American Idol Rock & Roll week. We’re down to the last 4. I’m still not over the early departures of Carly and Michael. I’m soldiering on (and apologize in advance…this post is grammatically all over the place…it’s late

Let’s get right to it. David Cook singing Hungry Like the Wolf. It’s like he woke up and said, “what would Robin like to hear?” He almost ruined it for me by pointing out this song came out in 1982…the year he was born. But then I thought, Ok, so I could have been his babysitter in 1982. That’s kind a hot Anyway, I liked this fine. I’d download it. I think Paula just said she wants to eat him. I find that disturbing. When he sang that Who song that I’ve always thought should be just called “Teenage Wasteland”, it gave me chills. Please, America, don’t Daughtry this guy.

Syesha singing Proud Mary. Oh GET OVER YOURSELF! She’s like the Timothy Dalton of AI. Dalton…who said, “Hmmm, sure, I’ll take over James Bond from Roger Moore.  And for my next trick, I’ll totally play Rhett Butler in the TV Movie of Scarlett. I can do that better than Clark Gable.” Syesha love, YOU ARE NOT TINA TURNER! Then Change is Gonna Come. Let’s just start w/ she looks fantastic. Stunning. But dawg…did she just equate (even if only her mind) her time on Idol to the Civil Rights Movement? Hmmm…yeah I see it. That said, Paula’s tearjerking critique just saved this girl for next week.

Jason ”Time to Fastforward” Castro singing I shot the Sheriff.  Then Tamborine Man. At least on the latter, you know he’s GOT to be vocally better than Bob Dylan. If he REMEMBERS THE WORDS!!!!

David Archuletta singing Stand By Me. I find that I do the reverse advice from what Andrew Lloyd Webber gave him. I can only enjoy young David if I close MY eyes. Which leads me to perhaps a revelation. I’ve got to reconnoiter my DVR so that I can LOOK at Syesha while David A. is singing. Love Me Tender was strictly “Lite FM” to me. Also, he dinked around with Elvis’ melody. The beauty of that song is the simplicity of its melody. Didn’t like.

At this point, if anyone goes home other than Jason Castro, I’m done.

Dec out.

Ok, so I wasn’t really kicked out. Mostly just sneered at….ok, so not exactly sneered at, but in my head that is totally what happened.

I went in there with my daughter to get stuff for a non-crafty project. I do not craft. Ok, not true…I can’t craft. It always turns ugly and messy. But, I immediately understood the look in my little girl’s eyes as we walked past rows of material festooned with unicorns, horses, rainbows, lolli-pops etc. She was literally spinning with possibilities. New blankets, new curtains, new couch covers (our living room sofa would ROCK if we re-upholstered in rainbow unicorns).

“Sorry babe, I’m not that kind of mom. I wish I were. We’re here to get some glitter and sharper scissors.”

I could tell she was a little sad.

I, of course, am about as lost at the fabric store as I am in the tool department of home depot (luckily, I’ve got connections for the latter). All of the cashiers knew it. I swear they could sense my non-craftiness a mile away. If it was Studio 54 in 1977, they never would have let me past the velvet rope.

But…I found the glitter (after asking 3 people).

I know, I know. I haven’t posted for a whole week. I’ve been in CrazyTown grading papers. OMG, I just submitted my final grades to Eastern. Winter 2008 is officially over. Whew.

Allrighty…Neil Diamond week. Yippee! Michael’s gone, Carly’s gone. If David Cook does a Daughtry-esque departure, I may not watch the rest of the season (who am I kidding, I’ll still watch, I’ll just be very cranky).

Jason Castro - Forever in Blue Jeans. He’s ah’ ight (as Randy would say). I’m a little sleepy watching him though. I think I’ll fast forward to the judge’s comments. Is that allowed? I say it is. What the? Ok, they’re going to make me wait until after Jason’s second song to get snarky. Fine. Er…Paula is totally confused. I think there’s a fork sticking out of Jason this week.

David Cook - I’m Alive and All I Really Need is You. Oooh, I’m excited by his video. I can’t wait. Ok, he’s making Neil Diamond sound totally current. I’d download this tomorrow. I would like him to shave though. I don’t like the beardy-beard.  I think he was great. He’s in a different league than everyone else (which, if history repeats…he’ll be going home next week or the week after).

***Short Attention Span Alert**** Did you see the promo for So You Think You Can Dance? I LOVE that show. Better than DWTS in my opinion.

Brooke White - Ok, Brooke, keep it together. Don’t let the nerves get ya tonight. Sorry, I’m not believin’ her on I’m a Believer. At least she didn’t start over. That’s progress.  I just can’t figure how we got to the point where Brooke and Syesha are the last chicks standing. Weird. She’s very MUZAK to me, which is the danger of some of these Neil Diamond songs. It’s also why David Cook was so brilliant.

David Archuletta - Coming to America and Sweet Caroline. Of COURSE that’s what he’s singing. Can you pick something schmaltzier? No, you can’t. I’m just so sick of the Up with People vibe on this kid. The Bomb? Really Randy? Really?

Syesha Mercado - Oooh, I like the straight hair. But…she’s gone back to the smug persona that went away last week when she pretended to be someone else. Fast forwarding through Hello Again. Barefeet? Really? What is this w/ the girls this season?

My prediction for bottom 2. This seems like shooting fish in a barrel. Brooke and Jason. I think Brooke will probably go. I didn’t like Syesha much, but somehow, she’s managed to skim under the radar.

All righty. We are down to the final six. We have survived the ordeal of Mariah Carey week. Idol is back to throwing darts at a board to find their celebrity mentor. Don’t get me wrong, Andrew Lloyd Webber IS a living idol. I love “most” of his stuff (even if I can’t forgive the singing cats). I just can’t shake memories of Season 3 when my ex-boyfriend Bo Bice had to sing Pippin. Ok, anyway. Let’s roll.

Syesha Mercado & Jason Castro - I’m sticking them together for a reason. On Syesha…I am backpedaling. I’ve wanted her gone for weeks, but I’ve got to hand it to the girl tonight. This IS her element. She belongs on Broadway, not my radio. But, I enjoyed this. Jason…polar opposite. Time to go buddy. Syesha should get one more week after tonight. For Jason, Nickelodeon awaits (also..ALW?…you can’t envision a guy in dred locks but you were ok w/ the singin’ cat?)

Brooke White - Ok. No more screwing up. She seemed extremely rattled after last week’s near elimination and I don’t know if she’s going to be able to get over that. The song is desperate,  so is she. So in that respect, she sold it.

David Archuletta - Do I HAVE to watch him? I don’t wanna. Funny, I tend to close my eyes when he sings too. Weird Ok, I hate to use an Idol cliche, but I do like that young David made this song totally his own. That said, is it me or does EVERY song he sings sound just like that?

Carly Smithson - Ok, I’ve got some chills before she even opens her mouth. I’m so glad to see Carly having fun up there. She is a little screechy and I know realize (ok for a couple of weeks now) she’s never going to win this. I just want to see her happy and entertaining. She is that tonight.

David Cook - Singing Music of the Night??? Seriously??? Ok, he said he grew up doing musical theatre. I’m a little afraid. My favorite quote of the night: “It was a little strange having to stare longingly into Lord Andrew’s eyes.” Um…yeah. This is so not DC’s “wheelhouse.” He did ok. (incidentally, my mom doesn’t watch the show, but she knows from singing and she would have hated this, I think). And yet…I’m still in the end haunted by the memory of Bo Bice singing Pippin. 

So there you go. My prediction for bottom 3, Jason Castro, Syesha (though she should stay), and…it’s time for another shocker, I think…David Archuletta.

Dec out.

Thanks to my quiz participants. Cheryl wins the prize for getting the closest. I don’t know what she wins (other than my undying amazement…:)   )

This… is the track ball inside my mouse. Somehow, my daughter figured out how to get it out of the mouse and coat it w/ silly putty. In case you are wondering…track balls tend not to glide very smoothly when coated w/ silly putty.

The next stumper…how to get the ever-lovin’ stuff OFF of the mouse? Scraping didn’t work. I was afraid trying goo gone would make it worse. Soooo, I ended up putting the thing in the freezer over night hoping I could chip it off. That worked only mildly well. Finally, my husband just got another ball from another (dead) computer and we were good to go. Any other suggestions for the future, I’d be mighty glad.

Meanwhile…we have banned silly putty from our home. We once had to do that w/ legos. In case you were wondering, legos do not flush down the toilet very well. It’s not pretty.

All righty…I’m running my first ever Befrazzled Quiz. Anyone and everyone, take a guess at what this is.

Anyone? Lurkers take a guess (I’m talking to YOU Mrs. G!

 I’ll give you a few hints.

1.) It IS of this world.

2.) Only MY kids could think of a way to make this particular brand of mess.

I’ll post the answer Monday morning.

Mariah Carey week. Ugh. Peeps, I can’t even do the regular roll call I hate this so much. Caterwalling. All I hear is caterwalling. From everyone. Soooo, I will do what the show could not do for me…a mercy killing.

To me, the only ones that weren’t insufferable were (surprisingly) Kristy Lee and David Cook (sorry, my David…I still hate that song, but that was Da Bomb) . Also…lemme just say, Carly is getting her look together.

I’m literally throwin’ darts at a wall on this one. My prediction for bottom three…Syesha (because Idol, you OWE me dammit!); Brooke (’cuz it’s her turn), and oh…what the hay…Jason Castro.

Dec Out

We had “lunch” at IHOP today with my folks. Here’s what they are serving up for the kiddos in honor of the movie “Horton Hears a Who.”

I think they’re going to have to change the title of the movie to “Horton is a Type-II Diabetic.” Holy Crikey! I’ll take my Healthy Parent of the Year Award anytime now

We are down to our final eight. It is Idol Gives Back Week. Our kids are singing “inspirational” songs.

Michael Johns - Singing Dream On. He’s great, of course, but in the opening strains of this…I’m just thinking, does everything have to be so epic w/ this guy? Cheryl, I know you want him to be your boyfriend and all, but enough w/ the angst. (uh oh, I might be crabby again tonight, buckle up).

Meanwhile…when Paula says, “My chihuahuas are going to come on stage w/ you.” Is she talking about her cans? ‘Cuz they have a life of their own tonight and are scaring me a little. Oh…back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Syesha Mercado singing I Believe. HUGE mistake right off the bat singing a Fantasia song. The judges are going to hate this in the same way they hated her trying to be Whitney Houston last week. These chicks need to read my blog already. Yep, judges take, “Fantasia is special, you are not.” Harsh. True.

Jason Castro singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow (the Hawaiian ukulele version). All righty, pep it up Jason. There’s really nothing NOT to like about this guy. This for me, is one of his best performances.

K/Christy Lee Cook. Singing Anyway. First off, I hope she loses her attitude from last week. I found her snarky and unappealing (which is funny…’cuz you’d think I could respect that). Ok, she looks just like my Golden Dream Barbie from 1980. She’s either going to get the country fan vote or not. She’s done all she can do and if she doesn’t go this week, she’ll go next.

David Cook singing Innocent (I love this song). Hmmm. I think he’s struggling a little bit with this one. Paula and her chihuahuas are rockin’ it out though. That’s a good sign. His voice wasn’t great, but I’ll give him a pass based on past performances. I can’t imagine him going home.

Carly Smithson singing The Show Must Go On (love this song too). Gawd I love her. I agree w/ Simon’s advice from last week. Carly needs to start dressing for this show. This is Idol, not a smoky backroom of a bar (though hmm…Simon seemed to like her outfit…I did not). The judges want her to happy it up.

David Archuletta singing Angels. Oh gawd. David A. singing an inspirational song. If he sings some weirdass song about guns again, my head’s going to explode. Ok, he’s playing the piano, that might be a good choice. What IS this song though? Whatever. I’m over him even though I was never really under him. Call me an Idol Scrooge.

Brooke White singing You’ve Got a Friend. I’m thinking Carole King is a good choice for her. She really is a young version of Carole King, IMHO. I’m just saying, I’ve got fashion issues tonight, but I think my grandma had a couch in her davenport upholstered w/ the same material as Brooke’s dress. Anyway, Brooke sounds great. It’s just going to be a matter of whether voters are inspired enough to pick up the phone.

Ugh. All in all, I’m kind of underwhelmed by Inspiration Week. The people I liked (Carly, David C., Brooke), I basically liked because of past performances. Not tonight’s. My prediction for bottom three…Syesha and Christy. For the third, I predict a shocker of some sort. Perhaps Michael.

Dec out.

With prom season fast approaching, I figured I ought to get a jump on what to wear. Turns out… 

I should get a dress that’s… Black - Elegant

I am naturally elegant and classy. I should opt for a black dress with some funky accents to show off my good fashion sense and natural beauty.

‘What Prom Dress should you get?’ at QuizGalaxy.com

Ok, if you’re brave enough to send them to me as .jpegs, I’ll post a gallery. Oh, and are you kidding me, I totally reserve the right to draw cartoons on them I promise not to make fun of you.