We're back with another live blog and this time we are heading to the Grammys. Once again, we'll see how long we last but I feel like this will hold my interest for a lot longer than some of the other award shows.
Here are some early predictions:
- Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Lady Gaga will have big nights
- The "Avatar-like" Michael Jackson tribute will be weird. Why is this necessary? The "Avatar" element, not the Michael Jackson tribute.
- I think Steven Colbert is hosting and, if so, he will be hilarious.
Let's go!
7:00 - I have my wine and my little frozen lasagna dinner complete with Texas Toast. If you have not tried Texas Toast, you should do so immediately.
7:02 - Lady Gaga opens the show with a performance. She is in a green sequined unitard and they just put her into some sort of cauldron. Some guy keeps yelling she's a monster. And she comes out sitting at a piano with Elton John and the piano has arms coming out of it. She is a weirdo but let me tell you she is a legit musician.
7:07 - Taylor Swift looks beeeeeeautiful.
7:11 - Stephen Colbert's opening monologue is just okay except then he goes to to announce the nominees for Song of the Year and can't find the list. Then he pulls an iPad out of his jacket and asks Jay Z "You didn't get one of these in your gift bag?" That one was good.
7:12 - "Single Ladies" wins Song of the Year. That seems fitting to me considering how many people decided to learn the "Single Ladies Dance".
7:14 - Jennifer Lopez tells us that there is a show about to hit Broadway called "American Idiot" and I'm pretty sure it somehow involves Green Day songs. What? Come on Broadway. So now we're watching the cast of this show and Green Day perform together. It's time like these that I wish I had a DVR again.
7:18 - While waiting for this performance to be over, I mean listening, I Wikipedia-ed this American Idiot Broadway play. So apparently there is some sort of storyline that runs throughout the American Idiot album and they've taken that and turned it into a Broadway production. Still weird.
7:22 - Taylor Swift has eight nominations tonight. Beyonce is going to perform in nine minutes. Also the Michael Jackson tribute will feature Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson and Usher among others. I love Usher. He is the original Chris Brown/Ne-Yo.
7:24 - Kristin Bell just said that Bon Jovi is performing on the Grammys for the first time ever tonight. We get to vote on which song they'll sing. Apparently Bon Jovi is that good that we can just tell them oh hey sing this one 20 minutes before they're supposed to go on and they'll get it done.
7:25 - Taylor Swift wins her first Grammy of the night. Cue completely shocked face. Also she is like 6-3. Aaaand I take back what I said about her dress being beautiful. But I still like her, especially after she said she wrote every song on her album. That is real talent. Great speech too.
7:27 - I guess having the show on your station lets CBS use stars from their own crappy TV shows to present. And now...Beyonce.
7:29 - Aaaand while singing "If I Were a Boy" she grabbed her crotch. Um ok.
7:30 - I don't know how these female singers can perform in these 5-inch stilletos. She is rocking some serious heels and just runs around the stage like it ain't no thang.
7:32 - Wait. Why is singing an Alanis Morrisette song? Was this on her album? I don't understand. Standby while I Wikipedia this.
7:33 - Ok no. She just decided to incorporate "You Oughta Know" into the middle of her performance. I don't get it. Overall it was a solid performance though. Girl can wail that's for sure. Sometimes she just needs to take the energy down juuuuust a notch.
7:37 - I think I have never been to an Olive Garden as an adult because their commercials are TERRIBLE. Seriously the worst.
7:39 - Seal comes out to present and they cut to Heidi Klum in the audience. That sounds about right.
7:40 - Geez another performance. Pink. Or as my brother, sister and I call her Pink the Man. Seriously she looks like a man.
7:42 - Wooooooooah. Ok so she just derobed and is in a nude colored leotard thing with some sparkles and now she is doing aerialist acrobatics.
7:44 - And she just submerged herself in water so now she's wet and spinning in this giant hammock 20 feet in the air. This is a weird performance.
7:45 - Wow she's getting a standing ovation. I did not see that coming.
7:46 - Next up is the award for Best New Artist an award that should also be called "Best New We Only Had One Song This Year That Anyone Knows". Zac Brown Band wins. How nice of them to get dressed up for the occasion. One of them is in a skull cap and they are all in jeans.
7:53 - As if the Black Eyed Peas weren't everywhere as it was , they are now doing Target commercials. I blame Jess who can't even defend herself because she doesn't read my blog. Mwahaha.
7:54 - Miley Cyrus introduces the Black Eyes Peas. Fergie is wearing a leotard made out of armor and a visor. Also why is she rapping? She acts all hard whenever she performs and she's not at all. Her real name is Stacey and she used to be on Kids Incorporated ok? Give it up Fergie, we are all on to you. I think I am over the Black Eyed Peas.
7:58 - Their back up dancers are dressed like giant radios. How do you think those auditions went? "Hey listen so put these giant cardboard boxes on your arms and on your legs like shinguards. Okay now jump up and down. Okay good now walk. Excellent. Okay well that's all we've got for you for today. We'll be in touch."
8:05 - The Jo Bros introduce Lady Antebellum. I really like this band. I bought their new CD on iTunes and it's really good. They're singing "I Need You Now." Ha and their backdrop just fell down and got caught on the female singer's head. Not planned.
8:06 - So the Jo Bros told us that they already won twice tonight. Wouldn't you be pissed if some record exec was like "Oh by the way you won. Here's your Grammy" instead of getting all the pomp and circumstance and getting to give a speech on national television? I mean I guess at the end of the day you're still winning your award. But if it were me I'd want a big deal made out of me. Just sayin.
8:09 - And we're actually going to watch someone win Best Comedy Album? I guess so.
8:10 - Oh Stephen Colbert wins. Okay I get it now. He's hosting so that's what this makes sense. Wait. No I still don't understand why any of us should care about this award.
8:11 - The Lady Gaga-Beyonce-Taylor Swift showdown is about to commence in five minutes. And OMG the only talented Jonas Brother is doing a Target commercial too. What the hell Jess? Can't you do something about this?
8:18 - Woah. So the first upset of the night. Kings of Leon win Record of the Year for "Use Somebody" over Taylor, Beyonce or Gaga. Weird. Ha but they just said that they're a little drunk so that's awesome.
8:21 - Jamie Foxx is performing Blame It and they've cut to Rihanna and Jay Z singing along. I'm just sayin they could also be showing Keith Urban jamming to T Pain and Jamie Foxx. Maybe he's a fan. Except they did just show Fergie and her husband Josh Duhamel had this really confused look on his face.
8:23 - T Pain is not wearing a top hat. That disappoints me. You know what does not disappoint ever? I'm On A Boat:
8:31 - Sorry I went to get a snack. And by snack I mean more wine.
8:32 - Katy Perry's dress is awful.
8:33 - Green Day wins Best Rock Album. Not that interested.
8:39 - Zack Brown Band has been performing with some super old guy. Not much to say really. Except how did it get to become called the Zack Brown Band. Are the other guys' names so terrible that nobody else's was even an option? I mean sure something like "The Amanda Piechowski Band" is going to be a little hard to fit on a CD cover but how does one guy get to represent the whole band.
8:45 - Seacrest introduces Taylor Swift. If I were Taylor Swift I would vehemently oppose him introducing me. I'd pick someone hot. Like Derek from Dancing with the Stars or David Beckham. They have as much to do with the Grammys as Seacrest does so why not? Come on you're Taylor Swift - the world is literally your oyster right now. Go big baby.
8:53 - Okay I do not understand what is happening. Lionel Richie is introducing Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher who are going to sing one of Michael Jackson's song and CBS just told me to put my 3D glasses on. How did I not get the memo that there was going to be a 3D portion of the show? How am I supposed to do my readers justice if I am not fully experiencing every aspect of this show?
8:57 - Everyone in the audience is wearing 3D glasses. Rihanna looks very serious in hers. Celine Dion still has a legit voice. I wish Usher was dancing during this performance. Carrie Underwood is beautiful. I don't really care about Jennifer Hudson or Smokey Robinson unfortunately.
8:59 - That was good. Wish I could have seen it in 3D. Everyone is on their feet as expected. OH SHIT it's his kids. OMG this is epic.
9:01 - OMG TAKE THE CAMERA OFF THE JO BROS FOR PETE'S SAKE.
9:09 - Bon Jovi's performance is up. I can't believe they've never performed on the Grammys before. Five bucks says the "fan vote" song is "Livin on a Prayer".
9:13 - Aaand someone owes me five bucks.
9:17 - OMG "I'm on a Boat" is actually nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. But "Run This Town" wins with Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye.
9:26 - Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli are singing a song together for Haitian relief. Should be a good one.
9:35 - I'm losing interest Grammys. Too many performances and not enough awards and speeches.
9:41 - Nice. Nothin like a little DMB performance. This song is great.
9:46 - Hooray Glee! Rachel from Glee is presenting alongside... Ricky Martin? Beyonce wins Female Pop Vocal Performance for Halo. Her dress is terrible. Aaaand she just referred to Jay Z as her husband and told them that she loves him. That is the first time either one has ever acknowledged that they got married. I mean it's not like nobody knows but they've just always kept it really under wraps.
10:00 - I always like these "In Memoriam" montages that they do. Completely forgot that DJ AM passed away. But I always usually know a couple people, mainly because of my parents talking about them.
10:03 - Lady Gaga looks like the Empire State Building. Did you know she's only 23? I just don't really get it with her. This whole gimmick with her outfits and hats and masks and all that.
10:16 - This Drake/Lil Wayne/Eminem performance is awesome. Sidenote: Drake is a pretty good looking guy. I might be a Drake fan after this.
10:23 - John Legend and Santana are presenting the final award of the night for Album of the Year. Here we go...
10:24 - Wow. Taylor Swift wins it. Unbelievable. Man I have to say though good for her. I should do a post on her because talk about someone who could really be a role model for young girls everywhere. She's one of my new favorite celebs.
So to wrap up here are my final thoughts:
- Congrats to Taylor Swift but I would have liked to see Lady Gaga win an award. I think she's doing some pretty cool things in the music business. Maybe next year.
- The show was way too full of performances, I'm sorry. They showed literally like 7 actual awards be given out in a 3.5 hour show.
- Next year I think I need to do a blog about the fashion before the show. E! always does an On the Red Carpet show before all these awards shows and there were some ridic outfits that I would have loved to have commented on.
Thanks for playing.
1.31.2010
1.27.2010
Who Wants This Cat!
Shoutout to Ashley who sent me this picture of her cat Lila. It is hilarious. Feel free to caption it in the comments.
Review: The Boleyn Inheritance
The Boleyn Inheritance
Author: Philippa Gregory
Number of pages: 592
Genre: Historical fiction
First of all, I've decided that I'm going to be adding a lot more book reviews to the blog. I'm sorry if this doesn't interest you. It's partially for the fans but also more for myself. I read a lot but never really take the time to think about what I've read. Then people ask me how was this book or that book and I can say Amazing or Terrible but I'm always stuck when they ask why. So I figure writing it down will help me make better recommendations and conversations with people. Hopefully these reviews get better as we go along. I'm embracing my inner book nerd so go with it.
Also, I wrote half of this review yesterday but my computer battery is completely shot so one false move and the battery comes unplugged and the entire computer instantly shuts down. This is what happened last night.
Anyway, if you haven't read anything by Philippa Gregory yet, do yourself a favor. I have never been a fan of historical fiction but because of her I am sold.
"The Boleyn Inheritance" is the third installment in the Gregory's Tudor series so if you do start, begin with "The Constant Princess". "The Boleyn Inheritance" follows three women: Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Jane Boleyn. Anne arrives in England as a complete foreigner as part of an arranged marriage to King Henry. Katherine is a completely vain and spoiled 15-year-old who arrives to serve in the court of Anne but becomes a pawn in a much much bigger game. Jane continues to serve in the queen's court but is haunted by the events of the second book "The Other Boleyn Girl".
Gregory narrates the book from the point of view of each of the three women and switches back and forth throughout the entire book. While this might be confusing to some readers, Gregory pinpoints each woman's voice so distinctly that the transition from voice to voice to voice is seamless.
What struck me the most about this book is how these women, no matter how powerful they thought they were, had absolutely no say over anything in their lives. One false look, one misspoken word, one misconstrued tone of voice and a woman will be sent to prison or even to their death for treason, witchcraft, adultery, you name it. This time period was so dangerous for a woman.
Gregory also does an excellent job of mapping the transformation of each woman. Anne starts out as a shy girl in a foreign country, eager to please everyone around her and fulfill her role as Queen. We then see her grow into a strong independent woman, comfortable in herself and her new role once she is removed from her throne. She becomes gracious, stoic, and through Gregory's storytelling, she becomes the Queen that she always wanted to be even though she is not officially in any power. Jane finally comes to the realization that she doesn't want to be someone's puppet anymore and doesn't want to keep hurting people but not reap any of the "reward" yet it's unfortunately too late for her once the light does go off. Katherine... well Katherine pretty much remains the same spoiled young girl throughout the entire book but the tone that Gregory gives her makes her character just as powerful as the other two.
Compelling characters, deceit, lies, treachery, sex, and finally redemption for at least one character - this book really had it all and I can't wait to read all of Gregory's work!
Final Rating: 5/5
Coming Up Next: "Handle With Care" by Jodi Picoult
When Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe’s daughter, Willow, is born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, they are devastated – she will suffer hundreds of broken bones as she grows, a lifetime of pain. As the family struggles to make ends meet to cover Willow’s medical expenses, Charlotte thinks she has found an answer. If she files a wrongful birth lawsuit against her ob/gyn for not telling her in advance that her child would be born severely disabled, the monetary payouts might ensure a lifetime of care for Willow. But it means that Charlotte has to get up in a court of law and say in public that she would have terminated the pregnancy if she’d known about the disability in advance – words that her husband can’t abide, that Willow will hear, and that Charlotte cannot reconcile. And the ob/gyn she’s suing isn’t just her physician – it’s her best friend.
Handle With Care explores the knotty tangle of medical ethics and personal morality. When faced with the reality of a fetus who will be disabled, at which point should an OB counsel termination? Should a parent have the right to make that choice? How disabled is TOO disabled? And as a parent, how far would you go to take care of someone you love? Would you alienate the rest of your family? Would you be willing to lie to your friends, to your spouse, to a court? And perhaps most difficult of all – would you admit to yourself that you might not actually be lying?
1.26.2010
Video of the Day 1/26/10 - Fail Edition
This was on the front page of Yahoo so most have probably already seen it. The plan was that this high school basketball coach would shoot a blindfolded half court shot. He was told that if he made it he would win tickets to the Final Four. The crowd was told to cheer wildly WHEN he missed it.
And then:
Fail.
Read the whole story here.
And then:
Fail.
Read the whole story here.
1.24.2010
Team Conan
I've never even seen Conan O'Brien's show but I know I am definitely a supporter.
Conan's final show was Friday night and apparently it was a good one. Although I've never really gotten into the whole late night thing, this Leno vs. Conan vs. NBC thing has definitely gotten my attention. And like I said before, I think Conan made the absolute right decision for himself.
So after 17 years hosting "The Tonight Show" Leno and NBC decide to move Leno to the 10 pm spot to a show called "The Jay Leno Show" and Conan O'Brien gets "promoted" to Leno's spot as the host of "The Tonight Show" at 11:00.
But after about seven months, Leno's new show dropped in the ratings and rumors started to circle that Leno was heading back to the 11:00 slot, bumping everyone back an hour. And Conan was not pleased.
So to make a long story short, Conan refused to move back to midnight and signed a $45 million exit deal with NBC and left the network. And now Jay Leno will be back as host of "The Tonight Show" starting March 1.
It's really refreshing to see someone stand up for what they believe in when so often in show business, celebrities can have the tendency to do what's easy to stay on top. Conan could have just as easily gone back to his midnight time slot where I'm sure he had a decent following, decent ratings and a more than decent paycheck. But shoot, Conan had been hosting "The Late Show with Conan O'Brien" since 1993. It was his turn. So you can't blame him for not exactly bending over when NBC called him and said oh hey um by the way... When you spend that much time as the No. 2, you're gonna get hungry for that No. 1 spot. It finally comes, I'm sure Conan is stoked, then NBC pulls the rug out from underneath him because they're ratings started to fall. So again, major props to Conan for standing up for what, essentially, is right. They gave him that spot and why does he get punished because the network darling a.k.a. Leno didn't live up to his title? Conan has nothing to do with this. Jay Leno and NBC made that decision for this primetime show, yet Conan's the one that loses? (This is not to say that a $45 million payout is in any way a loss but hopefully you get what I mean.)
I still don't blame Leno though. I don't feel like he had a hand in any of this, but I could be completely mistaken. I pretty much just blame the NBC execs for all of it, including the fall out that you know is going to result from this whole debacle.
How many shows on NBC can you name that you are actually interested in that are not on the Thursday night primetime lineup? Other than The Office, 30 Rock and The Biggest Loser, NBC doesn't really have that much going for it as far as programming. Again, how is this Conan's fault? NBC hasn't had the top-rated show in the Nielsen ratings since 2001-02's season of Friends. Before that, they dominated for five years with both Seinfeld and ER.
I feel like these popularity cycles just happen with TV stations. Trust me I won't pretend like I know or understand how it all happens but I still think that these cycles are just part of the business. If you're lucky enough to get a major hit, then congratulations. You get to sit at the top of the ratings until another station knocks you off with the next big thing. It's not for a lack of trying by NBC or any of the other stations. Eventually something just clicks with an audience and bam, you're back on top. So again, NBC tried and I'm sure thought they had a great thing going with moving Leno to primetime but clearly it didn't work.
The only guess I'll make as to why the Leno move ended up not working out is possibly because the audience that usually watches Leno probably isn't going to abandon their normal TV routine and potentially miss a show they're dedicated to. Let's take a look at what the other stations out there do at 10 pm:
ABC - Monday: Castle, Tuesday: Lost, Wednesday: Modern Family/Cougar Town/Better Off Ted (I know one of these comes on at 10, just not sure which), Thursday: Private Practice, Friday: 20/20
CBS - Monday: CSI Miami, Tuesday: The Good Wife, Wednesday: CSI NY, Thursday: The Mentalist, Friday: Numb3rs
FOX - Pretty sure the news is on every night at 10 on Fox. Someone correct me if this isn't right.
NBC - Jay Leno Show.
The point I'm trying to make is that if there are some really hardcore followers of some of these shows (i.e. Lost, either of the CSIs, maybe even Modern Family), how likely are you to just switch over?
In the day and age of DVR of course, this thinking kind of becomes a moot point. If you're a fan of both, you just record one and problem solved. But that still doesn't always give networks the ratings they want. The Nielsen Ratings are finally taking into account how DVR viewing affects the numbers, but at least according to this study, DVR use doesn't always act in a network's favor. The first page of the study says:
Programs recorded between 8pm and 9pm were played back within the same day more often than those airing at 10pm. Consequently, DVR playback may have impacted live viewership of programs at 10pm and later.
If that is the case, then unfortunately Leno would fall into that 10 pm slot where live viewership is being impacted.
Okay so what's my point. That this has nothing to do with Conan. Leno isn't a "primetime" kind of guy but he and NBC decided to take the risk and now that it hasn't worked out, Conan gets the shaft. Not fair.
So I hope Conan gets picked up elsewhere. He should have a decent following now because of all of this and moreso because he chose to not play the victim. I think landing on FOX would be a good move for him as I feel like FOX needs a personality like him. Fans of Glee, American Idol and 24 strike me as the demographic that would stick around to watch Conan. I definitely want to give him a chance after all of this.
Conan's final show was Friday night and apparently it was a good one. Although I've never really gotten into the whole late night thing, this Leno vs. Conan vs. NBC thing has definitely gotten my attention. And like I said before, I think Conan made the absolute right decision for himself.
So after 17 years hosting "The Tonight Show" Leno and NBC decide to move Leno to the 10 pm spot to a show called "The Jay Leno Show" and Conan O'Brien gets "promoted" to Leno's spot as the host of "The Tonight Show" at 11:00.
But after about seven months, Leno's new show dropped in the ratings and rumors started to circle that Leno was heading back to the 11:00 slot, bumping everyone back an hour. And Conan was not pleased.
So to make a long story short, Conan refused to move back to midnight and signed a $45 million exit deal with NBC and left the network. And now Jay Leno will be back as host of "The Tonight Show" starting March 1.
It's really refreshing to see someone stand up for what they believe in when so often in show business, celebrities can have the tendency to do what's easy to stay on top. Conan could have just as easily gone back to his midnight time slot where I'm sure he had a decent following, decent ratings and a more than decent paycheck. But shoot, Conan had been hosting "The Late Show with Conan O'Brien" since 1993. It was his turn. So you can't blame him for not exactly bending over when NBC called him and said oh hey um by the way... When you spend that much time as the No. 2, you're gonna get hungry for that No. 1 spot. It finally comes, I'm sure Conan is stoked, then NBC pulls the rug out from underneath him because they're ratings started to fall. So again, major props to Conan for standing up for what, essentially, is right. They gave him that spot and why does he get punished because the network darling a.k.a. Leno didn't live up to his title? Conan has nothing to do with this. Jay Leno and NBC made that decision for this primetime show, yet Conan's the one that loses? (This is not to say that a $45 million payout is in any way a loss but hopefully you get what I mean.)
I still don't blame Leno though. I don't feel like he had a hand in any of this, but I could be completely mistaken. I pretty much just blame the NBC execs for all of it, including the fall out that you know is going to result from this whole debacle.
How many shows on NBC can you name that you are actually interested in that are not on the Thursday night primetime lineup? Other than The Office, 30 Rock and The Biggest Loser, NBC doesn't really have that much going for it as far as programming. Again, how is this Conan's fault? NBC hasn't had the top-rated show in the Nielsen ratings since 2001-02's season of Friends. Before that, they dominated for five years with both Seinfeld and ER.
I feel like these popularity cycles just happen with TV stations. Trust me I won't pretend like I know or understand how it all happens but I still think that these cycles are just part of the business. If you're lucky enough to get a major hit, then congratulations. You get to sit at the top of the ratings until another station knocks you off with the next big thing. It's not for a lack of trying by NBC or any of the other stations. Eventually something just clicks with an audience and bam, you're back on top. So again, NBC tried and I'm sure thought they had a great thing going with moving Leno to primetime but clearly it didn't work.
The only guess I'll make as to why the Leno move ended up not working out is possibly because the audience that usually watches Leno probably isn't going to abandon their normal TV routine and potentially miss a show they're dedicated to. Let's take a look at what the other stations out there do at 10 pm:
ABC - Monday: Castle, Tuesday: Lost, Wednesday: Modern Family/Cougar Town/Better Off Ted (I know one of these comes on at 10, just not sure which), Thursday: Private Practice, Friday: 20/20
CBS - Monday: CSI Miami, Tuesday: The Good Wife, Wednesday: CSI NY, Thursday: The Mentalist, Friday: Numb3rs
FOX - Pretty sure the news is on every night at 10 on Fox. Someone correct me if this isn't right.
NBC - Jay Leno Show.
The point I'm trying to make is that if there are some really hardcore followers of some of these shows (i.e. Lost, either of the CSIs, maybe even Modern Family), how likely are you to just switch over?
In the day and age of DVR of course, this thinking kind of becomes a moot point. If you're a fan of both, you just record one and problem solved. But that still doesn't always give networks the ratings they want. The Nielsen Ratings are finally taking into account how DVR viewing affects the numbers, but at least according to this study, DVR use doesn't always act in a network's favor. The first page of the study says:
Programs recorded between 8pm and 9pm were played back within the same day more often than those airing at 10pm. Consequently, DVR playback may have impacted live viewership of programs at 10pm and later.
If that is the case, then unfortunately Leno would fall into that 10 pm slot where live viewership is being impacted.
Okay so what's my point. That this has nothing to do with Conan. Leno isn't a "primetime" kind of guy but he and NBC decided to take the risk and now that it hasn't worked out, Conan gets the shaft. Not fair.
So I hope Conan gets picked up elsewhere. He should have a decent following now because of all of this and moreso because he chose to not play the victim. I think landing on FOX would be a good move for him as I feel like FOX needs a personality like him. Fans of Glee, American Idol and 24 strike me as the demographic that would stick around to watch Conan. I definitely want to give him a chance after all of this.
1.23.2010
Video of the Day 1/23/10 - Justin Timberlake Edition
Last night was the Hope for Haiti telethon and luckily I tuned in just in time to see some pretty awesome performances. This one stood out though as the best of the night.
If you download it, or any of the other songs, off iTunes, all proceeds go to relief funds to help the people in Haiti.
If you download it, or any of the other songs, off iTunes, all proceeds go to relief funds to help the people in Haiti.
1.21.2010
Video of the Day 1/21/10 - I Need a Vacation Edition
Man this place looks like it'd be amazing to go to.
And then...
And then...
1.17.2010
Golden Globes Live Blog
So I was talking to my friend Justin who said that I can't possibly have a celebrity gossip blog without coverage of the Golden Globes tonight. I don't know how long this will last but we're going to give a live blog a shot!
Monique won Best Supporting Actress for Precious and Toni Collette won for Best Actress in a Comedy TV Series or something. Did you know she is Australian? And I think she was the person who was in the bathroom one year when she won an award.
Now onto the live stuff:
5:18: Yes! John Lithgow won for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series for his role in Dexter as the Trinity Killer. If you haven't seen Dexter yet seriously what are you waiting for? He gives a shoutout to Michael C. Hall who plays Dexter and just announced that he has cancer. Lithgow says "I've had the most wonderful time creeping out the entire country for the last six months." Excellent.
5:27: Sorry I was getting a snack. This live blog doesn't look promising if I can't make it through more than one award. I just missed Paul McCartney presenting for Best Animated Movie or something terrible so it's okay.
5:29: Kate Hudson presents a clip of Nine. Ricky Gervais is hosting tonight and he's pretty funny so at least we have that going for us tonight.
5:30: Swim results just came through so I'll have to split my time between a recap and my adoring fans. Also Felicity Huffman from Desperate Housewives is completely destroying her lines. She's talking about a charity organization so that makes it even worse.
5:33: Yeah NPH!
5:34: YES! Michael C. Hall wins Best Actor in a Drama Series for Dexter. It's his first win in four nominations. This season of Dexter was LEGIT. So here's a wierd thing though: he's married to the woman who plays his sister on the show.
5:36: Julianna Margulese wins an award. I just butchered her name but I've never even heard of this show she's on. The Good Wife? Apparently she does a good enough job to win Best Actress in a Drama Series. Her dress is terrible though.
5:42: Wow Harrison Ford is introducing a clip of Up In The Air and he sounds completely bored and a little old.
5:44: Ha Ricky Gervais just burned Paul McCartney for all the money his ex-wife with one leg took from him in their divorce. Why can't I think of her name? She was on Dancing with the Stars too. Cher and Christina Aguilera are presenting an award about music. I've stopped paying attention but Christina Aguilera has this weird part on her dress that looks like her boob is hanging out. Seriously though what are Cher and Christina Aguilera even doing there?
5:50: During the boring awards I was recap writing. However, how is Meryl Streep nominated twice in the same category? That seems pretty unfair. I mean I know she's amazing but there has to be someone else out there that deserves to at least be nominated.
5:55: It's annoying when some of these awards go to a miniseries or a TV series or something and the whole entire ensemble has to go on stage to receive the award. This just happened with Grey Gardens.
5:57: Ha because they took forever to get on stage, they could barely get their acceptance speech out. That's how you learn.
6:01: Meryl Streep was really nominated for that movie she's in with Alec Baldwin? That looks terrible. Luckily she wins for Julie and Julia instead of that one. The Best Actress in a Comedy Movie didn't have very good nominees. Sandra Bullock for The Proposal, Julie Andrews for Duplicity? No wonder Meryl Streep was nominated twice.
6:09: Helen Mirren is presenting a clip of Precious and reminds me that I'd like to add that movie where she plays Queen Elizabeth to my Netflix.
6:11: So the guy who was the main character in Avatar a) is not paralyzed and b) is English. That just messed with my brain a little bit.
6:14: Drew Barrymore wins for Grey Gardens. Her dress is pretty but she has this weird slinky thing on my shoulder. It looks like a sea cucumber but sparkly. She's super nervous for some reason and that's a little annoying. Do you think Jessica Lang is legitimately happy for her? They were both in the movie and they were nominated against each other and they always say that they're genuinely happy for their costar when they win but I think that's baloney. Also, for the last time is she or isn't she dating Justin Long aka The Mac Guy. He's her fricken date tonight so come on there has to be something going on right?
6:21: Back from commercial/recap break and Cameron Diaz is presenting. Apparently it's a big joke that Meryl Streep "slept with" Alec Baldwin in this terrible movie. Also, apparently there is ANOTHER Shrek coming out. Shrek: Now and Forever.
6:23: Wow so Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler are presenting an award together for Best Screenplay: Motion Picture and their exchange literally just went like this:
Gerard Butler: It's an honor for us to be presenting together tonight.
Jennifer Aniston: Yep it is. Here are the nominees...
Weren't they rumored to have had a little fling? Interesting...
6:26: Ha. "Two of the stars from the movie Valentine's Day" are presenting. Has anyone seen the previews for this movie? Literally think of a name and they're in the movie. It's ridiculous.
6:27: Alec Baldwin wins for Best Actor in a TV Series: Comedy or Musical and man that category was loaded. Matthew Morrison for Glee, Steve Carrell from The Office, the lead guy from Hung which is a pretty funny show on Showtime, David Duchovny for Californication, and Alec Baldwin. That's a lot of talent. Matthew Morrison still should have won.
6:32: Samuel L. Jackson is yelling, I mean presenting. That's for you James.
6:38: Time for Best Drama: TV Series. I hear this Big Love show is pretty good but I've never seen it. James' boy House is nominated (dang James that's two shoutouts in this post). But Mad Men wins which I also hear is pretty legit. Maybe I should add it to my Netflix. Man I wanted Dexter!
6:45: Do you think Robert Pattinson is ticked off that Taylor Lautner got to present at the Golden Globes and he didn't?
6:47: Man! Jane Lynch loses Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series. She is legit in Glee. Instead this woman from Big Love won. And someone stepped on her dress. Oops.
6:50: Christoph Something wins Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Inglorious Basterds. I never saw it. Matt Damon should have won. Matt Damon is my George Clooney. You know how some people lose their minds over George Clooney or Brad Pitt? That's what Matt Damon is to me. It's real and it's deep.
6:54: I think a Chrysler commercial just announced the nominees for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical. I was only half-listening so I can't be sure.
7:15: Okay so here's what we missed. Martin Scorsese won some kind of lifetime achievement award and I learned that I couldn't recognize a single movie he's made. So I should probably Netflix everything he owns. Then there were commercials. Now comes the moment of the night: So Ricky Gervais comes out and has a beer in his hand. So he tells everyone he's sorry if he's offended anyone tonight but it's not him, it's the drink. Then he says "I mean I like a drink as much as the next man. Unless the next man is... Mel Gibson." And Mel Gibson comes out to present the next award. Buckets.
7:18: James Cameron wins for Best Director for Avatar. He tells us first that he and Mel Gibson are neighbors and next that he is going to keep things brief because he has to "pee something fierce." You stay classy Mr. Cameron.
7:19: Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical is up. The nominees are: 30 Rock, Entourage, Glee, Modern Family and The Office. Wow this is a tough category. Come on Glee!
7:20: YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GLEE WIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! This time I don't care at all if the whole cast comes up on the stage. The whole "sexy fake teen cast" as the executive producer just called them. Hooray!!
7:27: Epic montage of The Hangover presented by Bradley Cooper, Andy from The Office, the guy who played Doug and... Mike Tyson. And The Hangover wins for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical. Wow. That's pretty ridiculous considering the other nominees. And playing in the background as they make their way up to the stage? "And then we're gonna find our best friend Doug and then we're gonna give him a big tiger hug." Fantastic.
7:39: Well friends. That's all you're going to get out of me. I am STILL trying to finish my recap and I just made dinner plans so I'm out! Hope you enjoyed the live blog.
Monique won Best Supporting Actress for Precious and Toni Collette won for Best Actress in a Comedy TV Series or something. Did you know she is Australian? And I think she was the person who was in the bathroom one year when she won an award.
Now onto the live stuff:
5:18: Yes! John Lithgow won for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series for his role in Dexter as the Trinity Killer. If you haven't seen Dexter yet seriously what are you waiting for? He gives a shoutout to Michael C. Hall who plays Dexter and just announced that he has cancer. Lithgow says "I've had the most wonderful time creeping out the entire country for the last six months." Excellent.
5:27: Sorry I was getting a snack. This live blog doesn't look promising if I can't make it through more than one award. I just missed Paul McCartney presenting for Best Animated Movie or something terrible so it's okay.
5:29: Kate Hudson presents a clip of Nine. Ricky Gervais is hosting tonight and he's pretty funny so at least we have that going for us tonight.
5:30: Swim results just came through so I'll have to split my time between a recap and my adoring fans. Also Felicity Huffman from Desperate Housewives is completely destroying her lines. She's talking about a charity organization so that makes it even worse.
5:33: Yeah NPH!
5:34: YES! Michael C. Hall wins Best Actor in a Drama Series for Dexter. It's his first win in four nominations. This season of Dexter was LEGIT. So here's a wierd thing though: he's married to the woman who plays his sister on the show.
5:36: Julianna Margulese wins an award. I just butchered her name but I've never even heard of this show she's on. The Good Wife? Apparently she does a good enough job to win Best Actress in a Drama Series. Her dress is terrible though.
5:42: Wow Harrison Ford is introducing a clip of Up In The Air and he sounds completely bored and a little old.
5:44: Ha Ricky Gervais just burned Paul McCartney for all the money his ex-wife with one leg took from him in their divorce. Why can't I think of her name? She was on Dancing with the Stars too. Cher and Christina Aguilera are presenting an award about music. I've stopped paying attention but Christina Aguilera has this weird part on her dress that looks like her boob is hanging out. Seriously though what are Cher and Christina Aguilera even doing there?
5:50: During the boring awards I was recap writing. However, how is Meryl Streep nominated twice in the same category? That seems pretty unfair. I mean I know she's amazing but there has to be someone else out there that deserves to at least be nominated.
5:55: It's annoying when some of these awards go to a miniseries or a TV series or something and the whole entire ensemble has to go on stage to receive the award. This just happened with Grey Gardens.
5:57: Ha because they took forever to get on stage, they could barely get their acceptance speech out. That's how you learn.
6:01: Meryl Streep was really nominated for that movie she's in with Alec Baldwin? That looks terrible. Luckily she wins for Julie and Julia instead of that one. The Best Actress in a Comedy Movie didn't have very good nominees. Sandra Bullock for The Proposal, Julie Andrews for Duplicity? No wonder Meryl Streep was nominated twice.
6:09: Helen Mirren is presenting a clip of Precious and reminds me that I'd like to add that movie where she plays Queen Elizabeth to my Netflix.
6:11: So the guy who was the main character in Avatar a) is not paralyzed and b) is English. That just messed with my brain a little bit.
6:14: Drew Barrymore wins for Grey Gardens. Her dress is pretty but she has this weird slinky thing on my shoulder. It looks like a sea cucumber but sparkly. She's super nervous for some reason and that's a little annoying. Do you think Jessica Lang is legitimately happy for her? They were both in the movie and they were nominated against each other and they always say that they're genuinely happy for their costar when they win but I think that's baloney. Also, for the last time is she or isn't she dating Justin Long aka The Mac Guy. He's her fricken date tonight so come on there has to be something going on right?
6:21: Back from commercial/recap break and Cameron Diaz is presenting. Apparently it's a big joke that Meryl Streep "slept with" Alec Baldwin in this terrible movie. Also, apparently there is ANOTHER Shrek coming out. Shrek: Now and Forever.
6:23: Wow so Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler are presenting an award together for Best Screenplay: Motion Picture and their exchange literally just went like this:
Gerard Butler: It's an honor for us to be presenting together tonight.
Jennifer Aniston: Yep it is. Here are the nominees...
Weren't they rumored to have had a little fling? Interesting...
6:26: Ha. "Two of the stars from the movie Valentine's Day" are presenting. Has anyone seen the previews for this movie? Literally think of a name and they're in the movie. It's ridiculous.
6:27: Alec Baldwin wins for Best Actor in a TV Series: Comedy or Musical and man that category was loaded. Matthew Morrison for Glee, Steve Carrell from The Office, the lead guy from Hung which is a pretty funny show on Showtime, David Duchovny for Californication, and Alec Baldwin. That's a lot of talent. Matthew Morrison still should have won.
6:32: Samuel L. Jackson is yelling, I mean presenting. That's for you James.
6:38: Time for Best Drama: TV Series. I hear this Big Love show is pretty good but I've never seen it. James' boy House is nominated (dang James that's two shoutouts in this post). But Mad Men wins which I also hear is pretty legit. Maybe I should add it to my Netflix. Man I wanted Dexter!
6:45: Do you think Robert Pattinson is ticked off that Taylor Lautner got to present at the Golden Globes and he didn't?
6:47: Man! Jane Lynch loses Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series. She is legit in Glee. Instead this woman from Big Love won. And someone stepped on her dress. Oops.
6:50: Christoph Something wins Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Inglorious Basterds. I never saw it. Matt Damon should have won. Matt Damon is my George Clooney. You know how some people lose their minds over George Clooney or Brad Pitt? That's what Matt Damon is to me. It's real and it's deep.
6:54: I think a Chrysler commercial just announced the nominees for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical. I was only half-listening so I can't be sure.
7:15: Okay so here's what we missed. Martin Scorsese won some kind of lifetime achievement award and I learned that I couldn't recognize a single movie he's made. So I should probably Netflix everything he owns. Then there were commercials. Now comes the moment of the night: So Ricky Gervais comes out and has a beer in his hand. So he tells everyone he's sorry if he's offended anyone tonight but it's not him, it's the drink. Then he says "I mean I like a drink as much as the next man. Unless the next man is... Mel Gibson." And Mel Gibson comes out to present the next award. Buckets.
7:18: James Cameron wins for Best Director for Avatar. He tells us first that he and Mel Gibson are neighbors and next that he is going to keep things brief because he has to "pee something fierce." You stay classy Mr. Cameron.
7:19: Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical is up. The nominees are: 30 Rock, Entourage, Glee, Modern Family and The Office. Wow this is a tough category. Come on Glee!
7:20: YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GLEE WIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! This time I don't care at all if the whole cast comes up on the stage. The whole "sexy fake teen cast" as the executive producer just called them. Hooray!!
7:27: Epic montage of The Hangover presented by Bradley Cooper, Andy from The Office, the guy who played Doug and... Mike Tyson. And The Hangover wins for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical. Wow. That's pretty ridiculous considering the other nominees. And playing in the background as they make their way up to the stage? "And then we're gonna find our best friend Doug and then we're gonna give him a big tiger hug." Fantastic.
7:39: Well friends. That's all you're going to get out of me. I am STILL trying to finish my recap and I just made dinner plans so I'm out! Hope you enjoyed the live blog.
1.15.2010
Puzzle Fail? Or Puzzle Epic-ness?
You be the judge.
(I can't back up that epic-ness is actually a word.)
(I can't back up that epic-ness is actually a word.)
1.13.2010
1.12.2010
Triple R American Idol Edition
Not really but because tonight is the season premiere, everything is American Idol edition today.
Scandal on the Bachelor...
...and we're only two weeks in. Apparently one of the women who is competing for Jake the Pilot's love on The Bachelor 41 (okay it's not really the 41st season but still the show has been around FOREVER) couldn't wait to see if she got a one-on-one date and had some one-on-one time of her own with a show's producer. Before the show even went on the air. She got kicked off the show and the producer got fired and now she's speaking out and he's speaking out and the guy who "hosts" The Bachelor is speaking out. It's a speaking out bonanza.
Okay I really don't get what the big deal is with this. The guy who hosts said they had to bring in psychologists and counselors and all of these people to help Jake deal with this news. Jake the pilot has known her for two weeks! He feels that he has been cheated on and that he was so incredibly hurt by this. Oh but then he remembered that he had 14 other women literally throwing themselves at him so that helped him to get through this terrible incident. I'm sorry but if he considers what she did cheating, then what exactly is he doing with the 14 women who are competing for him? And maybe this also makes me a terrible person but I don't really blame the woman. If I had to sit around and wait while Jake the pilot decided whether or not I was good enough to go on a ridiculous fantasy date with him, I'd get bored and annoyed with the other girls and go find someone who knew what he wanted too. I think I'm just really over The Bachelor. Can you tell?
Jackpot
I really hope this story is true. Because even though I know I have zero chance ever with Justin Timberlake, it's always nicer knowing he's single. Jessica Biel is for some reason climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro while Justin is partying in Wyoming. There were rumors about this sometime last year so we'll see if it holds true.
A Royal Wedding?
Is Prince William finally going to marry his plain Jane (sorry but she is) girlfriend of eight years? Sources say that the Queen has told him she wants a princess by his side when she celebrates 60 years on the throne in 2012. A princess. Man why can't I be a princess? I would be so good at it. I'm very nice and I love to chat and I don't mind trying weird food. I feel these are all great qualities of being a princess. And I really like England. Also I speak Spanish and that should come in handy right? Where do I send my resume?
Another One Bites the Dust...
Looks like another high profile celeb is being hit by an angry mistress. Apparently Shaq has been having a 5-year affair with this woman and she thought she was pregnant with his kid but now she's taking him to court for "harassing" her. What's the harrassment? He pretty much told her he didn't think it was his. I'm just getting a little tired of these women putting themselves in these situations. And also these celebrities. Come on Shaq. I don't have the energy these days to write a 2-part series about you. It does surprise me though that Shaq would do something like this. Maybe I'm just that naive about superstars like this but I didn't really see this coming. Then again, who saw Tiger's whole little predicament coming either?
Until next week...
Scandal on the Bachelor...
...and we're only two weeks in. Apparently one of the women who is competing for Jake the Pilot's love on The Bachelor 41 (okay it's not really the 41st season but still the show has been around FOREVER) couldn't wait to see if she got a one-on-one date and had some one-on-one time of her own with a show's producer. Before the show even went on the air. She got kicked off the show and the producer got fired and now she's speaking out and he's speaking out and the guy who "hosts" The Bachelor is speaking out. It's a speaking out bonanza.
Okay I really don't get what the big deal is with this. The guy who hosts said they had to bring in psychologists and counselors and all of these people to help Jake deal with this news. Jake the pilot has known her for two weeks! He feels that he has been cheated on and that he was so incredibly hurt by this. Oh but then he remembered that he had 14 other women literally throwing themselves at him so that helped him to get through this terrible incident. I'm sorry but if he considers what she did cheating, then what exactly is he doing with the 14 women who are competing for him? And maybe this also makes me a terrible person but I don't really blame the woman. If I had to sit around and wait while Jake the pilot decided whether or not I was good enough to go on a ridiculous fantasy date with him, I'd get bored and annoyed with the other girls and go find someone who knew what he wanted too. I think I'm just really over The Bachelor. Can you tell?
Jackpot
I really hope this story is true. Because even though I know I have zero chance ever with Justin Timberlake, it's always nicer knowing he's single. Jessica Biel is for some reason climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro while Justin is partying in Wyoming. There were rumors about this sometime last year so we'll see if it holds true.
A Royal Wedding?
Is Prince William finally going to marry his plain Jane (sorry but she is) girlfriend of eight years? Sources say that the Queen has told him she wants a princess by his side when she celebrates 60 years on the throne in 2012. A princess. Man why can't I be a princess? I would be so good at it. I'm very nice and I love to chat and I don't mind trying weird food. I feel these are all great qualities of being a princess. And I really like England. Also I speak Spanish and that should come in handy right? Where do I send my resume?
Another One Bites the Dust...
Looks like another high profile celeb is being hit by an angry mistress. Apparently Shaq has been having a 5-year affair with this woman and she thought she was pregnant with his kid but now she's taking him to court for "harassing" her. What's the harrassment? He pretty much told her he didn't think it was his. I'm just getting a little tired of these women putting themselves in these situations. And also these celebrities. Come on Shaq. I don't have the energy these days to write a 2-part series about you. It does surprise me though that Shaq would do something like this. Maybe I'm just that naive about superstars like this but I didn't really see this coming. Then again, who saw Tiger's whole little predicament coming either?
Until next week...
This. Is American Idol.
It's back.
Tonight the ninth season of American Idol returns and I've already got my t-shirt on.
But today we're not talking about how hard it's going to be to top last season or how Ellen is going to do as a judge (she won't even be on the show until mid-February anyway). Today we're talking about a very interestingly timed announcement by everyone's favorite British grump.
This. Is Simon's last season.
::gasp:: Say it ain't so!
The X Factor, a show that Simon created, produced and judges on in England, is coming to America so Simon has decided to leave Idol to be on The X Factor. He said he is ready for a new challenge and is ready to do something different.
Well i don't exactly know how being on an American version of a show that is already hugely successful in England is much of a big challenge, but I do know that Idol is about to find themselves to be very challenged when it comes to finding his replacement.
Simon is what makes American Idol so popular (as much as Seacrest probably hates to admit). How would we sit through the audition rounds listening to all of the wannabes without Simon's jabs to go along with them? How will we know which contestant to really respect and listen to without Simon's opinion? Because despite the fact of having three other judges, it's always been Simon for some reason who has established himself as the lead judge and the one who really knows what he's talking about.
So who could possibly replace Simon? Should it be someone who's just as sarcastic and brutally honest as he is? Should it be another Englishman?
I don't think so. Why would you replace the original with a probably not very good imitation? It's also time for Idol to get with the times a little bit. As far as her credits go, Kara's got a good resume even though she's annoying because the artists she's worked with and written for are actually relevant today. Which also means that you can't pick another songwriter really because that's her gig. You need someone who's going to be pretty honest, maybe not as mean, but someone who's going to give it to the people straight because at the end of the day, that's what Simon did.
So here are a few suggestions:
1. Pharrell. He's a producer and recording artist and he's collaborated with some of the biggest and, more importantly, longest-lasting names in the music business. Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears - you've heard of them? Pharrell has had a hand in their success, either by himself or with his buddy Chad Hugo as part of The Neptunes (totally got that off of Wikipedia). He knows what's popular now and he knows what people want to hear.
2. Timbaland. Another big name in the world of producing, Timbaland has worked with Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Madonna, 50 Cent, Jay-Z and more. He still records and collaborates and his songs are major hits. "Apologize" and "The Way I Are" both come to mind. He'd be a popular choice again for being current and knowing what makes a star.
3. Joey Fatone from *N SYNC. He's likable and obviously knows what it takes to be a mainstay in the industry. Potential problems with him sugar coating his opinions but he's proven to be good on camera and I think it could work.
4. Nobody. You keep the three current judges and go back to that format. I think this all depends on how Ellen does as a judge.
5. A rotating door of guest judges. They're doing it with the audition process and I think it's a great idea. They've found current, relevant artists to give their critique like Mary J. Blige, Victoria Beckham, and one of the Jo Bros. But I think the key is definitely to stay with current people. I mean, remember when Meatloaf performed on the show? Yeah nobody was too thrilled with that.
These are some very preliminary thoughts but you can bet I'll be following this closely. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out. Good luck Idol. I think you're going to need it.
Tonight the ninth season of American Idol returns and I've already got my t-shirt on.
But today we're not talking about how hard it's going to be to top last season or how Ellen is going to do as a judge (she won't even be on the show until mid-February anyway). Today we're talking about a very interestingly timed announcement by everyone's favorite British grump.
This. Is Simon's last season.
::gasp:: Say it ain't so!
The X Factor, a show that Simon created, produced and judges on in England, is coming to America so Simon has decided to leave Idol to be on The X Factor. He said he is ready for a new challenge and is ready to do something different.
Well i don't exactly know how being on an American version of a show that is already hugely successful in England is much of a big challenge, but I do know that Idol is about to find themselves to be very challenged when it comes to finding his replacement.
Simon is what makes American Idol so popular (as much as Seacrest probably hates to admit). How would we sit through the audition rounds listening to all of the wannabes without Simon's jabs to go along with them? How will we know which contestant to really respect and listen to without Simon's opinion? Because despite the fact of having three other judges, it's always been Simon for some reason who has established himself as the lead judge and the one who really knows what he's talking about.
So who could possibly replace Simon? Should it be someone who's just as sarcastic and brutally honest as he is? Should it be another Englishman?
I don't think so. Why would you replace the original with a probably not very good imitation? It's also time for Idol to get with the times a little bit. As far as her credits go, Kara's got a good resume even though she's annoying because the artists she's worked with and written for are actually relevant today. Which also means that you can't pick another songwriter really because that's her gig. You need someone who's going to be pretty honest, maybe not as mean, but someone who's going to give it to the people straight because at the end of the day, that's what Simon did.
So here are a few suggestions:
1. Pharrell. He's a producer and recording artist and he's collaborated with some of the biggest and, more importantly, longest-lasting names in the music business. Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears - you've heard of them? Pharrell has had a hand in their success, either by himself or with his buddy Chad Hugo as part of The Neptunes (totally got that off of Wikipedia). He knows what's popular now and he knows what people want to hear.
2. Timbaland. Another big name in the world of producing, Timbaland has worked with Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Madonna, 50 Cent, Jay-Z and more. He still records and collaborates and his songs are major hits. "Apologize" and "The Way I Are" both come to mind. He'd be a popular choice again for being current and knowing what makes a star.
3. Joey Fatone from *N SYNC. He's likable and obviously knows what it takes to be a mainstay in the industry. Potential problems with him sugar coating his opinions but he's proven to be good on camera and I think it could work.
4. Nobody. You keep the three current judges and go back to that format. I think this all depends on how Ellen does as a judge.
5. A rotating door of guest judges. They're doing it with the audition process and I think it's a great idea. They've found current, relevant artists to give their critique like Mary J. Blige, Victoria Beckham, and one of the Jo Bros. But I think the key is definitely to stay with current people. I mean, remember when Meatloaf performed on the show? Yeah nobody was too thrilled with that.
These are some very preliminary thoughts but you can bet I'll be following this closely. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out. Good luck Idol. I think you're going to need it.
1.07.2010
1.06.2010
1.05.2010
Triple R 2010 Edition
New year, same ridiculous celebrity relationship news. Let's go!
Vince Vaughn Ties the Knot
Congrats to Vince Vaughn who got married over the weekend. Seriously good for him. I think people expected him to be the Swingers guy his whole life and I'm glad that he's decided to shed that jokester image a bit and settle down. And she's just a normal girl which I think suits him way more. I just didn't get the Jennifer Aniston thing. I mean he's Vince Vaughn and she's... well, she's Jennifer Aniston. She married Brad Pitt for crying out loud. And I'm sure they were very happy together but at the end of the day, it just didn't seem to be quite his style. And to be honest, I think it's interesting that you never heard about him in the media until he dated her and you haven't really heard from him since. He's just a regular dude at the end of the day so I'm glad he found a regular girl to complement him.
Casey Who?
You might have heard some recent news that a woman by the name of Casey Johnson has passed away. Who? She is the heiress of Johnson & Johnson, like the baby shampoo company, and her dad owns the Jets. Apparently she is also BFF with Paris and Nicky Hilton. But beside it just being a sad story (she was only 30 and she leaves behind an adopted daughter), why are we including it in this week's Triple R? Because apparently she was engaged to Tila Tequila. Which means that Tila Tequila has found yet another way to remain relevant. If you're not sure who Tila Tequila is, you're not missing much. She's basically famous for nothing (what else is new these days). She had a terrible show on MTV called A Shot at Love. Get it? Shot? Tequila? Like a tequila shot. She is apparently bisexual so it was a contest for guys and girls to win her heart. That failed. Literally the show was so bad even I couldn't watch it and I watch The Hills so you know my standards aren't very high. Then apparently Shawn Merriman tried to hit her. Now apparently she was engaged to this woman who just passed away. She announced it on her Twitter, then retracted it, but now is asking everyone to pray for her wifey. This is the same woman who also announced she was pregnant with her brother's baby because she was going to be a surrogate for him. Which is questionable in and of itself but then she retracts that too! So the moral of the story is: it's a shame that this poor woman has to be part of the Tila Tequila camp. And maybe they really were engaged and blissfully in love and if that is the case, then that's awesome. But history has shown that Tila Tequila hasn't always had the best track record when it comes to oh telling the truth.
How is Rosie O'Donnell Still in the News?
So Rosie O'Donnell apparently has a new girlfriend. I'm sorry if I'm a little fuzzy on the details of her previous relationship or why that fell through but I also thought that Rosie O'Donnell stopped being relevant like 15 years ago. Seriously, I can remember being in like the 6th grade and her talk show being on and then suddenly it wasn't on anymore. So then what happened to her? So she joined The View where she did what she does best: be loud and obnoxious. Then she started picking on poor little Elisabeth Hasslebeck and they had such a giant fight over the war or gay marriage or something that they had a huge falling out and Rosie left the show or maybe Barbara Walters kicked her off. So then what happened? She just started getting angry at everyone. She got angry at Donald Trump and was still angry at Elisabeth Hasslebeck and was probably angry at Barbara Walters too. So I thought well maybe things have changed when I noticed that she has a show on satellite radio. So I decided to tune in for five seconds.
Nope, she is still terrible. She sits on her show and gives her opinions about the war in Iraq and why we shouldn't call people terrorists and has suddenly become some political expert. When did this happen? And I understand that her giving her opinions isn't much different from me giving mine on this blog. But come on. I just don't really get how Rosie O'Donnell suddenly became the go-to for all of the latest political drama. Feel free to explain this to me, anyone. Really.
Okay We Get It. She's Engaged.
Carrie Underwood got engaged over Christmas and I think I mentioned that I was very happy for her. Now after reading this article I'm not so sure. If I have to read every scathing detail of what she's eating and not eating and what china patterns she's picking out, this is going to get really old really fast. This story is just irritating.
Speaking of Engaged...
Katy Perry (she sings "Waking Up in Vegas" and "Hot and Cold") and Russell Brand (the rockstar sex addict guy in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") are engaged after dating for about three months. Hmmm. Stuff like that always sounds a bit sketchy but she's kind of weird and so is he so maybe they'll be happy. I predict that they get married in like Japan or something on a whim in a ceremony that combines traditions from India, Asia, and who knows where else.
Rihanna Moves On
Well look at Rihanna go. This is where I talk about girl power and how she's overcome her obstacles and all that. So go ahead and imagine what I would say. I'll wait.
The only thing of any real interest to me is that Rihanna and Matt Kemp went to The Grove together. My parents' house is like 15 minutes from The Grove. Why don't I ever see these celebrities at places like The Grove or Third Street Promenade or on the pier? I LOVE celebrities. Is one celeb sighting so much to ask?
Vince Vaughn Ties the Knot
Congrats to Vince Vaughn who got married over the weekend. Seriously good for him. I think people expected him to be the Swingers guy his whole life and I'm glad that he's decided to shed that jokester image a bit and settle down. And she's just a normal girl which I think suits him way more. I just didn't get the Jennifer Aniston thing. I mean he's Vince Vaughn and she's... well, she's Jennifer Aniston. She married Brad Pitt for crying out loud. And I'm sure they were very happy together but at the end of the day, it just didn't seem to be quite his style. And to be honest, I think it's interesting that you never heard about him in the media until he dated her and you haven't really heard from him since. He's just a regular dude at the end of the day so I'm glad he found a regular girl to complement him.
Casey Who?
You might have heard some recent news that a woman by the name of Casey Johnson has passed away. Who? She is the heiress of Johnson & Johnson, like the baby shampoo company, and her dad owns the Jets. Apparently she is also BFF with Paris and Nicky Hilton. But beside it just being a sad story (she was only 30 and she leaves behind an adopted daughter), why are we including it in this week's Triple R? Because apparently she was engaged to Tila Tequila. Which means that Tila Tequila has found yet another way to remain relevant. If you're not sure who Tila Tequila is, you're not missing much. She's basically famous for nothing (what else is new these days). She had a terrible show on MTV called A Shot at Love. Get it? Shot? Tequila? Like a tequila shot. She is apparently bisexual so it was a contest for guys and girls to win her heart. That failed. Literally the show was so bad even I couldn't watch it and I watch The Hills so you know my standards aren't very high. Then apparently Shawn Merriman tried to hit her. Now apparently she was engaged to this woman who just passed away. She announced it on her Twitter, then retracted it, but now is asking everyone to pray for her wifey. This is the same woman who also announced she was pregnant with her brother's baby because she was going to be a surrogate for him. Which is questionable in and of itself but then she retracts that too! So the moral of the story is: it's a shame that this poor woman has to be part of the Tila Tequila camp. And maybe they really were engaged and blissfully in love and if that is the case, then that's awesome. But history has shown that Tila Tequila hasn't always had the best track record when it comes to oh telling the truth.
How is Rosie O'Donnell Still in the News?
So Rosie O'Donnell apparently has a new girlfriend. I'm sorry if I'm a little fuzzy on the details of her previous relationship or why that fell through but I also thought that Rosie O'Donnell stopped being relevant like 15 years ago. Seriously, I can remember being in like the 6th grade and her talk show being on and then suddenly it wasn't on anymore. So then what happened to her? So she joined The View where she did what she does best: be loud and obnoxious. Then she started picking on poor little Elisabeth Hasslebeck and they had such a giant fight over the war or gay marriage or something that they had a huge falling out and Rosie left the show or maybe Barbara Walters kicked her off. So then what happened? She just started getting angry at everyone. She got angry at Donald Trump and was still angry at Elisabeth Hasslebeck and was probably angry at Barbara Walters too. So I thought well maybe things have changed when I noticed that she has a show on satellite radio. So I decided to tune in for five seconds.
Nope, she is still terrible. She sits on her show and gives her opinions about the war in Iraq and why we shouldn't call people terrorists and has suddenly become some political expert. When did this happen? And I understand that her giving her opinions isn't much different from me giving mine on this blog. But come on. I just don't really get how Rosie O'Donnell suddenly became the go-to for all of the latest political drama. Feel free to explain this to me, anyone. Really.
Okay We Get It. She's Engaged.
Carrie Underwood got engaged over Christmas and I think I mentioned that I was very happy for her. Now after reading this article I'm not so sure. If I have to read every scathing detail of what she's eating and not eating and what china patterns she's picking out, this is going to get really old really fast. This story is just irritating.
Speaking of Engaged...
Katy Perry (she sings "Waking Up in Vegas" and "Hot and Cold") and Russell Brand (the rockstar sex addict guy in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") are engaged after dating for about three months. Hmmm. Stuff like that always sounds a bit sketchy but she's kind of weird and so is he so maybe they'll be happy. I predict that they get married in like Japan or something on a whim in a ceremony that combines traditions from India, Asia, and who knows where else.
Rihanna Moves On
Well look at Rihanna go. This is where I talk about girl power and how she's overcome her obstacles and all that. So go ahead and imagine what I would say. I'll wait.
The only thing of any real interest to me is that Rihanna and Matt Kemp went to The Grove together. My parents' house is like 15 minutes from The Grove. Why don't I ever see these celebrities at places like The Grove or Third Street Promenade or on the pier? I LOVE celebrities. Is one celeb sighting so much to ask?
1.04.2010
Things I Think Are Stupid
So today I had a very unfortunate happening at the gym which made me realize that there are two things that I think are really stupid. These things are the auto-faucets and auto-paper towel dispensers in public restrooms and people who don't pick up after their dog. And yes they will get tied together.
First the auto-faucets/auto-paper towel dispensers. Is this a germ thing or a let's try and save money thing? Neither one really makes sense if you think about it. If there is that big of a concern over germs then the door to the bathroom should be automatic too because for all of the oh don't touch the faucet handles! and the oh don't touch the paper towel handle! the second you put your hand on that door knob to exit the bathroom, you're touching who knows how much bacteria. Yep. I said it. Bacteria everywhere. So what's the point. Plus if you're trying to save money, what do you think is going to happen? Do you think I'm just going to run through and turn on all the faucets and get nuts? Am I going to just pump out paper towels and throw them everywhere? Maybe make myself a paper towel dress? The answer is no. I'm pretty sure that most adults can handle turning the faucets on and off and taking the appropriate amount of paper towels.
Furthermore, these piece of shit machines don't work. This was my completely frustrating experience tonight. You wave your hand in front of what you think is the sensor and nothing happens. So you move your hand up and down. Nothing. You take your hand away, you put it back, you wave it frantically from side to side. It. Doesn't. Work. So now you look ridiculous and it is infuriating. Then you move to the next sink or tower dispenser only to see someone walk right up and suddenly the water is just flowing like a river and paper towels are literally throwing themselves at this person. Terrible.
Plus, I don't like that these machines will tell me how much water and paper towels I'm allowed to have. I am a pretty girl and I will decide for myself how much water I need and how many paper towels I would like.
Next. If you are not willing to fully carry out all of the responsibilities that come with owning a pet, you should not own a pet. This includes picking up after your dog when he's on a walk. I do not own a dog for this reason. I don't like smelly things so I know that I would not be a good dog owner. My cat goes in a box and that's that. So why should I be penalized because someone else is too lazy or thinks it's gross or comes up with some other excuse to just leave it lying on the ground. That is not fair to the rest of us who are just trying to walk or get out of our car or go throw out the trash. Because you know what happens? We step in it. I bet if you did a study, it would show that more people who don't own dogs step in poop than do people who do own dogs. It's like a terrible karmic rule or Newton's Law of Owning a Dog or something.
So the grand question is how in the world do these things tie together?
So I get to the gym today and I'm changing in the little room and I realize that something is kind of smelly and sure enough I look and I have poop on my shoe. Yep. Don't know where it came from or when I stepped in it but there it is. Gross. So so gross. So with only one shoe on I'm trying to find a locker while holding my poop shoe. So now I try to clean it off because I want to go to my class and not just leave you know? So this is when I try to get a couple of paper towels. Epic fail. See above for my frustrations. Then I try to take the two measly paper towels they give me and run some water on them and no water will come out. I tried THREE faucets. It was a disaster. So I finally got most of the poop off my shoe and went to my class but the whole time I was paranoid that my shoe was still smelly and that people knew what had happened. I laugh about it now but at the time I was not amused. Trust me.
First the auto-faucets/auto-paper towel dispensers. Is this a germ thing or a let's try and save money thing? Neither one really makes sense if you think about it. If there is that big of a concern over germs then the door to the bathroom should be automatic too because for all of the oh don't touch the faucet handles! and the oh don't touch the paper towel handle! the second you put your hand on that door knob to exit the bathroom, you're touching who knows how much bacteria. Yep. I said it. Bacteria everywhere. So what's the point. Plus if you're trying to save money, what do you think is going to happen? Do you think I'm just going to run through and turn on all the faucets and get nuts? Am I going to just pump out paper towels and throw them everywhere? Maybe make myself a paper towel dress? The answer is no. I'm pretty sure that most adults can handle turning the faucets on and off and taking the appropriate amount of paper towels.
Furthermore, these piece of shit machines don't work. This was my completely frustrating experience tonight. You wave your hand in front of what you think is the sensor and nothing happens. So you move your hand up and down. Nothing. You take your hand away, you put it back, you wave it frantically from side to side. It. Doesn't. Work. So now you look ridiculous and it is infuriating. Then you move to the next sink or tower dispenser only to see someone walk right up and suddenly the water is just flowing like a river and paper towels are literally throwing themselves at this person. Terrible.
Plus, I don't like that these machines will tell me how much water and paper towels I'm allowed to have. I am a pretty girl and I will decide for myself how much water I need and how many paper towels I would like.
Next. If you are not willing to fully carry out all of the responsibilities that come with owning a pet, you should not own a pet. This includes picking up after your dog when he's on a walk. I do not own a dog for this reason. I don't like smelly things so I know that I would not be a good dog owner. My cat goes in a box and that's that. So why should I be penalized because someone else is too lazy or thinks it's gross or comes up with some other excuse to just leave it lying on the ground. That is not fair to the rest of us who are just trying to walk or get out of our car or go throw out the trash. Because you know what happens? We step in it. I bet if you did a study, it would show that more people who don't own dogs step in poop than do people who do own dogs. It's like a terrible karmic rule or Newton's Law of Owning a Dog or something.
So the grand question is how in the world do these things tie together?
So I get to the gym today and I'm changing in the little room and I realize that something is kind of smelly and sure enough I look and I have poop on my shoe. Yep. Don't know where it came from or when I stepped in it but there it is. Gross. So so gross. So with only one shoe on I'm trying to find a locker while holding my poop shoe. So now I try to clean it off because I want to go to my class and not just leave you know? So this is when I try to get a couple of paper towels. Epic fail. See above for my frustrations. Then I try to take the two measly paper towels they give me and run some water on them and no water will come out. I tried THREE faucets. It was a disaster. So I finally got most of the poop off my shoe and went to my class but the whole time I was paranoid that my shoe was still smelly and that people knew what had happened. I laugh about it now but at the time I was not amused. Trust me.
Oh Snap! Back with Video
OMG I'm back.
A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. I've been on vacation from work for the past two weeks so I guess that also translated into a vacation from anything remotely requiring energy or thought...including blogging. So my bad but I'm sure you understand.
I'm going to try to do a quick recap of the highlights of my vacation either tonight or tomorrow because there were some pretty epic moments. But for now, enjoy the first Video of the Day of 2010.
Fricken Adam Morrison. He's even a d-bag when it comes to high fives:
Yep, right at about 18 seconds, he freakin swoops in and breaks up a high five between two Dallas players. Tool.
My favorite part might be Phil Jackson's face afterwards. It more or less says "OMG why is he such a rihtard."
A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. I've been on vacation from work for the past two weeks so I guess that also translated into a vacation from anything remotely requiring energy or thought...including blogging. So my bad but I'm sure you understand.
I'm going to try to do a quick recap of the highlights of my vacation either tonight or tomorrow because there were some pretty epic moments. But for now, enjoy the first Video of the Day of 2010.
Fricken Adam Morrison. He's even a d-bag when it comes to high fives:
Yep, right at about 18 seconds, he freakin swoops in and breaks up a high five between two Dallas players. Tool.
My favorite part might be Phil Jackson's face afterwards. It more or less says "OMG why is he such a rihtard."
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