Pop Media Notes

American Idol

For a long time I thought this season was going to be between LaKisha and Melinda, but LaKisha seemed to lose steam along the way. I think it was confusing when Simon started accusing her of yelling during her songs. I really felt it when she sang "Stayin' Alive" and sang the lyrics as "It's alright, it's OK, I'm going to make it anyway." As in anyway, if I don't win.

And it's funny that this week, the judges didn't like any of the songs. If you ask me, it's that the Bee Gee's songs are hard for other people to sing differently. Or show off their voices on. But I loved Jordan's version of To Love Somebody (my favorite Bee Gees song). It's starting to seem to me now like she might win the whole thing. Melinda seems to wear the same expression after every song - an expression that says, "What? Who? Me?"

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Kelly Clarkson - I got her last CD and came away feeling that either someone had given her a very bad time, or she just made a theme out of being angry at a guy for a CD. But now, her new song is more of the same!! Why all the anger, Kelly?

Carrie Underwood - I like her new song "Before he Cheats" - she looks like Jane in X-men 3, with her walking down the street and things exploding all around her. Very dramatic. Messing up someone's car is one of those things that look satisfying when someone else does it, but people would just be mad at me if I did it. And, while kissing another girl isn't against the law, I'm pretty sure vandalizing someone's car IS. If only she hadn't carved her name into the leather seats, maybe they wouldn't have known exactly who did it!

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Dancing with the Stars


The night Billy Ray Cirus pulled off his partner's wig was one of the funniest things I've ever seen!!! Poor guy, he seemed pretty freaked out after that...

And to think I'd been scared to watch it because of Heather Mill's leg!

Now we're down to the best dancers, so it's going to be tough. I'm rooting for Mohamad Ali's daughter or Apollo Ono.

Nelly Furtato - didn't she have bangs about 6 months ago? How were they slicked back without showing? Did she get extentions? If so, they looked like healthy hair! What's the deal with that?

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Working for Jerry Springer

This show is amazing. It's amazing to see these people whose main goal in life is to find people willing to make fools of themselves on TV. Sometimes they have to help get them worked up, or give them suggestions about what to say or things to do that might make a good show. Some look the part of shady or sleazy, but a few look surprisingly all-American. I would hate to have that job. I hope they get paid a lot.

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Celebrity Fit Club

OMG! I didn't even know this was on again, but now with regular shows ending their seasons, I'm checking around the channels more. Maureen McCormick (from the Brady Bunch) is on it! How shocking is that? This season, people are on who don't necessarily need to lose a LOT of weight, but then even 20 pounds can be a lot. Anyway, that was very surprising. And everyone seems to be fighting with Dustin, the guy who played Screech on "Saved by the Bell."

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Making Menudo

I found this on Spanish MTV, but it's broadcast in English. It's great! It's like American Idol building a latino band!

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The Sopranos
There's a good discussion (bwo letters to the editor) at Salon about the last episode of the Sopranos. Someone launched an interesting theory that Tony killed Christopher because he envied his ability to avoid responsibility, and that's why he took off to Vegas too - to be irresponsible for once.

It's so sad that Tony seems to dislike everyone close to him lately. He had a chance to be the benevolent "Godfather" figure to one of his guy's families, but he instead did what was cheapest for him. I wonder where all this selfishness will end.

I think a good ending would be for the son to get killed, then Meadow runs over to help and get killed, and then Tony retaliate and get killed. Boom, boom, boom. Then the police show up at Carmela's door to tell her the whole family is dead.

That would be a good ending.

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Note of Clarification:

Just so you all won't think the Girl is not compassionate, she told Dee later that she shouldn't judge a guy because he has a glass eye. She said, "What if everyone was afraid of Lincoln because he had a mole?"

I didn't even know that Lincoln had a mole.

Water Balloons

The Girl has a friend, Dee, whose parents have been split up about a year now. He lives right around the corner, renting, and the Wife stayed in the house a few blocks away, and they share care and custody of the 2 girls. They haven't gotten divorced, tho, and altho the Husband dated briefly once in the beginning, he's seemed to think that they might go to counseling and reconcile since then.

Anyway, because he lives around the corner, we see them when the girls play together a lot, or when we ask each other to pick up our children at school. We see him pretty often.

The day before yesterday, when I picked the Girl up at school, she said that her friend, Dee, was having a big problem. What, I asked. Well, her mom was dating someone and Dee was very upset. I asked why, and the Girl didn't say, but said, "I've got a few tricks and some water balloons up my sleeve!" Huh?

Later, she said she had to keep the phone by her, because her friend was going to call if she needed any help. She was glad her friend asked her, because she knew just what to do.

I asked, "Does it have anything to do with water balloons?"

and she answered, "Maaayyybeee...." Does she think she's living in a Disney movie?

The next day when I picked her up, she said her friend had found out all about the man her mom was dating, and he was no big deal. First, he has a glass eye. Second, he's been married twice. And third, he has 4 children. I asked which of those was the most troubling, and she said, "The glass eye! Dee said one eye would move and the other wouldn't!"

Later, Dee's dad stopped by to pick up something, and started telling me ALL about how he's finding out about this guy and text messaging him to find out who he is and to make sure he's not a sexual predator or anything. He was really kindof freaking out, and started reading me the text message arguement he started having with this guy.

I felt like telling him, "Listen, dude, I hear he's got a glass eye! It's no big deal!" But I didn't want to get into the middle. Next thing I know he'll start messaging the mom and asking her if her new boyfriend has a glass eye.

At least I'll feel better if no water balloons are involved.

Teenage Drama

Over Spring Break, we let the Boy go camping with a bunch of friends. Then, when they got home, some drama errupted that made it necessary for the Boy to go outside and talk with his girl - for about 2 hours! On his way out I told him to be quick, and he was out there for 2 hours. Where was he? We weren't sure. Somewhere outside. So we grounded him for the weekend, as we've talked with him before about disappearing like that.

It turns out a friend of his has started smoking. Dope. He knows The Boy's against it, so he hides it from him now. But his friend asked the Girlfriend when she dropped him off if SHE wanted to. So The Boy convinced her come over, and spent 2 hours convincing her not to go. It was worth it and absolutely necessary to him.

The next day she said she was glad she didn't go. Then, that night, she wanted to go again. She's curious, her previous boyfriend was really controlling, and now she wants to be more free. The Boy is upset because he feels his friend is hitting on her, and she's not respecting his feelings.

His solution was to ask us if she could come over, because that way he could keep her from going. I might have folded because he was so good all day, but K hung tough and told him he might get off restriction tomorrow, but not today. He said, "Let me just talk to Mom." like I'm a creampuff or something.Hah! I told him he couldn't try to split us like that. So, no, she couldn't come over.

So she went out with his friends. He started crying and said, "Look what you've done. You could have prevented it, but because of you, she's doing it."

I told him she didn't seem like a very good girlfriend to not care about his feelings. I told him not to blame me, she's the one who did it. Was he planning on keeping her busy every day/night for the rest of the school year? Why couldn't she just wait until college?

Later he came downstairs for a hug. That's how upset he was. He sqeezed in between us on the couch like he used to when he was a LOT smaller. I told him that it does no good to try to control other people, or to try to change them. He asked what he should do, and I said, "She's a Senior. She's only in school with you a few more months. Just enjoy your time with her."

He was so in need of a diversion, he sat down and watched Pirates of the Caribean (II) with me. I think I liked the first one better. I kept getting confused about what was going on in this second one.

Later the Boy told me that in his anger, he threw his cellphone at the wall. Now it's broken. I'm months away from my 1-year anniv for this phone, so I doubt we're eligible for any free phones.

Sigh. Did I mention expensive? Teenagers are expensive, too. I may have a teenager without a cellphone for the summer...

Note of Clarification

I really like this video. Can't buy the music on itunes yet, but hopefully soon. She pronounces words in an unusual manner, but she's inspiring me to a higher level of glamour.

I questioned the Girl yesterday about grizzly bears again, and she pulled out her science book. It turns out that the MEXICAN Grizzly Bear is extinct. And Bald Eagles are endangered, not extinct, but she claims that she didn't say "Bald Eagles."

I swear she did.

What's Important

This morning, I woke up and tried to focus on my day. I tried to figure out what I should do first. I took the kids to school and sat down to watch Regis & Kelly. Then I heard the phone ring, and when I heard the machine pick up and it was my long-time friend JJ, I ran upstairs to get the phone.

It was true, she said. One of her three-year old twins was diagnosed with cancer. And not just one kind of cancer. It was so many places, they were trying to figure out what kind the other cancer was. One kind seems to be genetic, the other, they don't know yet. They've been at Children's Hospital in Hollywood over a week now, and she rarely ever goes home now. She just stays there with her sick boy.

Suddenly my day was focused. I finished a few things around the house, then I went over to the hospital. It's a large facility, but I found my way inside fairly easily. Everyone there was SO nice, and they've got it light and bright to look as cheery as possible. The parking lot was SO full, and it was amazing to think that there are so many sick children.

I found my way up to JJ, and she looked beautiful as always. She has a natural beauty, but she takes care of herself too. She looks like Jennifer Anniston, and it's hard to believe she has 7 children. She was dressed in white, and is as positive and caring as a mother could possibly be. She's hoping, because that's all she can do.

I took a spiderman toy for her son, but he pretty much slept the entire time.

She's really an inspirational person. She's the most positive person I know. She's trying to balance being realistic with being hopeful and without ruining whatever time is left. Now.

She said they have rooms for the parents to sleep there, and bathrooms with showers for them. They have toys and movies for the kids, and even bring dogs around to visit them.

I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I guess I want people to know what a good place Children's Hospital is, and that they're doing really good things.

I came home and picked up the Girl, and later took her to soccer practice. On the way home, I heard a big sigh in the back seat. I asked her what was wrong, and she said that too many animals are becoming extinct. She claims that the Grizzly Bear is extinct, but I questioned if that was true. "It's true!" she claimed, "And also the Bald Eagle!"

She asked if I could write her a note to get out of Science class, because it was upsetting her. I told her no, but that maybe we could find some small way that she could help.

Later, when we were watching "American Idol", she sighed again. I asked what was wrong, and she said, "Not enough people are using solar power!"

I told her that it's much better than it was when I was a child, and probably more people will use it in the future. I care about these things too, I just have to get her to stop worrying and enjoy the present.

Because, after all, it's all we really have.

Disturbing dream

The other night the wind kept blowing, which always disturbs me, even in my sleep. So I had a disturbing dream, where I was waiting for K to go with me to the Prince concert. He'd wandered off somewhere, and it was getting late. I needed to go to the Prince concert! It was pretty upsetting.

I was so troubled by this dream, that I woke up annoyed with K. Why didn't he make it back in time to go with me to the concert?

K protested the logic of my being annoyed with him because of a dream, but feelings like this are not easily reasoned away.

So I remained kindof cranky until I remembered another part of the dream. Because I was worried that if I went without him to the concert, I wouldn't be able to find him, K did something to make it easy for me to find him. He wore a dress!

And not just any dress, a dress that would stand out! It was the dress he wore in college when he dressed up for Halloween as Little Bo Peep! (his roommates had gone as sheep). It was funny because he's such a big guy. So you know it was a dress with a big skirt. He had on a bonnet, and may have even had his staff with him in the dream.

When I told K about this part of the dream, that made me feel better, he was not amused. I'd bring up the dress and start chuckling, and he'd say, "Yeah, uh huh." Every time.

And this made me laugh even more.

He's a funny guy.

Complaining is draining

So I won't bore you with the details. I'll just say this: Teenagers are unbelievably difficult, systems break down, and mothers of Girl Scouts should set an example in working with others.

So, concentrating on the good things The Boy has to say, the other day he was grousing about morality tales. "Take the Tortoise and the Hare," he said, "The moral of that story was NOT "Slow and Steady wins the race". Why did the Hare lose the race?"

"Because he stopped to take a nap?" we asked.

"Yes!" he declared. "The moral is don't take it easy once you get ahead! Don't get a good lead and stop to take a nap!"

I think he's right about that one.