StoneRose Valley My Thoughts, Expressions, and Passions

I had a lot to say; rather like venting I suppose. Not so much anymore…guess that’s what time gives you.

I’ve been thinking of a movie quote quite a lot today.
I watched “Breach” with my brothers earlier this week. It’s based on a true story, so this characters words may have been spoken by a real, genuine, person back in 2001. At one point in the film, Eric O’Neill, mentioning a discussion he’d had with his wife in which she asked him why his boss was such a pain to be around, tells Hanssen “I had all these answers for her. ‘He’s misunderstood.’ ‘He’s trying to fix the bureau and no one will listen.’ ‘He was born in the wrong century.’ ‘His father’s a jerk.’ I got a whole list.
But you know something Sir, at the end of the day it’s all cr-p. You ARE who you are. The why doesn’t mean a thing does it?”

Yeah, we all have these excuses for why we act as we do. Or to rationalize away why someone we love can just make us feel like dirt all the time. Often we try to rationalize that because we don’t want to face the truth and hurt that that someone, when it comes right down to it, really doesn’t care enough to make a change.

Hey, but leave off everyone else here. Forget about those people who you can’t explain. Think about yourself. Do you have excuses for your behavior? Do others make excuses for you?

“It is not what we say or feel that makes us who we are. It is what we do; or fail to do.”
Marianne Dashwood, in Andrew Davies adaption of Sense & Sensibility

I can’t help feeling that there is something more, that I have a chance for something greater. To rise above the petty why. Not to allow myself to define myself; to make excuses for why I do what I do. Not by my feelings, my words, my status in life. Not by what others around me say or do, and why they do it.  No, but defined by what I choose to do, or that which I fail in.

Because, in the end, the why doesn’t mean a thing, does it?

Posted under Life Thoughts, Living, Polls, Quotes, Uncategorized

Neat article about Danny Gokey…or more appropriately, what he reveals about ourselves.

“Perhaps Danny Gokey is proof that we hate without reason. That we are given to jealousy. That we dislike those who are naturally gifted (and dare to acknowledge that fact).” By James Montgomery

I also want to encourage you to check out Danny’s blog at the website for Sophia’s Heart Foundation. I especially enjoyed his post about “‘Letting Go’: Necessary Steps in Moving Forward”, found in ‘Danny’s Blog’ under ‘Danny & Sophia’. Make sure you check it out.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Life Thoughts, Links, Music, Polls, Quotes, Verses, Video's

Early spoilers say that Danny Gokey will be singing “Dance Little Sister” by Terrance Trent D’Arby, and “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker. Adam Lambert is reported to have “One” by U2 and “Cryin” by Aerosmith up his sleeves….and Kris Allen is singing  “Apologize” by OneRepublic, great pick for him, and “Heartless” by Kanye West.
Looks like a pretty good group of songs, playing to each of their strengths quite possible.

Each contestant sings a song chosen for them by one (or two) of the judges. Each picks a song themselves to perform.
We will also see Jordin Sparks return to the A-I stage…tomorrow night. Read More…

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The disco week is here! Still, not really excited about this, contrary to Ryan calling this night a “very exciting week”.

We still have seven contestants due to Matt’s win of the save last week (great performance!), so two will be leaving tomorrow night.

Lil Rounds is singing “I’m Every Woman”. She definitely is getting better at picking her songs. That Lil with the big voice we heard in the beginning of the season is back. I really didn’t have any complaints to make.

Randy said it “sounded so wild; still didn’t show us what kind of artist you are and what you can really do in this competition; or your vocal control”.
Kara told Lil, “we’ve all been waiting to hear you sing Chaka Khan…maybe not worth the wait”.
Paula told us that Lil had “no voice yesterday; I applaud your recovery. You were hot tonight, but maybe not boiling; remarkable recovery though”.
Simon thinks this is the “last week for you. There was no originality; the arrangement, vocals were a mess”.
I think the judges were all way too harsh with Lil tonight. It’s like they’ve made up their minds that she just has to go no matter what.

Kris Allen chose “She Works Hard For The Money” by Donna Summer. Interesting choice; I gotta say I love the stage setup. Reminds me of Katherine McPhee’s “Black Horse and The Cherry Tree” several seasons ago. No one can complain that this isn’t original. Has Kris written all over it. That last phrase was fantastic. Read More…

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It’s the night: Songs of the Cinema! And we have Quentin Tarantino working with the contestants. I’m not expecting him to be lenient with them.

Missed the intro due to my TV not receiving the channel correctly…same ole’ story.

OK, so same format as always, right? I’ll sum up my thoughts on a contestant, tell you what they’re singing, and what the judges said. After that, I’ll share which were my favorites, and who was a dissapointment. And finally, I’ll include a poll or two at the end…a little interaction, since you all are scared stiff to leave any sort of comment…lol

Allison Iraheta picked, from the movie Armaggedon, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”. My initial thought: Read More…

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Expressions, Music, Polls

Well, wanted to let ya’ll know that I will not be blogging live tonight during the results show. I have been so overwhelmed by what is going on in my life (mostly finishing up this semester of school) that the idea of having to keep up with the live posts is exhausting. I’m also in the process of determining whether the live posts are even worth it. I don’t really get to think about the show and share all my thoughts and expressions about it when posting live…so I’m thinking about returning to last years no-live-blog, at least on the results show. I’d love to hear any feedback you have on this choice! If I don’t hear anything, I’ll assume you don’t care (likely!) and will lean on my own better (hehe) judgement.

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Now, after the results show; here are my thoughts.
Frankie’s appearance was pretty hilarious!

The top eight performed…whatever it was. I didn’t like Matt’s part in the song; but loved Allison. Excepting her, overall, honestly, it was forgettable.
Loved the behind the scenes of the ford Magic Show video. Especially Scott’s imitation of Simon.  The video, featuring the song “Circus” turned out quite well….I’m just getting bored with the whole magic show theme that they come up with every season.

Based on performance, I would have put Scott, Lil, Kris in the bottom three. I expected to see Scott, Kris, and Anoop instead. I was wrong there. Was rather surprised–no, very surprised to see Kris safe.
I could just about slap Ryan for being so mean to Matt. And although I thought deserved, I was surprised to see Lil in the bottom three. Maybe it will be a wake up call for her; she just really needs to make wiser song choices.
I think Scott, based on the performances last night, should have gone, so I can’t say I’m upset. But he is an amazing young man. He mentioned in his farewell video that he hopes he “can be an inspiration to a lot of people”, and I think he has. Paula called him, and I totally agree, “an inspiration to the entire world through his commitment and talent, and one classy gentleman”. And his quick sense of humor each week will be missed.

As far as the guest artists went…

Not a fan of Flo Rida; never been a fan of rap, punk, or hip-hop. Also didn’t like the suggestive dancing. So no surprise that my TV found itself changing the channel during his performance.
Cute and bizarre Kellie Pickler made her way back to the A-I stage. But as I watched, I was quite sorrowful; it didn’t look or sound like Kellie. She reminded me greatly of Dolly Parton. I think the old Kellie I knew and loved is gone. Probably for good.
So nothing remarkable about this week. Except for the fact that the judges very nearly used their save on Scott. Unfortunately for him, nearly wasn’t enough. But maybe he can be comforted by the fact that he came further than anyone else so far.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Expressions, Life Thoughts, Links, Music, Polls, Quotes, Uncategorized, Verses, Video's

Polls are at the end of this post.

Danny Gokey starts the night out with Micky Gilley’s version of “Stand by Me”. Not Danny’s best, but a solid performance nonetheless. His voice is carrying him straight through this part of the contest.

Randy told Danny “You…came out with the gospel/jazz, r&b chords. Even though I didn’t love the arrangement you made me love the song”.
Kara was thinking “what kind of arrangement is this?” but said Danny “killed it…turned it on it’s head; really unique!”
Paula said he “opened the show, and set the bar so high, everyone’s going to have to run to catch up”; also loving his “creative liberties, and the chord subsidies”.
Simon called the beginning good, the middle lazy, and the end terrific; saying that overall it was “great!”

Kris Allen chose “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”. Kris also chose to sing in the pit, playing his guitar; this gave off a very relaxed atmosphere during his song. I didn’t think this was Kris’ best either, but it was also a solid performance. Nothing stood out greatly to me, unfortunately.

Kara said it “felt like jazz/funk homework. It kinda lost a lot of it’s youth”.
Paula called it “heartfelt and genuine”; also calling Kris “one of the most likable contestants we’ve ever had”.
Simon agreed that Kris is likable, but called the performance “indulgent, boring, and forgettable. You came over as a guitarist who wanted to sing instead of a singer playing guitar”.
Randy agreed with Simon that the “arrangement was a little self indulgent”. He said that Kris got lost; reminding him “You’re the singer; you’re in the competition, not the song”.

“What’s Love Got To Do With It” was the song Lil Rounds chose this week. Personally, I’m not a fan of her stylist; I feel like the personality of Lil has been lost in her ‘new style’. But as regards her voice and performance: I think the girl is finally getting back to picking the right songs! The note at the end broke, but other than that, one of Lil’s best performances; certainly better than the last couple of weeks.

Paula called Lil a “brilliant vocalist, but that only gets you so far”. Paula felt that Lil didn’t make the song her own.
Simon said “we’re not looking for a second or third rate Tina Turner…other than some nice parts at the end, it was literally like we’ve lost you”.
Randy said Lil has “mad, mad talent”, but said she just was “not clicking right now”.
Kara said this competition is “about making that leap from a singer to an artist’, and didn’t think Lil has made that leap.

Anoop Desai is singing “True Colors”; I think this was a really wise choice for him. I thought his transitions from chest to head voice went very smoothly overall. Very nice vocal tonight from Anoop.

Randy thought the vocal “very nice…very controlled” and told Anoop “you can actually sing!”
Kara said that Anoop showed that he “can take a pop song and interpret it with soul!”
Paula thought the “choice of song: flawless. Phrasing: beautiful. You showed your true colors”.
Simon called him “a singing yo-yo. Last week was [terrible]; this week was very good. Take a song and make it your version. Wasn’t fantastic though”.

Scott MacIntyre went with “The Search Is Over”, also playing guitar. I have to say I love seeing a new side to Scott; he’s keeping things interesting. And I enjoyed his vocal.

Kara said he “took on a very difficult song; it had some good moments but also had some off moments. Not your best; there were parts I liked and parts that were too ambitious for you”.
Paula gave him credit for stepping away from the comfort zone of the piano. When she commented on the guitar, Scott remarked that it was his “punk side coming out”; Paula laughed and said he had a “wonderful sense of humor”. She thought some of the high notes came out a “little bit screeching, but overall good”.
Simon recommended he “go back to the piano”, calling the song “atrocious. The guitar and song didn’t go together…the choice was wrong”.
Randy said it was all just “OK. The song, vocals…Didn’t show you as a star. I want to see you leap off the stage vocally”.
I totally had to disagree with Simon here….

“I Can’t Make You Love Me”, to me at first thought a strange choice for Allison Iraheta, I have to change my mind. I think she put her own touch on the song. Good vocal, great interpretation! Also, the outfit was 10 x’s better than last week!

Paula said the “great thing about having you in this competition is you just hear one note and it’s undeniably Allison. You gave all of your heart in this song. This was the same arrangement as the original, but you made it our own”.
Simon thinks “you’re really good, I really do. We need to sort you out and make you more likable though. I still don’t know much about you”.
Randy said Allison “remind[s] me so much of a contestant from season one; she can sing her face off and so can you”!
Kara said that “to take adult content like that song and make it believable and young; that’s talent”.

Matt Giraud is singing Stevie Wonder’s “Part Time Lovers”.
Not as good as ‘So Small’ or “Who’s Loving You’, so not Matt’s best, but better than most of what we’ve seen tonight…

Randy said that it was “vocally one of the best of the night”.
Kara called Matt “incredibly talented”.
Paula gave Matt a “standing O”.
Simon had two words; “well done”.

Adam Lambert is singing “Mad World” by Tears for Fears; this is honestly his best vocal EVER! This performance, for the first time, made me think that Adam really could make it in the music industry. This was amazing!

Simon said “the bad news is we’re running out of time. Good news is I’m the only one who is going to say anything. Words aren’t necesarry but I’m going to give you a standing ovation”, and he proceeded to do so.
Totally deserved!

Best of the night: Adam. Usually, I think he’s so overrated with all the talk of “in a league of his own”…but tonight, he truly was.
Other standouts: Matt Giraud, Danny Gokey, and Allison Iraheta.
People in Trouble: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, and Kris Allen. I’m worried about Kris, not that he did badly tonight…but it was forgettable. He has put so much in the past weeks, rising head and shoulders above the rest; I just hope people remember the past couple of weeks, “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “How Sweet It Is“, and “To Make You Feel My Love” while they’re voting.

Note to self: I wonder how much Adam’s standing ovation from Simon had to do with the fact that they cheated him on the time and had to end the show instead of letting al of the judges comment…? Think about it, would Simon still have given him a standing O? I really don’t think so…I think Adam did deserve an ovation, possibly by Paula or Kara, maybe even Randy…but hardcore Simon? I think that was just to keep people happy. What do you think?

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links, Music, Polls, Quotes, Verses, Video's

So, as always, what do you think?

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Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Music, Polls

My first reaction of the night-what is Paula wearing?! Hmmm.

So anyway, we have the contestants singing motown this week. Their mentors were Smokey Robinson and…(what’s his name? I completely forget!) Berry Gordan.

The one’s that could do really well, IMO, are Lil Rounds and Danny Gokey. I also think that Kris Allen, Matt Giraud, and possibly Anoop. We’ll see how they do.

‘Kicking it off’, according to Ryan, is Matt Giraud with “Let’s Get It On”. He’s sticking to what he does best, once again on the ivory keys. Wait-I spoke too fast. He’s thrown us a twist by leaving his customary seat and is now touring the stage. I have to admit, not my favorite of his performances. But I believe he did a fine job with the song.

Randy thought Matt “set this off to the tone tonight!” and loved his run at the end of the song, commenting on Matt’s strong falsetto; “You’re challenging [the other guys] for the front spot”.
Kara liked the departure from the piano, and also Matt’s vocal interpretations, calling it a “solid performance”.
Paula commented on how comfortable Matt seemed behind piano as well as out from it. “You showed a cool, sexy vibe. You’re tasteful, classy, spot on, and respectful of the melody. It’s like wearing a great pair of worn jeans”.
Simon thought the piano departure corny, but said that Matt’s voice “absolutely suits that type of song. You are one of the front runners in this competition”.

Kris Allen, unfortunately, is performing second tonight. He is performing “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You”; Smokey said Kris ‘blew [him] away’, also commenting on how talented Kris is to sing and play guitar like that. Kris started the song off accapella; I really like his interpretation. I would buy this song from Itunes definitely! Towards the middle/end of the song, I really loved the husky tone to his voice. Something we don’t hear often from him.

Kara loved that Kris “didn’t do James Taylor or Marvin Gay, you did Kris. You made your mark on that song. You did everything right on that performance!”
Paula thought it was really nice seeing Kris “come into [his] own”, calling his personality ‘infectious’; and marveling that the “note at the end was brilliant. You keep growing and growing every week!”
Simon said that Kris is having a good competition so far. But wants to see Kris “start believing in [himself]“. This I don’t get, Simon thinks you have to be conceited to be a star? His advice to Kris: “Start acting like me”. No way! Kris’ response: “I’ll take everything else, but the conceit? No.” And Ryan backed him. Kudos, Kris, for showing some back bone and standing up for who you are and what you believe!
Randy declared that Kris has “hit your zone; You ain’t doing nothing wrong!”

Scott MacIntyre is singing “You Can’t Hurry Love”. Once again, he appears behind his piano; and I think he made a fabulous choice in remaining there! He has put his own twist on the song as well; and I really like it. I’m not sure his vocals are right on all the time, the sound a bit weak at times, but this is a million times better than last week.

Paula loved having the back-up singers around the piano; as well as “the beginning, with the chord changes in the rabatto(?) section”.
Simon thought the “piano was terrible, the back up singers were a mess. This was the wrong song for you. I thought it was cheap. And I think you’re better than that. You are choosing the wrong songs”. I have to agree with Simon in that Scott could pick much better songs for himself, and I think he is better than what we’ve seen so far.
Randy doesn’t agree with Simon often, but did tonight, calling it “a very hotel performance”. He told Scott to start taking some risks; “You’re a better singer than that, take bigger challenges”.
Kara disagrees with the guys on this one, saying “I love the up-tempo”. But she cautioned Scott; “When you take liberties like you did with the melody, you have to nail it. You had good ideas, the execution just wasn’t perfect”.
And at the end of it all, Paula pulls out a box of crayons for Simon. Hmm. Those two are a mess always!

Megan Joy is singing “For Once In My Life”. Smokey was right in that it does sound like she totally made this her own through her unique voice.

Randy said “the song was a trainwreck”, calling it “bizarre”. His advice was to have slowed it “back a little. It was too rushed and hectic”.
Kara agreed with Randy. She recommended ‘My Guy’, calling it more like Megan. “You didn’t dominate the song, the song was dominating you”.
Paula complimented Megan on her appearance, calling her “stunningly beautiful. The camera loves you”; but she agreed that the song wasn’t right for Megan. “I don’t feel you found your pocket”.
Simon was abrupt: “The good news is you look good. The bad news is that it was horrible. A horrible arrangement; atrocious song, the vocals were all over the place”.

Anoop Desai chose “Ooh, Baby, Baby”, and my initial thought is-’really?’. But I was surprised. It was better than I thought it would be given the song choice, but not as good as I’d hoped for Anoop tonight. It turned out a little bland to me.

Kara said that was one of the most beautiful songs ever written and probably one of the hardest to sing. “Overall”, she said, “that song is very hard to do you and you did a pretty good job. You’re showing us that you can sing; you have a skill set”; but asked to see Anoop become “a little more creative with the melodies”.
Paula loves Anoops’ new-found confidence but wants to see more. “Your delivery was spot on, not only that but sweet”.
Simon called it a “great vocal”; but said Anoop looked half asleep. “You gotta find that balance, that showmanship. But you’ve had two good weeks in a row”.
Randy liked seeing the “serious Anoop-dog”, next week wants him to “turn it back up. Was nice to hear you croon and swoon; but get back and bring it next week!”

In the sixth performance spot is Michael Sarver, singing “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”. Can Michael bring it? Can he, as Smokey said, lay it all out on the line? My verdict: YES! Michael brought it tonight; solid, and fun performance!

Paula: “for me this was a tough performance; it felt old Las Vegas loungy for me”. She told him “you really need to dominate and drive that song, not the reverse”.
Simon actually couldn’t wait for it to end. “You were screaming and shouting that song”. Simon went a step further, telling Michael “you have no chance of winning this competition based on that performance. In the real world it just really isn’t good enough. That was below half”.
Randy said the song was just a little too big for Michael tonight. “You were trying to do too much with it”. Remember folks, both Michael and Megan have had the flu…
Kara was the only one, in my opinion, that gave Michael any constructive criticism; saying “at this point it’s not about singing, it’s about artistry. That’s what we need from you. And that’s what I didn’t feel this week”.

Lil Rounds picked “Heat Wave”…Honestly, this is nowhere near what I expected from Lil this week.

Randy mentioned her crazy vocals, but said “the front was a little bit torture, not the right song for you. Felt like you were rushing a bit. Not the best performance from you”.
Kara said Lil looked great. “You were the diva that everyone was waiting to hear. I don’t think this was the right song. If you had melodies that breathe more you could have interpreted more; you have the voice for that”.
Paula disagreed with the above two. “It’s what you do vocally that feels fresh and takes a classic song and makes it new”.
Simon thought Lil was giving an “authentic tribute to the sound of Motown. But the song didn’t give you a moment. It was too fast. You could have had a moment”. He reminded us that Lil is “one of the best singers we have in this competition”; and said he’s waiting for her to blow everyone away again like she did in the first week…but said she can’t do it with that song.

We have three contestants left; Adam, Allison, and Danny. What will they bring?

Adam Lambert is next, singing “Tracks Of My Tears”. I’m really surprised by this choice. Is he going to change it like he did with “Ring of Fire”? Is he trying to look like Elvis? I do have to say that I’m SO glad that he chose to tone everything down this week and show us his pure vocals. I admit freely that Adam has amazing talent in his voice. I don’t think he’s miles ahead of the other contestants, but he does have one of the best voices here. Adam is getting a standing ovation from Paula, Kara, and Smokey! Nice job, Adam!

Kara called it one of the best performances of the night; loving his artistry!
Paula said he was completely in his own league. And loved the clean look, “you look classy. You are exciting.”
Simon disagreed with Kara; saying it was THE best performance of the night! He said Adam summed up originality, choosing the right song, and being a relevant recording artist, as the judges had talked about earlier. Adam was lauded with emerging as a star tonight. Good for you, Adam!
Randy said Adam has the range to do anything; he loved the “tender moments; the falsetto”, and said Adam used everything in his arsenal.

My favorite, Danny Gokey, is up, singing “Get Ready”. I think this was a great choice! He’s been working on the dancing…I love the energy he’s showing. Not his best vocal performance, but still quite good. I enjoyed the ambience in his voice.

Paula called Danny undeniable and identifiable, saying he brings a “first class performance every week”.
Simon thought it clumsy and amateur.
Randy said it wasn’t the best performance from Danny, but loved the energy and feel of it.
Kara loved the energy as well, saying she “thought it was good, not great”, but declared herself “still a big fan!”

Allison Iraheta closes the night with “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”. Allison is bringing everything up to claim the top female spot in this competition, and she’s doing a tremendous job of it! She didn’t work the stage much, but she brought it with the vocals. Awesome!

Randy called Allison “one of the dopest singers in this whole season. Blazing hot!”
Kara was blown away, saying it was “amazing! You sing like you’ve been singing for 400 years!”
Paula said she was awesome; “You belong in the competition. Beautiful!”
Simon called her “a survivor. One of your best performances. Well done!”

Hearing everything back once more, I would place Megan, Michael, and Scott in the bottom three. And actually, in Megan’s re-run, she sounded a little off pitch. Based on the three individual performances, I wouldn’t hesitate in calling them the bottom, and would actually call Megan off.

Outstanding performances tonight were from Adam, Allison, and Kris; with Danny coming in close behind.

So, what do you think?

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Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Music, Polls, Quotes, Uncategorized, Video's

What do you think?

Also, who really stood out to you from tonight’s show?

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Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Music, Polls