Thank God We Have a Game

It was this week when the initial feelings came back as to why Dana and I created this game for American Idol viewing was necessary.  The last two episodes were loaded with stuff that led me to hate on the show in the first place.  Admittedly, I do look forward to the show, but after it is over I wonder why.  I would have expected to have gotten used to the inane nonsense that comes from Kara's mouth by now, but it just irritates me more each week.  I would have expected to get used to the double-standards the judges use to criticize Matt and applaud Adam.  Instead, I just get angrier each week.  Instead of becoming impervious to the crap of the show (I'll do a list in no particular order: the group song each week, the producer's agenda, the praise and rewarding of screaming, the pleas for originality only to castrate those who try something original, the fake enthusiasm, the refusal to enlighten us on the process of why they have to choose the songs they do...must stop listing before my brain vain bursts), it instead leaves me exhausted each week, and wishing I'd worked a drinking provision into the game rules.

"For me, for you...this was like studio 57...like a bunch of frat guys dared you to...Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler, and Adam Lambert..." just a few of the things I'm not supposed to make fun of on the blog this week (Dana says I'm too mean about it).  But as you can see, there was plenty to work with this week.

I am somewhat sad to see Megan go as she was the closest to the true goofiness of Norman Gentle as we were going to come.  But I did guess her before the show started, whereas Dana picked Scott then switched it.  I got 6 points, she got 3.  But since Megan is on her team and placed 8th (remember Adam does not exist in the scoring), Dana got an empty 10 points.

So, the score stands at:

The Package Artists: 25

Gentle's Giants: 18

Sorry I'm such a complainer this time...we'll all be better off when Adam gets the boot.  Best moment of the performance night was when Matt went, and Dana enjoyed it so thoroughly that she was clapping and saying "Yaaaaaaayyyyyyy!"  But on the second "yay" came an abrupt stop when they cut to Matt's dad who has some sort of an eye condition that causes them to cross...it sounded like this:

"Yaaaaaaaay!!!!  Yaaaaa- Ew!"

And don't worry, SB, she "vooooooted" this week. 

Congrats to the Tide and CATS on great hires this week.  Lynn and Ben, as my only windows into the UK fan base, I'm anxiously awaiting commentary on this.  I'm thinking it is similar to the excitement felt when this happened:

  

'I heard things'

Several funny things happened last night.  I'll start at the beginning.  I thought that since we were having a jam-packed TV night (Lost and Idol), it would be a good idea to get a bottle of wine to go with our dinner (Dana made a stir-fry thing that I liked but she didn't).  Wine, in addition to tasting good, carries with it the bonus of erasing the "judgmental filter" in Dana's brain, and making me funnier.  You can see how this would be advantageous on a night when we are judging amateur singers trying to make it to a doomed-to-fail recording contract.  For instance, where Dana might have remained quiet after a Scott McIntire (the blind guy) introduction, I heard her say, "UGH!" and "Wonder what he's going to bore us with tonight."  While this is not politically correct, I enjoyed it very much because Dana will often wait for me to make these kinds of observations and then say "Ke-ent?!" incredulously. 

I myself was finding my own jokes a little too funny, punctuated by my declaring "I wish they had the technology to clone because I would be best friends with myself!"  Dana didn't let that one go, don't worry.  And while that is a post for another day (it would be cool to hang out with another version of yourself, don't you think?), the point I'm making is that we were in top American Idol viewing form...but not for Lost.  So, I'll just talk about the less important show.

Some scattered observations, and I'll start with the one that is most important:  

How can we hate on Adam this week?

His performance was a good one.  I love that song, more importantly, he didn't mess it up.  His changes to it were actually pretty cool, and when Smokey's on board, I'm on board.  Here's how I hate on him after that.  It was all still just acting.  My main problem with him is that he's not genuine.  The character that he chose to play this week (complete with costume-suit and made-over-hair), is likeable.  The same way that Renee Zellwegger plays good characters sometimes and yet I don't like her in real life.  Even though Adam is everything we said he is (fake, contrived, flamboyant, mercilessly shoved down our throats by the judges), he did a good impression of a likeable contestant this week.  Don't worry, he'll pull out some more crap like last week again soon.  I just hope he doesn't destroy another great song in the process like he did with "Ring of Fire."

Matt was about the only contestant that could sing Marvin Gaye and me not want to kill him for it.  While I thought it wasn't that good, I like him ok, so I won't hold it against him.  Dana liked it and apparently her vision was impaired because she likes the way he looks.

Megan was not so lucky as Matt because I don't forgive her for doing Stevie that way.  She bombed and is probably going home next week.

Allison apparently won the award for "person that the judges have to pretend was better than they were this week."  I thought she was good, but when Kara tried to french-kiss her, I drew the line.

Michael is on my team and even though it's to Gentle's Giants' benefit for him to stick around, I hope he gets kicked off soon.  I've had enough of his dumpy behind prancing around stage.

Anoop - glad you're a "Giant."  Lil - stop screaming and I'll feel better that you were my first pick.  Kris - just keep staying below the radar and make it to the top 4 and I'll be glad you're on my team.  

Another Dana comment from last night: "I'm done with Danny."  WHOA!  Turning on her #1 pick.  I thought he was ok and so did she.  I think Dana, like me, just really hates it when undue praise is heaped upon someone (see: Lambert, Adam)

I think I almost agreed with Kara at one point, and then she launched into an annoying dance and snap routine and I found myself in the familiar place of wishing that Paula elbow her in the nose.

Before the show, we both picked Michael to go home and I think we're both sticking to our picks, so regardless of if the score changes, it will stay tied...unless there's a dramatic, last-second change of picks. DUH-DUH-DUNNNNNN!!!!

The Package Artists - 6

Gentle's Giants - 6

UPDATE: Both teams picked up an additional 6 points this week.  And I feel bad about the "dumpy behind" comment now that Michael has shown that he really is a nice guy.  

Best moment of watching the show with Dana this time was when they revealed that Matt G was in danger and she clinched her fists and looked skyward and yelled out, "I should have VOOOOOTED!!!!!"  

The Package Artists - 12

Gentle's Giants - 12

A few thoughts and a score update

-I'm feeling a little better about my team (now officially named "Gentle's Giants") after this week.  My boys, Kris and Anoop showed they were more than just eye-candy and game-show contestants from movies, respectively.  Michael was my last pick, and I have not liked him from the start...but he does seem to be a good person (I saw a Kate Winslett-induced type tear in Dana's eye when he told the story about his daughter).  Along with my group "picking it up a notch" (Mandelbaum! Mandelbaum!), we had Dana's group (now officially called "'The Package Artists'"...and yes that's a quote within a quote. Sorry, Mr. McCarthy) slowly becoming average.  One of them even went home last night.

-Yes, the need for the extra quotation is because I was trying to help Dana name her team and suggested that one, and she said "But that sounds like I'm making fun of Kara."  To which I replied, "And..?"

-I know that if I was wondering if I was eliminated, I would not take any solace in the fact that one of the judges didn't know my name.  Really, Randy?! You call everybody "dawg" and "sweety" and now we know why.

-I made a score sheet for our little game, and Dana jazzed it up a little.  I'm on Spring Break, so I've got a lot of time on my hands.  And speaking of the score, before the first round I picked Michael to go home and Dana picked Anoop (and she felt bad for having no faith in him after he sang).  She switched her pick to Michael and I stuck with him too.  We were both wrong, so the judges awarded us no points and may God have mercy on our souls.

Score update: Gentle's Giants: 6; 'The Package Artists': 6

-Finally, we made our picks for the NCAA tourney.

Dana's Final Four - UNC, Pitt, Memphis and Louisville

Kent's Final Four - UNC, Villanova, Memphis, and Louisville

Ben and Lynn, we know this jeopardizes our friendship, but just know that we wished we could have picked the C-A-T-S! CATS! CATS! CATS!  March isn't the same without them.

Me gusta Mexico

Mondays are always a shock to my system after having a whole weekend of fun with Kent. So, I'm having "a case of the Mondays" today and wishing I was here instead . . .

Let's Change the Subject

As happy as I've been to see the immense participation and interest in our American Idol posts, I'm changing the subject because it's Friday, and I'm so happy for the weekend! Here's what's going on with us this weekend:

I woke up this morning, and it was raining. According to the news, it will be raining all weekend. This may bother some people, but I love it! I love when it rains and I can stay cozy inside the house and be a homebody. So, because it's raining, here's what we've planned.

Any of you that know Kent know that he loves Alabama, and he loves basketball. This weekend is the SEC basketball tournament, so we'll be watching and, hopefully, the Tide will make it through to the finals. Roll Tide!

FAJITAS! I love making fajitas and having a little "fiesta" when we have a fun TV night. This tradition actually began when Lynn and I lived together. Lynn taught me all I know about making fajitas, and we would regularly have fajita night for The OC, American Idol, The Starlet (random tv show that only we watched). It's the best! So, I'm breaking them out tonight for the big game against UT. Also, Kent is officially on Spring Break, so we need to spice things up.

So, I'm a big fan of Wes Anderson movies. The Life Aquatic came via Netflix two days ago, so we're screening it this weekend. Kent has never seen it, but I'm convinced he'll like it. It may not be as popular as Anderson's other movies, but it humor and charm of its own. Plus, lots of random David Bowie songs. I'm excited to watch it again. Team Zissou!

Hope all of you have great weekends too!

update

Wow, that was some response!  

Scoring update: Dana 6 Kent 6.  She picked Jasmine and Michael before the 1st round, then stuck to her picks.

I had Michael and Megan, and changed to Jasmine and Jorge based on their performances.  So Dana got 6 for picking one right ahead of time and I got 3 and 3.

Ben and Lynn, I hope you have a version of this game as it would be perfect to help Ben through each week.

We did enjoy the bird calls of Megan's performance, but it made me want to see Norman Gentle perform because he would give us two minutes of the same ridiculousness.

To agree with SB, Dana's team is stacked, and I am rooting for most of them to do well, but I figured that I would go the route of America voting for the least deserving or the sappy picks (I do like Scott, but he is not in the top 8; and Dana got Gokey before I could get my pick).  Glad everyone enjoys the idea, I know we do.  I'll be sure to let everyone know how it is going.

I think my team name should be The Gentles...or maybe not, we'll see. 

Let the game begin!

Ok, before we get started, I should probably backtrack a tad on what I said yesterday.  The contestants don't really "self-promote" as bad as they are shamelessly promoted by the producers of the show assuming that their audience is stupid and cram contestants down the throats of America.  The best singer never wins except (according to Dana) last year when David Cook won.  And I will admit that he is the only Idol winner that I wouldn't change the station from on the radio.  Taylor Hicks' fan base is not comprised entirely of losers because apparently Sarah Beth likes him (wha?!).  But he's still a joke.  End of backtracking, I stand by what I said about Kara.  And remember that when the rest of America is fed up with her condescension to the blind guy.

On to the game rules and how it works.  We made this up as we went last night, but here's the basic premise: 

Dana has a team of 6 (Danny Gokey; Megan the swingy-armed; Alison the Goth; Jasmine Murray; Matt Giraud; Alexis Grace)  

I have a team of 6 (Lil Rounds; Michael Sarver; Anoop -dawg; Jorge Nunez; Scott said blind guy; and Kris Allen).  

We have yet to name our teams, but some possible themes are that Dana is almost a racist and I'm almost a sexist based on our picks.  Or she could be "The Widowers" to my "The Visually Impaired."  We don't know yet.

Scoring: 

Winner - 120 pts

Runner-up - 80 pts

3rd - 60 pts

4th - 50 pts

5th - 40 pts and so on until 8th place.  If you can't make the top 8, you don't get a point.  

We also pick who we think is going to get eliminated before the performance show (worth 6 points if correct) and have an option to change our pick between the performance and the elimination show (worth 3 points if correct).  So, you get rewarded double if you pick ahead of time who is going to stink and America agrees with you.  Of course, it sounded like they changed the process last night so that they could keep Adam Lambert as long as they wanted which brings us to...

Moment of Unity:

Although this is a competition between us, we needed to have a time each show to put away our swords and come together in a spirit of togetherness.  Because this was about hanging out together and having fun.  That will be created when we hem and haw over Adam Lambert's awful, closeted, contrived, and infuriating performance each week.  He will not figure into the scoring because we will ignore him as far as that goes.  

Ok, so that is the game.  I think my team will get more votes, but I like Dana's team better as far as being good singers and not annoying.  That said, I liked my Kris Allen pick until he sabotaged himself by telling the little girls of America that he had a wife.

Dana got the first pick and took Gokey.  My first pick was Lil Rounds.  We'll see how it plays out for "The Teams to be named."

One way to watch American Idol

I have hated American Idol almost since the first time I saw it.  My sister loved it, and as has often happened, it prompted me to feel the opposite (which is why I began liking North Caroliona basketball...she thought Christian Laettner was awesome and we see how that worked out).  My feelings on the show are confirmed and reinforced with every airing of it (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week).  They reward screaming, shameless self-promotion and the winner is never the best singer, just the one with the most votes from his loser-fanbase (see: Hicks, Taylor)

Nevertheless, people watch every week despite all the things that turn me off about it.  Dana likes it.  And rather than excuse myself all 4 nights a week that they show it on Fox, I decided to try and stomach it.  Funny thing happened, I still hated it.  But I hate it with an opinion about almost all the contestants, but more importantly the judges (Randy-clown; Paula-loveably dumb but nice, Simon - awesome, Kara-should be electro-shocked every time she opens her mouth).  I've been sucked in...and yes that's the right verb relative to the show's producers.

But to ease the annoyance each week, Dana and I are drafting the final 12 tonight onto two respective teams.  We devised a scoring system and everything.  What about the 13th person?  We decided to collectively hate on Adam Lambert for the entirety of the season and keep him from figuring into the scoring at all.

I'll let you know how it goes after tonight, but if you need help making it through this show like I do, maybe this will help.  I'm actually excited about it.  It almost helps me forget that they cut Normund Gentle who would have gotten me to watch without any game attached.

Like everyone else in Alabama, we made a big deal about the snow on Sunday.  It was a great day all the way around.  We woke up and went to the Waysider for breakfast with Melissa and Brian.  Then we came home, said goodbye to our guests and bundled up.  We were taking Pistol to the park (whether Dana wanted to or not...she ended up very happy she went).  Grits was just fine curled up next to the space heater in the shed, and wouldn't be bothered to come along.  

It was crowded, but still very fun at the park.  And if we hadn't gone when we did, there would have been no snow to go and enjoy anyway.  In the hour and a half we were there, the snow melted away.  That is why we used that magical Japanese technology to capture the moments.  Here you go, enjoy!

I Love the 90's

So, over the last couple of months, Kent and I Netflixed the series "My So-Called Life." Ahh, the comfort of plaid flannel shirts, Doc Martens, and the general sense of 90's teen angst. I never really entered a "grunge" phase myself, but the show calls to mind a whole other time period that doesn't feel so long ago, but in watching this, was forever ago.

I didn't watch this show the first time around because I think I was "too young," and it had the reputation of being edgy and mature. I don't think Mom and Dad were too enthused. So, imagine my surprise when I was watching the DVDs to see how tame this show is. Although, that's probably because it's tame by today's standards. Sure, they talk about teenage sex, but it's not for shock value, and it's discussed in a very adolescent way. The main character doesn't drink, doesn't have sex, doesn't care about high fashion. There is one small incident with a gun at school that accidentally goes off and hits a locker. That's nothing compared to the horrors we hear of now. The characters participate in school plays, go to parties, eat dinner with their parents, break up with guys, have crushes, experience peer pressure. One character suffers with drugs and alcohol, but she's one character amidst her supportive friends who try to help her. There's the eternal heartthrob bad boy Jordan Catalano...the good-hearted nerd Brian...the sexually confused Ricky...the parents still trying to figure out teenagers and how to keep their relationship alive and well.

All of this is to say, it was refreshing to watch a show about teenagers that showcases actual teenage life and problems. Don't get me wrong, I watch Gossip Girl (and 90210, ugh) on a regular basis, but when have teenagers EVER had lives like these? I sound like I'm 100 years old, but I liked seeing normal girls and guys that don't have cell phones plastered to their hands, don't go to nightclubs when they're 15, aren't all about being mean to each other, and don't wear designer everything.

I hope a new show will emerge soon that portrays a more honest depiction of life. Or maybe I'm just stuck in the 90's.