Tuesday, May 20, 2008
American Idol: Archuleta vs Cook
The finale is here and everyone knew David Archuleta would be one of the final two. He’s been treated like the Golden Child from the beginning. And as a result, this season has lacked a sense of immediacy or competition.
The show started off as a parody of professional boxing, and it was done fairly well, even if we knew what the end result would be. If you ask me, David Cook is a better entertainer. Better singer? Maybe not. But if I was to pay to see a concert and only had those two to chose from, Cook would get my money.
They billed this show as a competition, but it’s really more of a clash of styles. You have a rock singer in Cook and a Pop Singer, of the show boat variety in Mr A. It’s like putting Bruce Springsteen against Celine Dion. Not really a valid contest.
Cook started off the night well with U2’s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”. A very solid performance that showed he’s ready to record,
Archuleta followed with “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me”. A very nice performance that the judges ate up.
Then came the original tunes meant to be “winning songs”. Both were bland, but I liked Cook’s better. The judges threw it to Archueta in an obsequious manner. It’s obvious they were handing victory to little David. So the final songs were almost unimportant.
Cook did a soulful version of Collective Soul’s “The World I Know”. It was not a show stopper kind of song. Instead it was personal and introspective. I really liked what he did, but I knew Simon would trash his choice and he did. But Cook must have known it was futile to worry about who was going to win. So he went his own personal way.
Archuleta decided to reprise his version of John Lennon’s trite paean to world Communism “Imagine”. I have to confess, I was bored and my mind was wandering during his performance. But, of course, the judges said Archuleta won by a knockout. Somewhere Homer Simpson was yelling: “Boooorrrring”
Ruben Studdard closed out the show with a performance of celebrate me home to scenes from this season of Idol. all those images of people who never had a chance, even though many were good.
We all know who gets the beauty crown tomorrow. I’ll watch the season’s finale because they are usually good shows, but this season has not really been that much of a thrill. Teh most entertaining thing will probably be seeing the hopeless contestants remind us again why they were more interesting in their own way than the hand picked winner.
The Two Doctors
I love the new Doctor Who series. This was very well done.
Google Street View Rules
Monday, May 19, 2008
Thirst
Another Day in Russia
Sometimes, people have to be creative to make a political event interesting.
International Toilet Signs
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Star Wars Deleted Scene
Love this Shot
You know, many people deride 2001 as pretentious crap. But it was so cutting edge when it came out and it still remains one of the best SF movies ever made. And also the most scientifically accurate. I remember when I saw the film as an 11 year old kid. I was already into Science Fiction even then, but it really changed my life. I had been a fan of Star Trek, but when I saw the sets in 2001 Star Trek never looked the same. It seemed cheesy, when it had once looked so futuristic.
I knew a guy who worked as a prop builder and he said the sets in 2001 were so realistic if you looked at any prop they looked real up close. Most props look fake when you look at them in real life, but Kubrick was a stickler for details and realism.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Taylor on Broadway
Taylor Hicks is taking on Broadway. I think that makes him the fifth American Idol contestant to do Broadway. Or is that sixth?
As “American Idol” fans await the battle of the Davids — Archuleta vs. Cook — producers of the revival of Grease have announced that “Idol” winner Taylor Hicks will make his Broadway debut in that summer-lovin’ musical next month.
Hicks, who was the Season Five “American Idol” winner, will begin performances as Teen Angel June 6. The Alabama native, who will succeed Stephen Buntrock, is scheduled to stay with the production at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre through Sept. 7.
In a statement “Idol” winner Hicks said, “I am incredibly excited to be a part of one of my favorite musicals. The Soul Patrol’s gonna invade Broadway!”
Taylor Hicks was named “American Idol” in 2006, besting runner-up Katharine McPhee. Born in Birmingham, AL, Hicks toured the Southeastern U.S. during his teenage years and released two independent albums. Following his “Idol” win, Hicks signed a recording contract with 19 Records Limited/Arista Records. His eponymous debut album, “Taylor Hicks,” debuted in the #2 spot on the Billboard 200 charts and was later certified as a platinum album. Hicks’ memoir is titled “Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way.”
REVIEW: Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia)
I liked this one better than the first. They didn’t have to explain things as much, so it was more of a straight story with really fantastic scenery, production values and excellent action scenes. They really did CS Lewis proud.
The basic story is humans have taken over the Narnia and driven all the talking animals and fairy creatures into hiding. A young prince is about to be murdered by his wicked Uncle, and flees, only to find that the Narnians still live. They take him in, but not before he blows the magic horn that once belonged to one of the kids in the first movie. This summons them to Narnia where they help fight the evil Uncle’s army and help Prince Caspian regain his throne. As fantasy films go this was really well paced and had the right amounts of humor. Peter (The Station Agent) Dinklage and the ubiquitous Eddy Izzard (as the voice of a mouse knight) add a lot of the humorous relief, But they do not play joke characters, but serious heroes. It’s well done.
I feel this film captured the magic of the books better than the first film.
Well done.
Copyright © 2008 James D. Hudnall. All Rights Reserved
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