American Idol memories.

As far as show's go, American Idol is not my favorite. The handful of good singers each year get picked of early in favor of tragic monkey-poop, with a some rare exceptions making the top few, and - even rarer - taking the prize. But back in season one, we were given two fantastic performers: Tamyra Gray and Kelly Clarkson. Kelly's career is fantastic now; her new record didn't sell as well as hoped, but it was amazing. Tamyra did stuff for a while, but never achieved the fame she deserved.

Below I've put their performances from Season One's Big Band Night. Tamyra started things off well, and then nothing else special happened that night until Kelly stepped up and blew everyone away. What I remember most about that night was, up until then, Kelly was very good, but she had never stood out. Her performance that night forshadowed her future as a star.

Enjoy these clips, and remember, even though Idol has given us many many tragedies like William Hung, Taylor Hicks, and Jasmine Trias, it has also given us a few individuals who actually have talent.

I just made some soup.

Victory! I successfully produced a pot of delicious chicken noodle soup. Making soup has always vexed me - I've never done it well. I can do a decent vegetarian chili in a crockpot, but that was about it.

Until now.

Mmmmm... I grilled the chicken. I sautee'd the onions, celery, and garlic. I mixed together the carrots and egg noodles and broth. A dash a basil. A pinch of oregano. A bowlful of heaven.

Damn skippy.

Rocky update.

Sweet Transvestite - check!

Sword of Damocles - check!

Assorted blocking - check!

Howdy, faithful readers. This has been a very busy week for me, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm alive and all is well. The show is being learned, and I couldn't be more pleased. If you don't have your tickets yet, see a cast member you know (or me) and make sure you have your seat reserved. I will also be posting a link to the Center Stage Players website, and you may purchase your tickets there if you like.

I'm sure I'll get back to regular posting tomorrow - I have a lot to share with you. I'll be beefing up this blog as much as I can, because in 8 days I will be on my way to North Carolina on a much needed vacation! Oh, ocean, I hear your siren call! I will be with you soon...

And, in regards to the sad news today: Rest in Peace, Pavarotti! The world shall miss your heavenly voice.

Happy Birthday, Beyonce!

She is 26 today. Happy birthday, dreamgirl - you are a survivor!

I am now invincible!

So, shock surprise and more shock, I just finished the book I mentioned in a previous post, Soon I Will Be Invicible. Didn't hate it. Didn't adore it. But I liked it. It held my attention, and didn't cheat on it's surprise ending. It introduced me to some pretty stereotypical hero archetypes that were quickly given depth and therefore made more engaging. The narrative switch between hero and villian ended up being the perfect way to tell this story. In fact, my only complaint was that every chapter had some kind of awkward flashback in the middle of it. Although this helped give more understanding to the current situation and overall plot, it felt like watching a season of Lost, and by now you probably all know what that show does to my normally chipper mood. If not, than when I feel ranty again I will unleash my wrath on that once promising piece of shit, and then... oh, um, yeah, back to the book.

All in all, an enjoyable read. Not a great work of literature, but it never aspired to be one in the first place. So look at that: I finished a book.

Oh, yeah, and I JUST HIT 30 POSTS IN 30 DAYS, BITCHES!!!!!! That's right, suck my balls, I did it - in less than 30 days, by the way. Oh yeah, I'm the man, I am the little gay blogging man, so throw your arms in the air like you just don't care. I'M A WINNER!

57 more days til Halloween...

Last night my friend Matthew and I went to see the remake of Halloween. Well, it's more of a re-imagining than a remake. Halloween has been one of my favorite horror films, and I was excited and a bit cautious at the same time. I didn't want it to suck.

It didn't.

I really liked this movie. We both did, actually. We didn't love it, but we liked it. Rob Zombie did a good job. Malcolm McDowell was well cast and highly enjoyable as Dr. Loomis. In fact, the entire movie was well cast - Michael's mother and Laurie Strode, particularly. In Laurie's case, it was nice to not see a Jamie Lee Curtis impersonation.

This was also my first time seeing a film at the Arena Grand. Pretty nice theater. I will be seeing many films there in the future.

It was nice to spend time with Matt, too. In fact, he turned me on to a very funny YouTube video that I've embedded below. Watch and Laugh.

"Was blind, but now I see."

I got contacts today. They feel fantastic and it didn't take me long to get the hang of taking them in and out. My friend Katie who works at my eye doctor showed me how. I briefly wore contacts several years ago, and getting them in and out was a chore - I am feeling very accomplished! Katie also cleaned my glasses for me and they look brand new. I even got new nosepads! Yay!

So now I am ready to make contacts my eyewear of choice. I can only wear them a couple of hours today, and then slowly build up over the next few days. I am very excited. From here on out, I will never again be forced to wear that dorky glasses strap when I go to Cedar Point!


As a side note to this post, it is now September! I have been blogging for almost a month. Huzzah!