America Made DeWyze Choice!

As I had hoped, Lee DeWyze has just won Season 9 of American Idol. Congratulations, Lee! You are the very first contestant that I was rooting for to actually take the prize!

Lee DeWyze FTW!

It’s been quite a while since I blogged. And nearly two months since I last blogged about the current season of American Idol. Interestingly (and most excitingly), the subject of that blog post— Lee DeWyze– is now in the finale, facing off against fellow Chicago auditioner, Crystal Bowersox.

DeWyze has certainly come a long way. During Hollywood week, Simon Cowell, the unequivocal lead judge, once told DeWyze that he didn’t have the potential to be a star. Yet here we are, over 14 weeks since DeWyze responded to that critique with a mere “Okay…” and Cowell is now singing a different tune, telling DeWyze just last week how “very, very, very proud” he is of the unassuming singer-songwriter with a troubled past.

Clearly, DeWyze had the strongest performances during Top 3 Night, with his personal song choice of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” and Cowell’s own choice for him–Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”– being the highlights of the evening. The latter was almost a season-ending turn; he would’ve won, in my opinion, had that been the last performance of the season.

DeWyze has certainly shown the most noticeable progression of any contestant in this ninth season of the popular reality show, and his humble, approachable nature has managed to amass him quite a following. He’s turned from this “little baby lamb” (as judge, Ellen Degeneres, recently opined) into a force to be reckoned with. He’s even been touted by many to be the likely recipient of this year’s crown.

Indeed, at last Wednesday’s results show, DeWyze proclaimed that he’s “never wanted to win more than I do right now.”

But it all comes down to DeWyze’s final judgeable performances on Tuesday– and, of course, America’s votes– that lead to whether his (or Bowersox’s) ultimate dream comes true.

I, for one, can picture the confetti falling upon DeWyze’s smiling, tear-drenched face on next Wednesday’s results show as he’s honored as this season’s winner. But it’s not just up to me. It’s up to the American viewers who are repeatedly reminded by Idol host, Ryan Seacrest: “You vote. You decide.”

I’m hopeful the rest of America makes the right choice: Lee DeWyze, American Idol 2010!

Elliott Yamin’s “How Do I Know?”

How Do I Know (with guitar tabs)

(Elliott Yamin)

Verses & Chorus:

D – A – Em – G

D – A – Em – G

Refrain:

Bm – G – D – A

Bm – G – A

Chorus:

3am, wide awake, you’re asleep, it feels like days

Yeah, since the last time that I held you

I can tell you’d been cryin’, never thought to ask you why

Oh no, I never meant to hurt you

REFRAIN

Is this the way that it goes when it’s falling apart

Maybe it’s time to let go

CHORUS

‘Cause what if the best is yet to come?

What if we’re broke but not undone?

What if we’re not what we’ve become?

How do I know, how do I know when it’s over?

What if I’m wrong?

What if we’re hanging on too long?

I don’t know which way to go.

How do I know, how do I know when it’s over?

Ooh-ooh, how do I know when it’s over?

Oh.

Pictures frozen in a frame, love feels like a losing game

Oh, I miss the way I used to miss you

And I know I’ll be alright without you in my life

Oh, but I just can’t say goodbye

Repeat CHORUS

Repeat REFRAIN

I don’t know which way to go

How do I know when it’s over

What if I’m wrong?

What if we’re hanging on too long?

I don’t know which way to go.

How do I know, how do I know that the best is yet to come?

What if we’re broke but not undone?

What if we’re not what we’ve become?

How do I know, how do I know when it’s over?

Ooh-ooh

How do I know when it’s over?

Oh-ooh

Repeat chord progession: D – A – Bm – G until end

Vote for Lee DeWyze!

So, I’m watching American Idol again.

I know.  Lame. 

But here’s the thing: I love the journey these contestants are taking to further their musical endeavors.  They’re hoping for a career in the music industry and American Idol has proven to open doors and pave the way for many previous contestants. 

Sure a number of those that have ended up on the current Top Ten got there due to their personality or looks over any semblance of true talent.  I’m not going to talk about them.  Who I am going to talk about are those who have been hitting the street corners and subway platforms; gigging at clubs and fairs; impressing people at karaoke; hoping and wishing for that big break.  Those who have been impressing us from the get-go.

One such person is Lee DeWyze.

 

Hailing from Mt. Prospect, Illinois, DeWyze auditioned in Chicago, was put through to Hollywood, selected into the Top 24, and had recently secured a spot within the Top Ten.  And he did these not by relying on having a big personality or industry-defined aesthetics.  He did this by simply singing very well.

To date, through amazing turns with songs like Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel” and a reimagined version of Rolling Stones’s “Beast of Burden”– and impressive reinterpretations of Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars,” Owl City’s “Fireflies,” and The Box Tops’s “The Letter”– DeWyze has, in my opinion, exhibited a very current, marketable voice as well as true artistry.

Prior to joining the 9th season of Idol, DeWyze independently released two records: 2007’s “So I’m Told” and 2010’s “Slumberland.”  Both discs showcase the beautiful tone of his voice– at once gruff and tender– and a songwriting skill that could only be bourne from years of honing.

He is not the most savvy “entertainer” and has struggled with shedding the singer/songwriter vibe.  However, therein lies his appeal.  (And, that he’s landed on the Top Ten, it’s clear that he’s appealed to many.)  He’s not the flashiest one on stage; in fact, he seems terrified of it.  But one thing remains:  the voice that comes out of that still terrified frame is one that needs to be celebrated.

DeWyze performs again on American Idol on Tuesday, 03/30/10, when Usher mentors them through “R&B Week.”  If you would like to have a hand in helping this musician with incredible talent and potential, please vote for him, and keep him in the competition.  I feel he can go real far with the opportunity that Idol is providing.  Let’s make a difference in this young musician’s life.  I have a good feeling that we’ll be the ones reaping the most rewards.

We Are The World 25 for Haiti

I’m a sap for shyt like this…

The realities of the Haiti disaster continue.  Please give what you can to help.

Living in Oregon…According to Jeff Foxworthy

THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAS TO SAY ABOUT ‘LIVING IN OREGON’…

• If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t work there, you live in Oregon.
• If you’ve worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live in Oregon.
• If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Oregon.
• If you measure distance in hours, you live in Oregon.
• If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Oregon.
• If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ and back again in the same day, you live in Oregon.
• If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Oregon.
• If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Oregon.
• If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a 2 layers of clothes or under a raincoat, you live in Oregon.
• If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow and ice, you live in Oregon.
• If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Oregon.
• If you feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash, you live in Oregon.
• If you know more than 10 ways to order coffee, you live in Oregon.
• If you know more people who own boats than air conditioners, you live in Oregon.
• If you stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” signal, you live in Oregon.
• If you consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain, you live in Oregon.
• If you can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Dutch Bros, you live in Oregon.
• If you know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon, you live in Oregon.
• If you know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Clatskanie, Issaquah, Oregon, Umpqua, Yakima and Willamette, you live in Oregon.
• If you consider swimming an indoor sport, you live in Oregon.
• If you know that Boring is a city and not just a feeling, you live in Oregon.
• If you can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food, you live in Oregon.
• If you never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho, you live in Oregon.
• If you have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain, you live in Oregon.
• If you think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists, you live in Oregon.
• If you buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time, you live in Oregon.
• If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your OREGON friends, you live or have lived in Oregon.

R.I.P. Brittany Murphy 1977-2009

Brittany Murphy as Tai in Clueless

One of my guilty pleasures is cracking myself up with the movie, “Clueless” (1995), and my most favorite character in what I would consider a classic is Brittany Murphy’s “Tai,” who had as many hilariously quotable quips as Alicia Silverstone‘s “Cher.”

I always thought she was a brilliant actress who just never got the proverbial “big break,” often being either saddled with notable supporting roles or unimpressive romcoms (which I hardly watch).

I was saddened to learn that she had died recently, and at such a young age.  Rest in peace, “Ramen Girl.”

Song Hye Kyo: Beautiful

Um...yeah...

Gaga for Olga

My site hits have been consistently high even though my posts have been sporadic at best as of late, so I looked at my blog stats to find out what’s causing all the traffic.  I’m not surprised that the biggest draw to my site is a post I made about the Quantum Solace movie and, most importantly, of the most recent “Bond Girl,” Olga Kurylenko (pictured below).

Rowr!

It seems people can’t get enough of this Ukranian beauty!

MSNBCriously?

I’ve been keeping up on the news via msnbc.com and am just boggled by what’s been going on lately.  Moreover, readers are able to discuss certain news topics through NewsVine.com (via a direct link from many of the articles) where things often get nasty/nastier.

There was a recent story about a woman who was murdered in Puerto Rico that turned into a debate about travel to what some of the NewsVine users called “a third world country,” which elicited mixed reactions.  Some users even thought that the woman was a victim of some conspiracy theory involving her fiance.  Others spent most of the discussion either defending or defaming Puerto Ricans.  Having lived in Puerto Rico in the past, I had to jump in on a few occasions to share my own thoughts.  See if you can spot mine.

Another set of stories I was following involved our continuously weakening economy.  Joblessness is big news these days, with layoffs happening left and right.  No job– indeed, no company– is safe, it seems.  And the word “bailout” has quite possibly become the most used word in the English language in these trying times.  In fact, I entered the word on Google.com, and it yielded nearly 28 million results (which now includes this blog post).  Heck, I need a “Bailout” bailout.  What’s scary, though, is even the company I work for may not be safe.  It’s making me want to turn to alcohol.

And no one can possibly ignore the scandal involving Michael Phelps, whose latest mishap is being suspended by the USA Swimming, effectively preventing him from competing at a meet in March.  Plus, several of his major sponsors have dropped him, including Kellogg Co., on whose cereal boxes Phelps appears.  Some who are not complimentary of Phelps’ visage joke that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Others chide that Kellogg Co. may have more things aligned with pot-smoking than they’re ready to acknowledge.  But Phelps still has many supporters.  It’s just funny how newsworthy this all seems.

The news about which I’m already tired of hearing involve the “miraculous” emergency landing on the Hudson River of US Airways Flight 1549– from the heroic crew to the interaction between the co-pilot and the air traffic controller to Capt. Sullenberger’s fuckin’ library late fees being waived.  They’re “heroes”, I get it.  Must we really rehash every little thing and explore every little angle?  Just do a Movie of the Week about it already and allow us to move on.  I mean, what’s next?  Will we next hear about the flight attendants efficiently locking their beverage carts in place mere seconds before impact?  Or a transcript of the prayers each one of the passengers may or may not have said while they awaited their fate?  What about the birds who are being blamed for the accident?  Will Connie Chung come out of retirement to interview the head honcho of the avian assassins?  Hmm, have I gotten so cynical that I am bothered by the incessant media coverage of this one thing?  Plus, did I just use a fuckin’ Connie Chung reference?

I must be tired…