PLUS the addition of a pair of duets! Should be an interesting night!

Adam - Whole Lotta Love (Led Zepelin) - I had hoped Adam would do Dream On when this theme was announced, but I think he picked a better one in this song. He's got the range to pull it off, but I can't help but wonder if Simon will use the "K" word? Is Paula holding up a cigarette lighter? Nope, he called it is favorite and said no one can top that and he is performing first tonight!

Allison - Cry Baby (Janis Joplin) - the teen rocker is sporting a new rocker hairstyle courtesy of Adam's hairdresser. As for vocals tonight, Adam seems to have set the bar pretty high, but tonight is also Allison's genre as well, and she seems to be holding her own. The judges weren't too crazy about song choice, but our feisty 17 year old argues back her reasoning.

After the break, its the first duet performance of the night, Kris and Danny sing Renegade by Styx. Love the song, but I wish they had gotten a chance to dress rehearse and clean up the rough edges. Still, it was a pretty good performance. I agree with Randy, the harmony was great.

Kris - Come Together (Beatles) - I guess playing with Slash is enough to make you wet yourself. Sorry Kris, even I think some things are TMI. I don't know about this one though, something just doesn't sound right, its almost if he's messing with the timing or something. Maybe he was still a little "up" from the duet? I don't know.

Danny - Dream On (Aerosmith) - Well, well, well....I thought this would be a good song for Adam, but for Danny - not so much. I fear the trainwreck potential. The session with Slash didn't seem so bad and the actual performance actually starts off quite nice. Can he hit the money note? By George I think he got it! I liked it, despite what the judges said.

Our second duet of the night features Allison and Adam doing Slow Ride by Foghat. Song wise, I prefer the first duet, but performance wise, I think Adam/Allison did a much better job.

So how will the results go? Well, I think we'll have a bottom 3 of Danny, Kris, and Allison. Adam by far was the best of the night. I predict however that the bottom 2 will come down to Kris and Allison and I'll base my choice for who leaves on the final duet performance of the night. Allison is safe, Kris will go home.

Time for some weird news...

How about another round of weird news?

Among the lingering sex-based customs in Saudi Arabia is the restriction on women's working outside the home, which forces lingerie shops to be staffed only with males, who must awkwardly make recommendations on women's bra styles and sizes. The campaign for change, led by a Jeddah college lecturer, has enlisted even some clerks, who are just as embarrassed about the confrontation as the customers, according to a February BBC News dispatch. [BBC News, 2-25-09]

(Yeah but...how bad do you want a job?)

Advocates for children complained in April that Sweden's national library, acting on a standing order to archive copies of all domestic publications, has been gathering books and magazines of child pornography from the years 1971-1980, when it was legal, and, as libraries do, lending them out. [The Local (Stockholm), 4-6-09]

(It could be interesting to find out how often material gets returned on time)

Buddhist monks continue to add to their 20-structure compound near the Cambodian border using empty beer bottles, according to a February feature in London's Daily Telegraph. Their building program, begun in 1984, already uses 1.5 million bottles, mostly green Heinekens and brown, locally brewed Chang, both of which are praised for letting in light and permitting easy cleaning. [Daily Telegraph (London), 2-18-09]

(Sing with me now, 99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer....)

A group of an estimated 10,000 believers is attempting to reverse American Christianity's declining birthrate by shunning all contraception, in obedience to Psalm 127, which likens the advantage of big families to having a "quiver" full of "arrows" (and which calls itself the QuiverFull movement). "God opens and closes the womb," explained one advocate, to National Public Radio in March, noting that in her own church in Shelby, Mich., the mothers average 8.5 children. "The womb is such a powerful weapon ... against the enemy," she said. "The more children I have, the more ability I have to impact the world for God." [National Public Radio, 3-29-09]

(Ummmm, good luck with that...)

Homeless couple Darryl Washington and Maria Ramos were injured in 1992 when a train rammed them as they were having sex on a mattress on the tracks at a New York City subway station. The injuries were not severe, thanks to a quick-acting motorman. Nevertheless, the couple went on to file a lawsuit against the Transit Authority for "carelessness, recklessness and negligence." (The outcome of the lawsuit was not reported, but the couple's lawyer was, at the time, quite aggressive in justifying the filing: "Homeless people are allowed to have sex, too," he said.) [New York Daily News, 12-21-93]

(I've heard of coitus interruptus, but really...)

And finally, I leave you with this video from the spike tv show, 1000 Ways to Die. Drugs are bad, mkay?

Em-Bear-Assed | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com