Goosey's Gabbings
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- Barba's "Scandal": Bet on what she does next!!
We've gone through the days of Frenchie Davis and the scandal of her topless photos; we've even gone through the Paula Abdul-Corey Clark debacle that no one really got TOO upset about or really rated highly on the "shock" factor.
Now, we have been faced for the last two-plus weeks with another phenomenon from American Idol, and that's the increasing amount of web pics that are surfacing on Antonella Barba. These aren't your usual myspace pics, either. Let's just say that you need to turn "Safesearch" off in order to get the bulk of what I am talking about.
Barba has commented very little about the entire scheme of things, and even other Idol contestants have been tight-lipped about what they think (perhaps this is because Idol producers have put their feet to the fire or they are just trying to maintain some professionality). Barba's girlfriend has even said that she has examined some of the more racy X-rated pics and concluded that these "have to be fake".
I'm interested to see when this gal will be featured on CSI next year. I am sure they could come up with some crafty line for her to spew before the famous "Who are You" riff starts blaring.
Either way, the continued focus on this has left people questioning the ripple effect. Idol producers have gone on record that the pics will not get her booted from the show (hmmm...isn't it ironic, don't ya think?), and there's been NO mention of anything close to this on the show.
In today's era of big shows and big scandals, we have a new entry into the Antonella Barba sweepstakes: online betting. Not only are there actual bets that you can post actual money to online as to whether Barba will actually get the boot, but there are even bets now on what she will do after Idol. Here are some of the bets:- Playboy spread
- Nude in Penthouse
- Affair with Paula Abdul
- Affair with Simon Cowell
- Breast will pop out live on American Idol
- Star in an XXX movie
- Photographed drunk with Paris Hilton
What should Barba do? Ignore it? Try and prove her competitors and the world wrong that she is rightfully in the class of singers that are still left? Booted contestant Leslie Hunt even made a comment that she "knew that coming into this competition that it wasn't all about singing.." and AJ Tabaldo has likened this to a "popularity contest" more than anything, so if that continues to play its course, Barba is just fine doing what she is doing, wearing tight skirts and miffing up notes left and right.
But when it's all said and done, then what? If she wins it all, she'll be a joke amongst the industry. If she gets booted, she'll fade to anonymity as quickly as all other previous Idol contestants will (not counting last season--yet).
Have some pride and dignity, Antonella. Even if all of the pics aren't you, is this worth future embarassment?
Bow out. You know that at least 14 other singers on there are heads and above you in terms of talent. Even Sanjaya has more moxie and charm than you--and that's saying something. When it's all said and done, all there will be is a web filled with pics and a ton of 15 year olds with empty bottles of vaseline. At what price fame?
Goosey
Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:10:00 +0000 - (Don't) Rest in Peace: The Shame in Celebrity Death InvestigationsEvery day, it's a new picture. Every week, it's seemingly a new scandal. Whether we're sitting at home flipping through channels where Entertainment Tonight is covering the latest and greatest escapade in Lindsey Lohan's life...Or if you're waiting in line at the grocery store and you read a headline about Angelina's new adoption, one thing is for sure: we have embraced pop culture and beat it to death.
But-even after we've beat it to death, we continue to mutilate a person's character and offend the fact that these individuals have passed away and the respect that they deserve in death.
I give you Exhibit A: Princess Diana.
Di was killed in a car accident in August 1997 under what seemed to be a catastrophic series of events where the paparazzi had much to do with a high-speed tragedy, the end result being her death as well as Dodi Fayed's. And here we are, almost 10 years later, and we still have unrest on this, and it is still at the top of our headlines. Now, Mohamed Al Fayed has won his appeal to have a jury listen to the inquest of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths to see if there were wrongful incidents in fact that caused their demise.
I now proceed into Exhibit B: Anna Nicole Smith Granted, Smith is nowhere in comparison to the elegance and class that Princess Di held in every regard, but her death has been even more relegated to toilet journalism than even Di's did at the peak of the investigation. We have so much uncertainty following this bizarre case, including the father of the baby she recently had, still unanswered questions about her son's death, and now her own passing weeks ago. You could simply create a drinking game by the number of times you continue to hear her name on TV channels every single night.
I could continue to give you exhibits as Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi, even John F. Kennedy. In every case, there is a different scenario that has encompassed the life-into-death travels of each individual, but there are some common denominators that we as a society cannot continue to ignore.
1. The ineptness of our investigations in potentially "foul play" circumstances. Now, I understand that those that plan perfect crimes do so with the utmost care and detail, but the fact that we have trained professionals-that's plural-that work on specific situations day in, day out-I can't help but think that there is a HUGE flaw in our system in terms of finding the ultimate solution to many of these scenarios. Still to this day, JFK's murder is debated, Monroe's death "apparent", and as we have seen in the first two exhibits, many question marks surrounding these situations. It's appalling to think of cases like JonBenet Ramsey and feel safe that there are capable and justice-seeking individuals out there when the high-profile cases are seemingly so because of the very fact that the authorities can't make heads or tails of anything.
2. Our continued obsession with "looking at an accident as we go by" is growing and growing, and it again goes to the very core of our pop culture phenomenon that we have embraced full force. Previously, magazines like People and even US were at least worthy of praise because of the conservative nature; now, they might as well have "NATIONAL ENQUIRER" tattooed across the top of their rag. Even "Newsweek" had an article a few weeks ago on the cover citing the "Bad Girl Effect" with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears dancing-and the highlight of the article was discussing the effects of girls that watch them as role models, and wouldn't you know it-readers of Newsweek complained that they were trying to sell more magazines by putting Hilton and Spears on the cover! Go figure, huh?
No matter what we may have thought about certain celebrities, in death, the media portrayal is shameful and it often bastardizes the people they were in life. Be honest with yourself; do you really feel the same about Marilyn Monroe knowing the questions in her death? What about JFK? The largest example is Princess Diana, who's humanitarian efforts and world-class elegance are now being shoved to the back burner as the sordid details of her death continue to bubble up.
But-can we blame the media-absolutely. Should we blame ourselves? You betcha. We feed to the media ratings and dollars, and they will put up what we want to see. It's a shared responsibility, and a shameful one nonetheless.
Even if there are issues surrounding deaths, let it lay in the hands of those responsible and STOP making a mockery of what is supposed to be a private issue. Families, friends, and loved ones are suffering. Consider if it were you or a close one to your life-how would you feel?
Shame, Shame!
Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:24:00 +0000 - American Idol Results Week 2
This should be an interesting week in terms of who gets booted off, because I felt that both nights had very strong performances and while there were some apparent individuals *Cough Sanjaya* *COUGH Antonella* that should have been booted last week, will their online fanbase continue to drive them on and make us suffer another week with a poor performance just so we can see the twinkle in their eyes again? I certainly hope not, but the way these things go, it's anybody's ball game. After the guys performed, "Television Without Pity" blog went on record that the disgust with the show was so much that he already named Sundance the American Idol 6 winner.
Ouch.
After a rather bland rendition of "Joy to the World"--what is the deal with these old songs? These are NOT middle aged men and women, and the fan base for American Idol probably had never even heard of this song. Good grief, what's next, "Inna Gada Da Vida"?
First person voted off....Nick Pedro. He is rightfully voted off, I picked him as one of the guys going home. I believe he just was drowned by the big personalities and uniqueness of all of the other guys. He's good, just not good enough.
And now for the girls...first gal going home...Alaina Alexander. My runner up pick (I still think it should have been Leslie and Antonella), Alaina probably should have gone home last week. She bawls through the encore performance, even after giving a snarky "clever" comment after they review what the judges said about her--nice poor sportsmanship. Now, please take your hanky and exit through the back door and don't forget to take your ego with you....
Kellie Pickler comes back and once again embarasses herself with her ditzy blonde act (didn't she really make a stink about how Idol made her look stupid??), but she again proves her country roots with her song "Carolina". I think it's safe to say that Pickler has "picked" to have some augmentation, don't you agree?
And now, onto the guys once again for the second to go home. And the loser is....AJ Tabaldo. What a crime--AJ had a great performance and Sanjaya totally blew. This is another travesty and yet again why the TWP disgust is totally warranted.
**WARNING...RANT AHEAD***
This is the reason why this show will run itself into the ground, because so many people who should continue down the path are sent home without disdain, and the pretty boys and girls are left behind to make our heads and ears hurt week after week. It started quite a long time ago, and until there is a more impartial system instead of this being a retarded homecoming king and queen high school event, the show will forever be watched for the simple shock factor rather than what it is supposed to be. Paula actually hit the nail on the head that this is a singing competition and tonight was not representative of this. I am appalled by our lack of sensibility
Now, we go onto the last girl going home. After Sanjaya getting another get out of jail free card, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Jordin. Of course, Antonella gets to go on--why wouldn't she? I mean, why not have her just come out naked for a half hour? Leslie Hunt goes home. Well, at least I got 2 of 4. But the 2 that are staying were the ones that DEFINITIVELY should have gone home.
I'm turning this off now.
But you know I'll be back. Just like a crack addict, I know this will continue to make me angry and piss me off, but I can't be without my Idol fix. Maybe some day I can be surprised by America making a good choice for one week...but it's not going to happen soon, in my opinion.
GOOSEY-OUT!!!!!
Fri, 02 Mar 2007 02:44:00 +0000 - Prince Charles declares WAR on McDonald's!!
Prince Charles has declared WAR!
...on a clown in a yellow and red stripes...and red shoes.
Public Enemy #1? Ronald McDonald.
Prince Charles has had ENOUGH. When touring a London Diabetes Center, the Royal Prince noted that "banning McDonald's is the key.." in fighting diabetes as well as controlling diets.
First of all, I'm surprised that in a position that he is that such a pointed statement can be made. Normally, the Royal family is so reserved in their commentary that it's hard to know if there's even a pulse in some of them; they are the "voice" of many people, so it's understandable that causing controversy is the least of their wants (Although obviously Charles doesn't mind that considering his "friendship" Camilla Parker-Bowles for so many years).
Now, as you may well know, I am saying many of these things tongue-in-cheek. However, I think that there are several things we can pull from this; one, it again brings to the forefront the needs that we have to really continue to look at it when it comes to our ever-ballooning society and our ever-declining health issues. Our kids are too big to compete in sports, their self esteem is dropping, while the ads for bigger and better burgers are clouding the airwaves as they sit at home and chomp down another bag of chips.
But-do we really blame Ronald McDonald? I understand the sentiments that were displayed from Morgan Spurlock in "Super Size Me" in terms of not only exposing the true health risks in such an extreme way, but to place the blame of our diets on a single fast food entity is a little discomforting. McDonald's has certainly its share of negative press, and unfortunately, as long as fast food is around, they will never, ever get a fair shake, as no other fast food companies will-and rightfully so. The nature of these foods is just that-fast food made with processed elements to be consumed quickly and to not give the nutrition we all need to keep us healthy.
I am dissapointed in the statement,however, because it does not rule out the element that we as individuals have as a responsibility to make good choices for ourselves and for our children. Sure, we are constantly bombarded by advertisements and by seemingly endless peer pressure to "take the easy route", but although the McDonald's of the world exist, it's up to US to make the conscious decision to make wholesale changes in our lives.
Now, I have been struggling with weight for a long time. I have continued to try and make good decisions and am adamant about teaching my children about the reality of the "food world" to keep them informed as they grow up.
But as long as influential people as Prince Charles are making comments like this, we'll never see the forest for the trees. Take responsibility, America!
Thu, 01 Mar 2007 14:41:00 +0000 - American Idol Season 6 Week 2-The Girls
After a rip-roaring effort by the gentlemen the night previous, it's once again the ladies' turn to pump up the volume. Once again, we have "dedication" night. We'll see if Simon dedicates any more animals or grandmothers....
Gina Glocksen-her inspiration his her boyfriend, her "punk rock wannabe". Coming out with Heart's "Alone" was a different choice, combining slow soft melodies and rocking choruses. Gina again showed off her Pink "vibe" and did a good job. She's definitely impressed me, her only fault was kind of fading on the long notes at the end.
Score: 2.5 stars
Alaina Alexander-dedicating a song to her mom was no surprise, the emotion she shows on a weekly basis is a tribute to being very close to a motherly figure. As we see, her mom is crying in the audience before the song even starts! The Dixie Chicks' "Not ready to make nice" started out decent, but then the song kind of engulfed her. The pitch was off during the chorus and again she didn't put in a performance that ranks with many of the power singers in the girls' crowd.
Score: 1.5 stars
Lakisha Jones-Surprisingly, she made the dedication to her grandmother (I thought it would be her daughter). Lakisha brought back a favorite from last season that Paris Bennett belted out in "Midnight Train to Georgia". Although it did justice to her soulful pipes, it didn't really challenge her, in my opinion--in comparison to Paris, there wasn't much of a "personality" attached to it until the very end. She did ok, but could have done much better.
Score: 2.5 stars
Melinda Doolittle-She dedicates this to 2 people--her "gales". What great friends! "My Funny Valentine" was a curious choice, but her twist on it and making it sound almost like Natalie Cole was simply mesmerizing. I really like her and he "aww shucks" mentality--it should carry her far in the competition. An excellent performance!!
Score: 3.5 stars
Antonella Barba-The web's most infamous diva (not for singing, that's for sure) is dedicating her performance to her brother. She breaks down a little(good for her....*rolls eyes*) The song choice was "Because You Loved Me" was a decent choice, but again her execution was very much off in the beginning. She impressed me with the falsetto ranging, a much better job than last week, but it was still not a good performance. Antonella's response after the judges retorts was very childish. She's hot, but that is not what this is about. America, PLEASE send her home....
Score: 1.5 stars
Jordin Sparks-Another inspirational brother! What a kowinky-dink! She's so bubbly and a great person. To see her cry is almost a shock! "Reflection" was definitely a decent choice for the competition's theme, but Jordan was a far cry from last week. Flat notes, off pitches, crackling voice---it was a letdown overall. The judges were WAY too nice, in my opinion.
Score: 1 star
Stephanie Edwards-dedicating the song to her parents, she is really showing her maturity. At 19, she has a great head on her shoulders. I wasn't familiar with this song, but the tempo changes at first had me a bit "off", but as the song went on, she once again proved why she is there--another stellar performance. IMPRESSIVE!!!!
Score: 3.5 stars
Leslie Hunt-dedicating a song to her grandfather, I can't help but think that this woman sounds like so much, like, ya know, a valley girl from the 80's, like gag me with a spoon. What's up with the psychedelic skirt? "Feelin' Good" is such a great song--but unfortunately, not for Leslie--WAY too big and not even close to what it should be. A rendition that looked like she was totally lost.
Score: 1.5 stars
Haley Scarnato-She seems so sweet and pure (not to mention easy on the eyes). Her dedication to her fiancee was well intended, but seemed like one long run-on sentence. "Queen of the Night" was an odd choice--her voice can't really compare to the booming rendition power "I am Woman" vocals that Whitney Houston really brought to the song. It wasn't as if she was off or there was a problem the way it was done, but it just didn't seem like the right thing for her.
Score: 2 stars
Sabrina Sloan-Another grandparent dedication. I can tell you one thing--the sappiness of this over the last two days has really desensitized me as to how I should be appreciative of the love they are showing--American Idol execs, please hold off on this next season until much later in the competition. Another Whitney song, and a similar result--she really struggled on the high notes, and again, the voice was not as strong as it should have been. A song much better suited for Melinda, LaKisha, or Stephanie. Not awful, but not great.
Score: 2 stars
After last week, the girls certainly had high expectations, and they didn't dissapoint, but had a little letdown overall. As far as those that should go home, my choice would be Antonella and Leslie. After two weeks, the best have already started to separate themselves, and these two are definitely not running with the pack. If it isn't Leslie, it should be Alaina.
GOOSEY-OUT!
Thu, 01 Mar 2007 01:33:00 +0000 - American Idol Season 6 Week 2 Review -The Guys!
The theme for this evening is to sing songs that are "inspirational" on a personal level. After Paula dropped the profound knowledge to "just have fun", we get into the singing portion. And awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay weeee gooooooo!
Phil Stacey-inspired by his military background, Phil sings us "Missing You" by John Waite. Odd performance because he struggled on some easy parts but powered it up for the difficult parts. He is really starting to have some uniqueness to show off in my opinion, and I believe that he did a good job. But, as alot of times, I agree with the judges that it was good but not necessarily great.
Score: 2.5 stars
Ryan interviews Sundance to where he says people have been saying to be "less crappy". Again, profound advice. AJ says its been a little "mixed".
Jared Cotter-dedicating his performance to his parents (Cue Audience "AWWWWWWWW") And onto the music. "Let's Get it On" by Marvin Gaye, a fun song but tough to try and emulate because of Gaye's unique sound that made it great. However, Jared did a pretty good job with it, had a few off notes, but a song like this in a singing competition was kind of "awkward" sounding. He had a decent strong finish, but it was pretty forgettable. Paula actually gets a good ribbing in on Randy, and makes a fool of herself with off-color commentary.
Score: 2 stars
AJ Tabaldo-another dedication to good ole mom and dad. I wasn't familiar with this song, which is sometimes a good thing with this. It sounded a little like a Harry Connick song that would be a little "souled" up. His performance this week was much better than last, in my opinion. A different song choice, I think it was a great move for him overall. The judges gave him some decent marks, it was in my estimation spot on--except for the obvious homophobic remark yet again from Simon.
Score: 3 stars
Sanjaya Malakar-a dedication for his grandfather. The photos were very endearing to an already "cutie" that the teen girls online are swooning over constantly. "Steppin Out" is his song choice, and when I first saw him with the hat, it reminded me of a young Michael Jackson. Well, I guess he is still darker than the King of Pop. The song could have been much better if he showed some emotion and showmanship, but because he just "sang" it, it really took a lot away from it. The song was WAY too big for him. Poor performance. The judges hit it right on again, although for the second straight week Simon was really tough on him.
Score: 1 star
Chris Sligh-Chris again uses his comedy in dedicating the song to his wife. (They really do make an odd couple) He slows it down this week, and the song is perfect; it had a nice little draw to it, but when he tried to really rock it a little, it again seemed a little awkward, but he still had a good showing. Solid and satisfying. Randy and Paula gave him kudos, Simon really gave him props.
Score: 3 stars
Nick Pedro-Nick's inspiration is his girlfriend Katelyn (another AWWWWWWWWW). Nick needs to craft his interviews better, he talks way too fast!! Another decent song choice in "Fever", but his kind of soft voice mixed with rasp was not a great match. Another situation where a song was a bit too big for the singer. Not something that would be memorable by any means. Randy gives a mixed review, Paula sputters out some fragments, and Simon gives constructive feedback.
Score: 1.5 stars
Blake Lewis-another dedication to his parents (at least these contestants are good role models for all the tweeners watching). "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai was a perfect song choice, and really explored his range and strengths. The bridge with his "talent" made it even better. An outstanding performance that will surely catapult him to a front-runner. The judges gave him high remarks except for Simon (big surprise). I disagree with Simon--because copycatting Jamiroquai is something to be proud of, not ashamed of.
Score: 3.5 stars
Brandon Rogers-a very sentimental dedication to his grandmother. He seems very genuine and just a good man. "Time after Time" was a decent idea, but his execution seemed again, awkward--not a real great choice for his voice type and ability--I felt he could have had something that could have been much more powerful. He has the pipes--it's time to show them!! Not a bad performance, but still kind of average overall. The judges really stressed this to him as well, and Simon really stressed the "Wow" factor need. I agree 100%.
Score: 2 stars
Chris Richardson-"Big Mama" gets the call for the dedication from the 22-year old, he reminds me of Elliot Yamin with his purity. "Geek in the Pink" was his choice, and when I first heard him start, I thought "this will be difficult to pull off." One, because it doesn't have a huge range for vocals, and it takes precise timing with all of the words. Chris did a good job with what the song offered, but the choice overall was not the best. Still, the fact that it was not pitchy at all is a very good accomplishment. The judges raved over it, I thought it was good, but not THAT good.
Score: 2.5 stars
Sundance Head-A very emotional dedication to his son. He's such a nice guy, but I think he knows he's gotta bring it this week. And believe me--"it was broughten". :) He really turned in a much better performance and this is exactly the type of genre that fits his singing style and voice. He rocked it HARD tonight. I was impressed by his ability to bring it back to the way he started out in the auditions. Randy was very impressed and his consensus is exactly how I feel; an excellent job.
Score: 3.5 stars
After this week, the guys really showed their abilities that most people expected from them. This is actually a tough night to choose, but if I had my choice, I believe it SHOULD be Sanjaya and Nick. But since Sanjaya's clan will follow him through garbage song after garbage song, I think it will actually be Nick and Brandon.
Until next time.....GOOSEY--OUT!!!
Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:31:00 +0000 - "The Class Rides a Bull" Season 1 Episode 18
We've come to a breaking point, literally, with the relationship between Nicole and Duncan, and the focus of this episode is Nicole's trying to pack and leave to tell Yonk she's leaving him to be with Duncan.
Another storyline going on is Ethan's supposed "relationship that should be" with Kat and her impending relationship with Benjamin.
The combination of these stories makes a sum of some great comedy, especially in this episode. I honestly am always very excited to see Richie Velch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) show off his chops with his wit and snappy delivery, and even though this episode again showed these off, Ethan was actually quite funny in this episode. Jason Ritter does a great job of playing the guy who is still seeking himself in this world, still confident on the outside but very vulnerable on the inside. When you combine that with the fact that he had to tell Kat about Benjamin's supposed "affair", with her cynical nature, they just mesh wonderfully when it comes to comedy.
The whole story takes on a "three's company" vibe when one party wants to do something, the other doesn't know, someone is trying to help but not tell someone who is there with them, and the hijinx ensue. Richie again has some great one-liners "I'm burping hooves", "What was my time?" "You are an Animal!" "How did that happen?" and so on and so forth. Him getting up to ride the bull was laugh out loud funny (he lasted about .0000001 seconds on it).
The most surprising part of the episode was at the end, when in Duncan's desperate attempt to stall Yonk while Nicole packed at home, he grabbed his arm while getting off the bull and collapsing. This puts an interesting twist on what will happen--will Yonk die? If not, will Nicole feel worse about it and not leave him? Will Duncan feel bad because he values Yonk's friendship?
Likewise, the situation with Kat and Ethan should now heat up a little because of Kat leaving Benjamin. What will be interesting is the tension that goes between this "water and dirt" differences but yet most people agree the chemistry is ripe for the picking.
Nonetheless, "The Class" impresses me every week, and we haven't even really jumped back into any storylines for a while that were previously discussed with developing Richie and Lena more, Kyle and Aaron (I know he's been in Chile, but jeeeesh!), and of course Perry and Holly and that "weird" relationship. Has anyone noticed that Holly has been used little to none for quite a while now, and Perry is getting more play? I have started to think that perhaps her character is going to get "relocated" and killed off, perhaps the audience just isn't taking to her as originally.
I am looking forward to the upcoming finale episodes, and will be sad when I have to wait until next season to see Richie and the gang crack me up yet again. I am very happy that the execs at CBS did not choose to kill this off when it started off with a lukewarm reaction--this is certainly the "CLASS" of the new comedies this year!!
Goosey
Tue, 27 Feb 2007 13:16:00 +0000 - Wisconsin and Ohio St. Post a classic NCAA 1-2 matchup
As an avid fan of basketball and the Big Ten, it made it sweet to see the 1-2 matchup this late in the season be Ohio St. and Wisconsin. For one, it just gives an absolute tribute to the coaches and the talent that the Big Ten has top to bottom, and for another, it's basketball the way it should be--intricate, executed, and a grind-it-out finish that left fans gasping for more.
Mike Conley's shot to win 49-48 in Columbus was nothing short of spectacular; but what I loved was the competitive nature of the game and the mark it should leave on college basketball. When we are surrounded day in and day out by something going wrong in the NBA or a million dollar player screaming for the ball more and more, to see these teams go at it was pure pleasure.
While I have said since the beginning of the year that I have felt Thad Matta's team is the best in the country, I have been very, very impressed and in awe of what Bo Ryan puts together year in and year out. Ohio St. obviously has the recruiting prowess and the big names like Oden and Conley. Ryan, on the other hand, rarely has that blue-chipper that can jump from the college ranks to the NBA without missing a beat; still, his teams every year are at the top of the Big Ten and foes don't ever want to face Wisconsin at the Kohl Center, no matter who you are. Why? Because Ryan typifies what college basketball used to be and what it should be now, the kind of Gene Keady-ish Bobby Knight old school "defense first" motto that can be taught but rarely executed.
His players look to him for guidance, and he gives it with exclamation points. He scowls on the sidelines, but still has the ability to motivate when it's needed. I just love this guy for being in the same conference as my favorite team, the Illini. While I have always liked Bruce Weber, I am not sure if coaching-wise he has all of the tools that Ryan represents. Weber is an offensive-minded coach nowadays, even though he does come from Keady's breeding and his SIU teams were thuggish in their defensive skills. Now, it's more finesse and to out-athleticize teams for Weber's Illini, a huge difference from the dream team Illinois had in 2004-05.
To see the Buckeyes and Badgers slug it out like Ali-Frazier was a classic, and I am proud of both of these teams. Wisconsin proved that they are no fluke despite losing the game and the #1 ranking, but I think both of these teams have legitimate shots at cutting down the nets in April. I am super excited for the Big Ten tournament and all the competition that should bring. I only hope my Illini don't embarass themselves!!!!
Congrats, Buckeyes. And thank you, Badgers!! You made this one of the games of the year!!
Goosey
Mon, 26 Feb 2007 00:31:00 +0000 - "Lost" Review "Stranger in a Strange Land" Season 3 Episode 9
Lost is starting to really roll with the "Others" and some information (FINALLY!) about their origins and at least the level of where their power reaches. Obviously, they are a group of manipulators, brainwashers, and tapping into the human psyche more than what we can possibly imagine; the question is, what role then do the passengers of Flight 815 ultimately have to do with the puppet game that the Others are playing? Or do they?
Jack, now on his own with the Others, is having a very hard time putting all of these different pieces of the puzzle together. One of the most intriguing lines of the show is when Jack is reprimanding Tom for what the Others have done, and Tom responds to him, "You like this glass house you live in? How 'bout I get you some stones?"
The point that I think Tom was trying to make was that, although the Others have done some despicable things in the passengers' eyes, is that we all have our faults, our wrongdoings, and maybe a clue as to finding out some things that the passengers have done that we don't know about yet.
We get introduced to Isabelle, "The Sheriff", when Jack gets injected into Juliet's "trial" about whether she wanted Jack to kill Ben. Isabelle is very much a hardened toughie that doesn't show much emotion other than to intimidate. Meanwhile, Sawyer and Kate are away but not exactly--safe--that we feel as they are still in the jungle. We also get a little bit more on Carl and Alex, and even Sawyer again shows his soft side in his discussion with Carl about love. I love Sawyer--the perfect vulnerable man who never shows it until the time is right, the tortured soul that comes off so bad and has done so many bad things, but still deep down knows he is wrong and wants to be better.
We get another intriguing situation with the flashbacks with guest star Bai Ling and Jack with the story of "being able to see someone" and then marking them. Jack believes that it is something having to do with being an "angry, lonely leader", but it's easy to think that perhaps because of Isabelle's comments about "do you know what it means?" leave something to the imagination that there's more to what Jack believes it is--especially because of the beating he takes! One side note: I didn't care for this set of flashbacks--Bai Ling did not put in a strong performance, in my estimation.
Another subplot that is really starting to cook up is Jack and Juliet. Does Juliet care for him? Is she playing him? Is this part of an Others experiment? Is she really in trouble? If so, how will they work together? Will Jack be able to go back home--and what about her now after Ben promised her?
Whatever it is, this is the kind of stuff that keeps me absolutely mesmerized about Lost. So many people have clamored for answers and the producers have given more and more, but I love the fact that nearly every person in the world can intelligently formulate an idea of why and what is happening on the island. But that's the magic of the show; the unknown, being "Lost" with the losties.
Sawyer and Kate's relationship, in a word, is just weird. It was better when the tension between the triangle of Jack-Sawyer-Kate was what it was prior to them having sex; now it's a question of jealousy and true intent, and while that's ok, it doesn't have the same "verve" to it. I don't like having Sawyer be this way, it kind of degrades his character's progress a bit. I also don't like Kate being this way, but again, it's up in the air how things will progress, and that's all we can ask for.
We're left with the raft leaving with Jack, Juliet, and Ben going "home"--or is it? I certainly think that this episode again created more questions than answers, but I am ok with that--the tension continues to mount on many levels, and we begin another climactic climb towards what should be a great season finale in the next couple of months. The only constant is change with this show, and that's fine by me--despite the lame flashback and explanation of the person "who is not one of us but walks among us", this episode was a good starting point after the end of the chaos surrounding Ben's surgery and Kate and Sawyer's return.
Goosey
Sun, 25 Feb 2007 23:25:00 +0000 - Law and Order SVU Review "Haystack"
After last week's episode that focused mostly on Benson's solving of the case, we switch back to Stabler and a situation where a baby goes missing and the hunt to find the kidnapper.
Interestingly enough, I don't remember if there was any discussion about what happened after Elliot got thrown through a window--you would think there would be something!! However, still, we had a tale that twisted just like the great episodes we've come to expect.
The disturbing situation of a child being taken is bad enough, but when the mother committed suicide, viewers were left almost breathless with little clue as to what would happen next. The situation got more muddled when we had a gambling addicted, alcoholic would-be father wanting the child when it was found.
Stabler's handling and undying drive to find the child once again proved beyond a doubt that, no matter if he's had domestic issues and violent tendencies, this is a great man that will stop at nothing to do what is right. When the story evolved into finally finding the REAL father of the missing baby, things got pretty ugly pretty quickly. In a miracle "haystack", they found the baby, and the shift of attention then went to why and who committed the crime.
The story finally ended with the father of the baby, a wifebeater named "Patty" Kendall, confessed to taking the baby after Stabler and Casey conned him about a sonogram with fingerprints of his that were at the crime scene.
We were left with yet another cliffhanger when Olivia broke the news to Stabler that she had tested her DNA and that she had a brother. Where this goes now is anyone's guess, but the problem I have with this is that at the end of the last episode, we had Elliott visiting his wife and trying to make things right--we never had any discussion and obviously no closure to that; and now we have this little twist about Olivia.
The problem about this is that SVU weaves in and out of being a procedural drama and then tries to examine its characters more closely, but we never get too much of each. While this retains interest to a certain degree, it can also be annoying if you prefer one over the other. I will agree that this season has been very entertaining, but it's been very short on the "subjective" side of how things are progressing in the character's minds; they played on the Stabler-Danni relationship and then re-established the chemistry with Olivia and Elliott when she returned from the undercover work, but since then it's been very flat. So, I certainly hope that before the season wraps up we can delve our ways back into the lives of these great, deep characters and have a little less focus on all of the details of a specific case they are involved in; I would think most fans of the show would agree--we want more!!
Goosey
Sun, 25 Feb 2007 23:10:00 +0000 - American Idol Season 6-Spotlight on Blake Lewis
I have to say that when the season got going at the rapid-fire pace that it did, my first viewing of Blake Lewis, was, for lack of a better term, one of lukewarm acceptance.
I mean, those of us that have been dissecting the show for a while at home or online know that when it comes to wanna-be's, they will do literally anything to get that "break". So when I saw the Seacrest-looking-do, the fact that he was a beatbox champion, and the "pretty boy" image, I thought, "Ok...well....I guess...."
His audition in Seattle was good, if not better than good. In a cliche, it certainly "exceeded expectations". However, I felt that during the Hollywood week, despite the centering on the group he was in doing "How Deep is Your Love", American Idol didn't give him much airtime. No...how could they? It was more interesting to see the Antonella Barba group go back and forth and ultimately end up in disarray, right? Ugh!
When we came into Week 1 for what many think is the "karaoke portion" of the competition, Lewis blew me away with his Keane rendition. I thought that it was well thought out, perfectly executed, and really set him apart from the competition.
Honestly, I believe that right now Chris Sligh and Blake are the class of the guys. When it was obvious that Sanjaya was in the top four of the guys even with a lackluster performance, it made it even more apparent that it is Sligh's and Lewis' to lose. But with the fact that Taylor Hicks winning Season 5, AI voters are clearly concerned with seeing people that can sing well but be more individualized than anything else.
The problem for Blake will be to continue to prove himself beyond the "beatboxer" mentality. It's the unfortunate thing that has followed many Idol contestants over the years where they get pigeonholed into a certain genre and when it comes time to break out into something else, they fail miserably (note all of the crooners that have fallen on their face). I believe ultimately this was Chris Daughtry's demise last year because no one truly believe he could be more of a "rocker" type. (Obviously, Daughtry is having the last belly laugh right now).
Lewis, however, can break this cycle. He has a pure voice, lovable persona, and with the seemingly lack of uniqueness with the guys this year, he should be able to continue to shine week in and week out. If he is not in the final 12 it will be a travesty amongst all of the other surprises that have already occurred. Well, that and if Antonella is still there standing with him...
Goosey--Out!!
Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:27:00 +0000 - American Idol--Did Web Scandal SAVE Antonella?
For those of us that are American Idol diehards, there are strange roads that people take to stardom. When it has involved something like celebrities, pageant contestants, or those who are of moral "dignity", anything that is usually web-related is negatively affecting. We've seen some people in compromising positions and just go "What in the name of corn on the cob were they thinking?"
Now, cue Antonella Barba, of American Idol prowess. We watched her audition with her best friend, bicker with her best friend, cry with her best friend when she didn't make it, and most of the time when it came to singing, she was good but not great. I would be inclined to say that the majority of people who appreciate the show for the talent portion of it would agree that when she made the top 24, she was one of the surprises.
Then comes week 1. Frankly, her performance was not good. It wasn't even close to good.
But, something funny happened on the way to the forum.....
Earlier this week, some photos appeared on the web, and these were not your typical run of the mill yearbook pictures, if you know what I mean. We had Antonella in a discreetly semi-nude pic with friends, one shot of her flipping off the camera, and yet another of her in--of all places--on the toilet!! Good Lord, girl, cover yourself up, or at least avoid Taco Bell for a bit....
Now, is there any coincidence with the fact that these pics show up and she is able to stay on another week? I think not. I believe, in this day and age, when we have those like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears showing off their cash and prizes to virtually any paparazzi that can stomach it, something that happens with Antonella as far as this event is proof that this contest is teetering towards being more pop culture than singing competition.
I was dissapointed to see Rudy and Paul go, not so much Amy and Nicole, but I still don't think Antonella deserves to bellow out notes that aren't right; Amy and Nicole were much better than her, and America got suckered into another 15 minutes of fame for Antonella. Well, I guess there's not much I can do now other than search for more pics, I mean, hope that eventually America gets it right.
Goosey
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:12:00 +0000 - "The Office" Review--Dinner at the CFO's House
If there's one thing that I can say about "The Office", is that even in a time where corporate America is constantly skewered, this show always finds a different twist on their characters and also on life as they know it. In this episode, the focus is on going to a Dunder-Mifflin dinner at the CFO, and the main premise is that Jan and Michael are making their relationship public. Of course, Dwight is attending as Michael's sidekick; Jim and Karen are joining them as well there to schmooze with other white-tie kissups, and Jim couldn't be more happier. *Cue blank look at camera*
Meanwhile, back at the hall of justice....
The others (sorry, we're not reviewing Lost right now) decide to take off early and go to a happy hour. Here the focus is on Roy and Pam's relationship, where we've seen a "new and improved" Pammy (but don't call her Pammy), who is asking for what she desires instead of sitting idly by. Of course, there's other funny things going on, like Kevin's non-discussion about a date, Toby's incessant playing for a duck that Pam commented she thought was cute, and numerous other one-liners.
The whole "unfolding" of Jan and Michael is just the sort of uneasiness that "The Office" is so great at; Michael is obviously his inappropriate and unpolitically correct self while Jan has a panicked look on her face the entire episode; Karen starts screwing with Jim's mind telling him that she's dated pretty much everyone there with a special story to each; Dwight takes it upon himself to investigate everything in the house, including pulling on the bannister, checking for studs in the wall, climbing on the chimney, and everything else that is pure Dwight.
Flashing back to the bar, the end of the episode takes a rather serious turn when Pam confides to Roy what happened on Casino night last year. This took me as a surprise, especially the reaction Roy took by throwing a beer bottle into a mirror. In fact, the end line of "I'm gonna kill Jim.." made a very funny episode into something that left you going "Wow."
Overall, this was yet another comedically genius episode that surely had everyone squirming in their chairs with the awkward silences, off-the-cuff commentary, and the inappropriateness of Michael and Dwight.
Where will Jan and Michael go now? She's obviously very insecure but yet torn because she knows what a doof Michael is; he is so over-the-top in love with her because of his own insecurities I can see him really smothering the daylights out of her!
The Pam-Roy Jim-Karen, er, square, should really start to heat up again. This ongoing melodrama and main story line gets better and more anticipation is building on it, even more than it was just Pam and Jim. I can't wait to see how this unfolds.
My grade: 3 of 4 stars
Goosey
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:46:00 +0000 - American Idol Results Week 1
Welcome to the first cut night. Where men are men and the women should rule. :)
32 million votes, a great start and another indication of the juggernaut that is American Idol.
Ok, group song time. Can they make this any cornier? Get something new, guys. And please--"Sowing the Seeds of Love"? Why? WHY LORD WHY?
Not that I don't like Tears for Fears...but that was over a decade ago. They could have at least had a fun version of "Sexyback" or something to again give merit to this night instead of seeing who's head is going to get chopped off.
Who's got the edge?
Chris Sligh's comments about Simon: Pure comedy.
Let's get to it.
Holy crap!! Sundance is safe? COME ON AMERICA, What the dilly-o??? That is about as surprising as Curtis getting bumped off on 24.
Paul gets voted off? Wow...I am floored. I thought for sure that he would be safe for a couple of weeks; while I think that this may be a cop out, perhaps America may not be ready for an Asian American Idol. He didn't deserve to go home this early.
OK--another soapbox moment here...American Idol's tradition of having the loser sing, especially the song they got voted out on, is just pure evil to me. Why would anyone want to do that? It doesn't make sense other than to kill time; it's DEGRADING.
Now onto the first cut for the girls...I was surprised to see Leslie and Antonella on the first set, because I thought that they would maybe both be going home, although my gut said Antonella and Alaina (see previous post).
HOLY CRAP PART 2!!! Antonella is safe? I cannot believe this at all.....
Amy gets voted off. Just like in my previous post, I think that her lack of uniqueness did her in. That's too bad, because she blew away three other women, in my opinion.
After the plug for the American Idol challenge, we get to see Fantasia Barrino, er, Grace Jones, er Wesley Snipes from Judge Dredd, er, sorry, that IS Fantasia. After watching about 30 seconds of the performance, I am wondering if she is going to swallow the mic. GOOD LORD that woman has a big mouth! ;p
Now, onto the second round of cuts for the girls...
Grrrrrrr!! Nicole gets voted off. Again, I can't believe that--because she was not in my top 2 or three. I am REALLY surprised by the results so far.
Alrighty then...the guys' turn. I wouldn't be surprised with the way it's gone if America voted off Taylor Hicks this week...
Alright, well officially I am 0-for-4. Rudy going home is another travesty--he took a risk and it evidently didn't pay off, and going first obviously hurt him as well. He was much better than at least three other guys that night.
So....that's a wrap. I am dumbfounded by this. It looks like I am going to have to start racking up a bunch of text message charges in order to get my picks!!!
GOOSEY--OUT!!!
Fri, 23 Feb 2007 03:16:00 +0000 - American Idol Season 6 Week 1-The Girls take over
Ok, so we've GOT to have a better night than the guys. Let's reaaaaaaaalllllllly hope so. REALLY. Seriously. Let's GO!
Stephanie Edwards-she seems to be very pure and sweet, with the kind of coolness that Paris exhibited last year. Honestly, listening to her through the auditions, she reminds me of Toni Braxton. I had never heard the song she sang before, but I thought it was a KILLER way to start the show and set the tone. She really sounded great, confident, and unique. The judges were very nice, except for the fact that the word "pitchy" was already stated. Good grief, Randy, please...I'm waiting for him to one of these times to go "Welcome...to...the hall of Presidents...."
Amy Krebs-I believe she has a long road ahead of her, she has a decent voice but not anything that sets her too far apart from anyone else. I guess what I am saying is the "uniqueness" factor could spell trouble for her eventually. Her version of "I Can't make you Love me" was more poetic than what she may think. Not a very good job, in my opinion. The judges were pretty rough, Simon's commentary about "not remembering her" wasn't really constructive at all. I felt that Randy's comments were spot on.
Leslie Hunt-Ok, I am sorry, but this woman scares me. Seriously...I mean "Single White Female" type of scare....Big personalities are one thing, being odd is another. Her voice reminds me of Melissa Etheridge with a rasp that is actually pretty cool. The performance was ok, I guess, but nothing to write home about. I really agree with what Simon said about the "actions" not matching the voice, etc.
Sabrina Sloan-She seems to be a very "neat" individual who was challenged off the bat and has battled through adversity to make it to this point. The performance was really, really good. She had some moments where she looked like she was stretching for the note but overall it was an outstanding performance. The judges obviously saw this as well.
Antonella Barba-although she seems to be the lesser of two evils, I believe this individual will have a very tough road ahead because of her friend and the "guilty by association". She seems to be a pretty sweet girl; the nerves were apparent off the bat. Her song choice, "I Don't want to Miss a Thing", was not really the best, in my opinion--a little too big for her voice and "sultry" sound; she really tried way too hard on the rendition. Simon really hit the nail on the head.
Jordan Sparks-She first seemed to me to be too young, too out of her league. After hearing her sing "Give me One Reason", I am a believer--this girl has some PIPES! She really nailed it, I truly believe it. I'm not really sure what type of critique was really meant by Randy and Paula's, it didn't make much sense; overall, she's definitely safe.
Nicole Tranquillo-what a sweet little gal! She's one of those people that when her voice comes out, you go "Really? REALLY?" Obviously voice training has assisted. The song choice was suspect; not to be a master of the obvious, but this seemed to have much too much "soul" for her to break through. I didn't think it was a good performance, a lot of almost "screeching"! I love how Simon calls Paula out whenever she contradicts herself--his feedback was the best.
Haley Scarnato--I think this is a naturally beautiful woman that brings the "McPhee" factor into this year's show: someone with a great pure voice and great looks. However, the song choice and how she did it really didn't "match", almost taking a pop song and making it "opera-tic". Still, a decent performance overall.
Melinda Doolittle--I find her simply great, to see someone perservere as she has throughout, you can just SEE her confidence growing, and she already had a GREAT sound. I was simply floored by her singing--I feel she is the one to beat at this point--she has the stage presence, sound, and lovable personality. The judges were very complimentary, and it was well-deserved.
Alaina Alexander--Although personally I can't stand someone who sheds a tear seemingly on demand, she seems to have a very genuine personality. By doing "Brass in Pocket" she placed a challenge into her performance because even the original song didn't have a huge "range" to it, so being creative and showing her abilities really didn't mesh up with the song too well. It was an average performance at best. Again, Ryan and Simon go at it, yadda yadda yadda, cue the commercials. Note: her response of "nice" to Simon's response was purely unprofessional.
Gina Glocksen--She has such a huge personality and a "Pink" vibe to her. I was amazed at the song selection, as it was a very large challenge to sing on the first night. In the middle, I got a little concerned, but she tore it up at the end. A very good showing, to say the least.
LaKisha Jones--I have looked forward to her progress, she seems just like someone who is very thankful for what she has. Plus, she's got the Aretha-style voice that is very powerful. She absolutely brought the house down--a wonderful job and I actually feel proud of her! Another front runner to start it off. The judges gave her due, and Simon's comments put a definite target on her back.
Overall, this night was great--they blew away the guys and set themselves apart as the cream of the crop. Despite some of the clamoring between the judges and Ryan, etc., this was one of the best opening nights in AI history, in my humble opinion.
However, two must go from the girls. Antonella and Alaina will more than likely be the ones that hit the road. Leslie is right behind, and her "oddness" could doom her.
GOOSEY...OUT!! :P
Thu, 22 Feb 2007 02:07:00 +0000
