Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Rap Chop



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RIP Daniel Faraday

It's official, Daniel Faraday has officially passed away and will no longer be on the show, see below.

"And you thought the next grave was going to be Juliet’s… Wrong!

Time-traveling expert Daniel Faraday (nicknamed “Twitchy” by Sawyer) has become the latest Lostie to bite the big one, leaving the 1970’s Dharmaville outcasts to fend for themselves just when they need him most.

Executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof commend Jeremy Davies for pulling off an increasingly bizarro role–and taking the news of his firing better than any of their previous island victims.

“For us, Faraday really was the cornerstone of the fifth season–he really shined,” says Lindelof. “I can’t imagine what Season 5 would have looked like without Jeremy Davies. When you think about all the crazy stuff that had to come out of that guy’s mouth, for him to be as interesting and emotional and poetic as he was is really extraordinary.”

Lindelof and Cuse say they were impressed by how gracefully Davies dealt with his dismissal. While disappointed to be losing a paycheck, the actor saw his departure as essential to their storytelling. Lindelof says, “When Carlton and I called Jeremy to explain what was going to be happening with Faraday, we’ve never had a more awesome exit interview with somebody on the show.”

“It was an incredibly painful thing to kill this beloved character,” Cuse adds, “but we feel that’s what this show has to do. His death is kind of the culminating event in the entire season. It really ends one chapter and commences the start of the final chapter of the entire series. Once we explained that to Jeremy, while he was personally saddened that his full-time status on Lost was coming to an end, he put the story above his own personal self.” (Hmmm…notice Cuse’s wording: “full-time status”.)

So why was now the right time to do him in?

“When we kill off a character we want the audience to say, ‘How dare you!,’ not, ‘It’s about time,’” explains Lindelof, who was particularly impressed with Davies’ final scenes. “He has never been better than he was in ‘The Variable.’”

Michael Emerson, who plays Ben, praises Davies as “a great sensitive guy who got deep into his character. He really lived it.” (And died it!)

Around the set, Terry O’Quinn (John Locke) will miss Davies and the music that always accompanied him. “Most actors walk around with headphones, but Jeremy would walk around holding a miniature boom box,” recalls O’Quinn. “He always wanted to provide music for everyone–whether they wanted it or not. Everybody would go, ‘What’s up with this dude?’”

O’Quinn remembers the time Davies brought his boom box out into the water during an action scene. “We were out paddling in a canoe with me, Ken Leung (Miles), Josh (Sawyer), Jeremy and Elizabeth (Juliet) and we ended up flipping a half mile out to sea. The first thing I thought of when I came up was, ‘I hope Jeremy’s f—ing boom box went to the bottom–and it did. But he replaced it real quick.”

Davies won’t be so easily replaced. Do you think Faraday was killed off too soon? Or were you tired of his time-traveling jargon?

By William Keck.

[Via TV Guide]

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

This Day In Sports - April 30th

1919 -- Phillies beat Brooklyn Dodgers 9-0 in 20 innings.
1971 -- 25th NBA Championship: Milwaukee beats Baltimore Bullets in four games.
1976 -- Muhammad Ali beats Jimmy Young in 15 rounds for heavyweight boxing title.
1990 -- As Mets pitcher David Cone argues a call at first base, two Braves score.
*From SI.com


Yeah there's a lot of history with the New York Yankees, but I wish that the Dodgers had remained in Brooklyn. In my mind there is no better sports name than the Brooklyn Dodgers! With the 2009 NBA Finals looming in the distance I have been reminded how much I enjoy playoff basketball. The Bulls Celtics series has been crazy good and with all the drama between the Hornets getting whooped by 58 and Dwight Howard being suspended for tonight's game six, these playoffs have been wrought with excitement. Looking forward to Lakers vs. Cavs finals. I attended the Twins game last night vs the Tampa Bay Rays and almost witnessed the 1990 note above. Scott Kazmir had a wild and crazy first inning last night and allowed four earned runs on 2 or 3 wild pitches. On the second wild pitch a run scored and Kazmir was so distraught that he hung his head at the plate as the runners continued to advance to second and third.

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

American Idol 2009 Top 5 Show Reaction



American Idol 4/28/2009
Reaction



After sending two people packing last week, Idol is back this week with the Rat Pack theme. This was an interesting night as this theme didn't really suit anybodies singing style more than the others. It made for a pretty fair match and overall was a fairly uneventful night.





Kris Allen - The Way You Look Tonight
I really enjoyed Kris' performance this week. I do have to say that his last note was a little shaky and unfortunately it's the last thing that everybody will remember. The judges got really technical with his performance using many big musical terms that I didn't quite understand. The one thing that I agree with the most came from Simon. He said that Kris was like a "a well trained Spaniard out on a walk." This was a little weird but made complete sense. We always know what we are going to get from Kris, but his downfall is that he never really blows us out of the water. I think Kris will be safe this week but needs to add the wow-factor if he wants to continue on in this competition.

Allison Iraheta - Someone to Watch Over Me
In her first performance as a 17 year old, Allison was one of the few that I was a little worried about with the Rat Pack theme this week. I think that she did OK but not great. I'm not exactly sure what it's called, I think maybe bravado, but the waviness in here voice when she holds a note really rubs me the wrong way. I am not a fan of that. But Allison does have a very powerful voice. The only "chick" as Seacrest put it, left in the competition should be a little worried tonight. At this point in the competition good singers are being sent home. Allison should be a little nervous tonight and will find herself in the bottom 3.

Matt Giraud - My Funny Valentine
Of all genres that should be Matt's strong suit, the Rat Pack seems to be the perfect fit. In that case I will blame it on song choice. I was very unimpressed by Matt tonight. I feel like he could have picked a song that fit his style and his voice so perfectly and the song he sang was just mediocre to me. There were times where he was basically talking rather than singing. Had he arranged it to be a little more like a Justin Timberlake song with the soft subtle variations in range it could have been much stronger for him. With his previous falls and this weeks performance Matt should find himself in the bottom 3 tonight.

Danny Gokey - Come Rain or Come Shine
This theme tonight did not really fit Danny's voice the best, but in true Danny Gokey fashion, he made the best of it. I'm starting to realize that Danny's voice is more soulful than I had previously realized. He is a great talent and when he stretches for for those high powerful notes it's just amazing! All of his performances build up throughout the song and by the time he gets to the end he's giving it all he's got and the crow is going absolutely crazy! Danny did great again this week and should have no fear of going home this week.

Adam Lambert - Feeling Good
It's always interesting to see how Adam will twist a song to fit his style. Tonight like all of the others he twisted it and it seemed successful. When his high voice is singing these songs it's hard to see how it was ever a Rat Pack song, but his fans just eat the stuff up. Adam should be safe from elimination this week but if he wants to be the champ he is going to have to pick it up a little from his performance this week.


Overall Predictions: after the 04/28/2009 performance show
Last week I went 100% in the bottom three but with two people going home I only got one of the two correct.
  1. Danny Gokey
  2. Adam Lambert
  3. Kris Allen
  4. Allison Iraheta
  5. Matt Giraud ('tis officially the end of the road for Matt this time.)
Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

This Day In Sports - April 29th

1892 -- Charlie Reilly is baseball's first pinch hitter.
1961 -- ABC's "Wide World of Sports" debuts.
1985 -- Tony Tubbs TKOs Greg Page in 15th round for heavyweight boxing title.
1986 -- Boston's Roger Clemens strikes out 20 Seattle Mariners.
*From SI.com



Oh Roger Clemens. Talk about a fall from grace. Roger Clemons was the only baseball card that my dad still has from his childhood card collection (all others suffered a brutal death by bicycle spokes). For most of his career, Roger was worshiped as one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball. He has more Cy Young awards than any other pitcher (7), he is one of only four pitchers in baseball history to accumulate more the 4,000 strikeouts, proudly sports two world series rings, and has been named to numerous top 100 all time player lists (Sporting News, Sports Illustrated). Yet in 2005 Clemens was one of the many players that Jose Canseco blew the whistle on regarding steroid allegations. Clemens' representation vehemently denied these allegations yet in 2008 his longtime personal trainer found himself in legal trouble and further spilled the beans on Roger.

2008 was a year that was full of finger pointing and denial coming from the Clemens party. Roger decided that it would be a better idea to throw his wife under the bus than to take the blame and from this rumors of adultery and family issues surfaced regarding Roger's private life. It's safe to say that Roger didn't expect this type of backlash from his comments, but as it stands the baseball community has completely frowned upon the accomplishments and career of Roger Clemens. So what does baseball do with these guys? It will be very interesting in the next few years as once heroic players like Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens. Become eligible for the Hall of Fame. Thus far "Big Mac" has failed two times, but when 2012 rolls around and baseball's all time best power hitter (Bonds) and arguably baseball's best power pitcher (Clemens) become eligible for the hall things will be interesting.

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

This Day In Sports - April 28th

1966 -- 20th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat L.A. Lakers, 4-3.
1967 -- Muhammad Ali refuses induction into army and is stripped of boxing title.
1988 -- New Jersey Devils set all-time playoff mark for penalty minutes.
1990 -- Boston Celtics score most points in a playoff, spanking New York Knicks, 157-128.
1993 -- Capitals' Dale Hunter attacks Islanders' Pierre Turgeon after goal in horrible cheap shot.
*From SI.com


Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Monday, April 27, 2009

This Day In Sports - April 27th

1908 -- Fourth modern Olympic games opens in London.
1944 -- Boston Brave Jim Tobin no-hits Brooklyn Dodgers.
1956 -- Rocky Marciano retires as undefeated champion.
1961 -- NFL recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
1992 -- Mets trade David Cone to Blue Jays for Jeff Kent.
*From SI.com

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

LOST's - Season 5's Biggest Questions


LOST - Unanswered Questions from Season 5

There are only three weeks left in Season 5 of LOST! Disappointing, exciting, you be the judge. Heading into what will surely be some heavy and very entertaining episode's I wanted to highlight the top 5 biggest questions that remain unanswered regarding this season of LOST.


1.) Where are Rose and Bernard?
Rose and Bernard have been "missing" ever since episode 5.01, Because You Left. They were last seen when the island began skipping and the Losties were attacked by flaming arrows back in the year 1954. Many have speculated that the husband and wife duo were killed during the flaming arrow attack but in one of the Official LOST Podcasts the producers told us that it was safe to assume that most people died in the attack, but that Rose and Bernard were not dead and would make a return at some point. So where have they been for the past 12 episodes?

Based off of the little bit that we do know about the laws of time traveling, it's safe to say that even though they were separated from the rest of the gang they continued time traveling (much like Jin did before he was found by Rousseau and her team). So they should be somewhere in he year 1977. Most speculation includes them jumping on board with the Others or being held captive by the Others. My on a limb prediction takes Rose and Bernard back to 1954. For some reason they did not continue skipping through time with the rest and holed up in the caves near the stream. Back in episode 1.06, House Of The Rising Sun, Jack, Locke, and Charlie discovered two bodies in the caves which John Locke deemed Adam and Eve. While examining the bodies Jack made a comment that it would take at least 50 years for bodies and clothing to decompose to this level. Ironic that 1954 is exactly 50 years prior to 2004 when this all took place. Along with the bodies they also found a black stone and a white stone. This is obviously significant because Bernard is Caucasian and Rose African American, but also significant because we have seen Rose and Bernard deal with these types of stones before (Bernard tried to organize a group to spell "help" in the sand).

2.) How did Hurley find his way onto the Ajira 316 flight and ultimately back on the island?
In episode 5.02, The Lie, we witnessed one of the funniest scenes from LOST when Ben Linus snuck up on Hurley and Hurley chucked his Hot Pocket at the wall. Ben tried to convince Hurley to return to the island with him. Hurley ran away and turned himself in to police. We know that Ben had a lawyer that was working on getting Hurley out of jail, but seemingly this had nothing to do with getting Hurley onto the Ajira flight 316. We don't even know how he found out about the flight, he just all of the sudden appeared. Oh and what does he have inside that guitar case?



3.) Where has Daniel Faraday been this whole time?
Prior to the last episode (episode 5.12, Some Like It Hoth) we had not seen or heard from Daniel Faraday since episode 5.05, This Place is Death. On island time, it has been a little over 3 years since Charlotte died and Daniel went rogue, what has he been up to during this time? The most interesting theory that I have heard on this was that he figured out how to get off of the island and has been working on construction "The Lampost" station with his mother, Eloise Hawking. I'm not entirely sure how the timeline falls here but a short time after Daniel returns to the island with the scientists we see him sort of sneaking around the construction site of "The Orchid." He appears to be up to no good, so I think that he is on some sort of side mission that doesn't include the Dharma Initiative.

4.) We have seen the backside of the four toed statue now. What is it a statue of and why is it no longer standing?
I have a previous post that goes fairly heavy into the speculation regarding the statue so I'll take it easy this time around. It's pretty clear that with all of the hieroglyphics that the statue is probably related to Ancient Egyptian civilizations. There are 3 Ancient Egyptian gods that are the front runners for statue possibilities, Anubis, Horus, and Taweret. Originally people, including me, jumped on the idea that the statue was Anubis who is one of the gods of the underworld. This fit with the theory of the island being some sort of purgatory. I don't like the idea of the island being some type of purgatory so the Anubis guess has lost its luster with me. Since then I have jumped on board the idea of the statue being that of Taweret. When you look at Anubis, depictions of him have really pointy ears and our statue does not at all. It was also talked about that the statues skirt was too long for it to be the skirt of an Egyptian man. Some of the physical features were also compared to that of a female. Taweret is depicted as a female hippopotamus and is also the goddess of motherhood. Very interesting with the child bearing problems that we have seen on the island. Maybe the destruction of the Taweret statue was what caused problems with child birth?

5.) This is the biggest question for me because I jumped all over this when it first came out. Who was the women in the background of the Dharma house with Sun, Frank, and Christian?
In episode 5.09, Namaste, we saw Frank and Sun head back to the main island and come across Christian Shephard who was apparently residing in Ben Linus' Dharma Home. When Christian was explaining to Sun that Jin and the other Losties were stuck back in 1977 we saw a whisp of smoke blow the door open and enter the home. The next scene right before it cuts back to 1977 and the Dharma Initiative picture taking we can see a woman on camera right over Sun's right shoulder. Many people have wrote this off as a production error where some set hand got caught in the background of a scene. I do not believe this. With all the attention that these guys pay to the small details I find it hard to believe that this was an error that just went unnoticed. Also when there is some sort of error like this (Charlotte's date of birth, the black smoke from the fuselage) the producers have gone out of their way to correct the error either through podcasts or written statement. To this point we have heard nothing from anyone official regarding this issue. This and the smoke that entered the room all leads me to believe that this figure was deliberate. So who is this woman? She may have been holding a baby, so my guess are Claire, Penny, or maybe Annie Ben's childhood friend. We have been told that Annie and her story will have a lot to do with the way that the series concludes. Hopefully someone will shed a little more light on this situation.

Open Ended Question: Where is Desmond and is he ultimately headed towards the island?

Have any thoughts on the open ended question? Do you have any other thoughts on my unanswered questions? Or any unanswered questions of your own? Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Lunch For Three - Day 20

Nooma 020|Shells
"Do you often find yourself saying, "I'm so busy" or "I just have so much to do"? It's easy to get overwhelmed with appointments, gatherings, to-do lists. But what are we really doing with our time? Many of us are running from place to place and it seems like life is just passing us by. We're doing so many things, a little bit of everything, and yet it doesn't feel like much of a life. But most of us find it hard to say no. We feel obligated. There are so many good things to do. So many good causes to join. But while we're busy doing all these good things, are we missing out on something great? Maybe saying no would be easier if we knew what it meant to say yes." NOOMAtube



Life gets busy sometimes doesn't it. I commonly find myself stuck in a position where I have committed to help a friend move, catch a Twins game with my dad, and pick Abby up from somewhere, all of these things within the span of a few hours. Almost always I end up letting someone down when I realize that I can't do it all and need to cut one of these obligations out of my agenda. How do you think that God feels when his plans are the ones that we cut out of our agenda. It's been over a week now since my last post in this Lunch For Three series. Obviously with work getting busier, summer commitments coming into full affect and a monster birthday season in our family on my plate, I made the poor choice to cut blogging and more importantly cut my time with God and my devotional study out of my life. Coming back into the study with this video was a bit of a slap in the face.

Overcommitment is an epidemic in today's society. With the advancement of cars, cell phones, and computers we seem to think that we are able to do it all, and do it all at the same time. Does this sound familiar? Or maybe you're a people pleaser and you just can't say no when someone asks something of you. Either way, we all have an issue with spreading ourselves too thin. I've made a comment in one of my previous blogs about some advice that my dad gave me about being financially responsible. He has told me that it is important to stay out of debt and be financially comfortable not because you never know what opportunity may come your way or what tragedy may befall you, but because you never know what God might call you to do. And when God comes calling you want to be in a position where you will be able to fulfill His calling. This is the same sort of concept that Rob is talking about in this video. He gives an example of his son spotting a star fish floating in the water. In mid stride on his way to catch the starfish his son stops, and says I can't my hands are full with my shells. If God came calling to you today, to put down the video game, skip the shopping, get off the couch and go out and help those who are less fortunate, where would your priorities lie? Which of those actions would you cut out of your schedule?

"May you drop your shells in the pursuit of a simple, disciplined, focused life. I which you pursue the few things God has for you. And may you be like Jesus, able to say no because you've already said yes." Rob Bell

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Friday, April 24, 2009

This Day In Sports - April 24th


1963 -- Bob Cousy ends his 13-year career by scoring 18 points as the Boston Celtics win their fifth consecutive NBA championship.
1994 -- David Robinson scores 71 points to win the NBA scoring title.
1996 -- Petr Nedved scores a power-play goal with 44.6 seconds left in the fourth overtime, ending the longest NHL game in 60 years and giving the Penguins a 3-2 victory over the Capitals.



Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

This Day In Sports - 4/23/2009

1954 -- The NBA adopts the 24-second shot clock.
1969 -- Jerry West scores 53 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers over Boston 120-118 in the opening game of the NBA finals.
1999 -- Fernando Tatis hits two grand slams in one inning -- the first player to do so in major league history -- to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 12-5 win over Los Angeles.
*From SI.com


Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

American Idol 2009 - Why Adam Lambert Will Not Win

Why Won't Adam Lambert Win American Idol?
This years American Idol seems as if it will break the pattern of an every other year guy/girl winner. For the first time ever, there should be two male winners in two consecutive years. To this point in the season most people are making predictions that the Final Two contestants will be Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey. A few people have Kris Allen or Allison Iraheta mixed in there, but most have the first two gentlemen rounding out the finals. At this point in the competition a lot of people think that Adam Lambert will be this years champion. No I'm not completely going to rule Adam out but I do have a strong opinion that Danny Gokey will be this years champion, and here's why I think this.

Let me start by laying out the entire list of contestants that are remaining in the competition. After their name I am going to categorize their fan base.
  • Anoop Desai - Conservative R&B fans
  • Danny Gokey - Conservative Contemporary/Gospel fans
  • Kris Allen - Conservative Contemporary/Christian Contemporary fans
  • Lil Rounds - R&B/Soul fans
  • Adam Lambert - Liberal Screamo/Twilight movie fans
  • Matt Giraud - Bluesy/Soul fans
  • Allison Iraheta - Rock/Pop fans
Looking at this list above I am gonna break down the rest of the competition starting with tonight's results show. In doing this I am going to predict where the fans of the fallen will go to place their votes. Tonight I am predicting that Lil Rounds and Matt Giraud will get voted off the island. Looking at the fans of Lil Rounds I cannot see them voting for Adam Lambert but can see them voting for the soulful Danny Gokey. Same thing with Matt Giraud. He may have some fans that will go to vote for Adam, but more that will vote for Danny's sometimes bluesy sound.

Next week, Anoop Desai will probably get voted off. Like Lil and Matt, I can see most of Anoop's fans jumping on the more conservative Danny Gokey's bandwagon. Two weeks from now will be either Kris Allen or Allison Iraheta. Because I believe that the producers will do whatever it takes to have one girl in the final three we'll say Kris gets voted off. Kris and Danny are both worship leaders at their churches back home. I can see almost all of Kris's fans jumping over to ride the wave with Danny Gokey's gang. That leaves us with a top 3 of Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, and Danny Gokey. Allison will come in third place and maybe pull a 50/50 split between her fans voting for Adam and Danny.

Moral of the story Adam is too far "out there" for the mainstream audience to adopt and waste their time voting for. Danny is the clean cut nice guy that people can't help but love. We've seen his life's story play out on the screen and it tugs at our heart strings. I don't think that Adam's fan base will grow very much from where it stands today. When you look at the voting spread in this sort of way, it's hard to see how Danny won't pull this off in the end.

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

American Idol 2009 Top 7 Show Reaction - Take 2



American Idol 4/21/2009
Reaction




Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Disco Week! To be completely honest it was kind of a downer. Not one of the contestants really performed a "disco-ish" song. They all picked songs by disco artists that could have easily crossed over into the R&B or pop charts of the time. Anoop was the only one who dressed semi-disco. It was sort of a clean cut, skater, preppy look and it worked pretty well for him! Remember since the judges used their save last week on Matt Giraud, there are two people going home tonight. The pressure surely mounted for some, while others rose to the occasion.


Lil Rounds - I'm Every Woman by Chaka Khan
Lil had the unfortunate draw of kicking off disco week. She caught me a bit off guard and I personally thought that she did pretty well. The song fit her voice nicely and she performed it with a higher level of energy than we are used to seeing from her. However the judges must have seen things differently. None of the judges seemed to like Lil's performance and Simon absolutely tore her to shreds. He flat out told her that she was going home tonight and kept referring to her "poor performance" while critiquing the other acts throughout the night. It was kind of funny seeing Lil's mother get that look of rage as Simon was ripping on her daughter. I seriously thought that she may walk over there and smack him upside the head. Lil then proceeded to do something that really has bugged me more this year than any year before. She rattled off a bunch of excuses and claimed that she "had fun" and that's all that matters. It really irritates me when the contestants are riddled with excuses after their judges critique goes poorly. Sadly for Lil, I agree with Simon. It was too little too late and Lil will be sent home tonight.

Kris Allen - She Works Hard for the Money by Donna Summer
This was one of those songs in which the contestant was taking a huge risk by modifying it up and making it their own. Kris decided to bring back the guitar this week and it really highlighted how much he shines when he is performing and playing his guitar. He looks like he feels much more comfortable and overall puts on a better show. Kris did great this week and will be safe this week but he continues to be fairly forgettable and this could come back to hurt him when we get down to the later rounds. Kris should easily find his way to next week's top 5.

Danny Gokey - September by Earth, Wind, and Fire
It's starting to become a little ridiculous. Danny Gokey walks out onto that stage every week and doesn't even look like he's trying! Yet every week he continues to blow away the competition. Randy made a comment that it made him nervous when Danny picked this song because there weren't many spots for him to showcase his range. But somehow, someway Danny was able to show the world his incredible range and pitch even with this tough song. Danny is in cruise control and has no worries about being included in the top 5.

Allison Iraheta - Hot Stuff by Donna Summer
It continues to confuse me how Allison continues to get a large amount of votes? I'm going to open a vein here, but she's cocky, has a funny voice, no personality, and has the weirdest sense of style I've ever seen. I agree with people that she is the only hope that the girls have had the entire way, but that's not saying a whole lot. I didn't like her rendition of this song and haven't cared for her performances all season long. Allison should be safe this week, but next week she should start feeling nervous!

Adam Lambert - If I Can't Have You by Yvonne Elliman
Yuck, yuck, yuck! I don't hate Adam Lambert's performances every week, but this week was flat out awful. Adam rolled out clean cut and in a suit again, but then proceeded to do the stupid screeching thing the entire song! There is a clear distinction in Adam's vocal range. You have the comfortable notes that are easy for him to hit, the higher notes that he has to strain a little for, and then the super high notes that he doesn't have any business attempting so he screeches instead. It hurt my ears last night. Adam is a showman and the only reason he's still in this competition is because the judges cannot hear Adam's real voice because all the little girls in the front row are screaming too loudly. Adam will be safe again but mark my words HE WILL NOT WIN THIS COMPETITION, I'll explain more later.

Matt Giraud - Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees
I honestly cannot remember this performance very well. Maybe I fell asleep, maybe it was just that forgettable? I'm really not sure. Either way, the judges ultimately wasted their save on Matt last week because he will be joining the rest of us who watch from home next week.

Anoop Desai - Dim All the Lights by Donna Summer
Well we know that the contestants know who Donna Summer is don't we? 3 of the 7 performed Donna Summer pieces. Anoop was rocking his new look tonight and the performance was above average. It was weird because I felt like this song only had about five or six words in the entire thing. I'm not sure if this was just Anoop's rendition or the original song. Either way it seemed really easy and I think that that may hurt Anoop. He should find himself on those uncomfortable stools again tonight and with 2 of the bottom 3 going home there may be more need to be nervous for the Desai camp.


Overall Predictions: after the 04/21/2009 performance show
Last week I went 100% but the judges laid their save down and screwed it all up! I'm stuck between picking Matt and Anoop as the second person to go home this week. I think it will be Matt and Lil, with Anoop soon to follow (next week).
  1. Danny Gokey
  2. Kris Allen
  3. Adam Lambert
  4. Allison Iraheta
  5. Anoop Desai
  6. Matt Giraud
  7. Lil Rounds
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