21 posts tagged “media”

Neil Diamond theme night!  Were it not for my father-in-law, Ed, and Matt, I would certainly be less interested in tonight's American Idol theme, but I know these two men really like Neil Diamond!  Forever in Blue Jeans is a song that both of them would likely choose to play as the theme background music to their life.  In fact Matt said tonight, "It's the song of my life; I want to be forever in blue jeans."  Oh, little does he know that at least his wife would beg to differ on the forever in blue jeans part!  The message of love and commitment behind it is great, but I like my man to throw on a pair of khakis and a button down shirt every now and then!

Let me also say that I did not like the format of tonight's show having the performers sing two rounds of songs and rushing through the judges' comments!  What was up with Paula!?  In a way, I'm not surprised she got confused; I even couldn't keep up fast enough with how the judges rapidly shared their comments at the same time for the performers' Round 1.  We recorded the show and I kept hitting the rewind button.  Seriously though, Paula must have been on another planet to start sharing her critiques on both songs of Jason Castro when he'd only sung once!  She must have written down comments from the dress rehearsal and started going off on sharing her thoughts about Round 2 prematurely, or somethin' went really haywire there!  The first half of the show felt rushed through with much lack of substance.  Round 2 was better, but I agree with Simon, it was a chaotic night!

Lastly, I'm still shocked Carly Smithson was the one to go home last week!!

Jason Castro:  Forever in Blue Jeans and September Morn
1)  His soothing voice is great for this song!  I like how he kept it simple.  I'm not sure what unique aspect he brought to his performance, but I think the song choice will carry him through to the next round...or maybe I'm just biased about the song choice.  <grin>
2)  I like Jason, but I agree with Simon, it just doesn't seem like he's trying that hard.  He's so laid back, which I appreciate, but honestly, I am not sure the music business is really his passion or something he'd enjoy that much.  The song choice was boring and it was a bit of a rote performance. 

David Cook:  I'm Alive and All I Really Need is You
1)  David just does a good job with everything, it can be said!  He also has great stage presence and the song choice for him was really good.  Solid performance!
2)  I am not familiar with this song, but the way he presented it made me like it!  He really has a good range of vocals and sings with much emotion, but it's never over the top.  And I gotta say, I think he will be the next American Idol! 

Brooke White:  I'm a Believer and I Am I Said
1)  Sorry, but I like other versions of this song MUCH better.  It was a fun song choice, but I didn't like the style she brought to it.  It was good to see her jammin' away after last week's goof, but I don't think it was one of her better performances. 
2)  I enjoy Brooke on the piano, and I liked this song much better than her first one.  One of her best performances in awhile!

David Archuleta:  Sweet Caroline and Coming to America
1)  I know BigMama loved this one!  I'm sure there were several Carolines in the audience that swooned over this song choice.  In my expert opinion (please hear the strong sarcasm behind those words), I felt like he was signing towards a teeny bopper crowd, so it didn't appeal to me.
2)  Fitting song for American Idol!  Sure got me pumped and the chills runnin'.  I really liked his additions to the song, and the ending...awesome! 

Syesha Mercado:  Hello Again and I Thank the Lord for the Night Time
1)  After the face paced songs, I wasn't quite in the mood for a slow song; I thought it was a bit boring.  Her high notes felt like she was shouting to me.
2)  So-so.  I think the fact that I don't have much to say about her performance is indicative that it was just not a memorable night for Syesha. 

Bottom 3: Jason Castro, Brooke White, Syesha Mercado
Prediction of Who's Going Home:  Jason Castro...but I hope Syesha Mercado
Favorite Performance:  David Cook

Since Matt was still under the weather, we decided to stay home from small group so we wouldn't infect the rest of the gang with his germs.  Instead, I watched American Idol to post my thoughts on the performances of the 6 finalists.  I didn't know what the theme of the night was, so when I found out at the beginning of the show that Andrew Lloyd Webber was the theme, I was stoked!  If any theme would be a challenge to the contestants, however, this would be it!  Granted, I do not know anything about what makes a song sound good, but I'll nevertheless offer my inexperienced view on the matter.  After all, my vote does count!

Sometimes I feel like the guest artists don't offer helpful suggestions, or their answers are pat.  Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW), on the contrary, did a fabulous job giving participants feedback that was constructive and unique.  I appreciated how he directed the finalists on the dramatic side of the song, and instructed them based upon the context and meaning of the song.  What a classic guest to have, no wonder he's Sir Lloyd Webber!

Syesha Mercado:  She sounded great, and I think she wore the same earrings that my sister-in-law, Julie, gave her bridesmaids!  She obviously had a lot of fun with the song and felt comfortable.  While not my favorite performer, she offered a great start to the evening...one which proved to be a challenge for most contestants.  Syesha made it "memorable and contemporary", just like Simon wanted, yet she refrained from taking away the classic sound of Broadway, which I appreciated.

Jason Castro:  I loved ALW's comments about Jason's choice of song and being "jolted" by seeing a man sing "Memory", a man no less in dreadlocks!  I was quite skeptical when I saw the rehearsal snippet, and he probably should have chosen a different song, but he drew me in with his performance.  It was quite soothing and reflective.  I preferred seeing him sing it as opposed to a pussy cat!  I have heard better from Jason, but I thought he did a good job.

Brooke White:  Awww, Brooke!  I felt so bad for her, but she recovered very nicely in that she stayed strong.  I'm obviously not one that knows rules of performance, but I would've stopped and started over as well!  I didn't really like the choice of song, but you could tell she was believing in what she was singing.  My heart goes out to Brooke!

Just got a call from Julie, saying to vote tonight 'cause all her favorites were doing badly!  I'll vote!  I'll vote!  I loved getting the call!  I know, I'm a sentimental schmooze, but a simple call like that from her means so much!  It put a smile on my face.  By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JULIE!!

David Archuleta:  I love this song!  It's been one of my favorites since seeing Phantom of the Opera for the first time when I was a teenager, and I've played it on the piano before.  I liked what he did with the song, too.  And he kept his eyes open!  David did a great job, and I totally disagreed with Simon!  I will remember this performance because he took a hit Broadway song, made it his own in a unique and respectable way, and sang it beautifully.

Carly Smithson:  So glad she changed song choices; ALW gave her some good advice on that.  She had a lot of fun with the song, and she did a good job, but it wasn't my favorite by any means.  I'll remember David's performance more.

David Cook:  Another one of my favorite songs, and also a hard one to sing!  I was looking for passion, sophistication, and intensity, and in my humble opinion, he nailed it!  I got chills!  I was waiting to see what he'd do different to the song, and the ending definitely caught my attention.  Most definitely I disagree with Simon.  I also appreciate how David comes across as a very humble man. 

Bottom 3: Jason Castro, Brooke White, Syesha Mercado
Prediction of Who's Going Home:  Brooke White  :(
Favorite Performance:  Toss up between David Archuleta and David Cook

I did vote!  And after American Idol, I switched over to Dancing with the Stars, and I must say, I think this was one of my most favorite episodes of the season...even as a results show!  I appreciated how Derek and Shannon apologized for their dramatic response to their low scores the night before; I LOVED watching the 12 and 13 year olds dance...they were fabulous; and the Irish Riverdance gives me chills every time; it is spectacular!  I remember being just as enamored with the energy and talent when I saw it in Chicago in college.  And a huge round of applause to Marlee Matlin; she should feel so accomplished!  What a night of entertainment!

The results are in!

Last Wednesday, I posted an entry called "Religious Views & Reality TV", which had an optional survey for readers that asked them questions about if and how their votes are swayed by a contestant's religious views on reality television programs like Dancing with the Stars and American Idol.  Thank you so much to the nine people who voted!  I love having your participation!  Here are the standings:

My hypothesis was that 1) most voters would be swayed in their votes, 2) mostly influenced by a contestant with a different religion than their own, 3) with most of the voters affiliated with Christianity.  The second part of my hypothesis was that the voters with a religious affiliation of Christianity would be the most likely to have their votes influenced by a contestant's religious viewpoints.  Obviously, I was slightly off in my prediction:  a majority 56% indicated their vote wouldn't be influenced either way by a contestant's religious views. 

Maybe I analyzed reality TV, which is for shear entertainment, too much like I would the political arena, a more serious context for this discussion; in which case, I think my hypothesis would hold up.  A few questions remain for reality TV, however:  what things are voters swayed by; what things should voters be swayed by, and which things shouldn't influence voters?  When voting for contestants on programs like Dancing with the Stars and American Idol, I would think that people are likely more drawn to vote for the contestant in which they have things in common like which State they're from or where they went to college.  Even factors such as dress, appearance, and demeanor influence votes for reality TV (at least I will admit to voting based upon some of those factors, and have been tempted to watch American Idol with my eyes closed to try and simply base my vote on the sound of the performance).  Let's not forget the votes made based upon the skill and performance of the dancing and singing itself, the whole purpose of the competitions.  Based upon my own voting history, there is also the occasional voter that submits a pity vote for the contestant who's not doing so well but begs not to leave the show.  Furthermore, according to this small survey, 22% of viewers say their votes are swayed by a contestant's religious affiliation. 

I think saying that people approach voting for a national election more responsibly than voting for reality TV programs is safe to say, right?  It is rather fascinating though:  while we're looking at factors that influence votes for reality TV contestants, some of those same factors have impacted national elections:  i.e. appearance--I remember reading in history class that John F. Kennedy received significant number of votes from women based upon his appearance; and demeanor--I'm going to respectfully not broach this factor!

So lest I continue to ramble, which I probably have already done, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the results from the survey.  Did they surprise you?  Not surprise you?  What do you think about the factors that influence voting for reality TV programs?  Should they affect the votes?  What about those same factors influencing national elections? 

I don't know about you, but I'm gonna enjoy watching both shows tonight!!

The other evening when I was with Mac and Julie, we had an interesting discussion about if knowing a contestant's religious viewpoint affects the way we think about, and vote for, a participant on reality television programs such as Dancing with the Stars and American Idol where the viewers call, text, or submit votes online for their favorite performance(s).  And if so, how does it affect us?  We went back and forth on the subject:  one thought knowing about a contestant's religious views didn't affect viewers' votes at all and another thought it would, at least to some degree, influence how viewers vote for a contestant.  We were all quite transparent about our thoughts on the matter.  I won't disclose our opinions at this point, as you'll see why below.  Obviously this topic can lead to an even bigger question:  how does a political candidate's religious viewpoints affect how we vote?  Reality TV, however, is a more light-hearted arena to pose these types of questions, so for the moment, we'll stick with it.

I'm curious to know what you all think about the matter.  If you are willing to participate in a small survey of 4-5 questions about this issue of religious views and reality TV, click here.  The survey is completely optional and will be used for this blog only; all submissions are anonymous.  After you fill out the form, your answers will be linked back to a spreadsheet in my Google Docs to help track the answers.  I will post the most current results next Tuesday, April 15th.  Please only submit your answers once.

In addition, you're always welcome to leave your thoughts in a comment.  You'll have to sign up for a free Vox account, but it's pretty simple, and something you'll have to do in order to participate in the awesome blog contest coming up next week, so might as well get a head start!

This is fascinating!  Jordan's Queen Rania has launched a YouTube channel calling for people to engage in a global dialogue about stereotypes of Muslims and the Arab world, with the hope that this will help people better understand cultural differences of the Arab world and dismantle such stereotypes.  She's quoted as saying that she wants people, "to see the personal side of my region, to know the places and faces and rituals and culture that shape the part of the world I call home."  Click here to see her YouTube channel. 

As a topic that has become dear to my heart, I am very interested to see how she answers the plethora of questions already posed!

Only 25 more days until Matt and I embark on our first running race ever:  The Capitol 10k!  Our timed run starts at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, March 30th.  Faithfully training, we're currently running 4 miles nonstop!  This coming Sunday will increase to 4.5 miles, with only 3 weeks left to go!  Matt still runs quite a distance ahead of me, but hey, I'm just thankful I'm not keeling over, and pray I feel good the day of the race (I'm a little worried about the hills and hope my nerves don't get the better of me).  For those interested, click here to see the race course map.  While running, I've been listening to a combination of Twila Paris' The Ultimate Collection and U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind.  The U2 CD is quite empowering and motivating with its rhythm, and I love the worshipful mood Twila's music puts me in starting out the day with a run.  But I'd love some more recommendations for good running music.  Any suggestions?

We've discovered a new tasty indulgent treat that has become our favorite:  Shake's Frozen Custard! 

There is a location in Georgetown, right up the highway from us.  Matt took me on a little date to try it out, and let's just say we went there twice in one week it was so good.  Totally indulgent!  Totally scrumptious!  Thank goodness I'm running!  I got their frozen custard "concrete" with fudgy brownie and hot fudge all swirled together, and my PB guy got a "concrete" with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and caramel.  You should check to see if they have one in your area and try it out.  Let us know what concoction you end up indulging in.

I had some ground chicken to use but didn't quite know exactly what to make with it, so I did a little recipe search on CookingLight.com.  I came across a great, tasty recipe I thought I'd share for Chicken-Chile Tostadas. 

You can either buy ground chicken, which I did and is the easier route, or you can grind your own by putting the raw, boneless chicken breast in a food processor.   Also, the recipe calls for baking your corn tortillas to get the crunchy tostada, but there are a couple of options here:  you could just buy the pre-made tostadas at the grocery store, or you could just make soft tacos with corn or flour tortillas, which is what I did.  I cut out the cilantro because it's not a taste I am fond of particularly, added tomatoes and black beans, and made some homemade guacamole to go with the meal.  (The recipe is below if you'd like it.)

Three cheers for Lost!!  It is SO good!  Don't you just wake up in a good mood on Thursdays knowing that you'll get to watch it that night?  I do!

This Friday, I am going on a road trip with my dear friend, Jill, and her two precious kiddos, Harrison and Hadleigh! 

We'll pack up the car with kid gear and the feast I'm bringing along for dinner one night.  We're going to go spend a few days up at Jill's parents' place north of Dallas, and the fellas will join us over the weekend.  We did this over a weekend a year ago and had a blast!  The guys shoot at target practices (last year Matt took his first shot ever and made a bull's-eye!).  And it's so fun watching Harrison get excited to ride the "gator" (a John Deere tractor) and play in the hot-tub.  Maybe Jillie will let me pick out a bow or two for Haddie to wear. <grin>  So all to say, I hope to keep a photo log of our trip to show you when we get back!  It should be a riot!

After much tedious searching, I finally found the commercial that I wrote about in my last post.  Before you read any further, you need to read this entry to know what I'm talking about.  Once you've read it, you can view the commercial that has me in stitches; I think someone from Hallmark literally got inside my head and my life and made it into one of their most recent Valentine's Day ads!  Click here to see Hallmark's "Sweet Talkin' Trio" commercial, which should be the second one to view, and press 'play' (make sure your sound is on).  Let me know what you think! 

Thanks to all who voted for their favorite Super Bowl Commercials!  After 11 votes, the declared winner is Budweiser's Clydesdale & Dalmatian commercial with 36.4% of the votes!  Second place was Planter's Nuts at 27.3%; third was the Diet Pepsi Max commercial at 18.2%; and tied at 9.1% for fourth place was the ETrade.com with the Clown and Coca Cola's Macy Day Parade commercials.   Thanks again for your participation!  For an encore presentation of the Clydesdale & Dalmatian:

For Valentine's Day, Matt is taking me (or I'm dragging him, depending on how you want to look at it) to see 27 Dresses, which we hope will be a fun romantic comedy.  I expect, however, that I won't eagerly come home to blog about it; I will be pleasantly surprised if it meets "blog recommendation" standards.  There are two films that I saw recently that I would suggest watching.  Both are quite inspirational tear jerkers:  The Ultimate Gift (2006) and Amazing Grace (2007).  

Don't let the "tear jerker" comment deter you from viewing these films; you would miss out on a lot!  The Ultimate Gift is a fictional tale about a young heir, Jason, who, before he can inherit his grandfather's (played by James Garner) estate, is sent on a journey to discover the answer to a question we all need to ponder: "What is the relationship between wealth and happiness?".  Amazing young star, Abigail Breslin, is also cast as Emily, a direct and determined little girl who befriends Jason, and is a catalyst for Jason's transformation.

Amazing Grace is an historical recount of William Wilberforce, the 19th century British idealist who endeavors to end the transatlantic slave trade.  Undeniably powerful.  John Newton, author of the classic hymn "Amazing Grace", is a father figure to William, and an inspiration to him to continue the fight against slavery.  I hope to never sing "Amazing Grace" the same way again.  And let me just say, I wish I spoke and wrote the way people did in the 19th century!  I try, but my vocabulary is quite provincial (yes, I needed a little help from Mirriam-Webster's thesaurus to even come up with that one, and I hope I used it correctly!).

Ok, as an aside, I just saw my commercial!  Totally, my commercial!  It's not only indicative of who I am, what I love, what I'd love to do, but also what Matt needs to succumb to for my affection and attention sometimes.  I can't find it on YouTube yet to post, but check back in a day or two to see if it's posted.  All I'll say is:  Hallmark--you'll know it when you see it.

This post is simply a conglomeration of thoughts and happenings over the last few days; maybe I'll write something deeper later this week.

First, it is official:  I registered for the Capitol 10k race on March 30th, and SO DID MATT!  We're therefore committed to what might very well be an act of lunacy, and while Matt still has to come up with a plan for his training, I successfully ran 2.5 miles today without stopping or walking!  For anyone who knows me well, they will tell you that exercise is something that is never on my top 100 things to do, so this really is a huge accomplishment!  After watching American Gladiators last night, I figured I could push through 2.5 miles; it's nothing compared to what those contestants do!

Speaking of American Gladiators, my college friend and house-mate, Lindsey, lives in Pasadena, CA studying at Fuller Seminary.  A close friend of hers at school, Andy, is one of the American Gladiator contestants that made it to the semifinals!  His next appearance on the show is this coming Monday, February 11th at 7 p.m. (CST).  How fun it is to at least know someone who knows someone who is on television!  Lindsey was able to go to the filming of Andy's Gladiator debut a month or so ago, and we were even able to catch a glimpse of her on T.V. cheering him on. 

Last week, my dear husband took me on a little getaway to Wimberley, TX to celebrate our 5 year anniversary that was in December.  For our readers in TX, let me highly recommend the following bed & breakfast:  Blair House Inn.  Each detail of the inn was extremely well thought out; the breakfasts and desserts in the evenings were a taste bud's dream; the rooms and amenities were a perfect blend between exquisiteness and comfort.  We had a most enjoyable time together, doing absolutely nothing.  The funniest moment of the trip was when I acknowledged, of my own accord, to Matt that, "I am a walking contradiction," (examples need not be divulged at this time), and his reply wasn't what you would typically expect a gentleman to say after his wife admits such a vulnerable truth (i.e. "Oh, honey, not really.  I love you just the way you are.").  Instead, he let out a deep sigh, looked me straight in the eye, and with a smile, said (in so many words), "Oh, wow, you really finally understand what my life has been like since marrying you."  It was like he was relieved that I finally grasped this side of my wacky personality!

Alas, the brief winter season in Austin, TX has come and gone.  It is likely that over the next couple of weeks that I will put away our winter clothes, and sadly, it's only the beginning of February!  The tell-tale sign that winter has abruptly come to an end this year is that my daffodils have sprouted!  Overnight, they appeared; I can't believe it! 

Lastly, don't forget to vote for your favorite Super Bowl commercial here.

Well, after my 2.5 mile run today, let's see if I can get up from sitting on the floor for the past 2 hours without stumbling...

WOW!  WOW!  WOW!  What an amazing football game!  My heart was pounding and my hands were sweating as I jumped out of my chair in exuberance and awe that Eli Manning and his NY Giants pulled it off, winning against the favored and undefeated (until now!) New England Patriots!  It was one of the best Super Bowl games of all time, I believe, and worth every minute of anxiety.  I'm still taking in the momentum of the Giants' defense and the team's undeniable desire and determination to win, persevering through all the doubts, pressure and comparisons.  I am overjoyed for the Giants, and I really am not that big of a fan.  Way to go!

Even the commercials were pretty good this year, and I thought it would be fun to see which commercial was the favorite among our readers.  The following poll is open until midnight February 10th.  Which commercial was your favorite?