TV Worth Watching this Summer

Are you finding yourself bored this summer not being able to watch some of your favorite programs because they are in re-runs and won't return until the fall? First of all, I recommend you spend part of your day outside and take advantage of the nice weather (especially if you live in a northern, typically cold climate) - then, you can succumb to the couch and flip through the channels on your remote control. I know, a lot of us have to work and then who feels like doing anything after you get home? Half the time I feel like taking a nap first before doing anything else. Well anyways, here are some television shows that I recommend everyone try checking out. At least watch an episode and see what you think. Lately I have become a big fan of the Discovery Channel and the plethora of reality-based programming on there. They certainly aren't scripted shows and whatever they film actually happened. So most of the shows you see on this list are from the Discovery Channel, but there may be one or two other exceptions.

America's Got Talent (NBC) - This is not a program from the Discovery Channel, but it's a show shown exclusively in the summertime on the Peacock Network (NBC for short). America's Got Talent is in its third season and it has proven to be a popular program for all reality junkies. It's produced by media mogul Simon Cowell and it's similar to American Idol - except anyone with a talent can audition, which includes singing. But, it's not exclusive to soloists, as many times you will see groups perform together as well. Also, people of any age can try out on this show. I've seen kids as young as four years old sing and an old lady attempt to tap dance while in her 80's. So the age range is pretty far but some of the people/groups that try out are quite talented. It seems to me they tend to focus more on the groups that move on than the people who absolutely stink at what they're attempting to do. And the judging panel, I'd say it's more tame than what you see on American Idol, although Piers Morgan does his best to be the Simon Cowell of his show. Sharon Osbourne is typically the nicest of the panel and does compare to Paula Abdul in some ways - but in no way is she as ditzy as Paula can be. And David Hasselhoff does a respectable job as a judge; gives a positive or a negative critique when warranted. America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 9:00 PM (EDT) - but we are only in the audition rounds so far. The future schedule of this show is subject to change.

A Haunting (The Discovery Channel) - Now we're going to start getting into many of the Discovery Channel shows I enjoy. The first one is a show on the supernatural which includes real-life stories of people dealing with ghosts and other supernatural entities. This isn't the show where a group of people actually enter a haunted house and try to find ghosts for themselves. This show features people and their re-created accounts of how ghosts impacted their lives at some point in time. If you don't believe in ghosts now, try watching this show and seeing if you change your mind. It really helps to open your eyes on the paranormal universe. A lot of the stories featured are of families dealing with haunted houses. One such story had a family of five moving into this beautiful farmhouse in the country. Everything about the house was immaculate except for one of the bedrooms which was in rough shape. It appeared teenagers were worshipping some kind of spirit in the room, as candles were aligned in a circle and weird signs were painted near an old firehouse. It turns out these teenagers ended up opening a portal to demons. One demon was terrorizing the entire family when they had some paranormal experts come in and "cleanse" the house. They got rid of the one demon, but a few weeks later, a new one makes havoc of the house again. The only way for the family to get any peace of mind were to move to a new place - which they did. The only question I have about the show is that more often than not, couples or familes end up moving away from the haunted house, but they always put the place up for sale and never tell anyone about their experiences. All they are doing is passing their terror right onto the next person. I guess they want their money back just like the people previous to them did. You can often find "A Haunting" around 2:00 PM (EDT) during weekdays (check local listings).

Dirty Jobs (The Discovery Channel) - I would have to say this is probably the first show I really came to enjoy watching on DC. Mike Rowe, the host of the program, and his crew go to the dirtiest jobs in all of America and gives us viewers a first-hand account on what makes them so dirty. This program has already done 100 episodes on a variety of dirty jobs and have criss-crossed the country finding these places. They've gone to underground mines, sewers, a taxidermy shop, a charcoal plant, farms - you name it, they've probably been there. And Mike makes a great host for this program because he's definitely not shy to tell people his true thoughts about what he's doing. He also displays a true respect for what many of the people who work these dirty jobs have to do for a living. After all, all he does is work in TV - he doesn't have to get dirty if he really didn't want to. But that is what makes this program so great. He's not afraid to get down and dirty and go to some of these faraway places to do so. As long as they are dirty jobs in America, Mike Rowe and the Discovery crew will find them. Dirty Jobs airs frequently throughout most days on the Discovery Channel, but Sundays at 8:00 PM (EDT) is a good time to catch new episodes.

The Deadliest Catch (The Discovery Channel) - This is a show I really started getting hooked on towards the end of last season and whenever I see this program on, I end up watching it until the very end. It's probably something that any regular Joe would never think of watching on television, but the drama aboard these ships is absolutely captivating. The Discovery crew features about four or five fishing vessels off the coast of Alaska as they attempt to catch the most crab out of anyone. You'd be surprised how much a pot (a trap) of crab would be worth but basically what it comes down to is this - the more crabs in a pot, the more money the boat and it's crew earns. And they don't go out into beautiful sunny weather to do their crab fishing either, afterall, this is Alaska. A lot of the times they face terrible conditions out on the open seas. From heavy freezing sprays, waves that frequently crash on the main deck of the ship, winds strong enough to knock anyone over, and horizontal precipitation. Believe me, the guys on these ships earn whatever they make crabbing. And the cast of characters on each of the different ships are one of a kind. You cannot script this program up because no way would it ever be the same. The crab season is relatively short and they need to do everything possible to reach the set quota of crab for their season to be successful. If one season ends up being a disappointment, well, there's always next year. "The Deadliest Catch" airs Tuesdays on the Discovery Channel at 8:00 PM (EDT).

How it's Made (The Discovery Channel) - This is another ingenious program to air on the Discovery Channel. Have you ever thought about how a particular product ends up being produced? Let's say an office chair, a fishing lure, a horse saddle, or even some of your favorite candies and sweets. I bet you never thought twice about how these items get made. Well, it just so happens that there is a program that documents how certain items get produced. They start from the very beginning through to the production line right up to the very finish of the product. Most of the items you see are able to be produced in a very short amount of time with the help of factory machinery and robots. However, other products need to be installed or stitched together very precisely - requiring human involvement all the way. It's another program that really helps educate the viewer on what all is involved in making a variety of these products. And I think a lot of time, people take for granted how many of these products end up being created. Well not anymore - especially not with a program like this. I tell ya, it really opens the eyes of anyone watching. "How it's Made" often airs throughout most weekdays around 4:00 PM (EDT). But you can also catch it in primetime at 8:00 on Wednesdays.

That about wraps it up this time around. But believe me, this isn't all of the programming you'll be able to find this summer. I'll be writing another blog in the future about a few more shows that I find to be quite interesting and ones I think you ought to check out. These listing of shows should tide you over until then. Happy TV watching!

Remember These Songs? - 2

We are quickly closing in on the end of June, so I figured it's time to churn out a few blogs before we begin a new month. And what helps me out today is that it's a pretty cool, cloudy, and drizzly day. What better way to spend that kind of a day than by doing some writing! My review of songs that were released two to five years is back, complete with a re-worked title. Instead of "Remember These Songs That Were Hits" etc, etc, I have shortened it to just simply "Remember These Songs?" Much less klunky and easier to understand, don't you think? So this is version two of this particular blog series and this time around, I am looking at songs that were pretty popular for these respective artists/bands. In fact, in two of these cases, you could say that these songs really helped to elevate the popularity of the artists. Ever since then, they haven't produced memorable chart-topping songs, at least not in America. So let us begin our tour of memorable hit songs from just a few short years ago.

Daniel Bedingfield - I Gotta Get Through This: It's hard to believe it's been six years already, but "I Gotta Get Through This" was made popular in 2002 and really made Daniel a household name. And back then, there was only one Bedingfield that graced the radio waves (Natasha would come later). Daniel created a cool, edgy dance song that had everyone across America dancing to. I remember around here, the radio stations did not air the song right away like the rest of America did. I can't even recall when I first heard it; probably somewhere on television, but after I initially heard it, I was hooked. So naturally I got my fix of this song by playing it on-line. It was one of those songs I kept listening to over and over again while I was in college and needed a break from the heavy load of homework. Shortly thereafter, "If You're Not the One" would soon be released and became a new favorite song of mine. 2002 and 2003 really were great years for pop music, which is why I created a compliation CD of some of my favorite songs from those two years. "If You're Not the One" was one of the songs I put on that CD because it was such a soothing, mellow song about love and relationships. In fact, it remains as one of my favorites to this day.

So what has Daniel Bedingfield been up to since he made a splash in America back in 2002? He has continued to write songs and release new music, but hasn't had an ounce of luck in being successful again in America. On New Year's Day in 2004, Daniel was in a serious car accident that nearly took his life. It took him some time to recover, but he soon started work on a new album which would eventually be released in 2004. It wasn't nearly as successful as his first album, but the first single "Nothing Hurts Like Love" did reach #3 in the UK. But even Daniel couldn't muster up the same kind of success with his second album like he did with the first even in the UK. He took a break from music but was interviewed in April of 2007 saying he had three albums of music recorded and has been awaiting release. So I guess it's only a matter of time before we hear something from Daniel, although will he ever be as successful again in America? Only time will tell.

Hoobastank - The Reason: Talk about falling off the face of the earth. Much can be said about Hoobastank's quick rise to fame after their mega-hit "The Reason" was released in 2004. That song was everywhere - played on the radio every hour, in TV commercials, and even during the final episode of the TV series "Friends." You can't deny the fact that it's a good song. In fact, it's a great song and was deserving of all the praise it had received. But a lot of times, the follow-up song fails to be as big of a hit as the first. That's exactly what happened with their album "The Reason." But the song with the same name helped platoon the album to double platinum, making it their most successful album yet. Hoobastank first began in 1994 as a local rock band playing in smaller venues in Southern California. Their popularity grew bigger and bigger in their homestate and they soon scored a record deal with Island Records in 2000, but not before self-releasing their own first album in 1998. That was when Hoobastank became the group we all know today. But yet they seem to have fallen back to their modest beginnings and have not made very many big splashes as of late.

I bet you're wondering what Hoobastank may be up to these days. Well, they are definitely still very much involved in making music. After "The Reason," Hoobastank followed things up in 2006 with their new album, "Every Man For Himself." It wasn't nearly as popular as their previous album and ended up being certified gold. The album produced the songs "If I Were You," "Inside of You," and "Born to Lead." An additional song was planned to be released but that request was soon cancelled - speculated because of the poor sales of the album as a whole. According to Hoobastank's temporary website as of early this month, the recording process for their newest album is nearly completed with a date announcing the release of the latest album coming soon. So fear not Hoobastank fans, a new album is forthcoming.

The Corrs - Summer Sunshine: Ah, what a great song for a most appropriate time of the year. I can't find exactly when this song was released to radio stations as Wikipedia makes no mention of it at all - but I'd have to guess that sometime around 2005, at least. And I am making an assumption in saying that this song isn't really all that well known - but it did get a considerable amount of airplay around here. I believe they released it in the summertime, when a song with a very appropriate subject would tend to do well. It's an excellent song that really helps to lift your spirits when you're down in the dumps. It also helps to elicit fond memories of summers from your personal past or present. It's just a downright wholesome, fun song about a wonderful time of the year, which is why it is one of my favorites. I know it still continues to get requests at this time of year around here because it is a song that helps celebrate the summer season. The Corrs are a musical family, comprised of four siblings. They have had a long history in the music business, being influenced by their parents to learn different instruments. They originate from Dublin, Ireland and had their first experience with music success in the early 1990's. Since then, they have achieved international success with albums reaching platinum in many countries and getting the chance to perform at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

So what have the Corrs been up to since 2005? They released an album the same year dedicated to their late mother and featured traditional Irish songs. It was only successful within Ireland and France and was certified silver in the UK. As of 2006, the group has been on hiatus. Three members of the group are currently busy raising families while the last members is making an attempt at a solo career. They have also released two compliation CD's in 2006 and 2007 of previous hits and songs that failed to make previous albums. Those albums also were unable to reach some of their most earlier success. There is no word on when they might possibly get back together for an album consisting of new songs.

That will wrap it up for this edition of "Remember These Songs?" Be sure to check out my blog sometime soon for a new edition of this series - likely to come by mid-July. Until then, be sure to enjoy all different kinds of music, from the present and the past. Hopefully the songs featured here today and their respective artists will help you to discover them all over again.

Songs I Dig - 8

With a brand new edition of "The Songs I Dig" blog, I am happy to present to you five high quality songs that I recommend everyone listen to. A lot of times when I have three decent selections, I often have to scrounge around looking for the final two to make my list complete. And sometimes those songs really aren't all that spectacular, in my books. It took a little while this time around, but the last song that made this edition is really superb. Actually, all of these songs are equally as great. And each lead singer has different personalities and life styles from each other. Not to mention all of these songs have a different flavor all their own, as well. Without giving anymore details away to the many specifics of these songs, let's just delve into this edition of "The Songs I Dig."

"I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry - I guess it was a few weeks back when I first heard this song on the radio and I didn't really pay much attention to it. The only time I had been able to catch it was around 10:00 in the evening. I kept hearing it at the same time each evening and finally it got to a point where I really started liking it. I have to suspect that the radio station around here that plays the song didn't really want to air it during the mid-afternoons when more people are listening to the radio - or at least until the song gained more popularity. The subject of the song is a rather taboo one, another girl kissing another girl and admitting they liked the kiss. Now for most guys like me, we all think that idea is totally hot. So when she sings in the song, "...I hope my boyfriend don't mind it," I have to think to myself, "why wouldn't we mind it?" But I'm sure the female audience would have an opposite opinion of that. With that being said, it is an extremely catchy song that it's pretty difficult not to sing or bob your head along to it. It's got a great beat and lyrics that absolutely make you chuckle. Also, it doesn't hurt that Katy herself is an absolute bombshell to look at. This song is quickly gaining popularity and it won't be long before it hits number one.

"Shake it" by Metro Station - This is a fairly recent song to the radio airwaves and one that I find incredibly enjoyable. I remember hearing it while at a computer at work and secretly jiving along to it. It basically sucks you into the beat and just like the first song in this blog, it's incredibly catchy. I can see this one being a fun song to dance along to at a night club. Before I did any research into the individuals that made up the group Metro Station, I had assumed it was a group from the UK. To me, it sounds as if there might be a slight hint of a British accent when the two singers sing. But I was completely wrong! There are four members of the band, including Blake Healy, Anthony Improgo, Mason Musso, and Trace Cyrus. And that last name of Cyrus looks awfully familiar, doesn't it? Yes, Trace is the brother of Miley and the son of Billy Ray. Talk about a successful musical family! So no, these four do not have any British roots in them; they are very much American. "Shake it" is one of those songs that'll get you up on your feet and I have no doubt it'll continue to rise on the music charts. It's just so darn catchy!

"All Over You" by The Spill Canvas - Talk about a song completely coming out of left field. This song basically came out of nowhere and it's already proving to be quite successful. Although you may not have heard of The Spill Canvas prior to "All Over You" getting radio air play this year, they have been around since 2002. Believe it or not, The Spill Canvas was originally only a side project for lead singer Nick Thomas. Eventually, he put aside all of his other activities and focused solely on the band, which is described as an emo/punk rock band. With albums in 2002 and 2004 receiving very little fanfare, "One Fell Swoop" in 2005 did receive recognition. But their 2007 album "No Really, I'm Fine" has become their most successful yet. Despite the fact that lead singer Thomas does make a few funny facial expressions in the video for "All Over You (not purposely, mind you, but just when he's singing)," it's really a great song with moving lyrics. The message in the song is about doing everything you possibly can for someone you love but not getting the message across to that person. That all you can do is think about the person, but they can never really love you back. It's actually quite powerful and you should give it a listen if you haven't heard it yet.

"Take a Bow" by Rihanna - It's amazing how quickly things can change in just a matter of days. I was planning on going a completely different direction with these last two songs, but I liked two songs much better than those others, so here we are. "Take a Bow" has gotten more and more airplay and is closing in on the number one spot on numerous radio charts, if it's not there already. This is the first appearance for Rihanna on "The Songs I Dig" blog and it's probably not going to be the last time, either. Just look at her track record already since making a splash in 2005. "SOS," "Unfaithful," "Umbrella," "Shut up and Drive," and "Don't Stop the Music" all being huge hit songs for Rihanna. In fact, "Umbrella" was named as the most successful song in 2007 for the entire world. In the UK, it was number one for ten straight weeks; Rihanna being the first female artist since Whitney Houston (1992: "I Will Always Love You") to accomplish such a feat. In my opinion, "Take a Bow" is headed in that same direction. It's one of those true break-up/cheating type of songs. No matter how much apologizing goes on, it's just one big show because quite simply, the relationship is over. Just one grand performance and the fact of the matter is, it's over. The song definitely gets that message across loudly.

"One Step at a Time" by Jordin Sparks - I am pleased to say that Jordin Sparks is back! Not that I had any doubt, but I am especially pleased to hear not one, but three of her songs get airplay around here. That is a good sign for longevity and hopefully her sophomore album will prove to be just as successful as the freshman one. When I first paid close attention to the song, I had to really listen closely to whom the artist was singing it. Then it finally hit me; it's Jordin! It's a fun, positive kind of song that really gets you moving. The beat of the song is remeniscent to steps people take while walking, making the title that much more appropriate. You really get a good sense of this while watching the music video of the song. I get an understanding from the lyrics that it's a song especially close to Jordin as it sort of embodies her life experiences within the past year. Such as "you wanna show the world ... but no one knows your name yet" and then later on in the song "...you're gettin all kind of impatient ... waiting, we live and we learn ... to take one step at a time ... there's no need to rush." The lyrics basically say if something's going to happen, it's only a matter of time and you can't rush things. Just enjoy and live in the moment. It's definitely something we should all follow.

And seeing that two other songs I was considering for this edition of "The Songs I Dig" were bumped out at the last minute, I will give them honorable mention. The first one is Natasha Bedingfield's song "Pocketful of Sunshine." It is a fun little song, very positive and hopeful. Natasha is continuing to storm America and become the new queen of British pop. She has done quite well over here in the States and I look for that trend to continue. The other song to receive honorable mention is the second from One Republic's recent album titled "Stop and Stare." In no way is it as popular as their first smash hit "Apologize," but it's still proving to be a popular follow-up. It has received a decent amount of radio airplay and I expect that to continue for awhile, even though it is probably starting to make a trend downward on radio charts.

And with that, I wrap up the latest edition of "The Songs I Dig." Thank you for reading. If the recent flurry of amazing new music continues, you can be sure another edition won't be very far away.

In Memory of Tim Russert

It's not often that the death of a TV personality would have a profound effect on me like that of the passing of NBC political analyst Tim Russert when he died last Friday. But his death is one that I cannot shake all that easily. I guess it was about 4:00 PM on Friday when I first heard the news about his death. I was checking my Yahoo e-mail account and my eyes read the first news headline saying "NBC's Tim Russert Collapses and Dies." My heart sank and I said aloud, "Oh no." It was then when I flipped through the channels to see which stations were covering it. Nothing on NBC; they had coverage of the U.S. Open golf tournament on. Nothing on CBS or ABC, either. The next thing closest to NBC is their news channel MSNBC, so I switched it over there. Sure enough, that Yahoo headline was no lie. Tim Russert passed away from an apparent heart attack. We have learned since then that he had suffered from coronary artery disease for a short time but was doing everything in his power to conrol it. But in a matter of an instant, a clot broke off and clogged up a main artery to his heart, causing his tragic death. I don't know the man personally but just from his appearances on television. I can't imagine what this must be like for his colleagues at NBC and his family/friends. He seemed like such a genuinely nice guy that cared for everyone around him. It is truly a gigantic loss for our country.

And you can see the amazing effect he had in regards to this country's political landscape. Not only did President Bush send along his condolences to those who knew Tim, but Vice President Dick Cheney, Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, both Mr. and Mrs. Clinton, Al Gore - right on down the list. After all, he was the moderator of "Meet the Press," the longest running television show in our nation's history and host of that program for 17 years. He interviewed all of those individuals on that program numerous times and many of the comments I've heard regarding his interviewing style is that he was tough but fair. Next to Tom Brokaw, Matt Lauer, and Brian Williams, Tim Russert was one of the faces of NBC news. Unfortunately, he's gone far too soon.

I guess one of the saddest things about his passing is that it occured during one of the most historic races for president in our country's history. Only recently Barack Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president after months and months of presidential primaries and caucuses across this nation. And who's to say the race between McCain and Obama prior to November won't be just as fierce and riveting? It's just so unfortunate to see a guy like Russert who has been so involved in politics for the majority of his life and who's lived for this time of year has to be taken away just like that. I can tell you one thing, during previous election years, during presidential years or not, I always tuned into NBC and it was really only for one man and that was Tim Russert.

One of the lasting impacts for me regarding Tim's coverage of elections is of the 2000 Presidential election. There he was, with that small dry erase board making out calculations of electoral votes and writing "Florida, Florida, Florida" on it. That night, coverage of the election went on into the wee hours of the morning and Tim was still there for the majority of it. It was a historic night and one of the reasons that made it all the more intriguing was because of Tim Russert. I didn't watch "Meet the Press" all that often but when I did, it was clear that the man did his research and knew what he was talking about. I'd known him for his appearances on the Today Show and NBC Nightly News. And of course, on election night, there was one place I'd have my television tuned into, and that was NBC. I just don't think politics in America will ever be the same without Tim.

Like I said, his death will be difficult to shake for awhile. And I am sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. Many of us are casual viewers of NBC who have watched Tim when he delivered the latest poll results on air or talked about the latest political candidate news. But he was such an endearing individual - how could you not like the guy? Then there's his son Luke, who just recently graduated from college and just lost his dad two days prior to Father's Day. How could you not feel bad for him? He gave an interview with Matt Lauer this morning on the Today Show and I was so incredibly moved by his answers. Honestly, I don't know how he could even give an interview like that so soon after his dad's passing. He was incredibly strong and did an amazing job talking about his father. I have no doubts that he'll be just as successful as his dad as he grows.

So with that being said, here's to Tim and may he never be forgotten from our minds. We certainly owe him a great deal of respect and honor for his year's of TV coverage and for bringing us his insight and knowledge in regards to U.S. politics. R.I.P Tim.

Detroit Red Wings: 2007-08 Stanley Cup Champs

At least one Detroit area sports team won its respective championship this year. For those that are out of the loop as far as sports goes, the Detroit Red Wings captured this season's Stanley Cup. It is probably the most coveted trophy in all of sports and the oldest in existence, too. After seeing the Tigers start off to a very disappointing beginning to the Major League Baseball season (and it doesn't appear they have righted the ship quite yet, either) and seeing the Pistons fall, once again like the past two seasons, in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games to the Boston Celtics, seeing one professional sports team from the Motor City persevere is great to see. And I don't think prior to the playoffs starting that a lot of the media experts had the Wings winning it all. So that was really a nice surprise to see the Wings proving a lot of people wrong. Many believe that this team is too old to compete at a championship level. Seems to me they did quite well against the upstart Pittsburgh Penguins, wouldn't you say? I believe the 2008 championship is the first in the new era of Wings hockey. I say that because I still find it strange not seeing Steve Yzerman as the team captain. It was quite surreal to see Nick Lidstrom be the first one to lift the cup after the clock expired. Not that he doesn't make a good captain, but no one can ever replace Stevie Y.

When a team wins a championship, it's always nice to see one member of the team be a part of the complete group effort in winning it all. I am extremely happy to see a former member of the Northern Michigan University Wildcats win a Stanley Cup for the first time in his career. That member of this season's Red Wings was Dallas Drake. We've known Dallas here in the Upper Peninsula even before he became an NHL star. He helped lead the Wildcat hockey team along with coach Rick Comley (who is now the head coach of the Michigan State University Men's Hockey Team) to the school's first division I NCAA Ice Hockey Championship in 1991. Gosh, that is over 15 years ago already but for many people around here, it seems just like yesterday. It was an epic game, lasting three overtimes before the Wildcats finally scored the winning goal. I remember watching the game with my mom at home and not being able to keep my eyes open until the game was over. Then, my mom woke me up as the Wildcats were celebrating on the ice. It's one of those games a person will never forget and it remains as the biggest moment in NMU hockey history up to this point. And Dallas Drake was an integral part of it all. It's so nice to see him being able to lift the Stanley Cup over his head after 16 years in the NHL.

I'll be honest, I haven't followed the Red Wings like I have in the past. I remember during the 1996-1997 season when the Wings won the cup for the first time in some 40+ years, how exciting that season was. I followed every playoff game from the start until the end and it was such a monumental season. I never witnessed the Wings winning a Stanley Cup prior to that season, so that experience was entirely new for me. Then we were spoiled by back-to-back cups the following year. A break ensued, but the Red Wings were finally back on top at the end of the 2001-2002 season. I was just as excited in 2002 as I was during the previous two Stanley Cup runs in the late '90's. Then came quite a few early postseason exits for the Wings, then the lock-out that cancelled one entire season, and my interest for NHL hockey basically vanished. What basically saved the sport for me was seeing Steve Yzerman back on the ice the following year for his last season with the team before he retired. It was disappointing not seeing the Wings win it one final year for Yzerman, but it just goes to show you that sometimes things just don't work out as planned. This season, I followed along and heard how well the Red Wings were doing but didn't watch many of the games. I knew they were having another spectacular year and had a good chance to go quite far into the playoffs. But knowing their recent struggles in the playoffs had me a bit leary. However, once the Red Wings really got rolling with their second round series against the Colorado Avalanche and the great goaltending of Chris Osgood, I knew they were poised to go all the way. And sure enough, even though they should have won the cup in game five at Detroit in the Stanley Cup Finals, they finally captured the title of being the NHL's best team at Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

All I have to say is, thank goodness for the CBC! We're close enough here in the U.P. to get the Canadian Broadcasting Channel through our cable company - who covered the post-game celebration the best out of all the options we had up here. NBC's coverage ended just after 11:00 PM and they didn't interview too many people from the Red Wings, let alone follow everyone who had their victory skate with the Stanley Cup. Then FSN Detroit, who usually always broadcasts the post-game ceremonies of all the Detroit sports teams even if they didn't cover the game, had a replay of the Tigers loss earlier in the day to the Oakland Athletics. What the heck was that? At the bottom, they finally displayed a crawl that basically congratulated the Red Wings on their feat and said it would be covered on Friday for a special program to be broadcasted that night. Two days later and they are finally recognizing the Wings' accomplishment! Needless to say, I was disappointed that they didn't have any coverage of the post-game festivities, but I did hear that the station underwent new management earlier in the year and probably wasn't able to do the same things they once did. That is a complete shame and hopefully they will make a better effort at covering these important events in the future.

All I can say is that it's definitely great to be a Red Wings fan this year. Go Wings! And may we look forward to more Stanley Cup Championships in the future.

When Will it End?

I guess it remains to be seen how high gas prices will rise. A few months back, predictions of $4.00 gallon gas were running amuck in the media; saying that during the peak of the summer, we'd more than likely see that watermark. Well we already surpassed that before Memorial Day. Now, media pundints are discussing the possibility of $5.00 gas. And if a major natural disaster or terrorist attack hits a particular location in our country this year, don't be surprised to see gas jump to as high as $7.00 or $8.00 a gallon. I just cannot fathom gas prices going that high and I am very much concerned for our ecomonic well being as a country if the prices jump up that much. It's hard to understand why the prices are as high as they are now - but $7.00 gas is absolutely mind blowing. As a result of the gas prices rising, so does the price of everything else including simple grocery items. As a way of bringing the price of gas, some are discussing the possibilities of suspending or even eliminating gas taxes. Well, that would be nice, but we would need to find some other way to bring in another source of income to supplement the lost gas tax. A major source of roads in our country is gasoline taxes. What happens to our roads if we eliminate gas taxes and find no other means of replacing it? We are pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The cost of living continues to rise each and every year and it's affecting both the lower and middle classes. In fact it's no surprise that the middle class is basically becoming extinct with a large majority of people simply qualifying for the lower class. Of course the rich are living fat and happy. They always seem to get the most protection while everyone else suffers. I wonder if they ever worry about the high price of gas or having to come up with enough money to feed their families? Obviously they don't but it would be nice to see what they would do in our situation. Back in the good old days, the father was always the one to go off to work to support the family while the mother stayed home and did housework. That is becoming increasingly more rare these days as the mother is also needed to bring home the bacon, so to speak. It's definitely not a simple thing to fix as it will take a lot of thought and many ideas. Then you include the whole gas price debate and that really throws a wrench into it all. Let's say both parents need vehicles to drive to work? That's added gas to go to two different places. They also live in a rural area where public transportation is not an option, so driving is an absolute must in order to get where they need to go. Quite possibly, the only option they have is to somehow carpool with each other or someone else they work with, or buy more fuel-efficient vehicles. Then if gas ever does rise to $7.00 a gallon, it just makes it that more difficult to make ends meet. I suspect that if we do reach that $7.00 benchmark, you will be seeing mostly four-cylinder engine cars on the roads like most people drive in Europe instead of SUV's and pick-up trucks. Just yesterday, GM announced the closure of four automotive plants that built trucks and SUV's. They are definitely taking notice of the future in America.

As I mentioned in my last paragraph, public transportation does not exist in rural areas of the country. You look at where I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The city where I live is the largest in the peninsula at roughly 20,000 people. We have taxi services and public buses, but that is it. Everyone else drives to where they need to go. The busing system here is not what it is in New York City, either. They follow a schedule, but they do not make as many stops in the city and surrounding areas. They make drop-offs in some of the smaller surrounding communities but those stops are limited to one or two locations. They do not go out of their way to drop you off at your doorstep, but maybe so if you provided a bit more money. Then the taxi fares up here are pretty astronomical. I just don't see how people would commute to work everyday in a taxi cab and continue to get by with what they make. So our options are limited in rural areas of the country. Sure, there are options but they are pretty slim. I just can't imagine those who work minimum wage jobs being able to support themselves as everyday costs continue to rise. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city where I live is $425! Even that seems pretty rediculous.

Nobody appears to be immune to the economic struggles that face our country. The state of Michigan is one of the worst states in the country as far as the economy and politicians are already speculating that further cuts in the state budget are coming. Additional cuts means less money for programs and services that people depend upon. We're getting down to bare bones in a lot of areas and then I ask, what next? When will it end? All that means is taxes rising and the cost of living continuing to climb. Hourly wages for many workers in the nation remain relatively flat year after year. Obviously we reach a breaking point and then where does the country go then? I just hope we are not headed towards another great depression because many people, possibly even the rich, will be suffering then.

Remember These Songs? - 1

Hello all, remember me? It has been close to two weeks since I last wrote a blog, which has been pretty unusual for me. But doing performance reviews each and every week for American Idol will keep a blogger hopping. I remember last year after the top three, I completely flamed out and never did write a review of the top two performances. I am proud of myself for finishing right to the end in this season and it proved to be an incredible journey from 12 to the final two. Now with American Idol out of the way, I can begin to focus on some of my more personal topics regarding current topics in the news, things going on in and around me and various miscellaneous subjects that come up at random times. I am about to launch a new specific-topic blog here at Luke's Ponderings - actually something quite similar to the "Songs I Dig" blog I do from time to time. Only this time, I will be featuring artists and their songs that once proved to be mega-hits but who have now since dropped off the radar screen. It more or less helps to recognize their work from the past three, four, or up to ten years and will help to shed some light on what they are doing nowadays, even if it seems they have disappeared from the music industry. I guess the motivation for this type of blog came from looking at a bunch of songs I downloaded back in 2002-2003 and remembering how great those songs were, despite the fact that I hadn't heard them in some five years. Those songs hold great memories for me and a lot of times I can recall certain moments as I listen to these songs. Hopefully as I bring up these songs, you'll remember them to and they will also help to bring back particular memories (hopefully good ones). So let's begin the very first blog as titled, "Remember These Songs?" - Part 1.

Vitamin C - Graduation (Friends Forever): Oh my gosh - this is such a great song and it brings back some honestly good memories from around the time I graduated. Yes, not all of my high school memories were bad, even though most of them I'd rather forget. How appropriate that this song was released the same year I graduated from high school (2000)! I tell you what, whether you are a lover or a hater of this song, you've got to admit that it at least makes you think. I remember when focusing on the lyrics around the time it was released, it really got me thinking of how things will be when I turn 25. Earlier this year I listened to this song again for the first time in over a year and that particular lyric really stood out, "And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives ... Where we're gonna be when we turn 25 ... " And then I realized - I am actually 25!! And then I felt really old. LOL But all kidding aside, it's an amazing graduation-theme song and it's no surprise that even some graduating classes are still deciding to use it as their song. It really stands the test of time, even though it's only eight years old. I think even ten and 20 years down the road, it will still be very much part of graduations across the world.

So what has Vitamin C (aka Colleen Fitzpatrick) been up to recently? Well she is still heavily involved in the music industry. After taking some time off, she is reported to be back in the studio recording a couple of different albums. One of the albums will be a children's-oriented album with the purpose of focusing on diversity through Indian-styled songs. The other album will be a non-children's album, much like her recordings from the past. Although those albums were rumored to be released at the end of 2007 - they will more likely come out sometime this year. In addition to music, Vitamin C is also one of three panelists on the Lifetime reality series "Your Mama Don't Dance."

Fastball - The Way: I am often puzzled to this day why this band basically dropped off the face of the Earth after their breakout album "All The Pain Money Can Buy" produced a few memorable songs. I can't understand how they were unable to capitalize on the success of this album and crank out more radio-friendly tunes. I mean, they seemed very capable with "The Way" and "Out of My Head." I don't know if it was bad luck or bad press from the recording company they were signed with - but someone really dropped the ball on this group. I think they could've been a much bigger success than they really were. In fact, it's probably safe to say that at this point, they are a one-hit wonder (even though "Out of My Head" was mildly-popular). "The Way" was a song that was so striking just because of the way it sounded. It was so unique and fun that it really got people up and started grooving to it. It wasn't a particularly lengthy song, in fact, it only includes two verses while the rest is chorus. But still, this song will be remembered for some time to come as one of the best in the later 1990's.

What has Fastball been up to recently? Well, not really a whole lot. They may not have lived up to their success of the late '90's, but they are rumored to be working on a fifth studio album to be released in 2008. This follows an album released in 2004 with little fanfare. Some of the rumored tracks on this album include "She's Got the Rain," "All I was Looking For Was You," and "Little White Lies." The band was also seeking input from fans on their myspace page for titles for the new album. So we'll just have to wait and see if 2008 is the year that Fastball makes it's return to the music charts.

Better than Ezra - A Lifetime: So it hasn't been a long time since songs from Better than Ezra graced the radio waves where I live, but it already seems like it's been years. "A Lifetime" was a song made popular in 2005 and it still remains as one of my favorites. It is a particularly well written song and the lyrics really make you think. I think this song really addresses the "live in the moment" theme. It talks of "And three and a half minutes" as if only being a small miniscule portion of time but then "felt like a lifetime" as if all of the events that happened within that three in a half minutes are ever-changing moments that will stay with a person until the end of time. This is definitely a song I wasn't afraid of being a fan of and it's one that you can't help but sing along to. Ack! It also acknowledges graduation in the lyrics, only that the person within the lyrics itself ends up dying in a car crash. The friends of this person (we never really know whether the individual was a male of female - probably female, though) take the ashes of their deceased friend (obviously because they knew him/her better than the family ever did) and brought this person to the beach because "I knew you'd want it that way." Powerful stuff or what? I'm not going to go bit by bit with the lyrics of the song because I could go on forever. But do yourself a favor and really pay attention to the lyrics in this song because they are really something else.

So how about Better than Ezra - what exactly has this group been doing recently? Actually they seem to be pretty similar to Fastball in that respect, because it hasn't been much. Their last studio album was "Before the Robots" which was released in 2005 (which included "A Lifetime" and their other popular song from the album "Juicy" - often featured on Applebee's commercials for a time). There is no official word on when a new album will be released and they very well could be taking some well deserved time off. However, they are still doing a few shows including ones in Gulfport, MS and Lake Charles, LA in August. So they are definitely still out there - just not as much in the spotlight as they were in 2005.

That will wrap it up for this edition of "Remember These Songs?" Hopefully you enjoyed these selections regarding the very best of the blasts from the past. Be sure to check more of these selections again sometime very soon. Thanks for reading!


Happy Birthday, sis.