David Cook is still rocking my world

Last night's Idol was particularly bad. Brooke forgot her words and had to start her performance over, about which even Paula couldn't muster up a nice thing to say. The kid with the dreads that everyone loves (I don't get it?) wasn't very good. David Archuleta annoys me all the time so nothing new there.

But ahh, my breath of fresh air, David Cook. He was good, I wasn't crazy about the song, but he did well with what he had to work with. Also, I got a kick out of Andrew Lloyd Weber telling Dave to "pretend I'm some hot little 17 year old," to which Dave quickly quipped back "ha, well, I'm 25 so I don't think that's a good idea..."

One of the bloggers over at Mollygood posted an old video of Kelly Clarkson on Big Band Night during Idol Season 1. What happened to the good old days? Contestants used to dress up in whatever theme that night was, and was really something different and fun to watch. Now they all just wear regular boring clothes.

My old roommates and I used to say that Idol should have a "Best of" Season. Bring back all the big hitters. Don't vote anyone off, even make it just a one night show where they each sing their one or two best Idol songs. This inspired me to get on youtube and make my very own lineup for this Best of Idol show. Please sit back, grab some popcorn and enjoy the good old days and the rare, decent talent.

Clay Aiken “To Love Somebody”


Kelly Clarkson “Surrender”


Tamyra Gray “Minnie the Moocher”


Carrie Underwood “Alone”


David Cook “Always Be My Baby”

David Cook Rocks my World

Holy crap.

David Cook needs to either win Idol or get kicked off now so he can start work on an album which I will be first in line to purchase.

I've been following Idol pretty casually this year but I do consider myself pretty familiar with all the contestants. I've always been a big fan of David Cook, Michael John and... sometimes the blond girls (neither of which mind you hold a candle to Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson).

I'm a sucker for celebs and Mariah Carey was the guest coach this week so of course I tuned in. The first six were average, forgettable, nothing special. I had been waiting for David Cook to come on because I knew his brother was going to be in the audience and I figured it would be emotional given the circumstances (his brother has brain cancer, I think? Its really sad and I read that family and friends chartered a private medical jet for him to be able to attend the taping tonight). So I was a little surprised when David chose "Always Be My Baby."

However, I was floored by his performance, he absolutely blew me away. His interpretation was so original and creative and so well done, it was brilliant. All the judges agreed that he is ready for the big time. Their feedback was so positive it left Dave with tears in his eyes. Personally, I think they were happy tears that he rocked so hard the night his brother was in attendence. I am still just in awe over his performance, thank god I Tivo-ed it because I've already watched it 4 times since the show ended 15 minutes ago.

Okay, that's my freak out over David Cook. I cannot wait til he puts out an album and goes on tour. He's amazing. Ok, goodnight.

Update: Someone put the video up on Youtube, mind you its 7:30am when I'm adding this and already over 30,000 views.

Make Like a Starfish

This post is inspired by a funny little article I read on MSN last week which was a list of things all single girls should do before they get married. You can read it here. And I do recommend reading it.

My favorite piece of advice they gave was “Take advantage of the whole bed. You have the rest of your life to stick to "your" side when you sleep next to your man. Right now, place your pillow smack-dab in the center and make like a starfish.”

Make like a starfish. This is now what pops into my head every night when I crawl into my big empty bed and it always makes me giggle. I’ve shifted my pillows and I sleep right in the middle of my bed. I admit it is slightly annoying when I have to crawl across to hit my alarm clock in the morning, but it’s a small price to pay.

The article also suggests traveling a lot now, sans man. I think this is a great idea. I’ve done a lot of traveling and I love having that under my life belt. I wouldn’t suggest going on a world tour however, because I once dated a guy who had been practically everywhere and the thought of never going somewhere new to him was a little discouraging. Its fun to explore new places together, but it also doesn’t hurt to have a little extra world flavor in your column. Plus it makes for great conversations and stories.

I think a lot of girls my age are afraid to take risks. There is that fear that “something bad could happen.” But how else will you learn how to make mistakes and pick yourself up and dust yourself off if you never let yourself fall? I can’t imagine you’d be a very interesting person if you’ve never gone out on a limb for something, or made a decision that could drastically change your life. Those experiences, those ups and downs, the good times and the bad ones, make us who we are. As corny as it is, I’m a firm believer that whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. And more interesting.

I also think teaching yourself to cook is a great idea. I know, I’m sure all the feminists hate me for that one, but I’m a traditional girl. My mother always cooked dinner and I have no problem doing the same. If I find a man who loves to cook- great! But if not, I have no problem assuming that duty. And I love cooking- even if it’s just for me. It’s a great time to experiment and burn things and screw up.

“Want a cat? Heed this advice: Buy it now. Call it Snowflake. Let it sleep next to you in bed. If you wait to get a pet with your betrothed, it will end up being a big, slobbering Lab called Bif.” Ha- this one of course made me laugh. Although I do want a dog, I think that would be a more fun “we” project than a “me” project. Plus, I’m traveling too much right now to have a dog ;-)

I'm still voting for Obama

SNL loves Hillary, but this skit is still pretty funny.

Ellen cracks me up

I am a huge fan of Ellen. I think she is hysterical. I love that I could watch her standup show with my parents and not feel awkward because she took it to that level. She's clean and she's so funny because she speaks the truth - people laugh at what they know is true. That said, I saw this clip from her show online today and had tears from laughing so hard. Its just a segment about an actual product she saw an infomercial for, a special chair if you will. Anyway- if you need a little laugh for the day- watch this:

A Brief Hiatus

Yea, sorry about that, I got very disenfranchised with Top Model so I boycotted my own blog. I lost all motivation to write about anything at all. Sad, really.

But, I'm back- at least for today. I'll do a Top Model post after this one. For this post however, I just feel like rambling a bit about the past few weeks since I last posted.

Politics

The election is moving along, Hillary is still Hillary and Barack is still fabulous. McCain is still trying to ruin everything. This whole Rev. Wright this is really bothering me. Not so much what he said (while, yes, it was some pretty horrible stuff) but the fact that people are trying to tear Obama down for it. Obama did not say these things. Wright is not running for President. Perhaps if Rev. Wright was one of Obama's policy advisers I'd be a little more concerned. But you don't get to where Obama is by agreeing with Rev. Wright. I understand he was the leader of Obama's place of worship, but again, that does not mean that Obama is going to become President and regurgitate everything he heard on Sundays. Believe it or not, some people, particularly the intelligent ones, are capable of hearing things and still forming their own opinions. They are not not carbon copies of the people in their lives. So relax folks. Obama is not out to get us all. McCain on the other hand...

I dare anyone who has not yet watched Obama's "race speech" in Philly to do so. It's long (40 mins) but worth it. It obviously made me sad that he needed to give such a speech, and that the people who should listen to it the most, will likely not (i.e. the people who won't vote for him for no other reason than because he's black). Ignorance is unfortunately alive and well in this country.

Life in General

So when I was in college, I used to talk to my mom and occasionally mention a concert or event that I didn't attend because I didn't have the money. She always told me to forget the money, and go to the show. She always wanted me to take advantage of opportunities and go see everything the world has to offer. In the end, money is just money. I don't suggest being frivolous and blowing it on useless crap, but I most definitely encourage people to live their lives. Not to be morbid, but our days are all numbered, and we don't know what that number is. So life life now, while you can.

DC Cherry Blossoms

Every year, the cherry blossoms bloom in DC and the tourists take over. I consider it the official kick off to Tourist Season. No longer can we walk freely through the streets or through the Mall (the one with the monuments... not stores). It usually falls in late March or early April depending on temperatures. If you've never been, I highly recommend putting it on your schedule for 2009. Many years ago the Japanese gave us all these trees as a gift, and now the surround the Tidal Basin and line some of the most picturesque places in DC. Definitely worth seeing, even if you do have to fight the crowds. If you can- avoid going on a weekend, try it out during the week when the crowds are less intense. Also- pick the best weather day you can during "Peak Week" for the best pictures.

That's all I have for now. Top Model post will be up soon.