Mariah skate-skiing atop 2′ or more of snow in Steamboat Springs.
Archive for March, 2008 Page 2 of 3
Let’s move from discussions of race and religion to more serious matters …
Here are some quick thoughts about last night’s American Idol:
After a bad—really bad—performance, Brooke White cracked up. Brooke: Just. Stop. Talking. Please.
Chikezie didn’t put in his best performance but nonetheless reminded me why I like him: he’s funny, not too serious, playful, innovative, varied and energetic.
David Archuleta’s performance was totally hackneyed and I’m curious as to why Simon thought it was so great. Conspiracy?
Syesha Mercado … did she sing? All I remember is the lack of dress in her dress, specifically in the top half.
Amanda Overmeyer does her thing quite well. Most memorable: her able sparing with Simon, who insists on judging her by criteria she simply doesn’t care about.
Michael Johns (aussie, emo-mullet) crammed a complex song into too small a space, and the result was messy. Also, the cynic in me thinks his post-song dedication to a late friend was partly political. (Does that make me a terrible person?)
Bombastic, soul-patched David Cook usually bugs me, but I liked him last night.
Is the difference between Obama and pretty much every other mainstream politician, including, sad as it is to say, Hillary:
From the Times:
Mr. Obama had to address race and religion, the two most toxic subjects in politics. He was as powerful and frank as Mitt Romney was weak and calculating earlier this year in his attempt to persuade the religious right that his Mormonism is Christian enough for them.
When pushed against the fence, he didn’t take the demagogic route and seek refuge in a common enemy, as Romney did in secularism.
I didn’t hear him deliver it, but I read the transcript. Impressive.
Ezra Klein calls it “honest”:
Indeed, Obama could have given another speech. Shorter, to start. More focused on hope than on pain. More talk of tomorrow and less emphasis on the past. More dismissive of Wright and less insistent on the legitimacy of Wright’s experience, and the ubiquity of his thinking. He didn’t have to dwell on the black community’s frustration and the white community’s bigotry.
But this speech was something I didn’t expect: Honest. It was honest about Obama’s affection for Wright, even as it repudiated Wright’s comments. It was honest about the tragic history of race in America, even as it expressed faith in a redemptive future. It was honest about the resentment peddlers and racial charlatans who try and recast the increasing rarity of the American Dream as the consequence of ethnic competition rather than gross power imbalances. It was honest in its recognition that racial memory influences contemporary thought, honest in admitting that there’s anger in this country, and it’s justified, and that there’s fear in this country, and it’s real.
In general, I’m a year to two year behind the times. I’m on Facebook but still haven’t uploaded a photo yet or made many friends.
In the case of American Idol, I’m about six or seven years late. Better late than never! Based on declining ratings, I suspect many people have a ‘been-there-done-that’ attitude about the show. But I love it. It’s riveting. It’s funny. It’s occasionally moving (although not generally during the biographical montages that are meant to be moving). And there are some amazing performances—both from the actual performers and the three-person jury of Simon, Paula and Randy.
Yeah, Simon is a jerk, but he’s usually the most accurate in his criticism. Randy is genial (if a little too generous). And Paula, well, she’s delightfully loony. Apparently there is a drinking game that involves imbibing whenever she doesn’t form a complete sentence. And Ryan Seacrest, who initially struck me as sort of a goober, is actually quite funny and a great host. He’s also the perfect foil for Simon.
Via Seth Godin
Wii.
Is.
So.
Much.
Fun.
Damn.