American Idol 2009 - Gokey, Allen, & Rounds

American Idol 2009 Analysis, 3/16/2009 - Day 4

Now that I am fully encapsulated in this year's American Idol, thanks in part to my lovely wife and lovely mother, here is my analysis of the Top-13 remaining contestants. Today's focus will be on Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, and Lil Rounds

Danny Gokey - Milwaukee, WI
Danny Gokey is my personal favorite to win this year's competition! Talk about starting off with a bang huh? Not only is he my favorite to win the competition, Danny is also my favorite overall person in the entire competition. Danny was one of the early contestants whose personal story tugged at the heart strings of viewers and judges alike. Because of this we've known Danny since his very first audition in Kansas City. Danny's story of triumph and success is one that should be admired by the young children that are watching at home, and the adults as well for that matter. Danny had originally planned to audition for the 2008 season 7 of American idol when his wife tragically passed away due to complications with heart surgery. Danny had his best friend Jamar along for the ride during the first few rounds of auditions and through the encouragement and the support of his friends and family Danny made it into the final 13. Danny is a music teacher and church worship leader for the Faith Builders International Ministry in Beloit, WI. His experiences in life and his polished skills musically really speak through his performances. To this point in the competition nobody has shown as much heart as Danny, as much vocal control as Danny, and as much passion as Danny. To say that he is a man inspired is an understatement. To say he is extremely talented is spot on! This Robert Downey Jr. look alike packs a voice that can be most closely compared to that of the legendary performer Seal. In fact during Hollywood week, Gokey tributes Seal by singing "Kiss From a Rose" and he blew us all away! On top of his musical talent Danny seems like the kind of guy that everybody just seems to like. I hope that as the competition goes on we get a chance to learn more about Danny's faith and the strength that he found in a gracious and loving God. Danny will receive my vote the entire way and should easily make it into the top-5.


Kris Allen - Conway, AR
Like Jorge Nunez, TV clips of Kris Allen were few and far between. Going unnoticed through Hollywood week Kris came onto the scene on group day in Hollywood week when his group, "White Chocolate" performed "I want you back" by the Jackson 5. Though the group did not receive rave reviews from Simon and the other judges, Kris and fellow top "thirteener" Matt Giraud stuck out as key players in this years competition. Since then Kris has done anything but play it safe, performing "Everything" by Michael Buble and "Man in the Mirror" and "Remember the Time" both by Michael Jackson. Kris, also a worship leader in Arkansas, married his Childhood sweetheart and has decided to bring his wife along for the ride. Despite having his wife in the crowd every night, Kris has been deemed this years unofficial heartthrob contestant. However dissimilar from most of the heartthrobs of seasons past, Kris actually has some talent to back up his good looks. To date, the judges have compared him to Jason Mraz and claimed that he was giving Michael Buble a run for his money! Kris is very talented and will be around for a while longer but he hasn't proven to me to be top 5 talent.

Lil Rounds - Memphis, TN
Have you ever known someone who lost their home in a tornado? Season 8 contestant Lil Rounds did! Like Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds has endured her fair share of tragedy during her life. After a tornado ripped through her house, Lil was forced to move her three kids and husband into a hotel room where they have been living since February 2008. Lil continues to be optimistic regarding the situation and is just happy that her family was not harmed during the disaster. With a voice eerily reminiscent of Mary J. Blige, Lil Rounds has a knack for wowing the judges and the viewers each and every week. She has avoided the nasty temptation of picking songs that she wants to sing (Anoop!) by knowing what songs she CAN sing. Thus far she has stuck in the realms of R&B, performing Tammi Terrell, The Temptations, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, and Michael Jackson. However she has proved that she can switch it up a little as she sang a cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" and knocked it out of the park! Lil has shown the judges that she can adapt and definitely knows how to work the stage, two characteristics that should easy carry her into the top 5 of this years show!

Next entries features - Matt Giraud, Megan Joy Corkrey, Michael Sarver, and Scott McIntyre...stay tuned!

American Idol 2009 - Iraheta & Desai

American Idol 2009 Analysis, 3/15/2009 - Day 3

Now that I am fully encapsulated in this year's American Idol, thanks in part to my lovely wife and lovely mother, here is my analysis of the Top-13 remaining contestants. Today's focus will be on Allison Iraheta and Anoop Desai.

Allison Iraheta - Los Angeles, CA

Who knew that Kelly Clarkson had enough free time to dress up as a sixteen year old and compete once again in American Idol. Each episode Allison Iraheta continues to draw striking similarities to the first America Idol winner. As Kelly did for the inaugural competition, Allison seems to have the right formula to be this years top dog. Allison has found success in this type of bout before. In 2006 Allison took home $50,000 and a recording contract from the Telemundo version of American Idol Quincanera. That recording contract did not last and I'm not so sure that her success in this years Idol will last either. Her voice is one of the better ones we have heard this year, yet it remains unpolished and fairly one dimensional. In the next few weeks we will find out what Allison is really made of as her choice in songs begins to dwindle. She's proven that she can handle Rock Power Ballads and heavy hearted pop songs very well, but we need to see how she fairs when the producers throw it back to the old school old school for 60's week or down on the farm for Country music week. She is young and inexperienced, so there is plenty of room to grow and learn. Allison has proved to be a judges favorite and if she ever does reach the point of being voted off, I'm sure that the judges will save her and give her another chance. The one thing that Allison needs to focus on is thinking before she opens her mouth. She is constantly fighting with the judges for air time and last week had a little slip of the tongue and made a sarcastic comment about people cutting themselves. One thing that could hold her down is if she begins to warrant negative press. Keep your eye on this one, she definitely has top 5 potential.

Anoop Desai - Chapel Hill, NC

Anoop-Dawg in the house! Anoop was unique to this season as he became the first exception to the rule of the Top 12 singers. Along with the viewers at home, Anoop was shocked to hear, of all people, Simon Cowell's announcement at the end of the Wild Card show. As Anoop began to walk off stage right, the Simon made the announcement that this years top 12 had just been altered and would actually be the top 13! The joy that Anoop and his family then shared can not be described in words. Anoop is surely one of the fan favorites, but in reality all those fans should realize that he has no chance at winning the entire competition. Every week that he sticks around is a boost for the entertainment value of the show. Anoop is a your everyday average suburban wannabe gangster, and America LOVES IT! Rather than be safe, Anoop picks to perform the songs that the audience wants to hear. Rather than look poised and polished, Anoop is not afraid to flop around and run all over the stage. His voice is good but he continues to choose the songs that he likes, which are not always the most flattering to amateur vocalists. His stay on the show should last no more than 4 more weeks, but this competition will surely open doors for Anoop's future. Take it for what it's worth Anoop and enjoy the ride!

Next entries feature - Danny Gokey and Kris Allen...stay tuned!

American Idol 2009 - Lambert & Grace

American Idol 2009 Analysis, 3/14/2009 - Day 2

Now that I am fully encapsulated in this year's American Idol, thanks in part to my lovely wife and lovely mother, here is my analysis of the Top-13 remaining Contestants. Today's focus will be Adam Lambert and Alexis Grace.

Adam Lambert - San Fransisco, CA
Where do we begin with Adam Lambert? Adam clearly has acquired stage presence somewhere along the line as he seems to be right at home on the stage and in front of people. In fact, Adam has been working the stage since the age of 10 when he was cast in the role of Linus in the San Diego's Lyceum Theater's "You're a good man, Charlie Brown". A skill which he surely acquired from his experience in theater, Adam is very comfortable performing. This quality is sure to get him far in this competition. Along with his confidence Adam has a very good and very unique voice. If I had a nickle for every time that I've heard Randy, Paula, Simon, or Kara tell a contestant that they are forgettable, I would have a approximately $24.53! Mr. Lambert is anything but forgettable. His smooth voice seems to soothe the audience into a deep trance and then he blows them away with what can only be described as his signature "screech". At which moment all the little Emo girls around the world sprint to their computers and begin updating their MySpace and Facebook pages to say, "Adam Lambert...will you marry me?" In all seriousness, Adam has to be one of the favorites to win the competition at this juncture. He has a good voice, is very entertaining while on stage, and has the heart of all the Emo girls, Twilight fans, and Steven Tyler groupies in his hand. That noted, I have a hunch that there is some baggage that comes along with Adam that may come into the picture once the competition begins to heat up a little bit.


Alexis Grace - Memphis, TN
Alexis is the spunky little spitfire in this years competition. A stay at home mother, this four foot nothing pink haired momma has some soul to her. The first time we saw her on the show the judges were shocked that such a powerful and soulful voice could be coming out of such a small petite girl. Who would have thought that a reserved family girl from Memphis could come out and rock the stage with hits from Motley Crue, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson? Since the early stages of the competition Alexis has been one of the judges favorites, but I am not yet convinced that the crowd and TV audience have embraced her in the same manner. Alexis has yet to engage the audience and get them up out of their seats. Most likely the victim of nerves and anxiety, she has to shake this. Once she gets a few more performances under her belt we will truly be able to judge the level of star power that Alexis truly possesses. Though she is not one of my personal favorites, I can possibly see a more polished and confident Alexis getting into the final five in this years competition.

Next Entries Feature - Allison Iraheta and Anoop Desai...stay tuned!

Punk Goes...

Toxic - A Static Lullaby

Wow! I just found some of the coolest compilations of music ever! They are all part of the "Punk Goes..." series of cds. They are basically a bunch of famous to semi-famous Punk Rock/Emo bands that have covered popular Pop songs, 80s songs, 90s songs, and Rap Songs.

Here are my favorite songs from each of the albums.
Punk Goes Pop Vol. 2 - "Apologize" performed by Silverstein and "Toxic" performed by A Static Lullaby (above)
Punk Goes 80s - "I Ran" performed by Hidden in Plain View and "Just Like Heaven" performed by Gatsbys American Dream
Punk Goes 90s - "Wonderwall" performed by Cartel
Punk Goes Crunk - "California Love" performed by My American Heart and "Umbrella" performed by All Time Low

American Idol 2009 - Murray & Nunez

American Idol 2009 Analysis, 3/13/2009 - Day 1
Now that I am fully encapsulated in this years American Idol, thanks in part to my lovely wife and lovely mother, here is my analysis of the Top 13 remaining Contestants. Today I will focus on the first two who were voted off of this years show, Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez.





Jasmine Murray - Starkville, MS
Jasmine was the first casualty of the 2009 season. While Jasmine was never one of my favorites she proved that she has a large amount of potential. She is incredibly young, only 17 years old, and has impeccable stage presence. She proved that she knows how to work the crowd and how to engage the audience into every performance, but she was missing just one minor element of the competition...she doesn't have the greatest voice. Throughout the competition she showed glimpses of what could be but it was never consistent. Her song choices seemed a little plain and boring as well. In the first couple of rounds she sang, "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles, "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera, and "Man in The Mirror" by Michael Jackson. Her first and third songs were popular in their own respect but were very simple songs compared to the songs that her competitors were choosing. On top of this she never attempted to make the song her own. With the exception of a few times where she would change the pitch here, she showed no musical creativity and it ended up being the exact same song that these stars released off of their cds. There was no bravado in her arrangements and the judges made her aware of this observation. There are a lot of things that she has going for her though. He personality and looks alone will get her places in life and at the age of 17 I know that we will see her again to some extent in season 9 of American Idol.  Jasmine Murray - Eliminated March 11th, 2009



Jorge Nunez - Carolina, PR
Jorge was the second to fall this season. Unfortunately I think that he was a casualty of the shows producer. Jorge barely made it on the television until the round of 36 was chosen. His audition and performance in Hollywood week was void of drama and tears, thus his footage did not make in onto the airwaves. Usually this tactic can go one of two ways. By not being featured on TV you can avoid the chance that the audience will get bored or annoyed with you, ultimately resulting in nobody voting for you when they have the chance. Or you will just be forgotten and never really "included" to the same effect as the other contestants. Regrettably, Jorge fell victim to the latter. People never really got to know him. The first feature they did on him was this last week when we got to meet his family in Puerto Rico. By then is was too late, everybody had already picked their favorites. Jorge sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John and "Never Can Say Goodbye" by the Jackson 5. He did not fail to impress the judges with his vocal ability, however his true personality was shadowed by his nerves once he reached the stage. He never seemed to come out of his shell and fell victim to the publics vote.  Jorge Nunez - Eliminated March 11th, 2009

Next Entries Feature - Adam Lambert & Alexis Grace...stay tuned!

American Idol 2009

Being a typical American, I have found myself getting drawn into certain popular TV shows. 24, LOST, and CSI are among my favorites. It wasn't until last year that my newest television obsession decided to grasp my attention. I was living at home after graduating from college and I completely blame my mom. She has been and is obsessed with American Idol. It is now safe to say that it has rubbed off on me, her son. I am a fan, I enjoy watching it and formulating opinions on the contestants. So I'll check my man card at the door and you can add me to the millions of people who regularly schedule there week around Simon, Paula, Randy, and now Kara!

Throughout the next week or so I will highlight two contestants a day and formulate my opinions on their skills, their chance to win, and what they add to the show. Along with some random tidbits of information about the show itself.

Stay tuned!

Michael Tait Heads Up Newboys?

Michael Tait to Join Newsboys!

If it were possible for two super popular Christian bands to mate and have the offspring that they create become the Christian Uber-band, this would be something like that...Well sort of. It is however official, posted on the bands website yesterday, Newsboys "admin" posted a blog titled, "Michael Tait to Join Newsboys".

The reason for Tait joining the band? Newsboys headman Peter Furler will no longer front the band in concert. The article does not give a reason for Peters leave of absence but it does not sound like he has been "ousted" from the band. The post states that "Michael Tait will be touring with the band as lead singer with Peter making special appearances throughout the year." Peter will continue paticipating in the collaboration of writing and recording the music, just seems to be taking a break from the everyday pressures and stress of touring the country.

Honestly I am surprised that this sort of "break" is not taken by more artists in Christian and secular music. I know that performing is part of their job, but at least my job allows me to go home each and every night to see my wife and sleep in my own bed. Their job does not allow them this luxury. Sure it seems grand to travel the country and the world and perform in front of thousands of screaming fans, but the appeal of that sort of fullfillment can only last so long.

Good for you Peter Furler, for knowing when it's time to take a break. Get away from the stage and bright lights and enjoy being a normal person!

I Am Second...

I am reading Josh Hamilton's book right now and the story of his life just amazes me. To see the struggles that he has been through and to see him triumph is truly an amazing act of God. Hamiliton has also partnered with an organization called e3 Partners Ministry. Their current multi-million dollar campaign is focused around the phrase, "I Am Second".

"The initiative – which began this month and is planned to last three years – has attracted professional athletes and Hollywood celebrities and drawn more than 160,000 Web site hits from people in at least 150 countries." Jessica Meyers, The Dallas Morning News

Celebrities on board with the campaign right now include Josh Hamilton (Texas Rangers), Jason Castro (American Idol), Darrel Waltrip (Nascar), Stephen Baldwin (Actor), Brian Welch (Singer/Songwriter), Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys), Joe Gibbs (NFL/Nascar), and more.

The campaign's aim is to put God first in people's lives. Through the videos on their website and billboards plastered along the highway in Northern Texas, they are reaching out to more people than they could have hoped when drafting the campaign. Their ad tactics really show the power and strength that modern digital media has in the advertising world. Branching their campaign onto YouTube, Facebook, and creating their own flash based website will attract those of the younger generation to their message.

For more information please visit their website at www.iamsecond.com

Lost: Episode 5x08 LeFleur

So we got to see what is presumably the four toed statue tonight...i know it was a quick glimpse but it was totally awesome! I did some research afterwords and discovered something a little unusual. This is what we saw...

Trying to figure out what it was I googled "egyptian Jackyl" and it brought me to stuff about Anubis, the Egyptian god of mummification and the underworld. So I googled some more pics of him and this is what I found.

In all the pictures I can find of him he is holding this cross with a loop at the top item, which was the same item that Paul, Amy's dead husband was wearing around his neck and which Horrace found in her drawer. It also appears that the four toed stature is holding this item in his right hand.

This symbol thing is called an "ANCH" or "ANKH". It's hard to find a ton of info on this but it appears to be the symbol of enduring life. It was laid on the face of mummies to breath the breath of life into them.

It is also said that the wakening of the dead was a function of Anubis (Christian Shepperd, John Locke?). Maybe there is a little more to this Egyptian culture on the island this than we thought? However I am not sure what the significance is that Paul, the dead husband, had it around his neck?

I know that I am obsessed but oh well!

Pride and Glory Movie Review

PLOT
A saga centered on a multi-generational family of New York City Police officers. The family's moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney, investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law. For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora's Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD. (IMDB.com)

Critical Review
I will start by saying that I'm not sure that I entirely enjoyed this movie. There was a lot to take in from corrupted public officials, racism, foul language, and senseless death. Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against a violent movies, but if there is violence it needs to be tasteless violence. This movie was a little over the top in that respect. I also wish that I would have counted how many times the "f-word" was used, however I don't think that I have the ability to count that high. I know that this is my opinion from afar, but I can't believe that this amount of foul language is actually used in anybodies everyday life. I may be wrong, but again when they are swearing so much that it begins to bother me, it's a little overboard.

Now that I got that off my chest we can get to the actual review of the movie. The acting in this film was spotty. Certain characters were very strong and their characters were well developed, while others never really seemed to grasp the audience. Edward Norton (Ray Tierny) was a very strong character and was very well represented by Norton. Ray Tierny was a very troubled and torn character who was working his way through a divorce while working as a detective on a case in which his very own family is knee deep in the corruption. Norton depicted this character wonderfully, which really engaged me into the story. Working against Norton's attempt to salvage this film was Colin Farrel and his character Jimmy Eagan. Farrel has no attractiveness as an actor for me. He always seems to be playing some sort of hard nosed,foul-mouthed police character, not very appealing to me. On top of that, I see Farrel as being this type of person in real life which does not impress me when I see him depict this type of character on the big screen.


The directing of this film did not really set the scene well. There were a handful of main characters who were not developed until an hour into the film. It was hard to follow the story when I am asking myself, "Now who is this guy?"


If I were to describe the plot of this movie to you as a family of corrupt police begins to unravel, you would probably say, "Haven't we seen this movie before?" Which would be an accurate assumption. However this plot is very deep and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would even go as far as saying that the plot is the strongest part of this movie. I really did enjoy the story of this movie I just thought that it could be more tastefully done.