rickshangle.com

May 3, 2006

[american idol 5] 05032006 - and now the end is near…

Filed under: Media, Music — rshangle @ 11:01 am

Today I don’t seem have the energy required for more pictograms.[1]

Perhaps it’s due to low blood sugar from my recent rapid post-wedding transition to a nearly pure-Smart Ones diet. Or, perhaps it’s because I lack focused hatred (which is the true source of all comedy) for any of the remaining contestants.

So instead I’ll just be boring and wrong, and predict how it’s going to go until I5-day:

This week: Taylor

Next week (the only remaining shocker): Elliot (who should win, but won’t), due to what will be a highly controversial voting mix-up/fraud due to the now-outlandishly complex dual-number Idol Voting System confusing Richmondians. But this should really be Paris’ week to go.

Following: Paris (should be Elliot, but see above)

Following: Chris

Winner is… McPhever… despite that mauling of “Against All Odds”[2] in the key of X-flat. I dunno… maybe that’ll cost her, allowing Chris to out-survive her. I predict she’ll make up for it next week by experiencing an actual wardrobe malfunction. McP will also pull it out despite continuing evidence (via dialogue with Seacrest) that she was born without a soul / personality.

I don’t see any possibilities for the top 2 other than Chris “the Rocker” and McPhever “the Automaton”. I guess they’re obvious choices, but… ok, it’s like this:

We’re in another two-week doldrums period where the delta in talent between the pool of possible winners (McP/Chris) and certain losers (Taylor, Paris) is Manwich-sized, and only bridged/clogged by the Dark-Horse-That-Should-Win-But-Also-Cannot (Yamin). The problem is I really don’t care, between Taylor and Paris, who goes first… so in some ways even watching right now is pointless.

The last doldrum period was the “Golden Age” Ace/Bucky ejection era; where we knew their time had come, but I also was looking forward to their public shaming. I could really care less about seeing Taylor act goofy and say he had a great time, or watch Paris say “Thank you” 15 times in response to whatever is said to her.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of pictures. Maybe I’ll be angrier this afternoon.

rds

[1] Although Kelley suggested one for Paris that was a combination of Billie Holliday and Rudy Huxtable. I would go for it, except I don’t think Paris is as talented (or constantly high) as Lady Day was.

[2] Which I consider one of the best pop ballads ever, and sing it at karaoke early and often.[3]

[3] Which reminds me of my new business idea: a karaoke bar called “False Idol” or possibly “Golden Calf”, which does karaoke six (or seven) nights a week. The twist is that not only is there the standard drinking/karaok-ing, but also three “judges” seats, where patrons (who are, invariably, an overweight black guy who calls everyone “dude”, a past-her-prime slut and a rude, vaguely British modern dandy) must also imitate the Idol judges.

Ok, the key is — every time someone sings, the “Simon” judge/patron is like… “you know what? That was just like… (wait for it…) bad karaoke to me,” at which point the singer/patron is like “I know!”

Very meta.

rds

another author takedown.

Filed under: Books, Media — rshangle @ 8:24 am

embellishment.

borrowing.

Oh well - her story about all this will probably make a good book. see some conspiracy theories at althouse (the comments, not the slug).

It makes me slightly concerned re: my current project, since it really only gained momentum after I decided to believe what Stephen King said in On Writing:

NOTE: I DID NOT COME UP WITH THIS IDEA; NOTICE THE QUOTES. I ATTRIBUTE THIS TO STEPHEN KING, BILLIONAIRE AUTHOR OF “THE STAND” and “CARRIE”. ALSO, I’M PARAPHRASING. PARAPHRASING.

“Forget the idea that you are going to say anything that hasn’t been said 1,000 times before, and probably said better.”

NOTE: NOT MY IDEA. REPEAT: NOT MY IDEA

Perhaps the following disclaimer in some sort of preface will help save some time later on:

So maybe we can make this easier for everyone by assuming now that none of it is even remotely true. Or original. In fact, the best thing I can recommend to increase your quality of life is to sell this book and immediately reclaim the future hours you would have spent reading it / getting angry.

The names are lies; the people described herein were actually not even people, but talking dogs. The product models and serial numbers are complete fallacy; there never was a RAID array called the HDS 9981V. As a matter of fact, when I mention that computers only count with 0’s and 1’s — yup, a lie. A terrible, terrible lie with no factual basis whatsoever.

If you do waste your time by working through these pages, you’ll see these references to a type of operating system called “UNIX”, which is clearly a play on words; I mean, who would name an operating system after a guy with no nuts?

Also - I did not come up with that joke; a software instructor I once had did, and for all I know he stole it from someone else. What I’m saying is as far as I know, it was his. See bibliography on page 490, and also Safe Harbor Statement on page 493.

Finally, I did not invent the English language as I claim on page 301; that was a humorous device suffering from a lack of humor.

rds

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