March 1, 2005
-
The Daily News
1 I got home a bit late last night, and was still able to catch the tail end of American Idol, one of my favorite shows on teevee. I'm not quite sure why I got suckered into it, but it is simply irresistible to me, especially this year.
2 For one thing, they raised the age to 28, I think it is, and when people get into their late 20's, they begin blossoming. They realize that they don't have the rest of their lives to make it happen, and they get MUCH more polished, alert, and focused.
3 This has been my experience in Performing Arts as well. Kids who were good in high school, and then continue on, often get remarkable when they hit their mid to late twenties. Sometimes they do it for fun; other times they are still focused on the Dream, but either way, they are right there.
4 This year's Idol is blessed with one of the best groups of guys I have ever seen. Nearly EVERY guy on this year's show is battling for his life, and consequently, the talent level is soaring. It's also fun to see a couple of rockers up there; just refreshing! But I looked at nearly every male candidate last night, and it will be pretty hard to see any one of them depart.
5 The girls...not so good. They're okay, but when placed next to the awesome talent of the guys this year, you can readily see who will probably get eliminated. With the guys, it's a tough call.
6 Speaking of rockers, did you see that Brian Welch, ex-guitarist for Korn, is now handing tickets out for God? A picture of a smiling Welch adorned page 2A of yesterday's Merc News. He was smiling, chatting, and enjoying a visit with the pastor of Valley Bible Fellowship church on Sunday.
7 Working on School of Rock with the Seniors has been an ode to joy: looking up great rock tidbits, enjoying some great music, and goofing on the FANTASTICS entrance has kept me both occupied and entertained in the past week.
8 I have begun a short series on my other site, which is www.xanga.com/El_Directore, and it focuses on some fun rock stories that might be of interest to even the casual observer. I began with the story of Layla, a rock anthem by a group called Derek and the Dominoes, a band featuring Eric Clapton. Clapton was madly in love with the wife of Beatle George Harrison, and wrote Layla for her, while he kept his love trapped inside. Eventually, he wound up getting her for his wife, with George's ultimate blessing.
9 I also researched the famous story of the Paul is Dead hoax, which also featured a Beatle, Paul McCartney. It was, and still IS, rumored that Paul died in a horrible auto accident in 1966, and that the Beatles replaced him with a look/sound alike named Billy Campbell, who went through plastic surgery to keep the Beatles golden goose moving forward. The rumor was that the Beatles let their fans know of Paul's demise through cryptic messages in pictures, songs, and album covers. The eerie thought that occurs as one reads the tale is that the Beatles may have spent their most creative years obsessed with "secretly" getting that story to their fans. Is Paul a "Stepford" Beatle? Haha! Probably not. Probably not. But still...
10 It's a fun story, and I had a lot of fun researching both stories, and I hope you get over there and take a peek.
11 I'd like to apologize to Ms. Hooper on behalf of everyone who comes in and uses this building. I owe you at least a stool, and perhaps enough to total 30! I offer no excuse; I was wrong, and anyone who comes in the building and touches things that don't belong to them, or without asking, is wrong as well. I should know better, and so should you. There will be no more. EVERYONE should get this message, loud and clear.
11 Good luck to everyone today; I know you guys will all make us proud.
12 Well, that's about it for Tuesday. I think I'm going to cut it off right here and say, "Have a great day."
13 And Hooper, thanks for being the best. You're a class act.
14 Peaceout.
Recent Comments