American Idol Results Wednesday May 10th

Unsurprisingly, a lot of my traffic since yesterday (about 7 out of 10 visitors) has been to an old post on American Idol results. 

I have to say, I was STUNNED at the voting results from last night.  If I would have picked the top four, it would have been Chris Daughtry, Katharine McPhee, Elliot Yamin, and Mandisa.  Taylor Hicks is a good singer, and I like his voice, but he is getting on my nerves, and he should have been voted off last night.  Chris has been my pick from the beginning, but I would have been OK with the outcome if Katharine or Elliot were the ultimate Idol at the end.  All three are outstanding, but if I would have bet, I would have bet on Chris being in the top 2.

When they announced the voting, I actually couldn't believe what I was hearing.  I don't think Chris could believe it either.  I think this now makes Katharine the favorite, but based on this week's voting, it could be anyone at this point.  Even Taylor, although that would be a massive disappointment.

Wednesday Results for American Idol

American Idol is a guilty pleasure for the Amazing Jake.  I like to tell people that I watch it because it's one of the only things on TV I can watch with the kids, other than Nickleodeon or Disney.  But I do enjoy it nonetheless.

The mini-Jakes and I sit together in the recliner, and the Amazing Mrs. Jake watches from the couch, and it's really the only show that all four of us sit down to watch together.  The mini-Jakes like Kelly and Ace, Mrs. Jake likes Paris, and I like Chris, Katharine, and Elliott.  So between us, we've got them all covered except for Taylor.

So I watched the last 5 minutes of the results show tonight after the kids got down to bed.  I wasn't expecting Chris and Paris to be in the bottom 3 with Ace.  I have to say, Tuesday night, everyone brought their A-games except for Kelly, and I thought that was her ticket home.  I'm glad it was Ace – I can't stand the way he bats his eyes at the camera.  He should have gone after last week with that atrocious performance of We Will Rock You. 

We'll watch the whole thing Thursday night on TiVo, followed by a good Dr. Seuss or two.

24: The Body Count Rises

Well, the Jack Bauer Power Hour just ended, and 24 never disappoints.  Blogs4Bauer already has the blow-by-blow of tonight's episode, but the bodycount isn't updated yet.  I didn't keep track myself, but there were several bad guys who won't be in the next episode.

What I want to know is, when are the Chinese going to figure out that Jack's still alive?  I mean, all the mayhem in L.A. has got to have raised a few flags, don't you think?  And what's up with Secret Service agent Aaron Pierce hasn't exactly been discreet, and it looks like he may have been found out.  And who's going to turn out to be a mole this season?

This season is getting better as we get toward the end.  With the number of people who are suspicous of President Logan's actions (Agent Pierce, Mike Novick, the Vice President, Martha Logan, Karen Hayes from Homeland Security), it will be interesting to see how this ends as we head into the last 6 hours of the season.  Prediction:  The body count will rise.

Jobsearch Update

It's shaping up to be a busy week.

My phone interview this morning went well, and I'm tentatively scheduled for another interview with the company, possibly Friday.  TIP to all job seekers:  ALWAYS send a thank you note after an interview.  Interviewers remember the people who take time to do the little things and show how interested they are in the position.

Tomorrow the Amazing Mrs. Jake and I are meeting with a business broker about a well-priced business in North Chandler with a great cash flow.  We're going to tour the business tomorrow.  Don't know if we'll go through with it at this point, but we'll have plenty of time for due diligence.

Wednesday morning I have a regular networking meeting.  Thursday morning I meet with a franchise broker to explore that as an option, and in the afternoon I have a second phone interview with another sales organization.  I'm holding Friday open for the previously mentioned second interview from today.  I'm also trying to schedule a phone interview with a headhunter for a position I actually interviewed for over a year ago.  Not sure why the position is available again, but the hiring manager is different, so I could have another shot at it.

Later this afternoon I'm going to try to finish my freelance writing job.

And in between it all, the dear readers of Chandler demand their news on the City Council shenanigans.  Fret not, denizens of Chandler!  The Amazing Jake stands ready to direct your attention to the news of the day, right after the daily jobsearch, and sometime after this week's episode of 24. 

Today’s Oprah – Living on Minimum Wage

So, the Amazing Mrs. Jake is watching Oprah right now (and yes, I am watching too as I do other things).  Today's topic is Living on the Minimum Wage, and guests include Morgan Spurlock (of Supersize Me fame) and a former vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union.  Hard to predict how this show is slanted. 

Of course, the segments have weepy music while people tell how hard it is to work on minimum wage, and how shameful it is that minimum wage isn't higher.

BOO (f***ing) HOO!

My first job in high school was washing cars for minimum wage.  I eventually realized that that kind of life and that kind of wage wasn't for me.  Guess what I did?  I got another job.

It's not the proper role of goverment to provide a minimum level of income anyone should expect.  If I had the kind of victim mentality that Oprah seems to be cultivating, I would be blaming society for my present lack of income, instead of pursuing all avenues to find something better.  I don't expect anyone to feel bad for me.

Queen on American Idol

So, the final eight contestants on American Idol will all be singing Queen songs on Tuesday.  This has the potential to be a disaster of biblical proportions, and I don't just mean when Paul Rogers performs with Queen on the Wednesday results show.

The Chaotic Mind proposes a song list and the singer that should perform each. 

Songs that I think they should do:  You're My Best Friend, Tie Your Mother Down, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Under Pressure, A Kind of Magic, Somebody to Love, These Are the Days of Our Lives, The Show Must Go On.

This will be the night of song choice like no other.  I honestly cannot think of a single Queen song that Taylor Hicks will sound credible on.  Bucky will probably pick something with a more rock-edgy sound (probably one of the well-known anthems like We Will Rock You), the crowd will love it for some unknown reason, and he'll probably make it through again.  Ugh.

Chris is the only one that can credibly sing anything like Hammer to Fall.  Kellie Pickler is doomed (she was what, like FOUR when Freddie Mercury died?).

NO ONE can sing Queen like Freddie Mercury.  I don't know if I look forward to Tuesday with anxious anticipation for one of my favorite bands, or with utter dread for the debacle that will surely unfold on national TV.

Last Night’s American Idol

So, last night's American Idol was a travesty.  Does anyone seriously think that Bucky Covington deserves to still be in the competition and Mandisa deserves to be gone? 

Every week that goes by that Bucky is still in the competition and someone else is eliminated is a miscarriage of justice.  Anyone can win at this point – they've all (except for Bucky) got a lot of talent.  My favorites are Chris, Elliott, Mandisa, and Catherine.  The mini-Jakes are partial to Kellie Pickler.  The Amazing Mrs. Jake hasn't shown a preference.  But any of them could win at this point. 

D’oh!

Have you seen the live-action Simpsons video yet?  I’m not a big Simpsons fan, but this is great!

What were they thinking?

American Idol voters, that is. 

My five- and six-year old girls love American Idol, and we usually watch it as a family.  Dangling Idol in front of the kids usually serves to get the bedrooms cleaned up earlier and the homework done earlier (I don’t remember getting homework when I was in kindergarten…).

So, we were all a little surprised tonight when American Idol voters kept the talentless Bucky and the cute but overmatched Kevin in the top twelve, and booted Gedion and Will.  While Gedion and Will probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyway, they certainly deserved to stay a few weeks longer.

And getting rid of Ayla instead of Melissa?  What were they thinking?  The only one they got right was Kinnick (spelling? not sure). 

This break from Chandler political stories brought to you by the letter Q.

Chandler AZ City Council Endorsements Coming Soon

Yawn.  It’s been a looong 3 days at work, and I’m all written out tonight.  I haven’t even watched The Shield yet that I TiVo’d last night, and I can’t stay awake any longer.

For those who have been breathlessly awaiting Amazing Jake’s city council and mayor endorsements, you’ll have to wait one more day.  Stop your whining – I do have a job you know.  And a family that needs my attention when I get home.  And I don’t get paid for this public service, so it will have to be on my schedule.  I’d give you a link to someone else that is blogging about the elections, but, there IS no one else.  It can be nice to have a captive audience, but there is a certain amount of pressure involved to give smart commentary with just the right amount of sarcasm. 

Anyway, too tired to continue tonight.  You should go to bed too.  It’s late.