April 2006 Archives

Yes, I know. Two American Idol posts in a row is pretty weak for a family website. Blame it on Alecia--she took Maddie to Dora Live! on Saturday, you'd think she'd have something to say about that.

Anyway, tonight was an interesting show, here's how I ranked the remaining six based solely on this evening's performances:

1. Elliot Yamin, "A Song for You" - Elliott shouldn't really get too comfortable from here on out, no matter how well he does, but he nailed it tonight. He even brought drunk Paula to tears! Of course, he should've nailed this one, it's his favorite song of all time. It was tough picking whose performance I liked more this week, his or Chris's, but I had to give it to Elliott on the basis of the song being a more natural fit for who he is. Either way, both of these guys were head and shoulders above the rest of the singers tonight.
2. Chris Daughtry, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" - I've never been a big fan of this song, even when Bryan Adams did it, but I still think that Chris nailed it. Of course, the Spanish guitar would've made anyone sound good. Chris is back in the driver's seat, as far as I'm concerned. He may have been bottom two last week, but that will scare his fans back to the phones, and his performance definitely keeps him safe for another week. I'm not sure who his biggest competition is...maybe Taylor?
3. Taylor Hicks, "Just Once" - I'm starting to feel like Taylor's skating through solely on charisma right now. His performance tonight was good--better than any of the girls--but he's starting to show that he's definitely best at one style and doesn't really shine in others. I mean, he was enjoyable, but the Lionel Ritchie song showed some cracks in his vocal range. Maybe next week will be soul week (of course, a lot of people would say James Ingram is soul). If not, he'd better hope his fan base is still dialing.
4. Katharine McPhee, "I Have Nothing" - Ouch, did the judges work her over, or what? I think they're finally fed up with her. Perhaps the most naturally gifted of all the singers, and she hasn't shown any improvement or change all competition. Still singing the exact same riffs and making the same song choices as week one. I didn't think her performance was awful tonight, just boring. And some of the arrangements were a little off-putting. On the other hand, she looked the best tonight that she has all season. That dress was hot! Now, we'll just have to sit back and see if the judges bashing her actually mobilizes her fans or seals her doom.
5. Paris Bennett, "Memories" - Yet another song that makes her seem like a little girl trying on her mommy's clothes. Older songs like this just make young Paris seem sort of like a talented pretender, like she's just copying what the grown-ups do. I don't know, I just get a weird vibe from her. It didn't help that she smiled and actually laughed during a song that's supposed to be super sad. Way to feel the music, kid. Paris has been in the final three several times now, I wonder if her fans are still with her.
6. Kellie Pickler, "Unchained Melody" - The only good thing about this song was the falsetto that they made her put in. Otherwise, the worst song at the worst time. In case you didn't notice, the length of their songs jumped up this week. They were doing about a minute and a half of each song. Now, with only six remaining, they're doing closer to three minutes per song. Just enough to make Kellie's performance seem REALLY long. I can't believe she couldn't find a classic love song that had a country flair to it. Some Wynona or Faith, or Martina, or something. Anyway, she was definitely the worst this week, which means she's been the suckiest for two weeks in a row. Is she SO beloved by redneck women that she can survive AGAIN? I'm thinking she can, though it will again be totally unfair.

If they do a bottom three this week (they may just pull out the last two, or even the last one), then I think it should be the three girls. And Kellie should go home. Of course, it's more likely that it will be two girls and a guy (maybe Elliott, even though he rocked), and that Katharine will go home. It would be a huge waste of talent. I had her in the top three from the beginning (so did the Vegas oddsmakers), so to not make top five would be sort of an upset. She's just so unlikeable, though, and this is sort of a popularity contest. Of course, if you go just by charisma, the final three will be Taylor, Kellie, and maybe Chris. Which would be way better than Pickler ever deserved...

Real creative pun in the title, huh? Bet that's never been done before.

Anyway, last night was a great night on American Idol. Lots of good music and solid performances by the frontrunners. Sadly, I think one of my personal favorites will be going home tonight, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Here are my rankings based solely on last night's performances:

1. Katharine McPhee, "Someone to Watch Over Me" - Okay, I'm not a Katharine fan, and I'm getting really sick of all of the insane close-ups they give this girl when she sings (another blog I read calls it "filmed in face-o-vision!"). And I'm bored with her little giggle and shrug whenever anyone talks to her. But even I have to admit she was totally in her element last night. Right song, right performance. In a night where almost everyone was on, she was the winner, by a nose.
2. Paris Bennett, "Foolish Things" - No surprise here, considering that she got into the competition on the strength of her Billie Holliday impersonation. That's what that was, by the way, a straight-up impersonation. She's already a talented singer, but when she does that start and stop thing and the low voice like she did on last night's songs, she's copying the greats note for note. My biggest complaint about Paris last night was her American Airlines stewardess costume. Why did two of the three girls go with suits while singing formal music? Whatever happened to a nice dress? I mean, how often do you get to wear sequins in life? Why would you miss the chance when it presents itself?
3. Chris Daughtry, "What a Wonderful World" - On its own, it was actually a pretty boring performance. And Chris looked a little too much like a mafioso to be singing such a sweet song. But it did show, yet again, that the guy's a performer and can handle whatever you throw at him. It was good enough to keep him in the top three and to keep him safe another week. I just hope he keeps choosing likeable songs for the rest of the competition. I'd hate to see him be the next Latoya London. (If you remember, Latoya was the amazing singer who was voted out of season three in favor of Jasmine Trias, the totally untalented Hawaiian, in one of the biggest upsets in AI history. Perhaps to remind this year's frontrunners of the potential for an upset, Latoya was in the audience last night.)
4. Elliott Yamin, "It Had to Be You" - I love Elliott. I love his sincerity, his history, his voice. I even love that he looks like some kind of overgrown rodent, and that he has such an underbite that his smiles make him look like he's all bottom jaw. Of course, I loved his vocals last night, as well. But Simon hit the nail on the head when he said that it lacked personality, and that he'd be at risk. Elliott's been in the bottom three for almost four straight weeks now. He's been surviving on the fact that there are still some poor singers in the competition. But now, he's getting to the point where being just good enough won't do it. He needs to somehow make people like him, which may not be possible. Sure, Kellie sucked last night. But she has YET to be in the bottom three--she has fan support. If you closed your eyes and listened to Elliott's song last night, you'd have voted for him. But I worry that not enough people did.
5. Taylor Hicks, "You Send Me" - I was ready to write Taylor off after the first half of the song last night, but when he started taking off near the end, I was floored. Why isn't he doing more of that passionate trickery with his voice? Why has he--the biggest freak of the bunch--been so safe and boring lately? I don't think he's at risk at this point. His fans are still there no matter what he sings, and I think they'll carry him to at least the final four. But I'd like to see more of that earnest soul. Even if it's not relateable to the general audience, he should stick with what he does best.
6. Ace Young, "That's All" - The local radio DJs are predicting already that this song will mean "That's All" she wrote for Ace. I'm not so sure. He'll definitely be in the bottom three, but he may sneak back next week for another bad performance. Maybe he'll wear his hair in a totally new way next week! Oh joy! The sad thing about Ace's performance this week was that he was clearly better in practice, then totally weak on stage. I think his already-mediocre voice is brought down even one more notch by his nerves. And being in the bottom three a few times is only making him more nervous. Don't worry, Ace, you won't suffer for much longer.
7. Kellie Pickler, "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" - One of the worst performances since they became the top twelve. She got ahead of the music, went off pitch, forgot some words, then choked out an awful ending that made it sound like she'd just switched songs in the middle. I think her apologizing will seem endearing to some people, and she already has a bunch of fans out there (you should hear the southern women call into the local radio shows to say how much they love her). So despite the fact that she sucked, she may not even be in the bottom three this week. That wouldn't surprise me at all. I was sick of her weeks ago, and it would be a total travesty if she survives this week's butchering, but she probably will make it to next week.

I think tonight's bottom three will be Kellie, Ace and Elliott, with Elliott being the one sent home. For the first time in years, I called in and voted last night. I figured my fave to win (Chris) was safe, so my intent was to vote several times for Elliott. It took me an hour to get through, so I ended up only giving him one vote. I hope it helps. I think he's more talented than either Ace or Kellie. If he survives both of those, then he could be the next to go and I wouldn't be too disappointed. If the only people better than you are Chris, Paris, Katharine and Taylor, that ain't so bad.

Just a couple of side notes about this week's show:

• Did anyone else think they would be singing Rod Stewart songs this week, or was that just me? On the way home from work yesterday, I heard "Maggie May" and started wondering which Idol would be singing that one. Apparently, no one. Which is a shame.


• Will Katharine McPhee ever make a good wardrobe choice? She should fire her fashion consultant. I'm betting her stage mom is still picking her clothes.


• Wouldn't it be great if Kellie got voted off tonight, and immediately proceeded to cuss out the judges, finally revealing her hidden dark side?


• Could someone please tell Maddie that Mandisa is off the show? She always wants to watch American Idol, but she won't listen to me when I tell her Mandisa isn't on it. I think she's in love with the name.


• If people are going to vote for the person over the performances (which they're clearly doing with Ace and Kellie), why aren't more people voting for Elliott? He's funny, nice, and has such an endearing personal story. Sure, Kellie's dad's been in jail...but only for the last year and a half. And she's nineteen. Most nineteen-year-olds are out of the house, anyway. He was around for her whole childhood--she just makes it sound worse. Elliott's mom, on the other hand, has been dealing with debilitating illness for three years, now. And Elliott wears an insulin pump at all times because of his type 1 diabetes. Did you know that? Or that he's a high school dropout that had to get his GED or that he's deaf in one ear? Or that he and his mother were recently reunited with Elliott's older sister, whom his mom gave up for adoption when she was young and unmarried? Crazy, huh? So what makes his story less dramatic than redneck Kellie's?

Alright, comments are open. Let's hear what you thought about this week's performances!

As Grandma and Grandpa McLochlin got to hear on the phone the other night, Maddie has added a new phrase to her vocabulary, and it's not a good one.

What's her newest saying? Click below to find out (cover the kids' ears, first):

We had a talk about her bad language the other day. I thought it made a difference, as I didn't hear the phrase come out at all on Easter Sunday. I guess she was just honoring the holiday. Here's a conversation we had today:

I know it probably doesn't seem as if I'm taking this behavior seriously. I'm trying to, I promise. But this is the first time she's picked something vulgar up from her mom or dad (her previous F-bomb epidemic was attributed to OUTSIDE influences). And part of me has to laugh at this. I'm a lousy parent, I know. :)

These should, theoretically, get shorter every week. Of course, having fewer contestants isn't making the shows shorter (tomorrow's elimination is actually an hour, as opposed to the usual half hour), so why should you expect me to write any less as the numbers whittle down? :)

Anyway, my rankings based on this week's performance are below. I'd love to hear what everyone thought. It was sort of a weird week. I mean, did you imagine Kellie would be the one to take on Bohemian Rhapsody, and that nobody would do "Another One Bites the Dust" or "We Are the Champions?"

This week's rankings:

1. Elliott Yamin - "Somebody to Love" - One of my favorite Queen songs. I liked his flavor, though I thought he could've hit the big notes a little harder.
2. Bucky Covington, "Fat Bottomed Girls" - He may be the worst vocalist of all of them, but his song choice was dead on, and besides Elliott, he's the only one who seemed to bring something new to the song without sounding weird or uncomfortable. He could still go home this week, but he'd go out with a bang, as this was better than most of his last few weeks.
3. Kellie Pickler, "Bohemian Rhapsody" - I'm still not a Kellie fan. Just look at how she acts when she's singing--all of her moves, and how controlled and choreographed everything is--then try to tell me she's as stupid, innocent and naive as she makes herself out to be. But even though I don't like her, I think her version of this song was almost better than Constantine the faker's was last year.
4. Ace Young, "We Will Rock You" - I actually thought Ace brought some new skills to the table for this song. He's never really been a rocker, but he growled out some cool riffs. He did have that weird humming part that made me feel funny, but it was good...for him.
5. Paris Bennett - I'll agree with Simon that this felt strange. I think it had a lot to do with the weird Janet Jackson, "Rhythm Nation" outfit and the funny song choice. But it was still a solid performance. I've bashed Paris all season long, but has anyone else noticed how she's talking less and less each episode, and how that actually makes her more tolerable?
6. Chris Daughtry, "Innuendo" - I agreed completely with Simon again on this one. Worst song choice of the night. He could've had everyone singing along, and could've definitely had a "moment." Instead, he picks a song that NOBODY knew (including the band). He sang well, but it was still one of his worst performances. He's not at risk at this point, no matter what he does. But he really needs to work on his song choice. He's the guy I'm predicting (and rooting for) to win it all, and I'd hate to see him get bumped out late in the game due to bad songs.
7. Katharine McPhee, "The Show Must Go On" - Can someone please explain what is so unlikeable about this girl? I don't know what it is, but I can't STAND to watch her sing anything. I hate her more than Paris lately, and I don't even know why. It may be that she's absolutely smug and cheesy, and picks only songs I hate. Or maybe it's her bad fashion or weird makeup. Whatever it is, I may start jumping past her songs soon.
8. Taylor Hicks, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Taylor, my man, what the heck is up with you? This is one of the three most karaoke'd songs of all time. Why? Because you don't have to sing to get through it, you just have to get schmaltzy and get the crowd into it. Why didn't you stick with your first song and actually sing something? Yes, the crowd loves you (although even they were embarassed when you blew the mic stand kick), but they don't just love you because you're a funny little monkey. They love you because you can sing, too. Find a combo of the singing and dancing, and you'll stick around. Do more cheesy Elvis rip-offs, and you'll be back in 'Bama before you know it.

Predicted bottom three: Paris, Katharine, Elliott. After last week's vote, I have to admit I have no clue. At this point in the season, it becomes a game of shifting numbers. Each person that gets voted off sends some of their votes to a remaining competitor, and it's impossible to predict who will get them. Will Mandisa's fans jump to another African-American with a powerful voice, or go to the next nicest person on the show--and who would that even be, Elliott? I have no clue. But I think Paris and Katharine are downright unlikeable, and Elliott's the one of the remaining six that has the least number of fans. Who will go home? Bucky. Yeah, I know he wasn't in my predicted bottom three. So?

Oh, and as a total aside: Thanks, Fraziers, for the Chris Daughtry reference. Haven't heard THAT one a million times in the last week. In my defense, this is the third time in the past year that I've shaved my head, with the last two coming WELL before Idol was on the air. I didn't even think about Chris when I did it this time, I had just let my hair go for too long, and didn't feel like paying for another bad haircut. Afterwards, though, I was wishing I'd thought it through. Mostly because I burnt my scalp spending too much time in the sun over the weekend, but also because I happened to shave my head right when the biggest star on one of the highest rated shows on TV has a shaved head. The comparisons were inevitable. Keep in mind, of course, that I look nothing like Chris (he's shorter, more muscular--I'm taller, much more doughy).

Here's another video from ballet class. Like I said before, imagine a whole HOUR of her being like this. I talked to her teacher, Miss Mary, this past weekend when I took Maddie to class, and she promised that she was much better the next week, and that she was only showing off for her mom. I know this to be at least partially untrue, as you can tell in the video that Maddie doesn't look ONCE at Alecia. So she may have been better the following week, but she wasn't acting up because Mommy was there.

Sorry for the shaky and jumpy camera. Alecia was trying to stay out of sight while filming. It gets slightly better when Miss Mary comes over and tells Alecia she can come out of hiding for the last minute of class.

Enjoy! Oh, and let me know if you are seeing these clips okay, and if you like the format. This latest one should be better than the first--I'm still figuring out all the digitizing. But even when I get it down to a science, YouTube will make them look a little worse. That's the tradeoff for getting the on-site player. :)

UPDATE: It should be pointed out that Maddie's not on-screen for the first few seconds of this clip. Alecia couldn't find her for a minute, which is the reason the camera moves so suddenly. The first time Maddie (in baby blue) comes on the scene, you'll know.

Maddie is obsessed with learning people's names lately, especially Mommy and Daddy. She now knows our names are Bill and Alecia. This weekend we visited my mom in Alabama. On the way home Maddie wanted to know more about names.

Maddie: What's Poppa his name is?

Alecia: Poppa's name is Ralph.

M: What's Nana her name is?

A: Nana's name is Regena.

M: What's Mic's her name is?

A: Mic's name is Mic.

M: Noooooo, Mommy! What's her NAME IS?!?

Upon leaving the doctor's office after getting Josie's new 2nd pair of glasses:

"Don't broke them anymore Josie!"

Last week I used all of our Reynolds Wrap and put tin foil on the windows in Maddie and Josie's room. I got the idea here.

You see, Maddie wasn't taking a nap anymore, which meant unhappiness for everyone involved. The girls had also started waking up earlier and having trouble sleeping at night with the longer daylight hours.

So I foiled the windows. Yes, it looks pretty weird from the outside of our house, but inside is pure darkness during the day -- even in a room that faces the South and gets light all day long.

Now...well, now Maddie takes about a 2 hour nap. And the girls sleep in until 9-9:30. In fact, they've slept in so much that Bill and I have had to use an alarm clock again. We used to rely on the girls waking us up at 7am, but after Bill got into work late for 3 days in a row, we decided it was time to go back to the old standard.

Try it. Even if you don't have kids, you'll have the best sleep of your life.

Maddie has become a real Daddy's girl lately. She doesn't like Mommy to put her to bed at all. She also runs to Daddy whenever she gets in trouble for something with Mommy. It usually doesn't hurt my feelings except for the other night.

We asked Maddie who she wanted to take her to bed. Mommy or Daddy? She looked at me with a mean face and said, "Not YOU, Mommy. I want my Daddy. Not YOU!" She emphasized you with fingers pointing at me. You know, in case there was another Mommy in question.

We agreed that Bill would put Maddie to bed. He told her as he was walking away that she needed to be nicer to Mommy.

Five minutes later, Bill walks in and says that Maddie wants me to lie down with her. I'm overjoyed that she wants me so I rush in to see her.

I lie down in bed beside her.

She takes my face in her hands and looks at me and says, "I love you, Mommy! I want to make you so happy! You happy, Mommy? I make you happy?"

I assured her that I would always love her and that she always makes me happy. I am so happy to be her Mommy.

"Okay, Mommy. That's good. You go now. I want my Daddy." She pushes me out of bed with her feet.

Alecia and I just got back from the Rhett Miller concert we went to tonight (more on that tomorrow), and I'm about to watch American Idol results. I thought I'd post my predictions before watching the show. All of you non-Tivo people have already seen who got sent home, so the following post will be totally useless to you. But it's still fun for me.

In short, here's how I ranked last night's performances, from best to worst:

1. Chris Daughtry - I was very impressed by his ability to do a soft song, and I love Keith Urban, anyway.
   
2. Kellie Pickler - I REALLY don't like her, but I think she was totally in her element and picked the perfect song for her voice. Does anyone else notice how dead her eyes look when she sings?
   
3. Mandisa - Not my favorite song, but she was good, as usual.
   
4. Katharine McPhee - I think America's bored by her, and she's sort of hard to like for some reason. And I was NOT a fan of the stupid song she sang, but she was still good with it.
   
5. Elliott Yamin - He did seem nervous, but I still love the guy.
   
6. Taylor Hicks - I don't understand why he felt he couldn't run around during his song, it was still upbeat. His most boring performance of late, but still decent.
   
7. Ace Young - The perfect song for him, but it sounded like his voice cracked several times.
   
8. Paris Bennett - How come none of the judges picked on her for trying to do Faith like they pick on people for failing at Mariah and Celine? She was just okay.
   
9. Bucky Covington - I suspected he might choke in his own genre, and it happened. Totally boring, weak and mumbly. He should've picked something upbeat and ass-kicking.

It's getting really interesting now, because the talented people will be on the block from week to week, not just the hacks. So people like Elliott and Katharine have to be both likeable and strong (and each only has one of those mastered right now), or they could be voted off.

Alright, I'm going to go watch the show and do some laundry. I'll be back on here soon to post my reaction and check any comments you guys may have already read.

Update: I just watched the episode, and was SHOCKED. When they were in threes, I was ABSOLUTELY sure the three with Ace, Bucky and Katharine would be the bottom three. "Oh well, I got one out of three wrong," I thought. I actually only got one out of three right: Elliott. And then I was wrong again when I thought Elliott would definitely be the one to go once they announced the bottom three. But for it to be Mandisa was a total shocker. I really thought she was top five in talent AND in fans. I can understand that people may not have liked her Shania song, but I thought her fans would still be there for her. Man! I guess, in the end, it's better, since she had no real chance to win. But I'm still shocked.

By the way, I moved the comments about this episode to this post, so other people can reply to Jenn and my mom if they want.

Thanks to everyone who said Josie looks cute in her glasses. She did look adorable. And she was really starting to get used to wearing them. That is, she was until Alecia allowed them to get crushed by a car.

Okay, so it was an accident, and not really Alecia's fault. She was taking the kids to the park on a sunny day last week, and had put the glasses on Josie's face before they left the house. Unfortunately, Josie decided not to keep them there. While Alecia was pushing the jogging stroller, little Josie pulled the glasses off and, well, pitched them.

The story gets sort of fuzzy at this point, since there's no real way to know exactly what happened once the glasses left the stroller. Alecia didn't realize they were missing until she got home. When she noticed they were gone, she threw the kids back in the stroller and set out to look for the glasses. She eventually found the poor spectacles on the side of the road, crushed to oblivion.

One lens was completely pulverized and unrecoverable. The other was only partly crushed, but still worthless. The frames, of course, were mangled and misshapen. Overall, the glasses were destroyed.

Luckily, our vision plan comes with a one-year warranty that will cover replacements for any reason, as long as the broken glasses are returned. So Alecia's time searching along the roadside wasn't wasted. By turning in the scraps, we can hopefully avoid paying for another pair. Sure, we thought we'd get them to last at least longer than a single week, but hopefully, Josie's eyes won't get any worse while we're waiting for the new pair.

Just don't expect to see any pics of Josie in specs for a few weeks. :)

I'll get Alecia to post more about this soon, as she can tell you more about it. But you may have heard that Maddie's taking ballet class at the Smyrna rec center every Saturday.

The class is for ages three and up, but we sort of signed up and started the class before we found that out, and they were kind enough to let us stay. Maddie's the only kid under three in the class, but the teachers tell us all the time how good she's doing. They have to tell us, because parents are discouraged from being in the room during class. The room they use doesn't really have a hidden viewing area, and having parents where the kids can see them just creates too much distraction. So we've never really watched Maddie since the first day of class (when Alecia stayed in the room just for a few minutes to see if she'd be okay in the new setting).

Well, this week, Alecia asked for permission to sit in again and videotape. She tried to remain out of sight by standing in an obstructed area and filming off the mirror on the back wall.

After capturing a whole session on tape, we now know just how angelic Maddie's teachers truly are. We already knew they were nice--Maddie raves about Miss Mary (the head teacher) and her helpers for days after every class. We just didn't know how much patience our own daughter was requiring them to have.

I have almost an hour of footage, and I plan to digitize a bunch of it, as it's pretty funny stuff. But for now, if you want to get an idea of what Maddie's like in class, imagine the following clip...repeated constantly over an hour.

As funny and loveable as she is in class, it's pretty apparent that Maddie hasn't learned the "stand still" and "follow along" skills that the slightly older kids have. Alecia talked to Miss Mary to see if she should pull Maddie out until she's a little older, but Miss Mary assured her that she would be fine.

In fact, Miss Mary just told us that Maddie can still get in on the first recital coming up soon. This is a good news, bad news thing. Good news for Maddie, who absolutely LOVES the class. Bad news for her classmates, to whom our little social butterfly is a constant disruption.

Anyway, I'll let you know when I have more video for you. Like I said, although I feel bad for the teachers (and even for the other kids, at times), it's still pretty funny stuff.