Word to your mother
So, about 2 hours ago, I got home from an Obama rally on IU's campus, during which actor/college professor Kal Penn spoke about the senator from Illinois... I knew Kal Penn was a well spoken person, but seeing him speak in person gives me a whole new appreciation for him as a person and an actor.
This past Monday night, actor Sean Astin accompainied Chelsea Clinton to IU (Indiana University, for those of you not in the know) in support of Hillary's campaign. As I'm an Obama supporter, I opted not to go see Chelsea and Sean speak. (That, plus Dancing With the Stars and How I Met Your Mother was on that night... :) ). The next morning in the school's paper, I saw a quote from Astin which read "I'm valuable in Indiana because I was in 'Rudy'." I'm ambivalent about Astin's acting skills and don't really know much about him as a person besides what I gathered from the Lord of the Rings trilogy's bonus discs which accompanied the extended editions of each film. That quote was a complete turnoff, and I seriously hope it was taken out of context. Just because you are in a movie that took place in Indiana doesn't mean that the people here should feel obligated to listen to what you have to say or support who you support.
Which leads us to tonight's Obama Rally with Kal Penn... i.e. Kumar from "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle".
I admit, "Harold and Kumar" was my first introduction to Kal Penn (thanks Spud... you got me hooked). And I'm pretty sure a lot of the 350+ people who showed up at the Rally tonight came because they thought that Kal Penn was going to be like his character of Kumar (1 person during the Q&A asked about what Penn's favorite thing off the White Castle menu is. True fans know that Penn was a vegetarian during the making of that film and they had to make fake non-meat burgers for him to eat during the White Castle scene... duh).
We were treated to an hour and half dialogue about Obama and how during the Writer's Strike, Penn decided to help out with the campaign, specifically in Iowa. Penn shared some anecdotes from his own experiences which guided him to his interest in politics and what led him, a self-proclaimed Independent, to support Barack Obama. He spoke about "our generation" and how we, the 18-35 year olds of this country, actually make a difference and how our votes are important, especially this year.
I really appreciated what Penn had to say. As a person whose vote was note counted during the last presidential election (yep, when I went to the polls to vote, my room number was 2 digits off on my address and they said I could fill out an absentee ballot or some B.S. like that and my vote was not counted...), it's going to be interesting how this year's election goes down. I don't know where I will be located come this November, but you can be damn sure I'm going to be registered to vote as soon as I get there.
Anyways... the Rally was really great. I got to sit in the front row and listen to a really great presentation from someone who I have respected for awhile now (um, did you see "The Namesake"... if not, you need to log off your computer, escort yourself to a video store of some sort and rent this film. It. Is. Excellent.). But, I would probably have gone to the rally whether Penn was speaking or not. I went to see John Kerry speak in 2004 and have tried to get more into politics the past few years because my peer group is the future of this country, and that's really scary. So, it's better to be informed now than 20 years down the line being completely out of the loop. Hearing Kal Penn speak was just the icing on the cake :)
Speaking of voting in our country... how about that American Idol?
(Waaaaaaaaaaay bad segue, I know)
Okay, to be perfectly honest, I love American Idol. I have seen all but 1 episode of the show (I forgot to DVR the results show from the Top 12 this season... but David Hernandez got kicked off and I saw the group song on YouTube the next week, so all was well). I like judging people's singing abilities from the comfort of my own living room. I am not the best singer in the world, in fact, I don't really sing around anyone except some people in my family. Though, if you were ever to pass my car while I'm going to/from work, the movie theater, grocery store, etc..., you are almost guaranteed to see the one-woman show that I put on every time I'm behind the wheel... the best performances come from mix-CDs I made years and years ago... the ones with such gems as "I Want it That Way," "Candy," and "Livin' on a Prayer". Or there's always those Broadway CDs... Spring Awakening, Wicked, Company, Legally Blonde... the list goes on...
But anyway, The Idol...
(BTW, that's what my mom and I call the show - "The Idol"... much like we call Dancing With the Stars, "The Dancing Show")
I have been a David Cook fan ever since his first audition... he had a pink streak in his hair and sang "Livin' on a Prayer" and I was smitten. I turned to my sister and said, "I want him to win" and I've been saying it every week since. He sings well, he does crossword puzzles, he plays the guitar and he's super entertaining (plus, he does that little half smnile thing when he's singing... sa-woon). I know the arrangments of the songs he does are not original, but he's way smart with the covers he choses to cover. Did you see his performance of "Hello" and "Billie Jean". Whoa... awesome.
My sister and I are also supporting Jason Castro, though unless he tries a little harder and does something other than pluck the strings of his guitar and hypnotize America with those beautiful blue eyes, that boy is going to get ousted soon. If he goes before Ramiele and Kristy Lee Cook, then something is wrong with the voting process and/or the American people (they are not good people... Not. Good.). Castro is the most aesthetically pleasing guy on that show, but he needs to step up his game.
My mom likes that little guy - David Archuleta - but I think he needs to go too. He's too wide-eyed and innocent, so much so that I don't think it's an act. If he wasn't 17, they'd be ripping him to shreds. He's a boring performer. He sings well, but he's boring. And he licks his lips while he sings. WTF is up with that?
Michael Johns is okay - he's an attractive man with a powerful voice but he looks waaaay older than he actually is. I think he looks like a slightly puffy version of Guy Pearce. Just an observation. I like him (he plays tennis, that's cool), but he shouldn't win.
As for the girls... Ramiele needs to go. This past week she sand Heart's "Alone", a song that was too big for her britches. Carrie Underwood sang that a few seasons ago and rocked the shit out of that song... Ramiele butchered it. I don't care that she said she was sick. Boo frickin' hoo. You're on American Idol - suck it up and sing your song without making excuses for yourself. Kristy Lee Cook tricked America into keeping her around for another week by singing "God Bless the USA". And next week must be country week as Dolly Parton will be mentoring them... Kristy butcheres every song she sings, but she sucks the least at country music (I really fear for Jason Castro this week... poor guy).
Carly Smithson, that Irish girl, is a good singer, though last week she sounded like she was pushing her vocals too hard. I don't want her to win, but she can stick around awhile longer. Same with Brooke. I really, really liked her from her first audition. Now I just like her... she's starting to make excuses for herself during judging. She's talented, but needs to stick to who she is.
And then there is Syesha. I do not like her one bit. She sings all right, but she seems like a fake person. One of those people who thinks she is God's gift to singing and American Idol - her and her scarfs she wears each week. I sooooooooo wanted her to go home last week instead of Chikeze. But alas. At least she was in the bottom 2. May America keep her there for awhile... give her a slice of humble pie (as Tyra Banks would say).
Well, that is all the news that's fit to print right now. I'm going to go finish watching "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" (gotta love that scene where they sing "Hold On" in the car) and "The 40-Year Old Virgin" (my next article is about Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow... I re-watched "Knocked-Up" already and will revisit "Superbad" sometime this week - woot).
Tomorrow I'll head to the movies to see "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" - go Frances McDormand and Amy Adams :)
You have a fantastic weekend... I'll catch ya later.
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