The Dove Awards were Wednesday...I used to look so forward to this event when it was on TV. I haven't seen it but once on TV in the last 5 years, so I really can't get into it anymore. I think I still have about 12 shows on video from the past. Anyway, here are a few thoughts.

Song of the Year..."My Savior, My God"  I was happy, it was my favorite song of the year. I was expecting it to be "Cry Out To Jesus", which was worthy as well.

New Artist..I love the winner Aaron Shust, but it should have been Leeland.

I agree with Chris Tomlin being artist of the year, but Jeremy Camp should have been male vocalist, not Chris.

Female vocalist went to the great Natalie Grant, but she didn't do any new music last year. I would have picked Krystal Meyers in an upset. Rock on Krystal! Christy Nockels would have been my sentimental vote..her voice is dreamy!

Casting Crowns won for group, but they didn't record anything new either. But there songs were played all throughout the year so I guess they deserved it. I was surprised Jars of Clay didn't win. I guess CCM editors don't have much pull in this and new artist categories!

Quickly..the awards I was most pleased about were:

Rock song..."Breathe Into Me"..Red   This is a fantastic song. Red should have been nominated over Pocket Full of Rocks in the new artist spot.

Worship Song..."Holy is the Lord"  Admit it, when you hear this song at Church, you sing it all the way home!

Children's CD..Veggietales Worship songs.  My whole family likes this..how can you beat a quest appearance by Matt Redman?

That's it for now!

A few of my peeps just told me my name was on the cover of the latest CCM magazine. I was just totally shocked...Chris mentioned that he might have one of my blogs in his column, but never did I expect that. I can't comment too much more because my issue hasn't arrived yet! A big thank you to Chris and Jay! I feel like calling it quits...I've reached the mountaintop of Christian music fanhood! What more is there left?!?....just kidding! Truly, as they say..I'm not worthy. I've been reading blogs from people like Tara that totally put me to shame. If you want true insights check her blogs out. www.myccm.org/taralynee/blog  You might be reading my blogs for the first time..the following blog was originally done last November. I just added a bunch of things to my list below to make it more current!

For those reading my blog for the first time, I don't get into a lot of deep thoughts...believe me, my brain is not too deep. I try to keep it light hearted and fun. I love to hear feedback on my lists, and welcome your idea's for topics and lists. If you have an artist you would like me to make my personal favorite song list to compare to your favorites, let me know. If you want a picture of someone, maybe I will have one. The farther you go back the better, because not too many concerts come around here these days.

For this blog I have what would happen if an American Idol contestant teamed up with someone who has done Christian music.

1) A new group called Jars of Clay Aiken.

2) Alice Cooper has done some faith based CD's...how about a song called "No More Mr. (Bo) Bice Guy"

3) Kansas lead guitar Kerry Livgren could write a song about season 4 winner called "Carrie (Underwood Tripped) On My Wayward Son".

4) Phil Stacy and Stacie Orrico are doing a duet..they call themselves Stacy Orrico..and the song is "Don't Look at Me, (Look at his Bald Dome)"

5) Blake Lewis and Crystal Lewis are calling themselves "Lewis 2" Their hit is.."Simon get Ready..Jesus is Coming".

6) The late 80's couple Greg and Rebecca Sparks could adopt Jordin Sparks and call themselves "Sparks are Flying"

7) Season 3 runner-up Diana DeGarmo could team up with Degarmo and Key and sing "Destined to Almost Win" (if you get that..that could be my best quip ever!)

8) One of my fave groups of the late 80's Idle Cure, could of course call themselves American Idle. (I think Ian Eskelin had a song about that!) That's them in the 1990 picture below..Their song "Breakaway" is one of the best Christian rock anthems ever!

OK, I guess that's enough of that off the wall list...God Bless...Jim

(This blog was originally done in early December. Later down I will give some new CD's from 2006 that I got later on..now on to original blog..)Finally, it's time for my 2006 top albums of the year list. I'm going to do mine a little bit differently. Instead of just releases from 2006, I will include a few from late 2005 that I didn't buy until 2006. These are the type of CD's that get overlooked. On the other hand, some albums like Switchfoot's, which got huge props on the CCM staff picks top 10's, haven't been released to the general public until later this month, so I can't judge it. That's the type that will be a candidate for my 2007 list. There is also a couple of CD's that probably would be here, but I'm not getting them until I open my Christmas stocking...Chris Tomlin's and Skillet's. (Santa e-mailed me to tell me I would be getting them.) I'm hoping to get Jonny Lang's soon as well.

Here we go:

1) Leeland.."Sound of Melodies"

Those reading my blog know how much much I love this CD. From the amount of feedback out there, most of you agree. Second straight year a new group wins album of year after The Afters pulled it off last year.

(My April of 2007 comment...Downhere's "Wide -Eyed and Mystified" would squeeze in this spot, maybe even #1. It gets better every time I hear it)

2) Kutless..."Hearts of the Innocent"

I just can't believe this was shut out on the CCM staff picks. This album has the perfect mix of bone-crushing rockers and beautiful ballads. Also vote them the live concert of the year. They have a great body of work also...4 CD's, all superb.

(About here I would put Chris Daughtry's CD. It may not be a "Christian album", but most of the songs are songs of restoration and he is a believer.

I would also have the Delirious live CD?DVD "This Is The Time" around here too!)

3) Michael W. Smith..."Stand"

This may be a little high, because it's new, but I love all the songs...even if most of them are a little slow. If I didn't see him in concert maybe it wouldn't have ranked as high either.

4) Hawk Nelson.."Smile, it's the End of the World"

I liked their first CD, but not enough to get this one right away. When I finally got it a few weeks ago, I was blown away. Song after song of fun. It just had to sneak into my top 5.

(2007 comment...Jeremy Camp's "Beyond Measure" would fit it around here. I actually didn't like it the first time I heard it, now I think it could be my favorite from him. Plus he's the nicest guy in Christian music..has anyone appeared in more peeps pictures posing with them?)

5) Mark Schultz..."Broken and Beautiful"

This may only be my 4th favorite album from Mark, but it's still good enough to make this list. He is my #1 songwriter.

6) Aaron Shust..."Anything Worth Saying"

This was a 2005 release, but who got this until they heard "My Savior, My God" early this year? Half these songs should be sung as of yesterday in our worship services. Best liner notes of the year as well.

7) Red..."End of Silence"   Like Hawk Nelson, just got this a few weeks ago. (I won it)  I've delayed my Christmas album listening because I can't get this out of my CD player. Like Kutless, it's bone-crunching, but in a melodic way.

(2007 comment...Aaron and Red just did great at the Dove Awards..yeah for them!)

8) Delirious..."The Mission Bell"

Another December 2005 release, but another great effort by the U.K. boys. Can't wait to get the live CD/DVD that just came out.

9) Jars of Clay..."Good Monsters"

It was #1 by the CCM staff, and I had it top 5 until last month. The first 3 songs were as good a start as any CD in recent memory. The reason it drops is because there are a couple of songs I skip when they come up. That's rare with me. Still a great CD though.

10)  Petra.."Farewell"

Another late 2005 release. It was great to hear Greg X. Volz again for their final concert. Not as good as the classic "Captured in Time and Space" live album from 1985, but they were the kings of Christian rock at that time. The best songs on this one were actually the one's from "Jeckyl and Hide" CD, their last studio CD.

Since 3 albums were from 2005, if I had to finish a top 10 from 2006 releases they would be:

Mercy Me.."Coming Up to Breathe"

A solid CD, but after their fantastic Christmas album months earlier, it didn't quite meet my expectations.

Sanctus Real..."The Face of Love"

Another solid CD that got overshadowed by Hawk Nelson and Red after getting those a few weeks later.

Day of Fire..."Cut and Move"

Only thing bad about this was it was just barely over 30 minutes long. The songs are great.

(2007 comments..other honarable mentions would be the 2006 CD's from Krystal Meyer's, Skillet(my favorite Skillet CD to date), Jonny Lang, Chris Tomlin, Switchfoot, Big Daddy Weave, Newsboys, and John Cox.)

Other late 2005 faves:

Tree63..."Worship"

A great mix of live classics and new worship.

Third Day.."Wherever You Are"

I thought "Wire" was their best, so this didn't quite rock enough for me. Still a very solid CD.

DVD of year:

U2 live in Chicago.

Never seen U2 in concert, so this will have to do.

Song of Year..."My Savior, My God"..Aaron Shust.

If I have time I will try to have top songs of the year list. It's harder to remember those though.

That should do it...let me know if you think I am totally whack, or if you think I have half a brain after all:)

(This blog originally appeared on Jan. 24th...I was the first to predict greatness for Jordin, my pick to win it all now. As you see, I didn't know how to spell her name right then..and now on to the original blog...).Switchfoot ROCKED on Leno last night. I was happy they did "Oh! Gravity" instead of the first song they released to secular radio, "Dirty Second Hands". That song takes about 5 listens to start to like and wouldn't have left a good impression.

Found out some great information about Jordan Sparks, the bubbly 16 year old contestant that breezed through to Hollywood on American Idol last week. In 2004, she was the spotlight overall winner at the GMA (Gospel Music Association) Acadamy. Randy has been hinting to the press that she may be his favorite. So we know we have one Christian to root for! Pray she picks good songs to represent herself, like Chris Daughtry and Bo Bice did.  In other news Mandisa will have her Christian CD coming out around May, with a book in June. Here is a picture of Jordan.

I thought tonight's show was better than the final show of the seasons, which usually have a lot of fun duets with stars and contestants, but how could you beat the talent tonight...Bono...Carrie..Kelly..Celine...ELVIS!   What was Annie Lennox doing on the show though? I mean, she had a few hits in the 80's, but am I missing something here? Couldn't they get Simon and Garfunkel, or even Michael W. Smith to do "Bridge Over Troubled Waters?"That's not important though. A ton of money was raised for good causes.

When they said it was the most shocking results ever, I was thinking of Daughtry and T. Gray getting voted off 4th in their seasons. When Melinda was safe, I thought for sure Jordin was a goner..and then when they said Chris was safe my worst fears came true..until they said no one was voted off and the votes will carry over to next week. Do you think Jordin was in on this? If not, this was kind of cruel to the kid. I think she was really shaken...she had a hard time with Bono's song.

Anyway, all your picks go out the window..I will give one point to everyone who participated, so the couple of people who forgot will be punished!=) Next week I will double the point value's for picking the 2 to get eliminated. TTYL!

By the way, I may have picked Jordin 8th, but if you go back in the archives I was early to give her props after her audition. I might have to reprint that blog!

OK, the most talked about show of the year starts in a few minutes. It's only an hour...will everyone sing 2 songs this week, or will there be a lot of talk between songs for the cause? We''ll see if anyone does a Christian song on inspiration week!( By the way, I heard a new song by Nate Sallie called "Lone Ranger" that would be a perfect style fit for Chris Richardson).

They are showing the guys in Africa..I read Simon was really touched by what he saw. They said something about Bono but I missed it..is he singing tomorrow too?!?

Chris is doing a classic, "Change The World" (This song was written by legendary Christian artists and producers, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Tommy Sims, and Gordon Kennedy) He's doing a very good job, but Sue can't look at him the same way thinking he was trying to get sympathy votes last week. The judges all thought it was great..I'll say an A-.

Melinda is now doing a Faith Hill song that I'm not familiar with. Wow, is she singing the daylights out of this song..and the lyrics are all about Amazing Grace..every knee will bow when they see him face to face! INCREDIBLE! The best Idol performance ever? Is that a stretch! The judges agree! Grade: A++

Blake is going to do John Lennon..I'm afraid it will be "Imagine".I dislike the lyrics so much if it is. Yup, he's doing it. He's not a Christian, so I can't fault him for not knowing there IS a heaven. The world can't live as one if that truth is distorted. He sang it OK, but I'm only giving a B for the choice. The judges were kind of mixed as well..glad they liked the Christian songs better=)

LaKisha is doing a Fantasia song..my least favorite Idol winner. Has anyone ever sung songs from Idol winners 2 weeks in a row? I think she is doing pretty good, but my Sue isn't too big on it. The judges agree with her. Paula compares Fantasia to Celine, Mariah and Whitney?? Come on now..no way! Grade: B

These in between segments are very good by the way...hope they raise lots of money.

Phil is doing Garth Brooks..he's really going after the country thing now. Chris Sligh said in his blog that he's always been a country fan, he's not just trying to capitalize on the fact he's doing well with it. He's singing it great..a much tougher vocal than the other 2 guys. I'm worried the judges might not dig it as much..but they do!I'll give Phil an A-.

They said Jordin will do a showstopper..and I believe it. She's doing "Walk On", made famous by Jerry Lewis at the end of his telethon. It won't be hard to sound good compared to an exhausted Jerry! Wow...is this awesome or what?! I might have been wrong about Melinda, this could have been the best ever. (though Melinda's lyrics were the best on Idol ever) The judges are gushing too..I can't believe I picked Jordin to finish 8th..has she come a long way. I said last week I'm now picking her to win, and I'm sticking to it. Grade: A++

OK, it was a great week. The best 2 are easy to pick, who will be your bottom 3? Will Phil sneak in top 3 ahead of Blake, or will Blake's fans come back strong after the scare last week? Will Chris be forgotten after going first?

Sue and I end up with the same picks...Lakisha will get to hear Daughtry sing "Home", Chris will be second, and Blake third. Make your picks 1..2..3..just in case there is only a bottom 2. If there is only a bottom 2 I will double the points! Have fun.

Everyone, please pray for my wife as she has her hernia surgery on Thursday. I'm not sure if I will have a recap show blog right away or not because of that. God Bless!

I can't believe Sanjaya is gone. I mean, he deserved to go about 4 months ago, but since he was never in bottom 3, I just figured he would be around until top 4 or 5. My wife thinks that Chris mentioned the Virginia Tech tragedy after he sang to get sympathy votes, and it worked. I don't think it was his motive. I was glad Simon cleared up that he wasn't being disrespectful when he had a sarcastic look.

When they split into 2 groups I had no idea which group was the bottom. I had 2 people in the bottom on Jordin's side, but I figured she was safe. On the other hand, I couldn't imagine Blake in bottom 3 either. Made for great suspense! I thought Martina McBride was awesome tonight as well. That was the first time I ever seen Fergie perform...she's lost a little weight since she was Princess of York=) Next week's show looks incredible..I wonder what the surprise duet will be..Paul McCartney and somebody? Oh..and props for Melinda and Lakisha for saying they were listening to Gospel music!

We had a record 12 people do our contest this week! Thanks to all, including newcomer Tanya. Congrats to Sue, Shannon and Elizabeth for predicting Sanjaya would go. Nobody had the shocker..Blake in bottom 3. Sue takes the lead, which I will hear about all week!

1) Sue..35 points

2) Shannon...33 points

30 Jim..31 points

4) Mike..30 points

5) Steve...25     6) Jordan and Hanna..24    8)Amy...23   9) Monika...22   10) Sharayah...20  11) Glory...12   12) Elizabeth..9   13) Kristi and Tanya...5

The show starts in a little while, and I'll try a live blog since I like the format. I'm a closet country music fan. Not much now, but in the early 90's I liked a lot of faith based groups like Diamond Rio, Sawyer Brown, Ricky Skaggs, Paul Overstreet and Collin Raye. I've always been a Randy Travis fan, and when he started singing for Jesus it was so much the better! I love good storytelling in a song, and nobody does it like country music. I've always loved Christian artists who can pull the heartstrings like Mark Shultz. There should be more of that style in Christian music, Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel" show's how a good story and faith combined can really work well. It's not a surprise her great CD has sold over 5 million copies, and that Kellie Pickler has gone gold. American Idol is most popular in the south, where the heart of country music reigns. Which brings us sadly to the fact their is no country singers on Idol this year. The girl Bailey, looked like a big star at auditions, but messed up her words in Hollywood. Look for her to return strong next year.

So which of these contestants will be able to pull off country? You need emotion, not a big voice. The show is about to start, so let's find out!

OK, Phil is in the tough first spot..so far his voice is great, he usually struggles at the start..he's really doing awesome, showing personality in the crowd..Simon is trying to pull Paula's nose as he goes by...the judges all loved it too. Will it keep Phil around another week..let's hope. Grade: A

Jordin will be next, I think she will do well in this style too. OK, she is going to do one of Martina's songs. This is great...I have chills running up my arms watching Jordin sing tonight. My prediction of her winning earlier this week is looking better..Simon agrees! The other two loved it, but could have given her even more props, if that's possible. The best song of the year to date! Grade: A++

How is Sanjaya going to follow that?..Martina thinks he will project more..but so far he's back to that really lazy style of singing,. .he just slurs his words together. That scarf is a poor choice for country night as well. Well, the judges being nice hasn't worked, so they are back at telling the truth. Will this be the week he goes? I still think not, though he deserves to... Grade: D

LaKisha could be in danger with Phil doing well..let's see what she does...Wow.."Jesus, Take The Wheel", this should be interesting..I hope she stays for just choosing this song. .so far, it doesn't sound like it fits her..I just hear Carrie singing it so well..too bad, I was hoping she would do the song justice..the judges agree with me again...Grade: C+

Chris did a Keith Urban song pretty well earlier this year, he might be OK here. ..gee, this song has got no melody to me..he's trying to force these runs in his voice..nasally again too..this is the worst I've seen from him..the judges agree again...he could be in big trouble this week..Grade: C-

Melinda is next, can she do country..wow, she's doing a song Martina hasn't even heard of..this will be her first new song ever done on Idol!..I'm loving it, this is classic country, the way I love it..I'm impressed that Melinda can do this style so well..the judges like it..I even agree with Simon telling her not to have that surprised look every time people like her. That could work against her..Grade: A

Blake might have a hard time with country..and he makes no bones about it..I love when he does a song slow and silky smooth..the song is getting louder and he may have to force it a little more..but still solid..he looks relieved to have made it through country week..Grade: B+ 

Well, this week it's easy to say the bottom 3 performers were Sanjaya, Chris, and Lakisha..but 2 of them have never been in the bottom 3 before. Can Phil escape the bottom 3 for the first time with his solid performance? This is a tough week to predict for those reasons.

I say Chris gets voted off this week, Phil does enough not to get voted off, but he will be in bottom 3 along with Lakisha. So far the phone has been busy for Phil 80% of the time..good!

Sue has Sanjaya going, with Chris and LaKisha in the bottom 3 as well.

My sister Amy made her picks before the show!..she has Phil leaving, and Sanjaya and Chris in bottom 3 as well.

OK, get your picks in before 9 eastern time Wednesday for bottom 3 and booted off performer. You can still give me your revised picks for the final winner and runner up..I now have Jordin over Blake.

Talk to you after the results show!

I'm sure glad I taped the Tonight show to see Relient K instead of watching it live. I buzzed through it and saw one disgusting thing after another. First, Nancy Pelosi, liberal speaker of the House..has a joke about voting for Sanjaya. I thought that was kind of cute, until I realized she was a guest on the show. This is a woman who Christians need to be concerned about..but I don't want to make this a political blog.

Later, Haley Scarnato comes out for a gag routine, and really messes up one of her lines. Then Julia-Louise Dreyfess comes out with a top that was embarrassingly revealing. I flew through that quickly, saw Pelosi again, then got to Relient K. I was expecting "Must Have Done Something Right". but they did the new single, "The Best Thing", another positive love song that is almost as catchy. It was a good choice to do for the show. Matt was awesome on the piano, and the rest of the band was tight. I just wonder what they thought of the rest of the show, or if they really care?

I'm not doing a live blog tonight. The show is over and I'll give my collective thoughts!

When I heard Jennifer Lopez was the guest, I could envision the songs, and I was right about the women's choices. I just KNEW Haley was going to do a song in short short's and strut about, but I guessed "The Rhythm is Going to Get You" before the show, not "Turn The Beat Around". As usual, she didn't cut it vocally. Simon told it like it is with his comment on her wearing less and less to get votes.

My theory that the bigger the star, the more nervous the singers get, didn't appear too much. Jennifer seems a lot more down to earth. Overall, I thought the guys did much better, because they just didn't resort to the same style of songs.

First place tonight was Blake, who Sue and I thought gave a flawless performance. He always picks a song that is hip, and doing a Marc Anthony song scored points with Jennifer. Here is a rundown on how I liked the rest in order of preference.

2) Chris..For some reason I really enjoy watching him week to week.

3) tie between Jordin and Melinda. My friend Steve pointed out to me that Melinda hasn't done a song that was written after the decade of the 70's, and she kept that string alive tonight. As usual, she sang great, I'm just not sure if she is Idol winning material. I loved her good attitude comment to Simon about being relieved that he could get criticism off his chest. Jordin was solid, but I thought she was really going to blow up with that song, and she didn't quite to me. (By the way, if you see Steve's comments in my comment box, click onto his blog for his own Idol blog.)

5) Sit down...Sanjaya!  Finally a song that fits his vocal range. I thought he looked more manly too. He has that Constantine Maroulis glare down pat.

6) Phil..I thought he sang it pretty well until a few cracks at the end. As usual, he's the one I'm voting for, to keep him on the show. So far I haven't had a busy signal, which worries me.

7) Lakisha.."Conga" was another one I pictured Haley doing. I didn't think it fit LaKisha.

8) Haley..see above.

My last 3 will also be my bottom 3 picks for the contest, with Haley going. Sue is making the same 3 picks. Once again, vote for your bottom 3, and make sure you tell me the one to get the boot of the 3. Feel free to leave any other opinions, on the show, my thoughts, whatever.

I also want to remind everyone to check out Chris Sligh's blog at www.frommymindtoyoureyes.blogspot.com/ He has been leaving unbelievable insights on the show since he was voted off. He had a blog where he answered everyone's questions. He didn't use mine, but he answered one of my questions from another guy, on what song he would have done on "Inspiration" week in 2 weeks. I was expecting a Christian song, but he said "We Are The Champions." He also said he has signed a record deal, but it won't be official until after the tour, and he can't say with who yet, but that he was courted by 5 labels. I'm hoping it's a Christian label, but who knows. Just check out his blog for yourself, even if you didn't like him personally.

Also a reminder to everyone that Relient K will be on Jay Leno April 12th.

Also, I'm back on the overtime list, so I might take a little longer to respond to everyone! Take care till by results show thoughts and contest results!

(Hi...this is a reprint of my very first blog. I thought it was interesting enough to run again.) I've been a big fan of Christian music for 25 years so I thought for my first blog I'll start my top albums of the 80's, and see how how far I go today. If you have your own list or opinions on mine feel free to comment!

1) PETRA-"More Power To Ya" (1982)

They are my reason I started to like Christian music when all I use to listen to was secular music. I can still play this and be singing (off key!) at the top of my lungs. Title track didn't rock, but it's a classic song. Judas Kiss led the rockers, alond with Second Wind.

2)STRYPER- :To Hell With the Devil"(1986)

What Petra did for Christian rock, Stryper did for metal. MTV playing their video's made them cool with my unsaved friends, which led me to witness. Every song is so well done.

3) KANSAS-"Vinyl Confessions" (1982) They were alredy one of my faves before Kerry Livgren got saved. This album had tons of Christian statements, most notably "Crossfire". John Elefante would later become an important Christian producer and solo artist.

4) MICHAEL W. SMITH-"The Big Picture" (1986) A true pop masterpiece. He was way ahead of the times in Christian music on this one.

5) AMY GRANT-"A Christmas Album" (1983) Simply the greatest Christmas album of all time.

Well...this is a good start. I'll try for 5 more next time.

got time for a few more...

6) SHOUT "In Your Face" (1989) Ken Tamplin is the most underated talent in the music world...period. One artist I wish I could have seen in concert. Great riffs on this album.

7) PETRA "This Means War" (1987) I loved Greg X. Volz but John Schlitt's second album with Petra assured me they were in good hands for the long haul. My profile picture with John is after their Kingdom Bound performance in 1988 to support this album.

8) RUSS TAFF "Russ Taff" (1987) This wasn't Russ Taff's most critically acclaimed album, but the soul searching lyrics hit me in the heart. Little did I know it was my future wife's favorite album...a year before we met!

9) ALLIES "Long Way From Paradise" (1989) This is Bob Carlisle at his rockin best long before "Butterfly Kisses". Songs are just fun, fun, fun.

10) WHITEHEART "Don't Wait For The Movie" (1986) Another fun, roll down the windows and crank it album. Great riffs by Gordon Kennedy were 10 times better in concert.

11) RICK CUA "Wear Your Colors" (1986) Western New York's pride and joy rocks the house on every cut. Used to play in The Outlaws and later performed on albums by Petra and Whitecross, to name a few. Seen him live countless times, nicest guy you'll ever meet.

12) U2 "Under a Red Blood Sky" (1983) I love live albums, and this summed up a bunch of their early classics like "Gloria" The Joshua Tree I didn't appreciate until this decade, but that probably should be in the Top 10 as well.

That should do it for now. Next time I will have a honorable mention list. If I get responces I will do other decade's and Individual songs in the future.

Thought I would give a history of myself, so when you read my blogs you have an idea of my background. Sadly, I had a nice one written but erased it by mistake. Now I don't have time to be that detailed.

I was born in 1961 in Rochester, and still live there.Was mostly into sports my whole life, but started getting into secular music late in high school. My sis getting me to go to a Petra concert in 1981 was the first time I found out about good Christian music. By 1984, after recommiting to the Lord, I got into it full speed. My sis also got me my first subscription to CCM at this time!

Was involved in working with kids, when I joined the Drama team at church in 1987. After 2 years I had fallen in love with my best friend on the team, Susan, and finally we started courting. Got married in 1990 and have been super blessed with her ever since! Our daughter Kayla was born in 1998, and Kristi was born in 2001. Sue does a great job homeschooling them, and works as a nurse once a week. I've been at the post office since 1991. We are also blessed to be able to teach the 5-7 year olds on Sunday morning at the fantastic Calvary Chapel we've attended for 12 years.

Well, my original blog was 3 times longer, but that covered it in a nutshell! I will go back to writing about random goofy things having to do with Christian music in the future.

Have to say I was king of shocked to see Gina go. She was the only rocker of the 9, so she had all the votes of that type of fan I thought. I expected her to be around 5. The more I watch Haley, the more I dislike her. She has to go before Sanjaya..at least he's a likeable chap. She has that pouty look when she's in the bottom 3 every week. How much more skin will she reveal next week to stick around? I'm so sorry I endorsed her in my earliest blog.

Anyway, we had 9 people play this week..a few newcomers, and a few forgot..try again next week=) The points are easy, every single person got 5 points for having 2 of the 3 bottom 3 right (2 points each pick, 1 point for playing). But no one got the 5 bonus points for having Gina to go. Steve, Mike, and Amy had her in bottom 3 though.

Here are the totals for the year:

18 points...Jimbo, Mike

15 points...Sue, Amy  (my family has 3 out of top 4!)

13 points...Shannon

11 points..Hanna

10 points..Steve

9 Points...Jordan

5 points...Monika, Kristi, Sharayah

1 point...Elizabeth

Smile Gina..though you're heart is breaking.

I'm going to try live blogging again tonight..because I really dig Tony's music. He's a fave with my folks, and I think he's a cool guy. I think I have about 5 more people to play the contest tonight also, so for you guys...have fun!

Here he is..Tony looks great for 80!  I agree, he IS a class act, Ryan!

Blake is doing a great song for him, "Mack the Knife" I think he's very hip, my wife thinks he's done better. Still reminds me of Kevin Max.Simon kind of agrees with my wife. I would give it an A-. He will be safe for sure.

Great!...they just announced Kelly Clarkson will be singing on the "Idol gives back" show in a few weeks. I was hoping for Bono..but she will do! I didn't watch most of the first year, so I'm enjoying her and Tamyra Gray from Idol rewind on the weekends. How the heck is Tamyra going to end up 4th..that will be just as big a joke as Daughtry coming in 4th. She was GREAT in the movie "The Gospel", check it out if you haven't seen the flick..excellent movie!

Phil is now doing his thing. He really is sounding like Tony on this song. Not as an exciting song as Blake's, but his voice is flawless. Oh boy, the judges weren't hip to it at all. He could be in trouble again. I would give it a B+, my wife thought it was an A. Vote 1-866-43657-02! He need's the Christians to unite!!

Melinda I can just put in my standard takes.."She was amazing..pitch right on...felt the song..etc, etc" I said it before, she is almost too good to be as interesting as Jordin or Blake. Simon kind of says that in his own way. She gets her usual A.

Her comes my cuz, Chris "Richie Rich" Richardson. My sister says he has no charisma, but I think it pours out. He is sounding his best, and has the swing vibe going. The judges agree! I'll give him an A.

Jordin is doing another fave "On a Clear Day". I think she is making the song her own, without the swing vibe. Since I like the swing vibe from this era, I'm not big on the rendition, but I am big on the vocals. I do admire trying to make the song her own. Simon thought it was a little old fashioned. I'll give it an A-.

OK, Gina is going to do "Smile", one of my faves. This is reminding me of Phil's, I think her voice is flawless, but will the judges think it was authentic? Well, they do, except Simon. Of course she wasn't as good as the other 2 girls, but Gina did her best..I'd say an A-.

Here comes our "hero" Sanjaya..figures that Tony would like him, he covered one of his songs a few weeks ago. I think "Cheek to Cheek" is right for his style. The little dance with Paula won't hurt his likability..I actually kind of enjoyed him tonight. He is by far the weakest singer, but it wasn't appalling like last week..I'll give a B-. 

Here comes "Legs"..Haley. My wife just despises her. I think she tries to be sultry like Katharine McPhee, but comes across looking like a tramp. Her vocals have been worse..good, the judges didn't like her, maybe Phil can stay on. My wife made a good point, Randy and Paula didn't want to say anything because she said it was Simon's opinion that mattered to her. I'll give her a C.

LaKisha is doing one of my Pop's faves, "Stormy Weather" She is doing a very good job..I just don't think her style is much different week to week. She didn't listen to Tony, and added the line at the end. Don't diss the master! The judges thought she was fantastic, but only a B+ for me.

Overall, I think it was a very good show, much better than last week. Phil and Haley are the obvious 2 choices for the bottom 2, and I'm tired of being wrong on Sanjaya every week. Though he doesn't deserve it, I'll say Chris will be in the bottom 3 with Phil, and Haley getting her legs kicked off. The good news is I'm getting some busy signals for Phil, always a good sign. I usually get right through for him.

Sue's picks are Haley, Sanjaya, and Phil getting voted off. She has the bad gut feeling that I had about Sligh last week.

OK, it's your turn peeps! Give me your thoughts on the best and worst, with your bottom 3 picks and voted off pick on the comment section below! Thanks..I'm out!

Wow..have I really been diggin' the new CD by downhere..."Wide Eyed and Mystified" It came out last year, and if I could do my top 10 CD's of the year over again, they might have beat Leeland out for #1! This Canadian band released two CD's earlier this decade, but Word dropped them, and they hooked up with the Centricity label. Many of you might only know them for their hit single, "A Better Way", but the rest of the CD is just as great. Simply put, one of their lead singers, Marc Martel, might be the best singer in Christian music today. Picture a combination of Kevin max, Freddy Mercury of Queen, and Blake from American Idol, roll them together and you get Marc. The other singer, Jason Germain, has a great voice in his own right, and when you blend the 2 together, it's nearly perfect harmonies, ala DC Talk's Kevin and Tait. They blend rock with thoughtful slower songs, but every song is a masterpiece. My 2 faves are "Surrender", and "The Real Jesus". I just can't believe I didn't discover them earlier. I have to order their first 2 CD's immediately! Check out their website at www.downhere.com Here is a picture of them with one of their biggest fans, Monika, a great peep! Thanks for the picture and the info on the band Monika!

Before I go I also want to mention another peep,titletrakk. They have a great website at www.TitleTrakk.com that you can read music and book reviews, vote in survey's, win neat prizes, and lots more. Check them out!