Sooooooo, this is the stage in the game where handicapping gets a lot harder. They've weeded out the shoddier talent (sorry, Pia, but after last night's SUPER boring performance on DWTS and your willingness to be with Mark Ballas in a romantic way, I'm over you) and we're left with a relatively diverse group.
Mr Jacob Lusk went first, and I was pretty nervous when he started out. He sounded a bit sharp, but then he got into it and really blew me away by the end. His vocal runs combined with his version of dancing (jumping up and down while raising a leg) got me steadily back on the Jacob train. I wouldn't say he's out of danger, though, because I think he still has a hard time connecting with younger viewers, as they probably don't enjoy his more laid back, adult vibe.
James Durbin was the biggest surprise of the night for me. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow is sort of a personal favorite, and I thought his slower, heartfelt version really connected. This was the first week where he didn't give off a strong douchebag vibe for me, but perhaps straying from him style could come back and hurt him... Based on that performance, though, he's convinced me he has some depth.
Lauren and Scotty were both pretty boring for me. We all know I've liked them both from the start, but they both need to step up their games. Lauren did a pretty bland version of a bland song, and it was good, but it was by no means great. Scotty tried his hand at You've Got a Friend, and it did nothing for me. They both might get a surprise (to them) visit to the bottom 3. Their duet together was also unremarkable, definitely the worst of the 3.
Casey was pretty great, I thought. He managed to showcase his vocals and he actually didn't look like a stoner community college attendee! His suit really glammed up the performance, and he continues to be a solid performer. I still worry that the beard and weirdo thing are going to hold him back, but we'll see....
Haley was, as usual, a standout. Her voice lent itself perfectly to the song she chose, Beautiful, and I think she proved yet again that she has the best voice in the competition. Rock on!
It's hard to say who'll be in the bottom 3... I'm going to go out on a limb and say Lauren, Jacob and Scotty. It's hard to say who'll get the boot, I'm kind of torn between Scotty and Jacob, but if I had to pick one, I think I'd pick Jacob... We'll see!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Book Review: Sweet Valley Confidential
The premise sounds simple enough to fool the American public, right? Take a series of novels created for pre-teen and teen girls from the late 80s and early 90s, fast-forward "ten" years from then to the present day, and write a follow up sequel marketed for the now adult women that used to read the books... It's the nation of Twilight, after all, when any half-ass piece of trash masquerading as kiddie lit can capture the hearts and minds of multiple generations. Unfortunately for SVC, Twilight has a more realistic plot, more compelling characters, and much better writing (and that's saying a fuckload) than this "revisit" does...
Poor Francine Pascal. She must be in her like 80s now, and FINALLY slow enough that when someone proposed a follow up to her blockbuster series, she thought it sounded like a good idea. In interviews, she proclaims something along the lines of "people care! They really care about the twins" which I can only imagine she truly believes. But anyway, the book opens after Jessica (the sassy, popular, bad-girl twin) has stolen THE LOVE OF HER SISTER'S LIFE TODD SOMETHING, who was honestly the only other real part of the Sweet Valley sisters that I vaguely remembered... Hot basketball jock falls for Elizabeth (smart, conscientious good-girl twin) in high school, they go to the same college and stay together, and we all think this is going to end well??? Come on now... The slutty one has a history of this sort of thing! But as the story unravels, we discover why Jessica has been hoing it out for Todd, and for how long, etc and in some ways we're supposed to feel like she's an awful person but then somehow the moral becomes that since TODD AND JESSICA ARE IN LOVE AND HAVE BEEN SECRETLY IN LOVE FOR YEARS IT'S ALL OKAY. Really? Because it didn't seem okay with Elizabeth, nor with anyone with any moral compass whatsoever.
So Elizabeth has fled to New York City to nurse her wounded heart and plot her revenge, all the while wallowing in self pity, engaging in semi-casual sex (do I really want to know that she cries after orgasm?? This is someone I met when she was FIFTEEN), and avoiding her sister's calls. Jessica, meanwhile, has spent her time fucking moving in with Todd, being ostracized from all her friends (oh my god! the town gossip thinks she's a slut for stealing her sister's fiance! imagine that!), and wallowing in self pity. The only thing that keeps her going is knowing that she's truly, truly in love with Todd (although we come to find out she's also managed to marry some older billionaire who marooned her in France) so everyone should just get over it, especially her sister, whom she calls often and leaves pathetic messages.
But Lizzie is trying to make it on her own a la Mary Tyler Moore, and succeeding a bit. She has a habit of meeting/befriending incredibly hot men and having deep intellectual (for this book) conversations and then deep intellectual thoughts about her post-breakup self afterwards. But of course she's going to have to face her demons in Sweet Valley before this whole trainwreck comes to a screeching halt.
Since I was a CHILD when I last read these books, I'm a little confused/amused at Pascal's description of twin-ness. Often Jessica "aches" for her sister and just desperately wants to be held in her arms, to affirm her own sense of self. This is disturbing for a variety of reasons, most of which I won't go into now, but come on... Creepy! Some of the descriptions honestly sound like the woman is describing lovers or something. There's always been a level of creepiness about the whole SVH series, but the perfect bodies, perfect lives (save for the occasional drug induced coma or car wreck), and awful dialogue could previously be overlooked due to cheerful stories - and probably the reader's age.
On an amusing note, guess who turns out to be gay??? Guess that's why he was such a Lothario in high school, right? And guess who beats cancer but is still a bitch? Etc. I actually applaud Pascal for being semi-realistic in how a lot of the characters end up, that would have to be the one redeeming quality of the novel. That, and I was able to read it in one evening between Teen Mom 2 and Colbert... There are many unhappy marriages, substance abuse problems, conservatives, and the aforementioned major gay splash that abound in the wrap up at the end of the tale. I would suggest just reading the epilogue and character notes at the end of the book in your local barnes and noble... It would save a lot of slogging through misguided attempts at a new plot and horrifyingly awful flashbacks.
Of course, if you're a fan of the old series, I still say read it. Many parts are hilarious, although perhaps not intentionally...
Poor Francine Pascal. She must be in her like 80s now, and FINALLY slow enough that when someone proposed a follow up to her blockbuster series, she thought it sounded like a good idea. In interviews, she proclaims something along the lines of "people care! They really care about the twins" which I can only imagine she truly believes. But anyway, the book opens after Jessica (the sassy, popular, bad-girl twin) has stolen THE LOVE OF HER SISTER'S LIFE TODD SOMETHING, who was honestly the only other real part of the Sweet Valley sisters that I vaguely remembered... Hot basketball jock falls for Elizabeth (smart, conscientious good-girl twin) in high school, they go to the same college and stay together, and we all think this is going to end well??? Come on now... The slutty one has a history of this sort of thing! But as the story unravels, we discover why Jessica has been hoing it out for Todd, and for how long, etc and in some ways we're supposed to feel like she's an awful person but then somehow the moral becomes that since TODD AND JESSICA ARE IN LOVE AND HAVE BEEN SECRETLY IN LOVE FOR YEARS IT'S ALL OKAY. Really? Because it didn't seem okay with Elizabeth, nor with anyone with any moral compass whatsoever.
So Elizabeth has fled to New York City to nurse her wounded heart and plot her revenge, all the while wallowing in self pity, engaging in semi-casual sex (do I really want to know that she cries after orgasm?? This is someone I met when she was FIFTEEN), and avoiding her sister's calls. Jessica, meanwhile, has spent her time fucking moving in with Todd, being ostracized from all her friends (oh my god! the town gossip thinks she's a slut for stealing her sister's fiance! imagine that!), and wallowing in self pity. The only thing that keeps her going is knowing that she's truly, truly in love with Todd (although we come to find out she's also managed to marry some older billionaire who marooned her in France) so everyone should just get over it, especially her sister, whom she calls often and leaves pathetic messages.
But Lizzie is trying to make it on her own a la Mary Tyler Moore, and succeeding a bit. She has a habit of meeting/befriending incredibly hot men and having deep intellectual (for this book) conversations and then deep intellectual thoughts about her post-breakup self afterwards. But of course she's going to have to face her demons in Sweet Valley before this whole trainwreck comes to a screeching halt.
Since I was a CHILD when I last read these books, I'm a little confused/amused at Pascal's description of twin-ness. Often Jessica "aches" for her sister and just desperately wants to be held in her arms, to affirm her own sense of self. This is disturbing for a variety of reasons, most of which I won't go into now, but come on... Creepy! Some of the descriptions honestly sound like the woman is describing lovers or something. There's always been a level of creepiness about the whole SVH series, but the perfect bodies, perfect lives (save for the occasional drug induced coma or car wreck), and awful dialogue could previously be overlooked due to cheerful stories - and probably the reader's age.
On an amusing note, guess who turns out to be gay??? Guess that's why he was such a Lothario in high school, right? And guess who beats cancer but is still a bitch? Etc. I actually applaud Pascal for being semi-realistic in how a lot of the characters end up, that would have to be the one redeeming quality of the novel. That, and I was able to read it in one evening between Teen Mom 2 and Colbert... There are many unhappy marriages, substance abuse problems, conservatives, and the aforementioned major gay splash that abound in the wrap up at the end of the tale. I would suggest just reading the epilogue and character notes at the end of the book in your local barnes and noble... It would save a lot of slogging through misguided attempts at a new plot and horrifyingly awful flashbacks.
Of course, if you're a fan of the old series, I still say read it. Many parts are hilarious, although perhaps not intentionally...
Thursday, April 7, 2011
American Idol 4/06
I can honestly say that this is the best season of Idol that I've ever watched (the last 4). There is not a single horrible contestant left at this stage of the game, no Sanjayas, no Kristi Lee Cooks, no season 10 contestants ha. That was last season, right? I mean whatever last season was, the season of shit. PS where is Lee Dewyze, anyone??? I know Crystal's been busy, since I just saw her in a commercial for One-Touch Ultra talking about managing her diabetes with BB King...
So, it's actually pretty tough to call tonight's bottom 3, let alone the person voted off! However, I think Paul, Stephano, and James could be in danger... Paul was okay, but I definitely didn't think he closed the show out with a bang - and unfortunately for him, I don't think throngs of teenage girls are going to vote for a Johnny Cash song (unless it's done by Adam Lambert and includes eyeliner and a shocked Lyle Lovett in the audience....) Stephano was average, as usual, and in no way stood out. I don't know why JLo's taken it upon herself to be his personal champion, but she needs to get over her initial impressions of him and accept he's a one trick pony. I thought he fell flat on a lot of notes, but Randy was the only voice of reason in the group, saying it was just okay. I think the last spot could be a toss-up between Jacob and James, but I just think James is a fucking douchebag. Have you seen him smirk at the camera like he's hot shit? He seems like the douchey kid from high school who sang in a band that no one followed, and now that he's on Idol he wants to remake himself as some sex god. There are a lot of girls from back in the day laughing their asses off every time he tries to pout sexy...
Since we only have 3 girls left (the first 4 people booted were all women! weird!) I think they will probably be all safe. Pia really got me up and into River Deep, Mountain High, but I have to admit, that song is so fucking amazing that it would be hard to do it poorly. But she was consistent and showed she could entertain more than standing in front of a microphone... I enjoyed Haley's performance, and I think she's really coming into herself. Note that I called her my dark horse at the beginning... :) My only fault was with Lauren Alaina because honestly, at 16 or 17, how can any dude make you feel like a natural woman??? You're still a natural child! She should have sang Britney Spears' I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman... Although I guess Miss Britney is not in the rocknroll hall of fame ha.
Not for the first time, I thought Jacob was merely okay. His voice is still the most nuanced, textured, and extreme that the show has ever hosted, but Man In The Mirror is so overdone... It's hard to put one's own spin on it... He did fine, it was still a good performance, but you know what I mean. Casey was also just okay for me, although not bad. His voice is beautiful, but he needs to change it up a bit - I liked him better when he was running all over the stage screaming I Put A Spell On You... And Scotty put on a great show, I don't know how many times I can say that I don't usually like the whole country/hillbilly thing, but he does it so well I just lap it up!
Overall, everyone was pretty decent. I'm going to go with Stephano to be voted off again, but I worry that that's because I chose him last week and I want to be vindicated... If anyone other than him or Paul gets voted off, it'll be a "shocker".
So, it's actually pretty tough to call tonight's bottom 3, let alone the person voted off! However, I think Paul, Stephano, and James could be in danger... Paul was okay, but I definitely didn't think he closed the show out with a bang - and unfortunately for him, I don't think throngs of teenage girls are going to vote for a Johnny Cash song (unless it's done by Adam Lambert and includes eyeliner and a shocked Lyle Lovett in the audience....) Stephano was average, as usual, and in no way stood out. I don't know why JLo's taken it upon herself to be his personal champion, but she needs to get over her initial impressions of him and accept he's a one trick pony. I thought he fell flat on a lot of notes, but Randy was the only voice of reason in the group, saying it was just okay. I think the last spot could be a toss-up between Jacob and James, but I just think James is a fucking douchebag. Have you seen him smirk at the camera like he's hot shit? He seems like the douchey kid from high school who sang in a band that no one followed, and now that he's on Idol he wants to remake himself as some sex god. There are a lot of girls from back in the day laughing their asses off every time he tries to pout sexy...
Since we only have 3 girls left (the first 4 people booted were all women! weird!) I think they will probably be all safe. Pia really got me up and into River Deep, Mountain High, but I have to admit, that song is so fucking amazing that it would be hard to do it poorly. But she was consistent and showed she could entertain more than standing in front of a microphone... I enjoyed Haley's performance, and I think she's really coming into herself. Note that I called her my dark horse at the beginning... :) My only fault was with Lauren Alaina because honestly, at 16 or 17, how can any dude make you feel like a natural woman??? You're still a natural child! She should have sang Britney Spears' I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman... Although I guess Miss Britney is not in the rocknroll hall of fame ha.
Not for the first time, I thought Jacob was merely okay. His voice is still the most nuanced, textured, and extreme that the show has ever hosted, but Man In The Mirror is so overdone... It's hard to put one's own spin on it... He did fine, it was still a good performance, but you know what I mean. Casey was also just okay for me, although not bad. His voice is beautiful, but he needs to change it up a bit - I liked him better when he was running all over the stage screaming I Put A Spell On You... And Scotty put on a great show, I don't know how many times I can say that I don't usually like the whole country/hillbilly thing, but he does it so well I just lap it up!
Overall, everyone was pretty decent. I'm going to go with Stephano to be voted off again, but I worry that that's because I chose him last week and I want to be vindicated... If anyone other than him or Paul gets voted off, it'll be a "shocker".
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