Tuesday….

Open forum today.  Have a good day all.

Happy Heart Day…

Once a year, the jewelry stores, card stores and flower shops make or break their seasons with a little day called Valentines Day.  Huffington Post.com posted the below  compiled a list of some of the cheesiest lines from romantic comedies ever, ranging from depressingly desperate to painfully sweet. You probably don’t want to try these lines out on your Valentine (unless he or she is extremely sappy or extremely ironic) but go ahead and have a laugh at the classic lines in celebration of the cheesiest holiday there is.   Which makes me wonder, what are some lines that have been used on you?

• “Kevin, this is possibly the most adorable creature I’ve ever been in contact with, and if she turns out to be as good looking as a mailbox… I would be crazy enough to turn my life upside down and marry her. ” – Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) in “You’ve Got Mail”

• “I’ll just be hanging around the mistletoe, hoping to be kissed.” – Mia (Heike Makatsch) in “Love Actually”

• “If you find somebody you can love, you can’t let that get away.” – Sammy (Allen Covert) in “The Wedding Singer”

• “You said you couldn’t be with someone who didn’t believe in you. Well I believed in you. I just didn’t believe in me. I love you… always. ” – Blane (Andrew McCarthy) in “Pretty In Pink”

• “To some people, love doesn’t exist unless you acknowledge it in front of other people.” – Alphonso (George Lopez) in “Valentine’s Day”

• “After all… I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” – Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) in “Notting Hill”

• “Margaret, will you marry me? Because I’d like to date you.” – Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) in “The Proposal”

• “I think I’d miss you even if we’d never met.” – Nick Mercer (Dermot Mulroney) in “The Wedding Date”

• “Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it’s the moments that take your breath away.” – Hitch (Will Smith) in “Hitch”

• “You’re the first boy I ever kissed, Jake, and I want you to be the last.” – Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) in “Sweet Home Alabama”

• “Is it still raining? I hadn’t noticed.” – Carrie (Andie MacDowell) in “Four Weddings and a Funeral”

• “Shut up, just shut up. You had me at ‘hello’.” – Dorothy (Renee Zellweger) in “Jerry Maguire”

• “You don’t have to understand. You just have to have faith.. (“Faith in what?” – John Cusack) “Destiny.” – Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) in “Serendipity”

Talent This Year is Better Than Ever…Where Have We Heard That Before

Surprise, Randy says this is the best talent ever!  Really?  Really?  Isn’t that what was said last year, and the year before that..and on and on and on.  So, began Hollywood Week.  Two times the drama, two times the amount of contestants, two times the talent….This Is American Idol, so says Ryan Seacrest.  New flashy opening. 

327 were sent to Hollywood Week – OMG! they really couldn’t say No could they.

Steven Tyler has the  judges in a group huddle saying nobody gets hurt.  Well, that’s not too true, someone’s gonna get hurt.  They come out in groups of 10, sing without music, and get no feedback.  One chance to wow again or they are out the door, history, bye bye birdie, chow.    Basically showed the same ones  we saw in the auditions.   They show the judges making decisions.  168 contenders get another shot.  Groups will be next week.  Oh, and remember the guy that lived in homeless shelters – Travis Orlando – didn’t make the cut.

Amoung those moving on: Tiffany Rios, the Snooki wannabe,Clint Gamboa, Julie Zorrilla, Naima Adedapo, the Gutierrez brothers, Paul McDonald, Emily Ann Reed, Stefano Langone and Ashley Sullivan.

Fran Can Disco

Inessa Lee from the Ukraine opens the show in San Francisco. And pitifully so. It’s obvious she’s doing everything she can to make it, including homemade videos. She thinks she’s very talented. I think she would be a good match for Big Stats from last week. You know, the guy who did a compilation album with Chaka Khan.

Fortunately, she was followed by some decent talent, Brittany Mazur, Lara Johnston, and Matthew Nuss.

After Stefano Langone’s accident, the medics thought he was dead. Then when he pulled through, they said he wouldn’t be able to walk, write or have much of a life. But he endured, got his health and stregnth back and made it to Idol to perform Heard it Through the Grapevine.

Clint Jun Gamboa is a host at a Karaoke bar in Long Beach.  He should probably go back and listen to a few more records IMO. But the judges liked him.

Transformer Drew Beaumier sang Born to be Wild, but forgot the lyrics. That’s right you heard me, a TRANSFORMER.  Dude was actually a transformer.
He came in as a robot, then er ooh uh er ooh er, he was a car!  And the car actually rolled.  Really cool. But not right for the show.

Judy Zorilla sang Summertime and put her own twist to it. I didn’t care for it. But she was pretty, so they let her through to Hollywood.

Dave Combs should have combed his hair before his audition. That might have helped him. He sang a Beatles song and totally screwed it up. Stephen didn’t appreciate that at all and was a little rough on the contestants after that.

But Emily Ann Reed came in and turned things around. She had an old timey Betty Boopish kind of voice and they liked her.

James Durbin claims to have inherited his dad’s musical talents. He was diagnosed with aspergers and turrets and uses his music to escape. He sang Dream On by Aerosmith, impressed all the judges and made it through to Hollywood.

So no super weirdos and no standout performances from Fran.  Can’t wait to see what happens in Hollywood.

Here Comes The “X” Factor –

Auditions for “The X Factor,” and the $5 million Syco/Sony Music recording contract that will be awarded to the winner of the competition, will begin March 27.   As of today, auditions are set to happen in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York/New Jersey and Seattle; official dates will be announced in the near future. 

FOX released further details about the competition, including the news that singers as young as 12-years-old are invited to audition.

The show’s age range is big news, as it directly targets the younger crowd of “X Factor” lead judge Simon Cowell’s former home “American Idol,” which allows no one under 15-years-old to audition. In Monday’s press release, Cowell said he never believed in an age cut off.

“I like the idea that a 12-year-old on this show can compete with an older singer and a singing group … we are going to put our money where our mouths are with the $5 million recording contract,” Cowell said. “I’m doing this show in America because I genuinely believe we can find a superstar.” 

Vocal groups and solo singers alike will take the stage, with auditions starting March 27 in New York, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles. Unlike “Idol,” hopefuls will have to audition in front of an audience.

Cowell lays out the basics in the video below.

Are you pumped for “X Factor”?

High School Baseball Equals $$$$$$

So, my grandson made the high school JV baseball team.  All of us, including himself, are really excited.  With him playing baseball since he was 3, it’s almost like making the major leagues, and to him, I’m sure it is.

Tonight, I went with my daughter and grandson to the first official meeting of the Baseball Boosters.  Boosters are the fundraising arm for the Highschool Baseball Organization.  It’s how it can survive.  The district gives them $3,000 to run the program.  Obviously, that is not much in today’s world.  (Wondering how much the football organization gets.)  Turns out, tonight’s initial money due from the parents, was $60.00 for JV, more for Varsity players, I think $100.00.   $35.00 of that was mandatory if the players were going to keep their 2 shirts and hat that they were given today.  If they didn’t pay, they would have to give the items back. 

Good Nana that I am, I went to the table selling the “spirit wear”.  Things you need to have, as an official fan.  By the time the smoke cleared, I was $200.00 poorer!  What was I thinking – looks like my hair waits another month for professional help. 

I sat there during the meeting, and listened to the “board” members speek.  As they talked, my mind wondered, and I felt for the single parents, like my daughter, with one income and wondered how they would do it with a “village” to help?  My daughter has been lucky, she has always had a family to help her get through times like this.  But, what do they do with a child that is good, wants to play, but can’t pay?  Does the Boosters Group help this child?  I got the impression that was not the case. 

My question to you, and I’m interested in your take, should schools and districts offer a program, any kind, cause I’m sure other groups face financial problems, if they cannot adequately fund the program?  And are there areas where that has happened?

Super Bowl – Highlights and Lowlights…..

It’s over!  Yes, Superbowl 45 has left town.   I’m still trying to figure out why we have a red carpet for celebrities.  Do I really care who from the land of Hollyweird is there?  Nope.  But, moving…. It’s your turn to give your take on the Bowl.

What was your favorite commercial? (Really, liking dorito crumbs off a guys pants.)  Joan Rivers, the new GoDaddy Girl…scary stuff.  Well, since the Chevy commercial made my daughter  famous – that was my favorite.  😀

What did you think of halftime?  PEAS, USHER, SLASH!  I loved it.  Not that tired oldies stuff of SB’s past. 

How did Big D do as host city?

How did Christina do with the National Anthem? SHE FORGOT THE WORDS!  Hasn’t she had like months to get ready?

Oh, and the winner is: GREEN BAY.

Thursday Night from Los Angeles –

If you chose not to watch AI on Thursday, you missed nothing.  It was a total waste of viewers time.  The beginning of the auditions from LA were full of contestants with good intentions, too bad those intentions didn’t come with good voices.  Nice smiles, don’t equate to singing on key.  JLo was a little fiesty in LA, wonder why that was.  (Note to Jex, red was the color of the night or was it a dark pink.) 

One thing that was highlighted was the fact that the Idol Judges can get their feed bags on!  Wow, lots of food, some unrecognizable, was taken into Judging Central.

Day 1 auditions, only showcased one person who could actually sing:  Tim Halperin who had a crush on  Jennifer Lopez… Randy says no, Steven yes, and it was his crushee that puts him through.

Day 2 auditions,  a really terrible singer,Tynisha Roches , started things off by singing My Way and it was her way – bad,  with Sinatra type  hat, microphone, and says she has 3 albums ready to be published – causing Randy to walk off, and she chases after him, singing all the way.  OMG – make her stop, Security! 

Heidi Khzam – came out dancing with Tyler and Jackson providing the musical backdrop – I don’t know if it was her voice or her, was it belly dancing,  that got her through.  Matt “Big Stats”Frankel, is next with his own compliations album featuring Chaka Khan – he has a bus pass and a phone.  Wow.  He was really bad – tells Randy he’s a free lance producer with a bunch of artists.   He says he could sound better but needs to lubricate up a bit (I don’t want to know) – while saying he knows it’s against the judges better judgment to let him through.  Threatens to be back next year.   He leaves his CD with Ryan to listen to and call him about it.  I’ve added a picture of his CD in case you want to rush out and buy it. 

We did finally see some talent to the in-tune Gutierrez brothers, Mark 28 and Aaron 27.   Steven tells them it was Godlike they way they sounded – and they are off to Hollyweird.   

All in all, this was obviously the chosen lack of talent show that, was, well, full of bad  talent – the guy who dropped his pants was original.   And the show closed with  Cooper  “Human Tornado” Robinson, from somewhere deep in Arkansas (he gives them directions to his place) who thinks he’s 59, closes the show of no talents, with you guessed it, no talent.  That man was crazy – he’s been alone in those Arkansas  woods way too long.  JL0 leaves with security and Ryan runs into the Judges room and jumps in Randy’s arms. 

Next week – San Francisco – they claim has the best talent of all the cities and lots of sad stories.  And Hollywood week begins next week too.  Stay tuned in or out  – you make the call.

The Set Was Green

‘Member a couple weeks ago when I commented that I thought the set was changing colors, but wasn’t sure if it was just me going crazy. Well, yeah, I’m a little crazy, but they do change the colors of the set each week. Last night the set was green!

Last night’s auditions were in Austin, Texas. This was a good night if you like country. I am not particularly fond of it. A few people that went through to Hollywood were really twangy to me. But what do I know. I’m not crazy about Fantasia either.

Corey Levoy starts the night off singing I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt. He made it through to Hollywood, but not before admitting that he had a JLo booty. Corey is 21 years old and only met his sister 7 years ago. They lived 15 minutes away from each other the whole time. Crazy, huh?

Holly, 17, had the nerve to try to sing Etta James’ At Last. Of course it didn’t work. But she started crying and they gave her another chance. They thought she was better on the 2nd song and sent her through.

Here’s the thing. I’m sure almost 90% of the people who are told “No” on their first try ask for another chance. Usually they get a “No” to the 2nd chance. So why give this little girl another go at it? Because her little feelings got hurt? Rules are rules. I don’t think that’s fair.

Next to the stage is John Wayne Schulz, cute country boy who loves his mama. He was so good, the judges asked him to bring his parents into the audition room. After they announced that he made it to Hollywood, his mom showed more concern for the golden ticket than John did.

Pseudo cute couple Jacqueline Dunford and Nick Fink came in as a couple and auditioned separately. She was a little pitchy to me. He was pretty good. But they both make it to the next level.

Then out of nowhere comes someone in an armadillo costume. For some reason that led the producers to putting together a Randy rant and a montage of bad singers. The way they set it up made it seem like they were actually singing Atomic Dog. Bad and cute at the same time.

Closing out the show and walking in looking nerdy with a melodic was 19 year old Casey Abrams. I braced myself for what was to come. Dude got his not from the melodic, set it down and busted out with Don’t Need No Doctor by Ray Charles. He scatted and jazzed his way right through to Hollywood.

Speaking of Hollywood, Thursday night’s auditions will be in Los Angeles. Hold on tight.

Super Bowl 45 Commericals Sneak Peak

Every year there are millions of people who tune in the Super Bowl not for the game, but to watch the commercials.  If you team is not playing, is that why you watch?  Here’s a sneak peak at a couple of the commericals you can anticipate seeing.  I love the E-trade ones with the baby and the Career Builders with the chimps.  Doritoes always has good ones too.  Budwiser can come up with funny ads, as in the past they had the horses playing football.  What ones are you looking forward to seeing?