Idol Power Rankings Week 4

It’s like self-administered torture, really.

I watch these shows and every week I complain about something or other. Tonight, I’ll probably get pissed off about Dawn Fraser staying on Dancing with the Stars. At least on that show, the judges are pretty fair and accurate.

Last night, Laura left Idol and I’m going to say similar things as what I said last year when Amali and Dan left the show.

Laura was the only attractive female left in the lineup and now she’s gone. Anne, I suppose, is alright-looking too and she will stay hopefully. Kate would be if she wasn’t fat and… well, I think that’s it.

The guys this year are far more compelling and yet they’re struggling too. How the hell did James and Daniel end up in the bottom 3?!

I know, Laura wasn’t the best singer. But she was no worse than Milly or Roxanne. Surely she has more entertainment value than those two!

Anyway, for the rest of the competition, I’m starting a weekly Idols Power Rankings, in the direction of how I think the public are moving (somewhat swayed by the judges’ opinions). Following that will be my own opinions and in brackets will be my own rankings for their week’s performance.

Week 4

1. Dan – seems to be untouchable at the moment. While I agree that he does have the best voice in the competition, his ‘We will rock you’ was pretty ho hum. (5)

2. Emily – jumped up a notch this week. Personally, I thought she sucked. She made Queen like Queen Latifa. Personally I think she’s just another stock standard R&B singer who cries every week for votes. Like Amelia last year, she’s constantly pulling the single mum card. I appreciate that being a single mum isn’t easy but there are plenty of single mums out there who don’t break into tears every week to get votes. (7)

3. Anne – another R&B voice. I like her though. (2)

4. Lee – likeable guy and adds spice and value to the show. (1)

5. Daniel – I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that his bottom three status was an aberration. I’d place him in the Top 3 if I was deciding. Probably looks too much like a cross between last year’s Dan and Shannon Noll for his own good. Marcia was spot on. He sounds just like Ian Moss. (3)

6. Roxanne – GET HER OUT! She sucks. She sounds like a chipmunk. How did she even make the Top 13! Oh, yeah, she got a lifeline from the judges. (9)

7. Kate – sings alright, looks sorta butch. She can’t last more than two more weeks, surely. (6)

8. Milly – sucks also. And looks like Celine Dion. Why the hell is she still in. Urgh. (8)

9. James – likeable, if a little camp, guy with relatively good looks, good voice and good moves. I don’t get why no one votes for him. (4)

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And there many other wonderful updates, including the History of H&O!

I caught up with an old friend. Who's also a friend's ex. But by now, calling her that is unfair. It was a good catch up. She's mellower now. Still a bundle of energy but much more self aware now. She's a great girl. We had coffee at the same place where we caught up the last time. It's the same place I used to go with my own ex, as well as a few other people, who I suppose are someone's ex's. There was a time when I thought this place would close. It was a rumour I heard from another friend (who incidently is now back with her ex) that turned out to be bogus. It's still there. I still go there. And I'd hate the day when I say 'there's this place I used to go to...' I suppose I sound like I'm lamenting lost things. People. Places Whatever. I know. Things come and go and then you move along. etc. But I love old things. I love the look back. Ten ayears ago. Five years ago. Five minutes ago. Whenever. It's not that the rear view mirror is 20-20. It isn't. It's poetry. It's your head's concoction of reality. And for someone who loves to write, it's gold. So I'm not lamenting. I'm just telling myself stories. Reading myself poetry. And sure I used to go to that place with people that I no longer go anywhere with. But there's always more to be had. Good and bad. More poetry to listen to. So I'm still there. And it's still there. And thank God they still make good chai.

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I've been listening to a lot of very mellow music lately (mostly Ryan Adams, of course) but things are shifting and I'm beginning to listen to the Killers and the Darkness and even some Aerosmith so before I forget, I thought I'd list some of what I think are the all-time greatest mellow songs. You won't find any chill-out music or Coldplay on this list!

1. Come pick me up - Ryan Adams
2. Everybody here wants you - Jeff Buckley
3. A long December - Counting Crows
4. ... ahhh, I'll do this list later

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This sucks. Chris was good. Now he's gone. Let's hope Dan stays a long time. Now I'm talking Idol, people. Please keep up.

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I watched Dancing with the Stars tonight with my mum. It's one of my favourite activities of the week. I look forward to it. She feeds me. Tonight was pizza. Then we talk about ballroom dancing and B-grade stars. It's fun.

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New Updates from H&O

Something for you

OK, here’s what’s been happening with me. At least since last Friday because my memory doesn’t really stretch beyond that at the moment.

So I was drinking. Oh yeah, I’d taken a couple of days off and then I went out on Friday and I was drinking. From about 6pm to 2:30am with about 2 hours eating break in between. And when I went home (around 4am), I started writing this simple 4-chord song on my guitar and it sounded ok. It was based on what we were talking about that night during drinks, which is the subject matter of most of my writing: Unhappy Guys.

So when I thought it sounded good enough (or as good as it would get at that stage of the morning), I went to bed afraid that I would forget it by the morrow.

In morning, first thing I did was play it again and I actually did remember it all. Except the thing is, something didn’t sound right. Then I realised that I had inadvertently plagiarised part of a Ryan Adams song in the important chorus bit.

The clarity of morning!

My chorus goes:

Now there’s just you
Only you
So I thank God
That I no longer have something for you

Ryan’s original goes:

Ask me that you’d like to know me well
But you already have
You already do
And nobody does
And I guess that says something for you

No, it’s not quite the same. And actually two very different subject matters. But well… let’s face it. It didn’t come from my head. And the original sounds better too.

Anyway, let’s skip the rest. Now I just wanna say sorry. Well maybe not sorry. I don’t know. No, yes. I am sorry. Sorry for my lack of sympathy. And understanding. Or just the simple pleasure of company. It’s not that I don’t care, but well… you know how it is. I don’t know if this is one of those ‘you know I’ll always be there if you ever need me’ talks. I hope not because that should be a given. It should be assumed. Although maybe not. Actually, looks, let’s just forget the explanations. I can’t It just is. And I’m blubbering crap.

I’m just… you know… sorry.

No songs or poetry tonight.

Just… yeah. That.

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Tagged
From Becky.

1) Total number of books you own?
Probably over a hundred. Not that I know where they all are. I’m a bad guesser. Could be less or more. If you include comic books, then it’s in the thousands. No exaggeration there.

2) What was the last book you bought?
Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. He’s probably my favourite author. Wrote Wonderboys and the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. He also probably is the biggest influence for the concept of my new website (plug). Unfortunately this book was a bit of a disappointment. I guess it was his first and all…

3) What was the last book you read?
Confederate General from Big Sur by Richard Brautigan. It’s good. I recommend it. Doesn’t make much sense. But it’s good.

4) List five books that are particularly meaningful to you (in no particular order) – that I can think of at the moment. Or 8.
1. Wonderboys by Michael Chabon
2. 1984 by George Orwell
3. Fight Club by Chuck Palanhiuk (who I just found out is gay)
4. Slaughterhouse V, Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
5. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
6. White Noise by Don DeLillo
7. The Outsider by Albert Camus
8. Model Behaviour by Jay McInerney

A similar list on a previous blog entry may have had different books in it. I can’t remember.

And Becky, again, Ros and Guil is NOT a book, dear.

5) Tag five people and have them fill out the list on their own blogs (if they can be bothered)
1. Yui
2. Mey
3. Addy
4. Emily
5. Chi

Part 4

Part 4 of the witch story is now available at H&O's Incredible 3Ring Writing Circus. Please spread the word if you enjoy reading it.

Asian Pride

I want to write a bit about Yao Ming. To those of you who haven't been following the career of the 7'6" Chinese NBA player, he's really been a wonderful role model for all Chinese people everywhere. He's conducted himself, every step of the way, with utmost class. He is obliging, engaging, humble and funny in interviews, making him a media darling all over the world. On the court, while he is yet to dominate the league, he's answered his many critics who expected a big yellow stiff when he was drafted first a few years ago. I must admit that when he first came onto the scene, looking like a skinny Chinese Ivan Drago or a really tall version of my friend Minh, I thought that his potential for failure and embarrassment was huge. Traditionally, really tall players haven't succeeded in basketball and neither have Chinese players. So Yao Ming is a pioneer in the truest sense of the word.

Recently he's signed a contract extension and here's a nice article about it, and about him. It's better than I can tell you.