Digital Brainwaves

I haven’t done this in over a year, and I’ve got new readers who haven’t seen it before, so it’s time for a comeback.

This weekend is Ask Me Weekend #6. Kinda like “open line Friday,” leave a comment below asking me a question you’d like answered in a blog post this weekend. Most anything goes, though I always reserve the right to delete egriegiously offensive comments and spam.

Have a go, and make it interesting!

Interesting article in today’s Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. With New York’s US senator Hillary Clinton soon to depart the race for president, Clinton supporters who don’t care for Barack Obama and John McCain’s appeal to some independant voters, the state of New York could be in play for the first time since Ronald Reagan won the state (and all the others, too, save for Minnesota) in 1984.

UPDATE: The article also points out that this could all go out the window if Clinton becomes Obama’s running mate. Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal why he shouldn’t pick her: “She doesn’t turn the page. She is the page.”

Michael Yon, as part of an invitation to US Senators, including the presidential candidates, to tour Iraq with him to see what’s really going on and how well things really are going, makes “a stunning prediction:” the war in Iraq could be over by the end of 2008.

Confederate Yankee has the quote and more details, along with a line of his own: “History will not remember pro-defeat politicians or activists kindly.”

I wasn’t sure, and neither was Redstate.com. But they did endorse Barack Obama back in 1996.

Redstate did some digging, and was rather disturbed by what they found. See why this might be bad for Obama, and why it’s definitely bad for America.

Two hours of tripe followed by a few minutes of actual contest-related content… THIS… is American Idol!
Continue reading ‘American Idol 5/21 - THE WINNER IS…’ »

Finally caught up! I’ll have this one done in time to vote.

• Michael Buffer to announce the beginning of the show… cute.
• “Sugarfoot” Cook?
• Yeah, “Babyface” I can see.
• Huuuuuuuuge stage for the finale at the Nokia theater.
• Earlier contestants in the audience, along with Luke Perry and kiddies…
• Crowd sounds pretty even, though slightly in Archuleta’s favor.
• Simon’s dressed up a little more than normal.
• FOUR hours of voting time tonight.
• Clive Davis and Andrew Lloyd Weber mentor the two this week.
• Archuleta won a coin toss following the results show last week, and will perform last.
• The Davids talk each other up.
• Round one will feature songs picked by Clive Davis. Boxing match metaphors continue to abound.
  1. David Cook - “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” - This could be released as a single today. Awesome beyond words. The bar is starting HIGH.
  2. David Archuleta - “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” - This is one of my favorite songs. I’m not sure he’s doing all he can with it — he’s moving some notes around, but it sounds a lot like the Elton John original. Great job with it, but he can do more… which he does at the end. I think he’s redeemed himself a little from the beginning.
• I score round one, slightly, in Cook’s favor. Simon disagrees.
• Round two consists of the contestants’ choices from among the top ten submissions of new songs written for the show.
  1. David Cook - “Dream Big” (Emily Shackleton) - Perfect song and arrangement for Cook’s style, as he plays along on guitar. Hopefully that last long high note doesn’t blow out his voice, ’cause it sounded great.
• I’m not sure what song Simon was listening to, this was rockin’.
  2. David Archuleta - “In This Moment” (Ryan Gilmore) - He sings a decent song very well, but it sounds a lot like previous Idol winners’ winning songs. That’s one of the things I liked about the “Dream Big” performance, that it was different.
• Simon keeps calling it for Archuleta, but he’s been sounding like the same old Idol finalist. I like different, and I like the rocking-er music. (Yes, I’m making up words. Shut up. :-P)
• Final round: contestants’ choice.
  1. David Cook - “The World I Know” - Cook’s never performed this song before, but he does it smashingly. Same as the first two, I’d buy all three as singles.
• Cook’s starting to break down now that’s he’s done performing for competition.
• Simon’s obviously got his favorite. In the words of Tony Stark… “I respectfully disagree.”
• Nice comment from David: “Why do something I’ve already done?” Probably as close as he’s going to get to snarking at Archuleta.
2. David Archuleta - “Imagine” - David is reusing a song he’s done previously. I’d have preferred something new instead of a retread. Not to say he does a bad job with it, absolutely the opposite. But We’ve seen this performance once already this season.
• Ruben Studdard sings out the finale with “Celebrate Me Home.”

The judges appear to have their favorites, and I have mine…

My vote and my favorite to win: David Cook.

See ya tomorrow night for the grand finale!

One last catchup blog, with the results of the top three. The finalists are chosen tonight.
Continue reading ‘American Idol 5/14’ »

Top three week on Idol — three performers, three song choices from three different groups.

Continue reading ‘American Idol 5/13’ »

Results for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame week.
Continue reading ‘American Idol 5/7’ »

Two weeks behind on blogging these, so today is catch-up day. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerewego!
Continue reading ‘American Idol 5/6’ »