Wow, this put tears in my eyes. Must be from an American Idol for kids in England. Simon Cowell says some great things. The stunned expressions when this kid started singing are priceless.
R.I.P. Mr. Whipple
I read yesterday that Mr. Whipple, the “Please don’t squeeze the Charmin” guy, died last week. Age 91. That ad campaign lasted 20 years, starting in 1964, and included over 500 commercials. Real name: Dick Wilson. The first ad was filmed in Flushing, NY–somebody’s idea of a wierd joke.
In interesting guy, according to this obit.
Dancing with Democracy
Dancing with the Stars is now a joke. No way should Sabrina have gotten voted off. She was consistently near the top. The judges were astounded. But alas, she lacked the fan base of Jane Seymour and Marie Osmond. The people voted…and, though clearly the best dancer, she wasn’t the most popular.
American Idol has seen its share of injustices, but nothing on this scale.
Democracy has its place. Iraq may or may not be one such place. Determining who goes and who stays on Dancing with the Stars–definitely not something you let “the people” decide.
The Happy Billionaire
Pam and I watched some of last year’s “Dancing with the Stars” and found it fun. Last night Pam said she’d like to watch it regularly this time, because Marie Osmond and Jane Seymour are participating. She likes them. I want to watch “Dancing with the Stars,” too. But for me, the draw is Mark Cuban, the billionaire bad-boy owner of the Dallas Mavericks. I’m a Cuban fan. A fan of his basketball team, of his blog, and of his approach to life.
In explaining on his blog why he agreed to participate in “Dancing with the Stars,” he wrote the following:
I’m the first to admit that I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I can honestly say I wake up every morning with a smile knowing what a wonderful family, friends and life I have. It’s the exact same way I felt when I was broke.
Money makes so many things in life easier, but it can’t buy you a positive outlook on life. Fortunately, how any of us approaches each of our days is completely up to us. It’s not something you can buy or sell. It’s not hard to put a smile on your face every day, but for some reason some people find it impossible to do. Not me.
The opportunity to do something unique that makes me smile is something I try not to pass up, Dancing with the Stars is just that….I’m going to be out there to win, but I promise you no one is going to be having a better time than me. I can promise you that.
When I’m 90 years old and talking to my grand kids and hopefully great grand kids, I won’t be the grandparent who tells them about the things I wished I had done and how they should experience life, I will be the grandparent with tons of great stories that hopefully inspires them to live their lives to the fullest.
Moments of Sanity
Two good things happened yesterday, evidences of sanity after the extreme insanity of the shootings at Virginia Tech on Monday.
First, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on partial birth abortions. It’s about time. Some credit is going to the new Bush appointees to the court. I’m not sure it would have been any different with Rehnquist and O’Connor still on the bench. Regardless–good move.
Then last night, Sanjayah got voted off of American Idol. In the grand scheme of things, this may not be quite as consequential as the Supreme Court decision. However, it is certainly more firmly in the American consciousness, however warped that may seem. The jokesters and teary-eyed teeny-boppers who speed-dialed for Sanjayah, in the end, couldn’t undermine the minions who take Idol excruciatingly seriously.
There was cheering in our household when Sanjayah got the boot. I don’t remember any of us talking about the partial-birth abortion ban.
Sanjayah–Rising Above
I’m ready to get on the Sanjayah bandwagon. Earlier, when better singers got voted off and the judges showed their displeasure that Sanjayah was remaining, I felt sorry for him. He had a hang-dog look, and I felt like he would probably be relieved when he finally got let go.
But the kid has spunk. He’s making the best of the situation, milking it for all it’s worth. He’s not trying to wow the judges with his singing, but playing to the crowd with showmanship. I loved his little dance with Paula last week. And who isn’t curious about what he’ll do with his hair next? He turned an object of ridicule into a huge asset.
So, I say, “Go Sanjayah! You’re caught in forces way beyond your control, and you’re making the most of it. I salute your spunk.”
Poor Sanjayah
I feel downright sad for Sanjayah. The poor kid knows he shoulda been gone a long time ago, and that he’s only in because of jokesters. He’s trying his best, but he just doesn’t have it. Yet he keeps getting voted to the next round. I’m guessing he’ll be greatly relieved when he’s finally let go…or IF he’s finally let go. I’m sure Simon’s nightmare is that his record company would have to try to make a star out of Sanjayah if he won the whole thing. It’s nice, at least, that tonight the cameras weren’t turned to Simon, Randy, and Paula when Sanjayah was told he’s staying once again; we had two weeks of their open-mouthed gasps, and that was enough.
I wish the people who vote for Sanjayah would take this more seriously. And yet, It’s sad, even pathetic, that Steve Dennie takes American Idol so seriously.
So much for this week’s fluff report.
Goodbye to “Lost”
Last week, as Pam and I set the VCR before heading off to Wednesday prayer meeting, we decided we’d had enough of “Lost.” So we skipped it. I noticed that in last night’s episode, according to TV Guide, Hurley found a car. Yeah, I’m a tad curious. But not curious enough to resume watching. We’re done with “Lost.”
I’ll keep a casual interest in what’s happening, and will want to know how the series ultimately ends. But I suspect that when we discover what this whole island was about, it’ll be intensely unsatisfying, and that the final explanation won’t account for all kinds of things that have happened during the course of the show. Just like X Files.
Besides, I grew real tired of the main characters being couped up in cages through the entire fall. I loved the show for a long time. But my interest in remaining a regular viewer is gone.
The Fluff Report: American Idol
Time for an American Idol fluff post. Yes, Pam and I watch the show. Started last year, got hooked, and now we’re back. I will be posting about American Idol, but as far as I can tell, the show in no way contributes to the ministry of my church or to world evangelization in general (though I’m sure numerous contestants will find reason to thank God for something). In short, the path to heaven does not pass in front of Randy, Paula, and certainly not Simon. And yet, I am compelled to obsess over the show.
I find this year’s contestants pretty boring, especially compared to last year. Most of the guys sound alike. Only Blake Lewis, Chris Sligh, and the too-young Sanjayah are interesting. But it’s early, and I can see Sundance and Phil breaking from the pack. I liked Rudy, who was dismissed from the show last night; a good performer.
The women are similarly boring, though a bit more diverse. Melinda Doolittle is my favorite, and I like Sabrina. Beyond that–I don’t really care. We desperately need a Kelly Pickler.
Last year’s crew was so much more interesting. Where is this year’s Taylor Hicks? There are no country reps this year, like Kelly and Bucky Covington. No Elliott Yamin. Chris Sligh can only pretend to be Chris Daughtrey’s succesor. Several women could perhaps take Kat McPhee’s place, potentially. Lakisha is certainly Mandisa, and Stephanie Edwards can stand in for Paris Bennett and Lisa Tucker. A couple guys can do a lesser version (complete with lesser falsetto) of Ace Young. And where, oh where, is this year’s Kevin Covais? Overall, the calibre definitely took a hit this year. At least, that’s my early diagnosis as a highly trained evaluator of vocal talent…not!
I find myself despising Antonella Barba, simply because of her friend who got dismissed in Hollywood. An early feature showed them as two pretty, stuck-on-themselves, aren’t-we-beautiful dilettantes, like so many Valley-Girlites I knew in high school. Now that Antonella is by herself, she actually comes across as likable, and she’s certainly pretty. But I still hate her because of baggage I still carry from my adolescent years. Interesting that I can muster up such strong emotions over this TV show. Such is the state of my shallowness.
Now I need to go see what’s happening with Anna Nicole.
Anna Watch
Just checked the news stations. MSNBC, Headline News, and Fox News were all covering Anna Nicole Smith. Only CNN was doing something substantive (an interview with Bill Richardson, who I really like). My read is that Fox and Headline News are drifting increasingly into fluff and general cheapness. MSNBC is on the rise, and CNN leads the way in doing real news. Yeah, I know, our Republican puppetmasters claim that CNN is liberal and that only Fox can be trusted. Baloney. Who can I trust? I’ll take CNN over Fox any day of the week.
