ok, almost live.
I'll be about 5-10 minutes delayed to begin.
Its apparently Top Downloads on iTunes week, so I ask two simple things:
1. Anoop Doggy Dogg doing Snoop Doggy Dogg. And ...
2. Adam doing Fall Out Boy. If he does "This Ain't a Scene, Its a (God Damn) Arms Race!" it will rock the effing house.
Back once we get underway. Apparently Dusty has kabobs on the grill tonight. And we've got a full couch of judges! Although sadly Gregg is not joining us. But hey, four judges, two of whom don't give a crap about this program? In the words of ... well, me, "this has potential ..."
Wow, I'd forgotten what today is the one year anniversary of. Forcible Eviction Day! Or, as the infamous text message put it, "meet me at Lowes his ass is grass". I'd like to say I feel sympathy, remorse, even a little bit of sorrow ... but deadbeat still owes me and Dusty thousands of dollars. He can rot in hell.
Raise a glass to his demise! One year ago ... today!!!
(And no, the basement door still isn't properly installed ... but hey, it kept him out. And changing the locks made him cry. I feel like I accomplished something meaningful by that, making "deadbeat" cry. Actually, I know I did. Anyways, moving on ...)
Still in a holding pattern until Katie gets here in a couple minutes ...
And ... we're underway. At 7:10 so 10 minutes delayed for a while.
I'd like to see the blind squirrel handle the stairs. Excuse me, that's insensitive. I mean Scott the Blind Squirrel.
Katie thinks Pauler looks like she's going to an 80s homecoming dance. Can't really disagree.
THIS ... intro is horrible.
We open with Anoop Doggy Dogg! Doing "Caught Up" by Usher. Katie thinks its disappointing. I agree, do Snoop Doggy Dogg! Although he might do well with this.
I say this is bottom 3. This is hideous. I'll await the other couch judges reaction, but wow, this is ... this is absolutely horrible.
I'm not feelin it. Unless if by feelin it, you mean the need to leave the room. Katie, "yeah, not a fan, he slowed it down too much". RJ giving the backhand compliment. New judge is not making a lick of sense. Pauler ... her eyes are barely half open. She is not making any sense, and Simon calls her on it. Simon, "it was a complete and utter mess". Agreed. He's in trouble.
Megan up next. The glass is 2/3 full, I hope that's enough shiraz.
Katie: "It could be good!" Steve: "I could win the f*cking lottery!"
Ugh. She's doing Lauren Hill/Bob Marley's "Turn the Lights Down Low". I'm thinking of three words right now, and the two outliers are "Jesus" and "Christ".
How has she gotten this far?
The middle word I was thinking of rhymes with "bucking".
Katie: "Please go home". Steve ... can't disagree.
New judge thinks "you're in trouble". New judge can't handle the audience ripping her. Pauler ... that's 45 seconds I'll never get back. But I'm thinking she didn't like it. Something about a stool. Simon rips her a new one. RJ compares it to paint drying. Seriously ... who has EVER watched paint dry? Maybe for a couple moments, but seriously, camping out to watch paint dry? Who's ever done that?
Still "slightly delayed".
Danny doing Rascal Flatts "What Hurts the Most".
What hurts the most ... was being so close ... he's doing well so far. Wait, "Deadbeat" loved Rascal Flatts. I should be booing this. Yet I can't. Good song, good performance.
Katie: "One of his best performances. I liked that". I did too, actually.
We got a fist pump on Simon's comment. Yes, it was good. New judge has goose bumps. I'd guess (grey) goose bumps.
Alison up next. She's looking ... red. She's busting out the guitar. Doing "Don't Speak" by No Doubt! This is going to effing ROCK!
That could have been better, but it was good. Katie: "she looks like the killer at a prom". Yup.
RJ rips the outfit. This coming from Randy. New judge is insane. Something about a raspy edge. Pauler ... (brian griffin voice) what the hell? Simon on the outfit. Wasn't a fan.
Blind Squirrel doing Billy Joel next. Katie: "ooh he got a haircut!"
Dammit, we're live at 7:40. 45 un-fast forwarded minutes of "Idol".
And we're back. With the blind squirrel.
How do you strip down Billy Joel? Sweet Jesus.
Katie: "Maybe they just did something else to his hair".
As a Billy Joel fan ... this is an absolute whiz, defecation, you name it, on the greatness that is Billy Joel.
If I had a hammer right now ... my head would be caved in.
That was TURRIBLE!
Pauler drops the handicap line. Simon looks hacked. Can't disagree with him. And yet, he liked it?!?! Sweet Jesus.
Matt and Lil up next. After (chuck woolery voice) 2 and 2 ...
And we're back. Go Matt Go!
And our 3rd judge is on the couch! Welcome Kellie!
Matt picks ... "You Found Me" by the Fray. Or as Dusty would put it, "The Frye!" Go Matt Go!
Katie "likes this setup". He's in the crowd with the piano. Go Matt Go!
Decent. Should have been better. Priest looks bored. Although in his defense, he's tore up his weiner dog toy.
Pauler agrees with me. Not his best effort.
All the judges agree with Katie, should have done "Apologize" by OneRepublic.
Lil up next. Just stick a, uuh, stick up my ass.
"I Surrender" by Celine Dion. I ... (steve reaching for proverbial stick ...)
She's no Whitney, she's no Celine ... she's no Penny Steinbrink. I Surrender too. This is TURRIBLE. Kellie: "oh wow. Jesus Christ! She's like, the chick that does the National Anthem that goes on and on because she sounds so good ... that's her ... oh Jesus Christ ... (inaudible ...)"
RJ not impressed. New judge is drunk, high, or both.
Duke just let out the longest sigh a dog has ever let out in this house. I'm with you pal. I'm with you. If you drop a, uuh, "dookie", nobody will complain.
Kellie: "Pauler is messed up! I just thought they were picking on her but she, is like, her eye is all spazzed out ..."
Adam up next. Oy.
Go Adam Go! "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry. Sweet. F*cking. Jesus.
And yes ... I'm dancing to this.
Trainwreck? Yes. Frontrunner? You betcha!
Studio 57?!?! So anyways, Kris up next. He's last up, after consultation with the couch.
"Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers. Oh Christ.
Amazing. Absolutely f*cking amazing.
We're on rewind number three.
Go Kris Go!
Kellie liked the keyboard.
Judges unanimous across the board, both on screen and on the couch. New frontrunner?
Katie: "top two tonight are Danny and Kris. Bottom two are Megan ... and Lil". I'd sub Lil for Blind Squirrel.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
idol top 10 ... the recap
And we're underway.
The judges late getting to their spots because they're talking it up with Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy.
Pauler and Ryan have a lil' something something going on?
Simon "would not say I am looking forward to this". I'm with you. Motown Week is usually an utter catastrophe.
I'm fast forwarding through the recycled Motown history montage that Idol hauls out every year. Should bring me 5 minutes closer to enjoying an all new "Lost".
Smokey Robinson's face is just scary. Tone down on the botox man.
Matt up first! Doing "Let's Get it On!" This has potential. I love Marvin Gaye. Matt's my main pony, puppy, or rooster in this race. This has potential. Up until he sat down at the piano. This is NOT a song meant to be played in a lounge type setting ... and then he hits the chorus and BAM! Piano no more! This is actually developing really well. The first verse was a waste though. He's hitting his stride ... OOH! Let's Get it On! If the spirit moves ya, let me groove ya! Damn, I love this song. The first 30 seconds sucked. The last 90 were very good. Randy says he's a contender for the top spot. New judge says "there's a lot of girls out there going yeah! let's get it on!" I'm guessing by your facial expressions you're one of them. Pauler calls his riffing "tasteful and classy". She's in peak form already, 11 minutes in. Simon calls it a "cool performance". Go Matt Go!
OOH! Let's Get it On! Damn, I really love that song.
Kris up next, doing another Marvin Gaye classic, "How Sweet It Is". Please, let this run on Marvin Gaye mean Anoop is covering "Sexual Healing". Please, dear God. Please. I don't ask you for much ... but come on. If ANYONE ever on Idol was destined to cover "Sexual Healing" its Anoop Doggy Dogg! (Or should-have-won season 6 runner up Blake. I'd love to see what Blake could do to it ...)
I should probably note I like the James Taylor version better. Kris is not doing either Taylor or Gaye, instead opening with the guitar, but unlike Matt, he doesn't drop the crutch. This is just kind of ... there. Its not bad, but its not awe inspiring. He could be a surprising bottom 3 contestant this week. He's not hitting the high notes at all, not even trying. Pauler's dancing, but I'm not. This is ok. There will be at least 4 performances better tonight, and probably 4 worse. Perfectly mediocre. New judge loved it. Pauler doesn't know what the note he hit at the end is. Oy. Simon tells him he needs to start believing in himself. I agree, you have to have self belief if you're going to win this thing. Randy complimentary as well. The blind squirrel up next.
Come on, he has to do Stevie Wonder this week. Especially after failing to cover Ronnie Milsap last week.
Holy crap, you have to be blind to wear this outfit. Pink pants, a pink / brown shirt, and a brown suit coat. Oh my God. Tacky doesn't begin to describe the look. I'm pretty sure I have baby pictures where I'm wearing leisure suits this awful, but man, this is brutal. He's doing "You Can't Hurry Love" by Diana Ross and the Supremes. Scott is "single right now". Really. I can't believe that. That's like saying Steve is single right ... oh wait, I'm not anymore. Hooray me!
Let's see how he butchers this classic.
You can't hurry love, but you should hurry this song, its not meant to be a lounge act. Which is how this opens. And now he steps it up. Whoa, he nearly effed up the lyrics. This actually isn't that bad. I won't be paying $.99 on iTunes for it, but I fear he's safe for another week. This is a perfectly decent effort. (Dammit). The finish was kind of cool with the piano riff. Pauler liked it. Throwing out technical terms that make no sense whatsoever to 95% of the viewing public. Simon: "There was a line in the song when you sang how much more can you take ..." He hated it. I didn't think it was that bad. Simon calls it "cheap". Other judges split. Moving on.
Megan up next.
Pauler just made a funny. "Its under my skirt!" Megan doing "For Once In My Life". She thinks its working for her. Its not. Smokey calls her "cabaret". Smokey looks hacked to have to praise her. Megan asks if "I should fool around with that more". If by "that" you mean Steve, then yes! yes! hell yes! I'm telling you, get this girl a nose stud, and I might like her. Even though her singing talent is non-existant.
Oh. My. God. Picture a cruise ship, with 300 60 plus year olds in the lounge for the evening's entertainment, and that is EXACTLY what this is. Simon is completely disinterested. This is wretched. This is ... (chuck barkley voice) TURRIBLE! Its off pitch, its off key, oh my God. Its like one of the Golden Girls singing this on a cruise ship. Its hideous. She's done. If she survives this week, America needs its head examined. (Which I'd argue we already do for voting how we did in November, but anyways). This was ... I'm going to invoke the "S" word. A word I rarely use in relation to anyone to describe how bad it was, the "S" word.
Megan was "Sanjaya" bad.
Randy calls it a "trainwreck". New judge not a fan. Pauler praising her beauty. But can't praise much else. Simon notes "This isn't Top Model". And calls it "horrible", noting that "whoever is advising you, I would fire". Simon thinks she's in "serious trouble".
Anoop Doggy Dogg! up next!
Hang on, let me refill the shiraz, light a candle and say a prayer here ...
"cause when I get that feelin, I need sexual healing! sexual ... healing ... aw baby ... makes me feel so fine! its such a rush! helps to relieve my mind! and its good for us! sexual ... healing! its good for me, sexual ... healing is something that's good for me ..."
OK, let's see what happens here.
DAMMIT! "Ooh Baby Baby" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Son of a ... really. You couldn't give me this ONE little bundle of joy. Oh well. Maybe Adam got "Sexual Healing", on second thought, that would be even better. Actually, that might be Ben Harper-esque awesome ...
Anoop's doing decently with this. He's basically trying to match the Smokey version, and its not bad. He's got a solid vocal range. Very good job. New judge calls it a hard song to sing, which is true. Thinks he did a pretty good job, which is true. Wow, she's making sense for once. Pauler rambles but finally says good job. Simon says great vocal, but it put people to sleep. Good point. I'm ready for Lost so I'm skipping Randy's comments to make up some time.
Oh no. Michael Sarver up next. This might be how Megan survives, is because this guy would be worse. He didn't make rehearsal due to being ill. Uh oh. Doing "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". (george takei voice) oh my. This is either going to rock or be worse than a trainwreck. And shockingly, its not the latter. This is actually not bad. Megan, pack your suitcase, you're done, doll. This is actually solidly in the middle of the pack. Very decent performance.
And apparently I've had too much to drink. Pauler hated it. Simon says he "couldn't wait for it to end". I feel sorry for the guy, it wasn't that bad. Again, fast forwarding through the other judges to get closer to seeing "Lost".
Lil' Rounds up next. Ugh. She's doing "Heatwave". This actually might be a contender for best performance of the night. And she delivers a knock out performance. No calling her "Little" tonight. She looks damned good tonight too. Randy not as enamored as I was. And he's a fan of her, whereas I'm not. (brian griffin voice) what the hell? New judge not a fan. Again, skipping ... wait, I'll pause for Simon. He didn't like the song choice. OK, moving on.
Adam up next. Hang on, let me repeat the earlier sequence.
(steve refilling shiraz)
(steve lighting candle)
(steve saying prayer)
(steve singing) cause when I get that feelin! I need sexual healing! sexual ... healing ... aw baby ...
He's doing "Tracks of My Tears". This could get interesting. This isn't a song to take off key and all weirded out ... Adam's goal is to do this "justice". And he's going "unplugged" tonight. He's dressed up like ... Elvis? Late 60s Elvis in the Hawaii comeback? But holy God, this is good. This is PHENOMENALLY good!
Wow.
Just ... wow. Wow, wow, wow.
Hang on, for the first time tonight:
(steve) (standing)
(steve) (applauding!!!)
Wow. That was INCREDIBLE!
We have a definite front runner in this puppy, pony, and rooster show. And his name is Adam. Holy Lord. That is ... that's gotta be one of the 10, 11 best performances in Idol history. I'm not exaggerating. This was David doing "Hello", Blake doing "You Give Love a Bad Name", LaKisha doing "This Ain't a Love Song" good. Not quite Carrie doing "Alone", the greatest Idol moment ever. But its in the ballpark. The judges are all over this. It was every bit as good as their verbal fellating indicates it was.
Wow.
Just imagine if he'd done "Sexual Healing" ... (everyone voice) let it go Steve, let it go ...
Milwaukee's finest, Danny, up next. Crack open a Lakefront IPA and enjoy.
He's doing "Get Ready", I believe by Rare Earth. This could be good. Or it could be awful. (Thanks, Captain Obvious). Pretty solid performance. All good. Judges thought it was decent. Sorry to shorten the recap but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't listening to 10 seconds, then fast forwarding, then listening a little more, then fast forwarding. All new "Lost" awaits.
Allison up last, with "Papa Was a Rolling Stone". She wants to show her funk side. I'd change a letter in that word, but hey, that might just be me. A very solid performance. Very solid. She's the best female in this competition, which means she's what, 4th best, 5th best in the competition? There's a change. Usually the females run away with this thing early on.
Final thoughts:
* Best performance: Adam, closely followed by Matt and Allison.
* Worst performance: Megan, closely followed by Scott.
* Bottom three: Megan, Scott, Michael.
* Buh bye: Megan.
Apparently Jennifer Hudson and season two's joke of a winner Ruben Studdard perform tonight. If that's up your alley, wonderful. Me, I'm still waiting for them to haul Blake back out on the stage, that's a results show I'd tune in to watch ...
The judges late getting to their spots because they're talking it up with Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy.
Pauler and Ryan have a lil' something something going on?
Simon "would not say I am looking forward to this". I'm with you. Motown Week is usually an utter catastrophe.
I'm fast forwarding through the recycled Motown history montage that Idol hauls out every year. Should bring me 5 minutes closer to enjoying an all new "Lost".
Smokey Robinson's face is just scary. Tone down on the botox man.
Matt up first! Doing "Let's Get it On!" This has potential. I love Marvin Gaye. Matt's my main pony, puppy, or rooster in this race. This has potential. Up until he sat down at the piano. This is NOT a song meant to be played in a lounge type setting ... and then he hits the chorus and BAM! Piano no more! This is actually developing really well. The first verse was a waste though. He's hitting his stride ... OOH! Let's Get it On! If the spirit moves ya, let me groove ya! Damn, I love this song. The first 30 seconds sucked. The last 90 were very good. Randy says he's a contender for the top spot. New judge says "there's a lot of girls out there going yeah! let's get it on!" I'm guessing by your facial expressions you're one of them. Pauler calls his riffing "tasteful and classy". She's in peak form already, 11 minutes in. Simon calls it a "cool performance". Go Matt Go!
OOH! Let's Get it On! Damn, I really love that song.
Kris up next, doing another Marvin Gaye classic, "How Sweet It Is". Please, let this run on Marvin Gaye mean Anoop is covering "Sexual Healing". Please, dear God. Please. I don't ask you for much ... but come on. If ANYONE ever on Idol was destined to cover "Sexual Healing" its Anoop Doggy Dogg! (Or should-have-won season 6 runner up Blake. I'd love to see what Blake could do to it ...)
I should probably note I like the James Taylor version better. Kris is not doing either Taylor or Gaye, instead opening with the guitar, but unlike Matt, he doesn't drop the crutch. This is just kind of ... there. Its not bad, but its not awe inspiring. He could be a surprising bottom 3 contestant this week. He's not hitting the high notes at all, not even trying. Pauler's dancing, but I'm not. This is ok. There will be at least 4 performances better tonight, and probably 4 worse. Perfectly mediocre. New judge loved it. Pauler doesn't know what the note he hit at the end is. Oy. Simon tells him he needs to start believing in himself. I agree, you have to have self belief if you're going to win this thing. Randy complimentary as well. The blind squirrel up next.
Come on, he has to do Stevie Wonder this week. Especially after failing to cover Ronnie Milsap last week.
Holy crap, you have to be blind to wear this outfit. Pink pants, a pink / brown shirt, and a brown suit coat. Oh my God. Tacky doesn't begin to describe the look. I'm pretty sure I have baby pictures where I'm wearing leisure suits this awful, but man, this is brutal. He's doing "You Can't Hurry Love" by Diana Ross and the Supremes. Scott is "single right now". Really. I can't believe that. That's like saying Steve is single right ... oh wait, I'm not anymore. Hooray me!
Let's see how he butchers this classic.
You can't hurry love, but you should hurry this song, its not meant to be a lounge act. Which is how this opens. And now he steps it up. Whoa, he nearly effed up the lyrics. This actually isn't that bad. I won't be paying $.99 on iTunes for it, but I fear he's safe for another week. This is a perfectly decent effort. (Dammit). The finish was kind of cool with the piano riff. Pauler liked it. Throwing out technical terms that make no sense whatsoever to 95% of the viewing public. Simon: "There was a line in the song when you sang how much more can you take ..." He hated it. I didn't think it was that bad. Simon calls it "cheap". Other judges split. Moving on.
Megan up next.
Pauler just made a funny. "Its under my skirt!" Megan doing "For Once In My Life". She thinks its working for her. Its not. Smokey calls her "cabaret". Smokey looks hacked to have to praise her. Megan asks if "I should fool around with that more". If by "that" you mean Steve, then yes! yes! hell yes! I'm telling you, get this girl a nose stud, and I might like her. Even though her singing talent is non-existant.
Oh. My. God. Picture a cruise ship, with 300 60 plus year olds in the lounge for the evening's entertainment, and that is EXACTLY what this is. Simon is completely disinterested. This is wretched. This is ... (chuck barkley voice) TURRIBLE! Its off pitch, its off key, oh my God. Its like one of the Golden Girls singing this on a cruise ship. Its hideous. She's done. If she survives this week, America needs its head examined. (Which I'd argue we already do for voting how we did in November, but anyways). This was ... I'm going to invoke the "S" word. A word I rarely use in relation to anyone to describe how bad it was, the "S" word.
Megan was "Sanjaya" bad.
Randy calls it a "trainwreck". New judge not a fan. Pauler praising her beauty. But can't praise much else. Simon notes "This isn't Top Model". And calls it "horrible", noting that "whoever is advising you, I would fire". Simon thinks she's in "serious trouble".
Anoop Doggy Dogg! up next!
Hang on, let me refill the shiraz, light a candle and say a prayer here ...
"cause when I get that feelin, I need sexual healing! sexual ... healing ... aw baby ... makes me feel so fine! its such a rush! helps to relieve my mind! and its good for us! sexual ... healing! its good for me, sexual ... healing is something that's good for me ..."
OK, let's see what happens here.
DAMMIT! "Ooh Baby Baby" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Son of a ... really. You couldn't give me this ONE little bundle of joy. Oh well. Maybe Adam got "Sexual Healing", on second thought, that would be even better. Actually, that might be Ben Harper-esque awesome ...
Anoop's doing decently with this. He's basically trying to match the Smokey version, and its not bad. He's got a solid vocal range. Very good job. New judge calls it a hard song to sing, which is true. Thinks he did a pretty good job, which is true. Wow, she's making sense for once. Pauler rambles but finally says good job. Simon says great vocal, but it put people to sleep. Good point. I'm ready for Lost so I'm skipping Randy's comments to make up some time.
Oh no. Michael Sarver up next. This might be how Megan survives, is because this guy would be worse. He didn't make rehearsal due to being ill. Uh oh. Doing "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". (george takei voice) oh my. This is either going to rock or be worse than a trainwreck. And shockingly, its not the latter. This is actually not bad. Megan, pack your suitcase, you're done, doll. This is actually solidly in the middle of the pack. Very decent performance.
And apparently I've had too much to drink. Pauler hated it. Simon says he "couldn't wait for it to end". I feel sorry for the guy, it wasn't that bad. Again, fast forwarding through the other judges to get closer to seeing "Lost".
Lil' Rounds up next. Ugh. She's doing "Heatwave". This actually might be a contender for best performance of the night. And she delivers a knock out performance. No calling her "Little" tonight. She looks damned good tonight too. Randy not as enamored as I was. And he's a fan of her, whereas I'm not. (brian griffin voice) what the hell? New judge not a fan. Again, skipping ... wait, I'll pause for Simon. He didn't like the song choice. OK, moving on.
Adam up next. Hang on, let me repeat the earlier sequence.
(steve refilling shiraz)
(steve lighting candle)
(steve saying prayer)
(steve singing) cause when I get that feelin! I need sexual healing! sexual ... healing ... aw baby ...
He's doing "Tracks of My Tears". This could get interesting. This isn't a song to take off key and all weirded out ... Adam's goal is to do this "justice". And he's going "unplugged" tonight. He's dressed up like ... Elvis? Late 60s Elvis in the Hawaii comeback? But holy God, this is good. This is PHENOMENALLY good!
Wow.
Just ... wow. Wow, wow, wow.
Hang on, for the first time tonight:
(steve) (standing)
(steve) (applauding!!!)
Wow. That was INCREDIBLE!
We have a definite front runner in this puppy, pony, and rooster show. And his name is Adam. Holy Lord. That is ... that's gotta be one of the 10, 11 best performances in Idol history. I'm not exaggerating. This was David doing "Hello", Blake doing "You Give Love a Bad Name", LaKisha doing "This Ain't a Love Song" good. Not quite Carrie doing "Alone", the greatest Idol moment ever. But its in the ballpark. The judges are all over this. It was every bit as good as their verbal fellating indicates it was.
Wow.
Just imagine if he'd done "Sexual Healing" ... (everyone voice) let it go Steve, let it go ...
Milwaukee's finest, Danny, up next. Crack open a Lakefront IPA and enjoy.
He's doing "Get Ready", I believe by Rare Earth. This could be good. Or it could be awful. (Thanks, Captain Obvious). Pretty solid performance. All good. Judges thought it was decent. Sorry to shorten the recap but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't listening to 10 seconds, then fast forwarding, then listening a little more, then fast forwarding. All new "Lost" awaits.
Allison up last, with "Papa Was a Rolling Stone". She wants to show her funk side. I'd change a letter in that word, but hey, that might just be me. A very solid performance. Very solid. She's the best female in this competition, which means she's what, 4th best, 5th best in the competition? There's a change. Usually the females run away with this thing early on.
Final thoughts:
* Best performance: Adam, closely followed by Matt and Allison.
* Worst performance: Megan, closely followed by Scott.
* Bottom three: Megan, Scott, Michael.
* Buh bye: Megan.
Apparently Jennifer Hudson and season two's joke of a winner Ruben Studdard perform tonight. If that's up your alley, wonderful. Me, I'm still waiting for them to haul Blake back out on the stage, that's a results show I'd tune in to watch ...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
idol top 11: the recap
For Idol's Top 11 last night ... I got home 30 minutes late from Side Pockets, celebrating the day. So, with Katie on one side of the couch and Dusty on the other, here's how I reacted to each performance ... and how best I remember their reactions ...
* Michael, performing "Ain't Goin' Down Til the Sun Comes Up". Vocally it was ok. Lyrically it was ok. But there was just nothing there. No personality, no fun, no charisma. It was just ... there. Everyone else agreed with me that he was "bottom 3" material.
* Allison, performing "Blame It On Your Heart". I liked it a lot. Still can't believe this chick is in high school. Both of my co-couch judges agreed: she's not going home on Wednesday.
* Kris, performing "To Make You Feel My Love". I loved his take on this. Very subdued, very understated, just like Garth's version. I also loved the judges noting that it sounded like he'd "ripped off the original" ... because that's exactly what Garth did with Bob Dylan's original. Katie agreed it was good. Dusty thought the guy was a "tool", but didn't hate it.
* Lil' Rounds, performing "Independence Day". All of us on the couch were like "what the hell is she thinking" by picking this song. Everyone knows this song. Hell, even (insert string of negative opinions here) Sean Hannity uses this song as the opening to his radio talk show. Rounds does ok with it, I thought. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I continue to fail to comprehend everyone's love of this chick. (steve shouting at tv voice) she's not that good!
The couch judges all love Simon refusing to call her Lil, and calling her Little. We all also appreciated the fact that her dress this week didn't make her ass appear to be the size of Brazil.
* I should probably stop here for a moment and note that I was at this point about 10 minutes behind. I get a text from Gregg noting "singer five, holy sh*t".
Singer five ... Adam, performing "Ring of Fire". Randy Travis looks apoplectic in the rehearsal. By the end of the performance, a full on verbal throwdown is breaking out in the main room. I LOVED his performance. Dusty and Katie thought it was horrible. Actually, they thought it was worse than that. "F*cking awful" was thrown around a few times. In any event, Adam is safe for at least another week.
* Scott, singing "Wild Angels". It is every bit the desecration of this great song you would expect from the blind squirrel. If Scott survives tonight, it is ONLY because Michael's opening was that much worse. I continue to fail to understand why he won't wear sunglasses. Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Ronnie Milsap don't make us look at their weird eyes, why does Scott subject us to this every week? Buy a pair of shades dude.
* Alexis, singing "Jolene". She looks frighteningly like Dolly Parton, only as Dusty noted, "about six sizes too small". Funny, I pegged it at eight sizes too small. She doesn't sound nearly as good as Dolly though. But a decent performance. She's safe.
* Danny, singing "Jesus Take the Wheel". I am growing sick of him milking his dead wife for all her corpse is worth. The other couch judges are fine with it. I think we need to expand the couch judge roster next week to include Gregg, to at least have someone that agrees with me most of the time. Actually, this needs to happen. Anyways, its actually a really solid performance tonight, kind of poignant. The chorus, he nails it. The only flaw was the coat, as Brian Griffin would note, "what the hell?" Apparently the polar bears from "Lost" got transported ahead in time to Idol's stage last night.
* Anoop, singing "You Were Always On My Mind". Anoop is one of my co-ponies / puppies in this race (again, I'm not sure which animal gambling season we're in ...). And I fully expected this to be a trainwreck. Only ... he freaking nailed it. All three couch judges applauded. OK, two of us applauded, one took a healthy drag off the cigar and did the "Anoopy!" fist pump. He is certainly safe from elimination barring some weird voting pattern. And thankfully, the judges can prevent that now ...
* Megan, covering "Walkin' After Midnight". Judge Dusty noted "she's hot". I concur, although she still needs a nose stud. The dress last night did nothing in terms of flattering her overall appearance, but holy Lord, did it, uuh, "accentuate her highlights". I thought her performance was TURRIBLE ... but then they reveal she's been sick all week, performed sick last night, and in that context ... it still sucked balls. But she'll get enough sympathy from tone-deaf viewers to survive one more week. (And more importantly, make the Idol tour. Yeah, tell me you wouldn't pay $12 to see her perform in the 105 degree heat of Sandstone in mid August after a couple joints and a 12 pack. Tell me you wouldn't pay to see her just for her outfit alone in the heat of August ... wait, I have a girl now, I can stop daydreaming ... focus Steve, focus ...)
Finally, our last performance of the night. Katie's favorite, my co-favorite, and Dusty's "I like this guy" performer, Matt! Doing "So Small". I can't believe I agreed with the judges on the panel ... but that WAS better than Carrie's version, and I absolutely would purchase it. (I already did, on iTunes this morning). He's got to be the favorite at this point. Which is good. I still think he has a Blake Lewis type beat-box breakout night in him, and I am thoroughly drooling in anticipation of seeing it.
Overall, this is three decent weeks in a row. The wildcard round was good. MJ week rocked. Tonight was pretty good as well. Nobody was unlistenable. Nobody was so awful that you wanted to throw a beer can at the TV.
My guess: Michael is gone. Scott and Megan round out the bottom three. I would say I'm anxiously awaiting the results, but my two guys are safe, so I'll probably watch Lost and catch the recaps of the results show instead of watching it.
* Michael, performing "Ain't Goin' Down Til the Sun Comes Up". Vocally it was ok. Lyrically it was ok. But there was just nothing there. No personality, no fun, no charisma. It was just ... there. Everyone else agreed with me that he was "bottom 3" material.
* Allison, performing "Blame It On Your Heart". I liked it a lot. Still can't believe this chick is in high school. Both of my co-couch judges agreed: she's not going home on Wednesday.
* Kris, performing "To Make You Feel My Love". I loved his take on this. Very subdued, very understated, just like Garth's version. I also loved the judges noting that it sounded like he'd "ripped off the original" ... because that's exactly what Garth did with Bob Dylan's original. Katie agreed it was good. Dusty thought the guy was a "tool", but didn't hate it.
* Lil' Rounds, performing "Independence Day". All of us on the couch were like "what the hell is she thinking" by picking this song. Everyone knows this song. Hell, even (insert string of negative opinions here) Sean Hannity uses this song as the opening to his radio talk show. Rounds does ok with it, I thought. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I continue to fail to comprehend everyone's love of this chick. (steve shouting at tv voice) she's not that good!
The couch judges all love Simon refusing to call her Lil, and calling her Little. We all also appreciated the fact that her dress this week didn't make her ass appear to be the size of Brazil.
* I should probably stop here for a moment and note that I was at this point about 10 minutes behind. I get a text from Gregg noting "singer five, holy sh*t".
Singer five ... Adam, performing "Ring of Fire". Randy Travis looks apoplectic in the rehearsal. By the end of the performance, a full on verbal throwdown is breaking out in the main room. I LOVED his performance. Dusty and Katie thought it was horrible. Actually, they thought it was worse than that. "F*cking awful" was thrown around a few times. In any event, Adam is safe for at least another week.
* Scott, singing "Wild Angels". It is every bit the desecration of this great song you would expect from the blind squirrel. If Scott survives tonight, it is ONLY because Michael's opening was that much worse. I continue to fail to understand why he won't wear sunglasses. Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Ronnie Milsap don't make us look at their weird eyes, why does Scott subject us to this every week? Buy a pair of shades dude.
* Alexis, singing "Jolene". She looks frighteningly like Dolly Parton, only as Dusty noted, "about six sizes too small". Funny, I pegged it at eight sizes too small. She doesn't sound nearly as good as Dolly though. But a decent performance. She's safe.
* Danny, singing "Jesus Take the Wheel". I am growing sick of him milking his dead wife for all her corpse is worth. The other couch judges are fine with it. I think we need to expand the couch judge roster next week to include Gregg, to at least have someone that agrees with me most of the time. Actually, this needs to happen. Anyways, its actually a really solid performance tonight, kind of poignant. The chorus, he nails it. The only flaw was the coat, as Brian Griffin would note, "what the hell?" Apparently the polar bears from "Lost" got transported ahead in time to Idol's stage last night.
* Anoop, singing "You Were Always On My Mind". Anoop is one of my co-ponies / puppies in this race (again, I'm not sure which animal gambling season we're in ...). And I fully expected this to be a trainwreck. Only ... he freaking nailed it. All three couch judges applauded. OK, two of us applauded, one took a healthy drag off the cigar and did the "Anoopy!" fist pump. He is certainly safe from elimination barring some weird voting pattern. And thankfully, the judges can prevent that now ...
* Megan, covering "Walkin' After Midnight". Judge Dusty noted "she's hot". I concur, although she still needs a nose stud. The dress last night did nothing in terms of flattering her overall appearance, but holy Lord, did it, uuh, "accentuate her highlights". I thought her performance was TURRIBLE ... but then they reveal she's been sick all week, performed sick last night, and in that context ... it still sucked balls. But she'll get enough sympathy from tone-deaf viewers to survive one more week. (And more importantly, make the Idol tour. Yeah, tell me you wouldn't pay $12 to see her perform in the 105 degree heat of Sandstone in mid August after a couple joints and a 12 pack. Tell me you wouldn't pay to see her just for her outfit alone in the heat of August ... wait, I have a girl now, I can stop daydreaming ... focus Steve, focus ...)
Finally, our last performance of the night. Katie's favorite, my co-favorite, and Dusty's "I like this guy" performer, Matt! Doing "So Small". I can't believe I agreed with the judges on the panel ... but that WAS better than Carrie's version, and I absolutely would purchase it. (I already did, on iTunes this morning). He's got to be the favorite at this point. Which is good. I still think he has a Blake Lewis type beat-box breakout night in him, and I am thoroughly drooling in anticipation of seeing it.
Overall, this is three decent weeks in a row. The wildcard round was good. MJ week rocked. Tonight was pretty good as well. Nobody was unlistenable. Nobody was so awful that you wanted to throw a beer can at the TV.
My guess: Michael is gone. Scott and Megan round out the bottom three. I would say I'm anxiously awaiting the results, but my two guys are safe, so I'll probably watch Lost and catch the recaps of the results show instead of watching it.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
idol top 11: my song choices
According to the internet rumors, our guest mentor this week is ... Randy Travis! Ugh. Who will also be performing tomorrow night. (Thank God for bowling night).
11 singers remain for that one elusive crown. I'd have to say the bottom two right now are Scott and Megan. Anoop Doggy Dogg also needs to step it up this week, or he could get the axe.
Here's what I'd assign each remaining Idol hopeful on Grand Old Opry Week:
* Adam: this could be a really fun week for him. Coming off a great performance of "Black or White", he has a great opportunity here to separate himself from the riff raff and lock down a top 4 slot. I think the temptation will be to do something slow and restrained ... but I say not yet. Pick a rock / upbeat song. I'd go with "T R O U B L E" by Travis Tritt. What a spectacle that would be. Fun to imagine, hopefully even better to watch unfold.
* Alexis: another Idol hopeful with a chance to really solidify top 4 or 5 status tonight, and get some separation from the middling contenders. Showed tremendous stage presence last week, and an incredible voice throughout the competition, so I think she should take on something big. It worked for Jordin in season six ... so why not go back to the well again and pick "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride?
* Allison: this week should be a good opportunity for her, she should do very well with the southern country / rock style. I'd go with "Wasted" by Carrie Underwood. And not just because I will likely be, uuh, "wasted" watching this performance.
* Anoop Doggy Dogg: I fear this is the end of the line for him. I honestly don't see any way this week goes well for him. His best strategory actually might be to go the trainwreck route and hope to win the "vote for the worst" lifeline. I'd go with "Summertime Blues" by Alan Jackson and hope to survive to a better theme next week.
* Danny: Milwaukee's finest that doesn't have "Lakefront Brewery" as part of its name. I am getting sick of the milking of his dead wife though. We get it champ, she's gone. But this week, he can possibly milk it a little bit if he goes with a sappy love song, the type country is known for. In that vein, I'd go with "The Dance" by Garth Brooks. Good choice for him, I think.
* Kris: this kid's starting to grow on me. Two solid performances in a row of Michael Jackson songs is not easy to pull off. He could really do well this week with his relaxed performing style, and his comfort at playing the guitar. I'd go with "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash.
* Lil Rounds: speaking of performers NOT growing on me, the annoying overhyped nicknamed one, everyone! I'd actually like to see her do "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood or "She's In Love With the Boy" by Trisha Yearwood. Both would actually be good choices for her, a chance to lose herself in the song and show an ounce of passion or personality.
* Matt: the pony I'm pulling for. Or is it puppy? I'm not sure which animal racing season we're in right now. I think he needs to take a reach, a chance tonight, before he gets stereotyped as solely a soul / r&b singer. With the exception of the ridiculously overrated and overhyped Ruben Studdard, those one-trick ponies don't tend to last much past the top 6. I'd go with something by Brad Paisley, either "Mud on the Tires" or, if he really wants to bring some fun to the Idol stage, "Ticks".
* Megan: she has to knock this one out of the park or she's going home. In theory, she can do it. I'd pick "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton. It worked well for Carly last year, and they're very similar performers. Anything less than a knockout performance, and she's done. Go for the fences chica.
* Michael: ugh. Speaking of performers I don't give a crap about, everyone's favorite blue collar beauty. I'd go with Randy Travis for him, "Forever and Ever, Amen" being the obvious choice. Someone's going to do Randy, why not someone I don't care about.
* Scott: come on. He has to do Ronnie Milsap. He has to. Tell me "Smoky Mountain Rain" wouldn't work here. He HAS to do Ronnie Milsap. This isn't even up for debate.
That's what I'd pick. Should be a decent show tonight. Dare we dream, three decent, non-trainwreck Idol's in a row?
11 singers remain for that one elusive crown. I'd have to say the bottom two right now are Scott and Megan. Anoop Doggy Dogg also needs to step it up this week, or he could get the axe.
Here's what I'd assign each remaining Idol hopeful on Grand Old Opry Week:
* Adam: this could be a really fun week for him. Coming off a great performance of "Black or White", he has a great opportunity here to separate himself from the riff raff and lock down a top 4 slot. I think the temptation will be to do something slow and restrained ... but I say not yet. Pick a rock / upbeat song. I'd go with "T R O U B L E" by Travis Tritt. What a spectacle that would be. Fun to imagine, hopefully even better to watch unfold.
* Alexis: another Idol hopeful with a chance to really solidify top 4 or 5 status tonight, and get some separation from the middling contenders. Showed tremendous stage presence last week, and an incredible voice throughout the competition, so I think she should take on something big. It worked for Jordin in season six ... so why not go back to the well again and pick "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride?
* Allison: this week should be a good opportunity for her, she should do very well with the southern country / rock style. I'd go with "Wasted" by Carrie Underwood. And not just because I will likely be, uuh, "wasted" watching this performance.
* Anoop Doggy Dogg: I fear this is the end of the line for him. I honestly don't see any way this week goes well for him. His best strategory actually might be to go the trainwreck route and hope to win the "vote for the worst" lifeline. I'd go with "Summertime Blues" by Alan Jackson and hope to survive to a better theme next week.
* Danny: Milwaukee's finest that doesn't have "Lakefront Brewery" as part of its name. I am getting sick of the milking of his dead wife though. We get it champ, she's gone. But this week, he can possibly milk it a little bit if he goes with a sappy love song, the type country is known for. In that vein, I'd go with "The Dance" by Garth Brooks. Good choice for him, I think.
* Kris: this kid's starting to grow on me. Two solid performances in a row of Michael Jackson songs is not easy to pull off. He could really do well this week with his relaxed performing style, and his comfort at playing the guitar. I'd go with "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash.
* Lil Rounds: speaking of performers NOT growing on me, the annoying overhyped nicknamed one, everyone! I'd actually like to see her do "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood or "She's In Love With the Boy" by Trisha Yearwood. Both would actually be good choices for her, a chance to lose herself in the song and show an ounce of passion or personality.
* Matt: the pony I'm pulling for. Or is it puppy? I'm not sure which animal racing season we're in right now. I think he needs to take a reach, a chance tonight, before he gets stereotyped as solely a soul / r&b singer. With the exception of the ridiculously overrated and overhyped Ruben Studdard, those one-trick ponies don't tend to last much past the top 6. I'd go with something by Brad Paisley, either "Mud on the Tires" or, if he really wants to bring some fun to the Idol stage, "Ticks".
* Megan: she has to knock this one out of the park or she's going home. In theory, she can do it. I'd pick "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton. It worked well for Carly last year, and they're very similar performers. Anything less than a knockout performance, and she's done. Go for the fences chica.
* Michael: ugh. Speaking of performers I don't give a crap about, everyone's favorite blue collar beauty. I'd go with Randy Travis for him, "Forever and Ever, Amen" being the obvious choice. Someone's going to do Randy, why not someone I don't care about.
* Scott: come on. He has to do Ronnie Milsap. He has to. Tell me "Smoky Mountain Rain" wouldn't work here. He HAS to do Ronnie Milsap. This isn't even up for debate.
That's what I'd pick. Should be a decent show tonight. Dare we dream, three decent, non-trainwreck Idol's in a row?
Monday, March 16, 2009
my ncaa tourney picks
Last year, I nailed the champ, both National Title Game participants, 3 of 4 Final Four teams (I had Duke instead of UCLA), and 6 of 8 in the Elite 8 (I had Georgetown instead of Davidson, and Duke instead of West Virginia). And yet still didn't win the pot, because my early round picks were brutally bad. (Stupid UConn, Clemson, Vanderbilt, and Drake first round flameouts ...)
This year, I'm aiming to pick some winners prior to the second weekend. And win this thing for the first time since 2002, when a (at the time) hot as hell 26 year old was mocked and ridiculed for daring to take the 12th seeded Missouri Tigers to the Elite 8. Funny how nobody was laughing when I was handed the check ...
Here you go, my official NCAA picks.
Midwest Region:
1 Louisville over 16 play in game winner. Should not be even remotely competitive.
9 Siena over 8 Ohio State. Isn't really an upset in my book.
5 Utah over 12 Arizona. Arizona getting in is beyond outrageous.
4 Wake Forest over 13 Cleveland State. Will not be easy for Wake, though.
6 West Virginia over 11 Dayton. Although I'll be rooting for Dayton like there's no tomorrow.
3 Kansas over 14 North Dakota State. This game scares me to death. HUGE upset potential.
7 Boston College over 10 USC. Not falling for the tournament champion trap.
2 Michigan State over 15 Robert Morris. Should not be even remotely competitive.
1 Louisville over 9 Siena. Will be closer than anyone has reason to suspect.
5 Utah over 4 Wake Forest. I just don't believe in this Wake team at all.
3 Kansas over 6 West Virginia. I would not want to be within 500 feet of me during this game. Stress City.
2 Michigan State over 7 Boston College. Should not be even remotely competitive.
1 Louisville over 5 Utah. End of the road for a decent Utes team.
3 Kansas over 2 Michigan State. Might be the best game of the tournament.
Midwest Region Final: 3 Kansas over 1 Louisville. Yeah, I'm biased. But until proven otherwise, KU is the defending national champion ...
West Region:
1 UConn over 16 UT Chattanooga. Should not be even remotely competitive.
9 Texas A&M over 8 BYU. Either team will give UConn all it can handle in round two.
5 Purdue over 12 Northern Iowa. Purdue's the only Big 10 team I have confidence in.
4 Washington over 13 Mississippi State. Not falling for the tournament champion trap.
6 Marquette over 11 Utah State. Marquette still has enough to make some noise.
3 Missouri over 14 Cornell. Should not be even remotely competitive.
7 California over 10 Maryland. Maryland getting in is even more outrageous than Arizona's inclusion.
2 Memphis over 15 Cal State Northridge. Might be competitive for a half.
1 UConn over 9 Texas A&M. A&M can win this game though. Might need to revisit this pick before Thursday ...
5 Purdue over 4 Washington. Should be a delightful 43-41 defensive struggle.
3 Missouri over 6 Marquette. Last time they met in the tourney, it was an OT classic 6 years ago.
2 Memphis over 7 California. Cal just doesn't have enough to hang for more than 30 minutes.
5 Purdue over 1 UConn. More an indictment of UConn than an endorsement of Purdue.
3 Missouri over 2 Memphis. I cannot wait to watch this one.
West Region Final: 3 Missouri over 5 Purdue. Get ready Tigers fans, you've waited (literally) the entire history of your school for this moment ...
East Region:
1 Pitt over 16 East Tennessee State. Yawn. Stretch. Snore. Good luck trying to stay awake for this one.
8 Oklahoma State over 9 Tennessee. Best first round matchup on the board, bar none. Should be a great game.
5 Florida State over 12 Wisconsin. Wisconsin getting in is also outrageous, but not as bad as Arizona or Maryland.
4 Xavier over 13 Portland State. Might be competitive for a half. Maybe 25 minutes.
11 VCU over 6 UCLA. The Bruins are done. This one has 85-60 written all over it.
3 Villanova over 14 American. Should get out of control early. Easy win for the Wildcats.
7 Texas over 10 Minnesota. Two teams that faded down the stretch. Should be watchable.
2 Duke over 15 Binghamton. Unlike the last couple years, Duke is peaking entering March ...
1 Pitt over 8 Oklahoma State. Should be a tremendous game. Cowboys can win this.
5 Florida State over 4 Xavier. Another great second round game. Good job committee.
3 Villanova over 11 VCU. Three for three in this regional. Committee finally doing something right.
2 Duke over 7 Texas. Wow, the East Regional might be the only thing on my TV on Saturday.
1 Pitt over 5 Florida State. Pitt is just too well rounded for FSU to pull off the upset.
2 Duke over 3 Villanova. I really, really, really like this Duke team. I'm just saying. Really like this Duke team.
East Region Final: 2 Duke over 1 Pitt. As the great Wayne Allyn Root would say, "when everyone is betting one way ..."
South Region:
1 UNC over 16 Radford. Easy victory for Roy's Boys.
9 Butler over 8 LSU. Decent matchup, although neither team stands a chance in the second round.
12 Western Kentucky over 5 Illinois. I will never bet on a Bruce Weber coached team.
4 Gonzaga over 13 Akron. The Zips won't have, uuh, zip, for the Zags.
11 Temple over 6 Arizona State. Just a hunch. The one tournament champ I will pick.
3 Syracuse over 14 Stephen F. Austin. The Orange have 6 days to recover, ESPN. Six freaking days! They'll be fine.
10 Michigan over 7 Clemson. Love the Wolverines in this one. Clemson fading fast, as usual.
2 Oklahoma over 15 Morgan State. Too bad Sampson isn't still at OU, this could be the Disbarred Coaches Bowl.
1 UNC over 9 Butler. Roy's Boys start coasting and getting overconfident.
4 Gonzaga over 12 Western Kentucky. Intriguing 2nd round matchup.
3 Syracuse over 11 Temple. Probably good Bill Raftery doesn't get to call this one, he wouldn't know what to say with all the zone defense on display.
2 Oklahoma over 10 Michigan. Michigan can spring the upset, but too much Blake Griffin gets OU through.
4 Gonzaga over 1 UNC. Roy never comes through as the favorite. Never. And is this really an upset?
3 Syracuse over 2 Oklahoma. Great sweet 16 matchup.
South Region Final: 3 Syracuse over 4 Gonzaga. Total coin flip. Everyone's sleeping on Gonzaga I think. They had one bad game (vs Memphis) and everyone wrote them off. Huh? So do we write off Louisville for losing by 46 at Notre Dame? (Nope). Everyone is entitled to one do-over in the regular season. Gonzaga is a legitimate Final Four team. They just won't beat the Cuse in this spot.
Final Four:
3 Missouri vs 3 Kansas. And here KU fans thought last year's showdown with Roy in this spot was something special. Holy cow. This city might implode on itself from a week of hype over this. Here's hoping nobody in the '9330 winds up in the ER as a result of this one. I've been saying all year MU is a better team than we are. On a Saturday night in early April in ... well let's see. If Oakland is the ass crack of America, and Buffalo is the arm pit of America, what is Detroit, the toe jam? The ear wax? The sleep in the eyes in the morning? They've gotta be something negative. Anyways, on a neutral court, the best team tends to win. And Ford Field is about as neutral as it gets. MU 74, KU 69.
2 Duke vs 3 Syracuse. And as if the first matchup wouldn't cause enough physical damage and trauma at the '9330, the second one is just as emotion and passion packed as the first one is! Wow. I honestly had no idea this is how my predictions would turn out. This could be a really long Final Four Saturday for me. Scheyer, Henderson, and Singler from 3 against the matchup zone ... is pretty much my worst nightmare. Duke 85, Syracuse 68.
National Championship:
3 Missouri vs 2 Duke. I've been saying for two months that Duke is the ACC's best team. Not the most talented, not with the most first round picks, maybe not even the best coached. (OK, scratch that: it is by far and away the best coached). But my point is, its the best TEAM. And may the best TEAM win. Duke 84, MU 78.
National Champions: Duke Blue Devils.
This year, I'm aiming to pick some winners prior to the second weekend. And win this thing for the first time since 2002, when a (at the time) hot as hell 26 year old was mocked and ridiculed for daring to take the 12th seeded Missouri Tigers to the Elite 8. Funny how nobody was laughing when I was handed the check ...
Here you go, my official NCAA picks.
Midwest Region:
1 Louisville over 16 play in game winner. Should not be even remotely competitive.
9 Siena over 8 Ohio State. Isn't really an upset in my book.
5 Utah over 12 Arizona. Arizona getting in is beyond outrageous.
4 Wake Forest over 13 Cleveland State. Will not be easy for Wake, though.
6 West Virginia over 11 Dayton. Although I'll be rooting for Dayton like there's no tomorrow.
3 Kansas over 14 North Dakota State. This game scares me to death. HUGE upset potential.
7 Boston College over 10 USC. Not falling for the tournament champion trap.
2 Michigan State over 15 Robert Morris. Should not be even remotely competitive.
1 Louisville over 9 Siena. Will be closer than anyone has reason to suspect.
5 Utah over 4 Wake Forest. I just don't believe in this Wake team at all.
3 Kansas over 6 West Virginia. I would not want to be within 500 feet of me during this game. Stress City.
2 Michigan State over 7 Boston College. Should not be even remotely competitive.
1 Louisville over 5 Utah. End of the road for a decent Utes team.
3 Kansas over 2 Michigan State. Might be the best game of the tournament.
Midwest Region Final: 3 Kansas over 1 Louisville. Yeah, I'm biased. But until proven otherwise, KU is the defending national champion ...
West Region:
1 UConn over 16 UT Chattanooga. Should not be even remotely competitive.
9 Texas A&M over 8 BYU. Either team will give UConn all it can handle in round two.
5 Purdue over 12 Northern Iowa. Purdue's the only Big 10 team I have confidence in.
4 Washington over 13 Mississippi State. Not falling for the tournament champion trap.
6 Marquette over 11 Utah State. Marquette still has enough to make some noise.
3 Missouri over 14 Cornell. Should not be even remotely competitive.
7 California over 10 Maryland. Maryland getting in is even more outrageous than Arizona's inclusion.
2 Memphis over 15 Cal State Northridge. Might be competitive for a half.
1 UConn over 9 Texas A&M. A&M can win this game though. Might need to revisit this pick before Thursday ...
5 Purdue over 4 Washington. Should be a delightful 43-41 defensive struggle.
3 Missouri over 6 Marquette. Last time they met in the tourney, it was an OT classic 6 years ago.
2 Memphis over 7 California. Cal just doesn't have enough to hang for more than 30 minutes.
5 Purdue over 1 UConn. More an indictment of UConn than an endorsement of Purdue.
3 Missouri over 2 Memphis. I cannot wait to watch this one.
West Region Final: 3 Missouri over 5 Purdue. Get ready Tigers fans, you've waited (literally) the entire history of your school for this moment ...
East Region:
1 Pitt over 16 East Tennessee State. Yawn. Stretch. Snore. Good luck trying to stay awake for this one.
8 Oklahoma State over 9 Tennessee. Best first round matchup on the board, bar none. Should be a great game.
5 Florida State over 12 Wisconsin. Wisconsin getting in is also outrageous, but not as bad as Arizona or Maryland.
4 Xavier over 13 Portland State. Might be competitive for a half. Maybe 25 minutes.
11 VCU over 6 UCLA. The Bruins are done. This one has 85-60 written all over it.
3 Villanova over 14 American. Should get out of control early. Easy win for the Wildcats.
7 Texas over 10 Minnesota. Two teams that faded down the stretch. Should be watchable.
2 Duke over 15 Binghamton. Unlike the last couple years, Duke is peaking entering March ...
1 Pitt over 8 Oklahoma State. Should be a tremendous game. Cowboys can win this.
5 Florida State over 4 Xavier. Another great second round game. Good job committee.
3 Villanova over 11 VCU. Three for three in this regional. Committee finally doing something right.
2 Duke over 7 Texas. Wow, the East Regional might be the only thing on my TV on Saturday.
1 Pitt over 5 Florida State. Pitt is just too well rounded for FSU to pull off the upset.
2 Duke over 3 Villanova. I really, really, really like this Duke team. I'm just saying. Really like this Duke team.
East Region Final: 2 Duke over 1 Pitt. As the great Wayne Allyn Root would say, "when everyone is betting one way ..."
South Region:
1 UNC over 16 Radford. Easy victory for Roy's Boys.
9 Butler over 8 LSU. Decent matchup, although neither team stands a chance in the second round.
12 Western Kentucky over 5 Illinois. I will never bet on a Bruce Weber coached team.
4 Gonzaga over 13 Akron. The Zips won't have, uuh, zip, for the Zags.
11 Temple over 6 Arizona State. Just a hunch. The one tournament champ I will pick.
3 Syracuse over 14 Stephen F. Austin. The Orange have 6 days to recover, ESPN. Six freaking days! They'll be fine.
10 Michigan over 7 Clemson. Love the Wolverines in this one. Clemson fading fast, as usual.
2 Oklahoma over 15 Morgan State. Too bad Sampson isn't still at OU, this could be the Disbarred Coaches Bowl.
1 UNC over 9 Butler. Roy's Boys start coasting and getting overconfident.
4 Gonzaga over 12 Western Kentucky. Intriguing 2nd round matchup.
3 Syracuse over 11 Temple. Probably good Bill Raftery doesn't get to call this one, he wouldn't know what to say with all the zone defense on display.
2 Oklahoma over 10 Michigan. Michigan can spring the upset, but too much Blake Griffin gets OU through.
4 Gonzaga over 1 UNC. Roy never comes through as the favorite. Never. And is this really an upset?
3 Syracuse over 2 Oklahoma. Great sweet 16 matchup.
South Region Final: 3 Syracuse over 4 Gonzaga. Total coin flip. Everyone's sleeping on Gonzaga I think. They had one bad game (vs Memphis) and everyone wrote them off. Huh? So do we write off Louisville for losing by 46 at Notre Dame? (Nope). Everyone is entitled to one do-over in the regular season. Gonzaga is a legitimate Final Four team. They just won't beat the Cuse in this spot.
Final Four:
3 Missouri vs 3 Kansas. And here KU fans thought last year's showdown with Roy in this spot was something special. Holy cow. This city might implode on itself from a week of hype over this. Here's hoping nobody in the '9330 winds up in the ER as a result of this one. I've been saying all year MU is a better team than we are. On a Saturday night in early April in ... well let's see. If Oakland is the ass crack of America, and Buffalo is the arm pit of America, what is Detroit, the toe jam? The ear wax? The sleep in the eyes in the morning? They've gotta be something negative. Anyways, on a neutral court, the best team tends to win. And Ford Field is about as neutral as it gets. MU 74, KU 69.
2 Duke vs 3 Syracuse. And as if the first matchup wouldn't cause enough physical damage and trauma at the '9330, the second one is just as emotion and passion packed as the first one is! Wow. I honestly had no idea this is how my predictions would turn out. This could be a really long Final Four Saturday for me. Scheyer, Henderson, and Singler from 3 against the matchup zone ... is pretty much my worst nightmare. Duke 85, Syracuse 68.
National Championship:
3 Missouri vs 2 Duke. I've been saying for two months that Duke is the ACC's best team. Not the most talented, not with the most first round picks, maybe not even the best coached. (OK, scratch that: it is by far and away the best coached). But my point is, its the best TEAM. And may the best TEAM win. Duke 84, MU 78.
National Champions: Duke Blue Devils.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
american idol top 13: thoughts
I didn't live blog last night because I was watching it live with some quality company. But my thoughts:
* Bottom 3:
1. Jorge. What a trainwreck. His voice wasn't great, his eyebrows scare me, and he picked a horrible song choice. I hit the fridge for a frosty cold one about a quarter of the way through his performance.
2. Anoop Doggy Dogg. I love the guy, but that was horrible.
3. Megan. Looks alone can't carry you through this competition. Horrid song choice, and she looked worse dancing than me practicing my "Bye Bye Bye" manuevers at Shark Bar last Saturday. Brutally bad.
Dishonorable mention to Lil' Rounds, who (a) looked like she didn't give a crap up there, (b) gave a horridly dull performance, and (c) wore a dress that made her ass the size of a continent. Really girl, we get it, you got a big booty. No need to wear the tight fighting white pants and raise that thing an extra foot in the air, its hideous.
* Top 3:
3. Alexis. I loved how she embraced "Dirty Diana". She looked like a freaky girl. Steve likey.
2. Adam. For the first time, I see why this guy is still around. Holy cow, what a performance. This guy's got a future. And I loved how he emphasized the key lines of "Black or White". As someone who believes that "we hold these truths to be self evident, that ALL men (and women) are created equal, and that ALL are endowed with certain unalienable rights by their Creator", as someone who believes who you sleep with at night does not determine your rights as a citizen, you go buddy! You are what you are, religious right fanaticism be damned.
1. Matt. I finally have a pony in this derby. I loved his performance last night. Considering he had to follow Adam, he had a tough draw, and just nailed it.
Honorable mention to Danny, who isn't going to sail through to the finals like Pauler thinks, but is definitely going to make the final four at this point.
* and lest you think me hopping on board the Matt Express is a bad sign for him ... well, it probably is. Because I usually root for the runner-up. Season one I backed Justin (finished 2nd). Season two, I still can't believe Kimberley Locke didn't win (finished 3rd). Season three I wanted Diana DiGarmo (finished 2nd). Season four I was on the Carrie bandwagon (woo!). Season five I liked both Elliott Yamin and Daughtry (finished 3rd and 4th, respectively). Season six ... (steve still bitter, battered, and broken over the ridiculousness of Idol fans NOT voting THE single most talented, amazing, creative performer the title. I'm talking about Blake Lewis, of course). And last year I backed David Cook, who won. So odds are, Matt's sticking around for a while. If only my NCAA tourney picks were this good.
* I hope Jasmine gets the boot tonight, because she's the weakest competitor in the top 13 ... but if they're truly evicting two contestants tonight, please sweetie, take Jorge with you. That performance last night was so awful he doesn't deserve another try. This was Kristy Lee Cook doing "Eight Days a Week" awful. Not good pal.
* Finally from TV last night, it's not Idol ... but how awesome was it to have ADA Cabot back on SVU? Let's work on making this a full time return guys. Good stuff.
* Bottom 3:
1. Jorge. What a trainwreck. His voice wasn't great, his eyebrows scare me, and he picked a horrible song choice. I hit the fridge for a frosty cold one about a quarter of the way through his performance.
2. Anoop Doggy Dogg. I love the guy, but that was horrible.
3. Megan. Looks alone can't carry you through this competition. Horrid song choice, and she looked worse dancing than me practicing my "Bye Bye Bye" manuevers at Shark Bar last Saturday. Brutally bad.
Dishonorable mention to Lil' Rounds, who (a) looked like she didn't give a crap up there, (b) gave a horridly dull performance, and (c) wore a dress that made her ass the size of a continent. Really girl, we get it, you got a big booty. No need to wear the tight fighting white pants and raise that thing an extra foot in the air, its hideous.
* Top 3:
3. Alexis. I loved how she embraced "Dirty Diana". She looked like a freaky girl. Steve likey.
2. Adam. For the first time, I see why this guy is still around. Holy cow, what a performance. This guy's got a future. And I loved how he emphasized the key lines of "Black or White". As someone who believes that "we hold these truths to be self evident, that ALL men (and women) are created equal, and that ALL are endowed with certain unalienable rights by their Creator", as someone who believes who you sleep with at night does not determine your rights as a citizen, you go buddy! You are what you are, religious right fanaticism be damned.
1. Matt. I finally have a pony in this derby. I loved his performance last night. Considering he had to follow Adam, he had a tough draw, and just nailed it.
Honorable mention to Danny, who isn't going to sail through to the finals like Pauler thinks, but is definitely going to make the final four at this point.
* and lest you think me hopping on board the Matt Express is a bad sign for him ... well, it probably is. Because I usually root for the runner-up. Season one I backed Justin (finished 2nd). Season two, I still can't believe Kimberley Locke didn't win (finished 3rd). Season three I wanted Diana DiGarmo (finished 2nd). Season four I was on the Carrie bandwagon (woo!). Season five I liked both Elliott Yamin and Daughtry (finished 3rd and 4th, respectively). Season six ... (steve still bitter, battered, and broken over the ridiculousness of Idol fans NOT voting THE single most talented, amazing, creative performer the title. I'm talking about Blake Lewis, of course). And last year I backed David Cook, who won. So odds are, Matt's sticking around for a while. If only my NCAA tourney picks were this good.
* I hope Jasmine gets the boot tonight, because she's the weakest competitor in the top 13 ... but if they're truly evicting two contestants tonight, please sweetie, take Jorge with you. That performance last night was so awful he doesn't deserve another try. This was Kristy Lee Cook doing "Eight Days a Week" awful. Not good pal.
* Finally from TV last night, it's not Idol ... but how awesome was it to have ADA Cabot back on SVU? Let's work on making this a full time return guys. Good stuff.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
idol top 13: what i'd pick
In all seriousness, tonight is either going to be epic ... or this is going to be the biggest trainwreck in Idol history. And not just because of the potential IDOLS-13 mess they're facing. You're asking a group of 13 rank amateurs to take on Michael Jackson.
So, this is what I'd pick for each contestant:
* Anoop Doggy Dogg: he needs something upbeat, that can get the crowd going, that gets the audience at home going ... because his voice alone won't get him much farther. I'd pick "The Way You Make Me Feel".
* Adam Lambert: the freak show. Or pardon me, "the freak" show. You know ... I think "Bad" would be a great choice for him. He can take it up-tempo, he can lose himself in the song like he did with "Satisfaction" in the top 36. That would work for him.
* Allison Iraheta: my favorite female singer so far in this competition. I'd take a risk here because she's not going home this week, and take on "Thriller". We know she can do a ballad, a tough one at that, and knock it out of the park. Let's see what she can do with something that well known.
* Megan Corkrey: if she'd just add the nose stud, I'd need to watch her performance in the privacy of a locked room ... which is why I wanted to give her "Beat It". (rimshot!) Come on, I can't have an Idol post without a gratuitous sex joke for the hottest contestant left, its like not allowed.
But in all seriousness, I'd give her "Remember the Time". I think she could really do well with that choice. Really well. Yeah, "Remember the Time". Good song choice for her.
* Kris Allen: well, he's already done MJ with "Man in the Mirror" in the top 36, so probably a good idea to not pick that song again. I'd give him "I'll Be There". An oldie but a goodie. He can hit the high notes too if he works at it.
* Alexis Grace: something freaky, something a little risky, a little chancy, seems right up her alley, so I'll go with "Rock With You". I'm not really a fan of this girl though, so take that at face value.
* Jorge Nunez: "Man in the Mirror" is right up his alley. He's got the voice and the facial features to pull it off.
* Matt Giraud: "Black or White". Here's where the Justin Timberlake wanna be can really shine. This could be his launching point to top 3, top 4 status.
* Lil Rounds: if this is truly a "singing competition", she's gotta be the favorite at this point. She's another one who can take a risk here because the reward would be huge, and the downside is minimal. (A la David Cook last year after "Hello"). So let's see if she can pull a David Cook in this spot by nailing "Billie Jean" out of the park.
* Scott McIntyre: man I wish this was Lionel Richie week. Not just because I love Lionel (I do), but then he could do "Hello", and re-enact the blind chick fingering Lionel's mannequin head in the music video. "Hello! Is it me you're looking for? I can see it in your eyes ... I can see it in your smile ..." as the fingers work the mannequin. That has potential.
For this week, I'd give the kid an old school classic, "Smooth Criminal". Tell me this wouldn't work.
* Michael Sarver: I'm still hacked that he whizzed all over "I Don't Wanna Be" and somehow got through on the public's vote. Somewhere, Gavin DeGraw is pulling his hair out in frustration at what this guy did to that song. So, since he isn't up to the moment, let's give him "Beat It" and hope he bombs.
* Jasmine Murray: ugh, another contestant I am not a fan of. "Wanna Be Startin Something" should ensure she's bottom 3 and out the door in the next couple weeks.
* Danny Gokey: Milwaukee's finest! Well not really, Lakefront Brewery is Milwaukee's finest. And here I'm torn. If I was picking, I'd give him "We Are the World", because you can't have a Michael Jackson night without covering one of THE defining songs of our lifetimes. But I fear the Idol producers will save "We Are the World" for the usually horrid group sing tomorrow night on the results show. So that's likely off the table. So I'll give him "You Are Not Alone", hope he's up to the task, and can stay in the competition a little bit longer.
Hopefully this is a pleasant surprise tonight. And not the trainwreck it appears its going to be ...
So, this is what I'd pick for each contestant:
* Anoop Doggy Dogg: he needs something upbeat, that can get the crowd going, that gets the audience at home going ... because his voice alone won't get him much farther. I'd pick "The Way You Make Me Feel".
* Adam Lambert: the freak show. Or pardon me, "the freak" show. You know ... I think "Bad" would be a great choice for him. He can take it up-tempo, he can lose himself in the song like he did with "Satisfaction" in the top 36. That would work for him.
* Allison Iraheta: my favorite female singer so far in this competition. I'd take a risk here because she's not going home this week, and take on "Thriller". We know she can do a ballad, a tough one at that, and knock it out of the park. Let's see what she can do with something that well known.
* Megan Corkrey: if she'd just add the nose stud, I'd need to watch her performance in the privacy of a locked room ... which is why I wanted to give her "Beat It". (rimshot!) Come on, I can't have an Idol post without a gratuitous sex joke for the hottest contestant left, its like not allowed.
But in all seriousness, I'd give her "Remember the Time". I think she could really do well with that choice. Really well. Yeah, "Remember the Time". Good song choice for her.
* Kris Allen: well, he's already done MJ with "Man in the Mirror" in the top 36, so probably a good idea to not pick that song again. I'd give him "I'll Be There". An oldie but a goodie. He can hit the high notes too if he works at it.
* Alexis Grace: something freaky, something a little risky, a little chancy, seems right up her alley, so I'll go with "Rock With You". I'm not really a fan of this girl though, so take that at face value.
* Jorge Nunez: "Man in the Mirror" is right up his alley. He's got the voice and the facial features to pull it off.
* Matt Giraud: "Black or White". Here's where the Justin Timberlake wanna be can really shine. This could be his launching point to top 3, top 4 status.
* Lil Rounds: if this is truly a "singing competition", she's gotta be the favorite at this point. She's another one who can take a risk here because the reward would be huge, and the downside is minimal. (A la David Cook last year after "Hello"). So let's see if she can pull a David Cook in this spot by nailing "Billie Jean" out of the park.
* Scott McIntyre: man I wish this was Lionel Richie week. Not just because I love Lionel (I do), but then he could do "Hello", and re-enact the blind chick fingering Lionel's mannequin head in the music video. "Hello! Is it me you're looking for? I can see it in your eyes ... I can see it in your smile ..." as the fingers work the mannequin. That has potential.
For this week, I'd give the kid an old school classic, "Smooth Criminal". Tell me this wouldn't work.
* Michael Sarver: I'm still hacked that he whizzed all over "I Don't Wanna Be" and somehow got through on the public's vote. Somewhere, Gavin DeGraw is pulling his hair out in frustration at what this guy did to that song. So, since he isn't up to the moment, let's give him "Beat It" and hope he bombs.
* Jasmine Murray: ugh, another contestant I am not a fan of. "Wanna Be Startin Something" should ensure she's bottom 3 and out the door in the next couple weeks.
* Danny Gokey: Milwaukee's finest! Well not really, Lakefront Brewery is Milwaukee's finest. And here I'm torn. If I was picking, I'd give him "We Are the World", because you can't have a Michael Jackson night without covering one of THE defining songs of our lifetimes. But I fear the Idol producers will save "We Are the World" for the usually horrid group sing tomorrow night on the results show. So that's likely off the table. So I'll give him "You Are Not Alone", hope he's up to the task, and can stay in the competition a little bit longer.
Hopefully this is a pleasant surprise tonight. And not the trainwreck it appears its going to be ...
solid new tv show
So last week, I was watching "Lost", and they kept showing ads for a new show on ABC called "Castle". Noting that the lead female part is played by an attractive person, and that the lead male part is played by the great Nathan Fillion, I figured I'd tune in and give it a chance.
Having seen the results ... I encourage you to do the same.
Yes, its basically a cheap copycat of "The Mentalist", another show I love. Nathan Fillion plays Rick Castle, a crime novelist who gets drug into a police investigation when someone is staging murders based on his novels. Stana Katic plays Detective Kate Beckett, who's basically a ripoff of Olivia Benson from "SVU". She even kind of looks like Mariska Hargitay. Which is a good thing, by the way.
But despite stealing liberally from two established procedural dramas (two that I love by the way, I watch both every Tuesday night) ... it didn't feel like either one of those shows.
For one thing, Fillion and this Katic chick, have a really good chemistry together. It doesn't feel forced, like on "The Mentalist". They play off each other very well. I love sarcastic people, and Castle is as sarcastic and free flowing as they come. I also love girls who can dish it out as well as they take it, and Beckett is definitely solid in that regard.
For another, I liked how they played out the first "case" as if it was a novel. It seemed to wrap up too easily. Which was, of course, the point -- things are never as easy as they appear. I won't ruin the "who dun it" part in case you want to go to abc.com and watch the episode (or you TiVo'd it and haven't gotten around to watching it), but there's a couple key elements involving one of the victims family that you never see coming and made for a damned good storyline.
Another thing I liked, and considering its my favorite show of all time, it was nice to see ... the resurrected NYPD Blue precinct!!! OK, ok, its not quite the return of the "rogue 15th precinct", but I swear the exterior shots, and the interior, of the squad certainly brought back memories. Definitely looked like they resurrected the set of the greatest show ever.
I loved the card game with "Rick Castle", and the actual James Patterson ... and the greatness that is Stephen J. Cannell. I actually had to set the glass of shiraz down when that scene came on. I noticed in the opening credits that Cannell was listed as a "special guest star", but man, the scene with the three of them just rocked.
I liked Castle's family situation. You begin by meeting his ex-wife / still publisher, who's the b*tchy blonde stereotype you'd expect. But then, you meet his mother, played by the awesome Susan Sullivan, and his daughter, played by someone I've never seen before. Neither character plays to form. The daughter is the grown-up of the group. I loved the mom's "graydar" comment when she was "looking to score" at the book party, that was just hysterical. She delivered the one liners at just the right time throughout the episode.
All in all, appointment television. I'd give it 1 3/4 thumbs up. The only thing I didn't like was the very ending, the writers took the easy way out in getting Castle to stick around. (Its not hard to figure out, you'll see it coming from 26.2 miles away). I would have liked to have seen something more creative. But still, if you're holding my attention at 9:50pm CT on a Monday night after a really long but great weekend, and a really long and not so great day of working in the office and at home, you've done something right.
Give "Castle" a chance. You won't regret it. Unless you're not a fan of entertaining television ...
Having seen the results ... I encourage you to do the same.
Yes, its basically a cheap copycat of "The Mentalist", another show I love. Nathan Fillion plays Rick Castle, a crime novelist who gets drug into a police investigation when someone is staging murders based on his novels. Stana Katic plays Detective Kate Beckett, who's basically a ripoff of Olivia Benson from "SVU". She even kind of looks like Mariska Hargitay. Which is a good thing, by the way.
But despite stealing liberally from two established procedural dramas (two that I love by the way, I watch both every Tuesday night) ... it didn't feel like either one of those shows.
For one thing, Fillion and this Katic chick, have a really good chemistry together. It doesn't feel forced, like on "The Mentalist". They play off each other very well. I love sarcastic people, and Castle is as sarcastic and free flowing as they come. I also love girls who can dish it out as well as they take it, and Beckett is definitely solid in that regard.
For another, I liked how they played out the first "case" as if it was a novel. It seemed to wrap up too easily. Which was, of course, the point -- things are never as easy as they appear. I won't ruin the "who dun it" part in case you want to go to abc.com and watch the episode (or you TiVo'd it and haven't gotten around to watching it), but there's a couple key elements involving one of the victims family that you never see coming and made for a damned good storyline.
Another thing I liked, and considering its my favorite show of all time, it was nice to see ... the resurrected NYPD Blue precinct!!! OK, ok, its not quite the return of the "rogue 15th precinct", but I swear the exterior shots, and the interior, of the squad certainly brought back memories. Definitely looked like they resurrected the set of the greatest show ever.
I loved the card game with "Rick Castle", and the actual James Patterson ... and the greatness that is Stephen J. Cannell. I actually had to set the glass of shiraz down when that scene came on. I noticed in the opening credits that Cannell was listed as a "special guest star", but man, the scene with the three of them just rocked.
I liked Castle's family situation. You begin by meeting his ex-wife / still publisher, who's the b*tchy blonde stereotype you'd expect. But then, you meet his mother, played by the awesome Susan Sullivan, and his daughter, played by someone I've never seen before. Neither character plays to form. The daughter is the grown-up of the group. I loved the mom's "graydar" comment when she was "looking to score" at the book party, that was just hysterical. She delivered the one liners at just the right time throughout the episode.
All in all, appointment television. I'd give it 1 3/4 thumbs up. The only thing I didn't like was the very ending, the writers took the easy way out in getting Castle to stick around. (Its not hard to figure out, you'll see it coming from 26.2 miles away). I would have liked to have seen something more creative. But still, if you're holding my attention at 9:50pm CT on a Monday night after a really long but great weekend, and a really long and not so great day of working in the office and at home, you've done something right.
Give "Castle" a chance. You won't regret it. Unless you're not a fan of entertaining television ...
Thursday, March 5, 2009
idol top 36 wildcard show ... live blog
as always, I'm logged into yahoo! im as teamtito15.
as always, I'm coming off another crappy day in a crappy job.
Hopefully tonight goes well.
Whatever Dusty's making smells good. Hopefully it tastes good.
This is coming to you live from the computer room, where I am rotating between this, the TV that I had to smack 15 times to get the picture to come in, and my work computer, where I am, uuh, working.
Hy-Vee's ERA detergent is on sale for $2 more than I paid at Price Chopper. Shady.
So there are apparently only 3 places up for grabs.
THIS ... is American Idol! Man, I miss Dunkleman from Season One ...
Isn't every episode of American Idol special?
I continue to apologize for not realizing the blind guy was, uuh, blind. I just thought he was stoned or strung out on something.
Jesse Langseth up first. I liked her two weeks ago. She chooses "Tell Me Something Good". I believe Rufus and Chaka Khan did this? Interesting choice.
Off to a GREAT start. I am loving this early on. It doesn't hurt that this chick is pleasant to look at. This is the PERFECT song choice for her. Great job! GREAT JOB!
(steve standing and applauding!)
Randy didn't care for it. Jackass.
New judge makes no sense. Pauler liked it. Simon says ... you were the last girl you chose. And I'm glad that we did. Thinks it was ok? Slightly indulgent, but decent.
Matt Giraud, aka Justin Timberlake, up next. He's singing for his life. Uuh, not really. But ok. "Who's Loving You" by the Jackson 5. Another interesting choice.
I believe the only "wildcard" that ever amounted to anything was Clay Aiken, if I'm not mistaken.
I'm not really feeling this. Listening to too much Ne-Yo lately, I guess. This is too damned slow to win over the judges or the audience or the nation. No matter how sweet the fedora is.
I think he's sung like 5 words that weren't "whoa" or "yeah yeah". Hideous. Goodbye, good luck, and good night champ.
Apparently I'm in the minority. Every judge loved it. I guess I'm clueless.
Megan and the local kid up after (chuck woolery voice) 2 and 2 ...
Must be nice to have a cell phone that actually works properly. Cause my text messaging is hit and miss, my internet access is hit and miss, and I still can't receive multimedia messages. Despite paying $19.95 / month for all that.
Vera Wang. Not quite Austin Johnson funny, but still. Wang.
And we're back.
Megan up next. She's doing a "jamsiest song", doing "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree". Ugh, I hate this song. At least she's rocking the pearls!
I need to get a tat.
She's doing fairly well. Nothing spectacular, but you've almost got a 50/50 shot of getting through, so just tread water and you're likely ok.
Pauler gets hotter every week.
Simon says this chick is "current" and not "karaoke". I actually agree with that.
Local kid up next. Go Von Go! He's doing "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" by Elton John. Good luck champ.
Ugh, this is a mess early. Its too slow, its too oversung. And he's an octave too high. Hopefully the chorus saves him. And it might. This is turning decent.
Not good enough. No way he advances.
Simon calls him "boring". Hey now. What's wrong with boring guys?
New judge says it got "dark". Well hell's bells, its a dark song chica. Pauler going off about soaring, something about high as a kite. Pot, meet kettle.
Jasmine and Ricky up next.
Cracked Magazine! We have an ad on a dad doing internet dating? If this isn't rock bottom, I don't want to see rock bottom. Seriously, what teenage kid is going to ask their dad about his dating or sex life? Sweet Jesus, what kid at ANY age is going to ask about that? I would NEVER ask my folks a question like that. Its so wrong on so many levels.
Hell, I don't even query the roommate on his personal life! Because its personal! Its his business and his alone! So again, what sane person would ask their folks questions they wouldn't dream of asking their roommate (and really good friend)?!?! This ad is just ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Its an outrage.
James B. Nutter: "if the loan isn't good for the borrower, its probably not good for us". Ya think?
I thought Texas was NASCAR's fastest track? Apparently its Atlanta.
Ugh, Jasmine up next. I HATED her performance. "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera. Ugh.
She's no Syesha. Who should have competed in the final last year over Asshat Archuleta.
I hate the dress. Not a fan of the curtain type bottom. On the other hand, this is turning into a pretty decent performance. She's got a decent shot to advance. Nice vocal range.
She'll be one of the last two standing for the final spot, is my prediction. Not bad.
New judge is confused. Pauler says she was "determined" up there. Simon: "that was pretty special". And Pauler and Simon verbally throwing down! Yes! Its high damned time! Pauler molesting his arm. Randy chimes in with a "what the ...". Really, Pauler? Simon? Just find a vacant office and get it on already. You aren't Maddie Hayes and David Addison in "Moonlighting", a hookup won't destroy your chemistry.
Or Booth and Bones on, uuh, "Bones". Really, FOX, don't destroy the chemistry as is rumored to happen. Sexual tension can be a good thing.
Wow, I am off on some tangents tonight.
Ricky Braddy up next. "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder.
What's up with guys with spiked hair? Am I that out of touch with modern fashion? It looks awful. Ditto his outfit, not a fan of the close ups of the shirt hugging his ass. Performance wise this is ok. He doesn't have Stevie's voice to pull this off but its better than karaoke, if that makes sense. (It probably doesn't).
New judge, "you held your own". Pauler says he "loosened up" and "nailed it". (rimshot!) Simon trying to give advice. Says "the performance was a bit clumsy". Wait, are we talking about the singing (rimshot!) Randy says it was a "self indulgent performance". I swear to God, I can't write stuff this good.
Tatiana and Anoop Doggy Dogg! up next.
And we're back. Tatiana up. She loves to sing. She's almost crying. Good God. Let it go. Singing "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney. This is a trainwreck waiting to happen.
This is actually fairly decent. Scratch that -- this is really decent. Hang on, for the second time tonight:
(steve standing and applauding!)
Very good performance. VERY good. If she doesn't advance, this thing is rigged.
A verbal fellating fest between Pauler and Tatiana. Sadly its not as hot as that sounds. Simon trying to reign this in. Pauler is "all confused right now". Good God, these two are bigger airheads than half the adult entertainment industry. Simon notes this is the 3rd time she's sung this song. What? Scratch that, if she gets through, this thing might be rigged. Simon calls her out on it. Simon is p*ssed. This is great! Simon is absolutely ripping her a new one! And Randy is ready to pile on! New judge noting that "at least she's not crying" and Simon drops the "she will. she will" blast.
Tatiana and Ryan both hit their knees for some, uuh, awkward poses for anyplace outside the bedroom or an adult entertainment club. Anoop Doggy Dogg! up next.
Doing "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown. I love this already.
He's rocking this! This is just awesome! The only way this could be better is if he'd chosen "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown instead.
Jesus, this is awesome. Bobby Brown on American Idol. A guy on Idol singing about casual sex being a good thing. This is just spectacular!
ANOOP! DOGGY! DOGG!
Holy crap I loved that! Although I'm guessing if I ever sang "My Prerogative" on national TV, my folks would not be wildly applauding. (Although my uncle would be. And possibly my brother. And definitely the ex-roommate, current roommate, and bts).
Simon says people like him. Damned right we do. Simon lets the "personality can count more than singing talent" bomb out of the shelter. Randy loved it. So did I. New judge loved it. So did I. New judge "wanted to get up and dance". Do it already!
Dropping the Duke / UNC blasts! Pauler last to speak ... "you're putting out moves that are a little nasty there"! Whoa! This from a judge who (allegedly) used her "prerogative" on a contestant.
Seriously, you gotta send Anoop Doggy Dogg through. You have to. If only to see him do "Humpin Around". Or "Knockin Da Boots" by H Town. Or "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd. So many god awful choices to choose from.
Back in 2 and 2, as the great Chuck Woolery would spin ...
I'd send through Jesse, Anoop, and Megan.
And here we go. I love Ryan reading results. Classic drama. Except without the drama, and its not really classic.
Jasmine up first. Randy says ... she's in! Jasmine Murray is through! She did pretty well tonight, I'm ok with this.
Ricky up next. I'm guessing this won't be a yes. New judge ... goodbye. He's (daughtry voice) going home ...
Megan and Tatiana together. So one is in the final two to be considered and one is leaving? Pauler gets to decide apparently. She's rambling worse than me on this blog. Megan is through, Tatiana is done. Four people left, one spot. Tatiana is bawling again. Good God girl, hold it together. She's kneeling in tears in front of the judges table. Jesus, this is beyond a trainwreck. This is worse than me melting down at missing the 5 pin pickup. Just embarrassing.
Morgan Freeman doing a voice over to an ad featuring the Smashing Pumpkins. Cracked Magazine.
Dinner was freaking awesome. Good job by Dusty and Kellie on the cooking.
Also, congratulations to the good folks at Little Penguin for quality shiraz to go along with it. Little Penguin: Steve's Shiraz of choice!
If they want to balance this at 6/6 a chick gets through.
Jesse up next. Simon says ... no. That sucks. She "nearly" did. I'm guessing she was 4th. Von up next, this will be a no. Leaving us Anoop and Matt. So we'll have a 7 guys, 5 chicks top 12.
Simon says ... Matt makes it. God. F*cking. Dammit.
And we're doing a top 13! ANOOP DOGGY DOGG is through!!! Holy crap! Not that everyone at ew.com didn't see this coming ...
Anoop! Anoop! Its an 8 / 5 guy / girl split, but yes! Anoop is through!!! So each judge did get a pick?
(Note: I agreed with, and I forget who wrote it but it was probably Michael Slezak at ew.com, who noted that without Idol Gives Back week this year, and with 4 judges, the odds were, we're having a top 13. Good call at ew.com!)
And with that, we're out! Anoop is still alive! I have a rooting interest in this competition! "With so much drama in the LBC its kinda hard being Anoop D O double G but I, somehow, someway, keep comin' up with funky ass sh*t like every single day ..."
as always, I'm coming off another crappy day in a crappy job.
Hopefully tonight goes well.
Whatever Dusty's making smells good. Hopefully it tastes good.
This is coming to you live from the computer room, where I am rotating between this, the TV that I had to smack 15 times to get the picture to come in, and my work computer, where I am, uuh, working.
Hy-Vee's ERA detergent is on sale for $2 more than I paid at Price Chopper. Shady.
So there are apparently only 3 places up for grabs.
THIS ... is American Idol! Man, I miss Dunkleman from Season One ...
Isn't every episode of American Idol special?
I continue to apologize for not realizing the blind guy was, uuh, blind. I just thought he was stoned or strung out on something.
Jesse Langseth up first. I liked her two weeks ago. She chooses "Tell Me Something Good". I believe Rufus and Chaka Khan did this? Interesting choice.
Off to a GREAT start. I am loving this early on. It doesn't hurt that this chick is pleasant to look at. This is the PERFECT song choice for her. Great job! GREAT JOB!
(steve standing and applauding!)
Randy didn't care for it. Jackass.
New judge makes no sense. Pauler liked it. Simon says ... you were the last girl you chose. And I'm glad that we did. Thinks it was ok? Slightly indulgent, but decent.
Matt Giraud, aka Justin Timberlake, up next. He's singing for his life. Uuh, not really. But ok. "Who's Loving You" by the Jackson 5. Another interesting choice.
I believe the only "wildcard" that ever amounted to anything was Clay Aiken, if I'm not mistaken.
I'm not really feeling this. Listening to too much Ne-Yo lately, I guess. This is too damned slow to win over the judges or the audience or the nation. No matter how sweet the fedora is.
I think he's sung like 5 words that weren't "whoa" or "yeah yeah". Hideous. Goodbye, good luck, and good night champ.
Apparently I'm in the minority. Every judge loved it. I guess I'm clueless.
Megan and the local kid up after (chuck woolery voice) 2 and 2 ...
Must be nice to have a cell phone that actually works properly. Cause my text messaging is hit and miss, my internet access is hit and miss, and I still can't receive multimedia messages. Despite paying $19.95 / month for all that.
Vera Wang. Not quite Austin Johnson funny, but still. Wang.
And we're back.
Megan up next. She's doing a "jamsiest song", doing "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree". Ugh, I hate this song. At least she's rocking the pearls!
I need to get a tat.
She's doing fairly well. Nothing spectacular, but you've almost got a 50/50 shot of getting through, so just tread water and you're likely ok.
Pauler gets hotter every week.
Simon says this chick is "current" and not "karaoke". I actually agree with that.
Local kid up next. Go Von Go! He's doing "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" by Elton John. Good luck champ.
Ugh, this is a mess early. Its too slow, its too oversung. And he's an octave too high. Hopefully the chorus saves him. And it might. This is turning decent.
Not good enough. No way he advances.
Simon calls him "boring". Hey now. What's wrong with boring guys?
New judge says it got "dark". Well hell's bells, its a dark song chica. Pauler going off about soaring, something about high as a kite. Pot, meet kettle.
Jasmine and Ricky up next.
Cracked Magazine! We have an ad on a dad doing internet dating? If this isn't rock bottom, I don't want to see rock bottom. Seriously, what teenage kid is going to ask their dad about his dating or sex life? Sweet Jesus, what kid at ANY age is going to ask about that? I would NEVER ask my folks a question like that. Its so wrong on so many levels.
Hell, I don't even query the roommate on his personal life! Because its personal! Its his business and his alone! So again, what sane person would ask their folks questions they wouldn't dream of asking their roommate (and really good friend)?!?! This ad is just ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Its an outrage.
James B. Nutter: "if the loan isn't good for the borrower, its probably not good for us". Ya think?
I thought Texas was NASCAR's fastest track? Apparently its Atlanta.
Ugh, Jasmine up next. I HATED her performance. "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera. Ugh.
She's no Syesha. Who should have competed in the final last year over Asshat Archuleta.
I hate the dress. Not a fan of the curtain type bottom. On the other hand, this is turning into a pretty decent performance. She's got a decent shot to advance. Nice vocal range.
She'll be one of the last two standing for the final spot, is my prediction. Not bad.
New judge is confused. Pauler says she was "determined" up there. Simon: "that was pretty special". And Pauler and Simon verbally throwing down! Yes! Its high damned time! Pauler molesting his arm. Randy chimes in with a "what the ...". Really, Pauler? Simon? Just find a vacant office and get it on already. You aren't Maddie Hayes and David Addison in "Moonlighting", a hookup won't destroy your chemistry.
Or Booth and Bones on, uuh, "Bones". Really, FOX, don't destroy the chemistry as is rumored to happen. Sexual tension can be a good thing.
Wow, I am off on some tangents tonight.
Ricky Braddy up next. "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder.
What's up with guys with spiked hair? Am I that out of touch with modern fashion? It looks awful. Ditto his outfit, not a fan of the close ups of the shirt hugging his ass. Performance wise this is ok. He doesn't have Stevie's voice to pull this off but its better than karaoke, if that makes sense. (It probably doesn't).
New judge, "you held your own". Pauler says he "loosened up" and "nailed it". (rimshot!) Simon trying to give advice. Says "the performance was a bit clumsy". Wait, are we talking about the singing (rimshot!) Randy says it was a "self indulgent performance". I swear to God, I can't write stuff this good.
Tatiana and Anoop Doggy Dogg! up next.
And we're back. Tatiana up. She loves to sing. She's almost crying. Good God. Let it go. Singing "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney. This is a trainwreck waiting to happen.
This is actually fairly decent. Scratch that -- this is really decent. Hang on, for the second time tonight:
(steve standing and applauding!)
Very good performance. VERY good. If she doesn't advance, this thing is rigged.
A verbal fellating fest between Pauler and Tatiana. Sadly its not as hot as that sounds. Simon trying to reign this in. Pauler is "all confused right now". Good God, these two are bigger airheads than half the adult entertainment industry. Simon notes this is the 3rd time she's sung this song. What? Scratch that, if she gets through, this thing might be rigged. Simon calls her out on it. Simon is p*ssed. This is great! Simon is absolutely ripping her a new one! And Randy is ready to pile on! New judge noting that "at least she's not crying" and Simon drops the "she will. she will" blast.
Tatiana and Ryan both hit their knees for some, uuh, awkward poses for anyplace outside the bedroom or an adult entertainment club. Anoop Doggy Dogg! up next.
Doing "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown. I love this already.
He's rocking this! This is just awesome! The only way this could be better is if he'd chosen "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown instead.
Jesus, this is awesome. Bobby Brown on American Idol. A guy on Idol singing about casual sex being a good thing. This is just spectacular!
ANOOP! DOGGY! DOGG!
Holy crap I loved that! Although I'm guessing if I ever sang "My Prerogative" on national TV, my folks would not be wildly applauding. (Although my uncle would be. And possibly my brother. And definitely the ex-roommate, current roommate, and bts).
Simon says people like him. Damned right we do. Simon lets the "personality can count more than singing talent" bomb out of the shelter. Randy loved it. So did I. New judge loved it. So did I. New judge "wanted to get up and dance". Do it already!
Dropping the Duke / UNC blasts! Pauler last to speak ... "you're putting out moves that are a little nasty there"! Whoa! This from a judge who (allegedly) used her "prerogative" on a contestant.
Seriously, you gotta send Anoop Doggy Dogg through. You have to. If only to see him do "Humpin Around". Or "Knockin Da Boots" by H Town. Or "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd. So many god awful choices to choose from.
Back in 2 and 2, as the great Chuck Woolery would spin ...
I'd send through Jesse, Anoop, and Megan.
And here we go. I love Ryan reading results. Classic drama. Except without the drama, and its not really classic.
Jasmine up first. Randy says ... she's in! Jasmine Murray is through! She did pretty well tonight, I'm ok with this.
Ricky up next. I'm guessing this won't be a yes. New judge ... goodbye. He's (daughtry voice) going home ...
Megan and Tatiana together. So one is in the final two to be considered and one is leaving? Pauler gets to decide apparently. She's rambling worse than me on this blog. Megan is through, Tatiana is done. Four people left, one spot. Tatiana is bawling again. Good God girl, hold it together. She's kneeling in tears in front of the judges table. Jesus, this is beyond a trainwreck. This is worse than me melting down at missing the 5 pin pickup. Just embarrassing.
Morgan Freeman doing a voice over to an ad featuring the Smashing Pumpkins. Cracked Magazine.
Dinner was freaking awesome. Good job by Dusty and Kellie on the cooking.
Also, congratulations to the good folks at Little Penguin for quality shiraz to go along with it. Little Penguin: Steve's Shiraz of choice!
If they want to balance this at 6/6 a chick gets through.
Jesse up next. Simon says ... no. That sucks. She "nearly" did. I'm guessing she was 4th. Von up next, this will be a no. Leaving us Anoop and Matt. So we'll have a 7 guys, 5 chicks top 12.
Simon says ... Matt makes it. God. F*cking. Dammit.
And we're doing a top 13! ANOOP DOGGY DOGG is through!!! Holy crap! Not that everyone at ew.com didn't see this coming ...
Anoop! Anoop! Its an 8 / 5 guy / girl split, but yes! Anoop is through!!! So each judge did get a pick?
(Note: I agreed with, and I forget who wrote it but it was probably Michael Slezak at ew.com, who noted that without Idol Gives Back week this year, and with 4 judges, the odds were, we're having a top 13. Good call at ew.com!)
And with that, we're out! Anoop is still alive! I have a rooting interest in this competition! "With so much drama in the LBC its kinda hard being Anoop D O double G but I, somehow, someway, keep comin' up with funky ass sh*t like every single day ..."
a few random thoughts ...
while prepping for the Idol Live Blog in an hour.
* Lost effing rocks. Every week I dig this show more. I am still in denial that only 25 episodes remain. I loved this week's episode. I love the travel back in time aspect, the Island now locked into 1977.
And I love how every question that is answered, leads to even more questions. Like, for example, we finally saw some of the four toed statue this week ... but what's its implication? We know Jack, Kate and Hurley reuinte with Sawyer and Jin (and presumably, eventually, Juliet, Miles and Faraday) in the past ... but is Locke in the past, the present, or the future? And did Sayid, Sun, and Lapidus survive the landing?
And what of Ben? We haven't seen or heard from him since the plane went def con 4 and the trippy flashback landed Jack back in the jungle, 31 years in the past.
And if everyone who left had to come back, what of Aaron?
And who the hell did Amy just give birth to?
Sadly, we have to wait two weeks for more answers.
* Rough week for the BuKCs. The margin for error is all but gone. The Bulls are tied with us for the 8th slot, the Nets are a 1/2 game back, and the Knicks are closing fast. Which means that Friday night's game at Chicago is freaking huge.
But the next two weeks, this is it. 6 straight at home, all against powerhouse teams or playoff contenders. Somehow, this injury riddled, playing on guts alone squad has to take 4 of 6. I'll be rooting for them every step of the way.
* Congratulations to Mike Anderson. What a performance last night. What an amazing, gutty, grapefruits! victory over OU last night. Like I told Dusty today, every MU team since Norm was kicked to the curb, loses that game in a blowout last night. Coming off the worst defeat in a decade to your hated rival, blowing your shot (possibly) at a 2 seed, Big XII championship and opening at the Sprint Centre. Quin's teams would have grabbed the ankles. Anderson had 72 hours to right the ship. And boy did he.
I know I should hate MU, and I do ... but there's something to be said for beating your rival when they're on top. Its why KU / MU in football has rocked the last few years. Both teams are now legitimate top 25, New Year's Day bowl contenders that can make the BCS if they spring an upset along the way. KU hoops has always been good, but MU hasn't been this solid since I was in high school, that 94 team that swept the Big 8, got a 1 seed, and reached the Elite 8. That was the last time MU hoops was truly revelant like this. (Spare me the Elite 8 run in 2002. You did it as a 12 seed. That's not relevancy, that's last team in that catches a fart in the wind).
Anyways, its great to see. I'm rooting for a classic Saturday night showdown in OKC next week. KU vs MU for the Big XII and the opening rounds in KC.
* And I love how the Big XII moved their final to Saturday. What a night of hoops awaits us next Saturday, the Big XII Title, then the Big East finale ... and you get a probable Duke / UNC grudge match less than 12 hours later. God, I love basketball.
* If this makes sense ... I think last night's loss was good for KU. They've had two games in the last couple weeks (at KSU, at OU) where they got down huge early ... and somehow gutted out a win. Last night they got down huge ... and could never mount a comeback. I kept thinking of the Oklahoma State game last year, when KU whizzed all over itself in an embarrassing loss in Stillwater. KU never lost again after that defeat. Perhaps history is about to repeat itself.
* this week's top 10 songs played on the iPod:
1. "Bent" by Matt Nathanson. I love this song more every time I listen to it. Its definitely in my top four by him, along with "Answering Machine", "Come on Get Higher", and "I Saw".
2. "Shimmer and Shine" by Ben Harper. I can't wait to see what the new cd has. This single is awesome. He'll be hard pressed to ever top "Both Sides of the Gun" but based on this single, he's got a chance.
3. "This Town" by OAR. Don't know why I didn't get into this last summer, considering it was the theme song for ESPN's coverage of my favorite summer event (the College World Series). But its a great song. Anytime you have the lyrics "come on y'all, let's take this town ...", you've got a winner.
4. "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace. Its my favorite song of all time. It will almost always land in the top 10.
5. "Mad" by Ne-Yo. Awesome, awesome song. Hopefully I find someone that the lyrics fit in the near future. (Or even more hopefully, I already have ...)
6. "The Remedy" by Jason Mraz. I've been on cloud nine lately. The song really fits my mood at the moment.
7. "I Don't Care" by Fall Out Boy. "I don't care what you think, as long as its about me! The best of us can find happiness in misery ..." Pretty much sums up the job at this point.
8. "Take Your Mama Out" by Scissor Sisters. Great, great song. Can't get enough of it.
9. "Why Don't You and I" by Santana and Alex Band. Another great song that you never hear much on the radio anymore.
10. "The Gregarious Raconteur", by Theocracy. The official "theme song" of JackO's appearances on The BS Report. Anytime a song works in a "pepper his sauce" reference, you've got a winner on your hands.
* Finally, Idol Wild Card live blog in 30 some odd minutes ... (go Anoop!) ...
* Lost effing rocks. Every week I dig this show more. I am still in denial that only 25 episodes remain. I loved this week's episode. I love the travel back in time aspect, the Island now locked into 1977.
And I love how every question that is answered, leads to even more questions. Like, for example, we finally saw some of the four toed statue this week ... but what's its implication? We know Jack, Kate and Hurley reuinte with Sawyer and Jin (and presumably, eventually, Juliet, Miles and Faraday) in the past ... but is Locke in the past, the present, or the future? And did Sayid, Sun, and Lapidus survive the landing?
And what of Ben? We haven't seen or heard from him since the plane went def con 4 and the trippy flashback landed Jack back in the jungle, 31 years in the past.
And if everyone who left had to come back, what of Aaron?
And who the hell did Amy just give birth to?
Sadly, we have to wait two weeks for more answers.
* Rough week for the BuKCs. The margin for error is all but gone. The Bulls are tied with us for the 8th slot, the Nets are a 1/2 game back, and the Knicks are closing fast. Which means that Friday night's game at Chicago is freaking huge.
But the next two weeks, this is it. 6 straight at home, all against powerhouse teams or playoff contenders. Somehow, this injury riddled, playing on guts alone squad has to take 4 of 6. I'll be rooting for them every step of the way.
* Congratulations to Mike Anderson. What a performance last night. What an amazing, gutty, grapefruits! victory over OU last night. Like I told Dusty today, every MU team since Norm was kicked to the curb, loses that game in a blowout last night. Coming off the worst defeat in a decade to your hated rival, blowing your shot (possibly) at a 2 seed, Big XII championship and opening at the Sprint Centre. Quin's teams would have grabbed the ankles. Anderson had 72 hours to right the ship. And boy did he.
I know I should hate MU, and I do ... but there's something to be said for beating your rival when they're on top. Its why KU / MU in football has rocked the last few years. Both teams are now legitimate top 25, New Year's Day bowl contenders that can make the BCS if they spring an upset along the way. KU hoops has always been good, but MU hasn't been this solid since I was in high school, that 94 team that swept the Big 8, got a 1 seed, and reached the Elite 8. That was the last time MU hoops was truly revelant like this. (Spare me the Elite 8 run in 2002. You did it as a 12 seed. That's not relevancy, that's last team in that catches a fart in the wind).
Anyways, its great to see. I'm rooting for a classic Saturday night showdown in OKC next week. KU vs MU for the Big XII and the opening rounds in KC.
* And I love how the Big XII moved their final to Saturday. What a night of hoops awaits us next Saturday, the Big XII Title, then the Big East finale ... and you get a probable Duke / UNC grudge match less than 12 hours later. God, I love basketball.
* If this makes sense ... I think last night's loss was good for KU. They've had two games in the last couple weeks (at KSU, at OU) where they got down huge early ... and somehow gutted out a win. Last night they got down huge ... and could never mount a comeback. I kept thinking of the Oklahoma State game last year, when KU whizzed all over itself in an embarrassing loss in Stillwater. KU never lost again after that defeat. Perhaps history is about to repeat itself.
* this week's top 10 songs played on the iPod:
1. "Bent" by Matt Nathanson. I love this song more every time I listen to it. Its definitely in my top four by him, along with "Answering Machine", "Come on Get Higher", and "I Saw".
2. "Shimmer and Shine" by Ben Harper. I can't wait to see what the new cd has. This single is awesome. He'll be hard pressed to ever top "Both Sides of the Gun" but based on this single, he's got a chance.
3. "This Town" by OAR. Don't know why I didn't get into this last summer, considering it was the theme song for ESPN's coverage of my favorite summer event (the College World Series). But its a great song. Anytime you have the lyrics "come on y'all, let's take this town ...", you've got a winner.
4. "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace. Its my favorite song of all time. It will almost always land in the top 10.
5. "Mad" by Ne-Yo. Awesome, awesome song. Hopefully I find someone that the lyrics fit in the near future. (Or even more hopefully, I already have ...)
6. "The Remedy" by Jason Mraz. I've been on cloud nine lately. The song really fits my mood at the moment.
7. "I Don't Care" by Fall Out Boy. "I don't care what you think, as long as its about me! The best of us can find happiness in misery ..." Pretty much sums up the job at this point.
8. "Take Your Mama Out" by Scissor Sisters. Great, great song. Can't get enough of it.
9. "Why Don't You and I" by Santana and Alex Band. Another great song that you never hear much on the radio anymore.
10. "The Gregarious Raconteur", by Theocracy. The official "theme song" of JackO's appearances on The BS Report. Anytime a song works in a "pepper his sauce" reference, you've got a winner on your hands.
* Finally, Idol Wild Card live blog in 30 some odd minutes ... (go Anoop!) ...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
ai top 36 ... live blog ...
Hello, and welcome everyone.
For the 3rd group of 12, hey, I'm home to watch it live!
As always, the ground rules.
1. I'll be logged into Yahoo! IM as teamtito15. Feel free to comment along there or in the comments section.
2. I have not seen any of these folks perform yet, although I am aware a local kid is going tonight, from Gladstone I believe.
3. I had a really, really bad day at work today, and tomorrow looks every bit as bad. So if I'm a little bit p*ssed off tonight, you know why.
Until the top of the hour, get settled in with your favorite 32oz beverage and let the anticipation begin!
Its day 6 without vodka, and I'm almost in crisis mode. I honestly don't know how I'm making it to noon on Opening Day. I just pray Rochelle doesn't show up before then, if she's got the vodka shots ready at 10am, I'm in deep, deep trouble.
I think its noon on Good Friday. Right? Or is it 3pm? Or the whole day? See, this is what happens when you go to mass once a year, you lose focus.
And we're underway ... or not, another commercial.
Hang on, I'm getting the laptop plug out of the bedroom. Back in a minute.
And my boss has logged into my work IM. My long day just got longer.
The overly dramatic Ryan Seacrest.
By the way, good luck meeting the 'rents tonight Kellie. Hope it goes well.
Our 6 already through look kind of freaky.
Our judges looking dapper.
I'd definitely tune in for a "Simon Cowell Week".
Whoa, the votes determine wildcard positioning too? What the hell?
Local kid is up first.
Von Smith, from Greenwood, Missouri. I like the skull cap. His song choice is ... "You're All I Need To Get By". Marvin Gaye, I like it. Let's Get it On!
The pink shoes are distracting, but the performance is decent. The chorus is rock solid. He knows he's nailing it, I love that look in a performer's face, when they know they're on fire. Especially if its on one of the two stages at everyone's favorite shack on the outskirts of Lawrence.
He is doing very, very well. But the pink shoes, dude. Seriously.
Good job. He's definitely in wildcard contention at worst.
Very good job! Hang on.
(steve standing and applauding!)
Job well done.
RJ loves it. "This is the way to kick off a show". Pauler clapping like a seal. New judge says he "really knows what he's doing up there". (cue "outback steakhouse" joke here). Pauler, "its really hard being first, this is going to be a memorable first". Whoa horsie. Simon, "you remind me of Clay Aiken". Yeah, I can see it. Good job. Solid start to the program for once.
And we're back. Sorry, Von Smith was 1 866 IDOLS 01. Vote!
Here's Taylor Vaifanua, the pride of Hurricane, Utah. You can't make sh*t like this up.
Her choice is ... "If I Ain't Got You" by someone.
This is ... boring.
I'm heading to the fridge for another glass of something. Odds are it will be alcoholic in nature. Really, this performance? If I could loop it on my IPod, I might not have problems sleeping through the night like I do. Yawn.
Oh lay off the "show some personality" already new judge. Some of us are withdrawn by our nature. But yeah, this was beyond boring.
RJ agrees with me, its "boring"! Welcome to the party pal!
Oh Jesus, we're going 2 hours again tonight?!?! This is so much easier losing 45 minutes to the TiVo.
Alex someone or other up next. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but she could kick my ass. She's a big girl. As in, 6 feet? 6 feet 2 inches? She's tall. Taller than me that's for sure.
Dusty checks in. "What channel is the Duke game on". HELL-TV? I kid, I kid. I have no idea. Our channels above 200 aren't working again tonight. Our box blows chunks. Thank you Time Warner, for p*ss poor customer service, p*ss poor reception, and p*ss poor HD TiVo boxes. But hey, we don't pay for HD (all 2 channels we get). So that's a positive.
Remind me again why I left DirecTV. Oh that's right, deadbeat ex-roommate didn't pay $0.00 towards HIS bill for 11 months and I finally got sick of paying for it on my Discover card. But hey, he got the last laugh: he's now screwed over not one, not two, but three ex-roommates by owing them money! Hooray! (I'm with Dusty on this one: I want to see this trainwreck of a human being who not only let him move in, but is engaged to him. This should be something.)
And we're back. Not a moment too soon, I might have punched a hole in the wall in frustration.
WHOA, my bad. Alex was NOT the girl I saw in the final moment before commercial.
I like this kid. Alex, meet Steve. And he drops the Quagmire "alright!"
"I made a 3 of something! Life goes on!"
Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues". I LOVE this song. Can't wait to see this.
I am LOVING this kid. Good vocal. Having fun.
"I've been in a wheelchair for 45 minutes ..."
I am actually liking this. Different, but interesting. He's yelling it too much though.
"Rollin like thunder, under the covers ..." Must be nice.
I liked this, in a Vegas lounge act kind of way. Definitely personality 12, vocals 5. But fun.
If Adam Lambert got through, this guy should pass with flying colors.
Alex' dad looks like Orville Reddinbacker. (Sorry if I misspelled his name too. I suck at spelling names).
"It was a little bit softer in rehearsal". Come on, I'm not passing that one up.
BuKCs up 2, 2 minutes to go, 1st quarter. HU-YUGE game tonight at the Bradley Center against New Jersey.
I guess I'm alone in life, but the ass doesn't turn me on. Sorry, Old Navy. The eyes first, then the smile, then the (is it there or not) nose stud, then the body. Then again, I live literally a block from Raytown, the "asses" you witness in Raytown might influence that opinion.
Good God, this is tanking fast, even by my standards. But eyes, the eyes win me over. Then the face, and everything else.
Arianna Ansar, from San Diego, about to do our first ever ABBA song on Idol. Please be "Dancing Queen". This chick could knock it out of the park based on the recap.
"Winner Takes it All". Good choice. She can rock this.
She's an octave too low.
This is NO BUENO. She's trying too hard. And now she's fading ... from forgetting the words? This is going nowhere fast.
This is, uuh, not good. Until right now. She's closing ok. But too little, too late. That was NOT good.
What's wrong with "dark and depressing"? Oh wait, my shrink says that's bad. OK then.
Pauler finds some light ... ok, not really. "I appreciate that you took the liberties to change and risk ..." And she can't pronounce ABBA. "Cracked? Jesus Christ, unbelievable."
Some black guy doing Plain White T's next. Actually "Delilah" has struck me as a song Ne-Yo could rock the joint with. Let's see what happens ... (chuck woolery voice) in 2&2 ...
And Duke just tracked in all over the main room. Dammit, why can't you just whiz on the deck when its cold and miserable like this?
Ju'Not Joyner up next. He looks like Chikezie. And he's performing Ne-Yo at Hollywood Week! Nice!
Rock it dude.
Has a Luther Vandross sound to him. I like this slowed down.
So far, I'd download this on ITunes. The first "Idol" performance so far I can say that about. I am DIGGING this.
Wow.
This is DAMNED good!
(steve voraciously applauding!!!)
Randy and I agree! New judge as well! It yes, it felt "fluid". It just ... it rocked. It just effing rocked.
Simon with a good point, he could have stripped it down a little bit more, but man, what a GREAT performance. This one's going on the Rivermaster's Float Trip 09 request list from Steve. (Just so long as someone (Foster? D? Rivermaster?) has some green stuff to enjoy during it.
The Mezzaluna shrimp the Olive Garden ad just had ... unreal. Absolutely unreal. Totally worth the $13.
Wow, Dukie's paws are muddy. Glad he's in the other room tonight.
(peter griffin seeing ernie the chicken for round 3 voice) OH CRAP! How in the hell is this freak still around? The girl goes first. Kristin McNamara. And she's NOT the freak. OH CRAP!
Seriously, we need Peter v the Chicken round 4 by May.
"Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman. This is awful early.
She is not "giving me one reason" to remain focused.
I'll be the first. "The journey ends here ..." Good God, this is awful. This is "Duke with 3am gas" bad. Scratch that, this is Duke at 6am gas bad ...
Wow, she looks like Farrah Fawcett her one season on "Charlie's Angels". Hooray Hulu influencing my opinion.
Nathaniel Marshall. Gag me with a vibrator. That can't be as painful as this is going to be.
"I Would Do Anything for Love" by Meatloaf. Oh Christ.
Goodbye. Good riddance. Even God is covering his ears. Sorry. His.
"some nights it don't come at all ..." Yeah. Night (steve counting ...) yeah. Its been a while.
This is worse than anything the Red Balloon has put out. This is ... awful.
How did this guy get this far? Christ, I could have done better.
Simon drops the gay joke. And round two with "the minority".
This was beyond awful.
And finally, we're done. I just warmed up dinner AND refilled the wine glass during that fellation of whoever this guy is.
In a related development, I'm ready for Saturday. Should be fun. Extremely glad that Katie set aside my awkward shyness and was like "sweet! a night out with people that actually know steve! this is good right? right? yes, right!" I kid. But definitely looking forward to Saturday.
Felicia Barton up next, a stay at home mom. Great, my taxpayer dollars paying for yet another contestant. She's doing "Noone" by Alicia Keys. GOOD LUCK! Because this song effing rules.
Solid start. This is pretty good actually.
Until the chorus. Oversinging it and it shows.
Ending is awful. Tough. She started well, but fell apart. Goodbye top 12.
Pauler loved this?!?! What the hell?!?! Simon thought it was copycat. Uuh, yeah. I won't go with that. RJ: "amazing voice". Let it go, stop propping the chick up. New judge "noticed her". Somewhere, Corey Clark is rolling over ...
Scott McIntyre, a 23 year old from Phoenix. Let's see what he has to offer. Survey says ... anyone who covers Daughtry has some balls in this competition. Doing "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby. I LOVE this song. Let's go!
I do NOT love this performance. Goodbye. Its over.
This guy is overplaying the song. Its not THIS downbeat.
I can only think of four words. Cracked. Jesus Christ, Unbelievable.
That was TURRIBLE!
If he "moves mountains" when he takes the stage, what do I do when I drink? Move stomachs? Stop fellating this guy, that was TURRIBLE!
nice to see "anonymous ... b.s." check in tonight. We gotta figure out a way for a dual live blog. Brent and I aren't disagreeing on much.
Hello, country girl! After the break. (dammit).
Helluva game between KSU and OSU according to Brent and Drew.
To answer the last commercial: hell yes I belong at the K! Tell me anyone who's been giving up his Sunday's to tailgate out there longer than me that doesn't have a last name of "Glass"! Hell yes I belong! Go Royals Go!
Good God still 29 minutes to go.
Kendall someone, holy Lord she's hot. Holy effing Lord she is hot.
With the Texan / southern accent to boot. Something by Martina McBride tonight, this has potential.
Go Kendall Go!
She's Kristy Lee Cook with talent!
Until the chorus.
Good God this is fading fast. And I'm only 2 glasses in, granted big glasses, but still, nowhere near where I'd be after I usually experience a day like today.
This is beyond TURRIBLE!
Goodbye. Good night. And good luck. Holy Christ, even Priest was howling at the TV ...
Yeah she looks awesome ... but she ain't working at the "outback".
Simon making perfect sense.
Randy loves country music?!?! Since when?!?! That's as outrageous as me stating that you CAN spell "crap" without "rap".
Jorge Nunez apparently closes us up. He does not look, uuh, innocent, in that shot.
Dual blog! 71-69 OSU over KSU, 1:18 to go.
Go Pokes Go!
Anderson for 3 ... SWISH! 74-69 !!! Punch the ticket with an OSU win at OU Saturday! Great win if this holds (and it should!)
Poor KSU. To come so close and fail ... well, is to realize you're not KU. But its ok champ, you still have your student initiated gardens and other assorted quack agriculatural ideas you can fall back on.
YES! All new "Family Guy" Sunday!
And we're back on "Idol". Jorge brings us ... an accent. And "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". Yikes.
On Puerto Rico: "We may be small but we're not short on talent". Really, you can't make this up.
This is poor to begin with.
This is approaching piss poor territory.
Chorus is better but leaves a lot to be desired. He's trying too hard.
Yikes. Goodbye, good night, and good luck, its over champ.
New judge is ridiculous. Pauler is in tears. (guy in tower drowning on "titanic" voice) bleedin christ!
Sorry, my bad. We have one performance to go. In a related development, I need to go to the fridge.
Good God, I managed to hit the bathroom, the fridge, and turn on the space heater and electric blanket in this commercial. End it already.
Another KC audition! Good luck chica.
She has 3 kids? (steve refraining ...)
She's doing Mary J Blige.
Nice outfit. She looks good. Sounds good so far too.
Seems like a good time to put the dogs to bed ... this is ok. Not great but not awful.
Simon, "brilliant". OK. Randy agrees. New judge, "you're a powerhouse". OK. I guess I'm tone deaf. Pauler, "you are first class".
And with that we're pretty much done. Should be an intriguing results show. (And with that, I'm out. I need to get back to "work", sadly ...)
For the 3rd group of 12, hey, I'm home to watch it live!
As always, the ground rules.
1. I'll be logged into Yahoo! IM as teamtito15. Feel free to comment along there or in the comments section.
2. I have not seen any of these folks perform yet, although I am aware a local kid is going tonight, from Gladstone I believe.
3. I had a really, really bad day at work today, and tomorrow looks every bit as bad. So if I'm a little bit p*ssed off tonight, you know why.
Until the top of the hour, get settled in with your favorite 32oz beverage and let the anticipation begin!
Its day 6 without vodka, and I'm almost in crisis mode. I honestly don't know how I'm making it to noon on Opening Day. I just pray Rochelle doesn't show up before then, if she's got the vodka shots ready at 10am, I'm in deep, deep trouble.
I think its noon on Good Friday. Right? Or is it 3pm? Or the whole day? See, this is what happens when you go to mass once a year, you lose focus.
And we're underway ... or not, another commercial.
Hang on, I'm getting the laptop plug out of the bedroom. Back in a minute.
And my boss has logged into my work IM. My long day just got longer.
The overly dramatic Ryan Seacrest.
By the way, good luck meeting the 'rents tonight Kellie. Hope it goes well.
Our 6 already through look kind of freaky.
Our judges looking dapper.
I'd definitely tune in for a "Simon Cowell Week".
Whoa, the votes determine wildcard positioning too? What the hell?
Local kid is up first.
Von Smith, from Greenwood, Missouri. I like the skull cap. His song choice is ... "You're All I Need To Get By". Marvin Gaye, I like it. Let's Get it On!
The pink shoes are distracting, but the performance is decent. The chorus is rock solid. He knows he's nailing it, I love that look in a performer's face, when they know they're on fire. Especially if its on one of the two stages at everyone's favorite shack on the outskirts of Lawrence.
He is doing very, very well. But the pink shoes, dude. Seriously.
Good job. He's definitely in wildcard contention at worst.
Very good job! Hang on.
(steve standing and applauding!)
Job well done.
RJ loves it. "This is the way to kick off a show". Pauler clapping like a seal. New judge says he "really knows what he's doing up there". (cue "outback steakhouse" joke here). Pauler, "its really hard being first, this is going to be a memorable first". Whoa horsie. Simon, "you remind me of Clay Aiken". Yeah, I can see it. Good job. Solid start to the program for once.
And we're back. Sorry, Von Smith was 1 866 IDOLS 01. Vote!
Here's Taylor Vaifanua, the pride of Hurricane, Utah. You can't make sh*t like this up.
Her choice is ... "If I Ain't Got You" by someone.
This is ... boring.
I'm heading to the fridge for another glass of something. Odds are it will be alcoholic in nature. Really, this performance? If I could loop it on my IPod, I might not have problems sleeping through the night like I do. Yawn.
Oh lay off the "show some personality" already new judge. Some of us are withdrawn by our nature. But yeah, this was beyond boring.
RJ agrees with me, its "boring"! Welcome to the party pal!
Oh Jesus, we're going 2 hours again tonight?!?! This is so much easier losing 45 minutes to the TiVo.
Alex someone or other up next. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but she could kick my ass. She's a big girl. As in, 6 feet? 6 feet 2 inches? She's tall. Taller than me that's for sure.
Dusty checks in. "What channel is the Duke game on". HELL-TV? I kid, I kid. I have no idea. Our channels above 200 aren't working again tonight. Our box blows chunks. Thank you Time Warner, for p*ss poor customer service, p*ss poor reception, and p*ss poor HD TiVo boxes. But hey, we don't pay for HD (all 2 channels we get). So that's a positive.
Remind me again why I left DirecTV. Oh that's right, deadbeat ex-roommate didn't pay $0.00 towards HIS bill for 11 months and I finally got sick of paying for it on my Discover card. But hey, he got the last laugh: he's now screwed over not one, not two, but three ex-roommates by owing them money! Hooray! (I'm with Dusty on this one: I want to see this trainwreck of a human being who not only let him move in, but is engaged to him. This should be something.)
And we're back. Not a moment too soon, I might have punched a hole in the wall in frustration.
WHOA, my bad. Alex was NOT the girl I saw in the final moment before commercial.
I like this kid. Alex, meet Steve. And he drops the Quagmire "alright!"
"I made a 3 of something! Life goes on!"
Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues". I LOVE this song. Can't wait to see this.
I am LOVING this kid. Good vocal. Having fun.
"I've been in a wheelchair for 45 minutes ..."
I am actually liking this. Different, but interesting. He's yelling it too much though.
"Rollin like thunder, under the covers ..." Must be nice.
I liked this, in a Vegas lounge act kind of way. Definitely personality 12, vocals 5. But fun.
If Adam Lambert got through, this guy should pass with flying colors.
Alex' dad looks like Orville Reddinbacker. (Sorry if I misspelled his name too. I suck at spelling names).
"It was a little bit softer in rehearsal". Come on, I'm not passing that one up.
BuKCs up 2, 2 minutes to go, 1st quarter. HU-YUGE game tonight at the Bradley Center against New Jersey.
I guess I'm alone in life, but the ass doesn't turn me on. Sorry, Old Navy. The eyes first, then the smile, then the (is it there or not) nose stud, then the body. Then again, I live literally a block from Raytown, the "asses" you witness in Raytown might influence that opinion.
Good God, this is tanking fast, even by my standards. But eyes, the eyes win me over. Then the face, and everything else.
Arianna Ansar, from San Diego, about to do our first ever ABBA song on Idol. Please be "Dancing Queen". This chick could knock it out of the park based on the recap.
"Winner Takes it All". Good choice. She can rock this.
She's an octave too low.
This is NO BUENO. She's trying too hard. And now she's fading ... from forgetting the words? This is going nowhere fast.
This is, uuh, not good. Until right now. She's closing ok. But too little, too late. That was NOT good.
What's wrong with "dark and depressing"? Oh wait, my shrink says that's bad. OK then.
Pauler finds some light ... ok, not really. "I appreciate that you took the liberties to change and risk ..." And she can't pronounce ABBA. "Cracked? Jesus Christ, unbelievable."
Some black guy doing Plain White T's next. Actually "Delilah" has struck me as a song Ne-Yo could rock the joint with. Let's see what happens ... (chuck woolery voice) in 2&2 ...
And Duke just tracked in all over the main room. Dammit, why can't you just whiz on the deck when its cold and miserable like this?
Ju'Not Joyner up next. He looks like Chikezie. And he's performing Ne-Yo at Hollywood Week! Nice!
Rock it dude.
Has a Luther Vandross sound to him. I like this slowed down.
So far, I'd download this on ITunes. The first "Idol" performance so far I can say that about. I am DIGGING this.
Wow.
This is DAMNED good!
(steve voraciously applauding!!!)
Randy and I agree! New judge as well! It yes, it felt "fluid". It just ... it rocked. It just effing rocked.
Simon with a good point, he could have stripped it down a little bit more, but man, what a GREAT performance. This one's going on the Rivermaster's Float Trip 09 request list from Steve. (Just so long as someone (Foster? D? Rivermaster?) has some green stuff to enjoy during it.
The Mezzaluna shrimp the Olive Garden ad just had ... unreal. Absolutely unreal. Totally worth the $13.
Wow, Dukie's paws are muddy. Glad he's in the other room tonight.
(peter griffin seeing ernie the chicken for round 3 voice) OH CRAP! How in the hell is this freak still around? The girl goes first. Kristin McNamara. And she's NOT the freak. OH CRAP!
Seriously, we need Peter v the Chicken round 4 by May.
"Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman. This is awful early.
She is not "giving me one reason" to remain focused.
I'll be the first. "The journey ends here ..." Good God, this is awful. This is "Duke with 3am gas" bad. Scratch that, this is Duke at 6am gas bad ...
Wow, she looks like Farrah Fawcett her one season on "Charlie's Angels". Hooray Hulu influencing my opinion.
Nathaniel Marshall. Gag me with a vibrator. That can't be as painful as this is going to be.
"I Would Do Anything for Love" by Meatloaf. Oh Christ.
Goodbye. Good riddance. Even God is covering his ears. Sorry. His.
"some nights it don't come at all ..." Yeah. Night (steve counting ...) yeah. Its been a while.
This is worse than anything the Red Balloon has put out. This is ... awful.
How did this guy get this far? Christ, I could have done better.
Simon drops the gay joke. And round two with "the minority".
This was beyond awful.
And finally, we're done. I just warmed up dinner AND refilled the wine glass during that fellation of whoever this guy is.
In a related development, I'm ready for Saturday. Should be fun. Extremely glad that Katie set aside my awkward shyness and was like "sweet! a night out with people that actually know steve! this is good right? right? yes, right!" I kid. But definitely looking forward to Saturday.
Felicia Barton up next, a stay at home mom. Great, my taxpayer dollars paying for yet another contestant. She's doing "Noone" by Alicia Keys. GOOD LUCK! Because this song effing rules.
Solid start. This is pretty good actually.
Until the chorus. Oversinging it and it shows.
Ending is awful. Tough. She started well, but fell apart. Goodbye top 12.
Pauler loved this?!?! What the hell?!?! Simon thought it was copycat. Uuh, yeah. I won't go with that. RJ: "amazing voice". Let it go, stop propping the chick up. New judge "noticed her". Somewhere, Corey Clark is rolling over ...
Scott McIntyre, a 23 year old from Phoenix. Let's see what he has to offer. Survey says ... anyone who covers Daughtry has some balls in this competition. Doing "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby. I LOVE this song. Let's go!
I do NOT love this performance. Goodbye. Its over.
This guy is overplaying the song. Its not THIS downbeat.
I can only think of four words. Cracked. Jesus Christ, Unbelievable.
That was TURRIBLE!
If he "moves mountains" when he takes the stage, what do I do when I drink? Move stomachs? Stop fellating this guy, that was TURRIBLE!
nice to see "anonymous ... b.s." check in tonight. We gotta figure out a way for a dual live blog. Brent and I aren't disagreeing on much.
Hello, country girl! After the break. (dammit).
Helluva game between KSU and OSU according to Brent and Drew.
To answer the last commercial: hell yes I belong at the K! Tell me anyone who's been giving up his Sunday's to tailgate out there longer than me that doesn't have a last name of "Glass"! Hell yes I belong! Go Royals Go!
Good God still 29 minutes to go.
Kendall someone, holy Lord she's hot. Holy effing Lord she is hot.
With the Texan / southern accent to boot. Something by Martina McBride tonight, this has potential.
Go Kendall Go!
She's Kristy Lee Cook with talent!
Until the chorus.
Good God this is fading fast. And I'm only 2 glasses in, granted big glasses, but still, nowhere near where I'd be after I usually experience a day like today.
This is beyond TURRIBLE!
Goodbye. Good night. And good luck. Holy Christ, even Priest was howling at the TV ...
Yeah she looks awesome ... but she ain't working at the "outback".
Simon making perfect sense.
Randy loves country music?!?! Since when?!?! That's as outrageous as me stating that you CAN spell "crap" without "rap".
Jorge Nunez apparently closes us up. He does not look, uuh, innocent, in that shot.
Dual blog! 71-69 OSU over KSU, 1:18 to go.
Go Pokes Go!
Anderson for 3 ... SWISH! 74-69 !!! Punch the ticket with an OSU win at OU Saturday! Great win if this holds (and it should!)
Poor KSU. To come so close and fail ... well, is to realize you're not KU. But its ok champ, you still have your student initiated gardens and other assorted quack agriculatural ideas you can fall back on.
YES! All new "Family Guy" Sunday!
And we're back on "Idol". Jorge brings us ... an accent. And "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". Yikes.
On Puerto Rico: "We may be small but we're not short on talent". Really, you can't make this up.
This is poor to begin with.
This is approaching piss poor territory.
Chorus is better but leaves a lot to be desired. He's trying too hard.
Yikes. Goodbye, good night, and good luck, its over champ.
New judge is ridiculous. Pauler is in tears. (guy in tower drowning on "titanic" voice) bleedin christ!
Sorry, my bad. We have one performance to go. In a related development, I need to go to the fridge.
Good God, I managed to hit the bathroom, the fridge, and turn on the space heater and electric blanket in this commercial. End it already.
Another KC audition! Good luck chica.
She has 3 kids? (steve refraining ...)
She's doing Mary J Blige.
Nice outfit. She looks good. Sounds good so far too.
Seems like a good time to put the dogs to bed ... this is ok. Not great but not awful.
Simon, "brilliant". OK. Randy agrees. New judge, "you're a powerhouse". OK. I guess I'm tone deaf. Pauler, "you are first class".
And with that we're pretty much done. Should be an intriguing results show. (And with that, I'm out. I need to get back to "work", sadly ...)
Sunday, March 1, 2009
hawks! tigers (boo!) live blog ...
As always, I'm logged into yahoo! as teamtito15 if you want to participate.
My prediction: MU 83, Kansas 81. God I hope I'm wrong.
I also wish that the Lundquist / Raftery crew calling the Louisville / Marquette game had drawn us instead. Oh well, at least my favorite college hoops duo is back together again, just in time for the Madness that is March.
Gregg checks in: "feel free to post any of my hatred or venom towards fizzou". You got it champ. I hate them too. They did rape all our women and children, their fans are all a bunch of drunks, and they toss whiskey bottles at you. Plus their women are all easy. Wait, that's a good thing, my bad.
The band is ready. Oh Oh Oh Oh!
Rock ... Chalk ... Jayhawk ... KU ...
Ian Eagle on the call. Jim Spanarkle on the color.
The tip! Out of bounds to Kansas.
Morningstar misses the 3. Ball stolen back by Kansas. Collins fouled by English. I think its non shooting.
Nope, shooting. Collins hits the first. Misses the second.
Lyons misses from 12. Taylor with the running driver! Swish! 3-0 Kansas!
Tiller hits from the top of the key. Nice shot.
Aldridge misses the dunk! Dammit! Carroll brick on the other end. Horrendous pass by Collins. Morris with the block! But Lyons follows up to give MU its first lead.
Marcus Morris! 5-4 Hawks!
The Field House is LOUD. Carroll bricks! Collins to Morningstar! Layup good!
The Field House is REALLY loud!
MU misses a 3. Morningstar with a TURRIBLE pass, back to MU. 7-4 Hawks, 16:51 to go.
Another bricked MU 3. Hawks board. Aldridge misses from short range. Good D by Carroll. Who takes it the other way and is fouled. Shots upcoming.
Bricks the first. Friendly roll on the 2nd. 7-5 Hawks.
STUPID foul on English. That's his 2nd already!
Tiller steal, misses the layup! Aldridge with the dunk on the other end!
Collins to Morris! Timeout MU!!! 11-5 Hawks!
Its not a border showdown, its a border war!
Brick by MU! Morningstar to Morris! 13-5 Hawks! Lyons bricks! Huge pass to Aldridge ... and we blow it. Kansas ball though. Under 16 timeout, KU up 8!
Good point by Kellie on the CSI: Miami promo: what kind of red headed white guy is named Horatio? And what person in Miami doesn't have a tan?
Reid inside ... foul called on MU. I thought that was goaltending on Little's follow up.
Little hits the first.
And rebounds the 2nd! Collins from 3! SWISH! 17-5 Hawks!
Shot clock violation! The noise is playing a HUGE factor!
And Ian ... you can't deliver a knockout punch 7 minutes into a game. Not against a team like MU.
Collins! 14-0 run!
Foul on MU on Ramsey! This is implosion city early on!
When I look at Bill Self, I can't help but think Joe Biden Hair Plugs.
Little! 16-0 run! Timeout MU! 21-5 Kansas!
Gregg: "does it violate state prostitution laws to have that many fizzou parents in one area?" I say yes. But then again, I'm pro prostitution in any form, so go fizzou parents!
Lyons, and the foul. Very good set play. Under 12 with a free throw upcoming, 21-7 Hawks.
I can think of a few people who'd question the ethics of ITT Hartford. This whole watching live thing so you're stuck with commercials sucks at times.
Since when does Barack Obama say anything inspiring or hopeful? I thought everything was doom and gloom under this guy?
Lyons hits the foul shot. 21-8.
Little misses from 8 feet. MU running its offense, Blocked! I think Aldridge got it. Jump ball, possession arrow MU.
Bad 3 try by Lawrence. Hawks board, carry on Taylor. Good call. Crowd has quieted down.
Lyons with a nice layup. Dusty: "where's the and one?" I have to agree, looked like a foul to me.
Aldridge no, Morris, YES! And it counts! And we got away with an over the back to boot!
23-10 Hawks, free throw pending, 10:33 left in the half.
And the brick. Lawrence misses a wide open 3. Steal MU. Ramsey bricks the layup! Hawks push it! Collins! To Aldridge! 25-10! And the house is ROCKING again!
Ramsey misses ANOTHER layup! But KU gives it back. Tiller to Lyons, good play. 25-12 Hawks.
Foul on Tiller on the support D. Man, live blogging a speech or football is so much easier, the pace is slower.
TOUGH call on Aldridge. And yes, I'm biased. That's his 2nd.
I feel a MU run coming on here.
Unlucky shot by Lyons, should have fallen. Collins p*sses it away on the other end, Carroll ... and stolen by Morningstar ... who bricks the layup! Collins with the board ... and fouled by Tiller.
That was NOT a foul by Tiller. We'll take it, but weak.
Collins hits the first.
Collins hits the 2nd. Kansas by 15.
What was Tiller thinking? Horrid pass. Tie up gives the ball to KU.
I should probably delete that "I feel a MU run coming here" comment.
Reid from 3! 30-12 Kansas!
Under 8 timeout, MU ball. Hawks by 18! Dusty is getting frustrated.
Foul on Morris, Lyons to the line. Brick! Lyons has 9 of MU's 12. Yikes. The jumper ain't falling today.
Brick! Board Morris. STUPID shot by Collins. Carroll with the board.
Charge on MU! Obvious call, why it took 5 seconds to decide, I don't know.
Apparently nobody else here agrees with me on the charge call. Dusty just called me "f*cking blind ... not even the announcers agreed with you on that one". OK then.
Reid from 3! Holy crap we're up 21!!!
Bad MU shot, they get the board. NICE pass to Lyons. 33-14.
Taylor drives, fouled. Shots upcoming.
Bricks the first. Damn.
Bricks them both. MU pushes it. Lyons bricks, Aldridge, to Little to Collins, swish! KU 36-14! Largest lead!
Lyons brick! Back shot by Reid. Foul on Reid.
Brick at the line by Carroll. You can't help but laugh.
Bangs home the 2nd one. 36-15 Hawks.
Little misses, Taylor with the board for MU. NICE play by Carroll. And KU turns it over on a STUPID inbounds brain fart. Bill Self is p*ssed.
Huge moment here for MU if they can drain a 3.
Tiller close ... nope. Hawks push. Taylor with the floater! Hawks by 21!
MU bricks it. Morningstar turns it over. Frenetic pace. Carroll lays it in. TO KU. 38-19 Kansas. Still have the under 4 timeout to go as well.
MU sets the offense. Still 38-19.
Rejected by Aldridge! There's the under four.
I effing LOVE Verne Lundquist.
Brick, but board MU. Foul on Tyshawn Taylor. Not sure where we're at in terms of the bonus right now.
Another miss by Lawrence. Kansas sets into the half court offense.
ALDRIDGE on the follow up! 40-19 1:30 to go!
If the Morris kids didn't commit stupid fouls, they'd never post any stats. 1 and 1 for Carroll, who misses.
Layup by someone on Kansas. Was too busy cracking Austin Johnson jokes with everyone to notice who.
Holy crap, MU is ice cold.
KU playing for the last shot up 23.
Tyshawn Taylor for 3! Holy effing God! 45-19 Kansas at the half! 45-19!
I'm taking 10 for the half, will resume when action does.
And we're back. Only 3 Tigers scored in the first half. Yikes.
Carroll hits. Cuts the lead to 24. Hee hee.
Nice steal by Lyons. I still think MU had a big run in them, which is why I wanted the lead to be as large as possible at the half.
Lyons, money. Down to 22.
Foul on Zaire Taylor on Aldridge.
Aldridge hits both. Up to 24 again.
Once again, if the Morris twins didn't pick up fouls ...
Steal Kansas. Collins wide open 3!!! Largest lead of the game!!!
And MU FINALLY hits a 3. Zaire Taylor.
Aldridge close to an over and back.
Morris with back to back ass farts, first a horrendous three point shot, then a stupid foul.
Lyons for 3. Down to 21. MU starting to hit the jumpers ...
Little, awful shot. MU pushes it. Foul on Aldridge, his 3rd? Yup. I'd call TO if I was Kansas with one more MU bucket.
Lyons hits the first. Down to 20.
MU has not missed an attempted shot or free throw in this half yet.
Lyons hits the second, we're under 20.
Little nearly gives it away. AWFUL shot by Collins ... but somehow, he's at the line after the scrum at midcourt.
Seriously, what the hell is Kansas thinking? Why are we chucking up 25 point 3's with 20 on the shot clock when we're up 19?
Collins hits the first.
And the 2nd. Back to 21 ... but I'm not comfortable right now.
NICE PASS to Carroll. Down to 19, and MU can finally press. D might need to spark something up here again to calm me down.
Someone hit the layup follow up for Kansas. Other end, foul on Little, should be the under 16 timeout with Lyons at the line. 54-33 Kansas.
Lyons hits the first. Down to 20. Lyons has been an effing stud today. Fortunately nobody else on his team showed up to play.
Down to 19 after he drains the 2nd.
Aldridge bricks, tie up. Ball to KU.
MU still hasn't missed an attempted shot in this half.
Reid for 3! 57-35!
There's a miss! Morningstar with the board. REID ... no. Lyons pushes it. Steal Tyshawn Taylor! Collins 3 ... SWISH! SWISH! As Bob Davis would say, SWISH!!! Timeout MU! 60-35 Kansas!!!
The Filet-o-Fish ad is hilarious.
Nice pass, Tiller to Carroll. And a foul on Carroll on the inbounds.
Gregg: "If assholes could fly, Columbia MO would be busier than O'Hare". (chris matthews voice) Ha!
Free throw good by Carroll, and the 2nd as well. Down to 21.
Anytime you see a J. Tiller line in the KC area, you can't help but think abortion mill.
Collins hits from the foul line. Up 23. And MU turns it over!
Foul on MU as Tyshawn Taylor drives. Shots upcoming.
Swish. Up 24. Not quite a swish but good. Up 25.
MU hits a jumper, Bowers I believe.
Aldridge with the gimme.
Foul on Little, his 4th. Under 12 TO, 66-41 Kansas.
MU's Taylor hits a 3. 66-44.
Aldridge hits!
This thing is just about over. KU ball, 10:42 to go.
(My way of saying, the live blog is just about over ...)
KU shooting 55%. Beautiful.
Aldridge! YES! And it counts! KU matches its largest lead with a foul shot upcoming!
Hits it. 71-44 Hawks.
Carroll hits. Down to 25. Hee hee.
Foul on Carroll against Aldridge.
This is an absolute ass kicking. This is an absolute bend over, grab the ankles, and assume the position defeat. This redefines woodshed beating. This ... this is beautiful.
Thomas hits the first foul shot. We might hit 100.
Collins misses the 3. MU can cut it to 20 ... and misses. Collins with the layup on the other end! 74-50!
Carroll cuts it to 20, 74-54. 7:21 to go. At least Wednesday night we get to crack Austin Johnson jokes again when MU plays OU.
10-2 MU run has cut it to 20. And the Tigers get a steal. Out of bounds to MU, should be the under 8. 74-54, 7 minutes exactly to go.
And with that, the blog is done. If MU gets back in it, I will too ...
My prediction: MU 83, Kansas 81. God I hope I'm wrong.
I also wish that the Lundquist / Raftery crew calling the Louisville / Marquette game had drawn us instead. Oh well, at least my favorite college hoops duo is back together again, just in time for the Madness that is March.
Gregg checks in: "feel free to post any of my hatred or venom towards fizzou". You got it champ. I hate them too. They did rape all our women and children, their fans are all a bunch of drunks, and they toss whiskey bottles at you. Plus their women are all easy. Wait, that's a good thing, my bad.
The band is ready. Oh Oh Oh Oh!
Rock ... Chalk ... Jayhawk ... KU ...
Ian Eagle on the call. Jim Spanarkle on the color.
The tip! Out of bounds to Kansas.
Morningstar misses the 3. Ball stolen back by Kansas. Collins fouled by English. I think its non shooting.
Nope, shooting. Collins hits the first. Misses the second.
Lyons misses from 12. Taylor with the running driver! Swish! 3-0 Kansas!
Tiller hits from the top of the key. Nice shot.
Aldridge misses the dunk! Dammit! Carroll brick on the other end. Horrendous pass by Collins. Morris with the block! But Lyons follows up to give MU its first lead.
Marcus Morris! 5-4 Hawks!
The Field House is LOUD. Carroll bricks! Collins to Morningstar! Layup good!
The Field House is REALLY loud!
MU misses a 3. Morningstar with a TURRIBLE pass, back to MU. 7-4 Hawks, 16:51 to go.
Another bricked MU 3. Hawks board. Aldridge misses from short range. Good D by Carroll. Who takes it the other way and is fouled. Shots upcoming.
Bricks the first. Friendly roll on the 2nd. 7-5 Hawks.
STUPID foul on English. That's his 2nd already!
Tiller steal, misses the layup! Aldridge with the dunk on the other end!
Collins to Morris! Timeout MU!!! 11-5 Hawks!
Its not a border showdown, its a border war!
Brick by MU! Morningstar to Morris! 13-5 Hawks! Lyons bricks! Huge pass to Aldridge ... and we blow it. Kansas ball though. Under 16 timeout, KU up 8!
Good point by Kellie on the CSI: Miami promo: what kind of red headed white guy is named Horatio? And what person in Miami doesn't have a tan?
Reid inside ... foul called on MU. I thought that was goaltending on Little's follow up.
Little hits the first.
And rebounds the 2nd! Collins from 3! SWISH! 17-5 Hawks!
Shot clock violation! The noise is playing a HUGE factor!
And Ian ... you can't deliver a knockout punch 7 minutes into a game. Not against a team like MU.
Collins! 14-0 run!
Foul on MU on Ramsey! This is implosion city early on!
When I look at Bill Self, I can't help but think Joe Biden Hair Plugs.
Little! 16-0 run! Timeout MU! 21-5 Kansas!
Gregg: "does it violate state prostitution laws to have that many fizzou parents in one area?" I say yes. But then again, I'm pro prostitution in any form, so go fizzou parents!
Lyons, and the foul. Very good set play. Under 12 with a free throw upcoming, 21-7 Hawks.
I can think of a few people who'd question the ethics of ITT Hartford. This whole watching live thing so you're stuck with commercials sucks at times.
Since when does Barack Obama say anything inspiring or hopeful? I thought everything was doom and gloom under this guy?
Lyons hits the foul shot. 21-8.
Little misses from 8 feet. MU running its offense, Blocked! I think Aldridge got it. Jump ball, possession arrow MU.
Bad 3 try by Lawrence. Hawks board, carry on Taylor. Good call. Crowd has quieted down.
Lyons with a nice layup. Dusty: "where's the and one?" I have to agree, looked like a foul to me.
Aldridge no, Morris, YES! And it counts! And we got away with an over the back to boot!
23-10 Hawks, free throw pending, 10:33 left in the half.
And the brick. Lawrence misses a wide open 3. Steal MU. Ramsey bricks the layup! Hawks push it! Collins! To Aldridge! 25-10! And the house is ROCKING again!
Ramsey misses ANOTHER layup! But KU gives it back. Tiller to Lyons, good play. 25-12 Hawks.
Foul on Tiller on the support D. Man, live blogging a speech or football is so much easier, the pace is slower.
TOUGH call on Aldridge. And yes, I'm biased. That's his 2nd.
I feel a MU run coming on here.
Unlucky shot by Lyons, should have fallen. Collins p*sses it away on the other end, Carroll ... and stolen by Morningstar ... who bricks the layup! Collins with the board ... and fouled by Tiller.
That was NOT a foul by Tiller. We'll take it, but weak.
Collins hits the first.
Collins hits the 2nd. Kansas by 15.
What was Tiller thinking? Horrid pass. Tie up gives the ball to KU.
I should probably delete that "I feel a MU run coming here" comment.
Reid from 3! 30-12 Kansas!
Under 8 timeout, MU ball. Hawks by 18! Dusty is getting frustrated.
Foul on Morris, Lyons to the line. Brick! Lyons has 9 of MU's 12. Yikes. The jumper ain't falling today.
Brick! Board Morris. STUPID shot by Collins. Carroll with the board.
Charge on MU! Obvious call, why it took 5 seconds to decide, I don't know.
Apparently nobody else here agrees with me on the charge call. Dusty just called me "f*cking blind ... not even the announcers agreed with you on that one". OK then.
Reid from 3! Holy crap we're up 21!!!
Bad MU shot, they get the board. NICE pass to Lyons. 33-14.
Taylor drives, fouled. Shots upcoming.
Bricks the first. Damn.
Bricks them both. MU pushes it. Lyons bricks, Aldridge, to Little to Collins, swish! KU 36-14! Largest lead!
Lyons brick! Back shot by Reid. Foul on Reid.
Brick at the line by Carroll. You can't help but laugh.
Bangs home the 2nd one. 36-15 Hawks.
Little misses, Taylor with the board for MU. NICE play by Carroll. And KU turns it over on a STUPID inbounds brain fart. Bill Self is p*ssed.
Huge moment here for MU if they can drain a 3.
Tiller close ... nope. Hawks push. Taylor with the floater! Hawks by 21!
MU bricks it. Morningstar turns it over. Frenetic pace. Carroll lays it in. TO KU. 38-19 Kansas. Still have the under 4 timeout to go as well.
MU sets the offense. Still 38-19.
Rejected by Aldridge! There's the under four.
I effing LOVE Verne Lundquist.
Brick, but board MU. Foul on Tyshawn Taylor. Not sure where we're at in terms of the bonus right now.
Another miss by Lawrence. Kansas sets into the half court offense.
ALDRIDGE on the follow up! 40-19 1:30 to go!
If the Morris kids didn't commit stupid fouls, they'd never post any stats. 1 and 1 for Carroll, who misses.
Layup by someone on Kansas. Was too busy cracking Austin Johnson jokes with everyone to notice who.
Holy crap, MU is ice cold.
KU playing for the last shot up 23.
Tyshawn Taylor for 3! Holy effing God! 45-19 Kansas at the half! 45-19!
I'm taking 10 for the half, will resume when action does.
And we're back. Only 3 Tigers scored in the first half. Yikes.
Carroll hits. Cuts the lead to 24. Hee hee.
Nice steal by Lyons. I still think MU had a big run in them, which is why I wanted the lead to be as large as possible at the half.
Lyons, money. Down to 22.
Foul on Zaire Taylor on Aldridge.
Aldridge hits both. Up to 24 again.
Once again, if the Morris twins didn't pick up fouls ...
Steal Kansas. Collins wide open 3!!! Largest lead of the game!!!
And MU FINALLY hits a 3. Zaire Taylor.
Aldridge close to an over and back.
Morris with back to back ass farts, first a horrendous three point shot, then a stupid foul.
Lyons for 3. Down to 21. MU starting to hit the jumpers ...
Little, awful shot. MU pushes it. Foul on Aldridge, his 3rd? Yup. I'd call TO if I was Kansas with one more MU bucket.
Lyons hits the first. Down to 20.
MU has not missed an attempted shot or free throw in this half yet.
Lyons hits the second, we're under 20.
Little nearly gives it away. AWFUL shot by Collins ... but somehow, he's at the line after the scrum at midcourt.
Seriously, what the hell is Kansas thinking? Why are we chucking up 25 point 3's with 20 on the shot clock when we're up 19?
Collins hits the first.
And the 2nd. Back to 21 ... but I'm not comfortable right now.
NICE PASS to Carroll. Down to 19, and MU can finally press. D might need to spark something up here again to calm me down.
Someone hit the layup follow up for Kansas. Other end, foul on Little, should be the under 16 timeout with Lyons at the line. 54-33 Kansas.
Lyons hits the first. Down to 20. Lyons has been an effing stud today. Fortunately nobody else on his team showed up to play.
Down to 19 after he drains the 2nd.
Aldridge bricks, tie up. Ball to KU.
MU still hasn't missed an attempted shot in this half.
Reid for 3! 57-35!
There's a miss! Morningstar with the board. REID ... no. Lyons pushes it. Steal Tyshawn Taylor! Collins 3 ... SWISH! SWISH! As Bob Davis would say, SWISH!!! Timeout MU! 60-35 Kansas!!!
The Filet-o-Fish ad is hilarious.
Nice pass, Tiller to Carroll. And a foul on Carroll on the inbounds.
Gregg: "If assholes could fly, Columbia MO would be busier than O'Hare". (chris matthews voice) Ha!
Free throw good by Carroll, and the 2nd as well. Down to 21.
Anytime you see a J. Tiller line in the KC area, you can't help but think abortion mill.
Collins hits from the foul line. Up 23. And MU turns it over!
Foul on MU as Tyshawn Taylor drives. Shots upcoming.
Swish. Up 24. Not quite a swish but good. Up 25.
MU hits a jumper, Bowers I believe.
Aldridge with the gimme.
Foul on Little, his 4th. Under 12 TO, 66-41 Kansas.
MU's Taylor hits a 3. 66-44.
Aldridge hits!
This thing is just about over. KU ball, 10:42 to go.
(My way of saying, the live blog is just about over ...)
KU shooting 55%. Beautiful.
Aldridge! YES! And it counts! KU matches its largest lead with a foul shot upcoming!
Hits it. 71-44 Hawks.
Carroll hits. Down to 25. Hee hee.
Foul on Carroll against Aldridge.
This is an absolute ass kicking. This is an absolute bend over, grab the ankles, and assume the position defeat. This redefines woodshed beating. This ... this is beautiful.
Thomas hits the first foul shot. We might hit 100.
Collins misses the 3. MU can cut it to 20 ... and misses. Collins with the layup on the other end! 74-50!
Carroll cuts it to 20, 74-54. 7:21 to go. At least Wednesday night we get to crack Austin Johnson jokes again when MU plays OU.
10-2 MU run has cut it to 20. And the Tigers get a steal. Out of bounds to MU, should be the under 8. 74-54, 7 minutes exactly to go.
And with that, the blog is done. If MU gets back in it, I will too ...
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