AI: Season 6, Round of 20 (Boys)

After last week's performances, I must say that I was not looking forward to this week's guy performances. Thankfully, things got better, but they were still not in the same league as last week's women.

Overall, I am wondering why the guys are not picking very powerful songs. It seems that we got a bunch of sap-balls here.

Best moment of the night: "I love puppies!" Hilarious!

In the clear:
Phil Stacy (a solid vocalist, has a lock in moving on because of the navy thing, but I just find it hard to like this guy - perhaps it's the Britney haircut?)
Jared Cotter (Marvin Gaye? I don't think you want to tackle a song that is so iconic, but he did it well enough for the ladies to forget that it wasn't that good)
AJ Tabaldo (that Michael Bublé song is a terrific one, and he did okay by it, but it wasn't as good as the original)
Chris Sligh (this song is perhaps my favorite choice, by favortie male choice this year - but it just can't beat the original)
Nicholas Pedro (I don't have anything to really like about this guy, but I think he's got some staying power with the ladies… btw, his girlfriend and he have the exact same smile - weird)

The night's best:
Blake Lewis (the song choice was great for him and the beat-boxing was appropriate, as well as the scat… hopefully he'll return his hat to Blossom)
Chris Richardson (I still don't understand the lyrics to this Jason Mraz song, but I tell you that this awkward-moving guy showed some real skills to get through this song)

…I can't believe that I am saying it, but…

Sundance Head (holy crap! what a turn around… at first I thought it was okay, but he showed how good he is in this genre… problem is that he won't always be able to sing a song like that… and after seeing his little video clip, I just wanted to send him home so he could meet his little kid… he'll be heading home eventually, so if he goes home it won't be bad (because of his son) but he won't go home this week)

Crappy:
Sanjaya Malakar (I felt bad for him like you feel bad for the awkward kid in school who tries out for the school play and SHOULD NOT BE SINGING)
Brandon Rogers (boring, and I think the song was very wrong for his voice - and feeling emotion in a song is not equivalent to sucking)

Best performance:



Should go home:



Will go home:



Also check out: Vote 4 Idol Online, Vote Fair

The 79th Oscar Ads in Review

I have been known to say that the Academy Awards is now the new Super Bowl of creative advertising, based on last year's ads, and the fact that advertising has jumped the shark with the actual Super Bowl.

Last night was clearly a disappointment for someone like myself, looking for great advertising. There were however some terrific moments in the show, but the overall the advertising efforts fell short for me. Let's review:

Coke: they had a few spots last night that were nice. Diet Coke had more if I recall correctly, and introduced us to the idea of "Yours, Diet Coke" I think the notion of Diet Coke writing it's consumers a letter is nice. The "Yours" aspect is certainly great for conveying the personal relationship that every brand covets. The best of these spots was the one with a woman moving from picture frame to picture frame - which I still cannot find on the Internet.

JC Penney: did some strangely inspiring work with 'Every Day Matters.' The biggest flaw I see for them is that they are trying so hard to look like a Target ad that I always thought their ads were for Target, but alas they were for JC Penney. Very cinematic ads (great placement) and their only miss is with the spot for a lingerie line with the line "for every body." Who are we kidding with this stuff? You're only showing hot models in your ad. Is it really for every body?

Apple: with some fanfare, Apple did a teaser spot for their iPhone, 'Hello.' I am so deep in the world of Apple rumors and opinion that I sufficiently have no opinion about this spot. I will say that for a "revolutionary" product, it doesn't seem to be a revolutionary spot. I don't know what you do with it, but I am not sure that was it either. I'm losing the connection between these stars and the product. Yes, it was aired for the Oscars, but what does that really say about the phone or Apple? Seems like it'd be more appropriate if the whole spot had turned out to be playing on the iPhone. My phone doesn't do that.

L'oreal: got f*ck yourself. Shame on you for doing such crappy, unoriginal spots on such a big stage. A lipstick that is the perfect shade for a specific celebrity? Good for them. Let them wear it. Where's the lipstick that's MY perfect shade?

Bank of America: 'Bank of Opportunity.' Oh, I get it… Land of Opportunity = America, thus Bank of America = Bank of Land of Opportunity or best shortened to "Bank of Opportunity." We've used the transitive property to describe what is essentially nothing. Every bank is a bank of opportunity. Good job ditching higher Standards - because that wasn't true anymore.

Saturn: Turning some car award into the ultimate Stanley Cup experiment: pretty fun and another reason to like Saturn.

Okay, so those are the ones I can remember. Clearly they didn't live up to what I had hoped for, but oh well. At least we had the actual show to watch!

The 79th Oscars in Review

So, I stayed up to watch the glam fest that is the Oscars. My friend Chris sent me his thoughts, which I will use as a jumping off point for some of my own.

Best Moment:
Chris: Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé tearing it up.
Ben: Don't forget about the musical number by Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly. Jennifer and Beyonce's songs were nice, but were you really listening to them 'tear it up,' or watching Jennifer Hudson lose her dress. (later retouched by some photo editors)

Best Speeches:
Chris: (1) Jennifer Hudson, (1a) Forrest Wittaker
Ben: Ari Sandel for Live Action Short. Perfect speech, because no one knew anything about this movie or this guy. Now I want to see it and he got it all done quickly and professionally. Perhaps you do better speeches when you have to work hardest to earn them.

Who got screwed:
Chris: Dreamgirls: too many Dreamgirls songs nominated, too many votes spread around, Melissa Etheridge winning, wtf?
Ben: I agree about too many Dreamgirls songs. Probably split the vote. I actually liked the Cars song the best. The person who got screwed the most however were the Babel nominees in Best Supporting actress. They were amazing and perhaps split their votes as well. It's a shame that all of them were in the same year.

Chris: Glad to see pan's labyrinth picking several awards. I loved that movie. I need to see the german film (title escapes me now). I heard great reviews and interviews on NPR.
Ben: Don't know, don't care too much about that. I will say that it was nice to see a more international set of nominees outside the foreign film category.

Chris: Ellen sucks. Every bit of screen time was painful.
Ben: Totally disagree. After watching the Grammy's I wonder why there needs to be a host at all, but I thought Ellen was fun and Dee loved her. Perhaps it was me responding to Dee's laughter, but I found everything she did to be true to herself, and fun.

Chris: What's with Jack Nicholson's dome impersonating Britney?
Ben: I was thinking it was more like Brando in Apocolypse Now. Although, Britney was apparently on everyone's mind last night.

Chris: Hollywood loves Al Gore.
Ben: Al Gore loves Hollywood.

Chris: Chris Connelly should never ever ever be put in front a camera with a microphone. Good grief.
Ben: I agree, and wonder why was he even necessary. "How's your scorecard at home?" Big surprises tonight. Well, apparently we're all betting on this stuff now.

Chris: They got best actress and actor right on. Whose biography will win next year?
Ben: They did get it right on. I'm thinking Peter O'Toole's biography.

Chris: Are Scorsese's eyebrows for real?
Ben: Are these real? Some questions, you just don't ask.

Chris: I didn't think "marty" would get both director and best picture. My guess was one or the other. I never heard him speak before. I think that was Woody Allen in a mask.
Ben: Departed wasn't Best Picture. Best Director? That's fine. I had my money on Little Miss Sunshine or Babel for Best Picture. Little Miss Sunshine wasn't winning once it won Best Original Screenplay - still very appropriate and cool.

Chris: 4 freaking hours? Come on. Throw out dancers, that's what the Tony's are for.
Ben: Absolutely too long. I'd say cut the host and the seemingly endless montage tributes to American film whose significance I still don't understand (although "The Nominees" was nice). I thought the dancers were great, but the subjects were all over. Snakes on a Plane? Why was that part of this thing?

Chris: I liked the iphone commercial. June can't come soon enough.
Ben: See here.

(Photos courtesy of IMDb.)

AI: Season 6, Round of 24 (Recap)

And then there were 20.

I didn't see the show last night. Fortunately, I had The Office higher in my TiVo's Season Pass queue.

Reading the results online, I must say the biggest surprise for me was Sundance still being in. What does this guy have to do wrong to get people to realize (including the judges) that he's not going to be an American Idol?

The others who left, I can understand. They weren't going to make it very far as it is. I guess I just forgot about the power of good looks and a cultish following. Plus, I look at the performance from the previous night alone. Others may be considering the performer's hometown, dress, previous songs, etc.

Packed up & left last night:




The only one I remember well is Paul Kim. I guess America could smell his feet through the screen. Nicole Tranquillo: America already has it's Jessie Spano.

Also check out: Vote 4 Idol Online, Vote Fair

AI: Season 6, Round of 24 (Girls)

Wow! Apparently having two X chromosones is what it takes to win American Idol this year.

The women mopped the floor with the men and even with each other last night. The judging was pretty dead-on last night: some of these ladies are in a different league based on these performances. Very fun to watch. Every guy except Chris Sligh can thank their lucky stars that they are only competing against each other for now. Now, let's break it down:

Ladies who are safe:
Stephanie Edwards (girl, get off your knees, 'cause you don't need that photo, plus it was not that type of song… otherwise she proved right off the bat that the girls are better so far)
Nicole Tranquillo (didn't expect the sound or the song… she sounded like two different singers at times… a nasol, whiny sound came out of her mouth whenever she scrunched up her nose on words like 'behind' - beehaiiiiiynd… not something I liked, but not as bad as others)
Haley Scarnato (it's a dress, no it's pants, it's Celine, no it's not… there are enough crazy Celine fans out there to get her through probably)
Gina Glocksen (hate, hate, hate the song… but by the end, I believed that she overcame that to make me believe she belonged in the group)

Top of the heap:
Sabrina Sloan (very aggressive in a good way for the song, very different than the other ladies who rocked it)
Jordin Sparks (terrific stage presence and she proved that she can blow!)
Melinda Doolittle (did a lot… Arthur's mom did an amazing job picking a great song and sustaing the energy it required)

Top of the top of the heap:
LaKisha Jones (WOW! we are going to love you, you are staying… no doubt the one to beat)

For shame:
Amy Krebs (you can't make me love you, and I don't… stop hiding behind the mic stand)
Leslie Hunt (she is a tickle me elmo doll with a decent singing voice… seriously, can she look more awkward on stage? she may have watched too much Elaine from Seinfeld growing up)
Antonella Barba (just plain fel apart on the big stage… better hope there are a ton of Abercrombie boys voting this year… and who tied a sheet around her and had the guts to call it a blouse?)
Alaina Alexander (not special… please stop taking these songs so literally, it's really annoying)

Best performance (from both nights):



Should go home:



Will go home:



Also check out: Vote 4 Idol Online, Vote Fair

What's in a name - iPhone?

In considering the recent unveiling of Apple's iPhone and the excitement surrounding it, I believe Apple has made a misstep.

First, Apple now has a continuing legal battle with Cisco, as Cisco had announced their own iPhone several weeks prior and had owned rights to the name 'iPhone' for even longer.

Second, and perhaps most perplexing, is Apple's abandonment of the 'iPod' moniker. Well, perhaps abandonment is too harsh. Apple isn't phasing out 'iPod.' But in Steve Jobs own presentation, he pointed out that Apple's new product is at least a third iPod. As he put it: an iPod, a web device, and a phone.

So, what I wonder is, why not call it, 'iPod phone?' It would follow in the same line of current iPod naming conventions: iPod nano, iPod shuffle, e.g. It would eliminate any worry about litigation with Cisco's iPhone. It also would fit in a logical way with the rest of the iPod line.

One of the best things about the name 'iPod' was the foresight involved with it's naming. At first, it was primarily a music player, and no one would have thought twice if the name for it had been iPlayer or iListen or iBox, etc. But Apple had the prudence to realize that there was room for growth for the device. And thus, iPod was actually an appropriate name as the device grew to include photos, video, games, contacts, calendars… and you would suppose phone capabilities.

Instead Apple is abandoning iPod as part of it's phone's name, and it leaves me saying 'iWonder.'

AI: Season 6, Round of 24 (Boys)

Last night's performance by the men proved that there certainly is not as much talent as Seacrest may claim there to be. As usual, there are the people who you can't explain how they got in, and those who are just waiting for the group to whittle down to the top 6 or so.

I think the following people are safe:
Phil Stacy (rough start, sounded to me like they didn't sound check his mic)
Paul Kim (for the love of shoes, put some on! And please no more references in songs to your feet!)
Nicholas Pedro (slouches)
AJ Tabaldo
Brandon Rogers (he's going to be really good with different songs)
Chris Richardson (not the right song for him, but he'll easily move on - female crowd alone puts him in the next round)

Standouts for me were:
Blake Lewis (no beat boxing - great!, great song choice, but the tempo was too fast and he clearly was having trouble keeping up)
Jared Cotter (made an annoying song his own and better)
Chris Sligh (my favorite, and another great performance)

Bottom of the barrel:
Rudy Cardenas (I don't like the song, good energy, but I don't think it saves you from the song)
Sanjaya Malakar (would have been better off singing "twinkle, twinkle little star")
Sundance Head (never should have been in the final round, I don't like the song to begin with and now I really despise the song)

Okay, so here is my take based on these performances:

Best performance:



Should go home:



Will go home:



Also check out: Vote 4 Idol Online, Vote Fair

American Idol: Season 6

Okay, okay, it's true. I am a fan of American Idol. This "cultured boy" has been sucked in by the American Idol vortex and I am not ashamed to admit it anymore. I don't wish to justify it. I will simply say that I am a critical fan of the show and there's nothing you can say to change that.

Being a fan doesn't mean that I don't have beef with the show or its judging or its contestants. Let's review my biggest concerns so far this season, and subsequent posts will include my own analysis of the previous night's performances, as well as my picks for the best of the night, who should go home, and who will go home.

So, up to the judging round (round of 24), here are my thoughts: We haven't seen much of the finalists up to this point. The auditions and Hollywood week focused mostly on obscure and odd contestants, and the drama of Hollywood week. The editing and production staff have kept most of the finalists in relative obscurity up until now. I would have preferred to see snippets of all the contestants who earned golden tickets, rather than all of the odd ball auditions. Some however, were rather hilarious and you know that they include them because there's an audience for it… an audience who will tune in just for that.

My biggest beef, however, came in Hollywood week, when the friend of finalist Antonella Barba declared that "God likes good people…" referring to herself! I'm so glad this girl got cut. By her own logic, it looks like her friend, Antonella, is the better person (and she was for keeping her mouth shut when a member of their trio got cut). Humility still has some value, thank goodness.

Okay, so with that said, let's move on to the finalists' performances. My criteria for analysis is simple: I look at the performance for that night and not previous nights, and I'll pick who I think was the best, who should go and who will go home.

I am also looking for any good places online that are doing their own polls. So far I have found:
Vote 4 Idol
Vote Fair

The Interstate System... simplified.

Chris Yates has a created a pretty cool map of the US Interstate System… as a subway map.

I just thought this was a nice example of how looking at an ordinary subject in a different, ordinary way creates an interesting solution. It doesn't help you figure out precise turns from San Antonio to Minneapolis, but it'll tell you what roads you'll be on for most of the time.

Thanks, as always, to BoingBoing.