Random Thoughts

Four blogs in four days ... I'd say I've started out the new era of Luke's Ponderings quite well, wouldn't you say? And I'm hoping that with more blog postings, more people will visit and read what I have to say! I've heard from a lot of bloggers out there who started small and wrote mainly about personal things in their lives. But then they branched out - discussing music, entertainment, celebrities, you name it. More people visited their blogs and they continued expanding by including video content and holding live chats. If I work hard enough, that's definitely something I'd like to achieve. And hey, if I get popular enough and can earn money from this blog, then maybe I can quit my job! Ah well, one can dream, right? But it's certainly happened to a few out there.

RUMMAGE SALE
Its already been a week since my sister and I hosted a garage sale at my house. We were a bit skeptical at how well the sale would go, but all in all, I'd say it was a success. We had plenty of items for people to buy and we stayed quite busy until 1:00 in the afternoon. From then until the sale closed at 3:00, it slowed right down. A few people came, but they mostly left without buying an item. The way I feel about it is that if people come to check out a rummage sale, the least they can do is buy something. Heck, we had many different things priced at 25 cents. Yet, I understand if they come looking for one item and we don't have it. Some people look for collectibles like antiques and dishware. I had a few items for sale that could be qualified as antiques and they sold. Obviously you always hope that everything sells at a rummage sale, but that's quite impossible. I'd say we sold about half of everything we had on sale - which is pretty decent. And it ended up being the most profitable rummage sale my sister has been a part of. So that says a lot.

MUCH NEEDED RAIN
Our spring and early summer weather has been pretty spectacular for the Upper Peninsula's standards. But one thing we've desperately needed that we haven't gotten a lot of is rainfall. For the year, we're close to five inches short of our average rainfall. The month of May was very dry - I don't think we picked up even a half-inch of rain for the entire month. Fire danger region-wide was very high but luckily, no major wildfires broke out. But ever since the month of June has started, we've finally picked up some much needed rain. In fact today, we finally saw our first all-day soaking rainfall of the season. All of the rain events that have occurred since the snow melted have been quick, showery-type of events. So this was nice to see and it'll help green up the grass that has already started to dry out.

MANDATORY OVERTIME
We've been forced overtime at work this past week and next week as part of a major clean-up initiative in the plant. I am not a big fan of overtime in general, so being forced to work two additional hours ontop of an eight-hour shift can be a bit of a struggle. But I guess I shouldn't complain too much because in today's economy, finding work is extremely difficult, especially here in the Upper Peninsula where good paying jobs are few and far between. That's why I wish they'd hire more workers where I am employed. They claim it costs them less to force us to work overtime than to hire more people. And that makes sense, especially when they have to give new employees benefits. We are getting some relief in the form of summer students joining the various departments at the mine. However, they are only around until the summer months. Hopefully at least we'll be able to keep the plant clean from here on out!

Songs from the Year 2002

In tonight's edition of Music Thursdays here at Luke's Ponderings, I'll be going back to the year 2002 in music. That year in particular was a great one for music, in my opinion. I was in the midst of my sophomore year of college, soon to be followed by my junior year that fall. That year also ended up being the final year I spent long periods of time at my high school. During the summer of '02, I held a custodial/maintenance job there for $5.75 an hour. I really enjoyed the experience, yet the pay was so ungodly poor. However, to this day, I am thankful for the opportunity they gave me. But that story is for another blog entry.

I searched for the Top 100 songs of 2002 and instantly, I came upon some great ones. At the very top of the list was a Vanessa Carlson song called "A Thousand Miles." This proved to be the breakout song for Vanessa as the song soared to the top of the charts and helped propel her album "Be Not Nobody" to go double platinum. It's a gentle song with a quick beat, powered along with the rhythm of a piano. Another song from that album released by Carlson was "Ordinary Day," which in my opinion, was the best from the album. I don't know quite exactly why I became so enamored with that particular tune - it just seemed to speak to me. I remember quickly learning the words to that song and to this day, I still do. The sound of the piano is so strong in this song and Vanessa's vocals are extremely powerful. The lyrics hold such a great message. 2002 proved to be a very big year for Vanessa in her music career, probably a feat she'll likely never be able to repeat.

2002 also saw the Counting Crows release a new album titled "Hard Candy." They smartly covered Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi" which proved to be a big hit for the group. And the woman who's already been mentioned in this blog, Vanessa Carlton, provided backing vocals for the Counting Crows rendition of the song. But it wasn't that song that became my favorite from the "Hard Candy" album (but don't get me wrong, they made a classic song sound contemporary with their remake). My favorite 2002 song from the Counting Crows was titled "American Girls." It's a radio-friendly tune that's catchy as heck and fun to sing along to. I remember staying at my grandmother's house while at college and listening to my CD player singing along to this song. It provided a much more upbeat sound to the band - I know I was more familiar with their earlier works such as songs like "Cold December," although they did provide some hit upbeat songs earlier on as well. However, back in 2002, it was fun to see the Counting Crows back on the radio charts. And during that decade, that wasn't the last we'd see of the group either (that in a future blog entry).

As for other tunes from the year 2002, it was also a breakout year for Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne. She's been mentioned in my "Songs I Dig" blog in the past and 2002 was the year we heard songs like "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi". She definitely brought a new sound to the radio that year. Canadian rock group Our Lady Peace released an epic single titled "Somewhere Out There" that provided powerful lyrics and a wonderful message. It has remained their largest selling song to date. And a song that is probably known very little here in the United States became a favorite of mine in 2002. "Insatiable" is sung by Darren Hayes, formerly the lead singer of Savage Garden and is a love song in the truest fashion. It's passionate, emotional, and speaks of the true forms of intimacy. It's actually quite baffling to me why that particular song wasn't as big in the United States as it could've been. 2002 was also a big year for Pink, as "Get the Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", "Just Like a Pill", and "Family Portrait" all charted. Other songs of note in '02 that were favorites of mine were "My Sacrifice" from Creed, "Whenever, Whenever" from Shakira, "Hands Clean" by Alanis Morisette, "Gotta Get Through This" by Daniel Bedingfield, "A New Day Has Come" by Celine Dion, "Everyday" by Dave Matthews Band, and "Soak Up the Sun" by Sheryl Crow.

It's hard to mention every song from a particular year that was a favorite of mine. In fact, I'm sure there are a few that I missed, especially those that charted below the top 100. Still, seeing that these songs came out of 2002 just shows how big of a year it was for music, especially in my life. Hopefully for those of you out there reading, maybe you had similar feelings as well.

American Idol 9 - Season Wrap-Up

It's Television Wednesday here on "Luke's Ponderings", which gives me the opportunity to look back on the American Idol season that just wrapped up last week. All in all, I wouldn't say it was a terrible season. Surely it never lived up to seasons seven or eight, which I think were two of the best in the series. I think early on, when the top 12 was announced, it was easy to see Crystal advancing to the final two. I think it was still up in the air whether or not Lee had a chance to make it to the finale, but he was starting to become more comfortable with performing live on television and on stage. Honestly, at that point in the competition, I thought Siobhan and Crystal would end up being the final two contestants standing. That's what I was hoping for, but Siobhan kind of fizzled until ultimately getting voted out at sixth place. Lee does make for a strong winner of American Idol, but is he, or will he live up to the legacy that Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, or even David Cook have left since being crowned winners of the show? That remains to be seen.

As we all know going into this season and watching during the finale, this was Simon Cowell's final year as judge on the show. You really can make the case that Simon was the show. But I really enjoyed his final comments last Wednesday when he said that the real judges of the show are those watching at home. The contestants and to a point, Ryan Seacrest are the show. The judges are replaceable. Even though we all hate to see Simon leave, it presents the opportunity for the show to bring aboard someone else with musical knowledge to critique the contestants and give constructive criticism. Sorry to all of the Ellen fans out there, but she has not lived up to her potential. Week in and week out, I heard her utter phrases such as "you're so good," and "that was great" to many of the contestants. You've got to say more than that. I really hope she brings her "A" game next season (reports say she will be back for season 10 as per the contract she signed prior to this past season). Brett Michaels has been rumored to be a potential candidate to replace Simon, which really intrigues me. He's been a judge on a TV singing contest before (anyone remember "Nashville Star"), he's experienced music success with his band Poison and other solo endeavors, and his recent health troubles make him an endearing figure and people will be willing to root for the guy. Plus, I have a feeling he won't be afraid to tell a contestant that their singing needs work when he needs to. That's not to say there aren't other people who can replace Simon's seat on the panel - it's just that Brett's name is one of the first rumored potential successors. And let's be frank, no one will ever be able to replace Simon on that show. He is one of a kind and it'll be interesting to see exactly how Idol adjusts in the new era, the Simon-less era.

I think the show is definitely in need of a major shake-up, and I'm not talking about new judges or new gimmicks - like the judge's save. Let's bring in some better themes instead of these recycles theme weeks we keep seeing season after season. I like one Idol expert's idea of having a contestant's originals week - in which a contestant would perform a song they wrote on their own. Or let the show feature more contemporary music from the past two decades. I think most Idol fans are getting tired of hearing the same songs performed season after season. The episodes also need to be cut down and condensed, which they are proposing for next season. Less filler during results night would be nice and please, less babble from the judges! Last but not least, let the show be more about the contestants. I think the producers are always trying to promise this but never prevail. How about additional behind the scenes footage when the contestants have some off time? I feel that during this season particularly, we just weren't able to connect to the contestants like I had hoped and often felt bored by them. And from their post-Idol interviews, they've been nothing but enjoyable to listen to.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the two-hour finale last Wednesday. Usually there are some surprises involved, and the finale certainly did not disappoint. Seeing Brett Michaels on stage singing with Casey James, so soon after getting out of the hospital, was pretty incredible. I've been a big fan of the Bee Gees for awhile, so it was nice to see the last two brothers reunite on stage again, performing with Siobhan and Aaron. Such great singing between the four of them! Alanis Morisette was amazing with Crystal and was another highlight of the evening. And what more can you say about Joe Cocker performing his classic tune with the two finalists? What a special moment. That's not to say the night didn't have a few duds, including the "Pants on the Ground" rendition and seeing some of the Idol rejects (along with Dane Cook) return to the stage. But all in all, it was a great night which in turn lead to the crowning of the new American Idol.

So that wraps-up my thoughts on the season that was. I wouldn't say it was the worst, nor was it the best. Kind of somewhere in the middle. And I look back at those surprising eliminations we had during the semi-finals, when Kately Epperly, Lilly Scott, and Alex Lambert were sent home. What might've happened if those contestants stayed on a little longer and attracted more attention from the voting audience? I think the season could've ended up a lot different than it did and Lee may have ended up taking fourth or fifth place. Ah well, it's easy to speculate and to wonder what might've been. This is the hand that we've been dealt and Lee is a decent recording artist. His live performances certainly need work, but not everybody does well singing live. I guess time will tell whether or not America made the right decision. In time, we'll certainly find out.

Cell Phone Frenzy

So, how many of you were thinking I'd forget to blog on the first day of the new "Luke's Ponderings" re-branding? I wouldn't blame you if you did. So tonight's blog entry will be a topic regarding my personal life. So here goes...

It's amazing how quickly we've embraced cell phones in our lives today. Back when I was in high school during the late 1990's, I could've never imagined each person carrying around their own cell phones and going text crazy. That's not to say cell phones didn't exist then, because they did. However, they were pretty pricey and it seemed the rich people owned them the most. E-mailing really became the fun way of keeping in touch with each other when we were out of school and soon came instant messengers like ICQ and MSN. It wasn't until I was in college when I really noticed the cell phone explosion.

Let me start by saying I still don't own a cell phone and have no desire to get one. Now, that may change eventually, but at this point in my life, my regular landline phone service works fine for me. I just don't see the point in owning a cell phone that I'd rarely use and still pay for a landline which would probably see decreased service. Yes, cell phones do have nice features and I'm sure anyone could find something positive in owning such a device. I have often thought about purchasing a cell phone, even if I bought a cheaper phone plan simply to have it for emergencies. My current landline service is through the cable company and when the power goes out, I have no phone service. If the cable service is off-line for more than a few hours, a cell phone would be nice to have in that circumstance. But then again, why have a landline when you have a cell phone?

It was during my last couple years of college, specifically the last year, when I really noticed the increase in cell phone usage among students. It surprised me because it seemed to come out of the blue that suddenly everybody, except for me and a handful of others, had cell phones. If I knew then what I know now, I'd probably own one. But even those phones didn't have the kind of features that today's cell phones do. So I guess it's just as well that I didn't get tricked into the cell phone frenzy that pretty much has captured everyone else. Otherwise I'd probably be paying two separate phone bills, or just using my cell phone exclusively.

American Idol 9 - Top 2

I don't have a lot of time to write today, so I will give brief comments on the performances from last night and make the all important prediction on who will win season nine of American Idol. For me and a lot of America, I felt Crystal performed the best. She picked the better of the two contestants' choice songs in "Me and Bobby McGee," which she absolutely nailed the first time out and did another masterful job with again. I guess I'm not all that thrilled when the contestants have to perform a song they've already done earlier in the season because you're not getting that same "moment" you first did, no matter how great the performance was. Nonetheless, Crystal's choice was much more energetic, fun, and it was right in her wheelhouse. Don't get me wrong, I love "The Boxer," but I felt Lee could've picked something a bit more upbeat for such an important night. He's had good performances recently and the momentum going his way, I'm sure he could've reprized something from then with a little more flair.

As for the producer's choice songs, I actually liked Lee's song better than Crystal's. Lee was pitchy in spots - I think he was quite nervous for being in such a huge venue. And I was a bit worried for him when the song started because the judges were harping on him for his first song choice and "Everybody Hurts" started out similar (even though he didn't pick this one). However, the tempo picked up and he used his rock growl to really make it great to listen to. As for Crystal and "Black Velvet," I'm just not a fan of that song. She did pretty decent with it and made a few changes to make it her own. But she struggled hitting the high notes and sounded strained at times. I think the moving around on the stage threw her off a bit. However, it wasn't her worst performance.

And last but not least, the winner's song which in the past was an original composition about magic rainbows or moving mountains, etc, etc. I actually miss the trainwreck that were those kinds of songs. Anyways, Crystal picked the far superior cover song. Does it sound good on today's contemporary radio? Probably not. But she was really in the moment with that song. I thought she was about to get emotional towards the end but remained strong. She was absolutely superb and last night was definitely for her. As for Lee, I felt the song was too big for him. It just didn't seem to fit his style and the music tended to drown him out. At least when he records songs in the studio, he sounds great no matter what the song. And if he wins, I think he'll sound great with this song.

MY PREDICTION: Now, who should win this season of American Idol? Crystal Bowersox should. She's been the most consistent performer on this competition since day one. And she performed the best last night. She's got a unique style and performs in a way that you don't really see in today's contemporary world. However, I don't feel she connects with America enough, particularly with the younger generation. So, with that being said ... who will win this season of American Idol? Lee Dewyze. He's improved week after week since the beginning and has gained incredible momentum to grasp the title. He still goes off pitch from time to time, but I think he will continue to become more and more comfortable singing in front of large audiences - the summer tour will do him well. And Lee is a genuinely nice guy who seems humbled by the whole American Idol experience. That, and he's got a huge fan base who I'm sure voted like crazy last night. Even though I would've like to seen a woman win this year in this heavily touted "the season of the women," and we're getting another guitar playing male for a winner, I think Lee is going to make a fine American Idol and he fits more into today's contemporary mold.

So that's it, American Idol is officially over for the season! Simon Cowell leaves after tonight and who knows who'll be judging next year. There's a rumor that the whole panel might be overhauled. I am hoping to write a recap of the finale in a few days after everything has sunk in, so be sure to check for that. Enjoy tonight's two-hour finale if you can!

The Heat Is On!

The Upper Peninsula is in the midst of its first real warm spell of the spring/summer season. We've notched two record highs for the previous two days and the night time lows have barely dipped below 70 degrees. This is a warm, sticky airmass we're not used to up here, but it's something we deal with on occasion. It's probably a bit more rough right now because we're not totally used to the heat yet, since we've just gotten over the winter season. As for myself, I don't find myself completely miserable yet. Being at work does take its toll as it's in the low 90's inside the plant - so you really have to pace yourself if you're doing a strenuous job. And then once I'm at home, all I have to do is turn the central air conditioning on. It was one of many pros when I decided to buy this home last year.

I remember when I lived in one particular apartment complex about five years back in the city of Marquette. The rent ended up being pretty reasonable for the city - and I could understand why! The apartment was actually a duplex, comprised of an old home built in the early 1900's. I lived in the upstairs of the house, which ended up being a one bedroom apartment for myself. The way the house was split up, the tenants downstairs also occupied space upstairs. But I had no access to their space as all the doorways between the complexes were sealed off. As I mentioned, it was an older home. The plumbing wasn't all that modern (modern enough in that I didn't have to use an outhouse!), the kitchen was pretty dated, and the floors creaked quite loudly. Also, the house didn't appear to be well insulated because in the summer time during a heat wave, it got downright hot in the upstairs. The temperature was easily in the middle 90's up there, if not hotter. During one heatwave in particular, I just could not handle living in such miserable conditions, so I went out and bought an air conditioner. It was a small window unit - but it didn't seem to be doing much good. I installed it in one of the small porch windows and tried directing the air into the rest of the apartment with a fan. Well, it still didn't help much. Thankfully my parents ended up stopping over and my dad helped me install the unit in my bedroom window. Wow, did it make a difference! I was pretty happy after that, at least I could sleep comfortably the next night. It was one of many reasons why I only spent 11 months in that one particular apartment.

It appears the heat will last for at least another day here in the U.P. before gradually subsiding after that. One thing we really could use is some rain and it still does not appear like we'll be seeing a whole lot of moisture from the incoming cold front. What we really could use it a good two to three days of soaking rains. We really have not picked up any decent rainfall since the snow melted in March. I'm concerned we'll get a dandy of a wildfire somewhere in the U.P. yet this spring. The grasses are starting to dry up already - so that's a clear sign we're in need of some rain. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Mother nature has a way of turning things around eventually. Let's just hope we won't be needing an ark by the time fall comes around!

Blog Re-Branding Starts June 1

After much contemplation, the re-branding of Luke's Ponderings will begin on Tuesday, June 1, 2010. The re-branding, which was discussed earlier in the month, will feature a specific topic-oriented blog for each work week. Here's the breakdown of what you will see here for each day of the week:

Monday's will be U.P. Mondays in which I will discuss a topic relating to the Upper Peninsula. Believe me, I've only scratched the surface when it comes to discussing the U.P. on Luke's Ponderings over the years. With this new format, you'll get to learn more about the U.P. even more. On Tuesday's, I'm simply calling it Luke's Tuesdays. It's a day devoted to topics from the past, present, and future in my life. So in general, you'll get to read more about me.

Wednesday's will simply be called Television Wednesdays. I think this topic is self-explanatory in that it'll deal with TV topics. Now, it could be about a specific show, an actor/actress, an episode, or a TV recap. Whatever it is, it'll be a specific TV topic. As for Thursdays, this will be a day set aside for another entertainment related topic. Thursday's are Music Thursdays (aren't these titles great?). So I will be discussing a music-related topic on this day. I'll be bringing back the Songs I Dig blog in full force, except this time around I may just talk about one or two songs of my liking instead of the five I used to discuss. Plus I'll bring up songs from the past that I still enjoy and talk about singers/bands that have dropped off the face of the earth and try to track them down.

Last but not least is Friday. This day will be called Random Topic Fridays because it could involve just about any topic I want it to be! Hey, I've got to have some freedom on Fridays after all, the weekend is just around the corner. So yeah, who knows what kind of topic I'll have on Fridays. Just know that it'll be something interesting.

Now as for the Idol recaps, those will fall under Television Wednesdays when the show returns in 2011. However, when there are two performance shows during the semi-finals, there will be more than one TV blog for that particular week. We'll just call it an extra for that week. Also, there will be times when I feel the need to address a topic immediately rather than waiting for that certain day of the week to arrive. It'll most likely involve a breaking news event of some sort. Whatever specific topic that was supposed to be discussed on that day will be pre-empted until the following week, just like in TV. And lastly, weekends. It'll be a blog-free period for me as I re-charge my batteries for a new week! That's not to say I won't always have free time for myself on weekends, just time away from the blog on those two days. But don't be surprised if I throw something special in during a weekend from time to time.

So I hope you are excited about the proposed changes to Luke's Ponderings. It'll be a bit of a challenge for me to see if I'm up to the task of writing a blog for at least 20 days per month, something I have yet to do! However, never say never, and to see if it comes true, check us out on June 1 as a new chapter begins here at Luke's Ponderings! See you then (as well as sooner, too)!

American Idol 9 - Top 3

Here we are again with another American Idol recap. It's really getting down to the wire now, with only three contestants left! I'm always amazed when we get to this point in the season because it always seems to go by so quick. And this year is no exception. Man, what are us Idol fanatics going to do once the show ends next week? Ah well, it's like this every year. At least the weather is nice enough outside now that we'll be able to spend it out there more than watching TV in the summer. At least that's my plans. Anyways, regarding last night's Idol performance episode. I think we all know how big of a disappointment season nine has been overall. Don't really need to emphasize it anymore than it already has been. So heading into Top 3 night, I wasn't all that enthusiastic about the night - not like in prior seasons. I think it's been pretty clear for awhile that we'll end up with a Crystal and Lee finale. The only way Casey has a slim chance is if the other two completely flounder with their songs and Casey absolutely nails his songs. Let's find out exactly what happened last night ...

CONTESTANTS' SONG CHOICES:

Casey James - "Okay It's Alright With Me" by Eric Hutchinson : Interesting song choice from Casey because it's pretty obscure and relatively unknown. This could either work in his favor or completely bomb. Did you notice he almost had a near disastrous moment when he forgot his guitar pick in his pocket and had to quickly fish it out before the song took off on him? Nice save there. My initial reaction to his performance was that it was just okay. I was definitely not jumping up and down about it as I listened to it. I kind of compare it to Lite FM music - nothing big or fancy, but easy listening. The song certainly didn't have a lot of range to it and Casey did fine with it vocally. But as I said, it's not a big, dynamic song and at this stage of the game, it needed to be a better song choice.

Crystal Bowersox - "Come to My Window" by Melissa Etheridge : When I first heard that Crystal picked this song to perform last night, I thought this could really be huge for her. It's a great song and you'd think it would fit her perfectly. Well, it kind of fell flat for me. I honestly don't think she did enough with the song to make it her own. The song kind of started rather awkwardly (after the harmonica solo) when it almost seemed like she was whispering. I'd agree with the judges comments about the arrangement being off because it was. Not as great of an arrangement as it could've been. And she was really straining on those high notes in the song, especially during the chorus of the song. So for me, it wasn't as great of a performance from Crystal as I was expecting.

Lee Dewyze - "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd : Now Lee picked the best song for himself out of all of the contestants on the night. It suited his style and you could tell he had a great time with it. I can't say I'm all that familiar with the original but it sounds as if Lee made it current and it could be a hit on today's radio. He is really beginning to own the stage now, as his confidence is there and he realizes he belongs there. I really think that visit home within the week did him some good. It goes to show what kind of impact he is having to those people watching at home. When you look back on the show in previous years and the kind of performances the contestants have at this stage of the game - this is the kind of performance Lee needed to have and he did exactly right by it.

JUDGES' SONG CHOICES:

Casey James - "Daughters" by John Mayer: Here we have the laugh-out-loud moment when Randy Jackson says "as Casey James leaves the show" when commenting why he and Kara chose the song for Casey. Nice, real nice Randy - as if Casey has no chance (well, he really doesn't). It was a real nice performance from Casey and it suited him quite well. He certainly didn't have a moment with it, as it's not one of those songs that'll wow a person. But he did a competent job with it, changed it up just enough to make it his own, and vocally it was quite good. I read or heard a comment during the week that Casey is probably the best guitarist that Idol has ever seen (contestant-wise) and we may not ever see someone that talented again, and that's true. He certainly knows how to wield out a guitar, that is for sure.

Crystal Bowersox - "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney : Coming into this performance from Crystal, I was wondering how'd she do with it and what she'd do to make it her own. She stepped out of her comfort zone a bit (even though we've seen her do that on occasion this season) by not playing her guitar and even performing from different spots on the Idol stage. I must say, this is the kind of performance that Crystal needed, especially on this night. I loved that she was able to show off the range in her voice. Wow, those high notes - who knew she could sing those? I really liked how she controlled the performance, from singing all out to dialing it back when it was appropriate. She is a true musician and is definitely deserving to be on that Idol stage next week in the finale.

Lee Dewyze - "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen : Oh my goodness, where do I begin. First off, the song choice by Simon. As we've seen earlier this season when Tim Urban performed it, it's one of those songs that can allow anyone to have a moment. As further proof, look at Jason Castro in season seven. It's got a great, haunting message to it and you can't go wrong with that. Secondly, the set-up by the Idol Powers-That-Be to bring in a choir and orchestra during the performance. An incredible effect but honestly, was it needed? Thirdly, Lee's vocal. It was awesome. He really excelled with the song and it suited him nicely. So taking that all into consideration, whether you want to call it over-pimping from the producers or what have you, I thought it was a nice moment for Lee. I actually got caught up into it all when I first watched it. But I can see why people would be turned off by all of the choreography going on within the performance. Lee's vocal shined on its own.

Top 3 Performance Rankings:
1.) Lee Dewyze
2.) Crystal Bowersox
3.) Casey James

Going Home: This really is a no-brainer this week, and after picking him to leave for awhile now, I honestly think I have a good shot at getting it right this week (whataya know!). Casey James' Idol journey ends tonight. Nice job on getting this far, Casey.

American Idol 9 - Top 4

It's another week of American Idol performances and this week, the theme is "Songs from the Cinema." Now I did not get a chance to view the list of songs the contestants had the choice to pick from, but from what I understand, it was not a good listing of songs. The songs the contestants ended up picking from were probably the best of the whole lot! So that might give you some indication at what kind of a night last night turned out to be. Jamie Foxx returned as mentor (after mentoring last season) and did a pretty decent job with the contestants. Let's see how they ended up doing this week...

Lee Dewyze - "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal (from "Batman Forever") : So Lee chooses another song that's been overdone on the Idol stage, or at least that's my feeling. And from what I can recall, I don't think anyone has done a particularly great job with the song over the years, either. It's a tough song to perform with many dynamic changes in key. I thought he struggled with the song in places, particularly more in the beginning where he was off-pitch in spots and his falsetto wasn't that great. I do agree with Randy in that he didn't do enough with the song to make it his own. He's more suited to perform rock songs and this song just didn't feel right for Lee. However, I don't feel that with one off-night, he'll be voted off. He's developed enough of a following and has had stronger performances prior tonight that should keep him safe.

Michael Lynche - "Will You be There" by Michael Jackson (from "Free Willy") : Hmm, interesting song choice from Big Mike this week, although he probably didn't have a lot of other options. This is a tricky one for me, because I thought Michael performed the song quite well like he always does. But I think he was just let down by the song - it just didn't do him any justice. I almost thought we were watching a performance during Idol Gives Back again. It seems like a powerful song, with a gospel influence, yet it just fell short for me when Big Mike sang it. I wasn't used to hearing Mike sing in such a low octave like he did in the beginning of the song, but I didn't think it was so bad. It was the song that did a disservice to Michael this week.

Lee Dewyze & Crystal Bowersox - "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (from "Once") : When I first heard Lee and Crystal were going to perform this song, my initial reaction was of surprise. Honestly, why would they attempt to tackle a song that Kris Allen had such a moment with last season and really, helped make the song become relevant? However, they really made it their own as a duet. I would say that Crystal was the stronger of the duo, as Lee had a few pitchy moments here and there. Still, it was a fabulous duet and the two really worked great together. It was really nice to see Lee come back after a pretty bland performance prior. That being said, I hope we don't get to see this song performed by anyone else on the Idol stage for a very long time!

Casey James - "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel (from "The Graduate") : First things first, I'd have to say how ridiculous is it for the judges to continue playing off this Kara and Casey crush incident that happened so long ago, just going off of Casey's song choice. I mean, when was the last time it was brought up; the semi-finals? And now it re-enters all thanks to this song. It's time to move on, judges. Anyways, as for Casey's performance, I thought it was okay. Certainly not spectacular, yet not terrible, either. It sits there in the middle for me, kind of where Casey has been all season except for a few notable performances where he was the best of the night. I think we've all seen the best of Casey and the kind of artist he's going to be already. I don't see anymore surprises coming from him regardless if he makes it another week.

Crystal Bowersox - "I'm Alright" by Kenny Loggins (from "Caddyshack") : I think most people out there are familiar with the original version from Kenny Loggins - it's definitely not one of the classics, yet it's a fun, upbeat song. I really don't know where it correlates to "Caddyshack" because I've never seen the movie! But it seems like it'd be a good fit for that particular film. As for Crystal's performance, I definitely believe she's back in the game after a couple of mediocre weeks. I liked how she began the performance with a soft start, and then really started rocking out. I think towards the end, however, she began sounding more sharp and a few of those higher end notes in her register weren't sounding that great. However, it was still the best of the night and it was great to see Crystal back in her element.

Casey James & Michael Lynche - "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" by Bryan Adams (from "Don Juan DeMarco") : When I first heard the duet pairings, I was kind of surprised. I thought the two front runners would be paired up with the other two contestants. However, I think both duets worked out very nicely. I was a bit worried for these two when I heard they'd be performing this song. After all, this Bryan Adams hit is another song that's been overdone on the show. I'd say Big Mike was the stronger of the pair as Casey had a few hiccups here and there. That being said, the overall performance was quite strong. Casey's guitar playing was outstanding, as usual and their harmonizing towards the end was spectacular. Both duets ended up being the best performances of the night!

Top 4 Performance Rankings:
1.) Crystal Bowersox
2.) Lee Dewyze
3.) Michael Lynche
4.) Casey James

Going home: Casey James appears to be the easy pick to go home tonight, and I think I'm going to go along with that. I think it's either between him and Michael Lynche and I still believe Big Mike has more momentum going his way more than Casey. Plus Casey has been in the bottom three/two more frequently lately than any other contestant. All of the contestants this week didn't have spectacular solo performances, yet they all contributed to some great duets. But after taking everything into consideration, I'll place my bets on Casey going home tonight.

Random Thoughts

So today's blog is going to deal with multiple topics - something I don't often do, but probably should. Especially when I'm having a hard time writing more than one paragraph on a particular subject! But I am going to try to worry less about writing a certain set number of paragraphs like I've been doing since starting up this little blog. So, on with today's blog!

A TASTE OF WINTER IN MAY
For those of you not following the weather today, the Upper Midwest is experiencing a bit of a wintry blast from Mother Nature. That just so happens to include the Upper Peninsula, where I live! Remember the last few Aprils (not this April, though) where I've complained about snowstorms then? Well I can't believe I'm having to compose part of a blog about the impending snowstorm in May this year! Just when you think you don't have to worry about hearing the "S" word or driving another day on snowy roads, here it is again! The good news is that it's not going to be like the snowstorm of May 9-10, 1990 where some parts of the U.P. picked up 20 inches of snow. The highlands of the central U.P. could pick up four to seven inches of snow during the storm, with lesser amounts near the lake shores. You have to remember that at this time of the year, it's very difficult for the snow to stick on the ground, especially considering how warm we've been this spring. Still, the snow is expected to fall overnight, and when the temperatures will be at their coolest during the night, snow will begin to stick on grassy surfaces and even the roads. It won't be a fun drive into work in the morning! But hopefully it's the final last gasp of winter for the U.P. I suppose we deserve it - winter did end rather abruptly for us this year.

AN INTERESTING SHOPPING TRIP
So yesterday evening, I ventured into town to do a bit of shopping for Mother's Day. Not knowing what the weather would be like today, I decided to get my shopping done yesterday. I went into one of my favorite stores to see what I could get for my mom. I always like to buy mom things that match the season for when that particular occasion is occurring. For example, Mother's Day is in the spring, so I shopped for some spring and summer themed gifts. Usually I buy my mom an outdoor flower arrangement, which I did. I bought this beautiful striped petunia pot at another store which has great outdoor gardening items. I also bought her some outdoor bird knick-knacks, because she's a wild bird enthusiast, just like myself. She's got quite a collection going, and some of the older birds in the collection are getting rather faded and old. In addition, I also bought her a bird wind chime. So, as I went to check out at the store, I swiped my debit card in the machine, made the final selections on the little keypad, and waited for my transaction to go through. The only thing is, it didn't! After the monitor said "approved," the machine froze. The cashier and I were waiting for the machine to finish processing, but it never did. So they had to reboot the system (which took an incredibly long time) and hope that they didn't have to re-ring all of my items through the check out again. Well, when the system finally came back up, my items were still on the screen, but I wasn't charged yet. So I had to re-swipe me debit card and this time the transaction went through. But that's something I never experienced before but I am sure its happened to others. The store manager was great, giving me a $5 gift card for my troubles (which I used the second time through). And I wasn't the least bit upset about having to wait, because I wasn't in a big rush to go anywhere. I was more amused than anything!

RANDOM IDOL NEWS
So I've heard a few interesting things the last few days when it comes to American Idol. First off, just like they did last year during the top four, the final four contestants will pair up with a fellow contestant and sing duets. Last season, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen were paired up, while Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta sang a duet. It's a nice concept, however, I'd much prefer that all four contestants get an additional song to sing like they've done prior to season eight. Having that fourth judge on the panel takes away from each of the contestants getting to sing another song! Hopefully with Simon leaving the show after this season, the producers will return to a three-judge format like they've had prior to season eight. In fact while they're at it, they should get rid of Randy, Ellen, and Kara as well! A brand new panel for a new era of Idol. Maybe that'll give the show some new life and the ratings will come back. But in general, I think people are tired of the show. In addition, next week the Idol will be singing songs from the cinema (a theme they had last year) along with guest mentor Jamie Foxx (who also appeared as a mentor last season). Honestly, why all these recycled themes and why the emphasis on having mentors each and every week again? Where are the producers' priorities when it comes to the show? Where's Nigel Lythgow when you need him?

New Blog Strategy

Just a quick note to pass on to everyone regarding the future of "Luke's Ponderings." I believe I made a posting earlier in the year about possibly taking a hiatus from writing during the upcoming summer. I don't foresee that happening at this time because I am planning on developing a new strategy for the blog in the coming weeks. It's an aggressive plan for me, seeing as I have yet been able to write five blogs in one week. But that's exactly what I am proposing to do. The plan is to write five blogs in one week, each dealing with a particular theme. As of now, the themes are not set in stone, but I am bouncing a few of them around in my head.

During one day, I'll write a TV-themed blog. During American Idol season, it'll be the recap for that week's performance show. And in the fall of 2011 with the launch of the U.S. version of the X Factor, I'll likely blog about that. That, in addition to other reality TV programming I like and other topics regarding television. I am also going to set one day to talk about a particular Upper Peninsula topic. Even though the U.P. is small population-wise, this great land I live in has a lot to offer. Expect something different each week regarding the U.P. here at "Luke's Ponderings". In addition, I also plan to devote one day during the week to discussing something in my personal life. It could be a story about my past, something going on in the present, or something potentially about my future. And I know I'm not the most exciting personality born on this earth, but my life hasn't been a total bore, either. I still haven't decided on two other possible topics yet, but I'll reveal those at another time (one might have something to do with music).

So there you have it, my latest aggressive plan for a re-vamped "Luke's Ponderings". Obviously this year has been rather difficult for me in keeping the blog up, although I'd like to think I've done a fairly better job recently. And I am going to try to be less picky about having longer blogs because sometimes, shorter is better. As long as I have something interesting to say, that should be all that matters! So, you should be able to expect these changes to take place at some point in the very near future, possibly as soon as the end of this month! And I am also debating about whether or not to incorporate some video blogs into "Luke's Ponderings" as well. Let me just say, I'm not the most articulate speaker on the planet. So if I do indeed decide to start filming video blogs, it'll certainly be a challenge. Let's just say I'll leave it out there, but it's certainly not a done deal at this point. In any case, I am looking to expand my horizons and I hope everyone will be able to come along for the ride.

10 Year Class Reunion

So this year marks ten years since I graduated high school. Ten years seems like such a long time ago, but thinking back to my senior year, it doesn't seem like all that long ago. I remember people saying "oh, your senior year goes by so fast." They gave the advice to enjoy it while you can, because before you know it, you'll be a high school graduate. And you know, I tried to make the most of that senior year, however, I don't feel I was able to. Because like everybody said, it went by so incredibly fast! And then everybody moves in so many different directions, you lose track so quickly. If it wasn't for myspace or facebook, I wouldn't know where anyone is these days! Thank goodness for ever improving technology!

Seeing that 2010 marks the 10th anniversary of my graduation from high school, that means an all important reunion is in the works (at least I believe it's in the works). Several of my old classmates began making plans late last year to plan a reunion of some sort. For several years now, I've had mixed emotions about attending such a reunion. It's amazing how close we were as a class and now fast forward ten years - and I haven't seen a majority of my old classmates since I graduated in 2000! I don't know what they look like (aside from my Facebook friends), if their personalities have changed, and how they might treat me ten years later. Attending such a gathering would honestly make me feel uncomfortable because I am so totally self-conscious of myself. Today and even back then, I was so concerned about making a good impression to anyone I met and was friends with. I've always been the good guy yet so incredibly bashful it's embarrassing. I don't want anyone to think negatively of me and if I overhear someone talking about me in a negative light, I honestly become depressed and ashamed. How does this relate to attending a reunion? Well to me, it means a lot. I guess I'm concerned what my old classmates might think of me ten years later - they'll probably think the same if not a little bit worse of me. It's a big fear of mine.

I've gone back and forth through the years about whether or not I should attend the ten year class reunion this summer. Honestly, if I had a girlfriend or I was married right now, it'd probably be much easier for me to attend and gloat myself up. I mean sure, I have a decent paying job, a nice house, and a lot going for myself. But lets face it, we all live for the American Dream. The American Dream (which is becoming more and more old fashioned these days) consists of marrying someone of the opposite sex and raising a family. Right now, that's non-existent in my life and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon. I'm sure to most of you reading this blog, you probably think it's really no big deal to be single in this day and age. After all, 50% of marriages end in divorce. But to me, it is a big deal. And I'm sure I'm making a bigger deal of it than I should be. But it's a really significant detail that's holding back my perfect American Dream. I am just afraid of feeling so out of place at my class reunion, not being able to mingle with my old classmates, and being forced to leave early because I am so miserable. Most of my old classmates that are my friends on Facebook are married. You know they are going to bring their spouses with them (and maybe their kids, too). Who will I have to parade around there? Myself? I've never been much of a drinker. Maybe I can really bring out my wild side and make people think negatively of me then.

Alright, so maybe I am just being too darn negative about this whole ordeal. After all, how often do we get to see these people in our lives after we graduate from high school? Honestly, I am not close to any of my old classmates anymore (well, maybe one). But for me, the event this summer seems like it's just going to be a big waste of my time. I know I am going to continue going back and forth about attending this shin-dig. I will continue weighing the pros and cons about going to my ten year class reunion. It could be nice seeing those familiar faces aged ten years. Yet, it could also be bad seeing those faces. It could bring back bad memories for me (not that high school was all that terrible for me, just that it could've been better). However, some of them could look so terrible and in comparison, I could look like a male model. So yes, I'm still undecided about attending my class reunion. I'm sure it'll be a last minute decision (and if I do go, I'll have to change my summer vacations around because I'm scheduled to work that weekend). Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of wonderful high school memories that I hold onto. However, they are slowly beginning to fade and after ten years, I've definitely moved on from those times. If I don't attend the reunion, I'm sure I won't be missed.

American Idol 9 - Top 5

Coming into tonight's episode, we have just a month left of this season and at the end of this journey, a new Idol will be crowned. I hate to be so negative, but I just have no enthusiasm for the finale this year. I don't know if it's because of the lackluster talent or the predictability of this season (not that I've been picking correctly in who goes home each week), but something is totally missing. I miss season seven and eight! Anyway, let's try and make the most of season nine and enjoy as much of it as we possibly can. This week the contestants perform songs from one of the legends himself, Frank Sinatra. And what a great mentor the contestants have this week in Harry Connick Jr. He's even helping to arrange the songs for them! What a cool guy. I hope this is a home run for all of the contestants this week.

Aaron Kelly - "Fly Me to the Moon" : Aaron has had his fair share of struggles as of late (however, last week was quite good for him, not surprisingly), and despite the criticism he gets from the judges, he's always positive and strives to improve. That's one thing you have to like about this high school student. As for tonight's performance, it was just okay for me. I wasn't jumping out of my seat because he didn't really do a whole lot vocally. I noticed a few pitchy notes and I thought the second half was better than the first. Sometimes when he stretches out a certain note, he goes off pitch. He has to continue working on his pitch problems, especially those in his upper register. He trended to strain a bit on some of those higher notes towards the end of the performance.

Casey James - "Blue Skies" : Casey has been molded into a decent lead singer in a cover band. However, there are times when he has shined on that big Idol stage - it seems to be during those performances where the tempo is softer and where he's able to show off his vocal talent. This week could work out very well for Casey if it's executed perfectly. However, it's executed horribly. It just goes extremely bad for Casey. He clearly shows that this is the wrong kind of music for him and he looks totally uncomfortable on stage. He tries moving to different points on stage but he looks so stiff. The singing is just way off; he's pitchy and his phrasing is horrible. Oh man, I had high hopes for Casey this week but it's just not working tonight. I'm afraid this may be the end for him.

Crystal Bowersox - "Summer Wind" : It'll be interesting to see how Crystal adapts to singing Sinatra songs tonight. What am I saying? She can sing anything! So far this season, she's stepped outside of her comfort level and have taken some pretty large risks, probably more so than any other contestant in season nine. So I am sure she can adapt quite well to performing a Sinatra song. And I must say she did a pretty good job tonight. I won't say it was her best and I am not completely comfortable hearing her perform these kinds of songs. However, she made it enjoyable to listen to and we got to see another side of the music machine that is Crystal Bowersox. I did think the beginning of the song was rather underwhelming compared to the last half of the song. Also, the band tended to drown out her singing towards the end. But vocally, it was quite good.

Michael Lynche - "The Way You Look Tonight" : Out of the five remaining contestants, I can definitely see Big Mike having the most success tonight. This is the type of music that he excels on. Maybe not so much the Sinatra-style of music, but more along the lines of a ballad. Those seem to be Mike's most memorable performances, when he's able to be vulnerable, emotional, and sing from the heart. And I must say, Mike was quite good tonight. Again, am I going to remember exactly what he sang tomorrow and how he sang it? Most likely, no. But so far tonight, he was far and away the best. Again, he sang the song with such emotion and you could feel his connection to the song. And yes, he still tends to be over dramatic on that stage, but that's just how he is. That's how he's able to remain comfortable on that stage and at least it's not completely awkward like Casey's stage presence.

Lee Dewyze - "That's Life" : First let me just say, nobody did "My Way" or "New York, New York"? That's rather surprising and a bit disappointing for me. Anyways, Lee is on tap with the pimp spot tonight. Let's see if he can close the show in a proper and memorable way. I've got to admit, I was a little worried with the way it started for me. I noticed a few off-pitch notes but Lee recovered quite nicely and made the song his own. Again, like a few of the other contestants, this is outside of Lee's comfort zone but he did a nice job of incorporating it into his style. Towards the end of the song he did get drowned out a bit by the band, but you could definitely tell it was Lee singing. He just continues to step it up week after week and after a couple of okay performances from Crystal the past two weeks, Lee is starting to inch his way ahead of her.

Top Five Performance Rankings:
1.) Lee Dewyze
2.) Michael Lynche
3.) Crystal Bowersox
4.) Aaron Kelly
5.) Casey James

Going Home: I think Casey's journey comes to an end after tomorrow. Last week he was in the bottom two, and that was after he delivered the best performance of that particular night! To me, that spells doom and gloom, especially after tonight's dismal performance. I think Aaron can be carried over one more week by the tween votes and Crystal is still a lock for the finale. As for Casey, I just think it's time.

Riding Lawn Mowers

My Dad and I picked up our "new" riding lawn mower from my Uncle's garage last night. It's not brand new, but it's probably the newest rider we've ever owned. Over the years, we've tried getting our hands on a riding lawn mower, but haven't had too much success. Back when I was really little, I remember my dad owning a rider, with the steering wheel right up front and the engine of the machine in the back. Unfortunately that's about all I remember of it. I recall my dad giving me a few rides on the contraption, but that's about it. I honestly don't ever remember what happened to it, but I'm thinking it simply broke down and was just too costly to repair. It did seem like a vintage mower with not a lot of hope left for it.

Fast forward approximately ten years when my dad and I was given an old relic to fix up from my Uncle. It was a Sears model - probably from the 1970's. It was pretty well beat up, but as long as we had all of the parts, we could make it work. We took it apart, grinded off all of the old rust and paint from the machine, re-assembled the riding lawn mower - now all we had to do is get it running. Only trouble is, we were missing the mower deck. For those unfamiliar with riding lawn mowers, the mower deck is what sits under the machine itself and does all of the cutting. Some mowers have two blades, others three that make up the mower deck. Well, I remember being assured from my Uncle that the mower deck was sitting around in his garage, somewhere. Well we found a mower deck, but it wasn't the right one. We never did find something compatible for that particular model, so we ended up scrapping that particular machine. Kind of tragic, considering all of the work we put into that machine.

Now, fast forward another five years. Ah yes, we basically repeat the story, only with a few details changed. Again, we received this old beat-up riding lawn mower from my Uncle. We actually had it running at first, but it was in desperate need of repair. I even remember the motor leaking oil. So we took the machine all apart and gave it a new look. I can't remember the make of this particular machine, but when we were finished giving it a makeover, we turned it into a John Deere designed riding lawn mower. At that stage in my life, I was collecting anything I could with John Deere on it. So I was pretty thrilled to be able to transform this rider into a John Deere. We even cut out a John Deere logo from a paper plate and used it as a stencil to paint it on the machine. It turned out really slick. We attached a new motor to it and had it running for awhile. But then we began experiencing constant trouble with it. The drive belts that connected the mower deck to the pulley on the motor kept slipping off. It began happening too frequently - and after being inspected by my uncle, it was determined we needed a new pulley. Well, how easy is it to find a pulley for such an old machine? Well, my uncle did find one. But we never did find out if it actually would've worked. This riding lawn mower either sat in the garage during the warm months or back in one of the sheds during the colder months. All it needed was this new pulley to be installed, but it never happened. Finally, my mom got so sick of seeing it just sitting there, she told my dad to get rid of it. And he finally did, dismantling all of our hard work. Today, the machine sits in the woods at my Uncle's property, rusting away.

Flash forward to late last year. I was with my dad while visiting my Uncle at his garage as we looked for stuff for my house (I was looking for any furniture items he could give me). In his garage sat a nice looking, 1990's style riding lawn mower. My uncle tells us it hadn't been ran all that often. And instead of giving us clunkers to try and fix up, he would let us have that particular machine, because it seemed like he had a bunch of modern-looking riding lawn mowers already! Needless to say, we were thrilled. My dad's not getting any younger and his lawn is quite hilly. So tonight, as the clouds roll in, I wonder if my dad is enjoying his first modern-looking riding lawn mower, the first he's ever owned. It's been a long time coming, believe me.

American Idol 9 - Top 6

It's hard to believe, but the competition is starting to wind down. Once the producers start using two telephone numbers for each contestant, the competitors are getting fewer and fewer. So, is it country music week, or simply "songs from Shania Twain"? I've found lately, particularly with this season and last, even though it's supposed to be country music week, the contestants change the song however they feel it should sound. They basically eliminate the country twang. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but they should be trying to adapt to the country sound a little bit at least. Some of the contestants embraced the country roots these songs have, while others changed them to suit their sound. So how did everyone do overall this week with Shania Twain's songs? Let's find out...

Lee Dewyze - "You're Still the One" : Lee is up first tonight and he's been doing consistently well for a number of weeks now. I would say it was another strong performance week for Lee, but it wasn't quite perfect. He ran into some pitch problems here and there, particularly in the beginning. The key of the song almost seemed to be too high for Lee and it appeared he was struggling to hit the highest notes in the song. And the way he ended the song seemed a bit awkward to me - was he overcome by emotion at the end? Other than those issues that came up, I thought Lee delivered another solid performance. And I like that he is overcoming his stage fright issues because he's going to need to if he's going to be a big recording artist.

Michael Lynche - "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" : Big Mike is up next and he is tackling another ballad and giving it some R&B flavor. I must say, this is when Michael is at his strongest when performing these kinds of songs. I agree with Simon that it did seem theatrical at times and he has to work on limiting his theatrical-like stage movements. But all in all, it was another strong performance week for Big Mike. He was pitch perfect, he delivered an emotional, raw, and vulnerable performance and he showed exactly why he's still on that big stage (while being helped out with the judge's save). Now the big question is, did he do enough to make a connection with the audience and to keep him around another week?

Casey James - "Don't" : So it appears that Casey received a much needed wake-up call last week when he landed in the bottom two. He just was not connecting to the judges nor the audience while delivering those lazy, yet competent rock song covers. Those kinds of performances sound great in any bar across the country. Yet, when you're try to be a relevant and new performing artist, you need to do something else. And Casey did exactly that this week. He performed a much more slowed-down song and really let his vocals shine. It was vulnerable and you could tell he was connected to the song. It may not have been quite as good as "Jealous Guy," but it was definitely a breath of fresh air, particularly after last week.

Crystal Bowersox - "No One Needs to Know" : I am sure I don't need to tell you that Crystal is the proverbial front-runner in this competition, even though it appears that Lee is nipping at her heels a bit. She has delivered consistently-strong performances week after week. But she has a unique problem that the majority of contestants this season don't have to worry about. She became the front-runner so early on that it's hard to see her improve because she's so consistently good. She may become stale to the average Idol viewer and run into serious trouble. I don't think this was her strongest week by any means but overall she was solid. I really enjoyed her falsetto towards the end of the song. But I don't ever see her performing these kinds of songs in her career.

Aaron Kelly - "You've Got a Way" : Aaron has made a few trips into the bottom three recently, so he needs to deliver a strong performance to get a reprieve. I will say this - this is the perfect week for him to do well, after all, it's country music. I am sure he's listened to a few Shania Twain songs here and there. And he definitely picked the perfect song. He did run into a few pitch problems, especially earlier on in the performance. But he improved quite nicely and had a strong finish. And it was such a heartfelt performance; how could anyone be negative after that one? He started to get overcome with emotion at the end, so you could clearly see he was connected to the song. Nice to see Aaron come back with a vengeance.

Siobhan Magnus - "Any Man of Mine" : Siobhan finishes out the show with one of Shania's more popular upbeat songs. Siobhan has definitely encountered her fair share of struggles as of late. And her choice of songs has also been rather questionable. Let's hope she hits one out of the park this week, because I'm still rooting for her - even though I don't find her quite as appealing as I once did. And I must say, it was a big improvement for Siobhan this week over the past few weeks. She still ran into a few issues, especially pitch-wise. She had problems while trying to hit the lower notes in the song. Sometimes she's hard to understand when she's attempting to hit those lower notes in her register and it happened a few times during her performance. She sounded nasally and unintelligible at times, yet, a big improvement over the last few weeks.

Week 6 Performance Rankings:
1.) Casey James
2.) Mike Lynche
3.) Lee Dewyze
4.) Crystal Bowersox
5.) Siobhan Magnus
6.) Aaron Kelly

Going home: Wow ... what an incredibly tough decision this week. You could make a case for all of them staying or all of them going home. For some of them, it deals with an issue that's been plaguing them all season. For Big Mike, he's typically pitch perfect yet his stage persona is often over dramatic. Lee has delivered consistently-strong performances, yet still runs into pitch problems. Crystal is always good - and that just might be her problem. How does she show improvement when she's always good. Aaron Kelly is a sweet young guy, but still runs into pitch problems. Siobhan is quirky, outlandish, and you never know what kind of performance she's going to deliver, but also runs into pitch problems and questionable song selection. And lastly, while Casey finally gave the audience something new this week performing a ballad quite strongly, his up-beat rock-band cover performances still leave the audience wanting something more. So, with that being said and having to make a difficult decision, I think Mike Lynche is going home tonight. He was already eliminated once but saved by the judges. I just don't believe he connects with the audience all that well. But honestly, it could be anyone else going home tonight; it's that difficult of a decision.

American Idol 9 - Top 7

It's Idol Gives Back week and we're looking for inspirational performances from the remaining seven contestants. I think this is probably one of the more tricky weeks to pick a song, because you need one with a message and an individual needs to deliver it in an inspirational way. If one of them sings it in a typical fashion and they do not connect to the message within the song, the importance of the night can be lost. Tonight's mentor is Alicia Keys, who has done a large amount of charity work herself. Doesn't it seem like Idol is bringing more and more mentors back into the fold each and every week? I remember after season six, they felt there were too many mentors and it was taking away from the contestants themselves. Now it seems we're seeing more and more mentors again. Not that it matters, really. Because either a contestant sings well or they don't - regardless if there's a mentor there or not. Anyways, on with the recap!

Casey James - "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac : Up first tonight is Casey James and he picks a classic Fleetwood Mac song. Hmm, "Don't Stop" as inspirational? Sure, it has potentially moving lyrics. But I don't think it quite fits the mold as an inspirational song. I am not in the least inspired by this performance. Honestly, what is Casey doing on that stage? It's the same performance style week after week and it's getting old. I think he needs to change things up - two weeks ago he performed "Jealous Guy" in such a passionate, soulful, and earnest way. We need to see something like that again and not the same rocking bar-scene performance. This week he could've had another performance like "Jealous Guy" and it would've fit the theme perfectly. Missed opportunity there.

Lee Dewyze - "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel : Next up is Lee and he chooses an amazing song. I am a big fan of Simon and Garfunkel and "The Boxer" is one of my favorite songs of theirs (next to "Bridge Over Troubled Water"). I just hope Lee doesn't screw it up! And he doesn't and even gives the song a bit of a different sound to it - a more modern feel. He's clearly much more connected with his song than Casey was with his and this is what performing inspirational songs is all about. You pick a song with a great message, connect to the song, and make the audience feel that performance. I actually prefer Lee when he's not shouting so much and I can't wait to hear the longer rendition on his iTunes recording.

Tim Urban - "Better Days" by the Goo Goo Dolls : The ever-improving Tim Urban is up next (but will he ever be great?) with an inspirational song from the Goo Goo Dolls. I like the choice of song by Tim but the performance was not executed as well as it could've been. It starts off rather under whelming and he seems to struggle with the lower notes in his register. It gradually gets better but it's still lacking a spark. His phrasing is still not the greatest and he's still a pretty mediocre vocalist. I wasn't all that impressed with the arrangement of the song, either, as it was kind of all over the place. It was just okay for me and he didn't propel himself any higher than he already has this season.

Aaron Kelly - "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly : "High School student" Aaron Kelly is next with another head-scratcher of a song choice. I guess I am not a big fan of this song, particularly on the Idol stage. I know it's been song a few times previously on the show and nobody has really done well with it. Aaron follows that trend and it falls flat for me. Speaking of flat, there's definitely some pitchiness here and there. Honestly, I think it's just too big of a song for him. Yes, I applaud him for picking such a gigantic song but at this stage of the competition, effort isn't good enough. When he tries hitting some of those higher notes in the song, he struggles. Definitely not a stellar week from Aaron, again.

Siobhan Magnus - "When You Believe" by Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey : Siobhan was once considered a front runner in this competition and many were envisioning a Crystal-Siobhan finale in May, including myself. But Siobhan has been derailed a bit lately and I think the conflicting criticism from the judges may be to blame. This week, I thought her vocals were quite good. There were a couple of times where her voice didn't quite sound right to me - even a bit nasally. But this is probably the best she's sounded in a good three weeks. I do agree in a sense that her recent song choices have made her become more old fashioned and she may be embracing more of a broadway feel. I guess I would like to see her return to tackle a song like "Think" which she did quite well with earlier on.

Michael Lynche - "Hero" by Chad Kroeger featuring Joey Scott : I guess I don't understand why Michael needs to pick up practically ever celebrity mentor he meets when giving them a hug. Don't you think he needs to be more restrained and gentle? That's one of the gripes I have of Big Mike. As for his performance, it was good, but I wasn't jumping up and down over it, either. I wasn't a fan with the way it started when he gave it a more acoustic feel, and then I didn't care much for when the tempo picked up and it turned more rock-ish. I just don't feel it was the right song for Mike. It didn't fit his voice and I feel it was another missed opportunity for him.

Crystal Bowersox - "People Get Ready" by the Impressions : So Crystal is sans the guitar tonight (no instrument of any kind) and is stepping outside of her comfort zone. It worked for her a few weeks back (even with playing the piano) so why shouldn't it work this time around? I wouldn't say it was a perfect vocal for her but it was awfully close. Honestly, now this is an inspirational performance. What a way to end the night. Crystal gets all emotional when noticing her dad in the audience and it's truly a touching moment. I really think this has the potential to win over a lot of people about Crystal who may have been on the fence about her. I mean, what more can you say? She's already a consummate professional and she's the most deserving to go all the way.

Top 7 Performance Rankings:
1.) Crystal Bowersox
2.) Lee Dewyze
3.) Siobhan Magnus
4.) Michael Lynche
5.) Casey James
6.) Tim Urban
7.) Aaron Kelly

Going Home: I have done a terrible job picking the eliminees this season, so I am sure I'll get this wrong, too. But based on vocals last night, I'd have to say Aaron Kelly will get the boot. He just has not stepped it up the past three weeks when he absolutely needed to, even delivering mediocre, karaoke-type performances. Tim Urban is definitely a lock for the bottom three but I don't foresee his journey ending quite yet. And don't be surprised to see Casey James in the bottom three, but he still has a strong-enough fanbase that should keep him in this for a week or two longer.

Marquette Roundabout

So construction for the infamous Marquette, Michigan roundabout is about to get underway in less than a month, and the Michigan Department of Transportation is ramping up it's public service announcements regarding how to traverse within a roundabout. This will be the first modern roundabout to be constructed in the Upper Peninsula and I know it will taking people some getting used to. And no matter what MDOT does in regards to informing the public about it, people will still get lost. I'm going to be rather concerned about going through it myself in the beginning because I'll be worried about the other drivers more than myself! The concept of a roundabout seems quite simple, actually. But I know people are going to get confused about which lanes they should be in and people will try to switch lanes while in the roundabout. I'm thinking about avoiding that intersection for awhile until I know (or at least hope) people are comfortable with driving through it.

Public reaction on the roundabout still remains mixed to this day. The roundabout is being installed at the Front Street/US-41 Bypass intersection in south Marquette. The existing intersection is rather convoluted, with a slew of through lanes and yield signs. Those of us that live in the area are familiar with the existing intersection. But for travelers, it's awfully confusing. In fact, for them, it's probably a heck of a lot worse than driving in a roundabout! I don't particularly feel that intersection is signed all that well to begin with. For the overall safety aspect of the intersection, I think the roundabout is the best fit. I don't feel that converting the intersection with traffic signals would work because it would increase delays even further than they already are during peak traffic times.

In general, I think people are just afraid of change, one of the reasons why there is a good deal of negative criticism about the project. The current intersection has existed since the 1960's and people are comfortable with it. Now that MDOT is changing it, they are afraid of something new. I guarantee once people get used to it, people will learn to love it. I remember a similar thing happened where I work several years back in regards to our work schedule. We were voting on a new schedule and a lot of the veteran people absolutely did not want to change because it including 12-hour shifts in favor of one additional weekend off. The schedule eventually was changed, even though the vote was close. And in time, a majority of those people against the change adjusted and now they would never go back to the old schedule. It's just that people don't want to change something they are comfortable with. I can understand that. But for safety, I think the change to a roundabout at this particular intersection will be a good fit.

People are also concerned about trucks traveling through the new roundabout. The roundabout is made big enough for trucks to pass through so really, there's no major concern there. Another concern is in regards to winter driving and plowing the newly reconfigured intersection. There are videos on the web from snowy places like upstate New York where roundabouts are located. One video captures a plow plowing the roundabout. Doesn't look all that difficult to plow in the winter time. There may be an issue in regards to where the lanes are at when the roadway is snow covered, but I don't think that should be all that difficult to figure out. Yes, it'll take getting used to. But the nice thing about a roundabout is that traffic moves at a slow pace. It's not a speedway and people should be taking their time to pass through the roundabout. It's time to embrace the Marquette roundabout because it's going to happen. Construction starts May 3 and should be completed by sometime in August. I am sure the majority of people will learn to love it.

VIEW MDOT'S INFORMATIONAL VIDEO OF THE ROUNDABOUT HERE.

American Idol 9 - Top 9 (again)

It's top nine week again! Last week brought a potentially shocking elimination when Michael Lynche received the least amount of votes. However, the judges used the power of the save and allowed Michael to return once again. Will Michael ultimately win the competition this season? Likely not. But hey, this season is filled with mediocrity - so why not use it to save Michael? He's been one of the most consistent performers week in and week out. The only individuals I think you might look at needing the save are Crystal and Lee. But they have such strong fanbases, I don't think they'll be in danger for awhile yet. As for this week, the theme is songs by Elvis Presley. And who better to mentor the contestants on Elvis songs than a showman himself, Adam Lambert. Let's see how the contestants fared this week:

Crystal Bowersox - "Saved" : I don't think Crystal has been quite on her "A" game the past few weeks, although she's still been one of the best performers all along. This week she picks a lesser-known Elvis track which I think is smart on her part. Adam Lambert gives her the advice of using the electric guitar over the acoustic. We'll see how that pays off. And I must say, this is the best Crystal has sounded in awhile. Her performance was powerful and you could definitely tell she injected a gospel feel into it. I didn't notice a whole lot of the electric guitar during the performance, but that didn't matter to me. Another excellent performance by Crystal. A great way to start the night on.

Andrew Garcia - "Hound Dog" : So Andrew's up next and I feel he's fallen back to mediocrity after having one decent week since moving past Hollywood Week into the Top 24. And despite his mediocrity, he still hangs around. He was awfully close to going home last week, though. This week it was once again, another less-than-inspiring performance. I don't care if Andrew "has fun" with his performances, you also have to sing well and make a memorable impression to the audience. His rendition of "Hound Dog" once again felt loungy to me. The slowed-down arrangement did not help and it still felt rather boring to me. His vocals were ok, but it shouldn't be enough to save him this week. I think it's his time to go.

Tim Urban - "Can't Help Falling in Love" : So instead of expecting Andrew or Katie to start doing well in this competition, it's actually Tim that's gradually improved week after week. One thing is for sure, he's definitely more comfortable performing when he has a guitar with him. And although he's not the greatest vocalist in the competition (probably the weakest, even), he's learned to sing the songs on key and to change up the arrangement of songs just enough to make them his own. He did exactly that with "Can't Help Falling in Love." He certainly has developed a strategy and as long as he follows that strategy, he'll outlast a lot of the mediocre performers. Another solid week for Tim once again.

Lee Dewyze - "A Little Less Conversation" : Here we have a song that's been done on Idol quite a bit, yet with Lee's interpretation of the song this week, he changed it up very nicely and basically turned it into a completely different song. I actually thought it was a big improvement over last week, as I was not a fan of his "Hey Jude" rendition (with bagpipes and all!). Someone in the blog world mentioned that Lee kind of screwed up the lyrics during the chorus once - but I really didn't notice until looking back and I'm sure the majority of people watching didn't notice, either. I do think that Lee shouted the song an awful lot and the performance would've been that much better if he toned it down just a bit. But still, it was very good.

Aaron Kelly - "Blue Suede Shoes" : Aaron has struggled a bit as of late and its definitely showed in the results - Aaron was in last week's bottom three, although he was the first announced safe before Andrew and Big Mike. Aaron has to be careful of his song choices and start picking smarter. He also needs to perform better. Overall, I'd say he made a good attempt at this week's pick, but it ended up being the wrong song for him. He was moving all over the stage, which was nice to see, even coming up close to Kara at one point. But I think all of that movement kind of through off his vocals. I think he was a bit underwhelming for that particular song and although it wasn't bad, it still wasn't great either.

Siobhan Magnus - "Suspicious Minds" : Siobhan has experienced her own bout of struggles on the Idol stage lately. And it doesn't help that she's been getting conflicting advice from the judges, either. They tell her she shouldn't be using that infamous wail during every performance, yet when he doesn't use it, her performance is regarded as being sleepy. So what will Siobhan do this week? I actually liked it when Adam suggested she pick up the pace of the song, because it worked. She has a tendency to struggle with the lower notes in her register, and that was evident in the first part of the song. I actually think the second half of the song was better than the first, where she really started to ramp the performance up.

Michael Lynche - "In the Ghetto" : Michael definitely did something smart this week. After getting the least amounts of votes last week and being saved by the judges, he performed with an acoustic song and stripped down the arrangement of "In the Ghetto" to the point where the audience could really focus on his vocals. So instead of being flashy, moving all across the stage, and using a variety of hand gestures, he sat still on the Idol stage and performed his song. It was really the right thing to do and his performance was quite beautiful. Sure, you could say it was sleepy but his decision will allow him to stay in this competition a week longer. How embarrassing would it have been to be eliminated this week after getting saved the following week?

Katie Stevens - "Baby What Do You Want Me To Do" : Last week Katie finally lived up to her potential with a strong performance of "Let it Be" and ended up being one of the top performers during Lennon/McCartney week. Let's see if she's able to keep that momentum going. And yet, right from the start, she sounds a bit sharp - not quite matching the pitch that's intended for the song. I actually think she's encountered that problem quite often during her Idol run, except last week it was non-existent. This week it wasn't as bad as it's been, but her vocals weren't perfect. And I don't think this particular song helped her, either. It's one of Elvis' more lesser-known songs and I think Katie does better when she sings ballads over up-tempo songs.

Casey James - "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" : So Casey really picks an old-school Elvis song this week. I certainly wasn't familiar with it and I'm sure many others out there weren't familiar with it, either. Sometimes that's not a negative thing for certain contestants, though. I thought it was a decent performance, but it wasn't all that memorable, either. That's kind of how Casey has performed overall this season. Except for last week where he truly had a moment, he's performed songs exactly how they should be sang, with little changes to the arrangement. He'd really be a great performer in an '80's cover band. Something just felt missing in this performance for me, even though vocally it was quite good.

Top 9 Performance Rankings:
1.) Crystal Bowersox
2.) Lee Dewyze
3.) Michael Lynche
4.) Tim Urban
5.) Siobhan Magnus
6.) Casey James
7.) Katie Stevens
8.) Aaron Kelly
9.) Andrew Garcia

Going home: Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly. I think Andrew is definitely a shoo-in to get the boot this week. Of course, how often have I said that this season and he's managed to get through just barely! But with two people going home this week, I really think it's his time. As for the other individual, I really think it's a toss-up between Aaron Kelly and Katie Stevens. However, I think Aaron won't get through beyond this week. Katie is probably still riding some momentum from last week and Aaron has struggled a bit lately.

American Idol 9 - Top 9

So here we are, another week of Idol performances. This week, it's another recycled theme from a past season of Idol, songs from the Lennon-McCartney songbook. During season seven, we had two weeks of L-M songs which was a bit of an overkill. However, these songs are truly epic no matter how great or terrible they're sang (how can we forget Kristy Lee Cook's horrendous rendition of "Eight Days a Week" two years ago?). Even though people were generally disappointed to see this theme re-appear again, I was actually looking forward to it. Beatles music (or Lennon-McCartney songs) brings the best out of people and maybe it'll do the same to this season's crop of contestants. Here is what I had to say about the night:

Aaron Kelly - "The Long and Winding Road" : Aaron has had some pretty strong performances as of late, so let's see if he's able to continue the momentum. Unfortunately last night was an off-night for Aaron. Right from the start, he sounds rather flat. I don't know what it is, but he appears to be lacking energy. I do not like the sound of the background singers during his performance - they are not helping matters much! I am partial to David Archuleta's rendition of this song during season seven and Aaron just doesn't compare. He definitely wasn't on his "A" game tonight and that's unfortunate. It was a less-than-inspiring performance from Aaron this week.

Katie Stevens - "Let it Be" : So it's quite obvious that Katie has been taking a beating on her Idol journey thus far. However, I think she's slowly beginning to turn the corner. Her Fergie cover a couple of weeks ago was decent, and last week's Aretha song while not great, wasn't terrible. How will she do with a Lennon/McCartney song? Well, it turns out, quite great! She chooses possibly the best Lennon/McCartney song of them all - one of the most famous, and sings the heck out of it. This is the Katie we've all been waiting to see during this season! She was passionate, she connected with the song, and turned it into a believable performance. Well done, Katie.

Andrew Garcia - "Can't Buy Me Love" : Andrew has mirrored Katie's Idol journey thus far quite similarly. He, too, appears like he's turned the corner of his mediocre performances and has finally become the contestant we saw during Hollywood Week. His cover of Chris Brown's "Forever" was such a huge improvement over the past few weeks. Now, that doesn't mean there wasn't room to improve, but it was a step in the right direction. Last night, Andrew took a few steps back again. He gave the song a big-band feel and made the performance quite sleazy sounding. He just didn't give the song a great sound and the performance felt off for me. Andrew may be in trouble this week.

Michael Lynche - "Eleanor Rigby" : Michael, a strong contender for the guys, took a few hits from the judges the past few weeks. Although his most recent performances weren't spectacular, they were still very good. One thing is for sure, you can expect Big Mike to be on pitch. I was a little concerned at first with the way the song started, but my concerns were quickly put to rest. Michael delivered a soulful, confident, and enjoyable performance of this Beatles' classic. Again, his enunciation of some of the lyrics is a bit much at times, but that's relatively minor. He is a polished performer and once again excelled this week.

Crystal Bowersox - "Come Together" : Last week, Crystal took a bit of a risk by stepping away from the guitar and playing the piano. You could tell she was nervous during the performance, but it hardly affected her vocals. Crystal is back strumming to her guitar this week, playing the instrument that gives her the most comfort while performing. I would not say this was her best performance to date. You could definitely tell she was struggling with a cold this week. And apparently she messed up the lyrics to the song a bit at one point, but I couldn't tell much. She's entitled to have an off-night, and even in this case, she wasn't off that much. Still another solid performance from Crystal.

Tim Urban - "All My Loving" : Up next is the contestant who's always smiling, Tim Urban. Despite all of the flack he's received since the live shows began, Tim is certainly a trouper. He has yet to pout, whine, or complain about the lack of positive reviews by the judges. He really enjoy singing for his fans - and yes, he has fans. Last night, he finally delivered a solid performance on the big Idol stage. I wouldn't say it was perfect, but it was definitely his best to date (even better than "Hallelujah"). I liked him playing the guitar and I also liked a few of the changes he did to the song and some of the runs that he sang during the performance. Now that's what I like seeing from Tim.

Casey James - "Jealous Guy" : So Casey has been kind of stuck in the middle of the pack for awhile. His cover of classic '80's songs have been good, but not spectacular. He hasn't really delivered on any memorable performances to date, so I am really looking to see if Casey can jump towards the top of the heap. And I must say, Casey finally delivered on a memorable performance. His cover of "Jealous Guy" was so smooth and soulful. I loved the acoustic feel of the song and I thought it was especially great that it was a song never-yet-covered on the Idol stage. Yes, there were a few off-pitch moments, but those pale in comparison to the overall feel of the performance. It was spectacular.

Siobhan Magnus - "Across the Universe" : Last week, Siobhan had a bit of a stumble with her Chaka Khan cover - and it was her worst performance to date. Let's see if she's able to turn things around and deliver a performance we're all used to seeing her do. And while it certainly was an improvement over last week, I wouldn't quite call it great. I do agree with the judges that the performance was a bit sleepy and boring. However, I did like that she stayed away from singing that big note at the end of her performance; which she's accustomed to doing. So, better than last week but still not on par. Her vocals were quite good, it was just the song that kind of let her down this week.

Lee Dewyze - "Hey Jude" : Lee put together a great performance last week with his cover of "Treat Her Like a Lady" that really placed him as a front-runner for the males. I would not be surprised if the competition came down to Lee and Crystal in the end (with Lee possibly winning - who knows?). Lee needs to keep the positive momentum going with another strong performance this week. And I will say that his song choice was stellar - another great, popular Beatles' song. However, I did not love the performance overall. The bagpiper was too much of a gimmick and it took away from Lee on stage. He also sang too many of the "na na na's" in the song and it really became quite cheesy to me. It became too sing-songy for me and I think Lee could've made some better decisions with the song.

Top 9 Performance Rankings:
1.) Casey James
2.) Katie Stevens
3.) Michael Lynche
4.) Crystal Bowersox
5.) Tim Urban
6.) Siobhan Magnus
7.) Lee Dewyze
8.) Andrew Garcia
9.) Aaron Kelly

Going Home : Andrew Garcia. As much as I believe Aaron Kelly delivered the worst performance overall last night, Andrew's is probably the least memorable and his overall record this season hasn't been good. Even though last week he delivered a decent performance, I don't think that momentum will be enough to save him this time around. And yet, he hasn't even appeared in the bottom three yet! But tonight, he'll earn a trip to the bottom three, and his first appearance will definitely be his last. It's a shame because he had so much potential earlier on. But he just hasn't showed up. He's truly a one-trick pony.