After coaching my boys in basketball this year, I’ve had a chance to watch them both in athletic and competitive situations. I think the ability to compete and understand what competition means is something all children need to do from an early age. It doesn’t have to be in athletics. It can be in education or any other form of activities that kids are doing these days. I don’t think kids need to be die hard competitors and see their classmates as just other pieces of flesh. Actually, it’s just the opposite. They need to see each other as part of a big picture of humanity. But I do think that being able to compete, to test yourself, and to be able to compare against a measuring stick to where you want to be is key growing up. As adults, we do it every day of our lives.

The other day I really got a chance to watch the boys closely on the court. One of the neighboring kids (who I call Ryno) is in 8th grade and he was shooting hoops with Double J. Double Bri had to finish his homework and couldn’t play until he did. Since Double J is a year younger and a foot shorter I decided that he and I would team up against Double Bri and Ryno. I know that on an intellectual end, Double J knows basketball better than Double Bri. But athletically, Double Bri is just bigger, more aggressive, and stronger. I thought it’d be a good match-up. I wasn’t really going to be a factor. I wanted to see how Double J would react to being our main reason for winning (we weren’t going to lose). Immediately he was juking Brian out and cutting to the hoop and I was throwing him bounce passes and he was getting real close to the basket and making lay-ups. He’s far quicker than Double Bri is, but Bri can catch up because he’s faster. But Double J was able to get wide open shots. He was able to pretty much fake Double Bri out of his shoes whenever he wanted and he’s got a keen understanding about how someone who is small can beat the bigger player to the punch. All of this was amazing to me. I’m not sure where he got this understanding. I’m not even sure where he learned how cut to the basket and immediately turn to find himself squared to the basket. It was as if my six year old teammate was the perfect two on two partner. He does things that I try to teach other people to do when I’m on the court with adults.

Double Bri was no slouch either, but his game is more about being bigger and stronger. He doesn’t have to learn the tricks. And he mounted a bit of a comeback. But there was something about Double J’s unwillingness to lose that grabbed me. There was one situation where both kids went for the ball and Double J ended up on the pavement and if not for the basketball being his pillow, his head would’ve been on the road as well. It wasn’t either child’s fault, but Double J was so adamant in his argument that it was Double Bri’s fault, Double Bri pretty much agreed with him. And then when they tied the score against us, Double J chastised me for not playing hard enough. It was as if he was Michael Jordan and I was Luc Longley or something. And it was actually his guy who scored. He was in near tears at the thought of the game being tied. Even though I wasn’t going to let us lose because I could steal the ball or block Ryno’s shot at my will, I just saw Double J’s selfishness as something that is eventually going to be channeled into a complete killer instinct. Since the game was to eleven, except you had to win by two, I made sure to put us up by one with only one point needed to win. Double J immediately got open, I passed him the ball, Double Bri went for the steal, and Double J hit the shot to win. After the game it was Double Bri who was really angry and it was Double J who went over to him and said “good game”. I always hated those guys who were sore losers on the court and then after the games would come shake your hand. It was more so because they were usually the guys who wouldn’t allow their teams to lose and used up their every last bit of energy on the floor. And they usually won too. Double J is like that already and he’s only six. He and I already had a discussion about chastising his teammates and being inspiring, rather than talking down to someone. But I’ve just never seen that same understanding at such a young age. In no way was he even one of the top five players on our basketball team. He was definitely one of the shortest and had to use his hustle to beat everyone down the court, calling for the ball with his left hand in the air and never being out of position to get the ball.

After our two on two match-up, we ate dinner. I told Double J that he needed to eat more so he could grow and get stronger like his brother. He said that he didn’t need to grow because he’d just be another Nate Robinson, the 5’8 2006 Slam Dunk Champion. We’ll teach him about genetics another day.

I rarely post about the office, but in this case, I have to. You see, a good friend of mine is leaving my company (Shopping.com) and moving on. When I was at a time in my life where I was kind of doubting myself and trying to get my head straight, he was there to just hang out with. There are certain people in your life that seem to be there for you exactly when you need it. This man was that guy for me at that time in my life. So to Mr. W., thank you my man for being there for me. And good luck at the new spot.

Thankfully I don’t have a large readership or he’d kill me. And also, I’m in this video eating cake or something and wearing these $2 sunglasses because I forgot my other ones at home.

Yes, the season is already over. I know this. But I still have two episodes to recap. And away we go.

The Hulkster and Jimmy Hart arrive at Monday Night Raw. Umaga shakes hands with him and he’s not a monster. Kayfabe! The Hulkster gets his right knee wrapped and tells us about his special red underwear that he wears on flights.

They show Hogan come to Raw and battle with Young Randall K. Orton. For about 5 minutes of work he’s in bad shape. It’s as if he wrestled for 5 days straight. He goes to meet Vince McMahon and Vince tells him that he comes to the shows after being away and steals the spotlight and then leaves again. Hogan thinks he fits in well but Vince thinks he needs to be around more. Hogan is upset with Vince because Vince once told him that Hulkamania works better from time to time on a limited basis. Vince tells Hogan that he’s in wrestling for life and that he really needs to confront it. Vince says that Hogan needs to keep all his attorneys out of the equation.

(That entire meeting was very much staged by the way. But at least Hogan was wearing his red underpants.)

Linda says the other wrestlers must be intimidated when Hogan is around because the fans scream loudest for him. Hogan says they can’t be because his good knee is totally blown. Hulk tells Linda that Vince is basically making him choose between wrestling and his family. Instead of standing by her man, Linda says, “Well, we could use the money.” Hogan says the reason they need the money is because Linda spends it all. Then Linda says she’s accustomed to living a certain lifestyle and Hogan needs to support that. I hope Hogan cheats on her daily. She then says that they couldn’t function without her.

Vince calls the Hulkster again and says that he needs him for Saturday Night’s Main Event which is broadcast on NBC and is booked for Dallas. Vince tells Hulk to bring Brook with him and they can play her video. Hogan says he’s in and thanks Vince. (By the way, Brook was always going to be there and Hogan was always scheduled to be on Saturday Night’s Main Event. That call was totally bogus.)

Hulk tells the family that Vince wants to play Brook’s video on the show. Brook wonders if she wants to be labeled as a “wrestling chick”. Hulk says he wouldn’t ask Brook to do it if he thought it would hurt her. Hulk and Linda agree that the Hulkamaniacs will accept Brook as their own.

Hulk tells Brook that she’s going to have to speak in front of 20,000 people and that she needs to speak from her heart. He tells her that if she gets bananas thrown at her, she’s on her own. Brook straightens his hair for him and he asks her if he should wear underwear. As if he hasn’t done this some 5,000 times before. They show bits and pieces of Brook’s promo to the crowd. Hulk thinks she did a great job. Brook says she was very nervous. Vince says that Brook was tremendous.

Nick and Brook are goofing off and Nick puts his shoe in her face. She says that he should have to smell her butt. And the she starts shaking her butt like she’s dancing back up for Beyonce. That was weird.

Hogan receives a fax from WWE and he says, “20 more years?” He says Vince just sent him a 20 year contract. Vince wants Hulk Hogan to become the Babe Ruth of the WWE. Hogan says it’s the perfect deal for him. He says the one to make the decision on if he’s going to wrestle is him.

Hogan goes to meet Vince and Vince talks about the Hulkamania brand. He says that there’s equity in the brand whether Hogan is alive or not. Vince says he just has to perform in front of his audience. Vince says that someone said, “Hulkamania will never die.” Hogan says the guy that said that must’ve been hit in the head with a chair. Hogan says he wants to protect those last few years. They agree on some provision of the contract with a handshake.

Hulk says that he’s going to sign the deal and even if he dies, the kids will benefit. He tells Linda that she has to do something to help him out with the money, even if it was going door to door in a bikini. In the only thing Linda has said that’s worth it on the entire show, she says, “I won’t sell anything with my butt.” No truer words have ever been spoken.

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What’s all the hoopla about Stephanie Edwards leaving last week? She was only in front of Sanjaya and Haley in last week’s Hot List. She was talented, but needed a lot of seasoning. So where does that leave us? It leaves us with an American Idol that still has Sanjaya Malakar on it! And I’m all for that. I’m actually quite fond of him being on the show because he’s simply the most entertaining piece of train wreck television going on today. We’re talking higher quality entertainment than Hannah Montana’s dad (aka Billy Ray Cyrus) trying to dance on Dancing With The Stars. I think that Sanjaya is the key to this show because everyone else is trying to act as professional as possible. And he’s morphing physically into Michael Jackson right in front of our eyes.

The Hot List
1. Melinda Doolittle - Still head attached to shoulders above the rest.
2. Lakisha Jones - Lakisha and
2. Blake Lewis - Blake and
2. Jordin Sparks - Jordin are all tied in my book.
5. Chris Richardson - The judges seemed to like him, but I thought he was kind of boring last week.
6. Gina Glocksen - She is starting to look like a fish out of water.
7. Chris Sleigh - He needs to step his game up.
8. Haley Scarnato - She learned that sex sells.
9. Phillip Stacey - Sweaty Phillip was horrible last week.
10. Sanjaya Malakar - The man, the myth, the legend.

The Departed
1. Young Brandon Rogers
2. Young Stephanie Edwards

Tonight, my guest judge is a good friend of mine. She has told me stories about wrestlers that I might’ve not ever wanted to know. She loves Johnny Nitro probably more than Melina does. She’s Epinions’ own, Patty Therre. I’ll do the play by play, and she’ll give the color. And in color, I don’t mean blade job (for those wrestling naive, just google that last phrase).

(The word is that Fox scheduled American Idol to finish 7 minutes late tonight simply to screw with ABC and the start of Dancing With The Stars. DWTS was to start right as Idol was to finish and they were to announce the first person to be eliminated (Paulina Porizkova) tonight. But Idol had to show it’s power by making viewers wait until switching over. The moral of this story is, don’t mess with Ryno Seacrest.)

Get this. Ryno is kidding with us by saying that the theme to this week is songs either by Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, or bands that inspired her. Wait, he’s not kidding. That’s really the theme. This might be a little scary.

I’m just hoping that that Blake doesn’t try to incorporate the spelling of banana into his song.

Lakisha Jones is up first and she’s singing a Donna Summers classic, Last Dance. Lakisha is wearing a kimono dress with this high leather boots. Vocally, this is probably the least challenging song that she’s done so far. She does a fine job with it and hits the big note at the end that Randy always loves. Patty says that while she did a good job and started out the show strong, the dress was horrid. She added that she hopes the others don’t dress like her or it could be a long hour. Randall says it was hot. Paula says that she did Donna Summers proud. Simon says that he loved the big note at the end. I guess I was wrong on who was going to love that note.

Chris Sleigh is up next with Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by the Police. He starts out like his name is Christopher Cross and he was sailing away. I’m not sure this was anything special. It was a bit boring and either my ears were off, or he was off with something that I can’t put my finger on. Patty likes his voice but she didn’t think it was his best work and it was a bad song choice. Randall says that he couldn’t stay with the band tempo wise. Paula says that he didn’t feel the beat, but it was ok. Simon says it was a mess. Gina Glocksen is next with I’ll Stand By You and this is actually the Gina that I thought had a chance to shock some folks. I still think she was a little nervous, but it was her best performance thus far. Patty is a Gina fan and says she performed her song very well. No word on whether Gina has a second career as a WWE Diva though. Randall says it was one of her best performances ever. Paula says she’s coming into her own as an artist. Simon says it wasn’t one of her best performances, but her best performance.

Sanjaya The Great is up and is singing a No Doubt song. Gwen actually says that it’s a hard song, but he chose it and she offers him good luck. I’m wondering if that’s a first ever. Usually you can tell when the guests don’t think the Idol contestants are going to do well, but at least they say something nice about them. Gwen basically says that he can’t remember the words and it’s a hard song for him to sing. Woohoo! That just means it’s going to be greater than I expected. He comes out with a hairstyle that I think is supposed to mirror the hairstyle that Gwen’s ex-boyfriend (who was also in No Doubt) wore. But it more so is a cross between Busta Rhymes circa Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check days and Foghorn Leghorn. This is probably his greatest vocal performance thus far and it was still abysmal. Abysmally great, that is. This guy is going to make a lot of money doing something in this business. I’m not sure what, but something. I am just going to sit back and put Patty’s entire quote here. I can’t paraphrase it or do it any justice in any other way.

Patty said:

I won’t lie. I can’t stand the kid. Now, I REALLY can’t stand him after seeing the hair. Was that to avert our attention away from his terrible singing? He needs to go now please before that girl on MySpace dies of starvation. (She is on a hunger strike until he is voted off.) Dreadful.

And just as Patty said that, I think he stays longer. How can his fan base not come out in droves to support that? Randall says he’s speechless. Actually he lied. He says that what he noticed is that Sanjaya can actually sing but he just needs to put it out there. Paula says he needs the gumption to go for it to match the wackiness of his look. Simon says it doesn’t matter what they say because he’s in his own universe. Haley Scarnato is up next with True Colors. Haley is trying to wear the shortest dress on Fox television since Donna Martin loved Ray Pruitt. And she succeeds. As for her performance, it was simply unmemorable. Patty thinks the vocals were nice but says that it was expressionless and seemed as if she was reading the lyrics from cue cards. Randall says it was kind of alright for him. Paula says it was a little too adult contemporary. Simon says it was sweet, but forgettable and too safe.

Phillip Stacy is next and thankfully he’s wearing a hat this week. He has one of the scariest looking bald heads in the history of bald heads. As I said last week, there are guys who can pull it off like Michael Jordan. And even the late Telly Savalas rocked a great bald head. But Phillip’s head is kind of flat on the top and either he has dandruff on his scalp or it’s just ashy. He’s singing Every Breath You Take. His voice is actually made to cover this song. He was able to mimic Sting’s voice very well. Surprisingly, this is may be my favorite performance tonight. Gina’s was better, but I enjoy this song more. Patty says the hat helps his alien like head stay covered during his solid performance. Randall says that he didn’t push it and he kind of liked it. Paula says he lives in the chorus but the verses were too safe. Simon says he liked it. Melinda Doolittle is singing Heaven Knows, which is another Donna Summers song. Don’t tell me Jordin is going to give us the Donna Summers triple play when it’s her turn. What’s there to say about Melinda that I haven’t already said? She’s a fantastic singer. And it seemed as if she was having fun and she let her personality shine a bit in the performance. Randall says that she interprets the feeling of the song and is living the words. Paula says she has charisma from the word go. Simon says she was vocally outstanding but he hates the outfit.

Here’s another Patty classic about Melinda:

I think when she looks down, she smashes her chin on her chest. Weird. The song was good because she is a very good singer but I wasn’t blown away like everyone else. I think I was preoccupied looking for her neck. That’s so mean.

Wow!

She either hugged herself while on stage with Ryno, or just give the worst B-girl stance in earth’s creation.

Blake Lewis is singing Love Song by the Cure. It’s a rather boring performance from a guy who is usually the most creative with his performance. They give it a little reggae tinge to it. This was like Baby JT’s performance for me last week. I don’t think there was technically anything wrong with it, but it was kind of uninspiring. Patty was pretty much of the same opinion as I was. She says she was bored through it. Randall says he made the most of it. Paula says she loved it and he’s making the show hip. Simon says he’s in the Chris Daughtry zone and he doesn’t want to be indulgent. Jordin Sparks is singing Hey Baby. Jordin could’ve done something safe, but she didn’t. I’m not sure this song really works in this setting. There’s not much she can actually do with it to show off her voice which is her money maker. It was interesting, but I don’t think it worked like she wanted it to. Patty hated the outfit but says the performance has some attitude in it. Randall says it was risky but she made it great. Paula says she loves Jordin when she’s having fun. Simon says she’s the most improved contestant but the song was a bit of a copy cat.

Baby JT is singing Don’t Speak. Gwen says she hopes he doesn’t do the vocal gymnastics deal and hopes he just sings the melody. I just hope he does a wacky dance. Wait, that’s Blake. I already missed my chance to see a wacky dance. If Justin Timberlake ever performed this song, I can picture it sounding exactly like this. It’s so hard for me to try and judge his performance because all I hear is JT. Randall says that he liked the choice of song and liked the R&B flavor to it. Paula says he’s good. Simon says it was a much better song choice, but he wasn’t crazy about the vocal.

This one is going to be interesting. I’m not really sure who should go home. Chris Sleigh and Haley Scarnato were the most unmemorable singers tonight and I wouldn’t be surprised to see either go. Except Chris can’t rock a Donna Martin dress like Haley can. All I know is that Sanjaya must stay!

Next week, my guest judges will be Amy (pearannoyed) and Andrew (bob_tomato). Seacrest out!

The Rest Of The Shows
American Idol Season 6 Preview
American Idol Season 6: And Then There Were 12
American Idol Season 6: And Then There Were 11

This site is my personal blog. I am a divorced dad of two young boys, whom I love with all my heart. I have a beautiful girlfriend. I am great friends with my ex-wife and her new husband. I work in the Internet industry. I enjoy pro wrestling, MMA, and the regular sports like basketball, baseball and football. I have a fanatical love for things like Beverly Hills, 90210 and American Idol, so if that makes you uncomfortable, this may not be the place for you. But if you believe in the three words, “Donna Martin graduates!” then this place may be for you.

GG (7/9/08)

PS: You can also find me writing at Fight Game Blog and Music Help Web.

The Cast Of Characters

I write about many people in my blog. Sometimes you need a scorecard. Here’s your scorecard.

Brian (aka - Double Bri, Bri-Guy, Luchador 1) - my oldest son who is smack dab right in the middle of the banner above. If there is someone on this earth who is most like me, it’s him.

JJ (aka - Jonathan, Double J, J-Guy, Luchador 2) - my youngest son who is second from the left on the banner above. If there is someone on this earth who is most like Carol, it’s him.

Carol (aka - C-Boogie) - my ex-wife and also the mother of my two sons.

Jesus (aka - Jesse) - new husband to my ex-wife and father of the Jo-Man and Ceci.

Tawni (aka - Sis, Lil’ Sis) - my little sister who supports me dearly.

Shoesless (no need for an aka) - my sister’s boyfriend who earned this nickname by singing and winning a karaoke contest sans footwear.

Big Daddy (aka Big Daddy OTA) - my dad who shows up in comments from time to time.

Mom (aka my dear mother) - she’s my dear mother.

Eddy Zucko (aka Sir Edsolicious Zuckolovich, The Professor Of Zuckosfaction) - my best friend and Godparent to my two boys. Also writes for the Basketball Blog. Well, at least once or twice.

Dave Meltzer (aka Big Dave, Dave) - one of the greatest men walking on earth.

Cousin Miko (aka Tomiko, Miko) - my close cousin who I helped bring back to the Bay.

The Coach (aka Coach Dan - Tomiko’s boyfriend who is in the banner on the far left. He was trying to bring sexy back all at once in that picture.

Young Randall (aka Rando, Randy, Big Sexy The Giant Killer) - friend and former baseball teammate who is also soon to marry HJ. He’s in the banner, third from the right. Has also written once for the Basketball Blog.

HJ (aka Hea Jin, H-Jizzle) - friend and the soon to be wife of Young Randall.

Mystery Cow (aka The Precursor, aaron green) - we used to run tha Block together. Writes about the Lakers for our Basketball Blog.

Shaved Asian (aka American Male) - friend, hardcore Warriors fan and all around nice guy. Writes about the Warriors for our Basketball Blog.

Speeddemon Mike (aka Money Mike, Mikey) - friend who I first met on Epinions and now write with and hang out with whenever possible, even though we live on different coasts.

Low Jones (aka Blake, Blakey, Round Head (Cactus Jim’s, not mine)) - friend and former co-worker who is a brand new daddy.

Cactus Jim (aka Jim) - during 9/11, I was on a business trip with him and stranded in Houston, Texas. Bonded by that moment for life.

I am going to be writing for Shopping.com’s new blog called What’s In Store. I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to be writing about, but I did write my first post today.

Check it out.

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This review was first published on Epinions.com.

American Idol is a singing competition. You’ll hear Simon, Paula, and Randy remind us of that pretty much every week. But just important as it is to hit your notes and sing on key is the ability to touch people with your singing and performing. If you had Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry and Elliot Yamin sing acapella last year, you’d notice that Hicks is by far the worst singer of the three. But it was his showmanship and likability factor that won him the show. There have been some really good singers kicked off the show because they simply can’t inspire the audience that is watching to vote for them. Elliot did a great job at both singing fantastically and inspiring people to vote for him. Not the easiest Idol contestant on the eyes with his bad grill taking up the entire camera and his road weary eyes, Elliot focused on simply singing his heart out and America ate it up. Elliot was just that goofy looking kid who loved his mom and fought through handicaps (he’s 90% deaf in one ear) and wouldn’t be deterred in his dream. It’s easy to root for someone like Elliot Yamin.

It was on the final show of last year that I thought Elliot had a decent shot at making it in the music business. He came out to sing One with Mary J. Blige. She literally ate him up and you really didn’t see much of Elliot for the performance. I remember my mother getting peeved at Mary J. for taking over and I told my mom, “Well, it’s Mary J. Blige.” She didn’t care if it was Mary J., Aretha Franklin, or the ghost of Elvis Presley. She wanted her Elliot and saw him as the more important person on the stage. I have a feeling that there were others that who had the same disgust towards the Queen of Hip Hop Soul. If he had touched her, he probably touched others.

With the release of his self titled album on indie label Hickory Records (which is distributed by Sony BMG’s Red Distribution), Elliot’s goal was to write songs that catered to his American Idol fan base while at the same time staying true to himself. If that was his goal, I’d say he succeeded in doing just that, with only a few bumps in the road. Elliot Yamin is an eleven song jaunt of feel good music that goes by very quickly and probably too quickly at that. If I were to have any vocal talent whatsoever, the album I create would probably sound a lot like this one. And even if I did have vocal talent, it probably wouldn’t be as good as this is. His natural vibrato is on full display and in every song, he sings like the world will not be here for long.

(I bought the album off of iTunes and it is slightly different from the actual product that you’re going to find in stores. There are two extra bonus tracks. One of them is excellent. So if you want the extra tracks, iTunes is a good place to get this record.)

The album starts off with the uptempo Movin’ On. It was a teaser single and it’ll have you doing the Carlton dance from The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air in no time. It’s features hand claps and is heavy on the keyboard. It’s a smart introduction to his sound, but may have people thinking that this record is more R&B than it really is. First single Wait For You is a romantic ballad that is about loving someone so much and willing to wait forever for their love. It’s actually more of a pop song than an R&B song with dramatic piano and less of an urban feel. It’s a smart, though safe first single.

Train Wreck is an interesting mix of horns and guitar but Yamin’s soulful vocals are what stand out. It’s also one of the best songs on the album. He sings about a relationship heading for trouble.

We are strangers, heading for a train wreck.

Different types of love are many of the subjects of Yamin’s song writing. Find A Way is a little preachy about love solving all of our world’s ills, but it’s the same love that Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder used to sing about. You can tell that he’s big fans of both, as well as Donny Hathaway. You might remember his cover of Hathaway’s A Song For You which was one of the best performances in American Idol history. He gives us the studio version here, and while not being live takes a little of the specialness away, it’s still a great cover.

Yamin can also be a little dreamy with songs like One Word and You Are The One, but so were the Jacksons in the 1970’s. What takes away from these songs though is the lack of killer production, and it’s really what takes away from the album in general. A lot of the tunes, including these, go more for a pop ballad sound than for an urban one. I know that this is by design, but it’s my only real fault with the album. He could’ve balanced it out a bit more. Free is the type of song that you’d expect to be his first single if he had won American Idol. The sound is very big with choir-like background vocals. The message is that you should stop hiding and just believe in yourself.

Yamin gives us one attempt at a party mix DJ track and if I close my eyes, it sounds a bit like the Mr. Cheeks’ hit Light, Camera, Action. On an album like this, it’s out of place, but it’s not he like has any troubles with the faster tempo. In Love With You Forever is one of the extra tracks you get on the iTunes version and features a marching-like drum beat with a killer chorus.

I’m in love with you forever until I die
We’re always going to be together
I’m never gonna leave you never
I’m in love with you forever
Rain or shine
I am yours
You are mine

Yamin didn’t attempt to become Jon B. or Robin Thicke with his first album. I’m not sure it would’ve sold if he did. Being on American Idol puts him into a certain demographic fan base, and he can’t completely stray from that. Look at what happened to Ruben Studdard. So while this isn’t the savior of R&B music, it’s still a creative and working man’s attempt to please his fans. It’s closer to a four start record than a three star one and puts him on a list of artists who showed great promise with their first album, and you simply can’t wait for their next.

I haven’t posted about my running happenings, well, because I wasn’t doing a lot of running. So it’s not like I was slacking on the writing end. Actually, what happened is that I went on a business trip. It was a three day jaunt in which we were going to hit Chicago on a Wednesday, Washington D.C. on a Thursday, and come back home to the Bay Area on Friday. For some reason, I thought that I’d be able to get in the gym all three days and continue my running workout. On Wednesday, after flying for about five hours, I had to eat something before working out and by the time I finally ate, I had to work that night and it just wasn’t going to happen. On Thursday, after flying into D.C., I experienced a little queasiness from the turbulence and didn’t run again. And by Friday, I was so spent after the six hour trip back that I decided to not even bother with it. But thankfully, I got all my running in this week including running five miles today in just over 53 minutes. I’m going to try to get that right at 50 minutes.

I have finally found the race that I’m going to run. It’s Pat’s Run, a race in honor of San Jose born hero Pat Tillman. Tillman was a professional football player who gave up his football career in 2002 to enlist in the US Army and fight for his country. He became an Army Ranger and in April of 2004, died as a result of friendly fire. In May of 2004, I wrote about Pat. It was the result of an argument in the sports radio world about whether he was a hero or not. In that post, I said:

Pat was a millionaire as a young NFL player. He probably had enough money to spend for much of the rest of his life. He finally found the lady of his life and married her. And after the honeymoon, he left to be a Ranger. Imagine the VP of Sales in your company doing the same thing. Getting a job that you always wanted. Finding the person to spend the rest of your life with. Probably thinking about starting a family. Making more money than your parents made in their lives. And it wasn?t enough. You still had to walk away to support your country, to fight for the system that gave you everything you ever needed. That?s why he?s important. Because he?s the one with the visible lifestyle that we all can measure ourselves against. We don?t know the casualties unless it was someone close to us. We don?t know what they did, what they stood for, or what type of families that they left. But now after Pat, the NFL football player who walked away from everything, it humanizes everything.

(The rest of it is in the archives.)

On April 29th, I will run with my team of friends and family in honor of Pat Tillman. I will create a team and send around the link to those that want to run with me. It’s a 4.2 mile walk/run and it isn’t expensive at all. After the event, they’ll have some entertainment and things to do for the kids. I am thinking about having Brian and JJ sign up as well as they can run in the .42 kids run. This is perfect because I can run for a good cause and teach the kids about what happened.

You can read more about Pat in wikipedia.

Well, I kind of predicted that one. But it wasn’t that hard of a prediction to make. Brandon can sing. But the dude was just boring. And his D.L. Hughley look wasn’t working for him. He was a nice guy, someone you kind of felt sorry for, but someone had to lose. And it was him.

Tonight my special guest judges will be my dear mother and my friend and yours, none other than Eddy Zucko. Zucko says that he’s ready to go and that it will be no retreat and no surrender for the Idols tonight. He’s going to tell it like it is. My dad just said that he is boycotting.

It’s Time For Zucko

Before we get to the show, here’s the hot list.

The Hot List
1. Melinda Doolittle - Still head and shoulders above the rest.
2. Lakisha Jones - Right where she needs to be.
3. Blake Lewis - Maybe as close to a step back as you can take without losing a spot.
4. Jordin Sparks (+3) - She’s very close to making this a three chick race.
5. Chris Richardson (-1) - Baby JT didn’t look very JT-esque last week.
6. Gina Glocksen (-1) - She needs a good week here.
7. Phillip Stacey (+3) - Much better than expected.
8. Chris Sleigh (-2) - Maybe not so much a dark horse anymore.
9. Stephanie Edwards (-1) - Maybe she needs to bust out more Beyonce.
10. Haley Scarnato - If Sanjaya continues to work the grinning magic, she may be done for.
11. Sanjaya Malakar - He’s simply the Teflon Don.

The Departed
1. Young Brandon Rogers

Since I’m at my parent’s house, we’re watching Idol in HD~! I get to see Ryno Seacrest in all his glory tonight. By the way, Sanjaya is morphing more and more into Michael Jackson. His sleeves are extra long made to look like gloves. And he’s smiling harder than ever. Melinda looks to be going last. She’s the clean-up hitter.

(By the way, where is Melinda’s neck? It looks like her head rests right on top of her shoulders. Remember on The Brady Bunch when Mike Brady was in court because one of his kids was in a car accident. The man in the car in front of them said that he had whiplash. Mike wasn’t convinced. In court, he dropped a briefcase, scaring the man causing him to turn his neck without pain, and thus proving that he didn’t have whiplash. Well, what would happen if someone dropped a briefcase behind Melinda? Would she would have to turn her entire body to see the briefcase?)

It’s British Invasion night and though I might not know all the song titles and while I don’t know Lulu very well, I’m going to give it my all. Even though my dad said he was boycotting, he just said Haley Scarnato looks like Nikki Cox from that Vegas show. I kind of agree, except for the body parts in which Nikki makes her money. She’s singing Tell Him and actually has so much more energy than last week and she’s showing off her legs. Eddy Zucko thinks that in order for her to get votes to stick around, she might have to take a page from Antonella’s book and simply get naked. It’s not a fantastic performance, but she is tons better than last week. And Simon liked her last week. Zucko says she should get at least some points for not forgetting her lines this week. I concur. Randall says it was a perfect song choice and it was her best performance. Paula says she was flirtatious. Simon says it was fun and young, but a little shrieky in the middle and mentioned that she would be water cooler talk for more than just her singing. We all think he wants to Corey Clark her.

Baby JT is up next and his goal is to nail a song. Hey, he said it. He’s singing Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying. Even though he says he wants to be known for his voice, I would say that he needs to go to the dance with the girl that brung him. It was actually a solid vocal, but it was pretty boring. I’m not sure if going away from the fun stuff is how he’s going to win this show. Randall liked it though and Paula says he’s playing this game to win it and the arrangement was sexy and charming. Simon says it was his best performance because he had good control and it didn’t sound old fashioned. I guess tonight, they’re not worried about being bored. My dear mother thinks he’s cuter than JT as well. So does Zucko. His words, not mine.

Stephanie Edwards is going to sing a Dusty Springfield song called You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me. Now that’s a great name. Dusty Springfield. Lulu says that Stephanie reminds her of Beyonce. Really? You don’t say. My dear mother after just the first few words came out of Stephanie’s mouth, immediately said, “Oh I already don’t like her performance.” The songs are big, but the performances are boring. I don’t even hear the singing sometimes because the lack of stage presence stands out so much. Randall says it was a little pitchy. Paula mentions clothing. Not good when she mentions clothing. Simon says he thinks she’s losing her edge and soul and that it was a bit “night clubby”. Eddy Zucko says it was just ok.

Blake Lewis is singing Time Of The Season. Peter Noone is the teacher for the boys as Lulu teaches the girls. I’m not sure if I said that above. Blake is dressed in pajamas. He’s got the Jamiroquai voice going on tonight. He adds a little beat boxing before going back into the song. His singing is fine and he’s actually showing an interesting range. It was a subtle performance, but very solid. Randall says he put together an edgy performance and it was brilliant. Paula says this season is for Blake. And then she says she wants to make out with him sometime. Ok, she didn’t really say that. But you know she wanted to. Simon says it was a million times better than last week. I think dear mother and Zucko enjoyed the performance as well.

Lakisha Jones is next and she’s singing Diamonds Are Forever. This is the same song Kanye West sampled for his hit last year, Diamonds From Sierra Leone. This is one of those songs that only Lakisha can pull off. The song doesn’t have many high points in which she could simply hit note after note, even though she gets to do it at the end. But it’s one of those songs that most people wouldn’t have even come close to touching. Dear mother says it was good and Lakisha is one of her favorites. Randall says he didn’t feel enough Lakisha even though she hit that big note. Paula says a bunch of stuff about the diamonds she’s wearing. Simon says it was Lakisha in 50 years and was old fashioned. I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of that. If they were worried about old fashioned, why did they pick this genre? Phillip Stacey is next with Tobacco Road and my dear mother says that some guys look great bald, but not Phillip. Eddy Zucko immediately piped in with Michael Jordan and my next-door neighbor Billy Parker as those who are handsome with the bald look. Because of HD, you can actually see the stains on Phillip’s shirt. And the fact that I’m actually looking at stains on his shirt can tell you what I think about his performance. Very karaoke. Dear mother says it’s probably the right song for him, but he’s just singing it badly. Zucko says he’s out of his element. My dad chimes in by saying that he butchered it and he was saved by the band. Randall says he has a strong upper register and it was pretty good. Paula says it was a good choice of song though it was a bit pitchy. Simon says he wasn’t crazy about it and says it was a third division bar band performance.

Jordin Sparks is singing I Who Have Nothing by Shirley Bassey. From the looks of the practice sessions, she might hit a home run with this one. So far so good. This could be her night. I’m kind of speechless. It was THAT good. Randall says it was one of the best performances we’ll see tonight. Paula says a good singer is a good singer. They need to put her words of wisdom on fortune cookies. Simon says even though he wanted to jump off a bridge because it was depressing, but she sung it beautifully.

Sanjaya Malakar is signing You Really Got Me. I’m not sure if there could’ve been a worse song choice. There’s this little girl in the audience who is crying. And I think it’s because she loved him, not because it’s horrible. He actually sounds like he has a cold. Maybe the worst vocal I’ve ever heard in the history of American Idol. And guess what? He’s sticking around another week. Who is more memorable? Bald headed Phillip or Sanjaya? Randall says he came out of his shell and it was the best performance of the season. Zucko says the singing wasn’t great though. He’s disagreeing with Randall. Paula says she hopes he had fun. Simon says the little girl’s face says it all. Sanjaya hugs her in the audience.

Smiling Sanjaya

Gina Glocksen is next with Paint It Black. Eddy Zucko says she got her hairstyle from Hea Jin. This is very much right up her alley. She’s wearing black. The song is called Paint It Black. But she has a red streak in her hair. Zucko says it wasn’t one of his favorites. Randall says it was pitchy in spots. Paula says it was better than last week. Simon says it was so off melody and horrible.

Chris Sleigh is up next and in this case, I wish I didn’t have the HD picture. Let’s just say that he’s not a handsome man. And with HD, it’s worse. He’s singing She’s Not There. While Chris is singing his heart out and sounding pretty good, someone flashed a Bringing Chubby Back sign and Eddy Zucko wondered if it was for him or Lakisha. Bad Eddy Zucko. He did a fine job. Randall says he was a little ahead of the beat but it wound up good and ended really strong. Paula says the vocals were good. Simon says it was fun and a good choice of song.

Melinda Doolittle is singing As Long As He Needs Me. Zucko says she has a neck. I think maybe her chin just comes down very far. My dad just said there’s something wrong with her shoulders. The vocal performance is slightly more polished than Jordin’s, but not as raw. I think I liked Jordin’s performance better, but only by a hair. Zucko tried to predict Randall’s comment by saying it wasn’t his favorite from her, but it was still good. Let’s see what Randall said. Randall said we saved the best for last. Zucko was wrong. Paula says she’s in a league of her own. Simon says it was an impeccable vocal. Dear mother says she did great.

All of us think Phillip is the one who will probably leave. I think there’s a small chance Gina or Stephanie could leave just because their performances weren’t memorable. But I think one thing is quite certain. Sanjaya, the Teflon Don is sticking around for another week.

The Rest Of The Shows
American Idol Season 6 Preview
American Idol Season 6: And Then There Were 12

This review was originally published on Epinions.com.

Simon Cowell declared that Carrie Underwood was going to win the fourth season of American Idol. And he also predicted that out of all the Idol winners, she’d sell the most albums. She’s not quite there yet (though could catch Kelly Clarkson’s Breakaway), but she could be on her way. She was big on voice and good on looks, but what hindered her was what seemed to be a lack of personality (and an awful wardrobe for most of the season). All it took was one song, and all that changed, at least for me. It was during the two day finale that she won me over with Inside My Heaven. Sure, it was that predictably over written, over produced song that Idol winners usually call their first single, but she hit a home run with it and actually turned me into a fan. It was a genuinely touching performance and it was as if it hit her right during the song that she was probably going to win it all. That kind of passion and genuineness has helped her with fans to the tune of five times platinum.

One of the main reasons that Carrie has been so popular is because her music covers a few different musical landscapes in the country genre. It’s mainly a country album, but it also touches pop/rock and has some Christian themes. The biggest single of the album, Jesus Take The Wheel has Jesus at the forefront of the song. As much flack as it’s received artistically, it was immensely popular and though I wouldn’t deem it necessarily inspiring, it has a fine message and one that Christians have embraced.

There have been six singles released from the album and all very successful in their own right. Her latest is probably my least favorite. Wasted deals with alcoholism but is a bit too twangy for me and has an uninspiring arrangement. In an odd bit of song ordering, it’s actually the first track on the album. Not the best way to kick it off.

(It could just be that I recently saw her sing this live and her now Nicole Ritchie-like skinny body horrified me. She looked like half of herself. I’d like to think that the visual alone didn’t totally kill the song for me, but it could’ve had some influence.)

Before He Cheats is actually the opposite in that it’s honky tonk arrangement gets your foot stomping and the lyrics are pretty hilarious.

That I dug my key into the side of his pretty little suped up 4 wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seat…
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights
Slashed a hole in all 4 tires…

And maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats.

I think that would be yes. With that kind of vehicle bashing, he will think twice. Though she’s received a little bit of flack for that song since she has such a strong young female fan base, it’s a firey song that really gets her album moving.

Not all of her songs deal with things like alcoholism and cheating boyfriends. Don’t Forget To Remember Me is about leaving home for the first time. It’s a ballad that gives you that familiar feeling of home. The title track is actually a remake and is a faster paced track that showcases a more pop type vocal. The thing about Carrie is that she could do a completely pop album and succeed. Her voice can have an edginess to it needed to compete in different genres and this song suggests that. The aforementioned Jesus Take The Wheel has a cheesy backdrop, but succeeds in it’s story telling as a path to the heart of her listeners. The Night Before (Life Goes On) falls into a more conventional country sound, but again, it’s Underwood’s expressive vocals that sell the song.

Start With Goodbye is like an American Idol winning performance without the visuals. It’s a very big song and Carrie gets to show off some big vocals. Even though I can’t say I’m a big country fan, her vocals make the track enjoyable. Whenever You Remember is a Diane Warren written song and it’s probably the least memorable song on the album. It’s more Inside Your Heaven than Inside Your Heaven is. I predict it will be on a commercial in the future. This is ourrrrr countryyyyyyy. I Ain’t In Checotah Anymore is a fantastic ditty about her hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma and a perfect way to end the album, unless you count Inside Your Heaven as the end as it’s added as a bonus track. She makes Checotah sound like the place to be.

It’s really hard for me to grade this album because though I’m not a big fan of the genre, I found myself liking many of the songs, even though not liking all of the arrangements. Basically, I enjoyed her voice and a lot of the themes that she had on her album that you wouldn’t necessarily see in the pop genre.