American Idol - Top 5 - Music of the Rat Pack Era

This is probably the best top 5 left on American Idol. Each year it seems like there is one person who just doesn't fit but not this year. They are all so very good, each with their own unique sound. I was wondering what mentor they would have this week...Jamie Foxx! He is the best mentor they have had and it relevant.

On to the Idols:

Kris - "Just the Way You Look Tonight" - Ok...Jamie Foxx loves you and what a great comment to make that he and Kris could work something out if AI doesn't pan out! Beautiful vocals. I like the R&B sound he put to this song and he was true to himself. EXCELLENT! Even if he wasn't from my town...he is one of my two favorites!

Allison - "Someone to Watch Over Me" - Oh wow her hair is gorgeous with the deeper read and the black! Also Happy Birthday! She looks beautiful and sang a ballad really really well. She had her distinctive voice yet showed us the softer side of Allison. VERY GOOD JOB!

Matt - "My Funny Valentine" - Oh...he has the hat on again, which means he should do well. WOW! The ending was FANTASTIC...the beginning was too low. I have to say I like his higher range better than the "full voice". Matt's only problem is that he does not appear to have much confidence in himself. Overall, GOOD JOB!

Danny - "Come Rain or Come Shine" - YES! He is back! This is what he needs to be singing. He came into his own tonight! I liked Kara's comment about him getting "the swagger" back...yes he did and with that performance you can tell he sees the end and wants it! EXCELLENT!

Up until this point I had thoroughly enjoyed hearing the true vocals of each finalist. Adam always makes me nervous...these songs are classic...do screw one up.

Adam - "Feeling Good" - I don't know this song. I must agree with Randy...and I have said from the beginning...over the top...too theatrical for my taste. He is always spot on with his vocals so that is not a complement anymore. And of course he did the tongue thing again which I think is reserved for Steven Tyler. The one thing I hate for him is that he seems like he is going to win this and he really doesn't need to. He will have to conform to what AI wants. It will do him better to get 2nd place.

My last note that I wrote last night was "This is the NIGHT OF THE VOCALS!" I think this theme was a great choice, with a great mentor, and a great time in the competition to have a night where the finalist really have to sing and show their vocals.

Click over to BooMama and get her take on American Idol. Also she has a Mr. Linky for all the other AI fans to leave their blog post reviews!

American Idol Goes Disco

I was really worried about the theme "Disco" however, it turned out to be a pretty good night on American Idol.

Lil - "I'm Every Woman" - Karaoke AGAIN! The outfit was horrendous - when you got "back" there is nothing good about putting on a catsuit...even in black... was horrible! The attitude that she displays is just not lady-like and we could see several times where she gets it from as her mother (at least I think it was her mother) was mouthy in the audience as well. NEEDS TO GO HOME!

Kris - "She Works Hard for the Money" - I must admit that I was scared when he was talking to Ryan...however, he had his guitar so I felt like it might be cool...OH MY GOODNESS...it was AWESOME...best of the night! I know what the sound of his album will be and even if he wasn't from our town and church...we would still buy the album. Love his style!

Danny - "September" - He can sing anything and last night he was in the funky sing big zone! We liked it! Solid performance!

Allison - "Hot Stuff" - We love her as well...just does a 16-year old really need to be singing these lyrics. Thought it was a good performance...but that outfit! What is up with the stylists...she doesn't have to dress the part of rocker chick...she is the rocker chick without the bad outfits.

Adam - "If I Can't Have You" - Glad we did not have to endure the screaming this week. Thought it was really good...not his best performance...his voice was whiny sounding last night.
Oh Paula...dry up the waterworks!

Matt - "Stayin' Alive" - We discussed how it could be a disaster...lots of words to spit out in this song. I said...well he will do good because he has the cool JT hat on....and I was right. It was a little shaky at first, but I thought it was enough to keep him here this week.

Anoop - "Dim the Lights" - He has a pure voice and I like that. The first part was good then the groove came in and it just did nothing. We did, however, disagree with Simon about it being his worst...Simon...remember a little song called "Beat It" that Anoop sang? This is hopefully the end of the road for Anoop.

Hoping that Lil and Anoop go home!

Check out BooMama and others for more opinions!

I am My Own Colorist

This picture was taken while I was being the subject along with the dogwood tree behind me for my friend practicing with a camera she is looking to get for her birthday. It is the only picture I have of the new hair color I am sporting this spring. She did a good job on the picture!

If I had known I would have gotten a good picture out of this, I would have put on some lipstick!

And my favorite trees in the spring is the dogwood tree. Here are some pictures of the dogwood tree out behind our building at work.

Did you know I have Famous Parents?

This was for a "talent" show to raise funds for their youth mission trip at their church. The best part his they kinda looked like that back in their college years and when they got married!

Oh...I had tears rolling down my face watching this video!

Happy Sweet 16 Zak!

14 years ago I met this little guy (my future nephew). That summer I was the "nanny" for him and his 4 year old sister. Zak and I formed a special bond that continues on today. You see, I watched them 5 days a week through the summer, however, Kristi went to Mothers Day Out 2 days a week and Zak only went one day. So I was with him 4 days a week and on our two days that it was just us most of the day...we played, watched Barney movies, went shopping and just had so much fun! These pictures were taken when I took the kids to my house. Look at that face! So precious!

Today that cute little boy turns 16 and I feel like...well, I feel old! This precious little blond boy is now 6 foot 5 inches tall. The thing that melts my heart is he still just gives the best hugs. He has never been "too cool" to give hugs and love on his family. He has a tender heart that is rare in 16 year old boys. And I must say that though the blond hair is no more I still think he is pretty cute! Happy Sweet 16 Zachary...my "favorite" nephew!

American Idol Recap - Off to the Movies

Soundtracks from the "Big Screen"...who else is more "qualified" to be a guest mentor than Quentin Tarantino! (insert sarcasm) I'm not a fan! The only thing I can say is that he actually gives them feedback instead of saying "that sounds great".

You know we could really do without all the introductions and the talking that accompanies the introductions of the judges. Seems like if they are going to make the show 1 hour long then they could cut out some of the filler. I mean it was 7:15 and we had only heard one singer. Then we had to commercial break after each singer from about Matt on. Once again they ran over, but really what was left to see is the one thing I hate on AI..."the talking back" from the contestants and the recap.

I must say I was mostly underwhelmed last night. Randy Jackson cracks me up with his wording and since Ryan was channeling his inner-Randy last night I think I will too!

Allison - "Don't Want to Miss A Thing" - Seemed too low for her and I felt like she changed up the melody a little too much. She has been my favorite female this whole time. She has such a voice and control for someone that young. It was "just a'ight for me for her".

Anoop - "Everything I Do" - Go boy! That was probably his best performance so far. He was controlled and didn't loose focus when the crowd started clapping. His voice was beautiful tonight...one of my two favorites for this show! "For me for him"...it was great!

Adam - "Born to be Wild" - that about sums it up for me...wild and erratic. Seemed like he was trying a little to hard. To use one of Simon's words for contestants "precocious". The headbanging and jumping around really messed up his usual spot on vocal. "For me for him"...not his best.

Matt - "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" - His confidence in himself seems to be waning. I mean last week was EXCELLENT and three weeks ago was SUPERB, but it is the in between weeks that are not helping him. I felt bad for him cause it sounded like his voice was strained and tired when he crack going into his higher register. I still want him to do well! "I got mad love for Matt...but for me for him...just a'ight"

Danny - "Endless Love" - I totally disagree with Simon. I loved that he sang the 'original' version. It was so heartfelt and my comment last night was "Oh I LOVE when he sings from his heart". This performance was my favorite from last night! However, I missed the glasses! "For me for him...it was hott"

Kris - "Falling Slowly" - I had never heard this song. I have heard of the movie either. I love to hear Kris sing. I think my problem was that because I didn't know the song it was hard to get into it. His voice is pure and his upper register tonight was very good. "For me for him...strange song choice, but sang it really well"

Lil - "The Rose" - My feelings are the same as last week...I think she needs to go home. She is not getting better or taking the judges advice. Oh the talking back!! She was really fired up with her comments to Simon and that kind of attitude will not take you far. "For me for her...stop talking back...not good, not good"

Even with only two judges commenting they ran over 3 minutes. Like I said, get rid of some of the filler/fluff at the beginning and we will have more time. I just don't think it should take 10-12 minutes before the first contestant sings.
Once again, I was not impressed this week. I'm not sure what next week holds, but I hope it will be better.

For more recaps check out BooMama and all others who link their recap to her's each week!

Praise You Lord

"Oh Praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead"

If it weren't for what Jesus did on the cross and through His Resurection I would not be where I am today! Today I am PRAISING HIM!

ABC's of Me

Received this from my sister in email form, but thought it would be fun for a blog post. Enjoy and if you feel like it, copy this and post with your answers on your blog!

A - Age: 29
B - Baseball Game or Ballet: If Camryn (my 7 year old niece) is dancing the ballet I’d choose that…otherwise a Baseball game
C - Chore you hate: cleaning bathrooms
D - Dream Vacation: Anywhere that is paid for by someone else (mountains, beach, etc.)
E - Easter candy: Jolly Rancher jelly beans (only time of the year I eat them)
F - Favorite Flowers: Gerber Daisies
G - Games: Taboo, Cranium, Newlywed game, Hand and Foot
H - Height: 5’7”
I - Instrument you play: I can play enough piano to learn my own part of a song.
J - Job title: Medical Management Analyst II
K - Kindergarten Memory: forging my Mom’s signature on a note from the teacher…it wasn’t even a bad note. (not smart….my mom taught at the school I was at…can you imagine the signature of a 5 year old?? Got a spanking at school from momma for that one as I should have...lying is a spanking offense)
L - Luxury you live without: professional hair coloring (although…when I can pay $20 tops to do it myself depending my choice of color and/or highlights, why in the world would I pay at the least $75 to have it done?)
M - Mexican food choice: Chicken Fajita nachos…no veggies
N - Nickname: Al (only my sister calls me that)
O - Overnight hospital stay: Not one for myself (stayed the night we two different friends whose hubbies needed the night to be with their kids)
P - Pet Peeve: outdated signs left up
Q - Quotes you like: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”
R - Rainforest or Redwoods: Redwoods (I guess)
S - Siblings: my lovely sister who I am so proud of Andrea
T - Television favorites: American Idol, Biggest Loser, Dancing with the Stars, House
U - Ultimate dessert: hot brownie with ice cream (add chocolate and caramel sauce with nuts on top)
V - Vegetable you dislike: asparagus
W - Ways you run late: not getting up in time
X - X-rays you've had: teeth and one after a girl rear-ended me in high school
Y - Yummy food you make: I make lots of yummy food…learned to cook from my Mom who is a great cook.
Z - Zoo animal that's your favorite: tigers

When it could have been so good---AI recap

Well I was looking forward to American Idol seeing that I love the 80's music. However, last night was disappointing. Here are my thoughts:

Danny Gokey - 1980 - “Stand By Me” - I have liked Danny from the beginning and this performance was another solid one in my book. Not a fan of this pair of spectacles. I prefer the funkier colored rims.

Kris Allen - 1985 - “All She Wants To Do Is Dance” - Funky! I would HATE to have to stand on that little stage with all the people so close to me. I will vote for him and buy his CD. This was not his best performance, but I did not think it was as horrible as the judges made it out to be. Every idol is entitled to an "off" night. Good thing for Kris...it was on a night where there were so many worse performances. Love Kris...he is from our praise band at church! And his mom and I work at the same company.

Lil Rounds - 1984 - “What’s Love Got To Do With It” - Well I'm glad we cleared up the confusion of her name. My words were "I think she is just a good church singer". She has not impressed me yet. I am totally done with Lil. If she truly was taking the judges advice then the critique would not be the same each week...AND we would not have to hear her canned response of "I promise to...blah, blah, blah"

Anoop Desai - 1986 - “True Colors” - WOW!! That sweater was lime green! Much better performance than last week...but his performances are like a yo-yo. He has a beautiful voice, but I doubt I would be buying an album of his.

Scott McIntyre - 1985 - “The Search Is Over” - Not impressed AGAIN! There really was no point in the guitar because I think he played/strummed it about 5 times. Every week I say STOP TALKING BACK to the judges! Interesting that he said this was his "punk side".

Allison Iraheta - 1992 - “I Can’t Make You Love Me” - This girl is AMAZING! Every week it is hard to believe she is 16 years old. She is one of my favs from the beginning! 2nd best performance of the night in my book!

Matt Giraud - 1985 - “Part-Time Lover” - ROCKED IT OUT! Da bomb..."blew it out da box" (sorry last night we were all channeling our inner-Randy). Love the hat, loved the vocals, loved the dancing...loved MATT!

Adam Lambert - 1982 "Mad World" - And since we were watching live, we got to see his performance. I personally am not a fan of Adam. I get so tired of having to listen and watch him think he is Steven Tyler (the tongue and screeching). Now I love me some Aerosmith, but Adam is just not there yet. Usually he is so over-the-top on the performance and the screeching vocals that I can't stand it. Except to say that this guy has never missed a note...EVER (until one of the last ones last night). In fact several of us heard it and commented. He did really good last night and I loved the fact he didn't go into his Steven Tyler impersonation. It was a pure solid performance.

Top three last night for me - Matt, Allison and Adam
Middle - Danny and Kris
Bottom - Scott, Lil and Anoop

I think it is time for Scott to go home only because he is just not in the league of the others. However, Lil could go home because she is not improving at all.

Check out BooMama and all the other recaps at the end of her post.

Thanks for praying

An update to the post below:

Pam was able to go late yesterday evening. She had a tilt table test done to see if they could induce a fainting spell. It was determined she has syncope. She will have to cut out the caffeine and start drinking more water. She needs to up her salt intake. If she feels a spell coming on she is to lay down and elevate her legs. After 4 weeks if she has not had anymore spells she will be able to drive again.
We are praising the Lord for this type of diagnosis when it could have been something so much worse. Thanks for saying a prayer for my friend. Please continue to lift her up as she has some changes to make in her diet and her "go, go, go" lifestyle.