blaugra

Swaggy

Ya know, I wasn't going to say a word about American Idol this week.

But here I am.

The theme this week I thought was The Brat Pack. 

No.  It's the Rat Pack. 

So while I was mentally prepping myself for the theme song from St. Elmo's Fire, Kara and Paula were glamming themselves up like the queens of Vegas.

Tonight's show was more orchestrated than I've ever seen it. noticed. It was like the director said, "OK. Here's what we're gonna do so people stop saying how sucky I am. We'll start small and modest and then with each performance the contestant's entrance will get grander and the arrangements bigger, and the female judges will say increasingly ridiculous things, and Simon will disagree with Randy on everything."

"And Ryan - he needs to get the message that this is not HIS show, it's MY show! So he's just going to do the minimum amount of hosting.  I don't care how much he tans himself tonight, he's not getting extra camera time."  Wasn't Ryan like extra crispy tasty, golden brown? 

At the top 5 milestone, apparently NOW is the time for contestants to prove to the judges that they WANT THIS. 

SHOW ME HOW BAD YOU WANT IT!!!  OR ARE YOU JUST GOING TO GIVE UP AND GO HOME LIKE A WEAK TALENTLESS LOSER?!?!

Well, Kris is very cute. Very. I just want to pinch his cute cheeks. He sings good, and I believe he really does like the way I look tonight.  (oh yes, if you could see me...you'd totally agree.) 

Love it, hate it, love it!

We're about two months away from that darn film festival I've worked on. 

I just noticed the videos on the website, our mistress must have just added them. 

Last year the documentary workshop class, who usually gets local subjects to work with like an earth-friendly shop and gallery, or a theatre or a silversmith or a chocolatier, was directed to make documentaries about the film festival itself.

I have to say that they make me qvell with pride.  "...you might feel a slight sting. That's pride fuckin with you..."

Three shorts were made, three different filmmaking teams' takes on the festival, and they were made from start to finish in less than 4 days. Most of the students had zero experience going into the project.  I like all three but I think this one is my favorite.  If you know me off-blog, and you've never been to this festival, I hope you watch it and then can perhaps see why I can't seem to love it then leave it.

Straight, No Chaser from FilmTreks on Vimeo.

Oh, and if you tweet you can follow that darn film festival. 

K*Mart Kwest

I grew up in the suburbs where our biggest walking destination outside of school was a shopping center anchored by a Kmart. 

And yet, I didn't feel deprived.  Curious.

Buying house stuff and toys and school supplies there was okay.

But shopping for clothes or shoes there was an utter embarassment for me.  Especially when we first moved to the area and had to put things on layaway.

We'd put our winter coats on layaway, selecting them in August and then making payments until we could afford to take them home.

They still offer layaway - I had no idea. 

When we cruelly made fun of people, if we really wanted to insult them, we'd accuse them of buying their shoes or jeans at Kmart.   That was the worst.

The store had grayish-white linoleum floors and shelves...and dingey walls and lighting.  There were always broken plastic hangers and straight pins littering the floor of the dressing room.  I would pray that I wouldn't see other kids from school there when I had to shop for undies or gym clothes.  It smelled like...well, like Walmart smells to me now.

The stigma of being in a herd, snapping to attention when the announcement was made: 

Marcellus Shale

That does sound like the name of a pimp or a private eye, doesn't it?  "Hi ma'am, don't worry 'bout a thang, I'm Marcellus Shale."

In recognition of Earth Day 09 here is a bit of earthiness I have learned about lately.  Remember, I'm a dippy 41 year old who failed geology and environmental geography in college, mostly because I was partying a bit too much and science classes were early in the morning. 

OK. So. Pennsylvania is going through this gold rush of producing natural gas like there's some kind of national competition for who can make the most. West Virginia may be doing it also but, I honestly don't care much for that state.  Just keeping it real.  

This part of "Pennsyltucky" with all the drilling is already environmentally fucked up by too much

American Idol: Blue Cheese and Bacon Insider Edition

By request, we'll be "almost-live-longform-blogging" American Idol tonite.  If it were live microblogging it would be Twitter and way cooler.  But because of my aforementioned separate locations of TV and desktop computer in my home, I will be blogging like it's 2004.

First, I have to make these cute little NY Strip steaks and alongside will be a green salad and a kickass unhealthy potato salad with bleu cheese and bacon.  Hence, the subtitle of this post.

(Thanks to MidwestGirl for her recipe recommendation!)

Oh, and JSYK I have been typing all day so this is EXTRA-fun!  I need some more wine.

---------------------------

OK, here we go.  I really wish this was more like Britain's Got Talent.

Anyway, I'm all excited because Salty D. is being forced to watch this with me again.  I said, "ooh, Disco, this is my favorite!" which isn't really true but whatever. 

D. says: "I can say I have nothing favorite about this show except when it's over."

Ooha! Ooha! Is the disco call!

Commenter Beth left this comment:

"Haven't been here in awhile, but your AI stuff cracked me up. Need some commentary for this past week's shows! What do you think of the 2 judges only judging? Did the idiots at Fox not realize that adding another judge might make the show longer? My mom is also curious about the bald guy - but thought it was one of the contestants from last year. The one who had a baby or something?"

1.  It cracked me up, too. Oh that funny husband of mine.

2.  This past week's shows - I actually missed some of them and they were LAME, but I'm going to make some predictions for next week...

Shopalong

I ordered a bunch of Angie & Lola bags from Target.  They're only available online (and you can return them at your Target store) and I lurved them all, at least on the screen.  I need some splashes of color and perhaps my new neutral will be *gasp!* white.

Well, the purses are arriving soon.  My plan is to keep one.  Which one would YOU keep?

Musik Express

I was at a friend's house and they asked me, "Who's playing Musikfest this year?"  She used to live in the area and has since moved on to hipper metropolises.  She remembers when the main attractions at the fest were the big polka tent and KC and the Sunshine Band.

At this moment I am playing a "guess the act" game with Musikfest on Twitter.  Because there's just nothing better to do at the moment, on this glorious Pennsylvania day ?  What's my problem?

They are announcing one of their big double bill acts tomorrow morning, and I've been trying to guess as they've been handing out hints.  

So, you try!

Here are the hints:

in the raw

for those of you who know me, don't freak, there's nothing major going on here, this is just something I needed to get out and say and ask.

I know people do it every day, but I just can't imagine living without my parents. 

Does life totally change after a parent dies?  I would think that it would.  How could it not?  The very thought of my dad dying causes an ache in my lungs.  Or maybe behind my lungs.  Is that my heart under there? 

The other day, when dad and I saw each other before he went to a doctor's appointment, we grabbed each other's hands and didn't let go.  His hands feel young.  He squeezed mine tightly the way he did when he was in the hospital.  Please don't get awful news from the doctor, I hoped.

Gawd, this is like a Lifetime movie. 

Aargh, I'm so cynical!

So it wasn't awful news - yay!-  but, there is the inevitable, looming closer, in front of my face. 

I prayed.  Yes, I do pray.  Maybe not at an altar or with angelic voices above. 

I didn't pray for a miracle of healing, I didn't pray for absence of pain, because none of that will happen.  Life is messy and painful, that's the way it was meant to be. 

I prayed for grace, humor and strength, for my dad and me and the rest of my family.  Because whatever the future brings anyway, no matter what, those would be gooood things to have in abundance. 

I told God that my dad at some point will be applying for the job of angel and that I wanted to provide a reference for that position, if he needs me to put in a good word.

My dad and I laughed, if he has to go to Cleveland for a consult at some point, at least he could visit the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.  Then dad launched into a lecture about the architecture of the hall of fame and how much there was going on in Cleveland to see and do and the great lakes....  And he said as long as there's some Jack Daniels and laughter along the way, the road of life will still be fun.  Then he changed the subject to me and my lameass cold and wanted to make sure I was eating enough chicken soup.

I'm really not being dismal and depressed.  I actually feel better now.  Sorry if I bummed you out. But if you've dealt with this please shout back.

Romance and Comedy

Were you as disappointed in this season's finale of Rock of Love (Bus) as I was?  No drama, no tears.

Of only interest to me was that "Mr. Bret" sent cute-as-a-chipmunk Mindy and potentially-psycho-penthouse-pet Taya to the resort's spa for a day of beauty and relaxation.  Apparently at the spa they were spray-tanned to get rid of strapmarks, plus, Taya got her eyebrows reshaped (FINALLY!) and Mindy got her mustache waxed.  OUCH.  Did Bret order those two particular treatments?  OUCH.

If she had gotten her mustache waxed on TV, AND landed the dreamy Bret Michaels, then I would say it all evened out.  But not the way it happened.  [As she was getting the wax, D. yelled, "KELLY CLARKSON!"]  Bret needs to retire before he breaks a hip.

Coming up on "Video-Hits-One" is Daisy of Love.  It's not even worth describing this show, you get it, right?  After I saw the promo in which Daisy says, "Wanna Pluck?" I swore I wouldn't watch it.  AND THEN I read about blonde Swedish triplets who have been FedExed here from 1987, just for us.  Their names are 84, 85, and 86.  Guess which one this is?  He's my favorite. #85.

I think TV Land might actually snag me with "The Cougar."  Yes, I'm 41 and yes, I think young men are