Thursday, July 31, 2008
Live To Ride, Ride To Live 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Nashville Star - Week Eight
Shawn Mayer - sang "Here For The Party" by Gretchen Wilson. I've not been a Shawn Mayer fan since the very first week but this was her best performance of the season; good crowd interaction; good band interaction; made the song her own; sang an upbeat song and didn't cry for once; good stage presence tonight.
Gabe Garcia - sang "Five O'Clock Somewhere" by Alan Jackson. Looked more comfortable and at ease on stage; made the song his own; played to the audience; most consistent of all the contestants.
Coffey - sang "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynard Skynard. Still too much vibrato; got the crowd into it even though it reminded me of a karaoke performance; still had too many gimmicks.
Melissa Lawson - sang "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benetar. Great version and arrangement; sang with power but didn't scream it out; made the song her own; got the crowd into it.
The voting results were revealed and Coffey got the boot tonight. I have to admit I didn't like Ashley Hewitt but Coffey should have gotten the boot long before she did. I wondered how he and others even made it to the show.
The three finalists performed one last time, and next week we'll find out who is the next Nashville Star.
Shawn Mayer - sang "The Dance" by Garth Brooks. Voice was shakey; had trouble with key modulation; scooped and slurred too much; sang too soft. Was disappointed after the great performance earlier, but at least she didn't cry.
Melissa Lawson - sang "Jesus Take The Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. Sang with power but didn't scream; nailed the high power notes. Great version of the song - didn't try to sound like Carrie Underwood.
Gabe Garcia - sang "Living If Fast Forward" by Kenney Chesney. Had some minor pitch problems; voice was smoothe; sang to the audience again and got them involved.
My prediction: the next Nashville Star will probably be Gabe Garcia, but I hope it will be Melissa Lawson.
In keeping with tradition, I have to report my pick for The Song That Made My Ears Bleed. This week's award goes to Shawn Mayer for her rendition of Garth Brooks "The Dance." I never liked the song anyway, so that was one strike against it from the start. I just don't like when the singers (mainly the female singers) scoop and slur and drag out one or two notes to half a dozen.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
It's All My Fault
I heard some very disturbing news today -- Krispy Kreme is still having some major financial problems. They have lost more than half of their market share over the last year. They've closed stores and have revamped their management, but their revenue still fell seven percent for the first quarter of the year. Their CEO Daryl Brewster even resigned in January. And it's all my fault.
Never mind the misconduct by former management, healthier eating by Americans and competition from Dunkin Donuts causing a decline in Krispy Kreme sales - I'm the one to blame. Yep, it's all my fault. Since the beginning of February when I started my healthy eating lifestyle, I've only had three Krispy Kreme donuts. So it's only natural that I feel responsible for the decline in their sales. I feel like I have let Krispy Kreme down.
Not a week goes by that someone doesn't bring Krispy Kremes to work. It takes every ounce of strength to resist the temptation as I stare at the donuts sitting on the table in our lunchroom as I pass by them on my way to get my V8 juice or fruit from the refrigerator. But I still feel I've let them down by not eating them. I hope they understand and can forgive me.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Mullet Watch
Just when we thought mullet sightings were going to be as scarce as rain this summer, lo and behold we've had a bunch of them this weekend. TWIT's #1 mullet spotter JMc was working overtime in his spotting, and brings us a report of not one, not two, but three mullet sightings. Here's his report:
Just to think that the mullet sightings were harder to find than a snowball in July I ran across 3 different mullets in a 2 day period.
You can always count on a county fair here in the Bluegrass to produce such a sighting. But, I only spotted one it was on a child around the 4th or 5th grade. Typical KY waterfall. Buzz cut in the front slight wave down the flap.
Then the next sighting was on a pair of older gentlemen with salt and pepper hair. They both had it cut short in the front, not a buzz, and only ran down to the collar in the back. These were sighted at the Valley Station Kroger.
There was a sighting at the Meade County Fair that was not a mullet but was strange all itself. Apparently a young teenage couple, goth clothing, decided it would be cool to introduce a new KISS design on their faces. White face with black accents, but the not your run of the mill KISS standard designs. I stared and was hoping to get a reaction from my stare, but they didn’t care and said nothing. Oh well.
Mullet count: 17
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Link Of The Week
Saturday, July 26, 2008
File Under: WTF?
Fri Jul 25, 6:17 PM ET
A Milwaukee man was accused of shooting his lawn mower because it wouldn't start. Keith Walendowski, 56, was charged with felony possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle and misdemeanor disorderly conduct while armed.
According to the criminal complaint, Walendowski said he was angry because his Lawn Boy wouldn't start Wednesday morning. He told police quote, "I can do that, it's my lawn mower and my yard so I can shoot it if I want."
A woman who lives at Walendowski's house reported the incident. She said he was intoxicated.
Walendowski could face up to an $11,000 fine and six years and three months in prison if convicted.
A call to Walendowski's home went unanswered Friday morning.
Just another example of The Man giving somebody the blues.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Flashback Friday
Tomorrow is a very important day in my life - it's my Life Day. It's the anniversary of my wreck that happened back on July 26, 1992. I celebrate and call it Life Day because the Lord truly was my co-pilot that night and I survived. But as I've been thinking about Life Day, I was reminiscing about the interesting turn of events that happened the night before my crash - 16 years ago tonight.
It was a Friday, just like today. We were having an unusual cool spell, much like the past couple of days. The most interesting thing about the night before my wreck was the fact that I did something that night that I'd never done before: I went out dancing. Some good friends took me to a country bar and dance club that was about a mile or so from home, and I danced almost every song. The following night while those friends and my parents were with me in the emergency room and later on in my hospital room, they even joked about how they didn't think I sat down the entire time we were there. Little did I know that night that in less than twenty-four hours my life would change. At the club, we ran into Nacho, our favorite waiter who worked at one of the local Mexican restaurants. He was there dancing with some friends, too. My friends called the restaurant and told him about my wreck, and I'll be darned if he didn't come to visit me in the hospital and bring me my usual #23 combination dinner and a bowl of guacamole.
Other than one time at a wedding reception, I haven't danced since that night. It's not because I don't have rhythm - it's just because I don't really want to dance anymore. I guess that was something I just wanted to do that night, and once I got it out of my system, I don't want to do it anymore. Who knows? Maybe I'll dance again sometime. But till then, I'm just happy to be able to walk and enjoy my life.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Just Kick Me
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Reality Talent Show Observations
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Nashville Star - Week Seven
This week the contestants performed original songs. For the most part, I have to say they weren't very original. Most of them would have blended in with top 40 country radio, which to some might not be a bad thing, but to me, I think the songs need to really stand out and be different.
Coffey - sang "Southern Man". I think he listened to David Allen Coe's "You Never Called Me By My Name" when he wrote this - he mentioned fishing, trucks, and cowboy hats. Still using way too much vibrato; rapped instead of sang. The words were country but it wasn't a country song.
Melissa Lawson - sang "Ready To Stand". Catchy tune; sang with confidence; made me feel the song; great vocals - stayed on pitch; sang with power and control. I would pay $1.99 to download this from iTunes. Would work great on country radio.
Gabe Garcia - sang "Lost Weekend". Catchy tune; an identifiable and believable song; would be awesome on country radio; great vocals and great lyrics; sang with confidence. Great stage performance. I would also pay $1.99 to download this from iTunes.
Ashlee Hewitt - sang "Mike's Hard Lemonade". Still sounds like Taylor Swift. My ears shut down after the first verse; couldn't understand some of the words - enunciated a bit too much; the yodeling was pitiful.
Shawn Meyer - sang "I'm Not Looking Back". Vocals were too breathy; the lyrics were too cliche. Major pitch problems and not very clear enunciation; sounded like practically every other song you hear on country radio; the song just didn't stand out.
Ashlee Hewitt and Shawn Meyer were in the bottom two this week, and as much as I was hoping they'd get rid of both of them tonight, only one, Ashlee Hewitt got the boot.
This week's Performance That Made My Ear Bleed was not from the five contestants, but from judge Jewel. After hearing the first few lines from "You Were Meant For Me" I hit the mute button on the remote until she was finished singing.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Gas Price Update
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Link Of The Week
We experiened some "issues" this weekend with the Beemah, namely, it didn't start yesterday morning when I attempted to drive it to Wal-Mart. We quickly deducted that the battery was dead since I hadn't driven it in over a month, so we decided to just hook up the battery charger to it and then away we go. Not so easy. I looked at the owner's manual, and discovered that the battery is underneath the driver's side back seat. No problem. I found a knob that unhooked the seat and lifted it off to in deed find the battery. I consulted the owner's manual once again, and it said to recharge the battery without taking the battery out, one needed to hook up the battery charging cables to the "remote posts" by the engine bulkhead. Ohkayyyyy. That sure narrowed it down. So I did what anyone would do -- I got online and did a Google search. Lo and behold, I found a site with a diagram of where the remote posts were and in about an hour the battery was charged up and I was back in business. But I owe it all to the site that helped me, Howdini. Please check them out at http://howdini.com and find out how to do just about anything you want. This site definitely gets the TWIT Seal Of Approval.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Strange Observations From My Bike Ride
I slept in a bit this morning, but managed to get out of bed and hit the bike trail by 10:00 this morning before it got too hot. It was still pretty warm, but it wasn't a bad ride. It was fairly pleasant - I was listening to the "Pure Funk" album on my MP3 player as I peddaled along. I always try to look ahead in case there's any tree limbs or foreign objects on the path that I need to avoid. Today, I spotted some things that made me go "hmmm". On the 9 mile round trip today, I spotted three ink pens. One pen might not be odd, considering there has been some work going on along the road that runs parallel to the bike trail and maybe a worker dropped their pen. But three? And they were spaced about a mile or more apart. Now, when I ride, I normally don't carry a pen with me in my little bike pack, and I can't really imagine why a bike rider would need a pen with them, either. So I don't really think they fell out of the pocket or pack of a bicyclist. I just don't have an explanation for this one. I also saw an almost-full bottle of Pepto Bismal this morning - only it was out in the road and not on the path. I bet someone really missed that when they got home.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Flashback Friday
We're not quite at the drought stage yet like we were this time last summer, but we sure haven't had much rain lately. Yet something made me think of the very cool bubble umbrella from back in the day. Before we go any further, let me just say that like the Merlin game, I never had a bubble umbrella. And also like the Merlin game, I always wanted one.
The bubble umbrellas were very cool, and very popular. Here's a quote from a faithful reader about their bubble umbrella: "The great thing about the bubble umbrella was that you could pull it down over your head and shoulders and still see where you were going because it was clear. The thing about it was that the rain would run down and really drip onto your feet. I loved my bubble umbrella; it had flowers on it. A girl here at work recently bought a home over in Germantown and found one in the attic. It was true retro; very cool."
Like I said, the bubble umbrellas were very popular. You would see them all over the place on rainy days. They were frequently used by kids standing at the bus stop. Though I never saw too many adults using them, though. But the kids loved them. Like I said, I never had one, even though I wanted one. Mom and Grandma never told me why they wouldn't buy me one, either. Their response was always "You've already got a good umbrella - you don't need another one." And I believed them.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Nashville Star - Week Six
This week was "love song" week - the contestants were supposed to sing a love song. The key word in the previous sentence is "supposed".
Ashley Hewitt - sang "Cowboy Take Me Away" by the Dixie Chicks. Still talked through the song instead of singing; still sounded like Taylor Swift, but by the end of the song sounded like the judge Jewel; major pitch problems; screamed the power notes instead of singing.
Gabe Garcia - sang "Must Be Doing Something Right" by Billy Currington. Great vocals and vocal control as usual; great control on the high notes and falsetto; smiled more this week; best performance of the week. Is already a polished and solid performer.
Coffey - sang 'It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Weak vocals; still too much vibrato - sounded like a billy goat; sang too soft with no power; needs to buck up and not be overly emotional when singing; major pitch problems; looked and acted too mechanical.
Melissa Lawson - sang "My Baby Loves Me" by Martina McBride. Great vocals and vocal control; good movement around on the stage; good arrangement; sang with a tad too much power - slightly oversang the song.
Laura & Sophie - sang "Picture To Burn" by Taylor Swift. Weak vocals; major pitch problems; harmonies were way off. The on stage choreography needs to go; only positive thing I can say about the performance was their outfits and hairstyles were more mature. Worst performance of the week.
Shawn Meyer - sang "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood. Sounded like a karaoke performance. Stayed on pitch but the performance was very cheesy; slurred the notes too much; crowd loved it but I didn't - performance was too mechanical and too karaoke.
Laura & Sophie and Shawn Meyer were in the bottom two this week, with Laura & Sophie getting the boot. For their sakes, I was glad they got voted off so they wouldn't have to endure John Rich and Jewel tearing them to shreds like they did tonight. I normally agree with Jewel's comments, but tonight she was way out of line. John Rich asked one of the girls why she rolled their eyes at Jewel last week. The girl said she didn't remember rolling her eyes. Jewel said she wasn't sure what was going on and thought maybe she was having a siezure or something. I could not breathe when I heard that comment made on national television. Jewel owes an on-the-air apology for that. I was going to go out and buy Jewel's new CD, but after hearing that, I'll save my money.
I could really identify with Laura and Sophie, and up until last week, I kinda liked them. I was just like them as a young teenager - singing at church and in local shows with a friend from church. I'm hoping they won't get discouraged and will continue to polish their vocals, because as their vocals develop and as they mature, they have the ability to become a great duet.
Coffey and Shawn Meyer's performances this week made me want to change the channel, but the Performance That Made My Ears Bleed was the Taylor Swift wannabe Ashley Hewitt. I know I'm critical in my reviews, but let's be real - does country music really need another little blonde singer - especially one that sounds like Taylor Swift? I don't think so. Even when they sang the pop songs, she still sounded like Taylor Swift. And I cringe when Billy Ray Cyrus or the lady announcer interviews her - when she talks it sounds like she has a mouth full of marbles. And her singing isn't much better.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Crisis At The Compound
I had just gotten out of the bathtub last night and was soaking wet when I heard the words that would soon change our lives forever - "Can you come see what's wrong with the TV." I dried off as fast as I could and threw on some clothes and shuffled to the family room to assess the damage. It wasn't pretty, let me tell you. The screen was black except for about a quarter inch wide strip going across the middle of the screen. I'm guessing that was the extent of the picture. I went back to the living room to check the TV in here, in case it was some weird cable problem going on, but of course the TV picture was fine. The inevitable had finally happend: the old Magnavox console TV set had finally crapped out.
We'd been talking for a few months about buying a new flat screen LCD TV, so instead of the new TV purchase being later, it looks like it's now going to be sooner. But hi-def TV shopping would have to wait till later, because there was another pressing matter that had to be taken care of first: I had to disconnect the TV in the living room and lug it to the family room and hook it back up so they could watch the All Star game. Fortunately for me, that took less than five minutes; actually it took me longer to find a flashlight so I could see behind the TV then it did to get it set up in the family room. Even though the screen was smaller (they were watching a 19 inch set) at least they had something to watch.
This Saturday morning, we're planning on visiting a few stores to start our shopping process. We're leaning toward a 42 inch Vizio LCD TV. I'm sure Susan Lucci will be almost life-like on the big screen.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Bonus Link Of The Week
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Link Of The Week
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Biggest Loser Update
I did something today that was probably one of the dumbest things I've done in a while - I did my daily bike ride at noon when the temperature was 90 degrees and the heat index was 103. I thought that it would be okay, since it was technically still morning and not the 'heat of the day'. I didn't faint or get sick; the only thing that happened was that I was very tired during my return trip home on my shortened eight-mile ride. I stopped 2 times on the return trip to just sit down and rest, but I have to say I didn't feel like I was going to pass out or anything.
On my return trip back home, each time I wanted to stop and call the 'Rents to come and pick me up, I kept on peddaling and said out loud "I'm burning off fat" and just kept on moving toward home. As I said, I stopped a few times and sat down on the grass in the shade and rested and drank some water as a precaution. I never felt like I was going to get sick, but I did feel incredibly tired. But by the time I made it home, I had caught my second wind and felt like I could have gone another mile. I didn't push it, and instead came on in the house and laid down on the Pergo floor in the family room in front of the vents and rested.
As of today, I'm at 41 pounds lost. And this morning after breakfast, the 'Rents said they would buy me a brand new bike when I reach the 50 pound mark. I'm going to kick my eating and exercise regimen up a few notches this week and hope to get my cool new bike soon. Thanks again for your emails and support, and I'll keep you posted.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Farewell, Sarah
TWIT is sad to report that my dear friend Sarah Jones has died. She was 92 years old. We met Sarah when we first came to Fourth Avenue Baptist Church almost fifteen years ago, and she was one of the first friends that we made there. She lived in one of the high rise apartment buildings across the street from the church, and hardly ever missed a Sunday. Even when she had to go to a nursing home, she travelled every Sunday morning by bus just to attend church.
Sarah had some very interesting stories to tell about growing up during the depression and about dealing with the Civil Rights Movement. She said that no matter how tough or bad times were, she and her family always dressed up for church; she said that back then, church was just about the only public place that African Americans were welcomed, so they were going to dress up for it.
I owe a debt of thanks to Sarah - she was the person that gave me the knickname of "Puddin." Whenever I would give her a hug, she would always make a comment about "Puddin's rosey cheeks" and before I knew it the knickname stuck, and church members and family members were calling me Puddin. Sarah was also the first person to give me a special request to sing at church. She asked me to sing one of her favorite songs, "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" and I was more than happy to sing it for her.
You will be missed, Sarah. You showed and gave us unconditional love. And I know that when you reached the pearly gates of heaven this week, you were dressed to the nines.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
File Under: WTF?
St. Petersburg's Channel Five said the man's wife, upset with her husband for being drunk and refusing to get up, kicked a handle after an argument, activating a mechanism that folds the couch up against a wall.
The couch, which doubles as a bed, folds up automatically in order to save space. The man fell between the mattress and the back of the couch, Channel Five quoted emergency workers as saying.
The woman then walked out of the room and returned three hours later to check on what she thought was an unusually quiet sleeping husband.
Police refused to comment.
The St. Petersburg Emergency Services Ministry said a private rescue service removed the man's body.
Video on the television channel's Web site showed emergency workers sawing away the side panels of a couch to remove a man in his underwear lying headfirst between the cushions. Emergency workers said the man died instantly.
At least he didn't suffer.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Mullet Watch
I encountered a surprise mullet sighting tonight on my evening bicycle ride. I was riding past a local neighborhood bar and grill and was surprised to hear someone call out my name. I slowed down to see who was calling me and it was none other than a fellow VFW member. I turned around and rode over to where he was and we chatted for a few moments. As we were chatting, I spotted the mullet coming out of the bar out onto the deck area. The mullet was long and wavy, and was clearly dyed jet black; so black that it was almost dark purple. It was wearing a cut-off black NASCAR t-shirt and jeans, and one could tell he had spent some time grooming the mullet.
Mullet count: 14
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Nashville Star - Week Five
In case I haven't mentioned this before, the winner of this season's Nashville Star will be performing during the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Which will be about a month. That means the winner has just four short weeks to transform theirself into a mega performer in order to be able to pull off an Olympic performance. All I can say is with the contestants left, good luck. Tonight two contestants were eliminated.
Tommy Stanley - eliminated 2 minutes after the show started. He didn't even get to perform tonight before getting the boot, thank goodness.
Melissa Lawson - sang "Danny's Song" by Anne Murray. Sang a ballad with power and control; good enounciation; good version and arrangement of the song. Made the song her own. Will still be in the final two.
Laura and Sophie - sang "Walking After Midnight" by Patsy Cline. Walked out on stage holding hands after getting into fights all week long. Still act like they're singing in front of the mirror in their bedroom; slurred too much; dance moves were awkward. Horrible version of an awesome song. Made it through this week by a miracle.
Gabe Garcia - sang "Somebody Like You" by Keith Urban. Great vocals; made the song his own. More at ease on stage this week; good crowd interaction; moved around more on stage; biggest response from the crowd during this week's show. Still the only true country singer on the show. Will still be in the final two.
Shawn Mayer - sang "First Cut Is The Deepest" by Sheryl Crow. Terrible version and arrangement; took a few lines to figure out what the song was. Tried to sound like Dolly Parton; vocals were weak; looked like she was going to burst out in tears.
Coffey - sang "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner. Blues version of the song was cool but it wasn't country; too much vibrato and way too many gimmicks (tossing the guitar to the side, knocking over the mic stand; running through the audience). Too much audience interaction and not enough emphasis on vocals.
Ashlee Hewitt - sang "Take The Money And Run" by Steve Miller Band. Not country enough; tried to sound like Taylor Swift - there's already one Taylor Swift and country music doesn't need another one; performed barefooted.
Pearl Heart - sang "Ain't Going Down Till The Sun Comes Up" by Garth Brooks. Excellent arrangement; could hear all of the words clearly on the fast song; good harmonies; electric guitars were a cool addition; their best performance so far.
After Tommy Stanley was eliminated, Ashlee Hewitt and Pearl Heart remained in the bottom two, but Pearl Heart got the boot. I was very disappointed - they have natural talent and have potential that can be molded into great performers.
Listening to Ashlee Hewitt talk her way through her song a la Taylor Swift almost made my ears bleed, but this week Laura and Sophie are the winners of the Performance That Made My Ears Bleed. I have a rule that nobody other than Patsy Cline should sing Patsy Cline songs. And Patsy Cline is dead. Nuff said.
Monday, July 7, 2008
My New Favorite Bumper Sticker
I know I'm not a postal worker, nor have I ever been one, but I thought this was hilarious.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Link Of The Week
If you're like me, hardly a week goes by that I don't get a forwarded email promising new found wealth or good fortune. That's all well and good, but FYI I'm still waiting on the new found wealth. Maybe that's because I don't forward the email to everyone I know. But I digress. Anyhoo, when I got my computer and first went online it didn't take long before I got a few emails saying Microsoft was going to give me a check for $100 if I forwarded that email to a bizillion people. Being one of the biggest companies in the world, it would have been within the realm of possibility for that to actually happen. Well, it didn't. But those hoax emails hasn't stopped Microsoft from being one of the more socially conscious and humanitarian companies around. They love to donate money to worthy causes and they want to donate some money, but in return, all they're asking is for us to use their Windows Live Hotmail or Messenger programs, they're going to donate money to some very worthy causes. Each time we send an email through our Hotmail account or chat with their instant message program, they will donate a portion of their advertising revenue to organizations like the American Red Cross, the National AIDS Fund, and the Boys and Girls Club just to name a few. Please visit http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/Default.aspx and start emailing and chatting.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Way To Go, Pleasure Ridge Park Panthers
This is a few weeks late, but better late than never. TWIT would like to congratulate the Pleasure Ridge Park Panthers for winning the Kentucky state high school baseball championship for 2008. The Panthers beat Lawrence County 4-1, and finished the season with a 38 wins and only 4 losses. This was PRP's fourth state championship.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Flashback Friday
About a month ago, I bought a digital converter box for the TV in my bedroom; I don't have cable back there and decided to go ahead and get the box or else I would procrastinate and it would be February 17 and I wouldn't have my box yet. But I digress. It's like having a new TV - and I get a better picture on NBC now then on our TVs that are connected to cable. Since I can get NBC now, I've been hooked on their reality shows - Nashville Star, America's Got Talent, and my current favorite, Celebrity Circus. As I've been watching super model Rachel Hunter and others perform circus acts every week, it's reminded me of another awesome show, "Circus Of The Stars."
There were 19 exciting and entertaining episodes of "Circus Of The Stars", and it ran from 1977 till 1994. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, the show featured celebrities doing various circus acts - the trapeze, high wire, clown acts, animal acts, and you could always count on at least one death-defying stunt. My favorite act was when the celebrities would swing on the trapeze. Of course they had a net down below, but it was still exciting because they were swinging without a safety harness (like they use on today's "Celebrity Circus"). One of my favorite 70's TV actresses Cathy Lee Crosby appeared on over half dozen "Circus Of The Stars" shows and each time she was on the trapeze. Other favorite acts were when Loni Anderson walked on broken glass and actually cut her ankle and was bleeding all over the place while the ringmaster (usually John Davidson) was whispering to the camera about how brave she was.
Another regular feature on "Circus Of The Stars" was the celebrity clown. Each episode, they would have a celebrity dressed up as a clown. They would show the clown before each commercial break, and the announcer would give clues so you could try and figure out who the clown was. I remember one time it was Dick Clark, who was dressed as a female clown with a big butt and lots of cleavage.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Mullet Watch
We have another first in our mullet sightings. Faithful reader and mullet spotter Abi has spotted our first mullet at a national landmark. Here's her report:
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Nashville Star - Week Four
I haven't checked the Neilson ratings for the show, but I would be willing to bet that as the weeks go by, the ratings are dropping. Personally, I'll watch it till the bitter end, just out of curiosity and to give me something to write about in TWIT. Week four brought us two performances by the contestants, which in most cases was two too many.
Ashlee Hewitt - sang "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. Must have seen Martina perform this in concert and wanted to copy her. Martina can pull it off; she couldn't. Vocals were weak and very pitchy; looked and acted uncomfortable while playing the piano. Was unsure and hesitant.
Sang "Help Me Make It Through The Night" - once again, she must have heard this from Martina's "Timeless" CD. Sounded like she forgot the melody, but somehow managed to stay on pitch. I almost fell off the bed when judge Jeffrey Steele said she sounded like a modern day Tammy Wynette.
Coffey - sang "Hey Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams. Weak vocals; too much vibrato. Had good band interaction. Still too much pop and not enough country.
Sang "Take Me Home Country Roads" by John Denver. Too much vibrato and very weak vocals; tried to connect with the audience by asking them to sing along - this was a performance, not a camp fire sing-along. Still seems very awkward. Sounds and acts like an theme park performer attempting to sing the country music portion of a show.
Tommy Stanley - sang "Bless The Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. Still trying to sound country but is too pop; vocals very weak and pitchy; thinking and concentrating too much instead of just singing. Also sounds and acts like the above mentioned theme park performer.
Sang "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John. Must have heard Tim McGraw's version of this song and decided to copy. Tim pulled it off; he couldn't. Sounded very pop while the band was playing country; looked very awkward on stage.
Pearl Heart - sang "I'll Still Be Loving You" by Restless Heart. Excellent song choice; very pleased that judge Jeffrey Steele said it was one of the greatest songs ever written. Harmonies were flat through most of the song. No lead vocals - just three part harmony during all of the song was a cool arrangement; would have been better if they could have stayed on pitch.
Sang "One Way Ticket" by LeeAnn Rimes. Weak on the beginning but got stronger on harmonies. Still seem uncomfortable and unsure on stage; dressed more mature this week - outfits were very cool.
Melissa Lawson - sang "This One's For The Girls" by Martina McBride. Strong intro; sang with feeling. Strong clear vocals. Good song arrangement. Nailed the high notes and stayed on pitch. Best performance of the night.
Sang "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. Still sang with power while singing softer; made the rock song country; didn't belt out too much.
Shawn Mayer - sang "Breathe" by Faith Hill. Couldn't understand the vocals when singing soft; stayed on pitch, but sang too breathy.
Sang "Forever And Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis. Sounded like an American Idol contestant on country music night; not consistent. Outfit was a bit much for country.
Gabe Garcia - sang "Wanted Dead Or Alive" by Bon Jovi. Made it country. Good strong vocals and stayed on pitch; made the song his own. Seems more at ease on stage - moved around a bit more. Second best performance of the night.
Sang "The Fireman" by George Strait. Good strong vocals; more at ease singing the country songs. King George would have been proud. Is the only true country singer in the competition. Will be in the final two.
Alyson Gilbert - sang "She's In Love With The Boy" by Trisha Yearwood. Strong vocals; stayed on pitch. Too much stage presence again - seems to try too hard. Has watched Martina McBride perform and copied the way she opens her hand while holding the microphone; was hoping she would drop the microphone.
Laura and Sophie - sang "Walking On Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves. Good rock version but this is a country competition; harmonies and vocals were way off. Still felt like I was watching the girls perform in front of a mirror in their bedroom while holding a hairbrush as a mic.
Sang "Because Of You" by Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson. A horrible version; off pitch through most of the song.
This week, Alyson Gilbert and Laura and Sopie were in the bottom two. After Alyson got the boot, Laura and Sopie gave their horrible performance of "Because Of You." Maybe knowing they were one step away from getting the boot is what caused them to suck.
This week's Performance That Made My Ears Bleed was the horrible version of "Because Of You" by Laura and Sophie. Thank goodness they only sang about a minute of the song; but that was sixty seconds more than I could stand.
A couple of interesting observations from Week Four's telecast: Vanessa Williams was in the audience, as was Louisville's favorite country-DJ-you-love-to-hate Coyote Calhoun.
