Jacksonville, Fla Part 3

Hello,

Thanks to ew.com and Michael Slezak for bringing this to my attention. Apparently Frankie Jordan let slip that she is still on the show. That would seem to counteract the Top 36 list leaked earlier in the day to votefortheworst.com. Obviously you have to take that list with a grain of salt, but you also have to take with a grain of salt anything you read on tmz.com. Time will tell.

Here is the final segment of the Jacksonville audition review.

9) George Ramirez: he's the bearded, socially awkward person. Seemingly a smart guy but not much common sense. His performance of Katrina and the Waves "Walking on Sunshine" was so memorable that I have forgot it. I had to go to mjsbigblog.com and check out his audition. He sang "Walking" so badly that I could not even recognize the song. Also Ramirez was included in the humiliation clip shown later in the show.

10) Ann Marie Boskovich: Simon sent her out of the room to come up with a star persona. She changed a few things and came back. She sounds good, they can always take care of her look in Hollywood. I like her version of Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly". According to the list leaked to votefortheworst.com Boskovich has made the Top 36.

11) T.K. Hash this is the second year in a row he has audtioned. He oversang John Lennon's "Imagine". He made it to Hollywood but thankfully no further.

12) Michael Perelli: He was the overly emotional singer who broke down before he even went into the auditions. He was not comfortable performing without his guitar. No to Hollywood but I liked his voice and his take of Third Eye Blind's "Jumper". (BTW whatever happened to Third Eye Blind? There first CD was one of the best CD's of the 90's) Try again next year Michael.

Regarding my recent picture of the gorgeous Katherine McPhee, I forgot to credit that to where I got it from. The credit goes to askmen.com. Thanks for the great picture that made my blog look so good that day:)

Next up is the Salt Lake City auditions. I am going to try and post my whole blog entry for that tomorrow. In the meantime have a great weekend, themusicaddict

Jacksonville, Fla Part 2, Megan Corkrey

Hello,

I have a few brief moments to write a quick blog. First here's a picture of the gorgeous Megan Corkrey. She is one of my favorite candidates so far, not only from the Salt Lake City "AI" auditions. Along with being gorgeous, she has a great voice. I am not familiar with the song she sang, "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine". (I did think the recent divorcee chose an ironic song to sing.) I will be getting to my hometown auditions later. It is good to see someone with talent getting some attention in a world where we have to hear anything about Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton.

votefortheworst.com, working with joesplaceblog.com, has a purported list of the Top 36 on this season's "American Idol". This list is pretty believable, but there are some real clunkers on here. Just from looking at this list quickly I see some glaring weaknesses. How did Kai Kalamma, Von Smith and Tatiana Del Toro make it? Tatiana Del Toro barely made it out of the audition round. (Where's Rose Flack?) But most of the Top 36 I would agree with. go to votefortheworst.com for their complete, projected Top 36.

Looking at the Top 36 I could see 15 to 20 of these contestants winning this competition. If everything breaks their way and they get on a hot streak watch out. Or if they have a strong fan base, that can carry even a marginal talent to the top 2. You know who I am referring to.

Jacksonville Part 2:

3) Dana Moreno: Chaka Kahn's "Through the Fire". Maybe "Through The Grinder" would have been more appropriate. Her singing was so bad, it hurt my ears. Usually only my singing does that:)

4) Kaneswesa Finnie: She is one of these poor deluded kids whose parents are trying to live through them. (Did someone just mention Jeff Archuleta?) It is even worse when the kid has very little talent. She tried to sing the great Anita Baker song "Caught Up In The Rapture". Simon said she was "just terrible". Thankfully she didn't beg and she had the good grace to accept the judge's decision. Kaneswesa you are only 16, you have your whole life in front of you.

5) Julisa Veloz (didn't make the Top 36 according to vftw.com). She is the 19 year old beauty queen. She did a reasonably good job with Whitney's "I Have Nothing". I thought she had a great voice, that is not an easy song to sing.

6) Darren Darnell- Mr. Happy until his friend was cut in the audition round. He then couldn't gather himself together to sing.

7) Naomi Sikes: she compared herself to Mariah Carey? She then killed Minnie Ripperton's "Lovin' You". Yet another deluded singer. I am sorry go out and find a job, you are going to have to be a regular schlub like the rest of us.

8) Jasmine Murray: (according to vftw.com she is rumored to make the Top 36) The Starkville, Mississippi native who sang Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry" was pretty darn sensational. Simon says she's "cute and commercial". Although I have heard him say the same thing about other contestants, who didn't make it out of Hollywood. She has all the cool sisters.

Murray and Ann Marie Boskovich are the only contestants to make it to the Top 36 out of the Jacksonville auditions. I will finish the Jacksonville auditions in my next blog.

themusicaddict

Jacksonville, Fla Part 1

Hello,

I'm sorry I am behind on my postings, I am working a lot of hours this week. I have a lot less time than usual. Just some quick notes, tonight (Thursday, Jan 29th) is the last episode of the audition rounds. It is a combined 1 hour show from New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico. I have heard that the auditions from San Juan were terrible, can they be any worse than San Francisco? By my count 33 more golden tickets come out of these two cities. So it can't be too bad.

Tonight while watching the show, look out for Kendell Beard. She is rumored to have made the Top 36, which in real time was just apparently decided. Once they get to the Final 36, the public then gets to decide who advances. This is a change from last year when the public started voting with the Final 24. There are also going to be four episodes, starting Tuesday, dedicated to the Hollywood rounds. It looks like there is going to be some great drama going on.

Tuesday night's auditions were from Jacksonville, Fla.

1) Josh Ulloa- he says he looks like Justin Guarini. I say who cares as this is a singing competition. Ulloa sang Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On". He was goofy but I really like him.

2) Sharon Wilbur: she sang The Carpenters "Superstar". I like her voice. She is the woman that brought her dog with her, and had the dog sit on Simon's lap. In my opinion, "Superstar" is one of the best songs ever. The Carpenters version is great, the Smashing Pumpkins version is great and I even liked the version sang by Danny Noreiga on last year's show.

I am really nervous about what the big surprise is once "AI" gets to it's Top 12. I am afraid it is going to be something I really dislike. If I could choose what the big surprise is, I would hope that they let the judges add contestants who didn't make it to Hollywood. I have two people who I liked. One was Jacksonville auditioner Michael Perelli. He was a bit of a cryer, but I liked his version of Third Eye Blind's "Jumper". Then there was someone from Salt Lake City that I really, really liked. His name is Chris Kirkham. I really liked his version of Del Amitri's "Roll To Me" and the brief snippet of his "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". He was really hurt by his friend coming with him in a bunny suit (and there were no "A Christmas Story" jokes). I liked him a lot better than Austin Cisneros who made it through to Hollywood.

Well unfortunately that is it for now. If you forget who some of these singers are and want a refresher go to mjsbigblog.com. She has all their auditions organized by city, you can see them again and again.

themusicaddict

"AI" news 'n' notes

Hello,

I am writing this with my daughter on my lap. Hi Madison!

The following comes from the Fox's President of Alternative Television, Mike Darnell. (Can you believe they have such a thing?) When the contestants get to the Final 12, they will all be moved into a house. So along with the normal singing competition, we will have all the drama associated with strangers living together in a house. I think this is a stupid idea. This show isn't "The Real World", it is "American Idol". So "AI" producers please focus on those things that make "AI" such a great show. Let's let the contestants sing the whole song for instance. BTW Darnell's interview is out there on the web, but don't bother tracking it down as it is very boring.

There will be a big surprise when we reach the Top 12. I have no idea what this could be but I am frightened it is going to be something stupid. Also due to the economy, there will be no "Idol Gives Back" this season. When the economy is really bad, it seems like that would be even a more appropriate time for "Idol Gives Back".

Here are some sales updates for last season's Top 2 contestants. David Cook's debut CD has sold 892,000 copies. Meanwhile David Archuleta's debut CD has sold 597,000 copies. It does not surprise me that Cook's CD has sold more, but it does surprise me that Archuleta's CD has sold so many. The economy seems not to have hurt babysitting financially.

For comparison sake, Daughtry's CD has sold 4.4 million copies and he didn't even win "AI"! Remember Daughtry finished in fourth place, behind Taylor Hicks, Katherine McPhee and Elliot Yamin. Both Hicks and McPhee later were dropped by their labels. In fact Taylor Hicks is the first "AI" winner to not sale at least 1million copies of his first CD. themusicaddict quite enjoys McPhee's new CD. She is also one of the most gorgeous "Idol" contestants ever.

Do you remember the homeless "AI" candidate from last season? He was living in his car. He auditioned and got through to Hollywood but did not make the Top 24. His name is Josiah Leming. Anyway Josiah Leming has new music out, the name of the song is "Arctic Outcry Wind". I was prepared to hate this song, but I actually liked it quite a bit. It is from his CD "Angels Undercover".

Kelly Clarkson's new CD has been moved up a week- it will now be released March 10th. I look forward to "All I Wanted" being released. Of all the "AI" contestants so far, I think she has been the most consistent. When they have an all-stars "American Idol", I think she will win that competition as well. She has such a fantastic voice. Can you believe this is already her fourth CD?
Also ew.com's "Idolatry" on Friday was a 9 minute episode. That dealt with the auditions from last week. They also have a new edition up today with Michael Slezak interviewing the great Melinda Doolittle. (It is so crazy she finished third to Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks on Season 6. Blake Lewis?) Her new CD, "Coming Back To You" is out February 3rd. On tomorrow's "Idolatry" I believe Ms. Doolittle will be singing us a song. It sounds like it is going to be a great CD. Once I can afford it I am going to buy it and will review it here.

Finally the preeminent "AI" website is mjsbigblog.com. Today she has hot tips about the second single off the new Kelly Clarkson CD. (Katy Perry?) She also has news about a song that may be coming up on an upcoming episode of "AI". By far that is the best "AI" site. It has coverage of everything Idol, warts and all. On the other hand one of the most worthless "AI" sites is americanidol.com. I rarely go to their site as it is so devoid of useful information. It is a website designed by a corporate America drone, so what do you expect?

Two other sites of note 1)votefortheworst.com- although it has become a lot less funny and a lot more bitter as of late. 2) joesplaceblog.com This has the most current information on who possibly is in the Top 50 this season. It also has links to the prospective Top 50's facebook, myspace and other assorted websites. If you want to find out as much about each contestant as you can this is the site to go to.

Have a great Monday, themusicaddict

Obama is the Bomb!

Hello,

A quick blog today. I want to write about Barack Obama and all the great things he has done as President already. Today is his fifth day and his fourth full day as President. The following is some of what Obama has done already or set in motion.

1) In light of recent economic times, he has frozen top White House aides salaries. Granted this is mostly a symbolic change, but it is nice to see someone else have to bite the bullet, albeit a golden bullet.

2) Obama also signed an order to close Guantanamo Bay within a year. A sign Obama is breaking away from the paranoia that surrounded the Bush/Cheney Presidency. (Or is it the Cheney/Bush Presidency, sometimes it was hard to tell.) Maybe Obama can also get rid of Homeland Security and it's wiretapping ways.

3) One of our smartest Americans, Hilary Clinton, has been named as his Secretary of State. To name someone who you contested with in the primaries added to your Presidential cabinet is a sign of a very mature leader. Obama said he was been inspired by Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals"- a book about Lincoln's Presidential cabinet. Lincoln surrounded himself with very smart people, some of who were rivals.

4) He also orders easier access to public records, revoking a law that was signed into effect by President Bush in 2001. This will give the public access to more information about the Bush/Cheney Presidency among other things. It will be interesting to get a better idea of all the crap they pulled. That information will come out over the next several years.

5) Also even before he took office he has been pushing for another economic stimulus plan. I don't know how effective these plans are. But what I like is how decisive he is about getting what he thinks needs to be done relatively quickly.

6) Then of all of these, this next one is the least important. Obama has been pushing for a college football playoff system. I wholeheartedly support him on this issue. Like college basketball, it is time for a true national champion. The college basketball March Madness is the most exciting sports event each year. Right now we have the BCS (an acronym for bull crap system) and their artificial national championship. I as a University of Utah alum would have loved to seen the Utes battle Florida for a real National Championship.

I will be back tomorrow with a much more music related blog. Just a taste of that, it sounds like Joanna Pacitti has made the Top 36. She is very talented and she is someone I could cheer for. She is the person who had a recording contract with A&M and played Annie at the age of 11 until she was fired. That is again a rumor, so take it for what it is worth.

Have a good weekend, themusicaddict

"AI" Louisville Auditions part 2

Hello,

Before we get to part 2 of the awesome Louisville auditions I would like to comment on a couple of things. First the blogosphere seems to be in an uproar about Joanna Pacitti and whether she should be considered too much a professional to try out for "American Idol". My opinion is let her try out. She has a good voice, is very attractive and has yet to become a household name. If someone is willing to go through the whole grueling "AI" process, then they should be allowed to go for it. If they can handle those group dance numbers they should probably win a medal. ("AI" producers please get rid of those!) One more thing about Ms. Pacitti, she chose the wrong song for her audition. Her take on Pat Benatar's "We Belong" was sort of blah. The Joanna Pacitti song that Britney Spears covered on "Circus" is actually "Out From Under". I apologize for the error.

Other "AI" news the other three remaining audition cities will be next week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Each show will be one hour long. One of those cities will be Salt Lake, I am expecting a lot of good performances from there. By my count 85 of the 147 people making it to Hollywood have come from the first 4 audition cities. So that makes 62 more people coming from the final 3 cities. One final thing before going on to the second part of the Louisville auditions, this blog not does not intend to be the be all end all of "American Idol" sites. If you want a lot more details go to mjsbigblog.com. She has all the official news you want plus a lot of the spoiler info that interest some people. She also has all the clips from this season's performances.

Now back to Louisville. Yesterday's blog I wrote about Tiffany Shedd, Joanna Pacitti, Mark Mudd, Brent Keith Smith and a run of 5 bad auditions that followed.

5) Matt Giraud was next, another Hollywood bound contestant. I liked his husky voice on Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want To Be". I love this song and loved his take on it.

6) Ross "Super Nerd" Plavsic who noticed commonalities between Chinese symbols and organized them by radicals or some other other such nonsense. He sang "Cara Mia" by Jay and the Americans. Dude stick with the radicals not the New Radicals. My favorite thing about this segment was when Simon asked him about being current. He then sang an Elvis Presley song? A song from 30 years ago is not current Super Nerd.

7) Day 2 started with Alexis "Amazing" Grace who I like very, very much. She has a great voice, great personality and is very quick on her feet. She is also attractive in an unusual way with a great sense-of-humor. I predict she goes a long way. Although I would suggest stay away from the more obscure Aretha Franklin songs.

8) Aaron Williamson: don't remember much about this audition, other than it was bad.

9) Rebecca Garcia, who had been on the local news that morning, then sang Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats". Kara DioGuardia was embarrassed when she said she thought it was a joke, but it wasn't. Another dream smashed.

10-13) There was then a montage of 4 contestants who I all liked. Kris Allen singing Leon Russell's "A Song For You". Felicia Barton sing Corrine Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On". Barton is rumored to have made the Top 50. Ryan Johnson singing Sam Cooke's anthemic "A Change Is Gonna Come". (I would highly recommend adding the original song to your collection. A song that seems to foreshadow Barack Obama.) He is also rumored to make the Top 50. Then last but not least of this montage is "I've Got The World On A String" by Shera Lawrence. She is the one who came out of the audition room acting like she was crying, but really hiding the golden ticket behind her. She did that well and has a good voice.

14) Leneshe Young. Every episode so far this season seems to have a heartbreaking story with the "AI" producers milking every ounce of drama out of it that they can. She is this episode's heartbreaking story. Her story is very sad. I am not making light of her situation in anyway. I just hate how the "AI" producers are milking it for ratings. In spite of everything she has an amazing attitude. She has a great personality, a great look and she has a very nice voice. She also wrote her own song, "Natty", which was good as well. She looks like she is the complete package and I predict she will go far. She is the kind of performer who I would like to go see in concert.

Louisville was a great episode after the dreck of San Francisco. Have a great weekend, themusicaddict

Louisville rocks! "AI" Season 8, Episode 4

Hello,

Louisville, Ky. was a much better audition city than sorry San Francisco. There was some real talent in Louisville. I predict a lot of these people can go a long ways, maybe even be the Season 8 "American Idol" champ.

1) Tiffany Shedd- she was obnoxious and no Tiffany you are not a good singer. Luckily you are still young and you can make something out of your life. Simon Cowell used the analogy of a race and there were 22 race horses and she was a donkey. That is a very cruel way to make an accurate point.

2) Joanna Pacitti- she is a plant according to other "AI" sites- she has had a recording contract with A & M. She even filmed a video for the song "Watch Me Shine". You can see the video at votefortheworst.com. This is a really good song and Britney Spears went on to cover it on her new CD "Circus". She has two songs available at at iTunes right now. They are the songs "Let It Slide" and "This Crazy Life". Both are good songs.

3) Mark Mudd, who was played up to be crazy by creative editing, from what I could tell he was a pretty decent guy. All he said was "be careful" and the intensely paranoid judges took that as a threat? I think they are starting to take themselves too seriously. Mark, I think the show for you is Nashville Star. He was denied a golden ticket but I didn't think he was terrible. Worst singers have made it through to Hollywood, especially this year.

4) Brent Keith Smith who sang Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough of Your Lovin". I thought he did a pretty good job on this. Also Randy Jackson has expanded his vocabulary, this is at least the second contestant I have heard him say "work it out" to. Randy Jackson now has a trusty stable of 7 different phrases to say now. Work it out dawg! Smith is also rumored to make it into the Top 50. (Again this is a rumor. I post it as it is interesting but it may also be erroneous. Anything I label as a rumor, please remember that is exactly what it is.) He also appeared on Nashville Star.

There was then shown a series of 5 bad auditions that had some limited entertainment value.


Due to a busy home life and working a lot of hours in the next few days I will publish part 2 tomorrow. themusicaddict

Sucky San Francisco

Hello,


Last night's episode of "American Idol" was terrible. The audition city was San Francisco. I was expecting a lot more from one of the coolest cities in the world.

1) Tatiana Del Toro- the Puerto Rican spark plug. I thought her voice was okay but that ugly laugh has got to go. She was one of the many courtesy recipients of a golden ticket. Randy Jackson had an opinion about her of "no" but caved in like the cream puff he is. Why is he still on the show again? I highly doubt she gets out of Hollywood.

2a) bad auditions- Nick Reed a wannabe beat boxer like Blake Lewis. He's a lot worse than Blake Lewis though and that takes some effort.

2b) some lady that destroyed "We Built This City" nuff said

3) Dean Anthony-Bradford: It is hard to say what is uglier, his voice or that butt ugly plaid coat. Thankfully he did not get a courtesy golden ticket.

4) Jesus Valenzula- yet another courtesy golden ticket to Hollywood. His take on Usher's "Nice and Slow" was slow and boring. Bringing his kids in stamped his ticket to Hollywood.

5) Dalton Powell- terrible singer. The camera cut away to a hilarious, disgusted look on Simon Cowell's face. Although his solving the Rubik's Cube in 24 seconds was impressive.

The first six auditions are mediocre at best, this was the start of the terrible night for San Francisco. After some snippets of bad auditions it was time for

6) Akila Askew-Gholston. Why was 6 minutes spent on this walking train wreck? She was good for a couple of laughs. Unfortunately we were laughing at her, not with her. That segment should have been shrunk down to 30 seconds at most. My favorite part was Simon continuing to call her Acula. Was that intentional or not, I couldn't tell.

Next were brief snippets of people going to Hollywood who may or may not be good.

7) I really liked John Twiford's "Overjoyed", at least what I heard of it. He did a good job on a Stevie Wonder song, which most Idolers don't do. I still really like him after listening to this snippet again this morning.

8) Alison Iraheta's take on Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" had a very nice bluesy vibe to it.

9) Raquel Houghton singing Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher
Man" was good. I really like her but she is a twitchy performer in the Alanis Morrissette mode. Also now comes the word from several sources that she use to be Dane Cook's girlfriend. FWIW.

I am not sure if Iraheta and Houghton have the ability to make it out of Hollywood. I like both of them and will be cheering for both of them. Again this is based on very little screen time.

10) Annie Murdoch- cannon fodder who was emblematic (embalmed came up as one of the spell check words- that may be a more appropriate description) of the entire terrible San Francisco auditions.

The episode closed out with two auditions I was not overwhelmed with.

11) Adam Lambert, the former "Wicked" performer. I thought his take on Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody was wimpy. I was expecting a lot more than that.

12) Mercifully the show closed out with Kai Kalamma. It is great that he is taking care of his Mom. (Was he really calling her Mombo?) However does "American Idol" have to milk it so much? He did pick one of the all-time great songs though in the Platters "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". He sounded a bit like the original vocalist, although he sang a little rushed. His approval felt sort of like a courtesy golden ticket as well. He seems like someone who might wear his welcome out quickly.

Overall I would have to give San Francisco a F grade, those were mainly terrible auditions. At least 3 or 4 of them were courtesy golden tickets. Of the 12 that made it to Hollywood, I would be very surprised to see more than two of them make it the Top 50. The one I would give the best chance to is John Twiford. I was really overjoyed with his "Overjoyed".

Tonight's show is from Louisville, Kentucky. I am hoping it is not as craptastic as last night. The promos make it look like someone threatened the judging panel. I am hoping that is not the highlight of the night. Tonight's show is from 7:03 to 8:06 in an attempt to get ratings for it's other shows. I hear that all the remaining audition cities shows are only going to be a hour long.

Other quick "AI" news via votefortheworst.com. Possibly Jessica Furney made it to the Top 50, there are conflicting reports on that. Unfortunately one of the nicest candidates, Arianna Afsar apparently is cut in Hollywood. She is the the teen who organized the Adopt A Grandfriend program.

Let's hope tonight's episode is a lot better. themusicaddict

"American Idol" notes

Howdy,

Just a bunch of quick notes today.

1) David Archuleta is about to announce a 6 week tour. He will be singing at 1,000 to 2,000 seat arenas, focusing on places where the "AI" tour did not go. This will be a good barometer of how much David's fan base has shrunk.

2) At amazon.com they have 18 free MP3's that can be downloaded. One of these songs is Sanjaya Malakar's "Tell Me Who I Am". I downloaded it and it is as bad as you think it would be. It has a bit of a jazz feel to it but it is very pedestrian. Also the dude can't sing. (Although his sister is hot!) To counter balance this poor choice of free MP3's amazon.com also has a "So Indie It Hurts" 11 song sampler available for free as well.



3) Top 50 updates: I can't guarantee how reliable these updates are. Anupe Desai, the Kansas City, via Chapel Hill, auditioner who sang Boys 2 Men "Thank You" apparently has made it to the Top 50. In bad news, Jessica Furney did not make it through to the Top 50. She is the cool girl who lives with her 93 year old grandmother. She also sang relatively powerfully "Cry Baby", the Janis Joplin classic.

4) If you were to guess what restaurant that the bikini girl, Katrina Dorrell, worked at, what would it be? If you guessed Hooters you are right. Apparently she was fired though.

5) Whitney Houston's new CD is coming out in March. Also she will be performing at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party on February 7th. Jennifer Hudson will be appearing at the same event. (Thanks to trendhunter.com)



6) Two more quick notes: you can hear U2's new single "Put Your Boots On" at u2.com. It is an okay, upbeat, rocking song. Their new CD comes out on March 3rd in America. If you like it you can go over to iTunes and buy it. Also you can purchase the new Kelly Clarkson song at iTunes today. This is a higher quality mix than the free mix that was available last week.

7) Remember tonight is episode 3 of "AI" season 8. I think tonight's auditions are from Louisville, Kentucky. I tried to look online, at americanidol.com and wikipedia.com, for dates and cities of the upcoming auditions. I couldn't find very much information. My review of this show will be published probably early afternoon tomorrow.

8) Jennifer Hudson will also be singing at February 1st's Super Bowl in some capacity. The halftime show will be Bruce Springsteen, that may be the only part of the game that I watch.

Finally today President Obama officially is the President. Welcome President Obama. Oh by the way I am still waiting for you to accept my facebook.com friend request.

Happy Inaguaration Day!!!!

Country Music 2008: Was it really that boring?

Hello,

I was watching the CMT's Top 20 videos and I was wondering if last year in country music was really that bad? I would say "no" because there was some pretty good music last year. We had good new music from Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Sugarland. The 2008 CMT Top 20 Video Countdown would have you think other wise. Here's the Top 20! My comments are in parenthesis.

20) "You Look Good In My Shirt" Keith Urban. (Yawn!)

19) "Home"- Blake Shelton (This song is probably the most boring song of the year.)

18) "Good Time"- Alan Jackson (Alan I love you but this song sucks. The video for this song is equally sucky. Alan stop trying to catch the "Chattahoochee" vibe. That was a once in a lifetime song.)

17) "International Harvester"- Craig Morgan (Four terrible songs in a row.)

16) "Don't Think I Don't Think About It"- Darius Rucker (Finally the first good song on this countdown. Although this song could use another verse and less chorus. Also why is the singer black but the actors acting out the songs lyrics white?)

15) "Everyone Wants To Go To Heaven"- Kenny Chesney (Please don't let David Archuleta know about this song, this sounds like a song he would want to sing.) How is Chesney such a big star, he hasn't had a good song in about 5 years.)

14) "Every Day"- Rascal Flatts (I can't remember what this song sounds like, that should tell you all you need to know.)

13) "Ready, Set, Don't Go"- Billy Ray Cyrus (Billy Ray Cyrus, does anything else need to be said?)

12) "Love Story"- Taylor Swift (She is one of my current favorite singers, but this song is only okay.)

11) "All-American Girl"- Carrie Underwood (A chart first- two at least okay songs in a row. This is a pretty good song and I like the video as well. Carrie Underwood is the hottest woman in country music right now without a doubt.)

10) "Troubadour"- George Strait (Yawn! Is it my imagination or does Alan Jackson and George Strait have to sing the same kind of song every song? Has George Strait had a good song in the last 10 years?)

9) "All Summer Long"- Kid Pebble (as someone from Motley Crue called him. This is just the continuing dumbing down of country music by non-talented singers. Lynyyrd Skynrrd wherever you are I apologize for all of America for the affront to your classic song. One of the most atrocious rip offs of all-time.)

8) "Letter To Me"- Brad Paisley (A great song and a great video. Brad Paisley is everything Kenny Chesney wants to be but won't be. Brad Paisley a great song writer, a great guitarist and he also has a very good sense of humor.)

7) "Small Town Southern Man"- Alan Jackson (See songs 10 and 18.)

6) "Just Got Started Loving You"- James Otto (A great, great song. I just find it unbelievable someone that ugly with wind up with the hotty in the video. Although I have heard that the model is his wife.)

5) "Picture To Burn"- Taylor Swift (Definitely one of the best songs of the year in all of music. I also absolutely love the video.)

4) "You're Gonna Miss This"- Trace Adkins (One of the classiest singers in country music. I was blown away by how cool he is when he was on "Celebrity Apprentice". Also the singer of one of the best songs of all-time: "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk".)

3) "Shiftwork"- Kenny Chesney (A stupid pun and a stupid song. Kenny it is about time for you to go away.)

2) "All I Want To Do"- Sugarland (A pretty good song, although the video is nonsensical. However this is a band that consistently puts out good music.)

1) "Just A Dream"- Carrie Underwood (A great and poignant song and video. Carrie Underwood is not only gorgeous, but she is the class of country music right now.

So by my count on the Top 20 countdown, there are 9 good songs. Also CMT seemingly has gone to a steady diet of Taylor Swift ant Sugarland videos. Both are great artists but please don't overdo it. Go to cmt.com to see the videos and get all the gory details. The person doing the countdown is also unbelievably obnoxious.

People who need to go away: Kenny Chesney. About the first 15 songs of his career were fantastic, now he is lucky to have a good song every two or three years. To see him in concert is a study in narcissism. Entertainer of the Year? Please!

Video of the day: "Enjoy the Silence"- Depeche Mode. This is one of the most surreal videos ever.

Finally Rascal Flatts is touring with Jessica Simpson. Huh? Jessica Simpson you need to tour with someone equally lame and boring. I got it go on tour with Kenny Chesney, call it the overhyped tour.

Remember about 10:00am tomorrow we will have a new President. Good luck to President Obama. I hope you can live up to half of your potential. If you do that much, you will be one of the greatest Presidents of all-time. American let's get behind our new President and other political leaders. No more partisan politics. Let's work together as Republicans and Democrats! Let's work together as Red Staters and Blue Staters! Let's work together as Americans!

Happy Inauguration day! themusicaddict

Inauguration

Hello,

Only two more days until the big day, no not the third episode of this season's "American Idol", but the inauguration of our new President. Thanks to my favorite news site abcnews.go.com here is a brief rundown of the exciting events this Tuesday. For more information and details go to abcnews.go.com's website. (All times are EST.) My comments are in parenthesis.

8:45 a.m.: Obamas attend a private service at St. John's Episcopal Church (I am glad to see a religious person as our President.)

10:00 a.m.: Obama meets with President Bush at the White House for coffee, together they travel to the Capitol for inauguration ceremony.

11:30 a.m. : Official inaugural ceremony begins. (Finally.)

12:00 p.m.: Obama is sworn in as president and delivers inaugural address. (My favorite event of the day.)


1:00 p.m.: President Obama and Vice President Biden attend luncheon at the Capitol

1:30 p.m.: President Bush Depart Washington DC (My second favorite event of the day!)

2:30 p.m.: Inaugural parade begins, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama join inaugural motorcade.

8:00 p.m.: Obamas host first-ever Neighborhood Ball at the Convention Center, the premiere event of inauguration evening, broadcast exclusively by ABC and including live coverage of the President and First Lady's first dance of the night and President-elect Obama's initial speech of the evening, alongside performances and appearances by some of the nation's top recording artists and stars.

Congratulations President and First Lady Obama. Congratulations America!

Rumors are that President Obama is going to order America to leave Iraq on his first day in office. That would be awesome.

Just some brief music news. Go to mjsbigblog.com and you can get the free MP3 for Kelly Clarkson's new song, "My Life Would Suck Without You". I think all of America can sing this song to Obama. Of course the song we will be singing to Bush is "Hit The Road Jack".

Have a great week, themusicaddict

Casey Carlson, wow!

Thanks to votefortheworst.com for the above picture. This is Casey Carlson, who made it to Hollywood via the Kansas City auditions. No she is not the bikini girl. She was dressed much more modestly at the auditions.

Hello,

Some quick news: U2's new single will be released on January 19th, yes only 3 days away. The title of the song is "Get On Your Boots". Their new CD "No Line On The Horizon" is for sale on March 3rd. Welcome back, U2. Also video of the day is a double dipper. Two videos and both songs are by Rick Springfield. The first is the classic "Don't Talk To Strangers" and the second video is for the much more recent song "Souls". You can see both videos at mtvmusic.com.

People who must go away: Ryan Seacrest. Recently he was ignored by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Do you blame them? I would be okay with Seacrest if he was just on "American Idol" but he is everywhere. He is not someone one wants to see every time they turn on the TV. 2) The whole entire Osmond family. We are going to have to hear from one of the Osmonds on an upcoming "AI" episode. I don't care if he can sing, I am just so sick of hearing about the Osmonds. Attention non-Utah natives, there are a lot more people who are famous that live in Utah. Have you ever heard of Robert Redford, currently hosting the Sundance Festival in Park City, Utah. Katherine Heigl got married here, Lindsay Lohan went through rehab here. The Osmonds, you must go away!

Only three more days of the George W. Bush Presidency. Thank goodness!

Also the new Michael Slezak hosted "Idolatry" will be available on ew.com sometime today. It was still not available at 11:50 am MST. This is always good for some laughs and insight.

Songs rocking my iPod. 1) "Elevation"- U2 2) "Fallen Angel"- Poison 3) "Shoot To Thrill" (Live) 4) "Over The Mountain"- Ozzy Osbourne 5) "Bizarre Love Triangle"- New Order 6) "The Chair"- George Strait 7) "Don't You Want Me"- The Human League I remembered last night how cool this song is. 8) "Don't Phunk With My Heart"- Black Eyed Peas 9) "Interstate Love Song"- Stone Temple Pilots 10) "Policy of Truth"- Depeche Mode 11) "Honky Tonk Woman"- Billy Joel yes Billy Joel he sings a very funky version of this song. It's on his 1999 New Years Eve double CD, "2000 years-Millennium Concert". 12) "Rumors"- Josh Ritter This song made me think of the 80's song also called "Rumors". I think that band's name was Timex Social Club. I could not find that song available on iTunes. 13) "American Idol"- Green Day 14) "Respect"- Aretha Franklin 15) "Come On Eileen"- Dexy's Midnight Runners One of the greatest songs ever by a one hit wonder. 16) "Going To California" (Live)- Led Zeppelin 17) "Myriad Harbor"- The New Pornographers.

I should be back on Sunday, have a great weekend themusicaddict

"AI" Kansas City Auditions

Hello,

Here is a review of Season 8, episode 2, auditions in Kansas City. Yes "American Idol" we know that is where David Cook is from. themusicaddict thinks David Cook is great, but that does not mean there are a lot of other artists from that area like him. Of the 27 who made it through to Hollywood, I would only say 2 or 3 of them are close.

First of all I would like to give a shout out to some of the other "Idol" blogs I read regularly. First of all there is joesplaceblog.com. This is a good site if you really want to get into the nuts and bolts of this competition. Also there is the always good mjsbigblog.com, this site has pictures and links to contestant's myspace and facebook pages. Third, there is always votefortheworst.com. I like this site, it is really funny and takes a cynical, lighthearted look at all things "Idol". Reading this site will help one not take this show too seriously. (An example their nickname for David Archuleta is Gaspy.) Although they do have a blogger nicknamed thefunnystone, he is very mean spirited in the episode recap of his that I read.

Finally there is the first website I always go to after each new episode. That is Michael Slezak's column over at ew.com. He is very funny without being mean spirited. He also hosts the "Idolatry" shows where he and other EW columnists critique "American Idol". "Idolatry" returns tomorrow. His columns and "Idolatry" are some of my favorite parts of the "AI" season.

The blog I wrote yesterday was too long, so I am going to pare it down a bit today. "AI" showcased 13 of the 27 Kansas City auditioners who made it to Hollywood. First up, Ashley Anderson who sang the Simon Cowell co-written song "Footprints in the Sand". Or her version was "Footsteps in the Sand" until Cowell corrected her. She was okay, although she was over emoting.

2) Casey Carlson who sang Vanessa Carlson's "A Thousand Miles". She is a very attractive Minnesota resident. I like her voice though it did take her awhile to get going on this song. I think she has potential.

Next were the terrible Brian Hettler, James Avance, Billy Vinson and two other terrible singers whose names I did not even bother to write down. Take this at face value and go away.

3) Von Smith. This is the kind of contestant I hate the most. Someone who is not very good but thinks he is great and unfortunately the judges agreed. He is one of the singers who followed tonight's theme, for them the formula is loud = good. But the actual formula is loud = loud. He has no personality, wears ugly hats and is very overrated. Randy likes him, what else do you need to know? Even more depressing, according to votefortheworst.com he is in the final 50. To paraphrase Nirvana, "smells like David Archuleta".

4) Jason Castro's little brother Michael. I actually liked him and he picked a good song. I was thinking he could do better than his older brother. But votefortheworst.com has him washing out in Hollywood.

5) One of my favorite performers of the night, welder Matt Britesky. I think he has a good tone as he sang Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine". (His version had me scrambling to iTunes to buy the original version.) I really, really like him. Randy said "no" to him, what else do you need to know?

6) Jessica Furney. You got to give her points for taking on Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby". Again this is someone I really, really like. Every season needs a rocker chick. With Emily Hughes getting eliminated in Hollywood, from what I hear, maybe the rocker chick could be Furney.

7) India Morrison, one half of two sisters, and the one who made it through to Hollywood. I really think she has a great voice. I would not mind seeing her going far.

8) Jamarr Rogers, again loud does not equal good, it only equals loud. He begs his way to Hollywood, again Randy votes him through. Yes, what else do you need to know? He is then shown in Hollywood week whining to someone, the judges? I predicted he wouldn't make it through to Hollywood but he did. His lame personality is going to grow even more tiresome in Hollywood.

9) Then we have Jamarr's friend, Danny Gokey. In spite of his poor choice of friends, he is a very good singer. I really liked his version of " I Heard It Through The Grapevine". He'ss the one with the tragic backstory. His wife died of a heart condition about 4 weeks before auditions. themusicaddict had a sister-in-law that died of something similar at about the same age. Both are truly very sad situations. themusicaddict's sister-in-law left behind two very cute little girls and a grieving husband. Gokey is also a good singer so I will be cheering for him.

10) Anupe Desai: The Chapel Hill resident. (Go Tar Heels!) I like him. He is cool and quick on his feet. Not the greatest voice in the world, but good enough for Hollywood. Like the Phoenix auditioner, Michael Sarver, he sang Boys 2 Men "Thank You". An atrocious song but good performances by both singers who have sang it so far.

11) 28 year old Asa Barnes, I really like him. I think he sounds a bit like Michael Jackson as he sang Jackson's own "The Way You Make Me Feel".

12) Dennis Brigham, sucks but begged his way to Hollywood. Now can I beg him to go away?

13) Lil Rounds: best name of the competition so far. Great backstory and a pretty good voice. I was not as overwhelmed by her as other bloggers are. But I really like her and she also received great praises from the judges. According to votefortheworst.com she is also a Top 50 contestant. Bonus points for her for singing a Stevie Wonder song and doing it proud. (So did Sanjaya and we all know what happened to him and then to us.) I predict she will last longer than the boring, overrated Von Smith.

Then Ryan Seacrest closed out the show by referring to this as the "most talent packed" season ever. That is something he says about each season though. Remember this is the same man who tried to high five a blind man.

themusicaddict

Day 1 of Season 8 "American Idol"

Hello,

I am 41 years old but I still love "American Idol". I am only a little embarrassed. First things first I watched last night's episode this afternoon due to a job. If you are not watching this show using the DVR, you are crazy. I was able to cut about 40 minutes of fluff from the show. Generally about half of the show is worth watching.

Here goes: First of all I apologize in advance to anyone whose name I misspell. Last night's episode was from Phoenix. There were some very high highs and some very low lows. 27 people from the Phoenix tryout are "going to Hollywood dawg". Not all these people are from Phoenix though. In this bunch there seems to be another David Archuletta wanna be. The only thing worse than that is the William Hung wannabe that was in the same episode. Here is a quick review of last night's show.

First of all there was 14 minutes of fluff to start the show. Unlike "Idol" I am going to skip the fluff. Also mainly I am going to comment on the contestants I liked. I will call out someone who is terrible though. The second singer in this episode was Emily Hughes, she sang Heart's "Barracuda". From what I have heard she is one of the several "American Idol" plants. Also unconfirmed rumors has her cut in Hollywood. She does have a great voice, singing that very difficult song. I won't even talk about Randy "Cry, Cry, Cry" Madden. Next was JB Anfua who was terrible and sucked and has got to go home. Unfortunately we will have to suffer through him in Hollywood. Is he this season's David Archuleta? If so, let's eliminate him now.

Next was Michael Gurr, making the run as this season's William Hung. Do you see how big of a show "AI" is, it made such lame people as William Hung and David Archuleta famous. Then a bunch of terrible auditions were shown. I can't believe some of these people haven't been told along the way that they can't sing. I was told early and often that I have no singing ability, so I have had no illusions for a long time now.

Next was Aundrae "X-Ray" Carroway. He was entertaining, just not the way he wants to be. After a bunch of blah singers we were fortunate to close out Day One, at least the way it was edited, with Arianna Afsar. She sang a song from a singer that has already faded away. She sang "Put Your Records On". She did a very good job. I really like her, she is awesome. She is a good singer with a great spunk. I really liked how she goes and performs at a senior home. Arianna I'll be cheering for you.

Day 2 highlights: First we had Elijah Scarlett up, he is the one with a very deep voice and he is a cashier. (That is currently what I am doing in my non-real job, a cashier. Cashiers of the world unite. Unfortunately for him he is returning to the cashier ranks.) He has a really cool voice but he can't sing. Leah Marie Golde followed with her take on Cascada's "Every Time We Touch". I will be honest this is a song I have never heard of before. I really liked this song, not so much Leah's performance, I went to iTunes and bought it. Please Leah when the judges say "no" they mean it. Just keep your dignity and go quietly into that good night. Next were two people who I really liked Stevie Wright, who is named after Stevie Nicks. Then there was Michael Sarver who I really, really like. He is a roughnecker and as he told us twice that is the fifth most dangerous job in the world. Right now I am naming him as an early front runner. Good luck to you Michael, I hope you go far.

Then it's Katrina Dorrel, the bikini girl, she does have a hot body. She sang a lot better than I thought she would when I saw the promo. Don't worry from what I hear she washes out in Hollywood. The voting for her was 2-2, Simon is the tiebreaker and that is how she got through to Hollywood. We then had "Sexual Chocolate", I think sexual boredom would be a better nickname. Then another one of my favorite contestants, although she might not be the best singer: Brianna Quijado. I did not think she was going to make it through, another 2-2 vote. Simon got her through to Hollywood.

Following was Deanna Brown, who came out with two barrels firing. One, she picked one of the best songs of all-time and two, she is a great singer. I loved her version of the Otis Redding classic "(Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay". She was really, really good and was one of the three or four better singers shown from the Phoenix auditions. Next was the make up wearing Cody Sheldon who has his own crying girl. I don't think he is going to last long.

Next was one of the whitest people in the world, besides myself, who sang a very good version of James Ingram's "Baby Come To Me". Randy Jackson didn't sing the chorus as requested though. We should probably be grateful for that. That singer being Alex Wagner-Trugman. I think the other three judges voted him through just to piss off Simon.

The show then closed out with someone I have a lot of admiration for, Scott MacIntyre. He made it through to Hollywood. Even if he does not go on to be the next "American Idol", he already is a winner. Going to college at age 14, skiing and he plays the piano very well. He has accomplished more already than most people will ever well. I also loved his version of Billy Joel's "And So It Goes." Another contestant I will be cheering for.

Finally, I like the new judge Kara DioGuardia. Not only is she a babe but she brings some sass to what can be a rather routine show with little personality. Paula was okay last night but Randy Jackson must go. What does he bring to the show? Original thought- no. Personality- no. Anything worthwhile- no. Singing with the contestants- thankfully no.

Remember tonight is the second part of the two part season premiere. Tonight auditions are from Kansas City. themusicaddict

"American Idol" Season 8 Starts tonight!

Hello,

Above obviously is the gorgeous Nicole Kidman! Keith Urban you are a lucky man!

To quote Rod Stewart, "tonight's the night", obviously he wasn't singing about "AI" but so what. So tonight is the big night. Definitely check out my friends over at votefortheworst.com. They have a great website, check out their feature on "American Idol" plants. (Including the information that David Osmond flamed out in Hollywood, he's one of their "wilted plants". Thank goodness we don't need another David Archuleta or Sanjaya.) Also votefortheworst.com has a feature on all the crappy songs new judge Kara DioGuardi has written.

I am withholding my opinion on Miss DioGuardi until I watch a couple of episodes of this season. All I can say is that she can't be worse than either Randy "5 phrases" Jackson and Paula "dumb as a rock" Abdul. So let's hope she is a step up. I understand that Simon Cowell is the ultimate tiebreaker.

Unfortunately I won't be able to watch the season premiere live, thank goodness for the DVR. I will be watching tonight's episode tomorrow. I do have tomorrow off so I will be able to see tomorrow night's episode when it shows normally. Remember starting tomorrow to read Michael Slezak's snarky commentary over at ew.com. It is usually available early in the morning the day after the actual episode. He is very funny and knowledgeable not that I always agree with him. For instance, I did not think David Archuleta's "Imagine" was amazing. I thought it was just another one of his many boring performances.

Only one week from today until we finally get a new President, thank goodness. President Bush has been trying to explain all his bad decisions away. Sorry George, it doesn't work that way. You are the worst President in modern history, so trying to explain away will not lessen any of your mistakes. Your first mistake was surrounding yourself with terrible people like Dick (a very apt first name) Cheney and Karl Rove. That decision led to the idiocy of that Mission Accomplished picture. President Bush please be quiet and fade away gracefully. You can do that at least. Maybe later you can get some small redemption as an elder statesman. Maybe.

W. is the first person in a new feature of mine: people that need to go away. George W. Bush please go away. Dick Cheney and Karl Rove and any of the other crooks who surrounded Bush go away please. The less we see and hear from you the better.

Okay back to the music: Video of the day: "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood. This was much better than any video that came out in 2008. According to the 2008 CMT Top 20 Video Countdown, this was a very weak year for country music. (More on that later.)

For those of you that can watch it tonight, enjoy "American Idol". For those of you who don't like "AI" there are a lot of great books out there. I will be back tomorrow with my initial observations of the season premiere and Kara DioGuardia. Have a great day, themusicaddict

American Idol Season 8 starts tomorrow!

Hello,

Only one more day until American Idol! This is one of the very few shows that I watch almost every episode of. I also love "Cold Case", "Mad Men" and "Life On Mars". All of them are very entertaining shows.

I may be back later today, if not I will be back tomorrow.

Have a good day, themusicaddict

Jessica Alba, BCS throws up on itself

Hello,

The above picture is of course the lovely Jessica Alba, who is also a new mother. Congrats!

I received an e-mail response to my posting about Melinda Doolittle. I will present it as received.

"Melinda Doolittle's Debut Album Coming Back to You Drops 2/3/2009. It promises to be an eclectic mix of blues, classic R&B and jazz. The first single, “It’s Your Love” is available for purchase on iTunes.You can pre-order the entire album at http://www.melindadoolittle.com/ and some of the proceeds will go to Malaria No More.

Also check out the great videos Melinda has posted for her fans at http://mdoolittlesblog. blogspot.com/.Keep updated about Melinda's career at http://www.melindasbackups.com/ which is a web site owned by Melinda Doolittle. Melinda’s Backups™ is a non-profit supportive association inspired by Melinda and authorized by her to operate this web site on behalf of her fans.

I am one of her backups (fans) and can truly say that not only is Melinda hugely talented but she is also exceptionally kind and gracious."

Obviously it's mostly an ad, but it is nice to see someone reading my blog. Again I welcome all comments and I will reply to them. Also yesterday I had written her new CD comes out on February 5th, I apologize for the incorrect information.


This is the cover photo of Kelly Clarkson's new CD, "All I Ever Wanted". (Previously I had stated the title would be "Masquerade". My apologies.) The lead single is still going to be "My Life Would Suck Without You". You can hear a 30 second snippet of this song at many places. Those sites include amazon.com and mjsbigblog.com. From this 30 second snippet it sounds like the song really rocks. Kelly you are looking good also.

Previously I reported that Apple's iTunes is changing a couple of major things. They are making all their songs DRM free and also changing their pricing structure. From what I have found out, both of these changes will go into effect this spring.

I was visiting one of my favorite websites yesterday, mtvmusic.com. I had been reading about the Top Ten songs on ew.com from 1982. This is a regular ew.com feature that I enjoy very much. The author, Whitney Pastorek, shares the same sort of nostalgia about these songs as I do. Also she is very funny. Anyway one of the songs on that Top Ten list was Rick Springfield's "Don't Talk To Strangers". Pastorek was making reference to the video for that song. So I went to mtvmusic.com to check it out.

While there I checked out some of his other videos and found out he has a new CD. Who knew? The name of the CD is "Venus in Overdrive", this CD came out last summer. This CD has some really good songs. I would definitely urge you to check it out. You can catch a couple of the videos at mtvmusic.com. Some of the good songs from this CD include the title track and also "What's Victoria's Secret?". He has some other newer songs that are really good as well. The best of those songs are "Souls" and "Don't Walk Away". (Also a confession, my first "rock" concert was Rick Springfield on Halloween in the early 8o's. I was much less a music snob then and I thought he was great in concert. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for him since then. BTW my second rock concert was AC/DC on their "For Those About To Rock, We Salute You" tour.)

Video of the day: "Don't Talk To Strangers"- Rick Springfield.

Also after the BCS threw up all over itself with their latest debacle of a National Championship game, President Obama pushed again for a 8 team playoff, I agree with President Obama. The BCS is a greedy way for the big boys to keep the money among themselves. In one of the most ridiculous quotes of all-time I saw some idiot from the BCS claiming credit for giving Utah a chance to show how good of a football team they are. Not only are they greedy, but they are stupid. I so agree with you President Obama, just don't let have the idiots of the BCS have any control over college football anymore.

One of the biggest debacles of the BCS is that very mediocre teams from the Big East and ACC get automatic bids. They played each other in their bowl game, a battle of multiple loss teams. I think like 3 people watched that game. It was a real non-thrilling 20-7 victory for Virginia Tech over Cincinnati. That was the first win in the BCS bowls since 1999 for the ACC, and they get an automatic bid? (BTW Utah has won it's last 8 bowl games including two BCS bowls.)

This is not to take anything away from Florida or Oklahoma, because those are two great teams. I still can''t believe Florida held Oklahoma to 14 points. Oh by the way Florida coach, Urban Meyer, use to be the head coach for the University of Utah. Do you notice a pattern here?

Songs that are rocking my iPod: 1) "Papa Loved Mama" (Live)- Garth Brooks 2) "Just Like Heaven"- The Cure 3) "Sweet Dreams"- Air Supply Embarrassing admission #2 I really like Air Supply. They had a lot of great songs in the 80's and this was one of them. 4) "Back Where You Belong"- .38 Special 5) "Tennessee"- Tim Blane A song that you probably haven't heard of that you need to add to your collection. 6) "Physical"- Olivia Newton-John 7) "Over The Hills and Far Away"- Led Zeppelin 8) "American Idiot"- Green Day 9) "Santa Monica"- Everclear This is one of those songs from a band that never reached this high level ever again. 10) "Buffalo Stance"- Neneh Cherry. A great song from a great 80's CD. Cherry was not much heard from after this CD, she sort of faded into obscurity like Lauryn Hill did a few years later. 11) "Addicted"- Ace Young Yes this is the former "AI" contestant. 12) "Doctor's Appointment"- The May Fire 13)"Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" 14) "Anything Goes"- Guns N' Roses 15) "Driver 8"- R.E.M. This is early and classic R.E.M. 16) "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"- Trace Adkins 17) "The Movie" (Spoken Word)- Jim Morrison 18) "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"- Nancy Sinatra

That is it for now. I will hopefully be back tomorrow, themusicaddict.

Teri Hatcher, Season 8 "AI" Countdown

Hello,

Above is the amazingly gorgeous Teri Hatcher. (Thanks to babble.com for the picture.) Wow! If you remember she and "American Idol" have a connection. Hatcher sang Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" on "Idol Gives Back" last season. A lot of people didn't think she did a very good job singing the song, however I thought she did a pretty good job. I even bought her version from iTunes and have enjoyed it many times. Although Underwood's version is definitely the superior version. Underwood sings that song with a lot of power and feeling.

AMC has officially announced a third season of "Mad Men", it's coming this summer. Also Clint Eastwood's new movie "Gran Torino" opens today. It has been receiving generally positive reviews. I plan on seeing it when I can. Video of the day: u2's historic "Sunday Bloody Sunday" live at Red Rocks. That performance really propelled them to stardom. They are still one of the few bands that survive from the 80's. Also one of the even fewer bands that survive from the 80's that are still relevant. Remember their new CD "No Line On The Horizon" is out this spring.

Also coming out soon is Melinda Doolittle's new CD. The name of her first CD is "Coming Back To You" and it will be released on February 5th. This CD has 13 songs on it. Go to her official website, melindadoolittle.com, and get the MP3 title track from the upcoming CD free. themusicaddict has been a fan of Melinda Doolittle since her audition performance on "American Idol" Season 6. In much more unfortunate news, Sanjaya is also releasing a 5 song ep pretty soon. Sorry I just did not have the heart to look more into that. I think along with William Hung and David Archuleta that Sanjaya is one of the most annoying "AI" contestants ever. All three of you please go away!

AOL.com has a feature detailing the Top 16 "American Idol" performances of all time. I checked out this feature yesterday and I agreed with some of their choices. However some of their choices really sucked. Those include David Archuleta's "Imagine", David Cook's "Billie Jean" and Ruben Studdard's "Superstar". Studdard sang that last song with all the emotion of a pretzel.

However they were right on some of their choices. For instance, Jason Castro's "Hallelujah", Chris Daughtry's "Hemmorrhage", the amazing Jennifer Hudson's "Circle of Life". The two of the 16 songs I liked the most were Lakisha Jones' "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" and Tamyra Gray's "A House Is Not A Home". This last one you must watch, it is an amazing, amazing performance. Her voice sounds great. Her first CD is pretty good and I am not sure why she has not become a star. She has not even been on the pop culture radar for a few years now.

Remember to set your DVR for Tuesday, January 13th for the opening night of Season 8 of "American Idol". It will be two hour episodes on both January 13th and January 14th. I hope new judge Kara DioGuardia brings some spice to the show. Apparantally the men this year will be the show's highlights. Also check out votefortheworst.com to keep things from being too serious.

Have a great weekend, themusicaddict

iTunes pricing change, Charlize Theron

The above is Charlize Theron, one of the most beautiful women in the whole world.

Yesterday at Macworld, Apple's Phillip Schiller announced a couple of major changes for the iTunes music store. Schiller is Apple's top marketing executive. 1) By the end of this fiscal quarter, all songs sold at the iTunes music store won't have the digital rights management (DRM) protection. What that means is if you buy a song from iTunes you can basically play it and listen to it anywhere. It will not be exclusive to your iPod. Several news stories pointed out that amazon.com has been doing this for over a year already. But it counts more with Apple, as they are by far the biggest online music store. 2) Apple is also changing their pricing structure. It use to be that all songs are 99c, no matter how new or old it is. I think it has been that way since the start of the iTunes music store, at least as long as I can remember. Now iTunes is going to offer a multi-level price structure. Songs will either be 69c, 99c, or $1.29. Apple is going to let the record companies decide the prices. With the greedy and struggling record companies deciding the prices I predict the prices will obviously skew towards the $1.29 price point. That's not really a prediction. That is based on the record companies poor choices over the years. They run their business as well as the American auto makers. Record companies suck! Now when does this new pricing change take effect? I read several news reports yesterday and I couldn't find a date.

Video of the day is Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You", an extremely heartbreaking video. Although it does end on a positive note. The ending suggests we should learn from our past so we don't keep on making the same mistakes again. The song I am definitely not sick of: Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl". Although I don't like most of the lyrics, this is just a great, great song.

A couple of quick movie reviews. 1) "Bolt" with voices from John Travolta and Miley Cyrus. This is a pretty good show. The hamster character is hilarious. The story is great without pandering to little kids too much. One of the most enjoyable movies I have seen with my kids. 2) "The Day The Earth Stood Still". This is your typical modern day sci-fi movie. It has some good performances and the story is okay. However I sort of had a blah feeling after leaving the theatre.

Also rollingstone.com (not rs.com) has published the cover of their next weekend, it is of George Bush. The cover article is "Bush Apologizes: The Farewell Interview We Wish He'd Give". Okay Rolling Stone I know you thought W. was a bad President, but who didn't and we get it already. Please do not put him on your cover anymore. Let him fade away. I think most people already think he was a terrible President, but let's focus on the future. Also I am about equally excited about the upcoming season of "American Idol" and the Barack Obama Presidency. I am hoping the Obama Presidency is the more successful of them both though.

One final note, I am currently reading a terrific book: Neil Stephenson's "Anathem". He can be a notoriously difficult writer to read. This book is also a bit difficult to read. If you stick with it though, there is a rhythm and you can really get into the story. However you should only pick up this book if you are willing to be challenged. Thanks to Wired Magazine for bringing this book to my attention. Also thanks to our local libraries, where I picked up my copy. themusicaddict is a huge fan of the public library system.

Have a good day, themusicaddict

Twitter inspired blogs, Halle Berry

Hello,

I have decided I am no longer going to have long blogs two or three times a week. Instead I have been inspired by Twitter, in that there will be more but shorter blogs. Here is the first Twitter inspired blog.

Of course the above picture is of the oh my goodness, she is hot Halle Berry. She is one of the few women, like my wife, who keeps on getting better looking as they age. Amazing. I think maybe she should change her name to Wowee Berry. (Thanks to Esquire for the fantastic picture.)

Some quick upcoming album news first. rollingstone.com has a brief description of 10 songs from U2's upcoming CD, "No Line On The Horizon". Also Kelly Clarkson's new CD will probably be titled "Masquerade", it should be out March 17th. This one is suppose to be closer in sound to "Breakaway" rather than "My December". Either way is fine with me as I liked both CD's. Also Prince plans on releasing 3 CD's in 2009. He is saying they will be "dirty but not nasty". I think that means he will be bringing the funk. I am not sure if there are that many Prince fans left. His best days are behind him obviously. His two best CDs are "Purple Rain" and "1999", he hasn't approached that level for several years now. (Thanks to rollingstone.com for all three tidbits of information. I also realized rs.com is someone else's website. If you want to get to the Rolling Stone magazine website, you need to type in rollingstone.com. Or do as I do, bookmark it.)

Short tidbits: song I am officially sick of "Ur So Gay" by Katy Perry. I still like Katy Perry but that song has got to go away. Also almost any hip-hop song or song by Coldplay and Oasis. Although "Wonderwall" is a fantastic song. I heard a song coming from somebody's stereo. It was a hip-hop song where the rapper kept on repeating "Volkswagen" and dropping the f bomb. What a stupid song, also not very creative. Video of the Day: "Low"- Kelly Clarkson. A good video but an even better song.

Also is "Good to meet you" the biggest lie ever. How many times have you said it and meant it?

Finally songs rocking my iPod 1) "Rock of Ages"- Def Leppard I am not sure why but this song was really rocking my world last night. It almost felt like I was transported to the 80's, back to the Lep's heyday. That song reminded me why I still love Def Leppard so much after all these years. 2) "Since I've Been Loving You"- Led Zeppelin 3) "The Best Damn Thing"- Avril Lavigne 4) "Don't Bring Me Down"- ELO 5) "The Man Comes Around"- Johnny Cash 6) "Touch Me" (Live)- The Doors 7) "License To Kill"- Gladys Knight 8) "Animal"- Def Leppard 9) "Set It Off"- Audioslave 10) "The Last Beautiful Girl"- Matchbox Twenty 11) "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" (Live)-Nirvana. One of the few good songs from the 90's most overrated band. 12) "Bodies"- Drowning Pool 12) "Piece of Crap"- Neil Young and Crazy Horse 13) "Poundcake"- Van Halen 14) "Higher Ground"- Red Hot Chili Peppers The best Stevie Wonder cover song ever. 15) "Black Sheep"- John Anderson 16) "As Good As I Once Was"- Toby Keith and 17) "Say Hey (I Love You)"- Michael Franti and Spearhead

Seriously I did not think it would be this long. Have a great day, themusicaddict

UTES RULE!, American Idol Countdown

Hello,

Happy New Year! I wish that to you even though I think New Year's Day is sort of lame. Other than college football, it is just another day to me. To quote U2, "Nothing changes on New Year's Day". There has been a lot going on in the music world.

Apparently current Guns n' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus told a magazine that G n' R was about to embark on a tour in March and be on tour for 2 years. Now he is retreating from that statement, using the old standby that he was misquoted. (My favorite use of that was when Charles Barkley claimed he was misquoted, IN HIS OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY!) I do hope that G n' R do go out for one more tour. Axl Rose is now 46 and he is not going to have his voice forever. Does that make you feel old too that Rose is 46?

The countdown continues for Season 8 of "American Idol", it starts on January 13th. That is one week from tomorrow. On both January 13th and January 14th each show will be two hours long. We can see how the new judge is. Has Randy expanded his vocabulary to 10 words dawg? Will this hopefully be the last season for Paula Abdul? Will she review a performance before it actually occurs again? How Will the producers play out the whole Paula Goodspeed suicide incident. How many times will ew.com's Michael Slezak or the website votefortheworst.com make you laugh? Is there someone as lame as David Archuleta on this season's show? If so can we vote him off now? Will all the changes affect the chemistry of the show? This could be a make or break season. If they continue losing viewers like last season, "American Idol" may be in trouble. Although I think they have contracts in place for the next couple of years.

Other news: the Utes rose up and slayed the mighty Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on January 2nd. I have been on a high since that great game. For the record I am a big BYU fan but Utah is my Alma mater, so I cheer for them when they are not playing BYU. Actually I cheer for all Utah schools. The Utes beating Alabama was particularly sweet though, as no one nationwide gave the Utes respect. Teams from their conference don't get much respect, but the MWC plays some great football. Once the final rankings are released two MWC schools, TCU and the U. of U. should be in the top 10. In their bowl game TCU knocked off the second to last undefeated team in the nation. Utah is the only undefeated team in the nation, going 13-0. BYU played like crap in their bowl game or they would probably have been a Top 15 team when the final rankings come out.

One final note about college football system, the so-called BCS national championship game is Thursday. This game should be terrific, watch the game just to see Oklahoma's offense in action. It is a thing of beauty to watch. We would actually need a playoff system though to have an actual National Championship game.

Other news apparently Apple CEO Steve Jobs has a hormonal imbalance. He is saying that is what is causing his gaunt appearance. He has already started treatment and he should gain the weight back by this Spring. He is rail thin. That is the official story at least. However is that the truth? This is a company that relies on it's CEO more than almost any other company. Without a publicized succession plan in place is this just a ruse so Apple's stock won't get hammered. I wish you a speedy recovery Steve.

Well that is it for now. Hopefully I will be back tomorrow with more info. I may write a new blog or change this one around some. I haven't yet decided. I have some pictures of other beautiful women to share with you. Also I have a bunch more music news. Have a great week! themusicaddict