Vegas Baby!

I was cleaning out my camera so I could take pictures of the new apartment and I found these. I never did blog about our last Vegas trip other than to say we went there. These are the pictures I took the day we went to the Hard Rock. They rent their cabanas to non-guests AND we had a coupon for half off! the following people were there all day: Kim (aunt), Rick (Kim's husband), Peggy (aunt), Paul (Peggy's husband), and me. the following made guest appearances: Nancy (my mom), Mike (my husband), and Scott (my uncle). Scott and my mom stayed for a long time but didn't get in the pool.

Vegas by the Pool

My New Life

I'm getting ready to start bloging about my our new apartment! I'm going to measure it and take pictures tomorrow. I'll post those pictures this weekend. It's so cute!! I know some of you are getting tired of all the AI posts and I'll try to tone those down or at least include something more!

Will He Stay or Will He Go Now?

Will Sanjaya make it? That's the question on every one's mind. Well, that and what will his hair look like! It's the results show and we know a few things going in: there will be a recap of what we had to endure last night, Gwen will perform, there will be a Ford commercial, they will give us a lame question for the "Idol Challenge," and someone will be heading to the airport after the show! I'm hoping that's there's a group sing. We shall see because THIS is American Idol!

Ryan just came out in a Faux-Hawk and it looks...a little like a samurai wig. "I've been Sanjaya-ed." And here's the recap. And then...the break.

The Ford Commercial is "I Fought the Law." TOO much Chris R. for me. YUCK!

Blake is safe.
LaKisha is safe.
Phil (PLEASE BE IN THE BOTTOM THREE) YES!
Melinda is safe.
Chris R. is (PLEASE BE IN THE BOTTOM THREE) DAMN! He's safe.
Sanjaya is SAFE!!! GO Sanjaya, GO!
Haley is in the bottom three.
Jordin is safe.
Gina or Chris S. will be joining Phil and Haley...after the break.

But first, we see last weeks winner of the AI Challenge. Hello! This weeks question is stupid like the others. Velvet Teddy Bear? Hummm! Who could that be? DUH! Gotta go enter! You may just see me next week! Yeah, right!

Some pimping for the charity thingy and then Gwen. HEY! LOOK! Dancers! I think someone else besides Gwen wrote the songs for No Doubt. This is all style and no substance. It's Fast Music. "I'll have the #3 with a large synthesizer and a side of dance." I'll never understand baggy pants look that shows your underwear. I don't want anyone to know what color my underwear are. I guess I'm just too old.

Another break.

I think Chris S. is going to be in the bottom three and I'm right. Well, my original thought on the bottom three was correct. Go with your gut next time!

Going home tonight is Chris S. See ya! It was great knowing you. Good luck! I'm sure your CD with "Half Past Forever" will sell great. I thought you had a good chance but you really didn't bring it like I thought you would. Chris is doing great job with the song tonight. He should have sang this good last night. We will miss you!

Well, I got that one wrong. Don't forget to vote Sanjaya next week!

Don't Speak...SING Damn it!

It's Tuesday and this is American Idol. Gwen is gorgeous!! LaKisha is up first and singing Donna Summer. WHOO! That dress is a little too busy for a big girl. The top half is great and the bottom half is Joseph's Coat of Many Colors. She sounds good as normal but it was kinda boring. I'm getting tired of this one trick pony. Randy says it was a change? Oh well! What do I know! Boy! The judges are pimping her a ton! It's great to be the chosen one.

Time to play the bills! I forgot to reset my Tivo to record longer so I have to do this live but I will have these wonderful (rolling of the eyes) commercial breaks to catch up and correct my spelling! As normal, I'm playing poker too.

Oh! I forgot to tell you all! Mike and I found a new place to live! We're getting kicked out of the town house because it was sold. It was REALLY cheap so finding a place we could afford without fainting was a chore. It's expensive out there. The place a really cute it's smaller but it's right downtown. I will be walking to work!! It's not really a choice. It would take me longer to drive. More later!

We're back. Chris S. is in the chair for the question. He is singing Police!! I love them. He was suppose to be last so this is not good. He's a little off and a little nasally (is that a word? I guess spell check will let me know.). Not too good for Chris S. He might be in danger tonight because I'm voting for Sanjaya! I'm disappointed in him and have been for awhile. I haven't voiced that opinion because I liked him but I'm strangely free to talk about the contested that I wanted to like but really didn't.

Gina is next and what in the hell is she wearing? It's too shiny. She's doing MUCH better than last week. The judges like it and call it her best performance AND the best performance so far tonight. I agree! Too bad I have Sanjaya Fever. Maybe I can vote for both of them.

Commercial Break: Okay, back to the apartment. It's in an old building downtown and faces the walking mall. We will be moved in just in time for annual Apple Blossom Festival! It's going to be a party! I think I want to try and have a house warming party that Friday before the parade. I'm excited. I'll post pics when we move.

Sanjaya is singing No Doubt. Look at his hair!! Love it! He forgot the words...perfect! I know Dave is happy. Fantastic! Very cheesy!! Loved it! I wish he would have rocked it a little more but it's good for me.

Haley is singing one of my favorites, "True Colors." She's showing a lot of leg which works for her. It's boring but she can sing very well. She's in danger for tomorrow.

Commercials: The apartment has one bedroom, living room, kitchen and, of course, a bathroom. The ceilings are very high and the windows very tall. The floors are hardwood and everything has been redone. It is so CUTE! I'm planning on making some furniture for it and get rid of the old stuff we have now. I have 3 very helpful Trading Spaces books that I got on sale for a total of $5.00. It was a steal. We have a cool little phone nook that I can't wait to do something with.

Scary Phil is next with his HUGE eyebrows. He is also singing the Police. I hate him. Damn! That's an ugly hat. He doesn't sound too bad as long as I don't look at him. He's no Sting but it's very good Karaoke. I think he might be safe tonight. DAMN!

Melinda the lollipop kid is next. I'm sorry. I've been trying not to be catty but I just can't anymore. She's great but it's not the kind of music I listen to so I'm always bored with her and find myself zoning out. She'll get rave reviews...and she does. I'm shocked! Her "I don't know how good I am" act is soooo old.

Commercial Break: time to play a little poker. My big stack isn't big anymore!

Blake is singing "Lovesong" by The Cure. I hope he doesn't beatbox! Like to outfit tonight. He's sounding really good tonight! Good for him.

Jordin is singing No Doubt. I love her!! She was the best of the night! Loved it Loved it Loved it! She might make me change my mind about Sanjaya.

Chris R. get the pimp spot after the commercials. I don't understand why people like him. I think he is bad and I wish he would go home. Poker is on break so I don't have anything to do except to type away. I'll tell you about the Apple Blossom Festival. It's a time when this town triples in size and we party down! We have a largest parade of firetruck on Friday evening and the grand feature parade on Saturday.

Gwen hopes that Chris R. sticks to the melody and doesn't fuck it up. I'm paraphrasing. I don't like him and I don't like this. YUCK! I want him to go home too!

It looks like my Tivo knew that Idol would run long. It's so smart!!

To wrap everything up:

bottom 3: Haley, Chris S., Scary Phil Chris R.

Bye, Bye Haley! I wish Phil would go but I think it's going to be Haley.

We shall see tomorrow if my record is in tact. Until then, Mantoni OUT!

Sanjaya Fever: Part two

Some of my friends can't believe that I'm going to vote for Sanjaya so I want to set the record straight on a couple of things.

1) Do I think that Sanjaya is a good singer?
Yes, but not a great singer. Melinda, LaKisha and Jordin sing circles around him every week. What I do think is that he should have never made it to the top 24. American Idol is a TV show that is all about the ratings. AI will pick the people that are best for the show not necessarily the best singers. Sanjaya is a good singer that wasn't ready for the big time but AI picked him as cannon fodder for the ratings. That's the way this cookie crumbles. With this in mind, Sanjaya was an excellent pick! After all, there are people starving themselves until Sanjaya is voted off. Can't pay for better advertising than that!

2) Do I harbor any ill-will to the other contestants?
No, of course not, I wish them all the best. Loosing American Idol is not the end. The best examples of this are Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry (I'm hoping to add Elliott Yamin to that list soon!). The following have also had some success "loosing": Kimberly Caldwell, John Peter Lewis, Kelly Pickler, Buckey Covington, and Elliott Yamin to name a few (that I didn't have to look up first). Winning is also not a guarantee of success either. Rueben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, and Taylor Hicks have not done NEAR as well as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Poor Taylor is being out sold by last year's number 4 "looser" by almost 4 to 1.

3) Do I think that Sanjaya will win American Idol?
I sure hope so! There are so many celebrities in the media today (and in the past) that have done very well despite having NO talent (Paris Hilton is an excellent example) and I think we can all agree that Sanjaya at least has some talent. This is, however, a prime example of getting the American Dream: fighting to make something of yourself despite any obstacles, taking whatever help is offered, ignoring the nay-sayers, and being VERY lucky (or unlucky if you think that Sanjaya's being used)!

4) If Sanjaya wins, will I buy his CD?
No, not a chance of that happening. I also wouldn't buy CDs by Melinda, Blake, LaKisha, Chris R., Brandon, Phil, Stephanie, or Haley. I'm on the fence about Chris S., Jordin, and Gina but I'm leaning towards a no for those as well. As long as I've been watching American Idol, I have only bought Elliott's CD and downloaded a few singles by some of the other contestants. As far as Idol winners, I have one Kelly Clarkson song that came on the CD NOW 22. That's it. I don't think 19 Entertainment is making money off of me.

To sum things up, I like Sanjaya and I will vote for him as long as I can. If you are in the anti-Sanjaya camp, please do me a favor and stop "blaming" the Sanjaya worsters and fans for him being on the show. You need to put the blame on those truly responsible, the producers of American Idol.

OH! One more thing! Something like this happens EVERY YEAR! It's only a TV show. Get over it and get a life...or a blog! Whatever you do...don't stop eating!!

Sanjaya Fever!

It's official! I have Sanjaya Fever! Since his last performance, I have been doing a lot of reading on the net. Vote for the Worst is the best. They get a ton of hate mail that is too funny. Just reading it makes me want to vote for Sanjaya. Here's a sample of one of the email:

WARNING CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE

Go fuck your mothers, twats. There are actually contestants on American Idol who are talented...and who deserve to be discovered. EXAMPLE: Stephanie Edwards, from my hometown! Thanks to fuckers like you, Stephanie is home and Sanjaya fucking Malakar stays....go fuck your mothers. You're all on my hit list.
-Mary-Kerstin

THE PERSON THAT CREATED THIS WEBSITE IS STUPID POINT BLANK. THAT SANJAYA GUY SUCKS HE SHOULDN'T HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR!! STEFANIE EDWARDS IS AN AMAZING SINGER SHE COULD HAVE WON THIS WHOLE SHOW BUT NO BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE STUPID PEOPLE THAT VOTE FOR THE WORST SINGER. WHICH IN REALITY DOESN'T MAKE SINCE AT ALL BECAUSE WHO WANTS TO LISTEN TO A CRAPPY SINGER NOT I. THE PERSON WHO CREATED THIS SITE IS EITHER 1) GAY BECAUSE HE LIKES SANJAYA 2) HAS WAY TO MUCH TIME ON HIS HANDS OR 3) IS JUST A PLAIN IDIOT. WHOEVER YOU ARE IF YOU CALL YOURSELF AN AMERICAN YOU ARE SADLY MISTAKEN BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT AN AMERICAN. YOU ARE SOME BORED, LAME, IDIOT, JACKASS THAT HAS NOTHING ELSE TO DO BUT RUIN OTHER PEOPLE'S CHANCE AT MAKING IT BIG. JUST BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T GET ONTO AMERICAN IDOL BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SING AND YOUR JEALOUS!! AS YOU CAN SEE ONLY STUPID LIKE THIS MESSED UP WEBSITE BECAUSE THEY ALSO HAVE A BORING LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!
TAKE THIS WEBSITE OFF THE INTERNET!!!!!!!!
-Beth

Love Love me do..or don't

It's hanging day on American Idol. My pick to leave is still Stephanie. Let see if I'm right!

Ryan welcomes as all and recap last night. Blah, blah, blah. We saw this last night. A shorter recap would work just fine for me! We do get to see Ryan dance again which is NOT a good thing. The best thing was that we got to hear a little bit of Jordin from last night. SHE had the best vocal of the night not Melinda IMO.

Peter Noone is up first, even before the commercials! WOW! He is cute for an old guy and doesn't sound too bad either. Let's enjoy!

I thought Peter and Lulu did a great job with the kids. They gave actual advise that the kids could use. Thanks to Nikki-Ann, I now know that "You Make Me Wanna Shout" is not by Otis Day and the Knights! It's by Lulu.

Ford commercial!! Cute! Brad Garrett is on the couch with the kids! Brad got voted out!!

Phil, Melinda, and Blake are asked to stand and all three are save. DAMN! I hate Phil!

Chris S., LaKisha, and Jordin are also asked to stand and all three are safe.

Sanjaya, Haley, Gina are asked to stand and they are not the bottom three!!!!!!!!!! Haley made it even with being in the dead man's spot.

Chris R. and Stephanie are the bottom two this week. Alright!!! I don't care which one goes because I can live without either one. I'm hoping that it's Stephanie then my record would be 2 out of 2.

No group sing tonight?? I guess not since they had two guest mentors and both get to sing. The half hour shows fly by!

Lulu is singing and time as not been as kind to her as it has been to Peter. Then, isn't that always the case. Men age gracefully and women crash and burn!!

Chris R. and Stephanie are on the seal of death. And the Dead Man Walking is...Stephanie!

I'm 2 for 2!! Good for me!

I'm going to try to blog about something else this weekend but, in case I don't, I'll see you here next Tuesday for the top 10! I wonder what the theme is going to be?

H-E-N-R-Y!

It's British Invasion week! We will be treated to Peter Noone and Lulu. I'm not sure who Lulu is but I know Peter. Herman's Hermit's were very popular when I was little. I'm not sure that there is a person my age in America that doesn't know all the words to "Henry the 8th." Peter was on Don and Mike this afternoon and was very funny. He said he got the gig because he was the only one still alive from those times! He was very entertaining.

As usual, I'm letting my Tivo run a bit so that I can skip the damn commercials. Also as usual, I'm playing poker! I'm holding my own but I'm deep into a tournament and am at the point that it's all in or nothing. This one started with 1500 people and 350 are left. I've been getting shit cards for awhile now and I'm getting bored! Good thing I've got Idol!

I think I have enough recorded so here we go!!!

Here's where Ryan tells us what we already know. "The fate of the 11 contestants are in our hands." Looks like Melinda has the pimp spot tonight. Now for the judges, blah, blah, blah, and some banter about Simon naked! Get on with it Ryan!

First up is the introduction of the theme for the week and our guest mentors. It's funny that Peter's having the guys sing by themselves and Lulu is using the girls like back-up singers. I guess Melinda feels at home.

**Poker Update: I'm am going down fast! Blinds are up to $2,000! There are 168 left. I just had 2 queens and doubled up!**

Haley is in the dead man's spot! Poor Haley!!! I hope she does well. She is doing great!!! You go girl!! She rocked it out! She gets my vote this time because she was great!

Chris R. is next and I just want to say that I don't like him. Let's see if he changes my mind. Nope, don't like him. We already have a Justin Timberlake, we don't need a poor copy of him (considering JT's not that great anyway). Why are the people clapping? I'm going to get a drink.

**Poker Update: I'm out in 85th! Not too bad!**

It's Stephanie's turn now and she's getting extra face time with Ryan and a viewer question. Guess what! The hardest part of the competition is picking a good song! Duh! Not a good start to me. She looked liked a deer caught in the headlights. She has a shot at going home tomorrow. If Melinda and LaKisha do half as well as they have been doing, all of Stephanie's votes will be going to them.

Blake is up next. So far it's a little disturbing. His dancing is a little odd and that outfit has got to go. It's not a good song choice for him. It goes up too high and down too low for him. The beat boxing is getting a little old for me. No votes for Blake tonight from me. The judges drooled all over him for some reason.

So far Haley is getting my votes and no one else. I'm sure that will change.

LaKisha is singing is "Diamonds are Forever." I just thought this song was for a James Bond movie and not a hit. She's doing a great job as usual. Her hair is a bit weird for me but love the bling! Stephanie fans have got a new favorite. Randy didn't really like it, Paula did, but Simon was with Randy. I liked her.

Scary Phil is singing "Tobacco Road." That is a bad choice. The guys did it last year at the final show. I don't think he's going to top last season's guys by any stretch of the imagination. Yep, he's sucking. OH!!! That was a BAD note! What the hell is he trying to do with that singing? His dancing makes him look like he's got to pee. No votes from me...ever! Simon slammed him so he might get more votes because of that. Damn Simon! He will be in the bottom three again but I don't think he'll be going home.

It's Jordin turn for another stupid viewer question that's not worth repeating. She's singing a song that Tom Jones recorded. Was he British? That was FANTASTIC! I didn't type one word during her performance! I'm buying it tomorrow!!! Voting for her! I got goose bumps! She's one of my myspace friends!

Oh no! It's San-gina (as in VAgina)! (That's what Don and Mike called him today. Almost made me drive my car off the road.) The camers just cut to a little girl in the audience that was crying. For San-gina? They keep going back to her. Poor little girl. Sanjaya actually did very well. Good for him! That poor little girl!! Sanjaya went out and hugged her! That was very nice. He'll be sticking around one more week so you'll be seeing him on the tour!

My girl Gina is going to rock it...hopefully! Gina gets extra face time, good! I don't really like the outfit but it might look better standing up. YEAH! "Paint it Black!!!" Awesome! Oh no! I'm not too thrilled so far. She didn't jump into the song with both feet. The ending was good but I'm not sure if it was good enough. I'll vote for her anyway since she's a rocker chick. Simon slammed her and she looked like she was going to cry so that will get her votes. Yeah, Simon! The outfit did look better standing up BTW.

Chris Sligh is next! There were times that I had to cover my eyes because of his dancing but I thought it turned out well. Oh course I'm voting for him. I'm not a fan of the print shirt. Big shout out to Dave from VFTW! He's going to be in BIG trouble!!

Hey! I'm voting for the same people I did last week! Imagine that!

Melinda has the pimp spot. She sings very well but I don't think this was a great song for her. I'd make fun of the fact that she has no neck, but that's getting old for me. There's that little girl crying again. Can't they leave her alone?!?!

Here's my bottom 3: Haley (because she had the dead man's spot), Phil (because he sucked), and Stephanie (because she's forgettable.)

Who will be leaving: Stephanie

Until tomorrow!!

Death becomes her...or him

It's the first of the bloody final 12 eliminations. This time only ONE head is going to roll! The buzz on the web is that Brandon is going and I agree. I think he's the most likely since he had the Dead Man's Spot and forgot his words and looked lost on that big stage. That's a lot for a person to recover from. Sanjaya is going to be safe because of the Hello-Kitty-unlimited-text-messaging voters, Vote for the Worst, and Howard Stern. Haley go the majority of the pity votes, mine included, due to the water-works she displayed. Stephanie is also in trouble tonight simply because she's like the belters, Melinda and LaKisha, but not as good.

MORE LATER

Tivo's been running for about 17 minutes. I hope that's enough. During that time, I washed the dishes (most of them) my husband should be happy about that. I hate housework!!

Ryan tells us to prepare for the drama...okay. Of course, Diana Ross and her hair will be performing tonight. Now it's time for the clips from last night and we get to see that the judges what the contestants to be original but sing the songs like the original recordings. I think all of America is confused about that one. We also get to relive the gay banter between Ryan and Simon. Paula is shown crying like an idiot. Now it's time for the big group sing!

Big group sing ala Diana Ross!! I love these and it's as cheesetastic as it can be! Lots of people missing their cues and their words. Weird Boy/Girl groupings (LaKisha and Sanjaya) and lots of posing for the cameras! It doesn't get any better than this! Phil is VERY scary looking. Brandon is the first to miss his cue AND miss the lyrics. Haley looks good but is not singing that well. Squinty-eyed, no-neck Melinda is spot-on as usual. Chris sounds good and looks like he's having fun. Blake also looks like he's enjoying himself. Jordin is cute as a button! Gina made it through without laughing. Stephanie is, as usual, forgettable, poor girl!

Now we have to pay the bills. Why don't they show less commercials and charge more for them? Oh well! It just means that my Tivo gets a workout. I love my Tivo. I would cry for weeks if I lost it.

Ford commercial time! They went through the 60's (flower power), the 70's (disco), the 80's (break dancing), and I'm guessing the 90's but the last one was hard to tell. Was there anything specifically the 90's? I'm not sure. Let me know if you can think of anything.

Ryan is picking out the lowest three vote getters. Lakisha is asked to stand and told that she's safe. Gina stands and is safe! YES! Brandon, here we go, is in the bottom three. I'm shocked...NOT. Jordin is safe! Yeah! Chris R (hate him) is safe. Melinda is safe (DUH). Scary Phil is in the bottom three! YES! Chris Slight is safe! Whew! Stephanie is SAFE??? Good for her! Blake is safe so it's down to Sanjaya and Haley but first we have to break!

Normally they drag it out longer than that but they may be afraid of losing viewer since there has been a lot of talk about Idol jumping the shark this year.

It's time for the Challenge..yeah right. This one is kinda hard if you weren't watching the beginning of the show yesterday! I better go enter. Hey, someone's gotta win! The answers are in a different order on the web site. I wonder if the people that text message are going to be screwed or not? Maybe the web voters will be screwed?

It's time for Diana Ross. Hair isn't quite so big but the boa-thing with the dress makes up for that, BIG TIME. She doesn't sound very good. Well, not as good as she use to. That aging thing is a bitch. You have to love her though. She looks like she's having a blast! She should get her own Vegas show ala Wayne Newton. That would be fantastic.

HEY! I just noticed that the show is only 30 minutes! Yeah! Oh No! That means I'll have to finish the dishes. Damn!

Haley is in the safe!!! Sanjaya is in the bottom three! No way! It's too much to hope for!! Phil is safe and back to the couch. And the loser is...Brandon. Saw that coming but it was great to have Sanjaya in the bottom there. Now it's the smell-ya-later video with "Home" as the sound track. Shit! Tivo just stopped. I guess that all for me. So far I'm one for one! Let's see if I can keep it up!!

TTFN!

It's Tuesday so it must be American Idol

I'm not sure if I have any readers left or not. American Idol is an acquired taste. I know, because I thought it was the stupidest show the first two years. Well, I've let my Tivo run so I can fast forward past the commercials. So let's see what's happening!!

Well, it's a two hour show so we will have lots of filler! First we have the big introduction montage to tell us why we are watching this show. Like we needed reminding! They left out Gaiken!! My mother in law won't like that one bit. She LOVES him. I don't know why. Then again, my husband doesn't understand my obsession with Elliott Yamin so fair is fair.

The band is bigger...and the stage...and the audience! It's the big time folks! Jordin always wears clothes I love. She is so cute!

It's Michael Jackson night! No! Wait! It's Diana Ross night. I can tell because she's still black and Michael is not! It's an easy mistake to make! Her hair is HUGE! She doesn't look that bad but I'm glad I don't have HDTV. Isn't the nice, she hugged them all! I like her!

Brandon is first in the dead man's spot so I predict he will be going home first. I think he's more suited to the background. It least he's got a good day job. He's singing "Can't Hurry Love." He looks like he would prefer to be shot! I feel sorry for him. First up is BAD and so was that note! It's looking pretty bad for Brandon. The hips aren't going to help you when you FORGET THE WORDS! He is gone! Let's see what the judges say. Randy says he's a background singer again. Paula says a lot about nerves and doesn't want to tell him anything bad. Simon says it was a big let down, no star quality. I have to agree.

Who's going to be in line for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie? No one? Come on! You've got to love "Turtle on the Half Shell" no, wait, it's Oysters on the half shell that I like!

Melinda's up next and she's with Ryan on the tiny high chairs. Never noticed her boobs were THAT big. Oh No He Didn't!! Ryan asked Simon if he had any advice for Melinda with her high heels and Simon told him that he should know. Ryan yelled "Stay out of my closet!" Simon said simply, "Come out." Ryan said, "This is about the top 12 not your wishes." THAT was the best! They embarrassed Melinda with that one!

I can't get over Diana's hair! Did I mention it was huge? Melinda gave Diana goose bumps. She is singing "Home." She is VERY good. Too bad I don't listen to singers like her normally. I'd have my idol! Unless something major happens, she is the next American Idol. She can work a stage. Paula is in tears and Simon is laughing at Paula. The judges love her. I agree but I won't be voting for her. I got to save my votes for my favorites that need them. She is very nice and cute (except for the no neck thing). I reserve my right to vote for her later in the contest.

Chris Sligh is next. He and Diana are trading hair care tips! Too funny! I don't think Diana liked him messing with her song. No glasses tonight. Oh boy! I think I'm with Diana on the arrangement. Me no likey. It's growing on me but not that much. The boy can sing. He has great tone. The judges don't like it over all and it's the arrangement that's bad. He still has my vote this week.

Gina's next. I wonder what she's going to sing?

I really like that Cingular commercial with the minutes in the garbage. The mom pulls it off perfectly. She sounds just like my mom.

Ryan is in the audience. So far, Melinda is getting more face time than the rest of the contestants.

Gina is singing one of my favorites, "Love Child." Diana warned her about annunciation but she didn't take it all the heart. I still like her. Randy calls it pitchy and boring. Paula calls the song a "feel good" song. I don't think so! Simon says it wasn't terrible but not fantastic. I'll vote for her!

That new show drive looks good. I'll be watching. I like that guy that was in Firefly whatever his name is. I should know his name since I love all things Joss but I don't.

Oh my Lord! Sanjaya got in a fight with a curling iron, lost, and is rocking the Breck Girl look! Go curling iron! He's singing "Ain't no Mountain High Enough." PLEASE! DON'T VOTE FOR HIM! He needs to go home. He's wearing hoop earrings too...in both ears! The judges are at a loss for words. The stylists went to town on him! Randy finally says that it was bad but the hair was good. Paula tells him that he is sweet. Simon says that Diana would have hated that and tells him that he is very brave. Now Sanjaya is at a loss for words.

Haley is getting some extra face time too! How about that!?! I think she's wearing Mark earrings!! Go Avon! Haley is singing "Missing You." She forgot the words...a lot. Oh well! She is in danger too. I was thinking about voting for her but it was boring and I didn't like it. I don't think the judges will either. I think she's going to cry. The judges don't like it, I was right. Paula tells her she looks nice, KOD (Kiss of Death). Simon says he didn't think it was that bad and he remembered her name. Simon is pimping her and just might have me voting for her now! I feel really bad for her. Okay! She got me. I'm voting for her! Let me adjust my DialIdol during the commercials.

Must see Blades of Glory!!! Boobs Magillacutty is selling bras! Perfect!

Scary Phil is singing "I'm going to make you Love me." He seems to have started this one better than most of his song but that's not saying much. Don't vote for him either. He needs to go home a help take care of his kids. The audience seems to like it and Randy says that his vocals were good. Paula parrots what Randy says and adds that it should have been more up tempo. Simon says it was okay but shouty. I didn't like it.

More commercials. I'm almost up to real time now!

LaKisha is up and is singing "God Bless the Child." What the hell was that! She did some weird voice thing that was really weird and not easily described. She is playing catch up with Melinda and is not pulling it off. I'm sure that judges will like it because they always like her but I didn't. She was very nervous and it showed. And the judges rave.

More damn commercials! And I'm up to real time. Crap! Now what?

That was painful!

Blake is getting more face time. He is singing "Keep Me Hanging On." In the clip, he's arrangement sounds great! Could do without the dancing. He reminds me of Sting. I like Sting. The arrangement sounded better in the clips. I think it's all the extra instruments. He should have stuck to just the piano. I don't like it. I like Blake but I'm on the fence about voting for him. Randy is talking too much to have liked it. He's going on and on. Paula agrees but then says that he could have a hit with that. ??? Simon didn't get it and I have to agree with him.

More commercials. I guess I'll spell check.

Stephanie is singing "Love Hangover." She doing very well but I think she will be splitting the Diva vote with Melinda and LaKisha who will take the biggest shares. For that fact alone, she could be going home if Brandon doesn't. Randy says that she forgot some of the words but I didn't notice. Paula didn't like the arrangement and neither did Simon. She's cute and that will get her some votes.

Chris is singing "The Boss." Don't think I know that one. He sings too fast for me. He walk on stage was awkward. To many runs for me. Okay! Let's just get it out there. I don't like him. I think he's trying to be like Elliott and failing. The finger shake at the camera was bad. He went into the audience and now he sounds out of breath. It's a bad song. Maybe it was better when Diana sang it. Randy is half and half. Paula thinks he nailed the blend between today and yesterday (I'm translating that for her). Simon hated it! I like Simon!!!

Jordin's in the pimp spot...after the commercials!!!!!!!!

Jordin is singing "If We Hold On Together." I don't think I know this one either. I think this is a great song for her since it's from a Cartoon movie. It's young like her. I'm voting for her. So that's Chris S., Gina, Haley, and Jordin getting my votes tonight! Randy really liked it and so did Paula. Simon thought it was very good! Awesome!!

Well, Sanjaya was the worst but I don't think he will go home tomorrow. Vote for the Worst has got to be happy with his performance. I think Howard Stern is going to vote with them tonight. The one's going home this week and next will not be on tour with the rest so I'm hoping that Sanjaya will go either this week or next but I don't think that's going to happen. I think it's going to be Blake or Stephanie because Haley is going to get the pity vote (she's getting mine).

Until next time!!

11 good singers and Hello Kitty...I mean Sanjaya!

The dust has settled and Sabrina, Antonella, Jared, and Sundance are no more. It’s a sad day over at Vote For The Worst but they have bounced back and picked Sanjaya to carry the torch for them. I was sad/happy and everyone cried...a lot. Too much if you ask me but no one’s asking. I thought that it was going to be Sabrina and Haley going out of the girls and Jared and either Phil or Brandon so I was have right. You could have knocked me over with a feather when Sanjaya beat Sundance. The Hello Kitty vote has power (and unlimited text messaging)! Antonella will be appearing in Playboy very soon, Jared will find work on a cruise ship, Sabrina may find work off-Broadway, and Sundance...well...I’m thinking car wash??

Carrie Underwood performed and she’s great even though I voted for Bo Bice that year. She was perfect and entertained us unlike Pickler.

Tonight was also the night for the big announcement. Something that would “change Idol forever.” What a crock! Everyone on the net was excepting something that would have an impact on the show like bringing someone back from Hollywood week that should have made it though or an “Idol-off” where previous contestants (that aren’t doing anything in the business) come back to compete against each other. None of us expected what we got which was some kind of charity fund thingy being set up between AI, Coke, and Ford. When Ryan starting talking about that I groaned and had my hubby fast forward thought it. It turns out, that took the entire time until the next commercial break. Talk about filler!! Charity is nice and a good thing to do but it didn’t need to take up 25% of the show. During that entire time poor Sundance and Sanjaya were the only ones still on the stage. They knew one of them was going home but they were forced to sit there for 15 minutes in limbo. This show is so cruel!! (I love it!!!)

I have a busy weekend planned filled with working overtime and selling Avon. I REALLY need to sign at least two people up next week. I’m not really sure when I’m going to find the time especially since I’m playing poker tonight after work. I’ll come up with something. One of these days, I’m going to have to skip sleeping and get caught up.

Speaking of poker, I was in two on-line tournaments of 630 people each to try to win a change to win a seat to the World Series of Poker in Vegas. I did really well but not well enough. The first place winner of the tournaments get to move on to a tournament where the top 9 finishers get to move on to a tournament where the top two finishers get seats to the WSOP. In the first one, I was down to about $800 in chips and came back to finish 6th! I was so close!!! But wait, there’s more! In the second tournament, I got...2nd place! Talk about close! I almost cried! I beat out 628 other people but I couldn’t beat that last one! Of course, there was only one prize in each tournament so for doing as well as I did I got nothing. Oh well! I’ll try again...and again...and again until I make it!

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies

It's the ladies turn tonight and it was also poker night for me and my husband. I came in 10th and he came in 9th. We seem to do that all the time. Just one of the many reasons we are good together! I just got home after dropping him off to pay more poker. Unfortunately, I have to go back and pick him up. I had to come home and vote for Gina! I'll keep the remarks brief.

Paula was missing for the first minute or two. OMG! Call the cops!

The girls are all really good but they are interchangeable. We've heard their kind before. It's good but nothing special. Gina is the only rocker so she gets my votes. The guys are far below the girls at this point. I would have to say that this season is sub par at best. There's no one the I really love at this point besides Chris and I mainly like him because he's funny and not the norm for Idol. This could be the season that AI jumps the shark. We shall see what the big announcement is tomorrow.

With that said, here are the girl wrap up.

Diva Jordin is up first and killed it! I like her a lot. I think it's because she's so young and always wears clothes I LOVE!

Diva Sabrina was good, as usual. Been there, Heard it, have the CD.

BFF Antonella was off time but still sounded better than she ever has...which isn't saying much. I wish she would go but I don't think she will.

(Paula has Sanjaya hair tonight!!)

I haven't liked anything that Haley has sung and tonight is no exception. At least she not yelling tonight, that's a plus. She sounds like the singers from the WOW CD commercials. WOW is the worship version of the NOW CDs for those of you that don't know.

Diva Stephanie is next. Very good voice but, again, I've heard it before.

Diva LaKisha sounds great as usual. Out of all the divas, she's in the top two. She's singing Whitney and doing an excellent job but we already have a Whitney...well, HAD a Whitney.

Gina rocks it tonight and looks the part! Come on people! Vote Gina!

Diva Melinda gets the pimp spot. She's the other diva in the top two. It's a different song for her but she sounds great. Been there, Heard that, have the CD.

Well, Antonella and Haley need to leave but I think it will be Haley and Sabrina bloody on the Idol stage tomorrow. Vote and vote often!!

Happy AI Day to all!

Not much going on in my real life right now. Avon is keeping me busy along with my normal job. It's really cold out so I haven't been able to get all my books out yet which is a bummer. I'm hitting the streets tomorrow after work before I play poker. I should be able to get most of them out at that time (I say that to myself all the time and it never happens)!

rant/ Poker on Sunday was a bust. Mike had to go to Rockville because his mom went to the emergency room again. She was back home pretty quickly so that's good. At poker, I got sitted at a table with three new people and two assholes! There are two groups in town that do poker tournaments. One that up the blinds every 5-10 minutes depending on how the director feels at the moment. The people their think they are professional card players but they're really assholes. The other one is the one I like. Everyone is really nice and don't go off if someone does something "wrong." One of the places that the first group played at is no longer doing it because they didn't make any money. Now those people are invading our game. Their favorite phrase is "They wouldn't let you do that in Vegas." Let me tell you. I've played in Vegas and Atlantic City and the people are NICE. If I saw any of those people in either place, I'd go to a different casino. You also have a dealer who runs the table and keeps everyone in line (most of the time). I feel like telling those people to go the hell home if they don't like it. No one asked them to join us anyway! Damn Assholes! Anyway, I was NOT having a good time on Sunday. I got two face cards and went all in so I could leave. I like to enjoy myself and not have to worry if some dick-head is going to yell at me because I didn't muck my cards in the "correct" spot. /rant

Back to business at hand! It's Tuesday and it's the guys night up. Two more guys and two more girls will be going home this week. That means next week, the top 12 get stylists!! I can't wait to see what they do with Chris Sligh's hair!

I guess this week we get to find out something we don't know about the contestants. Oh boy. Can you hear the joy in my voice? Yee-Haw. Here's what we don't know about Blake, he like Halloween and Jimmy Walker Blue (???). He's singing a song a haven't heard...again. He sounds really good. I like him. He makes singing look effortless. Pretty good! Randy says it was hawt (as usual). Paula didn't know the song either. Simon didn't understand a word but says Blake will make it to next week.

Sanjaya and Jason are up after the next break. This should be interesting.

What's up with Sanjaya's hair? Oh boy, he can hula. He's singing a John Mayer song that I don't know. I liked his first song but haven't kept up with him. As you can tell, I could can less what Sanjaya's doing. He's boring as usual. I well have to say this was his best effort to date...which is not saying much. Randy is babbling and Paula is stumbling on what to say and Simon says it wasn't as ghastly as last week. Simon thinks it's his hair that's keeping him in. He's going to get the 10-14 year old girl

Jason is up. He says he's thin in real life. Ha-Ha. OH BOY! He's sucking tonight. I don't think Vote for the Worst is going to switch to Sanjaya tonight! Let's check! Their pick isn't up yet. I'll have to check back later. What the judges are saying is a perfect example of how they manipulate America. They are saying he was good! They didn't hear what I heard. Maybe Simon will set them straight. Simon didn't like it! Yeah! Jason gets the "bar singer" comment.

(I've GOT to see Blades of Glory!! Mind-bottling! Will Ferrel is excellent! Tank! Tank! Tank! Tank! You're my Boy Blue!)

Travis Tritt is in the house!!!! I've always liked him but I can't watch his videos. You know the ones. The continuing saga of the guy in the wheel chair. They make me cry every time! Especially the one where he looses his wife!)

Chris "K-Fed" Richardson is next and he played football and was chunky. He's singing a country song that I know but I can't think of the title just yet. He's singing it a little high for my tastes. Well, I don't like him anyway. The run he did was crappy and not called for. YUCK! I guess the judges want him to be here next week. Simon says it was cutesy and safe but sold it. I don't know about all that.

Wedding Bells is on tomorrow! I'll have to Tivo that.

Jared played basketball. Big deal. He's singing Stevie Wonder. He is SOOOO Carlton from Fresh Prince! It kills me! He sings pretty good as long as I don't look at him. Now he's doing a dance-spin thing with the camera. So hated that...but it was funny! Randy says it was solid. Paula says that he should color his singing. Simon knows what Paula's trying to say!! That's amazing! Simon is disappointed. Check out Prof. Chan's Look a Likes!!

Phil and Brandon are next up. Does that mean the my Chris gets the pimp spot???

Brandon plays the piano (side note: I learned how to spell piano by watching Captain Kangaroo! To this day, whenever I hear the word piano, I start singing the song. "P-I-A-N-O I'm looking for a piano, not any old piano but one that makes you gay! I'm looking! I'm looking! I'm la-la-la-la-looking!"). "I just want to Celebrate" is the song he picked. I'm not so sure about that pick. He isn't known for his picks. He's not doing too bad. The run at the end was shaky but over all he was good. He picked an okay one this time. I think he'll make it. Simon just said "Travis, I don't think you've represented yourself well." I guess not since his name is Brandon! Yes, that is what he said! Too funny!

There's not much we don't know about Phil thanks to the powers that be. Guess what! Phil wasn't always bald. Shocker!! HOLY SHIT!!! He can't start a song on key to save his soul! Please! America! Don't vote for him!! I beg of you! I don't want to be in pain for the next 11 weeks!! PLEASE! The judges panned him. Thank goodness!

Just started DialIdol Software and there's another update! Holy changing software Batman!

Chris Sligh had short hair and was bald at one time. He's coming out swinging!! Alright!! He sounds great! I'm so glad he got the pimp spot!!!! IMAO, he was excellent! Randy gives him the vocal prize. Paula didn't like it, bitch! Simon didn't like it but gave him good comments.

Voting has already started. I've already started DialIdol to vote for Blake and Chris. Here are the totals so far 21 calls for each but only 1 vote each. That's great news!!! One of my friends voted for people just to see if they could get through! Please, don't do that! I could have hit her when she told me that!

More AI tomorrow!! (side note: I learned how to spell tomorrow from my third grade teacher, Mrs. Garrett. She said it was spelled "tom or row" and I have spelled it that way ever since.)

It's Thursday so it must be American Idol

Dig Paula's extensions!! It looks like barbie doll hair! I slept through the ladies so it's good to see the recaps. I'm not sure about some of the outfits they were wearing. Melinda sounded great! Tonight is the night for cheese!! We have the group number! Joy to the World!! Give me some Jazz Hands!! Man, Jason has a hairy chest!! That was just about as much cheese as they could cram into one song. Loved it! Tons of jazz hands and people off cue. Just once, I'd like them to end up doing a pyramid or laying down and spelling a word at the end of one of those numbers.

As you might have guessed, I feel much better today! My cold left me and went to my husband at around noon today. Kinda strange but I'm not complaining...my husband is though!

Blitz Krieg asked me if I do this on a laptop and I do. My husband and I bought a laptop for Christmas. We take turns with it. He plays poker and I blog AND play poker. I'm not playing right now but I will be soon. It's handy having a lap top with wireless in front of the TV. Could I get any lazier?

We're back!

The guys are first on the chopping block. Phil is safe, duh! That was a no brainer. He's got a lot of voters even though I think he sucks. Chris Sligh is safe! Jason is safe (he was number one on dialidol.com). Blake should be safe and he is. Good! I like him. Oh no! Ryan's calling Jared out. That's a bad sign. But he's safe. This show is cruel. BANG! Nick is dead!! MAN! This show is cruel, BIG TIME. I thought he was going to leave tonight. They shoot him in the back of the head and then make him sing the song that he got voted out on. Oh look! He's saying goodbye to the guys. That's nice.

It's the girls turn at the hangman's noose. Stephanie is safe. Gina is safe. Thank you America! Sabrina has to stand? She is safe. Mean! Melinda is safe, of course. Alaina is leaving. Thank goodness. She sucked. Now if Antonella leaves, it will be a perfect night! I know that's not going to happen. She's third on dialidol.com. Finally, someone can't sing the closing song! That's the way it should be! They're all hugging now. That's good. Jason is crying too! She managed to pull herself together enough to kinda finish the song.

Kelly Pickler is singing tonight. I like her "Red High Heels" song. I hate to admit it but I do. I bought it from iTunes. I also bought Elliott's single that was just recently available. You should get it, it's good. The album drops on March 20th. Listen to me! "The album drops" like I'm some kind of expert on the subject.

Kelly is cute as a baby puppy! Move girl! Don't just stand there looking like a goober! Yes, your boobs look nice but they are not going to hold my attention. Boring. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ I'm going to eat my Haagen-Dazs! Strawberry.

Guys are up again. The other Chris is safe, damn! Brandon is safe. He's lucky because he really sucked. Sanjaya and AJ are last and AJ is leaving. DAMN! I voted over 300 times for AJ! I so liked his performance. DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! Paula made sense with her advice to AJ. Randy didn't think the right person went home. That just got some more votes for Sanjaya next time. AJ's rocking it again tonight. Good for him!

LaKisha is safe. Ryan made her stand for nothing. Haley is safe. Antonella, Leslie and Jordin are all called to the center. Leslie is going home. We get to hear sing the same song that AJ sang only Leslie's version with the scatting. The video package gave her a chance to compose herself at least.

Oh well! Four more down. We learned tonight that Idol is actually a popularity contest and not a singing contest...DUH. We knew that. It's over until next Tuesday. We shall see what we shall see. I promise to vote for the best singer! Who am I kidding! I'll vote for who ever the hell I want to. I know I won't vote for BFF Antonella or should I say BJ Antonella. Have you seen all the pictures? I know the BJ ones aren't really her but the wet ones at the WWII memorial in DC are! She's HOT if I do say so myself. I wonder if they'll address that subject next week on Idol.

Until then, TTFN!!