Whatever Happened To Kermit After The Muppet Show

Apparently, he went on quite a significant downward spiral.

Technorati Tags: Kermit, Hurt, Parody

Whatever Happened To Kermit After The Muppet Show

Apparently, he went on quite a significant downward spiral.

Technorati Tags: Kermit, Hurt, Parody

American Idol - The Top Ten - Review

Quickly (because, really, that's all it deserves, at the most), here's my review of the performances on American Idol last night, and my prediciton:

LaKisha - A pretty good performance of Donna Summer's "Last Dance".  But rather forgettable somehow.  I think LaKisha is playing the game a bit too softly right now, and needs to reassert herself as the powerhouse woman she is.  Maybe she's pacing herself, letting Doolittle take all the spotlight now, and then turn it on big time when it really matters.

Fat Chris - A terrible performance of The Police hit "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic".  Like they all said, he was off the beat and didn't seem comfortable.  Hope his likability keeps him around another week so that he can try and redeem himself.  I like that he easily admitted that he basically screwed up on it.  Good for him.

Gina - The Pretender's "I'll Stand By You".  I thought she did a great job.  Pretty in-control the whole song, on pitch for most all of it.

Sanjaya - Honestly, I didn't mind the Pig-Tail-Hawk.  But to wear something like that, you need to back it up with a good performance, and Angina sucked.  He can hit most of the notes he tries to hit, but has no power in his voice and no confidence in his on-stage performance.  When will be the week when his lesser talent is more powerful than the power of the mob that wants to keep him around?  Not this week, I fear.  Like Simon said, his performance doesn't matter, so no need to overly critique it.

Haley - Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors".  I didn't like this at all.  Thought it was very weak, and might cause her to leave this week.  But maybe she has a bigger fan-base that will keep her around a while longer.  Based solely on vocal performance, though, she needs to be very close to the bottom of the list.

Phil - The Police's "Every Breath You Take".  Didn't really like this much, either.  I just don't like Phil, I think.  He must have been reading forums from the past couple of weeks, because he did the smart thing and cover up that bald head and pointy ears.  Did he remind anyone else of Spock when Spock visits other planets and tries to pass himself off as "human" by wearing a cap that covers his ears?  Phil is Spock.  Probably a strong enough vocal to protect him this week.

Melinda - Donna Summer's "Heaven Knows".  Another very professional performance by Melinda.  She's currently the cream of the crop and the one to beat.  Not much of a personality from her, though.  I predict the innocent aw-shucks thing will tire America of her.  Definitely safe this week though.

Blake - I like that he sang The Cure's "Love Song", and thought he did a good job vocally, but the arrangement was pretty boring.  Also, he has a weird melted-face thing that happens when he sings.  The top lip and bottom lip of his mouth don't fit right.  And good job on appearing less arrogant this week.

Jordin - No Doubt's "Hey Baby".  I wasn't crazy about this performance.  Kind of an odd song to perform for a singing competition, I thought.  Her outfit was a little weird, too.  Good enough not to worry though.

Chris R - No Doubt's "Don't Speak".  I don't really like his style of vocal.  Didn't really enjoy this much.  Kind of forgettable.  But, to me, that's Chris R.  Kind of forgettable.

My Bottom Two:  Sanjaya & Haley
America's Bottom Two:  Haley & Phil

Who will leave:  Haley  (I know I'm wrong)




Technorati Tags: American Idol, review, Top Ten

American Idol - The Top Ten - Review

Quickly (because, really, that's all it deserves, at the most), here's my review of the performances on American Idol last night, and my prediciton:

LaKisha - A pretty good performance of Donna Summer's "Last Dance".  But rather forgettable somehow.  I think LaKisha is playing the game a bit too softly right now, and needs to reassert herself as the powerhouse woman she is.  Maybe she's pacing herself, letting Doolittle take all the spotlight now, and then turn it on big time when it really matters.

Fat Chris - A terrible performance of The Police hit "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic".  Like they all said, he was off the beat and didn't seem comfortable.  Hope his likability keeps him around another week so that he can try and redeem himself.  I like that he easily admitted that he basically screwed up on it.  Good for him.

Gina - The Pretender's "I'll Stand By You".  I thought she did a great job.  Pretty in-control the whole song, on pitch for most all of it.

Sanjaya - Honestly, I didn't mind the Pig-Tail-Hawk.  But to wear something like that, you need to back it up with a good performance, and Angina sucked.  He can hit most of the notes he tries to hit, but has no power in his voice and no confidence in his on-stage performance.  When will be the week when his lesser talent is more powerful than the power of the mob that wants to keep him around?  Not this week, I fear.  Like Simon said, his performance doesn't matter, so no need to overly critique it.

Haley - Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors".  I didn't like this at all.  Thought it was very weak, and might cause her to leave this week.  But maybe she has a bigger fan-base that will keep her around a while longer.  Based solely on vocal performance, though, she needs to be very close to the bottom of the list.

Phil - The Police's "Every Breath You Take".  Didn't really like this much, either.  I just don't like Phil, I think.  He must have been reading forums from the past couple of weeks, because he did the smart thing and cover up that bald head and pointy ears.  Did he remind anyone else of Spock when Spock visits other planets and tries to pass himself off as "human" by wearing a cap that covers his ears?  Phil is Spock.  Probably a strong enough vocal to protect him this week.

Melinda - Donna Summer's "Heaven Knows".  Another very professional performance by Melinda.  She's currently the cream of the crop and the one to beat.  Not much of a personality from her, though.  I predict the innocent aw-shucks thing will tire America of her.  Definitely safe this week though.

Blake - I like that he sang The Cure's "Love Song", and thought he did a good job vocally, but the arrangement was pretty boring.  Also, he has a weird melted-face thing that happens when he sings.  The top lip and bottom lip of his mouth don't fit right.  And good job on appearing less arrogant this week.

Jordin - No Doubt's "Hey Baby".  I wasn't crazy about this performance.  Kind of an odd song to perform for a singing competition, I thought.  Her outfit was a little weird, too.  Good enough not to worry though.

Chris R - No Doubt's "Don't Speak".  I don't really like his style of vocal.  Didn't really enjoy this much.  Kind of forgettable.  But, to me, that's Chris R.  Kind of forgettable.

My Bottom Two:  Sanjaya & Haley
America's Bottom Two:  Haley & Phil

Who will leave:  Haley  (I know I'm wrong)




Technorati Tags: American Idol, review, Top Ten

Don't Ever Forget The Nuclear Bomb!

I watched all of the first season of "24".  I got only so far in subsequent seasons before the "I can no longer suspend the disbelief" overtook me.
This season, though, I really decided to try and go full distance with "24".  Over half way through the season, and I'm still with it, although barely.  I can ignore the disbeliefs necessary to move the plot forward.  Things like "it would be impossible for Jack Bauer to get from location A to location B in 13 minutes" and even "there's no way a guy could be back at work minutes after being tortured with a power drill".  I can get past that stuff.  I can even ignore the fact that CTU seems to have a serious problem with moles.  I mean, serious problem. But I look past that.  I find it hard, though, to buy the petty interpersonal entanglements that constantly thwart the smooth-running of the Counter Terrorist Unit division in Los Angeles.  Seriously, it's like a high school there.  Not even.  Junior High.
Did they all forget that a nuclear bomb went off in the city in which they live (okay, nearby the city etc)?  If I was the head writer of "24", this season, I'd have placed a placard in the writing room, where everyone could see it.  It would say "Don't ever forget that a nuclear bomb went off".  I would direct the writers to constantly have that bit of happenstance infer itself into everything that the characters do.
You know, things like "I may hate Rick Schroeder, but since a nuclear bomb just went off, I'll put aside my differences with him and work toward the greater good", and "I admit I have a sexual attraction to you, but now may not be the best time to make advances on that, since, you know, a nuclear bomb just went off, and all.  Besides, you were just interrogated pretty heavily and may be in a weakened mental state and maybe choosing this moment to kiss you is really not something I should be doing. Plus, yeah, well, the nuclear bomb."

And don't even get me going on Chloe.  I can't stand that pouty, hooded-eyes drama queen.


Technorati Tags: 24

Don't Ever Forget The Nuclear Bomb!

I watched all of the first season of "24".  I got only so far in subsequent seasons before the "I can no longer suspend the disbelief" overtook me.
This season, though, I really decided to try and go full distance with "24".  Over half way through the season, and I'm still with it, although barely.  I can ignore the disbeliefs necessary to move the plot forward.  Things like "it would be impossible for Jack Bauer to get from location A to location B in 13 minutes" and even "there's no way a guy could be back at work minutes after being tortured with a power drill".  I can get past that stuff.  I can even ignore the fact that CTU seems to have a serious problem with moles.  I mean, serious problem. But I look past that.  I find it hard, though, to buy the petty interpersonal entanglements that constantly thwart the smooth-running of the Counter Terrorist Unit division in Los Angeles.  Seriously, it's like a high school there.  Not even.  Junior High.
Did they all forget that a nuclear bomb went off in the city in which they live (okay, nearby the city etc)?  If I was the head writer of "24", this season, I'd have placed a placard in the writing room, where everyone could see it.  It would say "Don't ever forget that a nuclear bomb went off".  I would direct the writers to constantly have that bit of happenstance infer itself into everything that the characters do.
You know, things like "I may hate Rick Schroeder, but since a nuclear bomb just went off, I'll put aside my differences with him and work toward the greater good", and "I admit I have a sexual attraction to you, but now may not be the best time to make advances on that, since, you know, a nuclear bomb just went off, and all.  Besides, you were just interrogated pretty heavily and may be in a weakened mental state and maybe choosing this moment to kiss you is really not something I should be doing. Plus, yeah, well, the nuclear bomb."

And don't even get me going on Chloe.  I can't stand that pouty, hooded-eyes drama queen.


Technorati Tags: 24

Don't Play It On The Traffic Road...

You probably won't find this as funny as I did, but I thought I'd share this anyway.

DaveS and I go to a dollar store (The Dollaroo) frequently (yes, that's kind of sad), to check out anything that's new and creepy or weird or odd, etc. One of our "things" is to read the instructions on any number of toys that are made in China or foreign lands, hoping to stumble upon a wonky translation. Here's one of those:

It's called a Skip'N'Hop. It's one of those cheap little skipping rope toys, the kind where you put the plastic circle over your ankle and swing the ball at the end of the string around so that you end up skipping over it with your other foot. One of those.

Here are the on-the-back instructions for the Made In China Skip'N'Hop:

USAGE:

1. Put one end of the rope into the small hole in the ring. The length of the rope can be adjusted to meet your request, then fix it in the ring, make sure it is tightly fastened.

2. Throw the ball and jump, you can speed up the tempi as you play it more and more skillfully. If you have played it masterfully enough, you can circle the ring in or against the clock order and jump after the first either with the right or the left one.

3. The method of operating by more persons: First, lengthen the rope, then one person starts to play in the way just introduced, when the tempi has been steady, the others can join from any direction. Thus, friends can enjoy the game together.

THERE ARE ALSO SOME CAUTIONS HERE:

1. You should coordinate your feet in case the rope would twist your ankle, which would stop the game.

2. Don't play it with your hands, or you could hurt others.

3. Avoid your skin to be touched with the ring directly, or your skin can be scraped.

4. Don't circle the rope around your neck, which would twist you easily.

5. Don't play it on the traffic road, you know, it is dangerous.

How many times can you play it?

Play it running

Play it yourself

Play with a friend

Create new game

For aerobic class

For your health

For dance

-----

My favourite caution is number 5. I also like caution 1, which seems to be more concerned with the game ending than with the twisted ankle.

Don't Play It On The Traffic Road...

You probably won't find this as funny as I did, but I thought I'd share this anyway.

DaveS and I go to a dollar store (The Dollaroo) frequently (yes, that's kind of sad), to check out anything that's new and creepy or weird or odd, etc. One of our "things" is to read the instructions on any number of toys that are made in China or foreign lands, hoping to stumble upon a wonky translation. Here's one of those:

It's called a Skip'N'Hop. It's one of those cheap little skipping rope toys, the kind where you put the plastic circle over your ankle and swing the ball at the end of the string around so that you end up skipping over it with your other foot. One of those.

Here are the on-the-back instructions for the Made In China Skip'N'Hop:

USAGE:

1. Put one end of the rope into the small hole in the ring. The length of the rope can be adjusted to meet your request, then fix it in the ring, make sure it is tightly fastened.

2. Throw the ball and jump, you can speed up the tempi as you play it more and more skillfully. If you have played it masterfully enough, you can circle the ring in or against the clock order and jump after the first either with the right or the left one.

3. The method of operating by more persons: First, lengthen the rope, then one person starts to play in the way just introduced, when the tempi has been steady, the others can join from any direction. Thus, friends can enjoy the game together.

THERE ARE ALSO SOME CAUTIONS HERE:

1. You should coordinate your feet in case the rope would twist your ankle, which would stop the game.

2. Don't play it with your hands, or you could hurt others.

3. Avoid your skin to be touched with the ring directly, or your skin can be scraped.

4. Don't circle the rope around your neck, which would twist you easily.

5. Don't play it on the traffic road, you know, it is dangerous.

How many times can you play it?

Play it running

Play it yourself

Play with a friend

Create new game

For aerobic class

For your health

For dance

-----

My favourite caution is number 5. I also like caution 1, which seems to be more concerned with the game ending than with the twisted ankle.

American Idol - The Top 11

I didn't last long with my American Idol recap schedule, did I?  One episode.  Maybe next week.
Anyway, about this week:
Singing and performance was better by practically everyone this week, compared to past weeks.  I was pretty impressed with the advice and inspiration that Lulu was providing (or at least, was shown providing).  Peter Noone, not so much.  His performance was pretty blah, too, whereas Lulu totally kicked ass with To Sir, With Love.

What the hell was with that retarded kid crying all night long in the audience?  She was crying like I used to when I got lost at the K-Mart.  Even though they primarily focused on her during Angina's terrifically awful performance of You Really Got Me Now (were the lyrics "I don't know what I'm doin'" ever more accurate?), apparently she cried the whole show.  Every time they showed her, I literally put my hand out in front of me to block the television from my sight, so off-setting was her appearance and state.
LaKisha and the Doolittle woman were great. So was that other girl who is 17 or whatever.  Of the guys, I keep waiting for FatChris to hit one out of the park.  Last night wasn't a homer, more like a single.  A good performance. I didn't enjoy Phil Nosferatu's song "Tobacco Road".  Not my style of music.  Blake did a good job, but his ego is getting bigger than his voice is.  Better watch that.
What else?  Angina was awful.  I had been hoping he'd break out of his shell and find confidence and finally nail a song.  He almost ruined that Kinks song.  Ouch.  Hope he stays to the very end.  After all, a circus needs its freaks, right?

I was surprised the girl who went got eliminated.  I had her picked for the top five or so.  But her performance this week was her weakest so far, but not near the worst of the night.  I ranked her safe in the middle of the pack.

Crazy season of AI this year.  With the bawling child, are we witnessing the jumping of the shark? 

American Idol - The Top 11

I didn't last long with my American Idol recap schedule, did I?  One episode.  Maybe next week.
Anyway, about this week:
Singing and performance was better by practically everyone this week, compared to past weeks.  I was pretty impressed with the advice and inspiration that Lulu was providing (or at least, was shown providing).  Peter Noone, not so much.  His performance was pretty blah, too, whereas Lulu totally kicked ass with To Sir, With Love.

What the hell was with that retarded kid crying all night long in the audience?  She was crying like I used to when I got lost at the K-Mart.  Even though they primarily focused on her during Angina's terrifically awful performance of You Really Got Me Now (were the lyrics "I don't know what I'm doin'" ever more accurate?), apparently she cried the whole show.  Every time they showed her, I literally put my hand out in front of me to block the television from my sight, so off-setting was her appearance and state.
LaKisha and the Doolittle woman were great. So was that other girl who is 17 or whatever.  Of the guys, I keep waiting for FatChris to hit one out of the park.  Last night wasn't a homer, more like a single.  A good performance. I didn't enjoy Phil Nosferatu's song "Tobacco Road".  Not my style of music.  Blake did a good job, but his ego is getting bigger than his voice is.  Better watch that.
What else?  Angina was awful.  I had been hoping he'd break out of his shell and find confidence and finally nail a song.  He almost ruined that Kinks song.  Ouch.  Hope he stays to the very end.  After all, a circus needs its freaks, right?

I was surprised the girl who went got eliminated.  I had her picked for the top five or so.  But her performance this week was her weakest so far, but not near the worst of the night.  I ranked her safe in the middle of the pack.

Crazy season of AI this year.  With the bawling child, are we witnessing the jumping of the shark? 

The Cutting Edge - The Magic of Movie Editing

From the limited work I've done on film and video, I've always thought that the movie "gets made" in the editing room. Here's a BBC documentary on "The Magic of Movie Editing". Here's what the Google Video site says about it: The is a documentary about the unappreciated art of film editing. It shows how film editing came about, and explains all the groundbreaking ways it has changed the film watching experience. There are a bunch of interviews from big names in the film industry including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, Jodie Foster, and many more. This is really a must see for any big film buff.

The Cutting Edge - The Magic of Movie Editing

From the limited work I've done on film and video, I've always thought that the movie "gets made" in the editing room. Here's a BBC documentary on "The Magic of Movie Editing". Here's what the Google Video site says about it: The is a documentary about the unappreciated art of film editing. It shows how film editing came about, and explains all the groundbreaking ways it has changed the film watching experience. There are a bunch of interviews from big names in the film industry including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, Jodie Foster, and many more. This is really a must see for any big film buff.

You Want Fries With That Seat In The Legislature?

So, I guess Bush Dumville will be running in the next provincial election against Wayne Collins. Dumville, the owner of the local Charlottetown Burger King store promises to give anyone who votes for him a free whopper. Collins countered by saying that his PC government has been feeding the PEI electorate whoppers for years now.

Don't know about you, but it all smacks of pattytronage to me.