Aye, Blog Babe Lassies, tis time for another wee SHaQ Attack contest! Only….let’s make it a bit grander than that, shall we? Since this week is also the annual celebration of me getting closer to the big 5-0 (two more years and counting….) I think we should do it up in grand style. Whaddya say?

I haven’t set any books on the bonny shores of Ireland, but, as you all know, another gaelic land is a favorite of mine, Scotland. England has made it in there, too. However, the lesser known of the British Isles, Wales, has also factored into my storied past. So your challenge this week is to write me at donna@donnakauffman.com with the subject line “It’s all green to me…” and tell me the name of at least one of my books that was set in Wales.

We will have a winner a day this week, starting today, with all five winners announced on Friday! (You may only enter once.)

Happy hunting!

Happy Leprechauns and Clover Day!

Tags: Writing by Donna
4 Comments »

So, that wasn’t fun, FANS. Don’t make me think you’re going to pull off the upset of this Survivor: Season of Blindsides, by sending Ozzy home. Especially after Probst says in a pre-season interview that there is an even dumber play this year than by James last year when he failed to used either of the two idols he had. When Oz Man went on, and on, and on about how he’d dive naked off the pier if he was blindsided, I was going nooooooo! (Okay, so parts of me were going, Do you think they’ll show the naked diving part?) but the rest of me was being all tragic and heartpoundy.

It’s bad enough my girl Cirie already ousted Yau Man. Would it have been a ridiculously smart strategic move, well, duh. You’d have starved with no food, but yeah, it would have been amazing. But thank god Chet really is the useless ball of goo you all have been describing him as since Day One. Did you hear his exit speech? “I just couldn’t do it, they can take care of him after I’m gone.” Uh, Chet? No, they can’t. Even with Ami, they don’t have the numbers now. Really, totally useless….

It was a shame to see Penner go out like he did. I think he was a really worthy competitor and I, for one, was looking forward to seeing him try to match wits with Cirie’s game. But I’m glad to hear he got the help he needed. Rumor has it next week has it’s own brand of excitement as well…so, since the previews didn’t show anything that really indicated that, I guess we have to wait and see what happens.

Oh, and I did love the delightful Goofy Dwarf music that accompanied Jason finding what he thought was the idol. Now, did he figure it out it wasn’t the idol and that, by process of timing and elimination, Ozzy must have it? Or will him playing that idol be the new Stupidest Tribal Council blunder? Guess we’ll have to wait and see…

I also got the chance to catch the season opener for Top Chef. Looks like an interesting group. Sort of. So far. No favorites, though the Kiwi can chat for as long as he likes. They sent home Nimma, who didn’t want to play well with others, (and isn’t there one on every season, in every reality show, since the dawn of time? Honestly….) I had no problems with her exit. None. I was, however, surprised to see Shaky Stephanie win the challenge, since she struck me as someone whose nerves would send her packing her knives early. Tempers look like they already flare next week, when the remaining “I’m here to work, not make friends” chef gets into it. We can only hope he follows Nimma out of the kitchen. This is why I enjoyed this recent season of Project Runway. No drama, it was all about the fashion. I’d love to see a Top Chef season where they all get along and it’s about the food. I know. Dream on.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Next week is my Birthday Week and you all are the ones getting the presents! Yay! We’ll have a Super SHaQ Attack with multiple winners. Tune in Monday to find out how to enter.

In the meantime, don’t forget the blog part going on for Dianne Castell’s new release - head on over to Dianne’s Party! and see if you might be a Beeeg Winner!

Aaaaaaaaaand DISH!

Tags: Writing by Donna
3 Comments »

Wow, given the general feeling of, oh, everyone on the planet that a girl would be going home this week, I’m guessing that makes David Hernandez feel even worse that no, it was him. But, lap dance or not, I really have zero qualms with his ouster. In fact, though I’m not a big Ramiele or Kristy Lee fan, they each bring a bit more to the table than David H does, and hey, that gets us down to only two David’s left, which is always a bonus. Another person who doesn’t mind Lap Dance David going home is Blog Babe Jennifer K, as she was one of a teeny tiny contingent who voted GUY in this week’s SHaQ Attack contest and is our week’s Big Winner! Woo hoo, Jennifer!

So….what did you think? Yay? Nay? And what did you think about the announcement we were going to get more Beatles next week? You know, I don’t mind them dipping into the song book more than once, it’s a kinda cool thing they got the rights to do it, but couldn’t they spread it out a bit, say do it on Idol Gives Back night or something? No? Oh well….

Last night was also the premiere of this season’s Top Chef! Yay!! I love this show. Only, I was prepping for two classes I’m teaching today, so I didn’t watch as I didn’t want to give it only half of my attention on the first night when I wanted to get to know all the chefs. Also, same goes with Men in Trees. I just caught up with last week’s, so I’m going to keep that on my DVR for weekend viewing.

However, tune in tomorrow for some Survivor MAC and some Top Chef, too, if I can squeeze in both. According to rumor, Survivor is supposed to be pretty WOWZA this week and next week…. Inquiring minds….

Also, as promised, here is the low down on how to get to Dianne Castell’s Blog Party to celebrate the March release of her Brava, Hot and Bothered! Just click on the link and read the blog - good luck! Dianne’s Party!

Now…let’s dish already!

Tags: Writing by Donna
5 Comments »

Based on the Blog Babe Poll, I think we have a pretty good idea which gender it’s going to be, that is if America feels as we do. (And, well, they certainly should, since we’re right. )

But, now that we’ve seen their performances this week, does everyone still feel the same?

Here are my thoughts as I watched the show…

Nice new stage, very Idol-ish. But I’m not sure if I like the band in their sky suite. I kind of like a band to be down with the singer, but we’ll see…

Tonight we get the much vaunted Lennon-McCartney songbook, which definitely gives them a wide set of options, if they, indeed, have the whole book to choose from. We also discover that it’s not just the songs they sang themselves, but also includes songs they wrote for others.

First up is Syesha and she opts for Got To Get You Into My Life, which is a song I always enjoy listening to, but I hope it’s not too Standard McCartney Pop Song to stand out. Well, the band sounds good! And she tries to command the stage - she’s not intimidated, that much is clear. But the song, the singing, is just okay for me. (God, I sound like Randy. I’m just keeping it real.) The last bit of change up was the best part for me, but it was too little too late. Judges? Randy said he wasn’t sure about going with the Earth, Wind & Fire version, but it got better as she went on. Paula mostly agrees. Simon completely screws with my head by really liking it much more than the Keepin It Real Duo, which clearly also throws Syesha off, too. I’m usually in sync with the Evil Brit, though I’d never be as harsh to the person’s face as he is, so I’m….I don’t know. I guess we’ll see how the rest of the night goes. It wasn’t that great, Simon. Rilly. It wasn’t nerves, she had no problems with the stage.

Next up is Chickezie…I thought his video was kind of endearing. He’s singing an early song, She’s A Woman, and says he’s adding the funk. We’ll see. He starts on the stairs with a few musicians and a bluegrass feel and, wow, I LOVE this version straight off, then he stands up and totally cuts loose and I am completely bowled. Damn, dude, who knew he had that in him? This is exactly what he had to do to arrive. Damn, now that’s a Top 12, incredibly righteous performance right there. Beat that, people! I double dare ya. That makes me want to vote. And the crowd goes freaking wild. I’ll listen to what the judges have to say just as soon as I listen to that bad boy one more time. Wow. Judges? They lose their collective minds, too. That was a lot of fun.

Poor Ramiele - who has failed to move me even once, other than when she’s sobbing during the vote off sing out. I would NOT want to follow that performance, so she’s got double the duty to pull off now, as far as I’m concerned. She’s singing In My Life which she dedicates to her close friends who have left the show already. Read: Danny. Here we go…and, for me, it’s the same old Ramiele. Something about the way she moves her mouth when she sings has always distracted me, and not in a good way. Like she just got botoxed and isn’t used to her lips being puffier. Mostly, I just feel as if she’s just singing this song as it was written, in a very sweet, serviceable way. What I don’t feel, at any time, is that she’s really emotionally connected to what the song is about. This is a very moving song, and…I’m not all that moved here. But, could be me. Judges? Randy says it was boring. (Agreed.) Paula compliments her beauty, which is a nice way of saying, that’s all I have nice to say. She says it was too safe. (Agreed.) Simon, in his brutal simplicity, says he was bored to tears with a song that did absolutely nothing for her. Harsh, yes. But…true. Aaaaaand, the planets realign. And, wow, what really ticked me? She was all “It’s okay” when they were feeling a bit bad for being tough on her, but then when Randy said he wasn’t sure she’d done enough to stay next week, she gets this surprised look. Like, sweetheart, have you NOT been reading the news? The girls days are already numbered this season -and you think you can just float through a week? Even Chikezie knew you had to seriously bring it - you’re playing with the big boys now, literally. No more girl-on-girl action, and even then, I think you might be in trouble. So, just…Wow. Now I’m not only not impressed, but now I’m not liking her a lot either. Stop with the Cute Pout and start singing better. Sheesh. (And Paula, shut up. They all have beautiful voices at this point.)

Next? Yay, it’s Jason’s turn! Wow, he has such a wiiiiiiide range to choose from that would showcase him stunningly. Lennon’s songs were made for a singer like him. (Okay, what is Ryan on? He’s wound tight tonight. Or just tight.) But, back to Our Jason… Like Ramiele, he mentions his first Lennon/McCartney song was Yesterday, and, like Ramiele, he chooses something different. I was relieved with Ramiele because I thought she’d be boring (turns out, it didn’t matter, she was boring anyway) but Jason I thought could pull it off. But he goes with If I Fell, which I’m much happier about, as it’s a happier tune, and Yesterday is just soo played out. (Wonder if anyone actually tries to pull it off. Maybe Archuleta could…) Here we go…with the guitar (squee!) He gives it the Castro Catchy-Breathy treatment, and while it’s not Chikezie-crazy-making, I really like it. But, I’m SO biased. Admittedly so. He’s my very favorite cute woodland creature… Judges? Randy says it was alright, but he wasn’t 100 percent behind some of the change ups. Paula…wow, do I have to recap her allll season? She’s Paula. Then Simon Says it was all a little bit Student In A Bedroom At Midnight. (Where does he come up with ths stuff? Was he sipping Paula’s coke?) I do get what he’s saying, and he does qualify it by saying he likes the guy, but not that song. Still, it’s My Woodland Creature, so I ignore and just gaze upon the natural beauty whilst I can.

There is Ryan-Simon banter that hasn’t worked for me once as yet this season, so I ignore that too.

Our Irish Lass is up next…Carly Smithson. She sings Come Together in an acoustic arrangement at the pub she works at, so she decides to go with that here as well. I sort of thought that would be Amanda’s choice, so this is kind of interesting… And, you know…I don’t know how I feel about this. Partly because she’s got this weird blue silk thing on that’s very distracting, and partly because there is an Amanda Overmeyer in this competition, and I can’t help but hear her sing this in my head as Carly is singing it, which makes Carly come off kind of like a poseur. As Simon would say, Sorry! The crowd clearly completely disagrees with me as they give her the next craziest response after Chickezie. Judges? Randy declares it as stellar. Paula says she’s already a star, blah blah blah. Simon Says (okay, can I say the chest hair exposure is really sort of distracting, only I’m not sure it’s in an entirely bad way, which is really confusing me….) Simon thinks this was her first great song choice. Maybe it was just the Amanda thing, I don’t know. (And that blue dress is hideous.) But then he goes on to say that this reminds him of season one, same week…..Kelly Clarkson. So…wow. The planets go awry once again.

We hear that David Cook is going to sing Eleanor Rigby, and we have an entire commercial break to ponder that bit. Hmm….commercial over and I’m still not sure how I feel. Guess I’ll know in a second when he starts singing… He does seem to get the importance of making sure every aspect is well thought out…so, good on him for that much. After last week, I really hope he pulls this off. I’m liking the guy. Still don’t want to watch him, but i do like how he sounds. (Then there is this really distracting bit with Ryan whispering at Simon right before he starts singing, which, really? Not cool.) And…here we go. FINALLY. He does an okay job. Again, listen without watching and it’s better. Though I kinda dig the jacket. He rocks the ending totally, in the way that Carly totally didn’t for me. So who knows. He had a great time, and is clearly pumped, which says a lot. I’ll be interested to see what the judges think…. Judges? Randy says he can rock out and loved it. Paula says he’s a great front man. Simon Says he thought it was brilliant. In fact, he says, if this season remains a talent competition, rather than a popularity contest (which, arguably, so far, it has) he thinks Our David Cook could win the whole shebang. After Hello, and an also arguably good turn out this week with such a diehard classic…he might be on to something there. And not something found in Paula’s cup.

Now, we get to Brooke Stepford White…. She chooses the last single recorded by the Beatles, Let It Be. I’m SO not excited about that. I hope she proves me wrong. And, seated at a grand piano, she does an okay job. Her voice was a little rough and didn’t quite have the range to really belt it out. It’s still too much a classic for me to feel something hearing anyone else sing it, and the urge to hit the fast forward button was strong, like it was with Ramiele tonight. Sorry! Judges - Randy says she has conviction and that’s what sold it for him. Paula says she found her niche. Simon Says he thought it was one of the best of the night. Really? What is wrong with me? Man, I am so out of sync. Because, no, it really wasn’t. Not for me. Not by a long shot. But her sincerity in describing the moment afterward did win me over a wee bit.

David Hernandez next. He’s pretty smooth in his interview, and if you didn’t know about the whole stripper lap dance thing, you might really like this dude and be all awwww, cute after school pizza bistro job… Except we do know what you did last summer. David. But then he chooses I Saw Her Standing There. One of FAVE tunes. And I hope he rocks this out. Otherwise, he totally owes me a lapdance. Just sayin. Win win for me. So, he starts on the catwalk behind the judges seat and it’s very kind of….stripperish, the opening of this performance. It is, too! It’s got a little Buddy Holly sound to it, as he goes on, that’s kind of…well, whack. I don’t know. It’s not entirely Luke’s A Go Go performance lite, but….not the top of the night. In fact, bottom of the guys so far. (Only Ramiele scores lower, with Syesha close after him.) I know, I’m so crabby! I will say that this whole Top 12 is head and shoulders above previous seasons, which affords me the chance to slam really good singers. But it also affords me the chance to discern between really great singers, and really great singers who also have superstar potential. I’m not thinking he’s got the latter going for him. But then, there is that lap dance thing…… The judges, for once, agree with me, but all I’m thinking is why, why didn’t Chikezie get a later spot because we could a performance of that caliber right about now.

Amanda Overmeyer’s turn and in five seconds she’s already smiled more than she has the entire time she’s been caught smiling the entire season. A little “how to win fans and influence voters” coaching, anyone? Bueller? She picks You Can’t Do That. She chose it after hearing it for the first time this week, so I’m guessing….not a big Beatles fan, since she has no memories to share with us about loving them in the past. Given she doesn’t have the history of it, it will be interesting to see what she does with it. Wow. Damn good job. Chikezie good. Loved it. The first time I’ve truly loved her this entire season. What she just did is what, for me, Carly couldn’t do earlier. So…sue me. She sang without really going all gravelly. Still all throaty, but really singing it this time. Loved. It. Only the second time tonight I did the playback. Dang. She also had a blast up there. Judges - Randy loved it. Paula is bubbling over. Of course, she’s had a lot of coke by now. Simon Says he didn’t think it was as good as last week and it was too slurry for him. He has no clue about southern bar band rock, which is exactly what she did to that song. And it was freaking brilliant. But, I get what he’s saying. He’s just wrong.

Michael Johnsnext - yay! He’s singing Across The Universe, which is personal for him. So, I hope he pulls this off. He sings this more purely than he has the past few weeks…I must admit I listened to him and found myself wondering how Jason would have handled this song, and even David Cook, which, not a good sign. But I did like this version okay. Judges? Randy says it was a little sleepy, but aiiright. Of course Paula disagrees, because he’s a cutie and she loves all cuties. Simon Says he agrees with Randy and thinks he should have done something like Carly did, to stand out more, but he’s still a fan. Just wants that breakout performance. And….here I agree with him.

Kristy Lee is up. She’s singing 8 Days A Week and going country with it. Simon doesn’t always get country, so I don’t know how well her dream that he appreciates this will go, but here we go. Okay, is it me, or is the beat all speeded up and not matching her all speeded up, even a little bit? I like the country twang, but what was that arrangement on speed for? Wow. A shame. Could have been a solid performance for her. Judges - agreed.

David Archuleta is last up! (There’s a surprise.) He chose We Can Work It Out because he was familliar with the Stevie version, but is nervous as he’s never connected with the Beatles. Which is surprising, given I’d think they’d be right up his save-humanity-save-the-starving-children alley. Oh well….this could be interesting. Wow, I’m stunned - but the consummate performer since he was like, what, 4? He Forgot. The. Lyrics. Wow, he must have really been stressing over this, which is crazy given he can sing pretty much anything and be pretty spectacular just because. So…instead he’s kind of totally tanking this. Who knew? It’s kind of oddly endearing. But dangerous! Judges - Randy hates on it. Paula calls him on the lyric forgetting. Simon informs him it’s only fair to judge him as he does everyone else and that it was a mess. (See, he’s being kind. I’d have said stone cold mess. Who knew I could be harsher than Simon when we both think it sucks?) I know he likes the kid, so he probably hates the hatin’, but he’s right. David totally tanked that.

So, in watching the recaps, here’s how I rank it:
Chikezie, just because it was such an unexpected turn around.
David Cook
Amanda Overmeyer (I know, such a shock for me to like her this much)
Jason Castro
Carly Smithson (with a different outfit, she might have moved up one.)
Brooke White
Michael Johns
Syesha Mercado
Ramiele Malubay
David Hernandez
Kristy Lee
And, shocking, to me, David A in last place.

So, you have until tonight at 9EST to get your votes in for this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. (See Monday’s post for details.)
Winner announced tomorrow!

Now, I promised some news on how to win more cool stuff! Fellow Brava author, Dianne Castell has a new release out this month, Hot & Bothered, and so they’re having a big ol’ blog party to celebrate. And part of that celebration is giving away a lot of free books by all your fave Brava authors. So, starting tomorrow and going through Friday, I will have a link here that will send you right to the party!

So…about Idol. You know, this is shaping up to be quite the interesting season. I’m hooked. Can’t wait to see what they all do next week. Who did you love? Who made you cringe? Who made you cry? Who wants to bet Ramiele cries? Who should go home? Who should stay, even if they tanked? It’s such a diverse group, I can see some wildly varying feelings out there. Share!

Aaaaaaand, dish!

Tags: Writing by Donna
3 Comments »

But no, we have to wait until next week. The commercials are making me impatient already. Love Marlee Matlin’s “Read my hips.”

In the meantime, we’re stuck with Idol, which, okay, so it’s good they’re finally allllllll singing on the same night against each other. The SHaQ Attack contest this week is voting on which gender gets sent home this week. It’s rather an avalanche of votes going one direction. Interesting, but not terribly surprising. I wonder if they read this blog…

And there was a typo in yesterday’s blog - my email address hasn’t changed - it’s still donna@donnakauffman.com. Thanks Blog Babe Pat for picking up on that! It’s been corrected. See Monday’s post for the details for this week’s contest.

Okay, so show of hands for all those who have decided to give The Bachelor one more go because this time the guy is a Brit? And not half bad looking, either. I was tempted. I’ll admit. But then I saw the commercials and while the guy looks pretty decent, the women look like complete loony tunes. I don’t think I have it in me to watch a bunch of women make such complete asses out of themselves. I think I’ll wait for the next Bachelorette season and enjoy watchng 25 men instead. Those numbers are way more attractive to me….

Don’t forget to watch tonight and get your votes in by 9pm EST tomorrow. Complete details in Monday’s post. Check in tomorrow for a special announcement and link to a fellow writer’s blog party where you can win even more free, cool stuff!!

Aaaaaaaaaaand, dish!

Tags: Writing by Donna
1 Comment »

So, I watched Men In Trees…. And it was kind of like an end-of-season show, you know? Wrapping up a lot of story lines with a tidy bow. If I didn’t know they already had nine more shows in the can, I’d have been worried. Then they showed the previews for next week and everything goes to hell again, so I guess the tidy bow doesn’t last long. Mostly I was happy in the previews to see that we get some Plow Guy in NYC storyline! Yay!

As for the rest…Jack comes back, and yet I find myself way more interested in Cash’s situation. Of course, Cash walks around shirtless alot, so it’s not all that unusual that I have an affinity for the guy…. I think it’s interesting the more we learn about Jerome. A concert pianist? I thought when we got a sneak peek before, that he was some kind of government federal agent in a past life. So that was kind of interesting. Glad they acknowledged his connection to Annie’s mother. We also get Theresa’s biological clock kicking in…which could be interesting. I loved that Mai got to be a cheerleader for the hockey team. A nice shot of hilarity in an otherwise kind of angsty show. I’m liking the preacher/former hooker storyline okay. Hope it continues with some depth. Glad her son finally figures into the show. The Annie/Patrick storyline continues…but i’m not sure how I feel about it. Kind of meh at the moment. Mostly it’s the Cash story, along with more Plow Guy, that keeps me coming back at the moment. What I’m not interested in is any kind of triangle with Jack, Marin, and Cash. I’m so over triangles with those two. What I’d love is for Cash to get his own storyline, a la Plow Guy, with someone else on the show. But then that might compete with the supposed main story of Marin….still, I think it’d be worth a try anyway.

I also watched Big Give. Pass the Kleenex! I liked the show a little better this week, now that it’s settling in and showing some different types of tasks and challenges. I liked that it didn’t have to be all about the money, and that a life changing experience didn’t have to involve handing someone a check. I also liked the one Big Giver who handed out a little bit to a lot of folks, who could take that little bit and do a lot with it. $400 might not seem like a lot, but it buys a lot of diapers and formula for a new mom who has nothing. So…all in all, not as hard to accept as last week, but still not liking the fact that someone goes home for doing something good. But, if that’s the game, I will say I agree on who was sent packing this week. Kind of a no brainer. Not sure why Scruffy Guy was in the bottom three, but glad it didn’t amount to anything.

Now on to this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. Woo hoo! Okay, let’s play Who Goes Home. This week, on American Idol, we have our final 12 playing for themselves. No longer guys vs guys and girls vs girls. Too many players to predict specifically who goes, so….just send me an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with Idol Go Home! in the subject line, and your guess - Guy? Or Girl? You have until 9pm EST Wednesday to play this week. Winner announced Thursday morning!

So…this is the last Dregs Week - next week we get Dancing with the Stars back. Yay!

Tags: Writing by Donna
3 Comments »

On Idol, some surprises, some not so much. First we get Blake back from last season singing and beat-boxing for us. It wasn’t as awesome as I’d have hoped, but it was nice hearing him again. Then, in and around a lot of filler, we find out who our final 12 are. On the boys side, they dispatch Luke pretty quickly, to no ones dismay, but eventually the other evictee comes down to Danny or Chickezie. Sometimes I hate being right. This time, well, I felt sorry for the kid since he really wanted it, but he’s young, he has time to figure stuff out. So it’s bye bye, Danny.

On the girls side, we dismiss Kady, also to no ones dismay. Then it’s down to Asia’h and Kristy Lee…and this time I’m wrong, and it’s Asia’h going home. Since I don’t think either of them could have won this thing, I suppose it doesn’t matter, but I wouldn’t have sent Asia’h home first. Ah well.

So, there you have it, the final twelve. Michael John, Jason Castro, Chickezie, all the Davids, and….all the girls who aren’t Asia’h and Kady. (Should we really bother memorizing their names? I think not.)

On Survivor, it’s tribal mix up night as buffs are dropped and fans and faves are mixed. I couldn’t possibly tell you who is on which tribe, but Ozzy gets to keep Amanda and James gets Parvati on his team, so some couples are still in tact. Everyone plays an incredibly brutal rat race game for immunity which leaves half the people seriously banged up and me really not liking Cave Man Joel (which isn’t saying much since I didn’t already, but dude, compassion. Look it up.) I’m not a Chet fan and neither is anyone on either tribe, but you just don’t drag people like that. Still, it’s kind of clear who needs to go home when Chet’s team loses. So it’s all kinds of awesome when, AGAIN, Cirie manages to mix things up and, seeing the writing on the wall if they start eliminating who they perceive as weak players (she’s number two, after Chet) she gets the tribe to vote out a strong player instead, and Cave Man goes home. Wow. I love her. Hook her up with Tracey and they might be the most powerful duo in Survivor history. Loved that.

Sorry, still no Men in Trees recap. My tv time is happening between midnight and three am, so I went with the other two. Hopefully it will be Monday MAC bonus!

Now for our winning SHaQ Attack blog babe. I asked you to name Delilah Hudson’s hero - and the answer was Austin Morgan from the Bad Boys, Next Exit anthology. A bunch of you got that one right, but the winner this week is Katie B! Woo hoo, Katie!

Tune in next week for another contest and all the MAC you can handle.

Tags: Writing by Donna
6 Comments »

Ladies First…

American Idol, the Girls sing. While I wasn’t horrified by any of the songs or their delivery, I found myself fast forwarding through the end of most of them because it was kind of boring and predictable and nothing remotely new or exciting. Yep, they can sing. But…so what? Jeez with the constant stream of diva choices. Does AI not get anyone else’s catalogue except Celine and Whitney? And why, why, why do they insist on continuing to choose them when, week after week, season after season, dating back to FOREVER, no one is ever impressed with any rendition of a diva song, most especially the judges? I mean, this is the critical week to make the final 12 and be on the Big Show…and almost all of them picked big, huge predictable songs. Oddly, the one I watched all the way through was Overmeyer doing I Hate Myself For Loving You. I don’t know that she brought anything to it, and it was weird how she looked like she was going to cry the whole time afteward when everyone, including the judges, loved her….but it wasn’t Celine, Whitney, or a power ballad, so I was there. (And Journey as Country? No. But then, Steve Perry was a rock diva, as was Freddie Mercury. Kady. Leave them alone already, too.)

I was actually disappointed when Brooke took on a Benatar song, then acoustic’d it. I mean, yes, it was exactly what she needed to do to it, Amanda Rawker she is not, but it turned out to be a major yawwwwwwwn for me. As were they all, really. None of them bad, just none of them doing anything different or exciting with a whole decade’s worth of interesting songs. Boo.

The guys win this week, hands down.

I’d send home any of them, really. I don’t know that any of them are particularly safe, but I’d say the major weak links are going to end up being Kady Malloy, and Christie Lee Cook. As a guess. But it could be anyone, and I wouldn’t be all outraged.

Now, on to The Fierce One (Danny, take notes from a natural, honey) and The Finale.

One word: YAY!!!!!!!!!

I really enjoyed all three lines by the finalists. By way far the best collections ever shown on this series. Wow. And all three had their own winning merits. I would have had an impossible time choosing. I also very much enjoyed the true camaraderie amongst the finalists. Made it a far more enjoyable show to watch when you could sincerely root for each one. Probably Rami’s was the most mature and well thought out (though I’m agreed on those horrid color choices) and Jillian’s the most feminine and wearable. But boy, from the music, to the fierce walks, to the dramatic clothing, Christian’s really made you sit up and pay attention. Loved it. Loved how badly, how terribly badly he really wanted it, there at the end…and how fabulously quickly he regained his footing and his Christian-ness, post win. Loved. It. Brava, Bravo!

Now, bring us some chefs already!

Don’t forget to play this weeks SHaQ Attack contest. Details in Monday’s post. Tonight, it’s Survivor time, and from the commercials, they give a whole new meaning to surviving. Talk about fierce.

MAC Daddy tomorrow, with some Tribal Council insights, and a little Men In Trees drooling.

So? Dish already!

Tags: Writing by Donna
3 Comments »

….and do we really need to listen to the girls sing? (And can we all have a sip of whatever it is Paula is sipping? Wow. Just…no words. Which is a better option than allllll those random words she strung together last night. Talk about your embarrassing moments….)

So…am I the only one who is finding the guys much more interesting on Idol this season? Show of hands? In fact, the only one I’d send home, no questions asked, is Luke A Go Go. Okay, that’s totally not true. Danny? For the love of god with all the prancing and mincing about. You’re like a caberet act who happens to also sing pretty well. And then you take all the stuff that is you up on stage and shove it into Tainted Love? Tainted With ‘tude? Rilly?

He could go. Please.

And though David Hernandez does have a lovely voice, I’m not connecting with him. Maybe a lap dance would change my mind…. Hey! I’m trying to information-gather here, that’s all!

As to the rest….

I agree that something up tempo would be nice from David A, but I liked his take on that song, I thought he did a good job with it. And while from pretty much anyone else on the planet, his Beauty Pageant comment on “the children, it’s all about the children” would ring incredibly false, with David, I’m not so sure he wasn’t completely sincere….and would be all “huh? You don’t care about starving children?” if you called him on it.

I rather liked Chickezie and hope we keep a good soul singer in the group. Certainly would rather have him than having to deal with Dannytude. (Okay, I will confess…my most embarrassing moment? It was when Ryan said he hadn’t noticed the purple streaks and Danny shot back the “mmm hmm.” I did laugh. I did. The shame.)

Michael, Michael, Michael…I liked the choice (though it wasn’t Aussie INXS, Randy…Scottish band Simple Minds, mate.) Anyway, enjoyed the choice and the way he moves around the stage, but it was a tone off for me. Come on, man, get it going on here. The cuteness will probably carry him to the final 12, but if he’s going to stick around longer…

On to the Best Of’s….

Jason Dreads….how adorable is he? Loved all of that (though I’m betting he’s sung that song A LOT.) Still, cool choice, well sung, and damn he has a great smile. Those teeth are scary-perfect, which is such a contrast to his matted chunks of hair. And then you toss in those eyes….what an odd woodland creature he is. I heart him.

David Cook. I know! But if you don’t watch him and just listen? He’s pretty damn good. (Just not pretty. What can you do?) I don’t like watching him, he sort of weirds me out with his I-know-what-you-did-last-summer semi-amused smile thing, but how often do you really ever have to look at the person whose song you’re listening to your iPod? Basically never. I’m telling you, turn away from your tv, and he’s all kinds of hot. Added to that, I HATE that song. With. A. Passion. And yet that was the only song I’d download from the night. Excellent rendition.

So, who did you love? Who would you send packing? Why can’t we have a top 7 guys and ditch three of the girls. I’d have zero problem with that.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s SHaQ Attack! Details in Monday’s post.

Tonight the Little Fierce One tries to trump Eeyore and Grecian God…can. he. do. it? We’ll see! Oh yeah. And the girls sing.

Aaaaaaaand, dish!

Tags: Writing by Donna
4 Comments »

Maybe it will be better? We’ve done the 60’s, then the 70’s, so should we dare hope that it’s time for some 80’s music? Something closer to current? I guess we’ll find out tonight.

Anyone going to check out the new series, New Amsterdam? Interesting premise, an immortal hero. He’s not too hard to look at either. I might have to check that out.

In the meantime, Barnes & Noble has been sending fun things to my doorstep. I am almost through Nora’s latest JD Robb mystery, Strangers In Death. I had taken a break from this series for the past year or two (oh, I have them all, just haven’t been reading them) and I’m happy to be back. Now I have to go back and catch up on all the ones in between that I’ve missed.

Next up is Sophie Kinsella’s Remember Me. I’ve enjoyed her Shopaholic series, but I most enjoy her stand alones, which this one is. With no Susan E Phillips or Jennifer Crusie out this winter/spring, it’s a nice gap-filler for my romantic comedy fix. She’s also doing a weeklong guest speaking appearance with Borders online, so that’s interesting, too.

And then I’ve been reading books on bookbinding and making interesting journals so I can teach them in my art/craft classes. Fun stuff! I took a class this weekend in traditional bookbinding and it’s pretty cool. The guy whose books I just bought (Michael Jacobs) is actually coming to the shop where I teach next month, so I will get to take classes from the master himself. Pretty cool!

Next month is also our annual Writer’s Retreat Booksigning in Boonsboro, Maryland. Mark your calendars for Friday, April 25th! I’ll be sure to list all the info and the attending authors when the information is finalized. I’d love to see some of the Blog Babes out there! I’ll be signing copies of the mass market release of Dear Prince Charming, as well as The Black Sheep & The Hidden Beauty, and whichever other titles of mine Bruce (bookstore owner and Mr. Nora Roberts) happens to have on hand.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. Details in Monday’s blog.

So….whose going home this week on American Idol? Whose going to win Project Runway? And will another fan (hopefully) go home on Survivor so Ozzy can continue rocking the show?

Inquiring minds! Aaaaaaaaand, dish!

Tags: Writing by Donna
3 Comments »