Jeezuz Christ!

Ah, yes, the Jesus Card. Now we must decide who to diss next: her, the competition, or the show itself. Or "those Americans" or "those Christians."

I have the sneaky suspicion that Carly won't be back because she simply had less people call on her behalf than the others. No one calls to vote someone off- you vote for "your favorite."

The Red Sea did not part when Carly sang. Of the remaining candidates, the audience didn't "like her best." That's all. No conspiracy- we don't need an investigative commission to get to the bottom of this.

(Good Lord, I'm still yappin' about American Idol!)

AI

Considering the state of popular music today, I'm not surprised by idiotic opinions. Carly, quite simply, has a big mouth and no soul. Syeesha is no Melinda (last season)- her performance was charming but her voice is thin, pitchy, and grating. Jason needs to detox with some coffee. The two Davids, I must admit- are talented and "the ones to beat." However, like ALW, I'm a big fan of Brooke's- check out her studio recordings on iTunes, and ignore the stumble (which is not cool at this stage of the competition): she has the most affecting, soulful voice and doesn't need gimmicks, theatrics, or belting to move you (me).

Regarding the tattoos- I don't care how many people have them or where- they are painful to look at, demeaning to the natural artistry of the human body. Self-mutilation, a tacky, decadent expression of phony hipness that in actuality, for most people, is actually a form of conformity. K-Mart chic.

Roger Ebert

Whether you agreed with Siskel, Ebert, both, or neither, you'd have a good sense from watching that show whether or not to go see a movie. And watching them argue, I couldn't help but imagine how much they had in common and therefore must've respected about each other- their absolute love and passion for the movies. Roger has continued with his passion ever since, and if we can't watch him on TV (which I sorely miss), we can still read his still-brilliant thoughts and observations. Thank you, Roger Ebert, and wishing you good health and many more years At The Movies. As always- "two thumbs up!"

Idol 10

The hot blonde gets to stay. The tattooed arm that frightens me still has a great voice and was inexplicably in the bottom three. Huh? Probably because the others have bigger followings- it wasn't her performance.

But all three bottomers had attitude/defensiveness problems- maybe that turned people off. Amanda didn't need Simon's advice or Idol- she was playing to her imaginary fans. It would've been interesting to see if she could surprise... but I doubt it.

Many of them butchered the songs. Makes me wonder about the band and vocal teachers- leading people astray to find that "Idol Groove." The Beatles are the Master Class. Be adventurous, you better be damn good!

Political burnout

I think we're all burned out from this campaign. It's beginning to feel like silence would be better than hearing any further comment, observation, analysis, or especially bias. Even preference. I'm sick of it all- the candidates- the pundits- the debates, the coverage. SNL. I only know one thing for sure right now- I can't vote for a Republican. Forget "first black," "first woman," "first Depends-wearer," that's it. Obama could end up as an Eliot Spitzer- full of promise but ineffective. Both Hillary and McCain could end up as Bush2 on steroids. I've lost at least a little respect for each and everyone involved- the candidates- former heroes like Olbermann and Tim Russert- Tom Brokaw should raise his voice more instead of allowing Joe Scarborough to disrespectfully dismiss him as being "old-fashioned" for daring to voice the opinion- "enough analysis- let the people speak." I'm sick of hearing these ongoing voices. It's like being addicted to some terrible drug- watching CNN and MSNBC night after night. I need to go to Political Rehab and save my stomach.

"Worst person?"...

I thought Keith understood comedy- unless he's been desperately waiting for a perceived opening to criticize his imagined (rival?) John Stewart. The whole point of Stewart's remarks, to me, was to defuse this ridiculous issue about Obama's name. With Ann Coulter- it is racial profiling. The Stewart joke was simply funny, and illustrated how childish the whole issue is. It was one of the funniest, silliest moments of the night. I don't get it, Keith- does this prove to Fox you're an equal-opportunity pundit? Lighten up, lay off the sports competitive violence for a while, watch a few Stooges movies..

TMZ's "Member them?"....

What a setup- you guys publish the most extreme before and after pictures possible- throw in phony complimentary adjectives like "ravishing," knowing full well that the difference between youth and age is shocking, sometimes heartbreaking- then sit back, probably laughing your butts off as people have a debate between the blind and the cruel.