Wow - I am a horrible blogger...

... which is not to be confused with "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog". I wish I had a sing-a-long blog, though. That would be kinda awesome.

So, why haven't I updated since August?

Hmm.... I honestly have no idea. But, I'm here now, so I will write and perhaps you will read. I'm fairly sure no one reads this anyway, so I could probably make up some super elaborate story about my whereabouts the past few months and no one would be able to call me on my bluff...

Well, today is November 18th and 2 things happen today:
1. Bones Season 3 comes out on DVD
and
2. David Cook's first album ("David Cook") drops

They are atop my Christmas List, as in these harsh economic times it is not financially wise to drop $30-$40 on "fun" things when I could use that money for food or gas for my car. Curse you, Economy!

Hopefully things will turn around... see we just elected Barack Obama as our nation's leader, so my fingers are crossed that he will lead us back to better times. "Yes We Can"

Woot :)

So, I went and saw Quantum of Solace on opening day... and it was pretty good. Until Casino Royale, I wasn't really a James Bond fan. I had seen most of the Bond movies, but only as an innocent bystander (my dad and brother are fans of the franchise). But then Casino Royale/Daniel Craig come along and whooooooooosh, I am now a fan. See, Bond Franchise, all it took was a great script and a great actor and then you could acquire a larger demographic of fans.

Quantum of Solace was good - not as good as Casino Royale, but it was still entertaining. I love action movies - car chases, gun fights, fist fights, people chasing people on rooftops, boat chases are all very acceptable forms of entertainment in my eyes. Quantum had all of that, but the story was a bit off... too much plot for such a short movie. Less than 2 hours? Come on!

And that theme song/opening title sequence was sooooooooooo bad. I was glad the rest of the film did not reflect the horrificness of that fiasco. Bond songs, even if the movie is crappy, are usually great, but this one was not. Not good at all... And all those naked women writhing in the sand dunes? I know that fits the usual trend of opening sequences, but Casino Royale's opening title sequence didn't have any naked women and it was awesome. (And "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell was a frickin' great Bond theme)

What else, what else?

I'm trying to think what else I've seen in recent months that is worth mentioning... I liked Kevin Smith's latest movie - "Zack and Miri Make a Porno". It was really sweet... beneath all the curse words is a really heartwarming tale of friends falling in love. I like most of Smith's movies, so I wasn't surprised that I liked this one so much.

I'm really looking forward to "Australia"... love the director, love the actors, love the epic feel of the trailer. Even the font they use for the movie's title on the poster harkens back to films of the 30s and 40s. Love. It.

Other movies I'm looking forward to are "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader". Is it a coincidence that they both star Kate Winslet? NOPE. Winslet is my favorite actress and always turns in a stellar performance. In "Revolutionary Road" she once again stars with Leonardo DiCaprio, but instead of a boat sinking, it looks like their marriage starts too... the trailer is amazing and I think you should check it out. "The Reader" co-stars my favorite actor in the world, Ralph Fiennes (!), and takes place during/after the Holocaust, so you know it's going to be powerful. I've just started reading the book, so I don't know how it's going to end yet, but so far the book is really interesting.

Turning to the television, we've had a few weeks of new primetime shows. The biggest letdown has been Heroes. What the hell happened? The first season was amazing. The second season was crap. This third season... leaning more towards crap as well. Has it jumped the shark? Yes... yes it has.

Two other shows that also have been nothing but melodramatic smut have been Grey's Anatomy and its spinoff, Private Practice? WHY DO I KEEP WATCHING THEM? I think it's a sickness... I don't want to watch them, but I feel like I have to.

Denny's been back on Grey's for a couple weeks now - WHY? He's dead! There is a rumor floating about that Izzie has a brain tumor and that's why she keeps seeing him and interacting with him. I would be okay if this rumor is true - I honestly would be glad if Katherine Heigl left the show and attempted a movie career. She was okay in "Knocked Up", but "27 Dresses" wasn't exactly "When Harry Met Sally..." now, was it? She, if she makes movies, I can avoid seeing them... if she's still on Grey's, that means I still have to see her for a little bit every week. My stomach can't take her or her storyline anymore. The saving graces on Grey's are McSteamy and new doc, Dr. Hunt. They should have their own show.

And Private Practice... everybody's just having sex all the time - do they not practice medicine at their practice? I guess not. Even my love for Tim Daly cannot save this crappy show in my eyes. The one redeeming factor is that Dell is back at the practice... he went away for a week, and then was working at the real hospital, but now he's back. And he wants manly colored scrubs!

One hour shows that have been tolerable this season are Numb3rs, ER and Bones. Numb3rs is not great, but it's not bad either. I like all the math and the relationship between the Epps boys and their dad and co-workers. I do not like the new FBI lady, though.

ER is in its final season. I started watching the show when I entered college, so I've only seen about 6 seasons. This season has introduced us to some new people and brought back some old favorites. It was really great to see Shane West's character a few weeks ago and Anthony Edwards last week. The show has been through some ups and downs and County General has hired a wide variety of doctors and nurses over the years and have lost a bunch along the way. What is going to fill the 10-11 slot on NBC when it's gone?

And then there's Bones... oh, Bones. I got hooked on this show a couple years ago via my mother and reruns on TV. My mom majored in Biology and loves murder mysteries, so this show is right up her alley. I like the science and murder stuff, but find the Brennan/Booth Moonlightingesque relationship to be interesting. Not every episode is a winner (like the one about the guy stuck in the art sculpture - what a weak episode!), but some are downright great (last week's one with the peek into Booth's troubled past was touching). I hope the show continues on an upward path and doesn't succomb to being cheesy.

The greatest show on television, however, is 30 Rock, hands down. That show is super funny every week. I hope the rumor (which I read on ew.com) that they are courting Jon Hamm (from "Mad Men") to be on for a few episodes is true. I had no idea who Jon Hamm was, but then he hosted SNL a few weeks ago... he's super handsome and funny, so I am all for him being on 30 Rock. If we can't have Jason Sudeikis as Floyd, then PLEASE OH PLEASE bring in Jon Hamm.

The Office, My name is Earl and How I Met Your Mother, the three other 1/2 hour shows I watch weekly, are all solid so far this season. Keep it up, comedies... there are too few of you who are watchable and the country needs to laugh.

Saturday Night Live has been providing some large laughs this season. Just this past weekend, Paul Rudd and Beyonce (with a little help from SNL fave Justin Timberlake) tore it up. The hosts have been pretty funny this season and there have been some very entertaining episodes. Thanks to Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impressions last month, the show enjoyed some of its highest ratings in a long, long time.

And that's all the news that is fit to print. I'm currently filing out grad school applications, so that's taking up some time (along with a new job). Before I typed this sucker out, I scanned some of my articles and made them into PDFs... I felt all smart because I knew what I was doing with the scanner even though I haven't used this one before. Yay me and technology :) Now I just need to locate my flash drive, then my technology infused day will be a complete success.

I hope you are staying warm (we have an inch of snow on the ground!) and that all is well. Enjoy some movies and/or some TV shows. Maybe crack open a good book or magazine! It's the holiday season and we all deserve to be merry :)

Have a good one!

"Parlez-vous Olympics?!" and RDJ

Good day,

I realize I haven't' updated this in awhile... probably because I haven't watched any movies lately. (Gasp!) No... like most of the world, I was watching the Olympics for the past couple weeks. They've been over since Sunday night and I'm only just getting back into my normal TV/movie watching routine... I plan on seeing "Hamlet 2" sometime this weekend, so that should be entertaining, to say the least. Steve Coogan is a funny, funny man.

But before I spout off about the cinema, I'd like to put in my 2 cents about this year's Summer Games. I love the Olympics. Like whoa. But, I really only get into the Swimming, Diving, Gymnastics and Track & Field. This is probably because that's all that NBC shows in the evening hours when I'm free to watch TV. I would have liked to watch some soccer, baseball, softball, etc..., but network television doesn't think that the general public is interested in that. Well, we are. Instead of watching all of the NBC affiliates at all hours of the night, my sister looked up on-line who won all of the non-NBC televised events.

As we all know, the Games turned in a Michael Phelps a-thon... which I was okay with. I really enjoy watching amazing swimmers because I like swimming, but I'm not at all awesome at it. It's great that he won his 8 gold medals... but really, no one else but a swimmer (or a very, very, VERY talented Men's gymnast who could manage to get team gold, all-around gold, and then a gold on each of the 6 events) could get 8 golds in 1 Olympics. Michael Phelps is a phenomenal athlete who seems to have respect for his teammates and his mom. (BTW, his mom was the highlight of the games... it was almost more fun to watch her cheer on her son and his relay team than actually watch the event itself). He's supposed to be hosting SNL on September 13th... let's hope he is as entertaining out of the water as he is in the water.

Gymnastics were good to watch... it was interesting to see the Men's team be so psyched about winning bronze and how sad the Women's team was that they got silver. Cheer up chicas, you beat out hundreds of other girls to get the silver! You should be proud. I won't even get into the whole "Those girls from the China team still look like they are in elementary/middle school" debacle... But some of them did look quite young...

Closing ceremonies were all right. I enjoyed the fireworks and those women who had all the bells on. I really liked those guys that were strapped to that tower... that was awesome. How they ran up the sides of it... and then the dudes in the middle of the human flowers who were running on air. So cool!

I'm looking forward to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. My sister wants to go... and so do I, but let's be realistic... that probably costs a ton of $. And in this economy, with my paycheck, that ain't gonna happen. Thank you America... once again I'll be enjoying the Olympics from the comfort of my home/cardboard box (hey, I don't know where I'll be in 2 years).

As mentioned above, I will be getting back into my movie-watching habits now that the Games are over. First stop, Hamlet 2... I've seen the trailer, I saw Steve Coogan on Conan. I am 100% convinced I am going to laugh out loud and thoroughly enjoy the film this weekend.

I haven't seen a movie in a couple weeks. The last thing I saw was Tropic Thunder (in which Coogan co-starred). I did a one-time-only lift of my own personal lifetime boycott of Tom Cruise/Ben Stiller movies to see this film (Mel Gibson is the other person on my lifetime boycott list...).

Honestly, the only reason I saw Tropic Thunder was because of Robert Downey Jr. If he wasn't in the film, I would have avoided it like the plague. He made the film funny. Tom Cruise is getting a lot of hype for his part, but he creeped me out. Like this was some excuse for him to dress in a fat suit and curse a lot and do lewd dance moves. I saw through your guise, Cruise, and you still make me wretch.

But back to Robert Downey Jr... I am so very glad that he is back in the limelight (for a positive thing...). I have been a RDJ fan for many, many years. Even in high school/early years of college, I watch a bunch of RDJ films and realized what a talented actor he is. Chaplin... SO BRILLIANT! And even earlier this summer, in Iron Man, RDJ proved that he can do the action movie but still keep his sarcastic edge in tact. He's funny, but vulnerable and relatable at the same time.

In Tropic Thunder, RDJ took a huge creative risk. Playing a character who goes beyond black-face to play a part in a movie is not exactly politically correct and could offend a lot of people. But, RDJ's character is not making fun of black people... his character is so Method, that he doesn't know of any other way to get into character unless he "gets into character"... from the outside and the inside. He's so wrapped up in himself, that he gets knocked down a peg or two throughout the film by his cast mates. The arc of RDJ's character is the most interesting one in the film, and it's really fascinating to see him dig further and further into his Method hole and then crawl back out and learn some "Life Lessons". (BTW, I'm not knocking Method Acting... I completely respect an Actor and his/her craft/process. The use of it in this film is just extreme and is meant to be laughed at).

Now - if only they would make "Satan's Alley" into a real movie... starring RDJ's character and Tobey Maguire. That would be PRICELESS.

Well, I should get going... maybe watch a movie or something (?)

Have a fantastic day and I'll cya at the cinema :)

All Aboard the Pineapple Express (and other happenings this weekend)

Good day,

Like many other people in my age bracket, I went and saw the latest Judd Apatow production this past weekend - Pineapple Express.

I laughed. A lot. And I'm not even someone who supports pot-smoking (I think it's gross and not a good way to spend your time or money - but that's just my opinion). But, I am a fan of Apatow's films, especially those featuring (and/or written by) the very funny Seth Rogen.

Pineapple Express was not a "good" film in the way that Knocked Up and Superbad were good films. Those films had strong plotlines and characters you could really care about. Pineapple Express was labeled a "weed/action movie", and that's really all it is. It's a weed movie with action sequences (guns, car chases, fight scenes, explosions, etc...). But Pineapple Express doesn't teach you life lessons like Apatow's other films of years past (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Instead, Pineapple Express gives you plenty of material to laugh at without you, the audience, having to strain your brain cells.

Even though it's not a "good" film, Pineapple Express is a fun watch. It was so refreshing to see James Franco in a comedy. To be honest, I find him aesthetically pleasing, so I've seen a bunch of his films over the past few years... and to continue being honest, most of them suck. A lot. (Spider Man 3, Annapolis, etc...) He's been doing the Spider Man movies or dramas for awhile now, it was nice to see him re-embracing comedy. (Remember "Freaks and Geeks" from 2001? You should. And if you don't, then go find it on DVD and watch the whole season and you'll see what I mean. Comedy.)

Franco and Rogen made as great on-screen team - probably b/c their friends off-screen as well. Everything that came out of Franco's mouth was hilarious. So, props to Rogen (and his screenwriting partner, Evan Goldberg) for writing good material and props to Franco for bringing it to life. Loved that Jaws shirt and those striped pajama pants... they went so well with the laid back/stoned off his ass attitude. In a way, I was reminded of The Dude. Good times.

Beside Pineapple Express, I watched a LOT of the Olympics. My sister and I have been recording everything on NBC and then going through it (God Bless the DVR... fastforwarding and rewinding television is GLORIOUS). We're big fans of Swimming, Diving and Gymnastics, so that's mostly what we've been paying attention to. We actually went to highschool with one of the men's swimmers. He didn't medal, but he made it to the Finals for the 100m Breaststroke, so that was cool.

The highlight so far has been swimming - last night when the Men's team won the 400m Freestyle Relay... HOLY COW that was INTENSE!

The USA was in 2nd place until literally the last 20 feet of the race, and then the USA guy punched it into overdrive and won by, like 8 hundreths of a second. It was awesome. We were cheering so loud! Luckily we don't have neighbors, or else we'd have woken everyone up with our shouting and hollering for Team USA. Yay America :)

This afternoon, because my sister is at work and I would feel wrong for watching the Olympics w/o her, I decided to check out "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog". For those of you not familiar with this little piece of wonderful, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog" is an on-line series of 3 videos created by Joss Whedon (the guy who made Buffy, Angel, Firefly, etc...)

I had heard about Dr. Horrible and read about it in my EW, but had to check it out for myself. And I'm so glad that I did! Dr. Horrible stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillian and Felecia Day and it's a musical about an evil scientist named Dr. Horrible (NPH) who has a crush on a girl from the landromat (Day) who ends up dating his nemesis, Captain Hammer (Fillian). The songs are actually really catchy and the cast is great - Neil Patrick Harris is awesome. I haven't gotten the chance to see him live on Broadway yet, so seeing him in this little on-line video series was awesome. I know people are hoping there will be more installments - I'm hoping right there with them!

I'm a relative newcomer to Joss Whedon's work. The only Buffy anything I've ever seen was the 1992 film (which Whedon wrote, though I wasn't aware of who he was when I saw it... I was in elementary school!). I haven't seen Firefly or Serenity (though I think I'd like them). I recently started watching Angel (I got hooked on David Boreanaz from Bones, so this was the next logical series to watch, I thought... too bad I didn't know any of the Angel backstory from Buffy - whoops!), and I'm almost done with the whole series. So, I'm trying to get on the Whedon bandwagon :)

Well - I must be off. There is a lot of job hunting to do, as well as Olympics to watch.

Have a good one!

Film As An Art Form

Hey everybody,

I haven't written in awhile because I just moved to a new town (well, not new, as I lived here a few years ago... but new as in different city/state than where I lived 2 weeks ago) and I've been spending just about my entire day looking on-line and in town for jobs.

I had a little break in my day, so I thought I would spout off about something that I was told this morning...

See, I have been emailing local newspapers to see if there was any need for an entertainment writer (more specifically, writing about film) on their staff. With one paper, I've had the privilege to write an article about a music-based fundraiser for a local performance venue (in which they are taking the "free" in freelance to the nth degree - my article is getting published, but I'm not seeing a dime for it...). The other paper I contacted this morning had no film articles anywhere in their Arts & Entertainment section, so I thought I would be an asset to their team. I emailed the editor and told him about myself and how I noticed the lack of film articles.

He graciously wrote back to me a couple hours later and said Thanks but no - his publisher (and I quote) "doesn't think of film as an art form".

Hold the phone.

WHAT?!?!

Now, I wrote a paper about this very subject for my Art and Morality course in college. Crappy movies like "House of Wax" or "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" are probably not perceived as art. They aren't classy pictures like "The English Patient" or "The Crying Game". But making film *is* an art form. It's amazing that movies get made... they take hundreds, maybe even thousands of people working together using sound, technology, film, actors, various crew members, etc... all working towards a single objective - a finished movie.

Each person who works on a movie is like a different color of paint used in different combinations and applied with different techniques to create this massive moving mural.

This paper's Arts & Entertainment section was full of articles abotu music and theater. I LOVE music and theater. But aren't those also means of entertainment that are created by a group of people working towards one goal? The music articles are about local musicians and not people like Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears. Miley and Britney have out out some catchy songs, but I wouldn't say that their music has shaped history like Mozart or Beethoven. I wouldn't say that the local artists have shaped music history like Mozart or Beethoven... or even Miley and Britney.

Art is meaningful to the eye of the beholder. While I trash films like the aforementioned "House of Wax" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry", those might be somebody's favorite movies ever. To that person, these movies are works of art.

When I walk around art museums and see those paintings that are just one, solid color (like Red, or Blue) covering an entire canvas, that does not scream "art" to me. But it's hanging in a musuem in New York City, so it's obviously pretty special, right?

I think it's unfair for someone, especially a publisher of a newspaper, to say that film is not an art form. It is. And there are thousands upon thousands of people who take pride in working in an art form as interesting as film. Movies have been around for less than 150 years... which is a blink of an eye when compared to how long people have been doing other art forms, like drawing and making music. But film is still an art form. And movies and people who love movies will be around for many, many years to come.

***

I'd also like to mention that I did go see The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia! on opening day a couple weeks ago... what a day for movies!!

The Dark Knight was amazing. The best film of the summer, by far. The ensemble is top notch, the script was engaging and was thought provoking. The characters, like Joker and Harvey Dent, are complex people - there aren't cartoony charicatures like in earlier films, these men have depths to them that are worth exploring. The effects and action sequences were great - I jumped in my seat on multiple occasions out of shock/fright.

The whole cast did a great job, but it really is Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker that stands out. Even if Ledger were alive today, people would still be talking about the performance. Is it Oscar worthy? When compared to other films that have already been released - Yes. Will that still be the case come nomination time? We'll see.

The Joker is one interesting guy... he's crazy, but not silly-crazy. The Joker was in complete control of his actions throughout the entire film - and in that way, he is entirely sane. The stuff he does is quite grizzly (that whole pencil bit "You wanna see a magic trick?" is unsuspecting, yet highly entertaining) and the way he cackles or licks his lips and brushes his stringy greenish hair off his face is downright disturbing. If all of that was written on the page, props to the screenwriter. But it's Ledger's execution of these little details that stand out and give you the willies.

The Dark Knight was entertaining, but so was Mamma Mia!. The songs are so catchy and everyone just looks like they are having fun.

The biggest problem with the film is Pierce Brosnan... man, it is uncomfortable to watch him sing. He kind of roars while he sings... he doesn't just open his mouth and belt one out, it looks like his face is winding up much like a pitcher ready to bring the heat. The group of people I was with, as well as the women behind us were laughing hysterically each time Bronsan sang - we couldn't help it. I had to look away from the screen because I was laughing so hard. Tears were pouring out of the corners of my eyes and my sides hurt from shaking in my chair. It was *funny*!

I plan on seeing Swing Vote this weekend. I freely admit to being a fan of Kevin Costner and I think it will be nice to see a comedic political film especially since it's Election Year and politics are on everyone's mind.

Have a great day and stay cool... it's getting hot out there.

I'll see ya at the movies!

Batman vs. Mamma Mia! - everyone's a winner here

This morning, I watched the HBO First Look for "The Dark Knight" as well as a VH1 special on the Top 10 things you should know about "Mamma Mia!". Both films open on July 18th, though it would seem to a largely different audience.

I am the exception to the rule, and I’m sure I am not alone. I will be seeing both of these films on opening day because they both are right up my cinematic alley.

The Dark Knight looks to be the best film of the summer. Sorry, Iron Man, but your time to shine is over. And how! Three years ago, Batman Begins renewed the series, bringing a darker feel to the franchise and the best cast a Batman film has ever had (with the exception of Katie Holmes… sorry girlie, but that was not one of your better performances). Now, from the trailers and commercials, The Dark Knight appears to one-up Batman Begins with additional (though completely familiar) characters, as well as more action and more destruction ripping away at Gotham City, as well as the Bat Man.

I have been looking forward to The Dark Knight as soon as the credits rolled for Batman Begins. The teaser trailer that came out last summer really got me excited – the one with just dialogue between Bruce Wayne and Alfred, and then the Joker’s threat that "The time, people will die" followed by that delightfully hideous cackle that to this day sends shivers down my spine. Then, since this past winter, they’ve been showing full length trailers for The Dark Knight, giving us snippets of the Joker in action, as well as the "good guy" Harvey Dent, telling us all that "The night is darkest before the dawn. But the dawn is coming!" (or something like that) and my heart starts pumping and I wished that July 18th were right around the corner.

Well, now July 18th is nearing, and I am beyond excited. I know The Dark Knight is just a movie. But it’s also an event. Most of the effects in the film were done practically (as in, not CGI)… there is a different actress playing Rachel Dawes (Thank you, Maggie Gyllenhaal)… and this film is the last feature that was completed by Heath Ledger before his unfortunate and untimely passing in January. And what a film to end on… there has been speculation for months that he will be nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker. And from the footage I’ve seen from trailers and commercials, I am going to agree. Heath Ledger was a talented actor, and in this film, it looks like he’s managed to take a memorable Jack Nicholson role, and completely make it his own. From the voice, to the look, to the way that he carries himself while he walks and add in that sickening laugh… and we have a new villain to give us the willies. And this villain will have willies staying power, much like Hannibal Lector, or that guy from A Clockwork Orange.

And then there’s Mamma Mia!... Right now, as I type this, I’m listening to my ABBA’s Greatest Hits CD in preparation for next week. I only know 4 songs now, but I’m sure I’ll have them all down by heart after seeing the movie.

So why would a girl who loves the action-packed, destructive nature of The Dark Knight want to see an ABBA filled movie musical with all singing, all dancing, all the time?

Because I friggin’ love musicals as much as I love action movies.

If I were a better singer and dancer, I would give musicals a go. But alas, I am not the greatest singer in the world, and my dancing skills, though somewhat lacking, are better than my singing voice. So, I take every chance I get to see live theatre/musicals or movie musicals. This past weekend, my sister and I drove up to Chicago on a whim to go see "Jersey Boys". We’ve been known to wake up before dawn, drive to NYC for a matinee and an evening show, and then drive straight back home. We loves our theater and show tunes And we also love our movie musicals.
Not only do we watching movie musicals, we feel obligated to support them by seeing them at least once while there are at a (movie) theater near us. Though we have yet to see Mamma Mia! on stage, we will be there opening day for the movie. We like ABBA, we love musicals, and we really enjoy the cast (Meryl Streep! Colin Firth! Amanda Seyfried! Woot!!).

On a more personal note, I’m glad to support this film because a woman wrote the script, a woman produced it, and a woman directed it. How many times is that the case for a major motion picture? (Answer: Not many, that’s for sure) You may call me a feminist all you want, but it would be great to see more female representation behind the scenes in the filmmaking industry. And if that is too much for the boys to handle, then please make more films where (strong) women are the main characters. Sex and the City: The Movie made a lot of money this summer… take the hint, already, Hollywood.

I hope you will join me in supporting both of these films. They have great casts and both look like a lot of fun.

I’ll see you at the movies… you know where I’ll be sitting :)

Tennis, anyone?

I hope that everyone got a chance to watch the Federer/Nadal match during the Men's Championship at Wimbledon yesterday... it was AMAZING.

I have been watching Wimbledon ever since I can remember... I cheered on Martina, Andre, Stefi, Pete, Venus, Serena and Roger... and I simply cannot get enough of Joe McEnroe's commentary (yep, I even used to watch his talk show... it lasted, what, like a week? But I watched it!).

Instead of packing and cleaning my apartment like a responsible person, I sat in front of the television for the whole of the day, unable to pull myself away from what will go down as probably the greatest Men's Finals EVER. Two rain delays, two tie breaker sets (3 and 4) and then that final set... 6-6, 7-7, then finally 7-9 (Nadal). In all my 24 1/2 years, I have never seen tennis like that. 

Though I was rooting for Federer, there is no denying that Nadal brought his A-game to Centre Court. He played well, and was helped by Federer's inability to hit stuff over the net when he was all up in the net's grill. Both men played well. Nadal just came out victorious this time. 

After the game ended, I felt jazzed to play tennis or at least watch more tennis. But then it dawned on me... there are really no good tennis movies. There is that ill-fated Paul Bettany/Kirsten Dunst fiasco, "Wimbledon", but that movie sucks. A lot. I saw it when it first came out on video because I like Bettany and tennis, but WOW, that was really bad. I watched it again sometime last year because I had become a huge James McAvoy fan, and he plays Bettany's little brother in the movie... so I suffered through it for my second (and ultimately FINAL) time.

Disney needs to get the ball rolling on a "Based on a true story" tennis film. They've made some great other sports movies (Miracle, Remember the Titans, The Rookie, etc...). Why not tennis? 

Maybe I'll just have to write one myself :) 

AFI Top 10 Top 10 - So many good films... left off the list!

Hola movie lovers,

You probably watched the AFI Top 10 Top 10 special that was on on Tuesday night. And you probably noticed that a lot of good films we left off the list altogether. I know I was yelling at the TV every now and again and I'm sure you were too.

Here's a recap of my reactions, genre by genre:

1. Animation

First off, why on Earth did Jennifer Love Hewitt host this chunk of the show? She wasn't a voice in any of the movies on this list. I really didn't have too many problems with the ten films chosen for this genre. Though I don't like some of them (Shrek, Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo...), I understand why each and every one of them were selected. I thought Toy Story should have been higher on the list than 6. And it was super predictable that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was going to be #1... since it was the 1st full length animated movie. But is it really the best animated movie ever made? No. But it's historic significance has permanently cemented its spot near the top of any movie list, especially when dealing with animation.

2. Fantasy

So, I was quite bummed that The Princess Bride was omitted from the Top 10 here. Like Snow White, everyone and their mom knew that The Wizard of Oz was going to snag the #1 slot. It was nice to see Field of Dreams make the list (especially since it was on the shortlist for Fantasy *and* Sports films), as well as It's a Wonderful Life. Two Jimmy Stewart made the Fantasy list (It's a Wonderful Life and Harvey), and this began a streak of Stewart films. If I'm not mistaken, he was the most represented actor this year - woot!

3. Sci-Fi

Again, it was pretty much a guarantee that all 10 of these films were going to make the Top 10 for Sci-Fi, but did ET: The Extra Terrestrial really have to be #3? Why does everyone like this movie? I was forced to watch it so many times when I was little that I developed a fear of ET and still have nightmares about him to this day. I can't stand to see his pumpkin head or listen to his alien voice. And why was 2001: A Space Odyssey #1? As a Star Wars fanatic, I was sincerely hoping A New Hope would take the top slot, but alas, we had to settle for silver.

4. Sports

My favorite genre of film... But how the hell did Jerry Maguire make the list and movies like Rudy, Miracle, A League of Their Own and The Natural didn't make it? THE NATURAL! Come on, AFI, Robert Redford playing baseball totally trumps Tom Cruise asking people to "Show me the money!" Sports is not the main plot of that movie, the relationship between psycho Cruise and squinty Zellweger is. I shake my head at whomever was in charge deciding that Jerry Maguire was more worthy of praise than a dozen or so other movies that were sooooo much more worthy. I was glad to see Bull Durham on the list, though at lowly #5. Bull Durham is my favorite sports movie, nay, one of my favorite movies ever, and I'm so happy that lots of people love this movie too. I was a little shocked to see Raging Bull at #1. We all thought it was going to be The Natural, but we were waaaaay wrong. It was cool to see Breaking Away on the list. That's a great film and it takes place from the same city I'm typing this blog from - go Cutters :)

5. Western

I am the first to admit that I haven't seen as many westerns as I should have by now. In fact, I only saw 9 of the 50 westerns on the shortlist... and only 2 of those made the Top 10. I found it quite shady that there were no Clint Eastwood or Jimmy Stewart westerns on this list (Eastwood only directed Unforgiven... so it doesn't count). And how did Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid only make #7?! That is one of the greatest movies of all time - and it made #7? You can't beat the chemistry between Newman and Redford - it's magical. I finally bought this movie on DVD the other day (I had it on video, but it was getting worn out... I watched it a bajillion times when I was in college because I was writing a film paper on it... because it's awesome). My next favorite western, Tombstone, wasn't even on the shortlist... what's up with that? That movie is fan-freakin'-tastic.

6. Gangster

I really wanted The Departed to be on there... I know it only came out 2 years ago, but it was on the shortlist, and it's such a great flick. Of course Godfather II, Goodfellas and Godfather made up the Top 3, but that's only because everyone thinks The Godfather is the end all-be all of Gangster movies. And it kinda is, but I remember the first time I tried to watch it, I fell asleep because I thought it was dragging... a lot. I stayed awake when we watched it in school, because I knew I was going to be tested on it, but I still wasn't impressed. Do people only like this movie because film critics say that we should? I was glad to see Bonnie and Clyde up there at #5 - that's such a brilliant film - "We rob banks!". But where was On the Waterfront?????? For shame, AFI, for shame.

7. Mystery

I'm glad Hitchcock was well represented here - he made some great mysteries. It was also great to see The Usual Suspects make it onto the list at #10... I knew the ending of that film before I saw it, but it still rocked my socks. What a cast! Who would have thought that Kevin Pollack, a young Benicio Del Toro, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Bryne and Kevin Spacey would mesh together so well? See that movie if you haven't already. I was sad that L.A. Confidential didn't make it on the list... that was one of the best films to come out of the 1990s... talk about an amazing ensemble!

8. Romantic-Comedy

I nearly fell out of my chair when they listed When Harry Met Sally... at number 6! That should have at least been in the Top 3. That movie is Rom-Com perfection. And why was Harold and Maude on the list? I haven't seen it yet, but isn't it about an old lady and a young guy? Now, that's not very romantic to me. If When Harry Met Sally... couldn't be #1, then I wanted that honor to go to In Happened One Night, but that was sadly beat out by Annie Hall (Woody Allen - blah) and City Lights. I had forgotten about City Lights... I've seen it 3 times over the years and didn't really think of it as a Rom-Com, but it fits the bill. And Chaplin was a great performer, and still made silent pictures even after they were out of fashion.

9. Courtroom Drama

To me, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington should have been included on this list, even though it takes place in Congress as opposed to in a court. I still need to see a bunch of these films, notably The Verdict, Kramer vs. Kramer, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I love 12 Angry Men, and was so glad it took 2nd... I knew it was going to lose out to Mockingbird, but 12 Angry Men is such a powerful movie. I would have liked to see The Crucible on there, but I know it's not the best or most popular courtroom drama. But I do love me that Daniel Day-Lewis :)

10. Epic

Speaking of DDL, I was hoping The Last of the Mohicans would make it to the Top 10, but alas. It did not. But Reds did! I was so happy that Warren Beatty's masterpiece was included... I just saw it last year for the 1st time and I loved it! I really need to see Lawrence of Arabia... I bought the VHS at an estate sale a few years back, but it turned out I only bought video 2 of 2... and I wasn't about to watch the 2nd half of a film I had never seen before! So, I still need to see it - maybe I'll check it out of the library one of these days. See O'Toole in action!

Well, it'll be another year until the next AFI special. I wonder what the theme will be?

Until then, keep watching movies... I know I will!

Happy Father's Day! - movies that make me think of my dad

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there!

I called my dad this morning to wish him a good one and at the same time, on the History Channel, they were showing "Tombstone" (1994) - one of the movies I always watch with my dad... I took it as a sign. And an excuse to write a blog this fine afternoon :)

When I lived at home, I watched plenty of movies with my dad... we've seen some good ones, we've seen some bad ones, but the point is, we've seen them together.

Here's just a few movies that automatically make me think of my dad (in no particular order):

- Tombstone - "I have two guns, one for each of ya" "Why Ike, whatever do you mean?" "I'm your Huckleberry" And the lists of quotes goes on and on and on - Val Kilmer did the performance of his career playing Doc Holiday in this film, and the rest of the ensemble isn't too shabby either (Kurt Russell makes for a great Wyatt Earp, flanked by his brothers, played by Bill Paxton and Sam Elliot... good times). I remember first seeing this movie at my dad's parents house and we thought it was a fun movie so we bought it on VHS when we got home from vacation. And then we watched it over and over and over again... and I still love it!

- The Big Lebowski - Somebody gave my dad a copy of the DVD with his name taped over John Goodman's on the front cover - though my dad doesn't look like Goodman, nor does he act as crazy as the character of Walter in the movie. We love this movie because we love The Dude and Walter... that scene where Walter shakes out the coffee can full of Donnie's ashes and the wind blows it all over The Dude... PRICELESS. "The Dude abides." Indeed he does... (also, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, as Brandt, makes this face... I believe it's when he's in Lebowski's car... you'll know it when you see it... it's too funny)

- The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - Two words: ABBA turd

- Tremors - While my dad enjoys all of the Tremors movies, I can only tolerate the first (A Tremors movie with out Kevin Bacon is just not worth watching, in my opinion). Even so, the first Tremors movie is awesome. It's so cheesetastic which makes it that much better. Our favorite scene is where Val and Earl are trying to outrun the Graboid ("We can make it! We can make it!") and they leap across that concrete gully and smash into the other side and then the dialogue that follows is great:
Earl: Knocked itself cold.
Val: Cold my ass. It's dead. We killed it. We killed it! (to the carcass) F**K YOU!
But the line we say most often to each other is "They're under the ground!" (twangy accent and all)

- The Sandlot - This is a movie that everyone in the family likes a lot (You're killing me Smalls!), but the scene that most makes me think of my dad is when the kids are at the carnival and they each take a big piece of chewing tobacco and then hop on that tilting ride and then they all get sick and hurl all over themselves and everyone else on that ride. It makes me laugh just thinking about it :)

- Elf - "I'm here, with my dad, and we never met. And he wants me to sing him a song... I was adopted, but you didn't know I was born. But I'm here now. I found you. Daddy! And, guess what? I love you. I love you. I LOVE YOOOOOOOOOOOOU!"

- any SNL "Best Of" DVD - I saw the "Best of Mike Myers" is on TV tonight... my mom and dad bought me that VHS for my birthday (or was it Christmas?) many, many years ago. "Well you know my name is Simon... and I like to do drawrings" :) My dad got me hooked on SNL when I was in high school and I have been watching faithfully every week ever since. One of my favorite sketches (that my dad also likes) is when the DeMarco brothers (Kattan and Parnell) are auditioning to be backup dancers for Bon Jovi - and they start air guitaring/air keyboarding... too funny! But one of my dad's favorite sketches ever is, you guessed it, the Cowbell sketch. It's not that funny to me, but when I'm watching it with my dad, it becomes one of the funniest things I've ever seen because I get a kick out of him getting a kick out of Walken. :)

Happy Father's Day, Papa Bear. I love you man :)

Summer 2008 - my picks of what I'll see (or avoid) in the next couple months

Good day fellow movie lovers...

How ya doin'?

Good, good.

It's June now, can you believe it? I should be cleaning my apartment or packing, but instead, I dug out my Summer 2008 Movie Preview issue of EW and I'm flipping through its glorious pages, reminding myself what I'm going to see (or avoid) this summer at the cinema.

Hmmm... let's see:

JUNE

I'll see:

- The Incredible Hulk (June 13th) - If Edward Norton is in a movie, chances are, I'll see it. In fact, I have seen every single one of his films he's ever been in, so I'm not going to stop now. I saw the Ang Lee/Eric Bana version a few years back and that was just not good. This Hulk looks to be more action packed and less like a lame comic book (sorry Ang, stick to romantic epics like Brokeback). While I have a great dislike of William Hurt, I will overlook that and gladly sit and watch Ed Norton kick some ass.

- Wanted (June 27th) - I like that someone had the brilliant idea to cast little James McAvoy as an assassin. While I'm not fans of Jolie or Freeman, I'm looking forward to some sweet shoot 'em up sequences and some great effects. I haven't read the graphic novel, but I hear this movie is pretty much frame for frame (with a little extra added in here and there).

- Finding Amanda (June 27th) - It'll be good to see Matthew Broderick do some real acting and I like Brittany Snow... she's talented and seeing her in a different kind of role than her norm will be refreshing.

I will NOT see even if you paid me:

- You Don't Mee With the Zohan (June 6th) - Adam Sandler needs to just stop making these stupid movies. This isn't the mid/late 90s... he should be moving past his "Happy Gilmore" shtick and be making more films along the lines of "Punch Drunk Love". The trailer for this film makes me shake my head in anger because I know an obscene amount of people are going to spend their hard earned money on this piece of crap movie.

- The Love Guru (June 20th) - Please, boycott this movie with me, folks. Mike Myers is another talented comedian who is cranking out bad movies again and again and again. I loved him on SNL, but can't stand watching just about all of his films because they are the same movie, just with a different title. I'm tired of seeing commercials for this movie. I don't care that Justin Timberlake is in a Speedo in this movie - he's better than that (have you seen him host SNL? It's friggin' hilarious). DON'T SEE THIS MOVIE

- Wall*E (June 27) - First of all, this little robot looks like ET. That alone is enough to turn me away from the theater. Then, I see a new trailer for the movie, and oh look, the little ET robot has fallen in love with another little robot, this one who looks like one of those drug balloons Maria swallows in "Maria Full of Grace". After getting dragged against my will to Ratatouille last summer, I am putting my foot down about this one.

I'm up in the air about:

- The Happening (June 13th) - I love Mark Walhberg and Zooey Deschanel, but M. Night Shymalan has let me down more times than not.

- Get Smart (June 20) - Steve Carell makes me laugh, but the more I see the trailer and commercials, the lamer this looks (which is too bad).

JULY

I'll see:

- The Dark Knight (July 18th) - This is my most anticipated movie of the entire summer. I loved "Batman Begins" (except for Katie Holmes, as she is one of my least favorite actresses of all time), but now that Holmes is replaced by the awesome Maggie Gyllenhaal and we add on the equally awesome Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart as The Joker and Harvey Dent... words cannot describe my excitement. I see the commercials/trailers, I hear The Joker's evil cackle and I get goosebumps. I cannot help but feel sad at the same time, for I know that this upcoming performance by Ledger is one of his last and even though I haven't seen the film yet, I know his Joker will go down in cinema history as iconic.

- Mamma Mia! (July 18th) - This is one musical I haven't seen on stage, but I will gladly sit through the movie. I like ABBA music (my dad got me their Greatest Hits album for Christmas a few years back... we watch Adventures of Priscilla a lot... inside joke, you'd have to be there) and it's going to be fun seeing Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and that girl from "Mean Girls" singing and dancing. I try and support all movie musicals in hopes that they will keep making more... I'm predicting that "Wicked", "Legally Blonde", "The Color Purple" and maybe even "Spring Awakening" will probably hit movie theaters near us in the next decade.

I will NOT see:

- Meet Dave (July 11th) - Like Sandler and Myers, I'm tired of seeing Eddie Murphy in ridiculous comedies. We loved you in "Dreamgirls", Eddie... drama suits you.

- Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11th) - Didn't see the first one, don't plan on seeing this one. EVER.

I'm up in the air about:

- Hancock (July 2) - I don't really like Will Smith much, but usually his movies are watchable. And it's got Jason Bateman in it... and I fully support Jason Bateman and his cinematic endeavors.

- Step Brothers (July 25th) - Like Sandler, Myers, and Murphy, I am soooooooooo over Will Ferrell and his comedies. Old School and Anchorman were good, but then his cameo in Wedding Crashers and then Semi Pro were same old, same old. You're better than that, Ferrell! I saw "Stranger Than Fiction" - you can do it! I laughed at the Red Band trailer, though, and I adore John C. Reilly... so I might have to see this.

AUGUST

I'll see:

- Pineapple Express (August 8th) - I have been waiting since Freaks and Geeks to see James Franco in a GOOD movie comedy... and I think this is the vehicle for him. Paired with Seth Rogen, these two are going to literally light up on screen and I will be there opening weekend to laugh so hard I'll want to cry. Yeah, I know I'm hyping this up a lot, but I have faith in Rogen, Franco and Judd Apatow. The Red Band Trailer is so funny... I don't know if this will make me laugh more than "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" or "Superbad", but I am ready for whatever is coming my way. Hopefully this will bring Franco out of his crappy movie slump... he's more talented than his last few movies have shown him to be (yes, I'm talking about YOU, Spider-Man franchise).

- Tropic Thunder (August 15th) - I am willing to lift my "I'm never paying money to see a Tom Cruise movie EVER AGAIN" boycott for this movie and this movie alone. Another one where the Red Band Trailer has made me laugh harder than I thought I would... thanks to one Robert Downey Jr. That man is FUNNY. I'm not a fan of Stiller...like Ferrell et al., he plays the same character in most of his films... I've seen you in better stuff, Stiller, go back to "Your Friends & Neighbors" skills... that was good. "The Heartbreak Kid" was not.

I will NOT see:

- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (August 1) - Really, another Mummy movie? I didn't like the 2nd one much and didn't even bother with "The Scorpion King". And no Rachel Weisz? She took her Oscar and ran... good for her. But why, Maria Bello, why? You are soooo much better than playing second fiddle to "George of the Jungle" (Yeah, I'm talkin' 'bout you, Fraser).

I'm still up in the air about:

- The Rocker (August 1st) - Rainn Wilson and Will Arnett in one movie should be a good time. But can Dwight Schrute carry a movie? We shall see... maybe.

- Swing Vote (August 1st) - Ah, a political comedy. Too bad Fraiser is one of the nominees (though I feel bad he just recently had a heart attack). I loves me some Stanley Tucci and Kevin Costner (oh Costner, I might just have to have a Bull Durham/Tin Cup/Untouchables a-thon in the coming weeks)... so I might check it out.

- The House Bunny (August 22nd) - The premise is kind of dumb, and I don't really like some of the actresses in it... but the trailer made me chuckle. Audibly. Multiple times. Which is still an enigma to me, but I feel like I should support this film, if only because it's a comedy starring women in my age bracket... and they don't make any of those kinds of films.

- Vicky Cristina Barcelona (August 29th) - I will freely admit that I am a movie lover who can't stand Woody Allen. I like a couple of his films, but on a whole, I don't like them/I don't see what's so great about them. I'm not going to follow the herd and bow down to this man... I don't care what you say about Woody Allen, "Scoop" sucked. Like, a lot. But I'm willing to put our differences aside and give him another chance... mostly because I want to see what Javier Bardem is going to bring to this film. I've been a fan of his since "Before Night Falls", so I'm willing to try this out. Burn me again, Allen, and we are done for good.

And there are a whole slew of great looking Independent films that are coming out this summer, but there's no way to tell if they'll open wide enough for all of us who still live in the Midwest!

If you haven't already, go check out "Iron Man" and "Sex and the City".... those were the best movies released in May (yep, notice Indy 4 was not a part of that shortlist...)

Have a good one, and Happy Movie Watching!!

from New Kids to *NSYNC back to New Kids... my "Full Circle Moment"

(By complete coincidence, the newest New Kids on the Block single "Summertime" is the first thing that popped up on my iTunes as I sat down to type... I think it's a sign.)

Like many little girls at the end of the 1980s/beginning of the 1990s, I loved the New Kids on the Block. I had their cassette tapes, I watched the cartoon, and we had one of their video tapes (which my mom later got rid of... but more on that in a bit). I was a Joey girl... at the tender age of 6. I knew all their songs by heart (as well as the entire Debbie Gibson cannon... that girl was awesome... I can still bust out "Only in My Dreams" and "Electric Youth" at the drop of a dime).

I was a public New Kids fanatic at least through most of elementary school. A couple years ago, I was going through my old school stuff as we were packing up our Akron house when my parents were moving and I found a school notebook from when I was in 1st grade. In it, we had to write down journal entries about whatever our teacher told us was the topic... and one of my entries was about going a New Kids on the Block concert. I wrote about how I was in the front row and somehow I managed to get a torn piece of Donnie Wahlberg's jeans.

This was all a lie, mind you.

I had never been to a New Kids concert and I surely did not have a piece of denim once attached to the pants of one Donnie Wahlberg. I laughed pretty hard when I reread this (faux) piece of my 1st grade history.

Like many of my peers, once the New Kids stopped making music in 1994, I gave them up. That too was a facade... my sister bought me a New Kids poster at a garage sale before I went to college and I hung it up in my dorm room... we also used it on the set of "College Cookery". And my mom got me their "Greatest Hits" CD a few years ago. It's in my car, and sometimes I'll pop it in to sing along with some of the "Classics" of my youth.

While New Kids were on the outs, BSB (That's the Backstreet Boys for you people not in the know) and *NSYNC were on the rise. My sister liked *NSYNC, but I was a BSB girl for a little while. I never could remember which one was AJ and which one was Howie and I didn't really know what they all looked like at first, but somehow I ended up with their 1st CD - it was catchy.

My sister ended up going to a *NSYNC "No Strings Attached" tour performance and she converted me. She forced me to learn all their songs and I was hooked - their music was catchy *and* they could dance... if I couldn't have the New Kids anymore, this would be a good consolation prize.

While I was never obsessed with *NSYNC like other high school girls, I did end up with an awful lot of their merchandise... like their trading cards, fruit snacks, and yep - I have all 5 of their dolls (you know, the marionettes from their "Bye Bye Bye" video... they are now collecting dust in my parent's storage room hundreds of miles away).

In 2001, my sister, some friends and I went to see the *NSYNC Pop Odyssey tour up at Brown's Stadium in Cleveland... I remember it was very loud and actually kind of fun. Their "Celebrity" album hadn't come out, so we didn't know most of the songs, but it was still neat to see them live.

My mom got me the "No Strings Attached" Madison Square Garden VHS awhile back, and just a few weeks ago, I picked up the "Pop Odyssey" VHS at a Goodwill. For $2, I can take a stroll down memory lane and laugh like an idiot while I watch the tape and fold my laundry (my DVD player is in the living room, so if I'm going to watch a movie in my room, it's gotta be on VHS, or I have to hook my portable DVD player up to my TV, and that's a hassle).

So, over 2 weekends worth of folding laundry, I finished watching the Pop Odyssey tour. I know all the songs now (and sadly, some of the choreography - as hard as I try, there is no way to get some of those steps out of your head... it's one of those situations where I wish I could take the dance moves out of my memory and use that new empty space to store knowledge for the GRE... but nooooooooooooooo). And you know what - those *NSYNC guys put on a good show. They sing, they dance, they entertain. They don't have the greatest songs of all time, but my are they memorable.

I did 2 loads of laundry this weekend, which means 2 sessions of clothes folding. I finished "Pop Odyssey" yesterday, so what was I to do earlier this afternoon when it came time to fold the rest of my laundry?

Oh yeah... popped in my New Kids on the Block "Hangin' Tough Live" VHS.

But Katie - didn't your mom get rid of your NKOTB tape many, many years ago?

Yes friends, she did. But that's what's so amazing about Goodwill stores... you find all sorts of treasures that you never expected to see again the rest of your life. So, my mom threw out our New Kids tape when I was in elementary school, but a few years ago, I found a copy for 50 cents. The greatest 50 cents I've ever spent, let me tell ya...

New Kids officially announced their reunion a few weeks ago and were on the Today show on May 16th, singing their new single "Summertime". It's catchy, but it doesn't really sound like something a group of five 35-39 year old men should be singing about. But whatever - it's New Kids - I'll still listen to it :)

So, I watched some of the "Hangin' Tough Live" tape - and all those songs (and dance moves) are permanently stuck in my mind for all eternity. But you know what? Those boys were lip-syncing like there's no tomorrow. But when I was 7 years old, I didn't know the difference. They were at least lip-syncing to their own voices, but they weren't singing live, that's for sure. (They were on the Today show a couple weeks ago, fear not)

Will I see them on tour? Probably not. Will I get their new album. Probably. Even if it's not great, they are a part of my past and surprisingly, my present - and I embrace that. It's been almost 20 years since I first got into their music (man, that makes me sound old...), and I think it's great that their giving it another go.

Keep "Hangin' Tough"... I know I will :)

Happy Memorial Day, everybody!

Idol, Indy, SATC...

My last post was kind of manically written post-Idol Finale, pre-Indy 4 screening late Wednesday evening. Since then, I've had some more time to think about my television and movie watching... and since I'm trying to avoid cleaning my apartment right now, I thought I'd write down some thoughts :)

So, American Idol Season 7 is over - and David Cook won. And some people are saying it was an upset, but others are saying that his victory makes sense. I agree with the latter - especially since I thought Cook deserved to be the Idol winner ever since his audition many, many months ago.

Wednesday's Finale was okay, though I shake my head at the Fox corporation... First off - I am friggin' sick of those stupid "Love Guru" time-ins with the show... stop wasting precious Idol time with ridiculous pre-packaged material of the Davids visiting Guru Pitka. As I watched that hideousness unfold before me, I thought to myself "I wonder how much extra time those boys could have rehearsed if they didn't have to make this clip." And I am SICK of Mike Meyers and his dumb characters. The first Austin Powers movie was okay because it was something kind of new... and then he made 2 dumb sequels. And then the whole Shrek franchise - I am not a fan of those films because they are aimed towards kids, but much of the humor is laced with adult themes. Not family appropriate in the slightest, but they made bajillions of dollars, so I guess that's fine! (blah) And now this whole "Love Guru" thing... I think it's kind of offensive.

The Idol Finale had some pretty good music guest... it was cool Cook got to perform with ZZ Top and Archie sand with One Republic. They seemed to be really enjoying themselves. It was nice to see Seal, Donna Summer and Bryan Adams as well. And George Michael... it seems like he's been on TV more this year than in a long, long time (I'm an Eli Stone fan, and he and his music were pretty much at the core of most of the episodes). And I really enjoyed the George Michael medley and his solo at the end of the show, but if Idol is aiming for an increase viewership in the 18-24 demographic, feature someone we like... like Daughtry or Chris Brown. (Yes, I know Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks were on, but even Jordin's song was aimed more towards the tweens than college age people). If the producers thought the 18-24 year olds would enjoy the Jonas Brothers, than I think they are mistaken. I am 24 years old. I even like High School Musical (yep, go ahead and laugh, I don't care...). But I don't get what is so great about the Jonas Brothers. I spent that 5 minutes of the Idol staring at my TV with my head cocked to the side, much like my dogs when they are confused about something. But whatever.

You know what I did like about the Idol Finale... those Guitar Hero commercials. I didn't see David Cook's until the next day (we got home after the Finale started, so we zipped through a lot of the commercial breaks... thank you, DVR). Little David Archuleta's was kind of weird to watch - it's not everyday you see a very well known 17 year old awkwardly dance around in his boxers to "Old Time Rock and Roll". It actually took me a few seconds into the commercial before I realized it was him. And since I hadn't seen David Cook's commercial, I was wondering why on earth that David Arculeta would get a Guitar Hero commercial... especially since he never even played guitar on Idol.

And then the next morning, I saw the David Cook version - and it made me laugh so hard I thought I was going to choke on my own spit. It was great - he had the song down and was completely channeling Tom Cruise in "Risky Business"... Cook had way better moves than Archie. And he's more believable with a guitar in hand. Even if it is just a Guitar Hero guitar.

Now that Idol is over, I can get back to my usual routine of watching movies (though, you can be sure I'm going to try and make it to an Idol tour show this summer and I'll be keeping my eye open for Cook's album... I can't remember the last time I bought a CD, but I'll drop a Hamilton or two the day his album drops).

My first film post-Idol was, of course, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Now, I won't reveal major plot points or anything, because it's still opening weekend and I respect people who don't like to know spoilers before going to the theater, but I will say that I was disappointed. A lot.

I LOVE the first 3 Indiana Jones movies... I remember getting them out from the library a lot when I was younger and they were always fun to watch with the whole family. We still use the phrase "He chose poorly" probably once a month. They are staple films from my childhood and I know them by heart. This Indiana Jones movie does not fit in nicely with those other 3.

I thought Indy 4 opened slow... probably because of the opening credits. I don't remember opening credits from any of the other films. I was also super tired because the film started around 12:15 because of more than a few crappy movie trailers before the film actually started... so, my eyes were ready to shut if something awesome didn't happen. Luckily Indiana Jones showed up and my eyes widened and there was a grin on my face the size of Texas. Oh Harrison Ford, I missed you. (The last Ford movie I saw in theaters was Hollywood Homicide... Yeah, I know.)

And then some more expositiony stuff goes down and my eyes wanted to shut again. But Hello Shia LaBoeuf... my eyes reopen and stay open for the remainder of the film (though not necessarily on the screen the entire time... for those of you who know how poorly I reacted to Spielberg's 1982 opus, I couldn't watch some of Indy 4 for similar reasons).

While there were some cheeky nods to the previous Indy films and some good scenes between Ford and LaBoeuf, there were some major problems for me in the plot and the CGI sequences. I won't go too into detail for you people who have yet to see the film, but let's just put it this way - Why on Earth are there crappy CGI sequences? Speilberg has made films with great CGI parts (i.e. Minority Report - crap movie, but good effects) and George Lucas's Lucasfilm/ILM is pretty much responisble for a majority of the digital effects that have been in films for the last 30 years... so shouldn't the CGI stuff look FLAWLESS?

This film did feel like other films of the 1950s, but I was looking for more than that. I was looking for the perfect bookend to an already awesome trilogy, but instead, I don't feel like I can watch Indy 4 again. At least not for a really, really long time.

Last summer, I wrote an article about film franchises. It was about the time Live Free or Die Hard came out... I was skeptical about that film, because Die Hard was another trilogy that I grew up on (thanks Dad!). Before Live Free or Die Hard came out, I was worried it was going to tarnish the Die Hard name, but instead it was a welcome addition to the series. Indy 4 had the opposite effect for me... I probably won't even want to own this one and when I speak of Indiana Jones movies in 10 or 20 years from now, I will be sure to exclude Indy 4.

I did this to myself - these high expectations. Last summer I was not looking forward to Indy 4. But then I saw teaser trailers and rewatched Raiders and Last Crusade and got my hopes waaaaaay up. And then Indy 4 happened and I felt let down. So, in order to move on, I have to turn my attention to the movie that has now become my most anticiapted release of May 2008... Sex and the City: The Movie.

I managed to avoid seeing anything Sex and the City related until last March. My sister has all 6 seasons on DVD and she was on her spring break and I took a week off from work and instead of working on a script I had started, I decided to watch SATC and see why everyone was so obsessed with it.

I get it. I really do. This is a great show - it's refreshing to see 4 girlfriends work and play hard in the greatest city in the world. And even though Carrie was the main character, we got to know everyone on that show - these were women who were playing out completely realistic situations (though some of the stories and a lot of the fashion were exaggerated beyond the norm).

It's hard to pick a favorite character out of the 4 women, as they all have assets and flaws that make them loveable and dislikeable at the same time. And then all of the men on the show... there are just so many characters to choose from. I liked Aidan a lot (who didn't?), but my favorite guy was Jack Berger, hands down. I did think the relationship ended poorly (a Post-it? Come on!), but when he and Carrie were in the swing of things, it was magical.

Sex and the City: The Movie opens this coming Friday and I am more than excited to see it. I do not see "chick flicks" a lot, and in fact prefer action/adventure movies with lots of shoot 'em ups, but this is one "chick flick" I wouldn't miss for the world. After watching 6 seasons in about a month's time, I am invested in Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte and I sincerely want to know what they've been up to. Plus, it's going to be interesting to see if Jennifer Hudson can act in a movie where she's not singing most of the time...

Well - it's time to clean the apartment. Or maybe take my portable DVD player out on the balcony and continue to catch up on some SATC Season 6 while I paint my nails :)

Have a lovely day, and I'll cya at the movies!

Season 7 American Idol is... DAVID COOK!!!

So, I've been looking forward to the Season 7 Finale like you would not believe... I'm sure my colleagues at work are looking forward to the day when I finally shut up already about Idol and the politics going on with this show and how much I love Jason Castro and David Cook...

Well, David Cook just became our American Idol, like, 1/2 hour ago, so I won't be shutting up any time soon... well, at least not for a ocuple days.

I'll give you more of my opinions about the Finale this weekend... I'm heading to the movie theater in about 1/2 hour to get seats for our mini posse for the first screening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull... but right now, it's IDOL TIME!!

As we all already know, I have been rooting for David Cook since he first sang at his audition. Last night after the last time both he and little David sang, I called for 2 hours solid (I didn't always get through, but I figured at least that meant other Wordnerds were voting for him too... BTW, I'm not an official "Wordnerd" in David's fan club, but I've been doing crossword puzzles every day for the last 2 years - yep, before my love for David Cook [what can I say, I loves me some crossword puzzles], so I'm a Wordnerd all on my own).

And then tonight, oh glorious night of Idol, you crowned my favorite Idol contestant EVER, our new American Idol. WOO HOO

The Finale on a whole was sub-par, and I thought George Michael's song was going on a bit too long there... by time we got back from the last commerical break, it was 9:57 here. Luckily, the show spilled over until 10:06ish, so my man Cook could have his moment, shed some tears, hug his mom and sing another lame Idol Songwriting competition winner...

But just before Ryan read the results, Simon Cowell did one of the nicest things he's done while on the show - he apologized to David Cook for treating him disrespectfully the previous night. For those of you who watched David sing his heart out and then the judges rip his song choices apart, you know what Simon is talking about. It. Was. Harsh.

But all is forgiven, I'm sure. David Cook had 12 million more votes than little David, and he won fair and square. Props to little David Archuleta... he took his loss like a man. He didn't cry, he didn't make mean faces or storm off - he seemed genuinely happy for his pal David Cook. He is an upstanding citizen, and it takes a lot to have that kind of composure after being hailed as the Front Runner the entire season, only to have someone else walk away with the Grand Prize. But he'll be okay...

Well, I will write more eloquently later... I'm just too excited from Cook winning the Idol and the countdown to seeing Indy 4 in less than an hour and a half (!)

Have a great day!

American Idol Top 2 - Let's go David (Cook!)

Yes, since the dawn of Season 7, I have been a David Cook supporter... and since the last half of the season, so has the AI website...



Have you noticed that little David Archuleta used to be featured in the center of the weekly group photos, but in the past few weeks, David Cook has been the man in the middle.



I think AI finally realized that they should support Cook because in the end, he's going to rack up more record sales than little Archie... and probably have a stronger career. Week in and week out, David Cook has improved, covering pseduo-obscure covers or coming up with his own awesome arrangements which pique the interest of viewers. Archie sings well, there is no arguing that, but he's plateaued. He hasn't had any amazing performances as of late, unlike Cook.



Also, there is the age/maturity factor... David Cook is 25, went to college, had some "life experiences", worked as a b"arrrrgh"tender, has been in some bands and has given the music industry a whirl. Little Archuleta is 17, still lives with his parents, and seems like a genuinely nice teenage boy who has yet to face the harsh reality of the "real world". He's been groomed to be a performer, but do you actually believe him when he's singing songs about "love" and relationships and heartache and sorrow? Because I don't... not one bit. When Cook sings, the lyrics have that extra punch of "yeah, I've been through this" whereas what Archuleta is belting out are just words. Mostly in tune words, but just words nonetheless.

So, how about tonight's performances? It was the last time the Top 2 performed for the viewer's votes... and by the judges tally, little Archuleta won. (Boo/Hiss)

Up first was David Cook:
1. Clive's pick - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - now, I'm not a U2 fan, but Cook's performance was great, in my opinion. True, he didn't change a huge amount of stuff, but his vocals were solid, and I felt like he was saving himself for his later performances. He wasn't wielding his guitar on this song, which is fine - as he is awesome enough to rock a song with or without an instrument.

2. AI song - "Dream Big" (?) - Pretty lame song, but because David Cook was singing it, I dug it. I enjoyed the guitar and it had a decent beat. At least it didn't have the word "moment" or the phrase "this is my now" in it.

3. David's Choice - "The World I Know" - I know this Collective Soul song just like everyone else, but it never meant anything to me. It still doesn't, but David's performance was endearing - with his accoustic guitar and the orchestra behind him. I liked the arrangement and when it was over, and David was getting a little emotional (you could tell he realized how big all of this is and how he knows the end is near and he's probably almost at a breaking point) and it actually made me tear up.

The judges (well, Randy and Simon at least... Paula is just a seat filler who spouts kind things to anything that moves) gave Cook sub-par scores throughout the evening, especially Simon. Which was totally weird b/c Simon was on Leno and Ellen last night and today and told them that he wanted David Cook to win. So, Simon, what's with the harsh Cook critiques? He didn't suck, and he certainly didn't do worse than Archie... what gives?

Speaking of little Archie:
1. Clive's pick - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" - Um, didn't Clay Aiken sing this on Season 2? (Answer: Yeppers) And the judges went wild with praise... but from my recliner at home, I could hear some pitch problems... it sounded a little shrieky even at times. And that little boy still moves his microphone around like it's the secret to how he manages to hit the right notes on those runs he puts into every freakin' song.

2. AI Song - "I Wanna Be" (?) - Lametastic... one of those little HSMesque numbers talking about how you are in your moment blah blah blah. Yes, he was in tune - he best be in tune - no one should make it to the finale if they can't sing well - but that song was hideous. If I heard that on the radio, I'd flip the channel. Though, I'd probably only hear that song if I was on Radio Disney or some other teen ballad station that features the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus 24/7. And that's not what I listen to...

3. David's pick - "Imagine" - Wow, that was such a *surprise*. Of course he chose the song he got the most praise for. (Cook went with a song he had never sang on the show before - a gutsy move on his behalf, as everyone and their moms are fans of his versions of "Hello", "Billie Jean" and "Always Be My Baby"...) So, of course the crowds were on their feet. And little Archie was so overwhelmed he looked like he was going to tip over.

The show ended with Ruben Studdard "Celebrating" himself "home"... and I turned off the TV in Idol anger (I'm taping my Dancing show finale... I'll get to it in a minute - this way it'll be mostly commercial free... thanks DVR:) )

Why were the judges so harsh on Cook? Is it some kind of reverse psychology to America? If Archie wins, he'll be super happy, and maybe throw up a little in his mouth, and then have to go off and do a bazillion interviews. Have you watched this kid give interviews before? It's almost painful. He still has some growing up to do - his voice is there, but his social skills are not. If we plaster the title of American Idol on him, he's never going to get a chance to live a little bit. He'll just be thrown into the machine that is the music industry, and I'm sincerely afraid it will chew him up and spit him out. He seems like such a nice little person and as much as I think he'll do fine with a music career, I just don't think he's quite ready yet.

So, dial 1-866-IDOLS-01 (03 or 05) with me, America, and vote for David Cook. This guy has a lot to offer - he's a talented musician and vocalist, appears to be a genuinely polite guy and though he's teared up on occassion (only because he's a real person and not a musical robot), he seems mature enough to handle himself on his road to music stardom.

You can be sure I'll be plastered to my recliner tomorrow night watching the 2 hour Finale. I look forward to seeing some Idols past and some Idols present singing their cheesetastic group numbers and some duets with established musicians. And after David (hopefully Cook) is annouced this season's American Idol, I'm off to the movie theater for a midnight screening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (woot!).

So, my final Idol thoughts on this blog will probably be coming sometime this coming weekend, after I've had some time to process it all (and enjoy some Indy 4).

Happy Idoling, and to those of you also partaking in some Indy goodness - I'll see you at the movie theater :)

If David Cook doesn't win American Idol, then something is seriously wrong with America...

Good day,

So, I know this is supposed to be a movie blog, but American Idol is closing in on its finale (next week!!), and I am committed to this show for the long haul.

Let's take this back to last week...

I'm in Minnesota at my parents house, vacationing with my entire family. Playing lots of Boggle and Ping-Pong and attempting to master Guitar Hero (dude, I can barely play those songs on Easy Mode... but it's cool strumming along to "Barracuda" and "When You Were Young" and pretending you are in Heart and The Killers, respectively)...

So, last Tuesday, instead of watching the Idol from my recliner here in Indiana, I watched it sitting next to my mom - a non-lover of Jason Castro. After he gave a not so awesome performance of "I Shot the Sheriff", I had to listen to my dad saying how much he sucks and how he can't believe I have been voting for him for the past 2 months. And then a little later we watch Castro forget pary of his lyric for "Mr. Tambourine Man" (which I'm actually listening to right this very second as I'm typing this... no, that was not planned, that's just the magic of iTunes "Shuffle Mode" while I'm on my Jason Castro/David Cook playlist... oh snap).

As I cringed on the sofa while our puppy, Moose, was trying to get our attention to play fetch, I realized this was the end of the road for my favorite Dreadhead... but I still did my civic duty and called for an hour and a half.

To no avail, Castro got ousted last Wednesday with a smile on his face and a sincere look of relief in his eye. After much hub-bub about people thinking he mouthed "Don't Vote" and wanted to get kicked off the show, he has said in every interview since then that he wanted to make it as far as he could and was saying "Vote, Vote". I believe it... the guy recognized his inexperience compared to the remaining 3 contestants and he left the show as happy as he was the first week he was on. Good for you sir, good for you. Plus, he's been on a bunch of talk shows this week, so it's fun to see him do interviews because they really aren't his forte. Though, it seems everyone just wants to talk about 2 things: "Vote, Vote" and his hair. Come on, interviewers, there are way more important things to ask him then that...

So, tonight, the Top 3 sang 3 songs apiece. In all honesty, I was not blown away by anyone, though David Cook was obviously the best performer this evening.

Lemme break it down for ya:
1. David A - I wonder how all this press about his Stage Dad is going to affect the votes. The kid sings well, there is no denying that, but he doesn't really have stage presence. He stands there - eyes mostly open these days, and only licking his lips on occassion - and belts his little heart out, shaking the microphone during every run he sings. I thought his Billy Joel song was he strongest of the night. He should *not* have sang Chris Brown's "With You" - because no one can compare to Chris Brown. Though David A. and Chris Brown are close in age, they are not close when it comes to charisma... plus he botched some of the words. And though little David A. sang Dan Fogelberg's "Longer" quite well, Simon was right, that was not a good song choice for this little 17 year old. The lyrics are well beyond his years. He'll still make it through to next week, though.

2. Syesha - I still hate her. And I know "hate" is a strong word, especially because I don't personally know her, but that's the problem - we don't know who Syesha is because she's such a phony every time you see her on the TV. Did you notice then when the pre-packaged material where she received her Judge's Pick, she was all alone in a limo... whereas the Davids were with other people, interacting like normal folks. Syesha is an actress, and a damn good one because I (along with the whole of America, I suppose) have no idea what kind of person she is or what kind of music she would put on a record. All 3 of her songs showed a different person, and there was nothing that linked them together except that Syesha was singing them. With "If I Ain't Got You", it seemed as if she was trying to sing it exactly like Alicia Keys, who is awesome because she is Alicia Keys... when Syesha sang it, it just sounded like karaoke. And then that whole "Fever" fiasco. Simon was right - it was a lame cabaret act. She worked that chair like a pro, but the song is too old fashioned for her, and she made it seem like a showtune instead of a contemporary hit (which is what she should have done). And then that last song... I don't even know the title (I didn't see "Happy Feet", so I'm in the dark about this one), but she didn't look like she was into the song at all... like she felt it was beneath her or something. So what if the song the Producer's picked isn't your kind of song... MAKE IT YOUR OWN! She needs to go home tomorrow night, for reals.

3. David Cook - Oh, David Cook. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've been a fan since we saw your audition (Anyone who can sing "Livin' on a Prayer" as well as Bon Jovi has my vote... plus he had on a vest at the audition). He is the most consistent Idol contestant this year, and he's got a really great voice (his "Hungry Like the Wolf" is playing now... thank you iTunes :) ), and he plays the guitar well, and he's a true performer, commanding the stage and the microphone as opposed to just standing up there and singing his song selection. So, I thought the Roberta Flack number was great - yes Randy, we know he's the rocker guy, but he's capable of singing other styles/genres of music too... (see Andrew Lloyd Webber week for further proof). And I thought his version of Switchfoot's "I Dare You to Move" was good. I thought the song was too short, though, as soon as he started rocking out, he was done, and I literally sat up in my chair and said aloud to myself (my sister is out of town, so I was solo-Idoling tonight), "What?! That's it?!) And then "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"... I don't really like this song (so sue me), but I thought he did well. Plus, Diane Warren was sitting right there... that's got to be intimidating.

So, Syesha needs to go home and the two Davids need to duke it out in the final next week. And David Cook needs to win... just because I think he could handle all the press and craziness that comes with being the American Idol. If David A. wins, he'd probably hyperventilate and keel over. But so long as a David wins and not Syesha, than that'll do.

When Idol is over, I suppose I'll have to get back to watching movies :) I did see Iron Man and Speed Racer (liked 'em both) and am very much looking forward to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the Sex and the City movie... Idol withdrawl will be hard, but it'll be nice to get back to what I love most - film.

Have a fantastic day and I'll catch ya later :)

Yeah, I know this is a movie blog, but Paulagate cannot be ignored...

Good day to you,

I know this is a movie blog, but because we are in the thick of things with the Idol, this is pretty much my Idol blog until the next person is named our American Idol. Plus, because I've been working like a mad fiend, I haven't watched any movies in about a week... not since I saw Baby Mama last weekend.

So, here's my take on "this week on Idol".

Tuesday night - Neil Diamond night

First off, I love Neil Diamond music. I might now know all the words (or titles for that matter) to his songs, but I know fair few... and I knew over 1/2 the songs the Idols sang this week. In fact, I'm listening to some Neil Diamond "I Am I Said" right this very minute - what can I say, I was inspired.

So, Tuesday night... after getting his a$$ handed to him last week for an altogether not too bad rendition of "Memory", Jason Castro led off the night with a decent performance of one of my Neil Diamond favorites - "Forever in Blue Jeans". True, I usually think of Will Ferrell doing his Neil Diamond impression to this song, but little Jason Castro held his own while strumming his guitar and channeling the Neil... it wasn't the best performance ever, but it wasn't bad. (more on that later...). This all comes after the pre-packaged tape that shows Jason forgetting his lyrics in front of the Neil and then smacking himself in the forehead... And *this* all coming after last week's incident of not knowing "Memory" was sung by a cat AND a popular song... (more on that later)

David Cook did well (of course), though it was hard to make out what he was saying part of the time. Brooke looked like a deer in the headlights during "I'm a Believer" (poor song choice for her... she looked in a panic the whole time). Little Archuleta looked like he was the star of Karaoke Idol with his "Sweet Caroline" performance - no one should have sung this song, not even him. It's too cheesy... "Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet Caroline... DUNT DUNT DUHHHHHHHH Good times never seemed so goooooooooood!" Come on... And how do the judges never call him out on squatting in one spot and shaking his microphone around like it's some sort of magic stick that helps him sing his runs. And then Syesha... who botched her key change and had her fake smile plastered on her face like a Barbie doll.

And then even though Ryan told us the judges wouldn't make comments until after everyones second song... all the Idols were wrangled up and brought out to the center of the stage for a mass judging/execution. Randy "Yo dogged" his way through hyping up Archie and then we get to Paula.

Hey, hey Paula... why do you even bother to open your mouth at all?

She slammed Castro on his first song, then proceeded to slam him on his second song, telling him his charm is gone and that he's not even putting in any effort to make it into the top 4.

But wait Paula, he only sang 1 song. Everyone only sang 1 song so far.

When Randy, Simon and Ryan finally cut her off and told her to only judge Castro's 1st (and ONLY) song, she tried to cover for herself by saying she was looking at David Cook's notes.

So, David's charm is gone and he's not putting in any effort to make it into the top 4?

NOOOOOOOOOOO... Paula stops, smiles, and tells David Cook that he's fantastic.

So, if he's fantastic, then why did you say that all those things you just told Jason were Davids notes? Wait a tic... that doesn't make any sense.

Paula finishes her babbling and Simon cuts to the chase, swiftly knocking each Idol into their place before round 2.

As we cut to commercial, the whole of America and I are wondering what the hell just happened. I'm still scratching my head as the Fox commercials indicate the show is about ready to start up again... cue the music (you know which music I'm talking about) and there sits poor Jason Castro... stuck singing his second song ("September Morn" - swoon) just minutes after he was told it lacked charm... before he even sang. Wrap your mind around that, America.

I enjoyed Castro's "September Morn" performance. He's usually awkward when he's not able to hide behind his guitar, but this wasn't bad. He commanded what little chunk of the stage he took up and looked/sounded confident. But he got bad reviews from the judges. He does need to mix it up a bit more, but it wasn't awful.

Cook rocked it again and then Brooke KILLED "I Am I Said". Holy smokes, I forgot how much I liked that song, and I really liked Brooke's performance. It was minimalist and raw and vulnerable and just great. But we all knew she didn't have a chance in hell at winning the whole show.

And then there was Archie... singing "America" (which I think Cook should have sung). And it was CHEESTASTIC... more so than "Sweet Caroline" because of the flag and the constant repetition of the word "America". We get it, the song is about America, and for some reason unbeknownst to me, most of America loves David A. I am not most of America. I do not love David A. Sorry Charlie Bucket.

And then there's Syesha... who I like even less than David Archuleta. I cannot stress how much I wanted her off the show this week (well, really since week 1, but alas, she's still here).

Tuesday ended and there still was much speculation about the whole Paula incident.

Wednesday morning I heard they were going to talk about it on the Today show, so i taped that to watch when I got home from work. Those are hard hitting journalists on the show, so i thought I'd get an answer. But noooooooooooo, they just said Paula was confused. COME ON TODAY SHOW. Something was up, and we need to get to the bottom of it.

In between 5:30 PM and 9:00 PM when the Idol elimination show started, I tried to look up some theories on-line to see what the real deal was with Paula. I read so many different stories and none of them really make sense to me...

Here are the stories:
* Paula saw Jason's rehearsal earlier in the day and had notes based off of that - that's cool that she saw rehearsal, but she shouldn't be judging a rehearsal, she should be judging the live performance right in front of her eyes. Someone could have a perfect rehearsal but a crap performance... so is it fair to judge what the American people haven't seen, or judge their crap performance?

*Paula said that the judges were busy writing notes and she got confused - well, she wasn't taking any notes during Castro's 1st performance... she was sitting in her chair bopping her head and snapping her fingers along to his music number. No pencil or paper in sight... she seemed to be enjoying herself an awful lot.

*Some people are saying that what the judges say is scripted for them... which I could believe to some extent. What bothers me though is that though Castro's performances were pretty un-extraordinary, they weren't God-awful either. Yet the judges harp on him, especially these past 2 weeks. He has got one of the bigger fanbases and it's been said in some tabloidish magazines that executive producer Nigel Lythgoe thinks that Castro should have been voted out last week instead of Carly. There was something on EW.com that said Castro was ready to go home. (Yet other sites say that he says he is in it to win it and enjoys being on the show)... Who are we to believe? And who is behind all this negative press and anti-Jason Castro movement?

I know my parents aren't Jason fans, but I am... and not just because he's super adorable and has nice eyes and whatnot... he's got a soothing voice and a cool singer/songwriter vibe that I really dig. My mom calls him a "Space cadet" and I think that this is aided by the horrible pre-packaged materials they show regarding him on the show (he does come across as spacey a lot). If you can remember back to the Top 24 or Top 20, he admitted that he was really bad at interviews... and the show has really played that up.

Luckily, Wednesday night proved that Jason has spunk and the ability to answer a question like an intelligent human being.

So, elimination night always starts with a group number... this week was a medley of Neil Diamond tunes, with Jason starting things off with "Cracklin' Rose" - and though the group number was pretty crappy as a whole (mostly due to the girls voices not blending - yikes), Jason gave a strong vocal, and was lip synching everyone else's parts as he danced around in the background. He probably thought he was in the bottom 2, but at least he looked like he was having fun.

After the group number and before any contestants got called out, Seacrest brought up the 1 and only mention of "last night" and dispelled rumors by saying Paula is part of the Idol family and that they love her.

WAIT A MINUTE... who cares about Paula? I want to know what really happened. Or at least for someone to apologize to Jason for slamming his song before he sang it. Or to admit to the American people that the Idol is kind of shady. But nooooooo... there was no more mention of anything and no apologies. Not cool Idol, not cool.

Castro was the first contestant to be brought out to find out if he made it to the couch or was in the bottom 2. When Seacrest asked him about his critiques from the previous night, Castro shocked everyone by giving an articulate response regarding song choice and arrangement. Props to you , Castro, you probably aren't as dumb as people think you are. And then he was directed toward the couch... saved once again by his massive fanbase (I called for an hour and a half... that kid won't win the whole show, but I'll be damned if he doesn't earn his way into the Top 3).

And of course the Davids were safe. And as much as I wanted Syesha to go home, I knew it was going to be Brooke. That poor girl, she really took it hard. I felt bad while I watched her fumble the beginning of "I Am I Said" and then choke her way through the song... that must suck trying to sing right after you get your hopes and dreams of being the American Idol swiftly pulled out from under your designer shoes.

So, next week is Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame music... I guess there are 500 songs to chose from. Everyone has a wide variety to pick through, so if they botch their song choices, it's their own fault (or, their Dad's fault, if they are David A...)

Here's hoping for an all male Top 3 and a smooth show (and maybe a real explanation about what happened this past Tuesday... No? Didn't think so, FOX).

Happy Idoling :)