Tag Archive for 'American Idol'

Luke Russert Starts Trend, Jenna Bush Follows: Pathfinders for Ayla Brown

Published on May 5, 2010 in Baby Boomer. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Because NBC has done so well with the spawn of Tim Russert, Luke, and the offspring of Dubya, Jenna Bush, CBS has snagged Massachusetts Republican  Sen. Scott Brown’s 21-year-old daughter Ayla Brown.  She has graduated from American Idol, but has yet to earn a college degree, to be a correspondent for the CBS Early Show.

From American Idol to CBS Morning News

Ayla Brown is still a student at Boston College and from her qualifications, will  serve CBS News in a most capable fashion:

  • she’s hot
  • she’s a basketball jock
  • she’s connected
  • she’s hot
  • she is in college
  • she was on American Idol
  • she’s hot
  • she has a Mom who is a Tee Vee reporter
  • she has been a radio jock
  • she’s hot
  • she is the “Anthem Girl”

… she has sung “The Star-Spangled Banner” at dozens of events. The most notable venue at which she has performed the anthem was the 33rd annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on the Esplanade alongside Boston’s Charles River on July 4, 2006. The performance garnered national attention and was watched by hundreds of thousands both in attendance and on television.

CBS says they have the next Katie Couric in Ayla Brown…

“You can’t create the next Katie Couric,” executive producer David Friedman tells AP. “You just have to find talent that you think can develop into something.”

Tell me again that network news isn’t entertaining?

I’ll miss Paula Abdul

Published on August 5, 2009 in Baby Boomer and Entertainment. 3 Comments Tags: , .


I’ll miss Paula Abdul.

Watching her was a big part of American Idol. Paula Abdul was a fan, a cheerleader, a supporter, a spirited soul. She hardly had a bad thing to say about anybody – no matter how ridiculous their performance.

I’ll miss Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell’s constant harassing of the poor woman. He was merciless, but she took it in stride knowing that it made for great television.

When the “performers” weren’t entertaining, she would be. When the performers were entertaining, Paula was the first to jump to her feet and do that fakey “don’t-break-a-finger-nail-palms-together” applause.

Watching Paula Abdul was like watching:

  • George Bush at a press conference
  • a train wreck
  • Wipeout
  • Survivor
  • a child saying it’s first words
  • a drunk
  • an expert double-talker
  • Simon as a ventriloquist
  • the Hindenburg
  • a Tsunami of emotions
  • a bad fashion show
  • a good fashion show
  • infomercial for teeth whiteners
  • Evil Knievel
  • Scooby Doo on downers

I’ll miss Paula Abdul.  You never know what she would say or do next.

But Kara DeGuardYourOwn is pleasant to look at and highly qualified. I’m guessing she won’t be sitting beside Simon, I think she could take him in a catfight.

I’ll miss Paula Abdul.

Britian’s Got Talent Winner Isn’t Susan Boyle, It’s Diversity.

Published on May 30, 2009 in Baby Boomer and Entertainment. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .


The best act on Britian’s Got Talent was not Susan Boyle (Link to Video of announcement)

 It was a bunch of loser dancers called Diversity.

It’s American Idol all over again.

susanboylescowls

Susan Boyle was totally calm, but scowling, before the winner was announced. Afterwards, she took the high road and was gracious.

Dancers. Meh. Punks

Susan Boyle, Baby Boomer, Yay.

Diversity/Kris Allen, trivia answers in about six months.

Susan Boyle/Adam Lambert – vocal recording artists and stars.

Here’s Diversity, the winners of Britian’s Got Talent 2009


DIVERSITY .::. Britains Got Talent 09 – Click here for more free videos

Susan Boyle Proves American Idol Yet to Discover Real Talent

Published on April 12, 2009 in Baby Boomer, Education, Entertainment, Health and Holy Shit! Lookit This!. 8 Comments Tags: , , , , , .


The British version of American Idol has discovered some real bonafide talent, Susan Boyle, unlike American Idol which tends to focus on a “marketable” performer.

Britian’s Got Talent has Simon Cowell in his usual form, Piers Morgan, and Amanda Holden. Performers audition and make it to the stage where they can be voted of Gong Show style. The season’s discovery is Susan Boyle, the cat lady.

But the performers are not all singers. There is no age limit.

This is not Susan Boyle

This is not Susan Boyle

Have you heard Paul Potts sing? He won the competition the first season.

This season’s star is Susan Boyle. Take one look at her face and her dress and her age (47), everything about her… and you might have given a sideways smirk too. But her voice!

Here’s what Piers Morgan said about her baffling performance-

I can remember the moment she first opened her lips perfectly. We were at a big theatre in Glasgow, 3000 people were laughing their heads off, Simon and Amanda were stifling a chuckle, and then she started to sing.

And I can honestly say it was one of the most extraordinary moments in my perhaps equally unlikely career as a talent show judge.

Because Susan Boyle is not just a good singer, she’s a fantastic singer. Someone whose stunning range, tone and delivery is worthy of comparison to anyone – Elaine Paige included.

Boomer Standard is Sixty: 45 rpm Records Are THAT Old!

Published on April 2, 2009 in Baby Boomer, Entertainment and Technology. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

On March 31, 1949, the first 45 rpm record was released.

RCA Victor released “Texarkana Baby” b/w “Bouquet of Roses” by Eddy Arnold. The first 45rpm record to hit the Billboard charts was “A — You’re Adorable” by Perry Como, listed on the charts on May 7, 1949. The next week, the year’s biggest hit appeared on the Billboard charts — “Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend)” by Vaughn Monroe. The first 45 rpm records were monaural and as stereo sound became more prevalent and popular in the 1960s, almost all 45 rpm records were manufactured in stereo.

admiral
This isn’t my record player. It belonged to my aunt. It’s an Admiral radio/record player and would probably work if it had a plug on the end of the cord. The finish is Bakelite which attracted me to it.

As with most record players it handled three different formats. LP or 33 1/3 rpm, 45 rpm (the seven inch record), and 78 rpm. I didn’t have a “portable” player like the Admiral High Fidelity. I played records on a monster console radio/record player.

I didn’t own records, I played what my parents had until I got to college and then I listened to my roommate’s collection of LP’s. But I had one of the early transistor radios, so I had a tiny cool factor.
It puzzles me why people buy music.
Nancy’s Smart has a plug for an iPod, so we checked it them out at Target. For fifty bucks, I can buy an iPod the size of a book of matches and it will hold 250 songs. Two hundred fifty. I don’t know 250 songs. Don’t songs cost 99 cents from iTunes? So she’s going to spend $250 on music to play in the car while she putts to the golf course?
I get not listening to earthbound radio with all the commercials and station breaks. I think I would like satellite radio if it didn’t cost so darn much.
See where I’m going here?
Pandora.com – music deserves to be free! Pandora has added lyrics! I may be able to figure out what Lady GaGa was singing on American Idol.

Nah.

Seems like the smarter play would be to get an iPhone, stream Pandora.com, and plug that into the car speakers. Wait, did I just replace a $50 iPod with a $400 iPhone? Somebody figure the cost/benefit/ROI/payback on this idea quick.