Review Of American Idol Season So Far

Find my latest American Idol article here.

The separation of the Idol contestants is not as obvious as in years past but it is quickly becoming apparent who the ‘real deals’ in the competition are.  As I break down this week’s performances, I will tell you what I think their chances are and how far I think they can conceivably get in the competition.  The writing is on the wall, all we have to do now is watch and wait, and hope our favorites do not have a train-wreck before the end.

 

A side note before I go on.  I have been amazed every year at females in the competition who always seem to choose songs out of their range, and I don’t mean their high range.

When you go on Idol, or even if you are just singing in church on Sunday, it is important to choose a song that you can sing.  Singing a song well, means singing the entire song well, not just blasting out a beautiful, last note after being sharp for the first three verses.  Learn your range and do not stray from it.  Hedge your bets by giving yourself a safety note.  What happens with women is that when they are relaxed in practice without an audience, their vocal cords are also relaxed, allowing them greater access to lower notes. However, when the competition rolls around, they inevitably get nervous, and together with the day’s rehearsal, their vocal cords tighten.  This reduces their access to their lower range and can (and does almost every week on Idol) leave them sharp at the beginning of their songs.

There are several ways to deal with this.  1) Relax.  This is easier said than done.  2) Choose song that is not as low.  3) Work with that band of professional musicians that the show has provided you with to arrange the song in you range.  They are good, and they know how to do it.

 

Paula was once again incommunicable at times during the show.  For the most part, I’ve decided to ignore her.  I don’t care about the dresses that they are wearing tonight (for the most part), and anything interesting she has to say has already been said by Randy.  All I have to do is wade through the “Dawgs” to get to his comments.  Listening to her attempt to use the English language is like watching a double amputee try to play ping pong.  I just don’t have the time or the energy to attempt to decipher her opinions.

 

A final note, I’ve noticed several things that make up a successful American Idol contestant.  One is style.  If you are the country singer, do you fit the mold of a country singer?  The second is personality.  How well do you relate to the fans before, during and after you sing?  The third is performance.  Can you use the stage well, and perform like a professional?  And finally there is singing ability.  Do you have a good voice and do you know how to use it?  I tend to be more concerned with singing ability than the others, but that is myopic when talking about Idol.  It is the other qualities that help you to stay in the competition when you have a bad night.

 

Amanda Overmyer-  “Back in the USSR”-  I think I get it.  I just don’t like it.  I realize she has fans, but these people must be visually oriented.  She is all style and performance.  She fits the mold and attitude of the rocker girl well, but I just can not get past that voice.  I find myself continually wishing she would cough up that wad of phlegm before she sings.  Her gravelly voice always sounds as if she has marbles in her mouth, and there is no diction.  This week, I could hardly hear her voice for the music, and I found that I liked this better.  If you like her, fine.  I just cannot see her cracking the top five or six.  Simon finally said it.  She does the same thing week after week.

Kristy Lee Cook- “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”- I could here this song done as a country song, but I’d rather not hear her do it.  This song was too low for her, and I was surprised that the judges did not criticize her for it.  All of the verses were sharp because she just could not get down to the notes.  It was a mess.  Overall, she has no style, little personality, an inability to perform and she is the worst singer left in the competition.  Somehow she has avoided the Idol Grim Reaper for the last three straight weeks (the go-go boots helped- she should bring them back), but I have a feeling she could be in real trouble this week.  In any case, her departure may have been delayed, but it is inevitable that it will happen soon.

David Archuleta- “The Long and Winding Road”- This was a good song choice for him.  I thought it might be too low, but his voice sounded nice on the lower notes also.  It is hard to keep that soft tone to your voice as you go down in your registry, but he did it well.

David’s Idol nickname should be “the Total Package.”  It is hard to pin a style on him, but he definitely has one.  I would call it “sensitive and emotive.”  He usually looks like he is really caught up in the meaning of the songs he sings (the inflection helps this also).  He may have the best personality in the history of the show if not the history of the medium of television.  His stage performance is not always the most compelling, but he uses his facial expressions to compensate.  His vocal is great and he seems to know just what to do to it to get the perfect tone and inflection in his notes.  He is easily in the top two, and good luck to anyone who wishes to crack his fan-base.

Michael Johns- “A Day in the Life”- Sometimes I wonder if I was listening to the same performance as the judges.  This was one of those times.  First, it was nice to hear a young person who seems to respect and understand the greatness of the Beatles.  The first high note was a little rough, but I the “Ahs” were very nice.  I like it, and thought it might be his best since making the top 24.  The judges, especially Simon, savaged it. 

Michael’s style is OK as a rocker, but not the best in the competition.  His personality, stage presence and vocals are also OK.  As a result I do not see him making it farther than the top six.  If he survives the criticism he received last night, he must pick it up, or go home soon.

Brooke White- “Here Comes the Sun”- I thought the song had a nice country tone to it, but she lost it a little as she tried to negotiate the microphone stand.  The main problem I had with it was that it was boring and forgettable.  The judges did not like it either.

Brooke is like David Archuleta light.  She has a more defined style than he does with her folksy Carly Simon vibe, but though she has a good personality and voice, she is not on the same level as David.  She has admitted herself that she does not have a good stage presence.  Brooke will not have trouble making the top five, and could be in the top three at the end of the competition.

David Cook- “Day Tripper”- Cook showed a nice low range on this song, and overall it was good.  However, if you are going to have the guitar on stage, then you need to play it.  Also, the Frampton bit was bad and unnecessary.  This is the kind of preponderance of elements that you do not want.  It totally took away from the song, and it is what people will remember about the performance.  The judges were split.

I hope last night’s performance does not hurt David, because he deserves to be around for a while.   He is big on style (the best rocker in the competition), and he is the best performer left in the competition.  He also uses his voice well, but he does not have the best personality there.  I think he should make the top five, and perhaps the top three.

Carly Smithson- “Blackbird”- I‘m not trying to be too much like Paula, but her dress/shirt looked awful.  However, she sang the song well, and showed a nice low range that she has not used before.  She sounded a little like Cher.  The only real problem was when she ran out of steam at the key change.  It was good but not her best.  I found Simon’s criticism on this one, “not a good choice” and “indulgent,” to be a little idiotic.

Carly is the most consistent singer in the competition.  She always sounds good.  She has a definite style and uses that stage better than most of the ladies.  Her personality is alright, but I am not sure how well the tattoos play in middle-America.  She could tone that down a little and at least wait until the season is over to stop ruining her body.  Overall, I think she is in the top two.

Jason Castro- “Michelle”- I loved his quote, “I just found out ‘my belle’ was French.  It thought it was English, ‘my bell.’”  His goofiness is an endearing quality.  He finally held some notes out in the chorus, and they sounded good.  It was good but sort of the same as always.  The judges liked it also, though Simon was critical of the vocal.

Jason definitely has a style and personality which is a good combination to develop a fan base with.  He looks awkward on stage from time to time, and I do not think he has the best vocals in the competition.  He should make the top five or six, but will have trouble going farther.

Syesha Mercado- “Yesterday”- Again, not to sound too much like Paula, but she looked beautiful last evening.  It was a brave choice, but she sang it well.  It began nice and soft, but when she hit the high notes they were exceptional and strong.  Where have these notes been?  The judges loved it and Simon was right to say it was her best performance so far.

Seysha is the wild card in the competition.  She is the most talented and inconsistent performer there.  She looked beautiful last night, but not always.  She showed the best voice in the competition last night, but not always.  She has performed on stage well before, but not always, and her personality could use improvement (she needs more of it).  I think she will make the top six for sure, but her limit will have more to do with how consistent she is from this point on than how much talent she has.  A voice like hers could win the competition, but I don’t know if she has that in her.

Chikezie- “I’ve just seen a face”- I liked the bluegrass/country/gospel version of this song.  I even liked the use of the harp (harmonica).   The judges were all over the place on this one, and Simon hated the harmonica.

I think Chikezie has come on lately to show that he is one of the more versatile performers with one of the more versatile voices in the competition.  He doesn’t really have a style, but he proves he can sing a lot of different things regularly.  His voice is always good, and his performance is exciting.  However, his personality was damaged at the beginning of the season with comments to Simon that I don’t know if he can recover from.  Chikezie may be one of the top performers in the competition, but I do not see him making the top six.

Ramiele Maluby- “I Should Have Known Better”- She sang this song well, but I just did not care.  It was forgettable.  The judges were split with Simon not liking it.

I don’t see Ramiele making it much further in the competition.  She has no style, and though she sings the notes well with a strong voice, she is able to such the life and soul out of anything she sings.  She works the stage sometimes, but her greatest asset is her offstage personality.  She has no personality when singing, but she comes off as cute the rest of the time, and this has served her well.  I cannot see her making the top five.

I Can Make You Thin with Paul McKenna

I found it interesting that one of the first things he said during the show was that it was not an infomercial, because watching it I felt the whole time as if I were watching an infomercial.  I was relieved when he had nothing to sell, but the open did mention the fact that he is an author.

This guy may actually be English, but I think the British/Australian accent in most infomercials and documentaries needs to finish running its course.  It is a fact that Americans think people with British/Australian accents are smart.  It doesn’t seem to matter that England runs a close second to only France in its inability to prosecute a war successfully without the help of the US (see WWI, WWII, both gulf wars, India and the Falkland Island conflicts for examples).  It boggles my mind that a country would insist on continuing to pay exorbitant taxes ($70,000,000 a year) to support a royal figurehead family that has nothing to do with the governance of the country simply because they like the idea of having a queen.  This is also a country that has steadfastly refused to change its social mores, and accept the necessity of modern dentistry.  The Australians, on the other hand, are a just bunch of America wannabes who sprouted from the loins of convicts that the British shipped out.  But I guess we Americans have slotted ourselves by continually showing that we think Brits and Aussies are smarter than we are.

Aside from the accent, I found the show to be extremely repetitive.  At times, it was like listening to a cheerleader or someone excitedly chanting a mantra.  Many of the shows on Discovery, TLC, the Food Network and others of this ilk could learn a lot from the following statement.  If you do not have enough content to fill an hour, cut the show down to 30 minutes.  I do not need the constant repetition and the complete recap of the show after every break.  I have a DVR, and I will rewind the show if I miss or forget something. The Biggest Loser could easily be cut down to an hour if they simply removed the recaps.

 

As far as the content of the show goes, McKenna spends the first few minutes talking down diets.  Most of this sounds like catch phrases.  “Diets are nothing more than training courses in how to get fat”, “Diets are why half of America is overweight,” and “If you are overweight, it’s not your fault.”  To be truthful, his plan, so far, is a diet.  He is modifying the way people eat (more of this in a moment), and honestly, if you are overweight, it is your (and my) fault.  You are the one who puts the food in your mouth, and you are the one who does not exercise.  It is apparent that some lifestyle modification is required to result in losing weight.

He makes some sweeping statements that just are not true.  While some people do fail at diets, there are lots of people who find a diet that works for them, and have success.  This is the real secret of a successful diet: finding a diet that works for you, and sticking to it.  I’m sure his program has a failure rate just like any diet, but I doubt he will say anything about it.

He presents “four golden rules that can really be summed up in one statement.  When you are hungry, eat what you like, but eat it slowly so you will feel full sooner.  He acts as if this is a great revelation, but it is really something my mother has told me for years.  The regimen of chewing bites 20 times and paying attention to the food that is being eaten will play well with the OCD crowd, which probably explains some of his success since a lot of people who are overweight are OCD in the first place.

I will continue to watch the show and glean what I can out of it.  I am sure there will be nuggets that I can apply to my own program.  I am also sure this program will be the answer that some are looking for, and I hope that it works for them.

 

This week’s update:  This week I lost 1 pound.  I worked hard this week, and it is a little disappointing that I did not lose more, but I was prepared for this moment.  As the old knight at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade says, “I knew this day would come.”  I have gotten to the point where the weight is not going to just fall off of me anymore.  From this point on, I will see varying results from week to week.  In the past three weeks, I have lost 7,0,8 and1 pounds respectively.  The point is that on the whole, I am still meeting my goals.  I will continue to eat the same, and exercise, and trust that over the long haul, I will continue to see positive results.  One very positive aspects of losing a pound this week is that I have now lost 56lbs on 9 weeks and the 1 lb loss put me over 40% of the way to my goal.

Paul McKenna Stuff

I Can Make You Thin With Paul McKenna

I Can Make You Crazy With Paul McKenna

Who Is Paul McKenna Anyway?

I Can Make You Thin- Busting Your Carvings

I Can Make You Thin- Supercharge Your Metabolism

I Can Make You Thin, Part 5- Your Perfect Body

Lists

Goals

Goals are really another aspect of morale.  I find it essential to make and maintain goals in my weight loss program. At the beginning of this venture, I set a goal to lose 139 lbs.  That would put me at 220.  I know this is still considered overweight for a person that is six foot tall, but I thought this would be a good point (when I get there) to stop and reevaluate the situation.  I don’t know what I will look like at 220 and unfortunately, it is very possible that I will be carrying 20 lbs of extra skin at that point.  I may look at myself and decide that I still need to lose 40 or 20 lbs, but I am sure that I do not want to weigh more than 220.  The extra 20 or so pounds should be easier to lose than the first 140.

I have kept an Excel spreadsheet to track my (and my wife’s progress from the beginning.  Each Tuesday, I record the week’s totals.  Last Tuesday, for example we completed week 8.  I track my current weight, the amount of weight that I have lost that week, and the total amount of weight I have lost.  Each week, I record my goal for the week which is a consistent four pounds (more on consistency later), and my total goal of 139 lbs.  This is a great encouragement if I have lost more than my goal for the week.  Recording the total goal reinforces the fact that I still have a lot of work to accomplish.

I also track my percentage of my total weight that I have lost that week, the amount of weight that I have left to lose to meet my total weight loss goal, and the percentage of my total weight loss goal that I have lost up to that point.  I track the same things for my wife.

This may seem a little OCD, but it is pretty simple with Excel.  I could be expressing these numbers as pie graphs and such (excel is great for that sort of thing), but that would be a little OCD.  There really is a good deal of strategy involved in this, and it all adds to my morale as I continue from week to week.  I am able to set smaller goals that can be accomplished more easily.  Seeing numerical results and setting up milestones for yourself is very encouraging.  Moving from the 310’s to the 300’s is encouraging, and a manageable two week goal at most, but there other ways still to make these numbers work for you.  Because I started at 359, and not 360, I can set goals that are separate from my weight loss goal for the week.  For example, if I weighed 325 last week and I lose 6 pounds this week, I have not only gotten into the 310’s, but I have also lost 40 lbs, both can be a separate way to encourage myself.

Likewise tracking the amount of weight I still have to lose and the percentages can also be encouraging.  For example, it’s easy to think, “Yeah, I’ve 55 pounds so far, but I still have 84 to go.  That’s definitely half-full thinking.  But, if I look at the percentage of my weight loss goal, I see that I have lost 39.5 % of the weight that I want to lose in only 8 weeks!  Now that’s encouraging.

Look, it may seem like I am just fooling myself, but keeping morale up when you are trying to lose weight is a daily battle, and it’s critical.

Morale

Morale is huge.  You have to keep a good attitude in order to succeed in losing weight.  Morale and Motivation are the two most important aspects of a successful weight-loss effort.  Whatever it is that you use to motivate yourself will keep you focused on your goal, but your morale will determine how you feel as you get to your goal.

Honestly, in the past, most of my attempts at losing weight have failed because of morale.  I would allow an event (such as hurting my knee), jealousy and resentment, or just plain depression to creep in and destroy my efforts.

There are several ways to keep your morale up as you continue with your weight-loss plan.  First, do not focus on what you do not have.  Avoid lingering over the dessert menu, and resenting those around you who are ordering and enjoying dessert.  Second, eat well.  Stay away from tasteless pre-made diet foods and empty diet shakes.  Those shakes are awful.  They are high in calories, and leave you feeling empty and hungry in a short time.

It is much better to take the time to cook yourself a good meal.  I know it’s hard for anyone to make the time to cook a meal these days, but lets face it, you could probably borrow a little of the time back that you give to the television to prepare yourself a decent meal.  You can also be strategic with your meals.  If I can do this, you can also.  I work a full-time job, and my wife works in the evenings.  That means from the time I get off, I am taking care of a nineteen month old, and It’s not as hard as it sounds.  I use the weekends when my wife and I are together to help me plan for the week ahead.  I make sure to cook something for myself (and her) that we can eat (all week if we want to).  I make it something hearty and tasty like soup or beans.  I make sure that it is filling and does not leave me hungry at all after I have eaten.  I also will prepare a couple of dinner entrées on the weekend so that if I do not feel like I have the time or energy to cook in the evenings, I can still have a good, hot, and filling meal.

Third, dine out.  I try to avoid going out at lunch.  Lunches are cheaper than dinner, but the expense of dining out for lunch everyday really adds up, and I would rather dine out once a week with my family, than every day with friends or coworkers. 

I feel that it is extremely important to have someone else cook for you on occasion.  I do most of the real cooking in my house (my wife keeps me and the baby in clothes, and this is no small feat), but if I am going to be disciplined enough to eat the same thing (as good as it is) for lunch for an entire work week, I do not want to eat the same thing on the weekends.  This leaves me with a dilemma.  I cook good food, but I am slow at it.  And, cooking a pot of soup, for example, that will last a whole week, takes time.  You can actually lose weight while cooking (assuming you are not eating what you are cooking the whole time that you are cooking).  If I am going to cook two or three meals for the coming week each weekend, I find less motivation to cook food for the weekends themselves.  The answer to this, for me, is to dine out.  It is harder to make good food choices when you are dining out, but there are several things that can help you to be more successful.

Go to places that you know have something that you can eat.  For example, don’t go to McDonalds.  Even the salads there are bad for you.  Of course, when it comes to fast food, Subway does nothing to hide the fact that it is a better choice.  Jason’s Deli, McAlister’s, and Novrosky’s (I hope you have one near you) are places where you can have a hearty, more healthy meal.  Notice that I am saying “more healthy.”  Even the better choices at these restaurants are usually high in calories, but you can leave off the chips and get fruit instead.  And, usually you can get a sandwich at one of these places that will fill you up by itself without the side order of fries.

It may be easier to find a sit-down meal that is good for you, than it is to find one at a fast food restaurant.  Seafood restaurants usually have several good choices.  King crab is a great example.  It takes a lot of work to get at six ounces of crabmeat.  There is not a huge amount of calories, and it tastes great.  Of course, fish is never a bad choice as long as it is not fried or swimming in butter, an almost any restaurant has at least one good chicken dish.

My wife and I recently discovered Uncle Julio’s.  They have great food, and there are several items on the menu that fall into the “better choice” category.  I especially like the chicken tacos al carbon.  I can leave this restaurant feeling stuffed, and as long as I do not eat the whole bowl of chips and salsa (as I used to do regularly), I have made a better choice.  This meal may not be melting the pounds off, but that is what the rest of the week is for.  This meal is a better choice, and it fulfills its purpose of keeping my morale (and my metabolism) up.

Finally, another great place to eat is, Ghingis Grill.  I hope you have one of these around.  I have loved them for years, and have driven miles to get my fix of their food.  Recently they built one about a mile from my house, and it is great.  Ghingis Grill is a Mongolian Barbecue, and it is the best.  If you do not have a Ghingis Grill, I hope you have some equivalent that you can go to.  In this case there are about 15 raw meats to choose from, a rack of spices, around 30 different vegetable choices, and about 15 sauces to build your meal from.  The options are limitless, and the flavor profiles allow you to move around the globe each time you go back.  You could make bad choices here, as with any place, but with the variety of seafood and vegetables, it is easier to make good choices, and the spices allow you to punch up the flavor.  The price is great.  I mentioned King Crab above.   Well, the truth is, my wife and I cannot afford this every day, but at $8.99 a bowl (and that’s a big bowl), this is right in our price range, and the baby gets to graze off ours for free.

I’ll be providing some of the recipes that I fix for my family in future blogs, but I wanted to mention spice while I am talking about morale.  Herbs and spices are great.  They add nothing negative in terms of nutrition, but they are a great way to make a meal taste better.  Don’t be afraid to kick up the flavor in your diet recipes with more spices (sugar is not a spice).  I like it spicier than my wife, so I have taken shakers of red and black pepper to work with me.  These allow me to kick up the flavor, and when I go to Ghingis Grill and get to have my own bowl food, I don’t hold back.  I know it’s really good when the sweat begins to bead on my neck, and I have to keep a napkin ready in case my nose starts to run.

Idol Wastes Another Hour of My Life

Find my latest American Idol article here.

When I decided to blog about American Idol, I felt as if I was making a commitment.  If people are going to be nice enough to read my opinions on Idol, I am going to try and deliver on a regular basis.  This has led me to modify my Idol viewing habits.  In past years, I have made it a point to only watch the last few minutes of the results show (thank you DVR).  This year I felt that if I was going to be writing about Idol, I should actually be watching Idol.  So last night I allowed American Idol to strip me of a full hour of my life while giving me little to nothing in return.  It’s clear that the producers of the show are continually searching for a way to make this show relevant, but it is amazing that each and every thing that they try is a worse idea than the last.

Far from giving anything back, especially to its audience, Idol is in the business of taking.  They take as much money as they can.  I’m not against them making a ton of money.  They are one of the biggest shows in the history of television, and they deserve it.  I am against them exploiting a loyal audience in order to make even more money.

I’m sure they already make “superbowlean” money for the spots that they sell, and they tend to squeeze a couple of more spots in than most shows, but the cross-promotion during the show itself goes too far.  I don’t even mind seeing Coca Cola on everything in the set or hearing Kodak every time they talk about the venue, but beating me to death with the Horton movie four times during an hour was ridiculous.  The opening animated montage was confusing, Jim Carey was an unfunny waste of time both times he was on camera, and the Horton/photo-shoot sequence was one of the most pointless parts of the evening.

They need to either spend more time on the group song or cut it.  I found the montage of massacred Beatles’ songs unlistenable, and it was pretty obvious that even Michael Johns did not was to hear his attempts at harmony (I’m not just throwing him under the bus, this was a group train-wreck).  I am sure that preparing for these presentations involves a lot of time (just as running them all over God’s green earth with cameras does), but if there is not enough time to put out a decent product, then scrap it.  I would much rather see the contestants given more personal time to work on their own presentations.  This would probably be a lift to the competition.

The most irritating waste of time in the history of Idol was the “On the Air With Idol” segment.”  Someone on that show should have known better than to ever bring that idea to the air.  If that it the best thing the producer can come up with, then its time for a new producer.

Even the pre-screened questions were bad.  Why would you ever ask Jason Castro a hypothetical?  I was expecting the answer to be “pot” regardless of the question.  But it got worse when they asked Paula, of all people an impromptu question (I expected to see smoke coming out of her ears).  When asked the question, “What should I do to make the top 24?”  Her answer was, “Keep…singing right straight to Simon….Right now.”  Then she held her palms out with a smug look on her face as if she had made a witty retort.  Please, please Idol, never do this segment again.

Katharine McPhee was the one good standout segment of the night, but she, as a musical guest on the show, was a rare highlight (see Kenny Rogers for a good example of most Idol guests).  She looks great (She must have finally had that baby she was carrying a couple of years ago, because she no longer looks pregnant- Ouch.  I really meant that as a compliment.  She’s hot now.), and her vocal was on par with some of her best Idol performances.  My only criticism of her was that she worked the stage like a tree stump.  You can move a little, even with a slow song.

Finally, after paring the contestants down to the bottom three, Ryan turned to the judges for a bit of wisdom.  Attempting to get wisdom out of Paula must be like trying to wring pretty out of Juliette Lewis, it just ain’t happening.  For all of you English majors out there, your final exam will be to diagram Paula’s response to Ryan’s question.

Paula, “My head right now is at, uh…I want to say, first and foremost, I’ve never seen a more stronger bottom three.  That’s the truth.”  Then she added, “It is difficult.  This is by far, I mean the whole country’s talking…[something unintelligible, then I think the next word was supposed to be a slurred ‘guys’], (g)uys are…superior this whole season.  So did America get it right?  It’s pretty much yes what they did.  Pretty much is what the three of us talked about would probably happen.”  I swear MS Word did not flag this for grammar once, so what the hell do I know.  Wow.

In the end, David Hernandez was shown the door.  His terrible performance from Tuesday, together with his seedy off the show revelations were enough to do him in.  This further separates Archuleta (assuming this week’s performance was an aberration) and Smithson from the rest of the field.

I am not going to simply criticize the results show without offering a solution.  My solution is to do what the spin-off show American Band did this summer.  They waited until the following week, put all of the contestants in a room, and if your name got called, you were still in the competition and got to sing, if not you waited until the last group’s name was called and then you were sent packing.  That was a genius idea, and is a true way for Idol to give back by giving me back an hour of my life.

  

Unreasonable Court Decision

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337173,00.html

 

Oklahoma needs to start recalling some judges.  This is crazy.  Of course, a woman has a reasonable expectation that she will not have someone violating the privacy that she is expecting inside her skirt while she is shopping.  On top of that, this was a minor.  What has really happened is that a group of irresponsible Oklahoma judges has just released a pedophile back onto the streets.  No one will be surprised when he kills some kid in the future, but any future acts by him or the people who now feel the license to imitate him, can be partially placed at the feet of this group of stupid judges.

These judges obviously did not stop to think about these ramifications or the wider implications of the precedent this foolish decision sets.  These types of terrible decisions are used in future cases by lawyers who inevitably attempt to find anoth atupid judge and dumb down the system even more.

Oklahoma law makers should immediately move to enact laws that specifically protect women from this type of action.  It should be a sex crime, and should result in sexual offender status so that society will be able to track these perverts in the future.

The legislature or the people of Oklahoma (whichever follows appropriate state rules) should begin a recall of the legal pinheads (judges) responsible for this decision.  A statement needs to be made.  No action will only encourage these people to deliver more of these ridiculous verdicts, while recalling them will send a clear message that Oklahomans will not tolerate this nonsense.  These people mat be powerful, but they still serve at the consent of the people.

Finally, if you catch some guy looking of the skirt of a woman and taking pictures, beat the hell out of him.  No jury in the world (especially Oklahoma) is going to convict you for it.

 

Idol Top Twelve Deliver Mixed Performances While Judges Give Canned Reviews

Find my latest American Idol article here.

Last night’s introduction to the final twelve contestants was uneven and confusing.  Since the episode two seasons ago when Katharine McPhee first sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,”(Note the correction in the comments) I have been convinced that the judges often enter the competitions (especially once we reach the top twelve) with preconceived ideas as to who should stay and who should go.  On that evening it was so bad that they had to backtrack and apologize on the results show.  Luckily, Katharine survived the verbal assault by the judges that evening.

Last night we were once again faced with evidence of preconceived ideas by the judges.  Ramiele (who I will comment on momentarily) once again sang a flat uninspired song that did nothing to showcase her vocal abilities.  Paula informed us that “even though it was safe and boring, she has a beautiful voice, and should go through.”  This was after three, count them three, contestants had performed.  How can a person make an objective observation after only three people had performed, and she was obviously the worst of the three?  What if all the other contestants after her delivered flawless performances?  This obviously cannot be a fair statement to deliver at this time in the show, and makes no sense unless Paula did not already think there were others who would be criticized more than Ramiele.  Later, Simon fell into the same trap.  He informed us that it was “good that Amanda was still in the competition.”  This is sounding more and more like a justification for why the choice of the “worsters” is still on the show. 

All of this led me to feel sorry for Kristy Lee Cook later in the show.  I, by no means think she is the best singer in the competition, and cannot be accused of having been overly kind to her in the past, but last night, she delivered a good, original version of a Beatles’ song that was the best thing she has done on the show yet.  The judges, their decisions predetermined, lowered the hammer in unison (Randy was kinder than the others).  Simon was unnecessarily and incorrectly cruel to her.  There were others who were obviously not as good as she was last night (including David Archuleta), but clearly the judges had already made their decision.  Unfortunately for her, last night’s performance was nowhere near the performance by McPhee referenced above, and she is not nearly the talent of McPhee.  She will probably not survive the judges’ verbal lashing.

On to my take:

Syesha Mecado- “Got to Get You Into My Life”- Once again she chose a song that was too low for her at the beginning.  It was a different version, but it did not sound good until she got to the “every single day” syncopation.  It was OK, but not great.  At the beginning of the season, I chose her as my top female, but she is consistently showing the audience an inability to choose a good song, little originality, a tendency to be safe and not show off her voice, and boring stage presence.  This is not a formula for success on Idol.  Simon seemed to love it, but I don’t know why.

Chikezie- “She’s a Woman”- Wow!  I loved the Southern/Rock version of this song, and would be happy to own a recording of it.  It was excellent, and definitely his best performance yet by a mile.  I thought it was the best vocal of the night.

I’ll give Paula props for a rare bit of insight when she described the song as a combination of “Oh Brother Where Art Thou and Rock.”  The other judges loved it too.

Ramiele- “In My Life”- Ramiele is consistently showing an ability to rip the emotion right out of any songs she sings.  The opening shot was awful.  Looking down on her like that, she came off as more of a lawn gnome than a stage performer.  I’m surprised I even made it to the end of the show because this performance put me to sleep.  Does she have pipes or not?  If she does, then show them.  I found it forgettable, forgettable and forgettable.  The judges agreed, though Paula still encouraged us to vote for her.

Jason Castro- “If I Fell”- His tone on this song was very nice, and his song, once again had a folksy quality to it.  Like Amanda, he is a one-trick-pony.  The difference is that his trick is a good one.  He should go further in the competition, but his style could never win.  It should be interesting if they have to sing a standard, or have “rock” night. 

Carly Smithson- “Come Together”- She is the most consistent performer in the competition.  Once again she showed a great voice, and a Beatles’ song suddenly sounded like a Heart song.  It thought it was recordable and the crowd as well as the judges loved it also.

David Cook- “Elinore Rigby”- Cook proves every week that any song, if adapted well, can sound good in an alternative rock version.  It was very good and he hit the big note.  I think he has survived the surliness that he displayed earlier in the competition, and could go far.  Paula called him a dark horse, and Simon loved it.

Brooke White- “Let it Be”- She played the piano on this song and sang well for the most part.  She was a little pitchy at times.  The song was a little safe and boring.  The difference between her and Ramiele was that she added inflection and emotion to the song.  Simon was a little too enthused with this one for me.

David Hernandez- “I Saw Her Standing There”- Terrible song choice that did nothing for his voice.  I hated the stage performance, but he sang the song well.  He needs to choose better music for his voice if he wants to go as far as he can.  A couple of times this evening, Paula found it necessary to tell us that she was not copying Randy’s answer.  This time, however, she copied his answer verbatim.  I thought it was funny.  Simon called it “Corny verging on desperate.”

Amanda Overmyer- “You Can’t Do That”- I find it hard to believe that she could not pick a Beatles’ song that I knew.  “Helter Skelter” or “Happiness is a Warm Gun” (I doubt Idol would allow this song, but it would be funny) would have been good rocker choices.  It was a mess, again.  She sounded like she had a mouth full of marbles as she screamed at me.  Absolutely no diction!  For me, it was the same old, same old.  I just don’t know how anyone would want to listen to her.

Randy loved it, and Simon, though he pointed out some of the problems with the song, said that she was “good for the competition.”  This is more and more coming off like Idol is trying to spin her continued success on the show as a reflection of her actual talent rather than a reflection of the fact that she has been chosen by the “Worsters.”  These people have no illusions about who is the worst on the show.  I checked this morning and she is still their candidate.

Michael Johns- “Across the Universe”- He sang this song well, and it suited his voice nicely.  The judges like it too, but Randy found it “a little sleepy.”

Kristy Lee Cook- “Eight Days a Week”- I really liked the country version of this song.  She was off tempo in the beginning, but fought through it well.  When her voice broke, in a country way, it was the best that it has sounded yet.  It was unexpected and had a good ending.  Paula and Simon hated it (see the beginning for analysis of this).

David Archuleta- “We Can Work It Out”- You are not going to make a lot of friends in the music business by criticizing the Beatles, but this can probably be attributed to the ignorance of youth.  What cannot be so easily explained away was this train-wreck of a performance.  He forgot the words, twice, and sort of fell apart.  Regardless of that, the style did not suit him at all, and the performance as a whole was bad.  It was easily the worst performance of the night, but rest assured, he will not pay the price for his mistake.  His “aw shucks” attitude has already earned him too many fans for him to go home at this point.  The judges were not kind, but he probably deserved worse than he got.  The important thing for the other contestants is that he showed he was beatable.  He proved that he can choose as bad a song as anyone else, and forgetting the words as he did shows either a lack of practice, or worse, an inability to quickly learn new songs (Idol death).  Another performance like that might even be enough to send him home.

 

I look at American Idol as a “what have you done for me lately?” forum.  I try to judge each week’s performance on its own merits, but like anyone I am also influenced by past performances.  For this reason, I don’t think Archuleta has anything to worry about.  If I had my choice, I would send the perennially disappointing Ramiele home, but it we will probably see the last of Kristy Lee Cook tonight.

Desperation

There is a difference between motivation and desperation.  I needed the desperation, I just did not know it.  I have good health insurance, and the ability to have lap-band or bypass surgery is a real option.  I work with a guy who had it and lost over 100 lbs. in the first year.  His out of pocket for the surgery was about $600 (for $30,000 surgery).  Since then three other people in the department have had the procedure, and they are all looking great.

In October, I had decided to get serious about losing weight.  I began a diet and exercise, much like the one I am on now (but I wasn’t taking in nearly enough calories).  After about three weeks, I had lost some weight, and it was Halloween night.  I had not eaten all day, and was feeling pretty tired.  I was carrying the baby Trick-or-Treating when I stepped on an uneven piece of concrete and fell like a stone.  I had enough sense to make sure that I did not fall on the baby, and that she did not hit the ground, but in making sure she was alright, I let the rest of my body take the brunt of the fall.  I hurt my left hand, elbow and head, but worst of all, I landed full on my right knee.  I messed it up pretty good and could barely get around for the first two weeks, and it was a good two months before it was strong again.

This was the diet killer.  There is always something, it seems.  I could not walk, the weight stopped dropping off, and I allowed myself to get depressed and gave up.

In December, I talked to the guy at work about the surgery.  He had a lot of good things to say about it.  He would do it again, but he didn’t sugarcoat it.  It is not just a lifestyle change, it is a life change.  He encouraged counseling with the physician before even considering it.

I talked to my wife and mother and told them what I was thinking about.  Neither was too crazy about the idea, but they agreed it was better than the alternative I was currently giving myself, an unhealthy life, and an early death.

I decided to target the summer in order to build up my leave, and also because my mother does not work in the summers, and she would be able to help with the baby while I was recovering.  At this point, I was as big as I have ever been (359 lb.).  I began to consider a diet.  I would give myself one last chance to do it myself.  I had about six months before I could realistically get the surgery anyway, so why not see if I could lose the weight on my own before then.  As I began the diet, I began to think of the surgery as a “Sword of Damocles” hanging above my head.  I had to lose the weight, and if I did not, I had to get the surgery.  This diet was (and is) going to be my last chance to lose weight on my own.  Losing weight is optional.  Failure here will lead to a permanent life-change (surgery), and I use this desperation as another way to keep me motivated.

I also failed to mention that I have high blood pressure and a history of Diabetes in my family.  At nearly forty, being overweight, included with these risk factors, leads to scary conclusions.

Motivation

Motivation:  Motivation and morale are the biggest things in terms of sticking to a weight loss program.  I have a wonderful 19 month old motivation.  She is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want to experience as much of her life as possible.  Even at her tender age, she has shown me things about myself that I do not want to saddle her with.

I love my mother, but she was overweight while I was growing up.  She was not a good example of a healthy lifestyle for me.  I do not blame her, but in a child’s mind it is easy to rationalize the idea that, “Mom’s fat, and she’s OK.”  I definitely did not want to leave my daughter with this example.

And, don’t think a one year old does not notice.  I stopped biting my nails (a life-long habit) several months ago because I noticed that my daughter had her hands in her mouth all of the time.  I noticed one day that it looked just like she was biting her nails.  That day was the last time I bit my nails. 

In another incident, just last week (47 lbs. down) my daughter pointed at a big round snowman on the side of a coffee mug and said in the sweetest voice, “Daddy!”  You’ve got love that, but you can also use it to keep yourself motivated.  I do not want Daddy’s shape to be associated with anything large and round.  That 47 lb. loss is something, but it does not mean that I am thin yet by any means.

It’s hard enough to find good (nutritious) food that is aimed at kids.  By eating healthy, myself, I am not only setting and example of how one should eat, I making healthy choices available for her.  Sure, she may not want to eat what I am having today, and that’s OK, but she will often lean on me and sweetly say, “Some!”  This is the perfect chance to let her try some other things.

Less of Me to Love

I have a secret that I have not shared yet.  I asked a friend if I should blog about this, but he said he thought it was a little gay.  I thought about what he said far a while and, at this point, I am comfortable that it is not gay.  My secret is the fact that in the last eight weeks, (since January 14^th) I have lost 54 pounds (I weighed a day early for this blog.  In the future, all weigh-ins will be on Tuesday as my wife and I agreed from the beginning).  I am feeling great, and looking better, but that does not mean I am finished.

When I began my weight loss odyssey, I was a whopping 359 lbs.  That’s a lot.  In fact, it’s about the weight of two grown men.

I did not get this way overnight.  It took years of bad eating and little exercise to put me in this condition.  I would like to say that I have struggled, but except for one time about four years ago when I lost 53 lbs, I have never made a good effort to get healthy.

I have found that my success this time is due to several factors.  They are:  Motivation, Desperation, Morale, Determination, Preparation, Persistence, Perseverance, Discipline, and Support.  This sounds like one of those Stephen Covey things about now, but I digress

By blogging this, I hope to share what I have learned from this experience in the hope that some of these things might help another person to also have success.  I will deal both conceptually and practically with the issue of weight loss.  I will show how many of the words mentioned above have applied to my personal experience, and expound on their impact for me.  Finally, I will share many of the recipes (as long as they are not copyrighted) that I have enjoyed and that have lead to my success.  I will tell you places that I go, and the food that I order when I go there.  I hope to cover all aspects of my regimen, and I hope you benefit from it. 

I have read no books in preparation for this, though I have watched this season of the Biggest Loser (I will write more on this later).  I plan to see if I can get anything out of the new I Can Make You Thin show as soon as it premieres, and plan to review it.  I am not a doctor, but I encourage you to see one if you are going to try to lose weight.  Weight loss should be a victory not a tragedy, so be careful.  All of the ideas in this blog are just my own.  This program has worked for me, and I hope there is something in it that will work for you.  If there is anything in here that goes against anything a physician has told you, please ignore what I have said, and respect your physician’s advice.

Good Luck.