….and I’m a scrapbook addict. The thing is, I don’t want a 12 step program to cure me. And I should clarify. It’s not the actual scrapbooks I create that I’m addicted to. No, they’re great, and all, preserving history for future generations and blah blah blah, but truly just a means to an end. Because putting those photos in scrapbook albums allows me the chance to collect all the fun, cute, adorable, cool paper, stickers, embellishments, knick knacks, etc etc (oh, so much etc) you use to create said scrapbooks.

You know you have it bad when a little tin of antique buttons really, really makes your day brighter and the world a happier place.

But I look at it this way…it is preserving the memories of my family for future generations, it gives me enormous pleasure…and I can indulge whenever I want, as often as I want, and it’s not fattening! What’s not to love?

Anyway…so this is the thing. As my kids have gotten older and more independant, and I have gotten single and completely independant, I decided a few months back that I needed more than tennis, the gym, and my kids sporting events to get me out into the world. The upside of being a writer is that I get to spend every day playing with my imaginary friends and get paid for it. (I know, it should be illegal or something. Shh. Don’t tell.) The downside is, I’m spending way too much time with my imaginary people and not enough with real ones.

So, I decided a part time job was in order. Something to get me out and maybe give me a little extra mad money for, you know, more cute tins filled with antique buttons. The tricky part was, it had to be something flexible, and most of all, fun. More stress I didn’t need. Well, lo and behold, my local paper crafting store was looking for bright, fresh faces to help run the place, run their craft events, and, most importantly, DO crafts. I know! I get to play with my imaginary friends for pay, and now, I get to play with my favorite hobby and get paid, too! Is this a great country or what???

The thing is…see, I’ve discovered all sorts of new and interesting “tins of buttons” that I must absolutely have. Stuff I never paid attention to before, I’m now learning and teaching and loving! So…as it turns out, it’s sort of like working for your pusher. Good damn thing I’m getting some extra income. It’s my only hope in just breaking even.

Now my mom is coming to visit (and this is all her fault, really, she got me into it waaay back when - of course, she had her own craft business while I was growing up, so I suppose all of this was completely inevitable anyway.) She’ll be in town for my son’s graduation, which is a milestone and wonderful and yeah yeah yeah, but what are we REALLY excited about? The national scrapbook expo that’s coming to town the following weekend of course! We’ll have a whole week to indulge in, YES, more crafting! We’re so excited it’s disgusting. It’s a sickness. It is.

And I still don’t want a cure. My kids call it the Happy Hobby Store. And they have it pegged exactly. It’s a happy place, filled with happy people, doing something that makes them even happier. Yeah, if this is my biggest vice, then life is pretty damn good. I’m a happy addict.

Oh! Before I forget… Check out the link in my cool sites list to my right for JustJewelsDesigns. One of my co-workers, the unbelievably cute and adorable Julie,(trust me, just check her picture out on the site and tell me if I’m wrong - she can kill you with her cuteness) just started her own business making personalized albums, cards, etc. for those of you who either don’t have the time for this happy hobby, or are trying, as I did in vain, to avoid being sucked into its happy vortex of buttons, brads, and ‘bellishments, oh my! She’s enormously talented and completely intimidates me every day with her endless creativity.

Okay….my imaginary friends are calling me. And I’m going. Honest. Just as soon as I find the perfect piece of ribbon to go on this prom page I’m working on… You wouldn’t happen to have any spare buttons, would you?

Tags: Writing by Donna
11 Comments »

Once Cirie was out, I was underwhelmed with the Survivor finale, but, eh, I suppose of the final two, I’d pick Aras, too. I guess. If I haaad to pick. I’m still meh on that whole deal. I am glad Terry didn’t win (can you imagine how insufferable he’d be? Forever?) Very glad Cirie got the car - and she was looking pretty darn cute, too. I wanted her to stand up - looks like she continued to lose weight after the show. I enjoyed the reunion chat with all of them. It wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward like it often is. For the most part, these people got along a lot better than previous seasons, or were mature enough to place things in a game context. It was certainly the least contentious season in a while. Nobody really had to be “good sportsmanships” this go around.

And next season looks great - the Cook Islands! Very cool to this writer. (And no more Panama makes it even better! Three times is enough.)

So, last night was also the final night for West Wing. I have that one and the two previous weeks still TiFaux’d, so will watch all together this week sometime and have my own little pity party. Sniff! Hate to see that one end. Thank god we still have Boston Legal (and it was picked up for next season - wahoo! Good writing will still exist in television land for another year!)

Okay….it’s SHaQ Attack Monday already!

So, I went easy on ya last week. Watching Survivor last night made me think maybe it was time for a Reward Challenge! It’s harder than last week - the answer is not on my website - but it’s not Balgaire Hard. (The standard by which all future SHaQ’s shall be judged. ) At least I don’t think it’s that hard.

So, here it is: on last night’s reunion show, iguanas were mentioned several times. As it happens, I had an iguana as a secondary character in one of my Loveswepts. Your challenge? What was the title of that book? (I only wrote 14 Loveswepts, so, see, I narrowed it down for ya!) Double the prize if you can tell me the iguana’s name.

Wanna know what you’re playing for? The winner gets a copy of that collectible book and if you get the Bonus Question, you get another book of your choice from my bookshelf as well. Worth playing for? I hope so!

(And, if not, don’t worry. I’ll go easy again next week…promise! This way everybody gets a challenge that suits them.)

Email me with your answer(s) at donna@donnakauffman.com with I’m guana win! in the subject line. Winner will be chosen at random from all correct answers and announced here Friday morning.

Good luck and Happy Monday!

Tags: Writing by Donna
15 Comments »

First up…this week’s SHaQ Attack winner is Blog Babe Barb S! The answer was Tucker Morgan who was the hero in my last Loveswept, Tease Me. Barb will receive a copy of Tease Me along with another selection of her choice from my bookshelf. Thanks for playing along, everyone! Tune in Monday for the next SHaQ Attack question.

So…on Survivor they have this really great episode where they lead me to believe Cirie is a goner, then tease us at the end with a tie at Tribal Council between Cirie and Danielle, with a big, fat, To Be Continued plastered across the screen. Now, I ask you, the finale is Sunday night and you couldn’t let us know who is final three?

From carefully TiFauxing the upcoming highlights, it looks like maaaaybe, just maybe, my girl Cirie pulls through. From the one glimpse of the firemaking tie breaker, her fire was pretty big, y’all. And I know they tossed in a clip of what appears to be Danielle in the final challenge, but if you look, it was just a clip of her in the challenge they ran last night (with her running with a bag of puzzle pieces.) Of course, the clip of Terry and Aras climbing the wall might be an old clip, too. Who knows! NOT us! No, we have to wait until SUNDAY. I am so not Mark Burnett’s friend right now.

Also looks like they have to stand on poles for the final three endurance challenge. If Cirie does make it that far, I’m not seeing her win any endurance challenge. Which means either Aras or Terry would have to choose her to take the final two. And I think she’ll be tough to beat. I would hope if Aras wins it, he’d take her over Terry, but it wouldn’t be his smartest move for the final two. And who knows who Terry would take to the final two. So Cirie might not be able to make it past three…that is if she wins the tie breaker to begin with.

I’d really like it to come down to Cirie and Aras. They’ve had a bond since the very beginning and it would be cool to see an alliance survive the entire process. Then may the best player win. Plus, she played a brilliant mental game and Aras a great physical one, so I’d love to see them go head to head in the finals. And, I absolutely cannot stand Terry. Last night his stock went waaaaaay down with me, and I didn’t think that was possible. He really needs to get waaaaay the hell over himself. I cannot imagine living with that guy.

So, I guess come Monday morning we’ll all dish. Let’s hope it’s a satisfying conclusion - which, to me, means anybody but Terry winning. (Can you imagine how insufferable he’d be if he did? For the rest of his life? Gah.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tags: Writing by Donna
20 Comments »

So…the heir apparent goes home. Didn’t see that one coming! Were people so busy saving other singers they forgot to vote for him? Or did he actually wear out his welcome? I think it’s safe to say it was complete shock and awe for him. (And was it me who was just sayin’ yesterday that he might want to take some humility notes? Hmm….) Well, he’s got such a strong voice and has had enough exposure (both to fans and to some muckety muck industry pros) that hopefully it was enough to launch his career.

Now the question remains…who’ll win?

Kat looked like she was going to throw up when they announced it was Chris. She was sure it was her turn to go home when she sang the night before and was mentally preparing for her final sing out. It’s curious, because of the three remaining, to be honest, she has the most marketable voice and look. She’s just young and very raw with her talent and needs a LOT of molding. So I can see her having a good post-Idol career, but in the context of the show itself, I don’t see her winning. Nor do I think she should. Forgetting lyrics this late into the game? Uh uh.

Which leaves us with Taylor and Eliot. Well, you know where my heart lies. I think Eliot has a perfectly fine alt-rock look (how many guys singing out there today are gorgeous boy band Ace-look-alikes? Not many.) Eliot would do fine in terms of appearance and performance. But his niche is more bluesy-jazzy. Not sure where the market is for that or how far he can be pushed into something more maintstream and have it work.

As for Taylor…I haven’t a clue what they’ll do with him, marketing-wise, but seeing as he’s never been in the bottom group (has he?) I think that unless people pull a forget-to-vote thing, he’ll likely win this. And after Chris leaving, I don’t think the fan bases of any of the remaining three will forget to vote. He’ll make an interesting Idol, that’s for sure!

On to Amazing Race where Karman made an excellent showing and got MoJo booted out on their whiny, vindictive behinds. Loved it. I’m glad they were all propping each other up on the mat because they were certainly meant to be together (and save other unsuspecting singles from ever hooking up with either of them.)

I am really happy with the final three teams. I enjoy the hippies, really respect Ray and Yo for keeping it together while also trying to figure out who they are in a relationship together under some pretty surreal conditions. And, you know, I’m not a Frat Boy fan in general, but you can’t say they haven’t earned their way into the finals. They are good racers. And for the most part, all three of these teams have kept a great attitude with each other and have had a good time on the race. I really really like that. I hope future seasons continue to have that focus.

As to who I’d want to win…well, I’d be happy with Ray/Yo or the Hippies over the Frats, but honestly any of the three deserve to be there. I’m just going to enjoy them racing for the finish line!

Thinking about it, all three shows - American Idol, Amazing Race, and Survivor are coming to interesting, unpredictable conclusions that should be fun to watch. Can’t wait.

Don’t forget to enter the SHaQ Attack contest! Last day for entries. See Monday’s blog post for all the details!

Tags: Writing by Donna
13 Comments »

Wednesday Morning MAC coming at ya live from Tuesday night…

And off we go…

Tonight on AI the four remaining singers will belt out Elvis tunes. Before a note has been sung, let me say that I think Taylor and Chris will rock this. I think Eliot and Kat might be challenged. I hope I am wrong where my man Eliot is concerned. I don’t see him making final two, but final three would be nice.

Ryan is dressed like he’s attending either a wedding or a funeral. He’s taking dapper to a whole new level this season, but he needs to cut it out just a little. I feel so…underdressed in my jammies.

Two weeks until the finale…hello judges…and off they go to Graceland where they meet a seriously over-preserved Priscilla Presley (I’m thinking you don’t want to try and look younger than your daughter. Just sayin.) Then they work with superstar producer Tommy Mottola, who has nice things to say about them.

First up is Taylor doing Jailhouse Rock which seems like a pretty good fit. He starts out in the audience, sporting a maroon suit over a black, untucked shirt (not digging that part so much.) He boogies his behindy off, whaling it, heads to the stage where they have the guitar guy pimping for votes for him, then he starts seriously channeling the King while apparently dealing with microphone malfunctions, but all in all does a Tayloriffic job. The crowd is pumped, so it’s a nice way to start the show.

Judges…Randy digs it. Paula drools. Simon trashes him royally. Ryan chastises. So all is normal on the homestead this evening.

Next up is Chris on the Barstool of Self Aggrandizement with Ryan talking about all his fan clubs. (They do realize if they lose, that America collectively forgets about them like two minutes later, right? Sometimes even if they win. Chris might want to take notes.) Chris tells America he’s a boxer briefs man and doesn’t mention his wife at all in this exchange, so I’m hoping someone is keeping his head on straight somewhere, since he seems to be the heir apparent at the moment. Ryan gets squicked and they go to tape.

He’s singing Suspicious Minds - another good fit. I wonder if this might have been a better second song to close out the night. At least we’re down to four now, so the standard early singer amnesia doesn’t really apply anymore, but I still think this might have been a good closer. Guess we’ll have to wait and see what song #2 is later on. Tommy likes him…and here we go…

He comes out in long black shirt over jeans, sporting aviator shades…not sure what that’s all about, like he’s channeling Vin Diesel as played by Bruce Willis. He doesn’t inject anything really new into the song, but he doesn’t over sing it either, which he easily could have with his voice. In fact, I think he undersings it. I wouldn’t say this is a show stopper. Just okay.

Judges….Randy totally agrees with me. Paula kisses up. Simon disses the shades, likes the song. I don’t get that, but we move on.

Eliot is up next…singing If I Could Dream which may be the only Elvis song no one on the planet has ever heard. (Or just me, but either way…) Eliot, Eliot, Eliot….dude. It’s two weeks and you pick an unknown tune KNOWING America hates it when you guys do that. Will he sing it well, of course he will. Will that matter? Not in the least. I will give props to how much he absorbs from each learning experience in terms of improving his singing and the soaking up whatever he can from the coach they have each week. Now will someone step in and help this child choose his material? That is if he gets another chance. Tommy is concerned.

And here we go…. Another really nice suit, another big fat tie. Sigh. he’s singing in a sort of low key that’s not the most flattering, though he’s right on it. It suits his voice very well and he does the most personal job of the three so far. Of course, since no one knows the song, they won’t know this, but this is easily the best performance yet. Will it get him another week? I sure as hell hope so.

Judges….Randy gives him the Hawt Award. Paula was almost coherent. This was apparently Elvis’s big closer in concert (according to Simon) so it will be interesting to hear what he has to say. Simon says he was an underdog, chose an unknown song (finally, we’re back in sync) and yet, says he totally rocked it. Agrees with moi on the best performance tonight thus far. Easily and clearly from my point. YAY Eliot. Hopefully Simon’s pat on the back will get him a few votes.

Next is Kat singing…uh…Hound Dog. Really? Hmm. She says they added in a piece of All Shook Up to the song. This should be interesting. Tommy Says…Kat’s a better singer than she shows on tv. (Because she’s all voice and clueless about her body - which is clear with her bobbing around the piano during practice. It’s her performance skills or lack thereof that diminish her.) But Tommy loves her. Maybe he gave her some performance pointers. We can only hope.

Off we go…she starts off on the elevated runway behind the judges table where the ass cam gets a very nice shot of her very tight jeans She is still all giraffe awkward and it’s a shame, because she’s gorgeous, with a stunning voice and great figure but she’s literally bouncing all over the damn place like a bobble head doll. If she could get that together, there’d be no stopping her. Until then, it’s just realllll distracting. The song is…well, a lot like Taylor and Jailhouse Rock so far. Fun, entertaining, but nothing new and exciting. She loses track of the song near the end and the band gets ahead of her as she runs out of breath (from all that flailing. Stop it. Taylor you are not.) and I think she is done for. But as she very well might be saving Eliot (who should need no saving after his performance but we all know he will anyway) I can’t fault her. Much. She tries to close it but she shouldn’t try to rock out or vamp out….sounds a lot screamy.

Judges….Randy and Paula basically cop out from trashing her and more or less toss it to Simon to be the bad guy. Which he has absolutely no problem doing. He says it looked like a desperate, manic audition for a musical and I’m pretty sure that is what I was saying just above. Once again, Simon is channeling me.

Round Two…

Taylor is rocking the black leather suit jacket over black, on the Barstool of the 30 Second Spotlight with Ryan. They talk about Graceland and Taylor shares his Amazing Golf Cart experience with Lisa Marie (who we don’t get to see, but let’s hope she runs far far away from her mother’s plastic surgeon.)

He’s singing In the Ghetto which he’s always wanted to sing. Tommy is very impressed. And we start with Taylor sitting stage side and he definitely puts his own Taylor soul stamp on it, but takes Tommy’s advice and keeps it low key. He strides the stage and makes it more gospel than blues. It’s a nice personal rendition and very much his own. The ending is weak, but it’s the arrangement more than Taylor. I think the judges should give him major props for this one. We’ll see…

Randy says…right key, right song, right on. Paula agrees. Simon Says…he just sung his way into the semi finals. I concur.

Now it’s Chris again…with A Little Less Conversation which is my personal all time Elvis fave. I could see this as more Taylor than Chris, so it’s going to be interesting to see what he does with it. Especially since he didn’t do all that well with the song before, which he should have totally rocked. Tommy is concerned.

Here we go…he jogs on stage in jeans and a long white shirt (no shades, thank god) and digs right in. Chris trying to have fun. What a concept for Mr. Intensity. He is too understated, almost like he’s reading the lyrics on cue cards or something. Odd. I mean, it’s okay, but too sedate/monotonal. All of which is to say Chris doesn’t know how to have fun. He should have gone for the sex appeal hip swivel stuff, but he didn’t do that either. At the end he brings it, but this was not a good week for him, overall. Very shrug for me. The crowd is not into it.

Randy likes it. Paula enjoyed it in her dazed and confused kind of way. Simon thought the first song was stronger, which I’d agree - except he didn’t get the potential out of the first one he could have, either. So a weak tonight, over all. Then Simon channels me completely again and says it was a weak night for him. Now if only I could get a cut of his pay….

Next up is Eliot singing Trouble which is a great choice, if again slightly obscure. A real bluesy tune, so well suited. Maybe it’s wise he’s sticking with his strength style wise and not worrying so much about connecting with the audience on song choice. We’ll see if it plays out again. Tommy thinks he’s got it all over this song.

He comes out in a suit jacket, jeans, open necked pink shirt. The band is gettin’ jiggy with it right off and Eliot does everything with this song that he possibly can. As far as I’m concerned, he just sung his way into the final three. America better agree with me! (Sorry Kat!) Best dual performance of the night by a LOOONG shot.

Judges….Randy says best ever. Paula agrees and gives him the Standing O. Simon Says…he deserves to go through. That he stepped up. Again, I completely concur.

Last up is Kat with Can’t Help Falling in Love which is smart as she’s much better with ballads as she can’t distract from her singing with her body movements. However, this might be a case of tackling too big a song and without the distraction of the dance performance (a la Taylor and Jailhouse Rock) it leaves the singer vulnerable to a lot of comparison time. She’s got the pipes, but I don’t know that this will have the oomph to get her into final three.

She starts out strolling onto the stage from the rear, wearing a two piece dress ensemble that defies description except to say Andrews Sisters meets Pussy Cat Dolls..and sings well, but gets shouty and warbly and way too much.
Nope, no final three based on that one.

Judges….Randy agrees, Paula talks about her first one, and Simon Says she’s apple pie with a gallon of cream when a dollop would have done nicely, thankyouverymuch. He concurs, yet again, with my amazing insight. Except for that apple pie analogy thing. What was that? Kat stands next to Ryan and totally sees the writing on the wall.

I don’t think the results show is going to be all that suspenseful, folks! At least, let’s hope not for Eliot’s sake!

Happy Hump Day…..

Tags: Writing by Donna
6 Comments »

This past weekend brought a few milestones along with it… My youngest scored his driving permit and celebrated an anniversary with his girlfriend (who I love and wish he’d met when he was twenty-five and not fifteen, dangit.)

And my oldest went to his senior prom and danced the night away. (I didn’t even know he knew how!) Ever the renegade, he has his own,very definite fashion sense (perhaps a little unusual for a 6′, 200 lb defensive linesman, but there you have it.) Boring he is not. I like it that he doesn’t have a “run with the pack” mentality. He’s proof you can march to your own drummer and somehow have everyone falling in behind you anyway.

And you guys are rocking the SHaQ this week. Mostly. Make sure you read the question!
Good luck and happy hunting!

Tags: Writing by Donna
12 Comments »

Since I woke up to a house full of sick kids…you all score this morning.

This week’s SHaQ Attack is an easy one. Just tell me the name of the hero in my last book for Bantam’s Loveswept line. Send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with PICK ME! in the subject line. I’ll draw a name on Friday and, in addition to receiving a copy of the book in question, the winner will get the book of his or her choice from my bookshelf.

Happy hunting!

Tags: Writing by Donna
12 Comments »

Well, this has been an amazing SHaQ Attack week has it not? And we do, indeed, have winners for both Detours! Phil would be so proud!

First, for the “I’m Demanding” contest, the correct answer was Mercedes Browning. (She was the Glass Slipper godmother who came up with Cinderella Rule #1 in the book The Cinderella Rules.) The winner this week of a book of her choice from my bookshelf is Minna from Finland! (Yes, we’re international blog babes now, y’all.)

Now for I’m Challenging I realize this was a much harder detour (hence the additional prize award.) The correct answer to Who was Balgaire and what book was he in…was: Balgaire (which means dog in Gaelic) was Alexander MacKinnon’s faithful wolfhound companion in The Legend MacKinnon.

A handful of intrepid blog babes undertook this detour with admirable and inexhaustable zeal. Three of you made it all the way to the Pitstop. Pat L you are team #1! Karen C, you are Team #2! And Deb B you are the last team to arrive. Fortunately! This is a non-elimination leg of the SHaQ Attack contest, and you’ve each won a book of your choice from my bookshelf AND an advance copy (when it arrives) of THE GREAT SCOT. You babes rock!

So, next week, I’m totally taking it easy on you all. Tune in Monday for the new SHaQ Attack hunt!

Survivor MAC…

Wow, what an episode! I loved seeing the family from home. As much as I don’t like Terry and all the eye rolls and winks and crap at tribal drove me nuts, I would have made the same choices he did when it came to doling out the love. I thought it was great Shane got to see Boston (especially considering where things went for him last night.) And loved loved seeing Cirie’s husband get a first hand look at just how much his wife had overcome to make it as far as she had. Very cool. Terry and his wife? Eh, not so much. I know the guy is invincible and this huge underdog and I just. don’t. like. him.

So….Cirie running this game, apparently. I sort of thought she might go for Danielle there at the end. (And Danielle definitely gave it her all on that immunity - if she’d gotten that fish untied she might have beaten one of the guys to the final leg.) Cirie seems to understand the big picture, but I guess she felt that if she axed Danielle, she’d lose both D’s and Aras’ vote for betraying their alliance. Whereas with Shane she only risked losing one vote. And who knows how Shane can be played on the jury. So…. Another smart move from Cirie? Remains to be seen.

I thought Shane made a pretty eloquent exit speech. Nice surprise. But man is this going to be a fun jury or WHAT?

We’re down to four…Cirie, Danielle, Aras (who is looking really ragged these days) and Terry. One of the Casayans is going home next week. My guess is Danielle, but given the previews and Cirie’s plotting abilities…who knows! The only thing we do know is it won’t be Terry.

As for final two? I’d love to see it come down to Terry and Cirie. Just to see how the jury swings. Neither Danielle or Aras really bug me that much at this point, but I think T and C deserve it the most from the remaining four. It goes without saying who I’d give the million to.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Tags: Writing by Donna
12 Comments »

Adieu, Paris!

I don’t think anyone was surprised by the results on AI last night. Except maybe Kat, who seemed to think she was bottom 2. Poor Eliot! But he was spared at least one more week - just so we can see him sing Elvis! I think it’s safe to say we’re heading to a Taylor-Chris showdown in the final two. I’m enjoying all the remaining singers, so it will be a good finale no matter what.

On Amazing Race those wacky hippies get another NEL break. And BJ deserves to run the race barefoot for thinking that going through the water was a faster way to the mat than going across the bridge - he had Monica beat! I won’t even get into all the devious behavior from last night’s leg, except to say, shut up MoJo. Way to go Ray and Yo on getting one first place win! (Is it me, or does Ray look like he’s way over Yolanda? I like them both, but perhaps not together.)

Next week? The Far East and Monkeys!

I’m impressed with the perseverance of some Blog Babes on here with the I’m Challenging contest. Check back in tomorrow morning for all the results! I’ll go easy on you all next week.

Ciao!

Tags: Writing by Donna
9 Comments »

First - I gotta hand it to you babes, you’re digging in! A few of you are dancing pretty close to the answer. For a lot of folks who read that particular book, the character in question was memorable. So it’s not impossible. BUT! If no one gets it this week, I’ll just let that contest ride until someone wins it, since the prize is sorta kinda a good one.

In the meantime, I will announce a winner for the I’m Demanding contest Friday and start a new, regular SHaQ on Monday. The Balgaire Contest will just run secondary to the weekly contests until someone gets it. Or until The Great Scot hits the shelves and is no longer a cool prize. Whichever comes first. (That gives you like, ten months to get the job done. )

A clarification on that prize - it will be a while before I have advance reading copies of The Great Scot, but you will still get your copy MONTHS in advance of it hitting the shelves. It will just be awhile before it lands on your doorstep.

Okay…now on to some American Idol MAC…

We’re down to five and I’m recapping as I’m watching….

Ryan’s rocking the skinny tie. (Hi Anthony Federov!) Hello, Randy, Paula, and Simon…

So, tonight they each sing two songs. One from the year they were born, one from today’s Billboard charts.

Eliot is up first singing a song from 1978 (he’s a fellow Virginian, yeah!) and has chosen George Benson’s classic On Broadway which I absolutely love.

He’s rockin’ a nice tan jacket and gold tie (still too wide for me!) and acid washed jeans look…and rocking the song pretty well, too. Really bringing the personality. He doesn’t have George’s scat-ability, but he’s totally going for it. Yay, Eliot. I liked it. (And Ace is in the audience, cheering him on. Awwwww. )

Judges? Randy says it started rough, but he pulled it together. Paula gives a thumbs up. Simon says it wasn’t his best, disjointed, and he’s lucky he has another song. I think Simon is off on that one, and we’re usually more in sync. Maybe I’m just excited..I’ll have to relisten later. But I was really entertained.

Next up is Paris talking with Ryan on the Barstool of Make the Audience Love Me. She talks about her childhood and tells him her first song is from 1988 (I’m older than dirt, y’all) and she’s singing Prince’s hit Kiss which really surprises me. It’s not a real singer’s song. And it’s a bit hormonal for Paris to pull off. I’m thinking it’s just me, but between Prince and Tom Jones….I’d rather hear a man do this one. Must be the subject matter.

She looks cute with her curls, dazzly pink rhinestone cross pendant and white vest shirt and black, peg leg capris. Here we go!

She’s going for it, I have to give her that. Vamping it up in the audience, walking the behind-the-judges catwalk, but there’s not a lot of music to back up what is more a spoken than sung song, if you know what I mean. She does fine with what she has to work with, but I’m not sure it’s enough. Okay, the “think I’m gonna dance, uh!” booty shake might get her a few votes. LOL! She should have gone all breathy kitten on that last “Kiss”…but no. So, not sure. I don’t think there was enough to it, but judges?

Randy says she had fun, and that’s cool, dawg. Paula likes her older songs better. Simon says it was screechy and annoying. I wouldn’t go that far. Simon is being the crankypants tonight (even for Simon.) Someone needs to spike his Coke.

Next up is Chris - can’t wait to see what he does!

1979 is the year and he goes with Renegade from Styx which is perfect for him. Dressed in all Johnny Cash black, complete with hip chain, he starts a capella. Background singers come in, then he goes straight hard core…but you know, it’s kind of strangely flat. He’s singing just fine and I’m thinking it’s more the band or something. I don’t know, but it’s not coming together for me, even though he’s singing great. Maybe it’s too much of a monotone shouty song. He pulls it together on the last line. It’s tough because these songs have been chopped down to maybe one minute , maybe 90 seconds tops (so they can all do two songs in an hour) and so what parts they choose to keep (whoever does the arrangement, I don’t know if it’s the singer) is crucial. I think this was mostly hit with a tiny bit of miss. The end was good. We’ll see if the judges agree…

Randy says he’s the Hot One Tonight. Paula says he set the bar. Simon? Says it was a million times better than the first two and a great song choice. I’m definitely with him on that last part. And he performed well - very rock star, all over the stage.

I think I want to go back and listen to all of these again - which is a good sign. But also because they are so short, you don’t have a lot of time to form an opinion. But, so far, no bombs.

Next up is Kat on the Barstool of Contemplation with Ryan… She’s got a slender brown skirt/strapless top ensemb. The year is 1984 and she’s chosen Against The Odds by Phil Collins (or was it Genesis? - they’re making me SHaQ because they’re not telling us the title or artist in some cases.)

I’m pretty sure she just totally blew the opening lyrics. Good cover, but totally went off track, forgot some words. She jumped back in on the chorus. Okay, she’s blowing this whole thing, or they really did a huge rearrangement and I’m just not getting it. Poor Kat!

Judges - Randy was just okay, Paula didn’t think it was strong, and neither did Simon…but no one says anything about botched lyrics. I swear it was a complete mess. Must have been the arrangement. Somewhere Phil weeps. The first bomb of the night for me.

Ryan seems to get that she botched it, so I feel a little redeemed.

Last in the first round is Taylor with a song from 1976. The group is Wild Cherry and he’s going to rock Play That Funky Music White Boy which is totally cracking my behindy up. God, this is going to be entertaining, one way or the other. He comes out in jeans, an untucked paisley, long sleeved shirt and boogies right off….pretty damn well, I might add. This is Taylor UnHinged, y’all. He is totally going for this. Again, it’s not a real singer’s song, but it’s fun. And the crowd is totally into it, because he’s dancing his ass off. Funky white boy, indeed. In the audience, up on stage, and in the end, flat on his back in the middle of the stage. Now THAT was a performance. Not sure about the singing, but it was fun!

Randy - laughing, likens it to drunken karaoke, but agrees he was having fun. Paula loves it as quintessential Taylor, which is it, then incoherently messes with Simon, and Simon? Does not surprise me by hating it. This is not a song Simon would ever get, no matter who sang it! I don’t care. It was fun and we all need more of that. Ryan and Taylor reprise the fall to the ground move at the end and talk to the camera from their backs. Those wacky guys.

Time for Round 2…Ryan gives us a primer on the Billboard Hot 100 lists….and wow, hard to believe the Idol finalists from the past 4 seasons have racked up a collective 90 Number 1 hits. Number 1, y’all. Pretty damn impressive, that. Now each of this seasons five finalists will chose a song from any of the current Billboard charts (whatever genre list they want.)

Eliot is up first with Home by one of my favorites, Michael Buble. Sort of an eclectic choice as a lot of people don’t know him and we all know how America hates stuff they don’t know. And he has that “going first” curse. Hmm…. Eliot, you’re scaring me here.

He starts seated on a barstool…and he’s no Michael. It’s okay, but kind of flat. Maybe a ballad wasn’t a good idea since this isn’t a huge one and it’s more or less unknown. Sigh. Eliot, Eliot, Eliot. Not bad, but definitely forgettable. I think my boy might be in trouble. Unless Kat tanks again. (I know it’s supposed to be Paris booted next, and Kiss didn’t do her any favors, but it was more memorable than this. If she rocks her second song…I dunno, people.)

Judges, Randy really liked it. Paula loved it. Simon EXACTLY repeats my concerns. And so…we’re back in sync. Sob.

Next up is Paris…with a Mary J Blige song, Be Without You (and thank goodness they’re telling us what and who this time!) She’s in some weird cammy satin combo with a red belt. Hmm. the Paris of old is back. She’s got the pipes to do Mary J credit, no doubt. But…maybe it is her turn. I wanted to fast forward almost immediately even though she is doing a really fine job - especially once she gets to the chorus. She does as good as you can do with this, but not sure she’s connecting - you know, in that way Paris never seems to do even when she sings really well.

I think, so far, Chris might be the only safe one. With only five to choose between and to dial in for, anybody, I guess could be in danger if people don’t remember to vote for who they love in addition to who they are trying to save. Everyone needs votes tonight.

So, judges…Randy really liked it. Paula liked it okay. Simon really liked it - nice to hear tonight! Maybe that will earn her a few extra votes. We’ll see. Still don’t think she’ll make it to the end.

Next up is Chris - with I Dare You from Shine Down. Here we go (with the flames of hell screen saver behind him…woooo. Except, not really.) He’s added a black leather suit jacket, which looks pretty good. The song is okay, he does a Chris job with it. No surprises - it’s right up his alley. A bit scratchy on his screamy parts, voice is a little shot, but…still okay. Not my favorite, but I doubt this would send him home.

Randy agrees on the scratchy voice, didn’t really like it. Paula agrees. Simon is concerned his voice is shot - and it seemed more like sincere concern than criticism, which was nice. All in all…they like him, didn’t like the song, hope his voice recovers.

And now Kat with one of my favorites (or used to be until America discovered her, too and played it to death) KT Tunstall and Black Horse and the Cherry Tree. Given that I’ve seen KT sing this and..well…pardon me but it seems a really strange choice for Kat. Have NO idea how she’s going to pull this off. Guess I’m gonna find out!

She’s on the floor with two guys doing the percussion that KT does all by herself AND sings at the same time (you really have to see her perform – it’s great!) Kat is going for it here…but the whole sliding around on the floor and walking on your knees thing? No. Kat never is real comfortable in her own skin, but this is not the solution. Please get up. She teases us for a bit, but no. It’s distracting and not attractive. She’s doing a pretty good rendition of the song and I’d be really enjoying it – but girl needs to GET UP. This could have been a show stopper if she wasn’t all over the damn floor. Are you getting how much I hated that part? Song was really good though.

Randy liked it. Paula liked the choreography, but, well, Paula. Simon says it’s a strange night with people all over the floor, but he really likes the song. I agree there.

Commercials - loved the Cotton commerical and the “Clothes That Get You Fired” store. Hee.

Here we go with the finale of the night and Taylor. He is doing a re-release from The Beatles with Something. Talk about a change up from Funky White Boy.

Very nice Clooney suit and ‘do. He does a nice job with the song, too. A quiet Taylor vibe. I’m liking it a lot more than I thought I would. Might have to vote for this guy. For me, this is the song of the night. Would have never guessed. And a ballad! What’s wrong with me?

Randy dug it, so did Paula. Both seemed as surprised as I was. Such a classic and so overdone, but he did it beautifully. Simon is shocked, too. He really liked it. We’re all pleasantly stunned. Nice closer, Taylor. Really nice.

Tomorrow night isn’t going to be easy! I could see Kat or Paris go. And, much as I hate to say it, Eliot was pretty much invisible tonight. Could be him. I don’t think anyone is going to remember he’s in danger enough to vote for him. I think Chris and Taylor will be fine, though. I think they might be our final 2. Sorry, Eliot! Sob!

What did you guys think?

Tags: Writing by Donna
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